Two startups with UTA ties selected for accelerator program Two startups with ties to The University of Texas at Arlington have been selected for an international accelerator program, illustrating UTA's commitment to entrepreneurship and impactful research commercialization. SolGro Inc. was founded by a UTA student with technology developed by UTA physics Professor Wei Chen. The company has created a patented canopy system that embeds advanced nanomaterials into greenhouse glazing to convert wasted sunlight into usable light for increased plant photosynthesis, technology with the potential to improve agricultural industries. The other startup, Fade, founded and led by a UTA alumnus, is a mobile app that connects local barbers with new and existing clients through the convenience of 24/7 booking tools and in-app payments. Both companies were selected to join MassChallenge, an accelerator that selects early-stage startup companies to participate in four-month programs. Startups receive support from top experts, free co-working space, tailored workshops and office hours, and the opportunity to win a no-equity cash award. Farhaj Mayan, founder and CEO of Fade, is a UTA alumnus who developed his company during a UTA EpICMavs Deep Dive, a free weekly interactive seminar series in UTA's Startup Lounge. The program, in partnership with nonprofit startup incubator TechFW, invites faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the Dallas-Fort Worth community, to learn the skills and build the relationships necessary to start their own companies. Each summer, the Office of Innovation and Commercialization hosts Deep Dive, a seven-week accelerator that guides participants from the inception of a business concept to a complete business plan and prepares them to pitch to investors. "When we first came to EpICMavs, we had an idea for a product, but didn't know what it took to start a company," Mayan said. "The program taught us how to do everything from creating capitalization tables to developing our business model to creating a pitch deck. Our time in Deep Dive inspired us to network with local barbers to identify their needs to ensure we developed a product that served them well and optimized their work. "There is a wealth of talent, technology and innovative intellectual property at UTA," he continued. "The University has made significant efforts to foster new businesses and ideas, and is in a prime location to be positioned as a leader in the booming startup ecosystem developing throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area." The other startup, SolGro, uses technology to convert natural sunlight into the red and blue spectrum, helping farmers decrease harvest time, increase crop yields and improve the overall quality of their produce. "We conduct research with the goal of improving how we operate and live as a society," Chen said. "Commercializing our technology is essential for taking our work from the laboratory to the marketplace where it can have an impact. We are grateful to see our technology involved in SolGro's continued success and powerful momentum as they strive to improve our farming industries." Tyler Sickels, founder and CEO of SolGro, is a UTA student who utilized resources within EpICMavs to develop SolGro's business plan. "Our involvement with EpICMavs in the early stages of our company helped us identify potential opportunities and develop a framework for our business that would set us up for growth," Sickels said. "The relationships we built through that program were essential to our development." In addition to being selected as a MassChallenge competitor, SolGro was selected as one of five early-stage companies for the first-ever "agtech" cohort by The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator. "We are very fortunate to be involved in both MassChallenge and the Wells Fargo incubator at the same time," Sickels said. "The latter focuses on the development of our technology, while MassChallenge will allow us to concurrently focus on our business, effective marketing and the strength of our sales channels." Mayan and Sickels met in an EpICMavs seminar and have supported and consulted with each other as their companies have grown on parallel journeys. They even took a road trip to California together to meet with potential investors. UTA is striving to be a hub for innovation in areas that address the problems and challenges of the local community as well as global issues related to health, sustainability, energy, security and education. UTA's Office of Innovation and Commercialization, or OIC, is responsible for the protection, marketing and licensing of campus-created inventions and intellectual property. OIC serves internal and external clients through education and collaboration, acting as a bridge to industry to make UTA technologies and innovations available to humankind. ### This story has been published on: 2019-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A shady spot may protect species against rapid climate warming HOUSTON -- (June 14, 2019) -- Finding a shady refuge to cool off on a hot day could be more than a lifesaver in a warming world. It might save several species that would otherwise go extinct due to global warming, according to an analysis by ecologists at a dozen institutions. "Animals are not passive, and there's plenty of evidence that some of them will seek out shade to regulate their body temperature," said Rice University ecologist Volker Rudolf, co-author of a study in Global Change Biology that examined both the behavior and habitats of 39 species. "The big question, for ecologists, is whether we can create a predictive framework that uses what we already know about species' behaviors and habitats to predict whether this behavior might buffer them from rapid climate change and potentially rescue them from otherwise going extinct." Rudolf said he and his colleagues, including study co-lead authors Samuel Fey of Reed College and David Vasseur of Yale University, set out to create such a framework, in part because a number of high-profile studies have ignored behavior in making predictions about the possible impacts of climate warming. Scientists have examined the impact of temperature on the fitness of many species. To control for external factors, almost all such tests are performed in a laboratory, where temperature can be increased while all other factors remain constant, said Rudolf, a professor in Rice's Department of BioSciences. The overall health, or fitness, of individuals often falls off as temperatures increase, especially in insects and other ectothermic animals whose bodies don't self-regulate temperature. "Behavior allows for self-regulation of body temperature, even in some cases where physiology doesn't," Rudolf said. "So ignoring this behavior means you're probably making wrong predictions." But behavior only goes so far. If a creature lives where there is no shade or other means to cool off, it's obviously not an option. It may also be impractical, especially if getting to the shady spot requires an enormous expenditure of energy. To examine the consequences of this behavior across a wide range of animals, the scientists created a mathematical framework that accounts for variability in microclimate in the habitat of a species to estimate the cost-benefit trade-off an individual faces when expending energy to seek shade. The framework was first verified on tests with the southern rock agama, a lizard native to South Africa, and was later applied to a database of 38 insect species from Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia. Using International Panel on Climate Change temperature projections for the year 2050, the researchers found that 19 of the insects were likely to be negatively impacted by warming temperatures. They further found that behavior would likely mitigate the ill effects of warming for 17 of the 19 species, including six that were predicted to experience "behavioral rescue," a situation where behavioral adaptation keeps the species from going extinct. In fact, warmer temperatures, in conjunction with behavioral adaptation, were predicted to increase fitness for 10 species. "With climate change already increasing temperatures worldwide, it is important to find ways to forecast how this will affect individual species as well as tightly couple ecological communities," Rudolf said. In addition to looking at the direct effects of temperature on one species, he said it will be important for ecologists to consider how rising temperatures will affect a species' predators, competitors and food resources, including prey. Where looking at temperature alone might suggest a species will do better or worse, those predictions could change based on the impacts on closely coupled species. Additional co-authors include Karla Alujevic? and Susana Clusella-Trullas of Stellenbosch University in South Africa; Kristy Kroeker of the University of California, Santa Cruz; Michael Logan of the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution in Panama; Mary O'Connor of the University of British Columbia; John DeLong of the University of Nebraska; Scott Peacor of Michigan State University; Rebecca Selden of Rutgers University; and Andy Sih of the University of California, Davis. The research was supported by CapeNature and initiated by conversations at the 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions. ### High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at: https:/ / commons. wikimedia. org/ wiki/ File:Southern_Rock_Agama_ (Agama_atra)_male_(32195119063).jpg?CAPTION: A predictive framework for estimating how a species' behavior might mitigate the ill effects of rising temperatures was first tested on the southern rock agama lizard, a species native to South Africa. (Photo courtesy of Bernard Dupont/Wikimedia Commons) https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2019/ 06/ 0617_RESCUE-vr150-lg. jpg?CAPTION: Volker Rudolf (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) https:/ / www. nasa. gov/ multimedia/ imagegallery/ image_feature_2159. html? (Image courtesy of NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring) Additional information: The DOI of the Global Change Biology paper is: 10.1111/gcb.14712 A copy of the paper is available at: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1111/ gcb. 14712 Rudolf lab: volkerrudolf.weebly.com Rice Department of BioSciences: biosciences.rice.edu Wiess School of Natural Sciences: naturalsciences.rice.edu Related research from Rice: Dragonflies reveal how biodiversity changes in time and space -- June 30, 2017?https:/ / news. rice. edu/ 2017/ 06/ 30/ dragonflies-reveal-how-biodiversity-changes-in-time-and-space/ Moving up the food chain can beat being on top -- Jan. 17, 2017?http://news. rice. edu/ 2017/ 01/ 17/ moving-up-the-food-chain-can-beat-being-on-top/ Where were you born? Origin matters for species interactions -- June 13, 2016?http://news. rice. edu/ 2016/ 06/ 13/ where-were-you-born-origin-matters-for-species-interactions/ Ecosystems change long before species are lost -- Aug. 12, 2013?http://news. rice. edu/ 2013/ 08/ 12/ ecosystems-change-long-before-species-are-lost/ Study: Ecological effects of biodiversity loss underestimated -- Nov. 30, 2010?http://news. rice. edu/ 2010/ 11/ 30/ study-ecological-effects-of-biodiversity-loss-underestimated/ This release can be found online at news.rice.edu. Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. By Shi Wangsheng Last year, the Cyber Strategy released by the US Department of Defense emphasized the concept of "defense forward". The outside world interpreted such a move as the US military will conduct cyber offensive and defensive operations in other countries, rather than in the US homeland. Earlier, the US President also grant military the freedom to deploy advanced cyber weapons without hindrance. As the initiator of cyber warfare, the US is accelerating to drag the world into a cyber war where there will be no winner. For years, American politicians have been advocating the risk of a possible "cyber Pearl Harbor attack". Ironically, the US is the first to attack other countries' facilities with cyber weapons in the world. As the initiator of cyber warfare, the US is not only the most powerful country, but also the country that conducted the most cyber warfare. In 2004, the US launched a cyber attack that led to Libyas top-level domain name paralysis. In 2010, the "Stuxnet" virus jointly created by the US and Israel attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, causing Iran's 1,000 centrifuges to be scrapped and its nuclear program to be almost "stagnant." In 2016, former US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter admitted for the first time that the US attacked the ISIS by Internet means. This is the first time that the US has publicly acknowledged cyber attack as a combat means. A large-scale power outage occurred in Venezuela at the beginning of March 2019, with 18 of Venezuelas 23 states affected, directly causing widespread chaotic situation in national traffic, medical care, communication and infrastructure facilities. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the US of planning a "cyber attack" on Venezuela's electricity network, with the aim of creating chaos and forcing the government to step down. Some analysts believe that launching a cyber attack against Venezuela might be the best option for the US in the absence of direct and indirect military intervention. The US has never stopped its preparations for cyber warfare. At the end of 2016, the US further enhanced the strategic position and operational value of cyber warfare, elevating the US Cyber Command, which was formerly under the US Strategic Command, to an independent first-level command. The US has established a three-tier, that is, President-Defense Secretary-Commander, cyber warfare commanding mechanism. At present, the US has 133 cyber warfare troops. During the decade from 2006 to 2016, the US had conducted seven large-scale "Cyber Storm" exercises or cyberspace warfare drills, among which three attack and defense operations were specifically targeted at China. US President Donald Trump signed an order in August 2018 to overturn the "Presidential Policy Directive No. 20" (PPD-20) signed by former President Barack Obama in 2012, allowing the military to deploy advanced cyber weapons more freely without being obstructed by the State Council or the intelligence community. Jason Healey, a Columbia University researcher and cyber security expert, is very concerned about the US practices. He believes that the US has slipped into a permanent cyber war, and there will be no real winners. There are reasons to worry. The US has continuously strengthened its cyber warfare set-ups and made terrible examples to the world. If other countries or its rivals follow suit, the US will never have a good ending. Instead, it is likely to be the first to bear the brunt. Attacking each other will never help achieve network security, and it will only make cyberspace embark on a road of escalated confrontation with no return. (The article was published in Chinese on the People's Daily, June 14, 2019. It is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.) BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China called on relevant parties in the Gulf region to settle differences through dialogue and consultation, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday. The U.S. government accused Iran of launching attacks on two oil carriers in the Sea of Oman, which Iran denied. Media reported the Gulf region was experiencing unprecedented tensions with increased possibilities of war. Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a news briefing that nobody wants to see a war in the Gulf region of the Middle East, as it is not in anyone's interest. He said China is deeply concerned about the rising tension and hopes all sides could resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and jointly safeguard regional peace, stability and development. "We hope all parties concerned will remain calm, exercise restraint and avoid further escalating tensions, and hope all sides can jointly safeguard navigational safety in relevant waters," Geng said. China maintains cooperation with countries in the Gulf region, including cooperation on energy, he said, adding that the cooperation is conducted under the framework of international laws and China would continue to safeguard its energy security and the lawful rights of its companies. "China has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions and the so-called long-arm jurisdiction," Geng said. He stressed that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, always keeps in touch with countries in the Middle East, and has made contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the region. Paul Simons famous lyric about everything looking worse in black and white is hardly a universal truth, but when it comes to William Saville-Kents groundbreaking 1893 book The Great Barrier Reef of Australia: its products and potentialities, the assertion may have some merit. Saville-Kent, a naturalist whose work in various British aquariums eventually led to a gig rebuilding depleted Tasmanian oyster beds, fell hard for the colorful fish, beche-de-mer, corals, sponges, turtles, and other marine species he encountered in Australia. He photographed the Great Barrier Reef while serving in Queensland as Commissioner of Fisheries. 48 of his images were published in the aforementioned book, offering readers an unprecedented armchair tour of a coral reef, albeit in black and white. While Saville-Kent definitely achieved his goal of furthering the publics awareness of the reef, he also upstaged himself by including 16 color lithographs inspired by his original watercolors. These plates, by London-based lithographers Riddle and Couchmanwhose work usually ran toward portraits of well-born gentlemenexude a lively Seussian appeal. Saville-Kents carefully captured fish, echinoderms, and anemones literally pale in comparison to the bright specimens the lithographers, who presumably lacked his firsthand experience of the forms they were depicting, brought to such vibrant life in the back of the book. These days, alas, the Great Barrier Reef resembles Saville-Kents photos more closely than those gorgeous lithographs, the victim of back-to-back bleaching events brought on by pollution-related climate change. Saville-Kent is buried at All Saints Churchin Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, England. His grave is decorated with coral. Browse a digital copy of The Great Barrier Reef of Australia: its products and potentialities here. via The Public Domain Review Related Content: Ernst Haeckels Sublime Drawings of Flora and Fauna: The Beautiful Scientific Drawings That Influenced Europes Art Nouveau Movement (1889) Two Million Wondrous Nature Illustrations Put Online by The Biodiversity Heritage Library New Archive Digitizes 80,000 Historic Watercolor Paintings, the Medium Through Which We Documented the World Before Photography Ayun Halliday is an author, illustrator, theater maker and Chief Primatologist of the East Village Inkyzine. Join her in NYC on Monday, June 17 for another monthly installment of her public domain-based variety show, Necromancers of the Public Domain. Follow her @AyunHalliday. ANKARA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will retaliate if the United States imposes sanctions over its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday. "If the U.S. takes any negative actions towards us, we will also take reciprocal steps. We will certainly respond," Cavusoglu said when asked about possible U.S. sanctions in an interview with Anadolu Agency. But he didn't give the details on which measures Turkey would take against the U.S.. "We will not step back on Russian S-400 deal no matter what the consequences will be," Cavusoglu stressed. The U.S. repeatedly warned it will cut off Turkey's purchase of F-35 fighter jets if Ankara goes ahead with plans to buy Russian S-400 air defense system, expected to be delivered as early as next month, triggering a heated dispute between the two NATO allies. Last week Pentagon announced in a letter that it would halt F-35 fighter jet training for Turkish pilots, and all Turkish trainees in the program must leave the country by July 31. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted on Wednesday that Turkey had already bought the Russian S-400 system and it is set to take delivery in July. It will take several weeks to conclude the ballots after a series of votes whittles down the hopefuls to just two contenders. Then the 160,000 or so party members vote for a winner. Slicker presentation and better preparation by Johnson and his team appear to be paying off by securing the backing of 114 of the 313 lawmakers. Jeremy Hunt, the current foreign secretary, came second with 43 votes in a field of nearly a dozen hopefuls. Conservative insiders say the race is now his to lose. Johnson's frontrunner status is all the more remarkable considering that fewer than three years ago, his bid to succeed David Cameron, May's predecessor, as prime minister, crashed when his campaign was sabotaged by a rival. Britain's Conservative lawmakers held the first in a series of knockout ballots Thursday to pick a successor for the Brexit-fouled Theresa May as party leader and the country's prime minister -- and as predicted, frontrunner Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, topped the poll. May's position was wrecked after she failed to get her Brexit deal approved by the British parliament -- the agreement is unpopular with both hardline Brexiters, who say it keeps Britain too closely tied to the European Union, and by Europhiles, who favor greater participation in the EU. May was forced to delay, with reluctant EU agreement, the deadline for Britain to leave the EU, which is now set for Oct. 31. All the Conservative contenders say if they emerge as the victor, they will renegotiate the contentious Brexit withdrawal agreement Theresa May struck with Brussels last November after two years of ill-tempered haggling. European national leaders and senior EU officials have maintained for months there can be no renegotiation of the deal signed with May. They do, however, say they would consider amending an accompanying political declaration that outlines Britain's possible future trading relationship, which will be negotiated following Brexit. They are urging the Conservatives not to try to reopen negotiations. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar warned midweek against thinking a better accord can be pulled off, saying it would be "a terrible political miscalculation, and "really misunderstands how the EU works." European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the next British leader has to drop any idea of reopening the Brexit deal. "It has to be respected by whomsoever will be the next British prime minister," Juncker said in Brussels. May has warned her possible successors they will face the same political impasse she did, as well as a parliament determined to block Britain leaving the European Union without a withdrawal deal, which is designed to reduce economic disruption on both sides of the English Channel. Few of the candidates appear ready to heed the warnings. Johnson has said he's ready to meet the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline, regardless. If Johnson is chosen as one of the final two, most observers believe he'll emerge as the winner. The former London mayor is seen as charismatic by many party members and insiders say he passes a "purity test" with his determination to break with the EU. Aside from the dominating issue of Brexit, the contest has been marked by dirty tricks, personal attacks and lurid accusations with much of the media focusing on whether contenders have ever dabbled in drugs -- an issue triggered by the forced confession of one of the principal contenders, former Justice Minister Michael Gove, that he'd snorted cocaine as a student and later as a journalist. The admission has maimed Gove and left the way open for Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to lay claim to being the only candidate who can seriously challenge Johnson. Johnson's backers dismiss Hunt as "Theresa May Mark II," (just like the prime minister), but Hunt's aides say his second-place showing Thursday will prompt more lawmakers opposed to Johnson to shift their backing from other candidates, strengthening his challenge. Uncharacteristically, Johnson has shied away from press appearances, and in the past month granted a single face-to-face media interview, a move his critics say is designed to avoid him wrecking his campaign with trademark colorful indiscretions. "Loose lips sink ships," remarked one his advisers to VOA, invoking a Second World War-era phrase advising against unguarded chatter. Twenty-four hours before Thursday's balloting, Johnson launched his formal campaign. He kept mainly to a written script framing himself as the only hopeful who can lead the country to Brexit and beat the main opposition Labor Party in a general election and staving off the political challenge of Nigel Farage's newly-formed Brexit Party, which topped the European Parliament elections in Britain last month. He said if the Conservatives fail to meet the new Brexit deadline, they "will face mortal retribution from the electorate," he added. As with his party rivals, Johnson hasn't provided any details on how he would overcome the parliamentary majority determined to block Britain leaving without a deal, and how he plans to coax EU leaders to reopen talks. South Korea was ranked as the world's 55th most peaceful country in an annual report released by an Australia-based think tank on Wednesday. The Institute for Economics and Peace rated the state of peace of 163 countries based on 23 indicators in three areas -- "the level of societal safety and security," "the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict" and "the degree of militarization." South Korea's ranking was down nine notches from last year, with the report citing "notable deteriorations in confidence in the military in the past decade." North Korea moved up a notch to 149th, but remains the only Asia-Pacific country in the bottom 25. Pyongyang was given the lowest score in terms of nuclear and heavy weapons capabilities "despite more than a year of denuclearization negotiations with South Korea and the U.S.," which has made "little tangible progress" so far. Iceland was the most peaceful nation, followed by New Zealand and Austria. Afghanistan was the least peaceful. Over the weekend, Azealia Banks leapt in the comments of an Instagram post by Madonna which featured two of her Black adopted children dancing. The target of Banks' ire? A perceived lack of knowledge on how Madonna should appropriately maintain the health of her Black daughter's hair. Banks, in her characteristically no-holds-barred style, wrote, "Omg please nuture [sic] their hair !!! This is an important time for character development. Don't masculinize them and make them have boy hair styles because you're too lazy to have any original thoughts about your children's hair. Don't adopt black girls just to post them on Instagram, actually show a real care for these future black women and make their hair as nice as the kitchen Tf." She continues: "And Madonna has too much money for there not to be even a DROP of castor oil on these girls heads before she decided to post her refugee children dancing in her fancy kitchen to show how cultured she is as a rich top 1% white celebrity." Predictably, these comments, which now appear to have been deleted, drew polarized responses from fans. Some argued that Banks was overstepping a line by telling Madonna how to raise her child, while others agreed with her sentiments. (So far, Madonna has not replied to Banks' messages.) Whether Madonna is guilty of what Banks is accusing her of or not, this exchange does seem to be on-trend with more high-profile white celebrities publicly proclaiming their willingness to educate themselves on the ins and outs of Black hair. (To be clear, we are not accusing Madonna of neglecting the hair needs of her adopted Black children.) Kylie Jenner recently posted a time-lapse video of herself styling baby Stormi's hair, with the caption: "I love doing her hair. I'm not the best but I love learning. Some of my favourite memories are of my mom doing my hair." Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian Sr., revealed that he reached out to private natural hair groups online to learn how to do daughter Alexis Olympia's hair, tweeting, "Just applied to join 4 private Natural Hair Facebook groups. I hope they don't auto-reject my application when they see my profile photo. I told them it was to keep getting better at doing my daughter's hair." These are all important first steps toward proper education, but some hair experts, such as London-based natural hair movement leader Charlotte Mensah, who styles stars from Janelle Monae to Eve, might argue that haircare for young Black children is even more holistic. It's not about how much hair one has, she told PAPER, but how well they take care of what they have. The solution for beautiful natural hair, she said, is emotional and spiritual balance. "Every individual person can remind themselves to love what they have to remember it's quality versus quantity," Mensah said. "And also, for your hair to grow and be amazing, it's not about what you put on to treat it, it's about maintaining your spirit. You have to be spiritually happy, mentally well, and you also have to be emotionally happy with yourself." So, supplying a happy, healthy home in which a child is adequately provided for which is abundantly possible in these cases of wealthy white celebrity parents is one starting point. Related | This Black Hair Stylist Just Made History According to Live Strong, The Adoption Resources of Wisconsin shares that caring for Black children's hair matters because it "is an important cultural reflection for a child and can help instill self-confidence when cared for correctly." It is important for white parents to understand that, in addition to being curly, Black hair is unique from other hair types because it is naturally drier, coarser, and more densely packed. Because Black hair also has fewer cuticle layers, it's more vulnerable to damage and breakage if you don't use the right hair care products. This goes back to Banks' initial concerns about properly maintaining hair with cuticle-enriching moisturizers specifically catered toward Black hair. The solution toward proper haircare of white parents for their Black children is a simple, but often overlooked one: listen to Black people with experience of caring for their own hair, or for a child's hair. Professional hairdressers, mothers, fathers, those with hair so visibly vibrant and gorgeous you may feel inclined to reach out and touch. (If you're reading this and you're white, follow Solange's priceless advice and please don't do this.) Instead, listen, or watch the million-and-one YouTube tutorials available, like this five-minute daily moisturizing routine for Black toddlers with natural hair, read the numerous first-person accounts of Black mothers doing the literal Lord's work of walking their clueless white friends with Black babies through their adopted children's natural hair journeys. The internet is a (currently) open-access, easy-to-use information superhighway full of resources on this topic. Lastly, and perhaps most important to keep in mind: like the rich tapestry of Black people and their experiences, not all Black hair is created equal. Natural hair patterns and styles also have diversity, whether they are thick Afros, mixed-texture, curly, wavy, etc. Our hair is also a tribute to our history, an indicator of our remarkable versatility as people. White celebrity parents, no matter how removed from Black experience they might be when having or adopting Black children, have no choice but to learn to understand and nurture this versatility. President Xi: China to promote ties with Iran no matter what 06/14/19 Source: Press TV Chinese President Xi Jinping says Beijing will continue to promote steady development of ties with Tehran no matter how the situation changes. He made the remarks on Friday during a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit underway in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the official Xinhua news agency said. Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on June 14, 2019. (photo by Islamic Republic News Agency) Xi condemned Washington's unilateral pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran as the main reason behind rising tensions in the region, calling for the promotion of multilateralism. He stressed that Beijing will continue its strategic relations with Tehran in various fields, including fighting terrorism and systematic crimes. #Iran, China presidents confer on issues of mutual interest https://t.co/gAg58nk7LB pic.twitter.com/f8ttr09TU2 IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) June 14, 2019 Rouhani said Iran and China's resistance in the face of US unilateralism could be in the interest of the two countries as well as the entire world. He further slammed Washington for violating international laws and unilaterally abandoning agreements, including the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "The US is violating all international norms, and is seeking to establish its dominance over Asia and the entire world," the president said. Iran and China, Rouhani said, have great capacities to develop their relations. "Due to its exceptional geographical location, Iran is ready to play a key role in the development of 'One Belt, One Road' Initiative," he said. ''Relations with China have always been strategic for Iran," President @Rouhani said on Friday in a meeting with the President of China on the sidelines of the 19th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. pic.twitter.com/Xz9d1hEMvZ Iran Embassy in Zimbabwe (@IRANinZIMBABWE) June 14, 2019 Under the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, China aims to create a modern Silk Road economic belt and a 21st century maritime Silk Road to boost trade. Projects under the plan include a network of railways, highways, oil and gas pipelines, power grids, Internet networks, maritime and other infrastructure links across Central, West and South Asia to as far as Greece, Russia and Oman. Heading a high-ranking political delegation, Rouhani left Tehran for Bishkek on Thursday. The Iranian president was about to deliver a speech to the 19th SCO summit and later meet participating leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The SCO was formed in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to curb extremism in the region and enhance border security. Iran is currently an observer member of the SCO, though it has long sought full membership. The intergovernmental organization seeks to strengthen mutual trust and good-neighborly ties between the member countries, contribute to regional stability and facilitate cooperation in different sectors, including political, trade, economic and energy issues. Frimps Oil Company Limited (Frimps Oil) as a corporate body wishes to inform the general public that it would never ' cheat' our dear and cherished customers because of the trust in the quality and affordability of our products and services. The Ghana Standard Authority (GSA), as part of its mandate, periodically inspects fuel measuring instruments in fuel service stations across the entire nation. As such, this is not the first time that the GSA has been to our various service stations for inspection and verification. They were at our station at Tetegu on March 18th and our station passed the inspection and verification tests carried out on that day. The Tetegu service station has not been ' cheating' our customers as they so put it. Frimps Oil as a corporate entity will never make a deliberate attempt to ' cheat' our customers. The issue at hand where the GSA locked some of our pumps (not all) happened on the 2nd of May and since then, it has already been corrected. The GSA had already visited 60 of our filling stations and just two of them had some technical issues with their pumps. Due to the fact that Frimps Oil operates to ensure that our customers receive the best fuel products in terms of pricing, quality and quantity, we have technicians that are always travelling within our stations to ensure that all of our pumps are working correctly. This is because, since pumps are machineries, sometimes they can either oversell or undersell. As such, we have corrected the issues raised by the GSA at the Tetegu and Spintex service stations. Frimps Oil will never seek to act dishonestly by willfully cheating its customers in order to gain an unfair advantage. This is because we cherish our customers and they make us proud when they complement and commend us on the quality, affordability and quantity of our products. Frimps Oil will continue to serve all of our cherished customers with quality, affordable and accurate quantity of fuel products. Thank you. Yours faithfully, Erica Frimpong (Head, Corporate Affairs). Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for Chereponi constituency, Samuel Jabanyite has disclosed that calm has returned to Chereponi. However, they are still in talks with both factions and parties involved in the conflict for total peace restored in the region. Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that a high powered security delegation from the military and other security agencies are in talks with both sides to ensure that peace will be restored in its entirety. When the meeting is done we will be having a meeting with both parties. He had that security in the area has been intensified by the security agencies to ensure that there will not reprisal attacks in the constituency. He commended the security agencies for the work done in helping to preserve the peace in the area. There have been intermittent violent conflicts between the two tribes in the area over the years. These conflicts have claimed precious lives and resulted in destruction of properties running into millions of Ghana cedis. Several communities have been completely burnt into ashes in the heat of the violent conflicts. Watch Interview Below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament (MP) for Bantama Constituency in the Ashanti Region and a Member of Finance Committee in Parliament, Hon. Daniel Okyem Aboagye aka Wofa Atta has urged more women to partake in various position especially in politics. He added saying, their greater inclusion in the nations affairs is the most important force for development. According to him, the vision of President Akufo Addos Ghana beyond Aid would materialize quicker when the spirit of women, who are active agents of change, will harness effectively. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of 2019 Women of Change Conference, organized by the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) dubbed: Woman, Be Bold And Stand Out at University of Ghana Campusin Accra. The conference brought together policy makers, women innovators and entrepreneurs to engage and discuss about the issues affecting women and how to overcome them. Mr. Okyem Aboagye as guest speaker urged women to overcome intimidation by their male counterpart when vying for positions, encouraging them to be bold, dynamic and stand out always to claim that which is rightfully theirs. To him "it will be impossible to claim position in parliament if one does not stand out to be voted upon as what men can do, women can do and do it better". I believe in women and think it is high time women take up various positions in parliament and other institution but they should be dynamic, bold and stand out to be counted among the countenance he said. I dont see women as a weaker vessel because when they decide to do something nothing can stop themI urged them to work hard to be able to secure more parliamentary seat to help the vision of the president materialized we are in a civilized world and therefore I will urged all my fellow men to stop intimidating women especially those who are ready to take up political positions in the country when you educate a woman you educate a nation but when you educate a man you educate an individual he stressed. He applauded the organizer of the event and all participants for organizing such an amazing conference to educate women on the role of leadership, Economy and Entrepreneurship. Speaking to the Womens Commissioner of USAG, May-Britt Nana Ekua Ocrean explained further that Women of Change conference was organized to empowered women in various Universities in all sectors of the economy, leadership, Information Technology (IT) and Entrepreneurship. She urged women not to forget their aim as women and fight for their right at all times. Women should take up various position and push harder without any fear and intimidationlets us also get a mentor to mentor us to be bold and stand outthe journey is very though and rough but you have to look up, to yourself and go for that position because you can do itthe main thing is to be bold and be ready to dedicate and work harder to move forward, she said. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/Peacefmonline/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Unification Ministry has erased the audio from video footage of a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong and senior South Korean government officials on Wednesday. The ministry banned reporters from covering the meeting citing the threat of African swine fever contamination and difficulties arranging entry passes for the demilitarized zone. Instead, the ministry promised to film the meeting and publish the footage. North Korea sent Kim Yo-jong to Panmunjom on Wednesday to deliver a wreath and letter of condolence from her brother for the funeral of former first lady Lee Hee-ho. At North Korea's insistence, the government sent national security adviser Chung Eui-yong, Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho and Park Jie-won, a vice chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, to pick them up. The meeting lasted about 15 minutes, but the Unification Ministry only provided a couple of minutes of silent footage showing Chung arriving at the border truce village and later chatting with Kim. The last 28 seconds consist of a close-up of the wreath. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has strongly condemned the politicization of one of the suspects who was arrested for kidnapping the two Canadian girls in Kumasi. One of the suspects, Seidu Mba seems to be the centre of attention as both political parties: the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are arguing as to which side he belongs to. While the NPP are saying they have seen pictures and videos of Seidu engaging in some activities for the NDC, the NDC also have a similar allegation. On Thursday, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi at a press conference said the party had identified some NPP-affiliated vigilante groups as the alleged culprits behind the kidnapping of the two Canadian women. After 24hours the nation is being kept in the dark as to conceal the true identity of the criminals. It is scary to reveal that the kidnapping was largely orchestrated by hoodlums and bandits of the NPP. It should tell you that the NPP has something to hide and we the NDC did not go to sleep because we know them very well, he stated. General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu says the opposition party is making such comments because they are not happy the kidnapped girls have been found. Speaking to these issues during a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show Kokrokoo, Kwesi Pratt said it is shameful that the politicization is trying to overshadow the fact that the girls have been found. "We need to be careful the precedence we are setting . . . no matter how you look at it; kidnapping is wrong. Unfortunately for us, the level of polarization is getting deeper and deeper . . . to the extent that we are politicizing kidnapped suspects. You dont understand. How can we fight the canker (kidnapping) with this kind of attitude?" he queried. Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has rejected calls by many Ghanaians not to reduce the Canadian kidnapping saga to the usual partisan politics. According to him, it has become necessary for the main opposition NDC to politicize the Canadian kidnapping issue as until the arrest of the kidnappers, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had sought to portray the NDC as a party full of bandits. Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Sammy Gyamfi, who expressed unhappiness with the way his National Chairman Ofosu Ampofo and the NDC have been wrongfully indicted, said it is in order for the NDC to name the kidnappers and the political party they are affiliated to. They (NPP) are tarnishing the name of the NDC to the world as a party of kidnappers and so if today, there is evidence that those engaging in that nefarious act are not NDC members but rather they are NPP activists, you are telling us not to identify their political lineage to clear our name from the bad image the NPP has carved for us? he angrily asked. Some people want the NPP to continue tarnishing the name of Ofosu Ampofo and the NDC and therefore are uncomfortable when we reveal the identities of kidnappers as NPP members, we will continue to politicize the case. They should stop making us angry; we will continue to say it in the morning, afternoon, evening and at night until the world and Ghanaians know the kidnappers and the political party they belong to. We are serious, he fumed. He claimed until President Akufo-Addo and his government took over power from former President John Dramani Mahama administration, nobody ever tagged the NDC National Chairman Samuel Ofosu Ampofo as a criminal; thus the Church of Pentecost Elder had lived and served the country for many years without bastardization from anyone. He added that comments by government communicators and ministers all attest to the fact that the NDC National Chairman is behind the kidnapping cases in the country without any evidence to buttress their claims except that "so-called doctored tape". It is only President Akufo-Addo and his NPP government that out of sheer hatred, they have vowed to disgrace Ofosu Ampofo for no reason . . . nobody has brought any evidence that Ofosu Ampofo is a kidnapper but whenever they talk on radio on kidnapping, they link it to him and they base their claims on a certain doctored tape of Ofosu Ampofo, mentioning kidnapping which is a pure lie; even in that doctored tape there is nothing like kidnapping which the police dropped their first charged when they listened to the tape, he chided. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Kwadwo Nkansah Lilwin has received a gift from the Member of Parliament of for Kwabre East, Francisca Oteng Mensah, of 5 acres of land to aid him in expanding the size of his school. The donation by the MP was made in collaboration with the Kwabre East Municipal Assembly and is in recognition of the good work being done by the actor in running a school. The 5-acre new piece of land is to help the school construct a new block to accommodate a Junior High wing. Lilwin founded the Great Minds International School at Ahenkro off Offinso main road. Unlike his colleague actor Kwaku Manu, Lilwins school is seemingly still running strong. According to the MP, she has been impressed with what Lilwin has done so far which is why they decided to help him in expanding the school. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, will meet their fans in the southern port city of Busan for the first time this weekend. The event, which will be held at a 22,000-seat stadium there on Saturday and Sunday, was arranged at the request of their fans in Busan, the hometown of two of the band's members, Ji-min and Jung-kook. Hungary records huge EU funds inflow in May Hungary has paid 108 billion forints worth of EU funds to tender winners in May, which is the largest volume disbursed since December 2018. By this the government has reached another milestone in EU funds disbursement, as it hit the HUF 6,000 billion mark, which is two thirds of the 7-year budget, Portfolios monthly aggregation shows. In the meantime, despite serious accounting disputes, the European Commission transferred HUF 115 bn worth of funds to Hungary, which is also the highest sum we have seen for months. Several hundred new tender winners This article is part of the work programme titled "The impacts of EU cohesion policy in Hungary - Present and Future" which is carried out by Net Media Zrt., the publisher of Portfolio.hu, between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020 with European Union financing. The views in this article solely reflect the opinions of the author. The European Commission as the funding entity does not take any responsibility for the use of information presented in this article. Portfolios database updated at the start of every month shows that more than 500 winners of EU tenders were announced in Hungary in May, most (226) in the Competitive Central-Hungary Operational Programme (CHOP or VEKOP), with new allocations reaching some HUF 6 billion. According to the funding database, nearly 200 companies won a few million forints worth of funding each for trainings, and several dozen cultural institutions received funds to improve the efficiency of public education.The largest sum (HUF 27 bn) was allocated in the Environment and Energy Efficiency Operational Programme (KEHOP), distributed between 83 tender winners. Several larger building energy development projects by municipalities won hundreds of millions of forints in May. Budapest received billions in EU funding for energy upgrades in the district heating sector, and numerous small settlements won EU funds to work out local climate change strategies and to raise climate change awareness.As the summary table below shows, with more than 500 tender winners in May, the number of projects allocated EU funds in the 2014-2020 programming period exceeded 125,000, with HUF 9,260 billion funds allocated. The volume of allocated subsidies rose HUF 49 bn last month.Besides the newly allocated funding we should also take a look at the volume of disbursements which totalled HUF 108 bn in May, the highest sum recorded this year. The volume of total disbursements reached almost HUF 6,000 bn (HUF 5,965 bn).As the chart below attests, a large share of the nearly HUF 6 trillion disbursement (HUF 1,423 bn) took place in the Economic Development and Innovation OP (GINOP) which has the largest envelope in any case. In its footsteps we have the Integrated Transport Development OP (IKOP) with HUF 1,264 bn worth of disbursements.It tells us a lot more than the nominal value of the disbursements about the progress made in the given OP if we take a look at the volume of tenders called in the given programme compared to the 7-yr envelope. This is shown in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th columns below.The fourth column of the table below shows that the institutional system extended beyond the envelopes with its tenders invited in each programme. In fact, the sixth column shows that the allocations also exceeded 100% of the available 7-yr funding.The last column of the table contains our estimates on the funding that has already been allocated but will need to be given back" for the winners cannot see the projects through for some reason. In nominal terms, the largest chunks of such funds (possibly over HUF 400 bn) could be recorded at GINOP which has the largest envelope. Up to 20% of the allocated funds may return to the host (the state) this way, partly due to the impediments created by overly rapid price and wage increases.We should keep a close eye not only on disbursements in Hungary, but also on EU transfers, because until they arrive, the state budget needs to finance the entire process. According to Portfolio data, the European Commission transferred HUF 115 bn worth of EU funds in May at the expense of structural and development funds. The HUF 8,655 bn EU funds allocated correspond to 34% of the 2014-2020 budget.This also means that while the local institutional system allocated two thirds of the 7-year budget, the EC transferred only one third of the available funding.The red arrows between the two figures are indicated by the red arrows in the charts below. The nominal gap was some HUF 3,200 bn at the end of May. The question is how and at what rate this gap could close. In the second half of May, there were reports again that consultations in serious accounting disputes were still in progress between Brussels and Hungarian authorities and that no deal was in sight yet.Relating to oversight of public procurement tenders, Budapest tabled a proposal in Brussels in late May that would lead to a 400 billion forint financial penalty , according to local news portal 24.hu.Portfolios reliable sources in Brussels claim the potential financial penalty is a lot larger than this, and until an agreement is reached no transfer can be expected, i.e. the gap will not be narrowed.The paper also noted that the EC is unlikely to settle for a 10% financial correction of some HUF 4,000 bn worth of public procurements, and a penalty of up to HUF 1,000 billion may be proposed in the end.The aforementioned HUF 400 bn penalty would not be a net loss of funds, provided the Hungarian authorities agree to it, rather than a second chance to forget" the invoices of the affected projects and announce new tenders for HUF 400 bn worth of development projects.The chart below also shows that the announced tender framework steadily remains over HUF 10,000 bn, whereas the theoretical envelope (at the latest EUR/HUF exchange rate) is HUF 9,184 bn, and total allocated funding (HUF 9,260 bn) exceeded this by nearly 1%. Przepraszamy! Ogoszenie na stanowisku: Junior Finance Specialist French Speaker wygaso z dniem 2019-07-24 Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Sales HR Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia oferty to: propozycja zamieszczona przez pracodawce zostaa usunieta z naszej bazy zleceniodawca zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc pracownikow rekruter zmodyfikowa tresc zlecenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem url dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych bedny adres WWW ogoszenia Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Inne / Pozostae, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Inne / Pozostae Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku Junior Finance Specialist French Speaker, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Junior Finance Specialist French Speaker Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: Krakow, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Krakow Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj. Inne ogoszenia, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan: If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Welcome Guest! You Are Here: McGill receives its largest gift for Indigenous education The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a US$1.25-million grant to McGill University, in support of a new Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative. The Initiative will be implemented over the next five years. "The Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative will help establish McGill as an Eastern Canadian hub for Indigenous Education," says Prof. Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). "Thanks to the generosity and vision of the Mellon Foundation, this Initiative will generate new, cross-University synergies and community partnerships, and add strategic capacity in areas where we can have the greatest impact." The Initiative will be based in the Faculty of Arts. Drawing upon the Faculty's broad and rich expertise across the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Initiative will expand the existing Indigenous Studies minor program to include major and honours programs. A later phase of the Initiative will include a graduate studies program. "Canada's universities play an important role in our collective relationships with Indigenous communities," says Prof. Antonia Maioni, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. "Because of its interdisciplinary nature, and the breadth of its disciplines, the Faculty of Arts is particularly well positioned to help promote a future of reconciliation and partnership aimed at supporting the flourishing and success of Indigenous students, knowledge and communities." Prioritizing in-community pedagogies and partnerships The Initiative's curriculum will be taught by cross-appointed tenure-track academics--as well as scholars from other faculties, particularly Law, Medicine, Education, and Music--who seek to understand Indigenous societies from within, while recognizing and engaging with their constitutive philosophies, histories, epistemologies, identities, practices of political governance, cultures, and languages. The Initiative will prioritize in-community pedagogies and partnerships with educators, administrators, and knowledge keepers. The University plans to deliver approximately half the Initiative's courses off-campus, in Indigenous communities. In addition to deepening the University's Indigenous Studies undergraduate program, the Mellon Foundation's gift will help McGill to: support collaborative McGill-community partnerships across disciplines offer new travel funding to students and faculty doing land-based and in-community research fund new Indigenous Artist-in-Residence, Elder-in-Residence and Writer-in-Residence programs create a new annual public lecture series featuring renowned Indigenous scholars and leaders Building on existing strengths The Initiative is an important next step in realizing the ambitious goals outlined in the University's Strategic Academic Plan and the Provost's Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education. Recent developments in this area include: Creating 10 new Indigenous-focused positions across the University, including as the Special Advisor (Indigenous Initiatives) in the Office of the Provost, and two full-time positions in Enrolment Services dedicated to fostering relationships with Indigenous communities, with commensurate budgetary support. Creating six new, tenure-track faculty positions focusing on Indigenous health and Indigenous education, languages and governance. Partnering with the Indspire, a national charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people, to provide $500,000 in financial support to Indigenous students over two years. Creating the Provost's Indigenous Achievement Award, which provides $5,000 each to two incoming students each year, renewable in each subsequent year. By 2022, there will be eight such awards available. Growing the number of student mentorship programs, including creating the Faculty of Medicine's Indigenous Health Professions Program. Partnering with the Kahnawa:ke and Listuguj communities to design and implement new Bachelor of Education programs that are delivered entirely in-community. Signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Vancouver Island University to explore how the two universities can work together to further support research and learning in the areas of Indigenous education and Indigenous studies. "By building on existing strengths, the new Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative will create an interdisciplinary nexus for Indigenous scholarship and community-building," says Provost Manfredi. "The Mellon Foundation's support will help the University grow and strengthen productive, respectful and collaborative relations with Indigenous peoples, at both the individual and institutional levels." ### Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill is a leading Canadian post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 10 faculties, 12 professional schools, 300 programs of study and almost 41,000 students, including more than 9,700 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,000 international students making up 30% per cent of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 20% of our students who say French is their mother tongue. Contact: Cynthia Lee McGill Media Relations Office 514-398-6754 cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Kia will shut its first factory in China at the end of this month. The carmaker said Thursday that the plant will be leased to the Yueda Group, which is the local partner in Kia's Chinese operations. As Kia continued to struggle in China, Hyundai made a decision earlier this year to close down Hyundai's first Beijing plant and Kia's first Yancheng factory. Built in 1999, Yancheng was Kia's first factory in China with a production capacity of 140,000 cars a year. It will switch to manufacturing electric cars for a subsidiary of Yueda. Some 1,000 staff will move to its second factory there. What happens to Hyundai's Beijing plant is as yet uncertain. After their sales plummeted due to a Chinese boycott in 2017, Hyundai and Kia never managed to recover there. Their combined sales stood at 1.79 million cars in 2016, but the figure dropped to 1.18 million in 2018, and from January to May this year they sold only 343,000 cars, down another 22 percent from a year ago. Russian ombudsman seeks meeting with journalist Vyshinsky in Kiev detention center RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 11:45 14/06/2019 MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) Russias High Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova during a recent meeting with her Ukrainian colleague Lyudmila Denisova asked for visiting journalist Kirill Vyshinsky in a Kiev detention center, the ombudsmans press service told RAPSI on Friday. According to Moskalkova, prosecution of Vyshinsky started during the high of repressions against Russian journalists inspired by ex-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and became a shining example of anti-Russian xenophobia and human rights violation. The ombudsman also projected hope that human rights, humanism and mercifulness have their true meaning for elected president Vladimir Zelensky. The editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti Ukraine news agency Vyshinsky, who has Ukrainian and Russian citizenship, was arrested in Kiev on May 15, 2018 on suspicion of treason and placed in detention. The journalists detention has been repeatedly extended ever since. Proceedings on appeal against Golunovs house arrest quashed RIA Novosti, Grigory Sysoyev 12:05 14/06/2019 MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court quashed proceedings on the appeal against house arrest of Meduza journalist Ivan Golunov on Friday, RAPSI reported from the courtroom. Golunov was arrested in Moscow on June 6. On June 8, the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow placed him under house arrest for 2 months. According to the Interior Ministrys official statement, police seized nearly 4 grams of methylmethedrone from Golunov. The journalist pleaded not guilty, insisted that the drugs were planted on him during the arrest and claimed that his prosecution is related to his journalistic investigations. According to his defense, an examination showed no drugs in his biomaterial. On June 11, charges against Golunov were dropped because of a lack of evidence that he participated in the crime, and the journalist was released. On June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed two generals of police on the back of the arrest of Golunov. Justice Ministry seeks to set forfeiture procedure as to officials undeclared assets RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 14:20 14/06/2019 MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) Russias Justice Ministry is developing a bill aimed to establish a procedure governing forfeiture of monetary assets owned by officials who fail to provide evidence that these assets were acquired lawfully, the website of the Ministry reads on Friday. The bill is to be applicable to individuals filling governmental or municipal posts, as well as officials at state-owned corporations, Bank of Russia, Pension Fund and other organizations. These persons are to present information on their proceeds, properties and property-related obligations as prescribed by a federal law adopted to control if the earnings declared by officials correspond to their expenditures. The Justice Ministry notes that at present a mechanism permitting to forfeit to the State real property, vehicles, and securities of officials failing to present information confirming the legality of such acquisitions is in place. However, the new bill is to be adopted in order to fulfill a plan to forfeit monetary assets owned by such officials in cases where the amounts of money in their possession exceeds the total proceeds of an official and his/her spouse received over a certain period and such persons fail to provide evidence that these sums were obtained in a legitimate way. The bill is being developed on the basis of an anticorruption national action plan for years 2018 through 2020. Ex-director of Sochi water utility gets 17 months for abuse of office pixabay.com 16:48 14/06/2019 MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) A court in Sochi has sentenced Sergey Vinarsky, ex-director of the citys water service company, to 17 months in penal colony settlement for abuse of power, the press service of the Russian Prosecutor Generals Office reports. According to investigators, the defendant has abused his authority during water discharge cross-connection in one of the residence buildings in the Adler district. Documents for the connection were made with violations, and the organization in charge did not have technical ability to hook up the water in the building. As a result of abuse of power, damage estimated at over 38 million rubles (about $600,000) was caused to the Sochi water utility, investigators said claimed. Russian mobile operator MTS fined $1,500 for inaccurate advertising RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:34 14/06/2019 MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has fined one of Russias top mobile operators, MTS, 100,000 rubles ($1,500) for violation of law by spreading inaccurate advertising of bundled services, the watchdog has announced on its website. The mobile operator concealed information that Tarifishche tariff works only in MTS coverage area but not throughout Russia from customers. On this basis, the advertisement was declared misinforming as it did not contain essential information. Earlier, the antimonopoly regulator issued a law violation warrant for the company. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he is willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "at the appropriate time" but repeatedly added that there is no rush. North Korea has cut off communication with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun since the failed summit with Trump in Hanoi earlier this year. The North only wants to speak to Trump, because it thinks he will do anything for votes. But Trump or those who guide him have learned their lesson that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's promises to scrap his nuclear weapons are just hot air. Trump said he received a "beautiful letter" from Kim but did not voice any urgent intention to meet him again, because he knows time is on the side of the U.S. But South Korea is running in the opposite direction. President Moon Jae-in, who is on a tour of Northern Europe, urged Kim and Trump to "meet soon" and also voiced hopes of holding another inter-Korean summit before the U.S. leader visits Seoul at the end of this month. He made no mention of North Korea's failure to live up to its denuclearization pledges. When he visited the U.S. in April of this year, Moon said a third U.S.-North summit should take place soon, only to be told by Trump that nothing good will come out of rushing things. Moon is simply saying that the world needs another warm and fuzzy powwow televised globally, never mind results. North Korea has been downright rude in the face of South Korea's overtures. North Korean officials have not shown up for the last three months to regular meetings both sides agreed to hold at the new liaison office in Kaesong, and the North did not even send a delegation to the funeral of former first lady Lee Hee-ho, the wife of ex-president Kim Dae-jung, who held the first summit with a North Korean leader back in 2000. Instead, it sent a wreath to the border and told South Korean officials to come pick it up. Cheong Wa Dae eagerly sent its national security adviser scurrying around like a delivery driver, but all he got was a few words out of Kim's sister Yo-jong, and within 15 minutes it was all over. The only thing that has once again been confirmed is South Korea's lack of preparation. Playing the role of clumsy mediator for the North seems to be a thankless job. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Swiss girls one-year experience in China By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2019-06-14 15:24 Lea Marie Hauswirth is a Swiss student who came to Shanghai last August to participate in the American Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Programs. For her, visiting China fulfilled her greatest dream and has given her memories she will cherish for the rest of her life. Lea Marie Hauswirth (right) at the airport before leaving for Shanghai [Photo provided by Lea Marie Hauswirth] She studies in the Shanghai Pudong Foreign Affairs Services School and has been living in a local familys home for ten months. The Bund of Shanghai [Photo/Lea Marie Hauswirth] The Chinese poet Lea studies at the Chinese school [Photo/ Lea Marie Hauswirth] The calligraphy work produced by Lea [Photo/ Lea Marie Hauswirth] It is the first time she has lived so far away from her home and also for so long, so she was a little nervous on her departure. However, after arriving the attraction of a new world made her rapidly forget all her fears. Since her first day in China, Lea realized the wideness of the cultural exchange. Soon after her arrival in Shanghai, she met her host family who were so generously welcoming to her. And, in fact, it was in those first days that she also met all the other exchange students coming from around the world, with whom she later made two cultural trips to Yunnan and Xian. School has been the biggest part of Leas exchange in China. There, she has learned the language, made Chinese friends, and experienced the daily life of Chinese students. At the beginning, she couldnt understand anything in the classes, but after some months communication with the locals and her diligent work in studying Chinese, she has been able to follow and take part more and more in the class. This was of course very satisfying and motivating! Her most impressive and deepest memory was the trip to Beijing and Harbin she made with her host family in the winter holiday. The high-speed train experience from Shanghai to Beijing was especially impressive for her. Places of interest like the Great Wall and Tian'anmen were unforgettable. After a few days, her host family took her to Harbin where she enjoyed Chinese New Year with many of her host familys relatives. It was a unique experience to live in such a severe winter climate as Harbin, where the lowest temperature reached -30 degrees Celsius. In this frigid environment she enjoyed the amazing ice statues, outside markets and awesome fireworks. Harbin in the twilight [Photo/ Lea Marie Hauswirth] Then, by joining a friend who was also travelling to Harbin at that time, she discovered the city in more detail. Since it is close to Russia, they felt that some Russian influence was notable in the architecture, food and other aspects of the city culture. The atmosphere was very different from the one she knew from Shanghai and the history of the Japanese occupation in the city also caught her interest and attracted her to visit the museum Unit 731 twice. To conclude, for Lea, China has elicited a wide range of emotions: happiness, sadness, worry, hilarity, excitement, contentment and nervousness, which together made the exchange so unforgettable and enriching. Two suspected Lashkar militants were killed on Friday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. The holed up militants were killed in the encounter in Graw-Bandina village of Awantipora. "Two militants believed to belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit have been killed in the encounter. Their exact identity is being established. Searches are still going on in the area," an officer said. "#Awantipora #encounter update: 02 #terrorists killed. #Arms & #ammunition recovered. #Identities & #affiliations are being ascertained," was the update on the official twitter handle of J&K Police. Train services from Srinagar to Banihal town passing through Pulwama district and all mobile Internet services in the area have been suspended. The encounter started earlier in the day when acting on specific information the security forces began a cordon and search operation to flush out hiding militants. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the two countries should not pose a threat to each other and step up cooperation in various fields, including the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor. After Xi met Modi for the first time, after the Indian leader was re-elected Prime Minister, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Thursday evening, giving details about the meet between the two leaders, who also discussed the US' protectionist trade policy. Xi, who congratulated Modi on his re-election, said both countries needed to accept their differences and expand their cooperation in various spheres. He pointed out that China and India are the only two emerging market countries with a population of one billion in the world, and they are at an important stage of rapid development. "The cooperation between China and India will not only help each other's development, but will also contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity in Asia and the world," he said. Xi also emphasised that "the two sides should adhere to the basic judgment that China and India... do not pose a threat to each other. They must persist in deepening mutual trust, focusing on cooperation, and accepting differences so that China-India relations become a more positive asset and positive energy for promoting the development of the two countries". He stressed the need to step up cooperation in investment, production capacity, tourism, and among others, expand benefits of common interests to jointly promote regional interconnectivity - including the construction of the BCIM, and better realise cooperative development and common development. BCIM is also one of the major six corridors of China's Belt and Road connectivity project. It aims to connect China's eastern city of Kunming with India's Kolkata through Bangladesh's Dhaka and Myanmar's Mandalay. India had not opposed the BCIM but its response to the project was tepid as it said to have concerns about China expanding its influence in its eastern neighbours. India also fears the project would expose its northeastern region. Xi also told Modi "that it was necessary to make good use of mechanisms such as the meeting of special representatives on the border issue, strengthen the building of confidence measures, and maintain stability in the border areas of the two countries". The two countries have a dispute over their 3,448 km long border, which is also the ninth largest boundary in the world. Xi also said that "as important representatives of developing countries and emerging market economies, China and India must jointly safeguard free trade and multilateralism and safeguard the legitimate development rights of developing countries". The US has turned up the heat on Indian and China as it in May took its trade spat with China to the next level by slapping tariffs on its goods worth $200 billion and ended the preferential status for Indian goods earlier this month. Modi told Xi that the Indian side was willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen strategic communication, promote bilateral relations in a wide range of fields, expand new areas of cooperation, and properly handle their differences. "India and China should jointly plan the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year and enhance cultural exchanges between the two countries," Modi was quoted as saying by the statement. Two oil tankers were damaged in a suspected attack off the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, prompting the rescue of dozens of crew members, the media reported. One of the ships was identified as the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous. The Japanese owner of the tanker said that it was attacked "by some sort of shell" off Fujairah, a port in the United Arab Emirates. The ship suffered damage to its starboard hull, Efe news reported. Bernhard Schulte Ship Management, which operates Kokuka Courageous, said it launched an emergency response following a security incident and added that the vessel was not at risk of sinking and its cargo of methanol was intact. The vessel was travelling from Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia to Singapore, according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic. The US Fifth Fleet said it was assisting the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, a key waterway used to transport energy supplies from the Middle East. A second tanker, Norwegian-owned Front Altair, had set sail from the Emirati port of Ruwais late on Tuesday and was set to arrive at the Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung on June 30. The tanker suffered a fire following an explosion while sailing in the Gulf of Oman, vessel manager Frontline said. "We are aware of the reported attack on shipping vessels in the Gulf of Oman," the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet said in a statement. "US Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6.12 a.m. (Bahrain) time and a second one at 7 am," it said, adding that the US Navy ships were in the area and rendering assistance. The cause of the blasts in one of the world's busiest oil routes was unclear and both vessels were still afloat. The Iranian rescue ship Naji 10 picked up 44 crew members from the tankers, 23 from one freighter and 21 from the other, and took them to Bandar-e-Jask, in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, the official IRNA news agency reported, later adding that other ships passing nearby had also taken part in the rescue. "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with (Iranian Supreme Leader) Ayatollah Khamenei for extensive and friendly talks," Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said. "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," he added. The UK's Maritime Trade Operations said it was investigating the alleged attack on the two tankers. Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko also made a similar statement. The incident came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met senior Iranian officials in Tehran on Wednesday during a visit that aimed to de-escalate soaring tensions between the US and Iran. The alleged attack on Thursday came almost exactly one month after four commercial ships were purportedly sabotaged by mines off the port of Fujairah. The US laid the blame for the incident firmly on Iran or Iranian proxies. The Gulf of Oman is connected to the Persian Gulf by the Strait of Hormuz, which has become the geopolitical focal point in rising tensions between the US, its Arab allies and Iran since Donald Trump's administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and re-applied economic sanctions. Iran on Friday "categorically" rejected the US' accusations linking Tehran to the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Dozens of crew members were rescued after the blasts on the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and the Front Altair, owned by a Norwegian company in the Sea of Oman on Thursday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the "unprovoked attacks", saying Washington made its assessment based on intelligence about the type of weapons used. Iran's UN Mission said in a statement released on Friday that the government "categorically rejects" the US claim that it was responsible for the latest incidents against oil tankers which it condemns "in the strongest possible terms", state-run IRNA news agency reported. It said: "Iran stands ready to play an active and constructive role in ensuring the security of strategic maritime passages as well as promoting peace, stability and security in the region." The Mission warned of "the US coercion, intimidation and malign behaviour" and expressed concern "over suspicious incidents" involving the two tankers. It called on the international community to prevent "the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the US and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region". "The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that the only solution to the tension in this region is the active and constructive engagement of all regional countries within the context of a genuine dialogue based on mutual respect and basic principles of international law," the Mission said. The Iranian Mission dismissed as "inflammatory" acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen's statement after a closed UN Security Council meeting on the tanker attacks that Tehran should meet Washington with diplomacy - "not with terror, attacks on ships, infrastructure and diplomatic facilities". The US military's Central Command released a video that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard "removing (an) unexploded limpet mine" from the side of the Kokuka Courageous following the blasts, reports said. The incident came a month after four oil tankers were damaged in an attack off the United Arab Emirates. Washington at the time blamed Iran, but Tehran denied the accusations. SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Jun-13-2019 16:20 TweetFollow @OregonNews Ohio Bill Legalizing Industrial Hemp and CBD Products Moves Ahead Hemp is a billion-dollar industry in the U.S. and is expected to more than double by 2022. Hemp fields being harvested in Texas, 1938. Published: Popular Mechanics Magazine (SALEM, Ore.) - Ohio Senate Bill 57, a bill that would decriminalize hemp and license hemp cultivation, passed the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House Committee, and could soon get a full House vote. If the Ohio full House passes this bill it will be a historical step forward for the hemp industry, for residents who want to utilize CBDs reported benefits and for local farmers, said Hemp, Inc. CEO Bruce Perlowin. Corn and soybeans have always been seen as Ohios agricultural bases, but with industrial hemps more than 20,000 uses, this cash crop can help save the small family farms that are struggling from a tough spring and bring a lucrative crop back to the rural areas. Senate Bill 57 (SB 57) would allow Ohio farmers to cultivate industrial hemp and make it legal for stores to sell CBD products. SB 57 passed the Ohio Senate on March 28, 2019 and recently passed the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. The next step for the bill would be for it to enter the full floor vote in the House. In the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, a number of changes have been made to the bill, including a new clause specifying the bill would go into effect immediately once Gov. Mike DeWine signs it. Traditionally, it takes approximately three months for a bill to go into effect after the governor signs it. Authority under federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 The federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 expanded the authority to cultivate industrial hemp beyond research and pilot programs to generally allow for hemp and hemp products to be legally cultivated, produced, and sold under two circumstances. First, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 required states wishing to authorize hemp cultivation to submit a plan for hemp regulation to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Secondly, if a state does not submit a plan and hemp is not prohibited by that state, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture would then establish a plan to monitor and regulate hemp in that state. S.B. 57 requires the Director of Agriculture to submit a plan for the regulation of hemp (as noted above). As of 2016 in Oregon, state law allows individuals registered by the Oregon Department of Agriculture to grow hemp for commercial purposes. As is true in several other states, growers and handlers who intend to sell or distribute seeds must be licensed as seed producers. (see: Or. Rev. Stat 571.300 to 571.315) According to National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), at least 38 states considered legislation related to industrial hemp in 2018. These bills ranged from clarifying existing laws to establishing new licensing requirements and programs. Of those 38, at least six states (Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey and Oklahoma) enacted legislation in 2018 establishing hemp research and industrial hemp pilot programs. What is Next for Ohio Hemp? If Ohios hemp program passes, Hemp, Inc. sees this area as a prime spot for future ventures because of the amount of rural land. Additionally, as states continue to approve hemp cultivation, Hemp, Inc. sees opportunity and fertile ground for Hemp, Inc.s Hemp University to train the farmers on how to successfully grow the crop. According to a 2018 agriculture overview for Ohio, there were nearly 14 million acres of farm operations, and all of these acres could potentially be used to cultivate hemp," Perlowin added. "By legalizing hemp and putting a program into place, Ohio can help fill the huge, growing demand for hemp-derived CBD and other hemp products." Farmers who are interested in growing hemp in Ohio, can listen to (previously-aired) The Hemp Universitys west coast March 23rd and May 4, 2019 workshops online. The online masterclasses are $10 each and include lectures from industry leaders on informative topics pertaining to the hemp farming industry. The next southern Oregon Hemp University entitled Pre-Harvest Symposium is scheduled for Sunday, September 8, 2019 and will include topics such as efficient harvesting, streamlined processing, and profit channels. Sources: NCSL; Hemp, Inc.; Globe Newswire; others Hemp, Inc.(OTC PINK: HEMP) is a global leader in the industrial hemp industry with bi-coastal processing centers including the 85,000 square-foot multipurpose industrial hemp processing facility in Spring Hope, North Carolina, a state of the art processing center in Medford, Oregon, and a 500-acre hemp growing Eco-Village in Golden Valley, Arizona, To see 1-minute videos of Hemp, Inc.s current activities, go to Bruce Perlowins personal Facebook page where he posts daily on all of Hemp, Inc.s activities around the country. _________________________________________ Prohibition | Marijuana | Marijuana | Oregon | Most Commented on Articles for June 12, 2019 | Articles for June 13, 2019 | Articles for June 14, 2019 Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- Apart from accurately depicting the position of aircraft and relatable information, demand for air traffic control equipment has increased multifold in recent times, considering its paramount utility in navigation and surveillance in various aircraft operations. Data processing innovations and advancements in the communication technologies has been providing major opportunities for the market players as the demand for air traffic control equipment continues to rise in the aviation industry. Technological Advancements Fostering Growth of Air Traffic Control Equipment Market Automation plays a crucial role when it comes to enhancing the capabilities of the air traffic control. The deployment of automation in the air traffic control equipment is witnessed in the major aviation bases. The deployment of automation systems in air traffic control centers by FAA is one instance, where the involvement of automation as key market driver could be observed. Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4841 Moreover, technologies innovations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) are also expected to provide future avenues to the providers of air traffic control equipment. Ottawa's Searidge Technologies, an air navigation service provider and a company recognized as a major air traffic control equipment market player is partnering with the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority for developing applications and conducting research for AI in air traffic control. Furthermore, the emergence of smart airports is expected to significantly boost the demand for air traffic control equipment to achieve next-generation navigation and control. Emerging Regions to Witness Key Investments by Major Manufacturers Amongst the key regions that hold a significant scope for air traffic control equipment, the North American market has witnessed developments in the form of investment strategies that allow effective business opportunities. For example, Raytheon Company, a key player in the air traffic control equipment market plans to invest $72 million in a manufacturing unit in Massachusetts campus which would a have industry's leading manufacturing innovations. The space would deliver advanced automation technology to foster the integration and complex testing of radars. BAE Systems, recognized as a key air traffic control equipment market contributor has entered into a contract with the U.S. Navy in accordance to which it is expected to support landing systems and air traffic control equipment at shore facilities and on ships. With such opportunities in the United States, air traffic control equipment providers could expect increasing profit in business while investing in this region. Europe has also been highlighting a promising future for the air traffic control equipment market with the increasing collaborations to suffice air traffic management needs. The partnership between HungaroControl and Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Control Center (AZANS) for providing air navigation services in Azerbaijan. Such collaborations in Europe are expected to drive the growth of the air traffic control equipment market. Increasing Demand for Air Traffic Control Equipment to Provide Growth Avenues for Market Participants The market players in the air traffic control equipment market are grabbing major business opportunities as the demand for the product escalates. The market players are continuously seeking key opportunities to extend their capabilities. For instance, the France-based Thales group is supporting a program for modernization of surveillance radars in Saudi Arabia. Thales is recognized as a major supplier of air traffic control equipment in the region. This deal acts as a crucial commitment for Thales group as they focus on broadening their support in the civil aviation domain to the Kingdom. Another major player in the air traffic control equipment market, Raytheon Company, is also working towards providing effective solutions to FAA with a contract of over $70 million. With respect to this contract, the company focused on enabling futuristic next-generation air traffic control equipment and air traffic control tools which would enhance the efficiency and safety of National Airspace System. Collaborations and mergers have been a crucial strategy for companies as they focus on business expansion and growth. Similar merger between the key market participant, Harris Corporation and defense giant L3 technologies resulted in a largest defense merger. The combined company would offer an extensive portfolio of products including secret space hardware, military radios, and air traffic control system. Segmentation of Air Traffic Control Equipment Market Based on Device type, Application & End use The air traffic control equipment market is classified in accordance with the type of device, its application, and the end use sector. A broader classification based on the region also helps in understanding the scope of the air traffic control equipment market. Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4841 Based on the device type, the air traffic control equipment market is subdivided into proximity devices, information system devices, radar devices, simulator devices, and safety and navigational devices. The application segments in the air traffic control equipment market include surveillance, navigation, and communication. According to the end use, the air traffic control equipment market is classified into commercial and cargo aircraft, defense aircraft, and private aircraft. Boonton, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- Global feed processing market was valued at USD 20.52 Billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 28.41 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 4.13% from 2019 to 2026. Feed Processing Market Overview The Global Feed Processing Market Report provides an in depth study regarding the Feed Processing, which gives purchase, profit, income, net benefit, talk with the record, business distribution CAGR etc. The market study provides detailed research on the external and internal factors that are affecting the market under the Market Dynamics section for the forecast years (2017-2026). This section is further broken down into Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Future Opportunities and Challenges faced by the industry. The Global Feed Processing Industry Report also sheds light on the major players in the market under the Company Profiles section. These companies are analyzed on the basis of Key Facts, Financial Performance, Product Benchmarking and SWOT Analysis. The list of companies in this section can be customized. Request for a sample copy of this report @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/download-sample/?rid=9111&utm_source=sbwire&utm_medium=VMR Leading Feed Processing Market Key Players: Andritz (Austria), Buhler (Switzerland), Pavan, Clextral, Muyang, Bratney, Dinnissen (Netherlands), Henan Longchang Machinery, BK Allied, and Het Feed Machinery (China) Feed Processing: Market Outlook The research methodology is a combination of primary research, secondary research, and expert panel reviews. Secondary research includes sources such as press releases, company annual reports and research papers related to the industry. Other sources include industry magazines, trade journals, government websites and associations were can also be reviewed for gathering precise data on opportunities for business expansions in Feed Processing Market. Primary research involves telephonic interviews, various industry experts on acceptance of appointment for conducting telephonic interviews, sending questionnaire through emails (e-mail interactions) and in some cases face-to-face interactions for a more detailed and unbiased review on the Feed Processing, across various geographies. Primary interviews are usually carried out on an ongoing basis with industry experts in order to get recent understandings of the market and authenticate the existing analysis of the data. Primary interviews offer information on important factors such as market trends, market size, competitive landscape, growth trends, outlook etc. These factors help to authenticate as well as reinforce the secondary research findings and also help to develop the analysis team's understanding of the market. Feed Processing: Market Competitive Landscape The market analysis also encompasses competitive insights for the major industry players and start up ecosystems. In order to fetch insights regarding the positioning of the key industry players, a company ranking analysis is provided. The companies are considered on the basis of following parameters: - Market Share - Brand Value - Product Benchmarking - Geographic Analysis - Market Penetration The market study also includes company profiling of the major players. It mainly considers following factors: - Financials - Segment Breakdown o Business Segment wise Split o Geographic Outreach - Product Benchmarking - Recent Developments o New Product/Services Launched o Partnerships, Collaborations & Expansions o Expansions & Investments o Acquisitions & Mergers - SWOT Analysis Ask For Discount @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=9111&utm_source=sbwire&utm_medium=VMR Table Of Content 1 Introduction Of The Global Feed Processing 2 Executive Summary 3 Research Methodology Of Verified Market Intelligence 4 The Global Feed Processing Outlook 5 The Global Feed Processing, By Systems 6 The Global Feed Processing, By Service 7 The Global Feed Processing, By Verticals 8 The Global Feed Processing, By Applications 9 The Global Feed Processing, By Geography 10 The Global Feed Processing Competitive Landscape Reason to Buy - Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global Feed Processing market - Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. - The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Feed Processing market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies. - Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. - Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. - Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals. Browse Report Summery @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/feed-processing-market/?utm_source=sbwire&utm_medium=VMR About Verified Market Research Verified Market Research' has been providing Research Reports, with up to date information, and in-depth analysis, for several years now, to individuals and companies alike that are looking for accurate Research Data. Our aim is to save your Time and Resources, providing you with the required Research Data, so you can only concentrate on Progress and Growth. Our Data includes research from various industries, along with all necessary statistics like Market Trends, or Forecasts from reliable sources. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- As per the current market trends and the promising nature of the "Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) Market", it can be estimated that the future holds positive outcomes. In order to provide a deep insight about the concerned market, Market Research Reports Search Engine would be publishing a resourceful analysis that will enclose knowledge about the regional market size, revenue and opportunity status. Readers will be offered the privilege to decode various facets of the market during the period, together with the active access to secondary and primary research methodology. Furthermore, various segments of the market associated to product, application, end-user etc., would also be present in this intelligent research report. Get Report Sample Copy @ https://www.mrrse.com/sample/755 Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a type of business process outsourcing (BPO) which includes the outsourcing of different recruitment functions of an organization to third-party vendor. The RPO solutions primarily include screening of the candidates, interview scheduling, job posting, offer execution and other important activities in the recruitment process. The major difference between the RPO providers and staffing companies is the proficient recruitment process management and responsibility of its results by the RPO providers. Outsourcing recruitment processes to a RPO provider enables the client organization to focus on their core competencies. In addition, outsourcing these processes is highly beneficial for reducing the operating costs of the organization related to the recruitment functions. This is the most significant factor fuelling the adoption of RPO solutions among different end-use industries. The market for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is segmented, based on the type of engagement, into on-demand and end-to-end RPO service. On-demand RPO refers to the RPO service in which some of the recruitment services are outsourced to the RPO provider. On the contrary, end-to-end RPO refers to outsourcing of all the recruitment processes to the RPO providing company. On-demand RPO enables the client organization to have better control over the recruitment processes as only a part of recruitment process is outsourced to the providing company. Moreover, the cost of on-demand RPO is lower as compared to the end-to-end RPO solution. Due to these advantages and higher flexibility and scalability, the penetration of on-demand RPO services is currently high as compared to the end-to-end RPO solutions. This report studies the current scenario as well as the future market potential for recruitment process outsourcing in Southeast Asia. The market for recruitment process outsourcing has been segmented into six major end-use industries, namely, banks, financial services and insurance (BFSI); information technology (IT), IT enabled services (ITeS), and telecommunication; manufacturing; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; hospitality; and others. The others segment comprises aerospace, marine and construction industries. The market for these recruitment process outsourcing systems has been extensively analyzed on the basis of factors such as types of engagement service and countries in Southeast Asia region. On the basis of engagement type, the market has been segmented into on-demand RPO and end-to-end RPO. The market size and forecasts in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) for each of these segments have been provided for the period 2010 to 2020, considering 2012 and 2013 as the base years. The report also provides the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for each segment of the market for the forecast period 2014 to 2020. To View Complete Research report with TOC @ https://www.mrrse.com/south-east-asia-rpo-market Geographically, the market for RPO in Southeast Asia has been segmented into four regions, namely, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Rest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA). The market size and forecast for each region has been provided for the period 2010 to 2020 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period 2014 to 2020. The study also includes qualitative analysis of the competitive scenario in these regions. The overview section of the report comprises qualitative analysis of the overall market highlighting the factors determining the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities, along with the key trends analysis. The report also provides a section on the competitive landscape, wherein the market positioning analysis of the leading players in Southeast Asia RPO market in 2013 has been discussed. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Southeast Asia RPO market such as Kenexa Corporation (an IBM Corporation Company), Randstad Holding Company, Accolo, Inc., Atterro Human Capital Group, Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group, Cielo, Inc. (Pinstripe, Inc.), ManpowerGroup Solutions, Pontoon Solutions, Zyoin Web Pvt. Ltd., Futurestep (a Korn Ferry Company), TalentFusion, Inc., Alexander Mann Solutions and Hudson Global, Inc. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market Segmentation: Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Engagement Type On-demand RPO End-to-end RPO Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by End-use Industry Banks, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) IT, ITeS and Telecommunication Manufacturing Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals Hospitality Others (Aerospace, Marine and Construction Industry) Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Geographic Region Thailand Indonesia Vietnam Rest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA) Send an Enquiry @ https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/755 About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords. MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSE's repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting. Contact Us State Tower 90, State Street Suite 700 Albany, NY (USA) 12207 United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559 Email: sales@mrrse.com Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- The consumer preferences are drifting towards healthy and convenient food options leading to demand for new innovative food products. Masa corn flour is extensively used in Mexican food preparations and is becoming a popular alternative to wheat flour owing to its nutritional value. Masa flour also known as corn flour or masa harina is a traditional flour of Latin America which is prepared by finely grounded dried corn seeds that are being either cooked or soaked in solution of water and lime which gives it a soft texture and also contributes to the pleasant taste of masa corn products. Masa corn flour is used to make wide variety of products such as tortillas, tamales among others. These products can be formed with different forms of masa corn flour which provides thickness and substances to these products. Being alkaline in nature, masa corn products also helps to provide certain health benefits. Global Masa Corn Products Market: Drivers and Restraints The masa corn products market is primarily driven by the increasing demand for healthy and innovative food products. The instant and easy to use masa corn flour boosts the market for masa corn products, as these preparations can be prepared domestically. Thus, convenient food property is driving the market for masa corn products. Moreover, masa corn products undergo nixtamalization process that involves alkaline cooking which provides significant health benefits such as they represents a rich source of carbohydrate, protein and fats and also enhance the vitamin content particularly vitamin B and vitamin C. Hence, providing healthy alternatives to the consumers. Moreover, masa corn products are considered to be gluten free and cholesterol free. Hence, changing behaviour pattern and adoption of healthy lifestyle among consumers contributes to robust demand for masa corn products. However, untreated corn is considered to be a predisposition factor for pellagera especially in African countries. Hence, careful processing is required in the preparation of masa corn products. Moreover, there is lack awareness among consumers regarding the products manufactured by masa corn across various regions may also restrain the growth of masa corn products market. Download Sample of Report with important Figures @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4734 Global Masa Corn Products Market: Segmentation On the basis of product type, masa corn products market is segmented into:- Yellow masa corn White masa corn On the basis application, masa corn products market is segmented into:- Tortillas Tamales Corn Chips Tacos Others Global Masa Corn Products Market: Region wise Outlook The global masa corn products market is categorised into seven regions, namely, Western Europe, Eastern Europe Middle East and Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Latin America and, North America. Latin America holds the major share in the global masa corn products market. Masa corn flour is a traditional dough flour of Latin America, thus significantly contributing in the growth of masa corn products. North America accounts for relatively substantial share in the masa corn products market. As masa corn is considered to be reach in folic acid, US government is making initiative to increase folic acid intake especially among Hispanic women through fortification of masa corn flour and its associated products. Thereby, spurring the demand for masa corn products in North America. However, owing to lack of awareness regarding the applications of masa corn flour in Asia Pacific region, may restrain the market growth. Although, the food manufacturers can potentiate upon the masa corn products by exploring the white patches in Asia Pacific region. Global Masa Corn Products Market: Key Players Some of the prominent players identified in the global masa corn products market includes: Mesa Foods, LLC., Cargill, Incorporated, Gruma, S.A.B. de C.V, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Limagrain Cereales Ingredients, Buhler AG, Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods., Cornexo GmbH, Bunge North America, Inc. Regional analysis for Masa Corn Products Market includes North America US Canada Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Europe Western Europe Germany France U.K Italy Spain Nordics Benelux Rest of the Western Europe Eastern Europe Poland Russia Rest of the Eastern Europe Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) China India ASEAN Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Rest of APEJ Japan The Middle East and Africa GCC Countries North Africa South Africa Rest of MEA The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. Download Table of Contents @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4734 Report Highlights: Detailed overview of parent market Changing market dynamics in the industry In-depth market segmentation Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value Recent industry trends and developments Competitive landscape Strategies of key players and products offered Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth A neutral perspective on market performance Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint. Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- This comprehensive report titled IoT in Elevators Market-Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2018 2026, by Transparency Market Research analyzes and provides growth forecast for the IoT in elevators market at the global and regional level. In terms of region, the market has been classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. The report provides analysis for the period 20162026, wherein 2018 to 2026 is the forecast period and the base year is 2017. An in-depth and unbiased market assessment has been made to offer readers insightful and accurate analysis. The report emphasizes on all the major trends and services that play a key role in the expansion of the IoT in elevators market between 2018 and 2026. It also focuses on market drivers, restraining factors, and opportunities of the IoT in elevators market during the forecast period. Get Report Sample Copy @ https://www.mrrse.com/sample/18435 The report includes a detailed value chain analysis and opportunity analysis, which is focused on providing anextensiveview of the global IoT in elevators market. Porter's Five Forces analysisis also provided to understand the competitive scenario in the market. The study incorporates IoT in elevators market attractiveness analysis, in which market segments based on componentsuch as hardware, software, and services are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and attractiveness in terms of opportunity.In order to provide a complete analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the IoT in elevators market, attractiveness analysis of every geographic region mentioned in the reporthas been provided. An overview of the IoT in elevators market detailing key trends and dynamics has been included to providea clear understanding of market driving forces. The dynamics include impact analysis of market drivers, restraining factors, and opportunities of the IoT in elevators market. Additionally, the report provides analysis of business strategies adopted by market leaders in the IoT in elevators market. Trends and services related to IoT in elevator systems along with their applications have also been explained in the report. The study provides a decisive view of the global IoT in elevators market, broadly segmentedbased on componentinto hardware, software, and services; based on application into preventive maintenance, remote monitoring, advanced reporting, connectivity management, and others; and in terms of end-user into residential, commercial, and industrial. Further, the report provides a detailed breakdown of the IoT in elevators market across geographic regions, which include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America, thus providing valuable insights at the micro and macro levels. The report highlights the competitive scenario within the IoT in elevators market, ranking all the major players according to key recent developmentsand their geographic presence. The insights into the IoT in elevators market are a result of our extensive primary interviews, secondary research, and in-house expert panel reviews. Thesemarket estimates have been analyzed byconsidering the impact of differenteconomic, political, social, legal,and technological factors. The market in North America has been segmented into the U.S., Canada, and Rest of North America. Furthermore, the market in Europe has been analyzed across France, Germany, the U.K., and Rest of Europe. The IoT in elevators market in Asia Pacific has been segmented at country level into China, Japan, India, and Rest of Asia Pacific. The Middle East & Africa region covers GCC countries, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East & Africa. Similarly, South America includes Brazil and Rest of South America. This report provides all the strategic information required to understand the IoT in elevators market along with component, application, and end-user. Browse Complete Research report with TOC @ https://www.mrrse.com/iot-in-elevators-market The research methodology is a perfect combination of primary research, secondary research, and expert panel reviews. Secondary sources such as annual reports, company websites, SEC filings and investor presentations, internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases, relevant patent and regulatory databases, market reports, government publications, World Bank database, and industry white papers are usually referred to for developing a preliminary understanding of the market. Primary research involves telephonic interviews, e-mail interactions, and face-to-face interviews for detailed and unbiased reviews of the IoT in elevators market across geographies. Primary interviews are usually conducted on an ongoing basis with industry experts and participants in order to obtain the latest market insights and validate existing data and analysis. Primary interviews offer new and fresh information on important factors such as market trends, market size, competitive landscape,growth trends, etc. These factors help validate and strengthen secondary research findings. Moreover, the data collected and analyzed from secondary and primary research is again discussed and examined by our expert panel. The research study includes profiles of major companies operating in the global IoT in elevators market. Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments. Parameters such as investment and spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked. Some of the key players in the IoT in elevators market are ThyssenKrupp AG, KONE Corporation, Otis Elevator Company,Schindler Group, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Toshiba Elevatorsamong others. Enquire Now @ https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/18435 The IoT in elevators market has been segmented as follows: Global IoT in Elevators Market By Component Hardware(M2M Gateway/Elevator Gateway) Software On-premise Cloud Services Designing & Engineering Installation Refurbishing Maintenance & Repair Managed Services By Application Preventive Maintenance Remote Monitoring Advanced Reporting Connectivity Management Others (Call Management) By End-user Residential Commercial Industrial By Geography North America The U.S. Canada Rest of North America Europe Germany The U.K. France Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of Middle East & Africa South America Brazil Rest of South America About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Automotive Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords. MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSE's repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting. Contact Us State Tower 90, State Street Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207(United State) United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559 Email: sales@mrrse.com Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- The rising preference of consumers towards cashless payments is likely to drive the global mobile payment technology market. Fortune Business Insights in a report, titled "Mobile Payment Technology Market Size, Share and Global Trend By Payment Mode (Proximity Payment & Remote Payment), By Industry Vertical (Retail Sector, Health care and others) and Geography Forecast till 2025" predicts that the market's growth is backed by the rising adoption of mobile apps offering convenient shopping experience. widespread internet connectivity and penetration. Mobile payment technology is used to transfer money from anywhere and anytime via mobile devices. The technology also confirms and authorizes transactions made through any device. In addition to this, it is extensively used in banks to pay bills, transfer funds, internet banking, among others. Get Sample PDF@ https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/mobile-payment-technology-market-100336 Asia Pacific Holds Maximum Share with the Rising Adoption of Smart Appliances Among regions, Asia Pacific is anticipated to cover maximum share as per revenue in the global mobile payment technology market. This is primarily on account of rising adoption of smart appliances such as tablets, smart phones, and mobile phones. Another factor driving for the robust growth of mobile payment technologies is the rising number of e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Alibaba, and others. Also, government initiatives led by India and China to promote digitization is further expected to create growth opportunities in the market by 2025. The market in North America is expected to register considerable growth owing to rapidly changing trends. The mobile payment technology market in Brazil, Germany, South Africa, and France is anticipated to expand in the forecast years. Rising Number of Tech-savvy Customers in Emerging Economies to Propel Growth "The rising adoption of smart wearable devices across the globe is expected to drive the market," stated a lead analyst at Fortune Business Insights. "Modifications in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in smart devices is further encouraging growth in the mobile payment technology market," he added. In addition to this, recent integration of Internet of Things (IoT) in mobile banking or m-banking is a potential growth trigger for mobile payment technologies. The emergence of e-wallet technology is minimizing the need for physical cards, which in turn, is expected to fuel demand for mobile payment apps. Speak To Our Analyst@ https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/mobile-payment-technology-market-100336 Mobile payment technology helps people to make hassle-free payments for services and products. This is further expected to increase the adoption of mobile payment solutions in emerging economies. People across the world are installing mobile payment apps to make payments at their own convenience. For instance, with the advent of car rental apps, transportation sector is likely to register substantial growth, which will enable growth in the mobile payment technology market. Financial Risks Associate with Mobile Payments May Hamper the Growth As the number of smartphone users are increasing and finding online payments as the convenient option, some issues related to mobile payment technology may restrict the market's growth. Connection failure or network issue in mobiles are expected to act as a hindrance while making mobile payments. In addition to this, the risk of financial fraud while processing transactions via mobile may pose a serious threat to the market's growth. Nonetheless, governments across the globe are planning to conduct initiatives which is likely to promote growth in the market by 2025. Companies Launch Innovative Products to Expand their Global Reach Some of the leading players operating in the global mobile payment technology market are continuously focussing to expand their product portfolio and geographical presence. Also, some of the companies are expected to introduce user-friendly mobile payment platforms that can be easily installed on smart phones and mobiles. This can become one of the important trends in the mobile payment industry at a global level. Some of the leading companies include Microsoft Corporation, MasterCard International Inc., AT&T Inc., Google Inc., American Express, Co., Boku, Inc., Visa, Inc., Fortumo, Amazon, Tencent group, PayPal, Inc., Bharti Airtel Ltd., Ant Financial Services Group Vodafone Ltd., Apple Inc. Amazon launched Alexa a voice assistant smart device in June 2018. This smart device has the capability to play music, online shopping, setting alarms, and provide real-time information such as weather, traffic, and others. Know More@ https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/mobile-payment-technology-market-100336 Boonton, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- Global utility locator Market was valued at USD 5.19 Billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 8.11 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2019 to 2026. Utility Locator Market Overview The Global Utility Locator Market Report provides an in depth study regarding the Utility Locator, which gives purchase, profit, income, net benefit, talk with the record, business distribution CAGR etc. The market study provides detailed research on the external and internal factors that are affecting the market under the Market Dynamics section for the forecast years (2017-2026). This section is further broken down into Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Future Opportunities and Challenges faced by the industry. The Global Utility Locator Industry Report also sheds light on the major players in the market under the Company Profiles section. These companies are analyzed on the basis of Key Facts, Financial Performance, Product Benchmarking and SWOT Analysis. The list of companies in this section can be customized. Request for a sample copy of this report @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/download-sample/?rid=9179&utm_source=sbwire&utm_medium=VMR Leading Utility Locator Market Key Players: Radiodetection, Vivax-Metrotech, Guideline Geo, Ridge Tool Company, THE CHARLES MACHINE WORKS, Sensors & Software, Leica Geosystem (Switzerland), and 3M (US) USIC, Multiview Utility Locator: Market Outlook The research methodology is a combination of primary research, secondary research, and expert panel reviews. Secondary research includes sources such as press releases, company annual reports and research papers related to the industry. Other sources include industry magazines, trade journals, government websites and associations were can also be reviewed for gathering precise data on opportunities for business expansions in Utility Locator Market. Primary research involves telephonic interviews, various industry experts on acceptance of appointment for conducting telephonic interviews, sending questionnaire through emails (e-mail interactions) and in some cases face-to-face interactions for a more detailed and unbiased review on the Utility Locator, across various geographies. Primary interviews are usually carried out on an ongoing basis with industry experts in order to get recent understandings of the market and authenticate the existing analysis of the data. Primary interviews offer information on important factors such as market trends, market size, competitive landscape, growth trends, outlook etc. These factors help to authenticate as well as reinforce the secondary research findings and also help to develop the analysis team's understanding of the market. Utility Locator: Market Competitive Landscape The market analysis also encompasses competitive insights for the major industry players and start up ecosystems. In order to fetch insights regarding the positioning of the key industry players, a company ranking analysis is provided. The companies are considered on the basis of following parameters: - Market Share - Brand Value - Product Benchmarking - Geographic Analysis - Market Penetration The market study also includes company profiling of the major players. It mainly considers following factors: - Financials - Segment Breakdown o Business Segment wise Split o Geographic Outreach - Product Benchmarking - Recent Developments o New Product/Services Launched o Partnerships, Collaborations & Expansions o Expansions & Investments o Acquisitions & Mergers - SWOT Analysis Ask For Discount @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=9179&utm_source=sbwire&utm_medium=VMR Table Of Content 1 Introduction Of The Global Utility Locator 2 Executive Summary 3 Research Methodology Of Verified Market Intelligence 4 The Global Utility Locator Outlook 5 The Global Utility Locator, By Systems 6 The Global Utility Locator, By Service 7 The Global Utility Locator, By Verticals 8 The Global Utility Locator, By Applications 9 The Global Utility Locator, By Geography 10 The Global Utility Locator Competitive Landscape Reason to Buy - Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the global Utility Locator market - Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies. - The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Utility Locator market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies. - Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets. - Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it. - Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals. Browse Report Summery @ https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/utility-locator-market/?utm_source=sbwire&utm_medium=VMR About Verified Market Research Verified Market Research' has been providing Research Reports, with up to date information, and in-depth analysis, for several years now, to individuals and companies alike that are looking for accurate Research Data. Our aim is to save your Time and Resources, providing you with the required Research Data, so you can only concentrate on Progress and Growth. Our Data includes research from various industries, along with all necessary statistics like Market Trends, or Forecasts from reliable sources. Sellbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2019 -- The waste heat recovery system market has shown immense potential lately, in light of the fact that authorities the world over are increasing their efforts in reversing the effects of global warming and therefore focusing on the use of renewable energy sources. For instance, the central government of India recently announced that cement plants, integrated steel plants, metallurgical industries, thermal power plants and other industries with potential to recover heat and that use waste heat recovery boilers without any auxiliary fuel do not require to get environmental clearance before setting up or expansion. The exemption is apparently to promote energy conservation and benefit industries given that they would be able to implement such energy conservations systems internally without having to go through a lengthy process of receiving environmental clearance. Get a Sample Copy of this Report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1235 Considering that India is a country where industrialization and urbanization have recorded some of the highest growth rate in the world, the move has been considered exceptionally optimal for the regional waste heat recovery system industry. As such initiatives continue to be undertaken by various countries looking to promote rapid industrialization, the waste heat recovery system market will undeniably receive massive stimulus. The reason that waste heat recovery has received so much attention is because enhanced energy efficiency requirements pose a constant challenge for all industries and since price for traditional sources of energy are rising globally, there is an urgent need to reduce fuel bills to remain competitive. The general consensus on global warming says that if action is not taken now the situation may be irreversible as soon as 2020. The European Union 2020 energy package was designed to mean that EU meets its climate and energy targets for the year 2020 which included 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, 20% of EU energy from renewables and 20% improvement in energy efficiency. Actions that were taken to meet such goals are also partly responsible for the growth of the waste heat recovery system market. Report Content Chapter 1 Methodology & Scope Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Waste Heat Recovery System Industry Insights Chapter 4 Waste Heat Recovery System Market, By Application Chapter 5 Waste Heat Recovery System Market, By Temperature Chapter 6 Waste Heat Recovery System Market, By End-Use Chapter 7 Waste Heat Recovery System Market, By Region Chapter 8 Company Profiles Legislative actions are possibly the most important actions taken that have the potential to drive the waste heat recovery system market as the government of any nation can add incentives or levy punitive taxes on industries for their use of energy and can therefore determine whether industries would be more responsible about the way they use their resources. For instance, the Chinese government recognizes the importance of industrial waste heat recovery and has amended the Energy Conservation Law of China in 2008 to boost adoption of waste heat utilization in industrial companies. Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1235 The importance of waste heat recovery has been recognized through various national legislations. For instance, in 2008, Energy Conservation Law of China encouraged the adoption of waste heat utilization in industrial businesses while China's Circular Economy Promotion Law mandated that companies need to comprehensively utilize waste gas by following national requirements. China's 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans both emphasized waste heat utilization to be one of the Key Energy-Saving Projects, for the improvement of thermal energy efficiency in industrial boilers and furnaces as well as encouraging the adoption of waste heat to power generation technologies in energy-intensive industrial sectors. Long term benefits of decarbonization and increasing energy efficiency of the industrial sector has also been recognized by the BEIS of UK that has launched an Industrial Heat Recovery Support Program to promote waste heat recovery. This could conveniently be one of the pivotal driving factors for the UK waste heat recovery system market which is expected to witness 7% CAGR over 2019-2025. The Industrial Heat Recovery Support Program aims at increasing industry confidence in the identification and investment in opportunities designed for recovering heat from industrial processes and increase the deployment of the technologies needed to do it in England and Wales. The program is expected to promote industrial energy bill savings of around 500 million and carbon savings of approximately 6 million tons over the course of its lifetime. Browse Full Report @ https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/waste-heat-recovery-system-market With such endeavors by governments in various nations becoming more supportive of renewable energy resources, the waste heat recovery system market is expected to gain greater traction in the years to come. As per reliable estimates, the global waste heat recovery system market is anticipated to surpass a valuation of $80 billion by 2025. According to new research, published in the published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) living in Shark Bay, a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, form close friendships with other dolphins that have a common interest. Shark Bay is home to an iconic population of bottlenose dolphins, and the only place where dolphins have been observed using marine sponges as foraging tools. This socially learned behavior, transmitted from mother to calf, helps certain dolphins (spongers) find food in deeper water channels. While the tool-using technique is well-studied in female dolphins, the new study looked specifically at male dolphins. Using behavioral, genetic and photographic data collected from 124 male dolphins during the winter months in Shark Bay over nine years (2007-2015), University of Zurich researcher Manuela Bizzozzero and colleagues analyzed a subset of 37 male dolphins, comprising 13 spongers and 24 non-spongers. Male spongers spend more time associating with other male spongers than they do non-spongers, these bonds being based on similar foraging techniques and not relatedness or other factors. Male dolphins in Shark Bay exhibit a fascinating social system of nested alliance formation, Dr. Bizzozzero said. These strong bonds between males can last for decades and are critical to each males mating success. We were very excited to discover alliances of spongers, dolphins forming close friendships with others with similar traits. Foraging with a sponge is a time-consuming and largely solitary activity so it was long thought incompatible with the needs of male dolphins in Shark Bay to invest time in forming close alliances with other males, said Dr. Simon Allen, a researcher at the Universities of Bristol. This study suggests that, like their female counterparts and indeed like humans, male dolphins form social bonds based on shared interests. _____ M.R. Bizzozzero et al. 2019. Tool use and social homophily among male bottlenose dolphins. Proc. R. Soc. B 286 (1904): 20190898; doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0898 Throughout the week, the western Australia market saw presence of just two miners, namely Rio Tinto and FMG. And at some time, only Rio Tinto remained active in the market. Outside of western Australia, the freight market was sluggish as well, with many trade participants expecting the Brazilian miner to come out with more July shipment for rates to grow, but that did not happen this week. Brucutu mine to restart Despite the low activity from western Australia, the market is rather optimistic about Vale as the Brazilian miner expects to restart its Brucutu mine with capacity of 30 million mt production year in near term. According to trade source, the Brucutu mine has already produced 10 million mt per year through the dry-stacking process that did not use the tailing dam. The remaining 20 million mt is expected to restart over the next few days. The restart, if finalized, might imply more cargoes from Brazil and the miner also pledge to increases iron ore shipments out of its S11D projects. So far, the miner has reportedly fixed around 10 Capesize vessel over the past two weeks and any more vessels are welcomed by the market. Oil tanker attacks at Gulf of Oman The shipping market was concerned about the recent oil tanker attacks near the Gulf of Oman and this created a much-needed price hike in oil prices which had been bearish for some time. Although the oil spike was little in the way of positive news in the physical market on the run up to index, but it seemed to lessen the decline in the Capesize paper freight rate. Read all the Seatrade Maritime News coverage of the tanker attacks here By Thursday, 13 Jun 2019, the Capesize 5 time charter average recorded at $13,621, down $368 on-day, and down $1,247 since Monday. Short work week It was a short week for the European market due to the celebration of Whit Monday. The low volume then impacted the Panamax paper market, which had been declining since the start of week. As such, the Panamax paper market slid to $9,135 on Thursday, down $101 on-day and down $398 since Mondays rate at $9,533. Likewise, the Supramax paper market suffered similar fate from the short European work week and the time charter average dipped by $12 on-day to $8,094 on Thursday. Meanwhile, the handysize market had no trades to report and the time charter average gained by $32 on-day to $6,269 on Thursday. Press Release June 14, 2019 Drilon: National ID system, data sharing can prevent fraudulent transactions As the repository and custodian of all data and main implementer of the national identification system, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon urged the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to enhance its data sharing capability. Drilon, the principal author of the Philippines Identification System Act, said the law's objectives will be achieved more efficiently if PSA would be more open to sharing the data relevant to service delivery. "The establishment of a single national ID system and an effective data sharing between and among government agencies could help prevent fraudulent transactions from arising in the future," Drilon said. Drilon cited, for instance, the alleged refusal of PSA to confirm whether the patients of a dialysis center claiming benefits with Phihealth had died. Drilon said that simple sharing of data could help prevent fraudulent transactions such as the 'ghost dialysis' treatment controversy that plagued the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) that caused the government billions of pesos. A former justice secretary, Drilon dismissed claims that the fact of death of a person is a privacy issue. He explained that the fact of death is not a sensitive personal information that PSA should withhold, particularly if it involves the disbursement of public funds. "What danger would it pose to the deceased person, or his or her family, if Philhealth knows that he or she is already dead?" Drilon asked. "None. This is just a factual question answerable by just yes or no, but is very important for Philhealth and other agencies disbursing public funds for the benefits of claimants to know in order to verify the legitimacy of a claim and prevent fake, illegal and fraudulent transactions," Drilon said. Drilon's law mandates the establishment of a single national identification system for all Filipinos, here and abroad, in order to enhance the delivery of basic services to the public and eliminate corruption, among others. The Malacanang announced that it would pilot test the national ID system by September 2019. Once the national ID system is in place, Drilon said that agencies tasked to disburse public funds for the benefit of claimants, including Philhealth, Social Security System, the Government Service and Insurance System, and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, among others, can readily verify information about the claimant before they disburse pubic funds. Drilon said this is because the implementation of the national ID system will provide for a mechanism or a system to verify the existence of a person, most importantly whether the claimant is alive or not, or whether the transaction is fraudulent or not. The law's implementing rules and regulations also clearly included that the death of the registered person would cause the deactivation of the person's permanent identification number. Drilon said that could potentially eliminate fraudulent transactions such as what happened in the ghost dialysis treatment controversy. Drilon said that the law empowers these agencies against fraudulent claims, while helping them provide efficient delivery of service to the public. The first liquidators reports on Arrow International say the companys main subsidiary has a notional $40 million available for unsecured creditors, not including $4.5 million in retentions held in trust. Thats after $2.4 million owed to secured creditors, mostly for bonds. But the liquidators, Andrew Bethell, Andrew McKay and Colin Gower of BDO, say that as yet, we have not subjected the information to detailed verification procedures. Therefore we do not accept responsibility for its accuracy. Arrows directors and shareholders, Ron Anderson and Robert Foster, put the companies into administration on Feb. 28 and the watershed meeting of creditors on June 6 resolved to place Arrow in liquidation. Another Arrow subsidiary, Construction, Labour and Resources was placed in administration on the same day and went into liquidation the same day as the main subsidiary. The liquidators say the ultimate holding company had guaranteed construction performance bond facilities for the main subsidiary, Arrow International (NZ), as well as its performance under particular individual construction and services contracts, so the parent company was also placed in administration and then in liquidation. That was as a protective measure against calls under these guarantees and to allow an orderly realisation of its assets in the event a call arose. Two other companies owned by the parent company, Arrow International (Pacific) and Arrow International (Australia), remain registered with the Companies Office but arent in liquidation or administration. The report on the main subsidiary confirms that a $4.5 million adjudication against the company that it couldnt meet was one of the factors that led to the administration. Anderson confirmed in February that Arrow had a dispute being adjudicated by the Building Disputes Tribunal. The other party was subcontractor March Construction, a Christchurch-based company now owned by France-based Vinci Construction which related to work on student accommodation towers in Anzac Ave in Auckland. The report shows the only one of the subsidiarys assets the liquidators are sure of at this stage is $4.38 million in the companys bank accounts the parent companys accounts show $146,000 in that companys bank accounts while the other subsidiarys accounts show $39,000 in cash that secondary subsidiary has negligible other assets apart from $43,000 in related party debts. The other main assets of the main subsidiary are $15.7 million in accounts receivable, $13.2 million of investments in subsidiaries, $2.6 million in property, plant and equipment and $7.87 million in related party debts. The bulk of the parent companys notional assets are $26.1 million of investments in subsidiaries and $15.7 million of related party debts. The reports list well over 900 creditors, primarily of the main subsidiary. Creditors of the parent company include the main subsidiary, ANZ Bank and Vero/AAI Bonds. The main subsidiary owes $1.37 million to preferential creditors, including $944,000 owed to employees and $58,000 owed to IRD but only has $742,000 of known available funds. It is too early to reliably estimate what funds, if any, will be available for unsecured creditors, the reports say. Creditors have until July 12 to advise the liquidators of any claims against the three companies. 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Related News: Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY Signs A$20m Corporate Debt Facility 24th December 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) GMT to develop North Shore facility for NZ Post 23rd December 2021 Morning Report SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited (NZX: SKC) EXPANDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH GIG Spark New Zealand Limited (NZX: SPK) Spark to take full ownership of Connect 8 22nd December 2021 Morning Report Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (NZX: PCT) Wynyard Quarter Stage 3 Commenced AMP Limited (NZX: AMP) Announces Delisting from the NZX Main Board 21st December 2021 Morning Report Contact Energy says it has bought a winter gas supply from OMV as part of a deal that will also give it access to future supplies from the Maui field. The company, which started 2019 with only 4.9 petajoules contracted, says it will buy 40 terajoules a day from OMV this winter. Pricing is consistent with the firms expectations at the first-half result and at its investor day in November, it said. Contact paid $6.10 per gigajoule for the 17PJ of gas it used at its power stations in the June 2018 financial year. The agreement, which is subject to customary approvals, also provides for the supply of Maui gas at the same price for 2020 to 2024, with volumes subject to field deliverability, the company said today. Contact shares rose 0.3 percent to $7.57, taking their gain this year to about 28 percent. The countrys second-largest power and gas retailer has spent several years expanding its geothermal options and winding back its reliance on natural gas as part of a strategy to reduce its emissions. It is planning a series of appraisal wells at its Tauhara geothermal field in August ahead of a final investment decision it expects to make on a new power station there in 2020. The company has also signalled it may not extend the life of its 377 MW Taranaki Combined Cycle plant beyond 2022. Contact had been buying gas on relatively short terms to supplement supplies it had at the Ahuroa storage facility. But that proved problematic last year when production issues at the OMV-operated Maui and Pohokura fields cut supplies. Gas prices surged late last year when shutdowns coincided with rapidly declining hydro storage and a planned maintenance shut at the Kupe field. In March, Contact arranged a short-term scheme to divert gas supplies from smaller, less efficient generators to help run TCC through until the end of June. Today, chief generation and development officer James Kilty said the company was pleased to have secured sufficient gas for the winter. It is also looking forward to OMVs progress extending the life of the 40-year-old Maui field. This transaction will support the ongoing transition of fossil-fuelled transport and industry to one of the lowest-carbon electricity systems in the world, Kilty said. Our gas plant will play a key role in providing affordable and reliable electricity when weather dependent wind, solar, or hydro generation is not available. This agreement is a key enabler of that. OMV is New Zealands biggest gas producer since acquiring Shells stakes in Maui and Pohokura late last year. In February, the firm announced a $500 million upgrade programme to extend production from the two fields. A five well side-track programme from the Maui-A platform could deliver additional gas by 2020, Gabriel Selischi, OMVs senior vice president for Asia-Pacific, said at the time. Contact had 18.4 PJ of contracted gas during 2018 6.5 PJ of which came from Maui. It started 2019 with only 4.9 PJ contracted virtually all of it from Kupe partner Genesis Energy. At that stage its only booked gas for 2020 4.5 PJ was also from Genesis. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY Signs A$20m Corporate Debt Facility 24th December 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) GMT to develop North Shore facility for NZ Post 23rd December 2021 Morning Report SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited (NZX: SKC) EXPANDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH GIG Spark New Zealand Limited (NZX: SPK) Spark to take full ownership of Connect 8 22nd December 2021 Morning Report Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (NZX: PCT) Wynyard Quarter Stage 3 Commenced AMP Limited (NZX: AMP) Announces Delisting from the NZX Main Board 21st December 2021 Morning Report The New Zealand dollar weakened and is headed for a weekly loss of more than 1 US cent amid ominous developments in the Gulf of Oman and as the escalation of Chinese anti-dumping duties on some steel products made traders more risk-averse. Weak domestic manufacturing data didnt help the outlook for the local economy either. The kiwi was trading at 65.34 US cents at 5pm in Wellington from 65.65 at 8am and 66.64 last Friday in New York. The trade-weighted index fell to 71.89 points from 72.19 this morning and 73 in New York last Friday. Its a combination of global nervousness and risk-off with the tanker incidents in the Gulf of Oman, says Peter Cavanaugh, the senior client advisor at Bancorp Treasury Services. In the current environment, financial markets and currencies are vulnerable to bad news. Explosions on two oil tankers in the Gulf ratcheted up tensions between the US and Iran with one blast damaging the hull of a Japanese-owned tanker and setting on fire a Norwegian-owned vessel. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for the attacks while Iran says it categorically denies that accusation, saying that Iran has no connection to the explosions. Meanwhile, China, the worlds largest steel producer and consumer, has raised anti-dumping duties on imports of alloy-steel seamless tubes and pipes from the US to between 101-147.8 percent and on imports from the European Union by 57.9-60.8 percent, according to the Xinhua news agency. China had imposed duties of 13-14.1 percent on those products since 2014 on the grounds that they were being dumped on the Chinese market at below-market prices. The move appears to be in retaliation to the US ratcheting up tariffs on about US$200 million of Chinese imports and threatening to impose tariffs on other products. Locally, the BNZ-Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index fell 2.5 points to a seasonally adjusted 50.2 points in May, barely positive and at its slowest pace in more than six years anything lower than 50 points means activity is contracting. The main focus globally next week is likely to be the US Federal Reserve policy meeting and rate decision while New Zealand GDP data for the March quarter is due on Thursday. The market is betting the Fed will cut rates several times this year while the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand have already cut rates in early June and early May respectively. The New Zealand dollar was trading at 94.67 Australian cents from 94.97, at 51.53 British pence from 51.78, at 57.94 euro cents from 58.23, at 70.77 yen from 71.13, and at 4.5224 Chinese yuan from 4.5438. The New Zealand two-year swap rate edged down to 1.3591 percent from 1.3780 yesterday while the 10-year swap rate eased to 1.8300 percent from 1.8580. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY Signs A$20m Corporate Debt Facility 24th December 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) GMT to develop North Shore facility for NZ Post 23rd December 2021 Morning Report SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited (NZX: SKC) EXPANDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH GIG Spark New Zealand Limited (NZX: SPK) Spark to take full ownership of Connect 8 22nd December 2021 Morning Report Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (NZX: PCT) Wynyard Quarter Stage 3 Commenced AMP Limited (NZX: AMP) Announces Delisting from the NZX Main Board 21st December 2021 Morning Report The New Zealand Shareholders' Association says it is concerned that Kiwi Property Group is paying out more in dividends than it is taking in as cash. When Kiwi reported its results last month, it said it would pay a final dividend of 3.475 cents per share on June 20 to those holding shares on June 5. That takes the annual per-share payout to 6.95 cents, up from 6.85 cents. Thats 9 percent more than the 6.4 cents per share it reported in adjusted funds from operations, or AFFO. The company is forecasting a 7.05 cents per share dividend for the current year, absent material adverse events or unforeseen circumstances. NZSA says that as well as increasing the dividends for the year just gone, it is also raising the forecast payout for this year despite lacking cash coverage. That means dividends will require a degree of debt funding, at least until the Sylvia Park development is completed and fully contributes, the group representing retail shareholders says. Kiwi is in the middle of its $258 million expansion of the mixed-use shopping and offices complex at Sylvia Park which is due for completion in mid-2020. The company explained that it felt shareholders would like to see dividend streams smoothed, but, in our view, that is different to making increases without sufficient cash to meet the extra cost, particularly with a degree of uncertainty over future macro-economic activity, NZSA says in its advice to members on how it will vote its proxies at Kiwis annual shareholders meeting on June 20. Kiwi says the AFFO measure is commonly used by real estate entities to describe their underlying cash flows from operation in a particular year. As you may be aware, we recently disposed of two non-core properties Majestic Centre in Wellington and North City in Porirua, Kiwi told BusinessDesk. We are redeploying the proceeds from those asset sales into new development opportunities at Sylvia Park that offer better long-term returns for our shareholders, it said. Those opportunities are ANZ Raranga our new office building anchored by ANZ and IAG and our Galleria retail expansion, the company said. Understandably, the asset sales result in a temporary drop in earnings while the new developments come on stream, it said. We have chosen to smooth the dividend during this transition period, rather than reduce it. We signalled this intent to our shareholders at our annual result in 2018 and noted that our intention was to grow our AFFO over the next couple of years (assisted by the income from the new developments) to cover our cash dividend. The shares were recently down 0.6 percent at $1.565, and have gained almost 15 percent so far this year. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY Signs A$20m Corporate Debt Facility 24th December 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) GMT to develop North Shore facility for NZ Post 23rd December 2021 Morning Report SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited (NZX: SKC) EXPANDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH GIG Spark New Zealand Limited (NZX: SPK) Spark to take full ownership of Connect 8 22nd December 2021 Morning Report Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (NZX: PCT) Wynyard Quarter Stage 3 Commenced AMP Limited (NZX: AMP) Announces Delisting from the NZX Main Board 21st December 2021 Morning Report Burger Fuel Worldwide says it posted a $1.2 million net profit for the year ended March, a turnaround from the previous years $463,000 net loss, as it transitions to a new business model. Sales fell 15 percent to $21 million, mostly reflecting the sale of the company-owned store in the United States to founding director Chris Mason in March last year, while expenses dropped 22.7 percent to $19.2 million. This internal change lowers revenue from our proprietary product manufacturing operation but will ensure that this business unit becomes more financially efficient, the company says. Total system sales including both company-owned and franchised stores fell 2.9 percent to $102 million. There were 78 BurgerFuel stores operating worldwide and two new outlets in New Zealand, one for each of the companys new concepts, Shake Out, a new burger concept developed in-house, and Winner Winner, the chicken concept purchased by BFW in December 2017. The company is in the process of changing from a single-brand international company to a multi-brand New Zealand company. This transition is going well, and we are pleased that we have managed to absorb all the costs associated with this transition, as well as the costs to develop the new brands and provide an acceptable profit for full-year 2019, the company says. We will continue to focus on the opening of new restaurants in NZ and we look forward to updating the market with these new openings as the year progresses, it says. As advised on Feb. 15, the board has sought input from KPMGs corporate finance team to undertake a full strategic options review of the business and to look at all potential opportunities for the group. That review is now underway. Of the BurgerFuel stores, 56 are in New Zealand. The company says there are still opportunities to open new BurgerFuel stores in New Zealand but it will only do so it we can achieve "both the right locations as well as the accompanying franchisees. The Middle East has been very challenging in recent years and the company expects sales there will continue to decline. In the US, Mason is still looking for an established US partner but the single store continues to trade, although sales have been declining. Burger Fuel shares are 1 cent higher at 47 cents, valuing the company at $25.2 million. They have fallen more than 40 percent in the past 12 months. The company floated and listed on NZXs Alternative Exchange in 2007 after selling 15 million shares at $1. They peaked at $3.80 in 2014. With the dissolution of the AX, the company plans to migrate to NZXs main board. (BusinessDesk) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY Signs A$20m Corporate Debt Facility 24th December 2021 Morning Report Goodman Property Trust (NZX: GMT) GMT to develop North Shore facility for NZ Post 23rd December 2021 Morning Report SkyCity Entertainment Group Limited (NZX: SKC) EXPANDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH GIG Spark New Zealand Limited (NZX: SPK) Spark to take full ownership of Connect 8 22nd December 2021 Morning Report Precinct Properties New Zealand Limited (NZX: PCT) Wynyard Quarter Stage 3 Commenced AMP Limited (NZX: AMP) Announces Delisting from the NZX Main Board 21st December 2021 Morning Report "In the last 20-22 days, 57 children have died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)," Pandey told media here. Out of the total number, 47 children have died in Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) while 10 succumbed at the private Kejriwal Hospital, Pandey said. : Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Friday said that as many as 57 children have died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur. "We are monitoring all this. The Health Ministry in the state held a meeting on this and decided to make people aware of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)," the Health Minister shared. "A team comprising of one professor, three associate professors, four assistant professors, nine senior residents and 15 junior residents are seeing this matter and looking after the children. We are providing more beds in both the hospitals for treatment," he added. Encephalitis is a viral infection which causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions, and headaches. NZ Herald Brenton Tarrant has today denied being the Christchurch mosque terror attacker and will stand trial in May next year. The 28-year-old Australian national entered not guilty pleas during a short appearance at the High Court at Christchurch this morning. Wearing a grey sweatshirt and straining to hear discussions, he was not in the courtroom but instead appeared via audio visual link from Paremoremo Prison in Auckland. The courtroom was filled with victims survivors and family members of the 51 killed during the March 15 attack at two Christchurch mosques with many more watching from two overflow rooms inside the courthouse via audio visual link. They reacted with gasps when the not guilty pleas were entered. A trial date of May 4 was confirmed by Justice Cameron Mander. Crown believes the trial could last around six weeks. Defence counsel Shane Tait believes it could take up to three months. The accused was remanded in custody to a case review hearing on August 16 at 9.15am. Christchurch Crown Solicitor Mark Zarifeh formally laid another murder charge, two additional attempted murder charges, and a charge under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. The accused gunman now faces a total of 51 murder charges and 40 attempted murder charges - along with the terrorism charge. Justice Cameron Mander said the court had received two health assessors' reports that were ordered at the last court hearing under section 38 of the Mental Health Act to determine whether the defendant was mentally fit or impaired and whether he was mentally able to enter pleas to the charges. The judge confirmed today: "No issues arise regarding the defendant's fitness to plead, to instruct council and to stand trial. Therefore a fitness hearing is not required." Suppression also lifted today on the names of the attempted murder victims, the judge confirmed. The Crown confirmed that, after inquiries, they did not seek a continuation of the suppression order. However, three victims under the age of 18 have statutory suppression. Suppression also lifted on the name of the 51st person to die from the attacks Turkish national Zekeriah Tuyan who passed away at Christchurch Hospital. Several family members and survivors of the mosque shooting came to court this morning. There was reserved seating for 80 in the public gallery, while others elsewhere in the courthouse dialled in via audio visual link-up. Before the hearing, Abdul Aziz, widely hailed as a hero for confronting the gunman and chasing him away from Linwood Islamic Centre where seven people were killed, wanted to see the accused in court. "I just want to see his stupid face," he said. "We are getting there slowly. But it will take time. Days like today bring it all back." Once again there was a large domestic and international media presence for the alleged gunman's third appearance. TV cameras and photographers were lined up outside the Christchurch Justice Precinct which houses the High Court courtroom. Media were ushered inside by security and moved to a briefing room before 22 journalists were taken into the courtroom where the hearing started at 9.15am. There was an overflow of journalists who watched proceedings via audio visual link from another room inside the courthouse. EARLIER: The man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques has today pleaded not guilty to all charges. Brenton Tarrant appeared via video link from prison shortly after 9am. He is charged with murdering 51 worshippers and the attempted murder of 41others at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15. One man, widely hailed as a hero for confronting the alleged gunman and chasing him away from Linwood Islamic Centre where seven people were killed, said he wanted to see the accused in court today. "We are getting there slowly. But it will take time. Days like today bring it all back." Once again there has been a large domestic and international media presence for the alleged gunman's third appearance. TV cameras and photographers have been lined up outside the Christchurch Justice Precinct, which houses the High Court. Media were ushered inside by security and moved to a briefing room before 22 journalists will be taken into the courtroom where the hearing started at 9.15am. There is an overflow of journalists who watched proceedings via audio visual link from another room inside the courthouse. Several family members and survivors of the mosque shooting have also came to court this morning. There has been reserved seating for 80 in the public gallery, while others elsewhere in the courthouse were dialling in via audio visual link-up. As well as entering pleas today, the gunman was expected to face more charges. Four cultural advisers, including two who are legally trained, are at court today to help explain to the victims who speak 10-15 languages between them all what happens in court today. There has been a heavy security presence, with armed police outside court and security and police inside the building. The court was also likely to hear the results of psychiatric reports around his fitness to enter a plea. Last Thursday a previous suppression order banning publication of his face was lifted. The order had been made at a previous appearance on March 16. The Herald reported earlier this month that the Crown was likely to formalise the laying of another murder charge, two additional attempted murder charges, and a charge under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. That will mean the accused gunman will face a total of 51 murder charges and 41 attempted murder charges - along with the terrorism charge. He is being represented by his Auckland-based defence lawyers Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson. Applications from media to film or take photography for the hearing have previously been declined. At the defendant's second court hearing in the High Court at Christchurch on April 5, mental health reports were ordered to explore whether he is mentally fit to enter pleas to the charges. His defence team asked for mental health experts to assess the accused under section 38 of the Mental Health Act. Justice Cameron Mander ordered two health assessors' reports and stressed that the move was "normal procedure" and an "entirely ordinary and regular step" to be taken at this stage of the judicial process. Nothing should be read into the ordering of the reports, he added. Around 50 family members and survivors of the Al Noor Masjid and Linwood Islamic Centre came to court last time to witness proceedings. Fifty-one people died after the dual attacks on the Christchurch mosques. 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Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3ff0d210b8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff0bb6ee0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3ff0d210b8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff0bb6ee0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3ff0cf05b0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff0bb6ee0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff0bb6ee0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff03dee10)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3ff0d2da98)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3ff0d2da98)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3ff091e758)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff10ded20)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3ff091e758)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff10ded20)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3ff0955618)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff10ded20)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff10ded20)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3ff03df0c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3ff094bf90)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3ff094bf90)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 Columbia Records Bruce Springsteen's first new studio album in five years, Western Stars, gets released today. As previously reported, Springsteen describes the new collection as "a jewel box of a record" that marks "a return to my solo recordings featuring character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements." The sound of Western Stars, as The Boss mentioned in a Variety interview in 2017, was inspired by the Southern California pop records of the late 1960s and early '70s made by artists like Glen Campbell, Harry Nilsson and Burt Bacharach. The 13-track album delves into a variety of themes inspired by life in America, including isolation, community, "the permanence of home and hope," and "highways and desert spaces." At midnight today, Bruce debuted the official video for Western Stars' title track, a song that tells the story of a world-weary actor who'd appeared in popular Western films but whose career has long faded. It features Springsteen in various settings -- a bar, a movie set, behind the wheel of a vintage El Camino, walking down a dirt road while wearing a cowboy hat -- but always returning to him performing the song in the bar as the blue-collar patrons watch in sober silence, including his wife and band mate, Patti Scialfa. The lyrics have Springsteen's character lamenting the end of his best days. "Hell these days there aint no more, now theres just again," he sings. "Tonight the western stars are shining bright again." In advance of Western Stars' arrival, Springsteen also debuted three other songs from the album, "Hello Sunshine," "There Goes My Miracle" and "Tucson Train," all of which feature sweeping strings. Springsteen co-produced the album with Ron Aniello, who worked with Bruce on his two previous studio efforts, 2014's High Hopes and 2012's Wrecking Ball. The record also features contributions from Patti Scialfa and 20 other musicians, including Jon Brion, original E Street Band keyboardist David Sancious, and current E Street Band touring members Soozie Tyrell and Charlie Giordano. Here the full Western Stars track list: "Hitch Hikin'" "The Wayfarer" "Tucson Train" "Western Stars" "Sleepy Joe's Cafe" "Drive Fast (The Stuntman)" "Chasin' Wild Horses" "Sundown" "Somewhere North of Nashville" "Stones" "There Goes My Miracle" "Hello Sunshine" "Moonlight Motel" Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. India unveils spacecraft for moon-landing mission Bangalore, India (AFP) June 12, 2019 India on Wednesday unveiled a spacecraft which is expected to take off for the moon next month, making the country only the fourth to achieve the feat. The mission is India's second to the moon, and if successful it will put the nation in the league of the US, the former Soviet Union and China. Named Chandrayaan-2, the craft is made up of an orbiter, a lander and a rover developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It will be launched from Sriharikota space centre on July 15 a ... read more 'I'm no hero' says Chernobyl diver portrayed in hit TV series Kiev, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 In the acclaimed US mini-series "Chernobyl", Oleksiy Ananenko is hailed as one of three men who helped avert an even greater disaster after the worst nuclear accident in history. Now living in a modest one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Kiev, Ananenko insisted that what he did was not heroic. "I never felt like a hero. I was doing my job," said the 59-year-old former engineer who in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster took part in a risky operation to drain water from under the power station to prevent a further explosion. In one of the most dramatic episodes of the HBO mini-series, actors playing Ananenko and two other engineers, Valeriy Bespalov and Boris Baranov, wade through flooded corridors to empty a water tank located three metres (10 feet) below the burning reactor. On screen, officials inform workers of the imminent danger and the three men volunteer for the mission to prevent "millions" of deaths. Nuclear experts fear a second explosion from super-hot radioactive fuel burning through a concrete floor and reacting with the large amount of water in the tank. In reality, while there were fears of a second explosion, the scale of the potential disaster was unclear at the time. And the three men depicted in the series as volunteering for a suicide mission simply obeyed orders, without being clearly informed about the risks they incurred, he recalled. "I was ordered to go there, so I went," said Ananenko, who with his brown hair and brown eyes does not resemble the blond Icelandic actor Baltasar Breki Samper playing him in the mini-series. "I wasn't afraid," he said. - 'We went faster than that' - Protected only by diving equipment and simple respirators, the three men negotiated the partially flooded corridors under the reactor. Using flashlights, they managed to find the locks for the water tank in the dark and quickly opened them. "Immediately I heard a noise that meant the water was draining. That was amazing," Ananenko said. Watching the same scene on screen, he pointed out inaccuracies. "We didn't have them," he said, pointing to the divers' oxygen cylinders. "And we walked quicker than that. Why quicker? Because if you went slowly, the dose (of absorbed radiation) would be higher." Despite carrying two dosimeters with him, Ananenko said he does not recall the exact figure for the amount of radiation his body absorbed. "That means it wasn't very high," he said. One of the other men on the mission, Baranov, died in 2005 but the third, Bespalov, is still alive and lives in the same district as Ananenko. Ananenko did not suffer any serious health problems straight after the mission and he was able to continue to work in the nuclear sector until 2017. But then the Chernobyl veteran was forced to retire because he was involved in a serious car accident that plunged him into a coma for a month and affected his memory. Decorated with Soviet and Ukrainian medals and full of life and robust despite it all, Ananenko now receives a monthly state pension of around $417 (369 euros). - Very determined - Meanwhile another former Chernobyl worker, Oleksiy Breus, who was a technician at the fatal fourth reactor, told AFP his impression of the mini-series was "positive on the whole" although he had some specific criticisms. "The nuclear scientists are shown as people who are afraid of everything and afraid of their bosses, but in reality they were very resolute," he insisted. None of the operators fled after the explosion. On the contrary, "new people came to help," he said in Pripyat, the nuclear workers' town near the power station that was evacuated after the incident. In the disaster's aftermath, "we had to run through a building that was unlit and half-destroyed to save injured colleagues and bring them up to doctors" as well as battle the fire, he recalled. Sergiy Parashyn, a former director of the Chernobyl power station who headed its Soviet Communist Party cell when the disaster occurred, also commented on the show. He spoke to journalists inside the renovated underground bunker that is shown in the series as hosting meetings between power station senior staff and officials, scenes he insisted were unrealistic. "In fact, the specialists were trying to work out what to do, but in the series they are just (shown as) rejecting information," he said. os-dg-ant-osh/am/gd/har Regime, Russia bombardment kills 28 in northwest Syria: monitor Beirut, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 Regime and Russian air strikes and shelling have killed at least 28 people including seven civilians in embattled northwest Syria, a war monitor said Friday, despite a ceasefire announced by Moscow. The civilians were killed in regime air strikes and shelling on the south of Idlib province and the north of Hama province Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Russian and regime air strikes also killed 21 jihadist and Islamist fighters in the same region the same day, the Britain-based monitor added. The Idlib region of some three million people is supposed to be protected from a massive regime offensive by a buffer zone deal that Russia and Turkey signed in September. But it was never fully implemented, as jihadists refused to withdraw from a planned demilitarised zone. In January, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate extended its administrative control over the region, which includes most of Idlib province as well as adjacent slivers of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces. The Syrian government and Russia have upped their bombardment of the region since late April, killing more than 360 civilians, according to the Observatory. Syria's war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests. Russia launched a military intervention in support of the regime in 2015, helping its forces reclaim large parts of the country from opposition fighters and jihadists. Artillery attack wounds family in east Ukraine Kiev, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 A nine-year-old girl and three relatives were wounded Friday in eastern Ukraine in a artillery attack on a Kiev-controlled area close to a rebel hub, Ukrainian police and armed forces said. The shelling came as attacks have intensified in the last month after a period of relative calm in the conflict between Ukraine forces and Russian-backed separatists that has killed some 13,000 people since 2014. The family were injured after their house in the village of Mariinka, 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk, came under artillery fire, the defence ministry said. The war in the east erupted after a popular uprising ousted Ukraine's pro-Kremlin president and Russia annexed Crimea. In the first five months of this year, civilian casualties were "among the lowest for the entire conflict period," the United Nations monitoring mission in Ukraine said in a report published Thursday, but the number of civilian casualties has risen again this month. A nine-year-old girl was being treated in hospital for concussion and a trauma injury to her stomach after the attack at 5 am local time (0200 GMT), the defence ministry said. Two women from the same family were also being treated in hospital along with an 86-year-old man, who received the most severe injuries. Ukrainian soldiers pulled the family from the ruins and took them to hospital, the military said. Several other houses and outbuildings were also damaged. Kiev and its Western backers accuse Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border to fan the flames of the conflict. Moscow has denied the claims despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. French and Italian shipbuilders sign alliance Paris, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 French shipbuilders Naval Group and Italy's Fincantieri on Friday signed an agreement on Friday to create an 50-50 joint venture in a bid to take on rising global competition. "This is the culmination of a shared industrial ambition, which is the long-term position of the European shipbuilding industrial market which has undergone a profound transformation," Naval Group chief Herve Guillou told two journalists, including AFP. First floated in 2017, the "Poseidon" alliance project initially included cross-shareholding between the two groups, but this was abandoned last year in favour of a joint venture. The deal was signed on Friday by Guillou and Fincantieri chief Giuseppe Bono on board the frigate Frederico Martinengo in the Italian port city of La Spezia. "We are by far the two largest European naval players, but if we rely on our domestic markets alone we cannot maintain our resources and remain competitive," said Guillou. The groups have said the alliance would permit the two companies to team up on research, development and procurement for some common projects, either bilateral or for export. Competition in the industry is heating up, with China's CSIC last year becoming the world's largest shipbuilding company, while a Russian group is expected to be the second biggest next year. dlm/ef/dl/jh NAVAL GROUP Iraq pushes US for 'calm' after Gulf tanker attacks Baghdad, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi pushed for "calm" in a Friday phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as tensions spiked between Washington and Tehran over tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The call came after US President Donald Trump accused Iran of being behind Thursday's attacks on two oil tankers, the latest episode of worsening ties between Baghdad's two closest allies. According to Abdel Mahdi's office, Pompeo phoned the Iraqi prime minister and discussed "the crisis between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran." Abdel Mahdi told Washington's top diplomat that Iraq was "striving for calm." The prime minister has suggested Iraq as a potential mediator between the United States and Iran, but his offers have borne little fruit. Thursday's twin attacks on two vessels after they passed through the Strait of Hormuz -- which Trump said had Iran "written all over it" -- have raised fears of conflict in the strategically vital waterway. Iran has denied involvement and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the US of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy". Iraq condemned the attacks but did not accuse any country of perpetrating them. Abdel Mahdi earlier this week warned of the dangers of war. "Iran isn't weak, and neither is the US. All sides know that war will cost a lot. No one wants war, but does that mean we have peace? No," he told reporters on Tuesday. Baghdad has strong military and diplomatic ties to the US but it is also very close to Tehran, one of Iraq's top trade partners with sway over many Shiite armed units. Iraq has thus been caught in the throes of the tug-of-war between Washington and Tehran since Trump last year withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed tough sanctions. Baghdad secured waivers from Washington to keep importing Iranian gas and electricity for its crippled power sector, but those exemptions will end in less than a week with no indication of whether the US has granted another extension. Iran attacks leave Trump and aides divided, with no clear strategy Washington, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 To retaliate or show restraint? Toughen sanctions or negotiate? The US administration, divided between hard-line hawks and a Donald Trump who fears plunging the country into another "endless" war, is struggling to define its strategy against Iran -- as demonstrated by its uncertain response to recent developments in the Gulf of Oman. Here is what we know about the US response and administration thinking. - How has the US reacted to the attacks? - It took only hours for Washington to directly accuse Tehran of being "responsible" for the attacks Thursday against two oil tankers. The incident had Iran "written all over it," Trump said Friday, rejecting Tehran's denial of any such role. The president pointed to a video that purports to show a patrol boat of Iran's Revolutionary Guards pulling alongside one of the tankers to remove an unexploded limpet mine from the ship's hull. But the US condemnations were not followed by threats of any immediate retaliation. That represented a degree of restraint by an administration that has been steadily tightening economic and diplomatic sanctions against Iran, and which last month stepped up its "maximum pressure" campaign with new deployments of ships, bombers and troops to the region. - War of words, or just plain war? - "The situation between the US and Iran is becoming increasingly dangerous," tweeted Colin Kahl, a former Obama administration national security advisor now at Stanford University in California. Both sides could "easily... slide into a war they claim they want to avoid," he said. Between the continuing war of words and the recent escalation, numerous observers and US allies fear an incident could degenerate into open conflict. But Aaron David Miller, a former negotiator in both Democratic and Republican administrations, does not see the recent attacks as "sufficient for a casus belli." "If, in the wake of this incident, the Trump administration chose to strike Iranian vessels directly, or the Iranian mainland, or Iranian forces in Iraq and Syria, or in Yemen, you have zero support," said Miller, now a Middle East expert at the Wilson Center think tank. - A 'focus on diplomacy' - Trump, for his part, has made it abundantly clear: He does not want to embroil the country's military in another costly and "endless" war like those in Afghanistan and Iraq. If acting US defense secretary Patrick Shanahan has expressed a determination to "defend our forces and our interests around the world," he has also reiterated that Washington "does not seek conflict." Pentagon spokesmen have stressed that neither American interests nor personnel have yet been attacked -- making it an issue affecting global maritime traffic that should be settled at the international level. "We have an international situation there in the Middle East, it's not a US situation," Shanahan told reporters on Friday, saying the administration was united in seeking an "international consensus to this international problem." But it is no secret that the president's national security advisor, John Bolton, has taken far more aggressive positions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is also considered a hawk on Iran, even if he has attempted to hew to Trump's more restrained line. - What does Trump want? - Beyond the question of how to respond to the recent attacks, a much larger question remains: What exactly is the concrete objective of the American pressure strategy against Iran? Last year Trump pulled the US out of the multinational 2015 accord that was designed to prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons. He was harshly critical of the pact, negotiated during the Obama presidency, and said he wanted to compel the Islamic Republic to accept much more stringent restrictions on its nuclear program and to cease any "destabilizing" behavior in the Middle East. In recent weeks, even as his teams were cranking up the economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Iran, the president has issued repeated calls for direct dialogue with Iranian leaders. But with supreme Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei flatly refusing to talk, Trump seems uncertain how to proceed. "I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal," the president said Thursday on Twitter, before again on Friday repeating his invitation: "We want to get them back to the table if they want to go back," he said on the "Fox & Friends" program. "I'm ready when they are. Whenever they're ready, I'm OK." "The real problem is that there is no endgame in the administration's strategy," said Miller. "Regime collapse or change is fantastical right now." Miller sees a disturbing lack of clarity in the administration's approach. "What's the purpose of the sanctions?" the former diplomat asked. "Is it to destroy the Iranian economy? Or is it a serious effort to drag the Iranians into the negotiations and produce a better outcome than what Obama got?" "I don't believe that this administration is prepared to (make) the kind of concessions that the Iranians would demand in a serious negotiation." Tanker attacks require 'international' response: Pentagon Washington, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 The attacks being blamed on Iran in the Gulf of Oman pose a global and not just an American problem, the acting Pentagon chief said Friday, as he called for an "international consensus" in solving it. "We have an international situation there in the Middle East, it's not a US situation," Patrick Shanahan told reporters, referring to the attacks Thursday on two oil tankers. "The focus for myself and Ambassador (John) Bolton and Secretary (Mike) Pompeo is to build international consensus to this international problem," he said, referring respectively to the national security advisor and the secretary of state. Shanahan said that is why the American military released a video which, it claimed, showed a patrol boat of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a powerful branch of the Iranian military, pulling alongside one of the tankers to remove an unexploded limpet mine from its hull. The Pentagon chief left open the possibility of further reinforcing the American military presence in the region, under the US Central Command, or CENTCOM. "We're making sure that General (Kenneth) McKenzie and the Central Command have the resources and the support that they need," he said. Shanahan emphasized that "15 percent of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz," the relatively narrow passage between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. "So we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate," he went on. "But we also need to broaden our support for this international situation." As tensions grew, the Pentagon last month deployed a warship to the region carrying vehicles, some of them amphibious, and a Patriot missile battery. Earlier it had moved an aircraft carrier to the area in response to what it said were "imminent" threats from Iran. And late last month, the US announced the deployment of 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, invoking "persistent threats" to American forces emanating from what the Pentagon said was the "highest level" of the Iranian leadership. The US presence was further reinforced with reconnaissance aircraft and a squadron of 12 fighter jets. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. 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Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. by Victor Ivan While the failure to build the modern nation has been the prime factor that had caused the wretchedness of Sri Lanka, plundering of public property by rulers when they are under their custody can be considered the next vital factor that had exacerbated this situation. I have briefly discussed the issue on the failure to build the modern nation in a previous article. In this article, I intend dealing with the question on plundering of public property by ruling parties. Under a democratic system, the property belonging to the State constitutes public assets collectively owned by all citizens of the country. The ruling parties elected by the people from time to time are only the temporary custodians of public property. It is one of the main responsibilities of the custodians of public property to safeguard them and keep the income generated from them at an optimal level. Strict laws preventing public property being misappropriated by their custodians or allowing those to be misused by their kith, kin and cronies are in force in all countries where there is a democratic system of governance. The acquisition or plunder of public property by the ruling party or party members or appropriating them to a third party or to their cronies are considered a disgusting and serious offence punishable by law. Plunder of public property But, in Sri Lanka, this acknowledged principle on the ownership of public property was operative only up to 1977. Since then, it can be said, that the misuse and plundering of public property which are under the custody of the rulers of the country has become a widespread national defect, a permanent and salient feature of the State rule. So much so, this situation has rendered the contest among political parties to acquire the ruling power of the country, an expensive, ugly and fierce struggle for gaining the opportunity to plunder the public property. This deep-rooted and loathsome practice in the State rule of Sri Lanka has enabled the ruling party to exploit, at their whim and fancy, the public property which comes under their custody during the tenure of their rule. The ruling parties are engaged freely in plundering public property with impunity and without any sense of fear or shame as the laws that protect and prohibit the misuse of public property by their temporary custodians have been rendered completely defunct and non-operational. This practice occurs in different forms. Acquisition of valuable state lands by politicians themselves or appropriating them to their kith and kin and cronies can be considered one form of it. Similarly, the acquisition of land belonging to the Land Reforms Commission on long-term leases at a nominal price is a popular form in which this process is carried out in the sphere of State lands. Acquirement of prime lands of very high commercial value belonging to various government departments, located closer to major tanks and reservoirs and adjacent to the sea is another form of this abuse. Taking over the government contracts by themselves or granting them to their family members and cronies can be described as another form of this process. Business licences yielding exorbitantly high income such as radio waves and frequencies, liquor permits, ethanol permits, re-export permits, passenger transportation permits, timber, sand, soil and rubble business permits are common forms of this process. The acquisition of State enterprises by politicians or conferring them to their family members and cronies on instances when they are divested to the private sector can be described as yet another form of this process. Establishment of the system The loss incurred to the country and the State due to plundering of public property by the rulers themselves, who had steered the country for a very long period of over 42 years without any restriction or challenge, can amount to many billions of rupees. It can be reckoned to be a major factor that had caused the present level of bankruptcy that the country is facing. This situation has invariably resulted in depriving the legal and ethical legitimacy of the peoples representatives viz the presidents, ministers and the members of Parliament, elected from time to time, by public vote to the Executive and the Legislature and making them a group of chartered plunderers of public property. Moreover, this situation has resulted in debilitating the rule of law, weakening the efficiency of the institutional system which had been established and maintained by public money to restrain corruption. In short, this scenario has rendered the entire State and its institutional system a sordid entity of rampant corruption. This corrupt and wicked system is not a mere outcome of an accident or a spontaneous process. It can be described as a system introduced deliberately and consciously by late President J.R. Jayewardene and pursued throughout the long period of his rule. It has now been firmly rooted as an essential element in the political culture of the country. Despite the fact that there were many defects and shortcomings of the rulers who were JRs predecessors, none of them had attempted to implant and establish such a wicked and destructive system similar to this. But, all the other rulers who succeeded J.R. Jayewardene had further reinforced and intensified this corrupt system by adding more and more new elements into it. Perhaps JR might have learnt this system from emperor Napoleon. Napoleon was his ideal hero. Napoleon was a leader who built an enormous empire employing a massive mercenary army. To sustain militant spirit of the mercenaries, Napoleon allowed them to plunder the cities captured by them. Similarly, the policy adopted by Napoleon for war, J.R. Jayewardene applied for his politics. The supreme status of the Parliament as well as the powers shared by the members of Parliament were drastically diminished by the presidential system introduced by JR. The position of the parliamentarians was reduced to a level of a rubber stamp in the hands of the president. In this backdrop, it can be construed that JR had introduced this corrupt system, allowing the MPs of the ruling party to amass wealth in undue and unlawful means, with a view to overcome their dissatisfaction and getting them to extend their unconditional support to him throughout the long term rule that he envisaged to maintain. Role of JR JR went to the extent of setting extremely ugly and lowly examples in order to persuade the MPs of the ruling party to abide by the wicked and predatory system that he introduced. He exchanged an unproductive coconut land at Madampe which was owned by him and his family members for a flourishing coconut land at Nattandiya (Keenakale Watta) belonged to the Land Reforms Commission. By any standard this infamous deal was a lowly act, contrary to the law which cannot be desired from any leader or the head of State, the leading symbol of the nation. With this example set by JR, a large number of ministers and MPs of the ruling party were able to become landed proprietors and planters by appropriating valuable lands of the Land Reforms Commission on long-term lease at a nominal price. Thus, by allowing the president, the ministers and MPs to acquire public lands, they and their family members were able to acquire valuable lands belonged to the Government, together with the buildings stood on them including the estate bungalows, in large scale and at a nominal price. At the same time, the MPs of the ruling party were allowed to become government contractors and license holders and amass wealth from them and become rich. J.R. Jayewardene was fully aware that this dishonest practice was contrary to the law of the country. Yet, his intention was to make the MPs of the ruling party a contented and happy lot who are rich and driven by the desire to amass wealth and retain their political power by hook or crook, no matter how. It was when this system of pillaging public property introduced by JR was in progress that Albert Silva, the MP elected to the Galle constituency at the General Election in 1977, was deprived of his parliamentary seat by a court decision on the grounds that he had held a kerosene permit issued by the Government. This decision can be considered an instance that had demonstrated the illegality of the scheme introduced by President Jayewardene. Yet, what was the response of former President Jayewardene to this decision? Instead of withdrawing his policy which allowed the MPs to transact business with the Government respecting the decision of the judiciary, he reappointed Albert Silva to the Kamburupitiya electorate as a nominated MP. It was during September 1979 that the Judiciary deprived Albert Silva of his parliamentary seat. He was appointed the MP for Kamburupitiya electorate in November of the same year. Deceptive underarm play Undoubtedly, J.R. Jayewardene might have imagined that any issue arising from the illegal and exploitative system that he pursued could be suppressed by using the presidential immunity that he enjoyed, according to which the President during his tenure of office was absolutely immune from legal proceedings in his official or private capacity. In addition to using the presidential immunity for his own protection, JR had the capacity to protect his favourite henchmen as well who had committed offences, by using his immunity. Despite his keenness and interest in persuading the peoples representatives elected by public vote to misappropriate public property he had the audacity to include a clause prohibiting MPs engaging in business transactions, in the 1978 Constitution which was his brainchild, with a view to giving the Constitution a solemn look and creating an image that it is espousing the cause of justice and fair play. The Constitutional Clause 91 (1) (E) relevant to this prohibition is as follows. No person shall be qualified to be elected as a Member of Parliament or to sit and vote in Parliament, if he has any such interest in any such contract made by or on behalf of the State or a public corporation as Parliament shall by law prescribe. I wish to draw the attention of the reader to the following section of this clause as Parliament shall by law prescribe. This implies that the Parliament should enact specific laws if it is to implement the provisions specified in this clause to disqualify anyone for election as a Member of Parliament. But, former President Jayewardene didnt initiate action to enact laws to give effect to this provision. There is no doubt that he may have prevented enacting necessary laws when he had a five-sixth majority in the Parliament, merely because he wanted to safeguard the illegal right he had conferred on the members of the ruling party to exploit public property. This ugly and improper situation came to light only after 20 years of the enactment of the 78 constitution when the case against Rajitha Senaratne was taken up at the courts in 1998, in which he was unseated for doing business with the State while being an MP. The case of Rajitha Senaratne By this time, a large number of parliamentarians had become large scale business dealers transacting various kinds of unlawful businesses with the Government. But, legal action had been initiated only against Rajitha Senaratne. It was proved that the company that belonged to Rajitha Senaratne had entered into an agreement with the Government to supply dental surgical appliances to the Sri Lanka Navy, the Air Force, the Department of Health and State Pharmaceutical Corporation. However, as there were no specific laws enacted in keeping with the provisions of the 1978 Constitution to deal with the MPs committing such offences, in this case Rajitha Senaratne was found guilty and was punished under the Soulbury Constitution. He was unseated by the panel of judges who heard the case. The judgment of this case had highlighted that it was a serious matter difficult to understand as to how such a strong tradition that had been in operation to safeguard the integrity and sanctity of public life of peoples representatives had been totally ignored. This can be construed as a serious allegation made by the Judiciary against the Parliament for not enacting laws in reference to the implicit requirements of Clause 91(4) E of the 1978 Constitution. The next surprising thing was the reappointment of Rajitha Senaratne as a national list member to the Parliament by Ranil Wickremesinghe following the precedent created by the J.R. Jayewardene regime. In doing so, not only had he justified and consolidated the shameful tradition that allowed peoples representatives to plunder public property, but also issued a strong signal that he would not allow to change this despicable tradition. An important lesson on the corrupt nature of the Parliament can be learnt from this judgement. Until this judgment was passed the Parliament had refrained from enacting laws essential for maintaining the integrity and sanctity of the peoples representatives in the Parliament. It is a pity that the Parliament had not attempted to rectify this error even after a long period of 21 years had lapsed since it had been pointed out by the Judiciary. Doesnt it imply that the Legislature, the main law-making body of the country is not willing to change the corrupt and exploitative character of the legislators themselves? In consequence of this situation, a majority of parliamentarians had become businessmen transacting business with the Government. Some of them had purchased government lands and had become planters. How large is the number of MPs having houses and hotels in the vicinity of major tanks of the country? Arent these lands belonged to the State? How many of parliamentarians do who work as government contractors? How many of them are holding tavern licences, licenses for rubble, sand, soil and timber business, having re-exportation permits, etc.? Can the MPs who fall into this category be treated as qualified to sit and vote in Parliament in terms of the law applicable to them? How can the Parliament of Sri Lanka be considered a legally and morally legitimate institution, if the majority of parliamentarians fall into this category? Hasnt the Speaker of the Parliament a responsibility to investigate into this situation? Hasnt the Auditor General a duty to investigate into this situation? This situation can be reckoned to be the worst defect of the State rule of Sri Lanka. It is unavoidable that a country becomes a hapless chew if those elected to the Executive and the Legislature by the public vote to steer the rule of the State, are inclined to adopt a ruthless policy of pillaging the public property under their custody. That is what exactly had happened to Sri Lanka. If those who steer the wheel of the State are bent on misusing their power to amass wealth in undue and illegal means, it will invariably lead to weaken the rule of law of the country and render the entire system of public institutions corrupt and inefficient. It diminishes the income of the country, makes the country poor and deprives the State of the vital attributes of wisdom and quality of being on alert. A team whose main object would be to plunder the public property cannot be expected to possess essential elements of discipline, interest and ability to develop the country except for making it bankrupt. In view of above, it is important and essential that the priority should be given for the removal of this deadly cancer from our society. The state-of-the-art facility will provide Hartpury students and the wider farming community with access to the very latest smart farming techniques and equipment. The project features three key buildings the Agri-Tech Hub, Biosecurity Building and Livestock Handling Unit to be used for hosting industry events. Ben Thompson, Hartpury Agri-Tech Centre Project and Industry Engagement Manager, said: Were extremely pleased that construction work is on track and that our ambitious plans are well on the way to becoming reality its a tremendously exciting time for everyone involved in the project. The Hartpury Agri-Tech Centre Tech to Plate Project, based on campus at Hartpurys commercial farm, will open to Hartpury students in September, ahead of an official opening for the wider farming community next year. The Agri-Tech Hub will provide visitors with access to key information and case studies relating to the latest technology and innovative ideas, which will be available commercially across the beef, sheep and dairy sectors. Visitors will also be able to trial the technology themselves through an interactive tech-dashboard. The Biosecurity Building will highlight how farmers can protect their businesses from disease transfer, which is becoming increasingly difficult to control, through the introduction of modern biosecurity measures. The Livestock Handling Unit will provide visitors with opportunities to observe practical demonstrations of the latest commercial technology in a real farm environment. Laura Carrick, rural chartered surveyor at Vickers & Barrass in County Durham, says farmers need to start to prepare for post-Brexit changes and the move away from the EU-wide payment system, in the light of the National Audit Office's early review of the farming programme (download below). Under the programme, farmers who are compensated for the amount of land they farm, will instead be rewarded for delivering environmental benefits. Current land-based payments to farmers will be phased out over a seven-year period starting from 2021. They will be succeeded by public funding for public goods at the core of which, will be the Environmental Land Management System (ELMS). Under the new system, farmers and land managers can enter into a contractual agreement with the government to produce environmental land management plans providing outcomes, for which they will be paid. However, Defra has not yet determined the level of payments, which will be made under the new scheme. Laura Carrick echoes concerns that the move could herald a significant change for farmers in England, who received more than 2bn in 2017 to payments linked to size of land farmed. The NAO reveals that almost half (42%) of farmers would have filed losses between 2014/15 and 2016/17 if they had not received direct financial aid. This highlights the critical and urgent need for an alternative support package post CAP, which will enable farmers to continue to manage viable businesses, she says. "Analysis of the programme shows Defra wants to change the dynamic between the government, farmers and landowners, with the ambition to deliver a better environment and prosperous agriculture sector. "It's not yet known specifically what outcomes Defra intends to reward and, at this stage, the picture of how the system will work in practice is incomplete. Consequently, farmers have very little time to prepare for their business for the introduction of ELMS. "The uncertainty in relation to the future level of payments needs to be addressed in order to provide assurances to the farming community that entering the schemes is in their financial best interest." If there is a low uptake to the scheme, those farmers who don't choose to enter the schemes can choose to farm more intensively to make a profit with the possibility of creating unfavourable environmental outcomes: "Consequently, it is essential that Defra ensures that these schemes are attractive," says Laura Carrick. Predictability is key for farming businesses which operate on multi-year planning cycles. Understanding this is critical as the sector has been affected by Defra's previous difficulties in introducing change successfully. Jim Reynolds, a Professor of Large Animal Medicine and Welfare at Western University of Health Sciences in California, was speaking at a thought-provoking debate on farm animal welfare standards at the Animal Welfare Foundations (AWF) annual Discussion Forum in London on 5th June. When asked about the feasibility of the UK setting high animal welfare standards for US farms to meet as part of any future trade negotiations, Professor Reynolds told a packed audience of vets and animal welfare scientists: If you're asking advice from an American on farm economics, it is: don't give up what you have. What you have here is a high-welfare market with a high value to your products. I hope you don't let that slip. He added that maintaining the UKs current high welfare standards in any post-Brexit trade deals could help pressure the US to change its own. Our system has changed over the years from a supply management system to a commodity-based system in which the profit margins are lowso America's looking desperately to export low-value products. That's how we make money. Keep your high-welfare, high-value products because that's something we can attain to. Our welfare programmes come from here (the UK) to us. His remarks came towards the close of AWF Discussion Forums Big Debate, which had asked the question: UK farming: is welfare good enough?. David Main, Professor of Production Animal Health and Welfare at the Royal Agricultural University, was first on the stage to argue that the UK had some of the highest welfare standards globally. He highlighted the countrys high consumer expectations and applauded the livestock industry for helping establish world-leading farm assurance standards. However, he pointed out that more could be done by the UK to be world leading when it came to delivering welfare outcomes for farmed animals. Animal welfare is GREAT needs to be our claim in any trade negotiations, Professor Main said, referencing the governments GREAT Britain campaign slogan. He also countered US Ambassador Woody Johnsons comments earlier this year, when he urged the UK to leave the EU's 'Museum of Agriculture' and dismissed 'misleading scare-stories' about American agriculture. Citizens here in the UK want certain minimum, consistent production standards. And they are willing to pay for higher welfare produce. Professor Reynolds, on the other hand, argued that while the UK had high welfare standards, the issue was confidence in whether they represented animals in all circumstances and whether assurance schemes took into account the lives of the animals. He also stressed that the size of a farm was not an automatic indicator of welfare, arguing that the economies of scale, as seen on large farms in the US, allowed for better and more specialised staff training, biosecurity protocols and early disease detection. Animal welfare comes down to people having compassion, he said. A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Index of turnover in industry 2021, November Published: 14 June 2019 Turnover in manufacturing grew by 7.0 per cent in April According to Statistics Finland, working day adjusted turnover in manufacturing (TOL BCD) increased in April by 7.0 per cent from the corresponding period of the previous year. Among the main manufacturing industries, the growth in working day adjusted turnover was strongest in the electrical and electronics industry, 19.8 per cent, in the chemical industry, 11.7 per cent, and in the metal industry, 10.8 per cent. Seasonally adjusted turnover in manufacturing (TOL BCD) grew by 1.2 per cent in April compared with March. Annual change in working day adjusted turnover in manufacturing (BCD), %, (TOL 2008) Among the main manufacturing industries, turnover growth was slowest in the forest industry, 3.1 per cent. Turnover decreased from the previous year only in the textile, clothing and leather industry, by 1.2 per cent. Annual change in working day adjusted turnover in manufacturing by industry, April 2019, %, (TOL 2008) Export turnover grew more than domestic turnover in March Export turnover grew most in March in the chemical industry, by 19.3 per cent, and in the food industry, by 14.1 per cent. Export turnover growth was slowest in the electrical and electronics industry, only 0.1 per cent year-on-year. Export turnover declined from the previous year only in one main industry, in the textile, clothing and leather industry. Annual change in working day adjusted export turnover and domestic turnover in manufacturing by industry, March 2019, %, (TOL 2008) In March, domestic turnover increased most in the forest industry, by 9.1 per cent, and in the metal industry, by 4.3 per cent. By contrast, domestic turnover decreased from 2018 in the food industry, by 6.3 per cent, and in the industry of mining and quarrying, by 2.3 per cent. Trend series of turnover, export turnover and domestic turnover in manufacturing (BC), 01/2007 to 04/2019, %, (TOL 2008) The index of turnover in industry describes enterprises whose main industry is manufacturing. The calculation of the indices is based on the Tax Administrations self-assessed tax data which are supplemented with data obtained with Statistics Finlands sales inquiry. The monthly turnovers of manufacturing enterprises can vary considerably, especially in the metal industries. The variation is mainly due to invoicing practices. The final invoice for major machinery deliveries and projects may be recorded in the sales of one month, even if the delivery had required the work of several months or years. The factors caused by the variation in the number of weekdays are taken into account in adjustment for working days. This means taking into consideration the lengths of months, different weekdays and holidays. In addition, seasonal variation is eliminated from seasonally adjusted series, on account of which it makes sense to compare observations of two successive months as well. The data for the latest month are preliminary and they may become significantly revised particularly on more detailed industry levels in coming months. Source: Index of turnover in industry 2019, April, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Maija Sappinen 029 551 3348, Kirsi-Maaria Manninen 029 551 2681, myynti.teollisuus@stat.fi Director in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko Publication in pdf-format (339.3 kB) Updated 14.6.2019 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Index of turnover in industry [e-publication]. ISSN=1798-596X. April 2019. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 1.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tlv/2019/04/tlv_2019_04_2019-06-14_tie_001_en.html A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: International trade in goods and services 2021, 3rd quarter Published: 14 June 2019 International trade in services grew in the first quarter of 2019 Service exports grew by seven per cent in the first quarter of 2019 compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Service imports grew by nine per cent. Service exports mainly grew due to the increased exports of ICT services, construction services and project deliveries. In imports, growth was more broad-based. These data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on international trade in goods and services, which are part of balance of payments . Figure 1. Imports and exports of services quarterly The combined exports of goods and services grew by five per cent and imports by one per cent in the first quarter of 2019 compared with the corresponding quarter in 2018. Goods exports grew by four per cent. In contrast, goods imports fell by two per cent. Finland exports ICT services and imports other business services In the first quarter of 2019, the most significant service items in international trade were other business services, telecommunications, computer and information services (ICT) and transport services. Together, these services form around 60 per cent of Finlands service exports and 65 per cent of the service imports. Imports of other business services amounted to EUR 2.3 billion and exports to EUR 1.3 billion. International trade in transport services was also in deficit. Imports of transport services amounted to EUR 1.4 billion and exports to EUR 0.9 billion. In contrast, more ICT services were exported than imported. The exports of these amounted to EUR 2.0 billion and imports to EUR 1.1 billion. Growth in international trade especially due to ICT services Service exports grew due to increased exports of ICT services. In addition, exports of construction services and project deliveries increased. Exports of the first mentioned item grew by 18 per cent and that of the latter by 27 per cent. Measured in euros, however, the growth in exports of ICT services was double compared to construction services and project deliveries. ICT services include, for example, hardware and software consultancy and implementation services, general software that increase business productivity and computer game software. The imports of almost every service item grew or remained on level with the previous year in the first quarter of the year. Growth was strongest in the ICT services, other business services and financial and insurance services items. Figure 2. Exports of services by service item The United States share of Finlands international trade grew in the first quarter of 2019 The United States share of Finlands service exports was around 12 per cent in the first quarter of 2019. The share of both goods and services exports to the United States grew by good one percentage point compared to the previous year. In contrast, the share of the euro area in service exports fell by around one percentage point to 30 per cent. The share of total imports from the United States increased to nearly five per cent. The increase in service imports from the United States explains the slight growth, of under one percentage point, in the share of imports. In contrast, the share of the euro area of total imports remained at around 40 per cent, as one year before. Over two-thirds of Finlands exports were exported to Europe, and almost 80 per cent of the goods and services imported to Finland were imported from Europe. The share of the euro area of Finlands international trade with Europe was around one-half in the first quarter of 2019. Great Britains share of Finlands exports still five per cent Great Britains share of Finlands exports, that is, the combined exports of goods and services, was around five per cent in the first quarter of 2019. The share remained on level with the previous year. Goods amounting to nearly EUR 0.8 billion were exported to Great Britain in the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2018. Less services were exported, amounting to EUR 0.3 billion. Less than one-third of Finlands exports to Great Britain were thus services, both in the first quarter of 2019 and that of 2018. Equal amounts of goods and services imported from Great Britain Great Britains share in Finlands imports remained on level with the previous year, at around four per cent. Services were imported to Finland from Great Britain to the amount of around EUR 0.5 billion in the first quarter of 2019, as in the year before. In the same period, goods were also imported to the value of EUR 0.5 billion. Finlands imports from Great Britain increased by EUR 56 million. The share of service imports of this growth was EUR 40 million. In percentages, total imports increased by six per cent during the first three months of 2019 compared to the corresponding period one year earlier. Figure 3. Exports of goods and services in balance of payments terms by area Statistics on international trade The statistics on international trade in goods and services are part of balance of payments . The statistics comprise breakdowns of goods and services on a more detailed level. The guidelines and recommendations of the Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) applied to balance of payments are consistent with the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). National Accounts are published on quarterly and annual levels . Finnish Custom s publishes data on goods trade across borders. Goods trade published by Finnish Customs is used as source data for the statistics on international trade in goods and services. Removals and additions caused by definitions are made to them to achieve goods trade in balance of payments terms. Finnish Customs statistical service, tilastot@tulli.fi, +358 29 552 335. Source: International trade in goods and services 2019, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Tommi Kaatrasalo 029 551 3320, Terhi Tulonen 029 551 3604, globalisaatio.tilastot@stat.fi Director in charge: Ville Vertanen Publication in pdf-format (269.6 kB) Updated 14.6.2019 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): International trade in goods and services [e-publication]. ISSN=2343-4244. 1st quarter 2019. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 1.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tpulk/2019/01/tpulk_2019_01_2019-06-14_tie_001_en.html Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money. Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists. A couple times each week well post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of buy, hold, or sell. The intense pre-light floral aroma from this cigars Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper is a quick tipoff that it isnt a typical maduro. And that plays out from beginning to end. Theres not a lot of the usual coffee, chocolate, or cocoa frequently associated with other maduros. The Brazilian Maduro Toro (6 x 52, $9.68) opens with a shot of pepper that yields to notes of light spice, some sweetness, and leather in a smooth, well-balanced blend. Strength is firmly in the medium range. It burns slowly, produces lots of smoke, and has an excellent draw. With a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, you might expect more complexity, but I found it to be a fairly straightforward smoke. Thats not a criticism; I thoroughly enjoyed what it presented. This addition to Drew Estates Herrera Esteli line was introduced last year. It comes in five sizes, all in boxes of 25. I suggest you pick one up. Verdict = Buy. George E photo credit: Stogie Guys Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 The Friends of Gibraltar group paid a visit to the Rock on Tuesday and their trip included a meeting with the mayor, John Goncalves MBE. Whilst there, the group was able to see the Mayor's Parlour, a beautiful room which underwent major refurbishment in 2000, something which was made possible thanks to the fund-raising efforts of the Friends of Gibraltar. The non-political and non profit-making charity is dedicated to preserving Gibraltar's heritage. A new mural has been taking the people of Torremolinos back to when a young Brigitte Bardot visited the town. Artist Guillermo Paz, known as Nesui SRC, has used a photo taken of the French actress while she was filming The Night Heaven Fell in the 1950s for his latest piece of urban art. Nesui, who is from Galicia but now lives in Torremolinos, has used plastic and spray paint for this work, which was commissioned by the council and is on the wall of the Adriano hotel in the Plaza Costa del Sol. The film was shot in the town in 1954, when Torremolinos was still a district of Malaga. It was directed by Bardot's husband at that time, Roger Vadim, and caused controversy in France because it portrayed adultery and showed Bardot without clothes. The actress is said to have had a very strong personality and an astonishing ability to get her own way wherever she went, especially in the timid Spain of the 1950s, under the yoke of Francoist repression. When Bardot came to Torremolinos, though, the town had started to attract stars and aristocrats. Gala Dali used to stroll topless along the beach at El Bajondillo, Frank Sinatra hit a photographer at the Pez Espada hotel and Anthony Quinn played the saxophone along with a local band. "It's the Spanish Saint-Tropez," the actress said about Torremolinos. The local train arriving at El Pinillo opened this French-Italian co-production which so enthralled the Costa del Sol for several weeks. Bardot had already achieved worldwide fame with And God Created Woman and was not prepared to waste her time filming long scenes, so the team started to look for local women who resembled her and dreamed of having their five minutes of fame. Not everyone was happy about her presence, though. The then mayor received a letter signed by several people demanding that the actress and model be thrown out "for her immoral behaviour and attitude". However, the council was delighted that Brigitte Bardot had spent time in Torremolinos and decided to named a street near Los Alamos beach after her. Now, the face of this icon of European popular culture, who is now 84, has a permanent place in the town centre, in the Plaza Costa del Sol. Plastic is already one of the main threats to the coastal ecosystem of the Costa del Sol and its surrounding Alboran Sea. The problem, say experts, is increasing and will continue to do so without specific policies to stop the massive use of plastic packaging. Researchers can confirm their fears now thanks to a European Directive that in recent years has required, among other things, EU countries to track their marine waste. Studies, carried out in Spain by the Spanish Oceanographic Institute, measure the quantities of macroplastics - those that can be seen by the naked eye - and microplastics - particles smaller than five millimetres. An expert at the Spanish Oceanographic Centre in the Balearics (responsible for studying plastic pollution in the Spanish Mediterranean), Salud Deudero, explains that micro-plastics can be made up of their original object (for example, cosmetics which are made up of these particles), or as a consequence of the fragmentation of bigger plastics. Deudero pointed out that people often forget the plastics that can be found in textiles, such as acrylic sweaters. Washing machines are unable to retain these particles in their filters, and these end up in the sea before the water can be treated. "The pumping of microparticles into the sea is so great that they already form part of the ecosystem," said Deudero. In the case of the Alboran Sea, the part of the Mediterranean that bathes the Costa del Sol, an estimated 25,000 small plastic objects were found on the beaches in 72 campaigns carried out between 2013 and 2018 as part of these studies. Many of these items were unidentifiable pieces of plastic, or originated as rope, bottle tops or cotton buds, among other items. On the Costa del Sol's beaches, the level of microplastics is on average 30 particles in every kilogramme of sand, equivalent to 500 particles per square metre. In this case they measure less than one millimetre; "smaller than usual", said the researcher. The majority are fragments of polystyrene. The problem is even bigger on the seabed. The average there for the Alboran Sea is 130 microplastic particles per kilo of sediment, a figure that rises to as much as 300 particles per kilo in the province of Malaga - an "alarming" figure, said the expert. The transparent blue microfibres come from bottles and cellophane. "If we moved away from using plastic packaging and bottles and use less textile fibres the change would be spectacular," stated Deudero. However, the expert recognises that quantitatively the negative effect of macroplastics is even greater as these are directly responsible for the deaths of many species. In terms of who is responsible, 26 per cent of all the plastic in the Alboran Sea is produced by tourism; 18 per cent by maritime transport; eight per cent by sanitation and one per cent by fishing activities. Moustapha and Makhtar Diop climbed aboard a Cayuco (a small Indian canoe) and left their native Senegal on 26 May 2006. Along with 110 other people, they spent 11 days on the Atlantic Ocean, six of which without food or water. They made it to Tenerife, exhausted, but alive. They were two of the thousands of Africans who arrived in Cayucos in the hope of a better life in Europe in the mid-2000s; an exodus which became known as 'The Cayucu Crisis.' Thirteen years later and settled in the Axarquia, where they have families of their own, the brothers learned of the death of their younger sister, Mbeine, who was trying to reach Spain on a boat from Tangiers on 1 May. "I was working at the Feria de los Pueblos in Fuengirola [Makhtar is an entertainer and dance instructor] and my wife kept calling my phone. When I answered she told me my brothers were trying to find me because they had been told that Mbeine had died in the sea," explains Makhtar, who lives in Torre del Mar. His brother Moustapha lives in Nerja, where he is married with three children. Moustapha works at the Ayo beach bar in Nerja renting sun beds. When he learned of the death of 23-year-old Mbeine and that her body was in Algeciras, he explains, "We had to ask for help because we didn't have the 4,000 euros it costs to repatriate the body to Senegal and on top of that we needed 3,000 euros to pay for my and my brothers' [two other brothers also live in the province] flights to Senegal." However, after putting a message on social networks, the response from fellow Senegalese residents in Torre del Mar, "was incredible," and within days the men had raised all the money they needed. "I don't know how to thank them all, from a neighbour who gave me 5,000 euros, to those who donated five, 10 or 50 euros," says Makhtar, who appeared on stage at the 2018 Cadiz carnival with his carnival song (chirigota) 'Don't burn yourself out yet.' "I love the carnivals, it's a way of learning the language and understanding Andalusian humour," he explains. Makhtar is Spanish salsa champion, a Latin dance instructor and entertainer in hotels along the Costa del Sol and has even appeared on the Spanish version of 'Come Dine With Me' on Spain's channel four. Makhtar and Moustapha are only too aware of the risks that thousands of Africans take every day trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. However, despite having just returned from Senegal where they buried their only sister, they both explain that they still understand why people risk their lives . They both agree that , "it is always better than living in hell which is what it's like in Senegal." They explain that there is "nothing there," except "misery and poverty, corrupt politicians, violence and robberies ." Here on the other hand they say that life is "fantastic." Moustapha considers that "you have to take risks in life, those that don't, don't win." Makhtar says he feels "loved" in Torre del Mar and believes that the xenophobic and racist comments that far-right political parties, such as Vox, are sharing "won't go far" as he believes Spain "needs immigrants to work" due to the aging population. He adds that many Spaniards were also immigrants "just two decades ago" and that it is "normal and natural" to leave a country in search of a better life. "I just wish Africans didn't have to escape from such poverty," he concludes. The identity of the next mayor of Mijas is still uncertain this weekend, despite council chambers across Spain having to vote on who will run them for the next four years. Tomorrow (Saturday) mayors should be in place. Where no majority has been won, or coalition or pact agreed, the most-voted party will be sworn in automatically. However in Mijas, the Junta Electoral, the Spanish electoral commission, has taken the unusual step of delaying the investiture debate until 5 July as local politics in the municipality grows more chaotic. In last month's local election, the Partido Popular (PP) won 9 seats on the 25-seat council, the PSOE 8 and Ciudadanos (Cs) 6, meaning nobody won an overall majority. Podemos and Vox each won one seat. Initially the first person on Vox's electoral list said that he didn't want to stand any longer The latest controversy that has delayed the investiture debate isn't over who will be mayor from the candidacies of PP, Cs and PSOE , but instead is because of a bitter row between the top two names on the electoral list of hard-right Vox. According to sources, initially the first person on Vox's electoral list in Mijas, Carlos Rivero, told the electoral commission ahead of the election that he didn't want to stand any longer. As ballot papers were already being printed, he was told to formally withdraw once the election was over. In the meantime, the second person on Vox's list, Maya Escolar, assumed the lead candidate's role, enthusiastically appearing on election posters and at public meetings. Vox won one councillor, which was assumed to be Escolar, but it has since emerged that Rivero had quietly withdrawn his request to quit a day before the May election and so may still technically entitled to be the Vox councillor. Vox has now issued a formal complaint to the electoral commission against Rivero which has delayed the investiture. If the complaint is not upheld, Rivero could be expelled from Vox and sit as an independent. This crisis comes on top of the local Cs party's refusal, on one hand, to pact with the winning PP candidacy of Angel Nozal due to long-standing animosity and, on the other hand, refusal to back the second-voted party, PSOE, unless Cs existing mayor, Juan Carlos Maldonado can stay in his role. Mijas local politics is certain to be colourful for the next few weeks at least. In last months council elections in the 103 municipalities in Malaga province, including the Costa del Sol, most councils saw one party win an overall majority. Who will be the next mayor after Saturdays swearing-in ceremonies is a foregone conclusion in these. But in 24 town hall areas, parties needed to pact to form overall majorities, or the most-voted party would take power and rule in minority. Most of these deals have been starting to fall into place this week. Axarquia In Rincon de la Victoria and Nerja the minority PP candidates have gained enough support to govern. In Algarrobo, Cs has pacted with the PSOE that will keep its mayor. In Velez-Malaga, the Torre del Mar party, GIPMTM, has done a coalition deal with the PSOE as before. In Alcaucin, acting mayor Mario Blancke's Ciudadanos pacted with the Socialists with Agata Gonzalez take over as mayor. Jose Ortiz (PSOE), mayor of Torremolinos. / MIGUE FERNANDEZ City and western Costa In Malaga city, the acting PP mayor, Francisco de la Torre, closed to a deal with Cs to be sworn in as mayor again. In Torremolinos, the PSOE was finalising a four-way pact on Friday to prevent the PP's Margarita del Cid from being mayor. Socialist candidate and acting mayor, Jose Ortiz, had the votes from the councillor from Adelante, as well as the representative of the new party formed by ex-mayor Pedro Fernandez Montes and Lucia Cuin, the now independent councillor who split with Vox over her participation in the Pride celebrations. A deal has been done between the PSOE and IU in Benalmadena that sees mayor Victor Navas stay. In Manilva, existing mayor Mario Jimenez has done a coalition deal with the PSOE to stay in power despite coming second to the IU. Meanwhile, the dead heat between PP and PSOE in Tolox was decided last Friday. A journalist chose an envelope and the winner was Jose Luis Montes of the PP who is be mayor. The Diputacion province-wide authority is to be a PP-Cs coalition. Fire is the greatest threat to the woodlands of Andalucia and the risk this year is high because of the lack of rain during the winter and the high temperatures expected this summer. The Junta de Andalucia's wildfire protection plan, known as Infoca, is now being put into effect to prevent and deal with forest fires, 50 per cent of which are started by humans, either through negligence or deliberately. This year 169.6 million euros are being invested in this plan, which is 2.1 million more than last year, and 36 more fire fighters have been employed, bringing the total to 4,462 over the whole region. The fire-fighting resources also include 42 planes and helicopters, including two amphibious planes which can each carry 5,500 litres of water. The fleet of fire engines has also been modernised with the addition of 32 new vehicles. New logistics centre The regional government is also planning to build a new Forestry Defence Centre in the mountains of Cazorla, in Jaen province, at a cost of four million euros. Each of the eight provinces of Andalucia has a logistics centre of this type. The Infoca plan also includes medical units to attend to fire-fighters on the ground, and this year for the first time a nocturnal drone will be used to spot and monitor fires. The region has been on maximum alert since 1 June, when a ban on bonfires and barbeques in the countryside came into force. This ban is expected to last until 15 October but can be extended if the dry conditions continue. The Junta is warning people to be very careful, and to ring the 112 emergency number if they see any forest fires. As winner of the most seats in April's general election, and having been officially appointed last week as candidate to be prime minister by the king, Pedro Sanchez is searching for support from other parties to reach a majority of MPs. Negotiators from his PSOE party have been meeting with possible partners either to form a coalition or merely to agree their abstention to allow in a minority Socialist government. On Wednesday, the party's number three and head negotiator, Jose Luis Abalos, said that he wasn't ruling out a "government of cooperation" between the PSOE and Unidos Podemos, which would see the more left-wing party getting some ministerial posts. He also opened the door to a form of deal with the MPs of the Catalan separatist parties which had been rejected up to then. Abalos met with leaders of smaller parties on Wednesday, including Basque nationalist PNV. He blamed the Partido Popular and Ciudadanos, the main opposition parties, for needing to talk to Unidos Podemos and separatists as they will not be abstaining in July's investiture vote in Congreso. Josep Borrell, the acting Foreign Minister, ordered the Spanish consul in Edinburgh to be immediately removed from his post last week, It follows the publication of a letter by the consul, Miguel Angel Vecino, which said that Spain would not veto an independent Scotland's entry into the European Union. The Spanish government explained the sacking by saying that Vecino had "acted beyond his responsibility", in voicing political options on the affairs of another country. The subject of any future independent Scotland is a delicate subject not just in the United Kingdom but also in Spain, where the government is keen not to set a precedent of newly founded states joining the EU, as Catalan separatists wish to do the same. In a letter to The National, an Edinburgh publication, the Spanish consul had said that the minister, Borrell, had confirmed that Spain would not veto a Scottish application to join the EU. The article was welcomed by the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. However the ministry for Foreign Affairs quickly clarified the Spanish government's position, saying it wasn't a consul's job to speak about policy. Vecino defended himself, saying that he had written it in a private capacity and that he would take it up with the ministry, although this came too late to save his job. Earlier than expected, Vodafone will launch the next generation mobile phone technology into Saturday, 15 June. It is the first country where the British-based giant will introduce the much-anticipated 5G. The 5G network will be available for the moment in 15 major cities and other places will be added "little by little". Malaga is among these first 15 cities. About half the population in these areas will be covered from the start, said Vodafone's Spanish boss, Antonio Coimbra at a presentation on Monday. The speed of roll-out for the new 5G technology (for the limited amount of handsets able to handle it) will be gradual, however. It will bring significantly faster download speeds and allow much more connectivity between devices, stimulating the so-called Internet of Things. One of the unknowns is if Vodafone will keep Huawei as a preferred partner following US President Trump's veto of the Chinese supplier. For the moment, the company will keep working with Huawei on the network infrastructure as well as with Ericsson, but won't add the Huawei handset to its product range. It says that the Huawei handset hasn't yet met regulatory approval but hasn't ruled out adding it in the future. The three makes of phone that will be on sale via Vodafone for 5G are Samsung, LG and Xiaomi. After Spain, Vodafone will launch 5G in Italy two days later, on 17 June, in the UK on 3 July and Germany will follow "over the summer". With a 5G connection and a suitable handset, data download speeds will reach 1 gigabit per second (gbps) on Saturday, increasing to 2 gbps by the end of the year. 100 times current speeds Eventually 5G could reach 10gbps, around 100 times current speeds with the common 4G smart phones and permit up to a million devices in a square kilometre to be connected. This will allow people's home appliances to be connected, remote surgery, cloud computing for everyone, self-driving cars and advances in artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Within the EU, Spain is seen as the eighth most prepared for 5G technology, behind Finland, Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Latvia and Denmark. Vodafone's roll-out is expected to be gradual as all phone operators are believed to see mileage in the existing 4G technology. Rival networks to Vodafone in Spain appear to be somewhere behind in 5G with Movistar not expected to launch until 2021 and with a focus on industrial and business customers. Gulf of Guinea piracy continues to threaten seafarers Members of the shipping community, flag states and agencies from Gulf of Guinea (GoG) gathered at the IMO Headquarters for a day-long symposium on maritime security in the region. The event, organised to highlight the continuing danger to seafarer in the GoG, was co-sponsored by BIMCO, IMCA, ICS, ITF and OCIMF, featured speakers from regional maritime agencies, as well as shipping officials, academics and military staff. In opening the symposium, Dr Grahaeme Henderson, Chair of the UK Shipping Defence Advisory Committee and Vice President of Shell Shipping & Maritime, said; Simply put, the high level of piracy and armed robbery attacks in the Gulf of Guinea is not acceptable. Yet it is happening every day and this is not business as usual. We need to take urgent action now. Concerns raised by industry were supported by figures from the IMB, which showed that the number of attacks in the GoG region had doubled in 2018. There was also a marked increase towards kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery incidents. Piracy expert Prof Bertand Monnet, who has interviewed pirate gangs in the Niger Delta, estimated that there were around 10 groups of pirates that were responsible for the majority of attacks in the area, and they were well organised and motivated. Dr Dakuku Peterside, Director General and CEO of the Nigerian Maritime Authority and Safety Agency (NIMASA),acknowledged the maritime security risks present in the GoG, but stated that new initiatives underway to improve the joint capacity of Nigerian law enforcement and Navy capabilities could make seafarer kidnappings history within a matter of months. He went on to say that he is keen to improve international co-operation, particularly with the shipping industry. Dr Peterside said;: "We have no option but to work together, but we cannot have imposed solutions. He also stated that "NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy will also be hosting a Global Maritime Security Conference in October to seek tailored short and long term solutions to strengthen regional and international collaborations in the Gulf of Guinea." The forum also included an interview led by Branko Berlan, the ITF representative to the IMO, with a seafarer who had been attacked and kidnapped in a recent incident. He said the attack appeared to be well organised and led from ashore. The first indication I had of the attack was a knock on my cabin door and two men holding guns appeared. He was subsequently held in a camp onshore along with other members of his crew until his release could be secured. Other speakers at the event emphasised the region was starting to build capacity and joint co-operation to fight maritime crime through the Yaounde Process, which focuses on joint co-operation across the region for reporting and response. The international community is also sponsoring long-term capacity building and partnerships. However, the shipping industry, seafarer groups and flag states were keen to identify actions that can have an immediate impact. For example, delegates heard about recent Spanish Navy action to assist Equatorial Guinea to rescue seafarers from a piracy attack last month, as well as the new US programme to embark law enforcement officers on regional vessels. Jakob Larsen, BIMCOs Head of Security pointed out that regional states needed to play their part as well. Nigerian piracy mainly affects a small geographical area of around 150 x 150 nautical miles. The problem can be solved easily and quickly, especially if Nigeria partners with international navies. Nigeria holds the key to solving this problem, Larsen said. The symposium was held in the lead-up to a series of meetings focused on seafarer safety and security at the IMO. Concerns over increased piracy in the GoG have resulted in several member states submitting proposals that could help address the crisis. According to Russell Pegg, OCIMF Security Adviser, We are encouraging all stakeholders to take a pro-active role on this issue and are working with member states to support those proposals that could help mitigate the risks to seafarers. Guy Platten, ICS Secretary General, concluded, It is unacceptable that seafarers are being exposed to such appalling dangers and we need the authorities to take action now. Jotun signs MOU with HHI Jotun has signed a memorandum of understanding with the worlds largest shipyards for a new type of marine paint that is claimed to reduce solvent emissions by up to 90%. The MOU was signed with Korean Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). This is the starting point of a closer co-operation and the use of a new, innovative solvent-free primer. The signing took place between Jotun's chairman Odd Gleditch and HHI's CEO Ka Sam-Hyun during the South Korean President's state visit to Norway this month. "The partnership with Jotun will allow HHI, the world's largest shipbuilder, to be better equipped to meet the new environmental requirements that are aimed at reducing solvent emissions, " said Ka Sam-Hyun. "We are, of course, very pleased with the agreement with the world's largest shipyard, but even more satisfied that our innovation is contributing to a better environment," said Morten Fon, Jotun CEO. Jotun has worked on developing the new type of marine paint for 13 years. It will reduce solvent (VOC) emissions into the air from around 250 grams per liter to just nine grams per liter. Shipyards will save hundreds of millions of dollars by avoiding investments in plants related to the combustion of VOCs. VOC combustion also leads to CO2 emissions, so this innovation provides a double benefit, the company claimed. "We have conducted research in Korea and in Norway while developing this paint, and after 13 years can conclude that we have succeeded in developing a product that reduces solvent emissions by over 90%," said Erik Risberg, one of the scientists behind the new paint. In addition, the product has better corrosion protection than previous systems, which helps extend the life of the vessels and reduces the need for maintenance. This is also very attractive for shipowners, Risberg added. Primers make up 60-70% of the total amount of paint applied to a ship. Risberg has worked in South Korea for years, developing the primer in close collaboration with local shipyards. The new product is currently available for South Korean shipyards and selected shipbuilders in Europe who have experience applying single-coat primers that require careful application techniques. Markets - Holding out hope Hope is a belief held during difficult circumstances that things will get better, and right now thats the only comfort in the VLCC market. MEG rates have dropped further on limited activity, with corresponding daily returns in single digits, Fearnleys said in its weekly report. The Atlantic basin has fared slightly better, with a number of co-load enquiries from W Africa, spurred by a heated Suezmax market, and by increased US export activity. Suezmax rates in the Atlantic were still firm, as we are ending June West African loading dates. Rates were very date sensitive as a few charterers were caught out on early dates having to pay up for owners services. Black sea numbers also improved as uncertain itineraries forced charterers to pay up for safe positions. With the dire state of the current West African VLCC market, some charterers were seeking to combine stems to co-load on a VLCC where feasible and as a result, adding potential downward pressure on Suezmax rates. The coming days will be all about owners keeping the pressure on, but they would need help from the VLCC market in order for this upturn to last, Fearnleys said. A rather quiet week was experienced in the North Sea and Baltic Aframax segment. Rates moved sideways for most of the week, with a slight downward correction seen in the last couple of days. TD17 is currently trading below WS70 levels for a straight Baltic/UK-Cont voyage. Charterers can still enjoy a healthy tonnage list in the north for stems in the natural window. Following a market drop in Mediterranean and Black Sea at the beginning of the month, the market stabilised last week with TD19 being pegged around WS80 levels throughout the week. A recent slight pick up in activity following a quiet Whit Monday was not enough to satisfy the number of prompt ships in the area. We expect the market both in the North as well as Black SeaMed to remain steady/soft for the balance of this week, while we all wait for activity and returns to improve, Fearnleys concluded. In other chartering news, brokers reported that the 2013-built VLCC Eagle Vancouver had been fixed to Total for three years for $31,000 per day, while BP took the 2017-built LR2 Nord Dolphin for six months at $20,950, plus options and Trafigura was believed to have committed the 2017-built LR1 Epicurus for 12 months at $18,750 per day. In the S&P sector, Performance Shipping has confirmed it was the buyer of two Maersk LR2s reported sold recently for $60 mill en bloc. Meanwhile, Nikolaos Vafias has extended his investment in tonnage to almost $90 mill in less than two weeks (see last weeks news) with a swoop for a Brightoil Petroleum Aframax auctioned in Singapore. Tanker market sources said Vafias had won the race for the 107,000 dwt Brightoil Lion (built 2010) in what is a rare move in the secondhand tanker market for the Vafias family. They suggested he has secured the vessel for $26 mill in an auction, which is said to have attracted nine other competing bids, including multiple Greek owners. Other sales reported included the 2007-built Aframax Sakura Princess to TV Trans for $23 mill, another Aframax, the 2008-built Mucua to undisclosed interests for $20.1 mill, while thew 2003-built Aframax Ever Rich No 18 was reported sold to Greek interests for $14.5 mill. The 2012-built MR was said to have been sold to Turkish interests for $15.1 mill and Hansa Tankers was believed to have picked up the 33,000 dwt Bow Tone (built 2009) for in excess of $18 mill. Turning to the newbuilding segment, Avin International ordered two Suezmaxes at Hyundai Heavy Industries, with brokers reporting a price of $64 mill per ship. They will be delivered in 2021 and will be of Tier II and fitted with scrubbers. Chartworld wasa said to have exercised options for another two Aframaxes at New Times for $46.5 mill each, bringing the number of orders up to four. Another four options were also agreed. Valles was also said to have declared an option for another Aframax at Sumitomo for $50 mill, which includes the fitting of a scrubber. This brings Valles Aframax orderbook up to two. Capital was reported to have signed a Letter of Intent for four, plus four optional MRs in two tranches, at STX. Ocean Yield has confirmed that it has taken delivery of the VLCC Nissos Despotiko . The vessel was delivered from Hyundai Heavy Industries and is the second in a series of four VLCCs to be delivered to the company this year. Upon delivery, the vessel commenced a 15 years bareboat charter to Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp with a five years sub-charter to Koch Shipping Pte Ltd. Okeanis Eco Tankers was established in 2018 by the Alafouzos family to take over its fleet of modern tankers and tanker newbuildings. With seven tankers built 2015 - 2018 and eight VLCCs for delivery in 2019, the Oslo listed company will focus on eco-designed vessels fitted with scrubbers. Palau gets IMO STCW approval Palau International Ship Registry (PISR) has been recognised by the IMO as fully complying with STCW. On 10th June, at the IMO headquarters in London, secretary general Kitack Lims proposal was approved by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) giving PISRs white list status under STCW Convention 1978. Palau is the latest ship registry to be approved to offer maritime training under the Convention and Panos Kirnidis, CEO of PISR, saw this as another credible step in the registrys strong growth. We have been working with the IMO on a number of issues and this white list approval is yet another example of how far we have come as a registry in this most competitive of maritime sectors. Everything we have accomplished over the past few years has been another step forward in refining our services and credibility as a responsible, technologically advanced and diligent ship registry. The 1978 STCW Convention was the first to establish minimum requirements in training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers on an international level. As with many elements in the maritime world, these standards were variably implemented depending on the country involved. We are now able to offer maritime training to a uniform standard which is an important part of the IMOs drive to raise the standards in global shipping. Our training credentials are under constant review, as regulations change and new opportunities open up for seafarers. Using our own IT designed applications and qualified staff we have been providing services for our fleet personnel for many years and this new approval will further enhance our training provisions. As one of the worlds leading smart registries we are not only the fastest-growing in the industry but also a registry that adopts the latest provisions in training to help seafarers on Palau-registered ships, he concluded. Politics rule the tanker market Today the tanker market is governed by geopolitics more than ever before. For example, Iran, Libya and Venezuela face export limitations, due to sanctions and internal political troubles. At the same time, US crude oil exports are rapidly growing because of pricing and politics, BIMCOs Peter Sand said in a report published this week. We have mobilised all of the countrys resources and are selling oil in the grey market, Irans deputy oil minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia is quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA, according to Reuters. Among the remaining official buyers, China, India and Turkey are the main candidates. BIMCO doesnt expect that Iranian crude oil exports will fall much more than they already have, whether waivers are in place or not, Sand said. Exports have averaged around one million barrels per day since US sanctions were reintroduced on 4th November, 2018, according to Lloyds List Intelligence. Sand stressed that BIMCO also monitors other sources to verify what is happening, as it recognises that data on issues such as this comes with a high degree of uncertainty. Politics are what matters. A business-as-usual scenario in the oil market is only delivering a steady, but not high, demand growth for the tanker market. Any upside to the tepid demand growth in 2019 is coming from the IMO 2020 regulations again, politics and trades affected by sanctions. Oil majors are regularly announcing specs for the range of new compliant fuels being offered to comply with the 1st January 2020 deadline fuel that, once produced, must be distributed. Any tanker demand change down to the fuel switch remains to be seen. If US sanctions on Iran shifts South Korean crude oil imports to the Gulf of Mexico, it will have a positive effect on the market. Every VLCC cargo that departs from the Gulf of Mexico for South Korea instead of from Iran is a 150% gain in tonne/mile demand. For example, a VLCC sailing at 12.5 knots spends 54 days sailing 15,000 miles (+5% sea margin) from Houston, to Busan while it takes only 22 days sailing from Kharg Island to South Korea. Another potential upside to the crude market could be a resolution of the US/China trade war, which would restart Chinese imports of US crude. Chinas crude oil imports grew by 8.1% in 1Q19, and only a very small amount came from the US. This was, however, an increase, as the Chinese cut its US crude import completely in August, 2018. The effect of an end to the trade war on the markets would be similar to those of US/Iran/South Korea, because of the proximity of China to South Korea. After rapid growth in 2017, when annual US oil product exports grew by 12.5% (372,000 barrels per day), exports grew by only 3.3% in 2018. Of the incremental growth last year, 44% (156,000 barrels per day) was distillate fuel oil (15, or below, parts per million [ppm] sulfur content). US distillate fuel oil is exactly what the shipping industry needs to burn to comply with the forthcoming low sulfur limit. If US refineries can further optimise their production towards distillate fuel oil which would then be redistributed around the world to bunker hubs it would be another positive factor for tanker demand, Sand said. Sovcomflot receives finance to build LNG-fuelled MRs Sovcomflot (SCF) and VEB.RF Group have signed agreements whereby VEB Leasing will finance the construction of three LNG-fuelled MRs. SCF initially placed the order for the three tankers with the Zvezda Shipyard (Primorsky Krai) on 28th December, 2018. The delivery of the vessels is scheduled for 2022-2023. Each tanker will have a deadweight of 51,000 tonnes and they are intended to transport petroleum products and gas condensate, operating under 20-year timecharter to NOVATEK. The vessels will have an Ice Class 1B classification. The vessels' technical specifications were designed to meet international regulations on emissions, which come into effect in 2020. Sergey Frank, SCF President and CEO of Sovcomflot, said: "Sovcomflot is one of the world leaders in the implementation of green technologies in the transportation of energy by sea. The company already successfully operates six new-generation Aframax tankers, which are powered by LNG fuel. Five more LNG-powered vessels have been ordered by Sovcomflot from the Zvezda shipyard and will be built over the next few years. We welcome the plans of Russian shipbuilders to create modern large-tonnage LNG-fuelled vessels which, of course, represent the future of world shipping. "We are pleased that our history of positive co-operation with VEB.RF Group has been further developed with this project. VEB Leasing previously participated in financing the construction of a number of Sovcomflots leading vessels in Russia, such as the Arctic shuttle tankers of the Mikhail Ulyanov series, as well as new-generation Aframax tankers built at Zvezda, he concluded. "Shipbuilding is one of the largest engineering industries, with a significant scientific and technical component. Support for this industry is one of the priorities of VEB Leasing and VEB.RF, to assist the industrial development of Russia," said Artem Dovlatov, VEB-Leasing CEO. SCF and Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker have also signed a co-operation agreement to implement projects for bunkering ships with LNG. Igor Tonkovidov, SCFs Executive Vice President and COO/ CTO said; "We are confident that LNG fuel is the optimal solution from both environmental and economic perspectives for large tonnage sea transportation, primarily in areas of the worlds oceans with existing regulatory restrictions on emissions and a high intensity of shipping movements, such as in the Baltic and North Seas, as well as in the Arctic Sea basin. Sovcomflot has been systematically working on switching its tanker fleet to LNG fuel for a number of years, and we welcome the opportunity to expand co-operation with Gazprom Neft in this area, combining the efforts of our companies to introduce advanced environmental standards into the Russian shipping sector," said Tonkovidov. Andrey Vasiliev, CEO of Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker, added: The stringent tightening of environmental standards under the international MARPOL convention presents a serious challenge both for market players in maritime transportation, and for water-transport fuel-supply companies. Gazprom Nefts response to this challenge has been a project to develop Russias first LNG bunkering barge, and become actively involved in the process of developing Russian regulation governing the use of LNG as a marine fuel. I have every confidence that joining forces with Russias largest shipping company which already has extensive experience in using LNG-powered vessels will prove a further step forward in developing a domestic LNG bunkering market and allow Gazprom Neft to take the lead in this new market sector, he said. In another move, SCF has chosen Orange Business Services to fit a maritime VSAT solution on eight of its vessels. The first ships to receive the system during its initial rollout phase are the Arctic shuttle tankers Mikhail Ulyanov and Kirill Lavrov, which are the largest oil tankers built in Russia. Three other tankers operating in the Arctic will also be connected, along with three supply vessels, operating with offshore platforms in the Russian Far East. SCF will use the network to transmit the vessels telemetry data from on board cameras and sensors to its Fleet Operations Centre in St Petersburg. Two more tankers attacked near Gulf choke point On Thursday, reports came in of two other attacks near the Straits of Hormuz, following the incidents with four tankers last month. Initial reports said that two tankers sustained damage in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman and their crew had been evacuated. Frontlines LR2 Front Altair was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha when it was "suspected of being hit by a torpedo" Wu I-Fang, a senior company official for Taiwan's state oil refiner CPC Corp told Reuters, who had chartered the ship. Frontline said the tanker was afloat, denying a report by Irans IRNA news agency that it had sunk. She was on voyage from Ruwais to Taiwan, according to trade sources and Refinitiv Eikon data. The other tanker involved, the 2010-built 27,000 dwt products tanker Kokuka Courageous, was also damaged in another incident, a spokesman for the vessel's manager BSM Ship Management (Singapore), confirmed to newswires. A spokesman said 21 crew had abandoned ship after the alleged attack, which resulted in damage to the ship's starboard hull. The Master and crew were quickly rescued by a lifeboat from a nearby vessel. The vessel was about 70 nautical miles from Fujairah and about 14 nautical miles off Iran. Later is was reported that Kokuka Courageous had suffered a breach in the hull above the water line. The ship was attacked twice in three hours before the crew were evacuated, the president of Japanese owner, Kokuka Sangyo, told reporters. There was an engine room fire on the tanker, which was carrying a methanol cargo from Saudi Arabia to Singapore. All 44 sailors from the two ships were rescued by Iranian search and rescue teams, Tehrans Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported, citing an unnamed source. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), part of the Royal Navy earlier said it was aware of an incident in the Gulf of Oman. "UK and its partners are currently investigating," the group said without elaborating, Reuters reported. US Naval forces were reported to be assisting tankers in the Gulf of Oman after receiving two distress calls on Thursday, the US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet told Reuters. "We are aware of the reported attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. US Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 am local time and a second one at 7:00 am," Joshua Frey of the Fifth Fleet, said. The shipping industry was quick to condemn the attacks. Speaking during the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) 101st session at IMO Headquarters in London, IMO secretary general Kitack Lim said: "These suspected attacks, coupled with the attacks in the UAE last month, concern me greatly. IMO has developed a comprehensive regime of regulation through the ISPS Code and the SUA Conventions and Protocols to prevent and respond to unprovoked, unlawful attacks on merchant shipping. The threat to ships and their crews, peaceably going about their business, is intolerable. I urge all member states to redouble their efforts to work together to find a lasting solution to ensure the safety and security of international shipping around the globe and protection of the marine environment. I will carefully review the results of the investigations, once they are completed, to consider if additional action is warranted, he said. Addressing the issue at the ICS Annual General Meeting in the Faroe Islands, the chambers board expressed the international shipping industrys alarm at recent incidents in the area affecting ships and their crews. This suspected attack is a deeply worrying and intolerable situation. We await further clarification and information as to what has happened but we are relieved that there appears to have been no loss of life and that the crews are reportedly safe, said Guy Platten, ICS secretary general. This is the second incident in one month and the shipping industry, and most importantly the crews, must not be exposed to such risks. The Straits of Hormuz are crucial for the world economy, and any deliberate attempts to threaten traffic through them are to be condemned in the strongest terms. The situation continues to develop and we will scrutinise it closely, providing assistance to the industry to safeguard world trade and, most importantly, the lives of the men and women whose daily task it is to ensure its continued flow. BIMCO urged nations to defuse tension and work together through diplomatic efforts. We strongly call for nations to do what they can to de-escalate tensions and ensure the safe passage of merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, said Angus Frew, BIMCO Secretary General & CEO. It is unacceptable that the lives of innocent seafarers are put at risk in these unprovoked attacks. The increase in attacks and the escalated threat to seafarers is an urgent concern to the industry. Following the two most recent attacks, and while we await the results of the investigations of the attacks, the tension in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf is now as high as it gets without being an actual armed conflict, said Jakob Larsen, BIMCOs Head of Maritime Security. INTERTANKO said that the unprovoked attack against two tankers on innocent passage in international waters in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday 13th June, unacceptably threatens the lives of innocent seafarers, the fragile environment of the region and the economies of the world. While damage was caused to two tankers, INTERTANKO is relieved that, according to preliminary reports, no seafarers were killed nor pollution detected. However, until such can be categorically confirmed, our first priority as an industry is the safety of those seafarers. The latest incidents saw two INTERTANKO members vessels suffer explosions at or below the waterline, in close proximity to the engine room while underway. These appeared to be well-planned and co-ordinated. Dr Paolo dAmico, INTERTANKO chairman, said: Following two attacks on member vessels this morning, I am extremely worried about the safety of our crews going through the Straits of Hormuz. We have people of every nationality and vessels of every flag transiting that crucial sea-lane every day." Looking longer term, he added; We need to remember that some 30% of the worlds crude oil passes through the Straits. If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk. Once again the international shipping industry finds itself caught in the middle of a geo-political conflict over which it has no control. Along with our colleagues around the world who represent the interests of the international shipping industry, we call on the nations of the world to calm tensions in the region and do everything possible to protect the lives of the seafarers who navigate this vital sea route for the benefit of all. INTERTANKOs Marine Director, Dr Phillip Belcher, said: This is a reckless attack on innocent seafarers who are being used as pawns and proxies in response to wider conflict. These attacks could also have resulted in a major pollution incident and calm heads need to prevail. The industry is working very closely together with all stakeholders to provide operational advice and guidance. As for last months attack, permanent representatives to the United Nations from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Norway released their preliminary findings into the 12th May attacks on four oil tankers off Fujairah. A statement said that "the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and co-ordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor. Their investigation found that it was "highly likely that limpet mines were used in the attacks," according to UAE news agency WAM. "Based on the evaluation of radar data, and the short time several of the targeted vessels had been at anchor prior to the attacks, it appears most likely that the mines were placed on the vessels by divers deployed from fast boats," the joint statement said. It also said that the attacks "required intelligence capabilities for deliberate selection of four oil tankers from among almost 200 vessels" that were at anchor in the area at the time. The attack also required trained divers, as "the explosive chargers were placed with a high degree of precision under the waterline," which it claimed indicated that they were "designed to incapacitate the ships without sinking them or detonating their cargoes, indicating minute knowledge of the design of the targeted ships." The joint statement also revealed that the attacks were most likely carried out by several teams with a high degree of co-ordination. They occurred less than 12 nautical miles from the UAE's coastlin. Two Saudi tankers were targeted, as well as one from the UAE and one from Norway, which was followed by an attack on two pumping stations in Saudi Arabia. Not surprisingly, the Iranians said that the attacks were a deliberate attempt to spark conflict, according to Al Jazeera. Iran has also made representations to the IMO about the attacks. John Singleton; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagicThe American Black Film Festival was in full swing in Miami Thursday on its second day, with hundreds of black creatives, filmmakers and celebrities flocking to various events, screenings, panels and parties. However, many directors and talent agree, this year was noticeably different with the passing of critically-acclaimed director John Singleton. In 2017, Singleton presented a Spotlight screening at ABFF for his then-new FX series, Snowfall. He continued his support of the festival by later attending the ABFF Honors in 2018. Even as Singleton's contributions to film and television continue to be a major highlight at ABFF, the director's good friends and colleagues say that Singleton was more than just a filmmaker. "John was, is an innovator in film," Anthony Anderson told ABC radio. "The voice of the people the voice of a community." "Look at what he was able to do his first shot out the gate with Boyz N the Hood and how that affected all of us as filmmakers, as actors and whatnot," Anderson continued. "And, you know, first I'd like to say it's just it's a sad loss, a devastating loss to the film community, to our community, to have a voice like John's that's no longer here with us." Anderson, who starred in the Singleton-produced film Hustle and Flow, also praised Singleton's activism. In 1992, Singleton spoke passionately about the need to create safer communities for children in a Senate hearing called "Children at War: Violence and Americas Youth." "Let's not forget that John was on Capitol Hill fighting for rights and, and battling Congress with issues," Anderson noted, recalling Singleton's speech. "And working with John and knowing John intimately-- all I can say is a great man, a great humanitarian, and a great storyteller. That's why we do what we do. To tell authentic stories that have an effect and an effect on people." Singleton's impact also touched his fellow directors. Tim Story, who premiered his film Shaft at the ABBF Wednesday night, also opened up about his close connection to the director and the pressure he felt premiering the sequel to Singleton's 2000 Shaft film. "My heart's broken because John and I talked about this movie, what I was doing before his passing," said Story. "And I was so ready for him to see it -- there's footage of his movie inside of it." "And my heart hurts on that," continued Story. "You know, he was a good friend. So look, bringing it's been daunting, but at the same time it's been a dream come true. Like Story, Chris Robinson, who's also set to premiere his Netflix film, Beats, at the ABBF, also acknowledged the importance of Singleton's legacy. "We're excited to bring [Beats] to ABFF, because this is a really important festival," Robinson said. "And John Singleton bringing his projects here is an example of that. This is actually my first time coming here so I was really excited that Netflix said, 'Hey, look let, let's bring the film here and premiere it before it comes on the screen.' So yeah, we're very honored to be here." Singleton died at age 51 on April 29 in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke on April 17. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Trip is returning to Sky One in early 2020 with a fourth instalment of the comedy series, starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. The Sky original series, from Revolution Films and directed by Michael Winterbottom, will see the two fictionalised characters embark on a road trip around Greece. Skys Head of Comedy, Jon Mountague says: What a joy to go island hopping with the incomparable Steve and Rob. Greece is the birthplace of democracy but more importantly the birthplace of Michael Winterbottoms latest vision, which we cant wait to share with our customers. Yamas! The 630 series begins shooting this month and will TX on Sky One and NOW TV in 2020. It follows on from Skys The Trip to Spain, which saw the duo venture from Getaria to Malaga in 2017, securing Rob Brydon a BAFTA nomination for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. The series will be directed by Michael Winterbottom, produced by Melissa Parmenter and Josh Haynes for Revolution Films, Baby Cow and Small Man productions with international sales handled by Tristan Whalley at Goalpost. It was commissioned by Jon Mountague and Zai Bennett for Sky One, with Josh Cole as Commissioning Editor. Share this story Russia says lightning zapped autopilot on Superjet before deadly fire Moscow, June 14 (AFP) Jun 14, 2019 Lightning knocked out the autopilot on a Sukhoi Superjet plane that crash-landed and caught fire in Moscow last month killing 41 people, Russian investigators said Friday. Planes are designed to be able to fly even if hit by lightning and without autopilot, suggesting human error played a role in the disaster. The investigators, who examined the black boxes of the Aeroflot jet built in 2017, said they found burn marks on the outside of the plane typical of a lightning strike. The investigators did not name other technical problems to explain the catastrophic accident. They said they heard a "sound effect" as the autopilot went off 15 minutes into the flight and an "emotional exclamation" from a crew member. Witnesses had already described lightning hitting the plane. The accident on May 5 took place almost half an hour after takeoff from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on a flight bound for the Arctic city of Murmansk. The plane burst into flames during an emergency landing and most of the passengers sitting at the back of the plane died. Thirty-seven people survived the crash. The accident focused attention on Russia's showcase Sukhoi Superjet-100, its first new post-Soviet airliner, which has suffered numerous glitches and has not been widely adopted by international airlines. The Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) issued a preliminary report on the accident. The report is not intended to assign blame. However, Trade and Industry Minister Denis Manturov suggested after the report's release that the pilots took the wrong decision. "As far as the technology goes, the systems worked normally except for the moment when ball lightning hit the plane when the autopilot switched off," he said, Interfax news agency reported. After the autopilot went off, pilots began to receive automated voice commands telling them what to do. The pilots opted to abort the flight and land back in Moscow. At this point the pilots could have continued the flight or circled to burn off fuel before landing, Manturov said. "It's always the pilot's decision." The plane made an attempted landing, hitting the runway twice, before making another attempt minutes later, MAK investigators said. By this time, the plane's chassis was already "partially damaged." On the final rough landing, there was "further disintegration of the plane's construction with fuel leaking and a fire." Russian criminal investigators are looking into possible air safety breaches. The Investigative Committee has said that one of its lines of inquiry is whether pilots and air traffic control staff lacked the requisite skills and experience. Our friends at PS 10 are hosting a tasty fundraiser this weekend featuring home-cooked food from more than 20 countries, prepared by the schools own parent chefs. They write: Live Music from Around the world Featuring global sounds from guest performers and PS 110s parent band The Nightingales We have one of the most diverse schools in New York City, and wed like to celebrate this fact with a food festival that we think rivals Smorgasburg, said Judy Sinsheimer, PTA President. We have students of Dominican, Serbian, Spanish, Danish, Belorussian, Trinidadian, Hungarian, Bolivian, Filipino, Japanese, German and many more backgrounds attending the school. The schools diversity inspired us to celebrate the food and culture of the Lower East Side with a festival for the neighborhood. Heading the food fair will be owner of the popular mac & cheese restaurant SMAC, Sarita Ekya. We are going to serve up some delicious home cooking from around the world prepared by our own PS 110 family chefs, so if youre hungry, stop by and munch your way across the globe, while listening to some great music and letting the kids have some fun, said Ms. Ekya. The food festival will also feature a tag sale and organized games for children. The school first held this festival in 2015, to commemorate 110 years of PS 110. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Millennials are more likely to support socialism than capitalism, according to a shocking Gallup poll. Do todays youth actually want to take up collective farming and outlaw private property? Not really. Theyre just expressing their dissatisfaction with big corporations, which so often put profits before people. Fewer than half of millennials think businesses behave ethically, according to a recent Deloitte survey. Its not hard to see why theyre so glum. Some of Americas biggest companies have recently found themselves mired in scandal. Apple deliberately slowed down its older model iPhones, presumably to force customers to upgrade. Wells Fargo set up accounts without consumers permission and tricked some customers into buying useless auto insurance. Consumers, especially young people, have had enough. Theyre raising the ethical bar higher for all businesses. Luckily, theres a way for firms to meet these expectations while improving profitability. How? By becoming a B Corporation. Unlike traditional businesses, which have a legal obligation to maximize shareholder profits, B Corps must balance profit and purpose to guarantee transparency, accountability, and social and environmental responsibility. Many consumers refuse to patronize businesses that dont share their values. When consumers found that Facebook let political data firm Cambridge Analytica gain access to private consumer profiles, #DeleteFacebook sprung up over 10,000 times on Twitter within two hours. While theyre quick to punish unethical businesses, consumers seek out and reward sustainable ones. More than three in four millennials do online research to see if corporate social or environmental initiatives are authentic. At Unilever, the multinational company known for Axe body spray, Lipton tea, Hellmanns mayonnaise, Ben & Jerrys, and countless other consumer goods, the companys sustainable brands are growing 30 percent faster than the companys other brands. Businesses can meet consumers demands for more ethical behavior and still boost their bottom lines by becoming B Corps. The designation is more than just a feel-good title; during a formal certification process, a non-profit known as B Lab evaluates a companys governance along with its worker assistance programs, community investment and environmental impact. Companies seeking certification must also demonstrate that their legal frameworks take all stakeholders, not just shareholders, into account. Once a company is certified, its rereviewed every three years. Thus far, B Corps are thriving. Take Patagonia, the outdoor clothing retailer. In 2016, its decision to donate 100 percent of its $10 million in Black Friday earnings to environmental nonprofits earned it 24,000 customer sign-ups in a single day. Or consider ice cream giant Ben and Jerrys, which proudly advertises its B Corp certification. From helping the environment to championing fair trade and fair wages, the companys social mission has helped it nearly triple its revenue since 2000. In the United Kingdom, certified B Corps are growing 28 times faster than the economy at large. B Corp Certification can even serve as an internal wake-up call for businesses. My company, Cabot Creamery Co-op, valued sustainability and corporate responsibility even before we applied for B Corp status. But after taking the B Impact Assessment, we realized we could execute better. Becoming a B Corp helped us document and enhance our sustainability programs on our farms and in our business model for our retail partners and our consumers. Young consumers arent afraid to break up with businesses that dont value sustainability. By becoming B Corps, firms can keep consumer relationships strong and lend value to our collective community. Ed Townley is CEO of Cabot Creamery Co-op. 6 - Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy with periods of light rain. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Cloudy with some light snow. Low -7C. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. MBABANE Former Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Dumisani Ndlangamandla, has been entrusted with a significant responsibility. Ndlangamandla, who has since bounced back to his teaching career at Ngwane Teachers College, has been appointed to the Public Service Pension Fund Board. The former Ngudzeni Member of Parliament will be working along eight new members of the Board who were unveiled by the Minister of Public Service, Christian Ntshangase, yesterday. The Board members include former Standard Bank Marketing Manager Sammy Dlamini, who has been appointed a Chairman. Other members are; President of the Swaziland Democratic Nurse Union Bheki Mamba, Celumusa Tembe, Hezekiel Mabuza, Rose Maseko, Celucolo Dino Dlamini, Bathandwa Hlatshwayo and Dumsile Ngwenya. In his remarks, Minister Ntshangase paid tribute to the good work done by former Board of Trustees during their tenure. The minister observed that the former Board of Trustees executed their duties with due diligence, dedication and in line with the highest corporate governance ethics. He quoted corporate governance specialists, Dr Mervyn King, where he said Good corporate governance is about intellectual honesty and not just sticking to rules and regulations Capital flows towards companies that practise this type of good governance. Ntshangase said with the quote, he emphasised that the former Board of Trustees had a passion to build a strong and stable institution. He reminded the newly appointed Board that the fund was a livelihood for many emaSwati. He reminded them of the need to handle the fund with great care, honesty, professionalism and integrity. The minister encouraged harmony, synergy and desire to work towards a common goal of improving the quality of life of various stakeholders. He registered his hope that the new Board would work towards elevating the fund to an even better position than the good one it was at now. The minister said the Board would hold office for a period not exceeding three years as of yesterday. LOBAMBA Knowledge Ngwenya, who is a popular investigator in the Ministry of Education and Training, is in a hot mess. Ngwenya, whose sting left many teachers jobless, is now in a similar predicament as he has been ordered to refund government about E524 000 for executing duties for an non-existent post. This was the recommendation made by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) where it was stated that Ngwenya had for the past five years not been reporting for duty at his official position in Nhlangano where he had been promoted to the position of Assistant Career Guidance Officer in August 2014. Instead, the PAC heard that Ngwenya continued to work at the ministrys headquarters and conducted duties that had nothing to do with his job description as he continued to investigate teachers for alleged malpractice. The PAC said Ngwenya owed government a total of E524 352.38 in respect of salaries paid to the officer yet he failed to assume his new duties from August 2014 to March 31, 2018. Ngwenya informed the PAC that because of the nature of his job, he could not go to Nhlangano, which is in the Shiselweni Region, as he would not be safe and his life could be in danger as he had investigated many teachers and head teachers in that region. PAC Chairperson MP Phila Buthelezi wondered why Ngwenya felt that he would be safer in Mbabane and questioned if there was even a post for investigating teachers. Challenge It was revealed that in order to try and fix the challenge that Ngwenya had found himself in, Under Secretary and Schools Manager Macanjana Motsa and Under Secretary Administration Bheki Gama, wrote to the Civil Service Commission to seek a post of a Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, which would have the job description of Ngwenyas investigative duties. However, the Principal Secretary, Dr Sibongile Mtshali, said the ministry did not have a position for an investigator and instead said the police should be roped in to assist the ministry when teachers needed to be investigated because they were trained and qualified to perform those duties. For example, when we have issues that deal with health in schools, we rope in the professionals who are nurses not to conduct whatever duty ourselves, said Mtshali. It was revealed that former Principal Secretary in the ministry Pat Muir had been the one who had recommended to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) that Ngwenya be promoted from the position of Administrative Clerk, which was Grade B2 to Assistant Career Guidance Officer which was Grade C4 and came with a much higher salary. The PAC also heard that Ngwenya did not qualify for the post because it required the person to be a holder of a Bachelor Degree in Social Sciences and or Humanities including knowledge in Information Communication and Technology, with a proven record of professionalism and performance and communication skills, which Ngwenya did not possess. The PAC said Ngwenya must show them an instrument or authority which allowed him to continue with his duties at headquarters, but he said he did not have any document as he was informed verbally by Muir in the presence of Motsa during a meeting in his office. You were supposed to be a career guidance officer for the past five years, but instead you were absconding and loitering around Mbabane and paid almost half a million Emalangeni. You will pay back the money and start at your duty station, said MP Buthelezi. MP Buthelezi wondered how the CSC had agreed to approve of the promotion considering that Ngwenya was not qualified. The PAC was told that Muir even gave them the post number so that Ngwenya could be promoted. SITEKI It never rains but pours for Pastor Vusie Gugulethu Mamba, who used to minister at International Victory Christian Church (IVCC) at Siphofaneni. After he was removed from the pulpit about three months ago, for allegedly being bisexual, his wife has filed for divorce. Hlobsile Cebsile Mamba (nee Mavimbela) has approached Siteki Magistrates Court where she is praying for a final decree of divorce, on the grounds of adultery and desertion. In her particulars of claim, Hlobsile informed the court that one of the reasons their continued cohabitation had become impossible was, among other things, that the pastor had allegedly confirmed being bisexual. Confirmed The defendant (Pastor Vusie) has confirmed being bisexual and has been sacked from churchfor sleeping with male congregants, alleged Hlobsile. These are allegations whose veracity is still to be tested in court. Hlobsile informed the court that they got married with Pastor Vusie on July 31, 2010 in Big Bend. She told the court that after tying the knot, they established their matrimonial homestead at Siphofaneni, in the Lubombo district. She mentioned that two children were born out of the marriage; one is aged seven while the other is aged four. The defendant (Pastor Vusie) has constructively deserted the plaintiff in that, since around August 2017, the parties have not afforded each other conjugal rights or privileges because of the conduct of the defendant, submitted Hlobsile. She further told the court that Pastor Vusie was allegedly violent and had abused her on a number of occasions. Hlobsile is praying for a final decree of divorce or alternatively, an order for restoration of conjugal rights within a period of seven days, from date of issue of court order. She is represented by Nzima and Associates attorneys. Meanwhile, Pastor Vusie has instructed his attorneys to propose a settlement in the divorce proceedings. In a letter directed to his wifes attorneys, which has been attached to court documents, Pastor Vusie stated that he was not opposed to a final decree of divorce. MBABANE - A former employee of Eswatini Royal Insurance Corporation (ESRIC) and a lawyer have been arrested for allegedly defrauding the insurer a sum of over E530 000. Linda Nzuza (39) of Thonkwane, under Chief Sipho Dlamini, was employed by ESRIC and he was based under the Group Life and Pensions Department. The lawyer is Sikhumbuzo Hlophe (40) of Mpolonjeni. He once worked for ESRIC before he became a government lawyer, where he ascended to the position of senior Crown counsel. Hlophe, who was an aspiring Member of Parliament in the 2018 national elections, ventured into private practice and he is currently operating his own law office which is based at Mbabane House. Their arrest followed an application that has been filed at the High Court in which ESRIC demands payment of a sum of E3 366 202 from its former employee who resigned, Bongani Magagula, who is also accused defrauding the corporation. Hlophe and Nzuza were arrested in the afternoon on Wednesday. They have been charged together with a company, Eliz Corporate Consultants (Pty) Ltd, in which the former is a co-director. Together with the company, they have been charged with a total of 15 counts of fraud. Committed The offences were allegedly committed in Mbababe between September 2015 and May 2018. The duo is alleged to have used the company, Eliz Corporate Consultants, to defraud ESRIC the sum of E532 178.58. They are alleged to have misrepresented to ESRIC that Eliz Corporate Consultants had brokered and brought persons known as annuitants and they or the company would be paid various sums of money as commission which they were not entitled to. An annuity is a fixed sum of money that is paid to someone (annuitant) each year, typically for the rest of their life. It is a form of insurance or investment entitling the annuitant or investor to a series of annual sums of money. In September 2016, the accused are alleged to have, with an intention to defraud, misrepresented to the ESRIC Manager in the Group Life and Pensions Department, Queen Maud Maziya, that Eliz Corporate Consultant had brokered and brought one Xolani Mkhwanazi as an annuitant for a capital amount of E1 362 257.84. As per the alleged misrepresentation, Eliz Corporate was purportedly entitled to be paid commission in the amount of E20 433.87. Maziya processed and made payment amounting to E20 433.87 to the company whereas at the time they made the aforesaid misrepresentation, they well knew that the real annuitant was Xolile Rejoice Mkhwanazi, who was from the ESRIC Preservation Fund and no commission was payable and accused three (Eliz Corporate) was not entitled to be paid the commission. Misrepresented Between February 2016 and July 2017, the accused allegedly misrepresented to Maziya that four annuitants from Sebenta Pension Fund, which is administered by ESRIC with no commission payable, had been brokered and brought to ESRIC by Eliz Corporate Consultants. The charge sheet states that the accused allegedly received a total of E31 900.95 which it was not entitled to. They are alleged to have known that when they made the said misrepresentation, the annuitants were from Sebenta Pension Fraud. They are alleged to have also known that the forms signed by the annuitants did not contain broker details. Hlophe and Nzuza are further alleged to have, on September 16, 2016, misrepresented to Maziya that Eliz Corporation Consultants had brought one Bongani Shabalala as an annuitant for a capital amount of E335 748.33 and was entitled to be paid commission amounting to E5 036.22 and by so doing, induced Maziya to process and make payment for the commission. When they allegedly made the misrepresentation, according to the charge sheet, they knew that there was no Bongani Shabalala who was an annuitant for the capital amount of E335 748.33. In January 2017, Hlophe and Nzuza are alleged to have fraudulently claimed commission amounting to E23 633.73 from ESRIC by misrepresenting to Maziya that Eliz Corporate Consultants had brokered and brought one Brian Khuluzonke Magagula as an annuitant for a capital amount of E1 566 668.50. MBABANE Violence in South Africa involving truck drivers has reached extreme levels. The latest developments are that over 50 emaSwati have been arrested in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The arrests were allegedly made this week following raids by the South African police officers in that country, who demanded work permits from foreign truck drivers. KwaZulu-Natal has been experiencing frequent attacks on trucks, with many of them being torched along the N3 Highway, a critical route between the Durban port and inland. Following the spate of violence that saw expatriate truck drivers, including emaSwati, being on the receiving end of hostility, a meeting of stakeholders was held. During the meeting by the stakeholders, trucking companies said they would not tolerate attacks on their drivers. Leading to the meeting of stakeholders, there was a notice intended for foreign truck drivers that was posted in a number of taxi ranks in Pinetown. The notice was giving the expatriates until June 2, 2019, to leave that republic of face dire consequences. Permits Information gathered by this publication is to the effect that in the past two weeks, expatriate truck drivers, including emaSwati, have been arrested for not possessing the valid worked permits and are currently kept at some of the South African Correctional facilities. This has raised fears among other local truck drivers who are calling upon the Eswatini Government to intervene immediately regarding the matter. The local truck drivers based in SA have created a group called Likhambi LemaSwati where they were venting their frustration over the matter and also seeking guidance on it. Among other things raised was that some of them were released from prison but lost their jobs and forfeited all their benefits from their places of employment. In the past, the truck drivers said they paid bail and managed to go back to work. However, this time, they said this had changed as they were fired after they were released from jail. We are worried as the employers are also getting means of ridding us without paying us all our benefits. We will come back home empty handed, let alone that we would no longer be able to feed our families, they lamented. Tehran, Jun 14 (UNI) Iran firmly rejects the remarks made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who claimed that the Islamic Republic is responsible for the attacks on oil tanker vessels in the Gulf of Oman, Country's diplomat said in statement. "Iran 'categorically rejects' the US unfounded claim with regard to June 13 oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," the statement said on Thursday Irans mission urged the international community to prevent the United States and its allies from escalating tensions in the region. Iran has denied any involvement in all of the recent attacks, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif earlier on Thursday called the timing of the latest incident "beyond suspicious" because it coincided with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the Islamic Republic. Earlier in the day, two oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. The cause of the incident remains unknown but US Secretary Pompeo in an impromptu press briefing immediately blamed Iran. UNI XC RSU 0945 Pokhara, Nepal, Jun 14 (UNI) Indian tyre maker JK Tyre & Industries Ltd on Friday inaugurated the first JK Retread Centre in Pokhara, Nepal. According to a statement here, strategically located in Pokhara, a potential market of TBB, LCV & PCR tyres, the centre is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, machinery and trained manpower. It offers company-recommended repair and retread procedures to bring down the cost-per-kilometre for customers. "The addition of the Pokhara centre is in line with the companys ambition to increase its network of retreading centres to 100 from 36 by 2020," it added. Dinesh Dasani, Vice President and Head - National Sales, JK Tyre & Industries Limited said, The opening of this centre emphasises on JK Tyres customer-centric approach with unmatched One-Stop Solution service at its core. JK Tyre & Industries Ltd entered the retreading business in 2009 by setting up a retread rubber manufacturing facility at Kankroli, Rajasthan, which provides original tread design for retreading of tyres to fleet owners/end users. JK Tyre Retread facilities cater to various State Transport Corporations and fleets in domestic market across pre-cured rubber treads and allied material categories. UNI DJK SHK1941 Mega food park to be established says Minister Imphal, Jun 13 (UNI) Manipur Textile, Commerce and Industries Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh today said that all preparations have been made for setting up of a Mega Food Park in the State. The minister this said during a coordination meeting held in his Secretariat office Chamber here. The mega park, the first of its kind in the State, will provide 1,500 direct employment to the local youth in its units. On its completion, the park will also have a 1,800 mt cold storage facility, and ripening chambers for locally produced fruits and vegetables. Eight primary processing centres will also be located in selected districts as part of the park. The park will also have dehydration facilities to make ginger/turmeric/chilli powder and paste making, fruit juice making facilities, etc. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. The 5th Meeting of the WCO Working Group on the Comprehensive Review of the Revised Kyoto Convention (WGRKC) was held at WCO Headquarters in Brussels from 3 to 6 June 2019, consisting of a Members/Contracting Parties Only session and a Stakeholder Engagement session. Mr. Ricardo Trevino Chapa, WCO Deputy Secretary General, delivered opening remarks to delegates at both sessions. He thanked the Members/Contracting Parties and relevant stakeholders for their continued contributions to the comprehensive review of the RKC, flagging that the previous four WGRKC meetings had paved the way for future work: several proposals were now mature and had been consolidated to form joint proposals for further detailed discussion. Mr. Trevino Chapa also emphasized that the Working Group should continue to keep in mind the time and budget restrictions. He suggested that delegates pay attention to the need to modify the Terms of Reference of the WGRKC, in particular as regards possible participation of non-Members and Economic Customs Unions. Mr. Trevino Chapa reported on his recent visit to the Caribbean Customs Organization (CCO), where he had been pleased to learn of future Contracting Parties to the RKC. He highlighted the value that the relevant stakeholders would bring to the work on the RKC, and very much looked forward to incorporating their views in terms of enhancing international supply chains. During the first three days, Members/Contracting Parties held broad discussions within three sub-groups on the proposals submitted. These included proposals relating to the Periodical Update Mechanism, to Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluation (RME), Data Issues, Electronic Declarations, Advance Cargo Information, Authorized Economic Operators, Perishable Goods, Customs Role in Security, Advance Rulings, Warehouses, Free Zones, API/PNR on passengers, Travellers, Rules of Origin, Coordinated Border Management, Single Window, and the Time Release Study. Besides the sub-group discussions, Members/Contracting Parties held plenary discussions, covering, among other subjects, RKC horizontal issues, revision of the WGRKC Work Plan, and the WGRKC Terms of Reference. It was decided that certain proposals were sufficiently mature to be placed in Track D, meaning that there was general agreement to take them forward for text-based proposals/discussions. The progress made by the WGRKC, including the proposals involving general agreement, would be reported to the RKC Management Committee meeting on 17-18 June. A number of private sector stakeholders, representatives from other international organizations, and members of academia, actively participated in the Stakeholder Engagement session, sharing their views on diverse topics. Some of the points made were: predictability and transparency were extremely valuable for the private sector, and it was therefore imperative to have greater levels of implementation of the Convention; a study on economic benefits of implementing the RKC was essential, since countries would be much more motivated to do so if they knew how much they stood to gain economically; the WCO should be clearer about its objectives, and focus on the level of implementation by Contracting Parties, rather than simply on increasing the number of accessions; there was the need for a mechanism to monitor and evaluate implementation; the RKC should retain its binding nature, and not be weakened by potentially incorporating best-endeavour commitments; and Contracting Parties should focus not only on getting their accession documents in legal order, but also on providing the necessary operational procedures, information and communication technology (ICT) support, and staff training, to ensure proper implementation. Ms. Ana Hinojosa, WCO Director of Compliance and Facilitation, concluded that the RKC should lay the ground for Contracting Parties to align their domestic procedures and improve their infrastructures and capacities. After the panel session, relevant stakeholders introduced their proposals on Electronic Declarations, Advance Cargo Information, Electronic Payment of Duties, Risk Management for Expedited Release, Rules of Origin, Free Zones Relief Consignment, Refunds, and Expedited Shipments. These prompted keen interest and discussions from the Working Group. The WGRKC found it very beneficial to invite stakeholders to engage directly in the comprehensive review of the RKC, and will seek to continue with that arrangement. The RKC Management Committee meeting will review and provide guidance on the issues coming out of the WGRKC. In response to a request with a view to building its capacities in the field of Post Clearance Audit (PCA), the WCO organized a National Workshop for Vanuatu Customs from 3 to 7 June 2019 with the financial support of the Customs Cooperation Fund of Japan (CCF/Japan). The workshop was held in Port Villa. The officials from PCA units and other related units benefited from participating in the workshop. The participants were introduced to the WCOs concept on PCA in order to increase the efficiency of PCA implementation and promote trade facilitation. The workshop also provided some group exercises which thoroughly cover auditing practical knowledge and technics of targeting, Customs valuation, pre-audit research and conducting of on-site audit, as well as a case study from the experts home country. The participants enthusiastically discussed throughout the workshop and were able to learn practical techniques and develop the ideas to conduct audits effectively. The participants are expected to utilize their newly acquired skills in their daily operations as well as to share them to other officials in their offices. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. FEMA going door to door in storm damaged portions of Marshall County Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 14, 2019 | KIRKSEY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jun. 14, 2019 | 11:36 AM | KIRKSEY A Kirksey man was arrested Wednesday night on assault, unlawful imprisonment and other charges. The Murray Police Department says officers responded at 10:30 pm to a report of an assault and a man with a gun at a home on Beach Road in Kirksey. Upon arrival officers found a woman and juvenile in the driveway. There was also another juvenile still inside the home with the suspect, Frederick Carson. After the juvenile came out of the home, Carson reportedly come outside with a weapon in his hand. He then quickly retreated back inside, before coming back out without a weapon. Officers said Carson then charged toward them, but they were able to take him into custody after a brief struggle. Carson was arrested and booked into the Calloway County Jail on charges of alcohol intoxication, second degree disorderly conduct, menacing, second degree unlawful imprisonment, fourth degree assault (domestic violence), and resisting arrest. By The Associated Press Jun. 13, 2019 | 08:32 PM | FRANKFORT An aide to Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton who was dismissed by Gov. Matt Bevin's administration says she was investigating the firing of her own supervisor earlier this year. Adrienne Southworth told the Courier Journal on Thursday she "needed answers to what was going on" after her boss, the lieutenant governor's chief of staff, Steve Knipper, was let go in January. Southworth was then dismissed last month, and Hampton complained publicly, saying "dark forces" were at work in the administration. Southworth says she wanted to know who Bevin had designated as the person who could fire the lieutenant governor's staff. Southworth had asked the Finance and Administration Cabinet for documents that granted the governor's hiring and firing authority to another state official. She turned to Attorney General Andy Beshear's office when she says the administration delayed turning over the records. "Transparent and operational government for the people is huge for me," she told the newspaper. "I don't really care whose office or where the records are, it needs to happen." In a May 2 opinion, the attorney general's office scolded the Finance Cabinet in a ruling for failing to give her a timely response or for explaining the delay. The AG's office was also critical of the Bevin administration for requiring she inspect the records on-site within a three-hour window. Bevin's office didn't immediately respond to a request from the newspaper for comment. But the governor has said on numerous occasions that he doesn't know the circumstances behind Southworth's firing. Bevin dropped Hampton from his ticket in January as he launched his reelection campaign. Bevin chose state Sen. Ralph Alvarado as his running mate this year. Beshear is the Democratic nominee. File photo taken in March 2019 shows Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan" is staged in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. At the ongoing 14th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Chinese stage designer Zhou Zhengping won the Award of Best Lighting Design for his work Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan". The quadrennial, the world's largest and most prestigious performance design event, is known as the "Olympics of the world's stage design". The 11-day, 14th quadrennial attracting exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions will close on June 16. [Xinhua/China Institute of Stage Design] At the ongoing 14th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Chinese stage designer Zhou Zhengping won the Award of Best Lighting Design with his work of Yue Opera "Peach Blossom Fan." The Quadrennial is the world's largest and the most prestigious performance design event, also known as the "Olympic of stage design world." The 14th Quadrennial, with the theme "Imagination, Transformation and Memory," attracted exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions. The stage design of Yue Opera "Peach Blossom Fan" is characterized with simplicity and elegance, and full of implications. Its lighting design tries to be expressive and poetic. "This is a poetic, magical, complex lighting design that plays a powerful role in bringing out the drama," said the jury when delivering the award to Zhou. At this year's Quadrennial, the Chinese delegation organized by the China Institute of Stage Design brought their works to the exhibition of five units: National and Regional Exhibition, Student Exhibition, Fragment Exhibition, Architectural Exhibition, and Publication Exhibition. The 11-day long Quadrennial will close on June 16. The audience watch the awarding ceremony in Prague, the Czech Republic, June 11, 2019. At the ongoing 14th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Chinese stage designer Zhou Zhengping won the Award of Best Lighting Design for his work Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan". The quadrennial, the world's largest and most prestigious performance design event, is known as the "Olympics of the world's stage design". The 11-day, 14th quadrennial attracting exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions will close on June 16. [Xinhua/China Institute of Stage Design] File photo taken in March 2019 shows Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan" is staged in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. At the ongoing 14th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Chinese stage designer Zhou Zhengping won the Award of Best Lighting Design for his work Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan". The quadrennial, the world's largest and most prestigious performance design event, is known as the "Olympics of the world's stage design". The 11-day, 14th quadrennial attracting exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions will close on June 16. [Xinhua/China Institute of Stage Design] File photo taken in March 2019 shows Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan" is staged in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. At the ongoing 14th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Chinese stage designer Zhou Zhengping won the Award of Best Lighting Design for his work Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan". The quadrennial, the world's largest and most prestigious performance design event, is known as the "Olympics of the world's stage design". The 11-day, 14th quadrennial attracting exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions will close on June 16. [Xinhua/China Institute of Stage Design] Zhou Zhengping addresses the awarding ceremony in Prague, the Czech Republic, June 11, 2019. At the ongoing 14th Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, Chinese stage designer Zhou Zhengping won the Award of Best Lighting Design for his work Shaoxing Opera "Peach Blossom Fan". The quadrennial, the world's largest and most prestigious performance design event, is known as the "Olympics of the world's stage design". The 11-day, 14th quadrennial attracting exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions will close on June 16. [Xinhua/China Institute of Stage Design] (Source: Xinhua) Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive of South China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)[For Women of China] Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, or Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of South China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), is a leader who upholds both the "one country, two systems" principle and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. She has also been leading Hong Kong in an effort to seize the opportunity to integrate its own development into the overall development of the country. She is a storyteller, who likes to share the successful practice of the "one country, two systems" principle to the world. She is also a female official who pays special attention to the development of Hong Kong's women. She is smart and competent, vigorous and resolute, elegant and gentle, and kind and amiable. Her love for Hong Kong is helping lead the city to a brighter future. "There will be unlimited opportunities in the future. As part of our country, Hong Kong has a unique advantage under the principle of 'one country, two systems.' We should give better play to that advantage," Lam said during an interview earlier this year. Lam led a 68-member delegation during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing, from April 25-27. The delegation attended the forum's opening ceremony and 12 sub-forums, and they discussed how Hong Kong should participate in and help boost the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor attends Boao Forum for AsiaAnnual Conference 2019. [Women of China] Lam gave keynote speeches during the opening ceremonies of two sub-forums . She said Hong Kong one of the most competitive cities in the world with free and open economic concepts and a convenient geographic location links China and countries participating in BRI. Hong Kong's world-class infrastructure provides a steady foundation for the city's role as an international financial, shipping and trade center. Lam said Hong Kong has rich experience in city management, including management of the airport, construction and maintenance of railways, emergency services and green and sustainable development. Hong Kong's capability and experience, especially in terms of construction, are significant advantages that can benefit cultural and people- to-people exchanges, and connectivity among countries along the Belt and Road. She stressed that countries along the Belt and Road will achieve a win-win situation. She noted the Guangdong -Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development plan is important for regional cooperation and mutual development, and it will provide a solid foundation for continued implementation of BRI. "We will make the best of our advantages to contribute to BRI," Lam said. Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor poses for a group photo.[Women of China] Good Storyteller When she attends international forums or participates in exchanges at universities in the Chinese mainland, Lam always sees herself as a teller of Hong Kong's stories. "Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech when he met a delegation from Hong Kong and Macao that visited Beijing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up (last year). He asked us to tell the successful practice of the 'one country, two systems' principle in Hong Kong. Telling stories about Hong Kong is my responsibility. As a woman, I have the advantage in this regard. When I tell the international community about how I grew up to become a chief executive, how I have managed Hong Kong and how Hong Kong has successfully implemented the 'one country, two systems' principle, I can feel that they are interested in the topics, and that I win relatively high recognition," Lam said. When she visited Tsinghua University, in Beijing, on March 6 this year, Lam talked about the latest development of Hong Kong. She said the Hong Kong SAR government planned to take advantage of the 'one country, two systems' principle, strengthen external relations, reinforce traditional industries and develop new industries to enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness. She also said Hong Kong has been focusing on advancing innovation and scientific and technological development, and the SAR government has been planning to help build Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into an international science and technological innovation center. The attendees were all impressed by her speech. "Women can do more, in terms of telling stories about how Hong Kong implements the 'one country, two systems' principle," Lam said. She noted Hong Kong will invite more outstanding local women to participate in international exchanges and cooperation, to display their advantages in different fields and to make greater achievements during the process of integrating Hong Kong's development into the country's overall development. Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor talks with students during an activity.[Women of China] Promoting Women's Development During an exclusive interview with Women of China English Monthly, Lam explained how the SAR government promotes women's development, and how it advocates women's roles in integrating SAR development into China's overall development. The SAR government has adopted multiple measures to promote women's development, and to enhance women's status, Lam said. Education is an example, she noted, adding Hong Kong's women enjoy the same right to education as men. More than half of Hong Kong's undergraduates are female. Among people aged 15 to 24, the number of women who receive higher education is higher than that of men. Lam said she is particularly concerned about two issues the liberation of the female workforce and women's empowerment. "We hope women, especially those who have received a higher education, will continue to work after they get married or give birth. The SAR government has implemented policies to encourage them to do so," Lam said. "We suggest expanding the maternal leave from 10 weeks to 14 weeks, so mothers can have more time to take care of their infants." The SAR government has encouraged women to work in administrative organizations, and it has created more opportunities for women to participate in social public affairs, Lam said. She hopes listed companies will have more women members on their boards of directors. That, she says, would have a long-term positive influence on the development of companies, and on the whole market. The SAR government established the Women's Commission in 2001 to advise the government on policies and initiatives of concern to women. "I encourage and support Hong Kong's women, and the Women's Commission, (in efforts to) strengthen exchanges and cooperation with women's federations on the Chinese mainland, in terms of liberation of the female workforce and women's empowerment," Lam said. Hong Kong has achieved gender equality in education and employment, and that provides a good opportunity for women's development, Lam said. Living in an international city, Hong Kong's women have more access to international affairs and international exchanges and cooperation, and that helps women broaden their horizons. The SAR government should build more platforms for women's development during the process of integrating SAR development into China's overall development, and it should encourage women to do a good job in telling stories about Hong Kong, Lam added. Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her family [For Women of China] Caring Mother In Lam's heart, her family has an irreplaceable position. Lam became Hong Kong's permanent secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands in 2003. However, she applied for a transfer several months later, so she could work in the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, in London. Thus, she could have more time to take care of her youngest son, Joshua Lam Yeuk Hay. Lam's oldest son, Jeremy Lam Tsit Sze, recalled, "She cares about our growth. She takes care of us herself, and she never hires a domestic helper." Said Lam: "Now, my sons are grown up, and the time I spend with my family is less than before. But, when they were little, I had dinner with them every day. There were many charitable parties and fund-raising activities when I served as director of the Social Welfare Department. I declined to attend those events, because I wanted to spend more time with my children." Lam's mother had a great influence on her. "My mother was an ordinary Chinese woman. She took good care of the seniors in our family, as well as my four siblings and I. She never complained about heavy housework and being short of money. She was firm and tenacious," Lam said. Her mother attached great significance to her children's education, though she hadn't received much education. After Lam graduated from the University of Hong Kong, in 1980, she began working in the government. Lam has held various posts during the past 39 years. When she served as director of the Social Welfare Department, she developed the habit of reading letters from the public every weekend, so she could better understand people's concerns and needs. Regardless of the posts she has held, Lam has always held fast to her principles of serving Hong Kong residents and caring for grass-roots people. "I shall do my utmost to uphold 'one country, two systems' and to guard our core values," Lam said in her speech to the media after she won the election of the fifth- term chief executive of China's HK SAR, on March 26, 2017. Now, Lam is leading Hong Kong residents in integrating SAR's development into China's overall development, participating in the BRI and the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, promoting women's entrepreneurship and innovation and contributing to China's economic and social development. Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor [Women of China] (Women of China English Monthly May 2019 issue) Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov hold talks in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Li Xueren] Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. Xi arrived in the Central Asian country Wednesday for a state visit and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. China-Kyrgyzstan relations have withstood the test of international vicissitudes and achieved leapfrog development over the past 27 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship. The two countries have set a fine example of a new type of state-to-state relations featuring mutual respect, equality and win-win cooperation, Xi said. China will continue to support Kyrgyzstan's own choice of development path and all policy measures taken by the Kyrgyz government to safeguard national independence, sovereignty and security, Xi said. Xi also said China is ready to join hands with Kyrgyzstan to deepen their traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to better benefit the two peoples. The Chinese president stressed that jointly building the Belt and Road has become the focus of China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation, calling on the two countries to deepen the alignment of their development strategies, tap new potential of partnerships and explore new space of cooperation. Cooperation in trade and investment should be expanded and major programs must be well implemented, Xi said, adding that China is willing to import more green and quality agro-products from Kyrgyzstan. China will continue to support Kyrgyzstan's economic and social development, including jointly building drinking water facilities, roads, hospitals and other projects to improve people's livelihood. Xi also called for closer people-to-people and sub-national exchanges. Amid efforts to enhance security cooperation, the two countries should step up fight against the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, transnational organized crime and drug trafficking, Xi said. On the SCO, Xi said China applauds Kyrgyzstan's efforts to promote cooperation in various fields since taking over the rotating presidency of the SCO. China supports Kyrgyzstan in hosting the Bishkek summit, which will be held on Friday, and encourages the SCO member states to gather more consensus, tap potential of cooperation and build a community with a shared future that benefits all sides, Xi said. For his part, Jeenbekov said he has met with the Chinese president for three times in more than a year, fully demonstrating the high level of the bilateral relations and the willingness of both sides to strengthen cooperation. Kyrgyzstan will always be "a good neighbor, good friend and good partner" of China, he said. Jeenbekov conveyed congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and on the remarkable achievements made by the Chinese people under the leadership of Xi and the Communist Party of China. Xi's vision and experience on state governance are of great significance to Kyrgyzstan, Jeenbekov said. The president thanked China for its long-term and huge assistance and support to Kyrgyzstan in its national development and the improvement of the people's livelihood. Kyrgyzstan firmly adheres to the one-China policy, Jeenbekov said, adding that the affairs of ethnic minorities in China are its internal affairs and that his country supports policies and measures taken by the Chinese government in this regard. Kyrgyzstan stays committed to the fight against the "three forces," he said. Noting that Kyrgyzstan's national development strategy corresponds to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Jeenbekov said his country is ready to set up institutionalized arrangements to promote their alignment, deepen cooperation with China in areas such as trade, investment, energy, agriculture, transport and on local levels, as well as increase cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Kyrgyzstan and China hold similar stances on international and regional issues, laying a sound foundation for the two countries to strengthen multilateral coordination, he said. The Kyrgyz side appreciates China's valuable support to Kyrgyzstan during its SCO presidency and in hosting the Bishkek summit, he said. After the talks, the two presidents signed a joint statement on further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and witnessed the exchanges of bilateral cooperation documents. The two sides will continue the visits and meetings between leaders of the two countries to regularly exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern, according to the joint statement. Both sides will continue to support each other on issues related to their core interests, such as national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, said the statement. Noting that there is great potential for cooperation to synergize the BRI with Kyrgyzstan's national development strategy 2018-2040, the statement said the two sides will look for more common grounds of interests and realize common development based on the principle of win-win cooperation. The two sides also pledged to support the central role of the United Nations in international affairs and the building of an open world economy, voicing resolute opposition to unilateralism and protectionism. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov hold talks in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Li Xueren] Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov inspect the guard of honor during a welcome ceremony held by Jeenbekov in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Gao Jie] Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov inspect the guard of honor during a welcome ceremony held by Jeenbekov in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi] Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov arrive for their talks in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu] Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov hold talks in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Li Xueren] Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov after signing the joint statement on taking their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Ding Lin] Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov after signing the joint statement on taking their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Fei Maohua] Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov meet the press after their talks in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. Xi and Jeenbekov held talks here Thursday, agreeing to take their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu] (Source: Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu] Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Thursday that Beijing is ready to join New Delhi in pushing forward a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. During the meeting, Xi congratulated Modi again on his re-election as India's prime minister. Xi noted that China and India are the world's only two emerging economies that boast a population of more than 1 billion respectively, and are both at a crucial stage of rapid development. Cooperation between the two countries, said the Chinese leader, can not only boost their respective development, but also will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the wider world. He also said that during his meeting with Modi last year in Wuhan, China's central Hubei Province, they have led the China-India relationship onto a new stage, adding that China is willing to join India to make continuous efforts in promoting a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi urged the two sides to stick to the fundamental judgement that China and India offer to each other chances for development, and do not pose each other threats, and called on the two countries to keep deepening mutual trust, focusing on cooperation, and properly handling their disputes so as to turn the bilateral relationship into a positive element for their respective development. The Chinese president said the two nations need to constantly broaden the channels for cooperation, conduct cooperation in such areas as investment, industrial capacity and tourism, make a bigger cake of common interests, jointly promote regional inter-connectivity, including the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, in a bid to better boost common development. He also called on the two sides to make good use of such mechanisms as meetings between the two countries' special representatives on the boundary issue, and enhance trust-building measures so as to preserve stability in border areas. As important representatives of developing nations and emerging market economies, China and India, said Xi, need to come together to safeguard free trade and multilateralism, and protect the legitimate development rights of developing countries. Modi said his meeting with Xi last year in Wuhan was very successful, which has helped achieve new progress in bilateral ties, adding that the Indian side is ready to work with China in intensifying high-level exchanges and bolstering strategic communication. He called on the two sides to promote bilateral ties in broad areas, explore new sectors for cooperation, and properly handle their differences. Noting that next year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, Modi said the two countries need to make a good plan for celebration to step up their people-to-people exchanges. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. [Xinhua/Yin Bogu] (Source: Xinhua) A China-developed cutting-edge cancer detection device, which integrates positron emission tomography (PET) scans and CT scans, has been approved by national drug regulators and obtained market access earlier this month. The equipment was developed by scientists from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology based in Wuhan, Hubei Province, after a 19-year study. In May 2018, the National Medical Products Administration greenlighted the clinical trial, which tested its safety and effectiveness at two hospitals in Guangdong Province. PET is a nuclear medicine functional imaging technique to observe metabolic processes in the body as an aid to the diagnosis of diseases. According to Xie Qingguo, the lead researcher, the medical device works with two scanners: the CT provides anatomical position information, while the PET provides molecular information. "Compared with other medical imaging methods, it can help provide more accurate information in early detection and treatment of cancer and brain diseases," Xie said. It detected metastatic cancer tumors that conventional methods failed to identify in patients who participated in the clinical trial, helping them get early treatment. A 38-year-old male patient of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a head and neck cancer, was one of the first to be treated in this way. It was believed that he had almost recovered, but on May 28, 2018, at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, he underwent the detection by the device, which found cancer cells in his scapula, ribs and femur. The cancer cells were not identified previously by other imaging methods. Due to the new findings, the patient was able to receive timely treatment. "The digital scanner has an advantage of clear imaging, especially for organs with complicated structures," said Fan Wei, a radiologist of the hospital. A digital PET scanner for the brain was recently installed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. It has completed a series of tests and will be used in dealing with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The five-year survival rate of cancer patients in China is only 30.9 percent, much less than that in the United States. One reason behind this is delayed detection and treatment. With the help of the device, which can discover various lesions including tumors earlier and more accurately than traditional scanners, the time it takes to discover cancer cells will be significantly reduced. In the past, China was just a follower in developing such PET scanners which were monopolized by foreign companies. However, the digital medical equipment is a breakthrough. "From key materials and core components to system machines, each are the result of China's innovation," said Xiao Peng, a member of the research team. According to researchers, the high-end digital medical equipment has been granted several patents and will enter mass production soon to help more people deal with diseases. (Source: Xinhua) A team composed of officials of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) led by Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the ACWF and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, meets with staffs of women's federations at grassroots level, heads of parents' schools, and representatives from Internet enterprises,in Beijing, on June 5. [China Women's News] Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF,led an ACWF team to make an inspection tour in Beijing on June 5, learning the progress of the implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important statements on women and women's work, the improvement of women's ideological and political guidanceas well as their family work. At the filial piety hall in Tongzhou District, Huang talked with a senior female villager who shared her family story of filial piety and caring for family members. She also read the family rules and instructions summarized by local villagers. Huang said cultivating moral character and managing the family's affairs well were important parts of traditional Chinese culture. As long as the family culture has been developed well with good traditions and education, each individual would become a good person and the country would thrive, she noted, adding that the women's federations need to lead women and families to promote harmonious society and national developmentby enhancing thehappiness and well-being of families. China Central Place (known as Huamao Center) in Beijing's Chaoyang District is home to 520 multinational companies and well-known enterprises. It is also the location of a residential block with a women's committee and a family mediation office to serve women in the community. Huang was briefed on the women's work of the community along with Party building. She spoke highly of the community's service methods of its integration of resources, work and activities. She called for women's federations to take the lead inserving women from all walks of life as well as uniting them around the Party. Huang inspected the environmental management, comprehensive administration and stability safeguards at a community in Dongcheng District, and she spoke with women and families involved in its grassroots governance. She visited Eve Fashion Co, encouraging the company to train more female embroiderers and help them escape poverty. When discussing with school heads, representatives from Internet enterprises and women staffs from women's federations at grassroots level, Huang said the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC) attached great importance to and has achieved success in supporting women's work. She stressed that the women's federations at different levels should study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, focusing on the statements of Xi Jinping about women and women's work. Ideological and political leadership should come with services for women, families and women's all-round development, she stated. Wang Hong, Deputy-Mayor of Beijing, participated in the meeting. CaiShumin, Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF and President of the Beijing Women's Federation, joined the inspection tour. (Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China) Ballots behind bars: Committee backs extending prisoner voting rights in Wales This article is old - Published: Friday, Jun 14th, 2019 The Assemblys Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee was tasked as part of proposed electoral reforms to consider whether prisoner voting rights should be extended. Following a legal challenge, prisoners who are released on licence, are held on remand or have committed certain offences (failing to pay fines, contempt of court) are already allowed to vote. No doubt many will believe that giving even one more prisoner the vote is a step too far; whilst those who support full enfranchisement will be disappointed we have not been bolder. In recommending the vote for those sentenced to less than four years we have recognised the evidence to our inquiry, public opinion and the different views of Committee members. Committee Chair, John Griffiths AM (Lab, Newport East) The report produced by the committee outlines several recommendations, including that prisoner voting rights in Senedd and local elections should be extended to all those serving sentences in Wales of less than four years, as well as 16-17-year-olds being held in custody on the same basis as adult prisoners if/when the voting age is lowered to 16. The committee report notes that only devolved elections are covered, so General Elections, EU or a UK wide Referendum would not come under this. Committee members Mohammad Asghar AM (Con, South Wales East) and Mark Isherwood AM (Con, North Wales) disagreed with the Committees recommendations. In terms of practicalities, the Committee recommended that prisoners register to vote in their home constituency (i.e. by using a previous address or a declaration of local connection). Voting would be done by post or by proxy. The Committee didnt recommend hustings within prisons, though they concluded it would be beneficial for more politicians to visit prisons and speak to prisoners. Interestingly the committee also wants to see an informed electorate, with it specifically noting: We recommend that the Welsh Government discuss and seek agreement with the UK Government on providing access to Welsh media, both print and broadcast for those prisons with a sizable Welsh population It is unclear what is defined as Welsh media and if print would mean printing off the likes of Wrexham.com/Election2017/, or our tweets or just ignored. AMs appear to have an outdated and idealised view of how newspapers operate in 2019 with the report stating (our emphasis): Candidates are able to disseminate leaflets to all electors on the electoral register, and we believe that prisoners should have the same access to this sort of material. This is of particular importance for local elections, where prisoners may be resident in prison outside their home area, and will not necessarily have access to local newspapers, which would provide them with an opportunity to keep updated with political developments at home. The need for information is clearly stated in the report, with Welsh prisoners held in English prisons being a specific concern. Welsh prisoners at HMP Eastwood Park (Gloucestershire) have no access to any Welsh broadcast or print media, with it noted Prisoners we spoke to had no idea of the change in First Minister or other political developments since they had been imprisoned The committee added, We raised this with prison staff, who advised that they had a limited number of television channels and that they could tune to Welsh channels but only if this had the support of the majority of prisoners. At the very least, we would like to see Welsh newspapers available in the library at Eastwood Park and other prisons where there is a sizeable Welsh population. The Committees terms of reference included considering Arguments for and against giving some or all prisoners the right to vote in Welsh elections, and whether distinctions might be drawn between different categories of prisoner on the basis of sentence length, expected date of release, or types of offence. The arguments in favour of extending prisoner voting rights Voting is a right, not a privilege Apart from the right to liberty, prisoners retain all other rights applicable under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), though voting isnt an absolute right (so it can be restricted). It was argued that imprisonment alone shouldnt deprive someone of their right to vote. Prisoners remain citizens The Committee said this is one of the most commonly cited arguments in favour. The Prison Reform Trust told them disenfranchising prisoners suggests theyre not a part of society. So, if we place a value on active participation then denying prisoners a vote undermines that and disadvantages certain groups, particularly ethnic minorities who are over-represented in prisons. Extending prisoner voting rights is based on whats right There are numerous examples of unpopular policies being introduced in Wales, with various public smoking bans being cited. If extending voting rights could help rehabilitation efforts, then despite the unpopularity of the idea it may still be the right thing to do. Several witnesses argued that voting would aid rehabilitation, but no hard evidence was provided to support these assertions. Prisoners receive public services and should be able to hold decision-makers to account Prisoners still use public services like health, social services, housing (when preparing for release) and in some cases have contact with their childrens schools. Prisoners also pay taxes on savings, while those released on licence and in work pay income taxes like everyone else. The arguments against extending prisoner voting rights Voting isnt an absolute right As mentioned, interpretations of the ECHR are that voting isnt a universal or fundamental right and it can be restricted; for example, prisoners serving life and foreign nationals serving prison sentences in the UK can still be denied the vote. Current prisoner votes rules are already compatible. Theres little public support for it In 2017, YouGov polls showed that 60% of people were opposed to extending prisoner voting rights. The Committee accepted that while attitudes have slowly changed in favour, opinions remain divided. Voting is part of a social contract People who took part in Committee-commissioned surveys said losing the right to vote was part of a package of punishment alongside the loss of liberty. People breaking the rules of society shouldnt expect any positive benefits in return an argument the UK Government made when opposing the legal challenge (though they were unsuccessful). Prisoners may not use the right to vote Prisoners and prison staff both told Committee members that prisoners are highly unlikely to use their right to vote; in the Republic of Ireland turnout within prisons in the first election where they were allowed to vote (2007) was as low as 10% and only 14% of prisoners registered. The figures have fallen further since then. The committee Chair added, Devolution of powers over Assembly and local elections in Wales is welcome and significant. I trust our report will prove helpful in introducing new electoral arrangements and widening participation in our developing democracy. We also spotted this interesting map in the report: Keep up to date with what is going on in the Senedd via SeneddHome.com Cash boost for North Wales sex abuse centre to cope with huge rise in cases This article is old - Published: Friday, Jun 14th, 2019 The number of cases being dealt with by crisis centre that helps victims of sexual abuse has doubled in the past 12 months, its been revealed But, according to the North Wales Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (RASASC), thats a good thing because it means survivors are more confident about coming forward to seek support. Acting chair Non Williams was speaking after accepting a cheque for 6,179 from North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones. Also at the presentation was pop star and TV presenter Elin Fflur who was among the stars at a fund-raising concert organised by Mr Jones at Bangor Cathedral, along with Dilwyn Morgan, a Gwynedd county councillor who is equally well-known as a stand-up comedian, radio and TV presenter, who was the compere. The centre has been experiencing a significant increase in its workload after high profile cases like the Jimmy Savile scandal hit the news. Ms Williams said that in the past 12 months 468 adults and 114 children from across North Wales have been helped, counselled and supported. She said: The Police and Crime Commissioners donation will mean we can reduce the waiting list for counselling services and also purchase play equipment for children in need of counselling. We provide counselling services to male and female, children and adults who have suffered sexual violence as well as historic cases. We are finding that more and more historic cases are coming to light because of a raised awareness. Its the effect of high profile cases such as that of Jimmy Savile. We cover the whole of North Wales from Flintshire to Gwynedd and down as far as Merionethshire and we have seen our workload double in the last two years. Our 33 trained counsellors have, in the past 12 months, supported 468 adults and 114 children. That is a massive rise but we are committed to helping each and every victim of sexual violence and assault. I believe we will be asked to support even more victims in the coming years. We also have 11 support workers who support people before they go to court. Some people suffer with anxiety and we use an anxiety safe centre in Colwyn Bay as a safe haven. She added: We have our centre here in Bangor and have two other centres, one in Holyhead and one in Colwyn Bay, but we will meet with and support people by seeing them in a variety of setting across North Wales. RASASC counsellor Eileen Dewhurst says the donation from the police and crime commissioner will be a massive help as they try to reduce waiting times for services. She said: We provide support and counselling services to anyone 13 or over who has experienced any kind of sexual violence, whether recently or a long time ago. And we also support partners and family members if there is a need. People ask for support about a range of issues including child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, organised abuse, sexual assault and rape. We will listen and we will believe victims. It is not our job to make judgements about victims or how they have coped and we will not tell people what to do. She added: We just hope to provide a safe environment for victims to explore how they feel and to make their own choices as to the way forward. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones was delighted to have been able to support RASASC by donating the proceeds of the concert. He said: Dealing with and preventing sexual violence is a priority within my Police and Crime Plan. I was only too aware of the increased workload being faced by RASASC counsellors and decided to try and raise some much-needed funds that would help alleviate some of the issues. There is a real social value in addressing these issues and problems through the work RASASC. Its about improving the quality of life for victims but it also has another important affect in that it reduces demands on staff of other statutory services. He added: Im also very grateful to Elin Fflur, Dilwyn Morgan, who compered the concert, Cor y Penrhyn, Only Boys Aloud and all-girl folk band Tant who all performed. They all helped make the concert the huge success it was. To raise more than 6,000 was a fabulous achievement and Im delighted to have been able to present the cheque to RASASC today. Elin Fflur added: To help raise awareness of RASASC has been amazing. I have to admit I wasnt aware of the sheer volume of work they get through. To visit the centre has been a real eye opener. For people who are the victims of sexual crime then RASASC must be a real haven. I cant begin to imagine just how difficult and how horrific it must be to have to deal with a sexual abuse. It must be a shocking and life changing experience. It was a sentiment echoed by Dilwyn Morgan who said: I was delighted to be able to support such a very worthwhile cause which affects all communities. It was a privilege to take part in the concert. Elin Fflur, along with all the others who contributed, was fantastic. To raise more than 6,000 through one event is staggering and its wonderful to see the Police and Crime Commissioner supporting such an important charity that is doing such amazing work. To find out more about the North Wales Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre please visit www.rasacymru.org.uk [Pictured are PCC Arfon Jones, TV presenter Elin Fflur and Dilwyn Morgan] DWP criticised for failing to attend meetings on escalating hardship caused by Universal Credit This article is old - Published: Friday, Jun 14th, 2019 Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions have been slammed after they twice failed to attend meetings where politicians discussed the hardship caused for people in Wrexham by Universal Credit. A Wrexham Council report has shown more than 1,500 tenants in receipt of the new style benefit are facing average rent arrears of 345, totalling just over 525,000. The overall amount is slightly less than the 580,000 owed by those on the old system, but with more than 3,000 cases, the average debt experienced by people still on housing benefit is less at around 191. The main problem with Universal Credit, which the UK Government introduced to consolidate six benefits into one, is said to stem from payments being made in advance, leading to budgeting issues for recipients. Representatives from the DWP were invited to a meeting of the authoritys homes and environment scrutiny committee held this week to answer questions about the financial burden placed on residents. However, the councils lead member for housing expressed his frustration after they said they would not be sending anyone, despite missing a previous meeting held in January. Cllr David Griffiths said: I dont know the reasons why they will not attend this meeting, but I wish they would because it would make it easier for everyone to fully understand the work my two colleagues (council officers) are doing. The pressure is continually upon us, but that pressure is nothing like the people who arent getting the money they deserve. The pressure thats placed on them, to me, is unacceptable. At the end of the day with this, this is national and across the whole of Britain people are affected by something which in my personal opinion is not to make sure people can live easily, its to see how much money they (UK Government) can fetch back in. The council said the amount of arrears which can solely be attributed to Universal Credit stands at 72,625. The authority said the figures showed the new system was having an impact on the amount of outstanding rent it is owed. Committee chair Paul Pemberton also expressed his anger at the snub by the DWP. The independent politician said: We did invite a representative from the DWP to come to this meeting, originally to the one six months ago. They initially said they would come and then something happened, and they made an excuse and didnt come. As a consequence, we invited them again to this scheduled meeting and theyve basically said they will not come to a scrutiny meeting. I just think its a little bit unfair that they make all the rules and our staff are having to go to the coalface while they sit in the canteen having a cup of tea, and I dont think thats the right way forward. At the end of the meeting, councillors voted to express their concerns about the level of arrears experienced by residents and the extra workload placed on council staff. After the meeting the DWP contacted us, with a spokesman stating: Jobcentre staff in Wrexham meet with representatives from the local authority regularly and local MPs and councillors are often invited to the jobcentre, where they can discuss any issues of concern. Councillors will receive another report on the effect of welfare reforms at a later date. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme). Senedd demands Brexiteers keep promises that Wales wont lose a penny after Brexit This article is old - Published: Friday, Jun 14th, 2019 Following the publication of figures which suggest there could be a 2.32billion decrease in the money Wales would receive in structural funding from the UK Government after Brexit when compared to the EU, a timely debate took place in the Senedd on Wednesday. The Motion The Senedd: Notes that Wales receives around 370m every year in structural and investment funds from the EU and also notes that promises were made during the EU referendum that Wales would not lose a penny as a result of Brexit. Regrets the lack of detail from the UK Government about its proposals for a UK Shared Prosperity Fund and that it failed to respect devolution in developing these proposals. Rejects the idea of a centralised/UK-directed fund or one which seeks to bypass the devolved administrations. Calls on the UK Government to fulfil the promise that Wales would not lose a penny as a result of Brexit and ensure Wales retains powers to develop successor arrangements for structural and investment funding. Need for clarity vital Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans (Lab, Gower), told the chamber that there was a distinct lack of clarity from the UK Government on how the 370million a year Wales receives in EU structural funding will be replaced after Brexit, despite announcing a Shared Prosperity Fund two years ago. Structural funding has been used on a wide range of different projects, with 48,000 new jobs and 300,000 qualifications delivered. We have called for not a penny less than we would have expected within the EU, simply asking for the promises made to the people of Wales during the 2016 referendum to be honoured. We have also called for the Welsh Government to retain autonomy in the development and delivery of successor arrangements.The UK Government has committed a number of times to respect devolution in developing the Shared Prosperity Fund, but their actions have resolutely not done so. Finance Minister & Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans Shadow Finance Minister, Nick Ramsay AM (Con, Monmouth) agreed on the need to create a fair system of structural funding and that any promises made during the referendum by the Leave campaign should be upheld. It was, however, too early to write off the Shared Prosperity Fund and it was worth waiting to see how the UK Government will iron things out. David Melding AM (Con, South Wales Central) argued that the stalling of Brexit at Westminster and in the Senedd by opponents has prevented a deal being done and hindered the funds development something Alun Davies AM (Lab, Blaenau Gwent) said was extraordinary; a government accusing the opposition if they cant get their own business done. Like handing a cheque to London The risk is clear that Whitehall will repeat its traditional formula of distribution of economic development funding. And look at what the figures published yesterday.tell us about what would mean. One of the campaigns organisers said it will be like handing every Londoner a cheque for over 200 and taking 700 from every Welsh person. Wales could lose over 2.3 billion over six years, with money flowing to the prosperous south-east of England. Rhun ap Iorwerth AM (Plaid, Ynys Mon) Mark Reckless AM (BXP, South Wales East) wanted to see the 2016 Leave promises honoured and broadly agreed with the motion though the 370million a year in EU structural funding was our money. Delyth Jewell AM (Plaid, South Wales East) reminded the chamber there were people behind the figures whove been supported through various EU programmes whether thats the unemployed, minority groups, parents seeking childcare or women. All of that was now up in the air. The scale of the challenge I want to reiterate the scale of the challenge. If we are under any illusion as to how critical that is, the statistics in that.report that was issued yesterday set that out so starkly for us. If we dont make our arguments successfully.Wales could lose in funding the equivalent of 743.11 for every citizen. Vikki Howells AM (Lab, Cynon Valley) Chair of the External Affairs Committee, David Rees AM (Lab, Aberavon), stressed that structural funding should be based on need and not population shares. The UK was already one of the most unequal nations in Europe; one of the most prosperous nations overall, yet home to some of the poorest regions. This was backed by the Chair of the Finance Committee, Llyr Gruffydd AM (Plaid, North Wales), who criticised a lack of engagement by the Welsh Secretary, Alun Cairns, who refused to give evidence to his committee. Lynne Neagle AM (Lab, Torfaen) said the Welsh Secretarys backing for Boris Johnson in the Tory leadership contest whos promising large tax cuts for the wealthy was a sign of the direction of travel. Vote Keep up to date with what is going on in the Senedd via SeneddHome.com Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-13 05:08:30|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The deputy UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process will be representing the world body at a U.S.-sponsored economic workshop in Bahrain over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said a UN spokesman. Jamie McGoldrick's attendance was confirmed by Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Wednesday. The Bahrain conference, scheduled for June 25-26, is understood to deal with the economic aspects of a new Middle East peace plan being crafted by Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor. Though the details of the new U.S. peace plan have not been out yet, it is already being rejected by the Palestinians. The upcoming peace plan represents "conditions for surrender," Palestine's Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told an informal meeting of the UN Security Council last month. The Palestinian leadership, which has been at loggerheads with Washington after Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017, is boycotting the Bahrain conference. The Palestinians are rejecting Washington's mediation role in their conflict with Israel. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-13 21:03:25|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close A forum guest visits maker-spaces in Nyingchi of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, June 11, 2019. The Forum on the Development of Tibet, China will be held on Friday in the regional capital Lhasa. Nearly 160 scholars, officials, and correspondents from over 37 countries and regions are scheduled to attend the forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Tibetan regional government. (Xinhua/Zhou Jinshuai) LHASA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on the Development of Tibet, China will be held on Friday in the regional capital Lhasa. Nearly 160 scholars, officials, and correspondents from over 37 countries and regions are scheduled to attend the forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Tibetan regional government. The theme of this year's forum is the Belt and Road Initiative and Tibet's Opening-up and Development. Delegates will hold discussions on the opening up of the region, the development of Tibetan culture, environmental protection and poverty relief, the regional government said in a statement. Prior to the forum, the delegates visited villages, elementary schools and maker-spaces in Nyingchi of southeast Tibet, and held talks with people from various walks of life. In the regional capital Lhasa, they visited a welfare facility, a hospital specialized in Tibetan medicine and a high school. They visited the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street to learn first-hand about the protection of cultural relics and traditional culture in Tibet. The delegates also visited a memorial hall that marks the emancipation of serfs. This year, Tibet celebrates the 60th anniversary of democratic reform that abolished serfdom. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter arrive for the presidential inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. (Xinhua/REUTERS) ATLANTA, United States, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president who helped set the China-U.S. diplomatic relationship in motion forty years ago, was recognized for his crucial role in an award ceremony on Wednesday. The George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, also known as the Bush China Foundation (BCF), bestowed its inaugural George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship in U.S.-China Relations on Carter, saying he made "profound contributions to the development of constructive and mutually beneficial relations" between the two countries. At the award ceremony held at the Carter Center here, speakers took the opportunity to look back at how Carter helped normalize what would be considered the most important bilateral relationship in the world, and reaffirm the importance of this bilateral relationship for the peoples of the two countries as well as the world forty years on. "President Carter displayed tremendous vision in normalizing U.S.-China relations," said Neil Bush, son of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, on behalf of the BCF. "President Carter took bold and politically courageous action to establish formal diplomatic relations between our nations. That decision not only transformed U.S.-China relations, but indeed quite literally changed the world and for the better," Bush said, explaining why Carter was chosen as the first recipient of the award. "Intuitively, President Carter understood that normalization was about the long game," Bush said. Carter, who suffered a fall and underwent subsequent surgery last month, was not present at the ceremony in person. His son Chip Carter received the award in his place. Chip Carter recalled that normalizing the relationship with China had been a priority for his father going into the presidency, and that an official delegation including Chip Carter was dispatched to China to meet with its top and local officials less than three months into Carter's presidency. The speakers noted that the statesmanship the two former presidents demonstrated in developing the U.S.-China relationship should be an example for modern-day leaders, as some in Washington are trying to pit the two countries against each other. "President Bush categorically rejected the notion that China is an enemy or adversary of our nation. On the contrary, he laid out a powerful vision of U.S.-China full partnership and friendship," said David Firestein, president and CEO of the BCF, in his remarks. "Many of us here today are alarmed as President Bush was at the increasing shrillness and anger that we now hear in the rhetoric about China in some U.S. elite circles. President Bush held the view that anger did not make for good policy," Firestein warned. Firestein noted that both presidents, Carter and Bush, attached great importance to the China-U.S. relationship, and called on Washington to "heed the wise counsel" of the two presidents. Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States, echoed Firestein in saying there "are yet some irrational dialogues about our relationship." "Some are clamoring for a decoupling of the two countries and even a new cold war. These attempts are not only questioning the achievements we have made over the past four decades and challenging the very tangible outcomes of our cooperation, but also putting the future of our relations and the prospects for global stability and prosperity at great risk," Cui said. Ambassador Mary Ann Peters, CEO of the Carter Center, said there is great potential for the two countries to cooperate. Peters said an idea for a deconfliction committee among countries with a military presence in Djibouti, including the United States and China, has been "turned into a reality with discussion ongoing about how to institutionalize regular meetings." Firestein said the award would continue to be bestowed and that it would not be limited to U.S. citizens. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 00:06:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese opera staged in the Kyrgyz capital reviving a heroic epic shared by the two neighbors highlights a common wish to enhance the understanding between the two peoples and boost bilateral ties. An original work by China National Opera House, Manas that tells the tale of the hero Manas, was greeted with warm welcome when it debuted here Tuesday at the 884-seat Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theater. The opening night received a congratulatory message from Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. The audience, including senior Kyrgyz officials, applauded more than 30 times during the performance and cheered for nearly 20 minutes after the curtain fell. Jeenbekov watched the opera of Chinese-version Manas in Beijing in June 2018 during his state visit to China and invited the artists to perform in Kyrgyzstan. The epic of Manas tells tales about Manas, a chieftain of the Kyrgyz people, and his descendants who struggled to build a homeland and fight off external enemies. It has been sung for centuries in Kyrgyzstan, China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and parts of the ancient Silk Road. After enjoying the Chinese opera, the well-known Kyrgyz Manas narrator Baktybek Maksutov said he was satisfied with its portrayal of the hero and was thankful to the Chinese artists. Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen said the epic of Manas is a spiritual wealth shared by the two peoples, and it is also an "important bridge" for cultural exchanges between the two countries. She said she hopes that the opera Manas will promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges and strengthen the traditional friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan. The opera's staging in the Kyrgyz capital, which came ahead of the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held here, added a festive atmosphere to the event. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 01:52:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ZAGREB, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Union initiative "67 is too much" filed on Thursday to the Croatian parliament signatures collected for pension referendum to return retirement age to 65. They submitted a total of 65 boxes with 748,624 signatures, collected in two weeks beginning on April 27. The unionists decided to collect signatures for a referendum on pension age after the government decided to raise the retirement age limit from 65 to 67. To initiate a referendum, they needed to collect 373,568 signatures or ten percent of registered voters in the country. The parliament is expected to send a request for the referendum to the government, who should first check all the signatures before calling the referendum. The union representative Mirela Bojic said on Thursday that the union doesn't want to negotiate with the government. "Citizens signed to hold a referendum, and not to negotiate," Bojic told reporters in the parliament. She also said that the union wanted to negotiate with the government earlier, but since it didn't show any interest, the time has passed now. Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic explained to reporters that there is still an opportunity for the parliament to ask the Constitutional Court if the question for pension referendum is in line with the Croatian constitution. Raising the pension age from 65 to 67 is a key element of the government's pension reform which went into force on Jan. 1, 2019. It was also one of the reforms the European Commission proposed to Croatia. The Commission warned that due to the aging population, Croatia could face big problems in the future and proposed not just raising the age limit, but also indorsing penalties for taking early retirements and changing the system of benefits. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 03:48:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ALGIERS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Algeria increased by 22 percent during 2018 to 1.5 billion U.S. dollars compared with a year earlier, state-run radio Channel III reported Thursday. FDI in 2018 accounted for 2.3 percent of the gross fixed capital formation, and the largest investment in Algeria was in the car assembly industry and energy sector, according to figures released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The source noted that in 2017, Algeria attracted 1.2 billion dollars, lower than 1.6 billion dollars in 2016. UNCTAD predicted in 2017 that Algeria would witness bigger increase in FDI thanks to advantages and encouragement included in the new hydrocarbons law. The report further specified that the installation of assembly car plant of Beijing International Corporation contributed to the rise of FDI in 2018, as the car assembly plant investment was worth 100 million dollars. Automaker giants Hyundai and Ford also received approvals from Algerian authorities for the installation of their assembly plants. The UNCTAD was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body dealing with trade, investment, and development issues. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 04:34:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close VILNIUS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's financial system remains stable amid prevailing international risks and better prepared to withstand potential shocks than before 2008, the Bank of Lithuania (LB) said in its annual financial stability review published on Thursday. "Although we can observe certain risks to our financial system, their overall level is significantly lower compared to the pre-crisis period before 2008," the Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania Vitas Vasiliauskas was quoted as saying in a statement presenting the results of the financial stability review. Stress tests conducted by LB have shown that banks in Lithuania would remain solvent and meet minimum capital requirements in case of "particularly strong economic shock" amounting 6 percent decline in the country's GDP and 22 percent drop in real estate prices. "The country's financial system is better positioned to withstand potential shocks," said Vasiliauskas. LB's annual financial stability review highlights stronger lending activity to real estate market in Lithuania and "financial imbalances" in Europe's Nordic countries as two key risks to Lithuanian financial system. In 2018, the rate of housing transactions per capita in Lithuania reached the highest level since 1990, said LB in its statement. Though, the central bank also notes that housing supply in Lithuania has been rising alongside demand. "Currently, the number of housing units built is higher than that observed in 2008," said LB. According to LB, risks to Lithuanian financial system also stem from "the rise in house prices and high household indebtedness" in the Nordic region. "Although growth in the Swedish housing market has moderated, the deteriorated international environment and threats to the reputation of Nordic banks posed by money-laundering scandals may weigh on the activities of the region's banking groups," said LB. Lithuania, a Baltic country with a population of less than 3 million, is exposed to financial risks in the Nordic countries due to Nordic banks' dominance in the Lithuanian financial system. At the end of 2018, Swedish banks Swedbank and SEB accounted to 60.1 percent of Lithuania's banking system in terms of assets. A Proton-M carrier rocket blasts off from the launchpad at the Baikonur cosmodrome in southern Kazakhstan on May 31, 2019. (ROSCOSMOS PHOTO) MOSCOW, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia, a pioneer in space, has no right to give up its positions and needs to restore its leadership, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday. "This is not only a matter of prestige, but also a matter of national security," Medvedev said, opening a meeting of senior government officials on the development of the Roscosmos state space corporation, according to an official transcript. He said that the Russian government was investing heavily in space exploration and it expected returns. According to Medvedev, the government had channeled about 260 billion rubles (4 billion U.S. dollars) for space programs in 2019, most of which had reached Roscosmos, and before the end of the year, it will be allocated another 200 billion rubles (3 billion U.S. dollars). However, Roscosmos has so far used only 22 percent of the allocated money, which may result in incomplete use of the existing industrial capacities and failure to comply with various deadlines, Medvedev said. He noted that the state contracts for manned space flights have not been fulfilled and the deadlines for launching modules for the deployment and operation of the Russian segment of the International Space Station have been constantly put off. Roscosmos and federal structures have to solve these issues taking into account economic sanctions and other restrictions imposed on Russia, Medvedev said. ABC/ Lorenzo BevilaquaIdris Elba loves a driving challenge, and now hes competing against a professional driver in a new reality show. The Thor: Ragnarok star will face off against renowned rally driver Ken Block in the car stunt series Elba vs. Block, which will be available on the new Quibi video streaming service, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They will compete in London in a series of challenges with names including "Wall of Death," "Car Tightrope" and "Flaming Obstacle Course." "Ken is my driving hero. I've never worked with a driver as skilled as him, so I'm a little intimidated by his talent," Elba says. "I love challenges, I love speed and I'm a 'wheel man,' so let's see how this plays out." Block is also looking forward to driving against the famed actor. "I'm really excited to be partnering up with Idris on this new show," he says. "I've admired his work for years, and he has a reputation as a man who likes to go fast behind the wheel of a car, so I think we're going to have a lot of fun with these challenges that the producers have lined up for us." Elba has been involved in several motorsport projects in the past. Elba previously starred in the No Limits show on Discovery, which featured him in a variety of driving challenges. In one of the episodes in 2015, he broke a United Kingdom speed record, hitting 186 miles per hour in a Bentley. Quibi will launch in 2020. No details were released on when Idris vs. Block will debut. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 07:15:25|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close White House press secretary Sarah Sanders attends a press briefing at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 11, 2019. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that press secretary Sarah Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of this month. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- White House press secretary Sarah Sanders is leaving her position, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday. In a pair of tweets making the announcement, Trump said that Sanders will leave the White House at the end of this month and return to Arkansas, her home state. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic," the president wrote. He has not named a replacement for Sanders. Sanders, 36, is the third woman to have served as White House press secretary and is one of Trump's closest aides. "I love the President and my job. The most important job I'll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it's time for us to go home," she said in a tweet. Speaking to an event at the White House on Thursday afternoon, Trump said that Sanders will join the private sector, while weighing in on the possibility that she will run for governor of Arkansas, a position that her father Mike Huckabee held from 1996 to 2007. "We've been through a lot together. She's tough, and she's good," Trump said. "If we can get her to run for the governor of Arkansas, I think she'll do very well," Trump said. Sanders, who later spoke briefly at the podium, called her tenure "truly the most special experience," vowing to continue to be "one of most outspoken and loyal supporters" of Trump and his agenda. But she did not comment on the president's suggestion that she might run for office. A senior adviser for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Sanders was named to the position of deputy White House press secretary after the Republican's victory in the election. She was promoted to White House press secretary following the resignation of Sean Spicer in July 2017. During her tenure, there has been a decline in the number of White House press briefings, as the president answers questions from reporters on a near-daily basis. Sanders' last briefing was more 90 days ago but she often gave press gaggles on the White House driveway after she had been interviewed by news outlets. Her relationship with the press corps became particularly strained a year ago after comedian Michelle Wolf took a shot at her during the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association. "She burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye," said Wolf, as Sanders sat nearby at the head table. The association, which represents the White House press corps, later said that the barbs were "not in the spirit of the mission" of the organization. White House aides did not attend this year's dinner. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 07:25:29|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu on Thursday praised the League of Arab States as "an important bridge" for exchanges and cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab world. At a UN Security Council meeting, Ma noted that recent years have seen close cooperation between the world body and the League of Arab States in easing regional tensions and solving hotspot issues. Particularly, on promoting better cooperation between the Security Council and the league, Ma proposed to pursue dialogue and consultation, and to advocate inclusive reconciliation in improving regional security situation. As many problems in the Middle East are intertwined, all parties need to treat each other as equals, consult extensively, seek common ground, and build a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security architecture, he stressed. Moreover, the Chinese envoy said while the League of Arab States can play a greater role in solving problems concerning the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Libya and Sudan, the United Nations should assist the league in enhancing its capability in conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Thursday's meeting was held under the theme of cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations, mainly discussing the world body's cooperation with the League of Arab States. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 07:30:34|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (2nd R, front) addresses the Security Council meeting on cooperation between UN and the League of Arab States, at the UN headquarters in New York, June 13, 2019. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said the UN Liaison Office to the League of Arab States in the Egyptian capital Cairo will become operational in June. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The head of the Arab League on Thursday said fruitful cooperation between the regional group and the UN Security Council requires transparent and frank exchange of information. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, called for "a permanent and institutional arrangement for the exchange of information transparently as well as frankly" between the two sides, in order for the council to be appraised of the views and assessments of the league. Speaking to the most powerful body of the United Nations, the veteran Egyptian diplomat also stressed the need to advance the level of coordination and interaction with the Arab League by the UN special representatives and envoys. Moreover, he said the cooperation the Arab League aspires to achieve with the council and UN agencies should encompass all stages of early warning, mediation, good offices, preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution, and post-conflict peace building and sustainability. Thursday's meeting was held under the theme of cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations, mainly discussing the world body's cooperation with the Arab League. Before Aboul-Gheit spoke, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lauded the cooperation between the two sides, saying they share a common mission of preventing conflict and resolving disputes. He said the two organizations have worked together to expand economic opportunity, advance respect for all human rights and build political inclusion. Within the challenges faced by the region, he said, lies the opportunity to build on the words and intentions of the charters of the two organizations for action that will bring "real change to the peoples of the Arab world and beyond." Guterres said he has prioritized cooperation with regional bodies "from day one" and no single organization or country can address the complex challenges the world faces. "Our cooperation with the League of Arab States is pivotal," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 08:03:57|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Visitors are seen in front of a memorial hall marking the departure of the Long March by the Central Red Army in Yudu County, east China's Jiangxi Province, May 20, 2019. Yudu is the starting point of the Long March, a military maneuver carried out by the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army from 1934 to 1936. China has launched an activity that will take journalists to retrace the route of the Long March. The activity is aimed at paying tribute to the revolutionary martyrs and passing on the traditions of revolution, as the country celebrates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China this year. (Xinhua/Hu Chenhuan) Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 07:50:41|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close KIEV, June 13 (Xinhua) -- About 135,000 law enforcement officers will ensure the security during the snap parliamentary elections to be held on June 21, said the Minister of Internal Affairs adviser Ivan Stoyko during his briefing in Kiev on Thursday. "Approximately 135,000 law enforcement officers will be ensuring the rule of law during the elections. More than 70,000 of them will be National Police officers, said Ivan Stoyko at the briefing. Stoyko noted that his ministry and some other state bodies are ready to protect the electoral process. According to a press release of the National Police of Ukraine, 75 reports about electoral process related crimes were registered by police since the beginning of the electoral campaign. On May 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to dissolve the parliament and set early parliamentary elections for July 21, the presidential press service said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 07:55:46|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close China's permanent representative to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu (L, front) addresses the Security Council meeting on cooperation between UN and the League of Arab States, at the UN headquarters in New York, June 13, 2019. Ma Zhaoxu on Thursday praised the League of Arab States as "an important bridge" for exchanges and cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab world. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese UN envoy said Thursday the League of Arab States is an important partner in the implementation of the UN global counter-terrorism strategy. At a Security Council meeting, Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ma Zhaoxu said that in promoting better cooperation with the Arab League, "we must push forward the fight against terrorism and prevent violent extremism." Ma said the United Nations and the Arab League can carry out counter-terrorism cooperation through joint projects, and strengthen information sharing, capacity building and coordinated actions, in their joint response to the challenges in counter-terrorism in the Middle East. In addition, the Chinese envoy praised the Arab League as "an important bridge" for exchanges and cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab world. He noted recent years have seen close cooperation between the world body and the league in easing regional tensions and solving hotspot issues. While the Arab League can play a greater role in solving problems concerning the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Libya and Sudan, he said, the United Nations should assist the league in enhancing its capability in conflict prevention, mediation, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Thursday's meeting was held under the theme of cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations, mainly discussing the world body's cooperation with the Arab League. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 09:06:10|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close TRIPOLI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Thursday expressed concerns over "an increased military presence" at an oil terminal in eastern Libya, saying such presence is "potentially making it a military objective." "These actions could result in the withdrawal of NOC personnel from the port for their safety," the NOC said in a statement. Dozens of military personnel entered the Ras Lanuf terminal earlier this month, took over a building and 31 dormitories of oil workers, and attempted to fuel a fighter jet, the statement said. "The presence of forces inside the terminal represents an unacceptable risk to employees," said NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla. "This renders the terminal a potential military target, thereby risking the destruction of Libyan oil infrastructure and the consequential economic crisis." The Ras Lanuf oil terminal is part of Libya's "oil crescent," a region that contains the country's largest oil ports and is controlled by the east-based army, led by General Khalifa Haftar. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:01:41|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close DUSHANBE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Against the backdrop of changing security challenges in the world, countries in Asia need to pull together to bring their vision of a security governance model with Asian features into reality. The 5th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) opens on Friday in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, bringing together leaders of member countries to find effective mechanisms to tackle security and other challenges facing Asia as a whole. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It harbors 48 countries and comprises 30 percent of the world's land area with 60 percent of the world's population. The task of maintaining security in this part of the world is therefore immensely difficult. Today, some parts of the continent are still plagued by turbulence and conflict caused by traditional and non-traditional security threats. At the same time, the reemergence of the Cold-War mentality and hegemonic bullyism are posing serious threats to the stability and security of the world, including Asia. It is imperative to invent and implement a security system that can safeguard the vital interests of all Asians. On the one hand, Asian countries all value mutual respect, consensus-building and accommodation of each other's comfort levels, which means it is feasible to explore a new approach to regional security cooperation, one that reflects Asian needs, suits Asia and serves the common interests of all. Asia is home to diverse ethic groups, religions and cultures, and varying social systems, development paths and levels of economic development. CICA members should build consensus in the region in order to develop a new type of partnership featuring deepened security cooperation and confidence-building. Ultimately the hope is to build a community with a shared future in Asia. Meanwhile, mutual understanding, mutual accommodation and peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and consultation are practical approaches toward such goals. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his signed article published on Wednesday ahead of his state visit to Tajikistan, hailed CICA as "an important regional platform," saying that the organization in its 27-year history "has responded to the call of the times and sought to enhance trust and collaboration among countries and uphold regional security and stability, making positive contributions to peace and development in Asia." Since the 2014 CICA summit held in Shanghai, CICA members have not only broadened their cooperation, but also stepped up CICA's interactions with such multilateral institutions as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Building on their past achievements and facing new situations, Asian countries and their partners worldwide need to jointly preserve multilateralism and the global free trade system, oppose unilateralism and bullying, and commit themselves to improving and updating the global governance system. When speaking to the CICA foreign ministers in Beijing in 2016, Xi said: "A stable and developing Asia is a blessing, while a turbulent and declining Asia would bring nothing but trouble to the world." And it is a shared responsibility for all Asian countries to ensure that their continent is a blessing for the world. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:01:43|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The almond industry in the western U.S. state of California is calling for a quick solution to the trade frictions between the United States and China ahead of another record harvest this year. Almonds are one of the state's top three valued commodities and leading agriculture export, but its exports to China have continued to drop as a result of the U.S. move to slap steep tariffs on Chinese products. On May 10, the United States imposed additional tariffs on 200 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent, and has threatened to raise tariffs on some 300 billion dollars' worth of Chinese imports yet to be hit. California exported 112.6 million pounds (about 51.1 million kg) of almonds to China from Aug. 1, 2018 to May 31, down by 30 percent year-on-year, according to the latest report by the Almond Board of California. "We are definitely feeling the effect. We hope the trade situation will be resolved as soon as possible," said Richard Waycott, president and CEO of the Almond Board of California, on Thursday. California's almond industry exports 67 percent of what it produces and the amount accounts for more than 80 percent of the global supply, show statistics of the Almond Board and the Almond Alliance of California (AAC). The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts that the almond harvest will hit a record 2.5 billion pounds (about 1.13 billion kg) in California this year. China is the third largest export market of California's almond industry, which has been actively invested in the region for more than 20 years. While the retaliatory tariffs have impacted California's market share of almonds in China, they would disrupt the state's relationship with its commercial partners and affect considerable market development investment, said the AAC in a statement on May 23. "We will continue investment in China as the same level as prior to the tariffs implementation. From the long-term view that the trade conflicts will end at some point, we believe in the China market and the opportunities for growth," said Waycott. He participated in SIAL Conference, a major food innovation exhibition in Asia held in Shanghai China last month, and plans to go to China in August and September for two major industry conferences. "We know Chinese love almonds. The affection for almonds is growing by a large amount over the last 10 to 15 years. The almonds from California have been very well received by Chinese consumers," said Waycott. The industry has identified the growing middle class, especially the young female, to promote almonds with a lifestyle approach. "We are fully committed to the Chinese market despite the trade issues. We've invested more in the China market than anywhere else in the world outside of the United States," said Waycott. "We want our customer base that we've worked with for so many years to know that we are doing everything we can to help with their business," he noted. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:11:47|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close TRIPOLI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Libya's east-based army on Thursday announced that it shot down a fighter jet of the UN-backed government in the city of Misurata, some 200 km east of the capital Tripoli. "A fighter jet of the Unity Government has been shot down and its pilot was killed in Dafnia area in Misurata after it was attacked by our forces," the army's information office said in a statement. This is the fourth time the army announced downing a government warplane since the army, led by Khalifa Haftar, launched a military campaign in early April to take over Tripoli, where the government is based. According to the World Health Organization, the fighting so far killed 653 and injured 3,547 others. The politically divided country has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:16:55|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Friday that it will raise anti-dumping duties on imports of alloy-steel seamless pipes from the United States and the European Union. U.S. producers of the tubes and pipes for high temperature and pressure service are subject to anti-dumping duties of between 101 percent and 147.8 percent, while rates for EU companies range between 57.9 percent and 60.8 percent. The adjusted rates took effect on Friday. China started to impose anti-dumping duties ranged between 13 percent and 14.1 percent on imported alloy-steel seamless pipes from those regions in 2014 on the grounds that the products were being dumped on the Chinese market at below market prices. The latest decision follows a review last year that found such dumping still existed. High temperature and high pressure alloy steel and seamless steel tubes are mainly used in supercritical and ultra-supercritical boilers and steaming-water pipes in power stations. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:21:59|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close GAZA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli war jets struck early on Friday militants' facilities in the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired from the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave into southern Israel, eyewitnesses and security sources said. The sources said Israeli war jets fired several air-to-ground missiles at training facilities that belong to militant groups, including the armed wing of the Hamas movement. Medical crews and civil defence forces rushed to the scene, witnesses said, adding that fire was seen in the targeted posts. No injuries were reported. Meanwhile, an Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that Israeli Air Force war planes struck targets that belong to Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The statement said the airstrike on militants' training posts in Gaza was a response to rockets fired Thursday night from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, which caused severe damage to a house. No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:27:08|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close HOUSTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. imports of crude oil from members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in March 2019 reached the lowest level since March 1986, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Thursday. According to EIA's data, the U.S. imports of crude from OPEC members totaled 1.5 million barrels per day (b/d) in March. The figure has generally fallen over the previous decade as the United States has increased its domestic crude oil production. From the early 1980s through the late 2000s, OPEC member countries were the source of about half of all U.S. crude oil imports. In the past decade, however, total U.S. crude oil imports have fallen and OPEC's share has decreased. Non-OPEC countries such as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia have made up larger shares. In each of the past four years, Canada alone has supplied more crude oil to the United States than all OPEC members combined, EIA said. Through the first quarter of 2019, U.S. crude oil imports from OPEC members Venezuela and Iraq have fallen the most. U.S. sanctions directed at Venezuela's energy sector have driven the imports to recent low levels, the organization concluded. In the same period, the volume of U.S. crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, the two largest sources of imports from OPEC in 2018, have averaged 26 percent and 28 percent below their 2018 average levels. EIA observed that U.S. crude oil imports from other OPEC members also declined following a November 2016 agreement by OPEC members and a number of non-OPEC producers to cut crude oil production. As a result of the cuts, many OPEC members reduced exports to the United States in favor of growing markets in Asia. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:37:14|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close GABORONE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Botswana is working to equip farmers with the necessary tools to assess and tackle fall armyworms' threat to its food security, a local official said Thursday. Kuate Sebua, the head of pest management in Botswana's Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, told a media engagement seminar in Francistown, Botswana's second largest city, that fall armyworms have got the potential to wipe out crops and threaten the country's food security. "It is against this backdrop that we are strengthening awareness campaigns and building stakeholders' capacity in the fight against fall armyworm through raising funds," Sebua said. Furthermore, Sebua said that Botswana's government, in conjunction with non-governmental organizations, private seed and chemical companies alongside agricultural research institutions, is strengthening research and development, as well as screening germplasm. The fall armyworm, which originates from the Americas, first appeared in Botswana in 2017 after causing massive damage to crops in its northwestern neighbor Zambia, including the loss of over 40,000 tons of maize. To reduce the number of fall armyworms and their impact on agricultural production in Botswana, Sebua said a multi-pronged approach is required such as the fast registration of appropriate chemicals. Sebua said that surveillance and early warning, monitoring and avoiding chemical resistance are some of the strategies being put in place to reduce fall armyworms in the southern African country. Patience Mawere, head of phytosanitary department in Botswana's Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, said surveillance and monitoring assist the Botswana in detecting the presence of the pest. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 10:47:17|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 661 U.S. companies and associations have signed a letter to President Donald Trump, urging his administration to abandon tariff hikes and reach a deal with China, a U.S. nationwide anti-tariff campaign said Thursday. According to a press release issued by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, a bipartisan campaign against levies, 520 companies and 141 associations said in the letter that they "remain concerned about the escalation of tit-for-tat tariffs" between the United States and China. "We know firsthand that the additional tariffs will have a significant, negative and long-term impact on American businesses, farmers, families and the U.S. economy," read the letter. "Tariffs are taxes paid directly by U.S. companies." The letter came as the U.S. Trade Representative Office plans to begin a public hearing on June 17 to solicit public comments on and responses to proposed tariff measures. The Trump administration increased additional tariffs on 200 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent in May, and has threatened to impose tariffs of 25 percent on essentially all remaining Chinese goods sold to the United States -- valued at roughly 300 billion dollars -- which are not yet subject to extra duties. In response, China raised additional tariffs on a range of U.S. imports on June 1. Tariffs Hurt the Heartland said combined with the impact of previously implemented tariffs and retaliation, the new tariffs on another 300 billion dollars worth of Chinese imports, if imposed, would result in the loss of more than 2 million U.S. jobs, add more than 2,000 dollars in costs for an average American family of four, and reduce the value of U.S. gross domestic product by 1 percent. "We urge your administration to get back to the negotiating table," signatories of the letter told Trump. "An escalated trade war is not in the country's best interest, and both sides will lose." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 11:02:21|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close by Victoria Arguello MENDOZA, Argentina, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Cherry-red Chinese-made electric buses have facilitated green mass transit in two key regions of Argentina -- the capital Buenos Aires and the western Mendoza province. Already known for its sustainable mobility system with trolleybus powered by overhead cables, Mendoza has become the first Argentine province to have electric buses as part of its urban transportation fleet. "We are once again pioneers with the help of Chinese technology," Raul Moreno, head of traffic for the Mendoza Transportation Society (STM), a company that manages mass transit throughout the province, told Xinhua. The STM bought 18 Chinese-made vehicles in March, six from Zhongtong Bus and 12 from BYD. Both are China's new energy automakers. "We have incorporated this technology in different new route services as part of a new system called Mendotran," he said. The spacious air-conditioned electric buses can travel 250-300 km on a single charge, which takes a maximum of five hours. "We are counting on both the traditional urban passenger service and these (new) electric units with clean, sustainable energy, which Argentina did not have before," Moreno said. The buses are also wheelchair-accessible and can transport up to 83 passengers with 26 seats. Lucas Campana, a local motorist, said he was pleased with the inclusion of electric buses into the public transport system. "I think it's good ecological progress to help the environment, or it would be very polluted by all the oil, gas, diesel cars," said Campana. Zhongtong is also part of a year-long pilot program in Buenos Aires. Four Zhongtong buses were added to bus lines in May as part of the city's 2035 Clean Mobility Plan, as the government looks to gradually renew the city's transportation system with environmentally-friendly buses based on the result of the pilot program. In recent years, China and Argentina have strengthened bilateral cooperation in technology, including clean and renewable energy. China has helped with Argentina's goal to generate more energy from sustainable sources through several infrastructure projects in the northwest and southern regions of the South American country. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 11:02:22|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close WELLINGTON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The man accused of the Christchurch mosque attacks that killed 51 people pled not guilty to all the 92 charges in his third court appearance on Friday after New Zealand's deadliest terrorist attacks on March 15. The suspect, Brenton Tarrant, 28, appeared by video link at the High Court in Christchurch during Friday's hearing, attended by about 80 people. His first court appearance in person was on March 16 and the accused will next appear for a case-review hearing in August before facing trial on May 4, 2020. The gunman in an Auckland prison appeared expressionless during the hearing and smiled when his lawyer entered the not guilty pleas. During his first brief court appearance the day after the attacks, he smirked to the media many times. He pled not guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge under the Terrorism Suppression Act. According to the court, no mental health issues arose after the relevant assessment was conducted. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 11:25:28|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close Photo taken on June 13, 2019 shows straw sandal craftsman Xiao Nandou in Hanxin Village, Yudu County of east China's Jiangxi Province. Xiao Nandou, 75 years old, is one of few craftsmen able to weave straw sandals in Yudu County. His father, also a straw sandal craftsman, used to weave 200 pairs of straw sandals together with other villagers in a few days for the Red Army soldiers to depart for the Long March, a military maneuver carried out by the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army from 1934 to 1936. (Xinhua/Li Renzi) Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 11:17:34|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close LONDON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Rescued from extinction, 4,000 critically endangered Greater Bermuda snails are being sent by air mail -- rather than snail mail -- to Bermuda, conservationists at Britain's Chester Zoo announced Thursday. The snail was believed to be extinct until a few individuals were discovered still alive, which led to Chester Zoo establishing an emergency conservation breeding program that has seen 4,000 snails returned to the wild. The snail (Poecilozonites bermudensis), which measures around 2cm and lives only on the remote, oceanic islands of Bermuda, was driven almost to extinction by predation from introduced species of carnivorous snails and flatworms. Feared to have vanished completely until a small number were rediscovered in 2014, fewer than 200 are currently estimated to remain in the wild. Over the past three years, a population of the snails has been established at Chester Zoo as part of a breeding program to rescue the species after receiving a plea for help from the Bermudian government. Chester zookeeper Heather Prince, joined by snail specialist Dr Kristiina Ovaska and wildlife ecologist Dr Mark Outerbridge from the Bermudian government, has taken the snails home. The snails are being released on Nonsuch Island in Bermuda, an island nature reserve which has been chosen as an ideal location for the reintroduction following extensive field research. The island can only be accessed under strict quarantine protocols to prevent the unwanted introduction of alien species. To track the snails and chart their progress, some will be fitted with fluorescent tags, a unique observation technique trialed by Ovaska and the team from Chester Zoo. The tags will enable conservationists to monitor their dispersal, growth rates, activity patterns, population size and, ultimately, the overall success of the reintroduction. It is incredible to be involved in a project that has prevented the extinction of a species, said Dr Gerardo Garcia, the zoo's curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates. "The Bermuda snail is one of Bermuda's oldest endemic animal inhabitants. It has survived radical changes to the landscape and ecology on the remote oceanic islands of Bermuda over a million years but, since the 1950s and 60s, it has declined rapidly. In the early 1990s, it was actually believed to be extinct until it was discovered again in one remote location in 2014," he said. "It wasn't too long ago that we considered this species extinct, but because of the serendipitous rediscovery of a relict population on Bermuda and the dedicated care that our UK partners have shown in propagating them, there are now 4,000 snails being released this month," Outerbridge said. Several further releases are expected to take place in the coming months, following extensive work to restore important habitat on many of Bermuda's offshore islands. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 11:47:54|Editor: zh Video Player Close LHASA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet opened on Friday in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China. The one-day forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the people's government of Tibet Autonomous Region, gathers nearly 160 scholars and officials from 37 countries and regions. Focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative and Tibet's opening-up and development, attendees will discuss topics such as the role of Tibet in the building of the Belt and Road, and the opening-up of Tibet and the inheritance and development of Tibetan culture. Prior to the forum, the delegates visited villages, elementary schools and maker-spaces in Nyingchi of southeast Tibet, and held talks with people from various walks of life. In the regional capital Lhasa, they visited a welfare facility, a hospital specialized in Tibetan medicine and a high school. They visited the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street to learn first-hand about the protection of cultural relics and traditional culture in Tibet. The delegates also visited a memorial hall that marks the emancipation of serfs. This year, Tibet celebrates the 60th anniversary of democratic reform that abolished serfdom. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 11:47:55|Editor: zh Video Player Close GENEVA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The chilling winds of unilateralism, protectionism and bullying cannot destroy the "giant tree of China," and the forest made up of all nations will remain safe if they cooperate with each other, China's new Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva Chen Xu said Thursday. Chen made the remarks at a press conference organized by the UN journalists' association in Geneva, marking his first interaction with the press since taking office about one month ago. POSITION ON ECONOMIC, TRADE CONSULTATIONS Under the current international situation, said the Chinese envoy, "the tree wants to stand still but the winds just don't stop," as some countries insist on suppressing China as a major strategic competitor. "The Chinese side has always insisted on resolving the disputes through dialogue and consultation, and is willing to promote a mutually beneficial and win-win agreement in a cooperative manner," he said. However, cooperation has to be based on principles, he said, adding that there are bottom lines in consultations. China does not want a trade war, but it is not afraid of one and will fight to the end if need be, according to Chen. "China is doing this not only for its own benefits, but also for the common interests of the world," he added. "GIANT TREE" For him, China has grown into a "giant tree" over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially after 40 years of reform and opening up. "China's development achievements belong not only to China but also to the world. China has unswervingly taken the path of peaceful development and has no intention of challenging or subverting the existing international system," said Chen. The diplomat told reporters that in the face of the challenges of the times, China's proposal is to actively promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation. "A single tree does not make a forest. The strength of a single country is weak. Only cooperation can make a big deal," he stressed. On China's determination to broadly deepen reforms and comprehensively expand its opening up, the Chinese envoy said that China will adopt a series of major reform and opening up measures, strengthen institutional and structural arrangements and promote wider foreign market access. RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS ABOUT XINJIANG, HONG KONG In response to questions about Xinjiang, Chen said that there is no so-called "re-education camps" in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region but vocational and educational training centers. The establishment of such facilities have promoted local development and significantly contributed to "zero terror attack" in Xinjiang over the last two years, which proves that China's measures are a valuable contribution to the world's anti-terrorism cause, Chen said. When asked if China would invite the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to visit Xinjiang, Chen said the Chinese side welcomes the high commissioner to visit China, including Xinjiang, at a time of convenience for both sides. In response to questions about the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's proposal to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance, Chen said the Chinese central government supports the HKSAR government in advancing the amendment to the two ordinances so as to better fight crimes and maintain the rule of law there. Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs. No other country, organization or individual has the right to interfere, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 12:08:12|Editor: zh Video Player Close NEW DELHI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will attend the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from June 14-15, said official sources. CICA is a multinational forum with the objective to enhance cooperation among its member states in the areas of peace, security and stability in Asia and the world beyond. During the summit, CICA leaders are likely to deliberate on the existing and emerging issues of common concern to the members and underline implementation of confidence building measures for developing Asia into a prosperous, secure and peaceful region. On the sidelines of the CICA meeting, the indian minister will also hold bilateral meetings with other CICA leaders, added the sources. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 12:18:14|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close Medical workers participate in a rally demanding adequate security in Kolkata, India, on June 14, 2019. The strike triggered Monday night after a junior doctor at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was allegedly assaulted by the relatives of a patient who had died. The doctor suffered a head injury and is in critical care at a private hospital. Following the incident, doctors went on strike, alleging police inaction and demanding action against the guilty, besides safety of doctors. The protesting junior doctors in India's eastern state of West Bengal have refused to end their strike until they are provided adequate security in the government-run hospitals, officials said Friday. (Xinhua/Tumpa Mondal) NEW DELHI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The protesting junior doctors in India's eastern state of West Bengal have refused to end their strike until they are provided adequate security in the government-run hospitals, officials said Friday. The agitating junior doctors defied Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ultimatum and are steadfast on not resuming their work until their demands are met. "With the continuing deadlock, the medical services in the government-run hospitals seem to be going into a deeper crisis," an official said. "Today is the fourth straight day of the strike." On Thursday Banerjee visited the SSKM Hospital and gave four hours ultimatum to the agitating doctors to resume their duty or vacate their hostels. However, following the ultimatum a six-member team of striking doctors' association met West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi at Raj Bhavan and submitted a four-point demand to him. According to officials, the governor has forwarded the demand of doctors to the chief minister, urging her to end the crisis. "The doctors are asking for the deployment of armed police forces in the hospital premises," an official privy to the development said. Health services in many state-run medical colleges and associated hospitals in the state have been badly hit over the past three days especially in emergency wards, outpatient facilities and pathological units The strike triggered Monday night after a junior doctor at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was allegedly assaulted by the relatives of a patient who had died. The doctor suffered a head injury and is in critical care at a private hospital. Following the incident, doctors went on strike, alleging police inaction and demanding action against the guilty, besides safety of doctors. On Thursday India's federal Health Minister Harsh Vardhan condemned the violence against doctors in Kolkata and urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. Indian Medical Association directed its members in all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday as a mark of solidarity with the striking doctors in West Bengal. On Thursday resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi were seen treating patients wearing helmets and donning bandages on their foreheads as a symbol of solidarity with the doctor that was attacked in West Bengal. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 12:23:18|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close VIENTIANE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Officials of Laos and Singapore have agreed to work closely together in the fight against transnational and organized crime syndicates, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was recently signed by Attorney-General of Singapore Lucien Wong and Supreme People's Prosecutor of Laos Khamsone Souvong on Wednesday in Lao capital Vientiane, a press release from the Lao government says. The MOU means the two countries will work together on a number of strategies which includes the training of legal officials in prosecuting transnational criminal activities. Exchange of information and transparency in communication is also an important part of the agreement. Transnational crimes are crimes that have an actual or potential effect across national borders, and crimes that are intrastate but offend fundamental values of the international community. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 12:23:20|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close VIENTIANE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government is endeavoring to stabilize the prices of various goods, including food items, against the backdrop of rising costs in the processing industry, local daily Vientiane Times on Friday quoted the Lao prime minister as reporting to the National Assembly (NA). The value of traded goods in the first four months of 2019 stood at 15,500 billion kip (about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 11.8 percent compared to the same period last year. The value represented 23.8 percent of the NA's annual plan, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith told the ongoing NA ordinary session this week, according to an NA press release. "The value of the processing industry and handicraft production touched 3,240 billion kip (about 374 million U.S. dollars), an increase of 33.6 percent compared to the same period last year, and 26.1 percent of NA's annual plan," Thongloun said. He noted that the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce has recently issued One District One Product (ODOP) certification to 18 products across six business units. "Currently, the country comprises a total of 171 ODOP business units with 647 products," he added. Food items in Laos are more expensive as domestic production is still minimal, and the cost of financing capital is high. More investment is required to minimize imported products, according to the ministry. Other factors effecting local production included the lack of advanced farming methods and modern equipment plus the relatively high cost of labor. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 12:43:29|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close People check the site of an airstrike at a seaport under construction in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, June 14, 2019. Israel struck on Friday militants' facilities in the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired from the strip, amid tension between the two sides after Israel imposed a naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar) GAZA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Israel struck on Friday militants' facilities in the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired from the strip, amid tension between the two sides after Israel imposed a naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave. Eyewitnesses and security sources said Israeli war jets fired several air-to-ground missiles at training facilities that belong to militant groups, including the armed wing of the Hamas movement. Medical crews and civil defence forces rushed to the scene, witnesses said, adding that fire was seen in the targeted posts. No injuries were reported. Meanwhile, an Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that Israeli Air Force war planes struck targets that belong to Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The statement said the airstrike on militants' training posts in Gaza was a response to rockets fired Thursday night from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, which caused severe damage to a house. No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. It is the second rocket attack launched from Gaza on Israel in less than one day. The previous one was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, and Israel retaliated by striking a Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials and opposition leaders have called for launching a large-scale military offensive against the Gaza Strip and targeting top leaders including Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yehya Sinwar. Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an e-mailed statement that the Israeli threat against the Gaza Strip and Hamas leaders "is only to gain more electoral votes." "These threats won't scare or terrify our people and their armed resistance," said Qassem. "The armed resistance will again defeat the occupation's aggression and defend its people." The rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel came shortly after Israel announced Wednesday that it had imposed a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and banned Gaza fishermen from fishing. Palestinians will gather on Friday for the weekly anti-Israel protests, also known as the "Great March of Return" that has been held on Fridays since March 30 last year. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 12:53:32|Editor: zh Video Player Close SANTIAGO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on Thursday announced a cabinet reshuffle, replacing six ministers after a lower support rate for his government. Teodoro Ribera, a lawyer and former minister of justice during Pinera's first term was appointed as the new foreign minister to replace Roberto Ampuero. The current Minister of Public Works, Juan Andres Fontaine, was appointed minister of economy, as a substitute for Jose Ramon Valente. The changes came on the same day when pollster CEP showed the approval ratings for Pinera's administration plunged 25 percent amid a complicated economic and social situation. "Governing has always been a difficult and demanding task, and these difficulties and demands are exacerbated in times of confrontation and weakness of the world economy, and of excessive internal divisions and obstacles," the president said after announcing the shake-up. The president also appointed new ministers of health, public works, social development and energy. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 12:53:33|Editor: zh Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council on Thursday proposed a set of mechanisms to achieve enhanced cooperation with the Arab League. In a presidential statement, the council said it "encourages" the holding of an annual briefing by the secretary-general of the Arab League as well as an annual informal meeting between its members and the members of the Council of the League of Arab States. The UN body also expressed its intention to consider further steps to promote closer cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab League in the fields of conflict early warning, prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustaining peace. The council welcomed the upcoming opening of the UN liaison office at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo in June, and encouraged the UN secretariat and the secretariat general of the Arab League to maximize the utilization of this office. On Thursday, the Security Council held a meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations, mainly discussing the world body's cooperation with the Arab League. Speaking at the meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lauded the cooperation between the United Nations and the Arab League, saying the two organizations share a common mission of preventing conflict and resolving disputes. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary-general of the League of Arab States, called for "a permanent and institutional arrangement for the exchange of information transparently as well as frankly" with the Security Council, in order for it to be appraised of the views and assessments of the league. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 13:08:38|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close People mourn former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke outside the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, June 14, 2019. Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke has been farewelled at a state memorial service inside the Sydney Opera House on Friday. Remembered as one of Australia's most significant political figures, Hawke passed away peacefully last month at the age of 89. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei) SYDNEY, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke has been farewelled at a state memorial service inside the Sydney Opera House on Friday. Remembered as one of Australia's most significant political figures, Hawke passed away peacefully last month at the age of 89. As leader of the Labor Party, Hawke was Australia's third longest serving Prime Minister, holding office from 1983 to 1991, during which time he introduced landmark economic reforms credited with modernising Australia's economy. "The 80s in Australia will always be the Hawke era and it is a rich legacy for Australians," current Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party Scott Morrison said in an address. Most remember Hawke not only as a shrewd political leader, but also a "larrikin," famous for his love of beer and honest public image. Speaking to Xinhua outside the Opera House, one of those who turned out to pay their respects, Margaret Cheah, said that living through Hawke's prime ministership gave her a great admiration for the man and his vision for Australia. "His idea that everyone would live here in peace -- so those who needed uplifting would be uplifted, and we could all work together and we could all form a great country," Cheah said. "He was a great person and also he was a larrikin. We had good fun with him and he understood the common man." Having graduated a Rhodes Scholarship from Oxford University, Hawke rose through the ranks of Australia's union movement, serving as president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 1969 to 1980. The impact Hawke made both in that role and as prime minister continues to endure and improve the lives of all Australians. "Bob Hawke loved our country and we are a better nation for it. In his passing, we honour and give thanks for a great Australian patriot," Morrison said. "Bob, your record is honoured, your legacy is secure and your country will be forever grateful." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 13:33:46|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close SUVA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Online payment options are now available for e-services such as birth registration and registrar of companies in Fiji in another move to make the island nation a cashless society. During the 2019/2020 National Budget announcement, Fiji's Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had revealed that from Friday the payment options will be made available to all Fijians. Khaiyum said they want to introduce electronic payment options across all government services in the island nation. "We want Fijians to take advantage of this transition so the government will be covering all of the associated card fees on electronic payments for government services while also undertaking a review of government fees and charges many of which have not been updated for decades." According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC)on Friday, digital revolution is advancing at a high pace and the Fijian government has allocated 39 million Fijian dollars (about 18 million U.S. dollars) for the DigitalFiji initiative. . , 2022- - , . , . " , ! , 2022- - , ", ... Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 14:09:04|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday defended Minister of Justice Sergio Moro, after the revelation of messages that question his impartiality as a judge. Bolsonaro defended Moro's actions as a judge in the Car Wash Operation case, a widely known corruption scandal that saw the conviction of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Since Sunday, online investigative journal "The Intercept Brazil" has disclosed conversations between Moro and the Car Wash Operation prosecutors, to whom he gave advice and hints about the case. The messages put in doubt the impartiality of the investigation which led to prison sentences for dozens of businessmen and politicians, including Lula. According to The Intercept Brazil, copies of the messages exchanged between the judge and the attorneys via a chat application on cell phone were provided by a source who asked to remain anonymous. Last week, the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety revealed that there had been an attempt to break into Moro's cell phone, and the Federal Police announced they had opened an investigation. In his public comments on the case, Bolsonaro said that what the minister did for Brazil is "priceless," and called the invasion of his cell phone "a criminal act," adding that "no one invented evidence" regarding Lula's sentence. On April 7, 2018, Moro found Lula guilty of corruption and money laundering and sent him to prison for having received an apartment from the construction firm OAS. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 14:39:16|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Only half of the 41 high and middle income countries surveyed offer at least six months of leave at full pay for mothers, the United Nations children's fund UNICEF said Thursday. A report titled "Are the World's Richest Countries Family-friendly?" ranks countries across the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and European Union based on their national family-friendly policies. These policies include the duration of parental leave at full pay equivalent and childcare services for children aged under six. UNICEF advocates at least six months of paid leave for parents, and universal access to quality, affordable childcare from birth to children's entry into the first grade of school. The report said that Estonia offers mothers the longest duration of leave at full pay at 85 weeks, followed by Hungary (72 weeks) and Bulgaria (65 weeks). The United States is the only country included in the analysis with no national paid leave policy for mothers or fathers. The report also finds that even when fathers are offered paid leave, many do not take it. In Japan, the only country that offers at least six months at full pay for fathers, only 1 in 20 took paid leave in 2017. South Korea has the second longest, yet fathers only make up one in six of all parents who take parental leave. "There is no time more critical to children's brain development -- and therefore their futures -- than the earliest years of life," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the agency's website. "We need governments to help provide parents with the support they need to create a nurturing environment for their young children. And we need the support and influence of the private sector to make this happen," she added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 14:49:23|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close SUVA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Fiji stressed on Friday the need to improve its construction industry which has played a key role in the island nation's socio-economic development over the past years. Speaking at the Construction Industry Council (CIC) conference in the Fijian capital of Suva on Friday, Fiji's Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said that the construction sector in Fiji grew on average by 9 percent per annum from 2016 to 2018. There were 24,300 people employed in the construction sector in 2016 while in 2011 there were 6,100 people employed, he said, adding that the construction industry has over the years experienced some unscrupulous practices, leading to a shortage of skilled workers in the island nation. The minister urged the country's construction industry to provide some sort of incentives for its workers to avoid the loss of skilled laborers. Fiji needs to grow its economy by implementing new standards, new way of thinking, new architectural plans and new ideas. And Fiji's 2019-2020 budget is focused on lifting the economy through enormous positive changes coming about in the next 18 months, including the incentives to stimulate investment, he said. Fiji's Minister for Industry Trade and Tourism Premila Kumar said that construction plays a key role in socio-economic development of any country. She said that her ministry will take the construction permit approval processes entirely online, with extensive work scheduled in the next financial year to prepare for that transition. The online platform is to provide the entrepreneurs a better doing business environment, making processes easier and moving towards a digital platform. In Fiji, the number of building permit applications rose to 1,725 in 2018 with a value of 370 million Fijian dollars (about 171 million U.S. dollars) and in the first three months of this year, and 273 building permit applications were recorded in the country with a value of 231 million Fijian dollars (about 106.7 million U.S. dollars). With the theme of "Building Solutions that Work," the three-day conference will end on Saturday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 14:59:31|Editor: ZX Video Player Close SYDNEY, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Australian share market finished higher on Friday, with mining stocks and the energy sector driving the action. At the close of trade, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up 11.60 points or 0.18 percent at 6,554.00, while the broader All Ordinaries index lifted 14.50 points or 0.22 percent at 6,633.60. While the financial sector failed to see support from investors and was a big weight on the market, the falls were offset by massive gains in the resources sectors. "Iron ore is a stand out, up more than 3.0 percent, as lower Chinese inventories continue to support spot prices," CMC Markets' chief market strategist Michael McCarthy told investors in an afternoon note. Australia's big banks struggled with the Commonwealth Bank down (0.81 percent), Westpac Bank down (0.89 percent), National Australia Bank down (1.00 percent) and ANZ up (0.74 percent). Mining stocks surged with BHP up (1.87 percent), Rio Tinto up (3.49 percent), Fortescue Metals up (5.39 percent) and gold miner Newcrest up (2.97 percent). The country's oil and gas producers also rallied with Woodside Petroleum up (1.92 percent), Santos up (2.64 percent) and Oil Search up (1.45 percent). Australia's largest supermarket chains came under pressure with Wesfarmers down (1.71 percent) and Woolworths down (0.34 percent). While telecommunications giant Telstra jumped (0.78 percent), the national carrier Qantas fell (0.36 percent) and biomedical firm CSL edged slightly higher (0.11 percent). Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 15:35:02|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close SANAA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for fresh drone attacks on Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, the group's al-Masirah TV reported early Friday. The group said Friday that it has launched several drone strikes against the airport in a tit-for-tat move following a series of air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition against the capital Sanaa. Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported that the Saudi air defence forces intercepted and destroyed five bomb-laden drones launched by Houthi militias to Abha airport and border city Khamis Mushait in the same region earlier in the day. "The airport and the air traffic were operating normally," Turki Al Maliki, spokesperson of the Saudi-led coalition, was quoted by Al Arabiya television as saying. It was the second attack on the airport since a cruise missile was fired at the airport on Wedensday, which wounded 26 people, including three women and two children. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have led the coalition against Houthis for years in support of Yemen's internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 15:40:05|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close by Xinhua writers Ma Qian, Xu Xingtang, and Zhang Mocheng NEW YORK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- More Chinese companies have been striving to build stronger brands in a global arena. Their brand value rises rapidly, primarily propelled by technology-driven innovation and overseas consumers' acknowledgement, some researchers and reports showed. "We have seen that the Chinese brands overall have experienced a massive growth," Doreen Wang, global head of BrandZ, a brand equity database managed by brand consultancy Kantar, told Xinhua. "We have a very big faith in Chinese brands, their current efforts and their future growth potential," Wang said. SURGE IN BRAND VALUE A total of 15 Chinese brands gained their footholds in the 2019 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking this year, according to an annual report released on Tuesday by global communication services provider WPP and Kantar. Among them, e-commerce heavyweight Alibaba and internet giant Tencent entered the global top 10, ranking No. 7 and No. 8 respectively. Nine brands made their debut in the highly competitive list. BrandZ is what it describes as the world's largest database for brand equity, which refers to a brand's value based on consumer perception of and experiences with the brand. Besides, the total value of the top 100 most valuable Chinese brands leaped a record 30 percent to 889.7 billion U.S. dollars, making the largest annual rise since the ranking for Chinese brands was launched in 2011, according to another report titled 2019 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands released in May. In particular, Chinese technology brands dominate the top 10 in terms of overseas presence. Six brands, including Huawei, smartphone maker Xiaomi, drone maker DJI, AI and humanoid robotic company UBTECH Robotics, double their figures of last year. STRONGER BRAND POWER OVERSEAS A separate study also showed that the brand power -- a BrandZ measure of brand equity -- of Chinese brands in the global market, expanded by 15 percent year on year, compared with the 5 percent growth last year. The strongest growth of brand power appeared in mobile gaming, e-commerce and smartphone. Huawei, Lenovo, and Alibaba are the top three in the 2019 Top 50 BrandZ Chinese Global Brand Builders ranking released in April. The study also found that brand power has been rising fastest in Japan, France and Spain. Other countries with massive future import potential for Chinese brands involve the United States, Britain, Germany and Australia. "These products and platforms are Chinese owned, designed, or originate from China. They adhere to global standards," Elspeth Cheung, global BrandZ valuation director at Kantar, told Xinhua on Wednesday. BETTER PERCEPTION, TECH-DRIVEN INNOVATION The remarkable growth in total brand value of Chinese firms was propelled by various brands' speedy expansion into China's lower-tier cities. Rising purchase power among consumers and more positive comments from overseas consumers towards Chinese consumers are some other factors behind, according to the ranking report in May. "We have to recognize that the perception of (overseas) consumers toward Chinese brands has changed significantly," said Wang on Tuesday, adding that those brands were not just getting into local markets, but also setting up a cool image of being leading innovators. Particularly, innovators in e-commerce, video streaming and social media fields have performed quite well, which made western companies like YouTube and Facebook "start to look at the east" to learn how to twine social network with commercial patterns, according to Wang. Chinese video streamers iQiyi and Youku achieved some of the fastest growth in brand value last year, rising 158 percent to 5.6 billion dollars and 136 percent to 5 billion dollars respectively, according to the May report. "YouTube is studying (from) iQiyi and TikTok," said Wang. "Facebook is also studying (from) Wechat and how it connects social network with commerce." "Nowadays when we ask overseas consumers, they think Chinese brands are innovative and creative, especially young consumers in Spain, the UK and the United States," she noted. Wang also noted that China's Belt and Road Initiative has given Chinese brands some "real guidance and a lot of support," so that they can "get their products there and promote their presence to local consumers." "We are seeing lots of Chinese brands start to increase cultural and social influence in overseas markets, especially countries alongside the Belt and Road..." she stressed. LOCALIZATION IS NECESSARY Wang also pointed out what challenges Chinese companies are facing in the global brand landscape, as the overall recognition of Chinese brands abroad is still relatively low. "Having your products there in the market does not mean that you have a brand," Wang said. "Brand building is not happening overnight. So that's why (when) we're seeing Chinese brands, like Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan and Didi, they are all working very hard to build their equity day in and day out." "There is a long way to go," she added. To strengthen their brand building in international markets, both Wang and Cheung suggested that Chinese companies should improve their ability in story-telling about their products and how the products would make a difference to the lives of their consumers, so as to promote their brands' reputations. "We highly recommend the Chinese brands to really explore local lifestyles, local insights, and local media habits," she said. "How to deliver great customer experience and how to generate more bonding with consumers are key." Cheung further noted that they found Chinese brands with greater popularity overseas have used "mainstream media to interact with their target consumers." "Consumers are willing to pay more for a unique and differentiated product and service that they could not find elsewhere. In this regard, a possible way for consumers to pay more for a brand is through not only a differentiated product, but the employment of communication channel, delivery, packaging, etc. to create this point of difference," she said. "Going forward, Chinese brands must be clearer about what makes them different and build up brand recognition, if they are to compete successfully against strong global brands," Cheung stressed. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 15:50:17|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Twitter Inc. said Thursday it has deleted thousands of accounts linked to foreign governments and archived them to a public database aiming to track state-backed misinformation. Twitter said about 4,779 accounts it believed linked with or directly backed by Iran were taken down from its platform. The San Francisco-based social media firm said these accounts tweeted global news content often with an angle that benefited the diplomatic and geostrategic views of the Iranian state. Twitter suggested these accounts were purged for "platform manipulation," which is a violation of its rules. Twitter also deleted four accounts associated with the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA), describing it as a Russian "troll farm" suspected of interfering with the U.S. presidential elections in 2016. Moreover, the company said 133 accounts directly linked with the Catalan independence movement in Spain and 33 accounts originating within Venezuela engaged in manipulative behavior were deleted from Twitter's platform and archived to its database released last October. Twitter said the database containing a comprehensive archive of tweets and media was maintained to combat foreign governments-backed misinformation and increase transparency. The database could be accessed by researchers and professionals including journalists to conduct investigations and make in-depth analysis. "Thousands of researchers from across the globe have downloaded datasets, which contain more than 30 million Tweets and over 1 terabyte of media" to conduct their own investigations and share their insights and independent analysis with the world, Twitter said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 15:55:19|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close MANILA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Three New People's Army (NPA) communist rebels have been killed in a clash in Oriental Mindoro province in the Philippines, the Philippine military said on Friday. Army spokesperson Capt. Patrick Ray Retumban, said a soldier was also injured in the fighting that broke out at around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday between government security forces and some 40 NPA guerrillas in a village in Mansalay town. After a two-and-a-half-hour firefight, Retumban said the troops gained control of the rebel lair, recovered several firearms and explosive materials and the bodies of the three slain rebels. He said troops recovered three M16 rifles, one AK-47 assault rifle, one cal.45 handgun with two magazines, one grenade launcher tube, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other explosive materials at the encounter site. The presence of the rebels in the area was tipped off by the villagers, Retumban said, prompting the troops to launch the offensive. The NPA rebels, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), continue to wage small-scale armed attacks against the military after the Duterte administration scrapped the talks with the armed group in 2017. The armed group marked the 50th anniversary of their rural rebellion on March 29. The CPP and their front organizations have been attempting to negotiate a peace pact with five Philippine presidents before the current leader, President Rodrigo Duterte, but negotiated settlement remains elusive and peace talks have repeatedly stalled. Duterte, whose single and six-year term ends in June 2022, said in March that he has no more plans to reopen the talks during his term. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 16:10:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) BISHKEK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Friday that Beijing is ready to join efforts with Tehran in promoting a steady development of bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership. Xi made the remarks while meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. The Chinese leader arrived here Wednesday for a state visit to the Central Asian country and the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Xi noted that he exchanged in-depth views with Rouhani on the China-Iran relationship, as well as regional and international issues of common concern during the SCO summit in China's eastern port city of Qingdao last year, and they have reached important consensus. China has always viewed its relations with Iran from a strategic and long-term perspective, said Xi, adding that despite changes in regional and international situations, the Chinese side is willing to join hands with the Iranian side in fostering a continuous and steady development of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership. The Chinese president called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication and support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, adding that the two countries also need to step up coordination and conduct practical cooperation properly. He also urged the two sides to enhance cooperation in such areas as anti-terrorism and combating cross-border crimes, and jointly clamp down the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, including East Turkistan Islamic Movement. China supports maintaining the Iran nuclear deal, said Xi, and is willing to step up coordination with Iran within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations and the SCO to jointly safeguard basic norms of the international relations and multilateralism and preserve shared interests of developing countries, including China and Iran. For his part, Rouhani said the Iran-China relationship carries a long-term and strategic significance. Iran attaches great importance to and is committed to the all-round development of bilateral ties, he said. Iran is willing to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and tap potential of cooperation in various fields, he said. Rouhani expressed Iran's resolute opposition to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, calling it "a wrong action." He praised China's active role in the international affairs, and said his country is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 16:41:05|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close TOKYO, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a two-day trip to Iran sought to help de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran and offered to broker dialogue between the two sides, but his bid was rejected by Iran, government officials said here on Friday. Abe, while urging Iran to stick to an international nuclear accord inked in 2015 with six other countries, was keen to offer his help in mediating between Tehran and Washington, he had previously said. This was partly due to Japan having friendly ties with both Washington and Tehran, with this year marking the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and Iran. Abe's visit to Iran, in fact, marked the first visit made by a Japanese prime minister since Takeo Fukuda in 1978. Nevertheless, his efforts to broker dialogue between Washington and Tehran were rejected by the latter, informed sources here said, with Abe stating that the standoff in the region remained difficult. Abe said, however, after his talks in Iran, that Japan remained committed to working towards the achievement of peace and stability in the region and the de-escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 16:46:17|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close MANILA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in the Philippines on Friday donated studying equipment to a local elementary school in Quezon City, Metro Manila. The counselor of Chinese embassy Xie Yonghui and the Principal of Payatas B Annex Elementary School Nunica Portuguez witnessed the hand-over of the equipment during the donation ceremony. The equipment consisted of some 150 sets of school bags and stationeries which will help further improve the studying condition of the students who were mainly from middle-and-low-income families, according to the Chinese embassy. In return, the children in the school performed songs and dances to mark the memorable day during the ceremony. Portuguez expressed her gratitude on behalf of the school. She said she is grateful to the Chinese embassy for its assistance in giving the equipment which will enable pupils studying under a better condition. Xie said that as a symbol of friendship between the two countries and their people, the schoolbags and stationeries equipment are important to help local public school students to receive equal education. Payatas B Annex Elementary School is a complete elementary school from Grades One to Six established by the local barangay, the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. The school, which was founded in 2000, started with only four classrooms and three teachers while now it has some 1,100 students and 28 teachers. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 17:06:35|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Two militants were killed in a gunfight with government forces on Friday in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The gunfight broke out in village Braw Bandina of Pulwama district, about 30 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "This morning a gunfight triggered here between militants and joint contingents of police and army," a senior police official posted in Awantipora told Xinhua. "In the exchange of fire two militants were killed." A police spokesman said the bodies have been recovered from the spot. "We are trying to ascertain their identity and group affiliation," the spokesman said. Indian army and police have not suffered any damage in the gunfight. According to police officials, the operation to track down militants in the area was launched on specific intelligence information suggesting the presence of militants. Authorities have suspended mobile Internet service in the district and adjoining areas in the wake of the gunfight. On Wednesday, five paramilitary troops were killed in a militant attack near Anantnag district. The last three weeks have seen a sudden increase in the number of gunfights in the region. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 17:51:51|Editor: Xiaoxia Video Player Close JALALABAD, Afghanistan, June 14 (Xinhua) -- At least two militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group were killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province on Thursday evening, a statement of provincial government said Friday. The pilotless aircraft targeted two militants who were using two mules to supply arms and ammunitions in Khogyani district of the province, killing both at the spot, the statement said. Both mules, carrying arms and ammunition, were also killed in the raid, said the statement. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 17:56:55|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren) BISHKEK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Friday, urging the two countries to foster a closer community with a shared future against complicated regional and international situations. Meeting Khan on the sidelines of the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Xi noted that it has been his third meeting with the Pakistani prime minister in the past eight months. This, he said, fully demonstrates the high level of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. He called on the two countries to carry out closer coordination and cooperation. Stressing that the two sides should well maintain, consolidate, and develop their all-weather partnership and all-dimensional cooperation, Xi said that China and Pakistan should carry out in-depth communication on issues of common concern, so as to make joint efforts to safeguard regional and international security and stability. China and Pakistan should expand and enrich the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with new focus on areas including industrial parks, agriculture and social welfare, Xi said. Xi also called on the two countries to take the upgrade of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement as an opportunity to vigorously expand bilateral trade. China is willing to help Pakistan within its capabilities, Xi said, adding that China supports Pakistan in implementing its national counter-terrorism plan to the end and is ready to help the country strengthen its counter-terrorism capacity. China also supports Pakistan and India in improving their relations, Xi said. Noting that China is Pakistan's all-weather strategic cooperative partner, Khan said his country appreciates China's valuable support and assistance and applauds China's active role in promoting international and regional peace and security. Pakistan, Khan said, is committed to deepening its strategic relationship with China, and will firmly advance the construction of the CPEC, adding that his country will take effective measures to ensure security for the project. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 18:32:12|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A luxury hotel in Northern California on Thursday agreed to pay 1.6 million U.S. dollars in fine to a state coast regulation agency for blocking public access to beaches. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay, Northern California, was ordered to pay the penalty to the California Coastal Commission in what was the second-largest fine in the commission's history to settle the hotel's violation of California coast laws, the San Jose-based Mercury News reported. The commission, which approved the penalty at a monthly meeting in San Diego, has issued multiple warnings over the past years to the hotel and urged it to allow residents in San Mateo county and other public members to park for free in the hotel's parking garage. But the 261-room oceanfront hotel, a popular site for posh retreats for Silicon Valley companies, failed to heed the order of the state commission. The commission had fined the hotel with 50,000 dollars in 2004 for violating coastal laws, according to the local daily. After Thursday's settlement, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel which pegs its rooms at 1,000 dollars per night, agreed to allocate more parking spaces for the public and beach-goers, and put up signs to state clearly that the beaches are public and can be accessed through its property. The hotel, located about 48 km south of San Francisco, was bought by Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc based in Chicago for 124 million dollars in 2004. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 18:57:27|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close NAIROBI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday called on African governments and partners to roll out robust interventions aimed at reducing the burden of hepatitis disease in the continent. Olufunmilayo Lesi, communicable diseases specialist at WHO Regional Office for Africa, said hepatitis has emerged as a major public health threat in Africa. "The burden of viral hepatitis in Africa is huge, but we must harness the power of technology, knowledge and public awareness to accelerate progress towards its elimination," Lesi told a media briefing in Nairobi. WHO statistics show that more than 200,000 people in Africa die from complications linked to hepatitis B and C, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, every year. In sub-Saharan Africa, 60 million people are living with hepatitis B and an additional 11 million are infected with hepatitis C. The two lethal strains of hepatitis that are transmitted through contaminated fluids can be contained through vaccination, screening of donated blood and improved hygienic practices, Lesi said. "Blood safety, political commitment and domestic investments in hepatitis diagnosis, treatment and care is key to prevent deaths," she said. African countries in 2016 adopted a four-year master plan to boost prevention, treatment and care of viral hepatitis. Lesi said massive investments, combined with reforms in public health sector, are required to speed up the elimination of hepatitis in Africa. "Country-specific action plans for controlling hepatitis infections should be implemented with urgency, and modern diagnostic tools are needed to help detect different strains of the disease to inform treatment," she said. Capacity-building for health workers and awareness campaigns is key to strengthening response to high rate of hepatitis infection among high-risk groups like intravenous drug users, Lesi said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 19:07:32|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese security official Guo Shengkun will attend an international meeting in Russia and visit Portugal from June 16 to 22, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Friday. Guo, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of CPC Central Committee, will attend the 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Russia, according to spokesman Geng Shuang. Guo will also pay a visit to European country Portugal, said Geng at the Foreign Ministry's daily press briefing. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 19:12:36|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close BEIRUT, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's state security arrested Friday a Syrian national for facilitating the illegal entry of nine Syrian refugees to Lebanon, local media reported. All 10 Syrian nationals were arrested in south of Litani and they were referred to a police station in Rashaya al-Fakhar for further investigations and other legal procedures, according to Elnashra, an online independent newspaper. The Lebanese security forces have been trying to crack down on smuggling in areas close to the border with Syria. Also, Lebanon's Higher Defense Council instructed the country's General Security to send away Syrian refugees who entered Lebanon in an illegal way to curb human trafficking. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 19:22:47|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close KUNMING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 251 contracts were signed Thursday at the ongoing South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair (SSACEIF) held in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province. The signed projects covered multiple industries of green energy, green food, tourism and digital economy, the provincial bureau of investment promotion said. Foreign-invested projects have attracted investors from Myanmar and Thailand, among other countries and regions. Other investment promotions will be held during the event, with the total contractual value expected to exceed 600 billion yuan (86.7 billion U.S. dollars). The number of contracts with each valuing more than 1 billion yuan (144 million U.S. dollars) reached 83, including a 7-billion-yuan construction project invested by the China Agricultural National Development Group. The group plans to build an ecological logistics park for farm produce in Qujing City. With six major exhibition areas, 17 pavilions and 7,500 standard booths, the week-long exposition features more than 3,300 exhibitors from 74 countries, regions and international organizations, with nearly half of the enterprises from overseas. The southwestern province is a gateway to South and Southeast Asia and is turning into a frontier in the country's new round of opening up as the Belt and Road construction forges ahead. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 19:32:52|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China will offer a reward of 5 million yuan (about 722,240 U.S. dollars) to each of the model localities for their performance in public hospital reform, starting from 2019, an official with the National Health Commission (NHC) said Friday. A total of 21 model localities, including Chaoyang District in Beijing, were praised by the State Council General Office in May and will be financially rewarded, said Zhu Hongbiao, an official with the NHC, at a press conference. The 21 praised localities have set examples in improving medical services and exploring innovative measures to strengthen hospital management, Zhu said. They advanced reform with a keen sense of feasibility and provided experiences for deepening the comprehensive reform of public hospitals across the country, the official said. In the past three years, a total of 99 localities have been praised. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 19:53:05|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close BEIRUT, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's General Security shut down on Friday illegal shops belonging to Syrians in Lebanese areas, including Byblos, Keserwan and Burj Hammoud. Shops that were shut down by security forces work in different sectors such as furniture, food and textiles, according to Elnashra, an online independent newspaper. The general security's initiative came after decisions issued by the government in its 2019 state budget to crack down on illegal businesses operated by Syrians in Lebanon. Syrians who have resided in Lebanon following the eruption of the Syrian civil war in 2011 have opened businesses in different sectors which created huge competition with Lebanese retailers, driving them out of business. Telecom Minister Mohammad Choucair, who is also head of Beirut's Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, announced last year that over 2,000 Lebanese firms closed their doors due to economic slowdown and fierce competition by foreign businesses. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:03:17|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close GAZA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Envoy to the Middle East Nicolai Mladinov met on Friday in Gaza with Islamic Hamas movement's leaders to help defuse growing tension with Israel, sources close to Hamas said. The sources, which spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Mladinov arrived in Gaza earlier on Friday from Israel and met with the leadership of the movement in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas has been ruling since 2007. Overnight and early on Thursday, Israeli war planes attacked several facilities and posts in eastern and southern Gaza Strip in response to two rockets attacks carried out by anonymous militants. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks. Mladinov visited Gaza on Friday, when the Palestinians join the weekly anti-Israel rallies, better known as the Great March of Return and Breaking the Israeli Siege, which has been going on since the end of March last year. The Highest Commission of the Great March of Return called on the Gaza Strip's populations to join the weekly protests to reject the Israeli plans to annex large parts of the West Bank. Since the rallies started last year, medics said that the Israeli army killed more than 300 demonstrators and wounded more than 17,000 others by live ammunition. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:08:23|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close LONDON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which is in charge of writing advertising codes across Britain, announced Friday that its new rule banning harmful gender stereotypes in advertisements has come into force. The new rule applies to broadcast and non-broadcast media, including online and social media, said CAP, adding that "advertisements must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence." According to the new rule, an ad that depicts a man or a woman failing to achieve a task specifically based on their gender is likely to be problematic, such as a a man's inability to change nappies or a woman's inability to park a car. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the country's independent regulator of advertising across all media, will deal with any complaint and assess advertisements to determine if the new rule has been violated. Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA, said, "Our evidence shows how harmful gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to inequality in society, with costs for all of us." Parker highlighted that some portrayals in advertisements might limit people's potential over time, adding that "it's in the interests of women and men, our economy and society that advertisers steer clear of these outdated portrayals, and we're pleased with how the industry has already begun to respond." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:18:26|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close NAIROBI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said Friday it will host a three-day international aviation forum in December to discuss air services to and in Africa. The 13th Routes Africa, an intra-Africa routes development forum, will be held on Dec. 8-10, KAA CEO Jonny Andersen said in a statement issued in Nairobi. Representatives from the world's leading airlines, airports, and tourism operators will attend the event, the statement said. "Kenya is the regional aviation powerhouse. Our geographical location gives us an advantage in connections to most international hub cities in world," Andersen said. "Kenya's centralized proximity to Europe, Asia, Middle East, Americas and the rest of Africa makes this a profitable aviation route," he said. "Our status as a trade and tourist regional hub also makes Kenya an attractive destination." Routes Conference and Exhibition will be held in the coastal city of Mombasa. "The forum will be an opportunity to showcase Kenya's available facilities and attractions. We are proud to host Routes Africa 2019 and look forward to welcoming delegates to magical Kenya," Andersen said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:28:33|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close RIYADH, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia intercepted on Friday five drones that were targeting Abha International Airport and border city Khamis Mushait. Turki Al Maliki, spokesperson of the Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen, said in a statement on Saudi Press Agency that the drones were destroyed by the Saudi air forces without causing any disturbances to the air traffic or delays in flights. The Houthi militias foiled drone attacks reported after a projectile attack that targeted the Abha International Airport, in which 26 individuals were injured on Wednesday. He stressed the right of the coalition to take the necessary measures to deter the militias from targeting civilians and civilian sites. The coalition announced on Thursday an operation that targeted military targets of Houthis in Yemen to tackle the recent frequent militia's attacks against Saudi border cities. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:28:35|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Japanese leader Shinzo Abe recently visited Iran, becoming the first Japanese prime minister to visit the Islamic republic since 1979. The rare visit by the Japanese prime minister to Iran is aimed at achieving peace between Tehran and Washington amid their escalating friction that has worried the players in the region and beyond. The impetus behind Japan's diplomatic move is to protect Tokyo's regional interests and above all its energy imports from the region. The most important part of Abe's Iranian trip was his scheduled meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday. Abe had born a message from U.S. President Donald Trump to Khamenei, but the Iranian leader rebuffed it. Khamenei said that he "does not trust America" and he does not consider the U.S. president "worthy" of a message or reply from Iran. The anti-U.S. rhetoric had also been echoed by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the Wednesday meeting with Abe. Alireza Namvar Haghighi, the Iranian Political Science scholar at the University of Toronto, said that "all-in-all Abe's meetings (with the Iranian leaders) are considered positive, which keeps opening the possibility of diplomacy for a number of reasons." The fact that Abe was accepted to visit Iran and bring in the message of Trump, "means that Iran has accepted to enter an indirect negotiation" with the United States, said Namvar Haghighi. Abe had a plan to visit Iran 10 months ago, but a meeting with the Iranian supreme leader was not included in his program at that time. Therefore, Abe's visit to Iran was cancelled at that time, he said, adding that "now that Abe was accepted (to meet with Iranian supreme leader), it has positive outcome." On Thursday, Khamenei appreciated Abe's efforts for easing tensions, saying that "we do not doubt about your sincerity and goodwill." The point about such remarks is that "this friendship and the role of Japan can be continued," said Namvar Haghighi. Perhaps, the most important part of the meeting was Khamenei's reiteration of Iran's dismissal of the nuclear arms to alleviate relative concerns. Iran is not after nuclear weapons, "but if we were after building nuclear weapons, the United States could not do anything about it," Khamenei said on Thursday. Likewise, Abe said following the meeting with the Iranian leader that Khamenei assured him that Iran has no intention to make, hold or use nuclear weapons. Although he was talking to Abe, "I think Khamenei sent a message" to President Trump about Iran's nuclear program, Namvar Haghighi said. Through the Iranian leader's remarks, it is derived that "if you (Trump) want to negotiate only about the nuclear issue, we do not have problem. We can provide enough guarantees to ensure you (about it)," he said. Whether this visit has been "successful" or not, the remarks of the Iranian and the U.S. officials will show in the following days, the Iranian expert added. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:33:43|Editor: Xiang Bo Video Player Close BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China's relevant government department has started an investigation into FedEx, delivering a notice of inquiry to FedEx China on Friday. The investigation is about the company's earlier failure to deliver express packages to designated addresses in China. The relevant government department notified FedEx of the inquiry to uncover the truth in a more in-depth and comprehensive way, Yin Shaocheng, an associate professor with the Capital University of Economics and Business, told Xinhua in an interview. Inquiry of related parties and on-site inspection are methods used by administrative organs in investigations and evidence collection, Yin said. When administrative organs conduct investigations or inspections, the party and other persons concerned shall truthfully answer questions and assist in the investigation or inspection and shall not obstruct it, according to China's administrative penalty law. On June 1, China's relevant government department announced the decision to file a case for investigation of FedEx on suspicion of undermining the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese clients. As a party to the case, FedEx China is obliged to accept inquiry, Yin said. He said the investigation could use one or multiple inquiries to gather evidence, noting that the scope of the probe could expand if more clues are uncovered. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:38:49|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close LONDON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is expected to face an extradition hearing in February next year to decide whether he should be sent to the U.S., local media reported Friday. According to British newspaper The Guardian, Emma Arbuthnot, the chief magistrate at Westminster magistrates court, ordered on Friday that a full extradition hearing should begin on Feb. 25, which would last for 5 days. British Home Secretary Sajid Javid told BBC's Today Program on Thursday that he has signed a U.S. request for the extradition. Australian-born Assange, 47, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each charge. He was initially accused of violating the U.S. Espionage Act. He was sentenced to 50 weeks in jail in May for breaching the Bail Act in Britain after having been expelled from Ecuador's Embassy in London, where he was granted refuge in 2012 while on bail in Britain over sexual assault allegations against him in Sweden. Assange has said that he does not consent to being extradited to the U.S. over charges related to leaking government secrets. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:38:50|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Day of Yoga (IDY) will be celebrated on June 21 out of Indian embassies' premises at iconic places across the globe like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, said a top Indian official. The event will take place in 180 countries, at iconic locations including the Opera House in Sydney, Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia and Victoria Falls Bridge in Zimbabwe. The main event will be held in Ranchi, the capital of India's eastern state of Jharkhand, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead around 30,000 Yoga enthusiasts. The event is organised every year by India's Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy). "Our missions abroad are planning to organise the celebrations at some of the most famous monuments internationally this time. The popularity of the day has increased the number of people's participation and the embassy premises would not have been able to accommodate everyone. So, the respective embassies collaborated and are making it possible," ministry secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said. "Even though local organisations and individuals have been organising yoga events at prominent places world over, this is for the first time that India's missions abroad are making it happen," added Kotecha. Each year, the day sees millions of people practicing common yoga protocol globally. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:38:52|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close LONDON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- British Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Friday pulled out of the race for the country's next prime minister. It leaves favorite Boris Johnson, former British foreign secretary, and five other politicians trailing behind him still in the contest, to succeed Theresa May at 10 Downing Street. In the first round of voting among Conservative MPs at Westminster, Hancock came 6th with 20 votes, much fewer than Johnson with a flyaway 114 votes. Announcing his decision, Hancock, the youngest of the politicians to bid for the leadership, did not endorse any of the remaining six contenders, but instead told journalists that he was talking to all of them. In an interview in London, Hancock said: "We stand at a defining moment in our country's history and we need to deliver Brexit and then we need to cast forward and bring the country together. That's the goal." Johnson was given a boost on Friday when he won backing from one of Britain's biggest and best known business tycoons, multimillionaire Lord Alan Sugar. Sugar announced on his social media site that he seriously supports Johnson to become the next British prime minister. "The public like him and he will have a good chance of winning the general election in 2021 if not before," said Sugar. In a swipe at the main opposition Labour Party and its leader, Sugar added: "Anyone who can stop Jeremy Corbyn from becoming PM has my backing." Next week, the list is expected to shrink again when MPs hold their next rounds of voting, starting Tuesday. When only two names remain, a ballot to decide the next leader of the governing Conservatives will be held among the party's around 160,000 members across the country. The winner will become the new prime minister automatically, though Queen Elizabeth still has to approve the choice. May's failure to deliver a Brexit deal to bring Britain out of the European Union was the reason for her exit last Friday as leader of the Conservative Party. She will remain as caretaker prime minister until her successor is chosen. As the political and Brexit-related uncertainties continued, the pound sterling was trading against the U.S. dollar at 1.26 on Friday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:43:57|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close TEHRAN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran has sent a team of experts to evaluate the status of one of the oil tankers facing incident on Thursday in the Sea of Oman, Tasnim news agency reported on Friday. The experts would examine the vessel to see whether the rescued crew can return to the vessel, Managing Director of Ports and Navigation of Hormozgan Province Allah Morad Afifipour told Tasnim. "Coordinations have been made with the owners of the vessel for the return of the crew," Afifipour said. On Thursday morning, two oil tankers were hit in the Sea of Oman. Iran said that it had rescued the crew of the two vessels and transferred them to the Iranian port city of Jask. The incident came amid the rising tensions between the United States and Iran in the regional waters. An exhibitor prepares coffee at the booth of Kenya at the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 6, 2018. A total of 82 countries and three international organizations showcased their achievements in economic and trade development as well as competitive products at 71 booths in the Country Pavilion for Trade and Investment at the CIIE. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) LUSAKA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- African countries stand to benefit immensely from the first ever China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo scheduled to held later this month in China, Zambian business and economic development experts have observed. The experts have lauded China for investing in trade expos and urged African countries to investigate and exploit available business opportunities in China and beyond and to encourage investment in both Africa and China. "It will be useful to open up many trade opportunities with China through attending these expos that China holds from time to time as this will, among other benefits, help to strengthen bilateral trade ties," said Private Sector Development Association (PSDA) Chairperson Yusuf Dodia. Dodia also pointed out that trade expos help to focus attention and energies on developing products and services. Misheck Mwanza, an Zambian economist, said the expo is an opportunity for Zambia to identify investors interested in setting up manufacturing plants in Zambia. According to Mwanza, who is also a former diplomat, the key to unlocking Zambia's potential and economic growth lies in the development of the manufacturing sector. He explained that the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo scheduled to take place from June 27 to 29 in Changsha, central China, is an opportunity for Zambia to attract investors that can set up manufacturing plants in Zambia. "A good manufacturing base will entail proper jobs leading to the creation of a middle class who will stimulate effective demand for high-class products and services," said Mwanza. A staff member prepares coffee for visitors at the booth of Ethiopia at the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 6, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan) Among those exhibiting at the expo is the Association of Women in Mining of Zambia, who are looking to partner with firms interested in investing in gemstone mining in Zambia. The association will be exhibiting a range of gemstones that include emeralds, amethyst and quartz. "Our main interest in the expo is to identify entities that we can partner with, especially in the area of providing mining equipment," said the association's secretary-general Grace Njapau. Njapau further said aside from being a big copper producer, Zambia is also endowed with a vast amount of gemstone, which have not been fully mined like copper. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:49:01|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Photo shows the scene of the 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, June 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhou Jinshuai) LHASA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will further open itself up and intensify international exchanges and cooperation, chairman of the regional government Qizhala said Friday. While delivering a keynote speech at the 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet, Qizhala said the region will pursue international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and actively engage itself in the building of the Himalayan economic cooperation belt and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor. A set of measures will be adopted by the region to promote international cooperation. According to Qizhala, Tibet will work to better align its development with that of its neighbors, improve the economic and trade coordination mechanism between itself and South Asian countries and explore to build a multilateral cooperation mechanism for jointly building the Belt and Road. Qizhala also vowed to improve infrastructure connectivity, saying that Tibet will actively promote the building of the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network. At the same time, Tibet will further improve its ports and clearance efficiency in order to facilitate economic and trade cooperation with South Asian countries. It will also expand market access for foreign investment and support foreign investment to set up payment institutions in Tibet. Additionally, Qizhala said Tibet will deepen international cultural and people-to-people exchanges and intensify international cooperation in terms of science, education, culture and health. The region is also willing to share its experience with its neighbors in terms of environmental protection and natural disasters prevention. Statistics show that Tibet saw its total import and export volume reach 4.8 billion yuan (about 693 million U.S. dollars) in 2018. Enterprises in the region invested a total of 280 million U.S. dollars in Belt and Road countries. This year, Tibet celebrates the 60th anniversary of democratic reform that abolished serfdom. Qizhala said during the past 60 years, "the poor and backward old Tibet was transformed into a new Tibet featuring economic and cultural prosperity, all-round social progress, a good ecological environment and happiness of the people." The 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet opened Friday in Lhasa. The one-day forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the people's government of Tibet Autonomous Region, gathers nearly 160 scholars and officials from 37 countries and regions. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:59:08|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close BERLIN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- German car manufacturer Volkswagen announced on Friday to generate at least 1.5 billion euros (1.7 billion U.S. dollars) from the initial public offering (IPO) of its truck business Traton. After postponing Traton's IPO around Easter due to weak market demand, Volkswagen will be offering Traton Shares at a price range of 27 to 33 euros, leading to a final valuing of the German carmaker's truck business of up to 16.5 billion euros. According to Volkswagen, the first day of trading was scheduled for June 28 but the offer was subject to the approval by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), which Volkswagen was "expected in the coming days". "I am pleased that we have reached another milestone on TRATON's route to the IPO. We are now all set for the decisive phase. The IPO is driven by the aim to create value for our stakeholders," commented Frank Witter, chief financial officer of Volkswagen. Following a successful IPO, Volkswagen is seeking to sell around 50 million shares, leading to a free float of Traton shares between 10 percent and 11.5 percent, the carmaker announced. Last year, Traton generated revenues of 25.9 billion euros and earned 1.7 billion euros in pretax profits. Volkswagen's truck business includes the brands MAN and Scania, but it also has a 17 percent stake in U.S. truck company Navistar as well as a 25 percent stake in Chinese truck manufacturer Sinotruk. Sales for both MAN and Scania have picked up more than 20 percent last month, Volkswagen announced on Friday. In May, MAN sold 13,100 trucks while Scania sold almost 10,000. Andreas Renschler, CEO of TRATON and member the Volkswagen board, said that "we are confident as we are heading for the finishing line. A strong team effort has brought us here. We believe TRATON is an attractive investment, and feedback from investors and analysts strengthens this belief." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 20:59:15|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close KAMPALA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's Anti-Corruption Unit said on Friday it is investigating senior central bank officials over the institution's procurement and supply chain activities. Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema, who heads the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, said in a statement that the special investigation is carried out following an invitation by the governor of the bank, Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile. "The matter under investigation involves a recent procurement consignment. A number of senior bank personnel, Customs and Civil Aviation Authority personnel are being questioned," the statement said. "Bank of Uganda operations remain intact and uninterrupted," the statement added. Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo told local media that unauthorized cargo was loaded onto a plane chartered by the Bank of Uganda that was carrying banknotes into the country. Some of the cargo belonged to the United Nations and local businessmen, Opondo said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 21:24:27|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close RABAT, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan authorities announced that the third regional workshop on the Terrorist Travel Initiative was held on Thursday and Friday in the capital Rabat. The workshop will focus on East and West Africa, including existing regional mechanisms, needs and gaps, said a statement published by the official news agency MAP. The Terrorist Travel Initiative brings together national and local governments, law enforcement and border screening practitioners, and international organizations to share expertise on how to develop and implement effective counter-terrorism tools. Jointly organized by Morocco and the United States, it will be the final meeting of a series of three regional workshops, the statement said. It added that the workshop will give participants an opportunity to review the draft of the initiative's best practiced document. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 21:54:41|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close DUSHANBE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Friday for the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and a state visit to Tajikistan. Prior to the visit, Xi said in a signed article published on Tajik media that the two countries "have set a fine example of friendship and cooperation between countries different in system, culture and size." Mutual trust is at the heart of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations, Xi said, adding that China is now the biggest source of investment and a major trading partner for the Central Asian country. The Chinese president suggested the two countries deepen policy communication and devise master plans for developing bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, refine their blueprint for Belt and Road cooperation, and forge a stronger people-to-people bond. He also called for deepening their cooperation on fighting the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism as well as transnational organized crime, narcotics control and cybersecurity, strengthening their strategic collaboration in international affairs, and deepening coordination under international frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the CICA. He expressed belief in the article that the CICA Dushanbe summit will give all -- China, Tajikistan and other member states -- an excellent opportunity to upgrade CICA cooperation and contribute more to the security and development of Asia and beyond. Tajikistan is the second leg of Xi's two-country Central Asia trip, which also took him to Kyrgyzstan for a state visit and the 19th SCO summit. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 22:35:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has granted 518 million U.S. dollars to Pakistan for reforms to enhance tax revenues and reduce compliance cost to provide better services to the public, local media reported Friday. The bank approved 400 million U.S. dollars loan for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to increase its tax to gross domestic product ratio from 13 percent to 17 percent and enhance the number of income tax return filers, among other reforms. "The project will assist in simplifying the tax regime and strengthening tax and customs administration. It will also support the FBR with technology and digital infrastructure and technical skills. This will enable more effective use of taxpayer information and more targeted compliance. The government has set improving tax revenue with low compliance costs as a high priority," a press release issued by the World Bank said on its website Thursday. Commending Pakistan on its tax policy measures, the World Bank said that the country's revenue performance has improved significantly from 9.5 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2011-2012 to 12.9 percent in fiscal year 2017-2018 owing to tax policy measures. "This is still lower than the level needed by developing countries, of at least 15 percent of GDP, to fund basic government functions and provide services to people." The other 118 million U.S. dollars will go to revenue mobilization and public resource management project of the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to increase its capacity for revenue collection and the management of the province's resources. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 22:35:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Elias El Khoury, CEO at company Promoteam, reported an increasing demand by the Lebanese on residential properties in Greece, Portugal and other countries that offer investment opportunities in return for residency permits and citizenships. "Demand by the Lebanese on such kinds of investments has increased in the past year because of the complicated political and security situation in Lebanon," Khoury told Xinhua, whose company organizes exhibitions for European companies to offer their services. Khoury added that Lebanese who invest in such programs are seeking to secure a safe place to live in the future. Khoury's remarks came on the sidelines of an exhibition held by Promoteam with the participation of tens of real estate and consultancy companies from European countries. Dubbed "Citizenship by Investment Property Fair and Conference," the exhibition aims at attracting high net worth clients from the Middle East and North Africa region looking for a second home. Khoury said that lots of people in the region are interested in such programs because they can use the purchased apartments for their vacation or get a return on their investment by offering their residential units for rental. "For instance, people who buy a residential apartment in Greece can easily offer it for rental to millions of tourists who visit the country every year," Khoury said. People who visited the two-day exhibition, which kicked off on Thursday in Beirut, had the chance to gain a deep insight of the programs offered by different countries. Pedro Mendes de Almeida, consultant at So-Consulting in Portugal, said that the Portuguese program requires a minimum investment of 350,000 euros (393,000 U.S. dollars) to acquire the golden visa. After five years, the investor can apply for the Portuguese citizenship, the consultant added. "Investors do not have to live in Portugal but they just have to visit seven days per year," he told Xinhua, adding that investors can also get a high yield ranging between 6.5 percent to 10 percent yearly if they offer their house for rental. Nicolas Goro, Business Development Manager at Pafilia property developers, said that the minimum requirement for a permanent residency in Cyprus is an investment of 300,000 euros which enables investors to reside and work in Cyprus. However, he explained that the citizenship requires an investment of 2.15 million euros. Peter Tsounis, CEO at Dream Estates in Greece, said that Greece's permanent residency is the easiest because it requires an investment of only 250,000 euros, allowing investors to get a golden visa for five years which can be renewed if the investors' records are clean. "Also, investors can apply for the citizenship after seven years of ownership but they should learn a bit of Greek language and have information about the Greek culture and history in a bid to pass a test for this purpose," he said. Almeida said that Lebanese have been asking a lot about the Portuguese program because it is attractive. Tsounis reported a good demand by the Lebanese who have the purchasing power to acquire residential units in Greece because it is close to Lebanon. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 22:40:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close YAOUNDE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon's English-speaking region of Northwest on Friday removed an overnight travel ban on persons and property, according to a statement signed by the region's governor Adolph Lele Lafrique. Lafrique did not give any reason why the ban was cancelled in the region that is ravaged by armed separatism. The ban was imposed in November last year restricting movement from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time in the region in a bid to limit persistent separatists' attacks at night. Fighting is still ongoing in the two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest where armed separatists want to create an independent nation they call "Ambazonia." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 22:45:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PARIS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The French government plans to allocate 70 million euros (78.7 million U.S. dollars) to ending a three-month strike by emergency room staff protesting poor working conditions and overloaded ER services, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn announced here on Friday. After meeting representatives of medical staff, unions and hospitals' directors, Buzyn unveiled "effective and concrete measures" which she promised to implement "without delay" this summer. The government will allocate 55 million euros to increase bonuses for 30,000 medical staff, excluding doctors, from next month, and 15 million euros will finance recruitment "to enable the overworked emergency services to reinforce their paramedical staff during the summer period," according to the minister. Buzyn said that a national committee had been set up to "rethink the organization of emergency services in order to adapt it to the health needs of the population." Involving all the concerned parties, the committee is expected to propose, as soon as possible, long-term solutions to improve emergency care and abate a protest movement that started in mid-March after an attack on ER staff at a Paris hospital. Denouncing low pay and poor working conditions in overloaded emergency rooms, the protesters called for higher wages and demanded that the authorities stop closing hospitals and reducing the number of hospital beds. (1 euro = 1.124 U.S. dollars) Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 22:55:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BANGKOK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Thailand and Laos on Friday signed an agreement on building the fifth friendship bridge between Thailand's Bueng Kan province and Laos' Bolikhamsai province. Thailand's Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith and Lao Public Works and Transport Minister Bounchan Sinthavong presided over the signing ceremony on Friday. Arkhom said Thailand's upper northeastern region, particularly Bueng Kan province, will be connected with Bolikhamsai and nearby provinces via the friendship bridge in the next three years. He said Bueng Kan and Bolikhamsai could be gateways for bilateral trade, investment and tourism between the two neighboring countries. Thai cargoes could be transported via the Thai-Lao friendship bridge to southern China while Lao products could be transported from central Laos to Laem Chabang deep-sea port in eastern Thailand, he said. The friendship bridge is part of the Greater Mekong Sub-region and ACMECS (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) economic cooperation between Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. The construction of the bridge is estimated to cost 3.93 billion baht (about 126.77 million U.S. dollars), some 1.3 billion baht (about 42 million U.S. dollars) of which will be borrowed by Laos from Thailand's Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency. The construction of the 1.35 km prestressed concrete bridge is estimated to take three years and the project also covers a 15 km-long two-lane road, mostly in Thai territory, with border control facilities on both sides. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:00:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Any attempts to create chaos in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and disrupt its prosperity and stability will certainly be opposed by all the Chinese people and doomed to failure, a spokesperson with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said here Friday. In response to a question about some members of the U.S. Congress bringing up again an act regarding Hong Kong, spokesperson Geng Shuang said that China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes the U.S. making irresponsible remarks about Hong Kong and grossly interfering in China's internal affairs. "The prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, a major trading partner of the United States, conform to U.S. interests, while its chaos does the U.S. side no good at all," Geng told a press conference. Geng urged relevant Americans to respect facts, discard prejudice, stop any attempts at interfering in Hong Kong's affairs, abandon delusions of creating chaos in Hong Kong, stop advancing the review of relevant bill, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and do more to facilitate mutual trust and cooperation between China and the United States. Geng said Hong Kong's affairs are purely China's internal affairs, which brooks no interference by any foreign country. "Since Hong Kong's return to China, the principles of 'one country, two systems' and 'Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong' with a high degree of autonomy have been earnestly carried out. The entitled rights and freedom of Hong Kong residents have been fully guaranteed according to law. These are facts widely acknowledged by those with an unbiased view." With an unswerving resolve in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, China is not afraid of any threat or intimidation, the spokesperson said. "Any attempts to create chaos in Hong Kong and disrupt its prosperity and stability will certainly be opposed by all the Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots," Geng said. "Such attempts will neither win popular consensus nor succeed." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:00:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOGADISHU, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said Friday it seeks 144 million U.S. dollars to assist more than six million people in Somalia affected by ravaging drought. The UN agency said in its Action Plan 2019 that the figure includes two million people who need direct food security and livelihood support. "This Action Plan builds on priorities set within the 2019 HRP (Humanitarian Response Plan), adjusting FAO's activities and targets to address the growing needs in areas worst impacted by the drought," said the UN agency. According to FAO, poor rains and extended drought over multiple seasons have had a major impact on rural livelihoods and food security in Somalia, pushing the country to the brink of famine, just five years after the crisis of 2011 that claimed the lives of over a quarter of a million people. FAO said the plan aims to increase food access and protect rural livelihoods, through cash-for-work and emergency livelihood packages for farmers, pastoralists and coastal communities, integrating unconditional cash transfers wherever possible. It also seeks to protect livestock assets, through supplementary animal feeding, water trucking, supply of water bladders and countrywide supportive treatment, followed by vaccination against contagious caprine pleuropneumonia. The UN agency also aims to mitigate new shocks, including by providing regional stocks of veterinary supplies, river embankment repair, and strengthening local preparedness against food-chain threats. "The prioritized activities are time-bound to seasonal calendars and are therefore extremely urgent. Cash assistance must be scaled up rapidly to save lives, especially in remote rural areas," FAO said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:05:39|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close People attend an international conference on the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Africa, in Kigali, Rwanda, on June 14, 2019. Africa needs to address major issues such as inadequate data, poor inclusiveness, slow growth that could jeopardize its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said a report launched Friday. (Xinhua/Cyril Ndegeya) KIGALI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Africa needs to address major issues such as inadequate data, poor inclusiveness, slow growth that could jeopardize its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said a report launched Friday. In 2015, a United Nations summit adopted an agenda that comprises 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), including ending extreme poverty, preserving the environment and promoting economic growth. Large data gaps continue to predominate, and only 40 percent of the indicators in the global SDG data framework are accompanied by data in Africa, said the report. The document, titled Africa 2030: SDGs Three-Year Reality Check, was compiled by Kigali-based Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa. The report, which monitors Africa's progress toward the SDGs and explores the structural challenges Africa faces, was launched by Rwandan President Paul Kagame at an international conference on SDGs' implementation in Africa, which ran from Wednesday to Friday. Even where data exists, much is outdated or incomparable across countries, the report said. Economic growth in Africa remains subdued, as does social economic inclusion, which is the second main issue, it said. Africa's economic growth has plateaued or failed to achieve its potential in recent years, and many believe it has not been inclusive or consistent with the people and prosperity pillars of the SDGs, the report said. Growth remains slower than the SDG 8 target of at least 7 percent a year, it said, adding that social inclusion is in part constrained by rapid population growth, which outstrips most of the SDG progress in key areas. Two-thirds of African countries are in the "low human development" category of United Nations Development Program's Human Development Index and they continue to struggle with education and healthcare, according to the report. Another issue is that the global SDG framework, though already in place, lacks fully fledged implementation and accountability mechanisms, the report said. The formulation and implementation of SDGs over the last three years reveals gaps and loose ends that are either shallowly addressed or entirely skipped over, it said, adding that there is a continued lack of clarity on accountability mechanisms for SDGs. Financing for SDGs has fallen short of targets and the funding gap is particularly large in Africa, read the report. The SDG financing gap for Africa is estimated at between 500 billion U.S. dollars and 1.2 trillion dollars annually, it said. "On almost every goal, our continent is not on track to achieve the 2030 targets. Even the best amongst us are lagging behind the rest of the world," Kagame said when launching the report. He encouraged Africa to "aim high" and to do the right things and find funds to achieve the goals. "We are already one-quarter of the way to 2030," Kagame said. "Africa can definitely make up for lost time but we need a much faster pace. Zambian President Edgar Lungu and Liberia's Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor joined Kagame in a panel disccusion on SDG progress in Africa, where they called for joint efforts in Africa to achieve the goals. Pump jacks operate in front of a drilling rig in an oil field in Midland, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS) by Xinhua writer Wang Wen NEW YORK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices saw volatile trading this week as escalating Middle East tensions and dimming demand forecasts have brought more uncertainties to the market. Oil prices logged lowest finish since January on Wednesday, trading more than 20 percent lower from their April peak. On Thursday, both West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for July delivery and Brent crude for August delivery rebound 2.23 percent. Analysts said concerns over output disruptions supported crude prices Thursday. Two oil tankers were hit in the Sea of Oman on Thursday morning, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. The attacks came amid Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Tehran, who is seeking to help ease tensions between Iran and the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters during a brief press conference at the State Department on Thursday afternoon that Iran is responsible for the attacks without providing hard evidence. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier in the day that the attacks on two oil tankers were "suspicious," noting that they occurred while Abe was meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "for extensive and friendly talks." "While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted on Thursday afternoon. The incident happened against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East as well as between the United States and Iran. Washington withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in mid-2018 and re-imposed full sanctions on Iran's oil exports. In May, four commercial vessels suffered similar sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Oil prices dipped to five-month lows earlier in the day after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) revised down its forecast for global oil demand growth. A work over rig performs maintenance on an oil well in the Permian Basin oil production area near Wink, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS) Analysts said worries over oil demand growth have lingered for a while as prolonged trade tensions between the United States and its major trading partners have weighed on global economic outlook. OPEC now expects world oil demand to grow by 1.14 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2019, 0.07 million bpd lower than its last forecast. Total global oil consumption is expected to average 99.86 million bpd, it said in its monthly oil market report. The group said in the report that throughout the first half of this year, ongoing global trade tensions have escalated, threatening to spill over, and geo-political risks remained in many key regions. "This has resulted in a slowdown in global economic activities, and weaker growth in global oil demand, both compared to a year earlier," the group said. In the meantime, OPEC production fell by 236,000 bpd last month to 29.88 million bpd, according to secondary sources cited by the group. It was the first time OPEC produced below 30 million bpd since June 2014. The oil exporters' group expects Non-OPEC oil supply in 2019 to grow at a pace of 2.14 million bpd, suggesting supply might exceed the demand. Non-OPEC supply growth is anticipated to show further upside potential, with higher production expected in the United States, as well as production ramp-ups in Brazil and possibly the start-up of Norway's Johan Sverdrup field in the North Sea, said the report. The report came as the group is considering extending a six-month output cut deal with some non-member exporters including Russia. Caroline Bain, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics, said in a note that "OPEC highlighted risks to demand and high stocks in its latest report which, coupled with lower prices, suggest that there will be little appetite for increasing production when the group meets later this month." "OPEC appeared to be preparing the ground for retaining, or even cutting, its production quotas," Bain said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:15:48|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, presides over a bi-weekly seminar of the CPPCC in Beijing, capital of China, June 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese national political advisors convened a bi-weekly seminar on Friday to discuss the development of elderly care services. The country's elderly care services should take root in the fine traditional culture and the country's reality, said Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who presided over the meeting and made a speech. Efforts should be made to foster a policy system and a social environment in which senior citizens are respected, cared for, and live happily in their later years, said Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. A total of 11 political advisors and a representative from an elderly care institution put forward their suggestions, according to a statement issued after the meeting. They noted that the country faces challenges in providing care services for senior citizens with fledgling systems, the imbalanced distribution of services, inadequate facilities and relatively low quality. Political advisors proposed improving legislation concerning elderly care, raising people's awareness of family support for seniors, developing community-based care services, enhancing medical insurance and encouraging the private sector to invest in elderly care institutions. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:20:52|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, talks with residents at the Hemu New Village in Gongshu District of Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, June 12, 2019. Li paid an inspection tour in Hangzhou from Wednesday to Thursday. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) HANGZHOU, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has stressed efforts to strengthen the impetus for reform and development while meeting the people's needs to live better lives. During an inspection tour in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, from Wednesday to Thursday, Li visited a neighborhood to learn about elderly care and nursery services. "Huge demand exists for home- and community-based elderly care," Li said, noting such supply should be boosted by introducing social forces and the government must enhance support to ensure that the aged live comfortable and happy lives. Li also said that improving community-based services and renovating old neighborhoods are not only projects related to people's lives, but also important areas to focus on expanding domestic consumption. The projects can boost effective investment, promote consumption and create a large number of new jobs, Li said. While visiting a drugstore, the premier said efforts must be made to ensure the supply and stabilize the prices of common and first-aid medicines. "They should never be out of supply, and their prices should never be raised arbitrarily." Li also learned about mass entrepreneurship and innovation in Hangzhou, expressing his hope that there can be more platforms for entrepreneurship and innovation around the country. He praised the efforts of the city's administrative service center that brought convenience to the people and companies and stressed the importance of corporate credit information in a market-based economy. Li also ordered government departments to improve policies, seek new ways of supervision and enhance support for cross-border e-commerce, saying that it can allow more companies to participate directly in international trade and promote domestic manufacturing upgrading and brand growth. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:25:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Eric J. Lyman ROME, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A new three-day collaboration forum between geologists from Italy and China is underway in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, the first step in a relationship both sides say will strengthen and expand. The collaboration initiative is among the several bilateral agreements signed during the Chinese president's state visit to Italy earlier this year. More than 100 geologists and other industry figures from the two countries are participating in the Geo Matera 2019 forum, which opened in the southern town of Melfi. On Thursday, the conference met in the nearby city of Potenza, while Friday's session took place in Matera, European Capital of Culture in 2019. The session in Melfi focused on water issues, the one in Potenza on environmental protection and earthquake risks, and the closing day in Matera on urban challenges. All three locations are in Basilicata region, the "arch" of Italy's boot-shaped peninsula. Geology plays a role in most kinds of mining, as well as in petroleum exploration, engineering, agriculture, measuring environmental risks, aiding in low-impact development, and helping with protection against natural hazards, such as earthquakes, floods and volcanoes. As a professional discipline, geology is well-established in Italy, which means that Italian geologists will act as ambassadors for European technologies and practices, while also aiding with the drafting of sustainable development strategies in the country. Since China is so much larger than Italy, and also richer in raw materials, the collaboration agreement opens up new vistas for Italian professionals. According to Meng Wang, a representative of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaboration is important for many reasons, ranging from the training of Chinese geologists and strengthening the already strong ties between the countries to establishing geological standards and reducing geological risks. "We are making geologists in China more professional by developing expertise and skills through these kinds of collaborative efforts," Meng said in an interview. Vincenzo Giovine, vice president of Italy's National Council of Geologists and one of the architects of the cooperation forum, agreed with Meng, stating that the initiative is the start of a relationship that will combine Italy's geological expertise with China's training system to the benefit of both countries. Italy has had informal cooperation agreements before with other EU member states, Giovine told Xinhua. "But the reason this has become the first formal agreement of this type is because it's such a good fit for both sides. Both countries will gain from the ties we are developing." Giovine speculated that the early successes of the Italy-China forum could help spark an interest in further multilateral geological cooperation deals in the future. Meng said the forum will be of particular importance in terms of what he called the standardization of an "international code" for geologists. "Right now, there's a Chinese code, a European code, and so on," Meng explained. "I think we should have a common international code to make it easier for geologist colleagues to compare notes and conduct research. This forum with Italy can be useful in this respect." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:31:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MANILA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A gala show named "Golden Era of the Philippines-China Relation" commemorating the 44th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and the China-Philippines Friendship Day was held on Friday, attracting nearly 2,000 people. Staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Chinese artists from Hainan Provincial Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble and Qiongzhong Cultural Museum performed dancing of different Chinese ethnic groups, traditional Chinese instrumental music and popular Chinese and Philippine songs during the show. Tan Qingsheng, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy, said the grand gala show held in Manila is evidence of the flourishing cultural ties between the two countries and their people. "The cultural exchange between our two countries is blessed with the profound historic origin and in line with the common expectations of the two peoples," he said. The mutually beneficial cooperation has been steadily advanced, and the friendship between China and the Philippines has become increasingly popular among the people, said Yang Huahong, chairman of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations of the Philippines Foundation. June 9 was the 44th anniversary of the establishment of China-Philippines diplomatic ties and the 18th China-Philippines Friendship Day. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:31:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BISHKEK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states issued a declaration here on Friday at an annual summit, calling for enhanced cooperation to promote peace and development. New development centers are emerging in Asia and the global balance of forces is going through a reconfiguration, said the document. The situation in global politics and economy remains tense, and the process of economic globalization is being hindered by the growing unilateralism and protectionism, and other challenges in international trade, it read. The SCO members reaffirm their support for the efforts of the United Nations as a multilateral organization in maintaining international peace and security, advancing global development, and promoting and protecting human rights. The member states emphasize their intention to extend and deepen cooperation in addressing threats to stability and security in the SCO region. They condemn terrorism in all forms, and call on the international community to promote global cooperation in combating terrorism with the United Nations playing the central role. The SCO members reaffirm that unilateral and unlimited build-up of missile defense systems by countries or groups of states jeopardizes international security and destabilizes the world. They deem it unacceptable to ensure one's own security at the expense of other states' security. The SCO members see the consistent implementation of the Iran nuclear deal as a priority and call on all the participants to strictly fulfil their obligations for the comprehensive and effective implementation of the deal. They stress that there is no alternative to settling the conflict in Afghanistan through political dialogue and an inclusive peace process conducted and led by Afghans themselves. The member states also reaffirm their common stance on the Syria issue, stressing that holding dialogue on the basis of ensuring sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country is the only way out. They consider it necessary to take action to form an effective cooperative system to tackle the drug threat. The SCO members stress the importance of improving the architecture of global economic governance, and deepening cooperation to build a transparent, predictable and stable environment for the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation. They believe that unilateral protectionist actions breach rules of the World Trade Organization, undermine the multilateral trade system and bring challenges to the world trade and economy. The member states consider it important to utilize the potential of regional countries, international organizations and multilateral associations to promote broad, open, mutually beneficial and equitable cooperation in Eurasia. The member states also pledge to strengthen exchange in the scientific, technical, cultural and tourism areas, promote interactions among young people, contribute to the further strengthening of neighborliness, friendship and cooperation. A giant screen displays sales on Alibaba's online marketplace Tmall for Singles' Day shopping spree in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 11, 2018. China's Singles' Day sales on TMall hit 10 billion yuan (about 1.44 billion U.S. dollars) at just two minutes and five seconds after midnight on Sunday. The e-commerce giant launched the annual online shopping promotion on Nov. 11, 2009. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) by Xinhua writers Ma Qian, Xu Xingtang, and Zhang Mocheng NEW YORK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- More Chinese companies have been striving to build stronger brands in a global arena. Their brand value rises rapidly, primarily propelled by technology-driven innovation and overseas consumers' acknowledgement, some researchers and reports showed. "We have seen that the Chinese brands overall have experienced a massive growth," Doreen Wang, global head of BrandZ, a brand equity database managed by brand consultancy Kantar, told Xinhua. "We have a very big faith in Chinese brands, their current efforts and their future growth potential," Wang said. Doreen Wang, global head of BrandZ, speaks during the launching event of BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2019 held in New York, the United States, June 11, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) SURGE IN BRAND VALUE A total of 15 Chinese brands gained their footholds in the 2019 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking this year, according to an annual report released on Tuesday by global communication services provider WPP and Kantar. Among them, e-commerce heavyweight Alibaba and internet giant Tencent entered the global top 10, ranking No. 7 and No. 8 respectively. Nine brands made their debut in the highly competitive list. BrandZ is what it describes as the world's largest database for brand equity, which refers to a brand's value based on consumer perception of and experiences with the brand. Besides, the total value of the top 100 most valuable Chinese brands leaped a record 30 percent to 889.7 billion U.S. dollars, making the largest annual rise since the ranking for Chinese brands was launched in 2011, according to another report titled 2019 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands released in May. In particular, Chinese technology brands dominate the top 10 in terms of overseas presence. Six brands, including Huawei, smartphone maker Xiaomi, drone maker DJI, AI and humanoid robotic company UBTECH Robotics, double their figures of last year. A man walks past an exhibition platform of Chinese brand Xiaomi at an exhibition in Hanover, German, March 17, 2015. China's Xiaomi products have entered more than 20 countries and regions. May 10 marks China's first "Chinese Brands Day," which will help independent brands. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan) STRONGER BRAND POWER OVERSEAS A separate study also showed that the brand power -- a BrandZ measure of brand equity -- of Chinese brands in the global market, expanded by 15 percent year on year, compared with the 5 percent growth last year. The strongest growth of brand power appeared in mobile gaming, e-commerce and smartphone. Huawei, Lenovo, and Alibaba are the top three in the 2019 Top 50 BrandZ Chinese Global Brand Builders ranking released in April. The study also found that brand power has been rising fastest in Japan, France and Spain. Other countries with massive future import potential for Chinese brands involve the United States, Britain, Germany and Australia. "These products and platforms are Chinese owned, designed, or originate from China. They adhere to global standards," Elspeth Cheung, global BrandZ valuation director at Kantar, told Xinhua on Wednesday. China's telecom giant Huawei displays 5G technology at the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 26, 2018. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda) BETTER PERCEPTION, TECH-DRIVEN INNOVATION The remarkable growth in total brand value of Chinese firms was propelled by various brands' speedy expansion into China's lower-tier cities. Rising purchase power among consumers and more positive comments from overseas consumers towards Chinese consumers are some other factors behind, according to the ranking report in May. "We have to recognize that the perception of (overseas) consumers toward Chinese brands has changed significantly," said Wang on Tuesday, adding that those brands were not just getting into local markets, but also setting up a cool image of being leading innovators. Particularly, innovators in e-commerce, video streaming and social media fields have performed quite well, which made western companies like YouTube and Facebook "start to look at the east" to learn how to twine social network with commercial patterns, according to Wang. Chinese video streamers iQiyi and Youku achieved some of the fastest growth in brand value last year, rising 158 percent to 5.6 billion dollars and 136 percent to 5 billion dollars respectively, according to the May report. "YouTube is studying (from) iQiyi and TikTok," said Wang. "Facebook is also studying (from) Wechat and how it connects social network with commerce." "Nowadays when we ask overseas consumers, they think Chinese brands are innovative and creative, especially young consumers in Spain, the UK and the United States," she noted. Wang also noted that China's Belt and Road Initiative has given Chinese brands some "real guidance and a lot of support," so that they can "get their products there and promote their presence to local consumers." "We are seeing lots of Chinese brands start to increase cultural and social influence in overseas markets, especially countries alongside the Belt and Road..." she stressed. Poshu Yeung, vice president of international business group at Tencent, addresses the WeChat Pay technology exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) LOCALIZATION IS NECESSARY Wang also pointed out what challenges Chinese companies are facing in the global brand landscape, as the overall recognition of Chinese brands abroad is still relatively low. "Having your products there in the market does not mean that you have a brand," Wang said. "Brand building is not happening overnight. So that's why (when) we're seeing Chinese brands, like Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan and Didi, they are all working very hard to build their equity day in and day out." "There is a long way to go," she added. To strengthen their brand building in international markets, both Wang and Cheung suggested that Chinese companies should improve their ability in story-telling about their products and how the products would make a difference to the lives of their consumers, so as to promote their brands' reputations. "We highly recommend the Chinese brands to really explore local lifestyles, local insights, and local media habits," she said. "How to deliver great customer experience and how to generate more bonding with consumers are key." Cheung further noted that they found Chinese brands with greater popularity overseas have used "mainstream media to interact with their target consumers." "Consumers are willing to pay more for a unique and differentiated product and service that they could not find elsewhere. In this regard, a possible way for consumers to pay more for a brand is through not only a differentiated product, but the employment of communication channel, delivery, packaging, etc. to create this point of difference," she said. "Going forward, Chinese brands must be clearer about what makes them different and build up brand recognition, if they are to compete successfully against strong global brands," Cheung stressed. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:36:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) BISHKEK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko here on Friday, agreeing to promote cooperation in various fields including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. It has been their second meeting within two months, an evidence of the high level of bilateral relations, Xi said, noting that China-Belarus comprehensive strategic partnership, featuring mutual trust and win-win cooperation, has been developing in recent years. Xi called on the two sides to put more efforts in aligning the BRI with the economic and social development strategy of Belarus, and creating sound environment for the China-Belarus industrial park construction. Major projects should be well implemented, and people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning need to be expanded amid efforts to further advance the bilateral ties, he said. Lukashenko hailed the fruitful achievements of cooperation between the two countries, with mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests. Belarus admires the achievements made by the People's Republic of China since its founding 70 years ago, and supports the joint construction of the Belt and Road, Lukashenko said. Belarus is ready to enhance the cooperation with China in such fields as economy and trade, production capacity, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges, as well as the construction of the China-Belarus industrial park, he said, adding that Belarus is willing to coordinate with China within multilateral frameworks including the SCO. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:36:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KIGALI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia ranks first in Africa towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN), according to the 2019 Africa SDG Index and Dashboards Report launched Friday. Tunisia tops the ranking with a score of 66.01, meaning that the country is 66 percent of the way toward achieving the SDGs, said the index, which was prepared by a team of independent experts from Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa and the secretariat of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The 2019 Africa SDG Index ranks 52 African countries based on 97 indicators across all 17 SDGs, where Seychelles and Libya are excluded due to insufficient data coverage. The top 5 countries also include Algeria, Morocco, Mauritius and Cape Verde, according to the index. Overall, the average score across all countries is 52.3, and 52.7 after weighting by population, it said. In 2015, a UN summit adopted the agenda that comprises 17 SDGs, including ending extreme poverty, preserving the environment and promoting economic growth. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:46:20|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close ISTANBUL, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Friday that his country would not remain silent if the Syrian regime would continue to attack Turkish observation posts in the Syrian province of Idlib. "The continuation of the attacks on this region with barrels and phosphorus bombs is unforgivable," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before departing for Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, for an Asian summit. "And it is not possible for us to remain silent," he said. A Turkish observation post in Idlib was hit by 35 mortar rounds fired by the Syrian government forces and three Turkish soldiers were injured, the Turkish Defense Ministry said a day earlier. Turkey established 12 observation posts in Idlib to monitor cease-fire and prevent the influx of refugees under a deal with Russia and Iran. "We want peace to prevail here," Erdogan said, adding Turkey is listening to the voice of the Syrian people in the region. He also said Turkey is still resolved to remove the presence of the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, a Kurdish militia seen by Ankara as a terrorist group. "Our strategic partner, the U.S., has not kept its promise regarding Manbij and the expectations did not happen there," said Erdogan. Turkey has been expecting the United States to help clear Syria's Manbij of the YPG, while Washington sees the Kurdish fighters as an ally in the fight against the Islamic State militant group. "The U.S. failure to implement the Manbij deal does not mean that Turkey abandoned these areas," Erdogan said. "We maintain all our plans in the same way and we will continue to do so." Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:51:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China's Internet watchdog has removed over 100 million items of harmful online information as of Wednesday through a campaign to create a healthy cyberspace. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said Friday that more than 1.18 million illegal online accounts, which spread vulgar and pornographic content and rumors, have been shut down during the campaign. A total of 4,644 websites have been shut down or have their license revoked, and a batch of case clues relating to pornography, gambling and drug dealing have been transferred to the police, according to the CAC. The CAC has also cracked down a number of illegal websites and platforms spreading soft pornographic contents to teenagers. An anti-addiction system for teenagers has been launched recently on many video websites in order to better protect young people and create a healthy cyberspace, according to an official with the administration. The CAC is also soliciting public opinions for a regulation on protecting the personal information of children. The six-month campaign, launched by the CAC in January, targets 12 types of pernicious online information. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:51:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close HANGZHOU, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He has called for efforts to create a sound institutional environment for the healthy development of small and medium-sized banks. During a tour to Hangzhou, the capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, from Thursday to Friday, Liu said the performance of Chinese small and medium-sized banks is "generally stable" at present. Those banks play an important role in the banking system, and are an important force for the development of inclusive finance, serving the private sector and small and micro enterprises, he said at a meeting. "Small and medium-sized banks should find their accurate position, and stick to the path of professional development by serving primary-level entities and the real economy," Liu said. The country should create a sound institutional environment for the healthy development of those banks, improve the credit system and solve the problem of asymmetric information, he added. During the tour, Liu also presided over a symposium on strengthening basic research, saying that the country must effectively transform government functions and accelerate reform of the scientific research system. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-14 23:56:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BAGHDAD, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Friday held a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over regional developments amid the rising dispute between Washington and Tehran. During the phone call from Pompeo, Mahdi discussed with hin "means to boost bilateral ties and exchanged views on the regional developments against the backdrop of the crisis between the U.S. and Iran," said a statement by the prime minister's media office. Mahdi "revealed Iraq's stance toward the current crisis and its efforts to achieve calm and protect the interests of the peoples and countries of the region," the statement added. The Iraqi prime minister also "stressed the importance of developing bilateral ties and continuation of cooperation in all fields, most notably the economic cooperation and counter-terrorism." For his part, Pompeo praised Iraq's stance and its efforts to maintain security and stability and avoid escalation in the region. On Thursday, Iraq strongly condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia's Abha airport and two ships in the Gulf of Oman, calling for dialogue to achieve stability in the Middle East. The phone call came amid escalating tension in the Middle East after U.S. President Donald Trump decided not to re-issue the sanctions waivers for major importers to continue buying Iran's oil when they expired in early May. The United States has also increased its military activities in the region recently, citing a threat of Iranian attack. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:17:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close XIAMEN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A record number of more than 10,000 people from Taiwan will attend the 11th Straits Forum in Fujian Province starting Saturday, the forum's organizer said Friday at a press conference in Xiamen. The Straits Forum is the largest annual event across the Taiwan Strait highlighting people-to-people exchanges. Co-sponsored by 83 units and organizations across the strait, this year's event will be unveiled in Xiamen on Saturday. It consists of 67 activities featuring exchanges among grassroots and young people. Some 40 percent of participants have never attended the forum before and young people make up half of the participants, according to the organizer. The forum will explore new ways of integrating development across the strait, said Zhong Zhigang, vice director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of Fujian, at the press conference. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, will attend the forum. Tseng Yung-chuan, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, and representatives of Taiwan-based political parties including the People First Party and the New Party will also attend the forum. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:17:09|Editor: Li Xia Video Player Close Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on June 13, 2019. China's pro-engagement approach in the Belt and Road Initiative offers countries like Malaysia more opportunities against the backdrop of the de-globalization trend, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung) by Yu Wei, Jonathan Edward PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China's pro-engagement approach in the Belt and Road Initiative offers countries like Malaysia more opportunities against the backdrop of the de-globalization trend, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Thursday, Saifuddin expressed concern over the trend of anti-globalization and protectionism. Problem arises when certain superpower wants to monopolize and wants the trade to be conducted only in a way that benefits itself, he said. He said certain countries which had advocated free trade and globalization were now contradicting themselves by engaging in protectionism, which is not good for international trade. Saifuddin said the East did not complain when it was trailing behind the West in technology and instead they worked hard to catch up and now it seemed certain countries were trying to subdue those moving forward instead of engaging in healthy competition. "There was a time when Western technologies were more advanced and we didn't complain. What we did was we diligently studied, we learned, we innovated and we competed, and this is exactly what China was doing," he said. Saifuddin pointed to the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as an example of China's participatory approach towards other nations. "This is not the way where most Western countries will do. More often than not, from the West you get an idea which is already done and they bring it to the East and they ask us to follow," he said. "But what we learn from BRI, here is an idea, but you invite people to come and discuss and even small countries share the same table with big countries like China and this to me is an approach that is very important," he said. Saifuddin, who accompanied Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, cited the participatory nature of the BRI as the reason why Mahathir has reiterated support for the initiative, adding that Malaysia is seeing great opportunities from the BRI. "Of course we are a small player but we want to be part of it," he said. In 1974, Malaysia became the first among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish diplomatic relations with China, and the two countries recently celebrated the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations. For Saifuddin, Malaysia could continue to act as a bridge between China and the region. "I think we can play our own role in trying to gather the momentum between ASEAN member states, so that we can relate better, we can engage better, we can trade better with China and there are many areas of corporation," he said. The foreign minister also said close and cooperative ties between key players in the region would greatly benefit those wishing to engage in constructive dialogue, especially considering the Chinese edge in various technologies. Commenting on the situation in the South China Sea, Saifuddin said ASEAN countries and China are working together to maintain peace and security in the sea, while the involvement of "superpowers from outside the region" is more worrying. "Problem arises when people from outside the region wanting to have equal say of how things are done in the region," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:22:11|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PARIS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- France on Friday called on all concerned parties to exercise restraint amid fears of mounting tension in the region following the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, the country's foreign ministry said. "We call on all concerned actors, with whom we are in continuous contact, to exercise restraint and to de-escalate the situation," the ministry's spokesperson Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in a daily online briefing. Expressing "deep concerns" over the attack, she warned "these incidents contribute to fueling the already strong tensions in the region." Von der Muhll said: "It is necessary and urgent that all the light be shed on these events", and France is in contact with its main partners for the aim. On Thursday, U.S. released a video in which it alleged that Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind the attacks against the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous in the Sea of Oman. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that Iran is responsible for the attacks without providing hard evidence, while Tehran called the incident "suspicious". Iran denied responsibility for the assault whose cause remained unknown. The incident came amid the rising tensions between the United States and Iran, triggered by President Donald Trump's controversial withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord and the sanctions he menaced to impose on Iran and all the countries doing business with it. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:22:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LUSAKA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Members of Chinese medical teams in Zambia on Friday paid a courtesy call on Zambia's former President Kenneth Kaunda to express their gratitude for his role in building the relationship between the two countries. The former president met with the Chinese doctors at his residence in Lusaka, the country's capital. Kaunda expressed gratitude for the visit and thanked the Chinese doctors for the wonderful work they were doing in the country. The Chinese doctors included those from the 20th medical team, who have just completed their tour of duty in Zambia and are going back to China, and those from the incoming 21st medical team. Ma Chao, head of the 21st Chinese medical team, said the team were happy to visit Kaunda who started diplomatic relations with China together with Chairman Mao Zedong. He said the Chinese people never forget old friendship and that the visit was meant to celebrate 55 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:22:17|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Armed rebels "Maoists" reportedly killed five policemen in India's eastern state of Jharkhand on Friday. The attack took place on Friday evening when the policemen were patrolling a local market in Saraikela district of the state. The "Maoists" also looted the weapons of the policemen. Following the attack, senior police officials of the district reached the spot, and further investigation is underway. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das condemned the attack, saying the "sacrifice of the policemen will not go in vain." He also promised strict action against the "Maoists". Several Indian states, including Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, have been affected by "Maoists", who mainly attack security personnel and other government installations. Their main demand is that the local people should have a share in resources available in their areas, and there should be better standards of living and infrastructure. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:27:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PARIS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- France-based international police agency Interpol on Friday announced the arrest of "one of the alleged ringleaders" of suicide bombings, which rocked hotels and churches across Sri Lanka two months ago. Following the publication of an Interpol Red Notice, which is a request to law enforce, Ahamed Milhan Hayathu Mohamed was detained in the Middle East, it said in a statement. Wanted on charges of terrorism and murder, the 29-year-old Sri Lankan national was extradited on Friday to Sri Lanka along with four other suspects, it added. "The arrest and extradition of one of the key suspects in the Sri Lanka bomb attacks is an important step in the ongoing investigation, and one which Interpol is proud to have supported," said the agency Secretary General Jurgen Stock. "Red Notices are a powerful tool in helping our member countries cooperate seamlessly across borders in order to locate and bring international fugitives to justice," he added. As part of the investigation, Interpol had deployed Incident Response Team (IRT) that included experts in counter-terrorism, explosives, analysis and disaster victim identification, in addition to providing real-time crosschecks against the police agency's global databases. On April 21, multiple terror attacks struck three churches and four hotels in Sri Lanka during Easter. More than 200 people were killed and hundreds others were wounded in the first major attack on the Indian Ocean island since the end of a civil war a decade ago. The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:27:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania said on Friday the expansion of the Dar es Salaam port by China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) will enable it to handle large vessels ferrying up to 6,000 containers when the project will be completed. Isack Kamelwe, the east African nation's Minister for Works, Transport and Communication, told the visiting Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi that the port was currently handling ships with a capacity of ferrying between 3,000 and 4,000 containers. "But after completion of the project, the port will have the capacity to handle vessels carrying more up to 6,000 containers," Kamelwe told the visiting DRC leader. The minister said expansion of the port will not only benefit Tanzania but also its neighboring landlocked countries, including the DRC. The project being undertaken at the port by China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd includes improving the port's capacity by expansion of berths, he said. "We are doing all in our capacity to improve the port's efficiency," said Kamelwe. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:42:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GABORONE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Non-communicable diseases threaten the health of the people in Botswana as well as the southern African country's national development agenda. Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi made the remarks on Friday when launching the Botswana multi-sectoral strategic plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and the national strategic framework for HIV. The two strategic documents, which marked a critical point in the development of the diamond rich southern African nation and expected to impact significantly on the health and overall well-being of Botswana, were launched in Gaborone, Botswana's capital city. For decades, Masisi said Botswana has focused its attention on addressing HIV/AIDS, which became the "biggest public health challenge of our lifetime." According to Masisi, HIV/AIDS challenged and stretched Botswana in every possible way and taught them some valuable lessons which will aid the country in tackling non-communicable diseases. "With regard to mortality, non-communicable diseases are estimated to have accounted for 46 percent of all deaths in Botswana in 2016," said Masisi. Among these deaths, Masisi further explained that 18 percent were due to cardiovascular diseases, 7 percent due to cancer and 4 percent due to chronic respiratory diseases, while 6 percent were due to diabetes. In this regard, Masisi added that non-communicable diseases have to be prioritized in the southern African country's national development agenda. According to the non-communicable diseases' risk factors survey of 2014, some 30.6 percent of Botswana citizens are overweight, and 20 percent do not engage in physical activity. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:47:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close By Yu Wei, Jonathan Edward PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The relationship between Malaysia and China goes beyond common diplomatic ties and is set to grow stronger as it is built on a foundation of trust and understanding, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. "The relations between China and Malaysia, the diplomatic part of it is 45 years now, but the relations between the people of China and the people of Malaysia has been for hundreds of years, perhaps thousands of years," Saifuddin said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Thursday. He cited the visit by Chinese navigator Zheng He to the then Malacca Sultanate in the 15th century. "It is also civilizational," he said, "it's a very unique kind of relations." On May 31 this year, China and Malaysia marked the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries. The celebration of the anniversary, the upcoming year 2020 as Malaysia-China Cultural Tourism Year as well as the party to party ties marked by a recent visit by a high level Communist Party of China (CPC) delegation to Malaysia, all augurs well for the relations between the two countries, he said. Saifuddin said the longstanding relationship between the two was underlined by the fact that both countries supported each other in facing challenges, both in their bilateral relationship and beyond. Pointing to the general election last year which brought the Pakatan Harapan government to power, Saifuddin said the understanding between the two countries helped facilitate smooth relations and resolve some issues. He mentioned that when Malaysia was facing the problem in selling palm oil, the country's major commodities, to Europe, China added the volume of purchase of palm oil from Malaysia. "When some countries in the West go against Huawei, Malaysia reciprocated by saying 'No, we will continue using Huawei'," he said. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said recently that his country will make full use of the technology made available by Huawei in spite of the U.S. ban on the Chinese tech giant. Witnessing China's great progress over the years, Saifuddin said he was most impressed by "the advancements in digital or innovation economy," citing Huawei which has probably the most advanced technology in its area, making a lot of headways around the globe "to the extent that some countries don't like Huawei." "Alibaba is another extremely impressive organization," he said. "What is unique is the ability of the Chinese people to learn very quickly the new technologies and to be able to apply them." He noted that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was a high profile area of cooperation between the two countries, adding that Malaysia is also keen on broader cooperation with China to learn from its progress. "I think ties will be stronger. Malaysia wants to learn more from China, especially in new technologies, robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), even in agriculture, we are sending our people to learn from your research and development," he said. "Between Malaysia and China, our relations go beyond political, bilateral and trade -- it is also civilizational," he said, "surely we can improve our ties and there are lots of common things that we can work on," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 00:52:43|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close BANGKOK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Thai police on Friday announced a successful operation to seize more than 2.2 million speed pills and 11 kilograms of crystal meth in northern Chiang Rai Province. Commander Pol Maj-General Watchara Thipmongkol from Narcotics Suppression Bureau said at a press briefing that the drugs were reportedly supplied by the South Wa hill-tribal group in Myanmar's border area. The drugs were found in a truck that had sped away from a checkpoint in Chiang Rai. Police chased it and cut it off, said Watchara. Two men jumped from their Mitsubishi Pickup and fled into the darkness leaving behind 15 sacks, containing methamphetamine pills and Ice. Local media said the heavy crackdown has also led to the change of approach by drug gangs. Previously they sent more than 10 million meth pills at a time. But now they send the drugs in a smaller amount, hoping to better avoid detection. Will Ireland/Total Guitar Magazine via Getty ImagesFormer My Chemical Romance band mates Frank Iero and Ray Toro have collaborated for the first time since the band broke up in 2013. The pair worked together on an acoustic session Iero played with his solo project The Future Violents, which was recorded at the New York venue City Winery, and Toro mixed the audio. You can watch the whole performance now on YouTube. "I really enjoyed doing this session at the winery and when they asked if we had anyone in mind to mix the tracks, I immediately thought of asking Ray Toro," Iero says. "He's just so multi-talented and has such a great ear. He's been recording and mixing some rad projects these past few years, and it was an honor to have him work on this session for us." While the news of one artist mixing a recording for another may not usually be something newsworthy, this is the much-beloved My Chemical Romance we're talking about. What's more, the session dropped in the middle of another round of reunion rumors, which started this week after pop star Joe Jonas, of all people, claimed that MCR was back together and rehearsing. That report is still unconfirmed. Iero and The Future Violents released their album Barriers in May. Toro, meanwhile, recently reunited with My Chem frontman Gerard Way for a pair of cover songs. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 01:17:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China supports the planned withdrawal of the UN-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) in June 2020, said an envoy on Friday. China welcomes the UNAMID strategic assessment report of the UN secretary-general and the African Union Commission chairperson, which indicates that the overall security situation in Darfur is stable, and suggests that the drawdown should continue, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. "We hope that the (Security) Council members attach importance to the recommendations in the report and, on the basis of respecting the will of the Sudanese government, make proper arrangements for the future mandate of UNAMID to make sure that the mission will complete its planned withdrawal in 2020." China commends the contributions by UNAMID to maintaining peace and stability in Darfur and supports the extension of its mandate, he told the Security Council. The current UNAMID mandate expires on June 30, 2019, and the Security Council is scheduled to extend it on June 27. With the joint efforts of Sudan, UNAMID, and international partners, the situation in Darfur has improved substantially in recent years, said Wu. Since the second half of 2018, when UNAMID began to implement the transition plan through gradual reconfiguration and drawdown, the situation in Darfur has continued to be stable, he said. "This fully demonstrates that the Sudanese government has the capacity to assume its responsibility to maintain peace and security in Darfur on its own." He asked the international community to continue to provide assistance to Darfur through bilateral and multilateral channels so as to consolidate the results achieved and to advance peace and reconstruction in the region. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 01:23:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GENEVA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told the International Labour Organization (ILO) Friday that providing financial security to citizens to foster harmonious social relations is a lesson going back to the ancient civilizations. IMF managing director Christine Lagarde was speaking at the annual International Labour Conference (ILC), and she praised the ILO for serving "the noble cause of social partnership and social justice" for 100 years, on its centenary. "You were founded after the First World War, on the premise that lasting peace is founded on social justice. We were founded after the Second World War, on the premise that lasting peace is founded on economic cooperation between nations," said Lagarde. The IMF head, referring to social spending, said that public pensions can make all the difference between poverty and a dignified life for the elderly while noting that her observations were not a new insight. "Health care does not just save lives; it extends them and improves their quality. Primary and secondary education give our youngest citizens the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to society," she said. "At a deeper level, I would argue that social spending is a core component of the social contract needed to fulfill the missions of our respective institutions." She noted, "The importance of providing financial security to citizens to keep the peace and foster harmonious social relations is a lesson that goes all the way back to the ancient civilizations." The IMF chief said that for the resilience and growth of economies to be sustainable, the growth needs to be "inclusive -- which calls for social spending" and this, in turn, provides the social and "political buy-in" for growth-supporting policies, thereby building trust. Lagarde said that social spending matters for the bottom line as the world today is assailed with new challenges. She named some, "More retirees, fewer workers; the effects of technology on work and wages; rising inequality and demands for greater fairness; barriers to women participating in the economy and realizing their full potential; the existential threat of climate change; diminishing trust, rising discontent, and a turn away from global cooperation." Therefore, said Lagarde, social spending must take its rightful place at the center of macroeconomic policy discussions. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 01:38:12|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close Photo taken with smartphone on June 14, 2019 shows the United Nations Security Council holding a meeting on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan at the UN headquarters in New York. The peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur will continue its drawdown process toward an exit in 2020, the UN peacekeeping chief said Friday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur will continue its drawdown process toward an exit in 2020, the UN peacekeeping chief said Friday. Peacekeeping is no longer the most appropriate tool to address the situation in Darfur, which will require the UN-AU hybrid mission to "appropriately adjust its posture, operations and capabilities toward the final stages of its existence," UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said. He made the remarks while briefing the UN Security Council on the new assessment of the United Nations African Union Hybrid Operation In Darfur (UNAMID). Regarding the situation on the ground, Lacroix said the only active rebel group in Darfur, SLA/Abdul Wahid, is constrained to pockets of Jebel Marra, has limited operational capabilities, and is increasingly fragmented by infighting factions. While the intercommunal violence has visibly declined, "the conflict drivers related to access to land and resources, environmental degradation and violation of human rights need to be further addressed," he said. Moreover, he pointed to the prolonged humanitarian crisis in the region, saying some 1.5 million displaced persons living in camps, 90 percent of whom cannot afford more than one food basket per day. He also noted a limited capacity of law enforcement and rule of law institutions as well as few viable development programs. With the final exit in mind, he said the report revisited UNAMID's priorities to focus on the revitalization of the political process, the strengthening of Sudan's rule of law institutions, and the support to the long-term stabilization through durable solutions for internally displaced and sustainable rights-based approach for the Darfur population. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 01:48:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BEIRUT, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Ambassador to Lebanon Hubert Cooreman vowed on Friday to exert efforts to boost Lebanese and Belgian economic ties, the National News Agency reported. "We are going to make more efforts to enhance relations between the two countries on several levels," Cooreman was quoted as saying during his meeting with Mohammad Saleh, head of Lebanese Tripoli's Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture. Saleh said the meeting aims at exchanging expertise between the two countries while boosting bilateral ties in economy and other areas. According to the website of Lebanese Customs, the value of Lebanon's imports from Belgium amounted to 285 million U.S. dollars in 2018 while its exports to Belgium were only worth 23 million dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 01:48:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BERLIN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- At the end of the bi-annual conference of German state interior ministers on Friday, participants were still divided over the question whether asylum seekers should be deported to Afghanistan. Afghanistan would not be a country in which at the present time unblemished people can be deported with a "clear conscience", said Boris Pistorius (SPD), interior minister of the federal state of Lower Saxony. Thomsas Strobl of the conservative CDU countered the concerns and referred to Germany's Foreign Ministry which came to the conclusion that it was is possible to generally deport people to Afghanistan, not only criminals, dangerous persons and persistent identity deniers. Twice a year, the interior ministers of all of Germany's 16 federal states hold a joint conference to pass resolutions on a wide range of nationwide relevant topics such as security, migration and criminal prosecution. During the conference that ended on Friday, the German state interior ministers made a decision on the extensions of a deportation stop of asylum seekers from Germany to Syria until the end of 2019. The interior ministers also announced at the conference that they would step up their efforts against criminal clans and larger families in Germany, including by withdrawing German citizenship. "In particular, I promise, in the event of proven involvement in clan crime, to quickly realize the withdrawal of German citizenship, as desired by the federal states, in the presence of a second citizenship," said German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. The German police union (GdP) welcomed the initiative to increase the pressure on criminal clans in Germany. "The business models of the criminal clans were able to develop more or less undisturbed over a long period of time. Fast and above all lasting successes are not to be expected in the short term," warned Oliver Malchow, head of the GdP, on Friday. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 01:58:23|Editor: Wu Qin Video Player Close Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas (L) welcomes his Finnish counterpart Antti Rinne in Tallinn, capital of Estonia, on June 14, 2019. Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas met here on Friday with his Finnish counterpart Antti Rinne to discuss bilateral cooperation, important projects in the Baltic Sea region, and Finnish presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) among others. (Xinhua/Estonian government communication unit/Jurgen Randma) TALLINN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas met here on Friday with his Finnish counterpart Antti Rinne to discuss bilateral cooperation, important projects in the Baltic Sea region, and Finnish presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) among others. Ratas highlighted the close relations between Estonia and Finland, stressing the increasing importance of cooperation in the ever-changing world. "I am glad that we agree with Finland on all the major issues, because global challenges, such as the climate change and sustaining economic growth, can only be faced if we stand together," Ratas was quoted as saying in a statement. "In order to continue moving forward in a neighborly manner, the Nordic countries and the Baltic states must keep on walking to the same rhythm in international issues where we share similar views, because our voices are stronger when we are together," he added. Ratas also stressed the importance of digital cooperation, expecting a more advanced data exchange between the two countries besides digital prescriptions. Ratas and Rinne also discussed the Rail Baltica project, a greenfield rail transport infrastructure project that aims to integrate the Baltic states into the European rail network. They also discussed establishing the Estonian, Latvian, and Finnish joint gas market, prospects of the Tallinn-Helsinki undersea railway tunnel, as well as the environmental situation of the Baltic Sea, which is one of the priorities for the new government of Finland. Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid also met with the Finnish prime minister to discuss future cooperation, especially regarding the EU, climate goals and the Baltic Sea environment, terming Finland as one of the good neighbors and friends of Estonia. Rinne's visit to Estonia was his first foreign visit after the new cabinet was formally appointed by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on June 6. The Finnish presidency of the Council of the European Union begins on July 1. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 02:18:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GENEVA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- An international delegation of global labor leaders, civil society and students will rally Monday here in Geneva to condemn the U.S. Administration's policy of migrant family separation on the country's southern border. In a media statement issued Friday, Public Services International (PSI), a global trade union federation representing 20 million working women and men who deliver public services in 163 countries and regions, announced the rally will take place on Monday morning near the UN headquarters in Geneva. Participants of the rally will include leaders from various international labor groups like PSI, American Federation of Teachers, Education International and students from International School of Geneva. "Over the last year, 2,500 children have been separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border as a direct result of the U.S. government's notorious 'Zero Tolerance' immigration policy," the statement said. It added that five children have died in custody over the past six months. According to PSI, in June 2018 a number of organizations and human rights groups as well as more than 100,000 individuals had filed a complaint to UN on this topic. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 02:23:38|Editor: ZX Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (L), Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga attend a trilateral meeting, the fifth of its kind, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) BISHKEK, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Presidents of China, Russia and Mongolia pledged to strengthen trilateral cooperation during their meeting here on Friday. The trilateral meeting, the fifth of its kind, among Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga was held on the sidelines of the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. The heads of state reviewed the achievements of trilateral cooperation and discussed the overall plan for the next phase. Since the last gathering of the heads of state in China's eastern port city of Qingdao last year, the three sides have maintained close communication and cooperation, and the trilateral cooperation has gradually developed, said Xi. Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the China-Russia and China-Mongolia diplomatic relations, Xi said China will hold celebrations with the two countries respectively. Against the backdrop of rising protectionism and unilateralism, the three countries need to firmly promote regional cooperation and achieve common development, he said. They should focus on the alignment of the three countries' development strategies, promote comprehensive cooperation in all fields, and jointly release the positive signal of maintaining multilateralism and creating an open world economy, said Xi. For the next phase, the three sides should deepen political mutual trust, increase mutual support, respect each other's core interests, and strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, Xi stressed. The Chinese president said the three countries should promote the implementation of cooperative projects within the framework of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, promote customs facilitation measures, upgrade major ports, and deepen sub-national cooperation. The cooperation and coordination within the framework of the SCO should be expanded, said Xi. Putin said Russia is committed to deepening its relations with China and Mongolia on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and is ready to step up cooperation to promote the synergy between the Eurasian Economic Union, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, and Mongolia's Steppe Road program. He also called on the three parties to enhance inter-connectivity in transportation, expand trade, and bolster cooperation in energy and finance. Battulga said it is Mongolia's unswerving policy to deepen the friendly cooperation with China and Russia, adding that his country is committed to pushing forward the trilateral cooperation and the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor. He called on the three sides to set up institutional arrangements so as to accelerate the construction of a network of cross-border highways, facilitate customs clearance, strengthen energy cooperation, and discuss the construction of regional power grids. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 02:43:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) is warmly received by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon upon his arrival at the airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, June 14, 2019. Xi arrived here Friday for the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and a state visit to Tajikistan. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) DUSHANBE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Friday for the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and a state visit to Tajikistan. Xi was warmly received by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon at the airport. The two heads of state had a cordial talk. Xi thanked Rahmon for meeting him in person at the airport and conveyed to the Tajik government and people sincere greetings on behalf of the Chinese government and people. As good neighbours, friends and brothers, China and Tajikistan have maintained sound and steady development in relations ever since they forged diplomatic ties 27 years ago, he said. Xi said he and Rahmon decided to establish the China-Tajikistan comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017, which has ushered bilateral relations into a new phase of rapid development. "My visit this time aims to push bilateral ties to an even higher level," he said. "I look forward to having in-depth communication with my old friend President Rahmon, and jointly outlining the beautiful blueprint of China-Tajikistan relations." He pledged China's willingness to work with Tajikistan to further promote bilateral ties and cooperation in various fields to bring more benefits to both peoples. The Dushanbe summit bears great significance to the development of the CICA, where all sides will discuss the mechanism's future development and decide on priorities for cooperation, Xi said, praising Tajikistan's efforts in preparing for the event and expressing belief in its success. Recalling Xi's visit to Tajikistan five years ago, Rahmon extended a warm welcome to the Chinese leader for the state visit and his participation in the CICA summit. Rahmon wished the visit a complete success and better and faster development of bilateral ties. Tajikistan is the second leg of Xi's two-country Central Asia trip, which also took him to Kyrgyzstan for a state visit and the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside daughter Ivanka Trump (R) and Kellyanne Conway (C), White House Counselor, during an event in honor of Military Mothers and Spouses in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, May 9, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO) WASHINGTON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he won't fire White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, a day after a government watchdog agency recommended her be removed over violations of a federal law. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said Thursday that Conway violated the Hatch Act "on numerous occasions by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media." The Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president, vice-president, and certain designated high-level officials, from engaging in some forms of political activity. Speaking to Fox & Friends on Friday, Trump said that he had been briefed on the matter and that he would not fire the long-time aide. "I'm not going to fire her. I think she's a terrific person," Trump said. "She's got to have a right of responding to questions." OSC said in a statement that "Conway is a repeat offender and has shown disregard for the law," while recommending that she be removed from federal service. White House counsel Pat Cipollone, in a letter, accused OSC's report of making "unfair and unsupported claims against a close adviser to the President" based on "multiple fundamental legal and factual errors." Conway, 52, was Trump's campaign manager in 2016. A loyal and fierce defender of the president, she's overseeing White House efforts on reducing deaths by opioids. Chinese soldiers help to unload a military helicopter from an aerotransport at Khartoum airport on June 11, 2017. China's first helicopter unit on Sunday arrived in Sudanese capital Khartoum to join the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Friday that his country supports the planned withdrawal of the UN-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), and calls for the promotion of the political process in the Sudanese region through dialogue. China welcomes the UNAMID strategic assessment report of the UN secretary-general and the African Union Commission chairperson, which indicates that the overall security situation in Darfur is stable, and suggests that the drawdown should continue, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. "We hope that the (Security) Council members attach importance to the recommendations in the report and, on the basis of respecting the will of the Sudanese government, make proper arrangements for the future mandate of UNAMID to make sure that the mission will complete its planned withdrawal in 2020." Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) march during the inauguration in Khartoum, Sudan, May 13, 2017. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday directed Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to confront tribal conflicts in Darfur region and resolve them peacefully or militarily. (Xinhua/Mohamed Babiker) China commends the contributions by UNAMID to maintaining peace and stability in Darfur and supports the extension of its mandate, he told the Security Council. The current UNAMID mandate expires on June 30, 2019, and the Security Council is scheduled to extend it on June 27. With the joint efforts of Sudan, UNAMID, and international partners, the situation in Darfur has improved substantially in recent years, said Wu. Since the second half of 2018, when UNAMID began to implement the transition plan through gradual reconfiguration and drawdown, the situation in Darfur has continued to be stable, he said. "This fully demonstrates that the Sudanese government has the capacity to assume its responsibility to maintain peace and security in Darfur on its own." He called for efforts to promote the political process in Darfur, which has been plagued by a war between Sudanese government forces and the indigenous population since 2003. "China hopes that all parties concerned in Darfur will continue to exercise restraint. It calls on the opposition parties and armed groups that have not yet joined the political process to effectively abandon the military solution, resolve their disputes and differences through political means such as dialogue and consultation, and work together to safeguard peace and stability in Darfur," said Wu. He asked for respect for the leadership of the Sudanese government on the issue of Darfur. The Sudanese government bears the primary responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in Darfur. When helping solve the Darfur issue, the United Nations and the international community should effectively strengthen communication and coordination with the Sudanese government, earnestly heed its views and suggestions, and focus on supporting the Sudanese government in strengthening its security capacity building, he said. He also asked the international community to continue to provide humanitarian and economic assistance to support the peacebuilding efforts of the Sudanese government in Darfur. The current focus is to help facilitate the return and settlement of internally displaced persons in Darfur, he said. China welcomes the efforts of the UN Development Programme, the Peacebuilding Commission, and others to provide necessary support for the construction and development of Darfur, said Wu. China has always supported the peace process in Darfur. As one of the major troop-contributing countries for UNAMID, China has made positive contributions to the maintenance of peace and stability in Darfur over the years, he said. China is ready to work with the rest of the international community to continue to play a constructive role in realizing peace, stability, and development in Darfur, he added. An oil tanker is seen after it was attacked at the Gulf of Oman, June 13, 2019. (ISNA/REUTERS) MOSCOW, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned the attack against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and called for refraining from making hasty accusations. "We strongly condemn the attacks that occurred, whoever was behind their organization," the ministry said in a statement. "We consider it necessary to refrain from hasty conclusions. Blaming anyone for involvement in these incidents before the completion of a thorough and impartial international investigation is unacceptable," it added. It expressed its concern over the tension in the Gulf of Oman and over the evidence of the United States "artificially whipping them up" due to its "Iranian-phobia" policy. The ministry reiterated that it saw no alternative to establishing a dialogue in order to prevent further degradation of the situation in the region. On Thursday, two oil tankers, Front Altair, owned by shipping company Frontline Ltd. that is controlled by Norwegian-born magnate John Fredriksen, and the Panamanian-flagged Kokuka Courageous, were reportedly hit by unknown attackers in the Gulf of Oman. The crew of the tankers of 44, including 11 Russian nationals, were transferred to the Iranian port city of Jask. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a press briefing on Thursday blamed Iran for the attack. "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," Pompeo said, according to an official transcript. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 04:29:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TUNIS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Khemaies Jhinaoui on Friday discussed with Ghassan Salame, visiting UN special envoy to Libya, the latest developments in the war-torn country. The meeting dealt with efforts to reach an immediate cease-fire and resumption of a political process in Libya. Jhinaoui briefed Salame on the outcome of a meeting of the Tunisian, Algerian and Egyptian foreign ministers which was held in Tunis on Wednesday to discuss the Libyan issue. "The statement issued at the end of the meeting reflected the three countries' concern over the continued clashes in Libya and their willingness ... to put an end to the fighting and to revive the political process," Jhinaoui was quoted as saying in a press release by the Tunisian Foreign Ministry. He hailed the efforts of the UN special envoy to Libya, noting they should lead to great progress toward national reconciliation in Libya. Meanwhile, Salame said he was firmly convinced that the three main neighbors of Libya, namely Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt, have no other interest than to see stability restored in Libya. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 04:45:03|Editor: ZX Video Player Close by Peter Mertz LARAMIE, the United States, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Staring in the face of huge potential income fallouts from the U.S.-China trade war, American educators are pulling out all stops to stem the tide. "A drop in the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S. could have a serious impact on some institutions where their presence contributes significantly to the bottom line," said University of Wyoming (UW) international education expert Anthony Ogden. "Although the U.S. remains the top host of international students globally, contributing over 42 billion U.S. dollars annually to the U.S. economy, the number of new international students has begun to decrease," Ogden told Xinhua early this week. Ogden, associate vice provost for global engagement at the UW, isn't the only U.S. international educator sounding the alarm. From coast to coast, America's vaunted educational system is reeling from the potential fallout of a diminished Chinese presence. And all are quick to note that current White House policy and rhetoric have made it unattractive to study in the United States. For the first time in decades, the number of students coming to America is declining, according to recent data from the Institute of International Education (IEE), a 100-year-old group that monitors international education. Billions of dollars are at stake. RISING DISCRIMINATION "After the Federal Bureau of Investigation director accused foreign researchers of stealing intellectual property from the United States, Chinese students and scholars have felt singled out and further alienated," Xiaojie Li wrote in InsideHigherEd.com this week. Li is Chinese student services coordinator at the International Students and Scholars Center at the Arizona State University. She and Ogden both hold PhDs and are leading a chorus of highly regarded educators who are sending up caution flags. "Students from China account for the largest number of students in the U.S.," said Ogden, who has spearheaded recruitment at some of America's largest universities, including Penn State University and Michigan State University. Ogden told Xinhua that "China's recent statement warning of the 'risk' of studying in the U.S. is of concern," and could spell a drop in Chinese enrollments soon. "Besides living with the uncertainty due to the tightened visa policies and other regulations, Chinese students, as the largest international student population in the United States, are also increasingly disturbed by the generally unwelcoming environment in the country overall," Li noted on Tuesday. NUMBERS China has around 400,000 students in the United States, by far the most among the 950,000 foreigners who come to study at the country's 4,000 colleges and universities, according to sources. In November, the Trump administration threatened to ban Chinese students entirely, a potential economic hit of 30 billion dollars a year, according to data from the Association of International Educators and U.S. Department of Commerce. "Although concerned with geo-political tensions, we remain confident that our educational partnerships in China are resilient and that our collective commitment to education and cultural exchange will remain paramount," Ogden said. Ironically, with the Trump administration insisting on "balanced trade," the elimination of income from Chinese students which is more sizeable than that of any agricultural sector flies in the face of alleged White House objectives. "This is more fly-by-the-seat of the pants Trump foreign policy - his Great Trade War was ill-advised and has been self-destructive to U.S. interests across the board," Washington political insider David Richardson told Xinhua. REACTION Despite the administration's bellicose China stance, America's educational community is reacting from east to west is working to attract Chinese students - like never before. A Feb 26, 2019 article in Educations.com noted that "China remains the world's largest source of international students ... over half a million academics leaving the country to study abroad, according to the Chinese Ministry of Education." "So, it's not surprising that many higher education institutions have begun to target their marketing towards this geographic market," the article noted. InsideHigherEd.com this week gave advice to educators recruiting Chinese students. "We as faculty and staff members, should actively identify discriminatory behavior toward Chinese students, spend time listening to how they feel and help them to analyze the issues, increase their awareness of neo-racism and navigate existing resources," Li said. "That way, Chinese students can better understand the importance of speaking out and also feel comfortable and empowered to do so," she added. CURRICULUM ENTICEMENTS With potential revenue from China in jeopardy, American administrators are getting creative in ways to attract students from the biggest market in the world. Last month, Ogden spearheaded a Wyoming education delegation that visited China and unveiled a number of new degree options and exchanges. "Our university sits at an elevation of 2,200 meters, and that is an extraordinarily high elevation with thin air," Ogden said, noting that UW's location in the Rocky Mountains north of Colorado is a sought-after destination for Olympic caliber student-athletes. The agreements, with Chengdu University of Information and Technology (CUIT) and Shanghai University of Sport (SUS), were the highlights of the UW delegation's week-long visit in early May. "We signed a new and innovative partnership with Shanghai University of Sport which establishes an SUS-UW Center in UW's Division of Kinesiology and Health," Ogden told Xinhua. "The Center will support visiting faculty and scholars, facilitate education, training and research collaboration, and provide student and faculty exchanges," he added. Ogden said that shortly after the U.S.-China trade war began his staff met to strategize on how to best retain the critical Chinese market. "Cooperation with China is integral to our global engagement strategy. Last fall, the University conducted a comprehensive audit of our engagement in China with the intention of developing a more cohesive and intentional strategy," Ogden said. "Currently, the University of Wyoming works with nearly 40 distinct institutions, with activities ranging from student, faculty and staff exchanges to joint degree programming and research collaboration," he said of UW's aggressive Chinese recruitment efforts. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 05:00:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NICOSIA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus has issued several international arrest warrants with regard to what it called illegal actions in the Cypriot exclusive economic zone by a Turkish drillship, state radio reported on Friday, quoting a government official. "A double-digit number of international arrest warrants were issued and are in the stage of execution," the official was quoted as saying. The official said that the Cypriot government's actions is aimed at companies that assist in the state owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation activities in the Cypriot continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. Fines of more than 1 million euros and a jail sentence of five years are provided by Cypriot legislation for direct or indirect insolvent of any company or its affiliates, without the express authorization of Cypriot authorities. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has waived off the issuing of arrest warrants as "talk only." The Cypriot official, according to state radio, said the issuing of arrest warrants does not settle the dispute with Turkey, but it puts pressure on it. State radio also reported that a summit meeting of seven southern EU countries in Malta later on Friday night would adopt a draft declaration calling for EU sanctions on Turkey. "Our European partners have pledged to show their solidarity with Cyprus. We expect to see decisions taken to this end, which will provide for measures," the government source was quoted by state radio. Cyprus has said that the presence of "Fatih" drillship so close to its shores constitutes an escalation of Turkish actions against the eastern Mediterranean island. Cyprus was split along ethnic lines in 1974, when Turkey intervened militarily following a coup by Athens-backed Greek Cypriots. Turkey, Greece and the Greek Cypriot government have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas exploration in Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said earlier that Turkey would protect Turkish Cypriots' rights related to drilling and exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ties between Ankara and Athens have strained over attempts to tap gas and oil in the disputed area. Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-15 05:55:48|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close (Xinhua photo) WASHINGTON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of being behind the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman one day before, citing a video released by the U.S. military. Two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. "Iran did do it and you know they did do it because you saw the boat," Trump said in an interview with Fox News, referring to the video released by the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM). "They didn't want the evidence left behind...It was them that did it," Trump noted, adding that "we don't take it lightly." USCENTCOM released a video late Thursday which it claimed showed Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers (Kokuka Courageous) shortly after the attack. "At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous," USCENTCOM spokesperson Bill Urban said in a statement. The statement noted that the United States has no interest in a new conflict in the Middle East, while stressing that "the U.S. and our partners in the region will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves and our interests." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Iran was responsible for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, which Tehran denied. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday responded on his Twitter, saying that the United States immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran was a plan to use sabotage diplomacy to cover up its economic terrorism against Iran. The attacks came amid Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Iran, which was the first visit made by a Japanese prime minister since Takeo Fukuda in 1978. The rare visit aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, told Abe on Thursday that it was meaningless to exchange message with Trump, according to Iranian state media. "While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted on Thursday. Trump on Friday thanked Abe again for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran during their phone conversation, according to a statement issued by the White House. "Diplomatic efforts by allies are necessary to dial down the tension, but they can't resolve it as long as Washington relies on an all-or-nothing approach," said an article of Foreign Policy, citing Ali Vaez, a senior Iran analyst and the Iran Project director for the International Crisis Group. "If Iran is behind these attacks, it clearly shows that a U.S. policy relying solely on coercion can backfire," said Vaez. Over the recent weeks, Washington has ratcheted up pressure on Tehran with a series of sanctions, designations and military threats, trying to press Iran back to negotiations after U.S. exit from the landmark Iran nuclear deal over a year ago. Iranian authorities have stressed that Tehran would not sit for negotiations under Washington's threats or sanction pressures. In May, four commercial vessels suffered similar sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. A murit miliardarul Calisto Tanzi, italianul care a fondat imperiul Parmalat Calisto Tanzi, antreprenorul de al carui nume este legata cresterea concernului Parmalat, companie pe care a fondat-o in 1961, producatoare de lactate si bauturi racoritoare, una dintre cele mai cunoscute companii italiene din lume, avea 83 de ani, [citeste mai departe] Start of Sibiu International Theater Festival, Romania's top performing arts event featuring 3,300 artists The Sibiu International Theater Festival (FITS), Romania's top performing arts event featuring for ten days shows by 3,300 artists from 73 countries at various venues in the city, started this Friday. "We'll have 3,300 artists from 73 countries performing in 75 venues with a capacity of about 70,000 viewers a day. These figures place the festival on world spot No. 1, as a one of a kind event, and I say this because we should mention that the Edinburgh event in August actually has 11 festivals running at the same time. So, as a stand-alone festival, this is the world's biggest," said FITS Citeste articolul mai departe pe stiripesurse.ro Sursa articol: stiripesurse.ro Stiri pe aceeasi tema - The Government approved two normative acts of special importance for the adoption of the State Budget Law and the Social Insurance Budget Law, announced on Friday the Minister of Finance, Adrian Caciu, who mentioned that Romania, in 2022, will maintain the downward trajectory in the excessive deficit - Romania is probably the state with the most advanced provisions regarding the Armenian community in terms of constitutional and legislative rights, the chairman of the Union of Armenians of Romania, Varujan Vosganian, said on Friday. He participated in the opening of the exhibition "Armenia - Romania is firmly committed to supporting joint efforts meant to strengthen the resilience of Eastern partners, with the common strategic interest being to facilitate a climate of security and democratic stability in the immediate vicinity and in the Black Sea region, said Foreign Minister Bogdan - Romania has permanently shut down two of its three industrial plants for which it has been referred to the court, which is why it is bizarre how the European Commission (EC) acted, Romania's Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forests Barna Tanczos said on Friday. "This is a court referral - Head of Romania's National COVID-19 Vaccination Coordination Committee (CNCAV) Valeriu Gheorghita said on Friday that from November 1, those who got the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as their first vaccination scheme can get half the dose of the vaccine from the same company as a booster shot, agerpres - US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the United States is considering adding four countries to its Visa Waiver Program that allows citizens to come to America without a visa for a stay of up to 90 days, according to Reuters. We have four candidates in the pipeline: Israel, Cyprus, - Dune 2 este ca si confirmat. Ann Sarnoff, CEO-ul WarnerMedia Studios, a dat de inteles ca, desi a doua parte pentru filmul regizat de Denis Villeneuve nu a primit inca unda verde, el este cu siguranta pe drum. Vom avea un sequel pentru Dune? Daca va uitati la film veti - The European Commission announced on Friday that it has coordinated a shipment to Romania of 250 oxygen concentrators, crucial devices to boost the supply of medical oxygen which is needed to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, according to Reuters. Countries in the European Union have sent COVID-19 Open source On June 14, the militants violated ceasefire six times in Donbas. As a result, one Ukrainian soldier got injured, as the press office of Joint Forces Operation reported on Facebook. In Luhansk sector, the enemy attacked the positions of our soldiers near Marinka. In Donetsk sector the enemy performed three attacks at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Pivdenne, Popasna and Novgorodske. According to the Joint Forces Operation headquarters, Russias illegal armed formations performed attacks with Minsk-banned weapons of 82mm and 122mm calibers, and from grenades of various systems and small arms. As a result of enemys attacks, one Ukrainian serviceman was injured The casualties of the enemy are being specified, the message reads. As it was reported, on June 13 two Ukrainian soldiers got injured. Militants violated ceasefire 29 times, three times using Minsk-banned 152mm artillery, 82mm mortars. Ukraine news on 112.international Open source Naftogaz will reduce gas price for the consumers under the PSO in June 7,3%, as the press office of the company reported. Naftogaz has calculated a new price of natural gas for the needs of the population and other consumers under PSO, which will come into force in June in compliance with the provision of Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers No. 485 as of June 5, 2019 it will make $198,3 per one thousand cubic meters (without value-added tax, the price for delivery and extra charges of the supplier). Therefore, in June gas price that Naftogaz sells to its gas distributors and delivers to the consumers under PSO will reduce by 7,3% or by $15,5 in comparison with May, the message reads. It was noted that the provision of the Government No. 485 provides that Naftogaz analyses four indicators to set a price a price for commercial consumers over the last month, information of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade at an average customs value of gas over the last month, weighted average price on Ukraines energy stock market and price under the governmental provision No. 867 as of October 19, 2018 the company chooses the lowest one. The price on Ukraines energy stock market was the lowest one. It defined the price for June. The new mechanism shows the advantages of a certain market. The price changes in parallel with market priorities and thanks to that, the consumer gets fair conditions. We hope that the Government will agree with our proposal for the total abolition of the price regulation, which in addition to transparent pricing will allow the final consumer to choose gas supplier, the Head of Naftogaz Andriy Kobolev noted. As it was reported, Ukraines Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman stated that the Government has to oblige Naftogaz to reduce gas price in June and July this year. The Cabinet of Ministers appealed to Accounts Chamber, Anti-Monopoly Committee, State Fiscal Service to check the gas price formation. As it was reported, Naftogaz Ukraine claimed a possibility to reduce gas price for the population by 4% in comparison with the price in April. NATO is practicing in the Baltic Sea these days, as it's done before. What's new: The exercise is headed by the US Navy's 2nd Fleet command, a key force during the Cold War era. Russia is running a countermaneuver NATO drills in Estonia, August 2017 Facebook Roman Bochkala Whenever NATO has run exercises on the Baltic Sea, Russia's activities have been in the background. But since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in particular, the alliance has paid special attention to its eastern flank. NATO demonstrates this with the protection of the three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all three of which were former Soviet republics. In recent years, incidents have repeatedly occurred over the Baltic Sea in which NATO jets intercepted or escorted Russian military aircraft. "Russia is a Baltic nation and we respect that," Andrew Lewis, vice-admiral and commander of the US 2nd Fleet, told DW. "However, the Baltic Sea and the airspace above it are international territories. We have a right to use them in accordance with international standards." First European deployment for new US fleet This time the US 2nd Fleet is in charge of the annual NATO naval exercise BALTOPS, which lasts until June 21. The exercise has been carried out for more than 40 years. According to NATO, 16 nations as well as bordering states Sweden and Finland participate. A total of around 8,600 soldiers are involved, distributed across 50 ships, two submarines and 40 aircraft, and a helicopter carrier that accompanies Juan Carlos I, the flagship of the Spanish navy. According to NATO, the whole range is practiced: air defense, response to destruction of mines and submarines, and defense against attacks by "enemy ships." The extent of the exercise is comparable to that of previous years, but the participation of the 2nd Fleet is unusual. The fleet operates in the North Atlantic and became known during the Cold War for several maneuvers, including the blockade during the Cuban missile crisis. In 2011 the 2nd Fleet was disbanded because at the time, the Obama administration considered the danger from Russia to be low. The fleet was revived in 2018 "in response to Russia's growing naval activity in the Atlantic," NATO states. BALTOPS is the first deployment of the new US fleet in Europe. "The 2nd Fleet was re-established as a response to the changing global security environment," said Lewis. "It was not specifically because of a country." He added that there were "competitors on the world stage, including Russia and China." Russia trains missile strike on ships Moscow's reaction to BALTOPS is strongly reminiscent of the Cold War era. Soldiers from five NATO member countries practiced landing on the Estonian island of Saaremaa on Wednesday. On the same day, the Russian navy trained for the sinking of an "enemy" submarine in the Baltic Sea. In the neighboring Russian exclave Kaliningrad, a missile strike on "enemy" ships was also simulated. It seems that the NATO military exercise is not only observed by Moscow, but also mirrored with a Russian exercise in turn. However, with seven warships on the Russian side, significantly fewer forces are involved. According to Russian data, there has already been one incident. On Monday a Russian Su-27 fighter jet supposedly intercepted US and Swedish reconnaissance planes over the Baltic Sea. Vice Adm. Lewis did not rule out a potential "interaction" between NATO and Russia in the North Atlantic, but said he is hoping for "professional management." "We expect deterrence and peaceful coexistence," he said. US announces interest in the Arctic This apparently also applies to the Arctic, another region in which Russia is increasingly reporting claims and expanding its armed forces. The goal is "to learn as much as possible about an operation in the Arctic," Lewis said. The Arctic is a region with which the US is just as familiar as Russia or Norway, Lewis said, adding that they want to ensure that the Arctic remains an area in which international maritime law is not challenged. Read the original text at DW. Ukraine still uses the administrative grid, developed during Soviet times thus reflecting the needs of the planned economy of that time, as well as the specifics of the command management system Open source The topic of decentralization is the most toxic issue in terms of its criticism. On the one hand, this is one of the few reforms in recent times that has at least partially lowered funding from a single redistribution center down to the field. Our officials do not get tired to report on two-digit indicators of the growth of the resource base of local authorities. At the same time, the efficiency of using these resources leaves much to be desired: in conditions when banks offer deposits of up to 15% per annum, many mayors and heads of local communities prefer to place free resources received as a result of decentralization in banks at 10%, successfully dividing bank "bonuses" with its leadership. You can do almost nothing and earn from the resources of local communities about 5% per annum on the free balance of funds when the conditional 2.5% migrate into the pockets of bankers, and the other 2.5% go into the pockets of local "bosses." In parallel, you can even unleash a personal management case as a person who has saved the resources of his native city from inefficient use. So it turns out that the banks accumulate billions of hryvnia free funds, and incinerators begin to be built only when the entire city is littered with debris. More than 100 countries of the world, which according to the UN report on global investment produce 90% of global GDP, attract investors through active implementation of sovereign industrial policy, which in turn is the basic matrix for the formation of an international investment pool. Investors need predictability and a clear prospect for the development of the real sector of the economy of a country. There are two main groups of countries in the current global investment paradigm. Developed states that attract investors through high institutional capacity and the high quality of the business environment. These are, so to speak, rigid, stable economies that can offer their legal system to activate an entrepreneurial game, equal conditions, etc. On the other hand, there are labile, unstable developing countries that, even when having maximum internal potential, will not be able to provide investors with attractive conditions for the implementation of business projects across the country. The necessary quality of infrastructure, low level of fiscal pressure, legal security and regulatory simplicity can be provided to investors only in special clusters: free economic zones, industrial and technological parks, industrial sites, port-free zones, energy hubs. In this case, developing countries simply have to make a choice: to build equal conditions for investors across the country, and silently watch how competitors go forward, and the epicenters of world growth, like magnets, pull basic human capital out of the country or all offer the system investors a cluster approach, replacing the external labor migration with the internal one and temporarily putting up with the fact that in the next 30-40 years, separate economic zones and/or charter cities might be created, which does not exclude the presence of depressed regions. But in this system at least human capital will be able to circulate within the country (between these cluster development areas) without leaving the country, and investors will be able to receive precisely the service package and legal protection that they cannot be provided for throughout the country. According to this scheme, all developing economies operate, such as China, South Korea and so on, and even those states that are part of a single highly developed institutional environment, such as Poland. That is, Ukraine now has two unequal alternatives: either for another 30-40 years to try to create a unified system institutional environment, or to switch to generally accepted forms of cluster development. If we are talking about developing countries, the first option was a success only in one country - Singapore - due to the application of English law, compactness and geographical position. In essence, this is a cluster country. The second option has been successfully implemented in dozens of world economies. You can come to Kyiv and talk with the prime minister and even get the help of special investor support groups under the Cabinet of Ministers. But then you have to negotiate at the level of the region, district. And finally, to encounter at the micro level of local communities with the local self-defense and the enraged local environmental activists. After a year of hardship and extortion of money at all levels, the desire to invest in Ukraine will disappear. It turns out that the current scheme cannot provide a single window for an investor to enter the Ukrainian economy, including such a topical question as land allocation. And any new industrialization, be it the Chinese present or the Soviet past is inevitably accompanied by permanent infringement of the rights of local residents. Unfortunately, no one in Ukraine has elaborated a full-fledged administrative reform, aimed at improving the existing administrative grid, developed during Soviet times thus reflecting the needs of the planned economy of that time, as well as the specifics of the command management system. Such a complex reform should combine the methodology of the distribution of productive forces (territorial and economic regions) and the modern world-system analysis. At the moment, there are several regional clusters in Ukraine, formed on the basis of various civilization models, which are now being united in a single Ukrainian project. Several "world-economies" have been formed in our country, each with its own "super-city." Lviv in the western part of the country, Odesa in the south, Dnipro and Kharkiv in the south-east, Kyiv in the center. The state links all these "world-systems" into a single "world-economy" and a single country. This is how the theory of the world-system analysis of Fernand Braudel works at our micro level. If we use the world-system analysis of another theorist, Immanuel Wallerstein, we can see that the greatest risk for us in terms of economic stagnation lies in transforming the young market world-economy into a world-empire, when the territories are united only through the center, responsible for the centralized collection of taxes and redistribution in their own interests. The policy of decentralization should lead to a completely different result: our still ineffective world-economy should gradually be transformed into a single world-system. For this, the administrative grid in Ukraine must be reformed on the basis of more efficient and adequate single-tax structures, that is, separate territorial-economic regions, united on the basis of common properties and characteristics. This works on the example of grouping the Ukrainian regions into three basic territorial-economic regions: Donetsk-Prydniprovia with two large industrial centers (Dnipro and Kharkiv) and also three basic industrial clusters (Azov, Dnipro region, Slobozhanshchyna), Central (Kyiv and Lviv industrial clusters), South (Odesa industrial cluster). Considering the regional peculiarities of the economy, these TER (territorial and economic regions) require a diversified economic approach and the formation of a multi-vector economic policy for each of them. In the central region, it is necessary to develop logistics and transport infrastructure to ensure the transit of goods to the EU market. This allows creating innovative and technological clusters, industrial sites, and free economic zones in the central and western part of the country. On the state side, a stimulating policy aimed at strengthening the role of medium-sized businesses is needed. In this area, new points of innovation growth of the economy should appear and a noticeable strengthening of the role of networks of small and medium business associations in the general structure of output should occur. Transit logistics and infrastructure will also be actively developed here. As for the Donetsk- Prydniprovia district, methods of state dirigisme and competent protectionism are needed to restore the country's industrial core and enhance the efficiency of the extractive industry. Objectively, the role of big business will be preserved in it, and the investment pool will continue to be formed with the active participation of the state and existing financial-industrial groups. Regarding the southern region, there are significant prospects in the sector of tourism and services, as well as in the creation of free trade duty-free transit zones of the port-franco and trading terminals. To activate regional potential, maximum deregulation and credit incentives are needed. As for Ukraines future "world-system", it is economically feasible to carry out the reform on the basis of the following economic clusters: Donetsk (Donetsk, Luhansk regions); Prydniprovia (Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia regions); Northeast (Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava regions); Central (Cherkasy, Kirovohrad regions); North-West (Volyn, Rivne regions); Podilsky (Vinnytsa, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky regions); Prychornomorsky (Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson regions); Carpathian (Zakarpattia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi regions); Capital (Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv regions). This grid of economic zones corresponds to the principles of building a market economy and the tasks of decentralization. Under such a system, local self-government will be concentrated on the basis of districts, and economic policy will be at the level of regional economic clusters/regions. Read the original text at 112.ua. This is a key step in improving relations between the U.S. and Russia, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs posted Volodymyr Zelensky's election as President of Ukraine creates a new opportunity to reach peace in the war-torn Donbas. John Bolton, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs posted this on Twitter. 'Amb Volker and I met today to discuss Ukraine negotiations and agreed that President Zelenskyys election creates new opportunity to push for peace in Donbas a key step to improving U.S.-Russia relations but its critical that Russia do its part and engage seriously', reads the post. U.S. leader Donald Trump announced his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin; according to him, it could happen during the G20 summit in Osaka, June 28-29. Earlier, it was reported that Trump and Putin will discuss the issue of Ukrainian sailors at the meeting in June. American Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker stated that the U.S. insists on the release of sailors. The Russian law enforcers have not commented on the reasons for search and detention Searches at houses of Crimean Tatars, June 2019 Crimean solidarity The Russian law enforcers held the search in the house of Crimean Tatars in Krasnivka, Simferopol region, annexed Crimea. Emirkhan Murtazaev was detained and transferred to Simferopol as Crimean Solidarity reported. It is reported that the search took place at the house of Bekir and Emine Murtazaev; their son Emirkhan was detained. All of them were at the house at the moment of the search. One of people present during the search of the house provided his data: Interior Ministry of Republic of Crimea, Shmanin Anton Petrovych. Murtazaev family could call the lawyer; they were deprived of the judicial help; they could not report anyone that the search takes place in their house, the message said. It is noted that detainee was released; he stayed in the Center of Counteraction Extremism. Emirkhan has the mental illness, schizophrenia. Due to this fact, the law enforcers could not detain him and question him without the presence of the legal representative as he cannot accountable for his actions. The Russian law enforcers have not commented on the reasons for search and detention. Earlier on June 10, Judge of occupied Crimean court Denys Didenko arrested Crimean Tatar for one month and 26 days. Ukraines Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova stated that she applied to her Russias colleague Tatyana Moskalkova concerning the information on the place of detention Ukrainian citizens the detained Crimean Tatars. Earlier, Russian law enforcers have been searching the living houses of Crimean Tatars on June 10. The "investigation measures" took place in Alushta and Simferopol district, under seven different addresses. The FSB searched houses of Eldar Kantemirov, Eskender Suleimanov, Ruslan Mesutov; this also concerns the houses of Riza and Enver Omerov, as well as Lenur Khalilov. Kantemirov, Suleimanov, and Omerov were detained and taken in the unknown direction. Viktor Novytsky was detained in the annexed Crimea in May 2018; he was charged with illegal fishing in the 'Russian territorial waters' Viktor Novytsky, Ukrainian sailor Open source The Russian side has passed Ukraine Viktor Novytsky, the captain of YAMK-0041 fishing vessel. The man was passed to a representative of Ismail Khalikov, the envoy for human rights of residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Presidential Administration of Ukraine reported that on Facebook. The passage took place at Kalanchak checkpoint on the administrative border with Crimea. June 14, the court session took place in he annexed Crimea; the jury ruled to lift all charges and limitations from Novytsky, setting him free. The Ukrainian sailor was detained by the FSB in Crimea last spring, in May 2018; the Russian authorities charged him with illegal fishing in the ''territorial waters of Crimea''. After the detention, he spent about six months at a remand centre in Simferopol. In November 2018, Novytsky was obliged to sign the acknowledgement of travel restrictions; he lived at a rented place in Simferopol. In May, YAMK-0041, the Ukrainian fishing vessel was detained in the occupied Crimea, allegedly, for the illegal fishing activity. Five crew members had criminal cases opened against them. If Russian delegation's rights are not restored by June 25, it will leave the session Open source Russia intends to add lawmakers from Crimea and Sevastopol, when joining the PACE session on June 25, Dozhd TV channel reported. If PACE passes the resolution restoring the respective rights of the Russian delegation, the country will file the appeal to participate and go to Strasbourg on the same day. Otherwise, Russian delegation threatens to leave the session, and the country's payment ''will be paid only if all of its authorities are confirmed''. The outlet's sources in the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's Parliament report that if the Russian authority decides to send its delegatioj to PACE, teh line-up of this delegation might include the MPs from Crimea and Sevastopol. The parliamentarians assume that such decision may lead to tension in the very process of Russia's return to PACE, which, in turn, could apply sanctions against these particular MPs. In April 2014, Russian delegation at PACE was stripped of many rights and authorities, including the vote right - because of the annexation of Crimea and military aggression in Donetsk and Luhansk region. The Russian delegation stopped working, protesting against that decision and demanding to change the internal regulations of PACE. The investigation team found that Russian Army Major General Yevgeniy Nikoforov was the one who gave the criminal order Wreckage of the downed IL-79 in Luhansk airport Open source Ukraine's State Security Service, the SBU found that the Russian military command was behind the downing of Ilyushin Il-76 of Ukraine's Armed Forces, which took place over Luhansk airfield five years ago. The SBU press office reported this June 14. 'The Security Service has hard evidence that the decision to shoot it down was made in the Kremlin, and brought into life by the off-the-record unit of the Chief Department of the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces, known as 'Wagner private military company', reads the message. The investigation team found that Russian Army Major General Yevgeniy Nikoforov was the one who gave the criminal order. The commander of Russian Armed Forces' 58th Army 'arrived in Donbas to perform the military invasion and occupation of part of the territory of the sovereign state'. 'Besides, when the assassins of Ukrainian warriors, Dmitriy Utkin, Andrei Guralev and Andrei Lebedev returned to Russia, Putin decorated them with the official state-level awards, the Orders of Courage'. Ukraine's Il-76 was shot down near the airport of Luhansk on June 14, 2014; it was an attack by Russian occupants who used a man-portable anti-aircraft missile launcher. The plane caught fire and crashed, killing everyone aboard. Major General Viktor Nazarov, the-then leader of the counter-terrorist operation in Donbas was charged with the neglect of duty in a combat situation, which led to severe consequences. The officer filed an appeal, but the court eventually sentenced him to seven years behind the bars. Barrasso is convinced that the Nord Stream II that transports natural gas from Russia to Germany would make Europe even more dependable on the Russian gas U.S. Senator John Barrasso introduced the draft law on the sanctions against Russia for implementing the Nord Stream II project. His press office reported that June 14. ''Barrassos Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe bill, or ESCAPE, authorizes mandatory U.S. sanctions on anyone who invests at least $1 million, or $5 million over 12 months, or engages in trade valued at an equivalent amount for the construction of Nord Stream 2 and other Russian energy export pipelines'', Reuters wrote. Barrasso is convinced that the Nord Stream II that transports natural gas from Russia to Germany would make Europe even more dependable on the Russian gas, undermining the diversification of European energy sources and supply routes. The sanctions would first of all concern the foreign companies that provide their vessels to place the Nord Stream II pipelines in the Baltic Sea. "Barrasso, from gas-producing Wyoming, said the United States is blessed with energy abundance. It only makes sense that we would use these resources to help our allies and loosen (Russian President Vladimir) Putins economic and political grip on the region, he said in a statement", Reuters concluded. It is noted that Zelensky will visit Mariupol during the trip President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Donetsk region with a working visit on June 15 as the presidential press service reported. On Saturday, June 15, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Donetsk region with a working visit. The program provides the visit of Mariupol by the head of the state, the message said. As we reported the new president of Ukraine made his first visit to Donbas on May 27. Then Volodymyr Zelensky visited Luhansk region, where he inspected front lines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Stanytsia Luhanska and Shchastia. On June 12, the delegation of National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) headed by Oleksandr Danylyuk, visited the Joint Forces Operation area. Earlier the Ukrainian military found and defused over 40 mines during the resettlement of their front lines near Mariinka. Olena Zerkal noted that in several months the arbiters will decide whether they will consider on its merits the evidence of Russias violations provided by the Ukrainian side. Open source Ukrainian specialists on international affairs were working in the Hague within two weeks in the International Court and Arbitral Tribunal. Over several months the arbiters will decide whether they will consider on its merits the provided evidence of the violations from the Russian side, as Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine on European integration Olena Zerkal reported on Facebook. Russia sees itself as the winner which is not condemned, that is why it denies the possibility that its actions might be considered by the court and tribunal. We believe that Russia is an international criminal, which has to be brought to justice. Due to this, the recognition of the jurisdiction by the UN Court and Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will be a victory. For us and for the whole world, Zerkal stressed. She noted that in several months the arbiters will decide whether they will consider on its merits the evidence of Russias violations provided by the Ukrainian side. Each doubt and each ambiguity plays in favor of Russia. International legal resources are very conservative in deciding their jurisdiction. Our mission is to prove that its apple and oranges, Zerkal explained. According to her, this is the first international dispute on funding terrorism in the world. The respective Convention is complicated and multi-layered. It is about three levels of violations commission of terrorist acts, funding terrorism and states responsibility for failure to comply with its responsibilities to prevent and counter the funding of terrorism, Foreign Ministry representative explained. In the case of international maritime law, Russia adds the question on the status of the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait. The complicated history of Ukraine and Russia complicates the tasks of the Ukrainian diplomats, Zerkal stressed. Open source The police held a few searches due to the demolishing of the bust of USSR Marshal Georgy Zhukov in Kharkiv as the local police reported. On June 2, at Petro Grygorenko Avenue, the mass events took place. During the guarding of the public order, particular people committed illegal actions toward the police officers. Three police officers, who served and provided the order, got the chemical burning of eyes and were hospitalized. On June 13, 2019, within the criminal proceedings, the investigators held the investigative actions on the places of living of two citizens, the message said. On June 2, representatives of a number of pro-Ukrainian organizations and parties demolished the bust of Marshal of the USSR Georgy Zhukov in Kharkiv. The Russian Foreign Ministry is sure that the demolishing of the bust of Marshal Georgy Zhukov is the challenge for new President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation stated that the new Ukrainian authority should find and prosecute vandals, who demolished the bust. Ukraine's Airborne Assault Troops lost 49 soldiers in the attack of Russian occupants, as they fired an anti-aircraft missile and shot the plane down; the tragedy occurred next to Luhansk airfield Open source Ukrainians pay tribute to 49 airborne troops who deceased in the downing of Ilyushin IL-76 over Luhansk in June 2014. It's been the fifth anniversary of this tragedy, which became one of the most memorable dates in the history of the ongoing Donbas conflict. Ukraine's Il-76 was shot down near the airport of Luhansk on June 14, 2014; it was an attack by Russian occupants who used a man-portable anti-aircraft missile launcher. The plane caught fire and crashed, killing everyone aboard. Wreckage of the downed IL-79 in Luhansk airport Open source Related: Leaders of LNR militants to be judged for downing Ukraines Il-76 in 2014 Major General Viktor Nazarov, the-then leader of the counter-terrorist operation in Donbas was charged with the neglect of duty in a combat situation, which led to severe consequences. The officer filed an appeal, but the court eventually sentenced him to seven years behind the bars. Ex-President of Georgia passed the medical board, which stated that he fits for the military service Ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili is enrolled in the military register in Kyiv draft board. He is also ready to defend Ukraine with arms as he reported on Facebook. I passed the medical board and was enrolled in the military register in Svyatoshynsky draft board. Health is great, I fit for the military service, so I am ready to defend Ukraine with arms, Saakashvili wrote. On May 28, Mikheil Saakashvili re-claimed his Ukrainian citizenship. This is mentioned in the decree of President Volodymyr Zelensky who reinstated the citizenship of the former Georgian president. On May 29, Saakashvili returned to Ukraine. On July 26, 2017, President Petro Poroshenko, by his decree, ceased Ukrainian citizenship of Saakashvili. On January 29, the Supreme Court began to consider the legality of this decision. On February 12, 2018, the border guards expelled the ex-president of Georgia from Ukraine to Poland as part of the readmission procedure. Ukrainian politician Taras Kozak 112 Agency On June 14, 2019 the Ukrainian politician Taras Kozak became a new and a sole owner of the TV broadcasters of ZIK TV channel - of Most TV and TRK New Communications. Therefore, Kozak owns three TV channels: 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZIK. The owner of NOVOSTI media holding Taras Kozak: Ukrainian TV viewer is deeply politicized, and demanding. The viewer, who has to be treated with respect. For me, the purchase of ZIK TV channel is a meaningful and pragmatic step. Informational broadcasting in Ukraine is ahead of many world major news outlets with its mobility, interest of the audience, image. Having received ZIK, I can build the largest network of the informational broadcasters, which from the point of view of the resources makes them less costly and at the same time creates their large capitalization as an asset. This asset is called informational media holding NOVOSTI. For its development and management, I have invited one of the strongest media producers of the country Olexiy Semenov. General Producer of media holding NOVOSTI Olexiy Semenov: The business proposal of Taras Romanovych is a big honor for me. Five years ago, me and my team were building 112 Ukraine, then I was doing a rebranding of NewsOne. The majority of the personnel of these TV channels are my close and loved ones. And you know, I am happy to come back to them. I hope, it wont be a disappointment for them. Now, I am working on the conception of the restart of ZIK channel and I will be happy about future cooperation. As many hosts and personnel of ZIK are my colleagues from the previous channels. We are on the same emotional wave. Association for Ukraine this is the main message of the channels conception. And we will try to fill it with these beautiful feelings love and care about all the people of the big country. Andry Gerus, the Representative of the President in the Government cenznet.com The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky initiates the replacement of Rotterdam+ by Rotterdam-, as the Presidents Representative to the Cabinet of Ministers Andriy Gerus said at the briefing broadcasted by 112 Ukraine. By the order of the President of Ukraine and Administration, a bill which will be presented to the Verkhovna Rada on Monday was prepared. This bill is called On reduction of electrical energy, in particular, it was proposed that Rotterdam+ was canceled and another formula should be used instead of it. It might be called Rotterdam-, Gerus said. This bill provides that this plus (the price for coal delivery from Rotterdam to Ukraine, 8,000 km by sea, which was non-existent, as nobody delivered coal from there) should be taken away from the respective formula. If the quality of the coal is low, it means that the price for the coal should be lower, than that is enrolled in the tariff. Therefore, there might be a discount from 1 to 10% considering the quality of the coal. This plus makes around 428,5 million, Gerus explained. Rotterdam+ is a way of the formation of price for coal in the manufacture of thermal electric power in Ukraine. It was imposed in May 2016. Isaak Olson was two months from graduating in 2014 when he disclosed that his fiancee had given birth several months earlier... Manure is considered an inconvenient byproduct by many, but Crena Resources sees it is pure gold in the battle to achieve more sustainability in agriculture. The ongoing conversation about how to achieve greater sustainability in food production through technology has covered everything from fertilizer to food waste. Now, a few people are starting to make a big stink about one of the most squandered resources in agriculture: manure. A well-fed farm hog will produce up to 2.5lbs of fecal waste per day and some US farms concentrate up to 70,000 animals in one location, meaning nearly 90 tons of manure can accumulate in a small area every day of the year. By comparison, a dairy cow produces approximately 120lb/day, Nicholas Clark, co-founder of manure-made-great-again startup Crena Resources, told AgFunderNews. The most common method for disposing of a volume of effluent this large is to plow it into (or spray it onto) crop fields. This practice works but in the process presents logistical problems for those who are obligated to manage its removal. It also has potentially serious implications on public health & safety, and the environment should it escape containment. The California-based startups technology transforms wet manure into a dry micro-powder that can be used as a valuable soil amendment to enhance crop growth or used as a bio-fuel with a mineral supplement derivative. Crena Resources is currently self-funded. There have been a few recent efforts to make better use of all the poop that farm animals provide us. WWF joined forces with The Yield Lab Institute, Newtrient, and Dairy Farmers of America to organize a startup competition for solution providers that market manure-based products and services. Through The Manure Challenge, the group is hoping to put manure-based product marketing on the map by selecting a group of solution providers and guiding them through a commercialization curriculum coupled with mentorship and introduction to sources of capital. California recently awarded a $90 million grant to dairy tech startup CalBio to help the major dairy producing state meet its goal of reducing methane emissions from the dairy and livestock industry by 40% by 2030 and Smithfield Foods, the worlds largest pork processor and hog producer, launched a partnership with Florida startup Anuvia Plant Nutrients to convert the hog manure created by the companys farming operations into fertilizer. We caught up with Clark to learn more about how Crena Resources got the idea to start making manure great again. When did you launch and what growth stage are you at currently as a company? On the one hand, we are at a very early startup stage. On the other, we are years into market research, technical design, proof of concept, and finally IP protection with patents in the US and most of Europe. What is your technology? The inventor of our technology, Peter Douglas was born in New Zealand and has been a Southern California resident since 1979. His early concept of our current technology was aimed at the sludge or cake which is a byproduct of municipal wastewater treatment plants. This involved a fixed base drying system that would convert cake into a fine powder that could be burned to generate power. However, a chance meeting with renowned agriculturist and Nobel laureate Jerry Hatfield, who was working on the application of biotic fertilizer to row crops, triggered Douglas interest. Hatfields published research demonstrates a 40% increase in crop yield using biotic fertilizer produced from dried animal manure and blended with other nutrients. The missing link in applying this research on a commercial scale is a method to economically and effectively dry millions of tons of wet manure no more than 20% solid. From that chance meeting, Douglas was consumed by applying his drying technology within the agricultural industry. He set out to learn everything there was to know about current manure management systems with a focus on the pork producing segment. He quickly grasped their shortcomings, with the most obvious being the environmental risks of storing huge volumes of fecal waste in pits or lagoons and the eventual method of disposal which is to spray into the atmosphere over cropland. Not to mention the fact this material sits in containment for long periods and by the time of application has lost most of its nutrient value. What are some of the challenges you face? Transporting massive volumes of liquid manure to a stationary drying system located across the country from the countless farms raising animals is not an economically viable solution. Ideally, the future farm should be designed and built with animal housing barns located around a fixed base manure drying system. Douglas has gone as far as basic designs for scrapers and conveyor systems under animal barns which would transport just excreted manure directly to the drying unit, thereby capturing the full nutrient content available. This vision, however, is some time off in the future, in the meantime in Douglas is working to persuade farmers and the industry at large to have Crena technology delivered to the farm and not force the farm to transport waste to the technology. Douglas re-designed his drying unit so that the primary operating components are assembled on two custom-built 54-foot long multi-axel trailer chassis compliant to travel on interstate, state, and country roads. These designs are complete and Crena Resources is now seeking investment to build its first mobile rig. What do you look for in an investor? We are seeking investment partner(s) who are like-minded and who can envisage the economic benefits of transforming old world values for manure into a new world valuation using clean Crena technology. Any advice for other startups out there? Keep learning and keep innovating because the areas you are addressing are continually evolving and your solution needs to also. Have you interacted with any agrifood corporates? If so, who? Smithfield Food gave us significant access over a period of time to their existing containment systems in North Carolina and hog manure samples for analysis of nutrient content. This included introductions to North Carolina State University scientists and access to corporate engineers to discuss the idiosyncrasies of hog manure. Raw Intelligence Series - #3 TBNI The managers of the company Transport Bois Negoce International (TBNI) know how to make big money off logging the Congo Basin forest while keeping their profit hidden from Gabonese authorities. Yet their methods remain a secret no more, as company officials described in detail to EIA investigators the tricks of their trade. In order to present the truth and bring more evidence to the public eye, EIA recently launched a video series called Raw Intelligence. Through minimally-edited undercover videos capturing timber sector management speaking in their own words, EIA will demonstrate how the crimes documented in our report Toxic Trade money laundering, tax evasion and other rampant rule-breaking are pervasive, structural and indisputable. TBNI allegedly manages over one million hectares of forest in Gabon, owning one of the largest forest areas in the country. Their access to vast tracts of exploitable forests, along with their modus operandi focused on quick profit and logging activities that do not respect the law, allow them to make astronomical profit. TBNI managers told EIA that their annual profit can be as high as 30 to 40 percent. For comparison, the average private US company nets a profit margin of 8.9 percent, with the most profitable industries in the US like accounting, real estate leasing, and legal firms not exceeding 20 percent. TBNI profits are also optimized through the practice of hiding earnings. A TBNI manager told investigators that most timber companies, including their own, "mitigate" the risk of paying too much tax via a variety of strategies. One of the most common strategies is the creation of offshore companies located in a place with low tax, the so-called "tax heavens", such as Hong Kong. This scheme allows the company to practice "transfer pricing," in which the Gabonese-registered company sells timber to its sister company in Hong Kong, which then resells to the final client. In reality, the Gabonese company sells the timber to their offshore sister company at lower than market price, while the sister company then resells to the final buyer at the real market price. This scheme concentrates and masks the profit within the offshore company, and thus obscures actual profits from the true country of harvest and operation. Another key component of TBNI's profit-maximizing strategy is to bribe authorities. The TBNI manager explained to EIA investigators that they bargain with officials whenever asked to pay a fee. He emphasized that when an issue occurs, it is essential to pay officials as soon as possible so that the issue is not reported and escalated to higher, more expensive levels. "The less people know, the less you have to pay," he explained. He concluded by saying that every Chinese company is always doing something not 100 percent according to the law, so they have to pay bribes and fines constantly. To present a nice facade to importers in Europe, where a law prohibits the entry of illegal timber, TBNI managers created a dedicated subsidiary called Mont Pele Bois, for which everything is arranged on the book to look good. TBNI uses this subsidiary to sell their timber to a wide range of countries in the EU, including France, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, according to the TBNI manager. This previously unreleased video provides more concrete evidence of how corruption in the Gabonese forest sector enables companies to steal both wood and money from the country. In his recent national allocution, the President of Gabon Mr. Ali Bongo Odimba mentioned his intention to rid his country of corrupt officials who undermine the rule of law. Building upon actions that Gabon took against the Societe de Sciage de la Moanda (SSMO) a local affiliate of the Dejia Group, the sack of the Vice President and Forest Minister for their role in the "kevazingogate", and following the recent government reshuffling, it is urgent for authorities to address the crimes committed by TBNI and put a final stop to the timber mafia that has plagued the country for years. Read every part of the series: Raw Intelligence: Dejia Group Raw Intelligence: WCTS Raw Intelligence: TBNI iStock/Thinkstock(CHICAGO) -- A heartbreaking story of an unborn baby being cut from his mother's abdomen has become even more tragic. Authorities said the little boy died Friday after being in the hospital for more than seven weeks. The baby's mother, Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, was 9 months pregnant when she was killed, which police believe happened on April 23 when she responded to a Facebook post offering free baby clothes. Her attackers cut the child from her body and took the newborn to a local hospital, claiming it was their own. The child, which the family later named Yovanny Jadiel Lopez, was treated in the neonatal intensive care unit at a Chicago area hospital. ABC station WLS reported that the hospital contacted the state's Department of Children and Family Services on May 9, more than two weeks after the baby was first checked into the hospital. The child was put on life support, according to The Associated Press, and prosecutors earlier described the newborn as being in grave condition with no brain activity. A spokesperson for the family announced the death of the baby on Friday morning, saying in a statement that the death was attributed to his "severe brain injury." "Please keep his family in your thoughts & prayers as they go through this difficult time," the family said in a statement. A private funeral will be held. The remains of Ochoa-Lopez, who was 19 years old at the time of her death, were found at the home of her suspected attackers. Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa, a mother-daughter pair, have been charged with murder, while Clarisa Figueroa's 40-year-old boyfriend Piotr Bobak has been charged with helping to cover up the alleged crime. All three appeared in Cook County Court in mid-May and were denied release on bail. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Manakin/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for the attack on two commercial tanker ships sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Oman earlier in the day. "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today. This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high-degree of sophistication," Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. "Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted," he said, adding that the U.S. "will defend its forces, interests and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability." Some of the intelligence that Pompeo referred to includes overhead images taken by a U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance craft that shows Iranians on small boats alongside the Kokuka Courageous attempting to remove an unexploded mine that they had previously attached to the ship, a U.S. official told ABC News. Late Thursday, U.S. Central Command released video it claimed showed Iranians successfully removing the mine from the ship. Iranian officials flatly denied any involvement in the attacks. Iran's mission to the United Nations issued the country's first response to the U.S. assertion that Iran is behind Thursday's oil vessel attacks, calling it part of an "Iranophobic campaign." "Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," Alireza Miryousefi, head of the press office at Iran's Mission to the U.N., said in a statement. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the U.S. "immediately jumped to makes allegations against Iran," in a tweet late Thursday. A distress call was received from the Kokuka Courageous at 6:12am local time in Bahrain, forty five minutes later a second ship, the Front Altair issued its own distress signal after a series of explosions set fire to the ship. The 21 mariners aboard the Kokuka Courageous were picked up by a nearby Dutch tugboat before being transferred to the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge that had been in the vicinity. U.S. Central Command said that transfer occurred after the Bainbridge beat an Iranian vessel in a race to the Dutch tug and the master of the Kokuka Courageous asked that his crew be placed aboard the U.S. Navy ship. According to a U.S. official, after a mine exploded on the ship's hull, during a hull damage inspection the ship's crew spotted an unexploded mine attached to the hull. The crew of the USS Bainbridge and a U.S. Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft verified the presence of an unexploded mine attached to the ship. Later, that aircraft spotted the crews of some of the Iranian small boats attempting to remove the unexploded mine in an attempt to recover evidence that could connect Iran to the attacks, said a U.S. official. The Bainbridge is staying close to the Kokuka Courageous as another destroyer the USS Mason is enroute to the area to provide assistance, U.S. Central Command said in a statement late Thursday. The other tanker, the Norwegian-flagged Front Altair, suffered significant damage after the explosion of two to three mines triggered a massive fire on board the ship. A U.S. official said the ship is in jeopardy of sinking with its cargo of naptha, a flammable hydrocarbon. The 23 mariners aboard the Front Altair were rescued by the crew of the nearby Hyundai Dubai before they were transferred to an Iranian port. Images on Iranian television showed the ship's crew in a holding room watching television. The attacks come at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran after an American aircraft carrier was deployed to the Middle East in what the U.S. said was an effort to deter possible Iranian attacks against U.S. forces or interests in the region. A statement from U.S. Central Command issued late Thursday called the attacks "a threat to maritime shipping and international commerce," but also sought to ease tensions in the region. "We have no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East," said the statement. " We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community." U.S. officials have publicly blamed Iran for explosive sabotage attacks using magnetic mines in mid-May against four commercial vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Prior to that attack, there had been sightings of about 20 Iranian fast attack vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz to the general area where those attacks occurred, said one U.S. official. That attacks came nearly a week after the U.S. had accelerated the deployment to the Middle East of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and sent B-52 bombers to deter possible Iranian attacks to U.S. forces and interests in the region. The Lincoln was in port in Oman, but pulled out back into open waters on Thursday morning, an official said. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters recently that the deployment had led Iran to step back and recalculate though the U.S. still saw possible imminent threats. Zarif tweeted that the timing of attack on the tankers was suspicious because it occurred during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Ayatollah Khameini, Iran's supreme leader. "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," he tweeted. Earlier, Khameini had said during his meeting with Abe that that while Tehran doesn't want an atomic bomb, "America could not do anything" to stop Iran if it did. Copyright 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Minister of High technological industry Hakob Arshakyan received Ambassador of Tajikistan to Armenia Imomuddin Mirzoevich Sattorov, the ministry told Armenpress. At the meeting the Armenian minister introduced the priorities of the governments activities formed based on the recent revolution, highlighting the programs in the technological sector as a priority direction for the economic development. He also introduced details over the activity framework and directions of the new ministry. The Ambassador of Tajikistan said there is a huge partnership potential between the two countries and a desire to use it in a targeted manner. He noted that the Tajik side is interested in technological developments in Armenia and wants to get acquainted with the experience of the Armenian specialists, ongoing programs and take steps towards creating mutual partnership. Minister Arshakyan presented the best Armenian achievements in the technological field to the Ambassador, and the state policy directed for developing and expanding these achievements. The meeting also touched upon the industrial projects, in particular the Engineering City, as well as the action on using the technologies in the military industry and the digitization of the economy. An agreement was reached to organize a meeting in the future with the participation of the specialists of the field to introduce in more details the Armenian experience in this area and explore the partnership directions and opportunities. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. A Yerevan court of appeals is resuming the hearing of the prosecutions complaints on ex-President Robert Kocharyans release on bail and the trials suspension. The March 1 trial was suspended by another judge and sent to the Constitutional Court for validation earlier. A group of both supporters and protesters of Kocharyan are again outside the courthouse. The hearing was adjourned on June 12 because Kocharyan filed a motion requesting the recusal of the presiding judge. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Minister of economy Tigran Khachatryan received Ambassador of Mexico to Armenia Norma Bertha Pensado Moreno, the Armenian ministry told Armenpress. The minister welcomed the Ambassador and stated that this meeting is a good opportunity to discuss the future cooperation framework. We are interested in deepening the cooperation with Armenia in the economic sector because there is a great potential which can be used, therefore I was highly interested in meeting with you, the Ambassador said. She added that it is necessary to combine the strong sides of the two countries and find mutually beneficial cooperation directions. Mrs. Ambassador noted that they are interested in the opportunities conditioned by Armenias membership to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The sides agreed that the geographical distance is one of the obstacles for the economic cooperation between the two countries and highlighted the importance of partnership in IT sector, stating that it can open new opportunities for establishing closer economic ties. The economy minister and the Mexican Ambassador also touched upon the tourism sector as a prospective area for cooperation. The Ambassador informed that the Honorary Consul of Mexico will carry out activities in Armenia targeting the circle of economic cooperation. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. The next meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled to take place in Washington D.C. on June 20 under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. We announce that on June 20, 2019 the next meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled to take place in Washington D.C. under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Following the meetings held in Paris in January and in Moscow in April, consideration was given to hold the next meeting of the Foreign Ministers in the third Co-Chair country - the United States. As it was before, this time as well the participants agreed to announce the meeting simultaneously. Armenia respects that agreement. At the same time Azerbaijans continuous deplorable violations of ceasefire and provocative actions in recent days, which caused human irreversible losses and led to a serious escalation of the situation on the Line of Contact, have created unfavorable environment before the meeting. The actions of Azerbaijan, which are marked by the use of force and threat of use of force, hinder the establishment of an environment conducive to peace and thus undermine the advancement of the peace process. The current situation defines the priorities of the agenda of the upcoming meeting in Washington D.C., the statement reads. YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. The participants of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have signed 22 joint documents in Bishkek, RIA Novosti reported. Among the documents signed the key one is the Bishkek Declaration which reflects the agreed upon approaches on the future development of the SCO activity. Kyrgyzstan handed over chairmanship over the SCO to Russia. The next SCO summit is scheduled to take place on 22-23 July 2020. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan will depart for the United States to take part in the 2019 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The deputy PM is also expected to have a number of other meetings during the visit. The Armenian Prime Minister signed the respective decision which is posted on e-gov.am. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the World Blood Donor Day on June 14, a group of Armenian political figures have donated blood at the Hematology Center after Yolyan. Among these figures were healthcare minister Arsen Torosyan and MP Naira Zohrabyan. Minister Torosyan released the video of the blood donation campaign and informed that this year the slogan of the World Blood Donor Day is the following: Safe Blood For All. The minister said he is donating blood for the first time and urged all those who have such a wish to come to give blood. The healthcare ministry is currently working on introducing a single system for collection and distribution of blood in the country so that the donor blood will be really safe and available, he said. Today is the World Blood Donor Day. And if each of us dedicates an hour from his time and donates blood, it is possible to save thousands of lives. Armenias blood supply is not enough, and there is a need for donor blood. The problems of blood donor supplies are considered solved in the whole world if at least 20 out 1000 people become a blood donor. Only 0.4% of every 1000 people in Armenia are a blood donor. This is a catastrophic small number. Dont think that someone else will do that instead of you. Its very likely that your blood will save the life of a child, a soldier or a patient, MP Zohrabyan said on Facebook. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Armenian Ambassador to Canada Anahit Harutyunyan on June 13 presented the copy of her credentials to Chief of Protocol of Canada Stewart Wheeler, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress. Stewart Wheeler congratulated the Armenian Ambassador on assuming office and wished her productive and effective work. He expressed hope that the new Ambassador will make consistent efforts and have a key contribution to the Armenian-Canadian relations. In her turn Mrs. Harutyunyan thanked for the warm welcome and wishes and assured that she will make the maximum efforts to deepen the bilateral cooperation and include new areas in that partnership. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian hosted the representatives of the Union of Graduates of the St. Gregory the Illuminator seminary of Beirut who are in Armenia to hold the meeting of the administrative body, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The guests introduced the Unions programs and plans. They informed that one of their goals is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of former director of the seminary Sahak Keshishyan. Welcoming their plan President Sarkissian proposed to assist any educational facility in Gyumri that needs support, given the fact that Sahak Keshishyan has also carried out spiritual and cultural activity in Gyumri in the past. The best values which have been created and which we have, we should transfer them to the next generation. Its not a coincidence that Father Sahak has concentrated his attention on Gyumri. It has been our historical, educational and cultural center and should continue to remain so, the Armenian President said. The guests accepted the proposal with readiness, as well as introduced their other initiatives dedicated to the memory of Sahak Keshishyan. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Minister of economy Tigran Khachatryan received Shane Rosenthal, Asian Development Banks Country Director for Armenia, the government told Armenpress, the ministry told Armenpress. During the meeting minister Khachatryan touched upon the legislative initiative on state-private partnership adopted recently by the Armenian Parliament. The minister highlighted the importance of ADB support to the development of the legislative package and stated that the adoption of the law at the first reading is only the beginning of an active work. The sides exchanged views on the development of adoption of respective sub-legislative acts. The meeting also covered issues relating to the management framework of public investments, as well as the public finance management strategy. As a new direction for cooperation the sides outlined the possibilities to implement programs in agriculture sector. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. On June 14, Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation headed by Vice President of the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany Thomas Oppermann, the Parliament told Armenpress. Welcoming the guests in the Armenian Parliament the Speaker expressed hope that the current visit would give new impetus to the dynamically developing relations between the two countries. According to Ararat Mirzoyan, his official visit paid recently to the FRG, as well as the meetings between the high ranking leaders of the two countries will fill in the agenda of Armenia-Germany relations with numerous new programs. The Head of the Parliament highlighted from the agenda the inter-parliamentary active cooperation in different formats, which would be of continuous character. Speaker Mirzoyan has expressed his gratitude to the German side for the efforts directed to the ratification of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, expecting that in its implementation phase Germany also has an active role. In this context Ararat Mirzoyan touched upon the Armenian citizens problem of the EU entry visa liberalization, recording that the time for taking practical steps had ripened. Thanking for the warm reception Thomas Oppermann has distinguished three circumstances that condition the interest of Germany in deepening the relations with Armenia: the Resolution of the Bundestag adopted in 2016 on the crimes committees towards Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, the velvet revolution in Armenia which had its positive response in Europe and the visit of the FRG Chancellor Angela Merkel to Yerevan. We show great admiration towards Armenia, and we are ready to strengthen the bilateral relations, the Vice President of the Bundestag said. The President of the National Assembly has presented to the guests the reforms which go on and will be implemented in the most different spheres. We are resolute for consistently developing the democratic values and democracy will not have regress among us, Ararat Mirzoyan noted. The Head of the Parliament has evaluated the adoption of the Resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the FRG Bundestag, underlining that by only recognizing and condemning such crimes it will be possible to prevent the crimes directed to mankind. The Speaker expressed readiness of the Armenian side to continue having contribution to the processes in the international security, particularly touching upon the effective cooperation of the Armenian peacekeepers in Afghanistan with the German commanders. Informing that the visit of the FRG Bundestag delegation is regional, Thomas Oppermann has noted that one of their goals is to get acquainted with the sides approaches for the solution of the existing conflicts and promote the establishment of the dialogue and the atmosphere of peace. We should look at all existing conflicts in the world in terms of protection of human rights. The right of the peoples free living should not be conditioned by any political aspirations of any power, the Head of the Parliament said. According to him, the bellicose rhetoric sounding in Azerbaijan nullifies the international negotiating efforts. The parties also referred to the perspectives of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, emphasized the further enlivening of the inter-parliamentary ties and the regional cooperation of the two countries. YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian and the Presidential staff receive letters of gratitude and proposals to cooperate with Armenia in different areas from the participants of the recent Armenian Summit of Minds held in Dilijan on June 7-9, the Presidential Office told Armenpress. Russian presidents special representative for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvidko thanked the Armenian President for the invitation to attend the Summit and stated that the tow-day brain attack was useful not only for the organizers, but also the participants. I am confident that the Armenian Summit of Minds, as well as the upcoming international forums on modern development will play an important role in the Armenian-Russian relations, involving leading Russian specialists from economic, natural science and humanitarian areas, he said. Xavier Barcons, Director General of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), also thanked the President and expressed readiness to cooperate. The Armenian Summit of Minds was an important occasion to understand Armenias prospects and bring our contribution to your countrys development opportunities. I used the chance to note on how the cooperation on scientific matters can lead to a joint prosperity, he said, expressing willingness to cooperate with the Armenian scientific institutions in the astronomy field. Professor at the UKs Kent University Elena Korosteleva in her letter stated that she is impressed with the quality of the discussions held at the Summit and their strategic nature. The Professor added that she met with many talented young people during the event and proposed to organize discussions also for the youth next time. Professor at the French Technological University of Saint-Malo Jean-Jacques Montois also expressed readiness for cooperation. Bloomberg Media Global Director Todd Baer wrote in the letter: I can state that Armenia is a unique country where I will return definitely. Thierry Malleret, co-founder of The Monthly Barometer, co-organizer of the Summit, has also thanked the Armenian side for organizing and holding the event in Dilijan at the highest level. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received newly-appointed High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan, the PMs Office told Armenpress. I have signed a decision on appointing you as High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs and I am happy that we are going to work together in Armenia. The events of the last year in Armenia showed that major changes have taken place not only in Armenia, but also the Diaspora. I can state for sure that last year the Diaspora was the complete participant of the peaceful, velvet and democratic revolution in Armenia. Also thanks to several visits I came to the conclusion that we should change the policy run with the Diaspora and make it more effective the main goal of which should be Diasporas greater engagement in Armenia, its economic, public and political life, in Artsakh, and the works on forming and implementing our new Armenian agenda in general. Thank you for agreeing to leave you work in Glendale and return to Armenia, this is very symbolic. For all those who are unaware, lets tell them that you were born in Yerevan, studied at a Yerevan school until the 7th grade, know Armenian, English, Russian very well and Spanish to some extent, which means that you have a chance to fully communicate with the Diaspora. I think there is a good opportunity to solve our new tasks in the new times. I wish you success, today you already assume your duties, I wish good luck to all of us. I hope the time will prove that this structural change we made also thanks to you is really effective, PM Pashinyan said. In his turn Zareh Sinanyan thanked the Armenian PM for the trust and added: I feel obliged and consider assuming this office a great honor, also a great responsibility, because as you stated the relations of our homeland, Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora have a huge potential. As a result of our peaceful, velvet revolution, real and deep cooperation doors opened between Armenia and the Diaspora, the results of which can be just very good both for Armenia and the Diaspora. Diaspora is a ready potential for Armenia which should be used in a simple and best way, for the benefit of the homeland. Armenia in its turn is the guarantor of strengthening and enriching the Diaspora in some sense. There are also many problems, and I have no doubt that todays Armenia is ready to support its compatriots in the Diaspora, like our Diaspora compatriots are ready to support Armenia and Artsakh. Thank you for the trust. I will do everything to justify this trust, he said. During the meeting the sides discussed issues relating to the future activities of the Office of the High Commission for Diaspora Affairs. Zareh Zinanyan has served as Mayor of Glendale twice. Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan YEREVAN, 14 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 14 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.14 drams to 478.40 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.21 drams to 539.06 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 7.43 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.18 drams to 605.13 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price up by 48.61 drams to 20547.37 drams. Silver price up by 0.01 drams to 227.56 drams. Platinum price down by 49.80 drams to 12443.16 drams. YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by the Vice President of the German Bundestag Thomas Oppermann. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the PM welcomed the visit of Thomas Oppermann to Armenia, noting that it's a very good opportunity to continue the dialogue of future development of Armenian-German relations, which has become quite intensive in the recent period. Nikol Pashinyan recalled that during the last one year he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid mutual visits, President of the National Assembly of Armenia paid a visit to Germany and the President of the Constitutional Court of Germany visited Armenia. The Head of the Executive highlighted bilateral cooperation in various spheres and emphasized particularly the cooperation in the sphere of the judicial system in this period. ''Judicial reforms are of key importance for us. For finalizing the democratic changes in our country it is necessary to have a judicial system that will enjoy public trust'', the PM said, adding that Armenia closely cooperates with the EU and the CoE in that direction. Nikol Pashinyan expressed conviction that with the support of the European partners the Government will succeed in those efforts. According to the Vice President of the German Bundestag, the developments in Armenia are of major interest among the European community. ''Particularly, the Germans have a great sympathy towards the changes in Armenia, and hope that Armenia will be successful. We want to see your country a progressive country and will do everything to assist Armenia. The Armenian Government is on the right path to judicial reforms, since it's impossible to make achievements without independent judicial system'', Thomas Oppermann said. Nikol Pashinyan added that after the German Bundestag adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in 2016 Germany has conquered a special place in the hearts of Armenians. According to PM Pashinyan, the resolution of the Bundestag is of major importance in terms of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. During the meeting the sides also referred to Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process. Nikol Pashinyan and Thomas Oppermann highlighted the peaceful settlement of the conflict and respecting the ceasefire regime, assessing it inadmissible the recent escalation on the contact line. PM Pashinyan underlined the importance of implementing the agreement of the Vienna summit in 2016 on creating mechanisms investigating ceasefire regime violation cases. The Vice President of the Bundestag expressed conviction that the atmosphere of mutual confidence will give a constructive nature to the negotiations and lead to de-escalation of situation. PM Pashinyan assessed the full participation of all the sides in the negotiation process a key precondition for the settlement of the conflict. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh welcomes the announcments of the Mayors of Valence, Bourg-les-Valence, Bourg-de-Peage and Arnouville on their intention to maintain the friendly relations with the people of Artsakh despite the administrative courts verdicts, reads the statment issued by the Foreign Mnistry of Artsakh, reports ARMENPRESS. ''We welcome the statements by the Mayors of the French cities of Valence, Bourg-les-Valence, Bourg-de-Peage and Arnouville on their intention to maintain the friendly relations with the people of Artsakh, despite the administrative courts verdicts. We share the viewpoint that the cooperation between the Artsakh and French cities is based on the common values and conviction of equality and freedom, which prevail over short-term political or economic interests. We express our gratitude also to the France-Artsakh Friendship Circle for calling on the French Government to be impartial and not to give in to the pressure of Azerbaijan. We are convinced that the support of the isolation policy conducted by the official Baku towards Artsakh in no way contributes to the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict. Such actions not only cannot be presented as a neutral position, but on the contrary, are an obvious support of one of the parties to the conflict. As we have repeatedly stated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh will continue exerting every effort to create conditions aimed at integrating the administrative-territorial units of Artsakh into international processes. We are deeply convinced that international cooperation is an effective tool for the promotion of fundamental human rights and freedoms. Attempts to deprive the citizens of Artsakh of such an important advantage and opportunities for humanitarian contacts are inadmissible'', reads the statement. I fought for change a student at Unitech from 2011 to 2014. The change I wanted to see slowly flowed in from Dr Schrams arrival in 2013 and beyond. Last year he was gone and the evil won. Dr Schram was accused on baseless grounds and the purpose of accusing him was to make Unitech a cash cow once again after he had gone. An innocent man was accused by power-hungry people who had made the University of Technology their cash cow before Dr Albert Schrams term as vice-chancellor. PORT MORESBY - I am not close to you to speak these words directly, so I make this humble request through PNG Attitude. Dr Albert Schram - "Last year he was gone and the evil won" The change included 13 major infrastructure projects on campus, restoring the reputation of the university internationally, signing 23 cooperation agreements, sending 77 Papua New Guineans abroad for the training (27 for doctoral programs) and setting up a satellite campus in Simbu. All this change took place when the university faced a terrible financial crisis. This man, in difficult conditions, managed to get a lot done to help Papua New Guineans. Without any strong evidence, the innocent man was charged with not having a real doctorate even after he produced a certified copy of the document from the European university. The Department of Higher Education purposefully allowed confusion to prevail even after an intensive verification process and after speaking to the European university and communicating with its professor members. The Department came up with nothing against him. Even after seeing his book based on his doctoral thesis from 1994 and published by the well-known Cambridge University Press in 1997, they closed their eyes and turned their back. And they continue to suppress the innocent man who wanted to shape the brains and leaders of the next generations of this beautiful country. Even after having heard the judge, they continue to track him and after being arrested on a trumped up charge he left the country without many toea in his pocket. Let me tell you the judges words: In spite of this overwhelming evidence [presented by Dr Schram], Mr Saulep continues to dispute the authenticity of the applicants doctorate degree. I find this ridiculous and difficult to fathom especially when neither he [Mr Saulep] nor the police are in receipt of evidence from the European University Institute in Florence Italy, confirming their allegations and suspicions. The current charge, with respect, lacks the primary evidence to prove the elements of falsity. Whether they will have such evidence by 12 june 2018 [the next hearing] is anyones guess. The reality is that they have failed to do so when the allegations were raised in 2012. This happened during prime minister ONeills term. Now, Hon James Marape, we kindly ask you to bring back an innocent man who struggled to shape the students of PNG who are the backbone of this country. The students of PNG deserve a better education. They deserve better infrastructure at universities. They deserve to compete with overseas students. They deserve as be ranked at the top. They deserve to be thinkers and not robots. They deserve such people as Dr Schram to light the road to success. And Dr Schram deserves to be in PNG to carry on his good work. Indeed, the pages of our blog provide a rich source of materials on which to base an assessment of ONeills long tenure. In what follows, I focus on domestic policy, the importance of the 2013 ONeill-Rudd Manus agreement notwithstanding. How should we assess it? Certainly, no other individual has so dominated the pages of the Devpolicy Blog, which I have co-edited since its inception in 2010. He may well remain a political force, and even be a future prime minister. But for now at least his term of office is over. He was prime minister from 2011 to 2019, about one-fifth of the countrys history as an independent country. CANBERRA - Peter ONeill was Papua New Guineas second longest serving prime minister, and by a long way. On the positive side of the ledger, attempts had been made before Peter ONeill became prime minister to abolish school fees in PNG, but none had lasted. ONeill did it, and it stuck. One can criticise some of the modalities and consequences (in most provinces, a massive increase in school class sizes), but getting more kids in school is a step forward. Free education stuck in part because ONeill was prime minister for so long, and that stability was itself an achievement. It enabled ONeill to pursue long-term goals like the hosting of APEC, which, while controversial, resulted in PNG getting more foreign aid. The stability also provided the environment in which the ADBs 2017 US$1 billion loan to fix up the Highlands Highway was finalised a transformational project. The negative side of the ledger is prominent. First, ONeill borrowed heavily during his first years of office, the boom years of 2012 to 2014. That was a big mistake, resulting in a heavy interest burden today, and accentuating the impact of the downturn on government services during the post-2014 bust years. Second, and crucially in my view, ONeill failed to grasp the opportunity which the end of 2014 presented. When oil prices crashed, he could have called the greatly changed external circumstances a crisis, and pushed through much-needed hard decisions, like budget cuts, revenue measures, and a currency devaluation. He could have done all this and blamed it on external necessity. Instead, until much too late his government denied that the fall in oil prices would have any consequences at all. By then, the prime minister was trapped by his own spin into a passive economic policy stance, perpetually on the defensive, denying that there were any economic or other problems at all, even as employment fell, growth outside the resources sector fell below the population growth rate, foreign exchange dried up, revenue collapsed, and government services deteriorated. The admission of his successor the new prime minister James Marape, in a maiden speech that was generally favourable to ONeill that the economy is bleeding and struggling, was never one the former prime minister could have made after he missed his 2014-15 window of opportunity. ONeills defence of his healthcare policies at a time of health crisis was particularly galling. Third, the former prime minister antagonised too many of his colleagues via a series of controversial decisions or captains calls. ONeill could ban Australians like Ross Garnaut and Paul Flanagan with no fallout. He could nationalise Ok Tedi without consequence. But the 2014 UBS loan to purchase Oil Search shares cost him valuable allies, as did much more recently his finalisation, against bureaucratic advice, of the Papua LNG gas agreement. It is sometimes said that all power rests with the prime minister in PNG politics, but ONeills eventual demise illustrates the dangers of concentrating rather than sharing power. (On ONeills resignation as Minister in April, James Marape said that PNG was not a nation to be dominated by one person.) ONeill also struggled with many of the dilemmas that ruling PNG involves. The first and most prominent of these concerns corruption. Everyone agrees it needs to be contained, but when corruption is widespread clamping down on it is risky. ONeill came in with energy at the end of Somares lethargic final term. He established Taskforce Sweep to fight corruption within two weeks of becoming prime minister in August 2011. But it lasted less than three years, being disbanded by the man who set it up when the agency went after the ONeill himself on corruption charges. He promised thereafter to replace Taskforce Sweep by an Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, but never did. While it is difficult to quantify corruption, the consensus is that it increased and institutions weakened under ONeills reign. Second, ONeill supported decentralisation, but without clear direction. In his early years, he supported decentralisation to the districts or MP level, with multi-million kina funds for MPs to disburse and new District Development Authorities to manage those funds. Provinces (made up of districts) seemed irrelevant. But in his later years, ONeill tacked back to the provinces, promising their governors greater autonomy. Absent a settled and affordable framework for decentralised governance, expect service delivery to continue to decay. Third, ONeill or at least his government flirted with but never committed to a number of controversial policy stances. Policies to quarantine large parts of the economy from foreign investment and to hand mineral ownership to landowners were advanced, but then not implemented. There is a clear mood of economic nationalism in PNG which no leader can ignore, but it needs to be constructively channelled towards outlawing backroom deals rather than isolating the country. Womens parliamentary representation is another issue the former prime minister flirted with but left in the too hard basket. Peter ONeill, by virtue of his longevity and energy, was probably PNGs most powerful prime minister, but he was also perhaps the most divisive. A skilful politician, he appeared invincible for so long, but he finished his time as prime minister isolated and defeated by what even he admitted was a perceived need for change, his achievements insufficient to counter his mistakes and vacillations. AskMen Style Defined: Perfectly Suited for Pitti Uomo Scrolling Through This Instagram Is Like Flipping Through a Magazine 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. Here at AskMen, we strive to bring you new and interesting content to help answer any questions you may have from sex and dating to health and fitness and food and booze to of course, style and grooming. In our latest installment of the weekly series AskMen Style Defined, we talk to writer and entrepreneur Igee Okafor about his drive for independence and his quest to inspire other men. RELATED: Style Defined Last Week: Show Pride With Serious Style Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Igee Okafor currently resides in New York City working as a digital content creator who wears many hats. You might not believe it by the exquisite artistic direction of his images, but he actually got his start as a writer with roles in several digital agencies. He later transitioned into photography and blogging about men's style. It was only two years ago during the summer of 2017 when he decided he was going to assume the role of his own boss fulltime. Now, his main project revolves around new venture BOND OFFICIAL, a publication he founded that focuses on connecting voices of male culture and its modern interests. I'm having a good time, Okafor tells us about where his career has taken him currently to Florence, Italy attending the tailored menswear mecca, Pitti Uomo. We launched [the site] about three months ago with a very small team ... The idea is that there has been this huge spike in the last two years with women coming upfront, supporting each other and telling their stories in every genre that there is [so] we just want men to feel like they have a safe space they can come to, to learn, build and inspire community. He was inspired at a young age to work hard and for himself by his mother. I remember I was writing for an outlet ... right out of high school, and my mother urged me to not have the mentality of working for other people, especially with something I enjoyed doing so much, he told us. With the idea that I didn't see a lot of representation in the [mens fashion and lifestyle] space for someone who looked like me, [my mother] essentially forced me to start my own website and gave me a deadline. RELATED: Watch Snob Presents: AskMen's Watch Awards 2019 He moved to New York City for college and later graduated with a marketing degree while also working for multiple publications and digital agencies. Through networking and the curiosity of wanting to explore his talents more in depth, he contributed to fashion-focused social sites such as Bloglovin, Tumblr and Lookbook and finally started his own site IgeeOkafor.com in 2013. [My] inspiration comes from ... style, music, way of life, culture, language ... Everyone I come across and every experience that I have had has impacted my life in some way. I reflect a lot, I think a lot, I can get a little obsessive when I really love something, he explains about what influences him. I'm ultimately inspired by my idea of the nobleman I want and hope to become and that is a well rounded individual who is characterized by refined taste, manners and education. This tailored-to-perfection made-to-measure suit is exactly what we would expect to see on the streets of Florence for the Pitti Uomo peacocking display of dapper dressing. This was one of the first [suiting] fabrics I selected to design with when I confirmed I was going to attend my first Pitti Uomo this year. The white and beige color scheme seemed summery so I designed it with the Australian made-to-measure brand Institchu, explains Okafor of his sharp selection shown here. I chose to highlight all of the things I love in a single breasted suit patch pockets, notch lapel, and cuffed trousers. As for his unexpected silk shirt, he tells us: It was a gift from BOSS I received sometime last year [and] never saw it fit for anything I was wearing at the time so I kept it hoping I would eventually figure it out. Florence is ridiculously hot, and anything I could do to help the breeze under my suit was going to be the choice. Not only was the shirt super lightweight and silky, it matched the suit. He accessorized his statement suit with a favorite pair of loafers from Paul Evans New York, round framed Ray-Bans, a Carl F. Bucherer timepiece and topped it all off, quite literally, with a Toquilla straw hat from Goorin Brothers. My favorite thing about the entire look is that it really represents how I like to portray my personal style polished. If you are looking for to keep your summer look suited and smooth in sweltering conditions, we suggest starting with a sartorial outfit taking inspiration from Okafor. Items to shop inspired by Okafors look: Budget: J.Crew Ludlow Slim Jacket, $248 at JCrew.com J.Crew Ludlow Slim Trouser, $148 at JCrew.com Boss Relaxed-Fit Silk Shirt, $148 at HugoBoss.com Anthony Veer Tassel Loafer, from $109 at Amazon.com Vincero Chrono S Watch, $169 at Vincero.com Transer Straw Hat, $4.38 at Amazon.com Ray-Ban Oval Sunglasses, $168 at Amazon.com Baller: Paul Smith Slim Jacket, $1,350 at PaulSmith.com Paul Smith Slim Trouser, $400 at PaulSmith.com Canali Cotton-Silk Shirt, $425 at Canali.com Paul Evans Belgian Loafer, $395 at PaulEvansNY.com Carl. F Bucherer Manero Watch, $17,600 at Carl-F-Bucherer.com Goorin Bros Ecuador Straw Hat, $160 at Goorin.com Garrett Leight Wilson Sunglasses, $365 at GarrettLeight.com We think this summer suit looks cool as ever in hot weather, but what do you think? What do you want to see? Do you have a look you like? Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and friend us on Facebook to share your best looks or tell us about someone we should check out. Tag us and use the hashtag #AskMenStyleDefined to get our attention. Or email us directly at [email protected] with AskMen Style Defined in the subject line. Maybe next week, well pick you! You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. Perth, Australia, June 13, 2019 - (ABN Newswire) - Since Eden Innovations Ltd (ASX:EDE.AX - News) (Eden) commenced commercialisation and field testing of EdenCrete(R) in 2015, significant progress has been made, the range of products has been expanded, and interest in these products continues to grow around the world. USA In the USA, sales to repeat customers are occurring regularly in a number of States for a range of projects including building construction and maintenance, driveways, industrial flooring, shotcrete applications, and bridge and highway repairs and construction. INDUSTRIAL AND COMERCIAL APPLICATIONS A key focus area, initially mainly targeting Georgia, Colorado and surrounding States, has been industrial business applications including manufacturing and warehouse flooring, and surrounding hard stand areas. Considerable interest in the broad range of performance benefits and project lifecycle cost benefits delivered by EdenCrete(R) has been shown from a range of general contractors, architects and engineers, and ready mix suppliers. Additionally, for over two years, Eden has been developing its EdenCrete(R)Pz product for use in pozzolanic concrete mixes. After many successful laboratory trials, Eden is hopeful that the encouraging results currently being produced in a comprehensive field trial by a New York based ready mix supplier, will, in the near future, lead to the regular use of this EdenCrete(R) product in a range of commercial and industrial applications. Although the rate of penetration into the industrial and commercial markets has not been as rapid as Eden would have hoped, it has, nevertheless, been growing steadily, and the recent significant increase in interest is expected to translate in the reasonably near term into a growing number of projects that incorporate EdenCrete(R) in the concrete mix designs. INFRASTRUCTURE In various States of the U.S., interest in using EdenCrete(R) in concrete for a range of infrastructure applications continues to grow. Story continues Georgia In addition to EdenCrete(R) being included in the 24 hour concrete repair mix specifications of Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) (which results in EdenCrete(R) being in all new State funded repair projects), it has also been successfully used in its first joint Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/ GDOT funded repair project in Georgia. The second Federally funded project has been awarded and Eden understands that EdenCrete(R) is likely to be used in this project which is expected to commence in early September 2019. Preliminary steps are also underway to have EdenCrete(R) added to the GDOT Qualified Products List for new concrete pavements, following the successful completion of a 12 month field trial, and for use in a GDOT bridge trial. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) which published a joint white paper with Eden in 2018 detailing the strong performance of EdenCrete(R) over a two year field trial at the Brady Mobility Facility in Atlanta, also remains a high priority target for use of EdenCrete(R) products in future infrastructure projects. Colorado Since 2016, EdenCrete(R) has been, and is continuing to be, trialled for a number of infrastructure applications in Colorado, by various Government bodies. These include the Colorado Department of Transportation (CODOT), the Denver Public Works, and the Bureau of Reclamation, which between them have trialled EdenCrete(R) in both ready mix concrete and shotcrete, on or for use in State and Federal highways, roads, bridges, tunnels, and dams, and to date it has also been used commercially in a number of projects. Continued growth in both the number of repeat orders and the range of applications for which EdenCrete(R) may be used in infrastructure projects in Colorado, is expected as the results of from the various long term field trials that are underway (some of which have been running for more than 2 years) are completed. Additionally, this anticipated increase in the use of EdenCrete(R) in infrastructure projects will also be assisted by the increasing number of Colorado based ready mix and shotcrete suppliers that already have standard commercial concrete mixes that include EdenCrete(R), as well as the growing number of contractors who have successfully used EdenCrete(R) in projects. Texas Eden has been continuing to work with the large prestressed bridge beam manufacturer in Texas that, until earlier this year, had used EdenCrete(R) in highway bridge beams since 2017, and has developed two new and more cost effective concrete mix designs for use in prestressed highway bridge beams. It is hoped that approval of these new concrete mix designs by Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) will be completed in the near future, and will then result in a resumption of the regular use of EdenCrete(R) in the production of the large prestressed concrete beams. Other States in the USA EdenCrete(R) is currently being trialled in concrete used in bridge repairs with the Departments of Transportation in two other States (Virginia and North Carolina), and is also being trialled in concrete mixes for use on roads in Idaho. Additionally, with the NTPEP trials of EdenCrete(R) nearing completion (after a delay with some of the testing that was undertaken), this will open up most of the remaining States for having EdenCrete(R) added to their Approved (or Qualified) Product lists, thereby opening the possibility of EdenCrete(R) being used in concrete for their roads and bridges. OTHER COUNTRIES Australia and New Zealand EdenCrete(R) is currently being tested and marketed in Australia and New Zealand by Parchem Construction Supplies Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of DuluxGroup. Trials for or with a number of companies that operate in the industrial and infrastructure markets, are underway or scheduled, and over the next 6 - 12 months it is expected that the value of Australian and New Zealand sales will grow significantly. South Korea Discussions are continuing with several groups in Korea that could potentially be suitable EdenCrete(R) distributors in South Korea. Independent university laboratory testing of these products with various Korean cements produced encouraging results and this could be a significant future market for EdenCrete(R) products. Europe and the Middle East Trials are underway, or are scheduled, with two groups in Europe and a third group in the Middle East, in neither of which markets is EdenCrete(R) currently being sold. Each of these groups approached Eden and each has the potential to become a significant EdenCrete(R) customer. One group is a large construction company and the others market or use concrete additives. Eden has successfully completed preliminary testing of cements supplied by two of these groups, with both tests indicating compatibility with the EdenCrete(R) products. It is hoped that progress in further trials and discussions will result, in the reasonably near term, in an ongoing commercial relationship with one or more of these groups. India The concrete market in India, for both industrial and infrastructure applications, whilst already being large by global standards, is still growing rapidly. With the election commitment to allocate US$1.2 trillion towards infrastructure by recently re-elected Prime Minister Modi, India is a high priority target for EdenCrete(R). Relevantly, during the past four years, the Indian Federal Minister for Transport and Roads (and who was re-appointed to the same portfolio after the recent election), is reported to have driven an increase in the rate at which new Federal highways and roads were built (including a significant amount built using concrete), from two kilometres per day to thirty kilometres per day, and he has recently indicated he would like to double that rate to sixty kilometres per day during the next four years. Further, Eden recently tested some concrete mixes made with Indian cement and Indian flyash and found them to be suitably responsive to EdenCrete(R). In particular the flyash, which is produced as a very low value by-product by Indian coal fired power stations burning Indian coal, was highly responsive to EdenCrete(R)Pz. In consequence, it is hoped that the addition of EdenCrete(R)Pz may enable the percentage of very low cost flyash that is used in concrete mixes, to be increased, thereby potentially reducing the cost of the concrete and also reducing its Greenhouse Gas footprint due to the flyash itself being a waste by-product. Conclusion Although the commercial rollout of EdenCrete(R) both in the USA and elsewhere to date has not been as rapid as originally anticipated, nevertheless progress has been steady and continues, and as more commercial projects take place, the growth rate in sales is anticipated to increase significantly. EdenCrete(R) Background EdenCrete(R) is Eden's 100% owned, proprietary carbon-strengthened concrete additive, one of the primary target markets for which is improving the performance of concrete used in the construction and maintenance of concrete roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Additionally, it has potential for use in a range of other concrete applications including high-rise building construction, marine and coastal applications, water storage and pipelines, and pre-fabricated concrete structures and products. About Eden Innovations Ltd: Eden Innovations Ltd (ASX:EDE.AX - News) is dedicated to clean technology solutions that make life better and the planet more sustainable. It developed, manufactures, and markets EdenCrete(R), a revolutionary high performance concrete admixture and OptiBlend(TM), a world leading innovative retrofit dual fuel kit developed for diesel generator sets. Contact: Eden Innovations Ltd T: + 61-8-9282-5889 WWW: www.edeninnovations.com Source: Eden Innovations Ltd Copyright (C) 2019 ABN Newswire. All rights reserved. Donald Trump tweeted about meeting "the Prince of Whales" and other world leaders. Photo: Getty Images Donald Trump has caused Twitter to meltdown once again after referring to Prince Charles as the Prince of Whales on Twitter. Mr Trump was responding to an interview he gave to the ABC in the US on Wednesday night, where he said he wouldnt necessarily alert the FBI if a foreign Government offered him information on a presidential rival in the 2020 elections. The US President ranted on Twitter: I meet and talk to foreign governments every day. The President's original tweet, which has since been corrected (TWITTER/realDonaldTrump) I just met with the Queen of England (UK), the Prince of Whales, the PM of the United Kingdom, the PM of Ireland, the President of France and the President of Poland. We talked about Everything! Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings? How ridiculous!. Minutes later, the president changed the spelling to correctly refer to the future British monarch by his correct title, the Prince of Wales. The reaction Twitter went wild over the typo, with scores of whale memes being posted in reply to the US presidents gaffe. One Twitter user wrote: Too late. Internet is forever. PRINCE OF WHALES! Too late. Internet is forever. PRINCE OF WHALES! Barbara Marshall (@babsmarshall1) June 13, 2019 "Don't listen to that usurper, Donald. I am the true Prince of Whales. I have the real Biden dirt. He once peed in the ocean. I saw it with my own eyes!" - Prince of Whales pic.twitter.com/h8YarMh33X Jeremy Newberger (@jeremynewberger) June 13, 2019 But another jumped to his defence, saying: Mr. President don't worry about these fools. They hate you so much they're inventing crimes nobody has ever heard about! You're aware the Royal Family aren't a "foreign government", right? Phil (@philintheuk) June 13, 2019 They grandstand on xenophobia and then they say talking to foreigners is a crime. These people are sick! Story continues One Twitter user simply said: The Internet remembers things better than you do. The Internet remembers things better than you do. pic.twitter.com/P9hb3bOYwq Doktor Zoom (@DoktorZoom) June 13, 2019 Trump and the royals His latest grammatical error comes despite Mr Trumps state visit to the UK this month, where he was invited as a guest of the Queen to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Mr Trump spent time with Prince Charles during a ceremonial welcome He posed for photos and talked extensively with the Prince of Wales during his visit. Interestingly however, he had little contact with the young royals, or Fab Four as theyre called. Trump and Charles met numerous times on his UK visit. Photo: Getty Typo king The US president has often been pulled up for his language and grammar on Twitter. Perhaps his most famous gaffe was when he spelled coverage as covfefe in 2017 - causing a Twitter meltdown over the meaning of his typo. The tweet, which was liked and retweeted hundreds of thousands of times, read: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe. Reporting by Joe Gamp Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us atlifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram. Or sign up to our daily newsletter here. Meghan has officially been crowned the nation's fashion muse [Photo: Getty] The fashion jury has long been out on whether Kate or Meghan is the most influential when it comes to the nations spending habits. Determined to give us an answer once and for all, global fashion search platform Lyst pitted the Kensington Palace wardrobes against each other and it turns out, the Meghan Effect has taken the reigns. Since joining the royal family, the newly-crowned Duchess of Sussex has sent fashion followers on the hunt for each and every one of her outfits - with a large number of items garnering sell-out status. In fact, her debut public appearance alongside the Duchess of Cambridge was when interest in her style really gained momentum. Lyst reports that the camel Sentaler coat she wore to her first royal Christmas Day church service sparked a 164% increase in online search for outerwear in the same hue. Meghan Markle's first joint engagement with Kate proved influential [Photo: Getty] While her matching Stuart Weitzman boots also impressed the nation with a 52% increase in demand. Though its not just the brands Meghan flies the flag for which have received a new following, as her penchant for certain colours has also inspired our closets. According to Lyst, in seven out of ten cases white, beige and navy were the most searched-for colours. READ MORE: The Duchess of Sussexs best fashion moments of 2019 In fact, research shows that for every garment the 37-year-old wears, search for similar looks more than doubles - shooting up by an average of 216%. Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge is responsible for a 119% spike in manic googling. But what has been Meghans most influential fashion moment so far? According to Lyst, the new mothers gold brocade dress, which she wore to the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles Investiture at Buckingham Palace, triggered a 500% rise in online demand within the space of just 24 hours. The Duchess of Sussex attended a Buckingham Palace reception in the gold and brocade dress [Photo: Getty] Top tip, if youre interested in shopping her Amanda Wakeley coat then its still (surprisingly) available on the website for 1,020. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a Catherine Walker coat dress on March 11, 2019 [Photo: Getty] Interestingly, the Duchess of Cambridges most talked about sartorial moment also took place in March when she stepped out on Commonwealth Day in a Catherine Walker coat - which sparked a 225% increase in search. Story continues READ MORE: Shop the Duchess of Cambridges latest royal look But for us, its impossible to rank the regal fashion muses, as they should both be held responsible for our spending habits. Anyway, while we wait of their next appearance, well be busy shopping the Duchess of Cambridges latest look. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK: The Duchess of Cambridge turned to her wedding dress designer for her outfit for Trooping the Colour on Saturday, to mark the Queens official birthday. Kate, 37, chose a sunny yellow v-neck dress with a fitted waistband by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, with a matching floral hat by Philip Treacy. The mum-of-three completed her outfit with the Queens Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings, which were a wedding gift to the then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947. Kate has previously worn the jewels - for the Remembrance Sunday service in 2016 and for a church service in Balmoral last summer. READ MORE: Trooping the Colour fashion, from the Duchess of Cambridge to Princess Diana Kate shared a carriage with Camilla, Harry and Meghan. [Photo: PA] Kate wore the Queen's Bahrain pearl earrings. [Photo: Getty] The duchess has attended Trooping the Colour every year since her marriage to Prince William in 2011. This is seventh time shes chosen an outfit by Alexander McQueen for the occasion. Kate shared a carriage with the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - who made her first public appearance since the birth of son Archie last month. Meghan, 37, wore a navy ensemble by her wedding dress designer Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy, while Camilla, 71, chose a green Bruce Oldfield embroidered dress. READ MORE: Meghan Markle's first public appearance since Archie's birth at Trooping the Colour Meghan made her first public appearance after the birth of son Archie. [Photo: PA] Following the parade, the royals joined the Queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the RAF fly-past, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges youngest child Prince Louis made his debut. Earlier this week, the Cambridges attended the state banquet for US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Kate wore a white ruffled gown by Alexander McQueen with Princess Dianas Lovers Knot tiara and the Queen Mothers sapphire and diamond fringe earrings. She then made her debut at the Beating Retreat military music concert on Thursday night, where she took the salute. Next week, the Cambridges will resume their royal duties with a trip to Cumbria on Tuesday. Stacey and David were shocked when Stacey gave birth to Sophia [Photo: Stacey Porter] A woman who didn't know she was pregnant got the shock of her life when she delivered her baby alone on her bathroom floor. Stacey Porter, 20, had gone to bed with a stomach ache, and it wasnt until she felt her babys head coming that she realised she was about to give birth. I was unaware it was labour until her head was coming out, Stacey from Glasgow, told Yahoo UK. I had to take a seat on the bathroom floor as my pain was that bad and after a few moans and groans her head started to come out. Despite some heartburn when she was in Thailand over the Christmas and new year period, Stacey had no symptoms of pregnancy at all and had been getting regular periods. She had even been taking birth control pills. I put [the heartburn] down to the amount of spicy food we had been consuming and the wine and different Thai beers, she explains. And when her partner, David Johnston, 26, also claimed to be experiencing heartburn, she didnt think anything of it The couple are now adjusting to life as a family of three [Photo: Stacey Porter] Little Sophia was delivered by her mum in the bathroom [Photo: Stacey Porter] READ MORE: Baby born almost entirely without skin defies odds to survive It was only after her daughter, Sophia, was born and the new mum was in hospital that the midwives explained that a correlation between women who experience heartburn during pregnancy and babies born with a full head of hair has been found. On the night she gave birth to her unexpected baby, Stacey had been picked up from work by David after complaining about feeling unwell. The couple went back to Davids family home in Grangemouth - where they were house-sitting while his parents were on holiday. Though she was suffering from a stomach ache, Stacey didn't want to go to hospital, so David decided to sleep on the couch to get some rest before work. At just after 4am the "agonising pain" in her stomach became so bad that Stacey had to sit down on the bathroom floor. Having realised what was happening Stacey tried to ring David downstairs, but his phone was just ringing. It was feeling the babys head, that alerted Stacey to the fact that she had to push. Story continues And little Sophia made her unexpected entrance into the world on Friday 10 May at 4.14 am weighing 7lb 13oz. Stacey Porter had no idea she was pregnant before giving birth to her baby in the bathroom [Photo: Supplied by Stacey Porter] Shortly afterwards David woke up and called an ambulance, taking Stacey and the newborn to Forth Valley Royal Hospital for checks. "I just stood there, staring at Stacey and Sophia. I put my head in my hands and I was just like 'Stacey, that's a baby'" he told Radio Scotland. The couple decided to name their surprise daughter Sophia Grace Johnston. As soon as I saw her I thought she would suit Sophia, Stacey tells Yahoo UK. I hadnt ever considered baby names before as a baby isnt something I had planned or would have been planning for a good few years. But we were told later told by a man they got chatting to that Sophia means Wisdom in Greek and Grace means Gods Favour. Despite Sophias unexpected arrival, the couple say they wouldnt change their unusual journey to parenthood. Shes so perfect, content and just our little miracle, Stacey says. READ MORE: Stacey Solomon praised for 'raw and real' post-birth post complete with blood stains The couple are now adjusting to becoming an overnight family of three. Its still a complete shock, she says.Sometimes we find each other walking by her just staring at her for a good five minutes. We are both still learning but its definitely not something we would change for the world, she adds. It might sound unbelievable to go a full nine months without realising that youre pregnant but cryptic pregnancies, as they are known, are actually more common than you might think. According to the BMJ, cryptic pregnancies are estimated to occur in around one in 2,500 cases, suggesting that for around 320 women this is their reality. With so many typical indicators of pregnancy, it may be difficult to understand, but according to experts it does happen. Two-year-old Farid should have been vaccinated against polio, but his family -- like many in rural Afghanistan -- believed the conspiracy theories and refused to have him inoculated. He contracted the virus, and now faces a crippling life sentence battling a potentially fatal disease with no cure. "When the doctors told me he had polio, I felt remorse. I had believed people who told me the polio vaccine was a plot against Muslims," Abdul Wali, the child's uncle and head of the family, told AFP of his decision to rule against inoculation. In the past decade, the numbers of people infected with polio declined from a high of 80 in 2011 to 13 in 2016. But last year there was a jump in new cases with 21 reported across the country. Polio immunisation is compulsory in Afghanistan, but distrust of vaccines is rife, and the programmes are difficult to enforce particularly in rural regions. The Taliban, having previously restricted access to such programmes for residents living in areas it controls, says it has instituted a total ban on inoculations. Militants and religious leaders tell the community that vaccines are a Western conspiracy aiming to sterilise Muslim children, or that such programmes are an elaborate cover for Western or Afghan government spies. The CIA used a fake immunisation campaign to help track down Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, where US forces later killed him in 2011, which has fuelled the conspiracy theories. Fears run so deep that some parents force their children to vomit after they receive the compulsory polio drops in government-run health centres. "We see this a lot," said Aziza Watanwal, a doctor in Kandahar city. "They believe in the propaganda". Yar Mohammad, who brought his three-year-old daughter Razia to a local clinic in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, said the local mullah told villagers the polio vaccine weakens one's faith. The child contracted the disease. "Now she is paralysed," Mohammad said, as he looked at his daughter lying in a bed. - 'Infidel's Campaign' - In the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, home largely to conservative tribal communities, claims that the polio vaccine contains impure particles -- including blood from pigs, a taboo animal in Islam -- are widely shared. "I have heard from elders and scholars here and in Pakistan that the polio vaccine is impure and those who receive it will grow up with a weak faith in Allah," Kandahar city resident Abdul Wasay Rahimi told AFP. All seven of Afghanistan's polio cases so far this year have been in Taliban-controlled areas across the south, according to health officials. Hedayatullah Stanikzai, a senior adviser to the Afghan health minister, said the Taliban last year had barred house-to-house vaccinations, forcing health workers to use mosques as vaccination centres. Health experts view the door-to-door vaccination campaign as the best way to eradicate polio. But the tactic has fallen under a cloud of suspicion, in part because of the CIA ruse. We tell residents the vaccination workers "are helping the vulnerable children. They are not spies," Stanikzai said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said his organisation believed polio vaccination workers use the programmes as a ruse to gather intelligence in areas under insurgent control, then report this to foreign forces. "There are houses of (Taliban) officials, who are identified (during vaccination drives) and then these houses are hit by air strikes from the invading forces," Mujahid told AFP. He claimed the Taliban banned the polio vaccinations as a response to these concerns, claiming the move was to avoid foreign attacks and civilian casualties. "We banned the vaccinations and until we are assured that such incidents do not repeat, we cannot allow them back," Mujahid insisted. - Millions of children at risk - The anti-vaccination phenomenon has spiralled worldwide as adherents peddle baseless claims that are amplified through social media, resulting in a resurgence of highly contagious diseases. In the US, the number of measles cases have hit their highest levels in 25 years. Aside from Afghanistan, polio is endemic in two other countries -- Pakistan and Nigeria -- although a relatively rare strain was also detected in Papua New Guinea last year. More than one million Afghan children were deprived of polio vaccinations in 2018, said Stanikzai, who also oversees Afghanistan's health ministry campaign for polio eradication. If the Taliban continue their ban, more than two million children would be deprived of the vaccination, he warned. "Conspiracy theories can in particular flourish where people's lives are strictly controlled by hardline militants," Afghan sociologist and medical expert, Wahid Majroh said. "So, when these militants tell the people that vaccines are bad, it would be hard to convince them it is good," he said. Afghanistan's health ministry says raising public awareness among vulnerable communities is key to debunking myths. Mir Jan Rasekh, a spokesmen for the Afghanistan polio eradication public awareness programme, said his agency is distributing information from prominent religious scholars who say vaccines are beneficial and "halal" -- or permitted -- under Islam. Each year, his agency sets the goal of eradicating polio in Afghanistan. Rasekh said: "While it is quite possible, it feels frustrating to see at the end of the year that it didn't happen because armed men think we are spies, and locals think vaccines are contaminated." Polio immunisation is compulsory in Afghanistan, but distrust of vaccines is rife, and the programmes are difficult to enforce particularly in rural regions In Afghanistan, militants and religious leaders tell locals that vaccines are a Western conspiracy aiming to sterilise Muslim children, or that such programmes are an elaborate cover for Western or Afghan government spies In the past decade, the numbers of people infected with polio declined from a high of 80 in 2011 to 13 in 2016. But last year there was a jump in new cases with 21 reported across the country Aside from Afghanistan, polio is endemic in two other countries -- Pakistan and Nigeria -- although a relatively rare strain was also detected in Papua New Guinea last year China on Friday launched an investigation into FedEx for "failing to deliver express packages" to the correct addresses in the country, state media said, after the US delivery service misrouted some Huawei parcels. FedEx apologised earlier this month for the delivery mishap after Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said it was reviewing its ties with the package service over the incident. The US delivery firm said at the time that "no external parties requested that FedEx transfer these packages". "China's relevant government department has started an investigation into FedEx, delivering a notice of inquiry to FedEx China," Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, without specifying which department. Beijing's investigation into FedEx comes as Huawei faces moves from the US to blacklist the Chinese tech firm, cutting it off from American-made components it needs for products -- though it was issued a 90-day reprieve in May. China hit back last month by announcing it would create its own blacklist of "unreliable" companies and individuals, which could target US and international firms that have cut off supplies to Huawei. Last week, China's commerce ministry said the list would not target any specific field or company, but that it was "designed in reaction to practises distorting the market for non-commercial purposes." A separate list system to "more effectively forestall and defuse national security risks" is also in the works, according to a report last week by Xinhua. The Chinese news agency did not elaborate or state whether the move was linked to the trade war but said detailed measures would be unveiled in the "near future". US President Donald Trump is expecting to meet with his Chinese counterpart later this month at the G20 summit in Japan, though Beijing has not confirmed whether Xi Jinping will attend. A Trump-Xi meeting would mark a turning point in the bruising trade dispute between the world's two biggest economies, which has spooked markets worldwide and sparked worries about the global economy. Negotiations to resolve the dispute stalled last month after Washington increased tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, sparking retaliation from Beijing. Telecoms giant Huawei said it was reviewing its ties with FedEx after the delivery firm failed to get express packages to the right addresses A father has been sentenced to death for killing his five children despite pleads to spare a family that has already seen so much death. The same Lexington County jury convicted Timothy Jones Jr of five counts of murder last week in the deaths of his children, aged 1 to 8, in their Lexington home in South Carolina in August 2014. Prosecutors pushed for a death sentence. Jones' father hung his head in his hands as the verdict was read and other family members appeared to cry. Timothy Jones Jr looks around the courtroom before being sentenced to death on Thursday, June 13. Source: Tracy Glantz / AP Jones first killed six-year-old son Nahtahn in a "white hot rage" after the boy confessed on the phone to his mother but not to his father to breaking an electrical outlet, solicitor Rock Hubbard said Thursday. Over the next several hours, Jones made a decision and "sentenced his kids to death," the the prosecutor said. That choice was deserving of his own death sentence, he added. Mr Hubbard told jurors in his closing argument that if any jurors had doubts whether Jones deserved the death penalty, all they had to do is consider the five garbage bags where he dumped their bodies on a rural Alabama roadside. Merah Jones, 8, and siblings Elias, 7, Nahtahn, 6, Gabriel, 2, and Elaine, 1, were all murdered by their father in August 2014. Source: Getty Images But lawyer for Jones, Casey Secor, told jurors they alone could show mercy if not for a father who killed five children with his own hands, then for a family that has seen so much death and still wants to love Jones, even through prison bars. "How much more death does the Jones family have to endure? Mr Secor asked. How many more funerals does this family have to go to? How many more tears do they have to shed? How much more heartache to they have to endure?" Solicitor Rick Hubbard shows pictures of the Jones children during the sentencing phase of the trial of Timothy Jones Jr on Thursday. Source: Tracy Glantz / AP The children's mother also said she wouldn't choose the death penalty for Jones because she's against capital punishment, but would respect the jury's decision. Jones showed no emotion as the jury delivered the verdict after less than two hours of deliberation. He is just the second person to be sent to South Carolina's death row in five years. The state has not executed anyone since 2011 and lacks the drugs to carry out lethal injection. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunesorGoogle Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. Iran dismissed as "baseless" Friday US accusations that it carried out twin attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Washington would defend its forces and allies in the region, and the United States pressed its case as the UN Security Council met to address the incident -- the second in a month in the strategic shipping lane. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Friday that the US administration had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". He accused it of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" amid a visit to Iran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and "cover up its economic terrorism against Iran" in enforcing crippling unilateral sanctions. With tensions spiralling between Iran and the United States, the European Union called for "maximum restraint" and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf. Iran labelled the apparent attacks "suspicious," as its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by Abe to open talks with US President Donald Trump. Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after the US Navy said it had spotted an unexploded limpet mine stuck to the hull of one of the vessels. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a grainy black-and-white video it said showed an Iranian patrol boat "removing the unexploded limpet mine" from the ship. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," Pompeo announced. "This is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," he said. - Explosions off Iran - The two vessels were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz and travelling around 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast headed towards Asia. The Norwegian-owned Front Altair ethanol tanker was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority, and remained ablaze late Thursday. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries. The ship was on Friday heading towards the Omani port of Khor Fakkan. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members of the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," CENTCOM said in a statement. - 'Iran or proxies' - Pompeo called Thursday's tanker explosions "the latest in a series of attacks" he alleged were undertaken by Iran or its "proxies," including a Yemeni missile rebel missile which wounded 26 civilians at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. A Saudi-led coalition which has been fighting the rebels it accuses of being Iranian proxies said Saudi air defences had intercepted a new rebel attack on a Saudi airport on Friday. The abortive attack using five rebel drones targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, home to a huge airbase which has been the main launchpad of the coalition's more than four-year bombing campaign in Yemen. "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security," Pompeo said. The United States has also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. A five-nation investigation into those attacks said its preliminary findings indicated a state actor was responsible but stopped short of naming Iran. The US called Thursday for the UN Security Council to confront the "clear threat" posed by Iran, as the council met behind closed doors to hear a briefing on Washington's assessment that Tehran was responsible. Iran's mission to the UN pushed back, saying: "The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering." Oil prices jumped at the threat of open conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which transit some 15 million barrels per day of crude passes. In London, benchmark Brent crude jumped 2.2 percent to $61.31 a barrel, while in New York, the US standard, West Texas Intermediate, rose 2.2 percent, to $52.28. "We are in a dangerous moment in the region with this emerging pattern of attacks," said Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst with International Crisis Group. "Any miscalculation or misunderstanding risks a spiral toward more direct confrontation." A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019 reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from the Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker, one of two vessels hit by suspected attacks in the waters of the Gulf of Oman What different countries have said about an incident involving two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the "reported attacks" on two tankers in the Gulf were "suspicious" Oil production and alliances in the Gulf. Mexico said Friday it will complete the deployment of 6,000 National Guardsmen to its southern border in four days' time and send 825 additional immigration officers under its deal with the US to slow migration. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico was "making a major effort to accelerate" implementation of the deal, which he struck last Friday in Washington in a last-minute bid to dodge President Donald Trump's threat to slap punitive tariffs on Mexican goods. "The National Guard deployment will be complete by Tuesday next week," Ebrard told a press conference, saying Mexico was dealing with "one of the largest migrant flows in the world." He added that 825 additional immigration officers from the National Migration Institute would start work this weekend, "because they didn't have enough personnel, and that has been one of the major problems." Trump is pressuring Mexico to act to curb the surge of migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Central America and seeking asylum in the United States. Speaking a week after using his tariff threat to goad the Mexican government into a promise of "unprecedented" action, Trump said his tactics were paying off. "Big difference in the border between now and this time last week. Mexico has been doing a terrific job. Hey, 6,000 soldiers, and if it doesn't work out, then we go back to very strong measures," he said on the Fox News program "Fox and Friends." "The stoppage is unbelievable and I got reports yesterday, it's like day and night." He added, however, that if Mexico did not address the issue to his satisfaction, he would make it implement a "safe third country" agreement, in which migrants entering Mexican territory would have to seek asylum there rather than the US. Mexico City has agreed to revisit that demand if Washington deems its progress on slowing the flow of migrants is insufficient after 45 days. Mexico is scrambling to make sweeping changes at both its southern and northern borders to avoid another standoff with its key trading partner. On the northern border, Mexico has agreed to expand its policy of taking back asylum-seekers while the United States processes their claims. Governors from Mexico's northern border states were in the capital to meet President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the issue. Ebrard said Mexico "has not agreed to accept an unlimited number" of returnees, though he did not give further details. Locals and Central American migrants use a makeshift raft across the Suchiate river from Tecun Uman in Guatemala, to Ciudad Hidalgo in Chiapas State, Mexico, on June 11, 2019 Graduating students at a US high school were heartbroken to learn that school administrators had denied their request to honour a classmate who died of cancer. The students had allegedly requested to carry the girls ashes during their graduation ceremony on Friday (local time). Yvonne Bell-Alanis was just 16 when she succumbed to leukaemia last year. Her mother, Tiffany Bell-Alanis, told Yahoo Lifestyle that Yvonne loved school and was so excited about graduation and going to college. Yvonne was due to graduate last week. Source: Tiffany Bell-Alanis/Facebook Her friends and classmates loved her too, so they reportedly asked administrators at the Willamette High School in Oregon for permission to do something to honour her during the ceremony. Some ideas they reportedly came up with included carrying Yvonnes ashes across the stage in an urn, holding a picture of her or having a moment of silence in her memory. But the day before graduation, school officials changed their tune. The grieving mum said her daughters classmates were told they would only be allowed to carry photos of Yvonne in their pockets. No public remembrance of the student would be allowed, Yvonnes loved ones apparently learned. Graduation is a joyful time, school says According to a Facebook post by Tiffany, the school reasoned that holding an item appears to make a memorial, and graduation is a joyful time, and [they] dont want to ruin that. But the schools version of the story is a bit different. Bethel School District spokesperson Pat McGillivray told KMTR that the school was in discussions with Yvonnes classmates and family about how to honour the girl in a way that wasnt public, including carrying wisps of her hair in lockets around their necks. McGillivray said the school wanted graduates to be able to do something that was impactful while also being respectful of others. He told KCBY the question became, What can we do that would be meaningful to those who loved and miss Yvonne, while not unintentionally impact any of the thousands who are attending there, who may have had a tragic loss recently of their own? Story continues A tribute posted to the Facebook page of the teen's grieving mum. Source: Tiffany Bell-Alanis/Facebook No negotiation between school and family But Yvonnes mother told Yahoo Lifestyle that no negotiations between the school and loved ones ever took place. She said one student even went to school officials the day before graduation and had all of her ideas denied except her request to wear the commemorative locket, but no collective resolution was ever reached. These girls weren't asking for a chair, a speech, or anything in regards to the school doing anything, Tiffany said on Facebook. They just wanted their best friend there with them. I have spoken to many cancer parents and each one said that the high school honoured their child for their graduating class. They leave an empty chair in the front row with a rose and cap [and] a picture of the missing student. The mother said that while many students wanted to commemorate her daughter, they were afraid of repercussions. Friends and classmates were just as upset. They claim that we're a family at Willamette, said Yvonnes friend Hailee Flores, but they don't treat us like that. Some people took to Willamettes Facebook page to express their disdain with the schools decision in the comments of a graduation post. Shame on you Willamette for not allowing Yvonne Bell-Alanis friends to honour her with a simple picture to carry, one wrote. I'm disgusted at the complete lack of morality and empathy that you showed her family and friends. Tiffany hopes Yvonne will be remembered as a compassionate, funny teen who wanted to be a medical examiner because she loved the medical field but didnt want to bring pain to anyone. Yahoo Lifestyle reached out to the Bethel School District for comment. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunesorGoogle Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoos daily newsletter. Sign up here. The United States accused Iran of carrying out attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Washington will defend its forces and allies in the region, and the United States pressed its case as the UN Security Council met to address the incident -- the second in a month in the strategic sea lane. With tensions spiraling between Iran and the United States, the European Union called for "maximum restraint" as UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf. Iran labeled the apparent attacks as "suspicious," as its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by visiting Japanese leader Shinzo Abe to open talks with US President Donald Trump. But Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after the US Navy said it had spotted an unexploded magnetic limpet mine stuck to the hull of one of the vessels. The US top diplomat said that in region only Iran had the ability to undertake such an operation. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," Pompeo announced. "This is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," he said. - Explosions off Iran coast - The two vessels were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after leaving the Strait of Hormuz and traveling around 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast headed toward Asia. The Norwegian-owned Front Altair ethanol tanker was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority, and continued to burn late Thursday. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded down with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members of the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," the US Central Command said in a statement. - 'Series of attacks' - Pompeo called Thursday's tanker explosions "the latest in a series of attacks" he alleged were undertaken by Iran or its "proxies," including, he said, a missile attack against a southern Saudi Arabia airport by the Iran-aligned Huthis in Yemen on Wednesday. "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," he said. The United States has accused the Islamic republic over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, just at the entrance of the Hormuz Strait. Pompeo said Iran was lashing out because of the impact of US and international sanctions, but said it had no right "to attack innocent civilians and engage in nuclear blackmail." "The United States will defend its forces, interests and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability," he warned. The US also called Thursday for the UN Security Council to confront the "clear threat" posed by Iran, as the council met behind closed doors to hear a briefing on Washington's assessment that Tehran was responsible. Oil prices jumped at the threat of open conflict at the Hormuz chokepoint, through which transit some 15 million barrels of crude oil every day, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of imports for the Gulf countries. In London, the Brent benchmark jumped 2.2 percent to $61.31 a barrel, while in New York, the US crude standard West Texas Intermediate, also rose 2.2 percent, to $52.28. "We are in a dangerous moment in the region with this emerging pattern of attacks," said Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst with International Crisis Group. "Any miscalculation or misunderstanding risks a spiral toward more direct confrontation," she told AFP. - Abe in Tehran - The latest incident came as Abe was on an unprecedented visit to Tehran, seeking to defuse tensions. "It is essential that Iran plays a constructive role in building solid peace and stability in the Middle East," Abe told a joint news conference with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. "Today, tension is rising in the Middle East. Some experts point out that the conflict might be triggered accidentally," he said. Supreme Leader Khamenei rejected Abe's overture, saying: "We have no doubt in your goodwill and seriousness, but regarding what you said the US president told you, I don't consider Trump as a person worthy of exchanging messages with." In Washington, Pompeo said the United States aimed to bring Iran back into negotiations -- "at the right time" -- over its nuclear program and regional activities. But Trump dismissed the idea of early talks. "I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" he tweeted. A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019 reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from the Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker, one of two vessels hit by suspected attacks in the waters of the Gulf of Oman What different countries have said about an incident involving two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the "reported attacks" on two tankers in the Gulf were "suspicious" Oil production and alliances in the Gulf. Mexico published the document Friday that Donald Trump earlier flaunted as a secret deal to curb migration, but denied it had capitulated to the US president's demands for a so-called "safe third country" agreement. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard underwent a grilling in Mexico's Congress, where some lawmakers insisted otherwise and demanded more details on what exactly he agreed to in the last-minute deal brokered a week ago to dodge Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Mexican goods. Angry over a surge of Central Americans seeking US asylum, Trump is pushing Mexico to agree to a deal in which migrants entering Mexican territory would have to apply for refugee status there, not in the United States. The language in the "supplementary agreement" released by Mexico appears to resemble that. However Mexico's foreign ministry insisted the document -- signed by a deputy legal advisor to the ministry and his State Department counterpart -- was "not a binding bilateral agreement." Rather, it says the two sides agree to immediately open talks to arrive at just that -- a "binding bilateral agreement" -- in which Mexico "would accept the return, and process refugee status claims, of third-party nationals" who cross its territory to reach the United States. If in 45 days Washington decides that Mexico City's efforts to curb migration are not enough, then the Mexican government "will take all necessary steps under domestic law" to bring that agreement into force in another 45 days, the text concludes. Trump had waved the one-page document in front of reporters Tuesday to fend off critics who said he had in fact extracted little in the way of new commitments from Mexico with his tariff threats. Photojournalists managed to capture a few sentences that day, but the full contents had not previously been revealed. They will now almost certainly add fuel to the raging debate over who got the best of whom in the Mexican tariff row. - Trump happy, for now - Mexico's leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has celebrated the reprieve from Trump's tariffs as a diplomatic victory, and his government is racing to show that it is taking decisive action during the 45-day grace period. Under the countries' main deal, Mexico agreed to deploy 6,000 National Guardsmen to reinforce its southern border, and to expand its policy of taking back migrants as the United States processes their asylum claims. Ebrard said the National Guard deployment will be complete by Tuesday, and that 825 additional immigration officers will start work this weekend. In Washington, Trump appeared content to play nice with Mexico -- for now. "Big difference in the border between now and this time last week. Mexico has been doing a terrific job. Hey, 6,000 soldiers, and if it doesn't work out, then we go back to very strong measures," he said on Fox News. He added that if Mexico did not address the issue to his satisfaction, he would make it implement a safe third country agreement. - Angry lawmakers - Any such deal would have to go through Mexico's Senate -- and lawmakers there look ready for a fight. Speaking during Ebrard's testimony before Congress, Senator Dulce Maria Sauri of opposition party PRI rejected the foreign minister's claim that Mexico had not signed a binding agreement. After reading the document Trump so dramatically pulled from his pocket, she said: "Mr Foreign Minister, to put it plainly, this is binding." Her colleague Damian Zepeda of conservative opposition party PAN accused the executive branch of getting run over by the Trump administration. "We still have the (tariff) ultimatum hanging over us, and on top of that we gave up the most precious jewel: we agreed to safe third country," he said. There was even criticism from some in the president's party, Morena, which holds strong majorities in both houses. They included the speaker of Congress, Porfirio Munoz Ledo, who says the Mexican government and Trump administration "want to turn our country into a cage" for migrants. In a warning signal for Lopez Obrador, senators froze committee proceedings Wednesday on ratifying the USMCA, the country's new and important trade agreement with the United States and Canada, saying they wanted to question Ebrard on the migration deal first. In another sign of turbulence, the head of the National Migration Institute, Tonatiuh Guillen, abruptly resigned Friday. He will be replaced by prisons commissioner Francisco Garduno, the government said. Migrants board rafts to cross the Suchiate river from Guatemala to Mexico, as Mexico races to implement a deal with Washington to curb undocumented migration Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (R) and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have to convince Mexicans that they were not outmaneouvered in negotiations on migration with the Trump administration Chart showing evolution of arrests of migrants at the Mexico-United States border, 2017-2019 The four candidates in the 24th Congressional District race Republican U.S. Rep. John Katko and Democrats Dana Balter, Francis Conole and Roger Misso agree that information from foreign sources shouldn't be used in political campaigns. In interviews or statements provided to The Citizen, the candidates responded to President Donald Trump's comments during an interview with ABC News. Trump discussed his son, Donald Trump Jr., meeting with Russians to obtain potentially damaging information about the president's 2016 opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The meeting was arranged by a publicist who knew the Trumps and contacted Trump Jr. by email. George Stephanopoulos, the ABC News anchor who interviewed President Trump, asked if his son should've reported the email to the FBI. "Let's put yourself in a position. You're a congressman. Somebody comes up and says, 'Hey, I have information on your opponent.' Do you call the FBI?" Trump responded. "I don't think I'll tell you what. I've seen a lot of things over my life. I don't think in my whole life I've ever called the FBI ... You don't call the FBI. You throw somebody out of your office." Stephanopoulos noted that a former campaign aide to Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000, received briefing materials that appeared to be stolen from then-Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's campaign. The aide turned the information over to his attorney, who contacted the FBI. Trump said his son's situation was different. "This is somebody that said 'we have information on your opponent.' Oh, let me call the FBI," Trump said. "Give me a break. Life doesn't work that way." Stephanopoulos reminded Trump that FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom Trump nominated in 2017 after firing James Comey, told Congress in May that if a country or someone representing a country contacted a campaign or elected official to influence an election, then "that's something the FBI would want to know about." The FBI director, Trump said, "is wrong." Stephanopoulos asked Trump whether his campaign should accept an offer from China, Russia or another country for information about an opponent, or if they should report it to the FBI. "I think maybe you do both," Trump said. "I think you might want to listen. There's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country Norway 'we have information on your opponent.' Oh, I think I'd want to hear it." "You want that kind of interference in our elections?" Stephanopoulos asked. "It's not an interference," Trump answered. "They have information. I think I'd take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go, maybe, to the FBI ... But when somebody comes up with (opposition research), they come up with oppo research, 'Oh, let's call the FBI.' The FBI doesn't have enough agents to take care of it. But you go and talk honestly to congressmen. They all do it. They always have and that's the way it is. It's called oppo research." Katko, R-Camillus, released a statement Thursday differing with Trump's claim that members of Congress accept such information from foreign countries. While he didn't address other comments made by Trump, Katko said that he hasn't been offered and wouldn't accept information from a foreign source. "I firmly believe any information offered by foreign intelligence to any candidate for public office, at any level of government, must be immediately turned over to the authorities," said Katko, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and a former federal prosecutor. The three Democrats vying to challenge Katko in the 2020 elections Balter, Conole and Misso said they wouldn't accept information about their opponents from another country. Conole and Misso are U.S. Navy veterans and served in intelligence roles during their careers. Conole described the president's comments as "outrageous and "completely unacceptable." "I think it flies in the face of the values that I fought to protect," he said by phone Thursday. "Accepting information on our political opponents (from foreign countries) is a threat to our democracy. I served in the Intelligence Community at the Office of Naval Intelligence. If we had any foreign contacts with foreign officials, we'd have to report it immediately." Misso told The Citizen that if he was approached by Russians or another country with information on Katko, he would report it to the FBI. "That's got to be our go-to reaction any time something like that happens," he said. "We can't be about getting dirt on people in this selfish act of winning a political campaign. It has to be about doing the right thing." He added in a statement that citizens and government officials must "uphold our oath to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Balter, who challenged Katko in 2018, accused Trump of giving the United States' adversaries "a green light" to interfere in the 2020 elections. "It's horrifying behavior from our president," she wrote in an email to The Citizen. "It's clear the U.S. House needs to hold investigations into Trump's actions to check his worse impulses before he damages our country any more." She also expressed disappointment with Katko for issuing a "weak statement" and not acting to hold Trump accountable. Balter, Conole and Misso endorsed a proposal mentioned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at her press briefing Thursday that would require candidates to contact law enforcement if foreign officials attempt to influence elections. Pelosi said House Democrats plan to propose other security measures to prevent outside interference in elections. Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. An analysis conducted by a left-leaning think tank found farmworker wages would increase by up to $95 a week if they are granted overtime pay. The Fiscal Policy Institute, a union-backed research organization, released the report in May that examines a main provision of the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act. The legislation would extend certain labor rights, such as a day off and the ability to unionize, to farmworkers. The institute's study was, in part, a response to a Farm Credit East report that concluded the proposed overtime pay mandate would increase costs for farms by nearly $300 million. David Dyssegard Kallick, deputy director of the Fiscal Policy Institute and the lead author of his group's report, said the Farm Credit East's findings inflated the actual costs of the overtime pay requirement. When Farm Credit East calculated the projected costs, he explained, the organization included minimum wage hikes and a rise in the average agricultural wage. The rising wages would increase costs for farms without the overtime pay mandate. Farm Credit East estimated there would be a 23% reduction in net farm income if the overtime pay requirement is adopted. The Fiscal Policy Institute projects that net farm income would decrease by 9%, according to the report. "That's significant. I don't want to minimize that," Dyssegard Kallick said, "but it's also manageable." The Fiscal Policy Institute used Farm Credit East's estimate that 15% of farmworkers' existing overtime hours would be replaced. Despite that decline in hours, the organization believes farmworkers would get an increase in wages. Farmworkers on fruit and vegetable farms earn an average wage of $13.58 and work an average of 49 hours a week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If there is a 15% reduction in overtime hours, they will work approximately 47.7 hours a week. Despite working fewer hours, their weekly earnings would rise $34 from $665 to $699. Dairy farmworkers would receive a larger raise. Their average wage is $12.81 an hour and they work an average of 67 hours a week. If their schedule is reduced by 15%, that's four fewer hours they will be working each week. Regardless, their weekly earnings would rise from $858 to $953, a $95 increase. The New York Farm Bureau and business groups oppose the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act. The overtime pay provision is the main concern for many farmers who believe it would harm their businesses and make them less competitive. The legislation is sponsored by Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan and state Sen. Jessica Ramos. Ramos, a Queens Democrat, held three hearings on the bill one of which was at SUNY Morrisville in Madison County. There was a mix of support and opposition to the bill at these hearings. Several farmworkers, who testified alongside their employers, raised concerns about the impact of the overtime pay mandate. They fear that their schedules will be reduced to 40 hours a week if the overtime pay requirement is adopted. Beth Lyon, founder of Cornell University's Farmworker Legal Assistance Clinic, told The Citizen in May that overtime is one way to address poverty affecting farmworkers. "Allow people to earn more for the number of hours that they work in addition to just being a matter of simple equity," she said. "It's not as if these are light jobs or easy jobs. If any job should pay overtime after 40 hours, this is it." Supporters of the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act hope it will be passed before the legislative session ends. Session is scheduled to conclude Wednesday, but it could be extended. Dyssegard Kallick acknowledged the challenges farmers face. He believes there is a need to examine ways to improve conditions for agriculture. But, he added, it has to include farmworkers. "We can't build a thriving farm economy on the backs of its low-wage workers," he said. "And we absolutely can build a farming economy in New York in ways that includes fair treatment of workers." Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 2 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Since 1941, Camp Caspar Gregory on Cayuga Lake in Aurora has been a haven of outdoor activities for local children. Now, a new camp director is running the show. Although this is the Rev. Bryan Bedell's first year directing Camp Gregory, he's been around the camp before, having joined his wife as a camp medical assistant. Now, he's on a mission to help children appreciate nature while making lasting friendships. It's about that time of year when children are getting out of school a prime time for them to sign up for some sort of summer activity and Camp Gregory has already made its pitch to some. What's the five-week, overnight camp's biggest selling point? Bedell believes it's the outdoors. To learn more For more information on Camp Caspar Gregory, visit campgregory.org or call (315) 364-8800. But persuading kids to come to the camp is a "learning process," Bedell said. "If our kids wanted to go to a computer camp or a math camp, that's where they would've gone," he said at a camp open house last week. Bedell said the camp's volunteers take advantage of the first evening they're with campers by trying to get a feel for why they came to camp. This time is also a chance to promote the outdoors and limit screen time that's accumulated by watching TV or using cellphones. "We're not looking for some extreme isolation, but we're just trying to get them to make decisions," he said. The Citizen's 2019 summer camp guide: Classes, camping and more Summer is more than halfway over, but there are still a few camps in the Cayuga County area Camp Gregory's layout has seen many improvements as it has evolved over the years, Bedell said. Today's campus includes a kayak-stocked beachfront to Cayuga Lake, canoes, a new swimming dock, an archery field and woodland trails. This year, 20 to 30 campers will dwell in one of six cabins. A nearby lodge will provide everyone meals. Each of the five weeks at camp are themed, with "Wizards Academy" kicking everything off. Mimicking J.K. Rowling's Hogwarts from her "Harry Potter" series, Bedell said, the camp hopes to "spur kids' imaginations" by inviting musicians and magicians. The following week is themed "Gizmos and Gadgets," where campers will be exposed to technology activities. The camp, which was founded as a Christian camp by a minister of the same name, has since dropped its religious affiliations to welcome all children. But it's still partially supported by local churches. Bedell said the best way to get a sense of Camp Gregory is to see it in person photos can only do it so much justice. While there's plenty of summer camp options available, he said Camp Gregory "lets kids truly experience the outdoors" in the "eye-opening" Finger Lakes region. Staff writer Dan Orzechowski can be reached at (315) 282-2239 or dan.orzechowski@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @OrzechowskiDan. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Four visitors to Cayuga Correctional Facility in Moravia were arrested earlier this month after allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs, including synthetic marijuana, into the prison. On June 1, state police charged Tiffany D. Franklin, 37, of Brooklyn; Shaniqua A. Huff, 29, of Utica and Kendralyne E. House, 24, of Buffalo with first-degree promotion of prison contraband. Angel L. Cruz, 29, of Rochester, was charged with second-degree promotion of prison contraband. House was additionally charged with endangering the welfare of a child, as she was accompanied by two children. According to a release from the New York State Correctional Officers Police Benevolent Association, all three were arrested after a canine unit alerted officers. House, Franklin, and Huff all turned over more than 20 grams of synthetic marijuana, also known as K2, that they had concealed in condoms, balloons, or wrapped plastic. Cruz turned over a balloon with real marijuana. NYSCOBPA Western Region Vice President Joe Miano said in the release the arrests, as well as another incident in which an inmate was caught with K2, demonstrate the need for every prison to have a designated canine unit. "The K9s, their handlers and the investigators are doing an excellent job in detecting drugs being carried into the prisons by visitors. But their resources are limited and they simply cannot stop all the drugs being brought in," Miano said. Staff writer Ryan Franklin can be reached at (315) 282-2252 or ryan.franklin@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @RyanNYFranklin Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 SKANEATELES People were able to see how many signs of drug, alcohol and vaping use they could spot at a simulation of a teenager's bedroom at Skaneateles High School Thursday. Kein Trease, community education coordinator for the not-for-profit Prevention Network in Syracuse, said there were over 60 instances of paraphernalia or references to drug, alcohol and vaping culture in the simulation. Vaping refers to inhaling vapor made by an electronic cigarette or similar device that heats a substance containing nicotine. Participants were given a few minutes to find as many signs as they could. GiGi Michel, going through the simulation with her husband, John, noticed a vaping device disguised as a USB drive. After they were done, they said there were dozens of instances or references they didn't notice and that scared them. Paraphernalia hidden in the simulation included a Pringles can with a compartment in the bottom that substances could be hidden be in and a water bottle with a hollowed-out middle hidden by a covering and a top section with water. The Michels said they have four children in the district two in the high school and don't believe any of them are abusing substances but want to be aware of what to potentially look for and "don't want to be naive," John said. After the simulation, Trease told the crowd of over 20 people during a panel with a group of experts and Skaneateles educators that he didn't want the simulation to scare parents or for parents to tear apart their child's bedroom looking for paraphernalia. He said parents know their children best and if parents were to go looking in their child's room, they may not find many of the things found in the simulation. He said he wanted people to have as much information as possible. JoLynn Mulholland, project coordinator for the Cayuga County Drug Free Community Coalition, said she believes many vaping projects are marketed to young people and the flavors that products come in, ranging from blueberry to cheeseburger, appeal to them. She said vaping products can be hidden in specially made clothing such as hooded shirts and hats. She and Lee Livermore of the Upstate New York Poison Center urged parents to be able to answer difficult questions about substance abuse from their children Skaneateles High School Principal Gregory Santoro noted he had learned from the event and said parents and the school have to work together when dealing with vaping "in the best interest of our greatest investment, which is our children." During the question and portion of the event, GiGi asked panelists where they believed local students were getting vape products. Mulholland said many of the middle and high school students she has talked to as a part of her job said they got their products online. She noted students often share their products. Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau. Love 0 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Two correctional officers from the Willard Drug Treatment Campus in Seneca County were awarded Medals of Merit by the state department of corrections for assisting in a rollover car accident last year. They were two of six employees to receive the award from The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Todd M. Benton was driving home from work when he saw a pickup truck hit an embankment and roll onto its roof in the middle of the road. Michael E. Denkenberger, who was on his way to work, also arrived on the scene. While Benton called 911, Denkenberger dragged a man who had collapsed away from the flaming truck, according to a DOCCS press release. Benton then checked for other occupants and moved Denkenberger's car a safe distance from the intensifying fire. The officers stayed on the scene to provide aid until emergency services arrived. The state's Medals of Merit are presented "for extraordinary performance in the line of duty, an exceptional contribution to the Department, or for an exceptional contribution to public service," according to the release. Staff writer Mary Catalfamo can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or mary.catalfamo@lee.net. Find her on Twitter @mrycatalfamo. Love 10 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 AUBURN In January last year, a teen was playing video games in his apartment when the power went out around 10 p.m. Instead of finding a blo Hugh Hefner, the iconic founder of Playboy Magazine, which later burgeoned into a multimedia and business empire based on a sophisticated approach to nudity and sex, died at the age of 91 in September of 2017. Now, 21 months later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has revealed that its agents kept a file on Hefner spanning more than five decades, as The Daily Mail reported. The file starts in 1955, with a press clipping describing the then-three-year-old magazine as a sassy newcomer and an oversexed young version of the 23-year-old Esquire. The final entry in the FBI file came in November of 2001, when Playboy Enterprises apparently suffered a massive email hack, including an intrusion into Hefners own email account. The entire file may be accessed online via the FBI site at this link. The 1955 newspaper article describes Hefner as a non-smokerapparently prior to Hefner adopting his affectation of an ever-present pipewho also abstains from drinking coffee, instead getting his caffeine fix from two-dozen bottles of Pepsi-Cola a day. The file also shows that the FBI questioned Hefner on multiple occasions, about what it called his peddling of obscene material. In fact, on the reccomendation of an FBI agent in a memo directly to the Bureaus director, J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI appears to have placed Hefner under surveillance in Playboys early days, in hopes of catching Hefner and a photographer named by the FBI as Edward Oppman transporting that obscene material over state lines. But ultimately the FBI agents concluded that Hefner was too clever to violate obscenity laws. Nonetheless, Hefner was arrested in 1963 on an obscenity rap over nude pictures of buxom screen siren Jayne Mansfield published in Playboy. But Hefner took the case to a jury trial and won. Hefner told the FBI that Playboy did not traffic in obscenity, but said rather that he had simply tailored the magazine to appeal to men. For all of their interest in Hefner, the FBI apparently never got wind of Hefners alleged personal stash of homemade sex tapes that, as AVN.com reported, supposedly contained thousands of explicit films and photos of major Hollywood stars and other famous people. According to media reports late last year, Hefner kept his collection so closely guarded that in the 1990s he ordered all of the material sealed inside a cement-lined casket and dumped into the ocean. Photo By Alan Light / Wikimedia Commons The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizonas first case in Arizona was Oyama v. Grace (1959), in which Henry Oyama and Mary Ann Jordan were denied a marriage license by a Pima County Clerk who invoked an 1887 state law banning interracial marriage. The case paved the way for the 1967 Supreme Courts Loving v. Virginia, which struck down the nationwide ban on interracial marriage that year. Less than 10 years later another case would send ripples throughout the criminal justice system: Miranda v. Arizona (1966). In 1963 Ernesto Miranda was taken into police custody in downtown Phoenix, was interrogated and confessed without being informed he had the right to an attorney. The Supreme Court agreed with the ACLU, which claimed the withholding of such information was unconstitutional. Miranda Rights are a direct result of the case. This year marks 60 years of the ACLUs court and legislative work in Arizona, and 100 years in the United States. To mark the occasion, ACLU of Arizona is celebrating through art. In This Together: Sixty Years of Daring to Create a More Perfect Arizona showcases the work of 40 artists responding to a single prompt: Any medium that reflects the mission of the ACLU. In This Together tackles subjects that merit more than a quick glance, begging viewers pay close attention to subject matter and artist alike. Migration, surveillance, technology, racism, womens rights, disability advocacy, workers rightseach play a role in ACLU cases past and present and are illuminated under the shows spotlights. Among water bottles and found objects from the U.S.-Mexico border, a painting of black share croppers and migrant cotton workers (titled Wont Name No Building After Me), photos of protests, mothers, children, is the work of two northern Arizona-based artists whose names ring especially familiar in Flagstaff: muralist and photographer Chip Thomas (jetsonorama) and Tina Mion, whose paintings cover La Posada Hotel in Winslow. Enmeshed in much of Mions art is a hint of the surreal as she depicts characters throughout history and the lives they inhabited. The 2016 oil-on linen piece, Green-Book, Orange Balloon represents Mion in the ACLU exhibit. Social issues and environmental issues show up in a lot of my work because I believe talking about sometimes taboo subjects enables people to address and hopefully resolve them. This is also why I think this exhibition's mission is important," Mion says Thomas work coats many Flagstaff walls, including, until recently, homes in Arrowhead Village. Thomas enlarged photographs of the families who were displaced from the neighborhood covered the exterior walls of their homes up until demolition. Thomas two pieces in In This Together are both black-and-white screenprints, Derumbando Mundo and No to Racism. Peppering the prints and the faces therein are phrases including, Together we are powerful and No somos uno. These prints speak directly to the ACLUs mission to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States, the artist statement reads. The ACLU works through court and legislatures to defend individual rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution with its focus having historically lain in legal cases. Thats why visual art came as the ideal vessel through which a wider audience might easily grasp the organizations mission. So much of our work is very complicated legally, and it can be difficult to convey the values and feelings behind why we do what we do, Steve Kilar, spokesperson for ACLU of Arizona, says. We thought that art was a good way to speak to people who we arent reaching through our litigation and policy discussions. Its about allowing people to see a different way and cut through all the legal jargon, all of the political debates and really have artists speaks about why ACLUs values are important to them. All told, In This Together is positioned toward very real social issues past and present. Last month accounted for the largest number of migrants to cross into the United States from Mexico with 144,000 people placed in detention centers in May alone; 40 percent of those currently detained are children. From the number of pieces that are about the rights of immigrants, its apparent [to me] that the issues of migration are really at the fore, Kilar says. Theres a lot of concern about how our government is treating people who are just trying to find a way to survive. The 50 or so pieces that make up the exhibit, after jurors parsed through more than 500 submissions, have traversed the statestopping at the Arizona History Museum, Arizona State University and at Tucsons Etherton Gallery, later heading to the Winslow Arts Trustand will spend a little over a month at the NAU Art Museum in Flagstaff. In This Together: Sixty Years of Daring to Create a More Perfect Arizona is on display at the NAU Art Museum, 620 S. Knoles Drive until July 19. Admission is free open to the public, though a $2 donation is suggested. There will be an opening reception Thursday, June 13, at 5 p.m. For more information and viewing times, visit www.nau.edu/artmuseum/in-this-together-sixty-years-if-daring-to-create-a-more-perfect-arizona/ Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A jury found 20-year-old Jayda Fortune guilty as an accomplice of manslaughter, dodging the states allegations of second-degree murder, for repeatedly punching Jaron James, 23, causing his death at the L Motel. When the verdict was read Thursday, some in the courtroom shed tears and others were silent. Fortune later walked out of the room without handcuffs and joined her family and friends on the lawn outside. Judge Mark Moran reaffirmed that she may be released from jail ahead of her sentencing date, citing Fortunes former release conditions and her presence at every case hearing thus far. The verdict marks the end of Fortunes trial, in which multiple witnesses spoke about how they saw Fortune repeatedly punch James in two separate instances in September 2017. Fortune will now face anywhere from three to 12 and a half years in prison, based on Judge Mark Morans decision at sentencing. The verdict Thursday has brought answers to more than half of the states allegations in the L Motel murder case, which at the time left four Flagstaff teenagers charged with murder. Fortunes co-defendants Kayson Russel, 21, and Fortunes ex-boyfriend Lawrence Sampson-Kahn, 20, both pleaded guilty to a lesser offense of negligent homicide and received three years of supervised parole. Mirelle Gorman, 18, is now the only alleged accomplice left in the states L Motel case that has yet to plead guilty or face trial. Her trial was most recently set to begin on Oct. 15, 2019. Fortune's and James' families both declined to comment. Fortunes lawyer Gregory Parzych argued that Fortune was a 17-year-old girl at the L Motel, defending herself from a man who was 23 years old and had allegedly sexually touched her. Parzych also argued that Fortune did not know that James would die from his injuries. Prosecutor Ammon Barker argued that Fortune was guilty of second-degree murder because she knowingly caused serious physical injury, even if she did not know it would lead to Jamess death. Barker filed subpoenas to force testimony from Fortunes co-defendants Russell and Kahn, who had already pleaded guilty. Russell said he had heard Fortune and Gorman allege that James had touched them in the motel that night, although he did not see anything, and the two began beating James. Several witnesses at the party, including Russell, described seeing the two women hit James in the face for a minute, and described the hits as one after another. Over 10 minutes later, the women came back and began hitting James in the face a second time, Russell said. We just let it happen for a couple seconds, to let them calm down, I guess. And we finally pulled them off the second time, Russell said while on the stand. Was Jaron able to do anything to defend himself at that point? Barker asked from behind a wooden podium during the trial. No, Russell responded. The prosecution often asked witnesses about the beating, asking if at any time James was able to defend himself. Most replied that he was too drunk to do so. Erin Daniels, who works at the Arizona Department of Public Safetys crime lab in Flagstaff, testified last week that James blood was found on Fortunes shoe, Gormans shirt and Sampson-Kahns shoe. Barker used that testimony to support his allegation that they were primarily involved with Jamess beating. Michael Madsen, assistant medical examiner, testified and described how Jamess death was not the cause of any one punch, but likely due to many punches. He described James cause of death as a subdural hematoma, which means bleeding in James' skull slowly put pressure on his brain, forcing him into a coma and to eventually die. A situation where you have a number of impacts, you cant say which one, which specific one, could cause [death], Madsen said on the stand. But at the same time, the reality is multiple blunt force injuries are likely contributing to the situation. Fortunes sentencing hearing is currently set for August. Scott Buffon can be reached at sbuffon@azdailysun.com, on Twitter @scottbuffon or by phone at (928) 556-2250. Love 10 Funny 0 Wow 3 Sad 3 Angry 6 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PHOENIX Arizona is home to a number of species that are threatened by climate change and human activity. Under legislation proposed by Rep. Raul Grijalva, Arizona fish and butterflies may get additional federal funds for conservation efforts. The Tucson Democrat, who chairs the House Committee on Natural Resources, last month introduced the Extinction Prevention Act of 2019 to fund conservation efforts for butterflies in North America, fish that live in the desert Southwest, Pacific Island plants and freshwater mussels in the U.S. The bill would authorize $5 million annually for each of the listed groups from 2020 until 2025. These funds would be distributed nationally or regionally to aid various preservation projects, including habitat restoration and research into at-risk populations. The legislation, first introduced on May 22, comes two months after the Trump administration released its 2020 budget, which many environmental advocates criticized for cutting environmental programs, such as a 31% reduction in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. Its unthinkable for Congress to hear of a million species being at risk of extinction without acting, Grijalva said in a statement. Many of the most serious risks come from habitat destruction, climate change and other human impacts on the natural world. We cant live without the oxygen and food produced by the other living things on this planet, so lets do ourselves a favor and protect them before its too late. Noah Greenwald, endangered species director with the Center for Biological Diversity, which is based in Tucson, said the organization worked closely with Grijalva on the initial concept for the bill. Greenwald said the proposed bill highlights a shift in the governments attention, focusing on species previously neglected by federal agencies and funding. The committee chose to showcase this bill right at the same time that the U.N. issued a report saying that as many as a million species are at risk of extinction, he said. I think this just reflects a growing awareness of the problem and the fact that we have a great chairman of the National Resources committee right now. A report published by the Center for Biological Diversity in December 2016 found that a disproportionate amount of federal expenditures in 2014 were allocated to a small collection of protected species, while thousands of others were forced to split the remaining funds. The report stated that one in four species received less than $10,000 that year. The report identified freshwater mussels, Pacific Island plants, butterflies and desert fish as needing increased federal attention. Butterfly conservation Ron Rutowski, professor emeritus at Arizona States School of Life Sciences and president of the Central Arizona Butterfly Association, said he hopes, if the bill is passed, that the allocated funds for butterfly conservation go toward further research into what most threatens at-risk butterfly subspecies, including the monarch. Before you can really decide exactly what should be done to improve the lives of the monarchs, you need to understand those causes, he said. The only way were going to get at that is through scientific research. Although no Arizona butterflies are on the endangered species list, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation lists five subspecies found in Arizona as imperiled or vulnerable. The monarch is not on that list, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is set to decide in December 2020 whether the butterfly should be listed as endangered. The biggest threat to butterfly populations is habitat destruction, Rutowski said. Gail Morris, coordinator of the Southwest Monarch Study, a nonprofit group that researches and documents monarch migrations and breeding, said habitat destruction occurs in a number of ways in Arizona. There is no doubt there are areas in Arizona where monarchs flourished that are now in decline, she said. Some of the decline is caused by us as human beings, other is weather-related. When weve been through an extreme drought with extreme high temperatures, that takes its toll on habitats as well. Morris cited Phoenixs growing population as one threat to Arizona monarchs, as housing developments can encroach on habitats. Similarly, she said, a 2011 fire in the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area damaged a monarch sanctuary that will take many years to restore. Morris said that although the funds allocated in the bill could look inadequate when distributed among conservation efforts across the country, they could act as a foot in the door for nationwide butterfly habitat protection. Our experience is: When you restore one area and people see what happens with the increase of all pollinators to that area, people start wanting to do it in their own homes, at their churches, at their places of work and in time it bleeds down to the federal areas as well, she said. Im hoping its a stepping stone to raising awareness of what we can do. Protecting fish habitat Doug Duncan, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Arizona, said the bill covers a wide range of desert fish. Thats pretty much all the fish in the Southwest, except for basically trout, he said. Duncan said there are about 30 types of desert fish in Arizona, and more than half are listed as either endangered or threatened. The most critical threats to the fish, he said, are habitat destruction both through climate change drying up streams and human activity and the introduction of destructive non-native species, such as bullfrogs, zebra mussels and many sport fish. Someone with a bucket can always mess things up because a lot of fish movement these days is not done legally by state game and fish departments, Duncan said. Its by people moving their favorite sport fish to a new water or someone dumping unwanted aquarium fish. Duncan said many conservation efforts in the Upper Colorado River Basin already are funded adequately, so he hopes any new money would be distributed to areas that need it more. However, Duncan said climate projections suggest that major threats to Arizonas fish, such as drying rivers and a decline in the natural formation of new streams free of invasive species, will only worsen. This is why such efforts as the Extinction Prevention Act are so important, he said. The species are always going to be conservation-dependent, he said. Theyre always going to be relying on conservation measures that we fund and do, so the funding will always be needed. The House Committee on Natural Resources has yet to schedule a hearing for Grijalvas bill. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The UK government has launched a consultation on its proposal to make the fortification of flour with folic acid mandatory. The 12-week consultation which was launched today (13 June) by public health minister Seema Kennedy will explore what kinds of products should be included. It outlines three options. They are: Do nothing; Mandate the fortification with folic acid of UK-milled non-wholemeal wheat flour used for breadmaking; Mandate the fortification with folic acid of all UK-milled non-wholemeal wheat flour. The latter two options include a range of further parameters, such as the level of fortification, the handling of imports/exports and the handling of products containing flour. The legal definition of which specific flours are included or excluded would also need to be confirmed. Adding folic acid to flour would help raise folate levels in women who could become pregnant, thus reducing the number of babies born with birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord, known as neural tube defects. This is particularly important, according to the government, as roughly half of all pregnancies in the UK are unplanned and it could help prevent up to 200 birth defects a year. The consultation has been welcomed by Federation of Bakers (FoB), which represents the UKs largest baking companies. The Federation of Bakers welcomes the consultation and looks forward to responding in due course. The decision to fortify or not has to be based on science and is ultimately a medical decision, FoB director Gordon Polson told British Baker. Scottish Bakers is also set to respond to the consultation but said it would be consulting with its members and trade suppliers prior to doing so. At Scottish Bakers we respect the scientific evidence suggesting a positive impact on health and feel that it is right for government to make decisions relating to the health and wellbeing of the population, chief executive Alasdair Smith said. He added that clarification was required on a number of issues such as whether the rules would apply only to products made in the UK or also to imported products sold in the UK. The potential impact on bakery exports is also of some concern (shortbread for example is a major Scottish export), especially if fortification might create additional barriers to certain markets. Our greatest concern however is the risk of differential legislation across the UK devolved administrations and central government this would be unworkable for the industry, he added. Flour was chosen as the potential vehicle for folic acid as it is already an established vehicle for fortification. Currently, thiamine, niacin, calcium carbonate and iron are added to all wheat flour (except wholemeal flour) at the milling stage of processing flour. The consultation document noted that flour has the highest consumption rates across any group of the adult population, with an estimated 90% of people consuming products that contain it, such as biscuits, cakes, pastries and bread. The simple measure of adding folic acid to flour would help spare hundreds of families from such a life-changing event, said Kennedy. Women from the poorest areas are less likely to take folic acid supplements and it is right that we do all we can to protect the most vulnerable in society. More than 30 new citizens were welcomed to the United States during a ceremony Friday afternoon in Gage County. Homestead National Monument of America typically hosts two naturalization ceremonies each year, with the June event being held on Flag Day. The event welcomes men and women who competed the lengthy process to become American citizens, finalizing their citizenship with an oath of citizenship. The event was presided over by U.S. District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, who administered the oath of allegiance. He said the naturalization ceremonies are one of the most important and gratifying parts of his job. Its become a very important ceremony to me, Rossiter said. Getting to this point was probably not easy for you. The process takes time, patience, much effort, investment and sometimes involves separation, sadness and pain. A citizenship is something that we as born Americans take for granted. Homestead Park Superintendent Mark Engler said the events are always special, and reminded the citizens to take advantage of the other National Park Service sites in the country. Were honored to have you here and the National Park Service congratulates you, he said. We would like to be the first to congratulate you and make sure you know these parks, all 419 of these parks across our nation, including Homestead National Monument, belong to you and we want to make sure you know youre welcome to come to these parks and enjoy them. We hope that you learn from these great places. Congressman Don Bacon and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer also attended the event and provided special remarks during the ceremony, welcoming the new citizens. You are 36 men and women from 19 countries, from Mexico to Bangladesh, from Afghanistan to Vietnam, Fischer said. Our communities in Nebraska are very fortunate to welcome you. As Nebraskans, we are a people who understand the dignity of hard work commitment to family and love for ones neighbors. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Pawnee County Arts Council will sponsor its annual Ice Cream Social and Band Concert on Sunday, June 30. Arts Council Board Members will begin serving ice cream and cakes at 7:00 pm on the Court House lawn in Pawnee City. Those attending are asked to bring lawn chairs or blankets for their comfort. The Southeast Nebraska Community Band will be performing at 7:30 pm. The band always plays a wide variety of music from Broadway musicals, patriotic marches, big band tunes and polkas. The Southeast Nebraska Community Band is directed by Dennis Ehmke. The band has over 50 members from across southeast Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. They are currently in their 26th season under the sponsorship of the Pawnee County Arts Council. Each season they book more than 15 concerts in towns throughout Southeast Nebraska in addition to their annual River Boat concert and they generally add even more concerts to their busy schedule each year. The Pawnee County Arts Council is offering this program to southeast Nebraska as part of the 2019 season of programs. Members may renew their memberships by contacting one of the Arts Council board members serving ice cream that evening. Membership in the Arts Council provides funding to help bring a broad variety of artistic programs to our community. If you need auxiliary assistance, please contact Virginia Schlender 402-852-2037 by Thursday, June 27. Free will donations are welcome. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. It was a very sad day in North Carolina at the NC General Assembly... a very tragic day indeed. Yesterday, members of the NC House had the opportunity to over-ride Governor Cooper's veto of the "Born Alive Abortion Survivor's Protection Act" (SB-359). The bill has nothing to do with abortion, has nothing to do with a woman's reproductive rights, nor anything to do with a woman's health. It has everything to do with the standard of care that a baby deserves who happens to be born as a result of an unsuccessful abortion and who was not wanted. The bill's title, "Born-Alive Abortion Survivor's Protection Act" says it all.... The bill is aimed at a baby, born alive and separated completely from the mother who did not want it. It has no ties any longer to the mother because she had made it clear with her decision to abort it that she wants nothing to do with it. It no longer impinges on her health or her reproductive rights because again, it has been separated from her body. This bill, then, focuses on a newborn baby, an individual and independent life, and how we in North Carolina will treat that new life. Will it be treated with the same care as any other newborn baby? Will it even be viewed the same as any other newborn baby? Does it matter that it came into the world not wanted by its mother? On the steel abortion table with an abortion doctor, instead of in a birthing room with an obstetrician, a baby is a baby, plain and simple. God doesn't see any difference and neither should those who purport to love Him. The purpose of the bill was precisely to ensure that a baby born alive, breathing, and with a heartbeat receives the same standard of care that any other baby receives (including preemies, the result of a miscarriage or even the result of an accident or act of violence); the bill makes sure that a survivor of an abortion receives the standard of care it deserves. In essence, the bill assures equal treatment and equal protection.The NC Senate was able to over-ride the Governor's veto, but sadly, NC House Democrats refused to break from their political moorings and voted to sustain the veto. The over-ride failed, by a vote of 67-53, and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivor's Protection Act was defeated. Every Republican voted for the bill and every Democrat, except two (Rep. Charles Graham and Rep. Garland Pierce) voted against it. After thousands of calls and emails to Democrats appealing to their conscience and asking them to vote in favor of life rather than according to progressive party platform, after the impassioned testimonials of two survivors of botched abortions (Gianna Jessen and Claire Culwell), and after the heartfelt pleas of several Republican lawmakers on the House floor speaking for the helpless survivors (Reps. Larry Pittman, Michael Speciale, Keith Kidwell, and Greg Murphy, and House Speaker Tim Moore), no additional Democrats felt compelled to vote for the over-ride. Instead, if you can believe it, two Democrats who originally voted in favor of the bill switched position to vote against the bill (ie, to support the veto). All that was asked of the democrats was to vote as a human being and not a political prop; all that was asked was for them to do the human thing. But apparently, they caved under the pressure from Cooper and his thugs.North Carolina had the chance to make a historical and significant decision yesterday, for good; instead, it was a historic day for opposite reasons. We had a chance to stand out for our morality and our human values, but now we join with the rest of the wretched heap of states that are defined by their immorality and inhumanity.No baby should be punished just because he or she is an inconvenience. We are all an inconvenience on someone else at some point in our lives. And every child, even if unwanted and destined for death because of the mother's choice per her right to have an abortion, is deserving of healthcare and life-saving medical assistance should he or she survive that horrendous ordeal. How can a person call himself or herself a human being if he or she cannot acknowledge that is simply the right thing to do? Who is next - our elderly? Our infirm? Our crippled?The NC house democrats who voted to sustain the Governor's veto are evil and inhuman, and we suspect that those who continue to send them to Raleigh are the same. Do not believe them if they try to tell you they are Christians. As Rep. Larry Pittman said on the house floor: "MY Jesus would never have approved of such a vote."Sadly, these democrat legislators ignored and violated the very oaths they took when they agreed to be seated in the NC General Assembly. They swore an oath, promising to God, that they would uphold the state Constitution, the US Constitution, and the law. What is the law?The Declaration of Independence assures: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness....."The US Constitution is built on the Declaration and secures all of the individual's inalienable and liberty rights (the Bill of Rights). The Fourteenth Amendment further assures that all persons cannot be denied these rights. It reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."And the NC state constitution provides in Article I (Declaration of Rights) in Section 1 (The Equality and Eights of Persons): "We hold it to be self-evident that all persons are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor, and the pursuit of happiness." No legislator can be true to his of her oath and allow babies born alive to be denied inalienable rights.Again, the very title of the bill acknowledges that a baby that survives an abortion is born "ALIVE." To be "alive" is to be a LIFE. Every life is a "PERSON." The fate of a baby born alive is no longer subject to the mother's so-called "reproductive rights." It is an independent, new unique life. If the mother doesn't want it, that is one thing; but she has no right (nor does anyone else, including the doctor or any other healthcare professional) to terminate its life. The healthcare profession is still guided by the Hippocratic Oath (the physician "shall do no harm" which includes withholding care). The newborn baby, although not wanted by its mother, is a person which now has the same rights as you and me and every other person. It has the protections recognized by the US Constitution (including the 14th Amendment), the Bill of Rights, the NC state Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. It has the right to life and the state cannot interfere or deny that right. To be clear, the NC house democrats violated their oath by voting against SB-359 and denying the survivors of an abortion the affirmative assistance of physicians (albeit abortion providers) and other healthcare professions, knowing the likely expectation that some will allow such babies to expire. These babies, as Reps. Kidwell, Pittman, Murphy, Speciale, and Moore acknowledged, are North Carolinians the moment of birth and are entitled to the protection of life and all equal protections under the law.Between the recent federal court striking down North Carolina's long-standing abortion law (no abortion after 20 weeks except if the mother's life or health is imperiled) and today's over-ride of SB-359, North Carolina now not only allows a woman to have an abortion at any time in her pregnancy, but if that baby happens to be born alive, they can deny it medical assistance so that it will die. House Democrats have said it's OK to allow infanticide in our state. North Carolina is now like New York.You can read the March 2019 ruling from US district court Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bryant_ruling_march_25_2019.pdfThere is a cancer in our society and it's called the Democratic Party. If the heartfelt, compelling, tear-filled testimonies of those two wonderful ladies, the abortion survivors Gianna Jessen and Claire Culwell, could not convince even one Democrat to vote in favor of the override and legislatively ensure that survivors of abortion, those scared little babies - traumatized, harmed, in need of assistance, love, compassion, comfort - are given the same treatment as those born alive in any other circumstance, than nothing will touch their cold dark hearts. As human beings they had the chance to do the human thing and they didn't.I am reminded of what Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever..."The life and liberties of every newborn are gifts of God. Those gifts are bestowed on us the minute we are conceived (or in the alternative, when life fills our little bodies). Democrats have voted to condemn those not wanted, taking their lives from the promise God has given and putting them instead in the hands of men and woman who are indifferent to the value of life. If we don't right this wrong, we can't expect God's protection. We can expect his wrath however.I ask you to join me in contacting the state's Republican lawmakers and asking them to please, please, please don't give up the fight. There are a lot of good people who can't fight like they can, who don't have any political power that they have, who don't have the words that they have, who don't have the time and who don't have the energy, but they put their trust in them and they pray and pray and pray for the right and just outcomes. Twitter should let the banned Conservative Voices back onto their platform, without restriction. Its called Freedom of Speech, remember. You are making a Giant Mistake! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2019 How can it be possible that James Woods (and many others), a strong but responsible Conservative Voice, is banned from Twitter? Social Media & Fake News Media, together with their partner, the Democrat Party, have no idea the problems they are causing for themselves. VERY UNFAIR! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2019 .....But should be much higher than that if Twitter wasnt playing their political games. No wonder Congress wants to get involved - and they should. Must be more, and fairer, companies to get out the WORD! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 23, 2019 When will the Radical Left Wing Media apologize to me for knowingly getting the Russia Collusion Delusion story so wrong? The real story is about to happen! Why is @nytimes, @washingtonpost, @CNN, @MSNBC allowed to be on Twitter & Facebook. Much of what they do is FAKE NEWS! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2019 President Trump on Sunday voiced his support for conservatives who have been banned from Twitter.Trump wrote on the very same social media platform.Twitter banned some high-profile conservative commentators in May. Actor James Woods, who has 2.1 million followers, was banned by Twitter in April. Trump responded then, too:he wrote in early May.Twitter also banned conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, activist Laura Loomer and Milo Yiannopoulos.In May, Trump also tweeted support for Diamond and Silk, whose real names are Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson and have been longtime supporters of the president.the president wrote.Trump's comments on Sunday came amid talk that his re-election campaign is considering creating a profile on a new conservative social media platform called Parler.Politico reported that the president's social media manager, Brad Parscale, isof the new site and isParler was created in 2018 after the founders becamethey wrote on the site. It is similar to Twitter but has only 100,000 users; Twitter has more than 325 million users.Trump has repeatedly bashed social media platforms for censoring conservatives.Trump tweeted in April.Trump wrote in May.Trump in 2018 also pointed out that Twitter allegedlyconservatives, restricting the visibility of their tweets in search results.he wrote in July. Those incidences include Mr. Trump's attempts to fire Mr. Mueller, the special counsel; his request that Donald F. McGahn II, the former White House counsel, create "a fraudulent record denying that incident;" and Mr. Trump's efforts to get former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to undo his recusal and curtail the scope of the special counsel inquiry. On Monday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) announced a deal with the Justice Department that will result in the committee obtaining "the most important files" from the Mueller report concerning potential obstruction of justice and may end a push to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt.Nadler said in a statement Monday.Nadler said that both his fellow Democrats and Republicans would be given access to the documents, which he would begin sharing with committee members this evening.said Nadler. The New York Times , which first reported the story, notes thatHowever, as the paper highlights, Nadler has cited in the past his request for access to passages related toThough Nadler said they would pause a contempt resolution concerning the unredacted Mueller report documents, as Fox News notes, plans by the House Democrats to present ais still in the works. That measure may be voted on as early as Tuesday.Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed some relief about the break in the stalemate over the Mueller documents, Republican Doug Collins (GA), a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, pointing to the development as evidence that the Justice Department isn't "stonewalling" Congress like Democrats allege.said Collins, the Times reports. Policy experts and lawmakers point to Senate Bill 609, K-12 Scholarship Changes, as a noteworthy way to advance school choice in North Carolina.Several prominent school-choice advocates gathered Wednesday, June 5, at a panel on school choice hosted by the libertarian Cato Institute and the Civitas Institute.Titled,, the panel featured Neal McCluskey, director of the Cato Institute Center for Education Freedom; Anna Egalite, an assistant professor at N.C. State University; Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth; former House Majority Leader Paul "Skip" Stam, R-Wake; and former state Sen. Joel Ford, D-Mecklenburg. Christopher Hansford, Cato's director of state relations, served as the moderator.said McCluskey, S.B. 609 points to further progress. The legislation, which passed the Senate in May by a 27-18 margin, would do three things: allow 4-year-olds to become eligible for Opportunity Scholarships, Special Education Scholarships for Children with Disabilities, and Personal Education Savings Accounts; raise the household income limit to 150% of the amount required to qualify for free or reduced lunch; and eliminate the cap on scholarship funds for students entering kindergarten or first grade.Egalite argued that the legislation faced some challenges, especially in how it addressed parents concerned about earning too much money to stay eligible for the program.Egalite said.Parents also must take on other costs on top of the scholarship awards, such as school uniforms and school supplies.Egalite suggested an amended version of S.B. 609 could include a qualification income bracket and a higher certification bracket so parents aren't discouraged from taking a pay raise or picking up an extra job. Another option included making parents qualify only once and not have to undergo income recertification checks.Krawiec said.She also spoke of building a bipartisan coalition, which prior to his defeat last year included Ford.Ford cautioned.Egalite says the numbers portraying the success of North Carolina school choice efforts speak for themselves.A study she cited (see slide , below) shows that of 16 gold standard evaluations, nine found improvements, three had negative findings, and four found no change. The direct effects of this include higher test scores, college attainment, and college graduation rates. Meanwhile, among 22 studies of competitive effect, only one found a neutral and none found a negative impact.These students, according to the research, are overwhelmingly African-American with a median adjusted income of $31,000.S.B. 609 is in the House Rules Committee. Lawmakers have offered several proposals to repair the broken, outdated way the state governs alcohol through the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control system.About a dozen bills, in fact, are moving through the General Assembly, and one, House Bill 363 , the Craft Beer Distribution and Modernization Act, is now law.H.B. 363 allows breweries that sell fewer than 100,00 barrels - up from 25,000 - to self-distribute and market their products without being required to use a wholesaler.It's past time North Carolina gets out of the liquor business, opens the market to competition, and encourages opportunities for entrepreneurs.About a dozen additional proposals are being considered this session that would support a free and open market by increasing competition, expanding consumer choice, and encouraging entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses.In the end, this isn't really about alcohol. Rather, it's about government's role in encouraging North Carolina businesses to grow.Alcohol bills lawmakers are considering this session would move the state's system toward more competition, open up markets, expand consumer choice, and encourage entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. House Bill 91 : The Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Division makes several recommendations for changes to the ABC laws, including requiring the merger of local boards when two or more are in the same county, allowing the option of ABC stores to open Sundays, and allowing spirits tastings at ABC stores. Consumers could buy one bottle rather than a case when placing a special order. H.B. 536 , ABC Omnibus Regulatory Reform, would allow tasting of spirits in ABC stores, flexibility with store hours and the option of Sunday sales. Consumers could buy products directly from distilleries and remove limits on the number of bottles a consumer could purchase (it's currently a five-bottle per year limit). Breweries would be allowed to sell product-featured merchandise and conduct tastings at farmers markets.Further reforms for distilleries are proposed in Senate Bill 290 , which would allow, among other things, consumers to purchase a mixed beverage while visiting a distillery, allow distillers to sell to out-of-state customers, and allow distillers to provide tastings of their products in ABC stores. H.B. 389 would allow public colleges and universities to sell alcohol during on-campus sporting events.S.B. 290 and H.B. 389 are scheduled for votes Wednesday in the Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee.With all the reforms being considered, there's no suggestion of loosening enforcement of ABC laws, but there is an effort to strengthen enforcement of alcoholic beverage laws. The Alcohol Law Enforcement Division would move under the SBI to a separate division under the Department of Public Safety, and its duties and jurisdiction would be clarified, under H.B 99 An ABC Regulation and Reform proposal, S.B. 11 , would strengthen the commission's oversight of bars by increasing fines for violations, increasing the minimum age for bar managers from 18 to 21, and change definitions of "private club" and "private bar." It has passed the Senate and is on Thursday's House calendar.As the craft beer and craft distillery business continues to grow, lawmakers should encourage their growth by removing barriers and encouraging further investments. As consumers expect business to respond to their needs, lawmakers should encourage competition and open markets.In the end, it's not really about alcohol. It's about government's role in allowing the N.C. economy to grow. After Pence arrived shortly after noon, he spent about 20 minutes greeting people at the Billings Logan International Airport before his motorcade headed for the downtown area through the Heights. Whether its the president, the vice president, or a high-ranking official or even a big concert at Metra, we're always thinking ahead on that about where our difficulties are going to be accessing certain areas. The fire department had 50 calls for services Wednesday, which is around its daily average. "I don't see anything really glaring here that would say we're down or up exponentially," Mitchell said. In the case of the Billings MET bus transit system, routes were delayed along with the traffic. The system utilizes 25 vehicles to follow 17 fixed routes. According to its website, MET passengers accumulate about 1,976 trips each weekday as of Fiscal Year 2015. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan denied the request, saying the passport requirement was a routine condition. Casher, a former market president with Rocky Mountain Bank, is accused of approving two bank loans to one of Prices unnamed entities, without disclosing to the bank separate private loans to Price that Casher had either made or facilitated. Prosecutors say Casher also failed to tell the bank Prices true net worth and cash liquidity. In a filing Tuesday, Casher said he believes the two bank loans to Price that prosecutors referenced were for single-family homes. Casher is seeking to subpoena the bank for records of the loans referenced in the bank fraud charges. I will know more when the government shows us its discovery, but right now the whole thing is somewhat of a mystery, wrote Parker, Cashers attorney. On the blackmail charge, Casher is accused of demanding and receiving interest in real estate and other unspecified consideration from a John Doe and others by threatening to inform authorities about wire fraud activity. Casher is accused of carrying out the blackmail charge between April 23 and May 17, 2018. A 48-year-old Montana State Prison inmate died as a result of an extended illness Wednesday, Montana Department of Corrections officials said. Robert Bruce Scollard was reportedly found unresponsive in his low-security housing unit during the day on Wednesday, according to DOC Public Information Officer Amy Barton. Corrections staff attempted to perform life-saving measures, but Scollard could not be resuscitated. The specifics of his extended illness could not be disclosed, Barton said. Scollard was serving time in prison for an attempted robbery charge. He was sentenced to the term in 2018 in Lewis and Clark County. He was first booked into the state prison in 2014 for the same crime, along with a robbery charge, out of Yellowstone County, according to DOC records. Scollard was granted parole in 2017. Barton said Scollard was currently eligible for release on parole, if approved, and otherwise had a prison discharge date of 2028. An autopsy will be performed at the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula, Barton said. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 1 The senators also noted the U.S. State Department had warned its Canadian counterpart about inadequate reviews of transboundary mining activity in British Columbia and the lack of transparent monitoring of the mines effects on rivers crossing the border. British Columbia has the right to develop resources as it sees fit, said Michael Jamison of the National Parks Conservation Association, one of the private organizations lobbying for better transborder water quality. But theres an old saying that your right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose. When were dealing with shared resources and watersheds, we should go with the strongest protection standards, which in this case are in the United States. This isnt a race to the bottom. British Columbia has negotiated with each of the surrounding U.S. states on a local level, but the senators seek a more federal-to-federal conversation, Jamison said. For example, Montana and B.C. officials worked out a memorandum of understanding to protect the headwaters of Flathead River where it flows past Glacier National Park, but that deal also had to be confirmed by the U.S. and Canadian governments. North Dakota officials say its essentially a ban of crude-by-rail traffic from the state to refineries throughout the Pacific Northwest, and a potential blow to the states energy industry. About 150,000 barrels of North Dakota crude, or about one-tenth of the daily production in the state, is shipped to Washington refineries. Should that area be blocked, new markets would need to be found for Bakken crude. Members of North Dakotas congressional delegation earlier this week spoke with U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to make their argument that Washingtons law is unconstitutional and interferes with the federal Transportation Departments primary authority over interstate oil shipments in the country. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is part of the department. Stenehjem hopes the agency will at least hold a hearing on Washingtons law. There needs to be a scientific basis for what Washington did. There is not, he said. I remembered the sense of responsibility knowing that my little brother trying to follow his big sisters example was among those being deployed and sent into harms way. I remembered the veteran who came back, who took years to return to normal and be the man he was when he left. Too many of our veterans come home with permanent physical, mental, and emotional injuries, and sadly, the benefits and services we promised these veterans too often arent sufficient to repay the immeasurable price they paid. Of course, the ones who came back are the lucky ones. I also reflected on taking the oath of enlistment myself, joining the Wyoming National Guard in 2004. I wanted to serve my state and country and will never forget that when I took that oath, I pledged to obey the lawful orders given me, at that time by Gov. Dave Freudenthal and President George W. Bush. In 2009, Freudenthal seemed truly conflicted when he had to deploy the largest group of soldiers in Wyoming history. He seemed to take seriously the oath we as soldiers took, and spared nothing in supporting our soldiers and their families. One of Montanas U.S. senators is uniquely positioned to make this happen, but he has failed to do so. As a member of the party in control of the Senates agenda and of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Steve Daines could use his status to fight for full, dedicated funding of LWCF but so far, he has not. In May, after repeatedly claiming to support full funding for LWCF, Daines abruptly changed course and in a letter to his colleagues on the Appropriations Committee asked for funding of just two-thirds of whats required. Daines, cant have it both ways. When Daines is in Montana, he tells us he supports public lands, and when he gets back to D.C., he tells his colleagues two-thirds is good enough. Its not. Daines voted not once, but twice, to confirm David Bernhardt as secretary of the Interior, even though Bernhardt proposed slashing funding for LWCF. Saying you support public lands just isnt good enough. Daines needs to take action on LWCF and do the job we Montanans sent him to Washington to do. Its time for Daines to put our money where his mouth is and ensure full LWCF funding. Anything less is a disservice to all of us. Six generations ago, my family homesteaded in Montana finding much the same landscape we have today. Conservation doesnt happen by accident. Its made possible by ensuring our values are reflected in good public policy. If our elected officials follow the will of Montanans, these public lands will still be here in the future, for all our families to enjoy. Whitney Williams, of Missoula, is a businesswoman and vice chair of the Board of Montana Conservation Voters. Love 11 Funny 5 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Conor Martin is a student pilot with the Golden Eagles of Training Squadron (VT) 22, based in Naval Air Station Kingsville. The squadron flies T-45C Goshawk aircraft. Martin credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned growing up in Canyon Lake. Photo by Mass Communication 2nd Class David Finley The Memorandum of Cooperation intends to strengthen healthcare systems The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) between India and Kyrgyzstan for collaborative research work on High Altitude Biology and Medicine and aiming at further development and strengthening of mutual relationships in science and medicine, especially in high altitude biology and medicine. The MoC will help in understanding the physical and mental picture of soldier system at high altitude and mitigate the high altitude related maladies by using Yoga practice, herbals and neutraceuticals in Indian and Kyrgyz solders/population. The Cabinet has also approved the proposal of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of Health. The Memorandum of Cooperation covers the following areas of cooperation:- A bus route and paratransit services to the University of Mary will become permanent despite slow growth in ridership. The Bismarck City Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday to continue Bis-Man Transit's green route to the university after two trial runs. In 2016, the city commission agreed to operate the green route as a pilot program for a year. The route needed to generate $40,000 in revenue, but ended up producing only about $2,700. After that, commissioners opted to discontinue the service, but in September agreed to a second pilot route with certain stipulations and metrics, including increasing ridership on a monthly basis. The second pilot route was approved to run during the 2018-19 school year until June 30. Despite not having high ridership on the green route, U-Mary has produced $15,000 in bus pass sales more revenue than any other Bis-Man Transit route, according to Director Roy Rickert. "We've made a lot of progress with the university, working closely with them, as well as we've started a steering committee amongst all the (local colleges) to increase student ridership," Rickert said. The steering committee, which is comprised of Rickert, representatives from U-Mary, United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck State College and Commissioner Nancy Guy, will continue working on a multi-year plan to increase student ridership. Rickert said green route ridership has "started picking up" in recent months as word has spread. Also, Bis-Man Transit has increased its presence at U-Mary, including at student and family events. Greg Vetter, U-Mary's executive vice president, said the university has worked to grow awareness of the green route, but the biggest impact to ridership was the sale of a green route bus pass with a "premium" campus meal plan. "We're very pleased with (the continuation of the route)," Vetter said, adding that university employees have also indicated a need for the service. Rickert and Vetter anticipate ridership to continue to increase this fall along with student enrollment growth. Vetter said the bus route will also be beneficial to engineering students who, starting this fall, will be taking some courses at the Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health downtown building, which the university recently purchased. (Reach Blair Emerson at 701-250-8251 or Blair.Emerson@bismarcktribune.com) Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Bill Wood has switched to bottled water as he deals with a fine, flaky residue clogging his faucet. For the second time in a month on Thursday, the north Bismarck homeowner cleaned out the faucet's filter. He's wary of the "chemical debris," as he calls it, and wonders if his water is safe to use. "My two grandkids that come over to my house every other week, I'm concerned about their welfare," Wood said. "Is it safe for them to take a shower or a bath? I don't know." The city is working with homeowners and plumbers to solve a water problem that has presented differently in homeowners' water systems as forms of calcium, some restricting flow. Bismarck's director of utility operations, Michelle Klose, described the problem as a "solids precipitation" from a water chemical reaction confirmed in at least 64 homes out of the more than 19,000 in town. She and Greg Wavra, administrator of the North Dakota Drinking Water Program, said the residue is not harmful to people's health. A number of linked factors appear to be present in the problem, which seems to be most prevalent in newer homes on the outskirts of town, Klose said. Bismarck's drinking water comes from the Missouri River and appears to react, when heated, with magnesium, according to Klose. Magnesium is present in a rod in some water heaters. Klose said other factors appear to be homes with recirculating pumps which help provide hot water as soon as the tap is turned on and cross-linked polyethylene, or PEX, lines, which are plastic-lined water pipes apparently prone to flaking residue. Pipes made of different metals that touch also have presented a calcium buildup restricting flow, she said. Only hot water is affected. Wavra said Bismarck's drinking water meets requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. And calcium buildup, he noted, "isn't anything new" in water systems. "When you look at a water tap and you see that white, scaly stuff sometimes, that's what that is, it's just that precipitate coming out of solution around those fixtures," Wavra said. But after complaints from affected homeowners, the city sent out a May 7 letter and held a June 4 informational meeting to share findings on how to mitigate the problem, such as using aluminum rods in water heaters and lowering the heat. The letter said the city's new water intake in 2014 and its switch in 2013 from chlorines to chloramines, which are water-disinfecting agents, are unrelated to homeowners' issues. "We have discussed this question of chloramines specifically with the (state) Department of Environmental Quality and we both agree that the use of chloramines is not a contributing factor to the solids precip affecting PEX lines with recirculation pumps," Klose said. The issue essentially stemming from materials in newer homes' water systems reacting with the city's drinking water has been known for a few years, according to Klose. "But when you're dealing with this small a number of complaints when you're looking at almost 20,000 homes, it's really hard to pinpoint these types of issues," she said. "But some homes are having significant issues, and some homes are having very minor issues." Ken Hoff said his family first noticed decreased water pressure about a year after building their home in north Bismarck in 2014. They consulted a plumber, who pointed out the sandlike residue in their lines. Hoff said another plumber linked his problem to the chloramine in city water forming a sand or pebble when heated. He spent $2,500 last year for labor in replacing his water heater, installing an inline filter and flushing out his PEX lines twice. The water pressure is a lesser issue now, he said. Once a month he drains the filter. He changes it after six months. Hoff said he's not upset and credits the city for trying to solve the problem. Wood said he doesn't plan on replacing his plumbing, but he would like to know about the safety of his water. He first noticed the water issues when he moved into his house in December. He points to hot water as a component, but he doesn't have magnesium in his water heater. He's also talked with neighbors who have similar problems. "We're trying to pull the right resources together with the homeowners to see if we can try and help them find some solutions," Klose said. Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com. Love 3 Funny 3 Wow 2 Sad 2 Angry 13 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Federal Highway Administration has approved plans to construct a bridge across the Little Missouri River, but a timeline for the project has not yet been established and it's unknown if private landowners might fight the project. The Billings County Commission wants a river crossing to improve emergency response, but opponents worry it would impact the remote and scenic landscape of the Badlands. A draft environmental impact statement issued last year identified the Short ranch north of Medora as the preferred location to construct a river crossing. The Federal Highway Administration approved the preferred route last week, paving the way for construction, according to County Commission Chairman Jim Arthaud. A timeline for the project has not yet been established, but the next steps include meeting with private landowners in the coming weeks to try to obtain right-of-way, Arthaud said. "Its been a long process and another step in the right direction," he said. The crossing would connect Belle Lake Road and East River Road and involve acquiring up to 62 acres from private landowners, 15 acres from the North Dakota Department of Trust Lands and 88 acres from the U.S. Forest Service. It would involve about 2 miles of new roadway and a 600-foot-long, three-span bridge. The project is estimated to cost $11.2 million. Billings County has spent years researching the addition of a bridge. Current bridges at Medora are about 70 miles apart on Interstate 94 and south of Watford City on Highway 85. Arthaud said the county has not yet identified a funding source for the project. It has been met with strong opposition from landowners, including the Short family, whose ranch would be bisected by the crossing. Dave Short told the Tribune last year that Billings County would have to use eminent domain to acquire the family's land. The Short family has leased the land since 1987, but members return several times a year to hunt or hold family gatherings. Don Johnson, one of the owners of the ranch, did not return a phone message seeking comment. The Federal Highway Administration's approval, called a record of decision, has not yet been published in the Federal Register, but it's expected to be next week, according to Jamie Olson, a spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Transportation. (Reach Blair Emerson at 701-250-8251 or Blair.Emerson@bismarcktribune.com) Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 7 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. North Dakota plans to ask the federal agency that regulates the transport of hazardous materials to intervene in a dispute with Washington over that states new restrictions on oil shipped by rail. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem on Friday told The Bismarck Tribune that he plans to petition the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to tell Washington it doesnt have the authority to require that crude shipped by rail have more of its volatile gases removed. The petition is being formulated at the same time that Stenehjems office is crafting a potential federal lawsuit against Washington alleging a violation of interstate commerce law. Were looking at all the options. We dont want to leave any doors closed, Stenehjem said. Tara Lee, spokeswoman for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, said Friday that "this is an issue that is appropriately settled in court, not via press release. Washington state will defend its law in court." Inslee is running for president on an environmental platform and supports the law that Washington lawmakers passed earlier this year requiring 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. North Dakota officials say its essentially a ban of crude-by-rail traffic from the state to refineries throughout the Pacific Northwest, and a potential blow to the states energy industry. About 150,000 barrels of North Dakota crude, or about one-tenth of the daily production in the state, is shipped to Washington refineries. Should that area be blocked, new markets would need to be found for Bakken crude. Members of North Dakotas congressional delegation earlier this week spoke with U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to make their argument that Washingtons law is unconstitutional and interferes with the federal Transportation Departments primary authority over interstate oil shipments in the country. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is part of the department. Stenehjem hopes the agency will at least hold a hearing on Washingtons law. There needs to be a scientific basis for what Washington did. There is not, he 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. Washingtons law is aimed at boosting safety for schools and homes that are near passing oil trains, according to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, who sponsored the bill. The law sets a vapor pressure limit of less than 9 pounds per square inch for oil unloaded from trains, lower than North Dakotas limit of 13.7 psi and what is considered the industry standard for stable crude of 14.7. North Dakotas limit, implemented in 2015, builds in 1 psi as a margin of error. There is no federally set national standard. The Washington bill requires new refineries to adhere to its new vapor pressure standard. Existing facilities will have to follow the rule beginning two years after increasing their oil volume by more than 10 percent from 2018. Some of the refineries there had major maintenance downtime last year, and they could trigger the requirement simply by resuming their normal volumes, according to the North Dakota Petroleum Council trade group. Reach Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or Blake.Nicholson@bismarcktribune.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GRAND FORKS As the University of North Dakota prepares to add a new parking lot along Davis Drive in Grand Forks, Loren Liepold went searching for old remnants of a building more than 100 years old. What he found ended up being much, much more than a few bricks. Liepold, with the help of others, found an entire section of Davis Hall, one of the first buildings to be constructed on UNDs campus in the 1880s. Were really just trying to go through and get an idea of whats here, he said. Its kind of the last touchstone of the old, old campus. Davis Hall, named for Hannah Davis, who was appointed in 1892 as preceptress of women" and an instructor of English at UND, was the first UND dormitory. The building was built in 1887, but was torn down in the summer of 1965, according to UND archives. For years, it was an incredibly important building on this campus, Liepold said, noting it's where students, faculty, staff and even the president of the university ate lunch and conversed. Its just so cool to be able to touch that history from over 100 years ago. Darin Buri, geology library manager at UND, said the clay that was used to make the bricks for Davis Hall likely came from somewhere in the Red River Valley. He said much of the work would have been done by hand and dried by fire. The bricks that we have here that were made that way are very soft, he said. Theyre not hard like the bricks we think about now in modern times. Buri said most of the bricks that were produced in the Grand Forks-area were stamped with the name of the brickyard owner. While they have yet to find a brick stamped with a name yet, Buri said the bricks were obviously handmade and likely made in the city in the 1800s. Most recently, the area was a green space where students could hang out or where the theater department could perform a show from time to time. Now, the area will be turned into parking spaces. Liepold said the space will still be able to be used for performances as well. Liepold said those who are helping to dig out the bricks will do their best to save everything they can for historical purposes and to help further students education in the geology department, but the whole of the site may be paved over. I dont think thats bad news, because itll be stabilized and still there, he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In 55 years, how are people going to be referring to the new decade from 2070 to 2079? They wont be referring to it as the 70s, will they? After all, there can only be one 70s, and nobody refers to the 1870s as the 70s. Few people even know what happened in the 1870s, except for maybe some historians here and there. And yet everyone seems to know what happened in the 1970s, and even in the 1960s. In fact, in most peoples mind, the 60s and 70s tend to be lumped together as if they were the same decade; mostly because it was a miraculous time musically. Still, who knows anything about the 1870s? If I asked you to name five historically significant events that took place in the 1870s, could you do it? Probably not, so Ill do it for you. Congress created the Department of Justice in 1870. In addition, Congress adopted the 15th Amendment in 1870, giving everyone the right to vote with no exclusions like race. That was immeasurably important, but no one seems to remember the date off the top of their head. The Great Chicago Fire burned that city down in 1871. Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872. The first Kentucky Derby was run in 1875. Thomas Edison created the first phonograph in 1877. The first light bulb was invented in 1879. And the first Woolworths store opened its doors in 1879. Those are great things but none of us remember them for their dates. Despite the 70s variance, its fun to think back and remember the difference between then and now, and how much has changed since the 1970s even though it wasnt that long ago. The worlds population in 1970 was only 3.63 billion, compared to nearly 7.4 billion now. The population of the U.S. was only 205 million, compared to 330 million today. The national debt was $450 billion instead of $18.4 trillion and counting. Meanwhile, the average salary was only $7,800 a year, but you could buy a new house for $23,000 instead of all of your and your wifes career earnings plus two arms, a leg and your firstborn. You could also rent a house for $140 a month and buy a new pickup truck for about $4,000, instead of it costing three times today what it cost to buy a house back then. If you wanted to go to a movie, it cost you $1.50. A quart of milk cost 33 cents, a loaf of bread was an average of 24 cents and tuition to go to Harvard University was only $2,400, which was still expensive for a family making $7,800 a year. But heres the clincher: The price for a gallon of gas was 36 cents and you could go a long ways on those few coins. At any rate, my point is that I think we need to contact the United Nations or someone and tell them not to call the 2070s the 70s, because there are plenty of us who might not be around then to complain if they do. Or as L. Frank Baum said in his novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Everything has to come to an end, sometime. Kevin Holten is the executive producer of "Special Cowboy Moments" on RFD-TV. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 1 Murphy had about 25,000 Twitter followers. She repeatedly referred to a trangender female as male in her tweets. Twitter suspended her account for misgendering. After more negative interactions between them, Twitter permanently banned Murphy. Murphy claimed that Twitter changed its applicable site policy midstream, didnt inform her of the changes, and retroactively applied the new policy to her. She also claimed viewpoint discrimination, that Twitters unilateral discretion to suspend or ban accounts are procedurally and substantive unconscionable, and that Twitter enforced its policies inconsistently. She sued Twitter in a putative class action for contract breach, false advertising, and unfair competition. Twitter responded with an anti-SLAPP motion to strike and a demurrer (the CA equivalent of a motion to dismiss). The court rejected the anti-SLAPP motion but granted the demurrer on Section 230 grounds. Anti-SLAPP. Californias anti-SLAPP law has an exception for public interest litigation. This lawsuit qualified, in part because the class sought declaratory/injunctive relief and not damages. This is good news for the plaintiffs, because if Twitter had won the anti-SLAPP motion, they would have had to pay Twitters legal fees. Contrast the Johnson v. Twitter lawsuit, where the plaintiffs apparently are on the hook for Twitters defense costs. Section 230. Based on the growing body of precedent, this is an straightforward Section 230 defense win: * ICS Provider. Twitter qualifies. Cites to Pennie and Fields, plus Hassell v. Bird. * Third Party Content. Murphys tweets qualify. Note how this move continues to collapse 230(c)(1) and 230(c)(2) by treating the filtered/removed content as third-party content. The court addresses this issue in a footnote, citing Barrett v. Rosenthal and claiming controlling authority has squarely rejected Plaintiffs argument that a broad reading of section 230(c)(I) would make section 230(c)(2) unnecessary.' * Publisher/Speaker. The court says California and federal courts are in accord that actions that, like the instant case, seek relief based on an internet service providers decisions whether to publish, edit, or withdraw particular postings are barred by Section 230 (cites to Cross v. Facebook, Doe II v. MySpace, Sikhs for Justice v. Facebook). The court adds: federal courts have specifically ruled that a service providers decisions to provide, deny, suspend or delete user accounts are immunized by Section 230 (cites to Fields v. Twitter, Riggs v. MySpace, Cohen v. Facebook, Mezey v. Twitter). Citing Barrett, the court says its immaterial that this case involves Twitters decision to take down content rather than to post it. The plaintiffs argued that Section 230 didnt apply to the specific causes of action alleged. The court responds that Section 230 applies to creative pleading workarounds (cite to Hassell) and to injunctive and declaratory relief claims. The court adds: the duties Murphy alleges Twitter violated derive from its status or conduct as a publisher because its decision to suspend her accounts, and those of other similarly situated users who violated its Hateful Conduct Policy, constitutes publishing activity. The court distinguishes Demetriades v. Yelp because: Murphys complaint is not seeking to hold Twitter liable for its purely commercial statements to users or potential advertisers. Rather, all of her claims challenge Twitters interpretation and application of its Terms of Service and Hateful Conduct Policy to require Murphy to remove certain content she had posted in her Twitter account, to suspend that account, and ultimately to ban her from posting from Twitter due to her repeated violations of the Terms of Service and Policy. All of those actions reflect paradigmatic editorial decisions not to publish particular content, and therefore are barred by Section 230. The court distinguishes Barnes v. Yahoo because Murphy is not seeking damages for Twitters failure to comply with an alleged contractual or quasi-contractual promise, but rather is seeking injunctive relief to compel it to restore her and others Twitter accounts and to refrain from enforcing its Hateful Content Policy against her. The court summarizes: Because all three causes of action of the complaint seek to impose liability on Twitter for its actions in suspending or banning Murphys and others Twitter accounts, and in enforcing policies governing the permissible scope of content in those accountsall actions within the traditional scope of a publishers roleSection 230 controls Implications This ruling came from a California Superior Court, which is bound by the two California Supreme Court cases discussing Section 230, Barrett and Hassell. This forced the judge to wrestle with how to interpret Hassell v. Bird, in which Justice Krueger cast a decisive vote in a badly fractured set of opinions through her tortured and schizophrenic concurrence. The judge in this case decides to embrace the pro-Section 230 plurality opinion and justified this decision this way: Justice Kruger, concurring in the judgment, did not disagree with the pluralitys overall analysis of Section 230. (See 5 Cal. 5th at 548,557-558 [section 230 immunity applies to an effort to bring a cause of action or impose civil liability on a computer service provider that derives from its status as a publisher or speaker of third party content.] [conc. opn. of Kruger, J.].) Neither did Justice Cuellars dissent. (See id. at 567-568 [S]ection 230 confer[s] immunity against a cause of action filed directly against the platform, seeking to hold it liable for conduct as the publisher of third party content.] [dis. opn. of Cuellar, J.].) Thus, notwithstanding their differences regarding the other issues posed in that case, a majority of the Court endorsed the core principle on which this order turns. Im pretty sure Justice Cuellar would be surprised to see his dissent cited as saying anything favorable about Section 230s application in that case. The rulings over social media account suspensions/terminations are coming so fast and furious that I can barely keep up. They are uniformly going in favor of social media providers, so in that sense this opinion doesnt break any new ground. Still, as plaintiffs fail with their different attempted work-arounds, it adds to the solid wall of defense-favorable precedent for the future. Yesterday, Adam Candeub, one of Murphys lawyers, sent me the following statement: Today, the Superior Court of San Francisco dismissed a users lawsuit against Twitter, effectively ruling that the social media giant may break its promises to users or advertisers with impunity. The courts overbroad interpretation of Communications Decency Act Section 230 gives internet platforms sweeping immunity from suit, even for violating their own contracts and flouting their own promises to users and advertisers. We intend to appeal this ruling, and will continue to seek to protect the rights of consumers in the social media world. In rejecting Twitters anti-SLAPP action pursuant to its public interest exception, the Court joins a growing chorus recognizing the centrality of social media to public discourseand the importance to the public of adjudicating legal claims against the major social media platforms. Case citation: Murphy v. Twitter, Inc., No. CGC-19-573712 (Cal. Superior Ct. June 12, 2019) Selected Related Posts Regarding Twitter Suspensions/Bans: * Once Again, Section 230 Protects Twitters Account Suspension DecisionsBrittain v. Twitter * Twitter Defeats Yet Another Lawsuit from a Suspended UserCox v. Twitter * Section 230 Preempts Unfair Competition Law ClaimTaylor v. Twitter * Twitters TOS Upheld Despite Unilateral Amendment ClauseBrittain v. Twitter * Another Suspended Twitter User Loses in CourtKimbrell v. Twitter * Section 230 Protects Twitters Decision to Suspend Users AccountMezey v. Twitter * Twitter Gets Powerful Win in Must-Carry LawsuitTaylor v. Twitter * Twitter Isnt a Shopping Mall for First Amendment Purposes (Duh)Johnson v. Twitter Artificial intelligence and machine learning are revolutionizing business as industry experts believe many business roles will be changed, not necessarily eliminated as a result. Recently we wrote: AI is here today and it has been very useful in working with humans to make them far more productive. Peter Thiel, one of the great thinkers in tech in our opinion explains how in his experience and through multiple companies, the combination of AI and humans makes a great team, yielding results better than either, alone. His book, Zero to One details how this works. There is no question that AI is already transforming the banking and financial services workplaces. Nearly 60% of finance executives plan to implement AI-inclusive learning initiatives to ensure their human employees are equipped to work with AI technologies, while more than half are developing workforce plans that single out the new types of skills and jobs AI integration will necessitate. PwC recently queried U.S. financial services executives about implementing AI into future plans and half of them said they expect AI to increase their revenue and profits, while 48% believe it will improve their customers experiences. What this tells is is natural language processing, chatbots and automated email responses are the wave of the future. Contact center agents will still be needed but will move up the ladder to handle more complex interactions while basic tasks will be left to the machines. Now is the time to start experimenting and trialing these technologies in your business. Your competitors are more and more likely to be doing the same. Where do organizations go to learn more? The worlds only Future of Work Expo (collocated with the ITEXPO #TechSuperShow) of course. Feb 12-14, 2020 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. School districts this year appear to be on track to receive a windfall of money from their states. Income and sales tax are at surging with the healthy economy, and few states missed their revenue projections resulting in huge surpluses in some places and the ability for governors to deliver on a key campaign promise: increased K-12 spending. According to a fiscal survey released this week by the National Association of State Budget Officers, governors collectively proposed to spend around $14 billion more on schools in fiscal year 2020 than they did this school year. Its still too early to tell how much of that money will land in districts coffers. Legislatures this year were at odds with each other over whether to spend the majority of increased revenue on schools, squirrel the money away for the case of another recession, or spend it on other state obligations such as prisons and Medicaid. Many state legislatures, including in Alaska, Kansas, and Texas sent the extra revenue back to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts. But there are early signs that the majority of states will spend more on their schools this year. So how will superintendents use the extra money? Across the nation, superintendents, their chief financial officers, teachers and board members have had the same sorts of debates as state lawmakers. Some districts, despite the surging economy, will make dramatic cuts this year due to demographic shifts and overall insufficient tax revenue to pay for climbing costs such as in Oakland, Sacramento and Clark County, Nevada. But others are looking to boost spending. Based on local media reports, databases on school spending trends, and emerging research, heres a list of options that seem likely for superintendents looking for how to use the extra money: Repairing from the recession: The Great Recession which peaked in 2008, sparked a steep decline in sales, income, and property tax revenue and wreaked havoc on school districts, forcing mass layoffs, hiring freezes, and the shuttering of extracurricular programs. Average per-pupil spending declined by more than $850 between 2008 and 2013. Despite years of states pumping more money into schools, at least 22 states plus the District of Columbia through 2017 still had not reached pre-recession funding levels, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank that pushes for more funding. That means many districts this year are still in recovery mode: getting class sizes back to legal sizes, paying down debt they accrued during the recession, and addressing growing deferred maintenance costs. Savings and debt: Some districts may decide to keep things as they are and not spend the money at all. Superintendents could opt to put the money into their rainy day funds in order to prepare for the next recession. States laws vary on how much of districts money must be set aside in reserves. After the last recession, many states set up their own rainy day funds and many state departments of education are asking districts to do the same. In the last 20 years, districts have taken out more than $1 trillion in loans, accruing in 2017 alone more than $20 billion in interest payments, according to a working paper by Cameron Anglum, a Ph.D. candidate in Education Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Superintendents this year could opt to make large down payments on some of that debt to lower future payments. Infrastructure: Districts will have to spend an estimated $197 billion to get school buildings to good overall condition, according to the 21st Century School Fund. They could decide to spend state and locally generated extra dollars this year on upgrading their facilities. While more than 80 percent of infrastructure costs come from local revenue sources, states including Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia have set aside funds for school facilities. Teachers: Teachers across the nation have staged massive protests in the last year against stagnant wages. That sort of pressure, resulted in 20 governors promising to increase teacher pay this year, according to an Education Week analysis . Many governors, including in Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee are on course to deliver on those promises. Check out Education Weeks database of governors proposals. In many states, because governors dont control teacher pay, teacher unions will have to negotiate for those raises this year. Health care and pensions: One of the biggest reason that K-12 costs have effectively doubled over the last 30 years is because of rising pension and health-care costs. While governors will brag at their budget-signing ceremonies that their K-12 spending is at a record high this year, a large chunk of that money wont be spent on academic initiatives. Some states, including Kentucky and New Jersey have attempted to make large-scale reforms to their pension crises. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week proposed to spend more than $800 million to reduce districts pension obligations by 7 percent. Teacher retirees in many states havent gotten cost-of-living adjustments for years . And as teachers age, districts health-care premiums continue to rise. A Houston Chronicle investigation found that Texas hasnt increased its $75 monthly contribution to teachers health-care premiums since 2002, resulting in districts and teachers themselves to pick up the skyrocketing costs. It is sad that any institution, especially such a revered sandwich shop as Langer's Deli, would behave so terribly. DailyDot: A famous Los Angeles sandwich shop, Langer's Deli, is facing calls for a boycott after the owner kicked out two women for kissing in his restaurant. The woman and her date who experienced aggressive discrimination at Langer's Deli have chosen to remain anonymous but gave friends permission to share their story. One friend, writer and critic April Wolfe, took to Twitter to share what happened to her friends, posting a screenshot of the Facebook post that details how they were kicked out. "My date and I had finished eating and we shared a kiss in our booth. Suddenly a man with a walkie-talkie was standing at our table. He introduced himself as Norm Langer and told us that he 'can't have this in his restaurant because some of the customers don't understand.'" When the woman told him that she lived nearby and used to love this deli but would never eat there again, Langer told her she was being "selfish and inconsiderate of how other people felt." Attorney and disgraced anti-Trump media gadfly Michael Avenatti has been sued again, this time over allegations he siphoned off a paraplegic client's $4 million settlement. Avenatti's disabled client Geoffrey Johnson says the $4 million settlement was from the county of Los Angeles in January 2015, for injuries he received trying to commit suicide by jumping off of an elevated floor in a downtown Los Angeles jail. Johnson's attempt to take his life was the second of two attempted suicides in the notoriously badly managed jail during August of 2011. Jonathan Stempel for Reuters: Geoffrey Johnson is seeking at least $9.5 million, plus punitive damages, from Avenatti and several former colleagues in his civil lawsuit filed with the Orange County Superior Court in California. "I never thought I would get victimized by my own attorney," Johnson, who uses a wheelchair, said at a press conference on Thursday. "I wish he had just given me my money." Johnson's claims are also part of federal prosecutors' criminal case against Avenatti, who has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud, bank fraud, extortion and other charges, including defrauding other clients, in California and New York. "Mr. Johnson's claims are categorically false and frivolous, and his case will be thrown out of court," Avenatti said in an email. Avenatti drew national attention through his representation of Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in lawsuits against Trump and the president's former lawyer Michael Cohen, and briefly flirted with a 2020 White House run. Read the rest: Michael Avenatti is sued for allegedly siphoning paraplegic's $4 million settlement Billionaires Ihor Kolomoisky and Gennady Bogolyubov used to own Privatbank the largest bank in Ukraine and now they are being sued for using it for a decade to launder more than $470b (through its Cyprus subsidiary) ($470b is more than double the GDP of Cyprus over the same period). The bank's new owners are suing Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov for violating Ohio and Delaware racketeering laws. They claim that Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov used the laundered proceeds to buy up whole neighborhoods in Cleveland, becoming the city's largest landowner. Additionally, they are accused of buying "several ferroalloy companies across multiple states" with laundered proceeds. It's the largest money-laundry scandal in history and it was only possible because US states allow anonymous parties to create thousands of cheap shell companies. The money trail is surprisingly simple. To begin with, the ultimate beneficiary owners collect retail deposits in Ukraine by offering good conditions and service. The money then flows to their subsidiary, PrivatBank Cyprus. In Cyprus, they benefit from the services of two local law firms. Untypically, the ultimate beneficiary owners did not take the precaution to establish multiple layers of shell companies in Cyprus, the British Virgin Islands, and Cayman Islands, as is common among Russians with seriously dirty money. Instead, they operated with three US individuals in Miami, who helped them to set up a large number of anonymous LLCs in the United States, mainly in Delaware, but also in Florida, New Jersey, and Oregon. The typical objects of post-Soviet money launderers are real estate in New York and southern Florida, but the investment profile of this group is different. They invested in real estate in Cleveland, Ohio; Harvard, Illinois; and Dallas, Texas, and in ferroalloy companies. According to the suit, the defendants purchased commercial real estate for millions of dollars in Cleveland and became the biggest owner of real estate there. It has been reported that the FBI investigated Kolomoisky's business in Ohio for money laundering. How Kolomoisky Does Business in the United States [Anders Aslund/Atlantic Council] (via GIJN) For years, Paul Hansmeier terrorized internet users through his copyright trolling racket Prenda Law, evading the law through shell companies and fraud, until, finally, he was brought to justice and pleaded guilty last August. Now, Hansmeier has been sentenced to 14 years in prison and must pay $1.5m in restitution to his victims people he accused of being copyright infringers and then bullied into paying "settlement" fees to avoid being dragged through expensive litigation. Any Prenda Law victim can contact the Minnesota DA to apply for compensation. Prenda's tactics included identity theft, entrapment (uploading their own files to The Pirate Bay in order to generate downloads that they could threaten people over), and several kinds of fraud. Hansmeier and his co-defendant, John Steele, were indicted for money laundering, perjury, mail and wire fraud. Both men entered into plea agreements. James Renken attended and livetweeted the sentencing, noting that the judge handed down a sentence in excess of that requested by the prosecutor through the plea deal, saying that Hansmeier's "abuse of trust harmed the administration of justiceLike a wrecking ball to the trust and confidence people have in the administration of justice." Steele will be sentenced next month; the prosecutor is seeking 8-10 years in prison. Whether the people that were sued were indeed guilty wasn't much of an issue. This means that many innocent people were likely targeted as well. "Hansmeier was generally content to take this step without investigating whether the subscriber was, in fact, the infringer. Hansmeier thus inflicted plenty of pain on persons who did not, in fact, download his pornographic bait," the Government previously wrote. 'Copyright Troll' Lawyer Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison [Ernesto/Torrentfreak] One thousand more single migrant adults are being detained by U.S. border protection each week in 2019, with the detention system at "serious risk of exceeding safety standards on a regular basis," documents reported today by Newsweek show. Newsweek's story reports on a previously undisclosed letter that details how U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies have taken "extraordinary measures" to thwart the sudden overcrowding in the detention system, and are at "serious risk of exceeding safety standards on a regular basis." The cause for the crisis, the officials say: growing numbers of arriving migrants. "As of today, CBP has over 8,000 single adults in custody," a DHS official wrote on May 9 to officials at the Pentagon. "That number has been increasing by 1,000 per week." Newsweek's James LaPorta James LaPorta tweets, "The documents also provide a breakdown of where bed space is needed at detention facilities at the southwest border: Texas and Arizona: 6,000 in Texas; 1,500 in Arizona." "ICE is currently holding more than 50,000 aliens in custody and no longer has the capacity to intake any more single adults," DHS wrote. "CBP facilities nationwide are outdated, overcrowded and suffering from a lack of sufficient investment." James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) June 14, 2019 Excerpt: In response, Department of Homeland security (DHS) officials have taken the unprecedented step of having industrial-style tents constructed to facilitate the transfer of migrants out of overcrowded facilities along the southern border. In a previously undisclosed letter to the Pentagon, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials detail how their agencies have taken "extraordinary measures" to alleviate overcrowding in the detention system and are at "serious risk of exceeding safety standards on a regular basis," caused by growing numbers of arriving migrants, particularly families, and poor allocation of resources at the border. When DHS, which oversees both CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sent the letter last month, CBP was detaining 8,000 single adult migrants in its facilities in addition to 9,000 unaccompanied migrant children and family members. "As of today, CBP has over 8,000 single adults in custody," DHS wrote on May 9. "That number has been increasing by 1,000 per week." Over the last three months, CBP apprehended at least 7,000 single adults every week at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to agency statistics. And the number of apprehensions in May was nearly double that in January. The discrepancy in the numbers of single adult migrants apprehended and detained each week is because CBP routinely transfers its detainees to other agencies, such as ICE. Read more: EXCLUSIVE: SINGLE MIGRANT ADULTS IN CBP DETENTION GROWING BY 1,000 A WEEK, DOCUMENTS SHOW [newsweek.com] News / National by Staff reporter THE body of the late pan-Africanist and founding member of the December 12 Movement, Randolph Simms, also known as Coltrane Chimurenga, arrived in the country last night for burial at the Harare Provincial Heroes Acre this morning.Chimurenga died on May 13 in America and it was his wish to be buried in Zimbabwe.The body was welcomed by Zanu-PF Secretary for External Affairs,Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, six members of the December 12 Movement including chairperson Mrs Viola Plummer, his family members including his two sons - Camilo and Amilcar - and Zanu-PF supporters.In an interview at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Mumbengegwi said the December 12 Movement was the strongest and most committed solidarity group that Zimbabwe had that had gone out of its way over the years to support and project a very positive image of Zimbabwe not only in the US but in Europe as well."Those who knew Chimurenga will remember how passionate he was about Zimbabwe and its liberation struggle even before our indepen- dence."After our independence he was seen in the forefront of those that rejected the negative narrative which was being perpetrated against Zimbabwe especially as it related to our revolutionary land reform programme," he said.He said some elements in the US who tried to create an anti-Zimbabwe forum were neutralised by Chimurenga together with the December 12 Movement."His untimely departure is a loss to the cause of our country and the defence of the Zimbabwean revolution. Before he died, he indicated that he wanted to be buried in Zimbabwe because he loved the country so much."He used to be very angry with us when we referred to him as an Afro- American as he said he was a Zimbabwean," he said.Mumbengegwi met Chimurenga in 1990 when the former became ambassador to the United Nations and they worked closely for five years."His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, acceded to Chimurenga's request that he be buried here in Zimbabwe and a decision was taken that he, because of the immense contribution to the country, be granted a State-assisted funeral and be buried at the Harare Provincial Heroes' Acre," he said.Plummer, who worked with the late pan-Africanist since 1971, said Chimurenga always stated that Zimbabwe represented black people in the US."He felt Zimbabwe was his home. We knew no other home. There was no other commitment he had, there was no other work that he put his life into other than Zimbabwe."Chimurenga's eldest son, Amilcar, said the burial of his father in Zimbabwe was a dream come true."There was no other place that he would rather be buried other than in Zimbabwe. For him to be buried in the soil here is a great honour."His contribution to us as a family will go along with his contribution towards Zimbabwe and the people of New York and the liberation of the Black people."The way he loved us as a family was the same way he loved Zimbabwe and all the people," he said.The younger son, Camilo, said the family would continue with the legacy left by his father."Until we are all free we will put the work and dedication for the liberation of all our people," he said.Chimurenga is survived by four children three sons and a daughter. News / National by Staff reporter ZANU-PF youth leaders say they are ready to counter anti-government protests planned by opposition and civic groups, setting the stage for a bruising political fight.They also alleged a sinister hidden hand behind the calls for demonstrations against President Emmerson Mnangagwa's stewardship of the economy."Let them (opposition and civic groups) do that and they will learn a very big lesson. Let them get onto the streets and they will learn a very good example of how important it is to preserve peace. This is very simple and straight forward and they must know that we will make sure that they are dealt with to the fullest," Zanu-PF deputy youth secretary Lewis Matutu told NewsDay yesterday."There is no apology about that. The President invited them for dialogue and they are demanding special treatment. However, they must know that they are welcome to the streets and we will deal with them ruthlessly to make sure that they don't disturb the peace in the country."This followed threats by MDC leader Nelson Chamisa early this week to roll out mass protests against government.Addressing mourners at the party's late Glen View South legislator Vimbai Tsvangirai-Java on Wednesday, Chamisa said most of his party supporters were agitating for the protests and only awaiting a signal from him."I have heard a lot of people saying, we are waiting for a signal and I have told them to relax, we have all the time, we don't want to do something that will not bring results," he said."When we start, we will succeed. There will be no sleeping because we want all people to know that change has come, in peace. We want peace in this country, we want peace in this country and we want a negotiated outcome which will allow us to deal with the dispute of the July 30 (2018) elections."The economy is impaired by shortages of hard currency, fuel, medicines and is enduring frequent power cuts that last up to 10 hours, decimating industry.Government has increased the price of fuel three times this year, leading to prices of other goods skyrocketing and stoking public anger against Mnangagwa.Reports suggest that the government has been secretly beefing up its armouries to deal with potential demonstrations.The Zimbabwe Independent, last week reported that the police had recently acquired an assortment of arms, including 3 343 AK-47 assault rifles, 2 000 CZ pistols, 500 P1 pistols, 500 223-Steyrs, 500 UZI, 500 Mossbergs, 500 riot guns, 300 mortar tubes, 500 MAG, 300 SSG sniper rifles, 300 Dragnov, 100 RPG-7, 1 500 Tokarev and 22 948 AK-47 magazines.Soldiers shot and killed six people during the post-election protests on August 1 last year, while human rights groups say security forces killed 17 people during the January anti-fuel price hikes demonstrations, drawing international condemnation.Matutu said instead of protests, the opposition must offer policy alternatives."We will not treat them like eggs when they fail to appreciate the developments that are for the good of our country," he said."Let them go and they will learn. We will deal with them. We are not the government, but the ruling party which doesn't want to be disturbed in what we are doing."Already, some members of the civil society organisations were recently arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on their way from attending a workshop in Maldives for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, an allegation they have denied."The last violent demonstrations by MDC left us wiser and prepared to deal with such eventualities. I advise Chamisa to seriously consider the consequences of violence to both the perpetrators and to the peace-loving people of Zimbabwe," Zanu-PF youth league leader Pupurai Togarepi told NewsDay."If to him (Chamisa) violence is the only choice, then let him know that all options will be on the table to appropriately respond to any provocation."Zanu-PF Mashonaland West youths also said they would defend Mnangagwa against those planning demonstrations to unseat himSpeaking during a provincial executive committee meeting in Chinhoyi yesterday, provincial chairperson Vengai Musengi said it was unfortunate that the MDC was being used by people he did not name to try to remove Mnangagwa."The MDC is being used by other people and they don't know it. Even in their wildest dream, if President Mnangagwa is removed, MDC will not rule this country.That should sink in their thick heads," Musengi said.He said Zanu-PF youths had resolved to defend Mnangagwa with all their power because he was elected and should finish his term."As Zanu-PF youths, we will not fold our hands and watch this country sliding into anarchy. Let those planning demonstrations get this very clear that we are going to defend our leader. President Mnangagwa should not lose sleep over barking dogs," Musengi further said.Zanu-PF national youth secretary for security Silas Chimbiru said they would confront opposition protesters head-on if they try to disturb peace in the country."If they try to be violent and block roads, we will remove the tyres together with the demonstrators," Chimbiru said. News / National by Staff reporter GOVERNMENT is reviewing the eligibility of only 35 cases for compensation in the aftermath of the August 1 2018 shootings, amid growing frustration from aggrieved victims, who say the process is moving at a sluggish pace, the Zimbabwe Independent can report.In the wake of the August 1 shootings, during which state security agents shot dead six civilians, with dozen others seriously injured, government set up the Kgalema Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry which recommended that victims be compensated.The fatal shootings were triggered by protestors demanding the immediate announcement of the results of last year's disputed polls which, were narrowly won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs secretary Virginia Mabhiza told the Independent that a cabinet taskforce has been set up to administer the compensation exercise, with the body currently assessing 35 cases, among other things."A cabinet taskforce committee was set up to oversee the compensation process and currently it is assessing around 35 cases (for compensation)," Mabhiza said, adding that the committee was being chaired by Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.Among other obligations, Mabhiza said, the taskforce would also determine the amount of compensation to be paid to each of the victims."The taskforce will determine the appropriate figures using an agreed criterion. The issue of disbursement has not yet been discussed," she said. The taskforce is comprised of representatives from the ministries of finance, justice and social welfare.Mabhiza could, however, not disclose how much has been set aside by government to meet the compensation bill.Adrian Munjere, a bystander who was hit by a bullet on his right hand when state security agents randomly fired in Harare's central business district, expressed dissatisfaction at the snail pace of the process.On that fateful afternoon, Munjere said he lost mobile phones valued at US$1 200 which he intended to sell at the Ximex Mall complex as he fled from the shootings.Munjere, who sustained a gaping wound on his right hand, accrued a US$5 200 medical bill for treatment."Soon after the commission of inquiry completed its job, the names of people who were made to believe they were going to receive compensation were read out. My name was on number two on that list," Munjere said. "This was in January and nothing has been done yet. I am not happy at all. We are told government has started paying out businesses which were affected. But those who were injured are not getting anything."Munjere said his medical bills for attending therapy sessions were being footed by a non-governmental organisation called Tree of Life, which is a grouping of various civic society organisations.After completing its probe around circumstances that triggered the August 1 shootings, the seven member commission also recommended that Mnangagwa should engage opposition leader Nelson Chamisa as part of a dialogue process perceived as key towards resolving Zimbabwe's intractable political and economic crisis. News / National by Staff reporter THE Zimbabwe National Army's Military Intelligence (MI) unit has placed on its watchlist several civil society activists it claims are conniving with United States to unseat President Emmerson Mnangagwa through violent activities, the Zimbabwe Independent can reveal.The MI is a military unit that uses information collection and analysis to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions.In a recently circulated internal memorandum seen by the Independent this week, the MI claims it has gathered intelligence on people, who it claims are being sponsored by and working closely with US nationals to unleash a wave of attacks "on strategic points using small arms, homemade bombs and explosives".The targeted individuals, however, dismissed the allegations saying they are MI fabrications targeting the MDC and labour organisations who threatened to roll out demonstrations.This comes amid growing security concerns in Mnangagwa's administration, which is currently prosecuting seven rights activists for participating at a workshop in the Maldives.Government has also expressed fears of a possible civil unrest, while the opposition MDC and other civil society organisations have complained about state surveillance on their members.The government has also been acquiring arms and training police officers to quell planned demostrations over the deteriorating socio-economic situation in the country.Those placed on the MI watch list include the members of an organisation known as Generation Consensus, led by Ostalus Siziba; the Children of Zimbabwe War Veterans Association (Cozwa), led by Munyaradzi Shoko; and the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC).The MI, according to the document, got interested in them after they last month attended a workshop at a hotel in Braamfontein, South Africa.According to the memo, the workshop which was code-named Savannah Revolution, ran under the theme "Political Revolution, National Order and Economic Revolution in Zimbabwe".The workshop is said to have ran for two days on May 10 and 11.The report alleges that there were six facilitators, including director of the Zimbabwe Research and Advocacy Unit Anthony Reeler, who has since been placed under MI watch and Willie Spies who was seconded by South African human rights group, AfriForum.The MI identified two of the four American alleged facilitators, Nell Penner and Peter Tony as the main presenters.Siziba denied participating at the workshop saying he only went to South Africa for a church event."The only time that I went to South Africa was to attend a church gathering and nothing else," he said.CiZC denied sending its members to the workshop."We never sent people to that workshop. It's sad that they continue to generate reports so that they can create an opportunity to crackdown on the civil society. Let them know that civil society does not reconstitute the political order. We are not aware of any plans to undertake a revolution next week or any other time," CiCZ director Thulani Mswelanto said.Reeler also denied participating at the workshop saying: "I did not attend any such meeting and have not been in South Africa since October 2016."The army unit claimed in its memo that the workshop was part of America's broader strategy to destabilise the Sadc region and remove revolutionary parties from power, starting with Zanu-PF before spreading to other countries."Information was gleaned to the effect that on May 10 2019, four American nationals namely Nell Penner, Peter Tony and two others yet to be identified as well as Willie Spies, a South African member of Afriforum held a meeting at Parktonian Hotel, Braamfontein, South Africa. The workshop is code-named Savannah revolution, running under the theme National Order and Economic Revolution in Zimbabwe'," the memo reads."Information at hand shows that the workshop entered day two on May 11 2019, where one of the American facilitators, Will Spies, highlighted that there was need for a political revolution in Zimbabwe in order to bring national order which would ultimately reclaim and unlock massive economic growth in the country. Spies claimed that no meaningful development can take off without considering a political revolution".According to the MI memo, Tony allegedly took the participants through strategies of toppling a government which were described as non-violent struggle and violent struggle."The non-violent struggle was described as a strategic campaign to force a sitting government to cede power by depriving it of its traditional pillars of support. He went further to describe it as a full scale war, only that it is fought with other means than weapons. He said the a non-violent struggle calls for seriousness and needs to be carefully planned in the same manner like a military campaign," the document reads.Tony is said to have further indicated that the modus operandi for the unseating would include massive demonstrations, sit-ins, student protests, civil disobedience and online activism."There is need to break people's fear and unlock the appetite of total willingness in the people in order to get them out into the streets in numbers. No government will shoot at say 5 000 people without drawing the attention of the UN and the full wrath of the US. If the numbers continue swelling, this will force government to give in.Pressure will mount from both the regional and international community," the document reads.Penner allegedly said: "Violent strategies include prompt attacks on strategic positions using small arms, homemade petrol bombs and explosives. The activists need to be in small groups in order to maximise effectiveness and safety as well as minimizing loss of life when government apparatus respond. Such movements should be quick and timeous and escape routes must be identified prior to action." News / National by news24 Zimbabwean opposition Movement for Democratic Change party leader, Nelson Chamisa, has reportedly claimed to have helped Rwandan leader Paul Kagame to turn around his country's economy which had been battered by a gruesome genocide in 1994.According to New Zimbabwe.com, Chamisa told his supporters at a rally in Beitbridge over the weekend that he had helped the Rwandese leader turn his country around during his time as Zimbabwe's minister of information and communication technology (ICT) between 2009- 2013."Look what my brother Paul Kagame is doing for his country. I helped him on his ICT policy, on how to turn around the country when we met in Geneva, Switzerland and he was happy with my presentation. He asked and enquired about me from former president Robert Mugabe and he told him that I belonged to his party Zanu-PF, but I told him there and there that I belong to MDC party led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai. So Kagame is doing a wonderful job for his country because he is planning from a local level, and because of that, Rwanda has never been the same, it has changed completely," Chamisa was quoted as saying.Chamisa said that his party if elected to rule, would transform the economy before the next elections in 2023.Zimbabwe was expected to go to the polls before the end of August, with the European Union saying it was ready to deploy its observers to country for the first time in 16 years. News / National by Staff reporter One of Zimbabwe's major chrome producers, African Chrome Fields (ACF), has temporarily suspended operations as the company embarks on a restructuring exercise.Information at hand shows ACF produced 10,5 tonnes of chrome in January and 15,6t in February, but no production figures were recorded at the mine for March and April.According to latest figures obtained from the Ministry of mines, other major producers Apple Bridge and Zimasco produced a monthly average of 20 tonnes and 18,8 tonnes in the four months respectively.ACF national project liaison director Ashruf Kaka told Business Times the group was currently restructuring the business model to withstand current economic pressure in Zimbabwe."We are restructuring the mining operation to make it more efficient, compact and more profitable to withstand the erratic economic and financial turbulence in Zimbabwe," Kaka said."Adaptation is what is required and that is what we doing in the planned restructuring."ACF is a joint venture between the Moti Group and Sakunda Holdings. In January, the Moti Group warned the operating environment in Zimbabwe had become challenging."The Moti Group's existing investments in Zimbabwe remain a priority and we are proud of everything our team has achieved in the last 12 months across our various projects and in spite of the challenges within the economic environment," the group told Business Times."Like any business, we must adapt to external factors beyond our control, but we are working hard to stick to our original production targets.""We look forward to sharing some updates from our aluminothermic plant and from the pilot scheme of Zimbabwe Motivation Mining as the environment on the ground improves."Between January and April, chrome production volumes totalled 531 78,5 tonnes, valued at US$ 73,9 million. Major chrome producers are Zimasco, African Chrome Fields and Apple Bridge.Zimbabwe plans to more than double chrome ore and high carbon ferrochrome production between now and 2022 to 3,1 kilometric tonnes (kmt) and 950 metric tonnes (mt) respectively figures obtained from minerals marketer MMCZ show.Chrome ore figures closed 2018 at 1,3kmt while high carbon ferrochrome production stood at 365mt. The local industry looks set to achieve targets of 1,9kmt for chrome ore and 419mt for high carbon ferrochrome in 2019, Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe general manager Tongai Muzenda said recently.Muzenda said high carbon ferrochrome production in Zimbabwe had been on decline since 2002, reaching its lowest levels of just 74,000 mt in 2009 following the global financial crisis.Meanwhile, the country's three platinum miners produced a combined 4 598kg of platinum in the first four months of 2019, led by Zimplats which accounted for more than 60 percent of total volumes at 2762 kg, the Ministry of Mines figures show.Platinum production is expected to grow significantly by 2024 with the coming in of two players. Government recently approved a multi-billion platinum mining deal with Bravura with exploration already underway using latest technology. Another deal, which is yet to take off under Todal, is being reviewed and expected to also ramp up volumes. TheTodal deal was initially expected to be sealed by end of this week.Government is also pursuing a strategy to grow mining earnings to US$12bn by 2024 from the US$3,2bn realised last year. The 2024 projections, according to Mines Minister Winston Chitando, will have 25 percent contributions from platinum.Mimosa produced 1 211kg of platinum while Unki produced 634 kg of Platinum.Zimplats produced 2 293kg of palladium while Mimosa and Unki produced 952,6 kg and 556 kg respectively amounting to as consolidated 3 802kg.In terms of revenues, PGMs totalled US$316m for the four months under review led by platinum which platinum racked in US$108,7m with ZImplats contributing US$65,7m, followed by Mimosa at US$29m and Unki at US$14m.Palladium revenues from the three producers stood at US$148,3m. News / National by Mandla Ndlovu The Health Apex Council which is the highest negotiation body for medical practitioners in Zimbabwe on Friday resolved to engage in a full scale industrial action if their demands are not met by the 23rd of June.The letter which circulated to all health workers on Friday says, "We have resolved that all health workers will attend work for only two days between period 17th-23rd June 2019."Should the remaining grievances remain unresolved by the end of the day on 2rd of June all health workers will completely withdraw their labour from the 24th of June."Find the communique below: News / National by Mandla Ndlovu There is going to be a secret migration operations here in Yeoville and Hillbrow from tomorrow up to Sunday due to high crime in Jozi. The purpose of migration operations is to check proper documentation because most foreigners don't have valid permit in Yeoville and Hillbrow. Members be careful from tomorrow going. It is secret operations from Pretoria migration and Jozi here. If u have valid permit u r free to walk around Yeoville and Hillbrow. There are reports that South Africa Home Affairs officials will be conducting surprise door to door visits in Yeoville and Hillbrow from Saturday up to Sunday.A circulating says the officials are conducting an operation to flush out undocumented immigrants.The surprise operation comes a week after migrant business owners clashed with South Africa police last Sunday and there was live ammunition fired after the migrants pelted the police with objects and burnt barricades.The police warned that the actions will not go unpunished.Read the full message circulation on social media below: Opinion / Columnist I will really fear you and your organisation: MLO if you do the first thing first: go to Harare and arrest Mnangagwa, tie his arms and feet put a car tyre on his neck and petrol douse him to dead. Only then will I come to my senses that you are indeed a man of true deeds and not mere words and threats: Izenzo kungemazwi is your slogan. We have waited for a long very time hearing the same story how you will use guerrilla war fare to liberate Mathebeleland. We are aware of your threats too that those who will come on your way: hinder the "revolution" trying to liberate Mthwakazi will be cruelly murdered by neck lacing in Mrs. Madikizela Mandela way. We are getting sick of threats that have no substance whatsoever. They appear to be empty words: words that usually cowards use to cow down the most vulnerable in their midst: women and children.If Israel did just one thing first: please demonstrate to all and sundry, go to Harare and arrest President Mnangagwa and murder him Madikizela Mandela killing style "neck lace". Only then can we realize that we are talking to a "man indeed and not a boy who forfeited mountain circumcision because of fear to become a real man. Israel Dube is a boy who uses threats because he knows that his party does not have any following in the region. Why such murderous threats if you are popular in Mathebeleland? There is no revolution worldwide that has threatened the very people they purport to liberate. You must be told that your "revolution" is just stuff and nonsense.I read all your articles and collect them for a purpose. The global organisations that seek peace in conflict regions especially African continent must know that there is a conflict brewing in Mathebeleland and it needs to be monitored carefully. We cannot afford to put women and children in a war like conflict situation: we know that if there was a chance of war you will abscond and run away for cover in South Africa because you are cowards. We cannot afford to be disposables of careless and ruthless men who have no heart for its vulnerable niche; women and children: instead you intimidate us with murder by burning us alive. Your revolution is poor, it lacks all meaning of humanity hence you have turned fascists in the process.This inflating of the number of casualties that took place in those Gugurahundi genocide years rules your organisation off as genuine stakeholders seeking real solutions in this Mathebeleland and Midlands region. Sometimes we are told its 40,000 sometimes its 80,000 today its 100,000. Who is going to take this organisation called MLO serious if they cannot accurately account for the cause they purport to stand for? In retrospect, we shall have to be guided by the Catholic Documents that have accurate number of casualties of genocide years. The number of casualties is 20,000 people and it is worse enough without having to exaggerate it.Israel Dube; your tentacles are very long and can reach out to any place in the world, chasing those you deem as traitors: I live in Germany, stay in Berlin and Bremen interchangeably. I dare you if I am one of those traitors you are talking about. I just want to see how powerful you are to get me hear and burn me to death by neck lacing: in Germany, in Germany! If I was a coward like Israel Dube, I will be scared stiff: his message is to make people like myself petrified with fear, I don't.We say no to cessation of this great country Zimbabwe. We shall make sure it shall never happen. We shall pursue dialogue that will lead to devolution so that one day; that one day we shall learn to live together Ndebeles, Shonas and all other ethnic minorities in a civilized manner. Those are civilized standards that world bodies will understand and not murderous threats. Opinion / Columnist Key appointments Consolidation of power and support base Political contestation Chamisa's utterances and MDC Congress Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo - Doctor of Philosophy at Women's University of Africa Candidate and he can be contacted at tinamuzala@gmail.com Politics requires strategy and there are several political and economic connotations evolving around our situation in Zimbabwe. Every aspect of politics or economics has its own indicators. Never make a mistake of brushing aside indicators, because those are the key drivers to any given situation in any political or economic context. The state of the economy is in the intensive care unit and it requires strategy and ideas to avert a crisis which can be of security concern. From my own analysis and point of view our situation has nothing to do with the economy or business aspect, but we must deal with our politics. Our politics is in bad shape. Looking at this from a political perspective point of view, President Mnangagwa has the economy aspect to deal with, internal rife, arch-rivalry in politics (opposition), factional politics to manage, regional aspects, and at the same time to manage perceptions on international platforms, and he is under immense pressure to save this country from total collapse. Our economic challenges are derived from the political question which spills into legitimacy issues. What this basically means is that, the aspect of confidence on the market is a thorn in the flesh. The issue of acceptance of leadership is a key question.Politics is all about managing the face of reality and perceptions and outdoing your opponent. Mnangagwa's recent appointments from the Zanu PF politburo were strategic. Many people were quick to dismiss them, for him he played his cards close to his chest. He realized that his power is from the political base, grassroots politics and there was a dis-location of political connectivity between the hierarchy of the Government and the party. Political appointments being done from the politburo was a clear message to people that Zanu PF is in charge and anything for the central Government is managed by the party where power is derived from. What this basically means is to manage supporters, manage his ester while cdes in the struggle, manage those with political ambitions and at the same time to keep those who are at party headquarters in check. There were party heavyweights stationed at party headquarters and this required strategy by ensuring that they are scattered alover the show, by keeping them together it would also risk his presidency. He ensured that some are in parastatals, some in key portfolios and some are deployed somewhere. Remember those heavyweights have political experience and they could easily come up with other political strategies. By appointing Chinamasa to chair Air Zimbabwe board is a clear sign that ED is consolidating his support base. Remember Chinamasa was the finance Minister for a long time and he comes from Manicaland and this will assist ED to consolidate his support in Manicaland and also business links. Remember this is a transitional process from Mugabe era to his new so-called dispensation and there is politics and perceptions to manage.By making re-shuffles at party level, ED is sending a clear message that he is in charge of the party and he is already making 2023 plans. Those who are thinking ED will go before the 2023 aspects, it is a tricky sign. ED is already paving way for 2023 elections scenario. Rugeje was replaced by Matemadanda, remember the commissariat department is key to Zanu PF in terms of elections. This department deals with structures and existence of the party. Any political leader will always deploy someone who is loyal to the institution and the leader. Zanu PF is already working on 2023 elections. Rugeje will be deployed to other less important assignments. What ED is simply doing is to ensure that he maintains grip on both Government and party. He wants to re-affirm his presidency and grip on power.The current political contestation the question of legitimacy emanating from disputed polls. The political question is the major key driver of our socio-economic and political developments in Zimbabwe. Never make a mistake of dismissing economic saboteur which can also be an internal matter or aspect within Zanu PF. The aspect of G40 should never be under-estimated. The role of the market plays a key role in blanketing the legitimacy connotation. Market reacts in every political aspect. There could also be people from within Zanu PF who played key roles in removing Mugabe and his cahoots and were not rewarded with anything. Opposition could be fronting political wars from within Zanu PF. The prices which are skyrocketing could be another signal that the center can't hold simply because of politics and confidence on the ground. The appointment of Muthuli Ncube plays a key role. I don't dispute his credentials as an economist, but my analysis and observation is that Muthuli is going by the book and our problems are beyond book aspect. Our issues socio-political, there is politics and social aspects to deal with in our economic scenario. Implementation process needs political strategy and shock absorbers.The MDC congress played a pivotal role on the ascendancy of Nelson Chamisa's Presidency. Zanu PF's idea was to ensure that his presidency was disputed to ensure that it will have legitimacy problems which then Zanu PF will give reference to whenever opposition will raise legitimacy matters. The congress would rubber stamp his authority as the leader of the party and it would help him to maintain grip on the power. Chamisa is firm and don't get surprised to see him wielding an axe on some top officials in the forth-coming appointments. Some people are likely to fall by the way side. There will be a serious re-shuffle and some maybe shown the door from key portfolios mainly because he has affirmed the grip on his presidency. Congress played a pivotal role by re-grouping which Zanu PF would feel unsafe from political maneuvers and future contestations. Zanu PF did not take Chamisa's utterances lightly because of the economic mess we are in, counter measures were put in place to thwart any political threat. Chamisa is a threat both at political contestation and public stunts. This gave Zanu PF a wakeup call to re-organize themselves to thwart any signs of threat from within and external. Zanu PF has state machinery and political maneuvers which MDC lacks, and it was a political miscalculation to announce a series of demonstrations as a result of economic melt-down and this gave Zanu PF lifeline to re-organize and political preparedness ahead of any threat. Politics requires strategic intelligence and playing cards close to your chest. The congress flushed out those who were perceived to have Zanu PF links in some instance or one way or the other. No one disputes his charisma and intellectual capacity as a young leader, and this could also give Zanu PF sleepless nights and hard time to manage such a character. I'm not sure whether Chamisa uttered sentiments suggesting that once he assumes presidency he will fire the securocrats, if it's true then it could be suicidal statements which should never be mentioned before one assumes the executive powers and this will strengthen the powers of hardliners and they will maintain their stance.Icho This Fertility App Is Using Aesthetics To Trick You Out of Birth Control With a lilac backdrop and adorable icons next to words like cervical mucus, the FEMM app is millennial kryptonite. Easy to scroll through and undoubtedly aesthetic, the fertility app is meant to help users get pregnant or avoid pregnancy by inputting information about their periods, emotional states, sex lives, medication, and more. Its too cute to feel clinical. The daily check-in feels like a diary entry, a guided exercise in self-reflectionself-care instead of a doctors appointment. Who knew far-right, anti-abortion Catholic activists had their fingers so firmly on the pulse of youth culture? ADVERTISEMENT A May 30 investigation by The Guardian reveals that behind FEMMs stellar graphic design are an anti-abortion CEO, backing by extremist Catholic funders, and on-deck healthcare consultants who are either unlicensed in the U.S. or flat-out not OB/GYNs. Were the app purely used for women to keep track of their cycles, the politico-religious views of its leadership may not have mattered. But, as CEO Anna Halpine explained in a 2017 YouTube interview with anti-abortion channel Life Network Foundation Malta, once women enter in their information, the app then gives them personalized feedback about their health, their body, and the health choices that they want to make. This includes referring users back to their own doctors and health centers. Halpine first gained notoriety in the Catholic world following a 1999 UN speech advocating for a right to abortion, sexual rights for children, and the removal of parental oversight in sexual matters on behalf of global youth. Appalled by such deplorable ideas, Halpine founded the World Youth Alliance (WYA), according to The Catholic World Report, an organization dedicated to hyper-conservative ideals with a strong anti-abortion bent. Now it shares an office with millennial-friendly, lilac-background, lets-talk-about-the-consistency-of-your-vaginal-discharge FEMM. Furthermore, FEMMs 2017 financial statement, the most recent disclosed on its website, indicates that the organization received a total $618, 653 in contributions that year. More probing on behalf of The Guardian revealed that a significant portion of that funding comes from the Chiaroscuro Foundation, a nonprofit headed by notorious anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion conservative Sean Fieler. Providing just under $3.7 million to FEMM between 2013-2017, their $445, 500 donation in 2017 made up approximately three fourths of the years total contributions. Maybe, just maybe, theres something in FEMMs mission that Fieler can find to agree with? Maybe its the fact that despite appearing like any other fertility trackerpotentially particularly attractive to liberal youth given its millennial styleFEMM promotes a life free of the recommended contraceptives. You know, like condoms and birth control pills. Though youd never guess it from the sweet, little tap through menus asking about how youre feeling that day, a simple browse of the FEMM website reveals clear statements advocating for reliance on fertility cycles to avoid or induce pregnancy, rather than standard birth control methods. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study cited by The Guardian marks this to be one of the least effective methods of birth control, with 24% of women experiencing unwanted pregnancies. The FEMM website, however, falsely claims: FEMM is just as effective but more attractive because it does not risk unpleasant side effects and also empowers women to monitor their health. An investigation of high contraceptive discontinuation rates proposes that women want a method that is both effective and free of side effects, two conditions that FEMM satisfies. Statements like this make it unsurprising that the medical advisers advertised by the application dont really hold upone being a family practitioner rather than an OB/GYN, another lacking a U.S. medical license. No FEMM medical practitioner has the legal means to practice in the United States, most being based out of Chile, according to The Guardian. Without clearly marketing itself as an anti-birth control app, skewed information is spread insidious ways, hidden in plain sight. Take the questions on their online FAQ. One asks, Im on hormonal birth control to manage my irregular cycles, is that good? FEMM answers with a strong no, writing, Birth control pills disrupt or suppress natural hormone production. The anti-birth control, anti-abortion framework behind this popular app is not something that an average user would notice when purchasing or even using the app, but its there, lurking, in every analysis of information and every piece of and advice thats given out. Cleverly tucked away in crafty wording, donations, and the annals of their website, FEMM is peddling risky birth control methods to an unsuspecting audience. Now you know: dont be one of them. Top photo screenshot via Life Network Foundation Malta More from BUST 7 Apps To Help You Get Smart About Sexual Health "Menstrual Serveillance" The Dark Side Of Fertility Tracking Apps Lady Parts Justice League Exposes Crisis Pregnancy Centers That Lie To Women About Abortion Noa Wollstein is an editorial intern at BUST. She is currently a student at Princeton University working towards a B.A. in English, Film, and Journalism. Announced it signed a letter of intent on June 12, 2019 with Melorganics Canada for distribution of Urban Juve products in Greece and Cyprus. The LOI contemplates that Melorganics Canada through its subsidiary Melorganics Hellas will act as the exclusive retail distributor and non-exclusive e-commerce distributor for Urban Juve products in Greece and Cyprus. To maintain exclusivity in the territory, Melorganics must purchase a minimum amount of Urban Juve products of $300,000 in Year 1 and $500,000 in each subsequent year. Urban Juve has retained Biorius SPRL to register its Urban Juve products in the European Union, and Melorganics has agreed to sign the requisite mandate with Biorius for distribution in Greece in accordance with European Regulations. Melorganics will also support Urban Juve sales with a marketing plan tailored to the region. The parties plan to enter into a definitive long form agreement within 30 days. "We are very fortunate to enter the Greek and Cypriot market with fantastic products, the potential is tremendous. Both John and I are very excited and thrilled to be associated with Yield Growth Corp," says Tom Vachliotis Co- Managing Director of Melorganics Canada. The Yield Growth Corp. shares BOSS:CNX are trading up 8.96 percent at $0.37. CBC Pauline Klimek says her 46-year-old husband Joe wasn't looking too good a little over a week ago. He was working at his job in Hamilton's sewage industry when Klimek says Joe's boss sent him home to get a PCR COVID-19 test after seeing he was drowsy. Having used up sick days earlier in the year, unless Joe took his vacation days, he wouldn't be able to return to work or get paid until he received a negative test result. But tests have been hard to come by. "There were only three sites in Ham FILE PHOTO: Hi1710 BMC management chip is seen on a Kunpeng 920 chipset designed by Huawei's Hisilicon subsidiary is on display at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen By Josh Horwitz and Sijia Jiang SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Since the U.S. government put Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on a trade blacklist, effectively banning American firms from doing business with it, China's leaders have spoken boldly about achieving self-sufficiency in the critical semiconductor business. But industry insiders are less optimistic that Chinese chip makers can quickly meet the challenge of supplying all the needs of Huawei and other domestic technology firms. The prospectuses of Chinese chip companies preparing to list on a new tech-focused stock exchange are blunt, characterizing the domestic industry as "relatively backward", lacking in talent and requiring "a long time to catch up". Chinese chip engineers tell tales of local manufacturing that just is not up to snuff, while analysts point out the many areas where China remains reliant on technology from the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Europe, with some questioning whether government policies are in the right place. "Compared to the constraints of equipment, materials, or talent, I think what China lacks more is understanding of the industry," says Gu Wenjun, chief analyst at Shanghai-based consultancy ICWise. He called some of the government subsidies for the industry "counter-productive", because too many well-funded ventures end up chasing the same talent. Government appeals to patriotism also go only so far. A former top engineer the Chinese chip design firm Unisoc, a unit of Tsinghua Unigroup told Reuters the company was often encouraged to use a sister company's memory chips. But that firm, called Guoxin, could not offer technology that was advanced enough. "The internal speeches that were given were always 'Please look at Guoxin because we do want to support the Chinese supply chain'," said the engineer. "But we never got anything we could use." The companies did not respond to requests for comment. Story continues (graphic: https://graphics.reuters.com/HUAWEI TECH-USA-CHIP-CATCHUP/010092PK3JW/index.html) BETTER TECHNOLOGY Chip industry officials outside China caution that the country is making good progress in some areas and should not be under-estimated. For a key type of memory chip known as NAND, for example, Chinese firms are closing the gap. "Money is not an issue for the Chinese government," says one executive at a South Korean memory chip maker who declined to be named, acknowledging China's progress in NAND, or flash chips, which provide long-term data storage. "We cannot stop the Chinese companies, it is a free competition, but we believe we have better technology and a better product." One of China's biggest challenges, however, is in chip manufacturing, an exacting process that requires both highly specialized tools and many years of experience to master. A May report from China's Everbright Securities identified one aspect of the problem. "The manufacturing process relies on equipment, and U.S. firms such as AMAT, LAM, KLA and Teradyne have very high market share in many niche markets," Everbright wrote. "There is no production line in China that uses only equipment made in China, so it is very difficult to make any chipsets without U.S. equipment." Even when Chinese chip makers do have gear from the top chip equipment firms in the United States, Japan and Europe, they cannot always take full advantage. One former engineer at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), China's leading chip production firm, said the equipment vendors often had non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC), the world leader in chip-making. The manufacturing process for advanced chips requires a lot of fine-tuning, and the NDAs covered the crucial tips and tricks on how to best use the machinery and achieve the necessary levels of "yield", or the number of working chips in each batch. "Equipment vendors are all under NDA with TSMC," says the engineer. "If SMIC asks a vendor for instructions, the vendor will only disclose very basic information about the instructions, just to show good faith," he says. A TSMC spokeswoman said: "TSMC has always been diligent in protecting our trade secrets, including signing NDAs with our counterparts." Industry experts say SMIC is consistently about two generations behind TSMC, even with up-to-date equipment. While TSMC was launching chips with circuit widths of just 7 nanometers in 2018, SMIC is only now readying production of 14 nanometer chips - which was state-of-the-art in 2014. Huawei uses TSMC for most of its advanced chipset manufacturing demand and SMIC for low-end products. A former Huawei employee said the company chose TSMC to make its server chips over SMIC because HiSilicon, its semiconductor arm, designed the chip with 7 nanometer technology. Re-designing for SMIC's capabilities was possible, but would result in an inferior chip. SMIC said it was committed to meeting customer needs. "Our 14nm technology will start risk production by 2019, 12nm process development is completed and under customer verification," a spokesman said. Huawei did not respond to requests for comment. TALENT GAP The talent shortage comes up repeatedly, with some analysts noting that it took Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese firms decades to develop their expertise. China has sought to recruit top overseas talent, especially from Taiwan and South Korea, with lucrative contracts, but has not always succeeded. China's CXMT, a maker of DRAM memory chips, tried to recruit a former top Samsung Electronics chip engineer last year, but the South Korean firm obtained a court injunction to block the move this January. The Suwon District Court in South Korea accepted Samsung's request to prevent Kim Chi-wook, who headed DRAM design, from joining the Chinese firm and ordered him not to work for the company until November this year. "Chinese semiconductor companies are estimated to be three years to 10 years behind in technology gap regarding DRAM designing technique," the court wrote, adding that Kim's hiring would help CXMT close the gap and thus hurt Samsung. Samsung and CXMT declined to comment. Kim could not be reached. For microprocessors, the most complex chips, Huawei has developed cutting edge designs for use in its Kirin chips, which power many of its high-end phones. But still relies on overseas firms for key intellectual property and production. Meanwhile Unisoc, the leading Chinese microprocessor company, primarily works with low-end, white-label phones in the $100 range. Rockchip and Allwinner, two other Chinese system-on-a-chip companies, primarily supply white-label tablet computers and smart home devices. Those segments use chips with less demanding technology than high-end phones. Rockchip and Allwinner did not respond to requests for comment. Eric Yang, who invests in Chinese chip companies at venture capital firm Glory Ventures, says that the complex nature of contemporary "system-on-a-chip" microprocessors gives incumbent players an advantage that's hard to break. "It requires a lot of know-how to build a big chip," says Yang, noting that they include separate areas for CPUs, GPUs, and several other components. "Qualcomm might have 800 people working on one part of the chip. If you don't have the talent you can't win, and all the talent is in the U.S." (Reporting by Josh Horwitz in SHANGHAI and Sijia Jiang in HONG KONG; Additional reporting by Ju-min Park in SEOUL, Brenda Goh in SHANGHAI and Shanghai Newsroom; Writing by Jonathan Weber; Editing by Alex Richardson) More than two months after his death, friends of an Edmonton homicide victim still feel pangs of grief when they hear his name. Abubeker Abduraman, also known as Cisco, was killed on March 24 during a shooting at Xhale Lounge on 101st Street and 81st Avenue. On Monday, police issued a Canada-wide warrant for Amin Yussuf, 29, in connection with the homicide. He's wanted for first-degree murder, attempted murder using a firearm and unauthorized possession of a firearm. There's no evidence to suggest Yussuf and Abduraman knew each other, police told CBC News. Abduraman's loved ones remain in a deep state of mourning as investigators continue their investigation. "Right now, nobody's allowed to talk about Cisco, because every time when his name is called somebody starts crying. Even now," said Abduraman's friend, Aklilu Mengiste. "That's how much people loved him." On the night of the shooting, Abduraman visited the shisha lounge Mengiste owns. Before leaving, Abduraman said he'd return later in the evening, Mengiste said. About 45 minutes later, Mengiste got word that his friend had been shot at Xhale Lounge. Facebook Police told CBC News a man who was kicked out of Xhale returned to the bar and started shooting. Abduraman, 26, was found dead inside the bar. "I was shocked," Mengiste said. "Immediately, people started crying the whole crowd in our bar. There was a birthday party, but everybody was crying." After he died, I found out he used to help a lot of poor families back home. - Aklilu Mengiste After immigrating to Canada from Dire Dawa in eastern Ethiopia, Abduraman connected with Edmonton's East-African community. His death is a major loss felt by many, Mengiste said. "After he died, I found out he used to help a lot of poor families back home," Mengiste said. "That makes me really sad." Abduraman drove for Uber and dedicated a portion of his paychecks to people he knew in Ethiopia, Mengiste said. Story continues "There is a lot of people sad because of his death on the other side of the world," he said. "He used to put the bread on their table." Mengiste said he thought of Abduraman as a younger brother a kind, humble man who made people laugh. "I'm glad to be his friend and to know him," Mengiste said. "He will be missed." Armed and dangerous Police said Yussuf has connections to northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Northwest Territories. He's also known by aliases, including Abdirizak Yussuf, Craig Yussuf, Mohemed Yussuf, Mohemed Mohamed and Mohammed Farrah. He is six feet tall and weighs about 180 pounds. Investigators are urging anyone with information about Yussuf's whereabouts to contact police or Crime Stoppers. Police said he is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. By Parisa Hafezi and Maher Chmaytelli DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Iran on Friday for attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf despite Tehran's denials, stoking fears of a confrontation in the vital oil shipping route. Iran has dismissed earlier U.S. charges that it was behind Thursday's attacks that crippled two tankers and has previously threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of globally consumed oil passes, if its oil exports were halted. Thursday's blasts followed a similar attacks a month earlier on four tankers, which Washington also blamed on Tehran. Asked how he planned to address Tehran and prevent any further incidents, Trump told Fox News: "We're going to see." He also said that any move to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers ship crude, would not last long. The U.S. military released a video on Thursday it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind the blasts that struck the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman, at the mouth of the Gulf. Iran said it was being used as a "convenient" scapegoat. Tehran and Washington have both said they have no interest in starting a war. But this has done little to assuage concerns that the two arch foes could stumble into a conflict. Oil prices surged on Thursday, reflecting the jitters, although they have since given up some of those gains. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday the world could not afford "a major confrontation in the Gulf region". China, the European Union and others have called for restraint from all sides. Germany said the U.S. video was not enough to apportion blame for Thursday's attack. The U.S. military said black-and-white footage it filmed from a U.S. aircraft showed Iran's Guards on one of their patrol boats drawing up to the Kokuka Courageous and removing an unexploded limpet mine from its hull. Story continues The Japanese-owned tanker, abandoned by its crew, was being towed to a port in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, after a Dutch firm said it had been appointed to salvage the ships. The second tanker, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, which was set ablaze by a blast, was still languishing at sea, although the fire that had charred the hull had been put out. "ALARMING" Iranian-U.S. tensions ratcheted up after Trump pulled out of a deal last year between Iran and global powers to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for relief from sanctions. Since then Washington has toughened its sanctions regime, force Iran's oil customers to slash their imports. Iran's crude exports fell to about 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May from 2.5 million bpd in April 2018, starving Iran's economy of its main source of revenues. Washington has also blamed Iran or its proxies for attacks on May 12 that crippled four oil tankers in the same area. In addition, it has said Tehran was behind May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations. Tehran has denied the charges. "These accusations are alarming," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, adding that blaming Iran for Thursday's attacks was "convenient" for U.S. officials. Tehran has said the United States and its regional allies, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were "warmongering" by making accusations against Iran. The cause of Thursday's blasts remains unclear. An initial report that Kokuka Courageous was struck by torpedo was dismissed by a source familiar the issue. The owner of the tanker that carried methanol later said it was hit by two "flying objects". A source has said a magnetic mine could have caused the explosion on Front Altair, which had a cargo of naphtha. "UNWISE ESCALATION" Iranian TV showed 23 crew in Iran believed to be from Front Altair on Friday, and said it experts would assess whether they could return to the ship. The crew from Kokuka Courageous were picked up and handed to a U.S. Navy ship on Thursday. U.S. and European security officials cautioned against jumping to conclusions, leaving open the possibility that Iran's proxies, or someone else, might be behind Thursday's attacks. Britain said it took the matter "extremely seriously" and, if Iran was involved, "it is a deeply unwise escalation". The Trump administration said in May it would send troops and other forces to the Middle East, citing Iranian threats, a move Tehran has called "psychological warfare". Pompeo said U.S. policy was to make economic and diplomatic efforts to bring Iran back to negotiations on a broader deal. Thursday's attack took place while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Tehran with a message from Trump. Japan was a big Iranian oil importer until Trump stepped up sanctions. But Iran dismissed Trump's overture, details of which were not made public. "I do not see Trump as worthy of any message exchange, and I do not have any reply for him, now or in future," Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said. In abandoning the nuclear deal, Trump said he wanted Iran to curb its nuclear work and development of missiles, as well as halt support for proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Analysts said Iran could have carried out the attacks in a bid to gain negotiating leverage. "There is always the possibility that somebody is trying to blame the Iranians," said Jon Alterman of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "But there is the greater likelihood that this represents an effort to bolster Iranian diplomacy by creating a perceived international urgency to have the United States and Iran talk." (Reporting by Parisa Hafez, Maher Chmaytelli and Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai, Makini Brice, Susan Heavey, Phil Stewart and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Bart Meijer in Amsterdam; Victoria Klesty in Oslo; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Janet Lawrence) Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands seems to have let the nickname inspire her glamorous look while visiting the country! King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arrived Wednesday for a three-day state visit to Ireland, and their first day was capped off with a state dinner at Aras an Uachtarain, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of Ireland. The royal mom of three, 48, wore a stunning gown by Jan Taminiau in green, the color popularly associated with her host country. She completed her look with emerald accessories including a glittering tiara. Queen Maxima | Patrick van Katwijk/Getty The Dutch Emerald Parure Tiara was created using family emeralds in 1899 and given to Queen Wilhelmina as a present from her mother, Queen Emma, according to the Court Jeweller. Originally there were six emeralds on the tiara, however, two were removed and repurposed to make a set of earrings. The popular tiara is versatile and can also be worn with the emeralds replaced by diamonds or pearls. Princess Annemarie wore the pearl setting for her 2010 wedding. Queen Maxima also wore emerald earrings and the emerald parure brooch from the emerald parure, worn as a pendant on a diamond necklace and capped with the large cabochon emerald pendant. She also wore a emerald bracelet. RELATED: Every Time Kate Middleton Has Worn a Tiara See the Photos! King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima Both King Willem-Alexander and President Michael D. Higgins made speeches at the glamorous evening event. Cant get enough of PEOPLEs Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, President Michael Higgins of Ireland and his wife Sabrina Higgins Royal fans recently saw another emerald tiara take the spotlight: Princess Eugenie borrowed the Greville Emerald Kokoschnik Tiara from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, for her October wedding to Jack Brooksbank. The striking headpiece was originally made by Boucheron for society figure and philanthropist Dame Margaret Helen Greville in 1919, giving the tiara its name. After Grevilles death in 1942, it was handed down to the Queen Mother and subsequently on her death, the collection passed down to the Queen. Princess Eugenie | ANDREW MATTHEWS/AFP/Getty Images Constructed of brilliant and rose cut diamonds pave set in platinum with six emeralds on either side (the center one reportedly a whopping 93.7 karats), the bandeau tiara was in the kokoshnik style that was popular in the Russian court at the early 19th century. Eugenie teamed her extravagant something borrowed with a matching pair of diamond and emerald drop earrings, a gift from her now-husband. Clarification: A previous headline for this article stated that Dr. Richard Sackler predicted the U.S. opioid epidemic. We've changed the headline to reflect that Dr. Sackler's 1996 speech specifically predicted only the rapid rise of Oxycontin prescriptions. The opioid crisis has ravaged through the U.S., taking hundreds of thousands of lives and costing the country an estimated $37 billion. Nearly 400,000 people died from an opioid overdose between 1999 and 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the number of overdose deaths tied to opioids was six times higher in 2017 than it was eight years prior. An average of 130 Americans died every day of an opioid overdose in 2017, according to CDC data. Much of the blame has been placed on pharmaceutical giants for aggressive marketing of prescription opioids and the FDA for lack of regulation. And certain companies made big money off the opioid boom perhaps most notably OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma. The prescription blizzard will be so deep, dense, and white Purdue Pharma created OxyContin. (Photo: Getty Images) Purchased by Dr. Raymond Sackler and his brother Mortimer Sackler in 1952, the company that would become Purdue Pharma started as a NYC-based pharmaceutical firm and evolved into a family-owned behemoth over the next few decades. The companys big break came in 1995 when the FDA approved its drug OxyContin, the first formulation of oxycodone with dosing every 12 hours instead of every 4 to 6 hours. Dr. Richard Sackler, Raymonds son and a Purdue Pharma board member, told a 1996 OxyContin launch party to imagine a series of natural disasters: an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a hurricane, and a blizzard, according to the New York State Attorneys lawsuit against Purdue Pharma. He said: the launch of OxyContin Tablets will be followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition. The prescription blizzard will be so deep, dense, and white A Sackler family tree (Graphic: Reuters) Over the next two decades, that prescription blizzard coincided with a growing U.S. opioid epidemic. Story continues Dr. Sackler used this much-quoted phrase in a speech given at the launch of OxyContin because the airports were closed following the historic blizzard of 1996, and he was a day late to the meeting as a result, David Bernick, an attorney for the Sackler family, said in a statement to Yahoo Finance, adding: The enthusiasm of Dr. Sacklers speech also was totally understandable given the recent FDA approval of the new drug. Purdue Pharma vigorously denies the allegations After pleading guilty to criminal charges in 2007 related to fraudulently marketing of OxyContin from late 1995 to 2001, the Sackler dynastys company is now being taken to court in civil cases across the country. In March, Purdue Pharma reached a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma and that was just the beginning. As of June 12, 48 states and D.C. filed lawsuits against the company. The Pennsylvania lawsuit was blunt: Simply stated, Purdue took advantage of addiction to make money. 48 states and D.C. have sued Purdue Pharma. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance) In a statement to Yahoo Finance, a Purdue spokesman highlighted that a North Dakota judge dismissed the states suit against the company on the grounds that "Purdue cannot control how doctors prescribe its products and it certainly cannot control how individual patients use and respond to its products, regardless of any warning or instruction Purdue may give. North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said the state will appeal the dismissal. Purdue Pharma vigorously denies the allegations contained in litigation against the company and will continue to defend itself against these misleading attacks, the Purdue statement added. These sensationalized claims are part of a continuing effort to try these cases in the court of public opinion rather than the justice system... The recent decision by the North Dakota Court to dismiss all the claims filed by the Attorney General of North Dakota against Purdue is a significant legal victory for the Company that has potential far-reaching ramifications for both the state lawsuits and the claims pending in the multi-district litigation (MDL). The New York lawsuit alleges that seven members of the Sackler family, along with four entities and the other defendants, were entrusted under New York law with critical roles in preventing the misuse and diversion of controlled substances [and] deliberately betrayed those duties through a persistent course of fraudulent and illegal misconduct, in order to profiteer from the plague they knew would be unleashed. The suit further alleges that since 1999, the scourge of opioid addiction unleashed by the Defendants in this action has taken nearly 400,000 lives. Overdose deaths have increased substantially since 1999. (Photo: National Institute on Drug Abuse) And as time goes on, more is known about Purdues role in the epidemic. Theres actually increasing amounts of evidence thats coming out of the woodwork, in part through the multi-district litigation thats particularly damning to Purdue, Rebecca Haffajee, a former lawyer and assistant professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan, told Yahoo Finance. Theres a couple of reasons for that, she continued. There seems to be more coming out that there was an understanding of the addictiveness of their opioids, and particularly Oxycontin that they were manufacturing and selling, then very deliberate trying to market those products to high prescribers, and using very savvy marketing techniques to try to really promote the prescribing of that substance. The statement from Bernick, the Sackler family attorney, asserted that Purdue Pharma ceased any questionable marketing practices in 2001. (In 2007, Purdue and three executives pleaded guilty in federal court to criminal charges of misleading the public about OxyContins addiction risks between 1995 and 2001.) We were directed to lie In New York, Purdue is accused of using aggressive, sophisticated marketing strategies in addition to an army of sales representatives and unbranded patient advocacy websites to change opioid prescribing norms into the 2000s. The scheme was spectacularly successful, the suit stated. From 2000 through 2011, the number of prescriptions for the Manufacturer Defendants opioid drugs more than quadrupled nationwide, even though there was no scientific basis for any significant increase in opioid treatment as medically necessary or appropriate. A Massachusetts lawsuit against the company states that Purdues most powerful tool of deception was sending sales representatives to promote opioids to Massachusetts doctors, nurses, and pharmacists face to face. In the map below, red indicates communities throughout the state of Massachusetts where Purdue promoted opioids since 2007. Each dot represents a city or town where Purdue sales reps promoted opioids in MA. (Photo: Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Purdue Pharma) Chad Brummett, an associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Michigan and the co-director of Michigan OPEN, has studied how prescribers have been influenced as it relates to surgery and dentistry. We know that over time in the mid-90s, when we saw that big uptick in prescribing, the influence went well past cancer pain and chronic pain, he told Yahoo Finance. It certainly spilled into acute pain for both surgery and dentistry. Between 21%-29% of patients who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them, according to recent U.S. government data, and between 8%-12% develop an opioid use disorder. The consistent theme you hear is that... [doctors] increased their prescribing during that time when opioids were considered a mainstay of care, Brummett said. They didnt necessarily notice that patients were doing better, but certainly felt pressured to prescribe more. I believe based on whats been released that influence from the pharmaceutical companies certainly had an influence on prescribing for surgeons and dentists. A pharmacist holds prescription painkiller OxyContin, 40mg pills, made by Purdue Pharma L.D. at a local pharmacy, in Provo, Utah, U.S., April 25, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS/George Frey) New York accused Purdue of using sales representatives to use messaging and materials that were approved of by the company. In doing so, Purdue distorted the benefits and risks of ER opioids. As a sales representative told a reporter: We were directed to lie. Why mince words about it? The pharma industry was aware that the [pain management reform] movement existed and put enormous money behind the people pushing for it, David Herzberg, associate professor of history at State University of New York at Buffalo, previously told Yahoo Finance. What you had was an FDA that was told to get out of the way of the industry. A lot of this money needs to go towards treatment, access to treatment, and future research There are indications that lawsuits and enforcement are helping combat the crisis. President Donald Trump signed opioid legislation in October 2018 that created a federal task force. That task force, the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, arrested 60 people on April 17 including 53 medical professionals linked to roughly 350,000 prescriptions and 32 million pills. And on April 23, former Rochester Drug Co-Operative (RDC) CEO Laurence Doud III was charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Douds lawyer said that his 75-year-old client, who retired in 2017, was being scapegoated and would fight the charges. This prosecution is the first of its kind, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman stated. Executives of a pharmaceutical distributor and the distributor itself have been charged with drug trafficking trafficking the same drugs that are fueling the opioid epidemic that is ravaging the country. At the time, a company spokesman stated that RDC understands that these mistakes, directed by former management, have serious consequences. We accept responsibility for those mistakes. We can do better, we are doing better, and we will do better. Former Rochester Drug Co-Operative CEO Laurence Doud III stands outside US. District Court in Manhattan, Tuesday, April 23, 2019, after he was indicted on what federal prosecutors say are the first-ever criminal charges against a drug company executive stemming from the opioid crisis. (Photo: AP/Kathy Willens) Drugmakers are facing financial strain from the litigation. In March, Purdue CEO Craig Landau told the Washington Post that the company is considering bankruptcy in the face of legal costs. On June 10, Insys Therapeutics filed for bankruptcy amid mounting legal costs from a federal probe allegations that it bribed doctors to prescribe drugs. As for whats next for the crackdown on opioids, Brummett believes that anything that brings meaningful amounts of money back into communities to create sustainable change would be positive. Specifically, I believe a lot of this money needs to go towards treatment, access to treatment, and future research. ... This is an opportunity to fund the kind of practices, change, and research needed to make sustainable changes. Haffajee added that it goes beyond money. To me, when I think about the value of these types of public health litigation strategies, one big thing weve already seen with this litigation has been the publicity, and its in the news all the time, she said. People are much more aware of the role that pharma may have played in the whole crisis, and are just more wary of the risks of addiction associated with opioids. And while public photos of the Sackler family are relatively rare, its no question that the Sacklers ran Purdue Pharma from the moment they bought it. The other reason why the Sacklers, in particular, are susceptible to liability is because they so closely run their company, Purdue Pharma, and they really control their board, Haffajee said. They have very heavy influence on all the decisions that the company makes. For other companies, thats not as true. Adriana is an associate editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells. READ MORE: Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit. This blog covers the post contact history of people, places, organizations and events in the City of Casey and Cardinia Shire. Everyone has a story, every thing has a story and this blog tells and shares these stories. Connect app carries events, student org & campus life info Working on Connect, University of Wisconsin-Stouts student community platform built in CampusGroups software, had led one student to employment at the company in New York City starting Wednesday, July 3. Megan Luedke, graphic design and interactive media major who graduated May 4, worked for the Memorial Student Center design team when the university switched information platforms to UW-Stout Connect. The app is a resource for all aspects of campus life, including department and student organization events, bus routes, dining options, ride share, student accounts and more. I helped students learn the platform and helped create the Involvement Center page, she said. Luedke and other student designers spent the summer using her design and web development skills to create the look of the entire platform and the marketing to students, faculty and staff. Jennifer Lee, associate director of the student center, traveled in March to Los Angeles and did a presentation on UW-Stouts move to the CampusGroups platform during the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators conference. Luedke created a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the campus transition, including the marketing strategy that featured student design work. It was very exciting to showcase the talents of our Stout students, Lee said. At the conference, Lee met CampusGroups chief executive officer and founder Yorck Ser, who was impressed with the student design work and mentioned CampusGroups was hiring. Lee told Luedke and other student designers at the Involvement Center about the employment opportunity. Luedke sent her resume to the company, was interviewed and was delighted to be hired. She loves to design and has user experience too, Lee said. Im so excited for her. I loved working with her. She was always up for a challenge and exceeded my expectations. Megan has such a great attitude. Having an alumna at CampusGroups will also benefit UW-Stout as students, faculty and staff continue to use Connect. That connection will enhance our excellent relationship with the company, Lee said. CampusGroups is an amazing software company that is advanced enough to meet all our needs and requests and nimble enough to customize the platform, Lee said. Every idea we have had, they have found a way to make it happen. At CampusGroups, 902 Broadway St. in Manhattan, Luedke will work on website design, marketing and social media. I know it from a student perspective and how students use it, she said of CampusGroups. Im excited about moving to New York City and having an opportunity to be out there, she added. I didnt think I would have that option immediately after graduation. I enjoy being able to travel and go to new places. Im excited about working with CampusGroups. I know their platform really well. Luedke, of Manawa in central Wisconsin, is in Oaxaca, Mexico, through mid-June to finish two classes for her minor in Spanish, including business Spanish and a class on myths and realities of the Mexican national state. The trip is led by assistant professor and Spanish minor adviser Kevin Anzzolin. This is her third study abroad experience with UW-Stout. She did a yearlong program in Germany at the Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. Last summer she spent three weeks in Amsterdam as part of a summer design class led by UW-Stout Associate Professor Robert Fraher. Luedke also has a minor in applied global languages. In Germany, she helped design a mission patch for Alexander Gerst, a German astronaut. In June 2018 he rocketed into space from Kazakhstan with two crew members and docked at the International Space Station as part of the Horizons mission. Luedke was interested in art while in high school and took part in the Wisconsin Arts Education Association Visual Arts Classic. She learned graphic design through the art competition and found she really enjoyed it. UW-Stout attracted her because of the major and opportunities to study in other countries. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 At the 2019 IPCPR Trade Show, Joya de Nicaragua will release a Connecticut Shade cigar under its Antano brand known as Antano CT. With the Antano CT, Joya de Nicaragua says, it seems tamer than its bolder Antano brethren. Dont be fooled. Antano CT is a masterful and paradoxical blend of what a cigar with attitude can be. The blend features an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. It is available in four sizes each in 20-count boxes including: Robusto, Toro, Belicoso, and Corona Gorda. Today, Antano is not just one cigar blend, it is a family of products that invite smokers to Keep Daring, to try powerful and intense blends with distinctive Nicaraguan character. That is why we invite cigar lovers to dare to try the Antano interpretation of what a Connecticut wrapped cigar should be, said Juan Ignacio Martinez, Executive President at Joya de Nicaragua in a press release. This smoke is definitely an intense experience, the intriguing result of master blenders on a paradoxical quest: the creation of a flavor bomb like the rest of the Antanos but with this wrapper. It became a real challenge for us at the factory, torcedores and blenders, we all wanted to defy an industry mantra, we knew we could make a truly interesting CT cigar, added Mario Perez, Joya de Nicaraguas Factory Manager. The 2019 IPCPR Trade Show opens July 29th, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Plans are for Antano CT to ship to retailers nationwide in July. At a glance, here is a look at the Joya de Nicaragua Antano CT: Blend and Origin Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A. Vitolas Offered Robusto: 5 x 52 (SRP $8.45) Corona Gorda: 5 1/4 x 46 (SRP $8.00) Toro: 6 x 50 (SRP $9.70) Belicoso: 6 x 54 (SRP $9.90) Photo Credits: Joya de Nicaragua Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised Filipinos to refrain from travelling to Sudan, where the third highest crisis alert level is raised due to ongoing unrest. Violence and unrest rose in the northeast African country as protesters call for civilian rule following the ouster of its former president Omar al-Bashir. This prompted the DFA to raise Alert Level 2 or "Restriction Phase," which is issued if there are real threats to the lives, security and properties of Filipinos due to instability in a particular country. The DFA said Filipinos in the area are "advised to restrict non-essential movements, avoid public places, and prepare for evacuation." The DFA said overseas Filipino workers will only be allowed to return to Sudan "if they have existing employment contracts and in consideration of other special circumstances." Filipinos seeking assistance in Sudan may contact the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt at (+202) 252-13062 or through its Facebook Page. They may also contact the Philippine Honorary Consul in Khartoum at (+249) 183-468717 or (+249) 183-468716. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14) The anti-graft court has denied former Senator Jinggoy Estrada's bid to dismiss his plunder case, saying the prosecution's evidence shows his possible involvement in the pork barrel scam. The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division released the decision Thursday. It read: Ultimately the prosecution was able to establish that Napoles and Estrada agreed to funnel the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) allocation of Estrada through the bogus NGOs (non-government organizations) MAMFI (Masaganang Ani Para Sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc. ) and SDPFFI (Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation Inc.) of Napoles for a percentage commissions ranging from 40-60% of PDAF in exchange for kickbacks and commissions to be divided among themselves. Estrada filed the demurrer to evidence in March 27 this year. He was allowed by the court to file the petition for dismissal pending his trial. Also named in the court's decision is Janet Lim Napoles, the mastermind of the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam. She has been detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City. According to the Sandiganbayan, Napoles filed a separate demurrer on March 28. The court consolidated the demurrers through the Office of the Special Prosecutors on April 8. A demurrer to evidence is an option for the accused to seek dismissal of a case for lack of evidence halfway through the trial, based on evidence presented by the prosecution. When Estrada filed the demurrer, he waived his right to present evidence to prove his innocence. Estrada is accused of pocketing at least 183 million by funneling his pork barrel to fake non-government organizations owned by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles. He was allowed to post bail in 2017 and ran for senator in the midterm elections, but lost his bid for a seat. In February, he told CNN Philippines Politics as Usual that he wanted plunder to be among the crimes punishable by the death penalty. Estrada has yet to issue a statement on the Sandiganbayan's decision. CNN Philippines correspondent AC Nichols contributed to this report. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14) Provisional third telecommunications provider Mislatel consortium may be granted its authority to operate on July 8, but its links to the Chinese government continue to loom over its credibility. Speaking to CNN Philippines, Business Roundup, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio said China Telecommunications Corporation does not necessarily have to use Huawei products for its infrastructure. "China Telecom said that they will not necessarily get Huawei products for their infrastructure here," Rio said in an interview with CNN Philippines' Business Roundup. Provisional third telecommunications provider Mislatel consortium may be granted its authority to operate on July 8, but its links to the Chinese government continue to loom over its credibility. China Telecom is a state-owned telecommunications firm that owns 40 percent of the Mislatel consortium's shares, while local firms Udenna Corporation and Chelsea Logistics split the remaining 60 percent. Huawei, a powerhouse Chinese telecom equipment maker, has recently been blacklisted in the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring the company as a security threat. "The government is of course concerned with the executive order that President Trump came up with, but we are only one of the 170 countries where Huawei equipment have been made available to networks," Rio said. He added that major telco players Globe Telecom and Smart Communications have been using Huawei technology and have signed partnerships with the Chinese giant for their 5G internet infrastructure. "What we did was to make it the responsibility of the telcos that they will be responsible in assuring the government and the people that their networks will not be used as a threat to our national security, or else they will lose their license," Rio said. DICT: Mislatel to be granted authority to operate on July 8 | https://t.co/sDo55hwVGt pic.twitter.com/kgaO9PuIWX CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) June 14, 2019 Mislatel rollout soon In a recent disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Chelsea Logistics said that the Mislatel consortium will be operational by July. "Were really hoping to get everything fixed by July," Chelsea President and CEO Chryss Alfonsus V. Damuy said. Chelsea Logistics is a subsidiary of Dennis Uy's Udenna Corporation. This was confirmed by Rio, who said that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) can grant the consortium its authority to operate and its required frequencies as early as July 8. "By the first year they will more or less have service in 37 percent of our country," Rio said, adding that these would cover major urban areas. Improved internet speed Vis-a-vis its initiative to assist a third telco player to break the current Smart-Globe telco duopoly, the DICT is also working on improving internet speed in the country. "We are going into what we call a shared massive telecommunication structure," Rio said. He explained that the department has been in contact with companies that could lay out fiber optics infrastructure, which they can lease to the telco companies, the government, and other telco players. "This will be laid out late this year and we can feel the effect of this before the end of 2020," he added. A recent study by analytics company Opensignal reported that the Philippines has the 16th slowest internet download speed and 11th slowest upload speed among 87 countries. The nation has an average mobile internet download speed of of 7.0 Mbps and an average upload speed of 2.2 Mbps. 4G technology is available to 72.4 percent of mobile data users. READ: The Philippines continues to lag behind in mobile data speed (CNN) It's been a rough year for the Catholic Bishops in the United States. Several including a former cardinal have been accused of sexual harassment and other misconduct. Other bishops have allegedly covered up the sins and crimes of other clergy. Since the sexual abuse crisis escalated last summer, more than one in four of Americans Catholics say they have scaled back Mass attendance or cut donations to their parish, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. This week, at their annual meeting in Baltimore, the bishops said they've received the message. "We, the bishops of the United States, have heard the anger expressed by so many within and outside of the church over these failures," the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement overwhelmingly approved Thursday by 229 voting bishops. "The anger is justified; it has humbled us, prompting us into self-examination, repentance and a desire to do better." At their spring meeting, the country's Catholic bishops showed how they'll try to translate that desire into action. Traditionally, bishops have held a great deal of autonomy in their diocese, with only the Pope providing oversight. But in a brisk, businesslike manner, the U.S. Catholic bishops adopted four measures designed to create more accountability, transparency and trust with lay Catholics. On Wednesday, the bishops voted to create a 1-800-hotline and website to field complaints of misconduct by bishops. The hotlines will be monitored by a third-party, according to the resolution, which will forward allegations to the senior archbishop in the region, the Vatican's U.S. ambassador and to civil authorities, if criminal activity is alleged. The measure passed by a vote of 205-16. A day later, the bishops adopted a protocol outlining steps they can take to restrict retired bishops who were "removed for or resigned from their office for a grave reason," including sexual abuse or covering up misconduct. Bishops, the protocols say, can restrict a retired bishops' right to preach and celebrate sacraments, deny their burial in church cathedrals and cut funds for travel or "secretarial assistance." In many ways, that measure was a response to revelations about Theodore McCarrick, the former Cardinal archbishop of Washington, who was defrocked by Pope Francis in February after a series of accusations that he had slept with seminarians and sexually abused minors. McCarrick has denied the charges. The bishops' reputations took another hit last week when an internal church report obtained by the Washington Post accused West Virginia's former bishop of sexually harassing young priests and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury items and gifts to powerful clerics. Bishop Michael Bransfield, who was removed from ministry last March, denied the accusations, saying he looks forward to his Vatican trial. The 'metropolitan model' On Thursday in Baltimore, the Catholic bishops approved a plan to implement new church laws Pope Francis issued in May regarding the sexual abuse of minors and other vulnerable people, as well as church leaders who mishandle such accusations. That plan centers on the "metropolitan," the senior archbishop in a church province. In the United States, the 196 dioceses (each overseen by a bishop) are grouped into 32 provinces. The archbishops who head those provinces will be tasked with leading investigations into bishops and giving the information to the Vatican to render a final decision. Before the vote on the proposal, some Catholics, including Francis Cesareo, the head of the USCCB's National Review Board, said the plan essentially trusts bishops to police themselves. "Not involving laity with competence and expertise in leading the review process would signal a continuation of a culture of self-preservation that would suggest complicity," Cesareo said in an address to the bishops on Tuesday. Much of the debate between then and Thursday, when the bishops voted on the proposal, centered on the role of lay Catholics. Several bishops and other Catholic leaders insisted that non-clergy must be involved in the investigations if the process is to be trusted. "Lay involvement should be mandatory to ensure that we bishops do not harm the church, especially in the ways that we have learned about during the past year," said Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri. McKnight's comments were applauded by the other bishops. To that end, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, one of the Pope's key allies in the United States, suggested amending the proposal to codify how and when lay people should be involved in investigating bishops. (Under church law, only the Pope has ultimate oversight of the bishops.) Cupich's amendment, which passed by voice vote on Thursday, urges each Metropolitan to appoint a qualified lay person to receive reports of misconduct by bishops. That person would also be responsible for informing the public about how to report cases involving bishops. Another amendment, offered by McKnight and also approved by the bishops, makes clear that the Metropolitan should appoint a lay person to help run the investigation itself. The "metropolitan model" worked well, Catholic leaders here said, in the Bransfield investigation, which was run by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore with help from five lay investigators, some of whom were not Catholic. But even the Bransfield report was stained by scandal. Lori apologized for editing the report to omit the fact that he and other bishops had received tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from Bransfield. He pledged to return $7,500 to West Virginia Catholic charities. "If I had to do it over again, especially at a time when we are trying to create greater accountability and transparency, the report would've included the names of those bishops who received gifts, including my own," Lori said in a video statement. Finally, all but one of the bishops here voted to approve what is essentially a re-affirmation of their vows as bishops, with a special focus on the abuse crisis. In some ways, the document "Affirming Our Episcopal Commitments" is a road map for how the bishops plan to rebuild trust amid a crisis that has cost hundreds of millions in legal settlements and much more, perhaps, in moral capital. The US Catholic bishops' 10 commitments 1. To reach out to clergy sex-abuse survivors and their families, helping them find healing and care. 2. To follow the Pope's new guidelines on holding bishops accountable to "higher moral standards." 3. To publicize information about how people can make accusations of sexual abuse by bishops. 4. To include lay people in investigating misconduct by bishops. 5. To amend church codes of conduct to explicitly include bishops and all who work for the church. 6. To ensure that these codes of conduct clearly explain what constitutes sexual misconduct and harassment of adults. 7. To live chastely, with no "double" or "secret" lives. 8. To put the needs of the people making accusations of abuse above institutional concerns, including cooperation with lay experts and civil authorities. 9. To attend seminars and other church gatherings to learn best practices for dealing with sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable persons. 10. To recommend to the Vatican only proposed bishops "truly suited for the episcopacy." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Here's 10 steps US Catholic bishops just promised to take to finally end the sexual abuse crisis." (CNN) Encrypted messaging platform Telegram said it experienced a "powerful" cyberattack on Wednesday during massive protests in Hong Kong. The attempted distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attack was aimed at flooding the app with so much traffic that it impaired normal service. It originated from "IP addresses coming mostly from China," Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on Twitter. The impact was felt way beyond China. "We're currently experiencing a powerful DDoS attack, Telegram users in the Americas and some users from other countries may experience connection issues," the company said in a tweet. The attack "coincided in time with protests in Hong Kong," where people were coordinating on Telegram groups, Durov said. Hundreds of thousands of people have flooded the streets of Hong Kong this week, protesting against a controversial bill that would allow alleged criminals to be extradited to China. They fear the bill will leave anyone in Hong Kong vulnerable to extradition by Chinese authorities for political reasons or business offenses, undermining the city's legal system. The former British colony was returned to China in 1997, when Beijing agreed to guarantee its semi-autonomous legal system and certain democratic freedoms for the next 50 years under a policy known as "one country, two systems." Hong Kong lawmakers were due to debate the extradition bill on Wednesday, but that debate was postponed after the latest round of protests resulted in violent clashes. Many of the protesters have been using Telegram to coordinate their efforts. The messaging platform is designed to allow users to send messages protected by end-to-end encryption the kind authorities can't intercept easily. CNN teams on the ground were told that the Telegram groups where people can get information about the Hong Kong protests range in number from hundreds of members to tens of thousands. Telegram, which says it has 200 million users worldwide, has been used in protests before, including anti-government demonstrations in Iran last year. The Berlin-based app uses two layers of encryption, allows users to remain anonymous, and claims to be faster and more secure than other messaging services. It has come under fire in the past for being the preferred app of terrorists. Russia banned it last year after the company refused to provide encryption keys to the FSB, a Russian security agency. This story was first published on CNN, "Telegram reports powerful cyberattack from China during Hong Kong protests." Several Platte County residents recently reappointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts to various Nebraska boards and commissions say theyre proud to be serving their state. Platte Center farmer and former State Sen. Arnie Stuthman, who preceded Paul Schumacher in representing the 22nd District in the Nebraska Legislature from about 2002-2011, was recently reappointed to the Nebraska Invasive Species Council. Stuthman, a Columbus High School graduate, has served on the board since its formation. But, he noted, he enjoys being part of it. I am happy he (Ricketts) reappointed me because I enjoy being of service to the State of Nebraska and for Platte County as a representative, Stuthman said, adding he takes pride in being a local farmer and livestock feeder. I like being of service to this county. The Nebraska Invasive Species Council is an advisory group that coordinates invasive species management and research across the state for the prevention and detection of invasive plant and animal species, according to information released by the State of Nebraska. The Council serves as an advisory council to the Nebraska Legislature and the governor on invasive species issues. Through a coordinated effort among agencies, the Council aims to minimize the effects of invasive species to ensure economic and environmental well-being. The Nebraska Invasive Species Program is a nonprofit organization which works to protect Nebraskas natural resources by providing outreach and coordinating the Advisory Council. The term is two years and members meet as much as needed. Stuthman said there are several important concerns the council is dealing with, such as the growing cedar tree issue. Nebraska lawmakers in recent years have attempted to address fast-spreading tree species, such as Eastern red cedar trees. Easter red cedar trees are native to the Plains but have spread out of control more recently, which is problematic because the trees suck up groundwater and sunlight at the expense of other plants, according to an Associated Press report. Theyre taking over pastures, Stuthman said. So were working very hard on that. Platte County was well-represented on the governors list of appointments. Columbus Justin King was also reappointed to the council, as reported by The Telegram last week. King is a proud "born-and-raised Nebraskan, having grown up on a farm near Newman Grove. I have been around the outdoors and farming my whole life, said King, a senior environmental specialist for Nebraska Public Power District. King received his B.S. in biology from Midland Lutheran College and his M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Grand Island with threatened and endangered species. But since 1993, he has worked in the environmental department for NPPD in Columbus. Besides invasive species, he works with power plants, river and lake monitoring, fisheries and bird powerline interactions, according to state information. King said he has always been interested and compelled to find ways to save the natural environment, adding he enjoys working alongside others on the council. Its a great group to work with, King said. Its a bunch of smart, educated thinking outside-of-the-box people who are very good to work with. Nebraska Invasive Species Program Coordinator Allison Zach said Stuthman and King are valuable assets to the group, noting theyve been part of it since its 2012 formation and helped get the bill for its start passed (for more information on this council, visit Neinvasives.com). They attend monthly meetings and are very important members of the community of our council because theyve been around since the beginning, she said. Both bring unique backgrounds to the table, she noted. Zach said Stuthmans time as a state senator is beneficial because he has political know-how and rural country perspective of what his neighbors and fellow farmers are concerned about. King has been a really important person as weve developed aquatic invasive species management plans, she said. Fellow area residents Todd Tuls and Deb Loseke were also reappointed to the Dairy Industry Development Board and Nebraska Tourism Commission, respectively. Ive certainly enjoyed serving on the tourism commission and I look forward to the next four years of serving, said Loseke, director of the Columbus/Platte County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Loseke, who served the last four years on the commission, said shes happy to be on the commission for another four years. She highlighted the states new slogan, Honestly, its not for everyone. Weve certainly come along way, especially with our new campaign, she said, referencing the marketing campaign that made waves last year and caught attention nationally with people like CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert. Tuls was not available for comment for this story, but last served on the same board from 2004-2007, according to Kathleen Dolezal from the Office of Gov. Pete Ricketts. As for Stuthman, he reiterated his love for Platte County and what he said he feels makes it special. To me, Platte County and the Columbus area, Im proud of this area because of the industry growing in Columbus and the workplace opportunities for many, many people, he said. And I enjoy being of service to this county. Ricketts praised all who commit their time to helping Nebraska grow. "Thank you to the many Nebraskans that give generously of their time and talent to make a difference in our state," he said, in a release. "These appointments will provide crucial insight and expertise to their respective boards, committees and commissions." Matt Lindberg is the managing editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach him via email at matt.lindberg@lee.net. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Washington, D.C., June 14, 2019Authorities in the Russian republic of Dagestan should immediately drop the charges against Makhachkala-based journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and release him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, the Dagestan security services detained Gadzhiev, editor of the religious section of Makhachkala-based independent newspaper Chernovik, on terrorism charges, according to his employer and other media reports. They also searched his home in his absence, and seized phones and computers, according to his employer and news reports. Gadzhievs lawyer said the journalist is facing criminal charges of participation in a terrorist organization for allegedly wiring money to a man suspected by the Russian government of financing terrorist organizations, according to news website MBK News. Chernoviks staff denied the charges and alleged that they were in retaliation for Gazhiyevs work, the news outlet reported. If found guilty, Gadzhiev could face up to 20 years in prison, according to Russian criminal code. Charging journalists with support of terrorism has become a too-common tactic in the North Caucasus aimed at silencing critical voices, and we call on the authorities to release Abdulmumin Gadzhiev immediately, said Gulnoza Said, CPJs Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator, in New York. Instead of bringing absurd charges against yet another Chernovik journalist, Russian law enforcement should find the murderers of the papers founder, Gadzhimurad Kamalov. On December 15, 2011, an unknown assailant fired 14 times as Kamalov was leaving work, according to CPJ research. The high-profile murder remains unsolved, as CPJ has reported. Another chief editor of Chernovik, Nadira Isayeva, whom CPJ honored with its International Press Freedom Award in 2010, had to flee Russia fearing persecution for her work, CPJ has documented. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Dagestan did not immediately respond to CPJs emailed request for comment on Gadzhievs case. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram The Torch is a weekly newsletter from the Committee to Protect Journalists that brings you the latest press freedom and journalist safety news from around the world. Subscribe here. Nicaraguan journalists Miguel Mora and Lucia Pineda Ubau were released Tuesday after nearly six months in jail. The charges were dropped under a controversial amnesty law passed last week. In Russia, prominent investigative journalist Ivan Golunov was released Tuesday following an international outcry and support from the Russian public and the journalistic community, including three top Russian dailies. Golunov had been arrested and allegedly beaten in police custody on June 6. Violence against journalists continues in Mexico, as reporter Norma Sarabia was shot and killed Tuesday evening at her residence in Tabasco state. Early Wednesday morning, journalist Marcos Miranda Cogco was abducted in Boca del Rio, Veracruz. As protests break out in Russia, Haiti, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Sudan, and Algeria, journalists are at increased risk of injury or arrest. CPJs Emergencies Response Team provides up-to-date safety information on covering civil unrest, as well as risk assessments and digital security in multiple languages. Follow our Twitter account for important safety alerts. Global press freedom updates CPJ this week reiterated its call for withdrawal or modification of Hong Kong extradition bill amid protests Iran charges Telegram news channel Gam reporters over labor coverage German draft legislation would enable intelligence agencies to spy on journalists Austrian politician Strache sues German newspapers over Ibiza video Indian police open criminal investigation into journalist Vishweshwar Bhat; separately, police arrest three journalists for airing defamatory content against Uttar Pradesh chief minister South African court rules opposition politician Malema, EFF violated Electoral Code of Conduct in Karima Brown doxxing incident Nigerian journalist Kofi Bartels says police beat him, threatened him with sexual assault Venezuelas Supreme Court orders news site La Patilla to pay an exorbitant US$5m in damages to former Vice-President Cabello CPJ joins call for UN to continue scrutinizing human rights situation in Eritrea Ivory Coast presidential hopeful Soro should drop complaint against journalist CPJ calls on Liberian authorities to ensure internet and social media access Croatian journalist Danijel Majic assaulted, harassed while covering an event attended by far-right supporters in Austria. A Croatian publication later published photographs of Majic alongside other journalists covering the event, referring to them as enemies of Croatia Algerian state broadcaster suspends two journalists amid reporters sit-ins In a letter to the Yemeni ambassador in Washington D.C. last week, CPJ called on Yemeni government to ensure that the rights of all journalists are respected Spotlight Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Do you have an Amazon Alexa-enabled device? Enable CPJ's flash briefing skill to stay up to date with the latest press freedom news from around the world. or at least, as Merpel says, together with the print and ink newspaper format Every principle and assumption upon which we have built our libraries for the best hundred years is being questioned today. The book is a marvelous technology for use, but it is a cumbersome dissemination format and increasingly frail storage format in this age of rapid telecommunications. Scholars should not have to go to the library for information stored in books and journals, [and] then to the computer center for information stored electronically. one of the key figures of the last of the 20th century because of the leadership she has brought to the area of information management in the country. Full disclosure, Mrs. Kat was a librarian. Where copyright contents and the printed word are concerned, nothing so divides the over and under 40-year olds than the cultural role of the library []. This Kat's father arrived as an immigrant to the US from South America after World War II and immediately went about trying to learn enough English (it being his fifth spoken language) to manage his daily affairs.The solution was to buy a movie ticket as early as possible in the day and stay for as long as he could in the movie theatre. Mastery of reading and writing was an unaffordable luxury.But for this Kat and his generation, television having become a household staple, and reading and writing the gateway to acculturation, the movie theatre was of less interest. It was his local public library that became the holy of holies.That library was one of many funded by Andrew Carnegie (over 2500 world-wide). Perhaps the steel baron was doing charitable penance for the questionable means that he had used on his route to tycoondom. Whatever his motivation, the local library became this Kat's home away from home. The library was his passport to the wider world, and its sounds, smells and tactile sensations took on a spiritual, almost mystical, significance.Then came the digital revolution and its challenge to the library as we knew it. And with it arose an unlikely champion, Patricia Battin , who died on April 22th, at the age of 89, as reported on June 5th by. In her death, IPKat recounts her struggles, dating back to the 1970's, on behalf of reconciling between the physical and the digital in the service of the once and future library.Armed with a BA degree in English from Swarthmore College , Mr. Battin knew about books and their contents. Not surprisingly, perhaps, she entered the world of the library, which was at the cusp of an almost existential challenge. As she later noted--She took up the challenge.In Ms. Battin's view, the ultimate role of the library was the preservation of contents rather than the vessel in which they were contained. To that end, digitization could be an ally in the face of the physical deterioration of books and the demands of space placed upon the library. She observed--Not that Ms. Battin saw the end of the book. But it would become only one of several such means for disseminating contents. And when the physical book could no longer provide a physical vessel for its contents, technology was there to save its contents. Her career was dedicated to promoting this vision. Ms. Battin rose in the library world to become the director of library services at Columbia University in 1974, thereby being the first woman to serve as head of the library at an Ivy League institution. Soon thereafter she created among the earliest electronic card catalogues. Later, as vice president for information services at Columbia, she became one of the first institutional librarians to oversee both the services of the traditional library and the institution's information technology.She leveraged her dual role to implement what, at the time, was a radical concept, repositioning the library as "one-stop information shopping center", where old and new formats for maintaining and distributing information would become complements rather than zero-sum alternatives. In her own words--She is also credited with spearheading the efforts for institutions to share materials, critical in the face of already declining resources for acquisitions.In 1999, Ms. Battin received the National Humanities Medal from President Bill Clinton in recognition of having converted millions of decaying books into microfilm. The chancellor of Emory University later called herSo many of her initiatives seem obvious in our present moment that we tend to forget the pushback that she received at the time. The claim was that in a headlong dash to embrace technology, the result would be the needless destruction of original documents.Perhaps her most vigorous opponent was the author, Nicholson Baker . No, he argued, books were not crumbling. As he saw it, Ms. Battins scheme only led (in the words of theobituary), to the guillotining of book bindings to flatten the pages for the microfilm camera. The real enemy was reformatting. Then, as now, the polemics took over.magazine importuned Dont Burn Books! Burn Librarians! [But, at the end of the day, books survive, and libraries survive, even if the librarian is now more likely to be called an information specialist and digitization is all over. Given the visceral importance of the library to this Kat and his generation, he can only say to Ms. Battin"thank you. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Bogota, Colombia, June 14, 2019Colombian authorities should conduct a swift and comprehensive investigation into the killing of radio journalist Libardo Montenegro and ensure those responsible are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Two gunmen shot Montenegro on the evening of June 11, in Samaniego, a town in Narino department which borders Ecuador, according to the Bogota-based Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), which cited local police, and news reports. Montenegro, 40, hosted several programs that covered local news and cultural affairs for the independent community radio station Samaniego Estereo. The violent death of Libardo Montenegro shows the dangerous conditions for journalists working in the more volatile regions of Colombia, said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna. Colombian authorities should fully investigate Montenegros killing, including whether journalism may have been the motive, and bring all those responsible to justice. Montenegros colleagues and local authorities told FLIP they were not aware of him receiving any threats. FLIP director Pedro Vaca told CPJ that authorities had yet to establish a motive. On the day he was killed, Montenegro interviewed a local journalist about an event in Samaniego to promote peace and human rights amid a rise in violence in the region, according to FLIP, who spoke with his colleague. Narino is one of Colombias most violent departments and is home to drug trafficking gangs and dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia [FARC], the Marxist guerrilla group that disarmed under a 2016 peace treaty, according to Insight Crime, a research group that investigates organized crime in Latin America. Last year, CPJ documented how two Ecuadoran journalists and their driver were kidnapped and killed by dissident FARC members in Narino department. The Foundation for Development and Peace, based in the Narino capital of Pasto, described Montenegro as a human rights defender and said on Twitter that he is the fifteenth human rights worker to be killed in Narino this year. Narino governor Camilo Romero declared on Twitter: Local journalism is in mourning and Fernando Carillo, the Colombian governments inspector general, called the killing an attack on press freedom. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram New York, June 14, 2019 The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the decision by Turkeys judiciary to charge two Bloomberg reporters over their coverage of the Turkish economy. A criminal court in Istanbul accepted an indictment charging the reporters Kerim Karakaya and Fercan Yalnklc with undermining Turkeys economic stability, and requesting that they be imprisoned, according to their employer and media reports. If convicted, the journalists could be jailed for up to five years. The indictment comes after the Turkish banking regulator BDDK filed a criminal complaint, according to reports. The charges stem from an August 10, 2018 article that Karakaya and Yalnklc wrote about how Turkish authorities and banks were responding to the currency shock. The notion that Bloombergs meticulous financial reporting could somehow be a threat to Turkeys economic stability and a violation of its laws is hard to fathom, said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. Todays indictment represents a further escalation of Turkeys press freedom crackdown and is of deep concern. The indictment also names 36 people who allegedly shared and commented on the Bloomberg report via social media, according to reports. They are accused of sharing false, wrong, or deceptive information to affect the markets. Under Turkeys Capital Market Law 107/2, the charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison or a judicial fine. CPJs calls to the BDDK today went unanswered. In a statement today, the BDDK said it had only filed complaints against the Bloomberg journalists. Bloombergs editor-in-chief John Micklethwait condemned the indictment and said that the journalists had reported fairly and accurately on newsworthy events. An Istanbul criminal court is due to hear the case in September 20, Bloomberg reported. [EDITORS NOTE: This alert has been updated to include details of the BDDK statement.] Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp LinkedIn Email Telegram Nairobi, June 14, 2019 Authorities in Uganda should end the criminal proceedings against Pidson Kareire, managing editor of privately owned news website The Drone Media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 12, police in the capital, Kampala, arrested Kareire on charges, filed on April 30, of four counts of criminal libel and four counts of offensive communication, according to the journalists lawyer, Daniel Walyemera, who spoke to CPJ, and a charge sheet seen by CPJ. The charges stem from The Drone Medias reporting on a local recruitment firm, Middle East Consultants Limited, according to Walyemera and the charge sheet. Today, Kareire pled not guilty to the charges, was released on a noncash bail of 10 million Uganda shillings ($2,670), which he would only be required to pay if he failed to appear at his next scheduled court appearance, on July 2, Walyemera told CPJ. These criminal libel charges have the potential to silence not just The Drone Media, but to intimidate any other journalist investigating the practices of this firm and other businesses, said CPJ Sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo. We call on authorities to immediately terminate these proceedings, and to ultimately scrap Ugandas criminal libel laws once and for all. The libel charges, part of Ugandas penal code, carry a potential two-year jail term, and the offensive communication charges, filed under Ugandas Computer Misuse Act, are punishable with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of 480,000 Uganda Shillings ($130), according to the charge sheet and CPJs review of the laws. The charges were brought against Kareire in a private criminal prosecution by Middle East Consultants Limited, as allowed for by Ugandan law, which the government could terminate if the public prosecutor decided to do so, according to the charge sheet and Walyemire. CPJ sought comment from the director of public prosecutions, Mike Chibita, via messaging app but did not receive a reply. The recruitment firm alleges that articles published by The Drone Media between March 26 and March 29, 2019, were untrue, defamatory, and intended to disturb the peace and the companys right to privacy, according to the charge sheet and a report by the nongovernmental organization Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda. In the series of articles, which CPJ reviewed, The Drone Media alleged that Middle East Consultants was cheating Ugandan job seekers with false promises of jobs abroad and that the companys managing director had threatened Kareire in connection to this coverage. In April, Middle East Consultants filed a complaint with the countrys electronic media regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission, alleging defamation by The Drone Media, according to Walyemera and a copy of the letter posted on Facebook. At the time, The Drone Media replied with a letter, which CPJ has reviewed, saying that it stood by its reporting. Middle East Consultants Managing Director Mugyenyi responded to CPJs request for comment by sending a copy of the April letter and sharing a link to a 2018 social media post alleging that Kareire had extorted a businessperson. When CPJ asked him to elaborate, Mugyenyi did not respond. Walyemera told CPJ that the extortion allegation was propaganda and noted that his client was being sued for libel and offensive communication, not fraud or extortion. Middle East Consultants lawyer, Kevin Charles Nsubuga, told CPJ that he was uncomfortable discussing the case while it is still in court, but that it was about someone trying to malign and/or tarnish an image of a company for his personal gain/benefit. Fred Otunnu, director of corporate affairs at the Uganda Communications Commission, did not answer two phone calls this evening or immediately respond to a text message from CPJ. The purpose of the Resources section of the CSS website is outreach - i.e., it features the analyses of CSS experts, external partners and like-minded institutions in order to promote dialogue on international relations and security-related issues. CSS Resources is the successor to the International Relations and Security Network (ISN). The BA course in Public Policy (career officers) is part of a three-and-a-half-year training program for officers of the Swiss armed forces. Candidates can acquire the Swiss Federal Diploma for Professional Military Officers. The course is reserved exclusively for career officer candidates, admission being granted by ETH Zurich upon request submitted by the Military Academy at ETH Zurich (MILAK). While ETH Zurich offers instruction in the humanities as well as social and political sciences, MILAK provides training in military studies and practical modules. It is also responsible for the professional military training that follows the completion of studies. Courses BA Public Policy Further Information: www.berufsoffizier.chcall_made (in German) and www.milak.chcall_made The Center's publications make a significant research contribution in the field of security and strategic studies, while at the same time fostering public debate on Swiss and international security policy. The Caucasus Analytical Digest (CAD) is a bimonthly internet publication jointly produced by the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC-Georgia), the Research Centre for East European Studies (FSO) at the University of Bremen, the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich, the Center for Eastern European Studies (CEES) at the University of Zurich and the German Association for East European Studies (DGO). The Caucasus Analytical Digest analyzes the political, economic, and social situation in the three South Caucasus states of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia within the context of international and security dimensions of this regions development. The CAD is edited by Lusine Badalyancall_made, Bruno De Cordiercall_made, Farid Guliyevcall_made, Diana Lezhavacall_made, Lili Di Puppocall_made, Jeronim Peroviccall_made, Heiko Pleinescall_made, Abel Polesecall_made, Licinia Simaocall_made, Koba Turmanidzecall_made. The CAD corresponding editor is and the layout editor is . In May, the Department of the Army scheduled June 15 as the start date to disinter the remains of six Carlisle Indian School students who died in the 1880s and 1890s and are in the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery. A border fence has been put up around the cemetery and the six students graves have been marked. On Thursday, the Department of the Army allowed members of the press to photograph the site before any ground was broken. No interviews were given. A press conference will be held after the disinterment process is complete, which is expected to take weeks. The Army National Military Cemeteries is honoring the requests of the closest living relatives of Ophelia Powless, aka Ophelia Powlas; Sophia Caulon, aka Sophy Coulon; Jamima Metoxen, aka Jemima Meloxen; Henry Jones, Alice Springer and Adam McCarty, aka Adam McCarthy. The Army will disinter, transfer custody, transport and reinter the remains in private cemeteries chosen by the families of the six students. This is the third consecutive year the Army has honored requests from families to repatriate students remains to tribal lands. The Carlisle Indian School was an effort undertaken by the United States government in 1879 to assimilate Native American youths. The forced Americanization included the abandonment of native languages, required conversion to Christianity, and harsh military discipline, according to the Carlisle Indian School Projects website. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 A retired federal judge best known for sending two corrupt judges to prison for their role in a Pennsylvania juvenile justice scandal has died. Edwin Kosik was 94. Kosik died Thursday morning at a senior center outside Wilkes-Barre after a brief illness, said his son, Michael Kosik. Kosik, an Army veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, was appointed to the federal bench in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan. He became a senior judge in 1996. He heard cases into his early 90s. Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner called his death a "profound loss to the legacy of our court." "His work ethic was extraordinary. He also had a tremendous record of public service as a veteran, as a state court judge and ultimately as a federal court judge in our district. I can say without hesitation that our dear colleague will be sorely missed," Conner said. Kosik presided over the "kids for cash" case, in which two local judges were accused of taking money from the developer of a pair of for-profit youth detention centers. The judges pleaded guilty to corruption charges in a deal with prosecutors that called for a sentence of more than seven years in prison. But Kosik rejected the plea bargain, saying the pair hadn't fully accepted responsibility for the crimes. Kosik sentenced one judge to 17 years and the other judge to 28 years in prison. The scandal led the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to dismiss thousands of juvenile convictions. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Cumberland County Elections Board and Board of Commissioners will soon make a decision to acquire a new voting system for Cumberland County. They are being forced to purchase a new system because the State of Pennsylvania is correctly following Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and other states by mandating that all voting systems in Pennsylvania have a viable way to audit the counting, tabulation, and reporting of votes cast in each election. The method to assure that voting reflects the will of the people is through the use of voter-verified paper ballots. The current paperless direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting system is not viable because there is no way to audit the votes being cast by each individual voter in any valid or transparent manner. This assertion is reinforced by 103 computer experts who published a letter to the U.S. Congress on June 21, 2017 asserting that too many polling stations across the nation are still equipped with electronic machines that do not produce voter-verified paper ballots. The current DRE system is solely dependent on computer programming with the potential to be manipulated by any bad actor intent on manipulating data to distort election results. Now that our county office-holders have a greater understanding of this fundamental flaw in our voting system, it is time for them to select a suitable replacement. The commissioners like the paperless touch screen systems because they were low-cost, easy to manage, and they reduce stress and potential headaches on election days. However, making things cheap and easy does not make them better: in the case of voting and elections, there is a price for transparency, valid auditing, and system resilience. For elections management, making things cheap and easy might ruin the purpose and accuracy of voting. History proves that Americans are professional cheaters when it comes to elections. This is well documented in Illinois (Chicago), Kentucky, West Virginia, and in almost every county and state in the U.S. at one time or another over the 230 year history of our nation. No person can assure that any voting system is fool-proof indefinitely because managers and programmers can change, and over time, any bureaucracy can alter its internal business model. This is why we the people of Cumberland County need to be diligent with each ballot cast in every election, for every single year, and for decades and generations into the future. Fighting corruption in government is on-going; it is never completed because individuals of character and competence do not live forever. Human nature often challenges good governance with less than satisfactory individuals having traits associated with authoritarianism that include conventional, conservative, unimaginative mindsets; these are individuals with rigid ideas and closed minds. Some people become obsessively ambitious, are devoid of any compassion toward others, and chronically practice what psychologist Norman Dixon and historian Barbara Tuchman call wooden headedness: those who find it hard to accept and act upon information which does not accord with their systems of belief. It is essential that any new voting system possess an additional check on computer-voting, counting, tabulation and reporting of election results. The single most important criteria for selection of any voting system must be that it accurately reflects the will of the voters by assuring that there exists a valid auditing process to audit ballot counting, tabulation, and the reporting systems results. Other criteria such as voter confusion and ease of use of poll workers are secondary and actually superfluous factors because poll workers can be trained to troubleshoot problems, and voters can be given the service they deserve from tax-payer funded offices and officials. This means that any new election system selected by the Cumberland County Board of Elections must have voter-verified paper ballots. A voter-verified paper ballot is a paper ballot that each voter is required to personally review before it is placed in a secure ballot container. Such ballots must then be stored in a location under a double-lock system to ensure that no single person can have access to such ballots. Most important: if all paper ballots are not checked by each of the voters before they are deposited in a secure container, then we return back to the conditions of paperless voting, and the vote-tabulation or reporting programming can be manipulated and hidden from view. In other words, if voters are given the choice not to check their own paper ballot, then the unchecked ballots will cancel out the voters that do check their ballots, because everyones paper ballot becomes anonymous once it is dropped into the secured container. The unchecked ballots will undermine any valid attempt to audit all of the votes cast. Well-trained, competent, and diligent poll workers will ensure that the voter-verified paper ballot will work! It is time for the County Board of Elections and the Board of Commissioners to learn from past mistakes and do the right thing by purchasing a voting system that will accurately and consistently reflect the will of the voters. Voter-verified paper ballots will assure that such a system can be audited in a transparent and valid manner. It will also give us resilience to counter potential cyber-attacks or programmer manipulation, and help overcome any unforeseen problems that often arise when complex and difficult operations such as elections are administered each year. Donald Travis is a resident of Carlisle Borough, a political science researcher, and served over six years as Director of Elections for Clermont County, Ohio. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Asia Media Summit 2019 was organised in Siem Reap province, Cambodia from 12 June to 14 June 2019 to deliberate on many issues pertaining to media & broadcasting industry. The 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) was hosted by India. This year was 16th edition of summit. Key Highlights for Summit The two-day summit was held under topic of Media Digitalization Focusing on Developing Markets. It called for regulation-making to fight against fake news and cyber-crimes. Organized By: The summit AMS was organized by Cambodian Ministry of Information in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD). More than 600 media representatives from 42 countries and regions participated in event. Purpose: The participants focused the attention was on spread of disinformation/fake news and its impact on governments, media, private sector and society. Concern: Cyber-crimes and fake news are threatening and posing severe risks to individuals right and security in region as well as around the globe. Outcome: All participants discussed numerous approaches for combating disinformation or fake news, which includes strengthening regulations and ethical standards, verification process of information, media literacy initiatives etc. Also measures such as transparency by government and Media literacy training to teachers will help in combating misinformation to some extent. The summit and pre-summit workshops addressed the concerns raised by digital media, which requires relevant authorities to make regulations to deal with anti-cybercrimes, fake news, and training people to raise awareness and enhance media profession. An information ministerial meeting held on the sidelines of the summit, agreed to launch Angkor Fake News Initiative, a year-long research project to find out appropriate measures to counter fake news. All the broadcasters and other media stakeholders were requested to counter fake news by strengthening law enforcement, as well as ethics and professionalism. Significance: The use of digital technology and Industrial Revolution 4.0 (4th Industrial revolution) has encouraged media digitalization in market to increase its potential and enhance close cooperation to share information on media technology evolution and fight against fake news and cyber-crimes. About Asia Media Summit It is one of the leading international broadcasting events that provides opportunity for broadcasters, media practitioners, industry leaders, researchers, academia, experts and media policy makers from all over the world to meet and discuss about developing medias quality and to cope up with challenges during the times of high technological revolution. Chinese President Xi Jinping was conferred with highest national award of Kyrgyzstan titled Manas Order of the First Degree in Bishkek (capital of Kyrgyzstan). Kyrgyzstan is hosting 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit starting 14 June 2019. Key Highlights Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of Kyrgyzstan awarded the countrys highest national prize to the Chinese counterpart (Xi Jinping) who is on a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and to take part in two-day 19th SCO summit. Kyrgyzs President reiterated his beilief that current Xis visit will open up a new chapter of bilateral ties between two countries. Significance: President Jeenbekov, appreciated Xis special contributions to development of Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership and acknowledged that Kyrgyzstan will never forget Chinas long-running support and assistance. Chinas Response: In response to the honour conferred, President Xi highlighted that medal has fully demonstrated Kyrgyz peoples profound friendship towards Chinese people and that China values it very much. Xi showcased Chinas readiness in joining hands with Kyrgyzstan so as to deepen traditional friendship between two countries and also towards pushing forward Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership for new bilateral achievements which will benefit the people of two countries. About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) It is a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance in which China plays an influential role. The founding member of SCO includes China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. India and Pakistan were admitted to Beijing-based regional security grouping in 2017. The year 2019 will see the 19th SCO summit which is being hosted by Kyrgyzstan. The coming implementation of the Missouri Show-Me Courts system has resulted in two local municipal officials tendering their resignations. Leadington City Prosecuting Attorney Joe Goff Sr. and Leadington Municipal Judge Scott Reid have both resigned from their city positions. Both Goff and Reid have been working together in the city for the past 18 years and cited the implementation of the new electronic court system as one of their reasons for ending their long-time careers in Leadington. Leadington Court Clerk Cyndee McLeod said that the new Show-Me Courts has no official implementation date at this time, but the state is pushing municipalities toward the uniform system. With this system everything will be standard and can be viewed by other jurisdictions including other cities, counties, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said McLeod. I personally think it will be a great thing once everything is up and running. Some things, according to McLeod, that will change with Show-Me Courts is the number of hours required to do the job and the hours of availability for both the city judge and the city prosecutor. Municipal prosecutors will be the one to receive the e-tickets from the officers and their job will be to go into the system and review each case and enter the charges. McLeod said that municipal judges in the Show-Me Court will be required to be available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The Supreme Court had suggested a possible rotation of local municipal judges for a possible on-call type schedule," she said. Reid has been the municipal judge in Leadington for 18 years. Reid said that because his private practice has grown he simply doesnt have the time to devote the hours being required as municipal judge. The court system goes through a lot of changes and in the past five to six years those changes have increased dramatically, said Reid. Reid plans to continue his work as Desloge city attorney and Farmington attorney as he said those positions are more civil type work and not court involved. Joe Goff and I joked often that if one of us left, the other would leave too, said Reid. While that isnt the case, according to Reid he said that the two of them worked together so long it would have been difficult for either of them to adjust to working with someone new. Goff Sr. has been the municipal prosecutor for Leadington for 21 years. Goff said that the new requirements for municipal prosecutor under the Show-Me Court would at minimum double the number of hours he would be required to work and possibly even triple the hours. I can only work six days a week, said Goff, so I feel like this is just a good time to move on and focus on my private practice. Both Goff and Reid assured the Daily Journal that their resignations had nothing to do with any wrong-doing or ill feelings toward the city. Both said it was just time to give up some of the extra workload. Their terms end on June 30. Matt McFarland is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3616. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Mineral Point woman who was charged with involvement in a December murder has been charged, along with her sister, in an assault that reportedly occurred in Washington County last week. Angel Senter, 42, of Mineral Point, has been charged with felony assault in third degree. Senters sister, Jennifer Rogers, 39, of Mineral Point, has also been charged with felony assault in the third degree. Bonds have been set at $7,500 and neither of them are to have contact with the victim. According to a probable cause statement from the Washington County Sheriffs Office, last Friday, a deputy was dispatched to a residence in reference to an aggressive dog. The deputy stated that he arrived at the residence and the situation was resolved. According to the report, when the deputy left the scene, Senter and Rogers went to the victims residence at which time Rogers started a verbal altercation. The report states that Rogers grabbed the victims hair and pulled her inside her vehicle, at which time both Rogers and Senter began punching the victim in the face. The report states that Rogers then pulled the victim out of the vehicle and held her on the ground by her hair. According to the report, the victim had several abrasions to her face, neck, arms, and hand. Senter still has pending charges in Ste. Genevieve County for felony abandonment of a corpse and felony tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution related to the Dec. 14 murder of Aaron Armantrout. The charge alleges she assisted Armantrouts wife, Susan Armantrout in the disposal of Aaron Armantrouts body. Senter bonded out on Feb. 6 on the Dec. 14 charges. Her next hearing in this case is June 18. Matt McFarland is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3616, or at mmcfarland@dailyjournalonline.com. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 6 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Farmington Police Department recently established an honor guard to promote decorum and professionalism at various events that may arise in the area. Sgt. Bill Gammon and Officer Eric Spiker attended the Elmhurst Honor Guard Academy in Chicago, Illinois, where they trained in marching and drill maneuvers, rifle maneuvers, flag etiquette and procedures, and color guard maneuvers. The pair was also trained in funeral protocol and procedures such as silent casket guard, flag folding, casket carrying, guard processional, vehicle processional and burial service. While the primary purpose of the honor guard is to honor and pay respect to a fallen officer, Gammon explained that the unit is also designed to be used at many types of events if the officers are available. They participated in the Christmas Parade and the Country Days Parade. They also were at the funeral of Councilman John Crouch. "We may eventually do sporting events for the National Anthem and Memorial Day services," he said. One of the reasons Gammon and Spiker decided to create the honor guard was due to such a unit's unavailability in the area. Police honor guards theres not that many in this area, Gammon said. Cape Girardeau has an honor guard team. Between us and St. Louis, I dont know if theres any other. The sheriffs department used to have one, but Ive heard nothing about it lately. Gammon noted that frequent training is necessary to keep the officers in proper condition and retain precision for the different type of events to cover. I try to set up two times a month we train, he said. Over the winter its a lot harder because of the weather. We usually train outside, do marching and stuff like that. Weve even went to funeral homes and worked on stuff there how we would handle a funeral. Whether setting aside training time or participating in an event, using a group of either four or seven officers can create scheduled duty concerns for a police department even the size of Farmingtons. Our training I usually try to schedule when our guys are off, Gammon said. We dont want people working and take off to do training. We look at the schedule, see whos available. The color guard, we only use four members. "If we have to do a funeral, its going to have to be all hands on deck. We may have to adjust schedules, see who covers the road. We have a pretty good size department, the chief will work with us and get us where were available. The other officers are good at covering shifts. In keeping with tradition, the honor guard uses a Class A or dress uniform. These uniforms are different from normal street uniforms and includes a dress coat, belt, hat and white gloves. Other accessories and the styling were designed and picked out by Gammon and Striker. Additional equipment is also necessary to fill the needs of the honor guard, Gammon explained. We have the color guard, we have two flags, he said. 'We obtained a couple of rifles from the government. They are M1 Garands, which are traditional with honor guards. Gammon intends for the honor guard to be available for other law enforcement agencies locally subject to approval from Police Chief Rick Baker and the availability of the officers involved. Gammon gave credit to the city of Farmington for their cooperation and support in creating the Farmington Police Department Honor Guard. The city really worked with us and let us decide what to get, he said. The city administrator was really on board with getting this established. Mark Marberry is a reporter for the Farmington Press and Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3629, or at mmarberry@farmingtonpressonline.com. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice. DEAR ABBY: I am a platonic friend and part-time caregiver of a wealthy gentleman. I now reside in his residence out of necessity. We respect each other, and neither of us intends to be anything more than friends. My problem is his family. They know I exist, but refuse to get to know me. They do not allow me to accompany him to holiday events at their homes, even at his request. His sister, the matriarch and a devout Catholic, has been verbally and emotionally abusive to me. My friend believes it's all about his money, and they consider me a threat. I always feel hurt and rejected on these special occasions. I have no family of my own, and I'm alone on holidays most of the time. How can I overcome this hurtful situation? His nieces and nephews never call him or invite him to dinner in between holidays. Neither of us has children, so he is loyal to his relatives above all else. How do I get past the rejection? -- MORE THAN A CAREGIVER DEAR MORE: Unless your friend has made a point of remembering you in his will, I hope you realize that when he passes, all you will receive from his family is a wave goodbye -- if that. The disrespect and lack of empathy "the matriarch" has shown you is shameful. That your friend/patient lacks the backbone to insist you be included suggests to me that your relationship appears to be a one-way street. The way to get past this would be to make sure you are saving enough money (if you haven't) to tide you over until you find a job after his death. In the meantime, allow yourself enough personal time to cultivate relationships with people who won't ignore you during holidays. It's important that you not become more isolated and disconnected than you are. If you are religious, your own church might be a place to start. DEAR ABBY: My husband is the biggest procrastinator I have ever known. He has piles of things lying around that need his attention and projects that need to be finished but get put off day after day. When I remind him of what needs doing, he accuses me of nagging, so I have stopped reminding him. But it's boiling inside of me. It has gotten worse since he retired. Also, there are the hours he spends on his iPad. If I handled things the way he does, nothing would get done, and our house would be a pig pen. I'm frustrated and need some advice on how to handle this without being a nag. I'm ready to go on strike. -- BEYOND FRUSTRATED IN OHIO DEAR BEYOND: What's going on is unfair to you. If this is your husband's pattern, then he needs to know how angry you are about it. That isn't nagging; it is venting. Because he has gotten worse since his retirement, he may need to be seen by his doctor to ensure it isn't caused by a health problem. I'm sorry you didn't mention what kinds of projects your husband is procrastinating about finishing. If they are minor repairs or handyman things, consider hiring someone to finish them. If they are financial, your accountant may be able to recommend someone. Please consider what I am telling you. The only thing you shouldn't do is continue to tolerate this. DEAR ABBY: I am currently in a relationship that's great except for one thing. She knows what "buttons" to push to make me angry, and she'll continue to push them. No matter what I do, she's in my face. It just seems she wants to argue until I reach the point of exploding. I try to walk away, go to another room, ignore her, tell her she's making me angry -- yet she continues. I'm all for being able to walk away and then talk about it later -- and I have confronted her on this. What do I do? -- FRUSTRATED IN FLORIDA DEAR FRUSTRATED: What do you do? You break up with this toxic individual who enjoys goading you to the point of exploding, and find a woman who is a lot more compatible. DEAR ABBY: I'm 29. I had a son six years ago and left my ex because he didn't want to be a father. He chose to party instead. I had to file a name change for my son, and custody was hard to fight for because the father refused to show up. Since then, I've worked two and sometimes three jobs just to stay ahead. My child hardly sees me. I work so much that my son has stopped calling me "Mommy" and instead calls me by my name. I feel hopeless and that I'm working for nothing. Have I made a mistake working so much? -- MOMMY IN MARYLAND DEAR MOMMY: If you are working those long hours in order to pay your bills, you are doing what a parent is supposed to do -- providing for your child. Because your ex isn't doing his share, get on the internet and research "child support for single mothers." Resources are available to help you. As to your son no longer calling you "Mommy," I would have to ask where he got the idea he would call you anything else. (Have you asked him?) Rather than accept it, make clear that he has only one mommy, you are it, and you will not tolerate being called anything else. DEAR ABBY: I've been seeing someone for six or seven months, but we have been together for only three. He's quite the package, except he can't handle confrontation and doesn't communicate well. His way of handling uncomfortable conversations is to avoid them, while I, on the other hand, tend to be very communicative. Is there a way for both of us to be happy when dealing with difficult conversations? Is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable with them? I should add that he hasn't been in a relationship in forever. I'm happy with him, but communication is important to me. -- VERBAL IN THE WEST DEAR VERBAL: Has it occurred to you that this man may not have been in a relationship "in forever" BECAUSE he can't deal with uncomfortable conversations? For many women, that would be a deal-breaker. While not all men are comfortable with long, heartfelt conversations, the only way to arrive at a compromise is to talk with each other. Give him more time because your relationship is still new. But if he isn't capable of opening up, recognize it as an important red flag if you are contemplating a long relationship with him. DEAR ABBY: My son's best friend's bike was stolen from our front yard, and I feel terrible about it. Up to this point, he had been careful to put it in our garage or by our front door when he came over. It was new, and I want to offer to help pay for a new one if we don't find it. My husband disagrees. I know the child's parents don't expect it, but I feel it's the right thing to do. -- FEELING GUILTY IN TEXAS DEAR FEELING GUILTY: While it would be generous to offer to help pay for the bike, you should not feel obligated or guilty because you did nothing wrong. One can only hope the boy has learned an important lesson from what happened. In the future, he will make sure his bike is safely parked inside your garage and not out where a thief can snatch it. DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are 15 years apart in age. We have been together for six years, married a year and a half. He is my entire world, my best friend and soul mate. When we first met, he told me he didn't think he wanted another child (he has a daughter). I learned to accept it if I wanted to be with him. I had to be OK with being a stepmom and not having a child of my own. Fast-forward: It's six years later. His daughter (now 14) no longer comes around. (The ex-wife discouraged any relationship between my stepdaughter and me.) I'm finding it harder and harder to cope with the fact that I don't have a child of my own. When I bring this up to my husband, he tells me, "I told you in the beginning I didn't think I wanted another child." How do I deal with this? It's breaking my heart because she is not around anymore and I don't feel like a mom of any sort. -- LONGING TO BE A MOM DEAR LONGING: Tell your husband that in the beginning when he told you he didn't think he wanted another child, you agreed because you thought you could accept it, but that as time has gone by, you no longer can. Then tell him you feel an important part of being a woman is being a mother. If he refuses to relent, then as much as you may love him, you may be married to the wrong man, and you will have to move on if you need to follow your biological imperative. DEAR ABBY: Can you please educate your readers about supermarket etiquette? Every time I buy groceries, I encounter people who push or park their carts in the middle of the aisle with no consideration for other shoppers. I also see them blindly blast through intersections in the aisles and barely avoid colliding with each other. A few weeks ago, I said to a gentleman, "Pardon me, may I go around you? Thank you." He responded that I was the first person who had ever said that to him! I'm surprised there aren't more cases of road rage in supermarkets. My suggestion: Why don't we follow basic traffic rules in the supermarket? For example, stay to the right unless you are passing. Yield at intersections to the shopper on the right, etc. Abby, what do you think? Also, what's your take on big kids riding in the grocery carts? -- DISGUSTED SHOPPER IN ILLINOIS DEAR DISGUSTED: What you describe happens when folks fail to consider how their behavior affects others. When someone blocks the aisle with a grocery cart, the logical way to deal with it is to say, "Excuse me, please," which alerts the "offender" that there are others in the store besides him or her. Your suggestion that shoppers observe basic traffic rules is a good one -- particularly when it involves observing the speed limit. Charging through the intersections of the aisles could cause an accident in which another shopper is harmed. As to "big kids" riding in shopping carts, as long as they aren't bothering other shoppers and the store doesn't care, I mind my own business and don't judge. DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, "Al," and I have been together for two years off and on. We dated casually for six months before we decided to be exclusive. Unbeknownst to him, I was also sleeping with someone else, "Brandon." Al and I had a fight and broke up for a few months, and during that time I slept with another good friend of mine, "Marc." When Marc and I decided it wasn't serious and moved on, Al and I got back together. I didn't feel obligated to tell Al about it at the time, since "technically" I did nothing wrong. But as we became more and more serious, it occurred to me that it was a lie of omission, since we interact with both men on a social level. I told Al, and he isn't handling it well, so now I'm at a loss about what to do. Honesty and time are key, I know, but he is distancing himself from me. Do I let him go? I am fighting hard right now, but I'm feeling beaten down at every turn. -- WRONG IN THE EAST DEAR WRONG: Not all relationships last forever. It's possible that this one has run its course. If you and Al had agreed you would both be abstinent after the separation, he has reason to be upset. If you had promised each other there would be an accounting of who each of you had been with and you didn't live up to it, I can see why he would be distancing. However, if an understanding wasn't in place, then you were free to be with others and you did nothing wrong. If Al no longer wants to be with you -- for whatever reason -- you have no choice but to let him go. For your sake, quit allowing yourself to be beaten down and make it as painless for yourself as possible. DEAR ABBY: Is it wrong to paint my 2 1/2-year-old boy's fingernails when he begs me to? I'm a stay-at-home mom and very close with my son. When I paint my nails (I paint them pink), my son sees me and insists I paint his toes and fingers "just like Mommy." I see it as all in fun, but my mother-in-law makes snide comments about him being a boy and that boys shouldn't have their nails painted. My husband has also said I should stop. I know my son will want me to paint his nails only a little while longer. It's not harming anyone, and I'm sick of all the gender barriers. Am I wrong here? -- PRETTY IN PINK DEAR PRETTY: Your mother-in-law appears to think that polishing your 2-year-old's nails will "make" him effeminate. It's no more valid than her not doing it has "made" your husband masculine. Ignore the snide remarks because you are not going to change her. Whether your little boy wants you to continue painting his nails pink -- or, for that matter, to wear something pink -- is far less important than making sure he knows you love and support him and it's OK to be HIMSELF. That's the way parents raise confident and successful children. DEAR ABBY: What is your opinion about elderly parents who no longer drive having to pay their children to drive them to appointments, grocery, etc.? Think of all the times parents drove them when they were growing up. -- RETURNING THE FAVOR DEAR RETURNING THE FAVOR: Most adult children with a memory would never dream of asking to be paid for driving their elderly parents. A child who would do this must be desperate for money. In my opinion, because they are paying for it anyway, the parents should make other arrangements for transportation. DEAR ABBY: My husband loaned a "dear friend" some money a year ago. She has yet to pay back a penny. When I ask him about it, he gets mad and tells me it's none of my business. I have hinted to her about some large bills that we have to pay, to no avail. Other than that, my husband and I have a great marriage and love each other very much. I just don't like her taking advantage of his generosity. I know taking care of his friends gives him pleasure, but he has been burned before and I can see it happening again. I find it hard to ignore. What do I do? -- SICK OF IT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE DEAR SICK OF IT: I wish you had mentioned whether you work and the money your soft-touch hubby gave his friend was partly earned by you. If that's the case, I don't blame you for being upset. While I'm not sure you can prevent your husband from doing this, I do think you are within your rights to insist that before he does it he discuss it with you. If he will do that, perhaps the two of you can find an alternative for the person other than giving out money. DEAR ABBY: My son passed away unexpectedly a little over eight years ago. He was 21. At the time, he had been dating a very nice young lady. We kept in touch for a while after the funeral -- letters and emails mostly, as I had moved out of state -- but things gradually tapered off. I have been able to keep somewhat informed about her life because of the magic of social media and mutual friends she shared with my son who still contact me occasionally. I recently learned she's being married within the next two weeks. I am wondering if it would be wrong or weird of me to send a congratulatory card to the happy couple. I wish only continued happiness for her and her future husband. -- WISHING HAPPINESS DEAR WISHING: I see nothing wrong or weird about sending her a nice card, and when you do, be sure to tell her not only that you wish her a happy future, but also that she will always have a special place in your heart. DEAR ABBY: Would it be appropriate for someone to tell someone else's children to stop doing something dangerous if the parent is not around? I'm talking about kids holding scissors the wrong way or running with them, pushing others, etc. My children are in their teens now and know that such behavior is wrong. If it were the other way around, I would be grateful if someone cared enough to tell my kids that a behavior is wrong and/or dangerous. -- GLAD IN THE MIDWEST DEAR GLAD: How else would the children know if they weren't warned? To speak up would be an act of kindness, particularly if they were doing something that could cause harm to themselves or others. DEAR ABBY: Occasionally, married friends will come to my husband and/or me venting about their marital problems. We have been through a few rough patches during our 12 years of marriage, and during those times, we sought help from family, friends and counselors. Today I can honestly say we are happier than ever and willing to stick through the ups and downs. We try to pass along the things that helped us, but a lot of times we'll see one spouse wanting to work on improving the marriage and the other one oblivious or unwilling to do anything about it. I think our experience could help the spouses of our troubled friends see that things can work out by doing something about it, but I never know if or how to approach the subject with them. Should we keep our mouths shut and just be there for the unhappy friend, or is there a proper way to reach out to their spouse with an offer of support in situations like this? -- TRULY WANTING TO HELP DEAR TRULY WANTING: My advice would be to stay out of the line of fire. If you reach out to the unhappy spouse, who may be unaware that his or her marital problems were revealed to you, it will be regarded as intrusive. By all means tell the person asking your advice what worked for you, but leave it up to that person to convey it to his or her spouse. DEAR ABBY: What is the etiquette when eating at a restaurant where a piano player is performing? I don't mean the "bar scene"-type piano player who wants the crowd to sing along, but more of a mid- to upscale type of place. There's a restaurant like this in my town -- the only one with a piano. On one special occasion when we were there, the piano player was playing "Misty" and a woman sitting nearby with her party wanted to make herself heard over him. She began talking very loudly to her group while he was playing the song. I thought it was tacky, and if I had been sitting near her, I would have shushed her up. Isn't it polite to wait until the piano player is finished before talking loudly at your table? Whatever happened to behaving with a little class in restaurants? -- DEANNA IN OKLAHOMA DEAR DEANNA: The musician in that restaurant was there to provide mood music for the diners. If they chose to talk while he was playing, it was their privilege. The woman may have raised her voice because someone in her party had a hearing problem. For you to have taken it upon yourself to "shush her up" would have been rude, and for your sake, I'm glad you refrained from doing it. DEAR ABBY: Am I overreacting to my husband's request that I take down photos of my mom and grandparents when his mom visits? They are displayed in our guest bedroom. I think his request was rude. I wonder if his mother even cares or if he just feels guilty. It's my house, too. -- RELUCTANT IN TEXAS DEAR RELUCTANT: Rather than remove your family photos, why not compromise by adding a couple of pictures of your husband's mother, too? I'm sure she would be pleased to see them. Problem solved. DEAR ABBY: I have a crush on a guy I work with. I'm 19, and he's 26. He has a kid, which actually doesn't bother me. I love kids and have taken care of them most of my life. My problem is he has this ex who wants to get back together with him. They broke up because she was staying out all night and cheating. He used to flirt with me and text me all the time and offer me his hoodie. Now she's sort of back in the picture and he ignores me and doesn't return my texts. But when we see each other he starts flirting again, and we just click. We make sense. I guess my question is, should I tell him how I feel before it's too late or just keep it to myself? Should I risk everything and go for it? -- UNCERTAIN IN NEW YORK DEAR UNCERTAIN: Announce your feelings for the guy if you wish, but do not expect him to drop everything and rush to you. If he were interested in more than a workplace flirtation, he would be paying the same kind of attention to you that he did before. Because he isn't, you need to understand that he and his ex obviously have some unfinished business together, regardless of her history of infidelity. Set your sights on someone else. DEAR ABBY: All my mom does is talk about work. If we are having a conversation, she links every topic to her work and her co-workers. It is alienating my sister and me. When we tell her things about our kids -- her grandkids -- she still relates it to work. Another thing: She's constantly on her tablet for work or on Facebook. I live seven hours away from her. When we make the drive down, I don't want to watch her on her tablet. If we try to confront her on anything, all she does is cry. Mom and I had a good relationship before she took that job. Now she's so negative that it's difficult to want to talk to her. Where do I even start? -- MISSING HER WHILE SHE'S HERE DEAR MISSING: Rather than "confront" your mother, ask her what may have changed in her life since she took that job. Her focus may have shifted because that's the center of her activity. Conversations are two-way, and this may be all she feels she has to contribute on her end. As to her "hiding" behind Facebook rather than carry on a conversation with you, like many people, she may have become addicted to it and unable to tear herself away. However, you will never know unless you ask her calmly. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Thank you for reading! To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99. Rule #1: You can never ask too many questions. Sri Lanka: 90 percent of Sri Lankas corals are dead June 14,2019 | Source: Eurasia Review Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) General Manager Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara said Sri Lankas corals are faced with an imminent threat of destruction due to climate change, pollution and illegal fishing methods. Observing that 90 percent of corals in Sri Lankan waters are already dead, he warned that the remaining 10 percent would also be lost in another 10 years. Sri Lankans will lose the luxury of viewing colourful corals 10 years from now if urgent steps are not taken to stop their current rate of destruction, he said.He was speaking at a media workshop on Conservation of Corals and Marine Environment organized by the MEPA in Trincomalee parallel to World Ocean Day which fell on June 8. The percentage of live corals in Hikkaduwa is about 7 percent. The Bar reef in Kalpitiya has suffered a severe coral bleaching event. In shallow waters down South, you can only see coral rubble now. Illegal fishing methods such as dynamiting have destroyed corals in Silavathura. Some patches of corals still remain in the Eastern waters such as in Pigeon Islands in Trincomalee, the newly gazetted Kayankerni Marine Sanctuary and Pasikuda. The pressure on these corals is also very high due to human activities such as tourism, discharge of industrial effluent, agriculture, aquaculture, discharge of municipal sewerage and squatter settlements. We need a collective national effort to protect the remaining live coral patches, he explained. Dr. Pradeep Kumara, illustrating a series of examples of marine pollution, stressed that plastic and polythene waste poses a great threat to marine environment. We need an attitudinal change to restrict our plastic and polythene consumption. Avoid plastic packaging as much as possible. In beach clean-up campaigns we regularly collect a large number of plastic straws and plastic water bottles. Tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year and the trash stays there infecting, damaging, and killing coral reefs. Plastic waste entangle in corals. This poses a severe threat to marine bio-diversity. Coral reefs provide homes and nursery grounds to many fish species, he said. The General Manager also pointed out that though the use of all forms of polythene, polypropylene and polyethylene for decorative purposes has been banned by law, such decorations are still prevalent in the country. For example, Vesak lanterns made of or covered with plastic wrappings were seen everywhere, he remarked. He said that the MEPA on its own initiative handed over a policy guideline to minimize marine pollution from the fisheries industry to the relevant authorities. He also stressed the need to declare more Marine Protection Areas to control excessive fishing. He warned that the fishing industry will fall into trouble in the near future if such measures were not adhered to. We may even lose wild catch fisheries if the current rate of fishing continues, he remarked. He also highlighted that even though Sri Lanka banned two-stroke engines in three wheels several years ago, two-stroke boat engines are still widely being used and that they cause no less pollution. There is not even a discussion to ban two stroke boat engines. Their emissions cause marine pollution, he added. Responding to a question by a journalist as to why the MEPA does not take stringent legal action against the offenders of marine polluters, the General Manager cited lack of legal provisions for the MEPA to act in many instances. The role of MEPA is preventing marine pollution. We can act on instances such as oil spills, chemical spills and ship accidents etc, but when it comes to taking legal action against instances such as discharge of effluent to the sea we have no authority. Also our purview is limited to a few Km stretch of sea and land, he responded. MEPA Chairman Rear Admiral Rohana Perera speaking at the workshop said that the MEPA signed an agreement with the Samurdhi Development Department to get the participation of Samurdhi beneficiaries for daily coastal cleanup campaigns. He said Samurdhi beneficiaries who are willing to join in the programme, would be assigned a stretch of one kilometre and would be paid Rs 100 per hour. They have been asked to attend to beach cleanup twice a day one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. Likewise, they can earn about Rs 6,000 supplementary income per month. This amount is more than the monthly Samurdhi allowance. A private company has come forward to sponsor the programme and bear the cost of payments to the participants. We invite other private companies too to join in. About 110 Samurdhi beneficiaries are currently registered with the programme, he said. Alyaksandr Zhylnikau, a convict under a sentence of death for murders, was executed, his family told human rights defender Andrey Paluda. On June 13, his defense lawyer was informed that the prisoner had departed to serve his sentence, HRC Viasna reports. When she asked whether Zhylnikau had been executed, prison officials confirmed it. In December 2015, Vyachaslau Sukharko and Alyaksandr Zhylnikau were found guilty of murdering three people. One more defendant in the case, Alina Shulhanava, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Sawmill workers Sukharko and Zhylnikau were accused of murdering three people, robbery and stealing documents. Alina Shulhanava, a nursery school teacher and former employee at the state-controlled youth organization BRSM, was charged with the organisation of causing a grievous bodily harm, which resulted in death, and preparation for abducting a person. The charges stem from two episodes that took place in December 2015 in Minsk. 27-year Alina Shulhanava failed to come to terms with the fact that her ex-boyfriend was dating another woman. Shulhanava hired Vyachaslau Sukharko and Alyaksandr Zhylnikau to threaten and beat the couple. However, the perpetrators went a bridge too far and killed them both. Immediately after their arrest, it became known that Sukharko and Zhylnikau were involved in another murder in the town of Kalodzishchy near Minsk. A 59-year-old man who let an apartment to one of the defendants turned out to be another victim. In March 2017, the Minsk City Court sentenced the two men to life imprisonment. However, on July 14, the Supreme Court sent the case for retrial. In January 2018, they were sentenced to death. The fate of Vyachaslau Sukharko is unknown at the moment. However, the record shows that the sentences passed on the defendants in the same case are carried out at the same point of time. Belarus remains the only country in Europe that still applies capital punishment. The West has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to join a global moratorium as a first step towards the abolition of death penalty. The exact number of executions in Belarus is unknown, but local human rights defenders and journalists have worked tirelessly to uncover some information about death sentences and executions. According to the Ministry of Justice of Belarus, 245 people were sentenced to death from 1994 to 2014. Human rights NGOs believe that around 400 people have been executed since the country gained its independence in 1991; president Alyaksandr Lukashenka granted a pardon to only one convict. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde The Council of Europe has reacted to the reports about the recent execution of Belarusian Alyaksandr Zhylnikau , who was sentenced to death in January, 2018. We condemn another execution in Belarus, as reported by rights defenders. Death is no justice. We reiterate our call on the authorities to impose a moratorium on the application of death penalty as the first step towards its abolition, Daniel Holtgen, Spokespeson of CoE Secretary General said on Twitter. On June 13, Zhylnikaus defense lawyer was informed that the prisoner had departed to serve his sentence. When she asked whether Zhylnikau had been executed, prison officials confirmed it. in December 2015, Vyachaslau Sukharko and Alyaksandr Zhylnikau were found guilty of murdering three people. One more defendant in the case, Alina Shulhanava, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The fate of Vyachaslau Sukharko is unknown at the moment. However, the record shows that the sentences passed on the defendants in the same case are carried out at the same point of time. Belarus remains the only country in Europe that still applies capital punishment. The West has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to join a global moratorium as a first step towards the abolition of death penalty. The exact number of executions in Belarus is unknown, but local human rights defenders and journalists have worked tirelessly to uncover some information about death sentences and executions. According to the Ministry of Justice of Belarus, 245 people were sentenced to death from 1994 to 2014. Human rights NGOs believe that around 400 people have been executed since the country gained its independence in 1991; president Alyaksandr Lukashenka granted a pardon to only one convict. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde PARIS (Reuters) - France's foreign ministry denied on Thursday a report that it had been asked by Iraqi authorities to pay up to $2 million per fighter for Baghdad to deal with French jihadists transferred from Syria to Iraq. The ministry added that it respected Baghdad's sovereignty in judging foreign fighters. RELATED | Iraq offers to commute death sentences of French IS members for 'millions of euros' Citing several unidentified sources, French daily newspaper Le Figaro reported on June 7 that Iraq had asked Paris for $1 million for each foreign jihadist sentenced to death and $2 million for those given long-term sentences. The article echoed other media reports that Baghdad has been seeking some $2 billion in compensation for dealing with hundreds of suspected Islamic State fighters held by Kurds in northeastern Syria, where there is no legal framework to deal with them. "We have not received any request to this effect," French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said when asked about the Figaro report. "We respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, including its judicial institutions that have declared themselves competent to try French Islamic State fighters." RELATED | Iraq's judiciary denies deal to commute French jihadist death sentences While the ministry denied the report, a French official briefing reporters after a visit by Iraq's prime minister in May said Paris expected Baghdad to make an official request, including financially, on what it needed to handle large number of Islamist fighters. Iraq is conducting trials of thousands of suspected Islamic State fighters, including hundreds of foreigners, with many arrested as the group's strongholds crumbled throughout Iraq. RELATED | France accused of subcontracting execution of jihadists in Iraq France, which has ruled out repatriating its Islamist fighters, is facing criticism at home from some lawmakers and human rights groups after 11 French nationals were sentenced to death in Iraq over the last two weeks. Paris opposes the death penalty and has asked Baghdad not to carry out the executions. "The Iraqi authorities know that we oppose it (the death penalty) in all places and in all circumstances," said Von der Muhll. There are some 450 French nationals still held in Kurdish camps, including about 200 adults. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Reuters, Staff, June 14, 2019 Shrestha is an award-winning journalist and a filmmaker. She was a 2017 Nieman fellow at Harvard. Agence France-Presse -- Ecuador on Wednesday became one of 28 countries to legalise same-sex marriage, but in many other parts of the world homosexuality is illegal and sometimes subject to the death penalty. Here is an overview. Progress in the Americas The ruling by the highest court in traditionally Catholic Ecuador to approve same-sex marriage overrides the current constitution which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Ecuador follows Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in allowing same-sex marriages in Latin America. Mexicos federal capital was the pioneer in the region, authorising gay civil unions in 2007 and marriages in 2009. Nearly half of its 32 states have followed. Chile legalised gay civil unions, which come with fewer rights, in 2015. legalised gay civil unions, which come with fewer rights, in 2015. Costa Ricas Supreme Court in August 2018 ruled that a ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional and gave parliament 18 months to amend the laws. Cuba decided in December 2018 to leave out of its new constitution changes that would have paved the way for legal same-sex marriage. Canada was the first American country to authorise same-sex marriage and adoptions in 2005, and 10 years later the United States legalised gay marriage nationwide. Europe, gay marriage pioneers The Netherlands in 2001 became the first country in the world to allow gay couples to marry. Fourteen European countries followed: Belgium, Britain although not Northern Ireland Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Austria allowed gay marriage from 2019 and the Czech Republic government backs draft legislation that would legalise same-sex marriage. RELATED | Executed for being gay: 13 nations threaten it, 4 do it. allowed gay marriage from 2019 and thegovernment backs draft legislation that would legalise same-sex marriage. Some countries allow only gay civil partnerships, including Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland. Russia homosexuality was considered a crime up to 1993 and a mental illness until 1999. Inhomosexuality was considered a crime up to 1993 and a mental illness until 1999. Now legal, a 2013 law however punishes the promotion of homosexuality among minors. In Romania a referendum aimed at restricting the definition of marriage to exclude same-sex couples failed in October 2018 because of a low turnout. Taiwan, first in Asia While much of Asia is tolerant of homosexuality, Taiwan became in May the first in the region to allow gay marriage. Vietnam decriminalised gay marriage celebrations in 2015 but stopped short of full legal recognition for same-sex unions. Australia and New Zealand are the only places in the wider Asia-Pacific region to have passed gay marriage laws. Homosexuality is outlawed in the regions Muslim countries, such as Bangladesh, Malaysia and Pakistan. Brunei sparked a worldwide backlash in April when it introduced laws that include death by stoning for gay sex. A month later it said the laws would not be enforced. In China, where homosexuality was classified as a mental illness until 2001, discrimination remains widespread. Africa: marriage in one country South Africa is the sole nation on the African continent to allow gay marriage, which it legalised in 2006. Around 30 African countries ban homosexuality, with Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan having the death penalty for same-sex relations. Gay sex is decriminalised in only a handful of countries: Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique and the Seychelles. Botswanas High Court on June 11 ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality; Kenya in February postponed ruling on the same question. Middle East: repressed Several countries in the conservative region still have the death penalty for homosexuality, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Israel leads the way in terms of gay rights, recognising same-sex marriages that are performed elsewhere although not allowing such unions in the country itself. Gay couples can adopt children. Lebanon is also more tolerant than other Arab countries. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Agence France-Presse, Staff, June 13, 2019 Kuwait's envoy to Manila on Friday assured Philippine officials that his government is exerting all efforts to arrest the police officer who allegedly raped a Filipino maid, noting he could face death penalty under Kuwaiti laws. Ambassador Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh told the Department of Foreign Affairs that "an all-points bulletin" has been issued to police and immigration posts in Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council member states to alert them that Fayed Naser Hamad Alajmy, a 22-year-old Kuwaiti police officer, is facing criminal charges for rape. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola met with Althwaikh Friday to convey the Philippine government's concern on the incident. Althwaikh said the suspect has been charged with rape under Article 186 of Kuwait Penal Law No. 16/1960, which states that: "Anyone having sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent, through the use of force, threats or deception, shall be liable to the death penalty or life imprisonment. The law further states: "If the offender is an ascendant of the victim or one of the persons entrusted with her upbringing or welfare or vested with authority over her, or a servant or a servant of any of the above-mentioned persons, he shall be liable to the death penalty. Alajmy was the one who assisted the Filipina for finger scanning registration at the airport upon her arrival in Kuwait on June 4. Later on, Alajmy reportedly kidnapped and assaulted the worker, according to the Philippine Embassy. Quoting Althwaikh, a Department of Foreign Affairs statement said: "The Kuwaiti government is exerting all efforts for the speedy arrest of the suspect." The DFA said the Philippine Embassy will continue to provide legal and other necessary assistance to the victim, who started working for her employer in Kuwait. She is working in the same household with three other Filipina domestic helpers. According to the DFA, the employer of the Filipina is also cooperating with the embassy and local authorities on the case. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde NUR-SULTAN Penal Reform International (PRI) is seeking to assist Kazakhstan in reforming its penal system, step up efforts to prevent torture and update detention facilities in line with international standards, said PRI Central Asia Director Azamat Shambilov. The organisation has been working for 30 years across 90 countries worldwide. There was one person, Ahmed Othmani, who was a former prisoner. He had been in prison for 12 years. He was sentenced due to his political views. Amnesty International gave him the status of a prisoner of conscience. When he was released, he started to work at Amnesty International fighting for human rights. There he met a woman, Vivien Stern, who has been working at Amnesty International for many years. They were visiting prisons to protect the rights of prisoners, Shambilov told The Astana Times. A group of criminal justice and human rights activists founded the organisation in 1989 to ensure fair and effective criminal justice system, build a dialogue with the state and address the rights of suspects, offenders and prisoners. PRI has worked in Kazakhstan since 1998, after the country invited the organisation to assist in reforming its criminal justice and penal systems. At the time, when the capital was moving [from Almaty to the then Akmola], international organisations were opening their offices in Kazakhstan and PRI for the first time came to Kazakhstan and started working for a pilot project in Pavlodar prison. They were visiting prisons and carrying out different projects, including in healthcare. If you remember, in the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, many people were dying from tuberculosis in society and, of course, in prisons. There was a big stigma that prisoners were likely to have tuberculosis, said Shambilov. The efforts produced positive results. Today, the death rate from tuberculosis has significantly declined and this is a big achievement both for our organisation and the state. There would have been no result if not for our cooperation, he added. The achievements in Kazakhstan are significant. PRI works across five areas promoting international standards in national legislations, introducing alternatives to imprisonment, abolishing the death penalty or maintaining a moratorium on it, decreasing the prison population and training personnel. We have done a lot in the first area. The convention (UN Convention against Torture) was ratified, but significant efforts have also been done to ratify the faculty protocol. Many countries ratify the convention, but few ratify the protocol, because it obliges a country to set up a mechanism to monitor prisons, allowing civil society to monitor them. Kazakhstan agreed to that, he said. Public monitoring commissions have been working in Kazakhstan since 2005. Kazakhstan was the first country in the post-Soviet space that allowed human rights workers in prisons to examine them. In those years, of course, prisons were in terrible condition. It was hardly possible to ensure basic standards for prisoners. They visit prisons, inspect them, evaluate the situation with the human rights of prisoners, evaluate their conditions there, talk to them and receive complaints. They compile a comprehensive report, he said. Another achievement was creating a national preventive mechanism in 2014 to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. National preventative mechanism (NPM) members include independent experts and civil society representatives who have the right to meet detainees in private and receive complaints. In 2018, they made 461 preventive visits, including to 118 temporary detention centres, 33 pre-trial detention centres, 90 correctional institutions, 26 remand houses, 24 special reception centres, 15 adaptation centres for minors and eight special educational institutions. In December, the coordination council elected 109 NPM members for 2019-2020. PRI has also been working to humanise criminal legislation. The work had two stages, said Shambilov. The first took place approximately from 1996 until the 2000s, when the new codes were adopted. This is, of course, with the involvement of the state. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, countries started writing their own codes; of course, they were very similar to the Soviet ones, because these countries had no other example to follow. They did not trust the West then, because the Soviet Union leaves its trace and humanisation of criminal legislation has been discussed since around 2005, he said. The term of torture was legally defined for the first time. Prevention of torture has remained an acute issue in Kazakhstan for many years. The issue is now more spread due to social networks that are more accessible today. There is a range of amendments in this area. Between 2016-2018, 13 law enforcement and penal system workers have been convicted of torture. The punishment is severe, because punishment for torture is equal to that for murder, he added. Among the changes is a moratorium on the death penalty put in force in 2003. Our organisation has done a big job, surveying all prisoners on life sentences, surveying all other prisoners on what they would have done if they were sentenced to the death penalty, system workers and citizens, he said. Shambilov also emphasised probation service, another progressive mechanism that was introduced in Kazakhstan in 2012. Kazakhstan steadily started to understand that people can be sent to community service in some cases. I remember our first training on probation service. I had no idea where I would take experts. I visited Karaganda and East Kazakhstan Regions and penal system workers themselves had no clue who we were, what we were doing, he said. More than 60,000 people are currently on probation service and the prison population has declined from 100,000 in 1990s to 31,000. Helping former prisoners integrate back into society is among the key goals countries need to achieve. I have been personally dealing with this issue since 2012 and raising the issue of re-socialisation of former prisoners. These people need to be met. I was visiting all akimats, but they were kicking me off, saying they are not dealing with prisoners or human rights and sending me to other agencies. I was showing them the document that clearly defined their responsibility. They have not done anything for two years, he said. Kazakhstan recently hosted its first penal reform forum gathering government, penal system and civil society representatives to facilitate discussion on penal reforms in the country and the region, signalling a huge step forward in fostering efficient dialogue between civil society and the government. We set up a working group on penal system reform. We will examine the current situation. We may need to conduct an audit of prisons across all regions to make a comprehensive mapping where we will identify all problems and to what extent they pertain to other regions. We will conduct a situation analysis on separate areas, said Shambilov. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Dan Vasquez used to push the lever on the gas chamber, or the coughing box, as it was known on death row. As California's state executioner he stared into the eyes of condemned men while they passed to the next world. They try to hold their breath, but it seeps in through the pores, he told The Sunday Telegraph. It takes seven seconds. The head rolls forward, and then they flatline. One told me 'Everyone will dance with the grim reaper'. It is 25 years since Mr Vasquez, now retired, poisoned someone with hydrogen cyanide. He is still a supporter of the death penalty. But even he now admits its days are probably numbered. Does it stop murders? No. Is it a deterrent? No, he said. If the politicians get more votes by opposing it, then theyre going to do that. Maybe it will be abolished. Across America in 2019 that is exactly what is happening. Last week New Hampshire became the latest state to repeal its death penalty in what campaigners hailed as a watershed moment. It means 25 - half of the 50 - US states have now repealed capital punishment, or imposed an official moratorium. A dozen others have not executed anyone for over a decade. In Concord, the New Hampshire capital, there were emotional scenes in the legislature as Susan Ticehurst, a Democrat representative, spoke about an ancestor who was hanged after the Salem witch trials in 1692. That had been seen as a fair trial then, she said. But perhaps the most notable aspect was that the New Hampshire decision only passed with some Republican support. Across the country a dozen states are now considering anti-death penalty legislation sponsored by Republicans, traditionally the strongest supporters or the death penalty. I think there is a real zeitgeist moment happening now, said Hannah Cox, national manager of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. It's partly to do with the information age, and the popularity of the true crime genre in podcasts and on Netflix. They're looking at individual cases, and people are seeing how the criminal justice system functions. And it's not how our founders intended. There's a lot of eye opening. In addition, conservatives are increasingly having to square the circle of opposing abortion, while supporting executions. There is a contradiction, said Miss Cox. I'm pro-life and you have to have a consistent world view. A lot of people in the pro-life movement are realising that. However, we are still seeing a lot of inconsistency, for example in Alabama. Last month Alabama passed America's most stringent ant-abortion law, banning virtually all terminations. The next day it executed Michael Brandon Samra, 42, a man convicted of murder 22 years go. The repeal in New Hampshire came two months after California imposed an indefinite moratorium on executions. In America's most populous state, which has by far the biggest death row in the country with 737 condemned prisoners, support for capital punishment is down to 31 per cent. National opinion polls still show just over 50 per cent support for the death penalty, but there has been a steady and precipitous drop from a high of 80 per cent in the mid-1990s. The number of executions carried out in the US has fallen consistently since 1999, when there were 98. So far this year there have been only nine. The issue, long dormant on the national political stage, now looks set to feature prominently in the 2020 White House race. Democrat presidential candidates used to have little hope of winning unless they firmly backed the death penalty. Even in 2016 Hillary Clinton did so. But the overwhelming majority of the 23-strong Democrat field in 2020 have lined up to condemn it. Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, calls it immoral, discriminatory, and ineffective. Bernie Sanders tells audiences the government should not be part of killing. A notable exception is Joe Biden, who is set to come under sustained attack from other Democrat candidates for his 1994 crime bill which extended use of the death penalty. The politics of death has changed in recent years, said John Blume, director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project. It's become much more acceptable for Democrats, and even Republicans, to say the death penalty is just another misused government programme." New Hampshire was really, really significant. The death penalty will shortly be down to its core in the deep south. It's been a remarkable turn of events and you can see the finish line. It could end in my lifetime." According to Amnesty, 143 countries now have no death penalty. By numbers of executions the US is the only Western nation in the top 10. International pressure for it to abolish capital punishment is intensifying. The UK government has been lobbying heavily on behalf of Linda Carty, the only British citizen on death row in America. A total of 165 people sentenced to death in the US over the last four decades have now been exonerated, pardoned, or had charges dropped. Scandals over ineffective lethal injection drugs, and the exorbitant cost for states to maintain death rows, have further undermined public support. This year the US Supreme Court became engaged in an open civil war over the issue. It is believed four of the nine current Supreme Court justices would vote to declare the death penalty unconstitutional. However, Donald Trump's appointment of the conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh protected a 5-4 majority in favour. Mr Trump himself is strongly in favour of the death penalty. Still, its opponents believe that Mr Trump will not be able to hold back the tide. Only 62 of America's 2,643 condemned prisoners are on federal death row. The fate of the rest, the vast majority, is in the hands of the states, and many of them seem increasingly reluctant to carry out the ultimate punishment. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde I hereby sentence you to death. The words of Judge Clifford B. Shepard filled the courtroom in Jacksonville, Fla., on Oct. 27, 1976. Shepard was sentencing Clifford Williams Jr., whom a jury had just found guilty of entering a womans house with a spare key entrusted to him and then shooting her dead from the foot of her bed. It was a bizarre verdict, for forensics showed that the shots had been fired from outside the house through the window, breaking the glass and piercing curtains and a screen. Moreover, at the time of the shooting Williams had been attending a birthday party, an alibi confirmed by many in attendance. That didnt matter, for Williams was an indigent black man with a public defender who didnt call a single witness. The jury didnt realize that he had an alibi or that the bullets had come from outside the house. Judge Shepard, who was sometimes mocked in the legal community for harsh rulings and a weak intellect, ordered that you be put to death in the electric chair by having electrical current passed through your body in such amount and frequency until you are rendered dead. The sentence came just three months after the Supreme Court had restored the death penalty in the United States, in the case of Gregg v. Georgia, saying that new safeguards meant that capital punishment would be applied only to the worst of the worst. No longer can a jury wantonly and freakishly impose the death sentence, Justice Potter Stewart declared in the majority opinion. Fast forward four decades. Williams, now 76, was freed in March along with his co-defendant and nephew, Hubert Nathan Myers; as they emerged from prison, two frail and elderly men, Myers knelt and kissed the ground . They had each spent 42 years in prison for a murder they did not commit spanning the entire period of the modern death penalty and its supposed safeguards. Williams survived because the Florida Supreme Court had overturned his death sentence by a single vote, in a 4-to-3 decision, back in 1980, effectively giving him life in prison instead. Then in 2016 Jacksonville elected a reformist prosecutor who reviewed this old case and concluded , There is no credible evidence of guilt, and likewise there is substantial credible evidence to find these men are innocent. A judge, noting that she had been only 3 years old at the time of the convictions, finally released the men from a justice system that had treated them wantonly and freakishly. President Trump is now calling for expanding the death penalty so it would apply to drug dealers and those who kill police officers, with an expedited trial and quick execution. A majority of Americans (56 percent, according to Gallup ) favor capital punishment, believing that it will deter offenders or save money and presuming that it will apply only to the vilest criminals and that mistakes are not a serious risk. All these assumptions are wrong. My interest in the death penalty arises partly from a mistake of my own. At the beginning of 2000, I spoke to Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project, who told me about a white man on death row in Texas, Cameron Todd Willingham , whom he believed to be innocent. I discussed with editors the possibility of doing a deep dive into the case but let myself be lured away by the sirens of that years Iowa caucuses instead. I never wrote about Willingham, and he was executed in 2004. Subsequent evidence strongly suggests that not only was Willingham innocent but that no crime was even committed. He had been convicted of splashing gasoline around his house and then setting it on fire to murder his three little children. But experts later showed that there was no gasoline and that the fire was simply an accident that probably started with faulty wiring. Imagine what it would be like to lose the people you loved most, then be convicted of murdering them and finally be strapped to a gurney and executed by lethal injection. A powerful new movie , Trial by Fire, with Laura Dern, tells the story of the Willingham case, and I hope it will prick the national conscience. Partly because I failed to investigate Willinghams story, I have thrown myself into the case of Kevin Cooper, a black man on death row in California whose case reeks of prosecutorial misconduct. Cooper was convicted of the 1983 home invasion and murder of four white people in Chino Hills, Calif. After an extensive investigation, I argued last year that the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department may have framed Cooper. Republican and Democratic politicians alike including the states former attorney general Kamala Harris, now running for president refused for years to allow advanced DNA testing in Coopers case, even though his lawyers would have paid for it. (Harris has apologized and says she now favors testing.) This summer crucial evidence from Coopers case is finally being subjected to that testing, 36 years after the murders. We may know the results by September. DNA testing accounts for many of the 165 exonerations and prison releases because of dubious evidence since 1973, by the count of the Death Penalty Information Center. Usually, though, there isnt DNA available that can be tested to determine guilt or innocence. As in the Clifford Williams case, its more murky. The crucial evidence in his conviction came from an eyewitness who may have been a pathological liar. But lets be clear: The great majority of people executed are guilty. They have frequently killed with the utmost savagery. Scotty Morrow, a black man from Georgia, indisputably committed a brutal murder in 1994. He fought with his ex-girlfriend, Barbara Ann Young, and, as her 5-year-old son watched, shot her in the head and killed her. Morrow also shot dead another woman in the house, Tonya Woods, and shot a third woman, LaToya Horne, in the face. Horne was able to stagger down the road before collapsing. She suffered permanent injuries. Not surprisingly, Morrow was sentenced to die but let me throw in a bit of complexity. Morrow grew up in a violent home where he was raped and beaten as a child, and he never received mental health support to deal with his trauma; that justifies nothing but may help explain something. He desperately wanted to reconcile with Young, and when told that she had been exploiting him for money while she waited for her real man to return from prison, he just snapped, as he put it. After the murders, he prepared to commit suicide but was arrested; he then prayed daily for 25 years for the families of the women he had killed. Rarely in my career as a prosecutor and a judge did I witness this level of remorse and acceptance of responsibility, reflected Judge Wendy Shoob, one of the judges who dealt with Morrows appeals over two decades. The only disciplinary report against him in a quarter-century in prison was for intervening in a fight to protect an inmate who was being stabbed with a shank. Several correctional officers wrote letters appealing that his life be spared. Scotty Morrow is literally the only inmate I would do this for, said a correctional officer with 16 years in law enforcement, Nathan Adkerson. Sgt. Tajuana Burns described him as just a really nice man. Lindsey Veal Jr., a mental health counselor, said Morrow actually makes the prison safer, and added: There are very few inmates I can call fully rehabilitated. But, without question, Scotty is one of them. William L. Buchanan, a psychologist who worked with Morrow, recalled that one correctional officer looked me straight in the eyes and stated to me, This is the best man in the world. Yet in the end the State of Georgia did with meticulous planning what Morrow had done impulsively in a spasm of fury. It executed him last month by lethal injection. In his last moments in the execution chamber, Morrow apologized again to the families of the women he had killed, adding to the 20 witnesses: Im truly sorry for all that happened. I hope that you all recover and have healing. Was the man strapped down on a gurney truly the same person as the enraged brute who had shot dead Young and Woods 25 years earlier? The death penalty has been applied to at least 222 crimes in the Anglo-American legal system, including marrying a Jew and stealing a rabbit. For a time in America, stealing grapes was punishable by death. So was witchcraft, as we know from the Salem trials. For centuries executions were public affairs. The last public execution in the United States was in August 1936 in Owensboro, Ky. Perhaps 20,000 people gathered to see a black man, Rainey Bethea, 22, hanged for the rape and murder of a white woman. The carnival atmosphere and hanging parties led Kentucky to ban public executions, although public lynchings continued. The argument for public punishment was that it deters crime, and even today a common argument in favor of executions is that through deterrence they save the lives of innocent people. Is that true? One 2003 study purported to find that each execution deterred five murders, while opponents of the death penalty sometimes argue the opposite, that executions brutalize society and lead to additional murders. Statisticians and criminologists have studied this issue carefully for decades, and the general conclusion is that executions have no greater deterrent effect than long prison sentences. Murder rates are actually lower in states without the death penalty than in those with it. Some jurisdictions have periodically banned the death penalty and then brought it back, and this back-and-forth seems to have zero impact on homicide rates. Scholars have also examined whether there is a decline in homicides after well-publicized death verdicts or executions; there is not. One rigorous 2012 study published by the American Economic Review found no clear deterrent effect and noted that depending on the statistical model used, one could conclude that each execution saves 21 lives or causes an additional 63 murders. Note also that a 2008 poll of leading criminologists found that only 5 percent believed that capital punishment was an effective deterrent; 88 percent believed the opposite. Meanwhile, the experts polled in that survey agreed that death penalty debates distract legislatures from policies that actually would reduce crime like lead removal, early childhood programs, career academies, job training, gang violence initiatives like Cure Violence , and programs for at-risk young people like Becoming a Man Lets also examine another argument of death penalty proponents: that its not worth spending hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting brutal killers for the rest of their lives: Execute them and use the savings for better purposes! This argument, too, is groundless: Capital punishment is far more expensive than life prison terms. This is because pretrial preparations, jury selection and appeals are all more expensive in capital cases, and death row confinement is more costly than incarceration for the general prison population. One 2017 study by several criminologists found that on average, each death sentence costs taxpayers $700,000 more than life imprisonment. It is a simple fact that seeking the death penalty is more expensive, concluded that inquiry, by Peter A. Collins of Seattle University and colleagues. There is not one credible study, to our knowledge, that presents evidence to the contrary. One reason death penalty cases are expensive is that the defense is given more time and resources to prepare the case, and appeals are automatic. So you would think that innocent people are less likely to be put to death than to serve life sentences. That may be true. Defense lawyers grimly joke that if youre falsely convicted of a crime, its best to be sentenced to death because then at least you will get pro bono lawyers and media scrutiny that may increase the prospect of exoneration. Researchers find that an exoneration is 130 times more likely for a death sentence than for other sentences. Yet if death penalties get unusual scrutiny, there are countervailing forces. Researchers find that juries are more likely to recommend the death penalty for defendants who are perceived as showing a lack of remorse and innocent people dont display remorse. A second factor is that death sentences are often sought after particularly brutal crimes that create great pressure on the police to find the culprits. In 1989, for example, after five black teenagers in New York City were arrested in the rape and beating of a white investment banker who became known as the Central Park Jogger, Donald Trump bought full-page newspaper ads calling for the death penalty. The teenagers were later exonerated when DNA evidence and a confession by another man showed that they were innocent of that crime. One peer-reviewed study suggested that at least 4.1 percent of those sentenced to death in the United States are innocent. With more than 2,700 Americans on death row, that would imply that more than 110 innocent people are awaiting execution. The Supreme Court in 1976 restored the death penalty partly because it was confident that safeguards such as meticulous rules about when death penalties could be applied would eliminate the arbitrary application of capital punishment. In fact, its defining feature is still its arbitrariness, noted Jill Benton, an Atlanta lawyer who defends capital punishment cases. Racial bias affects every aspect of the criminal justice system, and researchers have found that black defendants not only do worse than white defendants, but also that blacks with dark complexions fare worse than those with light ones. Of prisoners now on death row, 42 percent are black, 42 percent are white, and most of the remainder are Hispanic. Bias is not just found in judges and prosecutors. In Washington State, researchers found that juries were four times as likely to recommend a death sentence for a black defendant as for a similar white defendant. The same study also underscored how random capital punishment is. In Thurston County in Washington, prosecutors sought the death penalty in 67 percent of aggravated murder cases; in Okanogan County, 130 miles away, zero percent. Over all in America, 2 percent of counties account for a majority of death penalty cases. Researchers have found that whether Texas prosecutors seek the death penalty depends partly on how The Houston Chronicle covers the case. They have also found that if a jury has a majority of women, it is less likely to recommend death. Justice is supposed to be blind. But it is not supposed to be random. Aside from deterring murders and saving money, a third common argument for the death penalty is that it is appropriate retribution for a heinous crime, a way for a community to rise up and express its revulsion for some brutal act. We dishonor victims, so the argument goes, if we simply lock away a monster. This is an argument that cannot be countered with data, for it rests on values. It has to be said, though, that the history of executions as an expression of a communitys moral values is not an inspiring one. Such values-based arguments have been made through history for stoning adulterers and burning witches and, in Japan in the 1600s, boiling Christians alive. Just this spring, the small Southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei defended the stoning to death of gays, adulterers and heretics as an expression of community values intended to educate, respect and protect the legitimate rights of all individuals. Strom Thurmond, the South Carolina senator who was the longest-serving Republican in congressional history, used to boast that as a judge in the 1930s and 1940s, he had sentenced four men to death; he saw capital punishment as reflecting community values and had no regrets, for the men got what they deserved. A South Carolina lawyer, David Bruck, looked into those four death sentences . Three involved black men: one who was deranged from syphilis, one who was accused of rape by a white woman but had many alibi witnesses and may have been innocent, and one who in self-defense shot an armed white man who attacked him. The fourth was a white man who, in a rage, killed his girlfriend. At the time, it may have seemed to Thurmond and the white community self-evident that these four executions were righteous. Today the first three seem hideous examples of racist injustice. Our standards and perspectives have changed but what is unique about the death penalty is that a person can never be un-executed. Today the Supreme Court is caught in a bitter feud over the death penalty, with a conservative majority approving executions and fretting about unjustified delay in carrying them out, as Justice Neil M. Gorsuch put it in April. In her dissent in that case , Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued, There are higher values than ensuring that executions run on time. The result of this division is that the court is unlikely to constrain executions significantly. Yet there is some recognition that the system is faulty, and capital punishment is becoming more rare. In 1998, there were 295 death sentences in this country; in 2018, just 42. In California, which has the largest death row, Gov. Gavin Newsom has bravely declared a moratorium on executions. The case of Kenneth Reams, a man on death row in Arkansas, encapsulates the cruelty and absurdity of this system. It shows clearly all the problems with a democratic society using the death penalty, said George H. Kendall, a lawyer who is helping Reams challenge his sentence. Reams was a black kid born to an impoverished 15-year-old mom. He had a turbulent childhood, running away from home at 13 and dabbling in juvenile crime. Then at 18 he helped a friend who needed money to pay for his graduation cap and gown: They robbed a white man named Gary Turner at an A.T.M., and the friend shot and killed Turner. Reams was defended by a part-time lawyer with several hundred other cases and no capital punishment experience, and there were indications that the jury was manipulated to underrepresent African-Americans. In the end, Reams was sentenced to death. Last year the Arkansas Supreme Court overturned the death penalty for Reams, but he remains on death row pending new hearings and a new sentence. Even if you believe it is appropriate to execute an unarmed robber because his partner shot someone, even if youre unconcerned by a criminals troubled childhood, even if racial manipulation of juries doesnt bother you, there remains the basic question of what the execution of someone like Reams would accomplish and whether, more than a quarter-century later, that 18-year-old offender still exists to execute. People change, Kendall told me. Kenny was a reckless, out-of-control kid who, while barely 18 at the time of the crime, had the mental maturity of a 14-year-old. His maturation had been slowed by years of horrible neglect and abuse. Behind bars, Reams has grown into an accomplished artist who encourages other prisoners to express themselves through poetry. Thats something you encounter again and again: People evolve. So because of the glacial pace of justice, we sometimes execute a graying, kindly inmate quite different from the violent felon he once was. They may have the same DNA and fingerprints, but their hearts are not the same. There is no evidence that the death penalty deters. It costs hundreds of thousands of additional dollars per prisoner. It is steeped in caprice, arbitrariness and racial bias. It is fallible and when it fails, it undermines the legitimacy of our judicial system. Some day, I believe, Americans will look back at todays executions just as we now look back at witch burnings and public hangings, and they will ask, What were they thinking? In Jacksonville, Clifford Williams Jr. is now trying to get used to freedom after 42 years as a convicted murderer. Buddy Schulz, his lawyer, told me what happened when he visited Williams in prison and told him that he would be released. He cried for the first 10 minutes, Schulz recalled. For the next 10 minutes, he laughed. And finally after 20 minutes, he said, Mr. Buddy, I hope you dont think me rude, but Ive got to go to the chapel and thank God. Schulz added: Im personally of the opinion that the death penalty serves no purpose whatsoever, and I think its immoral. This is an example. The judge imposed it and but for a close decision by the Supreme Court, here would have been an innocent man who would have lost his life. I reached out to Henry M. Coxe III, who four decades ago prosecuted the case against Williams and won the death sentence. I figured that he would see the issue differently, but he didnt. In fact, he was relieved that of the five death sentences he won as a prosecutor, none were ever carried out. In hindsight, I dont think the death penalty serves a meaningful purpose, he told me. Williams is now living with his daughter in Jacksonville, taking one day at a time, he told me. The fact that he knew he was innocent made it immeasurably harder, he said, but he added, I was trusting God would deal with it. Calm and mild-mannered, he didnt want to talk about his decades in prison. It wasnt a nice time, he explained mildly. I told him that I was surprised he didnt sound bitter. Williams laughed. Well, I feel a little bit bitter, he said. I asked about the death penalty, and there was a long silence. I thought he hadnt heard, so I asked again, and then I realized that he was struggling with his emotions. Too many people, he said, suddenly sounding exhausted, are getting the death sentence who dont deserve it. Source: The New York Times , Opinion, Nicholas Krystof, June 14, 2019. Nicholas Kristof has been a columnist for The Times since 2001. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes, for his coverage of China and of the genocide in Darfur. | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde LEBANON The Lebanon City Council on Wednesday approved a budget of just under $60 million for the 2019-20 fiscal year. The final budget amount of about $59.6 million represents a nearly $5 million increase from the 2018-19 fiscal year (about $54.8 million). The budget maintains the citys current level of services in all departments, with operating appropriations up 6.5%. The citys obligations to the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System represent a significant part of that increase. The budget adds 2.7 full-time equivalent positions to the citys payroll: One full-time bus dispatcher. One full-time bus driver. One half-time bus driver. Increasing the citys Community Development Director position from .8 FTE to full-time. The budget also sets aside $165,000 for future improvements at Ralston Park. The council approved the proposed master plan for that park on Wednesday and while no work is expected to begin on the project in this fiscal year, the council wants to begin setting aside funds for the improvements. The city is also seeking a state parks grant to assist in funding the Ralston Park improvements. The city provides support to a range of community programs and services. For this fiscal year, the city increased its support to the Lebanon Downtown Association for its Main Street Manager position from $10,000 to $25,000. Mayor Paul Aziz asked that the city look into the possibility of refunding Samaritan Health Services about $116,000 it has already paid in system development charges for the new residential addiction treatment facility it is building in Lebanon. Samaritan broke ground on that facility on Tuesday and it's expected to open in spring 2020. City Manager Gary Marks noted that the city waived the system development charges for other improvements made by Samaritan within the North Gateway Urban Renewal District. For this URD, this is really in line with the way weve implemented the development agreement with Samaritan. Virtually every project that Samaritan has done one the Samaritan campus, which is what this URD is about, part of our deal was we reimburse them for building permits and for system development charges, Marks said. This facility, because it wasnt foreseen at the time of that development agreement, is outside of that agreement. Both Aziz and Marks emphasized that the funds being reimbursed will not come from the citys general fund but will come out of the funds set aside for the urban renewal district. No decision was made on this question Wednesday night and Marks said it was most appropriate for him to bring a formal request to the next council session in July. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 SALEM Nearly all workers in Oregon would gain the right to take paid leave for family and medical reasons under a proposal advancing through the Legislature, but it likely won't become available until 2023. Under House Bill 2005, employers would have to let an employee provided she made $1,000 or more during the current or previous year take up to 18 weeks' leave to care for a new child or ill family member; to deal with serious health problems, a difficult pregnancy or childbirth, or abuse; or some combination thereof. For up to 12 weeks, plus two more for a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, a person could receive much or all of their pay while on leave. The paid leave system that HB 2005 sets up is similar to workers' compensation, with employers and employees both contributing a fraction of wages to a state-run insurance fund. Workers taking family or medical leave would apply to the state to get their pay while they're away from work. It will be up to state officials to decide what the contribution rate is, but it can't exceed 1% of a worker's wages. The employee would contribute three-fifths of that amount; the employer, two-fifths. An employee's contribution would be deducted from her paycheck, just like payments into the workers' benefit fund or a retirement savings account. Employers with 25 or fewer employees wouldn't have to pay into the fund, but their employees would still be eligible to take paid leave. Really, truly, we were working to try to make sure that every employee is covered, said Andrea Paluso, executive director of Family Forward. Paluso's advocacy group worked with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, labor unions, businesses, and others on the paid leave proposal. Paluso said it's also important to her group that the policy is equitable, so that it's not only available to higher wage earners. Parents need time Under the latest version of the proposal, workers who make less than 65% of Oregon's average weekly wage would be eligible for full pay while on leave. Workers making more than that would get 65% of the average weekly wage plus half of whatever they make above that threshold, up to 120% of the average weekly wage. According to the state Employment Department, the average weekly wage in Oregon is $976. It's recalculated every year based on pay figures throughout the state, and it is tentatively set to increase to $1,013. House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, has been working to pass paid leave for years. It's a top priority of hers this legislative session, and other Democratic leaders are backing the effort as well. Oregonians across party and demographic lines believe strongly that parents need time away from work to welcome a new child, to make sure they can care for a newborn without going into debt, to adjust, to bond, to heal, and to set their kids and their families up for success, Williamson said. And Oregonians believe strongly that no person should have to choose between paying their bills and taking care of themselves or a loved one. House Speaker Tina Kotek said Monday, June 10, that she was optimistic that HB 2005 would pass even as adjournment approaches. Senate President Peter Courtney is also backing the effort, said spokeswoman Carol Currie. The Legislature must conclude its business for the year by June 30. Williamson has received a boost from business groups, which are backing the paid leave proposal unveiled Tuesday, June 11. Paid family and medical leave is a national trend and it was clear that we would see legislation on this issue in Oregon soon, the state's largest business group, Oregon Business & Industry, noted in a statement. Several elements of the latest proposal are softened considerably from earlier versions. Most notably, implementation of the paid leave program will be delayed. The state would begin collecting contributions for the insurance fund in 2022. The soonest an employee could take paid leave under the new system is 2023. In the legislative changes, contributions into the insurance fund have also been tweaked to favor employers. Originally, Williamson proposed having employers and employees pay equal amounts. As part of a deal with Democrats not to oppose a new tax on businesses to pay for K-12 education earlier this spring, Oregon Business & Industry lobbied to have the employee pay more than the employer in HB 2005. Obviously, there was a lot of compromise involved, Currie said. For her part, Paluso said she's not surprised that businesses were willing to support a compromise plan. We've seen a lot of data that indicates that when people have this policy, they come back to their jobs, Paluso said. And when they come back, they come back ready to work. The proposal has backing from some labor groups as well, including the Oregon AFL-CIO. Losing valuable employees Not all business groups are on board. The National Federation of Independent Business has opposed the paid leave proposal from the beginning. The small-business lobby is concerned about taxing businesses to pay for the program, even if many small businesses are exempt, and it argues the bill doesn't do enough to protect small businesses who will lose productivity if an employee takes extended leave. There's not a way to craft this policy where employers aren't without valuable employees for certain amounts of time, said NFIB state Director Anthony K. Smith. He appreciates that the latest version of the policy is a compromise, but it's not one the entire business community is comfortable with. HB 2005 would make life difficult for the smallest businesses because it would require them to let employees on leave return to the jobs they left, Smith said, and he thinks expecting them to line up temporary workers while they're gone isn't realistic: The idea that you're going to find a qualified person who's willing to do the job for just 12 weeks, that's the hard thing. The proposal has some Republican support. Rep. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, actually testified in support of the bill on Tuesday, an unusual step for a minority lawmaker with a Democratic leader's bill. But when the House Rules Committee voted to endorse HB 2005 and send it to the House floor Thursday afternoon, June 13, it wasn't a unanimous vote. Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-Scio, voted against it. The paid leave proposal still has significant hurdles to clear. With an estimated price tag of $15.7 million over the next two years, it will need to be reviewed by the legislative budget-writing committee, which is already considering hundreds of other requests for state money this month. Because HB 2005 raises revenue, if it advances to a floor vote, it will need at least 36 representatives and 18 senators' support to pass. Even if it becomes law, Smith noted that it was not uncommon for policies like this to undergo tweaks and changes in the future. Reporter Mark Miller: mmiller@fgnewstimes.com. Miller works for the Oregon Capital Bureau, a collaboration of EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group, and Salem Reporter. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Here's an odd little bit of political news that says something about today's odd political climate: According to a report this week from CNN, the campaign to re-elect President Donald Trump is considering whether to invest resources in Oregon during the 2020 race. That's right, Oregon a state where Trump lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by 11 percentage points in 2016. No Republican presidential candidate has carried Oregon since 1984. The last Republican presidential candidate to invest significant resources in Oregon was George W. Bush in 2004, but he lost the state by 4 percentage points to John Kerry. And the state appears to be increasingly inhospitable to Republican candidates. Just take a look at the number of registered voters in the state: Figures for May 2019 show 964,106 voters registered as Democrats against 701,392 Republicans, a gap of more than 260,000 voters. The gap has grown a bit over the last 12 months. So it's a long shot that Trump can win the state and claim its seven Electoral College votes, and Trump's campaign knows that. But the Trump campaign is loaded with cash, and likely won't have to worry about any serious opposition in the primaries. (This is the part of the reason why Trump may be difficult to defeat in the 2020 election.) So the campaign is starting to kick around various backup strategies in the event that it needs to find a different path to the 270 Electoral College votes required to win the presidency. For example, the campaign believes that states Trump won in 2016 such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Iowa, might be up for grabs in 2020. And so campaign officials are looking for options in case any of those battleground states turn blue in next year's election. That's why the campaign already has placed resources in places like New Hampshire, New Mexico and Nevada states that Trump lost in 2016 but which campaign officials think might be winnable in 2020. And, to be completely fair, Trump has scored victories in states that seemed like long shots at the time: Who would have thought four years ago that he would be able to carry Wisconsin and Michigan? So when the Trump campaign says it's interested in "expanding the map" and exploring different ways in which its candidate can claim 270 Electoral College votes, it's worth noting. And the CNN report contained an extra bit of information that possibly caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, who has represented the state's 4th Congressional District since 1987. CNN reported that the National Republican Congressional Committee is hoping to recruit a strong challenger to DeFazio in the 2020 campaign. DeFazio hasn't been seriously challenged since 2010, when he pulled just 54% of the vote against Republican challenger Art Robinson; since then, he's racked up four straight wins against Robinson, who routinely wins the GOP primary thanks primarily to name recognition. On paper, the 4th district is only marginally Democratic; in the 2016 presidential election, it supported Clinton, but by only 0.1 percentage point. But considering DeFazio's long tenure, our guess is that a Republican victory here is about as likely as Trump winning in Oregon. But the news about Trump's campaign testing the waters in Oregon didn't go unnoticed by the late night talk show "Late Night With Seth Meyers." This week, as The Oregonian reported, Meyers not only reported the news but also took a shot at the state. Meyers said: According to CNN, the Trump campaign is attempting to find ways of winning the historically Democratic state of Oregon in 2020. Well, the first step will be convincing them that its 2020. As Meyers delivered the joke, viewers saw a shot of a young man with one of those thick Portland beards, wearing a white shirt with suspenders and a bow tie and standing next to a bicycle. To paraphrase Homer Simpson: It's funny 'cause it's true. 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Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Thomas Heaton is a food and travel reporter for The Kathmandu Post. Before working in Nepal, he spent five years in New Zealand, most recently as a food writer for Cuisine magazine. Heaton is content trawling through markets, sampling sundry skewers of offal and getting into uncomfortable situations while travelling. Global economic impact of violence, 2007-2018. The de-escalation of conflicts, particularly in the MENA region, contributed to the 3.3 percent decline in the global economic impact of violence, the first decline since 2002. Graphic: IEP 12 June 2019 (IEP) The 13th edition of the annual Global Peace Index (GPI) report, the worlds leading measure of global peacefulness, reveals that the average level of global peacefulness improved for the first time in five years. However, despite improvement, the world remains considerably less peaceful now than a decade ago, with the average level of peacefulness deteriorating by nearly four per cent since 2008. This years report includes new research on the possible effects of climate change on peace. Key Results Ukraine registered the largest improvement in peacefulness this year; Nicaragua the largest drop. More countries decreased their militarisation, 106 countries, than increased it continuing a decade long trend. Since 2008 global peacefulness has deteriorated by 3.78 per cent, with 81 countries deteriorating and 81 improving, highlighting that deteriorations in peacefulness are generally larger than improvements. Climate Change Highlights More than 400 million people live in areas with low levels of peacefulness and high risk from climate change. Eight of the 25 least peaceful countries have 103 million at risk in high climate hazard areas. Regionally, sub-Saharan Africa has the weakest coping capacity for climate hazards, which could exacerbate violent conflicts. GDP/Economic Cost of Violence Highlights The economic impact of violence on the global economy has decreased for the first time since 2012, amounting to $14.1 trillion in 2018, or 11.2 per cent or $1,853 for every person. Countries with very high levels of peace, on average, achieved over three times higher per capita GDP growth compared to the least peaceful countries for the last 60 years. In the ten countries most affected by violence, the average economic cost of violence was equivalent to 35 per cent of GDP, compared to just 3.3 per cent in the countries least affected by violence. Eighty-six countries improved their score in the 2019 report, whilst 76 deteriorated. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Bhutan has recorded the largest improvement of any country in the top 20, rising 43 places in the last 12 years. Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful. South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries. This is the first year since the inception of the index that Yemen has been ranked amongst the five least peaceful countries. Steve Killelea, Founder and Executive Chairman of the IEP, said: Although peace has improved in the 2019 GPI, a deeper analysis finds a mixture of positive and negative trends. Regional Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2019. Graphic: IEP Four of the nine regions in the world became more peaceful over the past year. The largest increase in peacefulness occurred in the Russia and Eurasia region, followed by the Middle East and North Africa. In both regions, the number of deaths from conflict declined in Ukraine and Syria respectively. The fall in conflict deaths has been mirrored by a fall in deaths from terrorism. Two of the three GPI domains deteriorated over the past decade, with Ongoing Conflict deteriorating by 8.7 per cent and Safety and Security deteriorating by 4 per cent. However, contrary to public perception, the Militarisation domain has recorded a 2.6 per cent improvement since 2008. The number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people has fallen in 117 countries, and military expenditure as a percentage of GDP fell in 98 countries, with only 63 countries increasing their spending. The GPI report presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on peace, its economic value, trends, and how to develop peaceful societies. The report covers 99.7 per cent of the worlds population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources to compile the index. These indicators are grouped into three key domains: Ongoing Conflict, Safety and Security, and Militarisation. Global peacefulness improves for the first time in five years Global Peace Index 2019 12 June 2019 (IEP) The average level of global peacefulness improved very slightly last year on the 2019 Global Peace Index (GPI). This was the first time that the index improved in the last five years. The average country score improved by -0.09 per cent, with 86 countries improving and 76 recording deteriorations. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Bhutan has recorded the largest improvement of any country in the top 20, rising 43 places in the last 12 years. Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful. South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries. This is the first year since the inception of the index that Yemen has been ranked amongst the five least peaceful countries. Indexed trend in well-being, 2008-2018 Data: Gallup World Poll, IEP. Graphic: IEP Four of the nine regions in the world improved in peacefulness in 2019: Russia and Eurasia, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Europe maintained its position as the most peaceful region in the world, which it has held for every year of the GPI. MENA remained the least peaceful region for the fifth year in a row, although it did become more peaceful last year. While most of Russia and Eurasia remains less peaceful than the global average, it showed the largest regional improvement. Central America and the Caribbean had the largest regional deterioration. Despite the improvement this year, the world remains considerably less peaceful now than a decade ago, with the average level of peacefulness deteriorating by 3.78 per cent since 2008. Global peacefulness has only improved for three of the last ten years. A wide range of factors drove the fall in peacefulness over the past decade including increased terrorist activity, the intensification of conflicts in the Middle East, rising regional tensions in Eastern Europe and northeast Asia, increasing numbers of refugees, and heightened political tensions in Europe and the US. Indexed trend of feelings of worry, sadness, and stress, 2008-2018. Globally, feelings of sadness, stress, and worry have increased by a combined average of eight percentage points. Data: Gallup World Poll, IEP. Graphic: IEP This deterioration was partially offset by improvements in many of the measures of the Militarisation domain of the GPI. There has been a consistent reduction in military expenditure as a percentage of GDP for the majority of countries, as well as a fall in the armed services personnel rate for most countries in the world. The economic impact of violence on the global economy in 2018 amounted to $14.1 trillion in constant purchasing power parity (PPP) terms. This is equivalent to 11.2 per cent of the worlds GDP or $1,853 per person. In 2018, the economic impact of violence improved for the first time since 2012, decreasing by 3.3 per cent or $475 billion. The decline in the economic impact of violence is reflective of the improvement in global peacefulness, which is discussed in section one of this report. The reduction was primarily due to a decline in the costs associated with Armed Conflict. This improvement was mainly due to lower levels of armed conflict in Syria, Colombia and Ukraine. This also resulted in a positive knock-on effect for refugees and internally displaced persons and terrorism, with reductions in the costs for both. Total population in high-risk climate zones 2016. Over 78 percent of the population in high and very high risk zones resides in the Asia-Pacific, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa regions. Graphic: IEP For the first time, the GPI 2019 includes research on climate change and peace. The impacts of fluctuating climate conditions on societal stability and its potential to lead to violent conflict is of growing importance. Although long-term quantitative data on the interactions of climate and peace is scarce, what is available suggests that climate has played a role in triggering or exacerbating conflict through its effects on livelihood security and resource availability. The effects of climate shocks on factors such as resource scarcity, livelihood security and displacement can greatly increase the risk of future violent conflict, even when climate change does not directly cause conflict. An estimated 971 million people live in areas with high or very high exposure to climate hazards, putting them at risk for both extreme weather events and breakdowns in peacefulness in the coming decades. Of this number, 41 per cent reside in countries with low levels of peacefulness, while 22 per cent are in countries with high levels of peace. The Asia-Pacific and South Asia regions collectively house twice as many people in high exposure climate zones as all other regions combined. A risk assessment carried out by the Index for Risk Management in 2019 found that South Asia, Asia-Pacific and Central America and the Caribbean have weaker coping capacities and higher risk to natural hazards as compared to other regions. Regional changes in stress, 2008-2018. The percentage of respondents reporting experiences of stress increased by more than 18 percentage points in sub-Saharan Africa. Data: Gallup World Poll, IEP. Graphic: IEP The GPI 2019 also includes new data on wellbeing and perceptions of peacefulness. The reports shows that there have been increases in average feelings of life satisfaction and wellbeing, perceptions of safety, and confidence in the local police and military, despite the last decade showing a decline in peacefulness around the world. Perceptions of peacefulness have increased in some areas but decreased in others. More people across the world now feel that they have more freedom in life, are more satisfied with life, and are treated with more respect than in 2008. Many more people also feel that their countries are better places to live for ethnic and religious minorities. However, daily feelings of sadness, worry, and stress have also increased over the same time. There is a strong correlation between perceptions of peacefulness and actual peacefulness as measured by the GPI. Both men and women in more peaceful countries are more likely to report that they feel safe walking alone at night than people in less peaceful countries. There is also a greater level of trust in police in more peaceful societies. For the complete analysis, download the Global Peace Index. Global Peace Index 2019 Glad you asked. As you may know, the only gubernatorial candidate endorsed by Blue America so far this cycle is dedicated populist Stephen Smith. If that name is new to you, here's the guest post he did for us a month ago. In the post he tried to shatter common misconceptions about his state. "Some of you," he wrote "think we 'vote against our own interests.' But Good Old Boy Democrats held power here for 82 years, while wages fell, jobs vanished, and our divorce, obesity, and overdose rates soared. Were not wrong to question whether the party has had our interests at heart. Some of you think were backwards. But it was our teachers and school service personnel who sparked a nationwide strike movement last year. And this February, our educators walked out again-- this time to reject an education reform bill that would have paid them the raise they were after-- because they knew the bill would make things worse for our kids by privatizing schools. Some of you call our home Trump Country. But more of us opted not to vote in 2016 than voted for the President. A 2017 poll of likely voters revealed that we favor Bernie over Trump, 48 to 46 percent. In West Virginia, we are rejecting a political establishment that rejected us long ago. Were not foolish. Were fed up." Rumors are rampant-- both in West Virginia and in DC-- that conservative Democrat Joe Manchin will be announcing for governor next month. He doesn't have to give up his Senate seat to run and if he wins, he gets to pick the next senator (for about 9 months when there will be a special election a Republican would likely win). Manchin might beat Republican Jim Justice in a general election, but it would be a lot harder for him to win a Democratic primary against Stephen Smith. Smith is running one of the most exciting 2020 statewide campaigns in the country. While Smith has his sights set on the governors mansion, the progressive-populist campaign hes running isnt just about that. Smith is setting out to build a statewide movement; his gubernatorial run is just the anchor. What were interested in is fundamentally changing who the government works for, and you cant do that with one candidate, no matter what the office is, Smith said in a phone interview with The Intercept. So the way we do that-- the way we win that-- is by building an unprecedented political infrastructure in our states history. Operating with the battle cry of West Virginia Cant Wait, the campaign is setting out to create a pipeline of progressive, working-class candidates to defeat the good old boys. The plan isnt to get a new governor and pat ourselves on the back, Smith said. The result is a broad political organizing effort: locally organized groups led by local captains and leaders dubbed Constituency Captains who volunteer to mobilize their communities. This movement will be built by 1,000 leaders, not one, says the campaigns website. Key to these efforts are the small donors, who made up the rolls that broke the secretary of states software. Smith won't identify himeself as a 'progressive.' Yet his campaign draws inspiration from the Battle of Blair Mountain, an armed uprising of coal miners in West Virginia, widely considered to be the largest labor rebellion in American history. In 1921, West Virginia mineworkers-- black, white, and immigrant-- marched together on Blair Mountain against corporate rule, says a video [above] on Smiths campaign site. They wore red bandanas to identify themselves in battle. The video cuts to a West Virginia Cant Wait event where red bandanas are being handed out, then showing a crowd of onlookers with the kerchiefs around their necks. Though stopping short of taking up arms, Smith in fact takes a host of standard progressive positions. He is emphatic about rejecting corporate cash, unapologetically supports a single-payer health care system, and is in favor of free college. But he refers to his ground game as a peoples campaign. The outlook is based on the fundamental belief that the everyday people of West Virginia are far better suited to solve their problems than the out-of-state lobbyists, out-of-state landowners, and monopolies that dominate the state. Smith said, Our government would work a whole lot better for all of us if all of us were in charge, instead of a handful of lobbyists. Its not an exaggeration. In January, Justice, the Republican governor, handpicked a registered lobbyist who represents his own familys companies to replace former state Sen. Richard Ojeda, an aggressively pro-labor Democrat who left his seat for a short-lived presidential run. Justice, who campaigned in 2016 as a political outsider, is the wealthiest person in West Virginia. He inherited his coal mining business from his father, which allowed him to build a massive business empire of more than 100 companies. It was Justice who gave the Republican Party nearly full control of West Virginia, long a bastion of southern Democratic support that has turned increasingly red on the state level. Justice had switched to the Democratic Party to run for governor, only to switch back to the GOP less than seven months after taking office. Smiths campaign wants to turn the governors mansion blue again, despite the fact that West Virginia handed Donald Trump his second largest margin of victory in the 2016 presidential race. The state is not inherently red, Smiths team contends, and their anti-establishment message paves a plausible path to victory. After all, its the same state that voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary. What were seeing all across the country is that the government is failing our people and both parties are failing our people, Smith said. Our people are picking up the baton and saying, You know what, we can govern ourselves. West Virginia Can't Wait, the campaign, formally launched at the end of November 2018 and has since held 12 kickoff events across the state. But the campaign doesnt want Smith to be the face of the movement; the movement is supposed to transcend a single candidate and build a lasting infrastructure of political power. The roadmap is simple: Organize locally, recruit local candidates who know their neighbors needs, and run those candidates in local races. So far, Smiths campaign has recruited an estimated 56 candidates and potential candidates who are mulling a run in 2020. They have their sights set on positions like city council memberships, magistrate judge seats, county commissioners, and delegates. Their candidate pipeline includes people who are ready to go-- and have their campaign website set already-- to others who are considering running for office for the first time and want go to a training to get a sense of what it takes. Smiths campaign will train candidates and their campaign staff. Perhaps most crucially, West Virginia Cant Wait will grant these smaller campaigns access to their team and join them on the trail, opening up town halls and events to the local candidates. When the election rolls around, the 10 volunteers that youre recruiting for your city council race combined with the 10 Im getting from the governors race and the 10 someone else is getting for the delegates race means that we all have 40, instead of 10 each, Smith said. The other part of their strategy is to get at least two County Captains in each of the states 55 counties, a position intended to act as a community organizer rather than a campaign spokesperson. West Virginia Cant Wait has recruited and trained more than 160 people to work as County Captains, who are then responsible for building their own volunteer team within the county. Those county teams will receive support from the statewide campaign but will be given the latitude to craft their approaches to specific local issues and concerns. West Virginia Cant Wait has laid out a number of steps toward this end: County teams are to identify local issues by talking to at least 1,000 voters; plan events and actions; recruit and train additional volunteers; identify community members who might want to run for office as part of a slate; and run a get-out-the-vote operation leading up to the primary and general elections. Another prong of the organizing calls for Constituency Captains to build support within their communities, the campaign says. These organizers-- distinct from the county organizing groups because they instead find likeminded individuals-- are to develop an online presence, host meetups, plan public events, and recruit candidates from their crew. Its more a movement than a campaign, to be honest with you, for the simple fact that hes trying to get everybody involved in his campaign, such as the Muslim community, the youth, the African American community, the LGBTQ community, anybody and everybody, said Ibtesam Barazi, who has a long history of advocating for immigrant and refugee rights in West Virginia and is an adviser to the campaign as well as a captain of the Muslim constituency team. There's another primary going on-- for who will dominate the conservative lane in the Democratic primary. In the end, there aren't going to be 24 candidates-- probably just 3: a progressive (Bernie, maybe Elizabeth Warren), an identity politics candidate (likely Kamala Harris) and a conservative/establishment/status quo candidate (likely Biden). But entitled multimillionaires John Delaney and John Frackenlooper aren't giving up. Each is waging a slightly under the radar battle to prove he is the furthest right of all the other Democrats, likely in the hope of grabbing the Biden slot when he inevitably stumbles and self-destructs. Both are loathsome characters and it is impossible to tell which would be a worse candidate for the Democrats. Yesterday, in a desperate plea for attention, Hickenlooper could hardly wait to get in front of a microphones to denounce the incredibly inspiring-- even transformative-- speech Bernie delivered on Wednesday. He persuaded the National Press Club to let him use their facilities for his anti-Bernie tirade, even though it was apparent from the first moment that he didn't understand a word of what Bernie had to say. His press release announced that Frackenlooper "will discuss successful private-public partnerships he oversaw in Colorado, including a program that dramatically expanded access to reproductive healthcare, reducing unintended pregnancy and abortion among young woman by more than half." It's questionable whether or not Frackenlooper will be allowed on stage for the first round of debates and no one thinks he will make it onto the second round. The DNC says he has passed one threshold-- an ability to poll one percent in 3 polls, but has failed to have inspired enough individual donors 65,000 people, to be considered competitive. RealClearPolitics polling averages shows Hickenlooper with 0.4% support nationally, at 0.5% in New Hampshire and under 0.5% in Iowa. His speech yesterday began with how he has "great respect for Bernie" BUT... he "fundamentally disagrees that we should do away with the democratic, regulated capitalism that has guided this country for over 200 years." Did Bernie say that? Here, watch it again and tell me where: Frackenlooper claims that his reactionary position "is shared by many of my Democratic colleagues, but for some reason, our Party has been hesitant to express their opposition to democratic socialism. In fact, the Democratic presidential field has not only failed to oppose Senator Sanders agenda, theyve actually rushed to embrace it. The majority of the Democratic presidential candidates support at least one of Sanders various proposals. Even, the self-declared pragmatists hesitate to directly criticize Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. While its true that no one of these policies would completely remake our economy on their own, Sanders said clearly on Wednesday that the goal of his complete agenda is to make the United States of America a democratic socialist country. The urgency now is even greater than before. Democrats must say loudly and clearly that we are not socialists. If we do not, we will end up reelecting the worst President in our countrys history." Fuckface... I mean Frackenlooper failed to hear a word of what Bernie said. Or maybe Fuckface... I mean Frackenlooper sees FDR and the New Deal exactly the same way Republicans do-- as some kind of communist takeover. Fuckface... I mean Frackenlooper was all negativity, while the only negative words Bernie had were for fascists like Hitler and Mussolini and their current day imitators-- he named "Putin in Russia, Xi in China, Mohamed Bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and Viktor Orban in Hungry... plus the U.S. counterpart: Senor Trumpanzee. Unlike Bernie, who explained how the greatest achievements of the Democratic Party have been made when Democrats have stood up to the GOP "socialism" smears, Frackenlooper ranted yesterday about how "Socialism is the most effective attack line Republicans can use against Democrats as long as Trump is at the top of the ticket. As some have pointed out, Republicans may call Democrats socialists no matter how moderate we truly are. But Americans are smarter than that." Yes, they are-- but is Frackenlooper? The Republican socialism smear campaign began in 1930, when Hoover was still president. Going into the midterms that year, the GOP help 270 seats in the House, to the Democrats' 164 and 56 seats in the Senate, to the Democrats' 39. As the Republicans howled "socialism" against the Democrats-- much the same way Frackenlooper did against Bernie yesterday-- the voters decided to start redistributing political power. After the 1930 elections, the House flipped blue and the Democrats wound up with a one seat majority-- 218 to 217, the Republicans having lost 52 seats. In the Senate, the GOP lost 6 seats but still controlled the body, 50-45. Two years later, the GOP ramped up their "socialism" bullshit, which turned Hoover into a one-term president. 22,821,277 voters (57.4%) picked FDR to 15,761,254 (39.7%) who stuck with the Republicans. FDR won all but 6 states. The Democrats flipped the Senate, winning 12 Republican-held seats for a 59-36 majority. In the House, 1932 was absolutely catastrophic for the "Socialism-screeching Republicans." Already in the minority, 101 Republicans were defeated, giving the Democrats a 313 to 117 majority. The Republicans didn't learn a thing from their defeats. They decided to go even bigger with their anti-socialism smear attacks in the 1934 midterms. The voters responded decisively. The GOP 117 minority shriveled further. The new Democratic majority was 322-103 and 7 members from the Progressive Party were elected. In the Senate, it must have felt like the end of the world for the Republicans, as 10 more of them went down to defeat, giving the Democrats a 69-25 majority (with one Progressive and one member of the Farmer-Labor Party elected). It was looking like voters liked all that socialism. And then came 1936. FDR was reelected in a massive landslide against the anti-socialism fanatic-- 27,747,636 (60.8%) to 16,679,543 (36.5%)-- leaving the GOP with just 2 states, losing even Kansas, where their nominee was from. And the GOP shed a further 5 seats in the Senate, leaving them with a sad rump of just 17 senators, sitting and mumbling "socialism!" to each other. In the House, there just weren't many more districts that could flip. But the GOP managed to lose 15 more seats. The House then consisted of 334 Democrats, 88 Republicans, 8 Progressives and 5 Farmer-Labor Party socialists. Frackenlooper must have missed history classes when those years were being discussed. He went on to babble his regular bullshit about how he won in 2104 "by talking about how the state collaborated with non-profits and with business. By talking about how I worked with Democrats and Republicans." He then went into a full-throated defense of Hillarism that the voters already rejected. "Democratic socialism," he claimed, "is not only a poor electoral strategy-- its a disastrous governing model. While Sanders has attacked those in the center for preaching incrementalism-- the reality is that pragmatists dont say 'no' to big ideas, they figure out how to actually get them done. While government plays a vital role in tackling big challenges, it has rarely been successful alone. It is when government has teamed up with the private sector and non-profits-- that we have seen our greatest successes-- from the polio vaccine to the space race." And then some wobbly assertions that can't be substantiated: "I used that collaborative approach in Colorado, and, today, our state has near-universal health care. Weve had the number one economy in the country for three consecutive years. I am the only person running who has actually done what everyone else is just talking about." Today Frackenlooper is one of the most hated political figures in Colorado. There's virtually no office in the state he could win. But in his own mind-- and only in his own mind-- he claims to be a hero of the state. Both parties detest him, yet his campaign is based on bullshit like this: And, we didnt get any of those big progressive goals done by applying ideological litmus tests. We took a pragmatic approach. We understood that sometimes we would have to talk to Republicans. We didnt demonize the private sector. We focused, above all else, on building a state that worked for everyone, by getting everyone to work together. Frackenlooper claims he understands-- though he doesn't, "that Americans are frustrated right now-- that they are hungry for bold change." His entire career proves that those are just random words to him. "I understand that our young people, especially, see socialism as an attractive alternative to the political gridlock and economic recession they experienced during their formative years. But it would be a grave mistake to abandon the American entrepreneurial spirit that has always been at our countrys core." Did he listen to a different speech by Bernie than anyone else did-- or, more likely, no speech at all... except the one Republicans made in 1930, 1932, 1934, 1936... "The reality," he claimed yesterday so the Republicans wouldn't feel lone with this losing message, "is that socialism increases tax burdens on working families while often failing to solve the problems it claims to address. Medicare-for-All does not take on fee for service, the major driver of healthcare costs. (Conservatives fought like mad dogs against Medicare; they still do. Frackenlooper is one of them, no less than Mitch McConnell is). "The Green New Deal guarantees every American a federal job-- virtually guaranteeing it will never make it through Congress. " Exactly what Republicans said for years about Social Security. "Free college proposals massively raise taxes-- while doing nothing to address economic opportunity for the two-thirds of Americans who will never graduate with a four-year degree... For too long, our leaders let Americas economic policies drift away from our core values-- especially the value we place on Americas workers and the work they do. At times, our leaders were passive in the face of big forces like globalization and automation, leaving our workers to fall behind. For decades, economic policies have shifted to favor the wealthy and powerful over those who work every day to get by." Understanding the modern Nepal-China border Despite deepening relations, one cannot expect the northern frontier to be as open as the southern one. Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock Rever is trying to leverage continued growth of Vietnams property market. Photo by Shutterstock/Vadim Georgiev. VinaCapital Ventures has invested $4 million in Rever, a tech-enabled real estate brokerage company. The investment was announced by Khanh Tran, partner at VinaCapital Ventures, at the Vietnam Venture Summit 2019 held in Ho Chi Minh recently. The financing was Revers Series B round, following a Series A round that saw the participation of local investment holding firm STI Holding, and Le Hong Minh, founder and chairman-cum-CEO of Vietnamese technology and digital media unicorn VNG. Founded in July 2016, Rever is the first company of its kind in Southeast Asia that uses price preference tools using real market data analytics and listing tracking incorporated with interactive media. The service also offers real-time transaction management services that equip real estate agents with smart customer relationship management (CRM) tools and a property database. Rever said it will add more tools and services to its platform, including loan brokerage, digital furniture fitting and smart-home solutions, to become a one-stop shop for all accommodation-related needs. The company is trying to leverage continued growth of Vietnams property market. A growing middle class and a demand for affordable homes should continue to drive strong market growth for the foreseeable future, it said. "VinaCapital is a long-time real estate investor and developer, so this investment is also very strategic for us. Rever has the potential to lead the transformation of the real estate business, from one that is still very much based on brick-and-mortar to one that is a key part of the digital economy," Khanh Tran said. VinaCapital Ventures is part of VinaCapital, one of Vietnams leading asset management companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. The fund currently has $1.8 billion in assets under management. Golden Gate now has 300 restaurants in 25 cities and provinces, while Redsun has 200. Photo by Shutterstock/Artit Wongpradu. Vietnams top restaurant chains Golden Gate and Redsun are seeing a slowdown after years of scorching growth. Golden Gate, which has 22 brands including hotpot and BBQ chain Gogi House and hotpot chain Kichi Kichi, reported revenues of VND3.97 trillion ($170 million) last year, a growth of 17 percent. In 2013-2017 it recorded rates of 30-50 percent. Redsun, whose 13 brands include King BBQ Buffet, BBQ chain Buk Buk and Hotpot Story, reported revenues of VND620 billion ($26.57 million), an 14 percent increase compared to 51 percent in 2017, according to market research firm Vietnam Industry Research and Consultancy (VIRAC). Golden Gate had launched seven new brands in 2015 and three in 2016, but only two more in the next two years. For Redsun, its first restaurant chain, King BBQ, remains its most popular. One reason for the slower growth is increasing competition from foreign entrants. Euromonitor said an increasing number of international chains are entering the country and consider it a lucrative market. Chinese hotpot brand Haidilao came to Vietnam earlier this year and set up shop in Ho Chi Minh Citys Bitexco Tower, one of the most premium locations in its central business district. But for now local players remain dominant. Golden Sun and Redsun, along with traditional food chain Mon Hue are the top dogs in the full-service restaurant market, Euromonitor said. They offer a variety of promotions to constantly attract customers, it said. Golden Gate, founded in 2005, now has 300 restaurants in 25 cities and provinces and served 18.2 million customers last year. Redsun, founded in 2008 and a member of the Goldsun Group, has 200 restaurants. BBQ and hotpot were two of the three leading eating out options for local people last year among non-Vietnamese foods, according to the HCMC-based market research firm Decision Lab. Japanese food was the other. For homesick Vietnamese, the grass is not greener on the other side Many Vietnamese feel out of place in a foreign country with differences in languages, culture and lifestyle. Photo by AFP/Ludovic Marin Living abroad is a dream, but many Vietnamese feel out of place, and wish they hadn't left in the first place. The snow fell outside her window in Paris, exactly like in the French movies she used to see back home in Vietnam. Nguyen Phuoc Huyen Anh had been besides herself with excitement when she left home to live in one of the most romantic cities in the world. Years later, as the snow fell, Anh was not feeling romantic. She yearned for home. "After seven years of living in France and one year in Australia, I decided to come back to Vietnam. I didnt love my job there, I never felt like I belonged there, and I didnt feel like I was myself there," the 37-year-old said, happier in Ho Chi Minh City than in Paris. She returned to Vietnam three years ago. Anh used to dream of living in a more developed country for a life-changing experience. But, like many other Vietnamese, she felt out of place in a completely different cultural environment. A 2016 World Bank report said Vietnam was among the top 10 emigration countries in the East Asia and Pacific as of 2013, with 2.6 million emigrants. But fitting in is no easy task in a new country. Those who have experienced life abroad say that differences in languages, culture and lifestyle are major challenges in building good relationships with locals. Quynh Tram, who has been living with her husband in the Czech Republic for nine years, struggles to communicate with the locals, as she has no time left for studying after devoting all her energy to taking care of her family of five. When Tram needs to go to the bank or hospital, she has to hire an interpreter. "When I was pregnant with my second child, at one time a doctor proposed to break my water. I was scared and confused but couldnt ask questions. We had to hire an interpreter to clarify," the 39-year-old said. Without knowing the native language, Tram has no opportunities to build a meaningful relationship with the locals. Even forging friendship with the Vietnamese community in foreign countries is a challenging task. She said that Vietnamese people in Prague meet every once in a while, but they only make casual small talk. "Although there is a large Vietnamese population here, everyone just goes back to their own lives after meetings, and there is neither time nor inclination to build real friendship. "My friends back home are occupied with their own lives so they only respond with short messages. Apart from my husband, I have no one to confide in." This is a situation tailor-made for depression. Psychologist La Linh Nga says many of her patients are those who come to her for help after returning from foreign countries. Most of them had left Vietnam hoping for a better life in a country they believe to be more civilized and developed, only to experience culture shock and depression in an unfamiliar setting. These people struggle to have a relationship with the locals due to language and culture barriers. Familiar with traditional values and customs in a society where family ties are prioritized, they find it hard fit into a Western culture where individuality and personal space are more highly regarded, Nga said. It's not cheap Apart from culture differences, Vietnamese emigrants have to bear the burden of high taxes and living costs. Huyen Anhs monthly salary in France had a 23 percent deduction for social securities. On top of that came value added tax, income tax, asset tax, energy tax and waste collection tax, which is a huge contrast to Vietnam where taxes are less in quantity and amount, she said, adding that most services were much more expensive than in Vietnam. "People back home think we are rich because we have our own house and car, but most dont know there are large loans behind those assets which take decades to pay off." The high living costs in foreign countries require a high paying job. As most developed countries require more advanced certificates and skills, emigrants struggle to find a secure job with a good salary. After arriving in Prague, Quynh Tram soon realized that all her diplomas and experience in Vietnam was not of much use, and working in a nail shop like many other emigrants was the only job she could find, even though in Vietnam, she used to be a senior manager at a private school. Trams job was soon interrupted by her first pregnancy, and since then, she unwillingly became a stay-at-home mother to save the kindergarten fees for her three children. She has had arguments with her husband about returning to Vietnam, but had no success. "In the last nine years Ive only come back once, as costs are unbearable. I couldnt even return for my fathers funeral." Tough, but better than home Despite all the challenges, many Vietnamese still dream of living abroad, and they do so by acquiring visas to work or study in another country and staying on. In South Korea, 35 percent of Vietnamese workers had broken their contracts and stayed on illegally as of April last year, according to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. It added that the number of Vietnamese workers abroad had risen by 78 percent in the 2012-2018 period. While the number of Vietnamese students have been climbing every year, about 64 percent of them want to stay in the country after graduation, according to a survey of 350 students abroad by recruitment firm SHD. To make the dream of living abroad come true, Vietnamese emigrants also invest in real estate and marry foreigners. In 2017, Vietnamese buyers spent up to $3 billion on residential properties in the U.S, according to the U.S. National Association of Realtors. Between 2008-2014, about 18,000 Vietnamese people got married to foreigners each year, according to police figures. One of the reasons behind all these efforts is a motivation for higher incomes and better living standards. Vietnams GDP per capita of $2,500 last year is only a fraction of that of the countries they want to live in, such as Japan at $40,100, France at $42,900, Singapore at $61,200 and the U.S. at $62,500, according to data from the International Monetary Fund. Vietnamese emigrants also believe their children have better education opportunities abroad. Last year, Vietnam ranked sixth in the number of students in the U.S., with 24,300, up 8.4 percent from 2017. Vietnam ranked second in number of students in Japan at 72,300 last year, up 17.3 percent from 2017. While people like Huyen Anh and Quynh Tram struggle to fit in, there are those who overcome the challenges and find their lives enjoyable in foreign countries. Tran Nhu, 38, left her high paying job in Vietnam for Canada with her husband and children two years ago, and plans to be there for a long time as she finds her life comfortable in terms of income and childrens education. "The greatest thing about living here is my children's education. They dont have to face school pressure and being bullied like in Vietnam. Whether a child wants to pursue academic or occupational path, he or she can make that decision without any prejudice." But thats not the case for everyone. Psychologist Nga said that while many Vietnamese are excited to think about the best scenario of living abroad, they dont come prepared for the worst. "If an emigrants and a local are weighed, employers would often lean towards the local, who is more productive and more familiar with the work environment and culture," she said, explaining that finding a good job is not as easy as one thinks. In a typical emigrants family where the husband is the breadwinner, the wife doesnt have much choice but to stay at home and take care of their children to reduce costs, a boring and repetitive job which could make them depressed, Nga added. That depressing life is what Huyen Anh left behind. Looking back at the time abroad, she said it was a negative but useful experience. "It was a good thing to leave Vietnam when an opportunity came, but my leaving showed me where my home was." Two inspectors from the Ministry of Construction were arrested Wednesday for allegedly receiving bribes during a work visit to Vinh Phuc Province. Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, 44, and Dang Hai Anh, 38, were caught red-handed receiving bribes by Vinh Phuc Police. Kim Anh is deputy head of the anti-corruption division of the ministry's (MoC) inspection team. Their workplace, the Vinh Tuong Peoples Committee, was raided by the provincial police Wednesday. Both were accused of receiving bribery on duty. The two are now in custody at Vinh Phuc Polices detention center. Inspector Nguyen Thi Kim Anh. Photo courtesy of the Vinh Tuong People's Committee On Thursday, an MoC inspection team was reported by Vinh Phuc Police for soliciting bribes. The inspection team was on a working trip to the northern province's Vinh Tuong District to inspect current progress in its infrastructural planning. Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha had confirmed the allegation. He said the incident was "regretful" and that he would resolve the matter once the police release their findings. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Friday that the case is under Ministry of Public Security investigation. Several National Assembly delegates have said the incident would affect the MoCs reputation. "For a while now, the public has been wondering if inspectors could also be corrupted, and in reality, the answer is yes," said Nguyen Thai Hoc, head of the Central Committee for Internal Affairs. Pham Van Hoa, a delegate from the southern province of Dong Thap, said authorities need to strictly punish such behavior, failing which the reputation of inspectors would be undermined. Nguyen Huu Linh, 61, used to serve as a deputy chief prosecutor in the central city of Da Nang. Photo courtesy of Da Nang's People's Procuracy. The Da Nang ex-prosecutor who allegedly molested a five-year-old girl in a Saigon apartment elevator will be tried in camera on June 25. Last month prosecutors filed charges against Nguyen Huu Linh, 61, a retired deputy chief prosecutor in the central city and currently a lawyer, for "molesting a person under 16," which carries a prison sentence of six months to three years. Linh, who lives in Da Nang, was visiting his son in HCMCs District 4 on April 1 when he found himself in an elevator with the girl, whose identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy. He was caught on CCTV camera wrapping his arms around the girls neck and kissing her. When she squirmed away from him, he grabbed her again and only let her go when the door opened. The girl told her parents about the incident and her family asked to see the elevator camera footage, which showed Linh had behaved inappropriately with her. The police later said he had also touched her thighs. When questioned by the police, Linh said he had merely "petted" a girl he thought was cute and did kiss her twice, but not with the intention of molesting her. The family did not want to make a fuss because of fears how it would affect the girl. Linh returned to Da Nang soon afterward. When the footage surfaced online, it caused public outrage with many calling for severe punishment for Linh, especially because he himself had been a prosecutor. On April 21 the HCMC police began an investigation. Prosecutors said Linh's action was dangerous to society but he should be given a commuted sentence since it was his first crime and he had been honest and remorseful during the investigation. There have been repeated complaints by the public and experts that persons found guilty of rape and sexual harassment are treated too leniently by the criminal justice system. New law to show zero tolerance for alcohol while driving Any amount of alcohol within a persons system means that person is not allowed to drive any vehicle, according to a newly-passed bill to prevent alcohols harmful effects. Photo by Shutterstock/Dean Drobot Any amount of alcohol found in a persons system will result in his/her driving license being revoked, under a new Vietnam law. The bill on Preventing Alcohols Harmful Effects was passed by the National Assembly Friday with 408 out of 450 delegates voting in favor. Last week, lawmakers were presented with two options for the bill: banning the sale of all alcoholic drinks from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. every day; and banning those found with alcohol content in their blood or breath from driving on the streets. Both options failed to receive majority votes from the delegates. The Standing Committee of the National Assembly, in a presentation before the voting Friday morning, stressed that the banning of people found with alcohol in their systems from driving was necessary, in light of the increasing number of traffic accidents involving drunk driving. "As such, the Standing Committee sincerely requests the National Assembly to include the ban [in the bill]," said Nguyen Thuy Anh, head of the Committee on Social Issues. The bill would go into effect starting 2020. Alcohol, especially beer, is widely consumed in Vietnam. Data collected by the Ministry of Health shows Vietnamese citizens consumed 305 million liters of liquor and 4.1 billion liters of beer in 2017, making it the biggest alcohol consumer in Southeast Asia and third biggest in Asia after Japan and China. Vietnamese men also consume the most alcohol in the world, drinking over five standard drinks a day, meaning 50 grams of alcohol, on average, according to the 2016 Global Burden of Disease Study. The country spends on average $3.4 billion on alcohol each year, or 3 percent of the governments budget revenue, according to official data. The figure translates to $300 per capita, while spending on health averages $113 per person, according to the Ministry of Health. 40 percent of traffic accidents in Vietnam are linked to excessive drinking, according to the WHO, which it said is an alarming rate for a country where road crashes kill a person every hour, on average. Le Dinh Tho, one of the three drug smugglers at the court in Lang Son Province on Thursday. Photo by VnExpress/Binh Minh. A court in Lang Son Province in northern Vietnam gave death sentences to two men and a woman for smuggling heroin and synthetic drugs. The judges Thursday found Nguyen Xuan Chi, 46, Le Dinh Tho, 46, and Trieu Thi Van, 49, guilty of trafficking 1,050 grams of heroin and 36,000 pills of synthetic drugs from Lang Son to capital city Hanoi in August 2017. The police had detected the drugs hidden in boxes of longans when checking a car driven by Tho. They later arrested Van and Chi. The three were members of a gang that smuggled drugs from Vietnam's Son La Province on the Lao borders to Hanoi en route to China. Vietnam has some of the worlds toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine face the death penalty. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death. The country is also a key trafficking hub for narcotics from the Golden Triangle, an intersection of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, the world's second largest drug producing area after the Golden Crescent in South Asia. A top official of Soc Trang Province says he was not funded by a fake-fuel tycoon to travel to Japan as alleged earlier. Huynh Van Sum, deputy Party chief of Soc Trang, said Wednesday that he had covered a trip to Japan between March 29 and April 3 on his own. Sum insisted that he was not funded by Trinh Suong, a fuel tycoon arrested recently for running a fake gasoline manufacturing and trading ring. "I did take leave in line with regulations for a private trip. What the provincial vice chairman said earlier is not correct," Sum said, referring to a statement made by Le Van Hieu, Soc Trangs Vice Chairman. Hieu told a news briefing Tuesday that Sum had led a delegation of provincial officials to visit Japan in a trip sponsored by Suong. The trip was for officials, about to retire, to visit and learn from Japans experiences. "At that time, the province had yet to discover the fake gasoline ring that Suong run and therefore had assigned Sum, as deputy Party chief, to lead the delegation," Hieu said as a reporter questioned him about a photo of Sum together with Suong and other Soc Trang officials in Japan. Explaining the photo, Sum said "it is normal to meet acquaintances in a strange place and take photos with them." Also on Wednesday, the office of Soc Trang Peoples Committee released a statement saying what Vice Chairman Hieu told the press was "inaccurate." Hieu told VnExpress Thursday that the question about the photo came to him as a surprise and he was confused. He added that he will not be assigned to make statements at news briefings in the future for that "mistake". The provincial vice chairman also admitted management weaknesses on the part of local authorities in allowing Suong to make fake gasoline for over two years. Suong, 50, was arrested last week by police in Dak Nong Province in the Central Highlands for selling fake fuel. Following Suongs arrest, investigators discovered six facilities making and selling the product in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Hau Giang and Soc Trang. Since early 2017 until the ring was busted, Suong had spent VND3 trillion ($129 million) mixing toluene with solvents and artificial colors to make fake gasoline. Every month, the ring had sold up to six million liters of the gasoline and earned up to VND130 billion ($5.57 million). So far, police have detained 23 people involved in the production and trade of fake fuels and are investigating the case further. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a National Assembly session in Hanoi Tuesday, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said that the ministry was reviewing the regulations and clarifying responsibilities of officials involved in the case. A Filipino sailor has been rescued and treated at a hospital in Vietnam after he was injured Wednesday on a ship off the coast of Da Nang. Alcarez Peter ll Alesna is treated by Vietnamese doctors on the Bulk Japan off Da Nang coast. Photo courtesy of the Da Nang Maritime Rescue Coordination Center. Alcarez Peter ll Alesna, 46, had his spine, chest and right hand severely injured in the cargo hold of Liberian ship Bulk Japan at around 6 p.m. Wednesday. The details of the accident are not known yet. As the ship did not have the resources or medical capacity to treat his wounds, the ships captain contacted Vietnamese authorities for help. The SAR 274, part of the Da Nang Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, reached Bulk Japan Wednesday night along with a group of doctors. Alcarez was later stabilized and taken to the mainland for better treatment. By early Thursday morning, he was being treated at the Da Nang General Hospital. Last Sunday, Vietnam also rescued 22 Filipino fishermen after their boat was rammed and sunk by a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 13, 2019 Contact: Julia Warton, National Field Director, [email protected] Alton, IL Eunie Smith, President of Eagle Forum, is delighted to announce that Jane Lesko Eden has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors to be the new president of Idaho Eagle Forum. Jane had served as Idaho State President of Eagle Forum for several years before, and we are thrilled to have her back to serve Eagle Forum of Idaho and its citizens with her years of experience and effectiveness, Mrs. Smith said. Born and raised in California, Jane was one of the pioneers in the early homeschool movement of the 90s in California. She became aware of the harmful changes in education when she was given a copy of the May 1993 Phyllis Schlafly Report titled, Whats Wrong with Outcome-Based Education? This information sent her on a mission to find everything she could about these changes, which included Goals 2000 Educate America Act of 1994, School to Work, the Department of Labor S.C.A.N.S. reports, and No Child Left Behind. During this time, she continued homeschooling her three children. Jane traveled around her county talking about what was happening in public education, and in January 2004, she was invited to speak to the Idaho Legislators in the House and Senate Education Committees. She was asked to write a Memorandum to Congress stating why Idaho was opposed to the federal over-reach of their newest education law. She warned of the dangers in public education, of which many agreed with. In February of 2004, she was invited to speak at the California Eagle Forum Conference by California Eagle Forum State President, Orlean Koehle. It was at that conference that she met Eagle Forums founder Phyllis Schlafly for the first time. So impressed with Jane, Phyllis called to ask if she would take on the leadership of Idaho Eagle Forum and Jane accepted. With Janes leadership, Idaho Eagle Forum was effective as they met and worked with people all over the state, realizing many victories. However, in 2011, because of a death in her family, Jane felt the need to resign her position. With past Idaho Eagle Forum President, Tammy Nichols elected to the state legislator, we are thrilled to once again have Jane step up into a leadership role with Eagle Forum of Idaho. It is perfect timing for her and for Eagle Forum, Anne Schlafly Cori, Chairman of the Eagle Forum Board, said. Some of the issues Eagle Forum of Idaho will focus on are: Education, the family, homeland security specific to Idaho, and various other legislative concerns. Founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972, Eagle Forum continues its mission to enable conservative and pro-family men and women to participate in the process of self-government and public policy making so that America will continue to be a land of individual liberty, respect for family integrity, public and private virtue, and private enterprise. You may connect with Jane Lesko Eden, State President, Eagle Forum of Idaho, via email at [email protected]. ### 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. Digital technology is revolutionizing the world by providing access to information, financing, and business networks all of which are necessary for women to reach their full economic potential and create integrated, sustainable communities. Today, over 1.7 billion women in low- and middle-income countries still do not own mobile phones. The internet user gender gap is more than 40 percent in some countries. The persistent gender digital divide is reinforcing, and even exacerbating, existing socioeconomic gaps between men and women. Advancing womens digital connectivity is key to promoting their empowerment in an increasingly digital world. In order to address these inequities, U.S. Agency for International Development Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick announced $1.5 million in new grant funding for the second round of the WomenConnect Challenge under the Womens Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. Deputy Administrator Glick announced the funding at the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit with the aim to bridge the gender digital divide so that women can fully participate in the global economy. This is part of a whole-of-government effort to advance womens economic empowerment worldwide under the Womens Global Development and Prosperity Initiatives three pillars. The first is to increase womens global labor force participation and advancement in the workplace through vocational education and skills training. The second is to increase the access of women entrepreneurs and business owners to financing and market opportunities. And finally, the Initiative seeks to promote womens economic engagement by removing restrictive legal, regulatory, and cultural barriers. The Womens Global Development and Prosperity Initiative hopes to economically empower 50 million women in the developing world by 2025 in part through a new fund at USAID with an initial contribution of $50 million. USAID Administrator Mark Green launched the WomenConnect Challenge on International Womens Day in March 2018. Since the first round, USAID has awarded nine grants, reaching nearly one million women in 12 countries. As Deputy Administrator Glick said, By investing in women, USAID is investing in a future in which countries can be self-reliant by unleashing the potential of their own people. Natron Energy, a provider of battery products using Prussian Blue chemistry, has been awarded a $3 million grant by the California Energy Commission (CEC) for "Advanced Energy Storage for Electric Vehicle Charging Support." Natron will utilize the funds to manufacture and install a high powered, long cycle life energy storage system at an EV Fast Charging station. "Natron Energy has raised the bar in performance, lifetime, and safety of energy storage based on our patented Prussian blue technology," said Colin Wessells, CEO of Natron Energy. "We are thrilled that the CEC selected our proposal to showcase the benefits of Natron technology for EV Fast Charging. As the adoption of EV's continues to grow in California, Natron's batteries can provide rapid, high power charging while minimizing stress on the grid." The project will result in a cost-competitive, at-scale alternative to Li-ion batteries, and offer superior performance for the high-power/short-duration dispatch and long cycle life requirements of the EV Fast Charging market. Natron's patented technology uses Prussian Blue pigment which stores and releases energy in the form of sodium ions. Unlike electrode materials found in most Lithium-ion batteries, Prussian blue enjoys widespread availability and low cost that make batteries using Prussian blue electrodes economical, safe, and environmentally friendly. Meeting California's goal of 5 million EVs by 2030 and electrifying rideshare (SB 1014) will require a dramatic acceleration in the deployment of EV charging infrastructure, particularly workplace and EV Fast Charging stations. Energy storage made from Prussian blue chemistry is more cost-effective and durable than the prevalent battery chemistry of Lithium-ion. Natron's Prussian blue technology advantages can address the market's primary business challenges, including: Expensive utility distribution upgrade and customer interconnection costs at higher concentration and charging levels High and uncertain customer bills with demand charges Maximizing the number and level of chargers at each site given escalating customer acquisition and site preparation costs. "The Energy Commission's EPIC research program accelerates innovative technologies to drive the scale of change needed to address the serious impacts of climate change," said California Energy Commission vice chair Janea Scott. "Projects like Natron Energy's sodium-ion battery system, which pairs energy storage with electric vehicle infrastructure, can help smartly integrate vehicles with no tailpipe pollution into the electric grid." The system will be installed on the University of California San Diego's campus. UCSD is a national leader in microgrid and EV Fast Charging installations. About Natron Energy, Inc. Natron Energy is developing battery products based on a unique Prussian blue chemistry for a wide variety of energy storage applications ranging from critical backup power systems, material handling, behind-the-meter applications, and renewables support. Natron's batteries offer higher power density, faster recharge, and significantly longer cycle life than incumbent technologies. Natron builds its batteries using commodity materials on existing cell manufacturing lines. Natron was founded as a spin-off from research originally performed at Stanford University. Natron's mission is to transform industrial and grid energy storage markets by providing customers with lower cost, longer lasting, more efficient, safer batteries. Natron is backed by leading venture capital investors including Prelude Ventures, Khosla Ventures, and Chevron. The award is the result of the perseverance of Bill Gelinas, a control room supervisor for Eversource in Berlin, Conn. Gelinas wanted to show his appreciation for the support he received from the company and its employees throughout his 15-year military service, which included four overseas deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. "This is an accomplishment that is truly inspiring and is a testament to the support provided to the Guard and Reserve members who work at Eversource," said Gelinas, a 12-year employee of the company. "We are deeply proud of Bill and honored to be selected for this award," said Eversource Chairman, President and CEO Jim Judge. "The Freedom Award speaks to our commitment as a longtime supporter of military and veteran employees. In addition to having a job to come back to and the personal outreach of our employees, our veterans are given formal training to provide them with the opportunity to advance to supervisory level positions." Gelinas said he was deeply touched by the warmth and support he has received from his Eversource colleagues, especially during his numerous deployments. Each time he went overseas, he was overwhelmed by thoughtful care packages and almost daily encouraging emails he received from employees and company leaders. It also made him empathetic of other soldiers who didn't have a support system like he did. "It made me realize how special it was and made me want to engage even more to help support other service members," added Gelinas, who also serves as president of the Eversource's Veterans Association. The Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is administered by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense program that since 1966 has had the mission of promoting relations and understanding between military reservists and their civilian employers. The winning companies will be invited to Washington, D.C. to receive the award from the Secretary of Defense at a ceremony held at the Pentagon in August. Eversource (NYSE: ES), the #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to approximately 4 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Eversource harnesses the commitment of about 8,000 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. For more information, please visit our website (www.eversource.com) and follow us on Twitter (@EversourceCorp) and Facebook (facebook.com/EversourceEnergy). For more information on our water services, visit www.aquarionwater.com. While policymakers in Ohio consider legislation to preserve nuclear plants, grid operators confirmed the value of nuclear energy in providing affordable, clean energy to the region. Last week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 6, which provides a pathway to preserve the state's nuclear plants. NEI President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Korsnick testified in support of the at-risk plants before the Ohio Senate, which is now debating the measure. "Allowing well-run nuclear plants to close doesn't help the communities that have grown up around them, it doesn't make electricity more affordable for consumers, it doesn't help provide jobs for Ohioans, and it doesn't support our energy and national security," Korsnick said. Ohio has the opportunity to preserve these plants and I strongly encourage [the legislature] to do so. Maria Korsnick, NEI's President and CEO This legislation comes as the regional grid operator PJM released a report last week to assess the impacts of preventing the closure three nuclear plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Both states asked PJM to estimate how electricity prices would be affected and what would happen to carbon emissions and air pollutants. PJM says that preserving the Beaver Valley, Perry and Davis Besse nuclear plants will reduce electricity costs by $474 million and will save more than 15 million tons of carbon dioxide. If we look only at Ohio, saving Davis-Besse and Perry would lower Ohio electricity costs by $95 million while reducing carbon emissions by 2.3 million tons. This is consistent with other analyses, such as those performed by experts at the Brattle Group and IHS Markit that have shown closing nuclear plants will raise the cost of electricity and increase emissions. PJM's analysis confirms that these at-risk nuclear plants are essential to lowering electricity bills and reducing carbon emissions in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Policymakers must fix the flawed markets that are threatening nuclear, the leading source of clean energy in these regions. Otherwise, both states will suffer major setbacks in the effort to protect consumers and the climate. Read the full story. Via its affiliate EDF Pulse Croissance, the EDF group has acquired 100% of the capital of German company energy2market (e2m). Founded in 2009, e2m aggregates local flexibility and renewable energy production and is one of Germany's top players in this market. With 85 employees, e2m boasts impressive technical and operational know-how offering a broad range of services in short-term flexibility management, the commercialisation of renewable energy production and the commercialisation of its own platform VPP (virtual power plant) on a SaaS (VPP software as a service) basis. E2m has 2,000 clients, mainly in Germany, and manages and operates 4,500 connected, decentralised energy production and flexibility sites (wind farms, solar farms, biomass etc.), representing a total installed power of 3GW. This transaction is still subject to approval by the European competition authorities. The acquisition of e2m is due to be finalised by the end the third quarter of 2019. EDF LEM (Local Energy Management), an organisation to help establish a position on fast-growing markets In keeping with its CAP 2030 strategy, the EDF group is speeding up its development of renewable energy and storage in France and around the world. This development relies in particular on developing and optimising this so-called local and decentralised energy. It is EDF Local Energy Management (LEM), the EDF group's new business line, that is overseeing the development of subsidiaries working in the field of developing energy and local flexibility: Agregio, EDF Store & Forecast, Dreev, EDF-Energy PowerShift, and e2m, once its acquisition has been finalised. With this acquisition, EDF becomes a major player in the direct marketing and local flexibility markets in Germany. The Group will also benefit from the experience and technical capabilities of a key player in the well advanced German market. The know-how that e2m boasts will complement that of Agregio, the aggregator set up in 2017 and an EDF subsidiary, which is developing a portfolio of decentralised assets in France representing 1.5GW of installed power, as well as that of EDF-Energy, via its Powershift project, a flexibility aggregator in the United Kingdom. EDF Local Energy Management also oversees the activities carried out by: EDF Store & Forecast, which offers software solutions to optimise the energy use of local electricity systems by predicting and storing energy; Dreev, which is developing a Vehicle to Grid solution for electric vehicles to establish significant storage and flexibility resources to help encourage the incorporation of intermittent renewable energy sources. Lastly, the acquisition of e2m demonstrates the EDF group's desire to consolidate its presence in Europe in innovative areas that encourage the energy transition. On a European level, the capacity of the local flexibility and energy aggregation market is estimated to be 200GW (75GW of which is in Germany) and it is expected to double by 2030. The change in the energy mix means that the local flexibility and production aggregation business needs to be developed, helping in particular to secure their sources of income in the long term. In Germany, among other things, the EDF group has developed research activities relating to local low-carbon solutions, energy planning and the "smart city" in cooperation with the Franco-German research institute EIFER (European Institute for Energy Research). Marc Benayoun, Senior Executive of the EDF Group, who oversees EDF Local Energy Management, said: "With its CAP 2030 strategy, the EDF group is pulling together to double its renewable energy production over the next 10 years. Its local integration is a major challenge. The creation of a new department, EDF Local Energy Management, dedicated to the issues relating to flexibility and decentralised energy solutions, demonstrates the value the Group places on local energy resources and their development, for the benefit of our customers and the areas in which we work." Felix Reynaud, director of EDF Local Energy Management, said: "e2m's position in the German energy market and its unique expertise will contribute an enormous amount to our growth strategy for the local energy market. I am thrilled with the arrival of e2m and its teams in the Group, as they will help consolidate our know-how and speed up the process of positioning the EDF Group as a European leader in these growing markets." Responding to the challenges of a decentralised, multifaceted energy transition The energy transition, which the EDF Group has embraced with its CAP 2030 strategy, is bringing together many different stakeholders and technologies. Its decentralised, multifaceted nature means that we need to explore lots of different options at the same time to determine which will be the major solutions of tomorrow, in order to start developing them today. The Group's investment fund and start-up incubator, EDF Pulse Croissance, therefore has the goal of creating these new opportunities for growth and new business lines thanks to two levers: In terms of organic growth, it supports and develops subsidiaries brought about thanks to an "intrapreneurial" project, several of which relate to managing decentralised energy (Agregio, EDF Store & Forecast, PowerShift, Dreev). In terms of external growth, it acquires stakes in start-ups outside the Group, as is the case with the acquisition of e2m. The Mt. Hope molybdenum mine project near Eureka has taken another step forward. The Nevada state engineer has granted General Molys water right applications for mining purposes. The specific water right permits for the Mt. Hope Project are anticipated to be issued any day now, General Moly Vice President Pat Rogers said Thursday. General Moly Chief Executive Officer Bruce D. Hansen said, We are extremely pleased that the state engineer has considered our applications and the efforts made to resolve the concerns and protests of third parties, including the ranchers and growers in the Kobeh Valley and Diamond Valley water basins, and the County of Eureka in once again approving our water rights. We maintain our commitment to the Eureka Producers Cooperative through the establishment of the Sustainability Trust to help Diamond Valley conserve water and enhance the viability of the agricultural community. The approval of our water applications represents a major milestone for the development of the Mt. Hope Project. Rogers said General Molys partner AMER has agreed to invest additional money into the Mt. Hope project once the water rights are issued. AMER is a private, China-based multinational company that is one of the worlds largest advanced materials, fine machining, and downstream metals refining providers. Rogers said the Mt. Hope project still needs to get the record of decision on a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, and that is expected sometime late this summer. Once those permits are in place, all the water right permits and the record of decision for the EIS, and we have a strong moly price, then well start working on the finance package with our Chinese partner to obtain the loan to construct the Mount Hope project, Rogers said. The Mt. Hope mine, which is expected to employ about 400 people, has been in the planning stages for many years, so the people involved are happy to possibly be in the home stretch. Were pretty excited, Rogers said. And the moly price is staying strong. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ELKO Nevadas Board of Regents has renewed Great Basin College President Joyce M. Helens contract. Im proud of the work of President Helens, said Chancellor Thom Reilly. She is deserving of this contract renewal as she continues to move Great Basin College forward. Helens has led GBC since August 2017. President Helens has made great strides in working to increase student access and success at GBC, including the Military Credit Program which allows college credit be awarded to veterans for military service and training, Reilly said. A public memorandum put out by NSHE stated that an evaluation committee reviewed Helens self-evaluation and interviewed the president about her performance at the college. They also conducted interviews with campus personnel, students and community members interested in the college. Students and classified staff participated in open forums concerning Helens rehiring. Faculty and students also completed surveys about the presidents performance. The memorandum commended Helens advocacy for GBC and listed some of her accomplishments. Comments from the evaluation process reinforce that she tells the GBC story very well. In her first year she conducted a tour around the state, visiting with each of the colleges centers and local community partners, with the distance between the centers not proving to be a barrier. Out of this she planned the GBC All College Conversation Day, a full-day using a grass-roots approach to prioritize the work ahead for GBC. At the same time, there seems to be some concern about overall communication within the college community, states the memorandum. The evaluation process highlights areas where more consistent and clear communications from the president would be beneficial. In particular, the presidents communications with the community should assist in establishing a stronger direction for the college as a whole. The same is true when it comes to cultivating relationships with GBC donors, as this is an area that could use increased focus in coming years. Previously, Helens served as president of St. Cloud Technical and Community College. She also served in leadership roles at the University of Alaska Anchorage Community and Technical College and the University of Alaska Corporate Program. According to minnstate.edu, Helens also has served as the president of Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Washington; executive dean of Collin County Community College in McKinney, Texas; and director of instruction at Maywood Park Center Campus at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 ELKO The Elko Police Department is looking for information related to the disappearance of Kyla Noelle Lee. Lee is a white female, 32 years of age, approximately 5-feet, 3-inches tall and 145 pounds with dark brown hair. She is an Elko resident who was last seen in the area on June 9. At the time she was driving a gold Chevrolet Tahoe missing the bottom portion of the front bumper, with unknown license plates. According to her Facebook page, Lee is a stay-at-home mom who attended Elko High School and Great Basin College. Anyone with information related to her whereabouts is asked to contact the Elko Police Department at 775-777-7300 via dispatch, or Detective Sgt. Moore at 775-777-7322 (office) or 775-388-4519 (cell). Love 5 Funny 15 Wow 12 Sad 24 Angry 5 Anil Giri is a reporter covering diplomacy, international relations and national politics for The Kathmandu Post. Giri has been working as a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, contributing to numerous national and international media outlets. This is the story of a residential street in Madrid that has morphed into a theme park. It is the hottest road in the capital according to Lonely Planet, whose guide to Madrid describes it as lined with tapas bars and cocktail spots in Madrids Chamberi neighborhood, [which] has skyrocketed in recent years. One out of every two commercial premises along this one-kilometer stretch of the capital is a bar. No kidding: there are 72 in total. Back in 2008, bars constituted 34% of the streets commercial activity, but now that figure stands at 49%. And they are open for business Monday through Sunday. Their success is such that there are lines outside some of these venues just to get a beer or a glass of wine. The street we live in cant be turned into a postcard or a theme park Julio Lopez de la Sen, El Organillo neighborhood association But while the bars are bustling, the residents are bristling, fed up with the relentless noise. Parking space has also become a problem, not to mention the gentrification of the area and strategies by landlords to push out long-term tenants in favor of tourists. The area is almost at breaking point, says Julio Lopez de la Sen, president of the neighborhood association El Organillo. The rise in bars is pushing out other local business and is going to end by pushing out the residents, says Lopez de la Sen. It has happened gradually. Weve been aware of it, but it has gotten out of control. It is hard to imagine the problems that ponzaning brings. Ponzaning is a term coined a few years ago by area entrepreneurs to describe the activities of drinking, eating and having fun, which they defined as a trend and a philosophy. But Ponzano street wasnt always synonymous with fashion. While Michelin-starred chef and MasterChef panelist Pepe Rodriguez possibly fueled its popularity in 2015 when he said: Two of my favorite restaurants are on this street, referring to El Doblado and Taberna Averias, the turning point for the neighborhood probably happened 10 years earlier when the restaurant Sudestada opened up here. Until then, Ponzano street was on the fringes of Madrids celebrated bar and restaurant scene. Almost instantly, Sudestada became a roaring success, with chef Estanis Carenzo receiving praise not only from clients but also from fellow chefs such as Dabiz Munoz from DiverXo. El Secreto's sidewalk cafe on Ponzano. Inma Flores In 2013, the Academia de Despiece opened with its adjacent Sala de Despiece, which offered an innovative combination of dinner and gastronomy masterclass. Two years later, La Contrasena popped up and in July 2016, the street became absorbed into the local Fiestas del Carmen, consolidating its hot reputation. The problem was obvious then, says Pilar Rodriguez, 68, the district spokeswoman for the Socialist Party (PSOE) and a resident of 30 years in the area. Rodriguez can hear the noise on Ponzano from her home on Alonso Cano. New bars At first, the new bars were welcomed, and Rodriguez, a pharmacist, would be told by locals 15 years ago that it was a relief to see different businesses coming to the area. After all, this was a neighborhood with one of Madrids largest ageing populations. In fact, it still is there are 220 residents over the age of 65 for every 100 under the age of 16. It is also the area with the most female residents: 78,140 women to 61,308 men. Many years ago, Ponzano street needed an injection of life, but this is too much, says Rodriguez, who also sits on the Board of Noise that was set up in 2015. What we need now is some peace and quiet. Four years ago, a new bar was opening every two months, and there is now a watering hole every 15 meters. According to a report from the property consultancy Gesvalt, it has more bars and restaurants (49%) than Gran Via (29%) and Fuencarral (13%). The phenomenon is one side of the coin, while the other is the closure of small retailers after decades of struggle. There has been a 3.5% decline in local business in the Madrid region since 2014, while the number of food and drink establishments has risen in the same period by 1.2%. What we need now is some peace and quiet Pilar Rodriguez, PSOE district spokeswoman But the local mom-and-pop stores selling clothing, electronics or eyeglasses have more than bars to blame. For years theyve been dealing with competition from shopping centers, with an aggressive liberalization of business hours, with rising rent, with the economic crisis, and most recently with the popularity of online sales. Ponzano street is undergoing the same transformation as Malasana and Chueca, with bars replacing local shops. Where there was once an antique store, there is now a trendy cafe, and instead of a bakery, there is a cocktail bar. But on Ponzano street, even some of the original venues that triggered the trend have gone out of business, such as the iconic Sudestada, which shut in 2017. The most recent to go under is Lambuzo, which specialized in cuisine from Cadiz. The vacuum is quickly filled by chain restaurants and cocktail bars. But a few of the smaller outfits continue to thrive, such as Charnela, whose owner Alejandro Yravedra specializes in cuisine using homegrown ingredients. Yravedra has long dreamed of setting up a food and drink business and invested all his savings in a street with a good future, the way he sees it. There is a reason why important people with money are investing here, he says. According to the residents, these important people are investment funds and business groups such as Larrumba, Lalala and La Maquina. Many of the new establishments on Ponzano belong to these three corporations, their success fuelled by tourism, the economy and funds. Alejandro Yravedra, Charnela owner The acoustic angle According to city bylaws, the only way an area can limit such licenses is if it is declared a Special Acoustic Protection Zone (ZPAE). There are currently three of these zones: the Center, Azca in Tetuan and Gaztambide in Chamberi. Our idea was to create a protection model, says Jorge Garcia Castano, a Madrid city councilor for the Chamberi district during the last term. Last September the authorities started to measure noise levels in establishments in the area. But then it seemed as though the project ran out of steam, despite the fact the councilor recognizes the noise problem is being exacerbated the introduction of music bars with a disco feel. Traditional bars used to close at midnight. The existing ones stay open until 2am or 3am. And the new ones want to stay open until 6am, says Julio Lopez de la Sen from El Organillo neighborhood association. The street we live in cant be turned into a postcard or a theme park. Ponzano has not only gone wild, there is also hardly anywhere left where you can get decent food, says Rocio Borobia, a resident who owns a business premise here. Many of the bars and restaurants do not even install vents anymore because they dont cook, she adds, referring to the fact that many bring in pre-cooked food that they simply reheat. Rocio Borobias family first moved to Chamberi in 1953, when her grandparents took an apartment on the corner of Santa Engracia and Ponzano and set up a tobacco store, which later functioned as a stationers and a dry cleaners. Her mother subsequently turned it into a clothing shop, a business that Borobia herself became involved in. But keeping afloat was a struggle and, after 15 years, she decided to rent out the premises, though she would do so on her own terms. There was no way I wanted someone setting up a bar there, she says. Months were spent looking for a tenant and studying a market that would give her between 6,000 and 10,000 a month in rent if she relented and rented to a bar or restaurant business more than double any other activity. I am very critical about what is happening in the neighborhood, which is why I dont want to add to its deterioration, says Borobia, who finally let her place last December to a bookstore-stationers. This district used to have a lot of businesses: hardware stores, bakeries, grocers Its an area with a lot of elderly people, and many of them spent their lives running these small businesses. But when they retire, their children either dont want to continue with the business or cant, because there is no money in it. So people rent out the premises or sell up without caring too much about what happens to it. But I do care about the area. Her solution? Dont issue any more bar and restaurant licenses. English version by Heather Galloway. Popular Party candidate Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida (bottom right) at a session at Madrid City Hall. Zipi (EFE) With one day left to go before Spains newly elected municipal councils appoint their mayors, Madrid is proving a particularly tough battleground. Following an election where the vote was scattered, reflecting a new reality of political fragmentation, two right-of-center parties are engaged in a tug-of-war to see who gets to lead the government of the Spanish capital. Who knows if their next bright idea will be for Almeida to be mayor on even days and Villacis on odd days PP official Andrea Levy Although the acting mayor, Manuela Carmena, of the leftist Mas Madrid group, won 30.94% of the vote on May 26, the conservative Popular Party (PP), center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) and far-right Vox have more combined councilors. Mas Madrid and the Socialist Party (PSOE) together won 26 seats on the city council, while the PP, Ciudadanos and Vox collectively earned 30. In a race to break the deadlock before the June 15 deadline, the PP and Ciudadanos have reached a deal on a preliminary governing program, but have so far failed to agree on who the mayor should be. Voxs support will be sought to help push the left out of Madrid City Hall, but its candidate stands no chance of holding office. Further complicating the talks is the fact that the same parties are vying for control of the regional government. Acting Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmena with PP candidate Jose Luis Martinez Almeida. Europa Press Rotating mayors Faced with the prospect of watching Carmena serve a second term due to the rights inability to forge alliances, Ciudadanos on Thursday suggested a rotating position that could be held for two years by its own candidate, Begona Villacis, and two more years by the PPs Jose Luis Martinez Almeida. But the PP has scoffed at the plan. This is not serious, it is not responsible or rigorous for the capital of Spain, said Andrea Levy, a PP official. Who knows if their next bright idea will be for Almeida to be mayor on even days and Villacis on odd days. Deal with the PSOE While the PP rejects the idea, the Socialist Party (PSOE) has accepted a rotating deal with Ciudadanos in two regional capitals, Albacete (population 173,050) and Ciudad Real ( 74,743), where there will be a PSOE mayor for two years and a Ciudadanos mayor for the other two. Ciudadanos claims that its offer is extremely generous and notes that the PP has lost thousands of votes in Madrid, leading to its worst election result in history. The conservatives underscore that they are still 80,000 votes ahead of Ciudadanos. If right-of-center parties fail to reach an agreement, Carmena will serve for another four years as the candidate of the party that earned the most votes on May 26. Before she became mayor in 2015 thanks to a leftist alliance, Madrid had been governed by the PP for 26 years. Support from the far-right Vox will be necessary even if it does not enter the government, and PP mayoral candidate Almeida on Thursday met with Vox official Javier Ortega Smith right after rejecting Ciudadanos rotation plan. Sources at Vox said that its own negotiations with the PP are progressing favorably and that the PP and Ciudadanos will have to solve their problems on their own. English version by Susana Urra. As strange as it sounds, making too much money can be a problem especially when that money comes from illegal activities and cannot be accounted for. For a group of alleged drug traffickers arrested in Estepona, a town in Spains Costa del Sol, the only solution was to spend it. Spanish police say the members were making an average of 1.2 million a week from selling cocaine. Money that, according to the investigation, was spent on luxury hotels, trips across the world, luxury cars and villas in Marbella. They could also afford to indulge in expensive habits instead of washing their clothes they would just buy new brand-name items. Police estimate that the group sold up to 20 kilos of cocaine a week, around more than a ton a year Spanish police have arrested 25 members of the group for drug trafficking in a sweeping operation between El Puerto de Santa Maria and Estepona. The group may have been living the high life, but they were just intermediaries, according to police. They got cocaine from the big mafia groups and distributed it among smaller organizations, which then sold it to customers on the street. Police estimate that they sold up to 20 kilos of cocaine a week, around more than a ton a year. The money from the business allowed the members a life of unrivaled luxury but it also drew the attention of the police, who are investigating them for money laundering. Police sources say an investigation into the multiple possessions of the 25 arrested members is ongoing. The path that led officers to the group began 150 kilometers away in Puerto de Santa Maria. Police were aware that a family clan was selling cocaine and heroin at six points in the municipality and distributing merchandise among small-time drug dealers. They were selling an average of six kilos of cocaine a week, according to sources close to the investigation. The business was managed by different generations of the same family. Each member fulfilled a specific role, be it guarding the drugs, delivering the merchandise, cutting the cocaine or keeping watch for police. They even distributed the drugs to the sales point at different times during the week to considerably increase their earnings, say police sources. Spanish police say the accused drug dealers were making an average of 1.2 million a week After following and watching the group for six months, police officers took the investigation to the next level and were able to connect the members with the alleged drug suppliers. The A-381 and A-7 freeways were key to the operation. These roads were used by another criminal group in Estepona, which allegedly brought five kilos of cocaine to El Puerto de Santa Maria every week. Police discovered that they had more buyers. According to the officers, they were selling an average of 20 kilos of cocaine a week to different groups. English version by Melissa Kitson. These are the responsibility of the editor and convey the newspaper's view on current affairs-both domestic and international Catalan separatists on trial at the Supreme Court. Tribunal Supremo (EFE) After four months of hearings spread out over 52 intense sessions that included testimony from 422 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, the Catalan separatist trial has ended and the defendants are awaiting a verdict. Just like all the other actors involved in the proceedings, the Supreme Court has managed to dispel preliminary questions about whether the trial would offer sufficient guarantees of a fair and equitable ruling. Pro-independence leaders have insisted on the allegedly Francoist nature of the court and of the Spanish justice system as a whole Many of these doubts were deliberately planted by pro-secession activists. The Catalan premier, Quim Torra, irresponsibly described the mere fact of holding the hearings as a farce, and he did so on the day that the trial began. Other pro-independence leaders have insisted on the allegedly Francoist nature of the court and of the Spanish justice system as a whole; they drew misleading similarities with the Turkish system; they described the justices themselves as prejudiced individuals who had already written out the verdict before even listening to the witnesses. All of those attempts at discrediting the court have dissolved like sugar in a glass of water. The good work by the head of the Supreme Courts criminal division, Justice Manuel Marchena, was enough to attenuate the taunts and to dispel any lingering doubts. And thats the way the lawyers saw it, too: on Thursday, they gave the hearings a passing grade in statements to the media. All of those attempts at discrediting the court have dissolved like sugar in a glass of water It couldnt have been any other way. Most, if not all of the procedural questions, have been resolved through the application of a profoundly protective legal system. If some parts of the proceedings (the exhibition of the video-based evidence) could have been a little more smooth with different scheduling, as a whole the hearings have been abundant and sufficient. And if some of the witnesses failed to show up (because they were facing simultaneous proceedings at different courts as a result of the sprawling case being broken up into sections), leading to questions of whether this took away from the defenses arsenal, it does not appear that anything fundamental was lost along the way nothing that might have changed the course of the trial or undermined its impartiality. And so it is with other incidents relating to affidavits, the investigation, or the behavior displayed by some of the accusing parties. If the defendants continue to harbor any doubts about the impartiality of the legal proceedings against them, they are always free to appeal to the European courts. But for now, the latter have already decided that the Spanish state had the full right and the inexcusable duty to defend itself from the breakaway challenge. And they have said that the Constitutional Court did the right thing when it suspended a session of the Catalan parliament aimed at declaring independence, as it had a duty to uphold Spains constitutional order. Drafting the ruling will require exquisite craftsmanship This conclusion by the European Court of Human Rights is critical, because it breathes new credibility into Spains justice system and its division of powers. It also validates the democratic efficiency of the Spanish rule of law, which has been questioned so often in the recent past. Respect for the institutions has won its first major test. The second big test will come when the Supreme Court judges draft a ruling, one that will require exquisite craftsmanship. There are problems at many levels: setting the exact boundaries of the facts under scrutiny; gauging the aptness of the various charges leveled against the defendants (rebellion, sedition, misuse of public funds); and grading the various degrees of individual accountability for the actions in question. In any event, the road traveled to reach this final point has been irreproachable, and there is nothing to suggest that the verdict will not be so as well. English version by Susana Urra. The Spanish Supreme Court has denied the leader of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), Oriol Junqueras, permission to leave prison to attend a ceremony at the National Electoral Commission (JEC) on Monday, June 17, where he would be sworn in as a member of European parliament (MEP). The former deputy premier of Catalonia, who is one of nine separatist leaders currently being held in preventive custody in Soto del Real prison in Madrid for their role in the 2017 Catalan independence drive, won a seat in the European Parliament at the May 26 vote as the lead candidate of Ahora Republicas (Republics Now), the electoral alliance representing the ERC, Basque far-left nationalist party EH Bildu and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG). The Supreme Courts decision means Junqueras will not be able to receive immunity from the European Parliament But the Supreme Courts decision means Junqueras will not be able to assume his position as an MEP. According to the court, if Junqueras were granted permission to attend the JEC session in Madrid, he would also have to be allowed to attend the swearing-in ceremony at the European Parliament in Brussels on July 2. This journey would cause irreversible harm to the deliberations in the Supreme Court trial against Catalan separatist leaders, the ruling stated. The hearings ended on Wednesday and a verdict is expected within four months. Junqueras faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty of rebellion and misuse of public funds for his involvement in the illegal referendum on Catalan independence on October 1, 2017 and the unilateral declaration of independence that was passed in the regional parliament a few weeks later. The Supreme Courts decision to deny Junqueras permission to attend the JEC session means that he will not be able to immediately serve as an MEP or to receive immunity from the European Parliament. Up until now, the Supreme Court had chosen to respect the right of representation of the pro-independence leaders in preventive custody. When five of the separatists including Junqueras were elected to Congress and the Senate at the April 28 general election, the court granted them permission to leave prison to take their seats, although it later recommended that they be suspended from office. The court said that allowing Junqueras to travel to Brussels would lead to a loss of jurisdictional control But in this case, the Supreme Court says that allowing Junqueras to travel to Brussels to take his seat in the European Parliament would lead to a loss of jurisdictional control over him. Brussels is also the city where ousted Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont is living in self-imposed exile after fleeing Spain to avoid arrest after the unilateral independence declaration of October 2017. Spains top court said it considered all options in an effort to protect the interests of all involved. In its statement, the court said the decision to deny Junqueras permission to leave prison did not irreversibly affect his right to take office in the European Parliament, but was rather a temporary postponement until all the obstacles to his investiture could be addressed. The Supreme Courts decision reflects the position of the public prosecutor, which warned that allowing Junqueras to be sworn in as MEP would lead to absolutely unreasonable interferences in the legal proceedings against the ERC leader. According to prosecutors, if Junqueras were allowed to take his seat in the European Parliament, he would automatically receive immunity. This would mean the Supreme Court would need to ask Brussels for permission to continue the case against him, which would potentially push back the verdict of the trial. The verdict cannot be put on hold on any condition, the prosecutors warned. However, the Solicitor Generals Office, which answers directly to the government, argued that the previous rulings from the Supreme Court have established that the separatists in preventive custody have the right to assume office, because failing to do so violates their right to participation. English version by Melissa Kitson. Next up, thoughts on the emotions his mother and family are going through... He confirms it's an emotional time, and that he can't wait for the season to start The position I play is not for me. The coach will decide that, but I always like to play on the left, or as number 10. If I have to play in another position I will do it, of course. Representative of the head of state in the Ukrainian government Andriy Gerus has said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initiates the legislative change of the Rotterdam+ formula by the Rotterdam- formula. "The team of the President of Ukraine and the administration prepared a bill that will be submitted to the parliament on Monday. This bill concerns the reduction of the cost of electrical energy, namely, it is proposed that the Rotterdam + formula be canceled and that another formula be in place of it: you can call it Rotterdam-," Gerus said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday. He said that according to the document, the cost of shipping coal from Rotterdam to Ukraine be removed from the formula. In addition, it is proposed that discounts be introduced if the quality of coal is worse. In this case, the price of coal, which is taken into account in the tariff, will be lower. The discount will be from 1% to 10%, depending on the quality of the coal. The bill also provides for a delay in the introduction of the electricity market for one year. At the same time, Gerus said that this document was not coordinated with the relevant ministry, or with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Among other things, he also said that he expects law enforcement agencies to investigate a case on the so-called Rotterdam + formula as soon as possible and bring it to court if corruption offences are revealed. JSC Ukrtransgaz does not have an opportunity of paying under contracts to buy gas for own technological needs on time due to a lack of funds, which puts under a threat the operation of the gas transmission system (GTS) of Ukraine after June 24, 2019, the company said on Friday. "The company initiated negotiations with creditors, including [the parent company] NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy on debt restructuring. The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine was notified about the situation," the company said in a statement. According to the company, Ukrtransgaz also sent a letter about the occurrence of the prerequisites of an emergency situation to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and is negotiating with the the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER) to immediately rectify the situation. The company said that its debt in March-April to fuel gas suppliers amounts to UAH 4.1 billion, so some of them refuse to supply gas volumes under existing contracts. The residual volumes of gas for technological needs, purchased under preliminary contracts, are sufficient to ensure the operation of the gas transmission system only until June 24, the company said. Ukrtransgaz said that the financial situation of the company worsens every month due to economically unjustified temporary tariffs for the GTS operator, which NCER approved at the end of 2018 and which allow timely payment for the purchase of gas for technological needs in the amount of up to 60% of the required annual level. The company said that the second reason is the problem of unauthorized gas withdrawal from the gas transmission system, as a result of which the debt of market players for balancing services in the period from 2016 to February 2019 exceeded UAH 35 billion, of which 91% is the debt of regional gas supply companies. Zelensky tells Lajcak about steps taken by Ukraine to regulate situation in Donbas Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday met with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajcak to discuss the role of the OSCE in regulating the conflict in Donbas, including the role of the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. Zelensky's press service said on Friday that he stressed that a ceasefire and return of peace to the Donbas is his key priority, because Ukraine is losing its fighters and civilians every day. "For me, this is the main goal - to stop the war, stop the fire, bring our hostages home," he said. Zelensky said Ukraine is taking a number of steps in the peace process. "We cannot wait long, since we are talking about the lives of our people, so today we have already tried to restart the negotiations within the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG). One meeting has already been held, Ukraines representative in the TCG has been appointed, second President Leonid Kuchma and other professional people for work in TCG subgroups," Zelensky said. The President of Ukraine also expressed his conviction that it is necessary to move forward in order to achieve concrete tangible results in order to "bring this process to the final." "Zelensky also shared memories of his trip to the contact line after taking office. He stressed that he had been to the east not only to see the conditions in which the Ukrainian military serve, but also to personally support Ukrainian troops," the statement said. Lajcak assured the Ukrainian side of the OSCE's readiness to contribute in every way to achieving sustainable peace in Donbas. Calling a spade a spade Pranesh simply said what he felt about the movie and is paying a hefty price for that. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) and SBU State Security Service have detained the head of the "Central Election Commission of the Donetsk People's Republic" ("DPR") Roman Liahin, who organized the sham May 2014 'referendum,' Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said. "The PGO and SBU have detained the chief of the "CEC of DPR" who in May 2014 organized and conducted the sham "DPR" referendum. He has been charged with state treason," Lutsenko said on Facebook. As reported, in March 2019 the SBU denied reports that Liahin had turned himself in under its "They Are Waiting for You at Home" program. The SBU said then that an absentia case against Liahin for state treason was being considered in court. An Hodgson, Euromonitor Internationals income and expenditure research manager, said the companys research database showed that urbanisation, with the associated concentration of income, wealth and population, would propel Vietnams commercial success by 2030. Published last month, the research database has found that Vietnam will be the third biggest urban market by consumer numbers and fifth biggest by total spending in Southeast Asia. By 2030, the countrys urban consumer market will expand to 46 million consumers and US$169 billion worth of spending. GDP growth is expected to reach 91.4% in the 2019-2030 period and disposable income to US$9,740 per household by 2030. There will be 17 million middle class households in 2030, according to the companys research. The burgeoning middle class in Vietnam will drive consumer spending growth as well as give rise to new consumer trends by 2030. One in two households will be middle class by 2030, she said. The essence of a middle-class consumer is the ability to spend on discretionary items. Representing an increase of 34 percent from 2018, Vietnamese middle-class consumers are aspirational, brand-aware and price-conscious. Rural consumers also remain important. In 2030, rural residents, which number 61 million, are expected to spend a total of US$173 billion. There are gaps between the products and services that are currently available and those that older consumers actually want and need. According to Euromonitor, the fastest-growing population segment is 70 to 79 years old. By 2030, 12.4% of the Vietnamese population will be aged 65 and above, which equates to a market size of 13 million elderly consumers. The over-65 segment is the third lowest-earning age group, with an average gross income of VND57 million (US$2,560) in 2018. However, their real purchasing power is set to grow the fastest of all age groups up to 2030. Older consumers feel, behave and want to be treated as younger people are. They want branding to focus more on needs, interests and values that include consumer experience, convenience, authenticity and novelty, Hodgson said. Businesses that adopt more universal strategies rather than applying age labels can effectively win ageing consumers, while also appealing to younger consumers, she added. In 2030, Vietnam is expected to be the fifth largest economy in Southeast Asia where 50% of the households will have an annual disposable income of US$5,000 to US$15,000. Although the population is price-sensitive, consumers are willing to pay higher prices for branded products deemed to be healthier or better-quality. In addition, according to Euromonitor, internet retailing is set to double its market size and reach US$5 billion by 2023. While online shopping is not yet prevalent in Vietnam, brands and retailers should stay ahead of e-commerce. The conference also discussed major global consumer trends and their impact in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. According to Euromonitor, Vietnam and the Southeast Asia region remain the key focus of global business developments due to healthy economic growth. The conference provided insights on how companies could tap into the Vietnamese market. Euromonitor International is the worlds leading provider for global business intelligence and strategic market analysis. During the last 40 years, it has been publishing international market reports, business reference books and online databases on consumer markets. During a reception for visiting Chief of the RoKs National Assembly Budget Office Lee Jong-hoo on June 12, Tuyen said the municipal authorities have adopted technological advances to deal with environmental issues, traffic congestion, health care and education-training. However, the city still faces pressure from increasing population, traffic infrastructure and housing. According to him, trade between the two countries has surged 90-fold since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 27 years ago. The RoK is now the largest investor and trade partner, and the second largest supplier of official development assistance to Vietnam. The host also committed all possible support for Korean firms to do business in the city. Lee, for his part, said RoK enterprises always attach importance to the business environment, especially when Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular always create the most favourable conditions for foreign investors, including those from the RoK. He believed that more RoK firms will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City to seek opportunities, especially in fields of its demand. The RoK is now the third largest investor in Ho Chi Minh City with over 1,600 projects worth more than US$5 billion. The city is also home to a population of over 80,000 people and 2,000 RoK companies. >>> Vietnam wins seat on UN Security Council for the second time On its front page on June 13, Pasaxon newspaper, the official organ of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee, published the full text of the interview granted to the Lao media by Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung concerning the event. In the interview, Hung affirmed the increasing position and role of Vietnam recognised by the international community, highlighting that Vietnam winning a record high number of votes shows the countries high appreciation of Vietnams position and prestige, especially its ability to contribute to handling the worlds shared issues. Winning a non-permanent seat on the UNSC is a big success of Vietnams foreign affairs, affirming the virtues of Vietnams policy of international integration, and proactive, active and responsible participation in multilateral institutions, whilst showing the countrys new international position on the basis of achievements of its comprehensive renewal process, the diplomat said. The Lao media highlight the increasing position and prestige of Vietnam with its non-permanent seat on the UNSC for 2020-2021. He emphasised the significance of Vietnam joining the UNSC for 2020-2021, as well as Vietnams key messages and priorities during the tenure. Lao press agencies also published the photo and quoted the message of Party General Secretary and President of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, and the speech of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh concerning the event. The Lao media highlighted Vietnam winning a record high 192 votes of the 193 UN member nations, affirming the prestige and position of Vietnam in the region and the world, while reviewing the countrys contributions to handling the international communitys tough issues, as well as its active and responsible participation in shared global affairs. The decoration was handed over to the RoK lawmaker, who is also President of the RoK-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group, by Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Do Ba Ty at a ceremony in Hanoi on June 13. At the event, Kim thanked the Vietnamese Party, State and NA, and Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong for the honour, and pledged to make all-out efforts to contribute more to the relations between the two countries and legislatures in the time ahead. Earlier, Tran Van Tuy, head of the Vietnamese NAs Committee for Deputy Affairs and President of the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Parliamentarians Group, hosted a reception for the RoK lawmaker. The two sides agreed to continue seeking measures to enhance cooperation and exchange between the two friendship parliamentarians groups in the future. Visiting the Vietnamese Embassy in the African country, Thuong and the delegation were informed of the embassys activities as well as highlights of the cooperation and friendship between the two countries in recent times. The Party official congratulated the embassys diplomatic achievements, particularly in connecting the Vietnamese community and popularising Vietnamese culture in the host nation. He took the occasion to emphasise significant socio-economic and political situations in Vietnam in recent times, especially the Party and States policies to handle cases that have triggered social uproar. During his stay in Morocco, Thuong will have meetings with Moroccan leaders, and will work with several parties in the country. Moreover, he will have working sessions with the Minister of Culture and Communication, the Mayor of Casablanca City and the president of Casablanca-Settats region council. With the theme Keep full dreams together, the programme, undertaken by the National Traffic Safety Committee, the Ministry of Education and Training, and Honda Vietnam, looks to raise the ratio of helmet wearing among children to 80% by 2020. In the 2018-2019 school year, Honda Vietnam delivered nearly 2 million standard helmets to first graders nationwide, contributing to increasing helmet wearing among 6-year-old children in Vietnam. At the ceremony, the three sides signed a deal on coordination in implementing effectively the helmet presenting programme, especially activities to spread traffic safety information to students parents. Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh hailed the three sides for launching a significant programme and at the same time asked them to seriously assess the ratio of helmet wearing among children as it is still low. He said a survey in 10 provinces showed around 60% of first grade students wear helmets when they are driven to school while helmets were delivered to all of them by late 2018. He blamed many parents for not wearing helmets for their children when taking them on their bikes. General Director of Honda Vietnam Keisuke Tsuruzono said his company will continue accompanying the Vietnamese Government in ensuring traffic safety for children and people in general. In 2018, 1,442 children fell victims to traffic accidents, a drop of 17% from 2017. The national-flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, low-cost airlines Vietjet Air and Jetstar, and Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre are representatives from Vietnam at the expo. Vietnamese participants introduced their services as well as unique and traditional products imbued with Vietnamese cultural identities. Through the event, the image of the land and people of Vietnam will be promoted to international visitors, especially those from Hong Kong (China), The annual ITE is the only large-scale travel event in Hong Kong and Macau (China) as well as nine other cities in Guangdong province. This years event featured the participation of nearly 700 enterprises from 56 countries and territories around the world and is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors. Carlsberg Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources sign memorandum of understanding Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: On June 12, the largest brewing company in the country - Carlsberg Azerbaijan - signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The present Memorandum implies three-year cooperation in environmental protection with a focus on cooperation in the field of waste management. The Memorandum was signed at the event dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Carlsberg Azerbaijan brewery. Some background: Brewing plant was put into commission in 1969 and it was one of the six biggest brewing enterprises in the USSR. In 1997, the Castel Group (Groupe Castel) Company purchased the plant and the grand opening with the participation of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev was held in 2000. In 2008, the plant became part of the Carlsberg Group. Activity in the field of environmental protection is part of the Carlsberg Group's sustainable development program - "Together Towards ZERO"; as part of this program, the Group companies strive to achieve ambitious goals in the following areas: 0 Carbon Footprint, 0 Water Waste, 0 Irresponsible Drinking and 0 Accidents. It should be noted that over the past 3 years Carlsberg Azerbaijan has managed to reduce the consumption of natural gas by 34%, water consumption by 43%, and electricity by 33%, the Company carries out separate waste collection. Carlsberg Group is one of the pioneers in improvement of environmentally friendly packaging technologies among FMCG companies. In 2018, the revolutionary packaging SnapPack was launched, which allows to reduce the use of plastic by 1200 tons per year, and earlier the Company announced the development of an environmentally friendly bottle made of biomaterials (GreenFiber Bottle). In addition, the Swedish Falkenberg brewery, a member of the Carlsberg Group, is one of the first carbon neutral breweries in the world. Vyacheslav Maltsev, Carlsberg Azerbaijan CEO: "I am very glad that on the 50th anniversary of our plant we sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. It stands for the connection between our half-century history and the correct vector of the company's development in Azerbaijan in the future, the basis of which we are forming today." The Carlsberg Azerbaijan brewery is located in Khirdalan about 10 km from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan Republic. The plant's production capacity is 8 million decaliters per year, and the company employs about 250 people and about 400 are mediated (distributors, agencies, contractors). The total amount of the company's investments in the plant development is about 50 million AZN. The company's portfolio includes such popular brands as Xirdalan, Tuborg, Baltika 7, Baltika 0, Baltika 9, Baltika 4, Baltika KULER, Efsane, Zhigulevskoe Firmennoye, Carlsberg, Holsten, Kronenbourg Blanc, Seth and Riley's Garage. Carlsberg Group was founded in 1847 and at the present moment is one of the world's largest beer producers. It is headquartered in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Carlsberg Group has plants in dozens of countries in three major regions of the world - Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia and its products are represented in 150 countries. The company's portfolio includes more than 140 beer brands. The total number of the Carlsberg Group's employees is more than 42,000. Carlsberg Azerbaijan Contacts Carlsberg Azerbaijan LLC Corporate Affairs Senior Specialist Lala Afandi Cell phone: +994 50 286 76 64 [email protected] www.carlsbergazerbaijan.az Chitwan court finds Maoist activists guilty of tearing ballot papersat local poll The Chitwan District Court on Thursday convicted Drona Bahadur Siwakoti and Madhu Neupane for tearing ballot papers during the vote count of Ward 19. The Chitwan District Court on Thursday convicted Drona Bahadur Siwakoti and Madhu Neupane for tearing ballot papers during the vote count of Ward 19. Photo courtesy: Rajendra Acharya Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Jani Babayeva Trend: The Azerbaijani low-cost airline Buta Airways launched the first Baku-Batumi flight on June 14, Trend reports. A direct flight to the popular resort of Georgia - Batumi became the second destination of the low-cost airline in Georgia. Buta Airways already operates regular flights from Baku to Tbilisi. Before the aircraft took off from Baku, Georgian ambassador to Azerbaijan Zurab Pataradze stressed that there is a big tourist potential between Georgia and Azerbaijan. "The launching of the Baku-Batumi flight will help to establish closer relations not only in the tourism sector, but also in the business sphere, as investors are interested in Georgia, he added. The Georgia-Azerbaijan relations are dynamically developing, Pataradze said. We have very good indicators in trade and economic relations. Of course, tourism is one of the main spheres that contributes to our countries' recognition and popularity. Batumi is a city where close people meet, he said. I think that all Azerbaijanis and all guests of our city will be pleased to be there. Batumi is popular in all four seasons. I think that this flight will be in demand not only in summer, but also in other seasons, he said. Vice President of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL) Eldar Hajiyev stressed that the launching of the new flight is a significant event. Taking into account the number of passengers of the first flight, we can say that this flight will be popular among passengers and will contribute to the development of the tourism sector in Azerbaijan and Georgia," he said. A solemn ceremony was held in Batumi in connection with the first flight. In an interview with journalists, Mayor of Batumi city Lasha Komakhidze stressed that the launching of the flight is a big step towards strengthening the relations in the tourism sector between Georgia and Azerbaijan. "I congratulate everybody on today's first Baku-Batumi flight, he added. I think that the launching of the flight is a big step in the development and strengthening of relations in the tourism sector between our countries. Instead of a many-hour-trip, citizens may reach Batumi within a maximum of an hour and a half." Director of Buta Airways low-cost airline (unit of AZAL) Nazim Samadov and Azerbaijani ambassador to Georgia Dursun Hasanov also attended the event. As for other destinations, the minimum price of the one-way ticket is 29 euros. The flights will be operated on Fridays and Sundays. Air tickets are available on the official website of the airline upon the Budget and Standard tariffs, as well as at sales offices upon the Super tariff. According to the Budget minimum tariff, additional services such as transportation of baggage and hand luggage, hot meals on board, check-in at the airport, and the choice of the best airplane seat are offered as paid options. The Super tariff includes baggage (up to 23 kg), hand luggage (up to 10 kg) and free check-in at the airport. The air tickets are available at sales offices. Online check-in on the website is free of charge for all tariffs. It starts 24 hours and ends two hours prior to departure. Batumi is the second most popular tourist city of Georgia after Tbilisi. It is located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, near the border with Turkey. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: On June 12, U.S. Ambassador Lee Litzenberger inaugurated the Womens Resource Center (WRC) and Youth Employment and Training (Syslab) Center in Zaqatala. Joining him were Hijran Huseynova, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Childrens Affairs; Alessandro Fracassetti, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program; and Tofig Ahmadov, Deputy Head of the Zaqatala Executive Committee. The WRC and Syslab Center were established under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)s Economic Empowerment for Entrepreneurship and Employment project implemented by the United Nations Development Program in collaboration with the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. With nearly 200 members, the WRC in Zaqatala creates economic and social opportunities for women through a broad range of services such as computer and internet access; training programs on presentation skills, financial literacy, and business development; and a friendly social space outside the home. Fifteen women entrepreneurs in Zaqatala have been selected to receive small grants to start their own businesses. Ambassador Litzenberger visited two of these women-owned businesses -- a tailoring shop and an arts center that offers drawing and stained glass courses. The Youth Syslab Center provides professional training programs and mentorship services to help youth become more qualified for the workforce and links them to potential employers and job vacancies. To date, the Center in Zaqatala has trained 29 young people on CV development, job interviews, career planning, and networking. Ambassador Litzenberger also participated in the opening of an Agricultural Service Center in Mukhakh village, Zaqatala, which is owned and managed by the Azerbaijan Hazelnut Producers and Exporters Association. The center will rent tractors, sprayers and mowers and offer agricultural consultancy services for an affordable fee to small farm owners, for whom purchasing this type of machinery and hiring a full-time agronomist is not feasible. These services will help growers improve their farms efficiency, boost their production and yields, and increase profits. USAID provided agricultural machinery and equipment to the Center, including two American AGCO Valtra tractors. USAID has worked with over a thousand hazelnut growers in Azerbaijan to introduce modern growing practices and helped processors. USAID-supported hazelnut producers and exporters have increased their exports by $36 million. On June 13, U.S. Ambassador Litzenberger joined residents of Zaqatalas Yukhari Chardakhlar to celebrate the completion of a water supply system project that will improve water access for more than 2,400 people in the community. The project is part of USAIDs Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA), implemented by the East-West Management Institute, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy. Since 2011, SEDA communities have implemented 145 projects that include activities supporting local economies, medical facilities, roads in rural areas, water and irrigation systems, and local school renovations. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: The British School in Baku offers a unique opportunity for students moving into the last class. The process of entering universities in the UK, Europe and America has become more accessible and simplified. As you know, in order to enroll in many advanced universities, in addition to graduating from high school, you need to get an education in the annual Foundation program or in the two-year A-level program, as well as an IELTS certificate. Based on a signed agreement between the British School and the well-known British organization NCUK, problems were solved, and students were provided with unique opportunities. Thus, the implementation of the Foundation program under a joint contract with the organization NCUK will start in the British School in Baku from 2019 to 2020. The duration of the program is 1 (one) year. The program will cover business and engineering specialties. We would like to note that the NCUK consortium includes universities of the Rassel and Milenium groups. Each student in grade 11 with an IELTS certificate of 5.5 may participate in the Foundation program. After the end of the 11th grade, a graduate of the Foundation with minimal scores (every 3 C subjects) will have the opportunity to be directly admitted to universities that are part of the NCUK consortium without the need for an IELTS certificate and without losing a year. We give you this opportunity to save the cost of education of your children and living abroad for a year! More information about the Foundation program can be found in schools. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: Non-cash payments contribute to the transparency of the economy, and the Ministry of Taxes works very closely in this area with partners, Azerbaijani Minister of Taxes Mikayil Jabbarov said at today's meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Trend reports. The minister noted a decline in the share of money supply in December 2018 by 51.9 percent compared to the same period in 2017, when the figure was 60.1 percent. I think this clearly shows the direction of the dynamics in the payments market, the minister added. At the same time, there is a decrease in the number of POS terminals by 16 percent compared with 2016. If in 2016 the number of registered POS-terminals reached 80,301, then as of June 1 of this year this figure was 67,032. However, over 6.7 million payment cards are currently in circulation. The main question is which of the market participants is most beneficial to the owners of retail outlets, banks or citizens, the minister noted. According to him, attention needs to be paid to a number of factors in order to answer this question. This includes determining the sizes of commissions. Currently, in Azerbaijan, the size of the commission when paying by POS-terminals varies in the range of 1.29-2.37 percent. For comparison, this figure stands at 1.5-2 percent in neighboring Georgia, 1.5-2 percent in the UK, 2-2.5 percent in Italy, and 2-3 percent in Russia. The minister noted that Azerbaijans expenses on commission and tariffs are comparatively lower than in other countries, and the government does not affect this in any way. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 19 times, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on June 14, 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 Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: A farewell ceremony was held for military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey involved in the Azerbaijani-Turkish Live-Firing Joint Tactical Exercises "Indestructible Brotherhood-2019", Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Deputy Commander of the Combined Arms Army, Major General Elman Orujov speaking at the ceremony, noted that the exercises were held at a high level, the servicemen of the two fraternal countries have demonstrated high professionalism, patriotism, and indestructible brotherhood. During the event, the exercise participants have been presented the gifts. The military personnel, weapons, and military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey moving from the Sadarak border checkpoint through the Umid Bridge over the Aras River returned to the places of their permanent deployment. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting with the delegation headed by the EU Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, the sides exchanged the views over the existing mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, including the negotiations over the new bilateral Agreement, Partnership Priorities, cooperation in energy and transport areas, the perspectives of cooperation within the Eastern Partnership and etc. Mammadyarov informed the EU commissioner on the current situation of the negotiations process on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including the latest meetings at the level of foreign ministers with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, as well as the latest provocations by the armed forces of Armenia at the line of contact. The resolution of the conflict and respect to the inviolability of the internationally recognized borders are crucial for ensuring sustainable peace and development in the region. During the meeting, the sides also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to the Republic of Azerbaijan Wei Jinghua upon the end of his diplomatic term, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, the sides exchanged the views on the existing bilateral relations, including cooperation in political, economic, trade, tourism and other fields, at the same time underlined the great potential for further development of bilateral ties. Ambassador Wei Jinghua noted that he spared no efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and China during his tenure. He emphasized that the high level mutual contacts between the two states, including the recent working visit of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev to the People's Republic of China and his meeting with Chairman of the People's Republic of China His Excellency Mr. Xi Jinping, as well as the recent official visit of Mr. Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China to Azerbaijan, contributed to further expanding the bilateral relations. Ambassador Wei Jinghua reiterated Chinas position on respecting Azerbaijans sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. Mammadyarov thanked Ambassador Wei Jinghua for his contribution to the development of relations between the two countries. The Azerbaijani minister underlined the successful development of bilateral ties and referred to the recent mutual exchange of visits as an important impetus to further deepening of the relationships. The minister emphasized that Azerbaijan welcomes Chinas principled position based on norms and principles of international law, especially on respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of states. Mammadyarov wished Ambassador Wei Jinghua every success in his future endeavours. Details added (first version posted on June 13 on 13:15) Baku, Azerbaijan, June 13 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by EU Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Presidential press service. The successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and EU in various fields was hailed at the meeting, and the sides also discussed prospects of bilateral ties. EU Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn pointed to the 5th Azerbaijan-EU Business Forum, which they attended today, describing the fact that it brought together a large number of participants as a sign of importance attached to the forum. He noted that the forum featured very fruitful discussions on diversification of the economy. The president said that essential work has been done towards diversifying Azerbaijans economy, adding that it has yielded very good results. President Aliyev praised the achievements in a variety of areas, including in industry, agriculture, tourism and others, saying that all this created a good basis for sustainable economic development of Azerbaijan. EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn described Azerbaijan as one of the key partners of the European Union, saying the organization pays particular attention to cooperation with the country in all areas. The EU commissioner also noted that the conclusion of negotiations between Azerbaijan and the EU on a new agreement will give an impetus to elevating bilateral cooperation to a qualitatively new level. He described Azerbaijan as the EU`s key strategic partner in the field of energy, and expressed confidence that the Southern Gas Corridor project will soon be completed. Commissioner Johannes Hahn also called Azerbaijan the main transport corridor linking Europe with a broad Eurasian area, saying he supports the signing and implementation of agreements and projects in this regard. The importance of developing educational cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU was also emphasized at the meeting. The sides discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and international and regional security issues. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: The Azerbaijani parliament will continue to hold an extraordinary meeting on June 14, Trend reports. Thirty-six issues were put on the agenda. The MPs will discuss the issues related to the amendments to the Constitutional Laws "On the Commissioner (Ombudsman) for Human Rights" and "On Normative-Legal Acts" during the two-day meeting which started on June 13. Then, the amendments to the laws "On the status of Azerbaijani MP", "On administrative control over the activity of municipalities", "On the Chamber of Accounts", "On the Central Bank of Azerbaijan", "On state duty", "On road traffic", On the National Archival Fund, On Roads, On Culture and other laws, as well as the amendments to the Labor Code and the Code of Administrative Offences will be discussed. Gautam Buddha Airport slated to be second fully solar-powered airport in the world The project aims to produce 10 MW of solar power and is estimated to cost nearly $10 million, or $1 million per MW. A general view of the under construction control tower in Bhairahawa. Photo courtesy: Asian Development Ban Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: Azerbaijani First Vice-President, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mehriban Aliyeva is at the forefront of the gender equality movement in the world and contributes to this sphere by her versatile activity, Altynbek Mamayusupov, secretary general of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking states (TurkPA), said. Mamayusupov made the remarks at the international conference on Role of women of the Turkic world in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Baku, Trend reports on June 14. Azerbaijan, a century earlier and before many Western countries, was a country that granted women the right to vote, he said. "Today, the role of women in public and state life is evident in all Turkic-speaking countries. TurkPA member-states are active in the issues related to the sustainable development, Mamayusupov said. A regulatory framework on gender equality has been created in these countries." There are still cases of violence against women, he added. The steps are being taken to prevent such phenomena. Details added (first version posted on 12:11) Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend: The international conference entitled Role of women of the Turkic world in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is being held in Baku, Trend reports on June 14. The conference has been jointly organized by the Azerbaijani parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic-speaking states (TurkPA). Deputy Speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament Bahar Muradova, Secretary General of the TurkPA Altynbek Mamayusupov, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs Hijran Huseynova, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, heads of delegations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey are participating in the opening ceremony of the conference. While opening the event, Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova emphasized the importance of the conference and stressed that the topics being discussed at the conference cover both international issues and regional problems. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: The experts discussed the implementation of the North-South International Transport Corridor: Regional Integration Prospects project in Moscow and Baku during Trend News Agencys Moscow-Baku video-conference held on June 13. President of the UNEC Research Center Farhad Amirbayov and Executive Director of the North-South Political Science Center Angelika Trapeznikova were the moderators of the event in Baku and Moscow. During the discussions, Russian and Azerbaijani experts exchanged the views on the prospects for creating new regional transport corridors and involving partners from the South Caucasus countries in the integration projects including Russia. While delivering a report on North-South International Transport Corridor: Transit Realities and Perspectives on Trans-Regional Integration, well-known Russian economist Alexander Karavayev said that the North-South International Transport Corridor, which is at the initial implementation stage, retains its relevance in the current realities in terms of management of railway freight traffic. The expert stressed that the idea of connecting partner-countries to the transport corridor has become more relevant from the point of view of trans-regional cooperation. Meanwhile, the first and main element in the implementation of this project is the development of relations in the Baku-Moscow-Tehran triangle, Karavayev said. I think that the main trends of cooperation of the three countries in the field of transport and the issue of the need to implement a large-scale project that determines the prospects for regional and international cooperation between its participants will be considered during the upcoming summit in the trilateral format to be held in Moscow in August, he said. Obviously, there is interest of the parties in the implementation of the project and in the regional countries entering the foreign markets," the expert added. In turn, Russian expert Stanislav Pritchin said that the NorthSouth International Transport Corridor project is significant in terms of geopolitics, and it is also focused on the real economy. The expert noted that one of the main global trends is regionalization. The project parties are trying to move to a global level of interaction, Pritchin said. Let us compare NorthSouth International Transport Corridor with the Chinas One Belt-One Road Initiative. China built a network of pipelines before the global initiative was announced. But in our case [in case of NorthSouth International Transport Corridor] we see a different situation." "Since the initiation of the project to this day, there are still no pivotal routes from the Persian Gulf connected to Russian infrastructure, he said. Therefore, there is a lot of work to do. For example, there is a constructive approach at the political level, and the five-sided format has been quite successful and opened the way to the signing of the Convention on the status of the Caspian Sea, Pritchin said. But in parallel, we see that there is a narrow grouping of countries aimed at intensifying economic cooperation." "This cooperation, despite certain challenges and sanctions, needs to be developed, he said. I think that strategically, politically, and from the point of view of economic feasibility, it is necessary to complete this transport corridor, which is important for all participating countries for their business, including for entering the Indian market. "Azerbaijan conducts a fairly extensive policy for the export of its products and the establishment of transit through its territory, and this policy is very successful," Pritchin said. In turn, the views of Azerbaijani experts regarding the prospects of this project and the external factors that have a direct impact on its implementation were expressed in the Baku studio. In turn, Director of Russian Economic School, Professor of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) Elshad Mammadov said that the willingness of regional partners, namely Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, to support the implementation of International North-South Transport Corridor (INTC) project for many years testifies its economic feasibility and geopolitical significance. The strengthening of the regional partnership among the three countries testifies to the growing interest of the participating countries in the International North-South Transport Corridor, he added. "Today, the world economy is passing to the stage of formation of the new, sixth technological order, Mammadov said. We observe how the location of the centers of activity and the structural component of economic development are changing. This sets new challenges for the Azerbaijani and Russian national economies, which have many similarities, the expert said. To some extent, this is connected to the similarity of the key sectors of the economy formed during the Soviet period, including the energy, oil and gas sectors." Mammadov stressed that over the past decade, the project participants relied on a fairly important raw material base, ensuring a stable flow of currency, which made it possible to level all external shocks arising in the turbulent global economy. "The issues of diversification and development of our economies, including the non-oil and high-tech sector, are priorities of the state policy of Russia and Azerbaijan, he added. These nuances point to the fact that this project becomes more important. In my opinion, external risks and trade wars that could have disastrous consequences for the global economy are hindering the implementation of large-scale projects, the expert said. It is worth taking into account that developing economies may sharply collapse, more threats may occur for the implementation of such large-scale projects, and the efficiency of logistics and transport corridors may weaken as a result of the recessions on a regional and global scale." In turn, editor-in-chief of the Day.az news agency, economist Emin Aliyev said that the importance of the North-South International Transport Corridor must be considered in several directions, including as part of cooperation between Russia and the Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as in the Azerbaijan-Russia-Iran format. Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan has successful experience in establishing certain, bilateral and multilateral formats of cooperation with various countries in the region and the world. "Azerbaijan has greatly advanced in integration cooperation with Turkey and Georgia, Aliyev said. The implementation of a number of large-scale pipeline and infrastructure projects testifies to that. At the same time, we have advanced in cooperation with Russias certain regions, namely, the Astrakhan region, the Krasnodar region, the Stavropol region and the North Caucasus republic, he said. Such formats must be expanded, Aliyev said. I think the deeper will be this cooperation, the more active will be the economic activity of the North-South International Transport Corridor." The project will not become viable till carriers want to use it, he said. In my opinion, the political will of the regional countries is not enough for the successful implementation of the project, Aliyev said. It will become viable when the obvious benefits of cooperation on the North-South International Transport Corridor are visible. In some sense, the evolutionary process of the North-South International Transport Corridor is possible by overcoming the Soviet legacy, unifying the infrastructure of post-Soviet countries and tariffs, he said. The simplification of customs procedures on the border with Georgia, where the inspection processes were greatly simplified and expedited, the cargo transportation period was reduced, can be cited as an example, Aliyev added. It has become much easier and convenient for Azerbaijani businessmen to export goods across the Georgian border than it was 6-7 years ago," he said. Similar steps must be taken on the Azerbaijani-Russian border and on the border with Iran, Aliyev said. Then, President of the UNEC Research Center Farhad Amirbayov, Azerbaijani political analyst Arzu Naghiyev and Russian experts Ksenia Tyurenkova, Arkadiy Ivanov, Artem Pylin shared their views regarding the prospects for the implementation of the North-South International Transport Corridor as part of the discussions. The participants stressed that Azerbaijan and Russia will have the opportunity to combine potential in the formation of new growth points in the area of introducing a new energy strategy and transforming labour markets thanks to the participation in the North-South International Transport Corridor. The video conference was organized by the representative office of the North-South political science center in Baku, Trend News Agency and Caspian Expert Club. The North-South International Transport Corridor has originated in the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member-states. However, within the possibilities of the CIS free trade zones, Azerbaijan may allow this transport corridor enter Turkey through the South Caucasus. The Iranian direction of the project will also be implemented through the capabilities of Azerbaijan via the Rasht-Astara-Qazvin railway. Thus, Azerbaijan will become the key hub of the North-South International Transport Corridor, which will greatly expand the country's logistics and infrastructure capabilities. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MatanatNasibova Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: The multiple entry visa fee for foreign citizens will be charged upon the new rules in Azerbaijan, Trend reports on June 14. This issue was reflected in the draft amendments to the Law on State Duty, which was discussed in the second reading at the extraordinary plenary session of the Azerbaijani parliament. According to the newly proposed clause to article 17 of the law (Exemption from payment of state duty for consular actions carried out in Azerbaijan or in diplomatic missions in foreign countries and especially from payment of state duty), if the amount of state duty on multiple entry visas for Azerbaijani citizens in a foreign country differs from the amount of state duty in Azerbaijan under the same procedure for citizens of this country, then upon the decision of the corresponding executive body, the amount of state duty is applied at the same level at which the state duties of this country are applied for the Azerbaijani citizens. The amount of state duty for issuing multiple entry visas in Azerbaijan has been set at $350. According to the Migration Code, the validity of a multiple entry visa expires after two years (an e-multiple entry visa issued via the "ASAN Visa" system expires within 90 days). During the discussions, it was stressed that the amount of the state duty applied to the Azerbaijani citizens in the foreign countries may differ from the amount of the state duty in Azerbaijan. According to the bill, in this case, the amount of state duty for multiple entry visas will be set in accordance with the amount of fees for visas for the Azerbaijani citizens in certain countries. The bill was adopted as a result of voting. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Elchin Mehdiyev Trend: Azerbaijan has an improved legal framework for ensuring gender equality, Hijran Huseynova, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, said while speaking at the international conference entitled Role of women of the Turkic world in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals held in Baku, Trend reports. Huseynova recalled that Azerbaijans First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva was a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament, taking an active part in the adoption of these laws. She added that Azerbaijani women received the right to elect and be elected 101 years ago. "In many European countries, women received this right only in the 1940s. Azerbaijani women have traveled a successful path in public life. Sometimes, drawing parallels with other countries, I say that there were no feminists in Azerbaijan because we, women, were given equal rights with men," she said. The chairperson added that 30 percent of entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan are women. Previously, the share of women in municipalities was equal to 3-4 percent. After the implementation of educational works, this figure reached 35 percent. There are no fields in Azerbaijan where women are not represented, and the work of the First Vice-President serves as an example for us," she concluded. Details added (first version posted on June 12 on 13:30) Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Former President of the Senate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Chairman of Dutch-Azerbaijan Friendship Group Rene van der Linden, Trend reports on June 12 referring to the Azerbaijani Presidential press-service. The development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Kingdom of Netherlands was hailed, Rene van der Lindens contribution to the expansion of cooperation was praised at the meeting. The sides exchanged views on prospects of the Dutch companies participation in various fields of Azerbaijans economy, including in transport sphere. They also discussed the issues of future cooperation. Details added (first version posted on June 11 on 12:06) Baku, Azerbaijan, June 11 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly George Tsereteli, Trend reports on June 11 referring to the Azerbaijani Presidential press-service. They emphasized that the economic development in Azerbaijan contributes to stability, underlining that Bakus hosting major international events is of vital importance not only for Azerbaijan but also for the entire region. The sides also exchanged views on the issues relating to the Azerbaijan-OSCE Parliamentary Assembly relations, settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and cooperation prospects. Details added (first version posted on June 10 on 11:21) Baku, Azerbaijan, June 10 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by President of the International Union of Architects (UIA) Thomas Vonier, Trend reports on June 10 referring to the Azerbaijani Presidential press-service. The president hailed Bakus hosting the International Architecture Forum Mass Tourism in Historic Cities, and emphasized the importance of the event in terms of international cooperation. Pointing out ancient historical traditions of Baku, President Aliyev also underlined the rapid development and modern infrastructure created in the city. The president said that Azerbaijan has become an attractive venue for foreign tourists, adding that the number of visitors is steadily increasing. President of the International Union of Architects Thomas Vonier noted that each visitor arriving in Baku is deeply impressed by the development processes, and historical and modern buildings here. He emphasized that Baku has become a venue for hosting international events, and that the investments in infrastructure make significant contributions to the development of the capital. On behalf of the delegation, Thomas Vonier thanked the Azerbaijani side as well as Azerbaijani Union of Architects for the hospitality as Baku hosts the International Architecture Forum Mass Tourism in Historic Cities. He congratulated President Aliyev on the development of Azerbaijan`s capital. President Aliyev thanked for the warm words, and noted that great attention is paid to the preservation of historical heritage along with ongoing development processes in Baku. The president underlined that Azerbaijan also attaches great importance to the implementation of relevant infrastructure projects in connection with the growth of population in the country. Then a photo was taken. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: For creating favorable environment for peace, Armenia must act in accordance with this maxim reflected in the latest statement by the countrys Foreign Ministry, Trend reports with reference to the press service of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry. How consistent is the idea of creating peaceful environment with the order by the Armenian defense minister to kill Azerbaijani soldiers and his awarding of the snipers? the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry says. We would like to remind that Azerbaijan is a party interested in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and, naturally, in the progress of the negotiations. We emphasize that withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories is one of the main tasks of the negotiations. As long as Armenia maintains its illegal presence in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, there can be no other important task at the talks. The earlier Armenia realizes this, the sooner peace, development and prosperity in the region will be ensured, states the Ministry press service. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: The press service of Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has released a statement in connection with the decision of the administrative court of Grenoble of France, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the decision of the administrative court of Grenoble of France dated June 6, 2019, on the abolition of the illegal "treaties" signed between the Drome department and the so-called separatist regime in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, as well as among Bourg-les-Valence, Valence and Bourg-de-Peage communes of France and the "local authorities established by the so-called regime in the occupied Shusha, Khankendi and Khojavand cities of Azerbaijan, reads the document. As in the decision of the administrative court of Cergy-Pontoise, the ruling of the Grenoble administrative court invalidates the illegal documents signed between the local self-governing bodies of France with the so-called "administrative regions" in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, in violation of French legislation and international obligations of France, the statement reads. These decisions are yet another manifestation of rule of law and the importance of fulfillment of international commitments, said the ministry. Any illegal activity, including the promotion of illegal regimes, is doomed to failure. Directing our efforts towards the settlement of the conflict in the framework of international law and in accordance with the requirements of the international community can lead to sustainable peace and development in the region and a common victory for all and everyone. 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. Chandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 15 Trend: Azerbaijan marks the National Salvation Day on June 15. Azerbaijan gained independence in October 1991. The first years of the country's independence were characterized by the crisis within the country and in the government. Chaos took over all the spheres of social life. The situation in the army worsened and the number of deserters increased. Armenian aggression was increasing day after day. Azerbaijan was facing the crisis of power. Separate groups and individuals were fighting for control. After coming to power on May 14, 1992, the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party showed a complete inability to run the country with its ill-determined management. There was a real threat of a civil war in Azerbaijan in the summer of 1993. In these difficult times, Azerbaijan's outstanding son Heydar Aliyev accepted the persistent invitation of the people and came to Baku June 9. He succeeded to prevent the civil war in Azerbaijan in a very short time. On June 15, 1993, he was elected chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan and this date entered the country's history as the National Salvation Day. With the insistence of the people, in June 1997, Azerbaijani Parliament declared June 15 as a holiday. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Samir Ali Trend: An Azerbaijani citizen suspected of murder was included on the international wanted list, Trend reports. Resident of Azerbaijans Lerik district Alipasha Mammadov fled from the Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies after a criminal case was initiated against him. Earlier, the court chose a preventive measure of arrest for Mammadov and the suspect was being searched for. International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) included him on the international wanted list in accordance with Azerbaijans appeal. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: On the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, Open Doors Day will be held for parents and relatives of soldiers in all military units of the Azerbaijani Army on the eve of the Armed Forces Day on June 22 at 10:00, Trend reports referring to the country's Defense Ministry. The event will be held to enhance public control, ensure transparency, strengthen unity between the army and the people, improve the fruitfulness of working with families of soldiers. Relatives of soldiers and members of the public will get acquainted with the housing and living conditions created in military units, as well as will visit official, administrative buildings, soldiers' barracks, and mess halls. During the Open Doors Day, it is planned to hold meetings of the command of military units with parents, during which all issues they are interested in will be discussed. The concert programs and other cultural events will also be organized. Head of "AzerTelecom" speaks on Digital HUB program, Digitization at EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: Fuad Allahverdiyev, Director General of AzerTelecom, a backbone internet provider connecting Azerbaijan to the global internet network, spoke about the Azerbaijan Digital HUB program implemented by "AzerTelecom", the opportunities created by the Program for sustainable development of the country's ICT sector, digitization, as well as digital transformation processes in modern conditions at the EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum held in Baku. Fuad Allahverdiyev, who was a speaker at the panel on Connectivity dedicated to ICT, Transport and Logistics topics held within the framework of the Forum, noted that "AzerTelecom" has been operating in the country's ICT sector for more than 10 years and is currently implementing the Digital HUB program to transform Azerbaijan into a Digital Hub. He noted that the Digital HUB " program aims at building a stable infrastructure in the field of ICT in the country, development of the telecommunications sector, creation of a digital telecommunications corridor between Europe and Asia that will pass through Azerbaijan, implementation of projects in the direction of connectivity, and as a result, transformation of our country into a Regional Digital Center for the Caucasus, Middle and South Asia, the Middle East and the surrounding regions. Fuad Allahverdiyev noted that within the framework of the Program, the Trans-Caspian backbone project is being implemented to construct the fiber-optic cable line through the bottom of the Caspian Sea between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, for which the relevant intergovernmental agreement had been signed and approved. He noted that the Digital HUB" program will make an important contribution to the development of the country's ICT sector, as well as other fields in the non-oil sector, will create conditions for bringing European and American content here and for transportation to Asia, will lead to job creation, attraction of global ICT companies to Azerbaijan, will be an important foundation for the introduction of innovations. The EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum, which was held on June 13, was organised by the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan, in collaboration with the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) and the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO). AzerTelecom is one of the largest telecommunication operators in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus region and is the subsidiary of Bakcell Company, the country's first mobile operator and the fastest mobile internet provider. AzerTelecom was founded in 2008 and provides various services to local and foreign companies in the telecommunication sector. AzerTelecom is currently implementing the "Azerbaijan Digital Hub" program to turn the country into a Regional Digital Center, in addition to the status of the Energy and Transport Center owned by Azerbaijan. The implementation of the program lays a firm basis for the country's National IT and National Innovation Strategy and will make an important contribution to the acceleration of digitization, flexible transformation to the digital economy, development of start-ups and IT architecture. The program will help bring the country's ICT system to the level of the most advanced world standards and allow the country to hold more advanced positions in the international rankings. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: Tactical-special exercises on the action of the battalion during the offensive operation have been conducted in a military unit of Azerbaijans chemical protection troops, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijans Defense Ministry. The main goal of the exercises was the organization of the interoperability of units, as well as the improvement of practical skills and abilities of military personnel, including the increase of its moral-psychological endurance in carrying out tasks. In the course of the exercises, the units conducted chemical reconnaissance, identified the types of toxic agents and the boundaries of the contaminated area, as well as fulfilled other tasks. During the tactical-special exercises, the military personnel has demonstrated high combat capability. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: The 16th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Russian joint committee on the division of water resources of the transboundary Samur River was held in Baku, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijan Melioration and Water Management OJSC. The parties discussed matters regarding the division of water resources of the Samur River between the two countries, as well as environmental and other issues, and measures to be implemented before the next meeting of the committee were determined. A bilateral protocol was signed at the end of the meeting. As per the agreement, the committee meets twice a year. Representatives of Azerbaijan Melioration and Water Management OJSC, as well as the Azerbaijani Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Committee for Property Affairs and the State Border Service took part in the meeting. It was held under the leadership of the Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Melioration and Water Management OJSC, Co-Chairman of the Committee from the Azerbaijani side Zakir Guliyev. The committee was established on the basis of the agreement "On cooperation in the effective use and protection of water resources of the transboundary Samur River between the governments of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation signed on September 3, 2010. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: The importance of the North-South International Transport Corridor must be considered in several directions, including as part of cooperation between Russia and the Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as in the Azerbaijan-Russia-Iran format, editor-in-chief of the Day.az news agency, economist Emin Aliyev told Trend News Agency during the Moscow-Baku video conference entitled North-South Transport Corridor: regional integration prospects. The video conference was organized by the representative office of the North-South political science center in Baku, Trend News Agency and Caspian Expert Club. Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan has successful experience in establishing certain, bilateral and multilateral formats of cooperation with various countries in the region and the world. "Azerbaijan has greatly advanced in integration cooperation with Turkey and Georgia, Aliyev said. The implementation of a number of large-scale pipeline and infrastructure projects testifies to that. At the same time, we have advanced in cooperation with Russias certain regions, namely, the Astrakhan region, the Krasnodar region, the Stavropol region and the North Caucasus republic, he said. Such formats must be expanded, Aliyev said. I think the deeper will be this cooperation, the more active will be the economic activity of the North-South International Transport Corridor." The project will not become viable till carriers want to use it, he said. In my opinion, the political will of the regional countries is not enough for the successful implementation of the project, Aliyev said. It will become viable when the obvious benefits of cooperation on the North-South International Transport Corridor are visible. In some sense, the evolutionary process of the North-South International Transport Corridor is possible by overcoming the Soviet legacy, unifying the infrastructure of post-Soviet countries and tariffs, he said. The simplification of customs procedures on the border with Georgia, where the inspection processes were greatly simplified and expedited, the cargo transportation period was reduced, can be cited as an example, Aliyev added. It has become much easier and convenient for Azerbaijani businessmen to export goods across the Georgian border than it was 6-7 years ago," he said. Similar steps must be taken on the Azerbaijani-Russian border and on the border with Iran, Aliyev said. The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor is designed for the transportation of goods from India and the countries of the Persian Gulf to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavia. If cargo transportation by sea through the Persian Gulf, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea to Helsinki takes 45-60 days, the delivery time along the "North-South" corridor will take 20-25 days. Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia signed an agreement in 2005 on the construction of 375 km long railway segments in Iran between Astara and the Azerbaijan-Iran border, and the reconstruction of an existing railway in Azerbaijan to develop transportation in this area. The Astara-Rasht-Qazvin railway project envisages the construction of a new railway line in Iran, which will connect the Azerbaijani city of Astara to the Iranian cities of Astara, Rasht and Qazvin. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 14 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistan Airlines (Tukmenhowayollary), the flag carrier of its country, is seeking to improve its performance in order to overcome the difficulties encountered and meet the relevant requirements put forward by the EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) at the beginning of this year, Trend reports with reference to the Turkmen company. Since then, Turkmenistan Airlines, together with Lufthansa Consulting, has developed and agreed on corrective action plans and has begun to implement them. They include improving basic management systems, in particular safety and quality management systems, developing documentation and implementing processes, training personnel, implementing software and purchasing equipment, and, most importantly, cultural changes in the company. As another step towards achieving compliance, the airline company announced its intention to begin a formal request for a mandatory EASA assessment in early August 2019, the report said. In February, the EASA suspended the flights of Turkmenistan Airlines to the EU pending confirmation of compliance with international flight safety standards. Earlier it was reported that Turkmenistan Airlines carry out regular flights to the airports of Moscow, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi, Delhi, Dubai, Amritsar, Minsk, Almaty, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Istanbul, Beijing and Ankara. The modernization of the air fleet will allow launching flights from Ashgabat to Jeddah, Medina (Saudi Arabia), Cochin, Ahmedabad (India), Samara (Russia), Hanoi (Vietnam), Vienna (Austria), Sofia (Bulgaria), Budapest (Hungary), Manama (Bahrain), New York (US), Toronto (Canada) till 2020. The flights are planned to be launched to Madrid (Spain), Jakarta (Indonesia), Muscat (Oman), Kuwait (Kuwait), Singapore (Singapore), Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Cairo (Egypt) in 2021-2030. Oil fell on Friday after sharp gains in the previous session when prices were boosted after attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman stoked concerns of reduced crude flows through one of the worlds key shipping routes, Trend reports citing Reuters. The attacks near Iran and the Strait of Hormuz countered concerns about global demand that had hammered prices in recent weeks, analysts said. It was the second time in a month tankers have been attacked in the worlds most important zone for oil supplies, amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Washington quickly blamed Iran for Thursdays attacks, but Tehran bluntly denied the allegation. Brent crude futures were down 17 cents, or 0.3%, at $61.14 a barrel by 0041 GMT. They settled up 2.23% on Thursday, at $61.31, having risen as much as 4.5%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 39 cents, or 0.8%, at $51.89 a barrel. They closed 2.23% higher at $52.28 a barrel in the previous session, having also risen as much as 4.5%. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend: In July, Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and its partner on exploration and development of the Karabakh field will familiarize themselves with the progress of work on the reconstruction of the drilling rig, which will be used at an evaluation exploratory well at the field, Trend reports with reference to SOCAR. They will also familiarize themselves with the progress on creating future infrastructure at the Karabakh field, including the future production platform, according to the report. The report says that after the completion of all coordinator actions, the parties will proceed to installing the platform at sea. During the meeting by SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev with Equinor Senior Vice President Carri Lockhart, the work that has been carried out so far on the project was discussed. On March 13, Azerbaijans Caspian Drilling Company Ltd. (CDC) and Norwegian Equinor Azerbaijan Karabakh BV (Equinor) signed a contract for the drilling services at Karabakh field of Azerbaijan. In accordance with the contract, CDC will drill for Equinor two wells on the Karabakh oilfield, where Equinor serves as project Operator for Karabakh field development with participation of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR. Equinor and SOCAR each holds 50 percent stake in the project. Equinor also signed with SOCAR a contract on exploration and future production sharing for the Ashrafi-Dan Ulduzu-Aypara (ADUA) exploration area. The Karabakh oil and gas field, discovered in 2000, is located 130 kilometers to the east of Baku. The sea depth in the field varies in the range of 250-450 meters. The initial oil reserves of the field are estimated at 100 million tons. ICYMI: Here are our top stories from Friday, June 14 Here are some of the top stories from The Kathmandu Post (June 14, 2019). Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Matanat Nasibova - Trend: Azerbaijan plans to start exporting aluminum to Poland, Azerbaijans Trade Representative in Poland Neymat Nagdaliyev told Trend. He said that this issue is being actively discussed by the parties. The Trade Representation of Azerbaijan in Warsaw is carrying out big work to expand import of Azerbaijani goods in the Polish market, he noted. This issue is planned to be solved in the near future, as there is potential in the aluminum market in Azerbaijan and great demand for this type of industrial products in Poland. Nagdaliyev noted that there is great demand for building materials in Poland, and the Azerbaijani market is a potential supplier of them to Europe. We plan to export building materials to Poland, and in the medium term, to the countries of Central Europe, he said. We are trying to establish contacts between suppliers and buyers of construction products in Azerbaijan and Poland. The trade representative noted that over the past five years, the trade between Azerbaijan and Poland has been at a stable level. In 2018, the trade turnover between the two countries, according to Polish data, amounted to 80 million euros, 68.3 million euros of which accounted for Polish exports. Poland is the seventh biggest supplier of goods to Azerbaijan after Germany, Italy, the UK, France, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 14 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistans Turkmen Tranzit company will hold a conference in the city of Turkmenabat on June 14 as part of the Digital Age project, which will highlight cybersecurity issues, Trend reports referring to the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET). The event agenda also includes the discussion of issues regarding electronic document management, new-generation cash registers and terminals, the development of websites and applications, and automation of enterprises. The presentation of an affiliate program is also planned. It was reported earlier that the UIET had put forward an initiative to create an IT-Cluster in line with the Concept of Development of Digital Economy for 2019-2025. The document is a "roadmap" of the technological transformation of all sectors and the system of state administration by them, the formation of a knowledge economy based on the resource and production potential of the country. The concept is aimed at the growth of business and investment activity, the introduction of advanced methods of government and the creation of new jobs. Turkmenistan is promoting the development of telemedicine, online education, distance learning and e-government tools in the country. Digitization of economic, production, management processes will allow to create "smart" cities. Turkmen Tranzit was established in 2010 and operates in the field of information technology and telecommunications, carries out complex deliveries of high-tech equipment from global manufacturers. Professional implementation of security policies, building a multi-level system for protecting confidential data, introducing a reliable access control system - all these make it possible to maximize the effectiveness of the man-made component of the information protection system, the companys website reads. The company has certificates "Check Point Security Administrator R80", WAPPLES Basicot and cooperates with foreign partners. Iran categorically rejects the unfounded U.S. claim over Thursdays attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Irans mission to the United Nations said after Washington blamed Tehran for the attacks, Trend reports citing Reuters. Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms, the Iranian mission said in a statement. Irans foreign minister said on Friday that the U.S. allegations against Iran over the Gulf of Oman tanker attacks were part of sabotage diplomacy adopted by a so-called B Team, which he has said includes U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, Trend reports citing Reuters. That the US immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran - w/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence - only makes it abundantly clear that the #B_Team is moving to a #PlanB: Sabotage diplomacy - including by @AbeShinzo - and cover up its #EconomicTerrorism against Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. Zarif has repeatedly said that Bolton, an ardent Iran hawk, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could goad U.S. President Donald Trump into a conflict with Tehran. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Matanat Nasibova Trend: Implementation of the International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) project will increase economic and political bonuses for Moscow, Baku and Tehran, Russian political expert Ramin Gasimov told Trend while commenting on the significance of this large-scale transport project and the benefits of its implementation for Azerbaijan and the countries of the region. According to the expert, the creation of the INSTC with the participation of Azerbaijan and Russia will significantly strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy and transport, as well as further strengthen the partnership ties between Moscow and Baku. "The implementation of the project will allow to intensify trade relations of the Caspian littoral states with their counterparts on the coast of the Black Sea, ensuring access to the Persian Gulf and India for Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus, which in turn will increase rail traffic between Europe, South Asia and the Middle East," he said. "Thanks to a well-thought-out foreign policy pursued under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, today Azerbaijan plays a key role in this international project. It is crystal clear that the role of Azerbaijan is increasing from year to year as a regional player and a leading country in the South Caucasus. For Russia, this project is beneficial in terms of diversifying markets, and strengthening its position in the south, he said. The expert pointed out that Russia is interested in this project for several reasons. First, North-South provides Russia and other oil-producing countries in the region with the opportunity to diversify trade, which is important in the conditions of a weak market environment in the global oil market. At the same time, the transport corridor shortens the transport distance, which contributes to the intensification of trade. Secondly, the INSTC reduces transportation costs, so the carriage of goods by rail is potentially cheaper than using the Suez Canal in Egypt," he said. According to the expert, Russia's participation in the project shows that Azerbaijan and Russia are actively increasing bilateral cooperation in the transport sector. "It was also significant in a sense that, after launching the large-scale Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, the government of Azerbaijan offered Russia to transport Russian cargo via this railway. This proposal by the Azerbaijani side confirmed trustful and friendly relations with Russia," Gasimov said. Further, the Russian expert drew attention to the contracts and agreements concluded between Russian and Azerbaijani oil and gas companies, particularly on the joint development of the Goshadash block by Russias Rosneft and Azerbaijans SOCAR. According to him, the fact that the Rosneft company will work together with SOCAR in several fields confirms that Russia and Azerbaijan do not consider themselves to be competitors, but as friendly partners who work in many areas. "The same can be said about the North-South project. When they first started talking about this project, some experts stated that it might not be economically profitable. There were various negative thoughts on this project, few people believed in its implementation. Nevertheless, the project did not lose his relevance, and its implementation remains a high priority for the participating countries," he noted. The Russian expert noted that Baku is confidently pursuing a balanced regional policy in light of the very difficult geopolitical situation in the region and the world, and this position of Azerbaijan is fully supported by Russia. He said that Russia supports Azerbaijan as a moderator and mediator between Europe, Russia and the countries of the Middle East via the implementation of important projects of regional and international significance, and underlined that Azerbaijans mediating role for Russia holds a special place. "We remember how Azerbaijan, along with Kazakhstan, played a significant mediating role in restoring relations between Russia and Turkey [after the incident with the downed Russian aircraft]. This factor confirmed the high authority of Azerbaijan in world politics and in the system of international relations," he said. "I would also like to highlight the personal friendly relations between the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, which undoubtedly contribute to further strengthening bilateral cooperation and building a trustful political dialogue between Moscow and Baku, he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington signed an agreement on opening commercial representation of the US in Tbilisi, Trend reports with reference to apsny.ge. "Considering that the US our strategic partner, it has been decided to set up the commercial and economic representative office of the US to coordinating the bilateral economic relations," said Natia Turnava, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. "It will be a regional office, and thus, it proves the USA perceives us as a hub for conducting business in the region," she added. The agreement was signed during the working visit of Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze to the United States. According to him, in the near future, Georgia and the United States will sign another important document aimed at further development of economic cooperation of the two countries. Georgia and the USA have been cooperating since 1992 in the areas of politics, economics, trade, defense and security. In 2018, the trade turnover between Georgia and the United States amounted to nearly $520 million. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 Trend: The 12th International Wine and Spirits Fair WinExpo Georgia 2019 is underway in Tbilisi, Trend reports with reference to bizzone.info. The international exhibition and fair, which is being held on June 13-15 with support of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia and the National Wine Agency, was opened by Georgian Minister of Environment and Agriculture Levan Davitashvili. The scale of the exhibition as well as the number of participating companies and visitors are increasing annually, which confirms the prestige of the exhibition and the growing interest in Georgian wine. As part of the event, an international contest was held. Its jury members are internationally recognized experts and wine specialists, whose opinion and assessment is important for popularizing and raising the awareness of Georgian wine, said the Minister. WinExpo Georgia is the largest industry exhibition in the region. Up to 160 companies from 12 countries including Georgia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Turkey participate in the fair. According to Yemeni TV Channel Al-Masirah, Yemen's Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia's Abha Airport with drones Thursday, Trend reports citing Sputnik. Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm the attack, according to reports. After a brief disruption at Abha, normal airport operations have resumed. The alleged attacks come after Al-Masirah TV reported Wednesday that Houthi rebels carried out an attack on Abha Airport with a cruise missile, Sputnik reported. The Saudi-led coalition confirmed on Wednesday that 26 people were injured as a result of the missile, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition vowed to respond to the attack. The missile attack followed an incident in which Saudi Arabia's air defense forces had intercepted two drones launched by insurgents from the Ansar Allah movement, part of the Houthis, on its military air base on the country's southern border. One hundred new buses donated by China were delivered to Mozambique to improve public transport in the southeast African country, Trend reports citing Xinhua. "The buses we are receiving today are Chinese government offer, are sophisticated and resilient, have automatic engine system, and a series of measures to make life easier for Mozambicans," said the President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi at the delivery ceremony in Maputo. The president said the donation is a result of the good relations between Mozambique and China, and his government encouraged more Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in the country on the basis of mutual benefits. The delivery is part of Mozambican government's "Plan 1000" program which aims for distributing 1,000 buses throughout the country in five years, said the president, adding that 80 percent of the target has been met, calling for conservation. The Mayor of Maputo Eneas Comiche expressed his gratitude at the ceremony, saying that "there is no doubt that the donation will help minimize the glaring problem of mobility in the country especially in urban areas." Chinese Ambassador to Mozambique Su Jian said the donation is a further proof of the friendship between the two peoples and also a concrete manifestation of the strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development between the two countries. "The donated cars have spare and accessory parts for maintenance and a group of local technicians will be instructed to properly operate them," Su said. The buses, China's famous brand "Zhong Tong," have a carrying capacity of 40 passengers, and lots of improvements have been made, said the company's Chairman Li Shupeng. "According to the road and climatic conditions and people's travel habits in the country, we set up a special team to improve the vehicles, such as re-designing the doors, improving the wading capacity and installing the automatic gear-box," said Li. Hundreds of thousands of women across Switzerland held a strike on Friday to highlight their wealthy nations poor record on female rights, recreating the passion of the last such walkout 28 years ago, Trend reports citing Reuters. In Zurich, the financial capital and the countrys biggest city, tens of thousands of protesters clogged the streets, blowing whistles and banging pots and pans. Men, go do the ironing, one sign read. Its not just about wages. The equal opportunity is not there. At least for the next generation it needs to be there, Zurich city councilwoman Karin Rykart said as hundreds of municipal workers and police officers demonstrated. Despite its high quality of life, Switzerland lags other developed economies in female pay and workplace gender equality. Fridays event echoed a strike in 1991, five years before the Gender Equality Act came into force. That banned workplace discrimination and sexual harassment and protected women from bias or dismissal over pregnancy, marital status, or gender. But more than 20 years later, women still earn less than men, face routine questioning of their competence, and encounter condescension on the job, they say. Organisers say the strike draws attention to wages, violence against women, and the need for greater representation in positions of power and more equitable family policy. Christine Lagarde, the first woman to lead the International Monetary Fund, joined in while addressing an event in Geneva. At this point in time if I were true to my colors I would actually turn my back to you and express in that way the fact that I am actually on strike - but you might be disappointed, she said. So instead of this I am actually wearing this (lapel pin) out of solidarity with the Swiss women who claim equality in terms of salaries and a few other things. The SGB labor union federation estimated 100,000 people joined the strike by midday, with more participating from 3:24 p.m., when women technically work for free given wage discrimination. UTMB researchers learned how to better combat muscle loss during space flights GALVESTON, Texas - A new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has further documented how muscles are affected by reduced gravity conditions during space flight missions and uncovered how exercise and hormone treatments can be tailored to minimize muscle loss for individual space travelers. The findings are available in PLOS One. NASA has recently announced that it will allow private citizens to visit the International Space Station. The growing number of space travelers underscores the need to understand the impact of reduced gravity on the human body. "The study has given us the ability to identify biomarkers that predict how susceptible each individual is to muscle function decline and how effectively different exercise and hormone treatments can combat the atrophy," said senior author Randall Urban, UTMB chief research officer and professor in the department of internal medicine. Senior author Melinda Sheffield-Moore, professor in the Texas T&M department of health and kinesiology and UTMB department of internal medicine, said, "This new ability may allow scientists to personalize space medicine by designing specific exercise and/or hormone intervention programs for each astronaut on Earth before they embark on a long-term mission to space." Space flight-related losses in muscle mass and strength are a key concern for long space exploration missions. The muscle loss during space flight largely stems from fact that weight bearing muscles don't work as hard in reduced gravity conditions. While in space, people exercise in an effort to counter this muscle loss, but it cannot completely prevent muscle atrophy. So, researchers are searching for additional interventions that compliment inflight exercise. The effects of long-term muscle inactivity can be investigated with extended bed rest. In the study, 24 healthy male participants were placed on bed rest for 70 days. During the bed rest period, some of the men followed an exercise regimen and blindly received either testosterone supplements or a placebo while a control group remained in the bed without any exercise training or supplements. Throughout the study, the researchers collected muscle biopsies to analyze the proteins within the muscle tissue. The researchers uncovered several changes to the men's muscle proteins during the bed rest period that were blunted or reversed with exercise, which appeared to drive a healthier protein organization within the muscle fibers. The testosterone supplements prompted further protein changes that promoted muscle growth beyond that of exercise alone. "The unique insights we've gained on muscle proteins during extended bed rest could someday be applied to predict changes to muscle mass/strength in various situations and then develop a personalized program of exercises and hormonal countermeasures," said senior author E. Lichar Dillon, UTMB assistant professor in the department of internal medicine. ### Other authors include UTMB's Kizhake Soman, John Wiktorowicz, Ria Sur, Daniel Jupiter, Christopher Danesi, Kathleen Randolph, Charles Gilkison and William Durham. This story has been published on: 2019-06-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Police say they are holding comedian Pranesh Gautam in custody for few more days The 24-year-old comedian was released from custody on Thursday night but was brought to the court by the police on Friday, after which he was taken back to the police station. Comedian Pranesh Gautam Photo via Pranesh Gautam's facebook page Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday dismissed a suggestion that Ottawa block the extradition of a top executive from Chinas Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to the United States, saying it would set a dangerous precedent, reports Trend citing to Reuters Huaweis Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested on U.S. fraud charges in Vancouver last December, will challenge Washingtons extradition request at hearings that are set to begin next January. China angrily demanded Canada release Meng and detained two Canadians on spying charges. It has also blocked imports of Canadian canola seed and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he fears further retaliation. The Globe and Mail newspaper on Thursday said former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien had floated the idea of the government intervening to stop the extradition case and thereby improve ties with Beijing. When it comes to Ms Meng there has been no political interference ... and that is the right way for extradition requests to proceed, Freeland told a televised news conference in Washington. It would be a very dangerous precedent indeed for Canada to alter its behavior when it comes to honoring an extradition treaty in response to external pressure, she added, saying to do so could make Canadians around the world less safe. Canadian officials say they see no prospect of relations with China improving until Mengs future is resolved. Trudeau said last week he would look at whether it was appropriate or desirable to seek a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Japan later this month. Trudeau plans to visit Washington for talks on June 20 which will address the case of the two detained Canadians. Rare earth developers in Australia say they are edging closer to signing deals with new customers that would drive forward their projects amid mounting global supply concerns over the minerals that are crucial to high-tech industries, reports Trend with reference to Reuters Australia contains only 2.8% of the worlds rare earth reserves, according to the United States Geological Survey. However, the country accounts for more than half of the new projects in the global pipeline, according to data compiled by the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) at Curtin University. Rare earths are a group of 17 minerals critical to a wide array of industries from high-tech consumer electronics to electric vehicles and sophisticated military equipment. Most of Australias projects, however, have been stuck as developers struggle to secure financing because of the domination of China, which accounts for about 90% of global rare earths processing capacity and one-quarter of the worlds reserves. Even the projects closest to start-up are unlikely to begin operations until 2023 at the earliest, the WASM data shows. Still, those projects may speed up amid the escalating trade war between the United States and China. The United States imports 80% of its rare earths from China, where state-owned news outlets have reported it could cut its shipments to the U.S. as part of the dispute. Northern Minerals, which is developing the Browns Range project in Australias northwest, said last week that it was in discussions with an internationally recognized industrial group for supply. The level of interest has increased since the increased news focus on the issue, a company spokesman said this week. Hastings Technology, which is readying its Yangibana rare earths project in Western Australia for late 2021 production already has one preliminary supply agreement with Germanys Thyssenkrupp and signed another with automotive supplier Schaeffler AG last week. We are working on another German supply agreement which we expect to tie up this year, said Charles Lew, Hastings executive chairman. Additionally, Hastings is receiving financing from Germanys strategic minerals procurement body, he said. The prospects for Australias rare earths industry are picking up based on growing demand expectations. The U.S. said this week it would look to Australia and Canada to develop rare earths reserves around the world to reduce the global reliance on China. A Thyssenkrupp spokesman said last week that in the area of rare earths we are regularly on the lookout for new partners to serve the growing global demand. The reason rare earths projects outside of China have not advanced is because Chinas vast production, underpinned by cheaper labor and less stringent environmental regulations, means no one else can compete on cost, said WASM Professor Dudley Kingsnorth. Australias Lynas Corp, the worlds only rare earths producer outside of China, has been supported by low interest loans from Japans government. Last month Lynas outlined expansion plans including building a U.S. processing plant. Kingsnorth estimates the world will need 75,000 tonnes of rare earths per year to be independent of China by 2025. However, his projections are that the rest of the world will only be producing 50,000 tonnes independent of China by that time. End-users are not willing to invest in mines that are years away from production and more costly than in China, he said. However, companies are not pricing in the risk of a politically driven supply disruption, he said. Its not about being competitive with China, its do you get your metals or not? said Kingsnorth. Without government support, most new projects will struggle to see the light of day, said a resource companies analyst who declined to be named because of company policy. Especially if companies are planning to build processing plants, the cost of which can be an order of magnitude more than the value of the companies building them, he said. For example, Australian rare earths miner Arafura Resources, a company with a market capitalization of A$77 million ($53.24 million), is seeking to secure $1 billion in funding for its project that includes a processing plant. Arafura and fellow miner Alkane Resources met with U.S. defense officials as part of an Australian trade delegation in February but returned empty handed, executives from both companies said. The conundrum thats occurring is do or dont people wish to put money on the ground to pay higher costs to mitigate risk? said Alkanes Managing Director Nick Earner. U.S. actions pose a serious threat to stability in the Middle East, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the leaders of a China-led security bloc including Russia and India on Friday, reports Trend referring to Reuters The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concern about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation. Iran denied any connection with the attacks. Rouhani did not mention the attacks but focused his criticism on U.S. President Donald Trumps withdrawal last year from world powers 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. He said Iran continued to honor the accord. Iran asks the remaining participants in the nuclear deal to immediately [meet] their commitments, Rouhani told the meeting in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. Croatias tourism industry, a key engine of the economy, urged the government on Friday to allow more foreign workers into the sector to help staff bars and restaurants in the high season, reports Trend with reference to Reuters Croatia, the youngest European Union member, is highly dependent on mostly summer tourism receipts, with the industry contributing almost 20 percent to gross domestic product. Ahead of the main tourist season, the situation with workforce is critical and opening of some tourist capacities, including bars and restaurants, is in jeopardy, Croatias association of tourist firms (HUT) and the national association of employers (HUP) said in a joint appeal to officials. In December, Croatia raised the number of licenses for foreign workers for 2019 to 65,100 from 38,769 last year. The quota for workers in tourism was raised to 15,611 from 8,930. The sectors that suffer most from a shortage of qualified workers are tourism, construction, retail, manufacturing and transport. It is our goal primarily to employ domestic workforce but the local people are not available or interested to take jobs in tourism, the HUT said. The average monthly salary in Croatia was 6,464 kuna ($983.60) in March. The unemployment rate in April was 8.6 percent. Foreign workers who come to Croatia are mostly from non-EU Balkan states, but some also arrive from more distant nations such as Ukraine or even Asian countries. Health minister Matt Hancock pulled out of the contest to be the next British prime minister on Friday, leaving six candidates remaining in the fight to replace Theresa May, reports Trend citing to Reuters I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now, he said in a statement. I will talk to all the other candidates about how these values can be best taken forward. Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: NATO is not able to defend Turkey, and therefore Ankara buys Russian anti-aircraft missile systems S-400, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, Trend reports via Turkish media. The foreign minister noted that the Russian S-400 air defense systems that Turkey has acquired, do not pose a threat to NATO. He said that Turkey has repeatedly declared this to the allies in the NATO. The minister also noted that Turkey is in dire need of protecting its airspace, and for this, the country buys the Russian S-400, since the US refused to sell US air defense systems to the Turkish army. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey may receive the S-400 missile systems in July 2019, which is earlier than scheduled. He stressed that despite appeals from the US, Turkey will not abandon the purchase of the S-400. Initial reports of negotiations between Russia and Turkey on the supply of S-400 appeared in November 2016. The signing of a contract was confirmed by the Russian side on September 12, 2017. Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the S-400 air defense systems would be deployed from October 2019. Turkey is the first NATO member state to receive the S-400 air defense systems from Russia. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu The United States is focused on building international consensus after a series of attacks that have occurred in the Middle East, US Acting Secretary of Defene Patrick Shanahan told reporters, Trend reports citing Sputnik. "We have an international situation there in the Middle East...The focus for myself and Ambassador [John] Bolton and Secretary [Mike] Pompeo is to build international consensus to this international problem," Shanahan said. Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News that Iran was responsible for explosions that damaged two oil tankers sailing through the Gulf of Oman on 13 June. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the first US official to blame Iran for allegedly attacking the oil tankers, although the cause of the explosions has not been determined yet. Iran has denied the US accusations and called on Washington and its regional allies to cease their false flag operations, used to shift the blame onto Tehran. On 13 June Norway's Front Altair and Japan's Kokuka Courageous oil tankers sailing through the Gulf of Oman suffered explosions that damaged their hulls and caused a fire. The incident follows a similar one in May, when four oil tankers near the UAE were damaged as a result of what Abu Dabi sees as an "act of sabotage". By Kent E. Calder, KYODO NEWS - Jun 14, 2019 - 12:26 | All, World, Japan Japan has the third largest gross domestic product on earth and has contributed greatly to global stability in a variety of ways. For years it has been among the largest official development assistance donors on earth. Its outbound capital flows played a key role in ending the Cold War. And Japan was the only nation in the world to raise taxes to help pay for Desert Storm, following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Iraq. Yet Japan has attracted surprisingly little global attention for its initiatives, however substantive they may have been. Few Japanese leaders have been broadly recognized as pace-setters in world affairs. Yasuhiro Nakasone developed strong rapport with Ronald Reagan, as Junichiro Koizumi did with George W. Bush. Yasuo Fukuda, Takeo Fukuda, and Masayoshi Ohira were all well-known and respected by Pacific leaders. Taro Aso enunciated ambitious ideas for a Eurasian "arc of freedom and prosperity." Yet the public image of a reactive, even passive Japan has been all too durable on the global stage. Shinzo Abe has been more visible on the global stage than most of his predecessors, to be sure. In his more than seven years as prime minister -- an extraordinary span, soon to be unprecedented in Japanese history -- Abe has visited around 80 countries. He has undertaken major bilateral initiatives with India, Russia, and, of course, the United States, cultivating close ties with both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Yet even those successes have attracted remarkably little attention as global diplomacy. With the Osaka G-20 meetings now looming, convening countries generating 80 percent of global GDP, Abe at last has a truly global stage. His staff and Japanese ministries have compiled a diverse, thoughtful agenda, on issues ranging from the digital economy to global health. Yet the centerpiece of the proceedings, transcending these worthy technical questions, could well be curiously unrelated: the dramatic and explosive issue of Iran's nuclear future, and global efforts to cope with that. The Iran crisis, intensified by U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Acton agreement in May, 2018, and Washington's reinforcement of bilateral sanctions since then, has intensified in recent weeks. Mysterious bombings in Khuzestan and Baluchistan have been followed by proxy attacks on Saudi tankers and pipelines. Iran has threatened to increase its nuclear output, including reprocessing, if the European Union does not help shield it from U.S. sanctions. The United States, in response to rising regional tensions, has increased arms sales to allies in the Gulf, while also dispatching bombers, an aircraft carrier, and additional ground forces there. Among the few major past Japanese initiatives in global diplomacy was Nakasone's effort, on the periphery of the 1983 Williamsburg G-7 summit, to mediate an end to the Iran-Iraq war. Abe now has a parallel, still more substantial, opportunity, on a more consequential stage, in the shadow of the Osaka G-20 summit. The incentives of the United States, Europe and Iran, as well as even arguably China, are all aligned in favor of a de-escalation of tensions. And Japan, as G-20 chair until this coming December, is strategically placed to mediate that process, on behalf of the broader world. Iran, Europe and China, for varying reasons, all have clear incentives to stabilize the existing situation, and to blunt the rising tensions of the past several months. All were parties to the original JCPOA agreement, and have traditionally traded extensively with one another. China, in particular, is Iran's largest trading partner, and has substantially deepened its interdependence with Iran since the 2015 JCPOA agreement. Yet China too has much deeper relations with the United States than with Iran, the current U.S.-China trade war notwithstanding. Beijing does not want its trans-Pacific relationships complicated even further by tensions in the Persian Gulf. The key question mark, of course, is America under the Trump administration, which repudiated the Obama-era JCPOA agreement, and seeks further concessions from the Iranians. [Photo courtesy of the Iranian Supreme Leader Press Office] For the past two years and more, the United States has been escalating pressures against Tehran, with many viewing that escalation as an effort at regime change, analogous to Reagan's successful pressure on the Soviet Union, leading to its ultimate collapse. Trump, in particular, now seems to prefer a new approach, noting explicitly in recent days that the United States seeks only to prevent Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons, and not regime change. To understand Trump's seeming change of position, the best analogy, of course, could be North Korea. Trump sharply escalated military pressure on Pyongyang during his first 18 months in office, and then agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un personally in Singapore. Even Jimmy Carter, otherwise a sharp Trump critic, applauded the Singapore summit with Kim, commenting that if Trump succeeded at a peace agreement with the North he would be a worthy candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. With the 2020 U.S. Presidential election looming, and frustrated on other fronts, Trump could be looking for a repeat in the Middle East to his dramatic overtures in Northeast Asia, and interested in enlisting Prime Minister Abe's help in achieving it. Three constraints on a direct U.S. overture to Tehran clearly exist. They are Israel, Saudi Arabia (also a G-20 member, and the next G-20 chair), and American domestic politics. With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggling amidst a difficult re-election campaign, Israel cannot actively complicate dialogues with its arch-enemy Iran at the moment. The Trump administration seems unlikely to make any significant concessions to Tehran, but President Trump may well be interested in a dialogue, at least indirectly. To neutralize Saudi and U.S. domestic resistance, it is clearly easier for Trump to have Japan mediate with Iran than to deal with Tehran itself. Japan is thus now on center stage, as the Osaka summit prepares to open -- not only on the technical questions of G-20, but on major global issues of war and peace as well. (Kent E. Calder is director of the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at SAIS/Johns Hopkins University in Washington.) Related coverage: Abe urges Rouhani to avoid escalation of Iran-U.S. tensions Iran spurns Japan's efforts for mediation with U.S. Abe's mission not yet accomplished as U.S.-Iran hurdles remain high KYODO NEWS - Jun 14, 2019 - 10:32 | All, World Iran's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday brushed aside U.S. claims that Tehran is responsible for attacks on two oil tankers near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. "Strongly we are rejecting any accusation of Iran," Eshagh Al Habib told a small group of reporters shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Tehran for the attacks. (File photo taken on Dec. 12, 2018 shows Eshagh Al Habib, Iran's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations.) [Getty/Kyodo] "Definitely, those that accuse Iran have the main role in creating those incidents and it could be the United States itself," Habib said. Apparently with Israel and Saudi Arabia in mind, the Iranian envoy also said there are two specific nations that "are looking for more tensions" in the Persian Gulf region and that the United States is a staunch backer of them. He said the attacks on the two tankers, including one operated by a Tokyo-based company, took place as Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were meeting. Abe was making a two-day visit to the country, marking the first time since 1978 that a Japanese prime minister had done so. "This incident happened at the same, exactly at the same time that the prime minister of Japan was in Iran and meeting our leaders, and it shows that these are orders that are behind this incident, and the previous one," he said. He was referring to a May 12 incident in the Gulf of Oman when four commercial ships were damaged. He described Abe's visit, in which the Japanese leader hoped to broker dialogue between Washington and Tehran amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, as a "very successful one," despite Iran saying Thursday it will not negotiate with the United States. "There have been always very good relations between Iran and Japan, and we respect a lot the Japanese people and government," he added. Earlier in the day, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guteress strongly condemned the attacks on the two tankers. "I note with deep concern this morning's security incident in the Strait of Hormuz. I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels," he told a U.N. Security Council meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States. "Facts must be established, and responsibilities clarified," he said, adding, "If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region." During the same meeting, Acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen decried the attacks as an "unacceptable" act. "It's unacceptable for any party to attack commercial shipping and today's attacks on ships in the Gulf of Oman raise very serious concerns," he said. "The U.S. government is providing assistance and will continue to assess the situation," Cohen added. The United States called a meeting of the U.N. Security Council later in the day to discuss the tanker incident behind closed doors. Although no statement was issued, there was a common condemnation of the incident by all 15 members, according to Kuwait's Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi, who is the rotating president of the month. The "whole council members condemned what happened," he said, while stressing that he was not speaking as council president but in his national capacity. The council would like to see an independent investigation carried out to better determine who was behind the attack, he said, although it was unclear who would lead such an investigation. Related coverage: Japan ship attacked near Strait of Hormuz, U.S. blames Iran KYODO NEWS - Jun 14, 2019 - 13:55 | All, World, Japan Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked Iranian leaders during his Tehran visit to release American nationals detained by the country, at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, a Japanese government source said Friday. At least four Americans, including a Navy veteran who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, are being detained in the Middle Eastern nation. The Japanese premier is believed to have requested their release during his talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, the source said. It is not known how they responded. On Friday morning, Foreign Minister Taro Kono, who had accompanied Abe to Iran, held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over the phone. Kono and Pompeo confirmed that they will continue to work together closely in dealing with the Middle East situation, including the attacks Thursday on two oil tankers, the Foreign Ministry said. The two ships, one operated by a Japanese company, were targeted near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, with Washington blaming Tehran, citing its assessment based on intelligence and other factors. Abe, the first Japanese leader to visit Iran in 41 years, had hoped to serve as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, with tensions having flared in recent weeks and concern growing about possible inadvertent military clashes in the region. But Iran said Thursday it will not negotiate with the United States, rejecting Abe's bid to broker dialogue between the two countries amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The prime minister admitted that the path to easing tensions in the region will be difficult in light of the standoff between Iran and the United States, but said Japan will continue to work toward achieving peace and stability. Related coverage: Iran spurns Japan's efforts for mediation with U.S. Right to housing law must extend protection to tenants, squatters: Amnesty report Director of Amnesty International Nepal Nirajan Thapaliya says the government has been increasingly enacting laws related to fundamental rights without any consultation with stakeholders. The report highlights how adequate housing for all remains a major challenge in Nepal. Nearly half of Nepals population lives in substandard housing and over 70 percent houses are structurally unsafe. Post File Photo Srinagar: India and Pakistan have revealed the conspiracy to incite Indians living in border areas against India through Pakistani FM channel. The Union government has asked the security agencies to find out how many Pakistani FM station is active and what is their frequency. PM Modi arrives at Shanghai Cooperation Organization Conference, will take part in many programs According to a report, Pakistan has built radio stations at Kotli, Mirpur, Muzafarabad in Pak occupied Kashmir through which a conspiracy is being done to instigate Indians residing in several areas of Rajoori, Poonch, Naushera, R S Pura and Jammu, not only through these FM stations The Lie against India is also being unleashed. SCO Summit: PM Modi to meet Iran's president, India-Kyrgyzstan to have many important agreements According to an official in the Central Security Ministry, the Indian Army and the Government of India are being talked about in the middle of popular songs on the FM radio and the Pakistani army is praised. The frequency of these stations is very far and the people living on the border Can comfortably hear Pakistani FM on his radio. Some of these radio stations are also operating through terrorist organisations. Bishkek: Chinese President Xi Jinping has told PM Modi during a separate dialogue with THE ongoing SCO conference in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, that India and China are not a threat to each other. At the same time, Jinping expressed his desire to join India's efforts to encourage closer development partnerships between the two countries. US accuses Iran for this thing, tension deepens It is noteworthy that this is the first meeting of PM Modi and the president of the nation after becoming the prime minister for the second time after winning the Lok Sabha elections with a ragged majority. In a statement issued in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign ministry said that President Xi told PM Modi that India and China should enhance mutual cooperation while dealing with differences in the right way. At the same time, Jinping also called for confidence-building steps to maintain stability on the warplane. PM Modi arrives at Shanghai Cooperation Organization Conference, will take part in many programs "China is constantly looking forward to working closely with India to encourage closer development partnership between the two countries," Jinping said, quoting the statement, adding that he has asked the two countries to implement the basic principle that "China And India give each other a chance to develop, and there is no threat to each other. ' Panaji: A video of the Indian Coast Guard team being rescued by a young man stranded amidst sea waves in Goa has come to light. The young man was rescued by a team of Indian Coast Guard. The incident is reported to be in the midst of Goa's famous Kaban de Rama. Sudden explosion in Norwegian oil tanker ship Front Altair in Gulf of Oman The nearly 20-year-old was a young man trapped amidst the sharp waves of the sea. The velocity of the waves was so high that in a few seconds the young man went 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) off the coast. According to media reports, the young man had to swim, so it remained above water. The people on the beach reported to the Indian Coast Guard. The costguard used his helicopter to carry out the entire rescue operation. Cyclone ' Vayu ' suddenly changed its course, but crisis still persists Official news agency ANI has released video of the entire rescue operation. The video can clearly see how the Indian coastguard helicopter was thrown down a rope staircase to rescue the man stranded between the sea. The man immediately grabbed the ladder and climbed on it. Its immediate helicopter is advancing towards the coast. After being brought ashore, the young man has been admitted to hospital for treatment, where his condition is stated to be stable. Dubai: In the Gulf of Oman, a sudden blast occured in the Norwegian oil tanker ship Front Altair on Thursday. To save lives, crew members were jumped in the water, which was saved by the Iranian navy. However, the cause of the blasts on the ship has not yet been ascertained. One such attack was also carried out on the oil ship in May. At that time, there was a tense situation between Tehran and Washington. Rajasthan:Raid in Ayurvedic firm, found this drug in medicines According to information, a total of three explosions occurred at different times on two ships, according to Iran's state media. Before the fire intenisifed, the Iranian navy had saved the Hump 44 crew members in the waters. The ship's chief executive Robert H. I can assure you that the ship has not been wasted, "Maceo said. Terror of Jagan dacoit In Dholpur, paraded naked in UP village, children also beaten At the same time, both of them had very flammable materials on the ships. Iran's foreign Minister Mohamed Javed Zakar if described the incident as an attack. The round of talks between the Japanese prime minister and Tehran is currently underway. The first incident occurred at 50 minutes past 8 a.m. local time in southern Iran. The front Altair tanker ship with a capacity of 1 lakh 11 thousand tonnes was moving from Qatar to Taiwan. Bishkek: Today is the last day of the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which started on Thursday in Kyrgyzstan. Under this, PM Narendra Modi will attend some key meetings today. There will also be a meeting with some international leaders. PM Modi on Friday will visit Ella Archa Presidencial Palace at Bishkek at 10am. Pakistan's controversial ad on pilot Abhinandan, this is how Sania Mirza reacted He will then meet Kazakh President Qasim Jomart Tokayov. After the meeting, he will attend the group photograph programme of Heads of State and Presidents of the SCO member States. PM Modi will attend the 10:30 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) secret meeting in the morning. It will also include countries including China and Pakistan. It is reported that it may brainstorm on improving endemic trade and relations. Japan beats Poland by 6-2 to make a place in the last four After the secret meeting, PM Modi will meet the president of Belarus and Mongolia. Later, at 12 noon, PM Modi will attend a detailed SCO meeting. PM Modi will be signing important documents after the meeting. A group photo will be taken once again after this program. PM Modi to meet Iranian president Dr. Hassan Ruhani at 3:55 pm. He will then start the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum programme at 4:30 pm. Bishkek: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Thursday to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Conference. He will participate in several events at the SCO conference. Cyclone ' Vayu ' suddenly changed its course, but crisis still persists According to information, under PM Modi will arrive at the ALA Archa Rashtrapati Bhavan in Bishkek at 10 am on Friday. Where he will meet Kazakhstan president Qasim-Jonmart Tokyev. In the meantime, there will also be a joint photography program with SCO members. At 10pm, he will take part in a confidential meeting of the SCO. The meeting will be attended by President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and President of Mongolia Kaltamgiani Battula. Sudden explosion in Norwegian oil tanker ship Front Altair in Gulf of Oman With this, Kaltamgiani will hold a meeting with the Battula. He will then take part in a detailed meeting at 12 noon and sign some key documents. PM Modi will then take part in a bilateral meeting with the President of Iran, Dr. Hassan Rouhani at 3:55 hrs. There will be a joint inauguration of the India Kyrgyz Business Forum at 4:30 hrs. At 6 p.m., PM will take part in a ceremonial reception at the ala Archaka presidential palace. At 6:20 a.m., Kyrgyzstan will hold a meeting with President Sooronsby Zenbekov. Developmental disorders are neurologically-based conditions that affect the acquisition of specific skills such as attention, memory, language and social interaction. Although they have a genetic cause, this is often difficult to detect through standard genetic analysis of the parents. The mutation found in the affected child is therefore termed a 'de novo' mutation (DNM). Although many new developmental disorders have been identified in recent years, there are many more to be discovered. Identifying them means that we will be able to give an accurate diagnosis to more patients and therefore allow them to have appropriate treatment and care, Ms Joanna Kaplanis, a PhD student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK, will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday). In the largest study to date on developmental delay, the researchers analysed genomic data from over 31,000 parent-child trios obtained from the UK's Deciphering Developmental Disorders Project, GeneDx, a US-based genetic testing company, and Radboud University Medical Centre in The Netherlands. Analysis of these trios yielded more than 45,000 DNMs. They developed an improved method to test for the enrichment (over-representation) of damaging DNMs in individual genes. We found 307 significantly enriched genes, 49 of which are novel. With all of these genes we were able to explain about 51% of the DNM burden in our dataset. We then modelled different underlying genetic scenarios to get an idea of where the remaining de novo burden lies and how we can go about finding it," says Ms Kaplanis. About 40% of developmental disorders are caused by DNMs, equivalent to about one birth in every 295 in the UK alone. The prevalence increases with the age of the parents. The disorders usually become apparent during childhood and include such conditions as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability, and Rett syndrome. They may be mild, but in many cases they are severe, and those affected will need lifetime support. However, when they are unidentifiable making a decision on the best care for the affected child is difficult. Given the size of the dataset, the researchers were not surprised to have been able to identify new genes. However, we were expecting to be able to explain more of the DNM burden than we did. This means that half of the DNM burden in patients with developmental disorders still remains unexplained, says Ms Kaplanis. This fact alone gives us clues about where the remaining burden lies and why we do not yet have the capacity to discover the remaining genes. A possible explanation is that the DNMs in the genes as yet undiscovered are less penetrant, i.e. they present symptoms in fewer people. We may need to adapt our system of gene discovery in order to capture these less penetrant genes, says Ms Kaplanis. Incorporating more data from healthy populations may help to try and build a better picture of what they might be. The researchers also hope to increase their sample size in order to try to detect ever more genes associated with developmental disorders. However, the identification of 40 new genes already provides valuable information to clinicians and to drug developers. Returning a genetic diagnosis is important when deciding on the best treatment and care for an individual, as well as providing new drug targets in rare diseases," Ms Kaplanis will conclude. Chair of the ESHG conference, Professor Joris Veltman, Director of the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, said: "Developmental delay is often caused by new mutations arising during the formation of sperm or eggs. By combining data on new mutations identified in the DNA of more than 30.000 patients, the scientists could implicate a role for 49 new genes in developmental delay. This study shows the power of large-scale international collaboration to advance our understanding of this disorder and improve diagnostics as well as patient management." ### Abstract no: PL2.4 Discovery and characterisation of 49 novel genetic disorders from analysing de novo mutations in 31,058 parent child trio exomes US $1.25-million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will support new Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative, to be based in the Faculty of Arts The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a US$1.25-million grant to McGill University, in support of a new Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative. The Initiative will be implemented over the next five years. "The Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative will help establish McGill as an Eastern Canadian hub for Indigenous Education," says Prof. Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic). "Thanks to the generosity and vision of the Mellon Foundation, this Initiative will generate new, cross-University synergies and community partnerships, and add strategic capacity in areas where we can have the greatest impact." The Initiative will be based in the Faculty of Arts. Drawing upon the Faculty's broad and rich expertise across the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Initiative will expand the existing Indigenous Studies minor program to include major and honours programs. A later phase of the Initiative will include a graduate studies program. "Canada's universities play an important role in our collective relationships with Indigenous communities," says Prof. Antonia Maioni, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. "Because of its interdisciplinary nature, and the breadth of its disciplines, the Faculty of Arts is particularly well positioned to help promote a future of reconciliation and partnership aimed at supporting the flourishing and success of Indigenous students, knowledge and communities." Prioritizing in-community pedagogies and partnerships The Initiative's curriculum will be taught by cross-appointed tenure-track academics--as well as scholars from other faculties, particularly Law, Medicine, Education, and Music--who seek to understand Indigenous societies from within, while recognizing and engaging with their constitutive philosophies, histories, epistemologies, identities, practices of political governance, cultures, and languages. The Initiative will prioritize in-community pedagogies and partnerships with educators, administrators, and knowledge keepers. The University plans to deliver approximately half the Initiative's courses off-campus, in Indigenous communities. In addition to deepening the University's Indigenous Studies undergraduate program, the Mellon Foundation's gift will help McGill to: support collaborative McGill-community partnerships across disciplines offer new travel funding to students and faculty doing land-based and in-community research fund new Indigenous Artist-in-Residence, Elder-in-Residence and Writer-in-Residence programs create a new annual public lecture series featuring renowned Indigenous scholars and leaders Building on existing strengths The Initiative is an important next step in realizing the ambitious goals outlined in the University's Strategic Academic Plan and the Provost's Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education. Recent developments in this area include: Creating 10 new Indigenous-focused positions across the University, including as the Special Advisor (Indigenous Initiatives) in the Office of the Provost, and two full-time positions in Enrolment Services dedicated to fostering relationships with Indigenous communities, with commensurate budgetary support. Creating six new, tenure-track faculty positions focusing on Indigenous health and Indigenous education, languages and governance. Partnering with the Indspire, a national charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people, to provide $500,000 in financial support to Indigenous students over two years. Creating the Provost's Indigenous Achievement Award, which provides $5,000 each to two incoming students each year, renewable in each subsequent year. By 2022, there will be eight such awards available. Growing the number of student mentorship programs, including creating the Faculty of Medicine's Indigenous Health Professions Program. Partnering with the Kahnawa:ke and Listuguj communities to design and implement new Bachelor of Education programs that are delivered entirely in-community. Signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Vancouver Island University to explore how the two universities can work together to further support research and learning in the areas of Indigenous education and Indigenous studies. "By building on existing strengths, the new Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative will create an interdisciplinary nexus for Indigenous scholarship and community-building," says Provost Manfredi. "The Mellon Foundation's support will help the University grow and strengthen productive, respectful and collaborative relations with Indigenous peoples, at both the individual and institutional levels." ### Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill is a leading Canadian post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 10 faculties, 12 professional schools, 300 programs of study and almost 41,000 students, including more than 9,700 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,000 international students making up 30% per cent of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 20% of our students who say French is their mother tongue. Contact: Cynthia Lee McGill Media Relations Office 514-398-6754 cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca Advances in communication technology have had a major impact in all sorts of industries, but perhaps none bigger than in education. Now anyone from around the world can listen live to a Nobel Prize Laureate lecture or earn credits from the most reputable universities with nothing more than internet access. However, the possible information to be gained from watching and listening online is lost if the audience cannot understand the language of the lecturer. To solve this problem, scientists at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Japan, presented a solution with new machine learning at the 240th meeting of the Special Interest Group of Natural Language Processing, Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ SIG-NL). Machine translation systems have made it remarkably simple for someone to ask for directions to their hotel in a language they have never heard or seen before. Sometimes the systems can make amusing and innocent errors, but overall achieve coherent communication, at least for short exchanges usually only a sentence or two long. In the case of a presentation that can extend past an hour, for example, an academic lecture, they are far less robust. "NAIST has 20% foreign students and, while the number of English classes is expanding, the options these students have are limited by their Japanese ability," explains NAIST Professor Satoshi Nakamura, who led the study. Nakamura's research group acquired 46.5 hours of archived lecture videos from NAIST with their transcriptions and English translations, and developed a deep learning-based system to transcribe Japanese lecture speech and to translate it into English. While watching the videos, users would see subtitles in Japanese and English that matched the lecturer's speaking. One might expect the ideal output would be simultaneous translations that could be done with live presentations. However, live translations limit the processing time and thus the accuracy. "Because we are putting videos with subtitles in the archives, we found better translations by creating subtitles with a longer processing time," he says. The archived footage used for the evaluation consisted of lectures from robotics, speech processing and software engineering. Interestingly, the word error rate in speech recognition correlated to disfluency in the lecturers' speech. Another factor from the different error rates was the length of time speaking without pause. The corpus used for the training was still insufficient and should be developed more for further improvements. "Japan wants to increase its international students and NAIST has a great opportunity to be a leader in this endeavor. Our project will not only improve machine translation, it will also bring bright minds to the country," he continued. ### PHILADELPHIA--The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 2019 class members of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences. The 10 postdoctoral fellows from six Latin American countries--Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico--will receive two years of funding to conduct research in laboratories in the United States, where they will work under the mentorship of prominent biomedical scientists, including members of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. "Scientific exploration and discovery should be a global pursuit," said Rebecca W. Rimel, Pew's president and CEO. "Pew is pleased to support these exceptional fellows from Latin America, who are dedicated to advancing biomedical research and expanding scientific expertise in their home countries." Research interests in the 2019 class include how immune cells in the gut distinguish infectious microbes from healthy bacteria, how the brain interprets and responds appropriately to sound, and the molecular strategies infectious bacteria use to invade plant hosts. Notably, fellows who choose to return to Latin America to launch their own research labs will receive additional funding from Pew. Approximately 70 percent of participants have pursued this path, with many now leading groundbreaking research efforts throughout the region. "The 2019 class of fellows is composed of promising, dedicated, and passionate researchers who have the ability to chart new scientific courses in Latin America," said Eva Nogales, Ph.D., professor in the department of biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology at the University of California, Berkeley and chair of the Pew program's national advisory committee. "I look forward to seeing where their innovative research interests lead." The 2019 Pew Latin American fellows and their U.S. mentors are: Daniel Almeida-Filho, Ph.D. Laboratory of Alcino J. Silva, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles Dr. Almeida-Filho will explore how navigational information is encoded in brain regions associated with spatial memory. Maria Cecilia Campos Canesso, Ph.D. Laboratory of Gabriel D. Victora, Ph.D., 2019 Pew-Stewart scholar The Rockefeller University Dr. Campos Canesso will investigate how immune cells in the intestine decide whether to promote tolerance or incite an inflammatory response. Jose Duhart, Ph.D. Laboratory of Kyunghee Koh, Ph.D. Thomas Jefferson University Dr. Duhart will explore the brain regions of animals that help balance reproductive behavior and sleep. Maria Florencia Ercoli, Ph.D. Laboratory of Pamela C. Ronald, Ph.D. University of California, Davis Dr. Ercoli will uncover the molecular strategies that infectious bacteria use to invade plants. Carmen Hernandez Candia, Ph.D. Laboratory of Chandra Tucker, Ph.D. University of Colorado, Denver Dr. Hernandez Candia will explore how the formation of different types of cellular aggregates influences protein activity. Esteban Orellana Vinueza, Ph.D. Laboratory of Richard I. Gregory, Ph.D., 2008 Pew biomedical scholar Boston Children's Hospital Dr. Orellana Vinueza will investigate whether changes in the chemical modification of RNA molecules play a role in the development of human cancers. Fausto Andres Ortiz-Morea, Ph.D. Laboratory of Libo Shan, Ph.D. Texas A&M University Dr. Ortiz-Morea will explore how plants integrate and execute an immune response against invading pathogens. Izabella A. Pena, Ph.D. Laboratory of David M. Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D., 2003 Pew biomedical scholar Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pena will explore how cells calibrate their growth, metabolism, and proliferation based on nutrient availability. Bernardo Pinto, Ph.D. Laboratory of Francisco Bezanilla, Ph.D. University of Chicago Dr. Pinto will investigate how nerve cells produce proteins they need to support electrical activity and chemical signaling in their axons. Lucas Vattino, Ph.D. Laboratory of Anne E. Takesian, Ph.D. Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School Dr. Vattino will explore the neural circuitry that allows the brain to interpret and respond appropriately to sound. ### The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org. Shortage of antiretroviral drug affects HIV patients Official at the national AIDS centre says the shortage was caused due to an unexpected rise in number of patients needing Dolutegravir therapy. Formula could tell ecologists which species will come to their own 'behavioral rescue' HOUSTON -- (June 14, 2019) -- Finding a shady refuge to cool off on a hot day could be more than a lifesaver in a warming world. It might save several species that would otherwise go extinct due to global warming, according to an analysis by ecologists at a dozen institutions. "Animals are not passive, and there's plenty of evidence that some of them will seek out shade to regulate their body temperature," said Rice University ecologist Volker Rudolf, co-author of a study in Global Change Biology that examined both the behavior and habitats of 39 species. "The big question, for ecologists, is whether we can create a predictive framework that uses what we already know about species' behaviors and habitats to predict whether this behavior might buffer them from rapid climate change and potentially rescue them from otherwise going extinct." Rudolf said he and his colleagues, including study co-lead authors Samuel Fey of Reed College and David Vasseur of Yale University, set out to create such a framework, in part because a number of high-profile studies have ignored behavior in making predictions about the possible impacts of climate warming. Scientists have examined the impact of temperature on the fitness of many species. To control for external factors, almost all such tests are performed in a laboratory, where temperature can be increased while all other factors remain constant, said Rudolf, a professor in Rice's Department of BioSciences. The overall health, or fitness, of individuals often falls off as temperatures increase, especially in insects and other ectothermic animals whose bodies don't self-regulate temperature. "Behavior allows for self-regulation of body temperature, even in some cases where physiology doesn't," Rudolf said. "So ignoring this behavior means you're probably making wrong predictions." But behavior only goes so far. If a creature lives where there is no shade or other means to cool off, it's obviously not an option. It may also be impractical, especially if getting to the shady spot requires an enormous expenditure of energy. To examine the consequences of this behavior across a wide range of animals, the scientists created a mathematical framework that accounts for variability in microclimate in the habitat of a species to estimate the cost-benefit trade-off an individual faces when expending energy to seek shade. The framework was first verified on tests with the southern rock agama, a lizard native to South Africa, and was later applied to a database of 38 insect species from Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia. Using International Panel on Climate Change temperature projections for the year 2050, the researchers found that 19 of the insects were likely to be negatively impacted by warming temperatures. They further found that behavior would likely mitigate the ill effects of warming for 17 of the 19 species, including six that were predicted to experience "behavioral rescue," a situation where behavioral adaptation keeps the species from going extinct. In fact, warmer temperatures, in conjunction with behavioral adaptation, were predicted to increase fitness for 10 species. "With climate change already increasing temperatures worldwide, it is important to find ways to forecast how this will affect individual species as well as tightly couple ecological communities," Rudolf said. In addition to looking at the direct effects of temperature on one species, he said it will be important for ecologists to consider how rising temperatures will affect a species' predators, competitors and food resources, including prey. Where looking at temperature alone might suggest a species will do better or worse, those predictions could change based on the impacts on closely coupled species. Additional co-authors include Karla Alujevic? and Susana Clusella-Trullas of Stellenbosch University in South Africa; Kristy Kroeker of the University of California, Santa Cruz; Michael Logan of the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution in Panama; Mary O'Connor of the University of British Columbia; John DeLong of the University of Nebraska; Scott Peacor of Michigan State University; Rebecca Selden of Rutgers University; and Andy Sih of the University of California, Davis. The research was supported by CapeNature and initiated by conversations at the 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions. ### High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_Rock_Agama_(Agama_atra)_male_(32195119063).jpg?CAPTION: A predictive framework for estimating how a species' behavior might mitigate the ill effects of rising temperatures was first tested on the southern rock agama lizard, a species native to South Africa. (Photo courtesy of Bernard Dupont/Wikimedia Commons) https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2019/06/0617_RESCUE-vr150-lg.jpg?CAPTION: Volker Rudolf (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University) https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2159.html?(Image courtesy of NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring) Additional information: The DOI of the Global Change Biology paper is: 10.1111/gcb.14712 A copy of the paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14712 Rudolf lab: volkerrudolf.weebly.com Rice Department of BioSciences: biosciences.rice.edu Wiess School of Natural Sciences: naturalsciences.rice.edu Related research from Rice: Dragonflies reveal how biodiversity changes in time and space -- June 30, 2017?https://news.rice.edu/2017/06/30/dragonflies-reveal-how-biodiversity-changes-in-time-and-space/ Moving up the food chain can beat being on top -- Jan. 17, 2017?http://news.rice.edu/2017/01/17/moving-up-the-food-chain-can-beat-being-on-top/ Where were you born? Origin matters for species interactions -- June 13, 2016?http://news.rice.edu/2016/06/13/where-were-you-born-origin-matters-for-species-interactions/ Ecosystems change long before species are lost -- Aug. 12, 2013?http://news.rice.edu/2013/08/12/ecosystems-change-long-before-species-are-lost/ Study: Ecological effects of biodiversity loss underestimated -- Nov. 30, 2010?http://news.rice.edu/2010/11/30/study-ecological-effects-of-biodiversity-loss-underestimated/ This release can be found online at news.rice.edu. Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews. Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Study finds elk have the means to adapt to changing climate cues, but migratory shifts may have unknown ripple effects throughout the region Every spring, tens of thousands of elk follow a wave of green growth up onto the high plateaus in and around Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, where they spend the summer calving and fattening on fresh grass. And every fall, the massive herds migrate back down into the surrounding valleys and plains, where lower elevations provide respite from harsh winters. These migratory elk rely primarily on environmental cues, including a retreating snowline and the greening grasses of spring, to decide when to make these yearly journeys, shows a new study led by University of California, Berkeley, researchers. The study combined GPS tracking data from more than 400 animals in nine major Yellowstone elk populations with satellite imagery to create a comprehensive model of what drives these animals to move. "We found that the immediate environment is a very effective predictor of when migration occurs," said Gregory Rickbeil, who conducted the analysis as a postdoctoral researcher in Arthur Middleton's lab at UC Berkeley. This is in contrast with some other species, such as migratory birds, which rely on changing day length to decide when to move, Rickbeil pointed out. The results, published in the current issue of the journal Global Change Biology, suggest that, as climate change reshapes the weather and environment of the park, elk should have the means to adjust their migratory patterns to match the new conditions. While this adaptability may benefit the survival of the elk, it may also have unknown ripple effects in local economies and throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem -- one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in Earth's northern temperate zone, which encompasses about 18 million acres of land managed by more than 25 public entities and hundreds of private landowners. Another recent UC Berkeley-led study suggests that climate change is likely to hit National Parks harder than other areas of the country. "The decisions that these animals make about when to migrate are absolutely dependent on changes in the landscape, changes that are ultimately governed by the climate," said Middleton, an assistant professor of environmental science, policy and management at UC Berkeley and senior author on the study. "And in the future, with climate change, we should expect the timing of these mass movements to be altered, which will affect the other wildlife and the people who depend on them, including predators, scavengers and hunters across the ecosystem." Though the migration study's period was too short to say whether or not climate change is already affecting migratory timing, the tracking data did reveal a surprising trend: Elk on average arrived on their winter ranges 50 days later in 2015 than in 2001. This change had been noted by wildlife managers in the area, but had yet to be quantified on the ecosystem scale until now. "This [study] provides great insight into the adaptation strategies of elk to climate change in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," said Jonathan Jarvis, former director of the National Park Service, who now serves as executive director of the Institute for Parks, People, and Biodiversity at UC Berkeley. Jarvis noted that more broadly, the new picture of the Yellowstone elk migrations provided by the study's comprehensive mapping effort "clearly demonstrate the need to think and operate at the landscape scale." He added, "For the park managers, this kind of research gives them options and incentives, such as protection of migration corridors and seasonal habitats, for ensuring elk and other keystone species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will persist." Eating and being eaten Yellowstone's approximately 20,000 migratory elk are among the most important large mammals in the ecosystem, comprising about 10 million or so pounds of animal biomass pulsing in and out of the parks and adjacent wilderness areas each year -- so where they can be found at any given time matters to both animals and humans alike. "These elk eat a lot of things, and they are eaten by a lot of things, so wherever these masses of hundreds or thousands of elk are on the landscape determines who gets to eat and who doesn't," Middleton said. "In some cases, this could be sensitive populations of carnivores, like grizzly bears or wolves, and on the human side, it could be hunters, some of whom are making their income as outfitters and guides." Recent studies have shown that threatened grizzly bears depend heavily on newborn elk calves as a food source in spring -- right when the migration is happening -- and that a Yellowstone wolf kills, on average, 16 elk per year. Meanwhile, each fall, thousands of hunters from around the country pay guides for the chance to harvest an elk in the wilderness near Yellowstone. While a smattering of studies has investigated the migration of individual herds in the park, none before this study had investigated the phenomenon on an ecosystem scale. To get a more complete picture of migration, Middleton partnered with state and federal wildlife managers in the Yellowstone region to pool information on 414 elk across nine herds that had been fitted with GPS collars between 2001 and 2017. Rickbeil then analyzed the data to pinpoint when each elk made its trek from winter range to summer range and back again and used satellite images to infer the conditions on the ground during journeys. He found that elk tended to leave their winter ranges and set out to their summer ranges as soon as the snow had melted and during the "green-up," when fresh, nutritious plant growth began to sprout. Likewise, encroaching snowfall and hunting pressure cued them to make the return journey. The team was surprised by the extent of the elks' flexibility: One year, a female elk might migrate in early May, but the next year in late July, depending on the timing of snowmelt and green-up. "They've got a big brain and big eyes, and they can look around and, to a large degree, see changes on the landscape and react to them," Middleton said. However, Rickbeil notes, the snow cover and vegetation couldn't fully explain why the elk are now arriving so much later at their winter ranges. Variations in snow depth, which cannot be inferred from satellite data, might explain part of the dramatic change, Rickbeil said. Alyson Courtemanch, who manages the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's Jackson elk herd as part of her job as a wildlife biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, says knowing the whereabouts of the elk is critical to her job setting hunting seasons and managing the spread of diseases among wild elk and domestic cattle. "We've been observing a lot of really interesting changes over the past decade about the way that elk are moving across the landscape, specifically of the timing of the migrations," said Courtemanch, who supplied GPS data on the Jackson herd for the study. "This analysis helped confirm a lot of things that people on the ground had suspected were happening, but that weren't really quantified." "It seems like these animals can adapt to changing climates, which is likely a good thing," Rickbeil said. "But there will be a lot of consequences to these changes." ### Study co-authors include Jerod A. Merkle of the University of Wyoming; Greg Anderson, Douglas E. McWhirter and Tony Mong of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department; M. Paul Atwood of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game; Jon P. Beckmann of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Eric K. Cole of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Sarah Dewey and David D. Gustine of the National Park Service; Matthew J. Kauffman of the U.S. Geological Survey and Kelly Proffitt of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. This research was supported by the National Geographic Society, Grant WW?100C?17; the Knobloch Family Foundation; the George B. Storer Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The iconic "stomp-stomp-clap" of Queen's "We Will Rock You" was born out of the challenge that rock stars and professors alike know all too well: How to get large numbers of people engaged in participating during a live performance like a concert -- or a lecture -- and channel that energy for a sustained time period. Sang Won Lee, an assistant professor of computer science in Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, and his collaborators tested some theories about not only engaging large audiences, but sustaining that engagement in a live music performance. While Lee isn't part of a world-renowned, stadium-filling legendary rock band, his team uncovered something that Queen guitarist Brian May and the late Freddie Mercury didn't have that helped audience engagement: live social media. Lee will present his findings at the Association for Computing Machinery's 12th Creativity and Cognition Conference in San Diego, California on June 26, 2019. He collaborated with Walter Lasecki and Danai Koutra, both assistant professors of computer science and engineering, and undergraduate sound engineering student Aaron Willette, all from the University of Michigan. In addition to presenting his research findings as a formal paper, he will also perform a concert to demonstrate his smartphone participatory app and create a real-time composition for smartphones using an interactive musical piece for large-scale audience involvement called Crowd in C. The sounds of the composition will be generated solely from the audience. "This research is important in learning what resonates with larger audiences and prompts people to not only participate in a group, but remain engaged and create an artistic artifact," said Lee. "Artifacts let the audience see the fruits of their labor as a group and give them something to invest in as far as remaining engaged." For Lee's performance the audience will log in to an app that will present them with a pattern of dots. By moving the dots, audience members will be able to manipulate the sounds that will be collectively played over a sound system and create their own compositions in the key of C. Lee will have the real-time ability to change the chord of the instrument to make the sounds lower or higher or to play a simple melody. In developing his composition for smartphones, Lee had three challenges. The first challenge was how to engage a large audience using an instrument that was simple enough for novices. The second challenge was keeping the audience engaged with their new music makers. The last challenge was to perform a piece of music with the crowd interacting with the app. Lee patterned the social media engagement tools for Crowd in C after such dating apps as Tinder. Users can listen to individual compositions during the performance and hit a like button in the shape of a heart. Additionally, if two users like each other's musical profiles, they are greeted with an "it's a match" message and magic fairy wand sounds. Lee tested the Crowd in C app last December at the Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, and found that 87 audience members remained engaged at a constant rate for 540 seconds, or nine minutes. On average, audience members sent or received hearts 8.21 times. Sending hearts was driven by a small portion of people, the top 20 percent of participants sent 62.2 percent of all hearts. While a small number of participants were responsible for sending and receiving a majority of the hearts, various individual approaches of engagement emerged over the course of Lee's performance. While some audience members were socially active, others focused on more musical interaction and contributed to the artifact. "We saw that social interaction helped audience members stay engaged longer with the app and the performance, so this could be a tool that professors or anyone else who has to captivate large audiences at conferences could use in the future," Lee said. He finds it promising that the computer-mediated participatory platform was flexible enough to accommodate various types of participation: some members were influencers, some were lurkers, and some were music geeks. "Using computer science in nontraditional ways is a wonderful gateway to connect with the public and make technology relatable to people who may not interact or realize they are interacting with computer science on a regular basis," said Steve Harrison, an associate professor of practice in the Department of Computer Science and the School of Visual Arts, as well as director of the human-centered design program. Harrison has had dual roles as associate chair and co-chair of the Creativity and Cognition and Designing Interactive Systems conferences this year. "We are experimenting with the joint format to bring together two related computer science research communities," he said. "The conferences will host a shared art exhibition and one full day of conference programming to support dialogue between the two overlapping communities." Virginia Tech's Department of Computer Science has a large presence at both conferences this year. In addition to Harrison, Assistant Professor Kurt Luther is serving as papers co-chair of Creativity and Cognition; Professor Deborah Tatar is serving as technical program co-chair for the Designing Interactive Systems conference; and graduate student Aakash Gautam is serving as co-chair for student volunteers. Whether it's a raucous concert or a compelling lecture, Lee's research indicates the rules of audience engagement may have gone beyond stomping and clapping and headed into the realm of computer-mediated technology that can help performers of all kinds, whether they are in the classroom or the concert hall. ### chips off the old block * Euro zone periphery govt bond yields http://tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr (Updates prices) By Virginia Furness LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Sales of debt from Italy, Spain and Portugal have drawn strong investor demand despite the low yields they offered and some expectation that the European Union will discipline Italy over its excessive debt. With euro zone bond yields offering ultra-low or negative returns, the carry trade is on, analysts say, meaning that each of the three peripheral bond issuers were met with strong demand in Wednesday's sales. The term "carry" refers to a trade where investors take advantage of low short-dated borrowing costs to pick up some yield by buying longer-dated debt. Worries about economic growth as well as trade disputes are cutting core euro zone yields to multi-year or all-time lows German borrowing costs sank back towards all-time lows as protests in Hong Kong rattled stock markets and reports of an oil tanker attack in the Gulf of Oman fuelled risk aversion elsewhere. Germany's benchmark bond yield was last down slightly at -0.24%. French 10-year yields were half a basis point lower at 0.11%.,. But overall, bond spreads are tightening, suggesting a hunt for yield is benefiting the periphery. "Usually you would expect spreads to widen, but carry is so low in the core ... which is why the periphery is doing so well," said Daniel Lenz, rates strategist at DZ Bank. On Thursday, Italy paid the cheapest yields in more than a year to sell 7- and 15-year debt, helped by last week's dovish message from the European Central Bank and the government's efforts to avoid a budget clash with Brussels. A Eurogroup meeting on Thursday is expected to take up Italy's heavy public debt. European Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Wednesday Italy should present a credible fiscal path for this year and next if it wants to avoid European Union disciplinary action over its debt. Story continues Also on Wednesday, Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said the country must reduce its "enormous" public debt to shore up market confidence. Investors were undeterred, though, placing orders of more than 23.5 billion euros for a 20-year syndicated bond. Spain raised 6 billion euros via syndication of 10-year debt at a yield of 0.629%, or 33 basis points over mid-swaps, from an orderbook of 27.5 billion euros. Portugal auctioned 1.25 billion euros of 10- and 15-year bonds on Wednesday at a record low yield. State debt agency IGCP said the allotment yield on the benchmark June 2029 maturity fell to 0.639%, below 1.059% at an auction in May, and the first time Portugal has sold 10-year debt below 1%. (Reporting by Virginia Furness Editing by Mark Heinrich and Toby Chopra) (Adds background) SAN FRANCISCO, June 14 (Reuters) - Power producers NextEra Inc, Consolidated Edison Inc and Calpine Corp on Thursday said they will appeal to try to overturn a recent decision by a judge that a federal regulator has no say in whether utility PG&E Corp may reject its power purchase agreements if it chooses to while in bankruptcy. PG&E's power purchase agreements are valued at up to $42 billion and the matter of whether the company can walk away from them belongs exclusively in bankruptcy court, Judge Dennis Montali of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Francisco said in a June 7 decision. Montali, who is overseeing PG&E's bankruptcy, rejected the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's argument that it has concurrent jurisdiction over the agreements. The dispute involving the regulator, PG&E and companies from which it buys power has been one the most contentious fights so far in the San Francisco-headquartered utility's bankruptcy, launched in January. PG&E sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection expecting billions of dollars in liabilities stemming from devastating California wildfires in recent years traced to its equipment. In notices of appeal filed on Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Francisco, NextEra, Consolidated Edison and Calpine said they would appeal Montali's decision to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California or the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. (Reporting by Jim Christie Editing by Susan Thomas and Chris Reese) (Adds comment from Apple-backed group, comment request to Apple) By Stephen Nellis June 11 (Reuters) - Smartphone maker LG Electronics Inc on Tuesday opposed Qualcomm Inc's efforts to put a sweeping U.S. antitrust decision against the chip supplier on hold as it pursues an appeal. The Korean company said that it is negotiating chip supply and patent license agreements with Qualcomm and could be forced into signing another unfair deal unless a federal judge's protections remain in place. The filing in federal court in San Jose, California, came shortly after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission also opposed Qualcomm's efforts, saying that it was in the public interest to let the antitrust ruling stand because an appeal could take years. Both filings stem from a May 21 decision by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh that would drastically alter the business model of Qualcomm, which supplies modem chips to connect phones to mobile data networks but makes most of its profit through licensing patents. Among other things, Koh's decision would require Qualcomm to license its patents to rival chip makers instead of phone makers, which could potentially slice its patent royalties from several dollars per phone to pennies. Qualcomm on May 28 asked Koh to set aside her decision while it pursues an appeal. The company said that Koh's decision would entail "radically restructuring its business relationships" in ways that would be impossible to reverse if it wins an appeal. It also argued that Koh's ruling raised "serious legal questions" because, among other things, Koh blocked market evidence showing that Apple Inc dropped Qualcomm in favor of rival chip supplier Intel Corp. In a court filing on Tuesday, JongSang Lee, LG Electronics' general counsel, said that the phone maker relies on Qualcomm for modem chips and is in the midst of negotiating a new agreement, including over 5G chips for the newest generation of mobile networks in Korea. Lee wrote that Qualcomm has continued to pressure LG Electronics to sign a patent license in order to keep its access to Qualcomm chips, which it relies on for its phones. LG Electronics' agreement with Qualcomm runs out on June 30, and the phone maker may have "no option but to conclude license and chipset supply agreements once again on Qualcomm's terms, since LGE must rely on Qualcomm's modem chips," Lee wrote. Story continues Koh's decision "prohibits Qualcomm's long-standing 'no license no chip' position, which Qualcomm has continuously raised during its license negotiations with LGE," Lee wrote. "Without this order, LGE will continue to face Qualcomm's anticompetitive stance during currently ongoing negotiations." The FTC similarly argued that Koh's ruling should stay in place while Qualcomm appeals, saying that a prompt enforcement of the Court's order is in the public interest. "The appellate process could easily extend through the initial rollout of 5G technology ... and a stay would allow Qualcomm time to use anticompetitive practices to entrench its monopoly power in modem-chip markets during this critical period," the FTC wrote in its filing. The App Association, a group that represents more than 5,000 app developers and device makers and is backed by sponsor Apple, also said it planned to oppose Qualcomm's request, saying it would hurt smaller device makers. "Allowing Qualcomm to continue abusing its (patents) and its wireless chipset monopoly any longer will irreparably harm opportunities for small businesses in the app and internet of things marketplace and would encourage further abusive behavior in (patent) licensing widely," said App Association President Morgan Reed. In April, Apple signed a six-year patent license agreement with Qualcomm and a multi-year chip supply deal. As part of the deal, Apple dropped all litigation against Qualcomm, and the company did not return a comment request asking if it would also oppose Qualcomm's efforts to pause the antitrust ruling. Qualcomm has signaled its intention to file an appeal but has not yet filed one or fully revealed its legal arguments. Tuesday's filing by the FTC only concerns whether the ruling's provisions will be put on hold temporarily as any appeal plays out. (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Ishita Palli in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Rigby and Christopher Cushing) (Adds comment from Vale, Releads) By Marta Nogueira RIO DE JANEIRO, June 13 (Reuters) - Brazil's Vale said on Thursday that it expects to reach global settlements covering economic and environmental damages from the January collapse of its Brumadinho tailings dam by late this year or in 2020. Vale is scrambling to deal with the fallout from the disaster, which killed at least 246 people, triggered the replacement of its CEO and an overhaul of its board, and has forced it to set aside billions for compensation and cleanup costs. Investors have been closely watching its ongoing talks with prosecutors and regulators on the terms of a global settlement to see how much higher the price tag from the disaster will be. "We have been in constant talks with federal and state prosecutors," Vale said in a statement, adding that the goal was to reach a global deal embracing "socio-economic and environmental reparations." Vale said the forecast on the timing of a global settlement was provided by one of its executives on Wednesday during a meeting with analysts. Vale has provisioned $4.5 billion in Brumadinho-related costs, an amount that does not include environmental costs, which are likely to be gradually added over the year, according to brokerage XP Investimentos, which published a note after the meeting, with Vale Chief Executive Eduardo Bartolomeo and Chief Financial Officer Luciano Siani. Credit Suisse, which attended the same meeting, said it estimated that additional environmental provisions would total between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. Vale also said an investigation into the causes of the disaster being conducted by law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is expected to be wrapped up by the end of September. Vale also told the analysts that it expects to soon restore 20 million tonnes of yearly capacity at its Brucutu mine, a move which depends on persuading a judge that the mine is safe. Brucutu is producing just 10 million tonnes a year, or a third of its capacity. Story continues XP Investimentos said another 30 million tonnes of capacity could be restored in the second half once its Alegria, Vargem Grande and Timbopeba mines receive dry processing licenses. Vale had forecast in May that those licenses could take 6 months to 12 months. Vale shares rose 0.7% to close at their highest level in almost two months, helped by gains in Chinese iron ore prices. (Reporting By Marta Nogueira Editing by David Gregorio and Sandra Maler) The process is flawed Procurement process needs to be revamped. * Legislative meeting adjourned on Thursday * Protesters to step up demonstrations, new march set for Sunday * Government offices to close for the rest of week * Some bank services suspended (Adds U.S. lawmakers introducing legislation) By Clare Jim and Sumeet Chatterjee HONG KONG, June 13 (Reuters) - Scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police in Hong Kong on Thursday as hundreds of people kept up a protest against a planned extradition law with mainland China, a day after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up big crowds. Protests around the city's legislature on Wednesday forced the postponement of debate on the extradition bill, which many people in Hong Kong fear will undermine freedoms and confidence in the commercial hub. Hong Kong's China-backed Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned the violence and urged a swift restoration of order but has vowed to press ahead with the legislation despite the reservations about it, including within the business community. The number of protesters milling about outside the legislature in the financial district fell overnight but rose again through the day on Thursday to about 1,000 at one stage. They expect the legislature, which has a majority of pro-Beijing members, will try to hold the debate at some stage, though it issued a notice saying there would be no session on Thursday. "We will be back when, and if, it comes back for discussion again," said protester Stephen Chan, a 20-year-old university student. "We just want to preserve our energy now." Earlier, some protesters tried to stop police from removing their supplies of face masks and food and scuffles broke out. Police with helmets and shields blocked overhead walkways and plainclothes officers checked commuters' identity cards. A clean-up got underway to remove debris like broken umbrellas, helmets, plastic water bottles and barricades from the streets after the previous day's clashes. Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray on Wednesday in a series of skirmishes to clear demonstrators from the legislature. Story continues Officials said 72 people were admitted to hospitals. Hong Kong Police Commissioner Stephen Lo said what began as a peaceful gathering on Wednesday had degenerated into a riot with protesters "acting violently in an organised manner". Police arrested 11 people and fired about 150 tear gas canisters at the crowd. The city's hospital authority said a total of 81 people were injured in the protests. 22 police were injured according to Lo. Police also later arrested two students at the University of Hong Kong after a raid on a student hall of residence, according to an official at the university. The police gave no immediate response to Reuters inquiries on what charges the students face. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the Chinese government "strongly condemns the violent behaviour and we support the (Hong Kong) government in dealing with it according to law". In the United States, senior congressional lawmakers from both parties responded to the crisis by introducing legislation that would require the U.S. government to provide an annual justification for the continuation of special business and trade privileges afforded to Hong Kong. "If the extradition bill moves forward and Hong Kongs autonomy and democratic institutions continue to erode due to interference from the Chinese government, the Congress has no choice but to reassess whether Hong Kong can receive preferential economic and trade benefits under U.S. law," Democratic Representative Jim McGovern, one of 13 co-sponsors of the proposed legislation, said in a statement. The U.S. State Department said on Monday it was gravely concerned about the proposed amendments to the extradition laws, warning they could jeopardize Hong Kong's special status. 'LAWLESSNESS' Authorities shut government offices in the financial district, which is overlooked by the towers of some of Asia's biggest firms and hotel chains, for the rest of the week after some of the worst violence in Hong Kong in decades. Hong Kong's benchmark stock exchange slid as much as 1.5% on Thursday before closing down 0.1%, extending losses from the previous day. Most roads in the business district were open on Thursday but some shops and offices were closed and banks, including Standard Chartered, Bank of China and DBS, said they had suspended branch services in the area. Wednesday saw the third night of violence since a protest on Sunday drew what organisers said was more than a million people for the biggest street demonstration since the 1997 handover of the former British colony back to Chinese rule. The handover included a deal to preserve special autonomy, but many in Hong Kong accuse China of extensive meddling since then, including obstruction of democratic reforms and interference in local elections. The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has sparked concern it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status. Beijing rejects accusations of meddling and Chinese state media said this week "foreign forces" were trying to damage China by creating chaos over the bill. The English-language China Daily said the "lawlessness" would hurt Hong Kong, not the proposed amendments to its law. Lam and her officials say the law is necessary to plug loopholes that allow criminals wanted on the mainland to use the city as a haven. She has said the courts would provide human rights safeguards. The Civil Human Rights Front, which organised Sunday's huge march, said it was planning another demonstration for Sunday. INTERNATIONAL CONCERN Opponents of the bill, including lawyers and rights groups, say China's justice system is marked by torture and forced confessions and arbitrary detention. Democratic city legislators condemned Lam and what they said was heavy-handed police action. "We are not a haven for criminals, but we have become a haven of violent police. Firing at our children? None of the former chief executives dared to do that," said legislator Fernando Cheung. "But 'mother Carrie Lam' did it. What kind of mother is she?" Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan would not accept any extradition requests from Hong Kong under the proposed law. The self-ruled island also issued a travel alert. Hong Kong's Tourism Board called off a dragon boat carnival this weekend while the city's bar association expressed concern over video footage of police using force against largely unarmed protesters. Amnesty International and domestic rights groups condemned what they said was excessive force by the police, while a spokeswoman for the U.N. Human Rights Office in Geneva said it was following the situation closely. Diplomatic pressure was also building after leaders such as British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the protests. The European Union said it shared many concerns over the proposed extradition reform and urged public consultation. (Reporting by Joyce Zhou, Julie Zhu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Clare Jim, Jennifer Hughes, Anne Marie Roantree, James Pomfret, Alun John, Vimvang Tong, Jessie Pang and Felix Tam; additional reporting by Yimou Lee in TAIPEI, Ben Blanchard and Cate Cadell in BEIJING, David Stanway in SHANGHAI and David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON; writing by Farah Master and Greg Torode in HONG KONG; editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel, Frances Kerry and Tom Brown) AbbVie Inc. ABBV Zacks Rank: #2 (Buy) AbbVie is a pharmaceutical researcher and producer based in Illinois. Abbvie currently holds an overall "A" VGM (Value, Growth, Momentum) score. ABBVs P/E of 8.92 is significantly below the industry average of 15.3. Additionally, AbbVie is expected to have solid top and bottom line growth in the coming years. Zacks Consensus Estimates have fiscal 2019 earnings growth at 11.38%, followed by an additional 6.4% in fiscal 2020. Earnings estimates for both fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 have also received 6 upward revisions over the past 60 days and no downward revisions over that same time frame. Over the past 12 months, the stock is down 19%. But AbbVies predicted earnings growth could help the stock to turnaround and improve its performance. Bristol-Myers Squibb BMY Zacks Rank: #1 (Strong Buy) Bristol-Myers Squibb is a large pharmaceutical manufacturer headquartered in New York City. Bristol-Myers Squibb boasts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), along with a "B" VGM score. Zacks Consensus Estimates call for solid growth in fiscal 2019, with 5.03% bottom line growth and 6.88% revenue growth. Looking forward into fiscal 2020, earnings for Bristol-Myers Squibb are expected to grow significantly. Estimates currently put fiscal 2020s earnings growth around 20% above 2019. Plus, there have been 4 upward revisions for 2020 earnings over the past 60 days, against no downward revisions. This means at least some analysts are confident in the companys ability to produce solid earnings growth in fiscal 2020. Similarly to AbbVie, BMY stock has been on a downward trend. Since reaching its 52-week high in September, the stock has tumbled over 25%. That being said, given Bristol-Myers Squibbs estimated earnings growth, the stock could be on the right track to recover from these losses. Merck & Co. MRK Zacks Rank: #2 (Buy) Merck & Co. is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Based in New Jersey, it currently provides a large variety of drugs including name brands such as Keytruda. The company also developed the common MMR vaccine. Merck is expected to have healthy growth over the next couple of years. Zacks Consensus Estimates call for 8.99% earnings growth for fiscal 2019, fueled by 4.8% top line growth. Fiscal 2020 has even better expectations with top line growth of a further 5.5% expected to contribute to earnings growth of 10.3% on top of the fiscal 2019 growth. All this growth is expected to bring EPS to $5.21 in 2020, compared to just $4.34 in 2018. Additionally, the company has only received upward revisions for its earnings expectations for fiscal 2019 and 2020 over the past 60 days. Overall, this positive outlook could help MRK stock continue to climb. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research (Adds comment from chair of Federal Election Commission) By Richard Cowan and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers accused President Donald Trump on Thursday of giving Russia the green light to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential race, while a top Republican ally said Trump was wrong to say he would accept political dirt from foreign sources. The uproar followed televised comments in which the U.S. president told ABC News he would be willing to listen to such damaging information about political opponents as he seeks re-election. "I think you might want to listen, there isn't anything wrong with listening, Trump said in an interview aired on Wednesday. "It's not an interference. They have information, I think I'd take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI - if I thought there was something wrong." Trump's comments came less than three months after Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted a report that found Russia waged a hacking and influence campaign to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Democratic lawmakers roundly condemned the remarks. "What the president said last night shows clearly, once again, over and over again, that he does not know the difference between right and wrong," said U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress. While some 2020 Democratic presidential candidates renewed their call to impeach the president, Trump's comments did not seem to move House Democrats who have been on the fence closer to initiating impeachment proceedings. Trump's statement drew a rebuke, however, from one of his closest allies in Congress, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. "I think it's a mistake," said Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He accused Democrats of having accepted damaging information from foreign nationals on political opponents and said any public official contacted by a foreign government with an offer of help to their campaign should reject it and inform the FBI. Story continues House of Representatives Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he was confident Trump was speaking hypothetically. Others prominent Republicans were outspoken in their discomfort, without naming Trump. "It is never appropriate to allow a foreign government or its agents to interfere in our election process. Period," said Republican Senator Mike Rounds. Mitt Romney, a senator and former Republican presidential candidate, said it was "unthinkable" to accept adverse information on a political opponent from a foreign source. "It would strike at the very heart of our democracy," he said. Senate Democrats failed on Thursday to ram through legislation requiring U.S. presidential campaigns to report to the FBI offers of help from an agent of a foreign government. The move was blocked by Republicans who control the chamber. Senator Mark Warner, who pushed the legislation, recalled Trump's "Russia, if you are listening" call for Moscow to dig up Clinton's missing emails during the 2016 campaign. "The President has given Russia the green light to interfere in the 2020 election," Warner wrote on Twitter earlier. 'THING OF VALUE' Any foreign contribution of "money or other thing of value" violates U.S. campaign finance law. Legal experts say knowingly soliciting information from a foreign entity would also be illegal. In a statement on Twitter prefaced with the comment: "I would not have thought that I needed to say this," Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub warned political campaigns not to accept foreign help, saying it risked putting them "on the wrong of a federal investigation." An FBI counterintelligence investigation of Russian election activities in the 2016 presidential election sparked Mueller's probe, which confirmed U.S. intelligence agencies' findings that Russia worked to help Trump win. Mueller, whose investigation examined a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower that Trump's campaign had with Russians promising dirt on Clinton, did not charge Trump campaign staff who attended the meeting. Trump defended his remarks in a flurry of tweets on Thursday morning in which he said it would be "ridiculous" to report his contacts with foreign leaders to the FBI. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee expressed alarm at Trump's comments. "The president has either learned nothing in the last two years or picked up exactly the wrong lesson - that he can accept gleefully foreign assistance again and escape the punishment of the law," Representative Adam Schiff said. Democratic presidential candidates who renewed calls for Trump's impeachment included U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell. "A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation. Now, he said he'd do it all over again. It's time to impeach Donald Trump, Warren said. (Reporting by Richard Cowan, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Susan Cornwell, Makini Brice, Ginger Gibson; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bill Trott and Peter Cooney) Amazon AMZN is leaving no stone unturned to strengthen presence in the European grocery space on the back of robust delivery system and the Prime program. Reportedly, the e-commerce giant and Morrison Supermarkets intend to boost footprint in the U.K. grocery market and strengthen their alliance that initiated three years ago. Notably, the companies are looking to roll out their service Morrisons at Amazon which delivers online ordered goods from Morrison through Amazons Prime Now delivery services in cities like Glasgow, Scotland, and Liverpool, England. The service is currently available or Prime Now customers in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and some parts of London. The service will be introduced in other cities like Newcastle, Sheffield and Portsmouth this year and other locations will be added in the upcoming years. Morrisons at Amazon also comes with an option for delivery within an hour of the order being placed in some locations. All these endeavors are likely to drive the companies. Morrisons customer reach will expand in more cities. Amazons Prime adoption rate will increase, which will boost the top line. U.K. Holds Prospects Prime is the key catalyst for Amazons aggressive expansion in the U.S. grocery space owing to fast and efficient grocery delivery services. The companys recent move indicates its efforts to capitalize on the same concept in the U.K. grocery market. Per a report from IGD, the U.K. food and grocery market is anticipated to reach 218.5 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 14.8% from 2018 to 2023. The same report suggests that grocery shopping via online channel is expected to witness strong growth in the U.K. within the same time frame. We believe that Amazon is well poised to reap benefits from this market on the back of Prime. Amazon.com, Inc. Revenue (TTM) Amazon.com, Inc. Revenue (TTM) Amazon.com, Inc. revenue-ttm | Amazon.com, Inc. Quote Growing Focus on European Grocery Market The latest partnership extension of Amazon with Morrison bodes well for its focus on the European grocery space. Apart from this initiative, the company teamed up with Casino Groups subsidiary Monoprix last year, which enables it to offer its food products and other grocery items via Prime Now app to customers in Paris and its suburbs. Per latest talks, Amazon is willing to expand its grocery delivery service in France on the back of its Monoprix partnership. Amazon continues to focus on gaining a competitive edge against Alphabets GOOGL Google that is bolstering footprint in the European grocery space. Google has teamed up with French grocery retailer Carrefour. Per the terms of the partnership, Carrefours products will be sold online via Googles new shopping site, a product of its search engine, in France. Additionally, the customers will be able to shop using their voice with the help of Google Assistant and Home speakers. Nevertheless, Amazons strategic partnerships, Prime and fast delivery services will boost its position in the European grocery market. Further, these are expected to pose threats to the local grocers as well as international players like Walmart WMT. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Currently, Amazon carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in the retail-wholesale sector is IAC/InterActiveCorp IAC, which carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Long-term earnings growth rate for IAC/InterActiveCorp is pegged at 20.45%. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Walmart Inc. (WMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Luxembourg, June 13, 2019 (18:00 CET) - Aperam announces today that it has requested to be withdrawn from the credit rating services of S&P Global Ratings and Moodys Investor Service. Timoteo Di Maulo, CEO Aperam commented: Given our low level of debt and the nature of funding needs, credit rating services were no longer considered necessary. We reaffirm our commitment to maintain investment grade financial ratios. About Aperam Aperam is a global player in stainless, electrical and specialty steel, with customers in over 40 countries. The business is organized in three primary operating segments: Stainless & Electrical Steel, Services & Solutions and Alloys & Specialties. Aperam has 2.5 million tonnes of flat Stainless and Electrical steel capacity in Brazil and Europe and is a leader in high value specialty products. Aperam has a highly integrated distribution, processing and services network and a unique capability to produce stainless and specialty from low cost biomass (charcoal). Its industrial network is spread in six production facilities located in Brazil, Belgium and France. In 2018, Aperam had sales of EUR 4,677 million and steel shipments of 1.97 million tonnes. For further information, please refer to our website at www.aperam.com Contacts Corporate Communications / Laurent Beauloye: +352 27 36 27 103 Investor Relations / Thorsten Zimmermann: +352 27 36 67 304 Conservationists also say the Adani Carmichael mine threatens local vulnerable species and means coal will have to be shipped from a port near the World Heritage-listed Barrier Reef Conservationists also say the Adani Carmichael mine threatens local vulnerable species and means coal will have to be shipped from a port near the World Heritage-listed Barrier Reef (AFP Photo/SARAH LAI, SARAH LAI) Australia approved Thursday the construction of a controversial coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, paving the way for a dramatic and unfashionable increase in coal exports. Queensland's government said it had accepted a groundwater management plan for the Indian-owned Adani Carmichael mine -- the last major legal hurdle before construction can begin. The project, fiercely debated for almost a decade, comes as investors and even energy companies are moving away from fossil fuels amid concern about the climate. Opponents warn it will create a new generation of coal exports -- which will be burned in India and China -- contributing to further degrade the planet. The vast open cut mine is slated to produce up to 60 million tonnes of coal a year, boosting Australia's already vast exports by around 20 percent. Coupled with the construction of a railway link, it could open up a swathe of Queensland to further exploitation and new mining projects. "If all the coal in the Galilee Basin is burnt it would produce 705 million tonnes of climate pollution each year, which is more than 1.3 times Australia's annual pollution from all sources, including cars, industry, energy and agriculture," said the Australian Conservation Foundation. In the emissions stakes, Australia is a minnow compared to the bellowing economies of China or the United States. But its role as the world's largest coal exporter gives the country outsized influence in the climate stakes. Conservationists also say the mine threatens local vulnerable species and means coal will have to be shipped from a port near the World Heritage-listed Barrier Reef. Supporters say it will bring thousands of much-needed jobs to rural Queensland. - Politics and market forces - Adani indicated construction work would begin within days and last around two years, allowing the first lump of coal to be sold around 2021. "We are looking forward to getting going," said local company executive Lucas Dow. Story continues Thursday's decision draws a line under a rancorous debate, which reached boiling point during the latest Australian general election. That vote took place amid discussion of brutal droughts, floods and wildfires that had highlighted the country's susceptibility to climate change. Victory for the incumbent conservative Liberal Party had virtually assured the project would go ahead. In Queensland, voters swung hard to the government fearing a Labor government would curb mining projects and cost them jobs. Still, debate is likely to continue -- and some believe the mine is not yet a certainty. While the Queensland state approval will permit preliminary construction, the firm must obtain some federal approvals before it can begin extracting coal. The company will also still have to contend with low coal prices and a global shift to renewable energy, which could make the project less profitable. Financing has already been a problem, with the company rejected by many fossil-fuel-wary institutions and forced to fund itself. On Wednesday Norway's US$1 trillion sovereign wealth fund -- the world's largest -- became the latest investor to announce a withdrawal from stocks like Australian-linked BHP and Rio Tinto. But Adani -- owned by billionaire Indian businessman Gautam Adani -- has been determined to press ahead. "The way we have configured the mine and future plans make economic sense," insisted Dow. "It will endure through the price volatility typically our industry sees." By Douglas Busvine and Ludwig Burger FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Bayer sought to repair its reputation on Friday after damage caused by U.S. litigation over claims its glyphosate pesticide causes cancer, saying it would invest 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in weedkiller research. Bayer's shares hit seven-year lows after a California couple was last month awarded more than $2 billion in the largest-ever U.S. jury award over claims that glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup, which the German life sciences group acquired when it took over Monsanto, causes cancer. As well as saying it would invest 5 billion euros in research over the next ten years, Bayer promised to reduce its environmental impact by 30% through 2030 via measures such as more precise and more sparing application of crop chemicals. "We listened. We learned," Bayer said on its website https://www.bayer.com/en/our-commitments-on-transparency-sustainability-and-engagement.aspx, adding that it had "heightened responsibility and ... unique potential to advance farming for the benefit of society and the planet." The share price slide has left Bayer with a market valuation of $56 billion, less than it paid for Monsanto, piling pressure on CEO Werner Baumann who championed the takeover and who has faced a backlash from shareholders. "While glyphosate will continue to play an important role in agriculture and in Bayer's portfolio, the company is committed to offering more choices for growers," said Bayer, which maintains that glyphosate is safe. Its move follows a third consecutive U.S. jury verdict against Roundup, which Bayer acquired as part of its $63 billion purchase of Monsanto last year. Bayer says glyphosate is safe. A spokesman said the investments in weed control were part of a previously approved budget. INSECT BACKLASH Baumann has beefed up Bayer's public relations machine in an attempt to repair its image, which also faces a backlash in Germany over a collapse in insect populations, which environmentalists blame on pesticides used in farming. Story continues Matthias Berninger, a former German deputy agriculture minister and green-party politician, was hired as chief lobbyist earlier this year and is due to unveil a new sustainability strategy for Bayer in the second half. Bayer said it would seek to reduce its environmental footprint by scaling down crop protection volumes and enabling more precise application. It would increase transparency around research efforts and the forthcoming process of re-registering glyphosate in the European Union. "This will help to restore and retain biodiversity, combat climate change, and make the most efficient use of natural resources," it said. Bayer added it will only sell crop protection products in developing countries if they also meet the safety standards of a majority of eight leading global regulators in jurisdictions such as the EU, the United States or Brazil. Western crop chemicals companies have faced criticism from environmentalists for selling products in developing countries with local approval, even though clearance at home had ended. A spokesman said no products had been withdrawn yet and Bayer would now look into its product portfolio. ($1 = 0.8873 euros) (Additional reporting by Tassilo Hummel in Berlin, Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Alexander Smith) Bitfinex announced Friday it has launched a transparency initiative for its exchange token LEO. The LEO Transparency Initiative was built around a real-time token burn redemption mechanism. Bitfinex is implementing a continuous burning mechanism, which will buy back LEO from the market every hour. The firm will use 27% of the consolidated revenues to purchase LEO tokens at market value until all LEOs are removed from circulation. To start, Bitfinex will burn revenue from trading fees only. The company will reportedly expand the burn over the following weeks to include all revenue streams "including deposit/withdrawal fees, funding fees and further exchange products." The dashboard shows hourly data of how much LEO was purchased by Bitfinex from the open market and also how much is burned on-chain every 3 hours. The Boeing Company BA recently won a $41-million contract for providing 2,763 pieces of support equipment, spares and test equipment for the maintenance and repair of F/A-18E/F aircraft. Per the deal terms, Boeing will render these services to the government of Kuwait. Work related to the deal will be executed in St. Louis, MI, and is scheduled to get completed in June 2022. The contract was awarded by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, NJ. A Brief Note on Boeings F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Boeings F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all weather, multirole fighter jet. The U.S. Navys tactical and air superiority aircraft is capable of performing virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control, and tanker missions. What Favors Boeing? Boeing, being one of the major players in the defense business, stands out among its peers by virtue of its broadly diversified programs, strong order bookings and solid backlog. This allows the companys defense segment to generate solid top-line performance. Evidently, Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) segment witnessed a 2% year-over-year increase in first-quarter 2019 revenues to $6.61 billion. Moreover, the U.S. government proposed the fiscal 2020 defense budget in March 2019, under which the Department of Defense would receive $718 billion, reflecting a 4.9% increase from the prior-year budget. Interestingly, the budget includes a spending plan of $57.7 billion on aircraft, reflecting a massive surge of 166% from the approved fiscal 2019 defense spending on aircraft. If approved, this increased spending provision should usher in more contracts for Boeings BDS segment, going ahead. Looking Ahead Per Frost and Sullivan, the global combat aircraft market is expected to see a CAGR of 0.3%, to $47.2 billion by 2026. Such growth can be attributed to the rise in global threats, geo-political instabilities and increased budget spending on defense. Such projections should continue to boost demand for Boeings fighter jets and other combat aircraft programs. Price Performance Shares of the company have gained 10.3% in the past six months compared with the industrys growth of 14.4%. Story continues Zacks Rank & Key Picks Boeing currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the same sector are Wesco Aircraft Holdings WAIR, Northrop Grumman Corp. NOC and Leidos Holdings LDOS, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Wesco Aircrafts long-term growth estimates currently stand at 12%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has increased 3.7% to 84 cents in the past 60 days. Northrop Grumman came up with average positive earnings surprise of 18.50% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has increased 2.26% to $19.42 in the past 60 days. Leidos Holdings came up with average positive earnings surprise of 6.81% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has risen 1.54% to $4.60 in the past 60 days. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report The Boeing Company (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc. (WAIR) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research SAO PAULO, June 13 (Reuters) - Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel approved on Thursday a plan to coordinate investments among public and private players aimed at increasing access to broadband in Latin America's largest economy. Brazilian units of Telefonica SA, Telecom Italia SpA, and Oi SA, rush to expand their fiber-to-home (FTTH) broadband service in Brazil. According to Anatel, the plan, named as PERT, coordinates both public and private initiatives, in order to widen the access to fiber and, in cities where this is not possible, allows connections via satellite or other technologies. The regulator estimates that only 3,542 out of a total of 5,570 cities in Brazil have access to fiber network. In terms of mobile network, the measure is expected to enlarge 3G and 4G coverage in Brazil, benefiting 3.8 million people in isolated areas and 11 million city inhabitants, Anatel added. Companies have been closely watching Anatel's moves, as the agency prepares itself to launch an auction for 5G frequencies as early as next year. (Reporting by Gabriela Mello; editing by Grant McCool) Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you own shares in China Maple Leaf Educational Systems Limited (HKG:1317) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first type is company specific volatility. Investors use diversification across uncorrelated stocks to reduce this kind of price volatility across the portfolio. The second type is the broader market volatility, which you cannot diversify away, since it arises from macroeconomic factors which directly affects all the stocks on the market. Some stocks are more sensitive to general market forces than others. Beta can be a useful tool to understand how much a stock is influenced by market risk (volatility). However, Warren Buffett said 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk' in his 2014 letter to investors. So, while useful, beta is not the only metric to consider. To use beta as an investor, you must first understand that the overall market has a beta of one. A stock with a beta below one is either less volatile than the market, or more volatile but not corellated with the overall market. In comparison a stock with a beta of over one tends to be move in a similar direction to the market in the long term, but with greater changes in price. Check out our latest analysis for China Maple Leaf Educational Systems What 1317's beta value tells investors Zooming in on China Maple Leaf Educational Systems, we see it has a five year beta of 1.23. This is above 1, so historically its share price has been influenced by the broader volatility of the stock market. Based on this history, investors should be aware that China Maple Leaf Educational Systems are likely to rise strongly in times of greed, but sell off in times of fear. Beta is worth considering, but it's also important to consider whether China Maple Leaf Educational Systems is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below. Story continues SEHK:1317 Income Statement, June 14th 2019 Could 1317's size cause it to be more volatile? With a market capitalisation of HK$9.1b, China Maple Leaf Educational Systems is a small cap stock. However, it is big enough to catch the attention of professional investors. It's not particularly surprising that it has a higher beta than the overall market. That's because it takes less money to influence the share price of a smaller company, than a bigger company. What this means for you: Beta only tells us that the China Maple Leaf Educational Systems share price is sensitive to broader market movements. This could indicate that it is a high growth company, or is heavily influenced by sentiment because it is speculative. Alternatively, it could have operating leverage in its business model. Ultimately, beta is an interesting metric, but there's plenty more to learn. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as China Maple Leaf Educational Systemss financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 1317s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 1317s outlook. Past Track Record: Has 1317 been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of 1317's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how 1317 measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options. 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. Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation and is one of the most popular digital assets in the world. Ethereum is a platform for creating decentralised online services based on the blockchain (dApps) utilising smart contract technology. Ethereum was proposed by the Russian founder of Bitcoin Magazine Vitalik Buterin. In Russia, banks like VTB and Sberbank have shown an interest in the platform. Lets take a look at how to buy Ethereum in Russia. Ethereum in Russia Despite its relatively young age, Ethereum has developed into a strong altcoin and has excellent investment qualities. Many personalities in the world of cryptocurrency, well-known entrepreneurs, and experienced miners are now investing in Ethereum. ETH is actively trading on cryptocurrency exchange services Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation and is one of the most popular digital assets in the world. Ethereum is a platform for creating decentralised online services based on the blockchain (dApps) utilising smart contract technology. Ethereum was proposed by the Russian founder of Bitcoin Magazine Vitalik Buterin. In Russia, banks like VTB and Sberbank have shown an interest in the platform. Lets take a look at how to buy Ethereum in Russia. Ethereum in Russia Despite its relatively young age, Ethereum has developed into a strong altcoin and has excellent investment qualities. Many personalities in the world of cryptocurrency, well-known entrepreneurs, and experienced miners are now investing in Ethereum. ETH is actively trading on cryptocurrency exchange services and can be purchased and sold for Russian rubles. About Vitalik Buterin Ethereum is a project of Russian-Canadian origin thanks to founder Vitalik Buterin. To create his own cryptocurrency, he launched a crowdfunding campaign and, with the help of investments from interested parties, he implemented his idea in 2015. His aim was to create an open platform for developing decentralised applications based on the blockchain. By launching Ethereum, Buterin essentially developed an alternative version of Bitcoin, with a wider range of functions and tools funded by the people and for the people. How to buy Ethereum You can buy Ethereum in Russia on many popular cryptocurrency exchanges. Each exchange has its own characteristics, but the following cryptocurrency exchanges are some of the best suited for the purchase of ETH. Exmo is considered one of the most reputable cryptocurrency exchanges in Russia. It is convenient and easy to use and accepts dollars, euros, and rubles. The exchange also offers fast registration and strong security as the developers pay great attention to the protection and safety of their customers funds. Exmo is also a good choice for beginners as the site has an instant one-click exchange option, allowing you to purchase crypto fast. Story continues This exchange has a convenient and colourful interface that is attractive for beginners. It offers a large selection of cryptocurrency with fast withdrawal of funds to your wallet. Registering with Poloniex is quick and easy, and it offers a huge list of cryptocurrencies that you can trade with, including Ethereum. If you prefer complete mobility and want to be able to buy and sell ETH on the go, you can install the Jaxx app on your smartphone. Jaxx also provides an integrated wallet, allowing you to store any crypto on your smartphone as well. Today, almost all exchanges provide the option to buy ETH. Some other popular choices that provide Russian language options are as follows: The process for purchasing Ethereum on all exchanges is relatively similar, so choose the exchange you are most comfortable with. Many exchanges will also provide graphs to help you follow the price movements and make predictions on where you think price will go next based on historical data, allowing you to make a purchase at the most profitable exchange rate. Ethereum cost Analysts predict that in 2019, Ethereums market capitalisation will grow to $30 billion. This is quite a realistic prospect considering how much the currency has risen in price in just two years. At the beginning of 2017, one ETH cost $8, whereas now its more than $250. Excellent fundamentals, growth dynamics, versatility, and stability suggest that in 2019, it will continue to conquer the financial market and strengthen its position, further reducing the gap to Bitcoin. Find out more about Ethereum with Coin Rivets useful guides: By Nawaz Sulemanji June 13, 2019 The post How to buy Ethereum in Russia appeared first on Coin Rivet. EMMEN, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / The Tender Offer, submitted by ALSO Holding AG and MCI Euroventures in December 2018, for shares of ABC Data S.A was successful. After approval of the European Commission from 12 June 2019 all conditions are completed for ALSO's takeover of the ABC Data S.A business operation. The transfer of the business to ALSO is planned for 1st of July 2019. With the takeover of ABC Data S.A, the IT- Distributor with the largest country coverage in Eastern Europe in six countries, ALSO can build the strongest Eastern European platform for resellers and vendors. The ALSO subsidiaries in Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia together with ABC and the recently closed acquisitions in Slovenia, Croatia, Belarus and Ukraine as well as the expected acquisition in Bulgaria will then be in a position to develop a strong network to address the Eastern European market. After the completion of the acquisitions ALSO would be market leader in Eastern Europe with presence in 13 countries: Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Belarus and Ukraine. With this strong footprint ALSO will broaden its vendor portfolio in the Eastern European countries and will be able to offer an even more attractive technology platform for vendor and reseller partners, says Gustavo Moller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (ALSN.SW). We will provide a product, solution and service portfolio in these countries giving the regional partners access to ALSO's technologies like the ALSO Cloud Market Place and Webshop, virtualisation technologies, ERP, BI and CRM. In building a strong ecosystem with the partners, ALSO can also optimize its Eastern European logistic network to address more resellers with a full range of best quality products and services. Moreover synergies of scale can be realized to make resellers even more attractive offers. Direct link to media release: https://www2.also.com/press/20190614en.pdf Story continues Contact person ALSO Holding AG: Ketchum Pleon GmbH Manuela Rost-Hein Phone: +49 211 9541 2160 E-Mail: also.press@ketchumpleon.com ALSO Holding AG (ALSN.SW) (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. ALSO offer more than 550 vendors of hardware, software and IT-services access to over 100 000 buyers, who can call a broad spectrum of other customized services in the logistics, finance, and IT services sectors, as well as traditional distribution services. From the development of complex IT landscapes, the provision and maintenance of hardware and software, right through to the return, reconditioning and remarketing of IT hardware, ALSO offers all services as a one-stop shop. ALSO is represented in 18 European countries and generates total net sales of approximately 9.2 billion euros with around 4 000 employees in the fiscal year 2018. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Dusseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at https://also.com Droege Group Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "execution - following the rules of art", the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://www.droege-group.com Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments. SOURCE: ALSO Holding AG View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/548792/All-Closing-Conditions-Fulfilled-for-ALSOs-Takeover-of-ABC-Data-SA-Business-Operation (The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters) By Peter Apps LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - Sometime next month, Russia may begin https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-turkey-security-missile/russia-plans-to-deliver-missiles-to-turkey-in-july-us-takes-dim-view-idUSKCN1TC1T0 shipping its S-400 air defence system to Turkey. It is a move that divides NATO, may see the Turkish military kicked out of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project, and demonstrates just how central yet divisive high-tech weapons exports have become. Throughout the Cold War, weapons shipments from both East and West were vital for entrenching alliances and establishing spheres of interest. While some nations particularly the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia embraced cutting-edge U.S. technology, many others purchased Russian hard-wearing, often cheaper equipment that came with wider Soviet diplomatic and economic support. The world now is rather more complex. A growing number of countries, such as Turkey, Iraq and India, wish to hedge their bets and buy from both. That's understandable but changing technology brings further complications. As the current U.S.-Turkey row shows all too clearly, mixing and matching the latest Russian and U.S. systems is something Washington does not take lightly. This week, Turkish pilots found themselves pulled from flying F-35s in Arizona, an apparent indication of just how seriously the United States takes the issue. If it goes ahead with the purchase, Ankara may also face U.S. financial sanctions, inflicting further damage on an already fragile economy. For Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, this appears a matter of pride. Having felt largely ignored by the United States over the Syria war, Turkey has found itself increasingly at loggerheads with Washington. That came to a head after an attempted coup in 2016, when Erdogan seems to have felt the United States was too slow in backing him. INSECURE AUTOCRAT Story continues In some ways, the S-400 is a poorly designed purchase for an insecure autocrat particularly anyone whose deepest fear is that one day they might face U.S.-backed "regime change". Developed in the nineties and refined with lessons from the 1999 Kosovo war, it is intended to provide an integrated air defence that would prevent U.S. or other forces from seizing air superiority as quickly as they did in Kosovo or the two Gulf wars. Amongst other attributes, that means its users and almost certainly also its Russian manufacturers can share data and insights, boosting their preparedness for any attack. That capability, of course, is key to the current U.S.-Turkish standoff. America's greatest worry is that once Turkey takes delivery of its F-35s and then uses them in simulated wargames with the S-400 it will inevitably learn ways in which the aircraft's stealth characteristics can be detected and targeted. If Russia were to gain that information and some analysts suspect it might be transferred almost immediately from the S-400's networks then the technical edge of one of the most expensive aircraft in recent history would be lost. Already, U.S. and other NATO officials are concerned enough about Russia's spreading influence, not to mention the way in which regional powers are turning to Russian and Chinese technology over U.S. systems. Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India are amongst U.S. allies reported to be considering the S-400. Crucially, none of those states is also part of the F-35 programme, meaning the level of concern over secrets being lost is inevitably much lower. Still, the growth of Russian and Chinese arms sales in the region is a clear sign of diminishing U.S. influence. PREDATOR DRONES After Washington refused to sell armed predator drones to countries in the region, several states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq have purchased https://in.reuters.com/article/apps-drones/column-chinese-local-drones-reflect-changing-middle-east-idINKCN1QO0FT armed Chinese UAVs that are now a frequent sight in the skies over war zones such as Yemen. Simpler Russian and Chinese technology is also sometimes simply faster to get into service the most striking example being Iraq's Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft, bought from Moscow https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2014/0630/Russia-to-the-rescue-in-Iraq-Moscow-delivers-jet-fighters-to-Baghdad in 2014 at the height of the Islamic State advance and thrown into action mere days later. For Beijing and particularly Moscow, conflict in the Middle East makes it an appealing sales destination, both for otherwise obsolete equipment and cutting-edge new platforms. In Syria, Moscow has made a highly public point https://taskandpurpose.com/russia-uran-9-robot-tank-syria of testing a number of new weapons systems, including unmanned tanks, as well as getting its commanders experience in the messy realities of modern warfare. Fundamentally, such activity in Syria and the Turkey S-400 sale are signs of Moscow's geopolitical posturing, demonstrating the ability of President Vladimir Putin and the Russian state to extend its will across the Middle East. And perhaps equally importantly, the inability of the United States to stop it. When it comes to the S-400s, that puts Erdogan in an awkward position. If he cancels the purchase, he will look weak and burn down his relationship with Moscow. If he goes ahead, however, Washington has a vested interest in exacting a high price, making sure that Turkey regrets its decision. None of it does anything to solve the problems of the Middle East. But it feels like yet another sign of rising international rivalry quietly running ever more out-of-control. *** Peter Apps is a writer on international affairs, localisation, conflict and other issues. He is the founder and executive director of the Project for Study of the 21st Century; PS21, a non-national, non-partisan, non-ideological think tank. Paralysed by a war-zone car crash in 2006, he also blogs about his disability and other topics. He was previously a reporter for Reuters and continues to be paid by Thomson Reuters. Since 2016, he has been a member of the British Army Reserve and the UK Labour Party, and is an active fundraiser for the party. (Editing by Giles Elgood) Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! A look at the shareholders of China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings Co. Limited (HKG:570) can tell us which group is most powerful. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time. Warren Buffett said that he likes 'a business with enduring competitive advantages that is run by able and owner-oriented people'. So it's nice to see some insider ownership, because it may suggest that management is owner-oriented. With a market capitalization of HK$20b, China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings is a decent size, so it is probably on the radar of institutional investors. In the chart below below, we can see that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about 570. See our latest analysis for China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings SEHK:570 Ownership Summary, June 13th 2019 What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings? 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. China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own 26% of the company. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Story continues SEHK:570 Income Statement, June 13th 2019 We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. Insider Ownership Of China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings 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. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings Co. Limited. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth HK$1.1b. Most would see this as a real positive. Most would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. General Public Ownership The general public, with a 36% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. Private Company Ownership Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 32%, of the company's shares. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand China Traditional Chinese Medicine Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future. 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. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Things sure arent sparkling. LaCroixs parent company National Beverage Corp. faces a new lawsuit in the wake of new allegations that the companys president considered falsely claiming its drink containers were free of the controversial chemical bisphenol A, known as BPA. According to several research studies, the chemical can affect neurological development in children, though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that the trace amounts found in food and beverage products are not toxic. Shares of National Beverage fell to a multiyear low on Wednesday, to $43.80, on the news of a lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit alleges that a former employee was dismissed after objecting to the plan. The former employee, Albert Dewjeski, a former vice president at the company, said in the lawsuit that the company wanted to prematurely declare that LaCroix cans were free of BPA. Dejewski alleges that he was fired over the phone a day after he raised the complaint to other senior leadership. As of April 2019, all cans produced for LaCroixs products were produced without BPA liners, LaCroix said in a statement. The company also said it began converting to BPA-free liners two years ago. The lawsuit was filed in New Jersey. Before working for National Beverage, Dewjeski worked forPepsiCoand Chobani. The lawsuit is requesting damages due to his lost salary as well as damage to his reputation. National Beverage responded to the lawsuit saying in part, False statements were made in litigation brought by a former employee seeking to extract a monetary recovery from the company. We intend to vigorously defend our company and our brands against false claims brought by this disgruntled former employee. LaCroix has been no stranger to controversy over the last year. The company is effectively in a free fall, according to a research note from Guggenheim Securities. The LaCroix brand has gone from bad, to worse, to disastrous in a relatively short period of time following negative media attention regarding the natural claim of the brands flavoring ingredients that surfaced in October of last year, according to analyst Laurent Grandet. Story continues Last year a Chicago law firm filed a class-action lawsuit. The suit argues that National Beverage misled consumers by labeling LaCroix as all natural even though the product is allegedly manufactured using non-natural flavorings and synthetic compounds. The class action lawsuit also claims that the chemicals used include limonene, which can cause kidney toxicity and tumors; linalool propionate, which is used to treat cancer; and linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide. The company said in response to that the allegations in the lawsuit are false, defamatory and intended to intentionally damage National Beverage and its shareholders. Although it can be misleading to consumers, The term natural has escaped an enforceable definition by the Food and Drug Administration, according to Nicole Negowetti of the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic. n January, a similar class-action lawsuit was filed in New York. This lawsuit cited a third-party study into LaCroix content from the University of Georgia Center for Applied Isotope Studies, which found between 36% and 98% synthetic ingredients. In addition to its recent controversies, LaCroix also faces rising competition fromCoca-Cola, which acquired sparkling mineral brand Topo Chico for $220 million in 2017, and PepsiCo, which acquired SodaStream last year for $3.2 billion. Clarification, June 18, 2019: The language of this article has been changed to better reflect the allegations within the Dejewski lawsuit. Additionally, the FDAs position on the safety of BPA has been added. More must-read stories fromFortune: Andreessen Horowitzs Scott Kupordemystifies the VC funding process You can now invest in aracial justice index fund Johnson & Johnson was called a kingpin in a potentialopioid test case Here are all thebest people who have quitTrumps economic team Listen to our new audio briefing,Fortune500 Daily Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 13, 2019) - DXI Energy Inc. (TSX: DXI) (OTCQB: DXIEF) ("DXI" or the "Company"), an upstream oil and gas exploration company operating in Colorado's Piceance Basin and the Peace River Arch region in British Columbia, today announced changes to the Company's management team, including the appointment of experienced oil and gas industry executive Simon Raven to the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Directors. MANAGEMENT CHANGES Current president Sean Sullivan states: "I was appointed President of the Company by the Board of Directors in December 2018. Upon my appointment, the Board established the following goals which management has been striving to implement: Reduce cash operating expenses and interest payments to the bare minimum; Source capital for the Company's Canadian exploration efforts; Add an experienced industry executive, Ed Aabak of Denver, Colorado to the Company's Board of Directors; Work with three First Nations in our Woodrush operating area north of Ft. St. John, B.C. to obtain drilling and site construction licenses for our programs in a cooperative and timely manner; Permanently eliminate cash compensation for Robert Hodgkinson, Chairman, and Sean Sullivan, President and CEO; Eliminate in full the $6,980,000 "Financial Contract Liability" on the Company's Balance Sheet, at December 31, 2018; and Achieve positive cash flow from operations." Mr. Sullivan and the Board are pleased to confirm that all but the last of the above goals have been achieved in an expedient manner. Further, the two "high-impact" wells drilled on time and on budget by the Company over the past 16 months at Woodrush have delineated in excess of 10 Bcf of natural gas reserves. Once the Company completes and tie these two wells into an adjacent pipeline system, an operation which is subject to completion of additional financing-in-progress and currently scheduled for Q3 2019, the Company is hopeful that DXI will again achieve positive cash flow from operations. This will depend, for the most part, on prevailing market prices for natural gas at AECO and Station 2 in NE B.C., factors largely beyond the Company's control. Story continues "We are now embarking on an exciting era for the Company. I have decided it is time for new day-to-day leadership and with support of the Board, am stepping down from my roles as President and CEO of the Company. Further, Company Chairman, Robert Hodgkinson, will resign as Chairman of the Boards of all DXI subsidiaries. Both Bob and I will remain active, supportive Board members. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Company over the past six months and for all the support." Based on the joint recommendation of Messrs. Sullivan and Hodgkinson, the Board of Directors has appointed industry professional, Simon Raven, of Calgary, Alberta, as Chairman, President, and CEO of DXI and all of its subsidiaries. Mr. Raven, P. Geol, MBA, is a professional geologist, and seasoned oil and gas executive with over 20 years of experience in finding, developing, and monetizing oil and gas projects worldwide. Mr. Raven has held senior management positions with a number of junior and senior upstream Canadian oil and gas companies including Oilsands Quest, Norwest Corporation, and Cenovus Energy. Most recently, Mr. Raven was Vice President of Geology and Geophysics for Koch Industries (Canada), a subsidiary of Koch Industries from Wichita, Kansas, one of the largest privately held companies in North America. While at Koch Industries (Canada), Mr. Raven managed the exploration efforts of a land inventory of over 1.5 million acres and a team of seasoned industry professionals. Mr. Raven has a proven track record of exploration and development success combined with a superb history of leadership and management of high-performance teams. Further, Mr. Raven has built strong relationships with investment banking firms in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Houston, and New York. "We are thrilled that Simon has accepted our offer to assume the Chairman, President, and CEO positions at our Company. He will be justifiably compensated and devote his professional time to the management and financing of our current project at Woodrush as well as the development of new oil-weighted prospects, primarily in Canada. We believe all stakeholders will welcome Mr. Raven to our Company." Mr. Raven says: "I am excited to be joining DXI at this point in the Company's history. I am most thankful to Bob, Sean, the Board of Directors, and the entire management team for entrusting me with this responsibility. Initially, I will focus on ways to maximize oil and gas production from our existing Woodrush assets in NE B.C., as well as evaluating potential strategic acquisitions to increase our oil weighting and related cash flow from operations. Prior to making the decision to join DXI, I completed an extensive review of the Company's technical and financial data. I firmly believe that DXI owns high quality assets that have yet to achieve their full potential. Through diligent technical work, operational expertise, and shrewd deal making, our team and the Board of Directors will work together to create value for all DXI stakeholders." PRIVATE PLACEMENT Subject to regulatory approval, the Company has applied to the TSX for conditional approval of a non-brokered private placement to issue up to 8,333,333 common shares at CDN$0.06 per share to raise gross and net proceeds of CDN$500,000. Of this amount, incoming Chairman, President & CEO, Simon Raven, will subscribe for CDN$262,605, or 52.5% of the new issue of shares, while CFO David Matheson will subscribe for $87,535, or 17.5% of the new issue. Closing is expected to occur on or before June 30, 2019. The funds so raised will be applied to the Company's Woodrush project in NE B.C. and general working capital. About DXI Energy Inc.: DXI Energy Inc. maintains offices in Calgary and Vancouver, Canada and has been producing commercial quantities of oil and gas since 2008. The company is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (DXI) and the OTCQB (DXIEF). Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains statements about oil and gas production and operating activities that may constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation as they involve the implied assessment that the resources described can be profitably produced in the future, based on certain estimates and assumptions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the future plans of the Company, the completion and final amount raised in the private placement, the final use of proceeds and that all necessary final approvals will be obtained. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by DXI Energy and described in the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, adverse general economic conditions, operating hazards, drilling risks, inherent uncertainties in interpreting engineering and geologic data, competition, reduced availability of drilling and other well services, fluctuations in oil and gas prices and prices for drilling and other well services, government regulation and foreign political risks, fluctuations in the exchange rate between Canadian and US dollars and other currencies, as well as other risks commonly associated with the exploration and development of oil and gas properties. Additional information on these and other factors, which could affect DXI Energy Inc.'s operations or financial results, are included in DXI Energy Inc.'s reports on file with Canadian and United States securities regulatory authorities. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change unless otherwise required under securities law. The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to persons in the United States absent registration or an exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Follow DXI Energy's latest developments on Facebook http://facebook.com/dxienergy and Twitter @dxienergy. Contact: DXI Energy Inc. Simon Raven President & CEO 403-875-2508 sraven@dxienergy.com David Matheson CFO 604-638-5054 dmatheson@dxienergy.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/45606 The River Foyle, which marks the border between Ireland on the right and Northern Ireland on the left. Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne/ Reuters The European Union has announced that it will provide almost 9m (7.98m) in funding for a 30-acre park that will cross the Northern Ireland border. The Riverine project, which is designed to increase cross-border understanding, will stretch from Strabane, a town in west Tyrone, to Lifford, a town in the neighbouring county of Donegal. The money comes from a 270m pot of funding that was created by the EU in 2014 to support peace and reconciliation projects in both Northern Ireland and the counties in Ireland that sit along the seamless border. Some 9m will also be provided by Irelands rural and community development department, and Northern Irelands communities department. Gina McIntyre, from the EU body that awards the funding, noted that the project would create a shared space which citizens can enjoy together, irrespective of their background. The money will be used to build a pavilion building, outdoor wetland and park space, cross-border pathways, and a pedestrian footbridge that will span the River Foyle. Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Michaela Boyle said that the project could be a real catalyst for transformation and said that it would further strengthen cross-border links. The Northern Ireland border, which currently has no visible infrastructure, has come into sharp focus in the Brexit debate. The UK has been forced to delay its departure from the European Union as a result of disagreements about the backstop that is designed to prevent the occurence of a hard border. Both Ireland and the European Union fear that the emergence of a hard border would disrupt the peace and stability seen on the island of Ireland since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Before the signing of the agreement, clashes between paramilitary loyalists and republicans known simply as the Troubles took the lives of around 3,600 people. The EUs Peace programme, where the funding for the Riverine project comes from, was created in 1994 as a positive response to paramilitary ceasefires in Northern Ireland. Whilst significant progress has been made since then, there remains a need to improve cross-community relations and where possible further integrate divided communities, the website for the project notes. By Ernest Scheyder and Dave Sherwood SANTIAGO, June 13 (Reuters) - European lithium projects are making a fresh push for capital, eager to supply the white metal to a burgeoning network of battery manufacturers and electric vehicle makers across the continent, the world's second-largest EV market after China. A regional EV supply chain would help achieve European Union goals to lower carbon emissions, cut fossil fuel consumption and strengthen the ability of the continent's automakers and battery makers to compete with Asian rivals CATL, LG Chem and Samsung. That would require local supplies of the metal, and lithium projects from Spain to Finland are aggressively hunting for financial partners to bring mines online. "I'm pretty impressed by what I see being built out for an electric vehicle supply chain in Europe," Chris Berry, an independent lithium analyst, said on the sidelines of this week's Fastmarkets Lithium Supply and Markets Conference in Santiago, the industry's largest annual gathering. "There's a lot of awareness from the top down, especially from government." In the latest sign of growth in Europe's EV market, Sweden's Northvolt said on Wednesday it had raised $1 billion from Volkswagen AG, BMW and others to build the continent's biggest lithium-ion battery plant. France and Germany last month teamed up on a plan worth up to 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) to jointly invest in the European production of EV batteries. In Spain, which is considering a ban on internal combustion engines, Infinity Lithium Corp, is pushing to open a hard-rock lithium mine and chemical plant within two to three years. "Our target is the European market," Vincent Ledoux Pedailles, Infinity's executive director, told Reuters. "We are up to the challenge of developing a supply chain (for electric vehicles) in Europe." Infinity hopes to sign a lithium supply agreement this year with a European automaker or battery maker, Pedailles said. Story continues In Portugal, Savannah Resources Plc hopes to produce lithium next year from a hard-rock mine. The Portuguese government also plans to launch an international auction of lithium exploration licenses this month, with bidders expected to commit to building a local lithium refinery. The British government earlier this week funded a study to assess the feasibility of developing a domestic supply of lithium, part of a 246 million pound ($312 million) government investment into battery technology. In Finland, privately held Keliber Oy has completed a feasibility study on a hard-rock lithium project and is seeking financing, hoping to start construction this year and be online within a few years. "We are in a place, Europe, where things are happening," Pertti Lamberg, Keliber's CEO, told the conference. PUSHBACK Some investors worry about practical issues with pushing forward a project in Europe, where strict environmental regulations have for decades limited mine development. "It is extremely hard to get any kind of mining project - and especially a lithium project - running in Europe," Tobias Tretter of Commodity Capital AG, a Zurich-based fund manager, told the conference. "There is absolutely no experience in Europe any more with mining. So I think it's a pretty hard challenge." Other lithium projects in Europe include Rio Tinto's in Serbia, which is not expected to start production until the next decade. Ernie Ortiz of Lithium Royalty Corp, an affiliate of Waratah Capital Advisors, said close vetting would be required to be certain European projects meet quality standards, as battery makers - and regulators - become more exacting in their demands. "On average they tend to be slightly lower grade than some of the projects in Canada or Australia," Ortiz said. "Similar to the U.S., I think permitting would be a big issue for us." ($1 = 0.7884 pounds) ($1 = 0.8868 euros) (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder and Dave Sherwood; Additional reporting by Barbara Lewis in London; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) White House adviser Kellyanne Conway is one of the few in the White House whos been around since US president Donald Trumps 2016 campaign. Two and a half years later, however, her time may finally be up. In a letter to Trump, the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) urged the president to remove Conway from office. The agency, which oversees the application of laws pertaining to the rights and duties of federal employees, said Conway has made numerous statements in support of Trumps presidential campaign, and other statements that were critical of democratic candidates. That is all a violation of the Hatch Act, the office said. The Hatch Act is a 1939 law designed to prevent pernicious political activities. It prevents employees of the executive branch from making statements that intend to influence the results of an election. While the president, the vice president, and a few other high-level executive officials are exceptions, other federal employees must refrain from such politicking while in their official role. While federal and federally-funded workers are allowed to participate in nonpartisan elections, express opinions on referendums, register with a party, and even campaign for candidates as private citizens, they cannot use their official position to raise funds, run for public office, or engage in political promotion. Lawmakers originally passed the Hatch Act to prevent employees of a once powerful New Deal-era agency, called the Works Progress Administration, from making public statements in support of then-president Franklin D Rooseveltand other progressive democratsin exchange for appointments and employment. The goal was to maintain separation between political campaigning and the administrations employees. Through the years, legislators have amended the Hatch Act to include different forms of messaging and political participation. In 2012, for instance, lawmakers clarified that local and state employees are allowed to participate in partisan political races unless their salaries are fully paid from federal funds. A 2016 update clarified the ways in which the act applies to the use of contemporary communications methods, including social media accounts. Story continues The OSC found that, speaking in her official capacity, Conway directed personal and political criticism toward several presidential hopefuls, including former vice president Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. Trump administration employees are pretty familiar with the Hatch Act. Since 2017, the OSC has warned several of them for breaching the act, including former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Melania Trumps communication director, Stephanie Grisham. Previous administrations also had issues with the Hatch Act, though on fewer occasions than the current. The OSC has found Conway guilty of violating the Hatch Act at least once before, for comments against Roy Moores opponent in the 2017 Alabama senate race. Her actions erode the principal foundation of the democratic systemthe rule of law, the OSC wrote in its letter to Trump. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: FILE PHOTO: Walmart's logo is seen outside one of the stores in Chicago By Daina Beth Solomon MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican officials blocked Walmart Inc's deal to buy delivery app Cornershop because Walmart could not guarantee a level playing field for rival retailers, whose customers use the app to order groceries and other goods, according to an official document and an interview with the top competition regulator this week. Cornershop operates in Mexico and Chile, promoting the app as providing delivery of "groceries to your front door in one hour" from retailers including Costco Wholesale Corp, Chedraui and Walmart. It charges retail chains a commission for its services. Walmart had struck a deal to buy the popular app for $225 million in a bid to boost its e-commerce ambitions in Mexico, one of the retailer's priority markets, and better compete with Amazon.com online. The deal would have put Walmart in the unusual position of owning an online platform selling its own merchandise alongside goods sold by rivals, with potential access to data about orders placed with competitors. That raised a red flag for the regulator in Mexico, where Walmart's Walmex unit is already a dominant bricks-and-mortar retailer. Walmex operates 2,459 stores in Mexico, and is the country's largest supermarket chain by far. After months of analysis, Mexico's Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece) last week opposed the deal, saying Walmart and Cornershop could "displace" competitors. "It all has to do with Walmart's size," Cofece's president, Alejandra Palacios, told Reuters in an interview at the regulator's headquarters. "If you're going to discriminate against or help one of the parties, you're usually going to help the big one." A 92-page resolution, obtained independently by Reuters ahead of publication, underlines the depth of Cofece's worries about the deal, which now likely will be tough for Walmart to revive. Walmart made a number of proposals to address Cofece's concerns, including not allowing overlapping board members between Walmart and Cornershop, according to the document. The commission rebuffed the attempts as too weak to guarantee they could be carried out properly. "It is not clear to the commission that there would be independence between the Cornershop MX business and the interests of Walmart," the document says. "Walmart has incentives to favour its supermarkets and price clubs or bestow unfavourable treatment to its competitors." Story continues Walmart has said it is analysing how to respond to Cofece and that the deal would be positive for consumers and competition. The retailer declined to comment on Cofece's findings in the document and comments from Palacios when contacted by Reuters. The surprise denial could hurt Walmart's ambitions for online supremacy in Mexico, its largest market outside the United States by store count. Although Walmart rakes in nearly 60 percent of Mexico's total supermarket sales, it does only about 1 percent of those sales online. The threat of Amazon's encroaching on Walmart's territory began to loom larger in Mexico last year, when the online powerhouse launched deliveries of non-perishable groceries like beer and coffee. Cofece's denial also likely dashed Walmart's hopes that Cornershop could serve as a model in its global quest to quickly deliver household products and fresh foods to shoppers' homes. [nL2N1VZ0L6] In the United States, Walmart has struggled to get some of its delivery partnerships with third-party companies to work. For example, Walmart in the past year has ditched its grocery-delivery partnerships with Uber, Lyft and Google-backed Deliv, and has struggled to get its employees to deliver groceries, although it announced last week a revival of a service to use its own workers to deliver groceries straight to customers' refrigerators. It has had stumbles in the online realm. Walmart on Wednesday said it would overhaul start-up Jet.com, which it acquired in 2016 for over $3 billion, in a move that will reduce the unit's scope and importance. MARKET RISKS Palacios said the Mexico deal could have hindered business for both supermarket and delivery app competitors, given Walmart's potential to control Cornershop's terms. For example, she said, Walmart could deliver fresh fruit in its own orders but rotten fruit from other stores. In addition, Walmart might have used data from other stores on shopper habits for its own benefit, she said, and it might harm other delivery apps by choosing not to participate on them, in favour of Cornershop. Palacios said Walmart's proposals to resolve Cofece's concerns would have been difficult to enforce. "We didn't think they were strong enough to mitigate the risks," she said. According to the Cofece document, Walmart and Cornershop said Cornershop board members, executives and staff would not be allowed to use store data to benefit Walmart. Cofece responded that the burden should fall on both companies to prevent leaks, not just one. The commission requested information from delivery apps Rappi and Mercadoni, plus grocers Soriana, La Comer, Chedraui and Costco, to complete its analysis, according to the document. Palacios declined to comment when asked if Cofece saw Amazon as a competitor to Walmart or Cornershop. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Christian Plumb and Leslie Adler) PARIS (Reuters) - French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday a Fiat Chrysler-Renault merger remained an "interesting opportunity" but added he would tell the French carmaker's chairman that strengthening the Renault-Nissan alliance was the priority. The French state is Renault's biggest shareholder and sources have said chairman Jean-Dominique Senard is furious over the government's interference at the carmaker after Fiat Chrysler (FCA) withdrew its offer for a 35 billion euro ($40 billion) merger with Renault. Le Maire said he would meet Senard later on Thursday, with the chairman's position seen weakened by the deal's collapse and the ensuing fallout with President Emmanuel Macron's government. Le Maire told franceinfo radio he was not responsible for derailing the proposal that would have created the world's third biggest carmaker behind Japan's Toyota and Germany's Volkswagen. "It remains in interesting opportunity. But I have always been very clear: that it should be in the context of a strategy to reinforce the (Renault-Nissan) alliance." "As long as the French state is the main shareholder, its responsibility to the company, its employees, its factories and research centres is to fulfil its role with other shareholders in defining a strategy." The deal collapsed after Nissan said it would abstain at a Renault board meeting to vote on the merger proposal, prompting Le Maire to request the Renault board to postpone the vote for five days. "We simply asked for five extra days. Five additional days seems entirely reasonable to me," Le Maire said. "Fiat withdrew its offer, as it was entitled to do. But believe me, the state will never react under pressure." ($1 = 0.8850 euros) (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Richard Lough; Editing by Mark Potter) TORONTO, June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Colombia Gold Corp.s (TSX: GCM, OTCQX: TPRFF) Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders was held today. The detailed results of the votes for each matter to be acted upon are set out below: Item Description of matter Outcome Voted Voted (%) 1. Fixing the number of directors at seven. Approved 10,280,175 For 34,289 Against 99.67% 0.33% 2. The election of the following individuals as directors of the Corporation to hold office until the next annual meeting of the Corporation or until their successors are appointed or elected: Serafino Iacono Approved 10,275,973 For 38,491 Withheld 99.63% 0.37% Miguel de la Campa Approved 10,283,020 For 31,444 Withheld 99.70% 0.30% De Lyle Bloomquist Approved 10,283,015 For 31,449 Withheld 99.70% 0.30% Monica De Greiff Approved 10,303,165 For 11,299 Withheld 99.89% 0.11% Hernan Juan Jose Martinez Torres Approved 10,280,805 For 33,659 Withheld 99.67% 0.33% Robert Metcalfe Approved 10,282,690 For 31,774 Withheld 99.69% 0.31% Jaime Perez Branger Approved 10,175,533 For 138,931 Withheld 98.65% 1.35% 3. Appointing KPMG LLP as auditors of the Corporation at a remuneration to be fixed by the directors. Approved 15,580,857 For 172,355 Withheld 98.91% 1.09% 4. The adoption of the Shareholders Rights Plan dated as of January 2, 2019. Approved 10,242,956 For 71,508 Against 99.31% 0.69% About Gran Colombia Gold Corp. Gran Colombia is a Canadian-based mid-tier gold producer with its primary focus in Colombia where it is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer with several mines in operation at its Segovia and Marmato Operations. Gran Colombia is continuing to focus on exploration, expansion and modernization activities at its high-grade Segovia Operations. Additional information on Gran Colombia can be found on its website at www.grancolombiagold.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . For Further Information, Contact: Mike Davies Chief Financial Officer (416) 360-4653 investorrelations@grancolombiagold.com The ongoing TV adaptation of The Handmaids Tale has done much to remind us of the astonishing pertinence of Margaret Atwoods novelwhich was first published in 1985 and is soon to be followed by a sequel: The Testaments. In particular, it has brought the costume of the handmaids, carefully described by Atwood in the book, to the attention of a new generation of thinkers. In the novel, the red cloak and dress, worn with a white bonnet, are together described as a modesty costume. In Gileadthe repressive American regime in which the main protagonist Offred is forced to liveit is intended to function as a sign of female subservience. But, as the #resistsister hashtag chosen by production house Hulu to market the series suggests, the modesty costumedespite its intended function as a symbol of subserviencehas remarkable potency when removed from its Gileadean context and redeployed as a symbol of female agency and the defiance of oppression. And this is exactly how the costume has functioned in recent years, when worn by women protesting the insidious erasure of female rights in the West. In 2017, handmaids marched on Capitol Hill, Washington, in protest at the Republican healthcare bill which was seen to threaten womens bodily autonomy. And in the same year, handmaids entered the Texas senate house to protest abortion-related legislation. Meanwhile, protesters against Trumps 2018 and 2019 visits to the UK also sported handmaid costumes. Beyond the UK and America, the modesty costume has also been co-opted as a symbol of female agency and protestin countries including Poland, Argentina, and Croatia. Like Offred, the protesting handmaids of recent years also refuse to be objectifiedtheir bodies are their own and signify what and how they want them to signify. In the introduction to the 2017 UK edition of The Handmaids Tale, Atwood tells us that modesty costumes worn by the women of Gilead are derived from Western religious iconography. This grounding of the costumes in the traditions of the church again brings them closer to the realms of non-fiction. And it reminds us that, over the centuries, countless women in the Christian West have been defined by appearance or attire and have been variously objectified by those in authority over them. Story continues Shut away Among these countless women, there is a particular group called anchorites (anchorites could be men, but were more frequently women). Anchorites, who were very common in England in the Middle Ages, were people who wanted to live lives of Christian prayer and extreme devotion to God. In order to do this, they allowed themselves to be permanently enclosed in small rooms (called cells) adjoining their local church and vowed themselves to a life of chastity and penance. Their enclosure began when they were literally bricked into their cells, and was meant to continue until the moment of their death. In fact, we have quite a few records of anchorites being buried within their own cells. Elisabeth Moss stars in the Hulu adaptation. Of course, there are a lot of differences between Atwoods fictional handmaids and the historical anchorites. The latter were not, in fact, defined by what they woreas their enclosure made them more or less invisible to the world, they were not meant to worry too much about their clothes. And neither were they the subjects of a repressive regimethey were not enclosed unless they actively sought it out as a lifestyle (though the issue of their motivation and agency is problematic and would be worth an article on its own). But there are certainly similarities between the anchorite and the handmaid. Atwood emphasizes that the handmaid is meant to live in a state of perpetual fear and so was the anchorite, as suggested by 12th-century theologian Aelred of Rievaulx in his book of guidance, De Institutione Inclusarum: Beware of your weakness and like the timid dove go often to streams of water where as in a mirror you may see the reflection of the hawk as he hovers overhead and be on your guard. And, for both women, the body is a site of considerable conflict and anxiety. The handmaids body, in Atwoods narrative, is a sacred vesselvaluable only for its childbearing potential. The anchorites body, meanwhile, is of worth only insofar as it houses the jewel of virginityas Aelred wrote: Bear in mind always what a precious treasure you bear in how fragile a vessel. Objectification But what is intended as oppression in Gilead does not inevitably function thus. Aunt Lydia wanted the handmaids to be pearls, but Offred resisted this. The modesty costumes were meant to indicate subservience, but they have been redeployed by activists to mean the opposite. Is it, then, equally possible that the medieval anchorite took her apparent objectification and turned it into an opportunity to assert her own agency? We might perceive the anchorite only partially (her head, isolated at the window of her cell, as in the medieval image to the left), but she perceives herself fully. We might see only her enclosure, but she perceives herself as a bird of heaven (according to a 13th-century English book of guidance for anchoritesAncrene Wisse), soaring at liberty in her vivid, independent imagination. So, while the lives of the fictional handmaid and the real anchorite are not the same, they have in common their isolation from the world around them and their submission (whether enforced or chosen) to wills other than their own. But they should not be seen as nothing more than passive victimsinstead we should credit them both with the capacity to turn subjection into agency and subservience into freedom. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: FILE PHOTO: Employee works on the production line of tanks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at an energy equipment company in Nantong By Henning Gloystein and Jessica Jaganathan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Australia's fast-expanding liquefied natural gas industry has this year been supplying the lion's share of China's growing demand for imports of the commodity, with appetite surging as Beijing shifts away from dirtier fuels such as coal. Australia supplied over 53% of China's LNG imports during the first five months of 2019, shipping data in Refinitiv showed, up from around 40% in 2016 when a previous round of new Australian export projects started to ramp up. With Royal Dutch Shell's Prelude facility delivering its first LNG cargo this week from northwest Australia, that share is likely to increase further. Prelude's start-up completes a $200 billion LNG construction boom that is putting Australia on track to surpass Qatar as the world's top exporter of the fuel. "With uncertainty of demand in more traditional LNG markets ... China has emerged as the largest source of new LNG demand growth, and hence a focus for LNG marketing efforts for the next wave of Australian LNG volumes," said Saul Kavonic, an analyst with Credit Suisse. The export surge means Australia is well ahead of China's traditional main suppliers of gas such as Malaysia, Qatar and Indonesia, as well as newer exporter the United States. The United States, which only started LNG exports in 2016, initially saw increases to China, supplying a peak of around 10% of its overall imports last year. But shipments have all but ceased after Beijing enacted a 25% tariff on U.S. supply as part of a tit-for-tat trade dispute with Washington. "The China-U.S. trade dispute has had an impact on LNG markets. The tariffs make U.S. LNG much less cost-competitive for Chinese buyers, so they have to consider other options," said James Taverner of consultancy IHS Markit. With production surging across the world, the Asian LNG market has become oversupplied just as demand stutters from traditional buyers like Japan, resulting in a 60% plunge in prices since last year to near record lows of just over $4 per million British thermal units. GRAPHIC: China's major LNG suppliers https://tmsnrt.rs/2XazWHY Story continues SHIFT TO GAS China's natural gas consumption has surged amid a gasification programme that is shifting millions of households and a large number of factories to natural gas from coal. Global LNG producers are keen to meet that demand. However, some analysts warn that headwinds in China's economy could take the edge off demand for LNG. "Coal-to-gas mandates have moderated in line with affordability ... and weakening economic growth will weigh on demand," Taverner said, adding that growth in LNG imports could ease over the next few years. China also appears to be diversifying gas supply, potentially importing more from sources such as Russia and Mozambique, the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies said in a paper released this month. "The 'Power of Siberia' line commissions at the end of this year and Russia will become China's most important new supplier in recent years," the firm said. "China may also look more favourably on additional pipeline deals with Russia given its resource base and its desire to reach agreement on further gas projects." GRAPHIC: Australia LNG project startups vs Asia spot LNG price https://tmsnrt.rs/2X4g0q8 (Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan and Henning Gloystein; Editing by Joseph Radford) Hong Kong's wealthiest residents are moving their fortunes out of Hong Kong because of the new extradition law that the Hong Kong government is currently discussing, Reuters writes.The post Hong Kong tycoons start shifting their wealth outside of its borders because of proposed extradition law appeared first on The Block. Hong Kong's wealthiest residents are moving their fortunes out of Hong Kong because of the new extradition law that the Hong Kong government is currently discussing, Reuters writes. The local government is planning to allow extraditions to China if someone is a criminal suspect. The extradition law will cover both Hong Kong residents as well as foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling in Hong Kong. It would also allow freezing and confiscating assets connected to financial crimes. However, the confiscation could be challenged by Hong Kong courts as it needs to meet a double criminality standardthe crime would need to be penalised in both Hong Kong and China. Tycoons are now eyeing Singapore and some have chosen to transfer their funds there. One wealthy individual has started moving his assetsmore than $100 millionfrom a local Citibank account to a Singapore Citibank account out of fear of being potentially politically exposed, said an adviser who was involved in the transactions. He also admitted there were more people quietly shifting their funds, favouring Singapore. Hong Kong and Singapore have been vying for some time to be the go-to home for the super-rich looking to park their enormous wealth. Up until now, 853 individuals worth more than $100 million chose Hong Kong as the base for their income. The proposed extradition bill has been met with massive street demonstrations in Hong Kong. Hyatt Hotels Corporation H is consistently making efforts to expand its brand footprint worldwide. To this end, the company announced that its affiliate inked a franchise deal with Bay Street Holdings Limited to develop the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Malta. The hotel is likely to open in 2021. The opening of Hyatt Regency Malta is in line with Hyatts efforts to expand and strengthen its brand name. The company plans on capitalizing the growing tourist population in Malta. The countrys tourist numbers have doubled since 2010. The hotel will be located near beach and marina as visitors are choosing to stay at the coastal destination of St. Julians. We believe that Hyatt Regency Malta will further enhance the companys brand position in Europe. Recently, the company announced that its affiliate inked a franchise deal with Realtejo Hotelaria e Turismo, S.A., to develop the first Hyatt branded hotel in Portugal. The hotel named Hyatt Regency Lisbon will likely open in late 2020 and will be situated in a convenient location. The company will also open Hyatt Regency Barcelona Fira and Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid. Also, we believe that these recent hotel additions will fortify the Hyatt Regency brands global footprint and provide a boost to Hyatts Owned and Leased Hotels revenues. As it is, in the first quarter of 2019, revenues at Owned and Leased Hotels totaled $458 million, down 9.6% from the year-ago figure. Expansion Major Growth Driver Hyatt aims to differentiate its brands from by providing distinct travel experiences. It is also consistently trying to expand presence worldwide and has plans for the Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Meanwhile, the companys new signings across its brands globally consistently outpaced openings. This trend is expected to continue in 2019. In 2018, Hyatt registered net room growth of 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. For 2019, it expects unit growth of roughly 7-7.5%, reflecting 80 hotel openings. In the past six months, the companys shares have gained 11.3% compared with the industrys rally of 20.1%. Story continues Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Hyatt, which shares space with Choice Hotels International, Inc. CHH, currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the same space are Red Lion Hotels Corporation RLH and Wyndham Destinations, Inc. WYND. Both stocks currently have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Red Lion Hotels current-year earnings are likely to witness growth of 102.2%. Wyndham Destinations reported better-than-expected earnings in all of the trailing four quarters, the average being 5.9%. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H) : Free Stock Analysis Report Red Lion Hotels Corporation (RLH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Choice Hotels International, Inc. (CHH) : Free Stock Analysis Report WYNDHAM DESTINATIONS, INC. (WYND) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research In a European first, the ConsenSys-backed Monerium has received approval to run fiat over a blockchain as a regulated form of payment. The Financial Supervisory Authority of Iceland (FME) has approved Reykjavik-based Monerium as its first electronic money institution. The designation, announced Friday, means that Monerium has regulatory approval to provide fiat payment services on a blockchain and use it throughout the European Economic Area. Electronic money is a well-established regulatory framework in Europe thats been in use for years, Sveinn Valfells, CEO and co-founder of Monerium, explained to CoinDesk in a phone call. Its the first time, however, electronic money has been approved for use over a blockchain. Marketing Chief Amanda Gutterman Is Latest Exec to Leave ConsenSys Monerium sees the fact that its working under an established framework as a competitive advantage, Valfells said, adding: For practical purposes, fiat will be the currency most people and institutions will want to use in the near- and medium-term. And if you are touching fiat in any way, you just have to comply with the relevant regulations. Monerium cofounder Jon H. Egilsson will discuss the news at a digital currency conference in Stockholm on Saturday. Egilsson was formerly chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Icelandic Central Bank. Electronic money is fiat held and transferred digitally. The ConsenSys-backed Monerium will initially operate using the ethereum blockchain though it is prepared to operate across public and private distributed ledgers, allowing expenditures and transfers to be made without an intermediary. ConsenSys Capital Co-Founder Departs to Bring Wall Street Money to Ethereum In a copy of his prepared remarks shared with CoinDesk in advance, Egilsson wrote: Monerium e-money encompasses the benefits of programmable money on blockchain, in addition to being the closest form of central bank money there is based on a proven EU regulatory framework. The legal concept of an electronic money institution (EMI) dates back to the financial crisis, established in a 2009 act by the European Union. The rule is primarily used now for prepaid debit cards, Valfells explained. Story continues Valfells argues that many companies making similar products, such as fiat-backed stablecoins, designed technology first and looked for regulators to approve it. Monerium instead decided to base its technology on an existing set of rules. Valfells said: We believe law is also protocol. How it works Banks make money by turning deposits from customers into loans to borrowers. EMIs are more conservative with deposits. From Egilssons remarks: Unlike bank deposits, an electronic institution (EMI) must safeguard clients funds separately from any other financial activities, such as lending. Instead, customer funds are invested in a segregated portfolio of high-quality liquid instruments along with regulatory minimum reserves. The structure is similar to a high-grade money market fund. The idea is that the EMI-model provides consumers with more protection. Fiat put into an EMI must always be redeemable without conditions. By putting e-money on the blockchain, it also enables cross-border payments without a financial intermediary. The company plans to start with Icelandic krona (ISK). Once live, Moneriums version of ISK will be usable throughout the EU and should shortly be usable in many other parts of the world with similar regulatory regimes. More currencies will follow. As a regulated form of payment, it follows the typical know-your-customer, anti-money-laundering procedures familiar throughout the developed world. The world of fiat-backed global currencies is getting somewhat crowded. The CENTRE Consortium created by Circle and Coinbase is designed to allow member institutions to issue their own fiat-backed stablecoins. Earlier this week, the initiative opened itself to new members. Facebooks GlobalCoin is also reported to be backed by a basket of fiat currencies. Monerium is still in closed beta. For its earliest partners, an e-money ISK will be available in a matter of days, Valfells said. Valfells estimated that as early as Q4 2019, the e-money ISK should become available to a wider audience. Team photo courtesy of Monerium. Pictured, left to right: Arni Gudjonsson (engineer), Gisli Kristjansson (co-founder and CTO), Sveinn Valfells (co-founder and CEO), Hjortur Hjartarson (co-founder and COO), Jon Gunnar Olafsson (counsel) and Jon Helgi Egilsson (co-founder and chairman) Related Stories MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian edible oil refiners have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise duty on refined palm oil imports from Malaysia to protect the local industry following a surge in inbound shipments from the South-east Asian country, a trade body said on Friday. India is the world's biggest importer of edible oils. Its refined palm oil imports in May jumped to 371,060 tonnes from 238,479 tonnes in April, the Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA) said in a letter to Modi. In January, India cut duty on refined palm oil sourced from Malaysia to 45% from 54% as part of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed by the two countries nearly a decade ago. "We strongly appeal to the government to kindly scrap the CECA agreement with Malaysia with immediate effect and impose higher duty on RBD palmolein to save domestic refiners and oilseed farmers," the SEA said. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu) Iran has denied responsibility for the attacks carried out early yesterday morning on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the sea immediately adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz. A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry slammed the U.S. accusations as "baseless." Maritime security experts say commercial ships are impossible to defend. Yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of carrying out the attacks on the tankers. One, the Kokuka Courageous, was reported to be carrying a cargo of methanol from Saudi Arabia to Singapore and the other, the Front Altair, was carrying a cargo of naphtha from the United Arab Emirates to Taiwan. Pompeo said that the assessment was based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to carry out the operation, recent attacks on shipping which Pompeo said were carried out by Iran, and the claim that "no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and the proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication." However, evidence was not provided at that time. Allegations were "baseless" says Iran Iran immediately denied the allegations as baseless. Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said, "Pinning the blame on Iran for the suspicious and regrettable incident for the oil tankers seems to be the easiest and most simplistic thing Mr. Pompeo and other U.S. statesmen could do," Mousavi said. Mousavi added, "While the Japanese prime minister [Shinzo Abe] is meeting with Iran's top leader to discuss ways to ease regional tensions, which clandestine hands have been at work to undermine such efforts and who benefits from that? Mr. Pompeo! The suspicious nature of incidents for oil tankers is not a joke. It is not only not funny, but it is also worrying and alarming." Details of attack not yet confirmed The exact nature of the attacks is not truly known at this point. Reports from the international media (Reuters) have suggested that the crew of the Kokuka Courageous saw something "flying" at the ship and they later found a hole. That would be consistent with a missile or a torpedo. Story continues The U.S. Navy subsequently released a grainy black and white video, captured by an airplane, that showed a small, light-colored boat approaching and pulling alongside the tanker. Crew from the small craft stood on the prow and can be seen reaching up along the hull before sitting back down on the prow while the craft pulls away. The U.S. Navy alleges that the craft is an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Gashti-class patrol boat and that the patrol boat's crew were removing an unexploded limpet mine from the side of the tanker. Unfortunately, the video is blurry and it cannot be clearly seen what exactly, if anything, is being done, nor is it determinative of the allegiance of the crew or the boat. A still image from the video released by the U.S. Navy. It says that the light-coloured boat is an Iranian patrol craft and that the boat's crew are removing an unexploded limpet mine from a tanker in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Central Command also provided a timeline of what it says happened. U.S. naval forces received two separate distress calls, one at 06:12 a.m. from the Front Altair and another at 07:00 a.m. local time from the Kokuka Courageous, both in international waters. At 08:09 a.m. U.S. forces say their aircraft observed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Hendijan-class patrol boat and "multiple" Revolutionary Guard attack craft in the vicinity of the Altair. About an hour later, U.S. forces say they observed fast attack craft pull a raft from the Altair out of the water. Crews rescued... but by who? There is some dispute between the two sides over what happened next, but it appears that 21 of the crew of the Altair were picked up by passing vessel Hyundai Dubai. The U.S. forces say that the Hyundai Dubai complied with a request from the Iranians to turn over the rescued crew. The Iranians say they were helping with the rescue of the crew of the Altair and were evacuating them to the nearby Iranian port of Jask where the crew could receive emergency care. About 21 sailors from the Kokuka Courageous, who had abandoned their ship, were picked up by a Dutch tug. Those sailors were later transferred to the warship U.S.S. Bainbridge, which released images of what it said were the crew of the Kokuka Courageous aboard the warship. The Iranian authorities, however, said that they had rescued everyone. A crewman from the Kokuka Courageous (left) receives emergency medical care from a naval sailor of the U.S.S. Bainbridge (right). Photo: U.S. Navy. U.S. forces then said they observed the Revolutionary Guard's Gashti-Class patrol boat removing an unexploded limpet mine from the side of the Kokuka Courageous an allegation that the Iranians have vehemently denied. FreightWaves consulted two highly regarded international maritime security experts as to the physical nature of the attack. One of the maritime security experts spoke to FreightWaves on condition of anonymity. "I still don't even know what the threat is" "I still don't even know what the threat is that we have to defend against. In the past, the Iranians have used a fleet of surface fast attack craft so the identity of the threat has been obvious. Torpedoes would be very high tech while limpet mines would be very low tech and not traceable. So there are a number of threats which threat do you protect against? Is there any evidence?" the expert said. The expert also mused on the different ways of attacking ships. "If it was a limpet mine, was it put there while the ship was underway? Or was it attacked by a diver at berth or anchorage?" He also pointed out that, alternatively, it could have been a contact mine or, if it was a high tech mine, it would lie on the seabed waiting to detect the sound signature of a vessel. When the signal is received the mine would launch to attack a ship. "But they're expensive and that implies major players." "It looks like an annoyance and a fear tactic," he said. Defending ships against attacks appears to be very difficult. Defense tactics The standard defense against divers is detection, the source said. Ships need to maintain extra watches with strong lights shining into the water so that hostile divers can be seen. But that pre-supposes clear waters. Alternatively, watchmen can try to look for air bubbles emitted from a diver's breathing apparatus moving in a line toward or around a ship. He referenced the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen in October 2000. In that attack, Al-Qaeda operatives sailed a dinghy alongside the Cole and blew themselves up. The explosion put an enormous hole in the side of the ship, injured 39 U.S. naval sailors and killed a further 17. Following the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, it has become standard practice for warships in high-risk waters to anchor out of visual range over the horizon of the Earth. On approach by small craft, naval sailors take station along the deck with firearms at the ready. Any approaching small craft is then potentially exposed to long-range fire from trained shooters operating from a large stable platform. "Against small fast attack vessels you can set a boundary at a range," the maritime security expert said. "But commercial ships have no defense." FreightWaves also spoke to Harley Sparke, executive chairman of Corporate Protection Australia Group. Sparke is a specialist in maritime security. He previously advised maritime box terminal operators on waterfront security during a long-running, country-wide strike by Australian longshoremen. He has also advised the U.S. Navy on visits to Australia and the U.S. Coast Guard on port security around the world. Guns aboard ships? Sparke commented on the use of shooters to defend ships the maritime industry now has experience of such matters following the Somali piracy boom in the years 2007 to 2009. "There's a huge amount of debate. There are pros and cons with armed ships. There have been instances of mistaken attacks on fishing vessels," he said. "And then there's the issue of the legality of firearms when ships enter territorial waters," Sparke says. Under the international law of the sea, the law aboard a ship on the high seas is the law of the country where the ship is registered. Firearms may therefore be perfectly legal aboard a ship sailing on international waters. However, when the ship enters the waters of another country, the law of that nation will apply. And the law of that other country may not allow firearms aboard ships. "There's a lot of debate and arm-wrestling over what is right and wrong," Sparke says on the subject of firearms aboard ship. He also pointed to the difficulties of defending ships against divers, arguing that they are "unlikely" to be seen, especially during low-light situations. However, he pointed out, the best defense against an explosive device attached to a ship is to deploy a friendly diver to find and remove it. Torpedo attack is unlikely Sparke also thought that a torpedo attack on the two tankers is unlikely. "I would be gobsmacked if there was a torpedo attack. It would take such sophistication and infrastructure resources that it would be unlikely to be the Iranians. I'm more of the view that it was either a limpet mine or an IED (improvised explosive device)," he said. Sparke said that the attack, given what little is actually known, was sophisticated. He pointed out that, in the region, especially in Yemen, which is in the middle of a civil war, "explosives are piled up everywhere." Those factors make it possible for actors who are of a mind to do so to carry out an attack. "There's likely to be a third-party supplying equipment," Sparke said. Ultimately, he agreed with the first maritime security expert in that is is very hard for commercial ships to defend against sophisticated attacks. "The greatest security risks to commercial shipping is an attack on the ship itself. It's easy enough to secure a port. But the ability of law enforcement, the military or merchant shipping to defend against such an attack is limited. There's little hope of merchant ships being able to defend themselves," he said. Strait of Hormuz: a chokepoint of world significance The Strait of Hormuz is a waterway that is about 32 miles at its most narrow point, between the Arabian peninsula on the south of the Persian Gulf and Iran on the north. Safe navigation through Hormuz and over the Gulf of Oman is crucial to the world economy, because at least 19 million barrels a day of crude oil is shipped over them, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Although the world tends to focus on the importance of Hormuz as a choke point for seaborne oil, it is also a significant waterway for a wide range of other cargoes. The port of Jebel Ali, in the United Arab Emirates, currently handles over 15 million twenty foot equivalent unit shipping containers each year. It is a key regional and international containerized freight hub. Ras Laffan, Qatar, is one of the world's largest chemical and liquefied natural gas export facilities. There are also considerable general cargo, grain and livestock facilities elsewhere in the Gulf as the countries Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain are wholly located within the sea. Other countries like Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have substantial port facilities that handle a range of cargoes with the enclosed sea. Image Sourced by Pixabay See more from Benzinga 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. DENTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / June 13, 2019 / Kieffer | Starlite, a commercial sign company based in Denton, Texas, has announced that Joseph Havlovitz has joined the company as the Director of Procurement. He will be based out of their Sheboygan, Wisconsin location and he will be responsible for purchasing, freight, and raw material inventory management, all at the enterprise level. The company had recently expanded in the Southeast, resulting in the need to create the position in order to enhance the efficiencies of their operations, according to Chief Manufacturing Officer Jeff Fuhrmann. Those who want more updates about the company can view their Facebook Page. Jeff Furhmann says, "We have several exciting changes and enhancements taking place within our organization. Specifically relating to manufacturing, we have made significant capital investments to each Kieffer | Starlite manufacturing location. These locations include Mt. Airy, North Carolina, Sheboygan, WI and Denton, TX - combined have over 250,000 sq. ft. in manufacturing space. From equipment upgrades to shop flow based on the work each location does, we are making sure we continue to lead in signage manufacturing. This includes our continued commitment to Lean Manufacturing, focusing on the minimization of waste within a manufacturing system without sacrificing productivity. Our team continues to follow the Six Sigma certifications as well." Those who want to connect with Kieffer | Starlite can contact one of their four locations. The company provides a broad range of services to meet the needs of any branding and signage project. The company can serve as the client's single source partner for all of their signage requirements. Their team is composed of experienced project managers, designers, installers, engineers, consultants, and more, offering the best possible solution at all stages of the project. The team of consultants from Kieffer | Starlite offers national sign consulting services that will tackle the problem from all angles. They will determine all of the immediate challenges and obtain an understanding of the client's long-term goals to come up with the most effective solution. Meanwhile, the internal team at Kieffer | Starlite will focus on the project details to make sure that the project will be completed in compliance with the specifications. Story continues With regards to creative and innovative designs, the design team at Kieffer | Starlite have gained recognition within the industry and have won several awards over the years. The graphic design staff is capable of coming up with the identification solution that is most appropriate for the client's needs. They will then make use of the most up to date design technology to illustrate key information used in permitting and for sign placement for clients. After the fabrication of the sign, the company will have the sign crated and ready for delivery. And after the installation of the sign, the next concern would be national sign service and maintenance. The service team at Kieffer | Starlite offer industry-leading customer service and maintenance at competitive rates. Kieffer | Starlite is the product of a merger between Starlite Signs and Kieffer & Co in 2016. Starlite was established in Denton, Texas, in 1956, while Kieffer was founded in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1959. Those who want to learn more about them can view the company YouTube page, visit the company website, or contact them by phone or by email. For more information about Kieffer | Starlite, contact the company here: Kieffer | Starlite Kelly David 214-418-6565 kdavid@kiefferstarlite.com Kieffer | Starlite7923 E McKinney St.Denton, TX 76208Email: Marketing@kiefferstarlite.com SOURCE: Kieffer | Starlite View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/548692/Joseph-Havlovitz-Joins-National-Commercial-Sign-Company-as-Director-of-Procurement HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A 5-year-old agreement between two Pittsburgh-based health care conglomerates can't be extended through litigation past its June 30 expiration date, a Pennsylvania judge said Friday. Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson wrote that a clause in the 2014 consent decree involving UPMC and Highmark can't be used to get around the deal's explicit end date. The end of the consent decree will trigger higher costs for Highmark insurance customers who use UPMC's vast network. Simpson wrote that "the modification provision was not intended to nullify the short, specific, unambiguous termination/expiration provision," calling that element of the decree "a core principle of the agreement" that was expressly negotiated. "The parties' outward and objective manifestations of assent, including planning for a transition period and the negotiations over the expiration provision, support the interpretation that the modification provision was not intended to override the termination/expiration provision," Simpson wrote. Simpson was directed to consider the issue by the state Supreme Court, and it's likely the justices will have the final say. Highmark and the attorney general's office have sought to extend the agreement, while UPMC has been staunchly opposed. A UPMC spokesman said the health care giant was pleased with Simpson's ruling. "We look forward to continuing to fulfill our long-standing charitable mission and serving the public with UPMC's world-class physicians and facilities," said UPMC spokesman Paul Wood. The case was launched in February by Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose lawsuit sought to keep the consent decree in place indefinitely. Shapiro has accused UPMC of wasting charitable assets through "exorbitant executive salaries and perquisites in the form of corporate jets and prestigious office space waste." Shapiro said his office will announce his next legal steps next week. Story continues "Make no mistake our work here is not done," Shapiro said. "While we are disappointed in Judge Simpson's ruling, I won't quit on the people of western Pennsylvania and we will continue to take steps to restore fairness to the health care system and give people access to the institutions their tax dollars built." Highmark spokesman Aaron Billger called the decision a temporary setback "in preserving health care choice for customers." "The attorney general has several options for going forward, including appealing the Commonwealth Court's ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court or returning to the Commonwealth Court to pursue the three remaining counts against UPMC in his petition, which focuses on protecting patients and health care consumers and allege that UPMC violated its nonprofit, charitable mission," Billger said. An agreement between Highmark and UPMC was about to expire in 2014 when they negotiated the consent decree to keep in-network rates for Highmark customers in the Pittsburgh area and Erie. CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LPL Financial LLC , a leading retail investment advisory firm (RIA) and independent broker-dealer, today announced that Salter Financial Group has returned to LPL Financials broker-dealer and corporate registered investment advisor (RIA) platforms. Salter Financial Group reported having served approximately $100 million of client brokerage and advisory assets*. They join from Cetera Financial Group. Founded in 2006 by financial advisor Phillip Salter, the Beaumont, Texas firm also includes financial advisors Blake Worthey and Clovis Van Houten, as well as assistant Dianne Walker. They offer comprehensive investment advice and wealth management, with a focus on providing retirement plans and IRAs for plant and refinery workers. Salter recently celebrated 30 years in the industry. Salter Financial Group affiliated with LPL from 2006 until 2014. He decided to return after noticing a shift in LPLs culture and its commitment to delivering an enhanced service experience. Im convinced, from everything Ive seen, that LPL is a strong company that cares deeply about its advisors. Im especially excited about the technology evolution and new capabilities that will help us be more efficient serving our clients. Rich Steinmeier, LPL Financial managing director and divisional president, Business Development, said, It is a privilege to welcome back Salter Financial Group. Our clients are at the center of everything we do, and were proud that Phillip and team recognized that as they got reacquainted with our firm and learned more about our strategy to support their success. We remain committed to making ongoing investments in technology and innovative capabilities to deliver enhanced value to our advisors. We look forward to supporting Salter Financial Groups continued success in the years to come. Read about other firms that recently joined LPL in the LPL Financial News and Media section of LPL.com. Story continues ### About LPL Financial LPL Financial ( https://www.lpl.com ) is a leader in the retail financial advice market and the nations largest independent broker-dealer**. We serve independent financial advisors and financial institutions, providing them with the technology, research, clearing and compliance services, and practice management programs they need to create and grow thriving practices. LPL enables them to provide objective guidance to millions of American families seeking wealth management, retirement planning, financial planning and asset management solutions. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. *Based on prior business and represents assets that would have been custodied at LPL Financial, rather than third-party custodians. Reported assets and client numbers have not been independently and fully verified by LPL Financial. **Based on total revenues, Financial Planning magazine June 1996-2018 Salter Financial Group and LPL Financial are separate entities. Connect with Us! https://twitter.com/lpl https://www.linkedin.com/company/lpl-financial https://www.facebook.com/LPLFinancialLLC https://www.youtube.com/user/lplfinancialllc Media Contact: Lauren Hoyt-Williams (980) 321-1232 Lauren.Hoyt-Williams@lpl.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MAG Silver Corp. (TSX / NYSE American: MAG) (MAG or the Company) reports that at its annual general and special meeting (the AGSM) held on June 13, 2019, MAGs Shareholders approved by majority: to reduce the size of the board to seven; to elect all seven directors standing for re-election; to re-appoint Deloitte LLP as the Companys auditor; to approve the continuation of the Shareholder Rights Plan; and the Companys approach to executive compensation. Detailed results of the votes held by ballot at the AGSM are set out below along with the votes in regards to Say on Pay. Nominee Total Votes Cast Total Votes Cast For Votes Withheld % For % Withheld Peter D. Barnes 60,646,925 60,438,431 208,494 99.66 0.34 Richard P. Clark 60,646,925 58,469,258 2,177,667 96.41 3.59 Jill D. Leversage 60,646,925 60,465,676 181,249 99.70 0.30 Daniel T. MacInnis 60,646,925 60,296,702 350,223 99.42 0.58 George N. Paspalas 60,646,925 60,616,705 30,220 99.95 0.05 Jonathan A. Rubenstein 60,646,925 60,451,106 195,819 99.68 0.32 Derek C. White 60,646,925 60,049,494 597,431 99.01 0.99 Total Votes Cast Total Votes Cast For Total Votes Cast Against % For % Against Shareholder Rights Plan 60,646,925 42,669,326 17,977,599 70.36 29.64 Total Votes Cast Total Votes Cast For Total Votes Cast Against % For % Against Say on Pay 60,646,925 58,697,932 1,948,993 96.77 3.23 On behalf of the Board, George Paspalas, President and CEO of MAG, extends his thanks to the Shareholders of the Company for their continued support and to Richard Colterjohn for his untiring commitment and longstanding directorship. About MAG Silver Corp. (www.magsilver.com) MAG Silver Corp. is a Canadian exploration and development company focused on becoming a top-tier primary silver mining company, by exploring and advancing high-grade, district scale, silver-dominant projects in the Americas. Our principal focus and asset is the Juanicipio Property (44%), being developed in Joint Venture partnership with Fresnillo plc (56%). Juanicipio is located in the Fresnillo Silver Trend in Mexico, the world's premier silver mining camp and we are currently developing the surface and underground infrastructure on the property to support a 4,000 tonnes per day mining operation, with the operational expertise of our JV partner, Fresnillo plc. As well, we have an aggressive exploration program in place targeting multiple highly prospective targets across the property. In addition, we continue to work on regaining surface access to our 100% owned Cinco de Mayo property in Mexico while we seek other high grade, district scale opportunities. Story continues On behalf of the Board of MAG SILVER CORP. George Paspalas President & CEO For further information on behalf of MAG Silver Corp. Contact Michael Curlook, VP Investor Relations and Communications Website: Phone: Toll free: www.magsilver.com (604) 630-1399 (866) 630-1399 Email: Fax: info@magsilver.com (604) 681-0894 Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the NYSE American has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this press release, which has been prepared by management. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts are forward looking statements, including statements that address future mineral production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Although MAG 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 the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in commodities prices, changes in mineral production performance, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, political risk, currency risk and capital cost inflation. In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, including that data is incomplete and considerable additional work will be required to complete further evaluation, including but not limited to drilling, engineering and socio-economic studies and investment. The reader is referred to the Companys filings with the SEC and Canadian securities regulators for disclosure regarding these and other risk factors. There is no certainty that any forward-looking statement will come to pass and investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. Please Note: Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosures in MAG's annual and quarterly reports and other public filings, accessible through the Internet at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. Although fuel costs have are at a low level, air fares in the United States increased in May according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Per the report, ticket prices decreased 2% on a month-on-month basis. The increase marked a reversal as ticket prices in March and April got cheaper as the industry grappled with Boeing 737 Max-related concerns. Moreover, in May, average air fares (unadjusted) inched up 0.9% from the comparable figure a year ago. Even though increase in air fares mean good news for airline companies, it is not so for passengers. Weak Oil Price & Boeing 737 MAX Scenario Oil prices had decreased 16.3% in May, which was the most in a month since Nov 2018 when the commodity shed 22% of its value. The sharp decline in oil prices brought good news for airlines as expenses on fuel represent a major input cost for any airline company. Naturally, fall in oil prices imply huge savings for companies in the space. The rise in ticket prices in this scenario is a further boost for airline companies. Moreover, with the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX jets, U.S. airline operators, with such jets in their fleet, have been forced to cancel multiple flights. This has dealt a blow to them with the peak summer travel season on. In this scenario, the rise in air fares should enable airline operators to combat the revenue losses from this issue. In fact, updates on Boeing 737 MAX jets have been flooding the aviation space ever since the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash on Mar 10, 2019. In fact, this was the second accident involving Boeing 737 MAX jets within a span of five months as the same model went down in Indonesia last October, killing 189 people. The latest update came from Southwest Airlines LUV, which has the largest exposure to Boeing 737 MAX jets among U.S. carriers with 34 such jets in its fleet. Southwest Airlines has suspended operations of its Boeing 737 Max jets until Sep 2, extending the grounding period by almost a month. Story continues Southwest Airlines carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. A few days ago, American Airlines AAL, which has 24 such jets in its fleet, extended the grounding period to Sep 3 from Aug 19. Previously, American Airlines expected its current-year, pre-tax earnings to be affected to the tune of roughly $350 million. However, the loss might increase with the recent extension in Boeing 737 MAX jets grounding time period. In the same vein, United Continental Holdings UAL subsidiary United Airlines, which has 14 such jets in its fleet, suspended the 737 MAX flights from its schedule through Aug 3. Air Travel to Get More Expensive? According to media reports, American Airlines recently raised domestic fares $5 each way. Other carriers like Southwest Airlines and Hawaiian Holdings HA subsidiary, Hawaiian Airlines reportedly increased prices of domestic tickets. Moreover, demand for air travel is strong as can be envisioned from the stellar performances of most carriers in the Memorial Day weekend last month. For example, Delta Air Lines DAL was responsible for flying more than 2.1 million passengers without a single mainline cancellation in the May 24-27 period. In fact, a record 666,769 passengers were transported on May 24. With demand for air travel expected to remain strong on the back of a strong U.S. economy, we expect further increases in ticket prices. Moreover, with President Donald Trump recently suspending his plans of a 5% tariff on Mexican goods indefinitely, and oil prices expected to recover from current levels, ticket prices might see further increase. Whatever the actual outcome, we anticipate investor focus to remain on the movement of air ticket prices. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (HA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Continental Holdings, Inc. (UAL) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 1. Yes. The economy is strong and unemployment low. Thats a good basis for a solid year. 2. Yes. Health experts are getting a handle on COVID. 2022 should be a better year. 3. No. If any large-scale COV ID-related shutdowns take place, it will hit the nation hard. 4. No. Inflation is still too much of a wild card. It could really cause a drag on the economy. 5. Unsure. There are too many variables at play to predict with any degree of certainty. Vote View Results DENVER, June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Simply Good Foods Company (SMPL) (Simply Good Foods), a developer, marketer and seller of branded nutritional foods and snacking products, today announced the appointment of Michelle P. Goolsby to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Michelle will also join the Companys Audit Committee. Michelle is a seasoned leader who brings extensive food and beverage experience and knowledge of the consumer-packaged goods marketplace to her new role as a member of the Board of Directors of Simply Good Foods, said James M. Kilts, Chairman of the Board of Directors. She is an accomplished executive with leadership experience across many functions. Additionally, Michelles extensive public company board experience will enable her to contribute significantly to the Simply Good Foods growth plan. Ms. Goolsby served for ten years, from 1998 to 2008, on the senior executive team of Dean Foods where she held the positions of Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and head of Corporate Development. Prior to Dean Foods, Ms. Goolsby was a partner at Winstead, P.C., one of the largest business law firms in Texas. Ms. Goolsby serves as an Advisory Board member at Danone North America. This Advisory Board focuses on environmental, social and governance commitments relating to Danone North Americas status as a public benefit corporation and a certified B corporation. Previously, Ms. Goolsby served as a member of the Board of Directors of WhiteWave Foods Company from 2012 until its sale to Danone in 2017. During her board membership at WhiteWave, Ms. Goolsby served as the Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. Additionally, Ms. Goolsby currently serves as a Board member of Capstead Mortgage Corporation (CMO), a publicly traded real estate investment trust, where she chairs the Compensation Committee and serves on the Executive Committee. Ms. Goolsby also previously served as a venture partner and member of the Investment Committee at Greenmont Capital Partners II, a private equity firm in Boulder, Colorado focused on investing in companies in the natural products industry. Story continues Ms. Goolsby received a bachelors degree in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin, a juris doctor degree from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and a masters of arts degree from the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University. Ms. Goolsby is active in her community and is a founding member of the Center for Women in Law at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Vitamin Angels Alliance, a nonprofit organization that operates in over 70 countries, providing mothers and children at risk of malnutrition with life-saving micronutrients and anti-parasitic interventions. About The Simply Good Foods Company The Simply Good Foods Company (SMPL), headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is a highly-focused food company with a product portfolio consisting primarily of nutrition bars, ready-to-drink shakes, snacks and confectionery products marketed under the Atkins, SimplyProtein, Atkins Endulge, and Atkins Harvest Trail brand names. Simply Good Foods is poised to expand its wellness platform through innovation and organic growth along with investment opportunities in the snacking space and broader food category. Over time, Simply Good Foods aspires to become a portfolio of brands that bring simple goodness, happiness and positive experiences to consumers and their families. For more information, please visit https://www.thesimplygoodfoodscompany.com . Investor Contact Mark Pogharian Vice President, Investor Relations, Treasury and Business Development The Simply Good Foods Company 717-307-8197 mpogharian@thesimplygoodfoodscompany.com SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp rebranded its MRJ family jets to be called the "SpaceJet" and unveiled a redesigned version of the smaller jet to help improve its sales prospects in the large U.S. market. The SpaceJet M100, the revamped version of the MRJ70, will now have up to 76 seats in a typical U.S. cabin configuration rather than the earlier 69 seats, the company said on Thursday, making it a more attractive offering for regional carriers with contracts to major carriers. "On paper, it looks good," Leeham Co analyst Bjorn Fehrm said of the redesign. "The range is there, as is the space for the passengers." The larger SpaceJet M90, renamed from MRJ90, is too big for U.S. regional carriers to fly without the relaxation of pilot union rules, an unlikely prospect due to a pilot shortage that has given unions more bargaining power. Of the 213 firm orders for Mitsubishi jets, 150 are split between two U.S. regional carriers, SkyWest Inc and Trans States Holdings. The M100 cabin interior will be on display at next week's Paris Airshow and Mitsubishi Aircraft said a formal launch of the programme was expected later this year. The M90 is due to enter service with Japanese carrier ANA Holdings Inc next year, compared with its initial target of 2013, after a series of programme delays. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, the largest shareholder in Mitsubishi Aircraft, this month said it was holding talks to buy rival Bombardier Inc's money-losing regional jet programme. The Bombardier CRJs use older, less fuel-efficient engines, but buying the programme would give Mitsubishi a global maintenance and support base that could aid with SpaceJet sales, according to analysts. (Reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore; additional reporting by Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Potter and Stephen Coates) Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! HMS Networks AB (publ) (STO:HMS), which is in the electronic business, and is based in Sweden, received a lot of attention from a substantial price increase on the OM over the last few months. As a small cap stock, hardly covered by any analysts, there is generally more of an opportunity for mispricing as there is less activity to push the stock closer to fair value. Is there still an opportunity here to buy? Lets examine HMS Networkss valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if theres still a bargain opportunity. View our latest analysis for HMS Networks What's the opportunity in HMS Networks? HMS Networks appears to be overvalued by 33.85% at the moment, based on my discounted cash flow valuation. The stock is currently priced at kr188 on the market compared to my intrinsic value of SEK140.76. Not the best news for investors looking to buy! But, is there another opportunity to buy low in the future? Since HMS Networkss share price is quite volatile, this could mean it can sink lower (or rise even further) in the future, giving us another chance to invest. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for how much the stock moves relative to the rest of the market. What kind of growth will HMS Networks generate? OM:HMS Past and Future Earnings, June 14th 2019 Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 58% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for HMS Networks. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. What this means for you: Story continues Are you a shareholder? HMSs optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading above its fair value. However, this brings up another question is now the right time to sell? If you believe HMS should trade below its current price, selling high and buying it back up again when its price falls towards its real value can be profitable. But before you make this decision, take a look at whether its fundamentals have changed. Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on HMS for a while, now may not be the best time to enter into the stock. The price has surpassed its true value, which means theres no upside from mispricing. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for HMS, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors in order to take advantage of the next price drop. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on HMS Networks. You can find everything you need to know about HMS Networks in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in HMS Networks, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. 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. Investing.com - Oil prices rose on Friday in Asia after two oil tanker ships off the coast of Iran were attacked. It wasn't clear who was responsible for the latest hit. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran for the attacks, calling the Islamic Republic "a threat to international peace and stability". An Iranian official was quoted saying by BBC that Tehran had "nothing to do" with the attacks. U.S. Crude Oil WTI Futures were up 0.4% to $52.47 by 12:40 AM ET (04:40 GMT). International Brent Oil Futures gained 0.7% to $61.72. Oil prices were under pressure earlier this week after weekly data showed another big jump in U.S. crude stockpiles. Ongoing demand fears amid Sino-U.S. trade tension were also cited as a headwind. In other news, OPEC on Thursday cut its forecast for oil demand growth in 2019 from 1.21 million barrels per day (bpd) to 1.14 million bpd. The cartel noted that significant downside risks from escalating trade disputes spilling over to global demand growth remain. In my opinion, this is significant news and should not be faded though its not very impressive that we have yet to even surpass yesterdays losses, said Scott Shelton, energy futures broker at ICAP (LON:NXGN) in Durham, N.C. Get ready for lots of misinformation and media coverage that know very little about oil which will only add to the volatility. Elsewhere, citing Russian energy minister Alexander Novak, Japans Nikkei newspaper reported that OPEC and other producers including Russia are in talks to cooperate on oil supplies on a long-term basis. Related Articles OPEC, Russia nearing accord on long term oil supply coordination: Nikkei Oil Set for Weekly Drop as Tanker Attacks Can't Dispel Trade Woe U.S. Says Video Shows Iran Was Involved in an Attack on Tanker Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. By Moses Ndhaye A section of local economists has poked holes in the over 40 trillion shilling budget read yesterday by finance minister Matia Kasaija will not address the countrys sticking issues such as unemployment. The 2019/20 budget shot up from 32.7trillion shillings to 40.5trillion shillings in the just ending financial year. According to senior development economist Dr.Fred Muhumuza, although the economy is projected to grow at a rate of 6%, majority of the population will not benefit from this growth. He says this is because, the industries being created are not creating the 600 jobs which the country needs to create annually. He says what is required is to ensure that emphasis is put on the agriculture sector which employs 70% of the population, Dr Muhwumuza was speaking a post budget breakfast meeting organised by Ernst and Young Prestigious Grant Award from the State of Colorado Will Help Fund Product Development Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catalyst Space Accelerator is proud to announce that one of their current cohort companies has received a $250,000 grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Accelerator (AIA) Grant Program. Opterus Research and Development, Inc. is a current participant in the Catalyst Space Accelerator Resilient Commercial Space Communication Cohort, now in session at the Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs. Headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, Opterus creates and manufactures critical components for spacecraft structures, some of which were successfully flown on eight space units in 2018. Opterus provides complete coverage from initial sketch to engineering design and simulation, prototyping and manufacturing, through testing and flight delivery. Opterus proposal to OEDIT consisted of a co-funded program to enhance flight hardware manufacturing capabilities with equipment upgrades and process improvements. As a result, the company has been awarded a two-year Early Stage Capital and Retention Grant to execute the program. Grant funds will advance Opterus deployable antenna commercialization programs. "The funding will prove vital to achieving our most ambitious technology development goals," said Thomas Murphey, Opterus's Chief Executive Officer. "Best of all, we're thrilled to see the State of Colorado demonstrating so much confidence in our efforts and progress." As stated on the OEDIT website regarding Opterus, The Aerospace Industry is shifting towards smaller satellites to reduce launch costs, driving the use of more on orbit deployment technologies to expand solar arrays, RF antennas, sails, etc. This great challenge is also an opportunity: High Strain Composites from Opterus expand by over 200x and are more reliable and lower cost than competing technologies. HSCs are stiff, yet flexible materials revolutionizing the Aerospace Industry by replacing traditional mechanisms. Catalyst Space Accelerator is thrilled that another participating company has received a significant monetary award to further their research. To date, since the inception of the inaugural cohort in early 2018, cohort alumni have won a total of ten Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, an OEDIT Advanced Industries Accelerator grant in the same round as Opterus, and two alumni have won or become a subcontractor to very large contracts, one from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and one from NASA. For more information on joining upcoming Catalyst Space Accelerator cohorts, visit https://catalystaccelerator.space/#program. * About Catalyst Space Accelerator The AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate Catalyst Accelerator is a Space-focused defense and national security industry accelerator. Headquartered on the Catalyst Campus, a collaborative ecosystem in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Catalyst Space Accelerator is a public-private partnership hosted by the Center for Technology, Research, and Commercialization (C-TRAC), Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI), the Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) TechSource, Space Capital Colorado, and the Colorado Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory to provide a robust, mentor-driven curriculum for accelerator teams. https://catalystaccelerator.space Story continues Attachment Lora Premo Catalyst Space Accelerator 7196596418 Press.Release@catalystcampus.org By Ritah Kemigisa The head of the state house Anti-corruption Unit Lt. Col Edith Nakalema has spoken out on the raid by her team on the offices of Bank of Uganda. In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, Nakalema says her team together with police criminal investigations department are carrying out a special investigation regarding the central banks procurement and supply chain activities. She adds that the investigation was prompted by a tip off from Governor Bank of Ugandan Tumusiime Mutebile. Nakalema adds that a number of senior officials from the bank, customs and Civil Aviation Authority personnel are being questioned. The government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo says the president is aware of the investigation and he okayed it. Central Bank Governor Tumusiime Mutebile has also confirmed the investigation saying they are committed in ensuring the integrity of their operations. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman Thursday and said the incidents are part of a campaign to escalate tension, sending markets lower at the time of his remarks. The secretary of state said he instructed the U.S. ambassador to raise the Iran issue before the U.N. Security Council. Two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the world's most sensitive oil transportation choke point, came under attack Thursday. U.S. officials were quick to blame Iran, but Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif denied responsibility and described the attacks as suspicious. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY) ended Thursday higher by 0.41%. Related Links: Oil Prices Moving Following Reports Of Tanker Attacks Near Iran Oil Tankers Attacked In Gulf Of Oman: How The World Is Reacting Photo by Dustin Blitchok. See more from Benzinga 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. According to a source close to Renault, the company's chairman Jean-Dominique Senard will sit on Nissan's new appointments committee, and CEO Thierry Bollore will sit on the audit committee (AFP Photo/LOIC VENANCE) French officials rejected Thursday any blame for the abandoned tie-up of Renault and the US-Italian automaker Fiat Chrysler, a day after Renault's chairman said the government had blocked a vote on a deal that would have upended the global automotive industry. "We did not derail the wedding between Renault and Fiat," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told France Info radio ahead of a meeting with Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Senard. Senard told shareholders at Renault's AGM on Wednesday that board directors representing the French state, which owns 15 percent of the carmaker, had demanded more time to study the tie-up. In particular the government wanted to clarify the future role of Renault's Japanese partners Nissan and Mitsubishi, which had been informed only at the last minute of the potential mega-merger with Fiat. "Rarely have I seen a merger project able to produce such significant synergies, and without having negative consequences in terms of jobs and livelihoods," Senard told shareholders. He also revealed that it was Le Maire himself who suggested he reach out to Fiat executives on a possible deal. But just over a week after proposing a merger that got a warm welcome from Renault and its investors, Fiat's president John Elkann said trying to push ahead with the deal would be "unreasonable". The deal's sudden collapse was a stunning blow to Senard, who was brought in just months ago to help get the carmaker back on track after the shock arrest of former Renault and Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn last November in Tokyo. Renault officials later had to deny claims he was considering resigning over the matter. - 'Didn't veto' - But Le Maire said Thursday that the French state, which owns 15 percent of Renault's stock, "didn't veto the project." "We simply asked, after seeing that Nissan was not going to give its backing, for five more days to study the operation," he said. Story continues Le Maire defended his request for more time as "reasonable," saying the scope of the merger "required that the Japanese partner be associated with it and in the end in favour of it." "Our strategy has always been... the reinforcement of the Renault-Nissan alliance. It's at the heart of Renault's as well as Nissan's profitability. We're not going to change our strategy every five minutes," he said. He later met with Senard at the finance ministry to discuss the automaker's strategy going forward. "They had an excellent discussion regarding the future of both Renault and the alliance" with Nissan and Mitsubishi, an official in Le Maire's cabinet told AFP. "Le Maire renewed his confidence in Senard and reiterated that the goal is to consolidate the alliance with Nissan," he said. Renault declined to comment on the meeting, acknowledging only that the two men had spoken regularly, including before Wednesday's AGM. - Try again? - Senard did not rule out trying again to reach a deal with Fiat Chrysler, telling shareholders that "to my mind, this project remains a remarkable and exceptional proposal". "As to what the future holds, I can't say," he added. The merger would have created the world's third-largest automaker, surpassing both Volkswagen and Toyota in annual vehicle sales. But including Renault's alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi, it would have been an industry behemoth selling some 15 million cars and trucks a year. A combination would also have allowed them to pool investments into costly electric motor and autonomous driving technologies, an area where Renault has spent aggressively while Fiat has lagged behind. It's a key challenge for the industry as governments worldwide tackle carbon emissions and the mobility challenges stemming from rapid urbanisation. A merger would also have bulked up their positions in Europe, while giving Renault access to the crucial North American market and Fiat a foothold in Latin America, Russia and Asia. ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) - OPEC and non-OPEC producers should raise oil production starting from the second half of the year to balance the market and keep prices at an acceptable level, Alexander Dyukov, the head of Russia's Gazprom Neft, said on Friday. An oil price at $55-$65 per barrel is "acceptable" for Russian producers, he told reporters, adding that the company is ready to quickly restore its oil output, curbed by a global agreement. His comments add to the pressure on the Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, who said on Monday that he could not rule out a scenario in which oil prices could fall to $30 per barrel if the global oil deal was not extended. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other large oil producing countries led by Russia - known as OPEC+ - agreed to withhold their combined oil output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) from Jan.1 and until the end of June. Their next meeting is due to take place in Vienna at the end of June or early July. Saudi Arabia, the OPEC kingpin, has said that all the participants in the agreement except Russia have agreed to extend it until the end of this year. "I think some quotas increase for the countries, involved in the OPEC+ agreement, would be acceptable," Dyukov said. Gazprom Neft could restore production to 1 million tonnes annually, or 20,000 barrels per day, and add another 1 million tonnes by the end of the year. Gazprom Neft, the oil business of gas giant Gazprom, is Russia's fastest-growing oil producer in terms of output. Speaking at the annual general meeting earlier on Friday, Dyukov also said that the company plans to boost its dividend payout to 50% of net income in the medium term. Dyukov said the company was interested in expanding in Iraq, where it is developing the Badra field, adding that it is looking at the Mansuriyah gas field near the Iranian border. Iraq's government is expected to launch a tender to develop the field this year. Story continues Gazprom Neft said earlier this month that it would set up a joint venture with Shell to develop an oil field in Yamal peninsula, estimated to hold reserves of around 1.1 billion tonnes of oil. Vadim Yakovlev, Gazprom Neft's first deputy CEO, said its initial investment is seen at 100 billion roubles, with plans to increase it. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Andrey Kuzmin) FILE PHOTO: Staff members work at the booth of Royal Dutch Shell at Gastech, the world's biggest expo for the gas industry, in Chiba (Reuters) - Shell Energy Retail's top boss apologised to customers after Britain's energy regulator ordered the utility to compensate around 12,000 customers it overcharged on default tariffs after a price cap was introduced this year. Ofgem said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20190614:nRSN1623Ca Shell Energy Retail Ltd, previously known as First Utility, will pay 200,000 pounds ($253,520) in addition to the refund to its consumer redress fund, bringing the total payment to 390,000 pounds. This is the first such action against a company for overcharging since the price cap on default energy bills came into force on Jan. 1. The price cap was aimed at saving households about a billion pounds a year following a government promise to tackle what it had called "rip-off" prices. Shell Energy Retail overcharged a sum of 100,737 pounds collectively above the level of the price cap between January and March this year, Ofgem's said. "We'd like to apologise to all customers who were temporarily out of pocket," Shell Energy Retail Chief Executive Officer Colin Crooks said in an e-mail to Reuters. Crooks said the company had a small number of customers on fixed-price default tariffs to whom it didn't apply the capped rates since most of those customers would have been better off remaining on their existing tariff. "However, we recognise that there were some who would have been better off on the capped rates or who suffered a delay in changing their payment method," he added. Ofgem said it decided not to take formal enforcement action since the company addressed its failings. ($1 = 0.7889 pounds) (Reporting by Muvija M and Shariq Khan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) The sweeping possibilities of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) were evident from the time they were envisioned. However, their relevance in commercial use cases had largely been non-existent until recently, as the technologies powering such systems were hazy at best. However, with the rise of machine learning and vision intelligence, UAS or "drones" as they are popularly known, have returned to mainstream attention with hundreds of millions of dollars being pumped into the UAS industry to develop drones and the affiliated ground infrastructure. Building up a new ecosystem from scratch requires the government to establish regulations, especially since UAS will have to coordinate movements with existing conventional aircraft. Several state governments across the U.S. are taking the initiative in this regard, but none have been as proactive as North Dakota, which has steadily laid claim to being one of the primary launching spots for drone technology. In May, the North Dakota legislature passed a bill that channels $33 million towards the UAS industry. Of that, $28 million will be used to set up a statewide air traffic control system for UAS, $3 million to upgrade the existing UAS infrastructure, and the remaining $2 million will be used for operations at the state's Northern Plains UAS Test Site. Though the choice for UAS testing would predictably lie near the West coast, as it has a higher density of companies working in the space, North Dakota is relevant considering its natural disposition towards hosting UAS test sites. Just as Arizona's environmental conditions favor pilot runs of autonomous vehicles, North Dakota's sparse population of less than 800,000 and temperature conditions ranging between sweltering summers and freezing winters are perfect for testing unmanned drones. The state's very low population density has led to the state having no restricted air spaces, making it an attractive prospect for companies looking to test their UAS prototypes. According to the UAS Test Site website, North Dakota was chosen as a primary testing ground for UAS because in addition to its favorable flying conditions, it also showed significant commitment from its political leadership and key business decision makers. Story continues At the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, the existing infrastructure will be bolstered, and a combination of radar and radio transmissions will be used to track and control drones. "When a manned airplane is out flying, the pilot or can look out the cockpit window to look for other airplanes and if one is seen, it can be avoided," said Nicholas Flom, the executive director of the test site. "When a UAS is up there we have to have the same type of capabilities to fly in these airspaces with manned airplanes. We have to have the ability to detect an airplane [or other UAS] out there so that we can avoid it." North Dakota is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to remove flying limitations within the state, but a full-fledged network rollout will eventually be dictated by the federal government. For now, North Dakota has eliminated UAS risks on an individual use case basis, with drones getting the nod on flying over pipelines and utility lines. Nonetheless, the tougher challenge would be to navigate through regulations pertaining to "beyond visual line of sight" (BVLOS), a concept that allows unmanned aircraft to fly beyond a visually observable distance. This is a huge deal as all drones fall under the concept, and companies are required to get special waivers from the FAA to fly BVLOS, with these waivers not easy to come by. A great deal of research on safety and precautions will have to be carried out in the BVLOS space, to make sure drones meet regulatory standards and create a positive public perception. North Dakota has walked the talk in that regard, financing close to $77 million for its UAS ecosystem an investment that can be expected to bear fruit in the near future. Image sourced from Pixabay See more from Benzinga 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. By Moses Kyeyune. Ugandas formal exports to the East African Community partner states have been on the rise, increasing to 4.7 trillion shillings from 1.6 trillion shillings in just eight years. According to the Trade and Investment Report by the ministry of Finance, Ugandas exports to the rest of the regional players was 425.2 million US-Dollars in 2010, but jumped to 1.3 billion US Dollars by the end of December 2018. The report indicates that exports to Kenya and South Sudan registered the fastest growth. For instance, exports with Kenya jumped from 180 million US Dollars in 2010 to 580 million in 2018, reflecting a growth value of 1.5 trillion Uganda shillings. Trade with Burundi and Tanzania remained relatively low, below 380 billion shillings while exports to Rwanda averaged at 800 billion shillings. The East African Community remains the leading destination for Uganda exports, which are largely composed of unprocessed agricultural products. * "Deal of the Century" challenges Jordan's internal balance * Many Jordanians reject leaked details of plan * Some Jordanians hope deal could bring prosperity By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, June 14 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah reacts angrily to any suggestion that he might accept a U.S. deal to end the Arab-Israeli conflict that would make his country a homeland for Palestinians. Speaking to the armed forces in March, he rejected the idea of Jordan as an alternative state for Palestinians, saying: "Don't we have a voice in the end?" Already facing economic discontent at home, Abdullah must navigate diplomatic moves by his U.S. allies that are upturning a regional status-quo that has underpinned Jordan's internal politics and foreign relations for decades. After Israel's creation in 1948 Jordan absorbed more Palestinians than any other country, with some estimates that they now account for more than half the population. Any changes to the international consensus on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and Palestinian refugees' right of return to what is now Israel and the Palestinian territories, long buttressed by U.S. policy, therefore reverberate harder in Jordan than anywhere else. U.S. President Donald Trump's long-promised "Deal of the Century" to resolve the conflict is still secret, though leaked details suggest it dumps the idea of a full Palestinian state in favour of limited self-rule in part of the Occupied Territories, which would undermine Palestinians' right to return. It envisages an expansion of Gaza into part of northern Egypt, under Egyptian control, with Palestinians also having a smaller share of the West Bank and some areas on the outskirts of Jerusalem and no control over their borders, the leaks say. Jordanian fears about what the plan portends for the region, for their Palestinian citizens, and for the politics of their own country, have been aggravated by Trump's readiness to upturn U.S. policy. Story continues American officials deny contemplating making Jordan a Palestinian homeland, pushing it to take a role in governing parts of the West Bank or challenging the right of King Abdullah's dynasty to custodianship of Jerusalem's holy sites. But Trump's radical approach to the issue, and recent statements by his ambassador to Israel that it had a right to annex some of the West Bank have done little to assuage Jordanian concerns. PALESTINIANS IN JORDAN Few subjects in Jordan are more politically charged than the role, presence and future there of Palestinians. The issue is so sensitive that the government publishes no data on how many of its 8 million citizens are also of Palestinian descent, though a recent U.S. congressional report put it at more than half. Despite the U.S. denials, Jordanians fear that Trump is returning to an old Israeli theme: that Jordan is Palestine and that is where the Palestinians of the West Bank should go. It could not have come at a worse time for the 57-year-old Abdullah, whose country is facing economic challenges that led to protests and a change of government last year. While many Palestinians are integrated in Jordan, and many descendants of refugees have never set foot in their original homeland, some native Jordanians have never acknowledged that they will stay permanently. They fear Trump's plan could alter the demography and politics of a nation shaped by the presence of Palestinians, who hold full citizenship but are marginalised and seen as a political threat by some people of Jordanian descent. But Abdullah's decision that Jordan should attend an economic conference that is part of the U.S. plan showed that despite mounting alarm at home, Amman cannot ignore pressure from richer, more powerful allies in the West and the Gulf. INTERNAL WORRIES Maintaining unity between citizens of Jordanian and Palestinian descent has been critical to the ruling family's role as a unifying force in a country where tribal and clan loyalties hold sway. The king is already facing anger from the "Herak" opposition, drawn from Jordanians of native descent, who say Trump's plans will tear apart a state patronage system that has cemented their own loyalty to the monarchy. Retired army officers have held small weekly protests in opposition to a deal. "No to eroding our national identity and dismantling the state," said Saad Alaween, a prominent Herak dissident, referring to the deal. Some warn the monarch not to accept a plan that could give their compatriots of Palestinian origin more political rights in an electoral system tilted in favour of native Jordanians. Rumours that the plan could lead to Jordan taking in Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Syria, or that it would merge with a rump of Palestinian territory in bits of the West Bank, have also led to alarm. In a sign of his concerns, the king has even met lawmakers from the once outcast Islamist movement in an attempt, say officials, to win the backing of the largest opposition grouping with support in large cities and Palestinian camps. "Trump wants to buy and sell Jordan and create a new regime. We are behind the king in opposing this," said Muraed al-Adaylah, head of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. Abdullah also inspired a shake-up in the intelligence establishment - long seen as a guardian of Jordan's stability - to solidify the internal front and mitigate any fallout from the deal in the months to come, insiders say. In the army - whose loyalty to the crown is deeply meshed with Jordanian national identity - there are also signs of concern. "Jordan is a country that has sovereignty and history, and will say its word at the right moment," said General Mahmoud al-Friehat, the army's chief of staff. FOREIGN PRESSURE Jordan's long-term strategic and economic policy is based on close relations with the West and the Gulf - an approach that underlay its decision to make peace with Israel in 1994. Abdullah has made repeated visits to Washington, where officials say he was not told details of the White House plan. That has only accentuated the sense of alarm among a political establishment that sees a day of reckoning coming with Trump's deal, two officials and a politician said. The royal palace has pointed to demonstrations in dozens of rural towns and cities as a message to Washington that it cannot impose a solution that permanently settles Palestinians in Jordan against its will. Jordan has traditionally turned to monarchies in the Gulf to shore up its economy. However, their focus has shifted to their rivalry with Iran, cutting financial support and leaving Jordan more exposed than ever. "Our Gulf allies are too beholden to Washington ... to extend the level of support that can help us withstand the growing pressures," said a senior official. Although Jordan will join the conference to roll out the economic parts of Trump's plan, it will deliver a message there that no cash offers can replace a political solution to end Israel's occupation of the West Bank, officials say. Still, some think economically challenged Jordan could profit from any plan that promises billions in aid and project finance. Some businessmen have already positioned themselves to benefit and this month a prominent MP, Fawaz al-Zubi, said Jordanians should be open-minded about anything they could gain from it. In the camps where 2.2 million of Jordan's registered refugees live, bitter realism seems to prevail. Ibrahim Anabtawi, a second-generation refugee with six children, said that like others in the camp he had dug up old United Nations ration cards to prove their rights in case any new deal offered compensation. "I won't forget I am a Palestinian or give up the right of return," said Anabtawi. But he added: "I have been persecuted all this time and no one stood by us. I now want anything that this deal and Trump offers." (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi Editing by Angus McDowall and Giles Elgood) WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed this week's attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in a phone call on Friday, the White House said, adding that Trump thanked Abe for Abe's effort to facilitate talks with Iran. Trump and Abe also spoke about the two countries' trade negotiations and Trump's upcoming travel to the Group of 20 summit in Japan, the White House said. (Reporting by Alexandra Alper and Roberta Rampton; Writing by Makini Brice Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) By David Awori In the wake of the outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Kasese district in Western Uganda, Kenyan health officials at the Uganda Kenya border are on high alert. Health officials have been deployed at both the Busia and Malaba borders for compulsory health screening of all travelers entering Kenya from Uganda. Dr.Isaac Omeri, the Busia Kenya county health and sanitation chief officer says they have enhanced screening activities for travelers, checking their temperatures and asking the travel history. Julius Arusayi, the port health officer Busia Kenya says they were having challenges of some travelers objecting to the screening. Kenya police at some point had to be used to compel the travelers to go for screening . He says after screening the travelers are given clearance cards before being allowed to enter Kenya. Early this week, the health ministry confirmed that two people had so far succumbed to Ebola in Kasese. The United States has blamed Iran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concern about the U.S.-Iranian confrontation. With no diplomatic relations between the two countries, no serious dialogue is underway despite efforts by other countries to mediate. While clearly the video that weve seen with the border long side removing the excess limpet mine off the ship that didnt explode, thats one piece of it, I think we still have much more steps to take because we need to figure out how did they get it there? Who put it on there and why are they engaged in this kind of activity before we really get the international community engaged on this issue, former Commander of the USS Cole Kirk Lippold said on Mornings with Maria Friday. There is no place in the world more important for the global supply of oil than the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a key route of the global oil market. According to the United States Energy Information Administration, separating the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iran, is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, but the width of the shipping lane in either direction is only two miles wide. Persian Gulf oil exportersIraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatarshipped almost 22 million barrels per day of oil and products through the strait in the first half of 2018, which is roughly 20 percent of the global oil market according to EIA. Iran is the one creating this problem in an international waterway where clearly a large chuck of the oil goes through there. Im sure that the analysts over at the office of naval and intelligence are looking at what assets are available in what ports. Whos moved, whos out in the Gulf, what ships and boats are out there operating, what are their movements appear to be, what are the vulnerability of the ships, where are these tankers and where have they been and where could the Iranians have possibly gotten that on board, Commander Lippold. Story continues Hours after the explosions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the incident as a "blatant assault" and said the U.S. had concluded Iran was responsible for targeting the Norwegian-owned and Japanese-owned ships along the vital oil transit route near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Pompeo cited intelligence reporting, recent similar incidents and the sophisticated nature of the attacks. Iran has denied being involved, accusing the U.S. instead of waging an Iranophobic campaign against it. While Iran has denied being involved in the attack, Tehran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the Tanker War, when U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region. Given how Iran runs, how can you have a false flag operation when they have gaged in this type of activity literally for decades. So, if this is going on within Iran, this is clearly because you have mullahs that are interior to Iran that are causing this problem to exist, Lippold said. Now, it is building that case where we get the rock-solid proof to show that Iran is behind this so that other nations can begin to apply both economic and diplomatic pressure so that military becomes an option of that last resort if we have to do it. How should American government and allies around the world respond? It was more of a broadcast signal than anything else. Putting a squad of B-52s there, putting an aircraft carrier strike group with all the chips there that is merely one foot in the door, Lippold said. We could not anyway meaningfully engage Iran with just those assets that are there right now. It would take a lot more investment in the region, plus I dont believe the United States should be doing it alone. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP Lippold urges the U.S. to provide the international community with a larger landscape of Irans actions to garner support. Whats happening and the danger Irans action that this is a danger because if we do not take action on this as the United States to hold Iran accountable for what is going on in the international waterway, what signal might that be sending to China when it comes to the South China Sea and the militarization of that area?, he said. This is an international waterway, people have a right of innocent passage to transit through there. We need to keep the flow of oil going for the worlds economies. Related Articles For Immediate Release Chicago, IL June 14, 2019 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Altice USA, Inc. ATUS, Ciena Corporation CIEN, ADTRAN, Inc. ADTN, Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. ZAYO and AT&T Inc T. Here are highlights from Thursdays Analyst Blog: Telecom Stock Roundup: ATUS, CIEN, ADTN & More In the past five trading days, telecom stocks flattered to deceive as an initial uptrend was replaced by a steady decline, as the Trump administration decided to up the ante against China, buoyed by the self-declared victory against Mexico. The stocks went on an initial flurry as the U.S. government dropped plans to impose 5% tariff on all Mexican goods after its Mexican counterpart promised to step up measures to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. However, the Sino-U.S. trade war continued to brew with no visible respite in the near term as both countries remained firm in their positions. Riding on the success of the coercive tools employed against Mexico, Trump asserted in his usual rhetoric that the United States would look forward to imposing higher tariffs on additional import items to bring the communist nation back to the negotiating table. Although a meeting between the two state heads is likely to take place at the G20 summit, any probable solution is unlikely to be reached in a one-off interaction. China has even warned that it is ready to fight a prolonged tariff war and would retaliate if the United States goes ahead with a fresh tariff regime. Meanwhile, the technology warfare between the two nations, with Huawei at the centerstage, took a fresh turn as the White House Office of Management and Budget informed the Congress that it would abide by a two-year deadline to ban federal contracts of companies that continue to deal with the Chinese smartphone manufacturer. Despite a cumbersome process that involves third-party suppliers and contractors, it pledged to enforce the multifaceted push against Huawei to safeguard national interests. Story continues The industry suffered another blow when attorneys from 10 states filed lawsuits to prevent the proposed merger of T-Mobile US and Sprint on grounds that it would lead to a monopolistic market. The lawsuits are likely to further delay the merger that is already stuck in regulatory clearance, leading to uncertainty within the sector. However, the industry had something to cheer about when the Federal Communications Commission gave a legal greenlight to leading carriers to create tools to block suspected spam calls on behalf of their subscribers. The purported move is likely to offer subscribers peace of mind against alleged robocallers that recorded about 4.7 billion calls alone in May 2019. Regarding company-specific news, acquisitions, earnings, strategic deals and footprint expansion primarily took the center stage over the past five trading days. Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories 1. Altice USA, Inc. recently completed the acquisition of Cheddar Inc., a live streaming financial news network, to augment its presence within the news domain. With this strategic buyout, Altice extended its portfolio of high-quality news coverage across digital, mobile and linear TV formats. Cheddar perfectly complements Altices hyperlocal and global news offerings that include the most watched news channel in the Optimum footprint News 12 Networks, and international and current affairs news network i24NEWS. The combination of Cheddar and Altice businesses will likely offer more opportunities for collaborative and complementary programs, thus fortifying its presence in the cut-throat news market. (Read more: Altice Concludes Cheddar Buyout to Extend News Footprint) 2. Ciena Corporation reported solid second-quarter fiscal 2019 (ended Apr 30, 2019) results, wherein both the top line and the bottom line surpassed the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate, and increased year over year. The performance was driven by market share gains on the back of technology leadership and diversified customer base in high-growth markets. Adjusted net income came in at $76.2 million or 48 cents per share compared with $33.8 million or 23 cents per share in the prior-year quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8 cents. Quarterly total revenues increased 18.5% year over year to $865 million, primarily driven by higher product sales. The top line surpassed the consensus estimate of $816 million. (Read more: Ciena Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Up Y/Y) 3. ADTRAN, Inc. has inked an agreement with ATC Communications, a family-owned rural local exchange carrier in Central Nebraska, to offer its SmartRG end-to-end network management solution to improve the broadband connectivity of the latter. ADTRAN will deploy the SmartRG full suite of software for ATC, including SmartRG Device Manager and SmartRG Smart Analytics. SmartRG Device Manager enables safe and remote configuration of network, utilizing a secure cloud-based deployment, while SmartRG Home Analytics facilitates operators to receive real-time and historical analysis of home network connectivity issues, with data collected directly from customer premises equipment. (Read more: ADTRAN SmartRG Devices to Power ATC Communications Network) 4. Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. has augmented its presence in Ohio with the expansion of the companys fiber network infrastructure in the region. The strategic move will enable the company to provide high-quality connectivity in order to support the seamless transition of enterprise and mobile carrier customers to 5G technology. The network expansion will add about 300 new route miles for Zayo in the Youngstown and Akron area, and complement its existing networks. The expanded network is expected to benefit regional business and enterprise customers with superior bandwidth facility for data-intensive content, streaming services and IoT applications. The densification of the fiber network will further help the company offer improved long-haul connectivity throughout the state, including the Cleveland/Akron/Pittsburgh corridor. (Read more: Zayo Boosts Ohio Footprint Through Fiber Network Expansion) 5. AT&T Inc.s advertising and analytics division Xandr recently unveiled an ad-buying platform, Xandr Invest, per Reuters. The latest move is aimed at attracting advertisers with exceptional access to the telecom behemoths customer data, while facilitating businesses to purchase ad space across varied formats. Xandr Invest is aligned to merge AT&Ts two different buyouts media company Time Warner and ad technology company AppNexus to grow its business beyond a wireless service provider. The platform includes an offering named programmatic guaranteed, which will likely enable advertisers to reserve ads on premium content that may have limited supply. (Read more: AT&T Brings Xandr Invest to Expand Advertising Footprint) Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. (ZAYO) : Free Stock Analysis Report ADTRAN, Inc. (ADTN) : Free Stock Analysis Report AT&T Inc. (T) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ciena Corporation (CIEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Altice USA, Inc. (ATUS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit. Although the Fremont District Courtroom may not seem like the ideal place for a graduation ceremony, on Tuesday it provided the perfect venue for two men to celebrate the culmination of their months long journey towards a better, sober life. The Sixth Judicial District Problem-Solving Court held graduation ceremonies in the courtroomat 428 N. Broad Streetearlier this week, where two men earned diplomas and recognition for completing the intensive program designed to supplant incarcaration for drug and other related offenses. Nebraskas Drug and Problem-Solving Courts have saved thousands of tax dollars, and the individuals served in the courts who have followed the programs have changed their lives and the lives of their loved ones for the better. Nebraska Supreme Court Committee on Problem-Solving Courts Chair, Judge Jim Doyle of Lexington, said. The previous philosophy of incarceration for all offenders has been replaced by community-based treatment programs that allow people to change the way they think and that requires people to be accountable for their actions without imprisonment. Problem-Solving Court is a minimum 18-month program where participants learn the skills to live a successful life free from drugs and alcohol. On Tuesday, both Richard Mangum and Tyler Flott II were recognized for their completion of the program. The graduation ceremony was hosted by Presiding Fremont District Court Judge Geoffrey Hall who provided word of encouragement to both men for their completion of the program. Both of you have gone through a lot and you have a lot to be proud of, Hall told Mangum and Flott II. Mangum, a Fremont native and sawyer for Christensen Lumber, faced his share of struggles during his time in the program. During his participation in the program he suffered a relapse, which he says was a turning point in his journey towards sobriety. I had a lifechanging event that sent me down a spiral and the first though on my mind was just to give up because that was the easy route, Mangum said. But I realized that wasnt the route I wanted to go and not the route I wanted my daughter to see. Hall says that prior to his relapse, Mangum just seemed to be going through the motionsbut afterwards the program took hold. There was a significant change in you, it really took hold and you should be proud of that, he said. Mangum said that after relapsing, the problem-solving court program changed in his mind from a punishment to an opportunity. It was the opportunity of the lifetime, he said. I could be going down a completely separate path and they gave me the chance to do this. I took the chance, it was a tough ride, but the outcome was well worth it. Dodge County Attorney Oliver Glass said he remembers Mangums relapse, and also thinking at that time that he would bounce back. Youre not the first person to relapse and you wont be the last, but its what you do after that occurs that is the real testament to your character, he said. While Mangums completion of the program was spurred by the motivation to be a good, and present role model for his four year old daughter, Flott IIs journey provided him an opportunity to re-enroll at Midland and earn a degree. I have a semester left so that was a big motivator, because I didnt want to feel like I threw four years away, he said. Flott II is an Omaha native who was attending Midland when he initially got into trouble. Now that he has completed the problem-solving court program he plans to re-enroll at Midland and finish his last semester to earn a degree in criminal justice. According to Hall, like Mangum he also saw a change in Flott II during his time in the programfrom being a follower to a leader. In some ways when you were involved in using I think you were more of a follower and now I think youve learned that you can be a leader and you dont have to be around a crowd that is going down that path, he said. Flott II says a driving factor behind his completion of the program was having the opportunity to learn from other people who were further along when he began. Learning from the people who have been in the program and seeing how they have changed their life I wanted to do the same, he said. The Sixth Judicial District Problem-Solving Court, like other Nebraska Problem-Solving Courts, operates under a team approach where a judge, prosecutor, defense counsel, community supervision officer, law enforcement, and treatment provider work together to design an individualized program. Compliance with treatment and court orders is verified by frequent alcohol and drug testing, close community supervision, and interaction with a judge during non-adversarial court review hearings. Problem-Solving Courts enhance close monitoring of participants using home and field visits. For Problem-Solving Court graduates, the ceremony marks the completion of an intensive program of comprehensive behavioral health treatment, community supervision, and full accountability. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 By Ruth Anderah High Court Judge Eva Luswata has allowed Rwenzuru King Charles Wesley Mumbere to travel Kasese district for burial of his late queen mother Christine Nyamukama Biira. According to her ruling the Omusinga is given 14 days and the order is specifically to attend burial and carry out cultural activities since he is the first born in the family. The king has however been barred from carrying out activities that may incite violence. This is after he filed an application before court seeking permission to bury his mother who passed on Tuesday 11th June. He is charged with various offenses including terrorism and murder that he allegedly committed in 2016. He earlier expressed his gratitude for the court decision. In January 2017 the Omusinga was released on bail and one of his bail conditions was restriction to the districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Jinja and he was also prohibited from accessing the districts of Kasese, Kabarole and Bundibugyo. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. In remote valleys in northern Pakistan, the Kalash minority celebrates spring's arrival with colorful dance and festivities, but locals say an influx of mostly male, camera-wielding visitors is threatening their unique traditions. BISHKEK -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has begun a summit in Bishkek that brings together leaders of the Eurasian political, economic, and security grouping. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, and the leaders of other SCO member states -- Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan -- were meeting behind closed doors on June 14 at Kyrgyzstan's official presidential residence for what Bishkek has described as "narrow format" talks. Those scheduled to attend later meetings on June 14 include the leaders of SCO observer states Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has said the summit would focus on expanding cooperation within the SCO on security, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, economic development, industry, and humanitarian cooperation. Ushakov said the leaders also would discuss the current situation in Afghanistan and the status of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers following the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement. He said Putin planned to explain Russia's approach toward reaching a peace settlement to the conflict in Syria. Ushakov also said Putin would talk with other SCO leaders about the "activities in the framework of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group." The SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group was established in 2005 but its activities were suspended in 2009. It resumed its activities in 2017. Putin also was scheduled to take part in a trilateral meeting with the Chinese president and Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga on the sidelines of the SCO summit on June 14. On June 13, after Jeenbekov met with China's president, the Kyrgyz leader said that the internment of ethnic Kyrgyz and other mostly Muslim indigenous people in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang was an "internal matter for China. After the summit in Bishkek concludes, Putin, Xi, Central Asian leaders, and senior officials from dozens of other countries will convene on June 15 in neighboring Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). With reporting by MIR and TASS 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. A heated debate takes place every year around Christmas time. Its not about which relatives house you should visit for the holidays, its a topic with greater importance. Its a question everyone wants to know the answer to but cant seem to agree on. Is the 1988 film Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, a Christmas movie? You voted: Col. Hope M. Williamson-Younce, second from left, prepares to assume command of the 627th Hospital Center during a change-of-command ceremony at the William Bill Reed Special Events Center May 29. Outgoing Commander, Col. Mark A. Stevens, right, passed the units colors to presiding official, Col. Robert F. Howe, left, 1st Medical Brigade commander, who then passed the colors to Williamson-Younce, signifying the change of command. (Army Photo) A pastor at Fellowship of the Rockies, a church with locations in Fountain and Colorado Springs, is accused of sending sexually explicit messages and pictures to a teenage girl whose family went to his church, an arrest affidavit shows. Stephen Houlihan, 28, was arrested June 7 on suspicion of attempted sexual assault of a child under 15 by one in a position of trust, internet luring of a child with intent to exploit and wholesale promotion of obscenity to a minor, all felonies, court records show. He posted $30,000 bond Monday. At this time, we are unaware of any other incidents involving Houlihan, Fountain police said in a news release. The girls family told police they had known Houlihan as a pastor for four to five years and trusted Houlihan, the affidavit says. The family went camping with Houlihan and his wife over Memorial Day weekend, and had gone to Mexico with them the last three years to build houses. In a June 6 interview with police, the girl said she had met Houlihan at church, where he does media and is a pastor who sometimes preaches on Sundays, the affidavit says. She turned 16 in May. The girl told police that their relationship changed recently they had been talking and became closer and now Stephen wanted more to do with her, the affidavit says. Then for her birthday, she went to his house to play games, and after that, he said he wanted to start doing more than hanging out. They kissed on multiple occasions, and Houlihan told the girl he wanted to have sex with her, the affidavit says. Houlihan and the girl primarily communicated on Instagram. He sent her a pictures of his genitals before her birthday because he wanted her to be happy and feel special, the affidavit says. The morning of June 5, the girls mother discovered the messages on her daughters phone and felt betrayed because the family knew him, the affidavit says. During an interview with police, Houlihan said that he and the girl had known each other for years, but they had grown close in the last month to month and a half, becoming best friends, being able to tell each other everything, the affidavit says. He admitted sending her suggestive messages, which he called a mistake, and that he had sent her more than one and less than five pictures of his genitals. He admitted kissing her twice on her birthday once when he picked her up and once when he took her home and said that the girl wanted to go all the way with him, the affidavit says. Houlihan began working at the church as a communications designer in June 2013, according to what appears to be his LinkedIn page. He apparently left in September 2015 before returning in January 2017 to be a worship pastor. He became a communications pastor in January 2018. Senior Pastor Stewart McWilliams confirmed that Houlihan had been a church employee for about five years. Most recently, he was directing all our communications. He also has served as a worship leader at both our Eighth Street and Fountain campuses, McWilliams said in an email. We were notified of our employees arrest last Friday evening and placed him on unpaid administrative leave until all the facts of the case are known. A photo by Manly Ormes of a cabin that once existed in Sesame Canon. FILE In this Saturday, June 23, 2018, file photo, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent walks between vehicles outside the Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas. Advocates were shocked to find an underage mom and her tiny, premature newborn daughter huddled in a Border Patrol facility the second week of June 2019, in what they say was another example of the poor treatment immigrant families receive after crossing the border. The mother is a Guatemalan teen who crossed the border without a parent and was held at a facility in McAllen, Texas, with other families with children. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) This is a long-form video of French professional mountain biker Yoann Barelli discussing and then riding each section of the Trespasser downhill mountain biking trail in Whistler, British Colombia -- allegedly one of the world's most difficult. He uses the word gnarly a lot, and it's appropriate. Even the path TO the trail looked like certain death to me, but I'm not a professional mountain biker. "But I thought you were good at everything." I am, I'm just not professional at anything, particularly doing my job. Keep going for the video, which is worth at least skipping around (3:55 and 8:00 for starters). Thanks again to my buddy CN, who offered to meet me in the woods this weekend so we can drink beer and throw sticks at each other, which I accepted because I know how to have a good time. A man accused of leading officers on a high-speed chase on Interstate 35 in Worth County while brandishing a handgun didn't surrender until a gas canister was launched into his car. Moses Francisco Cruz, 52, who is now in custody on felony charges, never fired his weapon during a chase and standoff that shut down the southbound lanes of I-35 near Northwood for several hours Tuesday afternoon, according to Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Keith Duenow. "He had it directed at his head most of the time," he said. Iowa law enforcement officers heard via radio traffic about Minnesota officers pursuing a vehicle driven by Cruz, who was allegedly pointing his gun at other motorists, according to court documents. Cruz's vehicle was spotted at the state line, and Iowa officers began their pursuit. Cruz's vehicle was traveling 95 mph during the chase, according to court documents. Law enforcement officers instructed him "many, many times" to put down his weapon, but he didn't comply, even when stopped by an armored vehicle, documents state. Officers launched a canister of gas into Cruz's vehicle, according to Duenhow. He then began to follow instructions and was taken into custody, court documents state. Cruz's fingerprints were checked for matches in the FBI database. "The fingerprints came back to multiple names and dates of birth that hold closely to the defendant's name and date of birth," court documents state. "It appears that he commonly has given false information to law enforcement throughout his life." Cruz is being held in the Worth County Jail on $10,000 cash bond on felony charges of interference with officials acts while armed and possession of a firearm by a felon. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of eluding law enforcement while driving 25 miles or more above the speed limit. Cruz has a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 20. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. As a way to keep citizens apprised of the larger projects that it's up to, Mason City officials maintain a "Capital Improvements Program" for current and forthcoming fiscal years. The program itself not only includes the relevant years for the specific project but also how much it will cost, what department it is for and what the justification is for it. For instance, a police building security project is listed in the program with a projected cost of $150,000 over one year. It's listed as being financed with the city's GO Bonds and is being done to allow for better surveillance of the building as well as increase parking. In the myriad projects, there are several water-related proposals that the city is planning, projecting or forecasting including a water main extension job along South Monroe. City Engineer Mark Rahm expounded on the rationale for these projects and helped give a little backstory as well. Remote Radio Read Water Meters Listed project cost: $1,000,000 (over five years listed) Year range: 2018-2023 What's it about: Installing remote radio read water meters in residential, business and industrial applications throughout the city. Insight from Rahm: Project was started in 2010 and this is the ninth year for it. The city is about halfway through the program and is looking to start in August and be done in nine months. Before that, remote read water meters have never been citywide they've just been a continuous maintenance issue. The change will mean that it won't be necessary to go to each business and house to do readings. Drill and develop Well #15 Listed project cost: $2,300,000 Year range: 2020-2021 What it's about: Drilling and developing a new well in the Georgia Hanford Park area to improve the water supply and pumping system. Insight from Rahm: This particular one is a future project. There hasn't been a well in the Georgie Hanford Park area before. A regional study of the Jordan aquifer is currently wrapping up that will help the city to determine, in the future, where to set up well locations. It could be that the well ends up somewhere else. Water Main Replacement Project Listed project cost: $1,600,000 (over four years) Year range: 2019-2023 What it's about: Replacing deteriorated water mains in specific locations throughout Mason City. Insight from Rahm: This one is more of a generalized project that can contains two projects. There is the water main replacement on South Monroe as well as the restoration of the water main at Sixth Street Southwest (under the UP Railroad) that is starting up soon. South Monroe should be for about $130,000 while Sixth Street Southwest should be for about $90,000. Storm Water Subdrain Listed project cost: $900,000 (over five years). Year range: 2018-2023 What it's about: Installing subdrain and storm water related materials that should allow for residents to connect sump pumps to the city's storm system. Insight from Rahm: It picks up and deals with a number of issues which are smaller projects. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Pitas are back in town. Well, almost. Pita Pit is slated to reopen under new ownership in late June or early July at 616 S. Monroe Ave., in Mason City, said Paul Unsen, who purchased the franchise with his brother this spring. Were really excited to serve the patrons here in Mason City, he said. Ive heard such great things about how theyve supported Pita Pit in the past. The franchise, which was previously owned by Lee Olson, closed in August 2018. It was opened by Tom and Annette Cruse in 2008. Unsen and his brother A.J. were approached earlier this year about purchasing the shuttered location after they opened their first Pita Pit franchise in Dubuque in April 2018. Our Dubuque store does well, and ... now were going to venture on, start more, he said. Unsen and his wife, Nicole, a Mason City native, moved to River City with their 1-year-old son earlier this month to begin the remodeling of their new restaurant. The 2,000-square-foot space was far from opening ready Friday, but Unsen said it was progressing. The walls were recently painted Pita Pits signature red and green. Coca-Cola was scheduled to hook up their fountain machine. Arrangements had been made to reface the counters and tables, and interested candidates were starting to apply for part-time jobs. Itll come together pretty quick, and then, well be ready to make some pitas, Unsen said. Pita Pit, a Canada-based quick-service restaurant, offers artisan and custom breakfast, meat and vegetarian pitas, salads and gluten-free wraps. Bacon cheeseburger, steak fajita, Thai chicken and falafel are popular pitas at the brothers Dubuque location, which Unsens brother is operating. There are a lot of good menu items, Unsen said. Unsen anticipates the Pita Pit location will employ about 15 part-time employees. An opening date hasnt been determined yet, he said. The location will offer online ordering through the Pita Pit website as well as its mobile app. Catering and delivery will also be available. There will also be weekday specials and featured items as well as a grand opening. Unsen said hes looking forward to being a part of the business community. He worked at Carlos OKellys in Mason City for 19 years, including 10 as general manager. I love to be involved in the community, he said. There are a lot of businesses that can be partnered with. For more information about Pita Pit, visit www.pitapitusa.com. North Iowa Nine: What's happening in North Iowa (with photos) North Iowa Nine: What's happening in North Iowa (with photos) Surf presents free live music with its Summer Showcase Series Mid States Horse Show continues this weekend Yoga hike offered at Lime Creek Two weekend events planned at Pilot Knob State Park Mason City Public Library's summer StoryWalk combines reading with exercise Fresh on Fridays adds some color to your weekend Thursdays on Main continues in downtown Clear Lake Schedule a visit to Forest Citys Heritage Park Live artist demonstration featured at Mason City gallery Local Entertainment Photos: 2019 North Iowa Band Festival Every year, thousands of North Iowans flock to Mason City to celebrate Band Festival weekend. The four-day event includes live entertainment, Reach Reporter Ashley Stewart at 641-421-0533. Follow her on Twitter at GGastewart. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Clever science alone cannot prevent the next mass extinction We must accept that having more children is not in our interest as a species Camilla Cavendish We cannot win a war against water. So says the chair of the UK Environment Agency, warning that climate change may force homeowners in Britain to retreat from the coasts. Nor should we persist in our war against nature more broadly. That is the message of the UNs sober but devastating report into biodiversity, which warns that human overpopulation is harming the very plant and animal species on which we rely for survival. Its hard to get ones head around the UN forecast that up to 1m of the planets estimated 8m species now face extinction. The assessment says that our dominant species is now eroding the ecosystems that form the foundations of our economies and our quality of life. The debate is no longer simply about ethics and cuddly polar bears. It has become about self-interest and the need to preserve those ugly but essential creatures, insects and nematodes, which are vital to pollination and soil fertility. Perhaps, as a result, it will gain more traction. A background level of extinction, an ebb and flow of species, is perfectly normal. Some species die out because they are poorly adapted; some vanish without us ever having been aware of their struggle for survival. But mass extinctions are different they swallow both the fit and the unfit. Five such events have been especially devastating. The most recent was at the end of the Cretaceous period, 65m years ago. It wiped out not just the dinosaurs, but 75 per cent of all species. Now we face what some scientists believe will be the sixth mass extinction one brought about by humans. The forecasts are not at Cretaceous levels yet, but they are deeply alarming. Scientists have catalogued only a small fraction of all species. We know far too little about which bricks in the pile might, if removed, topple whole structures. Clever science cannot turn this tide. Far-sighted organisations have already created gene banks, seed banks and zoological reserves. But, in the long term, species can only survive in the wild. Complex ecosystems are extremely hard to recreate once damaged. In her book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Elizabeth Kolbert has vividly described the vain struggles to save species ahead of the extinction wave. She writes of ecologists visiting Panama and Costa Rica, trying and failing to salvage the golden toad and 19 other amphibians. She has trudged with biologists through the Adirondacks in the US, where once commonplace bats were suddenly dying. She describes ecosystems upended not only by farming, logging and fishing, but also by trade, travel and science. Doctors using the African clawed frog to develop pregnancy tests have unwittingly spread a fatal fungal disease among frog species in Central America. What is striking about these experiences is how swiftly tipping points can be reached and how powerless we are to respond. We are out of our depth trying to fathom or control the biospheres complex connections. It is hard to disentangle the threat to species from climate change, for example, because each problem exacerbates the other. Species find it harder to survive as temperatures warm and a loss of peat bogs, rainforests and other carbon sinks accelerate the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. According to the UN report, coral reefs could shrink by at least 70 per cent if the world warms by a further 0.5C or virtually disappear by 1C. Our slowness to appreciate the danger seems strange, when scientists have been warning of it for decades, and when human impact is so glaring. The UN says that about three-quarters of the land, two-thirds of our oceans and 85 per cent of wetlands have already been altered or lost. Yet modern life is increasingly disconnected from nature. We move to cities and entertain ourselves indoors. Fewer people notice depleted hedgerows, or that the swallows no longer nest. We waste food without knowing its provenance. We used to talk about food miles how far products had travelled. Now, we are inured to supermarket shelves of vegetables shipped around the globe in all seasons. These issues are almost too big to think clearly about. But we are poorly prepared partly because we long ago internalised the fact that the global population increase in the 20th century has been three times the level it had reached during all of previous human history, from 1.5bn in 1900, to 6.1bn in 2000. The population growth rate peaked in the 1960s, but the total is still growing, partly because sub-Saharan Africa is not following other continents in the trend of falling birth rates. There is some disagreement between the UN forecast of global population growing to 11bn in 2100, and that of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, which predicts the global population will peak at 9.4bn in 2070 and then decline. Whichever view you favour, it will clearly be a priority to help African countries adopt education programmes to slow population growth. Having more children is not in our interest as a species. But many governments worry about the impact of falling fertility on their own nations gross domestic product: Germany, Singapore, France and Poland pay baby bonuses to encourage couples to have children though a rather tasteless Danish campaign, urging couples to Do It For Denmark, doesnt seem to have worked. It is irresponsible to welcome the UN report with warm words, while promoting increases in population. We started a war with nature to survive. But if we do not call a truce now, the losers will be us. The writer, a senior fellow at Harvard University, is the author of Extra Time: Ten Lessons For An Ageing World Creeping Control Under the handover agreement negotiated with the United Kingdom prior to the former colonys return to China in 1998, Beijing was supposed to refrain from intervening in Hong Kongs political and economic affairs for 50 years. But the strength of the one country, two systems model supposedly guaranteeing Hong Kongs autonomy was always going to hinge on Beijings interest in upholding it. The city-state is just too strategically important, and potentially too big of a risk to the fragile political landscape on the mainland, for Beijing to keep its distance. As a result, concurrent with its tilt back toward authoritarianism on the mainland under current President Xi Jinping, Beijing has been quietly but inexorably asserting its authority over Hong Kong ever since reunification. This is driven, in some small part, by Chinas long memory of the humiliation that came with losing Hong Kong, with its naturally protected deep-water ports and location astride critical sea lanes in the South China Sea. But Beijings main concern today is that the city-state could be used to destabilize China. This can mean dissidents seeking to inspire (and fundraise for) mainland political movements or muckrakers circumventing Chinese media controls to make public the Communist Party leaderships dirty laundry. It can mean Chinese political rivals and tycoons hiding ill-gotten wealth from the long arm of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. It can mean firms using the Hong Kong financial system to undermine Beijings endless game of economic reform whack-a-mole . With China facing ever-intensifying competition with outside powers, its ability to snuff out potential foreign backing for its internal enemies via Hong Kong will become all the more important. Naturally, its in these areas where Beijing has been most assertive. In 2014, for example, it demanded the right to prescreen candidates running for Hong Kongs legislature. In 2015, Chinese authorities began abducting booksellers who were publishing (and smuggling into the mainland) books containing lurid claims about Xi and his cronies. In 2016, it intervened to remove two newly elected pro-independence lawmakers from their seats in the legislature. In 2017, Chinese-Canadian billionaire Xiao Jianhua was abducted from the Four Seasons and whisked to the mainland to await trial on corruption charges. Over the past year, Communist Party critics and foreign journalists have lost their visas, anti-Communist Party lectures have been shut down, and the legislature approved a plan ceding to Chinese authorities the right to enforce Chinese criminal laws at certain rail stations in the heart of Hong Kong. Several of these moves spawned mass protests in Hong Kong . Only once, following a 2013 attempt to insert communist propaganda into Hong Kong textbooks, did Beijing back down after concluding it had overreached by attempting to indoctrinate Hongkongers with the blunt tools it uses on the mainland. Every other time even in 2014, when as many as 500,000 protesters joined a monthslong occupation of central Hong Kong Beijing basically shrugged and waited for the movement to peter out, conceding nary an inch. And though the latest flare-up over the proposed extradition law may spawn yet another wave of demonstrations on a scale approaching 2014, the result is quite likely to be the same. Just Another Chinese City? Hong Kongs autonomy has long been an irritant, at minimum, to Beijing. For half a century after the communist takeover in Beijing, there wasnt much China could do about it and not just because the Royal Navy was camped out in Victoria Harbor for most of that time. The other problem for Beijing was how much it relied on Hong Kong as a gateway for trade, an indispensable source of finance, technology and institutional expertise, and as a sort of halfway house for foreign investors wary of the complications of doing business on the mainland. This gave Hong Kong considerable leverage over the terms of its relationship with Beijing and reason to believe during the handover negotiations that its autonomy would be respected, lest Beijing spook investors and erode international faith in the trajectory of Chinas opening. Meanwhile, Beijing also hoped that the success of one country, two systems would help coax Taiwan back into the fold. But today, Beijing just doesnt rely on the special administrative region as much as it once did. Chinese cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen the latters forest of skyscrapers now visible from the Hong Kong airport have grown to rival or even surpass Hong Kong in economic importance. In 1993, Hong Kongs economy was equal to 27 percent of Chinas gross domestic product. By 2017, this had shrunk to less than 3 percent. Last year, Shenzhens GDP alone surpassed that of Hong Kong. At handover, meanwhile, China accounted for around 36 percent of Hong Kongs trade; by 2016, it had surpassed 50 percent. China is hardly an easy place to do business, but thousands of foreign firms and investors in the country have found ways to get fabulously wealthy without Hong Kong anyway. Peaceful reunification with Taiwan , meanwhile, has become a pipe dream. Doug Casey on What Happens After the Next War By: Doug Casey International Man: The US government is actively at war in about half a dozen countries. Its eyeing new conflicts all the time. On the topic of getting involved in another war President Trump was reported to have said this about his National Security Advisor John Bolton: If it was up to John, we'd be in four wars now. What do you make of all this? Doug Casey: Where to start? Well, first of all, things are out of control. The US Government has become so big, so dysfunctional, and with its fingers in so many pies that anything can happen, unpredictably. Secondly, its extremely dangerous. Prodding lots of hornets nests guarantees youll be stungperhaps enough to put you in the hospital. Third, its extraordinarily expensive. And the US Government is already bankrupt. As you pointed out, the US is actively at war in right now in who knows how many countries including at least a half a dozen in Africa that nobody can find on a map. There are combat troops in probably 100 countries around the world. There are probably 800 bases around the world. These things are all just trip wires waiting for an accident or an incident to draw the country into a real war. So farat least since the misadventure in Vietnamthe US has just engaged in trouble-making exercises and sport wars. But the big thing on the horizon right now is Iran. This is hunting big game. One of the things that I most regret not having done in recent years was taking advantage of an all-expense paid junket, courtesy of the Iranian Ambassadors Polo Club, for the New Zealand Ambassadors Polo Club, of which I was member. It would have been wonderful to have seen three of the major Iranian cities and met some of the top people in the country while playing polo. I couldnt do it though, because I was injured at the time. The Iranian people have no negative animus towards the American people. The average Iranian likes the average American. He likes American cars, American music, American movies, American culture. He likes California girls. He likes everything about America. The way to change that and turn the average Iranian into an enemy is to send uniformed American teenagers there to destroy property and kill people. Thats exactly what morons like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are talking about. It could be a real catastrophe, because Iran is big game. It's not like hunting small game, like Iraq, Afghanistan and Syriawhich themselves were terrible catastrophes. If this gets out of controlaccidentally, or through a false flag incident, or simply because Bolton decides its a good ideayou could be looking at the start of World War III. The powers that be think that war stimulates the economy. But the idea is complete nonsense. These fools actually believe turning lots of cities into smoking ruins would stimulate the economy. International Man: The US government and mainstream media often justify these wars on the need to spread democracy. What do you make of that? Doug Casey: The idea of spreading democracy is a snare and a delusion. Democracy has become the new societal god. In factand I know most readers will be appalled to hear thisdemocracy is a bad idea. At least for anything larger than a city-state with a small, cohesive population. First of all, democracy is simply mob rule dressed up in a coat and tie. Its where a bunch of peoplewho are marginally competent at running their own individual livesgo to a voting booth to have what H.L. Mencken termed an advance auction on stolen goods. Democracy usually winds up turning the State into a vehicle for theft, and making that seem like a good and moral thing... Democracya gentler form of mob ruleis not a good thing. It politicizes the average person and distracts him from running his own life. It focuses his attention on trying to run other peoples lives through elected representatives. Worse, the elected representatives arent the best and the brightest. Theyre generally sociopaths who are drawn to power. Theyre the worst kind of people, the kind that want to rule other people by winning a popularity contest. This is true in the US and every other place where ballot boxes are used to determine the new ruler. The winner of an election is typically the most skilled liar. Look at what president Wilson did by pointlessly drawing the US into WWI, while claiming to do the opposite. He said it was all about making the world safe for democracy. In fact, he initiated the long decline of Western Civilization. The French Revolution was based on democracy. It didnt work out very well. It had a lot to do with democracybut had nothing to do with freedom. Democracy and freedom are typically at odds with each other. International Man: Aside from the claim of promoting democracy, the US government and mainstream media also use alleged human rights abuses as a justification for war. The term human rights seems to be vaguely defined and inconsistently applied. It seems like more sophistry. Whats really going on here? Doug Casey: Let me first say, the most important human right is simply to be left alone by other people, to be left in peace. Whenever a government gets involved in peoples private affairs it makes things worse. The US government is actually the greatest danger to both world peace and human rights today. Its quite Orwellian the way most Americans have been propagandized into believing the opposite, like the citizens of Oceania in 1984. The best thing to do with foreign countries is leave them alone to work things out themselves. You cannot change a culture. When you try to change a culture, you generally wind up with chaos. Thats what the US government has created in Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, and everywhere else it sticks its nose. International Man: So, do these wars provide a net benefit to the average American? Doug Casey: No. Theres no benefit at all. The correct U.S. foreign policy is to withdraw all the troops from everywhere in the world. Foreigners dont want to see American troops on their land any more than Americans would like to see Iranian, or African, or Korean troops parading through the streets and maybe breaking down doors at 3:00 AM. Thats the first thing. If you want to support the troops bring all the troops home. The next step is to cut off all foreign aid, which is really just a transfer program of about $50 billion per year from poor people in the US to rich people in poor countries. Its almost all skimmed by cronies. People forget that Osama bin Laden said that he only wanted three things. First, he wanted infidel soldiers out of the homeland of the prophet, a reasonable request. Second, he wanted the US to stop replacing Middle Eastern leaders with quislings, and interfering with local politics. Another reasonable request. The US has no more right to interfere in the politics of Middle Eastern countries than Mohammedans would interfering in US politics. Third, he wanted the US to stop supporting Israel. Once again, a very reasonable request. We should be friendly towards all, but shouldnt get involved in other peoples local squabbles, regardless of who we think is the good guy or the bad guy at the moment. Of course, my saying something Osama bin Laden said was reasonable is like saying something that Hitler said was reasonable. But it doesnt matter who says something. The facts should speak for themselves. Andjust to head off hystericsno, I neither like nor support either Osama or Adolf. International Man: US foreign policy has serious domestic consequences. After all, War is the health of the State" as Randolph Bourne said. Specifically, the rapid rise of the domestic surveillance apparatus, the curtailments of civil liberties, and the turbocharging of militarized local police forces theyre all connected to US foreign policy. Related to all this is the inane expression if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. What do you make of all of this? Doug Casey: Well, if thats true then John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and the rest of the apparatchiks around the DC Beltway should be happy to post their tax returns on the internet, and have microphones and cameras in every room of their houses. They ought to be perfectly happy when theyre having a private conversation in their living room to have it available to anybody that wants to listen. The ability to maintain privacy is one thing that separates civilized men from primitives living in mud huts. In a primitive society you have zero privacy, because your neighbors can see and hear absolutely everything that goes on through the paper-thin walls of your hut. Privacy is something that grows with civilization. These people have everything exactly backwards. Theyre not just anti-freedom. Theyre anti-civilization. Theyre the same basic personality type as Stalin, or Ceausescu, or Pol Pot. International Man: Another arena that has been drastically affected is the airports and the creation of a new federal bureaucracy, the TSA. Thanks to the TSA, everyone knows that if you see something say something. That saying is actually a registered trademark of the Department of Homeland Security. Doug Casey: It's Orwellian. It's the type of thing Big Brother would advise you to do to report your neighbors to the State for any real or imagined offense. One time I was in a line that was snaking back and forth at immigration. My briefcase weighed about 25 pounds, so I put it down and left it for about 15 feet so I could pick it up when the line snaked back. Not once, but twice, somebody looked around like a righteous busybody citizen and said, "Unattended baggage! Unattended baggage!" These people are really just chimpanzees. They picked up this behavior from the government monkey see, monkey do. I said to them sarcastically "See something, say something", but they didn't think I was kidding. They thought I approved of what they were doing. International Man: Do you see this degraded behavior in other places? Doug Casey: Of all the countries in the world that Ive traveled toincluding backwards hell holes in Africa, Russia, China, it doesnt mattergoing through the US immigration, customs, and TSA, probably provides the most degrading experience. None of these other countries ask you the kinds of questions or seem so anxious to go through your laundry. Although Canada and Australia in particular are closely following the US lead. The average American has been propagandized into thinking that he lives in the land of the free. As a matter of fact, thats no longer true. The US has descended from being a shining beaconthat really was exceptional and different from every other country in the worldto being just another nation state. But, perversely, one that thinks its still exceptional. Its paranoid. It thinks its under attack, when actually its the attacker. The whole thing is upside-down, and the average American has absolutely no clue. It's really shameful that the US has turned into both a welfare statewith about 50% of the population reliant upon the governmentand a warfare state. Were getting the worst of both worlds. The problem is that when the economy turns downand it will before Trump leaves officeits going to go from being depressing to scary. And if they start a major war, its going to go all the way to terrifying, because at that point you wont have any rights. The average American will approve of it, however. Your life and property are becoming the property of the State. The picture painted by Del Bigtree, the former television producer at the heart of the nations anti-vaccination movement, is a terrifying one. He describes a world where vaccines dont work and are instead damaging children; while pharmaceutical companies, the federal government and the media are in cahoots to suppress any opposition to them. But, according to multiple public health experts, the facts, studies and sources that Bigtree cites only appear to back up his theories, and his conclusions fall apart with further scrutiny. What youll see is a combination of citations from legitimate work that are twisted and taken out of context, or citations from sham journals of poorly done studies, says Sean OLeary, practicing pediatrician in Colorado and a member of the infectious diseases committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Then the other thing you see [is] theyll cite work that is simply opinion pieces. The end result, OLeary says, is a twisting of facts to serve [his] agenda. Texas-based Bigtree has recently set his sights on New York amid the largest measles outbreak in the state since the early 1990s. He hosted a conference call for the Orthodox community in March, sent a producer to Rockland County to interview people for his YouTube show in April, appeared in Rockland County in May to preach his anti-vaccine gospel to hundreds of Orthodox Jewish moms. Hes even lobbied lawmakers in Albany against the potential removal of religious exemptions to vaccines. Last week, he appeared at a vaccine symposium in Borough Park, Brooklyn. His presentations appear to be crafted to frighten the listener about the dangers of vaccines while downplaying the severity of the infectious illnesses they prevent. (He even compared vaccination to the cult of child-sacrifice.) The narrative he describes plays into an almost religious worldview: That each human was born perfect and that this earth is designed to take care of us if we take care of itwithout any pharmaceutical intervention. But Bigtree is used to being accused of distorting the truth, and he is just as used to denying it. I like to call it missed information: this is the information the mainstream media establishment doesnt want you to hear, he told the crowd at a recent gathering. So Gothamist recently examined some of the claims on his standard presentation, and did a little fact-checking: CLAIM 1: American Children Are Dying: Bigtree begins his lectures citing the headlines from mainstream publications on stories about how American babies are less likely to survive their first year of life than other developed nations, how U.S. kids are more likely to die before adulthood, and how hospital errors are the third-leading cause of death in the nation. REALITY: These news stories have nothing to do with vaccines. They have to do with poverty, poor social networks, premature delivery and the lack of regular access to health care. And while childhood mortality rates are higher in the U.S. than in other developed nations, theyve gone down steadily since the 1960s (which just happens to coincide with the increased use of vaccines). CLAIM 2: More Vaccines = More Chronic Illnesses Next up in his Power Point are side-by-side charts, one showing the increased number of vaccines administered to children, the other showing the increase in chronic illness over the past few decades. There are a couple of issues with these charts, according to vaccine researchers. First of all, These two charts look alike is not science. Just because vaccinations and illness increased over the same time period doesnt mean one has anything to do with the other. Second, lets take the right-hand chart. The dramatic jump in chronic childhood illness is striking if it were true. Those two bars come from different studies with different methodologies examining different time periods. Comparative research has found less dramatic increases in chronic conditions and has identified obesity, asthma and learning disabilities as major drivers. Many of the chronic illnesses have been studied to see if they have any relationship to vaccination status. They dont. (See Claim 8 for more details). CLAIM 3: Vaccines Kill Bigtree claims several hundred deaths were reported in 2016 to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), a database created in 1990 and managed by the federal government to keep track of potentially dangerous side-effects once a vaccine makes it to market. REALITY: VAERS is a self-reporting mechanism where individuals, doctors, hospitals, health care providers can report a potential reactions to a vaccine, but its not an indication of causality. People die of heart attacks, some of them after getting vaccinated; that doesnt mean the vaccine caused it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration monitor these reports for trends and, when they arise, conduct studies that are then vetted and investigated through the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Researchers have analyzed data from VAERS over many years and examined autopsy reports for the 2,149 deaths recorded in 16 years. (During that time period researchers estimated 2 billion doses of vaccines were distributed.) They found the same rates and causes of death in the general population were represented among the deaths reported to VAERS. CLAIM 4: Vaccines Arent Tested Rigorously REALITY: Anti-vaccination activists regularly assert that vaccines are not tested against placebos to truly gauge whether they are any more effective than going without the shots, but that isnt true. Heres one, heres another. Heres a third. It is true that in some cases, when an effective vaccine already exists, guidelines from the World Health Organization prohibit administering placebos because that would leave test subjects exposed to potentially lethal illnesses. In those cases, scientists compare results to vaccines already proven effective and safe. Vaccine development is a long and complicated process that can last between 10 and 15 years. It begins in laboratories with tests on animals; from there vaccines go through three phases of clinical trials during which thousands of volunteers are administered the vaccine, with the FDA setting guidelines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even after theyre certified, vaccines continue to be monitored in multiple ways by scientists and the federal government through the Vaccine Safety Monitor Datalink. In addition, the federal government and independent researchers conduct massive epidemiological studies based on immunization data to monitor the safety of single vaccines as well as combinations of them. CLAIM 5: Vaccines Cause Autism REALITY: They dont. Scientists have rigorously studied this idea to see if theres anything to it. Many studies of millions of vaccinated and unvaccinated children have looked vaccines, vaccine adjuvants and repeatedly found no association between vaccination status and autism. These claims that vaccines, and the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine in particular, were first floated by Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced British doctor whose papers on the subject were found to be fraudulent, unethical and had to be retracted. Wakefields methods, as revealed by investigative reporter Brian Deer included taking payments from an attorney trying to sue the vaccine manufacturer, doctoring medical information and even paying children for blood at a birthday party. Listen to Gwynne Hogans report on WNYC: Bigtree does cite one study that found a relationship between the DTAP (diptheria, tetanus and whooping cough) vaccine and autism. The source? A controversial father and son duo who advocated for chemical castration for children with autism. One has since lost his medical license and the other was fined for practicing without one. Dr. Peter Hotez, Professor at Baylor College of Medicine who develops vaccines and is also the father of a child with autism, said theres also a scientific lack of plausibility between vaccination somehow triggering autism. Weve learned so much about autism and the more than 100 genes involved in early fetal brain development involved, he said. Autism is set into motion...early on in pregnancy long before kids ever see vaccines. CLAIM 6: The Vaccine Isnt Working To back up his claim, Bigtree cites the California Department of Healths analysis of the 2015 Disneyland measles outbreak there, which found of 82 cases where they could determine immunization status, 31 percent of those people had gotten at least one dose of the measles vaccine, leading Bigtree to determine there was, thirty-one percent vaccine failure. REALITY: This is a question of basic math. Two doses of the MMR vaccine (the current recommendation) have been found to be 97 percent effective at preventing measles. The general population contains far more vaccinated people than unvaccinated ones, so in any given outbreak, vaccinated individuals are bound to be overrepresented. If youre in a room with 100 vaccinated people who get exposed to measles, 7 of them are likely to get measles. If youre in a room with 100 unvaccinated people, 90 of them will get it. If youre in a room with 90 vaccinated people and 10 unvaccinated ones, 6 vaccinated people will get the measles and 9 unvaccinated ones will. If all you know is that fifteen people got measles, and a bit fewer than half of them had been vaccinated, it may well seem like the vaccination doesnt do any good, but thats not what the results prove. In the end you may come up with some number like 25 to 30 percent of your cases being vaccinated, said Dr. Kathleen Harriman with the California Department of Public Health, who wrote the cited report. Thats often what we see. Its really just a numbers game in a way. When youre in a country where most people are vaccinated many of your cases will be vaccinated. Harriman thought this could be confusing to laypeople so she made a graphic to help explain it. Since the measles outbreak began last October, the health departments in Rockland County and New York City have come to realize that the amount of misinformation about vaccines is dangerous. Both departments have started releasing up-to-date breakdowns of how many unvaccinated people have gotten sick compared to vaccinated ones. In New York City, 73 percent of those who got ill had been completely unvaccinated, and just 4 percent had been completely vaccinated. (The remainder either had unknown vaccination status or just one dose of the MRR vaccine.) Likewise, in Rockland County, 77.6 percent of sickened people had no MMRs, while just 3.5 percent had two doses of the vaccine. CLAIM 7:The Vaccine Is Causing The Current Measles Outbreaks Also citing the 2015 California report, Bigtree concluded 31 people caught measles from the vaccine during the outbreak. (Its just a coincidence that 31 percent of the Disneyland cases involved vaccinated people.) REALITY: Dr. Harriman confirmed this was a false interpretation of her report. Health officials tested dozens of people during the outbreak to determine whether they had been exposed to the strain implicated in the Disneyland outbreak, or if they had been exposed to measles elsewhere. During that testing, they also tested recently vaccinated persons who had gotten rashes in order to determine if their reaction was due to the vaccine (a noncontagious, temporary rash is a possible side effect) or if they had contracted full-blown measles. Those 31 people described as having vaccine strain had developed rashes due to the vaccine but were not were not counted in the outbreak tally, she said. Im sorry that people are a little confused by the genotype A information, she said. But clearly these are not measles cases and we never counted them as such. CLAIM 8: Unvaccinated Kids Are Healthier Bigtree asserts preliminary studies of homeschooled unvaccinated kids suggest they have lower rates of learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, allergies, eczema neurological disorders and rhinitis. REALITY: His source for this claim is a study that was in fact an anonymous online questionnaire, according to the papers methodology; it was twice retracted from the journals in which it was included. Anti-vaccination groups helped fund the study, and it was conducted by people with ties to those groups. Many legitimate scientific studies have compared tens of thousands of vaccinated children with unvaccinated ones and found similar rates of heart disease, anemia epilepsy, asthma, autism, eczema, allergies, diabetes, and ADD and ADHD, among many other conditions. CLAIM 9: Measles Is Great For Your Health REALITY: Some studies have suggested links between measles infections and decreased risk for some kinds of cancers. But far more evidence shows that measles vaccination decreases mortality of all kinds. For healthy children and young adults over the age of 5 and younger than 20, measles can be mild. But for people with suppressed immune systems, pregnant women and young children the virus can have severe consequences and even cause death in rare cases. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates about 20 percent of people who get sick with measles experience complications which can include more common effects like diarrhea, pneumonia, and more severe ones like brain swelling, seizures and deafness. Gwynne Hogan is an associate producer at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @GwynneFitz. Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson have reached what the mayor calls a "handshake" deal on a roughly $92.8 billion city budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a growth of 4% over last years plan, with additional funding for school social workers, libraries, city parks, and abortion services. Despite calls for belt-tightening, the budget agreement, which was on-time and balanced, calls for the largest budget in the citys history. The deal adds $150 million to the citys $1.15 billion general reserve, a level that the Citizens Budget Commission said does not adequately prepare New York in the event of a recession. "It's not enough," said Andrew Rein, the president of the Citizens Budget Commission, calling the deal a "missed opportunity" to maximize the contribution to the city's rainy day fund. This year, the budget identified a total of more than $300 million in savings, including $25 million from staffing cuts and $20 million eliminated from the Thrive NYC, the $850 million mental health initiative spearheaded by the mayors wife, Chirlane McCray, which has come under criticism for lack of accountability. Rein argued that most of that savings should be put into the city's general reserve. The actual text of the budget agreement has not yet been formally finalized. But at a press conference on Friday afternoon at City Hall, de Blasio, flanked by City Council members, highlighted spending decisions that he said were designed to make New York a fairer city. Along those lines, the budget addresses several hot-button issues around education. In response to criticisms and rallies by privately contracted universal pre-K teachers over pay disparities between themselves and those teaching in New York public school system, de Blasio said the city had initiated talks to address that inequity, with hopes of resolving the issue this summer. We are literally at the negotiating table now, he said. Listen to WNYC's Jami Floyd discuss the budget with Ben Max of Gotham Gazette: Following the announcement, the United Neighborhood Houses, a policy organization that represents settlement houses hired by the city to be pre-K providers, issued the following statement: Achieving true salary parity will not happen overnight, but this announcement is a step towards ensuring equity for all early childhood education staff. We look forward to learning more in the coming weeks about how salary parity will be implemented for the staff in community-based early childhood programs. The citys Universal pre-K program is considered de Blasios signature education achievement. The latest deal notably adds $25 million to expand program for 3-year-olds, or 3-K, to 14 districts and 20,000 children by September 2020. And addressing another intensifying issue in recent weeks, the agreement also sets aside $26 million to fund a total of 285 social workers, including mental health specialists, to work in the citys public school system. Part of that money will come from Thrive NYC's budget. City libraries and parks, two enormously popular public resources and closely watched budget items, will also see additional funding. The citys library system, which had been facing an $11 million funding cut, would receive an additional $33 million for expenses, a historic high, according to Speaker Johnson. Prior to the Fridays news, city library officials had launched a campaign against the reduced funding, saying that the cuts would have required some libraries to close on weekends. Meanwhile, the proposed budget would provide $43 million to hire 150 park maintenance workers. New Yorkers for Parks, an advocacy group, had lead a coalition to lobby the mayor for additional funding as part of a campaign called "Play Fair." This $43 million in new funding is a huge, historic win for our city! We need to ensure that neighborhoods in all five boroughs have access to world-class parks. Each park is an oasis in our concrete jungle. - @NYCSpeakerCoJo #PlayFair New Yorkers for Parks (@NY4P) June 14, 2019 This years budget marked the second one negotiated by Johnson, who is openly exploring a bid to succeed de Blasio as mayor of New York City. He said in negotiating the budget with the mayor, he was guided by the principle, "Do the most good for people who need it the most." Referring to his childhood, which included periods of economic struggle, he added, "I know how important schools and parks and libraries are." This is a really personal budget for me. Its my second as Speaker, and it aligns completely with my guiding principle - do the most good for the people who need it the most. Not too get too emotional, but I grew up in a family that struggled. pic.twitter.com/ewGJn06YTy NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) June 14, 2019 In a politically if not financially significant, gesture, the city plans to allocate $250,000 to help pay for abortions for poor women who have traveled from other states to obtain the procedure in New York City. City officials have estimated that the money would allow about 500 women to obtain abortions, according to the New York Times. UPDATE: This story has been updated with a quote from Andrew Rein, the president of the Citizens Budget Commission, and details on city savings identified under the budget deal. It also corrects the description of United Neighborhood Houses, which represents settlement houses that serve as pre-K providers. UPDATE 6/17/19: An earlier version misstated the amount of savings identified in the budget. The amount is more than $300 million. Supporters of a stalled bill to legalize marijuana are working hard to revive it, while opponents are trying equally hard to kill it. And Governor Andrew Cuomo is well, its not clear. You didnt hear it from me, but three-ways are back on, one lawmaker said Friday, referring to negotiations among aides to Governor Cuomo, the Assembly, and the State Senatebut fearful of repercussions from Cuomo. Within the hour, one of several marijuana lobbyists meeting with Cuomos point man on pot, Axel Bernabe, said that Bernabe denied any such talks were taking place. With just a few days left for New York to legalize marijuana, why would Cuomos office insist they werent negotiating? Veteran Albany insiders arent sure, and they say Cuomos apparent hands-off strategy has them scratching their heads. Its not just marijuana - its everything: with almost no time left, there havent been any three-ways to speak of, said one pot industry lobbyist, echoing several others. Its unheard of. Im as mystified as anyone else. Over the past three weeks, Cuomo has said its up to Senate Democrats to rally their own troops. They have the strongest majority theyve had in decades, after making big gains last Election Day, but many members have said theyre ambivalent about New York joining the ranks of Massachusetts, Colorado and California. They say theyre still working their way through the latest proposals, talking to people on all sides and trying to decide whats best for their constituents and the state. Im hearing a lot of concerns from the law enforcement community, said Senator James Gaughran (D-Northport). Theyre concerned about road safety and driving under the influence, and theres no blood test like there is for alcohol. Gaughran is one of six recently elected Democrats on Long Island who have opposed or withheld support for several of the partys liberal initiatives this year, including rent reform and authorization of drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. But the marijuana-hesitant contingent in the senate is even broader, also encompassing both new and veteran senators from Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Westchester, the Hudson Valley and points north and west. The numbers are for sure tough, said another marijuana lobbyist. If [Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins] said, Lets jam the governor, it might help, but its far from clear shes willing to do that, or should do that, just to pass something this controversial with the barest majority. Observers are more confident of winning over the much more left-leaning Assembly, though even in that chamber, there are concerns about passing the marijuana bill. The Assembly has approved earlier versions of the current proposal several times in years past, but as a top Cuomo administration official said, that was when they always knew it had no chance of passing the [Republican-controlled] Senate. That lobbyist credited opponents of legal marijuana with being well-organized and savvy. We werent working together well during the budget process [earlier in the session], and we got killed in the press by the PTA, said the lobbyist. Law enforcement raised some valid concerns, and their point of view commands a lot of respect, as it should. Lobbyists say that Bernabe and Cuomo appear to enthusiastically support a pair of cannabis bills that would expand the existing medical marijuana and hemp programs, rather than authorize the drug for recreational use. Bernabe could not be reached for comment. Unless the governor or legislature extend the session next week, all bills must be submittedat least in some formby midnight Monday, in order to be voted on Wednesday, the last scheduled day of the 2019 session. In the coming days, supporters and opponents of legal marijuana say theyre targeting their efforts on the ten or so senators who are up in the air. If people care about legalization, they need to call or email their legislators, said Josh Weinstein, who runs an entrepreneurial marijuana meetup company called CannaGather but has joined the ranks of pot advocates. Theyre actively listening, and this will be top of mind for them. Fred Mogul is the Albany and politics reporter for WNYC. You can follow him on Twitter @fredmogul. Five men have been found guilty of murdering Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, the 15-year-old teenager brutally stabbed outside a Bronx bodega almost a year ago to the day. On Friday, Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Jose Muniz, Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, Manuel Rivera, and Elvin Garcia, thought to be part of the Trinitarios gang, were found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and gang assault, as ABC7 reports. They face life in prison. The night of June 20th, 2018, a group of men wielding knives and machetes attacked Guzman-Feliz outside the Cruz & Chiky Bodega. Authorities believe it was a case of mistaken identity, with roots in an ongoing scuffle within two warring factions of the Trinitarios gang, "Los Sures" and "Sunset." Prosecutors have said that Los Sures members mistook Guzman-Feliz for a member of Sunset, and went for him. He ducked into the bodega, but was then dragged out and ambushed by several men. A gory video circulated around social media following the attack, in which one of Guzman-Feliz's attackers can be heard saying that the teenager attacked his grandmother. He died shorty after, of a knife wound to his jugular vein, before reaching the local St. Barnabas Hospital. "Todays verdicts will not bring Junior back. Nothing can. But these verdicts will send a message to those who would commit acts of senseless violence, and help us move forward and bring closure to this awful chapter in our boroughs history, said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in a statement emailed to Gothamist. One man involved in the attack, Kevin Alvarez, plead guilty back in May for his involvement in Guzman-Feliz's murder. Nine other people are awaiting trial for their involvement in the teenager's death. Do you have considerable upper-body strength, love crowds, and have nothing to do in mid-July? Then please consider helping lift a gargantuan, four-ton statue in Williamsburg to keep an Italian-American tradition alivethey need a slew of sturdy, strong-willed volunteers this year to make it happen. The Giglio lift, a mainstay in the neighborhood since 1903, is part of a Catholic festival that happens every summer in front of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church. The Giglio Feast festivitiesinvolving games, carnival rides, and loads of fried foodcommemorate San Paolino, the patron saint of southern Italian immigrants who settled in Williamsburg in the late 19th century. For over 115 years, the festival has involved the illustrious hoisting of the five story-tall Giglio statue, which takes over 150 people to do, and parading it along Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg. But this year, the church has been struggling to bring together a group of brawny volunteers to make the lift a reality. Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, said that for the first time ever, the church has had to ask people to volunteer their arms and time for the event. In the past, he says, people practically lined up for the chance to lift. Its gone down and down and down, John Christopher, the capo in this year's festival, told The Wall Street Journal. Age catches up to some people, and people have moved out. The shifting demographics of Williamsburg are a huge part of the issue, organizers say. "We have a lot of hipsters in this neighborhood, that have come into this neighborhood, and we want to cater to them, but we want to keep our traditions also, Gigantiello told CBS2. The church is reportedly seeking roughly 60 volunteers to help round out the estimated 180 that it takes to boost this bad boy. If that sounds like something you'd like to do, send an email to OLMCFeastLifters@gmail.com. The festival is located at 275 North 8th Street at Havemeyer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It takes place from July 10th through the 21st, with the first Giglio lift happening on Sunday, July 14th. There will also be a Night Lift (on the 17th) and an Old Timers lift on the final day of the festival. In an attempt to address the issue of homeless people in the city subway system, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a pilot program to encourage people living in the subway system to take advantage of the citys social services. Starting July 1st, when the NYPD stops a homeless person in the subways for violating MTA rules, like farebeating or lying outstretched, the person will have the option of being assessed by an outreach team, and will receive a referral to either a shelter or service. During this process, their summonses will be cleared. However, a press release notes that incidents of violent crimes will continue to result in arrest and enforcement. The pilot program will be administered with the Bowery Residents Committee, and will only apply to stops in Manhattan. According to the citys Department of Homeless Services (DHS), there are currently 58,004 individuals in shelters, of which 64 percent are adults. A DHS survey earlier this year estimated the citys unsheltered homeless population to be 3,588, as of January 2019. The survey stated that nearly 60 percent of this unsheltered population sleep in the subway. MTA data obtained by NY1 found that homeless individuals accounted for 371 separate incidents on the subway in the first three months of 2019from menacing riders, passing out on trains, and defecating in carscompared to 245 incidents over the same time period in 2018. The MTA said that 84 percent of the 371 incidents caused service delays. (Overall, however, subway delays have decreased this year, and there were more than 37,000 delays in February alone, most of them having nothing to do with the homeless) In a statement to Gothamist, Giselle Routhier, the Policy Director at Coalition for the Homeless, called the program misguided, and said that it will only serve to further criminalize homeless New Yorkers through useless summonses. People avoid services and shelters for a variety of legitimate reasons, the most important being the shortage of safe, welcoming shelter beds and permanent and supportive housing, Routhier said. Reducing the tragedy of people taking makeshift refuge in transit facilities and on the trains means giving them somewhere better to gonot using the police to chase them in circles. On Friday morning, WNYCs Brian Lehrer asked the mayor about how the unsafe shelters could hamper the pilot program. I know good news doesnt travel very far in this town, de Blasio replied, adding that during his time in office he put the NYPD in charge of making shelters safer, and pointed to an increase in mental health and substance abuse programs during his tenure. If homeless individuals opt in to the pilot assessment, the Bowery Residents Committee outreach team will offer a shelter location that provides either a medical or non-medical detox placement, and a dedicated overnight safe haven bed. In a statement, Muzzy Rosenblatt, CEO of BRC, said the solution, is not to criminalize the victim but to guide them toward the help they need. The MTA is investigating an off-duty bus driver who was allegedly driving drunk this morning when he nearly collided with a cyclist in Fort Greene. Brooklyn resident Shmuli Evers, 36, says he was commuting to Midtown at around 8:00 a.m. on Friday when he noticed the driver of a red Ford Fusion veering between lanes along Dekalb Avenue, and coming dangerously close to the painted bike lane. After Evers asked to be given more space, the driver exited the car, claiming, "I wasn't even fucking near you." That's when Evers said he smelled alcohol on the driver's breath. Video taken by the cyclist shows him questioning whether the man had been drinking, to which he responds: "Don't worry about what the fuck I do," before getting back in his car. This driver who smelled of alcohol, was desperately trying to get to the red light first, almost knocked me while riding in the Dekalb ave Bike lane. #bikenyc @HowsMyDrivingNY ny:fwb4948 @NYPD88Pct pic.twitter.com/Ozkf3evuH0 Shmuli Evers (@Shmuli) June 14, 2019 Evers says he called 911 after watching the motorist drive off in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was only after the fact that he realized the man was wearing a bus driver's uniform and MTA capsuggesting that he may have been on his way to (or from) work. When Evers went to the MTA's Manhattan bus depot to report the incident, he says transit officials immediately identified the person in the video as one of their bus drivers. "They recognized him right away," Evers told Gothamist. "The manager seemed very concerned. He didn't say what he was going to do about it, but [a different MTA employee] said if he was driving a bus right now he would be pulled from his shift." A spokesperson for the MTA told Gothamist on Friday that the incident was under investigation, but could not provide an additional information by press time. The @mta rep told me, that he didn't think he was on a shift at the moment, and he would be pulled if he was. Shmuli Evers (@Shmuli) June 14, 2019 Evers added that he'd looked up the vehicle's driving history, which showed that a license plate associated with the red sedan has received 31 parking and camera violations since 2013including 20 alternate-side parking tickets and at least one school zone speeding violation. The cyclist said he was unsure whether there was an MTA placard on the dashboard of the car. Recent investigations have shown that public employees are frequently among New York's most reckless drivers, but often manage to avoid discipline when caught. Earlier this week, FDNY firefighter Brauley De La Rosa was belatedly arrested and suspended by the Fire Department, following widespread outrage over a video showing him driving into a cyclist on the West Side Highway. "It just goes to show that there needs to be full-on protected bike paths throughout the city, and that non-protected bike lanes are not as safe as DOT makes us believe," said Evers. "There are drunk drivers, irresponsible drivers everywhere." 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. Loading... OMNY, the MTA's new tap-to-pay system being piloted at 16 subway stations and on all Staten Island bus routes, has exceeded the MTA's forecasts during the first week of operation, with tens of thousands of riders opting to use a digital wallet or contactless credit card instead of their MetroCard. OMNY is scheduled to be rolled out across the entire subway and bus system, and on commuter railroads, to ultimately replace the MetroCard and usher in a new era of commuting ("new" for New York, anyway). However, you may not have known that the scanners contain a camera, along with infrared illuminators, situated at the kiosk's base. A tipster pointed them out to us, noting that they spotted the "small laptop style hidden camera" and illuminators, and wondered if they were used for "infrared based facial recognition to obtain a clearer image of the face." "The camera and illuminators in the OMNY validators are only in place to support future use of bar code and QR code for ticketing; they cannot and do not support biometrics of any kind," said Steve Brunner, general manager, New York Tri-State Region, for Cubic Transportation Systems. Cubic is the company behind OMNY fare payment system; they work with transit systems around the world, including Hong Kong, London, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Cubic also has a division that specializes in defense ("help[ing] customers effectively equip and train warfighters and law enforcement personnel, in turn making the world a safer place"). We have asked Cubic for details on the camera's make and model. The MTA emphatically stated that the OMNY cameras are currently disabled and are physically incapable of being used for facial recognition. (And after all, there are plenty of regular cameras installed all over the subway system.) However, the presence of cameraseven ones that may only be for bar code and QR code scanningstill worried critics, who reiterated overall privacy concerns with OMNY. Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the privacy group Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, noted that OMNY's privacy policy neglects to mention anything about camerasthe words "barcode, camera, infrared, scanner, photo, video, image (apart from an unrelated reference to website tracking), and recording" were not found. The OMNY scanner (Jen Chung / Gothamist) "Unfortunately, its hard to know what the full range of capabilities for these cameras are without more technical data. There are certainly some barcode scanners (such as in many grocery check-out aisles) that are incapable of being used for computer vision or facial recognition. Yet at the same time there are many camera systems that could be used for both barcode and facial recognition," Cahn told Gothamist. "Its disappointing that the MTA just wants us to take them on their word that these hidden features have a limited capabilities, rather than having an open design process that would actually reassure New Yorkers." The lack of an open design was also remarked upon by Jonathan Stribling-Uss, a Technologist Fellow at the NYCLU. "I think the OMNY system has not had enough transparency about its data storage and sharing procedures," he said. "We dont have enough information about how these systems have been built." The MTA plans to make OMNY available on all subways and buses, including the Staten Island Railway, by the end of 2020, with commuters using contactless credit/debit cards and digital wallets (MetroCard will still be an option). Then, in 2021, the OMNY card, which customers can buy with cash or credit, will be introduced. After OMNY is also adopted on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, the MetroCard will be completely phased out. The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology utilized by contactless credit or debit cards has been an area of concern for the NYCLU. In February, Stribling-Uss testified at a New York City Council hearing about the city's IDNYC program using the technology for its ID cards: The City has not informed us of the specific contactless technology or vendor they are considering for the new IDNYC card, but contactless technology opens up the very real possibility that location, usage patterns, and IDNYC ownership can be remotely sniffed by third parties, creating acute new privacy risks for card-holders. Contactless technology means that information stored on the IDNYC - and without question, the existence and use of the card itself - could be revealed from a distance without the card-holders knowledge or consent. And because the IDNYC was designed in large part to ensure that already vulnerable New Yorkers - including those without secured immigration status - could access basic services, even the fact that an individual holds an IDNYC could be information of interest to law enforcement agencies. Data related to the IDNYC could then be obtained by the NYPD, FBI, ICE, or Department of Homeland Security. Further, RFID technology is also vulnerable to potential hacking in "relay attacks" where someone's card could be used by another individual within 3-50 feet. In Hong Kong, most subway riders on the MTR use a rechargeable card called the Octopus, which can also be used to pay for items at stores. But with the current clash between protesters and police over a bill that would allow Hong Kong residents to be extradited to China, there is a growing concern over the Hong Kong police using Octopus card data to track the protesters' movements: There is usually never a line at the train ticketing machines. Judging from an overheard convo, it appears that people are reluctant to use their rechargeable Octopus cards for fear of leaving a paper trail of them having been present at the protest. pic.twitter.com/s1rsgSnCqL Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 12, 2019 Using data from cashless, prepaid Octopus cards to track down suspects is not new. As early as 2010, HK police used such data to trace a murder suspect, as seen in this China Daily story https://t.co/UmQDcoMAFJ pic.twitter.com/lDoygZz5em Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 13, 2019 Prosecutors said this marked the first murder case where a MetroCard was key evidence, according to this New York Post story https://t.co/Z6KnOKirWZ\ pic.twitter.com/uEsnm5w9O7 Mary Hui (@maryhui) June 13, 2019 Last year, Cubic was testing facial recognition technology in London for a future "gateless gatelines" entry system. One of the main goals of OMNYand, really, any other transit systemis to speed up the time it takes for someone to enter; one of the benefits of OMNY is to end the "notorious failed swipe." Cahn, of STOP, also referred to the MTA's response to the implementation of fare evasion cameras in Times Square earlier this year. Screens showing commuters entering the station, with the words "Recording in progress" and the logo of a facial recognition company, WISENET, were just a decoy, according to MTA spokesman Maxwell Young, who said there was no facial recognition technology being used, "These cameras are purely for the purpose of deterring fare evasion if you see yourself on a monitor, youre less likely to evade the fare." "If an agency is openly misleading about surveillance technology in one setting," Cahn said, "Why do I have to take them at their word about another?" Despite the months-long battle-cry of universal rent control, Tuesdays historic deal on rent laws notably fell short in delivering significant protections for unregulated or market-rate tenants. Although not a surprise, legislators left out a controversial bill on good cause eviction, which would have added protections to market-rate tenants under certain conditions and was considered a breakthrough concept in rent reform. Nevertheless, the state legislatures agreement, which will go for a vote on Friday, does contain some interesting new provisions for all tenants, ranging on issues from security deposits to eviction proceedings. Although some housing economists have argued that the rent-regulated system comes at the expense of market-rate tenants, several policy and legal experts said any spillover effects from the new restrictions on rent-regulated to market rate apartments were unlikely. The two systems are separate, said Ed Josephson, director of litigation and housing at Legal Services NYC. "I think the [market-rate] rents are high because the market is tight," he said. Ellen Davidson, a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society, said many of the current bill's proposals address concerns from market-rate tenants that were voiced at state hearings. Davidson said the bill's rules for non-regulated tenants can be seen as a first step. Its not good cause, and I think that fight will continue, but thats not to say that the protections in this new law arent real and wont provide some protections for new tenants, Davidson said. Housing advocates have vowed to get lawmakers to pass "good cause" eviction during the next legislative session. Meanwhile, the real estate industry has vowed to sue over the new bill, a strategy that Josephson dismissed as without merit. "They seem to think it's legal to change the law to help landlords and not tenants," he said. Here are some of the proposals that market-rate tenants should know about: Reining in security deposits, background and credit check fees Under this plan, market-rate tenants would be required to put down no more than one-months rent as security deposit, the same rule that currently applies to rent-regulated tenants. A City Council bill introduced this year seeks to make the same requirement. The new provisions would also limit the amount that landlords can charge prospective tenants for background and credit checks to no more than the actual cost of the background check or credit check, or $20 at most. Curbs on landlords who try to hold tenants hostage for breaking their lease One of the terrifying scenarios for New York City renters is that of having to move out in the middle of a lease. Unfortunately, New York is one of the few states that does not force the landlord to make a reasonable effort to rent out the vacated apartment for the remainder of the tenants lease, according to Davidson. The proposed rule, which she said has been floating around for about a year, would change that. Landlords can still sue tenants to recover rent they were not able to collect during the lease term, but they can no longer intentionally sit on a vacant apartment with the expectations that the tenant should just pay up. Bans the practice of blacklisting The new law prohibits landlords from rejecting a tenant who has been on a tenant blacklist, a dreaded and often unfair practice that typically punishes low income renters. In New York City, tenant blacklists are compiled from Housing Court records by private screening companies who then sell the information to landlords, regardless of whether the tenants on the list won the housing court case. Most tenants don't realize that they are on the blacklist until they have been rejected by a landlord on a new apartment. Under the provision, landlords who are found to have relied on a blacklist to deny a tenant could be sued by the Attorney General, with a maximum fine of $1,000. This is not the first time measures have been taken to stop this stubborn practice. In 2012, housing advocates got the Office of Court Administration to stop releasing a digital feed of tenant names and addresses, only to have screening companies send people to show up at housing courts and manually record the information. Capping late charges and giving tenants more notice for rent hikes and lease terminations According to the bill, landlords cannot charge late fees unless the payment of rent is five days after the due date and the charges cannot be more than $50 or 5% of the monthly rent, whichever is less. Additionally, landlords who want to end leases or raise rents by 5% and more must give tenants sufficient notice: 30 days for tenants who have lived in the apartment for more than one year and 60 days for those who have lived there more than two years. Slowing down the eviction process Currently, evicted tenants can stay in their apartment for no more than six months. The new rule would potentially extend that period to a year, amounting to a much-needed cushion for many financially-strapped or disabled tenants. "For people desperately looking for apartments, a year is much better than six months," Josephson said. Moreover, if a tenant can pay the rent, he or she can stay in the apartment. UPDATE: The story has been revised to say that landlords who break the provision regarding using tenant blacklists can be sued, not prosecuted. The as-yet-unsinkable LED billboard barge that appeared off the coast of Manhattan last yearsince earning near universal condemnation from waterfront-loving New Yorkersmay soon find itself the target of a statewide ban. With just a few days left in the legislative session, the State Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would prohibit digital billboards from operating in New York's navigable waterways while equipped with flashing, intermittent, or moving lights. A companion bill is currently under consideration in the State Assembly, and Governor Andrew Cuomo is reviewing the legislation, according to a senior adviser. If passed, the law would effectively outlaw the 1,200-square-foot electronic billboard, which currently makes daily voyages around Manhattan and, absent state action, could soon wind up pointed at New York City beaches. The company has been operating on Miami beaches for last few years, despite outcry from local residents (via Ballyhoo Boats) "Billboards belong in Times Squarenot on the Hudson or East River," Senator Brad Hoylman, who introduced the Senate bill, said in a statement to Gothamist. "They're an eyesore, a hazard, and it's time we ban them outright to restore the integrity of our waterways." Owned by Miami-based company Ballyhoo Media, the barge has irked city residents and elected officials since arriving in New York last October. But Mayor Bill de Blasio's efforts to clamp down on the floating ads have so far stalled, and the company has vowed to continue operations while a city lawsuit makes its way through a federal court. Ballyhoos argument, thus far, has been that local waterways fall under the jurisdiction of New York state, and thus the city is powerless to stop their lucrative, invasive form of off-shore advertising (the company, whose clients include Heineken and private helicopter services, reportedly receives $55,000 for each 30-second spot it runs on a two-minute loop). forgot to tweet this amazing view of a Secret Life of Pets 2 billboard I saw this weekend pic.twitter.com/ZdbIx8sNzT Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) April 16, 2019 "State legislation is required in order to authorize local legislative bodies to adopt and enforce laws that apply to these bodies of water," wrote Derek Wolman, the attorney representing Ballyhoo, in a letter to a federal judge back in March. "We are aware of no such legislation that would allow the city to apply its Zoning Resolution to these State-owned navigable waters." Hoylman's bill would appear to do just that. The legislation calls for a blanket ban on digital vessels operating in navigable waters, with the caveat that localities may opt-in to such activity within 1,500 feet of their shores if they so choose. Companies found to be violating the ban would face a misdemeanor charge and $1,000 civil penalty for their first offense, and $5,000 fines for subsequent violations. The law would go into effect within 90 days of passage. "New Yorkers already see enough advertising in their daily lives," noted Hoylman. "I'm pleased to see this bill pass the Senate, thank Assembly Member Dick Gottfried for his partnership on the issue, and hope to see swift passage through the Legislature." Neither Ballyhoo's CEO nor the attorney representing the company responded to multiple requests for comment from Gothamist. Grand Old Partisan celebrates Flag Day. It began with a surge in patriotism throughout northern states during the Civil War. For the first time, people began displaying their own flags. Old Glory appeared on storefronts and churches and schools. Jonathan Morris, a Connecticut Republican, observed: "The flag and the constitution are both on trial, and it is the duty of every loyal man to sustain them." He shared his idea for a holiday with Republican editor Charles Warner, whose newspaper, the Hartford Courant, then published an editorial suggesting June 14th. "We hope that it will, in time, be recognized wherever the American flag floats. We mean FLAG DAY. This flag is our dearest symbol of nationality." The next year, Henry Welch, a Republican state senator, introduced a resolution for observing Flag Day. Dwight Loomis, a Republican congressman, did the same. Here is a Video Version of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5aTP2tyeB-8 Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement. Each day, Michael Zak's grandoldpartisan YouTube channel and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than sixteen decades of Republican heritage. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states so far. He also wrote the 2005 Republican Freedom Calendar. Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision. Buy the book at Amazon See www.youtube.com/q?v=IzxKCiXc5Qc for a brief video of a Texas Republican praising Back to Basics for the Republican Party. "This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!" "Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan." "Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before." and "one of the best books I ever read" Haifa is on the "front line" in any action in the north but this blog looks at life in the shadow of danger to all of Israel " " Ford's new concept crib is designed to mimic the sounds, lights and movements of a car ride, lulling newborns to sleep. Max Motor Dreams Ever since Henry Ford rolled the first Model T off the assembly line in 1913, parents of newborns have not only relied on cars to get their families around, they've probably also used the family car to help get their cranky little urchins to sleep in the middle of the night. Now, moms and dads can put away the car keys and get some much-needed shut-eye thanks to the Ford Motor Company. Engineers have designed a crib that simulates the motion, lights and sounds of a night-time car journey. The Max Motor Dreams looks like a typical baby crib but unlike standard cribs, this one simulates the hum of a car motor, the swaying of a moving vehicle and the flash of streetlights blazing across a windshield. According to Ford, Max Motor Dreams is "a crib that conveys the same feeling of traveling by car, helping your baby sleep as easy and as fast as when traveling in a Ford." Advertisement "After many years of talking to mums and dads, we know that parents of newborns are often desperate for just one good night's sleep," Max Motor Dreams designer Alejandro Lopez Bravo said in a statement on Ford's website. Bravo works with Spanish creative studio Espada y Santa Cruz, the company that designed the crib. "While a quick drive in the family car can work wonders in getting baby off to sleep, the poor old parents still have to be awake and alert at the wheel." Parents control the new crib using a smartphone app that creates a "nocturnal driving experience" for their little one. Engineers placed a series of small lights around the bottom to create a soft glow as if a car is passing under street lights. The crib itself gently rocks to the rumble of a make-believe engine. Parents can even use the phone app to record the sounds and movements of a drive their baby "approves" and send it to the crib, which can then actually mimic that specific route. Parents across the globe are probably wondering where they can get their hands on one of these "smart cribs." Well that's the catch. It's currently just a concept from Ford, and not available at stores at least not yet. But one set of lucky parents will take home the crib in a Ford-sponsored raffle. It's part of an ad campaign to promote its Max line of cars. If demand is high enough, though, Ford says it would consider putting the crib into production and making it available for sale. The Max Motor Dreams is just one of a series of products including rocking cribs, rock 'n' plays, and motion-generating devices, among others, designed to get newborns to doze off. Industrial designer Yves Behar and pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp joined forces with MIT to create the Snoo in late 2016. It also rocks babies to sleep using white noise and slow motion. But do these smart sleeping devices even work? Is there something special about a moving car that can make an infant nod off? Parents say there is, but the science is scant. "Just about every parent I know, including me, has used the driving around the neighborhood trick to get a baby to fall asleep," says Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician based in Austin, Texas. "Yes, it works, but I don't really know why. Perhaps in their fetal development they are used to constant motion while being inside the womb but that is total conjecture there are no studies that I can definitively point to that proves the 'why' since we cannot ask the baby his opinion!" However, studies suggest that gentle rocking does lull a child to sleep. In 2011, researchers at the University of Geneva found that rocking boosted certain types of sleep-related brainwaves. Those brainwaves are generated by the side-to-side motion created by a moving vehicle, swaying hammock, or in this case, a crib. So, driving at 60 miles per hour (96.5 kilometers per hour) down a highway is a lot like being rocked in a mother's arms. As for the Max Motor Dreams, pediatrician Brown says go ahead and try it, if you can. "I can envision other car companies putting their logos on cribs as well," he says. "It might become a very trendy parenting purchase. But, I'm not sure it is any better than what is already on the market." Now That's Interesting Newborns sleep up to 16 hours a day, but as parents know, it's not all at one time. Babies will sleep for one to two hours at a time during the night. As for mom and dad, well, you don't get a whole lot of sleep. But you didn't need us to tell you that. This year was profitable for exhibitors at the Made in Montana Tradeshow for Food and Gifts, according to the Montana Department of Commerce. The department, which runs the program, said exhibitors reported a 60% increase in sales at the show. The March event pairs local artisans, growers, craftspeople and manufacturers with wholesale buyers. It was an excellent trade show for us, said Jan Stoddard, bureau chief at the Department of Commerce. Especially in terms of wholesale orders. The Made in Montana trade show is built on the premise of helping small Montana businesses expand into the wholesale market. Its one of those tools that allows Made in Montana suppliers the chance to work with buyers on a very professional level, Stoddard said. They have to have a wholesale price list, they have to set up their display to be attractive, they have to understand the retail market and they have to be able to provide the product in the quantity and timeliness that the buyers want. Exhibitors were sent a post-trade show survey that asked about sales. Results revealed success. More than half of the exhibitors responded to the survey and reported more than $500,000 in orders from the event. This is a 60% increase in order value from the 2018 show. Buyers represent a variety of retail stores in Montana, including gift shops for museums and national parks, lodging properties, and food and beverage vendors. Retailers shopping for jewelry, accessories, food, beverages, books and stationery made up the largest percentage of buyers. Timing of the spring show couldnt be better, as it allows buyers from all over the state to see new and purchase new products just in time for tourist season. Jim Schimerowski of Handcrafters Gifts in Helena said he saw more than a $1,000 increase in placed orders. It was mainly earrings and necklaces, said the laser-carved jewelry and gifts craftsman. About half our orders this year were new accounts. Thats pretty typical for the trade show. Schimerowski said the increase was a welcome surprise. After being in business for 30 years, he said, you cant predict business this year based on last year. Sylvia Love, co-owner of Buckskin Jim, a company that makes handmade leather products in Great Falls, said they more than doubled their wholesaler list this year. The show provided a face-to-face experience for buyers," Love said in a statement from the Department of Commerce. "They got to see the product and feel it. That aspect of seeing, feeling and smelling is ultimately what sold our products and allowed us to fill orders. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HELENA U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte launched his campaign for Montana governor on Friday, immediately shaking up the contest for the Republican nomination by prompting an attack from one prominent opponent and speculation that others may now change their election plans. It's the 58-year-old technology entrepreneur's second try for the governor's office after losing to incumbent Democrat Steve Bullock in 2016. Bullock, who is running for president, is barred from running again because of term limits, and Gianforte sees the 2020 race as a good chance to flip a seat held by Democrats since 2005. "For 16 years, Republican policies and conservative solutions have been met with a veto pen," Gianforte said at the annual convention of the Montana Republican Party. "I think everyone in this room would agree that it's time for a change. It's time to set a new course with a new leader." He isn't the only Republican to sense that opportunity. He's the sixth GOP candidate for the office, with the others including popular two-term Attorney General Tim Fox, Secretary of State Corey Stapleton and state Sen. Al Olszewski, who lost his bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate last year. State Rep. Casey Schreiner and former state legislator Reilly Neill are the only candidates so far on the Democratic side. Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney is also considering running. Montana has turned increasingly Republican in recent years, though voters in the state pride themselves on their independence. Bullock and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester are the only two Democrats to win a statewide election after 2012. Gianforte is perhaps best known for assaulting a reporter on the eve of a 2017 special election for the seat he now holds. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, apologized to the reporter and made a donation to the Committee to Protect Journalists, though he never explained why he initially told police and the public that the reporter had instigated the encounter. Carroll College political science professor Jeremy Johnson said the open seat provides another opportunity for Republicans. "Generally speaking, the state has a fairly strong red lean," Johnson said. "Because of that, anytime there's an opening for a statewide office, a Republican candidate has a pretty good shot of winning." Gianforte, who is running in his fourth statewide campaign in five years, picked up where he left off in his 2018 re-election campaign - aligning himself with President Donald Trump and saying he'd bring the president's "pro-growth playbook" to Montana. "I'll use the relationships I've built in Washington with President Trump and other leaders to push back on federal overreach," he said. Fox swiftly went on the attack, criticizing the Bozeman entrepreneur for leaving Montana's one U.S. House seat vulnerable to a Democratic win and pointing out that Gianforte lost his last governor's race the same year that Trump won Montana by 20 percentage points. "I've talked to literally hundreds of people since January, and I have not heard one person say it was a good idea for Greg Gianforte to abandon his congressional seat eight months after he campaigned," Fox told The Associated Press. "We deserve a governor who will actively serve the people of Montana, not just people seeking office for themselves." Gianforte told the AP that it's unfortunate that Fox wants to start the race with a negative tone. "I'm focused on creating better opportunities for all Montanans and bringing proven business experience to the governor's office, and I'll look forward to debating the issues rather than just slinging mud," he said. The now-open U.S. House seat also is causing other candidates for governor to consider their options. Stapleton said he will make "a big announcement" about his 2020 election plans on Saturday morning. He declined to elaborate. The conservative Club for Growth political-action committee, a group that supports potential Republican U.S. House candidate Matt Rosendale, sent out a statement blasting Stapleton and accusing him of considering jumping to the House race. Drew Zinecker, a spokesman for Olszewski, said the state senator will remain in the governor's race. Gianforte started a Bozeman software company called RightNow Technologies, which he sold to Oracle in 2011 for $1.8 billion. One of the company's executives was Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, and the two are close friends. Love 2 Funny 8 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 6 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Thumbs up This year alone, U.S. flags in Montana have been ordered at half-staff in honor of Memorial Day, Peace Officers Memorial Day, former U.S. Rep. John Dingell of Michigan and the victims of the Virginia Beach shooting. That may not be much trouble for those flying small flags outside their homes or businesses. But it is a lot of work for those who care for the 50-by-30-foot banner at Helenas Old Glory Landmark, an up to 78-pound wind sail that is raised and lowered by a mechanized winch system specially designed to wrap a 5/32-inch cable, located at Centennial Park on N. Last Chance Gulch. For four years, Herschel Mays and his son Adam spent many early mornings and late nights faithfully raising and lowering the flag in accordance with every government proclamation. On Memorial Day weekend they relinquished the role to Josh Clement and his son Teagen, who said they are honored to take on the responsibility. In honor of Flag Day, we want to recognize these dedicated volunteers and the many other Helena individuals and businesses who have made the Old Glory Landmark the Helena icon it is. Patriotism is alive and well in Helena, and everyone can see that thanks to the Old Glory Landmark's sponsors and caretakers. Thumbs down Montanas rural communities stand to benefit most from a state job creation grant program that started in 2005, but that cant happen unless rural employers apply. According to a recent analysis by the Montana Free Press, rural counties have received only 16% of the $26 million in Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund grants awarded over the programs history. The Montana Department of Commerce, which administers the program, is not favoring cities. Unfortunately, the department just isnt receiving many applications from rural areas. Even though the number of jobs in Montana grew 20% from 2000 to 2015, small towns throughout the state are continuing to experience shrinking populations, economies and services. The Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund can help combat that if more rural employers would use it. For information on how to apply, visit https://marketmt.com/BSTF. Thumbs up For many children, the final school bell of the year signals the beginning of a fun-filled summer. For others, it means the end of steady meals for the next three months. Thats why the U.S. Department of Agriculture funds the Summer Food Service Program, which is now up and running in Helena and East Helena. At most sites, free meals are available Monday through Friday to anyone 18 and younger. No proof of age or other paperwork is required. We know the program cant meet every nutritional need, but it will certainly help some children get through the summer months. This is the opinion of the Independent Record editorial board. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Montana Conservation Corps expanded its Helena youth program to middle school students this year, and on Thursday they were joined by Gov. Steve Bullock to spruce up Ten Mile Creek Park. The corps is a service-based organization enrolling young people in AmeriCorps programs. Often known for its trail construction and other work in open spaces for young adults, the organization also offers programs for high school, and new this year, middle school students in Helena. With the middle school program its learning about hard work, the communities around them and the wild spaces that they can contribute to and give back to in the future, said Madie Padon, youth program manager for the corps. Helena now has the third middle school program in the state, with the others in Missoula and Bozeman. The program lasts for six days and students enroll at no cost with the idea of training for the high school program, Padon said. The students also worked with Montana State Parks and the Montana Watershed Coordination Council this week. On Thursday the middle school students helped build pads and stain wheelchair accessible picnic tables at the park. Prickly Pear Land Trust has only had the park open for a few years and has been working to make improvements and increase accessibility for visitors, said Executive Director Mary Hollow. MCC is one of the major contributors to our volunteer labor that Prickly Pear Land Trust relies on every year to get the work done that we do both on the trails and at this park to make it more accessible, she said. Gov. Steve Bullock joined the students to offer some encouraging words, tout the importance of public access and help stain one of the picnic tables. What youre doing today will impact not only tomorrow but for years and years to come, he said. Sarah Sadowksi, grants manager with the Governors Office of Community Service, said a recently signed bill more than doubled the amount of funding state agencies can leverage to pay service programs like Montana Conservation Corps from $5,000 to $12,500 each year. Reporter Tom Kuglin can be reached at 447-4076 @IR_TomKuglin Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DECATUR Jamian "J.J." Holder said he was excited to show his family what he accomplished at the Decatur Area Arts Council on Thursday. He and his fellow participants in the Camp I Can and Camp FIRE programs for youth with special needs had visited the arts council's downtown location to make Ukrainian eggs colorful, egg-shaped creations that could be designed in whatever way the campers desired. Fifteen-year-old J.J. chose a dark shade of pink and gray to fill in his egg, saying that he felt the colors went well together. He said he likes participating in the camp because of the activities and the friends he gets to see. But most importantly, J.J. said he likes the camp "because it's fun." The Decatur Park District has offered Camp I Can/Camp FIRE in the area for over 15 years. The camps, for kids and youth from ages 6 to 21, engage participants in a variety of activities such as fishing, canoeing, and visits to park district facilities like the Fairview Family Aquatic Center. While Thursday's camp events were mostly confined to an arts council classroom and South Shores Elementary School, Dana Floyd said it's always been her preference to get the campers out and active in the community. "As I tell them, '(camp) may be located at a school, but you're not in school,'" said Floyd, the park district's special recreation association supervisor. Floyd said next week's activities include a trip to the SkyZone Trampoline Park in Springfield and their weekly visit to the Fairview pool on Friday. She said planning for the camps typically starts at the beginning of the year so she and her staff can get the schedule figured out as early as possible. "I've worked with the camp for so many years, I know the look on their faces when they found out each day what their activity is," she said. "It's their summer vacation, so we want to let them have some fun." A second-floor arts council classroom was abuzz with the group of about 20 campers as they worked with camp counselors and teachers on their eggs. SRA staffer Walter Walker oversaw the camp on Thursday and said it's always great to see so many partnerships in action during the four weeks of Camp I Can and Camp FIRE. This includes the arts council and the Decatur Public Library among others, he said. "It shows that Decatur works together," Walker said. "I like that idea." Throughout his years of experience working with special education programs like Camp I Can/Camp FIRE, Walker said, one of the things that keeps him coming back is seeing how the camp impacts the lives of its participants. He also said the camps play a role in helping society realize that people with special needs can do anything that anyone else can. "All these people have a gift, and I've always felt like we're put on Earth to do good for others, and this is one of the best things your heart can get joy out of helping these people," Walker said. "... It is good for you. It is good for these young people." Camp Counselor Jaidyn Sowa said she enjoys the activities the camp provides for campers, and also the fact that the campers enjoy the activities, too. "I love it," she said. "I love it so much. It's super fun." Contact Jaylyn Cook at (217) 421-7980. Follow him on Twitter: @jaylyn_HR Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DECATUR A Decatur man is facing preliminary charges of being a felon in possession of a handgun police said he stole from an owner who was initially reluctant to identify him to detectives for fear of retaliation. A sworn affidavit from Decatur police said the 21-year-old man was arrested Wednesday and remained in the Macon County Jail on Thursday night in lieu of posting $100,000 bond. He also faces a preliminary charge of theft. All preliminary charges are subject to review by the state attorneys office. Writing in the affidavit, Detective Benjamin Massey said the 9mm handgun was reported stolen in April. Its owner described a man he said he allowed into his home to use the restroom who then stole his gun. Massey said officers were investigating a report of a battery May 5 and ended up chasing and catching a man who ran from them and who they say dropped the 9mm handgun as he fled. The man also matched the description of the gun thief, but the owner at first said he did not recognize his picture in a photo lineup. Under further police questioning, however, the owner said he did recognize the suspect as the man who had taken his gun. He had been concerned for his and his family's safety due to retaliation, Massey said in the affidavit. The gun owner also said the original theft story was not true. He said he actually visited the suspects home while carrying the gun, and the man asked to see it and then refused to give it back. Police said the suspect has a previous conviction for the aggravated discharge of a gun and is not allowed to possess any kind of firearm. Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. DECATUR Leaders and students from Decatur Public Schools brainstormed Thursday about how to ensure the term "destination district" applies, a major goal of the five-year strategic plan launched last year. School board members and student ambassadors decided the change starts with a student-centered philosophy. Several acknowledged that the district has struggled with a negative perception among families outside the district; changing that is one of the plan's major goals. Audrey Smith-Phillips, a newly appointed student ambassador from MacArthur High School, said she is grateful for her experience at DPS, despite negative comments she hears from others outside of the school district. "Sometimes people will ask me 'are you safe in DPS?' or 'what are you learning over there,"' she said, "and I just say I'm learning the same thing your kids are learning and I'm also learning how to be a good, decent person." Superintendent Paul Fregeau said the five-year strategic plan includes a number of steps to deal with the problem. Part of the plan involves a schedule of facility improvements over the next few years that would take the number of buildings from 22 to 17 and ensure that all have air conditioning. Officials in the past have estimated the plan at $55 million, but school board members asked Fregeau on Tuesday for a more detailed breakdown of the budget. "The strategic plan is a good step in the right direction but we have a lot to do," Fregeau said Thursday. "We are good at serving the adults in our district and they are important, but we need to make sure we are taking care of our students and putting them first." The board members split themselves up into four groups each with a student ambassador. The teams discussed what they thought of when they heard "destination district" and highlighted common themes. Many of the teams had similar points such as offering more opportunities for fine arts in all of the district facilities, offering more gifted and unique programming, using local vendors especially those who are parents of DPS students, and having a highly engaged staff. Another common theme among the groups was the aspect of diversity. "We need balanced diversity so not just race, gender and things of that nature but also income levels," said school board President Beth Nolan. "We need a balance of high- and low-income students in our schools." Smith-Phillips said she sees a divide between high-income, advanced-placement students and low-income, non-advanced-placement students. "I think our schools are diverse, but we need to look at all levels of diversity, and that includes what we see in the AP classes," Smith-Phillips said. The board approved in May a partnership, funded by a $130,400 grant from the Community Foundation of Macon County, with the nonprofit Equal Opportunity Schools with the goal of increasing how many low-income students and students of color successfully complete advanced placement classes at Eisenhower and MacArthur high schools. "We are not there yet but when I think about what success looks like, it is people moving to Decatur to be in these fantastic schools," Nolan said. Editor's note: This article has been updated with corrected school information for Audrey Smith-Phillips. Contact Analisa Trofimuk at (217) 421-7985. Follow her on Twitter: @AnalisaTro Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoards Dairyman. Nearly a dozen prospective cheese buyers from five Middle Eastern countries will travel to Wisconsin later this month for a multi-day International Buyers Mission showcasing the states cheese and dairy industries. The cheese buyers from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Lebanon and Qatar will be here June 26-29 to experience a 360 view of Wisconsins dairy industry through tours of cheese making plants, meetings with dairy industry leaders, a dairy farm tour, and a mini-trade show where the buyers will meet one-on-one with Wisconsin cheese making companies and exporters. Two Middle Eastern food writers/bloggers joining the delegation will share details of the Wisconsin experience with their readers. Similar to a successful event held last year, the international buyers mission is part of the Wisconsin Initiative for Dairy Export (WIDE) program, a collaborative effort by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW), the University of Wisconsins Center for Dairy Research and other leading dairy organizations. DATCP has hosted international buyers missions for more than a decade. The upcoming visit to Wisconsin is part of a larger trade mission that will have the international delegation also making stops in New York, Vermont and Illinois. The U.S. visit is being coordinated by the U.S. Dairy Export Council, with assistance from state and government agencies and dairy industry leaders, and DATCP and DFW taking lead roles in coordinating the Wisconsin event. Wisconsin dairy products are some of the highest quality and are sought by customers from around the world. Developing and growing new markets, including in the Middle East, is a top priority as we work to grow our exports, said DATCP Secretary-designee Brad Pfaff. We look forward to showcasing our states dairy industry and the quality foods we produce to consumers from around the world. Growing exports and emerging markets are a key priority for us, said Chad Vincent, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin CEO. We need to expand international market access for Wisconsin dairy and generate growth in a challenging industry while showing everyone that Wisconsin leads the nation and world for farmers, farming and dairy. The international delegation will arrive in Wisconsin about mid-day Wednesday, June 26, and will be welcomed by state and industry officials, including DATCP Deputy Secretary Randy Romanski; Patrick Geoghegan, DFW senior vice president of industry relations and marketing; John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association; and representatives from the Center for Dairy Research. The group also will hear a presentation by Dr. Steve Ingham, administrator of DATCPs Division of Food and Recreational Safety, about state rules and regulations governing the dairy industry. Thursday, the delegation will tour several cheese making plants in southern Wisconsin, including Carr Valley Cheese, Mauston; Meister Cheese Company, Muscoda; and Cedar Grove Cheese, Plain. Later that day they will visit several supermarkets featuring prominent store within a store cheese niche areas, as well as Fromagination, a specialty cheese shop on the Capitol Square. Friday, the group will travel to an event barn in Mount Horeb where they will participate in one-on-one meetings with more than a dozen Wisconsin cheese companies, as well as freight forwarding companies who assist in exporting product. I am confident that our foreign visitors will be impressed by the high-quality dairy products and cheese making process we have in our state, stated Pfaff. Our quality, variety, and craftsmanship literally sells itself. Find more DATCP news in our Newsroom, on Facebook, on Twitter or on Instagram. Game-changing fintech, fresh approach to dating, hiring tech all this innovation and more is coming out of Houston startups. Courtesy photos You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close EDITORIAL: Flag Day: Old Glory more than just a symbol of the greatest country in the world and the freedoms about which many people can only dream For January 2022 I am going on a digital detox, where I use digital technology as little as possible and only according to rules that I write down (listed ... 3 hours ago 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 For his part, Zakka had words for the State Department and the Trump administration in general. Please get your hostages back from Iran, he was quoted as saying. The remarks suggests that the former prisoner has little confidence in the Iranian regimes willingness to act on its own accord in such matters. Although Zakka speculated that his release would function as a sort of concession to the US during a time of escalating tensions between it and the Islamic Republic, he also emphasized that his unique situation influenced Irans decision-making about that specific case. While Zakka holds permanent resident status in the United States, he is a citizen of Lebanon, the home of Irans leading foreign-headquartered proxy group, Hezbollah. As he himself explained during press interviews in the wake of his release, this gave Tehran the opportunity to portray the gesture as a show of good faith for Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, even if it also had a secret, secondary purpose. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah did apparently have a role in negotiating the release. Although this was new information provided by Lebanons head of internal security, it was already well-known that Lebanese officials had been pursuing Zakkas release for months, if not years. In fact, the State Departments public communication expressly thanked these officials. This was done without reference to the fact that some of them, including President Michel Aoun, apparently maintain close ties with the paramilitary group that has long been subject to terrorist designation by the State Department. The Times also pointed out that neither Zakka nor any other person with knowledge of his situation has indicated that talks between Iran and the US preceded the release. The White House has publicly expressed interest in direct negotiations, which would be largely but not exclusively focused on Irans nuclear program. Last year, President Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, citing issues with its limited duration and its failure to address Irans missile development or regional role. This was a major promise during his 2016 campaign, but Trump also vowed to make the release of American detainees a major priority. Some family members and other supporters of those hostages have criticized the administration for seemingly not doing enough to advance the dialogue on that issue beyond where it stood at the departure of his predecessor, Barack Obama. It is not clear how, if at all, Zakkas release will affect these views. Neither is it clear whether Zakka himself views the Trump administrations efforts in a favorable light. What is clear, however, is that his release has helped to shine additional light upon the plight of those other hostages, as well as the harsh conditions of Irans prisons and specifically its wards for political detainees. Zakkas arrest took place in 2015, as he was attempting to leave the country after attending a business conference upon the invitation of an official in the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. His comments to the press have confirmed that the arresting agents identified themselves as members of the intelligence wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This same group has been credited with the vast majority of the latest arrests of dual nationals, as well as with much of the crackdown on dissent that has escalated throughout the country, apparently as part of an effort to forestall expectations of reform under the Rouhani presidency. Torture by the IRGC and other authorities has been a common feature of that crackdown, and Zakka was quick to confirm that it was a feature of his particular case as well. He was reportedly moved to tears by the recollection of his ordeal, which included physical torture in the aftermath of his arrest and long-term psychological torture throughout his more than four years of detention. Of his detention in Evin Prison, Zakka said you will never see anyplace so horrible, before lamenting that fellow dual nationals will remain subject to those conditions, for indeterminate lengths of time. Prior to the commutation, Zakkas sentence was meant to extend for 10 years, on the basis of vaguely defined national security charges like cooperating with hostile foreign governments. This exactly matches the sentence given to most of the US citizens who are known to be held in Iranian prisoners today, and whom Zakka either encountered or actually shared a cell with during his time there. The New York Times quoted him as saying that his final two years had been spent alongside Xiyue Wang, the Princeton graduate student who was accused of distributing sensitive documents after arranging to travel to Iran for library research into 19th century Persian political history. That same cell was reportedly also shared with dozens of other inmates, leaving each person only an amount of space equivalent to that of a coffin. The Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi was apparently detained in an adjacent cell, while his elderly father Baquer was held on a different floor of the facility. Zakka also reported encountering Iranain-British charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, before she was taken to the womans ward to serve her five-year sentence for allegedly plotting the soft overthrow of Irans clerical regime. In April, during a speech at the Asia Society in New York, Irans Foreign Minister Javad Zarif cited Zaghari-Ratcliffe by name while discussing the possibility of granting freedom to Western nationals in exchange for the release of Iranian citizens who are in prison or under arrest abroad for crimes such as the violation of US sanctions. The comments were widely viewed as further evidence that the Iranian regime is holding these people not on the basis of actual suspicions of criminal activity but in order to use them as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Furthermore, Zarif later backpedaled his specific reference to Zaghari-Ratcliffe, insisting that her case was a separate issue. This may reflect Tehrans expectation of settlement for a decades-old debt owed to the country by the United Kingdom, before the regime will consider releasing British nationals. In January 2016, when four American detainees were released in a prisoner swap with the US, the Obama administration was widely criticized for simultaneously sending 700 million dollars in cash to the Islamic Republic as ransom, although the sum was ostensibly a partial repayment for a similar debt. It is unlikely that the current White House, which has steadily increased sanctions and diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime, would consider similar measures. This is no doubt part of the reason why that regime has largely rejected the prospect of direct negotiations, leading to a situation in which Zakkas release was mediated at least in part by Hezbollah supporters and so yielded no wider deal regarding Western-affiliated hostages. Advocates for those hostages may have varying reactions to the Trump administrations strategy, but several of them have responded favorably to Zakkas release and its potential to focus additional energy on the efforts to secure freedom for others. At the same time, the former prisoners public commentary is yet another testimonial regarding the Iranian regimes systematic abuses of human rights, as well as its other malign behaviors. The family of Robert Levinson, an American citizen and former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007 took note of Zakkas references to rumors regarding his presence somewhere in the Iranian prison system. Iran has continually denied knowing where he is, but the family says that Zakkas statement further confirms that Iranian authorities kidnapped our father, continuously lied about it, denied him every basic universal human right, and have been getting away with it for more than 12 years. It is unlikely to be regarded as mere coincidence that one of the affected ships was also owned by a Japanese shipping company, though it was flying the flag of Panama while reportedly carrying methanol before the damage led to it being abandoned by its crew. The other ship is Norwegian-owned and was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, but was also reportedly destined for Japan with a shipment of petrochemical products. This latter fact is made even more significant by the fact that the apparent attack on Middle Eastern shipping lanes comes roughly a week after the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Iran, this time specifically targeting the countrys largest petrochemical manufacturer. The Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company was accused of using revenue from its roughly 50-percent share of Iranian petrochemical exports to support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. That paramilitary group, in turn, is recognized as the primary financier and handler of regional militant organizations like Hezbollah, which are likely candidates to undertake missions of sabotage or terrorism stemming from the Islamic Republic. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the latest seaborne attacks, although these bore some resemblance to earlier attacks on four tankers that were anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. In that case, investigations reportedly yielded evidence of magnetic mines known to be used by Iranian forces. Tehrans adversaries, including the Trump administration and the government of Saudi Arabia, were therefore quick to accuse Iran of being behind the attacks, and of presumably coordinating them with an unspecified proxy group. These accusations were arguably strengthened by the nearly simultaneous occurrence of drone and missile strikes on targets inside Saudi Arabia, by the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group known as the Houthi. For its part, the UAE stopped short of accusing Iran by name but acknowledged the likelihood that the sabotage incidents were carried out by non-state actors with state backing. The response to Thursdays attacks has been much the same, but was perhaps even more intense and more immediate in light of the fact that they involved ships in transit as opposed to ships at anchor, and appeared to have done more damage. One of the targeted ships, the Kokuka Courageous, supposedly experienced two explosions in a three-hour period. There was some speculation that the other, the Front Altair, had been struck by a torpedo. But some sources pointed to the likelihood of magnetic mines being involved in each of Thursdays attacks, as well as in the previous attacks near the UAE. Just hours after the two tankers were abandoned in the Gulf of Oman, CBS News quoted an American defense official as saying it was highly likely Iran caused these attacks. Soon thereafter, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered remarks that appeared to erase the implicit uncertainty. It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks, he said. Speaking to Fox News, Jack Keane, a retired US four-star general and chairman of the board for the Institute for the Study of War, went even further than Pompeo, highlighting the apparent motives for the attacks. The Iranians are trying to put pressure on the U.S. allies and the international community for the U.S. to ease off on the economic sanctions that we have imposed on Iran, he said before urging the Trump administration to take the opposite tack and to continue expanding upon the existing pressure in a bid to compel changes in the Iranian regimes behavior. Keane conceded that there had been no such change so far, but he noted that by causing the Iranian economy to shrink by nearly four percent over the past year, the sanctions had closed of some of the revenue that would otherwise be channeled into Irans terrorist proxies. This praise for Trumps maximum pressure strategy, and the advocacy for more of the same, are evidently much different from the sorts of perspectives that were carried to Tehran by the Japanese Prime Minister, among others. But it is now an open question whether his more conciliatory approach to the recent tensions will survive the latest escalation apparently coming directly from Iran and its allies. This was the message of an article published in Fortune, which emphasized the tanker attacks implications for global perceptions of the security of the oil trade. Tehran has threatened at various times to close the Strait of Hormuz if the US tries to undermine Iranian exports. Of course, that is exactly what the White House accomplished by withdrawing all waivers for purchases of Iranian oil last month, thus contributing to a situation in which the Islamic Republic has lost upwards of 10 billion dollars in revenue since last November. The tanker attacks can easily be regarded as an effort to demonstrate both Irans willingness and its ability to follow through on such threats. But that potentially changes the geopolitical calculations for Japan and other nations that rely upon trade from a range of Middle Eastern countries for their energy needs. Eighty percent of Japanese crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, as does approximately one-third of all the worlds sea-traded petroleum. So far, Iran has steadfastly denied all accusations regarding its involvement in the recent attacks, including the strikes on Saudi pipelines and airports that have been openly claimed by the Houthi. But the regimes broader commentary may weaken the force of these denials, insofar as it helps to paint the picture of a vulnerable nation attempting to portray the global power imbalance as being different than it is in reality. Iranian state media boastfully seized upon the reports of explosions just as quickly as did Trump administration officials and Tehrans other critics. As Reuters noted, the Islamic Republic News Agency claimed almost immediately that the Front Altair had completely sunk, while the ships owners insisted that it was damaged and abandoned in the Gulf, but still afloat. The same outlet also stated that all 44 sailors from both ships had been picked up by Iranian naval forces and taken to an Iranian port, even though the US Navy announced that its own USS Bainbridge had picked up the 21 crew members from the Kokuka Courageous. It has been acknowledged the other ships crew had indeed been taken by Iran, but the US pushed back against the notion that this constituted their rescue by the Islamic Republic. As CBS News noted, the sailors were evidently given no choice about being unloaded at the nearest Iranian port-of-call before being transported to another in the same country. This fact was described as representing a fine line between rescued and detained. And this may be precisely the perception that Iranian state media hopes to encourage. In February 2016, shortly after the implementation of the nuclear deal that had been negotiated between Iran and six world powers led by the United States, 10 American sailors were taken captive by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after they drifted into Iranian territorial waters during a training exercise. Although the detainees were eventually released unharmed, their images were first broadcast extensively on Iranian television, where at least one sailor was forced to apologize for the incident. These arrests were perceived as such a prominent symbol of resistance to American power in the region that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei awarded Irans highest military honor to the IRGC officers involved in the incident, which was also set to be commemorated with a statue. General Frank McKenzie, the head of the US militarys Central Command, recently concluded that deterrent measures such as the deployment of an aircraft carrier to Middle Eastern waters had prompted a partial withdrawal of Irans regular naval forces, if not its regional proxies. But defiance of Western power and influence certainly remains a defining feature of Iranian policies. In talks between the two heads of state this week, Khamenei attempted to reassure the visiting Japanese Prime Minister about Irans nuclear ambitions in the wake of threats that it might resume higher-level uranium enrichment if not otherwise incentivized by European trading partners. Iran will not and should not make, hold or use nuclear weapons, and it has no such intentions, he said, but then added that if the regime did desire to obtain such weapons, America could not do anything. Although Abe reportedly bore a message from the US president during his visit on Wednesday and Thursday, Khamenei once again rebuffed Mr. Trumps standing offer of unconditional negotiations, saying, I do not see Trump as worthy of any message exchange, and I do not have any reply for him now or in the future. The MEK rally, which will take place in Brussels, on Saturday, June 15, is set to be attended by thousands of people who support a free Iran, who believe in the Iranian peoples right to self-governance, and who believe that the MEK is the best option to achieve that. The idea is to show international governments that supporting the barbaric Iranian Regime is not morally or politically the right thing to do, so the speakers will expose the Iranian Regimes various crimes against humanity over the past 40 years. The other reason behind the MEK rally in to show the world that the Iranian people are a strong force for change in their country and that the international community must respect their demands for democracy. Of course, this seems like something the world should already know. The Iranian people, organised by the MEK, have been taking part in mass anti-regime protests inside Iran since December 2017. These protests have been incredibly diverse from steelworkers worried about losing their jobs to teachers worried about the state of education to ethnic and religious minorities protesting their lack of rights. The common thread is that the Regime is at the root of all the peoples woes and regime change by and for the people is the only way to change this. Of course, many international governments worry that this would lead to instability in the regions, which is why the MEK and opposition leader Maryam Rajavi would assume power for a transitional period not to exceed six months in order to organise free and fair elections. Human rights activist Ali Bagheri wrote an op-ed in the Herald Report on June 8 to summarise the escalating political tensions in Iran as the MEK gains momentum and the mullahs rapidly (and publically) lose control. Bagheri wrote: The vast uprising inside the country clarified, there exists no solution inside the current regime in TehranEven with Iran nuclear deal, the regime is isolated more than any other time in its history. He argues, rightly, that the tide is turning against the Regime and that the MEK represents a strong and viable alternative to the mullahs, with the MEK having support from the Iranian people and Western politicians. Therefore, it is imperative that the governments get on board. They must stop appeasement of the Iranian Regime and start supporting the MEK. Lets not forget that supporting the Regime means supporting the oppression that is imperative to its rule. This includes an anti-MEK demonization campaign, both on and offline, which is designed to dehumanise the MEK and was stepped up rapidly in 2018, following the start of the protests. The idea behind dehumanising the MEK is so that the Regime can continue its violent attacks against them with impunity. These attacks include executing 30,000 MEK members held as political prisoners in the summer of 1988 alone and the attempted bombing of the MEKs Free Iran rally in Paris in 2018 and the attempted bombing of the MEKs compound in Albania during the 2018 Persian New Year celebrations. So if you can get to the rally, do. Youll show the world that you stand in support of the repressed people and not their oppressors. This fact is arguably a testament to the perceived importance of the de-escalation mission. Yet the prospects for that mission, as well as the current tactical focus by Abe and others, were called into question even before he arrived. The Associated Press quoted Abe as saying that he and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had bluntly discussed the issue. This language may imply the use of harsh language in conversation between the two leaders, but it might also point to their mutual criticism of the White House for the policy of maximum pressure, which has widely been blamed for the current escalation. That policy has been pursued through economic sanctions ever since the expiration of two, back-to-back 90-day waiting periods following the US withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018. But much more recently, maximum pressure has come to include military deterrence measures, including the deployment of an aircraft carrier group and four B-52 bombers to the area outside the Persian Gulf. The latter gestures came in response to intelligence regarding threats by Iranian paramilitary naval forces and Irans regional proxy groups. Satellite imagery showed an increase in the smuggling of missiles off Irans coast, while officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were overheard directing their foreign assets to prepare for conflict. Last week, General Frank McKenzie, the head of the US militarys Central Command in the Middle East, affirmed the veracity of this intelligence but also claimed that the deployments had succeeded in prompting Iran to pull back somewhat. However, the withdrawal of naval forces does not appear to be matched by a draw-down of militant proxies, and a number of actual and attempted attacks have been attributed to those groups in recent weeks. The latest of these came just hours before Abes visit to Tehran. In reporting on that visit, the AP noted that the Japanese Prime Ministers warnings about the possibility for accidental conflict were muted by newfound recognition of the Iranian regimes apparent efforts to intentionally court conflict, albeit conflict that relies on asymmetrical warfare tactics and is generally one step removed from the Islamic Republics regular military forces. Irans chief regional rival, Saudi Arabia, was quick to blame the regime for the missile attack on a Saudi airport that injured 26 people earlier on Wednesday. The same was true of two drone strikes last month, which targeted another airport and an oil pipeline. In all three cases, the Houthi rebel group in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Iran was widely credited with providing the military equipment necessary to carry them out. In the most recent case, the Saudis went as far as reporting that not only did the relevant missile originate in Iran, but Iranian experts were on the ground at the launch site. Meanwhile, the internationally recognized government of Yemen reiterated its condemnation of Irans well-known backing of the Houthi militants. Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani highlighted an established Iranian policy of escalation in regional conflicts, adding, The Iranian project in Yemen is to use the territory to implement its subversive agenda, including threatening the energy sources and corridors of international trade. In addition to the Houthi strikes on Saudi territory, there were four simultaneous acts of sabotage on tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in May. According to White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, these were preceded by an unsuccessful attempt to attack a Saudi oil port. The tanker attacks, which left damage but no casualties, have not been attributed to a specific group, but a UAE investigation demonstrated that the perpetrators had state-backing, while Bolton reported that the sea mines involved in the attacks could be traced back to Iran. All of this serves to undermine efforts by various world powers to attribute the current escalation to Iran and the US equally, and to suggest that war might arise without either party intending it. Naturally, this narrative has led to calls for direct talks aimed at resolving the tensions. Prominent among those making these calls are officials in the Arabian nation of Qatar, which is presently stuck on the geopolitical fence between Iran and its regional adversaries. On Sunday, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani credited Japan and other nations with having spoken to both the US and Iran about the perceived need for de-escalation. But Thani said nothing about the effect of recent Iranian rhetoric on efforts to bridge the gap and create a conversation. While President Trump said on multiple occasions last month that he would eagerly meet with Iranian officials in absence of preconditions, Tehran has unequivocally ruled this out, saying instead that the US must resume participation in the nuclear deal in order to justify talks. At the same time, various Iranian officials including so-called moderates like President Hassan Rouhani have been repeating threats of military reprisal if the US makes further provocative moves. Even during Abes visit, Rouhani threatened a crushing response to any American attack. Such threats are generally regarded as little more than bluster, given the stagnating effects of years-long sanctions on Irans military development. But the rhetoric alone may be enough to alter the international approach to promoting de-escalation, especially insofar as that rhetoric could be partially realized through further proxy attacks, even in absence of war. The prospective shift in focus may not have been on display during Abes visit to Tehran, wherein he urged more patience on all sides. But it is arguably beginning to show in commentary from other governments, including those of Europe, that have generally been trying to appeal to the US and Iran in similar terms. For instance, Germany released a joint statement with the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, which specifically called upon Iran to avoid escalation. The statement also repeated common talking points from Arab and American criticism of the Islamic Republic, as by stressing respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the affairs of fellow regional nations. Encouraging such non-interference is, notably, a major focus of the Trump administrations policy of maximum pressure. And recent reports suggest that that policy may be working in ways that go beyond forcing Tehran to reconsider its naval presence. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iran had lost approximately 10 billion dollars, or one-fifth of its typical annual petroleum revenue, since sanctions took effect in November. And this has evidently had an impact on the regimes ability to continue financing its regional proxies. The same report notes that Iran has been working to mitigate some of this effect by selling more petrochemical products to an expanded range of importers, and at prices below market rate. But the White House has already moved to counteract such effects, sanctioning the countrys largest petrochemical company for its alleged financing of the Revolutionary Guards. Additionally, a separate Reuters report noted that the administration has similarly moved to sanction an Iraqi company called South Wealth Resources for the same reason, thereby bringing the maximum pressure strategy close to targeting Irans foreign assets and allies directly. It was determined that the Iranian regime was behind the attacks on a Saudi oil pipeline and on several vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran against any further action and he has since issued new sanctions with regards to its oil sector in a bid to dissuade further belligerence. Now, after the recent attack in Saudi Arabia on the international airport in Abha, the kingdoms Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman has slammed the Iranian regimes behaviour. He said that Irans continued aggression across the region and its reckless escalation will have serious consequences. He also noted that Irans aggression is often carried out via militias and proxy groups. The Deputy Minister of Defense also spoke about the regimes history of belligerence saying that for four decades it has terrorised the region through needless acts of destruction, death and the spread of chaos and sectarianism. He noted Irans support of the Houthi rebels in Yemen in particular. Prince Khalid bin Salman said that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is going to take great efforts to confront the Houthi militias malign acts, saying that they will display unwavering resolve. He said that the attack on a civilian airport exposes to the world the recklessness of Irans escalation. The prince also said that it is just another example of the danger that the regime presents with regards to security and stability in the region. In a message on Twitter, the Deputy Defense Minister said: Appropriate measures will be taken to confront and deter these terrorist militias. We will stand against all those that aim to inflict harm on our security and interests, and we will continue to adhere to all international laws and norms to protect regional security and stability. The Iranian regime is in a desperate situation. Through these recent reckless acts, it is likely that the regime is trying to portray an image of strength, but it must tread carefully. The regime is so close to collapse that sparking a war inadvertently or intentionally would be a grave mistake. War would be equal to suicide. Faced with further displays of aggression, the international community has a responsibility to ensure that the regime is held accountable for its actions. The United States is putting Iran through a maximum pressure campaign and it is targeting the regime with a series of sanctions in a bid to prevent it from plundering so much money on terrorist groups and activities. As a major violator of human rights, all those freedom loving countries must hold the regime accountable for its actions. The regime has been allowed to get away with the most atrocious violations for far too long. A survey of 1909 Australians has found that an increasing number want to quit their jobs because they are being pushed to the limit by their employers and have nothing more to give in terms of efforts to be more productive at work. And the main reason why they want to leave is a lack of respect. The technology research firm Gartner said the survey was part of a global exercise during which it canvassed the views of more than 40,000 employees in 40 countries. "Australian workplaces have exhausted staff morale and decimated effort levels, with employees now on the brink of burnout and ready to quit," Gartner said. During what it terms its 1Q2019 Global Talen Monitor, the company said that what it called discretionary effort levels or the willingness to go above and beyond at work had fallen to the lowest point since 1Q2014. This, Gartner suggested, indicated that without change, the workforce had nothing left to give. Among Australians, 15.7% reported high discretionary effort levels in the first quarter of 2019, marginally more than the global average of 15%, and down from a high of 23% in 2Q2017. Organisations have stripped the fat in every area of operations as they look to drive efficiencies and move their business into the future, said Aaron McEwan, advisory leader in the Gartner HR practice. Growth targets are high, and for years, organisations have expected their workers to do more with less and achieve continuous results against a backdrop of constant change and increasing complexity. Workers are acutely aware of what their employers want from them; theyre feeling pressure to work longer hours, often without pay, and take work home in order to meet deadlines. With the added stress of always on technology and flat wage growth, its not surprising that employees are feeling overworked, disrespected, stressed and anxious." Gartner said the respect factor rose seven places in 1Q2019 to become the leading driver of attrition among Australian workers, followed by manager quality, which was up two places. During the quarter, Australian employees intent to stay fell 8%, while active job-seeking increased by 5.6%. McEwan said when workers were fed up and tired, their first instinct was flight over fight. Even though the external job market is not particularly favourable for candidates today, leaving becomes a more attractive prospect than remaining in a job where you feel undervalued and mentally exhausted, he added. NEOGA Current Teutopolis School District Superintendent Bill Fritcher is set to become the new superintendent for Neoga. The Neoga school board voted Thursday night to hire Fritcher to replace outgoing Superintendent Ben Johnson, who is moving to the Benton High School District. Johnson has served as Neoga's superintendent since February 2017 and has been an administrator there since 2005. Neoga district officials reported in a press release that Fritcher has 30 years of teaching and administrative experience in the Shelbyville, Effingham, and Teutopolis districts. Most recently, he has been the Teutopolis superintendent for the past nine years. School board President Chuck Campbell said the Neoga district has overcome significant financial obstacles in the past five to seven years thanks to a team effort involving school staff, the school board, and students. He said they have begun adding back programs that were eliminated. "It is our belief that Mr. Fritcher brings the experience, and a strong student-centered approach, necessary to take our school district to the next level, Campbell said. Fritcher and his wife, Julie, live in Neoga and have two grown children. Fritchers college degrees are all from Eastern Illinois University. He is also a graduate of the Illinois Association of School Administrators School for Advanced Leadership. I am honored to be selected for this position. Both of my children graduated from Neoga schools and have been well-prepared by an excellent staff. I look forward to working with them to provide all students with opportunities that prepare them for college or career, Fritcher said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted. 2. Comments must not involve little more than name-calling and insulting remarks. 3. Comments must not be made by "anonymous" or "unknown". 4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam). I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published. People in the crowd threw rocks and bricks, with 25 officers suffering mostly minor injuries during the tense clash Wednesday night in the Frayser community in north Memphis. TOPEKA, Kan. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it will relocate two research agencies' headquarters to the Kansas City area, delighting Kansas and Missouri officials but intensifying critics' fears that research will suffer and be less accessible to federal policymakers. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said that moving most employees out of Washington will bring the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture closer to farmers and agribusinesses they serve. He also said the USDA would save about $20 million a year on rent and other employee costs, freeing up extra dollars for research. Members of the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations and the two states' governors praised the USDA's move, saying the research agencies are a good fit for their region. The USDA said nearly 550 of the roughly 640 jobs will move, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, said they will pay between $80,000 and $100,000 a year. Agriculture is the backbone of our country," said Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. "When these programs are closer to their customers, the USDA will be able to better serve the farmers and ranchers who feed the world." Airline fares within the U.S. are inching higher again. American Airlines confirmed Thursday that it raised domestic fares $5 each way. J.P. Morgan said Southwest Airlines followed by raising prices on tickets bought within a week of the flight and favored by business travelers. Southwest did not immediately comment. Airlines had raised prices just five weeks ago, and J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker said he wasn't expecting another round of increases so soon. Spot prices for jet fuel, a major airline expense, have dipped since May. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 When youre watching a promotional screening of a big summer picture, and the movie is more or less doing its job without really taking off, its instructive to listen to the audience. And then figure out if what works for them works for you. In the matter of Men in Black: International, what works is whats funny. This is the fourth of the now-and-then MIB franchise. In the supporting ranks, Kumail Nanjiani provides the voice of a tiny alien chess piece, named Pawny, who spends much of the film perched on the shoulder of Agent M, played by Tessa Thompson. Hes there for wisecracks and running commentary, and the occasional foray into battle against the aliens among us. What happens with Pawny? He opens his tiny digitized mouth and boom: the audience laughs. The theater fills with laughter. The semi-shameless character works because Nanjianis line readings are reliable killers. The standup-trained actor, a wizard of timing and inflection, has a way of turning scripted material into spontaneous-sounding material. (Some of it likely was improv-sprung by Nanjiani in the recording booth.) That's not to say it feels like a retread, exactly. What Jarmusch has crafted here is a willfully quirky zom-com made specifically for the Trump era. To be sure, there are messages to be had between the cast's repeated winking at the audience, some more subtle than others. But that's not exactly a new thing. From the time George Romero first breathed life into this whole shambling genre with 1968's "Night of the Living Dead," the better entries have always included a dash of social commentary alongside the gore. Jarmusch follows that lead in "The Dead Don't Die," although the themes here -- anti-consumerism, pro-environment -- are something less than fresh. After all, Romero himself tackled consumerism in "Dawn of the Dead," his shopping-mall-set 1978 sequel to "Night of the Living Dead." Zack Snyder revisited the idea in his 2004 remake of the same name. Kidz Bop, the biggest kids act in the world, is coming to Pinewood Bowl Sunday afternoon. The sung by kids for kids touring group is a spinoff from the hit compilation albums of kids covering popular songs that have been released under the Kidz Bop name. Kidz Bop has sold more than 20 million albums since its 2001 debut, with 24 of the 40 albums landing in the Top 10 of Billboard Top 200 Albums chart -- a mark surpassed only by The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Barbara Streisand. Moving into the digital era, Kidz Bop has garnered more than 2.7 billion streams and has more than 1 million YouTube subscribers. Sundays show will be performed by the 2019 version of Kidz Bop -- four girls and three boys, ages 10 to 14, from around the country. The show, according to a news release, will include Panic! At the Discos High Hopes, 5 Seconds of Summers Youngblood and Ariana Grandes Thank U, Next. Knit and Crochet group 12:30-2 p.m. June 18. Learn to crochet and/or knit with a great group, no experience required, teachers available to help you learn, St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd. Stmarks.org or 402-489-8885. Lunch with the Bunch St. Marks United Methodist Church singles, June 23, noon at Noodles & Company, 2801 Pine Lake Rd. For more information, email pmcgrane@stmarks.org or call 402-489-8885. Moving in the Spirit Tai-Chi and Zumba 10-11 a.m. (Fridays) Moving in the Spirit Tai-Chi; 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Fridays) Zumba. Wear comfortable clothing, bring something to drink, First Presbyterian Church, 840 S. 17th St. Info@fpclincoln.org or 402-477-6037. Nebraska Revival: Kingdom Muzic Revival Event 5-9 p.m. June 23. Free food and face painting, Trago Park, North 22nd and U streets, 7 p.m. Live music performed by Bryann and Monica Trejo and Young Bro, Christian Hip Hop music, free, donations accepted. Concert will be inside the Malone Center, 2032 U St. 'I Love To Write' workshop Students and families still interested in attending the "I Love To Write" workshop should email facilitators to ensure space is available. Registration: Download from unl.edu/newp/love-to-write. When: June 17-22 Where: Second floor of the Animal Science Building, University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus. Cost: $75 ($90 for family session) Sessions: 9-11 a.m. (ages 7-11); 2-4 p.m. (ages 12-14): family session 6-8 p.m. More information: xLove2Writex@gmail.com or SusanLoves2Write@gmail.com Mittan said his grilled shrimp was likely selected for television due to how easy it is to make. He described his recipe as simple and easy to customize, depending on the cooks preferences. You dont need 25 different things to put in the recipe. All you really need with the shrimp is olive oil, six cloves of garlic, orange marmalade with OJ and lime juice, and chili flakes, he said. If you don't want orange marmalade or want something different like apricot, then you can do that instead. Its all up to you. Before being selected as one of six of the contests finalists, Mittans video was first judged by a panel based on his personality, recipe creativity, passion for grilling and visual and overall appeal of the dish. Then, on May 7, Mittan received a call from one of the shows producers telling him ABC would fly him to New York City to tape the segment. I was thrilled, it surprised me. I thought they were calling me just to verify (the recipe) was real and it was my own recipe, he said. When she asked if I wanted to be on, I was shocked. According to press accounts, both concessions were made over the past six months. So they were not a result of the standoff. Regardless, Mexico's concessions aren't worth more than a fistful of pesos. You'll recall that the United States has also, over the years, deployed thousands of law enforcement officials -- i.e., border patrol agents -- to the U.S.-Mexico border, along with thousands of National Guard troops. And it has still been unable to stop the flow of migrants. And what's the point of processing asylum claims in Mexico rather than the United States? It just delays the decision that Americans have to make about whether to take in these folks -- or ship them back home. Furthermore, the White House has an odd definition for what constitutes an agreement. Mexico gave up something, and the United States gave up nothing -- except a threat that it could never afford to make good on anyway. That's not an agreement. That's a stickup. To recap, against the advice of his own economic advisers and senators in his own party, Trump targeted, by some measures, our No. 1 trading partner and threatened to impose a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods, which was set to increase to 25% in four months. The largest element involves the creation of Meadowlark Scholarships for residents of Nebraska born in or after 2021. Building upon successful studies and pilots elsewhere, this program creates an endowment that invests $100 in seed money into a 529 plan without dipping into general fund dollars. Overwhelming evidence shows children with these accounts have higher educational attainment than those without. The others enacted by the Nebraska Legislature increase incentives for contributions to 529 plans by low-income Nebraskans and businesses that chip in for employees. These are critical because college-savings plans can be used to cover expenses at nearly all two-year, four-year, trade or technical schools for people of all ages. Murante told the editorial board that only 16% of Nebraskans partake in this beneficial program, mostly clumped in Lancaster, Douglas and Sarpy counties. Every time a student gives a fist bump to a robot rolling around Southeast Community Colleges three campuses, the present celebrates the future. In that moment, traditional on-campus learning touches a novel development in distance education. At a time where post-secondary schooling is more important than ever, it must also become more attainable. With cost and distance from the classroom representing formidable obstacles to obtaining a degree, colleges need to find ways to meet students where they are. And the six robots now scooting around buildings in Beatrice, Lincoln and Milford are doing just that. This creative effort, largely funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, deserves praise for its ingenuity in reducing the hurdles faced by rural students. By bringing college to them, rather than making them work to even make it to campus, SCC has removed barriers that could dissuade someone from higher education. KENOSHA The family of a 4-year-old boy who was attacked by a pit bull hopes the dogs owners will come forward to take responsibility and to prove the dog has been vaccinated for rabies. Paul Kiely said a couple he described as acquaintances stopped by his familys Kenosha home Monday, bringing their two dogs. He said the owners tied the leash of one of the dogs to the front porch. Kiely said the couple had been there for about 30 minutes when his son, 4-year-old Colin, walked past the dog on his way to the porch. Colin went to walk by him; he reached out to pet him; and this dog just pounced on him, lunged on him and bit him in the face, Kiely said. Kiely said he grabbed his son away from the dog. I just put him over my shoulder were a block and a half from the hospital so I just ran with him, he said. Colin was stabilized at the local ER, then taken by a Flight for Life ambulance to Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, where he underwent a 2 hour surgery to repair the injuries to his face, spending two days in the hospital. Part of Colins lip is gone, and he will need additional plastic surgery to repair the damage. (The surgeon) said, I stitched back everything I could, I cant stitch back whats missing, Kiely said. While the family was at the emergency room, the couple who owns the dog left with both dogs. The woman with the dog responded to a message on social media telling Colins mother that the dog is vaccinated, but claimed she had moved recently and did not know her address. Vaccination records sought The dog owners have not responded to Kenosha Police or to the Kenosha Department of Health, which is trying to get proof that the dog is vaccinated or, if it is not, place it in a 10-day bite quarantine. Kyle Ziegler with the Kenosha County Department of Health said, in dog bite cases, dog owners are required to prove their dog is vaccinated, or to allow the dog to be placed in quarantine with a certified veterinarian or humane society. Most of the time, owners respond really well and will have their pet seen before we even see the report, Ziegler said. In this case, he said, it appears the owners are attempting to evade responsibility. Weve already stopped by the house and cannot make contact with them thats kind of where we are right now, he said. The Kenosha News messaged the owner through social media but did not receive a response. Dog owners liable Wisconsin law also makes dog owners liable for damages resulting from a dog bite. Ziegler said dogs that have been declared to be vicious by the city can be banned from the city or, if the owner prefers, euthanized. He said those cases are very rare. Every case is treated individually; its all on a case-by-case basis, Ziegler said. Kiely is upset that the dog owners have not come forward, saying it is raising the possibility his injured son will also need to go through rabies vaccinations. He is also upset because he said the community service officer who came to the hospital was unresponsive, and because the local hospital called police to report Kielys adult son when the son made angry comments about the dog. As far as I know, theyre hiding the dog since the incident, and this is obviously a dangerous dog, Kiely said. Im not anti-dog, and Im not anti-pit bull. Im angry about irresponsible owners. He called the situation disgraceful. What do I tell this child in years to come, when he asked what happened and what did you do about it, Kiley said, that this dog is still walking around and you are disfigured? Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 8 Angry 13 To bring awareness to the issue communities all over the world are sponsoring events to highlight solutions to this issue in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which is Saturday, June 15. The Racine County Human Services Department will take part by displaying pinwheels, each representing one case of elder abuse investigated in 2018, on the lawn of the Aging and Disability Resource Center at the Ives Grove County Building on 14200 Washington Ave. The pinwheels will be displayed Friday through Sunday, June 14-16, on the northwest lawn with large banners explaining the event. RACINE James Morgenroth, a Racine alderman who served from 2011 until April, died Sunday. Morgenroth, 73, had longstanding health issues and did not run for re-election in April for his 13th District seat, which Natalia Taft was elected to represent this spring. My heartfelt sympathies go out to Alderman Morgenroths family, Mayor Cory Mason said in a statement. Jim was a dedicated public servant and a strong advocate for his constituents. From the soon-to-be open dog park at Davies Park, to his expertise in economic development, Alderman Morgenroth leaves behind a legacy that both his family and the city can be proud of. We mourn his loss but thank him for his service to this community. Morgenroth was an advocate for the dog park at N. Owen Davies Park, 1829 West Boulevard., funding for which was included in the 2019 Capital budget and could open as soon as next month. Tom Molbeck, the citys director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, said last October that his department had wanted to create a dog park for a while. A few years ago, the department pitched the idea to Morgenroth and he liked the idea so much he brought it up occasionally, so the department finally decided to go forward with the plan. Alderman Mary Land, who advocated for the dog park after Morgenroth, said that Morgenroth was one of the first people to welcome her to the City Council when she began in 2015. He was always extending a hand and he said that I could always ask if I needed help, said Land, who represents the 11th District. I have warm memories of him, and he will be missed. Morgenroth also occasionally wrote letters to the editor that appeared in The Journal Times. In a 2014 letter he wrote, What a true statesman (unlike a politician) would and should do is cast their vote for the good of the whole people of the institution they represent. As the old adage goes: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. At least it can be if the parts are sincerely interested to cooperate, one with another! Morgenroth was elected in 2011 after Alderman Jim Spangenberg decided not to seek re-election. Morgenroth had worked as an international publishing consultant for World Vision, an NGO based in Cyprus, according to a 2011 Journal Times article from when he was running for office. At the time, he said his main concerns for the city were job creation, public safety and managing a budget in these difficult economic times. He stated, A budget that can be lived is a budget with a solid vision for the future, allows for unforeseen challenges and is built on a foundation of checks and balances. Wilson Funeral Home, 1212 Lathrop Ave., Racine, is handling arrangements. He was always extending a hand and he said that I could always ask if I needed help. I have warm memories of him, and he will be missed. Alderman Mary Land, speaking of her late colleague James Morgenroth Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. MUNDELEIN, Ill. Police say a vehicle struck and killed 19 Canada geese in Lake County Illinois. Mundelein police say they're looking for the driver who fled the scene. The geese were attempting to cross Midlothian Road on Sunday when they were wiped out. If the geese were intentionally struck, the driver could be in hot water with authorities. They are classified as protected migratory birds. Police Chief Eric Guenther says "it's pretty hard" to accidentally strike 19 geese. He believes the geese might have had a nest at Village Green Country Club or near a pond. Anyone with information can call (847) 968-4600. A vehicle killed six geese in Chicago on June 5. The driver said his brakes malfunctioned. Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 9 Angry 1 You rarely hear complaints from farmers about their job because they love what they do, but you will hear an earful about the weather, milk prices and the occasional tractor breakdown. June is dairy month and theres no better time to recognize the work dairy farmers do and the challenges they face. Farmers need to be expert mechanics, scientists, business owners and creative geniuses to make a farm thrive. Factors beyond their control make even the smartest or the hardest-working farmers face bankruptcy. Farmers have seen glorious and terrible times throughout our history. In the 1930s, many farmers lost it all when the soil they relied on was literally blown away. In the 1980s, banks held auctions on farms they re-possessed after numerous farm bankruptcies. Wisconsin farmers find themselves in desperate times. Much has been written about the plight of our farms, especially our dairy farms. Weve lost dairy farms at an alarming rate we are losing nearly two farms each day. Farm families deserve better. My friend Mike told me a story about growing up on their farm in the 1980s. It was a difficult time and the neighboring farm family found the father hanged in their barn he chose suicide instead of seeing everything he worked for in life come crashing down. Soon after that horrible discovery and a major rain event, Mikes father got his tractor stuck in the mud right before the harvest. The son of the deceased farmer came to help Mikes family farm. They got the tractor out of the mud and the crops harvested, but sadly, the family of the deceased farmer had to give up their farm. Even in terrible despair and grief, one farmer came to the rescue of another. Farmer suicide is at an all-time high in Wisconsin. Ive heard from farmers who found themselves at the brink but were talked out of taking that final terrible act. Counseling can help. The weight of mental strain on farmers struggling is incredibly difficult to bear due to the pride they take in their work and the consequences of each big decision. If we know a farmer struggling to make ends meet, we all need to offer support. Understanding how we arrived at this crisis is just as complicated as the solutions to overcome it. Climate change has caused dramatic weather patterns. Farmers need to know impossible answers to important questions. Will it be a wet spring like this year? Will we experience a drought? Will the fall harvest be delayed? Even with the help of modern science, unpredictable weather causes major problems for farmers. Low market prices is another factor out of a farmers control. Family farms cant make a profit due to the overproduction by factory farms, the greater dependence on foreign markets and global tariffs. Federal rules and market boards make determinations that can make or break local farms. Despite how well the herd or crops are maintained, family farms are influenced by choices made thousands of miles away. Weve all heard comments that make us wonder where our compassion has gone. Comments like farmers deserve what they get because of how they voted in the last election. Or, farmers need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. If we hear comments like these, we all need to correct them and show compassion to our farmers for the jobs they do. No matter the cause of the crisis, nobody deserves what our farmers are going through. NOBODY! With farmer suicide at an all-time high and the rapid rate of family farm closures, we need solutions, not someone to blame. As we work together to find these solutions, we must continue to hold onto compassion at a time when our farmers need it the most. June is Dairy month. Visit a dairy breakfast and learn more about the important role farmers play in our communities. A complete list of Wisconsin dairy breakfasts can be found at https://hooraywisconsindairy.com. Most of all, take time to listen to your local farmers and understand their hard earned pride. Democrat Jeff Smith, Eau Claire, represents the 31st state Senate District. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In his May 17, 2019 e-Update, Budget Bulletin I, State Sen. Howard Marklein (17th Senate District) addressed the Republicans removal of the Medicaid expansion from the budget. The Medicaid expansion was designed to help people in the 100-138 percent range of the federal poverty level, earning about $12,140 to $17,200. They neither qualify for BadgerCare (Wisconsins Medicaid program) nor can afford good health care coverage in the private marketplace. Sen. Marklein defended this Republicans action by stating that Wisconsin has some of the best insurance coverage in the country and does not have a coverage gap for people who fall within the group the Medicaid expansion was designed to cover. He stated that this group of Medicaid citizens are eligible for very affordable private health insurance in the Affordable Care Act marketplace. These statements seriously distort the truth. For example: A recent study of the cost of addiction treatment drugs found that people who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid under the expansion will pay as much as 72 times more for opioid addiction drugs under the Affordable Care Acts private insurance marketplace than they would under BadgerCare a clearly unaffordable amount for low income citizens. The opioid epidemic is higher in Wisconsin than the national average and is rising. The Republicans refusal to include the very popular Medicaid expansion in the budget leaves these people out of any treatment possibility. Sen. Marklein is dead wrong when he says private health insurance for low income people is very affordable. Lee D. Van Landuyt, Hillsboro Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In March, the U.S. House passed H.R.1, a sweeping overhaul proposal to get big money out of our politics by overturning Citizens United, which was one of many decisions by the Supreme Court giving corporations the rights of citizens and allowing dark money to dominate our politics and elections. This proposal would also allow ease of voting early and online and end partisan gerrymandering. Also, draining the swamp could become a reality with this bill by enacting tougher new ethics on our leaders and rules on lobbyists and close the revolving door between government and industry. Now it's the Senate's turn and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will not allow the Senate to vote on it. Call Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson at (202) 224-5323 and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky at (502) 582-6304 and ask them to advocate for S949. Kent Gallaway, Readstown Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 TITLE: Impossible Odds AUTHOR: Jessica Buchanan and Erik Landemalm As teenagers unknown to one another Jessica and Erik had dreams of helping the human misery in Africa. Both had experienced failed marriages when they met at a dance in 2007 and after dating a 18 months they were married. Soon their dream of working together in Africa became a reality. Erik had already been in Somalia for two years when they met. Jessica was a teacher and her concerns were for the neglected girls and the child soldiers. In 2008, they returned to the United States so Erik could meet Jessicas family before a marriage proposal took place. They were married in 2009 and on Oct. 25, 2011 their lives changes drastically when she and a colleague were kidnapped by pirates. They were held captives for a high ransom for 93 days. Despite Eriks protest to her returning to Africa without him she got his blessings to go back. There were many phone conversations between Erik and Matt from the crisis management team after the kidnapping. Was Jessica in lethal danger? Was her health failing? Would she think he had abandoned her? Would she feel betrayed? How was she treated being the only woman by the attackers? What were the intentions of the attackers? What was the Defense Department doing to plan her rescue? Their story is told in detail of the emotional ordeal Erik suffered as he kept up with the plans for a rescue. Much more details shared about Jessicas frightening ordeal included her eating tuna using a tampon applicator as an eating utensil. Her medications had been taken away from her. The abuse took the form of aggression instead of torture. She and Paul were concealed during the day but at night were ordered to lie on the ground in the open. Sometimes they were separated. How sophisticated were the kidnappers? Why was the ransom set so high? As the days turned into weeks, and weeks became months, Jessica and Paul had no clue about the extensive work being done in the U.S. to get them out of Africa alive and safe. The FBI, military forces, crisis management team, the Defense Department, Jessicas family and Erik worked around the clock for the heroic rescue by 24 Navy Seals on Jan. 25, 2012. Who was the leader of the three African clans involved in the kidnapping? For what reasons? How is life like for Erik and Jessica after the dramatic rescue? This is a true story that is a must to read. Once you start reading it you wont put the book down too fast! Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Hollis B. Fisher, 64, passed away May 24, 2019, in Milwaukee, of pneumonia. Hollis was born in Viroqua, Oct. 31,1954, to Donald Sr. and Juanita (Widner) Fisher, the youngest of five children. Hollis graduated from Viroqua High School June 1, 1972. He went to the Wisconsin School of Electronics that September. He left in October of 1973, a certified electronics technician. This lead to a career in Oshkosh, Wis., at Warner Cable that lasted more than 30 years. In 2012, he earned his amateur radio (ham) license, an accomplishment he was very proud of, receiving call letters KC9VZZ. Hollis is survived by his daughter, Angela; his sister, LaVonna Jane (Tom) Fortney; a brother, Donald (Linda) Fisher Jr.; his sister-in-law, Barbara Fisher; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends all over Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by his parents; older brothers, Harlan J. and Vincent E.; and sister-in- law, Sheila K. Fisher. Cremation is taking place. A celebration of Hollis life will take place June 14, at Vosseteig Funeral Home, 123 W. Decker St., in Viroqua. A visitation from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. will be followed by a service and meal. Burial will take place at Coon Prairie Cemetery in Westby, afterwards. The Viroqua Church of Christ and Vosseteig Funeral Home is assisting the family. A tribute page is available at obits/@vossfh.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Viroqua Church of Christ VBS are appreciated. A manure spill in La Crosse County is estimated to have killed more than 1,000 trout. The spill, which is being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, was reported June 8 in Bostwick Creek in the town of Bangor. The incident affects the area upstream of Highway M to Larson Road, according the DNR. Although the downstream affect to the fishery is being assessed, anglers should be aware that fishing in the area has been compromised. DNR fisheries staff will continue to monitor the creek. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 4 Angry 23 Chief Ronald J. Tischer will step down as the city of La Crosse Police Department chief to assume command of the Payson Police Department in Arizona effective July 29, according to a press release. Tischer, who has served as the city of La Crosse Police Departments chief since 2012 and has about 25 years of law enforcement experience in Wisconsin, will replace Paysons retiring police chief, Donald Engler. Englers last day will be July 26, said LaRon Garrett, town manager of the town of Payson. A spokesperson from the La Crosse mayors office said the city does not have an official statement and has not received a letter of resignation from Tischer. The La Crosse Police Department also said its unable to provide a statement at this time. In 2012, Tischer, who dubbed La Crosse his forever home, said La Crosse County wasnt tough enough on drug dealers and would advocate for more accountability and harsher penalties. The New Berlin, Wis., native sought a mechanical-engineering degree from Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1983 and then enrolled in criminal justice classes at Waukesha County Technical College in 1994. He was hired by the Racine County Sheriffs Department halfway through the police recruit academy and quickly accepted a job offer from the River Hills Police Department as a patrol officer in Milwaukee. Immediately before coming to La Crosse, Tischer commanded patrol officers and a technical unit in Waukesha, Wis. Love 0 Funny 7 Wow 1 Sad 6 Angry 0 Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday he has reconstituted the states pardon board, which was inactive under former Republican Gov. Scott Walker. I believe in forgiveness and the power of redemption, Evers said in a statement. People who have taken responsibility for their mistakes and who have worked to improve their lives and communities deserve a second chance. The state Constitution grants the governor the power to pardon individuals convicted of a crime, which Wisconsin governors from both parties have traditionally used. Walker, however, declined to do so. The board will make recommendations to Evers on whom he should grant a pardon. Under Evers executive order announced Thursday, those convicted of a felony may apply for a pardon if they finished their sentence at least five years ago and havent committed new crimes. Those required to register on the sex offender registry are ineligible for a pardon. A pardon does not erase or seal the conviction but restores some rights lost, including the right to hold public office and carry some professional licenses, according to the governors office. Evers appointed eight people to the board, which will be led by his top lawyer, Ryan Nilsestuen. Other members include: Jerry Hancock, director of the Prison Ministry Project. He previously served as a public defender, deputy district attorney, and an administrator for the Department of Justices Division of Law Enforcement Services. Nate Holton, director of diversity and inclusion for the Milwaukee County Transit System. He previously served as the deputy chief of staff in the Milwaukee County executives office and the director of the Milwaukee County Justice Council. Cindy ODonnell, who served as deputy secretary of the Department of Corrections under three previous governors. Nadya Perez-Reyes, legislative adviser for the Department of Children and Families. She previously worked as a state public defender and as an attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin. Myrna Warrington, director of vocational rehabilitation on the Menominee Indian Reservation and a U.S. Army veteran. She has been a member of the Menominee Tribal Legislature for 11 years. Noble Wray, who served with the Madison Police Department for almost 28 years, including as chief of police from 2004 to 2013. Wray led the U.S. Justice Departments Policing Practices and Accountability Initiative and currently provides racial bias training for law enforcement agencies around the nation and world. The board also includes Jeffrey Kremers, who was appointed by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul. Kremers retired in 2018, but served as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge for 26 years. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Vince Hatt criticizes Cardinal Raymond Burke, (Tribune, May 17). Burke was a highly esteemed priest and bishop of the La Crosse Catholic Diocese. Hatt accuses Burke of being at odds with Pope Francis. Burke has asked for clarification of the Papal Document on the family, Amoris Laetitia. Some have interpreted this document to permit divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Holy Communion. The church has always taught that before this can happen, an easily attainable annulment must be granted. Hatt claims that ultra-conservative Steve Bannon is training people to work against the pope and embrace fascism. He claims that Bannon says he has the support of Cardinal Burke without offering any substantiated evidence. Its pretty clear that Hatt gets much of his disaffection from the liberal Sojourner Magazine. There is room for intelligent, respectful debate about Catholic church issues, but unfounded accusations bordering on libel do nothing to illuminate the conversation. When Hatt worked at the Franciscan Spirituality Center, then-Bishop Burke challenged his scheduling of speakers who were at odds with the teachings of the church and Hatt cant seem to get over it. Hatt is highly critical of Saint Pope, John Paul II, one of the most beloved popes of all times. John Paul is credited by many as helping to end the Cold War with the former Soviet Union. Hatt boasts that he is an alumnus of Catholic University so he should know that Jesus brought salvation to all, not just to the poor, as his letter to the editor seems to say. Vernal Hegenbart, Sparta Love 0 Funny 14 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Diagrams from an autopsy show two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies shot a man 13 times from behind last August, apparently contradicting the department's account of the confrontation that left 21-year-old Anthony Vargas dead. A department spokesman at the time said Vargas, who allegedly had a gun in his hand, was facing one deputy and had his back to the other when both deputies opened fire. Vargas' family attorney Humberto Guizar said he obtained part of the autopsy report earlier this week. It has not been released publicly because of an ongoing investigation into the shooting. The diagrams indicated that Vargas had been shot twice in the back of the head, 10 times in the back and once in the back of his right arm. "This is a matter of public concern," Guizar told reporters Thursday. He accused the deputies of a "gangland style" shooting. "I will not stop fighting for my son," said Lisa Vargas. She said she was heartbroken when she found out her son was shot in the back. Lisa Vargas filed a wrongful death lawsuit in March against the county and the deputies who shot her son. "I am not afraid," she said. "I will continue, we will continue to rally, we will continue to put his name out there until justice is served." The sheriff's department issued a statement Thursday reiterating its condolences to Vargas' family, while saying it can't comment further at this time due to the lawsuit and an ongoing investigation of the case. The department noted that it has presented the facts surrounding the incident to the District Attorney's office for independent review. The statement said the review would be conducted through the DA's Crimes Against Peace Officers Section, but it will actually be conducted by the Justice System Integrity Division, which reviews all officer-involved shootings, according to DA spokesman Ricardo Santiago. On Aug. 12, 2018, sheriff's deputies responded around 2 a.m. to a report that three men had robbed a man near the Nueva Maravilla Housing Community in East L.A. Vargas ran and hid from deputies, ignored their orders and resisted their attempts to handcuff him before he pulled a gun from his waistband, Sheriff's Lt. Derrick Alfred said in the days after the shooting. Two L.A. County sheriff's deputies fatally shot Anthony Vargas around 2 a.m. on Aug. 12, 2018 in this grassy area of the Nueva Maravilla Housing Community in East L.A. (Frank Stoltze/LAist) The deputies got into a violent struggle with Vargas, during which one felt a gun in his waistband, according to Alfred. He said when Vargas started to stand up, the deputies saw a gun in his hand, and fearing he would shoot, opened fire. Each deputy fired eight shots, Alfred said, adding that Vargas was facing one deputy and had his back to the other. "He had wounds on various parts of his body," Alfred told the Los Angeles Times. A loaded, semi-automatic .22-caliber pistol was found underneath Vargas' body, according to the department. The gun had not been fired. Guizar and Vargas' family said Thursday he would never carry a gun, and had never been involved in any criminal activity. His mother said he led Bible study groups and worked in a church warehouse. The department did not think Vargas was one of the original robbery suspects deputies were looking for. Investigators put a security hold on the autopsy results a few days after the shooting, meaning the coroner cannot make the information public until the investigation is completed. When asked to release the full autopsy report, spokeswoman Sarah Ardalini told LAist the case is still on a security hold. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe After years of pressure from an activist coalition, Los Angeles Unified School District leaders have ended a longstanding policy of searching older students randomly and daily for weapons or drugs. School board members voted 4-3 on Tuesday on a measure that will phase out LAUSD's current policy -- sometimes called "wanding" for the handheld metal detectors used in the searches -- by July 2020. In its place, the resolution calls on the district to develop a new security policy that bars any type of random student search. It's exactly the type of change the "#StudentsNotSuspects" coalition had been urging LAUSD to make. The diverse alliance of student activists, civil libertarians, unions and other groups believes the searches have unfairly targeted black and Latino students without making the district's schools safer: the searches, one analysis has found, almost never turn up weapons. "It feels super exciting, honestly," said recent Dorsey High School graduate Marshe Doss, who's been active in the coalition. "I'm trying not to get too worked up about it, because of course things can change. But right now, it really looks like this is happening." DO SEARCHES DETER HARM? OR 'CRIMINALIZE' KIDS? Officers in LAUSD's sworn police force have opposed changes to the policy, saying the random searches with metal detectors are an important deterrent against students bringing weapons to campus. L.A. School Police Chief Steve Zipperman has said the total number of weapons officers find on campuses each year -- through their own investigations, not random searches -- has dropped since the policy was first enacted 26 years ago. But school board president Monica Garcia said it was time to revisit the random search policy, which she characterized as increasingly out-of-step with district-wide efforts to enact more progressive disciplinary practices. "We must listen to young people who say they feel criminalized, whether or not that's the intention of this policy," Garcia said in an interview Thursday. "I am putting forward a conversation to create the alternative where all partners are moving forward towards a resolution." Fellow board members Jackie Goldberg and Kelly Gonez joined with Garcia in co-sponsoring the resolution. The board's non-voting student representative, Tyler Okeke, is also listed as a co-sponsor. HOW DO THESE SEARCHES WORK? LAUSD has been conducting random searches since 1993, when two students were killed in separate on-campus gun incidents at different high schools. Under the current version of the policy, administrators at LAUSD middle- and high school campuses conduct the searches. Police officers from LAUSD's sworn force are often present, though they're barred from conducting the searches themselves. School staff are supposed to select students using a fixed, specific pattern -- for example, every fifth student who enters a classroom is searched -- and conduct the searches at varied times to "avoid predictability." Some L.A. School Police officers and administrators have said the searches aren't meant to "criminalize" students. At their best, the searches can trigger interventions that get students needed help. But #StudentsNotSuspects coalition members suspect it doesn't always work out this way. While she attended Dorsey High, Doss said many students felt administrators were tailoring their searches to basically target students who "had a reputation or just looked suspicious." "How is it random [if] the same student always gets chosen every time that you do a search in this classroom?" Doss said. "Why is it that this person got chosen five times out of the five times you've searched this room? That's not random." In a district that is 90% non-white, it might seem easy to discount accusations of racial profiling, but Doss noted some schools have significant populations of white students. And in these cases in particular, coalition members fear that searches may not have been truly random, and that students of color -- and black students in particular -- became targets. NOW THAT RANDOM SEARCHES ARE ENDING, WHAT WILL REPLACE THEM? School administrators are already permitted to search students or their belongings if they have a "reasonable suspicion" the student is carrying a weapon or violating either school rules or laws. That right would stay in place if Garcia's resolution passes. The resolution calls for district staff to craft a new policy by the end of next school year. Victor Leung, deputy litigation director at the ACLU of Southern California, said the resolution contains what #StudentsNotSuspects coalition members consider two important assurances about the new policy. First, the resolution precludes the district from increasing police presence or surveillance practices. Second, the resolution says the district's new policy cannot call for broad searches of the student population or for "other forms of non-individualized (i.e. random) searches." Heads-up: Next week, @LASchools board members will consider a proposal to phase out the "wanding" policy. Under the policy, #LAUSD middle- and high school admins randomly search students for weapons & drugs. The #StudentsNotSuspects coalition has been lobbying for its repeal. pic.twitter.com/ec14A4sg6j Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) June 13, 2019 "Searches based on individualized reasonable suspicion are sufficient to keep students safe," said Leung. "Those are the searches that, research has shown, actually do prevent weapons from being on campus and do find weapons in the rare cases they're brought." UPDATES: June 14, 9:50 a.m.: This article was updated to clarify that Garcia is a co-sponsor of the resolution. June 19, 9:45 a.m.: This article was updated to include the results of the school board's vote on the resolution. This article was originally published at 6:00 a.m. June 14. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe There's a 2-mile rock wall off the coast of Long Beach that's been one of the most important -- and controversial -- pieces of infrastructure in Southern California for the past 70 years. The barrier is a breakwater, and it was designed primarily to stop treacherous ocean waves from regularly flooding the city's coastline and destroying property. It transformed the area from a sleepy beach suburb -- and surfer's paradise -- to a bustling port city. But the barrier also led to widespread trash and pollution along the beaches, fueling an ongoing debate about the environmental costs of development. Detail of the Long Beach breakwater. Photographed on April 26, 2019 in Long Beach, California. (James Bernal for KPCC) For decades, environmentalists, homeowners, and city officials have sparred over what to do with the breakwater. But that fight is now coming to a head. In 2016, the city of Long Beach and the Army Corps of Engineers -- the agency that has jurisdiction over the breakwater -- commissioned a study to determine whether it would be feasible to modify the breakwater in some way. That study wrapped up late last year, and came up with six different options (you can read about all of them here). Essentially, they boil down to three approaches: leave the breakwater as it is, create deep notches to allow some waves through, or plant marine vegetation to help clean up the water. Both the city and the Army Corps of Engineers are expected to select the option they prefer sometime this summer, though officials will present an update on June 25th. But whatever both sides choose, it will have to strike a balance between protecting property and revitalizing the local ecosystem. "We have to be guided by the science of it," Mayor Robert Garcia told us in April, "Not just by what we want, or what we think is best." THE ORIGINAL "SURF CITY" Early 20th century postcards show large waves and an active beach culture in Long Beach. That mostly died after the construction of breakwater. (CURT TEICH & COMPANY, CHICAGO) Judging from historical data and archival photographs, waves that once reached Long Beach could swell up to six feet high, comparable to some areas farther down the coast in Orange County. That made it a choice spot for the first generation of surfers on the West Coast. "Before Huntington Beach was Surf City, Long Beach was Surf City," said Craig Hendricks with the Historical Society of Long Beach. "The city's nickname was 'Queen of the Beaches.'" But that swell came at a cost. Neighborhoods built close to the shoreline, especially the downtown area, were subject to flooding from storm surges. Once the breakwater went up, the waves virtually vanished. The occasional big set can that sneak through, but you'd be hard-pressed to find waves any higher than 2 to 3 feet. A few surfers paddled out last October to take advantage of a rare window of swell generated by the remnants of Hurricane Sergio. Nevertheless, stopping wave action allowed development to continue in seaside communities like the Alamitos Peninsula, and the breakwater continues to protect billions of dollars worth of private and city property from the ocean's destructive power. But environmentalists argue that it does that job a little too well. MORE HARM THAN GOOD? A pile of debris raked up by Long Beach city maintenance crews at Granada Beach, April 2019 (Lita Martinez/KPCC) While groups like the Surfrider Foundation have fought for years to bring down the breakwater and return Long Beach to its former glory, they also argue that it's contributing to the city's ongoing pollution and trash problem. Most of it comes directly from the LA River, which funnels tons of debris downstream. And because the breakwater cuts off natural ocean circulation, much of that refuge ends up lingering close by. Trash-collecting booms have been in place at the mouth of the river since the 1990s, but according to the latest city budget, maintenance crews raked up over 2100 tons of trash from the city's beaches in 2017 alone. And that's just the stuff you can see. Turbid water flows from the LA River into Long Beach (Sergey Gussev/Flickr) While many areas of Long Beach regularly receive A or B grades for water quality from the environmental watch group Heal the Bay, that's because those tests only look for fecal indicator bacteria and other harmful organic substances. But those grades become D's or F's when it rains, or when there's a sewage spill somewhere upriver. State water officials have also found traces of pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals in sediment in the city's inner harbor area. AN UNLIKELY MARINE HABITAT Sandy Trautwein of the Aquarium of the Pacific collects urchins from the base of the Long Beach breakwater (JJ Soski/Aquarium of the Pacific) Despite its detrimental effects on the environment, the breakwater has gradually become a fixture in the local ecosystem. Because the seafloor in the San Pedro Bay is mostly a featureless, sandy bottom, the breakwater acts like an artificial reef, attracting several local species of marine animals. The structure gives this wildlife a place to feed, breed, and rest, and is now home to a variety of seabirds, fish, and invertebrate species. "Many of these animals wouldn't be here if it weren't for the breakwater," said Sandy Trautwein, vice president of husbandry at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Juvenile gorgonians growing at the base of the Long Beach breakwater (JJ Soski/Aquarium of the Pacific) The abundance of life here makes it a popular spot for local fishermen and freedivers during spiny lobster season. The breakwater is also a prime spot for marine vegetation. Aquarium staff make frequent trips to the structure to collect kelp and algae, which they use to feed many of their exhibit animals - including the broodstock of their white abalone restoration project. It now seems this vegetation could be key to restoring the local ecosystem, giving the breakwater a new role in the process. A LITTLE KELP GOES A LONG WAY JJ Soski shows off a feather boa kelp sample they brought up to the surface after scuba diving along the Long Beach breakwater. Photographed on April 26, 2019 in Long Beach, California. (James Bernal for KPCC) One option in the breakwater plan calls for planting kelp and eelgrass beds, along with installing artificial reefs for oysters and other bivalves. Biologists consider these organisms "ecosystem engineers" because of the way they can modify or maintain the surrounding environment. And in this case, they act as a sort of underwater clean-up crew. Kelp, for instance, is a primary food source and habitat for many fish and invertebrate species, but it also acts as a carbon sink. In other words, it can absorb and recycle dissolved carbon dioxide, which causes ocean acidification. Eelgrass has similar properties, and it's also proven useful for stabilizing shorelines and clarifying water. A round ray swims through a patch of eelgrass at a shoreline restoration site in Newport Beach (Orange County Coastkeeper ) Oysters are especially good at scrubbing out impurities. "They're filter feeders, which means they feed through taking in water," said Katie Nichols with Orange County Coastkeeper, an environmental group that conducts similar restoration plans. "They can filter several gallons in a matter of hours." To give you an idea of how fast they can work, here's a time-lapse video of some oysters in action: But there's a hitch. RESTORATION VS. ENHANCEMENT Before the breakwater was built, the East San Pedro Bay wasn't a hot spot for many species of marine life. Bottom-dwellers and pelagic fish like mackerel may have been the only animals that lived here full-time. And it's that detail that's made some environmentalists skeptical about the kelp and reef restoration options. "The only thing that used to be here [in Long Beach]....was a sandy beach with waves," said Seamus Innes with the Long Beach chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. "So we fully support restoration of what was here - which was that." In other words, patches of kelp, eelgrass, and oyster beds, didn't occur here naturally, so technically, it might be a stretch to call it "restoration." "It's not necessarily restoration to put in a Disneyland-type, non-native habitat," said Orange County Coastkeeper senior staff attorney Colin Kelly, who is also a member of the Long Beach Marine Advisory Board. Kelp floating by the Long Beach breakwater. Photographed on April 26, 2019 in Long Beach, California. (James Bernal for KPCC) Surfrider argues that it's actually an enhancement of the breakwater -- something the Army Corps of Engineers is not allowed to do (they're only allowed to do repairs and restoration) -- and told us that if this scenario comes to pass they might consider legal action. Whatever the city and Army Corps decide could have a profound impact on L.A. County's second largest city as it strives to become greener, sustainable, and more resilient to the effects of climate change. This story also aired on 89.3 KPCC. You can hear those segments by clicking the links below: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Taiko Project drummers perform at the Ford Theatre in Hollywood. (Courtesy Gennia Cui for Ford Theatres) It starts with a loud, guttural scream,a sort of call by a leader to the rest of the drummers. The others respond and the drumming gradually builds, gathering sonic energy, untilan aural explosionenvelops everything. This is Taiko, a Japanese tradition that goes back more than 500 years. But in the last six decades or so, it's been brought to the main stage by way of Los Angeles and a universal immigrant story. Halle Fukawa started playing at age seven. She's now fifteen and said she just can't stop. "It's just something that's so powerful, and I think a lot of the times, especially in [a] society that women aren't really encouraged as much to be powerful...Taiko, hitting the drums, showing energy, showing emotion, it's something that is so addictive." Fukawa is part of a youth group, Kitsune Taiko, who along with Bombu Taiko and Taiko Project are rehearsing in the basement of the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. It's a group of more than 40 drummers, ages 10 to mid-50s, rehearsing the opening piece of the show they'll be performing this Saturday at the Ford Theatre in Hollywood. Taiko drumming is dynamic, visceral, physical and, of course, loud. At one recent rehearsal, women make up the majority of the performers - about two-thirds. Women's participation in Taiko goes back 50 years, when it began taking root in L.A. Bryan Yamami, executive director of Taiko Project said the original Taiko drums came to the city as part of the Buddhist tradition - but it wasn't practiced much. A temple had one Taiko drum to be used once a year during the Obon festival. "They would play it at this festival to remember one's ancestors and to dance in this idea of joy," Yamami explained. "But back in the late '60s, early '70s, some members of the Senshin Buddhist Temple, they pulled out this drum, they just kind of looked at each other and said 'hey, we should play this more than once a year.' They just started banging on it and a few hours later, they're sweaty, their hands were bleeding, and they said, 'let's do this more often.'" Johnny Mori, one of the founding members of the Kinnara Taiko group, explained how Taiko planted roots in L.A.'s Japanese-American community. "Because of our parents sacrifice, during the war and after the war," he said, "we were given the opportunity that allowed us to create our own culture ...and to understand and study Japanese culture, but it also gave us a situation so that we could develop our own Japanese-American culture or American culture." Taiko Project drummers perform at the Ford Theatre in Hollywood. (Courtesy Gennia Cui for Ford Theatres) During the groups' rehearsal at the Little Tokyo temple, Lisa Shimamoto takes the lead, with an opening call to more than 40 Taiko drummers. Shimamoto, 57, lives in Monterey Park and started drumming in 2002. "My nieces were playing Taiko in Monterey Park so I was taking them to their events," she said. Almost every weekend I have to take them to practice or I had to drive then to a gig, I'd bring them home and they'd say, 'oh auntie, you should try it one day,' so that's what I did." Anyone can play Taiko -- age or background doesn't matter. "I'm not Japanese myself," said drummer Jen Baik, who's Korean-American and has been with Taiko Project since 2004. "I found Taiko through my love of music [and] I've really come to love the traditions and the culture behind it and how it's changing in the U.S. as well." Masato Baba, the artistic director of Taiko Project, said he's wants to continue teaching the style the same way he learned it from his parents. "I definitely think that preserving the culture and the music of Taiko is important, and so, as much as I can, I try to teach that way to our students, and hold on to those traditions as much as possible," he said. "For here in Los Angeles, it seems to me it's a little bit more wide open right now. There's no certain restrictions, there's no one person here saying you need to do this way or that way." Taiko Project drummers rehearse for an upcoming performance. (Courtesy Kim Nakashima) Fifteen-year-old Halle Fukawa, of the youth group Kitsune Taiko, said there's something special about the community she's been a part of for seven years. "The thing that sets us apart from everybody else is our synergy and how well we work together, and how much energy is on that stage," Fukawa said. "I really hope that people coming to watch for the first time will walk away and just say like, 'Wow, that was amazing, I felt like I was up there with them.'" The seed that was planted fifty years ago, by both Kinnara Taiko in Southern California and Taiko Dojo in the Bay area, has spread across North America. Today, there are more than two hundred Taiko groups in the U.S. and Canada. 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Jul 13 (3) Jul 10 (1) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (1) Jul 06 (1) Jul 03 (1) Jul 01 (1) Jun 28 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 19 (1) Jun 18 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (2) Jun 11 (1) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 06 (1) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (3) May 30 (1) May 29 (1) May 28 (2) May 26 (1) May 25 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (1) May 15 (1) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (2) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 12 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) Danny Glover to Testify at House Slavery Reparations Hearing WASHINGTON (AP) The topic of reparations for slavery is headed to Capitol Hill for its first hearing in more than a decade with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and actor Danny Glover set to testify before a House panel. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is scheduled to hold the hearing next Wednesday, its stated purpose to examine, through open and constructive discourse, the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, its continuing impact on the community and the path to restorative justice. The date of the hearing, June 19, coincides with Juneteenth, a cultural holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people in America. Former Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the longtime sponsor of House Resolution 40, first proposed the measure calling for a study of reparations in 1989. Conyers reintroduced the bill every session until his resignation in 2017 . ADVERTISEMENT Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, the resolutions new sponsor, introduced it earlier this year and pushed for next weeks hearing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in February that she supports a reparations study, a topic that hasnt been the subject of a House hearing since 2007. Reparations had been a fringe issue and occasional punchline until Coates 2014 essay in The Atlantic, The Case for Reparations, thrust the topic back into the national discourse. Glover, an activist as well as the star of the Lethal Weapon movies and the classics The Color Purple and A Rage in Harlem, has spoken in favor of the issue for years. In an interview with Coates as he prepared to leave office, President Barack Obama questioned the implementation of reparations but not the concept. And in a conversation Coates had earlier this year with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the popular progressive endorsed reparations. The reparations debate became part of the 2020 presidential race early, as several Democratic presidential primary candidates signaled their support for compensating the descendants of slaves, though not in the traditional sense of direct payouts to black Americans. Most have been vague on more specific ideas, but they have instead offered policies addressing economic inequality that could disproportionately benefit black people. U.S. Attempt to Erase Harriet Tubman With uniquely American hypocrisy, the Trump Treasury Department has pushed back the 2016 plan to put escaped slave and Underground Railroad heroine Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. Tubman would be the first African American woman featured on U.S. currency. The $20 currently features a former president, Andrew Jackson, who not only owned slaves, but ordered the death march of thousands of Native Americans. Euphemistically called Indian Removal, the Trail of Tears made way for white settlers to claim millions of acres of southern land. The attempted erasure of Tubman represents yet another move in the Trump playbook to disconnect racial reality from white fantasy. ADVERTISEMENT In the fantasy of White supremacy, traitors like Jefferson Davis and other Confederates are memorialized for being freedom fighters the freedom of whites to own black human beings and work them to death while a woman who risked her life time and again to free enslaved people is simply dismissed. Ignored. Erased. In the fantasy of white supremacy, White people are always justified in killing unarmed Black men, women and children, either with their own guns or by aiming the unquestioned power of the police. No act is too repugnant, even those resulting in the sexual abuse or death of immigrant children in American custody, if it can be framed as a defense of white superiority. In the fantasy of white supremacy, the FBI spent millions in time and treasure to plant false evidence of Communist influence on Martin Luther King while in reality, Russians today are using the racial tension in American to incite violence and paralyze our society, while they work towards global dominance. By erasing Tubman, the Trump forces again deploy their most effective weapon in the quest to maintain power the unholy alliance of racism and misogyny. Because in America, it seems, freedom is for whites only, and more specifically, for White men. To be sure, Trump has ordered his own digital Trail of Tears, as he rolls back civil rights protections for people of color, for women, for immigrants fleeing starvation or oppressive regimes, for LGBTQ people, for the poor and the voiceless. ADVERTISEMENT And currently, the cognitive dissonance in America has reached a new, critical level of psychosis. As a nation we exalt independence, freedom and equalitywe boast of our shining city on the hill. Yet our shining city was built on genocide of the native peoples, enslavement of Africans and exploitation of immigrants. Without a doubt, every people and every culture on Earth have had to deal with unpleasant facts of its historyAmerica is not special in that regard. Where most of White America goes off the rails is in completely denying and minimizing the facts of racial oppression. This erasure makes racial reconciliationand true equalityimpossible to achieve. In 2019, Harriet Tubman should be a respected and lauded icon for people of every race and ethnicity. Did she not personify American ideals, at the risk of her own life? As a Black woman in antebellum times, she was vulnerable to capture, prison, assault or lynching, but did she falter? Did she not refuse to kneel to any man or any king? Did she not fight for freedom against overwhelming odds? Are these not the qualities we hold dear in our American heroes? Instead, Tubman is erased. Instead, our current administration embraces the slave owner, the mass murderer, the white supremacistand calls him a hero. For a psychiatric patientin this case, White Americathe reality of racism, misogyny and oppression is incompatible with their self-identity as lovers of freedom and defenders of equality. But instead of taking the painful but therapeutic steps to achieve reconciliation and closure, the patient has opted instead to self-medicate, and maintain the delusion of White supremacy at all costs. Jackson, a president who authored one of the cruelest and most brutal acts in American history, is a Trump hero, which is perfectly logical they share a deep, entitled belief in the superiority of white men, and a world order in which Manifest Destiny is not a just doctrine but a divine right. Jackson should never be forgotten. He should be remembered always as an example of what kind of horrors our leaders can inflict when their values and morals are wildly askew. Trump will be remembered in the same light if enough of us survive to tell the story. And despite their best efforts, the legacy of Harriet Tubman can never be erased. She embodies the spirit of everything our nation claims to stand for, and each one of us every race, every gender should be proud to call her our fellow American. Movie critic Bruce Miller can only muster one star for "Stuber," which clumsily puts two opposites in the same car. LEBANON The Lebanon Fire District is looking for someone to fill the Position 3 seat on its Board of Directors and will accept applications A man serving time at the Oregon State Penitentiary for sex crimes pleaded no contest to first-degree sex abuse and attempted first-degree sex abuse in Linn County Circuit Court on Thursday. Kenneth Eric Hunt, 45, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. The prosecution and defense have agreed to a negotiated settlement where he will be sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison, according to court paperwork. Three other sex crime charges are set to be dismissed at sentencing. The crimes allegedly occurred between January 2010 and August 2013, and the victim was a girl less than 14 years old at the time, according to the charging document. The Albany Police Department investigated the case, and Hunt first appeared in court on the charges in August. The state sought an enhanced sentence in the case, where Hunt would get more prison time than typical for the crimes. As part of the negotiated settlement, Hunt admitted to an enhancement factor persistent involvement in similar prior offenses, according to court paperwork. Hunt is currently serving a prison sentence of nearly four years for sex crimes. He pleaded guilty in Linn County Circuit Court in March 2016 to first-degree online corruption of a child and four counts of third-degree sex abuse. Court paperwork indicates that Hunt was from Doyle, California and the crimes occurred in 2014. In that case, there were two victims, both of them underage females. Kyle Odegard can be reached at kyle.odegard@lee.net, 541-812-6077 or via Twitter @KyleOdegard. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 2 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Marking the 10th anniversary this week of the end of "don't ask, don't tell," a new generation of military academy students say that their campuses are now tolerant, welcoming and inclusive for the most part. Chinese electronics company Huawei unveiled its first smartphone with a flexible OLED display in February, and the company had planned to release the Huawei Mate X in June. But now CNBC reports that the launch date has been pushed back to September. Is this because of the companys widely-reported difficulties in face of a US trade ban? Maybe. But the official reason is that Huawei wants to play it safe after Samsung had to delay the launch of its Galaxy Fold smartphone due to issues uncovered by early reviewers. The Mate X is a 5G-ready smartphone that features a Huawei Kirin 980 processor, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, four cameras, a 4,500 mAh battery, and support for up to 55 watt fast charging. But its the foldable display and unusual design that really make the Mate X stand out its not so much as a smartphone as a smartphone/tablet hybrid. When the screen is unfolded, its an 8 inch, 2480 x 2200 pixel screen with an 8:7.1 aspect ratio. Fold it and youve got a smartphone with a 6.6 inch, 2480 x 1148 pixel (19.5:9) display on one the front and a 6.4 inch, 2480 x 892 (25:9) display on the back. The screen on the back is smaller because it leaves room on the left side for the camera bar meaning this phone doesnt need separate front and rear cameras. You can use the primary 4-camera system to snap selfies while using the back screen to frame your shot. When unfolded, the Huawei Mate X has a larger screen than the Samsung Galaxy Fold. And when folded, the phone is thinner (although at 11mm or 0.43 inches thick, its kind of chunky for a modern smartphone). One thing that Mate X has in common with the Galaxy Fold other than the flexible display? A high price tag the Galaxy Fold is priced at $1980, while the Mate X is expected to sell for about $2600. So its not surprising that both companies would rather take their time working out the kinks before shipping an easy-to-damage product to customers willing to spend that kind of money on a new and untested device in a brand new product category. What is a little surprising is that those kinks werent worked out before the companies announced their products Samsung delayed the release of the Galaxy Fold just days before it was set to go on sale. Maybe the companies felt pressured to get something to market ASAP rather than cede the space to less well-known companies? Interestingly it looks like the Galaxy Fold recently received certification from Chinas 3C agency, and showed up on a Chinese retail site. Its possible that means the phone could go on sale in China before shipping internationally. But its also possible someone just jumped the gun. Meanwhile, if Huawei and/or China dont reach some sort of deal with the US soon, the future of this and other Huawei phones could be in question. Huawei is reportedly developing its own smartphone operating system that it could use if Android is no longer an option. But if it cannot license intellectual property from companies like Arm, that would make it difficult to continue developing the Kirin processors that power its smartphones and tablets. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes Reddit user and AdTech aficionado data_spy tells me whats what in response to my AdTech Sucks post. This comment was the most upvoted on my post in an AdTech community. Sidebar of that same community. AdTech: Are we the baddies? Revisiting My Rant I had a lot of interesting conversations after my first post, and a few demonstrated that I hadnt explained some points very well. One area which many people seemed to engage with was anonymization and how it could potentially work in concert with ads. Several people working in AdTech suggested that I was overestimating the amount of personal data that companies had on individuals and that probabilistic models estimating demographics were more likely to be utilised than 1:1 data. I feel like both of these things require a bit more exploration, which I aim to do in this post. I think 1:1 targeting is creepy, but that I think the majority of creepiness is generated from a less intuitive source - of media attribution. So, here we go! Media Attribution Enables Creepiness To expand on my last post media attribution: The act of linking a particular campaign with a conversion, is inherently antithetical to anonymization. It cannot work deterministically without a direct link between consumer ad views and consumer product sales. At the most basic level, this requires a campaign identifier connected to a particular conversion. The most obvious and widely-known method of achieving this is to have an ad pass information to a website when a person clicks on an ad. A click that would normally go to product.com/buy would instead go to product.com/buy?campaign=adz . The adz part of this would then be stored by the website, and likely record the amount of hits generated by the campaign, and matched with the sale. This is slightly creepy, because if the campaign was targeted in a specific way, say, on demographic information or on specific websites, it may be possible to infer something about you because you saw the ad. But, this is one of the least creepy ways to do attribution. The from the bushes with binoculars type creepiness begins when advertisers start asking questions like, can we claim a conversion if a consumer: Is sent an e-mail, Sees a billboard or Views a digital ad and then purchases something in our retail store. If we send an e-mail to a consumer, even if they dont open it, and we collect their e-mail details at some point later on, either before or after they purchase an item, we can take credit for that conversion. A problem some marketers have is that their consumers dont want to give their e-mails, or dont update them regularly. This is usually the case if someone buys a product that requires little ongoing interaction with the company, like a prepaid mobile, or a non-IoT vacuum cleaner. In this case we return to our old friend, pizza. Surely pizza will never harm me! unsplash-logo Miguel Andrade Some advertisers directly care about your pizza preference. However, a lot more care about your address, mobile phone and e-mail details - and to know that theyre real and current. Like I said in my last post, since you really want that pizza, you entered the right details when you bought one. Theres nothing then stopping the pizza company selling that data to a data broker. If a company has your mobile phone number, but not your address or e-mail, they can make a match and get the rest of this information from a data broker like Experian (who likely buys pizza data) and be pretty sure that data is up-to-date. This means if you make a purchase, and you give your mobile phone or your address during that transaction - attribution can claim that an e-mail you were sent is responsible for that conversion - even if that e-mail went straight to your spam folder. Then theres also the so-called cross-device graph. If you get a new e-mail address, but dont change your mobile phone number, and next time you order pizza, you enter your new e-mail address and the same mobile number - when this new data gets sold to a data broker, AHA! The data broker and the pizza company can identify that you are associated with both e-mail addresses. This requires mass data retention and is used across many other personal IDs - and the more data retained, the more effective it is, and the more effective it is, the more conversions can be linked to you and attributed to advertising campaigns. But wait, theres more. Lets just say youre an advertiser, and you run a massive billboard campaign. How do you tell if it made a difference in sales? You could build a complex model of who was likely to have driven down the roads near your billboard, or you could use location information. Multiple companies now claim that they can attribute a conversion to a physical billboard. How they achieve this is multitudinous. Many digital billboards now have technology that detects nearby mobile devices and simply estimates audience size from those signals. A new alarming trend is to use actual individual location data to figure out exactly who was nearby. The predominant method of doing this is through an app on your phone. However: So lets say you are driving from Manhattan to Jersey City and you didnt open an app on your phone. Traditional location data sources relied on the ad calls from apps, so we wouldnt have known that that person made that journey if they didnt open up an app when they got there. With Cuebiq we now have a persistent anonymized data source at much greater scale than we ever had before. Andy Stevens, Senior Vice President, Clear Channel Outdoor, 2017 Cuebiq Visit Optimization is the industrys only in-flight location-based campaign optimization tool. It quantifies in real-time how frequently ad impressions lead to in-store visits (or simply, the walk-to rate), removing any guesswork about an ads effectiveness. Cuebiq Website, 2019 Apple, Microsoft and Google openly provide app creators with the tools to capture unique application IDs belonging to your device. If you provide your e-mail or phone number to authenticate with an app, those can now be associated with the unique application ID. If that application ID gets associated with location data, voila, when the purchase is made, the company can determine you converted because of that billboard. But its even easier for the advertiser if they also have an application ID because you installed an app they made. So now this company youre buying stuff from knows know your mobile, e-mail, address and app ID through history, and they also know where youve been. And, because they know you walked near a billboard they rented, they can take credit for anything you buy at their company. If a company knows you saw an ad, you travel into the store, leave your phone at home, dont say a single word to the staff, purchase a product and immediately leave, then theres no way theyd take credit for that conversion, right? WRONG! Google did a deal with MasterCard: Last year, when Google announced the service, called Store Sales Measurement, the company just said it had access to approximately 70 percent of U.S. credit and debit cards through partners, without naming them. Google and MasterCard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales, 2018 You can leave all your devices at home, walk into a store, and because the finance industry is selling data to advertisers - they can attribute your purchase to their ad. Perfect. If you actively try to avoid advertising by making a fresh start, discarding all your devices, deleting all your social media and using all new e-mails and mobile numbers, all it takes is one lapse, one login, to get you completely tracked again - to have all your device, web and location history linked. Pulling this all together Remember our earlier discussion of the cross-device graph? This section has some conspiracy theories in it. This is because the construction of cross-device graphs is pretty much a black box. Im convinced that many companies have their own ways of doing things, but the companies involved really have no reason to talk about their secret sauce, pretty much anytime. One of the companies most transparent about this secret sauce is Adobe, but for now, lets see what Experian has to say about its results: The probabilistic approach is based on a statistical probability of uniqueness for any single device profile. This approach creates a unique profile based on a large number of common parameters, such as screen resolution, device type and operating system. This process can uniquely identify a device profile with 60% to 90% accuracy, compared to 20% to 85% accuracy for cookie-based identification methods. How Device Recognition Can Make Marketing Campaigns Better, Experian, 2019 You might be asking yourself if this probabilistic detection is at all accurate, and the answer is, we dont know. The answer also is that advertisers likely also dont know, and the capstone on all of that is that they probably dont care, either. All they really need is someone more authoritative than them, in terms of AdTech, that they can handwave at in exasperation when theyre explaining why they took credit for a particular conversion. The end result of this cross-device graph is more attribution. DMPs, aka Data Management Platforms, traditionally serve as intermediaries between advertisers and the entire AdTech ecosystem. The topic in itself is probably worth its own post. Many of these DMPs have open marketplaces where an advertiser can buy data from all the data brokers you can imagine - sometimes without the data broker even revealing their identity. For the purposes of this article, lets focus on Google and its data platform. Google explicitly encourages advertisers to upload their own persistent user IDs. The User ID feature enables the measurement of user activities that span across devices in Google Analytics, such as attributing an interaction with a marketing campaign on one mobile device to a conversion that occurs on another mobile device or in the browser. When User IDs are sent with Google Analytics hits using the userId field, your reports will reflect a more accurate count of unique users and offer new cross-device reporting options. User ID for Google Analytics SDK v4, 2019 Now, imagine youre a Telco using a DMP, and you have a consumer who changes their mobile phone number. If that consumer appears, and you can identify them from one of their other IDs, whether thats an e-mail or an address or something else, the Telco can then upload the consumers user ID, and the DMP can stitch the new DMP ID and the old one together for them. BAM, Google knows those two IDs are connected thanks to the company betraying the consumers user ID. Theres a perverse and symbiotic relationship here. Google could identify you, based on your Google activity, and give your Google ID to the advertiser. Simultaneously, the company can identify you for Google, based on your company activity, by passing them the user ID. Multiply that with every company (most major ones) with a significant advertising budget, and pretty much any app developer, and you get the feeling that Google probably knows pretty much everything about you. Every company that contributes another ID, makes less consumers anonymous. Very Normal. And, as Ill show in a bit, they certainly arent the only ones that could do this. Google outwardly says it very much cares about user anonymity. Lets revisit something a Google spokesperson said about the MasterCard deal: A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the partnership with MasterCard, but addressed the ads tool. Before we launched this beta product last year, we built a new, double-blind encryption technology that prevents both Google and our partners from viewing our respective users personally identifiable information, the company said in a statement. We do not have access to any personal information from our partners credit and debit cards, nor do we share any personal information with our partners. Google and MasterCard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales, 2018 So good of Google to have built a black media attribution box that helps advertisers justify their ad spend on Google services, while simultaneously not revealing anything about that black box thanks to their desire to protect user privacy. Right? Beforehand, the company received $5.70 in revenue for every dollar spent on marketing in the ad campaign with Google, according to an iProspect analysis. With the new transaction feature, the return nearly doubled to $10.60. Thats really powerful, Malcolm said. And it was a really good way to invest more in Google, frankly. Google and MasterCard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales, 2018 Lets say you visit a website from a burner phone, which means the Telco doesnt have any of your App IDs yet (if they didnt pre-install any apps) you can avoid tracking, right? Well, thats true. That is, unless the telco sells your MAC address or a real-time identifier based on what IP is being used by what customer account, to any data brokers, right? Which they wouldnt do because surely theres some law prohibiting that, right?. Anyway, on a completely unrelated note, hows Googles telco Google Fi going, and why is it so cheap? Just A Straight-Up Whole Section Taken From The Adobe Experience Cloud Website That Gives Me A Headache When I Read It The Device Graph shares deterministic and probabilistic links with different members of the Adobe Experience Cloud Device Co-op. Link sharing is what makes the Device Co-op so powerful. It extends what each member knows about the devices associated with an anonymous person, but only if youve seen at least one of the devices of that anonymous person before. Before getting started, lets take a moment to review how the Device Graph works. Members of the Device Co-op send data to the Device Graph. The Device Graph uses this data to construct a persons identity from deterministic and probabilistic links between devices. As a Device Co-op participant, these links provide insight about the relationship between your authenticated users, other users, and their devices. Lets take a look at how this works in the section below. The following example demonstrates the power of link sharing in the Device Co-op. In this example, we have 2 fictitious companies, the News Company and the Finance Company. Both companies are members of the Device Co-op. Person A is a consumer who either logs on or browses the websites of each company from multiple devices. Because Person A has authenticated to the news site with their mobile phone and tablet, the News Company identifies them with a consumer ID. It sends that ID to the Device Graph as a cryptographic hash. The Finance Company has seen these devices before, but Person A hasnt logged on to the site. Consequently, the Finance Company does not know if or how these devices relate to each other or how they are associated with Person A. Given the cryptographic hash of the consumer ID, the Device Graph recognises that these devices are related to each other and a particular person. To companies that do not participate in the Device Co-op these site visits would appear to come from separate, random devices. In any case, once the Device Graph has the hashed ID it: Knows mobile phone and laptop are linked. Recognizes that the Finance Company wants to know if the mobile phone and laptop are linked. Given these conditions, the Device Graph now shares the link connecting these devices for the News Company with the Finance Company. During this process, the Device Graph duplicates and shares the link from one co-op member to another. At this point, the Device Graph performed its role successfully. Both the News Company and the Finance Company have a clear picture of an identity. They can reach Person A accurately across all their devices. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, 2019 Anonymization and Legislation vs. Advertising Self-Regulation Apple is often referenced as a privacy darling of the tech world, and honestly, this is somewhat true. I wont ever argue that Apple is the worst of the bunch, and certainly, given that their ad business isnt as wide-scale as Googles, they have less incentive to sell their customers out. However, they arent exactly angels. A recent development in the AdTech space is Apples lauded move to a one-use e-mail for app logins. Hopefully this post has already given you enough cynicism to wonder if this is enough to anonymize someone, but lets look at what commentators in the AdTech world had to say: Without the same email address used for logins across apps and devices, Francolla said, the app portion of the cross-device graph is broken on the percentage of users who opt in to use Apples new feature. including the introduction of a one-time use for location services and limiting location fingerprinting, which is going to really limit many of the location data companies. Michael Katz, CEO, mParticle When users use Google or Facebook to log in to an app or site, it allows those platforms to strengthen their graphs by identifying which users are present on a given device or within an ad-supported app. I dont think having a portion of devices remove the logins would have a huge effect, but on the margins it will reduce the clarity of the users identity. However, if Apple were to also deprecate the IDFA and prevent anonymous identity from being used for ads in apps, then the loss of the login would be pretty critical. This is not a big deal as it stands right now but if Apple removes the IDFA, everything changes. Ari Paparo, CEO, Beeswax I think a key takeaway here is that advertisers view anonymization as breaking the web. Another thing is that these companies are somewhat coy on their websites about their capabilities, but not so much when theyre talking to industry publications. Theres evidence to suggest that legislation like GDPR has had a measurable impact on the retention of consumer data. Thankfully, companies like Apple and Google have flags in their code which allow users to opt out of advertising, and share that information with app creators. Lovely! Wait, hang on: Check the value of this property before performing any advertising tracking. If the value is false, use the advertising identifier only for the following purposes: frequency capping, attribution, conversion events, estimating the number of unique users, advertising fraud detection, and debugging. Apple: isAdvertisingTrackingEnabled Fuck me: you must abide by a users Opt out of interest-based advertising or Opt out of Ads Personalization setting. If a user has enabled this setting, you may not use the advertising identifier for creating user profiles for advertising purposes or for targeting users with personalized advertising. Allowed activities include contextual advertising, frequency capping, conversion tracking, reporting and security and fraud detection. Android: Best practices for unique identifiers The first thing you might say is, what the fuck, even when I opt out of advertising, both Google and Apple think that tracking what I purchased is fair game?!?!? Of course, in our current cynicism, we know this is because attribution is King. The second thing we might say is, why do these two statements about what isnt restricted sound so similar? The reason for that is that these regulations were agreed upon by the industry-run standards body, the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Ahhhhh, smell that? Thats the sweet smell of self-regulation, and all I really have to say about that is what Ive already said - that self-regulation lead to a decision that what you purchased is still fair game when a user wants ad tracking to be limited. All this weakness and obvious corruption exists in service of attribution, so advertisers can better justify spending money on ads. Probabilistic Audiences One objection to my last post was that it gave the impression that advertisers use a lot more 1:1 customer data in advertising than they actually do. I do think that advertisers do that, but I also think that probabilistic audiences are used a lot, and I think this usage actually benefits attribution. Attribution feeds off of widespread advertising campaigns, because its goal is to take credit for as many conversions as possible. Even if a consumer doesnt pay attention to an ad, making sure it appears somewhere in front of/near them is good for attribution. If a particular group of people is identified as converting often, and the media attribution model is perverse enough, it will likely make sense to advertise to that group even if the ad DECREASES real conversions in that group. This is the epitome of the broken incentives bought about by media attribution. This is productive, if your idea of productivity is taking credit for things that were already happening, and increasing your marketing budget. This all also means that, even if companies made no concerted attempt to track consumers for outgoing marketing purposes they would still collect tracking information due to their active desire to take credit for more conversions. Tracking implemented as a mechanism to increase the relevance of ads should be treated with extreme suspicion. Conclusion We might end up in a world, where, under the guise of privacy, the incumbents do all the attribution, and every company dutifully uploads everything they know about you in the hope that the conversion rate increases. We could very well find ourselves in a world where advertisers worship at that vile temple. And, this secrecy could be justified under the guise of protecting user privacy. I think we must demand that user data is considered the users, and that they must somehow know what is going on with at least their own shit. It couldnt be more perfect for companies that sell AdTech for them to measure the effectiveness of their own solution, and I fear that the feedback loop will increase advertising budgets where the money spent is purely spent on increasing ubiquitous corporate surveillance. It just takes one mistake for all our personal data to spill out everywhere, in that case. Thanks for reading. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. We Energies is asking the state Public Service Commission to allow it to add a hefty surcharge that would wipe out nearly 25 percent of the financial savings for those installing solar panels on homes or businesses. Thats right. An energy company moving aggressively into renewable energy to cut its costs will charge more to any customers trying to do the same thing. Customers who dont need as much energy will pay higher prices for less. Customers forced to pay for the right to produce their own energy not only pay more to use less energy, but they reduce company costs further by eliminating the need for We Energies to build more capacity to produce more energy. Silknet in partnership with Ericsson implements new, 4.9G technology in Geocell network By Levan Abramishvili Silknet enhances mobile internet network together with its strategic partner, one of the worlds technology giants Ericsson. On June 10, the two companies presented the result of their partnership a 4.9G network, which is 7 times faster than the current technology.In the following days, in the central part of Tbilisi, the company will commercially launch the Gigabit LTE highest speed mobile internet network (4.9G), the first company to do so in Georgia. With this technology, subscribers will get 7 times faster mobile internet at the speed of up to 1000Mb/sec.The two companies also reached an agreement on large-scale works that will cover the whole country. These works cover the implementation of hundreds of micro stations and installment of new base stations. As a result of these works, Geocell subscribers will enjoy the best quality 4.5G mobile internet service all over Georgia.According to the agreement with Ericsson, the works will be completed in Autumn of this year. By this I can say, that well practically end the long and important merger process with Geocell by delivering the best quality mobile internet to customers in all Georgia, said the CEO of Silknet, David Mamulaishvili.The presentation of the new technology was held at Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel, Tbilisi. The representatives of Ericsson and Silknet spoke about the 4.9G network. A member of the Ericsson team demonstrated a speed test, which showed that a 2 GB HD video was downloaded within 20 seconds time.spoke with Yaroslav Nitsak, General Manager of Ericsson in Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia.We are very happy today that we have successfully launched a totally new technology not only for Georgia but for the whole region. 1GB LTE enables [the user] to receive top speeds of 1GB per second, which gives a totally new customer experience to subscribers in Georgia, said Nitsak.He also highlighted that Silknet is a 33rd company across the globe, where the 4.9G network was launched.In 20 seconds, you can download a 2GB file, that's really incredible for the Georgian market. Georgia is a 33rd network, where this huge capacity was deployed. We can state that Silknet is now one of the 33 of the most powerful, most capable mobile LTE networks globally. We are really proud of that success, which is a result of our joint efforts, added Nitsak.According to Nitsak, the Georgian customers can expect the arrival of the next generation 5G network in the next year or two.Silknet acquired Geocell, the second-largest mobile telecommunications operator in Georgia, in January 2018. The acquisition, which valued Geocell at USD 153 million, combined Silknets broadband, pay TV and fixed telephony operations with Geocells mobile operations, creating a major convergent telecom company. Silknet is part of the Silk Road Group, one of the Caucasuss leading investment groups.Ericsson is one of the leading providers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers, with about 40% of the worlds mobile traffic carried through its networks. Ericssons investments in innovation have delivered the benefits of telephony and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world.Silknet is the first company in Georgia, as well as in the region, having implemented this latest technology - 4.9G (Gigabit LTE) in order to offer its customers the fastest mobile internet services. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called for paid leave, affordable day care and universal pre-K. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed the other candidates while scoffing at those who say, Theres not enough money. But given the $1.1 trillion budget deficit projected for next year, there currently isnt enough money. Warrens big idea is a wealth tax, which she portrays as a virtually bottomless well of money, but that isnt likely to live up to the hype. As University of Chicago law professor Daniel Hemel argues, it would be an administrative nightmare that the ultrarich would surely find ways to circumvent and, besides, it could well be ruled unconstitutional. Does Warren have a Plan B? One obvious option is to roll back the 2017 tax cut, which Democrats fault as an extravagant giveaway to the rich. Supporters see the tax cuts as a required investment in robust economic growth and job creation, which is happening. But even before it took effect, the federal debt was on track to rise by some $11 trillion by 2027. Raising tax rates to where they were when Donald Trump took office would merely slow the growth of the debt, not cover the cost of new programs. Reducing the rate at which you are accumulating debt, alas, does not give you more money to spend. Financial Stability Committee to be created in Georgia By Tea Mariamidze In order to facilitate the stable operation of the financial system in Georgia, the Committee on Financial Stability is planned to be set up which will be responsible for financial crisis and crisis management mechanisms.The relevant changes were prepared by the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) and the Ministry of Finance, which was initiated during the June 10 bureau sitting.The draft law defines that the Committee includes the Finance Minister, the President of the National Bank, the Deposit Insurance Agency and the Heads of the Insurance Supervision Service, but the Committee may include other representatives of other state/ administrative bodies too.The draft law specifies that the Committee is chaired and represented by the Minister of Finance and in case of his absence - his acting Finance Minister.As for the activities of the Committee, it will hold the session at least once a year or in case of the National Bank's request.The functions of the Secretariat of the Committee are fulfilled by the National Bank. According to the amendments, the NBG will be obliged to inform the Committee of Financial Stability about the potential threats and risks and provide the necessary information.The National Bank has to also inform the Committee on the need for the commercial bank resolution, temporary state financing or the national bank's special funding.In turn, the Committee members are tasked to provide the Committee with all necessary information, including confidential information, the risks identified, which may be important for the functioning of the Committee.The committee's activities report will be published together with the National Bank's annual report.In addition to this, the creation of the Resolution Committee of the National Bank of Georgia is also planned.The draft law states that the committee will be created under the decree of the President of the National Bank, which will include the President and the Vice-President of the NBG.The committee meetings will be attended by other employees of the National Bank or invited persons if the attendees are required to make an informed decision on the matter.The draft says the Committee of the Resolution is chaired by the President of the National Bank. The composition of the Resolution Committee and the procedure of its activities shall be determined by the National Bank of Georgia's Legal Act.The Committee approves the resolution plans adopted by the National Bank and makes a decision on the introduction of a resolution on the commercial banks, as well as in respect of the executive powers in the resolution of the commercial bank, issued by the National Bank act. Passing a version of the existing deal on the table was something May failed three times to achieve. Meanwhile, none of the leading contenders dare raise the prospect of a referendum, let alone an election. If candidates pretend it is easy to achieve what the current administration has found impossible, then they should be challenged. Perhaps they can drive Brussels into submission. Perhaps an Irish border commission involving the Republic might find a way through. Perhaps a new leader will be able to reassemble a Tory majority. We need to see the evidence. To those who say they can deliver Brexit by Oct. 31, we simply ask: How? To those who say they would be prepared to delay beyond that, we ask: How will that help? The very least the public deserve is that those who want to enter Number 10 in a few weeks time are grilled seriously on their Brexit plan. The same applies to the other policy pledges that are coming thick and fast. There are words for this. Words like Orwellian or gaslighting. Center Stage: Tony Evers gets his revenge Critics including many of his fellow Democrats claimed Tony Evers was too boring to be elected Wisconsin's governor. They were wrong. And at the recent Wisconsin Democratic Convention, he got his revenge: "Who's boring now?" he crowed, touting his veto pen as a powerful check on the Republican-run Legislature. On this week's "Center Stage" political podcast, Milfred and Hands play clips and comment on his recent convention speech, which reminds Milfred of the ending to "Revenge of the Nerds." What else do you call it when the leader of the free world cant tell the factual, objective difference between our friends and our enemies, between people who actually need him and people who are clearly just using him to boost their own influence? Or when he holds up a Kim love letter like its proof of his manifest destiny or anything other than his unprecedented gullibility and tells his campaign advisers to deny their own polling when he doesnt like the results? After his own advisers said Kims missile tests violated UN resolutions, he was all too happy to give him cover: He kept his word. Theres no nuclear testing. Theres no large, theres no long-range missiles going up. The only things hes set up were very short term, short range. That was just a test of short range. Its a whole different deal, but hes kept his word to me. Thats very important, he said. CALDWELL Emails obtained by the Idaho Press show Canyon County jail officials actively reaching out to federal immigration officials to come pick up inmates they suspect of violating immigration law. In several cases, Canyon County deputies called on federal officials to check on inmates who turned out to be American citizens. Have just booked in a foreign born, wrote customer service specialist Joann James one early Sunday morning. (S)tates she is a citizen, she is currently being held on a zero bond until court Monday. The woman in question, Melissa Castro, was in the Canyon County Jail for several drug-related charges. By 11:27 a.m., a Boise deportation officer emailed his response. Travel records indicate this subject is a USC (U.S. Citizen), replied deportation officer David Perkins. Therefore, she is not removable from the US and no detainer will be placed. The Idaho Press obtained emails between Canyon County and federal immigration officials via a public records request. More than 300 pages of emails were all from the month of March. The revelation of these emails comes at a time that Canyon County is facing three lawsuits related to its handling of inmates suspected of being in the United States without permission. The lawsuits allege jail staff turn inmates over to ICE even after inmates have posted bond and have a legal right to be released under Idaho state law. The Canyon County Sheriffs Office has said it must turn inmates over to ICE because the jail honors ICE detainers, or requests to hold inmates longer for the purpose of immigration enforcement. But the emails obtained by the Idaho Press show the relationship goes even deeper than that. More than just responding to requests from ICE, Canyon County officials are proactively assisting federal authorities. Canyon County Sheriffs Office staff are instructed to notify immigration officials for all foreign born inmates, according to the Canyon County Sheriffs Office immigration policy, last revised in January 2018. If inmates are serving less than one day in jail, have a bond, or the jail plans to simply book and release the inmate, staff are instructed to contact the Boise immigration office by both email and three separate phone numbers until someone answers. Staff at the Ada County Sheriffs Office do not follow this practice, according to spokesman Patrick Orr. Ada County staff notify ICE when inmates who already have immigration holds resolve their cases or post bond, Orr said, but they do not notify ICE for every person born in another country. If someone is arrested on a state charge and ICE determines they are in the country illegally, ICE lets us know, Orr wrote in an email statement to the Idaho Press. It is up to ICE to determine if someone arrested by our deputies or in custody in the Ada County Jail is in the country illegally. Recently, federal courts have ruled that the use of federal immigration detainers to hold inmates longer in local jails violates the inmates constitutional rights. In February 2018, a U.S. District Court judge ruled the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and immigration officials violated the rights of suspected immigrants who were detained after they should have been released from jail, according to the Associated Press. Some of those suspected immigrants were U.S. citizens. Other states often, in the face of lawsuits like the ones filed against Canyon County are beginning to limit the ability of local jails to collaborate with ICE. Last month, the Associated Press reported Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a law barring people suspected of being in the country illegally from being kept in local jails simply at the request of immigration officials. The law takes effect Aug. 2. There are myriad restrictions and rules governing how local and federal law enforcement agencies interact, simply because most local law enforcement agencies arent empowered to enforce federal law, particularly when it comes to civil violations. Immigration law experts and immigrant advocates claim extensive collaboration between local police and federal immigration officials can blur the lines between the two, making it difficult for local law enforcement to gain the trust they need to keep communities safe. Further, it raises questions of the constitutional rights of inmates and discrimination based on race or national origin. There are lots of people here with authority to be here that have become citizens, or lawful permanent residents, said Kate Evans, an associate professor of law at the University of Idaho. Solicitation of immigration officials based on a characteristic that may or may not have anything to do with a violation of immigration laws, to me, that kind of makes me think more about the potential consequences to community trust for that kind of screening. During the month of March, jail staff asked ICE to detain certain inmates, warned deportation officers when inmates might be released on bond, and sent the personal information of U.S. citizens and legal residents to immigration officials. Leo Morales, the executive director of the ACLU of Idaho, reviewed selected emails at the request of the Idaho Press. He said the countys close relationship with ICE was alarming and warranted close scrutiny, particularly because of the intensity and frequency of the collaboration. I think its also very alarming how proactive Canyon County staff are, requesting holds for certain detainees that they have in their custody, Morales said. I would say that when local law enforcement interact with other governmental agencies, particularly in the context of detention and potential loss of liberty, we should all be very concerned. LOL Every week during the month of March, Canyon County staff members sent ICE officials information about inmates they apparently suspected of being undocumented, usually with the email subject line Foreign born. Other subject lines and emails warned the inmate was bondable, meaning the person under discussion was likely to post bond and quickly. Sometimes, deportation officers would thank county staff and almost immediately send a detainer. Other times, county staff provided court dates or other information to make sure the inmate left the Canyon County jail in ICE custody. In one case, another customer service specialist at the Canyon County Sheriffs Office tried to help a deportation officer detain an 18-year-old woman before someone arrived to pick her up. Current charges: under the influence of drugs in public, wrote customer service specialist Cassandra Jordan on Tuesday, March 12, at 8:10 p.m. This is a Book and Release, but she cannot leave until she has a ride. I had a really hard time booking her in because she is under the influence. Mark Love from the Boise ICE office emailed back just eight minutes later. How long before she gets that ride? Im stuck in the middle of a bunch of seats lol. Jordan responded a minute later. LOL. I dont think for a while. She has not even tried to use the phone. After apparently interviewing the teen over the phone, Love emailed Jordan again at 9:36 p.m. I spoke with the girl. If I place a detainee (sic) shes turning over directly correct? If thats the case Ill just send a 203 instead of a detainer. Let me know. (The 203 form is ICEs order to detain or release an inmate, officially initiating reimbursement for Canyon County.) Jordan affirmed this. Yes she is done with us and will go directly to you. Two hours later, Love sent the order to detain the teenager. Email records indicate Canyon County received a detainer, but the emails were unclear what happened to the 18-year-old after this exchange. The Idaho Press was not able to locate or contact the teenager, identified in email and court records as Jacqueline Torres-Buenrostro. Jacqueline Torres-Buenrostro is an unlawfully present Mexican national who entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location, ICE western region spokeswoman Paige Hughes told the Idaho Press in an email Monday. Hughes confirmed ICE detained Torres-Buenrostro, who had no prior immigration history, when she was released from the Canyon County jail. She was granted bond and released on April 12, Hughes said, and her immigration proceedings are ongoing. While in ICE custody, Torres-Buenrostro missed a March 25 county court date for a drug charge, marked as a failure to appear in court records. Her case was assigned to the public defenders office shortly after. Even if county officials know that someone cannot appear for their court date because they are in immigration detention, local agencies dont always notify courts why defendants are unable to appear. Canyon County policies draw concerns The emails obtained by the Idaho Press display a casual working relationship with immigration officials apparently common throughout the Canyon County Sheriffs Office. In the emails, some staff said they just wanted to give a deportation officer a heads up about a certain inmate who was born in another country. Others asked ICE officials to detain an inmate immediately, because Canyon County had received their bond. Requesting a 203, bond posted today for local charges, wrote customer service specialist Terrance Balderas at 9:28 a.m. on March 15. Balderas received a response 30 minutes later. Hello, wrote deportation officer Josh Tobias. Please see attached 203 as requested. Canyon County spokesman Joe Decker provided documents detailing the Sheriffs Office immigration policies but declined to comment or answer further Idaho Press questions in light of pending litigation. Canyon County policies for which staff members work with immigration officials, and when, remain unclear. Nearly every Canyon County staff member interacting with immigration officials in the March emails have the title customer service specialist. It was also unclear whether those staff members most frequently interacting with ICE officials had received training to discern someones immigration status. No member of this office shall prohibit, or in any way restrict, any other member from doing any of the following regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual... reads the section of the Canyon County Sheriffs Office policy manual for immigration violations, citing U.S. Code 1373. The proceeding list details what the March emails show sheriffs office staff to be doing regularly: sending information to ICE, requesting and receiving information from ICE, maintaining that information in office records, and exchanging that information with any other federal state or local government entity. How proactive Canyon County is about immigration is problematic, Morales from the ACLU said. The county already finds themselves in the lawsuit. Determining a persons immigration station, especially with lay people, there is a lot of room for error. Throughout the month of March, Canyon County staff sent the personal information of several inmates, based solely on whether that person was foreign-born. Many times, immigration officials themselves told Canyon County they could not detain the inmate for immigration purposes because the inmate in question was a legal resident or a U.S. citizen. In the case of Castro, her March interaction with Canyon County and immigration officials was not her first time in the Canyon County jail. According to a string of drug-related sentencings dating back to 2005, when the first offense landed her in the Southwest Juvenile Detention Center, shes been a frequent visitor. Her immigration status was questioned and supposedly approved in 2017. Its unclear why Canyon County still sent her full name, date of birth and Social Security number to a deportation officer. Legal challenges and concerns Canyon Countys policy manual for immigration violations provides guidelines to members of the Canyon County Sheriffs Office for investigating and enforcing immigration laws. A deputy may detain an individual when there are facts supporting a reasonable suspicion that the individual entered into the United States in violation of a federal criminal law ... reads the policy manual section on enforcement. A deputy should not detain any individual, for any length of time, for a civil violation of federal immigration laws or a related civil warrant. A lack of English proficiency may be considered as reasonable suspicion that a criminal immigration violation has occurred, but it should not be the sole factor. The policy goes on to say that staff and deputies should make a reasonable effort to accommodate people with limited English proficiency but only when practicable. Attorneys from Immigrant Justice Idaho, who are suing Canyon County three times for its collaboration with immigration officials, said Canyon County was risking liability each time they chose not to release an inmate simply due to an email or request from ICE. These lawsuits relate to Canyon Countys refusal to allow our clients to be released from custody solely due to a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that they remain detained, wrote Ben Stein, an attorney with Immigrant Justice Idaho, in an email statement to the Idaho Press. When a county continues to detain anyone longer than state law allows simply due to a request from ICE, the county is engaging in a warrantless arrest. Evans, who researched immigration detainers and local law enforcement for a forthcoming Brooklyn Law Review article, said judicial rulings have established the use of detainers to hold inmates as warrantless second arrests. Evans said many immigration charges are civil, federal offenses something local law enforcement officers historically have not had the power to enforce. Its not whether federal immigration officials can issue these documents, Evans said. Its really whether Idaho state law allows their own police officers to make these arrests. Love 2 Funny 7 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 An Idaho man accused in the September killing of a man has been charged with the additional crime of cannibalism and authorities in court documents said the suspect believed he could "cure his brain" by eating some of the victim. May 10, 1974June 9, 2019 MICAH DALTON HEPWORTH I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE 2 Timothy 7 Micah Dalton Hepworth, age 45, passed away June 9, 2019 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Micah was born, along with his twin sister Mieka, on May 10, 1974 in Tooele, Utah to Ardith Dalton and Steven Hepworth. His family home was in Burley, Idaho where great love and service was extended by the Pella 2nd Ward. A premature birth by two and a half months resulted in difficulties for both, but Micah sustained significant mental and physical disabilities due to bleeding in his brain. From age six he lived in group homes for special needs children in Gooding, Wendell, and Meridian, Idaho. At the time of his death he resided at Teton Post Acute Care and Rehabilitation in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Micah lived far longer than anyone would have expected. In spite of his disabilities he was a happy young man. In his early years he could feed himself, see his surroundings, and had limited mobility. His disabilities became progressively more pronounced thus impairing sight, speech, and movement, which rendered him to a wheel chair for the rest of his life. In spite of his difficulties, he inspired, teased, loved, and found laughter in every day activities and in exchanges with family members and care center staff. Micah is survived by his mother, Ardith Dalton; father, Steven Hepworth (Jodi); siblings: Mieka Lords (Jeff); Tyler Hepworth (Rachelle); and Shawn Hepworth (Lindsey) and numerous nieces and nephews. A viewing and visitation will be held on Monday, June 17, 2019 from 1 to 1:45 p.m., with funeral services immediately following at the Dalton-Hoopes Funeral Home, 50 West Main St., Grantsville, Utah. Interment will be in the Grantsville City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Dalton Donate 4 Life, 1615 Brinlee Court, Erda, Utah, 84074. Pointy-headed scientists make life in these United States way too complicated. They always want to study a problem to death and, once they have reached a consensus on how to fix it, they want to spend tons of money on a cure. We need to simplify the process with less scientific study and more gut-inspired action. Take the issue of nuclear waste disposal. The U.S. has struggled for decades trying to clean up high-level radioactive waste. There has been a lot of heartburn about removing high-level waste from the Idaho National Laboratory, as well as from the Hanford Reservation in Washington and Savannah River in South Carolina. The cost of cleaning up the waste is astronomical and finding a place to dispose of it is perplexing. The U.S. Department of Energy under the stewardship of former Texas Governor Rick Perry has cut through all of the red tape and figured out a simple solutionjust change the classification of the waste from high-level to low-level. Why didnt we think of that long ago? Those of you who poked fun at Perry for not being able to name the Energy Department as one of the three agencies he proposed to eliminate during the 2016 presidential primaries should be eating a little crow, thanks to this stroke of genius. Lowering the classification of the waste will save $40 billion in cleanup costs and allow the reclassified waste to be disposed of in low-level facilities in Utah or Texas. Problem solved with the stroke of a pen! And, how about reducing the number of deaths from the fine particulate pollution produced by burning fossil fuels? When the Environmental Protection Agency proposed to eliminate the strict air pollution rule in the Clean Power Plan, its scientific staff estimated the roll-back would result in an added 1,400 premature deaths in the U.S. each year. Agency leadership has just announced a simple solution to the dilemmasimply change the methodology for calculating the number of deaths that will be caused by the rule change. Now we can have more air pollution and fewer deaths at the same time. Problem solved by a simple calculation change! Climate scientists are continually warning of the existential danger facing the Earth from climate change. They point to the record-breaking weather disasters occurring around the globe and claim they will intensify if earthlings do not take drastic action to curtail greenhouse gas emissions. They say the danger will increase dramatically in the second half of this century. The administration has settled upon a simple fix to the problem. Rather than projecting the effects of climate change to the end of the century, as we currently do, just cut the projections off at the year 2040. That provides a less dire picture since the greatest effects of climate change will occur after that time. And it eliminates the need to take effective action now to save the planet from turning into an uninhabitable hothouse for our children and their offspring. Another problem solved by the mere stroke of a pen! Why spend the time it takes to carefully study a complex problem and develop a scientific consensus as to how to solve it, when most problems can be easily resolved by a simple gut check and change of nomenclature? We dont need to follow the urgent warnings of 97% of the climate experts about the growing danger of climate change when we can simply step outside on a cold day and announce problem solved. Jim Jones is an Eden native and former Idaho Attorney General and former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 You may have seen a scary headline about measles recently. Its been confirmed: there are two measles cases in Idaho, both from Latah County. This comes in the midst of the largest outbreak of measles in the country since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. Since January 1, 2019, there have been more than 1,000 cases of measles in the U.S., transported unwittingly by contagious persons wherever they go; county to county and state to state. We saw in the winter and spring how quickly measles spread across Washington and Oregon, flourishing in areas where immunization rates were low. In order to prevent a disease from spreading, it is recommended that 95% of the population be immunized, thereby achieving herd immunity. Unfortunately, some school districts in Idaho have immunization rates as low as 33.3%. These school districts are not far from Latah County, where these two cases were confirmed. Neighboring Idaho, Kootenai, and Shoshone counties all have low enough rates to allow for the rapid spread of disease. Idaho is one of 18 U.S. states that allows religious/other exemptions from vaccines, and the exemption rate for Idaho children enrolled in kindergarten was 7.7% during the 2018-19 school year. This is an increase from 7.1% the previous school year, making the confirmed cases of measles in Idaho all the more concerning. Latah County had an 11.1% exemption rate for the 2018-19 school year. Neighboring Shoshone Countys rate was 18.4%, and just a few counties over in Idaho County, the exemption rate was a staggering 21.8%. When immunization rates drop and more students head to school with vaccine exemptions, counties like these have little to no herd immunity. Vaccines are a communitys greatest line of defense to protect the most vulnerable among us, whether they are infants too young to get vaccinated or others who are immunocompromised, like those going through chemotherapy. When measles, a highly contagious virus, spreads through counties that have low vaccination rates, many vulnerable Idahoans will be in danger. The reality is that most of Idahoans believe vaccines are effective at preventing disease. However, Idahoans who support loosening immunization requirements are much more likely to be active on the issue. These headlines are scary, but there are actions you can take to protect your family and your community by contributing to herd immunity. If your children are not vaccinated, get them to the doctor ASAP. If they are, spread the word about the importance of community immunity and the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine. Be an active and vocal advocate on this issue so we can help all Idahoans protect themselves, their children, and their entire community from preventable disease. Karen Sharpnack is the executive director of the Idaho Immunization Coalition. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 UN Independent Expert reports on protection against violence of the queer community in Georgia By Levan Abramishvili United Nations General Assembly recently published a report of Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity on his visit to Georgia, from 25 September to 5 October 2018.In the report, the Expert assesses the implementation of existing national and international human rights standards to combat violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and gives a panoramic view of the human rights situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse persons in Georgia.According to the report, during his visit, the Independent Expert met with representatives of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, local authorities and the Public Defenders Office.The report encompasses various aspects of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, including the overview of the context; the institutional, legal and public policy framework; the lives of queer people in Georgia and discrimination.In light of the information collected about the abovementioned facets of the issue, the Expert identifies positive steps and remaining challenges and formulates recommendations to strengthen the protection of persons against phobia-based hate crimes and violence and to curtail, and ultimately eradicate, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.Even though the report mentions some of the implemented valuable policy actions in the field of human rights, unfortunately, a very significant majority of the targets set have not been met, and very little progress can be observed on most of them. According to the report, this was consistent with the stories of the members of the queer community that the Expert met with, who described a situation in which public measures had not yet had any meaningful impact.The Independent Expert also observes that some of the key issues are still unaddressed in the legal and policy framework. Including the right of trans persons to legal recognition of gender identity, regulation of and access to gender-affirming treatment, and ensuring the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse persons deprived of liberty.As mentioned above, the Independent Expert personally met with the members of the community, according to the report, very few are protected by status or wealth; others leave the country and break their family bonds to seek asylum elsewhere.The Expert concluded that the stigma against the queer community in Georgia stems from beliefs in the need to maintain traditional family units and traditional values; the view that diverse sexual orientation and gender identity is abnormal; and rigid expectations about how women and men should look and behave.The report states that the majority of violence against queer people remains undocumented and, if reported, it is rendered invisible by improper qualification or recording.The Independent Expert also touches upon the issue of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) and the events that took place on May 17 of 2013, when a group of peaceful protesters were commemorating IDAHOTB, when they were attacked by thousands of far-right and church groups. The expert encourages Georgia to take the necessary steps to ascertain the truth surrounding the events, establish responsibilities, and take the necessary measures of reparation.The report concludes that there are significant gaps in terms of implementation of the legal framework that hinder the ability of the State to address the violence against queer people. As a result, hate speech is on the rise, homophobic and transphobic hate crime remains rampant and discrimination is pervasive.The Expert identifies education and awareness-raising as key tools that must be considered a priority by the government. According to him, prevalent stigma and prejudice hinder the deployment of effective State measures and fuel intolerance, discrimination, and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse persons.Based on the findings, the Independent Expert gives numerous recommendations to the Government of Georgia in several directions, such as legal framework, public policies, domestic violence, hate crimes, freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, HIV/AIDS, health, etc.Some of the key recommendations include ensuring that the process of legal recognition of gender identity is based on self-determination by the applicant, is a simple administrative process, is exempt from abusive requirements, recognizes non-binary identities and is accessible to minors.Also, the Expert recommends for the government to create data to ensure that the needs of the community are being met, also to craft an education campaign on sexual orientation and gender identity with a view to addressing stigma, dispelling myths and combating stereotypes that create obstacles to the full implementation of the government strategy in that regard.The Expert also recommends the government to launch mediation between the Orthodox Church and members of the community to find solutions that allow for peaceful coexistence and avoid unnecessary confrontations during demonstrations.In the report, the Independent Expert thanks the government for its cooperation and wishes to acknowledge the essential role played by civil society in the furtherance of the work against violence and discrimination and expresses his gratitude to everyone who shared their stories and expertise. Credit: CC0 Public Domain A new measure has identified for the first time whether the most suitable antibiotics are being used to treat newborns and children in hospital on a national basis. The measure will be a crucial tool in combating antimicrobial resistance worldwide, allowing countries to benchmark themselves both internally and internationally and highlighting where improvements can be made. The measure classifies all antibiotics according to the World Health Organisation's Access, Watch and Reserve Index ('AWaRe'), which classifies antibiotics into three groups with the aim of improving access and facilitating appropriate prescribing. The three groups comprise: 'Access' which should be used as first choice for most infections; 'Watch' for use as a second choice, and to be used sparingly; and 'Reserve' for use as a last resort. The WHO has recently recommended that Access group antibiotics should account for at least 60 percent of every country's total antibiotic use. To develop this new way to measure antibiotics, researchers at St George's, University of London used two point prevalence surveys dataGARPEC and Global PPSstudying patterns of antibiotic use in 23,572 children in 56 countries. The data included high income, upper middle income and low middle income countries across 6 WHO regions. The data also provided insight into what antibiotics were typically used to treat common childhood conditions. Dr. Yingfen Hsia of St George's, who led the survey, said: "We haven't had this data on patterns of paediatric antibiotic use from the perspective of the AWaRe classification before and it's an important first step in seeing what needs to be done globally." Researchers found wide variations in patterns of antibiotic use in hospitalised children using the AWaRe classification. In children 'Access' antibiotic use ranged from 7.8 percent in China to 61.2 percent in Slovenia; and 'Watch' antibiotic use ranged from 23.0 percent in Finland to 77.3 percent in Iran. Prescribing standards for common childhood conditions such as neonatal sepsis and chest infections showed wide variation. There are many reasons for the variation of prescribing patterns between countries. These include the prevalence of infections caused by highly resistant bacteria; local healthcare service issues including infrastructure and staffing; and the pricing or affordability of antibiotics. Professor Mike Sharland of St George's said: "Although there are many reasons why there are these variations, from a clinical perspective there is no justification for using such a wide variation of broad spectrum antibioticsincluding 'Watch' antibiotics such as azithromycinto treat pneumonia in young children, , for example. " "This measure will allow health authorities to identify areas of concern and is an important starting point in the simple stewardship interventions that are crucial on a national and global level. Since the WHO has now called for the 60 percent Access ambition, it is most important that we encourage improved access to Access antibiotics to treat infections in children globally if we are to tackle the problem of antibiotic resistance." "Using the WHO Access/Watch/Reserve classification to define patterns of hospital antibiotic use; analysis of paediatric point prevalence survey data from 56 countries" was published in The Lancet Global Health on 12 June 2019. Explore further Global review reports on administration of children's antibiotics More information: Yingfen Hsia et al. Use of the WHO Access, Watch, and Reserve classification to define patterns of hospital antibiotic use (AWaRe): an analysis of paediatric survey data from 56 countries, The Lancet Global Health (2019). Yingfen Hsia et al. Use of the WHO Access, Watch, and Reserve classification to define patterns of hospital antibiotic use (AWaRe): an analysis of paediatric survey data from 56 countries,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30071-3 (HealthDay)The United States is stepping up its response to a historic outbreak of Ebola in two African nations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activated its Emergency Operations Center Thursday to assist in the government's response to the second-largest outbreak of Ebola on record. The announcement came as the deadly virus crossed the border from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to Uganda, where two have died. The outbreak, which has claimed more than 1,400 lives, is the largest in the Congo's history. Its spread to Uganda adds to the threat of a larger outbreak. This latest action by the CDC is part of the overall government response, and CDC experts will be working with other agencies in the Congo. The outbreak is centered in a region where armed conflict and other violence complicates the public health response, the CDC said. It has been helping curb the outbreak since last year. The CDC emphasized that Ebola is not likely to spread around the world, and the announcement does not mean that its threat to the United States has increased. As such, the CDC guidelines for travel to the Congo and for groups sending aid to fight the epidemic remain unchanged. Those guidelines advise travelers to seek medical care immediately if they develop fever, headache, body aches, sore throat, diarrhea or vomiting, weakness, stomach pain, rash, or red eyes during or after travel. "Through CDC's command center we are consolidating our public health expertise and logistics planning for a longer-term, sustained effort to bring this complex epidemic to an end," CDC Director Robert Redfield, M.D., said in an agency news release. Explore further WHO convenes emergency meeting after Ebola spreads to Uganda More information: More Information Copyright 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved. If youve got the raw data, why not mine it for more info? Credit: Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock.com Back in 2016, Helen (a pseudonym) took three different direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests: AncestryDNA, 23andMe and FamilyTreeDNA. She saw genetic testing as a way to enhance her paper trail genealogy research, and it panned out when she matched with several new relatives. Helen is one of over 26 million individuals who have reportedly taken a DTC genetic test. That's a lot of spit in tubes being mailed to companies that promise customers information about their health, ancestry and family trees. Notably, the search for genetic insights doesn't always stop with the interpretations provided by the DTC companies. One of Helen's matches on AncestryDNA told her how she could stretch her personal genomic information further: by downloading her raw genetic data, that long list of As, Cs, Gs and Ts at each of the DNA sites the DTC company measured, and then uploading it to third-party interpretation tools online such as GEDmatch and DNA.land to find more relatives. Helen enthusiastically did so and joined Facebook groups dedicated to helping people use their genetic data to flesh out their family trees. While Helen wasn't initially seeking health information, on these forums she learned about the third-party tool Promethease and decided to upload her data there as well. She thought, "Well, for five dollarswe'll see what it says." Researchers don't have a very clear or comprehensive picture of how DTC customers use their raw data and these kinds of third-party tools. As a genetics researcher interested in the ethical and social implications of genomics in research, clinical care and everyday life, I think it's important to address this knowledge gapparticularly given questions about whether and to what extent these third-party tools are or should be regulated. DTC companies extract DNA profiles from saliva samples users send in. Credit: Sarah Weldon/Shutterstock.com Making the most of raw genetic data I interviewed Helen as part of a larger research study to better understand the perspectives, experiences and motivations of those accessing their raw DTC data and using third-party interpretation tools. My colleagues and I conducted a survey of about 1,100 DTC customers recruited via social media and followed up with interviews of 10 respondentsto our knowledge, the largest survey of this topic to date. Eighty-nine percent of our survey participants had downloaded their genetic data from a DTC company, and most of those downloaders (94%) had also used one or more third-party interpretation toolsthree tools on average. The most commonly used tools were GEDmatch (84% of tool users), Promethease (63%) and DNA.land (55%). One notable aspect of our results is that over half of tool users (56%) used both health-related and non-health-related, such as ancestry and genealogy, tools. We called this phenomenon "crossover" use. These crossover users were significantly different from people who used only one tool type in terms of demographics, which DTC tests they had taken and what initially motivated them to do DTC testing. Credit: The Conversation For example, the percentage of users who had ordered 23andMe increased from the non-health-only to crossover to the health-only group, with a reverse trend for both AncestryDNA and FamilyTree DNA tests. While this trend is as you might expect, it was surprising how many respondents initially ordered DTC tests focused on ancestry and genealogylike from AncestryDNA and FamilyTree DNAwho went on to use their genetic data from these companies in health-related third-party tools. Imagine a DTC customer such as Helen who first focused on genetic genealogy. After matching with some new relatives on GEDmatch, she went on to plug her data into Promethease. There she saw thousands of reports of potentially increased genetic risk for diseases ranging from age-related macular degeneration to restless legs syndromequite a distance from where her genealogy quest started. Uploading genetic data to a variety of third-party tools makes sense when you consider that DNA carries multiple kinds of information: health risks, family relations and more distant genetic ancestry. The genome is like a Swiss Army knife in that you can draw on different characteristics depending on what you want to do or know. Through our follow-up interviews, my research group learned how crossover users arrive at such different third-party tools. As with Helen, a common reason was hearing about multiple tools on social media venues such as Facebook groups or subreddits. And once you've started plugging your raw data into one tool, there is relatively low activation energy required to use additional tools. Other reasons people tried additional third-party tools included initial lack of interesting findings in one domain and general curiosity to extract as much information as possible. Credit: The Conversation More interpreters, more implications Once relatively obscure, third-party tools have come into the spotlight over the past year. The third-party genealogy website GEDmatch helped crack the Golden State Killer murders and subsequently dozens of other cold cases. The health-related tool Promethease garnered headlines when individuals were incorrectly told they were at increased risk for serious diseasesthough these false positives ultimately came down to errors in the DTC genetic data, rather than Promethease's interpretation. Genetic professionals and especially genetic counselors who are on the frontlines, seeing patients with their third-party reports, have well-founded concerns about the quality and reliability of results from DTC testing companies and third-party tools alike. This unease is likely exacerbated by the variability in scientific approaches and privacy and security practices across third-party tools. While some rightly question the adequacy of current oversight for both privacy controls and reliability of health-related information, tighter regulation could restrict individual freedom to pursue personal genetic information. Though my colleagues and I were able to reach over a thousand DTC customers in our study, we cannot say that our findings generalize to all DTC customers. Because of how we recruited participants, it's likely that we sampled a very motivated and engaged group of people. The DTC testing and third-party tool landscape is also changing rapidly. Just in the past year, for instance, GEDmatch changed its terms of service regarding use by law enforcement more than once, My Heritage expanded into health-related offerings, and Gencove retired its consumer-oriented product. Any research in this area is on shifting sands. But this kind of study can also help inform genetics professionals who are considering delivering raw DNA data in other contexts. This includes researchers, such as those planning to return raw data to participants in the National Institutes of Health's All of Us precision medicine project. Clinicians who order genome sequencing tests may enable raw data access; patients have the legal right to their full laboratory reports. Our study can shed some light on what individuals who receive raw data via these other routes might do with it. Overall, our study illustrates the complexity and variety of third-party tool users' motivations, experiences and actions. These findings should inform, but probably won't simplify, the job of any regulators grappling with whether and how to respond to this growing field of genetic interpretation. Explore further People using third-party apps to analyze personal genetic data This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. People coming from Congo have their temperature measured to screen for symptoms of Ebola, at the Mpondwe border crossing with Congo, in western Uganda Friday, June 14, 2019. In Uganda, health workers had long prepared in case the Ebola virus got past the screening conducted at border posts with Congo and earlier this week it did, when a family exposed to Ebola while visiting Congo returned home on an unguarded footpath. (AP Photo/Ronald Kabuubi) The World Health Organization on Friday said the Ebola outbreak in Congowhich spilled into Uganda this weekis an "extraordinary event" of deep concern but does not yet merit being declared a global emergency. The U.N. health agency convened its expert committee for the third time to assess the outbreak, which some experts say met the criteria to be designated an international emergency long ago. This outbreak, the second-deadliest in history, has killed more than 1,400 people since it was declared in August. Three members of the family who brought the virus into Uganda have died after attending the burial of an infected relative, a popular pastor, in Congo. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Dr. Preben Aavitsland, the acting chair of the committee, announced that the outbreak is "a health emergency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo" but that the situation should not be declared a global one. For such a declaration, an outbreak must constitute a risk to other countries and require a coordinated response. The declaration typically triggers more funding, resources and political attention. Aavitsland said the committee was "deeply disappointed" that WHO and the affected countries have not received the funding needed to stop the outbreak and delivered a blunt message to donors: "Step up." Women coming from Congo wash their hands with chlorinated water to prevent the spread of infection, at the Mpondwe border crossing with Congo, in western Uganda Friday, June 14, 2019. In Uganda, health workers had long prepared in case the Ebola virus got past the screening conducted at border posts with Congo and earlier this week it did, when a family exposed to Ebola while visiting Congo returned home on an unguarded footpath. (AP Photo/Ronald Kabuubi) WHO said $54 million is needed. Aavitsland added that declaring an emergency could have "unintended consequences" such as airlines stopping flights or governments closing borders. "It was the view of the committee that there is really nothing to gain by declaring a (global emergency) but there is potentially a lot to lose," he said. The outbreak, occurring close to the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan, has been like no other. Mistrust has been high in a region that had never faced Ebola before and attacks by rebel groups have undermined aid efforts. Several health workers have been killed. Two women heading towards Congo carry food on their heads as they walk past Ugandan army soldiers ensuring those crossing the border do not do so without being screened for symptoms of Ebola, at the Mpondwe border crossing to Congo, in western Uganda Friday, June 14, 2019. In Uganda, health workers had long prepared in case the Ebola virus got past the screening conducted at border posts with Congo and earlier this week it did, when a family exposed to Ebola while visiting Congo returned home on an unguarded footpath. (AP Photo/Ronald Kabuubi) In this photo provided by the International Rescue Committee, Congolese refugees wash their hands before being screened for Ebola symptoms at the IRC triage facility in the Kyaka II refugee settlement in Kyegegwa District in western Uganda, Thursday, June 13, 2019. The Congolese pastor who is thought to have caused the Ebola outbreak's spread into Uganda was unknown to health officials before he died of the disease, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief said Thursday, underlining the problems in tracking the virus. (Kellie Ryan/International Rescue Committee via AP) On Thursday, WHO's emergencies chief acknowledged the agency has been unable to track the origins of nearly half of new Ebola cases in Congo amid the challenges, suggesting it doesn't know where the virus is spreading. Friday's announcement quickly drew criticism from some experts. "I respect the advice of the emergency committee but do believe a public health emergency of international concern would have been justified," said Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome, one of Britain's biggest donors and a funder of Ebola vaccine research. "The epidemic is in a frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon," he said in a statement. Congo's health minister, Dr. Oly Ilunga, told The Associated Press that WHO's decision to not declare the outbreak a global emergency was a testament to the country's response efforts, which he called "effective." In this photo provided by the International Rescue Committee, a Congolese refugee is screened for Ebola symptoms at the IRC triage facility in the Kyaka II refugee settlement in Kyegegwa District in western Uganda, Thursday, June 13, 2019. The Congolese pastor who is thought to have caused the Ebola outbreak's spread into Uganda was unknown to health officials before he died of the disease, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief said Thursday, underlining the problems in tracking the virus. (Kellie Ryan/International Rescue Committee via AP) In Uganda, authorities said the country now had just one suspected Ebola case, who had no contact with the infected family and remained in isolation. They did not give more details. Ninety-eight contacts with infected people have been identified. The health minister on Friday asked Ugandans not to shake hands or otherwise touch each other "until we are Ebola-free." Alexandra Phelan, a global health expert at Georgetown University, said the legal criteria for declaring Ebola a global emergency have long been met, even before the virus reached Uganda. "Given that we are still seeing daily numbers of cases in the double digits and we do not have adequate surveillance, this indicates the outbreak is a persistent regional risk," she said. Phelan said she was concerned WHO might have been swayed by political considerations. In this photo provided by the International Rescue Committee, a Congolese refugee is screened for Ebola symptoms at the IRC triage facility in the Kyaka II refugee settlement in Kyegegwa District in western Uganda, Thursday, June 13, 2019. The Congolese pastor who is thought to have caused the Ebola outbreak's spread into Uganda was unknown to health officials before he died of the disease, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief said Thursday, underlining the problems in tracking the virus. (Kellie Ryan/International Rescue Committee via AP) As the far deadlier 2014-16 Ebola outbreak raged in West Africa, WHO was heavily criticized for not declaring a global emergency until nearly 1,000 people had died and the virus had spread to at least three countries. Internal WHO documents later showed the agency feared the declaration would have economic and social implications for Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Dr. Axelle Ronsse, emergency coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres, was unsure whether a declaration would help. She said outbreak responders, including WHO, should reevaluate their strategies to contain the spiraling outbreak. "It's quite clear that it's not under control," she said. "Now may be the time to reset and see what should be changed at this point." Explore further WHO convenes emergency meeting after Ebola spreads to Uganda 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have learned that the effect of exercise may differ depending on the time of day it is performed. In mice, they demonstrate that exercise in the morning results in an increased metabolic response in skeletal muscle, while exercise later in the day increases energy expenditure for an extended period of time. We probably all know how important a healthy circadian rhythm is. Too little sleep can have severe health consequences. But researchers are still making new discoveries confirming that the body's circadian clock affects our health. Now, researchers from University of Copenhagenin collaboration with researchers from University of California, Irvinehave learned that the effect of exercise may differ depending on the time of day it is performed. Studies in mice reveal that the effect of exercise performed in the beginning of their dark/active phase, corresponding to morning, differs from the effect of exercise performed in the beginning of the light/resting phase, corresponding to evening. "There appear to be rather significant differences between the effect of exercise performed in the morning and evening, and these differences are probably controlled by the body's circadian clock. Morning exercise initiates gene programs in the muscle cells, making them more effective and better capable of metabolizing sugar and fat. Evening exercise, on the other hand, increases whole body energy expenditure for an extended period of time," says one of the researchers behind the study, Associate Professor Jonas Thue Treebak from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research. Credit: University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. Morning exercise is not necessarily better than evening exercise The researchers measured a number of effects in the muscle cells, including the transcriptional response and effects on the metabolites. The results show that responses are far stronger in both areas following exercise in the morning and that this is likely to be controlled by a central mechanism involving the protein HIF1-alfa, which directly regulates the body's circadian clock. Morning exercise appears to increase the ability of muscle cells to metabolize sugar and fat, and this type of effect interests the researchers in relation to people with severe overweight and type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, the results also show that exercise in the evening increases energy expenditure in the hours after exercise. Therefore, the researchers cannot necessarily conclude that exercise in the morning is better than exercise in the evening, Jonas Thue Treebak stresses. "On this basis we cannot say for certain which is best, exercise in the morning or exercise in the evening. At this point, we can only conclude that the effects of the two appear to differ, and we certainly have to do more work to determine the potential mechanisms for the beneficial effects of exercise training performed at these two time-points. We are eager to extend these studies to humans to identify if timed exercise can be used as a treatment strategy for people with metabolic diseases," he explains. The article behind the new research results will be published in the next issue of Cell Metabolism. Explore further Two studies explore whether time of day can affect the body's response to exercise More information: Shogo Sato et al, Time of Exercise Specifies the Impact on Muscle Metabolic Pathways and Systemic Energy Homeostasis, Cell Metabolism (2019). Journal information: Cell Metabolism Shogo Sato et al, Time of Exercise Specifies the Impact on Muscle Metabolic Pathways and Systemic Energy Homeostasis,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.03.013 The World Health Organization emergency committee was meeting Friday on whether to declare a raging Ebola epidemic an international threat, after an outbreak that began in Democratic Republic of Congo crossed into Uganda. The WHO panel, which was formed in 2005, has used the label "public health emergency of international concern" only four times previously. Those included the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic of 2009, the spread of poliovirus in 2014, the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016 and the surge of the Zika virus in 2016. The current Ebola crisis, which began in eastern DRC last August, has recorded more than 2,000 cases, including 1,411 deaths. The WHO panel, officially known as the International Health Regulations and Emergency Committee, was meeting by teleconference with experts connecting from Geneva and around the globe. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is in DRC reviewing the Ebola response, will make the final decision on an emergency declaration based on the committee's advice. WHO held off making the emergency call at previous meetings in October and April, in part because Ebola had not spread internationally. Uganda cases confirmed That changed this week with confirmation that the virus had reached western Uganda, where it has claimed two lives so far. A Congolese womanwho is married to a Ugandanas well as her mother, three children and their nanny had travelled to DRC to care for her ill father, who later died of Ebola. The WHO said 12 members of the family who attended the burial in Congo were placed in isolation in the DRC, but six "escaped and crossed over to Uganda" on June 9. The next day, a five-year-old boy was admitted to hospital in Bwera, a border town, vomiting blood before he died. Tests confirmed he had Ebola and the family was placed in an isolation ward. His three-year-old brother was also confirmed to have Ebola, as was their grandmother, who died late Wednesday. Speaking from western Uganda's Kasese district, a senior Red Cross official told AFP that "the biggest challenge" was ensuring robust monitoring along the porous border with DRC. "People are continuing to come in to the country and not passing through the areas where screening is taking place, because screening has been instituted along certain points of entry but not all the points," said Josephine Okwera, the director of health and social services for the Ugandan Red Cross. The mere fact that cases have crossed a border does not automatically compel WHO to make the emergency declaration, especially as the epidemic is still confined to one contiguous region. But invoking the emergency provisions would entail additional measures to manage the outbreak, including a possible call for "immediate international action", according to the UN health agency. Restive region Health officials had initially hoped that they could contain the outbreak with help from a new vaccine, which has now been given to more than 130,000 people in DRC. But chronic violence and militia activity in the affected eastern DRC provinces of Ituri and North Kivu as well as hostility to medical teams among some people in the region have hampered the response. WHO has also accused political leaders in the affected region of manipulating the Ebola issue to turn people against health workers. Ebola spreads among humans through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person. Chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines can also become infected, and humans who kill and eat these animals can catch the virus through them. The current outbreak is the worst on record after an epidemic that struck mainly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone between 2014-2016, leaving more than 11,300 people dead. Explore further WHO convenes emergency meeting after Ebola spreads to Uganda 2019 AFP As chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses, the kidneys become less able to maintain a healthy balance of acids in the body. To maintain healthy acid levels, people with CKD are treated with alkaline substances such as sodium bicarbonate, also commonly used to neutralize heartburn and indigestion. The UBI study shows that sodium bicarbonate halves the risk of kidney disease progression, the likelihood of needing dialysis or transplantation) and overall mortality in people with CKD. Defined as serum bicarbonate less than 22 mmol/L, metabolic acidosis is common in people with CKD stages 4-5 (eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m2) and is directly related to worsening kidney function. Metabolic acidosis is a problem because it is associated with complications such as bone disease, muscle wasting, high levels of blood potassium (hyperkalaemia), insulin resistance, high cholesterol (hyperlipidaemia), and with a more rapid decline in kidney functionshown by rising blood creatinineand increased risk of death. International guidelines recommend that, when serum bicarbonate concentration falls below 22 mmol/l, CKD patients should be treated with oral sodium bicarbonate to maintain serum bicarbonate within the normal range, unless contraindicated. However, until recently, very few studies have tested the effectiveness of bicarbonate therapy in improving metabolic acidosis or its potential benefits in patients with CKD. Results of the UBI trial announced for the first time during the ERA-EDTA Congress in Budapest, now provide strong evidence for the benefits of correcting metabolic acidosis with sodium bicarbonate in people with late-stage CKD. The prospective, open-label, randomized controlled trial assigned 740 patients with CKD-3b and CKD stage 4 to either sodium bicarbonate (376 patients) or standard care without sodium bicarbonate (364 patients). The patients had a mean age of 67.8 years, creatinine clearance 30 ml/min, and serum bicarbonate 21.5 mmol/l. At the end of three years, doubling of creatinine occurred in significantly fewer patients randomized to sodium bicarbonate: 6.6% versus 17.0% receiving standard care, p<0.001. This translates into a relative risk reduction of 64% in kidney disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-0.58; p<0.001). Similarly, the likelihood of starting RRT was also significantly lower in the sodium bicarbonate group. At the end of the study, 6.9% of patients receiving sodium bicarbonate had started RRT compared to 12.3% of the standard care groupa relative risk reduction of 50% (p=0.004; HR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.31-0.81; p=0.005). The risk of death was also significantly lower among sodium bicarbonate-treated patients at 3.1% compared to 6.8 % of the standard care groupa relative risk reduction of 57% (p=0.004; HR 0.43; 95%CI 0.22-0.87; p=0.01). Treatment with sodium bicarbonate was well tolerated, with no significant effects on blood pressure, total body weight or hospitalizations. "There are relatively few treatments that have been shown to slow progression of CKD. As nephrologist, we have used sodium bicarbonate to correct metabolic acidosis in people with CKD for some time, but definite evidence of benefit has been lacking. Our study shows that this very cost-effective treatment is safe and improves kidney and patient survival," concluded lead investigator Dr. Antonio Bellasi. Explore further Novel treatment may benefit patients with metabolic acidosis and kidney disease More information: Bellasi A, et al. Treatment of metabolic acidosis with sodium bicarbonate delays progression of chronic kidney disease: the UBI study. LBCT Abstract ERA-EDTA Congress 2019, Budapest Provided by ERA-EDTA Feet infested with scabies. Credit: Dr Millicent Osti, MCRI An alignment of researchers, health ministries and the World Health Organization has outlined the key steps to develop a global program to control scabiesthe parasitic disease that affects 450 million people each year in mainly low-income countries. The research paper, 'The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action' published in The Lancet journal was led by Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute, in collaboration with the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies, the World Health Organization, international researchers and the Ministries of Health of Ethiopia, Solomon Islands and Fiji. Lead author, MCRI's Daniel Engelman, said global scabies control was dependent on developing key operational procedures, including methods for identifying scabies prevalence in all impacted countries. "Scabies is a disease of poverty, and people in low-income, crowded, and warm environments are most vulnerable to infestation caused by the microscopic Sarcoptes scabiei mite," Dr. Engelman said. "Scabies causes skin rash and severe itch that can be unbearable, but there is no blood-test, and not even a standardised approach to diagnosis. We don't know how prevalent scabies is in most countries. " Dr. Engelman said that a major priority was mapping the global scabies problem using simple skin examinations, which can be conducted by nurses and community health workers. Dr. Mike Kama, public health expert and scabies focal person at the Fiji Ministry of Health, said scabies infection rates could now be radically decreased by treating whole populations with an antiparasitic medication called ivermectin, after previous successful trials of the drug in Fiji. "Scientific advances over the past five years suggest that the number of people with scabies in a community can be reduced by more than 90 per cent with a single mass treatment" he said. "This is one of the most effective public health interventions we have." Dr. Paul Cantey, Medical Officer for Scabies from the World Health Organization in Geneva, said more work is required to identify when mass treatments for scabies are needed, how best to implement them, and how to engage communities to ensure scabies control initiatives are sustainable. "During studies of mass treatment for scabies, young children were not given ivermectin but treated with topical medicines, which can make treatment of affected communities more complicated. This paper highlights the need to determine if oral scabies medicines can be safely given to young children," Dr. Cantey said. The research found scabies infection rates were high in many Pacific nations, parts of South America and Africa, and in Australian, New Zealand and Canadian indigenous communities, where up to 50 per cent of children may have scabies. Senior author, MCRI's Professor Andrew Steer, said the scabies mite causes 'traumatic itching' when the surface of the skin is broken, allowing bacteria to enter. "This can lead to impetigo (school sores), and if the wound becomes infected with the Strep A or Staph bacteria, the sufferer can develop severe, life-threatening infections, as well as chronic health issues such as rheumatic heart disease or chronic kidney disease," Prof Steer said. More than 300,000 people die from rheumatic heart disease around the world every year. Prof Steer said that there was the potential to reduce the burden of rheumatic heart disease by controlling scabies and maintaining healthy skin. The 24 authors of the paper called for a global strategy to tackle scabies and outlined five key steps: Develop a global strategy for the public health control of scabies Map the global population affected by scabies. Facilitate affordable and reliable access to effective treatments Scale-up mass drug administration strategies in highly-affected countries. Work together with affected communities and health programs More information: Daniel Engelman et al, The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action, The Lancet (2019). Journal information: The Lancet Daniel Engelman et al, The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action,(2019). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31136-5 The campaign presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) reports how the Cyprus League Against Rheumatism (CYPLAR) successfully took on the Ministry of Health after authorisation was denied to introduce specialised rheumatology nurses due to a perceived lack of interest in rheumatology education. In many countries, rheumatology has developed into a recognised nursing specialty where nurses undertake advanced and extended roles. While some countries have accepted that interventions undertaken by nurses are essential to effectively tackle the challenges of chronic illness in an integrated fashion, this concept has not been widely adopted across Europe. "We are determined to challenge the government in Cyprus to implement a rheumatology nurse service into the health system," said Ms Andri Phoka Charalambous, Patient Expert General Secretary of the Cyprus League Against Rheumatism, Cyprus. "We're proud to have achieved a significant step towards our goal with the successful implementation of the first rheumatology nurse educational program in Cyprus." After many meetings with the Government Nursing Services demonstrating the value of rheumatology nurses, the officers became very excited about the development of a new "Patient Care with Rheumatic Diseases" educational programme. CYPLAR were instrumental stakeholders in both the design and delivery of the program which was provided to 27 nurses at the end of 2018. Following the training a survey of the participants demonstrated very encouraging results. When asked, "after training will you be interested in working as a rheumatology nurse in a rheumatology clinic?", they were delighted to announce that 100% answered yes. "We highly commend the work of the Cyprus League Against Rheumatism to bring the vital support of rheumatology nurses to people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases," said Professor Thomas Dorner, Chairperson of the Scientific Programme Committee, EULAR. "We hope this project acts as an inspiration to others involved in supporting the work of nurses specialising in rheumatology to make a difference in patients' lives." The "Patient Care with Rheumatic Diseases" educational programme was conducted one day per week over three months, with several lectures being delivered by CYPLAR. There were three days of clinical experience in an outpatient Rheumatology Clinic and one day in the Care Department gaining experience in the preparation and delivery of biological and biosimilar therapeutics. Examination consisted of a final written evaluation (60%) and a case study presentation. The significance of this campaign is supported by the results of a randomised controlled trial, also presented today at EULAR 2019, which demonstrates that nurse-led patient education can significantly improve essential safety skills in patients with inflammatory arthritis. Results of the study show that, at six months, the 'intervention group' had significantly higher acquisition of safety skills compared to the 'usual care' group with a Biosecure score of 81.2+13.1 versus 75.6+13.0 respectively (p=0.016). "Safety is an important issue in the management of inflammatory arthritis treated with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs," said Catherine Beauvais MD, University Hospital Saint Antoine, Paris, France. "We hope our results provide evidence to support the implementation of nurse-led patient education programs in centres across Europe." The study included 120 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis or peripheral spondyloarthritis at the time of their first introduction of a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD). Patients were randomised to receive 'usual care' or 'intervention care' which was a face-to-face nurse-led patient education session at baseline and then at three months. The mean duration of the intervention was 65.5+17.9 minutes at baseline and 43.718.7 at three months.3 At six months, the acquisition of safety skills was measured using the Biosecure score (0-100 scale), a 55-item validated questionnaire assessing competences to deal with fever, infections, vaccination, and other daily life situations. Patients in the intervention group also had a significantly better capacity to cope with their arthritis. Explore further Suicidal thoughts related to pain in 1 in 10 patients with rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease More information: 1. Charalambous AP. The role of patient organisations on the education and establishment of rheumatology nurse. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract OP0289-PARE. 1. Charalambous AP. The role of patient organisations on the education and establishment of rheumatology nurse. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract OP0289-PARE. 2. Beauvais C, Fayet F, Rousseau A, et al. Efficacy of a nurse-led patient education intervention in promoting safety knowledge and skills of patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) treated with biologics: a randomized controlled trial. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract SAT0679. Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a new study, Stanford psychologists examined why some people respond differently to an upsetting situation and learned that people's motivations play an important role in how they react. Their study found that when a person wanted to stay calm, they remained relatively unfazed by angry people, but if they wanted to feel angry, then they were highly influenced by angry people. The researchers also discovered that people who wanted to feel angry also got more emotional when they learned that other people were just as upset as they were, according to the results from a series of laboratory experiments the researchers conducted. Their findings, published June 13 in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, reveal that people have more control over how their emotions get influenced than previously realized, the researchers said. "We have long known that people often try to regulate their emotions when they believe that they are unhelpful," said James Gross, a professor of psychology at Stanford's School of Humanities and Sciences. "This set of studies extends this insight by showing that people can also regulate the way they are influenced by others' emotions." How do other people influence emotions? To learn how people react to upsetting situations and respond to others around them, the researchers examined people's anger toward politically charged events in a series of laboratory studies with 107 participants. The team also analyzed almost 19 million tweets in response to the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. In the laboratory studies, the researchers showed participants images that could trigger upsetting emotions, for example, people burning the American flag and American soldiers abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The researchers also told participants how other people felt about these images. The researchers found that participants who wanted to feel less angry were three times more likely to be more influenced by people expressing calm emotions than by angry people. But participants who wanted to feel angry were also three times more likely to be influenced by other people angrier than them, as opposed to people with calmer emotions. The researchers also found that these participants got more emotional when they learned that others also felt similar emotions to them. "The degree to which people said they were motivated to feel or not feel certain emotions predicted how much they would be influenced when they were exposed to emotions from other group members," said Amit Goldenberg, the lead author on the study and a Stanford doctoral candidate in psychology. Emotional influence on social media The researchers also looked at social media where they could see how emotions played out in real time. They focused on the unrest that emerged on Twitter following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. After analyzing almost 19 million Twitter posts, the researchers found that Twitter users were more influenced by stronger emotions expressed by people in their social network compared to weaker and calmer reactions. They also found that when Twitter users responded to tweets that were similar in emotional intensity to their earlier reactions, the users amplified their emotions to express stronger outrage than others in their social network. "The social dimension of emotions, particularly in response to socio-political events, is becoming increasingly important with the use of social media and people's constant exposure to the emotions of others in online platforms," wrote the study's authors, who also included Jamil Zaki, assistant professor of psychology, in the paper. Emotions as tools Researchers have largely assumed that people's emotions get influenced automaticallyin an unconscious, immediate response to other people's emotions, said Goldenberg. His team's new research challenges that perspective, he said. "Our emotions are not passive nor automatic," Goldenberg said. "They are a little bit of a tool. We have the ability to use our emotions to achieve certain goals. We express certain emotions to convince other people to join our collective cause. On social media, we use emotions to signal to other people that we care about the issues of a group to make sure people know we're a part of it." Further research needs to be done in order to understand the relationship between people and their emotions. One of the next topics Goldenberg says he wants to examine further is whether the desire of people to want to see and experience certain emotions around them lies at the core of how they choose their network of friends and other people around them. "It seems that the best way to regulate your emotions is to start with the selection of your environment," Goldenberg said. "If you don't want to be angry today, one way to do that is to avoid angry people. Do some people have an ingrained preference for stronger emotions than others? That's one of my next questions." Explore further Online mirrors: Video bloggers and viewers share emotions More information: Amit Goldenberg et al. Beyond emotional similarity: The role of situation-specific motives., Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (2019). Journal information: Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Amit Goldenberg et al. Beyond emotional similarity: The role of situation-specific motives.,(2019). DOI: 10.1037/xge0000625 Japanese Ministry of Economy approves feasibility study for Anaklia SEZ project By Levan Abramishvili Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan approved Japanese companies to conduct a Project Feasibility Study for the Anaklia Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Georgia.The main emphasis of the study is to gain the possibility to attract Japanese companies as a part of Anaklia Special Economic Zone. The study should elaborate on the SEZ development plan and a masterplan. In the frame of the grant, three parties are involved, Tomonius Co., Ltd., the company which is the applicant of the award, Phnom Penh SEZ Plc. The partner company in the cooperation and Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. consultant company working on the development plan of Anaklia SEZ.The Ambassador of Japan to Georgia, HE Tadaharu Uehara spoke about the Japanese company and the importance of the feasibility study. According to him, Anaklia City and Phnom Pehn SEZ have been working since February 2019, to develop the strategy for the success of Anaklia Special Economic Zone.Phnom Pehn SEZ was established in the 2006 year as a joint venture between Japanese and Cambodian companies. Since then, the company has successfully developed 400ha of the area and as of today and has tenants from 14 nations where companies have invested about USD 600 million in their projects and employ more than 20,000 local people. Among the clients of the SEZ, there are leading Japanese and other International companies, said the Ambassador.According to HE Tadaharu Uehara, in March 2018, CEO of Phnom Pehn SEZ and expert from Nippon Koei visited Anaklia to study the project more closely.I hope the feasibility study brings a positive outcome for private Japanese business, he added.CEO of Anaklia City, Keti Bochorishvili highlighted that the approval of the feasibility study is the proof that Japan has a great interest in Georgias strategy on the economic corridor and that the cooperation between Japanese companies and Anaklia City has always been on their agenda.As Japanese companies are bringing quality, efficiency, and cutting-edge technology anywhere they work, we aim to have as much cooperation with them as possible. This is a very good opportunity for us to use assistance from the Japanese Government and to strengthen economic cooperation between Japanese companies and Anaklia Project, thus, Georgia and Japan, said Bochorishvili.CEO of Phnom Penh SEZ Plc., Hiroshi Uematsu spoke about the companys interest in Georgia. According to him, Georgia has great potential to grow as a regional hub by developing the Anaklia Project.We are happy to share our experience to Anaklia City to develop the SEZ to attract global investors, including Japanese. At the same time, we would like to learn from Georgia how you achieved No. 6 rank in Ease of Doing Business that was higher than most Asian countries, said Uematsu.Anaklia Special Economic Zone will be developed on 400 ha land and employ up to 16 000 people in the next 20 years. SEZ will be fully integrated with Anaklia Deepsea port, creating united custom free area and access to multimodal infrastructure: deep sea port, road and railway links to the national networks.The overall concept of Special Economic Zone will enhance different industries such as logistics, light manufacturing, service, tourism, assembling, etc. A dedicated zone for training and development of human resources will help address regional workforce skills development objectives.As Georgia stands out with ratings in doing business and low total tax rates, Anaklia SEZ will further encourage investors to nurture their businesses in Anaklia.SEZ connected to the Anaklia Port will offer more such opportunities and will attract both foreign direct investment and domestic investment, create clusters, draw new industries, promote increased economic integration, and generate job creation.Recently, Anaklia City and The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which aims at studying, identifying and assisting the development of the Anaklia Deepwater Port and SEZ in Georgia. The MOU enables ADB and the Anaklia City JSC, to explore opportunities for partnership in the areas of infrastructure, human resource development, financing, and trade facilitation. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Antibodies that exist in the joints before the onset of rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain even in the absence of arthritis, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report. The researchers believe that the finding, which is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, can represent a general mechanism in autoimmunity and that the results can facilitate the development of new ways of reducing non-inflammatory pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. "We all know that inflammation is painful," says Camilla Svensson, professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet. "But pain can appear before any sign of inflammation in the joints and can remain a problem after it has healed. Our aim was to find possible mechanisms to explain that." Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that occurs when immune cells attack the cartilage and bone of the joints. The disease affects roughly one percent of the Swedish population. A common early symptom is joint pain, but even before that, the body has started to produce immune antibodies against proteins in the joint. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now studied how these autoantibodies can generate pain. After injecting cartilage-binding autoantibodies into mice, which served as a model for human rheumatoid arthritis, the researchers found that the mice became more sensitive to pain even before they could observe any signs of inflammation in the joints. Antibodies that had been designed not to activate immune cells and trigger inflammation also induced pain-like behavior in the mice, suggesting increased pain sensitivity in the joints. The researchers found that the antibodies that caused the behavioral change form so called immune complexes, comprising clusters of antibodies and cartilage proteins in the joints. These complexes activate pain cells via so-called Fc-gamma receptors, which the researchers discovered were present on pain neurons in the tissue. When they cultivated pain neurons from the mice, the researchers found that the cells were activated when coming into contact with the antibody complexes. The process was dependent upon the Fc-gamma receptors on the neurons but not on the presence of immune cells. Antibodies in complex can thus act as pain-generating molecules in themselves, independently of the activity of the immune cells, as Camilla Svensson, one of the study's two corresponding authors explains: "Antibodies in these immune complexes can activate the pain neurons directly, and not, as previously thought, as a result of the destructive joint inflammation," she says. "The antibodies can affect the pain neurons also in conditions without any distinct tissue damage or inflammation." Although the study was conducted in mice, the researchers show that human pain neurons also have antibody receptors that are functionally similar to those they found on the mouse pain neurons, which leads them to believe that their findings are also relevant to humans. The results can explain the early pain symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis patients. However, joint and muscle pain are also common symptoms of other autoimmune diseases, and since this newly discovered mechanism operates through the constant partthe shaftof the autoantibody, the researchers believe that it can explain non-inflammatory pain caused by other autoimmune diseases too. "We think that this can be a general pain mechanism in effectively all autoimmune diseases in which these kinds of immune complex form locally in tissue," says Professor Svensson. More detailed study of what happens in the nerve cell when the antibody complex binds to the receptor could also lead to new targets for reducing the neuronal activity. "By learning more about the molecular mechanisms of antibody-mediated pain we hope to lay the groundwork for a new way of reducing pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases," says Rikard Holmdahl, professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, and the study's other corresponding author. The study was financed with grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Ragnar Soderberg Foundation, the Torsten Soderberg Foundation, the Ake Wiberg Foundation, the Alfred Osterlund Foundation, the Krapperup Foundation, the King Gustaf V 80-year Foundation, the Swedish Rheumatism Association, Hansa Medical AB, the Royal Physiographic Society, Karolinska Institutet's funds, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Guangdong province of China. The financiers have had no influence on the paper or the decision to publish it. One of the researchers holds a patent on the use of a type of antibody used in the study and a royalty agreement with Hansa Medical, which also holds a patent on a particular application of the antibodies. Explore further New tool for prognosis and choice of therapy for rheumatoid arthritis More information: Alex Bersellini Farinotti et al. Cartilage-binding antibodies induce pain through immune complexmediated activation of neurons, The Journal of Experimental Medicine (2019). Journal information: Journal of Experimental Medicine Alex Bersellini Farinotti et al. Cartilage-binding antibodies induce pain through immune complexmediated activation of neurons,(2019). DOI: 10.1084/jem.20181657 The results of a survey presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) highlight the significant impact of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) on mental health and a worrying lack of psychological care. "Not enough is being done to identify mental health issues and provide the support needed to RMD patients," said Professor Thomas Dorner, Chairperson of the Scientific Programme Committee, EULAR. "This survey highlights the huge importance of pain on the psychological well-being of RMD patients and the critical need to improve the support on offer. These results should act as a wake-up call to services across Europe." A survey of over 900 RMD patients revealed that pain had caused one in ten to have suicidal thoughts within the previous four weeks. Pain had also caused 58% to feel that everything was unmanageable for them. Another important finding was a reciprocal relationship between sleep and pain where 69% identified the quality of their sleep as having a negative influence on their pain. In return, two thirds of patients rarely or never feel fully rested when they wake up in the morning, with 36% taking painkillers to improve their sleep. "Our study indicates that pain and poor quality of sleep have a huge impact on a patient's daily life, especially on their mental health," said Lene Mandrup Thomsen, the Danish Rheumatism Association, Denmark. "We are using the results of this study in our political work to help campaign for better treatment and support for patients with chronic pain in our healthcare system." Of the participants, 83% have pain daily or several times a week and 46% have received strong painkillers over the last year. Despite a strong focus from Danish authorities on reducing their prescription, less than a quarter of respondents had been offered an alternative to strong painkillers. The survey was created by the Danish Rheumatism Association and was completed by over 900 members of a user panel consisting of people who suffer from at least one RMD. Results of another survey, also presented today at EULAR 2019, support these findings by revealing a worrying lack of psychological care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and adult juvenile idiopathic arthritis (AJIA) in the UK. In this survey, a quarter of the 1,620 people with rheumatoid arthritis or AJIA were experiencing clinical levels of anxiety or depression. Over half of these had never received a formal diagnosis. However, most concerningly, half of the respondents with rheumatoid arthritis and a third of those with AJIA who had either clinical levels or a formal diagnosis of anxiety or depression had never received any psychological support. "Our results highlight that, despite guidelines, many patients in the UK are not receiving the psychological support they need," said Dr. Hayley McBain, Health Psychologist, City, University of London, United Kingdom. "It is imperative for rheumatology services to routinely measure anxiety and depression in order to intervene before the individual is in crisis." The survey was conducted by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) in the UK and was designed by patients and researchers. Participants were recruited via social media platforms, membership and non-membership lists and in newsletters and forums. Recruitment was focused on those diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or AJIA aged 18 years and over. Explore further Disease remission associated with 80% reduction in risk of cardiovascular outcomes More information: Mandrup Thomsen L. The influence of pain on sleep problems, mental health and use of strong painkillers among patients with arthritis. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract OP0347-PARE. DNA tests and family trees have allowed police to solve dozens of crimes since 2018 A truck driver implicated by his DNA and family tree in a double murder more than 30 years after the crime will face trial this week in the first case using a revolutionary investigative technique. Supporters and critics alike of "genetic genealogy"the technique used to identify the suspected "Golden State Killer" by making DNA matches with his distant relativeshave followed the case of William Talbott II, who will appear in court starting this week in Seattle. The trucker is accused of killing two young Canadians, Jay Cook, 20, and his girlfriend Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, in 1987. Cook was suffocated to death, with a pack of cigarettes stuffed into his throat, and Van Cuylenborg died of a gunshot wound to the head. After decades of unsuccessful searching, Seattle police finally arrested Talbott in May 2018, although he had not raised suspicions until then. "If it hadn't been for genetic genealogy, we wouldn't be standing here today," said Snohomish County detective Jim Scharf, who led the investigation. Genetic genealogy first made headlines a month prior to Talbott's arrest after it was used to find the suspected "Golden State Killer," who is blamed for 12 murders and more than 50 rapes dating back to the mid-1970s. In both casesas well as at least 70 other cases that have been solved sinceDNA found at crime scenes was compared to the database at GEDmatch, a free genealogy website. The website allows users to post DNA test results and then generates a list of people with similar genomes, enabling users to find distant relatives. Two cousins For the two Canadians, private biotechnology laboratory Parabon Nanolabs analyzed sperm found on Tanya Van Cuylenborg's clothing and entered the resulting genetic profile in the GEDmatch system. The search produced two of the suspect's cousins. One of Parabon's genealogical experts rebuilt the family trees back several generations and isolated a common relative: William Talbott. Police officers put Talbott under surveillance and were able to retrieve a cup he threw away. When they tested his DNA, it matched what they had found on Van Cuylenborg's clothing. Since his arrest, the 56-year-old has maintained that he is innocent. A photo of Joseph James DeAngelo, accused of being the "Golden State Killer" "My life's been on hold for greater than a year now for a crime that I did not commit," he said last Friday at a preliminary hearing before the Snohomish county court. In court documents, his defense lawyers have contested the reliability of the genetic profile produced using DNA found at the crime scene, but they have not requested Parabon to testify on the genetic genealogy process. "As I understand it, the defense and prosecution agreed to allow the detective to testify about how the lead was generated because the lead generation process is not an issue for the defense," Parabon vice president Paula Armentrout told AFP. 'Undercover' Genetic genealogy has drawn criticism from the legal community over the absence of regulation for the investigative technique, which poses a problem for protecting personal data. "There are not only few rules about which crimes to investigate, but also unclear remedies in the case of mistakes, the discovery of embarrassing or intrusive information, or misuse of information," said Elizabeth Joh, a professor at the UC Davis School of Law in California, in an op-ed published Thursday in The New York Times. "When you consent to genetic sleuthing, you are also exposing your siblings, parents, cousins, relatives you've never met and even future generations of your family," she added, suggesting that police officers be required to obtain "a warrant" for such investigations in the future. Faced with mounting criticism, GEDmatch changed its conditions of use: users must now give permission before police can use their personal data. "We changed it because it was the right thing to do," said GEDmatch founder Curtis Rogers. Only 75,000 people have given police the go-ahead thus far, compared to the million profiles law enforcement had before, which, according to a study, allowed them to identify nearly half the United States population. The new database is too narrow to be of any use to new investigations. But theoretically, nothing prevents officers from using genealogy sites without revealing their true motives, UC Irvine law professor David Kaye pointed out. "There is already a lot of undercover investigation and courts have accepted a certain amount of deception," he said. 2019 AFP (HealthDay)For Chinese postmenopausal women, vitamin D (VitD) and estradiol (E 2 ) deficiency have a synergistic effect on metabolic syndrome (MetS), according to a study published online June 10 in Menopause. Hui Huang, M.D., from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, and colleagues examined 616 postmenopausal women from southern China who were not taking estrogen or VitD/calcium supplements in a cross-sectional study. For each participant, serum E 2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) were measured. The researchers identified a positive correlation between 25(OH)D and E 2 . There was a correlation for higher 25(OH)D with a favorable lipid profile, blood pressure, and glucose level. There was a negative association for E 2 with cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. After multivariable adjustment, the odds ratio for MetS was 2.19 for VitD-deficient versus VitD-sufficient women. After further adjustment for E 2 levels, this association persisted. Low E 2 increased MetS risk in women with VitD deficiency after stratified analysis by VitD status (odds ratio, 3.49 for the lowest versus highest tertile). "This study emphasizes the possible synergistic roles of VitD and E 2 deficiency in developing MetS in postmenopausal women," the authors write. "Prospective and interventional studies are further needed to confirm this cross-sectional association." Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Assistant Professor Surtaj H. Iram and doctoral student Angelina Sampson of the SDSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry measure the isotope tritium to determine which compounds interact with drug transporter proteins. Overexpression of drug transporter proteins is the most frequent mechanism through which cancer cells gain resistance. Credit: South Dakota State University What's good for our bones may also help stop cancer cells that develop resistance to multiple chemotherapy drugs. The vitamin D metabolite calcitriol and its analog calcipotriol can block one of the mechanisms through which cancer cells gain resistance to chemotherapy drugsand can selectively kill those drug-resistant cells, according to Assistant Professor Surtaj Iram of the South Dakota State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His research focuses on drug transporter proteins, which are the key determinants of drug absorption, distribution and excretion from the body. Overexpression of drug transporter proteins is the most frequent mechanism through which cancer cells gain resistance. "Several epidemiologic and preclinical studies show the positive effect of vitamin D in reducing cancer risk and progression, but we are the first to discover its interaction with drug transporter protein and its ability to selectively kill drug-resistant cancer cells," Iram said. Furthermore, most drug discovery projects focus on killing cancer cells but eventually they gain resistance to chemotherapy drugs, he explained. "The vitamin D metabolite and its analog cannot kill the naive cancer cells, but when those cells develop resistance, calcitriol and calcipotriolcan kill them." The study results were published in Drug Metabolism and Disposition, a journal of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. "The paper was picked as the best of the issue and was featured on the cover," Iram said. "This is an extraordinary experience for an assistant professor. We are getting the SDSU name out there." Postdoctoral researcher Kee W. Tan and doctoral students Bremansu Osa-Andrews and Angelina Sampson also worked on the study. "Collateral sensitivity is the idea behind the discovery of drugs that can selectively kill MRP1-overexpressing multidrug resistant cancer cells," Iram explained. "Gaining strength in one area usually creates weakness in another areaeverything in nature comes at a price. Our approach is to target the Achilles' heel of drug-resistant cancer cells through exploiting the fitness cost of resistance." The project was supported by South Dakota Board of Regents, South Dakota's National Science Fundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program, the SDSU Research and Scholarship Support Fund, the SDSU Scholarly Excellence Fund and Iram's laboratory startup funding. Multidrug resistant protein 1, known as MRP1, is a protein on the cell surface that serves as a gatekeeper, Iram explained. "Any drug needs to go past these gatekeepers." MRP1 protects the cell by pumping out harmful molecules to prevent toxin buildup in organs, including lungs, kidneys and the gastrointestinal tract. However, overexpression of MRP1 causes the protein to pump out chemotherapy drugs, thereby protecting cancer cells and making them resistant to multiple therapeutic drugs. MRP1 overexpression has been associated with multidrug resistance in lung, breast and prostate cancer. In addition to anticancer agents, MRP1 can reduce the efficacy of a wide variety of drugs commonly used for various metabolic diseases and neurological disorders, as well as anti-virals, antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-inflammatory and antiHIV drugs, so this discovery has implications for a wide range of diseases, Iram explained. "If we can get a better handle on these transporters, we can improve drug efficacy. Patients can take less medication yet get the same effect because the drugs are not being pumped out so much." The lower dosage will then reduce drug side effects. "We can make drugs which are now being used successfully even better," said Iram, who does research through South Dakota's Biosystems Networks and Translational Research Center (BioSNTR). He is applying for NIH funding to continue this work. "This knowledge opens a new doorway to identify what pathway vitamin D is hitting and expose more targets, new avenues of research to selectively kill multidrug-resistant cancer cells," Iram said. "Now we must go back to understand exactly how this molecule kills these cells. We want to understand those mechanisms so we can find different ways to kill these cells and then find an agent which is very potent." Furthermore, MRP1 is part of a larger family of proteins called ABC transporters that move things around in animals and plants, Iram noted. "Plants have the most." In future, Iram plans to apply the lessons learned from human ABC transporters to food products and precision agriculture. Explore further Long exposure to protein inhibitor may be key to more effective chemotherapy for cancer Michael-in-Norfolk disclaims any and all responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, reliability, operability, or availability of information or material displayed on this site and does not claim credit for any images or articles featured on this site, unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyrighted to it's respectful owners. Information on this site may contain errors or inaccuracies, and Michael-in-Norfolk does not make warranty as to the correctness or reliability of the site's content. If you own rights to any of the images or articles, and do not wish them to appear on this site, please contact Michael-in-Norfolk via e-mail and they will be promptly removed. Michael-in-Norfolk contains links to other Internet sites. These links are provided solely as a convenience and are not endorsements of any products or services in such sites, and no information or content in such site has been endorsed or approved by this blog. We have to act together to stop abuse of older Montanans. June 15 is Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a perfect time to focus on how we can stop this all too common, unconscionable crime. This problem needs all citizens attention because we share in the responsibility to help protect the elderly. In 2017, Adult Protective Services (APS) received over 7,000 calls for services; 811 were for some type of abuse, 2,380 were neglect and 1,098 were financial exploitation. Elder abuse includes many things, including neglect, isolation, financial exploitation, and physical, psychological/emotional or sexual abuse. We can act together by being aware of the problems and learning ways to prevent them. Knowing the signs of the various forms of abuse is key to stopping it. Neglect is the most common. It includes lack of basic hygiene, food, medical aids and clean, appropriate clothing. It includes leaving a person with dementia unsupervised or a bed-bound person without care or with untreated bedsores. Neglect includes making a person live in a home that is filthy, in disrepair, or lacking in basic necessities (such as electricity or running water). Emotional and psychological abuse covers various activities, such as yelling at, and threatening, harassing or intimidating a person into doing something they have the right not to do. Its also preventing someone from doing something they have the right to do. Signs are when a caregiver isolates someone, not allowing others to talk with or see the person. It includes if a caregiver is controlling, uncaring, overly concerned about spending money, or verbally aggressive or demeaning. Physical abuse is when someone causes physical harm to another. Key signs are when fractures, bruises, welts, cuts, sores or burns are not adequately explained. Sexual abuse includes not only unwanted sexual comments or actions, but also doing these actions when the other person is not able to understand what is happening. Financial exploitation is harder to detect than other forms of abuse. It includes misuse of funds or property by another person. This includes stealing property to use or sell, using a persons identity to get credit cards, misusing a persons funds and using a person's private history or medical condition for personal gain. Signs of financial exploitation include when an elder voluntarily gives inappropriate financial reimbursement for care or companionship and when a caregiver is living off the elder. It includes when the elder signs legal documents, like a new will or power of attorney, but is unable to comprehend the transaction. It also includes a caregiver who controls an elders money but fails to adequately provide for the elders needs. Signs include an unusual volume of banking activity, especially if inconsistent with usual habits. Signs also include suspicious signatures on financial documents and checks, spending or sudden increases in debt the person is unaware of. A last indicator is when bank statements or canceled checks are no longer sent to the elders home. Everyone can act to help stop these problems. If you are concerned about an elders welfare, speak privately with them about your concerns. If necessary, ask the person to speak with the police. If you have photographic or other evidence supporting your concerns, provide this to law enforcement or APS. If you believe the elder is in danger, contact law enforcement immediately. If you suspect someone is being abused or mistreated and it is not life threatening, call APS at 1-844-277-9300. We have to work together to strengthen protections for elder abuse victims and prevent these crimes from occurring so all Montanans can live with dignity and independence as we age. Kimberly Dudik is a candidate for Montana attorney general. She was a registered nurse prior to her 16-year legal career, and represents House District 94 in the Montana Legislature. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 R&B legend James Browns estate has been sold for an estimated $90 million, enabling him to fulfill his dying wish to fund scholarships for children in need for perpetuity. The scholarship trust will help kids in South Carolina, where Brown was born, and Georgia, where he grew up, estate executor Russell L. Bauknight told the New York Times. Primary Wave, which manages estates and song ... Loves says it needs a casino and license to serve alcohol at its planned truck stop near Ramsay to be competitive in Montana, but opponents told an administrative law judge Thursday it would make a terrible addition to its Mayberry-like community even worse. Sheriff Ed Lester stayed neutral in the fight, saying the truck stop and casino would increase calls and necessitate routine patrols in the area, but his department would adjust and enforce the law because thats our job. Loves representatives made it clear that theyre moving forward with their planned truck stop complex off of Interstate 90 next to Ramsay, 7 miles west of Butte. They say theyre close to getting all necessary transportation and environmental permits. But theyre also seeking a liquor license transfer from the now-defunct 5 Mile Bar & Casino in Butte, something the Montana Department of Revenue has to approve. An agency judge heard arguments for and against that Thursday and will issue a ruling in the coming weeks. Grounds for denial can include a location that cant be properly policed by local authorities or the welfare of nearby people being adversely affected claims several Ramsay residents made during Thursdays hearing, which lasted all day. Attorneys for Loves tried to refute those claims and said lawfully, there was no reason to deny a license allowing the casino to serve beer, wine and liquor. They also said Ramsay residents are against more than alcohol being served. Liquor license or not, its the truck stop they dont want, said Peter Lacny, a Montana attorney representing Loves. Loves Travel Stops & Country Stores, an Oklahoma City-based corporation, has more than 480 truck stops and stores in 41 states, including 39 with casinos, company officials said. Many of the casinos are in Illinois, Louisiana and Nevada. Their only truck stop in Montana, near Hardin about 60 miles east of Billings, does not have one yet but they're hoping to change that, Steve Walters, a real estate project manager for Loves, told the agency judge. One being built near Missoula will serve beer and wine. But to be competitive with other major truck stops in Montana, including those run by Town Pump, Walters said they needed a casino and liquor license. Every truck stop I have gone past in Montana has a casino, Walters said. Casinos give truckers something to do during stops, some of them long and mandated by law, he and other proponents of the license said. They said others drink in them but truckers rarely do because of strict regulations that go beyond drunk-driving laws. Regardless, they said, Loves and its employees strive to follow all laws, including those about serving and selling alcohol. Safety is our number one priority whether its inside or outside, Walters said. He said Loves has built small outposts for police departments near some of its other truck stops where officers can stop and do paperwork and the company would consider putting one at Ramsay if Lester wanted it. Ted Minkevich, who supervises all of Loves casinos, said he plans to move to Montana to oversee the ones here. The one planned for the Ramsay will have cameras at every gaming station, four around the bar and one above all three doors, he said. Everyone who enters the casino will be carded, he said, and employees are trained not to serve alcohol to minors or those who are drunk. Several Ramsay residents said they loved their tiny community because it is quiet and safe and kids can play and ride bikes in the streets with little worry. That will all change with the truck stop and casino, they said. Ramsay is like Mayberry, like a Norman Rockwell painting, said Jim Ayres. He said Loves might work hard to clear problem people from the truck plaza, but if they move those people off their property, they will move them onto our property. Jennifer Noonan, a single mom with daughters aged 10 and 12, said she moved to Ramsay in 2006 because it was somewhere safe, small and rural. Many people will leave the casino drunk and drive the side roads instead of the interstate, she said. She also said she used to be a bartender. One drink and someone is different, she said. It takes one drink to change somebody. Joel Silverman, a Helena attorney representing many of the opponents, said residents had fought against liquor licenses before and if they had wanted a bar, they would have one already. They know in their hearts that if this passes, it is the end of their community, he said. This, to them, is the death knell of their community. Lester acknowledged that his officers patrol the entire county and respond to places farther away from Butte than Ramsay, including Melrose and Fairmont. He said he would work with Loves and Ramsay residents to mitigate any criminal troubles the truck stop and casino bring. But there would be more problems and calls, he said, and they would necessitate routine patrols like those done now at the two truck stops in Rocker. As it stands, he said, police rarely have to respond to criminal incidents in Ramsay. You dont go fishing where theres no fish, he said. Thats just the way it works. Love 2 Funny 5 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 9 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Local anti-discrimination groups will host a rally on Saturday in response to the racial slurs that were recently spray painted onto the side of a Butte womans home. The Montana Human Rights Network, the Butte Area Rising Coalition, and Indian Peoples Action are organizing the CommUnity Rally Against Hate to show support for Miki Chessmore, who was targeted by these racial slurs, and to show that the alleged hate crime does not reflect the opinions of most Butte citizens. People are horrified at what happened to Miki, said Travis McAdam, one of the leading rally organizers and MHRN's research director. We want to come together, show support, condemn these actions, and emphasize that this activity is not representative of what we hold here as good community values. McAdam said talk of holding an anti-hate march and rally started a few days after Chessmores home was spray painted with phrases like prairie (N-word) and f you Indian lover in early June. According to McAdam, these slurs targeted not only Chessmore and her roommate but also Butte's entire Native American community. This should not be treated the same as some graffiti in an underpass somewhere," McAdam said. "If theres not a strong statement or response from the community, it says subliminally that we dont care." Thats why on Saturday, after the Butte farmers market, McAdam and other anti-discrimination activists will line up outside of the Imagine Butte Resource Center on West Park Street and march about a half-mile down the Uptown sidewalks to Emma Park, just west of Butte High School. There, seven speakers, including Chessmore, McAdam, and South African Zulu delegation member Mokai Schux Malope, will talk about issues related to the recent hate crime and why its important for the community to respond. If you elevate these crimes and talk about them, the person targeted is safer, McAdam said. Saturdays event wont be the first time Butte locals have put on anti-discrimination events. The Butte Area Rising Coalition has held anti-hate and anti-racism rallies in years past, and the Greeley Neighborhood Community Development Corporation heads the annual Harmony Day celebration as a reminder for locals to promote harmony in the Mining City. But as Sheriff Ed Lester said previously, reports of racist criminal activity like the recent vandalism to Chessmores home are pretty rare in Butte. As of Thursday morning, Butte police were still investigating the hate crime and did not have any suspects. But Lester said he has continued to have increased patrols in Chessmores neighborhood and believes that Saturdays rally against hate is a positive thing for the Butte community. I think its a great idea to have people get together to call attention to hate crime, Lester said. The more people we have speaking out against it, the clearer the message is that our community will not accept it. Love 3 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Longtime Butte piano teacher Ruth Rotondi, 95, was killed Wednesday in a two-car traffic accident south of Polson that also left four people injured. Rotondi was a passenger in a Subaru northbound on Highway 35 that was sideswiped by an oncoming Oldsmobile that failed to negotiate a turn, according to the Montana Highway Patrol. The driver of the Oldsmobile, an 18-year-old man from Appleton, Wisconsin, was injured, as were three other occupants of the Subaru in which Rotondi was riding. All five were transported to St. Josephs Hospital in Polson, where Rotondi died. It was not immediately known whether the driver of the Oldsmobile was cited. Rotondi was honored in 2015 by the Music Teachers National Association at the organizations national convention. She was twice named Montana Music Teacher of the Year. Rotondi, a nationally certified teacher of music, was born in 1923 in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Oberlin College, where she majored in political science and minored in music and gave a senior recital in 1945 at the Music Conservatory at Oberlin. She moved to Butte with her husband, physician Leonard Rotondi, who took a temporary physician position that ended up lasting three decades. Leonard Rotondi died at age 86 in April 2000. Rotondi earned a certificate in piano pedagogy from the Diller-Quaile School of Music, where she also taught piano. She became a member of Montana State Music Teachers Association, serving as competitions chair, foundation chair, and historian. She served twice as president of the Butte association. Rotondi, a cellist, played for many years with the Butte Symphony. Her son Jim Rotondi, a professional jazz trumpeter, credited his mothers influence for starting him on his musical path. My mom...was sort of my initial musical influence. She set the rules in the family. My father enforced the rules, but she set the rule that all of the kids needed to study the piano, he told The Montana Standard in a May 2017 interview. Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 45 Angry 3 As suicide cases among Kenyan youth continue to grab headlines at an alarming rate, another young adult on Thursday ended his life over relationship troubles. 22-year-old Francis Njuguna from Kinamba Village in Naivasha killed himself on Thursday. His body was found hanging from the roof of his house. Njuguna, who worked at a butchers shop in Kinamba, also left behind a suicide note accusing his 18-year-old girlfriend of cheating on him constantly. In the note, Njuguna indicated that he was committed to loving the teenager wholeheartedly and that he couldnt imagine a life without her. He reportedly said he was left with no other choice but to commit suicide because he was hurting as a result of his girlfriends cheating ways. The deceaseds friend, Peter Muchina, said the 22-year-old told him on Wednesday night that he was having serious relationship issues with his girlfriend. He [Njuguna], however, did not hint at having any suicidal thoughts, said Muchina as quoted by eDaily. Adding, I was shocked Thursday when he did not report to work, only to find his body hanging from the roof in his rented house located on Naivasha-Kirima road. Njugunas body was taken to Naivasha Sub-County Hospital morgue. Naivasha Deputy OCPD John Kwasa confirmed the incident. Also Read: Teen Who Hanged Self at Church Pulpit Threatened Suicide But Family Thought it was a Joke If you have an outstanding warrant out of Butte City Court and there are hundreds of you who do your name will be posted on the countys website soon for everyone to see. City Court Judge Jerome McCarthy plans to start posting those names, adding more when he gets more and updating the online list weekly. He hopes to go live sometime after the Fourth of July. McCarthy says the current 1,060 outstanding warrants are public record. By posting them online, he says he wants to be transparent and expects to get calls from people wanting to clear their name and from others offering information on the wanted. I anticipate an explosion as a result of this, said McCarthy, who was a longtime police detective in Butte before becoming city judge last year. The web page would be similar to the Butte-Silver Bow jail roster, which is updated daily and gets more clicks by far than another other page on the countys website. McCarthy expects his list to be popular with the public, too. It would include information on what to do if your name is on the list and a phone number to call for further instructions. McCarthy is looking at the possibility of sharing the list via Facebook and other social media, too. Buttes City Court handles most offenses in the county when they are misdemeanors only, including crimes such as first-time partner or family member assault, drunken driving, simple assault, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, and minor thefts such as shoplifting. Police typically arrest people with outstanding warrants, and some from City Court date back to 2005. But the vast majority are from 2017 and on, he said. I think we are really going to get a lot of calls from people who want to take care of them, who dont want to risk going to jail, he said. And lets be honest there are going to be people who dont want their name on that bugger from a public information perspective. We are not trying to humiliate or embarrass people, but at the same time, with public information today and being transparent and people wanting to know and having the right to know, that is the driving factor behind this, he said. McCarthy says he has cleared the plan with County Attorney Eileen Joyce, and there are at least two municipal courts in Montana in Great Falls and Helena that already post the names of those with outstanding warrants. The one in Great Falls is more than 80 pages long and includes a persons last, first, and middle names; sex; bond amount; case number; and date issued. It is listed alphabetically by last name, and some names appear multiple times if they have multiple warrants. McCarthy wants to include all that information and also date of birth to help distinguish people with the same or similar names. There are people who may not even know they have a warrant, and this gets this out there, McCarthy said. There may be citizens who contact law enforcement if they know someone who is on the run. At the end of the day, its just being open. McCarthy is working with county IT staff to get technical details and bugs worked out, but if the council approves it, he would start posting names next month. The warrants are for crimes committed within Butte-Silver Bow County regardless of home address, so there are lots of people on the list who live elsewhere in Montana or in other states. The Sheriffs Office determines which misdemeanor warrants are shared with authorities statewide or on regional and national databases, McCarthy said. All felony warrants out of district courts in Montana are put on the national database. Nate Watson, an IT systems administrator for the county, said the jail roster is by far the most popular page on Butte-Silver Bows website. Butte is by no means alone in that, he said. He said he attended a web-provider conference in Kansas two years ago and learned that county jail rosters are a hit with the public everywhere. Watson said if there are glitches with the jail roster here or the daily updates arent posted right away, he gets calls about it. They say, Why isnt the jail roster up yet? I want to know if my relative is on it, Watson said. Love 12 Funny 4 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 4 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Billings likely will end up covering the costs for Vice President Mike Pence's visit to the city Wednesday. The visit cost the city roughly $35,000, the majority of that coming from police overtime and other operational costs, which totaled about $27,000. Chris Kukulski, Billings city administrator, isn't anticipating getting any of it back from the Pence camp. "I don't want to complain about it," Kukulski said. "It's a reality." It's something of a kabuki dance between dignitaries and the municipalities they visit. The cities request reimbursement for the security costs of hosting an event, and the campaign or the office of the visiting official either declines to pay or simply doesn't respond. The issues Pence addressed while in Billings meth and opioid addiction and how best to fight it deserve attention, Kukulski said. And the attention a sitting vice president brings is substantial, he said. Both Pence and President Donald Trump visited Billings a handful of times last summer as they campaigned for Republican candidates, in particular for Matt Rosendale, who lost his Senate bid to incumbent Jon Tester in November. In all, the city spent roughly $95,000 in public safety costs for all the visits, a relatively low amount considering all the activity that surrounded the multiple visits, Billings Police Chief St. John said earlier this year. He has repeatedly called it money well spent while acknowledging that he'd love to have it back in his budget. Both Trump and Pence have visited a number of communities in the region during the past year, and in each case have not responded to requests for reimbursement. Last summer, Trump visited Fargo, North Dakota, to campaign for Senate candidate Kevin Kramer, who unseated incumbent Heidi Heitkamp in November. The visit cost the city, county and state highway patrol a combined $104,000, which was charged to the Kramer campaign. "There was no reimbursement provided," said Michael Redlinger, the assistant city administrator in Fargo. It's not something that will break the bank in Fargo, but it does have an impact. Redlinger said the city budgets every year for overtime and the costs involved with big, sometimes unexpected public events. "They still have impacts that are far reaching," he said. Similarly in other cities across the region, stops by Trump or Pence to Duluth, Minnesota, and Spokane, Washington, have left city officials there holding the bill for their public safety expenses. "We have sent invoices to a number of campaigns, seeking reimbursement for public safety/security services provided by our Spokane Police Department," said Fianna Dickson, communication manager for Spokane. "We didnt receive payment for these expenses from any of those candidates or for any previous visits in earlier years. And we have no plans to continue to pursue payment for these bills." The trade-off for these communities is the publicity and tourist dollars that come with the visit of a president or vice president, as visitors fill hotels and restaurants. That's cold comfort for most Montana communities, where taxes at hotels and restaurants are collected by the state and not the city, meaning the city sees no direct return on those tax dollars. "If there were even a nominal local option (tax), you would probably well recoup your costs," Kukulski said. And sometimes the communities get lucky and a reimbursement request is honored. Trump's last stop in Montana before the election last year was an airport rally in Bozeman on Nov. 3. The airport authority there charged the Trump campaign $17,355 for construction, labor and rental costs. The campaign sent the airport a check for the amount in April, according to a report from the Center for Public Integrity. It's not just the Trump campaign that struggles to pay back municipalities. Candidates and presidents have been ducking bills for decades, according to a report last year in the Washington Post. The federal government requires by law that campaigns pay back to cities a prorated share of the costs using a complex formula established during the Reagan administration, the Post reported. Cities are required to cover the rest. President Barack Obama's campaign didn't always reimburse the communities where it held rallies, but it did pay back some, according to a report from the Center for Public Integrity. Back in Spokane, the city sent bills in 2016 to the Hillary Clinton campaign for a visit by former President Bill Clinton and to the Bernie Sanders campaign for his visit to the city, Dickson said. Neither paid. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Changes that Colstrip residents have dreaded will begin sooner than expected. On Tuesday, the operator of the 2,000-megawatt power plant announced that its two oldest, smallest units will be shut down at the end of this year. The closure was mandated by December 2022 under a 2016 settlement of an air pollution lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club and Montana Environmental Information Center. But the closure is happening in 2019 because the two units, built in the mid-1970s, are no longer economically viable, according to Talen Energy, which operates the entire Colstrip plant and owns 50 percent of Units 1 and 2. Talen sells its share of Colstrip energy production on the open market where that coal-fired generation isn't competitive with less expensive gas, hydro, solar and wind energy. As Gazette reporter Tom Lutey told readers Wednesday, Units 1 and 2 are presently offline and haven't operated in the second quarter of this year while Pacific Northwest hydro power production is high. Coal-fired plants require staffing and maintenance even when they aren't generating electricity, so workers are still on the job this spring. According to Talen, its Unit 1 and 2 employees will have jobs after the December shutdown. They will either be transferred to work at Units 3 and 4 or they will be offered jobs in plant cleanup, which is projected to take many years, possibly decades. The permanent closure of the two units that together have a maximum generation capacity of 614 megawatts, could result in greater use of the remaining newer, larger units depending on market demand. Increased power production from Units 3 and 4 would offset some of the loss in coal demand from the shutdown of Units 1 and 2. Although no jobs may be lost at the power plant, employment at the nearby coal mine is less certain. Westmoreland, the mine owner, went bankrupt earlier this year. Its creditors now own the Rosebud Mine and have demanded higher prices for its coal. The current coal supply contract with Colstrip power plant runs out a year's end, which Talen said was a factor in the decision to close Units 1 and 2 then. Higher priced coal would make Colstrip power more expensive to produce, cutting into its owners' profits and eventually raising prices for customers of the regulated utilities that own Units 3 and 4. Colstrip's assets include a well educated workforce and top-notch public schools. Bad as Tuesday's announcement sounds, it also brings opportunities: Transmission lines that carry power from Colstrip to the Pacific Northwest will be available to carry renewable energy generated in Montana. Solar and wind projects that have been planned for when that capacity opened up after 2022, could move ahead more quickly. The Colstrip community itself has potential for a wind farm. Puget Sound Electric, which serves customers in Washington state, has pledged $10 million to help the community including plant workers wherever they live. PSE is required by Washington law to stop supplying coal-fired energy by 2025. The Oregon utilities that own shares of Units 3 and 4 have state-imposed deadlines of 2030 and 2035 to supply all their customers will electricity generated without coal. A year-long series of Colstrip/Rosebud County community meetings ended in December with a plan that incorporates lots of economic information and creation of a Community Impact Foundation to direct Puget Sound Electric money as local residents decide. At least $2 million in federal grants for retraining workers has been designated for Colstrip. In this semi-arid region, the city and the power plant jointly own a water right to the 69 cubic feet per second from the Yellowstone River 30 miles away. When Units 1 and 2 are no longer using water, it will be available for new business development. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines blamed "extreme environmental regulations, fringe litigation and partisan politics" for Talen's decision. His statement ignores the harsh market reality: Those aging generating units aren't making money for a company that has to be competitive to stay in business. The town of 2,300 and surrounding Rosebud County won't face the changing energy future alone. Now state and local government must strive to mitigate the effects of this difficult transition on the workers and their community. "We'll do everything we can to help that community," Gov. Steve Bullock said. Montanans will hold him to that promise. The Billings Gazette Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The LINK Centre at WITS University is the academic partner of THREAT2019 which is a unique cybersecurity conference in that it brings together thought leaders, strategists and practitioners from government, industry and academia to discuss, debate and formulate responses to cybersecurity threats that organisations and government face on a daily basis. The Triple Helix cybeR sEcurity Africa summiT (THREAT) will provide a high-level overview of cybersecurity, delving into various issues including how cybersecurity should be approached in an emerging legislative framework. Government departments are at the nexus of cybersecurity threats and mitigation, being responsible for formulating cybersecurity policies and legislation, while at the same time being persistent targets of cyber attacks. This makes THREAT2019 an imperative for public sector officials to participate, bringing rich debate to the plenary sessions and panel discussions, said Professor Manoj Maharaj, Conference Chair. These panel discussions are a key differentiator between THREAT2019 and other events as they encourage audience participation. All the peer reviewed academic contributions and keynote addresses will be published in the official conference proceedings. In addition, at the conclusion of the conference, edited summaries of the panel discussions will be published in an updated form. This document will be available as a free download to anybody, while registered participants at THREAT2019 will have persistent access to a regularly updated document reflecting current developments. The standard proceedings, ISBN 978-0-620-83179-6, will be published in the week preceding the conference. Topics covered at THREAT2019 will include: The emerging cybersecurity domain. Emerging technologies and threats. Privacy, security, and the social impact of cybersecurity. Fintech and the exchange of value. National, regional, and international legislative frameworks. Digital forensics and incident response, and defence in depth. There will be 18 invited keynote talks from leading experts, and 13 peer reviewed academic research presentations. Some of the confirmed speakers are: Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams Minister of Communications. Professor Marwala, Vice Chancellor and Principal, UJ, and Deputy Chair of the Presidential Commission on the 4IR Mark Thomas VP Cybersecurity for Dimension Data Group. Sunil Varkey CTO & Strategist for emerging regions, Symantec. Professor Michael Goldsmith Director of the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre. Melissa Hathaway Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. Emilar Gandhi, Facebook Africa. Maharaj said that he hoped that this would become a regular forum, under the THREAT banner, for the exchange of ideas within the cybersecurity community in Africa. Maharaj urged those interested in contributing to the discussion to register. THREAT2019 will take place on 26 and 27 June at the HB Connect Conference Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg. Microsoft has released new security updates for Windows 10 to address a security flaw related to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices. The company revealed in an advisory that it has disabled the pairing of some BLE devices due to a security vulnerability related to FIDO two-factor authentication keys. Microsoft is aware of an issue that affects the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) version of FIDO Security Keys, the company said. Due to a misconfiguration in the Bluetooth pairing protocols, it is possible for an attacker who is physically close to a user at the moment he/she uses the security key to communicate with the security key, or communicate with the device to which the key is paired. This vulnerability allows attackers to intercept pairing codes and connect to the target device via Bluetooth without authorisation. Microsoft said it recommended customers install the latest June security updates for Windows 10, although this may affect the functionality of some BLE devices. Now read: Telegram traces massive cyber attack to China Today is *National Bacon Day*! I've posted several *chocolate bacon recipes *over the years for today's holiday and also for International Bacon Day in Se... 1 day ago Commuters into Napa were left scrambling for alternative routes Friday morning because of a downed utility pole blocking the northbound lanes of Highway 29 in American Canyon. The pole toppled just after midnight when it was struck by a vehicle, downing downed lines and creating a traffic hazard, American Canyon Police Chief Oscar Ortiz said in a news release. The collision occurred on Highway 29 between Paoli Loop Road and South Kelly Road. AT&T arrived just prior to 5 a.m. to begin repairs, Ortiz said. PG&E said the pole was not carrying electrical lines. Shortly after 9 a.m., law enforcement reported that one lane had been reopened, but that traffic was backed up five miles and it would be a while before normal flow resumed. Traffic bound for Napa was detouring to Highway 12/Jamieson Canyon Road which had major backups. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The invitation read Please join us for a 100th anniversary celebration of Congress passing the 19th amendment to the US Constitution on June 4, 1919. It was from Heidi Bamburg Tucker at The Saint, the wine bar at 1351 Main St. in St. Helena. What a great reason for a party, I thought. The Saint invited musician Piper Hays and provided bubbly and snacks. Tucker had done some research and decorated the venue with historic facts about womens struggle to get the right to vote. In a festive atmosphere, everyone commemorated this historic event. This sent me on a quest to find out how St. Helena fit into the national conversation on womens suffrage. In the archives of the St. Helena Star, the earliest mention of suffrage was an 1874 article about Wyoming and that women could vote in that state since 1869 the first state to enfranchise women. Suffrage was debated and covered in the news from that date forward. In fact leaders of the national movement visited Napa Valley on more than one occasion. In October 1895, the Rev. Anna Howard Shaw spoke on The Fate of Republics in St. Helena. Rev. Shaw was a doctor and one of the first ordained female Methodist ministers in America. She was a member of the National Womens Suffrage Association, who became a leader in the American suffrage movement. Her lecture in St. Helena was described thus: She walks over the men in a beautiful manner. A feast of wit and eloquence heard by a large and intelligent audience. And, In woman the spiritual and moral are strongest essential to the life of republics and none ever went down that did not lack these elements. She said withholding the ballot from women was taxation without representation. Soon after her visit, the St. Helena Political Equality Club was formed by Louisa Pratt, Jennie Thompson, Virginia Graham and Fannie Pithie. In 1896 Susan B. Anthony lectured at the Veterans Home in Yountville. After she gave a speech to the California Republican party, the party voted to support womens suffrage. California Constitutional Amendment 6 was on the ballot on Nov. 3, 1896. It was rejected by 55 percent of men voters. Interesting to note are the returns in Napa County. St. Helena and Rutherford men voted no, but Pope Valley men voted yes. The lowest support by any county was San Francisco with 26 percent yes. The battle continued. In 1911 California voters got another chance to vote for suffrage. It was a heated battle in the editorial pages. Possession of the ballot will not help woman, socially or industrially. It will make exactions upon her time and strength. It will invade the home and destroy its charm. It will not result in wiser laws or better government, says the Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 1911. It is the mannish female politician and the little effeminate, sissy man, and the woman who is dissatisfied with her lot and sorry that she was born a woman, wrote Democratic State Senator J.B. Sanford in the Los Angeles Times on Oct. 1, 1911. Proposition 4 squeaked by with 50.7% voting yes. There was strong opposition from the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. The county with the lowest support was again San Francisco (38.1%) and rural Modoc County had the highest yes vote at 70%. Numerous attempts in Congress to pass nationwide suffrage for women failed. In 1918 President Woodrow Wilson endorsed the 19th amendment. It failed to pass Congress by two votes. A few months later it failed to pass by one vote. In the next six months it failed five more times. Each vote was extremely close and southern Democrats continued to oppose giving women the vote. Finally on June 4, 1919 Congress passed the 19th amendment. The House voted 304 for, 89 against. In the Senate the vote was 56 yes to 25 no. Next came the battle for ratification by two thirds of the states, but that is a story for another day. Mariam Hansen is the research director for the St. Helena Historical Society, a freelance writer for the St. Helena Star and a St. Helena resident. Akothee has lately been warming up to her first love and the father of her three daughters, Jared. Earlier this week, the popular musician unveiled Jared on her Instagram as the man who taught her bad manners. Check Out: PHOTOS Meet The Man Who Broke Akothees Virginity She was at it again on Tuesday, posting videos of Jared surprising their daughter Vesha on her 22nd birthday. Akothee gushed, Thanks man Jaro, my best friend since childhood. I am happy for you too, hope your wife and children are doing great. On Thursday, Akothee continued to share insightful and little-known details about her rollercoaster relationship with Jared. She narrated how Jared would sneak from school to visit her in hospital after she gave birth to Vesha. Vesha was premature, I stayed in the hospital for four months. Jared was still at kanyawanga boys, he would sneak from school and come to see me in the hospital. He even bought me a walkman to listen to music ???, this was love, no social media or anything, we were showing off new clothes in church ???, wrote Akothee in part. The Baby Daddy musician also recalled how church elders made sexual advances towards her when Jared was in school. I never knew I was beautiful, some church elders always approached me when he was in school. I will not mention names, some hated me for not giving in for their sexual hunger, and for that reason, I was always thrown out of church choir that either my dress was too tight, or I am marching with my ass, said Akothee. I never told him because most of them played his friends and they would be the first to report to him that I was seen standing with a man at awendo stage ? thank God all his children look like him, otherwise I would have been frogmarched to DNA. Akothee noted that when they broke she was bitter but she never denied Jared the chance to see their children. Heres a screengrab of Akothees full post; David Eakle and his sister Diana Eakle Hawkins are pretty busy they run two companies and a winery, all in Pope Valley. Their father, Sam, is the sole owner of Eakle Construction & Trucking, which he established in 1974. He runs it with David and Diana. David and Diana started Eakle Vineyard Management LLC two years ago, to provide vineyard management and farm labor to remote areas of Napa County, and to Lake and Solano counties; Also in 2017, Sam, David and Diana bought out family partners in the Pope Valley Winery, which was established more than 120 years ago. David and Diana are third generation from Pope Valley and the fifth generation in the Napa Valley. David is director of production and works with Garrett Cosenza, assistant winemaker. Diana is general manager. I remember being at this winery under a previous owner as a little girl, about 4 or 5, running around in the cellar, Hawkins said. To us, growing up here, being stewards of the history and this valley, its nice (for the history) to be showcased. And we are showcasing the grapes, terroir, vineyards and the experience to other people. First stop on a recent spring tour was in the cellar, hand-dug into a hillside. Swiss immigrant Ed Haus, a blacksmith by trade, bought a farm in Pope Valley in 1882 and opened a blacksmith shop. It took Haus nine years to dig the cellar and build the winery. In 1897, he and his wife established Burgundy Winery & Olive Oil Factory. It was set up as a three-story, gravity flow winery, Hawkins said. The grapes were hauled to the top story and crushed there. They went down a chute to the second story, where the wine was fermented in big redwood tanks and the grapes went down another chute to be put in barrels for aging. Huge beams used The cellar and winery includes huge beams that were brought by wagon from the Oat Hill Quicksilver Mine, which borders Napa and Lake counties. The 40-by-60 foot cellar was seismically retrofitted in the early 1990s. This is where they barrel-aged their wines and where we still barrel-age them today, Hawkins said. Eakle said its always challenging to make wines with an older facility, although as a 100-year-old building, the temperature stays pretty consistent at 58 degrees. Right now, we are just getting the wines through ML (malolactic fermentation) from the last harvest, because the cellar is so cold, he said, adding, In the winter, it is even colder. On that spring day at the end of May, they had pulled barrels out from the cellar to warm them up, so the malolactic fermentation could finish. The cellar holds 300 barrels and the 2017 vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese will be released in some 18 months, after being bottled and aged. The 2018 vintage wines, also in barrels in the cellar, will be racked and then aged in barrels, before being bottled and aged. Today, total production is just less than 5,000 cases a year. The winerys holdings include two estate vineyards in Pope Valley planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Petite Verdot. During a luncheon and wine tasting, Eakle poured estate wines, either from the four acres of grapes grown on the 40-acre property on Pope Valley Road, or from the Eakle Ranch on Hardin Road, which has 60 acres of grapes planted. The cool thing about us is we have our own trucking company and people to harvest our fruit, so we literally call the pick. We pick the next day, or that night, drive it down the road five miles, process the fruit there, ferment it and then after that, we have our own bottling facility here, so we are very streamlined in our production, Eakle said. It gives them the ability to do things when we want to do them, when it is best for our wine, which makes it unique, he added. Hawkins jumped in, We farm not only for ourselves but for other companies as well. We created the company (Eakle Vineyard Management LLC) because we found we were needing more good labor and more reliable labor. She added that the end product, the wine, is dependent on how the grapes are farmed. Blacksmith shop The next stop on the tour was Ed Haus intact blacksmith shop, complete with tools on the walls. This is the place where if your wagon wheel broke, or something broke around the winery, youd fix it, Hawkins said. The smithy had to forge iron to make the repairs. Were lucky enough to preserve that history and keep it for other people to see, she added. This year, were hoping to bring in a blacksmith to do our own demonstrations, once or twice, Hawkins added. We have a list of different blacksmiths. Unusually, Pope Valley has another historic blacksmith shop, owned and maintained by the Napa County Historical Society. It was opened more than 100 years ago by Eds brother, Henry, and is next to the Pope Valley Garage and across from the grocery store. Bootleggers With a winery thats 122 years old, theres bound to be family stories. One of them is from Prohibition. Ed Haus son, Sam, served in the military and was friends with Chicago gangster Al Capone. The winery used a horse cart to transport its wines to Napa, where it was put on a train and shipped to Chicago, to be served in Capones speakeasies and brothels. Hawkins said Haus sold wine to Capone for a while, then he realized it was not the best life choice to continue bootlegging for the Capone family. Pope Valley natives Hawkins and Eakle grew up in Pope Valley and are 17 months apart. Both went to California State University, Chico, graduating with bachelors degrees in Agricultural Business. Diana is a 2006 grad, David graduated a year later. We were always very close growing up, Eakle said. But, as with all children, the two had squabbles. I think my Dad had had it one day and he said, Just so you know, when Im gone, your sister is going to be the only person you can rely on. You can have friends, you can have other people in your life, but the only person you can really, 100 percent rely on, is your sibling. Sams advice has stuck with them both. I remember it to this day, Eakle said. His sister adds, I tell it to my kids. Hawkins lives in Middletown with her husband Justin, a Cal Fire bulldozer operator, and three children, Jon, 11, Owen, 9, and Grace, 4. Eakle lives a short drive from the winery with his wife Kilee Lockwood, their daughter Ryen, 6, son Chet, 5, and dogs KC and Gus. Enjoy yourself & relax Pope Valley Winery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week and no appointments are needed for general wine flights. Hawkins said they offer seated experiences in the second story of the cellar, where wines are paired with cheeses, for example. We encourage people to bring a picnic lunch, come out, eat, play a game of bocce, grab a glass of wine. And really enjoy themselves, the surrounding vineyards, the history and the experience, Hawkins said. I feel like were the embodiment of how the wine industry started, where you can take a glimpse of how everything began in the Napa Valley. Enjoy yourself, relax, learn about the wines, the grapes and experience the wine and terroir. Experience everything that embodies Napa Valley. The two are creating a boutique winery, which Eakle defines as making less than 10,000 cases. They work closely with their small staff, which includes Garrett Cosenza, assistant winemaker; Sam Theodorou, tasting room manager; Kenny Werle, wine club manager and Elizabeth Phillips, national sales and marketing director. From 2008-2015, Eakle was acting winemaker, learning from winery consultant Shaun Richardson. To him making boutique wines is attractive because youre making smaller lots and you have your hands on every lot. You get any bigger than that and youre losing touch, he said, bringing up questions: Where are the barrels and what fruit is being brought in? Being smaller, Eakle said he has control over the products. Its nice to focus on specific lots and specific programs and make that wine to go into that program. For Hawkins, a boutique winery is about having connections. We have wine club members who have been members for 10-12 years, she said. They have seen the winery grow and David and I grow along with the winery. It is an amazing thing to have these connections with people who support you and love your wine. Pop the cork on Napa Valley wine! Discover the hidden stories of Napa Valley wine and the people behind it -- plus expert analysis from our columnists and more with our weekly email newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In what St. Helena police call one of the more sophisticated crimes theyve seen, burglars broke into the Padis Romance St. Helena jewelry store and made off with an undisclosed amount of merchandise. The crime was discovered at 10:15 a.m. Thursday when someone from a neighboring business noticed that the back door of Padis had been pried open and left ajar. Police say the burglary occurred sometime Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. With the case under investigation, Sgt. Justin Tharp of the St. Helena Police Department said the value of the stolen merchandise was substantial, but it wasnt as bad as it could have been. The sophistication of the crime suggests the involvement of experienced criminals from outside the area, Tharp said. The Napa Police Department helped collect evidence, including DNA and fingerprints that will be sent away for processing. Tharp said police are looking for similar cases and pursuing several leads. Napa Sunrise Rotarian Denny Mosher grew up in a small town near Buffalo, New York. His father had served in the military at the end of World W Some in the upper echelons of government may still doubt human-caused climate change, but there are few such skeptics in the worlds vineyards. Wine growers around the world have been seeing the effects of a warming globe for years, while we were still debating it as a theoretical issue. Now that we are feeling the effects with increasing instances of severe weather, like frequent wildfires and stronger-than-average hurricanes, vignerons are facing existential questions about their future, and the future of wine. Wine is a bellwether of climate change, says Elizabeth Wolkovich, an associate professor of forest and conservation sciences at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Much of the notion of terroir comes down to climate, so we are reshaping terroirs, with varied consequences. Climate change has made winners out of some cool regions that traditionally had trouble ripening grapes. Germanys rieslings and the Loire Valleys cabernet francs are enjoying more reliable harvests, year after year, than they were even a decade ago. English sparkling wine is challenging champagne. Sure, there are other factors involved, such as improved winemaking, but the effects of climate change are obvious. There are negative effects, too. I believe in climate change, I live it, Gerhard Kracher told me. Kracher specializes in late-harvest and ice wines from Austrias Burgenland region. We met last month in Bordeaux during Vinexpo, the biennial trade fair that focused, this year, on climate change. I used to be able to make an ice wine seven vintages every decade, Kracher told me, referring to a dessert wine made from grapes picked while frozen on the vine. Now, maybe three a decade. For Bordeaux, climate changes effects are more subtle, but just as existential. Bordeaux is preparing for the future, but we are aware we need to act now, Allan Sichel, head of the Bordeaux Wine Council, or CIVB, said during Vinexpos symposium on climate change. Our objective is to preserve the characteristics of Bordeauxfreshness, elegance, balance, digestibility and aromatic complexity. To achieve that, we may need to change everything we do. At the very least, that means tinkering with the classic Bordeaux blend of grape varieties. In descending order of their regional prominence, these are merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot, malbec and carmenere. For decades, merlot has been the backbone of great value Bordeaux from $15 to $30 dollars, as well as the prestigious, pricier reds of St. Emilion and Pomerol. Merlot is the earliest to ripen, which was great when vintages were difficult but has become problematic. Warmer, shorter growing seasons risk higher sugars, and therefore alcohol, but lower development of aromas and flavors. Vintners are already responding by using more cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc in their blends. At Chateau Lagrange, in St. Julien, winemaker Matthieu Bordes has even ripped out some merlot vines and replanted with cabernet sauvignon. I tend to go low on merlot in the blend, because it ripens unevenly, with sugars climbing before favorable flavor characteristics develop, he told me during a tasting at Vinexpo. With strong tannins and deep color, petit verdot used to be called Dr. Wine because it could heal a rough vintage. But it requires more work in the vineyard than other varieties and can dominate a wine if it becomes more than a small part of the blend. Todays growers have learned to ripen it more reliably, and because it ripens later than merlot but sooner than the cabernets, it is gaining favor in some quarters. Plantings of petit verdot have nearly tripled, from 375 hectares (927 acres) in 2000 to 1,093 hectares (2,700 acres) last year. Petit verdot runs against the Bordeaux style of cabernet sauvignon or merlot, but if terroir includes weather patterns, then a change in style is part of the evolution, says Vincent Bache-Gabrielsen, technical director of Chateau Belle-Vue in the Medoc region, which produces a 100-percent varietal wine from petit verdot. Perhaps most shocking to traditionalists, Bordeauxs response to climate change will challenge our very conception of the wine. Later this month, the growers of the Bordeaux-Bordeaux Superieur AOC, the council that sets the appellations rules, are expected to approve a list of 20 additional grape varieties that may be used in a wine labeled as Bordeaux. The move, already approved by French national regulators and the legislature, will allow grapes such as marselan and touriga nacional to join the traditional blend. The varieties must have an advantage in terms of climate change or environmental protection (as in disease resistance, requiring fewer chemical treatments), explained Bernard Farges, president of the AOC. Climate change is challenging the very nature of our appellation system, Farges said. If our wine is defined by the blend of grapes, the style and typicity will change with the climate. Or is it defined by a style and flavors? If the latter, you need to change the blend to maintain the wines identity in changing circumstances. Around the world, wineries are responding to climate change by reducing their carbon footprint, practicing more environmentally friendly viticulture, and planting different grape varieties. I plan to write about several of these initiatives, which will ultimately change wine as we know it in ways both subtle and dramatic. The underlying premise of all this is that the climate is changing, and you accept that you have to do something about it, Farges said. It all started with a love story, but not just any love story. When young Jodie and Luc met in France, they already knew about each other. Jodies stepmom, a Morlet relative, would go to France and tell stories of Jodie to Luc and his brothers, while Jodie would hear stories about them. The Morlet Family has deep roots in Champagne where Lucs great great grandfather, Auguste, purchased a piece of land in Avenay-Val-dOr, dating to the 1800s to grow grapes destined for Champagne production. Later on, the family continued the legacy with Gaston Morlet, who founded Pierre Morlet under his sons name. Eric Moret, Lucs father, took on the winery and acquired more vineyards to create a world-class Champagne. Inevitably, Luc and his brothers Nic and Paulin fell in love with winemaking. After years of knowing Jodie, Luc knew they were in love and relocated to the United States where renowned vintner John Kongsgaard hired young Luc to oversee production at Newton Vineyards. Lucs winemaking trajectory began in Champagne and his thirst for knowledge took him to Dijon were he earned an MBA in wine business and experience in Bordeaux and Burgundy. Luc arrived to Napa in 1996, with all the credentials and driven by love. In 1997, Luc and Jodie got married three years after meeting each other in Paris. In a serendipitous fashion, Newton Vineyards sold to LVMH, a firm that also owns a few Champagne houses. So Luc had to make a move he couldnt work for the competition. At the same time, Sir Peter Michael was in the hunt for the right winemaker to oversee the wine production for his Eponymous winery. It was then they connected. For a number of years, Luc shined at Peter Michael Winery in Knights Valley until Luc and Jodie knew it was time to start their own legacy. Lucky for Sir Peter Michael, Lucs little brother Nic was the right candidate to take over operations after a harvest at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. Luc agreed to stay as consultant, working with his eager brother who had followed his wine-making footsteps. In 2010, Luc and Jodie purchased their first vineyard in Knights Valley, a 12-acre lot that would fulfill their dreams of starting a winery. The couple later came across a property in St. Helena; the property was sold by Charles Krug to William Castner, a son of German immigrants and former shipbuilder who planted vines, fruits and vegetables and built the winery in 1880. The Morlet holdings grew even further in 2015 when Luc saw a For Sale sign in Oakville near the famed To Kalon vineyard and sharing some of the soil characteristics. This was a unicorn piece of land so they managed to acquire the 24-acre property, which they planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc immediately after the purchase. As for the wines produced under the Morlet label, there is a well thought-out range that extends from Sauvignon Blanc to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Here some of the notes from my recent tasting: Pierre Morlet Grande Reserve Multi Vintage Brut Premier Cru, Avenay-Val-dOr France ($65). A true celebration in each sip, roasted almonds, bright citrus pop, orchard fruits led by green apple and pear. Appropriate for any occasion. 2017 Morlet Family Vineyards Les Petite Morlet, Sonoma County ($60). Serious and captivating Bordeaux Blanc blend driven by Sauvignon Blanc and rounded with Semillon. Meyer lemon zest with notes of nectarine, toast and a river rock mineral component. 2016 Morlet Family Vineyards Ma Douce Chardonnay, Fort Ross-Seaview ($100). Generous, well rounded and full of stamina. Hazelnuts, vanilla custard and freshly cut pineapple. 2014 Morlet Family Vineyards Joli CoeurPinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview ($120) A wine that has been shared in the White House a couple times. A black cherry core with holiday spice and voluptuous concentration finished with a lifted hint of coffee. 2014 Morlet Family Vineyards Mon Chevalier, Knights Valley ($180). A Cabernet Sauvignon Blend with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Lush with dark fruit concentration, earth driven and charismatic with plenty of spice and violets. 2014 Morlet Family Vineyards Passionnement Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville ($255). A masculine and majestic display of purple flowers, espresso, cassis and rich tannins that creates a pleasurable and long lasting memory. Truly a remarkable story with no shortage of amazing wines. Thank you, Jodie and Luc for sharing the fruit of your efforts. Eduardo can be reached at eduardo@sakedrinker.com. The Catholicos of All Armenians visits Yerablur military pantheon Christmas tree of 3,000 logs built in Karelia Yerevan mayor visits Yerablur military pantheon Coronavirus in Armenia: 5 new deaths Tehran says UN did not forbid Iran to develop a space program Parents of captives in Azerbaijan holding sit-in outside Armenia government building Yerevan military pantheon is packed on New Year's Eve Remembrance, homage event kicks off at Yerevan military pantheon Armenia premier to servicemen: I wish you honorable, trouble-free service President: We are obliged to do and will do our best so that Artsakh always remains invincible Catholicos of All Armenians visits combat positions Lithuania lays more than 150km barbed wire along Belarus border Armenia President: We must change the Constitution First female boss of Camorra gang of the Mafia dies in Italy Karabakh President: May there be eternal peace, stability in Armenian world One of worlds shortest women dies aged 33 Bolivia police report record batch of cocaine seized in 2021 Erdogan presents model for Turkey's development next year Artsakh President visits frontline, congratulates servicemen on New Year and Christmas holidays Excavator operated by Azerbaijani passes over landmine in Karabakh Opposition Armenia Bloc: Our commitment to bring our peoples historical aspirations to fruition is unwavering Heads of various countries, international organizations congratulate Armenia President Demonstration in front of Armenia attorney general's office is over Karabakh FM visits military units, congratulates soldiers Tens of thousands of Colorado residents evacuated due to wildfires 21 new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh 3rd President Sargsyan pays tribute to Armenians who sacrificed their lives for the homeland (PHOTOS) Yerevan military pantheon takes on special look on New Year, Christmas holidays 130,000 chickens to be destroyed in Japan due to bird flu outbreak Armenia ex-President Kocharyan congratulates on New Year, Christmas holidays Russia envoy to Armenia: Our friendship will be complemented with glorious pages of joint achievements Protest being staged outside Armenia Prosecutor Generals Office 104 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Armenia servicemen on charge who were on combat duty on November 16 are arrested Putin tells Biden the condition for Russias complete severance of relations with the West Armenia PM visits Yerevan military pantheon Germany to shut down 3 of its last 6 nuclear plants Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia Bangladesh closes women-only beach after protests US Navy seizes $4M worth of heroin in Arabian Sea Biden vows to impose large-scale sanctions on Russia in case of escalation of tension on Ukraine border Israel State Attorney's Office charges Aeronautics the UAVs of which Azerbaijan used against Armenia Iran's 'Simorgh' Satellite Carrier successfully launches three research cargos Armenia government sets monthly bonus for ex-servicemen declared as disabled Deputy police chief: Armenia has recorded a rise in the number of crimes Peskov states purpose of upcoming Putin-Biden talks Erdogan opens major automobile tunnel between Turkey and South Caucasus through Georgian territory Armenia PM awards top 10 athletes of the year, each of them will receive AMD 4,000,000 Turkish FM: First meeting of Armenia's and Turkey's special envoys may take place in January ARF-D member: Armenia PM had to either resign or commit suicide Armenia MOD Vazgen Sargsyan Military University has new rector Armenia Peacekeeping Brigade has new commander Iranian MFA: Iran to bring those guilty of assassination of Qasem Soleimani to justice Lavrov, Bayramov discuss implementation of agreements of Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani leaders Azerbaijani army's General Staff chief assigns to increase combat-readiness in direction of Armenia's Sev Lake Armenian army's General Staff chief learns about fortification works underway at position of military formation Armenia police officers will serve on roads after unblocking of communications Azerbaijan extraditing over 20 prisoners to Iran Armenian ex-POW Robert Nalbandyan to be released on Jan. 6, judge rejects motion to extend arrest Armenia Constitutional Court ex-chief of staff: Pashinyan's visit is criminally punishable act Poland Ambassador to Armenia: Upcoming Vienna meeting to play important role in return of Armenian POWs Armenian aviation authorities permit Flyone Armenia to carry out chartered flights to and from Yerevan and Istanbul Armenia government lifts ban on imports of Turkish goods Armenia PM receiving congratulatory messages on occasion of holidays Russia PM congratulates Armenian counterpart on occasion of holidays NEWS.am daily digest: 30.12.21 Poland Ambassador: Meetings for liberalization of Armenia-EU visa regime continue Moscow considers appointment of special representatives for Armenia-Turkey dialogue a logical, reasonable step Turkish intelligence detains 23 foreigners on suspicion of terrorism MOD: Azerbaijan reports on Artsakh Defense Army shootings are false One of Armenia POWs who were returned Wednesday from Azerbaijan is detained Russia MFA comments on Armenia PM statement on Karabakh Azerbaijanis return to Artsakh Zakharova speaks about first meeting in Moscow of Armenia, Azerbaijan elites after Karabakh war last year Russias Putin sends New Year messages to Armenia ex-Presidents Kocharyan and Sargsyan China president congratulates Armenia colleague Azerbaijan army General Staff chief visits border with Armenia Putin congratulates Armenia President Sarkissian, PM Pashinyan on New Year and Christmas holidays Armenia parliament, Yerevan city council ruling majority factions hold joint meeting 1 more person dies of coronavirus in Artsakh Al-Sisi expresses Sarkissian hope that 2022 will open new chapter of development for Armenians, Egyptians US State Department calls on Azerbaijan to expeditiously release all remaining Armenian detainees PM: A key indicator for 2021 is that Armenia government is Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine shareholder 89 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Explosion takes place in Baku, leaving 2 injured Armenia revenue committee chief: 2021 State Budget revenues have been overfulfilled Aliyev Azerbaijanizes Yerevan Teachers' Seminary Armenias Pashinyan: We have to do everything depending on us to go for solutions Armenia PM: It took lot of effort so that we can overcome 2021 without shock, due to internal situation UNDP representative: We strengthened resilience of nearly 30,000 people in Armenia in the face of compound crisis Ambassador Tracy reaffirms US commitment to continue working with Armenia for better future (VIDEO) Hungary donates 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Armenia (PHOTOS) Turkey announces one of its preconditions for normalization of relations with Armenia About 2 tons of cocaine found in Brazil port Newspaper: Armenia ex-defense minister to make startling disclosures WHO calls for vaccinating 70% of world's population against Covid by mid-2022 Newspaper: Armenia parliament delegation to visit US Armenia PM holds phone talks with Russian counterpart Areshev: In case of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, the focus will be on Russian military base in Gyumri Yerevan museum opens new exhibition featuring archaeological relics from Shushi Putin, Lukashenko play hockey after talks National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has been accused of gross negligence by a Nakuru-based lawyer Mr Peter Kiprotich Bore. Bore, an advocate with Bore, Malanga and Company Advocates claims he was mistreated and detained at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania over his return flight ticket. The lawyer has since filed a suit before the Milimani Commercial Court in Nairobi, seeking compensation for damages over his alleged mistreatment and inconveniences after his return flight was aborted. In Court papers, Bore says he booked two tickets for flight trips between Kilimanjaro and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on April 15 as he wanted to travel on April 16. He claims Kenya Airways cleared him to fly through the Precision Air flight from Nairobi to Arusha. However, trouble started on his return flight that evening when Precision Airline disowned him and forced him out of the flight on claims that his name was not on the flight manifest. Within no time, I was unceremoniously and acrimoniously bundled out of Precision Air Flight No. PW725 by the airport staff and security officers who claimed my ticket was not valid, claims Mr Bore. In his supporting affidavit, the advocate claims he was detained at the Arusha airport for close to two hours as the Precision Air officials contacted their KQ counterparts to resolve the issue. By the time it was resolved, the plane had already left and Bore was forced to spend the night at a hotel in Arusha awaiting the next flight scheduled to depart at 5.30am the following day. The flight companys actions amount to gross negligence and I urge the court [to grant] my prayers on compensation following the grave embarrassment, humiliation, mental anguish and the serious inconveniences that I was caused after I was unlawfully detained in Kilimanjaro and Arusha, says Mr Bore. YEREVAN. The Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia on Friday resumed the examination of the appeals by the Prosecutor Generals Office and by the legal representatives of the successors of the victims of the events that occurred in capital city Yerevan in March 2008, on the respective criminal case involving second President Robert Kocharyan and some other former senior officials. Kocharyan is in attendance to the court hearing. On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. At the previous court hearing on Wednesday, the defense required certain materials, including those related to the appellate proceedings. On these grounds, Wednesdays court session was adjourned until Friday. As reported earlier, the Prosecutor Generals Office has appealed the Yerevan general jurisdiction court decision to release Robert Kocharyan from custody, and the same courts decision to suspend the proceedings of this criminal case and to forward it to the Constitutional Court (CC). The legal representatives of the successors of the aforesaid victims also have filed appeals. Second President Robert Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing the constitutional order in Armenia in connection with the tragic events that occurred in Yerevan in March 2008, and taking a particularly large bribe. On May 18, a Yerevan court of general jurisdiction decided to release Kocharyan from custody, and based on the personal pledge by Artsakh Republic (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) incumbent President Bako Sahakyan and second President Arkadi Ghukasyan. And on May 20, the same court suspended the criminal case 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, and petitioned to the CC to determine the constitutionality of some Criminal Code articles and sections that are applied regarding this criminal case with respect to overthrowing the constitutional order in Armenia, and in connection with the abovementioned events in March 2008. And the CC on Tuesday extended for one month the deadline for examining this Yerevan general jurisdiction court petition on the criminal case involving ex-President Robert Kocharyan, and the other former senior officials. Controversial preacher Gilbert Deya has opened up about his relationships with various women saying he can never be single. Since he was deported from the UK in August 2017 to face child trafficking charges in Kenya, the televangelist has dated four women. He is currently engaged to be married to the woman of his dreams who happens to be 50 years his junior. Speaking in an interview with Radio Jambos Massawe Japanni, Deya, 82, noted that women in Kenya are like nuts. I decided to get another woman here in Kenya. It is important to get a woman and avoid lust of the flesh. Here in Kenya, women are like nuts, they are so many that the government has decided even having 50 of them is okay, he said. I am engaged. Men struggle with the eyes, and even if you are born again, your eyes can never be born again. According to Deya, age is just a number. I can never be single. I want to marry her because she is so young and the age gap is 50 years. That is in the line of my liking. DIVORCED HIS WIFE Opening up about his estranged ex-wife, Bishop Deya said it was her decision to dissolve their marriage. We have divorced. Separation means we are going back together but thats not the case. My ex-wife was the one that decided to divorce me, and I accepted her decision. Deya, who is infamous for the miracle babies scandal, also admitted to cheating on his wife when he moved to the UK. I went to the UK and left my wife here in Kenya, and I stayed there for 15 years. The first five years, I tried to bear with the situation, but because of the lust of the body, I took another woman. I told elders of the church, and even my ex-wife knew about it. After a while, the woman asked me not to come back to Kenya unless I married her. Later on, she accused me of rape, said Deya. I came to Kenya and was charged with child trafficking. While at Kamiti, the woman ran away. Deya spent a year at the Kamiti Maximum Prison before he was freed on an Sh10 million bond. Armenia is not ready to deepen cooperation with the EU within the customs union, said Armenian MP, the chair of the standing committee on European Integration of the Armenian Parliament, Arman Yeghoyan According to him, this is due to the fact that Yerevan is already in one customs union, and cannot consist in one more. Touching upon the possible application of the European experience in the reform of the judicial system, the deputy noted that it is possible to study the Eastern European experience in the lustration of transitional justice, but it is clear that Armenia has its own characteristics, and all the reforms should be carried out taking it into account. The peculiarity of corruption in Armenia was that it was not only an enrichment, but also a management tool. However, I dont think that corruption can be a tool of influence of external forces, as numerous examples show that the weakening of external influence on a particular country did not lead to a decrease in the level of corruption there. Thus, there is no universal anti-corruption system in the world, he concluded. We are looking forward to be judged on our own merits. The Foreign Minister of Armenia, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, noted this during the joint press conference in Brussels, on the results of the second Partnership Council meeting between the European Union (EU) and Armenia. We had a very productive discussion today within the second meeting of the Armenia-EU Partnership Council. We have shared ideas on a wide variety of issues ranging from political matters, regional issues, sectoral cooperation, development within the Eastern Partnership, Mnatsakanyan stated, in particular. We once again underscored the fact that our comprehensive partnership is based on shared values and strong commitment to uphold them. Relations are grounded on our common civilizational heritage, mutual aspirations for building strong democracies with sustainable institutions and resilient sustainable societies. We have also touched upon the developments throughout the year in Armenia and I reflected on the various measures, various policies taken by the Government on addressing head on corruption, addressing the important priority of providing a level playing field and equal opportunities for all in economic and social life and implementing specific policies on that. We have shared also some statistics with our colleagues in the European Union about the way in which our policies have been reflecting on the economy and our deep commitment carry on with the reforms which stem from the very spirit and the very nature of the velvet revolution that took place last year in April and May of 2018. I have also reflected on the very big priority of judicial reform in Armenia which takes a very important place in our domestic agenda and underlining the importance of our cooperation to this end. We took stock of the development since the first Partnership Council also in the context of the mutual high-level visits. I would recall that we had a very important bilateral visit in March: PM Nikol Pashinyan was visiting Brussels and I want to again recall the importance of this visit and the importance of the agreements we have reached during this visit, including on the deepening of our relations in specific areas and the specific projects we have agreed we will be pushing forward together for the development of Armenia. And also, I want to reflect also on the elections that took place in Armenia in December 2018 and that these elections were absolutely critical. They were recognized as genuinely free and fair by international election observation missions. And most importantly they were accepted by our public. Once again, I want to express our appreciation to the EU and its member states for the support rendered to us for the smooth organization of these elections. We also thoroughly discussed the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement today. This Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement in fact is the constitution of our relations in the framework of which we elaborated on our cooperation - political, justice, trade, security, human rights, development areas, as well as sectoral cooperation such as trade, energy transport, communication environment and so on. I want to take this opportunity to express gratitude to those EU member states who have already ratified the CEPA to date and also of course take this opportunity to encourage the remaining member states to take further steps to accelerate their internal ratification procedures for the full entry into force of the Comprehensive and Enhance Partnership Agreement. One of the most important results of the meeting today was that we have also discussed and agreed on the CEPA implementation roadmap. It is a carefully drafted planning document for us in Armenia which will make the implementation and the monitoring of the agreement well-structured and well-targeted. We also assessed the Armenia-EU partnership priorities which is aimed at facilitating the further deepening of our relations. We have extensively discussed a number of important issues on the bilateral and international agenda and regional agenda in particular on which Madam Mogherini has reflected upon and which I fully second. We also exchanged views on the prospects of launching the Armenia-EU visa liberalization dialogue which is an important mutual commitment reflected in various bilateral and multilateral agreements. We have been undertaking on our part, we have been undertaking consistent steps towards the effective implementation of the Visa facilitation and Readmission Agreement. Actively spurring the opening of the visa liberalization dialogue we have been engaging for this purpose in a direct dialogue with the member states, of course along with the engagement of the EU institutions. I want to again underline that we had reflected upon it during our meeting that this is a very important issue that solidifies and strengthens the nature of our relations by way of bringing people together. Facilitation of the people-to-people contact consolidates the depth of the relation with the European Union and in that I see a very important political function of the free movement of our people and the acceleration of the strengthening of the contact between our people. Connectivity and mobility in that sense has an important political significance. Also, we are looking forward to be judged on our own merits and not to be linked to other contexts. I would also want to thank the President of the Commission, President Junker for the very strong support that he has expressed also during the visit of the Prime Minister and the meeting with PM Pashinyan and also during their joint press conference in March. Another item we have discussed today was the Eastern partnership 10th anniversary follow-up. Amongst the important achievements of the Eastern Partnership is its appreciation of the shared values as well as important contribution to sustainable development of our region and our country. Id like to also announce that we will make our own contribution on the national level by launching an event in Armenia on October 9th which will be dedicated to youth empowerment and innovation. And we of course invite and look forward to welcome all our partners amongst the EU member states and of course EaP member states. Today we also discussed the implementation of deliverables of 2020. And of course we also discussed Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and I reiterated Armenias commitment to the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the internationally mandated format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. The status and security of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) are the priorities of Armenia in the negotiating process. For us, another important priority concerns staying focused on establishing and promoting an environment conducive to peace; strict adherence to ceasefire regime, implementation of risk-reduction measures against escalation remain very important priorities. Abandoning warmongering rhetoric and hate speech are critical conditions for progress in the negotiations. We welcome and underline the importance of the EUs support to the Minsk Group Co-Chairs efforts. We also appreciate and acknowledge the role the European Union plays in various ways to contribute to such an environment which helps progress with the negotiating process by way of various projects. And we also underlined that such projects need to be very carefully targeted in that they genuinely set the purpose of genuine people to people contact. We again want to reiterate how deeply we appreciate the consistency of the EUs position in supporting the process strictly within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and the proposals and ideas generated within this format, within these negotiations. We of course have full confidence in the consistency of such consolidated support of the European Union. We have also discussed that. So once again thank you for that. I will now wrap up my notes by saying once again how much we appreciate the great cooperation we have with the High Representative and with her team of great and committed friends of Armenia, who know Armenia very well, and who have been the actual operators of what we call strong Armenia - EU relationship. And I also want to take the opportunity to thank my team, the team of Armenias various representatives of our Government, at the level of deputy ministers and others, who have also been working very hard throughout the year to substantiate the content of our relationship. I want to thank you, Federica [Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice-President of the European Commission], for the spirit of friendship, support, pragmatism and that very strong commitment for the important priority for Armenia of our relations with the European Union. The US is set to second one of its senior prosecutors to Kenya to support the country in the intensified war against corruption. This follows talks between Kenyas Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)Noordin Haji and US Deputy Attorney General, Bruce Swartz. The Kenyan delegation, which also included Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti, also held talks with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) deputy director David Bowdich. The Kenya Delegation meeting with the US Deputy Attorney General was attended by FBI, Resident Legal Advisor at the @USEmbassyKenya , and the Director of @DCI_Kenya, the Office of Public Prosecutions said through its Twitter account. The DPP noted that the US prosecutor will help strengthen anti-corruption efforts. United States Justice Department is set to attach a senior US prosecutor to strengthen the ongoing anti-corruption efforts. This was revealed by the US deputy attorney general Bruce Swartz during meeting with Kenyan delegation, tweeted the DPP. The Kenyan Delegation also met with the Head of Public Integrity Section at US Department of Justice, Annalou Tirol. The discussions centered on best practices in dealing with public corruption cases in Kenya. The FBI also pledged its support in Kenyas anti-graft campaign. Mr. Bowdich[FBI Deputy Director] lauded the Anti-corruption efforts by the duo and promised full support from the USA Government, the DCI stated. Discussions between the two countries also touched on Anti-terrorism matters where the US promised to help establish a Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force in Kenya. Haji said the meetings will be crucial and helpful to the Kenyan delegation. We will come back richer and well equipped with knowledge on these issues disturbing us. Corruption is all over and needs to be tamed, he said. Recently, the US conducted a course for Kenyan law enforcement officers that taught prosecutors and police advanced techniques on how to disrupt terrorist incidents and successfully prosecute terrorists. YEREVAN. The mistake is that they offended me and sent me a notice. Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Chairman and tycoon Gagik Tsarukyan, who also heads the Prosperous Armenia Faction in the National Assembly, on Friday told this to reporters, commenting on his tearing the notice he had received from the Investigative Committee. Let them send [the notice] to whom its for, and fulfill their duty, and solve the case, he said. We have said our view that if its not solved, then our view is confirmed that its a made-up, concocted case. To the remark that, according to the law, he may be detained if he does not go to the Investigative Committee for an interview, Tsarukyan replied: I know my rights and anyones rights well. Let people professionally engage in their work. Gagik Tsarukyan has been summoned by the Investigative Committee for an interview in connection with the case on setting on fire the home entrance and the car of the head of an election headquarters of the ruling Civil Contract party candidate, a day before the June 9 mayoral elections in Abovyan city. But the PAP leader tore the summons notice from the investigator and did not come in for the interview. The Inter-Agency Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons of the Republic of Armenia held today a session at the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia. The session was chaired by chairman of the Commission, Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan. As reported the Ministry of Defense, at the outset of the session, Tonoyan introduced the new members of the Commission and expressed gratitude to the head of the Office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Armenia for participating in the session. The defense minister attached importance to the role of the ICRC in establishing the destinies of persons declared missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in protecting the rights and interests of prisoners of war and hostages. The participants of the session discussed several organizational issues in regard to the activities of the Commission, predetermined the actions included in the program for the second semester of the year 2019 and the main directions for activities. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the delegation led by Vice-President of the German Bundestag Thomas Oppermann, reports the press service of the Government of Armenia. The Prime Minister welcomed Oppermanns visit to Armenia and stated that the visit serves as a good opportunity to continue the dialogue for future enhancement of Armenian-German relations. Judicial and legal reforms are a priority for Armenia. It is necessary to have a judiciary that enjoys the peoples trust in order to integrate the democratic changes in our country, the Prime Minister said, adding that Armenia is closely working with the European Union and the Council of Europe for that. According to the Vice-President of the German Bundestag, the events that took place in Armenia sparked great interest among Europeans. The Germans hope Armenia achieves success. We want to see Armenia as a progressive country and will do everything to support Armenia. The Armenian government is on the right path for judicial and legal reforms, Thomas Oppermann said. Nikol Pashinyan added that Germany has a special place in the hearts of all Armenians following the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution by the German Bundestag in 2016. During the meeting, the interlocutors also touched upon the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Pashinyan and Oppermann attached importance to the peaceful settlement of the conflict and the maintenance of the ceasefire regime, considering the recent tension on the borders inadmissible. The head of government underscored the importance of the implementation of the agreements on the creation of mechanisms for investigation into ceasefire violations at the summit in Vienna in 2016. Prime Minister Pashinyan viewed the full participation of all parties to the conflict in the negotiations as a major precondition for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. A look at todays top stories. Gulf of Oman tankers hit in suspected attack: Live updates By Eliza Mackintosh, Helen Regan and Vasco Cotovio, CNN Updated 9:21 a.m. ET, June 13, 2019 What we are covering here Whats happening: Authorities are investigating suspected attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman this morning. Beijing walks a thin line as Hong Kong erupts at the worst possible time This weeks violent protests in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill couldnt come at a worse time for Chinas stability-obsessed Communist Party and its leader, President Xi Jinping. Oil prices surge after tankers attacked near the Iranian coast Crude oil futures surged more than 4% on Thursday after two tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, a key waterway used to transport energy supplies from the Middle East. Sara Netanyahu pleads guilty in illegal meals case as corruption probes loom over husband Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, agreed to a plea deal on Wednesday morning in a case concerning illegally ordered meals at the Prime Ministers residence, according to a statement released by Israels Justice Ministry. Trump and Polish President sign new defense agreement President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda inked a new defense agreement at the White House on Wednesday that will station an additional 1,000 US troops in Poland on a rotational basis UK signs Julian Assanges US extradition papers The United Kingdom has signed an extradition request for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces charges in the US under the Espionage Act. The SkyDeck ledge of the Willis Tower cracks under visitors feet Visitors to the Willis Towers SkyDeck in Chicago get an extra scare when the attractions protective layer covering the glass splintered into thousands of pieces under their feet. Keanu Reeves not touching women is a thing Keanu Reeves is officially a national treasure. NatGeo reveals the best travel photo of 2019 A snowy fishing village in Greenland, a vulture soaring through the sky in Spain, and a trio of actors gearing up for an opera performance in China all make up the award winners in the 2019 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year awards. Johnson tops first Tory leadership poll Boris Johnson has secured the highest number of votes in the first ballot to select the Conservative party leader and next prime minister. Three contenders Mark Harper, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey have been knocked out, in the secret ballot held in the House of Commons. The 23-year-old fixing the broken world of online argument An idea by a Highlands teenager has garnered worldwide attention and is now, six years later, the basis for a fledgling start-up. At its heart is a simple question: how do you fix the often ugly world of online debate? Kal Turnbull cant remember what presents he got for his 17th birthday, or what type of cake he had. Who were the Central Park Five? One spring evening in 1989, a group of around 30 teenagers were hanging out in Central Park, New York. Some of them were causing serious trouble including badly hurting others in the park and harassing homeless people. The same night, a 28-year-old white woman, Trisha Meili, had been out jogging in the park. Lionel Messi: Why does Argentinas captain struggle internationally? He was too young, too shy, too special. Argentina have always known that Lionel Messi is a rare gem, to be treated with extreme care. But 14 years after his senior international debut, the Albicelestes still havent succeeded in bringing out his best. And the clock is ticking. My journey from janitor to principal Sometimes a single teacher can change your life. Michael Atkins life was changed by his elementary teacher years after he left school. His journey was not always straightforward, but thanks to some friendly guidance, doors he once cleaned were opened up for him in the education system. Youve accepted the notch. Now prepare to accept the square camera bump. Its official: Googles Pixel 4 will have a large, square camera bump on the back. We dont know its exact dimensions or just how big of a bump itll be, but judging from the companys own render of the device (above), itll definitely rise above the phones back surface, and it wont be small. Chris Hemsworth unveils a truly angsty deleted scene from Avengers: Endgame If anyone really felt the deep, emotional impact of Avengers: Infinity War, it was Thor. When we caught up with the emotional god in Endgame, he was truly wallowing, smashing the brewskis, and playing video games. Did Kumail Nanjiani once try to murder someone? Chris Hemsworth and Jimmy Fallon guess. Was Chris Hemsworths first job cleaning out breast pumps? Even bigger, did Kumail Nanjiani once try to murder someone in Singapore? See if you can guess whats a lie and whats the truth, as the two stars joined Jimmy Fallon for a game of True Confessions on The Tonight Show Wednesday night. Heres what Ubers flying taxis and skyports could look like If all goes according to plan, Uber Air flying taxis will take off in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Melbourne in 2023, the company announced at its annual Uber Elevate Summit on Wednesday. Think of it like Uber Pool in the sky (but definitely not as cheap). \ Telegram says powerful cyber attack was from China, timed with Hong Kong protests The encrypted messaging app Telegram experienced a powerful distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS) on Wednesday, causing interruptions. Telegram has been one of the primary tools Hong Kong protestors have used to communicate and organise themselves in defiance of a highly-controversial extradition bill, which is behind the countrys worst political crisis in recent memory. How to find out if your home internet is good enough for Google Stadia Google is about to make video games even weirder than they already are, and you might have to learn what some numbers mean to keep up. Last week, Google revealed launch information for its Stadia gaming platform. Elon Musk says Tesla pickup will look like it came out of a sci-fi movie Tesla had its yearly shareholder meeting on Tuesday and Elon Musk had a lot to say. He talked about media coverage of the company (he wasnt too happy about it), the possibility of Tesla getting into the mining business (not boring, mining) to get rare materials needed for batteries, and had a few words about horses (Teslas upcoming pickup truck will be able to haul a horse, in case you wondered). There is a small group of people who have decided to target the National Security Service. This is what Director of the National Security Service of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan said in an interview with Shant TV. Those who target the National Security Service and say bad things about the National Security Service often spread overtly false information about the Service and me. Those people doing such things simply need to take into consideration the fact that if they secretly meet with someone and target the National Security Service for certain purposes, the National Security Service knows about that, it simply doesnt state where the criticism comes from, he said. When asked if he knows the 2,000,000 people he meets, Vanetsyan said the following: Those 2,000,000 people positively assess the work of the National Security Service, but there is a small group of people who have decided to target the Service because, for some reason, they dont like to see the National Security Service have such a reputation in the country. The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] (Updates with return of children) BEIRUT/BRUSSELS, June 14 (Reuters) - Six Belgian children of Islamic State members were brought back to Belgium on Friday from camps in Syria where U.S.-backed militia are holding thousands of militants and their family members. The children, ranging in age from six to 18, were all left parentless in Syria, making their repatriation less complicated than that of dozens of other Belgian children of IS members held in Syria's northern Kurdish region. "The 6 children from #Syria have just arrived in our country," Belgium's Foreign Minister Didier Reynders Tweeted late on Friday. "The children are now being monitored and supervised by the competent local state attorneys & youth support services." The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) controls the quarter of Syria east of the Euphrates river after driving back Islamic State in a series of advances from 2015 that culminated in March with the group's defeat at its last territorial enclave in Baghouz, near the Iraqi border. However, it says it is unable to indefinitely hold the thousands of Islamic State fighters and members and their families who surrendered during its offensive. "This must be extended to men and women in our camps and prison, not only children," Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the SDF, said on Twitter regarding Belgium's move. Many of those in custody or held at overcrowded displacement camps in northeast Syria are foreigners, and many remain unrepentant supporters of violent jihad. Islamic State members also brought a large number of children into their zone of control or bore babies who are now orphaned, destitute or even stateless, and whose future is uncertain. The SDF has warned that keeping them in northeast Syria where there is no long-term political settlement to underpin its control of the area is a security risk, and has called for help in managing a humanitarian crisis in the displacement camps. Story continues Western countries have so far been unwilling to take back their citizens who went to Syria to join Islamic State - seeing them as a security risk if they return home but knowing they may be unable to prosecute them. The United States, France and the Netherlands have each repatriated a small number of women or children from northeast Syria, but many others remain there. The SDF has also handed over numerous Islamic State militants to Iraq, which is putting many former jihadists on trial and executing some of them. An Iraqi court sentenced a Belgian man, Bilal al-Marchohi, 23, to death by hanging in March for being part of Islamic State. Pictures on his phone showed him posing with weapons and cradling his infant son. (Reporting by Angus McDowall in Beirut and Alissa de Carbonnel in Brussels; Editing by Hugh Lawson) * Pope Francis tells top energy executives to act now * Pontiff urges world to heed scientific findings * Pope says doomsday predictions can no longer be dismissed (Adds big oil CEOs in attendance, Notre Dame president) By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, June 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Friday that carbon pricing is "essential" to stem global warming - his clearest statement yet in support of penalising polluters - and appealed to climate change deniers to listen to science. In an address to energy executives at the end of a two-day meeting, he also called for "open, transparent, science-based and standardised" reporting of climate risk and a "radical energy transition" away from carbon to save the planet. Carbon pricing, via taxes or emissions trading schemes, is used by many governments to make energy consumers pay for the costs of using the fossil fuels that contribute to global warming, and to spur investment in low-carbon technology. The Vatican said attendees of the closed-door meeting at its Academy of Sciences, a follow-up to one a year ago, included the CEOs of Royal Dutch Shell, Eni, BP, Repsol, Conoco Phillips, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and executives of investment funds. "Collectively, these leaders will influence the planet's future, perhaps more than any in the world," said Father John Jenkins, president of the U.S. University of Notre Dame, which organised the meeting. A small group of demonstrators gathered outside a Vatican gate. One held a sign reading "Dear Oil CEOs - Think of Your Children". Francis, who has made many calls for environmental protection and has clashed over climate change with leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, said the ecological crisis "threatens the very future of the human family". "WE HAVE FAILED TO LISTEN" He criticised those who, like Trump, doubt the science that shows human activity is causing the earth to heat up. Story continues "For too long we have collectively failed to listen to the fruits of scientific analysis, and doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain," Francis said. Discussion of climate change and energy transition must be rooted in "the best scientific research available today". Trump, asked in an interview if he accepted climate science, said last week: "I believe theres a change in weather, and I think it changes both ways." He has said the United States will withdraw from the Paris accord, a 2016 global agreement to fight climate change. Francis, who wrote an encyclical - a significant document on Church teaching - in 2015 on protection of the environment, and strongly supports the Paris accord, said time was running out to meet its goals. "Faced with a climate emergency, we must take action accordingly, in order to avoid perpetrating a brutal act of injustice towards the poor and future generations," he said. "We do not have the luxury of waiting for others to step forward, or of prioritising short-term economic benefits." Oil companies have come under growing pressure from investors and activists to meet the Paris goals. Companies including Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Total have laid out plans to expand their renewable energy business and reduce emissions. Critics say such gestures are minor parts of businesses that overwhelmingly depend on an economy that continues to pollute. BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley said after the meeting that "the world needs to take urgent action to get us on a more sustainable path and it is critical that everyone plays their part - companies and investors, governments and individuals". (Additional reporting by Ron Bousso in London and Steve Jewkes in Milan; Editing by Catherine Evans, Kevin Liffey, Raissa Kasolowsky and Peter Graff) (Adds turnout) By Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS, June 14 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the Algerian capital for the 17th consecutive Friday, demanding the removal of the ruling elite and prosecution of former officials linked to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. After 20 years in power, Bouteflika quit on April 2 under pressure from protesters and the army, but protests have continued. The demonstrators are pushing for radical change and seeking the departure of senior figures, including politicians and businessmen, who have governed the North African country since independence from France in 1962. There was no official count, but a Reuters correspondent estimated that the number of people protesting was higher than last Friday. It was still smaller than in the weeks before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May, however. At this week's rally they celebrated the arrest of several former officials and business people linked to Bouteflika on anti-graft charges, demanding more action. "You have built prisons, you will be imprisoned there all," read one banner held up by protesters marching through central Algiers, scene of mass dissent since February. On Thursday, the supreme court remanded ex-prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal in custody over graft allegations. State media also said police had arrested Mourad Eulmi, head of the private firm SOVAC, a partner of Germany's Volkswagen AG , at a car assembly plant in the western province of Relizane in connection with "corruption cases". It did not elaborate. Volkswagen declined to comment. On Wednesday, the supreme court ordered the detention of another former prime minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, for alleged involvement in corruption. Bouteflikas youngest brother, Said, and two former intelligence chiefs have also been placed in custody by a military judge for "harming the armys authority and plotting against state authority". Story continues Protesters rejected an offer from interim President Abdelkader Bensalah to hold a dialogue with all parties after authorities postponed a presidential election previously planned for July 4. No new date has been set for the vote. "We need real dialogue", read one protest banner. Protesters have rejected Bensalah as too close to Bouteflika. Armed forces chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Gaed Salah, who has been managing the transition, has called on parties and protesters to meet among themselves to discuss a way out of the crisis. He also called for the prosecution of officials accused of being corrupt, after which the wave of arrests started. (Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Frances Kerry) (Changes slug keyword used by media clients to conform with earlier in series) * Urges dialogue to resolve differences * China to promote development of ties with Iran, Xi says (Adds byline, Xi meeting Iranian president; paragraphs 7,8) By Ben Blanchard BEIJING, June 14 (Reuters) - Nobody wants war in the Gulf of Oman, China's foreign ministry said on Friday, calling on all sides to exercise restraint following attacks on oil tankers in those waters, and urging dialogue to resolve differences. The United States blamed Iran for Thursday's attacks that drove up oil prices and fuelled concern about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation, although Tehran has denied the accusation. China was deeply concerned about the rising tension, said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. "Nobody wants to see war in the Gulf. That is not in anyone's interest," he told a regular news briefing in Beijing, adding that China hoped all sides could resolve differences via dialogue. "We hope all relevant parties remain calm and exercise restraint and avoid tensions further escalating, and hope all sides can jointly safeguard navigational safety in the relevant waters and regional peace and stability." China would continue to safeguard its energy security and the lawful rights of its companies, he added. Earlier, the ministry cited President Xi Jinping as telling Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of a summit in Kyrgyzstan that China would promote steady development of ties with Iran, no matter how the international situation changed. "China has always viewed Sino-Iranian relations from a strategic and long-term perspective," the ministry paraphrased Xi as saying, but it made no mention of the tension in the Gulf region. China and Iran have close energy ties, and Beijing has been angered by U.S. threats against countries and companies that violate U.S. sanctions by importing Iranian oil. China has had to walk a fine line as it has also been cultivating relations with Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia, which is also the Asian giant's top oil supplier. Story continues It was not immediately clear what befell the tankers, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which both suffered explosions, forcing crews to abandon the vessels, leaving them adrift in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran. On Thursday night, U.S. Central Command spokesman Bill Urban released a video of what the U.S. military said was an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp Gashti Class patrol boat approaching the Kokuka Courageous "and was observed and recorded removing (an) unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous." Iran "categorically" rejected U.S. claims about the attacked tankers. Tension between Iran and the United States has risen since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal last year between Iran and global powers that aimed to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. Washington has also accused Iran or its proxies of carrying out a May 12 attack on four tankers off the United Arab Emirates' coast as well as May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez) * Europol official says that Baltic states vulnerable * Russia, China main sources of criminal funds in Europe * Money laundered often ends up in property (Adds no immediate reply from China central bank in paragraph 8) By John O'Donnell THE HAGUE, June 13 (Reuters) - Europe's Baltic states are at risk from further Russian money laundering, a top European police official said after several big banks were hit by scandals centred on the region. Pedro Felicio, who is responsible for fighting money laundering at European police agency Europol, told Reuters that "huge inflows of criminal money" are mainly coming into Europe from Russia and China. Russian money is alleged to be at the heart of multi-billion dollar laundering rackets that engulfed Danske Bank, Denmark's largest lender and Sweden's Swedbank. "There are billions of criminal money that are being taken out of the Russian economy," Felicio said as he warned of the dangers of a repeat of scandals involving tainted Russian money in the Baltics, a bloc of three countries, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which used to be ruled by Soviet Russia. The high burden of proof in Europe coupled with "zero cooperation from Russia in providing ... evidence" were exacerbating the problem, Felicio added. Russia's central bank, which has a hard line on money laundering in the past few years and shut dozens of banks it said were involved, did not respond to a request for comment. A recent report by the Financial Action Task Force, a global standard-setter in fighting money laundering, said a "large amount of illicit proceeds flows out of China annually". China's central bank, which has also been taking action in recent years, bolstering supervision to combat money laundering as it opens up its financial sector, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The recent scandals have helped prompt Europol, which coordinates cross-border investigations and was involved in a 2016 operation that broke up an international drugs and money laundering cartel, to invest more in fighting financial crime. Story continues But while things have got better, there are still gaps particularly in the Baltic states, which are now part of the European Union, Felicio said. "Some of the banks in the Baltic area are very vulnerable to money laundering activities especially coming in from Russia. It has improved but it is far from being solved." "It is just a matter of time until we see another scandal coming in from the area and it will probably be very similar to the scandals we have seen in the past," he added. BALTIC FRONT LINE Bill Browder, formerly an investor in Russia, has also highlighted movements of Russian money linked to a fraud uncovered by his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was later arrested and died in a Moscow prison after complaining of mistreatment. Danske Bank's shares plummeted after saying that 200 billion euros ($226 billion) of suspicious money, including from Russia and former Soviet states, flowed through its Estonian branch. The Danish bank has since been ejected from Estonia and withdrawn from Russia and the other Baltic states. Swedbank is also being investigated after Swedish broadcaster SVT said that it had processed billions in payments from high-risk customers, mostly Russian, through Estonia. While the Baltic nations are in the "front line" for receiving dirty money, it ultimately gets invested elsewhere. "Investments in real estate would be one of the main final solutions," Felicio said, singling out London and Rome. The scandals have prompted action in the Baltics, where Latvia's new prime minister, Krisjanis Karins, is accelerating an overhaul of the banking sector and its supervisor. One of Latvia's largest banks, ABLV, which had numerous Russian clients, closed last year after U.S. authorities accused it of money laundering. However, reforms in Estonia have been on hold while a new government was being formed. Lithuania has not played a significant role in the scandals. ($1 = 0.8853 euros) (Additional reporting by Andrey Ostroukh in Moscow; Editing by Alexander Smith) (Adds quotes, details) VALLETTA, June 14 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron urged Turkey to stop "illegal activities" in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone and said the European Union would not back down on the issue. European Union members have pressured Turkey to drop its plans for offshore drilling for natural gas in an area claimed by the Cypriot authorities as part of their exclusive economic zone around the island. "I want to reiterate my solidarity with Cyprus and my support and respect for its sovereignty. Turkey must stop its illegal activities in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone," Macron said after a summit of Southern European Union heads of states on Friday in Malta. "The European Union will not show weakness on this matter," he said. Separately, the French president argued for euro zone reforms to continue after the bloc's finance ministers took steps towards tighter integration without reaching agreement on hotly disputed matters such as a common budget for the area. "This first step is not enough and we must go much further," Macron said. "We need a stability function for the euro zone, a European guarantee for deposits." The finance ministers are set to hold more discussions over financing sources and a common budget. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Editing by Inti Landauro and Hugh Lawson) Google announced that it was shutting down Google+ after a potential data breach in 2018. Photo: Richard B. Levine/SIPA USA/PA Images Millions of Brits have quit social media, changed email provider or moved banks due to fraud in the past 12 months, new research shows. A survey of over 2,000 UK adults by tech company Studio Graphene found 12% of UK adults have been the victim of fraud over the past year equating to 6.21 million people. And further 16% have had an online banking, social media, shopping or email account hacked. READ MORE: More than 50m lost to 'romance fraud' As a result, around one in six (16%) Brits said they have stopped using social media due to data security concerns. More than one in eight (12%) have changed service providers including streaming services, utilities and banks and 6% have moved to a new email provider for the same reason. These trends were particularly common among those aged between 18 and 34 17% had been the victim of fraud, a quarter had online accounts hacked, 20% had quit social media, 23% had switched service provider, and 11% had changed email provider. READ MORE: UK firms accused of 1.4m art investment fraud shut down The research also demonstrated how wary consumers have become of the technology they use and the data they share. Almost three quarters (73%) of UK adults said they are now conscious of the websites and apps they provide personal data to, while 70% are cautious of the particular devices or networks they use to share sensitive information. But despite being the most exposed to issues of hacking, fraud and data loss, 18-24 year-old Brits exercise the least caution, the survey found. READ MORE: Surge in consumer complaints about fraud, banking and payday loans Only 58% said they are conscious of the websites and apps they share personal data on, and just 56% think about the networks or devices they are using when doing so. Elsewhere, 24% of respondents said they avoid using ATMs or chip-and-pin machines in shops due to fears of credit and debit card fraud. * Move could paralyse government-run health facilities * Protests in response to attack on doctors in eastern India * Thousands of doctors across India go on strike (Adds comments from federal health minister) By Rupak De Chowdhuri and Shounak Dasgupta KOLKATA/NEW DELHI, June 14 (Reuters) - A leading Indian doctors' association called for a nationwide strike on Monday, stepping up protests by medical staff demanding better security at hospitals after an attack on doctors in Kolkata. The move could paralyse hundreds of government-run health facilities across India. Thousands of doctors across the country went on a strike on Friday. The state of West Bengal, of which Kolkata is capital, has been the worst hit by the strike with at least 13 big government hospitals affected. The protests were launched in response to an attack at the NRS Medical College in Kolkata on Monday that left three junior doctors seriously injured after a dispute with a family whose relative had died. Doctors demanding better security began a strike but their action was confined to the state. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned them on Thursday, saying police did not strike when one of their colleagues was killed. Banerjee's remarks, which included a warning that junior doctors would be evicted from their hostels if they did not go back to work, triggered a nationwide reaction. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said the "barbaric" attack at the NRS reflected a national problem and called for a countrywide protest. It also demanded legislation to safeguard doctors. Nearly 30,000 doctors were on a one-day strike on Friday, most in West Bengal, New Delhi and the western state of Maharashtra, according to figures proved by medical associations. The IMA had previously called for a protest on Friday, but later in the day asked for the protests to continue over the weekend, and a nationwide withdrawal of non-essential services in all health care institutions on June 17. Story continues All emergency and casualty services will continue to function, IMA, which represents nearly 350,000 doctors in the country, said. The federal health minister Harsh Vardhan called for doctors to be protected. "The government must pass a law to make any attack on doctors a non-bailable offence with minimum 12 years of jail," Vardhan, who is himself a doctor, said on Twitter. India spent an estimated 1.4% of its gross domestic product on healthcare in 2017/18, among the lowest proportions in the world. Many millions of Indians depend on the cheap but inadequate public health system. Saradamani Ray, whose 77-year old father is a patient at the NRS Medical College, said she would have to move him because of the strike. "I will have to take my father somewhere else for his dialysis, maybe a private hospital," she told Reuters. "It will cause a lot of financial strain, but there's nothing I can do. I will have to pay." (Reporting by Rupak De Chowdhuri in KOLKATA and Shounak Dasgupta in NEW DELHI; Additional reporting by Subrata Nag Choudhury, Rajendra Jadhav and Devjyot Ghoshal; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Euan Rocha and Angus MacSwan) (Updates with comment from Widodo's lawyer) By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Jessica Damiana JAKARTA, June 14 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Indonesia's opposition leader called on Friday for President Joko Widodo's election victory to be annulled, telling the Constitutional Court it had been achieved through "systematic electoral fraud and abuse of power". The demand came as the court began a hearing into complaints from defeated presidential election candidate Prabowo Subianto, a retired general with strong support among conservative Muslims, who has refused to concede defeat. Official results released by the General Election Commission last month showed Widodo had beaten Prabowo by 11 percentage points to win morLe than 55 percent of votes in the April 17 poll. The dispute has brought weeks of uncertainty and deadly protests in the world's third-largest democracy. "We are filing a lawsuit against the General Election Commission, demanding that it annul its decision on the result of the presidential election," Bambang Widjojanto, the chief lawyer representing Prabowo, told the court. Prabowo and his campaign team want the Constitutional Court to annul the election, disqualify Widodo and his running mate as candidates or hold another election. The court is expected to deliver a verdict by June 28. Widodo has not commented on his rival's accusations of cheating, saying everyone must respect the legal process. The election agency has said there was no evidence of systematic cheating and independent observers have said the poll was free and fair. Clashes broke out between Prabowo's supporters and police in the heart of the capital, Jakarta, last month after the official result was announced and eight people were killed and more than 900 injured. Police have arrested dozens of suspected instigators of the rioing, including a close Prabowo ally accused of orchestrating assassination plots against top government officials. Story continues This week, Prabowo, who has warned of "people power" protests, urged supporters to remain calm through the Constitutional Court proceedings. About 17,000 police and military personnel have been deployed to prevent a repeat of last month's unrest while the court deliberates. There was a small, peaceful protest by opposition supporters near the heavily protected court. Some protesters held placards saying "We demand justice!" Prabowo's legal team pointed to issues with Widodo's campaign financing and use of state apparatus as a campaign tool, saying the election result came about because of "illegal actions, fraud and abuse of power which are structured, systematic and massive". Prabowo's team also said police and military personnel had been "pressured" to vote for Widodo and the government increased civil servants' salaries as an attempt to buy votes. Legal representatives for the election agency and Widodo's campaign team were at the hearing. "There are more theories and assumptions stated in their case than facts ... We can refute all of them," said the chief lawyer representing Widodo, Yusril Mahendra. The next hearing is on Tuesday. (Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor Editing by Ed Davies, Robert Birsel) (Adds details) BISHKEK, June 14 (Reuters) - U.S. actions pose a serious threat to stability in the Middle East, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the leaders of a China-led security bloc including Russia and India on Friday. The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concern about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation. Iran denied any connection with the attacks. Rouhani did not mention the attacks but focused his criticism on U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal last year from world powers' 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. He said Iran continued to honour the accord. "Iran asks the remaining participants in the nuclear deal to immediately their commitments," Rouhani told the meeting in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov Writing by Andrey Kuzmin Editing by Mark Heinrich) (Adds details, background) MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, June 14 (Reuters) - Islamic State's West African branch claimed responsibilty for an attack on a Nigerian army base in northeastern Borno state and said its fighters had killed 20 soldiers. The assault, which raised questions about government claims to have almost defeated the insurgents, took place in the town of Kareto on Wednesday. The barracks were burnt and a tank destroyed, Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) said in a statement published on the SITE Intelligence website. Security sources had said earlier that the base, home to the from the Nigerian Army's 158th Battalion and 130 km (80 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri, had been overun and the commander killed. After the assault, the militants left Kareto, but remained in the area, the sources said. The Nigerian Army did not respond to requests for comment. Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), which split from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram in 2016, has carried out a number of attacks in the northeast over the last few months, including on military bases. The government has said the Boko Haram insurgency, and the rival Islamic State West Africa Province group, are on their last legs. But sustained efforts to eradicate the militants have failed and the military continues to suffer heavy losses. The insurgency has killed more than 30,000 people and displaced millions of civilians in affected areas. President Muhammadu Buhari, in his second-term inaugural speech on Wednesday, said the government providing more support for the security forces in terms of money and equipment. The insurgency has killed more than 30,000 people and displaced millions of civilians in affected areas. (Reporting by Maiduguri newsroom Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha Editing by Angus MacSwan) (Adds court, lawyer comments, background) COPENHAGEN, June 14 (Reuters) - A Danish high court has increased the prison sentence for a former manager of OW Bunker's Singapore arm to five years, after prosecutors appealed against the original 18-month sentence for actions that contributed to the marine fuel supplier's collapse. OW Bunker filed for bankruptcy in 2014 just eight months after listing in Copenhagen, partly due to losses on an estimated $120-$130 million credit line given by its Singapore-based arm to small local company, Tankoil Marine Services. Last year, a Danish city court found Lars Moller, former head of the Singapore subsidiary Dynamic Oil Trading, guilty of approving credit beyond his mandate, hastening the collapse of OW Bunker - then the world's leading supplier of bunker fuel. Moller had also appealed against the 18-month sentence, seeking to have it overturned. "This is a big shock and the outcome is a very big negative surprise," one of Moller's defence lawyers, Arvid Andersen, told Reuters after Friday's court decision. The Western High Court said the former manager had been found guilty of very gross breach of trust involving a large sum of money, significantly contributing to OW Bunker's bankruptcy. "The defendant was continually informed about the problems with Tankoil without reacting, while during the whole period incorrect and misleading information was given to the management of OW Bunker with the defendant's knowledge," the court said in its verdict. The 2014 bankruptcy sent shockwaves through the global shipping industry and left investors and business partners scrambling to cover their losses. Hedging losses of almost $300 million at OW Bunker's Danish headquarters also contributed to the collapse, a marked change of fortunes for a company valued at $1 billion when it listed in March that year. (Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Mark Potter) (Adds comment from Ryanair) By Daphne Psaledakis MONS, Belgium, June 14 (Reuters) - Belgium's labour laws can apply to Ryanair employees based in the country, a local court ruled on Friday, in a case that could set a precedent elsewhere in Europe and upholds a 2018 agreement reached between the airline and Belgian unions. A series of strikes in 2018 prompted the Irish airline to agree to apply Belgian law to cabin crew and pilots based in the country. The union and airline finished negotiations, including on salary increases, last month. The ruling at the Mons labour court, under which employees can decide whether to be covered by Belgian or Irish labour laws, reinforces the agreement and will prevent the airline from taking disputes to court in Ireland, said Yves Lambot, a representative of the CNE union. "This is a great union victory for all of Europe," he said after the ruling. "It will allow all workers, be they Belgian or from other European countries, to be able to consult the court they consider the best." Ryanair said in a statement the ruling only recognised the agreement it had made with Belgian unions to apply Belgian labour laws for those on Belgian contracts. "This decision by the Mons Court will have no effect, and set no precedent since it only recognises the contractual arrangements already agreed last year by Ryanair with its crews in Belgium," the statement said. The case was first brought forward in 2011 by six former employees of Ryanair and Crewlink, a recruitment agency for Ryanair, based at Charleroi airport in Belgium. The former employees will return to court in February next year to seek compensation for previously not being treated as if covered by Belgian labour laws. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Mark Potter and David Evans) (Adds details and quote from Mexico-U.S. accord, resignation of Mexican official) By Frank Jack Daniel and Julio-Cesar Chavez MEXICO CITY/EL PASO, Texas, June 14 (Reuters) - The United States has doubled the number of asylum seekers it sends back each day to Mexico from El Paso, Texas, a Mexican immigration official said on Friday, in the first sign of action following a deal struck to avert U.S. tariffs last week. Luis Carlos Cano, a spokesman for Mexico's national immigration agency in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, said starting Thursday some 200 asylum seekers per day were being sent back, up from 100 previously. Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexico agreed on June 7 to expand the program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, or 'Remain in Mexico,' which forces mostly Central American asylum seekers arriving at the U.S. southern border to await the outcome of their U.S. asylum claims in Mexico. Remain in Mexico currently operates in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. Close to 12,000 people have been returned to Mexico since it began in January. However, Mexico has not accepted that the United States send it an unlimited number of asylum seekers, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, ahead of planned meetings with U.S. officials on Friday to determine details of the expansion. "Today there is a meeting with U.S. authorities, to learn, to discuss the ports of entry and how the number will be measured, because Mexico has not accepted that it be undetermined," Ebrard said at a news conference. The agreement has put Mexican officials under mounting pressure to deliver results. The head of Mexico's National Migration Institute, Tonatiuh Guillen, resigned on Friday for "personal reasons," an interior ministry official said. 'SAFE THIRD COUNTRY' If enforcement measures are not successful after 45 days, Mexico has also agreed to consider making itself a "safe third country." Asylum seekers who first set foot on Mexican soil would have to apply for refugee status in Mexico instead of in the United States. Story continues Mexico's government on Friday published the section of the joint accord which said Mexico would examine any changes to its legislation necessary to permit a safe third country arrangement to come into force 90 days after June 7. The document also stated that such an agreement was intended to be "part of a regional approach to burden-sharing" in processing migrants' asylum claims. Ebrard said this week that if Mexico could not stem the flow of people, a regional system should be established to bind in other countries crossed by migrants en route to the United States, including Guatemala, Panama and Brazil. A rights group in Guatemala on Friday lashed out at the proposal to make asylum seekers from Honduras and El Salvador seek refuge in Guatemala, when its own citizens were fleeing poverty and violence. Trump confirmed the deal included the safe third country plan if Mexico did not do enough to cut migration. Asked in a Fox News interview if that possibility was part of the accord, Trump said, "It's exactly right, and that's what's going to happen." Trump also named Tom Homan as "Border Czar." Homan is a veteran of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and served as the agency's acting head during the first year of Trump's presidency. He retired last year, after increasing arrests of non-criminal immigrants. (Reporting by Frank Jack Daniel in Mexico City and Julio Cesar-Chavez in El Paso; additional reporting by Makini Brice and Susan Heavey in Washington and Dave Graham in Mexico City Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Rosalba O'Brien) * Harvard-educated economist Sandu is new prime minister * Old government resigns but wants new election * Sandu to Reuters: priority is fight corruption, election reform * Says her coalition "not a natural alliance" (Adds U.S. State Department comment) By Matthias Williams CHISINAU, June 14 (Reuters) - Moldova's new prime minister Maia Sandu consolidated her power on Friday as her predecessor resigned, appearing to ease a crisis that shook the country for the past week as two rival governments jostled for control. Sandu took office last weekend as the head of a new coalition government designed to fight corruption and remove a party led by tycoon Vladimir Plahotniuc from power. But Plahotniuc's Democratic Party called her a usurper and insisted Prime Minister Pavel Filip was still in charge. Filip stepped down on Friday but demanded a snap election and refused to recognise Sandu's government as legal. The crisis threatened more instability for one of Europe's smallest and poorest countries, where the West and Russia vie for influence. Moldova has been dogged by scandals and the emigration of citizens to Russia or wealthier European countries to find work. Sandu is the country's eighth prime minister since 2013. "I have a message to the entire world. Moldova is finally free," Sandu told a televised briefing. Earlier on Friday in an interview with Reuters, she laid out some of her government's priorities: fight corruption, sack dishonest officials, make the electoral system fairer and get foreign aid flowing. "The biggest challenge of the country is that people are leaving. It's the young people who are leaving." UNLIKELY ALLIANCE After a February election produced a hung parliament, Sandu, a Harvard-educated former World Bank economist, became head of a coalition government comprising her ACUM bloc and the Socialist party of President Igor Dodon. It is an unlikely alliance ACUM wants Moldova to join the EU, while Dodon wants closer ties with Russia. Story continues Sandu told Reuters her government will adhere to Moldova's current international agreements, including a political and trade pact with the EU rolled out in 2014. "This is not a natural alliance. There is no question about it, and probably half a year ago nobody would have said that this could happen," she said. She is keen to ensure Moldova receives two outstanding tranches of aid from the International Monetary Fund before the current programme expires in November. Sandu joined politics in 2012 as an education minister, where she became well known for her efforts to clamp down on rampant cheating during exams. Tackling corruption on a national scale would likely prove popular as it is one of voters' biggest concerns. Plahotniuc's Democratic Party said Sandu had missed a legal deadline to form the government and the Constitutional Court last weekend declared her government invalid. It suspended Dodon temporarily to allow Filip as acting president to declare an election in September. Sandu and Dodon ignored the ruling. The crisis led to two rival governments issuing orders. Sandu's ministers could not enter government buildings, which were surrounded by police and Plahotniuc's supporters. She ran her government out of offices in the parliament. When the man Sandu appointed interior minister tried to enter police headquarters earlier this week, it ended in a scuffle with officers in helmets and balaclavas. Russia supports the new government. The EU, which froze aid to Moldova last year, said it was "ready to work with the democratically legitimate government". The U.S. State Department said it was "encouraged that both the new coalition and the former government have committed to a peaceful transfer of power reflecting the will of the people of Moldova." Sandu accuses Plahotniuc of corruption and trampling on democracy. Plahotniuc's camp says such allegations against him are politically driven lies, and that Sandu's government would let Moldova fall into Moscow's orbit. Filip, for his part, has accused Sandu and Dodon of subverting democracy and called their administration an "illegal, Kremlin-backed government". He resigned on Friday but said he only did so because of the pressure being put on his administration. "Our resignation does not unblock the legal process, because the constitutional crisis continues," he said. Sandu called on the Democratic Party to withdraw its supporters from surrounding government buildings and desist from protests. (Additional reporting by Alexander Tanas; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Sonya Hepinstall) * Women say too little has changed since 1991 strike * They earn a fifth less than men for comparable work * Protesters bang pots, march, wave slogans (Adds comments from striker, Lagarde, estimate of participants) By Marina Depetris and Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi GENEVA/ZURICH, June 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of women across Switzerland held a strike on Friday to highlight their wealthy nation's poor record on female rights, recreating the passion of the last such walkout 28 years ago. In Zurich, the financial capital and the country's biggest city, tens of thousands of protesters clogged the streets, blowing whistles and banging pots and pans. "Men, go do the ironing," one sign read. "It's not just about wages. The equal opportunity is not there. At least for the next generation it needs to be there," Zurich city councilwoman Karin Rykart said as hundreds of municipal workers and police officers demonstrated. Despite its high quality of life, Switzerland lags other developed economies in female pay and workplace gender equality. Friday's event echoed a strike in 1991, five years before the Gender Equality Act came into force. That banned workplace discrimination and sexual harassment and protected women from bias or dismissal over pregnancy, marital status, or gender. But more than 20 years later, women still earn less than men, face routine questioning of their competence, and encounter condescension on the job, they say. Organisers say the strike draws attention to wages, violence against women, and the need for greater representation in positions of power and more equitable family policy. Christine Lagarde, the first woman to lead the International Monetary Fund, joined in while addressing an event in Geneva. "At this point in time if I were true to my colours I would actually turn my back to you and express in that way the fact that I am actually on strike - but you might be disappointed," she said. Story continues "So instead of this I am actually wearing this (lapel pin) out of solidarity with the Swiss women who claim equality in terms of salaries and a few other things." The SGB labour union federation estimated 100,000 people joined the strike by midday, with more participating from 3:24 p.m., when women technically work for free given wage discrimination. "THINGS DIDN'T CHANGE" Swiss women earn roughly 20% less than men. While that is an improvement from about a third less in 1991, the discrimination gap meaning differences that cannot be explained by rank or role has actually worsened since 2000, government data show. On June 14, 1991, women blocked trams during a sit-in in the heart of Zurich's financial district and gathered outside schools, hospitals and across cities with purple balloons and banners to demand equal pay for equal work. That came a decade after basic gender equality was enshrined in the Swiss constitution and less than three months after women for the first time were allowed to participate in a regional vote in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. "We have realised that even after this first strike in 1991, things didn't really change. Equality is enshrined in the constitution, but real, material, effective equality doesn't exist for all women," said organiser Tamara Knezevic, 24. The World Economic Forum found Switzerland ranked 34th for economic participation and opportunity and 44th for wage equality in a 2018 study of 149 countries. See Factbox on 9 leading Swiss women (Additional reporting by Denis Balibouse in Lausanne and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Raissa Kasolowsky) (Recasts, adds quotes, changes slug for some media clients) WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was ready to launch talks with Iran whenever it was ready, even as he blamed Tehran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. "We want to get them back to the table," Trump told Fox News in an interview. "I'm ready when they are," adding that he was in "no rush." Asked how to he planned to address Tehran and stop any further incidents, Trump said: "We'll see what happens." Thursday's attacks raised questions about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key commercial route, and what steps the United States may take to protect the area. U.S. officials have said the United States would defend its interests. "They're not going to be closing it. It's not going to be closed. It's not going to be closed for long," Trump said. The Trump administration has blamed Iran for the attack, citing a video made from a U.S. aircraft that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards on patrol boats drawing up to one of the ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the blasts and removing an unexploded limpet mine. "Iran did do it," Trump told Fox. "It's essentially got Iran written all over it... I guess they didn't want the evidence left behind." Tehran has called to U.S. accusation alarming and wrong. The Gulf of Oman connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jeffrey Benkoe) (Adds details and background) By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday to discuss trade and other hot-button issues facing the tech company as Trump deliberates whether to make good on his threat to hike tariffs on imports from China. Trump's meeting with Cook was disclosed by daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump during an event that Trump held with governors on skills development. Cook is a frequent visitor to the White House and has worked with Ivanka Trump on her job training and education initiatives. The president often name-checks Cook as a business leader who has brought jobs and investment back to the United States. On Thursday, Trump spoke with Cook about "trade, U.S. investment, immigration and privacy," White House spokesman Judd Deere said. A spokesperson for Apple could not be immediately reached for comment. The meeting comes as Trump weighs whether to go ahead with proposed increases to tariffs in his trade war with China. He has said he will make a decision some time after the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan at the end of June, where he hopes to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump is using tariffs to push Xi to change a host of Chinese trade practices, but negotiations have flagged. Makers of consumer electronics like phones and tablets have escaped the brunt of tariffs to this point but likely would be affected by the next hike. U.S. authorities are also preparing to probe market power of large technology companies, according to sources. Cook has defended his company, saying it has a moderate share of the market and is not too large. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton Editing by James Dalgleish and Cynthia Osterman) (Adds quotes, background) ANKARA, June 14 (Reuters) - Turkey will "take reciprocal steps" if the United States imposes sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400 defences, the Turkish foreign minister said on Friday, marking the latest step toward a standoff between the NATO allies. "If the United States takes any negative actions towards us, we will also take reciprocal steps," Mevlut Cavusoglu, the minister, said when asked about possible U.S. sanctions in an interview broadcast on Turkish TV. Ankara and Washington have sparred publicly for months over Turkey's purchase of the S-400 missile systems, expected to be delivered as early as next month. Washington has said that would trigger U.S. sanctions and sent a letter warning that Ankara would be pulled out of the F-35 jet programme. The Turkish lira weakened to as far as 5.93 against U.S. dollar after the comment, to its weakest level in two weeks. "We are determined on the S-400 issue. No matter what the results will be, we will not take a step back," Cavusoglu said, adding it is impossible to cancel the order. The S-400s are not compatible with NATO's defence systems and Washington says they would compromise its F-35s, which Turkey also plans to buy. Turkey has proposed that the allies form a working group to asses the impact of the S-400s, but has yet to receive a response from the United States. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Jonathan Spicer) (Adds banking watchdog statement) ISTANBUL, June 14 (Reuters) - A Turkish court has accepted an indictment requesting a jail sentence for two Bloomberg reporters and 36 other people after a complaint about the reporters filed by the country's banking watchdog (BDDK). The indictment, seen by Reuters, was in relation to a Bloomberg story published in August 2018. The article was about the effects of a sharp decline in the Turkish lira and how authorities and banks were responding. Worries about the Turkish central bank's independence and Turkey's tense ties with Washington sparked a currency crisis last year in which the lira shed nearly 30%. Bloomberg reporters Kerim Karakaya and Fercan Yalinkilic are accused of trying to undermine Turkey's economic stability, charges that carry a jail sentence of between two and five years. The other 36 defendants are accused in connection with social media comments on the story, or comments deemed critical of Turkey's economy, the indictment said. The BDDK, Turkeys banking regulator, issued a statement on Friday evening saying that it had filed a criminal complaint to the Istanbul chief prosecutor's office on Aug. 14 last year regarding the story and three Bloomberg journalists. "The necessary legal avenues will be resorted to in the future concerning similar publications that could damage the prestige of our banks and our economy or harm our sector," it added. In a separate statement, Turkey's securities markets regulator, the Capital Markets Board, said it had filed a criminal complaint to Istanbul prosecutors regarding the social media posts of some individuals. The board did not name the individuals or specify how many it was complaining about. It said they had sought to create tension in markets and cause harm to investors. The first session of the trial will be held on Sept. 20, according to Bloomberg. "We condemn the indictment issued against our reporters, who have reported fairly and accurately on newsworthy events," Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait said. "We fully stand by them and will support them throughout this ordeal." Last year, Turkey's Interior Ministry said it had identified 346 social media accounts carrying posts about the exchange rate that it said created a negative perception of the economy. It said it would take legal measures against them but did not specify what these would be. (Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, Pravin Char and Kevin Liffey) (Adds U.S. Department of Justice comment, paragraph 8) By Andrew Chung and Jonathan Stempel June 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a victory in his effort to ban most transgender people from the military, ordering a judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to take effect. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday set aside a ruling by U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, which had said the ban likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender service members and recruits. Without ruling on the merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court said Pechman did not give the military's judgment enough deference, and ordered her to give it more. That finding could strengthen Trump's position, though the government still had the burden of justifying his policy. Sharon McGowan, legal director of Lambda Legal, which represents opponents of the ban, said she believed the decision foreshadowed the eventual "vindication of the constitutional right of the transgender service members who have been harmed by this policy." Pechman is one of four federal judges to rule against Trump's policy toward transgender military personnel. In January, the Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority, lifted lower court injunctions against the policy, while allowing legal challenges to continue. Kelly Laco, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said that agency will continue defending the ban, which lets the Pentagon "continue implementing a personnel policy it determined necessary to best defend our nation." Trump, a Republican, announced the transgender ban in July 2017, saying the military needed to focus on "decisive and overwhelming victory" without being burdened by the "tremendous medical costs and disruption" of having transgender personnel. The move marked an about-face from a landmark policy announced in 2016 by Democratic President Barack Obama, which let transgender people serve without fear of being discharged, and receive medical care to transition genders. Story continues In March 2018, Trump backed a revised policy from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that disqualified most transgender people with a history of gender dysphoria from military service, and people who have undergone gender transition steps. Medical experts define gender dysphoria as distress from the internal conflict between physical gender and gender identity. The policy also allowed those military personnel diagnosed with gender dysphoria under Obama's policy to serve according to their gender identity. In April 2018, Pechman extended her injunction to the revised policy, finding no evidence that transgender troops reduced the military's effectiveness, and saying the ban undermined the dignity of those troops. On Friday, the appeals court said the revised policy "discriminates on the basis of transgender status" but was nevertheless "significantly different" from the 2017 ban. "On the current record," the court said, "a presumption of deference is owed, because the 2018 policy appears to have been the product of independent military judgment." The government, nevertheless, still bore the burden of showing the policy significantly furthered its important interests, "and that is not a trivial burden," the court added. Friday's decision related to an August 2017 lawsuit by current and aspiring Army and Navy personnel, including one stationed overseas with nearly 20 years of experience. Washington state later joined the plaintiffs. (Reporting by Andrew Chung and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Tom Brown) Tiffany Kelly's 10-year-old son with learning disabilities poses for a picture. (Credit: Tiffany Kelly) After a 10-year-old boy was confronted by law enforcement for having fake money, his mother is saying her nightmare has come true. Tiffany Kellys son has ADHD, non-verbal learning disorder; he may also have autism spectrum disorder. When he expressed excitement about learning to count cash, the 43-year-old mom bought him play money to use from Amazon. While the bank note looks similar to a U.S. $100 bill, it has bright red Chinese characters near Benjamin Franklin and dark black dashes through the numerals to distinguish it as a phony currency. I didnt think it would be a huge problem because there are marks that distinguish it from being real, Kelly tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The money that Tiffany Kelly purchased from Amazon has bright red chinese characters and dark dashes across the numerals to denote the bank note is fake. (Credit: Tiffany Kelly) But on the morning of May 14, Kellys son boarded the bus to his elementary school with his fake bills. And, as Kelly explained in a Change.org petition, passed out the money to his peers in an attempt for socialization. The bus driver later found one of the faux bank notes at the bus depot. Believing the money to be counterfeit, the driver and the bus supervisor called in local authorities. After reviewing surveillance footage showing the bill belonged to Kellys kid, a police officer went to the childs elementary school to interrogate the fourth-grader. There, the principal and officer questioned the boy about the phony bills. The officer determined there was nothing to investigate. Tiffany Kelly poses with her 10-year-old son who lives with learning disabilities. (Credit: Tiffany Kelly) Because of how the situation was handled (Kelly claims she wasnt notified of the polices presence until after the incident was declared a false alarm), Kelly believes that her son is the victim of racial profiling. My childs right were violated because he doesnt understand the magnitude of what could have happened, Kelly says. All children are the same but they are not treated the same, they are not disciplined the same. I'm angry that the people I trusted my son with, have proven to me that I really don't know who I can trust. Kelly has sent the petition, which has more than 400 signatures, to the Montgomery County board of education, the school districts superintendent, the director of transportation and the local police chief. Story continues The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) denies any wrongdoing. Captain Tom Jordan, the MCPD director of public information, says the department was simply doing its job, even going beyond policy to notify Kelly of the questioning after the fact. I understand her concerns and her fears in this day and age. The conversations we had with the young man notifying the mom is what we should be doing and thats exactly what we did, Jordan tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Disability or race was not involved in this at all. We were investigating the case, but not based on race or gender. Kelly says the school has made amends with her and is planning meetings to discuss how things could have been handled differently. Montgomery County Public Schools have yet to respond to Yahoo Lifestyles requests for comment. She is, however, not as pleased with MCPDs less apologetic response. I am disgusted by their inability to recognize that they could have handled this a lot better ... and I respect them so much. They have one of the hardest jobs in the nation, Kelly says. Until they can at least say let's work on doing better, I don't think that I will be satisfied. Because every day, for a parent like me, is another day of anxiety and worry. And until I don't have to worry about that again, I don't think that I will be satisfied. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Man devastated after police dump grandmother's ashes on ground during search Police officer gives homeless man shoes off his own feet Police officer buys groceries for financially strapped family after finding boy trying to buy snacks by himself Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver From Car and Driver This review has been updated with test results. The popularity of the Toyota Prius is shrinking faster than the polar icecaps. In 2016, sales dipped below 100,000 units for the first time since 2004. And even with the January arrival of the new 2019 AWD-e modelwhich Toyota says should be good for a quarter of salesthe company's flagship hybrid is expected to sell just 50,000 units this year. Low gasoline prices are partially to blame, but Toyota is also culpable. Redesigned fascias for the 2019 model are its admission that when the fourth-generation Prius debuted for 2016, it was an ugly baby. With less-angry headlights and a smoother, more conservative look, the new face and derriere can only be seen as an improvement, one applied to front-drive and all-wheel-drive cars alike. Some resurfacing inside replaces the blinding-white plastic trim that seemed dated from new with piano-black pieces, polishing the idea that after 20 years the Prius is still an aspirational product. Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver But it's the shift in consumer tastes toward compact crossovers that has most impacted the Prius. Toyota's own RAV4 hybrid rivals its sales pace, even with a base price that's almost $4000 higher and federal fuel-economy estimates that start with 3s rather than 5s. If you're looking for an answer to the "Why all-wheel drive? Why now?" questions, this is it. It doesn't hurt that Toyota is already selling a nearly identical all-wheel-drive Prius in Japan, simplifying this marketing move. The AWD-e system adds a stand-alone electric motor, packaged within the rear multilink suspension such that it does not intrude on the car's cabin or luggage compartment. The only connection between this compact, 7-hp motor and the standard 121-hp front-drive powertrain is electronic; there is no physical driveshaft. With our XLE test car weighing in at 3233 pounds, the system adds about 120 pounds. The extra mass and driveline mass also ding EPA fuel-economy estimates a bit, to 50 mpg combined versus the front-drive variant's 52 to 56 mpg (depending on trim level). In our (rather aggressive) normal driving cycle, however, the new car averaged 44 mpg, and it posted 47-mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test loop. Both of those figures are slight improvements over those of the last non-Prime Prius we tested, a 2017 model driving only two wheels. Story continues Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver The only other significant change to the Prius that comes with adding all-wheel drive is in battery chemistry: All-wheel-drive cars use nickel-metal-hydride battery packs rather than lithium-ion. Do not imagine that the AWD-e system will be good for taking a Prius rock crawling or desert racing. All-wheel-drive cars come with only a 0.2-inch increase in ground clearance over the standard Prius, to just 5.3 inches, and the all-wheel-drive system is active only under 43 mph. Its purpose is merely to improve traction and allow the Prius to pull away from a stop during slippery conditions. Slowly, of course. After the car reaches 6 mph, drive to the rear wheels switches from full-time to part-time mode and the Prius experience becomes mostly indistinguishable from the front-drive car. The all-wheel-drive model's 10.8-second zero-to-60-mph run at the test track is 0.3 second off the pace of the front-driver's already painfully slow dawdle. During a brief test drive on dry pavement, we were able to shake loose some rear-drive assistance during aggressive cornering, although this served more to confirm the existence of the rear motor than to improve handling. AWD-e does not bring with it any sort of performance-enhancing torque vectoring; the Prius is still happy to understeer. A few circles in a roundabout showed a narrow window of all-wheel-drive operation until stability control aggressively steps in. Lateral grip around the skidpad remains meager at 0.80 g. Given the sedate pace that most Prius drivers maintain, the rear wheels will rarely be powered, which is the way Toyota wants it, a necessity to maintain the Prius's fuel-sipping EPA numbers. On a short snow-covered course, however, the rear motor helped to get the car moving from a stop as promised and kept it plowing through an inch or two of the white stuff. Photo credit: Chris Doane Automotive - Car and Driver What all-wheel drive won't do is help in the stopping department. At 194 feet, our test car's 70-mph-to-zero braking performance is worse than some full-size pickup trucks' and 14 feet longer than we've recorded previously. Prius AWD-e models come shod with the same 15-inch, low-rolling-resistance Dunlop Enasave 01 A/S tires as front-drive Prius models. A good set of winter tires, even fitted to a front-drive Prius, would bring greater traction benefits to stopping as well as going. Mounted and balanced on a spare set of wheels, complete with TPMS sensors and wheel covers and shipped to your house from Tire Rack, these would run about $900. By comparison, the upcharge for all-wheel drive in a $25,910 Prius LE is $1400, and in the $28,750 XLE, it's $1000. Those are the two middle levels in Toyota's new Prius trim naming strategy; all-wheel drive is not available on the top-of-the-line Limited or the entry L Eco. Our XLE example also tacked on the $800 Advanced Technology package (head-up display and adaptive headlights), $433 in all-season floor mats, and several smaller items for a final tally of $32,113. As an addition to the Prius lineup the AWD-e certainly ticks another box. Its improvement in winter capability should be well received in the Snow Belt, even if this new Prius won't convince anyone to give up their Subaru. More important, the refreshed styling means anyone looking at a Prius will no longer have to shield their eyes. You Might Also Like Washington (AFP) - Earlier this year, Democrats took a stand and refused to allow Fox News, the reliably pro-Donald Trump broadcaster, to participate in the party's 2020 presidential debates. But if America's most-watched cable network isn't coming to the debate party, many of the Democratic candidates are instead heading over to Fox, intent on broadening their exposure to its audience. On Thursday, Julian Castro became the fifth Democrat this year to sit for a town hall on the network controlled by Rupert Murdoch. The Obama-era cabinet member, the only Latino running in the field of 23 Democrats, wasted no time laying into the president. Castro said it was "unprecedented" for Trump to sit at his Oval Office desk as he did Wednesday and state he could use dirt provided by foreign governments on political opponents. "We're going to look back on this as Americans -- not Republicans or Democrats, or liberals or conservatives -- and say, 'What in the hell was wrong with that president?'" Castro said. The blunt criticism of Trump made for startling viewing on the conservative-leaning network, but such episodes are increasingly common. Fox has become a vital platform for Democrats eager to attract new voters, with some of them even taking aim at the channel for its attacks on progressive policies espoused by the candidates. In 2015, Democrats aiming to succeed president Barack Obama appeared less concerned with showcasing themselves on Fox, which had its hands full that cycle with 17 Republican candidates. Today, with Trump reveling in his shock 2016 victory and critics recalling then-nominee Hillary Clinton's failure to reach out sufficiently to independent and right-leaning voters in places such as Michigan, several Democrats have changed their tune. Castro follows Fox appearances in recent months by Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Kirsten Gillibrand. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio is reportedly in talks to attend a Fox town hall, while ex-congressman Beto O'Rourke said last month he would "absolutely" appear on Fox. Story continues The parade of Democrats has led the network's most important viewer, Trump, to blast its status as a power player in the opposition party's nominations battle. "Fox is moving more and more to the losing (wrong) side in covering the Dems," Trump groused in May after Buttigieg -- a gay military veteran and mayor of South Bend, Indiana -- earned a standing ovation at his Fox town hall. Buttigieg had directly attacked two of Fox's most prominent hosts -- Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson -- for their comments about immigrants. But he made the point that, despite catching heat from some progressives, it was important to go on Fox to "find people where they are" in order to be "truly connecting with Americans coast to coast." - 'Good strategy' - Buttigieg and other Fox-willing Democrats are onto something, according to Boston University professor Tobe Berkovitz, who studies politics and communication. "It's a good strategy because they're having it both ways," he told AFP. "They're appearing on Fox, so it shows they want to be open to tough questions from people who might not at the moment be supporting them," Berkovitz added. "But it also shows they will not put up with what these candidates see as biased or denigrating." Gillibrand, a New York senator whose campaign has struggled to gain traction, became the subject of must-see TV in her June town hall when she waded into a confrontation with Fox host Chris Wallace over how the network addresses the issue of late-term abortion. "I want to talk about the role that Fox News plays in this because it's a problem," Gillibrand said. "Fox News talked about infanticide. Infanticide, it doesn't exist," she added, before Wallace cut her off to say Gillibrand wanted to "attack" Fox to boost her credentials. "I'm not sure it's frankly very polite when we've invited you to be here," he added. The event got back on track, but Gillibrand scored a critical point: making a large audience aware of her stance on important, sensitive issues. But not all candidates are rushing the Fox den. Last month, Elizabeth Warren, the liberal US senator from Massachusetts, pulled no punches when saying she was boycotting the network. "Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists," she tweeted. Appearing on Fox has clearly benefited others, such as Sanders, who won over his April town hall audience on the divisive issue of health care. When anchor Bret Baier polled them on whether they would be willing to transition to government-run insurance proposed in Sanders' Medicare-for-all plan, the crowd burst into applause. The town hall drew some 2.55 million viewers, nearly double the 1.35 million who watched Sanders on CNN on February 25. Orlando Sentinel Jayden Gibson was supposed to be enrolling for the spring semester at the University of Florida in a few weeks. Thats where he wanted to be to start his college football career. Its where his heart was. Its where his mother and father went to college and where they met. Kelvin Gibson was even a walk-on football player for the Gators. Sometimes things just dont work out the way they were ... Photo: Montys Good Burger/Yelp Craving burgers? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top burger hot spots in Los Angeles, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to achieve your dreams. 1. The Black Sheep Photo: Alex P./Yelp Topping the list is The Black Sheep. Located at 126 E. Sixth St. downtown, the pub and gastropub, which offers burgers and more, is the most popular spot for burgers in Los Angeles, boasting 4.5 stars out of 1,025 reviews on Yelp. 2. Burger Factory PHOTO: alan d./YELP Hollywood's Burger Factory, located at 5802 Santa Monica Blvd., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the spot to score fast food burgers four stars out of 144 reviews. 3. Monty's Good Burger Photo: Montys Good Burger/Yelp Monty's Good Burger, a vegan spot that offers plant-based burgers and more in Koreatown, is another much-loved go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 1,281 Yelp reviews. Head over to 516 S. Western Ave. to see for yourself. 4. The Morrison PHOTO: The Morrison/YELP Over in Atwater Village, check out The Morrison, which has earned 4.5 stars out of 4,104 reviews on Yelp. You can find the gastropub and bar, which offers signatures burgers and more, at 3179 Los Feliz Blvd. 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: Charles H Wright Museum of African American History/Yelp From a historic celebration to Father's Day, there's plenty to enjoy in Detroit 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. Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration 1- 6 pm only From the event description: The Juneteenth Jubilee is an inclusive, annual tradition by The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and a team of passionate community members to commemorate Juneteenth and freedom for all people. Our mission is to appreciate and honor the experiences and contributions of African Americans by celebrating, educating, and empowering community members in the city of Detroit. We are seeking vendors, partners, sponsors, contributors, entertainers, and anyone who wants to contribute to making this event a great success. When: Saturday, June 15, 1-6 p.m. Where: Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Ave. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Queen Conversation: Twerk and Tacos Edition From the event description: Come fellowship with The New Queens at our first event. We will have girl talk, learn and show off dance moves while enjoying tacos. When: Saturday, June 15, 4-7 p.m. Where: BAM Best Artist Management, LLC, 19954 Livernois Ave. Admission: $25 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Mercy Bakery Charity Event From the event description: On June 15, , this ladies-only event will host a variety of local businesses for a bazaar, dinner, raffle, fashion show and etc. Join Us. All proceeds will go to Humanity For Relief And Development Organization. When: Saturday, June 15, 5-10 p.m. Where: Gates of Columbus Banquet Hall, 9632 Conant St. Admission: $20 Click here for more details, and to get your tickets Soul Journ Music Series From the event description: Story continues Join us Saturday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. for a Juneteenth celebration. This is a soul journ pop up music series at yum village with three acts, 30-minute session. There will be live performances by: Blaksmith, Mic Phelps & The Plug and Til Infinity Records. When: Saturday, June 15, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Where: YUM VILLAGE, 6500 Woodward Ave. Admission: Free Click here for more details, and to get your tickets A Celebration of Fatherhood From the event description: We are celebrating fatherhood. This Father's Day we are having a free appreciation dinner for 30 fathers who are making a difference in their children lives. If you are a father, your invited. Please register, we want to celebrate you. If you have a father, step father, grandfather or even a father figure, who you would like to celebrate, please come. You will even have a few moments to share words of appreciation to your father. Dinner is free, but you must register and we have prepared a special gift for every father who shows up. When: Sunday, June 16, 4-6 p.m. Where: LWSC Community Circle, 16300 Harper Ave. 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. It looks like 6ix9ine finally caught a lucky break, albeit a temporary one, with the dismissal of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. Last October, just weeks before he and five affiliates were arrested on racketeering charges, 6ix9ine made news for canceling a concert at the Washington, D.C. venue Echostage minutes before the show was scheduled to beginand for appearing as a surprise guest at Power 105's Powerhouse Concert at the Prudential Center in New Jersey that same night. As a result of the no-show, 6ix9ine was sued last December by promoters Benhur Tesfalidet and Anton Alexander for $5.3 million. Also named in the suit were the rapper's soon-to-be codefendant Kifano "Shotti" Jordan; 6ix9ine's former manager Christian Ehigiator; husband-and-wife team Steve and Tashea Ferguson of MTA Booking, Inc. (a company 6ix9ine would accuse of stealing from him days before his arrest, claims they deny); another booking agent, Will Cornish; and iHeartMedia, the company behind the Powerhouse concert. On Friday, the lawsuit, which was filed in D.C. District Court, was dismissed following a request by Tesfalidet and Alexander's lawyer. Alexander told Complex that they plan to continue their legal battle, however. "Due to the developing news with 69s other major case[, n]ewly discovered facts affect some of our claims so we will be refiling to specifically address the additional facts and related claims," he wrote in an email. Steve and Tashea Ferguson's attorney, Bruce DelValle, told Complex that he was happy about the outcome, and ready if the refiled charges include the MTA Booking heads. Story continues "[Steve and Tashea] actually stepped in to try to help the situation and try to get Tekashi to show up, which at that point in time in his career was becoming a more problematic issue than previously," he said. "It's in the category of 'No good deed goes unpunished.' They did nothing wrong. They were never paid any money. They were actually out money. They just got caught in the net with this promoter. We felt it was a frivolous lawsuit against our client. Clearly, there was some issue of whether Tekashi showed up like he was supposed to, but that had nothing to do with my clients. My clients were not the agents for Tekashi 6ix9ine. They weren't even the booking agents. They were just trying to help by getting the kid to show up. And what they got for that was a loss of some money and a federal lawsuit. So we're delighted that they decided to see the brighter light and dismiss the case. If they're foolish enough to refile, we'll go after them for fees and costs." The now-dismissed complaint details a year-long struggle to get 6ix9ine to play a show in D.C. On Oct. 25, 2017, shortly after the video for 6ix9ine's breakout hit "Gummo" was released, Tesfalidet says he contacted the rapper's team to get him to play a show at the Bliss Nightclub for $7,000. After multiple cancelations and attempts to reschedule, the fee for the Oct. 28, 2018 performance at Echostage was upped to $60,000. Following the controversy around the show's cancelation, 6ix9ine addressed the issue on Instagram Live. He said at the time that "the people did not pay me. They was working with some corrupt scamming fuckingWhoever saying they was in charge of me wasn't in charge. They paid some people that, the money never came to me. So I'm not going to a show I wasn't paid for." Tesfalidet claims in court documents, backed up by text messages, that he coordinated with Shotti to deliver $44,970 of the fee in cash, with the remainder having previously been paid during the multiple rounds of cancelations and reschedulings. One fun detail revealed in the documents: the suit's exhibit A includes a rider for an early attempt to book the show at Echostage, for February 2018. 6ix9ine's provisions backstage were to be one bottle of Balvenie, one bottle of Macallan, two bottles of Hennessey, a 24-pack of Essentia water, and a fruit tray. These companies would be hurt in a downturn. In a bear market, quality companies weather the storm best and ultimately survive to thrive during the next bull market. Unfortunately, companies with poor fundamentals and deteriorating businesses are typically the most vulnerable stocks. These companies can be the first to lose business and market share when customers get tight with their spending. In addition to the risk of bankruptcy, these stocks also tend to take the biggest hits when investors trim the fat to shore up their portfolios. Here are seven stocks to avoid in the next bear market, according to former Kase Capital hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. Community Health Systems (ticker: CYH) Community Health Systems owns, leases or operates 160 hospitals in 22 different U.S. states. CYH stock is already down 92% in the past five years. Starting in 2005, Community Health Systems spent roughly a decade taking on massive amounts of debt to acquire the majority of its hospitals. Since 2005, debt skyrocketed from $1.6 billion to $16.4 billion, yet same-store patient admissions at the company's mostly rural hospitals dropped more than 20 percent. Tilson says the combo of rising debt and a business in secular decline makes CTH stock a long-term loser. J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) Mall retailer J.C. Penney is having enough trouble surviving in a decade-long bull market. It may take a miracle for it to make it through the next economic downturn. Despite aggressively closing its worst-performing stores, management says investors can expect same-store sales to continue to decline in the middle single digits through at least the end of 2019. Inventories were down 16% in the first quarter, yet gross margins still fell by 0.5%. Fitch recently downgraded J.C. Penney's credit rating to B-, citing the company's negative free cash flow and $3.9 billion in debt. AT&T (T) At first glance, AT&T may look like a great defensive stock to buy during a market downturn. The stock pays a 6.4% dividend and it trades at a forward earnings multiple of just 8.7. However, Tilson says AT&T is a classic value trap. Bank of America is projecting earnings per share growth of less than 3% annually for at least the next three years. In addition, the firm is projecting revenue will contract in 2020 and 2021. AT&T's value is solid, but its business is stagnant with little clarity on long-term growth. Story continues IBM (IBM) Tilson describes the IBM business model as an "inexorably melting ice cube." IBM management has been promising a new direction for years, but that transition has been extremely slow-moving. In the first quarter, IBM reported 12% cloud revenue growth and 15% growth in its "as-a-service" revenue. Unfortunately, overall revenue was still down 4.7% due to the secular decline in IBM's core legacy business. Tilson says investors shouldn't be fooled by IBM's single-digit forward earnings multiple or its 5% dividend yield and should avoid the stock ahead of the next bear market. Children's Place (PLCE) Children's Place shares have performed relatively well over the past three years. The company reported a 4.6% decline in same-store sales in the first quarter. First-quarter comp sales were better than the double-digit declines the company called for in its guidance. However, management said the second quarter is off to a slow start, with same-store sales down 20% and e-commerce sales down in the single digits compared to a year ago. Management expects a return to same-store sales growth in the second half of 2019, but Tilson says PLCE stock is "absurdly overvalued." Conn's (CONN) Conn's is a brick-and-mortar retailer of home furnishings and appliances. However, the company also offers credit services to its credit-constrained customers. CONN stock is up 95% over the past three years as the company eliminated some of its worst-performing product segments and improved its financing standards. However, financing customers with lower-quality credit is a recipe for disaster in an economic downturn, as mortgage lenders in the early 2000s learned the hard way. Tilson says investors should be extremely careful with CONN given that the company is essentially a "subprime lender masquerading as a retailer." Hertz Corp. (HTZ) Ridesharing companies Uber (UBER) and Lyft (LYFT) disrupted the taxi industry, but Tilson says they are also putting major pressure on rental companies like Hertz. Epsilon-Conversant recently reported that 56% of previous car rental customers stopped renting cars completely in the past three years. Tilson says privately held Enterprise is also gaining share from within the rental market. Enterprise is larger and more efficient than Hertz, according to Tilson. To make matters worse, Hertz reported a net loss of $147 million in the first quarter and has $16.3 billion in net debt. Stocks most hurt in a bear market. Community Health Systems (CYH) J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) AT&T (T) IBM (IBM) Children's Place (PLCE) Conn's (CONN) Hertz Corp. (HTZ) Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place (Credit: Paramount) High-concept, low-budget hit A Quiet Place laid out a particularly harrowing vision of the apocalypse. Stalked by alien creatures with hyper-sensitive hearing, the silent world of the Abbott family (lead by real-life husband and wife John Krasinki - the movies director - and Emily Blunt) was crushingly tense and claustrophobic. Read more: Bieber walks back Cruise UFC challenge Once it became a smash - it made nearly 270 million on a tiny 13 million budget - a sequel was inevitable, and now we're getting some steer on what the story might involve. New cast-member Brian Tyree Henry let slip a few key ideas that will be explored in an interview with Observer. (Credit: Paramount) Well see more of that family continuing to survive and finding out that theyre not the only ones, he said. And I think that were also going to get a few answers to the origin of where and how this whole thing happened. I think that people want to know that. But I think youre just going to see another side of it more of humanity that survived this thing in this next story. Read more: Reviews land for Toy Story 4 It's notably not mentioned how the alien apocalypse came about in the first movie, so there could be some storyworld expanding going on here. Blunt will be joined once again by young stars Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, while Irish actor Cillian Murphy is signed up too. It's due for release on March 20, 2020. Illustration by Emma Darvick In the landmark 1973 case of Roe v Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized a woman's constitutional right to abortion, but maintained that states could prohibit the procedure once the fetus reached viability the point at which a fetus is capable of sustaining life outside the womb if those policies met certain requirements. Since then, the Supreme Court has consistently reaffirmed the fundamental right to abortion, while also allowing states to determine new limits on a woman's ability to obtain one. While most states abortion laws establish a legal window under which abortion may be performed, all allow the procedure to preserve the life and health of the mother, and most allow termination in the case of severe fetal anomalies. Here are the current laws in your state as of June 2019: Alabama In May 2019, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill to make the procedure a felony in the state. The most restrictive ban in the nation, the new abortion bill outlaws nearly all instances of the procedure, and allows no exceptions for the products of rape or incest. Set to take effect in six months at the earliest, current law allows women to terminate prior to 22 weeks gestation. Alabama is home to just one abortion clinic. Alaska Alaska legislators last week introduced the "Life at Conception Act," a bill that would ban legal abortion in the state and classify abortion as murder subject to felony assault/homicide charges. Until the bill is passed and enacted, abortion remains legal without restrictions in the state. Arizona Abortion is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy. Arkansas Arkansas outlaws abortion after 20 weeks. California Abortion is legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Colorado Outpatient abortion is available up to 26 weeks. Connecticut Abortion is legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Story continues Delaware Delaware allows abortion up to the 20th week of gestation. Florida Abortion is legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Georgia In May 2019, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a "heartbeat bill" banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Barring challenges, the measure is set to go into effect January 1. Until then, abortion remains legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Hawaii Abortion is legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Idaho Abortion is legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Illinois Illinois abortion laws allow for the procedure up to the 25th week of pregnancy, while requiring parental notification for a minor's abortion at least 48 hours prior to the procedure. Indiana Abortion is legal up to the 22nd week of pregnancy. After viability, an abortion is only allowed in Indiana to protect the health of the mother and must be performed in a hospital with a premature birth unit, if available, and in the presence of a second physician. Iowa In June 2018, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down the state's unconstitutional 72-hour abortion waiting period. Abortion is legal in Iowa up to the 20th week of pregnancy. Kansas A ruling last month by the state Supreme Court found for the first time that the Kansas Constitution protects the right to an abortion up to 22 weeks of gestation. Kentucky This month, Kentucky lawmakers passed a so-called "heartbeat bill" that effectively prohibits abortions after six to eight weeks of pregnancy, when doctors can typically start detecting a fetal heartbeat. While struck down by a judge, the ban is expected to face a lengthy court battle. For now, abortion remains legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy at Kentucky's one abortion clinic. Louisiana Louisiana Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards says he'll sign an abortion "heartbeat bill" that comes to his desk should it clear the state Legislature. Introduced earlier this month, the bill faces one final vote in the state House. Abortion is currently legal up to the 20th week of pregnancy except for threats to a woman's health. Maine Abortion is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy. RELATED: Understanding Abortion Methods and Procedures Maryland Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones said last week she will most likely push legislation to protect abortion rights in the Maryland Constitution. While legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy, Maryland allows exceptions for fetal abnormality. Massachusetts Abortion is legal up to the 24th week of pregnancy, with exceptions made for cases of maternal life and health. Michigan Abortion is legal in Michigan up to 19.6 weeks gestation following a mandatory 24-hour waiting period. Minnesota In May 2019, state lawmakers introduced provisions in the Senate's Health and Human Services finance bill to make abortion illegal after 20 weeks. The procedure is currently legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Mississippi In March 2019, Gov. Phil Bryant signed a "heartbeat bill" banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Like the Alabama law, the heartbeat bill does not allow exceptions for rape or incest. Mississippi has one abortion clinic which currently performs abortions up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Missouri Missouri's Governor Mike Parson signed a law in May 2019 banning most abortions in the state after the eighth week of pregnancy, one of the strictest bans in the U.S. It bans abortion in almost all cases, including when the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, but allows exceptions when the mother's life is in danger. Abortion is currently legal in Missouri up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Montana Abortion is legal up to the 25th week of pregnancy. Montana's post-viability abortion restriction states that no abortion may be provided after viability unless necessary to preserve the woman's life or health. Nebraska In May 2019, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts tweeted, "Nebraska is a pro-life state, and we support the brave pro-life champions and their work in Alabama and Georgia." Ricketts later issued this statement: "(Fetuses) don't have their own voice. So that's why we've been congratulating other states that have been going out there and passing pro-life legislation," he said. "We are going to continue to look for the pro-life legislation we can pass here in our state. We've passed a number of bills here, and we want to continue to do that." Abortion is currently legal in Nebraska up to 22 weeks' gestation. Nevada Nevada law allows mothers to have a doctor-induced abortion within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. After 24 weeks, abortion in the state is legal if the mother's life or health is in danger. Currently awaiting a vote by legislators, a new bill introduced here the Trust Nevada Women Act would modify state statute to eliminate requirements to verify the age of mothers seeking abortion and the requirement that doctors obtain written consent that would preclude coercion by a third party. The bill would also remove criminal penalties for providers of abortion-inducing drugs and allow non-doctors to perform abortion procedures. New Hampshire There are no restrictions to abortion in New Hampshire. While providers are prohibited from carrying out abortions on minors without giving 48 hours advance notice to parents, there is no requirement that parents consent. New Jersey New Jersey does not have any abortion restrictions. New Mexico New Mexico does not have any abortion restrictions. New York New York does not have any abortion restrictions. North Carolina Abortion in North Carolina is legal up to 20 weeks. A pregnant woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion, and then wait 72 hours before the procedure is provided; she must also undergo an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, and the provider must offer her the option to view the image. The parent of a minor must consent before an abortion. North Dakota Abortion in North Dakota is legal up to 22 weeks' gestation. A pregnant woman must receive state-directed counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion, and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. The parents of a minor must consent before an abortion. Ohio In April 2019, Ohio lawmakers "enacted the "Human Rights Protection Act," outlawing abortions as early as five or six weeks into a pregnancy. While the bill does include an exception to save the life of the woman, it has no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Until the law takes effect in July, abortion remains legal in Ohio up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Oklahoma In April 2019, Republican Greg Treat, leader of the Oklahoma Senate, introduced legislation modeled after existing laws in a handful of states that would "trigger" a state ban on abortion and make it a felony if Roe v. Wade were overturned. Currently, abortion in Oklahoma is legal up to the 22nd week of pregnancy. Oregon Oregon protects the right to abortion throughout the entire pregnancy. Pennsylvania Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania up to the 24th week of gestation, although the patient must receive state-directed counseling and wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided. Rhode Island Abortion is legal in Rhode Island up to the 24th week of pregnancy. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has pledged to sign the state's pending "fetal heartbeat" bill when it reaches his desk. Abortion is currently legal in South Carolina up to 22 weeks' gestation. South Dakota A "trigger law" in South Dakota means abortion would be banned if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned. Abortion is legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, but state law mandates state-directed counseling and a 72-hour waiting period. Tennessee After an initial appointment, there is a 48-hour waiting period before an abortion can be performed. Abortion in Tennessee is illegal after 20 weeks. Texas In May 2019, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would ban abortions on the basis of the sex, race or disability of a fetus, and criminalize doctors who perform what opponents call "discriminatory abortions." Abortion is currently legal in Texas up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Utah In 2016, the Utah Legislature passed a bill in 2016 that requires doctors to administer anesthesia or painkillers for a fetus before any abortion at 20 weeks gestation or later the first law of its kind in the country. Vermont Vermont has no legal restrictions on abortion. Virginia Abortion is legal in Virginia up to 25 weeks. Post-viability, the procedure can be performed if the pregnancy threatens the mother, is a result of rape or incest or involves fetal impairment. Washington Abortion in Washington State is legal up to 25 weeks' gestation. West Virginia A "trigger law" in West Virginia means abortion would be banned if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned. Abortion is legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, but state law mandates state-directed counseling and a 72-hour waiting period. Patients can receive an abortion up to 20 weeks during their pregnancy at the state's single abortion clinic. Wisconsin While abortion is legal in Wisconsin up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, lawmakers recently introduced a so-called "born alive" bill addressing an extremely rare occurrence in which a baby is born alive during a failed abortion attempt. Under the bill, abortion providers would be required to care for babies that survive an abortion. Failure to do so would be a felony punishable by up to six years in prison and a provider convicted of killing such a baby would face life in prison. Wyoming Abortion is legal in Wyoming up to 25 weeks of pregnancy. Airbnb has launched adventure travel experiences that include everything from treks in the Amazon jungle to camping on a cliff in Colorado and hunting for UFOs in Arizona. Airbnb Adventures is an expansion of Airbnb Experiences featuring "off-the-beaten path" bucket-list trips for intrepid thrill-seekers looking to expand their horizons and the boundaries of their comfort zones. Airbnb Experiences sells guided tours and experiences by locals. The initial offerings include 200 trips that range in price from $79 to $5,000 for a 10-day trek, guided by locals. Tours have a maximum capacity of 12 people to create a more intimate atmosphere. To mark the launch of the new expansion, Airbnb has launched an around-the-world trip inspired by the Jules Verne's book "Around the World in 80 Days." The trip takes guests across six continents, 18 countries, two oceans and eight modes of transportation, including a hot air balloon. The voyage can be booked as of June 20, departing September 1 from London. Other adventure trips on offer for the launch phase include camping off the side of a cliff in Colorado, a mystical Oman trek and a culinary kayaking trip around Swedish islands. PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus said on Friday it had signed an agreement with European buyer countries for a revised contract for its delayed A400M military transporter plane. Reuters reported on Thursday that the parties had reached an agreement on a new contract. Airbus said the agreement with OCCAR, which represents Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, Belgium and Luxembourg, included key points such as new capabilities development plan, a new production delivery schedule and new financial terms. Under the new financial terms, it said the partners agreed on the implementation of a revised financial retention mechanism which is the amount of cash that buyer countries can hold back while waiting for delayed deliveries. "On the basis of this contract amendment signature, Airbus is fully committed to continue on this positive path and to providing its A400M current and future customers with the most powerful and technologically advanced military transport aircraft available on the market," said Dirk Hoke, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defense and Space. (Reporting by Tim Hepher; Writing by Bate Felix. Editing by Jane Merriman) Algiers (AFP) - Demonstrators rallied in the Algerian capital Friday to keep up their demands for the ouster of all officials linked to the former president, unappeased by the detention of two ex-premiers. The protest came a day after former prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal joined a long list of prominent politicians and businessmen who have been detained as part of investigations into corruption. "Thieves, you have pillaged the country," the crowds of protesters marching in Algiers chanted. "They deserve what they got... and they must be held accountable by the people for their actions," said protester Mohammed, who declined to give his surname. Thursday's supreme court decision against Sellal, an ally of ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, came a day after another former premier, Ahmed Ouyahia, was also remanded in custody as part of a graft probe. "Jailing Ouyahia and Sellal is an excellent thing," said Cherif Tigrin, a 40-year-old carpenter taking part in the massive rally in the centre of Algiers. "But we must continue" to protest as long as Bouteflika's cronies remain in power, he said. Algerians have been holding massive protests since February, after an ailing Bouteflika announced plans to seek a fifth term in office. The veteran leader resigned on April 2 as the pressure against him to quit mounted from all sides, only hours after army chief and close ally General Ahmed Gaid Salah demanding impeachment proceedings against him. Gaid Salah has since emerged as a key power broker in the North African country. Although the army chief has ordered anti-corruption investigations in the country, according to observers, he has not won favour with the demonstrators who are also calling for his departure. "Gaid Salah to the (rubbish) bin," protesters chanted on Friday, according to footage posted online by local journalists. They also called on interim president Abdelkader Bensalah and his prime minister, Noureddine Bedoui, to step down. Story continues Several demonstrators also held up signs to mark the 18th anniversary of the "Black Spring" bloody riots of 2001, sparked by the death of a high school student in a police station in the Kabylie region. The mountainous Kabylie region east of Algiers is home to the largest Berber community in Algeria who have long suffered marginalisation. "April 2001 and February 2019... the struggle continues," read one of the signs. Demonstrations also took place Friday in several other Algerian cities and towns, according to social media reports. It was not immediately clear, however, how many protesters took to the streets nationwide as official figures were unavailable. Weather Alert ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT... * WHAT...For the Winter Weather Advisory, snow. Additional snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills. Wind chills as low as 30 below zero. * WHERE...Portions of northeast Nebraska. * WHEN...For the Winter Weather Advisory, until midnight CST tonight. For the Wind Chill Advisory, until 6 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. && Alyssa Milano was a hot topic on Fox News "The Story With Martha MacCallum" on Thursday because of her criticism of President Trump saying he would be open to accepting information about his political opponents from foreign countries rather than simply alert the FBI. Milano said, via Twitter, Well, thats it. If we accept this as our norm...the nation will never recover. Her tweet was picked over on the news program by MacCallum and Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy, a former congressman from South Carolina, leading to Gowdy accusing Milano of treason. (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court on Friday granted American Airlines Group Inc's request to halt an alleged illegal slowdown by its mechanics' unions that the airline said had become "devastating" to its operations. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted American Airlines, the world's largest airline by passenger traffic, a temporary restraining order against the airline's two mechanics unions demanding the workers stop interfering in American's operations. The restraining order followed a lawsuit and preliminary injunction order that American filed against the unions three weeks ago. The unions have "dramatically expanded their illegal slowdown activities and are creating an operational crisis causing significant damage to American, the traveling public and American's employees," the company said in its request for the restraining order. The District Court ordered the two unions, the Transport Workers Union of America and the International Association of Machinists, to issue a notice to their workers to no longer continue activities such as refusing to work overtime, slowing their job performance or other activities that would negatively affect American's operations, according to the court filing on Friday. American alleged in the lawsuit filed in May that the unions are directing the slowdown to strengthen their position in labor talks that began in 2015. The unions have complained that American is trying to outsource more maintenance jobs, a move American has indicated is necessary to cover increased wages. The slowdown has resulted in 722 flight cancellations since the company filed the lawsuit, the airline said, adding that the number of affected passengers has increased to 11,000 per day since June 7. (Reporting by Soundarya J and Mekhla Raina in BENGALURU; Editing by James Emmanuel and Christian Schmollinger) St. John's (Antigua and Barbuda) (AFP) - A Caribbean airline that helps bind together the region's many island nations has been saved from going under -- at least for now -- by a rescue plan led by the government of Antigua and Barbuda. The 45-year-old LIAT, owned by a handful of regional governments, provides vital service between 15 Caribbean countries, connected by economics and culture but divided by the sea. It operates almost 500 flights a week. Antigua and Barbuda, where LIAT is headquartered and which currently holds a 34 percent share, is poised to become the majority shareholder after Barbados agreed to sell the bulk of its current 49 percent stake. Negotiations are set to commence between Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley and Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who submitted an official proposal last month, to iron out a deal. Barbados was not "turning its back" on the airline, Mottley told her island's parliament recently, but planned to maintain a minimum share. LIAT has been on the brink of collapse in recent months, its troubles exacerbated by the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season which devastated four of its destinations and sent revenue plummeting. The company's debts top US$60 million, much of it owed to the Caribbean Development Bank. Mottley said while she believed regional affordable air travel to be of "critical" importance, financial restraints due to a current IMF-supported national austerity program had forced Barbados to "take a step back." "The current business model LIAT has is not an attractive one," Mottley told Parliament. "Significant restructuring is needed and there is no unanimity on the way forward. If others want to try a different methodology they should be given a chance to try." How much Antigua is prepared to stump up has not been finalized but chief of staff Lionel Hurst told AFP it would be a "significant amount of resources." Story continues "LIAT connects us all; the function which LIAT has performed from the very beginning is precisely that," he said. "Back in the day, if you wanted to get freight from Barbados to St Lucia, for example, it was not uncommon for it to go through various other countries on the way. "With LIAT, both freight and passengers have been able to go directly from one port to another and we are determined to ensure that LIAT continues to play that role." Hurst said Antigua planned to increase both the airline's fleet and destinations to include US hubs such as Florida and Georgia, delivering a boost to tourism too. "Without a doubt LIAT can overcome its problems with an increase in its capabilities," he continued, adding: "LIATs collapse would also spell the end of hundreds of jobs; we will not let that happen." In March, pilots and other workers across LIATs almost 700-strong workforce agreed to a six percent pay cut to slash operating costs. LIAT's other shareholders include the governments of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Dominica. A tiny percentage is owned by private investors and employees. More than just a commercial entity, LIAT is described by its CEO Julie Reifer-Jones as "a private company with a strong public interest." The airline has only made a profit once (2009). While Caribbean governments have traditionally borne the losses, they face constant pressure from taxpayers to reduce them. BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) Despite a dark past, today many LGBT citizens in Latin America are enjoying the right to marry, choose their gender identity and adopt children. But while laws in several of the region's biggest countries are changing that doesn't necessarily translate into a broader societal shift toward acceptance. Brazil's Supreme Federal Court ruled Thursday that sexual orientation and gender identity should be included in the nation's anti-discrimination law, providing a new layer of protection for LGBT people. The decision comes at a sensitive moment in Brazil's history: Leading the country is a president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has openly expressed his disdain for same-sex couples, going so far as to say he'd prefer to have a dead son than a gay one. Studies of homicide reports indicate Brazil is the most dangerous place in the world to be transgender. Experts say Latin America needs to address long-standing cultural biases, racial and income inequality in order to make the region safer for LGBT people. Here's a look at how far Latin America has advanced in protecting gay and transgender rights and what gaps in equality remain. ___ THE RIGHT TO BE GAY Decades ago, several Latin American governments were ruled by iron-fisted governments that considered homosexuality a scourge to the silenced. In Argentina, a far-right military dictatorship disappeared tens of thousands of suspected leftist dissidents. Advocates have long contended that gay activists suffered disproportionately, though their cases have received far less attention. In the late 1970s during Brazil's military regime, a nascent LGBT community was similarly muted by a government with strict censorship laws that pushed gay publications and demonstrators to quit or go underground. Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas penned an anguishing account of the harassment and confinement he endured as a gay man in post-revolutionary Cuba, where homosexuality was seen as a remnant of the detested bourgeoisie. Story continues Today most Latin American nations no longer consider homosexuality a crime, but in the Caribbean that is not the case. In former British colonies like Jamaica, a law declaring the "abominable crime of buggery" punishable with up to 10 years in jail remains on the books. Activists have presented several legal challenges and are optimistic such laws will soon be obsolete. "In all those countries organizing is happening," said Mauro Cabral Grinspan, executive director of the Global Action for Trans Equality advocacy group. "And I really believe that we are going to see change in the next five years." ___ SAME-SEX UNIONS Today a half-dozen nations in Latin America formally recognize same-sex marriage, with Ecuador joining the list on Wednesday. Argentina was the first country in Latin America to approve gay unions and today has some of the most progressive LGBT policies in the world. A handful of other cities and nations grant similar benefits but do not accept gay marriage. There are various influences driving what scholars like Bard College professor Omar Encarnacion refer to as "Latin America's gay rights revolution." He points to both a new surge in activism that followed the end of Latin America's military dictatorships and the fading sway of Catholicism. While four of every 10 Catholics worldwide reside in the region, they are no longer a majority in several countries, according to the Pew Research Center. The number identifying as non-Catholic Christians in turn has soared. Some worshippers are fleeing the pews entirely while others are migrating to evangelical churches offering more contemporary services. A widening gulf from the Catholic Church has made it easier for some political and community leaders to back policies like gay marriage. "Unquestionably, Latin America is the champion of LGBT rights in the Global South," Encarnacion said, referring to low and middle income nations. ___ GAY RIGHTS REVOLUTION In a few places, the wave of activism is going beyond marriage to grant rights like allowing more expansive definitions of gender identity and permitting same-sex couples to expand their families by subsidizing in vitro fertilization. Argentina is particular is considered a global pioneer in expanding LGBT rights and has one of the region's most open gender identity laws. Individuals who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth can change it without authorization from a doctor or a judge. More and more Latin American nations are also allowing LGBT people to serve in the military. Before Brazil's recent Supreme Court ruling, several countries already had anti-discrimination laws on the books that included protections for gender and sexual orientation. Javier Corrales, a political science professor at Amherst College, said despite the ruling's shortcomings it has important implications. "It conveys to all actors the importance of respecting sexual and gender diversity," he said. "Brazil is not the first. But it is not late." ___ INTOLERANCE PERSISTS Even as laws change, scholars and advocates are quick to note that discrimination and violence remain rampant across the region. South American nations like Brazil, countries in Central America and the Caribbean in particular are signaled out as poor environments for LGBT people. According to the rights group the Grupo Gay da Bahia, 420 LGBT people were killed across Brazil in 2018, while at least 141 have been killed so far this year. "Crime is complex," Corrales said. "And it requires more than good laws." Evangelical groups that helped buoy Bolsonaro to the presidency remain an influential bloc likely to continue resisting any legislative initiatives. Overall, it remains to be seen how strictly Brazil will enforce its anti-discrimination law. Cabral Grinspan said many in the LGBT community are skeptical of criminalizing homophobia because it gives power to distrusted institutions like the judiciary. Rather than boosting a sense of security, the activist fears the new measure will be utilized as another way for police to put poor Brazilians behind bars, without addressing the root causes of violence and harassment against gay and transsexual individuals. "It's giving more power to corrupted police institutions," Cabral Grinspan said, "and doesn't contribute at all to social change." WASHINGTON President Donald Trump Friday blamed Iran for the attack on two international oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman as he and other administration officials escalated their rhetoric on Tehran. Iran did do it, Trump said during a lengthy phone interview on Fox and Friends. "We don't take it lightly, that I can tell you." Iran has denied any involvement and has accused the United States of trying to mar a visit to Tehran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning, Irans foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted Thursday. The attacks spurred fears of rising tensions in the Middle East and led to a spike in oil prices. Heres what we know about the attacks and the fallout: What happened? Two tankers reported at dawn Thursday they had been attacked about 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet said it received two distress calls and sent the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge to the scene. The attack took place as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrapped up a visit to Tehran aimed at improving relations between Iran and the United States. A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019 reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from Norwegian owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. Was Iran involved? No nation or group has claimed responsibility, and Iran denies it was involved in the attack. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters on Thursday the attack was the work of Iran. Pompeo said the assessment was based in part on U.S. intelligence, the expertise needed for the operation and other recent incidents in the region, which the U.S. also has blamed on Iran. In his Fox News interview on Friday, Trump also blamed Iran, which he called a nation of terror. As evidence, he pointed to a video released by the U.S. military that officials say shows Irans Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz. The black-and-white footage suggests the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. Story continues The video, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. militarys Central Command on Friday, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous. Tehran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the Tanker War, when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region. More: Sporadic attacks from Iran could spike oil prices, says US think tank TOPSHOT - A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian news agency Tasnim on June 13, 2019 reportedly shows an Iranian navy boat trying to control fire from Norwegian owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. - Suspected attacks left two tankers in flames in the waters of the Gulf of Oman today, sending world oil prices soaring as Iran helped rescue stricken crew members. The mystery incident, the second involving shipping in the strategic sea lane in only a few weeks, came amid spiralling tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has pointed the finger at Iran over earlier tanker attacks in May. Subject : IRAN OIL TANKER 5 (Photo by - / TASNIM NEWS / AFP)-/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HH6NY Other ships have been attacked? The attack Thursday drew parallels to a similar attack last month off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia said in May that four oil tankers were sabotaged, which caused "significant damage" to the vessels. One of the ships was en route to pick up Saudi oil to take to the U.S. An investigation blamed explosive sea mines, and Saudi Arabia and the United States blamed Iran. Iran denied involvement, although Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Like what you're reading?: Download the USA TODAY app for more What does this mean for the Middle East? The immediate impact was on oil prices, which shot up as much as 4% following the attacks and rose another 1% on Friday. Long term, the attacks could further escalate tensions with the U.S., which already have been high after the Trump administration pulled out of an international nuclear agreement with Tehran last year. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly threatened to block traffic in the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for U.S. sanctions on Iran. But Trump predicted Friday that Iran wont follow through with that threat. They're not going to be closing it, he said on Fox. If it closes, it's not going to be closed for long. And they know it. And they've been told in very strong terms. Contributing: John Bacon and The Associated Press. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'We don't take it lightly': What we know about oil tanker blasts and Donald Trump's escalating rhetoric on Iran Nizza Pizza. | Photo: Brenda D./Yelp Looking to satisfy your appetite for Italian fare? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable Italian restaurants around Arlington, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to fill the bill. 1. Nizza Pizza Photo: Gigi E./Yelp Topping the list is Nizza Pizza. Located at 965 W. Lamar Blvd., Suite 108, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, is the highest rated low-priced Italian restaurant in Arlington, boasting 4.5 stars out of 116 reviews on Yelp. Nizza Pizza came to Texas in 1999 after the original Nizza Pizza was opened in New York City in 1974 by the Lushaj family. 2. New York's Best Pizza Photo: Stephanie W./Yelp Next up is New York's Best Pizza, situated at 2107-D Sherry St. With 4.5 stars out of 56 reviews on Yelp, the Italian spot, which offers pizza and sandwiches, has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for a cheap option. New York's Best Pizza is made with fresh ingredients and features pizza by the slice, stromboli, calzones and nine different kinds of pasta. 3. Brooklyn's Best Pizza & Pasta Photo: Christina N./Yelp Brooklyn's Best Pizza & Pasta, an Italian spot that offers pizza and more in Southeast, is another inexpensive go-to, with four stars out of 144 Yelp reviews. Head over to 2425 S.E. Green Oaks Blvd. to see for yourself. Brooklyn's Best Pizza & Pasta was established in 1997 and offers pizza by the slice or whole pie, plus calzones, stromboli and more. 4. New Yorker Pizza & Pasta Photo: AShley S./Yelp Over in East, check out New Yorker Pizza & Pasta, which has earned four stars out of 104 reviews on Yelp. Dig in at the Italian spot, which offers pizza and desserts, by heading over to 1301 N. Collins St., Suite 217. New Yorker Pizza & Pasta is family-owned operation located near AT&T Stadium, and features pizza and calzones. 5. Italy Pasta Pizza & Subs Photo: Akil A./Yelp Last but not least, there's Italy Pasta Pizza & Subs, an East favorite with four stars out of 81 reviews. Stop by 2221 Browning Drive to hit up the Italian spot, which offers pizza and more, next time you're in the mood for cheap eats. Appetizers, salads and pizza rule the menu at Italy Pasta Pizza & Subs. The restaurant has been around for 18 years and makes its pies with fresh ingredients. 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. Paris (AFP) - Art expert Eric Turquin is not only convinced that a canvas found in the attic of an old house in southwest France is a Caravaggio -- he believes it is a revolutionary masterpiece. France's leading authority on Old Masters paintings has staked his reputation on the assertion that the work -- left forgotten under an old mattress for 100 years -- is the fiery Italian artist's lost "Judith and Holofernes". The painting depicting a grisly biblical scene of the beautiful Jewish widow Judith beheading a sleeping Assyrian general will be displayed in Paris on Friday before it goes under the hammer on June 27 in Toulouse, the city where it was discovered five years ago. Turquin said it should sell for between 100 and 150 million euros (up to $170 million). "Not only is it a Caravaggio, but of all the Caravaggios that are known today, this is one of the great pictures," he insisted. "The painting is in an extraordinarily good state, much better than the Caravaggios I have seen in Naples," he told AFP. But although everyone agrees on the quality of the work, a minority of experts -- particularly in Italy -- have their doubts. They believe it is a copy made by the Flemish artist Louis Finson, who worked alongside Caravaggio as he painted. But Turquin is adamant it is the original from 1606 whose existence was first noted in letters between Italian dukes and art dealers four centuries ago. - 'Turning point' - He is more convinced than ever since the canvas was cleaned in January, a process that took three weeks. On top of X-rays, the cleaning "has shown that the painting was changed a lot as it was painted, with lots of retouching. That proves it is an original," Turquin said. "Copyists don't make changes like that, they copy," he added. A less virtuoso version of the scene by Finson hangs at the Palazzo Zevallos in Naples. Standing in front of what has been called the "Toulouse Caravaggio" in a strongroom above his Paris office, Turquin showed the telltale trace of how the artist had changed his mind about which way Judith should be looking. Story continues "After five years of reflection, no one has put up a counter-argument," said the expert, accusing the Italian doubters of "pronouncing against the painting without seeing it. "They say it's impossible because Caravaggio painted (no more than) 65 canvases... For them the history of art is set." Turquin said the painting marked a turning point in Caravaggio's development as an artist. The fiercely original painter had created his first canvas on the theme, the far more formal "Judith Beheading Holofernes" in 1598, which hangs at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. - Condemned to death - But by 1606 Caravaggio's life had changed dramatically, and he was on the run for murder. He fled to Naples after being condemned to death for stabbing a man in a street brawl in Rome. "He was painting faster, more spontaneously and more strikingly," said Turquin, adding that the painting reflects his now darker view of life. "In one place, he made a brushstroke nearly a metre long. He did Judith's sleeve and the lace on it in one go. He was a virtuoso with the paintbrush. "He changed his style, painting 'risparmio' (sparingly), using the black background and painting accentuating strokes onto it. This is particularly visible on the sheet." Other experts have speculated that Finson could have added his own touches to the canvas after Caravaggio left suddenly for Malta in 1607, where he hoped he might be safer from his enemies. Turquin said that he kept the "Toulouse Caravaggio" in his bedroom for 16 months "while art historians, insurers and restorers came to view it. "We wanted to wait until we were sure before coming forward" and announcing the discovery to the world in April 2016 after the Italian Caravaggio expert Nicola Spinosa also gave it his imprimatur. The painting will be sold in Toulouse by Marc Labarbe, the provincial auctioneer who discovered it after a local family asked him to value some "old things in the attic" of a house they were clearing. The family -- who have not been named -- believe it may have been brought to France by one of their ancestors, an officer in Napoleon's army. The Corsican invaded the then Kingdom of Naples in 1806 and put his brother Joseph on the throne. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG recently acquired Abram Interstate Insurance Services, Inc. The terms of the transaction have not been revealed. Rocklin, CA-based Abram Interstate Insurance is a property/casualty managing general agency that offers a full range of commercial, agri-business and personal insurance products. The company caters to retail agents and their customers largely across California. The acquisition is a strategic fit as it will help Arthur J. Gallagher consolidate its presence in California, enhance product portfolio and capitalize on the growth opportunities there. Arthur J. Gallagher is one of the top five global brokers, having a presence in the United States, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Since 2002 through 2018, the company closed 507 buyouts that helped it expand its global presence as well as grow its revenues and profits. Also, Arthur J. Gallagher closed 11 brokerage acquisitions in the first quarter of 2019 that should add about $71.2 million of annualized revenues. So far this quarter, the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) insurance broker has already made 11 acquisitions. In the second quarter of 2018, the company had acquired 12 companies with $145.2 million of annualized revenues. Given its solid capital position, the company is well poised to pursue more strategic buyouts. The company remains focused on its long-term growth strategies of delivering organic revenue growth and pursuing strategic mergers and acquisition. It is also focused on productivity improvements and quality enhancements that should help it post sturdy numbers in the future. Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher have gained 11.6% quarter to date, outperforming the industrys rise of 10%. The companys policy to ramp up its growth profile and capital position should continue to drive share price higher. There have been a host of acquisitions in the insurance space of late given the significant capital available. Brown & Brown of Kentucky, Inc., a subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc. BRO, acquired United Development Systems, Inc. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. HIG acquired The Navigators Group, Inc. A Stock to Consider A better-ranked insurer is eHealth, Inc. EHTH, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. eHealth provides private health insurance exchange services to individuals, families, and small businesses in the United States and China. The company delivered positive earnings surprise of 512.20% in the last reported quarter. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Story continues Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Brown & Brown, Inc. (BRO) : Free Stock Analysis Report eHealth, Inc. (EHTH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (HIG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! While ASM Pacific Technology Limited (HKG:522) shareholders are probably generally happy, the stock hasn't had particularly good run recently, with the share price falling 12% in the last quarter. But at least the stock is up over the last three years. In that time, it is up 32%, which isn't bad, but not amazing either. View our latest analysis for ASM Pacific Technology 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. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. ASM Pacific Technology was able to grow its EPS at 28% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. The average annual share price increase of 9.7% is actually lower than the EPS growth. Therefore, it seems the market has moderated its expectations for growth, somewhat. The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers). SEHK:522 Past and Future Earnings, June 14th 2019 It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on ASM Pacific Technology's earnings, revenue and cash flow. What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, ASM Pacific Technology's TSR for the last 3 years was 42%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. Story continues A Different Perspective We regret to report that ASM Pacific Technology shareholders are down 27% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 14%. 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 0.4% per year over five years. 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 forming an opinion on ASM Pacific Technology you might want to consider the cold hard cash it pays as a dividend. This free chart tracks its dividend over time. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on 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. London (AFP) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's full extradition hearing to face espionage charges in the United States will begin in February, an English judge ruled on Friday. The whistleblower is accused by Washington of violating the Espionage Act after releasing classified military and diplomatic files in 2010 about US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, in a case that has upset defenders of press freedoms and human rights. In his first appearance since being transferred to Britain's top-security Belmarsh prison in April after police sensationally dragged him out of the Ecuadoran embassy in London, Assange told the court: "175 years of my life is effectively at stake." Speaking at Westminster Magistrates Court in London via video-link from jail, and sporting a scraggly white beard, he added: "WikiLeaks is nothing but a publisher." The 47-year-old Australian could be sentenced to 175 years in a US prison if convicted on all charges. The US Justice Department, which submitted the formal extradition request after Ecuador terminated Assange's seven-year asylum stay, has filed 18 counts against him. He is currently serving a 50-week prison sentence for violating bail conditions by fleeing to the embassy in 2012 when he was wanted on accusations of sexual assault in Sweden. England's Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said the full hearing, expected to last for five days, would start on February 25. Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson called the US charges "a direct attack on free speech and a direct attack on journalism" and said her team would be "raising a large number of objections" to his extradition. She told AFP his health had suffered "in result of his continued confinement inside the embassy and now inside the prison" and he was now being housed in a healthcare ward in Belmarsh. "He is under a huge amount of pressure and -- under very difficult circumstances -- facing a significant, complex case of huge size and scale," Robinson said. Story continues - 'Hostile intel service' - WikiLeaks' initial revelations about civilian casualties and embarrassing statements made by US officials about foreign leaders were published in coordination with newspapers such as The New York Times and The Guardian. Those stories redacted the names and personal details of US operatives and local informants whose lives could have been endangered. But the website found the arrangement too confining and later published the entire load of unedited cables and video files -- hundreds of thousands in all -- online. "WikiLeaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said two days after Assange's arrest in April. Ben Brandon, a lawyer representing the US authorities at Friday's hearing, said the extradition request "related to one of the largest compromises of confidential information in the history of the United States". However Mark Summers, another of Assange's lawyers, told the court there was a "multiplicity of profound issues" over his extradition. "We say it represents an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights," he added. - 'Chilling effect' - Assange entered the Ecuadoran embassy in 2012, fleeing what he claimed was a politically-motivated case against him in Sweden. A Swedish court last week rejected a request to detain Assange on those charges -- a ruling that eases the way for Britain to hand him over to the United States. Assange's legal team and major US newspapers argue that his prosecution could shatter free speech rights and set a dangerous precedent. Human rights groups fear that US authorities want either to put Assange behind bars for life or sentence him to death. "The UK must comply with the commitment already made that he would not be sent anywhere he could face torture, ill-treatment or the death penalty," Amnesty International said on Thursday. A small group of protesters gathered outside the London court on Friday ahead of the hearing, holding banners including one with the message "Free Assange". His case could last far beyond next February's hearing, as there are multiple opportunities for appeal. BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona's acting far-leftist mayor Ada Colau may win a second term in office on Saturday with the support of the Socialists and representatives backed by former French premier Manuel Valls - in a deal aimed at preventing a Catalan pro-independence leader taking the job. Local elections in May produced a fragmented result in Spain's second-largest city: Colau's Barcelona en Comu (Barcelona in Common) and the separatist Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Catalonia's Republican Left) parties each won 10 seats, while the Socialists got eight and Valls' group took six. City hall votes to pick a new mayor on Saturday. The winning candidate will need the support of 21 representatives. The outcome has national importance because Spain's acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez may need the support of Esquerra Republicana to be re-elected by parliament in the coming weeks. Colau's party said on Friday its members had voted in favor of her seeking a new term in a deal with the Catalan Socialist Party. Valls, born in Barcelona to a Catalan father and Swiss-Italian mother, has said he would support Colau or Socialist candidate Jaume Collboni as mayor to avoid a secessionist taking the job. But if no candidate wins the support of 21 representatives, Esquerra's Ernest Maragall would take the job as his party won 5,000 more votes than Barcelona en Comu in the May election. (Reporting by Joan Faus; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Berlin (AFP) - The director of Berlin's Jewish Museum resigned on Friday amid controversy over a tweet he sent linking to an article that criticised the German parliament for passing legislation against the BDS movement, which demands a boycott of Israel. Professor Peter Schaefer proposed his resignation "to avoid further damage" to the Jewish Museum, a statement on its website said. It was accepted, the statement added, but no specific reason for his departure was given. German parliament last month condemned the BDS -- Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) -- as anti-Semitic. Lawmakers said the group uses anti-Semitic methods to promote its political goals -- a claim firmly rejected by the movement, which calls for a cultural boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestinians. Schaefer came under pressure after the tweet of an article that was critical of that parliamentary decision. After the tweet, the Central Council of Jews in Germany said the museum "appears to have totally slid out of control". Professor Peter Schaefer "today proposed his resignation to the chairman of the board of the foundation and Culture Minister Monika Grutters to avoid further harm to the Jewish Museum Berlin," a museum statement said. Schaefer, director of the museum since September 2014, had recently had his contract extended to stay in post until August 2020, according to the museum. Berlin (AFP) - The director of Berlin's Jewish Museum resigned on Friday amid controversy over a tweet sent linking to an article that criticised the German parliament for passing legislation against the BDS movement, which demands a boycott of Israel. Professor Peter Schaefer proposed his resignation "to avoid further damage" to the Jewish Museum, a statement on its website said. It was accepted, the statement added, but no specific reason for his departure was given. The German parliament last month condemned the BDS movement -- which stands for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions -- as anti-Semitic. Lawmakers said the group uses anti-Semitic methods to promote its political goals -- a claim firmly rejected by the movement, which calls for a cultural boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestinians. BDS recently called for artists to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest held in Tel Aviv last month. "'Don't buy' stickers of the BDS movement on Israeli products remind one of inevitable associations with the Nazi call 'Don't buy from Jews', and other corresponding graffiti on facades and shop windows," said the non-binding resolution in parliament. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the resolution on Twitter as an "important decision". - 'Out of control' - Schaefer, director of the museum since September 2014, had recently had his contract extended to stay in post until August 2020, according to the museum. Schaefer came under pressure after a tweet was sent by the museum encouraging people to read an article by Jewish scholars that criticised the parliamentary resolution. In an interview with Der Spiegel on Wednesday, Schaefer defended the tweet as a "contribution to the discussion" but acknowledged the wording used was unfortunate. Reacting to the tweet, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, criticised the museum as seeming to be "totally out of control". Story continues A museum statement on Friday said Schaefer "today proposed his resignation to the chairman of the board of the foundation and Culture Minister Monika Grutters to avoid further harm to the Jewish Museum Berlin". The spokeswoman for the museum that wrote the tweet was also dismissed for violating the neutrality rule of a publicly funded institution, the daily Suddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday. The museum has been repeatedly criticised by Israel for its "anti-Israeli stance", according to the German media. In March, Schaefer sparked uproar by welcoming the head of the cultural affairs department at the Iranian Embassy in Berlin, Seyed Ali, to his house to discuss a possible display of archival photos of Iranian Jews, reported Suddeutsche Zeitung. Issues related to anti-Semitism and Israel remain extremely sensitive in Germany, which has a culture of atonement over atrocities committed during World War II Anti-Semitic crimes rose by 20 percent in Germany last year, according to interior ministry data which blamed nine out of 10 cases on the extreme right. Investors target businesses that generate profits on a regular basis. In order to gauge the extent of profit, there is no better metric than the net profit margin. A higher net margin reflects a company's efficiency in converting sales into actual profit. Moreover, this metric lends an insight into how well a company is run and the headwinds hounding it. Net Profit Margin= Net profit/Sales * 100. In simple terms, net profit is the amount a company retains after deducting all costs, interest, depreciation, taxes and other expenses. In fact, net profit margin can turn out to be a potent point of reference to gauge the strength in a company operations and cost-control measures. Also, higher net profit is essential for rewarding stakeholders. Further, strength in the metric not only attracts investors but also draws well-skilled employees that eventually add to the value of the business. Moreover, a higher net profit margin compared to its peers gives the company a competitive edge. Pros and Cons Net profit margin helps investors gain clarity on a companys business model in terms of pricing policy, cost structure and manufacturing efficiency. Hence, a strong net profit margin is preferred by all classes of investors. However, net profit margin as an investment criterion has its own share of pitfalls. The metric varies widely from industry to industry. While net income is a key metric for investment measurement in traditional industries, it is not that important for technology companies. Moreover, the difference in accounting treatment of various items especially non-cash expenses like depreciation and stock-based compensation makes comparison a daunting task. Further, for companies preferring to grow with debt instead of equity funding, higher interest expenses usually weigh on net profit. In such cases, the measure is rendered ineffective while analyzing a companys performance. The Winning Strategy Story continues A healthy net profit margin and solid EPS growth are the two most sought-after elements in a business model. Apart from these, we have added a few criteria to ensure maximum returns from this strategy. Screening Parameters Net Margin 12 months Most Recent (%) greater than equal to 0: High net profit margin indicates solid profitability. Percentage Change in EPS F(0)/(F-1) greater than equal to 0: It indicates earnings growth. Average Broker Rating (1-5) equal to 1: A rating of #1 indicates brokers extreme bullishness on the stock. Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) generally perform better than their peers in all types of market environment.You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here VGM Score of A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential. Here are six of the 29 stocks that qualified the screen: Chicago-based Enova International Inc. ENVA is a provider of online financial services. The stock has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM Score of A. Further, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has been inched 2% up to $3.37 in the past 30 days. Domiciled in Oak Brook, IL, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. GLDD provides dredging services in the United States and internationally. The stock is a Zacks #1 Ranked player and has a VGM Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings of 68 cents has been reiterated in the past 30 days. North American Construction Group Ltd. NOA is involved primarily in providing services related to mining and heavy construction. The stock has a Zacks Rank of 1 and a VGM Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has been reaffirmed at $1.35 in the past 30 days. Irving, TX-headquartered Blucora, Inc. BCOR provides technology-enabled financial solutions to consumers, small businesses and tax professionals. It has a Zacks Rank #1 and an impressive VGM Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has been constant at $2.2 over the last 30 days. St. George, UT-based SkyWest, Inc. SKYW operates a regional airline in the United States. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 and an attractive VGM Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.09 for 2019 earnings has been flat over the past 30 days. Headquartered in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, Popular, Inc. BPOP is a publicly owned bank holding company, which provides its products and services, primarily to institutional and retail customers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2019 earnings has been stable at $6.59 over the last 30 days. The stock has a Zacks Rank of 2 and a favorable VGM Score of B. Get the rest of the stocks on the list and start putting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and back testing software. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks' portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Blucora, Inc. (BCOR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Popular, Inc. (BPOP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) : Free Stock Analysis Report Enova International, Inc. (ENVA) : Free Stock Analysis Report North American Construction Group Ltd. (NOA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden on Thursday took umbrage with e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc's $0 federal tax bill in 2018 and said no company making billions in profits should pay a lower tax rate than firefighters and teachers. "I have nothing against Amazon, but no company pulling in billions of dollars of profits should pay a lower tax rate than firefighters and teachers. We need to reward work, not just wealth," Biden said in a tweet. The former U.S. vice president's remark comes at a time when Amazon has been repeatedly criticized for paying no U.S. federal income taxes on more than $11 billion in profits before taxes in 2018. The company also received a $129 million tax rebate from the federal government. Amazon responded saying in a tweet that it had paid $2.6 billion in corporate taxes since 2016. "We pay every penny we owe," Amazon said, adding: "Congress designed tax laws to encourage companies to reinvest in the American economy. We have." Amazon said it has invested $200 billion since 2011 and created 300,000 U.S. jobs. "Assume VP Biden's complaint is (with) the tax code, not Amazon," the company tweeted. Amazon told Reuters in May its low tax bill mainly stemmed from stock-based employee compensation, the Republican tax cuts of 2017, carry forward losses from years when the company was not profitable and tax credits for massive investments in R&D. Biden is not the first Democratic presidential candidate to call out Amazon over its taxes. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has said Amazon paying nothing in federal taxes is a "disgrace" and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has said she will tax Amazon's profits as well to ensure the largest American corporations do not pay zero corporate income tax. The political scrutiny also comes as antitrust regulators have put the Seattle-based company under the watch of the Federal Trade Commission, which is gearing up to investigate whether Amazon misused its massive market power. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington, editing by G Crosse) Washington (AFP) - The Democratic Party on Friday announced its line-ups for the debut debate of the 2020 presidential cycle -- a crowded, two-night affair that will see frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders square off in a highly anticipated match-up. Twenty Democrats will take the stage in prime time on June 26 and 27 in Miami -- in two groups of 10 -- as they battle to become the nominee who will challenge President Donald Trump for the White House next year. Former US vice president Biden, the unequivocal frontrunner, and liberal senator Sanders, who is polling in second, will be among 10 candidates sharing the stage on the second night. They will be joined by South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has surged from obscurity into fourth place in early polling, and fifth place Senator Kamala Harris, who launched her campaign to strong buzz but has struggled to maintain momentum. That leaves liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is polling in third place and whose star has risen recently, as the clear headliner on the first night. Her primary on-stage rivals will be ex-congressman Beto O'Rourke and Senator Cory Booker. With the opening debate now set, the political stakes of the primary race were becoming clearer. Warren squares off against several lower-polling rivals scrambling for a breakout moment. Joining her will be New York Mayor Bill de Blasio; former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, the only Latino in the 2020 race; former congressman John Delaney; congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard; Washington Governor Jay Inslee; Senator Amy Klobuchar; and congressman Tim Ryan. But the second night's broadcast may ultimately score more eyeballs given it features the lion's share of popular candidates. In addition to the top-tier candidates, Day 2 will include Senator Michael Bennet; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, congressman Eric Swalwell; best-selling author on spirituality Marianne Williamson; and technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang. Story continues The debates will give unprecedented public exposure for candidates like Williamson and Yang, who are new to the political realm. Yang, a 44-year-old Asian-American, has proposed a Universal Basic Income of $1,000 per month for every American adult to help address the growing threat of automation. "My dreams are coming true," he tweeted after the debate line-up was announced. The debate, two hours per night, will air live on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. A manual random drawing to determine the line-ups was held at NBC News headquarters in New York, conducted in the presence of Democratic National Committee (DNC) officials and candidate representatives. The 2020 Democratic race features the largest primary field in modern history, and the party was not able to accommodate all candidates. Congressman Seth Moulton, Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Florida failed to meet the polling and fund-raising criteria set by the DNC and were not invited to attend. Baltimore already led the way in Maryland with a citywide styrofoam ban that was then implemented statewide during the 2019 General Assembly session, and a Baltimore City Councilman is trying to be on the vanguard of environmental legislation again. On June 17, District 4 Councilman Bill Henry plans to introduce a bill to reduce, or potentially eliminate, the usage of plastic bags in the city. Called the Plastic Bag Reduction Bill, the bill would ban the distribution of all plastic bags at the point of sale. Instead, a checkout bag surcharge, would be included at the time of purchase for all paper, compostable, or other bags given out at the point of sale, or during pick up or during delivery, or picking up carryout purchases. The bill would also repeal the plastic bag reduction program, a current initiative where businesses with food licenses voluntarily registering and maintaining records of bag usage. The body of a young girl was found in a remote area near the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Wednesday, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Officials said in a press release that they believe the child was a 7-year-old citizen of India who was traveling with four others. Her body was discovered approximately 17 miles west of Lukeville, and its believed the group was dropped off in the area by human smugglers who ordered them to cross a remote section of the border. Authorities discovered the body after taking two adult women from India into custody, who explained that they had been separated from another woman and two children earlier in the day. Though helicopters were sent out to search for the remaining migrants, they have not been found. Border Patrol agents did identify footprints, however, that they believe indicate the two remaining migrants crossed back into Mexico. A deceased child, believed to be a seven-year-old citizen of India, was discovered 17 miles west of Lukeville by U.S. Border Patrol yesterday morning. Bi-national search for anyone associated continues. @CBP #TucsonSector Details: https://t.co/tQAxifezk5 pic.twitter.com/XBJkDpJH02 CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) June 13, 2019 CBP described the surrounding area on the U.S. side of the border as rugged desert wilderness with little to no resources. They noted the high temperature was approximately 108 degrees on the day her body was found. Both the United States and Mexico are continuing their search efforts for the remaining two people, CBP said. Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Boko Haram jihadists have raided a military base in northeastern Nigeria near the border with Niger, killing several troops and stealing weapons, military sources said Friday. Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in eight guntrucks launched a pre-dawn attack Thursday on the base in Kareto village, 335 kilometres (210 miles) north of the Borno state capital Maiduguri, they said. "The terrorists attacked the 153 Troops Battalion in Kareto around 4:00 am (0300 GMT) and subdued the soldiers who were forced to withdraw after a hard fight," an army officer who did not want to be named told AFP. "We lost several men but we are still working to establish their number. One thing we are sure about is that the base commander, a lieutenant colonel, was among those killed," he said. He said the insurgents ransacked the base and carted away weapons and vehicles. The Islamists "took troops by surprise" while they were working to fix communications equipment that had been destroyed in a rainstorm, said another officer, who also sought anonymity. The troops could not seek support from two nearby bases because of the faulty equipment, he said. Search and rescue teams were combing the area for missing soldiers and dead bodies, they added. Kareto has been repeatedly attacked by ISWAP fighters who have since July last year targeted dozens of military bases in attacks that have left scores of soldiers dead in the volatile region. Two weeks ago, the jihadists carried out multiple attacks on military bases in Borno state, overrunning three of them and stealing weapons after killing soldiers. On Sunday, ISWAP attacked a Cameroonian military base near the border with Nigeria in the Lake Chad area, killing at least 24 people, including 16 troops, according to Cameroon's defence ministry. The ministry also claimed that 64 jihadists were killed in the incident. Boko Haram's decade-long insurgency has killed 27,000 people and displaced about two million in Nigeria. The violence has spilled over into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to defeat the hardline jihadist group. abu/joa/txw A massive storm on a Canadian beach led to a groundbreaking discovery that solved a nearly 170-year mystery, according to a new report. Officials had been trying to determine the identities of human remains found on the shores of Quebecs Gaspe Peninsula in the spring of 2011 for years, until Canadas national parks agency announced its findings last week. The bones were reportedly from 1847, when a ship carrying Irish migrants crashed into the cape during a major storm, killing all but 48 of the nearly 200 passengers on board, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. The migrants were fleeing the Great Famine in Ireland, and were likely almost all starving when they boarded the ship. Three partial skulls discovered on the beach belonged to children who were between the ages of nine and 15 at the time of their deaths. Despite a series of logistical challenges that come with identifying poorly-preserved bones, bio-archaeologists remained committed to testing each of the remains until another major discovery occurred in 2016. Officials found 18 more human remains after a lengthy excavation near the site of the shipwreck, after employees of the countrys national park service noticed human bones while working on a road near the beach. The mass grave allowed researchers to conduct a chemical analysis as the remains were preserved better than the original discovery of the three skulls, eventually leading to the agencys conclusion. Its like an episode of Columbo, Mathieu Cote, a resource conservation manager at the site where the remains were found, told the Post. We now have all the clues together, and we can have some kind of conclusion. To this day, less than half of those killed in the shipwreck have been found. Im very sad to see lives that were stopped so young, Isabelle Ribot, who received the bones and helped research their identities, told the Post. But, in a sense, Im glad to be able to give back some information to the dead. Boris Johnson has been compared to Adolf Hitler by the leader of a Conservative Muslim Forum (Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images) Boris Johnson has been compared to Adolf Hitler by the leader of a Conservative Muslim Forum. Mohammed Amin, chairman of the forum, said he would quit the Conservative Party after more than three decades as a member if Mr Johnson was chosen as the next Tory leader. His comments come after the former Foreign Secretary became the frontrunner in the Conservative leadership race, winning the backing of 114 MPs. Asked about Mr Johnsons popularity, Mr Amin told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: There are many horrible people who have been popular. Popularity is not the test. The test is, is this person sufficiently moral to be prime minister, and I believe he fails that test. He added: A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them. When it was put to him that such a comparison was shocking, Mr Amin said: Yes. I am not saying Boris Johnson wants to send people to the gas chamber, clearly he doesnt. Hes a buffoon. But he, as far as Im concerned, has insufficient concern about the nature of truth for me to ever be a member of a party that he leads. READ MORE US releases video showing 'Iranian patrol boat' near one of torpedoed oil tankers He said: I am not prepared to be a member of a party that chooses him as its leader. I would resign after 36 years. Mr Amin went on: We dont expect our politicians, our prime ministers, to be saints. But we do require a basic level of morality and integrity. And of all the candidates in the Conservative Party leadership election, Boris Johnson is the only one that I believe fails that test. Mr Amin said Mr Johnson could not be trusted to lead the party (Picture: REUTERS/Hannah McKay) Mr Amin said a column Mr Johnson wrote last August which compared women who wore burkas to letter boxes and bank robbers had put some Muslim women at risk. He knew exactly what effect it would have, he said. It would lead to Muslim women who wear niqab and burka being verbally abused on the streets; in certain cases being physically assaulted, with people trying to tear it off. He chose to mock Muslim women who wear niqab and burka for his own purposes. By Maria Carolina Marcello and Rodrigo Viga Gaier RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's economy minister and lower house speaker exchanged harsh words on Friday over progress on pension reform, creating another drag on Brazilian financial assets already feeling the heat from global market weakness. Economy Minister Paulo Guedes kicked off the spat, spurning a congressional committee report for what he called excessive changes to the government's pension reform bill such as scrapping a plan to launch private savings accounts. Rodrigo Maia, speaker of the lower house of Congress, hit back at the criticism, saying the collective will had prevailed as it should in a democracy. "We're not going to pay attention to Minister Paulo Guedes and his recent aggressions against the parliament," Maia said in a TV interview. The complaints from Guedes, coming a day after President Jair Bolsonaro's chief of staff had touted the congressional pension reform report as a "huge victory," raised concerns about more tension between the government and Congress. After clashes with lawmakers in recent months, Guedes had struck a more conciliatory tone, contributing to investors' hopes for a swift approval of the landmark reform to boost public finances. But his disdain on Friday was striking. Speaking in Rio de Janeiro, Guedes said only a bill generating around 1 trillion reais ($256 billion) of savings over the next decade would represent real reform of the country's bloated social security system, but around 860 billion meant the issue would need revisiting in five or six years time. On Thursday, the special committee on pension reform's long-awaited report recommended changes to the original draft, reducing the government's planned 1.237 trillion reais of savings to 913 billion reais. Analysts expect that to be watered down further, but the consensus still appears to be that anything above 800 billion reais would be regarded as a major stepping stone toward putting the country on a more stable financial footing. Story continues Brazilian markets rallied on Thursday, but the political noise soured the taste on Friday, and Guedes came under fire. "He said what everyone thought, but he shouldn't have said it," said a fund manager in Sao Paulo who was not authorized to speak with the press. The real fell around 1.2% to 3.90 per dollar, its worst day since the end of April, and the benchmark Bovespa stock market fell 0.74%. Guedes criticized the committee's report for excluding a transition to private savings accounts, reforms of state and municipal government pensions and changes to how older, disabled and rural workers are treated. Maia said the special committee will vote on the bill around June 25-26, then present it to the plenary for final lower house approval before a congressional recess in late July. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier and Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Jamie McGeever; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Will Dunham) SAO PAULO, June 14 (Reuters) - Oil workers at state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA have begun a strike in eight Brazilian states as part of nationwide protests against a government pension reform proposal, umbrella union group FUP said on Friday. Brazil's pension reform bill is aimed at restoring public finances and reviving a flagging economy, but is fiercely opposed by some sectors of society for raising the minimum retirement age and workers' contributions. Workers at nine refineries including Reduc in Rio de Janeiro state and Paulinia in Sao Paulo state were participating in the strike, which also affected a Petrobras port terminal in Pernambuco, and a fertilizer plant in Bahia, FUP said. On the Campos basin in Rio de Janeiro, workers were keeping operations to a minimum, it added. In Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo, public transport was disrupted as subway workers adhered to the strike, affecting train schedules and closing some stations, local media reported. Road blocks and demonstrations in streets and highways in and around Sao Paulo, including burning tyres close to the city's international airport, have also been reported. As well as seeking to block changes in public sector pensions, FUP said, the oil workers were protesting against "the privatization of the Petrobras system". (Reporting by Marta Nogueira in Rio de Janeiro and Ana Mano in Sao Paulo: Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by Alexander Smith) SAO PAULO, June 13 (Reuters) - The Brazilian Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that homophobia should be criminalized under existing legislation until Congress creates a specific law for the subject, weighing in on a topic that has drawn the ire of President Jair Bolsonaro. Eight of 11 justices voted to treat homophobia in the same way as racism under Brazilian law, making it a criminal act. "Sexual orientation and gender identity are essential to human beings, to the self-determination to decide their own life and seek happiness," Justice Gilmar Mendes said, according to the court's Twitter account. During the court's deliberations last month, as it became clear that most justices would rule in favor of criminalizing homophobia, Bolsonaro strongly criticized the court. He accused the justices of legislating from the bench and suggested it was time to appoint an evangelical Christian to the Supreme court. Evangelicals and other socially conservative Brazilians helped Bolsonaro win last year's election as he promised to overturn years of liberal social policies, including more rights for same-sex couples. Bolsonaro, a Catholic who was baptized by an evangelical pastor on a trip to Israel three years ago, had a history of making homophobic, racist and sexist public remarks before he took office in Jan. 1 He told one interviewer he would rather have a dead son than a gay son. (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo; Writing by Gabriela Mello; editing by Grant McCool) SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The Brazilian Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that homophobia should be criminalized under existing legislation until Congress creates a specific law for the subject, weighing in on a topic that has drawn the ire of President Jair Bolsonaro. Eight of 11 justices voted to treat homophobia in the same way as racism under Brazilian law, making it a criminal act. "Sexual orientation and gender identity are essential to human beings, to the self-determination to decide their own life and seek happiness," Justice Gilmar Mendes said, according to the court's Twitter account. During the court's deliberations last month, as it became clear that most justices would rule in favor of criminalizing homophobia, Bolsonaro strongly criticized the court. He accused the justices of legislating from the bench and suggested it was time to appoint an evangelical Christian to the Supreme court. Evangelicals and other socially conservative Brazilians helped Bolsonaro win last year's election as he promised to overturn years of liberal social policies, including more rights for same-sex couples. Bolsonaro, a Catholic who was baptized by an evangelical pastor on a trip to Israel three years ago, had a history of making homophobic, racist and sexist public remarks before he took office in Jan. 1 He told one interviewer he would rather have a dead son than a gay son. (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo; Writing by Gabriela Mello; editing by Grant McCool) Brasilia (AFP) - Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday criticized the Supreme Court's decision to criminalize homophobia, saying it could "hurt" gays by deterring companies from hiring them. Bolsonaro, who has a history of homophobic remarks -- he once declared he would rather his son die than be gay -- also said the court was "completely wrong" because it had stepped into legislative territory. The Supreme Court on Thursday voted eight to three in favor of classifying crimes against gay and transgender people as similar to racism, until Congress passes a law specifically addressing such discrimination. Congress is held by a conservative majority and is strongly influenced by evangelical churches. Brazil, which has one of the world's highest rates of violence against sexual minorities, now joins a growing number of countries in the typically conservative and Catholic-influenced Latin American region that have passed measures in favor of LGBT rights. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Bolsonaro said employers would "think twice" before hiring a gay person for fear they could be accused of homophobia. Bolsonaro also raised again the possibility of nominating an evangelical judge to the country's highest court to help "balance" the bench. The three judges that voted against the measure agreed with Bolsonaro on his point that criminalizing homophobia was Congress's job, not the court's. "Only Congress can approve (the definition of) crimes and penalties; only Congress can pass laws on criminal conduct," said judge Ricardo Lewandowski. According to the NGO Grupo Gay de Bahia, which has collected national statistics for the past four decades, there were 387 murders and 58 suicides over "homotransphobia" in 2017, a 30 percent increase from 2016. This works out to one LGBT death by suicide or murder every 19 hours in Brazil. LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said there was no reason not to believe the United States' assessment that Iran was responsible for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. "We are going to make our own independent assessment, we have our processes to do that, (but) we have no reason not to believe the American assessment and our instinct is to believe it because they are our closest ally," Hunt told BBC radio on Friday, echoing comments he made late on Thursday. (Reporting by Paul Sandle Editing by William Schomberg) San Ysidro High School valedictorian Nataly Buhrs speech at her schools graduation ceremony started normally enough. In a video of the address shared by CBS 8 in San Diego, Buhrs thanked those who helped her along the way, including friends and family. She praised a few teachers at her San Diego-based high school by name and said they were intelligent and invested in their students education and well-being. Then she changed course. After the niceties, Buhr slammed her counselor for being unavailable. Only in these past few weeks, with the award ceremonies and graduation coming up, did you begin making your appearance, she said. And might I note, you expressed to me your joy in knowing that one of your students was valedictorian when you had absolutely no role in my achievements. Cut short: Valedictorian says her mic was cut when she spoke the names of black victims of police Buhr wasnt done. She said the main office staff taught her to be resourceful because of their negligence to inform me of several scholarships until the day before they were due, potentially caused me to miss out of thousands of dollars. By then, Buhrs audience of students was abuzz. She capped her speech with an address about the teacher who was regularly intoxicated during class this year. That remark drew gasps from the crowd. Thank you for using yourself as an example to teach students about the dangers of alcoholism, she said. Being escorted by police out of school left a lasting impression. I hope that future students and staff learn from these examples. Have you seen this? You won't believe why this dog interrupted a valedictorian speech She did not name the counselor or the teacher she said was intoxicated. Manuel Rubio, a spokesperson for the Sweetwater Union High School District, told the San Diego Union-Tribune the speech was inappropriate and out of line. While we definitely welcome the concerns of students and their families regarding any situation at one of our schools, doing so in such a manner without any prior knowledge of this situation by the school, is not the right way of handling this, Rubio said in an email to the newspaper. Ultimately this takes away from what should have been a day of celebration for the school and their community. See the full speech here. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California valedictorian thanks friends and family ... then slams 'unavailable' counselor and 'intoxicated' teacher Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian personnel participating in the UN peacekeeping force in Mali will remain in place until the end of August, a month longer than planned, to ensure a smooth transition, the government said Friday. The Canadians, who were providing medevac services as well as logistics and supply transport support, will stay until a Romanian helicopter unit is in place, the foreign ministry said. During the month of August, Canadian forces will only perform medical evacuation tasks, it said. The Canadian peacekeepers, who have been deployed in Gao in the north of the violence-wracked country since July 2018 as part of the UN force known as MINUSMA, were to leave at the end of July. In late January, Romania agreed to relieve the Canadian forces -- a contingent of about 250 personnel and eight helicopters. MINUSMA was established in April 2013, after radical Islamist militias seized the north of the country the year before, only to be pushed back by French troops. The force of 15,000 soldiers and police is considered to be one of the most dangerous peace missions run by the United Nations, with 195 fatalities. The Hub Africa Forum has welcomed for its 7th edition held in Casablanca June 12-13 thousands of high-level participants from across the continent. For two days, entrepreneurs from all over the continent had the opportunity to exchange expertise and build partnerships in several areas. The forum, held under the slogan Open Innovation, serving SMEs in Africa, gave a large place to innovative SMEs. At the opening ceremony on Wednesday, the participants stressed the importance for the continents companies to move towards innovation, and the imperative need for States to accompany them in this process. Held annually since 2012, the Hub Africa forum offers a multifunctional and multidimensional platform for discussion between business leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors from Africa, Europe, and from around the world. The pan-African forum, which has earned its status as the meeting place for startups in particular, has gathered about 8,000 participants during the previous edition, according to Alioune Gueye, CEO of Hub Africa and CEO of Africa Challenge Group, organizer of the event. (Reuters) - Health Canada said on Friday that some edible cannabis products, extracts and topicals would be sold in physical or online stores from mid-December. The amended cannabis regulations will come into force on Oct. 17, the health regulator said, adding that cannabis producers with federal license will need to provide a 60-day notice of their intent to sell new products, as they are currently required to do. "We think these new product forms are going to accelerate the shift away from black market into the legal market," said Martin Landry, chief of corporate development & strategy at Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc. The Canadian firm specializes in the extraction, purification and formulation of cannabis products. "They are critical for the legal market to capture a bigger part of the consumer spending," Landry said. The amendments will also limit the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance in cannabis that makes people high, to 10 milligrams per serving in cannabis edibles and extracts. For cannabis topicals, the limit will be 1 gram of THC per package. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce said even though the new proposed regulations will allow for the development of a range of products to meet consumer demand, the industry body was disappointed to see that multi-packs for edibles cannot exceed 10 mg of THC per package. The OCC in a recent report had said it supports a THC limit of 10-mg per discrete unit of edibles, as well as the sale of multi-packs or multiple products up to a maximum of 100-mg of THC per package. Ontario is home to more than half the licensed producers of recreational cannabis in Canada and a majority of employment. Last year, Canada became one of the first major economies to legalize recreational marijuana, a move that has led to the creation of a multi-billion dollar industry. (Reporting by Shradha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Maju Samuel) VATICAN CITY, June 14 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Friday that carbon pricing, used by many governments to make energy consumers pay for the costs of burning fossil fuels, was "essential" to stem climate change. The comment, the Pope's clearest statement to date on the issue, was made in an address to leaders of the world's top energy companies at the end of a two-day meeting. He also called for "open, transparent, science-based and standardised" reporting of climate risk and a "radical energy transition" away from carbon to save the planet. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Catherine Evans) Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry, in November. Photo: Toby Melville/ Reuters Threatening to leave the European Union without a deal is akin to saying if you dont do what I want, Ill shoot my foot off, according to the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the countrys largest business group. Ive never felt it was a particularly credible negotiating threat, said Carolyn Fairbairn in an interview with Bloomberg. While Boris Johnson, the favourite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, has said that he is not aiming for a no-deal outcome, he has insisted that the threat of leaving without a deal is a vital negotiating tactic. The two other top contenders, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and environment secretary Michael Gove, have also said they would consider leaving the EU without a deal. Fairbairn also warned that a no-deal Brexit was not just about short-term disruption, saying that there has been too much focus on empty shelves and poor availability of lettuces. READ MORE: Firms told to prepare for no-deal Brexit under next Tory prime minister It almost trivialises it, she said. For me, the real risk of no-deal is it triggers a serious decline in our competitiveness for the long-term. The CBI chief also said that the threat of a no-deal Brexit was having an impact in the present moment. Its not that the Brexit uncertainty and fear of no deal is going to have an impact in the future. Its having it right now, Fairbairn said. Her comments came as the head of another business group, the Institute of Directors, said that businesses should step up no-deal Brexit planning because they cannot trust politicians to solve the crisis. Business can have no absolute reassurance that an agreement will be reached, particularly given the commitment of some Conservative leadership candidates to leaving the EU in October with or without a deal, Edwin Morgan said in a statement. By Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS, June 14 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the Algerian capital for the 17th consecutive Friday, demanding the removal of the ruling elite and prosecution of former officials linked to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. After 20 years in power, Bouteflika quit on April 2 under pressure from protesters and the army, but protests have continued. The demonstrators are pushing for radical change and seeking the departure of senior figures, including politicians and businessmen, who have governed the North African country since independence from France in 1962. At this week's rally they celebrated the arrest of several former officials and business people linked to Bouteflika on anti-graft charges, demanding more action. "You have built prisons, you will be imprisoned there all," read one banner held up by protesters marching through central Algiers, scene of mass dissent since February. On Thursday, the supreme court remanded ex-prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal in custody over graft allegations. State media also said police had arrested Mourad Eulmi, head of the private firm SOVAC, a partner of Germany's Volkswagen AG , at a car assembly plant in the western province of Relizane in connection with "corruption cases". It did not elaborate. Volkswagen declined to comment. On Wednesday, the supreme court ordered the detention of another former prime minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, for alleged involvement in corruption. Bouteflikas youngest brother, Said, and two former intelligence chiefs have also been placed in custody by a military judge for "harming the armys authority and plotting against state authority". Protesters rejected an offer from interim President Abdelkader Bensalah to hold a dialogue with all parties after authorities postponed a presidential election previously planned for July 4. No new date has been set for the vote. "We need real dialogue", read one protest banner. Protesters have rejected Bensalah as too close to Bouteflika. Story continues Armed forces chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Gaed Salah, who has been managing the transition, has called on parties and protesters to meet among themselves to discuss a way out of the crisis. He also called for the prosecution of officials accused of being corrupt, after which the wave of arrests started. Friday's protest numbers were roughly in line with last week's demonstration. Protests thinned in May during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when most people were fasting until sunset. (Writing by Ulf Laessing Editing by Frances Kerry) 1752 N.W. First St. | Photo: Zumper According to rental site Zumper, median rents for a one bedroom in Little Havana are hovering around $1,300, compared to a $1,925 one-bedroom median for Miami as a whole. But how does the low-end pricing on a Little Havana 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 from Zumper and Apartment Guide to find out what budget-minded apartment seekers can expect to find in the neighborhood, which, according to Walk Score ratings, is a "walker's paradise," is convenient for biking and has good transit options. 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. 1752 N.W. First St. Here's a studio apartment at 1752 N.W. First St., which is going for $1,100/month. When it comes to building amenities, expect secured entry. You can also expect stainless steel appliances and tile floors in the remodeled unit. Neither cats nor dogs are permitted. The rental doesn't require a leasing fee. (See the full listing here.) 710 S.W. 10th St. Then there's this 400-square-foot dwelling with one bedroom and one bathroom at 710 S.W. 10th St., listed at $1,175/month. The residence has air conditioning, tile floors and a renovated kitchen. Cats and dogs are not allowed. The building has on-site laundry. There isn't a leasing fee associated with this rental. (See the listing here.) 328 N.W. 12th Ave. Check out this one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo at 328 N.W. 12th Ave., listed at $1,250/month. The listing promises air conditioning in the condo. The building offers garage parking. Pets are not allowed. 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. By Tamara Mathias and Manas Mishra (Reuters) - Shares of Chewy Inc soared 63% in their public debut, giving the online pet products retailer a market value of $14.35 billion, more than four times the price PetSmart paid for it in 2017. The company's shares opened at $36.00 and rose as high as $41.34, compared with the IPO price of $22.00. The stock was up 56% at $34.20 in afternoon trading in a weak broader market. Indicating solid investor appetite for a piece of the over $70 billion U.S. pet market, the offering was priced higher than the expected range and parent PetSmart sold more shares than originally planned. The company had set a price range of $19 to $21 per share, which was raised earlier this week from $17 to $19 per share. Chewy raised $123.2 million from the offering and PetSmart, which is looking to pare its debt, will receive nearly $900 million. The online retailer of puppy shampoo and cat treats, which has 11 million customers, is betting on the "pet humanization" trend where owners splurge on their pets, whom they consider part of the family. Jay Ritter, an IPO expert and professor at the University of Florida, however, is sceptical whether Chewy's valuation allows enough further upside potential for investors. "The stock has been volatile on its first day of trading," Ritter told Reuters in an email. "I expect the stock to continue to be volatile." PetSmart, owned by private equity firm BC Partners, bought Chewy in 2017, a deal that added $2 billion to the company's debt load. Chewy said its revenue surged about 68% to $3.53 billion in 2018 from a year earlier, while net loss narrowed to $267.9 million from $338.1 million. The company, which is yet to make a profit, in its IPO pitch also highlighted the industry's resilience during downturns. However, the market is turning fiercely competitive. Dania Beach, Florida-based Chewy competes with traditional brick-and-mortar retailers such as Walmart Inc and Petco Animal Supplies Inc, as well as Amazon Inc and online seller PetMed Express Inc. Story continues Chewy holds a 45% share of the online dog and cat food market, matching Amazon's share, according to research firm 1010data. Last July, Chewy launched its pharmacy business, pushing into the lucrative prescription drugs market that has long been the turf of veterinarians and their partners. "If (Chewy) can clear legal and registration hurdles, they'll have no trouble competing out there," said Phillip Cooper, an independent consultant who advises pet industry investors. "Chewy has a tremendous following at the consumer level ... these guys know how many dogs people have, what their ages are and if you lose a dog they send a bouquet of flowers!" The blockbuster IPO follows disappointing debuts of Uber Technologies and Lyft. Other IPOs of this year such as those of Pinterest Inc, vegan burger maker Beyond Meat Inc and video-conferencing startup Zoom Video Communications Inc have been trading higher. PetSmart and BC Partners will retain control of Chewy through Class B shares, which carry more voting power. (Reporting by Manas Mishra and Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru; Additonal reporting by Bharath Manjesh; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) By Dave Sherwood SANTIAGO, June 14 (Reuters) - A Chilean auxiliary bishop appointed by Pope Francis less than a month ago resigned on Friday, the Archdiocese of Santiago said in a statement, just weeks after he made controversial comments about the lack of women in attendance at the Last Supper. Carlos Eugenio Irarrazaval was appointed by the Pope in an effort to rebuild the Church's credibility following a pervasive sex abuse scandal that exposed hundreds of allegations now being investigated by Chilean criminal prosecutors. The Archdiocese of Santiago did not specify the reasons for Irarrazaval's departure, but said Pope Francis had accepted the bishop's resignation "in favor of unity and for the good of the Church." Irarrazaval could not be immediately reached for comment. The bishop's short tenure began with a television interview in May, in which he said there were no women seated at the table at the Last Supper and that "we have to respect that." "Jesus Christ made decisions and they were not ideological ... and we want to be faithful to Jesus Christ," he said in reference to the lack of women in attendance. According to the Bible, the Last Supper was Jesus' last meal with his disciples before his crucifixion, depicted in many famous works of art. The comments sparked a backlash among women's groups and critics of the Church in Chile at a time when confidence in Church leadership in the once staunchly Catholic nation has plummeted. Pope Francis earlier this year accepted the resignation of Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati as archbishop of Santiago, the highest-ranking member of the Catholic Church in Chile, after he was caught up in the country's sex abuse scandal. The Church's credibility has been harmed in much of the world by abuse scandals in countries including Ireland, Chile, Australia, France, the United States and Poland. In Chile, prosecutors say they are currently investigating more than 150 cases of sexual abuse or cover-up involving more than 200 victims. Irarrazaval will continue to serve the Church as a pastor in Santiago, according to the Archdiocese of Santiago. (Reporting by Dave Sherwood Editing by Bill Rigby) Moroccan Mohamed Charef has been elected lately member of the Migrant Workers Committee (CMW) during the 9th meeting of States parties to the Convention on Migrant Workers convened in New York. Six other candidates were also elected to the CMW, an independent body that monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW) by signatory countries. Mohamed Charef is a university professor and chairman of the regional commission of human rights of Agadir. He is an expert in management of migratory flows and works as an international consultant on policies related to employment, economic development and socio-professional integration of migrants. The members of Migrant Workers Committee are elected for a four-year mandate and may be re-elected if nominated. The Committee meets in Geneva and holds two sessions per year. It reviews periodic reports on the situation of migrant workers in the world and makes recommendations for the protection of these rights and respect of the ICRMW provisions. This Convention, which entered into force in 2003, is a comprehensive international treaty focusing on the protection of migrant workers rights. It grants a fairly broad series of rights to all migrant workers and members of their families, irrespective of their migratory status, sex, race, color, religion, political opinion, nationality, ethnic, or social origin. By Dave Sherwood SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A Chilean auxiliary bishop appointed by Pope Francis less than a month ago resigned on Friday, the Archdiocese of Santiago said in a statement, just weeks after he made controversial comments about the lack of women in attendance at the Last Supper. Carlos Eugenio Irarrazaval was appointed by the Pope in an effort to rebuild the Church's credibility following a pervasive sex abuse scandal that exposed hundreds of allegations now being investigated by Chilean criminal prosecutors. The Archdiocese of Santiago did not specify the reasons for Irarrazaval's departure, but said Pope Francis had accepted the bishop's resignation "in favour of unity and for the good of the Church." Irarrazaval could not be immediately reached for comment. The bishop's short tenure began with a television interview in May, in which he said there were no women seated at the table at the Last Supper and that "we have to respect that." "Jesus Christ made decisions and they were not ideological ... and we want to be faithful to Jesus Christ," he said in reference to the lack of women in attendance. According to the Bible, the Last Supper was Jesus' last meal with his disciples before his crucifixion, depicted in many famous works of art. The comments sparked a backlash among women's groups and critics of the Church in Chile at a time when confidence in Church leadership in the once staunchly Catholic nation has plummeted. Pope Francis earlier this year accepted the resignation of Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati as archbishop of Santiago, the highest-ranking member of the Catholic Church in Chile, after he was caught up in the country's sex abuse scandal. The Church's credibility has been harmed in much of the world by abuse scandals in countries including Ireland, Chile, Australia, France, the United States and Poland. In Chile, prosecutors say they are currently investigating more than 150 cases of sexual abuse or cover-up involving more than 200 victims. Irarrazaval will continue to serve the Church as a pastor in Santiago, according to the Archdiocese of Santiago. (Reporting by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Bill Rigby) BEIJING, June 14 (Reuters) - China called on the United States on Friday not to pass legislation in response to a crisis in Hong Kong over a proposed extradition law. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing that any plots to bring chaos to Hong Kong would not succeed, after U.S. lawmakers on Thursday proposed legislation that would require the U.S. secretary of state to issue an annual certification of Hong Kong's autonomy to justify special treatment under the U.S. Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard Writing by Michael Martina Editing by Robert Birsel) BEIJING, June 14 (Reuters) - The Securities Association of China said on Friday that its members should not quote UBS economist Paul Donovan's research or invite him to events after comments he made about Chinese pigs were perceived by some as a racist slur. The association said in a statement it urged UBS to strengthen its compliance on its research notes and take effective measures to eliminate any negative impact from Donovan's remarks, which were made in a podcast on Wednesday regarding consumer price increases in China. (Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; writing by Se Young Lee; editing by Alexander Smith) BEIJING, June 14 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities sent an official inquiry to FedEx Corp over parcels that were delivered incorrectly, China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. The report did not specify what parcels the authorities inquired about, but Xinhua previously reported that China will investigate whether FedEx damaged the legal rights and interests of its clients after Huawei Technologies Co Ltd said FedEx diverted parcels destined for the Chinese firms addresses in Asia to the United States. (Reporting by Lusha Zhang and Se Young Lee; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) BEIJING (Reuters) - China's crude steel output hit a record high in May, official data showed on Friday, even as a jump in prices of raw materials, particularly iron ore, cut into mills' profit margins. The world's top steel maker produced 89.09 million tonnes of crude steel last month, up from 85.03 million tonnes in April and 81.13 million tonnes in May a year ago, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. Average daily output of the industrial metal reached 2.87 million tonnes, according to Reuters calculations based on the official data, up from a record 2.83 million tonnes in April. China's steel output has been running at high levels for the past year as mills took advantage of strong domestic demand. In January to May, China churned out a total of 404.88 million tonnes of steel, up 10.2% from the same period last year, the NBS data showed. "Steel output will remain at a high level in the coming months, with more lenient production restrictions at major steelmaking cities in summer and expectations of robust demand from construction sites," Zhuo Guiqiu, an analyst from Jinrui Futures, said before data was released. The city of Tangshan, China's top steelmaking hub, extended anti-smog curbs on heavy industry to the end of June, but mills that are scheduled to move out of the city will be exempt from the restrictions. Utilisation rates at Chinese steel mills across the country stood at a relatively high 71.13% as of June 14, according to data compiled by Mysteel consultancy. However, a jump in iron ore prices due to supply disruptions has sharply reduced profit margins for steel mills, clouding the outlook for further expansion in steel production. Margins have tumbled more than 50 percent over the past two months to around 350 yuan ($50.56) a tonne for rebar steel, according to data tracked by Jinrui Futures "Despite plunging margins, mills are not planning to reduce production at this moment as there is still some profitability," said Zhuo. Story continues "But we will still have to watch if operations at steel mills will be disrupted by short-term safety or environmental inspections conducted by local governments in the summer." ($1 = 6.9225 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Muyu Xu and Shivani Singh; Editing by Joseph Radford) * SSEC -0.3%, CSI300 -0.1%, HSI -0.5%, HSCE -0.3% * May industrial production, retail sales, investment data due 0700 GMT * A-shares set for weekly gains; sentiment up on policy support - Morgan Stanley HONG KONG, June 14 (Reuters) - China stocks edged lower on Friday as investors awaited cues for the country's industrial output data due later in the day, amid prospects of an escalation in the Sino-U.S. trade spat. ** At the midday break, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.3% at 2,903.15 points, but up 2.7% so far this week. The blue-chip CSI300 index was down 0.1% on the day, but up 3.3% week-on-week. ** CSI300's financial sector sub-index was flat, the consumer staples sector was up 0.2%, the real estate index climbed 0.9% and the healthcare sub-index gained 0.7%. ** The smaller Shenzhen index was down 0.6% and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index slipped 0.5%. ** China will release May industrial production along with retail sales and investment numbers at 0700 GMT. Economists polled by Reuters expect industrial production in China to have risen 5.5% in May from 5.4% in April and believe retail sales increased 8.1% from 7.2% the previous month. ** Expectations of more stimulus in China are growing as the trade dispute threatens to escalate into a full-blown trade war that could push the global economy into recession. ** U.S. President Donald Trump said this week he still plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, but declined to set a deadline for levying tariffs on another $325 billion of Chinese goods. ** The Chinese stock market will likely be in holding pattern before clearer signals emerge in the trade talks, Kaiyuan Securities' analysts wrote in a memo on Friday. "The G20 meeting at the end of the month and follow-up talks in the Sino-U.S. trade dispute are still the events that would have the most impact on the market," they said. ** Morgan Stanely noted a recovery in sentiment in A-shares this week, driven by higher trading volume. "We believe the uptick in sentiment was also helped by the easing measures to boost infrastructure investment introduced by the Chinese government on June 10," the bank said in a note on Friday. ** Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Thursday also signalled step up support for the economy and keep ample liquidity in the financial system. A state newspaper reported this week that China is expected to adjust money and credit supply in coming weeks. ** In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index was down 0.5% at 27,153.63, while H-shares fell 0.3%. The city returned to normal after heated protests against the controversial extradition legislation earlier this week. ** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was weaker by 0.3%, while Japan's Nikkei index was up 0.3%. ** The largest percentage losses in the Shanghai index were Fujian Raynen Technology Co Ltd, down 8.2%, followed by Sichuan Furong Technology Co Ltd, losing 7.7% and Jiangsu Safety Wire Rope Co Ltd, down by 7.6%. ** As of midday, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 27.02% over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares. ** The Shanghai stock index is below its 50-day moving average and above its 200-day moving average. (Reporting by Noah Sin, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Friday it summoned a senior U.S. embassy official to lodge stern representations over recent U.S. actions regarding Hong Kong and urged Washington to stop interfering in the city's affairs immediately. Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng summoned Robert Forden, the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Beijing, and urged Washington not to not take any actions that harm Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, the ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; writing by Se Young Lee; editing by Darren Schuettler) By Ben Blanchard BEIJING, June 14 (Reuters) - Beijing has found its villain in its multi-fronted conflict with the United States: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The former CIA chief has been singled out for scorn, in Chinese state media and even at the foreign ministry, over his criticism of everything from Chinese tech giant Huawei to its record on human rights. During a regular media briefing on Monday, China's Foreign Ministry accused Pompeo by name of telling lies, a striking departure from its usual practice of referring to foreign officials as "the relevant person", or using similar wording. Relations between the world's two largest economies have nosedived amid a bitter trade war, U.S. sanctions on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Washington's support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan and criticism of a China's treatment of Muslims in its western region of Xinjiang. Pompeo has also angered Beijing with warnings about Chinese activity in the Arctic and President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road infrastructure programme. On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry took Pompeo to task for an interview with Swiss media where he criticised Huawei. "For some time, Mr. Pompeo has been talking about China wherever he goes. Unfortunately his remarks are filled with lies and fallacies," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters. "Mr. Pompeo should understand a plain truth. That is, every smear campaign with rumour-mongering and discord-sowing will only whittle down further his credibility and that of his country, the United States." One Chinese official acknowledged to Reuters the "rare direct mention" of Pompeo by name at the ministry's daily briefing, its main venue for getting messages out to the rest of the world. Chinese state media, given a long leash by propaganda authorities to lash out at the United States since the latest trade talks failed last month, has also not minced words. Story continues Strongly nationalistic tabloid the Global Times last month called Pompeo a "gossipy woman" who is trying to "foment dissension", in a piece that was widely re-published by other media outlets. On Wednesday the same newspaper called Pompeo "harsh and unreasonable" with a "gangster style". A second Chinese official said the reason Beijing didn't like Pompeo was simple: "He's a Cold War warrior." Beijing often tells Washington to abandon "Cold War thinking". A senior U.S. State Department official, asked about the unusually direct criticism of Pompeo, said: "We don't comment on Chinese Communist Party propaganda." Last week, the foreign ministry targeted Pompeo for his remarks on the 30th anniversary of Beijing's bloody June 4, 1989, crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, in which he said "ghosts" had yet to be laid to rest and urged a full accounting of the victims. One foreign diplomatic source told Reuters that China was responding to the harder line coming out of the State Department on China, and might be testing the waters to try to work out whether this was also representative of what Trump thought, especially ahead of the G20 meeting later this month. A second foreign diplomatic source said that in private meetings the Chinese are even harsher about Pompeo. "They rant. They hate him," said the source, who, like the first source, spoke on condition of anonymity. Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Beijing's elite Renmin University, said China viewed Pompeo against the backdrop of his CIA heritage and does not like his direct attacks. "China feels this is unprofessional and has been upset by it," Wang said. "Generally China wouldn't react so intensely, but this man has gone too far." The rancour comes ahead of the G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka, which Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump will both attend. China has not cut off communications with Pompeo, though. Last month, he and the Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, spoke by telephone, with Wang saying the United States must "change its course", according to the ministry. Trump himself has largely been spared in the foreign ministry blasts, at least directly, and in Russia last week Xi referred to Trump as his friend. More acrimony could lie ahead, with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who gave a hard-line speech on China in November, expected on June 24 to give a China-focused speech at Washington's Wilson Center. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Gao Liangping, and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Nick Macfie) SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese police have detained two men and reprimanded another for spreading online rumours about telecommunications equipment manufacturer Huawei, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Thursday. Huawei filed a complaint about rumours being spread online that some of its employees had been detained on charges of spying for the United States, the report said. The company is currently struggling against tough U.S. sanctions that ban it from doing business with major global tech firms. Its Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou remains under arrest in Canada awaiting extradition to the United States on fraud charges. Police investigations showed that a resident of Shenzhen, surnamed Wu, invented the story and spread it via WeChat. A resident of Dongguan then "exaggerated" and spread the story further. They have been given 10 and three days of administrative detention, respectively. A third man, a Beijing resident who forwarded the story to other chatrooms, was reprimanded by police. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China strictly monitors internet content and employs an army of censors to scrub away information it says will disrupt "social order". On Wednesday, the government announced the launch of a campaign to clean up its internet aimed at punishing "illegal and criminal actions" by websites. It has also shut down domestic financial news website Wallstreetcn.com and blocked overseas news providers, such as the Washington Post and the Guardian. (Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Sam Holmes) Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! David Rugg became the CEO of Christie Group plc (LON:CTG) in 2000. First, this article will compare CEO compensation with compensation at similar sized companies. Next, we'll consider growth that the business demonstrates. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This process should give us an idea about how appropriately the CEO is paid. See our latest analysis for Christie Group How Does David Rugg's Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies? According to our data, Christie Group plc has a market capitalization of UK24m, and pays its CEO total annual compensation worth UK571k. (This number is for the twelve months until December 2018). That's a notable increase of 14% on last year. While this analysis focuses on total compensation, it's worth noting the salary is lower, valued at UK450k. We took a group of companies with market capitalizations below UK158m, and calculated the median CEO total compensation to be UK251k. As you can see, David Rugg is paid more than the median CEO pay at companies of a similar size, in the same market. However, this does not necessarily mean Christie Group plc is paying too much. A closer look at the performance of the underlying business will give us a better idea about whether the pay is particularly generous. You can see a visual representation of the CEO compensation at Christie Group, below. AIM:CTG CEO Compensation, June 14th 2019 Is Christie Group plc Growing? On average over the last three years, Christie Group plc has grown earnings per share (EPS) by 30% each year (using a line of best fit). Its revenue is up 6.2% over last year. This shows that the company has improved itself over the last few years. Good news for shareholders. It's good to see a bit of revenue growth, as this suggests the business is able to grow sustainably. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Story continues Has Christie Group plc Been A Good Investment? Christie Group plc has generated a total shareholder return of 3.5% over three years, so most shareholders wouldn't be too disappointed. But they probably don't want to see the CEO paid more than is normal for companies around the same size. In Summary... We examined the amount Christie Group plc pays its CEO, and compared it to the amount paid by similar sized companies. As discussed above, we discovered that the company pays more than the median of that group. However, the earnings per share growth over three years is certainly impressive. We also think investors are doing ok, over the same time period. While it may be worth researching further, we don't see a problem with the CEO pay, given the good EPS growth. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling Christie Group shares (free trial). If you want to buy a stock that is better than Christie Group, this free list of high return, low debt companies is a great place to look. 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. Forces loyal to UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) who have been wounded while defending Tripoli against east-based military commanders military offensive on the capital, will be treated in Italy, following discussions between GNAs Head and the ambassador of the EU country. GNA leader Faiez Serraj discussed Thursday with Italian ambassador Giuseppe Buccino, medical treatment procedures in Italian hospitals for fighters under the GNA military command, local media Libya Observer reports. The GNA since early April has been defending the Libyan capital against east-based self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar. Italy, a staunch GNA ally has condemned the military campaign, which has caused the death of over 600 people and inflicted injuries of hundreds of people including civilians. Buccino reportedly stressed that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict. The country has had no central administration since the fall and killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed revolution. Haftar in April vowed to forge ahead with the offensive despite the holy month of Ramadan, as he likened the campaign to a holy war. Foreign countries have turned the North African country into battle ground. Haftar is backed by Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, France and the US President Donald Trump. The GNA on the other hand is supported by Qatar and Turkey. By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to be Britain's prime minister, promised he would take the United Kingdom out of the European Union by Oct. 31, saying that only by preparing to leave without an agreement could a no-deal Brexit be prevented. Johnson, a former foreign minister and London mayor, is the clear favorite to replace Theresa May. He won the backing of 114 of 313 Conservative lawmakers in a first round of voting on Thursday, almost three times as many as his nearest rival. The contest has been dominated by the question of how and when Britain will leave the EU, Britain's biggest political crisis in a generation. In his first broadcast interview since the campaign started, Johnson gave an unequivocal pledge that Brexit would happen by the latest Brexit deadline of Oct. 31 and Britain had to prepare for a no-deal exit, which he said would not be a disaster. "All those who say that we should delay ... I think they risk doing terminal damage to trust in politics. We have to get on and do this. We've got to be out by Oct. 31," Johnson told BBC radio on Friday. "If we have to get out on what is called no-deal terms, or WTO (World Trade Organization) terms, then it is our absolute responsibility to prepare for it. And it's by preparing for it that we will prevent that outcome." May resigned as Conservative Party leader having failed three times to get her EU divorce deal through parliament. The bloc has said repeatedly it will not renegotiate that agreement, which was aimed at taking Britain out of the bloc on March 29, before the date was pushed back twice to October. Johnson said he did not want a no-deal Brexit but he ruled out a further extension beyond the current Oct. 31 deadline. "It would be absolutely bizarre to signal at this stage that the UK government was willing once again to run-up the white flag and delay yet again," he said. Johnson provided few details but said the so-called Irish backstop, an insurance policy to prevent the return of border controls between Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, could be solved by having goods checked away from the border. Story continues "(The EU) will see that politics has changed in the UK and in Europe," he said. Johnson's interview came after rivals accused him of hiding from scrutiny because of his history of gaffes. WHAT WOULD CHURCHILL SAY? He agreed to take part in a televised debate on Tuesday but not one on Sunday. Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said earlier on Friday that Johnson's Brexit proposals had to be scrutinized. "We can only have that debate if our frontrunner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media, engaging in debates," Hunt told the BBC. "What would Churchill say if somebody who wants to be prime minister of the United Kingdom was hiding away from the media, not taking part in these big occasions?" he added in a jibe at Johnson, who wrote a biography of Britain's World War Two leader. With Johnson so far ahead in the first round of voting, the media have speculated that some rivals might withdraw to allow a more focused challenge to the man who led the official Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum. Health minister Matt Hancock quit the contest on Friday, leaving Johnson with five rivals. A second round of voting among lawmakers takes place on Tuesday as the candidates are whittled down to a final two before 160,000 Conservative grassroots members choose the next leader and prime minister by the end of July. All May's potential successors have said they could find the solution to the Brexit crisis which eluded her. Parliament has indicated it will try to stop a no-deal Brexit which investors warn would hurt financial markets and shock the world economy. "He (Johnson) keeps saying he will deliver Brexit by Oct. 31 but how?" one of his challengers, aid minister Rory Stewart, said. "How is he going to renegotiate with Europe? How's he going to get it through parliament because this can't be just a blind act of faith?" (Additional reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by William Schomberg and Alison Williams) CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Bell employees this week didn't use Post-It notes like they usually do. You know, to jot down reminders and stick up at their desks. Instead, in honor of LGBTQ Pride month, more than 100 Cincinnati Bell employees used the sticky notes to create a Pride mural on the north side of the companys Atrium II headquarters. The mural extends from the 9th floor to the 16th floor and is made up of approximately 26,000 Post-it notes put on 96 windows. And, for the first time, Cincinnati Bell on Wednesday night illuminated its signage on top of Atrium II using Pride colors. Both the mural and the Atrium 2 illumination, will remain through the end of June. The company is a corporate sponsor of Cincinnati's Pride Parade set for June 22. Pride Month: Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage in landmark case 'Not all country boys are bigots': Photo of duct tape Pride flag on truck goes viral Cincinnati Bell is committed to a supportive environment that encourages every employee to bring their full selves to work, said Leigh Fox, president and CEO of Cincinnati Bell. I am so proud of our Pride Employee Resource Group members, (who led the effort) and their leadership in driving Cincinnati Bells Pride Month celebrations. Follow Sharon Coolidge on Twitter: @SharonCoolidge This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A Cincinnati company made a Pride month mural out of 26,000 Post-It notes Get Real Health, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Computer Programs and Systems, Inc.CPSI, announced that it has enabled migration capabilities with Microsoft HealthVault. Lydia, Get Real Healths multi-faceted solution, will provide users a seamless transition path in receiving a complete personal health record solution. The solution is designed for individual consumers and organizations. This marks an important step for Computer Programs and Systems in the healthcare information technology (HCIT) space. More about Lydia Lydias application migration capabilities for HealthVault-connected applications facilitate effortless transition for HealthVault users.With a HealthVault-compatible API and a SMART on FHIR-compatible interface, Lydia is a unique development and integration platform for health apps. Lydia is powered by Get Real Healths flexible InstantPHR patient engagement platform and the CHBase personal health data and security platform. The platforms generate crucial and actionable data to better manage health conditions. Former HealthVault account holders will benefit from Lydias state-of-the art features that include a sleek,new user experience, an increasing ecosystem of connected devices as well as Touch ID among others.The entire platform spans the healthcare spectrum and can cater to patients in a home or clinical setting. Market prospects Per Wolters Kluwer, the global Healthcare IT market is expected to witness a CAGR of 13.4% during the forecast period of 2015 to 2020. Hence, the development of this platform is well-timed. Recent Developments Lately, Computer Programs and Systems is making investments in several developments to strengthen its foothold in the HCIT space. In April 2019, Evident LLC, another wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, announced that the Oklahoma Spine Hospital has selected the cloud-hosted Thrive EHR solution to replace their existing system through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) payment model. Evident is a leading provider of electronic health record (HER) systems and services. Story continues In March, Evident announced that Jasper General Hospital has selected the cloud-hosted Thrive EHR solution for their hospital and clinic along with the TruBridge revenue cycle products and services to enhance the quality of financial and business operations. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Evident, recently announced that they are extending their existing partnership by leveraging their respective key digital assets. This partnership will create a first, made-in-Canada, Hospital Information System (HIS) solution. Price Performance In the past year, the companys shares have underperformed the industry. The stock has declined 20.9% compared with the industrys 3.6% rise. Zacks Rank and Key Picks Computer Programs and Systems currently carries a Zacks Rank # 3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Cerner Corporation CERN, Penumbra PEN and Bruker Corporation BRKR. Each of these carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1(Strong Buy) Rank stocks here. Cerners long-term earnings growth rate is expected to be 13.5%. Penumbras long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 21.5%. Brukers long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 11.7%. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free > Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Computer Programs and Systems, Inc. (CPSI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cerner Corporation (CERN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Bruker Corporation (BRKR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Penumbra, Inc. (PEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Regular readers of mine (and listeners to my podcast with Luke Thompson, Constitutionally Speaking) will know that I am an Article I kind of guy. I like Congress, or at least I like the idea of Congress. I think co-equal branches is a myth. I think the true backbone of republican government is Congress, not the president and certainly not the courts. So, it should come as no shock then that I found myself largely in agreement with Yuval Levins recent op-ed for the New York Times, on the need for Congress to reclaim some of its lost authority: Our constitutional system cannot function this way. To repair it, Congress will have to reclaim its place. This certainly means taking oversight seriously, and the assorted misbehaviors of the Trump administration must surely be on the agenda. But it is crucial that the reassertion of congressional power be at its core a reassertion of legislative power, not just of oversight. Fighting the president is not what Congress is for. And the fact that Congress has forgotten what it is for is bad news for our constitutional system. So heres a bit of a shocker: I partially disagree with Yuval as well. The sad fact of the matter is that, organizationally speaking, Congress is a disgrace. Without substantial reforms of congressional practice, the headline of Yuvals piece, What if Congress, Not Trump, Were In Charge? would probably be answered, Things would be a lot worse. Before Congress reclaims its power, it has to acquire the ability to behave responsibly, on behalf of the general welfare of the United States. Unless that happens, I will oppose expansions of legislative authority, much as I wish I did not have to. I have a series of essays that I have been working on for the American Enterprise Institute that deal in more depth with this subject. For now, Ill just offer a digest of my opinions. It was not always like this. Congress used to be the dominant player in American public policy. Before the rise of the regulatory state, before the emergence of the imperial presidency, there was Congress. Study politics during the Gilded Age, and you will inevitably see the most important people in the country rarely lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. They either were captains of industry or the titans of Congress. James G. Blaine, Tom Reed, Joseph Cannon, Nelson Aldrich. These were men to be reckoned with. Story continues Why did Congress lose its power? Lets be a little more precise with the question. It did not technically lose its power, of course. Its still sitting right there in Article I, Section 8. Congress instead lost the will to exercise it. Why is that the case? I think we have to answer that question before we start calling for an increase in congressional authority, and Yuvals response does not entirely satisfy: Whether driven by partisanship, misguided by perverse media and political incentives, or simply put off by the burdens of responsibility, members of both houses are now reluctant to really legislate. No doubt, he is onto something here. The problem with this explanation is that, while it may explain recent history, it does not account for the long-term trend of congressional abdication, an ongoing process of 100 years and counting. It transcends media, political, and partisan eras. So, to build a theory, we have to look at history with a little more granularity. The answer, as with many things regarding Congress, can be found by looking first at the people. Congress, for better or worse, represents the people. It may be a perverted picture in some respects (or it may be an accurate picture that we wish were perverted!), but it is still representative. Elections guarantee that. Beginning around the time of the Progressive Era, more or less continuing up to this day, the people have demanded that Congress grant more and more deference to the executive branch. They have rarely equivocated in this demand. Maybe that is not what the people intended, but it has been the resounding effect of their votes. Look at the big shifts in congressionalexecutive relationships. These mainly happen during the 60th and 61st Congress (19131917); the 73rd, 74th, and 75th Congresses (19331939); the 80th Congress (194749); and the 89th Congress (196567). There were smaller expansions and contractions here and there (e.g. the 111th Congress, which passed Obamacare), but these seven Congresses really established the framework for modern executivelegislative relationships. In five of these Congresses (61st, 73rd, 74th, 75th, and 89th), there was a shift toward greater executive power. In one of them (80th), there was a successful effort to scale back the administrative state. In the next election, the people always responded by voting for the party calling for greater executive power. Admittedly, the majority partys margin was sometimes diminished, preventing it from enacting new reforms. But the opposition never acquired a strong enough majority to undo what its predecessor had done. Public opinion is not terribly well formed, and it is easy to overinterpret. But in general it is fair to say that the people have been more likely to support cuts to congressional power than to support expansions and for good reasons. As a dyed-in-the-wool republican, I do not like the idea of being governed by an imperial president and his army of unelected bureaucrats. But by the middle of the 20th century, congressional governance had become such an intolerable blend of incompetence and corruption that the imperial presidency was arguably . . . better. This problem has its origins in the constitutional structure of the legislature. While Congress represents the country, it is wrong to say that it necessarily represents the national interest. There are, after all, no members who count as their constituency the entire country. Rather, Congress is the meeting place of representatives from 535 diverse constituencies, each of whom has an electoral incentive to place the good of his constituents before that of the whole country. Now, to be fair, many members do not act in such a low manner. Some of them possess the civic virtue requisite to vote against the wishes of their constituents in pursuit of their interests, rightly understood. The problem is that the average member is unlikely to be possessed of such high motives, which means that Congress represents not the national interest but some weighted average of all the local constituencies within the chamber. These are two different things, and Congress as a chamber has been inclined to deal with national problems as the sum of local problems which leads to all sorts of unintended consequences: corruption, inefficiency, overreaction, underreaction, etc. Consider the period between the Civil War and the Progressive movement. This is an important test case for the responsible use of legislative power, because here we see Congress directly engaging with a complex, industrialized economy and diverse citizenry but largely before the administrative state matures. These were the salad days of congressional supremacy, and the results are extremely disappointing. There are some notable exceptions, but it is hard to look at any policy domain during this period and not see Congress seriously misbehave at some point or another. Railroad expansion. Industrial regulation. Civil War pensions. Maintenance of the currency. Civil rights. Its a long list of failures. Ironically, no policy domain better illustrates this problem than the one that now has people calling for greater congressional power the tariff authority. From 1816 to 1933, the United States engaged in a basically uninterrupted project of industrial protection, largely directed by Congress. While there were some national benefits at various points to this regime, it was on balance a negative experience for the country. And this is not merely the judgment of historians, but that of contemporary political players all throughout the eras. Peruse the various party platforms, and you will see both sides regularly call for tariff reform. Why? Because Congress made a total hash of it. The waterloo arrived in 1930, with the Smoot-Hawley tariff. As so many previous protective measures did, this one started as a misguided but benignly intentioned effort to prop up the economy in the face of the Great Depression. But (as so many previous protective measures did!), it devolved into a massive logroll that was malignant to the national interest. Against his better judgment, President Herbert Hoover signed the tariff of 1930 into law. Smoot-Hawley worsened the Depression, led to the election of Franklin Roosevelt, and, more important, brought about an inadvertent shift in congressionalexecutive relations. Subsequent Congresses handed the tariff power to the president in large part because they knew that Congress could not exercise it responsibly, and that irresponsibility could lead to economic calamity and eventually electoral defeat. So the free-trade regime that has existed more or less since the 1930s is based on the idea that the president should keep Congress at bay. I could offer many more examples. Instead, Ill summarize by restating my main contentions: Congress is not currently equipped to handle national problems in a responsible manner; this is not a problem of ethics or civic virtue, but rather legislative organization; congressional incompetence tends to result in inefficiency, graft, and generally bad legislation; the public, at least dimly aware of this, has responded by empowering the president who, by his very nature as the unitary agent of his branch, can theoretically act with a coherent national purpose that Congress so often lacks. Giving Congress more power right now would be like allowing a ten-year-old to drive your fathers Ferrari. The boy just cant handle it and will assuredly wreck your dads 660 HP testament to Italian engineering. Before we start giving Congress more power, we have to beef up its capacities to handle its tasks responsibly. Ill address some of these on Monday. More from National Review The government decided to move next year's May Bank Holiday to a Friday. [Photo: PA] The government has moved next years May Bank Holiday to a Friday and not everybody is thrilled about it. Engaged couple, Anthony Messore, 40 and Jess Howells, 29, say they will have to fork out another 30k to cover their wedding costs. Theyre set to have to cover the costs of up to 70 guests who are now unable to make their Italian fairytale wedding. The wedding, which has been booked for two years, will take place in Mr Messores late fathers home town of Baia Domizia near Naples. The engaged couple with their son, Jayden. [Photo: PA] READ MORE: Wedding guest branded as tacky for specific meal request The couple are set to get married on Sunday 3rd May 2020. The original plan was that people would be able to relax on the Bank Holiday Monday and wouldnt have to miss work or school. The government decided to move next years Bank Holiday to Friday 8th May to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day. There's a lot of teachers in our family, including my brother's wife, two of my cousins, and everyone had used the bank holiday to work out they could come. Now they can't because they won't be able to get the time off. Mr Messore said. My brother's wife has already said she doesn't think she will be coming. That means my brother may not come. It's going to break Jess's heart, because her sister, who is a nurse, isn't going to be able to come. READ MORE: Divorced friends wear wedding dresses on night out The couple estimate that between 60 and 70 of their guests can no longer make their special day due to work or school. They have a lot of children in their family and as the children now have to be at school, the parents cant make it, either. The pair are disappointed that the decision was made just 11 months before their big day. This unexpected change in date has happened once before in 1995 when the government changed the date to mark the 50th anniversary of VE Day. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK: 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'll take a closer look at Cranswick plc (LON:CWK) from a dividend investor's perspective. Owning a strong business and reinvesting the dividends is widely seen as an attractive way of growing your wealth. Unfortunately, it's common for investors to be enticed in by the seemingly attractive yield, and lose money when the company has to cut its dividend payments. Investors might not know much about Cranswick's dividend prospects, even though it has been paying dividends for the last nine years and offers a 2.2% yield. A low yield is generally a turn-off, but if the prospects for earnings growth were strong, investors might be pleasantly surprised by the long-term results. Some simple analysis can reduce the risk of holding Cranswick for its dividend, and we'll focus on the most important aspects below. Explore this interactive chart for our latest analysis on Cranswick! LSE:CWK Historical Dividend Yield, June 14th 2019 Payout ratios Dividends are usually paid out of company earnings. If a company is paying more than it earns, then the dividend might become unsustainable - hardly an ideal situation. So we need to form a view on if a company's dividend is sustainable, relative to its net profit after tax. Looking at the data, we can see that 41% of Cranswick's profits were paid out as dividends in the last 12 months. This is medium payout level that leaves enough capital in the business to fund opportunities that might arise, while also rewarding shareholders. Plus, there is room to increase the payout ratio over time. We also measure dividends paid against a company's levered free cash flow, to see if enough cash was generated to cover the dividend. With a cash payout ratio of 260%, Cranswick's dividend payments are poorly covered by cash flow. Paying out more than 100% of your free cash flow in dividends is generally not a long-term, sustainable state of affairs, so we think shareholders should watch this metric closely. Cranswick paid out less in dividends than it reported in profits, but unfortunately it didn't generate enough free cash flow to cover the dividend. Were it to repeatedly pay dividends that were not well covered by cash flow, this could be a risk to Cranswick's ability to maintain its dividend. Story continues We update our data on Cranswick every 24 hours, so you can always get our latest analysis of its financial health, here. Dividend Volatility From the perspective of an income investor who wants to earn dividends for many years, there is not much point buying a stock if its dividend is regularly cut or is not reliable. The first recorded dividend for Cranswick, in the last decade, was nine years ago. The dividend has been quite stable over the past nine years, which is great to see - although we usually like to see the dividend maintained for a decade before giving it full marks, though. During the past nine-year period, the first annual payment was UK0.25 in 2010, compared to UK0.56 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.4% a year over that time. Cranswick has been growing its dividend at a decent rate, and the payments have been stable despite the short payment history. This is a positive start. Dividend Growth Potential Examining whether the dividend is affordable and stable is important. However, it's also important to assess if earnings per share (EPS) are growing. Growing EPS can help maintain or increase the purchasing power of the dividend over the long run. Cranswick has grown its earnings per share at 8.8% per annum over the past five years. It's good to see decent earnings growth and a low payout ratio. Companies with these characteristics often display the fastest dividend growth over the long term - assuming earnings can be maintained, of course. Conclusion When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. Firstly, the company has a conservative payout ratio, although we'd note that its cashflow in the past year was substantially lower than its reported profit. Next, earnings growth has been good, but unfortunately the company has not been paying dividends as long as we'd like. In sum, we find it hard to get excited about Cranswick from a dividend perspective. It's not that we think it's a bad business; just that there are other companies that perform better on these criteria. Earnings growth generally bodes well for the future value of company dividend payments. See if the 9 Cranswick analysts we track are forecasting continued growth with our free report on analyst estimates for the company. We have also put together a list of global stocks with a market capitalisation above $1bn and yielding more 3%. 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. Diplomats from the United States and the African Union have intensified pressure on Sudans Transitional Military Council that is currently trying to resolve a standoff with protesters. The diplomatic push comes after the umbrella body for Sudanese protest groups, the Forces for Freedom and Change, said it will only restart talks with the ruling junta in the presence of a third party. Since the fall of the countrys strongman Omar al-Bashir in April, protesters are demanding civilian rule. A leader of the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF), Khalid Omar Yousef, told Reuters the military regime will fall no matter what, and suggested the protest movement would escalate. He said head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had not learned from the lessons of history. Several parts of the capital city suffered electricity cuts early on Thursday, while internet services remained erratic. The Sudanese Professionals Association, SPA, one of the main groups under the protest leadership in the country has alleged that there is an active plot by the TMC to break up sit-ins in parts of the country. AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told reporters after meeting Monday with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres there is no question of sustaining the military council that assumed power after al-Bashirs ouster, saying, it is not acceptable. Washington and the AU, who have consistently pushed for civilian-led rule following Bashirs ouster, stepped up efforts to find a solution Thursday. Washingtons newly appointed special envoy to Sudan Donald Booth, along with US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy, met with the TMC head on Thursday. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A father who killed his five children will be a new resident on South Carolina's death row, where the population has dropped by 25% in eight years but not because of executions, since the state hasn't put anyone to death in that time. The state is in an unofficial death penalty moratorium because prison officials have no drugs to carry out lethal injections and pharmaceutical companies publicly refuse to sell them more. And prosecutors, facing rising costs and more vigorous defenses in court, don't seek the ultimate punishment as frequently. Timothy Jones Jr., sentenced to death Thursday for killing his children aged 1 to 8 in their Lexington home, is only the third new admission to South Carolina's death row in 10 years. "It is frustrating and unfair. You have to start to wonder what is the purpose of having a death penalty if it can't be used," said state Sen. Greg Hembree, a former prosecutor who sponsored a bill that would have forced condemned inmates to the electric chair or firing squad. The bill failed to pass in 2019. The trend toward fewer executions and death row inmates but more life without parole sentences is reflected across the country, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit organization that gathers data on the death penalty. Virginia has executed 113 prisoners since 1982, but only three inmates remain on its death row. In Georgia, the only person sent to death row since 2014 acted as her own lawyer, and the state has executed 20 prisoners during that time span. Oklahoma executed 112 prisoners starting in 1990, but none since using the wrong drug in a botched 2015 lethal injection, according to the center. "With better lawyers and juries that aren't afraid if they sentence someone to life that they will be released to commit another murder, the death penalty almost becomes a vestige," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the nonprofit. Story continues A Winthrop University poll from February 2018 found that two-thirds of South Carolina's residents still support the death penalty, even if about half felt it wasn't applied fairly in the U.S. South Carolina ran out of the drugs needed for lethal injection in 2013 and hasn't been able to buy more since. Prisons Director Bryan Stirling has asked lawmakers several times for various bills to shield the names of companies selling the drugs from the public or to force inmates into South Carolina's still operational electric chair but they haven't passed, even with the support of the governor and attorney general. Thirteen inmates have left death row since the state ran out of lethal injection drugs. More than half of the 38 current death row inmates arrived there in 2003 or earlier. In September, the inmate on death row the longest will mark 36 years since he was condemned to death. Jones was being processed into South Carolina's death row Friday, according to prison officials. Chances are that Jones' stay there will be lengthy as years, if not decades, of appeals play out. Immediately after the sentence was announced, defense attorney Boyd Young asked a judge to toss it out for nearly a dozen reasons, including that the jury deliberated less than two hours after four weeks of testimony, the testimony of some experts was limited and the judge allowed jurors to view autopsy photos of the children in the jury room if they wished. Judge Eugene Griffith ruled against the request, but lawyers who specialize in appeals were in the courtroom throughout the trial. The trial also displayed another key factor in the decline of capital punishment: Jones was defended by a special group of public defenders called the Capital Trial Division. Created in 2008, the group's lawyers quickly identify cases that could result in the death penalty and begin vigorous investigations. Previously, private lawyers often would be appointed, juggling the cases with their regular, money making load. Jones' lawyers hired at least eight experts to care for, evaluate and analyze Jones and paid them thousands or, in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars. Similar lawyer teams have organized in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Texas to defend people accused of the most heinous crimes, Dunham said. The close examination of cases before they get to trial often leads prosecutors to accept guilty pleas that include a life sentence to avoid costly trials and years of appeals. "You tell the families of victims that a murderer is going to die in prison that's a big factor in this. Victims' families don't have to worry about going to parole hearings or appeals," said David Pascoe, the chief prosecutor for the First Judicial Circuit in South Carolina. ___ Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP . Dame Stephanie Shirley is a British technology pioneer who has donated vast sums of her wealth to charitable causes. She is reported to have given away more than 65m ($81.3m) of the money she generated following the sale of her technology firm Freelance Programmers which later became Xansa a company she founded with just 6 in capital in 1962. Speaking on Yahoo Finance UKs Global Change Agents with Lianna Brinded show, she described her role now as a venture philanthropist, dedicating her time to projects focused on autism, women, and information technology. Watch the full Dame Stephanie Shirley Global Change Agents interview I think of projects, I set them up, I get them to a sustainable level, and then I step back, she said. I enjoy my philanthropy, its very like business except that the metrics are social metrics rather than the bottom line. It was a sheer pleasure Dame Stephanie, who arrived to the UK in 1939 as an unaccompanied child Kindertransport refugee, said she decided early on to make her life a life that was worth saving. I think even if I hadnt been a refugee, I hope I would always have been a liberal because it seems to me that the world is getting more and more diverse the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, she said. Once you have wealth of your own, it became a driving force to spread that around a bit. Dame Stephanie Shirley. Photo: Supplied by Dame Stephanie Shirley The most surprising thing about being a philanthropist for Dame Stephanie is how pleasant an experience it has been, she said. I have so much fun, I could not imagine a lifestyle which is more amenable to how I want to spend my time and that was really a surprise, she said. It wasnt ... a duty, but it was a sheer pleasure. Global Change Agents with Lianna Brinded explores the stories of some of the most inspirational women across business, tech, and academia. Catch up on all the latest episodes here. Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Eric Swalwell (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Charlie Neibergall/AP, Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters, Jeff Chiu/AP) Presidential elections are decided by many things: media exposure, financial backing, personal chemistry, timing and luck. Policy positions often are just a way of signaling where a candidate stands on the political spectrum. But 2020 is shaping up to be different, the most ideas-driven election in recent American history. On the Democratic side, a robust debate about inequality has given rise to ambitious proposals to redress the imbalance in Americans economic situations. Candidates are churning out positions on banking regulation, antitrust law and the future effects of artificial intelligence. The Green New Deal is spurring debate on the crucial issue of climate change, which could also play a role in a possible Republican challenge to Donald Trump. Yahoo News will be examining these and other policy questions in The Ideas Election a series of articles on how candidates are defining and addressing the most important issues facing the United States as it prepares to enter a new decade. Hundreds of mass shootings have taken place in America since 2012, when a gunman opened fire in an elementary school, killing 20 first-graders with an AR-15-style rifle. While there had been deadly mass shootings like Columbine and Virginia Tech before the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., that tragedy marked a turning point in the fight over gun reform. Sandy Hook was a defining moment for a lot of different reasons in the country, said Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, founded in 1974 as the National Council to Control Handguns. We'd never seen that kind of carnage with these kids who are so little, at their own school, a place that was supposed to be safe. Then last year another mass shooting, also with an AR-15, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., killed 17 people, including 14 children. Parents after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 14, 2018. (Photo: Joel Auerbach/AP, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) Brown told Yahoo News that while once there was a sense of resignation in response to gun violence, that shifted substantially with Parkland because you had kids who were older who are able to speak after the event and really lead an entire generation to become galvanized around this issue. Story continues The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world that have the right to own a gun written into their constitutions. It is also the place where over 11 million firearms were manufactured and nearly 4.5 million were imported in recent years, according to the 2018 Report on Firearms Commerce in the U.S. It is a country in which about a third of adults own a gun. As mass shootings continue to occur, advocates for stricter gun regulation have gained momentum. But so have those rallying to protect themselves and their constitutional right to bear arms. It's really the modern political dispute of the last 30 or 40 years that says that this is all a zero-sum game, said Robert Spitzer, a political scientist who teaches a gun policy course at the State University of New York, and argues that effective gun regulation is compatible with gun rights because it aims to keep the public safe. That gun laws infringe on gun rights and fewer gun laws expand gun rights. But thats not been our history. Before the Second Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1791, providing that "a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed, before there was a United States of America or a Constitution, some colonies had laws requiring "at least one adult man in every house to carry a gun to church or other public meetings" as protection against theft, slave revolts or attacks by Native Americans. The first federal gun control legislation would not be passed until 1934. The National Firearms Act (NFA) was a response to gang violence during the Prohibition era including the infamous 1929 Valentines Day Massacre in Chicago and among other provisions taxed importing, manufacturing and selling shotguns, machine guns, rifles and other specified firearms. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, standing second from left, looks on as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs a 1934 bill to enforce the fight against crime. (Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) The Federal Firearms Act (FFA) of 1938 imposed a federal license requirement on gun manufacturers, importers and sellers to regulate commerce in firearms. Convicted felons were officially barred from buying guns, and firearms dealers were required to keep records of their customers. A challenge to the NFA was decided in 1939, in United States v. Miller, in which the Supreme Court ruled the government could regulate access to weapons such as short-barrel shotguns. The decision maintained that there was no evidence that such a firearm has some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia, and therefore it cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument. The FFA was repealed and replaced when Congress passed the Gun Control Act in 1968, after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy, who was shot by a mail-order rifle purchased from an ad in the National Rifle Associations American Rifleman magazine. The 1968 law regulated interstate and foreign commerce in firearms and prohibited imports of guns and large-capacity ammunition magazines that are not recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. It also imposed stricter licensing and regulation on the firearms industry, setting an age requirement of 21 for the purchase of a handgun, and, in incorporating sections of the FFA, prohibiting sales of guns to felons and the mentally ill. Not all contemporary gun laws restricted gun ownership. The 1986 Firearm Owner's Protection Act, for example, which was drafted by the NRA and revised many of the provisions in the Gun Control Act, prohibited a national firearms registry of dealers records. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005 conferred immunity to firearms manufacturers and dealers from liability for crimes committed with guns they made or sold. States and localities also passed regulations, including a 1976 law in Washington, D.C., that banned residents from owning handguns altogether. A few decades later, the law would be infamously challenged when an armed security guard, Dick Anthony Heller, sued the city after he was denied a permit to keep a handgun in his home. Notably, before this challenge, Congress passed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994, outlawing certain models of assault rifles that make up a small fraction of gun crimes but were the weapon of choice in many mass shootings. The law was written to expire after 10 years and was not renewed. The Brady Handgun Violence Act, named after White House press secretary James Brady, who was shot in the head and permanently disabled in the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, passed in 1993. It established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), requiring federal background checks before a gun was purchased or sold. The so-called Brady Law also imposed a five-day waiting period for a licensed dealer to sell a handgun to an unlicensed person until a computerized NICS system was launched by the FBI in 1998, providing instant background checks. President Bill Clinton hands James Brady a pen after signing the Brady Bill, Nov. 30, 1993. (Photo: Marcy Nighswander/AP, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) As for the D.C. handgun ban, the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller struck down the ban as unconstitutional in 2008 on the grounds that it violated the Second Amendment. While the court established citizens constitutional right to possess handguns for protection at home, it also made clear that other gun regulations remained. The Courts opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms, the ruling stated. Since 2008, after the Heller decision, we've had over a thousand legal challenges in the last 10 or 11 years to gun laws from the local to the national level, said Spitzer, who has researched gun laws of every imaginable variety from 1619 up until 1934. And over 95 percent of those laws had been upheld, he continued, so the courts are saying, by and large, the vast majority of gun laws do not infringe gun rights. But that debate is coming to a boil in the 2020 presidential race. Last month, Sen. Cory Booker announced a broad, 14-part gun control plan, the most aggressive proposal from a 2020 Democratic candidate. My plan to address gun violence is simple we will make it harder for people who should not have a gun to get one, Booker, a New Jersey Democrat and the former mayor of Newark, said in a statement announcing his proposals and pledging to take executive action on the first day of his presidency. At the center of the plan is a national licensing program that would require a universal background check and license for all gun owners. Through the program, which Bookers campaign compared to the process of getting a passport, an individual looking to buy a gun would need to submit fingerprints, sit for an interview, take a certified gun safety course and undergo a federal background check for a license that would be valid only for up to five years with regular, automatic checks to flag noncompliance with license terms. Bookers sweeping common-sense proposal would also repeal the liability exemption in the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, close the boyfriend loophole by prohibiting gun purchases by persons convicted of domestic violence or under a restraining order, and ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, which can turn a legal firearm into an automatic weapon. Those devices, which were used in the Las Vegas massacre in 2017, have been banned by executive order by President Trump. Before Booker announced his ambitious plan, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., called for reasonable gun safety laws in this country and pledged during a CNN town hall that, if elected, she would take executive action if Congress failed to pass gun control legislation during her first 100 days in office. Democratic presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris (Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) There are people in Washington, D.C., supposed leaders who have failed to have the courage to reject a false choice which suggests youre either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyones guns away, she said in the town hall. The former California prosecutor said shed ban the import of AR-15-style assault rifles, mandate near-universal background checks by requiring anyone who sells five or more guns per year to run a background check on all gun sales and revoke licenses of gun makers and sellers who break the law. Harris would also close the boyfriend loophole and reverse a move by the Trump administration that narrowed the definition of fugitive from justice, a buyer who under the Brady Law cannot possess or purchase a gun because of an outstanding arrest warrant. She has also pledged to renew the assault-weapons ban by executive order. Another candidate and former prosecutor, Rep. Eric Swalwell, has made gun control a signature issue, and contends that renewing the federal assault-weapons ban doesnt go far enough. The ban, he argued, would prohibit manufacture and sales, but it would not affect weapons already possessed. This would leave millions of assault weapons in our communities for decades to come. A majority of Democrats, 81 percent, and half of Republicans support an assault-weapons ban, according to a 2018 Pew Research Center survey. Swalwells proposal for a ban on most private ownership of "military-style semiautomatic assault weapons" comes with a buy-back program. He proposed in a USA Today op-ed that the government offer up to $1,000 for every weapon covered by the ban, estimating that there could be 15 million assault weapons out there. If we offer $200 to buy back each weapon as many local governments have then it would cost about $3 billion; at $1,000 each, the cost would be about $15 billion, he wrote, arguing that government could afford to do this. Those who chose not to part with their assault weapons would be subject to prosecution, unless they agreed to store the guns safely at a hunting club or shooting range. Swalwell emphasized that he wants to ban weapons of war, not hunting rifles, shotguns or handguns. I am the son and brother of hunters and gun owners. I know that guns can be used responsibly and the Second Amendment provides individuals certain rights to own firearms. Rep. Eric Swalwell meets with 94-year-old community activist Edwina Knight in Chicago. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) Candidates John Hickenlooper and Pete Buttigieg have come out in favor of a ban on military-style assault weapons, universal background checks for all gun sales and national gun licenses. Beyond these measures, Hickenlooper, a former governor of Colorado, also proposed raising the minimum age to own or buy a gun from 18 to 21, and expand access to mental health services in schools. And Buttigieg, who is also a member of the bipartisan group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, plans to disrupt easy access to firearms through gun violence restraining orders and invest in evidence-based urban gun violence intervention programs proven to work. Meanwhile, Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, focusing on school shootings, made gun control part of his education proposal, vowing to defeat the National Rifle Association by championing legislation to renew the expired assault-weapons ban. Since the 2000 presidential campaign, when Al Gore and George W. Bush clashed over gun control during a debate, Democratic candidates have been mostly gun-control-shy. But in a notable shift this year, many have embraced the once fringe topic on the campaign trail in ways their predecessors would not. When Bill Clinton signed the assault-weapons ban during his presidency, it was cited as one of the reasons Democrats lost congressional seats in the 1994 midterm elections. John Kerry was accused of sending mixed messages when he, a supporter of the assault-weapons ban, was photographed with a shotgun while hunting pheasant. Gun control wasnt part of the platform for his 2004 presidential campaign. Barack Obama, a supporter of gun control as a senator, generally avoided the topic during his 2008 presidential campaign but staked out a position supporting the Supreme Court decision ending the D.C. handgun ban. Then-Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, second from left, in 2004. (Photo: Hector Mata/AFP/Getty Images, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) And Hillary Clinton, during her Democratic primary battle against Obama in 2008, defended Second Amendment rights (Its part of culture. Its part of a way of life). Most gun control groups endorsed her in the 2016 primary race against Sen. Bernie Sanders, who had a mixed record on gun control in deference to his mostly rural constituency in Vermont. This year, he has come out in favor of universal background checks and an assault-weapons ban. As of today, at least five or six pretty serious candidates are annunciating plans around the issue, said Brown, adding that a number of 2020 Democratic hopefuls have been consulting about their positions with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. It's not just that they answer a question at a debate, she said. Theyre putting out affirmative proposals for what they would do if elected, and that is a big shift from when we were really happy as a movement to get a single question asked in a presidential debate that was considered victory. Brown said she expects this continued momentum going into 2020, certainly among these candidates with a crowded field. Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation and chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, said the fight over gun laws is definitely the same fight that its always been a tragedy involving guns followed by an antigun outcry from politicians. But its intensified by the fact that each of the Democratic candidates for president are trying to outdo, on the gun control issue, their opponents to cater to their base, he told Yahoo News. At this juncture, its having a great effect on gun owners in the country who are now getting more energized and more engaged to defend their rights, because every day, with roughly 22 candidates or so running for president, somebodys calling for gun control, or more gun prohibition is in the news. Candidates are also eyeing the 2018 midterm results, in which congressional candidates prevailed after campaigning on gun violence like freshman Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., who made it the centerpiece of her campaign. Her teenage son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot during an argument in 2012. Rep. Lucy McBath speaks at the unveiling of legislation to expand background checks for sales of firearms, January 2019. (Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) Democrats earning F ratings from the NRA for their views on gun laws prevailed not only in increasingly bluish swing states such as Virginia, Nevada, Wisconsin and Colorado, but also in conservative strongholds like South Carolina and Kansas, the Trace reported. Nearly 80 percent of the newly elected Democrats in 2018 held a pro-gun-control stance, a Reuters analysis found. House Democrats, in the biggest gun control push in years, went on to pass a bill mandating universal background checks for all gun purchases. The bill has not been taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate, and Trump has vowed to veto it. A large majority of American voters support background checks for gun buyers, according to a recent Quinnipiac University National Poll. Ninety-four percent of voters are in favor of laws that would require background checks for all gun purchases, including 90 percent of gun owners. Meanwhile, 63 percent support a nationwide ban on selling assault weapons, and according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll in February, 55 percent of Americans said they wanted policies that make it tougher to own guns. But for gun owners, protection tops the list of reasons of why they have a gun, according to the Pew Research Center. Everybody wants to see guns in the right hands, so to speak, said Gottlieb. But he doesn't think that's how presidential candidates are approaching the issue. When youre talking about outright bans of magazines or certain semiautomatic firearms, youre not saying guns in the right hands. Youre saying guns in nobodys hands. Gun owners, he said, are on high alert, and this is going to be really great for the next election cycle. In key states, where theres a lot of gun owners, like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, the battleground states, for the 2020 elections, I think they're cutting their own throats, Gottlieb said about pro-gun-control Democratic candidates. There is no one solution, said Brown about preventing gun violence in America. There are solutions entirely consistent with the Second Amendment, and the vast majority of Americans support them. President Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum in Indianapolis earlier this year. (Photo: Michael Conroy/AP, digitally enhanced by Yahoo News) In past elections, though, gun rights advocates might have been outnumbered, but they were better organized and more passionate about the cause than the gun control forces. Donald Trump, who had a rare concealed-carry permit as a New York City resident, won strong backing from the NRA in 2016 and from a shadowy Russian gun owners group that is suspected of surreptitiously funneling money to the Republican campaign. The association has become almost completely aligned with the Republican Party in recent years, and there is virtually no chance it will endorse any of the Democrats currently running. What remains to be seen is whether the strong positions the Democratic candidates have staked out to appeal to primary voters will be maintained in the general election, going head to head with a Republican in swing states where gun control is less popular than in California, New York or Washington, D.C. Read more from Yahoo News: NASHVILLE, Tenn. It is a fringe belief to think the Bible advocates for the government to arrest and quickly execute LGBTQ people, an expert on American religious history says. But a Knoxville, Tennessee, pastor, who also is a Knox County sheriff's detective, continues to defend the belief and the sermon he preached on it earlier this month. "This is a particularly forceful expression of Christian anti-gay sentiments," said Vanderbilt University professor James Hudnut-Beumler. "Its far outside a very broad range of Christian teachings." Detective Grayson Fritts is the pastor of All Scripture Baptist Church. On June 2, Fritts gave an hour-long sermon to his congregation about believing that all levels of government should arrest, try, convict and "speedily" execute members of the LGBTQ community on no more grounds than a cellphone photo of a person participating in a Pride event. Fritts based his sermon on an Old Testament passage and argues that a New Testament chapter reinforces it. There are many different types of Baptists Located near downtown Knoxville, the church describes itself on its website as independent and fundamental. Independent Baptists are congregations not beholden to an association or convention. And Baptists span the theological spectrum, but at a minimum that typically means they believe in baptism for people who can profess the Christian faith and not infant baptisms. The largest and most well-known group of Baptists is the Southern Baptist Convention, which All Scripture is not associated with. Fritts' church is affiliated with The New Independent Fundamental Baptist Movement and is listed along with 29 others on the movement's website, which explicitly states that it is not a denomination. Churches and pastors associated with this "revival of what the old IFB once represented" maintain their independence, but agree on 11 core doctrines, including only using the King James Version of the Bible, anti-Calvinism and hard preaching, the website says. Story continues Defending sermon: Tennessee detective responds after backlash for hate-filled sermon Hudnut-Beumler said Fritts' June 2 sermon could certainly be described as hard preaching, which the movement's website says is preaching "the entire Bible without apology." Fritts told reporters Thursday that other pastors, specifically Baptist pastors, do not speak like he does because they are afraid of causing offense and losing churchgoers and their offerings. As a result of the hate-laced sermon, prosecutors are reviewing all of Fritts' pending cases. The detective took a voluntary buyout from the sheriff's department two weeks ago and is on paid sick leave until July 19, when the buyout takes effect. "I think theres always a concern when someone's exercise of their gifts in the pulpit turn to an extreme or a violent direction and that can come from any corner," Hudnut-Beumler said. "Our First Amendment gives people the right to say it in the first instance to say what they believe, but the consequences for saying what they believe may indeed be that you suffer disaffirmation of your fellow citizens." Fritts' sermon goes beyond the usual messaging of even LGBTQ opponents that are typically decried, Hudnut-Beumler said. And LGBTQ advocates swiftly condemned Fritts' sermon and raised concerns it could incite violence against members of the community. Fritts delivered it on the first Sunday of Pride Month, which honors the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, considered a galvanizing moment in the gay rights movement. Christians in Tennessee oppose detective's sermon The sermon is not sitting well with Christians in Tennessee, either. It grieves Chris Turner, director of communications for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, that anyone would claim biblical authority for such a position. "I dont see how anyone who confesses the gospel and preaches the gospel can take a position of advocating harm against any other human being in any way," Turner said. The mission board oversees the daily ministry operations of a network of Southern Baptist churches in the state. Turner said Southern Baptists believe homosexuality is a sin, but they do not hate the individual. Detective preaches: Tennessee detective's church sermon calls for execution of LGBTQ people "That does not mean that we are in a position to condemn someone, Turner said. We would say that person would need to experience the grace of the gospel and the forgiveness of sin." The Rev. Paul Purdue, pastor of Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, called Fritts' sermon gross and hurtful. He said Jesus repudiates the retaliation idea of an eye for an eye. "It's completely contrary to the teachings of Jesus who said that you love the lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and you love your neighbor as yourself. It's contrary to the Golden Rule to do unto others as you would have done unto you," Purdue said. "I would say its contrary to the main Jewish and Christian teaching." Purdue's congregation is fully accepting of people who identity as LGBTQ and will be participating in Nashville's Pride celebration this month. He worries the "crazy preacher" is driving people away from God and a healing community. "We need more Christians to say this is just wrong," Purdue said. "It's wrong and you are loved." Follow Holly Meyer and Amy McRary on Twitter: @HollyAMeyer and KNSAmyMc This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Detective's sermon calling for LGBTQ executions far outside many Christian teachings, expert says Brazil backs the serious efforts made by Morocco to achieve a realistic solution to the Sahara issue, said on Thursday Brazilian Foreign Minister, Ernesto Araujo. Speaking in Brasilia at a joint press conference with Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita, Mr. Araujo said his country is willing to contribute to the various efforts aimed at finding a realistic solution to this regional conflict and go beyond rhetoric. He also hailed the relations of friendship and trust binding the two countries which share a diplomatic vision based on action, clarity and common values, describing Morocco as one of Brazils main partners in the Arab world. For his part, Mr. Bourita said that the strengthening of cooperation with Brazil is part of the royal vision insisting on the diversification of Moroccos international partnerships, saying the visit paid by King Mohammed VI to this country in 2004 gave a new impetus to relations between the two countries. The Moroccan top diplomat stressed the need to bolster further the economic and trade cooperation ties between Rabat and Brasilia which have huge growth potentials. The two ministers reviewed latest developments on the regional and international scenes, welcomed the momentum of the Moroccan-Brazilian cooperation and pledged to work together to enhance further bilateral relations in all sectors including agriculture, food security, logistics transports and IT. They highlighted the convergence of views between the two countries on transnational challenges, such as organized crime, terrorism and illegal migration. During his visit to Brasilia, part of a Latin American tour, Mr.Bourita conferred with several senior officials of this country and signed agreements on investment, legal cooperation and defense. On the sidelines of Bouritas visit, an exhibition entitled Brazil-Morocco: More Than Centenary Friendship was inaugurated Thursday. The exhibition highlights the historical ties between the two countries through several themes, namely diplomatic relations in the 19th century , The migration of Moroccan Jews to Brazil, Diplomatic, cultural and economic relations since the 1960s and Artistic creation as a vehicle for bilateral relations. The exhibition revisits decades of rich shared history, woven by human flows and a precious cultural heritage through a selection of photos, archives documents and manuscripts. * US diplomat says heard "harrowing" accounts of raid * Says raid destroyed trust between military, protesters * US has appointed envoy to support Sudan mediation push By Aidan Lewis CAIRO, June 14 (Reuters) - Outside mediation is needed to defuse Sudan's crisis because the ruling military council and opposition distrust each other too deeply for direct talks following a deadly raid on a protest camp, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa said on Friday. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Tibor Nagy also said he had met victims of the June 3 raid during a visit this week to Khartoum and he described their accounts as "harrowing". The raid, in which opposition-linked doctors say more than 100 people were killed, led to the collapse of stalled talks over a political transition towards elections and civilian rule following the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April. The military ousted and arrested Bashir after 16 weeks of protests, setting up a transitional council and entering talks with an alliance of protest and opposition groups that then stalled over who would lead a three-year transition. Nagy, speaking in a telephone briefing from Addis Ababa, said Washington's newly named envoy to Sudan, veteran diplomat Donald Booth, would focus on supporting mediation efforts led by the African Union and IGAD, an African trade bloc. "Why mediation, why not direction negotiation between the parties? The two parties absolutely do not trust each other in any way," Nagy said. While in Khartoum, Nagy met opposition groups and civil society as well as military council head Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. "FRANK" EXCHANGE The conversation with Burhan "was about as frank and direct as possible it was quite an exchange of views and obviously we did not agree on some of the key points," Nagy said. "From our point of view we mentioned that the events of June 3 constituted a 180 degree turn in the way events were going, with murder, rape, pillaging by members of the security forces." Story continues Washington believes there has to be an investigation into the incident that is "independent and credible", he said. "We spoke to some of the victims, including an American citizen who was shot, and those accounts were harrowing and very persuasive." The Sudanese government has confirmed 61 deaths in the sit-in raid. Shams El Din Kabbashi, the military council spokesman, said on Thursday there had been excesses and deviations from a plan devised after the council ordered military leaders to clear the sit-in. Some officers have been arrested in connection with the raid and the results of an investigation will be announced on Saturday, he said. Stability in Sudan, which has been grappling with an economic crisis, is seen as crucial for a volatile region struggling with conflict and insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya. Wealthy Gulf states are among the foreign powers trying to influence the path of the nation of 40 million. The United States imposed sanctions on Sudan under Bashir which were largely lifted in 2017. But Sudan remains on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, preventing it from accessing badly needed funding from international lenders. (Additional reporting by Ali Abdelaty Writing by Aidan Lewis Editing by Gareth Jones) By Aidan Lewis CAIRO (Reuters) - Outside mediation is needed to defuse Sudan's crisis because the ruling military council and opposition distrust each other too deeply for direct talks following a deadly raid on a protest camp, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa said on Friday. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Tibor Nagy also said he had met victims of the June 3 raid during a visit this week to Khartoum and he described their accounts as "harrowing". The raid, in which opposition-linked doctors say more than 100 people were killed, led to the collapse of stalled talks over a political transition towards elections and civilian rule following the overthrow of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April. The military ousted and arrested Bashir after 16 weeks of protests, setting up a transitional council and entering talks with an alliance of protest and opposition groups that then stalled over who would lead a three-year transition. Nagy, speaking in a telephone briefing from Addis Ababa, said Washington's newly named envoy to Sudan, veteran diplomat Donald Booth, would focus on supporting mediation efforts led by the African Union and IGAD, an African trade bloc. "Why mediation, why not direction negotiation between the parties? The two parties absolutely do not trust each other in any way," Nagy said. While in Khartoum, Nagy met opposition groups and civil society as well as military council head Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. "FRANK" EXCHANGE The conversation with Burhan "was about as frank and direct as possible it was quite an exchange of views and obviously we did not agree on some of the key points," Nagy said. "From our point of view we mentioned that the events of June 3 constituted a 180 degree turn in the way events were going, with murder, rape, pillaging by members of the security forces." Washington believes there has to be an investigation into the incident that is "independent and credible", he said. Story continues "We spoke to some of the victims, including an American citizen who was shot, and those accounts were harrowing and very persuasive." The Sudanese government has confirmed 61 deaths in the sit-in raid. Shams El Din Kabbashi, the military council spokesman, said on Thursday there had been excesses and deviations from a plan devised after the council ordered military leaders to clear the sit-in. Some officers have been arrested in connection with the raid and the results of an investigation will be announced on Saturday, he said. Stability in Sudan, which has been grappling with an economic crisis, is seen as crucial for a volatile region struggling with conflict and insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya. Wealthy Gulf states are among the foreign powers trying to influence the path of the nation of 40 million. The United States imposed sanctions on Sudan under Bashir which were largely lifted in 2017. But Sudan remains on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, preventing it from accessing badly needed funding from international lenders. (Additional reporting by Ali Abdelaty; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Gareth Jones) Screenwriter Russell T Davies is not happy about the proposed zip wire for Cardiff Bay (Credit: PA) Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies is furious about plans to build a zip wire outside his home. The creator of BBC drama Years and Years has written to Cardiff City Council objecting to proposals to install a 360 metre wire across Cardiff Bay, as it will be impossible for him to work with "screaming" people "whizzing past my home". Davies, 56, said: My property will be facing a seven-day-a-week zip wire with 48 people an hour whizzing past my home and screaming for six months of the year. Are you kidding? I write for a living. The Welsh writer goes on to take part credit for the successful redevelopment of Cardiff Bay as a tourist destination, as he brought cult BBC show Doctor Who to be filmed in the city. Read more: Russell T Davies prefers doing "one-off series" after Doctor Who He continued: I'm a television scriptwriter; I brought Doctor Who to Cardiff in 2005; the BBC Studio, Roath Lock, across the Bay, was built under my aegis. The City Zip company already run a zip wire attraction on London's Southbank (Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images) "That facility brings, from Doctor Who alone, 24m of business per annum to Cardiff. But you're now suggesting that I sit, in my Cardiff home, and write, with 48 people an hour flying past, screaming, for six months of the year. "That facility brings, from Doctor Who alone, 24m of business per annum to Cardiff. But you're now suggesting that I sit, in my Cardiff home, and write, with 48 people an hour flying past, screaming, for six months of the year. Read more: Russell T Davies: Casting Emma Thompson was a dream come true "One person screaming past my windows would be a one-off event. It could even be fun! But 48 people per hour, eight hours a day for 24 weeks equals a grand total of 64,512 events. "That's 64,512 events. Let me say it again. 64,512 people. Whizzing past my flat. Screaming. While I am working. "This is impossible." The City Zip Company - who are already taking bookings for the Cardiff attraction on their website - propose to build the wire from the top of the five-star St David's Hotel to a landing spot next to the historic Norwegian Church across the Bay, with a view to open next month. Story continues BBC America Senior Vice President of Programming Richard De Croce (L) and writer Andrew Davies in 2015 (Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) Among the other Cardiff Bay residents objecting to the zip wire are screenwriter Andrew Davies, famous for his BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and more recently Les Miserables. Andrew, who lives in an eighth floor apartment next to the St Davids Hotel looking out over the bay, said: I am a writer and I need peace and quiet for my work. This scheme would mean that screaming idiots would whiz past my apartment 48 times an hour. "The other main reason for having this apartment is to sit on the balcony and enjoy the calm and tranquil view out over the bay. Some hopes! "I paid 350,000 for my apartment and this zipwire, if it goes ahead, will render it worthless to me. "Please abandon this reckless and unneighbourly venture." Exactly a year after the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began, health officials underscored that a coordinated, consistent global response is necessary to keep the public-health emergency of international concern under control. I never thought that, after one year, wed be talking about the same outbreak, United Nations Ebola Emergency Response Coordinator David Gressly said at a press conference Thursday. It will be a long fight. It will be hard fight. We need vigilance. It will take discipline. The outbreak, which has infected around 2,600 people and killed almost 1,700 since it began a year ago, was declared an international emergency after the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 14 confirmed a case of Ebola in the DRC city of Goma, a transit hub near the Rwandan border that has about 2 million residents. On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that another case had been confirmed in Gomaand while the two diagnoses do not seem to be related, the news has raised fears of continuing spread in the populous city. In June, two people, including a 5-year-old boy, also died from the Ebola virus in neighboring Uganda. Gressly also said Thursday that the Rwandan border with the DRC remains open, despite earlier reports to the contrary. He emphasized that the WHO, upon declaring the outbreak an international public-health emergency after three times declining to so, directed countries not to restrict travel or trade with the DRC. Doing so, the WHOs Margaret Harris said, just sends an epidemic underground. Instead, Gressly said ending the outbreak will depend on consistent funding from the international community and coordinated efforts to fill in geographic gaps in Ebola response, so the disease cannot spread further. It is also crucial to stop interruptions in care due to attacks on and mistrust of health care workers, he said. Story continues Dr. Henry Walke, incident manager for the CDCs 2018 CDC Ebola response, told reporters on Thursday that the CDC is still committed to fighting the outbreak one year later. Walke said that the rate of new infections does not appear to be slowing down, and that the CDC is planning to double the number of experts it has deployed in the country from 15 to 30. Walke said that the efforts to combat the outbreak have been hampered by the unstable security situation in the area of the outbreak and the mistrust of public healthcare in the affected communities. If the security situation improves, we would rapidly increase our staffing, Walke said. The DRC has been at war since 1994, involving complex conflicts internally between rebel groups and externally against neighboring countries. Much of the conflict is concentrated in the eastern part of the DRC, where both militia and official security have been accused of mass violence, leading to a culture of mistrust of officials and outsiders. More than an estimated 5.4 million civilians have died in the conflicts. Many aid workers on the ground treating Ebola patients have become the target of attacks, forcing several aid centers to close. Misinformation spread by some politicians have also created an air of mistrust in foreign workers and rumors that Ebola doesnt actually exist. All of these factors have prevented an end to the outbreak. Its not biology, it has nothing to do whatsoever with biology, says Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and expert on infectious diseases. This is a 100% military/political set of obstacles the issue is that the people trying to stop the epidemic are being shot at. When did this Ebola outbreak start? On August 1, 2018, the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale confirmed four cases of the Ebola virus in the DRC. It is unclear what started the outbreak in August, according to Garrett, but organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) immediately declared an outbreak. Further investigations found a concentration of Ebola cases in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces in eastern DRC, bordering Uganda. By September 5, 2018, there were 89 confirmed deaths, and by the end of the year 357 people had died. Containment since then has proven difficult, and an average of 13 new cases are still reported daily, according to a Thursday statement from the Red Cross. Why has it been so difficult to contain? No other country in the world has more experience with Ebola than the DRC, Garrett says, and the country has been successful at ending many past epidemics, even ending an outbreak as recent as July 2018. But eastern DRC presents a different set of challenges, where a lot of the countrys conflict and violence is concentrated. This is the most difficult environment in which an Ebola response has ever been attempted, Gressly said Thursday. An estimated 4.5 million people are currently displaced in the DRC, according to the International Rescue Committee. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) estimates the number of people displaced in 2017 alone was 4.9 million. More than 20,400 peace keepers have also been deployed to the country. CFR estimates the countrys death toll due to war has surpassed 5.4 million, where kidnapping, sexual violence and robbery are common. Its not clear that ramping up the response would make a difference in the context of a war zone, Garrett, a former senior fellow on global health at CFR, says. She says she believes the epidemic has the potential to turn into an endemic. To add to the difficulty, some politicians in the DRC have spread rumors that Ebola doesnt exist, or that it was brought to the DRC by foreigners. A 2018 study found that 25.5% of North Kivu residents didnt believe Ebola was real. Pouring more people in there, especially white-skinned people, Asian people, non-Africans, pouring them in there only can draw more of the conspiracy theories, Garrett says. And they can become more targets for the thugs and the armed bands and military groups. Yet others, like Nicole Fassina, an Ebola operations coordinator with the International Federation of the Red Cross, remain optimistic. One way the Red Cross has responded to the spread of false information is by regularly going door-to-door in various communities to collect information on what rumors people are hearing. They counter those rumors in public statements. This is a really important part because it allows us to adapt our approach based on what were hearing, Fassina says. Its a community-led approach that will end this outbreak. A spokesperson for WHO echoed that sentiment. We have the people, the tools, the knowledge, and the determination to end this outbreak but what we need is the sustained political commitment of all parties, so we can safely access and work with communities to beat the virus & end the suffering & loss of life, WHO said in a statement to TIME. Working closely with communities is the only way we can end the outbreak. After a string of fires at aid centers and shootings at aid workers in February 2019, Doctors Without Borders was forced to leave the DRC. At least two aid workers were killed and one was kidnapped, according to the U.N. In an earlier incident, 15 U.N. peacekeepers were killed, and 53 others were injured in North Kivu. Attacks have continued at various other centers, causing those who are sick to fear getting help. This is unprecedented, Garrett says. How many people have died? Health workers carry a coffin containing a victim of Ebola virus on May 16, 2019 in Butembo. - The city of Butembo is at the epicentre of the Ebola crisis, the death toll of the outbreak to date is now over 1000 deaths. The Red Cross warned that critical underfunding could force it to cut vital work to rein in the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo at a time when case numbers are soaring. | JOHN WESSELSAFP/Getty Images In total, there have been 1,696 confirmed deaths associated with the DRC outbreak. A DRC woman and her 5-year-old grandchild died of Ebola after crossing the border into Uganda. As of mid-June the Uganda Ministry of Health had confirmed a third case. Theres a 67% fatality rate for those who have contracted the virus in the DRC. The highest fatality rates have been in North Kivu, where more than 1,500 people have died. Fassina returned home to Nairobi, Kenya after spending four weeks in North Kivu. She described the situation on the ground as disheartening. It is still possible for the virus to be contracted after the infected person has died, making mourners especially susceptible to the disease. The Red Cross has implemented a Safe and Dignified Burial system, working with local community members to handle bodies in a way that is culturally respectful. If someone is taking away your loved one without being able to say goodbye in a manner that allows you some level of peace of the situation, that can be really difficult, Fassina said. We have to make sure that even though this is a medical outbreak, theres still a very personal element that cant be forgotten. What has the response been? Prior to the WHOs declaration of an international public-health emergency, the international response to the outbreak had been minimal, according to Garrett. The WHOs declaration, however, was meant to intensify and streamline the global response to the outbreak. The U.S. State Department issued a do not travel warning to North Kivu, Ituri and several other eastern DRC provinces. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced in June that it would be activating an Emergency Operations Center in Eastern DRC. Since June 11, 187 CDC staff had completed 278 deployments to the DRC, according to a June statement by the CDC. Through CDCs command center we are consolidating our public health expertise and logistics planning for a longer term, sustained effort to bring this complex epidemic to an end, CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said in a statement. Part of Fassinas work includes building a rapport and relationship between affected communities and Red Cross aid workers to ensure cultural traditions are respected. The Red Cross has had a presence in the DRC for nearly 100 years. Other organizations on the ground are WHO, the International Rescue Committee, Human Rights Watch, Africa CDC, various U.N. agencies, and dozens of NGOs and faith-based aid organizations. Its only by being a part of these communities that we can listen to them properly and know how to respond when an outbreak comes up, Fassina tells TIME. The World Banks Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility has sent more than $20 million to support a six-month response plan to the outbreak. How does the 2019 Ebola outbreak compare to the 2014 outbreak? A nurse speaks with a volunteer for the Ebola vaccine trials, which were launched at Redemption Hospital, formerly an Ebola holding center, on February 2, 2015 in Monrovia, Liberia. Twelve people were given injections on the first day, out of a planned 27,000 people in the Monrovia area. The clinical research study is being conducted jointly by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Liberian Ministry of Health. | John MooreGetty Images The global response to the 2014 epidemic in western Africa was also slow at first. In March 2014, WHO declared an outbreak after 49 confirmed cases in Guinea, several months after the first case was detected in December 2013. By July 2014, the virus had spread to Sierra Leon and Liberia. In August, after the virus spread to Nigeria, WHO declared an international emergency, 932 deaths later. The U.S. CDC activated its response centers in west Africa in July 2014 and trained 24,655 healthcare workers. The U.S. Department of Justice also deployed military to west Africa in April 2014. Later in the year, one person in the U.S. was confirmed to have died of Ebola. The 2014 outbreak is still the worst Ebola epidemic in history. A total of 11,325 died, and there were 28,652 total cases. What public health considerations should people take? The WHO emphasized that countries should not restrict travel to or trade with the DRC, and that screening is not required outside the immediate region. Within the region, however, officials have urged more precautions. The Uganda Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, called on Ugandans to avoid touching each other, not even handshakes, until the outbreak has been resolved. I want the entire nation to observe a NO HANDSHAKING/body contact phase until we are Ebola free. I also want to appeal to you all to ALWAYS wash your hands with soap, jik and water. I appreciate all our partners for their tireless efforts to contain this outbreak. pic.twitter.com/NuKtpqvTbC Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng (@JaneRuth_Aceng) June 14, 2019 WHO has been distributing best practices for those in proximity to the disease, which include minimizing contact with others, and how to properly hydrate a person who is sick. WHO also encourages those who have survived Ebola to play a role in spreading accurate information on the ground, and recommends vaccinations for those on the ground in crisis areas. The disease spreads through contact with bodily fluids and contact with infected animals and aid workers are highly susceptible to catching the virus. I really commend the frontline workers who risk their lives every day to respond, Fassina says. The approach and the way forward is clear, and we are prepared for this. But we really need to make sure that we are adapting and listening to those communities and having a community-led response. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren caught something of a break at Fridays random dividing of the Democratic debate schedule, emerging as the strongest candidate on the first of two debates and dodging whats shaping up to be a Joe Biden pile-on during the second. Frontrunner Biden is scheduled to come face-to-face with Sen. Bernie Sanders, a grassroots favorite from Vermont; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, whos had a surprisingly strong showing so far; and Sen. Kamala Harris of California on the second night of debates. The division all but guarantees that Biden will be playing defense against some of his stronger opponents. Biden faces a second risk in his debate, which features Buttigieg, 37, and California Rep. Eric Swalwell, 38, who will have an opportunity to cast him and Sanders as septuagenarians out of step with the partys younger voters. For her part, Warren will face her strongest competitors on June 26 from fellow Sens. Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar. Still, its tough to see ideological fireworks here. Booker has co-sponsored nine of Warrens bills in this Congress, while Klobuchar has signed onto 10 of Warrens proposals, and Warren has backed four of Klobuchars and seven of Bookers bills. The trio, advisers say, actually like one another, and the Senates long tradition of comity might make it hard to attack each other anyway. Still, there lingers some oddity about the lineup. NBC News went to great lengths to make sure there wasnt a main event and an undercard, unlike four years ago when it was the Republican Party that had such a mass of candidates. Network organizers this week divided the field into two camps: those polling about 2% and those below. NBC officials wanted to spread out the tiers across two nights and drew folded sheets of paper to randomly assign half of the top tier to one night and the rest to go later. But fortune is blind, and it still feels like night two is the main event, given the cluster of better-polling candidates on that night. That gives Warren a primetime chance to pitch her big ideas against candidates who, frankly, may seem less serious of a threat. Story continues Biden advisers know hell face incoming fire. The longtime senator hasnt debated since 2012 and hasnt publicly sparred with fellow Democrats since 2007. Despite Bidens pronouncement this week that hes prepared for the debate, hes still spending at least a little time every day working on his answers. He is expected to take much of the next week to focus on his responses, working with former Obama White House communications maven Anita Dunn and longtime aides Ron Klain and Steve Ricchetti. Also in the room or on the line, policy adviser Stef Feldman and deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield. They are keenly aware of the value of a rival leveling a brutal blow and how easy it can be to get under the Vice Presidents skin. The line-up also gives a bonus for Sanders, a favorite of a small but active group on the far left. Just this week, Sanders took to a podium on a Washington, D.C., campus to extol the virtues of democratic socialism, which for many younger voters has lost the Cold War connotations. He will have the chance to take on former Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Biden. And Harris, too, drew luckily. The Senator from California has slowly been building her campaign and in hearings on Capitol Hill has shown herself to be well prepared and crisp with her comments. As an alternative to Biden and Sanders, she could well have a moment to do on a national stage what shes been doing in committee hearings since she arrived in Washington in 2017. Still, the evening is the first real opportunity for these candidates to make an impression. The 2016 debates were ratings gold. The first Republican sparring drew 24 million viewers. As Buzzfeed first reported, NBC execs decided to broadcast the Biden cohort second to land the most eyeballs. The lesser-knowns will, of course, have potential. No one was taking Buttigieg that seriously until he executed a pitch-perfect CNN town hall that left many asking Mayor Who? One-time political curiosity Donald Trump dominated rivals with far better political resumes to dethrone former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. And Biden himself used a buzzy moment in 2007 to define Rudy Giulianis campaign as noun and a verb and 9/11 to inject a last hope into his second bid for the White House. Still, there will be a temptation to land the rehearsed jab at Biden or Sanders. But history has shown those practiced lines can backfire. One need only to Google Robot Marco to know how Marco Rubio repeated himself during one 2016 debate to be reminded how badly polish can come off. Instead, its the authentic if raw moments (Barack Obama telling Hillary Clinton in 2008 that she was likeable enough comes to mind) that define debate memories. And those come based on a candidates core strengths and weaknesses, not based on a network schedule. People of color only own 18% of businesses with paid employees, despite making up about 40% of the U.S. population, according to the Census Bureau. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, to nobodys surprise, has a plan to fix that. If elected President, the Massachusetts Democrat says she would invest $7 billion in funding to provide grants for non-wealthy entrepreneurs, according to her Medium post published Friday morning. Grants would be limited to entrepreneurs with less than $100,000 in household wealth, Warren writes, citing that the figure is roughly five times the median worth of black and Latino families, and more than 10 times the median net worth of Native American families. Earlier this month, Warren proposed replacing the Commerce Department with a new Department of Economic Development. This grant program, called the Small Business Equity Fund, would be part of that new government body if shes elected. The small business gap is another example of how the racial wealth gap in America holds back our economy and hurts Black, Latinx, Native American, and other minority families and communities, she wrote. Because the government helped create that wealth gap with decades of sanctioned discrimination, the government has an obligation to address it head on. Warren estimates the program could translate into as many as 100,000 new minority-owned businesses, and therefore create over a million new jobs. But thats not all the progressive 2020 candidate will do, she writes. We need to do more. We have to recognize that even if we fully close the gap in startup capital, deep systemic issues will continue to tilt the playing field against entrepreneurs of color, Warren says. She also says she will direct federal retirement and pension plans to recruit more diverse investment planners, and triple the budget of the Minority Business Development Agency an existing agency that promotes the growth of minority-owned businesses. Story continues In the past few months, Warren has released other proposals that would grant extremely low-income families free childcare, erase student loan debt for millions of Americans, and address the opioid crisis. In April, she also announced a plan to base bonuses for hospitals on their maternal health outcomes, which are disproportionately poor among women of color. While many of those plans would help some marginalized voters, this one could have a larger effect across the board. That might be smart politics for Warren, who has surged in some recent national polls overall, though is currently facing tougher odds among voters of color. A new UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll found Warren in second place with 18% of likely Democratic primary voters nearing former Vice President Bidens 22%, and just ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders 17%. Meanwhile, a recent poll conducted for the Black Economic Alliance showed 76% of African American Democrats who responded were enthusiastic or comfortable with Biden, versus only 42% who said they felt that way about Warren. Sens. Sanders, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker ranked in between the two. According to Warrens Medium post, the Small Business Equity Fund would be paid for by her ultra-millionaire tax: a 0.2% wealth tax levied on Americans with assets over $50 million. WASHINGTON (AP) Once a skeptic about climate change, Jim Bridenstine came around to the prevailing view of scientists before he took over as NASA administrator. That evolution did not sit well with a Trump environmental adviser, nor a think-tank analyst he was consulting, according to newly disclosed emails that illustrate how skepticism of global warming has found a beachhead in the Trump White House. "Puzzling," says the May 2018 exchange between William Happer, now a member of President Donald Trump's National Security Council, and Thomas Wysmuller of the Heartland Institute, which disavows manmade climate change. Their exchange calls scientifically established rises in sea levels and temperatures under climate change "part of the nonsense" and urges the NASA head who was copied in to "systematically sidestep it." It cannot be discerned whether it was Happer or Wysmuller who put that pressure on the new NASA chief. Their exchange is included in emails from 2018 and 2019 that were obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund under the federal Freedom of Information Act and provided to The Associated Press. But the emails show that Happer, who was then advising Trump's Environmental Protection Agency, kept up the pressure after he joined the National Security Council late last year. In February, he emailed NASA deputy administrator James Morhard, relaying a complaint about NASA's websites from an unidentified rejecter of man-made climate change. "I'm concerned that many children are being indoctrinated by this bad science," said the email that Happer relayed. (Happer's own message was redacted from the records obtained by the environmental group.) NASA does not appear to have buckled under such heat. Specific statements targeted in the email still appear on the space agency's website. A NASA spokesman on Thursday upheld the space agency's public statements on climate change. Story continues "We provide the data that informs policymakers around the world," spokesman Bob Jacobs said. "Our science information continues to be published publicly as it always has." Heartland Institute spokesman Jim Lakely said in an email that NASA's public characterization of climate change as man-made and a global threat "is a disservice to taxpayers and science that it is still pushed by NASA." The institute is one of the most vocal challengers of mainstream scientific findings that emissions from burning coal, oil and gas are damaging the Earth's atmosphere. Since joining the National Security Council, Happer tapped two analysts with the institute to help him frame challenges to widely accepted scientific findings on global warming, the emails show. In a March 3 email exchange, Happer and Hal Doiron, another policy adviser to Heartland, discuss Happer's scientific arguments in a paper attempting to knock down the contributions of fossil fuel emissions in climate disruption, as well as ideas to make the work "more useful to a wider readership." Happer writes he had already discussed the work with another Heartland adviser, Wysmuller. Academic experts denounced the administration official's continued involvement with groups and scientists who reject what numerous federal agencies say is the fact of man-made climate change. "These people are endangering all of us by promoting anti-science in service of fossil fuel interests over the American interests," said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann. "It's the equivalent to formulating anti-terrorism policy by consulting with groups that deny terrorism exists," said Northeastern University's Matthew Nisbet, a professor of environmental communication and public policy. The National Security Council declined to make Happer available to discuss the emails. The AP and others reported this year that Happer was coordinating a proposed White House panel to challenge the findings from scientists in and out of government that carbon emissions are altering the Earth's atmosphere and climate. Trump in November rejected the warnings of a national climate change assessment by more than a dozen government agencies. "I don't believe it," he said. Happer, a physicist who previously taught at Princeton University, has claimed that carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas from the burning of coal, oil and gas, is good for humans and that carbon emissions have been demonized like "the poor Jews under Hitler." The emails show Happer expressing surprise that Bridenstine, a former Oklahoma congressman, had put his skepticism of global-warming science behind him before becoming NASA chief in April 2018. Bridenstine a year ago told reporters that after reading Defense Department briefings on global warming, he became convinced it is a serious national security problem: "We're defending territory in the Arctic that we never had to defend. The Russians are doing things in the Arctic that they never used to be able to do." He said no other agency has NASA's credibility when it comes to studying climate change and helping policymakers form decisions about it. Two major U.S. science organizations took issue with Happer's emails. "We have concerns that there appear to be attempts by a member of the National Security Council to influence and interfere with the ability of NASA, a federal science agency, to communicate accurately about research findings on climate science," said Rush Holt, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advance of Science, the world's largest general scientific society. Hundreds of scientific assessments by leading researchers and institutions the last few decades have looked at all the evidence and been "extremely credible and routinely withstand intense scrutiny," said Keith Seitter, executive director of the American Meteorological Society. He said efforts to dismiss or discredit such assessments are "an incredible disservice to the public." Geneva (AFP) - The World Health Organization emergency committee will decide Friday whether to declare a raging Ebola epidemic an international threat, after an outbreak that began in Democratic Republic of Congo crossed into Uganda. The WHO panel, which was formed in 2005, has used the label "public health emergency of international concern" for only four previous epidemics. Those emergencies included the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic of 2009, the spread of poliovirus in 2014, the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016 and the surge of the Zika virus in 2016. The current Ebola crisis, which began in eastern DRC in August, has recorded more than 2,000 cases, two-thirds of them deadly. The WHO panel, officially known as the International Health Regulations and Emergency Committee, has met twice already on the current DRC outbreak. It held off making the emergency call at previous meetings in October and April, in part because the virus had not spread internationally. - Uganda cases confirmed - That changed this week with confirmation that Ebola had reached western Uganda, where it has claimed two lives so far. A Congolese woman -- who is married to a Ugandan -- as well as her mother, three children and their nanny had travelled to DRC to care for her ill father, who later died of Ebola. The WHO said 12 members of the family who attended the burial in Congo were placed in isolation in the DRC, but six "escaped and crossed over to Uganda" on June 9. The next day, a five-year-old was admitted to hospital in Bwera, a border town, vomiting blood before he died. Tests confirmed he had Ebola and the family was placed in an isolation ward. His three-year-old brother was also confirmed to have Ebola, as was their grandmother, who died late Wednesday. The mere fact that cases have crossed a border does not automatically compel the WHO panel to make the emergency declaration, especially as the epidemic is still confined to one contiguous region. Story continues But invoking the emergency provisions will entail additional measures to manage the outbreak, including a possible call for "immediate international action", according to the UN health agency. - Restive region - Health officials had initially hoped that a new vaccine would help contain the outbreak. But chronic violence and militia activity in the affected eastern DRC provinces of Ituri and North Kivu as well as hostility to medical teams among some people in the region have hampered the response. Some of the latest violence has hit the Ituri's Djugu territory, where clashes have killed at least 50 people since Friday, a regional official said. The cause of the flareup was not immediately clear, but it occurred in a region where tens of thousands died in clashes between the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups between 1999 and 2003. - Undetected - Meanwhile, new research from Cambridge University released on Thursday indicates that half of all Ebola outbreaks have gone undetected since the virus was discovered in 1976. The research, published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, argues that more efforts are needed to identify early-stage Ebola outbreaks. "The unfolding epidemic in the DRC demonstrates how difficult it is to stop the disease once it has got out of control, even with international intervention," Emma Glennon from Cambridges department of veterinary medicine said in a statement. burs/bs/nl/gd The staggering number of horse deaths at the Santa Anita race track has California Governor Gavin Newsom demanding change. Enough is enough, he said in a statement Tuesday. I am calling on the California Horse Racing Board to ensure that no horse races until they are examined by independent veterinarians and are found fit to compete. Twenty-nine horses have died since the parks racing season began in December, and with almost two weeks still to go before its formal end, alarm over the death toll has grown. Among the variables thought to contribute to the deaths are the use of whips, drugs and medications, and the general track conditions, according to The New York Times and other outlets. But the problem may lie with the nature of the industry itself, although some changes have recently been enacted. Following Newsoms comments, Stronach Groupthe owners of the racetrackagreed to work with the horse racing board to increase oversight at the track. A horse safety review team led by state experts will use new criteria to evaluate each horse on whether it is at higher risk of injury before racing. The executive director of the state horse racing board called the measures historic safety enhancements. The track shut down in March after the number of horse fatalities reached 23, but reopened just weeks later following the boards passage of stricter safety reforms. Yet, the deaths continued. Formal Dude and Truffalino, two horses who raced at the track, are among the most recent racing deaths. The horses, who passed away just one day apart earlier this month, suffered from race-day injuries. For Truffalino, it was believed he died of a heart attack. They join the dozens of other horses who have met an untimely end at the Arcadia track, located just outside of Los Angeles, this year. According to the Santa Anita website, the parks board enacted reforms in March to limit the use of anti-inflammatory and pain medications in an effort to improve the horses health and to prevent life-threatening injuries on race day. The website also states that California racing standards maintain some of the strictest crop rules in the world. Story continues In a press release, Stronach Group said that since the reforms passed, there has been a 50 percent decrease in catastrophic race-day injuries and an 84 percent decrease during training sessions. The group also says they are working with the California Horse Racing Board to resolve horse safety concerns. This past Sunday, following the deaths of Formal Dude and Truffalino, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) asked Santa Anita to end their meet seven days early. However, the track currently remains in operation. Santa Anita is also still currently scheduled to host the Breeders Cup this November. The CHRB and The Stronach Group did not immediately respond to TIMEs request for comment. With close to two weeks still left in the current season, and an even bigger event on the horizon, all eyes will be trained on the tracknot just to see who crosses the finish line, but to see who might not. Cattle in El Centro, California. Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Corbis/ Getty Images The European Commission said on Friday that it had struck a deal with the US that will guarantee American farmers a greater share of the quota that restricts beef imports into the EU. The move is likely to end a decades-long dispute about beef imports one that involved tetchy exchanges between leaders and the US taking the EU to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1996. In recent years, the US has complained that other countries were benefitting far more from the 45,000-tonne hormone-free beef quota, which was agreed in 2009 as an interim solution to the row. Under the deal, which the EU referred to as an agreement in principle, the US will now be allocated 35,000 tonnes of that quota. The increase will be phased in over seven years. With this step, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to bring about a new phase in the relationship with the United States, in line with the agreement reached between presidents Juncker and Trump in July 2018, said EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan in a statement. Though that White House meeting with Juncker, the president of the European Commission, did not concern the beef dispute, it resulted in a marked deescalation in a conflict that threatened to spiral into an all-out trade war. In 1989, the EU banned imports of beef that contained growth hormones, which are relatively widely used in the US beef industry. Hogan noted that the new deal will not change the overall volume, quality or safety of the beef imported into the EU. The WTO ruled in 1998 that the EUs ban violated the organisations obligations and was not based on scientific evidence. But the bloc has long disputed that ruling, and one of its scientific committees found in 2002 that the use of hormones was a potential health risk to consumers. Following the failure of the proposed EU-US trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the US in 2016 stepped up its rhetoric on the beef war and threatened to impose tariffs on the bloc. Story continues Australia, Uruguay, and Argentina, whose sizeable beef exports to the EU have forced the US share of the quota down to around 30%, stand to lose out from the deal. But they agreed to the changes most likely because the EU is currently in the midst of trade negotiations with Australia and the Mercosur group of countries, which includes both Argentina and Uruguay. Both trade deals are expected to increase the volume of beef shipments that these countries can ship to the EU. LUXEMBOURG, June 14 (Reuters) - European Union finance ministers failed to agree in overnight talks on Thursday and Friday on some of the key features of a future euro zone budget and decided to continue discussions in the coming months, a euro zone official said. The ministers wanted to reach a deal on whether the budget for the 19-country euro zone should be financed through dedicated taxes or if it should only draw on cash from the budget for the whole 28-nation European Union. Given no consensus on the sources of financing, the size of the euro zone budget was not discussed, the official said. Neither was there agreement on whether the budget should play a stabilising role in case the euro zone economy was in a downturn, or only help euro zone economies become more competitive and converge with each other, the official said. (Reporting By Jan Strupczewski; Editing by Catherine Evans) BRUSSELS (AP) The European Commission says it's reached an agreement with the United States to allow more hormone-free U.S. beef onto the European market. The commission said Friday the "in-principle" deal would allow U.S. farmers to export 35,000 tons of beef to the bloc. The increased tonnage will be phased in over seven years. Other countries will share a further 10,000-ton beef quota. It could end a long-running dispute over EU beef import restrictions. EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan says "the agreement will not change the overall volume, quality or safety of the beef imported into the EU, which will remain in compliance with the high European standards." The deal must still be endorsed by EU member states and the U.S., and be approved by the European Parliament. By Francesco Guarascio LUXEMBOURG, June 14 (Reuters) - The European Union looks increasingly likely to impose disciplinary procedures on Italy over the management of its huge public debt, after inconclusive meetings on Friday between the Italian finance minister and his EU partners. The EU is urging Italy to adopt new measures to improve its public finances this year and next. It has threatened unprecedented disciplinary action over Rome's debt that would entail a prolonged period of oversight of the country and could lead to heavy financial sanctions. But Italian Finance Minister Giovanni Tria appeared unconcerned by the increasingly threatening tone of his EU partners. After meetings with EU economics commissioners Pierre Moscovici and Valdis Dombrovskis, he said he was optimistic that Italy could avert the disciplinary procedure. The technocrat minister, who is seen as a moderate in a eurosceptic government dominated by firebrands like far-right leader Matteo Salvini, also told reporters that Italy could comply with EU fiscal rules without adopting new measures. That is because some planned expenditures are lower than initially expected, bringing down the country's deficit, he said. Brussels was unconvinced, however. After the meeting, Dombrovskis reiterated that more was needed. "It is for Italy to come forward with some additional elements, measures that could be taken into account before taking the next procedural steps," he told a news conference, just after Tria dismissed the need for further legislative action. EU finance ministers backed the EU Commission in its critical assessment of Italy's public finances, paving the way for the start of disciplinary procedures in early July. France's finance minister Bruno Le Maire said Italy had only days to make concessions and avoid such action. Under EU rules, countries with large debts must reduce them and should also improve their structural deficits, excluding one-off revenues and expenditures, to make their debts more sustainable. Story continues Italy breached those rules last year, data show, and is forecast to do so again this year and next. The Commission expects Rome's debt to rise even further above the EU's ceiling of 60% of economic output from about 132% at present. Italy's structural deficit, which should have narrowed by 0.6 percentage points this year under EU fiscal rules, is instead projected to widen by 0.2 percentage points. The commission wants new measures to stabilise Italy's public finances this year, and is also calling for it to give clear commitments to respect the rules in 2020, when a sales-tax hike worth 23 billion euros ($25.8 billion) is due to kick in to cover for past fiscal shortfalls. Both the League and its coalition partner 5-Star Movement have however ruled out a sales tax hike, without spelling out how they will cover the gap. ($1 = 0.8898 euros) (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom is hoping U.S. President Donald Trump meets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the G20 summit in Japan later this month to try to reduce trade tensions between the two countries. "If they are meeting, I think the whole world thinks that is a good idea," Malmstrom said in an interview on Friday. "The fact that there is at least a possibility that escalations will de-escalate rather and that these two countries are talking to each other would be a good sign for the whole world." But the issues between the United States and China would not all be solved in Osaka, she added. The United States and China have been locked in a trade dispute since last year marked by tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's imports as Washington tries to pressure Beijing to change its business policies. An escalation in tensions last month has raised concern about full-blown trade war that could trigger a global recession. Although the European Union agrees with many of the U.S. criticisms of China over trade, it advocates going about things a different way, using the World Trade Organization to resolve disputes and negotiate new rules, Malmstrom said. China needed to reform and "phase out their massive industrial subsidies" not only for ideological reasons but also for pragmatic reasons, to ensure European, U.S. and other Western foreign investment keeps flowing in, Malmstrom said. She added there was a limit to the kind of change that Trump could achieve through such measures. "We don't think you can achieve regime change in China. I mean, of course, it would be lovely if we woke up tomorrow and China was a full-fledged democracy with full respect of human rights. It's not going to happen tomorrow, and it's not going to happen because of tariffs." The EU has teamed up with Japan and the United States to try to agree new WTO global rules on subsidies, which would need to be agreed by the rest of the 164-member WTO, including China, to come into force. Story continues "We are making very, very important advances. We are writing new legal texts, or proposed texts of things that do not exist yet," she said, without giving details of the proposals. There have been six meetings at ministerial level and Malmstrom, who will step down in November, said she hoped for a further meeting after this summer to either reach a deal or come very close. Trump has yet to decide if he might impose tariffs on imports of European cars. Malmstrom said her response is to "explain to this administration, to the Senate, to business, to everybody else" that 420,000 U.S. jobs depend on European car production there. But the EU would not agree to restrict exports, which would be illegal under WTO rules, she said. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Frances Kerry) Washington (AFP) - -President Donald Trump's convicted former national security advisor Michael Flynn and former top campaign aide Rick Gates have been subpoenaed to testify to Congress, the House Intelligence Committee announced Thursday. Flynn and Gates, both key witnesses in the Russian meddling investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, were ordered to appear before the committee for their probe into security threats arising from links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Gates, who pleaded guilty to lying and to financial crimes, had earlier refused to voluntarily meet with the committee and supply documents. Flynn, the former Pentagon intelligence chief who is awaiting sentencing on a charge of lying to investigators about his contacts with Russia, has also avoided testifying. Both are being asked to take part in a series of televised hearings convened by Democratic committee chairman Adam Schiff that aim to present details of Mueller's investigation into alleged collusion with Russia to the public. The principal aim of the initial hearings this week has been to undermine Trump's claim that there was nothing wrong with the contacts between members of his campaign team and Russians, including their effort to seek dirt on Trump's election rival Hillary Clinton. Mueller's report documented numerous contacts, some of which appeared to be active collusion, but said he could not show evidence of a criminal conspiracy. "As part of our oversight work, the House Intelligence Committee is continuing to examine the deep counterintelligence concerns raised in Special Counsel Muellers report, and that requires speaking directly with the fact witnesses," Schiff said in a statement. "The American people, and the Congress, deserve to hear directly from these two critical witnesses." * "Pressure was very great, says HK police chief * Senior police angered by HK leader's refusal to back down * Tear gas canisters, rubber bullets, bean bag rounds used to quell protests By James Pomfret HONG KONG, June 14 (Reuters) - Several senior Hong Kong police officials feel caught between a rock and a hard place as city leader Carrie Lam tries to ram through contentious extradition laws that have triggered violent clashes between police and protesters. Police fired tear gas, bean bag rounds and rubber bullets at young protesters who gathered this week around the Chinese-ruled city's legislature and government headquarters in the tens of thousands. The clashes wounded 22 police and more than 60 protesters, as demonstrators advanced toward the legislature, hurling bricks, iron poles and sticks, while barging their way forward with metal barricades. "We are definitely restrained and we wouldn't indiscriminately use weapons," police chief Stephen Lo told reporters a day after the clashes, describing them as a "riot". "We were facing tens of thousands of protesters. The pressure was very great." The protesters demand that Lam scrap controversial amendments to an extradition bill that would allow individuals, including foreigners passing through Hong Kong, to be extradited to mainland China. Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal guaranteeing it special autonomy, including freedom of assembly, a free press and an independent judiciary. Many accuse China, where the courts are strictly controlled by the Communist Party, of extensive meddling since then, with the extradition bill a further example. Lawyers, judges, business-people, rights groups and foreign governments have called on Lam - who says the initiative was hers and not Beijing's - to scrap the bill. But her refusal to do so has incensed the public who lack confidence in China's legal system and assurances that safeguards introduced into the bill will ensure individuals get a fair trial on the mainland. Story continues Over one million people, or one in seven people in the city, marched on Sunday against the bill. Less than a day later, however, a stern-faced Lam told reporters she wouldn't back down. Some senior police officers say Lam's refusal to heed public opinion is sowing resentment in the force, which was already battered by accusations of police brutality during the 2014 pro-democracy "Umbrella" civil disobedience movement. "There are a significant number that blame her for this crisis," said a senior law enforcement officer in a command position. "It's madness." He said the demands of the protesters weren't unreasonable, given an inherent mistrust of mainland China's legal system. "There's definitely a feeling that we're trapped in the middle," said a senior police officer who declined to be named as he wasn't authorised to speak to the media. "We can't solve this. The protesters can't solve this. But Carrie can." FEELING THE HEAT At the same press conference by Hong Kong's police chief, a group of more than 20 photo-journalists donned hard hats and gas masks in a symbolic protest against what they considered to be the excessive use of force by police during the unrest. "Some police were out of control," said Leung Pang-wai, 28, a photographer for HK01 newspaper who wore a gas mask during the press conference. "They shot at us and they didn't deal with the situation rationally." Senior police officers, however, defended the use of force to deal with much more violent protesters than during the 2014 demonstrations when tens of thousands occupied roads around the legislature and government headquarters for 79 days. The protesters this time, unified for a very specific goal - to prevent a policy seen as an existential threat to Hong Kong's unique global position - have pledged not to back down. A hardcore element, numbering in the tens of thousands, has not shied away from violence, while being highly organised and tech savvy, using encrypted phone apps like Telegram to mobilise swiftly through multiple group chats, and more strategically, with less risk of police infiltration. "Telegram is a big breakthrough from the old traditional strategies," said Jason Chan, a 22-year-old protester. "Since there were no leaders in this movement, Telegram facilitates the communication across protesters by allowing different channels or groups to set up and thereby unite the people." Another senior law enforcement officer acknowledged greater risks going forward. "The protesters are a lot more determined this time," he said. "The violence will keep escalating if the government doesn't back down." Steve Vickers, a former commander of the police's Criminal Intelligence Bureau who now runs a risk consultancy, said in a report that there was a risk of further violence. "An unfortunate polarisation has occurred, where demonstrators perceive the police to be the enemy (rather than the government, in their absence), and many junior police officers see both the media and protesters as the main protagonists." (Additional reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Nick Macfie) Istanbul (AFP) - The wife of one of Turkey's best-known exiled journalists said Friday she had been reunited in Berlin with her family after three years of being denied a passport. Dilek Turker Dundar shared an image on Twitter saying she was back with her husband, Can Dundar, former editor-in-chief of Turkish opposition daily Cumhuriyet. He fled to Germany after being convicted in 2016 on charges of revealing state secrets in a story about arms shipments to Syria that deeply angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "I am now in Berlin with my husband and son," she told AFP by phone. Dilek was prevented from leaving Turkey in September 2016 after her passport had been cancelled the month before. She had not seen her son, who is studying in London, in three-and-a-half years. She told AFP she had left Turkey "during the past few days" without her passport but did not wish to give further details. "Leaving Turkey makes me sad and happy at the same time. It wasn't an easy thing to do. But at the same time, I am now reunited with my family, so that makes me very happy." Cumhuriyet published a video in 2015 showing an arms shipment being intercepted on the way to Syria, which it claimed was destined for Syrian rebels. Erdogan warned Dundar at the time that he would "pay a heavy price" for the report. Outside an Istanbul court in May 2016, a gunman shot at Dundar but missed. It was Dilek who held the attacker by his collar and surrendered him to the police. The gunman was later sentenced to 10 months in jail. Can Dundar still had his passport and was able to leave the country in 2016 while awaiting an appeal hearing. Tumerico Vegetarian Food | Photo: Maurene J./Yelp Visiting Sam Hughes, or just looking to better appreciate what it has to offer? Get to know this Tucson neighborhood by browsing its most popular local businesses, from a vegetarian restaurant to a traditional Chinese tea house. Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top places to visit in Sam Hughes, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of neighborhood businesses. Read on for the results. 1. Tumerico Vegetarian Food Photo: b b./Yelp Topping the list is vegan and vegetarian spot Tumerico Vegetarian Food. Located at 2526 E. Sixth St., it's the highest-rated business in the neighborhood, boasting five stars out of 346 reviews on Yelp. Tumerico's Tex Mex-inspired menu, which changes daily, features fresh, organic and plant-based ingredients. 2. Zemam's Photo: tristy v./Yelp Next up is Ethiopian spot Zemam's, situated at 2731 E. Broadway Blvd. With 4.5 stars out of 306 reviews on Yelp, it's proven to be a local favorite. Zemam's has been serving authentic, family-style Ethiopian dishes for 25 years. Don't forget the bottle: this spot is BYOB. 3. Miss Saigon Photo: nicole q./Yelp Vietnamese and vegetarian spot Miss Saigon, which offers noodles and more, is another top choice. Yelpers give the business, located at 1072 N. Campbell Ave., four stars out of 603 reviews. This is the Sam Hughes location of the local chain, which has been named the Best Vietnamese food in Tucson by Tucson Weekly for more than 10 years running. 4. Rocco's Little Chicago Photo: jay b./Yelp Rocco's Little Chicago, a spot to score pizza, chicken wings and sandwiches, is another neighborhood go-to, with four stars out of 497 Yelp reviews. Rocco's Little Chicago serves specialty pizzas, like the Fungus Humongous, the Kitchen Sink and the Great Chicago Fire, which is topped with sausage and jalapenos. Head over to 2707 E. Broadway Blvd. to see for yourself. 5. Seven Cups photo: sam g./yelp And then there's Seven Cups, which has earned 4.5 stars out of 100 reviews on Yelp. You can find the Chinese tea room at 2516 E. Sixth St. At Seven Cups, guests can sample and purchase more than 70 different kinds of Chinese teas. The business also offers classes on the history and culture of tea and on traditional Chinese tea ceremonies. 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. There will be ten candidates on each of two nights of debates in Miami later this month. Photo: Getty Images The Democratic National Committee made it official on Thursday, inviting 20 candidates to participate in the first round of 2020 presidential primary debates in Miami on June 26 and 27, as Politico reported: The candidates are, in alphabetical order: Michael Bennet, Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, Bill de Blasio, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto ORourke, Tim Ryan, Bernie Sanders, Eric Swalwell, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang. Four announced candidates didnt make the cut: Montana governor Steve Bullock; Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts; former senator Mike Gravel; and Miramar, Florida mayor Wayne Messam. The only real controversy involved Bullock, who appeared to have qualified via a one percent showing in three polls until the DNC clarified that it would not accept open-ended polls, which included one crucial to Bullocks credentials. Team Bullock has been complaining bitterly over his exclusion, but he will get a chance to qualify for the second round of debates in July, which will have the same set of criteria for participation but will utilize updated polling and fundraising information. If the list does grow, the DNC will have to go to a tiebreaker formula since it has capped the debate roster at 20, with ten candidates assigned to a two-hour debate each night. Those assignments will be worked out today, as the Washington Post reports: Debate hosts NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo have invited representatives from the campaigns who made the cut to a drawing midday Friday in Manhattan to sort out who will appear onstage each night, according to two officials familiar with the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the meeting had not been publicly announced. The selection process, which will not be televised, will first sort candidates polling at 2 percent or higher over the two nights, with a separate drawing for those with lower polling numbers. That way you dont wind up with all the heavyweights on the stage the same night. Once the exact roster for each night is announced, debate prep will begin in earnest, and you can expect the candidates to start disappearing from the campaign trail intermittently in order to rehearse. The sponsors have announced five moderators for the first round of debates: Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Rachel Maddow, Jose Diaz-Balart, and Chuck Todd, though its unclear who will be on-camera which night. Thats certainly the most diverse set of moderators in presidential-candidate debate history. New York (AFP) - Confronted with both serious measles outbreaks and a growing anti-vaccine movement, New York lawmakers voted Thursday to ban religious exemptions that would allow parents to circumvent school-mandated vaccination. After heated debate, the majority of the state legislature's two chambers voted to pass the measure. With Governor Andrew Cuomo planning to sign the bill, New York will join a handful of other states, including California, that have banned religious exemptions. Authorities declared measles eliminated in the United States in 2000, but there have been 1,022 cases reported in the country this year, the worst since 1992. There are several major hotspots in and around New York -- particularly in areas with large Orthodox Jewish communities such as Brooklyn, which has reported 588 cases since October, and Rockland, which has reported 266 -- that sprang up last fall and threaten the nation's "elimination status." For weeks, public health experts have called on state legislators to outlaw religious exemptions for vaccines, worried by the growing number of "anti-vaxxer" parents, who have been accused of using religious exemptions as a pretext not to vaccinate their children. "The fact is that we have a movement against vaccines and we have to confront it with correct information," said Democratic Senator Shelley Mayer. "We have a public health crisis... I believe the time is right, we have to do the hard thing." Dozens of legislators voted against the bill, arguing that banning religious exemptions risks violating the First Amendment, which protects religious freedom. "One of the things that truly distinguishes (this country) and makes us great is the First Amendment. I think this is a step too far and too much an infringement on people's religious beliefs," said Republican Senator Andrew Lanza. "Asking for an exemption does not mean you get it," he added, noting that authorities could still have denied exemption requests they deemed unjustified. New York city officials began requiring residents in heavily affected areas to be vaccinated starting in April, but the city still had 173 cases that month and 60 in May. Schools were also allowed to turn away students who had not been inoculated, but this did not stop the outbreak from growing. CONCHO, Okla. (AP) Families and friends of missing or slain American Indian women and girls are again calling for justice for their loved ones. About 200 people gathered Friday near the headquarters of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Concho, Oklahoma. Many wore red and marched, holding signs with pictures of women on them. Similar demonstrations have taken place in other states amid growing concern that police nationwide are not adequately identifying or reporting cases of missing and murdered Native American and Alaska Native women and girls. Those demographic groups have some of the nation's highest rates of sexual and domestic violence . Kateri Fletcher is a Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal government official who helped organize the event. She said it was designed to bring awareness and show support for families who still need answers. Gorlitz (Germany) (AFP) - Its cobblestone lanes and Baroque architecture are so quaint that Hollywood directors often come calling, but the German town of Goerlitz may soon have a new claim to notoriety. A run-off election in the small city of around 55,000 people on the Polish border on Sunday could end in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party winning its first mayoral seat. Mainstream parties have thrown their support behind the centre-right contender from Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party, meaning AfD candidate Sebastian Wippel is seen as unlikely to triumph. But Wippel won the first round in late May with 36 percent of the vote, sending shockwaves through the country already bracing for a strong AfD showing in Goerlitz's Saxony state in a September election. His closest competitor, 51-year-old Octavian Ursu of the CDU, drew 30 percent and will face Wippel in the run-off. The Romanian-born Ursu, who came to Germany as a musician in 1990, argues that only a "family-friendly Goerlitz that's open to the world" will manage to prosper. Leading filmmakers and authors have led a call for Goerlitz voters to shun the anti-immigration, anti-Muslim party or risk isolation by the arts community and tourists. British director Stephen Daldry, who filmed "The Reader" starring Kate Winslet partly in Goerlitz, actor Daniel Bruehl ("Goodbye Lenin") and writer Bernhard Schlink have all signed an anti-AfD petition: "Don't give in to hate and hostility, conflict and exclusion." The city, which was spared damage by Allied bombing during World War II, has also played backdrop to Hollywood blockbusters including "Inglourious Basterds" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel". With hordes of visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of stars like George Clooney, Emma Thompson or Jeff Goldblum at work, the town nicknamed Goerliwood has since become a tourist magnet with its spruced up historic city centre nestled on the River Neisse. Story continues - 'Win back trust' - Despite the Tinseltown glamour, Goerlitz is not immune to many of the problems plaguing Saxony and other regions of Germany's former communist east. Almost 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Goerlitz has suffered from an exodus of talented young people to the richer west. A burly ex-policeman with close cropped hair and a passion for martial arts, Wippel has adopted the campaign motto: "I won't forget anyone, and certainly not our Goerlitzers!" He is surfing a wave of support, particularly in the east, for the AfD, which has railed against Merkel's 2015 decision to allow in around 1.2 million asylum seekers. The party is now represented in all 16 of Germany's regional parliaments and polling as the most popular party in both Saxony and Brandenburg state, which will both go to the polls on September 1, followed by Thuringia on October 27. The battle for Goerlitz's city hall has taken on outsize importance as a bellwether for the three state elections, with the future of Merkel's fragile right-left coalition potentially hanging in the balance. Wippel said he was not taking the petition against him very seriously, caling it a hollow gesture "by people who don't live in Goerlitz". Ursu of the CDU told AFP he would "strive to win back the trust" lost by the traditional parties. - 'Uncontrolled immigration' - Saxony has received more assistance from the European Union than any of Germany's states, with 2.75 billion euros (3.1 billion) earmarked for the period 2014-2020. Nevertheless, the eurosceptic AfD managed to come out on top in the European elections on May 26. "A whole generation -- my generation -- is no longer there," Wippel, 36, told AFP, promising to "make them come back" if he becomes mayor. One look around its tidy streets proves his point. Many shops have "for sale" signs in the window and the locals seem overwhelmingly aged. Wippel said his strategy to make Goerlitz, which was a major regional trading hub in the Middle Ages, more attractive would include placing a premium on security and fighting immigration. Goerlitz has seen an influx of around 1,000 refugees, including hundreds from war-ravaged Syria, which has made many locals uneasy. "Things have changed a lot in this town in a short time, particularly with regard to uncontrolled immigration," said an AfD voter in his 50s who gave his name only as Karsten. He said his choice on Sunday was for the party "that takes the time to listen" to residents. Its no secret that 3daysofdesign is Copenhagens premier design event. This year it took place between May 23rd and 25th, featuring a stellar lineup of the countrys finest architects, industrial designers, product designers, and interior designers. And while there were a ton of outstanding projects at the festival, we of course couldnt help but single out a few favorites. Danish furniture company Montana is known for its abundance of modern, modular furniture pieces. With 36 interchangeable units to choose from, the potential of these elements really is endless. At this years 3daysofdesign festival, the company debuted a brand new color collection, which was developed in collaboration with Danish color expert and designer Margrethe Odgaard. All in all, the range boasts pieces in 30 new colors, including amber, rhubarb, flint, chamomile, and many more hues developed as part of Montanas eight-year color cycle. Speaking about the range and her place in its creation, Odgaard said: Montana is a mathematical supersystem, and I wanted the colors to be an extension of that. Just as the modules offer infinite possibilities for combination, the colors also need to be able to be mixed and matched so that theyre in line with Montanas philosophy of Making Room for Personality. But it was also important to me that the colors reflect the precision and quality that I believe characterize Montanas furniture. The mission statement on &Traditions website reads, &Tradition reworks design icons from past masters and creates tomorrows classics in collaboration with contemporary designers, upholding the tenets of craftsmanship to produce furniture, lighting, and accessories that meet modern needs for function, comfort, and beauty. This ethos can certainly be seen in the Setago lamp: the quirky yet timeless fixture they debuted at this years 3daysofdesign. Created by by Jaime Hayon, the lamp takes its name from the Spanish word for mushroom, seta. It also takes the form of a mushroom, with its white cap and squat stand. But beyond its aesthetic beauty, its also USB chargeable, meaning it can easily be moved around as needed to illuminate different parts of the home. Story continues College pals Jasper Overgaard and Christian Dyrman founded their design studio in 2013, with a commitment to creating meaningful lifestyle objects using ethically-sourced materials. Their meticulous practice merges traditional techniques with modern technology to create unique, distinctive, and functional pieces of furniture. Their vision is epitomized in the Circle Chair, which was on full display at this years 3daysofdesign. Indeed, with its eye-catching silhouette, refined curves, and exquisite joinery, its hard to imagine a room this dining chair wouldnt make shine. Danish design studio Wehlers has an outlook thats firmly rooted in Danish ideology to stay true to materials and to be only as decorative as is necessary. Its no wonder their R.U.M. Chair is minimal, functional, and sustainable. Made from fishing nets and recycled steel, the chair was created by C. F. Mller Design for Wehlers and makes for the perfect complement to their already-outstanding collection of furniture designs. Nearly two years ago, FBI Director Chris Wray set up an office tasked solely with stopping the type of Russian interference efforts that infected the 2016 campaign. On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump undercut the whole operation in a matter of seconds. In an ABC News interview, the president first proclaimed he would have no problem accepting dirt on his opponents from a foreign power, then said Wray was wrong to suggest the FBI needs to know about such offers. The comments, according to interviews with nearly a dozen law enforcement veterans, have undone months of work, essentially inviting foreign spies to meddle with 2020 presidential campaigns and demoralizing the agents trying to stop them. And it has backed Wray into a corner, they added, putting him in a position where he might have to either publicly chastise the president and risk getting fired, or resign in protest. Americas enemies will see Trumps comments and likely come out of the woodwork like never before to try to influence the president, said longtime FBI veteran Frank Figliuzzi, who served as the bureaus assistant director for counterintelligence until 2012. And its going to be more difficult to defend against because theyll try harder than ever to mask their attempts. Trump has broken all manner of traditional protocol during his presidency when it comes to law enforcement and the intelligence community. His calls early in his administration to launch investigations into his political opponents were widely panned by Justice Department veterans who deemed the Oval Office requests as out of line. But more recently, Trump has found an ally in William Barr, the new attorney general who has taken the president up on his demand for a wider examination into the origins of the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. With Trumps latest comments, aired Wednesday night, the president has resurrected a question that special counsel Robert Mueller spent nearly two years investigating is it collusion to accept damaging information on an opponent from foreign agents attempting to interfere in a U.S. election? Story continues Its not an interference, Trump told the anchor George Stephanopoulos, a former Bill Clinton White House communications director. They have information, I think Id take it. Trump described such offers as opposition research and said hed call the FBI only if I thought there was something wrong. Some linked Trumps remarks to Muellers deliberation over whether his team could have charged anyone on the Trump campaign if they had obtained the promised hurtful information on Hillary Clinton from a Kremlin intermediate during a much-scrutinized Trump Tower meeting. Muellers report said he wasnt sure the potential information had financial value, meaning it might not qualify as an illegal campaign contribution from a foreign entity. The report also raised questions about whether there was a free-speech right to receive the information. Its turning the First Amendment into a suicide pact that allows our own government to be undermined, said Rick Hasen, a professor at the University of California Irvines law school, who called the special counsels findings a green light for foreign intervention in the 2020 election, and that was affirmed by what Trump said to ABC. Current and former Trump officials downplayed the presidents remarks as Trump being Trump. While the comments drive Democrats mad and consume the media, they matter to rank-and-file government workers only if they actually come come with direct orders, they argued. I think people take it in stride until he tries to operationalize it, said a former Trump White House official. Spokespersons at both the DOJ and FBI declined to comment on the presidents remarks. Just three months after Wray assumed the top FBI post in August 2017, he told Congress that he had set up a foreign influence task force to stymie future election meddling efforts. The team brings together counterintelligence, cyber and counterterrorism officials nearly 40 in total, according to a New York Times story and coordinates with all 56 FBI field offices. It also works with the Homeland Security Department, state and local governments, as well as the major social media companies that Russian agents used to spread disinformation and stage fake rallies meant to incite voter anger. The breadth of the effort has to match the scale of the problem, Wray said at a White House briefing last August. Make no mistake the scope of this foreign influence threat is both broad and deep, he said. Wray also took his warnings to Capitol Hill last month, telling lawmakers that campaigns must be on the lookout for suspicious outreach efforts. I think my view is that if any public official or member of any campaign is contacted by any nation state or anybody acting on behalf of a nation state about influencing or interfering with our election, then thats something that the FBI would want to know about, Wray said. The FBIs work in recent years to combat foreign election interference has received consistent praise from lawmakers of all political leanings, as well as numerous Trump administration officials. Barr called the task force a very dynamic program during a Senate hearing in May on Muellers final report, adding, I'm very impressed with what theyre up to. Vice President Mike Pence gave the efforts a shoutout at a cybersecurity conference in New York in the lead-up to the 2018 midterm election. But law enforcement specialists said Trump has now made this work harder. Frank Montoya, Jr., a former director of an FBI counterintelligence office from 2012 to 2014, said Trumps mindset about foreign influence presents real dangers to U.S. national security. One, our adversaries will see it as an invitation to interfere in the next election on his behalf, he said. But worse is the open door Trump has enabled for all manner of influence operations to continue against U.S. interests. David Kris, a former Obama-era assistant attorney general for national security, argued that Trumps latest comments essentially mark the second time hes publicly asked for Russian help to win a presidential election. During the 2016 campaign, Trump memorably proclaimed that if Russia was listening, it should go after Clintons missing emails a comment he later said was made in jest. U.S. law enforcement, intelligence and security officials will do what they can to protect the integrity of our democratic processes, said Kris, founder of the intelligence consulting firm Culper Partners, while being publicly contradicted and undermined by their boss. Other former law enforcement veterans said the presidents remarks will hurt morale inside the FBI and the other departments working on election security issues. I cannot tell you how profoundly troubling this is to the core of my professional experience, said a former longtime national security official. It has to be demoralizing to some extent and confusing and, lets face it, unprecedented, to have a commander in chief who has such a lack of fundamental understanding about the work the Justice Department and intelligence community do in this area, added Greg Brower, the former top FBI liaison to Congress who served under Wray during his first months as director. To flat out say the FBI director is wrong on this or any other issue is, in and of itself, stunning Brower added. Its tougher for the leadership, the appointees of the president, who know the president is wrong, who have to wonder about his fundamental lack of understanding about what those agencies are doing. Jim Baker, who served as the FBIs general counsel under FBI Director James Comey, told POLITICO that the remarks could put Wray in a position where he might have to resign in protest if he cant persuade the president to change his tune. Wray needs to join Barr to have a discussion with [Trump], and if they dont get a sense of comfort then theyll have some hard decisions to make, Baker said. I dont think they should run for the exits right away, but they cant just ignore this one. This is potentially encouraging criminal activity and undermining federal law. In the meantime, the message for the bureaus rank and file is that everything should be business as usual, said David Laufman, a former top DOJ national security official who retired in 2018. Notice is certainly taken within the ranks of the FBI and the intelligence community when the president of the United States says things that, on their face, are utterly antithetical to the common mission to protect our national security, said Laufman, who had a key role overseeing the early stages of the FBIs Russia investigation before Muellers appointment. While off-the-cuff remarks made during an interview are not equivalent to executive orders, he continued, it seems to me very important for leadership at the FBI and in the intelligence community to reinforce with their agency personnel that nothing has changed in the agencies commitment to countering foreign influence operations. Marc Caputo contributed to this report. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Thursday following the death of a patient who received a fecal transplant containing drug-resistant bacteria. Fecal transplants are used to treat Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection in patients who have not responded to standard treatment options. The treatment involves transferring the stool of a healthy person to the intestines of an infected person in order to introduce good bacteria. Two adults with comprised immune systems who received a transplant from the same donor developed invasive infections caused by Escherichia coli (E.coli) that produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), the FDA said. Study: 'Flesh-eating' genital infection linked to certain diabetes drugs, study finds The donor stool was not tested for the drug-resistant bacteria prior to the procedure, the FDA noted. After the patients got sick, a stored sample from the stool donor was tested and found to contain the E. coli present in the two patients. As a result of the adverse reactions, the FDA is requiring that potential donors be screened with questions and all donor stool be tested for drug-resistant bacteria. C. diff causes close to half a million illnesses each year and can affect people of all ages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibiotic resistance is also one of the biggest public health challenges of our time, the CDC said. Each year, at least 2 million people in the United States get an antibiotic-resistant infection, and at least 23,000 people die, a CDC report found. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FDA issues warning after patient dies from fecal transplant containing drug-resistant bacteria By Adriana Barrera and Sofia Menchu NUEVA CONCEPCION, Guatemala, June 14 (Reuters) - The mayor of Nueva Concepcion, a town on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, stands accused by prosecutors of drug trafficking and money laundering for Mexican cartels that use the coastal route to transport cocaine to the United States. Yet Otoniel Lima, who rides around his poor municipality of 130,000 people in an armored SUV, has immunity from prosecution until his term ends in December. And until a few days ago, the 58-year-old planned to run for reelection on Sunday. This week, Guatemala's highest electoral court, the TSE, revoked his candidacy, some six months after the charges were filed. He is among a handful of candidates blocked from Sunday's municipal, legislative and presidential polls for alleged links to drug trafficking. Lima denies all the allegations against him. "If I were a drug trafficker, I would admit it," he told Reuters in his office, gesturing indignantly. "I would have fled - I would have left the country - but I haven't." In Guatemala, a transit route for much of the cocaine that flows into the United States, drug trafficking looms as a major issue in Sunday's elections just as a U.N. anti-corruption body prepares to leave the Central American country. Former first lady Sandra Torres, of the center-left UNE party, leads the race to succeed President Jimmy Morales, a former television host. She has pledged to send troops onto the streets to fight violent crime and to tackle poverty by boosting social programs. Torres, who has pledged zero tolerance for drug trafficking, has around 20% of voting intentions according to the latest polls, ahead of veteran right-wing candidate Alejandro Giammattei, with around 14%. Pollsters predict neither candidate will win more than 50% of votes, which would result in a second round in August. High levels of violence by gangs and drug traffickers, as well as a sense of impunity for criminals, have prompted rising numbers of Guatemalans to flee the country for the United States, sparking an angry response from U.S. President Donald Trump and threats to slash U.S. aid to Central America. Story continues PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARRED Alleged links between criminal groups and some politicians have become a hot topic. The U.N. commission tasked with fighting corruption and organized crime - the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) - is preparing to leave in September after Morales refused to renew its mandate. Highlighting the depth of the problem, presidential hopeful Mario Estrada and congressional candidate Julio Jose Rosales were arrested during the campaign on charges of links to Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel. Traffickers allegedly financed their election campaigns in exchange for help transporting cocaine and heroin to the United States. "Drug trafficking is contaminating our population," said Torres, who is running for the UNE, the same party that propelled her ex-husband Alvaro Colom to power in 2007. "We have towns where, when ... planes land, the army and the police are not allowed to enter," Torres told Reuters in an interview. She has pledged to end the growing influence of drug cartels in the armed forces. The Organization of American States (OAS), stated in a 2013 report that 80% of the cocaine destined for the United States passes through Central America and Mexico. A rise in seizures suggests the problem may be getting worse. In 2018, cocaine seizures in Guatemala amounted to a record 17,897 kilos, up 31% from the previous year, official data shows. Some action has been taken against politicians with alleged links to drug trafficking, but campaigners say it is barely the tip of the iceberg. The list of candidates for Sunday's elections with a criminal record includes some who served prison sentences - including in the United States - for weapons possession and money laundering. There are also candidates with close relatives who are either imprisoned or have served prison sentences for drug trafficking. Nine out of the 158 lawmakers elected for the current legislative period could not assume their seats due to legal proceedings ranging from corruption, money laundering and illicit enrichment, influence paddling and attempted homicide, according to a recent report by the CICIG. Other criminal investigations are being carried out against "more than 10 legislators", it added. "The Congress of the Republic has become a tribune of confluence and agreement between economic, political, military and criminal actors who have benefited with impunity from undue power and enrichment," said the CICIG report. Former president Alfonso Portillo argues there is no easy solution to Guatemala's problems because drug trafficking networks place their candidates in municipalities that are key to facilitate the transit of drugs. Dirty money is laundered through public works carried out by the municipality, he said, winning public backing for their candidates. The problem could get worse in September following the departure of the CICIG. Founded in 2007, the CICIG has, working together with Guatemala's public prosecutors, uncovered cases of corruption. One of these cases led to the resignation and imprisonment of former president Otto Perez Molina and his vice president Roxana Baldetti for corruption, association with a criminal group and conspiracy to traffic drugs. The commission did not receive President Morales' backing to stay once its mandate ends in September. Morales accused the CICIG of being a "threat to peace" in Guatemala after the agency requested in August 2018 a preliminary hearing against him for alleged illicit election financing. Carmen Rosa De Leon, a director of the Institute for Teaching for Sustainable Development in Guatemala City, said that even though the UN body was not designed to target drug trafficking, its presence helped to police governance. "Without the CICIG, we will see more links between officials and drug traffickers in illicit financing because there will be less vigilance and more penetration of organized crime involving officials, political parties and public administration," she said. However, many in Guatemala's political elites are keen to see the U.N. body shuttered. Giammattei, the presidential candidate of right-wing Vamos, who ranks second in polls, said the time of the CICIG "is over" and the fight against corruption should be led by the president himself. "We believe in binational agreements, not in multilateral agreements that impose condition upon us," he said in reference to the role of the CICIG. Torres has said she will organize a referendum on whether to allow the U.N. body to remain. (Reporting by Adriana Barrera and Sofia Menchu in Nueva Concepcion, Guatemala; editing by David Gregorio) NEW YORK (AP) A narcotics agent accused of betraying his badge applied for a job with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, so he and a leader of a murderous drug-trafficking ring would become "unstoppable," prosecutors said in new court filings. Fernando Gomez, who is awaiting trial in New York on conspiracy charges, became a DEA agent in 2011 after years of serving as a police officer outside Chicago. He has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and smuggling firearms to members of La Organizacion de Narcotraficantes Unidos, or La ONU, a drug-trafficking enterprise in Puerto Rico that prosecutors say slaughtered its rivals and exported hundreds of kilograms of narcotics to New York City. In a court filing this month, federal prosecutors offered new details about the charges, accusing Gomez of becoming a criminal associate of the gang while he was still in the Evanston Police Department, where he worked between 2004 and 2011. Prosecutors said Gomez grew up in Puerto Rico and had been a close friend of a La ONU member who safeguarded stash houses. Prosecutors allege that, as a police officer, Gomez would obtain weapons from criminal suspects in exchange for not arresting them. "For example, on one occasion, Gomez found a target with a large quantity of marijuana but did not arrest the target or seize the drugs because the target agreed to provide Gomez with a gun," prosecutors wrote. Messages seeking comment were left with Gomez's defense attorney and a DEA spokeswoman. Gomez is accused of providing firearms to Jose Martinez-Diaz, who, along with several other defendants, is accused of conspiring to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York. Gomez also allegedly picked up $45,000 in drug money in the Boston area and transported it to Puerto Rico, receiving $5,000 for his efforts. Then, thinking bigger, Gomez applied for a job at the DEA in 2010. "Martinez-Diaz and Gomez decided that Gomez should apply to the DEA in order to better assist Martinez-Diaz," prosecutors wrote in the filing. "Gomez said that once he joined the DEA, he and Martinez-Diaz would be 'unstoppable.'" Story continues During the DEA's screening process, Gomez, informed an investigator he was "unaware of any associates having involvement in criminal activities," the prosecutors wrote. After he got the job as an agent, prosecutors said Gomez divulged the DEA playbook to La ONU, helped drug-traffickers evade law enforcement and even accessed DEA files on the drug ring's behalf. Gomez was arrested in December at the DEA's Chicago field division. He's scheduled to stand trial in September in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Though he defends Trump on TV, he may not vote for him. Photo: Erik McGregor/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz has said that the Mueller report should never have been written, claimed, wrongly, that the special counsel got the law all wrong on obstruction of justice, and complained that his Trump-friendly posture got him shunned on Marthas Vineyard. But despite all that he has suffered for Donald Trump, the president cant count on his support in 2020. In an interview with Dan Abrams on Sirius XM this week, Dershowitz singled out one Democratic candidate for special praise. Given a choice between Joe Biden and Trump, hed enthusiastically support Biden. Dershowitz isnt quite so enamored of other candidates in the primary race. If Bernie Sanders is nominated, that would present a real dilemma for me. I dont think under any circumstances I could vote for a man who went to England and campaigned for a bigot and anti-Semite like Jeremy Corbyn. I dont think I could do it, I couldnt pull that lever, he said. (Sanders, in case anyones forgotten, is Jewish, and lost relatives in the Holocaust.) I will not make a final decision who to vote for until Election Day. I like Joe Biden but no one can take my vote for granted. I said I could vote for Biden, not that I would. I dont like what Biden said to JStreet about Israel. I could never vote for Sanders Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) June 14, 2019 Dershowitz describes himself as a Democrat. In an op-ed for The Hill published a year ago the same piece in which he claimed that the famously woke residents of Marthas Vineyard were victimizing him he said he voted for Hillary Clinton and opposed Trump in several areas. I have strongly and publicly opposed his immigration policies, ranging from the travel ban that was upheld by the Supreme Court to the zero-tolerance policy that led to the separation of parents and children at the border, he wrote. Dershowitz has also said that his defenses of Trump are consistent with his commitment to civil liberties, though other legal experts frequently question his conclusions, and his connections to Trump appear to run fairly deep. In April, Dershowitz told the Daily Beast that he was advising both Trump and Jared Kushner on peace negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. (Dershowitz claimed in January that Palestinian suffering has been largely inflicted by themselves, and in 2009 accused the Palestinians of playing a significant role in Hitlers Holocaust.) The prominent attorney is also known for other unsavory connections. Dershowitz was friends with and represented Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire real-estate magnate jailed for sexually abusing underage girls. After the Miami Herald published an investigation into Epsteins light plea deal he served only 13 months in jail, thanks in no small part to Dershowitzs efforts the law professor accused the paper of being fake news. Pulitzers shouldn't encourage fake news and false me too accusations. Don't give the prize to @MiamiHerald for its uncritical reliance on a proven liar as its principal source and it unwillingness to publish evidence that undercut its source.https://t.co/xH3s2AnaD2 Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) April 3, 2019 Three of Epsteins alleged victims have claimed that Dershowitz was either present at the scene of the abuse or participated in the abuse. Dershowitz, however, says the women are lying, and in April, one sued him for defamation. In any case, his is not an endorsement likely to be coveted by Biden, and Sanders should feel pretty good about inspiring his skepticism. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Mandalay Resources Corporation (TSE:MND) is a small-cap stock with a market capitalization of CA$82m. While investors primarily focus on the growth potential and competitive landscape of the small-cap companies, they end up ignoring a key aspect, which could be the biggest threat to its existence: its financial health. Why is it important? Since MND is loss-making right now, its vital to assess the current state of its operations and pathway to profitability. The following basic checks can help you get a picture of the company's balance sheet strength. However, this is just a partial view of the stock, and I recommend you dig deeper yourself into MND here. MNDs Debt (And Cash Flows) MND's debt levels surged from US$44m to US$63m over the last 12 months this includes long-term debt. With this rise in debt, MND's cash and short-term investments stands at US$37m , ready to be used for running the business. Moreover, MND has produced US$5.6m in operating cash flow in the last twelve months, resulting in an operating cash to total debt ratio of 9.0%, signalling that MNDs operating cash is less than its debt. Can MND meet its short-term obligations with the cash in hand? Looking at MNDs US$49m in current liabilities, it appears that the company has been able to meet these commitments with a current assets level of US$67m, leading to a 1.36x current account ratio. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. Usually, for Metals and Mining companies, this is a suitable ratio since there is a bit of a cash buffer without leaving too much capital in a low-return environment. TSX:MND Historical Debt, June 14th 2019 Does MND face the risk of succumbing to its debt-load? MND is a relatively highly levered company with a debt-to-equity of 48%. This is a bit unusual for a small-cap stock, since they generally have a harder time borrowing than large more established companies. However, since MND is presently unprofitable, theres a question of sustainability of its current operations. Maintaining a high level of debt, while revenues are still below costs, can be dangerous as liquidity tends to dry up in unexpected downturns. Story continues Next Steps: MNDs high cash coverage means that, although its debt levels are high, the company is able to utilise its borrowings efficiently in order to generate cash flow. Since there is also no concerns around MND's liquidity needs, this may be its optimal capital structure for the time being. Keep in mind I haven't considered other factors such as how MND has been performing in the past. I suggest you continue to research Mandalay Resources to get a more holistic view of the small-cap by looking at: Historical Performance: What has MND's returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Automakers show photos and renderings of ambitious (i.e. impractical) vehicles all the time. And Lexus is taking the practice to new heights. On Wednesday, the Japanese luxury vehicle maker gave the universe a preview of the brand's design intentions for the distant future, releasing renderings of its first-ever space jet idea which makes an appearance in Sony's new "Men in Black: International" movie. Dubbed the QZ 618 Galactic Enforcer, the spacecraft's designers were not bound by the notions of reality, legality, practicality or factory warranties. So what you get is an out-of-this-world alien-fighter with specs you've never heard of. The Lexus jet reflects the future of the Lexus brand the far, far distant future, said Lisa Materazzo, vice president of Lexus marketing. With the most advanced alien-fighting technology, performance and sophisticated styling, its in a class of its own. Self-driving cars: Ford wants to use walking robots to deliver packages New York chopper crash: Pilot's rating questioned amid questions over flight rules The spacecraft uses Amazon Alexa to understand seven trillion alien languages, Lexus says. And it comes with three driving modes: EcoDrive, SportDrive and QuantumDrive. It's the "most powerful IFO (Identified Flying Object) ever engineered by Lexus," the company says. And its also the only Lexus available in "Umbra Black", which is said to be the darkest black in the entire universe, according to the automaker. With the push of a button, the automaker's new 2020 Lexus RC F sport coupe morphs into the spacecraft that can travel anywhere in the universe within seconds from zero-to-60 in 0.0000000000001 nanoseconds to be exact. When you're flying through the asteroid belt, safety matters. The spaceship comes equipped with "Space Shield" technologies and an available force field upgrade. Coming in contact with foreign beings isn't a problem either, the craft houses Amazon Alexa technology with support for seven trillion alien languages. No one could afford to purchase such a luxurious traveler, which isn't a problem because it'll never exist. Story continues Lexus says, "While you can see this one-of-a-kind vehicle in theaters, you wont be able to see it in your garage as it is not for sale." Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: First-ever Lexus space jet idea has specs you've never heard of, until now Washington (AFP) - A truck driver implicated by his DNA and family tree in a double murder more than 30 years after the crime will face trial this week in the first case using a revolutionary investigative technique. Supporters and critics alike of "genetic genealogy" -- the technique used to identify the suspected "Golden State Killer" by making DNA matches with his distant relatives -- have followed the case of William Talbott II, who will appear in court starting this week in Seattle. The trucker is accused of killing two young Canadians, Jay Cook, 20, and his girlfriend Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, in 1987. Cook was suffocated to death, with a pack of cigarettes stuffed into his throat, and Van Cuylenborg died of a gunshot wound to the head. After decades of unsuccessful searching, Seattle police finally arrested Talbott in May 2018, although he had not raised suspicions until then. "If it hadn't been for genetic genealogy, we wouldn't be standing here today," said Snohomish County detective Jim Scharf, who led the investigation. Genetic genealogy first made headlines a month prior to Talbott's arrest after it was used to find the suspected "Golden State Killer," who is blamed for 12 murders and more than 50 rapes dating back to the mid-1970s. In both cases -- as well as at least 70 other cases that have been solved since -- DNA found at crime scenes was compared to the database at GEDmatch, a free genealogy website. The website allows users to post DNA test results and then generates a list of people with similar genomes, enabling users to find distant relatives. - Two cousins - For the two Canadians, private biotechnology laboratory Parabon Nanolabs analyzed sperm found on Tanya Van Cuylenborg's clothing and entered the resulting genetic profile in the GEDmatch system. The search produced two of the suspect's cousins. One of Parabon's genealogical experts rebuilt the family trees back several generations and isolated a common relative: William Talbott. Story continues Police officers put Talbott under surveillance and were able to retrieve a cup he threw away. When they tested his DNA, it matched what they had found on Van Cuylenborg's clothing. Since his arrest, the 56-year-old has maintained that he is innocent. "My life's been on hold for greater than a year now for a crime that I did not commit," he said last Friday at a preliminary hearing before the Snohomish county court. In court documents, his defense lawyers have contested the reliability of the genetic profile produced using DNA found at the crime scene, but they have not requested Parabon to testify on the genetic genealogy process. "As I understand it, the defense and prosecution agreed to allow the detective to testify about how the lead was generated because the lead generation process is not an issue for the defense," Parabon vice president Paula Armentrout told AFP. - 'Undercover' - Genetic genealogy has drawn criticism from the legal community over the absence of regulation for the investigative technique, which poses a problem for protecting personal data. "There are not only few rules about which crimes to investigate, but also unclear remedies in the case of mistakes, the discovery of embarrassing or intrusive information, or misuse of information," said Elizabeth Joh, a professor at the UC Davis School of Law in California, in an op-ed published Thursday in The New York Times. "When you consent to genetic sleuthing, you are also exposing your siblings, parents, cousins, relatives you've never met and even future generations of your family," she added, suggesting that police officers be required to obtain "a warrant" for such investigations in the future. Faced with mounting criticism, GEDmatch changed its conditions of use: users must now give permission before police can use their personal data. "We changed it because it was the right thing to do," said GEDmatch founder Curtis Rogers. Only 75,000 people have given police the go-ahead thus far, compared to the million profiles law enforcement had before, which, according to a study, allowed them to identify nearly half the United States population. The new database is too narrow to be of any use to new investigations. But theoretically, nothing prevents officers from using genealogy sites without revealing their true motives, UC Irvine law professor David Kaye pointed out. "There is already a lot of undercover investigation and courts have accepted a certain amount of deception," he said. By Junko Fujita TOKYO, June 14 (Reuters) - Two "flying objects" damaged a Japanese tanker in a suspected attack on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, but there was no damage to the cargo of methanol, the president of the shipping company said on Friday. The Kokuka Courageous was sailing toward the port of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates after the crew, which had evacuated after the incident, returned, President Yutaka Katada of Kokuka Sangyo told a press conference. It was being escorted by the U.S. Navy, he said. "The crew told us something came flying at the ship, and they found a hole," Katada said. "Then some crew witnessed the second shot." Katada said there was no possibility that the ship, carrying 25,000 tons of methanol, was hit by a torpedo. The crew saw an Iranian military ship in the vicinity on Thursday night Japan time, Katada said. The United States blamed Iran for attacking the Kokuka Courageous and another tanker, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, on Thursday, but Tehran denied the allegations. Japanese Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Friday that the incidents will be discussed at a meeting of G20 energy and environment ministers this weekend. Seko declined to comment on American officials blaming Iran, saying Japan is still investigating the incident, which occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran. (Reporting by Junko Fujita; writing by Malcolm Foster; editing by Richard Pullin) The Hague (AFP) - The Islamic State group is targeting women from the millennial generation as it seeks new recruits after the fall of its so-called caliphate, the EU's police agency said Friday. In a report on IS propaganda focussed on women, Europol said that this could "pave the way" for a change in the role of female jihadists in future terror organisations. "We are talking about especially millennials," Manuel Navarette, Head of Europol's European Counter Terrorism Centre, told reporters in The Hague as he unveiled the report. "IS propaganda is focussed on women between 16 to 25, a group more vulnerable to these activities and they have access to social media. IS has adapted to the new target". IS had in particular assigned new and "more active" roles to female jihadists within the organisation, while keeping its fundamentalist ideas about the position of women in society. "They kept somehow the traditional role given to women: being supportive, taking care of men," Navarette said. "But then they start asking women to take a different role, to assist as a doctor, to assist in a different way, not only as the traditional housewife." The Islamic State's "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria fell in March but the group remains active in several countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, as well as still inspiring jihadists through an online presence. The international community is also torn over what to do with around 4,000 foreign women and 8,000 children linked to IS who remain stranded in Syria and Iraq. The fear is that the targeting by IS of women for propaganda could pay dividends for jihadists in years to come. "The worry is that this increase in the involvement of women could pave the way for potentially major changes in the role of jihadi women in the future," the Europol report said. Navarette said there had been an increase in arrests of women connected to jihadism in France and Britain in particular. Story continues "There could be a kind of relation between the propaganda machine of IS asking, demanding, for more active of specific groups of women and children to be a part of terrorism," he added. Europol director Catherine De Bolle said that despite the findings law enforcement agencies needed to take a "gender neutral approach" looking at the reasons for radicalisation. "It's the way to paradise, for both men and women," she added. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images I like the truth. Im actually a very honest guy, President Trump told a slightly incredulous George Stephanopoulos this week. Like almost everything Trump says, it was, of course, a lie. But it was a particularly Trumpish kind of lie. It was so staggeringly, self-evidently untrue, and so confidently, breezily said, it was less a statement of nonfact than an expression of pure power. For Trump, lying is central to his disturbed psyche, and to his success. The brazenness of it unbalances and stupefies sane and adjusted people, thereby constantly giving him an edge and a little breathing space while we try to absorb it, during which he proceeds to the next lie. And on it goes. Its like swimming in choppy water. Just when you get to the surface to breathe, another wave crashes into you. This particular lie was in the context of a report from the New York Times this week, independently confirmed by ABC News, that Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio had found Trump lagging Joe Biden in most of the states he needed to win even in Texas. The Times reported that Trump had instructed his staff to lie about this polling. When asked about it by Stephanopoulos, Trump simply followed his own advice. No, my polls show that Im winning everywhere, he said blithely. And when you hear him, it sounds as if he is telling the truth. Hes gooood. In Michael Wolffs new book, Siege, Steve Bannon recounts on the record several bald-faced lies Trump told him to his face. About Trumps trip to Moscow, where the alleged and likely chimeric pee tape was supposedly made, Trump insisted repeatedly that he had spent only a day there, and hadnt stayed overnight, so couldnt have employed any prostitutes at all. This story was told to me a dozen times, maybe more, and the details never changed, Bannon noted, even as evidence emerged that Trump had indeed spent two days and two nights there. On the affair with Stormy Daniels: Never happened, he told Bannon. And when Trump insisted on these things, he was in the moment believable. This preternatural capacity to lie convincingly even when the truth is obvious is a very rare skill. Which is why it works, of course. You simply assume that a grown man with real responsibility wouldnt behave that way. And you would be wrong. Bannon, Wolff writes, came to understand that the lies were compulsive, persistent and without even a minimal grounding in reality. This is not to deceive the public. This is simply the way Trump behaves in private and public. Its why I have long believed he is mentally unwell. It is not true that all presidents lie in this fashion. Take that famous liar, Bill Clinton. Bubbas lies were infamous but he was always calibrating them to avoid telling an outright whopper. A ridiculous parsing of the definition of sexual relations or is is different than outright denying reality and daring people to correct you. Clinton accepted reality and tried, in lawyerly fashion, to spin his way out of it. In retrospect, the presidency of George W. Bush was a Trump harbinger of sorts. Recall this famous passage from Ron Suskind, reporting on the Bush White House for the Times: The aide said that guys like me were in what we call the reality-based community, which he defined as people who believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality. I nodded and murmured something about Enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. Thats not the way the world really works anymore, he continued. Were an empire now, and when we act, we create reality. And while you are studying that reality judiciously, as you will well act again creating other new realities, which you can study too, and thats how things will sort out. Were historys actors and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do. The joke, in the end, of course, was on them. Reality destroyed them, as it often does. In that time period, however, it also destroyed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. No, Trumps only rival in this department denying what everyone can see is true was Sarah Palin, the lipsticked John the Baptist of the Trump cult. During the 2008 campaign, gobsmacked that this lunatic could be in line for the presidency, I began to keep track of everything she said out loud that was provably, empirically untrue. In the two months she was running to be vice-president, I catalogued 34 demonstrably untrue statements, which she refused to correct. She compiled nowhere near Trumps volume of lies its close to inhuman to lie the way he does but her capacity to move swiftly on from them, along with the presss supine failure to keep up, was very Trumpy. The short attention span of digital media has made this worse. And she got away with it. The base didnt care; the media couldnt cope. Trump, too stupid to ape Clinton, and far more accomplished a liar than Palin, combines the sinister Bush-era kind of lie We do not torture with the Palin compulsion to just make things up all the time to avoid any sense of vulnerability. What Trump adds is a level of salesmanship that is truly a wonder to behold. He is a con man of surpassing brilliance and conviction, and every time he survives the fallout of a con, he gets more confident about the next one. At some point, the law usually catches up with this kind of con artist, and Trump has had quite a few close calls over the years (and paid out a lot in settlements). But a presidential con man at this level of talent, legitimized by public opinion, enlarged and enhanced by the office and its trappings, is far harder to catch. It seems to me we had one shot of doing this definitively the Mueller investigation and we failed. Trumps lies about the report, and his attorney generals genius move of lying about its conclusion before the rest of us could check it out fully, helped. So did conservative medias blackout of the actual substance of the report. Trumps Roy Cohn tactic of accusing his accusers of the same flaw it was Hillary who colluded with the Russians! was another masterstroke of distraction. But its hard to deny at this point that in the battle between Trump and Mueller, Trump just won. Wolffs analysis is that Trump actually intimidated Mueller, who refused to enter the public fray out of a sense of responsibility but also because no sane person who isnt in elected office wants to become the next pinata. And battling Trump is very hard for sane people, with a solid reputation, to sustain. You never come out okay. For Mueller to fight back would have dragged him into an insufferably vulgar mire. He demurred, assuming that Congress would immediately spring into action. No such luck. Speaker Pelosi is convinced impeachment would be counterproductive, and fruitless, given the Senates tribal backing of Trump, and so she keeps punting. I see her political point but not her constitutional one. Accusing a president of a criminal cover-up and obstruction of justice and not impeaching him smacks of weakness and Trump smells weakness like a beagle can smell that treat in your pocket. The Democratic congressional leadership is thereby, it seems to me, guilty of appeasement, of putting politics ahead of the more fundamental duty to protect the Constitution. For the Congress to do nothing about proof of a presidents repeated obstruction of justice not even a vote of censure is an abdication of constitutional duty. Pelosi took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to win the next election. So, of course, Trump has upped the ante again. Why wouldnt he? He has proven that he can obstruct justice and get away with it, so now he is not only refusing to comply with any subpoenas and barring critical witnesses from testifying, but claiming, through his lawyers, that the only branch of government that can investigate the presidents compliance with the law is the executive branch itself, over which the president has total control: Congress is simply not allowed to conduct law-enforcement investigations of the president. Congressional oversight of possible crimes by the president improperly impinges upon and hence interferes with the independence that is imperative to the functioning of the executive branch. The president, they argue, is the only person who can determine if the president breaks the law. The only possible exception, Trumps lawyers grudgingly concede, is in an impeachment proceeding which they well know Pelosi doesnt have the guts to invoke. If the president is judge and jury in his own case, he is a monarch, not a president. To add to this, we also have both Trump and his Botoxed dauphin, Jared Kushner, recently express the belief that they did nothing wrong in inviting, welcoming, and encouraging a foreign enemy of the United States to interfere in an American election. Trump, contradicting his own FBI director, told Stephanopoulos this week hed be open to receiving dirt on a political opponent from a foreign power again in 2020. Hey, why not? If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] we have information on your opponent oh, I think Id want to hear it, the president said. He might tell the FBI, or he might not. I know were used to this kind of thing he openly invited Russia to intervene in 2016, after all, and they did but it is vital to repeat that this is about as impeachable a statement as could be uttered by any president. The worry about a president receiving assistance from a foreign country, let alone inviting it, was one of the central concerns of the Founders when they came up with the mechanism of impeachment. It need not be a conspiracy or a crime. It was about violating the integrity of the American political system to the advantage of another country. They were thinking of Britain and France, their equivalent of Russia and China. And they were understandably paranoid about it. He might betray his trust to foreign powers, Madison worried about waiting for the next election to call a president to account. Combine the blithe ease with which Trump considers this impeachable offense with his now-demonstrated attempts to obstruct justice, and now add a legal claim that the Congress cannot oversee what might be presidential criminality well, you have a situation that impeachment was specifically designed for. It is worth adding to this, for good measure, that, all the while, the president has been attempting to buttress Republican and essentially white power, by rigging the census to deny Democrats future seats, and thereby resources. We now have incontrovertible proof that this was the intention behind adding a citizenship question to the Census thanks to a leaked hard drive. Put all this together and you begin to get a sense of how contested the result of the next election could be. Trump is deliberately undermining public confidence in its integrity. He did this rhetorically as a candidate. Doing it as an incumbent president is an even graver assault on our liberal democracy. Imagine Bush v. Gore, but with an incumbent president who controls the executive branch and has the Supreme Court in his pocket, and you begin to see the risk we are taking by leaving him in place. He will do anything, we have to understand, to protect his psychic attachment to his own self-interest. Anything. Ill repeat what I believe: He will not leave his office if he narrowly loses in 2020. Hell fight and rally his supporters to fight with him. Hes not Nixon. Hes Erdogan. When, since becoming president, has Trump conceded anything? A tyrants path to power is not a straight line, its dynamic. Each concession is instantly banked, past vices are turned into virtues, and then the ante is upped once again. The threat rises exponentially with time. If we cant see this in front of our own eyes, and impeach this man now, even if he will not be convicted, we are flirting with the very stability of our political system. It is not impregnable. Why is Putin the only person who seems to grasp this? My Old Chum Boris Boris Johnson will be the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. In an almost perfect representation of deep polarization, the next British general election will be fought between a Tory Etonian performance artist and Jeremy Corbyn, the Marxist anti-Semitic leader of the Labour Party. Despite a wide consensus among his fellow parliamentarians that Johnson is an opportunistic, incompetent, lazy, and unbearable shit, he nonetheless won a huge victory yesterday 114 votes to his nearest rivals 43 in the first round of voting by the Tories in Westminster. There will be further rounds of voting, as various rivals get eliminated, but his lead is so big hell certainly be in the final two, and then the 124,000 members of the Tory Party will vote. Johnson is a rock star to his base, who massively favor him over the other candidates. Its basically over now. I knew Boris at Oxford. He was at Balliol and I was at Magdalen, but we were both debaters in the Oxford Union, and he became president of the Union in 1986, three years after I did, in 1983. We overlapped in his freshman year and, as president, I always loved calling on him to speak before the House, because it was never dull. Union politics back then was cutthroat but also huge fun, and I became quite fond of him because it was hard not to. He charms. He amuses. He has a certain charisma, and always has. That messy mop of blond? The same as when I knew him. His full name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, and I was a little wary at first. Back then, and maybe still today, Oxford students were divided between those who came from what are called in England public schools, (which, in American English, are actually the private schools for the aristocracy, costing a fortune to attend) and those of us who came from the state sector, what Americans would call public schools. The public school boys arrived with a sublime sort of self-confidence, already ensconced in the elite, seeming to fit in naturally among the dreamy spires of that lovely place. The rest of us, bewildered and enchanted (in my case) to be in this Hogwarts of a place, had to prove ourselves. They coasted. Boris was so posh it was funny. At least thats how I saw it. And what marked him as different from the other Etonians was his decision to embrace this, and make fun of himself in the process. Others came rather insecure about their privilege and played it down think of fellow Etonian David Cameron who decided to call himself Dave. Not Boris. Alongside party-boy Darius Guppy and Charles Spencer, Dianas brother, he reveled in it. As sitting president, I did my small part to help him gain his footing, despite a certain amount of class resentment Im not really proud of. He belonged, for example, to the Bullingdon Club, an exclusive upper-class fraternity that specialized in hosting expensive restaurant dinners for themselves, in white tie and tails no less, with members eating and drinking till they were stuffed and thoroughly shit-faced and then proceeded to puke on the floors and vandalize the joint, smashing tables and chairs and china, breaking windows and the like. Daddy would always pick up the price for repairs. I remember feeling a mixture of contempt and awe at this. Before going up to Oxford, I could count on one hand the number of times I had eaten at a restaurant. My resolution was to outsmart and outperform them. This reputation hurt Boris in hunting for votes to be president of the Oxford Union, and he lost the first time around to someone called Neil Sherlock who was a nerdy state school kid. Legend has it Johnson kept reinventing himself politically and playing down his Toryism and poshness with the help of then-student Frank Luntz, believe it or not and eventually it worked and he won. I have to say I found him hugely entertaining, and great company, but could never really take him seriously. He has a first-class wit but a second-class mind and got a second-class degree. If you want to measure the quality of his scholarship, check out his deeply awful biography of Churchill, a thinly veiled attempt to redescribe his own career as a Second Coming of Winston. I lost track of him afterward, which is why perhaps I still like him. But Im struck by how so many who have followed his career since despise him. My friend, the journalist Nick Cohen has a splendid little rant in the Spectator, the magazine Johnson once edited: Johnson believes in the advance of Johnson. Thats all there is. Theres nothing else. Fired by the Times in 1988 for simply making shit up he fabricated a quote from his godfather, a historian Johnson went to the Telegraph as a Brussels correspondent and made more shit up. He was still at it this year. Stories about the EU punishing the rubber industry for making undersized condoms or ordering the straightening of bananas were total Stephen Glass material, but Tory readers lapped it up. Boris in due course became a classic Cameron-type liberal Tory when it was cool, and then, sensing a moment of opportunity, suddenly backed the Leave campaign in the Brexit referendum, stabbing his friend Dave in the front. His support for Brexit was a critical moment in the credibility of the Leave campaign. Its not a huge leap to say that without him, it might not have happened. And thats why the impossible conundrum of Brexit is now rightly in his ample lap. Unlike May, he voted for it (or said he did). Panicked by the rise of the Brexit party, the Tories believe he will bring the faithful back and get out of the E.U. definitively by Halloween even though there is no parliamentary majority for it, and if Boris thinks he will have more luck negotiating a better deal with the E.U., hes crackers. You think Macron will go easier on Boris than May? He once said, with characteristic brio, that my chances of being PM are about as good as the chances of finding Elvis on Mars, or my being reincarnated as an olive. That was as colorful as it was untrue. But there is some sweet cosmic justice in Boris having to take responsibility for the Brexit he backed. It may be a catastrophe, but it will be his, and, for him at least, it sure will be fun. The Meaning of Asylum Asylum is one of the noblest contributions to the world that a free society can offer. And America in many minds is almost defined by it. People fleeing persecution because of their politics or religion or identity should always have a place here. Its part of what America is for. The USCIS defines asylum thus: Refugee status or asylum may be granted to people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion. For many years, I was on the board of a group called Immigration Equality, which in the past helped rescue binational gay couples who were separated because the U.S. would not recognize their unions, and now continues its work, especially with asylum cases for gay, lesbian, or transgender people who are subject to persecution and violence and terror at home because of their identity. We won and the group continues to win almost every case. Meeting someone who has been given asylum here is a very moving thing. It is, at its core, about the right to be who you are, believe what you believe, and not be subject to persecution for it. If any Chinese Uighur were to find her way to the shores of this country, she should be admitted with open arms. Thats what asylum is for. Now check out this story of someone who is intending to claim asylum in the U.S. Hes a Guatemalan coffee-bean farmer who is leaving his homeland because of a sharp drop in the price of coffee. Kevin Sieff reports: Here in western Guatemala, one of the biggest factors in the [migrant] surge is the falling price of coffee, from $2.20 per pound in 2015 to a low this year of 86 cents about a 60 percent drop. Since 2017, most farmers have been operating at a loss, even as many sell their beans to some of the worlds best-known specialty-coffee brands. A staggering number of those farmers have decided to migrate Gustavo Alfaro, who sells coffee to Starbucks and several other American specialty companies, said half of his workforce has migrated in the past year alone. This is a completely understandable reflex. Sympathizing with people whose livelihoods have vanished is entirely the moral thing to do. But unemployment and poverty are not the same as persecution, and the migration is self-evidently economic. Nonetheless, Sieffs central figure in the story is going to claim asylum when he reaches the border. In other words, the generosity of America in providing asylum for the persecuted is being fraudulently exploited by hundreds of thousands of immigrants. An asylum claim is not immediately granted, of course, but it is an immediate guarantee of entry to America, because we recognize that people genuinely seeking asylum need refuge immediately. But thats not whats happening here. The current crisis in immigration is, in fact, a giant and flagrant abuse of the very meaning of asylum. Just as illegal immigration is an affront to legal immigration, so blatantly fraudulent asylum pleas trivialize and exploit those who genuinely need our help. I have yet to see or hear any Democratic candidate object in any way to this abuse. As core principles of American law and decency are openly flaunted, they really, really dont seem to give a damn. See you next Friday. BRUSSELS, June 14 (Reuters) - France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday important progress was made on a euro zone budget by the bloc's finance ministers in a meeting in Luxembourg. Le Maire said the budget would be operational in 2021 and called it a "game changer", "a mini-revolution" that would largely improve the way the euro zone works and would better address economic woes. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; Editing by Janet Lawrence) VALLETTA, June 14 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron urged Turkey to stop "illegal activities" in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone and said the European Union would not back down on the issue. European Union members have pressured Turkey to drop its plans for offshore drilling for natural gas in an area claimed by the Cypriot authorities as part of their exclusive economic zone around the island. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Editing by Inti Landauro and Hugh Lawson) Moscow (AFP) - Russian journalist Ivan Golunov, who was jailed on trumped-up drugs charges but released after a public outcry, said Friday he would work to help others in similar situations. "I will do whatever is in my power," the 36-year-old journalist said in an interview with prominent TV personality, Ksenia Sobchak. "I need to understand how I can be of use," he said, expressing hope that Russian authorities will listen to critics. "I very much hope that there will be dialogue," he said in the two-hour Youtube interview. Golunov, an investigative reporter for Meduza, a Russian-language website based in EU member Latvia, was arrested last week after police planted drugs on him, in what was seen as punishment for his work. Moscow police had charged him with attempted drug dealing and he had faced up to 20 years in prison. The reporter was released on Tuesday, and charges against him dropped, after Golunov's supporters, including many influential journalists, mounted a public campaign in his defence. Kremlin critics say drug charges are routinely used in Russia to silence rights workers and activists or to settle scores with opponents in disputes. Russians imprisoned for drugs offences make up around one third of all inmates in the country. On Wednesday up to 3,000 people took part in an unsanctioned march to urge broad reform of police and courts. The protest was brutally crushed and more than 500 people detained, according to OVD Info, a rights group that tracks detentions. "I think that this rally did not put the matter to rest and dialogue will continue," said Golunov. A dozen journalists from five media outlets are currently helping Golunov complete his latest investigation that will implicate senior members of Russia's FSB security service in corruption, he said. Widely described as self-effacing, Golunov said people had begun recognising him in the streets and added that being a symbol of potential change was "a great responsibility." Golunov also said that while he was in detention police officers complained to him about widespread corruption in the law enforcement system. "Everyone has been bought off, everything has been pilfered," he said they told him. By Cyril Altmeyer PARIS (Reuters) - France and Italy forged a military shipbuilding alliance on Friday, as state-controlled Naval Group and Fincantieri signed off on a 50-50 joint venture that will bid for Franco-Italian warship projects and sell to the world market. The alliance reflects the two countries' desire to fend off competition in naval shipbuilding from the likes of China, the United States and Russia. It is targeting orders worth up to 5 billion euros ($5.63 billion) over the next decade. Naval Group said the joint venture aims to build 10-15 warships in that period, with synergies estimated at 10-15%. "It is the product of a shared industrial ambition," Herve Guillou, chief executive of Naval Group told reporters on a call. "We are by far the two biggest naval shipbuilders in Europe, but we cannot remain competitive and maximise our resources if we rely only on our domestic markets." The joint venture does not entail a share swap between the two groups. France and Italy first outlined plans to deepen naval shipbuilding cooperation in September 2017. However, political and business relations between the two euro zone powerhouses have become increasingly fraught since then and uncertainty hangs over other deals. Earlier this month, Fiat Chrysler withdrew its proposal for a 35 billion euro merger with Renault, with both the Italian-American carmaker and Rome blaming French government interference for the deal's collapse. Meanwhile, at France's request, the European Union's antitrust chief is examining Fincantieri's purchase of a 50% stake in French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique, formerly STX, a move which irritated Fincantieri and Rome. Fincantieri top executives recently said they were confident of winning approval from Brussels, but that it could take some months. The joint venture between Fincantieri and Naval Group, in which French defence company Thales has a 35% stake, seeks to balance power within the alliance. Story continues That has been a stumbling block for other Franco-Italian mergers such as the troubled Essilor-Luxottica tie-up. The new enterprise will be headquartered in Genoa, with its engineering centre based in France's southern Var region. Its chief executive Claude Centofanti is a Frenchman and its chairman, Giuseppe Bono, an Italian who is also CEO of Fincantieri. The two companies have said they will look for efficiencies by taking advantage of their bigger scale, jointly conducting some research and sharing test facilities. Guillou said the market for mid-size to large frigates was growing 5-7% a year. "It's also where the emerging competition is attacking us the hardest," he added. He said there was potential for Naval Group and the new JV to derive synergies too from the Fincantieri-Chantiers de l'Atlantique tie-up, but a go-ahead from Brussels would be needed before they can be more deeply explored. But he added that the setting up of the venture and the merger between Fincantieri and Chantier were separate issues, downplaying analysts' hopes the JV could make it easier to win the go-ahead for Fincantieri-Chantier. Naval Group holds a minority stake in Chantiers de l'Atlantique. "We could imagine buying steel benefitting from scale of volume," Guillou said. "When you think about what vessels of the future might look like, and cleaner energies, it's not something that will only interest military shipbuilders." ($1 = 0.8878 euros) (Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Jan Harvey) After struggling with his sexual orientation since the seventh grade, Washington teen Jace Taylor finally came out to his family last year. But the 18-year-old admits his struggle was more about his faith than his super accepting family. I was concerned because the Bible taught us that a man should not lie with another man, Taylor tells Yahoo Lifestyle. I kept on reading the scripture and kept on analyzing it and came to my own conclusion that since Jesus said to love and accept everyone for who they are, he says. And that's why I'm comfortable to be a Christian and comfortable to be an openly gay Christian. While Taylors immediate family welcomed the gay teen with open arms, it was his second family that betrayed him, he says. Thats because the Firs, a Christian organization that raised me in the Christian Faith fired him from his camp counselor position after discovering he was gay. I was heartbroken and I felt betrayed by them, Taylor says. Since the age of six, Taylor has been heavily involved with the Firs, a Washington-based non-denominational Christian organization that offers a variety of camp programs to impact lives with the good news of Jesus Christ. After attending various camp programs, Taylor wanted to become a Fircreek camp counselor. This was a lifelong dream of mine since I was little I wanted to come back to this place and impact kids like they did with me, Taylor says. He recalls his time playing outdoor games in the woods, swimming in the water and singing Christian songs at the camp with great fondness. He went on to attend their camp throughout middle school to high school and even worked at the Firs Retreat Center dining hall for four years. I felt loved and accepted there. They taught me how to be a good person and a good Christian Taylor adds. Taylor was hired by the Firs to be a camp counselor at the Fircreek Day Camp last month. He was meant to start leading bible studies with a group of 10 kids this weekend. But, before he could start, the organization discovered he was gay after Taylor changed his Facebook profile picture to an image of him and his boyfriend at prom. Days after updating his profile, the Firs terminated Taylor from his position because his sexual orientation didnt align with the organizations beliefs. Story continues I got a text from the camp director to come in for a meeting, Taylor recalls. He sat me down and said, Im sorry we have to let you go based on your sexual orientation. Washington teen Jace Taylor was fired from his Christian camp counselor job for being gay. (Credit: Jace Taylor) Taylor says the camp director, a close family friend who had watched him grow up inside Fircreek and outside, was conflicted over the termination. It wasnt his choice, it was someone higher up, Taylor says. The Firs has not responded to Yahoo Lifestyles requests for comment. However, the decision to fire the teen due to his sexual orientation was confirmed by the Firs executive director, Tom Beaumont, to a local news station. When it became evident in the application process that he did not personally align with our statements of faith (in particular, one regarding sexuality) we determined we could not use him in this role, Beaumont wrote in a statement to Q13 Fox. In order to be consistent to our beliefs and our mission we felt compelled to pass on someone we truly liked in filling this counselor role. Taylor says he initially was heartbroken and balled his eyes out to his dad after being told the bad news. However, the tears soon turned into anger at the Firs hypocrisy. I thought they would have changed their policy or be more accepting since they advertise themselves as a loving and accepting place that doesnt judge anyone, Taylor says. I feel that I have been discriminated against for who I am and how I identify myself. While Taylor says he does not intend to pursue any legal action against the company, he does hope to raise awareness about the discrimination he and many others in the LGBTQ community face. Around the world and even in our own nation, that there are other people in the LGBTQ community that are discriminated against and get fired or denied jobs just because of how they identify themselves as and who they are as a person, says the 18-year-old. That's not acceptable anymore, especially in today's world Its honestly a violation of our basic human rights. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Utah commissioner Nathan Ivie comes out as gay in Facebook video: 'I need to be honest' Gay teens say they were kicked out of restaurant for hugging: 'We don't want your kind here' Grandma gives birth at 61 so her gay son and his husband can have a baby Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. By Alwyn Scott, Ahmed Rasheed and Timothy Gardner NEW YORK/BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Electric Co potentially stands to win a large share of multibillion-dollar contracts to rebuild Iraq's electricity system, reflecting a change in how Iraq intends to award the work after the United States lobbied for GE, according to sources familiar with the matter. Iraq signed five-year "roadmap" agreements with GE and Siemens AG last October under which the country plans to spend about $14 billion on new plants, repairs, power lines and, eventually, equipment to capture for use natural gas that is now being flared off. In awarding projects to Siemens in April, however, Iraq's prime minister said the German company was well-placed to win the bulk of future deals. But sources familiar with all three sides of the matter told Reuters that, under U.S. prodding, Iraq is asking both Siemens and GE to bid on contracts and expects to make awards to each of the companies. "Political pressures on the Iraqi government ... pushed the Abadi government to change plans and allow GE to get on board," an Iraqi electricity ministry official with knowledge of GE and Siemens activities in Iraq told Reuters, referring to former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. "It was obvious for us the U.S. government was not happy with Siemens taking over the megadeal alone without any chance for GE," the official said. "Talks are underway to decide about mid- and long-term contracts, which we expect to be divided between them." Iraq's electricity ministry did not respond to requests for comment. A U.S. State Department official confirmed that the U.S. pressed Iraq in GE's behalf. "Harnessing the innovative capabilities of U.S. companies like GE is an essential component of our strategy to expand economic ties and increase foreign investment to help Iraq rebuild," the official said. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Iraq will be awarding contracts in three phases over the next four years. Story continues "It is not one winner takes all," said one of the sources. "It's an ongoing process that you have to work at every level." Siemens and GE have supplied generation plants and other electrical equipment to Iraq for decades. Many of these assets need to be refurbished and upgraded after years of war, creating substantial scope for work by both companies. Since October, GE has signed agreements to upgrade, maintain and rebuild facilities to boost generation capacity by 5,000 megawatts, according to sources familiar with the situation. The Boston-based conglomerate also included as part of the October roadmap two 750 megawatt plants Iraq ordered in 2017, the sources said. A GE spokesperson said "Iraq and GE are in productive discussions to strengthen the country's power sector." Last month, a 125-megawatt GE 9E turbine went online at Iraq's Al Qudus power plant, GE said. Siemens said it took "one first major step toward the actual implementation of the roadmap" when it signed an agreement with Iraq on April 30 that lays out projects, budgets and timelines. The April agreement includes three contracts worth about 700 million euros for a new 500-megawatt power plant, upgrades to 40 gas turbines and new substations. Iraq is one of the few bright spots in a shrinking global market for fossil-fuel power plants and equipment. The country's peak power needs outstrip its generation capacity by one-third, and the gap is expected to widen as Iraq's economy grows, the International Energy Agency said in April. Difficulty working in the war-torn country and the uncertainty about Iraq's funding likely will limit the payoff for the companies, two industry experts said. But new orders are vital for Siemens and GE, which are both cutting capacity in response to a steep drop in orders for large turbines. (Reporting by Alwyn Scott in New York, Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Steve Orlofsxky) By Umberto Bacchi TBILISI, June 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Swimmers in distress off Georgia's Black Sea coast are set to experience a first this summer - being rescued by a woman. Up to 20 female lifeguards will start patrolling the country's crowded beaches on Saturday, joining a male-dominated rescue corps for the holiday season, Georgia's emergency management agency said on Friday. The agency heralded the move as a massive step forward for gender equality in the conservative former Soviet republic, but the group - all under 20-year-old students from Batumi State Maritime Academy - face an uphill battle for recognition. Images of several aspiring female lifeguards undergoing training shared online this week sparked a social media flurry. Many criticised their looks, questioned their fitness, or drew unflattering comparisons with the 1990s TV series "Baywatch", which often featured actors in revealing swimsuits running in slow motion on a California beach. "Some people are complaining that these women do not look like Pamela Anderson," women's right activist Baia Pataraia, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, referring to the U.S. actress in the cult U.S. show that led to a 2017 movie. Georgia has passed anti-discrimination laws in an effort to move closer to the European Union, but gender stereotypes and inequality remain deeply rooted, according to the United Nations. Women earn in average 35% less than men who dominate most top business and political roles, the U.N. says. But not all comments were negative, with many users wishing luck to the new recruits who said they were ready for the task. "The challenge for me was to save other people's lives and break down stereotypes," Christine Didmanidze, one of the new lifeguards, told local broadcaster First Channel. "I am sure I can do it." (Reporting by Umberto Bacchi @UmbertoBacchi, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith 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) Berlin (AFP) - A German court Friday fined two gynaecologists for offering information publicly on how they carry out abortion services, despite the recent easing of a Nazi-era law banning practitioners from advertising of pregnancy terminations. German law allows abortions but effectively discourages them through various hurdles, including the law in question, article 219a, which dates to May 1933, shortly after Adolf Hitler took power in Nazi Germany. After an uproar over another recent case, the government early this year lifted a blanket ban on publicising abortion services. Under the eased rules, gynaecologists, hospitals and public health services are allowed to share essential information about where women can terminate unwanted pregnancies. However, the two gynaecologists identified only as Bettina G. and Verena W. still fell foul of the amended law because they "not only provided information about whether but also about how the termination of pregnancy is carried out," the Berlin court said. "Doctors should in principle only indicate that they carry out abortions," added the court, imposing a fine of 2,000 euros ($2,250) on each gynaecologist. On their website, the doctors said they offered "medicinal, anaesthesia-free abortion" in a "protected environment". Both defendants voiced disappointment at the ruling and said they would mount an appeal. "It's so awful, my stomach turned," said Bettina G. Germany, despite being a leading voice for women's rights in the 1970s, imposes tight restrictions on abortion, permitting it only under strictly regulated circumstances. It is left out of universities' course books for student doctors and kept unavailable in swathes of the country. A woman who wants to abort within the first trimester is required to attend a consultation at a registered centre. The aim of the interview is to "incite the woman to continue the pregnancy," according to the rules, even if in the end she has the final say. Story continues Excluding special circumstances such as a pregnancy that threatens the life of the mother, or one arising from rape, abortion is not a procedure that is reimbursable by health insurance. In some regions, including in the predominantly Catholic state of Bavaria, it may be necessary to travel 100 kilometres (60 miles) to find a doctor who performs the procedure. Germany records an average of 100,000 abortions for 790,000 births, about half the rate of neighbouring France. Sarah Huckabee Sanders at her most recent press briefing in March 2019. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images On Thursday, President Trump tweeted that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders would be going home at the end of June, where he hopes that she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas. Sanders originally joined the administration as deputy White House press secretary, where she soon proved more competent than her boss, Sean Spicer. In an administration known for its profound turnover rate, Sanderss departure is one of the more high-profile exits of 2019 along with former chief of staff John Kelly, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and White House communications director Bill Shine. To help understand how Sanders set the tone for the combative Trump administration, heres a timeline of the public skirmishes of her career in the West Wing. The Firing of James Comey Sanders gave her first White House press briefing on May 5, 2017, when former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was on Naval Reserve duty; four days later, President Trump fired FBI director James Comey. Sanders responded well amid the chaos, meaning that she showed a knack for deflecting questions. When Comey accused the president of giving shifting explanations about his dismissal, Sanders defended Trump: I can definitively say the president is not a liar, and I think its frankly insulting that question would be asked. During an off-camera briefing, @SarahHuckabee said: No, I can definitively say the president is not a liar https://t.co/Ef1ylSrn7c pic.twitter.com/2NjzonQOcA POLITICO (@politico) June 8, 2017 By July 21, Spicer was out, and Sanders was granted the job the same day. Eventually, Spicer would tell the Washington Post just why his successor was so good in the role: Sarah has done a fantastic job of keeping in line with understanding how to effectively communicate what the presidents thoughts are at any given time, recognizing that it is a very dynamic and fluid situation in many cases, Spicer said, diplomatically describing Trumps decision-making process. What she has done is, she has realized, you cant get in trouble for what you dont say. The Rob Porter Scandal In February 2018, an interview was published in which former White House staff secretary Rob Porter was accused of domestic abuse from both of his former wives. Reports also emerged that the White House was aware of the issue, as the FBI had told officials about the details the previous summer. The allegations, especially sensitive considering the presidents own allegations of sexual misconduct voiced by 23 women, infuriated Sanders, who reportedly cursed and yelled at former White House counsel Don McGahn for not giving her all the details before she gave her initial public statements. Still, after Porters forced resignation, Sanders did not alter her statements to the press. The Stormy Daniels Scandal In March 2018, Stormy Daniels filed a lawsuit against the president, claiming that the non-disclosure agreement she had signed after their alleged affair was voided because Trump had not personally signed it. Discussing the event at the podium, Sanders first told reporters that arbitration over the suit was won in the presidents favor, which was the first time that anyone in the White House admitted the connection between Daniels and Trump. As the scandal broke, Sanders then had to manage the impossible task of keeping her account straight with that of the president and his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Childrens Stories Its not easy to keep the attention of a group of children while on camera, but Sanders did her best when she read the Easter story at the White House Easter Egg Roll in 2018. Men who didnt like Jesus sent soldiers to arrest him, Sanders read, followed by a poorly timed smile, considering where she was at in the narrative. If you ever wanted to understand apathy, spend 1 minute watching Sarah Huckabee Sanders reading the Easter story to children at the White House Easter Egg Roll pic.twitter.com/ZCNhdb7lMi Marcus Gilmer (@marcusgilmer) April 2, 2018 Smokey Eye At the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2018, comedian Michelle Wolf pinned Sarah Huckabee Sanders as one of the primary targets of the evening. Wolf said that she found Sanders very resourceful. She burns facts, and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye. Like maybe shes born with it, maybe its lies. Its probably lies. Wolf immediately came under attack for her treatment of the White House press secretary, with critics alleging that she had attacked Sanderss physical appearance. Critical statements emerged from the president, Maggie Haberman, and Mika Brzezinski, and the White House Correspondents Association distanced itself from Wolf. That evening says a whole lot more about her than it does about me, Sanders responded on Fox News. Others in the press, including Joan Walsh of CNN and Amanda Hess of the New York Times, defended Wolfs comments. Women, comedians, and the media all grabbed each others hair and threw each other to the floor while men watched and cheered, wrote Vultures Nell Scovell. And that was hitting the trifecta for President Trump, who has continually dismissed all these groups. It Is Very Biblical to Enforce the Law In June 2018, as reports emerged that the Department of Homeland Security was separating migrant children from their parents after they were detained at the border, Jim Acosta asked Sanders about the practice, citing a comment from Jeff Sessions in which he said that the effort could be justified by looking to the Bible. The attorney general, earlier today, said that somehow theres a justification for this in the Bible, Acosta told Sanders. Where does it say in the Bible that its moral to take children away from their mothers? Im not aware of the attorney generals comments or what he would be referencing, Sanders replied. I cant Is it a moral policy, in your view? Acosta asked. I can say that it is very biblical to enforce the law, Sanders replied. That is, actually, repeated a number of times throughout the Bible. However, this But where in the Bible does it say Acosta began. Hold on, Jim. If youll let me finish. its okay to take children away from their parents? Again, Im not going to comment on the attorneys specific comments that I havent seen. You just said its in the Bible to follow the law. Thats not what I said. The Mueller Report In some of her first comments at the White James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in June 2017, Sanders claimed that countless members of the FBI did not have confidence in recently ousted director James Comey. But speaking to special counsel investigations under oath, Sanders conceded that the claim was not founded on anything. The End of the White House Press Briefing Though a pattern of deflection and occasional outright lies are a part of Sanderss legacy in the White House, perhaps the Trump administrations greatest damage to the position of press secretary will be its abdication of the role almost entirely. In the past 200 days, only eight briefings were held. The last briefing was on March 11, 98 days ago, when Sanders briefed the press corps on the presidents 2020 budget proposal. BERLIN (AP) A German court has lifted a city's ban on the burkini, an all-encompassing swimsuit used by some Muslim women. Wearing the garments in municipal pools in the western city of Koblenz was forbidden at the beginning of this year after the local council narrowly approved a ban. Officials argued that the suite makes it impossible to check whether wearers have open wounds or diseases. The rules were challenged by a Syrian asylum-seeker, a pious Muslim who said doctors had recommended that she use a swimming pool to tackle pain caused by a back problem. Rhineland-Palatinate state's top administrative court said Friday it has issued an injunction lifting the burkini ban pending fuller consideration of the case. It found the rules violated the German constitution's call for people to be treated equally. Berlin (AFP) - German state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn is to stop using glyphosate on its tracks and is looking for substitutes to replace the controversial weedkiller, one of its board members said in an interview Friday. "We want to set up a research project to find effective ways to operate our 33,000 kilometres (20,500 miles) of network without glyphosate to be environmentally friendly," infrastructure chief Ronald Pofalla told the weekly business magazine WirtschaftsWoche. The rail operator is Germany's largest user of glyphosate and buys nearly 65 tonnes of the herbicide per year to stop weeds from propagating on its tracks. German Environmental Minister Svenja Schulze welcomed the initiative. "Glyphosate kills insects which is why we are going to ban it in Germany," she told WirtschaftsWoche. The World Health Organization classifies glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic". In December 2017, the European Union renewed the licence of glyphosate across Europe until 2022. Among the possible alternatives Deutsche Bahn is looking at to kill off the weeds are "hot water, electric shocks or UV lights", according to WirtschaftsWoche. One of the best-known glyphosate-based products is the weedkiller Roundup manufactured by Monsanto, the US company recently taken over by Germany's Bayer, and which has been at the centre of several health-related lawsuits. Last year, Deutsche Bahn transported a record 148 million people on its main lines in Germany while across Europe 2.6 billion passengers travelled on trains belonging to the red-and-white-liveried company. RICHMOND, Virginia -- Cybercrime may cost the global economy as much as $6 trillion annually by 2021, and the threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, a cybersecurity expert said on Friday at a conference focused on threats facing international business. Additonally, cyberattacks are so prevalent that they represent "... the greatest wealth transfer in history," said Scott Schober, CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems and author of "Hacked Again." Speaking at the 2019 Entrepreneurship Export Exchange conference at the University of Richmond, Schober said one of the biggest challenges facing cybersecurity experts is to build systems capable of responding to rapidly evolving cyberthreats. [MORE: Top 10 Countries for Technological Expertise, Ranked by Perception] The automobile industry, for example, is increasingly moving toward autonomous technology with driverless cars. Yet the longstanding production process can commit automobile manufacturers to a specific technology for years, Schober said. Not changing that process could present the prospect of autonomous vehicles being produced with obsolete safeguards. As hackers become increasingly sophisticated in their attacks, the challenge is to ensure that engineers and scientists are aware of potential new threats and to find ways to quickly update safeguards, Schober said. Among other cybersecurity issues cited at the conference: -- Companies and individuals need to stop considering cybersecurity on the macro level but rather at an individual one in order to produce a change in the culture. Simple actions such as creating better passwords or opting for two-layer authentication can significantly increase security against cyberthreats, Schober said. "Weak passwords are the cause of more than 80 percent of data breaches." -- Companies should establish better relationships with one another and understand what options there are for responding to cyberattacks. "Most of the response (to cyberattacks) is still private (not coming from the government)," Schober said, so companies need to regularly test their vulnerability. -- The distribution of false information is becoming increasingly sophisticated and should concern everyone. "Imagine the night before a company goes public a fake tape of the CEO (is distributed) saying something incriminating," said Donie O'Sullivan, a technology reporter for CNN. "By the time that gets debunked, just the uncertainty that that creates can drive the value of the company down." Sintia Radu covers international affairs and technology for U.S. News & World Report. You can follow her on Twitter @sintiaradu and send her suggestions and ideas at sradu@usnews.com. Guatemala City (AFP) - Wearied by corruption and violence, Guatemalans head to the polls on Sunday reeling from a campaign that saw two leading presidential candidates barred from running and a top electoral official forced to flee the country. Gang violence, poverty and the US-bound migrant caravans they cause have dominated campaigning in Central America's most populous country, with a crowded field of 19 candidates vying to succeed Jimmy Morales as president. Opinion polls make former First Lady Sandra Torres the favorite with 22.6 percent of the vote, well ahead of her closest rival, right-winger Alejandro Giammattei, with just over 11 percent. Neither is seen as having enough support to get the 50 percent of the vote required to avoid a runoff on August 11. The campaign has been mired in controversy since corruption-busting ex-attorney general Thelma Aldana was barred from running last month over allegations of irregularities dating from when she was public prosecutor. Her cleanup campaign in tandem with the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) put former presidents, ministers and business moguls in jail. - 'Hindrance' - Aldana -- who fled to the United States after receiving death threats -- said her exclusion was orchestrated by those she put in prison and their allies, who saw her as a "hindrance" to their illicit interests. "I was the only one at that moment with real possibilities to compete with the old politics, I was the nuisance at that moment," she told AFP by phone from an undisclosed location. Also barred was Zury Rios, daughter of late dictator Efrain Rios Montt, because of constitutional rules that prevent direct relatives of coup-participants from running for office. As the campaign limped to the finish line this week, the government announced that Oscar Schaad, the electoral court's top prosecutor, had been forced to flee the country, citing threats to him and his family. Story continues Torres, 63, running for the center-left National Unity of Hope party, is the ex-wife of late president Alvaro Colom, in power from 2008-2012. She has pledged health and education reforms and jobs to stem the flow of migration to the US. She has vowed to oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. Giammattei, 63, has vowed to bring back the death penalty to help crush violent gangs, fight poverty to stop migration and end "disgusting" corruption. - Morales in the spotlight - Morales, a former TV comedian who won power in 2015 -- beating Torres in the run-off -- is obliged to step down under Guatemala's one-term rules. But he wraps up his four-year term facing a corruption investigation over dodgy campaign finances, with his popularity rating through the floor. His predecessor Otto Perez is in jail, forced to step down months before the end of his mandate amid massive protests over corruption allegations. The Alliance for Reforms, which groups 40 Guatemalan civil society organizations, said barring Aldana "is a clear reprisal for the investigations that the ex-prosecutor made into the president, his family and members of his political party for acts of corruption." Guatemalan prosecutors have gamely fought corruption via the CICIG since 2007, but fell afoul of the once-supportive Morales last year when he and his family came under investigation. Morales has cut short its mandate, forcing it to close in September, and none of the other leading candidates have advocated to keep it open. "The thirst for revenge they have for the work I did as attorney general is evident," Aldana told AFP. "I did research work especially for the CICIG against powerful criminal structures in Guatemala at all levels, and what is happening now is that these structures want revenge." She has put her weight behind indigenous candidate Thelma Cabrera, who told AFP the country needs urgent reforms to change what she calls "a rotten state." Some polls place Roberto Arzu, son of the late former president Alvaro Arzu (1996-2000), in third place. Tough-talking Arzu warned criminal gangs at a recent election rally of the consequences if he wins. "I'm going to go and look for each one of those extortionists, gang members, drug dealers in the streets, I'm going to look for them under every last stone and when I find them, I'll give them an opportunity: either they surrender or they die right there." - Poverty and migration - The electorate of eight million is also voting in congressional and municipal elections on Sunday. Torres' UNE party is expected to poll strongly but fall short of a majority in the deeply fractured congress. Poverty is seen as the biggest driver of Guatemalan migration north to the US, which is pressuring the government to do more to quell it. Nearly 60 percent of the 17 million-plus population live in poverty, despite expected growth of 3.4 percent this year, according to the finance ministry. Many subsist on migrant remittances, which topped a record $9.3 billion last year. Official figures estimate that 1.5 million Guatemalans live in the United States, of which only around 400,000 are legal residents. According to Guatemalan migrant protection officials, 94,482 people were deported by Mexico and the US in 2018, most of them from indigenous communities in the country's poor west. The Americana rapper teased on Beats 1 Radio that his upcoming album, "Delusions of Grandeur," will be out in "less than two weeks." During his interview with Ebro Darden, Gucci Mane also described "Backwards" as "one of the most organic records you can ever make." The single features Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill, with whom Mane connected on a higher level. "We really connect because we done went through some of the same things and we're still here to talk about it," he explained. On "Backwards," the pair evoke their success despite several run-ins with the law. "They stop me at the border, I had too many felonies/I'm splashin' I ain't even drippin' (Splashin')/Laughin', I ain't even trippin'(Ha,Ha)," Mane spits in his verse. "Backwards" marks Gucci Mane's second single off his upcoming album "Delusions of Grandeur." It follows the previously issued "Love Thru the Computer" with Justin Bieber. "It's going to surprise a lot of people, man, because it is a crazy album. And this new song right here, it's the hardest song of the summer. No doubt," he told Darden. In the meantime, discover "Backwards": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egXYQsJZVUU Aba (China) (AFP) - Born to a wild father and captive mother, nearly one-year-old twin pandas roll on the grass in a conservation base in southwest China, marking an important achievement in the preservation of the country's beloved animal. Pandas are listed as a vulnerable species, but conservation efforts have helped reduce their danger of extinction. The pair, named Hehe (meaning Harmony, pronounced Huh-huh) and Meimei (Happiness, pronounced May-may), were taken out of a dormitory on a bright sunny day this week to gulp milk and munch bamboo in front of some 100 visitors. After eating, the cubs tumbled on the grass and played on a swing before they were returned to their cool dormitory for a noon nap. The birth of Hehe and his younger sister Meimei, on July 25 last year in the Hetaoping panda base , was a success in China's attempt to introduce genes of wild pandas into the captive population. The achievement was recognised by Guinness World Records on Wednesday. The twins now live in the Shenshuping panda base in Sichuan province, with 70 other pandas. There is a 50 percent chance for panda parents to produce twins, but making Hehe and Meimei was "very tough", said Liu Xiaoqiang, head of the Hetaoping panda base animal management department. It took their mother more than a month to mate with a wild male after she was taken to a wild panda habitat. There was no human interference during the mating process. "The genetic diversity of the captive population is still quite limited, so we need to introduce some fresh blood from the wild," Liu told AFP. The birth of the twins is "a big step forward" in enriching genetic diversity and the success will allow researchers to make similar attempts in the future, Liu added. Hehe weighs a robust 20.2 kilogrammes, and Meimei a healthy 17.6 kilos. Giant pandas typically reach 100 kilogrammes when they are mature, said Li Feng, head of Shenshuping's panda kindergarten management department. Story continues Li has been taking care of pandas for almost 15 years and has raised more than 100 cubs. She knows the names of all the pandas in the conservation centre by heart, and can easily distinguish between Hehe and Meimei: the bigger brother has an irregular swirl on his pink nose, while the sister has a round face. Hehe is a notorious troublemaker, famous for eating extraordinarily fast and stealing everyone else's food -- except his sister's. Meimei, on the other hand, is very quiet and loves to follow her handlers around. "I hope they can... grow up strongly, healthily and happily," Li Feng said, "so when they mature, they can bring more babies to our panda family." From Cuba to Japan, nuisance robocalls are a reality the world over, costing telecommunications firms between $30 billion to $40 billion annually. But one country stands out. About 75% of robocalls originate in the United States, says Jim Tyrell, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Transaction Network Services, a Reston, Va., telecoms networking security firm. And, he adds, with U.S.-based scammers focusing most of their efforts on the home market, the most lucrative in the world, the scam is falling mostly on Americans. Last year, Americans were hit with 48 billion robocalls. Despite new measures by the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on the practice, Americans are on pace to get nearly 60 billion calls this year, or 5 billion each month, Tyrell says, dwarfing any other country. Telco fraudsters arent just bugging Americans with too-good-to-be-true deals and outright swindles. Theyre increasingly exporting their robo-trade abroad. The American pastime of robocalls at lunch and dinner is beginning to become a way of life everywhere. (As an owner of two mobile phones one with a U.S. number, the other with an Italian number the difference in robocall volume, by country, is not even close. The American number gets unsolicited calls daily. Unwanted calls to the Italian mobile are a weekly hassle.) There are a number of quirks for why the U.S. market makes such an ideal place to set up a robocall-spamming operation, according to Jason Lane-Sellers, Director of Solutions Consulting at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Firstly, the U.S. has a vast (and growing) VOIP voice over Internet protocol infrastructure, a technology thats cost-effective for making cheap calls in bulk. Secondly, much of the U.S. cellular market is governed by the receiver party pays (RPP) regime. In most other countries, including Europe, its the opposite its calling party pays. If youre a scammer, where would you want to set up shop? Answer: an RPP country, where the stiff on the other end of the line (or, the stiffs telco provider) pays for the placed call. Story continues The robocalls problem goes well beyond interrupted dinners. TNS publishes an annual robocall fraud report for the telecoms trade group, GSMA, each year. Among the new tricks theyre seeing: neighbor spoofing in which fraudsters masquerade their call number to look like a legit caller from nearby. And, according to TNS, one in 4,000 mobile numbers are hijacked and spoofed monthly by robocall scammers. As a result, 20% of these spoofing victims have been forced to disconnect their phone. And, the Federal Trade Commission estimates phone-based fraud costs $9.5 billion annually. The worlds telecoms companies are anxiously watching what emerges from the FCC-mandated rules for major carriers to instate the caller-ID authentication system known as SHAKEN/STIR. Under this system, incoming calls would be clearly identified. Not only that, the new rules allow carriers to block suspected nuisance robocalls. SHAKEN/STIR would be the most aggressive move ever by a national regulator to crack down on robocall scammers. But it could also be the move that forces U.S.-based robocall kingpins offshore. Or, it could give rise to non-U.S. scammers entering the playing field, analysts say. (Just recently, the FCC issued a warning to consumers to be wary of the so-called one ring robocall scams that appear to originate overseas, often in Africa.) The global impact of SHAKEN/STIR will be interesting to see. Cracking down on robocalling has always been a game of whack-a-mole, he says, adding that such a tough new regime could be disruptive to scammers in the long-run. But in the short-term it will likely send the scammers underground. SHAKEN/STIR could have real teeth the world over if international cooperation agreements emerge between countries. Theres a lot of speculation that Canada, which has its own version of SHAKEN/STIR in the works, would join the U.S. for binding rules that protect consumers in both countries against robocall scams. But before any multinational agreement happens, countries will want to see if SHAKEN/STIR actually works as intended, a Swiss analyst who works with the International Telecommunications Union told Fortune. If its effective in the U.S., then it could become a possible international solution, he says. Until then, this distinctly American problem will require an American solution. More must-read stories from Fortune: Does the SECs ICO lawsuit against Kik go too far? How cord-cutting is driving big changes across the media landscape Andreessen Horowitzs Scott Kupor demystifies the VC funding process To break up Facebook, heres where the government might start Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! This article is for investors who would like to improve their understanding of price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). We'll show how you can use Magna International Inc.'s (TSE:MG) P/E ratio to inform your assessment of the investment opportunity. Looking at earnings over the last twelve months, Magna International has a P/E ratio of 5.7. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 18%. See our latest analysis for Magna International How Do I Calculate Magna International's Price To Earnings Ratio? The formula for price to earnings is: Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share (in the reporting currency) Earnings per Share (EPS) Or for Magna International: P/E of 5.7 = $46.36 (Note: this is the share price in the reporting currency, namely, USD ) $8.13 (Based on the year to March 2019.) Is A High P/E Ratio Good? The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. That isn't a good or a bad thing on its own, but a high P/E means that buyers have a higher opinion of the business's prospects, relative to stocks with a lower P/E. How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios P/E ratios primarily reflect market expectations around earnings growth rates. If earnings are growing quickly, then the 'E' in the equation will increase faster than it would otherwise. That means unless the share price increases, the P/E will reduce in a few years. And as that P/E ratio drops, the company will look cheap, unless its share price increases. Magna International increased earnings per share by a whopping 31% last year. And its annual EPS growth rate over 5 years is 18%. I'd therefore be a little surprised if its P/E ratio was not relatively high. Does Magna International Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry? One good way to get a quick read on what market participants expect of a company is to look at its P/E ratio. We can see in the image below that the average P/E (14.5) for companies in the auto components industry is higher than Magna International's P/E. Story continues TSX:MG Price Estimation Relative to Market, June 14th 2019 Magna International's P/E tells us that market participants think it will not fare as well as its peers in the same industry. While current expectations are low, the stock could be undervalued if the situation is better than the market assumes. It is arguably worth checking if insiders are buying shares, because that might imply they believe the stock is undervalued. A Limitation: P/E Ratios Ignore Debt and Cash In The Bank It's important to note that the P/E ratio considers the market capitalization, not the enterprise value. So it won't reflect the advantage of cash, or disadvantage of debt. Hypothetically, a company could reduce its future P/E ratio by spending its cash (or taking on debt) to achieve higher earnings. While growth expenditure doesn't always pay off, the point is that it is a good option to have; but one that the P/E ratio ignores. Magna International's Balance Sheet Net debt totals 17% of Magna International's market cap. This could bring some additional risk, and reduce the number of investment options for management; worth remembering if you compare its P/E to businesses without debt. The Bottom Line On Magna International's P/E Ratio Magna International has a P/E of 5.7. That's below the average in the CA market, which is 15. The EPS growth last year was strong, and debt levels are quite reasonable. If the company can continue to grow earnings, then the current P/E may be unjustifiably low. Investors should be looking to buy stocks that the market is wrong about. If it is underestimating a company, investors can make money by buying and holding the shares until the market corrects itself. So this free visualization of the analyst consensus on future earnings could help you make the right decision about whether to buy, sell, or hold. Of course you might be able to find a better stock than Magna International. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly. 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. Margaret Hunter in August 2018. Photo: Denis Poroy/AP/Shutterstock/Denis Poroy/AP/Shutterstock In August 2018, Republican congressman Duncan Hunter and his wife Margaret Hunter were indicted for illegally using $250,000 in campaign money and attempting to cover the trail by falsifying campaign finance reports. From 2009 to 2016, the couple used $250,000 in campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, including a $10,000 trip to Italy and plane tickets for their pet rabbit, Eggburt. Initially, both Hunters pleaded not guilty to the 60-count indictment. Upon the announcement of the indictment, Duncan Hunter, who represents a solidly conservative district in southern California, called the action a witch hunt and claimed prosecutors were biased for attending a private fundraiser for the Clinton campaign in 2015. But when they were first charged, Representative Hunter also kind of blamed his wife: She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did, thatll be looked at too, Im sure, he told Fox News. But I didnt do it. I didnt spend any money illegally. Not according to his wife. On Thursday, Margaret Hunter changed her plea to guilty, admitting that they had illegally used the funds for personal gain. In court, Hunter stated that she and her husband used the money as their personal bank account, and through her lawyers, stated that she has accepted full responsibility for my conduct by pleading guilty to a single count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Her sentencing will be on September 16, and she faces a max of five years in prison; as part of her plea deal, she is required to help in the investigation into her husband. Duncan Hunters lawyer, Gregory Vega, said that his clients wifes guilty plea doesnt change anything in his case. In recent hearings, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the pair arrived separately and did not sit together, though they remain married. When the indictments were handed down in August 2018, Hunter was stripped of all his committee seats, although he was reelected in November after running Islamophobic ads against his opponent. Aside from the allegations of corruption, he is also known as the vaping congressman, for dragging on a pen during a 2016 Transportation Committee hearing. The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States' flag has been part of American life for generations, but not without some constitutional controversy. The pledge has existed in some form since September 1892 when it appeared in a magazine article that commemorated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbuss arrival in the New World. Francis Bellamy, an ordained minister, created a pledge that would be taken on Columbus Day by millions of school children. His version did not mention the words under God: I pledge allegiance to my flag and the Republic for which it standsone Nation indivisiblewith liberty and justice for all. Bellamy added an extra word, to, before the Republic, but other school officials modified the pledge over the years. Two historical groups added to the flag of the United States of America. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a Flag Code law passed by Congress that established rules for the display and care of the flag and included the Pledge. The Supreme Court then took the unusual step of ruling against the Jehovahs Witnesses in a legal fight against the Pledge and reversing its own ruling within three years. First in 1940 in the case of Minersville School District v. Gobitis, the Court held that a public school could force students who were Jehovahs Witnesses to salute the flag and say the Pledge. Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote in the majority opinion that conscientious scruples have not, in the course of the long struggle for religious toleration, relieved the individual from obedience to a general law not aimed at the promotion or restriction of religious beliefs. However, in 1943, the Court changed its course in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, where the majority reversed the Gobitis decision and held that the Free Speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits public schools from forcing students to salute the American flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Story continues If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us, said Justice Robert Jackson in his opinion. Justice Frankfurter wrote in his dissent that, The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. Later in the decade, some people added the words under God to the Pledge and in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill passed by Congress that put the words under God within the phrase one nation indivisible. Over the following decades, there have been legal challenges concerning the use of those two words in the Pledge. Most notably, in 2004 the Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by an atheist who said a California schools pledge requirement violated his daughters rights under the First Amendments Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. In Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow , the Supreme Court did not end up ruling on the legality of the words under God in relation to the First Amendment. Instead, Justice John Paul Stevens said Newdow didnt have standing to bring suit because he lacked sufficient custody over his daughter. But Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Sandra Day OConnor and Clarence Thomas wrote separate concurrences, stating that requiring teachers to lead the Pledge, despite the inclusion of the phrase, under God, was constitutional. A similar challenge to the Pledge was denied by two federal appeals courts in 2010, which ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the Establishment Clause because Congress ostensible and predominant purpose was to inspire patriotism and both the choice to engage in the recitation of the Pledge and the choice not to do so are entirely voluntary. Two recent legal challenges also targeted state constitutions, and not the U.S. Constitution, for guidance about using the words under God. In 2014, the Massachusetts case Jane Doe v. Acton-Boxborough Regional School District involved a group of parents, teachers and the American Humanist Association in an action against a school district. The group claimed the Pledge requirement, including the use of the words under God, violated the equal protection clause of the states constitution. The state Supreme Court didnt agree. Also in 2014, a New Jersey family and the American Humanist Association filed a similar lawsuit against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District, seeking to eliminate the use of the words under God from Pledges taken at public schools. The school district said that it was just following a New Jersey state law that requires schools to have a daily recitation of the Pledge, and that individual students werent forced to take part. In February 2015, a judge ruled in favor of the school district. Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Agile Group Holdings Limited (HKG:3383), which is in the real estate business, and is based in China, saw significant share price movement during recent months on the SEHK, rising to highs of HK$13.3 and falling to the lows of HK$9.36. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Agile Group Holdings's current trading price of HK$10.04 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Agile Group Holdingss outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change. See our latest analysis for Agile Group Holdings Is Agile Group Holdings still cheap? The stock seems fairly valued at the moment according to my relative valuation model. Ive used the price-to-earnings ratio in this instance because theres not enough visibility to forecast its cash flows. The stocks ratio of 4.84x is currently trading slightly below its industry peers ratio of 6.26x, which means if you buy Agile Group Holdings today, youd be paying a reasonable price for it. And if you believe Agile Group Holdings should be trading in this range, then there isnt much room for the share price grow beyond where its currently trading. Although, there may be an opportunity to buy in the future. This is because Agile Group Holdingss beta (a measure of share price volatility) is high, meaning its price movements will be exaggerated relative to the rest of the market. If the market is bearish, the companys shares will likely fall by more than the rest of the market, providing a prime buying opportunity. What does the future of Agile Group Holdings look like? SEHK:3383 Past and Future Earnings, June 13th 2019 Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by 59% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Agile Group Holdings. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation. Story continues What this means for you: Are you a shareholder? 3383s optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at 3383? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the true value? Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on 3383, now may not be the most advantageous time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for 3383, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop. Price is just the tip of the iceberg. Dig deeper into what truly matters the fundamentals before you make a decision on Agile Group Holdings. You can find everything you need to know about Agile Group Holdings in the latest infographic research report. If you are no longer interested in Agile Group Holdings, you can use our free platform to see my list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential. 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. GOERLITZ, Germany (Reuters) - With its cobbled medieval streets and beautiful art nouveau architecture, the town of Goerlitz looks like the film set it has frequently been, drawing directors from Wes Anderson to Eli Roth. Now, Hollywood has turned its eyes on this part of Saxony on the Polish border for another reason: a run-off election on Sunday could see it give the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party its first lord mayorship. Worried that the city's reputation could be irreversibly tarnished, producer Michael Simon de Normier, who filmed 2008's The Reader there, wrote an open letter to Goerlitzers warning them of the risk. "Don't give in to hate and xenophobia," he wrote in the letter, which was also signed by Stephen Daldry, the film's director, "Game of Thrones" actor Tom Wlaschiha and "Inglorious Basterds" actress Jana Pallaske among others. Standing in the way of the AfD's candidate, former policeman Sebastian Wippel, is Christian Democrat (CDU) Octavian Ursu, a musician who immigrated from Romania in 1990 to play trumpet in the local theatre. The 36% of the vote which Wippel won in the first round mirrors the AfD's vote share wins across much of the former East Germany, where billions of euros of investment have failed to reverse population decline and persistently high unemployment. "It's not just about AfD or CDU," said Ursu. "Do we want an open society in this city? Or do we want to cut ourselves off," he asked. Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party has held power in the town for almost three decades, however, and many citizens think that is enough. "Citizens have got to the point where they say: no, we need a change," said Hajo, a Goerlitzer who refused to give his full name, contrasting Wippel's administrative experience with Ursu's background as a musician. Ursu was six percentage points behind Wippel in the first round - but with the often reluctant backing of people who earlier supported more left-wing candidates, he might overturn the AfD lead. Story continues "Plague or cholera," was how Rosemarie Trankel, another Goerlitzer, described the choice she was due to make. Goerlitz's beauty may have brought Hollywood to the city - Ralph Fiennes and Jude Law lived there for months filming "The Grand Budapest Hotel", but stars' interventions are misguided, Wippel said. "If anybody is harming Goerlitz's reputation, it's the ones who have encouraged Hollywood to speak out so disrespectfully," he wrote on his website, but added any visiting stars would be welcome to drop by his office for coffee after the elections. (Reporting by Reuters TV, writing by Thomas Escritt) As Hong Kong braces for another round of protests and street clashes on Friday, there were signs among the city's political leaders that the proposed extradition bill that has triggered strong opposition might be delayed, if not watered down. After five days of protests, a brief calm set in on Friday, with major thoroughfares reopening. Another round of protests was planned later in the day, however, building to another major demonstration on Sunday organized by Civil Human Rights Front. The controversial bill would allow fugitives in Hong Kong be extradited to mainland China, raising concern among critics that it would be used to undermine the city's civil liberties by making political activists and human rights activists subject to removal. Supporters argued that the law was designed merely to keep Hong Kong from being a safe haven for criminals. The former British colony of 7.5 millionwas formally transferred to in 1997 under an agreement guaranteeing its economic and political system for 50 years. As the protests of unfolded this week, organizers said more than a million people had taken to the streets since demonstrators erupted on Sunday. On Wednesday, protesters surrounded the Legislative Council building, blocking lawmakers from meeting as scheduled to move the legislation toward a vote next week. More: If Hong Kong extradition bill passes, what will happen? In addition to opposition to the extradition bill, demonstrators added their outrage over police tactics during the protests. In this Sunday, June 9, 2019, file photo, a protester holds up a yellow umbrella as he and others march in a rally against the proposed amendments to extradition law in Hong Kong. Several groups circulated online petitions signed by tens of thousands of people objecting to use of rubber bullets, tear gas and other tactics during protests that left about 80 people injured. Police arrested 11 protesters for illegal assembly, disorderly conduct, and other charges during the demonstrations, Hong Kong Police Commissioner Stephen Lo told reporters on Thursday. He said 22 officers were injured in the melee as protesters hurled bricks and planks at police. Story continues Hundreds Hong Kong mothers, some holding signs with such messages as "Don't Shoot Our Kids," turned out Friday to protest the police reaction to demonstrators. Amnesty International Hong Kong director Man-Kei Tam said the "ugly scenes" against "overwhelmingly peaceful protesters" was a "violation of international law." "This excessive response from police is fueling tensions and is likely to contribute to worsening violence, rather than end it," Tam said in a statement. Amid the mounting street pressure, some Hong Kong politicians appeared to be looking for ways to delay, if not scrap, the bill. A group of former senior government officials issued a joint letter Friday urging Chief Executive Carrie Lam not to force a confrontation by pushing ahead with the unpopular legislation. Some members of Lams Cabinet -- the Executive Council -- also have suggested she might want to reconsider the bills passage. Willy Lam, an expert on Chinese politics at Chinese University of Hong Kong said Friday that Beijing-appointed Chief Executive Carrie Lam may have to compromise, the Associated Press reported.. Willy Lam said the pressure to amend the plan or step down comes from many sectors, including business leaders. In addition, former Hong Kong Chief Secretary Anson Chan said the Hong Kong government should drop the bill outright. Chan said in an interview Friday that Sunday's protest by hundreds of thousands of people showed the Hong Kong spirit at its best, the AP reported. Chan, who served as head of the civil service under the former British colonial administration and the Chinese-installed leadership that succeeded it in 1997, said passage of the proposed legislation placed everybodys individual freedom and safety at risk. He said Carrie Lam appeared to have underestimated the degree of public dissatisfaction with the proposed legislation, which many see as part of a push to draw the city closer to Beijing. So far, the Chinese leadership in Beijing has keep largely at arm's length over the bill, at least publicly. "Handing over of these fugitives has certainly helped Hong Kong curb cross-boundary crimes and maintain its reputation as one of the safest cities in the world," said an editorial in China Daily, the Chinese communist Party's English-language newspaper. "It is lawlessness that will hurt Hong Kong, not the proposed amendments to its fugitive law," the editorial said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, however, accused western politicians Friday of blatantly encouraging Hong Kong activists who have led the huge protests. He added that all Chinese including the citizens of Hong Kong will surely oppose any attempts to create chaos in Hong Kong and undermine the citys prosperity and stability. Contributing: Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hong Kong braces for more protests as political pressure builds to delay or scrap extradition bill Top executives in Hong Kong have warned they will have "no reason to stay" if the city's freedoms are damaged by a proposed bill allowing extradition to mainland China. In a trend that could be damning for the international finance hub, some businesses say they would consider moving if the controversial bill -- which has provoked a huge backlash in the city -- is passed. "Hong Kong is a jewel," the French boss of an investment company told AFP on the condition of anonymity, "where we do not fear being bothered by police." But that could be about to change, with the proposed extradition law applying not only to Hong Kong citizens but also to foreigners living in the semi-autonomous territory -- or even people in transit at the international airport. Hong Kong's "real strength comes from the application of the law, from the rule of law. You do not go to prison for no reason. No one will close your business without reason and without you being able to defend yourself in court," added the investment boss. The territory, which operates under a "one country, two systems" model where Hong Kong keeps freedom of speech and assembly rights unseen on the mainland, flourished at the end of the 20th century as a global financial centre and a gateway to its giant neighbour -- now the second largest economy in the world. But an increasingly assertive Beijing is extending ever more control over the city, chipping away at its semi-autonomous status. Protests over the controversial bill led this week to the worst political violence since before the former British colony's handover to China in 1997. - Pandora's Box - With its sky-high rents and tiny living spaces Hong Kong has long been under pressure from its regional rival Singapore for the title of Asia's business capital. But "the credibility of Hong Kong is now on the line," Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce Tara Joseph told CNBC, especially given the acrimonious trade war with Beijing. Story continues Outside the city, there has been disquiet over the bill. Washington has warned the law could "damage Hong Kong's business environment and subject our citizens residing in or visiting Hong Kong to China's capricious judicial system". The European Union also expressed concerns the law could have "potentially far reaching consequences for Hong Kong and its people, for EU and foreign citizens, as well as for business confidence in Hong Kong." Opponents of the law fear opaque justice and heavily politicised courts on the mainland. Many have in mind Chinas detention of two Canadians in the wake of the arrest in Vancouver of a top official from the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. In Hong Kong the disappearance of booksellers who published salacious books on China's leaders, and who later turned up in Chinese custody, has also not been forgotten. "I came to live in Hong Kong because I didnt want to live in China," a foreign architect told AFP. "If Hong Kong becomes just a Chinese city like any other, Ill have no reason to stay." "Its a matter of principle," said the architect. The possibility "to extradite with no safeguards for a fair trial will open a Pandoras box." - 'Prefer Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo' - "At that point Hong Kong is just really a part of China," an American partner at an asset management company told AFP. "People might still be fine to come for three years, five years, but are you going to really put down roots here if you have real or implied political risk? I think probably not," she added. According to the authorities, the law aims to fill a legal loophole and stop the city becoming a refuge for criminals. Faced with pushback from business interests, including from pro-Beijing lawmakers who fear the impact of the law on the city's appeal, the Hong Kong government introduced a series of safeguards and removed a series of economic crimes from the original list of extraditable offences. But it was not enough to quell fears. Bankers and accountants are afraid of being sued for complicity in fraud committed by their clients in a country where "penalties for financial fraud are severe", Victor CK Wai, a banker and retired accountant, told the South China Morning Post. According to the French businessman, the law will particularly ring alarm bells for big multinationals -- especially US companies -- andcompanies working in sensitive fields like armaments or IT. "We can imagine that they will rather want to not be based in Hong Kong to avoid harassment" and they will prefer Seoul, Singapore or Tokyo, he said. A pro-democracy legislator reacts to riot police officers as he walks toward the Government House following a day of violence over the extradition bill - REUTERS Hong Kong demonstrators are calling on the UK to voice stronger opposition against the controversial extradition that triggered mass protests and rare scenes of violence. On the day after hundreds of thousands took to the streets to block parliament from debating the proposed laws, some protesters turned their ire to their former colonial rulers. Is Britain going to honour its promise to the Hong Kong people that our way of life will not be threatened after they handed us over to the Chinese? Jessica Yeung, 50, a university professor on a hunger strike by the citys main government building, told The Telegraph. Britain told us to trust them, so we trusted them, she said, as rows of riot police watched a few metres away. But the UK has let us down terribly. Protesters surrounded the Hong Kong parliament on Wednesday demanding city leaders scrap a plan to send individuals to face trial in mainland Chinas murky legal system, where the ruling Communist Party controls the courts. Its the latest in a string of developments they worry are fast eroding liberties. Hong Kong has long had a complicated relationship with the UK. Life under British rule for the Chinese could be harsh for some, but many have long attributed a robust capitalist system and strong rule of law to the British. Under the 1997 Sino-British Joint Declaration, the one country, two systems principle guaranteed the Communist system of China would not be practiced in Hong Kong, where things were meant to remain the same for at least 50 years. The sticky notes recreate the democracy wall that started during the 2014 protests Credit: Sophia Yan But 22 years in, many say those rights are being infringed on by Beijing, and that the UK must take responsibility in holding China to account. Some protesters waved the Union Jack flag in an act of defiance during Wednesday's protests. Definitely, we feel betrayed, Phoebe Ng, 21, a university student, who had also participated in mass protests five years ago, told The Telegraph. They [Britain] can do more, because it is important for the economy and freedoms, said Wing Chan, 21, a university student. Story continues I dont think it is good for the UKs interests if the Chinese government completely controls the government of Hong Kong. Ms Chan was among pockets of protesters that hung around on Thursday as sheets of rain and grey clouds cast a pall over the city, holding an umbrella that she prepared to use as a shield not against the rain, but the police. The mood was sombre at the main protest site the citys government offices overlooking a stormy Victoria Harbour. Just a few hours earlier the police used tear gas, rubber bullets, bean bag rounds and batons to disperse the crowds the night before. Some helped to clear rubbish while traffic resumed on main thoroughfares. The UK has repeatedly urged China to uphold the 1997 bilateral treaty. On Wednesday, Theresa May sent again the same message, saying the UK was concerned and that it is vital that those extradition agreements in Hong Kong are in line with the rights and freedoms that were set down in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. But some experts say a more robust response is now needed, particularly at a time when Xi Jinping, the leader of Chinas Communist Party, has taken a strongman approach. The honourable thing to do is for the UK to say directly that this is a breach of the Joint Declaration, Margaret Ng, a Hong Kong barrister and former lawmaker, told The Telegraph. In 1842, China signed over Hong Kong to the British Empire after being defeated in war. Over the next few years, the colony expanded as the British won more battles against Beijing, even gaining a 99-year-lease of an area called the New Territories. As that lease drew to a close, then-Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping made clear that the whole of Hong Kong should be returned to Beijing kicking off years of talks, culminating in the bilateral treaty. Since then, Hong Kong residents have periodically taken to the streets to demand their rights remain. In 2014, the Umbrella pro-democracy protests lasted 79 days. In 2017, the 20th anniversary of the handover, Chinese authorities said the bilateral agreement, as a historical document, no longer has any practical significance. Since then Beijing has pressured Hong Kong authorities to squash dissent by expelling elected officials, jailing activists and even outlawing political parties. Workers clear trash outside the Legislative Council building a day after violent clashes over a proposed extradition bill in Hong Kong, China Credit: Justin Chin/Bloomberg Now MPs and experts alike have warned the UK must recalibrate its approach toward China, taking stock of other concerns over economic ties. We must recognise that there are hard limits to what cooperation can achieve; that the values and interests of the Chinese Communist Party, and therefore the Chinese state, are often very different from those of the United Kingdom, said MP Tom Tugendhat, head of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, in April. As the Conservative Party gears up to choose the next prime minister, it is becoming apparent that a different kind of leadership is required, one that puts Britains principles and values back in the centre of the relationship with China, wrote John Hemmings, deputy director of research at the Henry Jackson Society, a British think tank. The UK has, for too long, prioritised trade in the relationship. For London, dealing with China over Hong Kong has meant balancing a delicate relationship; with Brexit, UK officials have expressed interest in inking a trade deal with Beijing. Hong Kongs legislature will shut for a third day today, and rounds of debate over the extradition bill that were previous scheduled for this week have been suspended indefinitely. But a vote could still be rushed as early as next Thursday. On Thursday protest leaders called for another city-wide strike to take place this Sunday; last Sunday's turnout was estimated at 1.03 million people, one of the largest public showing of dissent since the British handover. The Telegraph contacted the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong but they declined to comment. Huawei has revealed that the launch of the folding Mate X -- which was originally supposed to happen this month -- won't take place until September. On Friday, Huawei told CNBC that the company is delaying the launch of the Mate X, which was first unveiled in February, until September to extend product testing -- not because of its US blacklisting. After observing Samsung's Galaxy Fold debacle from the sidelines, a spokesperson admitted that, "We don't want to launch a product to destroy our reputation." Huawei is allegedly taking extra time to ensure that the device is fully functional no matter which mobile carrier it is running on. Because the Mate X was launched before the blacklisting, it will probably be the last device by the company to run Android unless allowed to work again with the US. A Huawei-branded operating system is currently in the works as backup and is slated to be rolled out in China this year; however, the company has reiterated several times that they would rather continue their collaboration with Google if possible. According to the spokesperson, Huawei intends to launch the device globally prioritizing markets that are rolling out 5G, as the Mate X is 5G compatible. When the phone is released in September, it will start at around 2,299 euros, or about $2,600. Tens of thousands of security personnel were on the streets of Jakarta Friday as a court heard a defeated presidential challenger's claim that Indonesia's 2019 election was rigged -- allegations that spawned deadly rioting last month. Ex-general Prabowo Subianto lodged an appeal seeking to overturn his loss to incumbent leader Joko Widodo on April 17 over claims it was the result of massive electoral fraud and vote-counting irregularities in the world's third-biggest democracy. Indonesia's election commission has said Widodo won 55.5 percent of votes against Subiantos 44.5 percent, but Subianto has insisted that he had won the poll. Election officials and analysts have discounted Subianto's rampant cheating claims. He lost a similar court battle in 2014 when Widodo defeated him. On Friday, Indonesia's constitutional court began hearing evidence. Subianto's legal team alleged Widodo mobilised the power of the state to win the vote and broke campaign finance rules in what it called a "systematic, structured and massive" electoral fraud. Another hearing is scheduled for next week. Subianto supporters held small protests outside the downtown courtroom Friday, some holding placards criticising the official result. But there were few signs of mass unrest as some 32,000 police and military were deployed to watch for "any potential for disruption that could interfere with the proceedings", said National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo. Last month, peaceful protests against the official result erupted into two nights of street battles between police and rioters in Jakarta, leaving eight people dead and hundreds injured in the capital's worst violence in years. Indonesian police have been under the spotlight after online videos surfaced that appeared to show officers beating some protesters. There are also questions about how the demonstrators -- including a 15-year-old high school student -- died. Story continues Police have insisted they did not shoot live rounds, but instead used rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas to push back the crowds. Some of the dead were reported to have had gunshot wounds. Meanwhile, several Subianto allies have recently been arrested, including former army general Kivlan Zen over his alleged links to the Jakarta riots. Police have also aired video from several arrested suspects who claimed that Zen masterminded a failed plot to kill four senior government officials, including its chief security minister and the president's top intelligence adviser. A total of six people -- arrested before they could carry out the killings -- planned to murder the officials and an election pollster in a bid to plunge the country into chaos, police have said. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Bishkek on Friday, agreeing to promote cooperation in various fields including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Bishkek, June 14, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua] The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. It has been their second meeting within two months, an evidence of the high level of bilateral relations, Xi said, noting that China-Belarus comprehensive strategic partnership, featuring mutual trust and win-win cooperation, has been developing in recent years. Xi called on the two sides to put more efforts in aligning the BRI with the economic and social development strategy of Belarus, and creating sound environment for the China-Belarus industrial park construction. Major projects should be well implemented, and people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning need to be expanded amid efforts to further advance the bilateral ties, he said. Lukashenko hailed the fruitful achievements of cooperation between the two countries, with mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests. Belarus admires the achievements made by the People's Republic of China since its founding 70 years ago, and supports the joint construction of the Belt and Road, Lukashenko said. Belarus is ready to enhance the cooperation with China in such fields as economy and trade, production capacity, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges, as well as the construction of the China-Belarus industrial park, he said, adding that Belarus is willing to coordinate with China within multilateral frameworks including the SCO. Is this the next governor of the great state of Arkansas? Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images When President Trump announced the departure of his press secretary via the usual formal channel of Twitter, he gave her a nice push toward a possible future endeavor: After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019 ....She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019 If it was any president other than Trump we were talking about, this heavy-handed hint might be treated as close to an official declaration of candidacy for Sanders. But with this guy, who really knows? At a White House event soon after that tweet, with Sanders nearby, Trump made it sound like he was lobbying her to run for governor: Before calling her forward to speak, Trump suggested Sanders political career is far from over. If we can get her to run for the governor of Arkansas, I think shell do very well. And Im trying to get her to do that, he said, again drawing applause. Sanders didnt comment, but has said she plans to return to Arkansas, where Trumps talk of her running for governor in 2022 (when incumbent Republican Asa Hutchison will be term-limited out of office) was accepted as plausible: In an interview, Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Michael John Gray said Sanders would likely be a top-tier candidate for her partys nomination if she runs. With her name recognition shed be right there in the mix, he said. I think shed be a force in the Republican primary. Sanders, of course, is the daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who was in office for a decade before running for president twice. Indeed, she was in high school when her dad moved into the governors mansion. Shes been involved in a variety of campaigns nationally and in Arkansas (including one of her fathers and those of both current U.S. senators from the state). Shed probably be a viable candidate back home even without her relationship with a president who won the state by 26 points in 2016. On the other hand, if Sanders does run for governor, she could face a brutal primary against two other well-known and popular Republicans who have been positioning themselves to make this race for years: Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Her father may not be of much help since he moved to Florida shortly after leaving the governorship. And as one highly regarded political operative married to another (Bryan Sanders), she could make a lot more money with less risk if she chose to stay in the background in future political contests. Shes probably had enough notoriety for two lifetimes already. The seagull attack took place in a Welsh car park (Photo by Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) The hunt is on for a man caught on CCTV kicking a gull to death in a horrific attack in South Wales. The footage shows the unknown man approaching the bird in a car park next to Tonypandy library in Rhondda Cynon Taf and kicking it several times. The gull died following the incident, which took place at around 3.40pm on May 1. RSPCA inspector Simon Evans said: This attack is just horrific. The CCTV footage shows this man deliberately kicking this gull, with the bird already appearing to be incapacitated and completely defenceless. There is absolutely no justification for this level of cruelty towards the bird which is protected, as all British birds are, by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Were appealing for any information to try and find out who this man is. He was wearing jeans and a red zip-up top, trainers and has dark hair and facial hair. The gulls body was recovered following the incident, with RSPCA inquiries ongoing. Read more on Yahoo News UK: Father handed death penalty for murders of five children The oldest person in Britain has died at the age of 112 Christchurch mosque attack: Suspect pleads not guilty to all charges Mr Evans added: If anyone saw this shocking incident or knows who did this, we urge them to contact our inspectorate appeal line urgently on 0300 123 8018. It is not the first time such an incident has been caught on film. A man was caught on video kicking a seagull on a British beach last year. And another beat a seagull to death after it pinched a chip from his plate while he ate on Weston-super-Mare seafront. And last September a US man was fined $124 after kicking a seagull which had eaten his cheeseburger. Nate Rancloes, a war veteran, said the incident was a simple mistake and he was just trying to shoo the bird away. It was a one in a million bad luck kick that couldnt be repeated, he said. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK--- Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! While some investors are already well versed in financial metrics (hat tip), this article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE) and why it is important. To keep the lesson grounded in practicality, we'll use ROE to better understand Bar Pacific Group Holdings Limited (HKG:8432). Over the last twelve months Bar Pacific Group Holdings has recorded a ROE of 10%. One way to conceptualize this, is that for each HK$1 of shareholders' equity it has, the company made HK$0.10 in profit. See our latest analysis for Bar Pacific Group Holdings How Do I Calculate Return On Equity? The formula for ROE is: Return on Equity = Net Profit Shareholders' Equity Or for Bar Pacific Group Holdings: 10% = HK$6.8m HK$77m (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2018.) Most readers would understand what net profit is, but its worth explaining the concept of shareholders equity. It is all the money paid into the company from shareholders, plus any earnings retained. The easiest way to calculate shareholders' equity is to subtract the company's total liabilities from the total assets. What Does Return On Equity Mean? ROE looks at the amount a company earns relative to the money it has kept within the business. The 'return' is the yearly profit. That means that the higher the ROE, the more profitable the company is. So, all else being equal, a high ROE is better than a low one. Clearly, then, one can use ROE to compare different companies. Does Bar Pacific Group Holdings Have A Good ROE? One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. As is clear from the image below, Bar Pacific Group Holdings has a better ROE than the average (8.1%) in the Hospitality industry. Story continues SEHK:8432 Past Revenue and Net Income, June 14th 2019 That's what I like to see. I usually take a closer look when a company has a better ROE than industry peers. One data point to check is if insiders have bought shares recently. How Does Debt Impact ROE? Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. The cash for investment can come from prior year profits (retained earnings), issuing new shares, or borrowing. In the first two cases, the ROE will capture this use of capital to grow. In the latter case, the debt required for growth will boost returns, but will not impact the shareholders' equity. Thus the use of debt can improve ROE, albeit along with extra risk in the case of stormy weather, metaphorically speaking. Combining Bar Pacific Group Holdings's Debt And Its 10% Return On Equity Although Bar Pacific Group Holdings does use a little debt, its debt to equity ratio of just 0.012 is very low. The combination of modest debt and a very respectable ROE suggests this is a business worth watching. Careful use of debt to boost returns is often very good for shareholders. However, it could reduce the company's ability to take advantage of future opportunities. The Key Takeaway Return on equity is one way we can compare the business quality of different companies. A company that can achieve a high return on equity without debt could be considered a high quality business. If two companies have around the same level of debt to equity, and one has a higher ROE, I'd generally prefer the one with higher ROE. But when a business is high quality, the market often bids it up to a price that reflects this. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth -- and how much investment is required going forward. You can see how the company has grow in the past by looking at this FREE detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow. If you would prefer 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. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's new civil aviation minister said on Friday he is confident that airline capacity shortage problems following the grounding of Jet Airways Ltd will be solved, in the government's first comments about the issue since it was re-elected last month. We are "very confident we can solve that problem," Hardeep Singh Puri said on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi. Massive debt and suffocating price competition forced what was once India's biggest private-sector airline to halt operations in April at the cost of thousands of jobs, and resulting in higher airfares across the industry. It has also resulted in capacity constraints across the industry. The airline and its lenders have been searching for new investors, while employee unions have been calling for government intervention. The government, however, has largely been quiet on the Jet issue since its election victory. Puri has assumed office at a time of distress in areas of Indian aviation. Last year, the government unsuccessfully sought a buyer for money-losing state-owned carrier Air India Ltd. "We have made mistakes in civil aviation in the past which we need to correct," Puri said. Jet's share price was 9% lower in early afternoon trade. The stock sunk in the last two trading sessions after India's largest stock exchange limited speculative trading in the firm. (This story corrects headline, first and second paragraphs to reflect that minister was addressing aircraft capacity issue and not Jet Airways issue.) (Reporting by Munsif V. and Aftab Ahmed in New Delhi; Writing by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Euan Rocha and Christopher Cushing) By Neha Dasgupta NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is preparing to impose higher tariffs on some U.S. goods including almonds, walnuts and apples next week after a delay of about a year, two sources said, following Washington's withdrawal of key trade privileges for New Delhi. From June 5, President Donald Trump scrapped trade privileges under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for India, the biggest beneficiary of a scheme that allowed duty-free exports of up to $5.6 billion from the country. India is now looking at adopting the higher tariffs, the sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, although the U.S. has warned that any retaliatory tariffs by India would not be "appropriate" under WTO rules. "What India is doing is legal and the tariffs on U.S. goods will only lead to an impact of around $220 million," one of the sources said, declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry did not respond to an email from Reuters to seek comments. India initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120% on a slew of U.S. items, incensed by Washington's refusal to exempt New Delhi from higher steel and aluminium tariffs. (https://reut.rs/2RfD9Rg) But New Delhi repeatedly delayed raising tariffs as the two nations engaged in trade talks. Trade between them stood at about $142.1 billion in 2018. India is by far the largest buyer of U.S. almonds, paying $543 million for more than half of U.S. almond exports in 2018, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. It is the second largest buyer of U.S. apples, taking $156 million worth in 2018. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to visit India this month, said this week the United States was open to dialogue to resolve trade differences with India, through greater access for American companies to its markets. Dates for Pompeo's visit have not been officially announced but media said it could be ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with Trump in more than two years, on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Japan, on June 28 and 29. Story continues Trump has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, even though the two countries have developed close political and security ties. New Delhi's new rules in areas such as e-commerce and data localisation have angered the United States and hit companies such as Amazon.com, Walmart Inc, Mastercard and Visa, among others. Previously, India has called the withdrawal of GSP benefits "unfortunate", and vowed to "always uphold its national interest in these matters". (Reporting by Neha Dasgupta; Editing by Nidhi Verma) NEW DELHI (AP) Indian police said they have arrested a Facebook friend of the suspected mastermind of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in Sri Lanka for spreading Islamic State group ideology on social media to recruit young people to participate in a terrorist attack in southern India. A criminal case was filed against Mohammed Azarudeen after authorities raided his home in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, according to the National Investigation Agency, which oversees counterterrorism efforts. Authorities conducted six other raids and took five other people in for questioning, it said in a statement Friday. It said Azarudeen was friends on Facebook with Zahran Hashim, the alleged leader of the suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter that killed more than 250 people. The statement said Azarudeen and other members of his group shared "radical contents" attributed to Hashim on a Facebook page. Hashim, who died along with six others after detonating bombs at three churches and three high-end hotels in Sri Lanka, was known for violent Islamic speeches in the Tamil language on social media that Muslim community leaders said they had flagged to authorities long before the attack. Indians from Tamil Nadu share cultural and linguistic ties with Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil community. Police were investigating suspected sympathizers of the Islamic State group in southern India when they stumbled onto the Easter plot. India shared intelligence about the people involved in the plan and some of the targets with officials in Sri Lanka at least three times before the April 21 attack. A Sri Lankan parliamentary committee is continuing a closed-door probe of the intelligence lapses, over objections by President Maithripala Sirisena that evidence from the investigation is too sensitive for public release. The Islamic State group took responsibility for the blasts and has since claimed involvement in several smaller attacks in South Asia, including a grenade attack on traffic police in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and a gunbattle with security forces in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Authorities said they are still determining the extent of the group's involvement. Since the Sri Lanka attacks, India's National Investigation Agency has begun, in an unprecedented manner, to publicize its crackdown on suspected Islamic State group supporters, including the May arrest of a 29-year-old man who they said was a follower of Hashim and was plotting a suicide bombing in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Former Indian military and intelligence officials say the Islamic State group does not appear to have much of a foothold in India, but that the diminished caliphate is far from defeated. NEW DELHI, June 14 (Reuters) - India's market regulator on Friday barred the founders of news television channel New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) from the country's capital markets for the next two years. The Securities and Exchange Board of India, which is looking into allegations of fraud over a multi-million-dollar loan secured by NDTV, also barred its founders, Prannoy and Radhika Roy, from holding any managerial position for the next two years. "The loan agreements were unmistakably structured as a scheme to defraud the investors," the SEBI said in its order. Federal authorities first launched an investigation into the founders of NDTV in 2017 and later brought a case against the couple -- seen as pioneers of private news channels in India -- in a move the company had said was an attempt to muzzle free speech. The same year India's federal investigating agency the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the couple's New Delhi home as well as two holiday houses, prompting protests by Indian journalists, who described the raid as an attack on the freedom of press. NDTV had called the raids a witch-hunt. NDTV officials were not available for comment on the latest developments. The CBI had said the investigation had no link to the editorial side of the NDTV, India's oldest English-language news channel. (Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; additional reporting by Abhirup Roy in MUMBAI) GARY, Ind. (AP) Police say an Indiana teenager was fatally shot while accompanying his father to sell an Xbox to an online buyer. Gary police Commander Jack Hamady says the 16-year-old Merrillville boy was in a car when he was shot Wednesday in Gary. The boy's father had arranged to sell the Xbox to someone who had connected with him online. The Post-Tribune says the Lake County coroner's office identified the victim as Johnny Peluyera. No arrests have been made. Gary police say online sellers and buyers should meet at a police station parking lot or a public place. ___ Information from: Post-Tribune, http://posttrib.chicagotribune.com/ (Yahoo Finance Canada) The death of the retail industry may have been greatly exaggerated but that doesn't mean the industry isn't currently going through major disruptive and fundamental changes. For this special series, Yahoo Finance Canada will look at how the retail scene is developing, what companies are doing to adapt, and what could come next. Click the image above to see our full coverage of what the future holds for the Canadian and global retail scene. In 2017, Mel Hwang found herself torn between two spots in two similar worlds her full time job as a client solutions manager at Facebook, and her personal blog and Instagram account that were gaining followers by the day. I just didnt have the time to do both to the best of my abilities, Hwang said in an interview with Yahoo Finance Canada. One of the two was always being sacrificed for the other. And I just came to the realization that while I loved my career in advertising, the community and the content I had been creating since I was a teenager wasnt something I was ready to abandon yet. And so Hwang also known as Mel Inspired, or @melhwang made the decision to ditch her job and dedicate herself full-time to her personal social media account. With her nearly 50,000 Instagram followers behind her, 19,000 more on YouTube, plus those clicking on her blog, Hwang has managed to turn herself into a social media influencer. And even though she doesnt have the following other so-called influencers have think Hailey Bieber or Gigi and Bella Hadid or any one of the Kardashian-Jenners she is supporting herself through her personal-content marketing. And shes not alone. Influencers loosely defined as social media personalities are playing an increasingly significant role when it comes to marketing, especially in the retail industry, offering companies a new and direct way to reach customers. Retailers in a range of categories from apparel to technology manufacturers cite influencers on quarterly conference calls and credit them for successful marketing campaigns. Story continues Just last month, Aritzias chief executive Brian Hill said in an interview with Yahoo Finance Canada that influencers have been an important part of pushing specific products to consumers. A campaign with Kendall Jenner promoting the $250 Super Puff coat stirred an online frenzy, and helped boost sales for Aritzia. I think being in the fashion business, you have to be looking at influencers, Hill said. Its unclear the exact size and scope of the influencer social media marketing industry is in Canada, but a survey by IZEA Canada a company that connects marketers with content creators found that nearly 20 per cent of companies surveyed have a budget of between $1 million and $2.99 million for these kinds of promotions. In fact, IZEA Canada said 75 per cent of Canadian companies have dedicated budgets for influencer marketing. The Aritzia store where Meghan Markle shopped according to local media is pictured in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Still, Canadian companies have been slower to turn to influencer-based marketing compared to those in the United States, says Tom Yawney, a partner and director of business development at the Influence Agency, a company that connects brands with influencers for campaigns. But hes seen demand in Canada for the influencer marketing as well as for intermediary companies like the Influence Agency explode over the last two years. When we first started out in 2017, there were a lot of big companies dipping their toes in the water, still unsure if this was something that they wanted to commit to, Yawney said in an interview. But whats happened over the last two years is that our business has blown up... Canadian companies are jumping in, because working with influencers is providing additional value in a lot of areas. So how does the influencer world work? Compensation depends on the brand, the influencer and the scope of the agreement reached between the two. When the influencer has fewer followers, companies will often simply offer a product for free in exchange for promotion. Things can get slightly more complicated when the influencer is more popular. Contracts are often involved that can include stipulations such as engagement targets and details of ownership rights. Yawney gives an example of a grocery store looking to promote its new location. A campaign with an influencer with 7,000 followers may include a post about the companys meal prep program, in exchange for free product. But a campaign involving someone with around 40,000 followers could begin with a compensation of $500 per post, plus additional fees if the brand can own the content for a longer time or repost it in the future. The fees can be enough for more people like Hwang to dedicate themselves to social media full-time. In some cases, it can be lucrative. (Gossip magazines wrote that Aritzia paid Jenner $1 million to share the two posts about the Super Puff coat to her 100 million followers, although that figure has not been confirmed by the company.) Hwang herself has worked with a range of companies, from Nespresso to Hudsons Bay to Best Buy. While she doesnt disclose how much she charges for sponsored posts, Hwang says she treats her various social media feeds as her own personal publications, charging for advertising and brand endorsements. It can be a fine line for influencers and brands when it comes to maintaining authenticity and ensuring your audience stays engaged and interested. Too many sponsored posts can feel disingenuous and insincere. Overly edited and filtered photos are falling out of fashion. Hwang says she only works with brands and products that she fully endorses and that can relate to her audience, which she frequently refers to as a tight-knit community. Your audience is key, because if you dont have your supply, you wont have demand, she said. Leave the brand deals aside. Just focus on your content and your audience. Its part of the reason why companies like the Influencer Agency have popped up in recent years, acting as the middle-man between brands searching for social media stars that can spur interest in their products, and the influencers themselves. Thats why a lot of these programs are really valuable to brands nowadays, Yawney says. Historically, you would have had to pay a production company to make something, and then you would need to find a distribution network to share that content. Social media influencers produce the production, they distribute to their communities, and their communities engage with it. But Yawney warns that not everyone can gain tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and translate that into a full-time job. He says the influencers that are able to succeed are the ones making smart business decisions and treating their account as an individual production company. Theyre not just content creators, but they choose the brands they work with wisely and they dont oversaturate their feed with anybody that offers them some money, he says. They tend to be the more shrewd business people. When Carly Bright first got her dog Dean four years ago, she was posting so many photos of the basset hound that she decided to create an Instagram account solely dedicated to her new puppy. There wasnt a single post or moment that led to @DeantheBasset acquiring so many followers, but pretty soon the account racked up more than 250,000 fans on Instagram, including celebrities like Ariana Grande (who, unfortunately for Dean, has since unfollowed). Today, the @DeantheBasset account run by Bright and her partner Nathan Sidon remains popular. According to a press kit the couple has prepared, Deans Instagram videos typically reach between 30,000 and 200,000 views, with the most popular videos reaching 2.3 million views. More than 40 per cent of the accounts audience is between the ages of 25 and 34, and more than 75 per cent reside in the United States. As a result, brands have been keen to take advantage of Deans popularity. The account has partnered with a range of brands, including Volkwagen, Mercedes, Nordstrom, Best Buy and Dyson. Last month, Dyson paid to have Dean promote the companys vacuum cleaners and their booth at Torontos Woofstock event with several Instagram story posts. Were seeing quite a bit of pickup from this, Dysons brand manager Julie Poirier said at the Woofstock event. Its something we know works and its great to have the data to accompany that. While the couple charges significantly less for Instagram story posts, Sidon said sponsored static posts are typically several thousands of dollars per post. The account has become so popular and time consuming that Bright decided to scale back to four days a week at her graphic design job in order to focus more time on the Dean account. I couldnt handle it anymore and the account suffered, Bright said. I could certainly dedicate all five days a week to this account, but its not monetarily feasible right now. But one day that would be fantastic. The couple doesnt only make money from sponsored posts they also sell Dean-related merchandise. More than 10,000 items including wall calendars and t-shirts sold at Nordstroms flagship stores in the U.S. and Canada have been sold so far. But both Bright and Sidon continually stress that people should not be starting an Instagram account particularly a pet one solely for the purpose of making money. If you have a pet and want to start an Instagram, then by all means thats great, Sidon said. You definitely shouldnt get a pet for the purpose of trying to make money... This was a happy accident for us. This week, Hwang posted photos from a recent trip to the Netherlands. One post is a video of her walking through a field of bright yellow tulips in Amsterdam, spinning every now and then, her arms stretch out. I wanted to share how incredible this moment was (in real life), Hwang wrote in the caption. Below that caption, a hashtag stands out: #ad. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Nostrum Oil & Gas PLC (LON:NOG). What Is Insider Buying? It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. Check out our latest analysis for Nostrum Oil & Gas The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Nostrum Oil & Gas In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Non-Executive Director Michael Calvey bought UK3.8m worth of shares at a price of UK2.49 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of UK0.56. It's very possible they regret the purchase, but it's more likely they are bullish about the company. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. In the last twelve months insiders paid UK3.8m for 1.6m shares purchased. Nostrum Oil & Gas may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see the insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! Story continues LSE:NOG Recent Insider Trading, June 14th 2019 Nostrum Oil & Gas is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Does Nostrum Oil & Gas Boast High Insider Ownership? I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. From what we can see in our data, insiders own only about UK481k worth of Nostrum Oil & Gas shares. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. This level of insider ownership is notably low, and not very encouraging. So What Does This Data Suggest About Nostrum Oil & Gas Insiders? There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we'd be more comfortable if they owned more Nostrum Oil & Gas stock. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future. 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. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. 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. Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP Steve Bullock would love for everyone to know that hes been elected statewide three times as a Democrat in Montana, a state Donald Trump won by 20 points. But getting that message out is going to be a bit more difficult than Bullock planned, since he wont be on the first Democratic presidential primary debate stage in Miami later this month, barely falling short of the Democratic National Committees polling threshold. Bullock, who only got into the race in May after his legislative session ended and he reauthorized Montanas Medicaid expansion, didnt make the cut after the party decided not to count an early Washington Post/ABC poll in its qualifying criteria. Then, on the last day he might have snuck in, he came one respondent short in a Nevada poll. Hes not happy about it. Your campaign manager sent a letter to the DNC this week making the case that you should be allowed into the debates. Did any part of you, over the last few days, think youd be able to convince them to let you in? Yeah, I mean, we certainly wanted to be able to continue to make our case to the DNC, and by the rules they made, out of qualifying polls, it sure looks like I should be in. But putting aside those early polls and party rules, the bigger point Ive wanted to make is certainly, you know, I tried to make the decision to wait until Medicaid expansion was done, and I might not register as much in some of these other polls, but it was important to do. And I dont regret waiting one bit. Would you have tried to figure out a way to move up the timing of the expansion reauthorization or launched your campaign during the legislative session if you knew there was a chance this would happen? Well, those negotiations were almost down to the end. I walked into that legislative session with tobacco companies killing reauthorization with $26 million, so I walked in with a legislature saying, Oh, voters have already decided that a hundred thousand Montanans dont need health care. So that was Day One. And a $400 million infrastructure bill. We hadnt been able to pass infrastructure, a bill like that, in over a decade. That came together at the end. You know, I had to job to do. I cant look backwards, but doing that job giving people health care, giving people working infrastructure had to be paramount. I certainly understood that getting in late I wouldnt be on TV as much, I wouldnt be talking to guys like you. It might hurt my standing in later polls, but Ive always tried in the time Ive been in public office to put people over politics every single time, and I think thats one of the reasons that Ive won three statewide elections in Montana, and its how Im going to run this race for president. And I think thats what people are looking for in a president right now. So what do you make of the argument from the DNC that theyve been clear about the criteria from the start, that this shouldnt have been a surprise? Well, I dont want to quibble on polls, but yeah, the one to be excluded was a Washington Post/ABC poll, and it was an open-ended poll, which is arguably harder to qualify. And they said, This couldnt be legitimate because some Democratic voters voted for Donald Trump. Well I think we should probably be asking ourselves, Why are some Democratic-identified voters voting for Donald Trump? Howre we going to win back places that weve lost? Not checking off Washington Post/ABC polls. Have you talked to DNC chairman Tom Perez, or tried to sway him? I spoke with Perez back in March about the criteria and where I stand in these polls. So what now? You wont be in Miami, so what do the next few weeks look like for you? There are still 230-some days before any voter expresses a preference. You can expect me to actually be talking to voters during those debates. Probably in the early states. Are you going to make a concerted push to qualify for the third debate, in September, which is the next one you can make? Ill continue focusing we have been, certainly on spreading out the message, helping people understand Im the only Democrat in the country to get elected in a Trump state, certainly in a statewide race. We need to win back some of these places that weve lost and get meaningful progressive stuff done. So youve talked a lot about the message Democrats are sending nationally. And theres been a decent amount of commentary in the last day about the message that gets sent when the one candidate whos won statewide in a Trump state isnt on the stage I think when you look at that stage, its disappointing that its missing someone who has had success in a Trump state, whos had success in getting legislation through. Look, we have to win places both urban and rural. I have a connection with, and an ability in, rural areas. So I get that folks want to hurry up and get to Trump. I think people feel that urgency, but were 235 days out and we cant lose sight of the big picture. Weve gotta win back some of those places! Weve gotta be able to govern! And if we exclude those places from the process, we might lose those places forever. We cant let that happen. I think elections oughta be decided by voters, not party leaders. And I also think that for all of the noise to this point, you know, in my seven stops in Iowa early this week, it was clear voters are going to want to make the right decision, not necessarily just the fast decision. Are you concerned about the criteria for the third debate? Its clear theyre trying to narrow the field. Yeah. Ill control everything that I can. Its always been in the past even in large fields theres a reason why early states are that engaged. And theyve always been what narrows the field down, not some party rules. But, you know, Ill control everything I can and keep moving. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! A look at the shareholders of Australian Pacific Coal Limited (ASX:AQC) can tell us which group is most powerful. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. I quite like to see at least a little bit of insider ownership. As Charlie Munger said 'Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome.' Australian Pacific Coal is a smaller company with a market capitalization of AU$29m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions don't own shares in the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about AQC. See our latest analysis for Australian Pacific Coal ASX:AQC Ownership Summary, June 14th 2019 What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Australian Pacific Coal? We don't tend to see institutional investors holding stock of companies that are very risky, thinly traded, or very small. Though we do sometimes see large companies without institutions on the register, it's not particularly common. There are multiple explanations for why institutions don't own a stock. The most common is that the company is too small relative to fund under management, so the institition does not bother to look closely at the company. On the other hand, it's always possible that professional investors are avoiding a company because they don't think it's the best place for their money. Institutional investors may not find the historic growth of the business impressive, or there might be other factors at play. You can see the past revenue performance of Australian Pacific Coal, for yourself, below. ASX:AQC Income Statement, June 14th 2019 Australian Pacific Coal is not owned by hedge funds. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held. Story continues Insider Ownership Of Australian Pacific Coal 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 most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Australian Pacific Coal Limited. It has a market capitalization of just AU$29m, and insiders have AU$3.2m worth of shares in their own names. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling. General Public Ownership The general public, with a 27% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. 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. Private Company Ownership Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 62%, of the company's shares. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Australian Pacific Coal better, we need to consider many other factors. I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph. Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies. 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. AMSTERDAM, June 14 (Reuters) - International investigators looking into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014 said on Friday they would present their latest findings next week, nearly five years after the disaster. Family of the victims and the media will be briefed on the developments on June 19, prosecutors said in a statement. MH17 was shot out of the sky over territory held by pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine as it flew from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board. About two-thirds of the passengers were Dutch. Authorities in the Netherlands declined to provide details, but Dutch national broadcaster NOS reported on Friday that investigators intend to identify individual suspects. The Joint Investigation Team, which seeks to try the culprits under Dutch law, has established that the missile system came from the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade, based in the western Russian city of Kursk. Investigators had said their next step would be to identify individual culprits and to attempt to put them on trial. Dutch officials have said Russia has refused to cooperate. It is not expected to surrender any potential suspects who may be on its territory. The Joint Investigation Team was formed in 2014 by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine to collaboratively carry out the investigation. The Netherlands and Australia, which lost 38 people, hold Russia legally responsible. Moscow denies all involvement and maintains that it does not support, financially or with equipment, pro-Russian rebels fighting Ukrainian government troops. (Reporting by Anthony Deutsch) International investigators probing the downing of flight MH17 said Friday they will reveal fresh findings next week, nearly five years after the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot over Ukraine. Relatives of the 298 people killed will be informed first next Wednesday, followed by a media briefing, the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team said in a statement. The Boeing 777 travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur was hit by a Russian-made BUK missile on July 17, 2014 as it travelled over territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists. The Netherlands and Australia said in May 2018 that the missile was launched by a Russian military brigade. Russia vehemently denies involvement and instead blames Kiev. The JIT said it would give a press conference next Wednesday "about developments in the criminal investigation into the bringing down of flight MH17", but did not give further details. "This press meeting will be preceded by a closed meeting for the bereaved. The will be informed of the developments first," it said. In March this year, Australia and the Netherlands held the first talks with Russia over the investigation Close to two thirds of those killed on the flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur were Dutch, while 38 Australians were also lost. The Joint Investigation Team includes Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. The team has previously said it would "carefully" study counterclaims by Moscow about the disaster, adding that information previously provided by Russia such as the alleged presence of a Ukrainian fighter jet near the airliner on radar images was "incorrect". Washington (AFP) - To retaliate or show restraint? Toughen sanctions or negotiate? The US administration, divided between hard-line hawks and a Donald Trump who fears plunging the country into another "endless" war, is struggling to define its strategy against Iran -- as demonstrated by its uncertain response to recent developments in the Gulf of Oman. Here is what we know about the US response and administration thinking. - How has the US reacted to the attacks? - It took only hours for Washington to directly accuse Tehran of being "responsible" for the attacks Thursday against two oil tankers. The incident had Iran "written all over it," Trump said Friday, rejecting Tehran's denial of any such role. The president pointed to a video that purports to show a patrol boat of Iran's Revolutionary Guards pulling alongside one of the tankers to remove an unexploded limpet mine from the ship's hull. But the US condemnations were not followed by threats of any immediate retaliation. That represented a degree of restraint by an administration that has been steadily tightening economic and diplomatic sanctions against Iran, and which last month stepped up its "maximum pressure" campaign with new deployments of ships, bombers and troops to the region. - War of words, or just plain war? - "The situation between the US and Iran is becoming increasingly dangerous," tweeted Colin Kahl, a former Obama administration national security advisor now at Stanford University in California. Both sides could "easily... slide into a war they claim they want to avoid," he said. Between the continuing war of words and the recent escalation, numerous observers and US allies fear an incident could degenerate into open conflict. But Aaron David Miller, a former negotiator in both Democratic and Republican administrations, does not see the recent attacks as "sufficient for a casus belli." Story continues "If, in the wake of this incident, the Trump administration chose to strike Iranian vessels directly, or the Iranian mainland, or Iranian forces in Iraq and Syria, or in Yemen, you have zero support," said Miller, now a Middle East expert at the Wilson Center think tank. - A 'focus on diplomacy' - Trump, for his part, has made it abundantly clear: He does not want to embroil the country's military in another costly and "endless" war like those in Afghanistan and Iraq. If acting US defense secretary Patrick Shanahan has expressed a determination to "defend our forces and our interests around the world," he has also reiterated that Washington "does not seek conflict." Pentagon spokesmen have stressed that neither American interests nor personnel have yet been attacked -- making it an issue affecting global maritime traffic that should be settled at the international level. "We have an international situation there in the Middle East, it's not a US situation," Shanahan told reporters on Friday, saying the administration was united in seeking an "international consensus to this international problem." But it is no secret that the president's national security advisor, John Bolton, has taken far more aggressive positions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is also considered a hawk on Iran, even if he has attempted to hew to Trump's more restrained line. - What does Trump want? - Beyond the question of how to respond to the recent attacks, a much larger question remains: What exactly is the concrete objective of the American pressure strategy against Iran? Last year Trump pulled the US out of the multinational 2015 accord that was designed to prevent Tehran from producing nuclear weapons. He was harshly critical of the pact, negotiated during the Obama presidency, and said he wanted to compel the Islamic Republic to accept much more stringent restrictions on its nuclear program and to cease any "destabilizing" behavior in the Middle East. In recent weeks, even as his teams were cranking up the economic, diplomatic and military pressure on Iran, the president has issued repeated calls for direct dialogue with Iranian leaders. But with supreme Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei flatly refusing to talk, Trump seems uncertain how to proceed. "I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal," the president said Thursday on Twitter, before again on Friday repeating his invitation: "We want to get them back to the table if they want to go back," he said on the "Fox & Friends" program. "I'm ready when they are. Whenever they're ready, I'm OK." "The real problem is that there is no endgame in the administration's strategy," said Miller. "Regime collapse or change is fantastical right now." Miller sees a disturbing lack of clarity in the administration's approach. "What's the purpose of the sanctions?" the former diplomat asked. "Is it to destroy the Iranian economy? Or is it a serious effort to drag the Iranians into the negotiations and produce a better outcome than what Obama got?" "I don't believe that this administration is prepared to (make) the kind of concessions that the Iranians would demand in a serious negotiation." Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump declared Friday that a mysterious attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman had Iran "written all over it," rejecting Tehran's denial that it had any involvement. As US-Iranian tensions soared, Trump dismissed previous threats by Tehran that in case of conflict it could block the Hormuz Strait -- a narrow seaway vital to the world's oil supplies. Speaking hours after the US military released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from one of the tankers, Trump was emphatic. "Iran did do it," Trump told Fox News. "You know they did it because you saw the boat. I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got essentially Iran written all over it." "You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off -- and that was exposed," he added. Iran rejected the US accusations. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation. "It's very important to know the truth. It's very important that responsibilities are clarified," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. "Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts." Meanwhile, Britain's assessment found that Iran was "almost certainly" behind the attacks, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. London pinned the blame for Thursday's attack on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard -- a vast and powerful branch of the Iranian military. - Oil exports choke point - Iran has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the Hormuz Strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the United States. Story continues Doing so would disrupt oil tankers traveling out of the Gulf region to the Indian Ocean and global export routes. Trump played down the threat. "It's not going to be closed, it's not going to be closed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms," Trump said. Oil prices have surged in response to the rising tensions. Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom was monitoring the situation with "great concern" and called for action to secure maritime traffic, the Saudi SPA news agency said. Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, is a bitter regional rival of Iran. China called for all sides to "resolve the conflict through dialogue," while the European Union called for "maximum restraint." Russia, which has close -- if sometimes strained -- links to Iran, warned through its foreign ministry against "hasty conclusions." - Sailors rescued - The oil tankers were 10 nautical miles apart and headed to Asia when they were struck by explosions early Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast. The Front Altair, owned by the Oslo-listed company Frontline, was carrying naphtha, a refined petroleum product. It was hit by three explosions, according to Norwegian officials. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries and the ship was headed Friday toward the UAE port of Khor Fakkan. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members from the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Iran's English-language Press TV aired footage of rescued crewmen from the Front Altair, saying they were all in "full health." The crew of the Kokuka Courageous saw a "flying object" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," CENTCOM said in a statement while Oman said it sent two navy vessels to assist. - Iran or 'proxies?' - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday's tanker explosions were "the latest in a series of attacks" he blamed on Iran or its "proxies," including Yemeni rebel missile strikes which wounded 26 civilians at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. A Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the rebels it accuses of being Iranian proxies said its air defenses had intercepted a new rebel attack on an airport in the Islamic kingdom on Friday. The abortive strike involving five rebel drones targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, home to a huge airbase which has been the main launchpad of the coalition's more than four-year bombing campaign in Yemen. The United States has also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. The preliminary findings of an UAE-led investigation found that a state actor was responsible but stopped short of naming Iran. burs-sms-cml/acb By Francois Murphy VIENNA, June 14 (Reuters) - Iran has multiplied the speed at which it enriches uranium but it is still far from the maximum rate possible under its nuclear deal with major powers, meaning it would be months before production ceilings are hit, diplomats who follow it say. Against a backdrop of rising tensions with the United States, which pulled out of the 2015 deal a year ago and has since imposed ever more punishing economic sanctions against Tehran, Iran has stayed within the deal's key limits while threatening to discard at least some of them. Since it withdrew from the deal, Washington has reinstated its sanctions against Tehran and added new ones in a bid to isolate the Islamic Republic - an effort Iran calls "economic terrorism". Iran's response has included accelerating uranium enrichment, which is allowed under the deal but shortens the time in which it will reach the deal's cap on its stock of enriched uranium. Inspectors from the U.N. atomic watchdog, which is policing the deal's nuclear restrictions, told member states last week that Iran has accelerated its uranium enrichment to around 12 kg a month, roughly three times the previous rate, diplomats who attended the quarterly technical briefing said. The watchdog's chief Yukiya Amano confirmed the acceleration this week but declined to elaborate. If it continues producing at that rate, Iran is likely to hit the deal's 202.8 kg limit on its enriched uranium stock in around two months. Its stock was 174.1 kg on May 20, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency's last quarterly report said. A new mode of operation enabling the acceleration was observed on May 22, the IAEA told member states, according to diplomats who attended. Exceeding the uranium cap at the heart of the deal would prompt a diplomatic crisis, forcing the other signatories to confront Iran. European powers have scrambled to do what little they can to shield Iran from U.S. sanctions in a bid to convince it not to abandon the deal and ramp up its nuclear activities. Story continues Iran could still produce enriched uranium much faster even without breaching the deal, which was aimed at extending the time Iran would need to produce enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon if it chose to. "COULD BE WORSE" Diplomats in Vienna who monitor its progress closely say Iran is capable of hitting the uranium ceiling in as little as 10 days, which shows the latest acceleration is relatively moderate. "They could really put a knife to our throats," one diplomat said, referring to the pressure that would put on other signatories to respond. What Iran plans to do is unclear, but the IAEA told member states that Tehran is also on course to hit another of the deal's limits, on heavy water, a material less directly linked to proliferation than enriched uranium, in mid- to late August, diplomats say. But the points at which Iran is set to hit the uranium and heavy water limits are later than the date in early July by which Iran has said its economy must be shielded properly from U.S. sanctions or it will enrich uranium to a higher level than the 3.67 percent allowed by the deal. European powers have already said they reject such "ultimatums". (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Toby Chopra) DUBAI, June 14 (Reuters) - Iran said on Friday it had dispatched experts to one oil tanker from which it rescued crew members from a fire caused by an attack to see whether they could now return to the vessel. The European Union has called for maximum restraint amid mounting tensions over U.S. accusations against Iran over attacks on two oil tankers on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has denied responsibility for the attacks. "Fire has been contained on both tankers...We have sent experts to evaluate whether the crew rescued by Iran can return to (one) tanker," Allahmorad Afifipour, head of ports in the Iranian coastal province of Hormozgan, told Tasnim news agency. Iranian search and rescue teams picked up 44 sailors from the two damaged tankers, the official Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA reported on Thursday. The sailors were taken to the Iranian Gulf port of Jask, it said. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi Editing by Mark Heinrich) WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran was responsible for an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. "Iran did do it," he said during a wide-ranging 50-minute interview on Fox News. It was them that did it. He also called Iran, "a nation of terror." The president pointed to a video the U.S. military released, Fox News reported, that officials say shows Irans Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz. The video suggests that the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. Iran has denied being involved, accusing the U.S. instead of waging an Iranophobic campaign against it. Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion. The ships operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke. Pompeo: Iran responsible for attack on oil tankers in Gulf of Oman Sarah Sanders leaving: White House press secretary is out, Trump hints she may run for Arkansas governor While Iran has denied being involved in the attack, Tehran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the Tanker War, when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region. The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. militarys Central Command on Friday, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous. A Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said. The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation, Urban said. The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests. Story continues Iran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations. The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security, the statement said. The debate: Who made it into the first 2020 Democratic primary debate? Kellyanne Conway: All the times Kellyanne Conway ran afoul of a federal watchdog over the Hatch Act Meanwhile in Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw flying objects before the attack, suggesting it wasnt damaged by mines. Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicts the U.S. military account. Katada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks. TOPSHOT - A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian State TV IRIB on June 13, 2019 reportedly shows smoke billowing from a tanker said to have been attacked off the coast of Oman, at un undisclosed location. - The crews of two oil tankers were evacuated off the coast of Iran today after they were reportedly attacked and caught fire in the Gulf of Oman, sending world oil prices soaring. The mystery incident, the second involving shipping in the strategic sea lane in only a few weeks, came amid spiralling tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has pointed the finger at Iran over tanker attacks in May. Iran said its navy had rescued 44 crew members after the two vessels caught fire in "accidents" off its coast. (Photo by HO / IRIB TV / AFP) / == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / IRIB" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS FROM ALTERNATIVE SOURCES, AFP IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DIGITAL ALTERATIONS TO THE PICTURE'S EDITORIAL CONTENT, DATE AND LOCATION WHICH CANNOT BE INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED - NO RESALE -NO ACCESS lSRAEL MEDIA -PERSIAN LANGUAGE TV STATIONS OUTSIDE IRAN - STRICTLY NO ACCESS BBC PERSIAN == / HO/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HH1VD The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a reported attack, without elaborating. Oil prices: Sporadic attacks from Iran could spike oil prices, says US think tank Thursdays attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but dont sink, a vessel. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists on Thursday that the U.S. assessment of Irans involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region, which the U.S. also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemens Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time. Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran, Pompeo said. He didnt elaborate and took no questions. Iran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursdays incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran rejected the overture. 'Secret' Mexico deal: Trump waved an alleged 'secret' Mexico deal around. A photographer got a picture of it. Jon Stewart: Ex 'Daily Show' host slammed Congress. The next day, a house panel passed a 9/11 bill The supreme leaders government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency, Pompeo added. At the United Nations, the Security Council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late Thursday at the request of the United States but took no action. Tensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations dont offer it new terms to the deal by July 7. Already, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said early Friday its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemens Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom, including the Abha regional airport. The kingdom said a similar attack Wednesday on the Abha airport wounded 26 people. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, David Rising in Berlin, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Lolita C. Baldor, Zeke Miller and Susannah George in Washington and Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. Contributing: Michael Collins, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Iran did do it': Trump addresses tanker attacks, points to US military video of removing mine Dubai (AFP) - Amid an intensifying war of words following dual tanker attacks in the Gulf, Iran is not seeking open conflict with the United States but is sending a warning to Washington, analysts say. Tensions around the Gulf shipping channel, vital to the transportation of crude, soared after two tankers came under attack early Thursday, with the US quickly blaming Iran for the incidents. "(Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are rational actors -- despite how some portray them -- and they will not want, unduly, to invite Iran's annihilation," said Middle East analyst and author Neil Partrick. "However, as ever the danger of escalation through accident, design, or both, remains," he told AFP. "The skill involved in yesterday's oil tanker attacks suggests that this is something more sophisticated than, for example, the Iranian-supported Yemeni Huthi (rebels) could muster." US President Donald Trump insisted that Iran "did do" whatever led to fires aboard the two tankers. But Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". The two vessels, one of them Japanese, came under attack around the time Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iranian leaders in Tehran. For Partrick, the idea that Iran would want to "directly undermine" Abe's visit "and give a gift to Iran's US and Gulf enemies, by engineering such a substantive attack must be in doubt." Also sceptical, Verisk Maplecroft analyst Torbjorn Soltvedt said: "Ascribing a clear reason why Iran would seek to disrupt tanker traffic in the Gulf of Oman is difficult at this stage." - 'Expect further incidents' - "The most likely is that Iran is sending a message to warn the US and its allies in the region that it has the ability to retaliate against tightening energy sanctions. Story continues "But it is also possible that hardliners in Iran are seeking to damage the prospects of any renewed talks between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions," said Soltvedt. Relations between Tehran and Washington soured significantly when Trump refused in October 2017 to re-endorse the deal agreed between global powers and Iran to contain the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. The US subsequently re-imposed a raft of economic sanctions which Tehran has angrily denounced as "economic warfare". The United States also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. An international investigation stopped short of conclusively blaming Tehran for the incidents. Partrick suggested that by aggressively blaming Iran the US may have "paradoxically" limited the risk of further damage to oil exports, because Washington has "increased its deterrence capability through rhetoric". Oil prices jumped at the threat of open conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which some 15 million barrels of crude pass daily. "(Iran) are not going to be closing it... It's not going to be closed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms," Trump told the Fox News broadcaster on Friday. Karen E. Young, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, warned that "we can expect further incidents, rather than attributable state-on-state attacks". "Neither the Gulf Cooperation Council states nor Iran want a direct military conflict," she said, referring to the six-nation regional grouping of Arab states. gw-burs/rsc Former White House counsel Don McGahn, far right. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Some of the most damning crimes in the Mueller report come via former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was directed to obstruct justice by President Trump (but declined to carry out his illegal orders). McGahn testified about these orders to Mueller, thereby surrendering any claim the White House would have to keep the conversations private as part of executive privilege. The White House is nonetheless blocking McGahn from testifying to Congress. ABC News George Stephanopoulos asked Trump about McGahns testimony in an interview this week. Trump called his former counsel a liar. The story on that very simply, No. 1, I was never going to fire Mueller. I never suggested firing Mueller, he said. When asked why McGahn would lie, Trump said, Because he wanted to make himself look like a good lawyer. Pressed again, Trump denied ever having told McGahn to fire Mueller. So the White House maintains the following: 1.) The Mueller report exonerates Trump, and any attempt to follow up on its findings is a do-over, and thus unfair. 2.) One of the most damning charges in the Mueller report, detailing Trumps efforts to obstruct justice, is a lie. 3.) The witness who testified under oath to that charge cannot be allowed to testify to Congress. The Mueller report shows no obstruction of justice, and the obstruction it shows is fake, and Congress cant hear from a person who testified about obstruction. We just have to take Trumps word on this, even though his words contradict other words of his. Just what youd expect an innocent person to say, basically. At least six Americans have died at resorts in the Dominican Republic in the last year. Multiple tourist deaths at all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic have raised alarm bells for those planning to vacation at the popular Caribbean destination. Now, authorities in the Dominican Republic are looking to the FBI to help investigate the mysterious deaths and strange circumstances that have accompanied each incident. This announcement comes as more families are coming forward about getting mysteriously ill. Tourism officials in the Dominican Republic, the U.S. and Canada say its still safe to visit the country. But many are approaching booking a vacation there with caution. Heres a timeline of the incidents that have occurred and whats next: What deaths have occurred? June 2018: Yvette Monique Sport Fifty-one-year-old Yvette Monique Sport traveled to the Bahia Principe Resort in Punta Cana in June 2018 with her fiance. Her sister says Sport took a drink from the mini bar in her room, took a shower, and then went to bed and never woke up. Sports death certificate lists a heart attack as the cause of death. But her sister Felicia Nieves says shes become increasingly suspicious in the wake of other deaths reported at resorts in the last few months. July 2018: David Harrison David Harrison, from southern Maryland, died while vacationing at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana. An autopsy revealed that Harrison had a heart attack and a pulmonary edema, which is caused by excess fluid in the lungs. Dawn McCoy, Harrisons wife, told Business Insider that she, her husband and their then 12-year-old son were celebrating their anniversary at the Caribbean resort when Harrison fell ill. Nine days into their vacation, she says Harrison became sick and woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. He couldnt talk, he was unable to sit up, everything that came out was just grunting, she told INSIDER. He was trying to talk, but nothing would come out. She says her husband was healthy and had annual checkups, but he did take medication for high blood pressure. McCoy is now requesting a toxicology report from the funeral director who dealt with her case, after she heard of deaths she believes might be similar circumstances to her husbands. Story continues April 2019: Robert Wallace While visiting the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana, Robert Wallace became sick soon after drinking scotch from the minibar in his hotel room, according to his niece Chloe Arnold. He was in the Dominican Republic to attend his step-sons wedding, she told Fox News. After falling ill that evening, Wallace, 67, died three days later. Arnold said authorities in the Dominican have yet to provide a cause of death. May 2019: Miranda Schaup-Werner Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, had travelled to the Bahia Principes Bouganville resort to celebrate her wedding anniversary. Her husband Dan Werner says that after she had a drink from the hotels minibar, she collapsed and was unable to be revived. Dominican officials provided an autopsy that revealed Schaup-Werner died of internal hemorrhaging, pulmonary edema and an enlarged heart. May 2019: Nathaniel Edward Holmes and Cynthia Ann Day Just a few days after Schaup-Werner died, a couple on vacation in the Dominican Republic also died under similar circumstances. Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, had just gotten engaged before they went on their vacation to the Dominican. After they missed their checkout time, hotel staff went to the room and found them both collapsed, and unresponsive. There were no signs of violence. Dominican police revealed that both had died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema. June 2019: Joseph Allen CNN reported that an American man was found dead in the Hotel Terra Linda in Sosua, Dominican Republic. Joseph Allen, 55, was apparently a regular at the hotel, and officials in the Dominican said he died of cardiac arrest. There were no signs of violence. Are these deaths connected? On June 11, the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic released a statement saying they are actively working with the government in the country along with the private sector to ensure U.S. citizens are safe when they visit. They said a connection had not been established between the incidents, but they are investigating. Dominican authorities have asked for FBI assistance for further toxicology analysis on the recent Bahia Principe, La Romana cases and our FBI colleagues tell us that those results may take up to 30 days, the statement reads. One expert, Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security told the New York Times that symptoms like pulmonary edema could be consistent with poisoning (though accidental). Its rare for travelers to die of unknown causes like this, and to have a high number of them in a relatively short period of time is alarming, shocking, sad, Inglesby said. But without a toxicology report, its difficult to say if theres truly any connection between the deaths, he said. What has the response been from the hotels? Officials from the Hard Rock hotel said in a public statement that they are deeply saddened by the deaths and are waiting for the release of official reports on the deaths. The Bahia Principe hotel chain said in a statement on their website that inaccurate and false information has been spread or circulated by media and social media about the incidents, but they dont state what exactly is false. They note they are collaborating completely with authorities and will not make more statements so they dont interfere with the investigation. Employees have received threats since the story started going viral, and they emphasize that they disagree with false information being spread and that their hotels remain safe. Who else has gotten sick? Other travelled have started to speak out about becoming sick, with one couple deciding to sue after their stay at the the Grand Bahia Principe La Romana. Kaylynn Knull, 29 and Tom Schwander 33, are suing the chain of hotels for $1 million, their lawyer told the New York Times, after they became severely ill during their stay in summer 2018. Symptoms for the couple included headache, blurry vision, nausea and diarrhea, and their family doctor told them it sounded like they had been exposed to a class of insecticide chemicals. Recently, a group of high school students reportedly fell ill at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana, where three Americans died between April and May. Seventy-five students along with their chaperones were staying at the resort in early June on a graduation trip, when multiple people in the group became sick. Seven students were taken to the hospital after feeling nauseous, having body chills, cramping and sweating, reports the New York Post. Is it safe to travel to the Dominican Republic? Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to Yahoo News that they are unaware of any Canadian citizens being impacted. They noted the government recommends a high degree of caution in the Dominican Republic, but thats due to a high crime rate. The U.S. State Department hasnt issued a travel warning for the country and American officials have said the deaths are not connected, but they are investigating. The Dominican Republic has been a top tourist destination for North Americans in the last few years, with over 2 million Americans visiting in 2017, and about 830,000 Canadians visiting, according to the ministry of tourism in the Caribbean nation. Will you be changing your vacation plans? Or do you believe the deaths are an odd coincidence? Let us know in the comments. By Giuseppe Fonte and Francesca Landini MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's industry ministry is open to discussions with any investor interested in the rescue of troubled carrier Alitalia, including infrastructure group Atlantia, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. The ministry is leading talks between the administrators managing the loss-making Alitalia and state-owned railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, which is trying to set up a consortium to buy the carrier. So far Ferrovie has secured the commitment of Delta Air Lines but it is struggling to find another partner who is willing to invest more than 300 million euros ($336 million) in Alitalia, which has a long history of financial woes. An involvement of Atlantia could be a turning point in the rescue effort led by Ferrovie, but sources have previously said the plan still lacked a political green light. Atlantia is in bad terms with the governing coalition, in particular with the 5-Star Movement, after the deadly collapse of a motorway bridge it managed last August. 5-Star head Luigi Di Maio, who is also Italy's industry minister, have blamed Atlantia for poor maintenance of the motorway network, adding the government would revoke the group's motorway concession. Atlantia has always denied wrongdoing. The ministry on Friday postponed for the fourth time a deadline for Ferrovie to present a binding rescue bid for Alitalia, extending it to July 15. "The extension is aimed at giving every investor interested the opportunity to come forward ... everyone, including Atlantia," one of the sources said. The second source, a 5-Star top official, confirmed the ministry was open to discussions with any potential suitor. Atlantia could chip in as a way to mend its relations with the government, sources have told Reuters. (Editing by David Evans) Madrid (AFP) - Real Madrid confirmed the signing of Japanese teenager Takefusa Kubo on Friday. The 18-year-old joins from FC Tokyo and will play for Madrid's B team, Castilla, next season. "Takefusa Kubo will join Castilla next season," a Real Madrid statement read. "He is one of the most promising young players in world football, an attacking midfielder with excellent technique and great vision for the game." Kubo, who has been dubbed the "Japanese Messi", made his full international debut against El Salvador earlier this month and was also linked with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League champions Manchester City. Kubo earned his nickname after joining Barca's youth academy aged 10 but returned to Japan in 2015 as a result of FIFA sanctions handed to the club for breaching rules on signing under-age players. Barcelona have kept tabs on Kubo ever since but Madrid stole a march on their La Liga rivals with an offer of two million euros ($2.25 million) a year, according to Japanese media. Kubo came on as a second-half substitute in Japan's 2-0 win over El Salvador last weekend and has been included in the Blue Samurai squad for the Copa America, which begins on Friday in Brazil. He has scored four goals in 13 J-League games this year for Tokyo. Japan open their second Copa America campaign against Chile in Sao Paulo on Monday. Joe Biden once said he did not believe abortion was a choice and a right, according to a recently unearthed interview from 2006. Mr Biden, who has received criticism for his abortion positions as he leads a crowded and progressive 2020 primary field, made the remarks during an interview with Texas Monthly, acknowledging his stance on abortions had proved difficult as a Democrat. Im a little bit of an odd man out in my party, Mr Biden said during that interview, which was uncovered on Thursday by CNN. He continued to note that he had voted against restrictions to abortion under Roe v Wade, but that he did not support public funding for abortions. Just last week, Mr Biden flipped his position on federal funding, and announced that he no longer supports the so-called Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion services. At the time of the interview in 2006, Mr Biden was running for president for the second time, and said that he recognised his stance would make things difficult for him. But, the Catholic politician continued to say he did not think of the procedure as a right. It's going to be very difficult, Mr Biden said. I do not view abortion as a choice and a right. I think it's always a tragedy, and I think that it should be rare and safe, and I think we should be focusing on how to limit the number of abortions. There ought to be able to have a common ground and consensus as to do that. The issue has gained prominence in recent weeks after a series of states introduced and passed highly restrictive abortion legislation, with Alabama pushing forward with legislation that would essentially ban any abortions in the state. The laws appear to be aimed at getting abortion before the Supreme Court, with the goal of harnessing an increasingly conservative panel of judges there to overturn the landmark abortion ruling Roe v Wade, which essentially determined that abortion cannot be banned in the United States. Story continues In the meantime, most 2020 candidates have spoken out forcefully on the issue, calling in some cases for a federal law that would protection abortion rights. Mr Bidens campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the 2006 video. CINCINNATI (AP) A Jordanian citizen who was living in Ohio has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to join the Islamic State group. U.S. District Judge Walter Rice also sentenced Laith Waleed Alebbini to 25 years of probation Thursday, but the 28-year-old Alebbini likely will be deported after his prison term. Alebbini was arrested at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport in 2017. Prosecutors say he was trying to fly to Turkey or Jordan before joining with Islamic State group fighters in Syria. He was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization. Federal authorities said Alebbini wanted to become a suicide bomber. The Dayton Daily News reports Alebbini told the judge he has always been against terrorism and he never "thought of harming the American people." Still not a Democrat, exactly. Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP Intelligencer staffers Jonathan Chait, Benjamin Hart, and Eric Levitz discuss whether Americas foremost Democratic Socialist would be better off jettisoning a possibly unhelpful label. Ben: Bernie Sanders has helped usher socialism for decades an all-but-verboten label in America into the mainstream in a way unthinkable even a few years ago. But as Eric noted in a piece the other day, a lot of Americans still associate the word with Soviet-style communism and enthusiasm for various leftist regimes aside, Bernie is definitely not a Soviet-style communist. Hes really an FDR-esque capitalist who wants to upend existing power structures to benefit the many over the few, and ultimately make America more like Scandinavia. Socialism as a concept may be popular with a lot of young Americans, but wedding yourself to it is still a very risky way to try to win a general election in this country. So why do you think Bernie still prefers Democratic Socalist to just Democrat? Jon: I dont see any rational reason. It seems to be a pure product of long-standing conviction. I suppose maybe its a way to differentiate himself from other progressive Democrats? But he has other options to do this. Eric: Bernie has a background in genuinely socialist movements. In early 1980s Vermont, branding oneself as an independent of some sort, rather than a Democrat, might have made some electoral sense. And the label didnt prevent him from becoming a very popular senator, who routinely outperforms his partys vote share in his home state. By most accounts, Sanders did not spend much of his life strategizing for a presidential run. When he announced in 2015, he did so under the presumption hed be mounting a protest candidacy. His persona was not constructed with an eye toward optimizing appeal at the national level. So, by 2019, he found himself in the position of either abandoning his long-term ideological identity (and therefore, perhaps, undermining the appeal of his exceptional consistency and indifference to political convenience) or sticking to a suboptimal ideological branding. Not crazy to go with the latter once youre in that position, imo. That said, not sure why he needs to be *foregrounding* that identity. Ben: I agree suddenly pivoting now would turn off a large portion of his fan base, the fervor of which is his central asset. Jon: So maybe the question is, why should Democrats nominate a candidate who is wedded to this major liability? Answer: They shouldnt. Ben: Hey, Im running the chat here. Eric: Well, he polls well against Trump. And other candidates have their own liabilities. Jon: True, there are other liabilities. Eric: And all the other candidates are corporate shills who cant be trusted. Jon: Fair. Ben: As Bernie and other Democrats have correctly said, Republicans will label pretty much any opposing candidate a socialist. So theres an argument that just leaning into it will not put you in any worse a position than anyone else, in terms of being vulnerable to attack. Jon: That argument drives me crazy. Its one thing if the other party is calling you socialist, its another if youre calling yourself that. Republicans called Hillary a criminal, that doesnt mean you might as well nominate a self-described criminal. #Avenatti2020 (the lawyers might want to cut that line). Ben: So criminals and socialists are the same thing in your mind, eh? Jon: In the voters mind, I wonder which polls better. Eric: There was a somewhat odd passage in Bernies big speech this week in which he seemed to suggest that it was grossly unfair for Al Smith to call FDRs program socialist (even as Bernies whole speech was centered on the claim that it was). Jon: Conservative media constantly argue that Democrats are going to call Republicans tools of the rich no matter what, so they might as well give the rich a huge tax cut. Eric: I agree that, unless we stipulate that the Republican Party is terrible at politics and doesnt know what its doing, adopting its preferred description of your program probably doesnt make much near-term electoral sense. Ben: Last night, Chris Hayes posed the socialism question to Bernie, and he didnt really have a coherent answer. I thought that was also a bit strange. Jon: Yeah, Bernie was playing both sides of that. Theres no real answer there. Eric: All this said, if Sanders is deeply invested in helping to build a genuinely socialist movement, then his ideological self-identification is tactically sound. No question, DSA would have fewer members, and Jacobin fewer subscribers, if Sanders identified solely as a progressive Democrat. Jon: He just hasnt reconciled this with a strategy to actually win. Eric: At the very least, in addition to identifying as a socialist, he could formally announce that he considers himself a proud member of the Democratic Party. Its hard to win the nomination of a party you refuse to join. Jon: Or if not proud, at least not totally ashamed. Eric: I think that stance made sense when he was a protest candidate, but doesnt really check out if youre trying to win. Jon: I am not a card-carrying Democrat, but I do have a card somewhere in my dresser, I believe. Ben: Sanders had been in a steady second place in the polls for a while, but has recently been surpassed in some surveys Elizabeth Warren, who pitches herself more straightforwardly as someone who wants to shake up the capitalist system, but work within it. (And shes actually a Democrat, of course.) Do you think shes running a campaign that could more realistically succeed than he is? Jon: Absolutely.The only catch is, I feel like she was running more of a winning campaign to begin with. When she faded, she had to consolidate the left to get back on the map, and that comes at a cost. (My premise is that winning nominees tend to appeal across the party, not align with factions within it.) Its rare to capture a nomination via a faction fight. It does happen, but its rare and usually costly in the general election. Eric: I think theres still plenty of data to support the claim that, for all his liabilities, Sanders is the stronger general election candidate. But within the primary, surveys find that Bernie has a lower a ceiling. A recent YouGov poll found a higher percentage of Democratic voters saying they would be disappointed if Bernie won the nomination than said the same about any other candidate except for de Blasio. And a poll from last month showed 28 percent of Dem voters were not considering backing Sanders, which was higher than any other candidate. Jon: Except for de Blasio is a clause that is going to appear in lots of descriptions of candidate weaknesses in general. Eric: Haha. Ben: Generally, I think a lot of people are really not in the mood for any kind of party division right now. Jon: Right, 2016 was a more fruitful year for a faction fight. A small group of House Judiciary Committee members traveled to the Justice Department Thursday afternoon to begin reviewing former special counsel Robert Muellers underlying evidence, according to multiple Democratic sources. The initial group of lawmakers includes Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.). Committee lawyers accompanied the lawmakers. My takeaway is that these documents will be helpful to our ongoing investigation, and they should all be provided to us without further delay, Deutch told POLITICO, adding that a larger batch of documents will be made available to lawmakers on Monday. Deutch also criticized the Justice Department for requiring members to view the materials at the departments headquarters. Congress is clearly equipped to handle materials like these, he said. Its the initial round of visits by lawmakers to the Justice Department to view Muellers interview transcripts, witness notes and other potentially explosive pieces of information that the special counsel used to compile his 448-page report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether President Donald Trump attempted to obstruct the probe. The groups will include Democratic and Republican lawmakers, who will be allowed to take and keep notes on what they view but are expected to keep the details confidential. The Judiciary Committee struck a deal with the Justice Department on Monday after weeks of negotiations over access to Muellers unredacted report and underlying materials. Those negotiations culminated in a committee vote last month to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for defying the panels subpoena. Its also unclear which pieces of Muellers evidence would be made available and which might be withheld, either under executive privilege or other restrictions. The House on Tuesday authorized the committee to sue Barr for all of Mueller's underlying evidence, but Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) has indicated he doesnt expect to initiate that lawsuit until he determines whether the committee is privy to enough information. Story continues If important information is held back, then we will have no choice but to enforce our subpoena in court and consider other remedies, Nadler said this week. Democrats have, of late, indicated that theyre seeking to prioritize access to Muellers 302s the term for witness interview notes as well as notes witnesses turned over to Mueller documenting their time in the West Wing. Of particular interest are the notes kept by Annie Donaldson, a deputy to former White House counsel Don McGahn. Mueller revealed some of her voluminous notes in his report. Donaldson described a West Wing in chaos and a president deeply consumed with and angered by Mueller's investigation shortly after the firing of former FBI Director James Comey. A second group of committee members intends to travel to the Justice Department on Tuesday. Sarah Ferris contributed to this report. Clint Eastwood's movie about the Atlanta Olympic Games bombing has brought Kathy Bates of "American Horror Story" and "Titanic" on board. Kathy Bates will join Paul Walter Hauser of "I, Tonya" in "The Ballad of Richard Jewell," a film about the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics and a bombing that occurred partway through the event. Though innocent, security guard Richard Jewell was initially considered a suspect, having first discovered the bomb inside an unattended bag. He contacted law enforcement and was involved in evacuating spectators from the park, saving many people's lives as a result; when the bomb detonated, it killed only one bystander immediately, with 111 others injured. Even so, when it emerged that Jewell himself was at one point investigated as a potential suspect, the intense scrutiny and reputational damage affected him for the rest of his life. Bates joins the cast to play Jewell's mother, Bobi, with Sam Rockwell already in place as Jewell's attorney. Directed by Clint Eastwood, filming on "The Ballad of Richard Jewell" is expected to begin towards the end of the year. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images A US federal watchdog is recommending that Donald Trump fire one of his most ardent and high-profile defenders, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, for repeatedly violating a law that limits political activity by government workers. Conway should be removed from federal office, the US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced on Thursday. The watchdog agency made its recommendation after concluding that Conway violated a US law, known as the Hatch Act, that bars government employees from engaging in political campaign activity. In a report addressed to the president, the special counsels office identified Conway, long a prominent Trump aide and constantly at his side since he took office while others around him were ousted, as a repeat offender of the Hatch Act who has shown disregard for the law. Ms Conways violations, if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Acts restrictions, the report stated. Her actions thus erode the principal foundation of our democratic system: the rule of law. Last month, the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew) filed a complaint with the special counsels office after Conway attacked 2020 Democratic presidential candidates namely former vice-president Joe Biden in televised interviews while acting in her official government role. Although the special counsels office acts as a federal investigative and prosecutorial agency and typically has great sway, Conways fate is in the hands of Trump, her ultimate boss, and he has often singled her out for praise. Related: George Conway: why Kellyanne Conways husband is Trumps biggest critic Trump has also stood by Conway even as her husband, conservative lawyer George Conway, has disparaged him in a series of scathing opinion articles in national publications and on Twitter and even called for Trumps impeachment. White House spokesman Steven Groves swiftly hit back at the report, stating: The Office of Special Counsels unprecedented actions against Kellyanne Conway are deeply flawed and violate her constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Story continues Others, of all political views, have objected to the OSCs unclear and unevenly applied rules, which have a chilling effect on free speech for all federal employees, he added. Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act. The special counsels report bears no relation to the work of Robert Mueller, who was specifically appointed in a separate capacity pertaining to the Trump-Russia investigation relating to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The report stated that Conway had run afoul of the Hatch Act on several occasions. In addition to her recent comments about Biden, she sparked similar ethics concerns by advocating for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election. Conway was also forced to apologize after promoting Ivanka Trumps clothing line in a TV interview in the early days of the Trump administration. The special counsels office criticized Conway for not only continuing to disregard the Hatch Act but also downplaying its significance, stating in an interview last month: If youre trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, its not going to work. Let me know when the jail sentence starts. Noah Bookbinder, the executive director at Crew, issued a statement on Thursday echoing calls for Conway be dismissed from her role. Conways repeated violations and publicly expressed disdain for the law show a dangerous disregard for governmental ethics, the rule of law and the long-held understanding that government officials should not use their official positions to advance partisan politics, Bookbinder said. For her third visit to the White House, Kim Kardashian proved she means business in the ultimate power suit. Yesterday, the mother-of-four attended a meeting in the East Room to front a campaign designed to help reformed prisoners find work at the end of their sentence. In a bid to shed her reality television image, Kardashian demonstrated the art of tonal dressing in an oversized teal co-ord paired with matching courts and a miniature snakeskin handbag stuffed with speech notes. Kim Kardashian looked the business on her third White House visit [Photo: Getty] To finish the First Lady-esque attire, the 38-year-old even went so far as to debut a Jackie Kennedy-inspired bob. Taking to the stage, she said: Everyone wants the community to be safe, and the more opportunity we have and that they have and the support that we help give them, the safer everyone will be. Kim Kardashian sat between Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in the meeting [Photo: Getty] Though its not the first time Kardashian has made sartorial waves in the political sphere, as she chose an all-black Vetements suit for her first meeting with US President Donald Trump back in May 2018 - finished with punchy lime-hued shoes and rolled up sleeves. Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018 READ MORE: Kim Kardashians style file For her second visit in the Roosevelt Room - alongside a Sandro-clad Ivanka Trump - the social media influencer dressed more casual in a white t-shirt, black skinny jeans and a matching blazer. Unsurprisingly, Trumps 500 suit sold out instantly though a baby pink colourway is still available to shop. Great working session today at the White House on ways to improve the clemency process with policy leaders and criminal justice reform advocates. pic.twitter.com/2Ydoe16Dfo Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) September 6, 2018 The latest White House meeting comes shortly after Kardashian announced she is pursuing a career in criminal justice and hopes to take her exams in 2022. Story continues So far, the businesswoman has successfully helped to pardon 63-year-old Alice Marie Johnson who was serving a life sentence without parole for drug offences. Shop a similar suit Mango navy double breasted trousers and blazer, 95.98 Mango suit Buy now. Alexa Chung forest green suit, 473 Alexa Chung blazer Buy the blazer now. Alexa Chung trousers Buy the trousers now. Monsoon smart linen suit, 105 Monsoon blazer Monsoon trousers Buy now. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK: NEW YORK (AP) Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar says she would support impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump "beginning now." The Minnesota senator's comment to CNN Friday followed Trump's statement this week that he'd take information from a foreign power that offered dirt on an opponent. Klobuchar says "it's illegal" to take something of value from a foreign country to use in a campaign. She says Trump is "sending out signals" like he did in 2016, when he publicly urged Russia to find and publish Hillary Clinton's emails. Trump told Fox News on Friday that "of course" he'd go to the FBI or attorney general if offered dirt on an opponent. Klobuchar says if the House prefers to conduct investigations before starting impeachment proceedings "they should be given the time to do that." Nicosia (AFP) - Suspected attacks left two tankers in flames in the Gulf of Oman, bumping up oil prices and further raising regional tensions triggered by a bitter US-Iran standoff. The strikes on Thursday follow last month's sabotage attacks on four ships off the United Arab Emirates that Washington blamed on Tehran. Amid rising fears of a conflict, here is what we know: - What happened? - In the early daylight hours of Thursday, two vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Indian Ocean caught fire. The Front Altair tanker, owned by a company listed on the Norwegian stock exchange, was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority. The ship was carrying naphtha, a refined petroleum product, from Qatar to Taiwan. The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol, was hit by a "flying object" before suffering a second blast on board, the operator's head said, relaying eyewitness reports from the ship's crew. The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it received two separate distress calls, one at 6:12 am (0212 GMT) from the Front Altair and a second at 7:00 am from the Kokuka Courageous. The USS Bainbridge observed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boat and multiple smaller crafts near the Front Altair, a US navy spokesman said. The ship's crew, scooped up by a nearby vessel, were then transferred to Iranian boats, the spokesman added. Iran later aired footage of the 23 rescued sailors on its English-language Press TV, saying they were in "full health". The 21 sailors from the Kokuka Courageous abandoned ship after "discovering a probable unexploded limpet mine on their hull following an initial explosion", the US navy spokesman said, adding they were picked up by a Dutch tugboat. The sailors were transferred to the USS Bainbridge and US Central Command later released a video it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing the mine from the ship's hull. Story continues On Friday, the crew was back aboard the Kokuka Courageous and headed to the United Arab Emirates port of Khor Fakkan, according to a spokesperson for the vessel's Singapore-based BSM Ship Management. - Who was behind the explosions? - There has been no claim of responsibility for the blasts. Both ships have indicated the attacks originated from the surface, said maritime security company Dryad Global. But it said reports from the Front Altair indicated its hull was breached "on the starboard side partially below the waterline". The Kokuka Courageous was also hit on the starboard side, according to its managers. - Global reactions - Iran's top diplomat voiced incredulity over the timing of the incident, which came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a bid to ease soaring tensions between Tehran and Washington. "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. Washington was quick to point the finger at Tehran, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning the US would defend its forces and allies in the region. Zarif called the accusations "baseless" and said the US was resorting to "sabotage diplomacy". Global oil prices surged by four percent immediately after reports of the attacks. UN chief Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the "security incident" and said the world could not afford a major confrontation in the Gulf. The European Union called for "maximum restraint" to avoid a regional escalation. The UAE said the twin attacks marked a "dangerous escalation". - Sensitive location - The Gulf of Oman lies at the eastern end of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel that is a chokepoint for more than a third of the globe's seaborne oil exports. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait in the case of a military confrontation with the United States. Thursday's incidents come a month after four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati -- were damaged in still unexplained attacks off the nearby UAE port of Fujairah. US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Iranian mines were almost certainly behind the May 12 attacks, but declined to provide evidence. The UAE said last week that initial findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state was likely behind the attacks in May, but added there was no evidence yet of Iranian involvement. - The stakes - After last month's sabotage attacks, Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in Yemen attacked a major Saudi pipeline with explosive-laden drones, closing it down for two days. Washington had on May 5 sent an aircraft carrier group and B-52 bombers to the region over Iranian "threats". On May 8, Iran said it would stop respecting some limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a landmark 2015 deal with world powers, since abandoned by the US. A week after the May 12 attacks, US President Donald Trump warned that if Iran attacks American interests "that will be the official end of Iran". Zarif said "genocidal taunts" would not "end Iran". Senior International Crisis Group analyst Elizabeth Dickinson on Thursday called the emerging pattern of attacks a "dangerous moment". "Any miscalculation or misunderstanding risks a spiral toward more direct confrontation," she told AFP. Getty About 2,000 miles away from the Dominican Republic, in a little town in New Mexico, one of the worlds authorities on criminal poisoning is following the mysterious deaths and illnesses of Americans on that Caribbean islandand he, like others, is alarmed. Six apparently healthy, middle-aged tourists from the United States have abruptly dropped dead in hotel rooms on their dream vacations in the D.R. since June 2018. Others have fallen seriously illall from what could be deadly pesticides. More people are coming forward to say their loved ones died in the D.R. under strange circumstances in the past year, including real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, who said on Wednesday her otherwise healthy brother passed away at a resort there in April, supposedly of a heart attack. Confusing the issue are a recent series of apparently random acts of violence in the D.R. that arent connected to the hotel room deaths. The Lost Girls, the Bones, and the Man in the Panama Morgue Mexico, Jamaica and the Seychelles have made headlines in recent years after tourists said they were assaulted and/or robbed, often after being drugged with tainted alcohol. But the Dominican Republic, almost overnight, has gone them one better with chilling accounts that could be out of a Stephen King novel or an Agatha Christie mystery. Ive been watching these incidences and theyre very odd, says John Trestrail, a forensic and clinical toxicologist who headed a major hospital poison center for 32 years, was an FBI consultant, and now runs the Center for the Study of Criminal Poisoning in Los Lunos, New Mexico. Among the many cases about which he has been consulted in the past: the poisoning of Kim Jong Uns half-brother at the Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017. Speaking of the Dominican Republic incidents, Trestrail told The Daily Beast, The tough part is trying to figure it out from so far away. Whats most troubling are the people who die together at the same time from the same symptoms. You first think carbon monoxide poisoning, but this doesnt fit that. I keep hearing that the victims lungs were filled with fluids. So I think, OK, how about organophosphate pesticides? Story continues Organophosphates and phosphine from aluminum phosphide are lethal chemicals used for, among other things, hotel room fumigation. Theyre not always regulated in developing countries and accidental poisonings involving humans are thought to be a serious, although underreported problem, especially on the Indian subcontinent. Theyve been mentioned only rarely in connection with suspicious deaths of tourists and others around the world in recent years, but it is troubling that there is little transparency, awareness or accountability about their use. The U.S. has controlled pesticides more stringently than many other countries for decades. But last spring Dow Chemical, which contributed $1 million to President Donald Trumps inauguration festivities, asked the government to dismiss a study indicating that three organophosphates used in the U.S. were harmful to every endangered species studied. Obama-era regulators were poised to issue new limits on how organophosphate pesticides could be used. But thats on hold now that Trump has asked for a two-year delay to review the study and determine whether to set new limits or not. Organophosphates were first developed before World War II and later developed by the Nazis for use as possible chemical weapons. They come in a variety of insecticides, herbicides, nerve agents (like VX) and flame retardants. Weevil-Cide, which contains aluminum phosphide, was believed the cause of an apparent accidental poisoning that left four children dead in Amarillo, Texas, in 2017. Initial autopsy reports from the Dominican Republic showed some of the victims died of pulmonary edema and respiratory failure, which apparently rules out carbon monoxide poisoning or the presence of methanol in any alcohol they drankbut could indicate these pesticides. A 2014 film made in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the countrys International Medical Center called simply Phosphine, with English subtitles, has racked up more than 5 million views on YouTube. The producers wanted to make the Saudi public aware that the pesticide is often distributed illegally and in places where you would not expect it. A 2014 investigation by Canadian journalists found that there were at least a dozen suspicious deaths of tourists in Thailand hotels between 2009 and 2013 and the majority, if not all of them, were caused by aluminum phosphide, an insecticide that can kill you within a couple of hours if youre in a room that was recently fumigated or next to one. Using organophosphates or phosphine to kill bedbugs, like some commercial exterminators do, is like using a Sherman tank to kill an ant, says Cynthia Aaron, medical director of the Michigan Regional Poison Control Center at Childrens Hospital of Michigan and a former longtime colleague of Trestrail. The hotels deny, deny, deny. Maybe they know whats really going on, maybe they dont. Remember your autopsy is only as good as what youre looking for, particularly in toxicology. Dominican police, politicians and hotel operators are taking a stance familiar to those who have fallen victim to crimes in resorts in developing countries around the world. The cops and hotels say they are investigating the deaths and have asked the FBI for additional toxicological analysis. But theyre also downplaying the incidents and in some cases blaming the media for sensationalizing what they say are just an unfortunate series of coincidences. Dominican Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia said at a news conference last week that 30 million people have visited the Dominican Republic and these deaths are regrettable but isolated incidents. The hotels and everyone involved seems to be backpedaling something fierce, says Trestrail. This is just going to backfire, on everyone. If they want to preserve their image, they need to step up immediately and get to the bottom of this. Guests have a right to know. If nothing else, guests have the right to ask if their rooms have been fumigated recently and get a truthful answer. Miranda Schaup-Warner, 41, from Pennsylvania, fell ill and died two hours after checking into the Grand Bahia Principe luxury resort on the Dominican Republics south coast with her husband on May 25. A Maryland couple, Cynthia Ann Day, 49 and Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, were found dead in their hotel room in an adjacent hotel five days later. After the initial autopsies that showed fluid in the lungs and respiratory failure, Dominican police later said Schaup-Warner died of a heart attack. The cause of death for Day and Holmes, pending further toxicological investigation, remains pulmonary edema and respiratory failure. The death of Day and Holmes together is reminiscent of the widely-publicized deaths of the otherwise healthy, thirtysomething Korkki sisters, both bankers from the Midwest who were found unresponsive in their beds at the Maia Luxury Resort and Spa in the Seychelles in September 2016. The initial cause of death for both was said to be acute pulmonary edema. Seychelles officials later said they determined that the women died of acute pulmonary and cerebral edema from a drug combination of codeine, morphine, and alcohol, but controversy has always surrounded the case. Last week, after hearing about the cases in the Dominican Republic, a Colorado couple said they experienced such terrifying and debilitating symptomsdrooling, sweating, eyes watering, when they stayed at the same resort in June 2018 that they booked an immediate flight home. Kaylynn Krull said she suffered from cramping so bad that it felt like a chainsaw going through my gut. A doctor examined her and her boyfriend, Tom Schwander, and diagnosed them with organophosphate poisoning. The couple sued the resort for $1 million when they said it refused to tell them what kind of chemicals might have been used in their room or even offer them a refund. Pesticide poisoning is the the most rational theory for some of the recent deaths and illnesses. But it doesnt account for the recent case of a Brooklyn woman who said she took a can of 7-Up from the minibar after her arrival at the Bahia Principe in October 2018 and drank something resembling bleach that made her spew blood. I was cautious when I took a gulp of it, said Montes. I immediately felt it burn me, burn my mouth, burn my tongue. My mouth was on fire, she told CBS New York. When I spit it out in bathroom sink it was blood. I was just irrigating my mouth. Nor do pesticides necessarily explain the death of 67-year-old Robert Wallace in April whose niece said he got sick right after drinking a bottle of scotch from the minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the D.R. and died three days later. The family of Yvette Monique Sport, 51, of Glenside, Pennsylvania, says Sport died suddenly at the Bahia Principe in June 2018 after just arriving at the hotel. She took a drink from the minibar inside her hotel room, went to sleep and never woke up, her sister Felecia Nieves told the media. Her death was listed as a heart attack. "She was 51 years of age, relatively healthy, no reason for her to go on vacation and die so suddenly," Nieves said after hearing about the recent deaths. Nieves said the family asked for a toxicology report a year ago but still has received nothing. It makes me question at this point is this cause of death even true, Nieves said. Dawn McCoy is also questioning the death of her husband, David Harrison, in July 2018 at a Dominican resort. McCoy said her husband complained of not feeling well and woke up one morning with difficulty breathing and died shortly thereafter. Dominican officials gave his cause of death as pulmonary edema and referenced a heart attack as well. When it came up that they died from the same exact thing as my husband I thought No, no, theres no way two people could die of the same exact thing, McCoy told Fox News in Philadelphia. Starbucks Accused of Exposing Customers to Poisonous Pesticide More confusingly, there have been recent incidents of seemingly random and apparently unrelated violence on the D.R. that dont seem to have anything to do with tainted cocktails or pesticides. Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who now lives in Boston, was shot in the back Sunday at a bar in his native Santo Domingo. A Delaware woman said she was severely beaten by an attacker wearing a hotel uniform who dragged her down to the basement of a Punta Cana resort and left her for dead in January. A New York couple who went missing after they left in their rental car on March 27 to drive from their hotel to catch an early morning flight back to the U.S. later were said by police to have died in a very shady-sounding car crash. The car somehow wound up in the Caribbean and was just recently recovered. The body of Portia Ravenelle, 51, was found near the alleged crash scene without identification and she died in a local hospital April 4 without regaining consciousness. The body of her boyfriend, Orlando Moore, 41, washed ashore on March 31, 13 miles from the alleged crash site. No witnesses have come forth to explain how the car crashed into the sea and yet Ravenelle was found badly injured on the roadside. One thing is certain: Whatever has caused the many tourist deaths in the D.R. over the last year, whether the victims have been fumigated, liquidated, or died coincidentally of natural causes, the accumulation of mortal incidents is poisoning the Dominican Republics reputation. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hit out at unilateralism and trade protectionism, and said that there is a need for a rules-based, anti-discriminatory and all inclusive WTO-centred multilateral trading system, amidst the raging trade war between the US and China. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here, Modi said that unilateralism and protectionism has not benefitted anyone. "Economic cooperation is the basis of our people's future. "We need a rule-based, transparent, anti-discriminatory, open and all inclusive WTO-centred multilateral trading system focused so that the interests of every countries specially the developing ones can be taken care of," he said. India is committed to make favourable environment for the economic cooperation between the SCO member countries, the Prime Minister said in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping. ALSO READ:SCO summit: PM Modi snubs Pakistan's Imran Khan Prime Minister Modi Thursday said he had an "extremely fruitful" meeting with Xi during which they discussed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and vowed to work together to improve the economic and cultural ties. The meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit here is their first interaction after Modi's re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month. Xi said India and China should uphold free trade, and multilateralism, without directly referring to Beijing's opposition to US President Donald Trump's protectionist policies and the ongoing China-US trade war. China and the US have been in an escalating conflict over trade for the past year. The scope of the battle has expanded in recent months as Washington has tightened trade restrictions on Chinese telecom giant Huawei. ALSO READ:SCO summit: Modi meets Xi Jinping, Putin, Ashraf Ghani; discusses major issues of trade, terrorism The SCO member states, including India, said that the situation in global politics and economy remains turbulent and tense, and the process of economic globalisation is being hindered by the growing unilateral protectionist policies and other challenges in international trade, according to the Bishkek Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Heads of State Council. They stress on the importance of further improving the architecture of global economic governance, and deepening cooperation to build a transparent, predictable and stable environment for the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation through the consistent strengthening of the multilateral trading system based on the rules and regulations of the WTO, and through opposition to the fragmentation of global trade and trade protectionism in all its forms, it said. They believe that unilateral protectionist actions in violation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and regulations undermine the multilateral trade system and threaten the world economy and trade, it said. The member states stressed on the importance of further deepening cooperation in order to bring forth an open world economy, consistently strengthen an open, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory and rule-based multilateral trading system, maintain the authority and effectiveness of WTO rules, and to prevent any unilateral protectionist actions in international and regional trade. ALSO READ:SCO Summit: PM Modi holds 'excellent' meeting with Putin in Bishkek VATICAN CITY (AP) The Latest on a Vatican summit on climate change (all times local): 3:50 p.m. Some of the world's major oil producers have committed to supporting "economically meaningful" carbon pricing regimes at the end of a Vatican summit on climate change. The companies, including ExxonMobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Chevron and Eni, said in a joint statement Friday that governments should set such pricing regimes at a level that encourages business and investment, while "minimizing the costs to vulnerable communities and supporting economic growth." The CEOs, as well as heads of major asset managers such as BlackRock and BNP Paribas, also called for oil companies to provide clarity for investors about the risks climate change poses to their businesses and how they plan to transition to cleaner energy sources. The joint statement was issued at the end of a closed-door summit and a personal appeal by Pope Francis. ___ 2:05 p.m. Pope Francis is warning oil executives that a "radical energy transition" to clean, low-carbon power sources is needed to stave off the effects of a rapidly warming planet. Francis told the leaders at a Vatican summit Friday that there was still time to avoid the worst effects of climate change but that "prompt and resolution action" is required. The meeting marked the second year that Francis has invited oil and financial sector executives to the Vatican to impress upon them his concern that preserving God's creation is one of the fundamental challenges facing humankind today. The agenda included talks about energy transition, carbon pricing and transparency in reporting climate risk. Outside the summit a half-dozen protesters held up signs urging the executives to listen to the pope. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) The Latest on Mideast developments amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region (all times local): 11:45 p.m. The head of the Arab League is calling on the Iranians to "be careful and reverse course." Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit noted after meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at U.N. headquarters in New York on Friday that there are conflicting reports about how Thursday's tanker incidents occurred. "We believe that responsibilities need to be clearly defined," he said. "The facts will be revealed, I am sure, it's only a matter of time." The U.S. says the Iranians are responsible for the attacks near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians say they were not involved. Aboul Gheit said: "My call to my Iranian and I call them Iranian brothers: Be careful and reverse course because you're pushing everybody towards a confrontation that no one would be safe if it happens." ___ 11:15 p.m. The British government says it agrees with a U.S. conclusion that Iran attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The Foreign Office says in a statement that its own assessment concluded "it is almost certain that a branch of the Iranian military," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, attacked the tankers. It said it also believed Iran was behind an attack last month on four tankers near the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the attacks "build on a pattern of destabilizing Iranian behaviour and pose a serious danger to the region." He said Britain "remains in close coordination with international partners to find diplomatic solutions to de-escalate tensions. ___ 10:45 p.m. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for an independent investigation into the suspected attacks on two tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, saying it's important to know the truth about what happened. Story continues The U.N. chief reiterated to reporters after meeting Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at U.N. headquarters in New York on Friday that "we believe it is very important to avoid, at all costs, a major confrontation in the Gulf." Guterres said U.N. officials have been "talking to everybody" but "at the present moment, we don't see a mechanism of dialogue possible to be in place." Aboul Gheit said he is very worried at recent developments in the Gulf, and said: "We believe that the truth needs to be clearly established in relation to these attacks." ___ 7:55 p.m. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has condemned the suspected attack on a Japanese-operated tanker near the Strait of Hormuz this week as a threat to safe maritime navigation. Abe, speaking to reporters Friday, says: "Japan adamantly condemns the act that threatened a Japanese ship, no matter who attacked." The tanker, Kokuka Courageous, was attacked by what its crewmembers described as "flying objects" near the Strait of Hormuz, carrying methanol to Singapore and Thailand. All 21 Filipino sailors were safely evacuated. Abe urged "all related countries" to avoid an accidental confrontation and refrain from any action that may escalate tensions. He pledged to help de-escalate tensions in the region. Abe made the remarks after telephone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump, briefing him on his Iran visit this week, without elaborating. He pledged to keep cooperating with Trump. ___ 6:35 p.m. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned against rushing to assign blame for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman and accused the U.S. of stoking tensions in the region with its accusations against Iran. The ministry said in Friday's statement that the U.S.'s "Iranophobic" stance has "artificially" fueled tensions. It urged all parties involved to show restraint. The Russian statement came after President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the attacks and called it "a nation of terror." Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow strongly condemns the attacks in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but warned against blaming anyone until the completion of a "thorough and unbiased international probe." It thanked Iran for helping rescue 11 Russian nationals who were part of one of the tankers' crew. ___ 5:15 p.m. Japanese Foreign Ministry press secretary Takeshi Osuga has condemned Thursday's attacks on a Japanese-operated tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a threat to Japan's peace and prosperity. Osuga , in a statement Friday, didn't identify a suspected attacker and pledged to continue gathering information and secure the safety of maritime navigation. He says: "Japan firmly condemns such attacks which threaten the safety of ships." Osuga said safety in the Strait of Hormuz is crucial to Japan's energy security as well as to the peace and prosperity of the international community, including Japan. A Japanese-operated tanker was targeted in a suspected attack Thursday near the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker company said some crewmembers saw "flying objects," possibly bullets, damage the tanker, not mines. All 21 Filipino sailors on the tanker were rescued. ___ 4:40 p.m. The Norwegian owner of an oil tanker that caught fire after a suspected attack in the Gulf of Oman says the blaze has been extinguished. Frontline says the fire was put out on the Front Altair and did not cause any pollution. The company added that its 23 crew members are still In Iran at Bandar Abbas, though they'll be repatriated soon. Frontline CEO Robert Hvide Macleod separately says the company still doesn't know the cause of the explosion and the fire "but we can exclude that a fault with the ship that has caused this." ___ 4:30 p.m. President Donald Trump is calling Iran "a nation of terror," saying Iran's responsibility for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman was "exposed" by the United States. Calling into "Fox & Friends" on Friday, Trump says of the Thursday attacks, "Iran did do it." He cites video purporting to show an Iranian boat removing what the U.S. says is an unexploded mine from one of the vessels. Iran has denied any role in the attacks. Trump cites no new potential U.S. responses, saying the U.S. has been "very tough on sanctions." He says, "They've been told in very strong terms we want to get them back to the table." Trump is warning Iran not to close off the strategic Strait of Hormuz, saying if it is closed it won't be closed for long. ____ 4:15 p.m. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has called for closer cooperation between Tehran and Moscow amid rising regional tensions. Speaking Friday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit of a regional security grouping in Kyrgyzstan that includes Russia, China and India among others, Rouhani said "the situation in the region requires stronger interaction between our nations." The Iranian leader added that "external pressure and foreign sanctions" have made such cooperation "even more acute." Putin hailed economic and security ties between Russia and Iran, noting their joint action in Syria. Regional tensions escalated over suspected attacks Thursday on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran has rejected the U.S. accusations. ___ 4 p.m. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet says the 21 sailors it hosted overnight from one of the oil tankers hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman have returned to their vessel. Cmdr. Joshua Frey said on Friday that the sailors were back on the Kokuka Courageous to assist in it being towed. Frey says the USS Bainbridge remains nearby and is in close contact with the vessel. ___ 2:55 p.m. The Dutch company Boskalis says it has been appointed to salvage the two tankers in the suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Royal Boskalis Westminster said on Friday that the insurers of the two tankers, the Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous, have appointed its subsidiary SMIT Salvage to salvage both vessels and their cargoes. Boskalis says the situation of the Front Altair, which was carrying a petroleum product known as naptha, "is still worrisome." It does not elaborate, but adds that the crew left the ship following the suspected attack on Thursday and the fire on board has been extinguished. The company says that the Kokuka Courageous, carrying the chemical compound methanol, is in a stable condition and being towed to a port in the Gulf region. ___ 2:45 p.m. The German government is calling for an investigation into the "extraordinarily worrying" suspected attacks on two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. It also says it has no information on who carried them out and isn't saying who it believes was responsible. Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, told reporters in Berlin on Friday that a "spiral of escalation" must be avoided. She says that "what's important now is to continue investigating the background of the incidents in depth," and added that Germany "is in contact with all our partners" on the matter. The U.S. military has released a video it says shows Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers. Iran denies being involved. ___ 2:10 p.m. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has assailed the Trump administration, accusing it of radicalizing the situation in the Mideast and pursuing an aggressive policy against his country. Rouhani spoke at a regional summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Friday, a day after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz that the U.S. has blamed on Iran. Rouhani made no mention of the tankers but lashed out at Washington for walking out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposing sanctions on Tehran. Rouhani says the U.S. is "using all opportunities for radicalizing the situation, which undermines the stability not only in our region but in the whole world." He added that America has been "carrying out an aggressive policy and posing a serious threat to regional stability." ___ 1:40 p.m. China is urging all parties to exercise restraint after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that countries should "avoid further escalation of tensions." Iran has rejected a U.S. accusation against Tehran over Thursday's suspected attacks, which hit one Norwegian-owned ship and one Japanese-owned ship off the coast of Iran. Each vessel was loaded with petroleum products, and one was set ablaze. Geng says that a "war in the Gulf region of the Middle East is something that no one wants to see." China is the world's largest buyer of Iranian oil and has maintained its support for the Iran nuclear deal. Geng said that "China will continue to protect its energy security" and oppose unilateral sanctions. ___ 10 a.m. Japan's defense minister says he has no intention of sending Japanese troops to respond to attacks on a Japanese-operated oil tanker in the Middle East. Takeshi Iwaya told reporters at a Friday news conference that the situation is not considered an imminent threat to Japan. His remarks came after a Japanese-operated tanker headed to Singapore was attacked on Thursday while traveling near the Strait of Hormuz, just as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wrapping up his high-stakes visit in Tehran to help de-escalate regional tension. All 21 Filipino crewmembers pf the vessel were rescued and were now on a U.S. warship. Iwaya says Japan doesn't think the so-called "Self-Defense Force has a necessarily role to play at this point and we don't plan to send them to the Strait of Hormuz region in response to the attacks." ___ 9 a.m. The Japanese ship operator says sailors on board the Kokuka Courageous, one of the vessels attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, saw "flying objects" just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn't damaged by mines. That account contradicts what the U.S. military has said as it released a video it says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships in the suspected attack. The Japanese tanker carrying petroleum products to Singapore and Thailand was attacked twice while traveling near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, damaging the tanker and forcing all 21 crewmembers to evacuate. Company president Yutaka Katada said Friday he believes the flying objects seen by the sailors could be bullets, and denied possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damages were above the ship's waterline. He called reports of mine attack "false." Katada said the crew members also spotted an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether that was before or after the attacks. The tanker survived the first attack that hit near the engine room, followed by another causing damage to the star-board side toward the back. ___ 7:45 a.m. Iran rejects a U.S. accusation against Tehran over suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in an early Friday morning tweet called the accusations part of a plot by hawkish politicians in the U.S. and the region. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for the attacks and the U.S. military released images it said showed Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the ships. Zarif tweeted that the United States "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran-w/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." He said the United States was trying to cover up economic terrorism, referring to sanctions the U.S. re-imposed on Iran. ___ 7 a.m. Saudi Arabia says its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom. Military spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said early Friday that the drones targeted Abha regional airport and Khamis Mushait. Al-Maliki in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said that the drone attack showed the Houthis were targeting civilian infrastructure in the kingdom. U.N. experts, the West and Gulf Arab nations say Iran arms the Houthis with weapons. Tehran denies that. The kingdom says a similar attack Wednesday on the Abha airport wounded 26 people. It is just the latest in a wave of rebel drone and missile attacks targeting the kingdom, which has been mired in a yearslong war in Yemen that has killed an estimated 60,000 people and pushed the Arab world's poorest nation to the brink of famine. The development comes as tensions are rising in the Persian Gulf region. ___ 6 a.m. The U.S. military's Central Command has released a video is says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships suspected to have been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz. It released the black-and-white footage early Friday morning. Capt. Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, said a Revolutionary Guard patrol ship removed the limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous. Iran has denied involvement in Thursday's suspected attacks amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. Urban said in a statement the attacks "are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce." He added: "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests." By Nate Raymond June 14 (Reuters) - Lawyers representing county and municipal governments accusing drug manufacturers and distributors of fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic proposed a novel plan on Friday that would allow every community nationally to participate in negotiating billions of dollars in settlements. The proposal came in a motion filed in federal court in Cleveland, Ohio, where 1,850 lawsuits largely by local governments are pending seeking to hold companies, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, responsible for the opioid abuse crisis. The plaintiffs' lawyers sought to certify for the purpose of settlement talks a class that would include every U.S. county and municipality in the country, who would then have the right to vote on accepting any deal with a company. The lawyers say creating the class of 5,000 counties and 19,500 municipalities would fit with calls by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster, who presides over the cases, for a comprehensive settlement that addresses the national epidemic. The companies have resisted settling, worried about how they can settle with some cities when more could later sue, said Joe Rice, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the law firm Motley Rice. "The aim is to form a united group vested with the power to negotiate, vote on and deliver finality if there is an opportunity to negotiate a settlement," Rice said. Rice acknowledged that some defendants may oppose the proposal out of concern it could expose them to greater liabilities. Many local governments have also chosen so far to not sue and could decide to opt-out. Opioids were involved in a record 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention says. In more than 2,000 lawsuits nationally, state and local governments have alleged that drugmakers such as Purdue, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd overstated the benefits while downplaying addictive risks of opioids in marketing their pain treatments. Story continues The lawsuits also accuse distributors like McKesson Corp , AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health Inc of failing to halt suspicious opioid orders. The companies deny wrongdoing and say they cannot be found to be the overdose epidemic's cause. Plaintiffs claim it could cost about $480 billion to address the epidemic, according to defense court filings in April. Most cases are before Polster, while others are in state courts, including a lawsuit by Oklahoma's attorney general against J&J that is now on trial after the state reached settlements worth $270 million with Purdue and $85 million with Teva. The first trial before Polster is set for October. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston Editing by Bill Berkrot) Beirut (AFP) - Russian and European firms are mulling investments in Lebanon's nascent oil and gas sector as it prepares to launch offshore drilling by the end of 2019, Energy Minister Nada Boustani said. "Several big companies have visited Lebanon," she told AFP in an interview. "We are talking about Gazprom (Russia), Lukoil (Russia), and soon, the (Britain) BP firm is expected to visit," the 39-year-old minister said in her office in Beirut. "There is also interest from Total (France), ENI (Italy) and Novatek (Russia)." US firms have not yet participated in offshore bidding rounds. But US State Department official David Satterfield told Boustani on Wednesday that Washington "has no problem with US firms participating" in the energy sector, she said, calling this a "positive step". Last year, Lebanon signed its first contract to drill for oil and gas in its waters. A consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI and Novatek took the first two of its 10 blocks, including one disputed by neighbouring Israel with which Lebanon has fought several wars. On April 5, Lebanon invited international consortia of at least three companies to bid for five more blocks by the end of January 2020. On Thursday, Boustani wrote on Twitter that she had met with the regional head of BP who said his company was "interested in the second licensing round". Two more of the blocks now up for tender are also adjacent to Israel's waters. -'Negotiations with Israel'- Israel and Lebanon are technically at war, although the last Israeli troops withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000 after two decades of occupation. This has complicated attempts to demarcate land and maritime borders with Israel, which produces natural gas from reserves off its coast in the Mediterranean. In recent weeks, Satterfield has been mediating in indirect negotiations between the two countries over their disputed maritime border, whose delimitation could affect offshore exploration. Story continues "If we agree on entering talks with Israel, then in addition to negotiations over the maritime borders, we will also discuss ways to divide offshore oil and gas fields," Boustani said. Lebanon is set to start drilling in block 4 in December, and later in the disputed block 9. Last year, Total said it was aware of the border dispute in less than eight percent of block 9 and said it would drill away from that area. In the wider region, Lebanon is also considering agreements with other neighbours. In January, representatives of seven Mediterranean countries -- including Egypt, Cyprus and Israel -- agreed on establishing the East Med Gas Forum, a Cairo-based body that aims to create a regional gas market to benefit member states. Lebanon refused to take part in the forum because of the participation of Israel, but it has since started working on separate deals. In April, Lebanon and Cyprus said they were working together towards a deal over adjacent oil and gas exploration zones in the Mediterranean. - Regional alliances - "We have made way for negotiations with Cyprus and we are doing the same with Egypt," said Boustani, the youngest sitting minister in Lebanon's government. "We can't be involved where the Israelis are," she said, referring to the East Med Gas Forum. "But nothing prevents us from striking a tripartite agreement" with Cyprus and Egypt, she added. Laury Haytayan, a Middle East oil and gas expert, says such a tripartite deal is one way for Lebanon to secure strategic regional alliances in the energy sector. Lebanon may also have to strike a deal with Syria, with which it also has a maritime border dispute. Two of the five blocks up for bidding until January 2020 border Syrian waters, which may complicate drilling. "There is certainly room for (negotiations) with Syria, and we need to look into this very soon," Boustani said. "When the government agreed to open blocks 1 and 2 for bidding... this means that it knows a deal will be brokered" with Syria, she said. But divisions among Lebanon's political class may complicate such an agreement. Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his Future Movement refuse a normalisation with Damascus. Syrian regime backer Shiite movement Hezbollah and its Lebanese ally the Free Patriotic Movement, however, are in favour. Haytayan said Russia may take the lead in negotiations because Moscow is interested in conducting exploration works on block 2. "The Russians could mediate between Lebanon and Syria and together they will put in place a plan to share resources and outputs," she said. While many hurdles still stand in the way, Boustani says she has "big hopes for this industry". "The Lebanese will hopefully benefit from this sector soon." Dunham will direct and executive produce the drama series centered on the world of international finance. The show has been given an eight-episode order at HBO. Writer, director and actress Dunham ("Happy Christmas," "American Horror Story: Cult") is heading back to HBO, which was home to her critically-acclaimed show "Girls" during its five-year run. "Industry" will focus on the competitive world of international finance, as seen through the stories of a group of young ambitious graduates struggling to gain a foothold in the field and competing for positions at a big investment bank in London. The series, written and created by Konrad Kay and Mickey Down ("Gregor"), has been in development for a couple of years. British indie production company Bad Wolf ("His Dark Materials," "A Discovery of Witches") is developing the show for HBO. Bad Wolf co-founder Jane Tranter, Lachlan MacKinnon ("A Discovery of Witches") and Ryan Rasmussen ("Da Vinci's Demons") will also executive produce alongside Dunham. "Industry" will begin filming in Cardiff, Wales later this summer. Maseru (Lesotho) (AFP) - Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane is facing a motion of no confidence for allegedly allowing his wife to meddle in government affairs, as political in-fighting rocks his ruling party and threatens the breakdown of his coalition government. The motion was filed in parliament this week by a member of Thabane's own ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC), raising the possibility he will call snap elections in the tiny mountainous southern African kingdom. "We hereby move a motion that this honourable house has no confidence in a government of Lesotho led by the Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahe Thabane," read a motion filed by ABC's Motebang Koma and seconded by the main opposition Democratic Congress deputy leader, Motlalentoa Letsosa. Parliament was adjourned on Monday with no date fixed for it to sit again. While the motion did not outline reasons for wanting Thabane out, some party members have turned to local media to voice claims that the 80-year-old premier was ceding political power to his young wife, Maesaiah Thabane. Even staunch supporters of Thabane, such as outspoken Thaba-Bosiu Principal Chief Khoabane Theko, have backed calls for his removal. "He allowed his wife to usurp control of the party and government," Theko told the Lesotho Times. "What they must do is to call a special conference and resolve that Ntate Thabane should step down. He wants to play God with this government through his wife." Ntate means sir in Lesotho. The row comes two years after Thabane's estranged wife Lipolelo, 58, was gunned down just two days before his inauguration. He and Lipolelo were embroiled in a bitter divorce dispute. She won a court case against Thabane during his first stint as prime minister affirming her position as Lesotho's first lady instead of Thabane's youngest wife. Polygamy is legal in Lesotho. Known as Africa's Switzerland because of its mountainous scenery, Lesotho has a long history of political instability and suffered coups in 1986 and 1991. Story continues The ABC party has also been riven with internal conflict over the appointment of a new party vice president. A pro-Thabane faction has fiercely defended the leader. Defence minister Tefo Mapesela told parliament this week that Thabane intended to call fresh elections when parliament reconvenes. Thabane, whose coalition took office in 2017, was previously premier after 2012 elections but was forced to flee to South Africa -- which entirely surrounds landlocked Lesotho -- following an attempted coup two years later. By Daphne Psaledakis MONS, Belgium (Reuters) - Belgium's labor laws can apply to Ryanair employees based in the country, a local court ruled on Friday, in a case that could set a precedent elsewhere in Europe and upholds a 2018 agreement reached between the airline and Belgian unions. A series of strikes in 2018 prompted the Irish airline to agree to apply Belgian law to cabin crew and pilots based in the country. The union and airline finished negotiations, including on salary increases, last month. The ruling at the Mons labor court, under which employees can decide whether to be covered by Belgian or Irish labor laws, reinforces the agreement and will prevent the airline from taking disputes to court in Ireland, said Yves Lambot, a representative of the CNE union. "This is a great union victory for all of Europe," he said after the ruling. "It will allow all workers, be they Belgian or from other European countries, to be able to consult the court they consider the best." Ryanair said in a statement the ruling only recognized the agreement it had made with Belgian unions to apply Belgian labor laws for those on Belgian contracts. "This decision by the Mons Court will have no effect, and set no precedent since it only recognizes the contractual arrangements already agreed last year by Ryanair with its crews in Belgium," the statement said. The case was first brought forward in 2011 by six former employees of Ryanair and Crewlink, a recruitment agency for Ryanair, based at Charleroi airport in Belgium. The former employees will return to court in February next year to seek compensation for previously not being treated as if covered by Belgian labor laws. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Mark Potter and David Evans) Doctors across the country have joined protests over violence against medical practitioners as the demonstrations in West Bengal entered the fourth day. The medical fraternity in West Bengal has been protesting since Tuesday after two doctors were seriously injured in an alleged attack by the relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city. The leading doctors' body, Indian Medical Association (IMA), has called a nation-wide strike on June 17 in solidarity with protesting doctors in West Bengal. The doctors' body had declared Friday as 'All India Protest Day'. On Friday morning, junior doctors at AIIMS centres in Delhi, Mumbai and others states joined the protests. Their counterparts in other hospitals and medical colleges of New Delhi, Odisha, Chandigarh, Goa, Rajasthan, Maharashtra have also joined the protests. The doctors are demanding better security in government hospitals. The matter has taken a political colour after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the BJP and CPI(M) for instigating the protests by junior doctors. She has warned strict action if the doctors do not resume work. Meanwhile, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has appealed to the doctors all over the country to end their agitation and return to work. He has asked the doctors to hold symbolic protests and resume work so that the patients do not suffer. Vardhan also wrote to Banerjee to find an 'amicable end' to the stir. In his letter, the Union Health Minister asked Banerjee to not turn a sensitive matter into a 'prestige issue'. Here are the LIVE updates from doctors' strike across India: 08:09 pm: West Bengal Governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi said he has tried to contact Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "I have tried to contact the CM, I have called her, till this moment there is no response from her, if she calls on me then we will discuss the matter. I have called her, let her come," the West Bengal Governor said. West Bengal Governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi: I have tried to contact the CM, I have called her, till this moment there is no response from her, if she calls on me then we will discuss the matter. I have called her, let her come. #DoctorStrikepic.twitter.com/3xvKoY6yZP ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 7:50 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardan calls for a law to make attack on doctors a non-bailable offence with at least 12 years of imprisonment. "Heinous repeated attacks on doctors across India esp WBengal have led to this situation.Govt must pass a Law to make any attack on Docs a non-bailable offence with min 12 yr jail. Draconian Clinical Establishment Act that treats Docs as criminals must be withdrawn," Harsh Vardhan wrote in a tweet. Heinous repeated attacks on doctors across India esp WBengal have led to this situation.Govt must pass a Law to make any attack on Docs a non-bailable offence with min 12 yr jail. Draconian Clinical Establishment Act that treats Docs as criminals must be withdrawn @drharshvardhanpic.twitter.com/DPwV9sTb2j Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) June 14, 2019 6:52 pm: The Indian Medical Association calls for a nation-wide strike on June 17. The strike is in solidarity with junior doctors in West Bengal who are protesting against a recent incident of violence against their two colleagues. 6:50 pm: Junior doctors in Telangana hold protests in support of their counterparts in West Bengal. 6:48 pm: Junior doctors in Rajasthan wear black bands and handsets to show solidarity with the protests being observed by their colleagues in West Bengal. 6:46 pm: Protesting doctors in West Bengal demand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their stir. 6:44 pm: Doctors at major government-run hospitals in Chhattisgarh staged protests in solidarity with the ongoing agitation by junior doctors in West Bengal. Around 400 junior doctors of Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur staged a protest. Senior doctors of the hospital did not take part in the stir, but attended their work wearing black bands as a mark of support to their junior colleagues. 6:42 pm: Government doctors in Uttar Pradesh wear black bands to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. 6:39 pm: Union Helath Minister Harsh Vardhan writes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the ongoing strike by junior doctors in the state. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan writes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on ongoing doctors' strike in the state, asking her to 'personally intervene to resolve the current impasse.' pic.twitter.com/nW2NpPfstF ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 6:22 pm: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee will meet a panel of top doctors from Kolkata today to end to discuss the issue. The meeting is likely to begin soon. 6:20 pm: A PIL has been filed in Supreme Court seeking safety and security of government doctors and hospitals. 6:15 pm: Total 119 doctors of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Darjeeling, have resigned over violence against doctors in the state. 6:00 pm: "Over 1,200 doctors in Tripura, mostly in government services, are wearing black badges while doing their duties in all the hospitals and two medical colleges," All Tripura Government Doctors' Association General Secretary Rajesh Choudhuri said. 5:45 pm: "Mamata Banerjee has done so much for Bengal, but I am sorry to say that I do not support the way she spoke to the doctors. She must have spoken to them humbly because threats do not get anything done. There is no harm or no shame in saying sorry...That will not hamper her popularity," said Aparna Sen. 5:30 pm: Services at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and its facilities across the state were partially affected on Friday as many doctors went on a one-day strike. 5:15 pm: Around 400 junior doctors in Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur staged a protest from 8 am to 2 pm in the premises of the medical facility. As part of the protest, the doctors stayed away from attending out-patient departments (OPDs) and operation theaters (OTs), Bhagwati Chandra Verma, president, Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) said. 5:00 pm: Total 27 doctors of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Darjeeling, have resigned over violence against doctors in the state. 4:45 pm: A group of doctors also met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and apprised him about the medical fraternity's demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. 4:30 pm: The Calcutta High Court refused to pass any interim order on the strike by junior doctors at state-run hospitals. A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Suvra Ghosh also directed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to apprise it of the steps taken following the attack on the junior doctors at a city hospital on Monday night. Hearing a PIL in the matter, the Chief Justice reminded the protesting doctors of the 'Hippocratic Oath' they take to ensure the welfare of all patients. 4:15 pm: West Bengal Education minister Partha Chatterjee appealed to striking junior doctors to "keep aside" misunderstandings and withdraw their agitation, which entered its fourth day on Friday. In a Facebook post, Chatterjee said, that all their grievances can be solved through discussions with the government. 4:08 pm: Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra stopped work on Friday in solidarity with the ongoing junior doctors' protest in West Bengal. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said junior doctors at government hospitals in the state will not perform surgeries or attend to out-patient departments (OPDs) between 8 am and 5 pm Friday. Emergency services remained unaffected. 4:05 pm: Doctors condemned 'threats' of strict action by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. "We are not outsiders and this agitation is spontaneous... We are contemplating mass resignations," said Dr Arindam Dutta, spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors. 4:02 pm: Services were totally disrupted in outdoor facilities and other departments of state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in Kolkata. However, emergency services were available at one or two hospitals of the city. 4:00 pm: Junior doctors in West Bengal continue their strike for the fourth day. They have been agitating since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. The protesting doctors paid no heed to warning by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that strict action will be taken if they do not return to work. Traders and clerks at work at the London Metal Exchange. Photo: Paul Hackett/ Getty Images Traders working at the London Metal Exchange will no longer be able to drink alcohol during working hours, in its latest attempt to ensure fit and proper behaviour is observed within its famous red ring of couches. The exchange, whose mostly male traders shout bids across its circular trading floor, has long been criticised for its macho culture and long, boozy lunches. In a statement, a spokesperson for the 142-year-old exchange, which is considered the world's largest venue for trading metals derivatives, said that it had now formalised its position that ring-based personnel should not consume any alcohol prior to conducting business. The exchange already forbids drunken behaviour on its trading floor. The spokesperson noted that the exchange has broad powers under its rulebook to ensure that staff conduct themselves appropriately. The move follows the exchanges launch of its first-ever code of conduct in April, which advised staff that events, including those run by third parties, should not take place at venues that could make some market participants uncomfortable in attending. It had come under fire last year for an event hosted by the Gerald Group at the Playboy Club in Londons affluent Mayfair district, held during the exchanges annual week-long gathering. MPs called it inappropriate and a spectacularly bad choice. Notably, Brexit party leader Nigel Farage has reminisced about his alcohol-fueled time as a metals trader before he entered politics. The London Metal Exchange remains one of the last open outcry trading floors in the world. Brokers shout prices and use hand signals at each other in five-minute bursts across its trading floor, which is lined with red couches. In May, the exchange appointed its first-ever female chair. City of London veteran Gay Huey Evans will take over from Sir Brian Bender when he steps down in December. London (AFP) - The London Metal Exchange has ordered traders to refrain from consuming alcohol prior to work, in a further move by Britain's age-old financial institutions to improve staff conduct. Following a meeting late Thursday, the LME said floor traders, or "Ring" staff, would be affected by the change, seen as cracking down especially on traditional boozy lunches and client events. "The LME appreciates the high standards upheld by its members, and has formalised the general position that Ring-based personnel should not consume any alcohol prior to conducting business," said a statement emailed to AFP on Friday. The Exchange did not say how long before work staff should avoid alcohol. It comes after the British capital's centuries-old insurance market, Lloyd's of London, said earlier this year that it would take strong action over sexual harassment in the workplace. Meanwhile last month, the LME appointed Gay Huey Evans as the first female chair of the global centre for industrial metals trading. She is due to begin her new role in December at the LME, which is part of the group that runs the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and which has been operating since 1877. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Attractive stocks have exceptional fundamentals. In the case of BYD Electronic (International) Company Limited (HKG:285), there's is a company that has been able to sustain great financial health, trading at an attractive share price. Below is a brief commentary on these key aspects. For those interested in understanding where the figures come from and want to see the analysis, take a look at the report on BYD Electronic (International) here. Flawless balance sheet and undervalued 285's ability to maintain an adequate level of cash to meet upcoming liabilities is a good sign for its financial health. This implies that 285 manages its cash and cost levels well, which is a key determinant of the companys health. Looking at 285's capital structure, the company has no debt on its balance sheet. This means it is running its business only on equity capital funding, which is rather impressive for a HK$24b market cap company. 285 has plenty of financial flexibility, without debt obligations to meet in the short term, as well as the headroom to raise debt should it need to in the future. 285's shares are now trading at a price below its true value based on its discounted cash flows, indicating a relatively pessimistic market sentiment. Investors have the opportunity to buy into the stock to reap capital gains, if 285's projected earnings trajectory does follow analyst consensus growth, which determines my intrinsic value of the company. Also, relative to the rest of its peers with similar levels of earnings, 285's share price is trading below the group's average. This further reaffirms that 285 is potentially undervalued. SEHK:285 Intrinsic value, June 13th 2019 Next Steps: For BYD Electronic (International), I've put together three important aspects you should look at: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 285s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 285s outlook. Historical Performance: What has 285's returns been like over the past? Go into more detail in the past track record analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of our analysis for more clarity. Other Attractive Alternatives : Are there other well-rounded stocks you could be holding instead of 285? Explore our interactive list of stocks with large potential to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. By Robin Emmott and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - North Macedonia is likely to win European Union support to start membership talks later this year, diplomats say, but its Balkan neighbor Albania faces opposition in France, Germany and the Netherlands. Despite EU rhetoric that the bloc needs to accept new members from the Western Balkans to cement their European path and offset Chinese and Russian influence, anti-immigration sentiment has raised doubts in some northern EU states. Backed by a number of EU governments and the European Commission, Albania and North Macedonia had hoped that the bloc's Europe ministers would give the go-ahead to membership talks at a meeting next Tuesday in Luxembourg. That would have cleared the way for approval by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on June 20-21. But neither country will be given the green light then, diplomats and EU officials told Reuters, even though 13 EU countries including Italy and Poland, the European Council's President Donald Tusk and the Commission have publicly called for formal negotiations to begin. Now, the latest agreement is to reach a deal among EU governments in September, but only for North Macedonia, which is also set to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2020. "North Macedonia has a good chance (for EU membership talks), given the historic resolution of its name issue," one senior EU official said, referring to a decades-old dispute with Greece that blocked its path to the EU and the NATO alliance. The name change from Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to Republic of North Macedonia has given Skopje momentum and is likely to persuade Paris, Berlin and The Hague to back EU talks. "But Albania is still a big issue for some governments. It is not looking so promising," the official said. Perceived as one of Europe's most corrupt countries, according to Transparency International, Albania - which is already a NATO member - has made only limited progress in combating money laundering, EU and U.S. officials say, despite firing corrupt judges and prosecutors. Story continues Four other Western Balkan nations - Bosnia, Kosovo and the two frontrunners Serbia and Montenegro - are also seeking EU membership. NO ENTRY? In June 2018, France and the Netherlands unexpectedly blocked the start of EU talks for Albania and North Macedonia, seeking more reforms. Diplomats said the move reflected concerns about the impact on voters in EU elections in May, 2019. With the European Parliament election out of the way, France and the Netherlands were expected to fall into line, while the EU headquarters invited Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama and North Macedonia's President Stevo Pendarovski to Brussels. On a visit to Brussels earlier this month, Sokol Dedja, Albania's deputy Europe and foreign minister, said it was time for the bloc to stop using the need for preparatory reforms "as a way of keeping countries out of the European Union." EU membership talks, which typically last up to a decade, are a de facto reform process to bring nations up to EU levels. Despite victories in the EU election for the far-right in Italy, Poland and Hungary, talks of future membership for Albania and North Macedonia did not appear to play into the hands of those pledging to stop immigration. French and Dutch far-right parties lost seats compared to their showing in 2014. However, on June 11, the Dutch parliament passed a motion opposing the opening of talks with Albania, although a similar motion for North Macedonia did not pass. The German government wants a green light for Macedonia, but there is no agreement on Albania, which the center-right in the coalition see as a problem state. The Bundestag lower house has agreed to postpone any decision until September. (Additional reporting by Anthony Deutsch in The Hague and Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Gareth Jones) By Michel Rose and Belen Carreno PARIS/MADRID, June 14 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's government warned Ciudadanos, its Spanish centre-right ally in the European Parliament, on Friday of possible "consequences" if it goes ahead with local alliances with far-right movement Vox in Spain. Ciudadanos, Spain's third-biggest party after national elections in April, agreed at the weekend to divide up senior appointments in the Madrid and Murcia regional assemblies with Vox and the mainstream conservative People's Party (PP), causing unease inside the party. Macron's party, Republic On the Move, and Ciudadanos are both part of the new centrist, liberal Renew Europe group that they hope can play a role of kingmaker at the European Parliament as parties seek alliances after last month's European elections. "At the local level, alliances with the far right, whatever they are, are not in line with our values," a spokesman for French European Affairs Minister Amelie de Montchalin said. "Consequences will have to be taken at the (Renew Europe) group level," he said. Macron has already discussed a European alliance against the far right with Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a Socialist. Sanchez is busy attempting to form a national government after his party won the most votes in April but not enough for a majority in parliament. Montchalin was quoted earlier by Spanish newspaper El Pais as saying: "An alliance with the far right at the local level, as we're seeing in Spain, is not an option." In a brief statement, Ciudadanos said only that it was closely collaborating with Macron's party and expected it to continue to support Ciudadanos as part of the liberal camp. It made no reference to the French concerns as such. Vox leader Santiago Abascal took to Twitter to criticise Macron for "treating Spain as if it were a French province", calling it "a humiliating interference". Story continues In April, the anti-immigration, ultra-conservative Vox became the first far-right party with a significant representation in Spain's national parliament since the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. Vox had enabled the formation of a regional PP/Ciudadanos government in Andalusia by offering legislative support after an election there in December, but the weekend agreement on Madrid and Murcia took that three-way alliance one stage further. In addition, the PP has reached a tentative agreement with Ciudadanos to take over the Madrid city hall, where they also need Vox to have a majority. Their alliances are meant to block the left from taking control in either region or city. At a national level, Ciudadanos has said it will vote against any government led by Sanchez. (Reporting by Michel Rose in Paris and Belen Carreno in Madrid Editing by Andrei Khalip and Frances Kerry) SAN DIEGO (AP) A federal court ruled Thursday that a Mexican man who was arrested during an immigration sting at a Los Angeles manufacturing plant should not be deported, a rebuke that may influence how immigration authorities target factories and offices. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stormed the premises of Micro Solutions Enterprises, a maker of printer cartridges, after getting a search warrant in February 2008 for employment-related documents and arrest warrants for eight employees. About 100 armed, uniformed agents entered the factory, blocking all visible exits and announcing that no one could leave or use their cellphones. Gregorio Perez, who entered the country illegally from Mexico in 1994, was one of 130 workers arrested. He disclosed his status during questioning. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said Perez shouldn't be deported because his arrest was outside the parameters of the search warrant. Judge Marsha Barzon, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, wrote that there was "clear evidence in the record here that the plan was focused on the detention of the workers, not the search for documents." "(The) search warrant here authorized a search only for the employer's records presumably, paper documents or electronic files. Yet, the agents used the warrant's authority to enter the working area and detain hundreds of workers. Why a search for records required going onto the floor of a large printer-cartridge factory is unclear," Barzon wrote. An internal memo issued before the operation stated that ICE "(would) be conducting a search warrant and expects to make 150-200 arrests." It said ICE would have two to five buses to transport detainees and 200 detention beds available. The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and attorney Noemi Ramirez, who represented Perez, said the ruling would likely invalidate deportation proceedings against other workers arrested in the operation and that its effects could be felt elsewhere because ICE uses similar tactics around the country. Story continues "ICE cannot carry out preplanned mass detentions, interrogations, and arrests that violate a person's Fourth Amendment rights," Ramirez said. "This victory is not merely Mr. Perez's victory, but a victory for people that value freedom, that believe the Constitution means what it says and for those that believe that the immigrant community is not alone in their struggle." The Justice Department declined to comment. ICE had no immediate comment. John Sandweg, a former acting ICE director and former acting Homeland Security Department general counsel, said the ruling may force ICE to more fully disclose its plans in search warrants at worksites but he didn't expect additional impact. The ruling applies only to the 9th Circuit, which includes California and eight other Western states. "I think it's a strong rebuke of ICE and the way in which they're doing these worksite operations," Sandweg said. "They're just going to need to modify their behavior. It's going to require ICE to be more candid in the warrants that their real targets are the undocumented workers in order to avoid this." The operation had many hallmarks of an employer sting, which have become more common under President Donald Trump but are still rare. In March 2006, ICE received an anonymous tip that the company employed 200 to 300 workers in the country illegally, leading to the raid two years later. Women were taken to the cafeteria and men were told to wait in a hallway. Men were ordered to form two lines one for those with work authorization and one without. Perez was ordered to another hallway after he didn't line up. During questioning, he acknowledged that he was not authorized to work. He was bused to a detention center and released at 1 a.m. An immigration judge denied ICE's bid to deport him but was overturned by the Board of Immigration Appeals, leading to the 9th Circuit ruling. BHUBANESWAR, India, June 14 (Reuters) - Maoist rebels killed five policemen in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand on Friday, a senior police official said, the latest in a series of attacks on security forces. The policemen were patrolling a weekly market, M. L. Meena, additional director general of police in Jharkhand, told Reuters by telephone from Ranchi, the state capital. The attack took place near the state border with West Bengal, Meena added. Last month, suspected leftist insurgents killed at least 15 police and a civilian in a landmine attack on two security vehicles in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The Maoist insurgents, also known as Naxals, have battled a number of state governments for decades. They say they are fighting on behalf of people who have not benefited from a long economic boom in India, Asias third largest economy. (Reporting by Jatindra Dash in Bhubaneswar; Writing by Shounak Dasgupta Editing by Gareth Jones) BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - Maoist rebels killed five policemen in Jharkhand on Friday, a senior police official said, the latest in a series of attacks on security forces. The policemen were patrolling a weekly market, M. L. Meena, additional director general of police in Jharkhand, told Reuters by telephone from Ranchi, the state capital. The attack took place near the state border with West Bengal, Meena added. Last month, suspected leftist insurgents killed at least 15 police and a civilian in a landmine attack on two security vehicles in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. The Maoist insurgents, also known as Naxals, have battled a number of state governments for decades. They say they are fighting on behalf of people who have not benefited from a long economic boom in India, Asias third largest economy. (Reporting by Jatindra Dash in Bhubaneswar; Writing by Shounak Dasgupta; Editing by Gareth Jones) London (AFP) - The tanker attacks in the Gulf have roiled the maritime industry, with key players urging restraint over fears over the safety of a key shipping lane. "We strongly call for nations to do what they can to de-escalate tensions and ensure the safe passage of merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, said Angus Frew, Secretary General & CEO of BIMCO, the worlds largest international shipping association. Two vessels were struck by explosions on Thursday after passing through the Strait some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast, the second attack in a month in the strategic shipping lane -- through which nearly one-third of the world's oil is transported. The latest attacks meanwhile risk further raising shipping companies' insurance premiums. Already last month, the Lloyd's of London insurance market widened its list of areas in and around the Gulf posing "enhanced risk for marine insurers" after attacks on ships off the UAE. "These (latest) suspected attacks, coupled with the attacks in the UAE last month, concern me greatly," said Kitack Lim, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization. "The threat to ships and their crews, peaceably going about their business, is intolerable. "I urge all member states to redouble their efforts to work together to find a lasting solution to ensure the safety and security of international shipping around the globe and protection of the marine environment," he said in a statement. Markets have also been rattled, with oil prices rising further, building on Thursday's surge in the immediate wake of events in the Gulf. "We need to remember that some 30 percent of the world's crude oil passes through the Straits," said Paolo dAmico, chairman of Intertanko, the biggest trade group for tanker owners. "If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk." Story continues US President Donald Trump however on Friday dismissed previous threats by Tehran, that in case of conflict, it could block the Hormuz Strait. "They're not going to be closing it," he said in an interview on Fox News television. But Jakob P. Larsen, BIMCO's head of maritime security, said the current "tension in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf is now as high as it gets without being an actual armed conflict". Japans Mitsui OSK Lines has already responded by ordering ships it operates in the area to keep a 12 nautical-mile radius from Thursday's attacks. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Biotec Pharmacon ASA's (OB:BIOTEC): Biotec Pharmacon ASA, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets immune modulating beta-glucans and recombinant enzymes in Norway. The re196m market-cap companys loss lessens since it announced a -re14.0m bottom-line in the full financial year, compared to the latest trailing-twelve-month loss of -re12.7m, as it approaches breakeven. The most pressing concern for investors is BIOTECs path to profitability when will it breakeven? In this article, I will touch on the expectations for BIOTECs growth and when analysts expect the company to become profitable. Check out our latest analysis for Biotec Pharmacon Expectation from Biotechs analysts is BIOTEC is on the verge of breakeven. They expect the company to post a final loss in 2019, before turning a profit of re6.6m in 2020. Therefore, BIOTEC is expected to breakeven roughly a few months from now. What rate will BIOTEC have to grow year-on-year in order to breakeven on this date? Using a line of best fit, I calculated an average annual growth rate of 111%, which signals high confidence from analysts. If this rate turns out to be too aggressive, BIOTEC may become profitable much later than analysts predict. OB:BIOTEC Past and Future Earnings, June 14th 2019 Im not going to go through company-specific developments for BIOTEC given that this is a high-level summary, but, take into account that by and large biotechs, depending on the stage of product development, have irregular periods of cash flow. This means that a high growth rate is not unusual, especially if the company is currently in an investment period. Before I wrap up, theres one aspect worth mentioning. BIOTEC currently has no debt on its balance sheet, which is quite unusual for a cash-burning biotech, which typically has high debt relative to its equity. This means that BIOTEC has been operating purely on its equity investment and has no debt burden. This aspect reduces the risk around investing in the loss-making company. Story continues Next Steps: This article is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis on BIOTEC, so if you are interested in understanding the company at a deeper level, take a look at BIOTECs company page on Simply Wall St. Ive also put together a list of important factors you should further research: Valuation: What is BIOTEC worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether BIOTEC is currently mispriced by the market. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business take a look at who sits on Biotec Pharmacons board and the CEOs back ground. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading. Yahoo Finance Canada The death of the retail industry may have been greatly exaggerated but that doesn't mean the industry isn't currently going through major disruptive and fundamental changes. For this special series, Yahoo Finance Canada will look at how the retail scene is developing, what companies are doing to adapt, and what could come next. Click the image above to see our full coverage of what the future holds for the Canadian and global retail scene. Kerry Lu, co-founder and CEO of Rubikloud Kerry Liu could have harnessed the power of AI for just about anything, but he set his sights on solving problems retailers face with his company Rubikloud. Consumers expect a frictionless, personalized experience that provides the right product, at the right time, in the right price, Kerry Liu, co-founder & CEO at Rubikloud, told Yahoo Finance Canada. The reality is that meeting this expectation is only achievable through the successful application of AI. The suit of software helps manage things like inventory, supply chains, and promotions. In doing so, it helps companies cut down on waste by making better stocking decisions. It also helps keep more fast-fashion clothes out of landfills. Only the oil industry creates more pollution than clothing and textile. Liu says a deep bench of retail expertise helped get Rubiklouds foot in the door because his company knows what keeps retail executives up at night. Weve also intentionally built and designed our product with a laser focus on solving some of retails most complex challenges whereas many of our competitors have spread their solutions across multiple industries (i.e. financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, etc.) expecting that the same methodology will address their business challenges, says Liu. We understand that each industry has its own nuances to consider, and a one-size-fits-all solution will not work. Liu says Rubikloud has processed around $200 billion in transactions and 400 terabytes of data, making it third behind Amazon and Walmart, and first among non-retailers. Story continues For a large global retailer, Rubikloud helped them achieve an 11 per cent uplift in revenue and a gain of $15 million in incremental sales, says Liu. Despite Rubiklouds success on the big stage, Liu says he plans to keep the companys headquarters in Toronto, because it is among the best locations for tech firms. The city's lively ecosystem has created more technology jobs than the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle and Washington, D.C. combined in the last year, says Liu. We are an attractive place for global talent, we continue to be the epicentre for some of the worlds most exciting technological advancements and we have a strong support system for the startup community that continues to create an environment where tech talent can thrive and make an impact. Jessy Bains is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jessysbains Yahoo Finance Canada Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Chaos erupted in a neighbourhood in Memphis, Tennessee after US Marshals shot and killed a young black man. Brandon Webber, 20, was getting into his car when US marshals approached and attempted to take him into custody. Webber was wanted on several felony warrants. When the marshals tried to make their arrest, he reportedly rammed his vehicle into the officers vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon, says the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. At that point, The officers fired, striking and killing the individual. No officers were injured in the altercation that ultimately lead to Webbers death, however, as community members came out demanding answers and accountability, some members of the police force were hurt. As residents gathered in the street near where the shooting occurred, police responding by forming a human wall and ordering people off the streets. As tensions escalated, police turned to riot shields and tear gas to manage the crowd, who were throwing rocks and bricks at the officers. Six officers were wounded, multiple police cars were vandalised, and two journalists were hurt in the riots. Three were arrested. There is no body camera footage of the shooting, as federal agents arent required to use body cams, Dave Oney, a spokesperson for US Marshals Service told CNN. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and the US Marshals Service will conduct an internal review of the fatal altercation. The US Marshals Service not release the names of marshals involved in shooting until the investigation is completed, as per department policy. Shelby County Commissioner and mayoral candidate Tami Sawyer took to Twitter to share her concerns on the matter. I was in Frayser tonight because Brandon Webber was shot 16-20 times in his familys front yard on the same day as the Pulse nightclub shooting anniversary and on the same day that the DA chose not to charge another police officer for murdering a civilian. Story continues Ms Sawyer continued: Dont judge Frayser without asking a community how it feels to mourn their youth over and over again. What do people do with their pain and trauma when it gets to be too much, when a city has ignored them, when their loss is too great and they can no longer yell at the sky? By Frank Jack Daniel and Julio-Cesar Chavez MEXICO CITY/EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - The United States has doubled the number of asylum seekers it sends back each day to Mexico from El Paso, Texas, a Mexican immigration official said on Friday, in the first sign of action following a deal struck to avert U.S. tariffs last week. Luis Carlos Cano, a spokesman for Mexico's national immigration agency in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, said starting Thursday some 200 asylum seekers per day were being sent back, up from 100 previously. Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexico agreed on June 7 to expand the program, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, or 'Remain in Mexico,' which forces mostly Central American asylum seekers arriving at the U.S. southern border to await the outcome of their U.S. asylum claims in Mexico. Remain in Mexico currently operates in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. Close to 12,000 people have been returned to Mexico since it began in January. However, Mexico has not accepted that the United States send it an unlimited number of asylum seekers, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, ahead of planned meetings with U.S. officials on Friday to determine details of the expansion. "Today there is a meeting with U.S. authorities, to learn, to discuss the ports of entry and how the number will be measured, because Mexico has not accepted that it be undetermined," Ebrard said at a news conference. The agreement has put Mexican officials under mounting pressure to deliver results. The head of Mexico's National Migration Institute, Tonatiuh Guillen, resigned on Friday for "personal reasons," an interior ministry official said. 'SAFE THIRD COUNTRY' If enforcement measures are not successful after 45 days, Mexico has also agreed to consider making itself a "safe third country." Asylum seekers who first set foot on Mexican soil would have to apply for refugee status in Mexico instead of in the United States. Story continues Mexico's government on Friday published the section of the joint accord which said Mexico would examine any changes to its legislation necessary to permit a safe third country arrangement to come into force 90 days after June 7. The document also stated that such an agreement was intended to be "part of a regional approach to burden-sharing" in processing migrants' asylum claims. Ebrard said this week that if Mexico could not stem the flow of people, a regional system should be established to bind in other countries crossed by migrants en route to the United States, including Guatemala, Panama and Brazil. A rights group in Guatemala on Friday lashed out at the proposal to make asylum seekers from Honduras and El Salvador seek refuge in Guatemala, when its own citizens were fleeing poverty and violence. Trump confirmed the deal included the safe third country plan if Mexico did not do enough to cut migration. Asked in a Fox News interview if that possibility was part of the accord, Trump said, "It's exactly right, and that's what's going to happen." Trump also named Tom Homan as "Border Czar." Homan is a veteran of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and served as the agency's acting head during the first year of Trump's presidency. He retired last year, after increasing arrests of non-criminal immigrants. (Reporting by Frank Jack Daniel in Mexico City and Julio Cesar-Chavez in El Paso; additional reporting by Makini Brice and Susan Heavey in Washington and Dave Graham in Mexico City; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Rosalba O'Brien) MEXICO CITY, June 14 (Reuters) - Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday that he will present a document at the Group of 20 summit this month that would ask the member nations to take note of the high numbers of migrants fleeing Central America through Mexico. "We're going to present a document for the group's consideration... essentially, asking that they stop shutting their eyes to the crisis that we have in Central America," Ebrard said at a Mexico Senate hearing. Mexico last week agreed with the United States to enforce tighter migration controls to avert punitive tariffs. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon Editing by Dave Graham) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The blasts detonated far from the bustling megacities of Asia, but the attack this week on two tankers in the strategic Strait of Hormuz hits at the heart of the region's oil import-dependent economies. While the violence only directly jolted two countries in the region one of the targeted ships was operated by a Tokyo-based company, a nearby South Korean-operated vessel helped rescue sailors it will unnerve major economies throughout Asia. Officials, analysts and media commentators on Friday hammered home the importance of the Strait of Hormuz for Asia, calling it a crucial lifeline, and there was deep interest in more details about the still-sketchy attack and what the United States and Iran would do in the aftermath. In the end, whether Asia shrugs it off, as some analysts predict, or its economies shudder as a result, the attack highlights the widespread worries over an extreme reliance on a single strip of water for the oil that fuels much of the region's shared progress. Here is a look at how Asia is handling rising tensions in a faraway but economically crucial area, compiled by AP reporters from around the world: ___ WHY ASIA WORRIES The oil, of course. Japan, South Korea and China don't have enough of it; the Middle East does, and much of it flows through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. This could make Asia vulnerable to supply disruptions from U.S.-Iran tensions or violence in the strait. The attack comes months after Iran threatened to shut down the strait to retaliate against U.S. economic sanctions, which tightened in April when the Trump administration decided to end sanctions exemptions for the five biggest importers of Iranian oil, which included China and U.S. allies South Korea and Japan. Japan is the world's fourth-largest consumer of oil after the United States, China and India and relies on the Middle East for 80% of its crude oil supply. The 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to a dramatic reduction in Japanese nuclear power generation and increased imports of natural gas, crude oil, fuel oil and coal. Story continues In an effort to comply with Washington, Japan says it no longer imports oil from Iran. Officials also say Japanese oil companies are abiding by the embargo because they don't want to be sanctioned. But Japan still gets oil from other Middle East nations using the Strait of Hormuz for transport. South Korea, the world's fifth largest importer of crude oil, also depends on the Middle East for the vast majority of its supplies. Last month, South Korea halted its Iranian oil imports as its waivers from U.S. sanctions on Teheran expired, and it has reportedly tried to increase oil imports from other countries such as Qatar and the United States. China, the world's largest importer of Iranian oil, "understands its growth model is vulnerable to a lack of energy sovereignty," according to market analyst Kyle Rodda of IG, an online trading provider, and has been working over the last several years to diversify its suppliers. That includes looking to Southeast Asia and, increasingly, some oil-producing nations in Africa. ___ THE GEOGRAPHY AND THE POLITICS Asia and the Middle East are linked by a flow of oil, much of it coming by sea and dependent on the Strait of Hormuz, which is the passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Iran threatened to close the strait in April. It also appears poised to break a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from last year. The deal saw Tehran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. For both Japan and South Korea, there is extreme political unease to go along with the economic worries stirred by the violence in the strait. Both nations want to nurture their relationship with Washington, a major trading partner and military protector. But they also need to keep their economies humming, which requires an easing of tension between Washington and Tehran. Japan's conservative prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was in Tehran, looking to do just that, when the attack happened. His limitations in settling the simmering animosity, however, were highlighted by both the timing of the attack and a comment by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who told Abe that he had nothing to say to Trump. In Japan, the world's third largest economy, the tanker attack was front-page news. The Nikkei newspaper, Japan's major business daily, said that if mines are planted in the Strait of Hormuz, "oil trade will be paralyzed." The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper called the Strait of Hormuz Japan's "lifeline." Although the Japanese economy and industry minister has said there will be no immediate effect on stable energy supplies, the Tokyo Shimbun noted "a possibility that Japanese people's lives will be affected." South Korea, worried about Middle East instability, has worked to diversify its crude sources since the energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s. ___ THE FUTURE Analysts said it's highly unlikely that Iran would follow through on its threat to close the strait. That's because a closure could also disrupt Iran's exports to China, which has been working with Russia to build pipelines and other infrastructure that would transport oil and gas into China. For Japan, the attack in the Strait of Hormuz does not represent an imminent threat to Tokyo's oil supply, said Paul Sheldon, chief geopolitical adviser at S&P Global Platts Analytics. "Our sense is that it's not a crisis yet," he said of the tensions. Seoul, meanwhile, will likely be able to withstand a modest jump in oil prices unless there's a full-blown military confrontation, Seo Sang-young, an analyst from Seoul-based Kiwoom Securities, said. "The rise in crude prices could hurt areas like the airlines, chemicals and shipping, but it could also actually benefit some businesses, such as energy companies (including refineries) that produce and export fuel products like gasoline," said Seo, pointing to the diversity of South Korea's industrial lineup. South Korea's shipbuilding industry could also benefit as the rise in oil prices could further boost the growing demand for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which means more orders for giant tankers that transport such gas. ___ Associated Press writers Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo, Kim Tong-hyung and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, Yanan Wang in Beijing, Annabelle Liang in Singapore and Alexandra Olson in New York contributed to this report. EL PASO, Texas (AP) The Trump administration is facing growing complaints from migrants about severe overcrowding, meager food and other hardships at border holding centers, with some people at an encampment in El Paso being forced to sleep on the bare ground during dust storms. The Border Network for Human Rights issued a report Friday based on dozens of testimonials of immigrants over the past month and a half, providing a snapshot of cramped conditions and prolonged stays in detention amid a record surge of migrant families coming into the U.S. from Central America. The report comes a day after an advocate described finding a teenage mother cradling a premature baby inside a Border Patrol processing center in Texas. The advocate said the baby should have been in a hospital, not a facility where adults are kept in large fenced-in sections that critics describe as cages. "The state of human rights in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands is grave and is only getting worse," the immigrant rights group said in its report. "People are dying because of what is happening." Five immigrant children have died since late last year after being detained by the Border Patrol, including a flu-stricken teenager who was found dead in a facility migrants refer to as the "icebox" because of the temperatures inside. Customs and Border Protection responded to the complaints by saying: "Allegations are not facts. If there is an issue it is best to contact CBP directly. In many cases the matter can be resolved immediately." The agency also cited its response to a critical inspector general's report last month, in which it said the government is devoted to treating migrants in its custody "with the utmost dignity and respect." The Trump administration has blamed the worsening crisis on inaction by Congress. Many of the complaints center on El Paso, where the inspector general found severe overcrowding inside a processing center. A cell designed for a dozen people was crammed with 76, and migrants had to stand on the toilets. Story continues With indoor facilities overcrowded, the Border Patrol has kept some immigrants outside and in tents near a bridge in El Paso with nothing but a Mylar foil blanket. Others have been kept in an empty parking lot, where migrants huddled underneath tarps and foil blankets repurposed as shade covers against the sweltering heat. A professor who visited two weeks ago said it resembled a "human dog pound." The Border Patrol responded by adding additional shade structures, but migrants are still kept outside in temperatures approaching 100 degrees. Migrants in El Paso and elsewhere also complained of inadequate food such as a single burrito and a cup of water per day. Women said they were denied feminine hygiene products. Another complaint is that migrants are kept in detention beyond the 72-hour limit set by Customs and Border Protection. Some reported being held for 30 days or more, and one told The Associated Press she had been in detention for around 45 days. The teenage mother with the premature baby, for example, spent nine days in Border Patrol custody after crossing the Rio Grande with her newborn, according to a legal advocate who visited the girl in a McAllen, Texas, processing center. An exodus of people fleeing poverty, drought and violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador has led to a record number of migrant families being apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months. Agents made 132,887 apprehensions in May, including a record 84,542 adults and children traveling together. Those apprehended also included 11,507 children traveling alone. President Donald Trump's $4.5 billion border request for things such as an expansion of detention, medical care, food and shelter has languished on Capitol Hill since he sent it over six weeks ago, with House Democrats at odds with the White House. Congress is set to go on a break in two weeks. Lawmakers are becoming increasingly agitated. "In the first five months of this year, the number of apprehensions at the border has already exceeded the population of Atlanta, Georgia," said Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas. ___ Associated Press Writer Astrid Galvan in Phoenix and Andrew Taylor in Washington contributed to this report. By Hanna Rantala June 14 (Reuters) - Flesh-eating zombies terrorise a small town in Jim Jarmusch's "The Dead Don't Die", a comedy horror in which polar fracking sets off strange reactions and raises the dead. Reuters spoke with Bill Murray and Chloe Sevigny, who portray police, and Tilda Swinton, who plays a mysterious funeral parlour worker, about the film's albeit lighthearted environmentalism. Below are edited excerpts. TILDA SWINTON Q: Why is environmentalism such a key theme here? A: "It's the landscape of the film, it very often is in zombie films ... (they) are a very useful kind of Trojan Horse to talk about society's relationship with itself and the environment. But I would say it's whatever anybody sees in it and this is a landscape that really concerns Jim and all of us." Q: What do you do personally to be environmentally friendly? A: "I would like to fly a great deal less. I think we should all fly less anyway for about a million different reasons and not only to do with the effect of it on our planet but also on our bodies." BILL MURRAY Q: What do you do to be environmentally friendly? A: "I'm no hero but I tried to give up plastic bottles about three or four years ago. I think I've had about four since the situation arose, I either had to take medicine or something like that ... I realized I was drinking probably 100 plastic bottles of water a month. I thought, well, that's 1,200 a year, at least. And that's one person. So I gave up and stopped it and I find that glass bottle water tastes better." CHLOE SEVIGNY Q: As someone associated with fashion, what do you do for the environment? A: "I try not to use any single-use plastic and not use the dryer, take quick showers. It's all the little things that one can do one hopes will accumulate in some way. "Flying is always one of the worst and that's unfortunately unavoidable in my line of work but I do compost in Manhattan and buy mostly recycled clothes. I'm trying to just not consume as much as maybe I have in the past and just try and spread that word to especially young girls. I'm somewhat of a fashion icon and I try encourage people to buy vintage or buy slightly used." (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; editing by Jason Neely) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined The Ingraham Angle on Thursday where he finally weighed in on comments Donald Trump made about accepting dirt on an opponent from a foreign power, and maybe alert the FBI. But rather than express disapproval for Trumps comments, McConnell tried to link the current uproar to the Russia investigation and reverted back to comments he made on the Senate floor shortly after the Mueller report was released. I said weeks ago, case closed. We got the Mueller report, the only objective evaluation that will be conducted, McConnell said. Nobody has any confidence that the Democratic House is gonna engage in any kind of appropriate oversight. The case is closed. Why dont we move on? When pressed as to whether or not he would have answered the same as Trump when asked about accepting foreign intel on an opponent, McConnell responded, He gets picked at every day over every different aspect of it, but the fundamental point is, theyre trying to keep the 2016 election alive, and the investigation alive. In contrast, there were some Republican lawmakers who were quick to rebuke Trumps comments, including high-profile senators Lindsey Graham and Mitt Romney. It is not OK for any public official to receive assistance from a foreign government, Graham said, whether it be anything of value, money or opposition research. Thats not appropriate. Romney took it a step further, saying, In circumstances where a foreign government attempts to be involved in an American election, that would be simply unthinkable for a candidate for president to accept that involvement, to encourage it, to participate with it in any way, shape or form. It would strike at the very heart of our democracy. The Ingraham Angle airs weeknights at 10 p.m. on Fox News Channel. Check out Oprahs heartbreaking interview with the Central Park Five: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. Washington (AFP) - The first four days of Apollo 11's journey to the Moon had gone according to plan, but just twenty minutes before landing, the atmosphere grew tense as the crew encountered a series of problems. It was July 20, 1969, and as the world followed the spacecraft's progress, it briefly lost radio contact with mission control in Houston. Then, as the lunar module Eagle was in the middle of its descent, piloted by Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and mission commander Neil Armstrong, an alarm bell began ringing. Eagle had detached two hours earlier from the main part of the vessel, the command module, Columbia, where the third crew member Michael Collins remained in orbit. It was an anxious moment for Armstrong, a brilliant test pilot and aeronautical engineer, but a man of famously few words. "Give us a reading on the 1202 Program Alarm," he radios to mission control. They are told to keep going. Houston realizes the onboard computer is experiencing an overflow, but all systems are functional. Below them, the Moon's craters are zipping by fast. Too fast, realizes Armstrong: at this rate, they will overshoot the landing site by several miles. He switches to manual control and starts to scope out a new landing site from his porthole. But there's trouble finding the perfect spot, and it's going to be tight. "Pretty rocky area," he tells Aldrin. Aldrin continues to tell him speed and altitude readings from the computer. "Coming down nicely," he says. "Gonna be right over that crater," Armstrong replies. Meanwhile, the fuel is rapidly depleting. Houston continues to announce the number of seconds left to the "Bingo fuel call" -- the point at which Eagle will have 20 seconds left to land, or abort the mission. It is now 30 seconds left to Bingo. Armstrong, summoning all his experience, is silent as he concentrates. The module comes to a rest on the ground. "Contact Light," says Aldrin, meaning one of the leg's foot sensors has touched down. The engines are switched off. Story continues "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed," announces Armstrong. "We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot," replies Charlie Duke, the CapCom or capsule communicator on the ground. - Nazi rocket man - History records that the number of people who worked on the Apollo program was 400,000. But two figures tower above the rest for their contributions. In 1961, President John F Kennedy called upon his vice president Lyndon Johnson to beat the Soviets in space. "We are in a strategic space race with the Russians, and we are losing," Kennedy had written in a magazine the year before. "If a man orbits Earth this year, his name will be Ivan." Johnson reaches out to the godfather of NASA's space program: Wernher von Braun. The former card-carrying Nazi was the inventor of the V-2 rockets that rained destruction on London in World War II. Toward the end of the war, he surrendered himself to the Americans, who brought him and a hundred of his best engineers to Alabama, as part of the secret "Operation Paperclip." Von Braun told Johnson that while the US was well behind, they could conceivably beat the Russians when it came to putting men on the Moon, if they immediately started work on a giant booster rocket. Kennedy would address Congress later that year, famously committing "to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" by the decade's end. Eight years later, Richard Nixon was president when the goal was realized. In case of a tragedy, he had prepared the following remarks: "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace." But the extraordinary national efforts paid off. It all happened fast, thanks to a blank check for the mission from Congress. Between October 1968 and May 1969, four preparatory Apollo missions were launched. Armstrong was chosen in December 1968 to command the eleventh. Months from launch, Armstrong told Aldrin he was pulling rank and would be the first to set foot on the lunar surface. "I kept my silence several more days, all the time struggling not to be angry with Neil," Aldrin later recalled in his memoirs. "After all, he was the commander and, as such, the boss." - The giant leap - When the monstrous rocket designed by von Braun launched with the Apollo 11 capsule at its summit on Wednesday, July 16 1969, one million people flocked to the beach across from Cape Canaveral to watch. But many had doubts that they'd succeed in landing on the Moon on the first attempt. Armstrong confided in 1999: "My gut feeling was that we had a 90 percent chance -- or better -- of getting back safely, and a 50 percent chance of making a successful landing." For those in America, the final descent would take place on Sunday evening. In Europe, it was already nighttime, but everyone was glued to their televisions, though they could only hear crackling radio communications until Armstrong set up his black and white camera ahead of his first step. His grandmother had advised him not to do it if he felt danger; he had agreed, according to the book "Rocket Men" by Craig Nelson. As he climbed down to the foot of the ladder, he observed that Eagle's footpads had sunk into the ground by only an inch or two, and the surface appeared very fine grained. "It's almost like a powder," he recalled. Then, over the radio: "Okay. I'm going to step off the LM now." A pause, and then the immortal words: "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." According to Armstrong, the line wasn't scripted. "I thought about it after landing," he would say in an oral history recorded by NASA in 2001. One problem: without the indefinite article ("a man"), it wasn't grammatically correct. Armstrong said he meant to say it, but agreed it was inaudible. What does the Moon look like, up close? Its color varies with the angle of the Sun: from brown to grey to black as coal. And the lower level of gravity takes getting used to. "I started jogging around a bit, and it felt like I was moving in slow motion in a lazy lope, often with both of my feet floating in the air," Aldrin wrote in a book in 2009. Over the course of two-and-a-half hours, Armstrong picks up piles and piles of Moon rocks and takes photographs. Aldrin installs a seismometer and two other scientific instruments. They plant the US flag, and leave behind a host of items including a medal honoring the first man in space, Russia's Yuri Gagarin. Of the 857 black and white photos, and 550 in color, only four show Armstrong. The majority are of Aldrin. "He's a lot more photogenic than I am," he joked in 2001. - Homeward bound - By the time they were set to go, the astronauts were covered in dust. In the cockpit, "It smelled, to me, like wet ashes in a fireplace," said Armstrong. Collins had been waiting up in orbit for the past 22 hours. "My secret terror for the last six months has been leaving them on the moon and returning to Earth alone," he later wrote. "If they fail to rise from the surface, or crash back into it, I am not going to commit suicide; I am coming home, forthwith, but I will be a marked man for life and I know it." Happily, the lunar module's engine worked, it rendezvoused back with Columbia, and the trio began the long journey home. By the end, shorn of its extra modules and fuel, the capsule weighs only 12,250 pounds, or 0.2 percent of the launch weight of the fully loaded Saturn V rocket. On July 24, it enters the atmosphere, becoming for a while a fireball in the sky before deploying three parachutes and splashing down safely into the Pacific. The US had dispatched an aircraft carrier to recover them. Nixon was on board. Elite divers extract the men, who are unharmed but malodorous after their journey, to transfer them by helicopter to the ship. There, they are placed in quarantine over the fear at the time that they may be contaminated with extraterrestrial microorganisms. At their first press conference, three weeks later, reporters asked the three men, now global heroes, whether they would ever consider returning to the Moon. "In the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, we had very little time for meditation," replied Armstrong, ever to the point. None of them would go back to space ever again. After six more missions, the Apollo program was terminated in 1972. It was not until Donald Trump came to office that the US would decide to return to the Moon, under the Artemis program, named for Apollo's twin sister. China's economy showed further signs of weakness last month, with industrial output posting its slowest growth in 17 years, placing further pressure on the government as it tries to steady the ship while battling a trade war with the US. Authorities have for years been attempting to transition the world's number two economy from a reliance on state investment and exports to a more stable model driven by consumption, with the tariffs stand-off complicating that mission of late. Retail sales actually beat expectations, rising 8.6 percent year-on-year in May, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Friday. That compares to an 8.1 percent increase forecast in a Bloomberg poll of analysts. But the NBS also said industrial output rose just 5.0 percent, the slowest increase since 2002, and missing a 5.4 percent analyst forecast. Fixed-asset investment growth also underwhelmed with 5.6 percent growth. The readings are likely to fan speculation that authorities may launch another round of stimulus. Beijing has rolled out huge tax cuts and other measures this year to try to blunt the impact of a trade war, which has seen the US impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, causing worries for exporters. China's exports beat gloomy forecasts to rebound somewhat in May, though imports sank more than expected, according to official data released earlier in the week. But the overall downward trend gives Xi little room to fight back forcefully against the US, which is using tariffs as leverage to try to force China into opening up its economy. ANZ Research said it expected further gloom ahead and revised down its 2019 estimate for Chinese economic growth. "The economic data coming out of China over the past two months have not lived up to our expectations," it said in a commentary on Friday. It had adjusted its gross domestic product growth forecast to 6.2 percent for 2019, from a previous estimate of 6.4 percent. Story continues "The industrial outlook will remain gloomy over the next few months in our view. Consequently, Chinas headline Q2 GDP figure will likely slow to 6.2 percent," ANZ Research said. China's economy grew 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2019, according to official data. The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday also said it was lowering its China economic growth forecasts for 2019 and 2020, citing "uncertainty" over the trade war. It now expects 6.2 percent growth this year and 6.0 percent in the next, down from previous forecasts of 6.3 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively. ANZ said expectations of a US Fed rate cut would give Chinese policymakers room to adjust reserve requirement ratios and money market rates, adding that it expected Beijing to do so. Tory leadership candidate and Brexiteer Jeremy Hunt (left) with Mark Sedwill. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill has caused controversy by claiming that the UK government is in pretty good shape to cope with a no-deal Brexit. Government no-deal preparation has not been free from scandal, whether over dubious ferry contracts or a return of horse meat. The Institute for Governments Alex Stojanovic identified the public/private divide as the central issue in no-deal planning.| While the government has made a huge effort to put in place the necessary systems, processes and staff to prepare for no deal, the preparedness of the private sector is well short of where it needs to be to avoid significant disruption. So far only 10% of affected traders have signed up to the governments scheme to ease the bottleneck at the border, and less than a third have completed a basic registration to be able to import and export. Labours David Lammy was less subtle in his criticism. A supporter of the pro-EU group Best for Britain, he told Yahoo Finance UK: "These comments are baffling. What Mark is saying is completely at odds with what every single organisation involved in those plans has said. "Local hospitals across the country have warned their medicine supplies aren't secure ahead of no deal threatening patient care. Police chiefs have expressed their concerns about losing vital information networks. Schools and universities have complained about the exodus of EU nationals. "I don't usually criticise the words of civil servants, who do so much for this country under such incredible pressure. But those aren't the hallmarks of a country in good shape for leaving the EU without a deal. No deal would be a disaster and a growing majority of the public now want to stay and reform the EU, rather than follow such a damaging path." Even supporters of no deal were suspicious of the Cabinet Offices report into no-deal planning. Newly elected Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib told Yahoo Finance UK: It is hard to assess the extent to which the government has prepared for no deal. Story continues Certainly, it has not made any preparations to unlock the huge benefits which Brexit would afford the UK. It has instead seen Brexit as a necessary evil and only talked about mitigants it might be able to put in place to keep trade from getting snarled up. If the recent cabinet report is to be believed, the nation will not be ready for a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. The UK is a strong country, economically and culturally. I am sure we are ready to leave the EU with or without a deal. While Sedwill is steadfast in his belief of government preparedness, both Leave and Remain backing politicians, as well as independent experts seem to disagree. Libreville (AFP) - Here's your new job: You have to protect the country's precious tropical forests. You have to stop illegal logging and fight the entrenched corruption backed by powerful forces which goes with it. By the way, you are a committed environmentalist -- and you are foreign-born. This is the challenge facing Lee White, a green activist born in Britain, who this week was named minister of water and forests in Gabon. White, who has lived in Gabon for three decades and is a citizen, takes over one of the most sensitive jobs in the central African country. Long-running tensions between logging and conservation have been sharpened by corruption and falling revenues from oil, Gabon's main money-earner. "My appointment was a surprise for many people here," White admitted in an interview with AFP after President Ali Bongo Odimba appointed him on Monday. He said Bongo had asked him to "put an end to bad practices... (as well as) the corruption in the ministry". White acknowledged the scale of the tasks ahead. "We have to sustainably manage the Gabonese forest to improve the living environment of the Gabonese people, to stabilise its natural treasures and to preserve our ecosystems," he said. Almost 80 percent of Gabon is covered by forests. The forestry sector is a historic pillar of the economy, accounting for 17,000 jobs and 60 percent of output excluding oil. About a quarter of Gabon's population live in rural areas, and many people depend on the forests for food and livelihood. At the same time the forests themselves are a treasure trove of biodiversity, much of it rare or endangered. They are a haven for great apes, forest elephants and the black panther, as well as rare species of trees, some of them giants towering up to 60 metres (200 feet) high. - Manchester-born - White, 53, was born in the northwestern English city of Manchester but grew up in Uganda -- in a biography he recalls fighting at school with the son of former dictator Idi Amin. Story continues In 1989, he arrived in Gabon, where he studied for a doctorate in zoology. He took up Gabonese nationality in 2008 and the following year took over as head of the National Parks Agency (ANPN), a massive conservation project of 13 wildlife zones set up by the late president Omar Bongo, the incumbent's father. He was decorated by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for his dedication to nature conservation in Central Africa. Lee's high-profile defence of the rainforest and wildlife -- often with the verdant Raponda Walker Arboretum near Libreville as a backdrop -- made him a familiar face in the national media, which dubbed him "Monsieur Vert" ("Mister Green"). Bongo turned to him for the job after firing the last forestry minister over a timber-smuggling scandal. Analysts say the job will require remarkable skills, juggling tact and principles, as well as rock-solid support from the top. "This appointment can only be good news for protectors of the environment in Gabon," said Gaspard Abitsi, director of a US-based NGO, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in Gabon. "He is perfectly familiar with the challenges of conservation on a national and international level." - Graft - Others are more cautious about the prospects of reform. "There are enormous management problems at the ANPN, and this agency only accounts for 10 percent of the land," said Marc Ona, president of an NGO called the Brainforest Association and a member of the opposition. "From now on, Lee White will have to manage all of the forests in Gabon... If he hasn't succeeded at the ANPN, why would he succeed with the whole expanse of the territory?" "The problem," said Ona, "is not which individual heads the ministry but the whole forestry system, which is corrupt." In a report issued in March, a British NGO, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) pointed the finger at a Chinese group, Dejia, which has widespreading logging interest in the Congo Basin. It accused the firm of exceeding its logging quotas and spinning a web of patronage extending to ministers as well as the opposition. The then forestry minister, Guy Bertrand Mapangou, initially lashed the report as biased and "inquisitorial" and seeking to "discredit" the country. But within weeks, the government suspended Dejia's licence at two logging sites. On May 21, it fired Mapangou and Vice President Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou over the so-called "kevazingogate" scandal. In February and March, authorities had seized nearly 5,000 cubic meters (176,000 cubic feet) of banned kevazingo wood -- the equivalent of about 150 large container-loads, valued at around $8 million (seven million euros). The contraband timber was found at storage sites belonging to Chinese companies at Libreville's Owendo port -- some of it disguised in containers bearing the stamp of the forestry ministry. Kevazingo, also known as bubinga, takes many years to mature. Logging the wood is illegal in Gabon, but the temptation to flout the ban is huge. In Asia, kevazingo can fetch up to $2,000 per cubic metre. In honor of Flag Day, here are 10 fascinating facts about the Stars and Stripes that may surprise you! 1. The flag predates the Constitution The flag was authorized by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The motion read, Resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States be 13 stripes alternate red and white: that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. The Constitution was written 10 years after that and ratified in 1789. 2. Betsy Ross and the Flag Historians are still debating Betsys role in designing the first flag, but she recounted that she was asked to sew the flag by her fellow churchgoer, George Washington. Ross had also done some seamstress work for Washington. You can read the debates online, but heres what the historic marker in front of her house says: Credited with making the first stars and stripes flag, Ross was a successful upholsterer. She produced flags for the government for over 50 years. As a skilled artisan, Ross represents the many women who supported their families during the Revolution and early Republic. 3. What exactly is a vexillologist? A vexillologist is a flag expert. Its a relatively new word, coming into use in 1959. According to the North American Vexillological Association, there are currently no degrees offered on the subject. 4. Who approves design changes in the flag? Congress and the president have ordered design changes in the past to accommodate the addition of new states. President James Monroe and Congress agreed in 1818 that there should be 13 stripes as well as one star for each state in the Union. 5. Who decides the rules for flag etiquette? Its in the federal code as Chapter 1 of Title 4. The law also includes the approved text of the Pledge of Allegiance. 6. Where outside the United States can you see the flag continuously 24 hours a day? There are five American flags flying on the moon, thanks to the Apollo astronauts. 7. Which flag had the snake on it? Story continues You've probably seen the yellow flag with a coiled rattlesnake and the motto Dont Tread On Me. This is the Gadsden flag, named after its designer, General Christopher Gadsden. The flag was used in the Revolutionary War. There are other variations of the flag with rattlesnakes and versions of the motto. Benjamin Franklin was one of the originators of the snake as an American political symbol, in a famous 1754 political cartoon. 8. Where was the first flag flown outside the U.S. in military action? It was first flown over the shores of Tripoli. The Marines were involved in military actions against the Barbary pirates and after they hit the shore, they raised the Stars and Stripes. After the Battle of Derne in 1805, the flag was raised on foreign soil for the first time after a battle. 9. What is Francis Scott Keys flag connection? Key witnessed the American flag flying after a British attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore in 1814, while he was a guest on a British ship as he negotiated for the return of American prisoners. His experience inspired him to write a poem, Defence of Fort McHenry. After it was published, Key matched it up with music from a popular British tune, which eventually became The Star-Spangled Banner, our national anthem. By the way, if vexillology wasnt enough fun, heres another one: the act of adding new lyrics to an existing song is called contrafactum. 10. Whats the biggest American flag? Its so big you cant fly it, but the Superflag conceived of by the late Thomas Demski measures 505 by 225 feet and weighs 3,000 pounds. It takes 600 people to unfurl. Each star is 17 feet high. Bonus fact: The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia has its own giant American flag on display in its Grand Hall Overlook, surrounded by the flags of all the U.S. states and territories and with the iconic Independence Hall in the background. The flag has flown over the capitals of all 50 states and was hung by Muhammad Ali in a special Flag Day ceremony on June 14, 2003, when the museum opened. This mother made the right call when she noticed the early signs of sepsis. [Photo: Getty] A mother of an 8-year-old boy quickly decided to take her son to the out of hours clinic after he fell ill the previous week at the zoo. He had two symptoms: a fever and a mysterious red stripe on his arm. The stripe turned out to be a vital sign that the small wound he had on his arm had become infected. The doctor promptly diagnosed sepsis, a blood infection that can be deadly if not spotted quickly. READ MORE: Studies find dads are losing friends when they become fathers She decided to share her sons story on Facebook in order to warn other parents of the early signs of sepsis. She admits she almost didnt share the story, but her husband convinced her. She wrote: Yesterday on our way to the beach he showed me his hand. I wasnt happy as I noticed red tracking down his vein. I then checked his elbow - the same. I took him down to the out of hours feeling a bit silly but when the doctor saw it he commended me on recognising it and getting down ASAP. READ MORE: Woman left shocked after her friend dropped her baby The only reason I knew is because it had happened to a friends son 2 years ago and she had shared. She explained. She urges parents to realise the signs of sepsis and explains its not something that can be left until Monday when the doctors are back in the office. READ MORE: Woman gets stuck in childs toy car Her sons antibiotics are working and he is well in himself. However, she urges parents to get your child seen straight away if theres a red line running from the wound along the vein. She finishes: Hopefully my post might help someone the way my friends post from 2 years ago helped me. The post has been shared almost 40,000 times since with parents thanking her for highlighting the signs. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK: Through Her Eyes is a weekly show hosted by human rights activist Zainab Salbi that explores contemporary news issues from a female perspective. You can watch the full episode of Through Her Eyes every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Roku, or at the bottom of this article. Palestinian-American activist and controversial Womens March co-founder Linda Sarsour is defending Muslim congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, saying she gets fired up every time she sees them getting attacked. I think the majority of us, particularly younger women, are doubling down, Sarsour said in an interview with the Yahoo News show Through Her Eyes. I am so fired up every time I see Rashida and Ilhan get attacked, and Ive actually been helping to organize progressives around supporting them. In the six months since the freshman congresswomen were sworn into office, Tlaib and Omar have been inundated with criticism, particularly for their views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I tell Rashida and Ilhan all the time, Stay unapologetic. Don't let them silence you, don't let them intimidate you, and don't let them tell you what is right, Sarsour said. Like Tlaib and Omar, Sarsour is accustomed to being a target for liberal and conservative critics alike. She says the excessive heckling and even death threats that she has received has been difficult to bear. Its been exhausting, Sarsour said. Ive had physical issues, health issues. I've had to take breaks at moments. Depression, you know. Theres just anxiety. Omar and Tlaib have also received threats of violence, with Tlaib breaking down in tears during a House Oversight Committee hearing on June 4 as she read aloud death threats addressed to her. Those threats are all too familiar to Sarsour. Ive experienced things that I don't wish upon anybody, even those who dont agree with me, Sarsour said. I've had someone mail me a scrapbook with photos of my children in it. I have been heckled at events. I have had large campaigns led against me by pretty much every celebrity alt-right leader in America. And its very scary. Story continues Sarsour fears that for some women in the Muslim community, the threat of attack may prevent them from being more politically active. I think for some women, it is making them retreat, Sarsour said. I think there are women who are wondering, do they want to take the next step? Because the next step is going to include being attacked. A Muslim-American and lifelong advocate for women of color, Sarsour rose to national prominence when she co-founded the Womens March in 2016. Her blunt brand of activism and criticism of everyone from President Trump to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has earned her a lot of enemies, especially in the conservative media. For Sarsours children, the backlash against their mother is hard to ignore. My children cant be sheltered, Sarsour explained. Theyre adults, so theyre on social media and they see horrific messages. In February, Sarsours daughter told the popular photoblog Humans of New York about the tribulations of having a renowned activist for a parent, and lamented the toll that fame has taken on her mother. She thinks she always has to be strong, Sarsours daughter told HONY about her mother. I think if she could just sit down and say Im scared, it would tear things down. She could be Mom instead of an activist. HONY interviewed Sarsours daughter anonymously, but the post was eventually traced back to her. After initially denying it, Sarsours daughter ultimately revealed to her mother that she was behind the remarks. It broke my heart, Sarsour admitted. But Sarsour said she also found her daughters HONY confession constructive, and that it helped put her work in perspective. It made me realize that sometimes I dont have to be that, Sarsour said of her activist persona. The injustice will be here tomorrow, and it'll be here next week, and the year after that. And weve lived in a world that has had grave injustice for centuries. And Im not the one thats gonna solve the injustice. And so it centered me a little bit. And it gave me the opportunity for self-reflection, Sarsour added. Now Sarsour says shes taking a less active roll in the Womens March, staying on in what she describes as an almost like honorary role and focusing instead on organizing Muslim voters ahead of the 2020 election. Sarsour told Through Her Eyes that part of her frustration with the Womens March stemmed from a desire to synthesize the fight for womens rights in general with the needs of women of color in particular. I think that the women's movement has struggled for decades to build a truly intersectional movement, Sarsour observed. And were seeing some of those growing pains still today. I want to be part of a movement that talks about racial justice, and talks about the different privileges that we each bring to the table, Sarsour continued. Even I, as a light-skinned Arab-American woman, bring a lot more privileges to the table than black Muslim women, for example. And we were having hard conversations that women didnt want to have. The Womens March has been fraught with discord since its inception, and its leaders have been accused of anti-Semitism and discrimination against pro-life activists. Sarsour insists that the womens rights movement can be successful by continuing to encourage deeper dialogue on race especially with white women. One of the lessons that I learned in the Women's March is that we have to continue to have the hard conversations, even when there's backlash, Sarsour said. The reason why were in the situation were in is because we were not having these conversations with our counterpart with our white women counterparts. By Nanchanok Wongsamuth BANGKOK, June 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A Myanmar model and doctor said she would appeal against a medical council decision to revoke her license for posting photos of herself on Facebook in revealing outfits and bikinis. The Myanmar Medical Council suspended the medical license of Nang Mwe San in a letter to her dated June 3, saying she dressed inappropriately. On her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NangMweSanPage, the 28-year-old often posts photos of herself wearing tight dresses, lingerie, swimwear and even traditional Burmese clothing in sexy poses. Mwe San has been a general physician for four years, but stopped practicing two years ago to pursue a modelling career. The move to revoke her license bans her from medical practice. According to the letter posted on her Facebook page, the council said Mwe San had continued to post photos of herself in outfits that did "not fit with Burmese tradition" despite promising to stop doing so after a warning in January. "I was shocked and very sad. To be a doctor, it was a long struggle," Mwe San told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone on Friday. "Did I dress in sexy outfits when I was meeting my patients? Never." The Myanmar Medical Council did not respond to the Thomson Reuters Foundation's request for comments. Mwe San's post of the council's letter has drawn more than 18,000 reactions and 5,600 comments. One user, May Thet Htar, commented: "You must choose between being a medical professional and an exhibitionist. You can't take both because they contradict each other." Shunn Lei, a founder of the Myanmar feminist magazine Rainfall, said the case of Mwe San was an example of society's control of women's bodies in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. "Sexism is rooted in the mindset of the Burmese. The problem is our patriarchal society equates a woman's role with protecting Burmese traditions and culture," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Story continues "Whenever a model poses for sexy photos, it's always against Burmese culture. But what is Burmese culture? I don't really get it." Mwe San said she has not been in contact with the council yet, but she planned to appeal their decision. "There are many important ethical issues in Myanmar's medical sector. I don't want them wasting time taking care of minor issues like my modelling," she said. "But whatever I'm facing, I won't give up my modelling profession." (Reporting by Nanchanok Wongsamuth @nanchanokw; Editing by Ros Russell. 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) PARIS (Reuters) - Naval Group and Italy's Leonardo are pressing ahead with discussions on a potential tie-up involving torpedoes, the head of the French military shipbuilder said, adding the goal was to counter increasing competition in the sector. "We have been having active discussions on the (so-called) Marlin project for a year," Naval Group CEO Herve Guillou told reporters on a call, without elaborating on the timing of a final decision. "On torpedoes we have the same problem as on (military) ships: we are in a very fragmented market ... with more competitors than before so unity means strength," he added. Leonardo CEO recently said the state-controlled group could seek partnerships in specific business areas where it is not the market leader. [nL8N2331T7] Guillou made the comments during a call with reporters over the setting up of a 50-50 joint venture on military shipbuilding with Italy's Fincantieri. [nL8N23L3FS] The Naval Group CEO said the JV with Fincantieri would not be extended to Leonardo, but added the JV could work with the Italian defence company as well as France's Thales. (Reporting by Cyril Atlmeyer; writing by Francesca Landini; editing by David Evans) FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The European Central Bank's negative deposit rate has so far had a neutral impact on bank profitability, ECB President Mario Draghi said on Friday, underpinning a recent decision not to compensate lenders for super low rates. But Draghi added that the impact of negative rates changes over time so the ECB would continue to monitor bank profitability, suggesting that compensation for banks is not fully off the table. Lenders often complain that negative rates compress their margins, inhibiting their ability to lend and negating the very stimulus the ECB is hoping to achieve. A possible solution, briefly discussed by policymakers earlier this month, could be a multi-tier deposit rate, which would exempt part of banks' excess reserves from the ECB's 0.4% charge. "The overall effect of our monetary policy on bank profitability has so far been broadly neutral," Draghi said in a letter to a member of the European Parliament on Friday. "The negative impact on banks' net interest margins has been offset by an improvement in the economic outlook that has led to an increase in the total volume of loans and, moreover, improved credit quality, which has reduced provisioning costs," he added. While a tiered deposit rate has been considered several times already, policymakers said that there is little enthusiasm for such a complex scheme right now. Still, they said that the discussion could be reopened later, especially since ECB rates are expected to stay low for even longer, potentially exacerbating the negative side effects. "The ECB carefully monitors the overall effects of negative rates on the banking sector, in particular as the balance of their effects depends on the length of their application," Draghi added. (Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Nepali activists rallied in Kathmandu on Friday calling for an end to religious animal sacrifices, months ahead of a festival that in the past has seen tens of thousands of animals slaughtered. Some of the more than 100 protestors wore fake buffalo, pig and chicken heads, as they chanted against a practice deeply rooted in the country's Hindu traditions. "This is wrong and must stop," Sneha Shrestha of the Federation of Animal Welfare Nepal told AFP. "We are all equal in God's eyes, God will not ask for (the) sacrifice of her own children." Animal rights campaigners face an uphill struggle in Nepal, where Hindus make up 80 percent of the population and where ritual sacrifice is a part of everyday life and central to major festivals. Placards at the protest also called for a halt to sacrifices at Gadhimai, a festival believed to be the world's biggest ritual slaughter. Once every five years, the tiny village of Bariyapur near Nepal's border with India flows with blood, as thousands of Hindu devotees flock to its temple to honour Gadhimai -- a Hindu goddess of power. The temple's head priest begins the centuries-old festival with the ritual sacrifice of two wild rats, two pigeons, a rooster, a lamb and a pig before tens of thousands of animals are killed. Although the temple banned the practice under huge pressure in 2015, activists fear sacrifices will still be held at the next festival, due in November. During the two-day festival, worshippers from Nepal and neighbouring India spend days sleeping out in the open and offering prayers to the goddess at the temple. United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Yemen's Huthi rebels have had no military presence in three Red Sea ports since their withdrawal a month ago, the head of a UN mission patrolling the sites said Wednesday. General Michael Lollesgaard confirmed in letters to Yemen's government and the Huthis that "since May 14, the Huthi military presence was not detected in the ports by regular verification patrols" carried out by the UN. Lollesgaard asked the Huthis to remove "all military manifestations, including trenches" from Hodeida port, a key entry point for humanitarian aid to Yemen. The rebel pullback from Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa last month marked the first concrete step to implement a ceasefire deal reached in Sweden six months ago. The Huthis handed over control of the ports to a "coast guard," but Yemen's government said these forces were in fact rebel fighters in different uniforms. Lollesgaard said in a statement that the Huthi pullout from the ports was "significant" and had transformed the ports into a "civilian space" for Yemen's port authorities to carry out their work, with UN support. Under the Stockholm agreement, rebel fighters and government forces are to carry out a two-phase pullback from Hodeida and the ports, but negotiations are continuing on further redeployments. The pullback from the three ports represent only part of the initial phase of the redeployment. UN envoy Martin Griffiths, who has been sharply criticized by Yemen's president for his handling of the rebel withdrawal from the ports, is to report to the Security Council on Monday. The conflict between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Iran-aligned Huthis has killed tens of thousands of people and triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations. Women march in traditional Norwegian dresses (Bunads) on International Workers' Day in Oslo on 1 May. Photo: Noe Falk Nielsen/NurPhoto via Getty Images Norway is the most family-friendly of the richest countries in the world, a new Unicef report claims. The report ranks 31 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries based on family-friendly policies including parental leave at full pay, and childcare services for children aged between 0-6 years old. The study found Norway, Iceland and Sweden ranked in the top third for paid leave reserved for fathers, and the proportion of children under the age of three in childcare centres. READ MORE: How to cope with returning to work after maternity leave But Norway offers longer paid leave to mothers than Iceland and Sweden, both in terms of actual weeks and in terms of the full-rate equivalent weeks adjusted by the rate of payment for a parent on average earnings. At the other end of the scale, Cyprus, Greece and Switzerland are the least family-friendly countries, ranking in the bottom third for three out of four indicators. No countries scored in the bottom third on all four indicators. Only half of countries offer at least six months of leave for mothers at full pay, the study reveals. READ MORE: Paid family leave can be a win-win for workers and employers It found Estonia offers mothers the longest duration of leave at full pay, at 85 weeks, closely followed by Hungary (72 weeks) and Bulgaria (61 weeks). Meanwhile, the US is currently the only OECD country without nationwide, statutory, paid maternity leave, paternity leave or parental leave. Some states do, however, offer paid parental leave insurance programmes to eligible workers. While the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia have generous leave provisions for mothers, they still ranked in the bottom third because of poor access to early childhood education. READ MORE: This map shows how much money a family of four needs to earn to get by in every US state The report also shows that even when fathers are offered paid leave, most do not take it. In Japan, the only country that offers at least six months at full pay for fathers, only one in 20 took it in 2017. Story continues And the Republic of Korea has the second longest paternity leave. However, dads only make up one in six of all adults who take parental leave. Paid paternity promotes a more equitable distribution of care in the home and helps fathers to bond with their children, the report states. READ MORE: Top 10 most family friendly and flexible jobs For some people looking for childcare options, affordability is the biggest barrier, with UK parents the most likely to say they cant afford childcare. However, in Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden, money was an issue for fewer than one in 100 people who said that they had an unmet need for childcare. The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was devastated by a huge fire in April, is set to hold its first mass since the disaster. Around 20 worshippers will attend the service on Saturday, which is being held in a side-chapel that was undamaged by the fire for obvious security reasons, according to the Parisian diocese. All attendees must wear hard hats. Saturday is an important date for the 850-year-old Notre Dame: its the anniversary of the consecration of its altar, which before the fire was celebrated each year with a special mass inside the main hall. The mass will be broadcast live, and led by the Archbishop of Paris. The fire began on the afternoon of April 15, while the cathedral was undergoing renovations. It appeared to start within scaffolding that was covering the roof. Nobody died in the blaze, and firefighters were able to control it before it caused major damage to the stonework. The roof, however, was destroyed. In the aftermath of the fire, French billionaires and businesses pledged 850 million euros ($955m) to repair the roof. On Friday, French media reported that only 9% of that figure had so far been paid. This morning, NR editor in chief Rich Lowry spoke with Senator Marco Rubio (R., Florida) to members of the NRPLUS group on a private conference call. The pair discussed the Iranian attack on a Saudi oil tanker, Venezuela, Republican legislation, and more. Rich began the call by asking Senator Rubio about the recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which many have attributed to the Iranians. Rubio said that there is no doubt in his mind common sense tells [us] that. He pointed out that the operation, which involved running a bout out to enormous vessels, blowing a hole in them, and then returning to remove mines that didnt go off, could not have been done by any other country in the area. However, our intelligence also says it was them, so there really should be zero doubt in anyones mind about who. What to do now is fine to debate. As for why, Senator Rubio discussed the possibility that the decision was made a while ago, to help give them leverage in future negotiations with powers like the U.S. Simply put, Iran is struggling. They know that they will have to deal with the U.S. or other global powers soon, and they want to approach those talks from a position of strength. These pseudo-clandestine operations help them accomplish that by giving them plausible deniability but assuring that their adversaries would know it was them. And how should the U.S. respond? Senator Rubio said that our first response, to push assets in the region to respond, is the right one. We have allies who could be attacked, and the U.S. has to be there and ready. Next, Rubio and Rich turned to Venezuela. Why is it in our interest to remove Maduro from the country? Senator Rubio gave four reasons: First, almost all of the cocaine being used in the U.S. is produced in Venezuela. Second, Columbia is our strongest counter-drug partner in the world, and they have been put under a severe strain by taking on so many Venezuelans so a lot of money going to the drug fight is being pushed to migrants. Third, Venezuela openly cooperates with drug flights going to the U.S. Finally, Venezuela has invited into the country many forces from countries like Iran and China, who are using their proximity and protection to conduct shady business. So yes the U.S. would and should support a friendlier, democratic government. How the U.S. is making that happen is by supporting the region, and we have support from basically every country surrounding Venezuela and most Western countries. I have no doubt he will be gone. But if its a palace coup, he wont be replaced by anyone better. Story continues Rich then turned to questions on Venezuela from group members. First up was a question about how Maduro could be removed from office without the U.S. having to use force. Rubio explained that people dont realize just how huge these sanctions are. Its like getting fired. The first missed paycheck is bad, but tolerable. By the fifth one, its catastrophic. It compounds. Venezuelans know that Maduro will never be able to stabilize much less reverse the catastrophe the sanctions are causing. One example of the sanctions-related turmoil within the Maduro administration: Venezuelan officials are having issues accessing their own bank accounts, meaning they cant use the money theyve stolen from the people. The one thing we have to continue insisting upon, Rubio explained, is that the transition toward a constitutionally valid government is working. All the U.S. can do is help a democratically elected power get to his seat but that depends on the Venezuelan people. As long as theyre in the fight, the U.S. is there with them. Rubio and Rich moved on to issues of immigration and broader Republican policy during the next part of the call, taking questions from users all the way. One of those questions was about how Republicans can overcome the image of Republicans as the party of business and liberals the party of people and how millennials can be persuaded. Rubio put it this way: Republicans cant be anti-business, but we can and should showcase how our views are pro-American. He said that he has nothing against major U.S. corporations, but doesnt support the increasing move toward stocks, the stock market, and shareholders. Many big corporations, for example, just signed a letter to the president asking him to give in to China on the tariff issue, but according to Senator Rubio, the U.S. cant do that. As policymakers, he and his colleagues have to protect America first and foremost and cant be concerned with shareholders, who may be from many different countries. We have to be Americans first. He explained that its important for Republicans to focus on those examples as we go forward, identifying the difference between pro-business and what Republicans actually are. On the question of how to sway millennials, Rubio said that he is concerned that an entire generation of Americans are starting to become convinced that whatever isnt working for them is free enterprise and that they are opposed to that. There are issues for which government isnt the answer, and we can often find those answers in our communities and homes. Part of the way forward is by directing people back there. You can listen to the rest of the call above. We look forward to seeing you on the next call, in July. More from National Review Avignon (France) (AFP) - Former US president Barack Obama and his family arrived Friday evening in southern France for a week's vacation near Avignon, the Provencal city that was home to the pope in the 14th century, local authorities said. Obama, his wife Michelle and their two daughters Sasha and Malia landed at Avignon airport around 10:00pm (2000 GMT) and headed to Villeneuve-les-Avignon, on the other side of the Rhone river from the historic city. No official information has been released about the exact location of where the former first family will be staying. According to the daily Midi Libre and other local media, the Obamas will stay on Bathelasse island at an 18th century home owned by an American family. The rental for a week is reportedly 55,000 euros ($62,000). The rumours were circulating for the past week that the Obamas might reside at the magnificent home of former French Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi, high above Villeneuve. A security detail from the Gard regional police will surround the Obama's residence. But the ex-US leader's personal Secret Service detail will provide security as the family visits the area. From 1309 to 1377, Avignon was the papal seat of the Catholic Church. That history can be seen at the medieval Palais des Papes (Pope's Palace) in the centre of Avignon. A photo from the Iranian News Agency reportedly shows a Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/AFP/Getty Images Oil has risen for a second day after spiking on Thursday after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Brent crude (BZ=F) was up 0.3% to $61.47 as the US claimed Iran was behind the attacks, which fuelled fears of reduced crude flows along one of the worlds busiest shipping routes. The British government is reported to share US suspicions about Iranian involvement in the explosions, in what is thought to be the second attack in a month in the region. But oil remains volatile after the incidents near Iran and the Strait of Hormuz pushed up oil prices by up to 4.5% on Thursday, with the price of crude down 0.2% (CL=F) to $52.19 on Friday morning. The explosions have halted the slide in prices that has rattled the industry in recent weeks amid concerns about global demand levels. READ MORE: Tensions on the rise over oil tanker attacks as US releases video of Iranian patrol boat near vessel Tehran has denied any involvement in the blasts, which saw three separate detonations on board the Norwegian ship the Front Altair and the Japanese Kokuka Courageous. Dozens of staff were rescued. "The events in the Gulf would now appear to have taken on an overt military dimension and we are waiting to see what action the U.S. Fifth Fleet and other military resources in the region may take," said Tom O'Sullivan, founder of energy and security consultancy Mathyos Advisory. Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 multinational nuclear pact with Iran and reimposed sanctions, especially targeting Tehran's oil exports. An OPEC report yesterday noted: "Throughout the first half of this year, ongoing global trade tensions have escalated. Significant downside risks from escalating trade disputes spilling over to global demand growth remain." READ MORE: Oil spikes on Thursday after blasts in Gulf of Oman DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Mysterious attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz this week show how one of the world's crucial chokepoints for global energy supplies can be easily targeted, 30 years after the U.S. Navy and Iran were entangled in a similarly shadowy conflict called the "Tanker War." While the current tensions are nowhere near the damage done then, it underscores how dangerous the situation is and how explosive it can become. The so-called "Tanker War" involved American naval ships escorting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf and the strait after Iranian mines damaged vessels in the region. It culminated in a one-day naval battle between Washington and Tehran, and also saw America accidentally shoot down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people. U.S. estimates suggest Iran attacked over 160 ships in the late 1980s confrontation. "We need to remember that some 30% of the world's crude oil passes through the straits," said Paolo d'Amico, the chairman of the oil tanker association INTERTANKO. "If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk." So far, six oil tankers have been damaged in suspected limpet mine attacks, explosives that can be magnetically stuck to the side of a ship. The first attack happened May 12 off the coast of the Emirati port city of Fujairah and targeted four tankers. Thursday's apparent attack damaged two other tankers. The U.S. has blamed Iran for both incidents, offering a video on Friday it said showed Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces spirit away one mine stuck to a tanker that didn't explode in Thursday's assault. For its part, Iran denies being involved and calls the allegations part of America's "Iranophobic campaign" against it. Meanwhile, the owner of the tanker Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw "flying objects" before the attack, suggesting it wasn't damaged by mines and contradicting the U.S. military. Story continues Confusion pervaded the start of the "Tanker War" as well. That conflict grew out of the bloody eight-year war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s, which began when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. The war killed 1 million people. The U.S. supported Saddam by providing intelligence, weaponry and other aid. Iraq first targeted Iran's shipping and by 1984 attacked Kharg Island, a crucial oil-tanker-loading terminal for Iran. Its air force also attacked ships in the Persian Gulf. After the Kharg attack, Iran began a concerted campaign to attack shipping in the region. Iraq ultimately would attack over 280 vessels to Iran's 168, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. The Iran's mining campaign began in earnest in 1987. At night, the Revolutionary Guard would drop mines from vessels disguised as traditional dhows, which ferry cargo around the waters of the Persian Gulf. As attacks targeted Kuwaiti oil tankers, the U.S. ultimately stepped in to protect them. The Soviet Union also volunteered. While mines represented a small number of the attacks, their psychological impact grew. They also allowed Iran to attack its foes without having to take direct responsibility. The mines were described as "God's angels that descend and do what is necessary," by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who would later become president of Iran. Analysts say use of naval mines and bombs is a trend that continues today. "Iran's strategy at sea particularly is based on disruption," said Dave DesRoches, a professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington. "They know they can't dominate. They have to disrupt." Ultimately, the U.S. tied Iran to the mining when it captured the Ajr, an Iranian ship loaded with mines in 1987. When the USS Samuel B. Roberts struck a mine and nearly sank the next year, the Navy matched it to those seized from the Ajr. The attack on the Roberts sparked a daylong naval battle between Iran and the U.S., known as Operation Praying Mantis. American forces attacked two Iranian oil rigs and sank or damaged six Iranian vessels. Several months later, tragedy struck. The USS Vincennes, after chasing Guard vessels into Iranian territorial waters, mistook an Iran Air commercial jetliner for an Iranian F-14, shooting it down and killing all 290 people onboard. Thirty years later, events of the "Tanker War" still resonate in Iran. A recent billboard put up in Tehran's Vali-e-Asr Square shows U.S. and Israeli ships afire and sinking, with captions in English, Farsi, Arabic and Hebrew reading: "We Drowned Them All." While the billboard is meant to show support for the Palestinians it prominently features Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque it came just days after the Fujairah attack. Around this time as well, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave an address to university students, who gave him a portrait of Nader Mahdavi, a Revolutionary Guard soldier killed in a U.S. attack amid the "Tanker War." "The supreme leader asked whose picture it was and I replied, 'Mahdavi,'" the semi-official ANA news agency quoted the student who gave the portrait to Khamenei as saying. "The supreme leader smiled and said, 'Excellent, very timely.'" ___ Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP . AURORA, Ore. (AP) A unit of wheat is called a bushel, and a standard weight of potatoes is called a century. But hemp as a fully legal U.S. agricultural commodity is so new that a unit of hemp seed doesn't yet have a universal name or an agreed-upon quantity. That's one example of the startling lack of uniformity and accountability in an industry that's sprung up almost overnight since the U.S. late last year removed hemp from the controlled substances list. A global hemp research lab announced Thursday in Oregon, coupled with a nascent national review board for hemp varieties and a handful of seed certification programs nationwide, are the first stabs at addressing those concerns and at creating accountability by standardizing U.S. hemp for a global market. "If you look at a lot of financial markets, they're all saying, 'People are investing in this, and we have no idea what to divide it by," said Jay Noller, head of Oregon State University's new Global Hemp Innovation Center. "We have hemp fiber. What is it? What's the standard length?" Oregon State's research hub will be the United States' largest and will offer a certification for hemp seed that guarantees farmers the seed they're buying is legitimate and legal. That's a critical need when individual hemp seeds are selling for $1.20 to $1.40 each and an acre of crop takes up to 2,000 seeds, Noller said. Licensed hemp acreage in Oregon, which has an ideal climate for growing the crop, has increased six-fold since last year, earning Oregon the No. 3 spot for hemp cultivation after Montana and Colorado, according to Vote Hemp, which advocates for and tracks the industry in the U.S. Four other states North Dakota, Colorado, Tennessee and North Carolina also have hemp seed certification programs. Other U.S. universities, such as Cornell in Ithaca, New York, have hemp research programs, but Oregon State's will be the largest, built on years of hemp research done in test fields in China, Bosnia and Serbia and now at 10 research stations sprinkled across the state. On Thursday, Oregon State researchers began to sow their third crop in a field in Aurora. Story continues The new center dovetails with a greater movement to create a national infrastructure around hemp as the market explodes. Globally, the supply of hemp is less than 10% of the demand, and that's driving states like Oregon to rush to stake a claim in the international marketplace, Noller said. Across the U.S., the number of licensed acres of hemp jumped 204% from 2017 to 2018, according to Vote Hemp. And the market for a hemp-derived extract called cannabidiol, or CBD, is expected to grow from $618 million in 2018 to $22 billion in 2022 as its popularity as a health aide skyrockets. The U.S. National Review Board for Hemp Varieties will start taking applications in the fall from growers who want to claim credit for specific genetic varieties of hemp. Once growers have secured a unique designation from the board, they can apply for a plant patent with the U.S. government so no other grower can produce that type of hemp. A meeting in Harbin, China, in early July will bring together members of the global hemp industry to start to hash out critical details such as what to call a unit of hemp seed or the standard length of hemp fiber, Noller said. Other countries, such as China, have been growing hemp for years, but the industry lacks a universal standard countries can apply to trade, he said. "This is the first time in U.S. history where we have a new crop that's suddenly gone from prohibited to no longer prohibited," Noller said. "We have never had something like this." Hemp growers like Trey Willison applauded the move toward greater transparency in a booming market. Some novice farmers are falling prey to seed sellers who secretly, or even unwittingly, market seed that grows into "hot" cannabis plants, with THC levels too high to market legally as hemp, he said. Hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants but have different THC levels. Marijuana, illegal under federal law, refers to plants with more than a trace of THC. Hemp has almost no THC 0.3% or less under U.S. government standards. States with hemp programs test for THC in the crops, but do so after the plants are grown and close to harvest. Crops that test over the THC limit for hemp must be destroyed and farmers with bad seed might not know until it's too late, Willison said. In one case last year, an Oregon seed seller marketed seeds on Craigslist as having a 3-to-1 CBD to THC ratio but unbeknownst to farmers, the THC levels were still too high to be legal, he said. Several farms in Wisconsin, where agricultural hemp was just getting underway, bought the seeds and then went under when the resulting plants tested "hot," Willison said. The seeds "look identical, and you can't tell them apart until four months into the year, when you know something's wrong," he said. "A bunch of farms failed, and it originated in Oregon." Other sellers are marking up the cost of what he called "garbage seed" as much as 1,000 times, said Willison, who started Unique Botanicals in Springfield, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Portland, after leaving his marijuana-growing business due to a glut of weed in the Oregon market. "A lot of people say, 'Is your seed certified?' and there's no such thing as certified seed right now. There's no test, there's no oversight. ... There's no proof of where the seed is coming from," he said. "They're trying. It's at the very beginning, for sure, but they are trying to do something about this mess." ___ Flaccus is a member of AP's marijuana beat team. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus . Follow AP's complete marijuana coverage: https://apnews.com/Marijuana (In paragraph 8, replaces decades with decade) By Ruffin Prevost OLD FAITHFUL, Wyo., June 13 (Reuters) - Against the backdrop of Yellowstone's Old Faithful Geyser, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday urged Congress to dedicate billions of dollars in federal energy revenues for repairs to aging facilities at America's national parks. The Trump administration proposal, which failed to pass last year despite broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, offers warring Republicans and Democrats a rare vehicle for legislative common ground. Upkeep of the park system, whose facilities and infrastructure have fallen into disrepair as visitation at many parks has risen steadily in recent years, is widely seen as popular with voters in both major parties. Pence paid a visit to Yellowstone, one of the oldest and most popular of America's national parks, to rally attention to the funding plan and the cause of preserving "extraordinary treasures in the life of our nation." U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly joined Pence for his appearance, carefully timed to coincide with one of the periodic eruptions of the Old Faithful Geyser, a major attraction in a park world renowned for its geothermal features and wildlife. $16 BILLION IN PROJECTS The proposal calls for earmarking a portion of all revenues generated by energy leasing from federal lands and offshore wells to help pay for $16 billion in deferred maintenance projects at Interior Department properties nationwide. The bulk of that backlog, nearly $12 billion, is needed by the National Park Service to repair campgrounds, roads, bridges, visitor centers, trails and other facilities. The special fund is projected to furnish $6.8 billion over the next decade. More than 300 million people visit the nation's 419 national park sites annually. But while admissions have climbed over the past decade - up roughly 50 percent at Yellowstone alone - funding and staffing has remained relatively flat. Story continues President Donald Trump proposed cutting Park Service spending next year by 15 percent. Paul and Nadine Atkinson, a retired couple from Columbia Falls, Montana, were among the geyser gazers who had to view the eruption from a less ideal section of boardwalk to accommodate security for Pence. "This is one of the true treasures of our country, and keeping it in good shape is a great idea," said Paul Atkinson. (Reporting by Ruffin Prevost in Yellowstone National Park; Editing by Steve Gorman and Cynthia Osterman) By Ruffin Prevost OLD FAITHFUL, Wyo. (Reuters) - Against the backdrop of Yellowstone's Old Faithful Geyser, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday urged Congress to dedicate billions of dollars in federal energy revenues for repairs to aging facilities at America's national parks. The Trump administration proposal, which failed to pass last year despite broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, offers warring Republicans and Democrats a rare vehicle for legislative common ground. Upkeep of the park system, whose facilities and infrastructure have fallen into disrepair as visitation at many parks has risen steadily in recent years, is widely seen as popular with voters in both major parties. Pence paid a visit to Yellowstone, one of the oldest and most popular of America's national parks, to rally attention to the funding plan and the cause of preserving "extraordinary treasures in the life of our nation." U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly joined Pence for his appearance, carefully timed to coincide with one of the periodic eruptions of the Old Faithful Geyser, a major attraction in a park world renowned for its geothermal features and wildlife. $16 BILLION IN PROJECTS The proposal calls for earmarking a portion of all revenues generated by energy leasing from federal lands and offshore wells to help pay for $16 billion in deferred maintenance projects at Interior Department properties nationwide. The bulk of that backlog, nearly $12 billion, is needed by the National Park Service to repair campgrounds, roads, bridges, visitor centers, trails and other facilities. The special fund is projected to furnish $6.8 billion over the next decade. More than 300 million people visit the nation's 419 national park sites annually. But while admissions have climbed over the past decade - up roughly 50 percent at Yellowstone alone - funding and staffing has remained relatively flat. Story continues President Donald Trump proposed cutting Park Service spending next year by 15 percent. Paul and Nadine Atkinson, a retired couple from Columbia Falls, Montana, were among the geyser gazers who had to view the eruption from a less ideal section of boardwalk to accommodate security for Pence. "This is one of the true treasures of our country, and keeping it in good shape is a great idea," said Paul Atkinson. (This story was refiled to replace decades with decade in paragraph 8) (Reporting by Ruffin Prevost in Yellowstone National Park; Editing by Steve Gorman and Cynthia Osterman) New York (AFP) - Tankers like those apparently attacked Thursday in the Gulf of Oman operate through increasingly treacherous waters, facing mounting dangers from piracy and collision as well as geopolitical hazards. Around 60 million barrels of petroleum product move each day on the seas globally, according to the US Energy Information Administration. And around a third of this volume passes through the Straits of Hormuz, a critical shipping passage. This waterway is a principal route for crude exports from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq. It is also a key route for natural gas exports from Qatar. Other highly strategic waterways include the Strait of Malacca between Singapore and Indonesia, the Suez Canal in Egypt and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. "Blocking a chokepoint, even temporarily, can lead to substantial increases in total energy costs and world energy prices," said EIA in a 2017 report. "Chokepoints also leave oil tankers vulnerable to theft from pirates, terrorist attacks, political unrest in the form of wars or hostilities and shipping accidents that can lead to disastrous oil spills." Alexander Booth, head of market analysis at Kpler, said tankers are accustomed to traveling with pirates in their midst, especially in areas like the Strait of Malacca and the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. "Historically, the biggest military or terrorist threat is piracy," Booth said. "Off the coasts of Somalia for instance, whilst they are going through certain areas, they would often broadcast the fact they have guards on board." Booth said attacks such as those suspected on Thursday are "very rare." - Collisions - Thursday's incidents come about a month after attacks on four ships, including three oil tankers, anchored off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. As with Thursday's incidents, the May attacks inflamed tensions between the United States and Iran. Story continues Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Iran could do damage. Iran "does not have to launch a major war," Cordesman wrote in an commentary on CSIS's website. "It can conduct sporadic, low-level attacks that do not necessarily provoke a major US or Arab reaction but create sudden risk premiums in petroleum prices and the equivalent of a war of attrition." Still another risk has been Iran's move to shut off automatic identification systems to help tankers evade US sanctions on Iranian crude, said Matt Smith of ClipperData. AIS is used by vessel traffic services and permits ships to know if other vessels are nearby. "One new danger is the increased risk of collisions due to vessels switching off their AIS," Smith said. In January 2018, the Iranian-owned Sanchi tanker carrying 136,000 ton of light crude oil caught fire after colliding with a bulk freighter in a deadly crash. Shipping companies are aware of this and can change course as a result, according to Booth, who said routes can be shifted not just to shorten distances but also due to refinery activity, product specifications and economic factors. "A cargo of products could turn around in the middle of the Atlantic half a dozen times before it actually ends up into its final destination," he said. In all, some 94,000 freighters are navigating across the globe, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Ships carrying solid primary materials like coal or grains represent the largest share of global maritime merchandise by tonnage, at 42.5 percent. Those moving crude oil or processed product account for 30 percent. Another 5.6 percent of maritime traffic is made up of tankers containing liquefied natural gas and chemical products. By Wojciech Zurawski WALBRZYCH, Poland, June 14 (Reuters) - The Vatican's leading sexual abuse investigator on Friday urged stronger action from Poland's Catholic bishops who are under growing public pressure over a paedophilia scandal. In an 85 percent Catholic nation where priests have long had a high social standing, the issue came to the fore last month with a new documentary on paedophilia in Poland's church, which is closely allied to the ruling party. "I have a great hope that Polish bishops will do what is needed ... I hope this situation can be repaired," Archbishop Charles Scicluna said on Friday during a two-day trip to train senior clergy on tackling paedophilia. The Polish bishops approved earlier this year a document setting out procedures for reporting and tackling abuse, but critics say some clergy still lack empathy with victims. "My very strong message to the bishops of Poland this morning was - we need to pass from very good documents to an example of best practice," Scicluna, from Malta, told reporters. Pope Francis has promised an "all-out battle" to root out paedophilia in the Catholic Church, which has seen its reputation battered by sexual abuse scandals worldwide. It has faced accusations of hushing up scandals and moving known abusers from parish-to-parish. The church in Poland, which is close to the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, has yet to reach consensus on handling the issue. PiS, a nationalist, socially conservative party, sees Catholicism as a key element of national identity, while Polish liberals say bishops wield too much power. Victims have sometimes struggled to be believed. The Catholic Church has long held a powerful political role in Poland, notably as a counterweight to communist rule during the Cold War-era papacy of Polish Pope John Paul II. In March, the Polish church published a study saying that between 1990 and 2018 its officials had received reports of sexual abuse by clergy of 625 children since 1950, over half of them aged 15 or younger. One arm of the church has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court seeking to annul a 1 million zloty ($264,221.73) payment ordered by a lower court to a woman who, as a 13-year-old child, was repeatedly raped by her local priest. ($1 = 3.7847 zlotys) (Reporting by Wojciech Zurawski; Writing by Marcin Goclowski; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) The co-hosts of Fox & Friends spoke with President Trump via phone on Friday, and he compared his wife, Melania, to former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The comparison came during a conversation about Trumps recently revealed re-design of the official presidential plane, Air Force One. Co-host Steve Doocy asked the president, Are you sure you want to do a new paint job on Air Force One? Its been so iconic for so long! Trump replied, I think its gonna look much better, actually. The baby blue doesnt fit with us. He added, It was Jackie O and that was good, but we have our own Jackie O. Its called Melania. Melania T. The planes current color scheme was picked by the former first lady in the early 1960s and has changed little since. Co-host Brian Kilmeade praised Melania Trump, saying She is doing a great job and does not get enough credit. Trump agreed, adding People love her. She gets no credit from the media but she gets credit from the people. Some viewers on Twitter didnt like the idea of the new paint job and balked at the comparison between the iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Melania Trump: Sorry there is no comparison. NONE! Jackie O. had grace, charm and beauty. Melania has none of that. In fact, her wardrobe is awkward looking and usually inappropriate for the occasion. Melania made her own label. I dont care, do you?? CarmanK (@CarmanK1) June 14, 2019 Calling Melania the "New Jackie O" is like calling "Caddyshack II" the "New Caddyshack" - both are a poor imitation of the original. Brandi Morgan (@Brandimorgantg) June 14, 2019 And if Trump gets the chances to take the Americans tax dollars to paint Air Force One to suit him America will paint it back to its original color the day he leaves. Air Force One is not Donald Trumps personal private plane. AKM (@akmcneal) June 14, 2019 Others spoke out in defense of the first lady, and were excited to see a fresh new look for Air Force One: Story continues @realDonaldTrump I am SOOOO glad you are going to paint Air Force One. RED WHITE AND BLUE. ITS LONG OVERDUE Thank You Mr President Quinn Frederickson (@TapintoSucess) June 14, 2019 Except @Flotus was not raised wealthy like Jackie O, with finishing schools. Melania had to struggle & learn things on her own. This makes her more 'normal because she had to make her own way without nannies, butlers & connections. First Lady MT has done an impressive job! A&E Today (@ceoaetnews) June 14, 2019 Im sorry, but Melania Trump is better than Jackie O. Dont @ me. Richard Armande Mills (RAM) (@RAMRANTS) June 14, 2019 Meteorologist Joe Crain fired after objecting to 'Code Red' weather alerts: Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. Hong Kong's embattled leader faced mounting pressure on Friday to abandon a deeply unpopular plan to allow extraditions to China as key allies urged a rethink following unprecedented political unrest. The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday as tens of thousands of protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Opposition to the extradition bill has united an unusually wide cross section of Hong Kong against the proposal and sparked huge rallies. The city's pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam has so far refused to meet protester demands to withdraw or scrap the bill. But on Friday Lam found herself facing calls from within her own political camp to reverse course and tamp down spiralling public anger. Prominent pro-Beijing lawmaker Michael Tien openly called on Lam to postpone the bill. "She would gain points instead of losing points," he told reporters. "Nothing is ever too late. New situations arise that would provide the basis for any leader to change their position. There's nothing wrong with that." Tien's comments came as Lam's own advisor said pushing ahead with fast-tracking the bill through the city's legislature had now become "impossible". "Personally I can see that it is impossible to discuss (the bill) when there is so much conflict on all sides. It is very difficult," Bernard Chan told RTHK radio. "At the very least we should not escalate the antagonism," he added, although he stopped short of saying whether the bill should be scrapped. Chan sits on the Executive Council -- the equivalent of a cabinet -- and was appointed by Lam two years ago to be a top advisor. The comments are the first indication that supporters of the extradition law are now having second thoughts following a growing public backlash. On Sunday, protest organisers said more than one million people came out for the largest protest the business hub has seen in decades. Story continues Lam's refusal to press ahead with a debate on the bill in parliament on Wednesday sparked another huge protest that descended into violence and brought the city's commercial district to a standstill. Young Hong Kongers, angered by years of sliding democratic freedoms in the city, have been at the forefront of the protests. But the extradition plan has also received a barrage of criticism from legal bodies, business groups, religious figures and Western nations who fear the proposal would tangle both locals and foreigners up in China's politicised and opaque courts. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond says Princess Diana was a complicated woman. Bond, 68, who covered the royal beat from 1989 until 2003, became close to the late princess while reporting on her charity engagements and tours. I never saw the really angry side of Diana but I did see her ignore me, when the day before we had been sitting chatting, having a cup of coffee and the next day she would just blank me and walk straight past, she was a complicated lady, she tells Yahoo UKs The Royal Box. Bond recalls one of Dianas most memorable overseas trips to Angola in January 1997, where she walked through an active minefield in support of the Hazardous Areas Life-Support Organisation (HALO Trust). She says: The tour with Diana to Angola was probably one of the most meaningful and important tours that I did. It was memorable for me because she was heavily criticised by a junior minister in the government for being a loose cannon for espousing Labour policy. Princess Diana in 1997 and Jennie Bond speaking on Yahoo UK's 'The Royal Box.' [Photo: PA/Yahoo UK] At the time, the Conservatives, who were in power at the time, said they would not support a ban on landmines worldwide until all countries had signed a deal. Dianas trip to Angola was seen as an endorsement of Labour's anti-landmine policy. Earl Howe, who was then junior defence minister, was the one who labelled the princess a loose cannon. Princess Diana walks on the edge of a minefield in Angola in 1997. [Photo: PA] Bond continues: I tackled her [Diana] about this and she was upset, she gave me an answer, but she was very upset. She got into her Landrover afterwards and burst into tears, and I sent her a note [saying], You have to understand, you did well with what you said, Im just a humanitarian, Im just trying to help, that is fine, its going to be good headlines tomorrow, it will make a good news report. Bond says that Diana forgave her after she sent the note and the stylish royal even gave her some fashion advice in return, telling Jennie she shouldnt wear yellow - it really makes your skin look quite sallow, you should wear red. Vera Farmiga as Elizabeth Lederer in When They See Us (Credit: Netflix) One of the prosecutors in the infamous Central Park Five case has handed in her resignation from the prestigious Columbia Law School in the wake of anger generated by the Netflix series When They See Us. According to The New York Post, Elizabeth Lederer, who is a part-time lecturer at Columbia, will not be seeking reappointment next year. Lederer is played by actress Vera Farmiga in director Ava DuVernay's mini-series, which has been a critical hit. Read more: Central Park Five prosecutor calls series a fabrication She was the assistant district attorney at the time of the case, and prosecuted five teenagers in 1989 for the assault and rape of a woman who was jogging in Central Park. They were imprisoned, serving between six and 13 years each in prison, but had their convictions quashed in 2002 after the real culprit, serial rapist Matias Reyes, confessed to the crime. District Attorney Elizabeth Lederer leaves Court on lunch break at the Central Park Jogger trial. October 29, 1990. (Photo by Don Halasy/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images) Ive enjoyed my years teaching at CLS, and the opportunity it has given me to interact with the many fine students who elected to take my classes, Lederer said in a letter to her faculty. However, given the nature of the recent publicity generated by the Netflix portrayal of the Central Park case, it is best for me not to renew my teaching application. The law school's dean Gillian Lester added that the series had 'reignited a painful and vital national conversation about race, identity, and criminal justice'. (L-R) Kevin Richardson, Antron Mccray, Raymond Santana Jr., Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam, collectively known as the "Central Park Five", attend the World Premiere of Netflix's "When They See Us". (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) I am deeply committed to fostering a learning environment that furthers this important and ongoing dialogue, one that draws upon the lived experiences of all members of our community and actively confronts the most difficult issues of our time, she added. Read more: Russian Doll renewed for season two Lederer's resignation comes after crime novelist Linda Fairstein, a former Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor who is also seen in the series, played by Felicity Huffman, was dropped by her publisher. Fairstein has accused the show of being 'so full of distortions and falsehoods as to be an outright fabrication'. Story continues In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, she said: Ms. DuVernays film attempts to portray me as an overzealous prosecutor and a bigot, the police as incompetent or worse, and the five suspects as innocent of all charges against them. Daily News front page dated July 17, 1990. Prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer (right) hears testimony. Jogger, facing three for first time, was in court 12 minutes. (Photo By: /NY Daily News via Getty Images) None of this is true. It shouldnt have been hard for Ms. DuVernay to discover the truth. Instead, she has written an utterly false narrative involving an evil mastermind (me) and the falsely accused (the five). The series has become the most-watched show on Netflix, according to the streaming service. APPLETON, Wis. (AP) Two Wisconsin officers were justified when they shot and killed a man who got in a gunfight with police that left a city firefighter dead in the crossfire last month, a prosecutor said Thursday. Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis said that Officer Paul Christensen and Sgt. Christopher Biese won't face criminal charges. Christensen and Biese exchanged shots with 47-year-old Ruben Houston of Wausau on May 15 outside of Appleton's downtown transit center. Christensen was wounded, along with a bystander. Both have been released from the hospital. Appleton firefighter Mitchell Lundgaard, 36, was shot and died of his injuries at a hospital. Houston had just arrived at the transit center on a bus. The district attorney said before the shooting take place, Houston was treated with Narcan, a drug used to revive people suffering from a drug overdose, the Post Crescent reported. "We lost one of our own and officers were forced to make difficult decisions and risked their lives to protect our community," Tempelis said. Tempelis described a scene that quickly changed from a routine medical call to a chaotic, dangerous situation with multiple shots being fired by Houston and by officers trying to deal with the threat he posed. "It is surprising that nobody else got hurt or killed as a result of the gunfire and the behavior of (Houston)," she said. When the bus arrived in at transit center, a bus passenger believed Houston was having a seizure and called 911 for help. Lundgaard arrived with other firefighters and began providing aid to Houston. Houston regained consciousness after responders determined he likely had suffered a drug overdose and gave him two doses of Narcan. Houston told responders he had taken some of his wife's morphine. Houston got off the bus on his own, even as responders were encouraging him to seek additional medical care, but he refused. "They wanted to make sure he got that help," Tempelis said. Story continues Houston drew a small handgun from a small case at his waist, Tempelis said. He stood back and fired twice, hitting Lundgaard in the upper back and Christensen in the upper leg. Almost simultaneously, Christensen drew his handgun and fired once, striking Houston in the abdomen. Houston ran toward where bystander Brittany Schowalter was and used her as a shield, the district attorney said. Christensen and Biese both fired multiple times at Houston, also likely striking Schowalter, although Tempelis said it's impossible to know for sure who shot her. She suffered an injury to her leg and to her head, with a bullet grazing her skull, Tempelis said. Houston eventually went to the ground, which allowed officers equipped with a ballistic shield to arrest him. The officers found Houston's gun under him, Tempelis said. "The actions of our law enforcement in this incident are commendable," she said. ___ Information from: Post-Crescent Media, http://www.postcrescent.com Julian Assange appeared in a British court Friday in the first of what is likely to be many battles over a recently filed U.S. extradition attempt. Speaking via video link from a maximum-security prison near London, the 47-year old WikiLeaks founder declared that 175 years of my life is effectively at stake, while banner-waving supporters demonstrated outside Westminster Magistrates Court. It was typical theatrics surrounding Assange, a man who has achieved worldwide notoriety for his commitment to exposing closely held national security secrets. But the supporters who paint him as a victim of far-reaching government power arent wrong about one thing. The U.S. has gone further in the charges it brought against Assange than any prior American government, putting into motion a legal process that has sweeping implications for the First Amendments bedrock protection of free speech. Late last month, the Trump Administration filed an 18-count indictment that included charges Assange had violated provisions of the Espionage Act by publishing one of the largest troves of classified documents in U.S. history. It is the first time the federal government is prosecuting a defendant for receiving and publishing still-classified information. That extraordinary step sets up what may be a bitter irony for the U.S. government. By choosing to use the Espionage Act as aggressively as it has, rather than sticking to a single count of computer hacking, American prosecutors may have ensured that Assange will never see justice in the United States. Foreign governments have tended to view espionage as a political crime, says Jameel Jaffer, executive director for Columbia Universitys Knight First Amendment Institute, and it would be highly unusual if Britain extradited Assange to face charges under the Espionage Act. Countries dont ordinarily extradite individuals facing prosecution for political offenses, he said. Story continues Even without the challenges posed by the Espionage Act, extraditing Assange promises to be a protracted, politically charged process that faces long odds. Human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, have already called for the extradition request to be dismissed. Additionally, any ruling against Assange will almost certainly be appealed to Britains Supreme Court, which takes time. For instance, two men suspected hacker Lauri Love and banker Stuart Scott won their appeals against extradition last year to the United States after fighting the cases for several years. Regardless of what happens next, the indictment should be perceived as an ominous threat to newsgathering and journalism, Jaffer said. The U.S.s indictment of Assange should be understood as an assault on press freedom, because the theory of the indictment is that routine practices of investigative journalism are criminal, he said. Cultivating sources, communicating with sources confidentially, protecting sources identities, and publishing government secrets this is what good national security journalists do every day. Whats now at stake, constitutional lawyers say, is how far the First Amendment extends to protect journalists who publish information they deem to be in the interest of the American public, even if that information is secret. In recent years, the most publicly significant national security stories exposing problematic government behavior, including revelations of CIA black sites, the torture program, and NSA domestic surveillance practices, were based on secret information. Publication of these stories led to sweeping reforms in U.S. policy. The danger of going after Assange, civil libertarians say, is an attack on Americans right to know about what the government does with taxpayer dollars in Americas name. The Justice Department argues Assange is not a journalist. Journalism advocates say that makes the case even more dangerous, because the Espionage Act doesnt differentiate between reporters and everyone else. That in turn means a successful prosecution of Assange will set the precedent for prosecuting journalists as spies down the road. Another complicating factor is that news organizations, such as the New York Times, The Guardian and Der Spiegel, published information in partnership with WikiLeaks, including material leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. That raises the possibility that they, too, could be potential Justice Department targets if the Assange case proves successful. This is why the Administrations pursuit of Assange crosses the Rubicon on Espionage Act prosecution, says Stephen Vladeck, a national security law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who has followed the casework on the issue for more than a decade. It was Trumps predecessor, Barack Obama, who launched a deliberate campaign to find, expose and prosecute the leakers in order to deter others from taking similar actions. The difference, I think, is the Obama Administration was always mindful of the dangerous precedent of breadth of the Espionage Act, Vladeck said. Trumps DOJ is acting more aggressively, but it is building off of a blueprint set out by the Obama Administration, including dusting off old cases that were left to die on the vine and bringing new ones using and expanding legal precedents set during the Obama Administration, says Jesselyn Radack, a national security and human rights attorney who specializes in representing whistleblowers. She now represents Daniel Everette Hale, a 31-year old former Air Force intelligence analyst, who was charged in May for violating the Espionage Act. The Trump Administration wants quell information that it does not want the public to know, especially information that exposes government fraud, waste, abuse of power and illegality, i.e. classic whistleblowing disclosures that have exposed this countries darkest atrocities: war crimes, torture, and secret domestic surveillance. The U.S. governments aggressive prosecution of leaks and efforts to control information are already having a chilling effect on journalists and government whistle-blowers. Many journalistic sources, including those of TIME, have shifted to encrypted means of communication or dont engage at all as a result of the Assange indictment. Assanges appearance Friday came less than a month after the U.S. filed its indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia. The U.S. had 60 days from Assanges April 11 arrest at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London to send the a formal extradition request under an extradition treaty with Britain. The judge set February 25, 2020 as the date for a full hearing on whether he will ever be sent to face charges in the United States. NEW YORK (AP) Naomi Wolf's U.S. publisher is postponing the release of her new book, "Outrages," after a BBC interviewer challenged some of her findings. Wolf is openly objecting to the delay. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced that "new questions" had come up about "Outrages," originally scheduled to come out next week. It has already been published in the United Kingdom. "As we have been working with Naomi Wolf to make corrections to 'Outrages,' new questions have arisen that require more time to explore, according to a statement from the publisher. "We are postponing publication and requesting that all copies be returned from retail accounts while we work to resolve those questions." Wolf's promotional tour for the U.S. release also has been pushed back. Last month, BBC interviewer Matthew Sweet questioned Wolf's research on the book, which centers on the mistreatment of gays in Victorian England. On Friday, Wolf tweeted that she made what she thought were the needed changes and that she believed her book's core findings remained valid. "I strongly objected to this decision," she wrote. Wolf, known for such best-sellers "The Beauty Myth" and "Misconceptions," has often faced questions about accuracy in her work. In "The Beauty Myth," for instance, she wrote that anorexia was responsible for the deaths of 150,000 women a year, a number many experts disputed as highly inflated. A recent New York Times review was headlined "Naomi Wolf's Career of Blunders Continues in 'Outrages.'" LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) Qatar has replaced San Diego as host of the first World Beach Games in Doha, and will also host the annual meeting of national Olympic bodies. The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) says "Qatar boasts spectacular oceanfront locations and is ready to provide the perfect setting." ANOC says delegates from 206 countries are invited to Qatar for one week, first attending the Oct. 12-16 games in 14 sports. San Diego organizers withdrew last month citing financial issues. Doha will then host ANOC's meeting and awards ceremony on Oct. 17-18. ANOC is led by Sheikh Ahmad of Kuwait, who stepped aside from the organization and his International Olympic Committee work after being indicted in a forgery case in Geneva. Last November in Tokyo, ANOC postponed its presidential election while the sheikh fights the case. He denies any wrongdoing. ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports What Happened This Week: Back in 2017, Turkey agreed to purchase Russias advanced S-400 air defense missile system over the strong objections of both the US and NATO, of which Turkey is a member. Turkey has been adamant it will follow through with the purchase, and delivery of the missile system is expected in July. Late last week, the Pentagon announced that Turkey would be cut out from the F-35 fighter jet program unless it changed course; this week, the US House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution condemning Turkey for its purchase and urged sanctions should the deal go through. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated this week that the purchase from Russia is a done deal. Why It Matters: Because Turkey is taking concrete steps towards breaking ranks with the U.S.. Turkey has been a member of NATO for 67 years, and while relations between Washington and Ankara have been testy at times, it has been decades since theyve shown this kind of genuine strain. Turkey seems determined to push the boundaries of the relationship, because not only are the Americans upset that Turkey decided to purchase weapons from perennial-NATO foe Russia (or that the missile system is incompatible with NATO systems), but the installation of the S-400 system will compromise American jetsthe radar system on the S-400 can undermine the F-35s stealth capabilities, and just as importantly, the installation of the system could give Russian military personnel a first-hand look at the vulnerabilities of the F-35. The Turkey purchase also represents yet another potential flashpoint between the U.S. and Russia, and should the deal be completed, it will arguably be Russias most tangible success sowing division among Western allies to date. What Happens Next: While Erdogan maintains that the S-400 purchase is no longer up for debate, there is a small chance that Turkey decides to delay the delivery to avoid the ire of Washington (though doing so would annoy Russia). But that seems unlikely at this point; the US will officially cut Turkey from the F-35 program on July 31 or when Turkey accepts delivery of the missile system, whichever comes first. Meanwhile, the US will begin the process of sanctioning Turkey under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). As of this writing, its an open question of how severe US sanctions will be. The most draconian option for Washington would be to broadly hit the still-fragile Turkish economy and jeopardize Turkeys access on IMF financing, but its more likely that the sanctions will target the Turkish militarys procurement division. At the upcoming G20 meeting in Japan, it will be critical to watch the meeting between Erdogan and Trump. We should have a better sense of where things stand by end of June. Story continues Another thing worth paying attention to: where Turkey places the S-400 systems, which are mobile. If it places the systems near the Mediterranean in defense of North Cyprus, it could stoke tensions with both Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, and by extension the E.U. If Turkey stations the defense systems by the American air base in Incirlik, it would represent a threat to American aircraft and would be seen as a major provocation against the US. So major, in fact, that it could cause the US to abandon Incirlik all together, one of its most important bases in the region. The Key Fact That Explains It: Turkey has the second-largest military force in NATO. So its not just its geostrategic location that matters herea NATO without Turkey is a weaker NATO overall. But heres the thing: there is no mechanism for suspending or expelling a country from NATO. Which means NATO is heading into uncharted territory. The Key Quote That Sums It All Up: General Tod Wolters, NATOs Supreme Allied Commander Europe: We are not interested in sharing the capabilities of our F-35 with Russia. The One Major Misconception About It: That Turkey is the only one taking the economic hits throughout this drama. Turkish manufacturers produce 937 parts for the F-35, and if they get cut from the program, Lockheed Martinthe company that builds F-35will need to find a different source for those parts and could delay delivery to other customers by up to two years. The One Thing to Say About It at a Dinner Party: Condemnation for Turkey over the S-400 purchase is one of the few foreign policy issues that has bipartisan support in Congress as well as support from the White House. Hard to say if that reflects worse on the US or on Turkey. An RAF Chinook was deployed in Wainfleet All Saints, Lincolnshire, where more than two months of rain in just two days. (PA) Military helicopters are assisting emergency services in Lincolnshire after a river burst its banks following heavy rain which caused disruption to parts of the country. A Chinook helicopter was deployed to drop sand in the town of Wainfleet in an attempt to stop the flow of water from the River Steeping which experienced a breach. The Ministry of Defence said it will continue to assist with emergency repairs, drafting in a Puma to help tackle floods on Friday as a Joint RAF and Army unit are set to fly in almost 70 one-tonne bags of gravel. An RAF Chinook helicopter delivers sandbags to plug a gap where the River Steeping burst its banks (PA) Seventy properties were hit by flooding, but Lincolnshire County Council warned that up to 720 could be affected after it said the town had more than two months of rain in just two days. Some 13 flood warnings and 46 flood alerts were in place on Friday afternoon, with the majority across the Midlands and North West. As of June 12, the UK had seen total rainfall of 2.6in (65.7mm) since the beginning of the month. An RAF Chinook helicopter delivers personnel to the edge of the River Steeping (PA) Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said that, despite the current treacherous conditions, June 2012 remained the wettest on record with 5.9in (149mm). Although we are at a point where some areas have seen their full amounts of monthly rain, so far we dont think were on track to beat the 2012 record as a wet June, he said. Its something we do get now and again, which is obviously unwelcome for those people who have wanted to enjoy nicer weather. Read more on Yahoo News UK: Father handed death penalty for murders of five children The oldest person in Britain has died at the age of 112 Christchurch mosque attack: Suspect pleads not guilty to all charges Elsewhere, a landslip near Corby, Northamptonshire, stopped an East Midlands Train from London to Nottingham on Thursday and saw a second train which went to rescue them also become stuck. A man wades through floodwater in Wainfleet All Saints, in Lincolnshire (Joe Giddens/PA Wire) Around 400 passengers were stranded for up to eight hours before being evacuated, and one person was treated at the scene in an ambulance by paramedics. Story continues The train operator apologised to the customers involved in the incident, calling it a challenging situation due to rubble and serious flooding hampering rescue efforts. Some routes were still affected on Friday morning, with National Rail engineers on site to clear the line. An RAF Chinook in Wainfleet All Saints, Lincolnshire (PA) Showers are expected over the weekend but conditions are due to settle down, temperatures are anticipated to rise and no further weather warnings have been issued, the Met Office said. Warmer air building over Europe will see higher temperatures in parts of the South East next week, with the potential of sunny spells hitting the mid-20s. Traditional retirement accounts are tax-deferred, not tax-free. As baby boomers turn 70, they must soon begin mandated withdrawals and pay the taxes on the money they tucked into retirement accounts over several decades. A required minimum distribution is the amount retirement account owners must withdraw from their IRAs and 401(k)s each year. When you take these withdrawals, you also have to pay taxes on each distribution. Retirement account withdrawals are required after age 70 1/2, except for Roth IRAs, which do not have distribution requirements for the original account owner. It can be somewhat complicated to calculate your required minimum distribution, especially if you have multiple retirement accounts. If you miss a distribution or withdraw the incorrect amount, you could trigger big tax penalties. "There are tax consequences once you reach the point of taking RMDs," says Jared Snider, a senior wealth advisor at Exencial Wealth Advisors in Oklahoma City. "The biggest mistakes all relate to taxes." Required minimum distribution mistakes include: -- Forgetting a RMD. -- Failing to consult a financial professional. -- Making no long-term plan for required withdrawals. -- Not realizing that distributions count as income. -- Missing a RMD deadline. -- Withdrawing the wrong amount. -- Assuming 401(k)s and IRAs have the same RMD rules. Here's how to prevent some of the most common required minimum distribution errors. Forgetting a RMD The penalty for missing a required distribution is 50% of the amount that should have been withdrawn in addition to the income tax due. However, only 38% of Americans are aware that they have to take a RMD, according to a 2019 TD Ameritrade survey. "As baby boomers are hitting RMD age, they need to be aware that they need to take a RMD," says Dara Luber, senior manager of retirement at TD Ameritrade. "It's likely they are not being educated, or not thinking about retirement or just thinking about the fun things. They are not necessarily focusing on financial needs and planning." Story continues [See: How to Pay Less Tax on Retirement Account Withdrawals.] Failing to Consult a Financial Professional Required minimum distributions are calculated by dividing your retirement account balance by an IRS estimate of your life expectancy, or perhaps the life expectancy of you and your spouse. Some people need assistance determining their distribution amount. "If you don't calculate or you don't calculate correctly, the penalty is 50% (of the RMD)," says Kelly Famiglietta, vice president and partner of retirement plan services at Charles Stephen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "If you have access to an advisor, that's the best thing. Get some help." Making No Long-Term Plan for Required Withdrawals RMDs are considered taxable income and can have a big impact on your annual tax bill. Some advance planning can help you minimize taxes on your required withdrawals. "Failure to plan can lead to a variety of errors when it comes to taxes and income," Snider says. "You may have more income than you want to show up on your tax returns." If there is no plan, and you have income from other sources, the RMD can push you into a higher tax bracket, which will result in a more expensive tax bill. [See: 11 Ways to Avoid the IRA Early Withdrawal Penalty.] Not Realizing That Distributions Count as Income By increasing your taxable income, the distribution can not only push you into a higher tax bracket, but it can also affect other types of retirement benefits. A required minimum distribution could impact your Medicare premiums, which are based on your income, whether your Social Security payments are taxed and your child's eligibility for financial aid for college. "If you don't need to take more out, don't," Famiglietta says. Missing a RMD Deadline Your first required minimum distribution is due by April 1 of the year after you turn age 70 1/2. But after that, each subsequent RMD is due by Dec. 31. That could mean you have to take two RMDs in the same year, which might result in additional costs. You could be bumped to a higher tax bracket, your Medicare costs could increase and your Social Security benefits could be taxed. "You need to think it through," Luber says. Some financial advisers recommend taking your first distribution by Dec. 31 in order to avoid two distributions in the same year. [See: 9 Important Ages for Retirement Planning.] Withdrawing the Wrong Amount While there are many RMD calculators, Luber suggests using an IRS calculator. Make sure that you are determining the RMD using the account balance on Dec. 31 of the previous year. The correct amount is based on your age, account balance and life expectancy. Assuming 401(k)s and IRAs Have the Same RMD Rules The withdrawal rules are different for IRAs and 401(k)s. If you have multiple IRAs, you have to calculate the RMD for each account separately. However, you can aggregate and take your total RMD from just one IRA. The rules are different for 401(k)s, and you have to take a RMD from each 401(k) account. Also, spouses cannot aggregate between their accounts. Each spouse has to withdraw money from his or her own retirement account. SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) Specialized teams have begun an effort to rescue three Bolivians trapped deep underground in a mine in northern Chile, authorities said Friday. The San Jose mine collapsed late Thursday, trapping the men at a depth of nearly 330 feet (100 meters). Local officials confirmed that the men are alive. "We've been in contact with them through bangs and sounds," Antofagasta regional Gov. Marco Antonio Diaz said, adding that geotechnical experts from mines across the region have been assisting the rescue efforts, which included detonating small explosives to try to remove a large rock blocking the mine shaft. Firefighters joined other rescue teams at the mine some 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) north of the Chilean capital, Santiago. The miners have been identified as Leonardo Condori, 62; Salomon Veinzaga, 45; and his 19-year-old son, Lenin Veinzaga. Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Twitter that he is worried about his countrymen and offered thanks to his Chilean counterpart for the rescue efforts. Alfonso Domeyko, head of Chile's mining regulator Sernageomin, said the mine was inspected in early June and some minor problems were observed, but he said the operation was following the rules and its permits were within the law. The accident has brought back memories of a collapse at a Chilean mine that trapped 33 men deep below the earth for 69 days in 2010. They survived longer than any trapped miners before, and their rescue mesmerized millions worldwide. Following is a summary of current health news briefs. GSK signs up gene-editing pioneers in drug discovery alliance British drugmaker GSK said it has struck a research deal with the early pioneers of a prominent gene-editing technology at the University of California, in a boost to its prospects for developing new drugs. GlaxoSmithKline, Britain's largest drugmaker, will pay up to $67 million over a five-year period for the new Laboratory for Genomics Research, which will be jointly run with the University of California and led by researchers such as Jennifer Doudna, a co-inventor of the CRISPR gene-editing technology. Many epinephrine self-injectors still potent long after expiration date EpiPens and other autoinjectors filled with epinephrine to treat severe allergic reactions may still be potent enough to work many months past their labeled expiration date, according to a new study that concludes patients might need expensive refills less often. These autoinjectors contain a pre-set dose of epinephrine, a life-saving drug used by people at risk of experiencing anaphylaxis, a severe allergy attack. Untreated, anaphylactic shock can be fatal because blood pressure can drop suddenly and airways can narrow, making it difficult to breathe. Prosecutors drop Flint, Michigan water charges over 'flawed' probe Michigan prosecutors on Thursday dropped all criminal charges over the deadly contamination of the city of Flint's water, saying a more thorough investigation was needed before they could proceed with the case. The charges were brought by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a federal prosecutorial agency, and were based on an investigation that state prosecutors described as "flawed." Mesh implants work for bladder leakage, long-term safety unclear Several different types of mesh implant surgery may be effective for treating bladder leaks, but the long-term safety and effectiveness of the procedures isn't yet clear, a new analysis suggests. Researchers examined data from 175 clinical trials that randomly assigned a total of 21,598 women with stress urinary incontinence to receive different types of surgical treatments. Story continues Father's smoking during pregnancy tied to asthma in kids Children who are exposed to tobacco smoke from their fathers while they're in the womb may be more likely than those who are not to develop asthma by age 6, according to a study of chemical changes to DNA. While prenatal smoke exposure has long been linked to an increased risk of childhood asthma, the current study offers fresh evidence that it's not just a pregnant mother's smoking that can cause harm. Ebola not known to be spreading in Uganda: WHO There has been no known person-to-person spread of Ebola in Uganda despite the deaths of two people there who arrived with the disease from Congo, the top World Health Organization (WHO) expert told Reuters on Thursday. Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies program, said that he expected Uganda to approve the use of experimental therapeutic drug treatments, to be shipped "in coming days". Monitoring and vaccination had been stepped up, but there had been "no panic reaction" so far to the cases there. Female soldiers wanting to suppress periods face barriers Military women wanting to stop menstruating while they are deployed may face a number of barriers, a new commentary suggests. The majority of surveyed military women say they would like to suppress menstruation during deployment but very few are doing so, according to the paper in Obstetrics & Gynecology that explores why more military women are not accessing that option. Family sent back to DR Congo after two die of Ebola in Uganda Authorities repatriated the relatives of two people who died of Ebola in Uganda back to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, including a 3-year-old boy confirmed to be suffering from the disease, the Ugandan health minister said. The cases marked the first time the virus has crossed an international border since the current outbreak began in Congo last August. The epidemic has already killed 1,390 people in eastern Congo. Brazil's Minerva suspends furlough at beef plant as China ban ends Brazilian meat processor Minerva SA said on Thursday it has suspended a furlough announced last week for its Barretos beef processing facility, following news that a ban to exports to China has ended. Brazil's government said on Thursday it has lifted a suspension of beef exports to China after dealing with an atypical case of mad cow disease. Brazil lifts suspension of beef exports to China Brazil's government said on Thursday it has lifted a suspension of beef exports to China after dealing with an atypical case of mad cow disease, sending shares of Marfrig Global Foods, Minerva SA and other Brazilian meatpackers soaring. The suspension had been in effect since June 3 after a case was reported in a 17-year-old cow in the state of Mato Grosso. Cases can arise spontaneously in cattle herds, usually in animals 8 years old or older. Following is a summary of current health news briefs. Many epinephrine self-injectors still potent long after expiration date EpiPens and other autoinjectors filled with epinephrine to treat severe allergic reactions may still be potent enough to work many months past their labeled expiration date, according to a new study that concludes patients might need expensive refills less often. These autoinjectors contain a pre-set dose of epinephrine, a life-saving drug used by people at risk of experiencing anaphylaxis, a severe allergy attack. Untreated, anaphylactic shock can be fatal because blood pressure can drop suddenly and airways can narrow, making it difficult to breathe. Prosecutors drop Flint, Michigan water charges over 'flawed' probe Michigan prosecutors on Thursday dropped all criminal charges over the deadly contamination of the city of Flint's water, saying a more thorough investigation was needed before they could proceed with the case. The charges were brought by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a federal prosecutorial agency, and were based on an investigation that state prosecutors described as "flawed." Enanta's lung infection therapy succeeds in mid-stage trial Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Friday its treatment for a highly contagious respiratory infection met the main goal of reducing virus levels in the body and improving symptoms in patients in a mid-stage study. The therapy, EDP-938, developed for treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection which currently has no available treatment, was compared with placebo, the company said. Father's smoking during pregnancy tied to asthma in kids Children who are exposed to tobacco smoke from their fathers while they're in the womb may be more likely than those who are not to develop asthma by age 6, according to a study of chemical changes to DNA. While prenatal smoke exposure has long been linked to an increased risk of childhood asthma, the current study offers fresh evidence that it's not just a pregnant mother's smoking that can cause harm. Story continues WHO likely to declare Ebola an international emergency: experts The World Health Organization (WHO) should and is likely to declare an international emergency over the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has now spread to Uganda, experts said as a WHO advisory panel met on Friday. Congo's epidemic is the second worst worldwide since West Africa's Ebola outbreak in 2014-16, with 2,084 cases and 1,405 deaths since being declared in August. The WHO said on Thursday that two people had died in Uganda having arrived with the disease from Congo. Bluebird prices gene therapy at 1.575 million euros over five years Bluebird bio Inc on Friday set a price for its gene therapy, Zynteglo, at 1.575 million euros ($1.78 million) over five years, after winning conditional approval in Europe this month to treat a rare genetic blood disorder. The company proposed a five-year installment plan, with 315,000 euros paid up front and additional annual payments due only if the treatment continues to be effective. Female soldiers wanting to suppress periods face barriers Military women wanting to stop menstruating while they are deployed may face a number of barriers, a new commentary suggests. The majority of surveyed military women say they would like to suppress menstruation during deployment but very few are doing so, according to the paper in Obstetrics & Gynecology that explores why more military women are not accessing that option. Family sent back to DR Congo after two die of Ebola in Uganda Authorities repatriated the relatives of two people who died of Ebola in Uganda back to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, including a 3-year-old boy confirmed to be suffering from the disease, the Ugandan health minister said. The cases marked the first time the virus has crossed an international border since the current outbreak began in Congo last August. The epidemic has already killed 1,390 people in eastern Congo. Indonesia cracks down on online tobacco ads to deter young smokers Indonesia, the world's fourth biggest producer of cigarettes, will crack down on online tobacco advertisements in a bid to target youthful smokers, the communication minister said on Thursday. Health groups say more teenagers are taking to smoking in Indonesia, which already has nationwide curbs on cigarette ads, including a ban on sponsors' promotion of tobacco products, though it is not consistently enforced by regional authorities. Brazil lifts suspension of beef exports to China Brazil's government said on Thursday it has lifted a suspension of beef exports to China after dealing with an atypical case of mad cow disease, sending shares of Marfrig Global Foods, Minerva SA and other Brazilian meatpackers soaring. The suspension had been in effect since June 3 after a case was reported in a 17-year-old cow in the state of Mato Grosso. Cases can arise spontaneously in cattle herds, usually in animals 8 years old or older. Following is a summary of current health news briefs. WHO panel decides not to declare international Ebola emergency A World Health Organization panel decided on Friday not to declare an international emergency over Congo's Ebola outbreak despite its spread to Uganda this week, concluding such a declaration could cause too much economic harm. Congo's epidemic is the second worst ever, with 2,108 cases of Ebola and 1,411 deaths since last August. This week it reached Uganda, where three cases were recorded, all in people who had arrived from Congo. Two of them died. Death toll from UK hospital listeria outbreak rises to five The number of people to die from a listeria outbreak in British hospitals has risen to five from three, Public Health England (PHE) said on Friday. The agency said that since the outbreak it had reviewed earlier cases and established that one other death had also been linked to the infection, which is thought to stem from sandwiches and salads. One patient who had been seriously ill has also since died, taking the number to five. U.S. cities propose framework for nationwide opioid settlement talks Lawyers for counties and municipalities suing drug manufacturers and distributors over their alleged roles in the U.S. opioid epidemic on Friday pitched a novel plan that would bring all 24,500 communities nationally into their negotiations for billions of dollars in settlements. The proposal came in a motion filed in federal court in Cleveland, Ohio, where 1,850 lawsuits largely by local governments are pending accusing companies including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP of fueling the opioid abuse crisis. Canada's health regulator says some cannabis products to launch mid December Health Canada said on Friday that some edible cannabis products, extracts and topicals will be sold in physical or online stores from mid December. The amended Cannabis regulations will come into force on October 17, the regulator said, adding that cannabis producers with federal license will need to provide 60-days notice of their intent to sell new products, as they are currently required to do. Story continues U.S. drugmakers file lawsuit against rule requiring drug prices in TV ads U.S. drugmakers on Friday filed a lawsuit to prevent the companies from disclosing the list price of prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer television advertisements as per a newly proposed government regulation. The lawsuit was jointly filed by Amgen Inc, Merck & Co Inc, Eli Lilly and Co and the Association Of National Advertisers in the U.S. district court in Columbia. Bluebird prices gene therapy at 1.58 million euros over 5 years Bluebird bio Inc on Friday set a price for its gene therapy, Zynteglo, at 1.58 million euros ($1.78 million) over five years, after winning conditional approval in Europe this month to treat a rare genetic blood disorder. The company proposed an installment plan, with 315,000 euros paid up front and four additional annual payments due only if the treatment continues to be effective. Experimental mobile app helps manage migraines (Reuters Health) - A smartphone-based relaxation app could help migraine sufferers reduce the number of headaches they get each month, a small study suggests. Using the app twice a week was associated with an average of four fewer headache days per month, according to the report in Nature Digital Medicine. Got an antibiotic prescription from your dentist? Chances are, it might be unnecessary More than three-quarters of antibiotic prescriptions written by dentists before dental procedures are unnecessary and might do more harm than good, a new U.S. study found. Dentists write one of every ten antibiotic prescriptions in the United States, and despite national declines, antibiotic prescribing by dentists has held steady over the years, researchers wrote. Listening to music may ease cancer patients' pain (Reuters Health) - Listening to music at home may reduce cancer patients' pain and fatigue and ease symptoms like loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating, according to research in Taiwan. In the study, breast cancer patients assigned to 30 minutes of music listening five times a week had "noticeably" reduced side effects of cancer and its treatment over 24 weeks, researchers report in the European Journal of Cancer Care. Indonesia cracks down on online tobacco ads to deter young smokers Indonesia, the world's fourth biggest producer of cigarettes, will crack down on online tobacco advertisements in a bid to target youthful smokers, the communication minister said on Thursday. Health groups say more teenagers are taking to smoking in Indonesia, which already has nationwide curbs on cigarette ads, including a ban on sponsors' promotion of tobacco products, though it is not consistently enforced by regional authorities. Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Hungarian scientists mull legal action over government controls The head of Hungary's oldest scientific institute said it was considering taking legal action to challenge government moves to take more control over research work and budgets. The nationalist administration of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has proposed a shake-up of the 200-year-old Hungarian Academy of Sciences that it says is meant to encourage more lucrative research. India plans to launch own space station: space agency India will look to create its own space station following the completion of the country's first manned mission into space in 2022, its space agency chief said on Thursday. The space station, where astronauts can stay for 15 to 20 days, would be placed in an orbit of about 400 kilometers (km)above the Earth, K. Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) told a news conference. India set to launch second lunar mission; land rover on the moon India said on Wednesday it will launch its second lunar mission in mid-July, as it moves to consolidate its status as a leader in space technology by achieving a controlled landing on the moon. The mission, if successful, would make India only the fourth country behind the United States, Russia and China to perform a "soft" landing on the moon and put a rover on it. China successfully landed a lunar rover in January. High times in ancient China revealed in funerary cannabis discovery Marijuana chemical residue has been found in incense burners apparently used during funerary rites at a mountainous site in western China in about 500 BC, providing what may be the oldest evidence of smoking cannabis for its mind-altering properties. The evidence was found on 10 wooden braziers containing stones with burn marks that were discovered in eight tombs at the Jirzankal Cemetery site in the Pamir Mountains in China's Xinjiang region, scientists said on Wednesday. The tombs also bore human skeletons and artifacts including a type of angular harp used in ancient funerals and sacrificial ceremonies. Following is a summary of current science news briefs. India plans to launch own space station: space agency India will look to create its own space station following the completion of the country's first manned mission into space in 2022, its space agency chief said on Thursday. The space station, where astronauts can stay for 15 to 20 days, would be placed in an orbit of about 400 kilometers (km)above the Earth, K. Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) told a news conference. Russia uncovers 40,000 year-old wolf head, preserved in ice About 40,000 years ago, a wolf died in what we know as Siberia. Now its severed head has been found, and because of the freezing conditions, it is so well preserved that its fur, teeth, brain and facial tissue are largely intact. A Yakutia resident, Pavel Yefimov, found the head last summer on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh river, close to the Arctic Circle in the region of Yakutia, local media outlet the Siberian Times reported. High times in ancient China revealed in funerary cannabis discovery Marijuana chemical residue has been found in incense burners apparently used during funerary rites at a mountainous site in western China in about 500 BC, providing what may be the oldest evidence of smoking cannabis for its mind-altering properties. The evidence was found on 10 wooden braziers containing stones with burn marks that were discovered in eight tombs at the Jirzankal Cemetery site in the Pamir Mountains in China's Xinjiang region, scientists said on Wednesday. The tombs also bore human skeletons and artifacts including a type of angular harp used in ancient funerals and sacrificial ceremonies. Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Pence urges spending to repair well-worn U.S. national parks Against the backdrop of Yellowstone's Old Faithful Geyser, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday urged Congress to dedicate billions of dollars in federal energy revenues for repairs to aging facilities at America's national parks. The Trump administration proposal, which failed to pass last year despite broad bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, offers warring Republicans and Democrats a rare vehicle for legislative common ground. Democrats name 20 U.S. presidential candidates for first debate A sitting U.S. governor and a congressman will be among the four candidates left off the stage when the Democratic Party holds its pivotal first debate in Miami later this month. The Democratic National Committee announced on Thursday the list of 20 presidential candidates who qualified to participate in the debate. South Carolina man who killed his five children sentenced to death A South Carolina jury sentenced a man to death on Thursday after convicting him of murdering his five young children at their mobile home in 2014 before driving their decomposing bodies through several states and dumping them in Alabama. The jurors voted unanimously to give Timothy Jones the death penalty. The same jury last week found him guilty of the murders of Merah, 8; Elias, 7; Nahtahn, 6; Gabriel, 2; and Abigail, 1. After a family vacation in Italy, U.S. congressman's wife admits to misusing campaign funds The wife of a U.S. representative pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal charges alleging misuse of $250,000 in campaign funds and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors who are also bringing charges against her husband. The move by Margaret Hunter, wife of Republican U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, came after she and her husband entered not guilty pleas in August 2018 that they spent campaign funds on items ranging from a holiday in Italy to Minnie Mouse ear headbands at Disneyland. Story continues Trump loses loyalist Sarah Sanders in another White House departure White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, a fierce loyalist of President Donald Trump who channeled his combativeness toward the news media, will leave her job at month's end for a possible political future in her home state of Arkansas, Trump said on Thursday. Sanders, who has worked with Trump since the early days of his unconventional run for office and became a national public figure in her own right, is the latest in a long line of senior advisers to leave the White House. Trump: Ex-lawyer McGahn 'may have been confused' in Russia probe Former White House lawyer Don McGahn "may have been confused" during his testimony as part of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast on Friday. Trump, in comments to ABC News, rejected the account of McGahn, a key witness in Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible obstruction of justice by Trump or his associates. Trump reverses course, says 'of course' he would report foreign interference U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reversed course over whether he would report any foreign interference in a political campaign to U.S. law enforcement, telling Fox News in an interview that he would "of course" contact authorities. In an interview with ABC News earlier this week, Trump said he would accept assistance from a foreign entity looking to interfere in U.S. politics, saying there was "nothing wrong" with it. Democrats: Trump comments give green light to foreign election meddling Democratic lawmakers accused President Donald Trump on Thursday of giving Russia the green light to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential race, while a top Republican ally said Trump was wrong to say he would accept political dirt from foreign sources. The uproar followed televised comments in which the U.S. president told ABC News he would be willing to listen to such damaging information about political opponents as he seeks re-election. Trump ex-aide Manafort to seek dismissal of New York charges Paul Manafort, U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, will ask a judge to dismiss criminal charges against him in New York, his lawyer told Reuters, in a case that will test the state's double jeopardy protections. Todd Blanche, who represents Manafort, said the New York charges are tied to the same conduct for which the veteran Republican political consultant was prosecuted in federal court. Manafort has been charged in New York with residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records. Citizens, activists hope for peace after clash with Memphis police The Memphis community where a young black man was slain this week by federal agents as they tried to arrest him remained tense after a night of violent protests, but community activists and a mayoral candidate hoped the weekend would be calm. The man shot, Brandon Weber, 20, was wanted in the shooting of a man in Mississippi earlier this month, law enforcement officials said on Thursday. Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Prosecutors drop Flint, Michigan water charges over 'flawed' probe Michigan prosecutors on Thursday dropped all criminal charges over the deadly contamination of the city of Flint's water, saying a more thorough investigation was needed before they could proceed with the case. The charges were brought by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a federal prosecutorial agency, and were based on an investigation that state prosecutors described as "flawed." Democrats name 20 U.S. presidential candidates for first debate A sitting U.S. governor and a congressman will be among the four candidates left off the stage when the Democratic Party holds its pivotal first debate in Miami later this month. The Democratic National Committee announced on Thursday the list of 20 presidential candidates who qualified to participate in the debate. South Carolina man who killed his five children sentenced to death A South Carolina jury sentenced a man to death on Thursday after convicting him of murdering his five young children at their mobile home in 2014 before driving their decomposing bodies through several states and dumping them in Alabama. The jurors voted unanimously to give Timothy Jones the death penalty. The same jury last week found him guilty of the murders of Merah, 8; Elias, 7; Nahtahn, 6; Gabriel, 2; and Abigail, 1. After a family vacation in Italy, U.S. congressman's wife admits to misusing campaign funds The wife of a U.S. representative pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal charges alleging misuse of $250,000 in campaign funds and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors who are also bringing charges against her husband. The move by Margaret Hunter, wife of Republican U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter, came after she and her husband entered not guilty pleas in August 2018 that they spent campaign funds on items ranging from a holiday in Italy to Minnie Mouse ear headbands at Disneyland. Story continues Michael Avenatti is sued for allegedly siphoning paraplegic's $4 million settlement Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump, has been sued by a paraplegic former client who accused him of siphoning away a $4 million settlement he had won. Geoffrey Johnson is seeking at least $9.5 million, plus punitive damages, from Avenatti and several former colleagues in his civil lawsuit filed with the Orange County Superior Court in California. Trump loses loyalist Sarah Sanders in another White House departure White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, a fierce loyalist of President Donald Trump who channeled his combativeness toward the news media, will leave her job at month's end for a possible political future in her home state of Arkansas, Trump said on Thursday. Sanders, who has worked with Trump since the early days of his unconventional run for office and became a national public figure in her own right, is the latest in a long line of senior advisers to leave the White House. Black man killed in Memphis was a suspect in shooting: authorities A young black man shot dead by federal agents as they sought to arrest him in Memphis, triggering overnight clashes between police and protesters, was wanted as a suspect in the shooting of a man in Mississippi earlier this month, authorities said on Thursday. At least two dozen police officers were injured in the street unrest in Memphis after Brandon Webber, 20, was killed on Wednesday night by members of a federal fugitive task force seeking him on warrants stemming from the June 3 incident in Hernando, a Mississippi city just south of Memphis. Government watchdog: Trump aide Conway should be fired for political comments A U.S. government watchdog agency on Thursday recommended Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, be fired for repeatedly violating U.S. law with political comments while serving in the White House. The White House immediately rejected the special counsel office's ruling and demanded that it withdraw its report. Democrats: Trump comments give green light to foreign election meddling Democratic lawmakers accused President Donald Trump on Thursday of giving Russia the green light to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential race, while a top Republican ally said Trump was wrong to say he would accept political dirt from foreign sources. The uproar followed televised comments in which the U.S. president told ABC News he would be willing to listen to such damaging information about political opponents as he seeks re-election. Trump ex-aide Manafort to seek dismissal of New York charges Paul Manafort, U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, will ask a judge to dismiss criminal charges against him in New York, his lawyer told Reuters, in a case that will test the state's double jeopardy protections. Todd Blanche, who represents Manafort, said the New York charges are tied to the same conduct for which the veteran Republican political consultant was prosecuted in federal court. Manafort has been charged in New York with residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records. Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Turkey says would retaliate against U.S. sanctions over Russian S-400s Turkey will "take reciprocal steps" if the United States imposes sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400 defenses, the Turkish foreign minister said on Friday, marking the latest step toward a standoff between the NATO allies. "If the United States takes any negative actions towards us, we will also take reciprocal steps," Mevlut Cavusoglu, the minister, said when asked about possible U.S. sanctions in an interview broadcast on Turkish TV. Investigators to present latest findings on downing of MH17 International investigators looking into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014 said on Friday they would present their latest findings next week, nearly five years after the disaster. Family of the victims and the media will be briefed on the developments on June 19, prosecutors said in a statement. U.S. blames Iran for attack on oil tankers, Tehran calls accusation alarming Iran said on Friday it was alarming and wrong of the United States to blame Tehran for attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf, after an incident that has raised concerns about a new confrontation in the vital oil shipping route. Washington released a video that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind Thursday's attacks on the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous near the Strait of Hormuz shipping chokepoint. What would Churchill say? Boris Johnson needs to be braver and face media, says rival Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to replace Theresa May as Britain's prime minister, needs to be braver and face the media, one of his main rivals said on Friday following accusations the former foreign secretary was avoiding scrutiny. Jeremy Hunt, Britain's foreign minister, said there needed to be a debate about Brexit and the leadership contenders' plans for leaving the European Union. Story continues UK court sets Assange U.S. extradition hearing for February 2020 The full extradition hearing to decide whether Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States to face accusations including spying charges will take place in February next year, a London court ruled on Friday. Assange, 47, faces 18 counts in the U.S. including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades in prison if convicted. Special Report: They fled Venezuela's crisis by boat - then vanished A taxi dropped Maroly Bastardo and her two small children by a cemetery not far from the shore in northeast Venezuela. She still had time to change her mind. Eight months pregnant, Bastardo faced forbidding choices in a nation whose economy has collapsed. Give birth in Venezuela, where newborns are dying at alarming rates in shortage-plagued maternity wards. Or board a crowded smuggler's boat bound for Trinidad, the largest of two islands that make up the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Her husband, Kennier Berra, had landed there in February, found work and beckoned her to join him. Chance of disorderly Brexit jumps; eventual free trade deal still likely: Poll The likelihood Britain and the European Union part ways without a deal has jumped in the past month, according to economists in a Reuters poll, as most candidates jockeying to take over as prime minister appear to have adopted a hard line stance. Three years on since Britons voted to leave the EU, there is still little clarity as to how, when or even if the two sides will draw a line under Britain's four-decades of membership. Support wavers in Hong Kong for bill allowing extraditions to China after protests Cracks appeared to emerge on Friday in the support base for a proposed Hong Kong law that would allow extraditions to China as opponents of the bill vowed further demonstrations after hundreds of thousands took to the streets this week. The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or traveling in the city, has many concerned it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status. Iran's Rouhani says Middle East situation calls for closer ties with Russia: RIA The Middle East situation requires closer ties between Iran and Russia, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said at a China-led security bloc summit on Friday, according to the Russian state news agency RIA. Rouhani earlier said U.S. actions pose a serious threat to stability in the Middle East after Washington accused Iran of attacks on oil tankers on a key shipping route. Exclusive: Hong Kong police "trapped in the middle" by polarizing extradition bill Several senior Hong Kong police officials feel caught between a rock and a hard place as city leader Carrie Lam tries to ram through contentious extradition laws that have triggered violent clashes between police and protesters. Police fired tear gas, bean bag rounds and rubber bullets at young protesters who gathered this week around the Chinese-ruled city's legislature and government headquarters in the tens of thousands. Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Accused Christchurch shooter pleads not guilty to all charges in New Zealand court The Australian man accused of killing 51 worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand in March pleaded not guilty to all charges in a court on Friday. In an attack broadcast live on Facebook, the lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on March 15, in New Zealand's worst peace time mass shooting. U.S. blames Iran for tanker attacks in Gulf of Oman, Iran rejects assertion The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation. Iran "categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," the Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Thursday evening. Islamist insurgents overrun Nigerian army base in northeast: security sources Islamist insurgents overran a Nigerian army base in the country's northeast, killing at least the commander, two Nigerian security sources said on Thursday. Militants on Wednesday took a Nigerian army base at the village of Kareto in northeastern Borno state, some 130 kilometers from state capital Maiduguri, the security sources said. Migrants rush to enter Mexico ahead of security crackdown demanded by Trump Central American migrants eager to beat a crackdown by Mexico on its southern border with Guatemala scrambled into the country on Thursday as the government prepared to send thousands of National Guard members to plug gaps in the porous frontier. Mexico has agreed with the United States to demonstrate by late July that it can contain a surge in U.S.-bound migrants, following a threat from U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Mexican goods if it failed to do so. Story continues Unhappy at Twitter, thousands of Saudis crash pro-Trump social network A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a "free speech-driven" space. The unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters. Sudan's military rulers say several coup attempts thwarted Sudan's military rulers said on Thursday they had thwarted several coup attempts and that some officers had been arrested over the deadly dispersal of protesters at a sit-in in Khartoum earlier this month. Two different groups of people suspected of involvement in the attempted coups had been arrested, the Transitional Military Council's spokesman said. One group consisted of five individuals while the other had more than 12 members, he said. Brexit supporter Johnson far ahead in contest to replace British PM Boris Johnson, who has pledged to deliver Brexit on Oct. 31, surged closer to power on Thursday, winning by far the most support from Conservative lawmakers in the first round of the contest to replace Prime Minister Theresa May. Three years since voting 52%-48% to leave the European Union, the United Kingdom is heading toward a possible crisis over Brexit as most of the candidates vying to succeed May are prepared to leave on Oct. 31 without a deal. Brazil's Bolsonaro fires government minister Santos Cruz Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday replaced his minister in charge of political relations with Congress, the presidential spokesman said. Government Secretary Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz was fired during a meeting with Bolsonaro earlier in the day, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Iranian leader tells Japan's Abe Trump 'not worthy' of a reply to message Iran's supreme leader told Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday that it was pointless to reply to a message he had brought to Tehran from U.S. President Donald Trump, as a peacemaking visit was overshadowed by attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The attacks were the latest incident in a confrontation between the United States and Iran after weeks of tightening U.S. sanctions and a war of words. Hong Kong protesters scuffle with police, government offices shut Scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police in Hong Kong on Thursday as hundreds of people kept up a protest against a planned extradition law with mainland China, a day after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up big crowds. Protests around the city's legislature on Wednesday forced the postponement of debate on the extradition bill, which many people in Hong Kong fear will undermine freedoms and confidence in the commercial hub. Ricky Gervais attends a screening of Netflix's "After Life" at the Paley Center for Media on Thursday, March 7, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Ricky Gervais has admitted he may let his Netflix series After Life run to a third series. The Office star writes, directs and stars in the black comedy about a widower who stops caring about life after losing his wife to cancer. Gervais said of After Life, which has just been commissioned for a seconds series: As Im getting older now I might milk it a bit more. The 57-year-old comedian added: I do [have an idea for a special]. I do think that might be right. Unless I can get some of the cast to help me write the third series and just sit back and just turn up. Read more: Ricky Gervais calls BBC out for hypocritical treatment of Jo Brand and Danny Baker With his past shows The Office, Extras and Derek, Gervais has always stuck to a formula of two series and a special. Speaking at the Variety European TV Summit in London, Gervais said: Throughout my career my laziness has sometimes been mistaken for integrity, which is great. I do get bored easily, I do put all my eggs in one basket, I dont use a team of writers. Which sort of dictates how many fresh ideas and how long it takes. But he admitted he had ideas for new shows that he also wanted to make. Gervais said: Ive got a backlog. Id rather do eight [different] series before I die, than one. Just as an artist really, its fun. The David Brent star also revealed he does most of his writing while flying first class between the UK and the US. Read more: Ricky Gervais: I have no animosity towards stars I make jokes about He said of his ideal creative environment: 30,000 feet on free champagne. Theres nothing like it. I know that Ive got 6 or 7 hours where I cant get a phone call or be wound up by an email or go on Twitter and the altitude and champagne - thats where I work with the sad bits. That and running, for the same sort of reasons, the endorphins kick in and theres no distractions. (Repeating June 13 story without changes) * New carbon net zero target by 2050 implies radical change * Solar industry wants renewed government backing * New research suggests sector may easily beat existing forecasts * Companies must prove they can tackle intermittency of supply By Matthew Green LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Solar power could help Britain achieve its new climate goal more efficiently than many politicians realise if the government adopts policies to unlock faster growth, a leading solar company said on Thursday, citing new research. Britain this week became the first G7 country to adopt a legally binding commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050 - a move that implies a radical rebalancing of the world's fifth largest economy in response to the climate crisis. Frans van den Heuvel, chief executive of Solarcentury, which has built some of the largest solar farms in Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, Kenya and Mexico, urged the government to slash fossil fuel subisides and harness the sector to meet its goal. "We have everything in place, we just need a stable policy," van den Heuvel told Reuters. "We need a level playing field with other energy sources." Privately-owned Solarcentury and other providers will need to convince policymakers that they can overcome solar's main challenge: providing a steady supply of electricity in a country with short winter days and frequently dreary skies. Nevertheless, the company hopes to bolster its case with the results of an analysis it carried out in collaboration with Energy Watch Group, a non-profit network of scientists and parliamentarians, and LUT University in Finland. The findings suggest that technology is advancing so fast that solar could surge from generating 4% of Britain's electricity today to at least 20% within the next decade, creating 200,000 jobs, Solarcentury said. That growth would reflect a more than sixfold increase in installed capacity from 13 gigawatts today to 80 gigawatts by 2030 - starkly higher than current forecasts. Story continues The National Grid has projected that solar could account for 33 gigawatts in that time frame, and the opposition Labour party has committed to delivering a similar amount. Its a paradigm shift - it is about looking at the new reality and forgetting about what was yesterday," van den Heuvel said. Theres so much we can do right away - theres no excuse for waiting." COST OR INVESTMENT? Divisions in government over the transformational change in the economy needed to fight climate change were laid bare last week, when finance minister Philip Hammond wrote to outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May to warn that it would cost comfortably more than 1 trillion pounds ($1.27 trillion) to meet the new net zero target. The claim was widely criticised within the renewable industry, which sees the shift to a low-carbon economy as an opportunity to drive investment, job creation and innovation. Britain's growing array of solar, wind and other renewable energy sources has helped wean the country off its dependence on coal-fired power stations in line with its commitment to support global climate goals in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Nevertheless, the solar sector suffered a severe blow in 2016, when the government cut subsidies, causing some firms to close. The government has since focused much of its support for renewables on offshore wind, keen to boost domestic manufacturing and help regenerate neglected coastal communities. The Renewable Energy Association said solar providers hope the government's new carbon net zero target will prompt it to adopt a competitive floor price for solar-generated power to give investors greater confidence. The sector also wants the government to make better use of data to support solar deployment, support research into batteries and cancel a proposal to raise taxes on most new home solar-with-battery kits from 5% to 20%, the association said. "The solar industry isnt calling for the government to sort out every problem. But there is definitely a great leadership role for them to play in creating investor confidence, said Daniel Brown, the Renewable Energy Association's policy manager. ($1 = 0.7886 pounds) (Reporting by Matthew Green Editing by Mark Heinrich) ST PETERSBURG, June 14 (Reuters) - OPEC and non-OPEC producers should raise oil production starting from the second half of the year in order to keep the market balance and acceptable oil prices, Alexander Dyukov, the head of Russia's Gazprom Neft, said on Friday. He told reporters that the oil price range of $55-$65 per barrel is "acceptable" for the Russian producers, while the company is ready to quickly restore its oil output, curbed by a global agreement. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin Editing by Andrey Kuzmin) Denver-based analytics and hospital company RxRevu has secured $15 million in Series A funding, according to company database Crunchbase, topping the citys recent funding headlines. The cash infusion was announced June 4 and led by UCHealth. According to its Crunchbase profile, "RxRevu, Inc. is a physician-founded organization on a mission to become the leader in prescription decision support, to help prescribers identify the most cost-effective medication using personalized factors. RxRevu was referred to as the Google of Drugs by CNBC and is currently working with health systems, cost transparency companies and electronic health records (EHR) vendors. RxREVUs Prescription Decision Support platform, RxCheck, is a FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources)-enabled Prescription Decision Support application." The six-year-old company has raised five previous funding rounds, including a $4.7 million round in 2017. The round brings total funding raised by Denver companies in health care over the past month to $29 million. The local health care industry has produced 29 funding rounds over the past year, raking in a total of $762 million in venture funding. In other local funding news, cannabis and management consulting company Medicine Man Technologies announced a $14 million post IPO equity funding round on June 6, financed by Dye Capital & Company. According to Crunchbase, "Medicine Man Technologies (symbol: MDCL) offers full-service cannabis consulting and licensing of our state-of-the-art, turnkey cultivation and dispensary operating solutions. It represents and licenses the cultivation and dispensary IP of Medicine Man, a prominent Tier III Colorado operator." The company also raised a $1 million post IPO equity 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. Sanders, who made false claims on Trumps behalf, departs Press secretary says I love the president in emotional farewell Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, has become the latest official to leave Donald Trumps volatile administration, but in an emotional farewell she insisted: I love the president. Sanders, a bitterly divisive figure who has not held a press briefing for a record 94 days, will return to her home state of Arkansas, it was announced on Thursday, though her exact plans remain unclear. Trump and Sanders expressed mutual admiration that suggested the parting was amicable. The president first announced her departure via Twitter then spoke of her in glowing terms at an unrelated event at the White House. He described Sanders as a magnificent person and who has done an incredible job. Sanders promised that she would continue to be one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president and his agenda raising the prospect that she could follow her predecessor, Sean Spicer, into becoming a political pundit on channels such as Fox News. I know hes going to have an incredible six more years, she added. Sanders will not be missed by Trumps critics. Matthew Miller, a former justice department spokesperson, tweeted: Good riddance. She had the most important spokesperson job in the world and used it to lie repeatedly to the American people. I hope shame and stigma follow her the rest of life. Sanders, daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, took over from Spicer in July 2017. She was the third woman to hold the position. She was one of the closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining who worked on his campaign. Good riddance. She had the most important spokesperson job and used it to lie repeatedly to the American people Matthew Miller Sanders provided stability after Spicers series of wayward gaffes and, unlike other Trump officials, stayed in his good graces with her unswerving, often ostentatious shows of loyalty. In January she told the Christian TV network CBN that God wanted Donald Trump to become president. Sanders amplified Trumps attacks on the media, sometimes clashing with CNN correspondent Jim Acosta in the briefing room, and notoriously made false claims on behalf of the president, deepening questions about the administrations credibility. Special counsel Robert Muellers report revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim that countless FBI agents had got in touch to express support for Trumps decision to fire FBI director James Comey in May 2017. Sanders later claimed her comments were a slip of the tongue and made in the heat of the moment. It was also on her watch that the daily press briefing, a staple of past administrations, became irregular and all but petered out. There has been no briefing for the past three months, effectively replaced by impromptu gatherings with reporters in the White House driveway, and by Trumps own question-and-answer sessions on the south lawn. Sanders becomes the latest in a long list of White House departures; Trump has presided over a record turnover of staff. He has not yet announced a successor. At the press conference on Thursday, Trump summoned Sanders to join him at podium. The 36-year-old beamed as the president said: Shes going to be leaving the service of her country and shes going to be going I guess you could say private sector She comes from a great state, Arkansas, that was a state that I won by a lot, so I like it. The president added: If we can get her to run for the governor of Arkansas, I think shell do very well. Im trying to get her to do that Shes a very special person, a very, very fine woman, she has been so great, she has such heart, shes strong but with great, great heart, and I want to thank you for an outstanding job. Trump kissed Sanders on the head amid applause. She took the podium, visibly resisting tears, and said: This has been the honour of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime. She said she had loved every minute, even in the hard minutes, Ive loved it. I love the president. I love the team that Ive had the opportunity to work for. The president is surrounded by some of the most incredible and most talented people you could ever imagine and its truly the most special experience. The only one I can think of that might top it just a little bit is the fact that Im a mom. I have three amazing kids and Im going to spend a little more time with them. Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi forces on Friday intercepted five drones launched by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, in a second assault on an airport in the kingdom's southwest in two days. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, the coalition said in a statement released by Saudi state media. The latest raid comes amid spiralling regional tensions after Washington accused Iran of carrying out attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, the second such incident in a month in the strategic sea lane. "The royal Saudi air defence force and air force successfully intercepted and destroyed five unmanned drone aircraft launched by Huthi militia towards Abha international airport and Khamis Mushait," the coalition statement said without reporting any casualties. The airport was operating normally with no fights disrupted, the statement added. Huthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported earlier that the Iran-aligned rebels had carried out drone attacks on Abha Airport. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks. Wednesday's missile strike hit the civil airport in the mountain resort of Abha, which is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. During a media tour of the airport on Thursday, Saudi authorities said they had closed a part of the arrival lounge after the missile tore a hole in the roof and disrupted flights for several hours. The area was covered in bamboo scaffolding and littered with concrete debris and shards of broken glass, AFP saw. Two passengers, including an Indian national, who suffered mild injuries recalled pandemonium and screams after a loud explosion triggered a blaze, leaving the lounge covered in smoke. Story continues A Saudi civil aviation official said authorities were still investigating rebel claims that they fired a cruise missile at the airport. If confirmed that would represent a major leap in the rebels' military capability, experts say. The official also confirmed that it had not been intercepted by the kingdom's Patriot anti-missile batteries. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of arming the rebels with sophisticated weapons, a charge Tehran denies. The coalition vowed to "take stern action" to deter the rebels and protect civilians after the missile attack, which drew international condemnation including from the European Union. The coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden. Since then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say. It has triggered what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 24.1 million Yemenis -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in need of aid. NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's market regulator on Friday barred the founders of news television channel New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) from the country's capital markets for the next two years. The Securities and Exchange Board of India, which is looking into allegations of fraud over a multi-million-dollar loan secured by NDTV, also barred its founders, Prannoy and Radhika Roy, from holding any managerial position for the next two years. "The loan agreements were unmistakably structured as a scheme to defraud the investors," the SEBI said in its order. Federal authorities first launched an investigation into the founders of NDTV in 2017 and later brought a case against the couple -- seen as pioneers of private news channels in India -- in a move the company had said was an attempt to muzzle free speech. The same year Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the couple's New Delhi home as well as two holiday houses, prompting protests by Indian journalists, who described the raid as an attack on the freedom of press. NDTV had called the raids a witch-hunt. NDTV officials were not available for comment on the latest developments. The CBI had said the investigation had no link to the editorial side of the NDTV, India's oldest English-language news channel. (Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; additional reporting by Abhirup Roy in MUMBAI) On the cusp of Memorial Day weekend, the house passed what could be a landmark retirement law, affecting workers, retirees and heirs alike. The legislation may shake up the rules for IRA contributions and required minimum distributions and upend many retirees' estate plans. Some of the most impactful provisions of the bill affect existing retirement plans, says Tim Steffen, director of advanced planning for Baird. IRA owners should take note of a few key highlights of the bipartisan Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, which passed the House in a 417-3 vote and is now in the Senate's hands. The three changes below will go into effect after December 31, 2019, if the House legislation is enacted as written. We'll track the legislation closely and keep you apprised of any changes that may affect your retirement, tax and estate planning. Age cap repeal. The Secure Act removes the age cap for traditional IRA contributions, which is currently 70 1/2. This change would allow older workers to stash a chunk of their earned income in a traditional IRA, just as they can currently in a Roth IRA. For those 50 and older in 2019, the maximum contribution is $7,000. An older worker who has enough income to cover the total IRA contributions could also contribute to a spousal IRA for a retired spouse. RMD age increase. The House bill increases the starting age for required minimum distributions from retirement accounts to 72, from 70 1/2 currently. That extra 18 months of tax-deferred growth is a win for older workers and retirees who don't need to tap their retirement accounts to cover expenses. Because the change would be effective after December 31, 2019, those turning 70 1/2 in 2020 would be the first to benefit. IRA owners currently taking RMDs would not be affected, says Steffen. Stretch IRA loss. Although the Secure Act may benefit some retirement account owners, it's not so friendly to nonspouse heirs. The legislation erases these heirs' ability to stretch out required minimum distributions from inherited retirement accounts over the nonspouse heirs' own life expectancies--a move that allows more of the money to grow tax-deferred and minimizes the heirs' income tax bill. Instead, the legislation mandates that the inherited assets be withdrawn within 10 years. Steffen notes that "beneficiaries of larger accounts could be facing significantly larger IRA withdrawals--and therefore larger tax liabilities--than they had anticipated." Story continues This change will upend estate planning for many IRA owners and will require heirs to take a good look at their tax-planning strategies when handling a windfall. And while repealing the age cap on contributions and raising the age for RMDs could be beneficial, retirees will need to "weigh that with accumulating too much in an IRA," says Leslie Thompson, managing principal at Spectrum Management Group. The loss of the stretch could make Roth accounts more attractive, she says. Heirs can withdraw Roth money tax free. The Secure Act does offer a variety of exceptions to the 10-year rule. Surviving spouses are exempt, as are chronically ill, disabled or minor heirs. Also excluded are heirs who are less than 10 years younger than the decedent. These categories of heirs are deemed to be "eligible designated beneficiaries"; qualification for that status is determined as of the date of death of the account owner. Minor heirs will age out of the exclusion when they hit the age of majority--18 or 21, depending on state law--at which time the 10-year distribution rule will kick in. SEE ALSO: 11 Strategies for IRA Withdrawals in Retirement While there is bipartisan support for the House bill, the Senate has a similar bill in the works--the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act, known as RESA--so Congress will have to reconcile the two before any legislation can be sent to the President's desk. For more details on the Secure Act's IRA provisions and other changes affecting retirement plans, go to Thomas.gov and search for H.R. 1994. EDITOR'S PICKS Copyright 2019 The Kiplinger Washington Editors 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 Kainos Group plc (LON:KNOS), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling. Do Insider Transactions Matter? Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock on the market. However, such insiders must disclose their trading activities, and not trade on inside information. Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. See our latest analysis for Kainos Group The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Kainos Group In the last twelve months, the biggest single sale by an insider was when the Senior VP of Business Development & Executive Director, Paul Gannon, sold UK1.6m worth of shares at a price of UK4.05 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to take some cash off the table, even below the current price of UK6.28. As a general rule we consider it to be discouraging when insiders are selling below the current price, because it suggests they were happy with a lower valuation. However, while insider selling is sometimes discouraging, it's only a weak signal. This single sale was just 4.5% of Paul Gannon's stake. Paul Gannon was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months. The chart below shows insider transactions (by individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! Story continues LSE:KNOS Recent Insider Trading, June 14th 2019 For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Insider Ownership of Kainos Group Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It's great to see that Kainos Group insiders own 29% of the company, worth about UK220m. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Kainos Group Insiders? There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. While we feel good about high insider ownership of Kainos Group, we can't say the same about the selling of shares. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in Kainos Group, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company. But note: Kainos Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. 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. DAKAR, June 14 (Reuters) - Senegalese riot police fired tear gas and detained more than 20 people on Friday at an unsanctioned protest in Dakar over a BBC report of allegations the president's brother was involved in fraud related to two offshore gas blocks developed by BP PLC. Prosecutors have said they will open an investigation following the publication of the BBC report earlier in June. The report has caused public outcry and cast a shadow over Senegal's energy plans years before the first oil and gas starts flowing. Opposition groups had called for a peaceful protest for Friday, but the authorities did not give permission. A Reuters witness in central Dakar saw police firing tear gas canisters and detaining protesters, who chanted slogans such as 'We are Senegalese! It's too much!' It was not possible to estimate the size of the protest as it was not localised in one part of the city. The situation was calm by the evening. The BBC report said that, in a previously unpublished arrangement, BP had agreed to pay Timis Corporation, a firm run by Romanian-Australian tycoon Frank Timis, about $10 billion in royalty payments for its stake in the two blocks. The BBC said that, based on documents it had reviewed, a secret payment of $250,000 was made by Timis to a company run by the presidents brother, Aliou Sall. He has denied receiving the payment and called the report "totally false." Timis has not been reachable for comment, but told the BBC in a statement that there had been "no wrongdoing whatsoever." The blocks are currently operated by BP, which has said it "rejects any implication that it acted improperly." The blocks, called Cayar Offshore Profond and St. Louis Profond, have caused controversy since 2012, when a previously unknown company called Petro-Tim was unexpectedly awarded the licence despite having no known track record in the industry. Soon after, the president's brother was hired at the company. Protests against that deal erupted in Dakar in 2016, casting a shadow over President Macky Sall's first term. (Reporting by Diadie Ba and Yvonne Bell; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Grant McCool) Photo credit: Kyle Kaplan From Popular Mechanics When Samuel L. Jackson hits theaters today in Shaft, the latest installment of a franchise that debuted in 1971, most eyes will fixate on the man himself. After all, the characters swagger and unflappable cool-and Jacksons, for that matter-is the stuff that builds Hollywood legends. But a big part of the audience will likely also be captivated by the heros sidekick. Were not talking about Shafts estranged son, played by Jessie T. Usher, nor his dad, the O.G. Shaft (Richard Roundtree). Instead, we mean his car. The dark-silver 1971 Chevy Chevelle SS is a masterpiece of vintage automotive design and barely contained power. Its a badass ride for the baddest man in cinema. Bringing that powerful classic to life for a refresh of an equally classic character involved far more than just borrowing a pristine Chevelle from a private collector for a few days of shooting. This isnt Driving Miss Daisy. No, the quick-witted, top-shelf flick required a dedicated professional, lest the wrath of Jackson be brought down upon the crew with great vengeance and furious anger . Photo credit: Kyle Kaplan That task fell to Stephen Austin, an Atlanta-based film and television car wrangler who over the last decade has made a name for himself preparing picture cars for everything from Zombieland to The Walking Dead to Dumb and Dumber To, the latter being perhaps most notable, in car circles anyway, for its surprisingly brisk Zamboni road trip scene. For Shaft, Austin found himself tasked with preparing four identical 1971 Chevelles to be used during filming, most of which took place in Atlanta with some scenes shot in New York City, where the film is set. Two of the cars were hero cars-those used for close-ups, establishing shots, and the more sedate driving scenes-while the other two were rigged for stunts and, ultimately, total destruction. Their tasks included everything from drifting around corners to being shot up, which required having explosive squibs installed all over the two stunt cars. Story continues Austin consulted with Shaft director Tim Story, special effects personnel, stunt coordinators, and stunt drivers to determine what they would need the vehicles to do in the scenes. He then located cars and began preparing them over the following 8 weeks with his team of seven mechanics. Much of this work involved ensuring they all looked identical, but there were also performance modifications to prep them for on-screen action. Photo credit: Kyle Kaplan Most used the original Chevy 454 big-block V8 engines, but one car that just needed to drive normally had a smaller engine in there, Austin says. In reality, the cars dont usually need to go that fast during stunts-they can speed up the film and dub in engine noises later. For the Chevelles, we did add third brake pedals in each one to help with sliding and aggressive maneuvering. But visually they were very accurate and mostly original Chevelle SSs. The team had the option of upgrading the engines from carburetors to fuel injectors to improve engine responsiveness, but decided it wasnt necessary. They also ensured that the cars were fundamentally capable of doing the stunt work required of them. This involved finding two additional cars that were immediately wrecked during this testing, just to establish a baseline of what the vehicles could tolerate. This is par for the course for major film projects, and the test results may lead to the installation of puncture-proof fuel cells, fire-suppressions systems, roll cages, or any other safety or performance modifications. There might be pyrotechnics for explosions or special hardware to help flip cars during chase scenes. Fortunately, this is all well within Austins skill set, as the talented gearhead was born with a silver wrench in his mouth thanks to his familys automotive salvage business, which has existed since 1920. Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. The pivot to film work happened just over a decade ago, when the producers of Zombieland showed up at Austins shop seeking some parts for the 2008 movie. They caught one whiff of mechanical bona fides and asked him to help gather vehicles that would wreak havoc in the films apocalyptic setting, including a Hummer H2 and a Cadillac Escalade, the latter of which had a cow-catcher/snow plow attached to the front to make it easier to plow through hordes of marauding zombies. One of the staff from the movie asked if I wanted to be part of this industry, Austin recalls. At first I thought he was making a joke. I didnt even know what a picture car was back then. The work since that first contact has proven ceaselessly varied, from sourcing classic cars to very mundane, but period-correct vehicles to modern cars, which present multiple unique challenges of their own. For the Sandra Bullock film The Blind Side, for instance, Austin had to prepare two BMW SUVs and two 740i luxury sedans. The problem with cars like that is all the modern electronics and safety systems that have to be disabled or removed. Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. New cars can be really hard to flip or even crash into things, so were constantly disconnecting computers, sensors, or antilock-brake systems, Austin says. We also have to take out the airbags and the security systems, which in modern vehicles tends to lock the car down if it thinks its being stolen or towed. In some cases-namely, product placements-Austin will receive technical support from the manufacturers with regards to modifying the cars, but he usually relies on his own knowledge and salvage experience. This also comes in handy with staging crashes, as he knows how vehicles typically look after particularly nasty wrecks. In those cases, the crews will often work backwards through a scene, starting with the final wreckage and using additional cars to stage the driving that leads them to their grand finales. These scenes can be tough for Austin, a car enthusiast to the bone. Its definitely hard to see an original 1971 SS get shot up in Shaft or a Pontiac GTO crashed in The Walking Dead, he says, noting that he and three of his mechanics are present during actual filming to help make final adjustments. I will try to pick out the rustiest models if I know theyre going to be wrecked. You cant replace these cars. Photo credit: Kyle Kaplan Even if they dont meet particularly cinematic demises, picture cars sadly arent long for this world. Studio legal requirements usually demand that the rides be destroyed after filming wraps-especially if the brake lines have been monkeyed with-to ensure that modified machines dont fall into public hands. But that doesnt mean Austin leaves every film set in the equivalent of car-guy despair. Even with all the mayhem, Austin says the work is intensely satisfying-especially when he collaborates with talented cast and crew members. As for Jackson himself, the actor proved a joy to work with. Hes always very nice and joking around a lot, says Austin. And he loves the Chevelle and thought it was perfect for the character. ('You Might Also Like',) Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! If you own shares in Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited (HKG:363) then it's worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. First, we have company specific volatility, which is the price gyrations of an individual stock. Holding at least 8 stocks can reduce this kind of risk across a portfolio. The other type, which cannot be diversified away, is the volatility of the entire market. Every stock in the market is exposed to this volatility, which is linked to the fact that stocks prices are correlated in an efficient market. Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Beta can be a useful tool to understand how much a stock is influenced by market risk (volatility). However, Warren Buffett said 'volatility is far from synonymous with risk' in his 2014 letter to investors. So, while useful, beta is not the only metric to consider. To use beta as an investor, you must first understand that the overall market has a beta of one. A stock with a beta greater than one is more sensitive to broader market movements than a stock with a beta of less than one. See our latest analysis for Shanghai Industrial Holdings What does 363's beta value mean to investors? Zooming in on Shanghai Industrial Holdings, we see it has a five year beta of 1.32. This is above 1, so historically its share price has been influenced by the broader volatility of the stock market. If the past is any guide, we would expect that Shanghai Industrial Holdings shares will rise quicker than the markets in times of optimism, but fall faster in times of pessimism. Many would argue that beta is useful in position sizing, but fundamental metrics such as revenue and earnings are more important overall. You can see Shanghai Industrial Holdings's revenue and earnings in the image below. Story continues SEHK:363 Income Statement, June 13th 2019 How does 363's size impact its beta? Shanghai Industrial Holdings is a reasonably big company, with a market capitalisation of HK$18b. Most companies this size are actively traded with decent volumes of shares changing hands each day. It has a relatively high beta, suggesting it may be somehow leveraged to macroeconomic conditions. For example, it might be a high growth stock with lots of investors trading the shares. It's notable when large companies to have high beta values, because it usually takes substantial capital flows to move their share prices. What this means for you: Since Shanghai Industrial Holdings has a reasonably high beta, it's worth considering why it is so heavily influenced by broader market sentiment. For example, it might be a high growth stock or have a lot of operating leverage in its business model. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but it's well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Shanghai Industrial Holdingss financial health and performance track record. I urge you to continue your research by taking a look at the following: Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 363s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 363s outlook. Past Track Record: Has 363 been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of 363's historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: It's worth checking to see how 363 measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options. 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. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said his fear of First Amendment lawsuits is keeping him from firing a detective who called for the killing of LGBTQ community members. Instead, Spangler is allowing Grayson Fritts to take a voluntary buyout that the sheriff says was approved before controversy erupted over a hate-laced sermon the detective delivered June 2. Spangler told Knox News on Friday that "we looked at every avenue we could look at without violating anybodys First Amendment rights (and) freedom of speech and the best thing for us was what we did. And thats what were sticking with. "You can look for the ACLU to look for a lawsuit, you can look for the freedom of speech people to file a lawsuit," Spangler said. "Theyre all around. Fritts delivered the sermon in his role as pastor at a tiny local church in front of about 15 parishioners, and also recorded it on a video later reviewed by Knox News. He referenced his law enforcement position multiple times during the sermon. Spangler: 'People are upset ... I'm upset' Obviously, people are upset, and they should be upset, Spangler said. Like I just said, Im upset. What people say in their pulpit and what they say personally and their beliefs, thats on them. And a lot of people will either agree or disagree and I think you have a lot of people disagreeing with some of the things said. I can understand that, absolutely. Spangler issued a statement Wednesday saying Fritts is on paid sick leave until the buyout takes effect July 19. Spangler told Knox News on Friday that Fritts will have a doctor's note. In 2018, Fritts made an annual salary of $49,032.10, according to the Knox News salary database. Fritts filled out paperwork May 15 to be included in the buyout offer, according to Knox County Finance Director Chris Caldwell, who is administering the program. A copy of the application, provided to Knox News by the county, shows a time stamp of 9:27 a.m. May 15. The buyout program was approved by the County Commission in April and offered to all county employees. Story continues Spangler said there is no documentation that shows when Fritts' application was approved because it was a verbal agreement, similar to agreements with other KCSO employees. Fritts buyout does not affect his county pension, which he will be eligible for once he turns 50, County Retirement and Pension Board Executive Director Kim Bennett said. He will not receive a full pension because he did not work 25 years as required by the Uniformed Officers Pension Plan. Still, Fritts should receive at least $1,275.28 a month, according to the formula Bennett provided with data from the Knox News salary database. KCSO spokeswoman Kimberly Glenn said Spangler's acceptance of Fritts' buyout had nothing to do with the sermon and ensuing controversy. Spangler said he knows there will be critics of his decision to allow Fritts to take the buyout. Were in a position to where whatever we do is not going to be good for anybody, you know, its just the way it is," he said. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Sheriff: Fear of lawsuits is why Tennessee detective won't be fired over LGBTQ comments Brussels (AFP) - Six Belgian orphans born to families belonging to the Islamic State group have arrived in Belgium, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said on Friday. "The six children from Syria have just arrived in our country," Reynders said on Twitter. "The children are now being monitored and supervised by the competent local state attorneys and youth support services," he added. A prosecutors statement said "all the children were psychologically supervised during the operation," adding that "their physical and psychological condition will be a priority." "It should be noted that these children have spent a long period of time in Syria under difficult conditions," the statement added. The orphans arrived a day after being handed been handed over by Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria handed to their Belgian officials. The statement said that as of recently one of the orphans no longer was a minor. Officials have previously said that four of the six orphans expected to return were older than 10, but that none was a suspect. Belgium had announced the transfer of the children from Kurdish-controlled camps in Syria after the deaths of their jihadist parents. Belgium is one of several European countries wrestling with the dilemma of what to do about citizens trapped in Syria following the defeat of the IS. Some are reticent to accept captured extremist fighters, but the cases of children and non-combatant wives have proved more complicated for Western authorities. The bulk of IS fighters and family members who were captured when its so-called caliphate collapsed are being held in Syria in Kurdish-run camps. According to Belgian media reports, 50 to 60 Belgian children under 18 are in the camps of Al-Hol, Roj, and Ain Issa in Syria. Belgium was one of the European countries which, relative to its size, saw one of the larger contingents of extremists set off for the Syrian battlefield. Story continues Authorities estimate that 400 adults have headed to jihadist-controlled areas since 2012 and 150 were still considered "active and in place" at the end of last year. Syria's Kurds have detained hundreds of foreigners suspected of fighting for IS, as well as thousands of related women and children, during the US-backed battle against IS in Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces expelled the extremist group from its last patch of territory in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz in March, after larger than expected numbers of families emerged from the ruins. Photo credit: VvoeVale - Getty Images From Popular Mechanics If Thomas Edison were to walk down the light-bulb aisle of a modern home-improvement store, hed be shocked to see whats become of his brainchild. Long gone are the days of simply choosing a light bulb based on its wattage. Today, light bulbs are available in a dizzying array of types, sizes, and shapes. Pity the poor shopper who enters the light-bulb aisle ignorant of the evolutionary changes to Ole Toms electric arc lamp, as it was originally called. Here are the five light bulbs youre likely to encounter, and how to pick the best bulb for you: Incandescents Photo credit: garyperkin - Getty Images Contrary to what you may have heard, the incandescent bulb isnt dead; its on life support, but still available online and in some stores. In 2007, Congress passed a law stating that incandescent bulbs could no longer be made in the U.S. because they didnt meet new federal energy-efficiency standards. Over the past 12 years, there has been a gradual phase-out of incandescent bulbs, but as mentioned, you can still buy them, though theyre becoming scarcer. Incandescent bulbs are very affordable, dimmable, commonly available in sizes ranging from 40 to 150 watts, and they emit a warm, soft light thats complementary to skin tones. On the downside, traditional incandescent bulbs produce a lot of heat, only last 1 to 2 years, and consume more electricity than any other type of bulb. Recommended: GE Lighting 40-Watt A19 Compact Fluorescent (CFL) Photo credit: domdeen Unlike traditional tubular fluorescent bulbs, which buzz, flicker, and produce a harsh bluish light, compact fluorescents come on quickly and produce a pleasing, color-corrected glow. Plus, modern CFLs are 75 percent more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs, and they have a life expectancy of 7 to 9 years. Theyre commonly available in sizes ranging from 3 to 120 watts. (A 14-watt CFL is equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent.) Keep mind, however, that not all CFLs are dimmable, some are slow to reach full brightness in extreme cold, and they contain trace amounts of mercury. So be careful when handling shattered bulbs. Story continues Recommended: Ushio Compact Fluorescent Halogen Photo credit: Philips Halogen lights are similar to incandescents, in that they that contain a filament thats heated to the point of glowing. However, halogens consume between 25 and 80 percent less electricity than incandescents, depending on the specific bulb. Halogens emit a pure white light thats very close to natural daylight, so colors appear sharper, crisper, and more vibrant. Halogens are fully dimmable, available from 5 to 500 watts, and they typically last between 2 and 3 years. However, they get extremely hot, so allow the bulb to cool down before touching it. (Thats why halogens arent ideal for table lamps, floor lamps, and other fixtures where the bulb is within easy reach.) Also, never use your bare hands to change a halogen bulb. Natural oil on your skin will transfer to the bulb, causing the bulb to warm too quickly and possibly shatter. Recommended: Philips Landscape and Indoor 50-Watt Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Photo credit: Great Eagle Theres a lot to like about LEDs: They are affordable, super energy-efficient, stay cool to the touch, and can last an astonishing 10 to 20 years. LEDs are 75 percent more energy-efficient than standard incandescent bulbs, and come in sizes ranging from 2.5 to 16 watts. And be aware that some, but not all, LEDs are dimmable. LEDs produce directional light, not diffused light, so theyre not great for ambient room lighting. Theyre much better suited for task-lighting situations, such as under-cabinet kitchen lighting. There are some newer versions that cluster together several LEDs in one bulb to produce a broader light display, but they cost up to six times more than directional-light LEDs. And specialty LED bulbs are now available to replace incandescent bulbs in recessed light fixtures. Recommended: Great Eagle LED 23W Wi-Fi Capable Photo credit: Sengled Get your geek on with these specialty bulbs that allow you to remotely control the lighting in your home via a smart phone or tablet. Simply screw a Wi-Fi capable bulb into a light fixture, download the app, and then from anywhere in the world youll be able to turn lights on or off, adjust the brightness, and program lights to come on and off at preset times. Note that Wi-Fi-capable bulbs are often device-specific, meaning theyre only compatible with either an Apple or Android device. Recommended: Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED ('You Might Also Like',) A cheating husband cannot divorce his wife despite having a years-long affair, a South Korean court ruled Friday, insisting only the injured party in a marriage could initiate a legal separation. Movie director Hong Sang-soo, 58, a Cannes film festival regular, filed for divorce in 2016, shortly after his relationship with actress Kim Min-hee became public. But Hong's wife, whom he wed in 1985, refused to play along -- leading to a drawn-out legal battle that has lasted for years. Seoul Family Court on Friday dismissed Hong's petition, and awarded costs against him. South Korea remains a conservative society, where until 2015, anyone indulging in extramarital sex risked a two-year prison sentence. Even since decriminalisation, public disapproval of affairs remains strong. Despite her successes on the silver screen, 37-year-old Kim -- who won best actress at Germany's pretigious Berlinale in 2017 -- has struggled to inspire warmth among the South Korean public. Her portrayal of an out-of-work actress reeling from an affair with a married director in Hong's "On the Beach at Night Alone" appears to have been too close to real life for movie goers. The law against adultery was originally intended to safeguard the rights of women at a time when marriage offered them some of their only legal protections. Most had no independent income, and divorce carried enormous social stigma. In 2015, when the country's highest court reaffirmed that only the injured party could initiate a divorce, it said "gender equality had some way to go". Judges said women would be particularly vulnerable if unfaithful husbands were allowed to divorce them without any justifiable complaint. Opponents of the current divorce laws say they violate individual freedoms and trap people in unhappy marriages. By Chris Scicluna VALLETTA (Reuters) - Heads of European Union Mediterranean states offered full support on Friday for fellow EU member Cyprus in a dispute with Turkey over the ownership of offshore natural gas deposits. The discovery of lucrative energy reserves has exacerbated tensions between Turkey and Cyprus which date to an ethnic conflict in 1974 that split the island between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations. The Turkish-speaking northern part of Cyprus proclaims independence, recognized only by Turkey. Cyprus said this week it had issued arrest warrants for the crew of a Turkish drill ship it accused of infringing territory over which it claims the right to explore for oil and gas. Turkey has overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore research in the Mediterranean and argues that Turkish Cypriots also have a right to a share of the newfound resources. Ankara said reports of the arrest warrants "crossed the line". EU leaders in Malta threw their weight behind Cyprus. "Turkey must stop its illegal activities in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus," said French President Emmanuel Macron. "The European Union will not show any weakness on this subject." Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: "It's important to signal that the EU should take specific measures if Turkey does not stop its infringing behavior. Whoever doesn't respect international law must suffer the consequences." Turkey has bid for EU membership, but its candidacy is frozen, with the EU executive in May saying its hopes of joining were fading because of backsliding on rights and rule of law. The gathering in Malta came a week ahead of a full summit of EU leaders, which falls at a time when a number of top jobs in Europe are up for grabs -- including new heads of both the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB). Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he hoped the southern EU leaders could work together to make sure their interests were respected. Story continues "I hope to get everyone's agreement for greater cohesion on the part of the southern EU states. Sometimes we make the mistake of splitting, while other groups, like those in the north, are more united," he said. Earlier this week a government source in Rome said Italy was ready to back a French candidate to lead the ECB as part of a plan to ensure an Italian retained a seat on the central bank executive board. Conte, who leads a government that includes the anti-immigrant far-right League, also expressed disappointment that the EU had yet to agree a comprehensive immigration policy, with promises unfulfilled to disperse migrants across the bloc. "It is unacceptable that we continue to declare abstract solidarity for all, but then fail to translate this into concrete measures," he said. (Additional reporting by Antonio Denti, Crispian Balmer, Joan Faus, George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Peter Graff) Analysts have played down fears of a huge spike in oil prices this year, citing the economic slowdown and trade war but rising tensions in the Middle East could be a threat to the energy markets, according to a U.S.-based think tank. Oil prices rose as much as 4% on Thursday following attacks on two tanker ships off the coast of Iran, which the Trump administration has blamed on Tehran. The attacks in the Gulf of Oman, which involved Japanese and Norwegian vessels, renewed fears of conflict in the Middle East after a series of strikes on oil tankers last month. It occurred near the Strait of Hormuz which is one of the worlds most vital sea lanes for oil shipments. Such incidents can lead to immediate price rises in oil, said Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a note. Tanker attacks: Iran took mine off tanker targeted in attacks, video release Iran also does not have to launch a major war. It can conduct sporadic, low-level attacks that do not necessarily provoke a major U.S. or Arab reaction, but create sudden risk premiums in petroleum prices. Irans growing presence Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are already high after the Trump administration withdrew from an international nuclear pact with Tehran in May last year. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly threatened to block traffic in the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for U.S. sanctions on Iran. Iran can use its naval, air or missile forces to attack ships anywhere in the Gulf, or use proxies to do so, said Cordesman. Iran also does not have to launch a major war. It can conduct sporadic, low-level attacks that do not necessarily provoke a major U.S. or Arab reaction, but create sudden risk premiums in petroleum prices, he wrote. US-Iran relations: Irans top diplomat talks about Iran nuclear deal Those attacks can be carried out by ships without Iranian flags, or operators not wearing Iranian uniforms, that cannot be directly tied to actions by the Iranian government, Cordesman said. Story continues Furthermore, he pointed to the growing Iranian naval presence in the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Aden near Yemen, ostensibly to prevent smuggling and deal with Somali pirates. Limited route options In addition, there are limited options to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which is the worlds most important choke point for oil shipments, Cordesman wrote. 061319-Iran-Strait-of-Hormuz-attacks The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated a record 18.5 million barrels per day of sea-borne oil passed through the waterway in 2016, and it accounted for a third of such sea-borne traded oil and other liquids in 2015. Most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Iraq passes through the strait, which lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find alternatives to bypass the strait. But existing alternatives are limited, said Cordesman. The only options to this traffic by sea are a limited pipeline through Iraq to a port in Turkey that offers little real-world surplus capacity, he said. There is another bigger pipeline through Saudi Arabia to a port at Yanbu on the Red Sea, but even in a best case, this amounts to less than 20% of the petroleum that now flows daily out of the Gulf, he wrote. Furthermore, such alternatives are also subjected to risk, Cordesman pointed out, citing that Saudi Arabia shut down the Yanbu pipeline after an attack by armed drones in May this year. Only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pipelines that can ship crude outside the Persian Gulf and still have additional pipeline capacity to circumvent the Strait of Hormuz, he indicated. Even so, the total capacity from both countries was only 6.6 million barrels per day at the end of 2016. Reuters contributed reporting. CNBC is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sporadic attacks from Iran could spike oil prices, says US think tank By Ellen Wulfhorst UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - I ncreased funding and awareness campaigns are helping to slow the rates of violence against people with albinism in Africa, according to officials and campaigners. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism - a lack of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes - are attacked for their body parts which are prized in witchcraft for use as lucky charms or in magic potions. But funding and campaigns to put the plight of albinos in the spotlight was starting to pay off, said Peter Ash, founder of Under The Same Sun, a charity for people with albinism, with attacks in Tanzania dropping to six last year from 20 in 2010. "For us, that's progress," Ash told a United Nations event this week to mark the fifth annual Internal Albinism Awareness Day. Isaac Mwaura, the first member of Kenya's parliament with albinism, said the annual day was worth celebrating for once. Rising reports of ritual and witchcraft-related killings for body parts in countries such as Tanzania, Malawi and Burundi in recent years had prompted the United Nations to appoint a special expert to protect people with albinism. "(Before) there was nothing to celebrate," said Mwaura. But Stephan Bognar, executive director of the New York Dermatology Group Foundation which has launched a global awareness campaign, cautioned that the lives of people with albinism remained at high risk. "Albinism, poverty, extreme discrimination go hand in hand in many countries," he said, calling for more dermatologists to care for the albino population. Kenya has spent about $7 million to provide health care, protective clothing and free sunscreen to people with albinism, according to its permanent representative at the United Nations. Malawi has toughened its laws and punishments, waged public awareness programs, built a database of people with albinism and plans to build nearly 200 protective homes nationwide, said Perks Ligoya, Malawi's ambassador to the United Nations. Story continues Tanzanian Mwigulu Magesa, 15, who lost his left arm in an attack five years ago and lives in a protected boarding school, traveled from Tanzania to the U.N. event to speak, aided by Under The Same Sun, but was too shy when his moment arrived. But speaking a day before to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Magesa said he relished his freedom in New York, where he was staying with the Global Medical Relief Fund, a charity that aids children wounded in conflict. "I can walk from here to the beach, but in Tanzania, I can't go by myself to the beach. There is not enough security for people with albinism," he said. Albinism is a congenital disorder affecting about one in 20,000 people worldwide but is more common in sub-Saharan Africa. It affects about one Tanzanian in 1,400. (Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, Editing by Michael Taylor and Belinda Goldsmith 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) COLOMBO, June 14 (Reuters) - Five Sri Lankans suspected of having links to Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people were brought home in police custody on Friday after being deported from Saudi Arabia, police said. Police declined to provide details of the arrests beyond saying the five were picked up in a Middle Eastern country and were sent back, in the custody of Sri Lankan police, from the Saudi city of Jeddah. "These are the five remaining leaders of the April 21 terrorist group," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told reporters. The coordinated Islamist militant suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches sent shockwaves through the Indian Ocean island state that had enjoyed relative peace since a civil war ended a decade ago. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks that authorities said were carried out by two little-known domestic groups - the National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim. Police declined to give information about the nature of the five suspects' roles in the attacks but said one of them, identified as Mohamed Milhan, was a senior member of the NTJ. "He could have been the next leader," Gunasekera said. Authorities have arrested more than 2,000 people in connection with the attacks. While courts have released most of them on bail, 634 remain in detention. Authorities say the threat of more attacks has been contained and the security services have dismantled most of the network linked to the bombings. (Reporting by Ranga Sirilal Editing by Alexandra Ulmer, Robert Birsel) Louise Linton attends the swearing-in ceremony of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Feb. 13, 2017, at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) Louise Linton, an actress and producer whos married to President Trumps Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, realizes that shes in a unique position. I have the high honor of being the only person who has been compared to Marie Antoinette, Darth Vader and Cruella de Vil at once, Linton says in a new interview with Los Angeles Magazine. Linton quickly became loathed by the masses in 2017 when the internet spotted her living the high life as the spouse of someone on the government payroll. She added hashtags identifying her designer threads when she traveled with Mnuchin and then publicly slammed one of her critics. She infamously wore leather opera gloves during a visit to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. Louise Linton poses with husband Steve Mnuchin for a photograph on Nov. 15, 2017, at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) In the new interview, Linton, 38, seems to have a sense of humor about it all and points out that shes apologized multiple times. She says that, through the hate that shes received over the internet, her husband has been supportive and the White House has remained silent. She regrets some of her earlier moves, even without someone admonishing her. She attributes it to a lack of experience. It all happened so fast: I went from regular girl, an actress trying to make it in Hollywood, to a Cabinet spouse in one of the most polarizing administrations ever. It was overwhelming, Linton says. I love my husband and I wanted to support him, but the transition to Washington has been my hardest experience. I felt very lonely and isolated; I didnt have any friends there. I never got much guidance. You know that movie The Princess Diaries, where a mentor held her hand saying, Walk this way. Talk this way. Do this; dont do that? Well, I didnt have anyone like that. No one hands you a guidebook when you get off the plane in D.C. The only people waiting for you are the press. Linton explains that Trumps wife Melania and Vice President Mike Pences wife Karen were new to town themselves, so they couldnt offer advice. Story continues And as far as I know, there really isnt a PR firm for people who suddenly become Cabinet spouses, ya know? The partners of ambassadors and congressional spouses get to go to a training camp! Cabinet spouses get nothing. Being married to someone so high up in government, it surprised me that there was no one there to step in, as Im sure they do, for the first lady or for Meghan Markle or Kate Middleton! Im sure the palace gave them meticulous advice about how to adjust to public life. That might have kept her from making some newcomer mistakes, such as wearing those gloves. Youve heard of cold cash right? They call it that because its kept freezing cold there, Linton says. I was warned ahead of time so I came prepared. But I certainly didnt expect to be in any photographs. My mistake was when Steven said, Hey, honey, this is cool; step in this picture. I didnt say, Wait a minute, let me take my gloves off, Steven. I look like a crazy person. I look like Darth Vader! When the interviewer asks Linton about why she didnt lay low following her public controversies, she corrects her. I did lay low! I was deeply depressed for a while. But it sucks being perceived as a person that youre not; it sucks being hated, Linton says. Most people know me for the gloves or the plane or that awful Instagram post. Look, I made some rookie mistakes. I understand why people are angry about me getting off that government plane tagging fashion brands. It was a stupid thing to do. I get why everyone rolled their eyes at the opera gloves. But this caricature of me is the opposite of the girl I actually am. I run a business; I have several movies coming out. I cant hide out for another five years. Writer Maer Roshan describes Linton in the lengthy piece as alternately bubbly, naive, canny, funny, and self-centered, given to earnest soliloquies and melodramatic flourishes and notes that, when it began to rain during one of their interview sessions, she quickly changed into a swimsuit and dove into the pool with full makeup. Linton shuts down any suggestion that shes poised to have an influence on the administration, which she disagrees with in the treatment of animals and the LGBTQ community. It doesnt work like that, she says, noting that she has gone to the White House as a regular citizen to advocate for animals. Read more on Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. Dijon (France) (AFP) - "Classic chemotherapy was awful... but with this treatment, I feel hope," says French pensioner Jacques Braud, who is undergoing treatment for stomach cancer with a new form of therapy dispersed by aerosol. Several hours before going into theatre, Braud is waiting in his room, looking surprisingly relaxed with a book in hand. This is a place he has been before. At the age of 76, Braud is about to face his second bout of chemotherapy after the cancer in his stomach spread to two other organs. But this time it is different. He is being treated at the Georges-Francois Leclerc hospital in the eastern city of Dijon, one of seven hospitals in France that are trialling pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy, or PIPAC, a technique developed in Germany in 2013. Although is it still being tested, chemotherapy by aerosol has shown promising results against certain cancers, in a treatment with fewer side effects that offers hope to some of the weakest patients. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, the drugs are not injected into the bloodstream. Instead, the patient is put under general anaesthetic and the treatment introduced by laparoscopy, by which a small incision is made in the abdominal wall and the chemotherapy is introduced into the peritoneal cavity by an aerosol spray. - Minimally invasive - It is a minimally invasive procedure without the harmful side effects normally "associated with the circulation of the treatment within the blood", says David Orry, who heads the hospital's oncological surgery department. "So you avoid the loss of appetite, the damage to peripheral nerves or to the red and white blood cells" which often require the treatment to be stopped. "Chemo is horrendous, it destroys you," says Braud, running his fingers through his short white hair that has barely grown back two months after his first bout of treatment. "My fingers and toes are paralysed, I don't feel anything," he says, admitting it forced him to give up hiking, his passion. Story continues But with the PIPAC therapy, he has not experienced any such side effects. For now, he is receiving treatment every two to three weeks, alternating between traditional chemo and PIPAC therapy, whose use is still being studied. - 'Very promising' - As he lies in a deep sleep on the operating table, the surgeons bend over him to make two small five-centimetre (two-inch) incisions in his abdomen before inserting trocars through the two layers of the peritoneum, the membrane which wraps around the internal organs. They then inject air to artificially create a cavity, which is a prerequisite for delivering PIPAC therapy -- and which is why it is, for now, exclusively used for gynaecological or digestive cancers. "You see, Mr Braud has several metastases on his peritoneal wall," explains Orry, pointing to a screen showing images from the laparoscopy. "This membrane only has a few vessels. So it is very difficult to treat with chemotherapy which passes through the blood. Which is a further advantage of PIPAC." Once the two trocars are in place, the chemotherapy is released into the inflated cavity and left there, during which time the surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses leave the operating theatre to avoid inhalation or exposure to leaks. After 30 minutes, the product is extracted through a powerful miniature pump and the incisions closed. After six small sutures, the operation is over. It took just two hours. By the evening, Braud is back in his room and eating dinner, although he needs to stay another two nights in hospital due to the risks linked to a general anaesthetic. For the moment, PIPAC therapy is only offered to patients undergoing palliative treatment, as its efficacity has yet to be demonstrated in a large scientific study. But the initial response to this complementary treatment has been "very promising" and raised hopes, says oncologist Francois Ghiringhelli who has been working on the development of PIPAC in Dijon since 2017. - An affordable treatment - And the price of the treatment is reasonable, with the injector device costing around 25,000 euros ($28,000), and each operation using disposable materials worth some 2,000 euros. This year, the regional centre for the fight against cancer in the western city of Nantes will begin a multi-centre study on PIPAC therapy in which Dijon will also take part. Preliminary results are due within five years. "Tomorrow, we could use this technique on patients who are less seriously ill and get very good curative results, even preventative results," says Orry, who is clearly enthusiastic about the wider prospects of PIPAC therapy. "For the moment, we must be prudent and not sell it as a miracle cure," he admits. Such a system could also be expanded to deliver other molecular treatments, which are potentially more effective but too dangerous to pass through the blood. Or it could even be developed for other types of cancer that affect the bladder or the lungs, which also have similar membranes to the peritoneum. Even though Braud has only been given two years left to live, he has embraced his new treatment with gusto. "With PIPAC, I have hope," he beams. Kerry McCoy made a decision to stop selling the Confederate flag in her store. (Photo: Bannerisms/Kerry McCoy) Upset with the way the the Confederate flag has been adopted by extremists as a part of hate speech, a store owner of almost 45 years made the decision to stop selling the flag. Kerry McCoy, founder and president of FlagandBanner.com, based in Little Rock, Ark., is a proud Southern woman. And on June 12, she penned a blog post about why she will no longer be selling the flag. The post outlined three reasons why the first being that she believes the flag was being equated to a symbol used to incite genocide. According to the post, a homeowner in Saskatchewan, Canada hoisted Nazi and Confederate flags outside his home, which ignited racial tensions. I realize that its not being used in the way our ancestors had wanted to use it, McCoy tells Yahoo Lifestyle. It has lost its original meaning. The flags purpose wasnt to divide us it was to unite. Her second reason pointed to an incident where a woman hung a Confederate flag in her yard besides a mannequin of what looked like a person of color. When I saw that, I was like what is going on!? McCoy says. That sent me over the edge that is not what the flag was designed for. McCoy chose to take a you cant please all the people all the time stance after the 2015 South Carolina church shooting, when a 22-year-old man killed nine black parishioners, renewing the discussion about whether the Confederate flag should still fly high, and if it was a symbol of Southern heritage or one of hate. At the time, McCoy decided that freedom of speech is what makes America great, which includes waving the flag of your choice, according to the blog post. However, she now believes that the flag simply isnt conducive to creating a safe space where everyone feels comfortable, which is what she hopes to do with the charity she founded in 2009, intended to restore the Dreamland Ballroom, the African-American meeting hall in her building. In 2009, I founded a non-profit, the Friends of Dreamland Ballroom, to restore this space to its former glory. Our vision has always been to bring people together and make it a safe place for everyone, her post explains. The juxtaposition of trying to create a safe place on the third floor of my building and of selling what has become a hate symbol on the first floor of my building has made me reevaluate my 2015 decision. Story continues McCoy referenced both the racial and historic interpretations of the flag and concluded that people need to inform themselves better and fully understand both the sides of the argument surrounding the Confederate flag to realize that its no longer being used the way it was originally intended.. Were all so much more educated today, we have technology at our fingertips to do research, she explains. As a patriot and as a sympathetic Southerner and loyalist to our country, the right thing to do as a citizen is to stop being part of the problem, and start being part of the solution, she told Yahoo Lifestyle. McCoys change in stance wasnt well received by everyone. While she confirms that nobody has come to her store and been aggressive or negative following her announcement, people spoke up in the comments section of her blog. Your current position is the same as if we were to ban the Bible because there exists idiots who use it for hate. Anyone can use something to represent hate, commented one person. We cant control who, and for what reason good or evil, uses the Confederate Battle Flag. But that is no reason to sully the heritage of our Southern Patriots. That is exactly what you are doing by refusing to sell the CBF. What is the difference between selling the Bonnie Blue Flag, or the Stars and Bars, or the Confederate Second National? another added. I take great offense at you calling yourself a Southern woman, when in actuality you are a sell out. I will buy my CBF, and other flags online and at gun shows, which sell plenty of CBF! McCoy added that when she was on a local radio station, someone came over, upset, and was ranting a little bit. She attributes this unhappiness to the idea that people are simply confused because they think the Confederate flag is the flag of the South when it is not. While the store had always sold the Confederate flag, McCoy tells Yahoo Lifestyle that she hadnt been selling as many lately as she once did. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Community furious after neighbors hang Confederate flag, mannequin in yard: Its a free country, but it's very offensive New Jersey governor bans Mississippi flag from annual tradition due to its Confederate symbol School district slams racist incidents after student yells 'white power' at reporter, another wears Confederate flag to school Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. School administrators decided to cut out the entire senior section of the Sumner High School yearbook after some "inappropriate" quotes inadvertantly made it into the yearbook. (Credit: KOMO News) For many students, high school yearbooks are a way to treasure precious memories from a formative time in their lives with candid photos, class portraits and quotes. Thats why when students at Sumner High School in Washington received their yearbooks, many of them were outraged to find that entire pages were crudely cut out due to inappropriate senior comments. They decided to take a box cutter or a knife and not even delicately cut out the pages," Sumner High School student Amanda Fullmer told KOMO News. This is going to fall apart in three days. Its already falling apart and we got it yesterday. Before they move onto the next chapter of their lives, its a tradition for Sumner High School seniors to submit quotes from themselves or others to be included next to their photo in the Spartan yearbook. However, according to a statement from the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, in an unfortunate oversight during the editing process, inappropriate quotes from some seniors inadvertently made it into the yearbook. A Facebook user posted photos of the omitted senior quotes that she had received from a Sumner High School parent who received an untouched yearbook. The parent requested to remain anonymous to protect her privacy. The excerpts referenced marijuana use, quoted Adolf Hitler and made lewd comments that were sexual in nature. I dont go to high school, I go to school high, read one of the senior quotes. Another quote read, She says shes vegetarian but she still likes red meat Some of the removed senior quotes referenced drug use or were sexual in nature. (Credit: Facebook User) Thousands of the Spartan Class of 2019 yearbooks had already been printed by the time a few concerned parents complained about the offensive and inappropriate comments. Once administrators recognized the improprieties, they took action to find a solution by removing the entire senior section out of the yearbook. We very much apologize for any content that is insensitive or offensive in any way, reads the statement obtained by Yahoo Lifestyle. We will remove the pages from the senior section of the yearbook and replace it with an insert without quotes. To ensure this doesnt happen in the future, we will be reviewing our editing procedures and implementing a new process. Story continues Some of the removed senior quotes referenced drug use or were sexual in nature. (Credit: Anonymous Sumner High School Parent) Beyond paying a hefty $60 for damaged yearbooks, disgruntled Sumner High School students believe the entire fiasco could have been avoided in the first place. I mean you had eight months to basically work on the yearbook, and you had time to look over the quotes people had chosen, student Don Marcos Rodriguez told KOMO News. Meanwhile, other students say that when the school administration removed the senior pages, they were also ripping away their precious memories and their legacy. Its just a disgrace, Fullmer said. If this problem isnt addressed now, when I become a senior, senior quotes arent going to be a thing because of a mishap that was not the students' fault and it wasnt the parents fault either. Fullmer added, This isnt the legacy that our school wants to leave but this is the legacy that theyre leaving. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Student sneaks Hitler quote into yearbook and the school community is furious Family speaks out after yearbook omits entry for daughter who died by suicide: 'Rose didn't matter to them' High school yearbook recalled after Confederate flag photo is spotted on cover Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Omdourman (Sudan) (AFP) - Sudan's veteran opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi called on Friday for an "objective" international investigation into last week's deadly crackdown on protesters, after the ruling military council rejected such a probe. Mahdi's call was backed by top US envoy Tibor Nagy, who urged an "independent and credible" investigation into the June 3 killings. Thousands of protesters who had camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum for weeks were dispersed in an operation which left dozens dead. The crackdown followed the collapse of talks between protest leaders and generals, following the ouster of president Omar al-Bashir. The generals had repeatedly pledged they would not disperse the sit-in, but on Thursday admitted that "mistakes" had been made. Mahdi, speaking after attending Friday prayers at a mosque in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, condemned the operation. "The protest's dispersal was wrong. There should be an independent international investigation into it," he told AFP. "It's important that the probe is objective and not biased in favour of the authorities." Mahdi's elected government was toppled in a 1989 coup led by Bashir, who then ruled for three decades before being ousted in April following mass protests. - 'Independent and credible' - Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, also called for an investigation. "The USA believe very strongly there has to be an investigation which is independent and credible which will hold accountable those committing the egregious events," he said in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, after a two-day visit to Khartoum. Along with the newly-appointed US special envoy to Sudan, Donald Booth, Nagy met with military council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Thursday. The June 3 crackdown left about 120 people dead and hundreds wounded, according to doctors linked to protesters, while the health ministry put the death toll at 61. Story continues The protest movement has also called for an international probe, something rejected by the military council. "We do not accept an international investigating committee. We are a sovereign state," council spokesman Shamseddine Kabbashi told reporters late Thursday. Expressing "regret" over the crackdown, Kabbashi said the plan had been to clear an area close to the sit-in -- but "excesses happened". He said the military is carrying out its own inquiry, whose findings are to be released on Saturday. - 'Harsh and unacceptable' - On Friday, worshippers at the mosque linked to Mahdi's National Umma Party appeared frustrated with the generals' version of the crackdown. "The way the sit-in was dispersed was harsh and unacceptable," said Salim Gebril, a university professor and member of the National Umma Party. "They (the military rulers) keep saying they are looking forward to reaching an agreement (with the protest leaders) but their tone sounded as if they may take another route." Another worshipper, Abdelrahman Amir al-Tom, found the military council's statement to be "extremely disappointing". Protest leaders and generals have now agreed to resume talks after mediation led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Mahdi believes the mediation "may have a positive impact," and may help both sides overcome the differences. "In the end, the military council cannot rule, that is clear, and civilian forces cannot talk about a future without the participation of the military council," the former premier said. In comic books, a key to a compelling superpower is its limitations. Magneto can manipulate metal but only metal. Superman has problems with magic, red suns, and kryptonite. The limitations drive the drama. In politics, Donald Trump has a couple of superpowers. Shamelessness is one. Hes willing to say whatever he thinks will benefit him, heedless of traditional rules of civility, decency, consistency, or honesty. This is much more of an asset in politics than many would have guessed just a few years ago, because it allows him to say and do things other politicians cant. Why Trump largely gets a pass in these regards is a complicated question that I cant fully answer, but I think part of it is that it comes across as authentic and, to some, as entertaining or endearing. Whatever the reason, it makes him immune to the sort of gaffes that typically wound other politicians. Another Trump superpower is his ability to destroy the careers of politicians who displease him by attacking or insulting them. This power is often misunderstood. For instance, during the recent commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Trump took time out from his schedule to give an interview to Laura Ingraham of Fox News. With the solemn backdrop of the U.S. military cemetery in Normandy behind him, he tore into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling her a nasty, vindictive, horrible person and suggesting that she was mentally unstable. In response, cartoonist and prominent Trumpsplainer Scott Adams tweeted, I dont know if Pelosi is crazy, as Trump suggests, but she did just start a public insult war with the best public insulter in the solar system, so . . . Adams is wrong on two counts. First, Trumps insults arent all that clever. One neednt be a modern-day H. L. Mencken or Oscar Wilde to come up with Lyin Ted (Ted Cruz), Al Frankenstein (Al Franken), Little Michael Bloomberg or Dicky Durbin (Dick Durbin). There are second-graders who can come up with equal or better. Story continues Second, the notion that Trumps barbs are equally effective across the ideological or partisan aisle misreads the political landscape. Trumps shamelessness is all his; it comes from within. His ability to destroy Republicans is different. For Republican senators or congressmen to win primaries, they need the votes of Trump supporters. If Trump attacks you, its a signal to a significant chunk of the base that you are persona non grata. Even if you survive the primary, youll need the unified support of Republicans. If Trump doesnt signal that support, you lose. The insults may be a convenient shorthand way to send that signal, but Jeff Flake isnt a senator anymore because of the brilliance of calling him Jeff Flakey. This dynamic simply doesnt exist outside the GOP coalition. Just as Magneto is powerless to bend plastic or wood with his mind, Trump is incapable of destroying Democrats with a barb, because he cant move voters when he insults Democrats. We live in a time of intense negative partisanship. Thats what political scientists call the tendency of voters to rally around what theyre against as much as or more than what theyre for. When Trump attacks a Democrat, it causes other Democrats to rally behind the Democrat under attack. One of the reasons representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar are so popular with their base is that they are so unpopular with the Republican base. This is why Democrats constantly try to one-up each other in goading the president. Its catnip to Democratic voters, and it just might invite a counterattack. Its also why Trumps advisers and outside operatives have implored him to stop belittling former vice president Joe Biden, whom many see as the Democrat best positioned to defeat Trump in 2020. Most of the people who think Nancy Pelosi is a horrible person are probably already in Trumps column. Moreover, voters who arent already in Trumps column are more likely to support her because of such attacks. Thats why Pelosis approval ratings have improved since reclaiming the speakers gavel. And the fact that Pelosi has the speakers gavel points to another problem. Trumps powers are formidable in their ability to turn the GOP into a party of Trump loyalists. But those powers are also what led to the Democrats rout in the 2018 midterms. Flake and other victims of Trumps wrath were replaced not by Trump-loyal Republicans, but by Democrats. 2019 Tribune Content Agency LLC More from National Review Flag Day, which takes place annually on June 14, is as oft-forgotten holiday, once called the runty stepchild among American national holidays in the New York Times. This years celebration of the holiday might go unnoticed, but its history is layered with politics and patriotism and its probably not what youd expect. First of all, the meaning of the American Flag was a lot different when the original banner was designed in 1776. Despite all the symbolism it has acquired over the years, the flag wasnt actually created to be a symbol of patriotism. Rather, though patriotism levels were high during the American revolution, flags were seen as articles of military equipment that were essential for identification and communication, says Marla Miller, a University of Massachusetts history professor and author of Betsy Ross and the Making of America. Flagmakers like Elizabeth Ross and she was by no means the only woman making flags in Revolutionary Philadelphia thought of themselves as suppliers of military goods, Miller says. So it makes sense that the idea of celebrating the flag wouldnt have come up until much later. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter People associate our love of the flag with 1776 and the American Revolution, explains Adam Goodheart, the author 1861: The Civil War Awakening, when it actually has perhaps more to do with 1861 and the Civil War. The holiday was originally proposed in a newspaper editorial in June of 1861 by Charles Dudley Warner, an editor of the Hartford Evening Press. (He would go on to co-author The Gilded Age with Mark Twain a decade later.) Warner suggested that the stars and stripes be recognized wherever the American flag floats. Goodheart says its no coincidence that the holiday was proposed in 1861, just two months after the attack on Fort Sumter that started the Civil War. Story continues It was a moment when the American flag really had the biggest transformation in its history, he says. It went from something that was a patriotic symbol and a marker of federal territory, buildings and ships and military use, to being something that was really widely used as a beloved banner for ordinary Americans as well. And, as Goodheart points out, there was a commercial element too: during the Civil War, flag manufacturers were making a fortune on flags, and its no coincidence that the holiday was proposed in New England, the center of the textile industry. There, for the first time, various dyeing and printing techniques made it easier to mass-produce flags of all sizes. Before that period, flags were made by stitching together fields of solid fabric. Each star had to individually cut out and sewn on. By the Civil War era, however, it was possible to print the colors onto one piece of fabric. It was really something very new, Goodheart says, so the holiday was driven by was commercialization, technology, politics, patriotismall this stuff coming together and crystallizing in one historical moment. But, though the flag was made in 1776 and a holiday for it was proposed in 1861, it wasnt until 1916 that Flag Day was officially recognized by Congress. It began like a lot of holidays, as something that was sort of sporadic, some years more celebrated and some years less, until it gradually became a national thing, Goodheart says. In 1916 it was widely adopted on the eve of World War I, when there was a lot of concern about socialism and anarchism and immigration. It was a moment of hyper-patriotism in America, just as 1861 had been. Geneva (AFP) - Several hundred thousand purple-clad protesters blowing whistles, banging pots and pans and brandishing feminist slogans filled the streets of Swiss towns and cities on Friday, as women across the country went on strike for equal pay. "I love badass women" and "Eliminate the patriarchy" figured among the messages on posters and banners, as women vented their frustration with persistent gender discrimination and wage gaps in the wealthy Alpine nation. "June 14, 2019, enters the recent history of Switzerland as the biggest political event. Considering the whole day, several hundred thousand women took part in actions, strikes and walkouts," said a statement by USS, an umbrella organisation grouping 16 Swiss unions. The action comes nearly three decades after women held the country's first nationwide strike for equal pay. Pram marches, whistle concerts and giant picnics were planned around the country, with the day's events culminating in giant demonstrations including the capital Bern (40,000 people), Zurich (70,000), Basel (40,000) and Geneva (20,000), organisers said. In Lausanne (60,000), the cathedral was lit up in the colour purple. In Bern women filled the square in front of the government and parliament buildings. Manu Bondi, 68, joined the protest alongside her daughter and granddaughter, and two friends who demonstrated with her in 1991. She said she was protesting "in solidarity with all women of all ages". "There are more of us this time than in 1991 and our demands are different," she said. "Back then it was about abortion. Now it is above all about equal pay. It is really important that women be paid according to the work they do. It is great to see people so committed." - Burning bras - The events kicked off overnight in Lausanne, with women ringing the bells of the cathedral, and lighting a "bonfire of joy", with some women tossing in their bras. Story continues By morning, some 500 people gathered for a massive breakfast celebration, blocking traffic on one of the town's main bridges. In Zurich, demonstrators pulled a giant, pink clitoris perched on a cart through the city, while in Basel they projected the clenched-fist feminist symbol onto the skyscraper headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Roche. In Geneva, protestors replaced street signs bearing men's names with women's ones. While 548 streets in Geneva Canton are named after men, only 41 have female names, according to the ATS news agency. At the march, a 22-year-old topless protester, Oceane Schaub, told AFP: "I think the fact that I am bare-chested can shock and change things." - 20 percent less - The organisers of Friday's action say things have hardly improved since the major 1991 strike, insisting women need to demand "more time, more money, more respect". Women in Switzerland on average still earn 20 percent less than men. And for men and women with equal qualifications, the wage gap remains nearly eight percent, according to the national statistics office. "Wage equality has not been achieved. That is a good reason to go on strike," Ruth Dreyfuss, who in 1998 became Switzerland's first female president, told broadcaster RTS on Friday. Riding the wave of the global #MeToo movement, a new generation of women is attacking lingering discrimination, harassment, sexual abuse and wage inequality with renewed vigour. Organisers have called upon women to snub their jobs and housework for the entire day. - Women work for free - For those women unable to take a full day, the organisers urged them to at least pack their things and leave by 3:24 pm. "After that, women work for free," said Anne Fritz, the main organiser of the strike and a representative of USS. Back in 1991, many women were blocked from participating in the strike. Organisers feared a repeat Friday, with the country's main employers' organisation flatly opposed to the action. Thursday's strike was born out of frustration at a bid to change the law to impose more oversight over salary distribution, after a watered-down version passed through the Swiss parliament last year. Switzerland was one of the last countries in Europe to grant women the right to vote, in 1971. Over the past three decades, women's rights advocates in Switzerland have made some gains. Abortion was legalised in 2002, and 2005 saw the introduction of 14 weeks of paid maternity leave. But Switzerland still offers no paternity leave, and limited access to expensive daycare is seen as a major hindrance to women's integration into the labour market. Christa Binswanger, a gender studies professor at St. Gallen University, said she was optimistic that Friday's strike would make a difference. "It has already shown an impact during the last weeks," prompting wide media coverage of gender issues, she told AFP. "The strike has mobilised a sense of solidarity." San Francisco-based banking company SynapseFI has secured $33 million in Series B funding, according to company database Crunchbase, topping the citys recent funding headlines. The cash infusion was announced June 6 and led by a16z crypto. According to its Crunchbase profile, "SynapseFI is a banking platform that enables companies to provide finance products to their customers for a fraction of the cost of traditional banks. They help fintech companies work together to develop technology." The five-year-old company also raised a $17 million Series A round in 2018. The round brings total funding raised by San Francisco companies in lending and investments over the past month to $104 million, an increase of $4.5 million from the month before. The local lending and investments industry has produced 56 funding rounds over the past year, yielding a total of $1.9 billion in venture funding. In other local funding news, commercial real estate and energy efficiency company Carbon Lighthouse announced a $32 million funding round on June 4, led by GRC SinoGreen Fund. According to Crunchbase, "Carbon Lighthouse is on a mission to stop climate change by making it easy and profitable for building owners to eliminate carbon emissions caused by wasted energy. The companys unique approach to efficiency production goes deep into buildings to uncover and continuously correct hidden inefficiencies that add up to meaningful financial value and carbon elimination that lasts." Founded in 2010, the company has raised four previous rounds, including a $7.5 million round in 2018. Meanwhile, smart cities and advertising platforms company Firefly raised $30 million in Series A funding, announced on May 30. From the company's Crunchbase profile, "Firefly is building the first mobility-based 'smart screens/smart cities' advertising and data platform that utilizes the ride share and gig economy for distribution and scale. Firefly's unique location-based, 'situationally aware' software and first-party data enable the most granular, audience-based targeting of any away-from-home medium on any screen type. Through the digital signages installed atop hundreds of taxis, Firefly is sending targeted ads via 4G and 4G LTE cellular transmission." Story continues Firefly last raised $21 million in seed funding in 2018. Also of note, computer company Welkin Health raised $17 million in Series B funding, announced on May 29 and led by Altos Ventures. From Crunchbase, "Welkin is patient management software that guides teams through their care, keeping them on track. It tells health workers when to do what, focusing attention on the people who need it, when they need it." The company previously raised $8 million in Series A funding in 2017. Rounding out the city's recent top local funding events, information services company Weights & Biases raised $15 million in Series B funding, announced on May 30 and led by Coatue Management. From Crunchbase, "Weights & Biases is on a mission to build the best software tools for machine learning. Weights & Biases helps companies turn deep learning research projects into deployed software by helping teams track their models, visualize model performance and easily automate training and improving models." The company previously raised $5 million in Series A funding in 2018. 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. Russian President signs order on judges salary increase RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolskiy 09:49 14/06/2019 MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree of Russian judges position salary increment, according to the document published on the official website of legal information. The judges salaries will be increased by a factor of 1,043 starting October 1, 2019. Putin has ordered the government to cough up the funding of expenses related to the order implementation. The document has been approved to ensure social guarantees for judges as well as full and independent administration of justice. Dakar (AFP) - Cheikh hoists his second wife Mareme onto his shoulder and carries her to their rose petal-covered bed, where he lays her down. The frolicking couple embrace and... what happens next is left to the viewer's imagination as the camera suddenly switches to a pair of white slippers, the bedroom door closes and the scene ends. In soap operas in other parts of the world, such coy depictions of sex would be considered unremarkable, even dreary. But in conservative Senegal, where even an on-screen kiss is rare, the self-described monitors of public morality are in uproar. The show -- "Maitresse d'un homme marie" ("Mistress of a married man") -- has also already been cautioned by the state's media watchdog for being too racy. But defenders say the soap takes a desperately-needed look at relationship issues such as male abuse, the pain experienced by abandoned spouses and a woman's right to sexual pleasure. "Maitresse d'un homme marie" follows five young women characters, all strong-minded, freewheeling city dwellers. Some start affairs with married men and -- as in the case of Mareme -- end up marrying them. - 'Cast judgement' - In Dakar's Sicap Liberte 3 district, the Sene family is glued to its TV for the twice-a-week show. In between adverts blaring out the virtues of a brand of local rice, bubbly single mother Rose condemns the threat of censorship hanging over her favourite programme. "Maitresse", she says, holds up a mirror to hypocrisy and inequality in Senegal. "Men who criticise the series are the same ones who have mistresses and what they do to them is far worse than what you see on the screen," she said. "They cast judgement on the women (in the show) because they are single, because they are in charge of their lives," said Rose. "In Senegal, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are not a good woman. In this country, it doesn't matter even if you're a huge success, if you're not a man, you're nothing." Story continues - Slapped - Launched in January, the show goes out at prime time on the commercial channel 2STV and is also avidly followed on YouTube, where each episode is watched between one and two million times. Devotion to the series is such that one actor was slapped by an elderly woman while exercising. "She told him, 'Stop drinking and look after your family'," the show's executive producer, Kalista Sy, recounted, with a giggle. The West African state is predominantly Muslim -- mostly following the Sufi strain -- where public displays of affection or sex outside marriage are frowned upon. Within weeks of the series' launch, a powerful Muslim NGO, Jamra, asked the country's audiovisual watchdog, the CNRA, to crack down. After deliberation, the CNRA on March 29 allowed the series to continue provided there were "corrective measures" to the script. Without these changes, the show would have to be screened late at night, or face being banned altogether. Everything seemed to be going fine until the 34th episode -- the scene of Cheikh and Mareme canoodling on the marital bed. "They crossed the red line. They offended a large proportion of Senegalese by broadcasting virtually pornographic content during the blessed month of Ramadan," Jamra's Mactar Gueye told AFP. "It is unthinkable that this apology for fornication and adultery continues in this form," he said, in an interview at his home where a giant TV screen was turned on to a telenovela channel showing soap operas. - Sexual emancipation - The female characters on "Maitresse" often bear the brunt of the moral messages -- on-screen marriage-breakers, for instance, are verbally lashed by friends and family for their behaviour. But for Senegalese feminist activist Fatou Kine Diouf, this finger wagging has had less impact on viewers than the theme of sexual emancipation. "The series shows women who are in charge of their sexuality. It will never get directly shown on screen but everyone is talking about it. In that respect, the series is really powerful." The soap opera's set is a joyful buzz of actors, technicians and makeup artists, working up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. In a tired voice, Sy, the executive producer, says that male hostility, religious objections and technical hitches are her daily challenges. "But when young women watch the show and identify with characters that are like them, they are deeply touched," she said. "And nobody can take that away from us." * Activist rallies support for Sept. 20 walkout * Scientists, diplomats, lawyers back strike action * Citizen activism pressures politicians, investors * Time running out to avoid climate catastrophe By Matthew Green LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - Bill McKibben, a U.S. author and leading figure in global climate activism, has challenged adults to join a youth-led general strike in September, saying bold action may yet prevent civilisation being cut off "at the knees." Inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg's success in mobilising hundreds of thousands of children to walk out of classrooms, veteran campaigner McKibben, 58, wants to light an equivalent fire under his own generation. "People have risen to crises before. It was our parents' and grandparents' generation who faced the crisis of fascism in Europe," McKibben told a packed auditorium in London late on Thursday at a talk organised by the Guardian newspaper. "We are in an existential emergency of the same kind, so staying away from work for a day and organising is not too much to ask." An intense, scholarly figure, who lives in the U.S. state of Vermont, McKibben first sounded the alarm over climate crisis in 1989 with his book "The End of Nature", one of the first to explain the risks to the public. Thirty years on, the author-activist is unsparing in his reminders that some scientists fear the human race may have already missed its chance to avert catastrophe. "What we're playing for now as a movement is not to stop climate change that's not on the menu. What we're playing for is can we stop it short of the place where it cuts off civilisation at the knees?" said McKibben. That's what the goal is now. It's not inspiring in a way that saying 'I have a dream' is inspiring. It's more like: 'let's see how tame we can keep this nightmare'." "CLIMATE MOMENT" Story continues As floods, heat waves and wildfires have ravaged communities in developed countries that once felt far removed from the climate emergency, an explosion of public anger has piled new pressure on politicians, investors and companies. In Britain, a civil disobedience campaign by Extinction Rebellion forced parliament to declare a symbolic climate emergency in early May. The move foreshadowed a surge in support for Green candidates in northern Europe in elections to the European Parliament later that month. In the United States, the youth-run Sunrise Movement has pushed U.S. Democratic presidential hopefuls to back a proposed Green New Deal, twinning ambitious decarbonisation goals with social justice. Were clearly in a climate moment now," McKibben said. "And its clearly the last climate moment thats going to come in a period of time when theres still effective action to be taken. Leading figures from the worlds of climate science and diplomacy have backed calls for a week of action starting with a strike on Sept. 20 to build on the momentum. Supporters include Christiana Figueres, a Costa Rican diplomat who delivered the 2015 Paris Agreement, U.S. climate scientist Michael Mann, British lawyer Farhana Yamin and Indian activist Vandana Shiva. McKibben has been pivotal in the coalition, joining friends and students to co-found campaign group 350.org in 2008. The network has since spearheaded a worldwide divestment campaign that has won commitments from more than 1,000 investors worth almost $8 trillion to withdraw from coal, oil and gas. Arrested outside the White House in 2011 for protesting against a planned oil pipeline, McKibben is hoping his new book "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?" will help spur the urgency he had hoped to trigger three decades ago. My worry the thing that makes me scared sometimes is that unlike all the other fights that humans have gotten themselves into, this one comes with a time limit," McKibben said. "And if we dont win soon, we will not win." (Reporting by Matthew Green; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) TOKYO, June 14 (Reuters) - Japanese Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Friday an attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman will not affect Japanese energy supply, although the ministry issued a warning to Japanese energy companies after the incident. Speaking at a news conference, Seko declined to comment on remarks by U.S. officials blaming Iran for the attacks, saying Japan is still investigating details of the incident. Two tankers, one operated by a Japanese shipping company, were attacked in the Gulf on Thursday. The United States blamed Iran for the attacks, raising concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation and driving up oil prices. Tehran denied involvement. (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by Richard Pullin) Jordan Davis (right) with Supervisor Hillary Ronen. | Photo: Jordan Davis/Facebook Like many Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel tenants in San Francisco, Jordan Davis struggles to get by. Davis, who is disabled and lives on a fixed income, pays over half of her income in rent each month to her landlord, the nonprofit Tenderloin Housing Clinic. With little left over for food and other expenses, Davis often relies on a food bank that comes to her hotel each Wednesday to ensure she has enough to eat. As a vegan, she struggles to assemble meals with the provided food, which is "nutritionally inadequate," she said. This is not normal," Davis said of the amount she spends on rent. "I end up actually hungry at the end of the month, and it has affected my mental health. The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank stocks a Wednesday food pantry at the Pierre Hotel, a Tenderloin SRO. | Photo: Tenderloin Housing Clinic In order to advocate for better conditions in San Francisco's SROs, Davis became one of two tenant representatives to the city's advisory SRO Task Force. In April, the Board of Supervisors unanimously reappointed her to the Task Force for an indefinite term. But she says shes struggled to get community groups to pay attention to the poor conditions in the city's SROs, and the financial challenges facing the low-income and disabled people who reside in them. So she's decided to go on a hunger strike. She hasn't eaten anything since Thursday afternoon, and says she plans to continue until the Board of Supervisors makes a statement in support of her proposal: that the city cap rents for all SRO tenants at 30% of their monthly income. Davis chose the 30% figure from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)s guidelines for rental assistance. HUD defines renters paying more than 30% of their pre-tax income in rent as rent-burdened, and renters like Davis, paying more than 50%, as severely rent-burdened. Cramped conditions in a San Francisco SRO. | Photo: Zachary Hearst/Courtesy of Chinatown Community Development Center With the help of a sunshine request, Davis has found that rents in the city's SROs vary wildly. Some are already capped at 30% of residents income, while others have fixed rents that can run as high as $673 per month. For residents on fixed incomes often as little as $1,000 per month the high costs can be devastating. Story continues Cheryl Shanks, an SRO tenant who receives State Disability Insurance (SDI), makes just $1,130 per month. While her building's management caps maximum rents at 30% of tenants' incomes, she knows many disabled people in buildings with different management who pay more. SDI payments are a percentage of the amount you made when you last worked, Shanks explained. Formerly a teacher, she first became disabled in the mid-1990s, and her SDI income is now a fraction of her salary at the time: $17/ hour. Like Davis, Shanks often finds herself hungry at the end of the month. And unlike some of her fellow tenants, who receive federal Social Security (SSI) disability payments, she cannot apply for food stamps. (Whether a person with disabilities can enroll in SDI versus SSI is dependent on the number of years they worked and made contributions to Social Security.) Rent shouldnt be more than 30% thats enough," Shanks said. "We need help." Davis' rent relief proposal has found some support. The local Democratic Party voted unanimously to endorse it at their March meeting. And District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney has introduced a budget proposal that includes capping rents at all the master-leased residential hotels under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. (Haney's office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.) At $7.5 million, the cost of Haney's proposed SRO rent cap would constitute just 0.006% of the citys annual budget, which swelled to $11 billion this year. $7 million is chump change in this city, Davis said. Davis (right) with Supervisor Matt Haney (center). | Photo: Matt Haney/ Facebook Though Davis hasn't faced any outward opposition to her proposal, she's concerned it might fail to receive the support necessary to pass. City Hall faces a wide variety of community demands during the budgeting process, and not all proposals get funded. Davis said she's tried other methods of bringing public attention to the proposal, but when those failed, she resorted to the drastic measure of a hunger strike. Both Davis and Shanks say they're frustrated with how challenging it is to get the general public to pay attention to SRO tenants' concerns. While community groups promote affordable housing, little attention is paid to the fact that SRO tenants still cannot afford so-called "affordable" rents, Shanks said. I am hunger-striking to protest not only the underlying injustice in low-income housing, but the community's neglect, Davis said. Cramped conditions in an SRO. | Photo: Zachary Hearst/Courtesy of Chinatown Community Development Center The next step for Davis' proposal would be earning approval for a non-binding recommendation from the SRO Task Force to the Board of Supervisors. She's hoping to get the issue on the agenda at the Task Force's next meeting, on Thursday, June 20. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at 9 a.m. at 1650 Mission Street, 4th Floor, Conference Room #431. Receiving the SRO Task Force's endorsement would be a positive sign for Supervisor Haney's $7.5 million budget proposal, which will be heard by the Board of Supervisors at an all-day hearing slotted for Monday, June 24. Davis, who has currently not eaten for six days, hopes her hunger strike will mark the last time she has to go hungry. I'm sick and tired of me and my fellow tenants starving at the end of the month because our rent consumes anywhere from half to 80% of our income," she said. When a student broke his shoes right before graduation, Vohn Lewis, an elementary school teacher saved the day by giving the boy his own shoes. (Credit: Facebook/Bradley Cook Kopelove) A substitute teacher came to the rescue of a Virginia fifth grader who broke his shoe right before he was set to walk across the stage at graduation. George Mason Elementary, located in Richmond, Va., held a graduation ceremony for its students on Wednesday. But one students broken shoe might have kept him from walking if it werent for Vohn Lewiss quick thinking, giving the student the shoes off his own feet ahead of the big moment. The boys parent and a school guidance counselor tried to search for supplies to fix the shoe, but Lewis intervened and told them it wasnt necessary because he wore the same size shoes as the student, whose identity has not been made public. You dont have to do all that, Lewis told the adults, according to NBC Washington.I wear a size 10 and he can wear my shoes. He added, I wasnt thinking. I just moved with my heart. Bradley Cook Kopelove, who also teaches at the elementary school, posted about the kind gesture on Facebook. Kopelove wasnt the only one impressed by the teachers kindness. School administrators also shared how fantastic it was that Lewis cares so much about his students. "It's moments like these the little things that you do when no one is watching, that truly defines the character of a person, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras tells Yahoo Lifestyle. We're lucky to have individuals at Richmond Public Schools, like Mr. Lewis, who continue to go above and beyond for our students every day." George Mason Elementary Principal Rose Ferguson said that it isnt unusual for teachers at George Mason to go above and beyond for their students. We are identified as a trauma-informed school; therefore, we have teachers that work in the trenches daily to make a positive impact on students. It is not unusual for staff to purchase clothes, a belt or shoes for students, she told Yahoo Lifestyle. She added that Lewis definitely didnt help out for attention. Mr. Lewis' actions were not for recognition! In fact, he had no idea that our teacher or counselor was giving him a Shout Out! I'm certainly proud to have had the opportunity to work with the staff at Mason! They are a true asset to children and their families! she said. Story continues Lewis told Yahoo Lifestyle that he did not expect his act of kindness to garner so much attention. It's truly something I do on a daily basis for any child from any walk of life, he said. What I did was me acting totally from the heart and if I had the opportunity to do it again I definitely would. Lewis added that he wants his students to know that there are people who genuinely care about them in the school system. There are some people who genuinely want them to succeed in life and to get the best from their scholastic experience, said Lewis. My advice to all students is to always try to be a blessing to someone who really needs you. Bradley Cook Kopelove did not immediately responded to Yahoo Lifestyles requests for comment. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. By Ellen Wulfhorst NEW YORK, June 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A town in eastern Texas has declared itself a "sanctuary city for the unborn", aiming to fend off any demand for abortion services from women in nearby states, officials said. The all-male Waskom City Council unanimously approved this week a resolution declaring that a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling protecting women's right to abortion was "null and void" in the town of about 2,000 people. The council's resolution or ordinance was designed to protect Waskom from having an abortion clinic locate there, said a local anti-abortion leader. It currently does not have a clinic providing abortion services. Nine U.S. states recently passed strict regulations on abortion access, including nearby Louisiana and Mississippi, where lawmakers have voted to ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The multi-state actions are seen as part of an effort to have the nation's high court reconsider its 1973 Roe v. Wade holding that a woman has a constitutional right to abortion. "We decided to take things into our own hands," said Mark Lee Dickson, head of Right to Life of East Texas, on local television from Waskom. "We have got to do something to protect our cites and to protect the unborn child." Waskom, just west of the Louisiana border, is the first town in Texas to pass such an ordinance, according to local media. It was not immediately clear if other U.S. municipalities have done so. Waskom's mayor and city attorney warned the council ahead of its vote that the ordinance would be unconstitutional and would face a costly legal challenge. The Waskom ordinance is "a dangerous attempt" to undermine Roe v. Wade, said Aimee Arrambide, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, a reproductive rights group. "We will not be intimidated. At a time when the fundamental freedoms under Roe are under attack, we recommit ourselves to expanding and protecting these rights for all Texans," she said in a statement. "We want Texans to know that abortion remains legal in all 50 states." (Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith 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) Photo: Eric Rothermel/Unsplash Pushing back the May Day bank holiday in 2020 will cost one calendar-maker about 200,000, it has said. Allan & Bertram will have to change 400,000 already-printed calendars because of a last-minute government decision to move the holiday from Monday 4 May to Friday 8 May to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. All May pages will now have to be replaced with updated ones featuring the new date, the Hertfordshire-based company said. READ MORE: Bank holiday DIY disasters how trying to fix that leaking tap could cost you 2,700 The government claimed it considered the practical implications of the move before making its decision. But Andrew Bennett, managing director of Allan & Bertram, told the BBC: "It has probably been the single most stressful week that I have ever faced in business. "We're totally in agreement with changing the date just not changing it with 11 months notice, when you've had 74 years to prepare for this event." READ MORE: 3 reasons NOT to sell any stocks in May This will be the second time the holiday has been moved. In 1995, it was changed from 1 May to 8 May to coincide with the 50th anniversary of VE day. But Bennet explained people were given sufficient notice before the first change. "They announced that in December 1993. That was absolutely fine. There was no reason why this decision couldn't have been made 18 months ago." READ MORE: 24 days out of office using just 14 days of annual leave Bennet said the company will have to employ extra temporary staff, and its current team will be working double shifts to make the necessary changes. The process of swapping Mays pages for updated ones will have to be done manually. He added: Our clients expect the product to be right. The easy thing to do would have been to do nothing, or put a sticker on it, but if you want to focus on quality, you have to correct the problem. READ MORE: Brits will spend almost 900m hosting Easter gatherings this year Story continues The British Printing Industry Federation, which represents about 1,300 printing businesses, said the government should have consulted with its members. A number of members will lose money due to calendars and diaries for 2020 being printed already, said Dave Wallis, managing director. It is my understanding that there is no opportunity for compensation. "This could cause serious cash flow issues, and therefore other issues for those businesses affected," he explained. What happened? Boris Johnson believes it is perfectly realistic the UK will leave the EU with a deal by the Brexit deadline of October 31. Johnson is the frontrunner for the Tory leadership, who on Thursday picked up 114 MPs votes in the first round of the election. He told the BBC he wanted to unite the country - and leave with the best outcome possible. We have to get out by October 31 and I think it would be absolutely bizarre to signal at this stage that the UK government was willing once again to run up the white flag and delay yet again. What else did he say? Johnson has been accused of ducking interviews so far with critics saying he is avoiding scrutiny and trying to dodge possible gaffes. The most tricky moment in the interview came when he was asked if he had taken cocaine since he was a teenager. Johnson appeared to finally admit snorting it, saying a single inconclusive event had happened. Asked if he had taken cocaine since then, he replied: "No." On matters of policy, Johnson reiterated he wanted to avoid a no deal Brexit, but that Britain should still prepare for one. He added: I dont want no deal as the outcome - I dont want us to leave with a WTO deal. I certainly dont think the promises of doom and disaster are true. All those who say we should kick the can down the road, they risk doing terminal damage to trust in politics. However, Johnson added it would be wrong to delay Brexit at this stage - but did not confirm if it would leave him space to delay at a later date. Read more: Johnson promises to drop backstop in orderly Brexit plan (The Guardian) Perfectly realistic to renegotiate Brexit deal, says Johnson (PA Ready News UK) Johnson claims he can force EU to offer new Brexit deal (The Independent) Lord Sugar backs Boris Johnson despite Brexit jail demand (Sky News) Hammond: Boris Brexit plan difficult or impossible (Guardian) A ban has been enforced on adverts showing harmful gender stereotypes and adverts likely to cause serious and widespread offence. The UKs advertising watchdog enforced the ban after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) conducted a review into gender stereotyping in adverts. It marks the end of adverts showing a woman doing the housework while the man puts his feet up, for example. Do you agree with the ban? Read the full story and have your say below: Story continues RAF called in after river bursts its banks Military helicopters have been called in to help emergency services in Lincolnshire after a river burst its banks following heavy rain. The Chinook helicopter was flown to Wainfleet All Saints to drop sand in an attempt to stem the flow from the River Steeping with another unit flying in almost 70 one-tonne- bags of gravel. Around 70 properties were hit by flooding, but the council warned up to 720 could be affected after the town had more than two months of rain in just two days. Read the full story here (Evening Standard) Death toll rises to five in sandwich listeria outbreak Two more hospital patients have died in an outbreak of listeria linked to pre-packed sandwiches. Public Health England announced earlier this month that three people had died and six were diagnosed with a serious listeria infection after eating products supplied to NHS hospitals. In an update PHE said that one of the six seriously ill patients has died, while a person not initially linked to the outbreak had died before it was discovered. Read the full story here (HuffPost) This shocking video shows the moment a cormorant caught and ate a live eel - but had to swallow it twice after the fish wriggled out its throat. Chloe Leonard, 26, was out for a walk with her mum, Debbie, when she saw a bird she didn't recognise. She quickly realised it was a cormorant and was amazed when the bird dived and returned to the surface with an eel in its beak. (SWNS) 112 Britain's oldest person has died at the age of 112. Born in 1906 - only five years after the death of Queen Victoria - Grace Jones lived through 26 prime ministers and five monarchs. Grace, who took the title of the oldest UK person last summer after Olive Boar's death at the age of 113, put down her longevity to a daily dram of whisky. Read the full story here (Yahoo News UK) By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Jessica Damiana JAKARTA, June 14 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Indonesia's political opposition called on Friday for President Joko Widodo's election victory to be annulled, telling the Constitutional Court it had been achieved through "systematic electoral fraud and abuse of power". Official results released by the General Election Commission last month showed Widodo had beaten Prabowo Subianto, a retired general, by 11 percentage points to win over 55 percent of votes in April's poll, but his opponent has refused to concede defeat. The dispute has prompted weeks of uncertainty in the world's third-largest democracy. Violent clashes broke out between Prabowo's supporters and police in the heart of the capital Jakarta last month after the official result was announced. Eight people were killed and over 900 hurt in the riots. Police have arrested dozens of alleged instigators, including a close ally of Prabowo suspected of orchestrating assassination plots against top government officials. Earlier this week, Prabowo, who had previously warned of "people power"-style street protests, urged supporters to remain calm through the Constitutional Court proceedings. Around 17,000 police and military personnel have been deployed to prevent a repeat of last month's unrest while the Constitutional Court deliberates. There was a small peaceful protest held by opposition supporters near the heavily protected court building, some holding placards saying "We demand justice!" Prabowo and his campaign team want the court to annul the official result, disqualify Widodo and his running mate as candidates, or hold another election. The court is expected to deliver a verdict by June 28. "We are filing a lawsuit against the General Election Commission (KPU), demanding that the KPU annul its decision on the result of the presidential election," Bambang Widjojanto, the chief lawyer representing Prabowo, told the court on Friday. Story continues The legal team pointed to issues with Widodo's campaign financing and use of state apparatus as a campaign tool, saying the official election result came about because of "illegal actions, fraud and abuse of power which are structured, systematic and massive". The election supervisory agency has said previously there was no evidence of systematic cheating and independent observers have said the poll was free and fair. Legal representatives for the KPU and Widodo's campaign team were present at the hearing and were expected to make statements later on Friday. (Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor Editing by Ed Davies) Russian lawmakers propose substantial fines for breach of personal data requirements flickr.com / Mr Seb 10:25 14/06/2019 MOSCOW, June 14 (RAPSI) Two United Russia party MPs Victor Pinsky and Daniil Bessarabov have submitted a bill on fines of up to 18 million rubles (about $300,000) for breach of requirements for personal data base storage in Russia to the State Duma. The document has been published on the database of the lower house of parliaments. The bills authors believe that according to the federal personal data law an operator must provide recording, systematization, storage, updating and retrieval of Russian citizens data using bases locating in Russia when they collect information including the use of Internet. Current legislation does not envisage punishment for failure to meet the database localization requirements. The proposed draft law stipulates fines from 2 to 6 million rubles ($30,000 90,000) for the first breach of requirements and from 6 to 18 million rubles for repeated violations. Moreover, lawmakers propose to fix heavy fines for repeated violations related to online distribution of extremist content. Thus, dissemination of calls for terrorism and extremism would result in fines ranging from 150,000 to 300,000 rubles for website owners, from 600,000 to 800,000 rubles ($9,000 12,000) for officials and from 1.5 to 5 million rubles ($23,000 80,000) for companies. They also suggest that fines varying from 2 to 6 million rubles be set for repeated refusal of legal entities to hand over encryption keys to the Federal Security Service. Abidjan (AFP) - "Cover your goods," Diakaria Fofana, a doctor of public health, warns food vendors as a thick cloud of insecticide spray wafts down a street in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital. Men in protective clothes, goggles and masks are disgorging plumes of mosquito-killing chemicals in a bid to roll back an outbreak of dengue. Two people have died and 130 have fallen ill since the fever returned to the West African state last month. The toll, so far, is tiny compared with other tropical countries, especially in Southeast Asia, where the painful and sometimes deadly disease is an entrenched peril. But tackling the outbreak is a major challenge for Ivory Coast, a poor country that is having to resort to time-honoured, labour-intensive methods of spraying and neighbourhood awareness campaigns to prevent its spread. Female mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus transfer the pathogen when they tuck into a blood meal from someone. A vaccine does exist, but is not available in Ivory Coast because "it has many secondary effects (and) it's expensive"," explained Joseph Vroh Benie Bi, director of the National Institute for Public Hygiene (INHP). Developed by French pharmaceutical group Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine is recommended for use in people aged nine and older, and only for individuals who have already been infected. Usually accompanied by flu-like symptoms, dengue makes some people very sick indeed, developing into a haemorrhagic fever that can cause difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding or even organ failure. While a first bout of dengue is rarely fatal, subsequent infections are usually worse. - 'Fighting the mosquito' - The UN's World Health Organization (WHO) says there are up to 100 million cases of dengue worldwide every year, and almost half the world's population lives in countries where the disease is endemic. It kills more than 20,000 people each year. Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific are the worst-hit areas. Story continues There is no cure, and the WHO recommends that patients take paracetamol, rest and drinking plenty of fluids. Five new vaccines are in development, but in the meantime Fofana says: "The only effective means of fighting (dengue) is fighting the mosquito." In Ivory Coast, most recorded cases have occurred in Abidjan. Health workers are striving to enlist the public in tackling the mosquito, targeting its life cycle. "The larvae multiply in stagnant water, for example inside used tyres," said Fofana, deputy director of the vector control unit at the INHP. "People should never store water in buckets in the open air and they should regularly throw out the water in plates under houseplants." But he faces an uphill job in a sprawling port city of 4.4 million people in the middle of the rainy season. What's more, people who are infected, even without knowing it, and can bring the virus to new areas when they are bitten by local mosquitoes. The WHO has set a goal to halve the number of dengue deaths by 2020, but incidence of the disease has increased 30-fold in the last 50 years. "Before 1970, only nine countries had experienced severe dengue epidemics. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries," it says. - 'Malaria's big brother' - In Ivory Coast, where malaria accounts for a third of all medical consultations, many people self-medicate when they experience symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, nausea or aches and pains. "This is a real problem, because the symptoms of malaria, dengue, typhus and yellow fever are similar. Doing a blood test is absolutely indispensable," said Fofana. Treatment with the wrong medicines can worsen the situation, he stressed -- aspirin or ibuprofen can increase the risk of bleeding, for example. In the meantime, the spraying goes on. "We know the risks," said Bamba Segbe, an Abidjan resident watching the masked men in action. "It's not for nothing that we call dengue malaria's big brother." National treasure Tom Hanks stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday night to promote Toy Story 4 and, while there, he ended up getting dared by Jimmy Kimmel to commit his first crime. After pointing out that Hanks has a reputation for being "wonderful and perfect in every way," Kimmel played instigator by daring Hanks to steal a life-sized cardboard cutout of himself at a Hollywood souvenir shop. Hanks didn't even hesitate, telling Kimmel, "Watch this." Hanks left the theater and walked down Hollywood Boulevard, surprising unsuspecting tourists along the way before reaching the shop. Once inside, Hanks playfully went up to customers in the store, who were shocked by his surprise appearance. After joking with some lucky customers, Hanks finally found the cardboard cutouts, where there just so happened to be a standee of one of Kimmel's favorite people actor Matt Damon. Hanks jokingly stated, "I am sick of this dude," as he pulled a marker out of his pocket and proceeded to draw on Damon's face. He then completed his artwork with the phrase "I am a dope," on his forehead, which Kimmel absolutely loved. Hanks then grabbed his own standee as he told an employee, "Hi. I'm Tom Hanks and I'm stealing this standee." However, it wasn't just his standee that Hanks stole. Hanks went to infinity and beyond with his dare, by also grabbing a few toy Oscar trophies on his way out. "You can never have too many of these," said Hanks, which makes us love him even more. Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! for free on Yahoo View. Check out Jimmy Kimmels hilarious cameo in this exclusive Spider-Man: Far From Home clip: Read more from Yahoo! Entertainment: Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. Agencies Kathmandu, Nepal, June 15, 2019: Renowned popular Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif has played the character of Kumud Raina aka Madame Sir in the recently released Salman Khan starrer 'Bharat' though she is going to shift as producer in near future. Though the film is currently at the center of all the appreciation as the actress floored everyone with her performance and people have praised to say for the actress, most of her fans want her to have shifted as producer. As Katrina hailed as one of the finest actress, she is all set to very soon start her own production house and plans to turn a producer. In a recent interaction, Katrina had said that the films under her banner as producer may be smaller and a little off-beat but will be a journey together. However, the exact date is yet to be revealed formally. Photo: Dorian Mongel/Unsplash Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in New York City. Art installations blast audio of sobbing, detained children across New York City Two dozen installations appeared in New York City in a vividly disturbing representation of migrant children detained at the southern U.S. border. Read the full story on Washington Post. New York City-to-Berkshires Amtrak pilot could start in 2020, thanks to funding The Pittsfield senator backing a pilot program for such a seasonal route says hes "confident" weekend service will start next June. Could it lead to a regular full-time link? Read the full story on Curbed Boston. New York City to unveil largest rainbow pride flag in citys history New York is coming out in a larger-than-life way this Pride Month, unveiling the biggest pride flag in the citys history on Friday. But it wont be a traditional cloth flag. Read the full story on New York Post. 7 On Your Side Investigates: Are gas leaks under-reported, un-repaired in New York City? The New York City Council held hearings Wednesday on whether to require the city to look for gas leaks and require Con Ed to fix them. Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC. Bronx teenager becomes New York City Police Commissioner for a day Beyonce may be the queen of the music world, but it's a hometown girl, Beyonce Dennis from the Bronx, who ruled over the NYPD at least for a day. Read the full story on ABC New York, WABC. 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. Former Governor Malloy visits Pulse in 2016. | Photo: Dannel Malloy/Flickr Missed the the most recent top news in Orlando? Read on for everything you need to know. Somber memorials mark 3 years since Pulse nightclub massacre Three years after a gunman massacred 49 people and wounded many others at a gay nightclub in Florida, the anniversary was observed Wednesday with somber memorial gatherings and proclamations, including one that had to be issued twice. Read the full story on NBC LA. Make America Straight Again conference will bring a group of anti-LGBTQ preachers to Orlandos Pride weekend Anti-gay conference of preachers will gather in Orlando to protest Pride week. Read the full story on New York Daily News. Orlando police release photo of murder suspect The victim was killed on the 4500 block of Malibu Street on Feb. 6. Read the full story on Graham Media: WKMG News 6. SUV crashes into Orlando worship center The crash happened around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Read the full story on Graham Media: WKMG News 6. 'Baby Trump' balloon could make Orlando appearance during president's rally on Tuesday President Donald Trump is coming to Orlando next Tuesday to kick-off his 2020 presidential run, and as might be expected, protesters will also be organizing counter-rallies. Read the full story on Fox WOGX. 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. Here's the most recent top news you may have missed in Phoenix. WATCH: Phoenix cops investigated for alleged misconduct after sweeping handcuffed suspects leg, aiming gun at car with kids inside Phoenix Police released disturbing footage of officers' questionable treatment of suspects, including sweeping the leg of a handcuffed man insisting he was compliant, and aiming a gun at a car with kids inside. Read the full story on New York Daily News. Phoenix airport eyes improvement, expansion in 20-year plan PHOENIX (AP) - Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is looking ahead two decades with a plan that calls for expanding and improving facilities to match projected cargo and passenger growth. Read the full story on Houston Chronicle. Family files $10 million notice of claim to Phoenix for police brutality accusations The City of Phoenix has been served with a notice of claim for $10 million for alleged excessive use of force and civil rights violation of a family. Read the full story on 12NEWS. 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. Kathmandu, Nepal, June 14, 2019: The government has decided to pick four ambassadors going against of its own procedure set by Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year. The governments decision has not only been criticized from the concerned stake holders but also from the ruling head Nepal Communist Party (NCP) for nominating to those who lacks any diplomatic experience or expertise in the field even going against the procedures. A cabinet meeting held on Thursday had decided to recommend Mahesh Dahal, Narad Bharadwaj, Banshidhar Mishra and Dawa Phuti Sherpa as ambassadors for Australia, Qatar, Bangladesh and Spain respectively. As four ambassadorial posts were divided among the top leaders, particularly among the co-chairs duo- KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the dissident leaders of the party have raised the issue of procedures to appoint the ambassadors. Considering to the growing trend of sending the kith and kin of the top leaders of the government head to foreign diplomatic missions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had introduced the criteria last year to ensure of selecting competent persons in the post of ambassadors. However, it has become amazing that incumbent government has breached its own criteria within a year of its commencement. Reliable source at the party claims that Mahaes Dahal was recommended by NCP Co-Chair Dahal as he is a close relative and aide of him though he lacks any experience and expertise on diplomacy. Though he was initially a local level leader of the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), he had joined the NCP. He was considered as close aid of NCP Co-chair Dahal as he had played role to win in the election in Chitwan. Likewise, another co-chair and Prime Minister Oli had recommended Bharadwaj as Nepals ambassador to Qatar, Sherpa as ambassador to Spain and Mishra as ambassador to Bangladesh. It is said that Bharadwaj, who was a retired professor of Tribhuvan University, was recommended to the post as he is a trusted colleague and close neighbor of Oli. Race for Number 10: Sajid Javid In a series of in-depth profiles, we take a look at the Tory leadership candidates to replace Theresa May and become Britains new Prime Minister. Home Secretary Sajid Javid launched his campaign on Tuesday June 11. He is seen as a strict force in the Tory party after holding multiple roles in the Cabinets of Theresa May and David Cameron. As of the June 13 ballot, Javid is one of the seven remaining candidates in the race for office as he progresses to the second round of party voting. In one sentence: Uncompromising, driven and articulate, Javid has risen from a humble background - an outsider whos unafraid to ruffle a few feathers. Betting odds: Javid is in fifth place at 45/1, according to Betfair.com. How did he vote on Brexit, and what does he think now? Javid had a reputation as a Eurosceptic and surprised many when he voted to Remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum. But recently, the Home Secretary has said he would choose a no-deal Brexit over remaining in Europe, pledging to deliver Brexit if he succeeded Mrs May as Prime Minister. Javid when he was part of the Treasury team under George Osborne in 2013 (PA) He told the BBC: "If we got to the end of October and the choice was between a no-deal and no Brexit I would pick no deal. "The three things that we need to deliver, which are absolutely essential, (are) Brexit by the end of October this year, unifying the country - that's bringing people together - keeping Corbyn out of Number 10. Any controversy? Javid, an avid Tory supporter and Thatcherite, got into a spot of bother at the 1990 Conservative Party conference for handing out leaflets against Prime Minister Thatchers decision to join the Exchange Rate Mechanism, alongside Robert Halfon, David Burrowes and Tim Montgomerie Years later, Javid faced questions as business secretary over Tata steel and during his short lived stint as communities secretary, he faced questions over the Governments response to the Grenfell disaster. Mr Javid making a statement following the Grenfell Tower disaster (PA) (PA) As Theresa Mays Home Secretary, he received criticism over his plans to tackle knife crime in the UK, despite taking a hard line approach to violent crime. Story continues He stirred controversy for banning Shamima Begum from re-entering the UK after she fled to join Isis, and revoked her British citizenship. RACE FOR NUMBER 10: MORE FROM YAHOO UK ********** Michael Gove: The Brexiteer aiming to heal Tory rifts and land the top job Jeremy Hunt: Can the true blue Tory see off his rivals and land keys to No.10? Andrea Leadsom: Can former Commons leader become UKs third female PM? Boris Johnson profile: Hes the bookies favourite... but can he deliver? ********** Javid announced medicinal cannabis would become available for prescription on the NHS - but insisted it was not a step towards legalisation of the drug. Voting history: Sajid Javid voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples to marry in the UK in February and May 2013. In December 2015, Mr Javid voted to to restrict the support available to failed asylum seekers and illegal migrants. In March 2016 he voted in favour of greater state surveillance powers, allowing the bulk interception of communications and equipment interference. Leadership rivals Javid and Hunt smile during the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings on June 5. But have the smiles faded? (GETTY) Biggest policy promises? Mr Javids leadership pitch sees him pledge to change the image of the Tories across the country, while stressing his comparatively humble beginnings as the son of a bus driver. He said it was time to follow the Scottish Tories and leave the short-term comfort zone and throw out central casting by picking a fresh face. On Brexit, Mr Javid said the UK must prepare for no deal, but insisted he could get an agreement through Parliament by October 31. Career to date: The MP for Bromsgrove was born in Rochdale on December 5, 1969, one of five sons of parents who had moved to the UK from Pakistan. His father was a bus driver. He attended school in Bristol after his parents took over a ladieswear shop in the city.. At the age of 18 Javid met his wife, Laura King while he was working a summer job as a document stapler for Commercial Union in Bristol and they married in 1997. He then studied Economics at Exeter University before getting a job in the finance sector. He moved to the US to pursue a career in finance and became a vice-president at Chase Manhattan Bank at the age of 25, before moving to Singapore for a period with Deutsche Bank. He became a managing director before leaving in 2009 to concentrate on politics. Sajid Javid when he was appointed as Business Secretary by David Cameron in 2015 (PA) He began his political career with roles in the Treasury under George Osborne, before becoming the first cabinet minister of Asian descent when he was appointed Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport in 2014. He has been MP for Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, since 2010. A year later he became business secretary in 2015, before being appointed Communities Secretary in 2016. During that time he mounted a short-lived bid to succeed David Cameron as Conservative leader after the 2016 referendum, on a joint ticket with Stephen Crabb. Javid became Home Secretary in 2018, replacing Amber Rudd after she resigned amid the Windrush scandal. He publicly voiced his anger over the scandal when he came to office making the subject his first priority in office. What his colleagues say: Education Select Committee Chairman Robert Halfon MP: "Sajid Javid started from nothing and it's incredible to see the left-wing intelligentsia criticise him for having money." Vote Leave campaign manager Matthew Elliott: I think Saj has the negotiating experience and the plan to get changes there. And having known him for over 15 years, he has always had Eurosceptic sympathies. He will want to see it through. He will want to see Britain leave by October 31. LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Sajid Javid attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at Leicester Square on December 16, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson: Leadership is about character. That is why, among the contenders to become the next leader of the UK Conservative Party, I believe Sajid Javid is the man for the job." Public awareness? According to YouGov, Javid is the 10th most popular Conservative politician and the 14th most famous party member. In his own words: On knife crime in March 2019: I want serious violence to be treated by all parts of government, all parts of the public sector, like a disease and I want us to tackle it the same way everyone would come together. On being snubbed from Donald Trumps state banquet in June: I dont know [why I wasnt invited]. I have asked. I was just told that normally home secretaries arent invited. So I dont know. I dont like it. It is odd. My office did ask No 10 and they said no. Youd have to ask someone from No 10 why they made that decision. Speaking of his religious background in 2010: My own family's heritage is Muslim. Myself and my four brothers were brought up to believe in God, but I do not practise any religion. My wife is a practising Christian and the only religion practised in my house is Christianity. Did you know? At the age of 14, Javid went to see his father's bank manager and arranged to borrow 500 to invest in shares in a bid to realise his dream of working in the city. The hard working politician proved his school wrong after teachers suggested he become a TV repair man. Race for Number 10: Dominic Raab In a series of in-depth profiles, we take a look at the candidates to replace Theresa May and become Britains new Prime Minister. Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab is up there with some of the more likely candidates for the role. In one sentence: An ambitious karate black belt lawyer who finally found himself at the heart of Brexit despite previous Cabinet disappointments. Betting odds: 50/1 (Oddschecker) How did he vote on Brexit, and what does he think now? Raab has long been a staunch Brexiteer but found himself at the heart of Britains exit from the EU when Theresa May appointed him Brexit Secretary in July 2018 following the resignation of David Davis. He resigned from the post himself in November of the same year, blaming his decision on two major and fatal flaws in Mrs Mays draft Brexit withdrawal agreement. He said the proposed deal would "threaten the integrity of the United Kingdom" and would lead to an indefinite if not permanent situation where [the UK is] locked into a regime with no say over the rules being applied, with no exit mechanism", flaws which would prove "damaging for the economy [and] devastating for public trust in our democracy". However, despite describing Mrs Mays deal as worse than remaining in the EU, he voted for it in the third vote on March 29, 2019. Raab resigned over 'fatal flaws' in Mrs May's withdrawal agreement (Picture: AP Photo/Matt Dunham) Any controversy? Like his fellow candidates, 45-year-old Raab has not escaped controversy. In 2011, he was accused by Theresa May of fuelling gender warfare by describing some feminists as "obnoxious bigots" in an online article, saying men were getting a raw deal at the hands of the "equality bandwagon". In May 2018, Raabs diary secretary was caught up in a Daily Mirror sting that alleged that she had met men through a "sugar daddy" website. In the article, the secretary was quoted as saying he ordered the same meal every day from Pret A Manger: "He has the chicken Caesar and bacon baguette, SuperFruit pot and the Vitamin Volcano smoothie, every day. He is so weird. It's the Dom Raab Special." Story continues ********** RACE FOR NUMBER 10: MORE FROM YAHOO UK Michael Gove: The Brexiteer aiming to heal Tory rifts and land the top job Jeremy Hunt: Can the true blue Tory see off his rivals and land keys to No.10? Andrea Leadsom: Can former Commons leader become UKs third female PM? ********** In January 2011, The Mail on Sunday published an article alleging that Raab had paid a female employee 20,000 in an out-of-court settlement as part of a confidentiality agreement to drop a claim of workplace bullying when he was Chief of Staff to David Davis in 2007. Raab sued the newspaper for libel and during high court proceedings, it was revealed that the employees claim was settled an at employment tribunal which involved monetary compensation and a confidentiality clause for both parties. The newspaper issued an apology to Raab on March 2012. Raab found himself at the heart of Brexit after previous Cabinet disappointments (Picture: AP Photo/Olivier Matthys) Biggest policy promises? Raab wants to cut the basic rate of income tax by 1p every year for five years and raise the National Insurance threshold to 12,500 to match income tax. He says he can help negotiate a better Brexit deal for the country and is willing to prorogue Parliament to secure a no-deal exit by October 31. Raab has pledged to protect the consumer from big businesses that rip them off. He has also suggested he could save money by merging and closing Whitehall departments and would make the Tory party greener. Voting history: According to parliamentary monitoring website They Work for You, Raab voted in favour of military action against ISIS. He also voted for an increase in taxes on plane tickets, alcohol and cars and to end financial support for late teenagers in training and further education. The MP for Esher and Walton also voted in favour of a stricter asylum system and for stronger enforcement of immigration rules. He voted against a reduction in spending on welfare benefits and against a bankers bonus tax, as well as opposing climate change mitigation measures. Raab is described by many as ambitious (Picture: PA) Career to date: Raab is the son of a Czech-born Jewish refugee who fled the Nazis in 1938. Brought up in Buckinghamshire, he studied law at Oxford University before switching to Cambridge for his Master's. He worked as a lawyer at the Foreign Office then entered politics in 2006 as an aide to David Davis then Dominic Grieve, the Remain-backing Tory MP. Raab was elected as MP of Esher and Walton in 2010, gaining a total of 58.9% of the vote in the Tory safe seat - a majority of 18,593 over his nearest rival. He was appointed civil liberties minister in the Ministry of Justice following David Cameron's general election victory in 2015. Raab played a prominent role in the Leave campaign in the 2016 EU referendum, but was sacked from his junior ministerial role by Theresa May when she took over as prime minister following Mr Cameron's resignation. He regained a position after the 2017 election, taking on a role in the Ministry of Justice before becoming housing minister in January 2018. He returned to the spotlight when Mrs May appointed him Brexit Secretary following David Davis resignation, later resigning himself from the post over her Draft Withdrawal Agreement. What his colleagues say: Dominic is his own biggest fan, one MP reportedly told The Telegraph. Hes just a bit too clever. He comes across as rather arrogant sometimes. He would do well to tone it down. Im not his biggest fan, Raabs diary secretary told an undercover reporter from the Daily Mirror. You have to be very straight with him. He finds it difficult dealing with women. Hes very dismissive. Public awareness? Raab has been working hard on his campaign, reportedly spending more than any other candidate on Facebook ads. According to the BBC, Mr Raab's official campaign page has spent more than 56,000 on Facebook adverts since it was created late in May. And it seems the campaign is specifically targeting certain age groups, with an analysis of Facebook data reportedly showing that most of Raabs ads have been seen by people over the age of 55. In his own words: "The bridge to Brexit might be rocky and take more time than expected." The typical user of a foodbank is not someone thats languishing in poverty, its someone who has a cash flow problem episodically. Were up against it and we wont deliver Brexit with bluff and bluster. Im probably not a feminist. I resigned because I wasnt in good conscience willing to walk a bad deal over the line. If Im the next Prime Minister the consumer will be king. Did you know? Raab has a black belt in karate. Matt Hancock has pulled out of the Tory leadership race, leaving six contenders battling to be Britains Prime Minister. The health secretary came 6th in the first ballot of Tory MPs yesterday with 20 votes. It was highly unlikely Mr Hancock would have made it through the second round of voting as candidates need to poll 33 votes to stay in contention. Mr Hancock is yet to throw his support behind another candidate, and didnt rule out backing runaway favourite Boris Johnson in an interview with the Evening Standard. Health Secretary Matt Hancock leaves after a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, London. Announcing his decision Mr Hancock said: Im hugely grateful for the warm and enthusiastic support Ive received throughout this campaign, and am proud of the way we managed to set the agenda by promoting new ideas to make peoples lives better. I ran as the candidate of the future, but the Party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique set of circumstances we face right now. I have therefore decided to withdraw from this contest, and I will look for the best way to advance the values we fought for, of free enterprise, and an open, aspirational and free society, underpinned by an optimistic belief in the value of each individual person. I will talk to all the other candidates about how these values can be best taken forwards. Four candidates have already been eliminated from the race to be Prime Minister (PA Images) Three candidates were knocked out of the race yesterday, meaning 50 votes are now up for grabs. Shortly after Mr Hancock withdrew, frontrunner Boris Johnson caved to pressure from Tory leadership hopefuls and agreed to take part in TV debates on Channel 4 and the BBC. Conservative frontrunner Boris Johnson leaves his home in London (GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images) The remaining wannabe Prime Ministers - Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, Rory Stewart and Jeremy Hunt - piled in on Mr Johnson to pressure him into joining them in the debates. In a joint statement they said: This leadership contest provides an important opportunity to debate, to shape and to define the ideas which will underpin those competing visions. That is why we are committed to taking part in the Channel 4 televised debates this Sunday and the BBC programme next Tuesday. Story continues RACE FOR NUMBER 10: MORE FROM YAHOO UK *********** Michael Gove: The Brexiteer aiming to heal Tory rifts and land the top job? Jeremy Hunt: Can the true blue Tory see off his rivals and land keys to No.10? Boris Johnson: Hes the bookies favourite But can he deliver? Sajid Javid: Will the outsiders rise to success help him become PM? *********** Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is currently in second place in the leadership race, accused Mr Johnson of hiding from scrutiny. He told the BBC: We can only have that debate if our front-runner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media and actually engaging in debates. Engaging in the TV debates. Johnsons campaign said it was in discussions with broadcasters about whether he would attend. The pressure to take part forms part of the attempt to halt the momentum of Johnson, who yesterday picked up 114 MPs votes in the first round of the election, enough to see him safely through to the final stage when party members have their say on the last two candidates. Johnsons campaign so far has been a highly slick and stage-managed affair, during which he has granted only one newspaper interview and answered only six questions from journalists. In a sign that this control was beginning to slip, on Friday morning the Daily Mirror dug out their chicken suit which has been used to challenge politicians over the years over their cowardice to take part in debates and on other issues. Some in the party are concerned that if the next leader of the party is elected without enough scrutiny then the Tories could find themselves in the same situation they were after Theresa Mays coronation in 2016. A source from Rory Stewarts campaign told the Press Association that the new leader must demonstrate they can win back old voters and win over new audiences. Rory Stewart was the surprise of the first round, squeezing into the second stage by two votes (Claire Doherty/In Pictures via Getty Images) Any candidate who seeks that mantle can hardly opt out of a public debate, he said. If any candidate ducks that duty, there is a simple question we should ask: What have you got to hide? Dominic Raab who will be targeting MPs seeking hard Brexit votes like Johnson said: Im looking forward to the first televised debates on Sunday and I hope that everyone gets involved we should have a proper debate on the vision for the country. Amber Rudd, the work and pensions secretary who is supporting Hunt, told Johnson it was his duty to get out and do the TV debates. In September 2018, @BorisJohnson told @SkyNews he believed leaders' debates were "essential". Mr Johnson hasn't stated whether he intends to take part in televised hustings for the current Tory leadership contest, but is under growing pressure to do so https://t.co/UvjeODKy0p pic.twitter.com/xas3S1YG5V Sky News (@SkyNews) June 14, 2019 And on Friday morning, Sky News dug out footage of Johnson endorsing the channels long-running campaign to make debates a centrepiece of British elections. Johnson told the news channel that my feeling is that they are essential and the public does need to see interchange between their potential leaders. Per a Media release, TOTAL S.A. TOT is currently in talks to acquire 30% interest in Adani Gas for more than $800 million (INR5,500 crores). If the deal goes through, TOTAL will be holding roughly equal interest in the company, along with its promoter. Adani Gas is a gas distribution pipeline operator, and currently has pipeline network of more than 3,728 miles in India (6,000 kilometers). It provides services to around 350,000 retail customers. TOTALs Gain From This Deal Per a recent report by BP p.l.c. BP, India is going to be world's largest energy growth market by mid-2020s. Demand for coal, natural gas and renewable sources is rising to meet the energy needs of this developing nation. Indias natural gas pipeline space is poised for massive growth due to increasing demand, greater exploration efforts under the New Exploration Licensing Policy and the commissioning of liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals on the western coast. Adani Gas currently supplies gas in five cities, and has the right to develop city gas distribution in another 38 geographies. Through the acquisition of interest in Adani Gas, TOTAL will be able to benefit from the increasing demand for growth in natural gas infrastructure in India. At present, demand for natural gas is higher than supply, and the demand for natural gas is rising in India due to its clean burning nature. TOTALs Long-Term LNG Plan Per the LNG outlook of Royal Dutch Shell PLC RDS.A, global demand for the commodity will increase in the range of 4-5% within the 2015-2030 time period. Given strong long-term prospects of LNG, TOTAL has undertaken various initiatives to strengthen its position in the market. Acquisitions, tie-ups and the commencement of organic LNG projects are helping TOTAL to strengthen its position in the global market. Acquisitions and startups will continue to boost TOTALs LNG portfolio, which is expected to touch 40 million tons per annum by 2020 and result in 10% market share in worldwide LNG business. TOTAL and Adani Group had entered into a partnership last October to develop regasification LNG terminals, and a joint venture to set up nearly 1,500 service stations. So, this new deal will give TOTAL the opportunity to take advantage of the growing natural gas sector of India through production of natural gas and supply the same to the end user via the expanding pipelines of Adani Gas. Price Performance Year to date, shares of the company have underperformed its industry. Story continues Zacks Rank and A Key Pick TOTAL currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in the same space is Chevron Corporation CVX having a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Chevron delivered average positive earnings surprise of 2.33% in the last four quarters. Long-term earnings growth of the company is 6.25%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has been upwardly revised by 20.8% to $7.94 in the past 60 days. Will you retire a millionaire? One out of every six people retires a multimillionaire. Get smart tips you can do today to become one of them in a new Special Report, 7 Things You Can Do Now to Retire a Multimillionaire. Click to get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report TOTAL S.A. (TOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A) : Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The owner of the Japanese tanker attacked on Thursday said US reports have provided false information about what happened in the Gulf of Oman. The ship operator said flying objects that may have been bullets were the cause of damage to the vessel, rather than mines used by Iranian forces, as the US has suggested. Yutaka Katada, chief executive of the Japanese company operating the ship called Kokuka Courageous, one of two vessels attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, said the damage could not have been caused by mines or torpedos that are shot underwater, since the damage was reportedly above the ships waterline. It seems that something flew towards them. That created the hole, is the report Ive received, Mr Katada said at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, the Financial Times reported. Donald Trumps administration has meanwhile insisted the attacks were carried out by Iran, which has denied having any involvement in either of the two incidents. The US released video shortly after that it said showed Iranian Revolutionary Guard officials removing what was likely an unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous. The US also said the ship was abandoned after an initial explosion. The White House has singled out the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in recent months under Mr Trump, taking the rare step of classifying a foreign government entity as a terror group. The Kokuka Courageous and another Norwegian-operated vessel were ablaze for hours in the Gulf on Thursday. The owner's of the other vessel, the Front Altair, have not yet provided an explanation of what they believe to be the cause of the damage. The entire 21-person crew were evacuated the Kokuka Courageous. Sailors reported seeing the flying objects from the vessel before the incident occurred, according to Katada. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. By David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is unlikely to move to revise a 1992 act that gives Hong Kong special trade and business privileges unless there is a dramatic escalation by China in response to street protests there, a senior U.S. official said. Its going to depend on what the Chinese do, the official told Reuters, adding that the United States might consider sanctions if there was a "precipitating event," such as Hong Kong police being told to stand down and mainland Chinese forces moving in and using violence against protesters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday, said any U.S. response could also be influenced by the status of U.S. trade talks with China that have dominated the U.S. agenda with Beijing for months. China appeared concerned about the possibility of the Hong Kong situation getting out of hand, the official said, adding that Washington believed Beijing was not interested in seeing it escalate and was looking for a way out without appearing to back down. Opposition to a proposed Hong Kong law to allow extraditions to China on Sunday triggered the former British colony's biggest political demonstration since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" deal. Tens of thousands demonstrated in the following days. On Wednesday, protesters surrounded the legislature and swarmed onto a major highway, before being forced back by riot police firing volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets. The "one country, two systems" agreement guarantees Hong Kong's special autonomy, including freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary and the 1992 U.S. Hong Kong Policy Act that preceded it affords Hong Kong trade and business privileges not granted to Beijing. The U.S. State Department said on Monday it was gravely concerned about proposed amendments to Hong Kong laws and warned that such a move could jeopardize the special status Washington affords the territory. Story continues In Washington on Thursday, senior lawmakers from both parties introduced legislation to require an annual justification from the U.S. government for the continuation of the special treatment. Cracks appeared on Friday in the support base for the proposed extradition law and one of the key advisers to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, Executive Council member Bernard Chan, told Cable TV he did not think formal discussion of the bill, a precursor to a final vote by the legislature, should continue at present. Michael Tien, a member of Hong Kong's legislature and a deputy to China's national parliament, urged the city government to put the bill on hold. And 22 former government officials or Legislative Council members signed a statement calling on Lam to "yield to public opinion and withdraw the Bill for more thorough deliberation".' On Friday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng summoned Robert Forden, the U.S. deputy chief of mission in Beijing, due to recent U.S. comments and actions on Hong Kong and the extradition law and urged Washington to stop interfering in the city's affairs immediately, China's Foreign Ministry said. It said Le urged Washington to take no actions that harm Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, the ministry said in a statement. "We urge the U.S. side to treat the Hong Kong government objectively and fairly and respect its normal legislative process," the statement cited Le as saying. "China will watch the U.S. side's actions and further respond," he added, without elaborating. (The refiled story changes word to "to" from "the" in second paragraph.) (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Tom Brown) Seguin, TX (78155) Today Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. Near record high temperatures. High 83F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear with gusty winds developing late. Low 32F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said he would give strong consideration to endorsing Vice President Mike Pence if he ran for president in 2024 but declined to do so directly. "You can't put me in that position," Trump said of the former Indiana governor during a lengthy Friday interview on Fox and Friends. Trump's response to the question drew attention on social media, but it is not unusual for a president to hold off on speculating about a distant election. Former President Barack Obama, for instance, has not endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign for the 2020 election. Pence has not said whether he is contemplating a presidential campaign in 2024. President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One. Like what youre reading? Download the USA TODAY app for more This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump would give 'strong consideration' to backing Pence in 2024, but holds off on endorsing President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed Michael Flynn's move to hire a lawyer who has been a fierce critic of the FBIs investigation into the former national security adviser. General Michael Flynn, the 33 year war hero who has served with distinction, has not retained a good lawyer, he has retained a GREAT LAWYER, Sidney Powell, Trump tweeted. Best Wishes and Good Luck to them both! The message from Trump is one of the strongest indicators Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition, remains in the presidents good graces and hints that a pardon might still be within the realm of possibility. Flynn continues to be a recipient of the president's public support despite having been fired for having lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Last week, Flynn fired his legal team and hired Powell, a former Justice Department attorney who has publicly dinged the investigation into Flynn, accusing the FBI of spying on the retired Army general as part of a "setup," arguing he should withdraw his guilty plea and that his case should be dismissed. Flynn's former legal team, which took a less hostile approach to his defense, attempted to advance such an argument late last year, earning his lawyers an admonishment from the judge handling his case. Powell told POLITICO on Wednesday that Flynn would continue to cooperate with the government while he awaits sentencing. Trumps tweet comes less than a week after federal prosecutors released a voicemail left by former Trump lawyer John Dowd for one of Flynns attorneys just after Flynn withdrew from a joint defense agreement with the president in order to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller. In the voicemail, Dowd appeals to Flynn lawyer Robert Kelner for a "heads up" on information that could implicate the president and compromise "national security." "Remember what weve always said about the president and his feelings toward Flynn and ... that still remains," Dowd said. Though a transcript of that voicemail was included in Muellers report, the audio release has renewed speculation that the Trump team was dangling a pardon. Trump has appeared to hint at possible pardons for several of his former associates who were wrapped up in Muellers investigation, repeatedly refusing to rule them out for Flynn or for his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Friday sought to clarify his comments that he would accept dirt on election rivals from a foreign power, now saying he would "absolutely" report such an encounter to US authorities. Singed by a political firestorm over his controversial remarks when he said he would only "maybe" call the Federal Bureau of Investigation if he believed there was wrongdoing, the president took to Fox News to nuance his explanation. "Of course you give it to the FBI, or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that," Trump said. But he maintained his controversial position revealed in a Wednesday ABC News interview that he would look at or listen to the information. "Of course, you have to look at it, because if you don't look at it you're not going to know if it's bad," Trump said. "Now, if I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated... I'd report it to law enforcement, absolutely." Trump faced severe criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike after his initial remarks. The furor follows years of debate over the Trump team's contacts with officials and operatives from Russia, which US intelligence agencies determined interfered in the 2016 presidential election. An exhaustive 22-month special counsel investigation concluded that Trump's campaign had numerous contacts with Russians but the pattern did not amount to proof of a conspiracy with Moscow. Despite that, Democrats say Trump's behavior was suspicious enough to warrant further investigation in congressional committees. A loud minority of lawmakers is even pushing for impeachment. The White House and Republicans argued that Trump was being unfairly singled out when the Democrats had been the ones to make use of a now-infamous dossier compiled by a foreigner, former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele, in 2016. Trump told Fox he did not believe any foreign power would present him with "bad" dirt on his rivals "because they know how much I love this country." And he stressed that as president he is in a different position than other Americans because of his constant interaction with world leaders like Queen Elizabeth II and French President Emmanuel Macron. "We have many, many conversations," Trump said. "I'm just thinking, gee, if they say 'We don't like your opponent,' am I supposed to put the president of France, am I supposed to report him to the FBI?" WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former White House lawyer Don McGahn "may have been confused" during his testimony as part of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast on Friday. Trump, in comments to ABC News, rejected the account of McGahn, a key witness in Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible obstruction of justice by Trump or his associates. Asked why McGahn would lie to U.S. investigators -- a federal crime -- Trump said: "He wanted to make himself look like a good lawyer." "I don't care what he says. It doesn't matter," the Republican president added. Trump's comments could further encourage Democratic U.S. lawmakers, who have subpoenaed McGahn https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-mcgahn/house-panel-chair-subpoenas-ex-white-house-counsel-mcgahn-on-mueller-inquiry-idUSKCN1RY1K7 to appear before Congress, to push for his testimony. McGahn has refused to comply with the subpoena at Trump's direction https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mcgahn/trump-tells-ex-white-house-counsel-mcgahn-not-to-appear-before-congress-idUSKCN1SQ206, prompting Democrats in the House of Representatives to pursue legal steps. House lawmakers have also issued a subpoena to McGahn's former chief of staff, Annie Donaldson. Representatives for McGahn did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for the House Judiciary Committee, which has called on McGahn to appear, could not be immediately reached for comment. McGahn cooperated with Mueller's team during its two-year probe, telling investigators that Trump had called him several times in June 2017, urging him to direct the Justice Department to remove Mueller because of conflicts of interest. He did not carry out that order or a later one to dispute news reports about the incidents, according to the special counsel's report. Story continues Mueller's findings, released in a redacted two-volume report https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-takeaways-factbox/factbox-new-revelations-from-the-mueller-report-idUSKCN1RU2DE in April, showed Moscow had meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and that Trump's election campaign had multiple contacts with Russian officials. But it said there was insufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Moscow. It also outlined 10 instances in which Trump tried to interfere with Mueller's investigation, but Mueller declined to make a judgment on whether that amounted to obstruction of justice. Trump has previously denied that he sought to oust Mueller, who has said he was leaving the department now that his work is concluded. "I was never going to fire Mueller. I never suggested firing Mueller," Trump told ABC. Trump, who provided written answers on some topics to Mueller's investigators but never sat down for an interview, also defended that decision. "They were looking to get us for lies or slight misstatements," Trump said. "It was very unfair." (Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Donald Trump has issued a bizarre defence of widely condemned comments made in an interview that he would be open to accepting dirt from foreign powers on his political opponents. In a tweet misspelling Prince Charles official title, he wrote that he often met world leaders and was not expected to inform the security services. But the president failed to point out that the furore around his comments centred on his apparent willingness to accept damaging information about a political rival, rather than simply meeting other heads of state for regular diplomatic talks. I meet and talk to foreign governments every day. I just met with the Queen of England (U.K.), the Prince of Whales, the P.M. of the United Kingdom, the P.M. of Ireland, the President of France and the President of Poland. We talked about Everything! Mr Trump tweeted. Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings? How ridiculous! I would never be trusted again. With that being said, my full answer is rarely played by the Fake News Media. They purposely leave out the part that matters. Donald Trump amid massive outrage and a public scolding by election officials has reversed course and said he would report any information provided by a foreign country to the FBI. He insisted, however, he would have to read it to know whether it was bad. Following widespread criticism and dismay after the president said he would accept foreign-sourced information if it could help his 2020 reelection bid, he said he thought he had made clear he would inform the authorities. Of course, you have to look at itbut of course, you give it to the FBI or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that, Mr Trump said, during a live phone interview with Fox Newss Fox and Friends, one of his favourite shows. You couldnt have that happen with our country, and everybody understands that. He added: If I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated, Id report it to the attorney general, the FBI. Id report it to law enforcement, absolutely. Earlier this week, in an interview with ABC News, the president said he would accept damaging information about an opponent if it was provided by a foreign nation something in breach of election laws. I think you might want to listen, there isnt anything wrong with listening, he said. If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] we have information on your opponent oh, I think Id want to hear it. He added: If I thought there was something wrong, Id go maybe to the FBI if I thought there was something wrong. On Thursday, the chair of the Federal Election Commission issued a rare public rebuke, apparently in response to the presidents comments, although without naming him. Let me make something 100 per cent clear to the American public and anyone running for public office, Ellen Weintraub said on Twitter. It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a US election. Earlier this year, special counsel Robert Mueller, completed a two-year investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Story continues Mr Mueller probe found no evidence of a conspiracy between Moscow and the presidents team, although he detailed numerous interactions. On the question of obstruction of justice, Mr Mueller was unable to exonerate the president. Attorney general William Barr decided there was insufficient evidence to charge Mr Trump. Donald Trump has insisted that Iran is responsible for an attack on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, after the Pentagon released night-vision footage of what it says is an Iranian navy boat retrieving an unexploded mine from the hull of one of the targets. Phoning in to Fox and Friends for an interview on his 73rd birthday, the president said: Iran did do it. You know they did it because you saw the boat. Meanwhile in an ABC interview, Mr Trump questioned the testimony given to the Mueller investigation by ex-White House counsel Don McGahn, saying the adviser may have been confused when he said under oath that his former employer instructed him to fire the special counsel. He also said Friday that "of course" he would go to the FBI or the attorney general if a foreign power offered him dirt about an opponent. It was an apparent walk back from his earlier comments that he might not contact law enforcement in such a situation. Mr Trump, in an interview Friday with "Fox & Friends," said he would look at the information in order to determine whether or not it was "incorrect." But he added that, "of course you give it to the FBI or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that." Earlier in the week, Mr Trump had told ABC News that he would consider accepting information from an outside nation and might not contact law enforcement. His assertion that he would be open to accepting a foreign power's help in his 2020 campaign had ricocheted through Washington, with Democrats condemning it as a call for further election interference and Republicans struggling to defend his comments. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Friday doubled down in accusing Iran of executing explosions on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying the incident had Iran "written all over it." However, as US-Iranian tensions soared, Trump dismissed previous threats by Tehran that in case of conflict it could block the Hormuz Strait -- a narrow seaway vital to the world's oil supplies. "They're not going to be closing it," he said in an interview on Fox News television. Speaking hours after the US military released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from one of the tankers, Trump said "Iran did do it." "You know they did it because you saw the boat," Trump told the "Fox and Friends" show. "I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got essentially Iran written all over it." "You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off -- and that was exposed," he added. Iran rejects the US accusations. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." He accused Washington of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Iran. One of the targeted vessels is owned by a Japanese company while the other was Norwegian-operated. Iran has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the Hormuz Strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the far more powerful United States. Doing so, would disrupt traffic of oil tankers between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, which leads to the Indian Ocean and global export routes. "If the hostility of enemies increase, we will be able to do so," Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, told semi-official ISNA in April. Trump played down the threat. "It's not going to be closed, it's not going to be closed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms," Trump told Fox News. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Canada and Mexico are completely in line on the new North American trade deal and it is up to the United States to get it passed. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he hoped Congress would quickly move to act on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, or USMCA. Canada said on Thursday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to meet with Trump on June 20 in Washington to discuss ratification of the accord. "Hopefully they can act quickly because we could have that done very, very fast if we can get support from, really, the Democrats in Congress, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi, they have to put the bill forward," Trump said. The Trump administration has been pushing Congress to speed up a vote on the agreement. But the Democratic-led House of Representatives has sought more time to review the deal, with Pelosi pressing for improved enforcement mechanisms for labor and environmental standards. Republicans, who control the U.S. Senate, have been seeking a vote on the USMCA before the August recess to avoid budget debates and 2020 presidential campaign activity expected to intensify in the autumn. But Pelosi controls the schedule for trade legislation in the House and USMCA does not appear likely to come to a vote in that chamber during the summer. "I think that hopefully it's going to get approved quickly," Trump told a roundtable with state governors. "Everybody wants it. It's in Congress right now. It's in the House and they're reviewing it. But everybody seems to want it." "As you know Canada is totally in line and Mexico is totally in line and now it's up to us to get it passed. And it's going to have a tremendous impact, I think," he added, noting it would mean "a lot of money and a lot of jobs." (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Dan Grebler and David Gregorio) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday "it doesn't matter" if Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the Group of 20 summit later this month in the Japanese city of Osaka, predicting a trade deal with Beijing would occur at some point anyway. "We're going to see. Eventually they're going to make a deal," Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel. Trump repeatedly said he would meet with Xi at the summit, although China has not confirmed the meeting. The two men last met at last year's G20 summit in Argentina, and agreed to a pause to their trade war. Trump also said China manipulates its currency in order to avoid the squeeze of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. "They're paying hundreds of billions in dollars. I have 25% on $250 billion ... They're manipulating their currency in order to pay for it," he said. The United States and China have been embroiled in trade tensions since last year marked by tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's imports as Washington seeks for Beijing to make changes to its business policies. The two countries were engaged in talks in order to reach a detente, but those ended in May without a deal. Washington has accused Beijing of reneging on several promises, which China has denied. China has ramped up its rhetoric since last month, promising to "fight to the end" in the trade war and neither give in to pressure nor compromise on its principles. In a commentary on Saturday, an influential and widely-read state media social media account said certain people were "creating talk of a so-called 'leaders meeting'" in the run-up to the G20 summit. If the United States can return to the consensus reached at the leaders' meeting in Argentina and earnestly seek to resolve China's core concerns, then it's quite possible the Osaka summit could mark a turning point, said Taoran Notes in a WeChat account run by the Economic Daily. Story continues "If some people in the United States are still thinking of playing the game of extreme pressure and continue the current state of instability and immaturity in their external statements, then I fear there is only thing to say: there's no point in meeting and no point in talking." Separately, the world's two largest economies agreed to a halt on their dispute at the World Trade Organization over intellectual property rights. The panel did not say why the dispute had been suspended. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Susan Thomas and Michael Perry) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday "it doesn't matter" if Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the Group of 20 summit later this month, predicting a trade deal with Beijing would occur at some point anyway. "We're going to see. Eventually they're going to make a deal," Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel. Trump repeatedly said he would meet with Xi at the summit, although China never confirmed the meeting. Trump also said China manipulates its currency in order to avoid the squeeze of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. "They're paying hundreds of billions in dollars. I have 25% on $250 billion ... They're manipulating their currency in order to pay for it," he said. The United States and China have been embroiled in trade tensions since last year marked by tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's imports as Washington seeks for Beijing to make changes to its business policies. The two countries were engaged in talks in order to reach a detente, but those ended in May without a deal. Washington has accused Beijing of reneging on several promises, which China has denied. Separately, the world's two largest economies agreed to a halt on their dispute at the World Trade Organization over intellectual property rights. The panel did not say why the dispute had been suspended. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Susan Thomas) The US blamed Iran for Thursday's attack - Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA Donald Trump called Iran "a nation of terror" on Friday but gave no indication the US plans to retaliate for the alleged Iranian attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The US military released a grainy video that it said proved Iran was behind Thursdays attack and allegedly showed Iranian forces trying to remove an unexploded mine from the side of one tanker. They didnt want the evidence left behind, Mr Trump said. They are a nation of terror and theyve changed a lot since I became president. Iran has denied responsibility. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, said on Friday night that responsibility for the attacks "almost certainly lies with Iran". He had earlier warned that the US were in danger of stumbling into an unwanted war. At the moment both sides in this dispute think the other side doesnt want war. The risk you have is that then they doing something provocative that leads to catastrophic consequences that werent intended, Mr Hunt said. However, the Japanese owner of the oil tankers contradicted the US claims and said he believed the tanker was attacked by a flying object rather than a mine or a torpedo. Yukaka Katada, president of the operating company, did not say say whether he believed Iran was responsible. The US blamed Iran for Thursday's attack Credit: AP Photo/ISNA Iranian military boats were on Friday night preventing two privately owned tug boats from towing away one of the tankers, a US official said. While tensions remained high in the Persian Gulf region, the US did not appear to be planning any immediate military response to the attack, which came just a month after four other oil vessels were sabotaged in the same area. Speaking on Fox News, Mr Trump was repeatedly asked how the US was going to respond and replied merely: Well see. He repeated his hope that Iran would agree to return to the negotiating table to thrash out a tougher version of the 2015 nuclear agreement, which Mr Trump withdrew the US from. Im ready when they are, Mr Trump said. Story continues Iran has repeatedly said it will not negotiate until the US lifts crippling sanctions that have devastated the Iranian economy. We will not negotiate with the United States, said Ayatollah Khamenei, Irans supreme leader. No free nation would ever accept negotiations under pressure. Meanwhile, 23 crew members from the Front Altair, one of the oil tankers, remained in Iran at the southern port of Jask, where they were taken after being rescued by Revolutionary Guard forces. Iranian state media released video of the mainly Russian crew saying they were being treated well. Video shows crewmembers of a tanker hit by suspicious blast in Sea of Oman who were saved by Iranian rescue teams and transferred to Jask port.#SeaofOmanpic.twitter.com/XE2Nd5cynF Press TV (@PressTV) June 13, 2019 The US Navy meanwhile took 21 crew members from the other tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, back to the ship so they could help tow it to port. The video released by the US military appeared to show a small Iranian patrol boat pulling alongside the Kokuka Courageous and removing an unexploded limpet mine several hours after the attack. The US said the Iranians were trying to dispose of evidence of their involvement. Its not a great video and you cant see much detail it could but it looks like what the US says it is, said Richard Meade, the editor of Lloyds List, a shipping intelligence agency. The working assumption is that it was Iran and this footage points in that direction. The US also claimed that Iranian forces appeared to be racing towards the tug that initially rescued the crew of the Kokuka Courageous in an effort to pick up the sailors themselves. However, the USS Bainbridge, an American warship, got there first and the sailors were taken aboard. Javad Zarif, Irans foreign minister, said the attack was carried out by what he called the B Team - John Bolton, the US national security advisor; Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister; and Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince - in order to disrupt Iranian diplomacy. All three men have advocated a hawkish approach against Iran. Unilateral US actions - including its economic terrorism on Iran - are solely responsible for insecurity and renewed tension in our region, Mr Zarif said. While Israel and Saudi Arabia are both archenemies of Iran, neither state has called for major military action in the wake of the oil tanker attacks. Mr Bolton was outspoken on the need to deter Iran last month but appears to be have reined in after Mr Trump grew frustrated with his rhetoric. Donald Trump says that Sarah Huckabee Sanders leaving her post in the White House, and heading back to her home state of Arkansas. In tweets, the president praised his outgoing press secretary, and said he hopes she runs for the governors mansion when she returns home. After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas, Mr Trump wrote. He continued: She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done! Since taking over as Mr Trumps second press secretary in July of 2017, Ms Sanders has become one of the most prominent faces of the Trump administration, and has reshaped the way the White House interacts with the press that covers it. During her tenure, Ms Sanders essentially oversaw the cancellation of the daily White House press briefings, and was frequently criticised by the press for what has been perceived as a hostile approach to the White House press corps and media that covers the president. According to CNN, which cited sources close to Ms Sanders, running for the governorship of Arkansas may be more than just an afterthought of the presidents. Those sources indicated that Ms Sanders had talked about that effort in recent weeks, and said that she believes it would be a better career move than taking up a highly paid position in television, as other former Trump aides have done. Ms Sanders would likely need to wait a couple of years, however, as the current governor of the state, Asa Hutchinson, recently won re-election just this past November. The governors office will not be vacant until after the 2022 elections, then, unless Mr Hutchinson is appointed to a new job by the president and accepts or resigns. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump defended senior aide Kellyanne Conway on Friday from a watchdog report that found she violated a federal law that prohibits political speech in her official capacity, calling her words an expression of free speech. Trump dismissed the recommendation from the Office of Special Counsel that Conway be removed from her job for "egregious, notorious and ongoing" violations of the Hatch Act. Trump said he was briefed on the report, but would not fire Conway. "It looks to me like theyre trying to take away her right of free speech," Trump said during an interview on Fox and Friends. "No, Im not going to fire her. I think she's a terrific person... I think youre entitled to free speech in this country." Kellyanne Conway: All the times Kellyanne Conway ran afoul of a federal watchdog over the Hatch Act Sarah Sanders leaving: Sanders leaving as WH press secretary, Trump hints she may run for Arkansas governor Special Counsel Henry Kerner, whose office is separate from that of former special counsel Robert Mueller, said in a letter Thursday that his office had investigated aides to presidents of both parties and never before found repeated violations by the same person. Conway disparaged Democratic presidential candidates and spoke for and against Alabama candidates for U.S. Senate in 2017, according to the Office of Special Counsel. The Hatch Act is intended to prevent public officials from using their taxpayer-funded office to conduct partisan politics. Like what youre reading? Download the USA TODAY app for more This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he won't fire Kellyanne Conway over Hatch Act, defends her words as 'free speech' By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday to discuss trade and other hot-button issues facing the tech company as Trump deliberates whether to make good on his threat to hike tariffs on imports from China. Trump's meeting with Cook was disclosed by daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump during an event that Trump held with governors on skills development. Cook is a frequent visitor to the White House and has worked with Ivanka Trump on her job training and education initiatives. The president often name-checks Cook as a business leader who has brought jobs and investment back to the United States. On Thursday, Trump spoke with Cook about "trade, U.S. investment, immigration and privacy," White House spokesman Judd Deere said. A spokesperson for Apple could not be immediately reached for comment. The meeting comes as Trump weighs whether to go ahead with proposed increases to tariffs in his trade war with China. He has said he will make a decision some time after the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan at the end of June, where he hopes to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump is using tariffs to push Xi to change a host of Chinese trade practices, but negotiations have flagged. Makers of consumer electronics like phones and tablets have escaped the brunt of tariffs to this point but likely would be affected by the next hike. U.S. authorities are also preparing to probe market power of large technology companies, according to sources. Cook has defended his company, saying it has a moderate share of the market and is not too large. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by James Dalgleish and Cynthia Osterman) ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will "take reciprocal steps" if the United States imposes sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400 defences, the Turkish foreign minister said on Friday, marking the latest step toward a standoff between the NATO allies. "If the United States takes any negative actions towards us, we will also take reciprocal steps," Mevlut Cavusoglu, the minister, said when asked about possible U.S. sanctions in an interview broadcast on Turkish TV. Ankara and Washington have sparred publicly for months over Turkey's purchase of the S-400 missile systems, expected to be delivered as early as next month. Washington has said that would trigger U.S. sanctions and sent a letter warning that Ankara would be pulled out of the F-35 jet programme. The Turkish lira weakened to as far as 5.93 against U.S. dollar after the comment, to its weakest level in two weeks. "We are determined on the S-400 issue. No matter what the results will be, we will not take a step back," Cavusoglu said, adding it is impossible to cancel the order. The S-400s are not compatible with NATO's defence systems and Washington says they would compromise its F-35s, which Turkey also plans to buy. Turkey has proposed that the allies form a working group to asses the impact of the S-400s, but has yet to receive a response from the United States. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Jonathan Spicer) Disclaimer: These summaries are provided for educational purposes only by Nelson Rosario and Stephen Palley. They are not legal advice. These are our opinions only, arent authorized by any past, present or future client or employer. Also we might change our minds. We contain multitudes. As always, Rosario summaries are NMR and Palley summaries are SDP". [related id=1] Ownum, LLC v. Ownum, Inc., Case 1:19-cv-01043-UNA (D. Del. filed June 5, 2019)[NMR] This is a case of a blockchain company enforcing its trademark rights against a non-blockchain company. As you might recall, not that long ago the Crypto Caselaw Minute covered the inverse scenario where an established firm was suing a blockchain startup. The times they are a changing. Okay, what are the particulars here, and is Ownum suing itself? No. Ownum, LLC is an Ohio-based blockchain company that is developing products and services for managing titles to vehicles, birth and death records, as well as other vital and/or governmental records. Ownum, LLC has four different operating units: CHAMPtitles, Vital Chain, DigiCredits, and Tech Tags. Apparently, Ownum, LLC started out as CHAMPtitles, for which they own a trademark, and then on May 11, 2018 they officially changed their company name to Ownum. May 28, 2018, they file for a trademark on the word Ownum, and on January 15, 2019, the USPTO issued a Notice of Allowance for the Ownum mark directed to software solutions for managing the aforementioned types of documents. The complaint is filled with about six pages of evidence showcasing the Ownum trademark in various press releases, social media postings, and other items to hammer home the association of the name Ownum with the Ownum business lines. Ownum, Inc. is a Delaware based corporation that sells software that helps people manage their medications. Ownum, Inc. was incorporated March 7, 2019, and is the owner of the domain name ownum.com. That domain name is where all the trouble here began. Story continues Generally speaking, trademark law exists to identify the source of goods and services. It is an ancient body of law tracing back to the practice of craftsman affixing their own personal marks on their wares as a Proof of Origin. In our current age an owner of a trademark has certain rights in that mark, and is able to bring a cause of action against others when they are engaging in practices that may cause cause confusion amongst consumers, as well as activities that might dilute the mark, or diminish its value. Returning to the domain name issue, allegedly Ownum, LLC had a business meeting recently where the potential partner thought that Ownum, LLC was in the medication business because they had visisted ownum.com. In April, Ownum, LLC approached Ownum, Inc. to buy the domain name, and put them on notice of Ownum, LLCs trademark, Ownum. Ownum, Inc. did not respond to that request, but when Ownum, LLC approached them again in May 2019 Ownum, Inc. demanded $1,000,000 for the ownum.com domain. Thats a lot. Negotiations were not fruitful, and now there is a lawsuit. Ownum, LLC is alleging that Ownum, Inc. registered the domain name in bad faith with the intent to play off the publicity surrounding Ownum, LLC, that the value of their Ownum trademark is diminished/diluted, and that Ownum, Inc. is also violating their rights in a CHAMPtitles trademark, because of a design on the Ownum, Inc. website. Ownum, LLC is asking the court to grant a preliminary and permanent injunction to stop Ownum, Inc. from using the Ownum name, as well as seeking damages and any profits that Ownum, Inc. received as part of using the name. Now, you may be asking yourself, why didnt Ownum, LLC already own the ownum.com domain? Great question! They instead own the domain ownum.io. Oops. Gobble up as much of that digital real estate when you start/rebrand your company, so you can avoid the headache of a lawsuit later on. The Block is pleased to bring you expert cryptocurrency legal analysis courtesy of Stephen Palley (@stephendpalley) and Nelson M. Rosario (@nelsonmrosario). They summarize three cryptocurrency-related cases on a weekly basis and have given The Block permission to republish their commentary and analysis in full. Part II of this week's analysis, Crypto Caselaw Minute, is above. Two pilots were killed in Vietnam Friday after their military plane crashed during a training session, an official told AFP. Though Vietnam has a good civilian aviation record, airplane and helicopter crashes are regularly reported in the military, which relies on an arsenal of imported equipment -- mostly from longtime ally Russia. The two pilots in central Khanh Hoa province died when their Russian two-seater training aircraft Yakovlev Yak-52 crashed near a mountain, killing one of them instantly. "One was found dead while the other one died on the way to hospital," said Nguyen Ngoc Khue, the head of the local commune where the accident occurred. The crash site was blocked off for investigation, Khue added, and photos in state media showed plumes of smoke billowing from the downed plane. The Yak-52 took its first flight in 1976 in Russia and was later manufactured in Romania by Aerostar. It was designed to train civilian sport pilots and military pilots in the former Soviet Union. Friday's crash follows several similar accidents in the communist country in recent years. In July 2018, two pilots were killed when training in central Nghe An province in a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-22 that belonged to Vietnam's Air Defence Force. At least 14 people were reported killed in military crashes in 2016. Vietnam is seeking to modernise its military equipment by purchasing more equipment from partners beyond old Soviet ally Russia, including from France, Germany and Israel. US President Donald Trump has also encouraged Hanoi to buy more American equipment to narrow a trade gap. Observers say Vietnam is willing to do so, but could struggle to afford US military hardware. (Reuters) - U.S. drugmakers filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging a new government regulation that would require them to disclose the list price of prescription drugs in direct-to-consumer television advertisements. The lawsuit was jointly filed by Amgen Inc, Merck & Co, Eli Lilly and Co and the Association Of National Advertisers in the U.S. district court for the district of Columbia. The new regulation, which was finalized on May 8 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and set to take effect in July, is part of the government's efforts to bring down the cost of prescription medicines for U.S. consumers. Drugmakers have argued against the regulation, saying list prices do not reflect the final price paid by patients as it excludes rebates and discounts drugmakers may offer, as well as patient assistance programs to make drugs more affordable for some. "Not only does the rule raise serious freedom of speech concerns, it mandates an approach that fails to account for differences among insurance, treatments and patients themselves, by requiring disclosure of list price," Amgen said in a statement. "Most importantly, it does not answer the fundamental question patients are asking: 'What will I have to pay for my medicine?'" Amgen said. It remains to be seen whether the advertising regulation would have any actual impact on lowering costs if the requirement goes into effect. If the drug companies are embarrassed by their prices or afraid that the prices will scare patients away, they should lower them," HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley said in an emailed statement. "President Trump and Secretary Azar are committed to providing patients the information they need to make their own informed healthcare decisions. (Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel and Bill Berkrot) By Julie Ingwersen and David Randall HAYSVILLE, Kansas, June 14 (Reuters) - A growing number of U.S. farmers battered by low grain prices and the threat of a prolonged trade war with China are seeking salvation in a plant that until recently was illegal: hemp. A cousin of cannabis plants that produce marijuana, hemp is used in products ranging from food to building materials and cannabidiol, or CBD oil, which is being touted as a treatment for everything from sleeplessness to acne to heart disease. Interest in hemp picked up with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill in December, which removed hemp from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's list of controlled substances and put it under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Unlike marijuana, industrial hemp doesn't contain enough of the psychoactive chemical THC to give users a high. The new rules call for the USDA to award hemp planting licenses to farmers but the agency has not yet regulated the process, meaning individual states are still issuing the licenses. Industrial hemp plantings this year could double from the 78,176 acres seeded in 2018, said Eric Steenstra, president of advocacy group Vote Hemp. In 2017, 25,713 acres were planted on pilot programs authorized under the 2014 farm bill. The U.S. hemp market is growing along with supply. U.S. sales of hemp reached $1.1 billion in 2018 and are projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2022, according to Vote Hemp and the Hemp Business Journal, a trade publication. The profit potential is high: A good yield of food-grade hemp, for instance, can net farmers about $750 per acre, said Ken Anderson, founder of Prescott, Wisconsin-based hemp processor Legacy Hemp. Hemp seeds can be baked in to bread or sprinkled onto cereal or salads. "That's a profit that blows corn and wheat and everything else out of the water," he said. By comparison, soybeans bring in $150 or less per acre, and sales of the U.S. crop to China have fallen sharply since the onset of the trade war last year. Story continues Before they can cash in on hemp, however, U.S. farmers must learn the science of producing an unfamiliar crop and wrestle with shifting regulations and other uncertainties. "Nobody has any experience whatsoever," said Rick Gash, 46, a businessman in Augusta, Kansas, who plans to grow his first-ever hemp crop on a horse pasture on his old family property. NEW FRONTIER FOR REGULATION CBD oil, which is concentrated in the hemp plant's flowers, made up an estimated 23 percent of hemp sales in 2017, according to the Hemp Business Journal. While the USDA oversees hemp planting, regulation of hemp products mostly falls to The Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Though the agency has not approved food and supplements containing CBD, such products are widely available and the agency has done little to curtail their sales. Furthermore, the FDA mainly has jurisdiction over commerce between states, meaning products developed and sold locally in states that have more tolerant laws for hemp products is legal. To date, the FDA has only gone after people making aggressive claims - cancer treatment claims, AIDS treatment claims and the like," said attorney Jonathan Havens, former FDA regulatory counsel and current co-chair of cannabis law practice at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. Other CBD products with no health claims or 'soft' claims have drawn no federal enforcement, he said, "causing many people to confuse availability with legality." The FDA said in a statement to Reuters it had developed a strategy to evaluate existing CBD products and create lawful pathways for bringing them to market. The agency knows some companies are marketing products containing hemp-derived compounds in ways that violate the law but has prioritized those making unwarranted health claims for enforcement action, the FDA said. "Our biggest concern is the marketing of products that put the health and safety of consumers at greatest risk, such as those claiming to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure serious diseases, such as cancer," the agency said in the statement. CBD ICE CREAM? Despite the uncertainty, analysts at U.S. financial services firm Cowen & Co estimate that products with CBD as an ingredient will generate $16 billion in retail sales for humans and animals in the U.S. by 2025. Companies are also making big bets: Kroger Co, the nation's largest grocery chain, said on Tuesday it plans to sell CBD creams, balms and oils in nearly 1,000 stores across 17 states. Unilever Plc's Ben & Jerry's ice cream chain said in a May 30 statement it planned to debut CBD-infused ice cream flavors as soon as consuming the oil is "legalized at the federal level." In Kentucky, which launched a pilot program for hemp in 2014, farmers who used to grow tobacco are finding hemp grown for CBD oil to be a profitable alternative with a better reputation. "When I was growing tobacco, everyone said I was growing something that's bad for your health," said Brian Furnish, an eighth-generation tobacco farmer. "It's fun to grow something that is making people feel better." Farther west, in the U.S. midsection where farmers are more familiar with commodity crops like corn and wheat and have been more scarred by the trade war, some see hemp as a rotational crop grown on a larger scale for seed and fiber, rather than for its labor-intensive CBD oil. EXPENSIVE SEED, HARVESTING BY HAND The Kansas Department of Agriculture began issuing licenses to growers this spring, allowing the crop to be cultivated in the state this year for the first time in decades. Jason Griffin, a specialist at Kansas State University, remains skeptical of the crop's potential and cringes when he hears descriptions like 'gold rush' to describe it. Beyond navigating changing regulations, expensive seed is one of many challenges that pioneering hemp farmers will face. Special equipment for harvesting hemp may also be required, although some growers have been able to re-purpose the combines they already own. The hemp plant's flowers are typically harvested by hand, while hemp for fiber is grown in fields and must be cut mechanically and dried in the field before storage. Farmers are particularly dependent on the end buyers of hemp, as there are few third-party brokers to sell it as there are for other cash crops. "You can't just go to the local grain elevator and ask what's your cash price for hemp grain right now," said Legacy Hemp's Anderson. He often cautions farmers not to plant seeds until they have a contract with a buyer because prices vary widely. Legacy Hemp signs contracts with farmers before the planting season. Other farmers are concerned over the long-term prospects. Montana wheat farmer Nathan Keane is growing female hemp plants exclusively for CBD oil, starting in a greenhouse and transplanting each plant later by hand. Honestly, I think the CBD thing is going to be a bubble," he said. "I will ride the wave but I'm really hoping the sustainability of hemp is going to be in the grain and the fiber. (Reporting by Julie Ingwersen and David Randall; Additional reporting by Richa Naidu; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Brian Thevenot) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is focused on building international consensus following attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East that the United States has blamed https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-attacks/trump-blames-iran-for-tanker-attacks-fears-of-confrontation-rise-idUSKCN1TF0CA on Iran, acting U.S. Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Friday. Shanahan told Pentagon reporters that he, White House national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared that goal. Iran has rejected U.S. accusations that it was responsible for Thursday's explosions on a Japanese tanker and a Norwegian tanker at the entrance to the Gulf. Shanahan, asked later whether he was considering sending more troops or military capabilities to the Middle East, Shanahan said: "As you know we're always planning various contingencies." But he then returned to the issue of building consensus. "When you look at the situation, a Norwegian ship, a Japanese ship, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, 15 percent of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz," he said. "So we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate. We also need to broaden our (international) support for this international situation." Shanahan said the Pentagon's role would include sharing intelligence, as the U.S. military's Central Command did on Thursday by publicly releasing a video it said showed Iran's military removing an unexploded https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-tanker-usa-release/u-s-releases-video-it-says-shows-irans-military-recovering-mine-idUSKCN1TF071 mine from one of the tankers. Iran said the video proved nothing and that Tehran was being made into a scapegoat. "The more information that we can declassify, the more information we can share, we will. And that's our intent," Shanahan said. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Grant McCool) * Commercial vessels may get naval escorts * Six tankers hit in two attacks in past month * Asymmetric warfare tactics pose threat By Ghaida Ghantous and Rania El Gamal DUBAI, June 14 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies may need to to start escorting commercial vessels to prevent further attacks in Gulf oil shipping lanes, Gulf sources and experts said. Even then, the conventional naval and air capabilities of Western and Gulf powers tasked with policing vital commercial waters may be of limited use against the asymmetric warfare tactics suspected in recent operations, including naval mines. Six tankers have been hit in the past month in two attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost a fifth of the world's oil passes, and Washington and Riyadh have accused Iran of being behind them, which Tehran denies. Two senior U.S. officials said on Thursday that the United States is discussing with its allies a variety of options on how to protect international shipping in the Gulf of Oman after two tankers, bearing Norwegian and Japanese flags, were crippled. "We don't think this is over," one of the officials said of the possibility of more attacks. Three sources in the Gulf said few options exist: Gradually introduce the escort system used during the Iran-Iraq "Tanker War" in the 1980s and more recent Somali pirate attacks, adopt new rules of engagement, and conduct mine-sweeping operations. "The Americans and others are speaking about the need for enhanced security in and around shipping routes, for protection for commercial vessels as a first step to convoys, and ability to fire under new rules of engagement at hostile speed boats approaching such vessels," one of the Gulf-based sources said. "You could see other powers sending navy ships eventually. It is a slower process now as moves are explored within the United Nations and to build a coalition." Another source said the feasibility of Washington and its allies sending naval convoys to accompany tankers would need to be studied given heavy traffic in a confined waterway. It also risks exacerbating tensions. Story continues The Strait of Hormuz is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just two miles (three km) wide in either direction. Oxford Research Group's chief executive, Richard Reeve, likened averting asymmetric attacks to defending against Improvised Explosive Device or suicide attacks on land forces. John Hammersmark, director of the security and crisis department at the Norwegian shipowners association, added: "The threat posed in this area is very hard for ships to defend against." "It is the international community that has to take action with the measures they have at hand, not least government bodies. If this gets worse, shipping will come to a halt, at least parts of it," he told Reuters. HIGH STAKES DIPLOMACY Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, said on Thursday it had stepped up readiness to face any threat. Some experts say much depends on how President Donald Trump deals with Iran after his decision to exit a 2015 international nuclear pact last year, reimpose sanctions on Tehran and raise the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to perceived Iranian threats. U.S. and Saudi officials also blamed Tehran for a May 12 strike on four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the United Arab Emirates, which is submitting evidence to the U.N. Security Council. Tehran accused the three allies of "warmongering". U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has said the world cannot afford "a major confrontation in the Gulf region". China, the European Union and others called for restraint from all sides. Riad Kahwaji, CEO of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, said either the international community could push Washington to ease up on Iran, or continued attacks could encourage global pressure against the Islamic Republic. "If there was going to be a war ... it will be the international community against Iran. No one wants to slide into a lone war against Iran," Kahwaji said. The burden, he said, would fall on Western powers, particularly the United States but including France and Britain, to protect regional waters. "I would not be surprised to see the Chinese and Japanese sending ships to escort at least tankers and ships flying their colours," he said, given their dependence on Gulf oil. The situation is reminiscent of the tanker war that erupted in 1984 during the eight-year Iraq-Iran conflict. Both sides attacked tankers and merchant ships in the Gulf in an escalation that threatened global oil supplies and internationalised the conflict. Lloyd's of London estimated that 546 commercial vessels were damaged and about 430 civilian sailors killed. To facilitate safe passage, the United State provided military protection by having its ships escort tankers, some of which carried the U.S. flag. The Soviet Union also agreed to charter tankers. "What's happening now is different, this is not an open conflict. How to protect waters and for how long is a big question. We don't want a war," said the second Gulf source. (Additional reporting by Davide Barbuscia and Saeed Azhar in Dubai, Steve Holland and Phil Stewart in Washington, Victoria Klesty in Oslo Writing by Ghaida Ghantous Editing by Giles Elgood) Members of Congress have reintroduced a bill defending Hong Kongs autonomy in the wake of violent protests over a controversial proposal to amend the citys extradition law that would allow the transfer of suspects to mainland China. The bipartisan Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Senators and members of the House, reaffirms U.S. commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law at a time when these freedoms and Hong Kongs autonomy are being eroded, according to a press release. The legislation would require an annual assessment of Hong Kongs political autonomy to determine whether it still qualifies for special trade status with the U.S. It would also threaten sanctions and travel restrictions against individuals found to be involved in disappearances in the semiautonomous region. We introduce this legislation today because democracy and freedom are under assault in Hong Kong, U.S. Representative Jim McGovern said in the press release. Hong Kong has been rocked by protests since June 9, when an estimated one million people took to the streets in opposition to the proposed extradition bill. Critics say it represents a further erosion of the citys freedoms and would allow China to round up opponents to face trial on the mainland, where justice is opaque. The former British colony was handed over to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 under an agreement called one country, two systems, which guaranteed that its political system would remain unchanged for 50 years. The city enjoys political and social freedoms that dont exist elsewhere in China, but those freedoms have come under increasing threat by Beijing. Organizers estimated that more than a million people turned up for the march on Sunday, which would make it the biggest demonstration in the citys history. Tens of thousands returned to the Hong Kong legislature Wednesday for a protest that postponed debate on the controversial bill descended into violence later in the day, as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowds of mostly young people. Story continues Read More: Hong Kong Is on the Frontlines for a Global Battle For Freedom Extradition is just the latest flashpoint in the city as Beijing has sought greater influence in recent years, attempting with varying degrees of success to exert control over Hong Kongs national security, education and electoral framework. It is in everyones interest that Hong Kong remain a free and prosperous bridge between China and the world, McGovern said. But if Beijing intends to force Hong Kong into becoming just another mainland Chinese city under authoritarian rule, he added, we must reevaluate whether Hong Kong warrants the special status granted under U.S. law. GENEVA, June 14 (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet will make a official visit to Venezuela from June 19-21 and hold separate talks with President Nicolas Maduro and his arch-foe National Assembly chief Juan Guaido, a statement said. Guaido is the opposition leader who has proclaimed himself interim president in a crisis that has deepened since the United States imposed sanctions in an effort to oust the leftist Maduro. Venezuela's economic meltdown has caused widespread shortages and the flight of more than four million refugees. In a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in March, Bachelet said Venezuelan security forces, backed by pro-government militias, had quashed peaceful protests with excessive use of force, killings and torture. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay Editing by Mark Heinrich) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has video showing Iran's military removing what Washington believes was an unexploded limpet mine from the side of a Japanese tanker attacked on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, a U.S. official told Reuters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had reviewed the video personally and said it clearly showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) approaching the vessel and removing the mine. It was unclear if the video would be released publicly. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Eric Beech) By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and other western countries have objected to a visit by the United Nations counterterrorism chief to China's remote Xinjiang, where U.N. experts say some one million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims are held in detention centres. Vladimir Voronkov, a veteran Russian diplomat who heads the U.N. Counterterrorism Office, is in China at the invitation of Beijing and is due to visit Xinjiang's capital Urumqi, according to an email sent by his office to countries that raised concerns. Diplomats said that along with the United States several other countries, including Britain, also complained. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan spoke with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday to convey deep concerns about Voronkovs trip because Beijing continues to paint its repressive campaign against Uighurs and other Muslims as legitimate counterterrorism efforts when it is not. The Deputy Secretary expressed that such a visit is highly inappropriate in view of the unprecedented repression campaign underway in Xinjiang against Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. The U.N.s topmost counterterrorism official is putting at risk the U.N.s reputation and credibility on counterterrorism and human rights by lending credence to these false claims, the statement said. China has been condemned internationally for setting up the detention complexes, which it describes as "education training centres" helping to stamp out extremism and give people new skills. Western states are worried Voronkov's visit will validate China's justification for the centres, diplomats said. "China will, and is, actively saying that what they're doing in Xinjiang is good terrorism prevention," said a U.N. Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The visit by Voronkov validates their narrative that this is a counterterrorism issue, when we would see it more as a human rights issue," said the diplomat, adding that if Voronkov did not speak out after visiting Xinjiang then "silence could be seen as implicit acceptance, at worst U.N. complicity." Story continues The email from Voronkov's office, seen by Reuters, said China planned the itinerary for Voronkov, whose office helps states implement a global counterterrorism strategy adopted by the U.N. General Assembly. The email said his office does "not expect any public statements" on his visit to Xinjiang. He will be visiting Xinjiang before U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, who has repeatedly pushed China to grant the United Nations access to investigate reports of disappearances and arbitrary detentions, particularly of Muslims in Xinjiang. "This mission is not connected in any manner to upcoming visits by other senior U.N. officials, including the High Commissioner of Human Rights. We would like to assure you that (Voronkov's) visit is not intended to undermine or overshadow the visit of Ms. Bachelet," the email said. China's envoy in Geneva said on Thursday that he hoped Bachelet would visit China, including Xinjiang, and "we hope to define a time which is convenient to both sides." The last visit by a U.N. human rights chief to China was in 2005. The email from Voronkov's office said he had already visited Russia, Britain, the United States and France which, along with China, make up the five permanent veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council. Human Rights Watch U.N. director Louis Charbonneau said that instead of sending Voronkov to Xinjiang, Guterres should "be calling for the immediate closure of 'political education' camps" and pushing for unfettered access for Bachelet and other rights experts. Guterres raised the plight of Muslims in China's Xinjiang region with the Chinese government's top diplomat, Wang Yi, during a visit to Beijing in April. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by James Dalgleish) By Sofia Menchu GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A U.S. plan to make asylum seekers from Honduras and El Salvador seek refuge in Guatemala instead of the United States would endanger, not protect, refugees, a prominent rights group said on Friday as U.S. negotiators met Guatemalan officials. U.S. rights group Human Rights First said it was "simply ludicrous" for the United States to assert that Guatemala was capable of protecting refugees, when its own citizens are fleeing violence. "The Trump administration is doubling down on its efforts to block, bar and punish refugees for attempting to seek asylum in the United States," said Eleanor Acer, senior director for refugee protection at Human Rights First. "These policies put the lives of refugees in great danger." Guatemala, like its neighbors Honduras and El Salvador, suffers high levels of violence, driven largely by transnational street gangs including MS-13, which operate across borders in all three countries. Many asylum seekers cite gang threats as the reason they come to the United States for refuge. Tens of thousands of people have left Guatemala to seek U.S. asylum this year. Nearly 150,000 undocumented Guatemalan families have reached the U.S. border since October, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, many of them citing fear of violence in their home country for seeking asylum. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said this week the two nations had a deal under which Guatemala would take asylum seekers from neighbors. "They ought to be willing to apply for asylum in the first safe country in which they arrive," he said. Details of the plan have not been made public, and Guatemala has not publicly confirmed talks that the U.S. State Department said were taking place in Guatemala on Friday. The talks were about a range of initiatives aimed at reducing illegal immigration, including "improved asylum processing," a State Department spokeswoman said on Friday in response to a Reuters question about the Guatemala asylum plan. Story continues The emerging plans flow from a U.S.-Mexican deal struck to avert tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump to push Mexico to do more to stem immigration through its territory. That deal included sending 6,000 members of Mexico's National Guard to the border and expanding a separate asylum program under which U.S. asylum seekers are sent back to Mexico to await U.S. court hearings. If those measures fail, Mexico has agreed to consider becoming a "safe third country" where all asylum seekers passing through the country would have to apply for refuge, instead of the United States Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said other countries should share the load, including Guatemala. Guatemala, one of the poorest countries in the Americas, has little experience receiving large numbers of asylum seekers and a large wave of refugees would strain limited resources. Just 262 people applied for refugee status in Guatemala between January and November 2018, according to data from the U.N. rights agency UNHCR. By comparison, nearly 155,000 families from El Salvador and Honduras have been apprehended at the U.S. border since October, with many of them requesting asylum. Guatemala holds presidential elections on Sunday, after a campaign that has highlighted the lack of rule of law in the country, including the influence of drug traffickers on politics in the country. Trade and immigration between Mexico and the United States - https://tmsnrt.rs/2Khd82D (Editing by Bill Berkrot) UK challenger bank Monzo has officially announced it is rolling out into the US, opening a Los Angeles office. The bank currently boasts over two million customers, with 40 thousand new joining every week. The Monzo app and Mastercard debit card will be available to U.S. clients. They'll have access to services like instant spending notifications, person-to-person payments, and fee-free spending abroad, representing a "lite launch" rather than the full range of interest-earning accounts and overdraft offerings available in the UK. Monzo will open its first U.S. accounts in the summer. However, the rollout will be slow, allowing people to register only at face-to-face events in major US cities before allowing others to sign up on a waitlist. The bank doesnt yet own a U.S. banking licence, so its partnering with an existing U.S. bank. The money will be fully FDIC-insured, and Monzo will be working on getting a banking licence in the longer term. LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - The full extradition hearing to decide whether Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States will take place in February next year, Westminster Magistrates Court in London ruled on Friday. Assange, 47, is accused by U.S. authorities of conspiring to hack U.S. government computers and violating an espionage law. He is currently in a London prison after being jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail after fleeing to the Ecuadorean embassy seven years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning in a sexual assault investigation. (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; writing by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on June 14, 2019 2019/06/14 From June 16 to 22, Guo Shengkun, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, will, upon invitation, travel to Russia for the 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues and then visit Portugal. At the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, will visit China from June 17 to 20. Q: The US government has accused Iran of being behind the attacks on the two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has denied this. Who does the Chinese government believe is responsible for the attacks? A: China is worried about the continuing tensions in the Gulf region. We hope relevant parties will remain calm and restrained and avoid further escalation. We hope all parties will jointly uphold navigation security in relevant waters and peace and stability of the region, which is in the common interests of the international community. Q: According to reports, Yemeni Houthi forces launched an attack on a civilian airport that injured 26 people in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. What's your comment? A: China condemns the attack against civilians and civilian infrastructure. We hope relevant parties will stay calm, exercise restraint and avoid any move that may escalate the tensions in the region. Q: The Gulf region is witnessing unprecedented tensions, with rising possibility of war. How does China see its impact on Chinese investments overseas and China's interests? If countries suspend the oil supply, does China have any alternative to fill the gap? Besides, against the backdrop of the China-US trade disputes, the US may take actions that threaten China's interests overseas in this region. Is China concerned about this? A: This is a long and wide-ranging question, and I will try my best to give you a comprehensive answer. Journalist: I hope your answer is long, too. A: First, in the Gulf region in the Middle East, the last thing we want to see is a war. It serves no one's interests and undermines the shared interests of the international community. Here I don't want to talk about anything related to a war, neither will I predict the possibility of a war. Second, China is concerned over the tensions in the Gulf region in the Middle East. We hope relevant parties will properly resolve differences through dialogue and consultations, and jointly uphold peace, stability and development. This is in the interests of regional countries and the international community. Third, China maintains normal cooperation with the Gulf states, including in the field of energy. Our cooperation under the framework of international law is legitimate and legal, and thus should be respected and protected. China will continue to uphold its energy security and the legal rights and interests of Chinese businesses. I'd like to stress that China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions and the so-called long-arm jurisdiction. Fourth, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and an influential major country, China has all along maintained communication with countries in the region and other major countries on the situation in the Gulf region. We are working to play our role and contribute to upholding peace and stability in the Gulf region. I hope my answer is long enough for you. Q: President Xi met today in Bishkek with the Iranian President Rouhani. I have seen the statement that the foreign ministry has released about this. I was wondering if President Xi talked about the current tensions in the Gulf region with President Rouhani? A: China has released the readout of President Xi's meeting with President Rouhani. You saw that, right? Since you have seen our press release on the bilateral meeting, I have few information to add. Just as I said while answering an earlier question, China stands ready to work with regional countries and other parties concerned to uphold peace and stability in the Gulf region. That serves the shared interests of the international community. Q: The UN Under Secretary-General for Counterterrorism is on a visit to Xinjiang this week. I was wondering if you could share more details about the itinerary such as which sites he plans to visit and the purpose? A: At the invitation of the Chinese side, UN Under Secretary-General for Counterterrorism Voronkov is visiting China. We will release more information when we have it. You may follow up on that. Q: You just announced that Secretary Guo Shengkun will travel to Russia for the 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues. Who will he meet with in Russia and what will be discussed? Could you share more information? A: President Xi Jinping just concluded a successful state visit to Russia and attended the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He had long and in-depth exchange with President Putin and reached important consensus on strengthening all-round cooperation, bringing bilateral relations to a new era. Against this background, Secretary Guo Shengkun's upcoming trip to Russia for the 10th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues comes as an important visit to implement our heads of state's consensus and enhance security cooperation. Besides, it is also a continuation of the tradition of China's annual attendance at this meeting. Secretary Guo will address the meeting, meet with Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Patrushev and have exchanges with other heads of delegation. We believe this will advance China-Russia relations and law enforcement and security cooperation, step up bilateral and multilateral exchange in security and enhance international cooperation to contribute to efforts to tackle global security threats and challenges. Q: US lawmakers are reintroducing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act to the Congress, which would require the US government to annually certify Hong Kong's autonomy to justify special treatment accorded by the 1992 US Hong Kong Policy Act and require the US president to identify those responsible to suppressing freedoms in Hong Kong, freeze their assets and deny their entry into the US. I was wondering what is your response? A: China deplores and firmly opposes some US Congressmen's reintroduction of this act, which wantonly criticizes Hong Kong affairs and flagrantly interferes in China's domestic affairs. Hong Kong is a special administrative region (SAR) of China and its affairs are purely China's internal affairs that brook no foreign interference. Since its return to the motherland, the policy of "one country, two systems" and Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy has been faithfully implemented. The rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have been full guaranteed according to law. This is a fact that is recognized by all those without bias. As a major trading partner of Hong Kong, the US has a stake in Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. A chaotic Hong Kong runs counter to US interests. We urge certain people in the US to respect basic facts, discard arrogance and prejudice, stop playing dirty tricks that meddle in Hong Kong affairs, give up delusions to instigate chaos in the SAR, stop pushing the relevant act and interfering in China's internal affairs, and work to enhance mutual trust and cooperation between China and the US instead. Let me reiterate, China's determination to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests is rock solid. We are not afraid of any threat or intimidation. Any plots aimed at instigating chaos in Hong Kong to undermine its prosperity and stability are bound to be opposed by all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots. Such attempts go against people's aspiration and will never succeed. Q: The largest South Korean search engine Naver was partially inaccessible some time ago. Today the whole website became inaccessible. Is that related to the latest situation in Hong Kong? A: I'd refer you to the competent authority as I have no information on that. But I can tell you that China always regulates Internet-related affairs according to law. Q: According to our information, China recently rescued an injured Vietnamese fisherman in relevant waters of the South China Sea under China's jurisdiction. Can you confirm that and give us more details? A: Late at the night on June 5, the Consular Department of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry contacted the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, saying that a crew member of the Vietnamese fishing boat DNa90439TS was injured and bleeding in a life-threatening condition, who needed emergency aid from the Chinese side. After learning the situation, the Chinese maritime search and rescue authorities immediately sent out Nanhaijiu-117 for search and rescue efforts in the relevant waters. With relentless efforts, they found the Vietnamese fishing boat at 6:07 p.m. on June 6 and the injured fisherman and two others accompanying him were immediately moved over and sent to Yongxing Island, Sansha city, China. The People's Hospital of Sansha City carefully examined the injured Vietnamese fisherman, who was diagnosed with gastrointestinal stress ulceration and received treatment. This fisherman is now in stable condition and his vital signs have become normal. The Chinese maritime search and rescue personnel have all along followed humanitarian spirit and risked their lives to provide timely and necessary search and rescue services to ships and sailors in distress in the waters under China's jurisdiction, to which the international community bears witness. We will continue to do so and try our best to provide search and rescue assistance. Q: Did President Xi Jinping talk about yesterday's attack on two oil tankers with President Rouhani? A: As I said earlier, we have issued a press release on that and I have nothing further to add. Q: China's Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said that Beijing never instructed Hong Kong to amend its extradition law. I'm just wondering if the foreign ministry could confirm that? A: If you are following this issue, you should know that the Hong Kong SAR government has offered detailed information including its considerations on the amendment. I will reiterate that the central government firmly supports the SAR government in amending the two ordinances. Q: The Chinese ambassador to the UN branch in Geneva said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has an open invitation to visit Xinjiang. I was wondering if you could elaborate on what this open invitation would entail? Whether she can be able to visit there without the company of Chinese officials? A: In November last year, during the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review at the UN, China publicly invited UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to visit China at a convenient time. Recently, China has invited several foreign missions to visit Xinjiang, and such invitation has also been sent to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. We welcome all parties to visit Xinjiang on the precondition of abiding by Chinese laws. In the meantime, we will never allow anyone to interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity with political calculations using the opportunity of visiting Xinjiang. Q: China has repeatedly voiced opposition to foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs. Is it based on any evidence? A: Lately, as I'm sure you have noted, some Western countries have been making a barrage of irresponsible and false comments on the Hong Kong SAR government's amendment to relevant ordinances. They keep criticizing and lecturing on Hong Kong affairs. Some Western politicians openly prop up those who are anti-China and seek to destabilize Hong Kong. Some countries' consulates-general in Hong Kong engaged in aiding and abetting with wrong statements in disregard of international law and basic norms governing international relations. These facts are crystal clear. I want to reiterate that Hong Kong is China's SAR and its affairs are purely China's internal affairs that brook no interference from any country, organization or individual. Certain countries and individuals shall look squarely at China's commitment to the "one country, two systems" policy and determination to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests. Any attempts aimed at instigating chaos in Hong Kong to undermine its prosperity and stability are bound to be opposed by all Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots. Such attempts go against people's aspiration and will never succeed. LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - Health minister Matt Hancock pulled out of the contest to be the next British prime minister on Friday, leaving six candidates remaining in the fight to replace Theresa May. "I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now," he said in a statement. "I will talk to all the other candidates about how these values can be best taken forward." (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison) LONDON (Reuters) - Police warned environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion not to use drones as part of a planned protest at London's Heathrow airport on June 18. "There is speculation that protesters will use drones in order to disrupt business at Heathrow," said Laurence Taylor, deputy assistant commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police. "I want to be absolutely clear that anyone caught illegally using a drone can expect to be dealt with in line with the law," he added in a statement. (Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Stephen Addison) United Nations (United States) (AFP) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday pressed for an investigation to establish those responsible for a spate of suspected attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf that has raised fears of war. After the United States accused Iran of carrying out the attacks and Tehran rejected the accusations, the UN chief suggested that an independent entity could step in to verify the facts. "It's very important to know the truth. It's very important that responsibilities are clarified," Guterres told reporters. "Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts," he said. Guterres however said that he did not have the authority to establish such an inquiry, adding that this was the purview of the Security Council. The UN's political chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, discussed the Gulf crisis with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Bishkek, the UN spokesman said. The Japanese- and Norwegian-owned oil tankers were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast. The US Central Command has released footage that purports to show the crew of an Iranian patrol boat removing an object from the hull of the Japanese tanker. Guterres spoke to reporters after meeting with Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who urged Iran to "be careful, reverse course, because you are pushing everybody towards a confrontation where no one will be safe." GENEVA (AP) The United Nations' top human rights official has scheduled a trip to Venezuela next week featuring meetings with President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, among others. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet's office said the former Chilean president will visit Venezuela from June 19-21. It said Friday that she will hold discussions with government officials, the head of the supreme court and the attorney general, the president of the National Assembly a job held by Guaido and the head of the government-backed Constituent Assembly. Bachelet's office said she also will "engage with victims of human rights violations and abuses and with their relatives," without giving further details. Guaido has been unable to weaken Maduro's grip on power and sway the powerful military. Geneva (AFP) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, will visit Venezuela this month, where she will meet both President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, her office said Friday. Bachelet, a former president of Chile, had been in talks with Maduro's government about a visit for several months, but insisted that certain conditions were met -- notably unfettered access. Venezuela is caught in an economic crisis and a political standoff between Maduro's government and Guaido, who has been recognised by the United States and more than 50 other countries as the nation's interim president. In a statement, the UN rights office confirmed the June 19 to 21 trip would include meetings with Guaido and a range of government and opposition politicians, civil society leaders and "victims of human rights violations and abuses." The UN rights chief has been critical of Maduro's crackdown on opponents, particularly of the excessive force used by the security services in response to legitimate protests. In March, she accused Maduro's government over "the shrinking of the democratic space." But Bachelet has also criticised US sanctions against Maduro's government, cautioning that they were exacerbating the crisis and possibly hurting "people's basic rights and wellbeing." More than 3.3 million people have fled devastating conditions in Venezuela since the start of 2016. Amid the standoff between Maduro and Guaido, the country is suffering from shortages of basic goods ranging from food to medicine. AGUAS VERDES, Peru (AP) Tired and thirsty, Betania Ramirez crossed into Peru on Friday with her 1-year-old girl in her arms and her 8-year-old boy beside her. Ramirez has no friends or relatives in Peru, and some of her luggage was stolen as she crossed two countries in cargo trucks and on foot from her home in western Venezuela. But as she finished the latest leg of her 1,500-mile (2,414-kilometer) journey, she was grateful she had made it to her destination on time - just hours before Peru started imposing stricter entry requirements on Venezuelan migrants and refugees. "We are now in God's hands," Ramirez said, after passing through a border post in the region of Tumbes. "We walked down country roads, we slept on the streets, we got robbed, but thankfully I did not get sexually assaulted." With its relatively stable economy and flexible immigration laws, Peru has become a main destination for millions of Venezuelans escaping hyperinflation, medical shortages and political repression at home. But on Saturday, the South American nation will begin demanding passports and visas from Venezuelan migrants requirements that many will not be able to meet. The new demands have prompted thousands of poor migrants like Ramirez to make a desperate dash for the Peruvian border, where they can still enter before the weekend begins by presenting national ID cards. On Thursday, the U.N.'s refugee agency said 5,400 Venezuelans entered Peru through the Tumbes crossing almost three times the daily average. The agency was "supporting and complementing the efforts of Peruvian authorities as we face the largest number of Venezuelan people coming to Peru so far," said UNHCR Information Officer Regina de la Portilla. But at daybreak on Friday, hundreds were already standing in new lines outside the border post or sleeping on the sidewalk as they waited for immigration officials to check their IDs. "My daughter came to Peru a year ago, and she sent for me," said Leyda Murillo, an elderly migrant who was waiting in the queue. "You can't find medicines in Venezuela, and people are dying, that's why I decided to leave my country." Story continues Many more migrants were still on their way to the Peruvian border, making one last push through Colombia and Ecuador to arrive before the requirements were implemented. Marianni Luzardo, a mother of two, was in the Ecuadorean city of Tulcan on Thursday, which is some 500 miles (805 kilometers) away from Peru's northern border. She said it took her 16 hours to cross the Colombian-Ecuador border due to the large numbers of Venezuelans heading south. "In Venezuela it is almost impossible to get a passport," Luzardo said. "We need to get to Peru soon." According to Peruvian authorities, more than 820,000 Venezuelans have settled in Peru since 2016 of which 270,000 have sought refugee status. Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra has said that the new entry requirements will make immigration "safer and more orderly" and that the large influx of Venezuelan immigrants was making it harder for Peruvians to find jobs. But human rights groups in the country have criticized the move, describing it as an attempt to lessen the numbers of needy people who are entering the country. In a letter published earlier this week, Miguel Cabrejos, the president of Peru's Catholic Bishops Conference, warned that the requirements "present an imminent danger" to migrants who might be tempted to enter the country illegally. Meanwhile, Amnesty International said they will not be enough to stop desperate people from trying to cross the border, noting that passports were prohibitively expensive and take months to process in Venezuela. A poll conducted in the Peruvian capital of Lima in April found that two-thirds of residents had a negative perception of Venezuelan migrants. But that idea has been strongly disputed by Venezuelans, some of whom have opened their own businesses. "Venezuelans here work very hard," said Jorge Macchia, a street vendor who sells empanadas in the streets of Lima and noted that his family has been affected by new requirements. "My wife and my two daughters are on their way to Peru," he said. "But I'm not sure if they will make it on time." GENEVA, June 14 (Reuters) - The United States and China have halted their dispute over intellectual property rights at the World Trade Organization until Dec. 31, the WTO dispute panel hearing the case said in a statement published on Friday. The panel said the United States asked for the suspension on June 3 and China agreed the next day. The panel did not disclose any reason for suspension of the dispute, which President U.S. Donald Trump launched in March last year as part of a broader battle with Beijing over alleged theft of intellectual property. (Reporting by Tom Miles, editing by Stephanie Nebehay) Nairobi (AFP) - A US envoy for Africa on Friday called for an "independent and credible" investigation into last week's crackdown on protesters in Sudan that left dozens of dead. "The USA believe very strongly there has to be an investigation which is independent and credible which will hold accountable those committing the egregious events," Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for Africa, said from Addis Ababa after a two-day visit to Khartoum. Thousands of protesters who had camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum for weeks were dispersed on June 3. According to doctors linked to the protest movement, 120 people died and hundreds were wounded, while Sudan's health ministry put the death toll at 61. Nagy said the crackdown marked a brutal reversal in a situation that had generated much hope. "The events of June 3rd constituted, in our point of view, a 180-degree turn in the way events were going, with murder, rape, by members of the security forces," he said in a conference call with journalists. "Until June 3rd, everybody was so optimistic. Events were moving forward in such a favourable direction after 35 years of tragedy for Sudan". Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi earlier Friday called for an "objective" international investigation. Mahdi's elected government was toppled in 1989, in an Islamist-backed coup led by Omar al-Bashir. After three decades in power, Bashir was himself ousted in April following mass protests, backed by Mahdi. Bashir was replaced by a military council, but protesters carried on with a sit-in outside Khartoum military headquarters to demand a transition to civilian rule. On Thursday, a spokesman for the military council expressed "regret" over the events of June 3, saying the plan had been to clear an area close to the sit-in but "excesses happened". The council rejected an international investigation, saying it was carrying out its own probe, whose findings would be released on Saturday. Nairobi (AFP) - A US envoy for Africa on Friday called for an "independent and credible" investigation into last week's crackdown on protesters in Sudan that left dozens of dead. "The USA believe very strongly there has to be an investigation which is independent and credible which will hold accountable those committing the egregious events," Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for Africa, said in Addis Ababa after a two-day visit to Khartoum. Thousands of protesters who had camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum for weeks were dispersed on June 3. According to doctors linked to the protest movement, 120 people died and hundreds were wounded, while Sudan's health ministry put the death toll at 61. Nagy said the crackdown marked a brutal reversal in a situation where hope had flowered. "The events of June 3rd constituted, in our point of view, a 180-degree turn in the way events were going, with murder, rape, by members of the security forces," he said in a conference call with journalists. "Until June 3rd, everybody was so optimistic. Events were moving forward in such a favourable direction after 35 years of tragedy for Sudan". Nagy -- the US ambassador to Ethiopia between 1992 and 2002 -- pointed to fears in the region about potential chaos in Sudan. "The last thing Egypt wants is another Libya on its southern border. The last thing Ethiopia wants is another Somalia on its northwestern border," he said. Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi earlier Friday called for an "objective" international investigation. Mahdi's elected government was toppled in 1989, in an Islamist-backed coup led by Omar al-Bashir. After three decades in power, Bashir was himself ousted in April following mass protests, backed by Mahdi. Bashir was replaced by a military council, but protesters carried on with a sit-in outside Khartoum military headquarters to demand a transition to civilian rule. Story continues Nagy said the US backed mediation efforts by the African Union and an eight-country regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is currently chaired by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. "The USA seek a civilian-led government at the end of this transition which is acceptable to the Sudanese people," he said. On Thursday, a spokesman for the military council expressed "regret" over the events of June 3, saying the plan had been to clear an area close to the sit-in but "excesses happened". The council rejected an international investigation, saying it was carrying out its own probe, whose findings would be released on Saturday. Separately, the head of the military council, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, who met Nagy in Khartoum, made a one-day visit to Eritrea, the Eritrean ministry of information said on its website. He met President Isaias Afwerki, who "underlined the need for all Sudanese political forces and population to participate in the perceptive transition phase the country is facing," the ministry said. To anybody else, that tchotchke would be worthless. To you, though, it oozes with memories, and thats why you keep it: because it represents special people, remarkable times, or things you hold in your heart. One glance, and you instantly recall something you want to remember, so in Stonewall Riots by Gayle E. Pitman, take a look at fifty objects that represent LGBT history. Ancient statues and classic paintings can tell you a lot about what people did long ago, and what they thought or liked. The same goes with items that are modern, although some accounts get complicated especially if that story differs depending on who tells it, says Pitman. Thats what happened in at least part of the tale of gay liberation: few records were kept, newspapers were mostly silent, and key players have died. Even so, she says, there are enough objects to tell a story. She begins with a basic history of Greenwich Village in New York City, and the Jefferson Livery Stable, which housed horses long before it became Bonnies Stonewall Inn, and then just the Stonewall Inn. Theres a possibility, says Pitman, that the word Stonewall might have been a coded welcome message to lesbians. Back then, being gay or lesbian meant almost certain persecution but a gay man named Harry Hay and three of his friends knew that the best way to work against discrimination was to organize. They started the Mattachine Society in 1950, and Pitman includes a photo of one of their early meetings. Five years later, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon started the Daughters of Bilitis, an organization for lesbians. And yet, the discrimination continued and in 1966, resistance was in the air. African Americans had been fighting for civil rights for quite some time, and antiwar protests were just starting to organize. Small uprisings had been staged on behalf of LGBT people in California, while in New York, LGBT individuals were getting pretty tired of police harassment, Mafia shake-downs, and raids on their hangouts. And on June 28, 1969, their simmering anger boiled over Do ten-year-olds have difficulty grasping happenings in their great-grandparents day? It may seem so, which is why parents will be glad that The Stonewall Riots is written in the way that it is. Using photographs, matchbook covers, clothing, and other ephemera, author Gayle E. Pitman makes LGBT history into something relatable for its intended audience because, as you know, kids are big on keeping mementos and special objects. Through the stories of selected items, Pitman explains the events surrounding the night of the riot and she draws a few threads between then and now, but shes careful not to be too hasty in filling in historical blanks. Those unknowns serve to leave kids hanging a bit, and they heighten the excitement and outrage of what happened. While this is a book for children ages ten and up, this book is also for anyone under the age of 55. You wouldnt remember the Riots first-hand, so reading The Stonewall Riots is absolutely worthwhile. The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gaye E. Pitman c.2019, Abrams Books for Young Readers $17/99 / $22.99 Canada 208 pages Chicago (AFP) - US prosecutors have dropped all charges connected to lead contamination of drinking water in Flint, Michigan and pledged to start the criminal probe over from scratch after expressing concerns over how it has been handled by predecessors. The newly elected top prosecutor in the midwestern state announced the abrupt turnabout on Thursday, saying it was a necessary step for a "comprehensive and complete investigation." "I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat who replaced Republican Bill Schuette in the post, said in a statement. Flint's drinking water was contaminated three years ago, when in a cost-saving effort, officials switched to a more corrosive water source that had not been properly treated to keep old underground water pipes from leaching lead. The contamination, initially denied by state and local officials, poisoned thousands of children and caused the deaths of 12 people from Legionnaire's disease, according to authorities. Fifteen government officials had been criminal charged, with seven striking plea agreements. But lingering questions had remained over whether officials close to the former Republican governor Rick Snyder would be ensnared. Prosecutors under a newly elected Democratic Attorney General said previous investigators had an unusually cozy evidence-sharing relationship with defense lawyers representing various targets of the investigation, including the office of the governor. "Legitimate criminal prosecutions require complete investigations," said a joint statement by Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy. "Contrary to accepted standards of criminal investigation and prosecution, all available evidence was not pursued." Prosecutors said they would begin their investigation anew and insisted that the dropping of charges against eight officials awaiting trial did not mean new charges would not be brought. A community meeting was planned in Flint for June 28 to address residents' questions. A federal judge in 2017 approved a $97 million settlement requiring the replacement of all lead pipes in the city. New York (AFP) - The US publisher of feminist author Naomi Wolf's latest book "Outrages," about the persecution of gay men in 19th century Britain, has delayed its release amid questions about her research. The book has already been released in Britain, and was expected to hit US bookshelves on Tuesday. But one of her points -- that two males were executed for sodomy in 1859 and 1860 -- was incorrect, because she misunderstood part of the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, a book based on official records. A BBC interviewer called her out on air over the apparent mistakes, and Wolf says she "made necessary changes immediately" to her manuscript. But Houghton Mifflin Harcourt nevertheless delayed the publication. "As we have been working with Naomi Wolf to make corrections to 'Outrages,' new questions have arisen that require more time to explore," the publisher said in a statement sent Friday to AFP. "We are postponing publication and requesting that all copies be returned from retail accounts while we work to resolve those questions," it said, without offering a new publication date. Wolf said on Twitter that she "strongly objected" to the decision. "The heart of my book is not criminology but censorship," she wrote. The book's subtitle is "Sex, Censorship and the Criminalization of Love." Amazon now says the book will be available on June 1, 2020. Wolf, 56, first came to prominence in the early 1990s with "The Beauty Myth." Her 2012 book "Vagina: A New Biography" also earned a lot of attention. Washington (AFP) - US authorities said Friday they had placed 5,200 detained migrants into quarantine, mainly over exposure to mumps, linking a surge in cases to a recent outbreak of the contagious disease in Central America. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official told AFP that as of June 13 almost 4,300 detainees were being confined across 39 facilities for exposure to mumps, more than 800 for exposure to chicken pox, and about a hundred for both. The first confirmed case of mumps among ICE detainees was reported on September 7, 2018 and since then the figure has grown to 334, the official added. Nathalie Asher, ICE's executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations, said that 75 percent of the current detention population came directly from the border, while the others were detained within the US. Given this, and recent outbreaks of mumps in Central America, "the preponderance of evidence points to the major influx at our Southwest border being, at minimum, a significant contributing factor of these occurrences," she said. "The impact is significant in the short and long term," she said, including longer detentions and delayed removals. The number in quarantine represent about a tenth of the approximately 52,000 ICE detainees overall. The agency was giving exposed asymptomatic detainees measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines and quarantining them for 25 days from the last incubation period, it said. Mumps is a contagious disease with symptoms such as puffy cheeks and a tender, swollen jaw as well as fever, muscle aches and loss of appetite. Most people make a full recovery within two weeks but in rare cases there can be severe complications. The US has been experiencing its own sporadic mumps outbreaks in the past several years, which scientists believe might be linked to the vaccine's waning immunity over time and the need for a booster shot at the age of 18. Cases fell dramatically after the two-MMR dose program was introduced in 1989, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with only a few hundred reported annually for several years thereafter. But they have been on the rise again since 2006, with more than 6,000 cases in 2006, 2016 and 2017. There have been 1,002 cases reported this year from January 1 to May 24. WARSAW, Poland (AP) The Vatican's sex crimes prosecutor, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, met with Poland's Catholic bishops on Friday to share his experience in tracking crimes, after the Polish church admitted knowing about hundreds of cases over the years where priests abused minors. Scicluna attended the bishops' plenary session Friday in Walbrzych, southwestern Poland, for a discussion about "protecting children and youths," the Episcopate said. Bishop Piotr Libera tweeted that Scicluna's remarks were "extremely interesting." Scicluna told Poland's Catholic news agency KAI that he would like to "encourage Poland's bishops to implement the very good guidance points that they themselves adopted" in 2013. He later told a news conference it was not enough to have rules but "we need to implement what the documents say" and people in parishes should know who to turn to in the church when they suspect abuse. Scicluna urged every person aware of a cover-up to report it to higher church authorities or in case of high-ranking bishops, to the papal nuncio in Poland. Scicluna, a Maltese archbishop, and expert in church law, has been instrumental in revealing facts about priestly sex abuse and cover-up by Chilean church leaders for Pope Francis. In February at the Vatican, he gave a tutorial on preventing sex abuse to a summit of church leaders convened by Francis in reaction to the global sex abuse and cover-up crisis that has undermined credibility in the church. Poland's bishops acknowledged in March they had almost 400 predator priests on record. In this predominantly Catholic nation, the church has been strongly criticized for covering up cases of abuse by priests, moving them to new parishes and failing to ban them from working with children. Only a limited number of cases have been tried by civilian courts. In one case, the court found a clergyman guilty of abducting, detaining and abusing a 13-year-old girl more than 10 years ago and ruled that his order pay her 1 million zlotys ($265,000) in compensation. An independent documentary in May revealed testimony from people who as children were raped or abused by Polish clergy. It led Poland's Primate Archbishop Wojciech Polak to apologize to the victims, but some other bishops initially shrugged at the film. Some believers say sex abuse is a problem of individual priests or claim the church has been unfairly attacked by critics. By Guadalupe Pardo TUMBES, Peru (Reuters) - Thousands of Venezuelans rushed to Peru's northern border on Friday in hopes of entering the Andean country before it imposes tough immigration requirements at midnight, as one of the hitherto most welcoming destinations for the migrants in South America closes another door to them. Venezuela's economic collapse under President Nicolas Maduro has unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent Latin American history, forcing countries like Peru - a developing nation of 32 million people - to grapple with an unprecedented surge in immigration. Children dominated the crowds of tired migrants who arrived at the Peruvian border town of Tumbes from Ecuador on Friday, ahead of the June 15 deadline for all Venezuelan migrants to have valid visas and passports. On Thursday alone, 5,849 Venezuelans entered Peru at Tumbes, compared to a daily average of around 1,500-2,000 in recent months, Peru's immigration office said on Friday. "It was awful!" said Rosmaura, a 25-year-old Venezuelan migrant who said she had traveled for a week from the eastern Venezuelan city of Maracaibo to reach Tumbes with her two children. She declined to give her second name. Rosmaura was afraid that after June 15 Peru would not let her 5-year-old daughter in because she lacks a passport, which she said costs $200-$500 to acquire in Venezuela - an impossible fee for most people in a country where the monthly minimum wage equates to just $6. She said she hopes to make it to Chile. "Most of my family is there," she said. Four million Venezuelans - more than a tenth of the population - have fled the economic and humanitarian crisis in their homeland, the United Nations said last week. Peru is home to some 800,000, the government says - the second-largest Venezuelan migrant population outside Colombia, which houses more than 1.2 million. Just two years ago, Peru had introduced new migratory laws to accommodate Venezuelan migrants. It doled out hundreds of thousands of special residency cards so they could work legally, go to school and access public health care. Story continues But the tide has since turned, amid growing fears fanned by media reports and politicians that Venezuelan migrants are driving down wages and fueling crime. Peru cut short its special residency program and started deporting Venezuelans with criminal records. The government has said it would require migrants to secure a visa from its consulates in Venezuela before going to the border - a policy similar to one implemented by neighboring Chile. As migrants took buses, hitchhiked and trekked their way to Peru's border on Thursday, President Martin Vizcarra defended his new immigration stance from an event in the northern city of Piura. "Our country has opened its arms to more than 800,000 Venezuelans. I think it's completely logical and justified to ask them to bring visas to ensure better control of who enters," Vizcarra told journalists. (Reporting by Guadalupe Pardo and Reuters TV, Writing By Mitra Taj; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Rosalba O'Brien) Vietnam's homegrown carmaker VinFast will deliver its first cars on June 17, the company said Friday as it showcased a factory in one of Asia's fastest growing economies. VinFast said it will supply a domestic market that is rapidly expanding thanks to a mushrooming middle class with a growing appetite for cars -- though it will face stiff competition from well-established players like Toyota and Ford. The carmaker is a subsidiary of Vietnam's largest private conglomerate, Vingroup, which is owned by the country's richest man, a press-shy billionaire who started his career selling dried noodles in Ukraine. It is seeking to tap into national pride with vehicles that include sedan and SUV models, along with e-scooters and even electric buses. "In less than 72 hours, the first Vietnamese branded cars will officially be driven on the streets of Vietnam," said Vingroup director general Nguyen Viet Quanghe. Quang -- speaking at the sprawling factory in Haiphong where rows of red, white and grey cars were being assembled -- said the company has received orders for 10,000 cars and "tens of thousands" of e-scooters. Vietnam's Prime Minister said he hoped the vehicles would help Vietnam become a household name -- alongside auto-making heavyweights Japan and Germany. "Vietnamese are able to do what the world can," Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. Vietnam's fast-growing economy has largely been buoyed by cheaply manufactured goods like sneakers, T-shirts and computer processors. GDP growth hit 7.1 percent last year, and the World Bank says annual growth is expected to reach 6.6 percent later this year. The country has said it hopes to move into value-added and high-tech manufacturing like more developed neighbours like South Korea and Japan. Vietnam currently assembles foreign-branded cars for a growing domestic market: auto sales are up 22 percent year-on-year over the past five months, according to Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association. The cradle-to-grave Vingroup empire includes housing, resorts, farms, schools, hospitals, shopping malls and smartphones. CEO Vuong is worth an estimated $7.7 billion, according to Forbes. Photo credit: Alexandra Ruddy/Facebook From Men's Health A mom in the United Kingdom is sharing photos of her son's scary injury to warn others about a life-threatening medical condition. Alexandra Ruddy's eight-year-old son developed sepsis after falling and injuring himself on a trip to the zoo. Alexandra brought her son to urgent care after she noticed a red rash near the wound-a typical sign of sepsis. One mom in the United Kingdom made a split-second decision to take her son to the emergency room after falling and injuring himself during a zoo visit-and it turned out to be the right move. In an Instagram post that's gone viral, Alexandra Ruddy, a mom of an eight-year-old boy in the UK, shares a story about how she discovered her son to have sepsis, a life-threatening condition through just a scrape on his arm. "A week or so ago the littlest fell over at the zoo," she wrote in the Facebook post. "He took quite a bashing but once we got home I cleaned him up." Alexandra also said she made sure to have her son continue taking care of the wound even after the injury by washing his hands-even at a school-sponsored "farm" day that involved digging. "The wounds didnt look infected- theyd got bigger so I was concerned but they werent gunky etc," she wrote. "Yesterday on our way to the beach he showed me his hand. I wasnt happy as I noticed red tracking down his vein. I then checked his elbow - the same." That red rash sparked her idea to bring her son to urgent care "When the doctor saw it he commended me on [recognizing] it and getting down ASAP. This is blood poisoning/ sepsis. It isnt something you can 'leave' until Monday when the doctors are back in the office," she said. Just FYI: Sepsis, is the body's extreme response to infection, and is a life-threatening condition in which the body actually injures its own tissues and organs. Basically, it's no joke. More than 1.5 million people get sepsis each year in the U.S. and at least 250,000 Americans die from sepsis annually, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Story continues If left untreated, sepsis can progress into septic shock, which compromises the cardiovascular system and results in very low blood pressure and inadequate blood flow to vital organs, says Carmen Polito, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, previously told Women's Health. Luckily, Alexandra's son's sepsis was caught in time and he was immediately put on antibiotics. But now, she's sharing her story to make sure other moms know what sepsis looks like. "If you spot this red line running from a wound along the vein get yourself/ your child seen straight away," she wrote on Facebook. "Hopefully my post might help someone the way my friends post from 2 years ago helped me!" ('You Might Also Like',) Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and you could win a $250 gift card! Measuring EVS Broadcast Equipment S.A.'s (EBR:EVS) track record of past performance is an insightful exercise for investors. It enables us to reflect on whether the company has met or exceed expectations, which is a powerful signal for future performance. Below, I will assess EVS's recent performance announced on 31 December 2018 and compare these figures to its historical trend and industry movements. Check out our latest analysis for EVS Broadcast Equipment Did EVS beat its long-term earnings growth trend and its industry? EVS's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 31 December 2018) of 35m has jumped 47% compared to the previous year. Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has exceeded its 5-year annual growth average of -4.5%, indicating the rate at which EVS is growing has accelerated. How has it been able to do this? Well, lets take a look at whether it is only attributable to industry tailwinds, or if EVS Broadcast Equipment has experienced some company-specific growth. ENXTBR:EVS Income Statement, June 14th 2019 In terms of returns from investment, EVS Broadcast Equipment has invested its equity funds well leading to a 25% return on equity (ROE), above the sensible minimum of 20%. Furthermore, its return on assets (ROA) of 20% exceeds the BE Communications industry of 5.4%, indicating EVS Broadcast Equipment has used its assets more efficiently. However, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for EVS Broadcast Equipments debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 32% to 19%. What does this mean? EVS Broadcast Equipment's track record can be a valuable insight into its earnings performance, but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. While EVS Broadcast Equipment has a good historical track record with positive growth and profitability, there's no certainty that this will extrapolate into the future. You should continue to research EVS Broadcast Equipment to get a better picture of the stock by looking at: Story continues Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for EVSs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for EVSs outlook. Financial Health: Are EVSs operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why weve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 31 December 2018. 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. (WB) Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello on Thursday asked lawmakers to withdraw two bills that LGBT activists have sharply criticized. Rossello in a statement noted in April he announced the introduction of a measure that would have banned so-called conversion therapy in Puerto Rico with an exemption for churches and their institutions, members of the clergy and their religious advisors who are acting strictly within their pastoral or religious capacity in the exercise of their fundamental right to religious freedom. The second bill he announced sought to clarify certain religious freedom principles in the U.S. commonwealth. Johanne Velez Garcia, president of the governors Advisory Council on LGBTT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and transgender) Issues and LGBTT Community Center of Puerto Rico Executive Director Cecilia La Luz, who is also a member of the council, were among those who stood alongside Rossello as he announced the measures at an April 23 press conference at his official residence in San Juan. Puerto Rico Para [email protected], Waves Ahead and SAGE Puerto Rico are among the advocacy groups that said the bills would have allowed discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the U.S. commonwealth. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who is running for governor, Ricky Martin and others on Tuesday sharply criticized the Puerto Rico House of Representatives after it approved the religious freedom bill. Representative Maria Milagros Charbonier of the New Progressive Party, a pro-statehood party that Rossello chairs, described the measure as not a discriminatory law after the vote. Rossello in his statement said he asked Charbonier and leaders of both chambers of the Puerto Rico Legislature to withdraw the religious freedom and conversion therapy bills from legislative consideration. Both bills began with the premise of reaching a consensus, said Rossello. Members of Rossellos party in the Puerto Rico House on March 18 blocked a vote on a bill that would have banned conversion therapy for minors on the island. Rossello less than two weeks later signed an executive order that prohibits the widely discredited practice in Puerto Rico. My intention has always been to promote mutual respect between different segments of our society, said Rossello in his statement. That is why I always said that I would sign both bills or none of them. Pedro Julio Serrano, founder of Puerto Rico Para [email protected], tweeted after Rossellos announcement that love triumphed. Rossellos announcement comes less than two years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Activists on the island with whom the Washington Blade has spoken say Maria has made LGBT Puerto Ricans even more vulnerable to discrimination and violence. Photo credit: YouTube From Popular Mechanics The skies over Southern California saw an impressive display of air power on last week as the U.S. Marine Corps Marine Aircraft Group 16 staged a mass sortie, launching 43 aircraft into the air at once. On June 6, the service put 27 MV-22 Osprey and 16 CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters on the tarmac at the same time, then sent them airborne. The show of force, known as an elephant walk, is meant to show the might of the U.S. military and its ability to surge large numbers of aircraft. The event took place at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, the former home of the U.S. Navys TOP GUN program. MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, assigned to the marine tiltrotor squadrons, carry troops and light cargo to and from shore during amphibious operations. The large CH-53E Sea Stallion can carry internal cargo loads or slung loads balanced beneath the aircraft, including light vehicles. MAG-16 is a force in readiness, said the commander of the Marine Air Group, Colonel Craig LeFlore said. This mass launch is not just for show. The majority of these aircraft will go out and conduct tactical training after their launch. Training that makes your Marines the most ready when our nation is least ready. I can't think of a better way for the MAG to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day and the accomplishments of those who have gone before us. According to the units website , MAG-16 is made up of 12 units: Headquarters Squadron, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16, Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadrons 161, 163, 165, 166, 363, and Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadrons 361, 462, 465, and 466. Marine aviation has had serious readiness problems recently, with just 52 percent of the services MV-22 Ospreys ready for action. In 2018, then Secretary of Defense James Mattis mandated an 80 percent readiness rate for all of the Pentagons combat aircraft, a number that the Navy admits the MV-22 fleets readiness numbers wont improve soon enough. Story continues The CH-53E fleet, whose aircraft are an average of 33 years old , had a readiness rate of a dismal 23 percent in the mid-2010s, though that number is reported to have improved significantly in recent months. The aircraft is scheduled to be replaced by a newer version, the CH-53K King Stallion . ('You Might Also Like',) Before you head to Europe, Asia or the Caribbean this summer for your holiday, figuring out where to get the best exchange rate for money will save you the headache of finding a favorable rate as you adjust to the jet lag. Consider trading your U.S. dollars for euros, pesos or yen before you start your vacation so you can find the lowest fees and the best conversion rate. If you're traveling to several different countries with different currencies, planning ahead will save you even more money and time. The most convenient spots to exchange money, such as airports, train stations, hotels and tourist spots, are usually the most expensive locations. Waiting in a long line to get some cash can put a damper on your travel plans. Here are the best places to exchange your money into the local currency before and after your vacation. [Read: Best Checking Accounts.] Best Place to Exchange Currency Before and After Traveling All the fees and extra charges can add up quickly, especially for longer trips. Avoid paying transaction costs by heading to your bank or credit union to have some cash on hand for coffee, snacks and tips. Banks and credit unions will exchange currency for you before and after your trip if you have a checking or savings account with them. This can be helpful in case you don't spend all of the local currency and the amount is substantial. Other financial institutions will provide the service if you have a credit card from the bank. The exchange rate at your local bank is usually better than using a currency exchange provider at the airport. Many banks such as Bank of America and Citibank might not charge a fee and offer options such as mailing you the currency or conducting the transaction online. For larger amounts such as $1,000, many banks will require you to pick up the currency in person at the branch. Ordering currency online is another option. Bank of America charges a $7.50 fee for foreign currency orders less than $1,000, but will waive it for amounts more than $1,000. Story continues You can check out the exchange rates online and see which bank or credit union is offering the best conversion rate. How to Exchange Currency Start by checking with your bank online to see if it will exchange the currency you need. You can even order the money online and have it mailed to you if you are not able to go to a branch during regular business hours. If you're going to a country that has restrictions on its currency for political or economic issues, your bank may not be able to access the currency. Currency from many African and Eastern European countries can only be exchanged at those countries' banks and ATMs. One quirk is that some banks will not accept foreign coins, so consider that before you head to the airport at the end of your trip. Here is a checklist: -- Contact a bank or credit union to make sure it has the currency or will accept foreign currency and what the fees are. -- Find current exchange rates through your bank, credit union or websites such as https://www.xe.com/. -- Check the bank's exchange rate to make sure it's fair. -- Arrange for pickup or delivery. [Read: Best Savings Accounts.] Where Else Can You Exchange? Once you've reached your destination, you can also obtain more cash to pay for meals and shopping at mom and pop locales. Using your bank's ATM or an ATM in its network and exchange providers like Travelex are two common options. Your best bet is to get cash from an ATM, because many banks will reimburse you for the fees as long as you use one from their network. Look for an ATM that is located within a building or in popular tourist areas that likely do not have skimmers so you don't have to worry about having your personal information stolen. Banks typically charge either a flat fee or a percentage such as 1% to 3% of the amount you take out. Determine your bank or credit union's policy on reimbursing ATM fees. Download your bank's app ahead of time to find out where the closest ATM is. Consider taking out a larger amount if your bank charges a higher fee. If you cannot find an ATM that is in your bank's network, plan on also paying extra fees to use it. Places to Avoid Exchanging Currency The worst places to exchange currency are at airport kiosks, hotels and tourist centers, because the conversion rates are usually not in your favor. "Not only will you be hit with extra service fees when going with these methods, but the exchange spread, which is the rate the business will give you when you are selling your U.S. dollars to them minus the rate they will give you when you are buying U.S. dollars from them is very high," says Derek Horstmeyer, an assistant finance professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. "This means every time you go to a bank or a foreign exchange kiosk, you will lose 1% to 2% in a nonfavorable exchange rate when changing your money. This goes for redeeming traveler's checks as well and other comparable cash items." [Read: Best CD Rates.] Alternatives to Exchanging Currency Instead of exchanging currency, consider using U.S. dollars, or prepaid cards, credit cards or debit cards since even the smallest businesses, such as food trucks, often take payments electronically. Many countries will accept the U.S. dollar. Many credit or debit cards offer a 0% foreign transaction fee, which you can use for dining out or buying museum, theater or sporting event tickets, Horstmeyer says. "A number of retail credit cards and most business credit cards now state right up front that they are 0% foreign transaction fees, which is a phenomenal feature to have on a credit card," he says. Some banks offer travel credit cards for frequent travelers or people living abroad. Ashleigh Scanlan, an American who moved to Australia several years ago, says her card allows her to put the money in U.S. currency and switch it to whatever countries she travels to. "Currently, I have about five different currencies on the one charge," she says. "I just switch it when I enter into another country." Check with your bank to see what the limit is for withdrawing money daily or weekly so you don't reach the maximum if you're making larger purchases. Paying for your purchases with mobile payment providers such as Google Pay, Android Pay or Apple Pay are also options that can help prevent fraud while you are traveling. If you haven't had your credit card information stolen or compromised by one of the many data breaches in the past few years, consider yourself lucky. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 14.2 million credit card numbers were exposed in 2017 alone. Under federal law, your liability for unauthorized credit card charges is minimal. But there are a handful of reasons why you'll want to be on high alert for credit card fraud, despite legal protections. [Read: Best 5% Cash Back Cards.] How You're Protected Under the Fair Credit Billing Act The Fair Credit Billing Act states that if you uncover an unauthorized credit card charge on your account, your maximum liability is $50. To enact your liability rights, you must reach out to your creditor within 60 days of the statement date to report the fraudulent charge. Your creditor is legally required to acknowledge your complaint within 30 days of receiving it. The law then requires your creditor to resolve your complaint within two billing cycles from the date it was first notified of the unauthorized charge. Additionally, many of the major credit card networks in the U.S., including Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, offer zero liability protection in the event of credit card fraud. 3 Reasons You Should Care About Credit Card Fraud With federal and card network protections in place, taking precautions against fraud may not seem like a priority. But experiencing credit card fraud can put you at risk of further fraud and even identity theft. "Fraudsters buy card data on the dark web and then use it to run fraudulent transactions at retailers, restaurants or online at e-commerce websites," says Ruston Miles, founder and chief strategy officer of Bluefin Payment Systems, a payment encryption platform. Here are some ways credit card fraud can still negatively impact you. Credit card fraud exposes you to identity theft. Sometimes, credit card fraud is confused with identity theft. In fact, credit card fraud covers only unauthorized charges on an existing account. Identity theft is a broader, more problematic issue if left unchecked. Story continues Personally identifiable information -- like your credit card numbers, Social Security number, driver's license number, and health and financial records -- are the kind of data that's sold on the dark web and can open the door to identity theft and account takeovers. "PII collected are like pieces of a puzzle," says Mark Testoni, CEO of SAP National Security Services, a subsidiary of the software giant SAP that serves the national security sector. "The more pieces collected, the more likely perpetrators can assemble it for exploitation." When logging into your account from a new or unknown device, you might be required to enter a verification code that's sent to your phone or email. This is called multifactor authentication, and precautions like this help protect against identity theft. But Testoni says that even with these newer controls, perpetrators are coming up with ways to get through. "The cat-and-mouse game will continue, and consumer awareness will always be an important part of the security equation," Testoni says. [Read: Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards.] You might still be liable for unauthorized charges. A big reason to stay vigilant about reviewing your credit card transactions is that you're up against a hard timeline: You have 60 days from your statement date to contact your creditor about suspected fraud, not 60 days from the date you notice the suspicious charge. Also, the same protections may not apply to commercial cards. For example, Visa's corporate cards do not have zero liability protection. Failing to stay on top of your credit card's activity puts you at risk for greater financial liability. Credit card fraud is a hassle. Anyone who's been a victim of credit card fraud understands that aside from being a stressful situation, it's also a major inconvenience. If you're fortunate enough to catch the fraudulent credit card activity early, kudos -- but your work doesn't stop there. You'll need to spend time on the phone with your card issuer, officially filing a fraud complaint. In that same process, you'll need to request that your card be reissued. Receiving your replacement credit card in the mail takes time and can prevent you from purchasing things you might need. There's also the inconvenience of updating any accounts that used the compromised credit card for automatic payments. What You Can Do to Protect Yourself From Credit Card Fraud Although you can't anticipate or thwart every effort by credit card thieves, you can lessen your chances of falling victim to credit card fraud or identity theft. Set up notifications. Most issuers allow you to receive text or email notifications for specific types of activity on your credit card account. You'll need to set this up on your own, and at times, you can customize your notifications based on specific criteria. For example, since an unauthorized charge can be as little as $1, you can create a notification for any transaction that's greater than $0. This allows you to quickly identify any suspicious activity, large or small. Enable multifactor authentication. Whenever possible, activate multifactor authentication on online accounts and devices that you use to make payments, e.g. your smartphone. This adds an extra layer of security against credit card fraud by ensuring that whomever is logging into your account is actually you. Multifactor authentication comes in the following forms: -- Something you know, such as a password or PIN -- Something you have, such as your smartphone or token device -- Something you are, such as your fingerprint or facial or voice recognition Use your digital wallet. Using your digital wallet at a brick-and-mortar merchant, like a grocery store, lessens the risk of credit card skimmers and chip-based card shimmers that are used to steal your credit card information. "Use of digital wallets have shown strong security performance," says Testoni. "You can configure it so that every transaction produces a notification to your phone. This is another way to monitor your credit card transactions." Instead of swiping your card's magnetic strip or entering your chip card into a reader, your digital wallet uses near-field communication technology. NFC is also known as tap-and-pay or a contactless payment and is used to initiate transactions with a merchant's card processing device. Since the card never comes into contact with a potentially compromised machine, your credit card information is more secure. [Read: Best Grocery Credit Cards.] Review your credit card statement. In addition to setting up digital notifications for new credit card activity, make sure you're taking a bird's-eye look at your monthly card statement. This is especially important if you have your credit card on automatic payments since it's easy to set a recurring payment and ignore the details of your statement balance. Report unauthorized charges ASAP. If you see an unauthorized charge on your account, reach out to your creditor as soon as possible to limit your financial liability. Write down when you held the call, who you spoke to and what the next steps are, and keep the information for your records. "The steady increase of cyberattacks and breaches over the past few years has created a sort of cyber fatigue or desensitization amongst the public," says Testoni. "Much like neighborhood watch programs that offer physical security for collective homes, more informed consumers and practicing good cyber hygiene will make it harder to steal." Jennifer Calonia is a Los Angeles-based finance writer whose goal is to help readers get excited about improving their financial health and overall well-being. Her work has been featured on Forbes, The Huffington Post, MSN Money and Business Insider. In her spare time, you can find her outdoors, exploring state and national parks. By David Lawder WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - One of the largest U.S. producers of aerosol cans, Colorado-based Ball Metalpack, has laid off 91 of its 500 U.S. workers since President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imported steel that abruptly hiked the firm's raw materials costs. At a chief competitor, DS Containers, the story is different. The subsidiary of Japan's Daiwa Can Co has added more than 80 workers over 18 months at its two Illinois plants, bringing employment to 232. Rivals of the Japanese-owned firm say the reason for its success is simple - it's not paying the tariff, allowing the firm to snatch business from competitors who have been forced to raise prices to cover their higher materials costs. The U.S. Commerce Department granted DS Containers an exemption from the import tax because it uses a raw material, plastic-laminated steel, that isn't produced by U.S. steelmakers. Firms that use standard tin-plated steel, including Ball Metalpack and Mauser Packaging Solutions, have seen their exemption applications denied or delayed by Commerce after U.S. steelmakers objected to them, arguing the material is available domestically. Executives from the can makers counter that domestic steelmakers can't produce nearly enough tinplate to meet their needs - forcing them to keep importing and paying tariffs. "Anytime they want to take a customer from us, they can do it," said Leslie Bradshaw, an executive vice president at Mauser Packaging, a maker of aerosol and other cans based just 19 miles away from DS Containers in Illinois. "Their business is growing, and everyone else's is not. We're paying 25 percent tariffs, and they're not." The dynamics of the aerosol can industry illustrate the uneven impact of Trump's tariffs on U.S. manufacturers and the unintended consequences of policies that protect one sector or company from foreign competition at the expense of others who are hit with hefty import taxes. Story continues It also underscores domestic steel producers' strong influence over the Trump administration's tariff policies. According to a Reuters review of Commerce Department exclusion requests for tinplate steel, the key factor in an approval or denial is whether they draw objections from U.S. Steel Corp or Arcelor Mittal USA, two major domestic producers of tinplate. DS Containers Chief Executive Bill Smith dismissed any advantage the tariff exclusion has given his company, arguing that his materials are still more expensive that standard tinplate, even considering the tariff. His company has grown, he said, because of the innovative design of its two-piece, round-shouldered can, which can be manufactured more efficiently. He also credited a recent move into aluminum aerosol cans. "We win on the manufacturing floor, not at the table negotiating steel prices," Smith said. STEEL MAKERS VS. STEEL CONSUMERS U.S. tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum - a cornerstone of Trump's "America First" trade policy - have increased steel prices and spurred investment in metals manufacturing. In March, U.S. Steel Chief Executive David Burritt told lawmakers not to "blink" in the face of criticism as the industry begins to recover from a long decline. The tariffs, imposed in March 2018, initially caused Midwest hot-rolled coil steel futures prices to shoot up to $942 per ton by the end of May 2018. But this week they had fallen back to about $578 a ton, about where they were in October 2017 - but with increased market share and capacity utilization for domestic steelmakers. The rising fortunes of the steel industry have produced a modest uptick in employment, reported at 143,700 in March, up about 4,000 from a year ago, according to U.S. Labor Department data. Steelmakers' employment is dwarfed by that of industries that consume steel and aluminum, which employ about 6.5 million people, according to the Precision Metalforming Association and the National Tooling and Machining Association, two trade groups representing metal processors. The Can Manufacturers Institute, a trade group, estimates its industry employment at 22,000 for cans of all types. When Ball Metalpack's Chief Executive Jim Peterson laid off workers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin, he said: "We let them all know that apparently their jobs are not as important to our government as U.S. Steel union jobs in Indiana." 'READY TO SERVE' In seeking a tariff exemption, Ball Metalpack argued that domestic steelmakers can produce only about half the tinplate needed for aerosol, food and paint cans in the United States. U.S. Steel contended in its objections that U.S. tinplate mills were operating at only 43 percent of capacity because cheap imports had eroded domestic producers' market share. "The United States has ample capacity to supply domestic tin mill customers with their needs, and U.S. Steel is ready to serve," U.S. Steel spokeswoman Meghan Cox said in a statement. Cox said the company is pursuing a capital investment program in tinplate operations called "Can Do," aimed at improving product quality and delivery. Whatever steelmakers can do in the future, says Peterson, they can't do it now - leaving his business with no choice but to import about half its tinplate from Europe and pay tariffs. "It will take U.S. Steel years to get where they need to be, but we don't have years," Peterson said. "The business we're losing is happening overnight." STEEL INDUSTRY INFLUENCE Commerce has received tens of thousands of such exemption requests from U.S. manufacturers, and the agency has struggled to keep pace with the volume. It has often rejected requests if there are any objections from domestic metal producers. "The bias in the Commerce Departments administration of this has been totally towards the domestic industry" of metal manufacturers, said Rufus Yerxa, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, a Washington-based multi-industry group that promotes free trade. In a statement to Reuters, the Commerce Department said exemptions are generally approved in the absence of objections from domestic providers - as in the case of DS Containers. Tinplate products that do draw objections would only get tariffs waived if the department determines the product is not "reasonably available" in a "satisfactory quality" from domestic steelmakers. "The lack of objections would indicate the product is not available from U.S. sources. The DS Container requests received no objections and thus were granted," the department said. Commerce overruled can-makers' arguments that they could not purchase enough tinplate domestically. In one denial of a Ball Metalpack exclusion request, the agency found that the material is "produced in the United States in a sufficient and reasonably available amount and of a satisfactory quality." Some of the tinplate exclusion requests, including many from Mauser Packaging Solutions, are still pending as the Commerce Department reviews rebuttals and counter-rebuttals. Bradshaw, the Mauser executive, said the company may not wait around hoping for more favorable tariff treatment. It's exploring moving the manufacturing of can tops and bottoms to South America to tap into cheaper foreign steel supplies and import the components to the United States duty-free. "If we do that," he said, "those jobs are never coming back." (Reporting by David Lawder Editing by Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot) All The Wing was trying to do was mute the mansplainers and start a conversation! But recently the company found itself in a fix when two subway station ads for their soon-to-open Boston location were rejected by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) for containing political issues or matters of public debate. The controversial statements in question: The aforementioned Want to mute the mansplainers and start your own conversation? and The World was built for men. The Wing is built for you. As Rachel Racusen, VP of Communications for The Wing points out, the ad is literally true. The Wings coworking spaces are filled with furniture custom-designed to fit the average woman, not the average man: It is one of the rare spaces that has been designed to be physically comfortable for women first, according to Racusen. She says that the play on words in The world is built for Men. The Wing is built for you is purposefulthat a world built for men is very much part of what the company aims to fix. The company, which was founded by former political consultant Audrey Gelman & early SoulCycle vet Lauren Kassan in New York in 2016, offers a members-only coworking-space-slash-community-center for women in a growing number of cities. The MBTA has a list of banned categories 15 strong, ranging from demeaning or disparaging speech to the depiction of smoking, violence, or illegal activity. Predictably, in still-somewhat-Puritan Boston, prurient sexual suggestiveness makes the list, but the matters of public debate filter appears itself to be up for more debate than the one for is it too sexy?. An accepted 2017 campaign by New England furniture chain Bernie & Phils was designed to look like classified ads for group sex and one night stands; it ran for several months. And ads for the erectile disfunction drug Roman ran on Boston subway cars with suggestive catch phrases like Youre on this train for the next 15 minutes. Make the most of it. Story continues New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), too, has been loudly criticized in recent years for rejecting ads for period underwear and womens sex toys while accepting plenty of campaigns promoting erectile disfunction medication. In addition to the same getRoman.com ads approved by the MBTA, posters for erectile disfunction medication Hims recently plastered the subway system with blatantly phallic cacti and eggplants. And a famously long-running campaign for breast augmentation features a woman sadly holding two mandarin oranges against her chest, then grinning as she holds up a pair of grapefruits. (One place where New York demonstrated a more liberal policy than the rest of the country was in a 2018 controversy surrounding ads for FridaBabys MomWasher, a squeeze bottle designed to help postpartum women clean themselves after using the bathroom. Ads reading Trust us, your vagina will thank you were rejected from billboards across the country, with feedback uniformly asking for the word vagina to be removed or changed. The one place FridaBaby says they were allowed to put up the signs was outside a selection of New York City subway stations.) Back in Boston, political ads were banned in 2015 after a controversy surrounding pro-Palestinian posters in subway stations. Political speech seems relatively easy to identify. But how does the MBTA decide if an ad contains a matter of public debate? A spokeswoman for the MBTA confirmed the decision about The Wings ads, but did not respond to requests for clarification about how the decision was made and why the initial ads were rejected (a new ad, referencing emotional labor, is now running in place of the rejected ads). Despite the transit troubles, The Wing successfully bought outdoor advertising space showcasing the ads around Boston. Increasing awareness of perceived sexist double standards in advertising has led to outraged coverage ad and outspoken protest of a range of banned subway ads (mostly in New York Citys MTA system) in recent years, and has often pushed the transit administrations to agree to run the campaigns. But The Wings experience in Boston exposes a less clear-cut situation. In the #MeToo era, with women fighting for equality in more outspoken ways than ever before, with increasing (though still shockingly small) numbers of female-founded companies gaining both attention and funding, it still comes down to city bureaucracy to determine whether mansplainingand, perhaps, the patriarchyis real. Thats the issue that The Wing wants to emphasize. In a statement, the company said, In 2019, the idea that we live in a society dominated by men isnt really a matter of public debate. A recent study from the World Economic Forum says it will take women over 202 years to catch up to men economically. The Wing creates inclusive spaces designed to close this gapand we cant wait to open our doors for members in Boston. And that needs no mansplaining at all. More must-read stories from Fortune: Andreessen Horowitzs Scott Kupor demystifies the VC funding process You can now invest in a racial justice index fund Johnson & Johnson was called a kingpin in a potential opioid test case Here are all the best people who have quit Trumps economic team Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily Dont miss the daily Term Sheet, Fortunes newsletter on deals and dealmakers. After nearly 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope will be switched off permanently on Jan. 30, 2020. By then, the spacecraft will have operated for more than 11 years beyond its prime mission, thanks to the Spitzer engineering team's ability to address unique challenges as the telescope slips farther and farther from Earth. Managed and operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Spitzer is a small but transformational observatory. It captures infrared light, which is often emitted by "warm" objects that aren't quite hot enough to radiate visible light. Spitzer has lifted the veil on hidden objects in nearly every corner of the universe, from a new ring around Saturn to observations of some of the most distant galaxies known. It has spied stars in every stage of life, mapped our home galaxy, captured gorgeous images of nebulas and probed newly discovered planets orbiting distant stars. But as Spitzer's deputy mission manager, Joseph Hunt, said, "You can have a world-class spacecraft, but it doesn't mean anything if you can't get the data back home." Spitzer orbits the Sun on a path similar to Earth's but moves slightly slower. Today it trails about 158 million miles (254 million kilometers) behind our planet -- more than 600 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. That distance, along with the curve of Spitzer's orbit, means that when the spacecraft points its fixed antenna at Earth to download data or receive commands, its solar panels tilt away from the Sun. During those periods, the spacecraft must rely on a combination of solar power and battery power to operate. The angle at which the panels point away from the Sun has increased every year that the mission has been operating. These days, to communicate with Earth, Spitzer has to position its panels at a 53-degree angle away from the Sun (90 degrees would be fully facing away), even though the mission planners never intended for it to tilt more than 30 degrees from the Sun. Spitzer can communicate with Earth for about 2.5 hours before it has to turn its solar panels back toward the Sun to recharge its batteries. That communications window would grow shorter year after year if Spitzer continued operating, which means there is a limit to how long it would be possible to operate the spacecraft efficiently. An Enduring Effort Teaching the spacecraft to accept new conditions -- such as the increasing angle of the solar panels during communications with Earth -- isn't as simple as flipping a switch. There are multiple ways these changes could trigger safety mechanisms in the spacecraft's flight software. For instance, if the panels tilted more than 30 degrees from the Sun during the mission's early years, the software would have hit "pause," putting the spacecraft into "safe mode" until the mission team could figure out what was wrong. The changing angle of Spitzer to the Sun could also trigger safety mechanisms intended to prevent spacecraft parts from overheating. Entering safe mode can be particularly hazardous for the spacecraft, both because of its growing distance from Earth (which makes communicating more difficult) and because the aging onboard systems might not restart once they shut off. To deal with these challenges, the project engineers and scientists at JPL and Caltech have worked with the observatory engineering team at Lockheed Martin Space's Littleton, Colorado, facility to find a path forward. (Lockheed Martin built the Spitzer spacecraft for NASA.) Bolinda Kahr, Spitzer's mission manager, leads this multi-center team. Over the years she and her colleagues have successfully figured out how to override safety mechanisms designed for the prime mission while also making sure that such alterations don't introduce other unwanted side effects. But as Spitzer ages and gets farther from Earth, the challenge of keeping the spacecraft operating and the risk that it will suffer a major anomaly are only increasing. "I can genuinely say that no one involved in the mission planning thought we'd be running in 2019," said Lisa Storrie-Lombardi, Spitzer's project manager. "But we have an incredibly robust spacecraft and an incredible team. And we've been lucky. You have to have some luck, because you can't anticipate everything." Keeping Cool Most infrared detectors have to be cooled to very low temperatures, because excess infrared light from "warm" objects -- including the Sun, Earth, the spacecraft and even the instruments themselves -- can overwhelm the infrared sensors. This cooling is typically done with a chemical coolant. The Spitzer planners instead came up with a passive-cooling system that included flying the spacecraft far from Earth (a major infrared heat source). They also chose materials for the spacecraft exterior that would both reflect sunlight away before it could heat the telescope and radiate absorbed heat back into space. In this configuration, coolant is required only to lower the instrument temperatures a few degrees further. Reducing the onboard coolant supply also drastically allowed the engineers to cut the total size of the spacecraft by more than 80% and helped curtail the anticipated mission budget by more than 75%. Although Spitzer's coolant supply ran out in 2009, rendering two of its three instruments unusable, the team was able to keep half of the remaining instrument operating. (The instrument was designed to detect four wavelengths of infrared light; in the "warm" mode, it can still detect two of them.) Lasting more than twice as long as the primary mission, Spitzer's extended mission has yielded some of the observatory's most transformational results. In 2017, the telescope revealed the presence of seven rocky planets around the TRAPPIST-1 star. In many cases, Spitzer's exoplanet observations were combined with observations by other missions, including NASA's Kepler and Hubble space telescopes. Spitzer's final year and a half of science operations include a number of exoplanet-related investigations. One program will investigate 15 dwarf stars (similar to the TRAPPIST-1 star) likely to host exoplanets. An additional 650 hours are dedicated to follow-up observations of planets discovered by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which launched just over a year ago. Final Voyage Every mission must end at some point. As the challenges associated with operating Spitzer continue to grow and as the risk of a mission-ending anomaly on the spacecraft rises, NASA has made the decision to close out the mission in a controlled manner. "There have been times when the Spitzer mission could have ended in a way we didn't plan for," said Kahr. "I'm glad that in January we'll be able to retire the spacecraft deliberately, the way we want to do it." While Spitzer's mission is ending, it has helped set the stage for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch in 2021, which will study the universe in many of the same wavelengths observed by Spitzer. Webb's primary mirror is about 7.5 times larger than Spitzer's mirror, meaning Webb will be able to study many of the same targets in much higher resolution and objects much farther away from Earth than what Spitzer can observe. Thirteen science programs have already been selected for Webb's first five months of operations, four of which build directly on Spitzer observations. Webb will greatly expand on the legacy begun by Spitzer and answer questions that Spitzer has only begun to investigate. JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech in Pasadena. Space operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. The Hague (AFP) - The International Court of Justice on Friday denied a request by the United Arab Emirates for special measures against Qatar to relieve a bitter two-year-old crisis. Abu Dhabi had accused Doha of "aggravating" the dispute, after Doha won a similar case last year over the treatment of its citizens in the row that has convulsed the Gulf. Qatar has faced an economic and diplomatic boycott since June 2017 by Gulf rivals who accused Doha of backing terrorism and being too close to regional rival Iran. Chief judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said the court "rejects the request for provisional measures submitted by the United Arab Emirates" by a margin of 15 to one. The measures it asked for were temporary ones while the Hague-based court decides on a wider legal battle between the UAE and Qatar over the blockade. Last June, in a case brought by Qatar, the ICJ ruled that the UAE must allow families which include Qatari members to be reunited, and that Qatari students must be given the chance to complete their education in the Emirates. But Abu Dhabi this year went back to court to seek the special measures, including to stop what it alleged was Doha blocking its own citizens from accessing Emirati websites to ease travel issues. The UAE also specifically asked the ICJ to take measures to tell Qatar to ensure the "non-aggravation of the dispute". The Emiratis also accused Qatar of backing terrorist groups including the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, echoing one of the original allegations by the Gulf allies against Doha. They further alleged that Qatar used its state-controlled news channels and fake documents to hamper Abu Dhabi's own efforts to damp down the row, and asked the court to tell Qatar to stop. Doha has repeatedly denied the claims of its rivals, accusing them of seeking regime change and alleging the UAE broke the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The United Nations' highest court for inter-state disputes on Friday rejected a United Arab Emirates request for immediate measures against Qatar in a dispute over alleged discrimination between the Arab neighbors. In a 15-1 vote, World Court judges rejected the UAE's request for immediate action to stop Qatar blocking access to a UAE website that allows Qataris expelled from the UAE to obtain permits to return. By not allowing access to the site, Dubai argued, Doha was aggravating the dispute. The argument dates from 2017 when the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott on Qatar, severing diplomatic and transport ties and accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies these claims. According to Qatar, which filed a case with the International Court of Justice in June last year, the UAE has as part of the boycott expelled thousands of Qataris, blocked transport and closed down the offices of the Doha-based Al-Jazeera news channel. But the court on Friday found that the rights claimed do not fall under a U.N. anti-discrimination treaty and do not need to be dealt with by an urgent, summary ruling. They will be ruled on when the case is heard in full, probably next year. Last July, the court granted provisional measures against Dubai which Qatar requested, arguing that thousands of Qataris had been expelled as part of the boycott which they say breached a U.N. anti-discrimination treaty. It also ordered the UAE and Qatar "to refrain from any action that might aggravate or extend the dispute before the court". In Friday's ruling presiding Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf stressed that those measures remain binding for both parties. The ICJ is the United Nations venue for legal disputes between states. Its verdicts are binding, but it has no enforcement powers. Final verdicts generally take years and no date was set for the case to be heard in full. (Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Hugh Lawson) * Oil tankers attacked and adrift near Strait of Hormuz * U.S. releases video saying it shows Iranian role * Tehran says accusing Iran "convenient" for U.S. officials * Strategic way route for fifth of globally consumed oil By Parisa Hafezi and Maher Chmaytelli DUBAI, June 14 (Reuters) - Iran said on Friday it was alarming and wrong of the United States to blame Tehran for attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf, after an incident that has raised concerns about a new confrontation in the vital oil shipping route. Washington released a video that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind Thursday's attacks near the Strait of Hormuz on the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, which was set ablaze, and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Both vessels were adrift in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, after their crews abandoned ship following the attacks that caused a spike in oil prices. A fire that had raged on the Front Altair, which carried a cargo of petrochemical feedstock naphtha, had been extinguished, the owner said. The blaze left a blackened scar along the hull. About a fifth of the oil consumed globally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, shipped from Gulf energy producers, including Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter. The U.S. military said a black-and-white video filmed from a U.S. aircraft showed Guards on one of their patrol boats drawing up to the Kokuka Courageous, after blasts struck both vessels, and removing an unexploded limpet mine from the hull. "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters. He said the assessment was based on intelligence, the weapons used, expertise required and similar recent attacks. Washington has blamed Iran or its proxies for attacks on May 12 that crippled four oil tankers in the same area. It also said Tehran was behind May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations. Tehran has denied all the charges. Story continues "These accusations are alarming," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, adding that blaming Iran for Thursday's attacks was "the simplest and the most convenient way for Pompeo and other U.S. officials." "We are responsible for ensuring the security of the Strait and we have rescued the crew of those attacked tankers in the shortest possible time," he said, Iranian state radio reported. "WARMONGERING" Tehran has also said the United States and regional allies, such as Iran's regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were "warmongering" by making such charges. In comments directed at Iran, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Twitter: "De-escalation in current situation requires wise actions not empty words." U.S. and European security officials, as well as regional analysts, have cautioned against jumping to conclusions, leaving open the possibility that Iranian proxies, or someone else entirely, might have been responsible for Thursday's attacks. Britain said it took the matter "extremely seriously" and, if Iran was involved, "it is a deeply unwise escalation." Iranian-U.S. tensions began ratcheting up after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal last year between Iran and global powers that aimed to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for relief from international sanctions. Since then Washington has toughened its sanctions regime, seeking to force Iran's oil customers to slash their imports. Iran's crude exports fell to about 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May from 2.5 million bpd in April 2018, draining Tehran's main source of revenues and hurting an economy already weakened by years of isolation. Iran has repeatedly warned it would block the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel between the Iranian and Omani coastlines, if it is barred from selling oil. The Trump administration said in May it would send troops and other forces to the Middle East, citing Iranian threats. Tehran has called the move "psychological warfare" and said the U.S. moves offered more of a target than a threat to Iran. "CRUSHING RESPONSE" Responding to rising regional tension, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday that the world could not afford "a major confrontation in the Gulf region". Iran and the United States have both said they want to avoid a war. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday before that attacks: "Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression." U.S. Central Command said on Thursday: "We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community." Pompeo said U.S. policy was to make economic and diplomatic efforts to bring Iran back to negotiations on a broader deal. Thursday's attack took place while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Tehran with a message from Trump. Japan was a big Iranian oil importer until Trump stepped up sanctions. But Iran dismissed Trump's overture, details of which were not made public. "I do not see Trump as worthy of any message exchange, and I do not have any reply for him, now or in future," Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said. In abandoning the nuclear deal, Trump said he wanted Iran to curb its nuclear work and development of missiles, as well as halt support for proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Regional analysts said Iran could have carried out the attacks in a bid to gain negotiating leverage. "There is always the possibility that somebody is trying to blame the Iranians," said Jon Alterman of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies. "But there is the greater likelihood that this represents an effort to bolster Iranian diplomacy by creating a perceived international urgency to have the United States and Iran talk." (Reporting by Parisa Hafez, Maher Chmaytelli and Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai, Phil Stewart and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Janet Lawrence) New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge will begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday night as he continues his recovery from a strained left oblique. Judge has been sidelined since being injured against the Kansas City Royals on April 20. He is batting .288 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 20 games this season. Judge will likely serve as the designated hitter on Friday night, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The team also said outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will join Judge at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to continue his rehab stint. Stanton (calf) hit three homers in two games for Class-A Tampa earlier this week. Boone said Stanton could rejoin the Yankees on Tuesday if he doesn't have any setbacks. Stanton has played in just three games this season and is 2-for-8 with seven walks. He went on the injured list on April 1 with a shoulder injury and later suffered a calf injury during his rehab assignment. --Field Level Media A new yoga spot has opened up shop in the neighborhood. The fresh arrival to South Perry, called Yoga Fire, is located at 1930 E. Stop 13th Road. Yoga Fire offers a few different memberships, as well as individual classes. It also offers a free one-week trial period. The fresh arrival has gotten an enthusiastic response thus far, with a five-star rating out of two reviews on Yelp. Sha C., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on June 7, wrote, "This is the best, most affordable, hot yoga studio around! Great customer service. Great staff. Love the instructors. Can't beat the price." And Hannah B. wrote, "Such a cute store the staff was great and helpful. Natalie was amazing and had such a soothing voice. Will be back!" Head on over to check it out: Yoga Fire is open from 611 a.m. and 48 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m.4 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.) Want to keep your finger on the pulse of new businesses in Indianapolis? Here's what else opened recently near you. 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. The New York State Legislature will vote this week on a package of reforms to existing rent-control and tenant-protection laws. Governor Andrew Cuomo has promised to sign whatever the Legislature delivers to his desk. The proposal at issue is disastrous; in a misguided effort to solve New York Citys affordable-housing crisis, Democrats in Albany are threatening to seriously damage the citys housing supply and the quality of existing buildings. Lawmakers have essentially decided to further intensify the citys already dense tangle of regulations and restrictions on landlords. The reforms make it much harder to raise rents on rent-controlled (22,000 units in the city) and rent-stabilized (966,000 units) apartments. They make it harder for landlords to evict difficult tenants, and they disincentivize maintenance and upgrades. They force landlords who sold leases below the rent-regulated price to keep them that way. And they allow tenants making over $200,000 a year to pay below-market prices. But Im getting ahead of myself. First, a bit of background on what all these terms mean. Almost a million units in New York City currently fall under the aegis of rent regulation. This category includes both rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments. Rent-controlled apartments must have been built before 1947 and been occupied by their current tenants or passed down to said tenants through family members since 1971. Their owners can charge no more than the Maximum Base Rent (MBR), a figure derived from utility charges, real-estate taxes, maintenance fees, and return on investment. They may raise rents once every two years, by no more than 7.5 percent. This is, of course, often subject to lengthy legal challenges mounted by tenants. Rent stabilization is a whole different kettle of fish. Applying to buildings of six units or more built between 1947 and 1974, or those that opt in for tax benefits, it mandates yearly rent increases set by New Yorks Rent Guidelines Board, usually at between 1 and 3 percent. And at least until now, rent-stabilized units whose rent exceeded $2,700 a month or whose tenants made $200,000 a year for two years running were deregulated, or taken out of the rent-stabilization program. Story continues If its not already obvious, New York Citys housing market is not quite an example of unchecked laissez-faire capitalism. You wouldnt know that from hearing tenants rights advocates talk, however. Cea Weaver, the campaign coordinator of Housing Justice for All, a major advocacy group that has lobbied for the reform package, said in an official statement that the bill takes back the protections we lost as a result of decades of Republican and real estate control in Albany. Of course it doesnt occur to the Weavers of the world that the protections they seek grossly distort housing markets to everyones detriment. According to a study of San Franciscos rent-control program, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, rent control decreases supply and increases rent in the long term. Professor Rebecca Diamond, one of the co-authors, summed it up as something of a transfer from future tenants to incumbent tenants. Heavy-handed rent regulation actually resulted in less rent-controlled housing. Landlords would rather convert standard units into condos or upgrade them to luxury units when rent regulations suppress prices. So rent regulation creates a market tilted toward the rich. Middle- and working-class people are left competing for fewer, more expensive, units. Progressive groups then call for even heavier regulation to deal with the crisis. And the cycle continues. The Legislature anticipated a few of these problems. Under the reform package, rent-stabilized apartments cannot be deregulated because of rent thresholds or tenant income. Theyll just stay below market rate in most of the city, permanently. And the rule stating that tenants earning over $200,000 a year will see their apartments deregulated was repealed. Soak the rich has been replaced with give them cheaper housing. Of course, stopping deregulation will only choke off supply. And yet another change will endanger the quality of whatever is left. Up until now, landlords were able to raise rents up to 6 percent after investing in building improvements, such as a new boiler. The new reforms would cut that cap to 2 percent. According to the Real Estate Board of New York, landlords invest about $10 billion each year in improvements. It will now be harder to use rent increases to help offset those costs. Couple that with the fact that raising rents will now be much harder, and renovating and maintaining buildings will become significantly less lucrative. This process, in which housing stock deteriorates because rents are too low to cover the costs of maintenance and risks of capital improvements, is called shabbification by City Journals Howard Husock. Those who escape it are the richest tenants, because improving luxury housing stock carries a much lower risk. Detecting a pattern yet? New York is one of two of Americas ten most expensive cities that saw average rents decrease last year. These reforms will almost certainly change that. In their drive to control urban housing markets, progressives will reach regressive ends. The city will become far more expensive, split between luxury buildings able to withstand regulatory costs and a deteriorating, overregulated stock of affordable housing. It is almost certainly a lost cause, but lawmakers truly concerned about those struggling to afford living in the city would vote down this bill. More from National Review As NASA's Cassini dove close to Saturn in its final year, the spacecraft provided intricate detail on the workings of Saturn's complex rings, new analysis shows Although the mission ended in 2017, science continues to flow from the data collected. A new paper published June 13 in Science describes results from four Cassini instruments taking their closest-ever observations of the main rings. Findings include fine details of features sculpted by masses embedded within the rings. Textures and patterns, from clumpy to strawlike, pop out of the images, raising questions about the interactions that shaped them. New maps reveal how colors, chemistry and temperature change across the rings. Like a planet under construction inside a disk of protoplanetary material, tiny moons embedded in Saturn's rings (named A through G, in order of their discovery) interact with the particles around them. In that way, the paper provides further evidence that the rings are a window into the astrophysical disk processes that shape our solar system. The observations also deepen scientists' understanding of the complex Saturn system. Scientists conclude that at the outer edge of the main rings, a series of similar impact-generated streaks in the F ring have the same length and orientation, showing that they were likely caused by a flock of impactors that all struck the ring at the same time. This shows that the ring is shaped by streams of material that orbit Saturn itself rather than, for instance, by cometary debris (moving around the Sun) that happens to crash into the rings. "These new details of how the moons are sculpting the rings in various ways provide a window into solar system formation, where you also have disks evolving under the influence of masses embedded within them," said lead author and Cassini scientist Matt Tiscareno of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Enduring Mysteries At the same time, new puzzles have arisen and old mysteries have deepened with the latest research. The close-up ring images brought into focus three distinct textures -- clumpy, smooth and streaky -- and made it clear that these textures occur in belts with sharp boundaries. But why? In many places the belts aren't connected to any ring characteristics that scientists have yet identified. "This tells us the way the rings look is not just a function of how much material there is," Tiscareno said. "There has to be something different about the characteristics of the particles, perhaps affecting what happens when two ring particles collide and bounce off each other. And we don't yet know what it is." The data analyzed were gathered during the Ring Grazing Orbits (December 2016 to April 2017) and the Grand Finale (April to September 2017), when Cassini flew just above Saturn's cloud tops. As the spacecraft was running out of fuel, the mission team deliberately plunged it into the planet's atmosphere in September 2017. Cassini's Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) uncovered another mystery. The spectrometer, which imaged the rings in visible and near-infrared light, identified unusually weak water-ice bands in the outermost part of the A ring. That was a surprise, because the area is known to be highly reflective, which usually is a sign of less-contaminated ice and thus stronger water ice bands. The new spectral map also sheds light on the composition of the rings. And while scientists already knew that water ice is the main component, the spectral map ruled out detectable ammonia ice and methane ice as ingredients. But it also doesn't see organic compounds -- a surprise, given the organic material Cassini has discovered flowing from the D ring into Saturn's atmosphere. "If organics were there in large amounts -- at least in the main A, B and C rings -- we'd see them," said Phil Nicholson, Cassini VIMS scientist of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. "I'm not convinced yet that they are a major component of the main rings." The research signals the start of the next era of Cassini science, said NASA's Ames Research Center's Jeff Cuzzi, who's been studying Saturn's rings since the 1970s and is the interdisciplinary scientist for rings on the Cassini mission. "We see so much more, and closer up, and we're getting new and more interesting puzzles," Cuzzi said. "We are just settling into the next phase, which is building new, detailed models of ring evolution -- including the new revelation from Cassini data that the rings are much younger than Saturn." The new observations give scientists an even more intimate view of the rings than they had before, and each examination reveals new complexities, said Cassini Project Scientist Linda Spilker, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "It's like turning the power up one more notch on what we could see in the rings. Everyone just got a clearer view of what's going on," Spilker said. "Getting that extra resolution answered many questions, but so many tantalizing ones remain." The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter. The radio antenna was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the U.S. and several European countries. Larger images https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA23167 Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Los Angles County as a whole has also seen a surge of cases during the holiday season -- a spike that continued on Wednesday The Duke of Sussex once thought of leaving his family and relocating to Africa. Photo: Getty Prince Harry often thought about leaving the royal family and moving to Africa, a royal biographer says. Angela Levin, author of Harry: Conversations with the Prince, says the young royal once wanted a different life for himself. Speaking on Yahoo UKs The Royal Box, she says: He had often thought about leaving the royal family and going off to Africa and looking after animals. That obviously hasnt happened yet. I dont think Meghan would quite like that now. Now hes married, hes got an established family, theyre very tight together and he wants to do his own thing. The dream may not be over Recent reports have suggested the couple could spend up to six months at a time living in Africa over the next two to three years, as part of a sabbatical. It comes off the back of claims that Harry and his brother William have been frosty of late, and that the Duke of Cambridge would benefit from having the Sussexes overseas. In some ways it would suit William to get his brother out of the country for a few years and Meghan as far away as possible, a friend of the princes told The Sunday Times. They sent them down to Frogmore to try and keep them out of the limelight for a bit (but) this is doomed to fail. They are worried that Harry and Meghan are going to establish a totally separate enterprise that nobody can get under control. Upcoming visit Meghan and Harry are actually set to head off on tour of Africa later this year and will visit South Africa, Malawi and Angola, according to ITV. The duke is said to want to continue his mother Princess Dianas work on landmines in Angola. The late royal famously walked through an active minefield in Angola in support of the HALO (Hazardous Areas Life-Support Organisation) Trust in January 1997, just months before her tragic death. Princess Diana walks next to the edge of a minefield in Angola in 1997. Photo: Getty The Mirror reports: Palace aides are investigating Angolas security situation to see if Meghan and the couples newborn son Archie will be able to join Harry. Story continues In 2013, Harry visited the Cuando Cubango region in southeast Angola with the HALO Trust where he saw first-hand the impact of landmines on communities and the human suffering they cause. Botswana, which may also be on the tour itinerary, also holds a special place in Harrys heart - its where he whisked Meghan off to for her birthday in August 2017 and the centre stone in her engagement ring was sourced from the country. Harry and Meghan also recently shared a photo of their 2017 visit to Bostwana on their Instagram account, when they assisted Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders in equipping a bull elephant with a satellite collar. Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or sign up to our daily newsletter here. Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) organised a Telecom Infrastructure Development Workshop targeted to spread awareness among local authorities, Government bodies, Zila Parishad and Panchayats etc. The workshop highlighted the significance of telecom infrastructure for shaping Digital Uttar Pradesh. Further, UP Government during the workshop launched the Online Single Window Clearance Portal for extending seamless telecom infrastructure permissions across the state. The workshop emphasised on the implementation of Uttar Pradesh Right of Way (RoW) guidelines dated 15thJune 2018 issued by UP Government which is more or less aligned with RoW rules, 2016 notified by Government of India in order to deploy a robust telecom infrastructure across the state to unfold the socio-economic growth of the masses through Digitalisation. The main objective of the Online Single Window Clearance portal is to convert the manual process into online submission for procuring the fresh permission and renewal of permissions. The portal will help in saving precious time of the applicants which was previously wasted in making hard copy submissions with different departments. The portal can be accessed at www.uprow.inwhich extends benefits such as automated processes, increased efficiency, single point interface, time bound issuance of NOC, transparency, cost effective and quick data management etc. The workshop was organised by TAIPA, Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and was facilitated by Government of Uttar Pradesh. The workshop was graced by the eminent presence of Dr. Dinesh Sharma, Honble Deputy Chief Minister & Minister IT & E, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Anup Chandra Pandey, IAS-Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Alok Sinha, IAS-Additional Chief Secretary (IT&E), Government of Uttar Pradesh with other senior UP Government officials. From Central Government of India, the event witnessed presence of Shri Subodh Kumar Gupta, Director General (Telecom), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Shri Chandra Shekhar, Sr. DDG (DGT-HQ), Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Shri U K Srivastava, Principal Advisor, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The workshop also witnessed participations from LSA Heads (formerly Term cell) from UP East and UP West- DoT, telecom industry, Local authorities, Zila Parishad and Panchayat etc. In order to develop a robust telecom infrastructure for ensuring seamless network connectivity across Uttar Pradesh, a separate wing of Department of Telecommunications (DoT), named as LSA (Formerly TERM Cells) led by LSA Heads is closely working with state Authorities for ensuring monitoring of policy implementation, right of way permissions, BharatNet Coordination and facilitating lawful interception etc. While launching the Single Window Clearance Portal, Dr. Dinesh Sharma, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister IT&E, Government of Uttar Pradesh said, As you all know that the prosperity of any nation depends on its infrastructure development across all the states with total integrity, transparency, sensitiveness, efficiency and effectiveness which are corner stones of the polity. It is indeed my pleasure to launch such a portal which will help streamlining and speeding-up the permission process as well as help in expediting the telecom infrastructure rollout across the state. I appeal all the authorities to adopt and implement the Uttar Pradesh Right of Way rules, 2018 in their respective jurisdiction as it will help in shaping Digital Uttar Pradesh and help in realising the enormous potential of the state. As on December 2018, Uttar Pradesh state have more than 56 thousand mobile towers mounted with 2 lakh 34 thousand BTSs. In order to step in the future, twice the current number of telecom towers will be required in the state of Uttar Pradesh to meet the future requirements of emerging technologies such as 5G, IoT, M2M, AR, VR and AI etc. While speaking at the workshop, Dr. Anup Chandra Pandey, Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh said, The workshop has extended an excellent platform for the various district authorities to be aware of the significance of telecom infrastructure and its associated benefits that it can extend to the bottom of pyramid. Further, the workshop emphasised on the need of collaboration among various state authorities as well as down the line implementation of the state RoW rules, 2018 for touching various spectrum of lives through Digitalisation. At the workshop, Mr. Tilak Raj Dua, Director General, Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA)said The foundation for state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure is laid by policies enabling provisioning of telecom infrastructure across the state. The UP Government has taken a forward step in this direction by issuing a State Right of Way for the State that is aligned with Government of Indias Right of Way rules 2016 and having this workshop organised for the adoption and implementation of the said rules. These cumulative actions will help in developing Smart & Digital Uttar Pradesh. While addressing the audience, Mr. Amit Sharma, Executive Vice President and President, Asia, ATC India said, Telecom infrastructure development is a fundamental requirement for the data revolution and will serve to promote 5G and IOT. Provision of Digital Services to every citizen is essential in order to provide socio-economic growth to the Country particularly, to the rural population. The Uttar Pradesh Governments decision to convene this workshop, is ratification of the role of digital infrastructure providers in supporting national priority projects such as Digital India and Smart Cities. We are delighted that the UP Government has been an early adopter of the RoW policy and has developed an Online Single Window RoW Clearance portal which will assist the Municipal Corporations/Panchayats in the development of their telecom infrastructure. At the same time, it will usher in transparency, timeliness and ease of business for telecom infrastructure providers. In the last two decades, Telecommunication has emerged as a key driver of economic and social development in an increasingly knowledge intensive global scenarios. The Indian telecommunication sector has undergone a revolutionary transition in the last two decades to become the Worlds second largest telecommunication market with more than 1.2 billion subscribers connected through 5 lakh 50 thousand mobile towers with more than 21 lakh BTSs. As per the government report, the mobile sectors contribution to GDP which is presently 6.5 percent and will increase to 8.2 percent by 2020. Cast a transwoman though! And don't do some stereotypical santeria or some shit hmmmm Reply Thread Link The casting call says they're seeking transgender women. Reply Parent Thread Link You know it will be santeria bullshit though Reply Parent Thread Link But Santeria is a valid magical practice. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh yes, I know, that's why I'm worried about a bad representation. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link ~I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball~ Reply Parent Thread Link You can't expect both!! Reply Parent Thread Link "To play Latina" doesn't sound like they're casting some who IS latina. Just someone who can play Latina. Meh Reply Thread Link yeah the phrasing is very weird there Reply Parent Thread Link ikr, that rubbed me the wrong way Reply Parent Thread Link dfghjk okay but i have a cousin named lourdes who was also kicked out of her house for being trans so i may end up checking this show out with her lmao Reply Thread Link "to play a Latina" means that they just want her to be brunette and tanned. Reply Thread Link I just had to do it because they look adorable. Reply Parent Thread Link Cast an actual Latina trans woman. This could be really great for representation. And witchy queerness? Love it This makes me so excited for the reboot. Reply Thread Link The way the casting call is written is kind of messed. Is Indya Moore too old to play a teenager? Because they might make a good choice. Reply Thread Link omg indya or mj. i think both could pass as hollywood teenagers if they keep the makeup/outfits very light and teenage-like Reply Parent Thread Link THE CRAFT (REBOOT) IS CASTING A LATINA TRANSGENDER WOMAN. pic.twitter.com/1Sfe0DbFW2 alex schmider (@anderfinn) June 7, 2019 This is the casting call fwiw. It says at the top that they're looking for Latina transgender women between the ages of 18-23 so I don't think they're going to cast a white woman. Reply Thread Link unless carey mulligan shows up to the audition Reply Parent Thread Link u just wanna protect her Reply Parent Thread Link I'm still sour about that. Reply Parent Thread Link oop Reply Parent Thread Link This movie doesn't need a remake. Reply Thread Link this Reply Parent Thread Link It's perfect as-is, but at the same time, I would love for a trans Latina actress to have this opportunity. Reply Parent Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link Same tbh Reply Parent Thread Link Disagree.. baby witches out there need to see an updated version of this movie. Reply Parent Thread Link the story really works in the modern climate though. just see it as two completely different movies. the first was magic. it probably won't work (cough heathers cough), but maybe it will and then we can just all enjoy it for the totally different thing it will be. and if not, the original still exists. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't mind as long as it's not too corny and self-aware. Reply Parent Thread Link it totally does. the original is iconic but very flawed. it has the potential to be great with a better script and better directing. Edited at 2019-06-14 09:18 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Mte Reply Parent Thread Link Seriously it doesn't. Reply Parent Thread Link Whoever is chosen better be both Latinx and trans. Reply Thread Link OK but will the actress actually be Latina and Transgender Reply Thread Link "now lives with her 80 year old abuela, who has taught Lourdes a variety of supernatural practices. hmmmmm are there Latino people writing this movie? Because this could end up being offensive if not done right. Reply Thread Link https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoe_Lister-Jones lol of course not, this is blumhouse Reply Parent Thread Link "to play latina" tho?? Reply Thread Link Cool Reply Thread Link I can't at "to play Latina", and a child born ~2002 having transphobic parents, but a cool 80 year old witch grandma. We could have a spooky teen witch movie with trans characters without remaking The Craft, jfc. Reply Thread Link My avoiding checking my inbox is showing but yeah, I missed the Catholic parents part. I was raised by a homophobic, deeply religious single mother, so no, I don't think that magically disappeared after some arbitrary year. I assumed someone with a witch mom would be open minded enough to grow up to not be transphobic towards their own kids being raised today, but life doesn't always work out that way, even with fictional characters. Reply Parent Thread Link what is this comment lmfao Reply Parent Thread Link Tensions are soaring again the Middle East after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. released a video that purportedly shows Iranian patrol boats removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that Iran was definitively behind the attacks. But some experts say it is too early to jump to conclusions. I dont think there is any conclusive evidence that Iran was to blame, Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, said on Bloomberg TV. These could be other groups in the region that have carried out the attacks. We just dont have enough proof right now. The incident comes a month after other oil tankers were apparently attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, which fueled speculation of a broader military conflict. However, the details of that incident were also murky, and while the U.S. government blamed Iran, the evidence to back up such a claim was lacking. The damage to the oil tankers from the latest attack was much more serious. At least one of the ships caught fire while the crews on both abandoned ship. One ship had was carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia to Singapore, while the other was carrying naptha from the Emirates to Japan. Even as the world awaits more evidence, the attack has thrown U.S.-Iran tension back onto the front burner. Even in the absence of ironclad evidence, the U.S. and its allies will point the finger at Iran, Fawaz A. Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics told Bloomberg. These incidents are a bad omen because they point to a calculated escalation that tells us both sides are hunkering down. Related: U.S. Wind Farm Developers Brace For Trade War Fallout There are two competing narratives surrounding Irans involvement. On the one hand, if Iran was responsible, it would suggest that the Iranian government is trying to send a message to the U.S. that it has the ability to disrupt tanker traffic in the Persian Gulf, as it has long threatened. It could also be an attempt by hardliners in Iran to scuttle the attempt to defuse tensions. Prior to this incident, tensions had eased between Tehran and Washington. But, of course, the Iranian government would not want to spark a military response from Washington. As long as there is significant ambiguity the attacks wont produce a casus belli, or cause for war, Jack Watling, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told the New York Times. But Iran is demonstrating its capabilities. It is saying, We can impose a cost on our adversaries in this confrontation, and it will be high. However, Iran also arguably has little to gain from setting off a regional conflagration. Notably, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran on Wednesday, acting as an intermediary between the U.S. and Iran, and he warned about the dangers of slipping into war. According to the New York Times, Abe attempted to pass the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a note from President Trump, although the overture was rejected. I do not see Trump as worthy of any message exchange, and I do not have any reply for him, now or in future, Khamenei said, according to the Iranian state news media. For his part, Trump responded by saying that neither side is ready for a deal. Irans foreign minister Javad Zarif said the timing of the attack was suspicious, perhaps aimed at derailing regional talks. Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM @AbeShinzo was meeting with Ayatollah @khamenei_ir for extensive and friendly talks. Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning. Iran's proposed Regional Dialogue Forum is imperative. Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 13, 2019 Japan was the destination for one of the cargoes, so the timing of the attack coinciding with Shinzo Abes visit would be reckless. In fact, tensions had been on the wane over the last few weeks. Only a few days ago, Iran freed a U.S. resident from prison on espionage charges, a decision clearly aimed at defusing tensions with Washington. Related: Analysts: 2019 Oil Demand Growth Could Be Lowest In Years In other words, while Iran remains a suspect, it is just as plausible that the attack was conducted by those who wish to see Iran isolated. There are plenty of actors who might have an interest in that outcome. While there has been no major disruption to oil shipments in the Persian Gulf, the string of attacks could lead to a spike in shipping insurance. In May, after the last round of attacks, the Joint War Committee of Londons Lloyds Market Association said put the entire Persian Gulf on its listed areas, meaning that shipping is risky in the region. Insurance costs for shipping could rise. We need to remember that some 30 percent of the worlds crude oil passes through the Straits. If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk, Paolo dAmico, the chairman of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, said in a statement. Oil prices shot up 4 percent in early trading on Thursday, briefly erasing the steep losses seen the day before. However, the focus quickly shifted back to the anxiety over an economic recession and plunging oil demand. Oil prices were flat during Friday trading. The attack, and the ratcheting up of tensions between the U.S. and Iran could lead to a rebound in prices, but for now, demand side fears are keeping prices in check. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The fact is that there is no evidence of Iranian involvement either in this attack or in the sabotage of tankers, which was horribly overplayed in the media, last month. Trumps expert take on this can be summed up in a way that no Western world leader would even conceive of doing; not even George W. Bush. As statements of major foreign policy consequences are typically delivered on Twitter during this administration, Trump said it was the governments assessment that Iran was behind the attack. An assessment, in this world, means absolutely nothing and is not based on intelligence. It is based purely on political capital. As expected, and despite actual intelligence or evidence of any kind, the Trump administration is squarely blaming Iran, with Israeli media most vociferously jumping on the bandwagon. Oil prices have been given a convenient reprieve on the eve of OPECs decision as to whether it will extend the supply cuts at a time when demand growth is slowing. Thanks to alleged attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, not only are the speculators once again redirecting their attention from demand and trade wars, but insurance prices are bound to skyrocket and help push oil up for a longer period - even if speculators have a very short attention span for geopolitical provocations. Oil prices have been given a convenient reprieve on the eve of OPECs decision as to whether it will extend the supply cuts at a time when demand growth is slowing. Thanks to alleged attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, not only are the speculators once again redirecting their attention from demand and trade wars, but insurance prices are bound to skyrocket and help push oil up for a longer period - even if speculators have a very short attention span for geopolitical provocations. The Tanker Incident: The Hidden Truths Behind Conflict Escalation As expected, and despite actual intelligence or evidence of any kind, the Trump administration is squarely blaming Iran, with Israeli media most vociferously jumping on the bandwagon. Trumps expert take on this can be summed up in a way that no Western world leader would even conceive of doing; not even George W. Bush. As statements of major foreign policy consequences are typically delivered on Twitter during this administration, Trump said it was the governments assessment that Iran was behind the attack. An assessment, in this world, means absolutely nothing and is not based on intelligence. It is based purely on political capital. The fact is that there is no evidence of Iranian involvement either in this attack or in the sabotage of tankers, which was horribly overplayed in the media, last month. The only truths we have to work with here are the following: - Early Thursday, a Norwegian-owned tanker and a Japanese-owned vessel underwent apparent attacks while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman. - The Norwegian tanker was carrying Qatari ethanol to Taiwan; the Japanese vessel was carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia to Singapore. - The Norwegian ship experienced three explosions, while the Japanese ship caught fire. - Both the US Navy and the Iranian naval forces responded to distress calls from the vessels, while the Iranian naval forces rescued crew members from both. - The attacks were well-planned and well-coordinated, as well as being extreme precision attacks, clearly designed to cause minimal real damage. They were designed to be highly visible, but not to destroy vessels or cargo, or to take lives. - The Japanese ship had a hole caused by an unidentified type and make of artillery shell, which was discovered on the ship, according to the ships owners. The methanol cargo was not harmed. The ship is not in danger of sinking. - The Norwegian tanker reported three explosions onboard, and no reports of incoming artillery or torpedoes. A US navy source reported seeing an unexploded limpet mine on the side of the vessel, which could account for the nature of these explosions. Limpet mines are attached magnetically. However, the ships owner in the case refutes this account entirely. In this case, the weaponry tells us nothing. Limpet mines are naval weapons, but anyone can get their hands on them, and in the era of globalization, they change hands many times over. The US has released images it claims proves that Iran was behind what was a mine blast on the Norwegian ship; but, again, the owners of the ship - meaning eyewitnesses - refute this. Even our deepest sources inside royal circles in Saudi Arabia do not believe that this was a state actor attack perpetrated by Iran. That sentiment, however, will never be made public as it is not in the interests of either Saudi Arabia or the UAE to pin this attack on anyone but Iran or its Houthi allies from Yemen. The Saudis and the UAE have high-level back channels with Iran, as we have mentioned before. Nor would Iran attack a Japanese ship at exactly the time that the Japanese prime minister was visiting Tehran. There is absolutely no benefit in such an escalation, in such a manner, for Iran. Always look to the beneficiaries, and not to the media espousing unintelligible statements from world leaders with clear agendas. It is highly irresponsible of the Trump administration to lay the blame squarely on Iran for these alleged attacks. The media has forgotten conveniently that there is still no conclusive evidence that Iran was involved in last months attacks, either. There are many beneficiaries in this game, from Israel and even Russia to the Saudi-UAE band and the Trump administration. We know without a doubt from our assets in Riyadh that MBS and MBZ are both attempting to escalate tensions without having them escalate to the point of actual conflict. This is a difficult balance to maintain, especially with MBS and his itchy trigger finger, which worries MBZ, his UAE mentor. But the precision of this attack is what is most telling, which was accomplished with a fair amount of finesse that did no major damage in the end. It was meant to be visible and specifically to escalate tensions. At least two high-level intelligence consultants for major hedge funds tell us that the nature of the attack, the motives and an assessment of historical precedents would more readily indicate Israeli intelligence involvement, which does not always suggest involvement at the political level. Both the Mossad and AMAN (Israeli military intelligence) have been masters of sabotage when it comes to Iran. Together with American intelligence, Israeli intelligence has launched a number of sabotage operations aimed at taking down Irans nuclear projects, including sabotage of equipment and even through the Stuxnet computer virus. The Mossad has also taken out key Israeli scientists in its sabotage operations. The Israeli intelligence apparatus is keen to ensure that tensions remain escalated with Iran and that Trump does not become complacent, as he did soon after last months attacks on four oil tankers in the same region. Those attacks, for which accusations that Iran was involved have not been proven, were followed by high-level rhetoric coming out of Washington, but then a clear pullback and cool-down when the trade war with China quickly took center stage again. There will be more such attacks if Trump fails to get the world on board with this Iran narrative, though the next round of precision attacks may be different in nature. Oil speculators are already growing skeptical after the attacks: While oil prices shot up on news of the tanker attacks, by Friday morning they were paring some of those gains on the poor oil demand picture. They are still focusing more on fundamentals, and the trade war with its threat of global recession is still the key factor. But the fact is, if certain forces desire conflict with Iran, they will force it, with or without evidence. It seems fairly easy to get the media on board with this in 2019. The Renewables Frontline The next fracking might be for geothermal energy, according to a report just released by the US Department of Energy. What theyre eyeing is the enormous energy capacity found in enhanced geothermal systems, which are trapping hot water and gases under bedrock that would need to be fracked to release the energy. Advancing a technique specifically for these trapped geothermal systems could produce 45 gigawatts of electricity by 2050. That means a potential gain of 60 gigawatts of electricity overall in the sector by 2050. And that 2050 timeline prediction is actually based on the DoEs understanding of some pretty big impediments to all of this happening, from the high capital cost of geothermal power plants to bureaucratic red tape when it comes to federal lands and insufficient mapping of areas for geothermal well drillings. Read the full GeoVision report here. Shale oil production is rising and petrochemical plants are churning out more ethylene that the U.S. is now exporting at rates overtaking the worlds only other exporter of ethylene - Norway. Yet U.S. refiners are finding it hard to accommodate the shale oil boom. Most of the oil produced in the shale patch is light while Gulf Coast refineries need a mix of light and heavy to operate. Converting the equipment to only work with light oil would cost tens of billions. The outlook in the near-term does not hold any surprises. EIAs latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, published a couple of days after BPs statistical review, sees U.S. oil production growth at 1.4 million bpd this year and 900,000 bpd in 2020. In an ironic twist, changing weather patterns have contributed greatly to this trend in energy demand on a global level, BP said, and have fed a continued rise in oil, gas, and coal production as well in what the supermajor called a vicious circle. U.S. energy demand shot up by half a million barrels daily last year, BP said in its latest annual review of the industry out this week, adding this was the highest annual increase in a decade, coming on the back of rising shale oil and gas production that was soaked up by a slew of new petrochemicals plants. Production of oil, however, rose much more substantially, at 2.2 million bpd in the shale patch alone. Markets U.S. energy demand shot up by half a million barrels daily last year, BP said in its latest annual review of the industry out this week, adding this was the highest annual increase in a decade, coming on the back of rising shale oil and gas production that was soaked up by a slew of new petrochemicals plants. Production of oil, however, rose much more substantially, at 2.2 million bpd in the shale patch alone. In an ironic twist, changing weather patterns have contributed greatly to this trend in energy demand on a global level, BP said, and have fed a continued rise in oil, gas, and coal production as well in what the supermajor called a vicious circle. The outlook in the near-term does not hold any surprises. EIAs latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, published a couple of days after BPs statistical review, sees U.S. oil production growth at 1.4 million bpd this year and 900,000 bpd in 2020. Shale oil production is rising and petrochemical plants are churning out more ethylene that the U.S. is now exporting at rates overtaking the worlds only other exporter of ethylene - Norway. Yet U.S. refiners are finding it hard to accommodate the shale oil boom. Most of the oil produced in the shale patch is light while Gulf Coast refineries need a mix of light and heavy to operate. Converting the equipment to only work with light oil would cost tens of billions. Exports are the natural outlet for the extra light oil but the world remains well supplied in that segment, unlike in heavy crude. It seems the growing U.S. oil production will continue to act as a price depressor in the immediate term given this context of demand and supply. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions - Shell and Gazprom Neft have set up a JV for the exploration and development of oil fields in Western Siberia, a legacy oil and gas producing region in Russia. The fields the JV will target hold combined reserves estimated at 1.1 million tons of crude oil. The deal should close by early 2020 contingent on obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals. Gazprom Neft also has further plans for cooperation with Shell, not restricted to Russia. - Aramco has not dropped its bid for a stake in Novateks Arctic LNG 2 project it emerged this week after Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said Aramco had in fact extended its offer for an interest in the facility. So far, Total and CNPC have bought into Arctic LNG 2. Novatek has reserved a 60% stake in the project, so there is 10% left for Aramco if it decides to go through with the offer. - Phillips 66 and Plains All American have set up a joint venture for the development of the Red Oak pipeline system project. The system will add oil transportation capacity to the most prolific shale play in the U.S.the Permianand carry the crude to various destinations across Texas. The cost is seen at $2.5 billion and the pipelines should be operational in the first quarter of 2021. - Comstock Resources will acquire Texas-based natural gas producer Covey Park in a $1.1-billion deal. Covey park has assets in the Haynesville and Bossier shale plays with the Haynesville net production alone averaging 1.1 billion cu ft daily. The acquisition will boost Comstocks resources to some 13 trillion cu ft of natural gas. - Brazils Petrobras announced the sale of 90 percent of its stake in gas pipeline system TAG for $8.7 billion to the French Engie SA and Canadas CDPQ after the Supreme Court cleared the deal. Tenders, Auctions & Contracts - Cyprus has inked a new gas exploration deal with Shell, Noble Energy, and Israeli Delek Group that will see the island nation earn more than $9 billion over 18 years, according to its energy minister. The deal is a rework of an earlier exploration contract for the Aphrodite offshore field, which is among the largest recent gas finds globally, with reserves estimated at 127 billion cubic meters. First production under the updated contract is scheduled for 2024 or 2025. - Israel has extended the deadline for an offshore oil and gas tender to July 15 acting on a request from companies that took part in the tender. It offered 19 offshore oil and gas blocks amid rising interest in the Eastern Mediterranean, which has seen several large discoveries, two of themTamar and Leviathanin Israeli waters. The winners of the tender will be announced in early August. - Somalia has tendered offshore oil and gas blocks that lie in disputed waters between Somalia and Kenya, according to leaked government documents. The news will in all likelihood increase already tense bilateral relations. These soured last year after Kenya accused Somalia of offering up oil and gas blocks that belonged to it. - Mexico will cancel auctions scheduled for October, where they would have chosen JV partners for Pemex in 7 onshore areas in three states. This is the third time this auction is being postponed and it has investors worried that President Obrador will make good on his threat to disallow further oil JV between foreign companies and Pemex. - Egypt is launching a new license round for offshore blocks in the western Mediterranean. The auction will take place later this year (no exact date yet) and should include 11 blocks. - In Russia, Putin has approved the government's proposal to support Rosneft's shale gas projects in Venezuela (the Patao and Mejillones offshore gas fields), which were granted to Rosneft by Maduro in 2017 under a 30-year license. Total estimated reserves at the two fields are 180 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, demonstrating the sizable stake Russia has in Maduros longevity. Discovery & Development - Total announced the start of production from the Culzean gas condensate field in the North Sea. At peak production100,000 barrels of oil equivalent dailythe field will satisfy 5% of the UKs gas consumption. The field, discovered in 2008, holds an estimated 250-300 million barrels of oil equivalent. Total is the operator with a 49.99% interest, with BP holding a 32% stake and JX Nippon the other minority partner with 18.01%. - Exxon and Sabic have received a series of permits for their $10-billion petrochemical complex in Corpus Christi that will process crude oil from the Eagle Ford and the Permian into chemicals that are then used in plastics production. The companies are facing opposition from some local communities that are now expected to request a hearing on the matter, which means the complex is not yet a done deal. - Vietnam could become a regional leader in renewable power with onshore wind capacity expected to reach 1 GW by 2021. The countrys government is so ambitious in this respect, in fact, it may increase its wind energy capacity target for 2030 to 6 GW. To date, Vietnam has 228 MW of onshore wind power capacity as well as 99 MW of offshore capacity. Regulatory Updates - Brazils Supreme Court has cleared Petrobras divestment of subsidiaries after it ruled state companies did not need the approval of Congress to do so. The decision reversed an earlier ruling by one Supreme Court judge who suspended Petrobras sale of its pipeline business TAG to Engie for US$8.6 billion. Now, the energy major can get on with its divestment program aimed at shrinking its still sizeable debt pile. - Husky Energy will pay a fine of $3.8 million for an oil spill that occurred in 2016 on a pipeline operated by the company. The spill contaminated a section of the Saskatchewan River with 225,000 liters of crude oil and other liquids. Most of the sum is a fine that will go into state coffers but some of the money would be used for conservation projects in the area. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict - President Trump has threatened Germany with sanctions for its continued support of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline expansion, which would increase natural gas flows from Russia to Germany. The companies under target here would be Shell, Austrias OMV, German Wintershall and Uniper, and French Engie. - Norways sovereign wealth fund may have to divest its stakes in Glencore and BHP after parliament tightened coal investment rules targeting the largest producers of the commodity. This comes after the pension fund (GPFG) was given the green light to divestment more than $13 billion in investments, including eight coal companies and 150 oil producers, while maintaining stakes in companies that invest in clean energy technologies. Workers at Brazilian state-held oil firm Petrobras joined on Friday a 24-hour nationwide strike in Brazil against proposed pension reforms that would raise the minimum retirement age and workers contributions, the United Federation of Oil Workers, FUP, said today. Petrobras workers are staging strikes at nine refineries across eight states in Brazil as well as the port terminal in Pernambuco, the umbrella trade union organization said. Thousands of Brazilians are on strike today to protest the plans for a significant increase in retirement age, while various industry and services sectors are also using the nationwide strike to express grievances from their specific sector. For the oil workers, this is the privatization of assets of the state oil firm Petrobras, which the government and the companys new management have been speeding up in recent months. Workers in the union protest not only against the pension reform proposals, but also against the privatization of Petrobras assets, FUP says. At the beginning of this year, reports emerged that Brazil was pushing for major state-owned companies, including Petrobras, to privatize some subsidiaries as the Brazilian government of new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro looks to raise US$20 billion in state asset sales in 2019. The privatization of the company is not in question. I do not have a mandate to think about it, Petrobras new chief executive Roberto Castello Brancowho was tapped by Bolsonaro to lead the companysaid in November. Yet, the sale of non-core assets was expected to continue under Castello Branco, whose strategic vision for Petrobras includes portfolio management, capital cost reduction, and relentless pursuit of cost reduction. In late April, Petrobras approved the sale of several refineries as part of its divestment plan, and earlier this week, it struck a deal with the Brazilian antitrust regulator that will allow it to sell those downstream assets in a bid, the company said, to encourage greater competition in the industry. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: OPEC and its partners should start increasing oil production to keep the market well supplied and prices reasonable, Gazprom Nefts chairman Alexander Dyukov said, as quoted by Reuters. Dyukovs statement echoes Moscows reluctance to agree to an extension to the cuts proposed by Saudi Arabia earlier. Dyukov said a price range of between US$55 and US$65 per barrel was acceptable for Russian oil producers, adding that Gazprom Neft would be able to quickly step up production once the cuts are eliminated. These remarks are in tune with some made earlier this month by Russias President Vladimir Putin, who told media that Russia is comfortable with lower oil prices than Saudi Arabia. They are also in tune with a comment by Rosnefts Igor Sechin, who said the cuts affected Russian companies market share in favor of U.S. producers. Does it make sense (for Russia) to reduce (oil output) if the U.S immediately takes (our) market share? Sechin said. We have to defend our market share. The executive went on to say Rosneft would demand compensation from the Russian government if the cuts were extended. As the date of the next OPEC+ meeting in early July approaches, well probably hear more remarks like this. Russian producers never really go on board with the cuts and it was only the large-scale contamination of the oil flow along the Druzhba pipeline into Europe that forced them to shrink production enough to fall within the quota agreed with OPEC. At the same time, chances are the higher-price camp will also step up its efforts to convince everyone the cuts will do them good: the latest sign in this direction was how oil prices behaved after the news broke of new tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Although they jumped by about US$3 initially, prices started retreating on the same day. At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at US$61.43, with WTI at US$52.20 per barrel. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Libyas internationally recognized National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Thursday that it is concerned about an increased military presence inside one of the countrys key oil terminals, Ras Lanuf, warning that the facility could become a military target, putting at risk its critical oil infrastructure. NOCs warning is the latest sign that the ongoing fighting among forces loyal to the Tripoli-based UN-recognized government and a self-styled army of a military commander from the east could spill over to Libyas oil sector and infrastructure, potentially leading to an oil supply outage from the North African OPEC member which pumps just over 1 million bpd at present. While the oil market is fixated on the U.S.-China trade war for signs of demand, and on Iran, Venezuela, and the Middle East for signs of more supply disruptions, investors have not fully priced in the increased risk that Libyas fighting could result in a serious oil supply outage, analysts say. The security situation in Libya has materially worsened after eastern strongman General Khalifa Haftar ordered in early April his Libyan National Army (LNA) to march on the capital Tripoli. The self-styled army has been clashing with troops of the UN-backed government in a renewed confrontation that could escalate and threaten to disrupt, once again, Libyas oil production and exports. According to NOCs press statement from Thursday, a group of around 80 military personnel under the command of Major General Abdullah Nur al-Din al-Hamali from LNA entered the port on June 5, commandeering one building and converting it to military use. Related: Russian Energy Minister: Oil Could Still Drop To $30 We cannot accept a situation where any party to the current conflict misuses oil facilities, NOC chairman Mustafa Sanalla said. The presence of forces inside the terminal represents an unacceptable risk to employees. This renders the terminal a potential military target, thereby risking the destruction of Libyan oil infrastructure - and the resulting economic crisis that would follow, he said, adding that if risk assessments show that continued military presence is a risk to employees, NOC will take steps to protect them, including by withdrawing them from the oil terminal. A spokesman for the LNA, however, denied that LNA forces are in the oil terminals facilities. We expect every day a lie about the army (LNA), the spokesman told Reuters. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: According to a report by Punch Metro, gunmen in the early hours of Thursday kidnapped the wife of the State Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mrs Abigail Gambo. Police Public Relations Officer in Taraba state DSP David Misal who confirmed the report said the wife of Taraba State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Peter Gambo and Mr Emeka Okoronkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of Our Nation Bread company were abducted from their houses at Magami area of Jalingo around 1:00 a.m on Thursday. It is confirmed that two people were kidnapped and one injured by unknown gunmen in the early hours of Thursday in Jalingo, he said. NLC Chairman, Gambo also confirmed the incident. Gambo said, They whisked my wife away to an unknown destination after shooting sporadically in the compound. I have made a written submission to the police on the incident. He added that the abductors were yet to contact him or any family member for ransom. Gambo also said Mr. Okoronkwo, the owner of Our Nations Bread Bakery, who is his neighbour was also kidnapped. It was gathered that the kidnappers shot the gateman of Mr Okoronkwo in the leg during the operation which lasted over 40 minutes. The new senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, has cautioned Southeasterner against the misconception of the term Igbo presidency. Okorocha, while addressing journalists after being sworn in as Senator on Thursday, said such an agenda could not have existed as it was impossible to hand over power to a region without due process. The former governor said he is more concerned about having a president who can put food on the table of the common man. Power is not given, power is taken, he said. The South East cannot just fold their arms and expect power to be given to them just because you want power. Power does not go with sentiment some of the times, its on issues on ground. Democracy is about the people and the South East alone cannot make themselves president. So you cannot be talking about Igbo presidency, it doesnt exist. We may be talking about Nigerias president of Igbo extraction but that depends on what other geopolitical zones think about the issue. For me, what is important is let power be given to somebody who has something upstairs who can put food on the table of common man, irrespective of religion or where you come from. He noted that the South East needs to mend fences across the country in other to remain relevant politically. The Coalition of South-East Youths (CSEY) has berated President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for excluding the zone in the sharing of principal positions in the National Assembly. The group which pointed out how leaders of the current government are drawn from other major zones in the country excluding South-East, said the outcome of the election of the principals officers of the National Assembly on Tuesday, was a clear prove that Igbo people are no longer part of Nigeria. The group in a statement on Wednesday by its President, Mr. Goodluck Ibem, called on the APC and President Buhari to take urgent steps to redress the alleged injustice. The statement reads: The decision of the APC not to support or zone any principal position in the National Assembly to the South-east is a clear indication and statement by the APC that the South-east is no longer part of Nigeria. The North produced the President, the President of the Senate, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. The South-West also produced the APC National Leader, the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The South-south produced the partys national chairman and the deputy senate president while the South-East is left with nothing. The APC has just told its South-east members that they are not qualified for any good thing from the party. The group further added that the action of the APC against the South-East contradicts the visions of our founding fathers who agreed and came together in harmony to work in unity as one united Nigeria. Kano Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has given fresh conditions Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II must meet before he can reconcile with the traditional ruler. One, Emir Sanusi has been asked to tender a public apology to Ganduje and people of Kano for dragging the revered image of the Kano emirate into the mockery waters of politics. This will indeed, demonstrate his readiness to embrace peace and forgive, for the overall interest of Kano and good people of the state, Mallam Muhammad Garba, former Commissioner for Information, said in a statement Ganduje also wants Sanusi to withdraw all litigations challenging the Kano state government over the creation of the new Emirates. Sanusi must also extend hands of fellowship to the new first class Emirs, including Emir of Rano, Bichi, Karaye and Gaya. When these are done, the reconciliation will not only become sweetest but very rewarding, he said. Garba further maintained that the Emirs ordeals were a self-inflicted one and not a case of a witch hunt. He added that the case of financial impropriety against Sanusi was instituted by some concerned group, which clearly vindicated the government. Recall that a group known as Concerned Friends of the Kano Emirate had petitioned the anti-graft agency alleging that a whopping sum of N3.4 billion was illegally expended at different transactions by the Kano Emirate Council with the express approval of the Emir. The Kano anti-graft agency has been on this very matter for about three years; and not until recently when it concluded the investigation and did the needful by forwarding the interim report to Kano state government. Suffice to say that the state anti-corruption body, which is independent, is acting based on the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended). And as far as the Commission is concerned, this investigation is ongoing and the Commission will do everything legally possible to deliver its mandate with respect to the case. Interestingly, Emir Sanusi, in compliance with the law, has replied the query issued to him by Kano State Government. He has stated his own side of the story and I believe relevant authorities are looking into it. In this line, I believe that it is in the interest of Emir Sanusi for the probe to be completed so that the sleeping dogs may lie, Garba added. Sanusi nearly lost his throne days ago but for the intervention of Ekiti Gov Kayode Fayemi and businessman Aliko Dangote who brokered a slender peace in Abuja. Post Views: 119 It appears the Federal Government is tragically accepting oil theft because it is less injurious than militancy Bloombergs report that militancy in the Niger Delta region is now giving way to direct stealing of crude oil would simply mean that the country may be going to the dogs. According to the report, Nigeria has been losing about 100,000 barrels of crude oil daily to the new pastime in the oil-rich region in the last few months. Between 2014 and 2015, the country lost millions of barrels of crude oil to the oil thieves whose activities picked up in 2017 and has been growing incrementally, even if it is nothing near the preceding years disruption levels. Apparently one reason why the new illegality is thriving is because it pays, somehow, both the thieves and the Federal Government than militancy which focused more on sabotaging the economy and paralysing the government by blowing up oil pipelines. A lawyer and minority rights activist, Ledum Mitee, said the phenomenon is becoming widespread because the thieves have realised that they could make money from the new way instead of just crippling the economy which does not benefit them in any way, even if injurious to the government and the national economy. As a matter of fact, the thieves see some kind of role reversal in their new approach; one in which the Federal Government is the authentic thief and they the rightful owners of the oil. They believe the oil is theirs and the government is the thief. People now realise that instead of just cutting pipelines to spite the government, they can make money out of it, Mitee was quoted as saying. Bloomberg provides further insight into the booming business, which, according to it, has provided jobs for about 500,000 persons. On one level, theft is probably a more palatable option for Nigeria and the companies operating there than attacks by militants. About 100,000 barrels a day are being taken out of pipelines, whereas militancy halted at least eight times that amount at one stage three years ago. What can be deduced from what is happening is that the country is moving from a rogue philosophy to roguery. It is a case of militants now becoming criminals. In the past, the agitation in the Niger Delta had centred on resource control and environmental pollution, at least so we thought. Although successive military governments had neglected the region for far too long, there has been some attention on the region in the past few years, especially since the Alhaji Umaru YarAdua years when the government introduced amnesty programme for the militants. Under the arrangement, the militants were encouraged to drop their arms and embrace the various measures that the YarAdua government instituted to cater to their needs. Some of them were even sent to universities abroad under the amnesty programme. Before this arrangement, the militants activities had crippled the economy, reducing crude export to less than half of the usual volume. Things however began to pick up again with the militants beating a retreat, in acknowledgment of their acceptance of the amnesty programme. This is why what looks like beatification of stealing that is now going on in the region is puzzling. Could it be that the militants no longer find the amnesty programme beneficial? Or is it just a case of the dog returning to its vomit? Well, as Bloomberg rightly pointed out, the new deal appears attractive because of its win-win appeal to both the oil thieves and the Federal Government; at least the pipelines are not being deliberately ruptured again, which would cost the government a lot of money to fix. But then, there is the need to check the new trend because, with time, the number of those engaging in it will continue to swell, for as long as the people find the allures irresistible. The implication is that it might get to a time when the nations loss would become unbearable as it would be eating into the revenue. We call on the government to stop this growing trend before it becomes a festering sore. A few weeks ago, BOJ released his catchy single, Awolowo, featuring Ghanaian artists, Joey B, Kwesi Arthur & Darko Vibes. Now, in a smart bid to keep the momentum going, hes enlisted Nigerian rappers, Ycee, Falz & Fresh L, for a remix that might be even better than the original. This new iteration retains the originals strongest elements: BOJs fantastic chorus and GMKs stellar production work. While the Ghanaian stars certainly all delivered on the original, we have a feeling this second attempt will end up being the de-facto version for a lot of people. On the remix, each rapper brings the fire, delivering a variety of solid verses. Falz kicks things off by speaking out against the socio-political ills of the society; Ycee brags about his flashy Lagos lifestyle; and Fresh Ls closes things out on top form, delivering solid bars and puns. Listen to the Awolowo remix below: [embedded content] Human rights activist and convener of Dialogue 365 Platform, Mr Waheed Saka, has observed that poverty is the next phase of concern that Nigerian activist must beam their searchlight on for the struggle for the actualisation of June 12 as Democracy Day not to be in vain. He said it is now time for genuine activists and freedom seekers in Nigeria to re-strategise the next phase of the struggle for the immortalisation of the winner of the freest and fairest election in the history of Nigeria, Chief Moshood Abiola by fighting for the abolition of poverty. Describing poverty as an endemic which has eaten deep into the fabrics of all Nigerians, the rights activist said Abiola stood for abolition of poverty while alive, hence the need to wage war against poverty for the recognition given to him (Abiola) to be meaningful. Speaking at a rally to mark this years Democracy Day, Mr Saka stressed that the June 12, 1993, election paved way for the current democracy being enjoyed in Nigeria. He said that the first phase for recognition of June 12 mandate had been won and thereby commended those who consistently agitated for the revalidation of June 12 mandate. He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for supporting the yearning and aspiration of Nigerians by finding a means to end the agitation for recognition of June 12 as Democracy Day, which he described as the most protracted agitation in Nigerian political history. He said today will go down as a day of victory for the people; be proud of your resilience, be proud of your patriotism and be proud for standing up for democracy. The first phase of our struggle has been won. However, the next phase is the hardest and required extra resilience, extra patriotism and the need to stand up for our people to live decently and finally immortalise MKO by genuinely pursuing what Abiola died for; farewell to Poverty. The right activist further challenged all Nigerian activists and active citizens to see the new struggle against poverty as the struggle to free the nation from insecurity, insurgency and kidnapping. Saka said there is a direct link between poverty and crime, we must therefore help the greater number of our people out of poverty to curtail crime. Buhari-Osinbajo government must fight against poverty for the memory of MKO Abiola and the sustainability of our democracy. Just like our consistent agitation that gave birth to June 12 as democracy day and the recognition of the symbol of that struggle as the winner of that historic election, I have no doubt that we can end poverty in our land. Therefore, our new battle cry must now be on farewell to poverty we stand, he submitted Share this: 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... If You Enjoy My Articles, Please Consider Supporting My Writing By Giving A Donation Of Any Amount. Thank you! Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript. Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript. Dolar USA Vs Euro Paginas vistas en total Lo volvio a hacer Capitalismo=embuste Historico Bitcoin La bateria mas grande de Holanda El futuro es solar Nec plus ultra, nec variatur Fisica y culturalmente Jamas nos callaran Sin ellas, no seremos Deja vu Nada que celebrar Hasta cuando? 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Por culpa de Chavez Cerveza Polar Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar Translate LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares? Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano... Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos: Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias. Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera. No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje. En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio. Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida. Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella. Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal. Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista. Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen. Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che? Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio. Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora. Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo. Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo. Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania. No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar. Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga. Alguna duda? Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia. OZ1 OZ2 OZ3 OZ4 Homenaje a Jason Galarraga La Victoria de Samotracia Odalisca Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008 La Sierra Nevada de Merida Nuestro precioso Churum Meru Homenaje a Picasso Autoretrato Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola? La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar. Mi profesion? Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos. Sal en la Coca Cola? A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar. De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla: Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido) azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa) Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas Mucha Cafeina Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja. Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos. Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja. En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero). Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma. La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate. Bebidas Light? Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal. Publicado por loretahur En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina: 1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias. 2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina. 3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard. 4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos. 5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla. 6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos. Ahora... sobre la margarina: 1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) . 2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias. 3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno). 4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer. 5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna. 6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo. 7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina. Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas: * No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo). * No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!! No a la guerra, Si a la Paz Misterios de la ciencia... Los costos de la guerra medicos y capitalismo... Capitalismo... medicos (2) Quien educa a nuestros hijos? Los Medios... Sin Palabras... Chistes feministas - Cual es el problema, Eva? - Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas. - Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas... - Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti. - Que es un hombre? - Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente. - Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente. - Cual es el truco?. - Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion. - Cual? - Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer. Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Ellas... Ellas (2)... Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1 Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije: -Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro. Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria. Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre? -Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa! VENGANZA NUMERO 2 Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris. A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita: - Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!! Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta. La mujer paso quince dias en Francia. El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla. Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es: - Y amor me trajiste mi francesita?? - Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina. VENGANZA NUMERO 3 El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion. - No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo. - Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz. Te quiero confesar algo. - Esta bien, esta bien. Habla! - He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga. - Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!! machismo y cibernetica Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston. -Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide. -Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!. .Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos. Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco. Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas Gol !!!! Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso! Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy! " " A large crowd gathers inside the Horizon Church to worship on Sept. 29, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Horizon Church is a Pentecostal church that is also the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's place of worship. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images It was the summer of 1906 and something extraordinary was taking place in a tumble-down shack in the industrial outskirts of Los Angeles. Crowds gathered day and night at the Apostolic Faith Mission to be part of the Azusa Street revival, a charismatic Christian renewal movement led by a black minister from Louisiana named William Seymour. The Los Angeles Times took notice of the unusual spiritual awakening on Azusa Street, describing ecstatic attendees "breathing strange utterances and mouthing a creed which it would seem no sane mortal could understand," adding that "devotees of the weird doctrine practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories, and work themselves into a state of mad excitement." The Times may have scoffed, but for the thousands of believers who traveled cross-country to join Seymour's grassroots spiritual movement, there was real power and Biblical truth in all of that "madness." Their spontaneous and euphoric expressions, known as "speaking in tongues," were a clear sign that they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus's disciples were "filled with the Holy Ghost" and "began to speak with other tongues" during the Jewish feast known as the Pentecost. Word of the spiritual storm on Azusa Street quickly spread across the country and eventually around the world, launching the wildly popular Christian movement now known as Pentecostalism. Pentecostal worship is famous for its spontaneous outpourings of the Holy Spirit through singing, speaking in tongues and divine healing. Today, just 113 years after the Azusa Street revival, Pentecostals number about 300 million believers worldwide, ranking second only to Catholics as the world's most practiced Christian denomination. In the United States, two of the largest Pentecostal denominations are The Church of God in Christ whose 6.5 million members are mostly African-American, and the Assemblies of God with 3.2 million members across more than 13,000 congregations. There is also the United Pentecostal Church International which has 5.3 million members worldwide Pentecostalism and related charismatic Christian movements are among the fastest-growing religious denominations in the world. In 1980, 6 percent of all global Christians were Pentecostals. By 2015, 25 percent of global Christians were Pentecostal with the greatest concentrations in what's referred to as the "Global South" largely impoverished regions in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Advertisement Pentecostal Beliefs Martin Mittelstadt is a New Testament professor at Evangel University in Missouri, and president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. He describes Pentecostalism as a "renewal" or "restoration" movement within Christianity. Such movements have sprung up now and again when Christians feel like something important about Christ's original teachings and church has been lost and needs to be recovered. In the case of Pentecostals, what was lost were the impressive spiritual powers and prophetic callings bestowed upon Christ's 11 remaining apostles in the New Testament book of Acts, says Mittelstadt. After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he appeared to his disciples and told them to wait in Jerusalem "until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). That power arrived during the Jewish festival of Shavuot, known in Greek as Pentecost ("fiftieth") because it takes place 50 days after Passover. While the apostles and more than 100 other early Christians were gathered together for the Pentecost feast, "there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting," reports Acts 2. "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Pentecostal pioneer William Seymour and others came to understand this original biblical Pentecost experience as an example of "baptism in the Holy Spirit," or "Spirit baptism." Such a Spirit baptism occurs after someone has already converted to Christianity in their hearts by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior (also known as being "saved"), and is separate from a water baptism. To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be baptized "with the Holy Ghost and with fire," as promised by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11. Pentecostals believe that the same transformative spiritual baptism experienced by the original 11 apostles is available to all and is necessary to align your life and personal mission with that of Jesus Christ. "The goal is to reenact 1st-century Christianity," says Mittelstadt. "They want to relive the book of Acts. And the events on the Day of Pentecost are central to the character of the Pentecostal worldview." At the heart of this worldview is the belief that Jesus Christ's return is imminent. In Acts 2, the apostle Peter explains the disciples' strange behavior on the Pentecost as a sign that the Second Coming is nigh. He cites the Old Testament prophet Joel, who prophesied that "in the last days... [God] will pour out of [His] Spirit upon all flesh." The early Pentecostals saw what was happening on Azusa Street and elsewhere as the long-awaited arrival of the "latter rain," fulfilling the prophecy that the Holy Spirit would pour down on this last generation before the triumphant return of Christ. Advertisement What's Up With Speaking in Tongues? Speaking in tongues seems truly bizarre to many non-Pentecostals. Even the onlookers who witnessed the first Pentecost thought the apostles were day drunk when they spontaneously began to blabber in foreign languages. But speaking in tongues fulfills a very important role for Pentecostals. Pentecostal pioneer Charles Fox Parham was one of the earliest to preach what is now one of the fundamental truths of Pentecostalism, which is that speaking in tongues is physical evidence of having been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Spontaneous speech, either in an untaught foreign language (xenoglossia) or through nonsensical divine utterances (glossolalia), is seen by Pentecostals as "proof" that someone has been filled with the Holy Spirit. For early Pentecostal believers, receiving the gift of tongues had a functional purpose, too. Once baptized in the Holy Spirit, adherents would often to travel abroad to preach the word as Pentecostal missionaries. But Mittelstadt wants to emphasize that speaking in tongues was never seen strictly in a utilitarian light. "These experiences were profoundly spiritual for these folks," he says. "They were also symbolic or metaphoric of a deep and intimate encounter with God." Speaking in tongues remains controversial, and is a sticking point between Pentecostals and members of other Protestant churches who don't practice this. (They point out that other Bible verses say speaking in tongues should only be done in public if someone is there to interpret the message for the rest of the audience.) Advertisement Pentecostals and Charismatic Worship In the early Pentecostal movement, Mittelstadt says that church services used to run for four or five hours straight and include a lot of singing and space for spontaneous expressions of praise through dancing, clapping, shouting and speaking in tongues. Leaders may also ask people to come to the front of the church for healing, where they might anoint them with oil and pray over them. "One of the great contributions of Pentecostals was this new emphasis on praise, on worship, spontaneity and freedom," says Mittelstadt. "The service is not taking place in front of you, but you are full participants within it." Many Pentecostal practices have found their way into other Christian denominations, in what is referred to as the charismatic movement. There are charismatic Catholic, Methodist and evangelical churches. Modern Pentecostal worship services in larger congregations aren't quite as spontaneous and ecstatic as their predecessors, says Mittelstadt, who laments the "performance element" that has taken over. Advertisement All the World is Pentecostal " " Hundreds of thousands of people attend an all-night Pentecostal church service held by the Redeemed Church of Christ on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway the night of Oct. 3, 2003 in Nigeria. Jacob Silberberg/Getty Images The Pulitzer Center's Atlas of Pentecostalism estimates that 35,000 people convert to Pentecostalism every day, and some of the largest churches in the world are Pentecostal. The Redeemed Christian Church of God in Lagos, Nigeria claims to have 5 million members in Nigeria alone. And the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, claims 800,000 members. Mittlelstadt cites several reasons for Pentecostalism's explosive growth in the Global South. For starters, even non-Christians are accustomed to highly experiential forms of religious worship and practice. "You're talking about people that are already living in a spiritual dynamic that believes in the supernatural," says Mittelstadt. "The idea of 'God versus the powers' is an everyday reality for these folks." A second reason for Pentecostalism's rapid spread in the Global South is related to what's often derogatorily called "the prosperity gospel," the belief that living a certain kind of Christian life will not only bring spiritual blessings, but monetary reward. Mittelstadt doesn't agree that all Pentecostals in the Global South want to buy a new BMW, but he recognizes that Holy Spirit baptism often brings with it a noticeable "lift." "You have this profound spiritual experience and all of a sudden fidelity to your spouse becomes important, education becomes important, you give up alcohol, you hold down a job, your family winds up being transformed and your communities are transformed," says Mittelstadt. "There's a social lift that comes with the Pentecostal experience." Now That's Impressive The Redemption Camp of The Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria used to be an offsite gathering spot for revivals, but has grown into a city of its own, with 5,000 private homes, its own electric power plant and an amusement park. Advertisement Originally Published: Jun 14, 2019 MORE than half a million pesos worth of illegal drugs were seized from two individuals during a drug bust in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City on Friday morning, June 14.The drug bust was conducted at 6:45 MORE than half a million pesos worth of illegal drugs were seized from two individuals during a drug bust in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City on Friday morning, June 14. The drug bust was conducted at 6:45 a.m. by operatives of the Pardo Police Station and the Cebu City Police Office. Police arrested Evangeline Sabal Mijares, 39, who is identified as part of their drug watchlist, and her companion, Jeric Cabanilla Maranga, 23, both residing along Belgium Street in Barangay Suba, Cebu City. Seized from Maranga were three large and two small sachets of suspected shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and marked money worth P500 while Mijares yielded five medium-sized sachets of suspected shabu. Police Major Regino Maramag Jr., Pardo Police Station chief, told SunStar Cebu that their initial subject was Maranga after receiving information that he and Mijares's son were both partners in the illegal drug trade before. Mijares's son was earlier arrested and jailed for illegal drug possession and selling. Following her son's arrest, Mijares continued her operations and partnered with Maranga in selling illegal drugs in barangays Pasil and Sawang Calero. However, both decided to transfer their illegal operations to Barangay Mambaling after the Regional Mobile Force Battalion were sent to the two barangays to conduct non-stop patrols to quash the illegal drug trade there. Mijares and Maranga will face charges of violating Section 5 and Section 11 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, for selling and possessing of illegal drugs. (JGS/ with reports from JKV) Courtesy: (2DPAO, 2ID, PA) RIZAL, Philippines Three members of the New Peoples Army (NPA) terrorist group were killed in an encounter with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the town of Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro province. The encounter took place on Thursday afternoon (June 13) and lasted for almost two hours. According to BGen. Marceliano Teofilo, the commander of the 203rd Infantry Brigade which has operational jurisdiction over Mindoro Province, they received information from concerned citizen that the NPA terrorists in the area will conduct training to their newly recruited members of which some were believed to be minors. This prompted us to conduct Focused Military Operation (FMO) and our troops were able to locate their whereabouts, and fire fight broke, Teofilo said. The military also recovered three M16 rifles; one AK-47; one cal.45 with 2 magazines; one grenade launcher tube; two improvised explosive devices (IED) and switch; three blasting caps; two cellphones; and assorted kinds of ammunitions at the encounter site. According to the report, one soldier from the Armys 4IB was slightly wounded in the left ear but is now in safe condition. Lt.Col. Alexander Arbolado, Battalion Commander of the 4IB said they already dispatched additional troops and K9 units to track the whereabouts of the retreating rebels. We will not let them go until they are totally destroyed, he said. BGen. Teofilo calls on the NPA rebels to surrender or else suffer the fate of their comrades as the military will not stop in pursuing them. Meanwhile, Armys 2nd Infantry Division spokesperson Capt. Patrick Jay Retumban said the intel community is now validating the reports that an NPA Commander was slain during the encounter. If its true, BGen. Teofilo said it would be a major blow to the NPA rebel unit in Mindoro. Their days are numbered and in just a matter of time the NPA here will be on the verge of collapse due to their numerous setbacks in armed encounters and snowballing of surrenderees, he noted. The post 3 NPA terrorists killed in Mindoro encounter appeared first on UNTV News. MANILA, Philippines Airline companies have agreed to use Sangley Airport in Cavite for general aviation, freight turboprop operations, and commercial turboprop operations, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Thursday. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade made the announcement after he met with airline officials to discuss the immediate operationalization of Sangley airport and the governments move to address aviation concerns. The DOTr said general aviation refers to the operation of a civil aircraft other than a commercial air transport operation or aerial work operation. General aviation users will be notified to fully relocate in a years time to Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga and Sangley Airport to help decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Tugade said. Tugade said the move will free up space in the four terminals of the NAIA to allow for improvements and additions in the main gateway. The transportation chief added that during the meeting, airline companies have pledged to cooperate with the governments move to open Sangley Airport, as ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte. It was a productive and mutually beneficial meeting. Airlines expressed their willingness and commitment to support the governments thrust to utilize Sangley Airport. This is a solid demonstration of their trust and confidence in the administration of President Duterte, Tugade said. The DOTr said airline companies will sign a pledge of commitment and support on June 24, 2019 as a manifestation of cooperation with the governments initiative. At the meeting on Thursday, Tugade was joined by Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Jim Sydiongco, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla, Michael Tan of Philippine Airlines, Lance Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific, and Capt. Dexter Comendador of AirAsia. Tugade earlier ordered the 24/7 construction of the Sangley Airport to meet the operational timeline set by President Rodrigo Duterte in decongesting NAIA. The post Airline companies agree to relocate flights to Sangley Airport appeared first on UNTV News. Five cans of luncheon meat seized from a returning overseas Filipino worker (OFW) at Clark International Airport tested positive for the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus, the Philippines agriculture secretary announced today on his Facebook account. Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol posted a report filed by Dr. Rachel Azul of the Bureau of Animal Industrys virology section that said the canned goods were seized from the OFW, who was based in Hong Kong, on March 25. Azul said the virus was detected during a laboratory test. So far, no African swine fever infections have been reported in pigs in the country, Azul said. The detection of the virus in [the] seized products does not change Philippines African Swine Fever-free status. The seizure is a warning for the industry and an acknowledgment of the catastrophic threat on our doorsteps. In a follow-up post, Pinol shared photos of the five cans of Sky Dragon luncheon meat that were confiscated from the OFW that tested positive for ASF. He wrote in Filipino: If this was allowed into [the Philippines] and its leftovers were fed to pigs, the disease could have spread to other pigs and this would have caused the destruction of our hog industry. To those who say that we are over-reacting and are complaining about the strict quarantine protocols, this is proof that we are facing a threat, he said. Lets not act like know-it-alls and dont be stubborn. Follow the quarantine officers at the airport. Bringing canned goods and processed pork products into the country is prohibited. You will be caught and made to pay a fine. GMA News reported that the OFW who brought the canned goods into the country sought the help of the media to get them back from customs officers. According to the World Organization for Animal Health, ASF is a severe viral disease that affects both domestic and wild pigs and could cause their deaths. It could be transmitted when a pig comes into contact with another that has been afflicted with ASF or when it eats something that tested positive with the virus. Story continues Sky Dragon luncheon meat is produced in China. To prevent ASF from spreading in the country, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also banned the popular luncheon meat Maling from the Philippines because its also produced in China where ASF is present. The FDA has also stopped the importation, distribution, and sale of all processed pork meat products from Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Zambia, South Africa, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Mongolia, Moldova, and Belgium, reported The Philippine Daily Inquirer. This article, Chinese luncheon meat seized from returning OFW tests positive for African Swine Fever, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! KARA David assumes hosting duties of GMA News TVs investigative news magazine program Brigada. The multi-awarded broadcast journalist is no stranger to the said program. David has been veteran journalist Jessica Sohos researcher in Brigada Siete during the 90s and she considers Soho as a mentor during her stint with the program. As a broadcast journalist, Davids potential as an on-cam reporter was discovered when she was sent to cover the breaking news story of the MV Kimelody Cristy sinking in 1995. One of Davids most memorable Brigada Siete stories was her documentary on Sitio Avocado, formerly a war-torn and NPA-infested area in Negros Oriental. She witnessed how their first batch of graduates gave the community hope to rise from the ashes. For her first episode as the new host of Brigada last June 11, the show tackled the final ruling of the Supreme Court that Filipino and Panitikan (Philippine Literature) may now be excluded from the core subjects in college. Another story delved into the Philippines alarming teacher shortage. New story. New experience. New generation of journalists. Catch the all-new Brigada on GMA News TV. (PR) Senator Panfilo Lacson MANILA, Philippines Senator Panfilo Lacson extended a lifetime gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for approving the pension increase of some 220,000 retired military and uniformed personnel (MUP) in the government. On behalf of the 220,000 MUP retirees, let me say a lifetime THANK YOU to PRRD for Joint Resolution No 1, Lacson said on his tweet on Thursday (June 13). No other President has shown such concern for those who served and offered their lives for country and people. All we have to do is continue breathing for as long as we can, the senator added. On behalf of the 220,000 MUP retirees, let me say a lifetime THANK YOU to PRRD for Joint Resolution No 1. No other president has shown such concern for those who served and offered their lives for country and people. All we have to do is continue breathing for as long as we can PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) June 13, 2019 Congress Joint Resolution No. 1 signed by the President authorizes an increase in the base pay of MUPs. On Tuesday (June 11), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already released the pension requirements of retired MUPs under the Armed Forces of the Philippines-General Headquarters (AFP-GHQ), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). Specifically, the DBM released P29.9 billion to the AFP-GHQ; P21.7 billion to the PNP; P1.9 billion to the BFP; and around P731 million to the BJMP. Accordingly, the recently released amounts already include the adjustment of the pension of the retired MUPs as indexed to the base pay scale of MUP in the active service covering the period June to December 2019 based on the available funds as certified by the Bureau of the Treasury, the DBM said. Senator Lacson and Senator Gringo Honasan co-authored the Senate Joint Resolution which authorizes the increase in the base pay of military and uniformed personnel (MUP) in the government. It was approved and signed as Congress Joint Resolution No. 01. The post Lacson tells Duterte a lifetime thank you for MUP pension increase appeared first on UNTV News. EARLIER this year, a TV commercial entitled A Tricky Chat caught the attention of viewers in New Zealand. It was about a son revealing to his parents his decision not to pursue a university qualification but instead become a tradie, the term used for those who work in the construction sector. The father tells the son to instead follow his profession in accountancy, to which the young one replies, I will have a qualification. The advertisement was made for the Building Construction Industry Training Organization to correct the wrong notion that a tradie is a dead-end job, rather it is a decent and important profession. It also addresses the need for an extra 57,600 tradies by 2026. Already the Labor government is reforming New Zealands vocational training sector by establishing a national system of vocational education and training. The shortage in manpower is real and continues to impact the growth of the construction sector. Even as the government has been appropriating money in institutes of technology and polytechnics, the enrollment has not increased; rather this has fallen. The Philippines has the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) founded in 1994 that provides direction, policies, programs and standards towards quality technical education and skills development. While many of its graduates have secured jobs within the Philippines, Tesda seems to have become the go-to institution for those wanting to get employed overseas. With the inclination of media and society to celebrate successes in the Bar and professional licensure examinations, youths would prefer to get degrees in the university than settle for a qualification from Tesda or similar institutions. You never read about top graduates in welding, plumbing, automotive, dressmaking or visual graphic design. But truly, these tradies are as important as doctors, lawyers, accountants, nurses or engineers. There is need for people to change their views on these skilled individuals. A CNBC article entitled The Future of Work Wont Be About College Degrees, It Will Be About Job Skills by Upwork CEO Stephanie Kasriel says: Too often, degrees are still thought of as lifelong stamps of professional competency. They tend to create a false sense of security, perpetuating the illusion that workand the knowledge it requiresis static. Its not. Which brings me to a press release I received from ACTS-OFW that encourages returning overseas Filipino workers who are not bachelors degree holders and who wish to acquire new skills to avail themselves of governments tuition-free technical vocational education and training (TVET) programs that had been allotted P3.9 billion in 2019. Tradie, anyone? (Repeats without change) * Indian rates dip to $365-$367 a tonne from $366-$369 last week * Thai baht jumps to near-four-month high vs dollar * Bangladesh faces stiff competition from top exporters -trader * Quality of Vietnam's summer-autumn harvest not very good -trader By Swati Verma BENGALURU, June 13 (Reuters) - Export prices for Indian and Vietnamese rice slipped this week on thin demand while strength in the baht made supplies from Thailand less competitive even as the world's second-biggest rice exporter struggles to find fresh orders. For top rice exporter India, prices for the 5% broken parboiled variety were quoted at $365-$367 a tonne this week, down from last week's $366-$369. "African buyers are holding ample stocks. They are not in a hurry," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. India mainly exports non-basmati rice to African countries and premier basmati rice to the Middle East. Dealers said planting of the summer-sown staple crop could also be delayed with the arrival of monsoon rains expected to be late. Demand also remained lacklustre in Vietnam, where rates for the 5% broken rice variety retraced to $345- $350 a tonne on Thursday, from $350-$360 last week, traders said. "The market is quiet at the moment and there aren't many offers," said one trader in Ho Chi Minh City. Pressuring prices was inferior quality produce from the ongoing summer-autumn harvest, another trader added. In Thailand, rates for the benchmark 5% broken rice were largely unchanged at $393-$404 a tonne on Thursday. Traders said demand for Thai rice has remained stagnant, with no major deals in sight in the short or medium term. "We are keeping our eye on the Middle Eastern markets after Ramadan, but so far there are no signs of major deals and most traders are selling rice to their usual customers," a Bangkok rice trader said. Story continues The growing strength of the baht, which on Thursday touched its highest against the U.S. dollar in nearly four months, continues to levy competitive pressure on staple prices. "The only factor that will impact the price of rice right now is the currency; the strength of the baht against the U.S. dollar will continue to make Thai rice more expensive than our competitors," another rice trader said. Meanwhile, Bangladesh is finding it difficult to export rice despite a drastic fall in domestic prices. "It won't be easy for us to make export deals as our produce is (more) expensive than India and Thailand," a trader in Dhaka said. The South Asian country, which usually produces parboiled rice, has lifted its long-standing ban on rice exports, hoping to sell as much as 1.5 million tonnes to support farmers after a sharp drop in prices. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Kham Nguyen in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Ruma Paul in Dhaka Additional reporting by Arijit Bose Editing by David Goodman) Americans may find themselves with the luck of the Irish if they choose to move to this quiet and beautiful island. Arranmore, a tiny Island off the northwestern coast of Ireland, is down to less than 500 inhabitants, and its remaining natives are trying to recruit people to travel and live there, permanently. In an open letter penned by the inhabitants, written out to the people of America, Arranmore residents explain that emigration has been ongoing for years, with most residents looking for opportunities elsewhere and choosing to leave the island life behind them. Now, those remaining are hoping to reverse that trend. We wanted you to be the first to know that Arranmore Island is now online and officially open for business, the letter says. The island is also officially up and running with a high-speed Internet broadband, which is as good as any office in America, the letter states. Arranmore | Arranmore RELATED: The Worlds Largest Swimming Pool Is So Insanely Huge, You Can Actually Set Sail in It As noted on the islands website, the breathtaking views give residents a look across the Atlantic Ocean and to the mainland mountains stretching from Glen Head to Tory Island. The island is three miles from the mainland, with a ferry that heads to the town of Burtonport on a daily basis. An airport in Burtonport offers 45-minute flights to Dublin. The clear waters of the island allow for many water activities, including divings, sailing, kayaking, and more. The island is also home to multiple freshwater lakes. Arranmore | Patrick Mangan/Shutterstock Arranmore | Rob Crandall/Shutterstock The website adds that Arranmore is famous for traditional music at their exciting pubs. Swell Fest, an annual event on the island, features bands that come from all over Ireland. The festival offers weekend and daily tickets, and has proven over the years to be the most exciting weekend for the Arranmore residents. Since the people of Arranmore penned their letter to American residents, the island has received hundreds and hundreds of inquiries, Adrian Begley, the chair of the Arranmore Island Community Council, told ABC News. Story continues Its a beautiful place. One of the best things about the place is its people. Its second to none, said Begley, who has lived on the island for more than 20 years. Arranmore | Patrick Mangan/Shutterstock RELATED: Want to Spot a Celeb on Vacation? Heres Where to Book a Room The island has two elementary schools, and one junior school that runs up until college. And interested transplants dont need to worry about a language barrier on the island. Everyone speaks English, and most people speak Irish youd never struggle with it, Begley insisted. As Begley explained, the overall goal is to bring more people in to work and live on the island, which allows for a much more sustainable community. Island life is a very unique way of being. Its a very unique experience, Begley added. But because of the connectivity we now have, were in a position to offer the best of both worlds. In a remote valley in Pakistan dozens of Kalash minority women dance to celebrate spring's arrival -- but as a gaggle of men scramble to catch them on camera, the community warns an influx of domestic tourists is threatening their unique traditions. Every year the Kalash -- a group of less than 4,000 people confined to a handful of villages in the north -- greet the new season with animal sacrifices, baptisms, and weddings at a festival known as "Joshi". As celebrations kick off, tourists with phones jostle to get close to Kalash women, whose vibrant clothing and headdresses contrast starkly with the more modest attire worn by many in the conservative Islamic republic. "Some people are using their cameras as if they were in a zoo," said local tourist guide Iqbal Shah. Known for their pale skin and light-coloured eyes, the Kalash have long claimed ancestral links to Alexander the Great's army -- who conquered the region in the fourth century BC. They worship many gods, drinking alcohol is a tradition and marriages of choice are the norm -- unlike in the rest of Pakistan where unions are often arranged. However, the community is far from a liberal beacon. Members of the community often wed in their teens, with women poorly educated and expected to perform traditional roles in the home. Stories about the Kalash are nonetheless frequently fabricated, and this has been amplified in recent years by the proliferation of smartphones and social media. - 'Defaming the community' - One video viewed 1.3 million times on YouTube, proclaims the Kalash "openly have sex" with partners of their choosing "in the presence of their husbands". Another calls them "beautiful infidels", saying "anyone can go and marry any girl there". "How could that be true?" asks Luke Rehmat, a Kalash journalist. "People are systematically trying to defame the community. They are fabricating stories... when a tourist comes with such a mindset, he will try to experience [it]." In the main Kalash village of Bumburate a hotel manager estimates that about 70 percent of Pakistani tourists visiting his establishment are young men, who often inquire about where to "find girls". According to tourists who spoke to AFP -- most of whom were men travelling in groups -- their primary interest in exploring the Kalash Valley was to learn about a new culture. "We want to be part of this festival but it doesn't mean that we want to mix up with girls," says tourist Sikander Nawaz Khan Niazi from Lahore. But friction has been increasing in recent years. In Bumburate, posters now call on visitors to seek permission from villagers before photographing and signs warn tourists not to harass women. "If they don't respect us, we don't need tourists," says Yasir Kalash, the vice president of the local hotel association. "If they respect... our culture and traditions, we must welcome [them]." Regulating tourism is a cumbersome but vital task for the Kalash, with money from the industry increasingly providing an important source of revenue for the community. - 'We are going to die' - The Kalash -- who once inhabited a vast territory stretching from the Himalayas in Kashmir to northern Afghanistan -- are now one of the smallest religious minorities in Pakistan, according to Akram Hussain, the director of a local museum. A recent survey put their number at just 3,872, living in three remote valleys. "We are going to die if we are not supported," says Hussain. Kalash traditions, Hussain argues, can be expensive. Weddings and funerals require families to kill dozens of animals for the festivities, driving them into debt, forcing them to sell off land and leave their ancestral homes. Cases of forced conversions to Islam of Kalash women have also been reported, while the increase in tourism has pushed some in the community to shun traditions like Joshi, according to several residents who spoke to AFP. Others have begun wearing veils to hide their faces from the prying eyes of outsiders. "We don't wear veils as it is not our custom, but some wear them because people take pictures of them from all sides and it makes them feel ashamed," says Musarrat Ali, a high school student. The ongoing erosion of the culture at the hands of outside forces is tragic, says Sayed Gul, an archaeologist from Bumburate. "They don't want to participate just because of these cameras and this insensitivity," says Gul. "If these things are continuously happening ... maybe in a few years, there are only tourists, there are no more Kalashis to participate and dance in the festivals." Credit: CC0 Public Domain The challenge to analyze earthquake signals with optimum precision grows along with the amount of available seismic data. At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), researchers have deployed a neural network to determine the arrival-time of seismic waves and thus precisely locate the epicenter of the earthquake. In their report in the Seismological Research Letters journal, they point out that Artificial Intelligence is able to evaluate the data with the same precision as an experienced seismologist. For precisely locating an earthquake event, it is critical to determine the exact arrival-time of the majority of seismic waves at the seismometer station (the so-called phase arrival). Without this knowledge, further accurate seismological evaluations are not possible. Such evaluations can be very useful in predicting aftershocks that sometimes cause more serious damage than the initial main earthquake. By precisely locating the epicenter, even physical processes occurring deep inside the Earth can better be distinguished, and this, in turn, allows inference about the structure of the Earth's interior. "Our results show that Artificial Intelligence can significantly improve earthquake analysisnot only with the support of large data volumes, but also if only a limited dataset is available," explains Professor Andreas Rietbrock from the Geophysical Institute (GPI) at KIT. Until now, a lot of human expertise was required to evaluate seismic waves. The neural network of KIT now allows for a faster evaluation of more data. Credit: Manuel Balzer, KIT The evaluation of the recorded seismograms, which is called phase picking, helps determine the arrival-times of the individual phases. Traditionally, this is a manual procedure. The precision in manual phase picking may be affected by the subjectivity of the seismologist in charge. Most notably, however, a manual evaluation meanwhile requires unacceptable time and staff resources, due to the growing amount of seismic data and the higher density of the seismometer networks. Automated evaluation has become necessary in order to leverage all available data quickly. Indeed, the phase picking algorithms developed so far are not able to deliver the precision achieved with manual picking by an experienced seismologistdue to the extreme complexity of the formation and propagation of earthquakes, with many physical processes acting on the seismic wave field. Humans still evaluate the seismometer data (triangles) in Chile to locate the epicenters (circles). Credit: J. Woollam et al. Artificial Intelligence (AI), however, is able to match the human precision when evaluating this data. This has now been revealed by scientists from the GPI, the University of Liverpool, and the University of Granada. According to their report in the Seismological Research Letters journal, the researchers used a convolutional neural network (CNN) to determine the phase onsets in a seismic network in Chile. CNNs are inspired by biological neural systems and arranged in different tiers of interconnected artificial neurons. In so-called Deep Learning, which is one of the Machine Learning methods, detected and learned features are passed from one tier to the next, being refined more and more in this process. During an earthquake, different types of seismic waves propagate through the Earth. The main types are called compressional or primary waves (P-waves) and shear or secondary waves (S-waves). First, the faster P-waves arrive at the seismological station, followed by the slower S-waves. Seismic waves can be recorded in seismograms. The researchers trained the CNN using a relatively small dataset covering 411 earthquake events in the north of Chile. Then, the CNN determined the arrival-time of unknown P-phases and S-phases, while matching the precision as an experienced seismologist with manual picking or even delivering a higher precision than a classic picking algorithm. More information: Jack Woollam et al. Convolutional Neural Network for Seismic Phase Classification, Performance Demonstration over a Local Seismic Network, Seismological Research Letters (2019). Journal information: Seismological Research Letters Jack Woollam et al. Convolutional Neural Network for Seismic Phase Classification, Performance Demonstration over a Local Seismic Network,(2019). DOI: 10.1785/0220180312 House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left, greets witness Clint Watts, a cybersecurity and intelligence expert with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, at a hearing on politically motivated fake videos and manipulated media, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2019. The Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates as part of its investigation into Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) "Deepfake" videos pose a clear and growing threat to America's national security, lawmakers and experts say. The question is what to do about it, and that's not easily answered. A House Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday served up a public warning about the deceptive powers of artificial intelligence software and offered a sobering assessment of how fast the technology is outpacing efforts to stop it. With a crudely altered video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., fresh on everyone's minds, lawmakers heard from experts how difficult it will be to combat these fakes and prevent them from being used to interfere in the 2020 election. "We don't have a general solution," said David Doermann, a former official with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. "This is a cat and a mouse game." As the ability to detect such videos improves, so does the technology used to make them. The videos are made using facial mapping and artificial intelligence . The altered video of Pelosi, which was viewed more than 3 million times on social media, gave only a glimpse of what the technology can do. Experts dismissed the clip, which was slowed down to make it appear that Pelosi was slurring her words, as nothing more than a "cheap fake." Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, left, takes his seat beside Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., as they open a hearing on politically motivated fake videos and manipulated media, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2019.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Rep. Adam Schiff, the committee chairman, said the Pelosi video "demonstrates the scale of the challenge we face." But he said he fears a more "nightmarish scenario," with these video spreading disinformation about a political candidate and the public struggling to separate fact from fiction. The technology, said Schiff, D-Calif., has "the capacity to disrupt entire campaigns, including that for the presidency." Doermann said the threat has grown worse due to the proliferation of what was once specialized technology. Creating convincing fabricated videos once required expensive equipment and software, but now "a high school student with a good computer" can do it, he said. "It's not something that you have to be an (artificial intelligence) expert to run. A novice can run these types of things," he said. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., right, joined by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif, left, the ranking member, opens a hearing on politically motivated fake videos and manipulated media, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Schiff told reporters after the hearing he believes federal regulation aimed at curbing deepfakes is "worthy of serious consideration." But he said the problem will never be completely solved, only suppressed. Clint Watts, a research fellow with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, suggested tech companies should play a role in deciding which false videos should be taken down from the internet. But that idea drew skepticism from the committee's top Republican, California Rep. Devin Nunes. He raised concerns about granting too much authority to tech giants such as Facebook and Twitter to make judgment calls about content. Nunes claimed that current filters have a pro-liberal bias. "Most of the time it's conservatives who get banned," he said. "It's all in who's building the filter, right?" (Nunes has sued Twitter and several of the platform's users, accusing them of defaming him.) Danielle Citron, a University of Maryland Law professor, told lawmakers that many of the laws regulating online video date back decades and need to be overhauled to keep pace with the growing threat. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, center, is joined by, from left, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., during a hearing on politically motivated fake videos and manipulated media, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) "We have an audience primed to believe things like manipulated video of lawmakers," Citron said. "I would hate to see the deepfake where a prominent lawmaker is purported to ... (be) seen taking a bribe that you never took." U.S. intelligence officials have repeatedly warned about the threat of foreign meddling in American politics, especially in the lead-up to elections. U.S. officials determined Russia carried out a sweeping political disinformation campaign on U.S. social media to influence the 2016 election. The director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, has said Russia attempted to meddle in the 2018 midterm elections, but was unsuccessful. Explore further Facebook's Zuckerberg is the focus of latest doctored video 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Ultrashort terahertz pulses create a ferroelectric phase in the paraelectric strontium titanate. An optically-induced deformation of the sample results in pairs of flexoelectric domains with opposing polarisations. Credit: Joerg M. Harms, MPSD Light can be used not only to measure materials' properties, but also to change them. Especially interesting are those cases in which the function of a material can be modified, such as its ability to conduct electricity or to store information in its magnetic state. A team led by Andrea Cavalleri from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Hamburg have used terahertz frequency light pulses to transform a non-ferroelectric material into a ferroelectric one. Ferroelectricity is a state in which the constituent lattice is polarized in one specific direction, forming a macroscopic electrical polarization. The ability to reverse polarization makes ferroelectric materials particularly suitable for digital information encoding and processing. The discovery of a light-induced ferroelectric is highly relevant for a new generation of high-speed devices, and is presented today in the journal Science. Complex materials are special because their unusual macroscopic properties are determined by many competing tendencies. Unlike in more conventional compounds, such as the silicon crystals that make up current electronic devices, in complex materials one finds that more than one type of microscopic interaction favors more than one possible macroscopic phase. Such competition leads then to a compromise, but one that is not unique and is often in precarious equilibrium. Hence, moderate perturbations, for example irradiating one such material with light, can induce radical changes in the properties of the solid. Ultra-short terahertz laser pulses are especially useful because they couple directly to the crystal lattice and can deform atomic arrangements at high speeds. Coherent excitation of lattice vibrations has been shown in the past to cause changes of electrical properties or magnetic arrangements in a number of complex materials, including superconductors. In their latest research, the scientists describe how they induced a ferroelectric order in a material, a property of solids that can be highly relevant to applications. Ferroelectricity describes the spontaneous alignment of electric dipoles, which leads to a macroscopic polarization akin to the magnetisation in a ferromagnet. Generally, ferroelectricity only occurs in a limited class of materials; however, the Hamburg group has discovered that even non-ferroelectric materials can be forced into a ferroelectric phase by light. Strontium titanate (STO) is paraelectric at all temperatures and a long-range ferroelectric order never develops. Upon exciting vibrations in STO by light, the researchers observed characteristics in its optical and electrical responses typical of ferroelectricity. The origin of this surprising effect lies in the nonlinear nature of the crystal lattice. The driven phonon delivers some of its energy in the form of pressure to the solid, resulting in a spatially varying structural deformation within the excited area. In these conditions, a material property called flexoelectricity can be activated, resulting in a macroscopic polarization. Strikingly, the photo-induced state was found to survive for hours after being created, showing that the material transitioned to a new quasi-stable phase. "The ability to induce and control ferroelectric states with light on ultrafast timescales could provide the basis for next-generation technologies", says Tobia Nova, first author of the paper. Ferroelectric materials are already at the core of devices in development, which exploit their spontaneous polarization to make stable memory chips or "always on" computers. Because the light-induced ferroelectric phase demonstrated in the Hamburg experiment operates at terahertz frequencies, electro-optic devices that work at such high speeds might be envisioned. Moreover, since flexoelectricity is a common material property, the ability to induce ultrafast flexoelectric polarizations extends far beyond the specific example of STO. Lastly, because STO is routinely used as a substrate in complex heterostructures, the optical access to flexoelectric polarizations should find extensive applications in the manipulation of collective phenomena at interfaces. Explore further Newly discovered properties of ferroelectric crystal shed light on branch of materials More information: T. F. Nova et al. Metastable ferroelectricity in optically strained SrTiO3, Science (2019). Journal information: Science T. F. Nova et al. Metastable ferroelectricity in optically strained SrTiO3,(2019). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw4911 Copper-oxide layers of LBCO (the lanthanum-barium layers would be between these). 3-D superconductivity occurs when current can flow freely in any direction within and between the copper-oxide layers, while 2-D superconductivity exists when current moves freely only within the layers (not perpendicular). The perpendicular orientations of stripe patterns from one layer to the next may be part of what inhibits movement of current between layers. Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory Scientists seeking to understand the mechanism underlying superconductivity in "stripe-ordered" cupratescopper-oxide materials with alternating areas of electric charge and magnetismdiscovered an unusual metallic state when attempting to turn superconductivity off. They found that under the conditions of their experiment, even after the material loses its ability to carry electrical current with no energy loss, it retains some conductivityand possibly the electron (or hole) pairs required for its superconducting superpower. "This work provides circumstantial evidence that the stripe-ordered arrangement of charges and magnetism is good for forming the charge-carrier pairs required for superconductivity to emerge," said John Tranquada, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. Tranquada and his co-authors from Brookhaven Lab and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University, where some of the work was done, describe their findings in a paper just published in Science Advances. A related paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by co-author Alexei Tsvelik, a theorist at Brookhaven Lab, provides insight into the theoretical underpinnings for the observations. The scientists were studying a particular formulation of lanthanum barium copper oxide (LBCO) that exhibits an unusual form of superconductivity at a temperature of 40 Kelvin (-233 degrees Celsius). That's relatively warm in the realm of superconductors. Conventional superconductors must be cooled with liquid helium to temperatures near -273C (0 Kelvin or absolute zero) to carry current without energy loss. Understanding the mechanism behind such "high-temperature" superconductivity might guide the discovery or strategic design of superconductors that operate at higher temperatures. "In principle, such superconductors could improve the electrical power infrastructure with zero-energy-loss power transmission lines," Tranquada said, "or be used in powerful electromagnets for applications like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without the need for costly cooling." The mystery of high-Tc LBCO was the first high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductor discovered, some 33 years ago. It consists of layers of copper-oxide separated by layers composed of lanthanum and barium. Barium contributes fewer electrons than lanthanum to the copper-oxide layers, so at a particular ratio, the imbalance leaves vacancies of electrons, known as holes, in the cuprate planes. Those holes can act as charge carriers and pair up, just like electrons, and at temperatures below 30K, current can move through the material with no resistance in three dimensionsboth within and between the layers. An odd characteristic of this material is that, in the copper-oxide layers, at the particular barium concentration, the holes segregate into "stripes" that alternate with areas of magnetic alignment. Since this discovery, in 1995, there has been much debate about the role these stripes play in inducing or inhibiting superconductivity. In 2007, Tranquada and his team discovered the most unusual form of superconductivity in this material at the higher temperature of 40K. If they altered the amount of barium to be just under the amount that allowed 3-D superconductivity, they observed 2-D superconductivitymeaning just within the copper-oxide layers but not between them. "The superconducting layers seem to decouple from one another," Tsvelik, the theorist, said. The current can still flow without loss in any direction within the layers, but there is resistivity in the direction perpendicular to the layers. This observation was interpreted as a sign that charge-carrier pairs were forming "pair density waves" with orientations perpendicular to one another in neighboring layers. "That's why the pairs can't jump from layer to another. It would be like trying to merge into traffic moving in a perpendicular direction. They can't merge," Tsvelik said. Superconducting stripes are hard to kill In the new experiment, the scientists dove deeper into exploring the origins of the unusual superconductivity in the special formulation of LBCO by trying to destroy it. "Often times we test things by pushing them to failure," Tranquada said. Their method of destruction was exposing the material to powerful magnetic fields generated at Florida State. A phase diagram of LBCO at different temperatures and magnetic field strengths. Colors represent how resistant the material is to the flow of electrical current, with purple being a superconductor with no resistance. When cooled to near absolute zero with no magnetic field, the material acts as a 3-D superconductor. As the magnetic field strength goes up, 3-D superconductivity disappears, but 2-D superconductivity reappears at higher field strength, then disappears again. At the highest fields, resistance grew, but the material retained some unusual metallic conductivity, which the scientists interpreted as an indication that charge-carrier pairs might persist even after superconductivity is destroyed. Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory "As the external field gets bigger, the current in the superconductor grows larger and larger to try to cancel out the magnetic field," Tranquada explained. "But there's a limit to the current that can flow without resistance. Finding that limit should tell us something about how strong the superconductor is." For example, if the stripes of charge order and magnetism in LBCO are bad for superconductivity, a modest magnetic field should destroy it. "We thought maybe the charge would get frozen in the stripes so that the material would become an insulator," Tranquada said. But the superconductivity turned out to be a lot more robust. Using perfect crystals of LBCO grown by Brookhaven physicist Genda Gu, Yangmu Li, a postdoctoral fellow who works in Tranquada's lab, took measurements of the material's resistance and conductivity under various conditions at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. At a temperature just above absolute zero with no magnetic field present, the material exhibited full, 3-D superconductivity. Keeping the temperature constant, the scientists had to ramp up the external magnetic field significantly to make the 3-D superconductivity disappear. Even more surprising, when they increased the field strength further, the resistance within the copper-oxide planes went down to zero again! "We saw the same 2-D superconductivity we'd discovered at 40K," Tranquada said. Ramping up the field further destroyed the 2-D superconductivity, but it never completely destroyed the material's ability to carry ordinary current. "The resistance grew but then leveled off," Tranquada noted. Signs of persistent pairs? Additional measurements made under the highest-magnetic-field indicated that the charge-carriers in the material, though no longer superconducting, may still exist as pairs, Tranquada said. "The material becomes a metal that no longer deflects the flow of current," Tsvelik said. "Whenever you have a current in a magnetic field, you would expect some deflection of the chargeselectrons or holesin the direction perpendicular to the current [what scientists call the Hall effect]. But that's not what happens. There is no deflection." In other words, even after the superconductivity is destroyed, the material keeps one of the key signatures of the "pair density wave" that is characteristic of the superconducting state. "My theory relates the presence of the charge-rich stripes with the existence of magnetic moments between them to the formation of the pair density wave state," Tsvelik said. "The observation of no charge deflection at high field shows that the magnetic field can destroy the coherence needed for superconductivity without necessarily destroying the pair density wave." "Together these observations provide additional evidence that the stripes are good for pairing," Tranquada said. "We see the 2-D superconductivity reappear at high field and then, at an even higher field, when we lose the 2-D superconductivity, the material doesn't just become an insulator. There's still some current flowing. We may have lost coherent motion of pairs between the stripes, but we may still have pairs within the stripes that can move incoherently and give us an unusual metallic behavior." Explore further Discovery of field-induced pair density wave state in high temperature superconductors Credit: CC0 Public Domain Dr. Rob Keyzers from the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences is leading a long-running, uniquely New Zealand research project to help find new sources of antibiotics. The collaboration is looking at a group of organisms called extremophilesorganisms that live in extremely hot or extremely cold environments unsuited to human habitation. For the past several years, the researchinvolving scientists from Victoria University of Wellington, GNS Science, the University of Auckland and the University of Canterburyhas focused on one organism that lives around geothermal vents in New Zealand. And although the project has encountered many hurdles and setbacks, Dr. Keyzers says they can successfully point to research spanning organism discovery through to synthesis. "This project was all about the right people coming together in the right environment with the right resources, all of which were found in New Zealand," Dr. Keyzers says. "It started in 2011 when I was looking for new sources of antibiotics in the natural world," Dr. Keyzers says. "Nature has been a wonderful source of antibiotics so far, but we always need new drugs that kill pathogens in new ways. Extremophiles were an ecological niche that hadn't been explored much, so I thought it might be a good place to start looking." Dr. Keyzers contacted Matthew Stott, formerly at GNS Science and now the University of Canterbury, who is an expert in growing bacterial extremophiles from geothermal environments. They started looking at one particular extremophile for natural products that might lead to a new antibiotic. Dr. Stott had recently sequenced the genome of that organism, which meant they could examine the DNA for sequences already known to be helpful in creating antibiotics. "Matt's organism had the potential to make four useful molecules written into its genetic code," Dr. Keyzers says. "We had my Master's student, Emma Aitken, test the organism to see if any of these molecules were actually being produced, so we could test it for potential applications. She found onea peptide that is part of a known class of antibiotics, which was very exciting." The next step was gathering enough of this molecule to test it for potential applications. This turned out to be more of a challenge than Dr. Keyzers and his team were expectingthe organism would only grow under very specific conditions, and only produced a very small amount of the compound. "Emma went through 1200 petri dishes to grow this organism," Dr. Keyzers says. "It would only make the molecule we wanted if we grew it in a petri dish on a certain type of agar. Even after that, we could only gather around 400 micrograms (0.4 g) of the molecule." Retrosynthetic analysis of tikitericin Dr. Keyzers began looking at options to synthesize the molecule and contacted Distinguished Professor Dame Margaret Brimble from the University of Auckland, a world-leading expert in synthetic chemistry. Coincidentally, Dame Margaret had also recently developed an interest in extremophiles. "Dame Margaret and her team were able to synthesize the molecule using some very interesting chemistry techniques they had developed," Dr. Keyzers says. "They were only able to make a small amount, but it was enough to start testing the molecule." Unfortunately, the tests were not promisingthe molecule didn't seem to have any effect on the bacteria they tested it on. However, Dr. Keyzers and his colleagues were only able to test the molecule against a small group of bacteria. "The molecule could be a successful treatment for other bacteria we couldn't test against, or it could be an anti-fungal," Dr. Keyzers says. "We would need to do further tests to find this out." Although the tests themselves were unsuccessful, Dr. Keyzers says this research project has been hugely beneficial in other ways. "We were able to get our work published in a well-regarded journal, Chemical Science, and put New Zealand on the map as a leader in this area of chemistry," Dr. Keyzers says. "There have been very few other cases where a research collaboration has been able to run the whole gambit from discovery to synthesis. The research group also followed a vigorous identification method, which Dr. Keyzers hopes will set a high standard in this field, and Dame Margaret and her team at the University of Auckland were able to develop several improvements to the synthesis process as well, Dr. Keyzers says. They were also able to exploit an ecological nichegeothermal extremophilesthat is very New Zealand-centric and is an area where New Zealand can offer unique research possibilities in both geothermal and extremophile niches. "It needed someone who knew about extremophiles and someone with knowledge of my area of chemistry, both of which are reasonably rare, as well as a microbiologist to provide material for me to test that I could then pass on to an expert in synthesis to create. We looked at a fairly unusual area with extremophiles and were able to achieve all these great things here in New Zealand." "Collaborations like this are one of the benefits of living in New Zealand," Dr. Keyzers says. "We have a small community of researchers here, brought together through the Maurice Wilkins Centre of Research Excellence, who all know each other and can easily work together, using New Zealand's natural resources to push forward projects like ours." Dr. Keyzers plans to continue his work on this project and hopes to bring in the expertise of School of Biological Sciences colleague, Dr. Jeremy Owen. Dr. Owen is a specialist in taking genetic codes that produce certain molecules from one organism and transplanting them into another organism to help them grow faster. "Jeremy's expertise can help us produce molecules faster, as well as take DNA from anywhere and grow it," Dr. Keyzers says. "Along with Margaret's expertise in synthesis, we can now discover and grow potentially helpful molecules much faster, which is a very exciting prospect." Explore further Scientists design better method to build molecules that could be drugsin half the steps More information: Buzhe Xu et al. Genome mining, isolation, chemical synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel lanthipeptide, tikitericin, from the extremophilic microorganism Thermogemmatispora strain T81, Chemical Science (2018). Journal information: Chemical Science Buzhe Xu et al. Genome mining, isolation, chemical synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel lanthipeptide, tikitericin, from the extremophilic microorganism Thermogemmatispora strain T81,(2018). DOI: 10.1039/C8SC02170H Credit: University of Bath Explanations of why people voted for Brexit, Donald Trump or so-called populist parties in the EU are often characterised as either 'cultural' or 'economic' that is, values or identity-based, versus social class or economic, explanations. One of the most important recent examples of the former is the work of Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris. Their 'cultural backlash' thesis maintains that recent populist votes such as Brexit represent a conservative reaction against the 'silent revolution' in the cultural values of advanced societies like the UK towards social liberalism. Western societies have become more socially liberal on many issues and this has stimulated a backlash amongst voters holding authoritarian and conservative values. These values are strongest amongst older birth cohorts, particularly the interwar generation. In post-industrial areas characterised by low income and high unemployment, the authoritarian reflex against cultural change is accelerated by economic insecurity; material hardship sharpens the appeal of authoritarian-populist actors and anti-immigrant, anti-elite sentiments. But fundamentally, it is cultural values, not class or economics, that explains the age differences in vote choice. We can explore these claims for the UK using data from the British Election Study (BES). Tables 1-3 show data from the BES post-election face-to-face survey in 2017 that relate to the cultural values cited by Inglehart and Norris. Firstly, we construct an authoritarianism index using the survey questions designed by BES to measure authoritarian-libertarian values (shown in Table A1). The scales are summed and then divided by the number of survey questions to give an index with possible scores between 1 and 5. Table 1 shows that older people are on average significantly more authoritarian than younger age groups. As Inglehart and Norris argue, these values are also reflected in policy preferences related to immigration and global governance. Table 2 shows that older people are considerably more likely to think that there has been too much immigration in the UK, while Table 3 shows that age predicts not only Euroscepticism but another dimension to distrust of global governance: opposition to foreign aid spending. Nearly half of over 65s think that government definitely should spend less on foreign aid compared to only roughly 15 percent of 18-34 year olds. Credit: University of Bath All of these indicators of cultural values and policy preferences correlate strongly with voting for both Brexit and the Conservative Party at the 2017 general election, reinforcing the argument that these values and vote choice are fundamentally related to each other. However, these values and preferences can be caused by ageing, period and cohort effects. Older generations are indeed more Eurosceptic and/or authoritarian, whether because they grew up in a more conservative and a less globalised era outside of the European Union or because of compositional characteristics such as having lower levels of education, which is a consistent predictor of more authoritarian values. On the other hand, individuals also tend to get more Eurosceptic, conservative and authoritarian as they get older, and when it comes to vote choice, period or time effectsfor example, prevailing macro-economic conditionsmatter considerably to political outcomes. In Eichengreen et al's recent study of attitudes towards the EU since the early 1960s, the period effects swamp both cohort and ageing effects. In addition, as Inglehart and Norris acknowledge, there is a mixed cross-national picture when it comes to the strength of age in predicting populist values or political mistrust. Although they find older people in the UK are more distrustful of politicians and political institutions, the BES post-election survey data indicates the opposite. This data also highlights an important distinction between the EU referendum and the 2017 general election. Credit: University of Bath Table 4 shows the proportion of each age group that placed themselves on a scale of 0-10 in response to the question "How much do you trust British politicians generally?with 0 representing 'no trust' and 10 representing 'a great deal of trust' (the means and 95 percent confidence intervals are also displayed in the final row). Those aged 18-34 and 35-49 are similarly distrustful of politicians, while those aged 50-64 trust politicians slightly more and those over 65 even more still. Leave voters were less likely to trust British politicians generally than Remain voters, implying that older people voted for Brexit in spite of their greater trust in politicians than younger voters. However, in the 2017 general election, we find that Conservative voters were much more likely to trust British politicians generally than Labour voters, Liberal Democrat voters, voters of other parties combined, or non-voterssuggesting that the success of the Conservative Party among older voters cannot be construed as a cultural backlash associated with a (populist) distrust of the political class. Credit: University of Bath A more fundamental critique of the 'cultural backlash' thesis is that it abstracts 'values' from the political economy in which they are generated or determined. We may be able to measure an individual's cultural values or social class position through surveys, but we should not erect a dichotomous social ontology on that basis. Thus in forthcoming work, we engage with the question of the political economy of older people's values and voter preferences: i.e, do older people have distinct material interests by virtue of their position in the lifecycle, their particular cohorts' patterns of home and asset ownership, and the recent 'period' effects of austerity and its aftermath? Our answer is that in an ageing society like the UK, that has very significant intergenerational inequalities in home ownership and welfare entitlements that have been sharpened by policy during austerity, there is indeed a distinct political economy of ageand not simply a values based generational divide. Explore further Young women are more left wing than men, study reveals From the color difference of two slightly delayed laser flashes (left) a non-linear crystal generates an energetic terahertz pulse (right). Credit: DESY, Lucid Berlin A team of scientists from DESY and the University of Hamburg has achieved an important milestone in the quest for a new type of compact particle accelerator. Using ultra-powerful pulses of laser light, they were able to produce particularly high-energy flashes of radiation in the terahertz range having a sharply defined wavelength (color). Terahertz radiation is to open the way for a new generation of compact particle accelerators that will find room on a lab bench. The team headed by Andreas Maier and Franz Kartner from the Hamburg Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) is presenting its findings in the journal Nature Communications. CFEL is jointly run by DESY, the University of Hamburg and the Max Planck Society. The terahertz range of electromagnetic radiation lies between the infrared and microwave frequencies. Air travelers may be familiar with terahertz radiation from the full-body scanners used by airport security to search for objects hidden beneath a person's garments. However, radiation in this frequency range might also be used to build compact particle accelerators. "The wavelength of terahertz radiation is about a thousand times shorter than the radio waves that are currently used to accelerate particles," says Kartner, who is a lead scientist at DESY. "This means that the components of the accelerator can also be built to be around a thousand times smaller." The generation of high-energy terahertz pulses is therefore also an important step for the AXSIS (frontiers in Attosecond X-ray Science: Imaging and Spectroscopy) project at CFEL, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), which aims to open up completely new applications with compact terahertz particle accelerators. However, chivvying along an appreciable number of particles calls for powerful pulses of terahertz radiation having a sharply defined wavelength. This is precisely what the team has now managed to create. "In order to generate terahertz pulses, we fire two powerful pulses of laser light into a so-called non-linear crystal, with a minimal time delay between the two," explains Maier from the University of Hamburg. The two laser pulses have a kind of color gradient, meaning that the color at the front of the pulse is different from that at the back. The slight time shift between the two pulses therefore leads to a slight difference in color. "This difference lies precisely in the terahertz range," says Maier. "The crystal converts the difference in color into a terahertz pulse." The method requires the two laser pulses to be precisely synchronized. The scientists achieve this by splitting a single pulse into two parts and sending one of them on a short detour so that it is slightly delayed before the two pulses are eventually superimposed again. However, the color gradient along the pulses is not constant, in other words the color does not change uniformly along the length of the pulse. Instead, the color changes slowly at first, and then more and more quickly, producing a curved outline. As a result, the color difference between the two staggered pulses is not constant. The difference is only appropriate for producing terahertz radiation over a narrow stretch of the pulse. "That was a big obstacle towards creating high-energy terahertz pulses," as Maier reports. "Because straightening the color gradient of the pulses, which would have been the obvious solution, is not easy to do in practice." It was co-author Nicholas Matlis who came up with the crucial idea: he suggested that the color profile of just one of the two partial pulses should be stretched slightly along the time axis. While this still does not alter the degree with which the color changes along the pulse, the color difference with respect to the other partial pulse now remains constant at all times. "The changes that need to be made to one of the pulses are minimal and surprisingly easy to achieve: all that was necessary was to insert a short length of a special glass into the beam," reports Maier. "All of a sudden, the terahertz signal became stronger by a factor of 13." In addition, the scientists used a particularly large non-linear crystal to produce the terahertz radiation, specially made for them by the Japanese Institute for Molecular Science in Okazaki. "By combining these two measures, we were able to produce terahertz pulses with an energy of 0.6 millijoules, which is a record for this technique and more than ten times higher than any terahertz pulse of sharply defined wavelength that has previously been generated by optical means," says Kartner. "Our work demonstrates that it is possible to produce sufficiently powerful terahertz pulses with sharply defined wavelengths in order to operate compact particle accelerators." Explore further Team shrinks particle accelerator: Prototype demonstrates feasibility of building terahertz accelerators More information: Spencer W. Jolly et al, Spectral phase control of interfering chirped pulses for high-energy narrowband terahertz generation, Nature Communications (2019). Journal information: Nature Communications Spencer W. Jolly et al, Spectral phase control of interfering chirped pulses for high-energy narrowband terahertz generation,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10657-4 Richwood, TX (77531) Today Patchy morning drizzle possible. Decreasing cloudiness and windy. High 82F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Gusty winds developing. Partly cloudy this evening then becoming mostly cloudy after midnight. Low near 40F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph, becoming NNW and increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. One of the fossils is an axis, or second cervical vertebra (C2) shown here in (a) ventral view, (b) dorsal view, (c) lateral view, and D) ventral view in articulation with modern H. sapiens atlas (C1). Note the correspondence between the Assa Issie axis and human atlas. Credit: Meyer & Williams, 2019 Scientists have published an article describing the oldest axial fossils yet discovered for the genus Australopithecus. Dated 4.2 million years ago, these and other fossils recovered from the Assa Issie site in the Middle Awash extend the known range of A. anamensis into northeastern Ethiopia. The fossils from the Assa Issie are extremely fragmentary, but each represents an important element previously unknown for the species Australopithecus anamensis. In an upcoming article in the Journal of Human Evolution, paleoanthropologists Dr. Marc Meyer of Chaffey College and Scott Williams of New York University describe tell-tale signs that these early hominins had already evolved a human-like posture of the head and neck. "The bilobated facets of the first cervical vertebra are something we don't see in the great apes, but in humans is thought to provide a passive locking mechanism that keeps the head stable in erect posture," explains Meyer. The scientists also point to the lack the pronounced retroglenoid tubercle of the great apes on two of the atlas (C1) fossils that indicate that like humans, anamensis lacked the atlantoclavicularis muscle, which would have reduced their capacity for climbing relative to the great apessomething scientists did not know until now. Other features of the non-human ape spine are also absent in the hominin fossils, such as the ponticulus posticus, the bony form of a membrane in apes that protects the vertebral artery from being crushed when the head is cantilevered in front of the spine. The scientists report "lack of this feature in anamensis is consistent with a humanlike posture where the head is more centered above the spine". The spinal column reveals other surprisingly human characters, such as an enlarged epiphyseal surface area that is a hallmark feature of bipedalism, as it improves the ability to resist the increased load magnitudes of upright posture. "Such a feature would also provide energy return during bipedal locomotion from the intervertebral discs in the form of elastic strain energy with rotary spinal movement" explain the scientists. Finally, despite their great antiquity, like humans, the A. anamensis fossils from Issie exhibit an enlarged spinal canal compared to the apes. "This would confer an increase in the neurovascular contents of the canal, including the motor pool in the ventral horn of the australopith spinal cord well before the advent of genus Homo", says Meyer. The enlarged spinal canal provides the earliest evidence for an enlarged spinal cord in the hominin lineage and imparts significant neurological and vascular benefits for bipedal locomotion, and shatters the notion that spinal cord size in early hominins was small and apelike. This was another surprise, say the scientists, and provides evidence that a human-sized spinal cord evolved well before human brain size. More information: Earliest axial fossils from the genus Australopithecus. Marc R. Meyer and Scott A. Williams. Journal of Human Evolution Volume 132, July 2019, Pages 189-214. Journal information: Journal of Human Evolution Earliest axial fossils from the genus Australopithecus. Marc R. Meyer and Scott A. Williams.Volume 132, July 2019, Pages 189-214. doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.004 In this Thursday, June 13, 2019, photo, Jay Noller, director and lead researcher for Oregon State University's newly formed Global Hemp Innovation Center, left, inspects young hemp plants with Lloyd Nackley, a plant ecologist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, at one of the university's hemp research stations in Aurora, Ore. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) A unit of wheat is called a bushel, and a standard weight of potatoes is called a century. But hemp as a fully legal U.S. agricultural commodity is so new that a unit of hemp seed doesn't yet have a universal name or an agreed-upon quantity. That's one example of the startling lack of uniformityand accountabilityin an industry that's sprung up almost overnight since the U.S. late last year removed hemp from the controlled substances list. A global hemp research lab announced Thursday in Oregon, coupled with a nascent national review board for hemp varieties and a handful of seed certification programs nationwide, are the first stabs at addressing those concernsand at creating accountability by standardizing U.S. hemp for a global market. "If you look at a lot of financial markets, they're all saying, 'People are investing in this, and we have no idea what to divide it by," said Jay Noller, head of Oregon State University's new Global Hemp Innovation Center. "We have hemp fiber. What is it? What's the standard length?" Oregon State's research hub will be the United States' largest and will offer a certification for hemp seed that guarantees farmers the seed they're buying is legitimate and legal. That's a critical need when individual hemp seeds are selling for $1.20 to $1.40 eachand an acre of crop takes up to 2,000 seeds, Noller said. In this April 19, 2018, file photo, a man displays hemp seeds being prepared for sale to industrial hemp farmers at his facility in Monmouth, Ore. A global hemp research lab announced Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Oregon, is part of a larger movement to bring the standardization to hemp that traditional crops like corn and cotton enjoy. (AP Photos/Gillian Flaccus, File) Licensed hemp acreage in Oregon, which has an ideal climate for growing the crop, has increased six-fold since last year, earning Oregon the No. 3 spot for hemp cultivation after Montana and Colorado, according to Vote Hemp, which advocates for and tracks the industry in the U.S. Four other statesNorth Dakota, Colorado, Tennessee and North Carolinaalso have hemp seed certification programs. Other U.S. universities, such as Cornell in Ithaca, New York, have hemp research programs, but Oregon State's will be the largest, built on years of hemp research done in test fields in China, Bosnia and Serbia and now at 10 research stations sprinkled across the state. On Thursday, Oregon State researchers began to sow their third crop in a field in Aurora. The new center dovetails with a greater movement to create a national infrastructure around hemp as the market explodes. Globally, the supply of hemp is less than 10% of the demand, and that's driving states like Oregon to rush to stake a claim in the international marketplace, Noller said. Across the U.S., the number of licensed acres of hemp jumped 204% from 2017 to 2018, according to Vote Hemp. And the market for a hemp-derived extract called cannabidiol, or CBD, is expected to grow from $618 million in 2018 to $22 billion in 2022 as its popularity as a health aide skyrockets. In this Thursday, June 13, 2019, photo, Lloyd Nackley, a plant ecologist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, holds freshly picked tops of hemp plants from one of Oregon State's hemp research stations in Aurora, Ore. A unit of wheat is a called a bushel, and a standard weight of potatoes is called a century. But hemp as a fully legal U.S. agricultural commodity is so new that a unit of hemp seed doesn't yet have a universal name or an agreed-upon quantity. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) In this Thursday, June 13, 2019, photo, a lady bug sits on a leaf of a young hemp plant at a research station in Aurora, Ore., that's part of Oregon State University's newly formed Global Hemp Innovation Center. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) In this Thursday, June 13, 2019, photo, a team of Oregon State University employees spreads hemp seeds in a field using a tractor at a research station in Aurora, Ore., that's part of the university's newly announced Global Hemp Innovation Center. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) The U.S. National Review Board for Hemp Varieties will start taking applications in the fall from growers who want to claim credit for specific genetic varieties of hemp. Once growers have secured a unique designation from the board, they can apply for a plant patent with the U.S. government so no other grower can produce that type of hemp. A meeting in Harbin, China, in early July will bring together members of the global hemp industry to start to hash out critical details such as what to call a unit of hemp seed or the standard length of hemp fiber, Noller said. Other countries, such as China, have been growing hemp for years, but the industry lacks a universal standard countries can apply to trade, he said. "This is the first time in U.S. history where we have a new crop that's suddenly gone from prohibited to no longer prohibited," Noller said. "We have never had something like this." Hemp growers like Trey Willison applauded the move toward greater transparency in a booming market. In this Thursday, June 13, 2019, photo, Jennifer Lane, a student intern at the Oregon State University Extension Center, plants a hemp seedling in a field at one of the research stations for Oregon State's newly announced Global Hemp Innovation Center in Aurora, Ore. The center will be the largest such research hub in the U.S. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) Some novice farmers are falling prey to seed sellers who secretly, or even unwittingly, market seed that grows into "hot" cannabis plants, with THC levels too high to market legally as hemp, he said. Hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants but have different THC levels. Marijuana, illegal under federal law, refers to plants with more than a trace of THC. Hemp has almost no THC0.3% or less under U.S. government standards. States with hemp programs test for THC in the crops, but do so after the plants are grown and close to harvest. Crops that test over the THC limit for hemp must be destroyedand farmers with bad seed might not know until it's too late, Willison said. In one case last year, an Oregon seed seller marketed seeds on Craigslist as having a 3-to-1 CBD to THC ratiobut unbeknownst to farmers, the THC levels were still too high to be legal, he said. Several farms in Wisconsin, where agricultural hemp was just getting underway, bought the seeds and then went under when the resulting plants tested "hot," Willison said. In this Thursday, June 13, 2019, photo, Jennifer Lane, a student intern at the Oregon State University Extension Center, plants a hemp seedling in a field at one of the research stations for Oregon State's newly announced Global Hemp Innovation Center in Aurora, Ore. The center will be the largest such research hub in the U.S. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus) The seeds "look identical, and you can't tell them apart until four months into the year, when you know something's wrong," he said. "A bunch of farms failed, and it originated in Oregon." Other sellers are marking up the cost of what he called "garbage seed" as much as 1,000 times, said Willison, who started Unique Botanicals in Springfield, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Portland, after leaving his marijuana-growing business due to a glut of weed in the Oregon market. "A lot of people say, 'Is your seed certified?' and there's no such thing as certified seed right now. There's no test, there's no oversight. ... There's no proof of where the seed is coming from," he said. "They're trying. It's at the very beginning, for sure, but they are trying to do something about this mess." Explore further US struggles to keep up as hemp industry grows 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Women still face significant barriers in forging successful and influential careers in UK energy research, a new high-level report has revealed. A team of experts from the University of Exeter's Energy Policy Group has analysed gender balance within the crucial field of energy research and spoken to female researchers about their experiences of academic life. The study, launched today (14th June 2019), sets out how research funders and universities can ensure female talent and expertise is mobilised in transforming our energy systems. The report is particularly timely as the UK parliament declares a climate emergency and the government commits to legislate for a 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target. It is clear that energy research needs to harness 100 percent of available talent in order to meet the challenge of rapidly decarbonising energy systems. The study revealed that women are still significantly under-represented in energy research and application rates from women are low. It also found that grants applied for and awarded to women tend to be of smaller value, when they do apply female academics are equally and sometimes more likely to be funded than male academics. The report also highlighted the 'significant drop-off' between the number of female Ph.D. students and funded researchersmeaning the sector loses a substantial pool of potential talent at an early stage. The research presents four key ways in which funders and universities can work together to improve gender balance: look at the data, fund more women, stimulate career progression for female energy academics, and build on what's already working. Jess Britton, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Exeter and co-author of the report said: "Progress on gender balance in research has been too slow for too long, but we think now is the time to bring together action across funders and universities to ensure that female talent in capitalised on. Taking action across the funding, institutional and systemic issues we identify could drive a real shift in inclusion in the sector". The new report, commissioned by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) saw the researchers speak to 59 female academics conducting energy research and from various disciplines, institutions and career stages. They also analysed available data on gender and energy research funding. Crucially, interviews with the researchers unearthed an array of issues that were felt to be holding women back from career progressionincluding the detrimental impact of part-time work or maternity leave, and inherent institutional and funding bias towards established, male academics. While the report recognised that since 2017 there has been some progress in the gender balance of Peer Review Panel Members and small increases in awards granted to female researchers, progress has remained slow. The study suggests that any progress should be accompanied by systemic change within the institutional structures and cultural environment of institutions involved with energy research. Jim Watson, director of UKERC added: "This report shows that there is an urgent need to address the poor gender balance within the UK energy research communityparticularly with respect to leadership of grants and career progression. "It not only reveals the extent of the problem with new evidence, but makes a series of practical recommendations should be required reading for funders and universities alike." The research identified four key ways in which UKRI, other funders and universities can work to improve gender balance. They are: Look at the dataThere remain significant difficulties in accessing meaningful data on gender balance in energy research. Data should be published, used to set targets, monitor progress and provide annual updates. The report also suggested using quantitative and qualitative data to identify key intervention points, speaking to more female energy academics to identify biases and barriers, and continuing to improve gender balance in funding review processes. Fund more womenthe report identified that funding structures can be a barrier, and that both part-time working and career breaks are perceived to slow progress. It suggests that the assessment of part-time working and maternity leave needs to be standardised across funder eligibility criteria and in the review process. It also identified that a lack of diversity of funding types impacts on women, and suggested trialling innovative approaches to allocating funding and supporting early career researchers. Stimulate career progression for female energy academicsThe reporthighlighted the need to acknowledge and take action on the individualistic, long hours culture of academia and also overhaul existing institutional structures and cultures. Early career stages are often characterised by precarious fixed-term contracts and over reliance on quantitative measures of progress. It also recommended building suitable training, mentoring and support networks to help more women progress and ensure the visibility of female researchers. Build on what is workingThe study recommended identifying key points of engagement to build gender balance: combine specific targeted actions, such as UKRI and university frameworks and targeted funding initiatives, with long-term action on structural issues that promote cultural change in our institutions. It also identified the need to ensure equality of voiceso that female academic voices are heard. Alison Wall, deputy director for equality, diversity and inclusion at EPSRC said: "We welcome this report, its findings and recommendations. Many of the issues raised are ones we recognise more widely in our research community. "Enhancing diversity and inclusion is one of the priorities in our new Delivery Plan. For example, we plan to make further progress on embedding EDI into the grant application process, developing our peer review processes, provision of further data and increased flexibility in our funding." Abbie Sampson, director of external affairs at Energy UK said: "This report shines a light on the significant barriers for women within UK energy research and importantly, provides advice on the steps that can be taken to address this issue and ensure that all talent can be maximised. The energy sector is undergoing a rapid transition and with that comes an opportunity to create a more diverse and inclusive industry, to better reflect the customers and communities we serve and give more people the opportunity to work in an exciting industry at the forefront of innovation and technological development. "Energy UK is committed to making energy a more equal, diverse and inclusive industry, and we have been leading efforts through our 'Equality and Diversity Forum' which brings together organisations , from across the industry and beyond, to share best practice, foster collaboration and drive positive change." Explore further More needs to be done to address the gender gap in academia, researchers say More information: A copy of the report and the full list of recommendations can be found here: A copy of the report and the full list of recommendations can be found here: geography.exeter.ac.uk/media/u pdfs/Power_Shift.pdf Image from a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM, left) and a scanning quantum dot microscope (SQDM, right). Using a scanning tunnelling microscope, the physical structure of a surface can be measured on the atomic level. Quantum dot microscopy can visualize the electric potentials on the surface at a similar level of detail -- a perfect combination. Credit: Forschungszentrum Julich / Christian Wagner A team of researchers from Julich in cooperation with the University of Magdeburg has developed a new method to measure the electric potentials of a sample at atomic accuracy. Using conventional methods, it was virtually impossible until now to quantitatively record the electric potentials that occur in the immediate vicinity of individual molecules or atoms. The new scanning quantum dot microscopy method, which was recently presented in the journal Nature Materials by scientists from Forschungszentrum Julich together with partners from two other institutions, could open up new opportunities for chip manufacture or the characterization of biomolecules such as DNA. The positive atomic nuclei and negative electrons of which all matter consists produce electric potential fields that superpose and compensate each other, even over very short distances. Conventional methods do not permit quantitative measurements of these small-area fields, which are responsible for many material properties and functions on the nanoscale. Almost all established methods capable of imaging such potentials are based on the measurement of forces that are caused by electric charges. Yet these forces are difficult to distinguish from other forces that occur on the nanoscale, which prevents quantitative measurements. Four years ago, however, scientists from Forschungszentrum Julich discovered a method based on a completely different principle. Scanning quantum dot microscopy involves attaching a single organic moleculethe quantum dotto the tip of an atomic force microscope. This molecule then serves as a probe. "The molecule is so small that we can attach individual electrons from the tip of the atomic force microscope to the molecule in a controlled manner," explains Dr. Christian Wagner, head of the Controlled Mechanical Manipulation of Molecules group at Julich's Peter Grunberg Institute (PGI-3). The researchers immediately recognized how promising the method was and filed a patent application. However, practical application was still a long way off. "Initially, it was simply a surprising effect that was limited in its applicability. That has all changed now. Not only can we visualize the electric fields of individual atoms and molecules, we can also quantify them precisely," explains Wagner. "This was confirmed by a comparison with theoretical calculations conducted by our collaborators from Luxembourg. In addition, we can image large areas of a sample and thus show a variety of nanostructures at once. And we only need one hour for a detailed image." The Julich researchers spent years investigating the method and finally developed a coherent theory. The reason for the very sharp images is an effect that permits the microscope tip to remain at a relatively large distance from the sample, roughly two to three nanometresunimaginable for a normal atomic force microscope. Dr. Christian Wagner with a model of the PTCDA molecule, which serves as a quantum dot . Credit: Forschungszentrum Julich / Sascha Kreklau In this context, it is important to know that all elements of a sample generate electric fields that influences the quantum dot and can therefore be measured. The microscope tip acts as a protective shield that dampens the disruptive fields from areas of the sample that are further away. "The influence of the shielded electric fields thus decreases exponentially, and the quantum dot only detects the immediate surrounding area," explains Wagner. "Our resolution is thus much sharper than could be expected from even an ideal point probe." The Julich researchers owe the speed at which the complete sample surface can be measured to their partners from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. Engineers there developed a controller that helped to automate the complex, repeated sequence of scanning the sample. "An atomic force microscope works a bit like a record player," says Wagner. "The tip moves across the sample and pieces together a complete image of the surface. In previous scanning quantum dot microscopy work, however, we had to move to an individual site on the sample, measure a spectrum, move to the next site, measure another spectrum, and so on, in order to combine these measurements into a single image. With the Magdeburg engineers' controller, we can now simply scan the whole surface, just like using a normal atomic force microscope. While it used to take us 5-6 hours for a single molecule, we can now image sample areas with hundreds of molecules in just one hour." There are some disadvantages as well, however. Preparing the measurements takes a lot of time and effort. The molecule serving as the quantum dot for the measurement has to be attached to the tip beforehandand this is only possible in a vacuum at low temperatures. In contrast, normal atomic force microscopes also work at room temperature, with no need for a vacuum or complicated preparations. And yet, Prof. Stefan Tautz, director at PGI-3, is optimistic: "This does not have to limit our options. Our method is still new, and we are excited for the first projects so we can show what it can really do." There are many fields of application for quantum dot microscopy. Semiconductor electronics is pushing scale boundaries in areas where a single atom can make a difference for functionality. Electrostatic interaction also plays an important role in other functional materials, such as catalysts. The characterization of biomolecules is another avenue. Thanks to the comparatively large distance between the tip and the sample, the method is also suitable for rough surfacessuch as the surface of DNA molecules, with their characteristic 3-D structure. Explore further Researchers develop ultrahigh-resolution 3D microscopy technique for electric fields More information: Christian Wagner et al, Quantitative imaging of electric surface potentials with single-atom sensitivity, Nature Materials (2019). Journal information: Nature Materials Christian Wagner et al, Quantitative imaging of electric surface potentials with single-atom sensitivity,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-019-0382-8 Computer science Assistant Professor Sang Won Lee discovered that crowds at live music events are more engaged and for longer periods of time when they use live social media to create an artifact of the experience. Credit: Amy Loeffler The iconic "stomp-stomp-clap" of Queen's "We Will Rock You" was born out of the challenge that rock stars and professors alike know all too well: How to get large numbers of people engaged in participating during a live performance like a concertor a lectureand channel that energy for a sustained time period. Sang Won Lee, an assistant professor of computer science in Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, and his collaborators tested some theories about not only engaging large audiences, but sustaining that engagement in a live music performance. While Lee isn't part of a world-renowned, stadium-filling legendary rock band, his team uncovered something that Queen guitarist Brian May and the late Freddie Mercury didn't have that helped audience engagement: live social media. Lee will present his findings at the Association for Computing Machinery's 12th Creativity and Cognition Conference in San Diego, California on June 26, 2019. He collaborated with Walter Lasecki and Danai Koutra, both assistant professors of computer science and engineering, and undergraduate sound engineering student Aaron Willette, all from the University of Michigan. In addition to presenting his research findings as a formal paper, he will also perform a concert to demonstrate his smartphone participatory app and create a real-time composition for smartphones using an interactive musical piece for large-scale audience involvement called Crowd in C. The sounds of the composition will be generated solely from the audience. "This research is important in learning what resonates with larger audiences and prompts people to not only participate in a group, but remain engaged and create an artistic artifact," said Lee. "Artifacts let the audience see the fruits of their labor as a group and give them something to invest in as far as remaining engaged." For Lee's performance the audience will log in to an app that will present them with a pattern of dots. By moving the dots, audience members will be able to manipulate the sounds that will be collectively played over a sound system and create their own compositions in the key of C. Lee will have the real-time ability to change the chord of the instrument to make the sounds lower or higher or to play a simple melody. In developing his composition for smartphones, Lee had three challenges. The first challenge was how to engage a large audience using an instrument that was simple enough for novices. The second challenge was keeping the audience engaged with their new music makers. The last challenge was to perform a piece of music with the crowd interacting with the app. Lee patterned the social media engagement tools for Crowd in C after such dating apps as Tinder. Users can listen to individual compositions during the performance and hit a like button in the shape of a heart. Additionally, if two users like each other's musical profiles, they are greeted with an "it's a match" message and magic fairy wand sounds. Lee tested the Crowd in C app last December at the Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, and found that 87 audience members remained engaged at a constant rate for 540 seconds, or nine minutes.On average, audience members sent or received hearts 8.21 times. Sending hearts was driven by a small portion of people, the top 20 percent of participants sent 62.2 percent of all hearts. While a small number of participants were responsible for sending and receiving a majority of the hearts, various individual approaches of engagement emerged over the course of Lee's performance. While some audience members were socially active, others focused on more musical interaction and contributed to the artifact. "We saw that social interaction helped audience members stay engaged longer with the app and the performance, so this could be a tool that professors or anyone else who has to captivate large audiences at conferences could use in the future," Lee said. He finds it promising that the computer-mediated participatory platform was flexible enough to accommodate various types of participation: some members were influencers, some were lurkers, and some were music geeks. "Using computer science in nontraditional ways is a wonderful gateway to connect with the public and make technology relatable to people who may not interact or realize they are interacting with computer science on a regular basis," said Steve Harrison, an associate professor of practice in the Department of Computer Science and the School of Visual Arts, as well as director of the human-centered design program. Harrison has had dual roles as associate chair and co-chair of the Creativity and Cognition and Designing Interactive Systems conferences this year. "We are experimenting with the joint format to bring together two related computer science research communities," he said. "The conferences will host a shared art exhibition and one full day of conference programming to support dialogue between the two overlapping communities." Virginia Tech's Department of Computer Science has a large presence at both conferences this year. In addition to Harrison, Assistant Professor Kurt Luther is serving as papers co-chair of Creativity and Cognition; Professor Deborah Tatar is serving as technical program co-chair for the Designing Interactive Systems conference; and graduate student Aakash Gautam is serving as co-chair for student volunteers. Whether it's a raucous concert or a compelling lecture, Lee's research indicates the rules of audience engagement may have gone beyond stomping and clapping and headed into the realm of computer-mediated technology that can help performers of all kinds, whether they are in the classroom or the concert hall. Explore further Music captivates listeners and synchronizes their brainwaves Dr Paul Tregoning and Rebecca McGirr. Credit: ANU Data from new satellites reveal the alarming extent of the recent drought in Australia and confirms a significant loss of ice in Antarctica, say ANU scientists. Dr. Paul Tregoning, whose team developed software to process the first publicly available data from the satellites and track water availability on Earth, said parts of NSW and Queensland, central South Australia, Tasmania and much of Western Australia were drier in December 2018 than the Millennium drought at the end of 2009. "Our preliminary results show already the drought last year appeared to be worse across a large area of Australia than late 2009, towards the end of the Millennium drought," said Dr. Tregoning from the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences. "The Millennium drought, which lasted from 2001 until 2009, is considered by some experts to be Australia's worst drought since European settlement, so to see the country in the grip of another bad drought less than a decade later points to more worrying times ahead." "There was less water in the landscape in northern and northwestern NSW and southwestern Queensland in 2018 compared with 2009, but more water in the southern Murray-Darling Basin region and along the eastern coast." The new satellite data also shows how much ice has been lost in Antarctica over the last decade. Dr. Tregoning said the ice loss in the Totten Glacier region, east of Australia's Casey station in Antarctica amounted to around 1.4 billion tonnes of water, which would fill around 570,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. "We could be watching the beginning of serious change to the ice sheet," Dr. Tregoning said. "This is very concerning, since a destabilisation of the ice sheet in that region could affect the global sea level by many metres." The team used data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, which were decommissioned in October 2017, and the GRACE Follow On satellites, which were launched into orbit in May last year. ANU Ph.D. scholar Rebecca McGirr is researching ice loss in Antarctica using data from the GRACE space mission, which tracked the changes in water levels on Earth continuously from 2002 until 2017. "With access to new 'eyes in the sky' through the GRACE Follow On mission, we can once again track the state of droughts and floods in Australia and ice loss in Antarctica. This means that society is much better informed about extreme climate conditions and long-term change," said Ms McGirr. Professor Matt King, an expert in polar motion from University of Tasmania, said the ANU team's sophisticated analysis of GRACE Follow On data provided much-needed capability for Australian Antarctic research. "The evidence of huge ice loss from the Totten Glacier region is of great concern," he said. "This is in Australia's backyard, so we need to understand what is happening and what might happen in the future." Explore further Antarctic glacier named after GFZ satellite mission 'GRACE' Invasion of a Paramecium cell by Deaniraea bacteria. Credit: ISME Journal Microbiologists of St Petersburg University, together with researchers from the University of Milan, the University of Pisa, and the University of Pavia, have discovered a new family of bacteria of the order RickettsialesDeianiraeaceae. This is the first report of the Rickettsia-like bacteria that display a unique extracellular lifestyle and are in fact predators. The Deianiraeaceae, which has become the fourth family in the order Rickettsiales, currently contains one genus, Deianiraea. All previously investigated Rickettsiales are obligate intracellular specialised parasites. By contrast, Deianiraea not only attacks the victim from the outside, but also it never enters the host cell throughout its entire life cycle. Deianiraea colonises the extracellular surface of the ciliate Paramecium: the predatory bacterium attacks the ciliate and replicates on its surface, taking the victim's resources, and eventually its life. The name for the newly discovered bacterium, Deianiraea, refers to the myth of Deianira, the wife of Heracles, who unwittingly killed her husband with a tunic poisoned with the Hydra's venom. "Similarly, the Deianiraea bacterium kills the ciliates, covering the host cell like a poisoned tunic," notes Alexey Potekhin, Professor at the Department of Microbiology of St Petersburg University and a member of the international research team. Predator of the microworld The novel bacterium was discovered by chance. Natalia Lebedeva is one of the co-authors of the study and a leading expert of the Centre for Culture Collection of Microorganisms at the St Petersburg University Research Park. She took a sample of water from a waste water stream in Larnaca, Cyprus. Microbiological analysis of the water sample revealed that it contained a large number of ciliates. Laboratory observation showed massive loss of cilia, which are employed for locomotion and feeding. This resulted in the death of the affected ciliate. Other paramecia, which were added into the same culture, also soon died. Upon closer inspection of the affected ciliates it became evident that the deciliated areas of the cell surface were covered by tightly packed bacteriaunknown to science at that moment. Electron microscopy images of Deianiraea bacteria on the surface of Paramecia cells. Credit: ISME Journal "New bacterial families are rarely discovered these days. It is always an important finding, no matter what order this family may belong to. In our case, a new family has been found in a very well-studied orderthe Rickettsiales. Previously, only DNA of related bacteria were detected in the samples. Therefore, the bacteria were classified as Rickettsia-like, as the scientists were not able to place them into the existing system of families of the order. It was the first time that we had found these bacteria alive. The molecular phylogenetic analysis enabled us to reassemble all the data fragments and, consequently, to establish a new bacterial familyDeianiraeaceae. One may say we were lucky," says Alexey Potekhin. Strong and almost independent Unlike other Rickettsia-like bacteria, Deianiraea is not only able to replicateto reproduce outside the cellbut also to sustain itself with less dependence on the host. "Deianiraea possesses a higher capability to synthesise amino acids, compared to all other Rickettsiales. It can synthesise 16 amino acids, including the eight that other representatives of the order cannot produce. 16 out of the 20 main amino acids is almost a full set. The rest it is most likely to acquire from its victims, but we do not know that for certain. Moreover, Deianiraea can synthesise nucleotides: other Rickettsiales do not do this because they receive them from the host," Alexey Potekhin explains. Another feature of Deianiraea is that it has several secretion systems. In bacteria, this enables protein secretion that can be employed for interaction with other cells as well. Deianiraea does have a specialised secretion system for interacting with other bacteria. It also has a specialised type IV secretion system which putatively enables it to establish contact with the ciliate. At present, the researchers have not yet established the exact mechanism of the parasite-host cell interaction, and what the bacterium may acquire from the ciliate or other host organisms. Related to mitochondria The order Rickettsiales encompasses three previously known families of highly diverse representatives of intracellular symbionts and parasites associated with eukaryotes, including animal and human pathogens (e.g., typhus). It has been suggested that all Rickettsia-like may have shared a common ancestor with mitochondria. Mitochondria in are responsible for ATP synthesis in all eukaryotic cells, i.e. for energy metabolism. The discovery of a novelextracellularRickettsiales bacterium suggests that the evolutionary path of mitochondria may have been different, contrary to what has been previously assumed. "Evolution, whenever possible, tends to choose the path of least effort, reducing the number of redundant functions: all that is unnecessary is eliminated. It has been assumed that the common ancestor of all Rickettsia-like bacteria was a specialised intracellular parasite with a low biosynthetic potential. In other words, it was unable to synthesise many of the essential substances, acquiring them from the host. It could sustain itself and reproduce only inside host cells. The results of our research allow us to assert with confidence that the last common ancestor of all Rickettsia-like bacteria led an extracellular lifestyle, lived in water, had a flagellum and was metabolically independent. It also must have had cellular systems that enabled parasite-host interactions. Adaptation to the lifestyle of intracellular parasites of the modern families of the Rickettsiales order would have evolved later in parallel and independently in different sub-lineages. The discovery of Deianiraea impels us to reopen the debate about the time when the ancestor of mitochondria would have established itself inside a proto-eukaryote, and the particular traits this mitochondrial ancestor would have possessed," the scientist concludes. Explore further Researchers redefine the origin of the cellular powerhouse More information: Michele Castelli et al, Deianiraea, an extracellular bacterium associated with the ciliate Paramecium, suggests an alternative scenario for the evolution of Rickettsiales, The ISME Journal (2019). Journal information: ISME Journal Michele Castelli et al, Deianiraea, an extracellular bacterium associated with the ciliate Paramecium, suggests an alternative scenario for the evolution of Rickettsiales,(2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0433-9 Provided by St. Petersburg State University Ecologist Volker Rudolf is an professor of biosciences at Rice Univeristy. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University Finding a shady refuge to cool off on a hot day could be more than a lifesaver in a warming world. It might save several species that would otherwise go extinct due to global warming, according to an analysis by ecologists at a dozen institutions. "Animals are not passive, and there's plenty of evidence that some of them will seek out shade to regulate their body temperature," said Rice University ecologist Volker Rudolf, co-author of a study in Global Change Biology that examined both the behavior and habitats of 39 species. "The big question, for ecologists, is whether we can create a predictive framework that uses what we already know about species' behaviors and habitats to predict whether this behavior might buffer them from rapid climate change and potentially rescue them from otherwise going extinct." Rudolf said he and his colleagues, including study co-lead authors Samuel Fey of Reed College and David Vasseur of Yale University, set out to create such a framework, in part because a number of high-profile studies have ignored behavior in making predictions about the possible impacts of climate warming. Scientists have examined the impact of temperature on the fitness of many species. To control for external factors, almost all such tests are performed in a laboratory, where temperature can be increased while all other factors remain constant, said Rudolf, a professor in Rice's Department of BioSciences. The overall health, or fitness, of individuals often falls off as temperatures increase, especially in insects and other ectothermic animals whose bodies don't self-regulate temperature. "Behavior allows for self-regulation of body temperature, even in some cases where physiology doesn't," Rudolf said. "So ignoring this behavior means you're probably making wrong predictions." A predictive framework for estimating how a species behavior might mitigate the ill effects of rising temperatures was first tested on the southern rock agama lizard, a species native to South Africa. Credit: Bernard Dupont/Wikimedia Commons But behavior only goes so far. If a creature lives where there is no shade or other means to cool off, it's obviously not an option. It may also be impractical, especially if getting to the shady spot requires an enormous expenditure of energy. To examine the consequences of this behavior across a wide range of animals, the scientists created a mathematical framework that accounts for variability in microclimate in the habitat of a species to estimate the cost-benefit trade-off an individual faces when expending energy to seek shade. The framework was first verified on tests with the southern rock agama, a lizard native to South Africa, and was later applied to a database of 38 insect species from Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia. Using International Panel on Climate Change temperature projections for the year 2050, the researchers found that 19 of the insects were likely to be negatively impacted by warming temperatures. They further found that behavior would likely mitigate the ill effects of warming for 17 of the 19 species, including six that were predicted to experience "behavioral rescue," a situation where behavioral adaptation keeps the species from going extinct. In fact, warmer temperatures, in conjunction with behavioral adaptation, were predicted to increase fitness for 10 species. "With climate change already increasing temperatures worldwide, it is important to find ways to forecast how this will affect individual species as well as tightly couple ecological communities," Rudolf said. In addition to looking at the direct effects of temperature on one species, he said it will be important for ecologists to consider how rising temperatures will affect a species' predators, competitors and food resources, including prey. Where looking at temperature alone might suggest a species will do better or worse, those predictions could change based on the impacts on closely coupled species. Explore further Global warming hits sea creatures hardest More information: Samuel B. Fey et al, Opportunities for behavioral rescue under rapid environmental change, Global Change Biology (2019). Journal information: Global Change Biology Samuel B. Fey et al, Opportunities for behavioral rescue under rapid environmental change,(2019). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14712 In this April 11, 2018, file photo, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue talks with reporters after testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to relocate the headquarters of two research agencies to the Kansas City area, intensifying concerns that research will suffer. Perdue announced the move Thursday, June 13, 2019, and said it will bring the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture closer to the farmers and agribusinesses they serve. But the Union of Concerned Scientists said it will drive out researchers. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it will relocate two research agencies' headquarters to the Kansas City area, delighting Kansas and Missouri officials but intensifying critics' fears that research will suffer and be less accessible to federal policymakers. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said that moving most employees out of Washington will bring the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture closer to farmers and agribusinesses they serve. He also said the USDA would save about $20 million a year on rent and other employee costs, freeing up extra dollars for research. Members of the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations and the two states' governors praised the USDA's move, saying the research agencies are a good fit for their region. The USDA said nearly 550 of the roughly 640 jobs will move, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, said they will pay between $80,000 and $100,000 a year. But critics said the research agencies have lost veteran employees and been unable to fill vacancies since the USDA announced last year it was considering moving their headquarters. Opponents also argued that moving them will make it harder for federal policymakers to get objective research that might raise questions about President Donald Trump's policies. "This is a blatant attack on science and will especially hurt farmers, ranchers and eaters at a particularly vulnerable time," said Mike Lavender, a senior manager for the scientist group's Food and Environment Program. The Economic Research Service examines a wide range of issues, including the rural economy, international trade, food safety and programs that provide food assistance to poor Americans. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides grants for agricultural research. Perdue said the two agencies are the only parts of the USDA with no presence outside the greater Washington area, and 90 percent of the department's employees live outside that region. He also said the agencies will be able to draw future staff from a large "agriculture talent pool" in the Midwest. The agriculture secretary told reporters on a conference call that the USDA doesn't yet know how many employees will move to Kansas City but the plan is not "an operation to leave anybody behind." He said the goal is to have workers relocated by the end of September. "Once people who choose to move can relocate to Kansas City, I think there would be more furor trying to move them back after three or four years," Perdue said. "We didn't do this with disruption in mind. We did this for the benefit of the two agencies." Kansas State University and the University of Missouri's main campus are roughly a two hours' drive from the Kansas City metropolitan area. Also, the Kansas State campus is home to a billion-dollar federal biosecurity research lab that's under construction. Perdue said state and local officials offered $26 million in incentives, although he declined to provide details. The joint Kansas-Missouri bid beat out 135 others. "It is always positive when our government can operate outside of Washington and closer to the people it serves," said Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican. The move drew strong criticism from two Democratic chairwomen of U.S. House Agriculture subcommittees, Marcia Fudge of Ohio and Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands. They accused the USDA of rushing its decision and ignoring farmers, ranchers and researchers opposed to it. Reporters present when Perdue spoke to employees from the two agencies Thursday tweeted or posted photos of them turning their backs on him. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents workers at the two research agencies, also denounced the plan. Employees at both recently unionized. J. David Cox Sr., the union's national president, said the move will make it harder for the USDA research agencies to coordinate with other science and research agencies. "We will continue to work with Congress and other parties to fight this wrongheaded proposal, which is little more than a backdoor way to slash the workforce and silence the parts of the agencies' research that the administration views as inconvenient," Cox said in a statement. Explore further Perdue recalls chicken nuggets due to wood contamination 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Made-In-Vietnam: The country's first homegrown cars are set to be delivered on June 17 Vietnam's homegrown carmaker VinFast will deliver its first cars on June 17, the company said Friday as it showcased a factory in one of Asia's fastest growing economies. VinFast said it will supply a domestic market that is rapidly expanding thanks to a mushrooming middle class with a growing appetite for carsthough it will face stiff competition from well-established players like Toyota and Ford. The carmaker is a subsidiary of Vietnam's largest private conglomerate, Vingroup, which is owned by the country's richest man, a press-shy billionaire who started his career selling dried noodles in Ukraine. It is seeking to tap into national pride with vehicles that include sedan and SUV models, along with e-scooters and even electric buses. "In less than 72 hours, the first Vietnamese branded cars will officially be driven on the streets of Vietnam," said Vingroup director general Nguyen Viet Quanghe. Quangspeaking at the sprawling factory in Haiphong where rows of red, white and grey cars were being assembledsaid the company has received orders for 10,000 cars and "tens of thousands" of e-scooters. Vietnam's Prime Minister said he hoped the vehicles would help Vietnam become a household namealongside auto-making heavyweights Japan and Germany. Manufacturing hub Vietnam is looking to boost value-added, high-tech production "Vietnamese are able to do what the world can," Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. Vietnam's fast-growing economy has largely been buoyed by cheaply manufactured goods like sneakers, T-shirts and computer processors. GDP growth hit 7.1 percent last year, and the World Bank says annual growth is expected to reach 6.6 percent later this year. The country has said it hopes to move into value-added and high-tech manufacturing like more developed neighbours like South Korea and Japan. Vietnam currently assembles foreign-branded cars for a growing domestic market: auto sales are up 22 percent year-on-year over the past five months, according to Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association. The cradle-to-grave Vingroup empire includes housing, resorts, farms, schools, hospitals, shopping malls and smartphones. CEO Vuong is worth an estimated $7.7 billion, according to Forbes. Explore further Vietjet inks $6.5 bn deal with Airbus for 50 planes 2019 AFP The November 2018 Woolsey fire seen from Topanga, California. Credit: Peter Buschmann / U.S. Forest Service The recipe for disaster is simple. Throughout Western North America, millions of people live in high-risk wildfire zones thanks to increasingly dry, hot summers and abundant organic fuel in nearby wildlands. This year, the National Interagency Fire Center is predicting a heavy wildfire season for areas along the West Coast from California into Canada due to a heavy crop of grasses and other plants that developed in the wake of a wet winter. In California, the largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, has already begun fire hazard-prevention power cut-offs that will likely affect hundreds of thousands of customers in the months ahead. Meanwhile, insurance claims for wildfires that devastated parts of California this past November recently topped $12 billiona total that represents the state's largest-ever economic loss from fire. Here, Chris Field, the Perry L. McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment; Rebecca Miller, a Ph.D. student in Stanford's Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources; and Michael Goss, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, discuss what to expect from the 2019 fire risk. Field is a climate scientist whose work includes a project, in collaboration with the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford, that examines wildfires' effects on respiratory illness. Miller studies wildfire protection and prevention policy, as well as federal, state and local wildfire preparations and responses. Goss's research has included investigating the role of climate change in enhancing the risk of weather conditions associated with extreme wildfire danger. What trends have we seen in recent fire seasons? Miller: We've seen a trend in California toward larger and more destructive wildfires. During the past two years, California experienced four of the 20 largest and eight of the 20 most destructive wildfires in its recorded history. In 2017 and 2018, nearly 3 percent of the entire state was on fire at some point, an area equivalent to about 80 percent of Connecticut. Is there anything about the upcoming fire season that is likely to be out of the ordinary? Field: We are in an era when every fire season is likely to be out of the ordinary. The combination of climate change, increasing development in the wildland-urban interface and fuel accumulation from decades of fire suppression dramatically increases the risk of fires that are large and catastrophic. Former California Gov. Jerry Brown described the situation as a "new abnormal." We need to recognize that, in California, we face the real risk that every fire season will be among the most destructive, or even the most destructive, on record. Unless we get ahead of the problem, fire risk in 2030 or 2040 could make the last few years look calm. What factors and conditions could drive wildfire risk in the months ahead? Goss: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center forecasts above-normal temperatures through August. This may reduce snowpack in the high elevations, leading to less runoff and impacting the dryness of fuels that depend on runoff. Additionally, drier conditions may further dry out vegetation. This could prime the region for an enhanced wildfire risk, although ignition and immediate weather conditions, such as strong offshore wind events, also play a critical role. The extreme wildfire seasons we have seen recently in California have been, in part, triggered by a combination of hot, dry summers and falls, a later than normal onset to the rainy season and offshore winds that have occurred when fuels have been at their driest. Field: Especially in California, the greatest risk of fire is in periods of hot dry winds like the Santa Ana or Diablo winds. These hot, dry winds can quickly desiccate fine fuels to the extent that they become almost explosive, susceptible to ignition with a small spark. In fire-prone parts of California, there are many sources of ignition, ranging from lightning to discarded cigarettes and untended campfires to sparks from equipment or power lines. To what extent can an unusually wet winter, like the one California just experienced, influence the summer wildfire season? Field: In general, a wet year like 2019 leads to increased fire risk in grasslands and low-elevation parts of the state where extra moisture increases the growth of grass and other fine fuels. But in the higher mountains, the unusually high snowpack will melt later than usual, decreasing the length of the time that forest are dry enough to burn. But much of the risk that a forest fire becomes catastrophic is related to the accumulation of fuels over several years. These "ladder fuels" allow fire to move from the ground to the crown of the forest, where it can move quickly, jump barriers and kill every tree in its path. What can communities and individuals do to mitigate the risks of wildfire? Miller: One of the most successful means to prepare individuals for a disaster is coordination at the local level: neighbors talking to neighbors, and neighbors helping neighbors. Wildfires do not follow jurisdictional boundaries, so local governments, communities and individual homeowners need to work together to mitigate their risks. Programs like Firewise U.S. help local residents organize their neighborhoods to prepare for and protect from wildfires by clearing brush, retrofitting homes with wildfire-resistant building materials and developing emergency plans that include evacuation routes. On an individual level, homeowners can protect their properties by establishing defensible spaceclearing the area around their home of vegetationor replacing parts of their home, like roof tiles or vents, with more wildfire-resistant options. Field: In the long run, tackling climate change will be essential. If the world continues to warm to the levels expected with high emissions through the 21st century, it is hard to imagine successfully managing wildfire risk in California. In parallel with tackling climate change, communities can do a great deal to decrease the ladder fuels that increase the risk of catastrophic fires. Prescribed burns can be a safe and effective way to decrease fuels, especially when the accumulations are not too large. Where fuels are so dense that prescribed burns are not feasible, forest thinning is a necessary first step. In some cases, the material removed by thinning may be suitable as fuel for power generation or other uses. Many forested areas that have seen a decrease in timber harvesting activity in recent decades may provide economic opportunities from investments in fuel reduction. Explore further Prescribed burning to combat wildfires has not increased in the U.S. West Warren County and the town of Corinth have decided negotiation with their only railroad suitor is better than leaving the tracks vacant. The municipalities decision Tuesday to seek an agreement with United Rail Inc. came as the county learned that a major bridge on the countys section of rails in Hadley will need at least $1 million worth of repairs to its decking. The bridge adjacent to the so-called Bow Bridge (corrected) over the Sacandaga River is on the south end of Warren Countys portion of the rail line that runs from Saratoga Springs to North Creek. Matt Simpson, the Horicon town supervisor who is chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors Public Works Committee, said the work will need to be done, regardless of whether the county finds a new operator to run trains on the tracks. The county hopes to defray the costs of the project, which could be up to $1.4 million, with state funding, he said. Were hopeful there may be grant funding available to pay for 80 percent of it, county Administrator Ryan Moore said. The county and town of Corinth have put together a negotiating team of Moore, the Warren County Attorneys Office and supervisors Kevin Geraghty of Warrensburg, Claudia Braymer of Glens Falls, Michael Wild of Queensbury, Andrea Hogan of Johnsburg and Richard Lucia of Corinth to work out a deal. Las Vegas-based United Rail has put together a contingent of local representatives that includes Saratoga County economic development leader John Jack Kelley, who plan to focus on tourist and excursion trains and potentially develop freight business as well. While past operators on the line have struggled with this model, Kelley said his group has plans for better marketing and a better experience. He said they have been talking to representatives of communities along the rail line, as well as former employees of Saratoga & North Creek Railway, about what was done and what can be improved. Kelley said the goal is to come to an agreement as quickly as possible to allow the company to begin operations by Sept. 15. Operating in the fall and getting the business off the ground this year is important, he added. The new rail company will do more than bring visitors to the region and spur economic development, he said. The goal is to bring a new tenant to the former International Paper Co. mill in Corinth, with 50 or more jobs created. The prospective tenant has not been identified. We will create meaningful jobs, desperately needed jobs, Kelley said. Warren County leaders have denied a Freedom of Information Law request for the companys written proposal, citing proprietary information. With maintenance of the rails costing Warren County at least $300,000 a year, and the bridge repair needed, Simpson said county leaders are hopeful they can come to an agreement with a company that will generate some revenue on the line. Warren County and town of Corinth are looking for a new operator after Saratoga & North Creek Railway halted operations last year amid financial problems. SNCR was a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings LLC, a Chicago-based international rail operation. The county is suing Iowa Pacific for $110,000 in unpaid revenue. The county initially had four responses to a request for proposals to use its stretch of the rail line, but two companies were quickly ruled out for not meeting the countys requirements. A third, OmniTRAX of Colorado, decided late last month not to pursue its proposal and dropped out. OmniTRAXs decision has led to questions about what will become of the rail line owned by Iowa Pacific Holdings north of North Creek into the hamlet of Tahawus in Newcomb, where the state has begun efforts to have the line deemed abandoned. That proceeding was stayed to allow negotiations between the two companies, as the owner of former mines in Newcomb wants to ship stone tailings out by rail. He has been trucking them out. The mine owner, Paul Mitchell, who operates Tupper Lake logging and construction companies, did not return a phone call for comment this week. Love 3 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 1 PRAGUE -- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is calling for the immediate release of Oleh Halaziuk, a contributor to its Ukrainian Service, who has been held by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region since August 2017. Halaziuk wrote for the Services Donbas Realities website under the pseudonym Myroslav Tyamushchiy. Iryna Herashchenko, the deputy speaker of the Ukrainian parliament and a former presidential envoy for the settlement of the Donetsk-Luhansk conflict, confirmed to RFE/RL that Halaziuk is being held in a detention center in Donetsk, and that his name has been included on an official prisoner list. "But the question of exchange was blocked by Russia, she said. Lina Kushch, first secretary of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), which has been monitoring his case, told Ukraine's Hromadske Radio that the Union has sought to find out why Halaziuk has been targeted. She suggested that he may have been involved in a dispute with authorities in the town of Torez, but said, "we arent aware of what he is being accused of and why he is being detained, as well as whether any court procedures are planned. She said that no representatives of international organizations like the Red Cross or the UN Monitoring Mission have been allowed to see him. NUJU and other national press and advocacy groups including the European Federation of Journalists have demanded Halaziuks release. In late 2018, Halaziuks relatives gave the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine permission to publish his name in the UN Monitoring Report on Human Rights. Before he was detained in 2017, Halaziuk regularly blogged for the Donbas Realities rubric, Letters from Donbas, posting reports from Torez about gasoline shortages, the post office, and the conflicts impact on ordinary people and children. Located east of the city of Donetsk, Torez has been held by Russia-backed separatists controlling the region since June 2014; Halaziuk was detained and tortured by the separatists that month for his pro-Ukrainian views, and released 18 days later. Halaziuks first post for Donbas Realities addressed the situation in Torez one year after the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by Russia-backed separatists in July 2014. Three years later, he wrote about marking the third anniversary of the attack by walking more than 20 kilometers from Torez to the site where the plane crashed, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Prior to the conflict in 2013, he was beaten for painting graffiti in downtown Torez critical of then-President Viktor Yanukovych. Halaziuk is one of three RFE/RL reporters targeted following Russias seizure of Ukrainian territory. Donetsk blogger Stanislav Aseyev has been held by Russia-back separatists since July 2017; Crimean contributor Mykola Semena was convicted of separatism in 2017 and is banned from practicing journalism and leaving the peninsula. RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, with a monthly average of 5 million visits to its website in 2018, sets a standard in the Ukrainian media market for independence, professionalism, and innovation. The Internal Revenue Service is standing by its decision to deny tax-exempt status to a self-described church in Des Moines that allegedly uses a hallucinogenic drug in religious ceremonies.Earlier this year, the Iowaska Church of Healing sued the IRS in U.S. District Court, challenging the federal agencys decision to deny the church status as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization.State records indicate the church was formed in Iowa in September 2018, and is run by Admir Dado Kantarevic, along with Billy Benskin and Merzuk Ramic. The churchs official location is Kantarevics home, located at 4114 27th St., Des Moines. The lawsuit makes references to the church having 20 members at one point in time.Kantarevic says the church has never conducted any ceremonies at his home or anywhere else in the state of Iowa.In court filings, the church says that in January 2019, it filed an application with the IRS seeking tax-exempt status and was denied. With the assistance of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassleys office, the lawsuit alleges, the appeals process at the IRS was expedited and an appeal conference was held in April of this year.A final determination letter denying tax-exempt status was issued in June of this year, stating that the churchs use of the Sacrament of Ayahuasca in its religious practices was illegal, the lawsuit claims.In response to the churchs lawsuit seeking judicial review of its decision, the IRS said in recently filed court papers that the denial was made for multiple reasons, including the findings that the churchs activities are illegal under federal law and violate public policy, and that it is not a church or a convention or association of churches as defined by federal tax regulations.The churchs teachings are built around the use of ayahuasca, which is brewed from the leaves of the shrubs and vines found in the Amazon. Elements of those plants have powerful hallucinogenic properties, which the church says can be used to awaken the Third Eye of its followers.The Third Eye is described by the church on its website as an organ that no one speaks about at school or in private and which is secretly protected in the geometric center of your skull.In court filings, the church acknowledges that under the federal Controlled Substances Act, an ingredient of ayahuasca called dimethyltryptamine or DMT, is a Schedule I drug and a hallucinogenic alkaloid, and that there is no statutory exemption allowing for its use in religious ceremonies.The lawsuit states that ayahuasca is consumed in the form of a tea during the churchs religious ceremonies and that its services also involve prayers, smudging and spiritual music. The basis of its doctrine emanates from the Ayahuasca Manifesto, a document that details the role of ayahuasca in the expansion of consciousness, the church says.In February 2019, the church filed a request with the Drug Enforcement Administration, seeking a religious exemption from the Controlled Substance Act. To date, the church alleges, the DEA has delivered no substantive response to the request, despite repeated follow-up inquiries.Court records indicate that in December 2005, Kantarevic, then a personal trainer, was convicted of possession of anabolic steroids and sentenced to one year of probation. He was charged in connection with a federal investigation into the illegal importation of steroids for bodybuilders.As part of Kantarevics guilty plea, he acknowledged that it was his understanding the drugs came from an internationally known bodybuilder and were intended for another competitive bodybuilder who was a top competitor in the 2004 Mr. Universe contest. South Africa: Donate blood, give the gift of life June 14 marks World Blood Donor Day and the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) has called on South Africans to donate blood and give the gift of life. The best gift you can give anyone is the gift of life. We know that South Africans have huge hearts and we call on them to fully embrace the spirit of this years World Blood Donor Day theme - Safe blood for all, said the SANBS Chief Marketing Officer, Silungile Mlambo. World Blood Donor Day is an annual event to encourage the implementation, support of nationally-coordinated and sustainable blood programmes. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the focus of this years campaign is blood donation and universal access to safe blood transfusion. The theme encourages people all over the world to become blood donors and donate blood regularly actions which are key to building a strong foundation of sustainable national blood supplies. The theme also calls on all governments, national health authorities and national blood services to provide adequate resources, systems and infrastructure to increase collection of blood from voluntary, regular unpaid blood donors. This year, Rwanda will play host to the international World Blood Donor Day commemoration in Kigali. Closer to home, the call for blood donation is much more urgent. According to the SANBS, less than 1% of South Africans are active blood donors. A unit of blood only lasts 42 days after donation and, for this reason, it is important for blood donors to donate regularly. Donors can give blood as often as every eight weeks. Every unit of blood can save a minimum of three lives, as blood is separated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets. To ensure a safe and sufficient blood supply in the health care system, the SANBS aims to collect 3 000 units of blood per day. This is the journey of 1 unit of donated blood. There are many SANBS blood donation centres open to the public. To find the nearest blood donation centre, visit https://sanbs.org.za/donor-centres/ - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Paris, TX (75460) Today Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to partly cloudy skies this afternoon. High 69F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low near 20F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Impeachments, he wrote, "are of a nature ... POLITICAL ... The prosecution of them ... will seldom fail to agitate the passions of the whole community, and to divide it into parties more or less friendly or inimical to the accused. In many cases, it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions, and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence, and interest on one side or on the other ... there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt." A related question: Can a president can be impeached for things done only while in office? Can he also be impeached for things he did before he was elected? Only Mason discussed that question: "Shall the man who has practiced corruption and by that means procured his appointment ... be suffered to escape punishment?" Nobody suggested that a president might be impeached for pre-election adultery, or groping a woman at a teenage beer party. A second related question: Can a president be impeached for things that he did prior to his election that were essentially known to the voters before they elected him, e.g., if he refused to disclose his tax returns and the voters elect him anyway? Asking for Mexico's help in stopping migrants from Guatemala coming into the U.S. is like asking Elmer Fudd to be best buddies with Bugs Bunny. It's like asking Sylvester the Cat to babysit Tweety Bird. It's like having Honest John the Fox guard the hen house. Why would President Donald Trump think that Mexico is interested in stopping illegal immigrants from coming into this country when Mexico has allowed and given tacit approval to millions of its citizens to come here illegally? Why would he think Mexico wants to stop drugs from coming into this country when it has done nothing to stop it for years? Neither political party, of which there is about 50 cents worth of difference between the two, thinks too much of Trump's tariffs to coerce Mexico into helping us with the migrant crisis. Why would they? Democrats like the potential votes and Republicans like the cheap labor. As George Carlin said, "It's one big club and you ain't in it." Since we've lost so many jobs to Mexico, China, and other countries, it's a good thing that the D-Day landing happened 75 years ago. If we tried something like that now, our Higgins boats would be made in Tijuana, our uniforms made in Sri Lanka, and our bombers made in China but assembled here. It would be Losie the Liveter instead of Rosie. "About six days later," she said, "I got a letter saying I was assigned to Iowa Total Care." Hahn went back to IME to work out that miscommunication, but now she's waiting to see if she receives a letter that she's actually been assigned to Amerigroup. She praised the people at IME, saying they're "decent" and have been helpful in trying to figure out the switch. Another promise at the Davenport town hall came from Mike Randol, deputy director of the Department of Human Services, who told attendees that if they liked their case manager, they would be able to keep them after the transition. Jeffrey's case manager at United is moving to Amerigroup, but when Hahn called IME on May 31, she was told IME doesn't dictate whether patients maintain their case managers. She then called the Iowa Department of Human Services and was transferred to the Scott County Department of Human Services before finally being told to call Amerigroup directly. When she did, she couldn't access the system without a case number which Jeffrey didn't have since he hadn't switched to Amerigroup yet. "Basically, nobody truly knows what's going on," she said, noting that without an answer, Jeffrey is essentially without a case manager. Dawn Smith called the sheriff's move an attempt to get back at her after the two elected officials have clashed on other issues. She said Wethington "chose to target me, my family, my friends and my community" after she looked into his admitted unprofessional behavior at a May 1 meeting of the county's 911 board, which he chairs. Wethington acknowledged that he used foul language and was "downright mean" to vendors of the county's radio system because he was outraged their equipment isn't working and he demanded answers. However, he says Dawn Smith has made an issue of the meeting only to try to discredit him after she caught wind of his plan. He said their feud "makes it easy" to speak out against Durant officers but that's not why he's doing it. Randolph, the Durant chief, said his department is continuing business as usual amid the situation. But it is having a real-world impact. A 43-year-old woman was charged with operating while intoxicated last month after she was pulled over for speeding 24 miles per hour over the limit in Durant and had a blood alcohol level over the limit. A criminal complaint says she was released with a date to appear in court rather than jailed because the "Cedar County Sheriff refused to take defendant." Left: Prime Minister Mia Mottley could well be breathing with greater comfort now that she will see her governments direct commitment to LIAT considerably lessened. Right: Prime Minister Gaston Browne becoming LIATs principal shareholder should see him in a better position to safeguard the interest of LIATs purported 600 employees in Antigua. CARICOM citizens have important rights, but to exercise these rights, clear documentary evidence of their nationality is required. This was the outcome of the case of Bain vs. Trinidad and Tobago, that was decided today by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). David Bain, a citizen of both Grenada and the United States of America, had claimed that his right to freedom of movement was infringed when he was denied entry into the twin-island state when arriving from Grenada just before midnight on 14 December 2017. He presented himself as an American citizen, producing only his USA passport, as his Grenadian passport had expired some years earlier. Upon arrival at Piarco International Airport, immigration officials questioned him concerning information they had received about a man with the same name who has convictions on drug-related offences. Although he denied any drug convictions, Bain was refused entry and was sent back to Grenada on an early flight on 15 December 2017, although he had also informed the immigration officers that he was a citizen of Grenada and thus entitled to freedom of movement in Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states. As evidence of his citizenship, Bain had produced his Grenadian drivers licence, which stated that he was a Grenadian citizen. He also showed his Grenadian voters identification card which stated that he was born in Grenada. In addition, his USA passport also listed Grenada as his country of birth. These documents, Bain argued, should be enough to invoke his right of freedom of movement, as explained by the CCJ in Myrie v State of Barbados In its judgment, the court determined that, while there was no doubt that Bain is a Grenadian citizen, he did not present sufficient documentation to prove it to the immigration officers. The presentation of the Grenadian drivers licence and voters identification card was not sufficient. Unlike the Grenadian passport, neither document was meant to serve as evidence of citizenship. In addition, they were neither machine-readable nor designed to be stamped by immigration officials. The court also rejected the argument that the notation in Bains US passport that he was born in Grenada, conclusively proved citizenship. It was noted that it was possible that Bain could have renounced his citizenship, or have it stripped away by the Grenadian Government, while mere birth in a country does not always automatically evidence citizenship. The CCJ considered whether Bain waived his right to free movement, as a national of Grenada, when he presented his US passport. The court noted that if someone with dual citizenship exercises their rights attached to one nationality, it does not eliminate their other nationality and the rights attached to that citizenship. Therefore, if Bain was denied entry based on his US passport, he could still claim his rights under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas if he could forthwith prove that he is Grenadian citizen. (Source: Caribbean Court of Justice) According to submissions from the Caribbean Community, the "appropriate travel document to invoke the right of freedom of movement is the CARICOM passport or a passport issued by a CARICOM Member State. The U.S. attorney general received a less-than-glowing job performance appraisal from one of his predecessors Friday in Iowa. Eric Holder, the former attorney general during Democratic President Barack Obamas tenure, said he is extremely disappointed in current attorney general William Barr, the second to serve during Republican president Donald Trumps tenure. Holder gave his assessment of Barr on Friday during the filming of this weekends episode of Iowa Press on Iowa Public Television. Im both surprised and extremely disappointed, Holder said when asked to assess Barrs performance since taking the job in February. I actually thought that he was an institutionalist and I thought that he would actually be at odds with President Trump relatively soon in his tenure and he has proved to be anything but that. Barr has been criticized for his framing of the Special Counsel report on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Critics say Barrs summary, which was published before the majority of the report was made public, lacked context in an apparent effort to make the report appear less critical of Trump, his campaign and his administration. June officially brings the start of summer and the beginning of mosquito season. Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) has once again begun West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance activities to monitor the presence of the virus in the Panhandle. PPHD in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services conducts West Nile virus tracking through the months of May to October. PPHD traps mosquitoes at selected areas around the Panhandle and collects dead birds for lab testing. PPHD uses the Center for Disease Control (CDC) light traps to collect mosquitoes for West Nile virus testing. If you see one of these traps around the area during summer months, that means there are ongoing efforts to track mosquitoes in this area. Once mosquitoes are collected, they are sent to the Nebraska DHHS Public Health Environmental Lab for testing. Panhandle residents are urged to exercise caution when outdoors. To avoid mosquito bites, PPHD recommends: Applying mosquito repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus; Wearing long-sleeved shirt, pants and socks; Avoiding going out at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active; Eliminating standing water to reduce mosquito breeding sites Keep window screens in good repair, and; Use larvicides that contain Bacillus thuringiensis in standing water that is not easily drainable. Nebraska had a reported 242 human cases of WNV in 2018. Prevention is the best way to keep you and your family protected against WNV. Call or visit the Panhandle Public Health District office in Hemingford to receive DEET wipe towelettes for your next ball game, trip to the lake, or camping trip and help fight the bite this summer. PPHD also has limited quantities of mosquito dunks, which can be used for large areas of standing water that cannot be readily drained. To report a dead bird or to request further information on West Nile virus, please visit www.pphd.org or call 308-487-3600 x108 or toll free 866-701-7173. Panhandle Public Health District is working together to improve the health, safety and quality of life for all who live, learn, work and play in the Panhandle. Our vision is that we are a healthier and safer Panhandle Community. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 More than two weeks after criminal justice officials made a point of announcing the arrest of a Rapid City teacher accused of abusing a disabled student, they have shared no details about the nature of the alleged abuse. Shea Lindsey, a 25-year-old teacher at East Middle School, made her first appearance Friday at the state court in Rapid City where she was told she could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of child abuse. Lindsey, who remains out of jail on a $2,500 bond, will enter a plea at a later date if a judge or grand jury finds probable cause to continue the case. Prosecutors did not explain the allegations in court, and prosecutor Lara Roetzel previously told the Journal that "it would be inappropriate for the (Pennington County) State's Attorney Office to discuss the details of the allegations in any case." Paul Andrews, Lindsey's defense lawyer, told the Journal that he hopes to figure out what happened once he receives all of the evidence from the State's Attorney Office. Police reports, which would describe the alleged abuse, where it happened and who reported it, are sealed. Records in child abuse cases are not always sealed, such as in the case against a woman recently accused of leaving a baby in a hot car. The Pennington County Sheriff's Office announced Lindsey's arrest in a May 30 Facebook post and news release sent to media outlets that included quotes from Lori Simon, the superintendent of Rapid City Area Schools. Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology held the first in a series of STEM-themed summer camps this week, drawing high school students from across the country to its campus. During their week-long crash course on robotics, teens who visited the school assembled and programmed wheeled machines the size of remote-controlled model cars. On Thursday afternoon, they competed to see which of their robots could steer itself through an obstacle course set up in the Harvey Fraser Gym with the least difficulty. Seated in a classroom earlier that morning, Luke Henderson tinkered with his robot ahead of the big event. The 17-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, was attempting to write a program on his laptop that would enable his robot to follow the duct tape path stuck to the hallway floor. Im having a bit of trouble with it, he laughed. But Im sure it will turn out fine. Like several of his fellow campers, Henderson came equipped with robotics experience that he gleaned through participation in different high school-level engineering programs. For others, it served as an introduction to the discipline. One of several summer camps the school hosts annually to engage high school students in the subjects of math, science, technology and engineering, the robotics camp was held concurrently with one centered on meteorology. Other camps are centered on subjects such as geology, chemistry and archaeology. Students in the robotics program began their week by assembling robots that came in kits. Mounted on each one is a piece of microcontroller hardware that students learned how to program in C language. Shannon Thornburg, a Mines lecturer in mechanical and electrical engineering, said campers began by learning how to program their machines to perform simple tasks, such as turning a wheel in a specific direction. By building on that foundation, he said, students learned how to write increasingly more complex programs. Assisting Thornburg were several Mines graduate and undergraduate students whom he said worked with campers one-on-one, making it easier to manage a group with a wide range of experience. "We've had students who are quite advanced and were ready to jump right in and start doing more advanced stuff, and others that were really uncertain about how to even get started at all," Thornburg said. Offering a chance to explore a new career or learn more about an existing interest, the camps also serve as a way for high school students to catch an early glimpse of the college experience. For example, students who attend the camps are put up in on-campus dorms throughout their stay. Already involved in her school's robotics team, Jessica Gregory said the camp presented a chance to do both. The 17-year-old, Kremmling, Colorado native added that she wants to pursue a career in a STEM field partly so she can one day empower other young women to do the same. I figured this is a way to learn a little more and also look at the college I want to go to, she said. Contact Matt Guerry at matthew.guerry@rapidcityjournal.com You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Im tired of the Oh, poor me! stories. Where were you in high school? In the front row taking notes and turning in your homework, or in the A semi-truck was escorted Monday off the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation, but the tribe and a pipeline company disagree on who the driver was working for. The truck was working for a contractor with TC Energy the company that's planning on building the Keystone XL pipeline and illegally entered the reservation, according to a tribal member and a news release from the tribal chairman. But Sara Rabern, a spokeswoman with TC Canada, said the truck has no relation to the company or pipeline. Joye Braun, a grassroots organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, told the Journal she went to see the truck at a convenience store in Eagle Butte after a friend called her around 5:30 p.m. Monday. She said people noticed the truck because it was hauling an oversize load but wasn't with a pilot car. Braun said she heard the driver say he was heading to the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota, and that someone else told her the driver said he was working for a contractor with TC Energy. She said police officers arrived and found that the driver's manifest mentioned TC Energy. Braun herself did not see the manifesto. The officers called Chairman Harold Frazier who directed them to escort the truck off the reservation, Braun said. Photos posted by Braun on Twitter show people and officers standing in front of a truck with a sign that says "oversize load." Another photo shows the truck carrying a large barrel-shaped load and followed by a police car. Frazier's news release had a similar narrative to Braun's and said the truck broke a tribal resolution that bans all Keystone XL trucks and escort vehicles from the reservation. "This is Sioux Territory. We will not stand for more encroachments and defilement of our land," he said in the release. "Any vehicles or personnel working on the Keystone XL pipeline are not welcome on the reservation. I would like to thank the tribal members who brought this to our attention and stand with them in our opposition to the KXL pipeline." Charles LeCompte, police chief for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said all media questions should be referred to Frazier when asked how officers learned of the truck. The Journal left several messages with Frazier's office but did not hear back from him. TC Energy denied the truck was hauling a load for the company. "We work closely with our crews and contractors on their schedules to ensure their safety and ensuring the safe delivery of our materials," Rabern said. "In addition, we currently do not have any activity in the region. We build pipe and are not an oil or gas producer that would move its products by truck." Tony Mangan, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said he wasnt certain what the truck was hauling or for whom. "I cannot confirm to you that it was a pipeline truck. We don't know that," he said Thursday. Mangan said state troopers weren't at the scene but learned of the incident after tribal police called a sheriff's office who called the Department of Public Safety. Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. William Phelps Eno was born on June 3, 1858, in New York City. He came from a well-to-do family and was the youngest child of Amos Richards Eno and his wife, Lucy Jane Phelps. So, why should we be interested in Mr. Eno (besides having a cool last name)? He is considered to be the father of traffic safety. His fascination with traffic safety began in 1867, long before the invention of the automobile. He was only 9-years-old when he and his mother were caught in a traffic jam in New York City. The jam involved just a few horses and carriages. However, the drivers seemed confused about what to do to untangle the jam. It appeared to little William that all that was needed was a little order to keep the traffic moving. Later in life, he wrote, "That very first traffic jam will always remain in my memory. There were only about a dozen horses and carriages involved, and all that was needed was a little order to keep the traffic moving. Yet nobody knew exactly what to do; neither the drivers nor the police knew anything about the control of traffic." In 1899, at age 41, Eno left his successful real estate business and devoted the remainder of his life towards implementing his concepts for sane and orderly transportation. The next year, Eno wrote a piece on traffic safety titled Reform in Our Street Traffic Urgently Needed. Three years later, he developed a city traffic code for New York, the first such code in the world. Shortly thereafter, he designed similar traffic plans for London and Paris. Up until this time, there was no regulation of street traffic in these cities. Even though the number of carriages, wagons, automobiles and trucks was far less than today, traffic jams in New York were a frequent occurrence. Much of the traffic was devoted to the nearly daylong job of moving goods from one business to another. Quarrels between policemen, cabmen and truck drivers were common, often resolved only after police resorted to the trusty night stick. These conditions provoked a lot of public criticism, but little was done to try to resolve the situation, that is until Eno proposed his transportation plan. His grand scheme for traffic management included many elements we take for granted today stop signs, one-way streets, taxi stands, traffic circles and pedestrian safety islands. His roundabout idea was put into place in New York City in 1905 and in Paris two years later. One-way streets were designated in New York City in 1908 and in Buenos Aires in 1910. Eno followed three principles when developing his overall traffic safety scheme: Concise, simple and just rules, easily understood, obeyed and enforced under legal enactment. The rules must be so placed and circulated so that there can be no excuse for not knowing them. The police must be empowered and ordered to enforce them and men should be trained for that purpose. In 1921, he established the Eno Transportation Foundation, a nonprofit study center located in Washington, D.C. It continues to operate to improve all modes of transportation ground, air and water. Oddly, the father of traffic safety never learned to drive. When Eno needed to travel, he used a chauffeur-driven vehicle. He died in 1945 at the age of 86. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Contact: Mostly, the Rude Pundit doesn't give a shit what you have to say, but, if you have to say it, you can write to Lee Papa here: rudepundit(at)yahoo(dot)com Marijuana might still be illegal under federal law--but thats hardly stopping federal governments from collecting billions of dollars in fees and taxes on the burgeoning industry. One such government is Colorado, with current Gov. Jared Polis (D) recently revealing that the state has collected more than $1 billion in cumulative cannabis tax revenue, a nearly 300 increase from the annual run rate five years ago. The states licensed cannabis retailers have sold marijuana products worth $6.56 billion since legal sales began five years ago following voters approval via ballot in 2012. Since then, the state has netted around $1.02 billion in taxes and fees from that activity. Source: Colorado.gov Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), a 2020 presidential candidate, has rubbished the states earnings as a drop in a bucket. Well, a billion or two might not seem like much for a state that collects $50 billion or so in federal taxes each year. But Polis says its quite a big deal. The governor has revealed that marijuana taxes go well beyond paying for the implementation and enforcement of industry regulations, with the industry helping grow the local economy by creating thousands of new jobs and generating valuable tax revenue thats being pumped into important programs such as protecting public health, preventing youth consumption and investing in public school construction. (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) Source: Colorado.gov Fiscal panacea Brian Vincente, founding partner of the law firm Vicente Sederberg LLP and lead co-author of the states marijuana laws has conceded that nobody has been under the illusion that marijuana legalization would be a fiscal panacea for cash-strapped federal governments. Yet, he points out that the taxes being collected from the industry are already having a substantial and positive impact which is only expected to grow as the years roll on. Related: Kremlin Moves To Dump The Dollar As Mason Tvert, another co-author of the legalization ballot initiative makes the case for more states to legalize marijuana stating that they are flushing billions of dollars down the toilet by keeping marijuana sales an illegal market. And, hes spot on. In 2017, the U.S. government collected only $4.7 billion tax revenue on sales of $13 billion from the cannabis industry, a drop in the bucket for the more than $3 trillion it collects in tax revenues every year. Bear in mind that marijuana for non-medicinal use is legal only in nine states and taxable in just seven. (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) Source: Quartz Marijuana companies face a pretty hostile tax environment. First off, they are not allowed any tax deductions or credits for business expenses which can mean effective federal tax rates of as high as 90 percent. Hemp producers are luckier since recent changes to the law now allows them to deduct ordinary business expenses for tax purposes on condition that their products contain no more than 0.3 percent THC. Second, most banks and financial institutions will not touch them with a 10-foot pole, meaning they have to pay their taxes in cash and not through checks or electronic means. Yet, they continue to tough it out, making an important mark where they are officially recognized. According to the Tax Policy Center, states with marijuana taxes are obligated to put a portion of their funds toward important social programs ranging from education programs in Colorado and Nevada to administrative costs in California and crime reduction in Alaska. Luckily, the IRS is trying to get a handle on the situation and hopefully, cannabis companies will soon be able to enjoy the same benefits that other industries take for granted. By Alex Kimani for SafeHaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: The United States is facing an interesting conundruman unruly budget deficit that stubbornly refuses to be tamed in an otherwise healthy economy. The Treasury Department says the countrys budget deficit swelled to $738.6 billion during the first eight months of the current fiscal year, and it now appears like a foregone conclusion that it will cross the dreaded trillion-dollar mark in a matter of months. The figure for last years corresponding period clocked in at more modest $532 billion. Sure, government tax revenue continued to grow, up seven percent over the timeframe thanks to a strong labor market and a boost by President Donald Trump tariffs on imported merchandise. However, that growth has not been nearly enough to offset higher federal outlays with the deficit widening another $206 billion during the month of May alone, good for a massive 41 percent Y/Y increase. Government spending soars To be fair, most of the jump can be explained by the fact that June 1 fell on a weekend, thus forcing some federal payments into May. But the deficit story does not paint a pretty picture even after excluding those calendar adjustments since the deficit would still have grown eight percent with spending growth of six percent outpacing revenue expansion of four percent thanks to higher spending on defense, Medicare and Social Security. At the top-line, a rise in individual and payroll taxes driven by a healthy labor market including higher wages and hours worked contributed to the revenue growth. Custom duties-- mostly tariffsjumped 62 percent to $5 billion during the month. On May 10, Washington hiked tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinas imports from 10 percent to 25 percent after the U.S. and China failed to reach a deal after 11 rounds of high-level trade negotiations. Further, Trump has threatened to apply the levy on another $300 billion worth of merchandise from the country if the deadlock remains unresolved. Yet, spending has been increasing at a much faster clip. Related: EV Sales Are Set To Soar 540% Medicare spending surged 73 percent, mostly due to the timing shift. Still, it would have grown 18 percent otherwise. Defense spending climbed 23 percent while Social Security payments rose by 11 percent. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) now estimates the budget deficit will clock in at $897 billion by the end of the year and could hit the trillion-dollar mark less than 12 months from now if the current trajectory remains unchanged. Tax cuts to blame How bad is the current budget situation compared to previous years? Well, pretty bad, and steadily getting worse. While most people only pay attention to the budget deficit in absolute figures, looking at the deficit as a percentage of a nations GDP offers better clarity into the true state of affairs. The bad part is that not only has the metric been ballooning under Trumps presidency in absolute terms but also as a percentage of GDP. U.S. federal deficit in FY 2018 was 3.8 percent of GDP but is expected to increase 130 basis points to 5.1 percent in the current financial year making it the largest ever shortfall in a non-recession year. But thats not all--left unchecked, its likely to rapidly approach the all-time high of 9.8 percent of GDP clocked during the last financial crisis. (Click to enlarge) Source: Forbes You can pin the blame partly on Trumps generous tax cuts as well as a market that keep chucking cheap money at the U.S. government. Treasury yields have dropped precipitously this year, making it even cheaper for the government to continue borrowing. (Click to enlarge) Source: CNBC But by far, Trumps tax cuts are squarely to blame for the growing conundrum. The U.S. economy is the largest battleship of them all, making it incredibly difficult for any president to have a meaningful impact during his first few years in office. The one area that he or she can have an immediate impact though is tax laws, which Trump changed shortly after ascending to the Oval Office. Related: Is This A Turning Point For Gold? Unfortunately, instead of stimulating the economy, the new tax bill has brought about a fairly sizable reduction in corporate tax receipts. The red line in the first chart shows how much worse the budget deficit will grow if the tax cuts--scheduled to soon expire for individuals, as well as last years discretionary spending caps, are extended. The scary thing is that with the economy already hitting the skids, the budget deficit could climb much faster than depicted here. Meanwhile, tariffs could offer temporary relief but in the final analysis will continue being a hidden tax on both corporations and individuals. Maybe we can safely continue kicking the can down the road as long as borrowing costs remain at historically low rates.One things for sure though: the U.S. economy is a ticking time bomb and this could end up blowing up pretty badly. By Tom Kool for Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Safehaven.com: Foreign and local investors now have an online guide in the form of a website, to help (them) make informed decisions about investing in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The portal is the result of a collaborative effort involving Invest SVG, the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agency (CAIPA), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. It was launched on June 7, and includes information on procedures, rules, cost, taxes, salaries, contacts, testimonials from other investors and opportunities for investment. Potential investors can also download the various application forms from their respective locations. Nadine Agard, Deputy Director of Invest SVG, explained that there were many areas of opportunity to seek foreign direct investment (FDI), and this country attracts a steady inflow of investment. "The website will therefore be very useful to us in assisting and providing investors with jurisdictional information of the country that is accurate, relevant,Agard said at the launch. She further noted that it was important for potential investors to get the information they require in order to make decisions quickly. Ian Richards, Economic Affairs Officer, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNTAD), explained that the guide was developed as part of an online platform which also serves other countries in this and the African and Asian regions. The guides, he explained, will allow for investors to better understand how to invest in SVG. Suzette Hudson, Senior Advisor, CAIPA, said that the initiative for having such a portal fell under the remit of the work that her organization does, particularly in investment facilitation. "One of the things that we have discovered is that investors need data, Hudson said. According to the CAIPA official, based on studies conducted, it had been discovered that for every dollar spent on investment facilitation, foreign direct investment increased by 189 dollars. "Without data, investors cannot make decisions, and it is incumbent on us that investors have the information they need to make the decisions they need to, Hudson said. So, the launch of the portal was timely, she continued, and it came at a time when investors were looking to see where they were spending their money. "And if the information is available, it puts St Vincent in a closer proximity to attracting those much-required investment. Eight such portals are expected to be launched throughout the region between now and 2020, Hudson said, but SVG is among the first to be launched, and is expected to be the standard for what will be used across the region. But while both Hudson and Richards commended the effort, they both noted that, once the website was launched and handed over, then it would become a requirement that it is continuously updated to reflect any changes. "So, the work has only just started, but it is a good start, Hudson said. For the second time this month, an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base early Thursday morning as part of an operational test that once again drew complaints from anti-nuclear weapons activists. When Georgia and other red states enacted very tight restrictions on abortions, their political leaders obviously hoped to push the issue back into the U.S. Supreme Court and into the hands of the courts newly strengthened conservative majority. Why is Rocky Soraya trying to scare me? The 3rd Eye 2 Now streaming on Netflix. Rocky Soraya's sequel plunges deeper into the Indonesian spirit world, consisting largely of blood, lies, blood, deceit, blood, flying furniture, blood, orphans in peril, blood, gooey makeup, blood, screeching, blood, spirituality, blood, ghosts, and blood. The first film in a possible series, released last year (and available on Netflix), could be described as a somewhat twisted tale of two sisters, as older sister Alia (Jessica Mila) returns home to Indonesia after a death in the family left her younger sister Abel (Bianca Hello) alone. Young Abel has been seeing frightening spirits for her entire life, but her family never believed her, so Alia decides to resolve things by consulting spirit adviser Mrs. Windu (Citra Prima). Mrs. Windu opens up Alia's so-called "third eye," which soon convinces Alia that her younger sister was right all along. Things get progressively more hairy and haunted from there. The sequel picks up one year after the events in the first film. Alia starts work at an orphanage after yet another tragedy in her family. There, she teams up with young Nadia (Nabilah Ratna Ayu Azalia), who also has an open third eye, and they must defeat another evil force that erupts at the orphanage, connected both to owner Mrs. Laksmi (Sophia Latjuba), her husband Mr. Fadli (Jeremy Thomas), and Alia's own family. Both films are filled with the expected gross-out moments, but largely rely on our sympathy for the women who must deal with unsavory, unappealing and unsympathetic men. This seems like a good tack to take in the modern day. Pumped up slightly from the first film, with more gruesome-looking extras and presumably more money for props to go flying and breaking, The 3rd Eye 2 alternates jump-scares with explanations of how to defeat the spirits that plague Alia and her friends. Mrs. Windu explains another aspect of the third eye that allows for more variety in the frights. Produced and directed by Rocky Soraya (The Doll and The Doll 2, which I've just realized are available on Netflix and linked accordingly), the film modestly delivers on what it teases. My knowledge of Indonesian horror has been limited to the unsettling, definitely creepy films by Joko Anwar and the pumped-up thrill rides by Timo Tjahjanto (both solo and in partnership with Kimo Stamboel as The Mo Brothers), so for me it was enjoyable to watch another filmmaker wrestle in a somewhat more deliberate (i.e. less creepy and unsettling, slower-paced) fashion. Also, I was surprised to see how the horrors were placed in context with more mainstream religious beliefs. Summing up: Asian horror fans may well delight in another, slightly more spiritual variation on familiar themes. Good news for the victims of the pyLocky Ransomware versions 1 and 2, French authorities have released the pyLocky decryptor to decrypt the files for free. French authorities have released a decryptor for pyLocky Ransomware versions 1 and 2. The decryptor allows victims to decrypt their files for free. It was developed in collaboration between French law enforcement, the French Homeland Security Information Technology, and Systems Service, along with independent and volunteer researchers. PyLocky is very active in France, both within the professional environment (SMEs, large businesses, associations, etc.) as well as at home. This tool is a result of a collaborative Among the agencies of the french Ministry of Interior, Including the first Brigade of fraud investigations in information technology (BEFTI) of the Regional Directorate of the Judicial Police of Paris , on the of technical elements gathered during its investigations and collaboration with volunteer researchers. reads the post published by the French Ministry of Interior states it is more active in Europe. Those elements allowed the Homeland Security Information Technology and Systems Service ST (SI) , part of the National Gendarmerie , to create that software. French Ministry of Interior pointed out that the ransomware hit many people in Europe, especially SMBs, large businesses, associations. The pyLocky decryptor allows to decrypt file for version 1 (filenames having the .lockedfile or .lockymap extensions) and version 2 ( extensions .locky). The pyLocky Decryptor could be downloaded from the following link: https://www.cybermalveillance.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/PyLocky_Decryptor_V1_V2.zip The decryptor has as pre-requisite the installation of the Java Runtime. This software decrypts the encryption of files with the extension .lockedfile or .lockymap and version 2 (encrypted files with the .locky extension) of PyLocky. continues the report. It requires a computer running the operating system Microsoft Windows 7 or higher and the execution environment Java JRE (Java Runtime Environment) version 8. The malware researcher Michael Gillespie analyzed the decryptor and noticed the presence of 2 hardcoded private RSA keys that were likely obtained by French police from the access to the C2 server hosted on the Tor network. Let me remind you that the decryptor doesnt clean the infected systems. Pierluigi Paganini White House promotes efforts to provide job opportunities for former prisoners | Main | Brennan Center "final analysis" reports notable crime drops in major cities for 2018 In this post and this post, I flagged this great event, titled "Rewriting the Sentence Summit on Alternatives to Incarceration," taking place next week in New York City hosted by Columbia University and The Aleph Institute at Columbia Law School. Today, Hanna Liebman Dershowitz has this new piece in the New York Law Journal about the event and related work under the headline "Rewriting the Sentence Means Choosing New Words." Here is an excerpt: Next week, hundreds of key stakeholders in our criminal legal system are gathering at The Aleph Institutes Rewriting the Sentence summit on alternatives to incarceration at Columbia Law School. Rewriting the Sentence is part of Alephs multi-pronged strategic initiative to drive change in our system of punishment away from the reflexive and harsh overuse of incarceration. These projects are shining a light on the vast array of innovative alternatives to incarceration springing up all over the country, and bridging gaps in knowledge and research about what are best practices and how to understand the culture shift that is happening. The summit will bring together the very people who make decisions each day that impact the lives of the millions of people who pass through our criminal justice system each year and reexamine the tools available to hold people accountable so that prison is no longer considered the main one. The summit will advance the conversation around how to define and nudge the culture shift already happening in this arena. Aleph is formally announcing at the summit the establishment of the Center for Fair Sentencing, which will host a digital portal and maintain a clearinghouse on alternatives to incarceration. This clearinghouse will bind together the community of stakeholders exploring or exemplifying the best practices in alternative programs, providing data and analysis; lift up examples of programs using data-informed approaches and best practices; publish turnkey guides, such as one for establishing alternative programs; proffer policy white papers and reports; and advocate for expansion of the use of non-custodial approaches. As Americas criminal justice system continues to shift away from an unthinkingly harsh mindset, other terms belong on the rebranding block too, such as alternatives to incarceration and alternative sentencing. These phrases lock us into the lock-em-up mentality we so badly need to escape. What we really should be thinking of is alternatives to punishment, not incarceration. HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 14 June 2019 - Over HK$7 million was raised at the third annual benefit for the Asian University for Women in Hong Kong titled "Faces of Change." The funds will provide 60 one-year scholarships for women from the most marginalized communities in Asia -- including garment factory workers, women from high-conflict zones and Rohingya refugees -- to study at the liberal arts university based in Chittagong, Bangladesh. AUW graduate Bayan Salaymeh (Class of 2014) shares her story AUW graduates from all over the world join Chief Executive Carrie Lam on stage before her keynote address More than 400 guests attended the benefit presented by title sponsor Lancome and main event sponsor Marriott International at the JW Marriott Ballroom. Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR Mrs. Carrie Lam opened the evening with an inspiring keynote address focused on the need for women's education and participation in society, before sharing her personal remarks on the essential qualities necessary for leadership. Her full address can be viewed online here. Mrs. Lam was followed by AUW Graduate Ms. Bayan Salaymeh (Class of 2014) who shared her journey from Palestine to AUW, to pursuing her masters at Goethe University in Frankfurt. Committed to becoming an agent for change, Bayan's determination was clear in her closing words: "AUW gave me the gift of education. It's my responsibility and my honour to use it well and give back to society." Storytelling continued with a lively conversation between AUW graduate Christina Tamang (Class of 2017) and Guneet Monga, followed by remarks of support from Pansy Ho and Ronnie Chan. The evening climaxed in an exciting live auction presided by Christie's Chairman of Asian art Jonathan Stone, where incredible experiences were sold including a cultural excursion in Bhutan with AUW graduates, an internship with Nobel Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karman in Istanbul, and a 3-day internship with Guneet Monga, Executive Producer of the Oscar winning short documentary "Period. End of Sentence," on a film set in Mumbai. Story continues Thank you to our Sponsors & Partners AUW wishes to thank our sponsors and partners who made the benefit possible: Accenture, Advantage Partners, AIA, Bloomberg, Citi, Ctrip, Christie's, Cosmopolitan, Davis Polk, Debevoise & Plimpton, DFS, ERM, FleishmanHillard, HKEX, Human at Work, Jack Morton, J.P. Morgan, Lancome, Linklaters, Marriott International, Mayer Brown, Media OutReach, Morgan Stanley, Point72, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Triangle Associates, UBS, Western Asset Management and ZTE. About Asian University for Women (AUW) Recruiting from 19 countries in Asia and the Middle East, AUW seeks out high-potential young women from communities with few opportunities for advancement, and provides them with the academic, professional, and financial support required to earn their bachelor's degrees and to take on change-making roles. Since opening its doors in 2008, AUW has graduated five classes totaling more than 800 women. Currently, almost 900 students study at AUW; the vast majority of AUW students are first in their family to attend university, and virtually all receive full financial aid. About 80% of AUW graduates pursue employment in their home countries immediately after graduation while the remaining 20% attend graduate school internationally. Former AUW students have pursued graduate studies at a range of institutions including Oxford, Stanford, Columbia, Brandeis, and Ewha (South Korea). Graduates have gone into careers with organizations such as Chemists without Borders, Room to Read, Teach for Nepal, Accenture, Chevron Bangladesh, UNIQLO, and Democracy International. To learn more about Asian University for Women, please visit https://asian-university.org/ SINGAPORE (June 14): CapitaMall Xuefu and CapitaMall Aidemengdun in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, and CapitaMall Yuhuating in Changsha, Hunan province are three malls that CapitaLand Retail China Trust plans to acquire from CapitaLand, subject to unitholders approval in an extraordinary general meeting. Indeed, unless unitholders have visited the properties, some may have difficulty recalling the names of CRCTs 11 malls in China. As at March 31, they were CapitaMall Xizhimen, CapitaMall Wangjing, CapitaMall Grand Canyon and CapitaMall Shuangjing in Beijing; Rock Square (51% interest) in Guangzhou; CapitaMall Xinnan in Chengdu; CapitaMall Qibao in Shanghai; CapitaMall Minzhongleyuan in Wuhan; CapitaMall Erqi in Zhengzhou; CapitaMall Saihan in Hohhot (Inner Mongolia); and CapitaMall Wuhu in Anhui province. CapitaMall Wuhu will be divested by the end of this month to an unrelated third party. Of the remaining 10, seven are multi-tenanted malls, two are master leased malls and one mall is being reconfigured. They are collectively valued at $3.11 billion. For unitholders concerned that their real estate investment trust (REIT) is acquiring malls in far-off places that they rarely visit, Tan Tze Wooi, CEO of CRCTs manager gives the assurance that the acquisitions are accretive to distributions per unit (DPUs), and not just to net property income yield and distribution yield. Find out more about CRCTs business model for its malls and its acquisition plans in this weeks issue of The Edge Singapore (Issue 886, week of June 17), on sale now at newsstands. Subscribers can log in and read the story or click here to subscribe. President Kenneth Skerritt (front left) led the handing over of a quantity of medical supplies and equipment to staff at the Bequia Hospital. Members of VINCY liberators SVG travelled to Bequia on Sunday June 2, 2019, to make two donations. The first donation was made to the Bequia Hospital in Port Elizabeth, when President Kenneth Skerritt handed over a quantity of medical supplies and equipment for use at that institution. The second donation was a wheelchair for use by Ramon Ollivierre. The Liberators return trip to Bequia was made compliments of in Bequia Express. The Liberators here and members of the New York chapter are grateful to the Bequia Express owners/managers for their kind gesture. Vincy Liberators, Inc. USA and Vincy Liberatorsvg together comprise a non-profit organization whose main purpose is to assist in improving the standard of living of citizens and nationals of the multi-Island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This organization will provide material and to assistances in vulnerable Vincentians which will provide immediate relief and stability in their lives and in the future, help them lead productive lives. The organization ios driven by its motto: We have a country to build, if we dont who will? The Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway for the world's seaborne oil transits, has been at the centre of decades of regional tensions. In the latest incident, on Thursday two tankers came under attack in the Gulf of Oman, to the southeast of the strait. US President Donald Trump, whose country is in an escalating standoff with Tehran, said the incident has Iran "written all over it". Tehran denied involvement. The attacks came one month after four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were damaged in mysterious "sabotage attacks" off the United Arab Emirates. Here is some background on the strait, which Iran has repeatedly threatened to close in case of a military confrontation with the US. - Gateway to the Gulf - The Strait of Hormuz links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and is situated between Iran and Oman. It is vulnerable due to its narrowness -- some 50 kilometres (30 miles) -- and its depth of no more than 60 metres (200 feet). The corridor is dotted with sparsely inhabited or desert islands, which are strategically important, notably the Iranian islands of Hormuz, Qeshm and Larak. Oman's Mussandam peninsula juts out to the Strait of Hormuz towards Iran, separated from the rest of the sultanate by United Arab Emirates territory. With their back to the UAE coast, the strategic and disputed islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Mussa serve as observation posts of all the Gulf coastline. Iran under the Western-backed shah gained control of the islands in 1971, as Britain granted independence to its Gulf protectorates and withdrew its forces. - Oil transit hotspot - The strait is a vital corridor connecting the petroleum-rich states of the Middle East with markets in Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), 35 percent of the world's seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. - Zone of tension and conflict - Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the ideological army of the Islamic republic, controls naval operations in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Story continues Tehran repeatedly criticises the presence of foreign powers in the region, notably the US Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain, and it has threatened to close the strait if it comes under attack. Oil transit was disrupted in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) when more than 500 vessels were destroyed or damaged in a "Tanker War". In 1988, an Iran Air flight from Tehran to Dubai, via Bandar Abbas, was shot down by missiles fired from a US Navy cruiser patrolling the strait. All 290 people on board were killed. The crew of the USS Vincennes said they mistook the Airbus for an Iranian fighter. In April 2015 the Revolutionary Guards boarded and took into custody in the strait a container ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands. The following month Revolutionary Guard sailors fired warning shots in an apparent bid to intercept a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf. acm/jmy/rsc (Adds more comments, background) TREMERY, France, June 14 (Reuters) - French carmaker PSA , owner of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, will start assembling batteries for its hybrid and electric cars at its plant in Trnava, Slovakia, and later at its plant in Vigo, Spain. The company also expects to assemble batteries at some of its other factories as sales of electric cars pick up, Peugeot's industrial director Yann Vincent said on Friday at a plant in the town of Tremery in eastern France. The carmaker currently buys batteries from South Korean company LG and China's CATL. Vincent added the company expected rising demand for electric and hybrid cars, as well as for vehicles with automatic gearboxes, to offset falling demand for diesel and manual gearbox cars. Peugeot expects output of engines at Tremery will fall to 1.7 million this year, down from 1.8 million last year due to falling demand for diesel cars. (Reporting by Gilles Guillaume, Editing by Susan Fenton and Mark Potter) Almost nine out of 10 Singaporeans strongly or mildly agree that sexual harassment had become a bigger problem at schools, including universities, because of smartphones. (Getty Images file photo) SINGAPORE Over nine out of ten Singaporeans (91 per cent) agree that more needs to be done to educate young men about the harm and consequences of sexual misconduct, a survey commissioned by Yahoo News Singapore found. Almost nine out of 10 Singaporeans (89 per cent) also strongly or mildly agree that sexual harassment is becoming a bigger problem at schools, including universities, because of smartphones. The online survey, conducted by market research consultancy Blackbox Research, polled 895 Singaporeans in May, a month after a public furore was sparked by revelations over the handling of a high-profile Peeping Tom case. (SOURCE: Yahoo News Singapore) The incident involved Nicholas Lim, a male National University of Singapore (NUS) student who was caught filming fellow undergraduate Monica Baey, 23, in a hostel toilet at NUS in November last year. The NUS Board of Discipline had ordered Lim, also 23, to be suspended for one semester. He was banned from entering into hostel premises on campus, had to undergo counselling sessions and ordered to write a letter of apology to Baey. Lim, who was a first-time offender, was also given a 12-month conditional warning by the police. The incident spurred the university to implement tougher penalties on sexual misconduct from Thursday (13 June), following its full acceptance of recommendations by a review committee set up in the wake of the incident. (SOURCE: NUS) Among the new penalties are a minimum one-year suspension for serious sexual misconduct offences and immediate expulsion for more severe offences. Other new measures introduced include the installation of new restroom locks, 300 additional CCTV cameras, and more roving security patrols for hostels by this month, as well as a Victim Care Unit in end-August. A compulsory module on Respect and Consent Culture will also be introduced for all students and staff in August. (INFOGRAPHIC: NUS) Over nine out of 10 respondents (92 cent), however, felt that it should be up to the Ministry of Education (MOE), not the schools, to set consistent guidelines on sexual misconduct across all educational institutions. Story continues About 93 per cent of them agree that local universities should set up care units for victims of sexual misconduct while 94 per cent think that they should increase security on campus and in personal facilities, such as toilets and changing rooms. Roughly 66 per cent of 56 sexual misconduct cases handled by the six autonomous universities in Singapore over the past three years were related to voyeurism. In Parliament last month, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung had called for all autonomous universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education to review their disciplinary frameworks. Objectives of deterrence and redress for victims of sexual misconduct need to be better calibrated against the rehabilitation of an offender, Ong had stressed. Balancing these objectives is important for an education institution, but it should not end up with penalties that are too lenient and have too soft a bite, he said. Stiffer punishments for perpetrators of voyeuristic offences were also passed as part of sweeping changes to the Penal Code after the parliamentary debate in May. For instance, a person found guilty of taking an up-skirt photo or video could face a sentence of up to two years jail, along with a fine and caning. Previously, perpetrators of such recordings face up to one years jail and a fine for insulting the modesty of a person. (SOURCE: Yahoo News Singapore) Related stories: Voyeurism is a growing concern in Singapore: Ong Ye Kung Pritam on NUS voyeur case: We should thank the mob for making us look in the mirror Campus Voyeurism: I went public to get the wheels turning - molest victim By Miguel Lo Bianco BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine human rights group Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo divulged the identity on Thursday of the son of a couple disappeared during the nation's brutal 1976 to 1983 military dictatorship. With the discovery, the organisation, which works to identify children of dissidents who were killed by Argentina's government and reconnect them with their relatives, says it has now identified some 130 sons and daughters who were separated from their parents. Human rights groups estimate that about 30,000 people were killed by Argentina's military government, many of them tortured beforehand. Most were students, union leaders or dissidents who were murdered for their political beliefs. In some cases, young children of the murdered were put up for adoption and were never told of their biological parents. Javier Matias Darroux Mijalchuk, who was born in 1977, told reporters on Thursday that he knew he was adopted, but did not know who his parents were or the circumstances of his adoption, as he was only a few months old when his biological parents were taken by government forces. While he said he felt comfortable with his adopted family, he began to suspect as an adult that he may have been the child of disappeared dissidents. That led him to seek out The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, whose members confirmed his suspicion. "Recovering my identity is for me a tribute to my parents," Darroux Mijalchuk said at a press conference. He thanked his biological uncle, Roberto Mijalchuk, who he said had searched for him for 40 years. He said he will now seek to learn the fate of his parents, who were disappeared in 1977, and to find the biological sister he suspects he may have. It is widely believed that there are still hundreds of adopted children of dissidents who still have not been identified. Efforts by The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo to identify the children of the disappeared have been helped in recent years by advances in DNA technology. (Reporting by Miguel Lo Bianco; writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Susan Thomas) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's full extradition hearing to face espionage charges in the United States will begin in February, an English judge ruled on Friday. The whistleblower is accused by Washington of violating the Espionage Act after releasing classified military and diplomatic files in 2010 about US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, in a case that has upset defenders of press freedoms and human rights. In his first appearance since being transferred to Britain's top-security Belmarsh prison in April after police sensationally dragged him out of the Ecuadoran embassy in London, Assange told the court: "175 years of my life is effectively at stake." Speaking at Westminster Magistrates Court in London via video-link from jail, and sporting a scraggly white beard, he added: "WikiLeaks is nothing but a publisher." The 47-year-old Australian could be sentenced to 175 years in a US prison if convicted on all charges. The US Justice Department, which submitted the formal extradition request after Ecuador terminated Assange's seven-year asylum stay, has filed 18 counts against him. He is currently serving a 50-week prison sentence for violating bail conditions by fleeing to the embassy in 2012 when he was wanted on accusations of sexual assault in Sweden. England's Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said the full hearing, expected to last for five days, would start on February 25. Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson called the US charges "a direct attack on free speech and a direct attack on journalism" and said her team would be "raising a large number of objections" to his extradition. She told AFP his health had suffered "in result of his continued confinement inside the embassy and now inside the prison" and he was now being housed in a healthcare ward in Belmarsh. "He is under a huge amount of pressure and -- under very difficult circumstances -- facing a significant, complex case of huge size and scale," Robinson said. - 'Hostile intel service' - WikiLeaks' initial revelations about civilian casualties and embarrassing statements made by US officials about foreign leaders were published in coordination with newspapers such as The New York Times and The Guardian. Those stories redacted the names and personal details of US operatives and local informants whose lives could have been endangered. But the website found the arrangement too confining and later published the entire load of unedited cables and video files -- hundreds of thousands in all -- online. "WikiLeaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said two days after Assange's arrest in April. Ben Brandon, a lawyer representing the US authorities at Friday's hearing, said the extradition request "related to one of the largest compromises of confidential information in the history of the United States". However Mark Summers, another of Assange's lawyers, told the court there was a "multiplicity of profound issues" over his extradition. "We say it represents an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights," he added. - 'Chilling effect' - Assange entered the Ecuadoran embassy in 2012, fleeing what he claimed was a politically-motivated case against him in Sweden. A Swedish court last week rejected a request to detain Assange on those charges -- a ruling that eases the way for Britain to hand him over to the United States. Assange's legal team and major US newspapers argue that his prosecution could shatter free speech rights and set a dangerous precedent. Human rights groups fear that US authorities want either to put Assange behind bars for life or sentence him to death. "The UK must comply with the commitment already made that he would not be sent anywhere he could face torture, ill-treatment or the death penalty," Amnesty International said on Thursday. A small group of protesters gathered outside the London court on Friday ahead of the hearing, holding banners including one with the message "Free Assange". His case could last far beyond next February's hearing, as there are multiple opportunities for appeal. In the restaurants and coffee shops at the heart of southern Chinas hi-tech powerhouse the main topics of conversation have shifted from industry gossip such as IPOs, mergers and innovations to the trade war with the US and Washingtons campaign against Huawei. So all-consuming has the topic become in Yuehai the western district of Shenzhen that houses the social media giant Tencent, telecoms maker ZTE and drone maker DJI that locals joke that it seems more like a trade war between the US and the city, or even the district, itself. Over the past 40 years, Shenzhen has been transformed from a sleepy fishing village just across the border from Hong Kong to a city of more than 12 million people where the hi-tech sector accounts for just over a third of its gross domestic product. Given the importance of the sector, many are now waking up to the possible impact the trade war will have on its future. One tech firm employee, who only gave his surname Lin, said: The trade war will have a lasting impact, including on sales and the entire market. Another resident, who works at an internet company, said he was starting to be concerned about whether his companys products or sales strategy would be affected. Beijing has grand plans for the city and has designated it as the key centre for innovation and creativity in its Greater Bay Area plan a project designed to create an economic powerhouse to rival the San Francisco and Tokyo Bay areas by linking the cities of southern Guangdong with Hong Kong and Macau. But faced with rising tariffs on exports to the United States and the ongoing onslaught against Huawei the key to Chinas 5G network government agencies, official think tanks and tech firms alike are now pondering an uncertain future. Targeting the dragons head The key is Huawei, said a policy researcher with the Shenzhen government who spoke on condition of anonymity. Story continues Huawei is the single most important company at the top of the value chain, the leader and centre of the industry. It is our dragons head. In a rare report released by the Shenzhens statistics bureau in 2016, Huawei was the biggest single contributor to the citys GDP with 7 per cent of the total, or 143 billion yuan (US$20.6 billion). The sum was roughly the same as the rest of the top 20 contributors to the citys GDP, which included such major players as ZTE, Tencent, chip maker Foxconn and vehicle maker BYD. Although no figures have been published since 2016 due to their sensitivity, many believe Huaweis importance to the citys economy has increased and that it now contributes well over 10 per cent of GDP. Huawei and its affiliates are the citys biggest employer, with about 80,000 people based at its Shenzhen headquarters and a further 3,000 at a new research and development facility in the nearby city of Dongguan. The policy researcher said the city authorities have to do everything we can to help these tech firms in the current climate. But now that Washington has banned Huawei from importing US components and frozen the company out of its 5G network due to national security concerns and urged its allies to follow suit there is only so much the local government can do. You know the key [to Huaweis problems] is not with Shenzhen. The problem lies in Washington. Shenzhen cannot help to settle the disruption to its supply chain and overseas markets. Other companies may also find themselves in Washingtons cross hairs as the rivalry between the US and China intensifies, for example DJI, which currently provides nearly 80 per cent of the drones used in the US and China. Without naming DJI, the US Department of Homeland Security recently warned American companies about the security risks posed by Chinese-made drones. So far the companys official statements have batted away the issue, with spokesmen saying the firm was monitoring the talks between the US and China but did not have magic powers to predict the future. However, in a possible hint that it may have to become more self-reliant if it is frozen out of the global supply chain, company statements have said that while it seeks the best components available, in some cases it will develop its own technology. But given its sheer size and importance, Huawei remains the key priority for the local government. While we will keep an eye on the others, we will definitely focus our efforts on helping Huawei, the researcher said. A source familiar with Guangdongs provincial science and technology department said the provincial government had formed a task force, working with relevant bureaus from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan. The task force has been meeting tech firms that have been, or might be, affected by the trade and tech rivalries between the US and China to discuss the possible impact on business. We will continue to do what we need to do, the person said. Promoting the tech industry is a long-term thing. Long tail behind the dragons head The Pearl River Delta surrounding Shenzhen is a vital part of the supply chain for hi-tech manufacturers, which means the whole region is equally vulnerable to US action. Neighbouring cities are all part of the 3 trillion yuan ecosystem that supports Shenzhens export market, which was worth 1.6 trillion yuan last year. Allen Zhang, founder of Crazybaby, a maker of earphones, described the supply chain as the most important thing that makes Shenzhen the capital of manufacturing. There are a lot of satellite cities around Shenzhen such as Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhongshan, and they can form a complete supply chain providing almost everything from raw materials to computer components at very low cost, he said. The South China Morning Post previously reported that Huawei has been preparing for disruption to its exports by putting contingency plans in place and consulting its suppliers. In particular, it has been contacting non-US suppliers to check whether they use American components or technology, which would make them unable to provide equipment under the terms of the US ban. The impact on the supply chain will be clearer in the next two to four months, according to Qiu Dongmin, a senior consultant from Dongguans Defangxin Certified Public Accountants who has many manufacturing clients in the delta. The impact of sanctions on Huaweis mobile phone business will not be immediately felt as most of the phone orders are already booked in the April to June period by Huawei and other big companies, he said. But between August and October, the suppliers would usually be getting additional orders from Huawei and other manufacturers to meet the demand for their bestselling phones. That will be the key period to watch for the whole supply chain in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou. Qiu said he believed it was practically impossible for companies like Huawei to check with every supplier. The suppliers will not want to give Huawei all their technical details in any case. I believe the tech companies might need a month or so to have a clearer picture as there are many pieces of conflicting information circulating, he said. One thing for sure is that everyone is worried. Some are worried about their companies future, some are worried that they might become the next target for the US. Three companies from Huaweis supply chain confirmed that representatives from the Chinese company have reached out in recent days to confirm whether their products or services contain key American technology. Last year Huaweis procurement budget of US$70 billion saw it placing orders with more than 13,000 domestic and global suppliers. Of these suppliers, Huawei considers 92 as core to its business, including 33 from the US, 25 from mainland China, 11 from Japan and 10 from Taiwan, with the remainder coming from places such as Germany, South Korea and Hong Kong. Overseas traders face choppy waters The impact on Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area is not only being felt by suppliers but also by exporters. While the city already offers export credits to businesses to help cover the costs of global trade, a drop in the citys trade with the US is inevitable as a result of the higher tariffs. According to data from the Shenzhen customs, in the first quarter of the year, 17 per cent of the citys trade by volume was with the US, worth a total of 57.4 billion yuan, but this represented a drop of 5.9 per cent compared with the previous quarter. Guo Wanda, executive vice-president of the Shenzhen-based China Development Institute, said that while the trade war was obviously having an impact, Shenzhens overall exports had actually risen by 3.3 per cent last month. Companies might have to cut employee numbers and some smaller ones might even face closure, thats entirely possible, he said. But from the viewpoint of Shenzhen as a whole, the impact is controllable. It will affect Shenzhens economy but it doesnt mean that it will slide drastically. Guo also pointed to the impact on neighbouring cities, saying that because places such as Dongguan and Foshan had more exporters, the US tariffs might have a more profound impact in those places. Despite the growing pressure from the US, companies in the Greater Bay Area had increased their 5G development, he said. We should speed it up as the Greater Bay Area has two of the 5G leading companies in the field, namely Huawei and ZTE. There are other opportunities too. Huawei is using its spare tyres now, including its own operating system and parts. This will create a new supply chain to drive the growth of technology development. Help at hand The Shenzhen government is also continuing to invest heavily in its tech sector. According to official figures, the city spent about 100 billion yuan, or 4.16 per cent of its GDP, on research and development last year, up slightly from 4.13 per cent the previous year. It plans to increase this to 4.25 per cent by next year, which would be more than the 4.2 per cent spent by global tech leaders such as Germany and South Korea. The city is also looking to grow its strategic emerging industries which includes fields such as information technology, biotechnology and new materials. Last year these contributed 37 per cent of the total GDP, down from 40 per cent in the two previous years. But by the time its current five-year plan ends next year, it has a target of 42 per cent. Shenzhen is also continuing to offer tax breaks to encourage innovation and attract high-level tech talent a policy that effectively underwrites more generous pay packets without costing their employers anything. At the 2019 Future Forum held last month, an innovation summit, Wang Lixin, one of the citys deputy mayors, announced that the city government would offer tax breaks to both overseas and local talent, with certain individuals paying no more than 15 per cent income tax. Suppose you earn 1 million yuan a year. Under the new rules, you will need to pay 150,000 yuan as income tax, which saves you about 300,000 yuan compared with the current level, Wang said. While further policy options are still being considered, the authorities have also taken practical steps to help exporters. Ivan Zhai, executive director of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in China-Guangdong, said companies, especially exporters to the US, had been seeking advice from Shenzhens commerce bureau about the latest US policies. Besides handling the additional tariffs, a key concern is compliance with the US International Trade Commissions section 337 investigations, he said. These concern intellectual property rights disputes a key US grievance in the ongoing trade war and according to exporters they were becoming more frequent, Zhai said. Companies sought training last summer on how to be 337 compliant and how to appeal if they were found to be violating the rules. More from South China Morning Post: This article Chinese tech hub Shenzhen becomes key trade war battleground as US strikes at Huawei, its dragons head first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. The World Health Organization said Friday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo does not qualify as an international threat, despite the spread of the virus to neighbouring Uganda carried by an infected family. The closely-watched decision followed advice from WHO's emergency committee, which only meets to review the world's most severe outbreaks. The head of the UN health agency Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is in DRC reviewing the Ebola response, said he accepted the committee's advice. "Although the outbreak does not at this time pose a global health threat, I want to emphasise that for the affected families and communities, this outbreak is very much an emergency," Tedros told reporters. He also appealed for more funds to combat the ongoing Ebola flare-up, which has recorded more than 2,000 cases, including over 1,400 deaths, since it emerged in eastern DRC in August. Friday's emergency committee meeting was prompted by confirmation this week of Ebola deaths in a western Uganda region that borders DRC. - Rare declaration - The WHO panel has used the label "public health emergency of international concern" only four times previously. Those included the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic of 2009, the spread of poliovirus in 2014, the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016 and the surge of the Zika virus in 2016. This is the third time the WHO panel has considered -- but held off -- making the emergency call for this DRC outbreak, which has been concentrated in the restive provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. The head of the committee, Preben Aavitsland, told reporters in Geneva that current Ebola crisis was "an extraordinary event, with risk of international spread, (but) the ongoing response would not be enhanced" by an emergency declaration. - Uganda cases confirmed - The Uganda cases stem from a Congolese woman, married to a Ugandan, who travelled with her mother, three children and their nanny to DRC to care for her ill father, who later died of Ebola. WHO said 12 members of the family who attended the burial in Congo were placed in isolation in the DRC, but six "escaped and crossed over to Uganda" on June 9. The next day, a five-year-old boy was admitted to hospital in Bwera, a border town, vomiting blood before he died. Tests confirmed he had Ebola and the family was placed in an isolation ward. His three-year-old brother was also confirmed to have Ebola, as was their grandmother, who died late Wednesday. Speaking from western Uganda's Kasese district, a senior Red Cross official told AFP that "the biggest challenge" was ensuring robust monitoring along the porous border with DRC. "People are continuing to come in to the country and not passing through the areas where screening is taking place, because screening has been instituted along certain points of entry but not all the points," said Josephine Okwera, the director of health and social services for the Ugandan Red Cross. - Restive region - Health officials had initially hoped that they could contain the outbreak with help from a new vaccine, which has now been given to more than 130,000 people in DRC. But chronic violence and militia activity in the affected eastern DRC provinces as well as hostility to medical teams among some in the region have hampered the response. WHO has also accused political leaders in Ituri and North Kivu of manipulating the Ebola issue to turn people against health workers. Ebola spreads among humans through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person. The current outbreak is the worst on record after an epidemic that struck mainly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone between 2014-2016, leaving more than 11,300 people dead. burs/bs/klm EU finance ministers agreed on the broad outlines of a eurozone budget early Friday, a key reform pushed by Paris that was scaled back amid deep resistance from the Netherlands. French President Emmanuel Macron had championed the hard won budget, seen by many as one of the missing links in the single currency almost a decade after the debt crisis. But his original ambition has been toned down by opponents led by the Netherlands who fear a transfer of wealth to crisis-prone countries such as Italy, Greece or Spain. "We did tonight what we had set out to do: we've created a genuine eurozone budget," Bruno Le Maire said after more than 12 hours of talks. "For the first time, we have created an operational budget that will help eurozone countries to converge and become more competitive. It's a breakthrough," the French finance minister told AFP. "For the first time, we will start thinking about the future as a coherent bloc and coordinating our economic policies," he added. The spokesman for the President of the Eurogroup Mario Centeno in a tweet welcomed the deal, adding the details would be announced at a press conference later on Friday. The ministers' agreement is officially not called a budget -- which would be too politically sensitive in richer countries -- but something called the Budgetary Instrument for Competitiveness and Convergence or BICC, a fund with limited firepower to be used to back reforms. The cumbersome jargon came at the demand of the Dutch, who have accepted the instrument only on condition that it remains a modest affair. "Long and fruitful discussions in Luxembourg Eurogroup," wrote Dutch finance minister Wopke Hoekstra on twitter, hailing "excellent" breakthroughs in other areas, such as reforming the bloc's crisis war chest, the European Stability Mechanism. On the eurozone budget he added only: "Discussion on the finance of the BICC will continue at a later stage." - Fear of less money - All sides agreed the final amount will be much lower than the initial hopes of the French president, who had envisaged several hundred billion euros. Two European sources mentioned a budget of 17 billion euros spread over seven years between the 19 countries that use the single currency and that would be tied to the overall EU budget. Debate is also still open over whether the money should only come from the EU budget or whether it can also be increased by national contributions from member states. The latter option is rejected by several countries that fear that less money will then flow into the overall EU budget. The compromise by ministers will be presented for formal approval to EU leaders at a summit next week in Brussels. A first intact head of a gigantic adult wolf which died about 32,000 years ago and was preserved in permafrost has been found in the Russian Arctic, scientists have said. Covered with thick fur, the head was found by a local on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh River in Russia's remote Arctic region of Yakutia last summer. It features a well-preserved brain, soft tissue and a set of powerful teeth and measures 41.5 centimetres (16 inches) in length. By comparison, the torso of a modern-day wolf is between 66 and 86 centimetres long. The head was handed to local palaeontologists who teamed up with scientists from the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo to study it. "It is the first ever such find," Albert Protopopov, head of mammoth fauna studies at the Yakutia Academy of Sciences, told AFP on Friday. "Only cubs have been discovered before." Research shows the animal died about 32,000 years ago in the Pleistocene epoch, when the most recent Ice Age occurred. The wolf is believed to have been between two and four years old when it died. The Pleistocene epoch was the time when megafauna such as woolly mammoths roamed the Earth. Protopopov said the scientists from Russia, Japan and Sweden would continue to study the head. "We are hoping to understand whether this was a separate subspecies," he added. Several species of ancient wolf lived during the Ice Age including now-extinct dire wolf that featured in the popular TV series Game of Thrones. The election of this country as a Non-Permanent member on the United Nations Security Council will necessitate an increase in the size of the staff, at the countrys Mission to the UN in New York. Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said last Sunday, shortly after his arrival from the UNs Headquarters, that as many as six persons will have to be appointed to aid in attending to increased demands, occasioned by the countrys responsibilities as a member of the Security Council. Gonsalves said that presently there were 11 employees at the SVG Mission comprising persons who spoke Spanish, Russian and who were familiar with Mandarin Chinese. "I was speaking to Sir Louis; I have been speaking to him about ensuring that we have high quality persons who will go and join the existing staff, Gonsalves said. Gonsalves had announced in October 2018 that this country had stepped up its campaign in the lead-up to the election for the Non-Permanent seat on the Security Council at the UN, through the appointment of additional staff at the SVG UN Mission. It was said then that the additional staff was being sent to assist in carrying forward the campaign, and that steps were being taken to boost the Mission at the very highest level. Hong Kong urged to look into high-profile case of electronic waste illegally shipped to Philippines as Greenpeace loses track of cargo Hong Kong authorities have been urged to look into a high-profile case where a container holding tonnes of electronic and plastic waste illegally shipped to the Philippines from the city was sent back last week. But as an environmental group found the cargo did not return to Hong Kong arriving in Shanghai instead officials would need to take even more initiative to investigate. They didnt catch it this time, Greenpeace senior campaigner Kate Lin said. Hong Kong customs and the Environmental Protection Department have a responsibility to investigate what went wrong. The government should have prevented the container from ever leaving the city, Lin said, because its contents were restricted under the Basel Convention, an international treaty preventing the transfer of hazardous waste to developing countries, applicable to Hong Kong. According to the global NGO, Hong Kong is the worlds largest transit port of plastic trash, with 280,000 tonnes of waste a year passing through. Government inaction and Hong Kongs status as a free port have exacerbated the citys waste trade, it said. The shipping container, loaded with 25 tonnes of crushed electronic materials, was sent by Hong Kong-based company Hin Yuen Tech Env and arrived at Mindanao Container Terminal in the southern Philippines in January. According to the Philippines government, the company declared false information on the customs docket, describing the cargo as electronic accessories. The cargo was discovered in May. Greenpeace said the firm did not have the required licence from the Environmental Protection Department to export restricted waste. The origin of the trash, either from Hong Kong or imported from overseas, was unknown. The department has not been able to confirm the details of the case or explain how the company was able to export the trash. We have not yet been able to verify any of the companies or persons involved in the matter, a department spokesman said. Once illegal export of waste has been confirmed, we will take appropriate actions according to the law. Story continues But Lin said Greenpeace, which had been monitoring the ship SITC Nagoyas movements through a tracking website, lost track of the container after the vessel left the Philippines on June 3 and arrived in Shanghai on June 7. It did not stop in Hong Kong although according to the export declaration, obtained by Greenpeace, the containers consignee was a company based in the city. Greenpeace was unsure if the container was loaded onto a new ship and sent to Hong Kong or elsewhere, or if it was still in Shanghai. When the Philippines found the smuggled cargo, it immediately vowed to send the container back as it was shaking off its reputation as a dumping ground for foreign trash. Were sending the s*** back, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said in a May 25 tweet. Like the Philippines, China is also cracking down on accepting foreign waste. The worlds second largest economy had imported more than 70 per cent of the worlds plastic waste between 1988 and 2016 until it issued a ban in 2017. Greenpeace said Chinas move meant that waste was starting to be redirected, often through Hong Kong, around Southeast Asia. The Hong Kong government should work hard to prevent trash exported or transited from the city being returned as the international community reduced the waste trade, the NGO said. This article Hong Kong urged to look into high-profile case of electronic waste illegally shipped to Philippines as Greenpeace loses track of cargo first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2019. US President Donald Trump declared Friday that a mysterious attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman had Iran "written all over it," rejecting Tehran's denial that it had any involvement. As US-Iranian tensions soared, Trump dismissed previous threats by Tehran that in case of conflict it could block the Hormuz Strait -- a narrow seaway vital to the world's oil supplies. Speaking hours after the US military released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from one of the tankers, Trump was emphatic. "Iran did do it," Trump told Fox News. "You know they did it because you saw the boat. I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got essentially Iran written all over it." "You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off -- and that was exposed," he added. Iran rejected the US accusations. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation. "It's very important to know the truth. It's very important that responsibilities are clarified," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. "Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts." Meanwhile, Britain's assessment found that Iran was "almost certainly" behind the attacks, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. London pinned the blame for Thursday's attack on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard -- a vast and powerful branch of the Iranian military. - Oil exports choke point - Iran has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the Hormuz Strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the United States. Doing so would disrupt oil tankers traveling out of the Gulf region to the Indian Ocean and global export routes. Trump played down the threat. "It's not going to be closed, it's not going to be closed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms," Trump said. Oil prices have surged in response to the rising tensions. Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom was monitoring the situation with "great concern" and called for action to secure maritime traffic, the Saudi SPA news agency said. Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, is a bitter regional rival of Iran. China called for all sides to "resolve the conflict through dialogue," while the European Union called for "maximum restraint." Russia, which has close -- if sometimes strained -- links to Iran, warned through its foreign ministry against "hasty conclusions." - Sailors rescued - The oil tankers were 10 nautical miles apart and headed to Asia when they were struck by explosions early Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast. The Front Altair, owned by the Oslo-listed company Frontline, was carrying naphtha, a refined petroleum product. It was hit by three explosions, according to Norwegian officials. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries and the ship was headed Friday toward the UAE port of Khor Fakkan. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members from the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Iran's English-language Press TV aired footage of rescued crewmen from the Front Altair, saying they were all in "full health." The crew of the Kokuka Courageous saw a "flying object" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," CENTCOM said in a statement while Oman said it sent two navy vessels to assist. - Iran or 'proxies?' - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday's tanker explosions were "the latest in a series of attacks" he blamed on Iran or its "proxies," including Yemeni rebel missile strikes which wounded 26 civilians at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. A Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the rebels it accuses of being Iranian proxies said its air defenses had intercepted a new rebel attack on an airport in the Islamic kingdom on Friday. The abortive strike involving five rebel drones targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, home to a huge airbase which has been the main launchpad of the coalition's more than four-year bombing campaign in Yemen. The United States has also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. The preliminary findings of an UAE-led investigation found that a state actor was responsible but stopped short of naming Iran. burs-sms-cml/acb Amid an intensifying war of words following dual tanker attacks in the Gulf, Iran is not seeking open conflict with the United States but is sending a warning to Washington, analysts say. Tensions around the Gulf shipping channel, vital to the transportation of crude, soared after two tankers came under attack early Thursday, with the US quickly blaming Iran for the incidents. "(Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are rational actors -- despite how some portray them -- and they will not want, unduly, to invite Iran's annihilation," said Middle East analyst and author Neil Partrick. "However, as ever the danger of escalation through accident, design, or both, remains," he told AFP. "The skill involved in yesterday's oil tanker attacks suggests that this is something more sophisticated than, for example, the Iranian-supported Yemeni Huthi (rebels) could muster." US President Donald Trump insisted that Iran "did do" whatever led to fires aboard the two tankers. But Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". The two vessels, one of them Japanese, came under attack around the time Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iranian leaders in Tehran. For Partrick, the idea that Iran would want to "directly undermine" Abe's visit "and give a gift to Iran's US and Gulf enemies, by engineering such a substantive attack must be in doubt." Also sceptical, Verisk Maplecroft analyst Torbjorn Soltvedt said: "Ascribing a clear reason why Iran would seek to disrupt tanker traffic in the Gulf of Oman is difficult at this stage." - 'Expect further incidents' - "The most likely is that Iran is sending a message to warn the US and its allies in the region that it has the ability to retaliate against tightening energy sanctions. "But it is also possible that hardliners in Iran are seeking to damage the prospects of any renewed talks between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions," said Soltvedt. Relations between Tehran and Washington soured significantly when Trump refused in October 2017 to re-endorse the deal agreed between global powers and Iran to contain the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. The US subsequently re-imposed a raft of economic sanctions which Tehran has angrily denounced as "economic warfare". The United States also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. An international investigation stopped short of conclusively blaming Tehran for the incidents. Partrick suggested that by aggressively blaming Iran the US may have "paradoxically" limited the risk of further damage to oil exports, because Washington has "increased its deterrence capability through rhetoric". Oil prices jumped at the threat of open conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which some 15 million barrels of crude pass daily. "(Iran) are not going to be closing it... It's not going to be closed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms," Trump told the Fox News broadcaster on Friday. Karen E. Young, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, warned that "we can expect further incidents, rather than attributable state-on-state attacks". "Neither the Gulf Cooperation Council states nor Iran want a direct military conflict," she said, referring to the six-nation regional grouping of Arab states. gw-burs/rsc Policemen and passers-by attending to the victim after the assault. (Photo: Facebook page of KP Lau) SINGAPORE A group of five men armed with deadly weapons launched a brazen attack in broad daylight on an unsuspecting victim at a bus stop in Little India in July last year, a court heard. As a result of the assault involving a samurai sword, a chopper and a baton, the 27-year-old victim had a partial amputation of his right foot. At the State Courts on Friday (14 June), one of the assailants, Sharvin Raj Suraj, 18, pleaded guilty to one charge each of rioting with a deadly weapon, taking part in an unlawful assembly, and possession of a knife in public. All the three charges relate to separate incidents between June last year and January this year. Sharvin will be sentenced at a later date. Wanted revenge On 25 July last year, Sharvin was in a car with four others when one of the passengers spotted the victim, Dhines Selvarajah, 27, at a bus stop in Serangoon Road - outside Broadway Hotel and opposite Minora Centre - at about 2.15pm. Dinesh Kumar Ruvy, 28, drove the car while the other passengers were Arjun Retnavelu, 24, Haresh Shanmuganathan, 23, and Victor Alexander Arumugam, 25. Arjun was on a look out for the victim as Arjun and the victim had had previous disputes, and Arjun wanted to take revenge against the victim, said Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Pavithra Ramkumar. The accused and other co-accused persons also had had previous disputes with the victim and wanted to attack him, she added. When Arjun saw Dhines, he told Dinesh to stop the car along the side of the road. The group then helped themselves to a box of weapons that Arjun had placed in the car boot. Arjun allegedly armed himself with a chopper while Dinesh purportedly took a samurai sword. Sharvin armed himself with a baton. Haresh and Victor were unarmed, said Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Pavithra Ramkumar. Haresh walked in front of the group. Haresh confirmed the identity of the victim and signalled to the accused and co-accused persons to attack, said DPP Pavithra. Story continues Arjun ran forward to the victim and started to slash him with the chopper. Dinesh then unsheathed the samurai sword and started slashing the victim with it. The accused (Sharvin) then hit the victim with the baton and Haresh joined in by throwing punches and kicks at the victim, the DPP added. When Arjun accidentally dropped the chopper, he allegedly took the baton from Sharvin and assaulted the victim with it. The assailants then fled to the car and Dinesh allegedly drove them away. Arjun allegedly passed the samurai sword and the baton to a friend, Mathan Raj Kunasegaran, 25, in Yishun. The group later headed to the home of Arjuns sister in Yishun before hiding at his cousins home in Sin Ming Industrial Estate. Policemen arrested them at the home in Sin Ming the next day. The victim underwent surgery and was hospitalised for a week. Two cuts on the back of his head and on his left upper back also had to be stitched up. He was given three months of hospitalisation leave. Arjun Retnavelu, 24, (left) and Dinesh Kumar Ruvy, 28, allegedly took part in the group assault on 25 July last year. (Yahoo News Singapore file photos) Unlawful assembly On 2 January, while out on bail, Sharvin went for drinks at Nilaa Music Lounge pub in Dalhousie Lane in Little India with Arjun, Mathan, Viiknessh Koh, 22, Devaraj Raj, 25, and G Uthaya Kumar, 25. At about 2.30am, Dinesh Muthu Chandra, 25, and his friend entered the pub. Upon seeing the victim (Dinesh), Arjun, who had a personal misunderstanding against the victim, asked him to step out of the pub and told him to fight with him to settle the misunderstanding, said DPP Pavithra. But Dinesh ran away from the pub. Sharvin and his friends later left the pub after it closed, and Viiknessh offered to give them a lift home. Along the way, Arjun told the accused and co-accused persons about his misunderstanding with the victim and that he wanted to settle his misunderstanding with him earlier, said DPP Pavithra. As Viiknessh was driving along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, he saw Dinesh alighting from a taxi. Uthaya, Arjun, Mathan, Devaraj and Sharvin alighted from the car and chased after Dinesh so that Arjun could have a one-to-one fight, the court heard. But the group lost sight of Dinesh. A resident called the police to inform them about the commotion and officers arrived soon after to conduct checks on the group. A foldable knife and a knuckle duster were found inside the car. Separately, on 3 June last year, Sharvin was also found at the coffee shop at Block 769 Yishun Avenue 3 with a 19cm long knife protruding from his pocket at about 7.30am. Sharvin is set to be sentenced on July 5, pending reports on his suitability for probation and reformative training. The maximum punishment for rioting with a weapon is up to 10 years jail, along with caning for male offenders below 50. For being a member of an unlawful assembly, Sharvin faces up to two years jail along with a fine. He could be jailed for up to two years for being armed with a knife in public. Sharvins alleged accomplices in the assault - Dinesh Kumar Ruvy, Arjun, Haresh and Victor - have yet to be dealt with. Other Singapore stories: SCDF ragging death: Victim might have been 'disoriented' in the well - pathologist Retrenchments up in 1st quarter of 2019 as Singapore's economic growth slows Chong believes that competition in the sugar industry will do more good than harm to the country. Reuters pic KUCHING, June 14 Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry will maintain its decision to grant eight sugar import permits for Sarawak food and beverage (F&B) manufacturers despite concerns from two sugar refiners in Peninsular Malaysia, Deputy Minister Chong Chieng Jen said today. He said the ministry believed that competition in the sugar industry will do more good than harm to the country, the business sector and the consumers at large. Chong also noted that MSM Malaysia Holdings Berhad (MSM) and Central Sugar Refinery Sdn Bhd (CSR) have enjoyed monopolistic control over the sale and sugar in Malaysias domestic market for many years. However, it is the general policy of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government to encourage more competition, reduce costs of doing business and enhance efficiency in all sectors, he said. He was responding to MSM and CSRs concerns expressed yesterday that granting eight import permits for Sarawak would hurt local producers and lead to dumping by the foreign producers. They also claimed that the move would force the domestic sugar refiners to slash costs, with negative long-term impact on the local market. However, Chong noted that the international raw sugar prices fell by more than 35 per cent in February year-on-year, going from US$0.45 per kg in 2017 to below US$0.30 per kg. Yet, despite the huge fall in its production costs for more than a year, the proportionate benefits of the reduced price were not passed on to the F&B manufacturers. This is especially the case for the F&B manufacturers in Sarawak who have no bargaining power against the two sugar refineries due to their relatively small volume of purchases. With the new policy to allow the F&B manufacturers in Sarawak to directly import sugar from foreign sugar refiners, it will provide substantial savings for these F&B manufacturers and reduce their costs of business, he said. Chong said one F&B manufacturer in Sarawak has entered into a contract to purchase sugar from the largest sugar refiner in Thailand at approximately US$400 (RM1,700) per tonne inclusive of transport charges. Story continues The deputy minister said the firm had been buying locally at RM2,700 per tonne and asked how it was possible for a Thai supplier to sell for RM1,000 less than local firms even after taking into account transport costs. Chong said his ministry could not accept the two refiners explanation that they had to absorb the extra costs if international sugar price went up. This argument is untenable because at present the international raw sugar prices is US$0.28 per kilogramme, he said, adding that for the past five years, the average raw sugar prices ranged from US$0.37 in 2014 to US$0.27 last year. On MSM and CSR claiming they were obliged to hold stock for food security reasons at a cost of RM7 to RM20 million annually, Chong also rebutted this by saying Malaysians consumed 1.5 million tonnes of sugar worth RM3 billion annually. The deputy minister said keeping up to RM20 million in sugar would be the equivalent of less than one per cent of total revenue and a poor justification for charging an additional RM1,000 per tonne over Thai suppliers. Chong also gave his assurance that raw sugar imported from Thailand would be certified halal as Malaysia has a mutual arrangement recognising the halal certification issued by the relevant Thai authorities. Related Articles Chong urges Sarawak govt urged to conduct soil integrity study in quarry operation Sarawak Pakatan willing to work with state govt to host Malaysia Day Sarawak Pakatan moots Kuching to host national Malaysia Day 2019 celebration The government is once again looking into implementing the traffic scheme that prohibits single drivers to use the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) during rush hours. From Wikimedia Commons According to Inquirer, MMDA plans to implement the Expanded High Occupancy Vehicle or HOV scheme after it enforces the abolishment on provincial buses on the 23.8-km highway. These HOV lanes will prevent cars with only a single occupantthe driverfrom traveling the EDSA stretch from North Avenue in Quezon City to Magallanes in Makati from 7 AM to 10 PM and 6 PM to 9 PM on weekdays. Late last year, the MMDA suspended the traffic scheme after lawmakers asked to study the bans effectiveness in lessening Metro Manilas traffic congestion. MMDA General Manager Arturo Jojo Garcia Jr. said that the HOV aims to encourage motorists to engage in ride-sharing. They are hoping to lessen by around 30 percent the number of private vehicles that traverse EDSA with this scheme. We are calling on the participation of everyone. Participate in the car-pooling program, Garcia said. The post MMDA Plans to Revive Ban on Driver-Only Cars on EDSA appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. Representatives from Philip Morris (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd receive the best Employer and Diversity Impact Award 2019. Picture courtesy of Philip Morris (Malaysia) KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 Philip Morris (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (PMM), a country affiliate of international tobacco company Philip Morris International (PMI), was recently awarded the Malaysia Best Employer Brand Award 2019. It was also the only company that was recognised for the Diversity Impact Award. The ceremony was attended by over 70 human resources practitioners representing diverse industries and multi-national companies in Malaysia. It was jointly organised by the Employer Branding Institute, the World HRD Congress and Stars of the Industry Group. It was also supported by the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM) as a strategic partner and endorsed by the Asian Confederation of Businesses. The ceremony acknowledged over 60 organisations in Malaysia that demonstrated excellence in building their brands and identities as employers of choice, as shown in their innovative human resource practices, polices and strategies. As PMM transforms to become a smoke-free technology leader in this rapidly-changing 21st century, the company recognises that its employees are the key driver of success needed to drive innovation and contribute to PMIs vision of a smoke-free future. Our achievement in winning two key categories out of 18 enables us to raise the bar in building our corporate presence and reputation as an employer of choice and one that recognises gender balance the two essential qualities which are necessary for us to drive our smoke-free vision, said PMM managing director Kang Tae Koo in a press release. Earlier in March, PMI became the first multinational company to be equal-salary certified globally, with many of its affiliates worldwide including PMM receiving the certification. The certification validates that PMM pays men and women equally for equivalent work, and advances the companys efforts to achieve gender balance throughout its organisation. In its quest to delivering a smoke-free future, PMI is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefits of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. Related Articles WHO decries Big Tobacco bid to rebrand World No Tobacco Day Philip Morris first Malaysian company certified for bridging gender wage gap Philip Morris eyes tech gadgets for 'smoke-free' market The all-new Ranger Rover Evoque made its entrance felt in the country, confident with all its refinement and safety features that could rattle the local luxe SUV segment. Coventry Motors Corporation, the sole authorized importer and distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, launched the all-new Range Rover Evoque, following its brief tease at the Manila International Auto Show in April and its global launch in November 2018. Leading the launch was Christopher Ward, president of Coventry Motors Corporation, who was very elated with the coming of the compact luxury SUV. We are very proud to bring to the Philippines the all-new Range Rover Evoque, which offers refinement and comfort required for modern city living while still providing all-terrain capability our customers expect from a Land Rover. Im confident that our Filipino customers will rediscover the joy of driving with the all-new Evoque, Ward said. Based off on the Velar platform, the all-new Evoque is created with Land Rovers new Premium Transverse Architecture making it wider and longer, with its wheelbase now 100 mm longer than the old model. The changes in the length and width of the Evoque make it readily available to accommodate the necessary components for both plug-in and mild hybrid systems. Meanwhile, Nick Rogers, executive director for Product Engineering for Jaguar Land Rover said that the all-new Evoque has a refined infotainment system for a more intuitive customer experience. The all-new Evoque is packed with quality features such as the Land Rovers ClearSight Rear View Mirror, the worlds first Ground View technology, and a number of all-terrain technologies as well as active safety features are part of the reason why the all-new Evoque is considered to be one of the safest vehicles in the world for adults and children. And backing that claim is its five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The new Range Rover Evoque has become the first luxury compact SUV to be certified under stringent new Nitrogen Oxide emissions targets, Real Driving Emissions stage 2 (RDE2) legislation in Europe. Story continues This legislation states that a vehicle must emit 80mg/km or less of NOx, making the all-new Evoque the first luxury compact SUV to be certified more than a year ahead of RDE2s scheduled implementation on all new vehicles by 2020. The all-new Evoque uses a low-friction engine design which has reduced real-world driving NOx emissions by 90 percent. Ward said that all-new Range Rover Evoque offers a Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) option. The Evoque MHEV boasts of an efficient 48V mild-hybrid powertrain designed to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy with no plug-in charging required. This reduces CO2 emissions to as low as 149g/km and fuel economy from 50.4mpg (5.6l/100km) based on the New European Driving Cycle-equivalent test procedure. Available in four variants, the all-New Evoque will be offered at: SE 2.0 Diesel PHP5.090 million R-Dynamic HSE 2.0 Diesel PHP5.490 million R-Dynamic HSE 2.0 Petrol PHP5.590 million R-Dynamic HSE MHEV 2.0 PetrolPHP6.190 million The all-new Range Rover Evoque will also be offered in Black Limited Edition on the three R-Dynamic models, for an additional PHP100,000. All purchases of the all-new Range Rover Evoque come with a five-year service plan. The post All-new Range Rover Evoque Revealed, Comes with Mild Hybrid Variant appeared first on Carmudi Philippines. Singaporean Millennials Are Divorcing Less, But Why? Since 1980, divorce rate in Singapore has roughly doubled from 3.8 per 1,000 married resident males (or 3.8 per 1,000 married resident females) to 6.9 per 1,000 married resident males in 2017 (or 6.5 per 1,000 married resident females). This trend isn't limited to Singapore: studies have shown that divorce rates have doubled globally between 1970 and 2008. One of the biggest contributors to this change was culture, where individual happiness became more important than "traditional" values. As such, stigma around separation of spouses became less common place, especially when the marriage is clearly not working out for either party. Recently, however, another cultural change seems to be driving divorce rate in Singapore back down: millennials are divorcing a lot less. Divorce rate in Singapore has almost doubled from below 4% to about 7% from 1980 to 2017 Divorce Rates Declining for Younger Couples, but Increasing for Older Ones After hitting its peak in 2007, divorce rate in Singapore has been steadily declining. Interestingly, a huge driving force behind this trend was millennials. In contrast to older generations, younger couples have been getting divorced a lot less than they were in 2007. For example, divorce rate of males aged between 20 to 34 has declined by 20-30% from 2007 to 2017. It has also declined similarly for females in the same age group, though to a less extent for the youngest group in the 20-24 years of age. Divorce rate of Singaporean males under the age of 35 has declined by 20-30% since 2007 Divorce rate of Singaporean females under the age of 35 has declined by 2-20% since 2007 In contrast, divorce rate has been rising for older couples. For instance, divorce rate for men aged 40 or above has increased by 13-20%, while the same for women aged between 40 and 49 has increased 24-38% between 2007 and 2017. Divorce rate of Singaporean males over the age of 40 has declined by 13-20% since 2007 Divorce rate of Singaporean females between the age of 40 and 49 has declined by 24-38% since 2007 That younger couples are driving this change becomes even more evident when we consider the median age of divorcees and the duration of their marriages. On both accounts, people who are getting divorced have been skewing more heavily towards older couples who have been married for a longer period of time, and not the young newly weds who are having a sudden change of heart. But why are millennials divorcing less? We delve into a few potential factors below. Story continues Median Age of Divorcees & Duration of Marriages Before Divorce Median age of divorcees and duration of marriages before divorce have been both increasing, indicating that divorces are skewing more towards older generations than younger ones compared to the past Millennials Are Marrying Later One of the reasons why millennials are divorcing less might be because they are taking more time to get married, as show in the chart below. In other words, millennials taking more time to get married could be helping them be more cautious and selective in picking their partners (and sometimes even cohabiting before marriage), ultimately leading to a more stable unions. On the flipside, it could also mean that they are able to have more stable marriages because they have more time to prepare themselves for it, financially, emotionally or in any other ways. Median age at first marriage has been gradually increasing over the past few decades in Singapore In some sense, this finding is consistent with other research findings that millennials commit less adulteries than older generations. According to the General Social Survey of the Institute for Family Studies, Americans older than 55 turned out to be about 30% more adulterous than American aged between 18 and 55, while the opposite was true before 2005. in America, reported adultery rate of millennials has been dramatically lower than that of older generations;Source: Institute for Family Studies, General Social Survey More Millennials Are Not Getting Married in General While it may be that younger Singaporeans are indeed being more selective with their partners, divorce rate might be declining because more people are choosing to remain single, sometimes for good. For instance, single rate (proportion of singles among resident population) in Singapore has increased quite meaningfully in the past decade, especially for those under the age of 35. Single Rate in Singapore by Age Group Single rate has been increasing meaningfully for younger generations in Singapore We could read this two ways. First, it could mean that young people are increasingly viewing marriage as an option, something nice to do if one finds a suitable partner, instead of a necessary part of life. On the other hand, it could also mean that people who are less suitable for marriages are taking themselves out of the pool. Either way, that less millennials are getting married seems to be driving divorce rates down by reducing the number of marriages that could have been problematic. Financial Burdens of Marriage and Being Single Last on our list of potential reasons why millennials are divorcing less is the rising financial burdens of separation. First, weddings themselves have gotten very expensive, costing about S$40,000 on average. Rising cost of living and wedding means that millennials may need to wait longer to get married (as we explored above), and economic scale advantages of a married couple may produce additional incentive to stay together. Average Cost of Wedding Banquets in Singapore For instance, buying a HDB flat can be much more affordable for a dual-income household. For instance, a couple purchasing a typical 4-room HDB flat at the current average price of S$453,638 would spend S$1,628 on their monthly mortgage payment, which would be half of what they would have paid if they were to purchase two 2-room HDBs separately. Not only that, couples also have more housing grants to choose from than singles, like Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) that can grant you up to S$20,000 towards your HDB flat. But, Singaporean Millennials Are Still Divorcing More Than Their Parents One big caveat of our findings is that millennials are still divorcing more than their parents. For example, divorce rate of those aged 45 or more, though rising, remain below 10 divorces per 1,000 married residents, at least 40% lower than that of millennials. Still, that divorce rate for younger couples has declined so dramatically is indeed a positive sign. No matter how bad the marriage had been, resetting your life after separating from your spouse can bring a lot of upheavals in your life. Divorces can also be financially painful, with uncontested divorce costing about S$2,500 to contested ones costing about S$24,000 in Singapore. That more and more millennials are avoiding this emotionally and financially costly mistake sounds like a good reason to celebrate. Southern European leaders called Friday for a fair distribution of migrants arriving from across the Mediterranean as the latest NGO boat carrying rescued families was denied a safe port by Italy. The leaders of Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain said the European Union should "guarantee effective implementation of the principle of solidarity and fair burden-sharing between member states." A joint declaration at the end of the summit in Valletta also said "efforts to break the smugglers business model need to be further enhanced, with the aim to also prevent tragic loss of life." The wording appeared to target the boats of non-governmental organisations that rescue migrants from the Mediterranean, but which are accused by far-right politicians such as Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of encouraging human trafficking. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the summit voiced "frustration" that the EU "talks about solidarity without applying it". The German-operated Sea Watch 3 NGO rescue vessel is currently off Italy's southern Lampedusa island with 53 migrants on board who were rescued off the coast of Libya and since denied entry to Italian ports. Salvini says that the rescue boats prevent the Libyan coastguard from picking up the migrants and returning them to Libya. "All vessels operating in the Mediterranean must respect the applicable international laws and not obstruct operations of the Libyan Coastguard," the summit statement said. Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister and leads the powerful right-wing League party in the coalition, has issued a decree ordering law enforcement authorities to take all necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through Italian waters of such ships. Salvini has seen his popularity soar in the last year with a hard line against migrants which has included closing ports to rescue vessels. Sea Watch International on Friday tweeted that its vessel was "still waiting for a port of safety 16 miles off Lampedusa", calling for people to sign a petition for the migrants to be taken in by German cities. Salvini said the vessel was now "wandering around the Mediterranean forcing women, men and children into unnecessary suffering." Italy and Malta, the closest countries to North Africa, said ahead of the summit that more should be done to stop migrants leaving, including by bolstering the training and resources of the Libyan coastguard. Rome and Valletta insist on there being a fair distribution of migrants to other EU countries, while countries such as France say migrants should disembark at the closest port and then be voluntarily redistributed around Europe. More than 12,000 people have died since 2014 trying to flee Libya to Europe by what the UN refugee agency calls the "world's deadliest sea crossing". The seven nations meeting in Malta on Friday represent close to 40 percent of the EU's population and gross domestic product and half of its coastline, Malta said. Persons of all walks of life turned up for the launch of the PMs latest book. The latest book to be authored by current Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Dr Ralph Gonsalves, has been described as an important piece of reading. So said H.E. David Commissiong, Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM, who gave an overview of the book when it was launched last week Tuesday, June 4, at the Methodist Church Hall, Kingstown. The book, entitled The Political Economy of the Labour Movement in St Vincent and the Grenadines, comprised of some 333 pages, tracks the political and economic growth of St. Vincent and the Grenadines from the days of slavery to present, Ambassador Commissiong said. It gives an in depth look at the factors contributing to the political momentum and economic growth of St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Ambassador added. The book contains analyses of several key political and trade union figures, including George McIntosh, Ebenezer Joshua, Joseph Bonadie, as well as analyses of political organizations, as it looks at the labour movement in its political and industrial dimensions. In a sense, Ambassador Commissiong reasoned, the book referenced the forward path for the Unity Labour Party. All in all, the Ambassador said, "It is a book for trade unions and trade unionists a book of scholarly reflection and deep theory,. and shows how the history of the country was made and shaped. According to Commissiong, it contains deep insight into the Vincentian society, and is well put together by a man best suited to present the ideas expressed. Even though Gonsalves includes the reasons for writing the piece as being to provide the working people, nationally, regionally and internationally and especially the youth with a coherent understanding and explanation of the history and economy of the labour movement here, H.E Commissiong purported that it was also meant to correct the many prejudices and anti-worker biases of the bourgeois and neo-liberal perspectives in their telling of the labour movement, and to reaffirm the explanation and understanding of a countrys political economy in the epoch of capitalism. "What the Comrade is doing, is giving you a detailed examination of the entire history of the country told from the perspective of the working people, Commissiong said, closing with "This is the St Vincent story. In his remarks, Dr. Gonsalves said that he has been writing since 1972, and the latest book was his sixth publication in the last seven years. "I have to find time to write. I know that as prime minister and leader of a party [that] I am fair game for a lot of people, Gonsalves said. But he said that he was very conscious that at 72, he may not have a lot of time left, but he had a lot that he wanted to say. Although he gets the opportunity to speak from time to time, Gonsalves said that he preferred to make his comments "calmly inside of books. "So that the young people can read and study, he said, and reminded his audience that he was not finished yet he intends to keep on writing. People hold banners during a demonstration against the rumoured sale of Aerodome Taiping in Taiping June 14, 2019. Picture by Farhan Najib TAIPING, June 14 Just after Friday prayers today, some 150 people from a coalition of local civil societies gathered in front of the airstrip at Assam Kumbang here calling on the Perak government to save the 90-year-old Taiping Aerodrome, believed to be the first in the peninsula. Holding up placards and banners with handwritten messages in Malay, English and Tamil, the demonstrators urged for the protection of the land that had once been a stopover for Amelia Earhart on her historical solo flight around the world and is now rumoured to have been sold to a private developer. The group, called Gabungan Pelindung Warisan Taiping (GPWI), comprised Kelab Cintai Taiping, Taiping Heritage Society, Taiping Tourism Association, Warisan Anak-anak Kampung Pinang, Persatuan Penduduk Taman Saujana and Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Perak. Gabungan Pelindung Warisan Taiping (GPWI) chairman Abu Bakar Mohamed Ali speaks to reporters during a demonstration against the rumoured sale of Aerodome Taiping in Taiping June 14, 2019. Picture by Farhan Najib GPWI chairman Abu Bakar Mohamed Ali claimed the group was reliably informed that the 16-hectare land owned by the state Mentri Besar Incorporated (MB Inc) had been sold. Our source is a civil servant who is privy to the agreement, he told reporters here. Condemning the alleged sale, Abu Bakar said the aerodrome was one of the contributing factors for Taiping to be named a Heritage City. General view of Aerodome Taiping in Taiping June 14, 2019. Picture by Farhan Najib He pointed out that the Taiping Aerodrome was built in 1929 back when the peninsula was known as Malaya. First woman pilot Amelia Earhart made a refuelling stopover here on June 7 1937 before continuing her journey to Singapore and New Guinea in her attempt to circumnavigate the globe, he said. He also pointed out that the aerodrome had been where former Indonesian president Soekarno and his deputy Mohammad Hatta once met the first PAS president Datuk Seri Dr Burhanuddin Muhammad Nur al-Hilmi to discuss the future of Malaya and Indonesia after World War Two before the Indonesian leaders flew on to Tokyo. All three leaders are now deceased. Malayan Airways and Berjaya Airways had also used the aerodrome for its commercial flights, Abu Bakar added. Story continues He said GPWI hopes to meet Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu who is the chairman of MB Inc to clear the air. Malay Mail is trying to reach MB Inc for comment. People hold banners during a demonstration against the rumoured sale of Aerodome Taiping in Taiping June 14, 2019. Picture by Farhan Najib Related Articles Man who cleans Taiping for free gets new motorcycle for his good deed Teenager detained for swearing at traffic policeman Tanpa upah, Hussin kayuh basikal tua serata Taiping bersihkan sampah Five Sri Lankans wanted in connection with the Easter bombings that killed 258 people were arrested in Saudi Arabia and extradited Friday, police and Interpol said. "One of the alleged ringleaders in the April 21 bomb attacks in Sri Lanka has been arrested following the publication of an Interpol Red Notice," the international police organisation, based in the French city of Lyon, said in a statement. A so-called "red notice" is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. Interpol identified the alleged ringleader as Mohamed Milhan, a senior leader of the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) jihadist group which was held responsible for the April 21 bombings. The "29-year-old Sri Lankan national, wanted on charges including terrorism and murder, was today extradited to Sri Lanka, along with four other suspects, following their arrest in the Middle East," the statement said. Sri Lankan police had said earlier that the five suspects were taken into custody in the Saudi city of Jeddah and then extradited back to Sri Lanka. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said Milhan was also wanted in connection with a November killing of two police constables in the east of the island where NTJ leader Zahran Hashim had his base. Interpol secretary general Juergen Stock said "the arrest and extradition of one of the key suspects in the Sri Lanka bomb attacks is an important step in the ongoing investigation." It is the second time that suspects had been arrested abroad in connection with the attacks against three churches and three luxury hotels in the country claimed by the Islamic State group. Last month, army chief Mahesh Senanayake said two suspects were arrested in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He did not disclose the nationalities of the suspects, but official sources said they were Sri Lankans. Sri Lankan authorities have arrested just over 100 people who had links with the NTJ and its leader Hashim who was one of two suicide bombers who attacked the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo. Sri Lanka has been under a state of emergency since the attacks which also left 45 foreign nationals dead and wounded nearly 500 people. There have been recriminations over the failure on the part of police and security forces to act on advance warnings of the impending attacks. Top intelligence and police officers have told a parliamentary panel investigating security failures that the attack was avoidable had the authorities acted on intelligence provided by neighbouring India. India had on April 4 warned Sri Lankan authorities that a suspect in their custody had revealed detailed plans to stage a deadly attack in Sri Lanka targeting Christian churches among others. President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also the minister of defence and law and order, has sacked his intelligence chief, secured the resignation of the defence secretary and suspended the police chief after blaming them for the attacks. They in turn have said Sirisena ignored security protocols and should take the blame for the major lapses that allowed the suicide attacks. burs-aj/spm/pma Photo credit: Netflix From Cosmopolitan Its no secret that Netflix has been murdering the true-crime game for a while now. From Making a Murderer to Conversations With a Killer, each show has absolutely been slaying us. Today brings us a new four-part documentary series called The Alcasser Murders, which explores the still-unresolved 1992 murder of three teenagers dubbed the Alcasser Girls. With new interviews and analysis, its also Netflixs first Spanish original documentary-so felicitaciones, Netflix. Heres everything you need to know about the horrifying true story behind the show. What happened? In November 1992, three girls went missing while hitchhiking on the way to a club in the Valencia region of Spain. Miriam Garcia Iborra, Antonia Toni Gomez Rodriguez, and Desiree Hernandez Folch were dropped off at a gas station by a couple and then picked up by another car. From there, the exact details get a little sketchy. The girls bodies were found in January 1993, showing signs of having been kidnapped, tortured, and raped before being murdered. The murders have been renowned as one of the most brutal in Spanish history. Who did it? So, this isnt really clear. One suspect is Antonio Angles Martins, whose brothers name was on a note found near the bodies. Hes avoided the police ever since. Photo credit: thinkSpain However, one of Angles alleged accomplices, Miguel Ricart, was caught. He told the police that Angles, himself, and an unidentified third man had kidnapped the girls and tortured them over a two-day period. He was released from prison in 2013, and its not clear where he is now. Why did the case make global news? The lack of evidence combined with the brutality made the case a huge mystery across the world. Some say the police massively mishandled the evidence in the case, and DNA evidence from the girls pubic hairs showed yet another unidentified potential criminal involved. Isabel, una de las vecinas de Valencia de 'Callejeros', aparece en 'El caso Alcasser' de Netflix https://t.co/Rrox2H4hK0 pic.twitter.com/5aSAxfqdzJ - FormulaTV (@FormulaTV) June 14, 2019 Graphic photos from the crime scene have also made their way into the public domain, which some say is disrespectful to the girls and their families. For obvious reasons, we wont be showing those pictures here. Story continues What are the theories? As shown on the site Unresolved.me, there are a *ton* of theories about what really happened to the girls that fateful night. These range from the casual armchair detectives (were the girls really going to a club that night?) to the downright insane (the murders were committed for a snuff film commissioned by a cult!). There are also a whole lot of rumors surrounding the major suspect, Angles. Some say he has fled Spain, either as a stowaway in a boat or using his Brazilian passport. Others say he was framed for the crime entirely. Either way, were hoping the Netflix documentary will shed some much-needed light on this case ASAP. ('You Might Also Like',) The magical theme park ride youve been waiting for is finally here, and your favorite witches and wizards were the first ones to try it out. %image1 According to USA Today, actors from the Harry Potter films reunited on Tuesday for a preview of the brand new ride, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade. Courtesy of Universal Orlando Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Warwick Davis(Professor Filius Flitwick, as well as Griphook), and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) gathered for a special preview of the ride along with some special guests and members of the media. Actor Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the movies, could not be in attendance, but sent a video message in honor of the event, according to USA Today. Gerardo Mora/Getty Images According to WKMG ClickOrlando, the ride is called a story coaster since it takes riders on a journey that is set in the Forbidden Forest and includes lots of the magical creatures featured in the books and movies. The cars on the roller coaster also resemble Hagrids flying motorcycle. One rider sits on the main part of the bike and the other in a side car, which apparently affects your ride experience, so its definitely recommended to ride more than once. Felton told USA Today that the ride was amazing, and it's clear from the photos he wasnt the only one who enjoyed it. The new ride officially opened on Thursday, June 13. It has a load of thrills, including drops, backward portions, turns, spins, speeds up to 50 mph, and a track thats nearly a mile long, making it the longest roller coaster in Florida, according to Thrillist. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are separate parks within Universal Orlando, so they require separate tickets to get in. Park-to-park admission starts at $170 for adults and $165 for children, though prices can vary. Single park admission starts at $115 for adults and $110 for children. Photo credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto - Getty Images From Cosmopolitan Irina Shayk has been on a whirlwind travel schedule since she and Bradley Cooper broke up last week. First, she went to Iceland. Then she went to Florence, Italy, to walk some runways, as one does. Don't know if you heard, but Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper recently broke up after four years together. As such, they are both on the breakup tour, and Irina is, frankly, killing it. For starters, the news came out that she was actually the one to end things with him, which is major. Recently, Irina decided enough is enough. She didnt feel she was getting the level of commitment she wanted and the endless fighting made their life unbearable, a source said. So yeah. Then, she jetted off to Iceland to remind us all that she is a supermodel by posing gracefully on a literal ice chunk and also in front of a waterfall, perfecting the Instagram ass shot and teaching us all a lesson in how to . Bravo, Irina. Bravo. Then, she headed to Florence, where she walked her first post-split runway. Nothing says "I'm doing fine" quite like walking down a runway in incredible clothes with your famous friends Joan Smalls and Bella Hadid by your side. Photo credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto - Getty Images Photo credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto - Getty Images Like... this is iconic?? FYI, this was for the CR Runway X LuisaViaRoma 90th Anniversary Show. IDK what that means, but I thought I'd include it here for the sake of accuracy. Cool. One last look before we go? Story continues Photo credit: Estrop - Getty Images We have no choice but to stan!! ('You Might Also Like',) JetBlue inspires fanatical devotion among some fliers. And, later this year, the airlines biggest fans will be able to spend even longer aboard a JetBlue plane. JetBlue has announced its longest route yet: a 6.5-hour flight from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport to Guayaquil, Ecuador (known as the gateway to the Galapagos). Today, the existing New York-Guayaquil market suffers from high fares and limited service choices, Andrea Lusso, JetBlues director of route planning, said in a statement. Broadening our service in Guayaquil will also help us grow our network and will introduce yet another incredible destination for JetBlue customers in New York while also expanding JetBlues international footprint. Searching for round-trip airfare on JetBlues website shows round-trip flights from New York to Guayaquil starting in the mid $200s. The route is more than 200 nautical miles longer than anything currently on offer from the airline. The new service, launching December 5, is possible thanks to JetBlues new Airbus A321neo fleet. The airplanes are capable of flying up to 4,000 nautical miles with improved fuel efficiency. Guayaquil is not a new destination for the airline. It launched flights from Ft. Lauderdale to the Galapagos gateway back in February. Earlier this year, JetBlue announced its intentions to cross the Atlantic, starting service from east coast cities to London. Nonstop service from New York and Boston is expected to begin in 2021, offering better service and lower fares than anyone, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes claimed earlier this year. 14 Jun Comedian King Kong Lee admitted that he is very happy since he started dating sexy model Nana Liang. As reported on Mingpao, the actor, who revealed his new romance with the model in April this year, admitted that he has been gaining a bit of "happy weight" since the two of them started their relationship. "Obviously I am very happy," he enthused. Asked if they have plans to tie the knot anytime soon, King Kong stated that they are not in a hurry to do such a thing. "We're taking our time. We are not buying a shirt. It's an important ceremony," he said. However, the actor admitted that he could visualise himself tying the knot by the sea, as both he and Nana love the beach. On the other hand, King Kong stated that he would often return to his family home in Taiwan when he is not working in Hong Kong. "I will be flying to mainland China soon for a new costume drama. I have also received an offer from ViuTV for a reality show, but it is still under negotiation," he said. (Photo Source: China Times) The supermodel, 49, posed naked for "golden hour" in Kenya. [Photo: Getty] Naomi Campbell took to Instagram to share her desert-themed photoshoot in Kenya. In the photo she shared, the 49-year-old is seen completely naked with just a thin gold chain around her waist. The photo, which is also showcased in Vogue, is captioned first drop of golden hour. The model told the fashion magazine that she hasnt felt comfortable in her body until recently. She said: Whenever I did something like lingerie pictures, I continued to feel incredibly self-conscious. Even in my day-to-day life, if I was in the street wearing tight jeans or leggings, Id always be sure to tie a cardigan around my waist so that I didnt feel exposed. READ MORE: How well is Liz Hurleys swimwear business doing? The supermodel, who named as the new face of Nars late last year, believes that her confidence has come with age. Its taken me a long time to feel right in my body and has really only happened over the past few years. As well as feeling more confident about the way she looks, Naomi Campbell says she feels more relaxed about taking days off if shes not feeling 100 per cent. I know my limits: I know when I have to take time out. She said in the July issue of Vogue. Ive learned not to feel guilty about staying in bed when Ive spent several weeks at work; I now know how to lie on the beach and just let the day go by. READ MORE: Ashley Graham says she has to work harder than other models She shared one other image from her shoot on her Instagram, shot on location in Malindi, Kenya. Fans of the supermodel rushed to praise the iconic model. I thought this was a throwback. One Instagram comment read. Another said: She will forever be a timeless beauty. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo Style UK: The relatively peaceful trend of 2019 was disturbed after a young man was shot and killed in Kingstown last Monday. Police say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of Shakiel Ellis, 23-year-old vendor from Belair/ Ottley Hall. Ellis body, showing signs of a bullet wound, was discovered unresponsive in the vicinity of the public bath at Bottom Town, approximately 11 p.m. He died on the spot. A close friend of Ellis, who was with him for some time moments before he was killed, told THE VINCENTIAN that the deceased had started to sell in Little Tokyo a few months ago after his mother, who is a vendor, went overseas. The friend recalled that on the day Ellis was killed, they were liming in Kingstown. "We lime the whole day Monday and we had plans to lime at Victoria Park where they bin getting the show (Set for Life fete), he said. He said that Ellis, the father of three children, had plans to go to the Mesopotamia Carnival this weekend. "He bin a say he going get on bad for the Mespo carnival, said the friend. He is not sure why his friend and another colleague found themselves in Rose Place. He related how he left Ellis and went home, with the intention of returning to Kingstown to "meet up wid Shakiel. Before making a move for Kingstown, he called Shakiels phone but got no answer, so he called the friend with whom Shakiel had gone to Rose Place. It was the friend who told him that they had been shot at and Shakiel had taken a bullet. "Then after me leave home and come down back down a town and me hear he dead, said the close friend. The police have requested persons who might be able to assist their investigation to contact the Officer I/C Major Crimes Unit at 1-784-456-1810, the ACP I/C Crimes at 1-784-456-1339 or any police station. Shakiel Ellis death marks the 3rd murder recorded here for 2019. Photo credit: Rosdiana Ciaravolo - Getty Images From Esquire Somewhere in the stretches of beautiful North Carolina, I imagine that Nicholas Sparks is sitting on an expansive deck that looks out over the ocean. Perhaps there's a sailboat, or the sound of children laughing in the background. How nice. He takes a sip from a large glass of iced tea and sits it down on a reclaimed barn wood patio table, stained with water rings and memories of summers gone by. He looks at it-his trusty laptop-and hits return. He's sent it. The perfect problematic email. In a report by The Daily Beast, it appears the prolific romance author is just brimming with all kinds of ambivalence toward LGBT people. The author, who co-founded and serves on the Board of Trustees for Epiphany School of Global Studies, is one of a number of board members currently entrenched in a legal battle. A former headmaster alleges instances of homophobia, racism, and general discrimination from multiple members of the board, and it's all a giant mess. In a series of emails obtained by The Daily Beast, Sparks in particular argued against the inclusion of LGBT students in a non-discrimination clause and justified the banning of an LGBT-centric club. The school's former headmaster, Saul Benjamin, allegedly butted heads with Sparks and other Board members after several instances involving minority groups, along with claims of defamation against his mental well-being. The suit from Benjamin alleges he was forced to resign in part for speaking up against the schools discriminatory practices-an account that those accused in the case have refuted. Sparks and his legal representation have denied the allegations. Additionally, the judge presiding over the case has thrown out that portion of the suit since its initial filing. In a statement, issued in Variety, Sparks stated, The article appearing in todays The Daily Beast is not news, and repeats false accusations and claims made against Epiphany and me, and largely ignores the overwhelming evidence we have submitted to the Court. Story continues Photo credit: Desiree Navarro - Getty Images But the issue here is less to do with Benjamins firing and more to the misguided politics of Sparks school. In one situation, an LGBT student group was being developed, but the school shut the group down. When allegations of discrimination came out, Sparks allegedly said in an email, "not allowing them to have a club is NOT discrimination." Cool. Got it. The thing is, unless these students weren't following protocol or attempting to navigate outside of the complex red tape of (checks notes) establishing a club at a college-preparatory school, I'm not sure how that's not discrimination. While we could go in any which direction with this circus, for the sake of brevity let's just choose one point to hone in on: the key issue here is Sparks' seeming lack of awareness of how discrimination works. The whole situation would be a lot less volatile if the alleged emails from Sparks didn't say things like, "We've had gay students before, many of them. Tom handled it quietly and wonderfully, and the students considered themselves fortunate." Considered themselves fortunate. Let that marinate for a minute. Swallow it with a sip of that iced tea. No child should consider themselves fortunate to exist in the presence of other humans. That's not a privilege; it's called being alive. When people like Sparks suggest LGBT students be taken out of a non-discrimination clause, the exclusion speaks to something more than political language. Including LGBT students in a protective clause isn't giving them any more rights than anyone else; it's ensuring they can't be harangued for simply existing as they are. If you don't see why LGBT children might need those protections (or even a school-sanctioned club), then it's likely because you're ignoring the goings on of the world. Then again, what can you expect from a novelist whose sense of adventure is setting a story off the white sandy beaches of pastoral Coastal Carolina? ('You Might Also Like',) Skarsgard and Harris in Chernobyl (Credit: HBO) The Marxist-Leninist Party in Russia is calling for the HBO series Chernobyl to be banned. In a statement, the communist party accused the series, which charts the horror of the meltdown at the nuclear power station in Soviet Ukraine, of 'demonising the image of the Soviet government and Soviet people'. The party is also hoping to bring a libel case against the show's makers. Read more: How accurate is Chernobyl? The real tragedy is the Chernobyl series is ideological manipulation by HBO, read a statement, via The Hollywood Reporter. The television series about the dramatic events of April 1986 is an ideological tool designed to defame and demonize the image of the Soviet government and Soviet people. The motivation, the actions of the heroes, the order of relationships in institutions and collectives, the moral climate in Soviet society, are an absolute lie. Chernobyl (Credit: HBO) It is calling for Russian broadcaster Roskomnadzor to begin a libel case against HBO, under Article 129 of Russia's criminal code. The news comes after reports that the Kremlin is mulling making its own version of the show, but one in which the CIA is blamed for the explosion at the power plant. Starring Mad Men's Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson, the show has been a critical smash, voted the highest-rated series on IMDb. As well as the devastating human cost of the accident, it also addresses the disinformation spread by the Communist government at the time. Read more: Chernobyl creator slams disrespectful tourists But not those in Russian government are displeased with it. Conservative culture minister Vladimir Medinsky has even gone as far as praising it. The film was made masterfully with the greatest of respect for ordinary people, he reportedly said, adding that his father was among those who helped to fight the initial fires. My father, who was a liquidator practically from the first day, said that, yes, in general it was just like in the film. From filmmakers in Nigeria to fashion designers in Senegal, Africas creative scene is bursting at the seams. And Rwanda, whose inspiring postwar transformation has ushered in a new wave of inventiveness, has a global influence that cannot be denied. A quarter of a century has passed since the East African nation was torn apart by genocide. But from the depths of tragedy, the country has risen, becoming an international beacon of hope and progressivism. In the parliament, for example, women hold more than half the seats the largest share of any country. And in 2016, the country made headlines when it became the first to deliver essential medical supplies via drone. Rwanda was also one of the first countries to ban plastic bags, and its ambitious climate plan will transform the nation into a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy by 2050. Now, Rwandas creative class is finding its footing though not without considerable strain. For one, this young generation of artists has been burdened with the profound responsibility of defining Rwandan art. This carving out a new identity necessitates confronting the past, reckoning with hard truths about the countrys history and mourning those lives and legacies lost. It also requires re-learning the traditions and techniques that formed Rwandas artistic bedrockno easy feat, given that 79 percent of the countrys population is under 35. Then there's the larger, more historically sweeping fight that unites most, if not all, African artists: to change the Western hemispheres attitudes and perceptions about the continent, which have largely revolved around the sad and familiar narratives of conflict, poverty, and trauma. So what is the picture of Rwanda that this new generation is painting? And how are these young talents building a creative community from the ground-up? To find out, I hit the streets of the capital city Kigali in search of the creatives that are writing the countrys next chapter. Story continues Courtesy of Philippe Nyirimihigo - IG: @starp Linda Mukangoga (left): I'm the designer behind ethical fashion brand Haute Baso and a member of Collective RW, an organization that was founded in 2015 to promote a dynamic creative sector in Rwanda. The government has been hugely supportive. Through Made-in-Rwanda initiatives like the matching grant program and the Export Growth Fund, which helps local businesses export their products to international markets, weve really been able to find our stride. Matthew Rugambar (right): I'm the founder and creative director of House of Tayo, a brand centered on contemporary, locally-made clothes and accessories. In Rwanda, there's this old belief that creatives are the people who failed school and couldn't get a conventional job. To fight these perceptions we've formed groups like Collective RW that have given us strength in numbers and allowed us to push our agendas. Courtesy of Philippe Nyirimihigo - IG: @starp Elvis Ngabo: Ive been dancing since I was 7 or 8 years old. My parents told me it was not possible to support myself as a professional dancer in this country. They told me it would be hard to pursue my dream. But social media has given me a platform to reach a wider audience. Courtesy of Philippe Nyirimihigo - IG: @starp Winnie Kalissa (left): My family hasnt been very supportive of my career path as a model, but when I walked my first runway show, everything changed. I learned how to express myself through fashion and nurture my inner creative. Rachel Neza (right): As a model, I've witnessed the creative community evolving and growing every day, in large part thanks to the efforts of the government. With their help, were working to make Rwandas creative industry an economic powerhouse. Courtesy of Philippe Nyirimihigo - IG: @starp Mackson Maxmillian: Rwandas culture has inspired my art work immeasurably. Our country's story is one that I reflect on constantly. Courtesy of Philippe Nyirimihigo - IG: @starp Cedric Mizero: I was born in a small village, so I feel passionate about being a voice for the voiceless through creative expression. Through my art work, I hope to draw attention to those 'invisible' people who live in rural and poor areas of Rwanda. Top image credit: AsiaOne When I was on the MRT platform the other day, I saw what I thought was an action movie playing on one of the screens. Masked men pointed guns at hostages and police officers closed in with rifles drawn. Curious, I edged closer to figure out what was playing. As I got closer, I noticed that the police officers were wearing SPF uniforms. Wow, Singaporean TV series actually have damn high production values, I thought. Then the video ended and an SGSecure banner flashed across the screen. I had seen SGSecure posters before, but had passed them without much more than a glance. This video, on the other hand, was gripping, and frankly quite scary. It reminded me of some of the very real terrorist attacks that have occurred in my home country of the United States: the Orlando nightclub, the Pittsburgh Squirrel Hill synagogue, the Charleston church My knee jerk reaction was a feeling that even in Singapore, a place that I have never worried about being violently attacked in, I wasnt safe. I figured others must be jarred as well, but I was the only one watching the ad, let alone freaking out. Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Political Science) at Yale-NUS College, Rohan Mukherjee, tells me, Singapores SGSecure movement is different from many other countries in its consistent emphasis on the threat of terrorism. Most governments try to play down this threat, perhaps because they see counterterrorism as exclusively the job of government agencies with no role for a prepared civilian population. There is of course a risk that highlighting the potential for Islamic radicalism, for example, might cause tensions in society, but one has to weigh that risk against the potential benefit of having citizens who are prepared in the event of an attack, he tells me. In the wake of terror attacks in the West, there has inevitably been a huge amount of media attention and renewed paranoia over terrorism. At the same time, this is by many measurements totally overblown. According to the Washington Post, no more Americans died in terrorist attacks in the period between 9/11 and 2015 than were crushed to death by their furniture or TV sets. Story continues The goal of terrorism is to strike fear into the hearts of their enemiesto terrorise. As such, most governments seem to focus exclusively on promoting unity and resilience in the wake of such attacks. Not so much in Singapore. Yet while I began worrying that the SGSecure campaign might be having negative side effects like making people paranoid, most people I talked to didnt seem to give it much thought to at all. Indeed, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), as part of its 2019 Terrorism Threat Assesment Report, found that only 1 in 5 Singaporeans actually felt that an attack might occur within the next 5 years, a decline from last year. At least when it comes to the goal of making people more concerned about terrorism, SGSecure is doing a woeful job. Part of the reason for SGSecures ineffectiveness is simply poor communications. Most of PR Ive seen have looked like action films interspersed with dire messaging claiming that terrorism is not a matter or if, but when, and that it can happen anytime, anywhere. Others seem more intentionally comedic, like it could just as easily be satirising SGSecure as promoting it. Take this MHA commissioned rap song produced by SGAG promoting the SGSecure app, for example. I dont know about you, but I am having a really hard time taking the anytime, anywhere rhetoric seriously after watching this incredibly cringe-worthy video. The government also commissioned internet personality Michelle Chong, aka Ah Lian to do an SGSecure workplace promotional video, also quite cringe-worthy. There are also the eyeball people cartoon promotional videos, which come off as plain creepy. Poor communication may also be responsible for meme-ification of the SGSecure app. Since the app was first released, hundreds of fake reviews have been posted on the app store claiming the SGSecure app saved them from some outlandish disaster, often involving fictional Marvel villain Thanos. The vast majority of reviews on Google Play Store are fake, and those that arent fake claim that the apps photo reporting feature doesnt even work, which seems tragically ironic itselfimagine dying in a terrorist attack while trying to take a picture with a security app that doesnt work. Just one of many hilarious reviews. More here. But even without poor communications, getting people in Singapore to take the terrorist threat seriously poses a serious challenge. There is this pervasive notion that nothing that bad could ever happen in Singapore. Getting violently attacked, getting murdered: those are things that happen in other countries, but not Singapore. Why worry? One of my colleagues presented a good way of understanding why Singaporeans dont react to this sort of government PR in the same way a Westerner like myself would. He said that Singaporeans tend to view their government as overprotective parents; every time you go out late at night, your mom is going to tell you to watch out for thieves, rapists, etc. But you never take it seriously. Its just mom overreacting, as always. Rather than making you worried, it just shows that mama Singapore is always ready to take care of her baby citizens. Head of National Security Studies at NTU Dr. Kumar Ramakrishna says, Traditionally, providing for homeland security has been seen as the job of the government by the Singaporean public, and the government has always been regarded as doing a good job. Moreover, the absence of actual successful terrorist attacks, like the ones we have seen in Israel or even London in recent years, has played a role in preventing some Singaporeans from taking the terrorist threat seriously. He adds, As an analyst, however, I think that we should not be too complacent. An attack in Singapore using everyday objects like cars and knives are very plausible, and I think that the government wants people to realise that Singapore is a target. But even if an attack on Singapore is inevitable, I still think that Singaporeans rejection of SGSecure is better than following it wholeheartedly. One of the main tenets of SGSecure is constant vigilance: if you see suspicious individuals or unclaimed bags, you should report them immediately. If SGSecure were taken seriously, then it would erode the sense of communal trust that I find to be one of Singapores greatest virtues. Pretty much nowhere else in the world can you leave your bag unattended at an open food center and reasonably assume that it wont get stolen, and that no one will think it is an explosive device. To me, eroding that for the purpose of attaining marginally greater security isnt worth it. Even if an equivalent number of people per capita died due to terrorism in Singapore (as in the United States in recent history), this would equate to fewer than an average of 1 person every year. I anticipate many would say that Singapore is a small state in a perpetually vulnerable position, and therefore cannot afford to take a relaxed stance on security. While this small state narrative is reasonable when it comes to threats like invasion by foreign powers, it is not when it comes to terrorist threats. Professor Mukherjee explains, When it comes to terrorist threats like those alluded to in the SGSecure campaign, Singapore being a small country actually helps it protect itself from internal threats. Its small size makes it relatively easier to control the movement of goods and people that might be involved in a potential attack. If you think of how the terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008 arrived by boat, something like that would be much harder to carry out in Singapore due to the governments ability to effectively monitor and patrol its maritime environment. In light of Singapores relatively high ability to neutralise terrorist threats even without community preparedness, I reached out to MHA get a better picture of why the government feels that SGSecure is necessary. They declined to comment. We shouldnt underestimate the mutual trust Singaporeans have built with each other either. / Image credit: Kit Suman Its highly debatable whether or not community preparedness drills work. In the case of the Parkland Florida school shooting, the shooter used his knowledge of emergency protocol against his victims, having gone through lockdown drills at the school himself. Because actual terrorist attacks are so few and hard to study, there are no definitive studies on whether or not community preparedness makes a significant impact. Additionally, some aspects of community preparedness are incredibly controversial due to their adverse effects on mental health. Many have argued that the realistic active shooter drills often conducted in the United States, because of the psychological trauma they cause, do more harm than good. While it might make Singapore marginally more secure, preparing Singaporeans will come at a great cost. There will no longer be the distinctive sense of mutual trust and respect that makes Singapore feel safe. On top of that, it may make Singaporeans paranoid in a way that is psychologically harmful. For me personally, I dont plan on being more vigilant towards terror attacks in Singapore. If it happens, it happens. Otherwise, I am not going to worry about possible, yet incredibly improbably tragedies. I am going to continue to trust the strangers I meet in Singapore, continue to not freak out when I see unattended bags, and stop paying attention to ostensible action movies on the MRT. I hope Singaporeans continue doing the same. What are your thoughts on terrorism and national security in Singapore? Tell us at community@ricemedia.co. The post Singaporeans Dont Care About SGSecure. Thats a Good Thing appeared first on RICE. Country music has become so eclectic its impossible to say what it is today. Thankfully, theres a space for Kane Brown, who made a strong case for a rap contingent that mixes things up as much as Post Malone does in pop. Playing to the largest crowd in Battery Park history Thursday night, the 25-year-old kicked it right out of the gate, getting his one-two punch from Baby Come Back To Me and What Ifs. Dressed in a black T-shirt (with Gucci on the back), strategically patched jeans and a swag cap, he stretched his range with Weekend and Used to Love You Sober, proving he has the skills to do heartfelt, melodic songs, too. Willing to open a vein, Brown talked about his childhood (which included an abusive stepfather) and the bullies he ran into at school. Launching into Learning, he had the crowd in his corner from the first words and made you want to cheer for every bit of his success. Thats why Im learning how to let it go, he sang. He dedicated his next single, Homesick, to the military a song that captures all the longing soldiers overseas must feel. It was one of the most traditional country songs in his repertoire and, yeah, it had the kind of presentation just made for a flood of tears. Brown kept the emotions high with Live Forever and then got into his party vibe with Short Skirt Weather. The bouncy ditty played to yet another segment of the crowd. That range is what could give him the longevity others only dream about. If theres an adjective for the chart topper, its diverse. He has the ability and the heart to reach a multitude of fans. Thursdays concert was a perfect summer starter and a great way to get into the Kane zone. Meanwhile, opener Ryan Hurd demonstrated why he has written for a herd of people in Nashville. Boasting an eclectic catalog that runs the gamut from soul to reggae, he showed he, too, cant be put in a box. Thousands swarm Battery Park for Kane Brown concert Donning cowboy boots, straw hats and sunglasses, thousands poured into Sioux City's Battery Park Thursday night to catch a glimpse of Kane Bro Offering up a song he did for Luke Bryan (Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset), he showed how a different spin can make it sound, well, better. Hurd did a number of his own country radio-friendly cuts (opening with Her Name was Summer) and talked plenty about wife Maren Morris. He wrote Love in a Bar, a song that recounted their courtship, and Diamonds or Twine, a perfect wedding number that covered the good and bad times and the love that endures. It was a moving tribute that made you want to know Hurd better. Dressed in a striped tank and black jeans, Hurd was extremely gracious, saying the crowd was the largest he has played to on a Thursday night. A nice, easy-going performer, Hurd has a soothing, attractive voice that could bode well for the long haul. The one-two punch was just what Siouxland needed this time of year. Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves took umbrage with those who seek to create confusion, but committed himself and his government to remain focused and steadfast in its role on the Security Council. St Vincent and the Grenadines remains committed to the fundamental principles contained within the charter of the United Nations (UN). Therefore, the government will not be adopting a transactional approach during this countrys two-year stint as a Non-Permanent member on the UNs Security Council. "I hear the question: What is the benefit for St Vincent and the Grenadines for sitting on the Security Council? "We are not telling you that St Vincent and the Grenadines is going to get money, that is not the reason, said Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves while speaking at a special ceremony on Sunday to welcome home him and Sir Louis Straker, Foreign Minister, who were both present at the UNs Headquarters in New York during last weeks vote. "The reason is to be there at the table with the perspective of a small island developing state from the Caribbean, and that by being there, we can contribute to peace and security in the world which will be to the advantage of all in the world, he continued. This country was successful in its bid to become the smallest nation to sit on the Security Council and, according to Gonsalves, there was no doubt the prestige attributed with the accomplishment. "We are committed to the principle of multi-lateral cohesion among all countries and to solve problems by peaceful means, Gonsalves told the small gathering at the Argyle International Airport. This country will have to work within the framework of international law, the prime minister continued. "Because without international law, our sovereignty and independence mean very little. He asked for the internal problems not to go beyond the "waters edge. "The conflicts (internal) should stop at the waters edge, we should not carry them outside of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Gonsalves said. The resolution to any conflict must take place here because the country were now one of 15 that was responsible for dealing with making decisions as it related to peace and security in the world. "Those who want to go beyond the waters edge and seek to create confusion, we will not be involved in that, and we will not allow and fall into a trap of allowing anyone to demean or belittle this epic victory. We are not interested in any side shows, I am interested in the main event, Gonsalves added. Alva and Ruth Lill of Charter Oak, Iowa, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. on June 23 at the Ricketts, Iowa Community Center. SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man pleaded guilty Thursday to robbing a Le Mars, Iowa, bank in December. Phillip White, 33, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to one count of bank robbery, and faces a maximum prison term of 20 years. White entered Iowa State Bank, 301 Plymouth St. NW, on Dec. 12, told a teller he had a weapon and wanted a bag of money. He left the bank with $16,190 in cash. Witnesses told authorities they saw White get into a U-Haul van, in which Karen Merrick was waiting for him. Merrick led law enforcement officers on a pursuit out of Le Mars and onto county roads before she was stopped in rural Plymouth County. The stolen money was recovered from the van. White later told authorities that he did not have a weapon and denied threatening the bank teller. He told investigators that he had robbed the bank because he needed to provide another person with $5,000 or a pound of methamphetamine that day, though he denied owing money or drugs to anyone, court documents said. Merrick, 36, of Sioux City, on Tuesday had her trial concerning the robbery rescheduled to Aug. 5. Also Thursday, White pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by threat or violence for the armed robbery of a Sioux City cab driver in October. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Camped outside of the gates on 4th Street next to the Sioux City Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, concert goers voiced their excitement as they waited for the gates to open and the show to start. "I'm a big, I mean big [country music fan]," Dayze Olson, an individual waiting in line for the concert, said. "I've always listened to country." With only a few weeks remaining in June, Iowa Medicaid patients and providers in the Quad-Cities are feeling the stress of approaching deadlines. UnitedHealthcare is set to leave Iowa Medicaid on June 30, but concern still remains about the on-boarding process for Iowa Total Care, which is set to be up and running July 1, according to Iowa Medicaid. The source of their concern: No deal has been reached yet between Iowa Total Care and two major health providers in the Quad-Cities, Genesis Health System and UnityPoint Health. That leaves many Medicaid recipients worried about whether their care will still be covered come July. Henry Marquard, government and community relations officer at Genesis, said negotiations are still ongoing. "We are currently still negotiating with Total Care, working toward getting a contract signed so that we would be a part of their network," he said, adding there were still a few "big hangups" to be resolved. "It is our hope that we will get those resolved hopefully soon." Bailey Sullivan, marketing and communications specialist at UnityPoint Health, said no update was available for UnityPoint's negotiations as of Thursday. Marquard said Genesis so far has gone through three rounds of negotiations, during which they've applied lessons from past negotiations with managed care organizations such as Iowa Total Care and IlliniCare. Those private organizations, which offer managed health care plans to patients, require vigilant negotiations about contracts, procedures and processing claims. "Anything that's not in there, we've got a very bad history of being burned with," Marquard said. "So we put those things in there so that it helps when we have to go and fight the MCOs later on." IlliniCare is owned by Centene, which also owns Iowa Total Care. Marquard said Genesis' past experiences with Centene have not been positive. "I will say that they've been very difficult to work with in Illinois, even by MCO standards," he said. "Frankly, we've had significant problems with every single one of them." Advocate skepticism For those who receive or use Iowa Medicaid in their personal or professional lives, confusion has been a common theme since Iowa privatized Medicaid in 2016. Matt Grillot, of DeWitt, who has C5-C6 paraplegia, has been a health care advocate since he was old enough to argue on behalf of others like himself. He was part of an advisory/consumer feedback committee during the planning stages of the Medicaid privatization, which he described as "smoke and mirrors." He believes those feedback meetings were held so the state could say it received input without having to incorporate it. His recommendation? Don't privatize. Grillot has been part of United Healthcare since Medicaid was privatized. Since 2016, he has had four case managers in three years, and described how UnitedHealthcare attempted to cut his services two years in a row. "Everything from housecleaning to dressing and transferring in and out of bed," Grillot said, adding that United Healthcare claimed some of his services weren't medically necessary. After losing appeals, he took his case to a state fair hearing before an administrative law judge. A week before the hearing was scheduled, Grillot received a call from his case manager saying UnitedHealthcare had submitted a request for dismissal essentially that United would not continue to try to cut his services. But in 2018, he said United again tried to cut his services. The two fights with the MCO, which he said took six months apiece, took a mental and emotional toll. Grillot also has concerns about Iowa Total Care, pointing to a July 2018 Des Moines Register article that detailed the fines parent company Centene has incurred in other states, as well as the low scores it received from Iowa's own ranking system. While Iowa Medicaid has promised patients they'll receive a choice of health insurance providers, Grillot says he's switching to Amerigroup as a default because it contracts with local providers already. The Department of Human Services has said the transition will be smooth at the end of June, but Grillot's past experiences leave him with doubts. "I'll believe it when I see it," he said. The long process Catherine Hahn of Muscatine is the guardian of her adult son, Jeffrey. She's also a pediatric physical therapist with the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, so she sees the transition from two perspectives. For her personal experience with Iowa Medicaid, Hahn said she's had frustrations "like everybody else" from the beginning. "We were with AmeriHealth first, like most people who have severe disabilities, because they had a better understanding of the long-term service support system," she said. "And then they left after that first year when they asked the state for some additional money and the state said no." Now, with UnitedHealthcare, Hahn said they haven't had many problems getting things paid for and adjusted. But with United pulling out of Iowa Medicaid, "We're in flux again," she said. Hahn attended a May town hall in Davenport for that reason, saying she was trying to figure out where the state stood on Medicaid. For now, she and Jeffrey are in a no-win situation: Amerigroup doesn't cover some of her son's durable medical equipment, such as a stander, but Amerigroup is the company that's contracting with local providers unlike Iowa Total Care, as of Thursday. "So it's kind of difficult to make a decision, where it's kind of a trade-off," Hahn said. "One's probably not going to pay for certain things, but at the same time we can't necessarily go with the other because we don't yet know for sure if they're going to sign." Another problem, she said, is that the right hand seemingly isn't communicating with the left hand. At the town hall, participants were told they would receive a letter detailing which MCO they had been assigned to before the open enrollment period; Hahn said she never received that letter. When she called Iowa Medicaid Enterprise, she was told she had been assigned to Iowa Total Care. She told them she wanted to be switched to Amerigroup. "About six days later," she said, "I got a letter saying I was assigned to Iowa Total Care." Hahn went back to IME to work out that miscommunication, but now she's waiting to see if she receives a letter that she's actually been assigned to Amerigroup. She praised the people at IME, saying they're "decent" and have been helpful in trying to figure out the switch. Another promise at the Davenport town hall came from Mike Randol, deputy director of the Department of Human Services, who told attendees that if they liked their case manager, they would be able to keep them after the transition. Jeffrey's case manager at United is moving to Amerigroup, but when Hahn called IME on May 31, she was told IME doesn't dictate whether patients maintain their case managers. She then called the Iowa Department of Human Services and was transferred to the Scott County Department of Human Services before finally being told to call Amerigroup directly. When she did, she couldn't access the system without a case number which Jeffrey didn't have since he hadn't switched to Amerigroup yet. "Basically, nobody truly knows what's going on," she said, noting that without an answer, Jeffrey is essentially without a case manager. As for her job as a pediatric physical therapist, Hahn said her biggest frustration is that that almost every letter she's written since MCOs took over in 2016 has been automatically denied the first time. "And then they'll send it back and ask all these questions, and all the questions are in the documentation that we send," she said. "That's probably the biggest frustration. I'd love to tell you I've forgotten how to write letters for medical necessity, but I've been doing it for 20 years." Difficult choices Melinda Smith-Pace, of Bettendorf, a 2019 Elizabeth Dole Foundation fellow and mother of multiple children with disabilities, had a positive experience with UnitedHealthcare. "For the most part, UnitedHealthcare's been really helpful to us as our MCO, and it's been nice because they covered all of our physicians," she said. But the June 30 deadline for United to pull out of Iowa Medicaid looms over the mother and military wife. Five members of Smith-Pace's family have disabilities, including her two children. Her youngest child has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affects joints and requires intensive physical therapy. She also uses tools such as braces and a wheelchair that must be updated as her condition changes. Smith-Pace's middle child has autism and intellectual disabilities and requires a pacemaker. Smith-Pace is waiting to choose a new MCO in hopes of a contract being reached between Iowa Total Care and Genesis Health System and UnityPoint Health-Trinity, but said the family will choose Amerigroup if need be because it covers a physician the family likes. Preparing for the transition has been especially stressful for Smith-Pace because her family sees physicians from both Genesis and UnityPoint. "That's a problem for us because I'm going to have to choose, essentially, which physician I like more and which specialist we think we need more than the other," she said. Another source of concern for Smith-Pace is that different MCOs have different policies, which she didn't realize until recently. UnitedHealthcare, for example, allows unlimited physical therapy appointments for children younger than 18, while neither Amerigroup nor Iowa Total Care allow that. "They only approve a certain amount, and then you have to go get pre-authorized for each time you go back," she said, "which is difficult when you have a child who's going to be in physical therapy her entire life." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Pre-screening before surgery at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. Inset: Eye checkups at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex. The USA Mobile Medical Eye Mission mounted its 44th Eye Care 4 U clinic/surgeries to St. Vincent and the Grenadines from May 26 to May 31, 2019. The 28-member team provided visual acuity screening and related tests (glucose, blood pressure) at a special facility set up at the main Arnos Vale Playing field; and performed surgeries at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. The team comprised the mission director Dr. David Mc Cabe; 4 ophtalmologists- Drs. Eric Purdy, Cathy Mc Cabe, John Dagianis, and Megan Cochran; and ENT specialist Dr. John Fallon who collaborated with Dr. St. Clair Thomas to provide ENT consultation and surgeries at MCMH. Additionally, there were two opthalmic scrub technicians and several optical technicians. When the mission was complete, some 765 persons had received free eye care services, as well as blood pressure and glucose monitoring. Most persons benefiting from these clinics had previously registered with the Lions Club, but quite a few who had not registered but had turned up seeking consultation, were added to the list. In addition, 86 surgeries were performed, including five corneal transplants and several cataract procedures. All surgeries were done at no cost to the patients. The mission was organized and conducted under the auspices of the Lions Club of Kingstown-SVG and the Leo Club of SVG, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment. Sponsorship for this and the previous three Missions has come from the Beacon Insurance Company Limited, to whom the Lions Club Kingstown-SVG expressed heartfelt gratitude. The Club also recognized the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, and a number of corporations, commercial houses and individuals for their assistance. Among those recognized were the St. Vincent Brewery Ltd., St. Vincent Corrugated Containers Inc., ECGC, Subway, KFC, Thomas Wholesale, Office and Computer Solutions Inc., Sailors Cycle Centre, Mrs. Clara Providence, Mrs. Natasha De Freitas, and all the nurses who assisted both at the clinic and the hospital. In addition to the screening of thousands of Vincentians and the numerous ophthalmological interventions performed over the years, the USA Mobile Medical Eye Mission has made several donations, including eye glasses to patients, and medical related machinery and supplies, amounting to millions of dollars, to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. Justice Brett Kavanaughs old court rebuked his anti-abortion jurisprudence on Friday, compelling the Trump administration to allow undocumented minors in federal custody to terminate their pregnancies. The appeals courts ruling rejects the administrations blanket ban on abortion access for these minors as a violation of their constitutional right to choose. It should guarantee all undocumented minors control over their bodies, a right the federal government has spent more than two years seeking to revoke. Fridays decision is the latest chapter in a controversy that began in March 2017. That month, thenDirector of the Office of Refugee Resettlement Scott Lloyd announced that minors in federal custody could not obtain abortions without his permission, which he flatly refused to grant. Instead, Lloyd urged pregnant minors not to get abortions and called their parentswithout their consentto inform them that their children were pregnant. He also tracked minors periods and pregnancies on a spreadsheet, apparently to determine when they were too far along to obtain a legal abortion. Lloyd even barred abortions for minors whose pregnancies resulted from rape, declaring that forcing these teenagers to give birth was in their best interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fridays decision is the latest chapter in a controversy that began in March 2017. The ACLU brought a class-action lawsuit on behalf of these minors asking the courts to block Lloyds policy. It also represented individual minors, including a 17-year-old known as Jane Doe, who urgently sought abortions while the class action was pending. In October 2017, then-Judge Kavanaugh refused to let Doe, who was housed in Texas, get an abortioneven though she was 15 weeks pregnant and had already obtained judicial bypass pursuant to state law. Instead, Kavanaugh gave the government more time to find a sponsor who could take custody of Doe and maybe let her obtain an abortion. The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit swiftly reversed Kavanaughs decision, allowing Doe to terminate. In response, Kavanaugh penned a fiery dissent accusing the majority of permitting immediate abortion on demand. He described Lloyds ban as nothing more than government efforts to help minors navigate what is undeniably a difficult situation through reasonable regulations. Advertisement Advertisement Following that decision, Doe quickly obtained her abortion. A furious Department of Justice then asked the Supreme Court to punish the ACLU attorneys who represented Doe, falsely accusing them of misconduct. SCOTUS declined this invitation, but also vacated the D.C. Circuits decision because it had become moot since Doe got the relief she wanted. So the ACLU pressed on with its class action. Meanwhile, Judge Kavanaugh became Justice Kavanaugh and continued to vote against abortion rights. Advertisement Now the D.C. Circuit has blocked the administrations abortion ban altogether, permitting all undocumented minors in federal custody to access abortion care. Judges Sri Srinivasan and Robert Wilkins, both Obama appointees, agreed that minors could sue as a class, and held that the ban imposes an unconstitutional undue burden on their right to choose. Advertisement The majority shredded the DOJs justification for the administrations ban. First, the DOJ argued that the government may decline to facilitate abortion accessbut, the majority explained, minors are merely asking the government to step out of the way. They are not seeking facilitation of abortion but rather the ability to leave their shelter and undergo the procedure. Second, the DOJ argued that minors should self-deport and get an abortion in their country of origin. But the vast majority of these minors home countries criminalize abortion, so that option does not actually exist. Moreover, the Supreme Court has found that compelling women to leave their state to get an abortion constitutes an undue burden; surely, then, forcing them to leave the country is similarly unconstitutional. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Third, the majority responded to Kavanaughs claim, echoed by the DOJ, that minors should simply find a sponsor willing to take them in and get permission from there. This process, however, is not so simple. Release to a sponsor, the majority noted, is at the discretion of the government and is contingent on factors outside the [minors] controlmost importantly, the existence of a willing and qualified sponsor. This process involves many steps, including evaluation of the suitability of the sponsor, background checks, and home studies, which take, on average, 90 days. Some minorsincluding one whose pregnancy resulted from rapenever find a qualified sponsor. In the governments view, minors can be forced to wait for a sponsor until their pregnancies can no longer be legally terminated. That of course cannot be so, the majority concluded. A womans constitutional right cannot be conditioned on the abstract availability of a sponsor who may never materialize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, the government argued that it did not want to permit abortion tourism, allowing minors who cannot obtain abortions lawfully in their country to demand abortion services at our border. It wanted to deter these hypothetical minors by forcing those who come to the U.S. to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. The majority found it unlikely that minors would risk the extremely dangerous migration, rife with violence and sexual assault, merely to get an abortion. And besides, we cannot accept the suggestion that minors in ORR custody should be compelled to carry pregnancies to term against their wisheseven in cases of rapeso that others will be deterred from desiring to come here. With this and its firm rejoinder to Kavanaughs 2017 dissent, the majority prohibited the government from enforcing its abortion ban on minors in federal custody. It sent the case back down to the district court to further evaluate the governments policy of disclosing minors pregnancy status to their family members, because the contours of this notification policy remain hazy. The upshot is that every minor like Jane Doe should now be allowed to terminate her pregnancy if she so chooses. This result infuriated Judge Laurence Silberman, who penned a sharp dissent asserting that the majoritys decision justifies Judge Kavanaughs accusation that the court is endorsing abortion on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What happens next? The Justice Department will likely appeal to the Supreme Court, where Kavanaugh should recuse because of his involvement in the Jane Doe litigation. (He has previously recused himself from disputes in which he participated on the D.C. Circuit.) If SCOTUS takes the case and divides 44, its deadlock will affirm the D.C. Circuits ruling. For now, at least, minors constitutional right to choose should remain safe, and Kavanaugh should not be able to enshrine his 2017 dissent into law. The justice should eventually have a chance to cast a fifth vote gutting Roe v. Wade, but it likely wont arrive in this case. There is one important postscript to this story. Lloyd, who defended his abortion ban as an effort to protect children, played a key role in the family separation crisis. As director of ORR, Lloyd failed to track children taken from their parents at the border and ignored warnings about the devastating impact of family separation on childrens health. He allegedly directed his staff to stop keeping a spreadsheet tracking parents and children who had been separated and botched the court-ordered reunification of families. An internal review found that Lloyd had mismanaged the office, and he was removed from his post in late 2018, though ORR maintained his abortion ban. Lloyd now works at the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, where he will hopefully have no control over childrens bodies. If Iran did attack two tankers in the Gulf of Oman this week, as President Donald Trump claims, hes doing a lousy job of making that case to the rest of the world. The sad fact is he has to make a case because, in his 2 years in office, he has told so many lies and alienated so many allies. If he decided to respond to the attacks with new economic pressure or military action, he would need the support of those allies, and to earn that support, he would need to present extraordinarily persuasive evidence of Irans culpability. Advertisement He has not yet produced that evidence. It was an egregious mistake to let Secretary of State Mike Pompeo make the initial accusation against Iran. First, Pompeo is on record as supporting regime change in Tehran; for him to come forthinstead of a more relevant figure, such as the secretary of defense or the director of national intelligenceinfuses the charge with bias. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Second, the language Pompeo used was less than compelling. It is the assessment by the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks, he said on Thursday. The assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the sources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication. Advertisement Advertisement Among several things missing here is the level of confidence in the assessment. The omission is unusual and possibly, for that reason, telling. When U.S. intelligence agencies first analyzed the theft of emails from the Democratic National Committee in the spring of 2016, for example, they concluded with high confidence that Russia was the culprit. When chemical weapons were fired in Syria in April 2017, Trumps secretary of state at the time, Rex Tillerson, said U.S. intelligence had a very high level of confidence that the weapon used was sarin nerve gas and that the attack was ordered by Bashar al-Assads regime. ThenSecretary of Defense James Mattis said that hed personally reviewed the intelligence and had no doubt that the Syrian regime was responsible. Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, the Pentagon released fuzzy video footage of sailors on a small boat removing an object from the side of a ship. Officials said that the small boat belonged to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the object was an unexploded mine, and the ship was one of the two tankers that were attacked. Maybe. We all await footage showing sailors from a similar boat placing a mine on the side of a tanker. The picture is further muddied by the fact that the Japanese owner of one of the tankers has since claimed that the hole in his ship was well above the waterbeyond the reach of someone in a small boat.* Advertisement Advertisement It is also, at the very least, strange that the attack on the Japanese tanker came as Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was meeting with Japans prime minister, Shinzo Abe. I asked several specialists in Iranian politics Friday morning if it was possible for the Revolutionary Guard, or some Iranian rogue faction, to have launched such an attack on its own, without the approval or knowledge of the supreme leader or President Hassan Rouhani. They all said they could imagine the guard acting independently of Rouhanibut never in defiance of the supreme leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Would Khamenei have met with Abe, in what was described as a peace-seeking session, knowing that one of his military units was about to attack a tanker flying a Japanese flag? Very doubtful. If hed wanted to snub Abe, he could have simply refused the meeting. (He has, as a matter of policy, never met with any U.S. official.) So here are some possibilities: The attack was mounted by the IRGC, or some faction of the IRGC, with Khameneis consent or with some sort of nod that its leaders interpreted as his consent. (Maybe he didnt know theyd attack a Japanese vessel; maybe they didnt know he would be meeting with the Japanese prime minister; maybe they didnt know the tanker was Japanese-owned.) Advertisement It was mounted by some Iranian-backed militia, from elsewhere in the region, acting on its own but in a way that its leaders thought would please their masters. It was launched by Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates in a way to make it look like Iran was at fault. These theories (and thats all they are, at this point) suggest that the attack was launched to provoke an American overreaction, which might trigger a war. Or, if Khamenei knew the attacks were coming, he might have condoned them as a preemptive measure, a warning to the United Stateswhich he believes is preparing for warthat Iran will counter its aggression. (Rouhani has previously warned that Iran could respond to U.S. military action by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but major waterway for global oil traffic.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fact is the Iranians have cause for worry. Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, has long advocated regime change in Tehran, by force if necessary. Trump himself, of course, pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, reimposed sanctions on Iran, and took the extra, unusual step of imposing secondary sanctions on all other countries that continued to do business with Iranwhich Iran could sensibly see as an act of economic warfare. Earlier this year, when Pompeo considered tagging the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, senior U.S. military officers argued against the move on the grounds that it might open U.S. forces in the region to violent action by Iran. Pompeo took the step, despite this opposition; the Iranians havent yet attacked U.S. forces (or anything belonging to the United States), but, if they did attack the tankers, it might be a prelude to morejust as the officers predicted. Advertisement On Friday, in a statement about the tanker attacks, a spokesman for Central Commandwhich oversees all U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asiaemphasized, We have no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community. Advertisement Advertisement The question is what Trump thinks and to what extent hes prone to resist, or fall prey to, the pressures of escalation brought on by these attacks and the ensuing tensions. The region has seen tanker wars in the past, most notably from 198487, when more than 300 oil tankers were attacked in the Persian Gulf. That war was but one battle zone in a wider, extremely destructive eight-year war between Iraq and Iran. This early phase of what might be a new tanker war grew out of capricious decisions, notably Trumps withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, which he took for no reason at all, other than his hostility toward President Barack Obama, who negotiated it, and Trumps cuddling up to the Saudi royal family and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom, as one former U.S. official put it, are willing to fight Iran to the last ounce of American blood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has said he doesnt want war with Iran. He recently told reporters he wanted the Iranian leaders to call him; he even gave his phone number to Swiss officials, who have served as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran in past eras of tension. When Abe saw Khamenei in Iran, he handed him a letter from Trump. (Khamenei told Abe he had no interest in any message from the current occupant of the White House.) Who knows what will happen next? We dont really know what happened this week. The people around Trump are pushing for punishment and retaliation. Such pressures can unleash a logic of escalation, unless someone steps in to stop it. This isnt the most hopeful thing to say, but that someone probably has to be Trump. On Friday, a federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling declaring that Donald Trumps ban on transgender military service is unconstitutional. Its decision might seem like a setback for the service members challenging the policybut its actually a qualified victory for transgender rights with sweeping ramifications in other cases. After Trump announced his ban on trans military service via tweet in July 2017, four federal judges issued injunctions prohibiting its implementation. All four courts found the policy to be an unjustified violation of transgender Americans equal protection rights. In January, however, the Supreme Court lifted two of those injunctions by a 54 vote while the government appeals the rulings. The other two injunctions were eventually lifted in light of SCOTUSs order, allowing the Pentagon to implement the ban. Meanwhile, appeals courts have continued to mull the policys constitutionality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals finally issued its decision on the matter Friday, vacating U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechmans 2018 ruling against the ban. This outcome in Karnoski v. Trump is no surprise, since the Supreme Court already lifted Pechmans injunction. The 9th Circuit found that Pechman hadnt properly assessed whether former Defense Secretary James Mattis final implementation plan shored up the legality of the ban by providing the considered military judgment absent from Trumps impromptu tweets and the resulting scramble to rationalize them. Its decision in Karnoski also found that Pechman had improperly applied strict scrutiny, thereby giving insufficient deference to the commander in chief. But the 9th Circuit didnt stop there. It went on to explain that the trans ban does discriminate against transgender peoplea fact contested by the administration, which insists that the policy only discriminates against people with gender dysphoria. (This distinction makes no sense.) Moreover, the court found that discrimination on the basis of transgender status constitutes sex-based discrimination and is therefore subject to intermediate scrutiny. That means anti-trans policies must be supported by an exceedingly persuasive justification, one not hypothesized or invented post hoc in response to litigation. It directed Pechman to apply this test to the trans troops ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What exceedingly persuasive justification might lie behind this policy? The Trump administration asserts that transgender service members undermine readiness, erode reasonable expectations of privacy, and impose disproportionate costs. These claims are demonstrably false. We know that because trans troops could already serve openly when Trump announced his ban, and none of these problems arose. These excuses were cooked up by anti-LGBTQ advocates in response to litigation against the ban, precisely what intermediate scrutiny forbids. The Trump administrations justifications cannot be exceedingly persuasive if they are ungrounded in reality, discredited by experts, and disproved by experience. Advertisement Advertisement Thus, Pechman is almost certain to conclude that the ban remains unconstitutional. In the meantime, Karnoski establishes precedent in the 9th Circuit, confirming that transgender discrimination is subject to intermediate scrutiny. The court will now apply this test to other trans casesincluding Arizonas effort to exclude transition-related care from its state health plan. ACLU attorney Joshua Block noted on Friday that hell cite this development in his effort to block Arizonas discriminatory exclusion in court. Karnoski may also compel the 9th Circuit to rule that prisons must provide transition-related care to inmates in a case currently pending before the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 9th Circuit encompasses Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington. Following Karnoski, any anti-trans law passed by these states and territories must survive intermediate scrutiny. Few will be able to clear this high bar. Yes, the Supreme Courts conservatives may ultimately issue a devastating decision writing transgender people out of the Constitution if and when these cases come back to SCOTUS. They could also undermine the logic of Karnoski in next terms LGBTQ employment discrimination cases; anything is possible with this far-right bloc in control. But until then, trans people in a huge chunk of the country will enjoy heightened protections against unjust discrimination. Welcome to Source Notes, a Future Tense column about the internets knowledge ecosystem. The North Face is known for its popular jackets, fleeces, and vests. But warm apparel is not insulating the brand from blowback after it was revealed that the company had unethically manipulated Wikipedia for free advertising. In a May video ad, the North Face and its advertising partner, Leo Burnett Tailor Made, explained the scam: Before traveling, people typically search the destination on Google, and Wikipedia ranks highly in the search results for both webpages and images. So the North Face uploaded photos to the Wikipedia pages of popular destinations that included the companys clothing and equipment. When people searched destinations such as Guarita State Park in Brazil and Huayna Picchu in Peru, the top results in Google Images would serve as subtle product placement for the North Faces brand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the video published on Ad Age, the North Face states: We hacked the results to reach one of the most difficult places: The top of the worlds largest search engine. Paying absolutely nothing just by collaborating with Wikipedia. But the word collaborating is highly misleading here. Neither the Wikipedia community nor the Wikimedia Foundation collaborated with the North Face.* The North Faces hack violated the sites terms of use, which prohibit paid contributions to the encyclopedia without disclosure. Besides that, its also brazenly shady and unethical to hijack a free educational resource like Wikipedia for secretive commercial use. Once word got out, the Wikipedia community quickly removed the North Faces images from the compromised Wikipedia pagesor at very least, cropped out the companys logo. The Wikimedia Foundation also released a statement criticizing the North Face, saying, They have risked your trust in our mission for a short-lived marketing stunt. The foundations executive director, Katherine Maher, likewise blasted the North Face on Twitter: Hey @thenorthface, your brand was built on the passion of exploring places in the public trust. Maybe dont litter in @Wikipedias digital public park? Advertisement Advertisement The North Face eventually apologized on Twitter, We believe deeply in @Wikipedias mission and apologize for engaging in activity inconsistent with those principles. Effective immediately, we have ended the campaign and moving forward, well commit to ensuring that our teams and vendors are better trained on the site policies. Advertisement Thats where the story ends, right? Not at all. Revelations that the North Face had edited Wikipedias images for commercial reasons sparked a spirited debate among the volunteers who contribute to Wikipedia: Should the recent history of the North Faces editing Wikipedia be included on the companys Wikipedia page, and if so, how much coverage should it receive? Advertisement Advertisement Pausing here to acknowledge that this is all highly meta: a discussion taking place on Wikipedia about whether Wikipedia should include information within that subjects Wikipedia article about how that subject covertly and unethically edited Wikipedia. (Taking it a step further, theres a relatively high possibility that the very article you are reading will at some point be cited on Wikipedia since this is usually the case with Slate and other outlets that have covered the site.) Advertisement On the talk page for the North Faces Wikipedia article, multiple editors cautioned that Wikipedians should resist the urge to retaliate against the company using the encyclopedia itself. [W]e cannot let our own (justifiable) emotions drive coverage or try to get our readers to understand our outrage, wrote Barkeep49. We should, instead, be endeavoring to write a neutral long-lasting article on the topic. Advertisement Advertisement Over the course of the lengthy text discussion, Wikipedia editors cited several pertinent policies and principles: Due and Undue Weight, part of the sites Neutral Point of View policy, states that an article should not give undue weight to minor aspects of its subject. The North Faces Wikipedia page stood at 16 short sentences. Adding a detailed new section about the hacking incident when the rest of the companys 51-year-history was only a high-level summary would arguably throw the entire article out of balance. Advertisement Advertisement Pausing here to acknowledge that this is all highly meta. Another principle mentioned in the debate was recentism, the notion that an article can become unduly skewed toward coverage of recent events. This matters because Wikipedias stated goal is to be an encyclopedia, not a newspaper, which generally means the project should focus on the information that will be historically significant for the long term. Would people still be talking about the North Faces Wikipedia hack in five, 10, 20 years? On the other hand, as Wikipedia editor David Gerard pointed out, the North Faces Wikipedia page was receiving a lot more traffic than normal due to the incident. Even if Wikipedia is not a newspaper, he argued that the editors should take note of the currently high level of public interest. Furthermore, the public relations fallout for the North Face had been covered in outlets like the Guardian, BBC News, and the New York Times. To some editors, this significant coverage in reputable publications suggested that Wikipedias notability criteria had been satisfied, and therefore information about the incident should be included in the article. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, the consensus from the editors who participated in the discussion was to include a two-sentence paragraph describing the incident on the North Faces Wikipedia page. As of Friday, it reads: The rationale for including this summary was that some information was warrantedespecially given the significant press coveragebut that an entire section or a separate article about the incident would be undue weight. Curious readers can also read more detail about the incident on the separate Wikipedia article for conflict-of-interest editing of Wikipedia, where the North Face is included along with other corporations and politicians that have attempted to edit the site for their own purposes. For example, in 2017 a Burger King employee allegedly edited the lead of the Whoppers Wikipedia page before the company aired a commercial designed to trigger Google Home speakers to define the restaurants signature sandwich. (Like other smart assistants, Google Home sources information from Wikipedia.) The OK, Google: What is the Whopper burger? campaign also received bad press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the dust had settled, I contacted Kevin Li, a Wikipedia administrator and 18-year-old freshman at Stanford who had been involved in the discussions on the North Faces page. Li was not entirely happy with the resulthe would have preferred not to include the incident on the page because he did not think it would be genuinely relevant in the long term. But he was glad to see how the community had genuinely and thoughtfully engaged with issues like neutrality, undue weight, and notability. These are tough questions, Li told me. We have to be very careful. Advertisement Advertisement The sense of social responsibility shown by Li and similarly-minded Wikipedia editors bears a striking contrast to the North Faces casual disregard as it attempted to hijack a digital public resource. After the incident, Leo Burnett Tailor Made issued a statement saying: Our team has accepted an invitation by Wikipedia to learn more about the platform and their work to share unbiased, fact-based knowledge. Lets hope these advertising professionals learn some important lessons from the Wikipedians, and that those lessons stick. Correction, June 18, 2019: This article originally misstated that Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation did not collaborate with each other on the North Faces project. Neither organization collaborated with the North Face. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube continue to face criticism from all segments of the political spectrum. On the left, the Silicon Valley companies are under fire for moving slowlyand sometimes not moving at allto remove hate speech, disinformation, and distorted videos. And on the right, users complain that the sites censor conservative and right-wing posts and users. Some have even left the platform in protest for other sites that market themselves as open spaces friendly to those on the right. Advertisement Now theres a twist on that familiar tale. Disdain for Twitters policies has spread to the Arabian Peninsula, where nearly 200,000 new userslargely from Saudi Arabiaflocked to a pro-Trump social media network called Parler. The users who left Twitter complained the site was suppressing their speech. The new Saudi users actually used Twitter to promote their migration to the new platform, posting hashtags like #Twexit and sharing cartoons and memes of the iconic blue Twitter bird in distress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new Saudi users are supporters of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the countrys young leader, who has been criticized for his role in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Some are even emphasizing common ground with Trump supporters and members of the far-right on the site, sharing photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and the countries flags while using the #MAGA hashtag. Advertisement Advertisement Twitter hasnt said whether it has taken any new actions to remove posts from Saudi users that would have prompted the backlash, according to Reuters. But the social media company has said in the past it removed hundreds of inauthentic accounts that were favorable to the Saudi government. But the mass exodus this week has caused problems for Parler. The self-styled free speech-driven space has prominent users like Rudy Giuliani, right-wing provocateurs Milo Yiannopolous and Gavin McInnes (who are both banned from Twitter), and commentator Candace Owens. Since Sunday, the site has been inoperable at times with all of the new traffic. Parlers CEO John Matze told Reuters that this week the sites user base had more than doubled. Advertisement Launched in August 2018 as an alternative for news outlets to recover revenue lost to Twitter and Facebook, Parler looks and functions much like Twitter. Users have public-facing profiles where they can post up to 1,000-character messages. Other users can follow the account and reply to, upvote, or echo the postswhich functions much like Twitters retweet feature. As backlash to Twitter and Facebooks new crackdown on hate speech and disinformation has increased, Parler has become more of a niche space for alt-right, right-wing, and pro-Trump users to congregate. And Politico reported in May that Trumps team is considering making him an account on the site. His 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, posted on the site in May for the first time, sharing a picture of himself with Matze at Trump International Hotel in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This isnt the first time the site has gotten an influx of new users, causing its servers to malfunction. A tweet from Owens in December introduced a number of pro-Trump users to the site. But it is the first time the site has gotten such a massive influx of users. In May, Matze told Politico that Parler had only about 100,000 userseven with the new members, thats nowhere near challenging the likes of Facebook (more than 1 billion users) or Twitter (more than 320 million users). The sites search function barely works, and it has a clunky buffering time. Other Twitter alternativeslike Gab, founded in 2016have far more users and a similarly far-right user base, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and white nationalist Richard Spencer. Texas is no stranger to extreme weather, including intense heat and record-breaking hurricanes. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity generation usually peaks in Texas during the summer. The annual spike is triggered by residents firing up air conditioners in search of some respite from rising heatin some areas of Texas, temperatures reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit in 2020. But in February 2021, a seemingly singular strain on Texass power grid occurred. With a polar jet stream and polar vortex generating winter storms, Texan grid operators faced an unusual surge in demand for midwinter powerone they were not prepared for. Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now... Rohan Williams being led away to remand after his first court appearance on May 28. (Photo Credit: BVI News) Vincentian national Rohan Williams, a 37-year-old Vincentian national, has been charged with the murder of Lenia Green a 46-year-old resident of Great Mountain in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Williams, a contractor, appeared before Magistrate Christilyn Benjamin on May 28 and was not required to plead. He was unrepresented and told the court he could not afford a lawyer. He was remanded into custody and is due to return to court on July 24. According to the BVI press, Green was shot on May 26 in an area known as Georges North Side, at about 8:15 p.m. It is at the alleged that she identified Williams as the shooter, before she succumbed to her injuries. Press reports from the BVI said that two shots were heard and a motorist in the area at the time noticed an SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) leaving the area. That motorist later discovered Green who identified herself and was alleged to have indicated that she had just been raped and shot. Reports indicate that Williams was employed by Greens sister-in-law and became well acquainted with the family. During his first Court appearance, Prosecutors told the court that the deceased woman had an extended restraining order against the accused man in January this year. Investigations centred on Williams, and the Court heard that his girlfriend reported that on the day in question, he had borrowed the SUV from Greens sister-in-law to assist her with an errand. The girlfriend is reported to have further told the police that Williams dropped her to the laundromat at about 5 the said day and returned for her sometime between 8:45 and 9:00 pm, when she noticed that he had changed his clothes and that his hair was wet. Police obtained a search warrant and upon searching Williams residence, discovered some clothes soaking in the bathroom. He was subsequently arrested. Williams has denied any knowledge of the shooting and has refused to give DNA to assist in the investigation. Occasionally a driver fits well behind a certain horse, and that could be said about the special relationship between Joe Faraldo and his trotter Tough Get Going. Tonight at Yonkers Raceway the driving barrister hustled his charge to the front and then made every pole a winning one en route to a 1:59 victory, in the second leg of the NAADA Summer Series. It was their second victory in their last three times together behind a starting gate. After starting from the seven-hole Faraldo hustled Tough Get Going to the lead and they had command when the quarter pole timer flashed :28.1.When he's right he can leave with the car, Faraldo said. And tonight he did just that, Together they showed the way by the half in :58.3 as young Brett Beckwith got Dark Poole in high gear and they ranged alongside Tough Get Going as they trotted toward the third quarter. Although Dark Poole didn't clear Tough Get Going it worked out well for Faraldo because with Dark Poole on the limb that kept Tony Ciuffetelli's Someway Same Hall boxed in along the pylons and prevented him from getting an early shot at the leader. However, when they headed for paydirt Ciuffetelli's trotter was charging down the passing lane but he ran out of racetrack and had to settle for second money in a tight photo. Dark Pool was just a length behind the top two in third place. Next Thursday the series moves back to Monticello Raceway. (NAADA) Less than two months ago, Bob McClure was wondering when he would drive again after being involved in an accident during a morning qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park. On Saturday (June 15) he'll not only be active on Pepsi North America Cup night, he'll have a drive in the million-dollar main event with pacing colt Best In Show. "I'm looking forward to it," said McClure. "I came back at the right time where I could get this drive and retain it. It should be fun...I'm looking forward to the whole card." After having been shuffled back to sixth, Best In Show (PP7, 15-1) made his way through the stretch in his Cup elim to finish third to Bettors Wish and punch his ticket to the Cup final. "I was really happy with him; he didn't get room until late, and even when he did get room he really didn't know what to do. He finished up strong and that's what you want in an elim. He got into the final and didn't overexert himself." The son of Bettors Delight was raced moderately in lower conditions during his three-race freshman campaign. The Linda Toscano trainee has progressed during his five sophomore tilts to this point and has recorded 1:50.3 wins over both the Meadowlands Racetrack and Mohawk. The brown colt has raced to a record of 3-2-2 from his eight career starts and has banked $115,000 for Richard Young (Boca Raton, FL) and Joanne Young (Coconut Creek, FL). (Click here to watch/hide the video replay.) "He's only eight races deep; I think he's learning every week and I think he's a horse that a month from now will be even better." To watch the full interview with McClure and TROT Magazine's Rachel Oenema from Tuesday's 2019 Pepsi North America Cup draw, click the play button below. The 36th edition of the Pepsi North America Cup will go postward at 10:14 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast live on TSN5 from 10-10:30 p.m. The full field for the 2019 Pepsi North America Cup is as follows: 2019 Pepsi North America Cup (Post Horse Driver Morning Line Odds) 1 Aflame Hanover Andrew McCarthy 20-1 2 De Los Cielos Deo David Miller 9-2 3 Bettors Wish Dexter Dunn 7-2 4 Workin Ona Mystery Tim Tetrick 2-1 5 Captain Victorious Yannick Gingras 15-1 6 Tyga Hanover Sylvain Filion 12-1 7 Best In Show Bob McClure 15-1 8 Captain Crunch Scott Zeron 5-2 9 Hurrikane Emperor Dan Dube 15-1 10 Stag Party Brian Sears 12-1 The winner of the Pepsi North America Cup earns $500,000. This year marks the 19th anniversary of Pepsis sponsorship of the race. The Pepsi North America Cup undercard features the $454,000 Fan Hanover, $330,000 Roses Are Red, $256,000 Armbro Flight, $247,000 Goodtimes and $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup. The Cup card wagering menu will feature a $100,000 guaranteed Pick-5, $100,000 All-Stakes Pick-4 and the usual $50,000 Early Pick-4. Post time for the first of 15 races on the Pepsi North America Cup card is 6:30 p.m. To view entries for Saturday's card, click on one of the following links: Caviart Ally will take aim at ending Shartin Ns rule over the older pacing mare division when the two again spar in the $330,000 Roses Are Red Final on Pepsi North America Cup night (June 15) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Were going to take her on, said Brett Pelling, who started training Caviart Ally after her original trainer Noel Daley returned home to Australia. Itll be interesting...when theyre away from home, some things are out of your control. Shes up there, Im down here. We know she was okay last week; the girl taking her for me does a beautiful job. But you know sometimes the trip away from home wakes them up as well. Theyre out of their surroundings, they get a bit more hyped up about things; everythings new. Even like an older horse like that might set in another little wake-up call for her...maybe an improvement, who knows. Caviart Ally has enjoyed her time at Mohawk, as the best mile of her career came in an elimination for the Milton Stakes in September. Gunning to the front, she paced a 1:48.3 and cruised to a 1:51.2 victory in the final. They [shipped her] back between [the elim and the final] when they did that [in the Milton], Pelling said. And I think she was obviously a bit tired in the final. I mean shipping all the way up there and then all the way back and back up again, thats three really long ship in an eight- or nine-day period. Thats a big scope and I never really wanted to do that to her. After turning out at Caviart Farms at the end of last season, Caviart Ally shipped to Brett Pelling. Shes among a few horses bringing the champion trainer back to the top ranks since he returned from Australia in 2017. One of the things that weve done differently to see if it would work or not is to teach her to race other horses more than race the racetrack, Pelling said. Put the fear of God in them; exhibit [their] speed [and] just basically racing the racetrack instead of like now, where if [shes] balling along up front and someone pulls from the four or five hole, she sees them; shes on it. Shes become much more tractable in her races and -- whether it's positive or negative -- she still has blazing speed. And it seems to be working; she seems a lot kinder in her races now. Andy [McCarthy] likes her this way and I think its all going along well. Caviart Ally returned to the races on April 30 at Pocono, finishing second in a high-level pace. She then won two straight at The Meadowlands, one of which she paced a 1:49.2 mile with a :25.4 final quarter. Caviart Allys first stakes engagement of the year was the $100,000 Betsy Ross Invitational at Harrahs Philadelphia. Driver McCarthy launched her to the front from the inside and set a quick pace. She almost had Shartin N beat, but Tim Tetrick managed to not get boxed inside by sliding off the pylons past the half and charging towards Caviart Ally to eventually get a nose up at the finish. Andy and I come from the same part of the world, and the bottom line is if you draw inside and protect position, you have every right to protect your position, Pelling said. Too many times these guys think the racetrack is theirs. [So with] Timmy thinking hes going to cruise to the front...well, now whys that got to happen? Like I know a lot of people dont really realize this, but with where Andys from and where Im from, if you have the inside and just basically turn one loose, you get a fine and a penalty for that. Youre there to protect your position at all times...if you get out sped, its a different story. Pelling felt that had Tetrick waited slightly longer to pull, Caviart Ally wouldve been turned loose by McCarthy moments later and may have gone the distance. Timmy sort of came out [at] full gas at a place where you dont expect someone to come and she had to change gears like right down. It was a good race; I enjoyed it. Opportunity could arise for one of the other eight mares in Saturdays Roses Are Red if a Caviart Ally versus Shartin N battle arises. Getting out of there in :25.2, none of the others were involved, said Pelling. Going up the back in :26, :26.1 (whatever it was), theyre not involved. And yet at the wire, because they had gone so hard, they were coming. On a bigger track, thats why you see upsets in there. I think [Andy and Timmy] raced [it] as if it were a two-horse race, but those other mares can go. Shartin N and Caviart Ally faced off again last week in the $35,000 Roses Are Red prep, where Shartin N set the pace and Caviart Ally sat the pocket while throwing her head left into the stretch before ultimately finishing second in the 1:48.4 mile. She always travels a little bit on the left line, Pelling said. We kind of think she was really looking to bully her way out of the hole. Two races before when she raced at the Meadowlands, where she was following Youaremycandygirl, she pulled herself out and went...and kind of looked like she was trying to do the same thing the other night. Caviart Ally starts inside of Shartin N this week, going from post two as the 7/2 second choice on the morning line. Shartin N starts from post four as the 4/5 morning-line favourite with Youaremycandygirl starting between them in post three. This week she is going to have a pair of blinkers on so she cant look back, Pelling said. Hopefully shes more forward-focused instead of her getting to do what she wants. And shes determined. Shes a big mare, gets her own way and has a big personality. As well as the Roses Are Red, the Pepsi North America Cup undercard features the $454,000 Fan Hanover, $256,000 Armbro Flight, $247,000 Goodtimes and $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup. The Cup card wagering menu will feature a $100,000 guaranteed Pick-5, $100,000 All-Stakes Pick-4 and the usual $50,000 Early Pick-4. Post time for the first of 15 races on the Pepsi North America Cup card is 6:30 p.m. To view entries for Saturday's card, click on one of the following links: (With files from Woodbine) In the late 19th century, disagreements between white settlers and Native Americans led to what are known as the Indian Wars. Learn about the history of the Indian Wars, the Lakota Sioux Tribe, the Nez Perce People, and the Apache Tribe. Explore the Pullman strike of 1894. Read about the causes, outcomes, and significance of the Pullman strike. Also, see the role of Eugene Debs in the strike. Learn more about what the Cuban Missile Crisis was and background information about the event. View a timeline and discover the aftermath of the crisis. Manifest Destiny: Definition, Summary and Timeline Manifest Destiny was the idea that the U.S. was destined to occupy all the land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Explore the definition, origins, summary, legacy, contrasting opinions, and timeline of Manifest Destiny, and discover its origins in Texas and the role of John O'Sullivan in coining and spreading the phrase. A blog published by Susan Eisen that has columns on all the latest jewelry fashions, news, and store information. Professor Anthony Weiss AM FTSE received the Clunies Ross Knowledge Commercialisation Award at a gala event in Sydney, organised by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. Innovative work with tropoelastin and elastin the unique biological ingredients that give human tissue its elasticity led Professor Weiss to develop synthetic skin that can be applied to heal wounds. Professor Weiss, used his inventions to found a spin-off company called Elastagen, which was last year bought by Allergan, one of the worlds 20 largest biopharmaceutical companies. Academy President, Professor Hugh Bradlow FTSE, congratulated Professor Weiss, who is a Fellow of the Academy, Clunies Ross Awards have been offered since 1991, recognising people who have applied outstanding technological achievements for the benefit of Australia. The nations future prosperity depends on embracing new technology to address critical national challenges. More than ever, we need knowledge creation, technology and innovation that can be harnessed to drive commercialisation and economic and social benefit. Professor Weiss has made a tremendous contribution developing a treatment that will now be delivered worldwide, thanks to the purchase of his company by Allergan. Guyanas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Karen Cummings (seated at left) and Ghanas Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Botchwey, sign the bilateral agreements, as Guyanas President David Granger (left) and Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo observe. Guyana and Ghana have signed an agreement that will allow citizens to travel to each others countries without need for visas. The visa waiver agreement was one of several bilateral agreements covering several areas of mutual interest, which were signed yesterday after Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo arrived in the country for a two-day State visit. Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, told the media that the abolition of visa requirements for citizens of the two states will apply to all holders of diplomatic, official and regular Guyanese passports. (Source: Caribbean 360) "In the initial stages, they will be entitled to at least 90 days without having to renew, but after 90 days then there will be a requirement for a renewal based on the laws of the respective countries, he explained. Children in Hassakeh are choosing to abandon their education in order to work and secure an income for their families who live in dire circumstances writes Alsouria Net. Amid the trash scattered on the outskirts of the city of Hassakeh, Abdul Hakeem and his six siblings rummage through the heaps in search of any materials they might be able to sell and secure money for their family, which is living through harsh conditions. Abdul Hakeem Attiyeh is eight years-old and is from the citys al-Ghazal district. He is one of five brothers who spend most of their days collecting scraps, since illness prevents their father from working. As well as looking through trash, Abdul Hakeem and four of his siblings walk to school, but he believes that their difficult living conditions mean he will need to leave school. Abdul Hakeem told Alsouria Net: Out of seven siblings, five of us go to school as well as collecting plastic material scraps. Sometimes we go before the schools starts at 07:00 a.m. to collect what we can. He expressed his desire for him and his siblings to finish school: We want to go to school and we dont want to leave like our big siblings, but we have to work and our situation is very bad. Wed like someone to help us finish school. There are no exact statistics about the amount of child labor in Hassakeh province, but there is general consensus that it has become widespread. Although the Self-Administration and the regime having laws forbidding it, the reality is different. During a short tour of the markets in the cities and towns of Hassakeh province, it is clear that this phenomenon has grown. Children are working in difficult and harsh jobs, inappropriate for their age and physical structureespecially industry, where they are forced to lift heavy materials mostly above their abilities. There were also many children in the vegetable markets carrying goods and doing other jobs and work that require strong bodies and strenuous efforts. In one manufacturing shop in Qamishli, Yaman Mohamed, 15, has been working on repairing cars since he was about six. Everyday he carries heavy tools and is forced to inhale paint odors and oil derivatives, leaving school behind him to provide for his orphaned siblings. Mohamed told Alsouria Net that he is the oldest of his siblings, and that his father died five years ago. At the time, his mother was pregnant with a new child, making five children in a rented house. He said that, the most difficult test was choosing between what we love. I still have my school bag and some books. I wasnt lazy in my studies. But with the death of my father, I lost a lot and now I dream that one day Ill go back to these books. My mother promised me this. Social researcher Roula Hassan told Alsouria Net that there was, a general shortcoming with regards to child labor in Hassakeh province. It is clear that there is no action by any agencies that consider themselves the authority, whether that be the Self-Administration or the Assad regime, against this phenomenon or serious work to fight the problem. They are content with observation and some statistics of little value. There is a lack of attention by these bodies for childrens rights and a lack of effort to care for them, while the psychological, social and health impact on children from this labor continues to grow. The researcher noted that the regimes official reports have indicated in recent years that: the rate of labor among Syrian children over the last few years has reached more than 30 percent, while the local estimates say it is more than that. The Labor Committee in the Self-Administration has observed 546 cases of child labor throughout Hassakeh province and in the latest report it issued in August 2017, it said that it included displaced children and those living in the province whose ages ranged between six and 12. They did not later issue any new statistics. 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. Assad's deadly campaign against civilians in Idleb looks set to continue as a peace agreement brokered on Wednesday was breached just hours later reports Al-Araby al-Jadeed. Russia and the Syrian regime restarted a campaign of intensive shelling and airstrikes on Wednesday evening across the northern province of Idlib, despite Moscow having announced a ceasefire agreement with Turkey just hours before. The ceasefire aimed to put an end to the weeks-long campaign of intensified rocket fire and airstrikes by regime and Russian forces against the last opposition-held area in the country, which houses some 3 million Syrian civilians. Local sources said that Syrian regime forces, supported by Russian warplanes, launched a campaign totalling 40 air raids on towns and villages across the southern Idlib countryside, as well as in northern parts of neighbouring Hama province. No casualties were reported. Syrian and Russian forces also dropped more than 50 barrel bombs on towns in Idlib and Hama. Hugely destructive barrel bombs are usually fashioned out of oil drums, fuel tanks or gas cylinders filled with explosives, metal fragments or even chemicals and dropped from helicopters. The regimes barrel bombs are thought to have killed more than 11,000 civilians in Syria since 2012, according to Amnesty International. Fierce clashes and heavy shelling also broke out on the ground between regime and opposition forces, as rebels attempted to regain control of the town of Qasabiya in southern Idlib. Idlib, the last major area of Syria outside regime control, has faced intense regime bombardment in recent weeks, despite a months-old buffer zone deal. Russia announced on Wednesday that it and Turkey, who supports the Syrian opposition, had brokered a new ceasefire for the war-torn province. At Russias initiative, with the mediation of Turkey and Russia, a ceasefire agreement was concluded in the Idlib de-escalation zone as of midnight on June 12, the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria said in a statement late Wednesday. As a result, a significant reduction has been observed in the number of bombardments by illegal groups, said the centre, which is operated by Russias armed forces. However, no such ceasefire seemed to come into effect, risking the resumption of the regimes bloody campaign against civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said on Monday that 25 civilians including seven children had been killed in recent strikes, with more than 360 civilians killed since the end of April. Syrias war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests. Russia launched a military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assads regime in 2015, helping his forces to reclaim large parts of the country from opposition fighters and militants. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The head of the Czech Parliamentary Group for Friendship with Syria has accused Turkey and the US of hindering the efforts to defeat terrorism reports SANA. The head of the Czech Parliamentary Group for Friendship with Syria, Stanislav Grospic, affirmed that Syrias victory over terrorism and foreign interference is near and inevitable. In a statement to SANAs correspondent in Prague, Grospic said: Ending terrorism in Syria is in the interest of everyone who is keen on achieving stability and peace in the Middle East. He added that the Turkish regime and the US work directly to hinder the efforts exerted by the Syrian Government to defeat terrorists and they are trying to prolong the crisis after the failure of their schemes in Syria. In a previous statement to SANAs correspondent, Grospic said that the, US and other states are supporting terrorism in Syria by circulating misleading information on what is taking place in Idleb and through their practices against 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. Fires continue to ravage harvests in eastern Syria, as resident's anger rises about inaction by the local authorities reports Ana Press. Fires that broke out on Wednesday in eastern Syria are still ongoing, with three new fires in the southern Qamishli countryside, which destroyed about 2,000 hectares of farmland planted with wheat, two days after fires destroyed thousands of other hectares. The day before yesterday a major fire broke out in the al-Qahtaniyeh subdistrict, which destroyed more than 15,000 hectares, while the countrysides of Amoudeh and al-Darbasiyeh witnessed similar fires. The real reason is not known, but residents have blamed the de-facto authorities (the Self-Administration) because it caused a delay in the harvest season by banning harvesters from entering the area and forcibly conscripting them. The municipality of al-Yarubiyeh (Tal Kujar) said on Jun. 12, 2019, that the rate of damaged agricultural yields in the subdistrict was about 60 percent, due to the fires that broke out in the region. The fires have affected crops in more than 30 villages, with the flames reaching inside some villages, such as Kari Bari Hajjou, and forcing residents to flee. The flames encircled the Qahtaniyeh town of Tarbsibiyeh and would have consumed the area if residents hadnt been able to put it out. Activists in eastern Syria said on Facebook that the fires are still raging and that they had consumed large areas of wheat and barley crops in the Kharbet Balka area in the al-Mabadeh subdistrict of Karki Laki, and that fire fighting vehicles headed to the area to put it out. The party responsible for setting the fires is still unknown, though there have been accusations traded between the Syrian regime and the Self-Administration. Activists have criticized the difference between the Self-Administrations reaction when the fires got close to oil, when military forces participated in putting out the flames, and now, when the International Coalition and Self-Administration did not bothered to respond to residents pleas. The Self-Administration and the Emergency Committees reaction toward the fires in their areas has been to neglect their responsibility, with the committees saying in a prior statement that destructive hands were behind the fires, and called on residents to take caution and protect their crops. 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 parliament has approved investment for the port of Tartous, although many questions about the identity of the investment company still linger reports Al-Watan. Parliament approved a draft law pertaining to approving a contract with a Russian company to manage and use the port of Tartous. The law stipulates that Contract No. 22 signed by the Tartous Port General Company and the Russian STG Engineering limited liability company allows them to manage and use the port. MP Ahmed al-Kazbari said that this agreement did not violate Syrian sovereignty, giving the example of the Lattakia port before the war, which had been used by a French company, but because of the lack of adherence to its items, the contract had been canceled. The Dubai Ports company also managed three airports and ports in America. His colleague Nasser Suleiman said that this agreement came at a time when severe development was needed to upgrade ports, so that they can handle economic traffic, especially given that the Tartous port is a source of foreign currency. The MP Majib al-Rahman Dandan asked whether the Russian company is private or government, and how long the contract will run and the revenues the Syrian government is expected to earn. He asked whether it was a ratio or a lump sum, and if it is a ratio, then whats its value, and what will be the cost of the rehabilitation the company will adhere to in order to restore and use the port? Dandan added: Will this contract allow the Syrian government to overcome the unfair American economic sanctions imposed on Syrians? He also asked what the situation would be for the workers at the port, and asked: Is this a preparatory step for others to sign agreements to use the Lattakia port and build a new port, as well as investing in Syrian airports? Dandans questions were responded to by the parliament speaker Hammouda Sabbagh, who said: Our colleague Majib has gone outside the subject and the scheduled questions and the items put forward, and this is a violation of the rules of procedure for the parliament in articles 162 and 164. He added: Under this dome, we will not discuss what items are or are not on the agreements. We have before us a draft law composed of two articles and we will only discuss them. This is not the place for theoretical questions. When Dandan tried to clarify, Sabbagh said: I gave you the right to speak, and you violated the rules. MP Omar Bakdash said that the contract was not clear and that the other party was unknown, and in particular that the companys address was unknown. This pushed Sabbagh to cut him off, saying: We are not discussing the name of the companys owner and who runs it and if he is Russia or not. Bakdash responded: Thats why I declare my rejection of this agreement and I am using my right to speak. Sabbagh said: You had the right to reject the draft during the first phrase. 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. June 4, 1923June 11, 2019 Stanley Earl Fagerstrom, of Sun Lakes, AZ, died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, on June 11, 2019, a few days after his 96th birthday. A former resident of the Longview, WA, area, Stan was born June 4, 1923, in McKenzie County, ND. He graduated from R. A. Long High School in 1942. He attended Lower Columbia College prior to enlisting in the U.S. Army on Dec. 7, 1942, exactly one year after Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served in the Army for 3 and a half years. Stan married Anita Lolcoma, his high school sweetheart, in October of 1943. They were married in an Army chapel at Fort Ord, CA, in 1943. The couple observed their 75th wedding anniversary in October 2018. Shortly after the wedding, Stan was sent to the South Pacific, serving with the 167th Infantry Regiment of the 31st Infantry Division. He attained the rank of sergeant and saw combat in New Guinea, Indonesia, the Mapia Islands and Mindanao in the Philippines. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for heroism in combat. The Army division to which he belonged was one of four selected to invade the Tokyo Bay area of Japan on or about March 1, 1946. The dropping of the atomic bomb and subsequent surrender of the Japanese made the invasion unnecessary. Stan was hired by The Daily News in Longview, WA, in 1946, shortly after his discharge from the army. His first job was as manager of the Kelso branch office of the newspaper. He later became a reporter, then classified advertising manager and eventually the newspapers advertising director. Freshwater fishing was one of his first loves. Throughout his employment, he also wrote an outdoor column and features for the newspaper. He worked full time for The Daily News for 36 years and continued as an outdoor columnist and feature writer for the newspaper for 10 years following his resignation as a full-time employee. Stan was well-known nationally as an outdoor writer. At one time or another during his career, his stories appeared in most of the nations major outdoor magazines. For a number of years, he also wrote an outdoor column for the Vancouver, WA, Columbian newspaper under the pen name Stanley Scott. Stan won numerous awards for his writing in Pacific Northwest newspaper circles. He was the author of three major books on fishing: Catch More Bass, Catch More Crappie and Catch More Steelhead. His last book, Men Cousin Art, was the story of his childhood in North Dakota during the Great Depression. After leaving The Daily News in 1982, Stan devoted himself full time to freelance writing and giving casting exhibitions and lectures about fishing. He was well-known internationally for his trick and accuracy casting presentations. His appearances were featured at outdoor shows throughout the United States for many years. He also made appearances in foreign countries, including Brazil, Japan, New Zealand and Mexico. On one occasion, he gave a private casting demonstration for Japans Princess Nobuko in Tokyo. He was also featured on the Jo Soares show out of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Soares, often called the David Letterman of South America, is watched by millions. Stan was a featured performer with the International Sportsmens Exposition outdoor shows in the western United States for 25 years in succession. For many years, he was also the featured caster at the Bass Masters Classic Outdoor Show, an event known as the World Series of Bass Fishing. Besides his writing, Stan loved country music, children and pets. He played the clarinet, guitar and keyboard. He was an active member of the Christian Church-Disciples of Christ in Longview and Florence, OR. After moving to Sun Lakes, he served a three-year term on the board of trustees at the Sun Lakes United Church of Christ. Stan was one of the few outdoor writers named to membership in the Braniff Airlines Outdoor Council. He was also a charter member of the Berkley Outdoor Council and the Red Ball Outdoor Council. He travelled extensively both in the United States and abroad as a member of these councils. He was a longtime member of the Outdoor Writers of America and a charter member of the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association. Stan was voted into the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2001, he was named winner of the National Professional Anglers Association lifetime achievement award. He was voted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also a lifetime honorary member of the Oregon Bass & Panfish Club. No services are planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent in Stans name to the American Cancer Society. In addition to his wife, Stan is survived by two sons, Daniel, of Chandler, AZ, and Stanley Scott, of St. Paul, MN. Greg Smith wasnt alive when his uncle Merle shipped out to Hawaii as an electricians mate with the U.S. Navy 80 years ago. But Smith joined the welcome-home ceremony for Merle Andrew Smith on Tuesday at the Portland International Airport when the sailor who died in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor returned home. His previously unidentified remains had been buried in an unmarked grave at Punchbowl National Cemetery near Pearl Harbor for decades. It was really moving. Most all of the living cousins came and gathered (in Portland) and were able to finally make the full closure for the whole family It was quite the memorable event, said Greg Smith, 68, of Longview. Flanked by a Navy honor guard and the Patriot Riders, Merle Smiths remains were taken to Willamette National Cemetery, where he received a full military service on Wednesday. Smith said the family chose to bury their relative in the military cemetery so he could rest alongside his fellow servicemen. There were no (direct) family members to make accommodations for him because they never thought hed ever come back, Smith said. Merle Smith hailed from Woodland and was working on the battleship USS Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack, when nine Japanese torpedoes struck the ship, sinking it. Many of the crew were buried as unknowns at a national cemetery in Honolulu. Smith was one of four Cowlitz County men among them. Only 41 of 429 ships fallen crew members were positively identified and buried in their own graves. The other 388 were buried together in 62 caskets in 46 grave sites. But in 2015, the U.S. Department of Defense approved a project to dig up the caskets and identify the men using modern forensic and DNA technology. When we found out that they were going to be exhuming the remains and doing DNA testing, the family got excited, Smith said. The last member of (Merles) generation, his youngest sister, was still alive at that time. They were able to get some DNA from her and her two daughters for the test. Though Merle Smiths sister passed away shortly after giving a DNA sample to help identify her brothers remains, her daughters attended his funeral service Wednesday to put their uncle to rest in his own personal grave, Smith said. (Francis E. Dick, another Woodland Navy man who died on the USS Oklahoma, was also recently returned home and laid to rest at the Vancouver Barracks Post Cemetery.) Greg Smiths 80-year-old brother, the oldest of Merles living relatives, gave a very moving and emotional thank-you to the team who helped identify and bring home their uncle. Theyve done a tremendous job. It was a huge effort on a lot of people to bring these people home, Smith said. The (servicemen) involved are given full honors and respect. Its incredible. The pilot, Patriot Riders and many involved in the ceremonies came out and shook our hands to say, It is a privilege and honor to see these men reunited with their family. Smith said his uncle was the phantom hero of the family. There was never really any stories (about him). I think it was too traumatic for his parents to even talk about it. Merle Smith enlisted in the Navy in 1939. According to stories from other military men stationed at Pearl Harbor, Merle Smith wasnt originally scheduled to work on Dec. 7, 1941. Hed planned to partake in his usual Sunday schedule of church and lunch with a Navy officer, Smith said. But one of his shipmates was totally incapacitated from a night out drinking before, so Merle Smith had to take his place, his nephew said. As an electrician, he worked on machinery below the deck. The USS Oklahoma sank quickly after the torpedoes hit it, and those who were below decks really didnt have much chance or time to get out, his nephew said. Merle Smith died at age 20, just three days short of his 21st birthday. It was just one of those things where circumstances aligned, and everything went haywire and wrong, Smith said. The sailors return to the Pacific Northwest this week was just a bringing to an end of the story of our missing uncle, Smith said. Those involved in the story whether as family members or those who assisted with Merles transport home have been honored and moved to see the servicemans journey come to an end, Greg Smith said. The pilots were retired Air Force pilots, and they knew they were bringing Merle home, Greg Smith said. One of them told the passengers it was a special flight because they were returning home with a World War II soldier, and I guess the whole cabin of passengers burst into applause. Love 13 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Northwest fishing community lost an icon this week when Stan Fagerstrom, a long-time Daily News employee and internationally known master caster bass fisherman, died peacefully in his home in Sun Lakes, Arizona. He was 96. His whole life was about fishing or writing about fishing, said his son Scott Fagerstrom. He was writing about fishing up until age 94. He has a following of two or three generations of thousands of fishing enthusiasts. Fagerstrom launched his outdoor writing career while he was working at The Daily News, his son said. His first outdoor column, Nibbles and Bites, published in TDN for almost four decades. It was a fan favorite of readers. When any research was done at our newspaper on the editorial side, two columns came up at the top of the list for popularity One was Stan Fagerstroms fishing report and outdoor column, said Harold Luhn, a former TDN advertising manager who worked under Fagerstrom for more than a decade. Fagerstrom started at TDN as the Kelso branch office manager in 1946 shortly after his discharge from the army, but he rose through the ranks at the paper, ultimately landing a position as advertising director, his son said. Luhn said Fagerstrom was a mentor and an inspiration for him while they worked together. Fagerstrom was a punctual and disciplined boss who handled conflict mediation well, Luhn said. He could find that middle road between you and the account, and find a way out of a (tense) situation, Luhn said. He was never an angry man. He was very congenial. He seemed to get along with everyone. That shone through in his writing, as he regularly included local names in his column, Luhn said. Sometimes Fagerstrom referenced subscribers who dropped by the news office to show off their latest catch, Luhn said. People used to come in with a fish in their car, and Stan would always go out and take a picture. It didnt matter the size of the fish, he said. Fagerstrom continued to write for TDN after retiring in 1982, though he also contributed to other national outdoor magazines beloved among fishermen. He was one of the first Northwestern writers to specialize in bass fishing, said Bruce Holt, a long-time employee and contributing writer for the G. Loomis fishing store in Woodland. Everything came from the south, but Stan was out there doing it all the time, and he had an avenue with The Daily News to share that with people. He was a (bridge) to all the guys in the bass world from the West, and specifically the Northwest, to the promotional side of bass fishing and the professional world (of the sport), Holt said. Fagerstroms writing style set him apart from others with its heart and emotion and little colloquialisms, Holt said. While some outdoor columnists have great knowledge of fishing, few have the feeling for it like Stan did. There will be a big hole in the writers world, said Holt, who credits his spot in the Outdoor Writers Association of America to Fagerstroms mentorship. We spent a lot of time on the water together. He treated me like a son. Our relationship was one of those that was very special. He was always really good to me, and he taught me a bunch about writing. When he wasnt writing about fishing, Fagerstrom was likely out on the water honing his skills. He just felt most at home and closest to God when he was on a boat on a quiet lake with that lure in the water, his son said. He fell in love with bass fishing and Silver Lake, until eventually we moved there in 1969 from Longview. Through years of practice fishing, Fagerstrom became a master caster who performed demonstrations at events across the world. He was known internationally for his trick casts, like landing his fly in cup set 50 feet away. He could do things most of us couldnt. We are pretty good fishermen, but we couldnt even hold a candle to what Stan could do, said Bob Loomis, sales and marketing director at Macks Lure in Wenatchee, Wash. (Fagerstrom wrote for Macks Lure until about 2018). It was an art. He was the Tiger Woods of casting, so to speak, said Loomis, who built custom poles for Fagerstrom while working at G. Loomis in Woodland. There is a lot of different companies that are making stuff that was better than they were doing (before) because Stan needed it to do his job better, Loomis said. Being a master caster, he held all of us to a much higher degree of excellence. Fagerstrom continued to gain recognition from fellow fishermen even after he stopped trick casting, his son said. Just a year ago, a clerk at a phone store recognized his father, asking whether he was really the Stan Fagerstrom. (The clerk) was a total stranger, but the kid was a fisherman, and he had pictures of dad all over his phone, Scott Fagerstrom said. Thats the level of affection people around the country had for him. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 3 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. By Trend The international conference entitled Role of women of the Turkic world in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is being held in Baku, Trend reports on June 14. The conference has been jointly organized by the Azerbaijani parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic-speaking states (TurkPA). Deputy Speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament Bahar Muradova, Secretary General of the TurkPA Altynbek Mamayusupov, Chairperson of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs Hijran Huseynova, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, heads of delegations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey are participating in the opening ceremony of the conference. While opening the event, Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova emphasized the importance of the conference and stressed that the topics being discussed at the conference cover both international issues and regional problems. A federal judge has declined to hold Oregon in contempt of court for defying a longstanding court order that requires speedy admission of mentally ill defendants to the state psychiatric hospital. The judge, Chief U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman, said in court documents Wednesday that he will review the issue again in about 90 days to see if senior state officials made good on promises to quickly implement reforms. Robb Cowie, a spokesman for the Oregon Health Authority, applauded Mosmans ruling in a statement and said the state looks forward to reporting its progress. We will continue to work urgently with courts, counties and the Legislature to solve the capacity crisis at the Oregon State Hospital and ensure every Oregonian with mental illness who needs care can have timely access to treatment in their own community or, when necessary, at the state hospital, the statement said. Emily Cooper, legal director for Disability Rights Oregon, an advocacy group that was a plaintiff in the contempt proceedings, said she is disappointed by Mosmans decision. We are dismayed that the state has potentially 90 more days to violate the constitutional rights of vulnerable Oregonians who are languishing in jail, Cooper said. Mosmans decision differs from one issued last month by a state court judge who found Oregon officials had willfully violated court orders. Rep. Jennifer Williamson, the state House Majority Leader, said that contempt finding moved lawmakers to pursue a reform plan. The central issue is a 2002 federal court order that instructs Oregon State Hospital officials to admit defendants needing trial fitness treatment within seven days of a judges commitment order. Long jail stays for people in need of trial fitness treatment prompted the lawsuit that resulted in the 2002 order, in which a judge said there was no rationalization that passes constitutional muster for what had, in effect, become indefinite confinement of mentally ill defendants who had not been convicted on their charges. Hospital managers had largely complied with that order in the 17 years since, but ran into trouble as demand for trial fitness treatment soared. The number of hospital beds dedicated to those patients has more than doubled since 2012 to more than 260, according to state data. The demand had become so great that by October 2018 the Oregon State Hospital was full and began a waitlist for defendants needing trial fitness treatment. The list quickly grew, and defendants began waiting for weeks for hospital admission, oftentimes exacerbating their mental health conditions. Lawyers for Disability Rights Oregon and law firm Metropolitan Public Defender filed paperwork last month to enforce the 2002 ruling with a contempt order. They said the state was violating defendants rights and causing irreparable harm. Mosman, the federal judge, heard arguments in the case Tuesday, where he said it was clear Oregon had violated the 2002 ruling but questioned whether a contempt finding would be the right tool to force compliance. Patrick Allen, the Oregon Health Authority director and official in charge of the state psychiatric hospital, testified to a long list of actions the state had taken or planned to take to better the situation. Mosman wrote in court records Wednesday that he will assess the states progress in September. The judge said he specifically wants a report on the states efforts to quickly release patients from the psychiatric hospital; the status of two reform bills, one of which Gov. Kate Brown signed Wednesday; plans to expand non-institutionalized trial fitness treatment centers; and negotiations to treat defendants at a federal halfway house in Portland. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Editors note: Todays editorial originally appeared in The Columbian. 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. Problems caused by climate change extend beyond the forests and farmlands and natural disasters typically associated with the phenomenon. The burning of fossil fuels also leads to the acidification of oceans, and with Washington having about 150 miles of coastline, that aspect of the issue lands close to home. Because of that, the passage of four bills last week in the U.S. House of Representatives designed to beef up research on ocean acidification is noteworthy. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, is a co-sponsor of one piece of legislation the Ocean Acidification Innovation Act, which would direct money from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation to reward competitors who find ways to better research, monitor and manage acidification. As NOAA explains, the burning of fossil fuels increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and about 30 percent of that CO2 is absorbed by oceans. A series of chemical reactions in seawater makes the water more acidic and reduces the number of carbonate ions. Carbonate ions are an important building block of structures such as sea shells and coral skeletons, reads the NOAA website. This impacts oysters, clams, crabs and other creatures: Ocean acidification is affecting the entire worlds oceans, including coastal estuaries and waterways. Many economies are dependent on fish and shellfish. That includes Washington. As Herrera Beutler said in a media release: Shellfish and fishing industry jobs in Pacific County are jeopardized by the detrimental effects of ocean acidification. About one-quarter of the nations oysters, for example, are harvested in Southwest Washington, and Sarah Cooley of Ocean Conservancy told Forbes: We first felt its effects in the mid-2000s when more acidified water caused Pacific Northwest oyster farmers to suffer drastic losses and go nearly bankrupt. Scientists later identified the threat acidification poses to other industries and the people who rely on them, including the $1 billion lobster industry in the northeast and the coral reef tourism industry of Florida. The Ocean Acidification Innovation Act, however, is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. The package of bills passed by the House and sent to the Senate represents a broad approach to the problem. Most notable is the Coastal Communities Acidification Act to assess the impact of acidification and to help communities prepare for changes in the ocean climate. As Darcy Dugan of the Alaska Ocean Observing System told Alaska Public Media: We like to think of ocean acidification research as putting headlights on a car. Can we look ahead to see whats going to happen, or what might happen in the future? Therein lies the difficulty in drumming up support to battle climate change. Incremental changes are easy to point out, but skeptics are quick to dismiss dire predictions for the future. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, introduced the Ocean Acidification Innovation Act in 2017, co-sponsored by Herrera Beutler, but no other sponsors jumped on board and the bill did not receive a hearing. This year, it passed the House by a vote of 395-22. The Senate should provide similar attention and give full consideration to the bills. As James B. McClintock, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, wrote for the Los Angeles Times: Ocean acidification could cause a substantial loss of biodiversity within some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. That would quickly be felt by humans on a grand scale. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Do you remember back in April, when Samsung introduced the Galaxy A80? It was supposed to be "available" on 29 May 2019 but that didn't happen and we were wondering what happened. While we are still waiting, Samsung Malaysia finally gave us an update and it will be featured as Malaysia's first Instagram reality show, the Ultimate BlackPink fan. So what's the reality show about? Well, Samsung Malaysia has chosen four local influencers - Chan Wei Keat, Shawn Gan, Arwind Kumar and Sean Lee for a series of challenges around Kuala Lumpur to see who's really the Ultimate BlackPink fan. Throughout the challenge, the influencers will have to make use of the Galaxy A80 phone, possible the rotating camera that was showcased two months ago. The winner of the reality show will be determined by votes, and get this, the voters will stand a chance to win a pair of Galaxy Buds for free and other exciting prizes by simply voting. It's that easy, the reality show will start today at 1.30PM (14 June 2019) and all you have to do is go over to Samsung Malaysia's Instagram page @samsungmalaysia for more information! For more information on the Ultimate BLACKPINK Fan Challenge, you can check out the official webpage right here. Have fun! Tickets for Planet Earth II Live in Concert have gone on sale - here's all you need to know. From BBC Studios and the acclaimed BBC Natural History Unit that created the incredible TV documentaries, a concert version of Planet Earth II will head out on a UK & Ireland arena tour in Spring 2020. Advertisements The live concerts will feature breathtaking, specially-selected footage shown in 4K ultra high-definition on a gigantic LED screen, as the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Freeman, play the remarkable music by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea & Jasha Klebe for Bleeding Fingers Music. The arena tour will run in 2021 after being postponed due to the ongoing lockdown. Planet Earth II tour tickets, dates and venues Glasgow SSE Hydro Arena Fri 19th March BOOK TICKETS Leeds First Direct Arena Sat 20th March BOOK TICKETS London O2 Arena (MATINEE and EVENING) Sun 21st March BOOK TICKETS Dublin 3Arena Tues 23rd March BOOK TICKETS Birmingham Resort World Arena Wed 24th March BOOK TICKETS Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Fri 26th March BOOK TICKETS Manchester Manchester Arena Sat 27th March BOOK TICKETS A synopsis of the shows reads: In this spectacular, audiences across the UK get to rub shoulders with our acrobatic primate cousins in the steaming jungles of Madagascar, race alongside fearsome hunting lions in the remote sandy deserts of Namibia, face stormy Antarctic seas with a family of penguins and feel the raw tension as a baby iguana tries to escape the clutches of deadly racer snakes. And they will no doubt tap their toes along with dancing grizzly bears and be swept away by the bravery of a mother snow leopard. The Planet Earth II Live in Concert arena tour will be hosted by science and natural history TV presenter Liz Bonnin. With a masters in wild animal biology, Liz has presented over 40 primetime programmes including Blue Planet Live, Super Smart Animals, Galapagos and Horizon. Advertisements Liz said: I am so honoured to have the role of host on the Planet Earth II Live in Concert arena tour. The TV series included some absolutely breathtaking sequences who can ever forget the marine iguana fighting for its life as it escaped those racer snakes? "I will be just as thrilled as the audience to relive such magnificent scenes on the giant screen, accompanied by a spectacular 80-piece orchestra it will certainly be an experience to remember! Bahrains economy has registered a real growth of 2.73 per cent for the first quarter and 3.43 per cent in current prices over last year supported by the continued non-oil sector growth against the backdrop of the increasing rates of spending on infrastructure projects, according to a report. These project benefit from the GCC financial support package, which was disbursed in several installments within 5 years to fund major projects such as the Bahrain Airports expansion and the development of the Bahrain Petroleum Company and production lines of Aluminum Bahrain, stated the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) in its national accounts provisional report. While the preliminary results showed a significant increase in the quantities of oil produced during the quarter, as the growth of the oil sector is 9.20% in real prices compared to the same period last year (2018). Besides, the commitment of Bahrain to implement the lowest VAT rate in the world by 5% as of 1 January 2019, has contributed to the non-oil economic growth recorded 1.52% and 2.80% in real and current prices respectively compared to the same period last year. The report demonstrated that the growing results - compared to the 1st quarter of 2018 in the oil sector have increased by nearly 9.20% at real prices and 7.93% at current prices. The non-oil GDP grew by 1.52% in real prices and had a comparable growth rate of 2.80%, at current prices. Meanwhile, the financial sector activities witnessed an increase of nearly 3.52% in real prices and 3.41% in current prices. The report also indicated that the manufacturing sector activities has decreased by 3.10% at real prices and has grown 2.97% at current prices. Construction sector activities grew by 2.86% at real prices and 4.65% at current prices. Real estate and business service activities grew by 1.27% at real prices and by 1.81% at current prices. While the transportation and communications sector activities increased by 1.49% at real prices and by 2.37% at current prices, stated the iGA report. The report indicated that social and personal services increased by 1.08% at real prices and had grown by 2.68% at current prices. Electricity and water economic activity has shown a slight decrease by 0.73% at real prices and 0.84% at current prices, it stated. The private educational services increased by 2.09% at real prices and 1.50% at current prices, while private health services increased by 0.22% at real prices and 1.11% at current prices, said the report. When comparing the Q1 to the 4th quarter of 2018, the economic growth showcases a decreased as a result of the relative decline in oil production and crude prices hence reducing the oil GDP by 8.36% and 14.39% at real and current prices, respectively. The real non-oil GDP in Q4 2018 recorded a decline by 1.21% at real prices and 0.31% at current prices. The report also indicated that the financial sector activities witnessed a slight increase of nearly 0.05% in real prices and 0.36% in current prices, said the report. The construction sector grew by 0.94% Furthermore the transport & communication sector has shown a slight increase by 1% growth in real prices and 1.19% in current prices. According to the report, real estate and business sector has a shown a slight decrease by 0.56% at real prices and improved by 0.51% at current prices. Furthermore, activities like the manufacturing industry activities has noted a decline of 3.36% at real prices and increased by 2.95% at current prices, said the iGA report for the first three months of 2019. Government services social and personal services activities have also shown a decrease at real and current prices, it added.-TradeArabia News Service 7 hours ago 3 Knocked-Down Stocks That Are Likely to Get Off the Mat in 2022 These stocks disappointed investors but still have trends on their side Theres no doubt that growth investors have not been disappointed with the market performance over the last two years. Read Article Equitativa, the largest REIT (real estate investment trust) manager in the GCC region, has registered steady growth in the first three months of 2019 with its portfolio value surging to Dh3.5 billion ($941 million), up eight per cent from $870 million last year. Announcing the results for the period ending March 31, 2019, Equitativa said its total net asset value stood at $510 million during the period at $1.70 per share. The Dubai-based group had announced a steady 8.4 per cent increase in total property income to $17.9 million from $16.5 million. Despite the loss of income from DIP school, the active management of Emirates REITs portfolio led to a strong increase in Total Property Income which more than compensated for the related reduced income, it stated. This increase in total property income was led by the organic increase in occupancy in Index Tower and the two acquisitions completed in 2018. During Q1 2019, Office Park occupancy increased from 86 to 90 per cent and Index Tower offices occupancy increased from 47 to 52 per cent. The overall Index Tower annualised rent increased by 38 per cent year-on-year. Equitativa, also the manager of Emirates REIT, the worlds largest shari'a compliant real estate investment trust, said the absence of valuation gains compared to Q1 2018 led to a strong drop in net profit from $10 million to $1.6 million. However the FFO, which excludes revaluation movements, remains stable at $3.3 million, it stated. Equitativa has recommended the distribution of the final dividend for 2018, of $0.04 per share, which should be distributed by the month end. In total, shareholders will have received a dividend of $ 0.08 per share for the financial year 2018. Group chairman Sylvain Vieujot said: "Equitativas strong active asset management of Emirates REITs portfolio and the completion in 2018 of two high yielding acquisitions have ensured the stabilisation of the portfolio in a challenging property market." "We continue to maintain and grow occupancy in our main assets. The soft opening of Index Mall in June 2019 and the opening of DIFCs Gate Avenue are driving strong tenants interest to Index Tower which should contribute to a continued growth of income in 2019," he added.-TradeArabia News Service SPRINGFIELD Trent Lawrence had a rude awakening earlier this week. Overnight, mice had gotten into the greenhouse on his farm and eaten several dozen trays of seedlings he was planning to transplant into a field. Lawrence and his wife, Jami, work a 26-acre farm outside of Delavan, about 30 miles south of Peoria, in Tazewell County. For the past several years, theyve been growing organic peppers, tomatoes and a variety of other specialty crops. But this year, theyre starting a new crop that became legal in Illinois only earlier this year, industrial hemp, and thats what the mice found especially tasty. At a cost ranging from 25 cents to $1 per seed, rodents in the greenhouse are just one of many risks that Illinois hemp farmers face. Its very risky, very risky, Lawrence said during an interview on his farm. Fortunately for Lawrence, the damage was minimal. He has hundreds more seedlings growing in that same greenhouse, and hundreds more on top of that germinating under lights in an upstairs room of the house that sits on the property. With luck, each of those plants will grow to produce one to two pounds of flower rich in a compound called cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, which when extracted can be used to control a wide range of medical conditions including seizure disorders. And with market prices ranging from $80 to $100 a pound, depending on its CBD content, that makes each one of those seedlings extremely valuable. That industry, however, became possible only in recent years. Since the 1930s, industrial hemp had been illegal in the United States, with a brief exception during World War II, because it was classified as a narcotic in the same category as marijuana. It was only in 2014 that Congress began allowing states to authorize limited production for research purposes, and it was finally legalized completely in the 2018 Farm Bill, which Congress passed in December. Six months ago, this would have been the mother of all felonies, Lawrence said as he looked around his greenhouse. Its no joke. Until the 2018 Farm Bill was signed, it was still under controlled substance territory. This would have been a Schedule I drug, but since they deregulated CBD they removed CBD out of the Schedule I drug category. Lawrence said the plants classify as industrial hemp as long as they test below 0.3 percent Tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC, the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. So, we can grow a CBD crop now, as long as we dont go above 0.3 percent delta-9-THC, he said. The Illinois Department of Agriculture began accepting applications for licenses to grow industrial hemp on April 30, and as of June 10, according to agency figures, the state had issued licenses to 474 growers covering just over 12,103 acres. Thats actually quite small compared to the 11 million acres of corn the state produced in 2017, or the 10 million acres of soybeans farmers grew that same year. In terms of income potential, however, there is little comparison. In 2017, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, corn production in Illinois averaged 201 bushels per acre, and it sold for $3.35 a bushel, or $673.35 per acre. Soybeans yielded roughly $556.80 per acre. But some in the industry believe a quality hemp crop thats geared toward CBD production could generate as much $90,000 to $160,000 an acre, depending on how much flower the plants yield and how much CBD they contain. Its just that the CBD craze thats going on right now has produced some pretty tremendous stories of farmers and what they can earn on an acre of hemp flower, said Kevin Pilarski, chief commercial officer of Revolution Cannabis in Elmhurst. Different varieties of hemp can be grown for its fiber, or to produce seeds. But for now, Pilarski said, Illinois farmers are focusing exclusively on CBD production. But for farmers hoping to cash in on that market, there are also substantial risks. Ginger Duer, president and founder of Delta Valley Logistics, a company that grows industrial hemp in Illinois, California and Ontario, said the first of those is upfront capital investment. I tell our farmers to anticipate spending from before they purchase seeds to when they have a salable biomass at the end of the product cycle, they have a product that is dried, packaged and ready to sell to a processor $15,000 to $20,000 an acre, Duer said. Now, that is making an assumption that the farmer does not have a lot of equipment that theyre going to have to obtain. However, for the vast majority of farmers, you do have that equipment. Both Duer and Lawrence acknowledged another risk about the hemp industry: the fact that there is no accredited crop insurance for it yet. Every farmer out there whos currently growing hemp is running naked, Duer said. But thats causing other problems within the hemp markets because its making it more difficult to pre-sell their crop because theres no crop insurance. In addition, she said, there are no certified industrial hemp seeds available yet, which makes shopping for seeds a risky venture of its own because of what she described as rampant fraud in the hemp seed market. Were talking about people selling seed stock that is two to three years old as fresh seed stock, so the germination rates are 50 to 60 percent instead of above 95, she said. You have people selling seeds that were pollinated by high-THC drift in certain states and areas of the country, leading to farmers planting plants that they believe are going to be industrial hemp but are legally marijuana and have up to 6 to 7 percent THC by harvest. Lawrence, who said he purchased seeds from hemp farmers in Colorado and Oregon, where production has been legal for some time, said he experienced the uncertainty of the seed market as soon as he decided to go into production. Imagine doing a wire transfer for $10,000 or $20,000 with somebody in another state that youve never met for something that was, six months ago, a felony, he said. In addition, he said, even though the seeds came from plants that met the standards for industrial hemp in another state, that does not necessarily predict how they will grow in the fertile soils and hot summers of Illinois. There is always a danger, he said, that the plants will end up producing too much THC. Before we harvest, the state will come in and take samples, send those in and get our levels, and if it tests over a certain percent, we have to burn the crop, he said. Duer said she believes the hemp industry in the United States will never fully stabilize until there is crop insurance available and there are controlled, certified seeds available to farmers. Lawrence, however, remains optimistic that will eventually happen. Im thinking in another four or five years, this is going to be just like any other commodity, he said. Once more farmers start doing this, especially with grain and fiber, once the infrastructure for those crops is in place for processing grain and fiber, I think this will go mainstream. Well have corn, beans and hemp growing everywhere. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 The nation every June 14 celebrates Flag Day. It comes this year as the United States seems more divided over nearly everything than ever. Putting the debates aside for a day, we offer the words of Eugene J. Nebelung of Beaufort, writing for the Knights of Columbus, in 2007 for the 230th anniversary of Old Glory. As we each have a birthday, our nations flag, The Stars and Stripes, also has a birthday. Since the first official Flag Day in 1916, Americans, wherever they may be, gather together on June 14 to celebrate the birth of our flag, the Red, White and Blue, the flag that symbolizes the concepts of liberty, independence and democracy. Our flag was officially adopted on June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress resolved that the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation. In 1795, two stars and two stripes were added after Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union. It was this flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, during the War of 1812, while Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Md., was under siege by the British. In 1818, the design of the flag was again changed. A decision was made to keep 13 stripes permanently, representing the original 13 colonies, and add stars to indicate the current number of states in the Union. On Feb. 23, 1945, the flag, Old Glory, raised atop Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima, contained 48 stars. The latest revision to our flag was introduced on July 4, 1960, with the addition of the 50th star, when Hawaii was admitted to statehood, as the 50th state in the greatest nation on Earth. In 1985 President Ronald Reagan signed Public Law 99-54 recognizing the Pause for the Pledge of Allegiance as part of National Flag Day activities. It is an invitation urging all Americans to participate on June 14 at 7 p.m. EDT in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The effect of this simple ceremony, which transcends age, race, religion, national origin, political and geographic differences, is a stimulating patriotic experience at home and a sign of unity abroad. On Memorial Day we pay tribute to those who gave their lives for God, flag and country. On Independence Day we will celebrate the birth of the nation which is symbolized by this flag, and on Flag Day we will render honor to our American flag, the symbol of freedom. I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 French, Luxembourgish and Tigrigna - these are the three languages for the new elementary dictionary released by the Immigrant Worker Support Association. The dictionary was presented by ASTI on Thursday morning, but is already in use in the classes provided by the association. Tigrigna is a language spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia in particular. Among the 800 or so asylum seekers arriving in Luxembourg between January and April, 273 originated from Eritrea. Arabic - Farsi - Tigrigna This is not the first dictionary created by ASTI, explained president Laura Zuccoli. The first dictionary was Luxembourgish - French - Arabic, said Zuccoli. Now they have Farsi, as spoken in Iran and Afghanistan. The new dictionary is the third, released after it was discovered that around 40% of applicants for international protection came from Eritrea. An arduous translation task The translations, including verbs and conjugations, and a brief chapter containing information about Luxembourg, cover around 130 pages. As Tigrigna is very distinctive and different from Luxembourgish and French, and has no alphabet at the bottom, it is only possible to translate using the French alphabet. There are also multiple versions of written Tigrigna, which did not simplify matters, said co-author Andre Soares. They worked with a number of local people and refugees, with three people undertaking the translations, who also experienced difficulties when translating into classic Tigrigna. Zuccoli said finding the three collaborators was a feat in itself. There were no people in Luxembourg sufficiently educated to put together the dictionary, so ASTI had to search abroad, especially for editors. The alphabet itself required specialised computer programmes, which complicated matters, but Zuccoli underlined her pride at completing the dictionary despite the setbacks. A daily assistant The dictionary is already in use in classes provided by ASTI, where students are principally taught French. But the dictionary is also meant to help in everyday situations, said Minister for Education Claude Meisch. He explained the dictionary will play an important role in encouraging integration. He was pleased to see the dictionary in use and not just in classes. Following a discussion with some students, Meisch said students were taking the dictionary home and using it for assistance in the supermarket, or on the street, to help with French or Luxembourgish expressions. The dictionary comprises translations of around 1,600 words. If your interest has been piqued by Tigrigna and you'd like to see a sample, there is a PDF available for download on the Ministry of Education website. Jotun, a global supplier of paints and coatings, has announced that it has signed a MoU with Korean Hyundai Heavy Industries, one of the worlds largest shipyards, for a new type of marine paint that reduces solvent emissions by up to 90 per cent. This is the starting point of a closer co-operation and the use of a new, innovative solvent-free primer, said the statement from the company. Jotun focuses heavily on research and development of environmentally friendly paints, and the corrosion-protective primer reduces total solvent release by 80-90%. The company has worked on developing the new type of marine paint for 13 years. It will reduce solvent (VOC) emissions into the air from approximately 250 grams per liter to just nine grams per liter. Shipyards will save hundreds of millions of dollars by avoiding investments in plants related to the combustion of VOCs. VOC combustion also leads to CO2 emissions, so this innovation provides a double benefit. "The partnership with Jotun will allow HHI, the world's largest shipbuilder, to be better equipped to meet the new environmental requirements that are aimed at reducing solvent emissions," remarked Hyundai Heavy Industries' CEO Ka Sam-Hyun after signing the deal with Jotun's Chairman Odd Gleditch (Jr) during the South Korean President's state visit to Norway recently. South Korea's Minister of Industry Yunmo Song also attended the signing ceremony. Jotun CEO Morten Fon said: "We are, of course, very pleased with the agreement with the world's largest shipyard, but even more satisfied that our innovation is contributing to a better environment." "We have conducted research in Korea and in Norway while developing this paint, and after 13 years can conclude that we have succeeded in developing a product that reduces solvent emissions by over 90 percent," says Erik Risberg, one of the scientists behind the new paint. Primers make up 60-70 per cent of the total amount of paint applied to a ship. Risberg has worked in Korea for years, developing the primer in close collaboration with Korean shipyards. He is therefore very pleased with the agreement with HHI. The new product is currently available for Korean shipyards and selected shipbuilders in Europe who have experience applying single-coat primers that require careful application techniques. "In addition, the product has better corrosion protection than previous systems, which helps extend the life of the vessels and reduces the need for maintenance," stated Risberg. "This is also very attractive for shipowners," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Police were made aware of 2 men on Rue Joseph Junk near Luxembourg City station, at 2.15am on Friday morning. After police stopped the pair, it soon became evident that the men had consumed drugs. Officers then discovered that both men were illegally residing in the Grand Duchy. Both had small quantities of hashish and cocaine on their person, and they were taken into custody. Cash machine robbery A man was attacked while making a withdrawal at a cash machine in Luxembourg City. At around 8pm on Thursday evening, an individual with a knife attacked the man, taking the money and the victim's phone before making his escape. Our photographer captured what was presumably a frustrated driver's futile attempt to interfere with the radar's efficiency. The radar, installed on the B7 near Ettelbruck, was partially damaged a few days ago. Someone had tried to obstruct the radar's "vision" by covering the flash with a black band. However, it seems that the attempt proved to be in vain, since police told our colleagues at RTL 5 minutes that the device continues to work normally. During its first two years of service, this particular radar had the highest count of flashes across Luxembourg. A months-long investigation into former Bishop Joseph Hart by the Cheyenne Police Department has stretched into a broader inquiry of priest sexual abuse and now includes multiple suspects and multiple victims, a police spokesman said Friday. In the course of this (Hart) investigation, there were other victims who came forward and other names that came forward, Cheyenne Police Officer Kevin Malatesta said. Malatesta declined to identify any of the suspects or victims, and he declined to say how many suspects have been identified or how many victims have come forward, citing Wyoming statute. But he said the alleged crimes being investigated by the police all took place in Cheyenne. He confirmed that the inquiry is looking into claims of sexual abuse involving priests. He declined to say whether the victims were all adolescents when they were allegedly abused. The revelation comes two days after the Diocese of Cheyenne released a list of 11 clergymen who the church determined had faced substantiated allegations of sexual abuse. The list dates back to 1950, with the most recent accusation taking place in 2003. The diocese, which hired a Colorado Springs law firm to lead the review, began the work in September, two months after announcing that it had reopened an investigation into Hart and determined two victims had been sexually abused by the former bishop. That announcement by the diocese prompted an investigation by Cheyenne police into Hart. The former bishop, who previously served in Kansas City and faced several accusations from his time there, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In 2002, Cheyenne police investigated him and recommended the case be closed because of a lack of evidence. The Natrona County District Attorneys Office, who was reviewing the case then, concurred with law enforcements assessment and closed the inquiry. The 2018 investigation into Hart has spanned months and apparently broadened as police learned of more victims. Cheyenne police had put out an appeal for victims of sexual abuse by clergymen to come forward last year. Malatesta said some victims came to police directly, while others came as a result of working with the diocese. Its kind of a tangled ball there, he said of the investigation. Were trying to unravel it, pull it apart, look at all these stories, see if they corroborate one another. Were assessing evidence. But as new evidence is brought up and new accounts are brought to us, were investigating those fully as well. We owe it to the victims to do it correctly and make sure were ... doing a thorough investigation. Malatesta said the police department is reviewing one large report that covers its entire investigation into priest abuse. Once the review is completed, the report will be turned over to the Laramie County District Attorneys Office, where prosecutors will determine what charges, if any, will be brought. Malatesta said he was hesitant to set a timeline for any of that work to be completed, as police may identify new leads that need to be chased down. But he said the police departments share of the work is nearly complete. Its unclear if any other law enforcement agencies in Wyoming are investigating priest abuse allegations. The diocese said it had turned over the results of its internal review to law enforcement. Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen told the Star-Tribune on Thursday he wasnt aware of any priest-related investigations. A Laramie Police Department spokeswoman and the Sheridan County sheriff also told the Star-Tribune their agencies had not been referred anything by the diocese. Of the 11 priests named on the list, six are still living. Follow education reporter Seth Klamann on Twitter @SethKlamann Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Energy Fuels and Ur-Energy are grateful for the support of Wyomings congressional delegation. Senators Barrasso and Enzi and Representative Cheney have been tireless and steadfast supporters of the uranium mining industry and the men and women who make up our workforce. Uranium fuels the nuclear power plants that provide nearly 20 percent of our nations electricity, including more than 56 percent of our carbon-free generation. Uranium also powers Americas nuclear defense. Wyomings vast uranium resources and production capacity mean the state uniquely affects global geopolitics and national security. Each member of the delegation has long recognized the importance of uranium to Wyoming and the country. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, a committee with oversight of several federal matters important to Wyoming, Senator Barrasso was instrumental in sponsoring and passing the bipartisan Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act. This act improved the efficiency of licensing uranium mines. Chairman Barrasso also leveraged his role as chairman to push back against the Environmental Protection Agencys midnight rulemaking on in-situ uranium mining. This job-killing proposed rule, literally published during the last hours of the Obama administration, was so ill-conceived that even the Nuclear Regulatory Commission opposed it on the grounds of jurisdiction, its duplicative nature and proposed requirements that NRC believes would be nearly impossible for Wyomings uranium industry to meet. Representative Cheney is well-positioned to champion Wyoming through her position in the House leadership and service on the House Armed Services and Natural Resources committees. She was integral in the development and passage of the most recent National Defense Authorization Act. The legislation supports our armed forces and requires a review of our nations nuclear fuel cycle critical infrastructure, including the domestic uranium mining industry. The entire Wyoming congressional delegation stands against unfair uranium trade practices by Russia, China and their allies. These antagonistic nations now provide more than 40 percent of Americas commercial nuclear fuel needs, a percentage expected to skyrocket as state-owned companies continue to flood the global market and force uranium mine closures in closely-allied nations such as Canada and Australia. Chinas and Russias state-owned companies continue to expand their dominance and the world knows these countries history of weaponizing trade of critical natural resources to bend neighbors, like Ukraine and Japan, to their will. Despite abundant resources, U.S. uranium miners, led by Wyoming, now provide less than 2 percent of domestic needs. Although currently besieged by the Russian and Chinese governments market manipulation, we are encouraged by the strong leadership of Wyomings congressional delegation. We believe Wyoming uranium will be back on top in the near future, providing jobs and income diversity for our home state. Certainly, although we are small in number, Wyoming punches above its weight in D.C. thanks to our strong congressional delegation. John Cash is vice president for Ur-Energy USA Inc, and Paul Goranson is chief operating officer for Energy Fuels Resources (USA) Inc. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Poco and Moms Cantina, a popular Tucson Mexican restaurant, closed its flagship location at 1060 S. Kolb Road last weekend. General Manager Mark Meabon said owner Lori Sisemore had been toying with the idea of selling the Kolb location for nearly a year so she could focus on the Tanque Verde Road restaurant that she opened in 2014. Meabon said she sold the business early this month and the new owners plan to open a Sonoran brunch restaurant in the space. No other details were available. Sisemore announced the closure on the restaurants website: After being open for 20 years and with much consideration we have decided to close this location. Most of the employees are transferring to Poco and Moms Cantina, located at 7000 E. Tanque Verde. We want to thank you for your support through the years and hope you visit us at Poco and Moms Cantina on East Tanque Verde Road. Sisemore, working with her daughter Kimberly, opened the original New Mexico-inspired Poco and Moms in 1999. It served breakfast and lunch. Saudi forces on Friday intercepted five Yemeni rebel drones in the second aerial attack on an airport in the kingdoms southwest in two days, according to Riyadh-led military coalition fighting the rebels. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, said a spokesman of Arab Coalition in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). "Five unmanned drone aircraft were launched by Houthi militia towards Abha international airport and the city of Khamis Mushayt on Thursday night, but the Saudi air defence force and air force successfully intercepted and destroyed them," stated Colonel Turki Al Maliki. "Air traffic and airspace at Abha International Airport are operating normally, and there is no delay in flights and passenger traffic," he added. Al Maliki said the Houthi terrorist militia was trying to target civilian facilities in desperate and repeated attempts, without achieving any of their irresponsible and hostile objectives. "These drones were exposed and dropped. We stress on our legitimate right to take appropriate deterrence measures, with such hostile acts and in conformity with international humanitarian law and its customary rules," he stated. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV meanwhile reported that the Iran-aligned rebels had carried out drone attacks on Abha Airport. A Saudi civil aviation official said authorities were still investigating rebel claims that they fired a cruise missile at the airport. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks, reported AFP. Wednesdays missile strike hit the civil airport in the mountain resort of Abha, which is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. Two passengers who suffered mild injuries recalled pandemonium and screams after a loud explosion triggered a blaze, leaving the lounge covered in smoke. THEATER Space Trek: The Gaslight Theatre's Summer Melodrama Show The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E Broadway. Hurtle through the galaxy with Captain James P. Trek and the crew of the Starship Entrepreneur as they battle evil forces for possession of a secret new weapon capable of destroying the Universe. Contact for times and dates. $22.95. 886-9428. Cabaret Boheme's Anything Goes Ramada Tucson, 777 W. Cushing St. Big D and the Love Muscles will provide live musical accompaniment to a smorgasbord of modern and retro acts in the traditional Vaudeville style and Tucson's belly dance troupe, HipNautique. Shows run two hours with a fifteen minute intermission. A cash bar will be open. Ages 18 and up. 7:30-9:30 p.m. June 21, 22 and 28. Through June 29. $25. 668-5808. The King of Pop Resurrected: National Michael Jackson Experience ASDB Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Las Vegas-style tribute. 7:30-10 p.m. June 22. $20. 1-702-329-2584. Oro Valley's Got Talent Preliminaries The Gaslight Music Hall, 13005 N. Oracle Road. Come watch as these talented hopefuls perform in the preliminaries of Oro Valley's Got Talent. 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. June 23. $15. 529-1000. Till Death Do Us Part: A Big Fat Murder Mystery The Gaslight Music Hall. Join the Romano Family and the Manchego Family as they celebrate the bride and groom in a night full of singing, dancing and murder. The price of admission includes a three-course meal served right to your table. Prizes will be awarded to the guests that solve the crime. 6-8 p.m. June 24. $38.95. 529-1000. The body of a 7-year-old girl believed to be from India was found Wednesday morning by Border Patrol agents near the Arizona-Mexico border. Late Thursday, a woman believed to have been traveling with the deceased child, and another young girl turned themselves into Border Patrol agents after they crossed back into Arizona from Mexico, the agency said. The woman and her 8-year-old daughter were taken to a hospital for treatment of dehydration. On Wednesday, agents encountered two women from India who said they had entered the United States and become separated from a woman and two children hours earlier, according to a news release from the Border Patrols Tucson Sector. The agents encountered the women west of Lukeville, a border town about 150 miles southwest of Tucson. Agents took the two women into custody and searched remote terrain north of the border. They found the girls body within hours about one mile north of the border. The high temperature Wednesday was 108 degrees, according to the news release. The body was recovered by the Pima County Sheriffs Department. Theres another bit of fallout. Property taxes for most jurisdictions are a zero-sum gain, with local governments entitled to raise a set amount of money. That means they divide the anticipated tax revenues into the total assessed valuation of the area to come up with a tax rate. If some landowners have a lower assessment, that lowers the districts overall valuation. And that, in turn, requires a higher tax rate on the remaining properties. There was no immediate response from Wolf through his attorney. But Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association, said the ruling makes sense. He said assessors are required to follow state law on how property is valued and not to impose new rules, even if they think the system is unfair. At issue is about 2,000 acres of cattle grazing land in Pinal County, located on multiple noncontiguous parcels, owned by a limited liability company. For the 2014 tax year, the assessor classified the property as vacant land. That means it is valued at what the land would bring in a sale. Tucson police have identified the man who died after a rollover crash on Interstate 19 Wednesday night as he was being driven to the hospital after being shot, Tucson police say. Luis Puente, 24, was with two men inside an apartment when he was shot about 9 p.m., police say. One person called 911, but others decided to drive him to the hospital before help arrived at the apartment in the 200 block of West Valencia Road, near South 12th Avenue. Officers at the scene found the apartment empty but there were several shell casings in the parking lot, a police news release said. A short time later, a two-vehicle rollover crash was reported on I-19, north of Valencia. Puente and two men had been thrown from one of the vehicles in the wreck. Puente was pronounced dead shortly after arriving to a hospital. The two other men suffered serious injuries and were also taken to a hospital. Police say that the crashed happed when the speeding driver lost control and struck the second vehicle in the interstate. Both vehicles rolled over and landed in a desert area. At a regents committee hearing two weeks ago several regents questioned the high price for the property, with Regent Jay Heiler, saying the school was getting hosed in that deal. The Pima County assessors office lists the full cash value of the property not an appraisal figure at nearly $330,000. The real estate website Zillow has a market value for the property which was listed as not being for sale of about $396,000. The website said similar homes in the neighborhood are for sale for $415,000 to $420,000. The UA had the property appraised, but the figure is not made public until the deal is completed or canceled. Rulney said Thursday the purchase price takes into consideration the increasing property values near campus and the loss of the future revenue that would have been generated for the private owner through the room rentals. Washington, DC, office space The UA also received regents approval to lease prime office space about three blocks from the White House as part of the schools first full-service facility in the nations capital. Regents approved the consent-agenda item without commenting. School may be out for summer, but a very special class is back in session for some of the Houston areas most promising high school students. The University of Houston Honors College, in collaboration with the Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association of Greater Houston, will host the annual Phi Beta Kappa Honors Academy on Saturday, June 15 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Honors College Commons to help prepare high-achieving high school students for success in college and life. More than 60 students from more than a dozen Houston area high schools were nominated by their high school counselors to participate in the free summer institute. The Phi Beta Kappa Society, Americas oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, installed the Mu of Texas Chapter at UH in 2016. UH faculty and PBK alumni will lead a series of mini-courses and workshops to engage students from all walks of life, while promoting a solid foundation in the arts and sciences. This year we are thrilled to welcome 15 talented students from Pasadena ISD who overcame many challenges to achieve academic success, said William Monroe, dean of the Honors College and president of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at the University. These resilient students from traveling farm-working families, several of whom are homeless, will be learning alongside peers from the best public and private secondary schools in the Greater Houston area. We expect their courage will be an inspiration to us all. Scheduled academy lectures and instructors include: Learning Away & Abroad - Marina Trninic and Robert Cremins - Marina Trninic and Robert Cremins Engineer and Man of the World: Applying the Liberal Arts to Engineering - Stuart Long - Stuart Long Crafting a Personal Narrative: Where Do I Start? - Max Rayneard - Max Rayneard Varsity Blues: Ethics and Higher Education - Karen Weber Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary and is Americas oldest and most prestigious honor society. PBK is committed to academic and professional excellence in arts and sciences and sponsors activities to promote higher education. Notable Phi Beta Kappa members have included several U.S. presidents, such as Theodore Roosevelt, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Current members include former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos among many others. For more details on the Phi Beta Kappa Society, visit http://www.pbk.org. In a 5-4 decision Tuesday, the justices threw out claims filed by the family of 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed from across the border by an El Paso Border Patrol agent. Some of the best places are like hidden gems you have to search for. Vinfast, the car-making arm of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, on Friday inaugurated and put into commercial production Vietnams first-ever automobile manufacturing factory in the northern city of Hai Phong. Covering more than 500,000 square meters at Dinh Vu Industrial Park in Cat Hai District, the Vinfast car-making plant is designed to manufacture 250,000 cars each year in the first phase, and 500,000 per year in the second phase. The factory is equipped with advanced machinery imported from Europe. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Inside the Vinfast plant. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre The facility, whose workshops are connected uninterruptedly and highly automated, is the most important part of the Vinfast automobile and e-scooter production complex, whose construction only began less than two years ago, on September 2, 2017. Vinfast has thus set a record in the global auto industry when this factory was built in only 21 months. The record construction speed is an indicator of the great aspiration and enthusiasm by leaders and workers of the Vinfast factory to create a miracle in the auto industry of Vietnam and the world, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in his remarks at the opening ceremony. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivers remarks at the ceremony. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre The Hai Phong plant is now the only factory in Vietnam able to perform the core automobile production steps, including producing the main parts of a car like chassis and engine, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Nguyen Viet Quang, vice chairman and director general of Vingroup, shared at the ceremony that during the 21-month factory construction, Vinfast also completed and introduced one e-scooter and three automobile models. The Fadil will be delivered from June 17 while the first Lux A2.0 and Lux SA2.0 cars will be handed over to customers in late July. Meanwhile, 12 other car and e-scooter models are being designed and will make debut this year and 2020. The factory was built in only 21 months. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Officials are seen at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Vinfast automobile manufacturing plant in Hai Phong, northern Vietnam, June 14, 2019. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Inside the plant. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Vietnamese and foreign engineers work at the plant. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (right) tours the plant. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Guests are invited to test out Vinfast cars at the event. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Complete cars are seen at the plant. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Your browser does not support the audio element. A remote commune in Vietnams southernmost province of Ca Mau has not let a lack of infrastructure stop nearly 100 percent of its residents from making sure their children make it to the nearest medical center for vaccinations. Inaccessibility, often caused by poor infrastructure, is one of the main reasons why immunization rates in Vietnams most rural areas remain low, but the people of Lam Hai Commune, Nam Can District, Ca Mau refused to believe that a shortage of roads would mean a lack of vaccines for their children. In 2018 alone, Lam Hai residents, with the help of doctors from the communes medical center, were able to achieve a 97 percent immunization rate for children under one year old. And the way they reached that number will shock anyone. Local canoes dock as the families bring their children to the medical center of Lam Hai Commune. Photo: Tan Thai / Tuoi Tre Rowing toward immunization Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Quy moved to Ca Mau 13 years ago to take on the role of a director at Lam Hai Medical Center in the namesake commune. Dr. Quys medical background could have secured him a post closer to his hometown, in neighboring Bac Lieu Province, but the opportunity to ensure those without access to proper medicine could receive medical care was too important for him to pass up. When Quy first started, there were almost no cement roads in the region, with eight out of Nam Can Districts 11 hamlets depending entirely on dirt paths and waterways for transport. The challenge of transportation created a serious dilemma for local families. For rural residents, the decision to spend hours paddling through tiny waterways for a child's vaccination means missing out on a full day of work. Understanding that unvaccinated children present dangers to the entire community, Dr. Quy took it upon himself to spend hours each day visiting households in the commune to educate each individual family on the importance of vaccinations and attempting to persuade them to schedule regular visits for their children at the medical center. Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Quy (third from left) talks to a family about the importance of vaccination. Photo: Tan Thai / Tuoi Tre Of course, visiting families in Lam Hai is easier said than done. Lam Hai is one of Ca Maus biggest communes, with several of its hamlets located up to ten kilometers away from the medical center. With eight of its hamlets having no concrete roads, making house calls was not exactly a stroll in the park. Local canoes dock as the families bring their children to the medical center of Lam Hai Commune. Photo: Tan Thai / Tuoi Tre For instance, the parents of Nguyen Tran Tuan Kiet, who live just three kilometers away from the medical center, spend an hour traveling each time the four-month-old baby needs a vaccination shot. Similarly, Tran Thi Huyen Nhu, the mother of 18-month-old Gia Hao, said it is almost impossible to reach the medical center on rainy days, but she insists that the idea of allowing her child to miss a shot due to weather conditions is unimaginable. A family travels by canoe to Lam Hai Communes medical center to have their child vaccinated at the beginning of the month. Photo: Tan Thai / Tuoi Tre All for parents The Lam Hai Medical Center has earned a reputation in the district for its outstanding hygiene and modern approach to public health, employing vaccination reminder text messages so parents do not forget scheduled injections for their kids. According to one local woman, the center not only reminds her of vaccination appointments, but also provides important instructions on how to care for children during the days following an injection. The medical center also runs a 24/7 hotline so parents can always call in with questions. Thanks to the extreme uptick in vaccinations during recent years, reported cases of whooping cough, measles, tuberculosis, and tetanus in the commune have significantly dropped. A doctor at Lam Hai Communes medical center examines a patient. Photo: Tan Thai / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Here are todays leading news stories. Politics -- Vietnamese should pay a goodbye fee of US$3-5 every time they leave the country, a former tourism official and now lawmaker suggested at a debate on the Immigration Bill in the National Assembly on Wednesday. Society -- A team of five construction ministry inspectors have been temporarily detained by police of the northern Vietnamese province of Vinh Phuc for allegedly soliciting up to VND10 billion ($428,000) during a work trip to the locality. -- An appeal trial in Hanoi on Thursday upheld a 15-year sentence for Phan Van Anh Vu, also known as Vu nhom, and 30-month and 36-month verdicts for former Deputy Ministers of Public Security Bui Van Thanh and Tran Viet Tan, respectively. The three were involved in a scandal of acquiring public property and land in the central city of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. -- More than 72,000 fake textbooks were detected at a bookstore in the south-central province of Binh Dinh on Wednesday. -- The Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security announced on Thursday that it has equipped its officers with body-mounted cameras to record traffic offenses, as well as their interactions with civilians. Business -- Vietnam spent $1.43 billion importing 64,795 foreign-made cars in the first five months of this year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs. -- The Vietnam National Administration of Tourisms Tourism Magazine and TikTok Vietnam officially began promoting Vietnams famous tourist spots and special tours on the Chinese video app TikTok on Thursday, with a goal of creating 30,000 short videos featuring Vietnamese landscapes, culture and people in the remainder of 2019 and 2020. -- Vietnam spent $1.1 billion importing mobile phones and spare parts in May, up 36.2 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Lifestyle -- A O Lang Pho, one of the most well-known Vietnamese bamboo circus shows, has been showcased at the Sydney Opera House in Australia from June 12 to 15. Sports -- Professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting may finally be coming to Vietnam, with the first event possibly scheduled for September, the Singapore-based ONE Championships chairman Chatri Sityodtong shared in a press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Your browser does not support the audio element. Five inspectors under Vietnams Ministry of Construction have been apprehended for allegedly demanding bribes worth billions of dong (VND1 billion = US$43,000) while on duty in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. The members of the construction ministrys inspectorate were taken into custody by Vinh Phuc Police on Wednesday afternoon, officers confirmed on Thursday. Led by Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, deputy head of the anti-smuggling office under the ministrys inspectorate, the inspectors had been tasked with examining several projects in some of the Vinh Phuc's districts and cities, according to the police report. While working in Vinh Tuong District, the inspectors indentified bidding violations related to a project in Ly Nhan Commune, after finding out that Viet Hung, a local company, had won multiple bidding packages worth tens of billions of dong (VND10 billion = $430,000). Meanwhile, the firms charter capital was only VND3 billion ($129,000). The inspectors then asked Viet Hung Company for billions of dong (VND1 billion = $43,000) in order to cover up the violation. Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha speaks to the press on June 13, 2019. Photo: Tien Long / Tuoi Tre According to Ta Quang Vinh, head of the office of the construction ministry, further detail about the case will be published in the upcoming days following a working session with the inspectors in question. A probe by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper revealed that the working trips in Vinh Phuc Province are part of a 2019 inspection plan being undertaken by the construction ministry, which was approved by Minister Pham Hong Ha in October 2018. The plan, which is an annual activity, includes a total of 90 inspections in the construction sector in Vinh Phuc and approximately ten other provinces and cities across the country. It is set to run through the end of the year. Speaking to the press on Thursday, Minister of Construction Pham Hong Ha asserted that he will not abet such a crime and will impose stern punishments upon violators once police conclude their investigation. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Friday ordered competent authorities to promptly probe the case and report the result prior to August 1. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Two pilots have been killed after a military aircraft crashed during an exercise in the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa on Friday morning. The accident occurred in Suoi Tan Commune, Cam Lam District, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed in an announcement on the afternoon of the same day. Both officers on board the aircraft died after the crash. Captain Le Xuan Truong was killed on the spot, while Sergeant Dao Van Long succumbed to his wounds at the hospital, according to the ministry. Truong was an officer from regiment 920, which is manage by the Air Force Officers College under the Vietnam Peoples Air Force, while Long was his trainee during the exercise. The training session, which was carried out on the trainer aircraft IAK-52, started at 9:10 am. The plane is severely damaged following the accident. Photo: Ho Minh Tam / Tuoi Tre The officers were on their way back to the base when they lost contact with the headquarters at 9:35 am. A search effort was then initiated, shortly before the plane crash was discovered. The Ministry of National Defense is coordinating with the air force to determine the cause of the accident. Competent authorities retrieve the planes wreckage. Photo: Thai Thinh / Tuoi Tre Smoke comes out from the plane crash. Photo: Thai Thinh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Your browser does not support the audio element. A court in Hanoi on Thursday upheld jail sentences for a Da Nang business tycoon and two former deputy ministers in Vietnams police ministry charged in a high-profile corruption case. The People's High Court of Hanoi upheld a 15-year term for business tycoon Phan Van Anh Vu, also known as Vu Aluminum, for "abuse of power and authority". Bui Van Thanh and Tran Viet Tan, former deputy ministers of the Ministry of Public Security who were convicted for their lack of responsibility which led to serious consequences in the same case, also had their jail terms of 30 months and 36 months, respectively, upheld. Thanh and Tan, the highest-ranking police officials to have been tried in the corruption crackdown, were accused of failing to prevent Vu from illegally taking over state assets, causing combined losses of over VND1.1 trillion (US$47.41 million) to the state budget. The three were found guilty and were given their sentences by the Peoples Court of Hanoi in January. Tran Viet Tan, former deputy minister of Vietnams Ministry of Public Security, arrives at a court in Hanoi on June 13, 2019. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Two other high-ranking ministry officials received jail terms of five years in the same case, but had their sentences reduced to by 1-1.5 years on Thursday. Vu had earlier been sentenced to a combined 25 years in prison at two other separate trials last year for the deliberate disclosure of state secrets and abusing power to appropriate property. Vu, who fled to Singapore, was arrested in Vietnam earlier last year. The Vietnamese government has launched investigations into hundreds of public officials accused of mismanagement, with several executives at state-owned enterprises, including one former politburo member, being jailed for mismanagement and embezzlement. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Your browser does not support the audio element. Vietnams legislature on Friday passed a landmark bill on preventing harmful effects of alcohol, which includes a blanket ban on driving after drinking for all types of vehicles. The bill received approval from 408 legislators, or 84.3 percent, out of 450 voting members of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly on Friday. An article in the bill that dictates a strict ban on operating vehicles while having any level of breath or blood alcohol concentration was approved earlier the same day by 374/446 lawmakers. When the article went through the first round of vote less than two weeks ago, 44.21 percent of legislators supported the article while 43.8 percent voted against it. It was an unprecedented result as neither option received a simple majority, prompting consideration of the article and the bill to be delayed to Fridays session. Results of a vote by Vietnams National Assembly on June 14, 2019 to pass a bill on preventing harmful effects of alcohol. Video: Tien Long Following todays passage, the law, with the toughened stance on drink-driving, will take effect on January 1, 2020. Currently, Vietnam only bans automobile drivers from having any level of breath or blood alcohol concentration. Motorcyclists are allowed to have up to 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood or 0.25 milligrams of alcohol in one liter of breath. The new law will also ban advertising alcoholic beverages on television and other media platforms between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm, with the exception of programs relayed from foreign broadcasters. Advertising alcoholic drinks to persons under 18 years of age or employing underage actors in alcohol adverts are strictly banned under the new law. No advertisements are allowed for drinks with an alcohol content of 15 percent or more. A car driver takes a breath test in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre Consumption of alcoholic beverages in some public areas or at the workplace and schools during office hours is also banned. E-commerce sites must impose measures to prevent people under 18 years of age from viewing and buying alcoholic beverages. Non-cash payment methods are encouraged in the purchase of alcoholic beverages for better monitoring. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! This morning, however, the ship operator of the Kokuka Courageous was telling a different story. Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo Co, said during a press conference in Tokyo that at the time of the second attack on the ship (there were two reported attacks, the first one damaged the engine room and the second forced the crew to evacuate) the crew saw flying objects which he believes could be bullets (RPGs maybe?), and denied possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damages were above the ship's waterline. He called reports of mine attack "false." The crew is aboard the destroyer USS Bainbridge, so presumably they told the same story to the US Navy. Late last night, US Central Command sent out a statement, with an account claiming that an IRGC boat had arrived to remove an unexploded limpet mine from the hull of the Kokuka Courageous. The statement included an attached video purporting to show the removal of the mine by crew members of the boat. The video is of such poor quality, however, that it's impossible to tell what's really going on, where the boat came from and who's on board. So who was really responsible for the attacks, yesterday morning, on the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman? Was they really the result of Iran lashing out in a frustrated response to U.S. sanctions, as both Israel and the US are claiming? Or were they perpetrated by parties who would like to see the US and Iran at war, as a couple of commentators I've seen has suggested? Last nights Centcom statement followed statements by Mike Pompeo, yesterday, in which he said the U.S. assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence as well as the expertise needed for the operation and also on Iran's alleged responsibility for the Fujairah attacks. "Taken as a whole these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," Pompeo said. He provided no evidence, gave no specifics about any plans and took no questions. Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran "rejected" the overture. "The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker [this is a reference to the Kokua Courageous] just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency," Pompeo claimed. As for what the US might do about it, the New York Times reports that yesterday morning, after the news of the attack began to break, there was a previously scheduled meeting in "the Tank" at the Pentagon, involving Shanahan, Dunford and other top officials to discuss threats in the Middle East and US troop levels. The Times reports that weeks prior Centcom chief Gen. McKenzie had actually asked for 20,000 troops but that Dunford expressed the fear that if that many were ordered to the Gulf, it would be provocative "and perhaps a sign that, despite denials, the Trump administrations real goal was regime change." Prior to yesterday's meeting Shanahan and Dunford were ready to make the case that Mr. Trump had told the Pentagon to reduce American forces and United States involvement in the current wars in the Middle East, and avoid direct confrontation with Iran, one senior administration official told the Times, However, the policy choices advocated by Pompeo and Bolton are having the opposite effect, the official said. Trump himself, during an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning, blamed Iran. Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat, he said, obviously referring to the Centcom video. Trump said the mine had Iran written all over it. But he said that Iran had been damaged since he took office, but was still a threat. "They're a nation of terror and they've changed a lot since I've been president, I can tell you." The British government, despite its posturing in support of the JCPOA, is fully onboard with the US explanation for the attacks as provided by Pompeo, yesterday. This is deeply worrying and comes at a time of already huge tension. I have been in contact with (U.S. Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and, while we will be making our own assessment soberly and carefully, our starting point is obviously to believe our U.S. allies, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a statement issued late yesterday. We are taking this extremely seriously and my message to Iran is that if they have been involved it is a deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region, he added. But theres reason to doubt, at least according to two presumably well informed commentators, that Iran would benefit from such attacks, especially when theyre engaged in intense diplomacy to try to keep the 2015 nuclear deal alive with its remaining signatories while at the same time, working to prevent a US attack. Julian Lee, an oil analyst who writes for Bloomberg argues that Iran really has little to gain from such attacks. The potential benefits to Iran "are outweighed by the risks," Lee writes. "And even if Tehran isnt responsible, it will still suffer the consequences." Regarding potential gains, he writes: "If Tehran is attacking tankers leaving the Persian Gulf either directly, or through proxies it sends a message that transit through the world's most important choke point for global oil flows is not safe without its consent. If Iran is pushed to the brink economically by sanctions, it will not go quietly. Other nations in the region will bear the cost of disruptions to their own oil exports, while America and its allies will have to cope with higher crude prices and disruptions to supplies." But. "There is another group that will benefit from the incident the people who want to see the U.S. step up its campaign against Iran and move from an economic war to a military one," Lee continues. "There are plenty of those, both in the U.S. and among its allies in the Persian Gulf and wider Middle East regions." Lee also notes the timing, with Abe in Tehran, Iran having just released a U.S. resident from espionage charges and so forth. "This would seem very clumsy timing from a country seeing the first tangible signs of any easing of the crippling sanctions imposed by the Americans. But it is absolutely understandable if youre someone whose ultimate goal is to derail any easing of tensions between the two nations, and to effect regime change in Tehran," he concludes. "Whoever is behind the attacks is no friend of Iran." The second commentary comes from what some might call an unlikely source, the Israeli Haaretz daily. Military analyst Zvi Bar'el raises the question of who benefits and he doesn't see that Iran would benefit by escalating the crisis with the US in this way. "In all previous attacks in the Gulf in recent weeks Iran was naturally taken to be the immediate suspect. After all, Iran had threatened that if it could now sell its oil in the Gulf, other countries would not be able to ship oil through it; Tehran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, and in any case it's in the sights of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel," Bar'el writes. "But this explanation is too easy. The Iranian regime is in the thrones of a major diplomatic struggle to persuade Europe and its allies, Russia and China, not to take the path of pulling out of the 2015 nuclear agreement. At the same time, Iran is sure that the United States is only looking for an excuse to attack it. Any violent initiative on Tehran's part could only make things worse and bring it close to a military conflict, which it must avoid." The implied question, it seems to me, is why would Iran sabotage it's own diplomacy in this way? The IRGC is responsible to the Supreme Leader who is meeting with the Japanese prime minister when it attacks a ship operating by a Japanese shipping company? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, nor does it to Barel. "It seems that alongside its diplomatic efforts, Iran prefers to threaten to harm the nuclear deal itself, responding to Washington with the same token, rather than escalate the situation to a military clash," he writes. Bar'el points his finger at the Houthis whose attacks on the Saudis in retaliation for the ongoing Saudi bombing campaign are clearly becoming more sophisticated but the military effects of which seem to be far more psychological than kinetic, especially when compared to Saudi air strikes in Yemen. But really, if the Iranians were behind it (and Bar'el hints that there's no reliable intelligence yet identifying the attackers) it opens up a whole can of worms regarding how to respond. A retaliatory US attack on an Iranian military installation would lead to an Iranian response and the resulting tit-for-tat actions could suck the whole region into a war. "If sporadic, small-scale attacks raise such complex dilemmas, one can perhaps dream of an all-out war with Iran, but it is enough to look at the chaos in Iraq and Afghanistan to grow extremely cautious of the trajectory in which such dreams become a nightmare that lasts for decades," Bar'el concludes. Legendary sitcom star Barbara Feldon, who starred as Agent 99 on Get Smart is coming to Australia for the Supernova fan convention. She will appear at events held in Sydney from June 21 23 and Perth June 28 30. Also appearing are Barbara Eden, Dawn Wells and current stars including Elijah Wood, Stephen Amell, and Anson Mount. Feldon spoke to ABC Radio about her working relationship with Don Adams (Maxwell Smart) who later became her lifelong friend. Don and I would be standing on our marks waiting for Action and not talking to each other. Not out of hostility but we just didnt have anything to say to each other, she explained. Then they would call Action and instantly Max & 99 would spring forth and there would be this intense rapport. So, that was us but not us, at the time and then later in life actually became us. She also agreed that the on-screen marriage of Max & 99 diluted the unresolved sexual tension. It was for ratings week. They needed a little kicker there so they got Max & 99 married.And they did get a big audience for that. But it was not nearly as appealing to have them married as it was to have them unmarried (with) her flirting and him not noticing, she said. So yes I think it didnt help in the long run. It helped in the short run. You can hear more of her interview here. Four Corners screens a PBS doco on Monday, Trumps Trade War, which pits 2 superpowers against one another. We cant continue to allow China to rape our country, and thats what theyre doing. Its the greatest theft in the history of the world. US President Donald Trump US President Donald Trump has ignited a massive trade war with China, slapping billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. In doing so, he says hes delivering on his promise to Make America Great Again. This is a great power struggle. Steve Bannon, former Trump chief strategist Despite the rhetoric, questions are being asked about who has the most to lose from the conflict. We will have another type of cold war that nobody has ever experienced. . . Thats dangerous. Da Wei, University of International Relations, Beijing On Monday Four Corners examines the forces behind the conflict, on both sides. Theyve outsmarted us; theyve done some things we dont agree with. Weve got to fix our system to compete with China. James Mcgregor, Former Chair, American Chamber of Commerce in China US businesses are bearing much of the cost, particularly companies who rely on importing raw materials from China. Several million dollars of profit lost. In a year. . . If what were trying to do is protect the American economy, this is a bad way to do it. US manufacturer China is also feeling the impact of the increased tariffs but many believe there is a bigger issue in play. The question is, is Americas complaint about the way China handles its economy, or is it about Chinas legitimacy to become a prosperous and powerful country? Da Wei, University of International Relations, Beijing Featuring key players who have served in the Trump administration, the program analyses the forces at work with the US government and what they believe is at stake. I believe you need you need actually a change of the top leaders in the Chinese Communist Party. I think the goa . . . is to break the back of this totalitarian mercantilist economic society. Steve Bannon, former Trump chief strategist Monday 17th June at 8.30pm on ABC. Syfy is developing a spinoff of Superman prequel Krypton, to be built around the character of bounty hunter Lobo. The DC Comics character makes his debut during season two, with Emmett J. Scanlan (pictured) in a recurring role. Lobo is from the peaceful planet of Czarnia. He was born a devil in the midst of utopia. Loosely translated from his native language, his name means he who devours your entrails and thoroughly enjoys it. As a teenager, Lobo single-handedly slaughtered his entire civilisation, becoming the last of his race. Now the mercenary roams the universe on his motorcycle, getting paid for what he loves most: murder and mayhem. Michael Bay has been touted as director of the Lobo project should it proceed. Krypton returned to Syfy in Australia last night, fast-tracked from the US. Source: Hollywood Reporter As previously revealed, Heston Blumenthal is back in the MasterChef kitchen this season, kicking off a Sweet Week theme on Sunday. Sunday night, Heston reveals a mystery box full of mixed lollies that will inspire our contestants cook and award one of them a chance to cook for immunity. Empty your cereal boxes as tonights Invention Test is all about serving a sweet dish that uses cereal in an innovative way. Monday nights pressure test is set by the Queen of Croissants, Melbournes own Kate Reid from Lune Croissanterie. Its a two-day challenge for our bottom three to recreate one of Lunes black forest croissants. The sweets keep coming on Tuesday as contestants must make four delicious ice-creams in a cone in a round one immunity cook. Then the best cook from round one cooks off against pastry chef Alice Wright from Millstone in Melbourne. Wednesdays team challenge requires contestants to create a delicious, sweet dish that is identical in look, texture and flavour to their teammates dish. The top two teams will send their makers straight into the Top 10. In a surprise twist, we end Sweet Week on a sugar low as the bottom three teams must make a sweet dish without using refined sugar. 7:30pm Sunday Thursday on 10. * FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 both down 0.3% * Financials and dollar earners drag on main index * Kier slumps after report of plan to sell housebuilding unit * Recruiter SThree gains on strong international hiring * Housebuilders hit by no-deal Brexit worries (Adds company news, closing prices) By Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M June 14 (Reuters) - London's FTSE 100 weakened on Friday as Asia-focused banks took a hit from underwhelming Chinese industrial growth data, while Kier shed more than a third of its value after it was reported to be planning to sell its housebuilding unit at a discount. The FTSE 100 slipped by 0.3%, with exporter stocks also weighing on the index. The FTSE 250 fell by the same amount, tugged lower by Kier's 35.5% plunge. Banks with exposure to Asia, pressured this week amid protests in Hong Kong against a Chinese extradition bill, slipped after China's industrial output growth slowed to a more than 17-year low. HSBC and Prudential were among the biggest drags on the blue-chip index as the data again underlined the knock-on effects of China's protracted trade dispute with the United States. Builder Kier, shares in which lost more than a third of their value last week after a profit warning, sank to a record low after a Times report http://bit.ly/2XHb7Ap said the company was preparing to sell its housebuilding business at a discount to cut debt. Kier's market value, which stood at 212.1 million pounds ($267.4 million) at the close, has shrunk to less than a half of what it was at the end of May. "Trader are petrified that Kier will turn into an Interserve or even a Carillion, and any sign of weakness spooks investors," said CMC Markets analyst David Madden. The housebuilding sector slipped 1.2% on its worst day in a month as fears of a chaotic no-deal Brexit had jumped after Brexiteer Boris Johnson moved closer to becoming the next prime minister. A no-deal departure from the European Union has become more likelu over the past month, according to economists in a Reuters poll, with most candidates in line to replace Theresa May as prime minister taking a hard-line stance. Story continues Gold, generally viewed as a safer asset in times of geopolitical and economic turmoil, was in demand as worries over a slowdown in global economic growth dominated, helping miner Fresnillo to a 3.4% gain. Oil major Shell was another bright spot on the main index as crude prices rose for a second day after attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman stoked worries about crude flows through a key international shipping route. Utilities, considered to be defensive stocks, were also among the few gainers. Small-cap recruiter SThree, which hires workers for financial, energy, banking and pharmaceutical companies, gained 3% as its net fees rose on strength in its international markets. ($1 = 0.7933 pounds) (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Muvija M in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Sangameswaran S Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and David Goodman ) The European aircraft maker announced Friday that it had reached a deal with buyer nations for a revised contract of its delayed A400M military transporter plane. The amendment comes after endless delays and technical problems."The signing of this amendment will allow Airbus to...deliver its current and future customers of the A400M, the most powerful and advanced military transporter plane on the market," Dirk Hoke, head of Airbus' Defence and Space division said in a statement.The revision puts an end to more than two years of negotiations between the group and seven European NATO buyer countries, weighed down due to rows over costs and military capability.In 2010, the contract was saved from cancellation after a 3.5bn bailout from seven core buyer nations - Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey -that forced the deal to be renegotiated for a second time.Then in 2016 the aircraft suffered gearbox problems that grounded most of the fleet and left Airbus nursing a 2.2bn hit to 2016 profits.High ambitionsThe A400M was meant to be the flagship of Airbus' military fleet. It was commissioned in 2003 to give Europe an independent airlift capacity to support military or humanitarian missions, instead of relying on the Lockheed Martin C-130 or the now out-of-production Boeing C-17.Instead, the heavy-lifter has ended up being a financial deadweight on the company with crippling losses and delays.Industry officials blame some of the projects problems on an over-ambitious wish list from buyer nations. But the largest buyer Germany has been critical of the capability shortfalls.Friday's agreement should get Europes largest defense project back on track, notably because it firms up a calendar for production and delivery of the A400M aircraft lifter based on new financial grounds. Those conditions however, have not been specified. The European aircraft maker announced Friday that it had reached a deal with buyer nations for a revised contract of its delayed A400M military transporter plane. The amendment comes after endless delays and technical problems. "The signing of this amendment will allow Airbus to...deliver its current and future customers of the A400M, the most powerful and advanced military transporter plane on the market," Dirk Hoke, head of Airbus' Defence and Space division said in a statement. The revision puts an end to more than two years of negotiations between the group and seven European NATO buyer countries, weighed down due to rows over costs and military capability. In 2010, the contract was saved from cancellation after a 3.5bn bailout from seven core buyer nations - Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey -that forced the deal to be renegotiated for a second time. Then in 2016 the aircraft suffered gearbox problems that grounded most of the fleet and left Airbus nursing a 2.2bn hit to 2016 profits. High ambitions The A400M was meant to be the flagship of Airbus' military fleet. It was commissioned in 2003 to give Europe an independent airlift capacity to support military or humanitarian missions, instead of relying on the Lockheed Martin C-130 or the now out-of-production Boeing C-17. Instead, the heavy-lifter has ended up being a financial deadweight on the company with crippling losses and delays. Industry officials blame some of the projects problems on an over-ambitious wish list from buyer nations. But the largest buyer Germany has been critical of the capability shortfalls. Friday's agreement should get Europes largest defense project back on track, notably because it firms up a calendar for production and delivery of the A400M aircraft lifter based on new financial grounds. Those conditions however, have not been specified. By Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's supreme court on Thursday remanded ex-prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal in custody over graft allegations, state TV said, in a crackdown on alleged corruption and cronyism among associates of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The court later ordered the detention of former trade minister Amara Benyounes over his alleged involvement in corruption scandals, private channel Ennahar TV reported, without elaborating. Sellal is one of the closest Bouteflika associates to be detained since mass protests broke out in February, demanding the prosecution of people that protesters regarded as corrupt as well as sweeping democratic change. Sellal, who left office in a May 2017 cabinet reshuffle after serving as premier and Bouteflika's campaign manager several times, is under investigation over "dissipation of public funds", state television said. Thei lawyers were not available for comment. Benyounes, who served under Sellal from April 2014 to July 2015, is also leader of the pro-government party the Algerian Popular Movement. State television also said police had arrested Mourad Eulmi, head of the private firm SOVAC, a partner of Germany's Volkswagen AG, at a car assembly plant in the western province of Relizane in connection with "corruption cases". It did not elaborate. Volkswagen declined to comment. SOVAC and Volkswagen signed a $170 million deal in 2016 to set up a joint venture, with SOVAC holding a majority stake, to assemble vehicles under the Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, SEAT and Skoda brands. On Wednesday, the supreme court had ordered the detention of another former prime minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, for alleged involvement in corruption, including "awarding illegal privileges and dissipation of public funds". A judge at the supreme court confiscated the passport of former transport and public works minister Abdelghani Zaalane and ordered him to show up at the court once a month, state TV reported on Thursday, after saying on Wednesday he was detained. Story continues Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 under pressure from the army, which is now the main decision-maker. Its chief of staff, Ahmed Gaed Salah, has urged the courts to speed up prosecution of people suspected of involvement in corruption. Bouteflikas youngest brother, Said, and two former intelligence chiefs have been placed in custody by a military judge for harming the armys authority and plotting against state authority, according to state television. Several prominent businessmen, some of them close to Bouteflika, have been detained pending trial. Protesters are now seeking the departure of Interim President Abdelkader Bensalah and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, both seen as part of the elite that has ruled Algeria since independence from France in 1962. Authorities have postponed a presidential election previously planned for July 4, citing a lack of candidates. No new date has been set for the vote. (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; Editing by Mark Heinrich) ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian police on Thursday arrested Mourad Eulmi, head of the private firm SOVAC, a partner of Germany's Volkswagen AG, at a car assembly plant in the western province of Relizane over corruption allegations, state TV reported. The arrest comes amid a series of anti-graft investigations since protests broke out this year seeking the removal of the ruling elite and the prosecution of people seen by demonstrators as corrupt. (This story corrects name of company to SOVAC from SVAC) (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; Editing by Kevin Liffey) A father has been handed the death penalty for murdering his five young children. Timothy Jones, 37 was convicted of the murders of Merah, 8; Elias, 7; Nahtahn, 6; Gabriel, 2; and Abigail, 1 at their mobile home in 2014 before driving their decomposing bodies through several US states and dumping them in Alabama. A jury in Lexington, South Carolina, voted unanimously to give divorced former software engineer the death penalty rather than life in prison without possibility of parole. Timothy Jones was sentenced to death for murdering his five children Jones was arrested in Mississippi in September 2014 and led police to the children's bodies, wrapped in rubbish bags, in Alabama. He confessed to police that his middle son, Nahtahn, died after a punishment he had meted out to him and he later strangled the other four children. READ MORE A jury voted unanimously to hand the death penalty to Timothy Jones (Picture: Reuters) The oldest person in Britain has died at the age of 112 In a phone call from prison in 2014, Jones said he "snapped" when he killed Nahtahn, 6, because the child was crying for his mother. During the trial, the jury saw graphic photos of police evidence and heard emotional testimony from the children's school teachers and relatives. Prosecutor Rick Hubbard had argued that the murders of children under age 11 warranted the death penalty, branding Jones a mass murderer. Defence attorney Casey Secor reminded jurors that Jones' mother was institutionalized with schizophrenia, a condition that can be inherited. "How much more death does the Jones family have to endure?", Secor said. "The death penalty is never required in any case." Jones' father, Timothy Jones Sr., pleaded for his son's life and took his shirt off in court to show his back covered with tattooed images of his dead grandchildren. Jones' ex-wife Amber Kyzer also appealed for mercy for Jones, saying: "He did not show my children mercy by any means. But my kids loved him. The British environmentalist Lee White has been appointed Gabons new forestry minister, charged with fighting a high profile wood smuggling scandal. Lee White acquired Gabonese nationality just 10 years ago. According to alibreville.com, his appointment comes after President Ali Bongo was spurred into action, when 5,000 cubic meters of sacred and protected Kevazingo wood, worth 7 million euros, was found early this year in two Chinese-operated warehouses in the capital Libreville. The containers were about to shipped out of the country from Owendo port.Chinese connectionKevazingo are a type of African rosewood, enormous cathedral-sized trees, some up to 200 years old, with a vivid red-colour that is highly sought-after by Chinese for tables, doorways and decorative furniture.The discovery of 200 of the containers at different locations, led to the sacking of Vice President Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou, forestry minister Guy Bertrand Mapangou and the suspension of 13 senior civils servants. According to the online economic daily Gaboneco, investigators are looking for Chinese businessman Francois Wu, named as the prime suspect in the Kevazingogate scandal.Affront to FrancafriqueLee Whites appointment in this bastion of Francafrique, the sphere of French influence in its former colonies, came as no surprise to observers of Gabonese politics. * Still waiting for Macron's "new relationship" with AfricaDouglas Yates, a professor of African politics at the American Graduate School in Paris, recalls that the 53 year-old White first settled in Gabon 30 years ago.Yates, who authored The Rentier State in Africa, which dwells on the oil rent dependency and neocolonialism in Gabon says, Whites appointment as minister of forests, the sea and the environment is a direct affront to French loggers. In Yates opinion, French interests will feel threatened that Ali Bongo has picked an English-speaking man to deliver forest permits, regulate the forestry code and protect the habitat.Professor Yates praises White for the consistency of his work in protecting Gabons wildlife, especially its enormous population of elephants.What he noticed back in the 80s when he went to do his doctoral work in Gabon, is that natural reserves had forestry concessions.He has been a full-time career professional in trying to get the foresters out of the natural preserves and that does place him in a structural conflict with firms like the Rougier Forestier French firm, as well as with the Chinese, says Yates.Bongo still in chargePresident Ali Bongo who took power in the oil-rich African state at the death of his father in 2009 suffered a stroke five months ago. The racket taking place in the forestry sector appears to be an attempt by cronies of the long autocratic regime to take advantage his ailing health to make hay while the sun still shines.But Professor Yates believes Bongo exploited the scandal to settle scores with his political enemies while his allies were protected. That, he says, is probably the case of Vice President Maganga Moussavou, who was fired for his implicit involvement in cutting down the precious African Rosewood trees, after being corrupted by power. The British environmentalist Lee White has been appointed Gabons new forestry minister, charged with fighting a high profile wood smuggling scandal. Lee White acquired Gabonese nationality just 10 years ago. According to alibreville.com, his appointment comes after President Ali Bongo was spurred into action, when 5,000 cubic meters of sacred and protected Kevazingo wood, worth 7 million euros, was found early this year in two Chinese-operated warehouses in the capital Libreville. The containers were about to shipped out of the country from Owendo port. Chinese connection Kevazingo are a type of African rosewood, enormous cathedral-sized trees, some up to 200 years old, with a vivid red-colour that is highly sought-after by Chinese for tables, doorways and decorative furniture. The discovery of 200 of the containers at different locations, led to the sacking of Vice President Pierre Claver Maganga Moussavou, forestry minister Guy Bertrand Mapangou and the suspension of 13 senior civils servants. According to the online economic daily Gaboneco, investigators are looking for Chinese businessman Francois Wu, named as the prime suspect in the Kevazingogate scandal. Affront to Francafrique Lee Whites appointment in this bastion of Francafrique, the sphere of French influence in its former colonies, came as no surprise to observers of Gabonese politics. Douglas Yates, a professor of African politics at the American Graduate School in Paris, recalls that the 53 year-old White first settled in Gabon 30 years ago. Yates, who authored The Rentier State in Africa, which dwells on the oil rent dependency and neocolonialism in Gabon says, Whites appointment as minister of forests, the sea and the environment is a direct affront to French loggers. In Yates opinion, French interests will feel threatened that Ali Bongo has picked an English-speaking man to deliver forest permits, regulate the forestry code and protect the habitat. Story continues Professor Yates praises White for the consistency of his work in protecting Gabons wildlife, especially its enormous population of elephants. What he noticed back in the 80s when he went to do his doctoral work in Gabon, is that natural reserves had forestry concessions. He has been a full-time career professional in trying to get the foresters out of the natural preserves and that does place him in a structural conflict with firms like the Rougier Forestier French firm, as well as with the Chinese, says Yates. Bongo still in charge President Ali Bongo who took power in the oil-rich African state at the death of his father in 2009 suffered a stroke five months ago. The racket taking place in the forestry sector appears to be an attempt by cronies of the long autocratic regime to take advantage his ailing health to make hay while the sun still shines. But Professor Yates believes Bongo exploited the scandal to settle scores with his political enemies while his allies were protected. That, he says, is probably the case of Vice President Maganga Moussavou, who was fired for his implicit involvement in cutting down the precious African Rosewood trees, after being corrupted by power. Vowing once again to crack down on spiralling insecurity, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Thursday visited the site of a massacre in which gunmen killed dozens earlier this week. Attackers believed to belong to the Fulani ethnic group raided the ethnic Dogon village of Sobane Da in central Mali on Sunday and Monday, killing 35 people, according to the government, although a local authority maintains the real figure is 95 deaths. Neither has produced evidence for these tolls.The attack targeted the predominantly Catholic village of Sobane Da, in an ethnic Dogon enclave in the diverse Mopti region.Keita cut short a trip to Switzerland on Wednesday to return to Mali and handle the fallout from the attack, the latest in a series of retaliatory strikes by Dogon hunters and Fulani herders that have killed hundreds of civilians this year.The Malian leader arrived aboard a UN peacekeepers' helicopter, flanked by the archbishop of Bamako, Cardinal Jean Zerbo, and ranking government members, including the defence minister.A senior officer present at the visit said Keita and Zerba immediately headed to mass graves where the dead were buried. There, the archbishop "prayed for the murdered Catholic brothers".Keita promised that, the state will proceed immediately to disarm anyone who illegally owns a firearm and those who refuse to surrender their arms will be sanctioned severely by the law." His government made a similar pledge after an attack in March by suspected Dogon militiamen that killed more than 150 Fulani villagers. But it has struggled to disarm militias, whom local communities look to for protection from Islamist militants and ethnic reprisals.Calls for restraintThe violence between Dogon and Fulani and regular attacks by jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group have led many Malians to lose faith in their government's ability to protect them.Speaking to residents during his visit to Sobane Da, Keita appealed for an end to tit-for-tat ethnic violence. "I ask you not to turn to acts of revenge," he said.Keita's government also announced it had fired General Sidy Alassane Toure as governor of the Mopti region where the killings occurred. It declared three days of national mourning.Toure became the latest government official to lose his job as a result of authorities' failure to contain spiraling ethnic violence around Mopti.After the March attack in the village of Ogossagou, Mali's worst act of violence in years, Keita dismissed two top army officials. His prime minister and entire government also resigned shortly thereafter.The new prime minister, Boubou Cisse, visited the scene of this week's killing on Tuesday, and said that among the dead were 24 children, some of whom had been shot in the back.French forces intervened in Mali, a former French colony, in 2013 to push back a jihadist advance from the north, but the militants have since regrouped and turned parts of north and central Mali into a launchpad for attacks across the region.(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP) Vowing once again to crack down on spiralling insecurity, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Thursday visited the site of a massacre in which gunmen killed dozens earlier this week. Attackers believed to belong to the Fulani ethnic group raided the ethnic Dogon village of Sobane Da in central Mali on Sunday and Monday, killing 35 people, according to the government, although a local authority maintains the real figure is 95 deaths. Neither has produced evidence for these tolls. The attack targeted the predominantly Catholic village of Sobane Da, in an ethnic Dogon enclave in the diverse Mopti region. Keita cut short a trip to Switzerland on Wednesday to return to Mali and handle the fallout from the attack, the latest in a series of retaliatory strikes by Dogon hunters and Fulani herders that have killed hundreds of civilians this year. The Malian leader arrived aboard a UN peacekeepers' helicopter, flanked by the archbishop of Bamako, Cardinal Jean Zerbo, and ranking government members, including the defence minister. A senior officer present at the visit said Keita and Zerba immediately headed to mass graves where the dead were buried. There, the archbishop "prayed for the murdered Catholic brothers". Keita promised that, the state will proceed immediately to disarm anyone who illegally owns a firearm and those who refuse to surrender their arms will be sanctioned severely by the law." His government made a similar pledge after an attack in March by suspected Dogon militiamen that killed more than 150 Fulani villagers. But it has struggled to disarm militias, whom local communities look to for protection from Islamist militants and ethnic reprisals. Calls for restraint The violence between Dogon and Fulani and regular attacks by jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group have led many Malians to lose faith in their government's ability to protect them. Speaking to residents during his visit to Sobane Da, Keita appealed for an end to tit-for-tat ethnic violence. "I ask you not to turn to acts of revenge," he said. Story continues Keita's government also announced it had fired General Sidy Alassane Toure as governor of the Mopti region where the killings occurred. It declared three days of national mourning. Toure became the latest government official to lose his job as a result of authorities' failure to contain spiraling ethnic violence around Mopti. After the March attack in the village of Ogossagou, Mali's worst act of violence in years, Keita dismissed two top army officials. His prime minister and entire government also resigned shortly thereafter. The new prime minister, Boubou Cisse, visited the scene of this week's killing on Tuesday, and said that among the dead were 24 children, some of whom had been shot in the back. French forces intervened in Mali, a former French colony, in 2013 to push back a jihadist advance from the north, but the militants have since regrouped and turned parts of north and central Mali into a launchpad for attacks across the region. (FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP) MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico's immigration chief resigned Friday and the country's prisons director was swiftly nominated to replace him, as the country embarks on a crackdown on irregular migration through its territory in response to U.S. pressure. The National Immigration Institute said in a brief statement that Tonatiuh Guillen thanked President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for the opportunity to serve the country, but it did not give a reason for why he presented his resignation. "I thank Tonatiuh very much. He helped in the beginning of this government," said Lopez Obrador, who had asked that the immigration chief step down. "Now I am proposing as his substitute Francisco Garduno." Guillen is a sociologist and former academic at the prestigious Colegio de la Frontera Norte university in Tijuana. Garduno holds a law doctorate and has served as commissioner of Mexico's penitentiary system. On Tuesday he was named to a five-person team responsible for implementing Mexico's immigration plan reached in negotiations with Washington. Guillen had largely remained out of the public eye during the recent tensions with the United States, when President Donald Trump threatened stiff tariffs on all imports from Mexico if the country didn't do more on immigration. Trump suspended the tariffs late last week. Mexico's plan to slow migration has been coordinated by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. Shortly before the statement, Chamber of Deputies President Porfirio Munoz Ledo, a lawmaker from Lopez Obrador's Morena party, accused Ebrard of hogging responsibilities that weren't his purview. During the session, the Foreign Ministry sent the first public document signed by Mexican and U.S. authorities to the chamber. The document was a "complementary agreement" to the joint declaration that would take effect in mid-July if Mexico fails to meet its commitment to reduce the flow of migrants. In it, both governments commit themselves to reaching an agreement on the responsibilities of each in processing asylum applications. This would mean that third-country nationals who cross one of the countries would be received in that country which would take responsibility for their refuge. Story continues Several senators said this implied that Mexico was accepting that it could eventually become what is known as a "safe third country," but Mexico's foreign ministry denied this. At an April news conference with Ebrard and Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Corder, Guillen appeared to show some distance with the two as they expressed support for a tougher policy on irregular migration. Earlier Friday, Lopez Obrador acknowledged that controls are lax at dozens of crossings at the country's southern border and vowed to correct the situation. "We have identified 68 crossings like that, and in all of them there will be oversight," Lopez Obrador said at a morning news conference, responding to questioning about checkpoints where cross-border traffic was seen coming and going freely. The president, who took office Dec. 1, attributed the problem to residual corruption at the National Migration Institute and the customs agency and noted that more than 500 immigration workers have been let go as part of a purge. "We are cleaning house, but this work takes time," Lopez Obrador said. Mexico has promised to deploy 6,000 members of its new, still-forming National Guard to control immigration in its southern border region with Guatemala as part of its recent agreement with the United States. Ebrard said Friday the Guard deployment will be readied by Tuesday, along with 825 immigration agents and 200 officials from the country's welfare department. He later told the Senate that from the standpoint of infrastructure needed to confront the migratory flows, "we were not prepared for this." But there has been no sign so far of any National Guard presence in the southern city of Tapachula, near Guatemala. Nor has there been any notable change at the Suchiate border river, where locals and migrants alike commonly cross. Police and immigration had already stepped up enforcement in southern Mexico in recent months, setting up highway checkpoints, raiding a recent caravan of mostly Central American migrants and trying to keep people off the northbound train known as "the beast." Ebrard called on the United Nations and the international community to help Mexico bring immigration under control and fight human trafficking. "Do not leave us alone," Ebrard said. "Where is the international community? Central America needs to help us." He added that many countries kept silent during Mexico's talks with the United States in which the threatened tariffs were suspended last week. The governors of the southern Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Veracruz and Oaxaca were also present at the Friday press conference and promised to support the federal government's immigration plan as it rolls out. By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Angus McDowall ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia and Turkey, the two countries responsible for a rickety agreement to keep the peace along Syria's last major frontline, gave sharply conflicting accounts on Thursday of an attack on a Turkish military outpost. Turkey said one of its observation posts in Idlib province had come under deliberate attack from Russian-backed Syrian government forces. Three Turkish soldiers were wounded from 35 mortar shells fired on the post. But Moscow said the attack was carried out not by President Bashar al-Assad's government but by his rebel enemies, and that Turkey had asked Russia to launch air strikes in response, supplying coordinates of rebel targets. The Russian defence ministry said it carried out four successful strikes. Idlib is the last remaining bastion for anti-government rebels after eight years of civil war. Russia, which supports Assad, and Turkey, long a backer of the rebels, co-sponsored a de-escalation agreement for the area that has been in place since last year but faltered in recent months, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee. Russia said late on Wednesday that a full ceasefire had been put in place in the area. But Turkey denied this, saying it still reserved the right to strike back if necessary. "Right now, it is not possible to say a full ceasefire is in place but our efforts on this with Russia are continuing," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference with his French counterpart. "If these (attacks) continue, we would do what is necessary, nobody should doubt that," he said. "Russia as the guarantor country should put pressure and we expect them to do that." The apparent factual dispute between the two main outside powers in northern Syria highlights the erosion of the de-escalation deal, which was agreed last year to shield the area from a full-on government assault. The rebel-held pocket is home to hundreds of thousands of people who fled other parts of Syria as government forces advanced through the country since Moscow joined the war on the side of Assad in 2015, tipping the conflict in his favour. Story continues Since April this year, government forces have increased their shelling and bombing of the area, killing scores of people and sending hundreds of thousands again to flight. The rebels say the government action is part of a campaign for an assault that would breach the de-escalation agreement. The government and its Russian allies say the action is in response to rebel violations including the presence in a demilitarised zone of fighters blacklisted as terrorists. Turkey has troops stationed at several locations in the area to monitor the agreement. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said air strikes on rebel-held areas had paused overnight, but resumed on Thursday morning. They targeted the area around Khan Sheikhoun, an opposition-held town in southern Idlib province, it said, adding that the insurgents had also fired artillery at government forces. Turkey has pushed Russia to rein in the government's offensive while Russia has said Turkey must curb the jihadist groups that dominate in Idlib. (Additional reporting by Daren Butler and Andrew Osborn; Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, John Stonestreet and Peter Graff) Explosions on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman have ratcheted up tensions between the US and Iran, with Washington blaming Tehran for "attacks". Iran has dismissed the allegations as "baseless". China has urged restraint on both sides."It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters.Tehran's foreign ministry hit back on Friday dismissing the US accusations as "baseless". Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif charged the US of "immediately jumping to make allegations ... without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence".The US military's Central Command on Friday released black-and-white footage, appearing to show Iran's Revolutionary Guards removing an unexploded mine from one of the oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman.The two tankers, one Norwegian-and one Japanese-owned, caught fire in the Sea of Oman off the coast of Iran on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring.Confusion over rescueThe operator of the Japanese-owned ship, Kokuka Courageous, said sailors on board the tanker saw "flying objects" just before the attack, suggesting the vessel wasn't damaged by mines.The US Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion.The US military's footage appeared to show a limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous vessel being removed by a Revolutionary Guard patrol boat. * Calls for restraint as anger flares over tanker attacks in Gulf of Oman"The US and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation," Command spokesman Captain Bill Urban said. "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests," Urban commented.Iran's national English-language Press TV meanwhile aired its own footage of rescued crew members of one of the two tankers seemingly in "full health.""This video refutes false reports by some media outlets claiming that Iran avoided helping the sailors working on the vessel," Press TV said, without elaborating on what reports it was referring to.'US aggression'Thousands of kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz, in Kyrgyzstan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stayed schtum on the alleged attacks.At a China-led security bloc summit, including Russia and India, Rouhani avoided mention of the events in the Sea of Oman, but focused his criticism on US President Donald Trumps withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal."The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world," Rouhani said, in translated comments.Iran has threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States tries to strangle its economy through sanctions.EscalationThursday's incidents came a month after four oil tankers two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati were damaged in still unexplained attacks off the nearby United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah."The attack against the tankers in the Gulf of Oman is a ... dangerous escalation," the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted after the blasts."The responsibility for avoiding an escalation is collective," he said.China on Friday echoed those concerns, urging both sides to show restraint."We hope that all the relevant sides can properly resolve their differences and resolve the conflict through dialogue and consultations," Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, urging all parties to "avoid further escalation of tensions." Explosions on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman have ratcheted up tensions between the US and Iran, with Washington blaming Tehran for "attacks". Iran has dismissed the allegations as "baseless". China has urged restraint on both sides. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters.Tehran's foreign ministry hit back on Friday dismissing the US accusations as "baseless". Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif charged the US of "immediately jumping to make allegations ... without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". The US military's Central Command on Friday released black-and-white footage, appearing to show Iran's Revolutionary Guards removing an unexploded mine from one of the oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman. The two tankers, one Norwegian-and one Japanese-owned, caught fire in the Sea of Oman off the coast of Iran on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. Confusion over rescue The operator of the Japanese-owned ship, Kokuka Courageous, said sailors on board the tanker saw "flying objects" just before the attack, suggesting the vessel wasn't damaged by mines. The US Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion. The US military's footage appeared to show a limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous vessel being removed by a Revolutionary Guard patrol boat. "The US and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation," Command spokesman Captain Bill Urban said. "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests," Urban commented. Story continues Iran's national English-language Press TV meanwhile aired its own footage of rescued crew members of one of the two tankers seemingly in "full health." "This video refutes false reports by some media outlets claiming that Iran avoided helping the sailors working on the vessel," Press TV said, without elaborating on what reports it was referring to. 'US aggression' Thousands of kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz, in Kyrgyzstan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stayed schtum on the alleged attacks. At a China-led security bloc summit, including Russia and India, Rouhani avoided mention of the events in the Sea of Oman, but focused his criticism on US President Donald Trumps withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal. "The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world," Rouhani said, in translated comments. Iran has threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States tries to strangle its economy through sanctions. Escalation Thursday's incidents came a month after four oil tankers two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati were damaged in still unexplained attacks off the nearby United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. "The attack against the tankers in the Gulf of Oman is a ... dangerous escalation," the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted after the blasts. "The responsibility for avoiding an escalation is collective," he said. China on Friday echoed those concerns, urging both sides to show restraint. "We hope that all the relevant sides can properly resolve their differences and resolve the conflict through dialogue and consultations," Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, urging all parties to "avoid further escalation of tensions." Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. On June 13, just a day after a missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia hit Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people, the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet came to the assistance of two oil tankers in a "reported attack in the Gulf of Oman." As Forbes writes in the article U.S. Blames Iran For Tanker Attacks As Saudi Arabia Threatens 'Grave Consequences', the Houthi missile attack on the Saudi Arabian airport, some 70 miles from the Yemen border, came early on Wednesday morning. It was the latest in more than 200 recent cross-border missile attacks, albeit with greater impact and casualties. The Arab News reported that "the day before the attack, a spokesman for the Houthi military warned that the group planned to target every airport in Saudi Arabia and that the coming days would reveal 'big surprises'." Responding to the airport attack, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said "the Iranian regime is the only party in the region that has been pursuing reckless escalation, through the use of ballistic missiles and UAVs to directly target civilian installations and innocent civilians," adding that "the continuation of the Iranian regimes aggression and reckless escalation, whether directly or through its militias, will result in grave consequences." A day later, and the attack on two ships near the Strait of Hormuz has raised tensions still further with echoes of the attacks on four vessels off the coast of the UAE a month ago, which was attributed by the U.S. and its allies to Iranian forces or proxies. After this article was first published, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that Iran was also responsible for the latest attack. "It is the assessment of the U.S. government," he said on Twitter, "that Iran is responsible for today's attacks in the Gulf of Oman. These attacks are a threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable escalation of tension by Iran The BBC quoted Wu I-fang, a spokesman for Taiwan's state oil refiner CPC Corp, which chartered one of the ships [the Norwegian-owned Front Altair] saying that it was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha and was 'suspected of being hit by a torpedo', although this has not been confirmed. Other unverified reports suggested a mine attack." The operator of the other ship, the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous, said "its crew had been rescued by a passing vessel... The tanker was carrying methanol and was not in danger of sinking." Spokesperson Josh Frey of the 5th Fleet said in a statement: "U.S. naval forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 06:12 local time (08:12 GMT) and a second one at 07:00. US Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance." There were varying reports of the vessels being ablaze, and even some reports in the Iranian press that one of the ships had sunk. Both vessels were evacuated and the crews were safe. Oil prices rose 4% in response to reports of the attack The cargo on at least one of the vessels was linked to Japan, and Iran's foreign minister Javed Zarif drew a link between this and the "extensive and friendly talks," taking place between Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Zarif tweeted that "suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning." The implication was that a state actor, such as Saudi Arabia or Israel, had deliberately targeted the vessels to damage Iran's standing with Japan. Zarif has accused both countries of pushing the U.S. towards an "unwanted" conflict with Iran and accused Israeli intelligence agency Mossad of falsely attributing the last tanker attack to the regime in Teheran. The risk of conflict is certainly now higher than it was, and with the latest tanker attacks now being linked to Iran, there will be pressure on the U.S. to respond. Saudi Arabia may do so anyway. In his public statements, Prince Khalid threatened "appropriate measures will be taken to confront and deter these terrorist militias. We will stand against all those that aim to inflict harm on our security and interests, and we will continue to adhere to all international laws and norms to protect regional security and stability." By Tuvan Gumrukcu ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will not back down from its decision to buy Russian S-400 missile defence systems despite U.S. warnings that it will lead to Ankara's exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet programme, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. In what has become the main source of tension between Ankara and Washington, the NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over Turkey's purchase of the S-400s, which Washington has said could trigger U.S. sanctions. U.S. Acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan last week sent his Turkish counterpart a letter warning that Ankara would be pulled out of the F-35 jet programme unless it changes course from its plans to install the defences. In what was Turkey's first direct response to the letter, Cavusoglu said no one can give Turkey ultimatums. "Turkey will not back down from its decisions with these kinds of letters," he said. "Turkey bought S-400, it is going to be delivered and stationed in Turkey." The S-400s are not compatible with NATO's defence systems and Washington says they would compromise its F-35s, which Turkey also plans to buy. Turkey has proposed that the allies form a working group to asses the impact of the S-400s, but has yet to receive a response from the United States. Cavusoglu on Thursday repeated Turkey's call for the joint working group, saying experts from both countries should come together to evaluate U.S. concerns. A day earlier, President Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey had completed the deal with Russia and that the systems will be delivered in July. Russia has said it will begin the delivery of the systems in July. Erdogan also said that Ankara would challenge its potential removal from the F-35 programme on every platform and hold those who exclude Turkey accountable. The United States has threatened to impose sanctions on Ankara under its Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), the possibility of which has spooked investors and caused a selloff in the lira this year. Story continues The lira stood at 5.8460 at 1029 GMT on Thursday, weakening from around 5.8320, where it stood prior to Cavusoglu's speech. It was down some 0.7% from Wednesday's close. While Turkey has dismissed the U.S. warnings, Washington has said discussions are taking place with Ankara on selling Turkey rival Raytheon Co Patriot defence systems. But, Erdogan has said the U.S. offer was not "as good as the S-400s". Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has said Turkey is working on a response to Shanahan's letter and that it will be delivered in coming days. The ministers later spoke by telephone on Thursday and discussed the letter, Turkey's defence ministry said, adding that Akar had "emphasized the improper wording not in line with the spirit of the Alliance" in the letter during the call. Israel's deputy Defence Minister Eli Ben-Dahan said the strains between Turkey and the United States could help strengthen ties with Israel and boost the country's participation in the F-35 program. "It could also very much be that..the State of Israel will get another portion within the framework of the F-35 and additional things which, in part, were meant to have been transferred to factories in Turkey," he told Army Radio. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ali Kucukgocmen; Additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Angus MacSwan) A field of 309 players returned for Day 2 action of Event #30: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha from its original starting field of 1,526 runners and only 58 remain. Leading the way into Day 3 as the chip leader is Gary Bolden (1,700,000) who rocketed up the chipcounts in the last few levels of play. Bolden is followed closely by Gregory Donatelli (1,563,000) and Anton Morgenstern (1,305,000) two players are looking to claim their first WSOP bracelet. Morgenstern is a well-known German native who finished 20th in the 2013 WSOP Main Event for $285,408 and has 15 WSOP cashes for $753,918 throughout his poker career. Other players have healthy stacks over 1 million and will eying their first WSOP gold bracelet, and these include Ryan Goindoo (1,211,000), Luis Zedan (1,208,000), and Dan Martin (1,000,000). There was four-way action headed to the flop and was all in for his last 500 chip from the small blind. Alexander Condon turned top two-pair while Ira Berman rivered a straight and after finishing in ninth place for $16,974 in Event #25: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack Condon was eliminated on the bubble. After the bubble burst, the remaining 229 players will be guaranteed a minimum of $1,502 for their efforts. Some previous bracelet winners who cashed but fell short of Day 3 include Chris Moorman (179th - $1,636), Ryan Bambrick (175th - $1,636), Martin Kozlov (171st - $1,636), Phil Laak (157th - $1,636), John Racener (154th - $1,636), Erik Seidel (131st - $1,746), Jason DeWitt (119th - $1,891), Calen McNeil (109th - $1,891), and last years defending champion Arne Kern (108th - $1,891). Day 3 will have a 12 p.m. restart and play will resume at Level 21 with the blinds at 8,000/16,000. Each level is 60-minutes long and players will get a 15-minute break every two levels along with a 60-minute dinner break after the 26th level. The remaining players will play down until there is a new WSOP bracelet winner. Who will be the newly crowned WSOP champion that walks away with $236,673 and a gold bracelet? Tune in tomorrow as the PokerNews live reporting team will be here bringing you all of the action as the day unfolds. The Countess of Wessex is currently in Lebanon on an official visit and on Wednesday, the wife of Prince Edward headed to Beirut, where she paid tribute to Rebecca Dykes, the British diplomat who was killed in Beirut 2017, at a memorial tree planted in the grounds of the British Embassy during the first official royal visit to the country. Sophie decided to wear a dress she had already worn to the Chelsea Flower show, by luxury brand Suzannah. Known as the 'Stormy Hearts Midi-Length Tea Dress' it costs 895 and is currently available online in all sizes. Sophie teamed the beautiful green frock - which features a busy white and yellow print - with a pair of her favourite high heel espadrilles by Penelope Chilvers and a pair of amber droplets earrings. sophie-wessex-green-dress Sophie wore her favourite green dress in Lebanon Green appears to be the mother-of-two's most reached for shade right now! On Saturday, Sophie looked super stylish as she wowed the crowd at the Trooping the Colour parade with the entire royal family. Widely regarded as one of the best-dressed royal ladies, Sophie didn't disappoint, sporting a beautiful green dress by Suzannah, and a hat by Jane Taylor. As always, the royal showcased her natural beauty with simple makeup. green-dress-sophie-wessex 895, Suzannah And let's not forget in March when the blonde royal headed to New York City and looked incredible at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the United Nations conference. In pictures that appeared on the official Royal Family Website, she donned another green frock, this time by a by Amanda Ross. sophie-wessex-green-dress-trooping-the-colour-prince-edward The Countess also wore green at Trooping the Colour The 'Brooke' dress - which is priced at 550 - had a lovely round neck with a split at the hem, as well as short sleeves. It came with an eye-catching sash belt which she tied with a bow at the waist. MORE: Flower power! Royal ladies show how to rock summer florals for sping The dresses from the range are all made to order so you just know the fit is going to be first rate, hence while the royal looked her very best! READ: 5 good reasons why the Countess of Wessex should have Instagram Photo credit: Maria Berrio From Town & Country Linda Nochlins seminal 1971 essay, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?, is the inspiration behind the art historian and curator Katy Hessels Instagram account @greatwomenartists, founded in 2015, which celebrates creative women through the ages. Now, Hessel has joined forces with Victoria Miro to launch an inspiring new exhibition featuring three female artists Maria Berrio, Caroline Walker and Flora Yukhnovich each of whom reinterprets art history through the perspective of contemporary womanhood. Photo credit: Maria Berrio The Brooklyn-based artist Maria Berrio, who was brought up in Colombia, creates large-scale paintings crafted from layers of Japanese paper that explore themes such as global migration through the lens of her personal history. Berrios compositions use rich, bright colours that exude energy and emotional depth. Photo credit: Maria Berrio More subdued, but no less powerful, is the work of the Scottish-born painter Caroline Walker, whose intimate, intensely psychological portraits depict women at work in domestic and public spaces. The viewer becomes an intruder into the private world of each sitter, whether she is a shop assistant, an office worker or a hotel maid. Photo credit: Courtesy of Victoria Miro Flora Yukhnovichs art hovers on the border between figuration and abstraction. By reimagining the work of Rococo artists such as Francois Boucher, Nicolas Lancret and Giovanni Battista Tiepelo, she consciously brings classical traditions into a modern and feminine realm, challenging historic representations of the female form through the male gaze. Photo credit: Courtesy of Victoria Miro Collectively, the show presents a powerful challenge to the traditionally masculine language of painting, introducing viewers to three pioneering young female talents. Maria Berrio, Caroline Walker, Flora Yukhnovich is at the Victoria Miro Gallery until 27 July. A man in the Kansas City area says a police officer dumped his beloved grandmothers ashes which he wore in a vial around his neck onto the ground during a routine search last month. Now, Deonta Words and his mother, Devona Douglas, say they want answers and an apology for the disrespectful way the officer handled their loved ones remains, according to the Kansas City Star. But the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) said in a statement on Wednesday that the incident was an accident. Deonta Words, 25, shows reporters the silver-bullet necklace that used to contain his grandmother's remains. (Photo: Courtesy of The Kansas City Star) According to Words account, he was walking to a friends house on May 30 when an unmarked car pulled up alongside him. He claims to have started running as soon as he saw a gun flashed. When officers caught up with Words, they allegedly arrested him and began searching him. In the process, one officer opened a silver bullet attached to a chain Words wearing as a necklace. The bullet, Words said, contained the cremated remains of his grandmother, who passed away in January. Words claims there was too much going on during the search and he didnt have a chance to give the officer a heads up before he noticed the officer had poured the ashes on the ground. I seen [my] money flying, so I looked to the right to see what he was doing ... and I just so happened to see [the officer] screwing back on the lid to my grandmothers urn, he said while pointing to the necklace. And [the officer] was like, What you mean, what am I doing? and I was like, You just dumped out my grandmothers ashes. He said the police officer never bothered to ask him what was inside the bullet before opening it. Words said the officer then attempted to scoop up the remains, which got contaminated with the dirt and debris in the process. Words said the ashes were all he had left of his grandmother, who was like a second mother to him. Wherever I go, she was with me physically, he said. But the Kansas City Police Department offers a different version of events and on Wednesday, they released a police report describing the incident. Story continues In it, they claim they were investigating a multi-state car-theft ring when they spotted Words not walking down the street as he claimed, but in a parked pickup truck that had been reported stolen. They say Words fled the vehicle and started running when he saw them though a police report obtained by the Kansas City Star made no mention of the vehicle and said instead that Words was walking on 39th Terrace when he was spotted. Officers from the Street Crimes Unit Tactical Team, which specializes in searching for narcotics, were the ones who caught and ultimately arrested Words, who they say was verbally abusive and refused to give his name. Police say Words also had marijuana in his possession and more than one outstanding arrest warrant. I know I got a warrant out for my arrest or whatever, but thats not important right now, Words said. This is important right now. Cant get that back. Sgt. Jake Becchina, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman, released a statement that officially called the arresting officers actions an accident, and implied that it was Words responsibility to give a verbal warning that he was wearing his grandmothers ashes. We recognize that many people carry sentimental ashes with them on their person in various containers, Sgt. Becchina said. Therefore, we ask that you inform police of the contents of any container of sentimental value prior to searching if you are under arrest. Unfortunately, this did not happen in this incident. Sgt. Becchina added that the officer already apologized for what he did, but Words and Douglas refute that. We dont have any ashes anymore. Im trying to make good in it, but thats dirt in there, said Douglas. Admit youre wrong. Period. Words was not charged with anything following the search and arrest. He stands by his claim that the officers actions were completely unjustified. The officers said they ran across dozens of people with jewelry with drugs in it, he said. OK, so if thats the case, why did you go and open it on the dirt? Why are you getting rid of evidence? He told the Kansas City Star that his grandmothers ashes, which he wore for protection, were intended to be passed down to future generations. I miss her. I think about her every day. Thats my heart, thats my baby. Im her baby, he told Fox 4. I cant get her back. I cant get her ashes back. Im going to forever think about this. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond says the Duchess of Sussex should try not to blur the lines between celebrity and royalty. Speaking on Yahoo UKs The Royal Box, Bond said: I think Id suggest to Meghan that she tries not to play any games with the press, tries not to be too celebrity because that doesnt go down well with the public and to try to ignore the fact that shes getting quite a lot of flak from various directions, which makes me sad. She adds: I think what Meghan has to be careful of is that shes pretty much an A-list celebrity as well as a senior royal. Im getting the feeling that the public dont like her terrifically spending huge quantities of money, big extravagant, massively extravagant. She can afford it, shes a wealthy woman but it doesnt play very well, so I think she just needs to watch that. READ MORE: Harry and Meghan set to travel to Malawi and Angola during Africa autumn tour Meghan and Harry at Trooping the Colour. [Photo: Getty] The former actress is used to life in the public eye, having starred in US legal drama Suits for six years. Through her career and charity work, Meghan has accumulated a number of high profile friends including George and Amal Clooney, Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. Several of them were present at Meghan and Harrys wedding in May 2018. READ MORE: Princess Diana was a complicated woman, says former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond David and Victoria Beckham (right) talk with Sir Elton John and David Furnish (left) and Sofia Wellesley and James Blunt (foreground) at Meghan and Harry's wedding in May 2018 [Photo: Getty] But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arent the only the royals with celebrity friends. David and Victoria Beckham also attended Prince William and Kate Middletons wedding in 2011, as did Elton John and Guy Ritchie. Princess Dianas circle of high-profile friends expanded after her separation from Prince Charles. She was said to be close to Liza Minnelli, Elton John, George Michael and Gianni Versace. Princess Margaret was also one of the first royals to mingle with a celebrity set, which included actors, rock stars and socialites. Bond also says that while Meghan has been compared to Princess Diana, she is much more mature, much more knowing of her own role and the issues she wishes to espouse, much readier for the role than Diana ever was. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden are celebrating their fourth anniversary this month, and it has us reminiscing about their fairy-tale wedding. The couple tied the knot in a stunning ceremony on June 13, 2015. Philip, fourth in line to the throne, couldn't have looked more in love as he exchanged vows with former model Sofia Hellqvist at the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. The bride wore a lace dress befitting her new title, Duchess of Varmland, and smiled at her real-life prince charming at the altar. As for the kiss, Carl couldn't help but smile while they locked lips, marking one of many sweet and sexy moments. Carl and Sofia first hit it off in 2009, but waited four years before getting engaged in June 2014. Since their wedding, the duo has shown off their chemistry and gorgeous looks at various events. They are also parents to two sons, Prince Alexander, who was born in April 2016, and Prince Gabriel, who was born in August 2017. Keep reading to see their nuptials from all angles in honor of their anniversary! Related: Prince Carl Philip Might Just Be the Sexiest Prince We've Ever Laid Eyes On Photo credit: Getty Images From Red Online Its being reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have hired a nanny to help them look after baby Archie. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their first child a month ago, with Doria Ragland Meghans mum flying over from LA to help the couple find their feet in the first few weeks of parenthood. Royal commentator Katie Nicholls has now told ET Online that the royal couple have hired a more permanent form of help, asking their new nanny to sign an extensive non-disclosure agreement in order to protect their privacy. A separate source told Bazaar.com that the British born nanny doesnt work weekends and isnt based at Frogmore cottage, before insisting that Meghan and Harry are keen to do the bulk of the hard work on their own. The importance the couple place on privacy isnt surprising. The Duke and Duchess made headlines earlier this year after announcing that theyd be celebrating the birth of their child in private before making an announcement to the world. Its looking possible that the new nanny will be travelling with the royal couple on their tour of Africa this Autumn, where Prince Harry will visit Malawi to focus on the expansion of his charity, Sentebale. Hes also scheduled to visit Angola, where the government have pledged $60 million in their effort to clear all landmines from two national parks. As for how theyve taken to parenthood: Family life could not be more perfect for [Harry and Meghan], an insider told Bazaar. Ever since Archie arrived they havent stopped smiling. The sleepless nights are totally worth it. Sounds dreamy. ('You Might Also Like',) The Duke of Sussex is set to reach a very important milestone this weekend his first Father's Day as a dad! Harry, who welcomed baby Archie with his wife Meghan in May, will be celebrating the day in private, most likely at the couple's home in Windsor. However, the new dad is expected to mark the global celebration on social media, just like he and Meghan did on Mother's Day. To celebrate US Mother's Day on 12 May, California-born Meghan shared a gorgeous photo of her newborn son's feet. The caption read: "Paying tribute to all mothers today - past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered. We honour and celebrate each and every one of you. Today is Mother's Day in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, and several countries across Europe. This is the first Mother's Day for The Duchess of Sussex." archie-harrison-feet The royals posted this photo of baby Archie on Mother's Day The caption concluded with a poignant quote from Lands by author Nayyirah Waheed. "My mother was my first country; the first place I ever lived," it read. MORE: Holly Willoughby sparks concern after sharing this photo Harry and Meghan had sweetly paid tribute to Princess Diana by mentioning mothers "lost but forever remembered". The Instagram snap also featured forget-me-nots in the background, which were Princess Diana's favourite flowers. prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-with-royal-baby This will be Harry's first Father's Day as a dad Fans are hoping that the Sussexes will share another photo of baby Archie to celebrate Harry's first Father's Day as a dad. They may also choose to post pictures of the other fathers in their family, including Harry's dad Prince Charles and his grandfather Prince Philip. MORE: See the funny moment between Prince George and Prince Michael at Trooping the Colour What's certain is that fans will be treated to official portraits of Archie at his christening, which is expected to take place this summer. Royal babies are usually christened when they are between three and six months old. Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Fergie was sheer elegance at The Butterfly Ball. [Photo: Getty Images] Sarah Ferguson is nothing if not a head-turner, and shes just done it again, dazzling in a semi-sheer gown at a charity event. Photographed arriving to The Butterfly Ball in London, Fergie rocked a floor-length gown with a sheer neckline and sleeves, adding the former royals customary kick of spice to a classic look. The black frock was also adorned with intricate gold detailing which snaked across the bodice and up the arms, and was complimented by the former Duchess ginger locks. READ MORE: Sarah Ferguson talks Prince Andrew relationship in rare interview: 'We're a solidified team' The glitzy gown flowed from a cinched waist into a flowing train, giving the former royal an elegant air. [Photo: Getty Images] The 59-year-old attended the ball, which aims to raise funds for children and families affected by disability, alongside a host of other familiar British faces. Its not the first time shes whipped out the dramatic number, an event in Germany earlier in the year gave us our first peek of the dress, but where better than a charity event to reduce, reuse and recycle? Rumours of rekindling The mother of Beatrice and Eugenie and former wife of Prince Andrew, Fergie is a common sight at charitable events, and often joins her daughters and former husband in supporting good causes. Former royal though she is, there are those who believe she may reclaim the Duchess of York title at some point. READ MORE: Prince Andrew breaks one of the royals' biggest rules Rumours of re-emerging romance have followed the couple for years. [Photo: Getty Images] The former Duchess is so supportive of her ex that rumours of a reunion have placed the pair firmly back in the spotlight. They have remained extremely close since their divorce in the 1990s, living in the same home since 2009. Fergie is also quick to praise her ex on social media, a fact that has continued to perpetuate rumours of a relationship reboot. Most recently, the Trooping the Colour prompted Fergie to take to Instagram, gushing about how proud she was of her ex-husband. Though she simply insists they are the happiest divorce couple in the world, a scent of reconciliation seems to follow in her wake. Frankly, in that black and gold extravaganza were betting any reunion will be sooner rather than later. During his visit to Tehran, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas felt the wrath of Iranian government over the lack of success in saving the nuclear agreement. As German publication Der Tagesspiegel writes in an article "Auch im Iran wollen nicht alle ein Ende der Krise", without the support for Iranian trade, economic crisis in Iran and international isolation of the country are getting worse. And this is a very beneficial scenario for some powerful forces in the Islamic Republic. If Europe won't be able to take concrete steps to protect trade with Iran from US sanctions in the near future, then the agreement will cease to exist, Javad Zarif said recently. At one time, Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani promised Iranians that the 2015 nuclear agreement would lead to increased trade turnoverwith the West and, consequently, an increase of the welfare level in the country. However, the US withdrawal from this treaty and introduction of new US sanctions last year crushed these hopes. Rouhani's government is threatening to end the nuclear deal in early July if the current situation doesn't change. Maas, who wants to keep this agreement, along with his European colleagues, spoke in defense of the Instex payment instrument, designed to protect trade between Europe and Iran. Instex will begin to operate soon, but Maas has already admitted that he cannot promise "miracles". Meanwhile, hardliners in the Iranian parliament are demanding to immediately withdraw from the nuclear agreement. Rouhani government urgently needs success to convince critics inside the country that their strategy is the right one, but even revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is moving further away from supporting nuclear deal. Khamenei recently stated that he had warned Rouhani and Zarif several times that situation was developing in the wrong direction. Four years ago, he gave green light to the deal, but at the same time, he always made sure not to position himself as its active supporter. Today, Khamenei simply distanced himself from the agreement. Both Irans supreme leader and other political players in Tehran don't trust not only the West, but also President Rouhani, who has demanded more power in recent weeks to resolve the country's economic problems. Opponents of the president from competing centers of power fear that if president's powers are expanded, their own influence will diminish. The fact that Maas and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plan to mediate Irans conflict with the United States gives certain points to the Rouhani government, but Europeans call for new negotiations on the Iranian missile program, which Israel, Saudi Arabia and other states in the region perceive as a threat, and Tehran will never agree on this. Economic interests also play a certain role for domestic opposition to the nuclear deal. Since Iran has had to cope with trade restrictions imposed by the United States and other countries for decades, private entrepreneurs and government institutions have learned to take advantage of the import and export deficit. Normalization of economic relations with foreign countries, which Rouhani wants to achieve, would hurt these forces. The volume of Iranian shadow economy is estimated at about 30 billion euros, according to Iranian newspaper "Financial Tribune". Central role in it is played by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is under direct control of Khamenei. It's a really important economic player. Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once called the IRGC "our brother smugglers." Enterprises that are under control of the IRGC and are building their business model in the framework of sanctions consider Irans open Iranian economy a threat to their profits, Iranian expert from Israeli JISS think tank Menahem Merhavi said. These circles are close to the revolutionary leader Khamenei. If Khamenei gives them green light, those who benefit from this crisis may even try to overthrow President Rouhani, Merhavi warns. The beauty that is Shawn Mendes kicked off the North American leg of his world tour, Shawn Mendes: The Tour last night in Portland, Oregon. While it's without a doubt that he is a supremely talented human, it was his loosely fitted white v-neck accompanied by a pair of very impressively chiseled forearms that really got fans excited. Mendes delighted the crowd by performing some bangers from his third self-titled studio album Shawn Mendes, including "In My Blood," "Lost in Japan," and "Youth," among other hit singles. And if you didn't catch him on the big stage in Oregon, then no sweat because he'll definitely be making his way to a city near you very soon. Shawn Mendes: The Tour is scheduled for 105 megaperformances across North and Latin American, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Already completing the European leg, his next stop is Canada, then he tours down the West Coast of the US to Florida, circling back along the East Coast before taking his tour to Asia, Oceania and ending it in Latin America on December 21. Tickets are are still available for the remainder of the tour, but we bet they'll be selling out before you know it. Read ahead for the best snaps from his premiere performance. Related: We're Getting a Little Bit Nervous Around These Sexy Shawn Mendes Pics According to CNN, at least 36 officers and deputies were injured after Wednesday night's protest in Memphis. Reportedly, U.S. Marshals had been searching for 20-year-old Brandon Webber and found him at a home in a Memphis' Frayser neighborhood. CNN reports, Webber was wanted on multiple warrants. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told the source that Webber escaped to a vehicle outside the residence and begin ramming into officers' cars several times. The agency states that he eventually exited the vehicle with a weapon. That's when multiple Marshals fired on Webber, striking and killing him. At that point, no officers were injured. However, news of the alleged felon's death spread like wildfire throughout the neighborhood. ABC News reports that protesters quickly gathered in the vicinity. The more protesters arrived, the more Memphis police also arrived on the scene as backup to the Marshals. CNN states that neighborhood residents began hurling rocks and bricks at officers, as well as smashing squad car windows. Two journalists were also injured during the protests, according to Strickland. Memphis police director says protesters attacked the wrong agency Michael Rallings, Memphis police director, told a CNN affiliate that his officers were only on-location to help contain the scene. However, Rallings mentions that "for some reason," the protesters turned their anger and frustration toward his department. According to Rallings, there were people in the crowds trying to help keep the angered residents calm. But he also calls the Frayser neighborhood a "victimized" one. Likewise, the department director continues by stating that, when violent acts like these happen, it only furthers that mentality. Discuss this news on Eunomia Director Rallings mentioned that residents and protesters should wait until accurate information is released. He says people should know exactly what happened before spreading misinformation, rumors, or jumping to conclusions. "Often individuals do not have the facts," Rallings notes. He states that's a dangerous thing. Mayor Strickland commended the Memphis police department, saying he was impressed by their "professionalism" and "incredible restraint" during the protests. However, Shelby County Commissioner and mayoral candidate Tami Sawyer empathized with the neighborhood. Although she's not excusing the protesters' responses, she says she understands it. "People are hurting," Sawyer mentions. Reportedly, she says that people shouldn't judge the neighborhood without asking how it feels mourn their youth time and time again. Sawyer notes that when pain and trauma become too much to handle, and when the city has constantly ignored their cries, what are people to do? Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Thank you for your support! The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is opening the door wide for Vietnamese tra fish to enter the markets of 10 other members of the deal. Vietnams tra fish exports to the CPTPP members totalled 328.3 million USD in 2018, up 17.3 percent year on year According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the 10 countries are importing Vietnamese tra fish with the turnover ranging from over 1 million USD to about 100 million USD. Mexico is currently the biggest purchaser, importing more than 99.4 million USD worth of tra fish from Vietnam in 2018. It is followed by Canada (48.04 million USD), Australia (46.84 million USD), Singapore (45.98 million USD), Malaysia (38.33 million USD) and Japan (32.2 million USD). Last year, Vietnams tra fish exports to the CPTPP members totalled 328.3 million USD, up 17.3 percent year on year. The shipments to most of these markets enjoyed strong growth, particularly Malaysia up 72.2 percent, Australia 34.4 percent, Singapore 20.7 percent, and Canada 19.5 percent. Under the agreement, import tariffs on most of aquatic products, including tra fish, will be eliminated. Therefore, businesses believe that this is a chance for Vietnam to bolster tra fish exports to both traditional and potential markets in the CPTPP bloc. Among the CPTPP members, Mexico is the most important market of Vietnamese tra fish because it is not only the biggest importer in the grouping but also ranks first in Latin America and fifth in the world in this regard. Although the tra fish shipment to Mexico fell 4.65 percent in 2018, it has been rising sharply this year, reaching 40.8 million USD in the first four months up 31.5 percent year on year. Meanwhile, Japan has yet to be a major market of the Vietnamese product, but exports to it have reported impressive growth in recent years. The tra fish export value to Japan soared 37.6 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year. The revenue continued to surge 38.6 percent to 8.58 million USD between January and April of 2019, making Japan one of the top 10 markets of Vietnamese tra fish in the first quarter. Though Chile is still is a small purchaser, good growth has also been seen in tra fish exports to this market, 15 24.3 percent between 2016 and 2018. Despite the modest turnover, Vietnam has become the biggest supplier of white flesh fish for this country. Insiders believe that there remain much potential for the Southeast Asian nation to expand its tra fish market share in Chile. Additionally, with the CPTPP, Chile has great potential to become a bridge helping Vietnamese tra fish enter 33 markets in Latin America.-VNA VN Tra fish breeders face heavy losses from low prices After racing to breed tra fish, farmers in the Mekong Delta region, mainly in the Tien Giang and Long An provinces, suffered heavy losses because of the rock-bottom prices of tra fish in the market. Tra fish shipments to US, China fall Shipments of Tra fish from the Mekong Delta to the US and China, two of the biggest buyers of the products, have dropped compared to the figure last year. UK based Enterprize Energy (EE) announced it had received a licence to conduct survey for a giant wind power farm offshore Ke Ga cape in the south central province of Binh Thuan. At the announcement ceremony held on June 13 in Binh Thuan, EE founder and chairman Ian Hatton said the corporation will conduct survey on an area of 2,800 square kilometres about 20-50 km from the Binh Thuan shore. The wind farm, named Thanglong Wind, will cover just 25-30 percent of the surveyed area. Based on the survey, the EE will make necessary reports in accordance with the law, with the aim of connecting the first phase of the Thanglong Wind project to the national grid at the end of 2022 or early 2023. The first phase of the project will build 64 turbines with total capacity of 600 MW. The following four phases, each with capacity of 600MW, will be commissioned during the period fro 2023 to 2026. The last phase, Thanglong Wind 6 will have a capacity of 400 MW, bringing the total capacity of the project to 3,400 MW. Total investment in the project is estimated at 11.9 billion USD, excluding the costs for connecting the farm with the national grid. According to Hatton, the project will turn Vietnam into the leading country in Southeast Asia in developing offshore wind power. On the occasion, EE launched the official website of the project at Thanglongwind.com.-VNA Developing eco-industrial parks is among important programmes within the Switzerlands cooperation and development framework for Vietnam, Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Beatrice Maser Mallor said. The Ambassador reiterated the Swiss Governments commitment to assisting Vietnam in switching to a greener economy. The seminar was held to look at the outcome of an initiative on developing eco-IPs towards sustainable IPs in Vietnam which has been implemented since 2014 by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). The project had a total investment of 5 million USD sourced by non-refundable aid from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Swiss Government. It was piloted at Khanh Phu and Gian Khau IPs in the northern province of Ninh Binh, Hoa Khanh IP in the central city of Da Nang and Tra Noc 1 and Tra Noc 2 IPs in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. Participating companies were provided with technology and clean production solutions to save energy, water, and costs of raw materials, as well as ensure chemical safety and wastewater management. As a result, they have so far saved over 22,000 MWh of electricity, 600,000 m3 of clean water, 140TJ of fossil fuel, and nearly 3,600 tonnes of chemical and waste, equivalent to over 6.5 million USD each year. Tran Duy Dong, Director of the Ministrys Department for Local and Regional Economy, praised positive impacts brought about by the project. He said the initiative has led to the issuance of regulations on eco-IPs as part of the Governments Decree 82 on the management of industrial and economic zones, which took effect in July last year. The decree was the first legal document in Vietnam that regulates the shifting from normal industrial parks to eco-ones. Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, said the initiative is in line with the UNs strategic plan in Vietnam for 2017-2021, which prioritises climate adaptation capacity and partnerships for a sustainable and inclusive economic growth model. UNIDO representative in Vietnam Le Thi Thanh Thao stressed the success of the project will create a foundation for the replication of the eco-industrial park model across Vietnam in the future, contributing to protecting the environment and attracting quality investment, particularly from the private sector.-VNA Vietnam spent 1.1 billion USD importing mobile phones and spare parts in May, up 36.2 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Vietnam mostly imported mobile phones from China and the Republic of Korea in the period. (Photo: cafef.vn) In the first five months of the year, the country disbursed 4.91 billion USD to import mobile phones and components, a 3.9 percent year-on-year decrease. Earlier, imports of mobile phones and spare parts into Vietnam fell in the first two months of the year and surged in March and April, with increases of 44.6 and 6.5 percent respectively. Vietnam mostly imported phones from China and the Republic of Korea (RoK) in the period. Of which, imports from China accounted for 54 percent of the countrys total to reach 2.06 billion USD, a drop of 19.7 percent from the corresponding period last year. Meanwhile, mobile phone and spare part imports from the RoK rose by 0.4 percent to 1.5 billion USD in the first five months of 2019. Vietnam also imported mobile phones from Hong Kong with total value of 32.06 million USD, up 25.8 percent from the same period last year.-VNA iPhone 7 becoming dirt cheap in Vietnam Previous-generation iPhone models have seen prices dropping dramatically over the last two months. A used iPhone 7 32 GB is selling at VND4.5 million, or approximately $200. Foreign mobilephone manufacturers flock to Vietnam amid Chinese rise Samsung has affirmed that it will continue us to choose Vietnam as its biggest production base, from which Samsungs mobile phones will go to the world market. Vietnams home appliances are seen by consumers as good as foreign made products, but they still cannot catch the eyes of Vietnamese consumers. Vuong Quang Minh in district 3, HCMC, said he bought an LCD TV made by VTB nearly 10 years ago and the TV has been running well with no problems. Truong Gia Quyen in district 2, HCMC said no problem has occurred with his Reetech air conditioner over the last 12 years. However, not many people share Minhs and Quyens view. They believe that Vietnams products mean low-quality. Though Asanzo, VTB, UBC, Shark and Darling TVs, Hoa Phat, Reetech, Aqua, Kangaroo and Alaska water purifier are equipped with advanced technologies, they have selling prices much lower than imported products of the same kind. Despite the low selling prices, the sales of 100 percent Vietnamese made products remain very modest. Nguoi Lao Dong cited a report as showing that Vietnam-made TVs just account for 5-7 percent of total TV sales, while refrigerators are 2 percent, and blenders 20 percent. Only Vietnams water purifiers account for 90-95 percent of market share, but this is because foreign manufacturers show little interest. Only Vietnams water purifiers account for 90-95 percent of market share, but this is because foreign manufacturers show little interest. According to Vu Duong Ngoc Duy, CEO of VTB Electronics, Vietnam-made electronics cannot hold the upper hand over imports, even when the domestic industry was protected by import tariffs in the past. The situation has become even more serious as CBU imports now bear a tariff of zero percent. Meanwhile, domestic manufacturers have to pay tariffs of 3-5 percent for electronic components for domestic assembling. Duy affirmed that the quality of Vietnams electronicsis not lower than foreign-made ones because manufacturers, Vietnamese and foreign, use components from the same suppliers. Vietnams products prove to be more competitive with lower prices and better post-sale services. He said VTB also uses advanced technologies to create added value for users. However, all of its efforts still have not lured customers. According to Nguyen Y Nhi, marketing director of Asanzo Electronics, in 2018, the manufacturer sold 4 million products, including 815,000 TVs, joining the top 3 manufacturers in the home electronics market and holding 18 percent of market share. However, about 70 percent of Asanzos sales are from the rural market. An analyst commented that in large cities like Hanoi and HCMC, Vietnamese branded TVs cannot find their foothold, because urbanites, with better incomes, dont want cheap TVs, but need high-quality ones. However, the domestic market is still attractive. Sources said a big Vietnamese corporation is planning to launch home appliance products in Q4. It plans to introduce TVs to the market first, before launching other products, including refrigerators and washing machines. Kim Chi Foreign mobilephone manufacturers flock to Vietnam amid Chinese rise Samsung has affirmed that it will continue us to choose Vietnam as its biggest production base, from which Samsungs mobile phones will go to the world market. Vietnam and Australia should increase trade and investment ties while stepping up cooperation in other important spheres such as education, culture and tourism, creating a firm foundation for the expansion and enhancement of comprehensive cooperation, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) meets Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Hanoi on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat Meeting Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne in Hanoi on Thursday, PM Phuc also suggested the two sides effectively uphold the current bilateral cooperation mechanisms. He asked the two sides to review the implementation of the Viet Nam-Australia action programme for 2016-19 and begin the building of an action programme to implement the strategic partnership in the next period with special measures and goals to deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields. Relations between Vietnam and Australia have been developing fruitfully in recent years, PM Phuc said, adding that Australia has annually trained nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students. Two-way trade reached US$7.7 billion in 2018, a year-on-year rise of 19.3 per cent. Australia currently ranks 19th among 128 foreign investors in Vietnam with total investment of over $1.84 billion, while Vietnam is running 47 direct investment projects in Australia. PM Phuc spoke highly of Paynes role in and significant contributions to promoting the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership. He welcomed Payne for selecting Vietnam as one of the first countries to visit in the second week of her new working tenure. PM Phuc hoped Australia will continue providing official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam and assisting it to improve administration capacity and experience in managing the economy amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution and e-government. Regarding the East Sea issue, PM Phuc clearly stated that Vietnam highly appreciated Australias viewpoint and hoped Australia will continue to have a strong voice and back the stance of ASEAN and Vietnam with the spirit of peace, friendship, freedom of aviation and navigation, and compliance with international law. Payne said she will spare no effort to promote the relationship between the two countries, adding that Australian PM Scott Morrison attaches great importance to cooperation with Vietnam and hopes to visit the country soon. She agreed to PM Phucs proposal on stepping up bilateral trade and investment ties, saying the CPTPP has opened up many cooperation opportunities and many Australian businesses want to increase investment in Vietnam. The minister said she will direct the Australian foreign ministry to expand new cooperation with Vietnam in the spirit of strategic partnership. Australia is willing to support Vietnam in implementing its development priorities such as infrastructure, digital capacity and cyber security as well as continue strengthening coordination with Vietnam in the East Sea matter to ensure regional peace, stability and prosperity, she said. VNS Lam Dong police have just arrested another accomplice in a group of men who are accused of destroying over 10 hectares of forest. A group of men arrested over Lam Dong deforestation case The police in Lam Dong Province announced on June 12 that they had arrested Nguyen Van Huy for poisoning over 10 hectares of pine trees. The 30-year-old man was arrested on June 8 while hiding in HCM City. The authorities earlier arrested other accomplices including Bach Dinh Ke, Ngo Van Diem, Nguyen Van Loi, and Duong Van Hong. 37-year-old Bach Dinh Ke is the leader of the group. He hired Ngo Van Diem and several men to destroy the forest. Diem already has convictions for theft and stolen goods trading. After he was released from prison, he settled in Tan Thanh Commune, Lam Ha District. Ke was arrested at Lien Khuong Airport while travelling from Hanoi to Da Lat. Ke said he was planning on going to the police to confess. This is the biggest forest destruction case in Lam Dong yet. The pine trees belong to Tan Mai Paper JSC. The case was discovered on April 26. A total 3,456 pine trees that were over 17 years old were destroyed. The tree trunks had been drilled into and then a liquid substance poured into them. The estimated damage is around VND800m (USD34,000). The police started the prosecution against Bach Dinh Ke on May 31. Dtinews Lam Dong: Pine tree poisoning mastermind arrested Bach Dinh Ke, 37, alleged mastermind behind the pine forest poisoning in Tan Thanh Commune in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, has been arrested, Youth newspaper reported. Three arrested for poisoning pine forests in Lam Dong province Police in the central highlands province of Lam Dong have arrested three men in the biggest forest destruction case recorded so far in the area. President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Germany to scrap a gas pipeline from Russia and boost its defense spending, threatening to impose sanctions on the European ally and move American troops elsewhere if it doesn't comply, Business Insider writes in the article Trump is threatening sanctions on Germany over its Russian gas pipeline, opening a new front in the trade war that the Kremlin calls 'blackmail'. "We're looking at it," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, referring to sanctions that might be levied if the Nord Stream 2 pipeline were to go ahead. "It really makes Germany a hostage of Russia if things ever happened that were bad." Rising tensions between the US and Germany also risk opening a new front in the trade war. US lawmakers fear the pipeline would tighten Russia's grip on European energy, bolstering its clout on the continent and allowing it to cut off gas supplies transported through Ukraine. Members of Congress have drafted a bill that would target sanctions at vessels placing the pipeline and the companies insuring it and deny visas to executives tied to the ships and block them from making US-based transactions, according to Bloomberg. The Trump administration is also considering shifting as many as 2,000 US troops from Germany to Poland, as Berlin spent only 1.2% of its gross domestic product on defense in 2018, below its 2% commitment as a NATO member, according to Bloomberg. "We're protecting Germany from Russia, and Russia is getting billions and billions of dollars in money from Germany," Trump said. The Kremlin responded by accusing Trump of engaging in "nothing other than blackmail and a form of unfair competition," according to Bloomberg. "Germany's view is: Russian energy is cheap and nobody tells it what to do in the 'liberal world order,'" said Michael Every, a senior market strategist at RaboResearch. "The US view is: you can't rely on gas from Russia, and be scared of it, and demand US protection from it, and not pay 2% of GDP for your own defence." "Washington would prefer 2% of GDP spent on US arms and purchases of US gas (albeit at higher prices)," he added. Given Trump's threat of tariffs against Mexico to pressure the country into reducing illegal crossings at the southern US border, "It's not a giant leap to see Trump weaponizing trade to achieve this ambition," said Neil Wilson, the chief market analyst for Markets.com. The Hanoi Urban Environment Company has proposed publicising photos of people who litter around the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. Hoan Kiem authorities collected VND40m in fines for littering : In May, the Hanoi Urban Environment Company cooperated with Hoan Kiem District authorities to implement a pilot programme installing cameras to film people littering around the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. As of now, 26 violators have been dealt with and fined nearly VND40m (USD1,700). An event organiser was fined VND8m. According to the Hanoi Urban Environment Company, more locals and tourists have become more aware of the problem. The company had had difficulties when implementing the programme. For example, the littering process was very quick for the camera to react and there are tourists from all over the country and other countries so they had several troubles in collecting fines. The company suggested that Hoan Kiem authorities should install more cameras along the pedestrianised streets and install an electric signboard at the entrance of the pedestrianised area where images of people who littered will be displayed. Pham Tuan Long, vice chairman of Hoan Kiem People's Committee, said, "We'll consider the proposal. However, it's only a contingency plan in case littering occurs too frequently. After one month, public awareness has increased noticeably." He went on to say that the plan to publicise the identity of the litterers must be considered very carefully. Lao dong/Dtinews Thanh Hoa coast drowned in rubbish The coastal path in Hau Loc District is the most polluted area in Thanh Hoa Province as it has become an illegal dumping site. Rubbish-covered beach in Ha Long crowded on holiday Many people continue to swim at a rubbish-strewn man-made beach in the northern province of Quang Ninhs Ha Long City. Nguyen Van Dang, 61, of HCM City is getting treatment for nicotine dependence after dozens of years of smoking that led to serious health complications. A patient receives examination and treatment for tobacco dependence at District 11 Hospital in HCM City. VNS Photo Thu Hang The pack-a-day smoker began smoking at age 16 but tried vainly to stop many times. Doctors advised him to quit smoking five year ago when they found he had asthma. I tried to quit smoking many times without any medical help, but they were unsuccessful attempts." He has recently developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), one of three major tobacco-related diseases besides lung cancer and ischaemic heart diseases. Now he has no choice but take counselling and treatment for addiction at Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital in HCM City. Dr Nguyen Huu Hoang of the hospitals respiratory department said smoking causes physical and psychological dependence on nicotine and is treated as a disease. Tobacco dependence is not just a habit. It is a disease that requires appropriate treatment. There are many treatment options for tobacco dependence, including medication and counselling, both of which have proven effective, he said. The most important factor in successfully quitting is having the motivation to quit, he added. Many smokers say they know there is a risk of disease but still smoke frequently and find it very difficult to quit. Phung Thanh Hoa of HCM Citys District 11 said she knew about the harm caused by smoking and tried to quit several times but relapsed each time. She is getting one month's smoking cessation counselling and treatment at District 11 Hospital. This time, I am determined to quit smoking. Smoking cessation counselling Since 2014, the city Department of Health in collaboration with Viet Nam Tobacco Control Fund (VNTCF) has set up counselling rooms at several hospitals in the city in an effort to reduce the smoking rate. They include Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Hoc Mon General Hospital, the Institution for Traditional Medicine, Thu Duc District Hospital, Binh Chanh District Hospital, District 11 Hospital, District 1 Hospital, and Trieu An Hospital. Nhan Dan Gia Dinh Hospital, which set up the first counselling room and a telephone line for smoking cessation, received nearly 200 patients last year. But doctors at the hospital admitted that the number of people seeking medical advice and treatment for smoking was small compared to the current smoking rate. Almost 45.3 per cent of male adults smoke cigarettes in Vietnam, according to the latest statistics from the VNTCF. In Vietnam, 40,000 people die each year of tobacco-related diseases such as stroke and coronary artery disease, more than those dying from HIV, TB and malaria combined, according to the World Health Organisation. Vo Thi Ri, deputy director of the District 11 Hospital, said the hospital received more than 30 people registered for counselling and treatment for tobacco dependence this year. Doctors at the hospitals respiratory diseases department will offer smoking cessation counselling and treatment for patients with respiratory illnesses such as asthma and COPD. The cost of treatment and medication for tobacco dependence is not covered by health insurance, which is a major hurdle, she said. Since tobacco dependence is treated as a disease, treatment ... needs to be covered by health insurance. It will help increase smokers' access to treatment for tobacco dependence. Vietnam is among the countries in the Western Pacific Region to have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. In 2013, the National Strategy on Tobacco Control was launched with the aim of reducing the smoking rate among people aged 15-24 from 26 per cent in 2011 to 18 per cent in 2020, and among adult males from 47.4 per cent in 2011 to 39 per cent in 2020. Though the Tobacco Control Law, passed in 2013, specifically prohibits smoking in public indoor places and workplaces, enforcement of the law is still poor. This leaves millions of people vulnerable to second-hand smoke, health experts said. In Vietnam, cigarette smoking is linked to 90 per cent of lung cancer deaths and 75 per cent of COPD cases, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health. VNS The real estate market in Long Thanh District in Dong Nai Province, site of the proposed new airport, has entered an upward spiral following the National Assembly Standing Committee's passage of a resolution to dissolve and alter the administrative boundaries of six communes on May 29. Dong Nai authorities seek to speed up construction of Long Thanh Airport More land required for Long Thanh airport Signs indicate land for sale in Long Thanh District in Dong Nai Province, site of the proposed new airport. Prices in the area have recently surged. VNS File Photo Suoi Trau Commune ceases to exist and adjustments and mergers will be done to Cam Duong, Long An, Long Phuoc, Bau Can and Binh Son communes. A huge number of advertisements have come up on roads in communes near the proposed Long Thanh Airport, including for the Long Thanh Airport Urban Area project in Loc An Commune. A real estate broker named Nam in Loc An said 41 out of 49 plots in the project have been sold at VND1.3 1.4 billion (US$60,000) for plots of 100sq.m. However, buyers find it difficult to check the legality of lands. At the Loc An Commune Peoples Committee office, Chairman Nguyen Tan Long said he could not provide any information about them because his administration does not oversee the real estate projects. Buyers could get information about them from the Long Thanh District Peoples Committee, he said. Ly, the owner of a coffee shop in Long An Commune, said land prices in the area had increased from VND200,000 per sq.m three years ago to VND2-3 million now. In the past few months, with land prices around the airport increasing relentlessly, many people in Binh Son, Long An and Cam Duong have become real estate agents. Nguyen Thi Hang Thuy, a farmer in Binh Son Commune, said she could earn a profit of VND600-700 million from a 1,000sq.m plot of land she bought two months ago. She said Binh Son residents are happy because the airport project has forced land prices up and helped locals like herself get a "new and better" life. Vo Tan Duc, chairman of the Long Thanh District Peoples Committee, said authorities are seeking to remove illegal constructions, including works by Alibaba Vietnam, in the district. The Dong Nai Province Peoples Committee has instructed relevant agencies to call for tenders to do survey and land pricing consulting for the Long Thanh International Airport project. It ordered them to adjust land prices. According to the committee, construction of the airport is scheduled to start late next year. VNS Some Vietnamese universities may be named in Times Higher Education (THE)s World University Rankings in the next few years, a representative from THE said at a workshop in Hanoi on June 13. Justin Tay, THEs Regional Director and General Manager (Asia), said he has studied Vietnams prospects in the rankings, and found that there is a rapid increase of articles from Vietnamese higher education institutions published on international publications. He also spoke of the success of Asian universities in building their brands and internationalization. Pham Quang Hung, head of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET)s International Cooperation Department, said through the workshop, domestic higher education institutions would learn more about THEs World University Rankings, one of the most prestigious rankings in the world. He expressed his hope that there will be Vietnamese higher education institutions in the THEs list. Hoang Minh Son, President of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said his university has sent its statistics to THE to look for a seat in the rankings. A similar workshop was also held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 12, aiming to help domestic universities set strategic targets and improve Vietnams higher education reputation in the world. World University Rankings is the definitive list of the top universities globally, rating more than 1,250 institutions across 86 countries in 2019. It is the only global university league table to judge research-intensive universities across each one of their core missions: teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income and reputation), international outlook (staff, students and research); citations (research influence); and industry income (knowledge transfer).-VNA Vietnams universities still kept out of THE Ranking Two universities in Vietnam are listed among QS Rankings best universities in Asia, but they remain out of the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking of 417 best universities in Asia. Benefits outweigh drawbacks in university ranking participation Many Vietnamese universities lately have entered international and regional ranking lists, a positive signal that domestic universities are gradually meeting strict global demands in higher education and contributing to the community. DIKE The Grundy Area Womens Connection will host a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at Dike Memorial Building, 540 Main St. Theme is Finding Peace and Contentment. Cost is $10, and all women are welcome. Carol Newsom will present Trials, Tears, Triumphs, and there will be a Take Back Spring feature by Grundy County Extension. Music will be provided by Marcia Beving. Reservations must be made by Friday by calling 345-2376. The event is hosted by Stonecroft Ministries. Free food pantry set in Waterloo WATERLOO There will be a free food pantry distribution at the Apostolic Pentecostal Church, 1645 Downing Ave., from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday. This distribution is open to the public. The churchs pantry operates in affiliation with the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Blood drive set in Cedar Falls CEDAR FALLS First United Methodist Church, 718 Clay St., will host a blood drive from 12:30 to 6 p.m. June 24. Go to lifeservebloodcenter.org or call (800) 287-4903. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO -- One man was arrested Wednesday in connection with an East Parker Street shooting that damaged a vehicle and two houses. Ernesto Rodriguez-Avila, 19, of 924 Logan Ave., was arrested at home for carrying weapons, reckless use of a firearm and intimidation with a weapon. Waterloo Police got a search warrant to check Rodriguez-Avila's Logan Avenue home and found weapons they say matched the ones used in a shooting May 17 in the area of East Fourth and East Parker Street. Police say no one was hurt in the shooting, but bullets damaged a vehicle and two homes in the 100 block of East Parker Street. A Courier article at the time noted police said 30-year-old Lacoia Green was driving east on Parker Street with passenger Dartavious Dixon, 31, around 1:15 a.m. when the shooting happened. Green's vehicle was struck, as were homes at 112 and 114 E. Parker St., according to police. No one in the houses were injured. Investigators found several spent shell casings in the roadway. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 9 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO County Auditor Grant Veeder has issued the following notices for the special Cedar Falls School election June 25. The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail is today. Absentee ballot request forms must be received in the Election Office by 5 p.m. today or no ballot will be mailed. Pre-paid return postage is provided for all ballots returned by mail to the Election Office. A mailed ballot must be postmarked on or before June 24 or it will not be counted. Postmarks are not always affixed by the Post Office, so mail your absentee ballot early enough so that it arrives by Election Day. Even if the ballot is postmarked on time, mailed ballots must also be received in the Election Office by the receipt deadline of noon July 1. Ballots received after the receipt deadline cannot be counted. Absentee ballots are available at the Election Office, Room 210 of the Courthouse at 316 E. Fifth St., Waterloo, IA 50703. Ballots may be voted there Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through June 24. Any new voter, who registers before the deadline, will not be required to show proof of identity while registering. Following the deadline and on Election Day, new voters will be processed using the requirements of Election Day Registration and will be required to provide both proof of residence and identity. Regular election office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm. A person who is eligible to register to vote may do so on Election Day by appearing in person at the polling place for the precinct in which the individual resides. The voter must complete a voter registration application, make written oath and provide acceptable proof of identity and residence. The most common example of an acceptable form of identity and residence is an Iowa drivers license that is not expired and represents the voters address in the precinct on Election Day. All voters are required to provide proof of identity at the polls, typically by an Iowa drivers license. If you do not have an Iowa drivers license or a state-provided ID card with a four-digit PIN, please contact the Election Office. As a reminder Black Hawk County will utilize vote centers for this special election. Vote centers are polling locations that combine multiple precincts, allowing voters to choose at which location to vote. This election will have five vote centers, one in each Cedar Falls ward. Any voter in the Cedar Falls School District may vote at any vote center in this election. The voting centers are: St. John Lutheran Church, 715 College St. (upper level). Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4000 Hudson Road. Church of Christ, 2727 W. Fourth St. Cedar Heights Community Presbyterian Church, 2015 Rainbow Drive (lower level). Trinity Bible Church, 125 Orchard Drive. Questions may be directed to the Election Office: 833-3007, email address election@co.black-hawk.ia.us, location 316 E. Fifth St., Courthouse, Room 210, Waterloo, 50703. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO The Rev. Mary Robinson vented her frustration before the Waterloo City Council this week over a perceived lack of action to address racism in the community. Robinson remains troubled by a report by the financial commentary website 24/7 Wall St., which called the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metropolitan area the worst place for black Americans to live. What hurt us the most in the African-American community was the silence of the council, said Robinson, pastor at All Nations Community Church. What we had asked (last year) was that the council address the public and reassure us in the community about the things that were in that report. Mayor Quentin Hart and several council members acknowledged the city needs to be more visible in its efforts to combat the issues raised in the 24/7 report. Youre right, we do need to speak up, and we will do that, said Councilwoman Sharon Juon. Councilman Pat Morrissey called for a socio-economic assessment of the community, which looks at income, housing, infrastructure and other disparities comparing the five city wards. If we want to address 24/7 then we need to understand where we are as a city, he said. The report published in November 2018 ranked metro areas based on the gap between white and black residents in terms of unemployment, education, incarceration rates, health disparities, income levels and other factors. One of the most alarming statistics, according to the most recently available U.S. Census estimates for 2017, put metro-wide unemployment at 4 percent for white residents and 19.7 percent for African-Americans. Hart, who suggested a public proclamation on the issue may be forthcoming, said any perceived silence from City Hall does not mean nothing is being done to create a more inclusive community. We have a number of people out here stepping up to take a lead, Hart said. Its great to see so many people in the community coming forward and asking what they can do to help. The Black Hawk County Health Department is taking a lead in addressing the health disparities between ethnic groups in the area using resources from a $125,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation. Grow Cedar Valley, formerly the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber, has a committee that has been working since 2013 to promote full inclusion in the local business community. Another group working through IowaWORKS also is addressing the issue and will be hosting a community forum next week to talk about challenges with unemployment, minority hiring, work force re-entry from prison and other issues. The forum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center, 120 Jefferson St., will feature leaders from the Urban Alliance in Kalamazoo, Mich., who will share measures they took to break down similar barriers in their city. Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to debra.hodges-harmon@iwd.iowa.gov. Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a dialogue is needed between Washington and Tehran, since the U.S. can achieve nothing with sanctions alone He stressed that Turkey opposes U.S sanctions against Iran. According to the Turkish foreign minister, such countries as the UK and Germany also oppose U.S. sanctions against Iran, Turkish media reported. Earlier, the U.S. decided not to renew the temporary import permits for Iranian oil after May 2. Family market open Saturday WATERLOO The Kimball Ridge Family Market will host a Salute to Salad from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Kimball Ridge parking lot, corner of Kimball and Ridgeway avenues. Featured salad produce will include lettuce varieties, radishes and onions. There also will be plants, flower baskets, baked goods and eggs. The market takes place every Saturday through October. Lawmaker visits area for Sanders WATERLOO California Rep. Ro Khanna will travel to Waterloo to campaign for presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders at Waterloos Grout Museum Saturday at 2 p.m. Last Saturday Sanders came to Waterloos National Cattle Congress Pavilion where hundreds came out to see the candidate. This is Khannas fourth trip to Iowa to campaign for Democratic candidates. Khannas Iowa tour this weekend will be from Friday to Saturday and take him to Waterloo, Carroll, Des Moines, Ames, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Market honors Fathers Day WATERLOO The Waterloo Urban Farmers Market will celebrate Fathers Day from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Riverloop Expo Plaza at 460 Jefferson St. Attending fathers may sign up for a chance to win a free massage. There will also be wine and beer samples available. Vendors accept a variety of payments including WIC/Senior vouchers, cash, debit, credit, EBT, and Double Up Food Bucks. Appreciation day set at market CEDAR FALLS The Cedar Falls Farmers Market will have its June customer appreciation day on Saturday at West Third and Clay streets by Overman Park. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon. The market will have free doughnut holes, coffee, lemonade and ice water while supplies last. Vendors will have seasonal fruits and vegetables plus plants and flowers for sale. There will also be fresh baked goods, popcorn, wine, eggs, meat, crafts, honey, jams and jellies, hot food and drinks and more. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 And I even sneaked in a visit to a special tea room to meet with an author friend of mine and catch up. All in all, a very memorable trip! And it truly was the most magical trip I can remember. We saw the balloon glow and the dawn patrol and watched the race from our room when we left the grounds. We sat back and embraced the beauty of the countryside and the mystical blue skies. Yes, wed traveled that direction once before, while writing California Girl about a Route 66 trip. At the time, we could only admire the gorgeous balloons floating across the sky as we drove through. They were magical and all too brief. So this time, we made the trip just for the festival. I wasnt writing a book about it. No research was involved, just pure enjoyment. We went with a tour so we didnt have to worry about finding the best rooms or parking or any other hassle. We were a bit uncertain about our newly limited budget, so we didnt want to do any big splurges, but we had one place wed dreamed of for decades the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta . Our vacations are often working vacations, or combining two purposes like family and travel, and after a while, they all tend to blend together a bit. So perhaps Im most nostalgic about a trip IT Guy and I made alone, just for the fun of it, shortly after he retired. We finally had the freedom to leave at any time of the year we likedno job, no kids with school, no social or business obligations. So I asked the Word Wenches, What do you remember as a really great vacation? Vacations, vacations, wonderful vacations. It's summer time (up here in the northern hemisphere) and folks are travelling. Andrea is one of several Wenches who get their wilderness on. Andrea: There are so many vacations filled with special memoriesfrom the sublime to the absurdso its impossible to pick a favorite. Spending time with family and friends, exploring history, just chilling out . . . each has its own unique and wonderful vibe. But that said, a backpacking trip with my two brothers to Wind River range in Andrea, intrepid mountain hiker Wyoming not long after I had graduated from college and started working in New York stands out as one of the ones on the keeper shelf. As happens when the rhythm of going off to school and college begins, it had been a long time since the three of us had been together in the same place for more than a day or two at holidays. My younger brother had recently moved to Wyoming to work for a mining company. He loves the outdoorsas do I and my older brother. So when Big Brother suggested we pack our knapsacks and do a fishing trip with Little Brother up in the alpine lakes, I was all in. Hiking through THIS country So off we went, hiking in 16 miles up to Island Lake, a remote spot at 11,000 ft (the last few miles are a real huff and puff when youre carrying 60 lb on your back!) Oh, but was it worth it. We were camped on the waters edge, surrounded by a semi-circle of peaks called Cirque of Towers. In the late afternoon sunset, the towering majesty of the stone alight in pink and gold was breathtakingly beautiful. We also hiked one day up to the top of highest peak in the continental U.S. at 13,000 ft. Again, unbelievable views. But the truly special moments were sitting around the campfire each night, really having a chance to connect and talk the journeys we had been on so far. We were up there for a weekone rarely takes that sort of quiet time with people who matter in our lives, and that sense of renewing bonds and shared experiences still resonates with me. I did mention fishing, right? So I have to add an anecdote. Both brothers are serious fishermen, and take pride in their flyfishing skills. Off they went each afternoon, after casting pitying looks at moi, their novice sister. One day, they laughingly left me an old rod with a hook baited with a worm, and told me to have fun, ha, ha, ha. So of course I throw the line in after they left . . . and promptly reeled in a 24 lake trout! I wish there had been cellphone cameras back then. The looks on their faces when they saw my monster were priceless. (Need I say, their fish were mere minnows in comparison!) I still tease them about that to this day! Nicola's favourite holidays are very Scottish: Scotland. A house by the beach Nicola: Its wet and windy here in the UK at the moment so theres no better time to revisit one of my favourite holidays which was also wet and windy! Yes, it was last year on the very northernmost coast of Scotland. Ive been on many amazing trips, some even to hot places (!) but in the end I just keep going back up north! The first great thing about it was that we were staying in a cottage that was literally on a beach. Now I live as far from the sea as it is possible to get in the UK so going to the seaside is always a huge treat for me and Angus as well of course. To fall asleep to the sound of the waves and to get up, open the door and be out in the dunes was totally amazing for us. ... both of them dressed for the weather The area is rich in history, from the Viking settlement at SmooCaves along the coast to the ancient graveyard just across the sands with its tiny ruined church and many legends. Next to us was the Castle of Durinas, built in the 18th century on the site of a medieval palace. The castle, like our little cottage, was available to rent for holidays and fortunately it was vacant that week. I played the Im a historical author and Id love to look round card, which I dont do very often but I simply had to see inside I got the full tour with local guide Duncan and his adorable dog. Together we explored the ancient passageways and they told me stories of ghosts and pirates which, of course, will one day make their way into a book. If youd like to go and stay there, the link is here! The final icing on the cake, as it were, was that just down the road was a craft village where I spent plenty of time browsing the workshops, and on the site there was also one of the best cafes in the north of Scotland that served hot chocolate that could make even the coldest, rainiest day less driech! Panda in a suitcase. Have cat, will travel Mary Jo brings us her great vacation and a cat picture. Any vacation is better with a cat picture so I'll show that first. Oh, Jo, how can you be so cruel as to ask about a favorite vacation? I've loved them all, and you can see that both The Panda and I are always ready for a new adventure. arched niches in the walls I haven't blogged about my trip to Greece before since it was pre-Wenches, but it was a great chick trip with me, my sister, and our former sister-in-law, whom we like so much that we kept her. We spent several days in Athens in the Plaka, the historic area of the city, and had an amazing view of the Parthenon from our Santorini windows. Then on to Santorini, the Greek island I've most wanted to see, and it was amazing. I could drown you in pictures, but I'll go with just this iconic one that shows the rugged volcanic bones of the island and part of the caldera, which is the circular sea left when the volcano blew the island into component parts. There is also the dazzling white and blue colors that say "Greece," and also make up the Greek flag. Sigh. I want to go back. Once upon a time, Anne took her first expeditions a writer. Cats of Rhodos Anne here. I can never pick any "favorite", whether it's a book or a vacation or a piece of music. Looking back it feels as though much of my childhood consisted of holidays we camped in tents when I was small in fact, my mother left Dad and my three older siblings in the tent when she went off to give birth to me in hospital. They were camping at the beach near my grandparents' home. Travelling was something my family did constantly. As a child I travelled all over the UK, Ireland and parts of Europe with a caravan, and once I grew up, I went off with friends and tramped the bush and hitch-hiked around Tasmania and New Zealand. Whenever I could I headed off on holiday. But Jo, when she passed this question to the wenches, added ".. Anne's foot in Connemara (see it, bottom left) . special points if a vacation inspired your writing." And that decided me, because there was one year when I went off travelling around the world on my own, for the better part of a year. We have this wonderful thing in Australia called Long Service Leave , and after you've worked for an employer for 10 years, you are entitled to time off on full pay. So I took my long service leave, and added leave without pay to it, and went off with my backpack to explore the world. Penllyn in Wales I was a bit nervous at first, but it turned out travelling solo, you meet all sorts of wonderful people that you probably wouldn't if you were with someone else. It also gave me time to think and ponder a luxury that had been in short supply in my working life. And stories began to spin in my mind. Then, when I was in countries where I didn't speak the language, and didn't feel comfortable going out in the evening for anything other than dinner, I started to write in the evening. I sat on beaches in Brittany and wrote, I sat on Greek islands and wrote, I sat in grubby stations and wrote. The ideas came thick and fast and I loved it. I came home at the end of that year with several A4 notebooks full of stories and ideas, and the firm intention of becoming a writer. And that, dear readers, is how a vacation inspired me to become a writer. And back to Joanna again. I have always admired the adventurous Australians one meets, hiking about in the far corners of the globe. I hadn't realized they were taking writerly notes. As for me: I have lived a lifetime of vacations. So much travel, all of it wonderful and interesting. I am so lucky. Picking one vacation more or less at random . . . In the summers when I was young, my father used to take us to Maine to go fishing. I am not the first of us to talk about fishing. Yer typical Maine lake, but without a boat Now, for me, fishing consists of sitting in a boat with a line dunked in the middle of a lake, admiring the scenery and thinking deep thoughts. Every once in a while you actually catch something, which is gratifying and leaves you with a lifelong disdain for any fish that isn't in the pan pretty much as soon as you dock on dry ground. Catching fish makes you feel very clever. I knew an actual Maine Guide and asked him how one survived when lost for long periods of time in the wilderness and he said to forget about chasing down deer or hitting a rabbit over the head with a rock. Carry fishhooks and eat fish. But I digress. A Maine stream of the type I do not catch fish in There are other types of fishing that involve going out on the sea and being sick the whole time. Or you can hike through the bushes and trip over rocks and eventually get to a stream where you do this thing with throwing your hook upstream to entice fish but mostly it gets tangled in a tree. Not my fish shtick, as it were. The Carnegie library in Calais Maine because one cannot fish all the time The lakes remain with me. Vivid hours with my father and a sister or two, listening to the woods, feeling the wind. Silence and bird calls everywhere around. It just doesn't get any better than that. The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF), the country's premier film festival devoted to the humanistic side of architecture & design, will launch its 11th season at Cinepolis Chelsea in New York from October 16-20, 2019. Four films have already been confirmed including the U.S. Premiere of City Dreamers - one of the most exciting documentaries about urban planning since Jane Jacobs: Battle of the City) and NY Premiere of Gateways to New York - about the great Swiss engineer who created modern icons in New York with his visionary suspension bridges). The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) the largest film festival devoted to the creative spirit that drives architecture and design will launch its 11th season in New York this October. ADFF:NY is the festivals anchor event that takes place during Archtober New York Citys Architecture & Design month with a preview event (Short Films Walk) in SoHos Design District on October 2 and five-day festival at Cinepolis Chelsea from October 16-20. With more than 25 films, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions with high-profile speakers and interactive installations, ADFF creates an opportunity to educate, entertain, and engage all types of people who are excited about architecture and design. The festival will then head to Vancouver and Toronto for the first time, followed by DC, LA and New Orleans with other satellite events throughout the year. Images from ADFF 2016 NY Film Highlights: City Dreamers (U.S. Premiere) Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Denise Scott Brown are four trailblazing architects who became accustomed to being the only woman in the room. Through original interviews, archival material and stunning cinematography, documentary filmmaker Joseph Hillel uncovers how each of these strong, independent thinkers has shaped the cities we live and work in. Gateways to New York (NY Premiere) Director Martin Witz tells the story about the great Swiss structural engineer Othmar H. Ammann, who emigrated to New York in 1904 and whose work (including the George Washington, Bayonne, Triborough, Bronx Whitestone, Throgs Neck and Verrazano-Narrows bridges) redefined the art of bridge building in America. Cover of Gateways to New York The Human Shelter (NY Premiere) The film is an epic, poetic journey investigating how we, as human beings, design and build our homes. Director Boris Bertran explores the concept of home, and how humans express themselves creatively within that sacred space, whether its a lagoon settlement in Lagos, a refugee camp in Iraq or a six square-meter dwelling in Tokyo. A Poetics of Living (NY Premiere) On the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Chile, a young architect, who narrates this contemplative film, returns to the landscapes that are close to her heart. She guides us on an architectural exploration of Ciudad Abierta (The Open City) to reveal a collaboration of architects and artists where habitable space becomes poetic concept. Cover of The Human Shelter The Architecture & Design Film Festival, celebrates the unique creative spirit that drives architecture and design. With a curated selection of films, events and panel discussions, ADFF creates an opportunity to entertain, engage and educate all types of people who are excited about architecture and design. With well-attended screenings, legendary panelists, vibrant discussions and events in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, it has grown into the nations largest film festival devoted to the subject. The ADFF also programs for international film festivals as well as cultural institutions and private venues. ADFF facts: Who: Founder & Director of the Architecture & Design Film Festival, Kyle Bergman, Directors such as Joseph Hillel, Boris Bertran and Martin Witz, Legendary architects including Phyllis Lambert When: October 16-20, 2019 Where: Cinepolis Chelsea (260 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011) All images courtesy of ADFF > via ADFF The Simonian Educational Foundation has launched an international competition to design the EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science in Yerevan, Armenia. The competition will be realized in 2 stages. Applicants are requested to register for the competition by June 23, 2019, by following the Register link/button at the competition's website and to submit by June 30, 2019, the documents required for Stage I as listed below. Hashim Sarkis, Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT, curator of the 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale, and director of Hashim Sarkis Studios, Marie Lou Papazian, founding CEO of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and previously led the Education for Development Foundation, Raffi Krikorian, a former VP at Twitter, Engineering Director at Ubers Advanced Technologies Center in charge of self-driving cars, and Chief Technology Officer of the National Democratic Committee, Jean-Marc Lavest, the Rector of the French University in Armenia are among the jury members. Competition info The EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science will be a mixed-use campus bringing together academia and industry, linking local students, researchers and technologists to each other and with their global peers, and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. The Convergence Center program includes a set of mutually reinforcing facilities totaling 25,000 sqm of built-up area. The project site is a 15,000 sqm plot perched on top of the Hrazdan river gorge in Yerevan, Armenia With an initial budget of over 25 million euros, it will create an open platform and a vibrant community combining academic and training facilities, businesses and a conference venue with retail units such as cafes, restaurants, a gym and a daycare center. The project is an extension of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, an innovative after-school learning center attended by close to 15,000 teenagers every week. It is located next to the TUMO building which houses, in addition to the TUMO Center, leading technology companies, both multinationals and startups. Jury Hashim Sarkis is Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT, curator of the 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale, and director of Hashim Sarkis Studios. He holds Architecture degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University and has authored and edited several books on architectural theory. Marie Lou Papazian is the founding CEO of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and previously led the Education for Development Foundation. She holds a degree in Computing in Education from Columbia University. She is trained as an engineer and has been lead construction manager on major building projects in New York City. Raffi Krikorian is a former VP at Twitter, Engineering Director at Ubers Advanced Technologies Center in charge of self-driving cars, and Chief Technology Officer of the National Democratic Committee. He is currently Managing Director at the Emmerson Collective and a member of the board of TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. Jean-Marc Lavest is the Rector of the French University in Armenia. He has initiated the expansion of the university into a new campus and has led the creation of its new computer science and mathematics department. He has held leadership positions in various academic institutions and holds graduate degrees in engineering, machine vision and robotics. Soh Yeong Roh is the founder and director of the Art Center Nabi, an institution in Seoul which pioneered the new media art scene in Korea and is specialized in media arts in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence and conceptual art. She holds graduate degrees from Stanford University in education and from Yonsei University in media communication. Competition A two stage open international competition. Stage I: Expressions of interest. Stage II: Three firms selected for a two-day workshop with the organizers Prizes An honorarium of 20,000 EUR will be paid to each of the three shortlisted teams participating in the 2-day workshop during Stage II of the competition. The winning team will be commissioned to develop the design of the project from concept through schematic design and to supervise the work of TUMO Engineering from design development through construction (conditions and fees to be determined under the contract formalized between the winning team and the TUMO). Travel and Accommodation costs incurred for the 2 Day Workshop, for two people will be covered by TUMO. There will be no compensation for participation in Stage I. Key Architectural Caharcteristics In addition to the prerogatives of extensibility, common space, and accessibility to the general public, the projects design requirements include density, vegetation and a future-oriented architectural expression. Density: Achieving Balance While Minimizing Footprint In addition to the prerogatives of extensibility, common space, and accessibility to the general public, the projects design requirements include density, vegetation and a future-oriented architectural expression. Vegetation: Creating a Lush, Green Environment Yerevan has a dry climate with very hot summers. At the same time, much of the citys former tree cover has been lost over time due to various reasons. Even TUMOs own plaza, linking the TUMO building and the Convergence Center site to Tumanyan Park is a hard landscape with little vegetation. It is therefore very important to incorporate abundant vegetation and particularly trees, in the Convergence Center project, as an integral aspect of the design. Future-Oriented Design: Channeling The Livable Environments Of Tomorrow We expect the Convergence Centers physical expression to convey more than just a modern educational and professional environment. We want it to make an extraordinary architectural statement about the future of comfortable and livable built environments for learning and working. Whether that vision manifests in a bold or delicate architectural expression, it needs to send a clear signal about the innovative and high-concept ambitions of the Convergence Center project. The Convergence Center is a project jointly funded by the European Union and TUMO, with the participation of the French University in Armenia. It is designed as an open platform promoting project-based learning and entrepreneurship, but also as a self-sustaining financial ecosystem that will generate sufficient revenues by renting offices, conference and convention venues and retail facilities to cover its operating costs and offer free or highly subsidized education services to local students and young professionals. The project pursues two key objectives: 1. It strives to provide cutting-edge education to students and young professionals in engineering and applied science in order to prepare them for the labor market and make them competitive at a global level. 2. It seeks to offer a platform for existing initiatives, including startups, incubators, accelerators, universities, and industry, in order to build productive linkages and foster resource sharing and collaboration. It will use the following strategy to achieve these objectives. 1. Prioritize applied, project-based education in leading-edge technology fields 2. Create a vibrant neighborhood with all essential ecosystem components 3. Complement and empower local institutions by providing shared resources The following are the main program elements of the Convergence Center campus. TUMO Labs TUMO Labs will provide non-formal educational services inside of the EU TUMO Convergence Center, building on the know-how acquired by TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. It will act as an incubator for real-world educational projects that have the potential of spawning viable startups. Students and young professionals aspiring to take part in TUMO Labs projects will participate in online courses (MOOCs) that prepare them with essential prerequisites and act as a filter for identifying the most motivated and capable participants. Shared Hub The Convergence Center will host a shared hub which will make lab equipment and facilities available to all Convergence Center participants and the wider community. Member institutions are expected to allocate resources to the shared hub by collocating in it any equipment they procure through grants or research programmes. In exchange, they will be allowed to use the equipment and facilities already available there. It will be a multi-purpose facility, which will expand in size over time and will have spaces that are interchangeable with TUMO Labs and the 42 Coding Bootcamp (see below). 42 Coding Bootcamp School 42 is an innovative coding school based in Paris that is now building an international network of locations offering its program. Similar to TUMO, 42 is based on project-based learning. Peer-to-peer evaluation and gamification are used to support a highly efficient model of hands-on learning. A maximum of 150 students are expected to enter the 42 programs at the Convergence Center on an annual basis. The French University In Armenia As a university offering diplomas which are recognized internationally, the French University in Armenia has been a leading educational institution in Yerevan since its opening in 2000. To further help it develop its educational activities in Armenia, UFAR will relocate its entire campus inside the Convergence Center and will expand it to include a new department of mathematics and computer science. Conference And Convention Facility The Convergence Center will also include a space for conferences and conventions a key resource that it is needed to meet the growing demand for such facilities in Armenia. It will be used for educational and business events. Offices Office space will be made available for rent to companies in sectors and areas of activity relevant to the mission of the Convergence Center. Office space will also be allocated to start-ups that originate from the Convergence Center or are affiliated with its partner organizations. Retail Space In light of the fact that the Convergence Center will host a large number of entities, it can also stimulate demand for services such as cafes, gyms, print shops, day-care centers and restaurants. The existence of such retail facilities in the Convergence Center will play a key role in creating a neighborhood effect that is important for any vibrant ecosystem, and conducive to unstructured interactions among its participants. Competition The competition will follow a two-stage approach. Stage One: Submission of prequalification information. Stage Two: Site visit and 2day workshop The prequalification phase (Stage I) will allow the organizer to select three firms based on their cover letter, portfolio, CVs and financial health. These three firms will then compete in a finals stage (Stage II): They will be invited to visit the site and to take part in a 2-day workshop with the client team and the jury. One of the three firms participating in Stage II will be announced the competition winner and will be awarded the architectural design contract for the Convergence Center. The winning firm will be contracted to (1) develop the project through schematic design, to then (2) work with the TUMO Engineering team who will provide design development, production of construction documents, and engineering services including structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing under the supervision of the winning firm, and to (3) supervise the design and construction process through completion. Organizing Entity The competition is the initiative of the Simonian Educational Foundation (the Organizer), a non-profit foundation based in Yerevan, Armenia and operating under the brand of TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. Eligibility The competition is open to all architecture firms that are: 1. In good financial standing 2. A private legal entity 3. Licensed in their country of practice 4. Not be targeted by the EUs sanctions list, please see here. 5. Be eligible according to the EUs Rules on participation in procurement procedures and grants (Annex 1 for list of eligible countries) 6. Not involved in criminal proceedings or tax evasion TUMO is looking for firms that can propose project solutions combining exceptional design quality with a pragmatic and cost-effective approach, and that has experience in developing complex projects from initial design through construction. Process Applicants are requested to register for the competition by June 23, 2019, by following the Register link/button at the competition's website and to submit by June 30, 2019, the documents required for Stage I as listed below. Stage I Expression of Interest Firms are invited to submit information about their experience and the assigned team members, along with a financial statement and fee structure as specified below. Please note that design concepts will not be accepted at this stage but firms are encouraged to present in a brief cover letter their vision for the project as well as why they are a good fit for it. Three firms from among the Stage One candidates will be shortlisted to participate in Stage Two. Submission requirements: 1. Cover letter Introducing the firm and the design team and outlining the firms vision and fit for the project. This document must contain the Teams contact details and be signed by a legally authorized representative. 2. Registration form and copy of trade register In addition to filling out Annex 2 applicants should submit a copy of their trade register in order to prove their nationality. In the case of consortia, all members should provide both documents. 3. Team composition and qualification Describe the composition of the team that will be assigned to the project and that will participate in Stage II if selected and list the team members and their roles. Provide team member CVs. 4. Company presentation Provide any information or material that can present the firm, its experience, expertise and reputation. Please provide a list of project experience the format provided in Annex 3. 5. Financial capacity statement Please provide in the format provided in Annex 4. 6. Availability for 2-day workshop Confirm the availability of the team to participate in a 2-day workshop if selected for Stage II. Please fill out Annex 5. 7. Human resource capacity Please fill out form on human resource capacity in Annex 6 indicating your available human resources in general. 8. Estimated costs of architectural fees in the form of a financial proposal Participants should provide information about their fee structure in addition to other costs. When calculating the financial proposal the following should be taken into account: Cost for design work from concept preparation to schematic design. Follow-up fees for a duration of up to 3 years starting from the winning publication until end of construction. As described above, design development and production of construction documents as well as all engineering (Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.) design will be executed in Armenia by the TUMO Engineering team under the supervision of the winning firm. The winner will have access to construction and planning documents and will be able to follow the construction through regular photo/video uploads and periodic site visits. Please also provide daily fees for site visit for different levels of personnel, as the winner will be expected to schedule site visits throughout the development and construction phases. Please fill out Annex 7 - Financial Proposal, providing the above-mentioned information. 9. Further declarations Please fill out the annex on No Conflict of Interest (Annex 8), Joint Ventures (if applicable) (Annex 9) and the Declaration of Undertaking (Annex 10). All of the above documents must be submitted digitally in A4 (portrait) PDF format and uploaded into the relevant folder on the competition website. Stage II Design Development Three shortlisted firms will be invited to visit the site and to take part in a 2-day workshop with the client team and Jury members during the second half of July. During this time, workshop participants will explore project requirements and ideas, and develop sketches for an architectural concept and expression, as well as massing and layout studies. One of the three shortlisted firms will be commissioned to execute the architectural design project. Competition Schedule Stage I Competition launched: 10 June, 2019 Registration closes: 23 June, 2019 Deadline for submission : 30 June, 2019 Announcement firms shortlisted for Stage II: 12 July, 2019 Stage II Workshops period: July 15-31 Jury deliberation: August 15-31 Winner announced : September 1-15 Evaluation Criteria Stage I The Jury will evaluate all submissions of expressions of interest to ensure that the selected firms meet the pre-qualification requirements and will assess qualifying firms on the following: Evidence of the firms understanding of the project vision Fit of the firms portfolio and experience with the project requirements Qualifications and seniority of assigned team members Correspondence of the firms free structure to reasonable industry standards Availability of the assigned team for the site visit and 2 day workshop Reference checks to be conducted by the Organizer as needed After the evaluation and potential clarification discussions, the three shortlisted firms will be announced on the competition website and through other channels. The Jurys decision will be final and not subject to appeal. Stage II The Jury will evaluate each firm after their participation in the 2-day workshop based on the following criteria. Quality of the design ideas and concepts generated during the workshop in terms of originality and feasibility Responsiveness to the projects architectural characteristics, program requirements and urban context Effectiveness of the collaboration between the design team and the client team based on the workshop dynamics The fee structure and timeframe proposed by the firm for the design deliverables and supervision in case of award After the evaluation and potential clarification discussions, the winning firm will be announced on the competition website and through other channels. The Jurys decision will be final and not subject to appeal. Terms And Conditions Competition Language English is the official language of the competition. Proposals submitted in any other language will not be admitted. Elimination Bidders will be disqualified if they fail to provide the required legal, technical and financial documentation. Release Firms participating in the competition automatically grant the Organizer the right to disseminate the list of participating, shortlisted and winning firms and to document the competition process, including photos and videos of workshops, for promotional purposes. Conflicts Of Interest The competition jury, their associates, employees and direct family members, are not eligible to enter the competition. Direct family members, associates and employees of the Organizer are also ineligible to participate in this open call. Participants are requested to declare any conflict of interest that may compromise the competition procedure and the overall completion of the project. The Organizers reserve the right to dismiss proposals from participating teams where actual or potential conflicts of interest do indeed exist. All competitors are expected to notify the Organizers of any change of circumstance during the competition process. The Organizers holds no liability for any costs incurred by the competitors during their participation in the competition. Likewise, the Organizers accepts no liability for additional costs that may be caused due to modification or cancellation of the competition. Questions, Answers And Updates Competitors may address inquiries relating to the competition process and brief to the Organizer prior to the deadline, as defined in the competition schedule. The organizer may post such questions and the corresponding responses to the competition website. Questions should be e-mailed to [email protected]. All images courtesy of EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science > via Convergence Center Because right before heading out on a motorcycular rampage of the small South American nation of Ecuador, I decided to make the blog "responsive," so you could read it on your cell phone real easy. That worked, but now, when viewed on a computer, the goddamn thing looks like a ransom note. Bring a bag of unmarked gerunds and come alone. I'll be making clumsy adjustments to this format in my copious free time, probably until shortly before my death. Thanks for your patience in the meantime. Postscript: Thanks to Laura at the Typepad Helpdesk, I was able to restore the old design, so it's not ugly anymorebut no longer is it responsive. I've asked Laura for further guidance. Will Writing Boots readers ever be able to read their favorite blog on their phone? Laura, you're our only hope ... Ankara will take reciprocal steps if Washington imposes sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400 defenses, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "If the United States takes any negative actions towards us, we will also take reciprocal steps," the minister, said when asked about possible U.S. sanctions in an interview broadcast on Turkish TV. "We are determined on the S-400 issue. No matter what the results will be, we will not take a step back," Cavusoglu said, adding it is impossible to cancel the order. Ankara and Washington have sparred publicly for months over Turkeys purchase of the S-400 missile systems, expected to be delivered as early as next month. Washington has said that would trigger U.S. sanctions and sent a letter warning that Ankara would be pulled out of the F-35 jet program, Reuters recalls. The S-400s are not compatible with NATOs defense systems and Washington says they would compromise its F-35s, which Turkey also plans to buy. Turkey has proposed that the allies form a working group to asses the impact of the S-400s, but has yet to receive a response from the United States. Alex Shashkevich in Phys.Org: In a new study, Stanford psychologists examined why some people respond differently to an upsetting situation and learned that peoples motivations play an important role in how they react. Their study found that when a person wanted to stay calm, they remained relatively unfazed by angry people, but if they wanted to feel angry, then they were highly influenced by angry people. The researchers also discovered that people who wanted to feel angry also got more emotional when they learned that other people were just as upset as they were, according to the results from a series of laboratory experiments the researchers conducted. To learn how people react to upsetting situations and respond to others around them, the researchers examined peoples anger toward politically charged events in a series of laboratory studies with 107 participants. The team also analyzed almost 19 million tweets in response to the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. In the laboratory studies, the researchers showed participants images that could trigger upsetting emotions, for example, people burning the American flag and American soldiers abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The researchers also told participants how other people felt about these images. The researchers found that participants who wanted to feel less angry were three times more likely to be more influenced by people expressing calm emotions than by angry people. But participants who wanted to feel angry were also three times more likely to be influenced by other people angrier than them, as opposed to people with calmer emotions. The researchers also found that these participants got more emotional when they learned that others also felt similar emotions to them. More here. Ruben Gallo in The MIT Press Reader: In the spring of 1938, the Mexican press reported on the perils faced by Sigmund Freud in post-Anschluss Austria: The Gestapo had raided the offices of the Psychoanalytic Publishing House, searched the apartment at Berggasse 19, and briefly detained his daughter Anna. Freud himself once reluctant to consider emigration made up his mind to leave Vienna, but his decision seemed to come too late: obtaining an exit visa had become a nearly impossible ordeal for Austrian Jews. Freud would have been trapped in Vienna had it not been for a group of powerful friends who launched a full-scale diplomatic campaign on his behalf: William Bullitt, the American ambassador to France; Ernest Jones, who lobbied British Members of Parliament; and Princess Marie Bonaparte, who was in direct communication with President Roosevelt himself. In Mexico, President Lazaro Cardenas one of the most popular leaders in twentieth-century history had turned his country into a haven for persecuted intellectuals: after the fall of the Spanish Republic, he offered political asylum to thousands of refugees, and Mexico received a massive influx of artists, poets, academics, and philosophers who played a crucial role in postwar culture. In a world threatened by the rise of fascism, Cardenas opened his nations doors to socialists and fellow travelers of all kinds. Leon Trotsky accepted Cardenass invitation and settled in Mexico City in 1937. He would be followed by an impressive lineup of cosmopolitan refugees from Spain, France, Germany, Austria, and many other countries. More here. Lauren Albright and Chad Hardman wanted a comfortable venue to celebrate their wedding day, but also a place with a bit of history. The Vault in Hollister, chosen for its romantic, 1930s Art Deco architecture, was the place. The bride wore a sweeping gown with a long veil and crystal-studded stilettos that carried her across a path of rose petals to her groom. Hardman, ready to receive his new bride, sported a charcoal gray suit with a plum argyle tie and pocket square. The bridesmaids' floor-length dresses picked up on the purple theme, as did the accessories of the groomsmen, who wore purple accents (and superhero socks). The lovebirds had planned a classic wedding but didn't take it all too seriously. Ivory and violet roses with fresh green accents were everywhere, and the two said their vows beneath a simple, wooden arch draped in chiffon. At dinner, tables sparkled with gold accents and candelabra bathed the reception in a warm glow for dancing and cupcakes. Venue: The Vault Reception: San Juan Oaks Country Club Dress: BoLee Bridal Shoes: Betsey Johnson Makeup: Dollhouse Mermaid Floral designer: Megan's Flowers Bakery: Cupcakes For College Photography: Alycia Moore GETTY IMAGES En espanol | When Sharon Kleinhelter and her husband, J.P., of Fishers, Indiana, received an official diagnosis of his mid-stage Alzheimer's disease at age 66 in 2012, he was still working at his own business, had many friends and was very outgoing. Ever since, she has tried to keep her husband socializing. But as the disease has progressed, it became more difficult to take him out into the community. J.P. is a very social, friendly, nice guy. I can't control him. As nice as he is, he's disruptive, Kleinhelter said. He automatically touches people's arms, and some don't like that. He's just friendly. He can't talk quietly and can't sit still for long. When he wants to go, I have to go, too. It's just too hard. Then, Connor Prairie, a living history museum that recreates 19th-century life in Fishers, began offering a Memory Cafe, a social program for those living with dementia and their caregivers. For J.P. I think it's just that safe place to go to where it doesn't matter if he says the same thing over and over and over again, Kleinhelter said. Everybody understands, so that makes me comfortable, too. An antidote to social isolation Memory cafes, a concept some credit to psychiatrist Bere Miesen in the Netherlands others say the first memory cafe was in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2008 have spread across the nation. Nearly 900 are now listed in the Memory Cafe Directory, which started cataloguing the meeting spots in 2016. They are offered in restaurants, coffee shops, hospitals, libraries, museums, schools, colleges and universities, community and senior centers, senior living communities and faith-based organizations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at the Ala-Archa residence in Bishkek where the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is about to start. Putin was greeted by his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov. The leaders went to the hall where the meeting in the narrow format will be held behind closed doors, TASS reported. Among participants in the meeting are the leaders of India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that the leaders plan to discuss the current condition and prospects for expanding cooperation in SCO in such spheres as security, fighting against terrorism and drug trafficking, economic development, industry, humanitarian cooperation. The participants in the meeting will also discuss the situation in Afghanistan and in the Middle East, Ushakov said. Ushakov added that at the meeting, Putin will explain Russia's approach to settlement in Syria, will touch upon the Iranian nuclear deal and talk about "activities in the framework of the SCO-Afghanistan contact group." Putin will also emphasize "the importance of further increasing the SCO's input into forming a global world order with UN's central role; of expanding cooperation between SCO, UN and other international structures, first of all on issues of coordinating joint efforts in the fight against terrorism and extremism.". AARP: I hear you're causing Joe to have urinary problems. JP: Look, it's entirely structural. Urine travels through the urethra, and the urethra passes through me. So the bigger I get, the more it narrows. Sometimes Joe has trouble getting things started, and sometimes he feels like he's not done, even when he's done. But it's not all my fault! You should talk to Joe's bladder, too. He's getting weak, man. People always point to the prostate, but the bladder can also play a role, y'know. AARP: Is there anything Joe could do to make things better? JP: It certainly doesn't help me when Joe sits around all day eating junk food. As he packs on belly fat, I grow and he suffers. And I wish he'd get serious about the gym: 25 minutes a day of vigorous exercise could cut my advanced cancer risk by a lot. And he could cut back on coffee. The caffeine can irritate me and the bladder, and it makes him pee more. AARP: So when did you and Joe start having trouble? JP: A few years ago, actually. Joe was probably 65 when he started waking up to pee in the middle of the night. Then he started spending more time in the bathroom, trying to shake out the last drips. And a couple of times, he even dribbled in his pants. If you ever saw his jacket tied around his waist sideways, he was probably hiding a wet spot. That's when he decided to go see the urologist. He gave Joe a urinalysis to make sure he didn't have a urinary tract infection, and he didn't. No prostatitis, either. So then the doctor came in from the backside and gave me the old belly-rub test, determined I was bigger than ever, and sent Joe home with his pills. We've been doing better since. AARP: What pills? JP: They're called alpha-blockers, and to be honest, I'm loving them. I've been wound up pretty tight the past few years, and these new meds are helping me, and the bladder muscles, relax. As a result, I'm not squeezing Joe's urethra so hard, and Joe has better bladder control. AARP: What about surgery? JP: The doc said that it's highly unlikely. Medicine has come a long way during the past several years, and there's no reason to slice and dice unless Joe stops responding to his meds. In the worst case, pee could pool up inside Joe's bladder, and that can cause infections or bladder stones. Something like that could require surgery. But again: highly unlikely. AARP: Did the doctor say anything about cancer? JP: Yeah, he did. The doctor didn't feel any bumps that would indicate a tumor, but he did run a blood test that turned up some concerning numbers. Apparently, I've been overshooting my PSA quota, and that can be an indication of cancer. When the doctor delivered the news, I thought, Well, Joe, we had a good run. But then the doc says, But sometimes high PSA means nothing at all." That's some test, right? It's a bit of a crapshoot. So your guess is as good as mine whether I got cancer. The doctor said we should come back for another PSA test next year, and if the levels are still going up, he'll consider performing a biopsy to test my tissue. But even if I do have cancer, it looks like there's a good chance I won't need treatment. Prostate cancer usually doesn't progress very quickly. Doctors often choose just to keep a close eye on it. AARP: Well that's great news. We're happy to hear things are going well. JP: Look, I've lived a relatively quiet life. I don't love that the doctor is medicating me, but all Joe really has to do is take a daily pill and see a urologist once a year. Losing a few pounds and getting a little exercise would help, too. After all I've done for Joe, I think he can do that for me. Armenia's occupying forces have switched to the regime of regular provocations in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, due to which the tension on the front line is comparable to that which preceded the 2016 April battles for Karabakh, the military expert, presenter of Radius TV program Heydar Mirza said, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavaza. "There was no such tension on the front line since April 2016. Last summer, the increased tension was more likely of a general nature - due to regime change in Armenia. The Azerbaijani armed forces regrouped, conducted large-scale and smaller specialized exercises in June-July. But there was no such tension on the front line," he noted in the first place. "Now it is completely different: there are victims, one after another in a short period of time. A video showing the use of air-defense missiles was published yesterday. The very fact that the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense's press service published such a video is already a sign of strategic tension," Heidar Mirza stressed. The expert stressed that the Pashinyan team is delaying a peaceful settlement much more harshly than ex-President Serzh Sargsyan. "The negotiation process has never been torpedoed so seriously as it is now, and its already a matter of Armenia's internal policy, the conflict between Pashinyan and the Karabakh clan. Because of this, they make opposing statements," the presenter of Radius explained. "After Major Agil Omarov was killed, two Armenian soldiers were eliminated, then the occupants killed Elshan Khalilov. After that, the head of the press service of Armenia's Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote on Facebook that those who killed the Azerbaijani soldiers have already been awarded, and a representative of the so-called 'Nagorno-Karabakh' says that there were no incidents on the front line. This shows the conflict between Yerevan and the Karabakh clan," he said. "These contradictions in the camp of the invaders suggest that the situation has become so tense because of them as well. In my opinion, the current provocations of Armenia are enough for Azerbaijan to take more effective and large-scale measures on the front line," Heidar Mirza concluded. Agil Omarov was killed on May 30 during a visit of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to Baku. Soldier Elshan Khalilov was killed on June 9. Yesterday, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense published a video capturing the rocket fired by Armenian air defense weapons in the direction of an Azerbaijani plane. All this testifies to the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the need for the international community to react to the changed situation on the line of contact between the Azerbaijani troops and the occupying forces. Measures should be taken on the part of international mediators to reduce tensions; otherwise, its escalation may result in new large-scale hostilities. Central falls to Arrows in Watertown, despite halftime lead Aberdeen Central led at halftime, but were unable to keep that momentum, falling 53-39 to Watertown. Static-X bassist Tony Campos finds it unbelievable that it has been 20 years since the band released its debut album, Wisconsin Death Trip. Revisiting the album for a 20th anniversary tour has been bittersweet after the passing of vocalist Wayne Static, who died in 2014. Bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and drummer Ken Jay have reunited to do the tour as a memorial tribute to Wayne Static. Its bittersweet because were missing a guy, a pretty important guy, but you know we just remember all the good times we had and the positive, Campos said. The current tour will feature a majority of songs off of Wisconsin Death Trip and some other Static-X fan favorites. The mystery vocalist handling vocals on this tour chose to cover up by wearing a mask to disguise his face and wear his hair standing straight up in true Wayne Static fashion. We want the focus to be on the original band, the first record and remembering the original, the man, Wayne Static, Campos said. The band was looking for someone who had Wayne Statics vibe and spirit when searching for someone to handle vocals on the tour. It just so happened a guy we recruited also knew Wayne, Campos said. He toured with us back in the early days, and he knew Wayne towards the end of his life, so its just as personal to him as it was for us. It ended up being the right fit. After Wayne Statics death, Campos was given his last demo recordings by a producer friend of the bands. Only one song had Wayne Statics vocals, and the rest were a couple of riffs and some programming, which meant the band had to start from scratch. We had to write additional parts to finish the songs, and at the time the plan was to have a bunch of guest vocalists come in and sing on those songs, and in the process of looking for that we came across these unfinished tracks from the Start a War record that never got released, and they featured Waynes old tracks, Campos said. We reworked the music and kept Waynes vocals. During that process, the band decided it was going to try to do some live shows and began looking for live backing tracks and found additional demos that Wayne Static had done vocals on. The band wrote music for the vocals and ended up with eight more songs with Wayne Statics vocals on them. The band plans to include the music on its next album, Project Regeneration, which it hopes to release in the fall. The album will feature 12 new songs with Wayne Static as well as a few high-profile guest vocal contributions. The focus of Vintage Albuquerque Wine & Food Fiesta might be the wines, but the heart of it is helping support arts, music, dance, theater and other artistic education programs in our community. This years beneficiaries are Explora Science Center & Childrens Museum, Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation, the Albuquerque Museum Foundation, Baila! Baila! dance group and Opera Southwest. Proceeds from each of the Vintage Albuquerque events will be divided among the nonprofits to benefit their programs. Vintage Albuquerque holds its Opening Nite Gala Dinner on Wednesday, June 19. On Thursday, June 20, a VGS Chateau Potelle winery seminar is slated for noon at Hotel Andaluz. And four-course wine-pairing dinners at the Artichoke Cafe, Mas Tapas y Vino, Piatanzi, Ranchers Club, Savoy Bar & Grill and Seasons Grill Old Town will begin at 7 p.m.. Representatives of the featured wineries will be present to guide guests through each wine and food pairing. The Grand Tasting on June 21 will feature more than 100 wines and bites from local restaurants. One of the great things is that we really have a great winery this year, VGS Chateau Potelle, said Linda Wedeen, Vintage Albuquerque executive director. The person who is the owner of the winery, his name is Jean-Noel Fourmeaux. Hes just went out of his way to not only bring us great wine but hes donating great stays at his chateau in Napa. Hes donating wines for not only our dinners but for our auction. The Big Event Auction Dinner will be held on June 22. It will feature a silent and live auction that guests can bid on, including some extraordinary excursions. Trip destinations to be auctioned off include Californias Napa Valley; Oregon; Rome; Burgundy, France; and the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. One (of the trips) is the Metropolitan Opera, Wedeen said. They go to New York and have dinner and go behind the scenes of the Metropolitan Opera, and that will be really kind of nice. Its a big deal for that one. This years Sunday brunch will be slightly different from those of years past. This time, were doing it at Vara Winery, Wedeen said. Its going to be a family style Spanish dinner. So I think its a little different. I think it will be very nice. Vintage Albuquerque Wine & Food Fiesta WHEN AND WHERE: Opening Nite Gala Dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at Sandia Golf & Resort Club; Wine Seminar at noon on Thursday, June 20; Wine dinners at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20 at various participating restaurants; The Grand Tasting at 6 p.m. June 21 at the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum; Big Event Auction Dinner at 6 p.m. June 22 at the Albuquerque Country Club; Sparkling Wine Brunch at 11 a.m. June 23 at Vara Winery HOW MUCH: Prices vary for each event. For tickets and information, visit vintagealbuquerque.org A new building of the orphanage-kindergarten No 11 was opened in Yasamal district of Baku, whose construction was initiated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, according to the Azerbaijani Presidential press service. The opening ceremony was attended by First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva. Mehriban Aliyeva viewed conditions created at the orphanage-kindergarten. The construction of the 200-seat building started in May, 2018. It consists of two blocks. The two-storey building has group rooms, a kitchen, a canteen, a gym and a music hall. Children aged from 1 to 6 are served by a 46-strong staff in 10 groups here, AzerTAc reported. While youre watching Late Night, an enjoyably zippy if scattershot comedy about a veteran late-night host and her fresh-faced new writing hire, a persistent thought might run through your head: How have we been abiding without a steady supply of leading roles like this for Emma Thompson, and why havent we by now elected her ruler of all living things? As a David Letterman-like figure whose three decades on the air have left her disengaged and fearsome, Thompson is so regally good that you crave more of an actress who certainly never went away but who has in recent years often kept to the margins of movies. She was Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, a memorable P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks and gave Love Actually its best, most tender moments. Her status as someone whom anyone in their right mind adores is absolutely assured. But its been a while since her period-drama heyday of Howards End, Remains of the Day, In the Name of the Father and Sense and Sensibility, which she also scripted. Nisha Ganatras Late Night, penned by Mindy Kaling, is a clear reminder of what weve been missing. Her Katherine Newbury, like Meryl Streeps Miranda Priestly, is a boss from hell. She hasnt ever met most of her writing staff, and when she does, gives them numbers, one through eight, to remember them by. She makes all around her, including some of her guests, tremble. Her reign in late-night television, though, is at risk of coming to an end. Shes visited early in Late Night by the network head (Amy Ryan) who tells her she will soon be replaced by someone who will pick up the ratings and program more viral-ready guests than Doris Kearns Goodwin to compete with Jimmy Fallons cuddly antics. So resentful of the intrusion is Katherine that shes not even sure shell put up much of a fight. The twist comes from Molly Patel (Kaling), whos hired by the shows producer (Denis OHare) after its brought to Katherines attention that she has a problem with women. All of her writers are men. Just a hire a woman! she barks at the producer, just as hes sitting across from Molly, who has no experience in comedy but has been a chipper efficiency expert at a Pennsylvania chemical plant. Late-night TV has, of course, been a boys world for most of its history, a lineage Late Night has a lot of fun playing with. It doesnt always quite gel. Could Katherine deny her own femininity while simultaneously being a late-night trailblazer for women? Wouldnt Mollys character be a little more believable if she was a devoted comedy writer, those Tina Fey referenced when she last year told David Letterman that they had been out there, wanting to write on his show. Maybe when it comes to late-night television, realism isnt the way to go. You just cant beat The Larry Sanders Show, after all. But Late Night isnt quite sure how real it wants to be, cartoonishly exaggerating some angles and telling others straight. Most of the real-life late-night hosts are referenced or make cameos, including Seth Meyers and Bill Maher. Yet the inner workings of Late Night With Katherine Newbury arent especially believable, and it never feels like an actual show. The movie is better as a workplace comedy that plunges right into very contemporary issues of diversity and sexism in media. Entering the all-male writing room, Molly receives a frigid welcome, turning over a garbage can for a seat. Kaling is working from a place of personal experience, having begun as a writer, as well as a performer, on The Office. Her character is derided as a diversity hire by most of the bros on staff, the bro-est of them all played by Reid Scott in a character not too far away from his on Veep. Its a winning performance from Kaling, whose Molly pluckily makes her way on the show and jostles Katherine into opening up herself and embracing her political side. Its an admirably fun and light movie about more serious issues of representation and equality. But the remade version of Late Night With Katherine Newbury that emerges at the end pointedly political and bursting with viral video bits is dispiritingly familiar. There are plenty of those on late-night TV already. But if Emma Thompson would like the gig, by all means, give it to her. Late Night 2.5 stars RATED: R (for language throughout and some sexual references) WHEN: Opens today WHERE: AMC 12, Century 14 Downtown, Century Rio 24, Cottonwood, High Ridge, Winrock 16, Premiere (Rio Rancho) DENVER A Colorado coroner has determined a Columbine massacre survivor and addiction recovery advocate died of a drug overdose. The Denver Post reports the Routt County Coroners Office says an autopsy determined the death last month of 37-year-old Austin Eubanks resulted from a heroin overdose. Officials say Eubanks was found by his father May 18 in his Steamboat Springs home. The coroners report says the death was an accident caused by acute heroin toxicity. The report says Eubanks had a history of opioid addiction and illicit drug abuse. Eubanks survived a gunshot wound but lost his best friend in the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School 13 miles (21 kilometers) south of Denver. He became a nationally recognized addiction and recovery speaker after overcoming his own struggle with painkillers. ___ Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com SANTA FE With the partys first 2020 presidential candidate debate just two weeks away, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Thursday that climate change will get robust treatment in the debates after getting little attention four years ago. Perez, who was in Santa Fe to attend a forum with Democratic Party state chairs from around the nation, has rejected calls to add a debate focused solely on climate change or any other issue to the 12 debates already scheduled. But he said the DNC has been in touch with television networks about ensuring time is spent on climate change during the upcoming debates, and vowed the issue would be discussed early and often. The failure to discuss climate change in 2016 was absolutely unacceptable and unconscionable, Perez told the Journal. Were going to have the most robust discussion in this primary debate cycle that weve ever had, because its important. He also said gun violence, immigration and economic fairness would be featured issues, while describing Democrats large field of candidates as a first-class challenge. During Perezs stop in New Mexico, the DNC announced the 20 candidates that have been invited to take part in the first debate, set for June 26 and June 27 in Miami. The invitation list was based on criteria that included polling numbers and campaign fundraising. A former U.S. labor secretary and head of the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division under then-President Barack Obama, Perez was elected Democrats national chairman in February 2017. He said Thursday the party is confident it will retain the U.S. Senate seat that incumbent Tom Udall is vacating next year, as well as the traditionally Republican-leaning 2nd Congressional District seat in southern New Mexico that U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., won last year. When you win an election, theyre always going to try to come right back, Perez said, referring to Torres Smalls victory last year over Republican Yvette Herrell, who is running again next year for the seat. If its a rematch, were going to win that rematch. State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce has said he believes the GOP is poised 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. However, Perez said Democrats are energized and organized as a result of the 2016 victory of President Donald Trump, who plans to seek re-election. Sometimes it takes an unmitigated disaster to awaken our democracy and thats whats happened, Perez said. Trumps campaign manager recently said that New Mexico could be in play for 2020, and Perez said Democrats are taking nothing for granted despite sweeping all statewide offices up for election last year including the Governors Office. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal A little over four years ago, on the evening of May 28, 2015, 10 Albuquerque police officers opened fire on an unarmed suspect in a stolen SUV, shooting at least 82 times. Rodrigo Garcia, then 20 years old, was struck approximately seven times in his head and body. The officers did not provide medical care immediately. Instead, they continued to shout commands for him to give himself up for the next 90 minutes or so. Garcia lived, but was severely injured. He now has the functional capacity of a 5- or 6-year-old and cannot move around by himself. Those claims were included in a lawsuit filed in federal court last year by Garcias mother, Loretta Garcia, against the 10 officers who fired their weapons, the four who removed Garcia from the SUV, then-police chief Gorden Eden and the city of Albuquerque. The lawsuit alleges civil rights violations and that the officers used excessive force against Garcia. Earlier this month, his family received a $3.75 million settlement. One of the reasons there was a substantial settlement was because we had a panel of experts who explained the 90-minute delay in getting him medical care really had an adverse impact on the extent of his brain injury, said Shannon Kennedy, one of the attorneys for the family. Had he gotten adequate emergency medical care perhaps he wouldnt have had as much brain damage. But he bled out for 90 minutes, and that was not good. An Albuquerque Police Department spokesman provided the Journal with the settlement agreement but did not respond to questions about whether the officers involved have been disciplined. Jessie Damazyn, a spokeswoman for the mayors office, said in a statement: This settlement is from one of the last few remaining cases pending from the previous administration and follows the many reforms at APD that have been instituted under Mayor (Tim) Keller. It is important for all those involved the family, the law enforcement community and city residents to have reached closure in this situation. The shooting unfolded the day after police saw Garcia in a stolen Chevy Tahoe and he reportedly tried to ram a sergeants vehicle. On May 28, he was seen in the Chevy Tahoe again, this time in a neighborhood near Gonzales and Old Coors SW. A police spokesman said at the time that Garcia and a woman got out of the SUV, but when officers tried to arrest them, Garcia jumped back into the SUV and drove away, knocking into a chain link fence. An officer was either knocked down or fell down trying to escape, then she and the others began shooting. Lapel camera video provided by Kennedys law firm and by APD show multiple officers firing at the back of the SUV as it drives away, then again as it slowly rolls backward. In all, officers Michelle Campbell, Justice Bowe, Victor Bustillos, Toby Gallegos, Armando Hernandez, Christopher Keeling, Raymond Marquez, Matthew Murphy, Dain Symes, and Andrew Wickline fired shots. Officers Jason Saavedra, Ronald Tosta, Benito Martinez and Ramon Ornelas were also named in the lawsuit as the extraction officers who the attorneys say forcibly removed Garcia from his vehicle and dragged him back to the APD command area where he was handcuffed. No weapon was found in the car. Garcia was on life-support for almost a year after the shooting and underwent surgeries to remove bullet fragments, and even part of his brain. Kennedy said a panel of experts predicted that Garcia, now 24, probably wont live much longer. His life span is likely not going to be more than until he is 35 years old, Kennedy said. Theyre hoping for another miracle. Hopefully this gives him access to the best medical care and with the best care he will beat the odds again. The city has paid out several high-dollar settlements in other police shooting cases over the years. The families of James Boyd and Mary Hawkes received $5 million each, and Kenneth Elliss family received almost $8 million. However, Kennedy pointed out, those clients had family members who had been killed. She said in weighing the options, her clients had to consider what medical care Garcia needed now and whether his health would continue to deteriorate before the case could be seen by a jury. Ultimately for every family weve represented it is about protecting the community so this doesnt happen to anyone else, Kennedy said. These families are exercising their constitutional rights on behalf of their loved ones. They lost the boy they had before he was shot in the head. SANTA FE A new lawsuit filed in Santa Fe District Court accuses several Catholic Santa Fe churches of racketeering and fraud, among other claims. The lawsuit centers on a teacher at Santo Nino Regional Catholic School who was convicted last year of criminal sexual contact of a minor for inappropriately touching a female student at school. Santo Nino and parishes that send students to the Santa Fe school Santa Maria de la Paz, San Isidro, Saint John the Baptist Santa Fe, St. Annes, Cristo Rey, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis, all in Santa Fe, and St. Anthonys in Pecos are listed as defendants. Former Santo Nino principal Theresa Vaisa and Aaron Dean Chavez, the former teacher who was convicted of molestation, are also named in the lawsuit. The suit is filed on behalf of two female students who claim Chavez touched them inappropriately. Theyre seeking damages for personal injury, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, negligence, fraud, racketeering and other tortious conduct, the suit says. In a different tack for church sexual abuse litigation, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is not listed as a defendant, because it declared bankruptcy last year. However, the suit says the plaintiffs are still going to file claims against the archdiocese in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The church has incorporated parishes separately in recent years, a tactic that critics maintain is intended to wall off assets at the parish level. The Archdiocese, Defendant Santo Nino Parishes, and Defendant Santo Nino committed numerous incidents of racketeering, specifically, the fraudulent inducement of tuition payments from parents between 2007 and 2016, the new suit states. Said incidents of racketeering occurred with each inducement of tuition payments for any student at Santo Nino. It accuses the defendants of fraud for representing to parents that the Catholic school was creating a safe environment for children. Prior lawsuits have alleged racketeering over sexual abuse, but the fraud allegation is also apparently a new form of legal attack in such cases. The representations were made despite knowledge and/or deliberate disregard for the real and imminent danger posed to their childrens safety, including from Defendant Chavez, and with knowledge and/or deliberate disregard that safety policies would not be followed or appropriately implemented, the suit says. No one at Santo Nino could be immediately reached Thursday. Chavez was convicted on one count of criminal sexual contact after a trial in October, but the jury hung on two other identical counts. He has not been sentenced. Chavez reportedly touched one girls buttocks in 2007 when the girl identified in the suit as Jane Doe 1 was in his first grade class. The girl reported the touching to Vaisa, the principal, in 2012, but Chavez was not charged at that time and continued to work at the school. Defendant Vaisa suggested it was appropriate for Jane Doe 1 to remain silent rather than further openly discuss the sexual assaults of Defendant Chavez and informed Jane Doe 1 that Defendant Chavez could lose his job if Jane Doe 1 was mistaken, the lawsuit says. Defendant Vaisa further expressed concern that Santo Nino would go viral, colloquially meaning that the school would potentially become notorious for the ongoing sexual abuse occurring within its walls if Jane Doe 1 told anyone else Defendant Chavez had sexually assaulted her. Another girl said Chavez touched her private area when he tucked in her shirt in January 2016. This is the incident for which Chavez was convicted. According to the lawsuit, it was school policy for students to have their shirts tucked in, and teachers were instructed to tuck in a students shirt if it was not. An environment which permits and encourages non-parental adults to reach into the pants and/or skirts of minor children encourages and/or greatly increases the opportunity to commit these vile sexual offenses against minor children placed in the care of Defendants and the Archdiocese, the lawsuit states. A man wanted in connection to a Massachusetts homicide was arrested by New Mexico State Police near Lordsburg on Thursday. State Police spokesman Dusty Francisco said 27-year-old Gilfrey Gregory, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested near Lordsburg and has been booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center. Francisco did not have any details about the murder. He said State Police received a tip around noon that Gregory was traveling through New Mexico and found him driving on Interstate 10 soon after. Officers conducted a high-risk felony traffic stop on the vehicle and Gregory was taken into custody without incident, Francisco said. He said Gregory was with his five children, ages ranging from 3 to 17, when he was arrested. The children were placed into the custody of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department. Businesses are concerned about the health of their employees. They are concerned when employees have to walk by addicts with needles sticking out of their arms aggressively begging for spare change. They are concerned when violently aggressive mentally ill people approach customers, and employees have to ask them to move on. They are concerned when hostile addicts park themselves in restrooms for hours doing who knows what when employees are the ones who have to clean up the mess. So, yes, they are concerned about their employees health. To imply otherwise is irresponsible and inaccurate. They are concerned when workers have to repeatedly clean up needles and human waste on their property. Owners are concerned for their employees safety! Where is the city and county while all of this is happening? Are they passing laws that make this behavior illegal? Are they ensuring that the mentally ill get the help they need? Are they keeping violent offenders from visiting the same neighborhood and businesses again and again? No. They are busy banning plastic and making criminals out of tax-paying employers with their one-sided sick-leave-for-all initiative. Are they really that out of touch with whats going on in our city? Do county commissioners really they think our employees are clamoring for paid sick days? Our employees want relief from the crime and daily deluge of deranged addicts that threaten them in the parking lot and businesses they work in. Our employees, like the rest of us, want to feel safe in their city. Maybe the county commissioners should take this into consideration when they put together ordinances that punish employers rather than doing something, anything, to curb the violence in Albuquerque. For the hard-working people in our city and county, banning plastic and mandating overreaching sick leave isnt the priority when they are afraid to come to work, and when crime is preventing the success of their employers by scaring away customers. The city refuses to hire more police aides because it doesnt want its employees to deal with offenders plagued by addiction, mental illness and violence, but it is perfectly happy making restaurant employees deal with them. The county commission has an obligation and money to provide a behavioral health center to deal with this population, but instead commissioners make busy work passing yet another unfunded mandate on the businesses that are doing their best just to stay afloat. Tell the Bernalillo County Commission it is out of touch and tell commissioners to vote no on sick leave and plastics, and start focusing on real problems plaguing our community! The life-changing work that we do through the New Mexico State University Foundation Inc. is only possible with the collective giving from many different types of Aggie supporters. Current students, alumni, friends, corporate partners and foundations every type of donor makes a unique impact thats critical to the overall benefit of our students, the NMSU system, and even our state and world. It is our growing number of partnerships with many charitable foundations that ensures NMSUs impact continues and broadens on the state, national and global levels. During our Ignite Aggie Discovery! cash campaign worth $125 million the largest in NMSU history we have earned the trust of 170 foundations that have awarded more than $15.5 million to the NMSU Foundation because these organizations believe NMSU is the perfect conduit to advance important missions and solve urgent problems. Take, for example, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which focuses on helping vulnerable children achieve success by ensuring educational and economic equality. This foundation believes the Graduation for All program at NMSUs Dona Ana Community College is doing exactly that and awarded funding to enhance the integrated services the campus has available for low-income students who also have children under the age of eight. The Thornburg Foundation has three strategic initiatives, two of which are being met at NMSU Early Childhood Education, and Farm and Agriculture. Thornburg has supported several programs led by NMSU researchers, like sustainable agriculture soil research, and the commercial production of landrace and heirloom corn by small farms for niche markets. The foundation also boosted a College of Education apprenticeship program, helping ambitious graduate students obtain a masters degree in education as they work toward their early childhood teaching licenses. Then, we have the Hunt Family Foundation that has led the way in supporting NMSUs entrepreneurial pursuits. Through the Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship at Arrowhead Center, students are finding the proper training needed for their start-up businesses, which will eventually boost the regional economy with job creation throughout the Borderplex. More locally, our partnership with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation has enhanced programs across the NMSU system that benefit New Mexico communities and families right away. Several outreach initiatives have helped kids get active, taught families how to eat healthier and reduced tobacco use in southern New Mexico. The Daniels Fund, which dedicates its efforts to the people of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, has found NMSU a resource to make that mission come true. The organization has created scholarships to help non-traditional students return to school and navigate the NMSU system. The Daniels Fund also started the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative housed in the College of Business that not only reaches students, but also provides ethics training for state employees, as well as K-12 programs at Arrowhead Center in entrepreneurship, teamwork, ethics and financial literacy. We are incredibly grateful for these outstanding foundations, along with those not listed, that continue to use and expand the impact of NMSUs talent and programs, and enrich the communities of our state and world. Through their gifts and yours, we will continue to get closer to meeting our Ignite Aggie Discovery! goal of $125 million to support NMSU students, faculty, staff and our great state of New Mexico. Make your gift today at https://ignite.nmsu.edu. ERIE, Colo. Usually, when a person yells rat!, theyre cursing vermin, not praising a dog. But when you take part in a Barn Hunt, the objective is for your dog to sniff out a heavy, perforated tube containing a live rat hidden among straw bales, and not to be fooled by decoys that contain only used rat bedding. When the handler thinks the dog has found one, she calls rat! and is told by a judge whether the dog was correct. The American Kennel Club, which recognizes the sport, says the rats are protected and unharmed. Laura Lane of Fort Collins, Colorado, has tried many activities with her three dogs nose work, agility and different types of obedience work but turned to rat finding because I wanted something I could do with all three of my dogs, since they all have very different interests. I accompanied Lane to Country Road Ratting in Erie, about 25 miles north of Denver. In a covered barn, we stood around a 24-foot square ring with straw bales arranged to form pathways, platforms and tunnels. A table outside the ring held a bin with four 10-inch-long PVC tubes punched with small holes and capped at both ends. Each housed one of the trainers pet rats and some nesting material to keep it comfortable. Another bin held tubes that appeared identical, but contained only used bedding. We arrived with a motley crew: Lanes 3-year-old schnauzer mix, her 9-year-old Spanish water dog with neck and knee issues, her 13-year-old German wire hair pointer who is now mostly deaf, and my 5-year-old German shepherd mutt with terrible hips. Barn Hunts are designed to test dogs speed, agility, footing, hunt drive, scenting ability and responsiveness to instructions. Robin Nuttall created the first Barn Hunt in 2013 as an activity for working dogs of various breeds and abilities. She wondered whether her miniature pinscher had originally been bred to control rats and mice. I wanted to prove these dogs could still work, Nuttall said in a phone interview from her home in Columbia, Missouri. Today, there are 284 Barn Hunt Association clubs with more than 38,000 registered dogs throughout the United States, Canada and Norway. Titles are recognized by the AKC and others. AKC spokeswoman Brandi T. Hunter said those participating in rat-finding games should do it only with a reputable organization to ensure that the rats, and the dogs, are protected. The rats are not harmed or stressed in any way due to the fact that there is no actual hunting of the rats. They are safely secured in aerated plastic tubes that keep them protected and are often beloved pets who go home to loving families, she said. The Humane Society of the United States said through spokeswoman Kirsten Peek that it was unfamiliar with rat-finding games. She added that the society believes that rats, like all animals, deserve to live free from torment and cruelty. Nuttall said she keeps a close watch on the clubs, and has expelled two that didnt meet her guidelines for rat care and cleanliness. I personally really love rats. They are smart, tough, sweet animals, she said. Lane, who had pet rats as a youngster, said she felt comfortable participating in the sport at Country Road Ratting, which isnt affiliated with Barn Hunt. If I thought the rat was in any danger or unhappy, I wouldnt do it, she said. For most events, dogs must pass through an 18-inch-wide tunnel, climb onto the bales and find some number of rats. When a dog finds a tube, the tube is removed by a rat wrangler, who oversees the humane treatment of the rodents. The tube is always supposed to be carried horizontally so the rat isnt upended. While my dogs bad hips will never allow him to compete, his tail wags and kisses indicated he had fun demonstrating an innate ability to track a scent. It was interesting to see how different dogs performed. The schnauzer would have been happy just to jump up and down on the bales rather than look for the rats. When she located one, she sat silently and looked up at Lane, a cue theyve been working on. Her pointer, on the other hand, was much more the hunter. When he found a tube hidden under loose straw, he would dig for it, and then lick and bite at the sturdy tube until the wrangler quickly removed it. At the end of our lesson, our instructor, Courtney Taylor, offered to show us what it looks like when a dog goes through a course approximating a master challenge. At that level, eight tubes are hidden; one to five of them contain rats, but the handler doesnt know how many. The tunnel has between two and five 90-degree turns, and the bales are stacked three high in some areas. Taylor let her own mixed-breed terrier off his leash and he was off, tail wagging while he searched nooks and sniffed behind bales, barking confidently each time he found one of four hidden rat tubes. Rat, good boy and a quick back scratch were Taylors responses. For most of the event, she stood quietly near the gate with her arms behind her back. At one point, she walked to the far end and pointed toward the more difficult of the courses two tunnels, prompting the terrier to sprint through. Once he emerged, the dog quickly searched the ring one last time. Satisfied there were no more rat tubes, he ran back to the gate and sat down. Taylor called clear and the clock was stopped with half of the 4 minutes and 30 seconds allowed still remaining. While my dog had fun, it was obvious Taylors terrier truly was a master rat finder. A 2nd Judicial District judge ruled Thursday that a man accused in the death of his infant daughter can move across the country to live with family until his trial, according to court records. Judge Christina Argyres granted the motion allowing 39-year-old Moses Johnson to move to Pennsylvania without GPS monitoring or drug testing. Johnson currently faces one count of intentional abuse of a child resulting in death and two counts of abuse of a child in the April 9 death of his 11-month-old baby at the San Mateo Inn and Suites. Johnson initially told police the baby drowned in the hotel pool accidently. He then changed his story, saying he left her strapped in a car seat beside a running shower while he had sex, smoked weed and fell asleep in the next room. When he checked on her eight hours later, the baby was facedown in the tub and dead. District Attorneys Office spokesman Michael Patrick said Argyres granted the motion over the objection of prosecutors to reconsider his condition of release. Court records detail prosecutors arguments against the decision, calling Johnson a flight risk. Per his own admissions, he has limited family ties in Albuquerque and is seeking emotional support with his grandmother out of state, the documents state. There are resources available in Bernalillo County regarding emotional support, housing, and employments that can be explored to address the defendants needs during the pendency of the case. First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva visited Children's Arts School No. 2 named after Vagif Mustafazade in Yasamal district, Baku. Azerbaijan's Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev informed her of the school. Established in 1940, the school was named after Vagif Mustafazade in 1985. The Children's Arts School currently enrolls 385 pupils who are served by 78 teachers. The school building has not been repaired so far. Mehriban Aliyeva instructed that repair and reconstruction work should be carried out in the school, AzerTAc reported. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal More than 265 people have come forward since March to file confidential claims seeking damages for childhood sexual abuse by priests and other Catholic clergy members as part of the ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy case filed by the archdiocese of Santa Fe. The number could easily top 300 by Mondays deadline for filing claims in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Mexico. To stem the financial drain from clergy child sex abuse lawsuits, the archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in December and disclosed on its website that nearly 300 claims from survivors had already been settled through mediation over the past 25 years. The ongoing bankruptcy case offers some indication though not definitive of the extent of damage inflicted by predator priests and other clergy members in the archdiocese, New Mexicos largest. There has been this ongoing and pervasive history of abuse that was covered up for quite literally decades in the state, Albuquerque attorney Cammie Nichols said. So Im sure the actual number of people who were victimized and sexually abused is probably quite a bit larger than the number of people who actually file claims. So to me, this number is not really surprising. But I think its really just sort of the tip of the iceberg. Nichols said her firm will be filing 30 to 40 claims before the 5 p.m. deadline on Monday. Albuquerque attorney Brad Hall, who has settled more than 100 priest sexual abuse cases since 2011, said his law firm has submitted about 115 claims on behalf of newly disclosed victims. At the time of the bankruptcy filing, the archdiocese was facing about three dozen lawsuits or claims from survivors. Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester said that insurance has paid a substantial portion of settlements in the past but that the bankruptcy filing would help ensure a global resolution so all claims of child abuse survivors can be settled fairly and equitably. An attorney representing the archdiocese in the bankruptcy action didnt return a Journal phone call this week. After Monday, the claims will subject to a mediation process that is likely to include the formation of a separate trust for unknown or future claims. Once there is a number on June 18, everybody will know how many claimants there are going to be, then the case will turn toward figuring out how much money goes in the pot and where it comes from, attorney Hall told the Journal. Setting aside the issue of schools and hospitals and churches, everything else should be available and, given the rhetoric of the archbishop and the pope, Im assuming they want to make as complete reparations as they can to communities that have been destroyed for 50 years, Hall said. Claims filed by survivors are sealed. But Bankruptcy Court records show a claim was filed this week by the Servants of the Paraclete, which ran a treatment center for priests around the country who had various afflictions, including compulsive sexual abuse of children. The center closed in 1995. Hall said nearly 30 percent of his priest sexual abuse cases have involved clergy who abused children in parishes and schools in New Mexico after being treated at the Jemez Springs center. In May, Halls firm filed four lawsuits against the Servants of the Paraclete alleging outrageous conduct in failing to prevent three priests from out-of-state parishes from continuing to molest children in New Mexico. An Albuquerque attorney who filed the claim for the Servants of the Paraclete didnt return a Journal phone call Thursday. According to the claim addendum, the Servants of the Paraclete wanted to preserve its rights in the bankruptcy action. For many priest abuse victims, the deadline imposed in the bankruptcy case is completely arbitrary, Hall said. Some who were abused as children have been urged by family members to file claims, Hall said. But other survivors who have kept their abuse secret for decades may need some other trigger to come forward. Hall said some who have approached his office in recent months didnt even realize there was a bankruptcy case, despite notices published by the archdiocese and in-state and out-of-state lawyer media advertising. One advertisement in the Journal features photos of four former New Mexico priests who are among the 78 clergymen identified by the archdiocese has having been credibly accused of sexually abusing children. The ad says in part, New Mexico Children were sexually abused by Catholic priests over many decades. It is time to hold the church responsible and compensate the victims. Typically, victims turn to attorneys to file their claims for them, because its not an easy process to fill one (a claim form) out with accurate and well-thought out information, Hall said. His firm has spent four to five hours researching each claim, he added. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Sammy M. Lopez, a long time New Mexican media leader, has been appointed as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Press Association. The announcement was made by NMPA President Leota Brigida Harriman, who commented, We are pleased to have retained the forward-looking services of this native New Mexican with a lifetime of experience in journalism and newspapers. Lopez has served as a publisher for newspapers in Las Cruces, Farmington, Carlsbad, Ruidoso, Deming and Fort Sumner. All these newspapers are currently members of the New Mexico Press Association. Lopez also served in executive capacities with World West, where he was group manager for eight newspapers in three states, as well as Civitas Media, where in addition to managing six daily and two weekly newspapers he was instrumental in launching four real estate websites supported by four magazines. Newspapers he led have been awarded four times with first place wins as NMPA General Excellence; the Daily Times in Farmington was recognized by Columbia University in 2008 for its diversity coverage and editorials; and in 2017 the Daily Times, again under his leadership, won Gannett Division III Breaking News Award for its coverage of an Aztec, NM high school shooting. Lopez was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame in 2010 and served on the Board for the Foundation for Open Government and in 2008 was given the Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award. Lopez, a lifetime Rotary member and Paul Harris Fellow said, I love New Mexico and am excited to be back helping newspapers in the land of enchantment. DENVER Prosecutors say three Colorado sheriffs deputies were justified when they shot and killed an 18-year-old man in the Denver suburb of Centennial. The Denver Post reports Allen Fanning was shot 10 times when the Arapahoe County deputies say he pointed a gun at them following a car chase Nov. 15. Multiple deputies pursued Fanning after being called to a tire shop on a report of a disturbance a confrontation between Fanning and 43-year-old Shawn Tyree Glover. Glover told investigators Fanning was having an affair with his wife and he went to the shop to confront her and Fanning. Glover says Fanning pointed a handgun at him before driving away. Vicki Klingensmith, Arapahoe Countys chief deputy district attorney, says the deputies reasonably feared for their lives when they opened fire. ___ Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com VATICAN CITY Some of the worlds major oil producers pledged Friday to support economically meaningful carbon pricing regimes after a personal appeal from Pope Francis to avoid perpetrating a brutal act of injustice against the poor and future generations. The companies, including ExxonMobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Chevron and Eni, said in a joint statement at the end of a Vatican climate summit that governments should set such pricing regimes at a level that encourages business and investment, while minimizing the costs to vulnerable communities and supporting economic growth. The CEOs, as well as leaders of major asset managers such as BlackRock and BNP Paribas, also called for companies to provide investors with clarity about the risks climate change poses to their businesses and how they plan to transition to cleaner energy sources. The joint statement was issued at the end of a closed-door summit in the Vatican gardens, the second time the Holy See has convened the worlds petroleum leaders for private talks on climate change, scientific research and the moral imperative to save Gods creation. Francis attended Fridays session and told the gathering that a radical energy transition to clean, low-carbon power sources was needed and that if managed well, would generate new jobs, reduce inequality and improve the quality of life for those affected by climate change. Faced with a climate emergency, we must take action accordingly, in order to avoid perpetrating a brutal act of injustice toward the poor and future generations, he said. He praised the executives in particular for taking on the core issue of carbon pricing, which he said was necessary for humanity to use the resources of creation wisely and not burden the poor and future generations with the debt incurred by the rich. In their joint statement, the CEOs said Reliable and economically meaningful carbon pricing regimes, whether based on tax, trading mechanisms or other market-based measures, should be set by governments at a level that incentivizes business practices while minimizing the costs to vulnerable communities and supporting economic growth. The pledge comes ahead of a European Union summit next week at which leaders will discuss the blocs efforts to combat climate change including a proposal to stop adding carbon to the atmosphere by 2050. While the announcement refers to the 2015 Paris accords goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial times, experts say capping the rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7F) would be safer. The Carbon Tracker Initiative, a London-based group that examines the impact the shift away from fossil fuels has on financial markets, welcomed the Vatican announcement. It is important that many of the worlds largest publicly traded oil and gas companies and many of the worlds largest investors have endorsed carbon pricing regimes, the groups executive director, Mark Campanale, said in a statement. Critically, asset owners with trillions of dollars under management are also calling for company disclosures of meaningful and material information on plans and investments in the energy transition, he added. Outside the summit, around half-a-dozen protesters held up signs urging the oil executives to listen to the pope. The meeting was held under unusual secrecy even by Vatican standards, with the program and guest list initially unpublished. A few executives confirmed their presence ahead of time, including the chief executives of BP and Eni, Bob Dudley and Claudio Descalzi. On the BP blog, Dudley wrote this week that the meeting was coming at an urgent time, with BPs own latest survey showing carbon emissions grew by 2% last year, even as experts say they have to dramatically decrease to meet standards set by the 2015 Paris climate accord. Enis Descalzi said in a statement that four years after Paris, its clear we have to change pace. Progress has been insufficient and the emissions continue to grow. The summit was co-organized by the University of Notre Dame, whose president, the Rev. John Jenkins, praised the commitment taken by the industry leaders. The commitments taken wont solve the problem themselves, he said. But theyre extremely important first steps toward doing that. Francis has dedicated a major teaching document to the environment and is expected to press his case at a Vatican meeting of Amazon bishops later this year. ___ Jordans reported from Berlin. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal NBCUniversal is planting roots in New Mexico. Over the last several years, the media giant has cultivated a relationship by housing a handful of shows in the state. It spent millions building the set for Midnight, Texas on the backlot of Albuquerque Studios four years ago. And now its taking things to the next level. State and city of Albuquerque officials announced on Friday that NBCUniversal is entering into a 10-year venture with Garcia Realty and Development to renovate and redevelop a warehouse, which is located at 1601 Commercial Street NE, into a state-of-the art TV and film studio. When the more than $4 million renovation is complete, the studio will have two sound stages, offices and a mill. NBCUniversal is committing to a production spend of $500 million over a decade to create projects in Albuquerque. In addition, NBCUniversal and Garcia Realty and Development will jointly locate lighting, grip and transportation operations at the facility. According to the deal, NBCUniversal will have more than 330 full-time jobs year-round at its New Mexico hub, generating an economic impact of $1.1 billion over 10 years. We want to be the center of film and TV outside of Los Angeles and New York, said Alicia J. Keyes, N.M. secretary of Economic Development. It feels great that we have partners and they are committing to be providing consistent jobs. The state of New Mexico Economic Development Department is providing $7.7 million through the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) and the city of Albuquerque is pledging another $3 million from its LEDA fund which has a current balance of $7.4 million to the redevelopment and production commitment. Much of that money will go toward lease payment reimbursements. Documents show NBCUniversals total lease payments related to this project will be $1.17 million a year. The city of Albuquerque will act as the fiscal agent for the funding and the City Council is set to vote on it Monday. City Councilor Isaac Benton, who represents the district where the studio is located, said he supports the allocation and believes it is a wise investment. Its what LEDA was made for to help deals like this go forward, he said. Should NBCUniversal cease operations in the first five years of the agreement, it would have to pay back all of the LEDA money it had received up to that point. If it leaves during the second half of the agreement, it pays back a portion of the public money received. The company would also incur a financial penalty if its direct and indirect spending fails to reach at least $225 million by the end of 2023 and if the amount does not hit $500 million by Dec. 31, 2029. The agreement requires annual reporting to the city starting in 2021, and Synthia Jaramillo, the citys Economic Development director, said her office has a an entire team devoted to ensuring companies meet their obligations under incentive packages. The NBCUniversal deal comes nearly eight months after Netflix purchased Albuquerque Studios to make it a production hub. Netflix also received LEDA funding totaling $14.5 million. This is the next pillar in developing a strong film industry, Keyes said. I want there to be at least one more. Ed Garcia of Garcia Realty and Development said the Netflix deal forced other companies to find new filming locations, which led to his familys deal with NBCUniversal. When Netflix bought Albuquerque Studios, there was going to be a shortage of first quality production space available, he said. The major players were scrambling and, fortunately, we were able to hopefully fill some of the void in the market. New Mexico upped the ante with a new package of film and TV incentives that were passed by lawmakers during this years 60-day legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in March. The package raises a 2011 cap on what the state can pay out to film and TV productions from $50 million to $110 million per year. Film companies receive a 25% rebate on qualifying expenditures on goods and services in New Mexico. Theres a 30% rebate for some TV shows. In addition to the new provisions for film productions in rural parts of New Mexico, the bill signed into law this year has some carve-outs for companies that make a commitment to stay in the state for at least 10 years. Both Netflix and NBCUniversal are not subject to the $110 million cap. At the news conference on Friday, the governor praised the work of the film industry one which she has been a champion. New Mexico is the place to be for the future of the film and TV industry, Lujan Grisham said. Im incredibly excited to announce today NBCUniversal has chosen to plant their flag here in New Mexico, establishing a world-class production facility in Albuquerque. The deal has been months in the making. The idea for studio space began with communications last October between Keyes and Carrie Henderson, senior vice president of productions at NBCUniversal. Carrie wanted to move here and told me to find her somewhere to live, Keyes said. It was around the same time Carlos Garcia showed me this facility. She wanted to see it and saw how extraordinary it was. Henderson is currently overseeing production of USA Networks Briarpatch, which begins filming Monday at the facility. I personally fell in love with the place and as we were doing location scouting, there are pockets of the city that are quite amazing, Henderson said. I remember saying to someone, you dont need a heavy duty production designer here. Henderson said Albuquerque was the perfect choice since its an emerging city. For filmmakers, were always looking for places that are emerging rather than already established, Henderson said. We like to be part of that and establishing a city as a film hub. Garrett Kemble, vice president of development at NBCUniversal, said the company has cultivated a strong relationship with the New Mexico film industry. We come here a lot and its a specific place when it comes to the diversity and the culture, Kemble said. Its a real cinematic landscape for the things that we make and thats incredibly exciting for us. Kemble said the studio facility is going to make NBCUniversal increase its production in Albuquerque. So often when were looking for a place to film, its about finding enough crew and enough space, Kemble said. Albuquerque has a great crew and this is going to give us more space. NBCUniversal deal Warehouse was constructed in 1976 for Richards Distributing; sold to Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits. Largely vacant since 2017. There will be two soundstages, offices and mill space. City of Albuquerque completed street improvements, curbs and sidewalks. LED solar street lights will be installed. The 300-plus workers employed by NBCU will earn an average wage of $58,000 and support another 497 indirect workers with an average wage of $41,000. NBCUniversal will develop a marketing strategy with the state and city to promote Albuquerque and New Mexico. The value will be in excess of $500,000 per year. NBCUniversal will provide at least $55,000 per year to fund existing workforce development initiatives in the state. NBCUniversals director mentorship program will provide a stipend to an aspiring director from the local community who will shadow a director for a period of one to three episodes, including pre- and post-production. GENEVA Thousands of women across Switzerland walked off the job, burned bras and blocked traffic Friday in a day of demonstrations to demand fairer pay, more equality and an end to sexual harassment and violence. It was the first such protests in the Alpine nation in 28 years. Discontent over sexism and workplace inequality in prosperous Switzerland underpinned the womens strike. Many protesters were also demanding more pay specifically for domestic workers, teachers and caregivers jobs typically held by women. Swiss female lawmakers mostly decked out in purple, the movements color streamed out of parliament Friday in the capital of Bern, where several thousand women were demonstrating, public broadcaster RTS reported. Hundreds of marchers also blocked roads near the main train station in Zurich, the countrys financial center. Demonstrators in Genevas Parc Bertrand hoisted a banner showing that only 8% of jobs in engineering were held by women in Switzerland, in contrast to 91% of the countrys domestic help jobs. The Swiss Federal Statistics office says women on average earned 12% less than men for similar work the so-called gender pay gap as of 2016, the latest figures available. In late afternoon in Geneva, thousands spread out on the citys landmark Plainpalais square in a sea of purple chanting, waving flags and holding up defiant signs like one that read: Dont touch my uterus. Earlier in Lausanne, hundreds of women rallied at the citys cathedral around midnight Thursday and marched downtown to set wooden pallets on fire, throwing items like neckties and bras into the inferno. A few women scaled the cathedral to shout out the hour, a Swiss tradition rarely carried out by women. In Lucerne, hundreds of women staged a sit-down protest in front of the citys theater, according to the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, and some of the papers female reporters joined in. People across the country wore face paint or stickers. In symbolic gestures large and small, businesses showed their support for the protests. The Roche Tower in Basel, the northwestern citys highest skyscraper, lit up in the logo of the movement. Restaurants and stores hung purple balloons and the strikers logos. Swiss women were urged to leave their workplaces at 3:24 p.m. the time when organizers figured women should stop working to earn proportionally as much as men in a day. Vanessa Trub, a Geneva pastor and vice president of a city association of ministers and deacons, said protesters on Friday were also demanding longer paternity leave now just one day in Switzerland to get men to help out more with child care. The International Labour Organization reported recently that Switzerland is one of the worst nations in Europe and Central Asia when it comes to the post-high school education gap between the sexes, especially in the STEM science fields. The Swiss statistics office also says of the 249 homicides recorded in the country between 2009 and 2018, 75% of the victims were women and girls. Fridays events evoked the protests on June 14, 1991, that drew hundreds of thousands of Swiss women out to condemn discrimination. The date was 20 years after Swiss women won the federal right to vote and a decade after sexual equality became law. One Swiss region, Appenzell Innerrhoden, did not allow all Swiss women to vote in local elections until it was ordered by a court to do so in 1990. The Green New Deal isnt about doing away with cows or airline travel, according to one of the bills sponsors. Thats not it at all, said U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, who dismissed such talk as crazy things. She and fellow New Mexico Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, however, said the nation needed to take climate change seriously. And they arent alone among the New Mexico congressional delegation expressing that opinion. Their Democratic colleagues in the Senate, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, were among 45 in that chamber to sponsor legislation last week to direct the Trump administration to meet the standards established by the historic Paris Climate Agreement. We need to tackle climate change, Haaland said at a recent event in Albuquerque. Its very clear we have a little more than a decade to make the changes we need to. If you talk to people who say, My village in Alaska is going to be under water in about 10 years, weve got to locate to a new place we take that situation seriously. Haaland called on the state to be a leader in the expansion of renewal energy, citing the states potential with wind energy. She also said New Mexico could be a leader in renewable energy, while also being among the leading producers of oil and gas in the country. Revenue from the oil and gas industry is a major contributor to the state budget. I dont think just because the Permian Basin and the San Juan Basin are producing lots of fossil fuel right now, that absolves us of our responsibility to pursue renewable energy in our state, she said. She and Lujan, however, expressed concerns about methane emissions by the industry in the state. Its creating less healthier environments in those communities, Lujan said. How can you live there, raise those animals there? Weve got to take action. Haaland said the oil and gas industry has a responsibility to run a clean industry. They need to spend the money to make sure they are not polluting our air, Haaland said. New Mexico Oil and Gas Association communications director Robert McEntyre said the industry is trying to do just that. He pointed to Environmental Protection Agency statistics that show the industry is improving when it comes to methane emissions. The industry is getting better at reducing its methane footprint, he said. He also concedes more needs to be done, and said the industry is looking for ways to do so, and still remain a growing industry. McEntyre also pointed to an op-ed by NMOGA Executive Director Ryan Flynn that stated the industry would be a willing partner with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration in working to reduce the emissions, not only in the state, but nationwide. Were willing to take a seat at the table, McEntyre said. Among other measures Lujan would like to see taken on climate change is a return to the Paris Climate Agreement. The bill sponsored by Udall and Heinrich directs the Trump administration to develop a strategic plan for the country to meet its commitment under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, which the United States joined with nearly 200 other nations. COLUMBUS, Ohio Lawyers suing over the toll of opioids asked a judge Friday to allow a structure for all 25,000 municipal and county governments in the U.S. to be paid if a settlement can be reached with companies that make and distribute powerful prescription painkillers. The approach, if approved, would create dueling negotiating systems as state governments are also in collective settlement negotiations with the drug industry. The unified approach on behalf of municipalities would also help the manufacturers and distributors by defining a finalized group of entities benefiting from a settlement, said Joseph Rice, a South Carolina-based attorney representing local governments in the complaint. If youre a corporation trying to address this problem, you need to get closure, you need to put it behind you, Rice said in an interview Friday. If youre going to put significant resources into the resolution, youve got to know its behind you. The only way to do that is to get releases from everybody thats got a potential claim. The action would also help address a problem that is widespread and reaches across city and county lines, Rice said. Providing assistance from a settlement to one county doesnt help the people in a neighboring town, he said. These pills have wheels, they move around, Rice said, citing the documented cases of pain pills obtained in Florida being taken to West Virginia. The motion filed Friday requests the creation of a negotiating class for the specific purpose of creating a unified body to enter into further negotiations with defendants, according to the filing. It is neither aimed at being the vehicle for litigation or settlement. Hundreds of local governments and other entities, such as hospitals, have accused pharmaceutical companies of downplaying the addictive nature of opioids and prescription painkillers largely blamed for one of the deadliest drug crises in U.S. history. Opioids include prescription and illicit drugs. The complaints are being overseen by Cleveland-based U.S. District Judge Dan Polster. He previously ruled that lawsuits filed by the Ohio counties of Cuyahoga, which includes Cleveland, and Summit County, which includes Akron, will be heard first this October. A trial on claims made by West Virginias Huntington and Cabell counties will be next, followed by Cleveland and Akrons claims. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says opioids are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2017, according to the agency. Attorneys general fighting for compensation in separate legal actions are likely to have mixed reactions to the filing, said Paul Nolette, a Marquette University political scientist. With the lone exception of Nebraska, every state has sued, filed administrative charges or promised to sue the companies blamed for the national crisis, which played a role in the deaths of more than 390,000 Americans from 2000 through 2017. On one hand, the move could complicate things for the states, which see themselves as negotiating both on their behalf and communities within the state, said Nolette, who studies attorneys general. On the other, some may welcome the pressure that a giant class of communities puts on drug makers and distributors to settle. Many municipalities felt left out of states 1998 $200 billion-plus settlement with tobacco companies, Nolette said, especially after some states diverted their share to fill budget holes instead of paying for anti-smoking programs. At least in this litigation, the municipalities are saying, No, thats not good enough. We want our own voice, Nolette said. In Ohio, the state has sued drug makers and distributors in separate court actions. Attorney General David Yost on Friday called communities request for their own negotiating class an extraordinary process and a novel approach. Were examining it very closely to make sure it is fair and appropriate for Ohioans and complies with the law, Yost said in a statement. ___ Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in New Jersey contributed to this report. NEW YORK Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner took in as much as $135 million in revenue during their second year as aides to President Donald Trump, generated from their vast real estate holdings, stocks and bonds and even a book deal, according to their financial disclosures released Friday. Ivanka Trumps stake in her familys Washington, D.C., hotel down the street from the Oval Office generated $3.95 million in revenue in 2018, barely changed from a year earlier. The hotel, a favorite gathering spot for foreign diplomats and lobbyists, is at the center of two federal lawsuits claiming Donald Trump is violating the Constitutions ban on foreign government payments to the president. Another big Ivanka Trump holding, a trust that includes her personal business selling handbags, shoes and accessories, generated at least $1 million in revenue in 2018, down from at least $5 million the year before. Ivanka Trump announced in July of last year that she planned to close her fashion company to focus on her work as a White House adviser for her father. The disclosure for her husband, Jared Kushner, shows that he took in hundreds of thousands of dollars from his holdings of New York City apartments and that he owns a stake in the real estate investment firm Cadre worth at least $25 million. The disclosures released by the White House and filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics show minimum revenue for the couple of $28 million last year generated from assets valued at more than $180 million. The disclosures filed by federal government officials each year show revenue, assets and debts in broad ranges between low and high estimates, making it difficult to precisely chart the rise and fall of business and financial holdings. Among the dozens of sources of income for Ivanka Trump was a $263,500 book advance for Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success, published in 2017. Trump has pledged to donate royalties to her charitable fund. Kushners holdings of apartment buildings through his family real estate firm, Kushner Cos., were the source of much of his income. Westminster Management, the family business overseeing its rental buildings, generated $1.5 million. Separately, one of the familys marquee holdings, the iconic Puck Building in the Soho section of Manhattan, generated as much as $6 million in rent. Among other properties cited in the disclosure was a former warehouse-turned-luxury-condominium in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn that brought in more than $350,000 in sale proceeds and rent. Former and current tenants in the building have filed a suit against the Kushner Cos. alleging it used noisy, dusty construction to make living conditions unbearable in an effort to push them out so their apartments could be sold. The Kushner Cos. has said the suit is without merit. Cadre has also drawn conflict-of-interest questions. It launched a fund to take advantage of massive tax breaks by investing in downtrodden areas designated Opportunity Zones, a Trump administration program pushed by both Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Also, this month the Guardian newspaper reported that Cadre received $90 million in foreign funding from an opaque offshore vehicle since Kushner entered the White House. Kushner lawyer Abbe Lowell did not immediately respond to an email and phone message seeking comment. Kushner appears to have cut his debt. He had loans and lines of credit worth at least $27 million at the end of last year, down from a minimum value of $40 million the previous year. His lenders include Bank of America, Citi Group and Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank is also a major lender to President Trumps company and has been subpoenaed by congressional investigators looking into his finances. Both Kushner and his wife took steps to distance themselves from their businesses before taking on their roles as unpaid White House advisers. Kushner stepped down as CEO of Kushner Cos. and sold stakes in many holdings, while Ivanka Trump similarly stepped away from executive roles at her companies. FORT WORTH, Texas The Texas mother of the affluenza teen is broke and says she has not had a job because she has been unable to get and/or keep a job due to notoriety, according to court documents she filed Wednesday. Tonya Couch, 52, of Burleson, remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Friday without bail. Couch the mother of a teen who caused a drunken driving crash that killed four people and injured several others in 2013 has been in jail since April. Court documents cite a positive urinalysis drug test. She has been in and out of jail as she awaits trial on charges related to helping her son Ethan Couch escape to Mexico in 2015. On Wednesday, she filed an affidavit of indigency, noting the only item of value she has was a 2006 Ford F-150 valued at $1,500 to $2,000. She listed zero in a bank account with no investment income, stocks, bonds, pension payments, child support or public assistance, according to a court document. Tonya Couch says she is not married and no one has been living with her and she does not support anyone at home. Tonya Couch was arrested in March 2018 when she tested positive for a prohibited substance. She posted her $75,000 bond in May 2018, but was accused of using methamphetamine and rearrested in June 2018. During a bond reduction hearing in August, a judge told Couch she couldnt use drugs and denied the lowering of her bond. New bond conditions were filed in October, but Couch was still barred from using any substances. Couch and her son, Ethan Couch, garnered national attention after a witness at his trial said he suffered from affluenza, meaning that his affluent upbringing and dysfunctional parents kept him from learning right from wrong. Tonya Couch is accused of withdrawing $30,000 from a bank account and hiding with her son in Mexico after he missed a probation appointment in 2015. Ethan Couch was sentenced to 10 years probation in the case but had been jailed for violating the conditions of his probation. He was released from jail in April 2018 after completing his two-year sentence for violating the terms of his probation. He was allowed to remove his GPS monitor in March of this year, but he still must comply with other conditions of his release, according to Tarrant County court documents. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Tehran for attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying the assaults were the latest in a series of hostile actions meant to disrupt the flow of oil. According to him, this assessment is based on "intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation," the WSJ reported. Pompeo also noted that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication. Copyright 2019 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE With the partys first 2020 presidential candidate debate just two weeks away, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Thursday that climate change will get robust treatment in the debates after getting little attention four years ago. Perez, who was in Santa Fe to attend a forum with Democratic Party state chairs from around the nation, has rejected calls to add a debate focused solely on climate change or any other issue to the 12 debates already scheduled. But he said the DNC has been in touch with television networks about ensuring time is spent on climate change during the debates, and he vowed the issue would be discussed early and often. The failure to discuss climate change in 2016 was absolutely unacceptable and unconscionable, Perez told the Journal. Were going to have the most robust discussion in this primary debate cycle that weve ever had, because its important. He also said gun violence, immigration and economic fairness would be featured issues, while describing Democrats large field of candidates as a first-class challenge. During Perezs stop in New Mexico, the DNC announced the 20 candidates who have been invited to take part in the first debate, set for June 26 and 27 in Miami. The invitation list was based on criteria that included polling numbers and campaign fundraising. A former U.S. labor secretary and head of the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division under then-President Barack Obama, Perez was elected Democrats national chairman in February 2017. He said Thursday that the party is confident it will retain the U.S. Senate seat that incumbent Tom Udall is vacating next year, as well as the traditionally Republican-leaning 2nd Congressional District seat in southern New Mexico that U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., won last year. When you win an election, theyre always going to try to come right back, Perez said, referring to Torres Smalls victory last year over Republican Yvette Herrell, who is running again next year for the seat. If its a rematch, were going to win that rematch. State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce has said he believes the GOP is poised 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. However, Perez said Democrats are energized and organized as a result of the 2016 victory of President Donald Trump, who plans to seek re-election. Sometimes it takes an unmitigated disaster to awaken our democracy, and thats whats happened, Perez said. Trumps campaign manager recently said that New Mexico could be in play for 2020, and Perez said Democrats are taking nothing for granted despite sweeping all statewide offices up for election last year, including the Governors Office. Its a very interesting strategy if you want to win New Mexico to demonize and denigrate Mexican Americans, he told the Journal. That dog isnt going to hunt. Amazon India today unveiled its latest campaign Apno ka Saath. The narrative of the campaign brings alive Amazon.ins trusted, one stop shop ethos. The heart-warming campaign reassures that genuine support can always lead to breakthroughs thereby communicating the value of relationships and trust. The story revolves around two brothers who are aiming to set up a home tuition centre in a small town. Their entrepreneurial venture presents various challenges - from looking for the right infrastructure to finding the apt mathematics textbook, much to the dismay of the elder brother. While the elder one frets, the younger brother conveniently finds and orders everything from Amazon.in, eventually realizing their shared vision. This leads them to believe that with Apno ka Saath, you can make anything happen and Amazon.in is Aapki Apni Dukaan, ensuring that every need will be taken care of. Conceptualized by Ogilvy, the Apno ka Saath campaign highlights products across categories, convenience of shopping and reliable delivery in a subtle, non-intrusive style. The campaign will be rolled out across TV, Digital & OOH media in 7 languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi and Bengali. Ravi Desai, Director Mass & Brand Marketing, Amazon India said, We all have some inhibitions while trying something new but we change our perspective when someone we trust shares new information. Keeping this insight in mind, the Apno ka Saath campaign shows the journey of two brothers who trust each other and Amazon.in to get everything they need in one place. N Ramamoorthi, President-Ogilvy Group Companies, South, said, Amazon.in is a trusted shopping destination for millions of customers across the country. The several benefits of shopping on Amazon.in are often introduced to someone by his or her circle of trust. We used this emotional insight of Apno ka saath ho to sab kuch hai aasaan as a true reflection of the role that Amazon.in and its apni dukaan position plays in the lives of customers. CREDIT Agency: Ogilvy Vice Chairman India and COO S.E. Asia: Sonal Dabral Chief Creative Officer: Sukesh Nayak Creative Team: Nilay Moonje, Souvik Banerjee, Sameer Gupta, Vismay Rajendra, Sujith Bose, S. Syamkumar Account Management Team: N Ramamoorrthi, Kiran Ramamurthy, Kamala Gowri, Ajay Kumar, Tulika Sahu Planning: Anirban Roy, Prashant Halbe Production House: RPF (North) Blackbox (south) Director: Suresh Triveni (north); Krishna Kumar (south) Prayagh Nutri Products (P) Ltd., one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of confectioneries, has appointed L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as its strategy and creative partner. Prior to this, Lavian did not have any agency relationship. The brand alignment decision was made without going through the pitch process. Since its inception, confectioneries leader Lavian is known for its vast portfolio of candies & confectioneries ranging from flavoured candies to milk based lacto bonbons, eclairs, chocolate-coated wafers, plain & moulded cakes, truffles and gums. The company has a state-of- art plant, which uses the best in class Italian technology to deliver great products and an amazing consumer experience. The company also has a deep network of wholesalers and retailer that cover the entire country, with a separate product portfolio for rural and urban markets. Vinod Lalwani, Executive Director, Prayagh Nutri Products (P) Ltd., a food technologist himself and the man behind the development of the wide portfolio of products. He said, Although we are not a legacy brand, our major strength is to deliver a delightful consumer experience through creating innovative products. My mission is simple, sweeten the world and remove all its bitterness through the Lavian experience. We are extremely delighted to have L&K Saatchi & Saatchi on board as our integrated brand partner. This partnership will help us to provide the necessary push to compete with all the big and well-established bands in the country. Ultimately, we want the consumer to win Anil S. Nair, CEO and Managing Partner, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi India, said, Since that start of the brand journey, Brand Lavian has proven our belief of Nothing is Impossible on brands and business hold true yet again. We are equally excited to be a part of this journey of LAVIANs growth story as it stakes its claim as a powerhouse in the Indian confectionery market. Im going to talk a little bit about the exemption process in New York, which is a little unique in that it is highly exercised .Theres been a ton of litigation here in New York. Ive brought multiple cases, and there was lawyer before me named James Filenbaum, who brought a very important case called Sharon Levy v. Northport . Im going to talk to you a little bit about the school exemption process . What that means is, if youre a parent, and you do not want to vaccinate your child, and you want them to go to a public school, If your child is not vaccinated, you cannot participate in these programs unless you get an exemption. I represent about 10,000 families right now. Weve been very successful. Ive brought about a hundred law suits in vaccine court for vaccine injuries, civil rights cases involving religious exemptions. Im a litigator, and Ive cut my teeth. Im here to help I knew about the constitutional issues involving parental rights I didnt know how big it is and how hard it would beand it has been hard. Its been very, very hard, but rewarding. To be honest with you, I didnt at the time know very much about autism and vaccine injury. Right out of the gate I was flooded with requests from parents seeking religious exemptions to vaccination. Ive been an attorney for fifteen years. The minute I got out of law school, I hung up my shingle, and I was looking at constitutional issues, First Amendment issues, religious freedom things that were very important to me personally. By Anne Dachel Welcome to a two part Skype talk with New York attorney Patricia Finn. Patricia explains her work in vaccine court representing children injured by vaccines, and she advises parents seeking a religious or medical vaccine exemption in New York State. [The judges] decision in Sharon Levy changed the complexion of how one obtains a religious exemption throughout the country, even though it was a New York case. Judge Wexler basically said thatthe statutes used to say you had to be a member of a religion in those religions, there are specific tenets about not defiling blood and using prayer for healing over medication. That was a very important case because after that ruling by Judge Wexler, you no longer had to be a Christian Scientist What you had to do was to have sincerely held religious beliefs contrary to the practice of vaccinating. And therein lies the rub. There are about 20 states in which you can get a philosophical exemption for vaccines. In those states you basically sign a formand you get a vaccination waiver. In three states, California, W. Virginia, and Mississippi, you can only get a medical exemption. And if youre in one of those states, its unfortunate because, as you know, our good friend Dr. [Bob] Sears had given a medical exemption and he was prosecuted by the medical board for doing that. The reason Im telling you that is, the medical exemptions, theyre not easy to get, and doctors do not want to give them. In New York you have to have a specific contra indication to a specific vaccine. What that means is, your doctor just cant write a note and say, this child has autism and therefore should not be vaccinated. You would never get that approved. The medical exemption would have to say something like, this child has a yeast allergy or an egg allergy and theres egg embryo in the vaccine and therefore you cant get that vaccine. And it has to be renewed. They are possible, and I have done them. The bulk of what I do, and why New York is so unique, we really exercised the statute. Theres been a lot of lawsuits, Judge Wexlers decision 1983 is pivotal in redefining what constitutes religious exemption. After that I brought a couple of cases, and at first we were very successful, and then came the H1N1 issue here in New York where we were again successful. After that it seemed there was a change in the tide here, and it just became harder all around. New York is also unique in that we have the New York State Vaccine Coalition here, headed up by John Gilmore a bang up lobbyist. He is up there in Albany all time. If youre in a state looking to organize the way have here in New York, you should really take a cue from John Gilmore Weve been really aggressive here in New York in protecting the religious exemption. And the reason thats important, because I think what happened in California is that because there was a philosophical exemption in that state, people were just easily obtaining the exemption, unlike here in New York where we were fighting all the time. New York requires a religion test, and were the only state that does that. What that means is you actually go in and explain to school officials why your religious beliefs are contrary to vaccinating. Its unconstitutional to do that. I think it is. We havent really seen too much litigation turn out favorably. I had challenged this statute as unconstitutional, and the Second Circuit, the highest court here in New York, said, no. That it was constitutional.It was constitutional because it allowed for a medical or religious exemption. So my question is this: if youre being arbitrarily denied a religious exemption because some school official thinks that your beliefs are personal and not religious enough, If the statute is constitutional as written, its unconstitutional as its being applied. And thats the role that I play. People come to me to assist them in preparing statements of belief. In New York the education regulations require that a parent give a written statement setting forth their religious beliefs contrary to vaccinating. And its not easy to write. Some people are very eloquent. Some people can freely quote Scripture. Others are just as religious, but maybe they dont go to church, or maybe they dont go to their temple or whatever. But it doesnt make them any less God-fearing or any less religious. And then the next step, which is another complication, [is that] youre required to explain how your religionmeans you cant vaccinate. So typically what Ive done, I guide people through their thought process. I give them questionnaires and I have them fill them out and answer the questions that I know the school officials are going to ask. From their own words I help them put together this statement that answers the questions. I do think there is a lot of prejudice that people think that those who dont vaccinate are possibly causing risk to others. Here in New York City we have evidence that the city was using a quota for granting exemptions. What that means is that say youre at a school that has a particularly high level of exemptions, and you apply kind of late in the year, if those allocated exemptions have already been given out, youre out of luck. They pick apart these statements. They look for anything that contradicts it. So in New York City we uncovered evidence that they were using a quota. Thats unconstitutional. If youre denying people an exemption based on a quota, then you have a problem. The other thing that weve uncovered here in New York, in New York City in particular, is that school officials are using a questionnaire. The questionnaire asks five questions. But they dont ask, when was the last time that you vaccinated. They dont ask if you vaccinated and then stopped. Yet, they turn you down for precisely not answering that question. So theyre using a flawed algorithm. I dont necessarily object to the use of an algorithm in determining religious sincerity because if its properly prepared, it would yield the correct results. But in New York City what theyre doing is theyre asking you five questions and then theyre denying you for not answering questions they didnt ask. Its very important that when you draft your statement of beliefs, that its in your own words, that you explain your Scripture or your quotesyou have to really relate it to how it applies to vaccinating. Most of the people that I work with their objection is that the disease in the vaccine, when injected into the blood, defiles the blood. There are prohibitions in the Bible from comingling animal and human blood, and that doesnt necessarily limit the exemption to vaccines derived from human fetal cells. Thats another thing Ive noticed parents have gotten trapped on. They might raise this abortion issue with respect to vaccines, and then the school will turn them down and say theres only one vaccinethat has human fetal cells. The point I want to make, and you really need to understand when youre doing the exemption, is that if youre objecting to all vaccines, you really need to be clear about it. If youre objecting to the process and the ingredients in a vaccine, you have to be very clear. Theres been a lot of really unethical history in the practice of vaccinating. A lot of the vaccines and the experiments began in Germany during the war, and the experiments were done on prisoners in concentration camps. Those doctors that were tried in the Nuremburg Trials, a lot of them were let out of prison right away and they were relocated here in New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia where youll find Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur. So the history of the process of vaccinating is very, very troubling. Theres also stories about the rubella vaccine. I was told there was a facility here in New York where disabled people were at, and three women were impregnated, infected with rubella and forced to abort. Thats where that line of rubella comes from. You may have a very ethical objection to the way a vaccine is manufactured, and that is something you might want to include in your religious exemption statement. What I would recommend that a person do when someone is looking to get a religious objection to a vaccine, first check your states public health law. Ill post on this. Answer the questions that they want to know. How does your religion lead to your objection to vaccines. Is it the defilement of the blood? Is it the injection of the disease into a healthy body? Jesus, when he ministered in Mark chapter 2, verse 7, talks about only the sick needing a doctor, not the healthy. A lot of Christians interpret that to mean theres a big difference between treating a sick body and using a prophylactic vaccine. Thats a very important point. I have had the privilege of representing probably ten thousand families, and weve been highly successful in getting exemptions. The breath of the religious practices that Ive been exposed to its just amazing. What I have noticed in all of them, at the end of the day, its all about love,its about respect for yourself and respect for others. Some people believe that those directives, those principles are divine, that they come from God or a higher power, Allah. Whatever your spiritual guide is This whole process is to me so incredibly unconstitutional I really dont agree with it. I think its very dangerous in the United States of America that you are forced to explain your religious beliefs to someone who knows nothing about you or your religion. So when youre preparing your statement, which generally in New York would precede an interview, you want to make sure your statement is answering all the questions that they want answered. You also need to know that theyre not asking you the questions that they want answered, and I think thats subterfuge. I feel very fortunate that I get to counsel young parents ...on what Ive learned in this job that God has given me and to help guide them on a path by which omits autism, vaccine injuries, learning disabilities, handicaps that are definitely coming from vaccines. To me, this explosion of autism, regardless of the courts rulings in vaccine court, one hundred percent [of] these autism injuries are linked to vaccines. Now the question is, can you prove it, and I think we can. Were outside of vaccine court right now. I have a very important case, one of the autism petitioners, he of course was denied compensation He lives here in New York. Hes an adult now. We brought a case on his behalf looking to get a deposition of Dr. [William] Thompson and Dr. [Julie] Gerberding and a ruling and damages as to why Merck does not list autism as a side effect for the MMR vaccine. Ive been trying to negotiate with Merck and FDA during the lawsuit to get them to modify the vaccine insert to add these potential side effects. For Dr. Gerberding to be held accountable for what she knows about the research done in the Atlanta autism study. What happened to those results? While she was at CDC, Dr. Gerberding had immunity. She is now an employee at Merck raking in millions of dollars, and yethas not disclosed what it is that she knows about the link between vaccines and autism. [During a CNN interview] she basically restated Hannah Polings diagnosis. Hannah Poling was compensated for vaccine-induced autism Her doctor, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, diagnosed and gave an expert report in Hannahs case saying that Hannahs autism had been vaccine-induced caused by a metabolic overload and vaccine-induced fever. Dr. Gerberding went on CNNand said she had not seen Hannah Polings case. She went on and she described nearly verbatim the diagnosis of Dr. Zimmerman in Hannah Polings case. Instead of saying metabolic overload, she said cellular deficitsame thing. That means the brain is not able to handle the vaccine. She also talked about a fever. She said we know sometimes kids get a high fever. Well, thats what Dr. Zimmerman said. He said Hannahs autism was caused by the metabolic overload in a vaccine-induced fever. Hannah received something like nine vaccines on one visit in July of 2000. [This] is really infuriating because in June of 2000 the researchers from CDC and Merck and scientists from all around the world met at Simpsonwood Conference Center outside of Atlanta and they discussed Dr. [Thomas] Verstraetens study correlating thimerosal with autism or brain damage. And nothing was done. The transcripts are telling. [At] the conclusion of that hearing, the lead doctor said, Lets keep this information out of less responsible hands. And a month later, Hannah Poling got nine vaccines and regressed into autism. A month after that, my client was vaccinated.and he regressed into autism. Had their parents known about the findings that the researchers hid at Simpsonwood two months earlier, its possible they would have avoided that injury. The reason Im telling you all this is to give you a flavor for what I do. Im on the litigation side in the injuries, and Im litigation side in the exemptions.Everybodys telling me everything. Im constantly getting information, and its coming from everywhere. At the end of the day were a handful of people, and yet, we are so powerful and so effective that I think were about to make a very great change and hopefully stop this epidemic of childhood vaccine injuries. The bottom line is when these children are maturing, and they are maturing now, we as a society are not going to be able to pay for it. How can you run a country when half the boys are autistic or unable to hold a job down? [In ancient Rome] the aristocracy was becoming infertile and they were shrinking in numbers People were getting very, very sick. There were some scholars out there who said it was actually lead poisoning. The aristocracy was using lead in their makeup and their wine canisters and their pots and pans. And they were lining the aqueducts with lead piping. It lead to the collapse of the Roman Empire and the Dark Ages that followed where people were living a lower standard, a lower quality of life. I think at the time if anyone had realized that it was the lead, they would have stopped it. [Regarding the vaccine-autism link] People have financial incentives or they cant believe it that maybe they were wrong. Look at what Dr. William Thompson said He said he cant live with himself because he knows when he sees families with autistic children that he is part of the problem. He said that after admitting that he and his colleagues had destroyed evidence linking the MMR vaccine to autism. Fortunately, according to Dr. Thompson, he has that evidence. He kept it. It certainly wasnt in what was published, and I want to know what Dr. Gerberding knows. Its time for her to be called to the table and explain. Its up in the air right. If the judge allows me to proceed, I can tell you Im going to get those depositions, and Im going to be able to prove what happened in that autism study. Maybe itll be a wakeup call and people will realize that the vaccines are really causing more harm than good. Its time that we get together and we do something about it. You can follow me on Patricia Finn, Im known as the Good Health Lawyer. Im on Facebook, Twitter, InstaGram. I have videos on Youtube. You can go to my website. Its best to reach me by email because Im completely overwhelmed inquiries from parents of vaccine injured children and people seeking religious exemptions or help with medical exemptions. I want to be part of the solution. If you have a [vaccine exemption] form and are worried about it, send it to me. Ill look at it, and I can give you a general response. Here is another interview I did with Patricia back in 2016. The nipple is powerful. In response to recent campaigning and an action staged with photographer Spencer Tunick, Facebook is taking another look at its nudity guidelines. This week we learned that the social network has agreed to convene a group including artists, art educators, museum curators, activists, and employees to consider new nudity guidelines for images posted to its social-media platforms. The NCAC said it will collaborate with Facebook in selecting participants for a discussion to look into issues related to nude photographic art, ways that censorship impacts artists, and possible solutions going forward, noted Art News. Nora Pelizzari, NCAC director of communications, told CNET the group will likely meet later in the summer. Until the first meeting, it's hard to know how frequently the group will meet or what the next steps will look like, she added. On June 2, some 125 people posed naked in front of Facebooks building as Tunick, known for his images of unclad crowds, photographed them as part of the NCACs #WeTheNipple campaign, which calls on Facebook to update its nudity rules. Speaking of the censorship he has faced because of social-network rules, Tunick said in a statement, The work Im allowed to post is fundamentally different from the work I make. To me, every pixelated nipple only succeeds in sexualizing the censored work. As a 21st-century artist, I rely on Instagram. Its the worlds magazine and to be censored on it breaks my spirit. As Artsy noted recently, for photographers who work with nudity, posting on Instagram can feel like playing a game of Russian roulette. The company gives no warning before removing photographs and entire accounts it deems in violation of the Community Guidelines, which infamously ban some photos of female nipples, restrict frontal nudity, and begrudgingly tolerate images of the buttocks if photographed from a distance, noted writer Kelsey Ables. The platform makes exceptions for images of painting and sculpture; many photographers are pushing for artistic nudity in their medium to be allowed, too. Ables spotlighted a number of photographers who are fighting Instagram censorship of nude bodies in a variety of ways, including Paul Mpagi Sepuya, whose work appears in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, and Annie Flanagan, who studied Instagrams policies before posting a photo of writer Linden Crawford post top surgery. They found it odd that Instagram explicitly outlined nudity exceptions for mastectomy scars and breastfeeding, but made no mention of top surgery, noted Ables. Also profiled was photographer Savannah Spirit, whose nude self-portraits have prompted Instagram to remove her work countless times. Spirit has responded with censorship-inspired compositions that, notes Ables, feel like a meditation on liberation within constraint. It pushed me to another level [and] forced me to figure out another way to show my work [] but its also the bane of my existence, Spirit says of Instagram censorship. Here are some of the other photo stories we spotlighted this week: ___________________ 1. Insider and Outside Views of America's South George Etheredge, one of whose images is seen here, says he is not a southern photographer. Rather, he notes, he is a photographer who grew up in the South that is, in Asheville, North Carolina. "My work in the South is very important to me and has no doubt had an influence on who I am and what I find worthy of picking up my camera for," he said recently. Meanwhile, we noted, the recent Photo London art fair featured images of the American South by Shane Lavalette (at top), who is a native of Burlington, Vermont, 2. Close-Up Photographer of the Year Winner A photograph of a Peringueys adder peeping out of the sand in southern Africas Namib Desert is the winner of the first-ever Close-up Photographer of the Year competition, noted Digital Camera World. The image was was taken by Italian television presenter Emanuele Biggi, who followed the snakes tracks in the sand before finding it under a shrub. Other winners include graphic designer Hal Gage, who topped the Intimate Landscape category for his abstract shot of glacial mud. The contest drew 3,000 entries from 42 countries. 3. Photographing a Birth During a Winter Storm On March 14, 2017, Winter Storm Stella swept into the town of Wellfleet, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Artist Cole Barash was at home with his partner, Alix Tillett, then just over nine months pregnant. Barash went to a nearby beach and began making photographs of the storms fury. Twenty-four hours later, he and Tillett were at a hospital with a baby on the way. The power and beauty of nature both storm and birth is captured in the book Cole Barash: Stiya, noted The New Yorker. 4. Documenting the Life of a Mexican Transsexual Saved by Opera She was born as Saul, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In 2012, she ended her transition to Morganna. "She had no support at all from her very traditional family," Mexico City-based photographer Annick Donkers told us. "She had lived in two worlds and hid her true self, and only at the age of 28 did she realize she had gender disphoria. Music saved her life and was her way to escape." Donkers spent two years documenting the life of Morganna for a project that was named a winner of the Latin American Fotografia 7 competition. 5. Film Cameras Made From Bread Loaves and More To you a loaf of bread may look like the beginnings of a sandwich. To U.K. artist Brendan Barry that loaf might be used to make a camera. Barry painstakingly transforms banal materials including bread, watermelons squash, mannequins, and chunks of logs into film functional film cameras, noted Colossal. He explains that he uses the mechanics of photography as a tool for exploration and collaboration, often traveling to work "with different communities and particularly with young people. Russia played a key role in defeating militants in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. According to him, real results in the fight against international terrorism have been achieved in Syria, in many aspects, due to Russias comprehensive assistance to the legitimate Syrian government. "The militants were defeated," the Russian leader stressed. "We believe that it is important to stop terrorists from using drug trafficking revenues and make everything possible to prevent them from getting their hands on chemical and biological weapons or other kinds of weapons of mass destruction," TASS cited Putin as saying. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. CAIRO According to Egyptian parliamentarians who spoke with Al-Monitor, the Egyptian parliament is currently considering the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) draft law, also known as the CBE and banking system law. The new law may raise the minimum capital requirements for banks tenfold. The state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) cited a Central Bank official it did not identify as saying the new law raises the amount of capital needed to 5 billion pounds ($294 million) from 500 million ($29 million). Branches of foreign banks will need at least $150 million, up from $50 million. The official said May 21 this step aims to support lenders capital bases in the face of potential risks and enhance their ability to compete with other banks regionally and internationally. Basant Fahmi, a member of the parliamentarian Economic Affairs Committee, praised the draft law, saying it would enrich the banking sector in Egypt as part of a CBE package of structural reforms. Fahmi told Al-Monitor the law aims to strengthen the banking system in line with the states vision of attracting investments and financing national projects and infrastructure. Yomn al-Hamaki, a professor of economics at Ain Shams University, told Al-Monitor the new law takes into account the requirements of the Basel IV Committee, which banks are expected to start applying after completing the requirements of Basel III in 2019, in order to improve the efficiency of the banking system. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) is an international committee formed to develop standards for banking regulation; it is made up of central bankers from 27 countries and the European Union. The BCBS has proposed reforms that are designed to make banks more resilient and increase confidence in the banking system. The proposals announced recently referred to as "Basel IV" include updates to the ways banks calculate their capital requirements with the aim of making outcomes more comparable across banks globally. Egypt has 33 banks and five foreign branches, of which only six have paid-in capital bases above the proposed amount. The list of banks that comply with the new banking system includes the National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr, Commercial International Bank, Qatar National Bank of Egypt, Arab African International Bank and Arab International Bank. The draft law exempts banks that carry out specific smaller types of banking with a focus on financing small and medium enterprises to encourage financial technology and offer incentives for tier 2 banks, according to the deputy governor of the Central Bank, Jamal Nagm. Fahmi said the banking sector is likely to see mergers and acquisitions for small banks that are unable to raise capital to meet the laws requirements. Abnoub Magdy, a senior banking analyst at Beltone Financial, expected the rise in bank capital bases to contribute to the impact on the banking sectors capital adequacy standard. Most of the Egyptian banks have high exposure to low-risk investments. We expect an increase in the exposure of banks to risk-weighted assets as a result of the increase in private sector loans, which will affect the capital adequacy. Therefore, the decision to raise the lenders capital is important so that they could adjust to the change in the banking environment in the coming period, Magdy said in a television interview May 27. The capital adequacy standard is a tool to measure the banks solvency, its ability to meet its obligations and address any future losses, in order to protect the banks, depositors and other lenders. The draft law also provides for the establishment of a fund to support and develop the banking system. The funds resources consist of no more than 1% of the annual net profit distributable in banks registered within the CBE. As for exchange companies and offices, the draft law raised their capital from 5 million Egyptian pounds ($298,500) to 25 million pounds ($1.4 million). The law imposes strict control of exchange companies and money transfers. The executive director of the Egyptian Exchange Company, Youssef Farouk, praised the draft law regarding the control on the exchange companies and money transfers. Farouk told Al-Monitor the new law would create strong entities from the exchange companies that could compete in the market. In the run-up to the decision to float the pound in 2016, the Central Bank had suffered from exchange companies given a lot of irregularities and violations on part of small companies. It was necessary to create responsible corporate entities. The draft law would push exchange companies to be more committed for fear of closure or having their funds frozen, Farouk told Al-Monitor. He expected exchange companies to see a wave of mergers in the coming period to meet the requirement of the law, which still needs to be approved by parliament. Hamaki praised the decision to create a financial stability committee under the new law, which aims to maintain the stability of the financial system and coordinate efforts to avoid and manage any financial crises if they occur. The draft law defines the organizational structure of the committee, which would be headed by the prime minister, with the following members: the Central Bank governor, the minister of finance, and the chairman of the Financial Supervisory Authority. The draft law provides for the reorganization of the CBE Coordinating Council to develop a coordination mechanism between the Central Bank monetary policy and the governments fiscal policy. Hamaki praised the move and said it comes to activate the role of the council, whose decisions have not been binding. Moreover, the law includes a clear definition of e-money and encryption for the first time, while prohibiting the creation or operation of platforms for issuing or trading e-currencies without obtaining the necessary licenses in advance. As per the draft law, the CBE has the right to dictate the rules of these issuances and regulate the dealings with e-money. Hamaki said the new law came in line with technological advances in financial and banking services. She said the new law will transfer the Egyptian banking system to be all electronic transactions through the so-called virtual banks. It is becoming increasingly vital in Iran, with its economy squeezed by US sanctions, to strike a semblance of financial stability. With that in mind, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has in recent months started implementing a series of measures in the countrys payment systems to better manage the monetary and foreign currency markets. The new measures, which reportedly take aim at both card-present and card-not-present transactions, are hoped to increase transparency, combat money laundering and fraud, and strengthen the national currency. They are being realized under CBI Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati. Hemmati has adopted a more active and independent approach compared to his predecessor Valiollah Seif. The former governor was fired in late July 2018 for mismanaging a currency crisis that formed on back of US sanctions, which were reimposed after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from Irans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Irans national currency, the rial, lost more than 60% of its value in 2018 but has relatively stabilized in recent months. Toward the end of the previous Iranian year in March, the CBI started blocking point-of-sale (POS) devices that were issued inside Iran but were being utilized outside the countrys borders. Over the past few years, thousands of Iranian POS devices that were connected to Shetab, the countrys main banking payment system, have been taken out of Iranian borders and into neighboring countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, the UAE, Georgia, Armenia and even Canada. In many instances, they were used to purchase foreign currency banknotes, a move that contributed to destabilizing the local foreign currency market. As announced on June 9 by Shaparak, the CBI-affiliated entity in charge of the countrys payment systems, a total of 1,304 illegal offshore POS devices were identified and blocked in collaboration with payment service provider firms during the final months of the previous Iranian year. In accordance with international laws, CBI is absolutely right to do this since the laws dictate that devices processing payments are prohibited from accepting or dealing with anything other than the countrys base currency, an Iranian payment systems expert told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. If anything, it is questionable why the regulator had so far closed its eyes to this, since its a move that can counter money laundering and illegal flow of foreign currencies. The central bank has also set two very important limits for daily transactions inside Iranian borders. They include a daily cap of 500 million rials ($11,905) for transactions using bank debit cards and a daily cap of 1 billion rials ($23,810) worth of transactions for each government-issued national ID card. Certain users that require higher transaction caps, for instance firms selling cars, can apply to be exempt from the limit. The limit of 500 million rials was initially proposed years ago and was even communicated by CBI to the banking system more than four years ago. But the banking system resisted its implementation since people conducting those transactions are usually major customers whose loss would be significant for the cash-strapped banks. However, in the first two months after the limits were implemented last year, transactions worth 500 million rials or higher saw a 15.5% decline, Shaparak CEO Mohsen Qaderi said. The limits are complementary measures to cement the effects of limiting POS devices. After the POS devices were prohibited from being used outside Iranian borders, violators would open multiple accounts in different banks to be able to conduct more transactions. The new limits close that loophole. Even though they could technically still use the national ID cards of friends or associates to conduct daily transactions going beyond the set limits, their activities now entail more complications. That is true in terms of the POS devices as well. Indeed, as the CBI deputy for innovative affairs, Nasser Hakimi, recently admitted in an interview, Violations like this never come to an end and whatever measure we implement they will find other ways, so moves like these will be a perennial responsibility for the central bank. He did, however, add without further elaborating that the CBI is creating a profile for each citizen that would boost regulatory supervision. Last, the director of CBIs department for payment systems, Davood Mohammad Beigi, announced that the regulator is also striving to block internet payment transactions emanating from outside Iranian borders. The central bank has stressed to banks and electronic payment firms that transactions using payment instruments, especially internet gateways and POS devices, need to be conducted strictly inside the country and transaction calls from outside the country need to be identified and prevented, he said, adding that infrastructures being developed with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology allow for the restrictions to be put in place. The central bank can perhaps make access to internet payment gateways more difficult, but I dont think there will be any definitive solutions for this since violators always find a new way to circumvent restrictions, the anonymous expert told Al-Monitor. According to latest figures released by Shaparak relating to the second month of the current Iranian year that ended on May 21, a total of 7.338 million POS devices are active in the Iranian payment system, which take up a 76.9% share in terms of total number of active payment instruments and a dominating 87.94% share in terms of total number of transactions. POS devices are trailed, albeit still distantly, by the increasing number of mobile and internet payment instruments. There were 1.211 million and 992,546 mobile and internet instruments in Iran during the second month of the current fiscal year, respectively. Mobile instruments of payment grabbed shares of 12.7% and 6.09% in terms of total number of instruments and total number of transactions. Internet payment instruments, meanwhile, took up a 10.4% of the total number of active instruments and a 5.97% share of the total number of transactions conducted in that month. As the United States tightens the noose on the Iranian economy, Iran-backed Iraqi militias are feeling the pain more than ever. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions June 12 on an Iraq-based company that is believed to be a financial conduit for Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Quds Force in particular. The company South Wealth Resources Company, or, in Arabic, the Manabea Tharwat al-Janoob General Trading Company is headed by two Iraq-based individuals, Makki Kazim al-Asadi and Mohammed Husayn al-Hasani, who have also been sanctioned by the US Treasury. The United States accuses both individuals, as well as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), of receiving commission payments for contracts with the South Wealth Resources Company. According to the US Treasury, the company and its two associates traffic weapons worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Iran-backed militias in Iraq. They have covertly facilitated IRGC access to the Iraqi financial system to assist the corps in evading US sanctions. The Treasury is taking action to shut down Iranian weapons smuggling networks that have been used to arm regional proxies of the IRGC Quds Force in Iraq, while personally enriching regime insiders, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. Following the imposition of sanctions on the Iraqi company, PMU leader Moeen al-Kadhimi slammed the United States on June 13 for imposing pressure on the Iran-Iraq relationship. He said the Americans are trying to besiege the economic relations between the two countries by putting Iraqi companies on terrorist lists. "Iraq is in dire need of trade with Iran," he said, according to Rudaw. "It needs Iranian gas and electricity, but Americans are trying to stifle this trade exchange and put pressure on Iran through Iraq." June 13 was the anniversary of the PMU's establishment. The PMU bloc in the Iraqi parliament proposed a resolution to have the day declared a public holiday nationwide. Parliament passed the resolution on the same day. PMU Deputy Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis published a public letter the same day thanking Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani for mobilizing the Iraqi people against the Islamic State (IS) in 2014 and for providing spiritual support to the PMU during the battle. We stood fighting in front of the enemies of religion and humanity complying with your [Sistani's] orders and your advice," Muhandis said. "We fought for days and nights and we offered blood after blood and sacrifices after sacrifices for one and only one purpose: to keep Iraq united and lofty. This is the first time Muhandis has approached Sistani directly. He has never met Sistani, and it is likely Sistani will not reply to his letter. Sistani is very cautious in meeting and communicating with Iraqi politicians affiliated with the IRGC, including PMU leaders. In the context of the Muhandis letter, PMU head Falih al-Fayyad said in a speech June 14 that the PMU would stay in Iraq and that there is no concern about the units' fate. Any action to dissolve the PMU, he said, would fail. The PMU supports any government that works for the interests of the people, he said, implying that the PMU would take action against governments not working in the interests of the people. The PMU's parliamentary bloc, Fatah, announced on June 11 that they are preparing to propose a constitutional amendment to enable direct elections of the prime minister. Iraq has a parliamentary system in which the prime minister is elected by the majority parliamentary coalition. Fatah criticized Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi for failing to complete the formation of his Cabinet after eight months. Abdul Mahdi's Cabinet still lacks defense, interior and justice ministers. Recent PMU activities and statements suggest the group is feeling the painful effects of domestic political pressure and US sanctions against Iran and its regional proxies. But the United States is not the only entity that wants to curb PMU activities. Haider al-Abadi and Muqtada al-Sadr's Reform alliance also supports restricting the PMU within state boundaries. Ayatollah Ali Sistani is in favor of the Iraqi government fully controlling the PMU. He refers to the PMU as "the volunteers" in his statements, not the PMU, signaling that they should not be separated from the Iraqi army. Iran supports the PMU as an independent force separate from the army, similar to the Iranian Basij forces. On several occasions, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called upon Iraqi government to not dissolve the PMU or merge it with the Iraqi army. This way, Iran can preserve its influence in Iraq and use the PMU as a proxy for its regional schemes. Senior officials of Arab parties in Israel have told Al-Monitor that the Joint List will be revived to run a single Arab list in the Sept. 17 elections for the 22nd Knesset. According to various assessments, the parties will within two weeks resolve the disputes that had led to the party disbanding in January. The effort to reunify was expected, which was why lawmakers from Hadash, Taal, Balad and Raam voted last month in favor of dissolving the 21st Knesset after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a new government. The political center-left, mainly the Blue and White, had hoped that at the least Hadash and Taal, which aspire to Jewish-Arab political cooperation, would have voted against Netanyahus proposal to disband the Knesset. In that case, Netanyahu would have had to return the mandate for forming a government to President Reuven Rivlin, who might have then asked Netanyahu's rival and Blue and White Chair Benny Gantz to try his hand at it. True, the four Arab parties would probably not have provided the majority needed to prevent the Knesset from dissolving even if they had voted against it, but they could have created a semblance of commitment to Jewish-Arab political unity against the political right. The latter, obviously, did not happen. The results of the April 9 Knesset elections demonstrated to the Arab parties that running separately, in two blocs Taal and Hadash on one ticket, Balad and Raam on the other had weakened them. The Knesset dissolving and scheduling new elections has provided them a golden opportunity to rectify their mistake. There is, however, a catch: The four Arab parties reunifying will come at the expense of a joint Arab-Jewish run for the Knesset. Although Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi, the leaders of Hadash and Taal, respectively, have spoken eloquently of political cooperation with the Jewish liberal camp, at the decisive moment, they opted to reunite with Balad. At the end of May at Gantzs invitation, Odeh had addressed an anti-government rally in Tel Aviv. Ahead of the event, he tweeted, in Hebrew, The struggle against Netanyahus attempts to destroy the democratic public space is a joint struggle by all democratic forces. An alternative to a corrupt and destructive regime will not be possible without broad cooperation among all citizens, Jews and Arabs. In an interview with Al-Monitor after the rally, Odeh said that the die had been cast and asserted, From now on, what is needed is a courageous partnership between true leaders. His meaning was clear. Odeh believed that his days of being ostracized were over after being invited to speak as an equal at an opposition protest, so the path was now clear for Jewish-Arab cooperation, to strengthen the left-wing bloc and benefit the countrys 21% Arab minority. Actions, however, speak louder than words. Issawi Frej, the only Arab Knesset member from a Zionist Israeli party, the left-wing Meretz, told Al-Monitor that the Hadash and Taal leaders understand the importance of Jewish-Arab cooperation but are scared. Odeh and Tibi's views are closer to those of the Jewish party than those of Balad, but Frej said, they would rather run with the nationalist Arab organization than hook up with Meretz. Running with Balad will distance Hadash and Taal from cooperation with centrist and left-wing Jewish forces because of its extremist views. Its members have generated highly publicized provocations, in the process tarring all Arab Knesset members as radical troublemakers and providing Netanyahu and his allies with ammunition against them. Following Odehs speech at the opposition rally, Netanyahu accused his rivals of giving a platform to terrorism supporter Ayman Odeh. Of all people, Moshe Yaalon, the hard-line standard-bearer of Blue and White, was the one who came to Odehs defense, explaining the difference between Hadash and Balad as he sees it. Balad founder Azmi Bishara and the party's former Knesset members Basel Ghattas and Haneen Zoabi are the ones who should be described as terrorists, Yaalon said, adding, Balad should have been outlawed as far as Im concerned. Frej told Al-Monitor that he had discussed a joint Jewish-Arab ticket with Odeh. He told me, Sure, of course we should go together; that is how it should be, but he also had a precondition that other parties join such a list. Frej believes Odeh was referring to Balad. After speaking with Odeh, Frej approached Tibi, who, he said, gave him the same answer. They are afraid, but leaders should not be afraid, Frej said. They should chart a course and follow it as their heart tells them. Balad is not close to them. They disagree on almost everything, but they are sticking together, and that is too bad. They will discover that their voters do not want fake unity. Frej is proud of having mobilized more than 40,000 Arab voters for the April elections, enabling his small party to garner sufficient votes to enter the Knesset and to prove that Jewish-Arab cooperation is possible. Two months after the vote and three months ahead of the next one, Meretz would like such cooperation to continue. On June 12, Frej and former Knesset member Mossi Raz announced that they would run together for joint party leadership. The goal of their joint run is to build a strong and influential Arab-Jewish left. According to Frej, he suggested the move after he and Meretz Chair Tamar Zandberg despaired of a union with Hadash and Taal. Contacts about reunifying the Arab parties are at an advanced stage. The four party leaders will discuss their joint list of candidates for the next elections in the coming days. Disagreement over the candidate list, by the way, is what led to the division within the Joint List prior to the April elections, after Tibi argued that he enjoyed far greater popularity among Arab voters than the other parties thought he did. The Arab parties now have an updated picture of the state of play. The Hadash-Taal faction won six Knesset seats in April, whereas Balad and Raam earned four. It is safe to assume that these results will allow the parties to now overcome their differences and put together a single candidate roster. Agreement over the list cannot, however, blur the main problems that plagued the Joint List. The substantive ideological gaps remain. Thus, the Arab parties will probably continue trying to differentiate themselves from one another, and their pledge to work for the integration of Arab citizens in Israeli society will amount to mere lip service. Hadash and Taal were close to breaking the glass ceiling and bringing about Jewish-Arab political cooperation. They appear to have given up on that, however, preferring instead an illusory unity to real bridge building. Odeh, who claimed just weeks ago that the die had been cast and a new page had been turned, has chosen to remain in his comfort zone rather than make the courageous decision that he spoke about with such pathos. Israel's President Reuven Rivlin invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit the event dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland by the Red Army. It will be held on January 27, 2020 in Jerusalem. "I hope that you can join us next January to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by the Red Army," the Israeli president said, addressing the Russian president at the reception organized by the Russian Embassy in Herzliya on the occasion of the Russia Day. January 27th was set as the International Holocaust Remembrance day in 2005 after the UN resolution to commemorate the victims of the holocaust. Barring last-minute changes, senior Israeli and American officials will meet in the United States this coming week to prepare for a trilateral summit of the heads of the US, Russian and Israeli national security councils. National security advisers John Bolton, Nikolay Patrushev and Meir Ben-Shabbat will convene June 24 in the Israeli capital to discuss the post-war order in Syria. This is a crazy event. I dont have sufficient superlatives to describe it, an Israeli defense source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Its true that at this stage, the importance of the event is in the very decision to hold it, but think about it: Fifty-two years after Jerusalems liberation, we are bringing together there the heads of the American and Russian security councils to discuss arrangements for Syria after the war, with us as part of the process. The official got somewhat carried away talking about a new Sykes-Picot referring to the 1916 agreement dividing the region between the British and French colonial powers. Still, there is rare consensus in Israel about the summit being a tremendous achievement for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a strategic Israeli message to Iran and the rest of the Middle East that Israel is part of the axis of powers working together to instill a new order in the Middle East. The upcoming summit is likely to star in Netanyahus reelection campaign throughout the summer months ahead of the Sept. 17 vote. For once, he appears to have come by this achievement deservedly. The summit was decided on before Netanyahu knew he would be unable to form a government and would be dragged into new elections, leaving him with an alibi. It was not a pre-election stunt, but Netanyahu will undoubtedly use it to leverage his electoral prospects, as he always does. There was a glitch in the lead-up to the summit: On June 5, military intelligence head Maj. Gen. Tamir Heyman presented an overview of events in the region at the Israel Heritage and Commemoration Center. If you are looking for a world leader who speaks to everyone, look no further than the Russian player, Heyman said, complimenting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russias dominance in the region is tangible; Russia almost intentionally instigates friction and then seeks to be instrumental in resolving it by its presence in the region. The Russians were not pleased with this description. Heyman simply wanted to compliment the Russians, but it didnt come out well, one of his colleagues told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Russias military attache in Israel received a clarification of the remarks. Moscow did not react, further proof of the powerful strategic link emerging between Moscow and Jerusalem. They realized there was a mistake in formulation, a senior Israeli source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Top military brass national security and planning officials will probably fly to Moscow in the next few days to prepare for the summit. Israel views the upcoming summit as a major achievement. Three years ago, Israel made a strategic decision to prevent Irans entrenchment in Syria at any cost, said a senior military official in a confidential conversation with Al-Monitor. Chief of Staff [Gadi] Eizenkot received the blessing of the prime minister and the cabinet, and Israeli measures against Iranian entrenchment gradually intensified. According to this source, quite a few people in Israel and beyond warned that the Israeli strikes were ineffectual, but developments on the ground proved them wrong. The strikes, which are ongoing, achieved a very positive cumulative effect, said the senior military official. They took their toll on the Iranians, their entrenchment shrank, the Iranian presence is declining and a deal has been struck with the Russians to push the Iranians at least 80 kilometers [50 miles] away from the Israeli border on the Golan Heights. Israels raids in Syria have made Israel an essential strategic element in regulating the situation in Syria. Something else has happened, a senior security cabinet source told Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity. The Americans announced they were pulling out of Syria, but they did not do so. Now they are forming a tripartite axis together with Russia and Israel for a joint discussion based on mutual interests and focusing on the day after. If this is not a major diplomatic achievement, then there are no major diplomatic achievements in the world. The confluence of American, Russian and Israeli interests is particularly intriguing as regards Israel and Russia. Putin understood a long time ago that without Israel, he will have a hard time stabilizing the situation in Syria, another cabinet source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. According to various assessments, one possible deal would entail US and Israeli recognition of the regime and a lifting of American sanctions from Damascus. In return, the Russians would have to press President Bashar al-Assad and Iran to bring about an Iranian pullout from Syria. The feasibility of such a goal is unclear. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a year ago that any expectation that Russia could get the Iranians out of Syria was unrealistic. Nonetheless, Russia has no problem discussing it. The Russians stopped viewing Iran as a strategic partner long ago. The war over Syria has been decided, despite the continued fierce fighting in the Idlib region. Instead of military cooperation, Russia finds itself in an economic and strategic race with Iran over influence in Syria. At some point, Assad will also have to decide, a top Israeli military source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Will he continue to be an Iranian stooge and aspire to be [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh when he grows up, or would he rather regain his independence and stand on his own two feet? According to this logic, Assad knows the Iranians have done their part and can now leave. If they do, he will rid himself of his Israeli headache and can then apply himself to his countrys rehabilitation with Russian and American help. These considerations will be the focus of the Jerusalem meeting at the end of June. The eyes of the Middle East will be on the get-together, in which Israel will prove how central it has become in the struggle between the two superpowers. SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq Iraqi Kurdistan has a new president and prime minister this week as the Barzanis continue to keep it all in the family. After serving as the Kurdistan Regional Government's prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani was sworn in June 10 as the second president of Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region. He succeeds his uncle Masoud Barzani, who held the post for 12 years but stepped down in November 2017 after the region's independence referendum backfired, triggering a military offensive from Baghdad. The KRG presidency is the most powerful position in the region. The post had been vacant in the months since Masoud Barzani stepped down, though he still heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). His son, Masrour Barzani who is Nechirvan's cousin was elected prime minister June 11, securing 87 votes from the 97 parliament members present out of 111. Some small opposition parties boycotted the session. Nechirvan Barzani, who has been a member of the KDP's political bureau for 20 years, is expected to face many challenges during his four-year tenure, including internal Kurdish disagreements over the KRG's relations with Baghdad and the high tensions in the region as the result of the US-Iran dispute. The issues he will face are the result of 27 years of KDP control over politics, which Nechirvan was part of," Massoud Abdul Khaliq, head of Standard Kurd Media, told Al-Monitor. "These issues include the region's chronic lack of public services, tension between the administrations of Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, the challenge of unifying the Kurdistan Region's peshmerga forces and a lack of rule of law." He added, "The most important challenge Barzani will face is the KRG's oil dossier, which is a very dangerous one. If the oil dossier remains under the KRG's control, Iraq will not accept that. If the KRG hands over its oil to federal Iraq, Turkey and some international oil companies will not accept that, either. The KRG is indebted to oil companies. I don't believe Barzani can deal with all these issues, even if all parties help him." The two main Kurdish parties, the KDP and its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), fought a civil war from 1994 to 1998, leading the KRG to split into separate administrations. The KDP runs the show in the KRG capital of Erbil and the PUK holds sway Sulaimaniyah. Both parties have their own separate peshmerga (militia) and security forces, raising concerns about another civil war if there is major political discord. The new president has the duty to unite the Kurdish peshmerga forces under one regular military force. The Kurdistan region currently lacks a working constitution. The KDP is planning to pass a controversial draft constitution that would give even more power to the presidency, further curbing democracy and basic freedoms. Abdul Khaliq said "big reforms" are needed to enshrine democracy and basic freedoms in a new constitution but seemed skeptical that the president and the ruling parties will make such changes, arguing that the parties have "silenced" the parliament and that the KRG is a "corrupt" administration. Mondays controversial swearing-in ceremony was attended by senior Iraqi officials, a large number of foreign diplomats and guests. But some independent figures and opposition parties like New Generation refused to attend. New Generation lawmaker Dyari Anwar told Al-Monitor, Our problem is with the Kurdistan regions vast authority. He said that the ruling parties broke the law by extending the session into the next day so that the KRG PM nominee, Masrour Barzani, could be named prime minister. Farman Hassan, a Kurdish journalist and lawyer working for Paiser Press, told Al-Monitor that lawmakers had no opportunity to speak at the session. Hassan theorized that the ceremony was so large because "the president wants to have a strong start to show his own political and diplomatic power, to reunite the opposing sides early in his presidential term." The KRG president has broad authority as the high commander of the armed forces and the top executive authority. He also appoints members of the judiciary. Hassan said Barzani will face the challenge of KRG oil contracts signed with Turkey, especially the 50-year oil deal that deeply concerns Baghdad. Hassan said Barzani wants to keep Ashti Hawrami on as the KRG's minister of natural resources to soothe Turkey and keep the oil dossier in his hands. The region has been in a state of financial crisis since 2014, when oil prices fell to record lows, and because of the four-year war against IS. According to some estimates, until 2018, the KRG's debts exceeded $20 billion. The KRG still lags three months behind on salaries to its civil servants. The area suffers high unemployment rates. Other key challenges that will complicate Nechirvan Barzani's term include the decades-long territory disputes between Erbil and Baghdad and balancing bilateral relations with Washington and Tehran. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip In a dangerous development June 12, Israel announced a full naval closure on the Gaza Strip until further notice, denying Palestinian fishermen access to the sea. Israel said it took the measure in response to the continued firing of incendiary balloons at Israeli settlements by protesters in the ongoing "right of return" marches. Media outlets reported that the balloons caused about seven fires June 12 in settlements in the "Gaza envelope" the area of Israel that wraps around the Gaza Strip. A day earlier, Israeli authorities had decided to cut the fishing zone off the coast of the Gaza Strip to 6 nautical miles. Israel had already reduced this zone June 5 to 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometers) instead of 15 (27.8 kilometers). Of note, the Gaza Strip fishing zone was expanded to a maximum of 15 miles at the beginning of April, as part of the first phase of the Egyptian-brokered truce reached at the end of March between Israel and Hamas. This stage was supposed to be followed by reconstruction and large infrastructure projects in the Gaza Strip financed by Arab and European entities. The closing surprised Gaza fishermen, who were looking forward to an expansion to 20 miles, as outlined in the Oslo Accord. The fishing season in the Gaza Strip started in mid-April and ends in June. Fishermen rely on this time to make ends meet. Another fishing season begins in mid-September and ends in November. Since April, Israel has reduced and expanded the fishing zone between 6 and 15 nautical miles about 10 times by linking it to the continuous firing of balloons from Gaza. The recurrent changes in this zone have resulted in substantial losses for the fishermen. Hamas leader Suhail al-Hindi told local news website Donia al-Watan on June 8 that Israel has been putting off implementing the truce understandings, noting that the repeated changes in the fishing zone contradict these understandings. Hamas could reconsider the understandings in light of the continued lack of commitment by Israel," he said. The latest ballon launch coincided with Israel's failure to implement the steps of the first phase of the truce arrangement. Israel still imposes restrictions on materials entering and exiting the Gaza Strip. Nizar Ayyash, head of the Palestinian fishermen's union in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that by not following through on the understandings, Israel undermines the standing of Egypt as the intermediary. "This is an Israeli political game aimed to increase pressure on the Palestinians by jeopardizing their sources of livelihoods," he said. Fishermen are usually informed of zone restrictions in the middle of the night by the Ministry of Agriculture, and sometimes the changes are made while fishermen are on the open sea, Ayyash said. They get shot at by the Israeli navy and are forced to leave their boats and nets behind. Some boats have been sunk, and nets lost," he said. "Add to this the deliberate shooting at the headlights of boats and electrical engines to cause them material losses. The zone expansion in April enabled a number of large-boat owners to catch more fish than Gaza fishermen have caught for years, he said. "[However], in light of the constant change of the fishing zone, fishermen [sometimes] refrained from entering the allowed zone, fearing for their lives and the confiscation of their equipment, Ayyash said. The situation is unbearable, especially as the change is suddenly implemented. Israel is using this measure as collective punishment. The understandings Egypt brokered had loosened restrictions on Gaza Strip imports of some fishing equipment that Israel had prohibited since 2006, citing the equipment's potential for being used illegally for example, in terrorist activities. But Ayyash pointed out that only a limited quantity of steel wire was allowed in June 2, barely meeting fishermens needs. International and local institutions should help fishermen and offer them relief and rescue projects, he added. Al-Monitor spoke to fisherman Faris al-Amoudi about how cutting the fishing zone directly affects fishermen's livelihoods and catch. The sea zone should either be opened or closed. This change back and forth is nerve-wracking, he said. Fish are not abundant in the authorized fishing zones, but rather in deeper zones" more than 20 miles off the coast. "What we catch now are just fish making their way to us by chance. We are forced to catch baby fish just to make daily ends meet. Amoudi called on Palestinian politicians to demand international guarantees binding Israel not to change the fishing zones. Our living conditions can't improve if the status quo remains unchanged," he said. Fisherman Shaer al-Amoudi told Al-Monitor the changes are "ruining our lives." "We can't adapt to this situation. Every time we hear of the expansion of the fishing zone, we prepare our nets, boats and fish bait, but the next day this zone is reduced," he said. "We are suffering financial losses, not to mention being targeted by [Israeli] fire and arrested. We have nothing to do with politics; we're just trying to earn a living. Amoudi said the real reason Israel keeps changing the fishing zone isn't because of the return marches. Rather, Israel just wants Palestinian fisherman out of the sea. The repeated reduction of the fishing zone echoes Israel's intention to prevent Gazan fishermen from benefiting from the current fishing season and catching plentiful quantities to improve their living and humanitarian conditions, he said. Fishermen want Hamas to pressure Israel into stopping this charade. Israel should stop arresting fishermen and confiscating their equipment, and allow the entry of all fishing equipment to the Gaza Strip without restrictions. US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahans letter to his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar sent shock waves into Turkeys foreign policy and security establishment and Turkey doesnt yet know how to reply, a senior security source told Al-Monitor. The official also said the letter is even more menacing than a letter sent from Washington to Ankara in 1964, the year that was marked by the greatest tensions between Turkey and the United States since the foundation of the modern Turkish republic. Shanahan's letter lists concrete sanctions Turkey would face, including canceling the F-35 training program for Turkish pilots, banning Turkish officials from entering the F-35 program office as of July 31 and canceling purchases from Turkish companies as of 2020. Turkey was not expecting such an ultimatum prior to the June 23 rerun election for mayor of Istanbul. The shock the letter created in the country can be easily seen through Ankaras dayslong silence before deciding how to react. It has been almost a week since the Shanahan letter, sent June 6, was leaked to the media, and Ankara has just begun to speak up. The language of the letter indicates that the United States has dismissed any halfway formulas as such allowing S-400s to come to Turkey but not be deployed or be deployed in a third country. In other words, with this letter the United States firmly demands cancellation of S-400 purchases to avoid the F-35 related sanctions. A senior-level source in Ankara compared Shanahans letter to President Lyndon Johnsons letter of March 16, 1964, to Turkish leader Ismet Inonu to deter Turkey from a militarily intervention in Cyprus. Shanahans letter incorporates more than the Johnson letter and was written in more a menacing manner, the official told Al-Monitor. The official said that Shanahan deserves a reply, of course, but that Ankara has not yet made up its mind how to answer. When asked why Ankara is delaying its response, this official referred to the Istanbul election do-over June 23, which has turned into a sort of confidence vote for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Several options have been brought onto the table by the Turkish side to resolve the crisis. One of them was to transfer the S-400s to friendly countries such as Qatar or to form a technical committee to avoid having these standalone systems constitute a threat to NATO systems. Yet the letter shows none of these options have been accepted by the US side. Also, Ankara had much confidence in President Donald Trump to manage the crisis, but this expectation also proved to be wrong. Ankara was truly hoping that Trump could persuade the Congress and the US security bureaucracy to act differently, but that did not materialize Levent Ozgul, an Ankara-based defense analyst, said the letter points to the end of Ankaras 6-year-old shuttle diplomacy between Russia and the United States, and that Ankara has to decide on a side by July. There is no doubt that the decision on the S-400 is not military but historical, economic and political, Ozgul told Al-Monitor. Ankara now thinks it has one last opportunity: the G-20 summit that will be held at Osaka, Japan, on June 28-29. Ankara hopes a Trump-Erdogan meeting at Osaka could be a way to overcome the crisis. There are even plans to enlist the support of India, which also risks being hit by the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Intermediaries are working on a trilateral summit at Osaka. However, time is not on Ankaras side in this game. While the first batch of S-400s are to be delivered to Turkey in July, Indias deliveries are scheduled for 2020. Unlike Turkey, India has not made any payments yet. So India isnt on the spot as much as Turkey is. India also is not a NATO member. Arda Mevlutoglu, a defense analyst, said Shanahans letter has two important elements. One is the July 31 deadline, and the other is that it declares some concrete sanctions are already in effect "and offers a road map of Turkeys exclusion from the F-35 program, Mevlutoglu told Al-Monitor. Three possible scenarios can be considered about how the developments might unfold. First, Turkey could cancel the S-400 procurement outright. Yet both Ozgul and Mevlutoglu concurred that this is the most unlikely scenario. Mevlutoglu said a cancellation decision could only be possible in the event that a serious unexpected crisis erupts in Turkey-Russia ties. A second option could be the delivery and activation of S-400s as agreed on previously. This scenario means Turkeys exclusion from the F-35 program and implementation of CAATSA sanctions, suspension of provision of spare parts for Turkeys mainly US-based equipment and weaponry; and terminating cooperation in military training and with Turkeys defense industry. This scenario predicts Turkey would first sever ties with the United States because of the S-400 crisis and then with the Western security bloc. Here one also has to bear in mind that in this case the European countries and their relevant industries would hesitate to cooperate with Turkey. Mevlutoglu points to Germany, France and Italy as examples of countries that cut their defense cooperation with Russia as advised by the United States and Frances refusal to deliver two Mistral-class landing craft already paid for by Russia. This is an unlikely scenario, but one that Ankara cannot bear the economic consequences of. Mevlutoglu said the most likely scenario could be a partial rupture in US-Turkey ties. Accordingly, the Russian missile system would be delivered and Turkey would face the first phase of sanctions from the US Congress. However, US-Turkey defense industry and military cooperation would continue in certain fields. To fill the gap created by Turkey's exclusion from the F-35 program, the United States could allow Turkey to purchase parts for the maintenance of the current inventory of F-16s and for their modernization with national means and even allow Turkey to buy secondhand F-16s. Thus Turkey could fly F-16s for another 15 to 20 years. Ozgul points at another possible solution. Turkish S-400 batteries may be located in Anapa, Russia [landfall of the TurkStream gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey] without any additional cost to protect TurkStream. Turkish observation staff may be assigned to Anapa. This does not impose any additional strategic disadvantages for parties, Ozgul said. Ozgul pointed out that in January 2018, Turkey awarded the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium a contract for the integration of Turkish Hisar missiles with the SAMP-T long-range air-missile defense system. The system is planned to be installed into Turkish destroyers. Ozgul added, "For urgent needs until this objective is achieved, Turkey leases some Aster 30 batteries from France and Italy, even some Patriot batteries from Spain. What is clear is that Ankara is paying special attention to the G-20 Summit and meetings there for a solution of the crisis. This is why the G-20 Summit may be considered to be the last stop before the train wreck of US-Turkey bilateral relations. An 8-year-old boy and his mother who were both killed in a head-on collision in Covington County Monday have been identified by law enforcement. Larenz Graham and his mother, Landie Romulus, 35, were killed when their Nissan Pathfinder was hit by a vehicle going the wrong way on the southbound AL-55, according to Alabama State Troopers. The boys father, 44-year-old Edwin Cornell Graham, and his 3-year-old and 11-year-old brothers were listed in stable condition Tuesday morning, according to Larenzs school principal in Dallas, Georgia. It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the loss of one of our students, Larenz Graham, Principal Scott Brock of W.C. Abney Elementary said in a letter to parents. Larenz was a third grader at our school who, along with his mother, passed away in a terrible automobile accident on Monday afternoon while the family was traveling in Alabama. Larenzs father and two brothers remain hospitalized. Alabama Highway Patrol said a northbound Chevrolet Camaro crossed a paved median into oncoming traffic before hitting the familys vehicle. Joseph Cameron Worley, 18, who died at the scene of the accident, was identified as the driver of the Camaro. Larenz Graham died at the scene, while his mother was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital where she was later pronounced dead. While the crash remains under investigation, state troopers said that speed was likely a factor. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and other state officials left Thursday to attend the Paris Air Show, an international gathering of aviation and space industry representatives that happens every other year. Alabama governors and other public officials have attended the event for years and have billed it as important to the states industry recruiting efforts. Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, and Bob Smith, a Department of Commerce project manager who specializes in aerospace, are among the others on the trip, along with elected officials and university representatives, according to the governors office. The Alabama contingent will attend networking events on Sunday. On Monday, Ivey, Canfield and others will meet with executives from aerospace companies such as Raytheon, Blue Origin, and the United Launch Alliance, the governors office said. Governor Iveys core mission is to show companies from around the globe that Alabama is serious about doing business with them, Deputy Press Secretary Gina Maiola said. Her presence on the trip certainly signals this to those companies. She and Secretary Canfield will meet with industry leaders in an effort to recruit business to the state. Alabama has had success in promoting the aerospace industry in the state, including an expansion at the Airbus assembly plant in Mobile announced earlier this year. Lockheed Martin and GE Aviation announced new projects in Alabama this year. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle is making the trip to Paris and said hes working to build on the Huntsville areas recent success in recruiting industry. Well have over 40 meetings or events with some of the higher-level execs from a lot of the companies that are located here," Battle said. We have a lot of companies that are located here but their headquarters are somewhere else. And at these meetings, we get to meet with the people who are the very top level. Ill be participating in over 20 events as we go through and a lot of them are sit-downs with companies that are actually here. And some of it is sitting down with companies were trying to lure here and get them into the Huntsville family. Ivey, Canfield, and representatives from Tuscaloosa County will travel from Paris to Stuttgart, Germany, to meet with officials from Mercedes at the companys global headquarters. The governors office said the visit is intended to renew relationships with one of Alabamas biggest investors during a time of global trade tensions. Mercedes has invested more than $6 billion in its Alabama operation, including its Tuscaloosa County assembly plant that employs 3,700 workers and produces about 300,000 vehicles per year. In Bibb County, Mercedes is building a battery plant for electric and hybrid vehicles and a global logistics center and parts hub. Mercedes has been a great ambassador for Alabama, and we are fully committed to supporting the company and its hard-working employees in the state," Canfield said in a press release. Last year, Ivey and Canfield attended the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. The governor will return to Alabama on Thursday. This story was updated at 3:19 p.m. with additional information from the governors office and a comment from Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. AL.com reporter Paul Gattis contributed to this report. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has appointed new members to all three spots on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The governor sent appointment letters on June 7 to Walter Bell of Mobile, Melissa Morrissette of Mobile, and Colonel Alan C. Spencer of Tuscaloosa. The appointments are effective immediately, the letters say. The appointments are subject to Senate confirmation, but the Legislature is not scheduled for another regular session until next year. The new appointees will replace Samuetta Drew, Robert Bubba Lee, and Michael Ingram, whose terms had expired. The new members terms will run until April 2022. As one of my appointees, you will be making important decisions that directly affect the citizens of Alabama, Ivey wrote in the letters. I have made honesty and integrity a priority in my Administration, and I know that you will embody these two virtues while serving the people of Alabama. Alabama Daily News reported the appointments. The ABC Boards next scheduled meeting is June 26. There are a lot of candles on the U.S. Armys birthday cake today. The Army is celebrating its 244th birthday June 14, marking the date in 1775 when the Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Army under the command of General George Washington to unite the 13 colonies in their fight against British forces. "We were born as the result of the United States Congress, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley said. The United States Army could not be the most powerful army in the world without all the great support that we get from the Senate and the House. Todays Army has a uniformed force of about 1 million with some 180,000 soldiers deployed in more than 140 countries at any given time. Among other events, the day will be marked with senior Army leaders laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Armys birthday is marked with celebrations, military balls and traditional cake cutting ceremonies held at military bases and communities across the country and at overseas installations. Interesting Army facts: An Alabama man has wrapped up his mission to mow lawns for veterans in every state. Rodney Smith Jr. has garnered national attention for his work with his business, Raising Men Lawn Care Service. Smith has crisscrossed the U.S. five times mowing lawns, with this years focus on military veterans. He provides the service for free and, in return, has benefited from the time he spent with the former service members. Ive come across so many veterans that are struggling to get their lawn mowed, he said. If they served for our country, we should step up for them. This is the least we can do. This is the last thing they need to worry about. Smith traveled to each state in his SUV. Delta Airlines provided him transportation for his last two stops Hawaii and Alaska. Smith started mowing lawns in 2015 while a student at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville. Hes a native of Bermuda, coming to the U.S. in 2009 at age 16 to attend a boarding school in upstate New York. A big thank you to @Delta for getting me to my last 2 States, @customink for donating my shirts & @TheToroCompany for donating the hats! & to each & every1 of your for your support, encouragement & donations along the way for gas & hotels !You made this possible! THANK YOU!!!! pic.twitter.com/gsZ2ERYPY3 Rodney Smith Jr (@iamrodneysmith) June 13, 2019 A Hawaii-based U.S. Marine from Alabama has been dismissed over a series of racist and pro-Nazi tweets. Lance Cpl. Mason Mead, 20, of Vestavia Hills, will be discharged under other-than-honorable conditions following an investigation into his tweets, Stars and Stripes reported. Mead was an infantry assaultman with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines. Meads ouster follows an investigation into social media messages that included praise for Nazi actions during World War II, images showing explosives in the shape of a swastika and others of him in blackface with the caption hello, fellow black men. Mead also shared quotes from Leon Degrelle, a Belgian politician and Nazi collaborator, and added the caption I look at this image before sleep and smile below a photo of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco and a Catholic official giving the Nazi salute. Another photo showed Mount Fuji above the caption ching chong, with emojis including a Japanese flag, a dog and a knife and fork. A comment under the tweet said excited to try Japanese teriyaki doberman! Mead later admitted to an Article 92 charge, or failure to obey and order or regulation, specifically the Marine Corps Prohibited Activities and Conduct Prevention and Response Policy. Meads discharge will be complete once administrative and medical processing is complete, Marine Corps officials said. An attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman this week will be discussed at a meeting of G20 energy and environment ministers these weekend, Japans industry minister Hiroshige Seko said. "Maintaining energy security is something we can share with other ministers and is an important policy issue to be discussed at the G20 energy ministerial meeting," the minister said at a regular press conference. "The Middle East is a key area for global energy security. We want to talk with other ministers about our concerns about global security and threats," Reuters cited Seko as saying. Seko declined to comment on remarks by U.S. officials blaming Iran for the attacks, saying Japan was still investigating details of the incident. In addition, Seko said the attack would not affect Japans energy supplies. Two tankers, one operated by a Japanese shipping company, were attacked in the Gulf on Thursday. The United States blamed Iran for the attacks, raising concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation and driving up oil prices. Tehran denied involvement. The ministerial meeting of the Group of 20 major economies will be held in Karuizawa on June 15-16, in the run up to the G20 summit to be held in Osaka on June 28-29. Alabama has joined a growing number of states to pass legislation proponents say is aimed at promoting free speech on college campuses. Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a bill by Rep. Matt Fridy, R-Montevallo, but it will be a full year before it goes into effect. The bill requires colleges and universities to establish free speech policies that include specific guidelines, such as not banning speakers just because their messages are unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive. Fridy said universities asked for the delay in the law taking effect They were worried about how fast it was moving, and they were worried that there may be some concerns, Fridy said. The Senate amended the bill to say it will take effect in July 2020, which means there will be another legislative session to tweak the law. We could make any changes to the law that they felt were absolutely necessary before it goes into effect, Fridy said. When asked about the law, officials at the University of Alabama, Alabama A&M University, Auburn University, and Troy University issued statements saying they supported free speech and would comply with the law. As an institution devoted to academic freedom, Alabama A&M University is also committed to freedom of speech, the statement from Alabama A&M said. The University will adhere to its constitutional responsibilities as a state agency. Based on the passing of HB498, the University is reviewing its policies to determine if revisions are needed. Alabama A&M will participate in dialogue with other state colleges and universities, along with legislators, prior to the law taking effect in 2020. Fridy said he brought the legislation in response to what he said were problems on college campuses across the country over the last five to ten years. Political speakers, folks who are invited onto campus to speak by student groups, individuals who are invited by institutions, are either barred from campus, they are shouted down, Fridy said. Discriminatory security fees have also blocked some speakers, Fridy said. Two years ago, controversy erupted at Auburn University over the appearance of white nationalist Richard Spencer. The university agreed to rent an auditorium for $700 for Spencer to speak. Auburn issued a statement saying, We strongly deplore his views but supported free speech. Two days later, Auburn canceled the rental agreement, citing security concerns because of expected protests. Cameron Padgett, a Georgia man who rented the auditorium for Spencer, filed a complaint in federal court in Montgomery. A judge ruled in his favor, ordering Auburn to reinstate the rental agreement and provide necessary security. The judge ruled that Auburn could not discriminate based on the content of Spencers message and noted that Spencer provided $2 million in insurance and paid for extra security. The Constitution doesnt allow government to pick and choose between the viewpoint that it likes and the viewpoints it doesnt like," Fridy said. There were several arrests for disorderly conduct at the Spencer event. Auburn later paid $29,000 to cover Padgetts legal costs and end the case. Fridy said his bill would not necessarily have applied to Spencers appearance. His bill says college campuses must be open to speakers invited by the faculty or student organizations. Spencer was not invited but appeared through a rental opportunity the university made available to the general public. Fridys bill says that free speech policies adopted by universities must adhere to the idea that its not the proper role of universities to stop speech and expression that is considered offensive. Colleges cant create free speech zones but most allow all outdoor areas on campus to be used for speech and expression, such as peaceful assemblies, protests, speeches, handing out fliers, and circulating petitions. The problem with free speech zones, or in other words, having only certain places where free speech is allowed, is its unconstitutional, Fridy said. You cant say on public property thats generally accessible to the community that you cant distribute pamphlets there because thats not our free speech zone. The House passed Fridys bill by a vote of 62-27 after a contentious debate, with most Democrats and some Republicans opposing it. It had less opposition in the Senate, passing by a vote of 24-1 after the amendment was added to delay implementation to July 2020. Rep. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, cast one of the no votes in the House. Its really very simple. I saw it as a political stunt, Hatcher said. Whats proposed in HB498 is already protected. We have a thing we call, its not a little thing, called the First Amendment protects that. It protects free speech. It certainly protects a peaceful assembly. And there was no reason for the bill. Hatcher said lawmakers spent time on the bill that should have been devoted to more important matters. Its not a political stunt and I wish he didnt feel that way, Fridy said. I wish, honestly, that this bill wasnt necessary. You would think the First Amedment wouldnt need legislation to protect it. But unfortunately, anytime you open a newspaper, you go on line and you look at news, theres another problem at another college somewhere where voices are being silenced. Seventeen states, including Alabama, have adopted campus free speech bills, according to National Review. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democratic candidate for president, vetoed a campus free speech bill, according to Montana Public Radio. A second suspect is being sought by police Friday in connection with the bizarre kidnapping of a homeless Mobile womans baby earlier this month. Tara Williams Lee is wanted by the Mobile County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) in connection with the abduction of a 9-month-old baby belonging to homeless woman Marie Childress. Childress was reunited with her child Wednesday after a multistate investigation tracked her baby down in north Georgia. The baby was found with a Lees daughter Kayla Singleton. Singleton was arrested and is expected to be charged in the coming days. Lee is wanted on charges of assault, unlawful imprisonment, and interfering with the childs custody. In a post on Facebook, the MCSO said Lee participated with her daughter in taking advantage of a mentally challenged mama and kidnapping her baby. The complicated story began to unravel when homeless woman Marie Childress was picked up by law enforcement in Mobile for panhandling June 6, nearly 10 months after her child was born. After being taken to McKemie Place, a center in Mobile for women without a home, Childress reported to case workers that her baby had been kidnapped and began to explain the unusual circumstances of a story that started out in Wisconsin more than a year before. Childress had met a man online who told her that he was moving to Mobile and wanted her to come with him, according to the Mobile County Sheriffs Office. And she did. She moved into a home with the man, who law enforcement have declined to name, and Singleton. Childress gave birth September 9. Marie [Childress] stated that while she was living in this home she was locked in a room, beaten and held without food, said an MCSO spokesperson. Kayla Singleton came to the hospital and threatened Marie telling her that the [Department of Human Resources] would not allow her to keep her baby because of outstanding warrants in Wisconsin. Turns out Childress didnt have any outstanding warrants anywhere, but because she is mentally challenged believed what Singleton was saying, and that Singletons name was on the birth certificate. For the last nine months Childress and Singleton have been living together, going from hotel to hotel, according to MCSO. Childress panhandled to get money for accommodation and food. It was during that period of panhandling that Childress was picked up and when the full story began to become clear. A case worker with Franklin HCH notified our office of a possible kidnapping, said MCSO of the June 6 arrest. Detectives immediately began interviewing witnesses and putting together a timeline of events given by the victim. After a short period of investigation involving the U.S. Marshals Service and the DeKalb County Sheriffs Office, Childresss child was located living with Singleton in Stone Mountain, Georgia, a city 350 miles from Mobile in the north part of the state. On Tuesday at approximately 8:45 a.m., the infant was rescued and reunited with Childress. The investigation is ongoing. Spencer Collier, the states former top cop, was arrested in south Alabama amid accusations he filed a false report. Collier was booked and quickly released from Daphne City Jail, according to local law enforcement. A spokesperson from the Daphne Police Department said Colliers charge related to a report he made regarding fraudulent credit card use while he was staying in a local hotel Thursday evening. He turned himself in to the Daphne City Jail at around 1:30 p.m., according to Daphne PD Sgt. Jason Vannoy, who characterized the incident as domestic. The 46-year-old Collier served three years as Alabamas first secretary of law enforcement and two years as Alabamas third director of homeland security. He resigned earlier this week as the Selma police chief, citing medical reasons. Collier also served as a state representative. Collier currently lives in Fairhope, according to public records. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Colliers wife, Melissa, on Thursday requested a petition from abuse against her husband in Baldwin Countys Circuit Court. The couple has been married since 1991. According to filing, Melissa Collier is accusing her husband of threatening her with physical abuse on June 12. She said he is having problems with depression and anxiety and is under extreme pressure. Her husband, she said, is in an unstable state of mind. In the request, Melissa Collier asked a judge to allow two of their children ages 17 and 12 to remain in her custody while her husband seeks treatment for depression and anxiety and is deemed not to be a risk to self or others. She also asked that he be restrained from harassing, stalking, threatening and engaging in conduct that would put her and the children in reasonable fear of bodily injury. She also asked that he be ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. A judge issued the temporary restraining order, which is set to expire in October. Collier addressed the arrest and his family situation in a statement. My adult son, who is a recovering addict and multiple felon, used my bank card without my permission, said Collier in a message to AL.com. I filed a police report, being this is the second time in a year that he has done this. I was unaware that my wife (we are currently estranged) gave him permission. He pressed charges because I listed him as the suspect. He added: I have no doubt that I will be exonerated - but the entire episode is embarrassing. I am so sorry for any embarrassment that this has caused the City of Selma. I wish to apologize to the Daphne Police Department and also express my gratitude for their professionalism throughout the entire incident. Having been told about Colliers defense of what happened, Sgt Vannoy of the Daphne PD said that fundamental information given by Collier to an investigating officer was deemed to be false. In April 2013, ex-Gov. Robert Bentley named Collier as secretary of law enforcement, a cabinet position. In February 2016, Bentley announced he was putting Collier on a three-month medical leave after Colliers decision to defy a direct order during a public corruption investigation against Mike Hubbard, the former Alabama House Speaker who has since been sentenced to a total of four years in prison, eight years on probation and ordered to pay a $210,000 fine on 12 felony ethics violations. (Hubbard has not been to prison, pending appeal.) Collier was fired March 22, 2016 effective immediately. The governor said he fired Collier over possible misuse of funds, but Collier was later cleared of any wrongdoing. A day after his firing, Collier accused Bentley of having an affair with a staffer. [The Robert Bentley Scandal] This story will be updated as more information becomes available. A major wastewater spill along the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River killed an estimated 175,000 fish and has left residents from Hanceville to Jasper upset about the condition of their river. According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the event involved the release of partially treated wastewater from a chicken processing plant owned by agricultural giant Tyson Farms Inc. I guess it killed the small fish first because those were the first ones that we saw, said Kim Wright of Empire, who lives on the river more than 20 miles away from the plant. Then later came the bigger fish, which were gar, striped bass, tons of bass, bass that we would love to catch, huge things. All you could smell was dead, rotting fish. State officials with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources released a conservative estimate that 175,000 were killed. But Damon Abernathy, assistant chief of fisheries for ADCNR, said the incident was so large that direct counts of dead fish were not possible. It appears that most of the fish in the affected area were killed, Abernathy said. Dissolved oxygen dropped to levels that most fish cannot easily survive. The spill was first reported to ADEM on June 6, reportedly due to the failure of an above-ground hose/pipe that was being used to pump the partially treated wastewater from one holding pond to another holding pond, said ADEMs report. Residents reported waves of dead fish, including large, hearty species such as catfish and gar washing up in droves and creating an almost unbearable smell. ADEM said the department had documented low levels of dissolved oxygen up to 22 miles downstream of the Hanceville plant, and noted that dead fish were reported as far as 40 miles from the River Valley Ingredients facility owned by Tyson. Tyson Farms issued a statement Thursday. [W]e deeply regret the incident and appreciate the coordination of efforts and help we received from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the statement read. We will be seeking guidance from both agencies on our longer-term remediation efforts and will communicate those to the community once weve decided on the course of action. River Valley Ingredients processes the parts of chickens people dont usually eat to make protein meal for animal feed. The facility has had issues in the past. In 2016, under previous owner American Proteins, the facility caused a significant fish kill after dumping an estimated 900 gallons of sulfuric acid and stormwater into the river. According to The Cullman Times, American Proteins was the largest poultry rendering operation in the world and its 600-acre Hanceville plant employed roughly 230 people and can process 36 million pounds of offal per week. Tyson Farms bought American Proteins in 2018 for a reported $850 million. The Tyson Farms statement also said that dissolved oxygen levels had returned to normal, and that the Mulberry and Sipsey Fork are available for recreation. Black Warrior Riverkeeper Nelson Brooke said that just because dissolved oxygen levels have gone back up does not mean the river is safe for recreation. That's not how you determine if it's safe to swim, Brooke said. Samples taken by Black Warrior Riverkeeper on Monday showed E coli. bacteria at nearly double the maximum amount allowed by the state of Alabama in surface waters during the summer recreation season. Dead fish everywhere Wright, who said she and her family use the river on a daily basis, watched the fish kill unfold over several days, including numerous visits from government personnel and emergency response teams, which conducted water sampling and hauled away boatloads of decaying fish. The workers who removed the fish wore fluorescent yellow hazmat-type suits, she said. Wright said she first knew something was wrong Sunday afternoon, when she and her family stopped by the boat ramp after a trip to Birmingham. We got out of our vehicle, we were looking around and just there were just dead fish everywhere floating on top of the water, Wright said. When they got to their house, Wright said, they learned the spill had reached them and dead fish were even floating up the Sipsey Fork from where it joins the Mulberry Fork. Wright said she and her husband and two teenage sons use the river almost every day. They have a boat and frequently enjoy bass fishing, and her sons love to swim in the water. Were river people and everybody else that lives around here is the same way," said Wright. We live here because of the river, not because of the town or the movie theater. We dont even have a movie theater. We dont have anything in this town, but the river. Wright said she had spoken with Tyson Farms by phone. I asked him what was spilled into the river that killed all these fish and he said organic matter, organic material, Wright said. And as I said, well what does that mean organic matter, organic material, what does it consist of? And he said, ma'am, I can't answer that. Wright has been actively posting photos and status updates on social media said that whatever environmental fines Tyson has had to pay in the past havent been enough. I would like them to be shut down, she said. I don't even think they need to operate near the river if they can't do better than that, because apparently fining them doesn't make any difference. Black Warrior Riverkeeper said that ADEM and ADCNR need to respond with a significant fine to ensure this kind of mistake does not happen again. We think that ADEM needs to really drop the hammer on them and effectively fine them in a way thats going to deter them from continuing to have poor housekeeping practices at their facility that give way to situations like this, said Brooke. Brooke said he would also like to see ADEM force Tyson Farms to conduct a thorough engineering analysis of the facility to identify potential problem areas in advance, and to pay for restoration or conservation projects on the river. Clearly," said Brooke, they have a facility that is not being properly maintained and operated to have so many spills in a short order of years. A Birmingham teen has been convicted in the 2018 shooting death of his classmate Courtlin Arrington inside a Huffman High School classroom. A Jefferson County jury on Thursday found 18-year-old Michael Jerome Barber guilty of criminally negligent homicide, which is a Class A misdemeanor. Barber was initially charged with reckless manslaughter -- a Class B felony. The felony charge would have carried a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while the misdemeanor charges has a maximum sentence of one year in prison. My client is blessed and sorry for his action, said defense attorney Emory Anthony. The shooting happened Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 3:40 p.m. in the doorway of a classroom. The bell had just rung when Arrington and several of her friends were walking out of a classroom. Anthony said Arrington was shot when she asked to see Barbers gun and it discharged, striking her in the chest. Surveillance footage from inside the school did not show the shooting of Arrington but did show Barber in the hallway afterward. He was putting the gun in the waistband of his pants when the gun went off a second time and struck him in the leg. When police arrived, they found Arrington unconscious in the classroom. She was taken to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Barber was found injured in the hallway. The gun was to his right, on the floor near a set of lockers. Police took the 9 mm pistol and Barbers backpack and transported him to UAB for medical attention. He was quickly treated and released, and then taken to Birmingham police headquarters for questioning. Arrington, a senior, and Barber, a junior, were friends and classmates; but had no personal history with one another and had no feuds. At least five students witnessed the shooting. Barbers trial began Monday in the courtroom of Jefferson County Circuit Judge Clyde Jones. Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday morning, and the defense Wednesday afternoon. Closing arguments by the attorneys -- prosecutor Riggs Walker and defense attorney Anthony -- were also complete by Wednesday afternoon. The jury began deliberating Thursday morning, returning to the courtroom twice; the first time to re-watch the school surveillance video, and the second, asking the judge to explain the difference between manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Manslaughter is when someone engages in dangerous or illegal activity that causes the death of another. The crime involves a person being aware of the risk and continues with the dangerous or illegal action. Under the law, criminally negligent homicide is when someone is unaware of the risk and acts with criminal negligence. Basically, authorities said, the criminally negligent homicide is failing to perceive the dangers. Barbers sentencing is set for Aug. 8. Among the witnesses in the trial was Arringtons still-grieving mother, Tynesha Tatum. We were two peas in a pod. You see me, you see her,'' Tatum said in a 2018 interview with AL.com. I got up in the morning and jumped in her bed and kissed on her face. A man was shot to death in a north Birmingham neighborhood Friday afternoon. Birmingham police and Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service medics responded to the 900 block of Ninth Street North just after 3 p.m. Officers said they arrived at the location to find a black male lying next to a vehicle. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Police have roped off much off the area. At least a dozen friends and family member showed up to the scene, visibly distraught. Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams it appears the victim was approached by another man and some kind of exchange took place. He said they dont yet know if the two know each other. No one was in custody as of 4:30 p.m. The killing is Birminghams 52nd homicide this year. Of those, at least seven have been ruled justifiable and therefore are not deemed criminal by the Birmingham Police Department. In all of Jefferson County there have been 78 homicides including the 52 in Birmingham. This story will be updated as more information is released. The attorneys for a Dothan man charged in the brutal 1999 murder of two high school senior girls says investigators tried to use a Death Row inmate to strengthen their case against the accused killer. Coley McCraney, 45, was arrested in March in the deaths of Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley. He is charged with one count of rape and five counts of capital murder. For the past 20 years, McCraney led a crime-free life, maintaining a family and keeping a low profile but all the while harboring a deadly secret, authorities said. The murders of the girls haunted the Wiregrass region for decades and had been given national exposure on television networks throughout the years. The friends, both 17, were on their way home from Beasleys birthday party when they got lost in Ozark on July 31, 1999. On Friday, McCraneys attorneys filed a motion Dale County Circuit Court asking that their client be separated from Death Row Inmate Emanuel Gissendanner, who was moved to the Dale County Jail June 13 for an upcoming court date. According to the motion, Gissendanner was taken from Holman Prison in Atmore directly to the Ozark Police Department and questioned by Lt. Michael Bryan about any knowledge he had involving McCraney. Bryan, the attorneys said, is not with an agency currently working on Gissendanners case. Gissendanner was instructed by Michael Bryan, we need something, anything we can get on this guy, the motion states. Gissendanner was then taken to the Dale County Jail and placed in a cell with McCraney in an attempt to obtain knowledge or a confession, the attorneys assert. Inmate Gissendanner has been sentenced to death and has the ultimate reason to assist law enforcement and, in the interest of justice, the two inmates should be separated, they wrote. Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker said they have questioned a number of people in connection with the case against McCraney. McCraney and Gissendanner were acquaintances years ago, which is why police talked with him, the chief said. Gissendanner, 43, has been on Alabamas Death Row for 15 years for the murder of Margaret Snellgrove in 2001 during a robbery and kidnapping. In January, the Alabama Supreme Court announced that Gissendanner will receive a new trial. After Gissendanners conviction, his lawyers filed a direct appeal and in 2007, the Dale County judge who sentenced Gissendanner to death granted him a new trial based on claims of ineffective counsel. In his 70-page order, Judge [Kenneth] Quattlebaum found that Gissendanner's defense counsel were deficient in both the guilt phase and the penalty phase of the trial. The judge found that defense counsel failed to investigate and to prepare for trial. The judge also found that the State had violated [case law] in failing to disclose handwriting samples to the defense, the states highest court noted. A hearing in the Gissendanner case is set for next week. McCraney became a suspect in the Hawlett and Beasley murders after a DNA match was found through a family DNA website in a geneology search. McCraney had no previous criminal record. According to Hawletts mother, Carole Roberts, the girls had been lost that night and could not understand the directions they were given before stopping at a convenience store in Ozark. They had been on their way home from the party in Headland. The girls were found the next day inside the trunk of Beasleys black Mazda 929, on the side of Herring Avenue about one block away from the Dale County hospital. Both girls had each been shot once to the head, but there were no other signs of foul play. The girls jewelry, purses and money were not missing and state forensics experts at the time said neither girl had been raped. Within a week, police announced a nationwide, 24-hour hotline to receive tips and a reward fund quickly grew to $15,000 in donations from area residents. Then-Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman announced another $10,000 in state funds. In the years immediately after the killing, investigators conducted more than 500 interviews, overworked forensics experts and tested the DNA of more than 70 potential suspects, according to reports. A Mississippi fugitive accused of kidnapping his young niece is behind bars after the little girl was found alone and wandering near a west Birmingham gas station. Birmingham police West Precinct officers just before noon Thursday arrested 28-year-old Jared Slade on warrants out of Mississippi. Authorities in Mississippi said Slade stole his mothers Nissan Sentra before kidnapping the girl in Mississippis Lamar County Wednesday. He also took his mothers cell phone, said Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel. Deputies there searched for Slade, the car and the girl throughout the night but to no avail. Slades information was entered into a nationwide police database so other law enforcement could be on the lookout for him. Just before noon Thursday, Birmingham police received a 911 call about the 6-year-old girl walking around by herself, said West Precinct commander Capt. Scott Thurmond. That led to Slade being found asleep in the vehicle at the Pilot Travel Center on Bankhead Highway. The girl was uninjured and placed into the custody of the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources until she could be reunited with her guardian. Birmingham police do not have any charges against Slade. He is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail pending extradition to Mississippi where he is charged with kidnapping, and expected to face additional charges. A Lee County woman has been arrested after her husband died in the front yard of their home from a shotgun blast. The Lee County Sheriffs Office was dispatched shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the 500 block of Lee Road. Deputies arrived to find Brandyn Lloyd Paonessa, 26, in the yard suffered from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, said sheriffs Capt. Van Jackson. First responders tried to save Brandyn Paonessa but to no avail. He was pronounced dead on the scene. Investigators, Jackson said, found evidence that led to his wife 27-year-old Brittnay Ryals Paonessa as the prime suspect. She was taken into custody and charged with murder. A shotgun was recovered from the scene. Court records show a history of marital discord between the couple, who married in 2013 and have three young children together. Brittnay Paonessa also has another child from a previous relationship. Brandyn Paonessa was arrested last year on a third-degree domestic violence charge involving his wife after he was accused of punching her in the stomach because she looked through his cell phone. That charge was dismissed at the wifes request. Brandyn Paoenssa earlier this week sought a Protection from Abuse order against his wife and requested immediate temporary custody of their children. In his request, the husband said his wife had threatened his job by lying to his bosses, had driven a truck into the house and harassed all of their friends. He described her as very unstable. Brittnay Paonessa is being held in the Lee County Detention Facility on $150,000 bond. Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call the Lee County Sherriffs Office at 334-749-5651 or the Lee County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-522-7847. A longstanding west Alabama sheriff has been indicted on federal charges of wire fraud and filing a false tax return amid allegations he pocketed $400,000 from the food fund for jail inmates while defrauding a food bank and even his own church. Pickens County Sheriff David Eugene Abston, 68, has been sheriff for 32 years. Abston is charged with seven counts of wire fraud and two counts of filing a false tax return. Abston, authorities said, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. That agreement was filed in U.S. District Court on Friday and Abston made his initial appearance before a federal magistrate at 10:30 a.m. A sitting county sheriff is alleged to have defrauded a food bank and a church for his personal gain at the expense of the underprivileged that the food bank serves, Town said. Our office will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute public officials who violate the public trust for their own personal gain. Last year, former Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin said publicly that he had a legal right to leftover jail food funds under a Depression-era law. The state Legislature has since passed a law prohibiting sheriffs from keeping funds allocated to feed state inmates that they didnt use for that purpose. But lawyers and law professors have said that Entrekin likely ran afoul of federal law by also keeping federal jail food money, as AL.com reported in December. In July, Entrekin told AL.com that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was investigating his handling of inmate-feeding funds. No charges have been filed, and Rhea, Entrekins lawyer, denied any misconduct at the time. He stands ready to cooperate fully and completely in the investigation that, hopefully, will begin immediately, Rhea, said in a July statement. That is what innocent people do. The Tuscaloosa News reported Friday that Abston has resigned as sheriff. Longtime Coroner Chad Harless has been sworn in as sheriff until Gov. Kay Ivey appoints a replacement. According to the indictment unsealed Friday in the Pickens County case, as sheriff Abston was responsible for the care and custody of prisoners housed in the Pickens County Jail. That responsibility included feeding inmates housed in the jail. In exchange, Abston was entitled to receive a specified food allowance per prisoner per day from the state of Alabama and other governmental entities. Between 2014 and 2018, Abston received more than $400,000 in food allowance money from the state of Alabama and other governmental entities. During that same period, Abstonlike many sheriffs in Alabamahad a practice of keeping for himself any food allowance money that he did not spend to feed inmates. During that same period, authorities said, Abston engaged in a scheme to defraud the West Alabama Food Bank, as well the Highland Baptist Church of Gordo, Alabamawhere Abston was a memberin order to reduce his jail food expenses and increase the amount of food allowance money he could keep. Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Jay Town, FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. and IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Holloman on Friday announced the nine-count indictment against Abston. The West Alabama Food Bank is a non-profit based in Tuscaloosa with a stated mission of helping to alleviate hunger and food insecurity in nine West Alabama counties. The organization collects donations of food and distributes that food to partner agencies such as churches, soup kitchens, and food pantries. To become a partner agency with the food bank, a church must submit an application stating, among other things, that the church will distribute food in compliance with the non-profits policy. The criteria for a churchs partnering with the food bank include a requirement that the church use the food it receives solely to serve the ill, needy, or infants. In turn, it provides food to its partner agencies for a nominal fee to help cover the costs of food maintenance and storage. West Alabama Food Bank strives to fulfill our mission of feeding food insecure individuals and families, the food bank wrote in an email to AL.com. According to the indictment, in 2014 Abston convinced Highland Baptist Church to permit him to open a bank account to be used for a church food pantry with the West Alabama Food Bank. Abston opened that bank account, in the name of the Highland Baptist Church Food Pantry. Abston was the sole signatory on the account. Around the same time, Abston applied, on behalf of the Highland Baptist Church Food Pantry, to become a partner agency of the food bank. His application to do so claimed that the general program of the church food pantry would be to help feed poor and children from disadvantage[d] and poor neighborhoods. Church pastor Shawn McDaniel declined to comment. The application claimed that the food pantry would use unemployment, sickness, and poverty as eligibility guidelines for food. The application said nothing about the food pantrys providing any food to inmates in the Pickens County Jail. Between 2014 and 2018, Abston wrote more than $80,000 in checks from his own bank account to the church food pantry bank account and wrote more than $80,000 in checks from the food pantry bank account to the food bank in exchange for food. According to the indictment, Abston used a significant portion of that food to feed inmates in the Pickens County Jail. The indictment also alleges that Abston filed false tax returns for the 2015 and 2016 tax years, because he failed to report all of his income for those years. Abston was first elected sheriff in Pickens County in 1987. He began his law enforcement career with the U.S. Army Military Police and later attended the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy. He has previously served with the Tuscaloosa Police Department as a patrolman and as chief of the Gordo Police Department from 1980 through 1986. Sheriff Abston graduated the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in 1996. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum penalty for filing a false tax return is three years in prison and a $100,000 fine for each count. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ward is prosecuting. No matter what your career or position is within our communities, all U.S. citizens are obligated to comply with the tax laws, said Holloman. Honest and law-abiding citizens are fed up with the likes of those who use deceit and fraud to line their pockets as well as skirt their tax obligations. U.S. President Donald Trump thanked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his attempt to de-escalate tensions between the U.S. and Iran but said the time wasnt right for diplomacy. "While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei," the U.S. leader wrote on Twitter, "I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" On May 15, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill passed by the Alabama House of Representatives and the Senate that would ban nearly all abortions in the state with the sole exception of protecting the life and health of the mother. The law also makes it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion procedure when the life of the mother is not at risk. In signing it, Governor Ivey acknowledged that the law was unconstitutional and unenforceable under the existing legal precedent set forth by Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973). But she agreed with the sponsors of the bill that it was time for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade. Although the Alabama law will not go into effect for six months, on May 24, the ACLU of Alabama and Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit challenging the law. Alabamas new abortion law is part of a nationwide attempt to challenge Rove v. Wade in the U.S. Supreme Court and to mobilize opponents of abortion for the 2020 presidential election. However, Alabamas law may not achieve any of its desired results. Despite being lauded as a triumph by some conservative activists, the drafters of the Alabama abortion law may have misread both the zeitgeist in the United States on the issue of abortion as well as their likelihood of success before the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts. Therefore, the Alabama abortion law will likely have the unintended effect of setting back the pro-life agenda. Supreme Court Will Not Reverse Roes Core Holding Since the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade in 1973, opponents and supporters of abortion rights, including Justice Ruth Ginsburg, have criticized various aspects of the decision. However, despite numerous direct and indirect challenges, including Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992), the Supreme Court has repeatedly reaffirmed the core holding of Roe v. Wade, that a woman has a fundamental right to terminate a pregnancy early in the pregnancy. In Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania v. Casey the Supreme Court discarded Roes trimester analysis and replaced that test with the undue burden test that focuses on whether a law imposes an undue burden on a womans right to an abortion. Roe v. Wades core holding remains intact. Given the existing legal precedent, the federal judges who will review the Alabama law will likely strike it down as violating the fundamental holding of Roe v. Wade. Supreme Court Has Not Given Any Indication It is Prepared to Overturn or Revisit Roe In recent years, the Supreme Court has not given any indication that it is prepared to overturn or revisit the central holding of Roe v. Wade, despite having had several opportunities to do so. Several legal commentators have argued that the appointment of two conservative Justices during President Trumps tenure in office may ultimately result in the reversal of Roe v. Wade. However, both Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch acknowledged during their confirmation hearings the precedential nature of Roe v. Wade. Moreover, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch acknowledged the possible disruptive effects of setting aside precedent like Roe v. Wade that has existed for more than a generation. Recent Supreme Court in cases involving challenges to Louisiana and Indiana laws that deal with abortion reinforce the notion that the Court is not inclined to issue an order that would seriously disrupt Roe v. Wade. Moreover, Chief Justice Roberts has sought to avoid significant controversies since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was the swing vote between the Courts conservatives and the liberals, and the heated confirmation hearings surrounding Justice Kavanaugh. Thus, given its current composition, where at least four Justices are firmly committed to the core holding of Roe v. Wade, and based on Roberts moderating impact, it would appear extremely unlikely that the Supreme Court will strike down the core holding of Roe v. Wade. Some supporters of Roe v. Wade have argued that several Justices are personally opposed to abortion on religious grounds and that will lead to a reversal of Roe v. Wade. Such analysis ignores Chief Justice Roberts guiding judicial philosophy. Even if a majority of the Justices personally oppose abortion or believe that the Supreme Court wrongly decided Roe v. Wade, it is unlikely that Roberts, now the swing vote on abortion since Justice Kennedys retirement, would allow the conservative Justices to strike down Roe v. Wade. Such a decision would not only call into question the legitimacy of the institution, but would also place the Supreme Court at the center of a political controversy so heated that it could undermine the institutions claim to judicial objectivity for a generation. Chief Justice Roberts has repeatedly stated that he has sought to avoid such a situation and there is no indication he would allow such a result. The Alabama Law Seeks to Overturn Roe and Mobilize Conservative Voters Why would Alabama legislators and the governor sign an unenforceable law that has very little chance to survive judicial review given the Supreme Courts composition? Under Roe v. Wade and subsequent precedent, the unborn in the very earliest stages of development do not have any protections under the law. The Alabama legislators, who recognized that the law was unenforceable and unconstitutional, intended for it to serve as more than a symbolic message voicing opposition to abortion. The Alabama law is part of a generation-long legal strategy by opponents of abortion who hope to establish legal precedent regarding the rights of the unborn in the earliest stages of pregnancy. Unlike other state laws enacted over the past year that provide protection for the unborn at the moment when a fetal heartbeat is detected, the Alabama law defines the unborn as deserving protection at the very earliest stages of a pregnancy. Thus, the Alabama law represents the most direct attack to date on Roe v. Wades central holding. Moreover, the Alabama law is a part of a national political agenda that seeks to mobilize voters who oppose abortion in the run-up to the 2020 election. Conservative activists, including those in Alabama, believe that there will be one or more openings on the Supreme Court in the next five years. Its their hope that enactment of stringent anti-abortion laws and the subsequent court battles will mobilize the millions of voters who oppose abortion. The recent Alabama law seeks to make the issue of abortion one of the central mobilizing issues for the 2020 election. Pro-life activists believe that the reelection of President Trump is essential to the long-term pro-life agenda and that Trump will repay them with the appointment of another Justice who will firmly turn the tide against Roe v. Wade. However, such a risky political strategy could backfire as the Alabama law has already unleashed a tremendous backlash among supporters of Roe v. Wade. That backlash could negate any uptick in conservative voters in the 2020 election sparked by the passage of state laws like Alabamas that restrict abortion. Similarly, laws like Alabamas that criminalize the actions of doctors might alienate some percentage of moderate Republican voters who personally oppose abortion but who are offended by a state laws that deprives women of a right recognized by the Supreme Court for more than a generation. The Alabama Abortion Law Will Probably Set Back the Pro-Life Movement While conservative activists who played an instrumental role in the passage of the recent Alabama abortion law may hope that the law will eventually result in overturning Roe v. Wade or help to carve out protections for the unborn during the very earliest stages of pregnancy, such results are not likely. Instead, it is more likely that laws like those passed recently by Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Kentucky will fuel increased activism from the supporters of Roe v. Wade. Thus, the Alabama abortion law may ultimately set back the generations-long efforts of the pro-life movement and the victories sought in the courts may ultimately prove very elusive. Birmingham resident James Barney is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies in the School of Security and Global Studies. In addition to possessing a J.D., James has several masters degrees, including in American foreign policy. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in History. Note: The opinions and comments stated in the following article, and views expressed by any contributor to In Homeland Security, do not represent the views of of American Military University, American Public University System, its management or employees. This blog article, written by a licensed lawyer, is intended solely for educational purposes, not to provide any legal advice or to solicit clients in any U.S. or foreign jurisdiction. Some protesters say damaging parts of the economy in the short term will help save Hong Kongs autonomy for the future. Teargas, rubber-coated bullets, police in riot gear and protesters in hospital. It has been an unusually violent week in Hong Kong, where some people against a proposed extradition law are taking on a new target as part of their fight: the Chinese territorys economy. The street protests that have brought hundreds of thousands onto the citys streets look set to continue against the bill that would allow mainland China to request the extradition of suspects from Hong Kong. Some believe that the proposal, if passed, would ultimately undermine the territory. And they are shutting down shops, going on strike and even calling for a sell-off of Hong Kongs currency all relatively new weapons in their fight to maintain the citys autonomy. Some of these people say that inflicting short-term economic pain will highlight the need to preserve the laws and freedoms that Hong Kong has enjoyed since the United Kingdom handed it back to Beijing in 1997 under the so-called one country, two systems agreement. According to a list compiled by former students from the Education University of Hong Kong, 1,229 businesses heeded a call spread over social media to shut down on Thursday. The list names firms in the retail, media, legal, hospitality and many other sectors. Domino effect Conrad Fu, the founder of local transport startup Call4Van, was among the first business owners to suspend operations in sympathy with the protesters. Hong Kong has a well-established legal system that has been trusted by many foreign businesses and investors. The extradition law can scare them away. This could have a domino effect on Hong Kongs economy, whose cornerstone is the financial industry, Fu told Al Jazeera. The belief in Hong Kongs strong legal system and protections attracted 8,754 businesses with parent companies outside Hong Kong last year, according to investment promotion agency InvestHK. If one brick is taken away, the whole infrastructure will start to collapse slowly We are just losing two or three weeks revenue. But compared to the long-term damage that can be done to Hong Kong and its people, our loss is nothing, Fu said. The protesters arent the only ones who believe this. Ratings agency Fitch has warned of possible credit downgrades if the extradition law is passed [Viola Gaskell/Al Jazeera] Fitch Ratings warned of the possibility of downgrades to Hong Kongs credit score if its autonomy is compromised. A lower credit rating could translate to higher interest payments on its government debts. A move towards greater alignment of institutional and regulatory frameworks that diminish the autonomy of Hong Kong with respect to the factors that support its higher credit rating relative to mainland China would cause the rating differential to come under review, Fitch said in a statement. Bank borrowing costs have gone up even without ratings downgrades. Hong Kongs one-month interbank borrowing rate rose on Friday to its highest level since 2008, according to data from Bloomberg. And the citys main stock index, the Hang Seng, fell nearly two percent over the week. Foreign masters An editorial in the mainlands state-run China Daily newspaper this week defended the proposed law, saying it satisfies all the requirements of relevant international conventions and suits Hong Kongs status as an international city with a mature legal system. The editorial added: The opposition camp and its foreign masters seem willing to oppose it for their own purposes at the expense of the citys rule of law, public safety and justice. The protesters succeeded in forcing the Legislative Council, Hong Kongs parliament, to delay a debate on the law this week but the territorys government remains committed to passing it before the end of the month. The demonstrations began on Sunday and turned violent on Wednesday, when protesters blocked access to the Legislative Council building. The demonstrations have caused widespread disruptions to daily life, which will translate into lost revenue for many firms. On Wednesday, as businesses shut down, many staff were given the choice to work from home. Bus and subway services were diverted or suspended. Shops and banks around the protest areas were closed. Pacific Place, a high-end shopping mall near government buildings, closed for the day on Thursday. But rather than viewing the economic costs of the protests as mere collateral damage, some of the people against the bill want to weaponise the economy and its world-class financial system as part of their fight. For instance, Tree Li, a 28-year-old Hong Kong accountant, is urging people to sell off their Hong Kong dollars. We have no choice but to start a financial fight to force the government to revoke the extradition bill, Li told Al Jazeera. The ways we protested before are not working anymore. Hong Kong police have used teargas, beanbag rounds and pepper spray against protesters this week [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters] If Hong Kongers do not feel confident about the government or the Hong Kong dollar, they can choose to convert their assets into US dollars and take them out of the local banks. They can hold cash or deposit the money in offshore bank accounts, Li said. This is not what the government wants. Lis campaign has attracted around 9,000 likes on Facebook. Without rule of law, foreign investors would lose confidence in Hong Kong and sell off their assets in the city, he says. Li and other observers worry that once the bill is passed, the protection that the international city provides its residents and businesspeople will disappear. Aggressive response The police response to the protests was swift and more aggressive than their actions during the 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations. Police Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung told reporters on Wednesday that riot officers used batons, pepper spray, beanbag rounds, rubber-coated bullets, water hoses and teargas against the demonstrators. The 2014 protests shut down the key business district of Hong Kong for 79 days. The economic impact of those events was limited, analysts say. But even though Hong Kong rebounded, the protests left a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the citys autonomy. This time around, those doubts could become more permanent, particularly if the government passes the extradition law, they say. Gillem Tulloch, the founder of accounting research firm GMT Research, told Al Jazeera that his company will wait until the bill is passed to decide if it should shift operations to Singapore or the UK. It would be more difficult to do business in Hong Kong and we worry about the safety of our staff. We produce a lot of highly critical analysis of Chinese companies. There could be retaliation from China by different means, Tulloch said. Hong Kongs reputation as one of the freest economies in the world may already be taking a hit. In a statement praising the protesters as courageous, United States Congress House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested reviewing the USs policy of treating Hong Kong as a separate entity from mainland China. The revocation of the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 would mean that the US no longer treats Hong Kong as independent. A possible effect of such a move would be that all the tariffs the US has levied against mainland China in its trade war would also apply to Hong Kong, damaging its huge trade and logistics industries. If it is no longer an independent economic entity that can attract foreign capital, its trade and financial system could collapse, Jack Fung, a researcher at the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute, told Al Jazeera. Already, a group of US congresspeople has agreed to put forward a bill to revoke Hong Kongs status. The US Department of State said the proposed amendments to Hong Kongs extradition law lack procedural protections and undermine Hong Kongs autonomy and negatively impact the territorys long-standing protections. They also damage Hong Kongs business environment and subject our citizens residing in or visiting Hong Kong to Chinas capricious judicial system, it said. The move would follow Trumps decision to revoke key trading privileges for New Dehli. India is preparing to impose higher tariffs on some imports from the United States including almonds, walnuts and apples, two sources told Reuters news agency. The move, which has been delayed by about a year and could happen next week, would follow closely on the heels of Washingtons decision to revoke key trading privileges for New Dehli. United States President Donald Trump scrapped trade privileges for India under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) starting June 5th. India had been the biggest beneficiary of the scheme, which allowed it to export some $5.6bn worth of goods to the US duty-free. In response to losing those privileges, India is now considering slapping higher tariffs on US goods, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, although the US has warned that any retaliatory levies by India would not be appropriate under World Trade Organization rules. What India is doing is legal and the tariffs on US goods will only lead to an impact of around $220m, one of the sources said, declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. Indias Ministry of Commerce and Industry did not respond to an email from Reuters seeking comment. India initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120 percent on a slew of US items, following Washingtons refusal to exempt New Delhi from higher steel and aluminium tariffs. But New Delhi has repeatedly delayed raising tariffs as the two nations engaged in trade talks. Trade between them stood at about $142.1bn in 2018. India is by far the largest buyer of US almonds, paying $543 million for more than half of US almond exports in 2018, according to US Department of Agriculture data. It is also the second largest buyer of US apples, importing $156 mn worth in 2018. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to visit India this month, said this week that the US was open to dialogue with India by allowing US firms more access to Indian markets. Dates for Pompeos visit have not been officially announced, but it could reportedly happen ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis first meeting with Trump in more than two years, on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Japan later this month. Trump has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, even though the two countries have developed close political and security ties. New Delhis new rules in areas such as e-commerce and data localisation have angered the US and hit companies such as Amazon.com, Walmart, Mastercard and Visa, among others. Previously, India has called the withdrawal of GSP benefits unfortunate, and vowed to always uphold its national interest in these matters. Tensions in the region are at the highest they can be without an actual armed conflict, says a top shipping association. The cost of insuring tankers to ship Middle East crude will increase after a second spate of attacks on vessels in the region in just over a month. Two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, just 32 days after four other carriers were targeted nearby. The region was designated as a listed area after those incidents, a classification that gives underwriters room to charge more. DNK, the mutual insurer that covered one of the ships damaged Thursday, will increase its rates for war insurance, according to a person familiar with the matter. Rival insurer Hellenic War Risks Club will probably increase a so-called additional premium that owners pay when sailing to the Persian Gulf with immediate effect, according to a notice on its website. The Strait of Hormuz is the worlds most important shipping channel for oil [Bloomberg] Nobody has so far taken responsibility for the recent incidents, which happened near the Strait of Hormuz, the worlds most important oil choke-point, handling about 35% of the global seaborne trade. The U.S. suggested that Iran, which is under tough American sanctions, was linked to last months attacks. DNK insured the Norwegian-owned Front Altair for the full value of the vessel, according to the person familiar. A ship of that tankers size is worth between $30 million and $50 million, according to another person with knowledge of the matter. Insurers provide war policies that pay out the value of ships damaged or destroyed by acts of both terrorism and war. The Front Altairs cargo of naphtha would be insured under a separate policy. Industry Response Some owners appear to be taking a breather when it comes to accepting charters from the Middle East while they evaluate the risks of lifting oil from the region, according to Halvor Ellefsen, a shipbroker at Fearnleys in London. Shipping companies should consider diverting vessels from the area where the two vessels were attacked Thursday, industry group BIMCO, the largest international shipping association for owners, said in a security advisory to its members. Tensions in the Strait and the Gulf are now at the highest they can be without an actual armed conflict, the group said in a separate statement. Japans Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. has ordered ships it operates in the area to keep a 12-mile radius from the zone where the two tankers were attacked, a company spokesman said on Thursday evening. Intertanko, the biggest trade organization for oil tanker owners, said it is extremely worried about the safety of crews in the region. It also said two of its members suffered explosions at or below the water line in what the group described as an attack. Rare Disruptions Escalations that disrupt Middle East oil supplies are relatively rare. The Iran-Iraq war coincided with a big slump in OPEC oil output in the first half of the 1980s. That conflict saw tankers destroyed as the two countries tried to damage one anothers economies. By contrast, Iraqs 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and the Gulf War that followed, were a long way from Hormuz and had a relatively small impact on flows through the Strait, with Saudi Arabia replacing much of the lost Iraqi and Kuwaiti crude. In the short-term the rates for chartering ships in the Middle East could rise as some owners consider avoiding the region, lowering supply, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Noah Parquette wrote in a report. Shares of tanker companies responded bullishly, suggesting a view among some investors that the tensions could drive up freight rates. Frontline Ltd.- the owner of the Front Altair led the way, rallying as much as 11% in Oslo on Thursday. Pope Francis has told the leaders of global oil and gas corporations that carbon pricing is essential to stem global warming and has demanded that climate change deniers listen to science. The pontiffs pronouncement on Friday at the Vatican was his clearest statement yet in support of penalising polluters. In an address to energy executives at the end of a two-day meeting, the pope called for open, transparent, science-based and standardised reporting of climate risk and a radical energy transition away from carbon to save the planet. Carbon pricing via taxes or emissions-trading schemes forces energy consumers to pay the costs of using fossil fuels that contribute to global warming and seeks to stimulate investment in low-carbon technology. Governments including those of Sweden, Switzerland, Japan and Chile as well as certain jurisdictions in the United States and Canada already use carbon taxes to disincentivise climate pollution and raise revenue. The Vatican did not release the names of those who attended the closed-door meeting at its Pontifical Academy of Sciences, a follow-up to a similar gathering one year ago. But industry sources said the companies represented were energy giants Eni, ExxonMobil, Total, Repsol, BP, Sinopec, ConocoPhillips, Equinor and Chevron. Dear Oil CEOs: listen to the Pope Students with Fridays For Future Rome A small group of demonstrators was gathered outside the gates of the Vatican. Students with the organisation Fridays For Future Rome rallied under the banner, Dear Oil CEOs: listen to the Pope. Multinational oil companies have come under growing pressure from activists and investors to meet the goals outlined in the United Nations 2015 Paris Agreement. Mark Campanale, executive director of the independent financial think-tank Carbon Tracker, said, Oil and gas companies have a crucial role to play and should quickly make hard decisions in the wake of determined investor and public pressure. He added that asset owners with trillions of dollars under management are also calling for company disclosures of meaningful and material information on plans and investments in the energy transition. Future of the human family Pope Francis, who has often been vocal about environmental protection, has clashed over climate change with leaders such as US President Donald Trump. The pontiff said the ecological crisis threatens the very future of the human family. He implicitly criticised those who, like Trump, deny that climate change is mostly caused by human activity. 180609094806408 For too long, we have collectively failed to listen to the fruits of scientific analysis, and doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain, he said. Discussion of how to accomplish a speedy energy transition must be rooted in the best scientific research available today, said the pope. Last year, Trump rejected projections that were outlined in a report by his own government and that projected climate change will cause severe economic harm to the US economy. Trump also announced his intent for the US to withdraw from the Paris deal, making it the first country to do so among 200 signatories. Take urgent action Pope Francis, who in 2015 wrote an encyclical (a significant document about Catholic Church teaching) on protection of the environment, said time was running out to meet the goals of the Paris accord. Faced with a climate emergency, we must take action accordingly, in order to avoid perpetrating a brutal act of injustice toward the poor and future generations, he said. 170911172634528 We do not have the luxury of waiting for others to step forward, or of prioritising short-term economic benefits, he added. European companies including Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Total have laid out plans to expand their renewable energy businesses and reduce emissions, though many investors say they need to do more. Meanwhile, the US oil majors appear to be falling behind their European counterparts. BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley said after the meeting that the world needs to take urgent action to get us on a more sustainable path. Dudley added, It is critical that everyone plays their part companies and investors, governments and individuals. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. "We are concerned that commercial ships in the Gulf region have been targeted for second time in the last one month," the ministry said in a statement. "We attach importance to the maintenance of the safety of navigation in the Gulf region, which has a strategic location in terms of international maritime transport," Hurriyet Daily cited the statement as saying. The two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged and the Panama-flagged, were on their ways to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively. Berlin, Germany Last year, documentary filmmaker Felix Gaedtke got the kind of news that renters anywhere in the world would dread. He received a letter informing him that his new corporate landlord planned to hike his rent by 50 percent to pay for renovations on his building in Neukolln, a borough in southeast Berlin. Like many once-affordable neighbourhoods in Berlin, Nuekolln has gentrified in recent years, with hipsters and young professionals moving in alongside working-class Germans and Turkish-Germans. But the transformation has also drawn in companies that buy up former council flats only to raise rents to charge for upgrades that make the buildings they own more profitable, but that price out less-affluent tenants. Gaedtke and his building neighbours managed to thwart the first attempt by their landlords, WiBE Immobilieninvest GmbH, to increase rents to pay for modernisations. But their battle, which theyve chronicled online, has continued. They are trying all sorts of ways to get us out, Gaedtke told Al Jazeera. On the rental market we will never find anything like this, and buying isnt an option. What other options do we have than to fight? WiBE Immobilieninvest GmbH declined Al Jazeeras request for an interview to comment on the situation. What other options do we have than to fight? Felix Gaedtke, Berlin renter Skyrocketing rents Once renowned for being poor but sexy, Berlin has seen rents nearly double over the past decade. In 2018 alone, the average rental cost per metre in the capital of Germany was 11.7 euros ($13.22) a 13 percent increase over the previous year, according to real estate site Immowelt. That kind of rent spike can derail a household on a tight budget and turn the hunt for an affordable flat into an experience akin to competitive sport. But in Berlin, where 85 percent of the population rents the roofs over their heads, it has also inspired a controversial grassroots campaign to nationalise large swaths of the citys corporate-owned housing stock. Invoking a constitutional provision that allows private land to be converted into public ownership, the campaign aims to expropriate some 200,000 former council flats sold to large corporations and turn them back into social housing. Since early April, the campaigns organisers, Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen (DWE), have been collecting signatures for a petition to compel the local government to hold a citywide referendum on the proposal. Friday, organisers presented their first batch of 77,001 signatures to the Berlin Senate for Home Affairs and Sport- far in excess of the 20,000 required for the governing body to consider their request for a referendum. If the referendum is held and ultimately becomes successful, it would mark a radical shake-up in a major European residential rental market that some activists hope could reverberate beyond Berlin and even establish housing as a human right. People sign petition to call for a referendum on expropriating corporate housing in Berlin [File: courtesy DWE] We want this to be the beginning of a more social housing market in Berlin, and the only way to do that is to increase and make thriving public stock to work against the market, DWE campaigner Thomas McGath told Al Jazeera. McGath, an American copywriter who has lived in Berlin for the past six years, argues that big companies simply arent motivated to build affordable housing. There are lots of apartments being built, but only for the upper-price segment, which has absolutely no effect on average rents, he said. Larger investment funds have much more of an incentive to kick people out, raise the rents or increase the utility costs. They are exhausting any sort of judicial tools and methods to get around this rising rent storm. We want this to be the beginning of a more social housing market in Berlin Thomas McGath, DWE campaigner Haven to nightmare A combination of population growth and poor policy decisions have turned Berlins formerly renter-friendly housing market into a renters nightmare. The German capital sold off huge chunks of public housing stock to private companies in the early 2000s. But a housing crunch began to take shape the following decade, as the citys relatively strong economy post-financial crisis attracted droves of students and young professionals. Berlins population grew on average by almost 50,000 people per year between 2011 and 2016, according to government figures. And that excludes the thousands of refugees who arrived during the height of the European migrant crisis. A so-called rent brake was introduced in 2015 to cap rent increases on new leases at 10 percent above what the local government considered fair. But landlords have found ways around the measure. There have been a lot of changes in the city, a high level of immigration and the German economy was doing better than expected, Ralph Henger, a senior economist for housing policy and real-estate economics at the Cologne-based German Economic Institute, told Al Jazeera. Politicians were sleeping and didnt prepare. In such a climate, it is the citys most vulnerable pensioners on fixed incomes, the unemployed, and refugees who are being hit hardest. Some 40 percent of Berliners between the ages of 45 and 55 are unlikely to be able to afford to stay in the city once they retire, according to one recent study, A 69-year-old woman who asked not to be named told Al Jazeera that she has lived in her current flat in Alexanderplatz, in central Berlin, since 2001. She became an activist with DWEs sister campaign group after being hit with a rent increase, and now more than half of her pension goes towards rent. Compensation is contentious The plan to re-nationalise a portion of Berlins housing stock includes a provision to compensate corporate landlords for the value of their expropriated flats. But theres stark disagreement over what constitutes a fair price. The Senate of Berlin estimates it would cost the city between 26 billion and 36 billion euros ($29.3bn to $40.6bn) to renationalise 240,000 apartments. But the DWE campaign reckons it would cost around 18 billion euros ($20.3bn). Senate officials calculate the cost with current market prices, while campaign members argue that the city doesnt have to pay the full market price, said Henger. The prices below the market would not be in line with German law, so in my opinion, only the market price calculations are accurate. Opinion among Berlin officials is divided, with the senior partner in the governing coalition, the Social Democrats, remaining cold to the campaign. And the plan to expropriate housing isnt the only one being floated as a possible solution to soaring rents. Next week, the Berlin Senate is set to consider a proposal that would freeze rents in the capital for five years starting in 2020. For its part, the biggest corporate landlord in the city, Deutsche Wohnen & Co (whose name appears in the DWE campaign and literally translates as expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co) has argued that expropriation doesnt help tenants and that long delays with the government-approval process are slowing the construction of new apartments. Meanwhile, Gaedtke has mixed feelings about renationalising portions of the citys private housing stock, but he has signed the petition, hoping it will empower Berliners like himself. I hope the campaign creates a larger discussion about this being a much bigger systemic problem, where we have a capitalist system that commodifies living, he said. The question is What kind of city do we want to live in?. And that should be decided by people who live in the city, not outside investors. This article is part of AJ Impacts ongoing series about housing and its many complex business, technological, and political dimensions. A global demographic shift is taking place as enormous numbers of people migrate to urban centres looking for places to live and work. Click here to read past articles about housing in New York City, Lagos, Nigeria or Chicago, US. The recent purchase of financial stakes in the corporate parents of British newspapers The Independent and The Evening Standard has been called into question by a government minister in the United Kingdom. A letter of concern published on Thursday by British culture secretary Jeremy Wright could trigger an investigation by media regulators into the transactions, which were made by companies registered in the Cayman Islands by an investor with links to the government of Saudi Arabia. Following the acquisition by a Saudi buyer, Sultan Mohamed Abuljadayel, of minority stakes held by Russian businessman Evgeny Lebedev, the secretary said he was minded to intervene on public interest consideration. Wright wrote that accurate presentation of news and the free expression of opinion public interest grounds are relevant to a consideration of the merger. However, the letter also stated that there was not yet a final determination on these matters, as a decision on whether to pursue the investigation is set to come by the end of June. Maintaining a free press Two years ago, Abuljadayel purchased a 30-percent stake in Lebedev-owned Independent Digital News and Media. And in February, the Financial Times reported that the Saudi investor was also the purchaser of a 30 percent of Lebedev Holdings, which owns the Evening Standard. Abuljadayel is affiliated with NCB Capital, which is the investment wing of National Commercial Bank, in which the Saudi government holds a majority stake through its Public Investment Fund. Lebedev had sought new capital for the papers, which his family has owned for a decade. By June 17, the Russian media mogul has been asked to provide additional details on how the papers will be structured. The UK Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, was last asked whether a media acquisition might be problematic when Rupert Murdochs Fox sought in 2017 to buy UK broadcaster Sky. For now, Ofcom will only proceed with its inquiry if the culture secretary has established that Abuljadayels investment is a threat to media pluralism. The Competition and Markets Authority could also look into what the investments mean for the UKs business climate. But Wright who serves as the UKs Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will first need to scrutinise the ownership and control arrangements at the two papers. Staff at the liberal-leaning Independent in particular have expressed concerns about editorial independence for UK press organs, and the possibility that media outlets could be used to exert Saudi influence or soft power. The Independent has a reputation for robust coverage of the Middle East by correspondents such as Robert Fisk, Patrick Cockburn and Kim Sengupta. The Evening Standard, a free daily tabloid affiliated with the Conservative Party, is edited by former chancellor George Osborne. He has said that investors would not change the papers editorial tone. Correction: A previous version of this article said triple talaq, or instant divorce, was criminalised in India. This was incorrect. It was made unconstitutional in 2017. The article has also been updated to reflect that 'nikkah halala' is not considered an Islamic practice by all Muslims. Mumbai, India Earlier this year, Maya Rachel McManus, a British Muslim, walked down the aisle in Kolkata on her wedding day and exchanged garlands with her partner. Later, her marriage was solemnised by female qazis, or judges, who govern Islamic law. Maybe my multicultural wedding would have been frowned upon if the qazis were men, McManus told Al Jazeera, adding that the couple was not satisfied with the male judges they had approached. Along with her husband, Maya decided that she wanted women to perform her wedding rites. This was the first time one of our qazis solemnised a marriage, said Noorjehan Safia Niaz, cofounder of Bhartiya Mahila Muslim Andolan (BMMA), an organisation that launched in 2007 in India advocating for secular rights. In 2016, BMMA began training Muslim women to become qazis, a role traditionally held by men. To McManus, and many of Indias millions of Muslims, the recent rise of female qazis means fewer compromises and a chance at more justice for women. What is common between all versions of Sharia or Islamic law that is followed today is that it is extremely patriarchal, said Niaz, who is also a qazi. Women continue to suffer. They become victims of nikkah halala (a practise where a woman once divorced by her husband must consummate her marriage with another man if she wants to remarry her first husband), polygamous marriages and unilateral divorces. There are no teachings in either the Quran or the prophetic tradition that prohibits women from being qazis. Even the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, known as Sayyida Aisha, performed and solemnised the nikah of several people. Ebrahim Moosa, professor of Islamic studies at Indiana's University of Notre Dame To replace what Niaz describes as a misogynistic syllabus designed for male qazis, BMMA drafted its own curriculum in which women study the Quran from a feminist perspective and examine the Indian constitution so they can make decisions, keeping in mind the law of the land. The practice of female [qazis] is novel in India, but the idea is not novel, says Ebrahim Moosa, a professor of Islamic studies at Indianas University of Notre Dame. Muslims in North India followed the Hanafi school of law for centuries that allows women to be judges. According to BMMA, which is funded by private donors and charities, there are 15 female qazis spread across India including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Orissa. We have over 150 cases in our centre alone, said 47-year-old Hina Siddiqui, a qazi from Bandra, a western Mumbai suburb. Though unlike male qazis, in each case we summon both the man and the woman involved. We dont hear just one side of the story. Hina Siddiqui and Zubeda Khatoon at BMMAs office in Bandra, Mumbai [Payal Mohta/Al Jazeera] Since triple talaq, or instant divorce, led by Muslim men was made unconstituional in India, Siddiqui and her colleagues have seen an increase in the number of distressed women in their offices. The men are now scared to give triple talaq, said 60-year-old Zubeda Khatoon, another qazi in Bandra. So they abuse their wives both physically and emotionally, hoping that the woman will leave them instead. Another way this works in the mans favour is that according to Sharia law if a woman asks for a divorce, her husband owes her no liabilities. This is where female qazis step in and attempt to ensure that women receive their legal rights during including receiving her mehr a sum of money given to the bride on her wedding day, alimony and the belongings she contributed to the home after marriage. For couples who wish to be married by a female qazi, there is a rigorous process. Through a period of one month, the judges verify the bride and grooms details including their identity, economic status, marital status and even their marzi, or personal reasons for wedlock. This is to reduce the rate of fraudulent marriages. They [the female qazis] explained the various aspects of the nikah [wedding] procedure to me. They were extremely helpful, said McManus. This kind of support was not forthcoming from the male qazis I had approached earlier. No such thing as women qazis But not everybody agrees that female qazis can better safeguard the interests of Muslim women. There is no such thing as women qazis in Islam. It is just a new-age thing, Muslim leader Syed Moinuddin Ashraf, from Sunni Jama Mosque in Mumbai, told The Hindustan Times. Moosa, the professor in Indiana, said while some schools of Islamic thought such as Shafii, Ahl-e Hadis, and Salafi, prevent women from becoming qazis, it remains religiously permissible. There are no teachings in either the Quran or the prophetic tradition that prohibits women from being qazis, he said. Even the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, known as Sayyida Aisha, performed and solemnised the nikah of several [people]. In the two years that Siddiqui and Khatoon have been practising as qazis in Mumbai, they have presided over only one mutually consenting divorce. In that case, we were able to get the woman two lakhs ($2,874) as maintenance from her husband, said Khatoon. But most people still prefer to have their divorce issued on the letterhead of male qazis. According to Niaz, 30 more women eager to enrol in the second batch of qazi training by BMMA. Mayas wedding [McManuss] went through without any objections, she says. We havent had any fatwas issued for the work we [female qazis] are doing. We exist. That in itself is a positive thing. This week, amid the fallout of tough US sanctions and growing political uncertainty, many Iranians are marking the 10th anniversary of the Green Movement. Ten years ago, mass protests erupted after suspicions arose that the general elections had been rigged in favour of the incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Reformist candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi rejected the results and their supporters took to the streets to express their anger at what they saw as the trampling of democratic procedures in Iran. Today, 10 years later, many are wondering whether Iran is on the eve of another Green Movement or even a revolution. Indeed, some scholars have pointed out that there are many socioeconomic and political factors that could make mass unrest in the short term highly likely. Others, however, have been arguing Iran is not on the verge of fundamental change at all. So which one is true? Will Iran see another wave of unrest and revolution or will the status quo prevail as the Islamic Republic resists foreign pressure? In its long history, Iran has witnessed many revolutionary movements and upheavals, perhaps more than many of its neighbours in the Middle East. Today, four decades after the Iranian revolution of 1979, the country retains its revolutionary spirit, maintained by a vibrant civil society and a strong and rebellious intelligentsia. Iran also has a very young and educated population; nearly 10 million out of its 81 million inhabitants have university degrees and currently, some four million are studying at institutions of higher education. Historically, Iranian university campuses have always been politicised, while students have been at the forefront of protests, alongside clerics, workers, and the merchant class. 190603150853723 Iranian society is also quite tech-savvy and well-connected to the outside world; some 64 percent of Iranians are internet users, while mobile penetration has reached more than 110 percent (that is, some Iranians have more than one phone). At the same time, large parts of the population have become increasingly frustrated with the Islamic Republic and its failure to deliver on the political, social and economic fronts. Many have completely lost hope that change can be ushered in through reforms, especially after President Hassan Rouhani, who has been seen as moderate, failed to live up to his electorates expectations and bring about political and social liberalisation along with economic prosperity. The regimes economic mismanagement and massive corruption, as well as continuing political and social suppression have convinced many Iranians that there is no way out except through fundamental social and political change that is, regime change. In the face of growing political, social, and economic crises, the Islamic Republic is struggling with maintaining its legitimacy. In this sense, the situation in Iran is ripe for another wave of unrest. Already last year, protests erupted across the country and even reached areas that had been until then relatively quiet. It is quite likely that the country will witness massive upheaval that would affect various layers of Iranian society, including both the urban and rural population. But like forecasting an earthquake, it is difficult to say when this would happen and how long it would last. What is clear, however, is that popular mobilisation is unlikely to result in a massive change or indeed the toppling of the current regime. As American sociologist James DeFronzo has theorised, there are five critical factors that guarantee the success of any revolutionary movement: public frustration, dissident elites, unifying motivation, political crises, and a receptive international community. While some of these conditions exist in Iran today, others are absent. Although there is indeed massive public dissatisfaction with the status quo, this sentiment is hardly unified. The Islamic Republic has successfully atomised Iranian society and suppressed any online and offline channels or networks which could lead to mass mobilisation. The opposition, which mostly lives in exile, is split along ideological lines and does not have a social base inside the country. While social media platforms help break the regimes monopoly over information, they have also been used to spread misinformation and identify and suppress activists. At the same time, while there may be some disagreements within the regime, both reformists and hardliners are committed to the wellbeing of the Islamic Republic. They also agree on the necessity to use the repressive apparatus to ensure the survival of the regime. Thanks to substantial investment in equipment and human capital, the Islamic Republic has developed multilayered and ideologically committed security forces, which are trained to and willing to suppress any form of civil disobedience. At the same time, despite the growing pressure from the US-Saudi-Israeli axis, the international context is not necessarily conducive to a successful revolution in Iran. It is in the interest of both Russia and China that the Islamic Republic survives the ongoing crisis and they would not hesitate to back it, should it face any existential threats; the same is true for its regional allies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, and other Shia militia groups in the Middle East. Many Iranians are aware of this situation and live in despair, while actively trying to emigrate. The number of people who would like to move out of the country is dramatically increasing. Even official statistics reflect this trend; according to a recent study, some 30 percent of Iranians would rather live in any other country but their own. Others have reached the point where they would welcome any US military intervention and see it as the only way to get rid of the clerical regime. Talking to people back in Iran, I have heard this sentiment quite often; it reminds me of 2003 when many Iraqis welcomed the invading US army as a liberating force. Unable or unwilling to calculate the devastating consequences of a military conflict, one of my interlocutors repeated a poem from the Iranian poet Mehdi Akhavan-Sales written a few years after the CIA-sponsored 1953 coup triggered a wave of repression by the Pahlavi regime: No Kaveh will be found, Omid! I wish an Alexander would be found. Kaveh is a mythical Iranian hero who liberates the country from a foreign despot; Alexander is the ruler of Macedon, who effectively put an end to the Persian Achaemenid dynasty 2,300 years ago. The man who recited the point, like its author, had succumbed to such despair that he saw no hope for a Kaveh appearing for Iranians setting themselves free; instead, he wished for a foreign invader, an Alexander, to come and topple the Islamic Republic. But that hope, too, is in vain. Despite all the US posturing, a foreign force is unlikely to invade Iran. While the country may witness another wave of unrest, it is unlikely to loosen the regimes grip on power. Indeed, Iran will continue to sink deeper into a political and economic crisis, as the Islamic Republic fights for its survival. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The best way to end this pro-Israel bullying is to stand up to it firmly and every time. Tirana, Albania A parliamentary resolution approved by 100 votes to seven has censured Albanias President Ilir Meta for cancelling nationwide local elections, scheduled for June 30. The constitution and electoral law do not allow the president to cancel the election, the resolution passed on Thursday said, calling Metas action unprecedented and accusing him of denying the right of Albanians to elect their representatives. Meta had asked the ruling Socialist Party and the opposition Democratic Party to compromise on an alternative date for the elections to the countrys 61 mayoral districts. 190612173450972 The Democratic Party, which withdrew its MPs from parliament in February, said it wont participate in the mayoral elections, while the Socialist Party insisted on contesting them. Meta said this effectively disenfranchised half the countrys population. Under the current conditions, the annulment of elections is the only urgent remedy for solving the severe political crisis and preventing its uncontrolled escalation, he wrote on June 8. Postponing to another date, agreed between the political parties, will serve as an incentive for dialogue on crisis resolution that is threatening the democratic stability of the country. Prime Minister Edi Rama called Metas decision insane in a stinging rebuke delivered in the legislature, and accused him of abusing his office by picking political sides. What more does Meta want, Rama asked. Hasnt Albania honoured him enough? He owes the country rivers, oceans of gratitude he is spoiled. Metas legal adviser said only the Constitutional Court could settle the dispute over the presidents authority to set the date for an election. But the court has been defunct for 18 months as its judges submit to an investigation into their finances. However, opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha said the presidents word was final. There are no elections on June 30, he told Al Jazeera after the parliamentary vote. Whatever process is being planned by people who should have been behind bars for offences as grave as drug trafficking and women trafficking, but instead are running for mayor or are running campaigns on behalf of Mr Ramas group it does not resemble elections formally, substantially and definitely not constitutionally, Basha said. Basha also warned that if the government proceeded with the vote, it would be tantamount to a coup detat, and the political opposition will call upon the people of Albania to do nothing less and nothing more than what civilised western societies would do in similar conditions. He did not elaborate. Basha has until now called upon opposition voters, who garnered 48 percent of the nationwide vote in 2017 general elections, to abstain from voting. Meanwhile, Socialist Party members are confident of holding the elections. There are 5,000 ballot boxes. What are the Democrats going to do? They can obstruct voting in one or two or three voting centres. They cannot do it nationwide, said a senior Socialist Party official on condition of anonymity. EU membership talks The worsening political crisis came as Albania braces for a greater disappointment, with the European Union (EU) leaders almost certain not to invite the country for membership talks that were scheduled to conclude in the next six years. 190320160647747 On Wednesday, the Dutch parliament voted against an invitation to Albania, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a Bundestag committee earlier this month that the country could only be invited in October at the earliest. Rama appeared to foist the blame on his political opponents. The opposition wants to portray Albania as a country that has risen up against a narco-state, and it doesnt want Albania to catch the train in 2025 [to EU entry], he told the parliament. But even reports by the European Commission (EC), which is eager to open talks, have pointed out serious concerns with Albanias lack of progress in cracking down on organised drug crime, enforcing rule of law, and establishing an independent judiciary. In the fight against criminal organisations and structured criminal groups the number of indictments and final convictions remains very low, the latest EC report said. The fight against corruption continues to require further structured and consistent efforts. Political upheavals are not new in Albania. In 2013, when Rama was Tiranas mayor and a Socialist Party leader, he withdrew party MPs from the legislature in protest against the shooting of four demonstrators outside then-Prime Minister Sali Berishas office. Basha, who was disgraced as the interior minister at that time, is now using Ramas tactics against him. Rama, in turn, may suspect Meta of preparing to overthrow him since the president has often acted as a political kingmaker. In 2005, Meta broke with the Socialist Party and founded the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI). Meta then helped form a coalition government led by the Democratic Party in 2009, and switched sides again to support a Socialist-led coalition government in 2013. Even though Meta broke formal ties with the LSI after he became the president, it is currently led by his wife, Monika Kryemadhi. Internecine politics aside, the pursuit of an EU membership is a goal an overwhelming majority of Albanians support. The leader who convinces voters of being able to achieve that is likely to garner most support. Demonstrators in Algiers demand the departure of senior figures linked with former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Algerias capital for the 17th straight week, demanding the removal of the ruling elite and prosecution of former officials linked to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The protest in Algiers on Friday came a day after former Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal joined a long list of prominent politicians and business people who have been arrested as part of corruption probes. There was no official count, but a Reuters news agency reporter estimated that the number of people protesting was higher than last Friday, but still smaller than in the weeks before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in May. You have built prisons, you will be imprisoned there all, read one banner held up by protesters marching through central Algiers. Thieves, you have pillaged the country, the crowds of protesters chanted. They deserve what they got and they must be held accountable by the people for their actions, said protester Mohammed, who declined to give his surname. After 20 years in power, Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 under pressure from protesters and the army, but protests have continued. We must continue On Wednesday, a day before Sellals arrest, the Supreme Court ordered the detention of another former prime minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, for alleged involvement in corruption. Bouteflikas youngest brother, Said, and two former intelligence chiefs have also been placed in custody by a military judge for harming the armys authority and plotting against state authority. Jailing Ouyahia and Sellal is an excellent thing, said Cherif Tigrin, a 40-year-old carpenter taking part in Fridays rally. But we must continue to protest as long as Bouteflikas cronies remain in power, he said. State media also said police had arrested Mourad Eulmi, head of the private firm SOVAC, a partner of Germanys Volkswagen AG , at a car assembly plant in the western province of Relizane in connection with corruption cases. Volkswagen declined to comment. Protesters rejected an offer from interim President Abdelkader Bensalah to hold a dialogue with all parties after authorities postponed a presidential election previously planned for July 4. No new date has been set for the vote. We need real dialogue, read one protest banner. Protesters have rejected Bensalah as too close to Bouteflika. Armed forces chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Gaed Salah, who has been managing the transition, has called on parties and protesters to meet among themselves to discuss a way out of the crisis. He also called for the prosecution of officials accused of being corrupt, after which the wave of arrests started. Javier Matias Darroux Mijalchuk, taken when he was a baby, says recovering my identity is homage to my parents. Buenos Aires, Argentina With the cacophony of a press conference just concluded around him, Roberto Mijalchuk sat silently at a table in the heart of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, with a faraway look in his moist eyes. He traced the edges of a sepia-toned photograph of his sister, Elena, one of Argentinas desaparecidos (disappeared) by the military dictatorship and its ruthless Dirty War. To one side, sat her son, Javier Matias, his long-lost nephew. To the other, and all around him, were members of the human rights group Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, who helped bring them together. It took four decades, but on Thursday, one more piece in Argentinas long process of reconstruction fell into place. Recovering my identity is, for me, an homage to my parents, a caress of the soul, a symbol of memory, truth, and justice, Javier Matias Darroux Mijalchuk, 41, told more than 100 reporters, family and friends who gathered for the press conference, unveiling him as the 130th person to have discovered their true identity. Javier Matias Darroux Mijalchuk, son of Elena Mijalchuk and Juan Manuel Darroux, who disappeared during Argentinas former 1976-1983 dictatorship, is comforted by his uncle, Roberto Mijalchuk [Agustin Marcarian/Reuters] If I had to pick one moment to define it, there is nothing more significant than the embrace with my uncle who, after 40 years of searching for me, was able to say: Is it you, Javi? And embraced me like no one had before, and no one will be able to again. The disappeared Human rights groups estimate as many as 30,000 people were killed, tortured, jailed or forcibly disappeared during what the military government called a national process of reorganisation from 1976 to 1983. Left-wing activists, political armed groups, journalists, clergy and beyond became desaparecidos, or the disappeared. Among them were around 500 children, known as the stolen babies of the dictatorship. Many were born to mothers held in captivity, and later clandestinely placed in pro-military families as their true relatives searched in vain. 181129193612376 Established in 1977, the Abuelas (Grandmothers) of Plaza de Mayo joined the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in demanding answers about the disappeared. They marched every week in front of the seat of government wearing their iconic white handkerchiefs over their heads. The advent of DNA testing has been crucial to the Abuelas work; at least one person has had their identity restored nearly every year since 1978. My mother and I, after my father died, we always hoped that my sister, and that Javier, would still be alive, said Mijalchuk on Thursday. Our hopes got thinner with my sister, but we never, never lost faith with Javier. I saved a whole album of photos for the moment when he would arrive. Javier Matias Darroux Mijalchuk, son of Elena Mijalchuk and Juan Manuel Darroux, who disappeared during Argentinas former 1976-1983 dictatorship, comforts the president of human rights organisation Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo [Agustin Marcarian/Reuters] It arrived in October 2016, when Javier was notified that DNA tests had confirmed he was the child of two disappeared people, and that he had an uncle who had been looking for him for four decades. It was Mijalchuk who called his nephew first. Hi, Im Javiers uncle, he remembers saying to his nephews wife, who answered the phone. Whos Javier? she said, a memory they laugh at now. Not much is known about what happened to Javiers parents, which is why Javier wanted to go public now, even though the judicial system has not officially ruled on their cases. Estela de Carlotto, the president of Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, relayed the information they have: Javiers father, Juan Manuel Darroux, worked for the Naval Prefecture in the 1960s, and then the University of Moron, in the province of Buenos Aires, in administrative work. Thats where he met Elena Mijalchuk, who was studying accounting. Javier Matias, their first child, was born on August 5, 1977, in Buenos Aires. In early December of that year, Darroux went missing. A cousin was the last person who saw him, arguing with four men who forced him into a metallic blue Chevy. Elena, who was pregnant with the couples second child, received a letter from her husband, instructing her to meet up with some friends in the capital on December 26. She asked her parents to take her and Javier to the meeting spot. She was last seen close to the Escuela de Mecanica de la Armada, known as the ESMA the most notorious detention centre during the dictatorship. The centre was close to where records show that the infant Javier was found by a woman. Records also show that, unlike other children who were appropriated, Javiers adoption was done by the book and in good faith. He grew up knowing that he was adopted and his uncle described the people who raised him, now deceased, as loving. 190416103930340 Javier, who lives in the province of Cordoba and works in tourism, said he has long suspected, based on his personal convictions and personality, that he was a child of disappeared people. It wasnt until he was 30, when he adopted a social conscience and stopped navel-gazing that he decided to donate his DNA to a databank, which would ultimately help identify his biological parents. He went public with his story in the hopes of gaining more information, noting that for him reconstructing the history of my parents and my sister or brother is a puzzle that will always be missing pieces. He urged others who have doubts about their story to think about the person on the other side, who may be looking for them. His uncle reflected on what these years have been like. A disappeared person is a dead person who comes back every day, Mijalchuk said. Every day. In such concrete terms as a tax bill that is found by someone who is waiting for a letter, like the one Ive waited for from my sister, for more than 40 years. Guillermo Botero has been at the centre of a political storm for weeks and is now receiving handshakes and congratulatory hugs after surviving a vote to remove him from office. Colombias defence minister still has a job after winning a vote of confidence in Congress. Guillermo Botero denies accusations of covering up the torture and killing of a former FARC rebel. The minister also denies lying about the killing of civilians and human-rights abuses by the army. Al Jazeeras Alessandro Rampietti reports from the capital, Bogota. Iran has denounced as ridiculous and dangerous allegations by the United States that Tehran was behind reported attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. The two vessels the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian-owned Front Altair were damaged on Thursday morning as they were leaving the Gulf of Oman, the second such incident in four weeks that sent Brent crude prices up and heightened tensions in the region. US officials late on Thursday released a grainy video they said showed a boat crew of Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) drawing up to Kokuka Courageous, hours after the suspected attacks, and removing an unexploded limpet mine from the hull. The release of the black-and-white footage came after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said US intelligence agencies had concluded that Iran was responsible for the attacks, without offering concrete evidence. On Friday, in a TV interview on Fox News, US President Donald Trump said, Iran did do it. You know they did it because you saw the boat, Trump told the Fox and Friends show. I guess one of the mines didnt explode and its probably got essentially Iran written all over it. But Yutaka Katada, owner of the Kokuka Courageous, cast doubt on part of the US account, telling reporters on Friday that the vessels crew saw a flying object before a second blast on the boat. Calling reports of a mine attack false, he said: The crew was saying it was hit by a flying object To put a bomb at the side of the boat is not something we are considering. Still image taken from a US military handout video purports to show IRGC removing an unexploded limpet mine from the side of the Kokuka Courageous tanker [US military via Reuters] For its part, Iran rejected the accusations as the United Nations, Russia and Qatar called for an international investigation into the reported attacks. Dangerous Mohammad Javad Zarif, Irans foreign minister, said the US had immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence. The allegation only makes it abundantly clear that the US and its regional allies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were moving to a Plan B, Zarif said, which was to sabotage diplomacy as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Iran to defuse escalating US-Iran frictions. Tensions have ratcheted up in recent weeks after Washington sent warships and troops to the region citing unspecified threats from Tehran. On May 12, days after Washington announced the military deployment, four oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz were damaged in what the UAE called sabotage attacks. The US blamed Iran for last months incidents, saying Iranian-made limpet mines were used in the attacks. Tehran rejected the claims. Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for Irans foreign ministry, called the latest US accusations ridiculous, but also very worrying and dangerous, according to the IRNA state news agency. Blaming Iran for the incidents was the simplest and the most convenient way for US officials, he said, adding: We are responsible for ensuring the security of the Strait and we have rescued the crew of those attacked tankers in the shortest possible time. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the worlds most important sea lanes, as one-third of all oil traded by sea, which accounts for a fifth of all oil traded worldwide, passes through the waterway. Justin Bronk, a combat technology specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, said the patrol boat shown in the US video was known to be the kind used by the IRGC. However, if the attack was the Iranians, this would be a very, very brazen thing to do, to go up and retrieve an unexploded mine [while] under scrutiny from the US destroyer that was nearby, he said. On the other hand, you could argue that they were keen to pick up an unexploded mine to avoid it linking back to them. Although, realistically, if this was the Iranians, there will be enough evidence to link back to them even without the unexploded mine. Nuclear deal fallout UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters in New York that the truth of the attacks needed to be established. Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts, he said on Friday. However, he said he did not have the authority to establish such an inquiry, adding that this was the purview of the Security Council. Russias foreign ministry issued a statement accusing the US of stoking tensions with its accusations against Iran. Condemning Washingtons Iranophobic stance, it warned against blaming anyone until the completion of a thorough and unbiased international probe. Germany also called for an inquiry, while China appealed for restraint. The United Kingdom backed the US stance that Iran was responsible for the reported attacks. 190613151244208 The heightened frictions in the Gulf come as the US reinstated and tightened punishing sanctions on Tehran, a year after it exited an international pact that offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. Irans President Hassan Rouhani, speaking at an international forum in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, assailed the US as a serious threat to global stability. He made no mention of the tankers but lashed out at Washington for pulling out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. For the past two years, the US government has used its economic, financial and military power through an aggressive approach to disrupt all international structures and regulations, which has turned him into a serious threat for the stability of the region and the world, he said. Al Jazeeras Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Tehran, said the latest US moves were aimed at forcing Iran to negotiate a new deal that would also address its ballistic missiles programme as well as support for armed groups in the region. The general feeling here is that Thursdays incidents are not something the Iranians would do. It is not in their best interests. There is actually no evidence and this grainy footage from the US is not substantial enough its not clear where this footage came from and who is visible in it, she said. Meanwhile, Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics, said the latest events highlighted the fact that any disruptions in the strait would also affect the economies of Irans regional foes, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where these two tankers were coming from, have supported Trumps maximum pressure campaign [against Iran] and some could see how it could make sense for Iran to gain from situations like this, whereby the pro-Trump countries in the Gulf face new problems as blowback for supporting the White House, he said from Washington, DC. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky named his key priority at the meeting with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Miroslav Lajcak. Zelensky stressed that a ceasefire and return of peace to the Donbass is his key priority, because Ukraine is losing its fighters and civilians every day. "For me, this is the main goal - to stop the war, stop the fire, bring our hostages home," Interfax cited the Ukrainian leader as saying. "We cannot wait long, since we are talking about the lives of our people, so today we have already tried to restart the negotiations within the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG). One meeting has already been held, Ukraines representative in the TCG has been appointed, second President Leonid Kuchma and other professional people for work in TCG subgroups," Zelensky concluded. Protesters and government dig in over controversial extradition bill that critics fear will destroy Hong Kong freedoms. Hong Kong, China Hong Kongs controversial extradition bill continues to divide people in the territory with protesters concerned it will weaken rights, and legislators vowing to push ahead despite popular discontent. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said she wants the legislation passed before the end of the month, despite marches that brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets and descended into violence delaying debate on the bill. The bills critics are equally determined and The Civil Human Rights Front, which organised last weeks rally, has requested a permit for a second mass demonstration this Sunday. A strike is planned for Monday. I believe that the power of the people still applies, a university student named Amy, who preferred that only her first name was used, told Al Jazeera. We still have hope, that is why we are still here. Carrie Lam is determined, but we are also determined, so lets see. The controversial bill would amend current legislation to allow China to extradite Hong Kong residents to the Chinese mainland to be tried for some offences. Opponents fear it will undermine the autonomy that was guaranteed to the territory under the formula of one country, two systems. Capricious, opaque The administration insists the changes are necessary to close a legal loophole, citing the territorys inability to extradite a Hong Kong national to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China claims as its own, where he is wanted for murder. A main point of contention, according to Phillip Dykes, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, is with the concern that people have that if returned to the mainland, they will be entering into a judicial system that has been described as capricious, opaque and liable to manipulation, he said. People in Hong Kong, more than anywhere else, should know whether that is true or not. Many people here have come from the mainland to Hong Kong and theyve had direct experiences with this or they know someone who has. Lam says the proposals have been modified to safeguard human rights, but Ted Hui, a member of the Legislative Council (Legco), Hong Kongs parliament, says that pro-democracy legislators like him have not been able to add key amendments intended to reinforce human rights protections. Members from pro-democratic parties hold most of the directly elected seats in Hong Kongs Legco, but as Beijing has tightened control over the territorys election process, pro-democracy politicians have been barred from office, and the council has begun to lean towards Beijing. Hui, who attended the protests, says that this shift is one of the reasons he and other pro-democratic legislators have turned directly to the people of Hong Kong. Of the 70 seats in Hong Kongs Legislative Council, half are directly elected. The rest are so-called functional constituency seats, which are chosen by a specially-selected group of people who are meant to represent the territorys major economic, social and professional groups. Most of them back Beijing. Crowds block the streets near the Hong Kong government complex and Legislative Council building, during mass protests on Wednesday [Viola Gaskell/Al Jazeera] Since the 2016 elections, six elected pro-democracy members have been disqualified because they tried to change the oath of office. I am not optimistic Lam, a political insider with a 35-year career in government, was chosen by a separate Election Committee. It includes nearly 1,200 people, but can only appoint candidates who have been pre-approved by Beijing. We really depend on the people to speak up, Hui told Al Jazeera. I am not optimistic that in our legislature, that anything we do will be useful. We depend on the people and the international community. Pro-Beijing Legco members have stressed that countries like Spain and France have extradition treaties with China, in an effort to reassure people that the bill will not degrade the state of human rights in Hong Kong. One pro-China group, wich calls itself Safeguard Hong Kong, has been circulating a petition in support of the bill. The groups website said it had more than 900,000 signatures on Friday morning. Dykes says comparisons with other extradition laws are invalid because China clearly has the upper hand over Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region within China rather than a country in its own right. Unlike true extradition, from nation to nation, there is an asymmetrical relationship here, Dykes told Al Jazeera. Though cases will be scrutinised by the courts, the ultimate decision is whether the chief executive will comply and people have very little confidence that she [Carrie Lam] will stand up to Beijing. While the proposals might not have an immediate effect on the average resident, Dykes says the changes would have a chilling ripple effect as mainland law leaches into Hong Kong noting recent incidents including the decision to revoke the visa of veteran British correspondent Victor Mallett, the disqualification of elected officials, and the disappearance of five local booksellers who were known for publishing works critical of Chinas leaders. Beyond the concerns about the legal changes, protesters are also uneasy about a deeper issue. Many worry that Hong Kong is being absorbed into China losing the characteristics that make it unique among Chinese cities. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said she has not been directed from Beijing over the proposed amendments [Anthony Wallace/AFP] Protesters undeterred Under the handover agreement with the United Kingdom, one country, two systems was supposed to last until 2047, but some fear the extradition bill is a threat to the way of life in Hong Kong. Just look at how they treated our Nobel Peace winner Liu Xiaobo, legislator Claudia Mo told Al Jazeera, referring to the Chinese writer and activist whose years-long commitment to human rights and democracy won him the international prize in 2010. Liu had been in jail for a year at the time he was awarded the prize and died of liver cancer while still in custody in July 2017. We will lose the freedom to speak our minds without fear, she said. While the makeshift barricades of metal fences and plastic barriers surrounding the government complex and Legco have been dismantled, the mood in Hong Kong remains tense. The government has deemed the protests a riot a view shared in China. The protesters remain undeterred. Young people distributed protective goggles and masks and wrapped their bare arms in plastic film to protect themselves from tear gas on Wednesday. Many wore hard hats and carried umbrellas. One young protester, dressed in black from head to toe and wearing a mask, said that he wanted to protest while he still could. We are one country, two systems but this policy will combine our systems into one, Andrew Chow told Al Jazeera. When we show up here like we did on the 9th and the government wont listen to one million of us, it is clear we will need to fight for ourselves and not just listen to the government or our choices will be made only by them, not by us. Sao Paulo, Brazil Thousands of Brazilians brought some services in several cities across the country to a standstill on Friday after launching a national strike to protest against President Jair Bolsonaros pension reforms proposal. Early in the day commuters found themselves stranded in front of closed gates at metro, train and bus stations across the country. Papers taped to the gates of banks, schools and shops, warned a strike was ongoing, as workers blocked roads, office buildings and highway tolls. As part of the pension reform proposal, the government will seek to raise the retirement age and increase workers contributions. The government has said the reforms would generate billions of dollars in savings, and kick-start Brazils stagnant economy. But many Brazilians and their unions say the reforms will increase inequalities and hurt workers. Ricardo Patah, President of General Union of Workers (UGT) told Al Jazeera that a pension reform is important but not as it is being presented by the government. All workers must be treated the same and there shouldnt be first or second-class citizens, he said, criticising the current reforms different rules for military, judges and deputies. Brazil doesnt deserve this level of disrespect against workers, he added. We didnt vote for Bolsonaro but he was elected democratically and is now on his hands to give us a different country, a Brazil without corruption, with jobs and opportunities. People take part in a general strike against the governments pension plan and cuts to federal spending on higher education planned by Brazils President Jair Bolsonaros right-wing government [Ricardo Moraes/Reuters] 190128184016650 The strike was organised by dozens of unions and left-wing parties. It caused disruptions and some violent clashes across the country. In Rio de Janeiro, a group of protesters blocking a road were run over by a car, in Sao Paulo tires were set on fire to block some of the citys main avenues and police fired tear gas and rubber bullets against a group of students on strike. Also, in Sao Paulo, thousands of those on strike gathered in the citys centre, wearing t-shirts with the face of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or pins that read Bolsonaro out. Work until you die, or die working Marcio Pereira de Souza, a 58-year-old history teacher, held a sign reading work until you die, or die working and, like many of his colleagues there, wore a sticker saying professors against the pension reform. If the age of retirement increases, people will have to work until much later, like teachers will have to spend 40 years in a classroom, thats not right, he told Al Jazeera. For him, the current pension reform only benefits the big banks and companies, but not the workers. 190128184016650 Although under the proposal, the minimum retirement age for teachers will remain 60 for men and 57 for women, many say the age is only a technicality and other changes will force teachers to stay in the classroom longer. As part of the proposal, workers will have to contribute at least 20 years before they can retire, but can only receive 100 percent of their pensions after 40 years on the job. For a teacher, that would mean starting a career at the age of 20. Silvani Moreno, also a teacher, said she has worked for many years but just started as a teacher. The 42-year-old told Al Jazeera that under the new rules she expects she will have to work much beyond 60 while working under the massacring conditions teachers face inside of schools. People take part in a general strike against the governments pension plan and cuts to federal spending on higher education planned by Brazils President Jair Bolsonaros right-wing government in Sao Paulo [Nacho Doce/Reuters] [The pension reform] harms me, my family, my friends. It harms everyone, she said. During Fridays strike, Bolsonaros supporters used the hashtag Fire the Striker to criticise those who failed to go to work, accusing them of attacking employers and the industry. In a message circulating on WhatsApp, pro-government groups called those striking of anti-Brazillians, whose only intention was to provoke and discredit authorities through red propaganda. Political tug of war The pension reforms were initially introduced during former President Michel Temers administration in 2016. After Jair Bolsonaros election, economy minister Paulo Guedes presented a newly-adapted version of the proposal, and has since underlined how fundamental its approval is to save Brazils finances. But the plan has become the object a political tug of war. Bolsonaros administration has repeatedly accused the opposition and those on strike of delaying the reforms approval on purpose to sabotage his presidency. Many politicians have said, however, that the government is using budget cuts to pressure members of congress into passing the document. The impasse is heavily affecting Brazils economic growth and could tailspin the country into a technical recession as early as this year, according to some economists Brazil is currently going through a confidence crisis, but its more of a political crisis than an economic one, said economist Cosmo Donato. Donato said employers are holding-off any new hires, and companies are holding-off any decisions to invest, because everyone knows Brazil is depending on a vast number of reforms, of which, the pension reform is the most important one. He added the failure to pass the pension reform is not only problematic on its own, but it also reveals a how the government will also have numerous difficulties in approving all the other reforms Brazil needs. WHO says deadly outbreak does not meet the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) does not qualify as an international threat, even though cases have been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda. It was the view of the committee that the outbreak is a health emergency in DRC and the region, but does not meet the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern, the United Nations health agencys expert committee said in a statement on Friday after an emergency meeting. Despite the outcome of the deliberations, this outbreak is very much an emergency, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a Geneva press conference via telephone from the DRC. The virus has killed more than 1,400 people since its outbreak the second-deadliest in history was declared in August last year after emerging in eastern DRCs northern Kivu and Ituri provinces. To be declared a global emergency, an outbreak must constitute a risk to other countries and require a coordinated response. The declaration typically triggers more funding and political attention. Speaking from the DRCs capital, Kinshasa, Matshidiso Moeti, the WHOs regional director for Africa, said there was now a stronger political engagement to make sure the outbreak was contained. It will take longer than originally anticipated, she told Al Jazeera. However, we still believe that it can be contained. It will need a multi-facet response not a simple public health response as had initially been thought. But we anticipate that it will eventually be contained. Uganda cases On Thursday, the WHO acknowledged that it had been unable to track the origins of nearly half of new Ebola cases in the DRC, suggesting it did not know where the virus was spreading. The United Nations health agency said on Thursday that two people had died in Uganda after arriving with the disease from the DRC. Its expert committee has met twice previously to consider the situation in the DRC. In April, the WHO said the outbreak was of deep concern but officials were moderately optimistic it could be contained within a foreseeable time. The outbreak, occurring close to the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan, has been like no other. Community mistrust has been high and attacks by rebel groups have undermined aid efforts. Experts say people are still dying outside of Ebola treatment centres, exposing their families to the disease, and many do not appear on lists of known contacts being monitored. Vaccines alone cant work if community hides cases due to distrust. Violence persists. We are in this for the long haul, Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University, said, referring to deadly attacks on health facilities in the DRC. According to the WHO, more than 100 attacks on treatment centres and health workers in the DRC have been recorded since the beginning of this year. As the far deadlier 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak raged in West Africa, the WHO was heavily criticised for not declaring a global emergency until nearly 1,000 people had died and the virus had spread to at least three countries. Internal WHO documents later showed that the agency feared the declaration would have economic and social implications for Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. More than 11,300 people died in the three countries. Before the WHO panels move, Axelle Ronsse, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, had expressed uncertainty whether a declaration would help. She said outbreak responders, including the WHO, should reevaluate their strategies to contain the spiralling outbreak. Its quite clear that its not under control, she said. Now may be the time to reset and see what should be changed at this point. Fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has forced hundreds of thousands from there in recent years. Renewed fighting between ethnic militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 70 people. More than 100,000 have been forced from their homes in the eastern province of Ituri over the past week. The United Nations has deployed troops to three temporary military bases in the area. Al Jazeeras Raheela Mahomed reports. Michigan prosecutors pledge to start probe into one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in US history. Prosecutors in the US state of Michigan have dropped all criminal charges against eight people in the Flint water scandal, pledging to start the investigation from scratch. The move came on Thursday, three years after the investigation began, putting no one behind bars for one of the worst man-man environmental disasters in US history. The defendants included Michigans former health director, Nick Lyon, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter. He was accused of failing to timely alert the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires disease that occurred in 2014-2015 when Flint was drawing improperly treated water from the Flint River. That led to residents water being tainted with lead. Seven of 15 defendants have pleaded no contest to misdemeanours. Their records will eventually be scrubbed clean. Expanded scope Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who took control of the investigation in January after the election of a new attorney general, said all available evidence was not pursued by the previous team of prosecutors. This week, we completed the transfer into our possession millions of documents and hundreds of new electronic devices, significantly expanding the scope of our investigation, Hammoud and Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. Our teams efforts have produced the most comprehensive body of evidence to date related to the Flint water crisis. We are now in the best possible position to find the answers the citizens of Flint deserve and hold all responsible parties accountable, they said. They said it is possible that Lyon and others could be charged again. While waiting for a new pipeline to bring water from Lake Huron, the majority-black city of 100,000 pulled water from the Flint River without treating it to reduce corrosive effects on old pipes. Lead infected the distribution system in Flint, where 41 percent of residents are classified by the government as living in poverty. Due to poor finances, Flint was being run by financial managers appointed by the governor. The uproar over water quality reached a peak by fall 2015 when a doctor reported high levels of lead in children, which can cause brain damage. Some experts also have linked the water to Legionnaires disease, a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrive in warm water and infect the lungs. People can get sick if they inhale mist or vapour, typically from cooling systems. The citys water no longer comes from the river and has significantly improved, but some residents are so distrustful that they continue to use bottled water. Pro-democracy activists are the target of increasing physical assaults and intimidation since the March elections. Bangkok, Thailand Democracy activists in Thailand have been the target of increasing physical assaults and intimidation since the March elections the first since 2014s military coup that led to the return of military leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha to power. Sirawith Janew Seritiwat, one of the most recognisable faces in the Southeast Asian nations youth-led democracy movements, was attacked earlier this month after he initiated a petition urging upper house senators not to support Prayuth as prime minister. The 27-year-old says five unidentified men rushed at him from behind, beating him with wooden sticks. I think the attackers had the intention of killing me, Sirawith told Al Jazeera, his face still bruised and swollen from the attack on the night of June 2. When they were hitting me, they hit my face and my head. They were hitting points on the head where it would be easy to cause intense harm. I think their objective was to kill me or seriously injure me. Sirawiths assault followed attacks in May on other democracy activists in what one human rights group has described as a dangerous new trend following the March election. After months of disputed results, by-elections and disqualifications including that of the popular leader of the third-placed party Future Forward the military-appointed upper house backed Prayuth as prime minister. James Buchanan, a PhD candidate at the City University of Hong Kong and researcher on Thai history and politics, said that the attacks come at a sensitive time. Some would say the attacks simply reflect the fact that the stakes are now higher as the junta tries to hold onto power by pseudo-parliamentary means, but I dont think so, Buchanan said. My guess is that the attacks are a consequence of the appearance of a lot of new players in the political game, a host of political parties and influential provincial politicians, some with quite nefarious reputations, who are seeking to prop up the juntas political vehicle and gain lucrative portfolios for their support. Sirawith Janew Seritiwat, one of the most recognisable faces in Thailands youth-led democracy movements, was attacked in June [Caleb Quinley/Al Jazeera] An enemy Anurak Ford Jeantawanicha, 51, who has campaigned for democracy for nine years was assaulted on the morning of May 25. Anurak said he was attacked after a Facebook post about a planned protest. The next day, I was supposed to lead the protest, said Anurak, speaking to Al Jazeera from his home in Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok. We were pushing back against the junta for cheating in the election. So that morning I went out, I was driving my bike right around the corner from here. Then at a junction, the first bike hit me, he said. Next thing there were six men with black metal pipes hitting me all over. It was impossible to defend myself. They must view me as an enemy. It was the second time Anurak had been attacked. In late March, men in motorcycle helmets stormed his house and beat him with wooden sticks, he said. We had elections, but the military government is still the same, so theres no difference at all, he said. Theres only one way to get rid of the junta. People need to rise up. Under the military, those who criticised the regime, including artists, rappers, journalists and opposition politicians, risked arrest and imprisonment. Others were summoned for sessions on attitude adjustment. Supporters of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, including some members of the so-called red shirts, fled Thailand in fear of their lives. But now they are living in fear. In December, two bodies washed up on the banks of the Mekong River. They turned out to be two anti-government activists who had fled the country after the 2010 crackdown on anti-military protests. Ekachai Hongkangwan jas neem attacked seven times, most recently in May when his right hand was broken [Caleb Quinley/Al Jazeera] Sluggish investigation Bangkok-based Ekachai Hongkangwan, a vocal critic of the government, was among those still in Thailand who came under attack in May. Having been attacked seven times, he has now installed security cameras and metal bars at the entrance to his home. Ekachai has also been arrested three separate times for his activism while his car has been torched twice. On the morning of the attack, Ekachai was supposed to take the bus to the criminal court to follow up with authorities about an investigation. He said he was followed onto the bus by a suspicious-looking masked man. When he got off, he was immediately set upon by three other men. The 44-year-old suffered a broken right hand and ribs, and cuts and bruises, and ended up spending six days in the hospital. Al Jazeera contacted the police for comment, but they said that it was too early in their investigations to share details with the press. Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher on Thailand at Human Rights Watchs Asia division, told Al Jazeera that all the attack victims had one thing in common; they had all protested against Prayuths plan to retain power. There is a rolling crackdown on pro-democracy activists and dissidents in Thailand. The junta now seem to resort to heavy-handed tactics after they see that arrest and prosecution cannot silence dissenting voices, Sunai told Al Jazeera. Sunai said that for anti-monarchy activists taking asylum in neighbouring countries give them no protection. In Laos, five Thai exiles were abducted and murdered. In Vietnam, three Thai dissidents were sent back to Thailand and have since gone missing. With that, a spine-chilling message has emerged nowhere is safe for anti-monarchists. I have to keep going. I can't give up. Ekachai Hongkangwan, democracy activist Despite the attacks and the risk that the military is ready to crack down on any criticism, the activists say they will continue to push for a more open, democratic Thailand. In the last year, many activists have stopped out of fear, Ekachai said. But I believe that if I stop, others will also stop too. So I have to keep going. I cant give up. Sirawith is disappointed that despite winning most seats, the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai party failed to form the government, but he is determined to push on. For him, it is about a political future based on debate and argument rather than fear and violence. I think we have to show people the truth and make them understand that its okay to accept and contemplate criticism, he told Al Jazeera. We need to value different points of view and encourage arguments instead of resorting to violence. This should be a battle of words not violence. Families and survivors are still awaiting justice as inquiry into fire that killed 72 people in London keeps slow pace. London, United Kingdom Two years after a tragic fire killed 72 people in the British capital, the victims families and survivors are still awaiting justice, while thousands of people across the country fear they live in dangerous homes. On the night of June 14, 2017, a blaze broke out in the Grenfell residential tower block in the west London borough of Kensington after a refrigerator exploded in one of the apartments. Of the 72 people who died in what was the deadliest housing fire in the UK in decades, 18 were children. The rapid spread of the blaze has been blamed on the material used to cover the buildings exterior after renovation works a few years earlier. Residents and activists marked the day with vigils and a silent walk on Friday evening, while a solidarity march is planned for Saturday. In the aftermath of the fire, a public inquiry was set up to investigate issues, including the modifications made to the building between 2012 and 2016. This includes cladding, a method of insulating and improving the appearance of the 24-storey towers concrete facade, originally built in the 1970s in the brutalist style popular at the time. Before the fire, concerns had been raised about the buildings fire-safety measures. Of the 72 people who died in Grenfell fire, 18 were children [Hannah McKay/Reuters] Survivors of the Grenfell disaster and the families of the victims have expressed frustration at the slow pace of the inquiry, whose first report, due this spring, will instead be published in October. The second phase of the report, which was scheduled to start this year, will not begin until 2020. An update on the inquirys official website said the first phase of the report, which aims to reconstruct in detail what happened on the night of the fire, proved to be a far more complex and time-consuming task than the inquiry had originally anticipated. They all want to have trust in the process, said Remy Mohamed, a project coordinator at the charity Inquest, which investigates state-related deaths and has taken testimonies from bereaved families. The whole point of having a public inquiry is to find out the truth about what happened and to prevent it from ever happening again to anyone else, Mohamed told Al Jazeera. But its been two years, and the inquiry hasnt made any interim recommendations at all, she said. Theres also a concern about the lack of meaningful participation. The families feel they are just an afterthought when they should be at the centre of the process. The police are conducting their own, separate investigation, but said the delayed public inquiry should conclude before charges can be filed. The road to justice is definitely a long and uncertain one, Mohamed said. As part of an approximately $11m refurbishment project, the exterior of the Grenfell tower was fitted with aluminium panels containing a plastic filling. The foam insulation contained in the panels turned out to be highly flammable, leading to checks on hundreds of towers across the country where the same aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding was used. The use of the lower-priced panels had been approved by the local council of Kensington and Chelsea as complying with building regulations. Replacement funds Last year, the government pledged the equivalent of $503m to replace cladding on council and social housing blocks. At least 470 buildings across the country have been identified as featuring the combustible material. According to government figures published in May, out of 176 private high-rise residential buildings with unsafe Grenfell-style cladding, 156 had yet to start replacement works, while only 10 had completed it amid disputes about who should pay for the work. The government announced last month it would release about $250m in funding to replace the ACM cladding on private buildings where owners have failed to do so, arguing the bill was to be footed by the leaseholders who purchased the individual apartments. But for tens of thousands of people who fear the apartment blocks they live in may turn into death traps, this does not go far enough. Ritu Saha, a cofounder of the UK Cladding Action campaigning group, believes the money will not go far enough to replace cladding on ACM blocks, according to the costs reported by leaseholders her group has been in touch with across the country. The government has only recently started testing other types of cladding that may pose a danger. There are many blocks across the country which are covered in equally and sometimes even more dangerous combustible cladding, like high-pressure laminate, Saha told Al Jazeera. The government has not made any funds available or at the moment even recognised that this cladding is dangerous, she said. Another fire Less than a week before the two-year anniversary of the disaster, a privately owned block of flats went up in flames in East London. Residents had reportedly contacted the property developer, Bellway Homes, with concerns just a months before. Twenty flats were destroyed in the fire, which appeared to spread across its tinder cladding and caused no casualties. The government needs to recognise there are other kinds of combustible cladding and also needs to recognise there are many blocks across the country that have severe fire safety failings, and that is basically as a result of poor building regulation, said Saha, who lives in one such block of flats herself in Barking, East London. Residents of her own buildings have set-up what they call waking watches to feel safe. They patrol the buildings 24/7, with some residents doing it on a voluntary basis to cut costs. There are blocks across the country where residents have received huge bills to fix this. And if they dont pay, then the buildings owners are threatening them saying they are in breach of the terms of their lease and will lose their home, Saha said. A key adviser to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has cast doubt over her plan to push ahead with a controversial extradition bill amid mass protests against it, warning that passing the legislation would prove impossible at a time of such intense divisions. Speaking to Hong Kong cable television on Friday, Executive Council member Bernard Chan said he did not think that a formal discussion of the bill, a precursor to a final vote by the semi-autonomous territorys Legislative Council, should continue at present. The legislation, if passed, would allow Hong Kong to extradite people to any jurisdiction in the world with which it currently has no existing formal agreement including mainland China. Opponents of the bill fear it could make residents of the city vulnerable to politically-motivated charges in Chinas court system and comes as part of a wider move by Beijing to scale back the freedoms Hong Kong enjoys under the so-called one country, two systems principle put in place as it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. Do we consult, strengthen the bill, or what? Is there still any chance of the bill passing? These are all factors the government must consider, Chan said. But I definitely say that right now its not possible at a time when there are such intense divisions to keep discussing this issue, he added. The difficulty is very high. More protests planned Chans comments came after legislators in the pro-Beijing majority 70-seat Legislative Council delayed a second reading of the bill scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning after tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets to call for it to be scrapped. 190610101120416 Amid scenes of unrest and violent clashes between demonstrators and riot police, the government announced it would reschedule the reading for a later time, without providing further details. Lam has not appeared in public or commented since. Protesters, meanwhile, vowed to rally again on Sunday with a citywide strike the following day. [We] will fight until the end with Hong Kong people, said Jimmy Chan, of the Civil Human Rights Front, the main protest group. When facing ignorance, contempt and suppression, we will only be stronger, there will only be more Hong Kong people, Chan added on Thursday. Time to cool-down As of Friday afternoon, more than 30,000 people had signed a petition protesting against the use of force by authorities during the clashes with protesters two days earlier, which saw riot police deploy tear gas, water cannon and pepper spray against those demonstrating. 190610201537869 It is unclear how the local leadership might defuse the crisis, given Beijings strong support for the extradition bill and its distaste for dissent. But Michael Tien, a member of Hong Kongs legislature and a deputy to Chinas national parliament, urged the city government to put the extradition bill on hold. And 22 former government officials or Legislative Council members, including former security secretary Peter Lai Hing-ling, signed a statement calling on Lam to yield to public opinion and withdraw the Bill for more thorough deliberation. It is time for Hong Kong to have a cool-down period, Lai told the Reuters news agency. Let frayed tempers settle before we resume discussion of this controversial issue. Please, no more blood-letting. Incident follows exchange of rocket fire between Israel and Hamas on Thursday in most serious escalation since May. Israeli warplanes have attacked several Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip following a Palestinian rocket attack in the south of Israel, the military has said. The incident comes after Israel and Hamas exchanged rocket fire on Thursday, in the first serious cross-border escalation since a surge in fighting in May. In a statement on Friday, the Israeli military said fighter jets struck infrastructure in military compounds and a Hamas naval force military compound as part of a strike on a number of Hamas terror sites throughout the Gaza Strip. 190613093436947 The statement said the attack came in response to a rocket launched from Gaza which hit a Jewish seminary in the town of Sderot. The seminary was empty at the time of the attack as students had left to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath with their families. If the rocket had hit a few hours earlier there would have been a disaster, former Defence Minister Amir Peretz, a Sderot resident, said in an interview with Israeli public radio on Friday. No casualties were reported on any side. We will respond Speaking from the Gaza Strip, Abdellatif al-Qanoo, a spokesman for Hamas, told Al Jazeera the rocket fire was in response to Israeli aggression. The occupation [Israel] is bearing the fruit of its own escalation, continuous attacks [on Gaza] and its stalling in implementing agreements between us. Our people will continue to challenge the occupation. We will respond to this behaviour [Israeli attacks] by continuing to gather and march, added al-Qanoo in reference to planned protests along the Israeli-Gaza border on Friday. The latest escalation followed Israels closure of offshore waters to Gaza fisherman on Wednesday in what it said was a response to incendiary balloons launched across the frontier that caused fires in fields in southern Israel this week. Due to the continuous launching of incendiary balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, it has been decided tonight [Wednesday] not to allow access to Gazas maritime space until further notice, Coordination of the Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli defence ministry department responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, said. 190612202826826 A spokesman for the Israeli fire service said incendiary balloons from Gaza caused seven fires on Tuesday alone. In the past year, Palestinians have set fire to a number of areas of farmland in southern Israel. May violence In two days of heavy fighting in early May, Israeli raids killed at least 25 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. In the same period, projectiles from Gaza killed four civilians in Israel, local health officials said. A truce mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations ended that round of violence. Some two million Palestinians live in Gaza, whose economy has suffered years of Israeli and Egyptian blockades as well as recent foreign aid cuts and sanctions by the Palestinian Authority, Hamass rival in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel says its blockade is necessary to stop arms reaching Hamas, with which it has fought three wars since the group seized control of Gaza in 2007, two years after Israel withdrew its settlers and troops from the small coastal enclave. Announcement comes as Mexico beefs up security along its southern border in effort to stem the flow of migrants north. Mexicos immigration chief presented his resignation to the president on Friday as the country embarks on a crackdown on irregular migration through its territory in response to US pressure. The National Immigration Institute said in a brief statement that Tonatiuh Guillen thanked President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for the opportunity to serve the country, but it did not give a reason for why he is stepping down. The announcement comes as Mexico beefs up its security at the southern border as part of a recent agreement with the United States to stem the flow of migrants and asylum seekers north after pressure from US President Donald Trump, who had threatened escalating tariffs on Mexican goods if additional steps werent taken. Lopez Obrador said on Friday that officials will tighten security at 68 border crossings where controls are lax. He made the comments during a morning presser, although there was no visible increase in the number of soldiers and personnel in the border city of Tapachula near Guatemala. Al Jazeera recently visited a town on Mexico-Guatemala border where people smugglers transport migrants and asylum seekers for thousands of dollars. National Guard {articleGUID} Mexico has promised to deploy 6,000 members of its new, still-forming National Guard to control immigration in its southern border region with Guatemala. Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday the Guard deployment will be readied by Tuesday, along with 825 immigration agents and 200 officials from the countrys welfare department. But there has been no sign so far of any National Guard presence in the southern city of Tapachula, near Guatemala. Nor has there been any notable change at the Suchiate border river, where locals and migrants alike commonly cross. After offering contradictory statements, Mexican officials told Al Jazeera late on Thursday that National Guard does have a presence in the southern border region, but they would not elaborate on where they are located. Many migrants and asylum seekers in Tapachula have told Al Jazeera that the increased security will not deter others from trekking north. 190613153434335 Most are coming from Central American countries where they are fleeing extreme poverty, unemployment, violence, political persecution. Police and immigration had already stepped up enforcement in southern Mexico in recent months, setting up highway checkpoints, raiding a recent caravan of mostly Central American migrants and trying to keep people off the northbound train known as the beast. US sending more asylum seekers back to Mexico Mexican and US officials were also meeting on Friday to discuss the controversial programme that allows the US to send some asylum seekers back to Mexico to wait out their US immigration hearings. Ebrard said officials would discuss which cities the programme, known as Remain in Mexico, would expand to, as well as how to measure the number of people and which nationalities Mexico would accept. He added that Mexico had not agreed to accept an unlimited number of asylum seekers. Today, there is a meeting with US authorities, to learn, to discuss the ports of entry and how the number will be measured, because Mexico has not accepted that it be undetermined, he said in a news conference Friday morning. Currently, the programme operates in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. Close to 12,000 people have been returned to Mexico since January. 190611215322374 Later in the day, a Mexican official told Reuters news agency that the US had increased the return of asylum seekers to Mexico through the El Paso, Texas port of entry to around 200 a day. The increase from around 100 migrants a day was the first sign of expansion of a Trump administration policy known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, said Luis Carlos Cano, a spokesman for Mexicos national immigration agency in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso. Mexico has also agreed to consider a plan that could make it a safe third country in which asylum seekers would have to seek refuge instead of in the US, if Mexico does not bring down immigration flows by mid-July through enforcement measures, officials have said. Immigration rights groups have slammed to possible safe third country agreement, saying that it would endanger asylum seekers by requiring them to make their claims in a country experiencing high levels of violence. Ebrard also called on the United Nations and the international community to help Mexico with immigration control and the fight against human trafficking. Mexican FM says his country has not accepted that the US can send an unlimited number of asylum seekers back to Mexico. Mexico has not accepted that the United States send it an unlimited number of asylum seekers, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, before meetings with US officials on Friday to determine the expansion of a controversial programme. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Mexico agreed last week to expand the programme, which forces mostly Central American asylum seekers to return to Mexico to await the outcome of their US asylum claims. Ebrard said officials would discuss which cities the programme, known as Remain in Mexico, would expand to, as well as how to measure the number of people and which nationalities Mexico would accept. Today, there is a meeting with US authorities, to learn, to discuss the ports of entry and how the number will be measured, because Mexico has not accepted that it be undetermined, he said in a news conference. Currently, the programme operates in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. Close to 12,000 people have been returned to Mexico since January. 190611215322374 Safe third country Mexico has also agreed to consider a plan that could make it a safe third country in which asylum seekers would have to seek refuge instead of in the US, if Mexico does not bring down immigration flows by mid-July through enforcement measures, officials have said. Trump confirmed on Friday said that the deal struck in return for not imposing threatened tariffs on Mexico included a plan to establish a safe third country agreement. Asked in a Fox News interview if the plan included that option if Mexico cannot stem the flow of Central American migrants headed for the US, Trump said, Its exactly right, and thats whats going to happen. Mexican officials have previously said, however, that Mexico would begin talks about a possible safe third country agreement if migration at Mexicos southern border did not decrease within the 45 days. 190606192634090 We would start conversations about what they would like, which is for Mexico to become a safe third country, Ebrard told a Mexican radio programme earlier this month. Immigration rights groups have slammed to possible safe third country agreement, saying that it would endanger asylum seekers by requiring them to make their claims in a country experiencing high levels of violence. Meanwhile on Friday, Trump also named Tom Homan as Border Czar. Homan is a veteran of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and served as the agencys acting head during the first year of Trumps presidency. He retired last year, after increasing arrests of non-criminal immigrants. Caretaker PM resigns, ending crisis which saw two rival governments jostle for power after an inconclusive election. An unlikely coalition of pro-Europe and pro-Russia parties has prevailed in their struggle to take the helm of crisis-hit Moldova after the countrys caretaker government agreed to resign. The eastern European nation has been in political turmoil since February when a general election failed to give a clear majority to any party. Moscow-friendly President Igor Dodons Party of Socialists came out on top in the vote. The Democratic Party of Moldova, which is headed by the powerful oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc and led the countrys government before the election, came second, followed by the broadly pro-Europe ACUM bloc in third place. Dodons Socialists and the ACUM formed an alliance last week to replace the Democrat-led government which had remained in power in a caretaker role. But the Democratic Party disputed the legitimacy of the alliances move, claiming its government was formed after missing a post-election deadline. The new government refused to stand down, and on Sunday the Democrats persuaded the Constitutional Court to install the caretaker Prime Minister Pavel Filip, who led the government until the February election, as president. He immediately dissolved parliament and called snap polls, but the move was rejected by the alliance. The crisis led to two rival governments issuing orders and drew international condemnation. And on Friday, Filip said his government would step down and the Democratic Party would go into the opposition. Calling the new government an illegal, Kremlin-backed government, Filip said he was resigning because of the pressure being put on his administration. The Democratic Party also insisted it would be right to hold early elections. Moldova is free Dodon described the outgoing governments resignation on Friday as a small but symbolic victory, and urged the Constitutional Court to revise what he described as unlawful decisions it had made. The new government says the Constitutional Court is dominated by Democratic Party allies. Meanwhile, Maia Sandu, Moldovas new prime minister, expressed hope that the decision by the Democratic Party to concede defeat was sincere. I have a message to the entire world: Moldova is finally free, Sandu said. Earlier on Friday, the former World Bank economist told Reuters News Agency that her governments priorities included fighting corruption, sacking dishonest officials, making the electoral system fairer and getting foreign aid flowing. Speaking about the alliance between Dodons Socialist party and her ACUM bloc, Sandu said: This is not a natural alliance. There is no question about it, and probably half a year ago nobody would have said that this could happen. The ACUM wants Moldova to join the European Union, while Dodon wants closer ties with Russia. Moscow supports the new government. The EU, which froze aid to Moldova last year, said it was ready to work with the democratically legitimate government. The United States had earlier called on all sides to show restraint. Moldova has been dogged by scandals and the emigration of citizens to Russia or wealthier European countries to find work. Sandu is the countrys eighth prime minister since 2013. The drone attack comes days after a missile strike on Abha airport injured 26 amid escalating tension in the region. Saudi Arabia says its air defence forces intercepted five drones launched by Yemens Houthis at Abha airport and the city of Khamis Mushait in the latest escalation of conflict in the region. The air traffic and airspace at Abha airport were operating normally, a Saudi-led coalition spokesman said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency said early on Friday. At least 26 people were injured after Houthis fired missiles at Abha airport on Wednesday, drawing a sharp response from Riyadh which vowed to take stern action. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement earlier said that it carried out drone attacks on Abha Airport days after it targeted the airport in southwest Saudi Arabia with missiles, the groups Al Masirah TV reported. The rebels, who have been fighting the Saudi-led coalition since March 2015, have carried out at least four attacks on Saudi Arabia this week as it has stepped up attacks on the kingdom amid tensions between Shia power Iran and the United States, Saudi Arabias main ally. On Monday, Saudi air defence forces intercepted two drones targeting Khamis Mushait in the kingdoms south. It caused no damage or casualties, the Saudi-United Arab Emirate (UAE) coalition, which intervened in Yemen in support of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was removed from power by the Houthis in late 2014. Last month, the Saudi air force shot down a bomb-laden drone deployed by Houthi rebels that targeted Jizan airport, close to the southern border with Yemen. The airport is used by thousands of civilians every day, but the coalition reported no casualties and warned the rebels of a strong response. Two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia were targeted by Houthi drones in May causing minor supply disruptions highlighting an apparent significant leap in the drone capabilities of the Houthis. The rebels say they had the right to defend themselves in the face of five years of Saudi-UAE bombing and an air and sea blockade. The conflict in Yemen has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, aid agencies say. It has triggered what the UN describes as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, with 24.1 million more than two-thirds of the population in need of aid. More than 60 percent of the population face critical lack of food despite signing of peace deal between warring sides. A record number of almost seven million people in South Sudan or more than 60 percent of its population are facing severe hunger, according to a new report by the government and three United Nations agencies. The warning on Friday came some nine months after a fragile peace deal between South Sudans warring sides ended a ruinous five-year civil conflict. The report said close to two million people were near starvation, but stopped short of declaring a famine. The worsening situation was attributed to food shortages exacerbated by delayed rainfall, an economic crisis and years of strain from a conflict that killed almost 400,000 people. Every year, hunger reaches new and unprecedented levels in South Sudan with millions of people unsure where their next meal will come from, particularly at this time of the year when hunger peaks from May to July, Hsiao-Wei Lee, of the World Food Programme (WFP), said in the capital, Juba. UN-backed assessments used a ranking called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which rates hunger levels from one to five. The WFP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN childrens fund (UNICEF) said about 1.8 million people in South Sudan were in an emergency, or level four, which means large gaps between meals, acute malnutrition and excess deaths. More than five million others were also having to skip meals. At the beginning of 2019, it was estimated that 6.1 million people were facing hunger. But this figure now stands at 6.9 million people about 61 percent of the population. Under the IPC system, level five is classified as catastrophe, and when it applies to 20 percent of the population is deemed a famine. South Sudan declared a man-made famine in 2017. While the technical requirements for a famine were not currently met, the overall number of people requiring food aid had increased by about two million, according to the report. A statement from the agencies said the annual lean season started early following record low stocks from the poor 2018 harvest and has been further extended by the delayed onset of 2019 seasonal rains. If the current situation continued, about 21,000 people could slide into famine conditions, said Pierre Vauthier, deputy country director for the FAO. This estimation has dropped from about 30,000 in January. With greater stability in the country, access to those in need has improved, allowing us to treat more than 100,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition in the first five months of the year, with more than 90 percent of those children recovering, said Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEFs representative in South Sudan. But malnutrition levels remain critical in many areas and our fear is that the situation could worsen in the coming months. South Sudan, which gained independence from neighbouring Sudan in 2011, descended into war two years later when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy and fellow former rebel leader Riek Machar of plotting a coup. The war, marked by ethnic violence and brutal atrocities, has left about 380,000 dead while some four million have fled their homes. Under a peace agreement signed in September, Kiir agreed to set up a unity government with Machar, who is to return from exile, but that has been delayed by six months until November. Australian-born Brenton Tarrant denies guilt in killing of worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in March. Christchurch, New Zealand The man accused of killing 51 people during a shooting spree in March at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has pleaded not guilty to all charges levelled against him. A lawyer for Australian-born Brenton Tarrant, 28, said on Friday his client pleaded not guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 attempted murders and one charge of committing a terrorist act. This is the first time a terrorism charge has been brought in New Zealand. Tarrant was not in court in person in Christchurch; instead he appeared via a video link from a maximum-security prison where hes being held in Auckland, New Zealands largest city. Throughout the half-hour hearing on Friday, Tarrant wearing a plain grey top stood looking slightly up at a camera positioned above him. He did not say a word during the hearing. He nodded once to acknowledge he could hear the judge, and at times smirked. When his lawyer entered the not guilty pleas on his behalf, he grinned and at one point winked at the camera. Fit for trial Tarrant, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, is suspected of acting alone during the March 15 atrocity New Zealands worst peacetime mass shooting. He is accused of using modified semi-automatic weapons to massacre Muslims at Christchurchs Al Noor and Linwood mosques during Friday prayers. The attack was live-streamed from a head-mounted camera. New Zealands government tightened the countrys gun laws in the wake of the attack and has said it would review laws dealing with hate speech. 190324125855724 It has also supported international efforts to ensure that social media giants to do more to combat online extremism. More than 100 family members of victims and a few people who were shot but survived the attacks were in court. Most, throughout the hearing, looked intently at the screens showing Tarrant. At the last hearing on April 5, the court had ordered Tarrant to undergo a mental assessment first to determine whether he was fit to stand trial. The judge, Justice Cameron Mander, said the accuseds mental state had been assessed and he was fit to stand trial. The court endeavours to bring serious criminal cases to trial within a year of arrest. The scale and complexity of this case makes this challenging, Mander said. Because of the volume of evidence the prosecution and defence will have to consider, that trial will not take place until May 4. It is expected to last at least six weeks and possibly as long as three months. Tarrant has been remanded in custody until August 16 when a case review hearing is scheduled. Mander barred news outlets from taking photographs or video of Tarrants appearance, although he said images from an earlier hearing in March could be used. He will pay On the steps of the court after the hearing, people injured in the attacks, and relatives of those killed gave their reactions to what theyd seen and heard. Temel Atacocugu was shot nine times and attended court on crutches. On Friday he said: He [Tarrant] is going to be the loser. We will win. He will pay for what hes done. Janna Ezat whose 35-year-old son Hussein Al-Umari was killed in the attacks said she wanted to see the death penalty for Brenton Tarrant, if he is found guilty. 190605081721058 This is the only way. In this specific case he has to be killed. [If] he killed [more than] fifty people. He has to be killed. New Zealand abolished the death penalty in 1989 and has not executed anyone since 1957. If found guilty, Tarrant faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The people killed in Marchs attacks came from more than a dozen countries and their relatives speak a variety of different languages. The court had translators on hand for many and, both before and after the hearing, community representatives explained what would happen, and had happened in court. Even so, some were confused at why the trial wont take place until next year. It was totally not explained, said Didar Hossain Why cant the case be finalised within six months? That would be good for us. Hossain described himself as heartbroken. I lost my uncle he said, and all my friends. Lawyers for Indonesias opposition called on Friday for President Joko Widodos election victory to be annulled, telling the countrys Constitutional Court it had been achieved through systematic electoral fraud and abuse of power. Official results released by the General Election Commission last month showed Widodo, or Jokowi as he is commonly known, beat Prabowo Subianto, a retired general, by 11 percentage points in the April poll, winning more than 55 percent of the votes. His rival has refused to concede defeat. We are filing a lawsuit against the General Election Commission (KPU), demanding that the KPU annul its decision on the result of the presidential election, Bambang Widjojanto, the chief lawyer representing Prabowo, told the court on Friday. The dispute has led to weeks of uncertainty in the worlds third-largest democracy and violence broke out last month after the results were announced when Prabowo urged his supporters to protest in the capital. Eight people were killed and more than 900 hurt in the clashes. Police have arrested dozens of alleged instigators, including a close ally of Prabowo who is suspected of orchestrating assassination plots against top government officials. Earlier this week, Prabowo, who had previously warned of people power-style street protests, told his supporters to remain calm while the Constitutional Court deliberates the merit of the claim. Tight security Around 17,000 police and military personnel have been deployed to prevent a repeat of the unrest. A small group of opposition supporters held a peaceful protest near the heavily protected court building, with some holding placards saying: We demand justice! Prabowo and his campaign team want the court to annul the official result, disqualify Jokowi and his running mate as candidates, or hold another election. The court is expected to deliver a verdict by June 28. The legal team pointed to issues with Jokowis campaign financing and use of state apparatus as a campaign tool, saying the official election result came about because of illegal actions, fraud and abuse of power which are structured, systematic and massive. The election supervisory agency has said previously there was no evidence of systematic cheating and independent observers have said the poll was free and fair. Legal representatives for the KPU and Jowkowis campaign team were present at the hearing and were expected to make statements later on Friday. Trump administration handed small court victory in its effort to ban transgender people from serving in the US military. A United States federal appeals court on Friday handed President Donald Trump a victory in his effort to ban most transgender people from the military, ordering a lower court judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the US Supreme Court later allowed to take effect. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a ruling by US District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, which said the ban likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender recruits and service members. While not ruling on the cases merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court said Pechman did not give the militarys judgment enough weight, and ordered her to give it more deference. That finding could strengthen Trumps position on transgender troops going forward. In January, the Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority, lifted lower court injunctions that blocked the ban on constitutional grounds from going into effect, while challenges to its legality continued in lower courts. 180324082420323 The Supreme Court did not address the legality of the Republican presidents ban, which reversed a landmark 2016 policy of his Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama. That policy allowed transgender people for the first time to serve openly in the armed forces without fear of being discharged, and to receive medical care to transition genders. Attorneys for the transgender service members who filed the lawsuit could not immediately be reached. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice also could not be reached. Pechman was one of four federal judges who ruled against the administration on the transgender troop ban, saying it likely violated the US Constitutions equal protection guarantee. Undermined the dignity Trump had announced the ban in July 2017, and has said the old policy led to tremendous medical costs and disruption. The president regularly cites incorrect figures for the costs of surgery. In March 2018, Trump backed a revised policy from then-Defense Secretary James Mattis that banned, in some circumstances, transgender people with gender dysphoria, or distress resulting from internal conflict between physical gender and gender identity. 190412143555607 Mattiss policy also banned transgender people who seek or have undergone gender transition steps. But it allowed people diagnosed with gender dysphoria during the Obama policy to stay in the military and serve according to their gender identity. In April 2018, Pechman extended her injunction to the revised policy, finding no evidence that transgender troops reduced the militarys effectiveness, and saying the ban undermined the dignity of those troops. She also said the new policy would force transgender service members to suppress the very characteristic that defines them as transgender in the first place. In Fridays decision, the appeals court said the 2018 policy discriminates on the basis of transgender status but was nevertheless significantly different from the 2017 ban. It said that when reconsidering the governments request to lift her injunction, Pechman must apply appropriate military deference to its evaluation. The lawsuit was filed in August 2017 on behalf of current and aspiring Army and Navy personnel, including one stationed overseas with nearly 20 years of experience. Washington state later joined the plaintiffs. In a series of now-removed posts, Khaled al-Matrafi said Al Jazeera was legitimate target for Saudi-UAE-led coalition. Twitter has deleted a series of tweets posted by Saudi journalist Khaled al-Matrafi, in which he called for the bombing of the Al Jazeera headquarters in Qatars capital. Following a complaint by the Doha-based media network, Twitters management on Friday removed al-Matrafis posts which violated the social networks rules and policies. According to its policies, Twitter does not tolerate violent posts that threaten the lives of innocent people, and any account promoting incitement will be immediately and permanently suspended. Al-Matrafis account has not been suspended. In a series of tweets published on Thursday, al-Matrafi wrote: The Arab coalition has the right, in accordance with international law, not only to target the rocket launchers that targeted Abha airport, but also those who gave the order or backed the attack financially or gave them media support. Al-Matrafi was referring to an attack by Yemens Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabias Abha airport on Wednesday, which wounded 26 people. The Houthis have been engaged in a war with a Saudi-UAE-led coalition since March 2015. This means that the Al Jazeera channel in Qatar could be a legitimate target for the coalition for supporting such a terrorist act, al-Matrafi wrote, who is known for his controversial Twitter posts. Khalid al-Matrafi tweeted that Al Jazeera is a legitimate target for the Saudi-UAE-led coalition [Screengrab] In another tweet, al-Matrafi reiterated his call for the targeting of Al Jazeera. International law has given the coalition the ability to respond to the targeting of Abha airport on several fronts, and this does not only concern the Houthi group, he wrote. There is a wide range of objectives that the international conventions and laws of war have allowed the coalition to attack. Al Jazeera in Qatar is a legitimate and logical target. Al-Matrafi joined the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya channel in 2009, where he served as director of its office in Saudi Arabia until 2015. He currently writes for local newspapers and is known as the Royal Diwan journalist for his proximity to influential officials in Saudi Arabia. Previous threats against Al Jazeera There have been previous calls to target Al Jazeera, including an article published in June 2017 in the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat by Saudi journalist Abdulrahman al-Rashed. In his article, al-Rashed, a former general manager at Al Arabiya, warned that if Qatar did not wave the white flag in the regional dispute, it would face the same fate as Egyptian protesters in the Rabaa Square massacre of 2013. In an operation HRW called a crime against humanity, Egyptian security forces killed hundreds of protesters who had gathered to oppose the military overthrow of then-President Mohamed Morsi. In November of the same year, a senior security official in the UAE had called for the bombing of Al Jazeera. Dhahi Khalfan, the deputy chief of Dubai police, tweeted that the Saudi-UAE-led coalition should bomb Al Jazeera, calling it a propaganda machine for terrorism the channel for the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and al-Nusra Front. Furthermore, leaked documents from Wikileaks also revealed that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, had asked the United States to bomb Al Jazeera during the US war on Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of the Arab quartet that has blockaded Qatar since June 2017. Along with Egypt and Bahrain, the blockading countries have accused Doha of having strong ties with Iran, interfering in regional affairs, and supporting terrorism. Qatar has strongly denied these allegations. Since Al Jazeeras launch almost 23 years ago, a number of its international bureaus including those in Kabul, Baghdad and Gaza have been the target of bomb attacks, while many others have been ordered to close by their host government including in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen and Sudan. British judge schedules full extradition hearing next year for WikiLeaks founder wanted in US on espionage charges. The full extradition hearing to decide whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States will take place in February next year, Westminster Magistrates Court in London ruled on Friday. Assange, 47, is accused by US authorities of conspiring to hack US government computers and violating an espionage law. He is currently in a London prison after being jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail after fleeing to the Ecuadorean embassy seven years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning in a sexual assault investigation. 190613091411918 He was too ill to attend a recent hearing and appeared at Fridays hearing by video link from prison. Ben Brandon, a British lawyer representing the US government, told the court hearing that the case related to one of the largest compromises of confidential information in the history of the United States. Assange invokes First Amendment Assanges lawyer, Mark Summers, said the case represents an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights. US officials have made clear their intention to prosecute Assange under the Espionage Act, blaming him for directing WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of secret documents that disclosed the names of people who provided confidential information to American and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange asserts that he is a journalist with First Amendment protections. Reporting from London, Al Jazeeras Jonah Hull said the full extradition hearing next year could last five days. That decision itself could be appealed by either side leading to potentially another lengthy judicial process. It is at least many months before Julian Assange will have to answer any of the charges put to him by the US Department of Justice in a US court, he said. Stuck for years in remote island detention camps, some who sought asylum in Australia are getting a chance at a new life. If you are a refugee and you arrive in Australia by boat, the government will never let you in. Security forces tow away boats, and asylum seekers are sent to detention centres on remote islands. This week on The Take podcast, we meet a doctor-turned-whistleblower who saw what happens in those camps and a refugee who spent nearly five years in one before starting over in the United States. The Team: This episode was produced by Nicole Johnston and Ney Alvarez, with Dina Kesbeh, Priyanka Tilve, Morgan Waters, Alexandra Locke, and Amy Walters. Ney Alvarez and Graelyn Brashear were the sound designers. Graelyn Brashear is Al Jazeeras head of audio. Subscribe: New episodes of the show come out every Friday. Subscribe to The Take on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen. Follow The Take on Twitter @AJTheTake, on Facebook and on Instagram @ajthetake. By The Associated Press Jun. 13, 2019 | 07:33 AM | WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Wednesday that if a foreign power offered dirt on his 2020 opponent, he'd be open to accepting it and that he'd have no obligation to call in the FBI. "I think I'd want to hear it," Trump said in an interview with ABC News, adding, "There's nothing wrong with listening." The role of Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., in organizing a 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer offering negative information on Hillary Clinton was a focus of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the last presidential campaign. Mueller painstakingly documented Russian efforts to boost Trump's campaign and undermine that of his Democratic rival. But while Mueller's investigation didn't establish a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump's campaign, Trump repeatedly praised WikiLeaks in 2016 and celebrated information exposed by Russian hackers. One of Trump's challengers, former Vice President Joe Biden, tweeted: "President Trump is once again welcoming foreign interference in our elections. This isn't about politics. It is a threat to our national security. An American President should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy." Several of Trump's other Democratic opponents in the 2020 race, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kirsten Gillibrand and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, repeated their calls to begin impeachment hearings in the wake of the president's latest remarks. Trump's comments came just a month after he pledged not to use information stolen by foreign adversaries in his 2020 reelection campaign, even as he wrongly insisted he hadn't used such information to his benefit in 2016. During a question-and-answer session with reporters in the Oval Office in May, Trump said he "would certainly agree to" that commitment. "I don't need it," he said as he met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. "All I need is the opponents that I'm looking at." Trump also insisted erroneously that he "never did use, as you probably know," such information, adding: "That's what the Mueller report was all about. They said no collusion." FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers that Donald Trump Jr. should have called his agency to report the offer. But Trump, who nominated Wray to the role in 2017, told ABC News that he disagrees. "The FBI director is wrong," the president said. He added, "Life doesn't work like that." Asked whether his advisers should accept information on an opponent from Russia, China or another nation or call the FBI this time, Trump said, "I think maybe you do both," expressing openness to reviewing the information. "I think you might want to listen," he said. "There's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called, from a country Norway we have information on your opponent. Oh, I think I'd want to hear it." Andrew Thomas After 11 years based in his native London, Andrew moved to Sydney with his Australian wife tasked with bringing all things Antipodean to Al Jazeera En... more glish. Since he started in December 2010, Andrew has covered a long line of natural disasters and the very human responses to each: the Christmas Island asylum boat sinking, the floods in Queensland and Victoria, the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand and the triple-whammy of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. In London, Andrew worked for Channel 4 News and at the BBC's Newsnight. Last week, Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and Canada's leading intellectual, Jordan Peterson, met to lambast illegal immigration and political correctness, which they believe make sensible public discussions impossible. Peterson also made a noteworthy claim worth thinking about. He said Islam is not compatible with democracy and that this issue has been barred from public discussion. I believe that Peterson is correct. Islam is not only incompatible with democracy. It is inimical to America's fundamental values and principles. More important, it is in violation of the United States Constitution. It is time for the United States to make a pre-emptive strike against a moral and political ideology whose stated goal is the abolition of our political system. When we examine the application of sharia law in the West, most particularly in Europe, where it is gaining ascendancy, people will come to see a few fundamental tenets about Islam. Its foundation and governing principle is that sharia law regulates the personal and public behavior of all Muslims and non-Muslims under its governance. When we think of Islam mainly as a religion, we cannot disambiguate it from sharia law, which, when examined, allows us to see that the legal, cultural and political aspects of the religion supersede the purely private religious aspects of it. World Islam, above all, has become a political ideology. Sharia law is a weaponized political tool supervening the public sphere that violates every sacred tenet of American life. The institution of slavery remains lawful under sharia law. Those who repudiate their faith in Islam directly or indirectly are guilty of capital offenses. It, therefore, conflicts with our constitutional human right of freedom of conscience and religion. The sharia law of apostasy restricts other human rights, such as freedom of expression and association. Sharia law does not guarantee equal rights for men and women. This past April, the nation of Brunei, in a four-page document addressed to the European Parliament, defended its new sharia law implementation by insisting that stoning to death for adultery and extramarital sex, amputation for offenses such as sodomy and theft, and the death penalty for homosexuality be regarded as permissible because these come from Allah. In 2011, a Muslim group in Denmark in a "Call to Islam" campaigned vigorously to make parts of Copenhagen and other Danish cities into "Sharia Law Zones" that would function as autonomous "enclaves" ruled by Islamic law. Salafism, a sect within Islam, calls for the destruction of Western democracy and demands that it be replaced by a universal Islamic caliphate and worldwide Islamic theocracy ruled by Islamic law. So does the charter of Hamas. The statement referred to man-made laws and rules as obstacles to be destroyed by all Muslims and exhorted Muslims to rid the world of the great evil of democracy. Islamic courts are also operating in many of Germany's big cities. In Britain, a Muslim group called "Muslims against the Crusades" has called for the application of sharia and championed turning twelve cities, including a renamed London called "Londonistan," into independent Islamic states. Ruled by sharia law, the states within Britain would operate completely outside British jurisprudence. The "parallel justice system" is compromising secular law not only in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France, where Islamic law is displacing French law in parts of suburban Paris, but also right here in the United States of America. Let us never forget the 2008 case of a Moroccan man and his 17-year-old wife who immigrated to America. A short while after migrating to the United States, she filed a restraining order, claiming that her husband was repeatedly raping her. The husband did not deny that their relations were non-consensual; he simply told the judge that in his religion, the wife is required to submit to all his desires. The New Jersey judge stated that, given his understanding of Islam, the man had not intended to commit a crime and was therefore innocent. The judge denied the restraining order. The denial was, fortunately, overturned by a higher court. There have been other cases in the United States where judges allowing Islamic law and customs to supersede inalienable constitutional rights have simply been seen as nothing more than being guilty of committing a legal error. Just as problematic is the extent to which a number of American financial institutions have started taking steps to become sharia-compliant. This is in order to both attract and manage Muslim wealth. In 2017, the Quran was used for the first time to swear in a new U.S. congressman, Keith Ellison. He was a former spokesperson for the Nation of Islam and became the second highest leader of the Democratic National Committee. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) followed in January of 2019 by wearing a traditional Palestinian robe and took the oath on Thomas Jefferson's translated version of the Quran. A number of U.S. public schools are commemorating Muslim holidays and holding Islamic prayers toward Mecca. Rocky Mountain High School in Colorado in 2011 became the first school in the United States to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic. Revolutions of the deepest kinds always begin with our children. It was, indeed, our late great president, Abraham Lincoln, who declared: "The philosophy of the classroom today will be the philosophy of the government of tomorrow." That government is arriving soon, armed with a philosophy few of us as Americans will survive. Jason D. Hill is professor of philosophy at DePaul University in Chicago. His areas of specialization include ethics, social and political philosophy, American foreign policy, cosmopolitanism, and race theory. He is the author of several books, including We Have Overcome: An Immigrant's Letter to the American People (Bombardier Books/Post Hill Press). Follow him on Twitter @JasonDhill6. Over the past three years, the MSM has done a thorough job brainwashing its captive audience into believing that Putin preferred, supported, or even colluded with Trump in the 2016 elections. Not only was this untrue, but even the idea of such a preference, much less collusion, was ridiculous in the U.S. in the spring of 2016. Russia was our ally in the fight against terror, and CIA Director John Brennan visited FSB head Gennadiy Bortnikov in Moscow in March 2016. Not Trump, but the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton personally were the perfect fit for Putin. Hillary Clinton started her tenure as Secretary of State by implementing a reset with Russia in 2009. During 2012, Russia joined the World Trade Organization, and the West bought from it hot air (carbon credits). Later that year, Obama was caught on mic promising Medvedev that he would become even more accommodating towards Russia after the election. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sold Uranium One to Russia, organized the transfer of dual-use technology in Skolkovo, and allied themselves with Russian-funded groups against fracking and pipelines in the U.S. Allegations that Putin had a personal grudge against Hillary, and kept it for five years, are just laughable. Trump conducted a Miss Universe pageant in Russia in 2013, and that was all. As a presidential candidate, he promised a U.S. military buildup, and he said the U.S. should shoot down Russian interceptors that were reportedly harassing U.S. military planes in international airspace, after appropriate diplomatic steps. The ideation of a Putin-Trump association and of Russian interference on Trumps behalf came from Western Europe. People of Germany, Britain, and other EU states were dissatisfied with policies robbing them of their sovereignty. European politicians wanted to crush dissent, and Russia and Putin became a convenient boogeyman. The government of Angela Merkel blamed Russia for public protests. This is how Obama advisor Ben Rhodes illustrated this attitude in his book The World as It Is: In Germany, Merkels spokesperson told me about how fake news impacted their politics... A rape, for instance, caused a huge outcry in a community. For days, there were protests, political fallout. ... And we trace the story, and it started with a social media user with a German-sounding name, but something is not exactly right. The name is a little off. And the server, it is not German Russians... Later, James Clapper expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the Russians are almost genetically driven to co-opt, penetrate, gain favor, whatever. Peter Strzok and Lisa Page exchanged comparable texts immediately before officially launching Crossfire Hurricane. Rhodes quote continues: I thought about all the made-up stories about Hillary -- her ill health, her corruption, her crimes. Sorry for making you laugh amid such a serious matter. Apparently, the hysteria about alleged Russian internet operations was based on a small study of coordinated political trolling in Latvia. The study didnt include Germany, Britain, or any other large European country, and its conclusions are inapplicable to them. But the study is clear on one point: the influence of pro-Russian trolling on leading US media outlets demonstrated the opposite outcome to that expected. While Germans protested Merkels immigration policies, the British demanded freedom from the European Union, and were preparing to vote on Brexit. The old guard, which has almost stolen the country from its citizens, also blamed Russia and Putin. In April 2016, Obama went to Britain to stomp against Brexit, an interference in British domestic affairs, obviously inviting reciprocation -- interference from the British government in the U.S. elections on behalf of the Democratic party. Here, the connection between Trump and the U.S. elections was even stronger. Rhodes laments: the Brexit campaign was tapping into the same sense of nationalism and nostalgia that the Trump campaign was promoting back home: the days of Churchill, the absence of immigrants and intrusive international institutions. The Obama administrations desire to subject this country to intrusive international institutions is an important admission. Trump is a defender of U.S. sovereignty, and such institutions are its enemies. The Eurocrats confused the invented threat of Russian influence campaigns with the real prospect that Trump would not be their ally against their own people -- unlike Obama or Hillary. In their imagination, the Trump-Putin nexus was natural. Ben Rhodes unintentionally confirms this point by quoting the chief of staff to then Prime Minister David Cameron: Youre not worried that he [Trump] can win? Putin would like nothing more. Some of our people, he said, referring to conservatives who support Brexit, say that hes tapped into something with this immigration issue. The Obama administrations propensity to accommodate EU and UN agendas primed it to believe lies about Trump. It looks as if the Obama administration imported both the obsession with Russian influence campaigns and the wacky idea of a Trump-Putin connection. European governments created projects to combat Russian influence campaigns at home and abroad, joined by the Obama administration in April 2016. On May 13, exactly one week after CrowdStrike privately attributed the DNC hacking to an imaginary GRU hacking group APT28 (Fancy Bear), German secret police (BfV) publicly blamed the same imaginary group for the Bundestag hacking that happened a year earlier. The DNC emails, published by WikiLeaks on July 22, were probably leaked by a disgruntled Bernie supporter, unrelated to hacking. In mid-April 2016, Bruce & Nellie Ohr were in contact with the German Embassy, discussing with its first secretary what the Germans called Impact of Russian influence operations in Europe (PsyOps/InfoWar) and the embassys offer to provide Russia analysts. They also invited the secretary to their house. What came out of it is unknown because they deleted the emails immediately. By the end of May, the conspiracy theory of Trump-Putin collusion has been already developed. Obamas AG Loretta Lynch has testified: the constellation of things that have come to be known as the Russia investigation, things were brought to my attention in 2016, I believe it was the spring the late spring by the Director [Comey] and Deputy Director [McCabe] And over the course of the summer most of briefings on that issue were shifted to the National Security Council level. The National Security Council Principals are some of the highest-ranking officials in the government, including the secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, and Homeland Security, the attorney general, the head of the CIA, the White House chief of staff, UN ambassador, and more. All of them were Obama appointees. All of them had been told to toe the party line -- that Trump was not an ordinary candidate, but a suspected Putin agent. The only problem with this theory was total lack of evidence. We live in the 21st century. Contacts and connections between people in different countries are routine. Words and contacts between the Trump associates and Russia, whether real or invented, could not, even when misinterpreted in the worst possible way, rise to the level of collusion. Despite that, by the end of May 2016 the case against Trump was already formed and even escalated to the level of the National Security Council. It had no supporting evidence, but plenty of contradictory facts. And then the DNC contractor Fusion GPS hired Steele. Together, they manufactured the evidence -- the infamous Steele dossier. CrowdStrike was already hired. (Note the timing: the first CrowdStrike report went out on June 14, and the first Steele report was dated by June 20.) Both DNC contractors would be churning out their reports through December 2016. The rest is history. My short book Missing from the Mueller Report is available on Amazon. The U.S. Army War College (USAWC) surrendered to the demands of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) an "unindicted co-conspirator," to quote the U.S. Dept. of Justice, in the largest terror funding case in American history. The June 19, 2019 planned lecture on my book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks was canceled due to CAIR-induced hysteria that focused on presenting me a native Arabic speaker of Egyptian and Middle Eastern descent as a "racist" and "white nationalist" out to incite American soldiers to murder Muslims. Although the USAWC claims that the event has been "postponed" and that CAIR's smear campaign has nothing to do with its decision what really happened, along with the troubling lessons learned along the way, follows. On January 4, 2019, I received an email, portions of which follow: Mr. Ibrahim: On behalf of the Director and Staff of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC), I am honored to invite you to speak as part of the USAHEC's 2019 Perspectives in Military History Lecture Series[.] ... [W]e would like you to speak about your new book, "Sword and Scimitar." The Perspectives series attracts a wide audience including the U.S. Army War College students, faculty, and staff, ROTC cadets, Soldiers from regional military bases, university students and faculty, and the general public. "On a personal note," the author of the email added, "I think your new book, and a lecture based on it, will resound very well with the primary audience of our lecture programs the students and faculty of the U.S. Army War College." After I accepted the invitation, my USAWC contact reiterated: "I am excited to book you, I think your topic will be perfect for my audience." Aside from a few more exchanges on dates and logistics, that was that until CAIR got wind of the event. I've already discussed what initially happened: how the leadership of CAIR's Penn. chapter sent a letter on May 28, 2019 to USAWC commandant Gen. John Kem and provost Dr. James Breckenridge, urging them to cancel my event because "Raymond Ibrahim's book ... advance[s] a simplistic, inaccurate and often prejudicial view of the long history of Muslim-West relations which we nd deeply troubling" and how CAIR did not once cite a single sentence from my 352-page book to support the accusation that it "is based on poor research." After media outlets began reporting on CAIR's displeasure with the USAWC, the latter called and assured me that the event was still on. I also received a June 5, 2019 email from my USAWC contact saying, "We are good to go for the lecture." Then CAIR and allies took off their gloves and got nasty. If a formal, ostensibly rational-sounding letter of "concern" would not suffice, then hysteria would have to do. On the very next day, June 6, 2019, CAIR issued a number of screeds, including a press release and a petition addressed to the USAWC by Linda Sarsour's Islamist group, MPower Change. The overall theme is that if the USAWC goes ahead with my planned lecture, the "racist" military will get so riled that American soldiers will randomly begin to massacre Muslims at home and abroad. The following is from the MPower petition (boldface and underlining in the original): Ibrahim's rhetoric normalizes and justifies violence against Muslims, which is already a burgeoning problem for the military Let's tell the U.S. Army War College: If you don't rescind Ibrahim's invitation and denounce his Islamophobic rhetoric, you're not only endorsing anti-Muslim hate, but dangerously nurturing Islamophobia and white nationalism within the military Just a few days ago, California Rep. Duncan Hunter who ran an explicitly Islamophobic campaign for Congress casually admitted that he and his unit "killed probably hundreds of civilians... probably killed women and children in Iraq." Tell the U.S. Army War College: Ibrahim's lecture would push the same kind of incendiary, Islamophobic rhetoric that has led to violence inflicted on Muslim communities both in the U.S. and abroad. In the midst of their lies, CAIR and MPower repeatedly present me an Arab-American whose parents immigrated from Egypt to evade Islamic oppression as a "racist" associated with "white nationalism." But as the Investigative Project on Terrorism, which maintains a comprehensive dossier on CAIR's shady and terrorist links, observes: Being a "white nationalist" doesn't mean having European ancestry in Linda Sarsour's world. Her group, MPower Change, joined the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Philadelphia chapter in charging that Raymond Ibrahim, an American Copt of Egyptian ancestry, whose people have been severely discriminated against under Islamic rule for centuries, is a "white nationalist." ... To classify Ibrahim in the same category as white supremacists who hate Muslims for being non-white is to show ignorance of the severe persecution and discrimination faced by the Coptic people under nearly 14 centuries of Islamic rule. Copts face constant discrimination and persecution at the hands of their Muslim neighbors ... [including] Jim Crowstyle conditions in their homeland. Also like the original CAIR letter of May 28, 2019, the MPower petition repeatedly asserts that "his recent book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, advances an Orientalist and inaccurate view of Islam" without once showing how; it merely claims that "[h]is simplistic and flawed version of history riddled with prejudiced stereotypes of Islam espouses a dangerous agenda that demonizes Muslims." Despite the baseless and hysterical nature of CAIR's and its Islamist allies' allegations, on June 10, 2019, the U.S. Army War College caved in to CAIR's demands and canceled the event. In my last phone call with the USAWC on that same day, I suggested a compromise: turn my lecture into a debate, and pit me against any academic of CAIR's choosing. Even though I was under no obligation to make such a concession, it still wasn't good enough for the USAWC. Perhaps the most dishonorable aspect of this entire fiasco is that, in a vain effort to save face and pretend the prestigious United States Army War College is not surrendering to the demands of a notorious Islamist organization whose deceptive tactics and subversive ties are well documented (here, here, and here) the USAWC's official story is that my lecture has only been "postponed," and not because of CAIR's demands. As a June 10, 2019 report notes, the USAWC's decision to "postpone" the event "comes in the wake of strong opposition from the Muslim community to the previously scheduled appearance of author Raymond Ibrahim. The Army War College on Monday, however, suggested that the postponement had nothing to do with the outcry from the Muslim community" (emphasis added). Reality is clear enough: for the USAWC suddenly to postpone a long planned event only nine days before schedule and just a handful of days after CAIR's smear campaign is not a "coincidence." It is a clear message for all. Incidentally, the USAWC is now learning that once you give CAIR an inch, like all bullies, it will demand a mile. Consider: in CAIR's original letter, Jacob Bender, its Philadelphia executive director, ultimately agreed to my lecture, with one caveat, asked in all politeness: "We would ask that if Mr. Ibrahim delivers his talk that we be allowed the same format to put forth counter points to his arguments." Even though the USAWC completely acquiesced by canceling the event altogether, CAIR having smelled blood has since become more aggressive and abusive to the military. After gloating over the USAWC's capitulation, the same Jacob Bender who would have been content just to have the opportunity to "put forth counterpoints" to me (though only after I was gone and no longer there to respond) is now saying: The statement [to "postpone" the lecture] by the College spokeswoman falls short of repudiating Mr. Ibrahim's racist views. A postponement is not enough the college should reject hate. We will continue to advocate for ... [the] exclusion of anti-Muslim racist theories in the college's programming[.] ... [W]e are ready to provide an alternative viewpoint and suggest a pool of academic analysts who can provide an objective assessment of military and historical perspectives to the US Army War College community. In other words, if the USAWC really wants CAIR to stop verbally terrorizing it, canceling my lecture is only the first step. The USAWC next must invite a Muslim apologist to come and present a history opposite to the one I was going to present that is, the usual pseudo-history of an "evil" West that has long victimized a "progressive" Islam, hence "why they hate us," and why we in this case, the USAWC have to appease them, etc., etc. The grand lesson of this entire debacle should be disheartening for all who care about this nation. If an ethnic Egyptian and native speaker of Arabic, with verifiable credentials, whose extended relatives continue to be persecuted because they are Christian, can be characterized by Islamist groups with terror links as a "racist" and "white nationalist," and if, of all places, the U.S. Army War College, as opposed to the average "liberal" college, can so easily capitulate to such patently deceptive tactics the true motives of which are to keep the actual history between Islam and the West concealed from the military know that the hour is late, indeed. Congress is taking a much-needed step toward greater transparency for U.S. citizens. The bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress unanimously approved legislation to allow taxpayers to have greater public access to congressional information. The five reforms would: Standardize the format of legislative text, making easier for the public to access and understand legislation; Create a central home to track committee votes; Update both the House and Senate lobbying disclosure systems; Make it easier to track amendments to legislation, and Create a database showing which agencies and programs are due for reauthorization. This is a nice first step but lets hope it doesnt end there. All these recommendations still need to become an official policy of the Congress. Reps. Derek Kilmer (WA-6) and Tom Graves (GA-14) jointly issued a statement that read, Transparency in Congress promote more accountability to our constituents, and thats a good thing. These bipartisan recommendations are just the first step making the legislative branch more effective and accessible for the American people. Here are some next step ideas: 1. Provide financial data on authorizations and appropriations for all spending programs; Release the previous final spending number budgeted. 2. Indicate with a simple check mark or link to department, agency, or program audit and publish all findings so the public can see how resources are being overseen; 3. Make it as easy as possible for citizens to follow by using simple info graphics. State legislative transparency sites have been leading the transparency movement, but many are very confusing, overwhelming, and are data dumps, which tell there state constituents little. The long-term vision for real reform is complete financial transparency of government spending. Gone are the days of insider backroom congressional deals and oblique spending bills. Now, citizens who fund the government have the right to know where and how their money is being spent. Technology has made real-time reporting of both what is spent and what we achieve with the spending available for the first time. Let hope this modernization continues. Dr. David Rehr is Professor and Director of the Center for Business Civic Engagement at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and a leading expert on bringing financial transparency to government. AT&T has not upheld its promises to create more jobs across the board in the wake of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2018, legislation it lobbied to pass. In fact, specifically in Midwest America, the company has gone in completely the opposite direction according to a series of new reports from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) labor union. Centering on service quality and the number of jobs available over the past two years in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, the reports detail a severe drop in employment opportunities. In Indiana, for example, the CWA reports that AT&T has cut its call center workforce over that period by as much as 61-percent. Outside plant technician employment has gone from 1,078 to 876 workers. Total wireline workforce reductions, including the above-mentioned jobs plus administration and inside technicians, have fallen in at 20-percent, going from approximately 1,632 workers to 1,302 workers. Advertisement In Michigan, both outside plant technician jobs and wireline workforce have fallen by 26-percent while call center jobs are down 46-percent. For Ohio, those figures fall in at 20-percent, 21-percent, and half, respectively. Finally, jobs in Wisconsin in the first category have been reduced by 26-percent and its wireline workforce by 23-percent. Wisconsins call center jobs at AT&T are down 21-percent over the past two years. AT&T has, in effect, cut its workforce in those areas alone and in just those four states by at least 2,453 jobs over the course of two years. Its not just jobs and is in spite of record profitability, growth, and new partnerships Advertisement As reported in early 2019, all of that is in spite of record growth and profitability for the company due to a massive tax break from the aforementioned tax break. CWA reports that since a 2017 iteration of the bill passed, affording AT&T a $21 billion windfall with projections of $3 billion in annual tax savings in proceeding years, the company has eliminated as many as 23,000 jobs. Its also improved executive pay, cut investments by as much as $1.4 billion, and avoided paying any cash income taxes with tax refunds included. The company issued a statement following earlier reports from the CWA, indicating that it is hiring but that the hiring is going towards areas of the business that are growing. More directly, the company said it had hired more than 20,000 new employees in 2018 and more than 17,000 the year before. AT&T also claims it has worked to dampen the effect of workforce adjustments on employees. Advertisement Despite the companys promises, however, the CWA claims that the layoffs arent just impacting employees, with complaints compiled from residents of the four states outlining how service quality has suffered too. As many as 6,000 informal complaints against AT&T from consumers have been gathered by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio alone. At least one account from Indiana, shared by the CWA, highlights the question of how AT&T could be allowed to cut off its customers from the rest of the world. Forget the strikes, its time to gain the attention of elected officials Advertisement The CWA, contrary to previous actions it has taken against each of the wireless carriers in the US, does not appear to be leading calls for a strike. Instead, the organization is calling on residents of the four states in question to come forward and share their own story about interactions with AT&T in a bid to garner the attention of elected officials many of whom have already expressed concern about the companys activity. Google is usually tight-lipped about its upcoming products, and designs of them tend to be closely guarded aside from leaks that show up fairly close to official announcement time. Not so with the Pixel 4 as Google officially announced and leaked its own phone earlier in the week, but just of the back. This Pixel 4 concept render showcases what you can likely expect from the design of the phone from the front. The design may not look like much at first glance, and if you think about it it kinds of makes the design a resounding success. Google has offered up some pretty simplistic designs for the Pixel products but theres usually a lot more going on then what the design lets on, keeping things to a simple look but offering up a lot of function. This is sort of the case here with the design of the front of the phone in this concept render from Jonas Deihnert (@PhoneDesigner). Advertisement When you consider recent leaks of the Pixel 4 which have alleged the phone would come with five front imaging units and that the device would come with no notch on the front, those factors of design are present here in this concept. Or so it would seem. There is clearly no notch. In its place a very thin bezel at the top instead. In that bezel can be seen a plethora of sensors, two of which are quite obviously front-facing cameras. The others could be made up of the three additional imaging units, as well as the standard sensors you see on the front of most smartphones these days. With the removal of the notch as well as the confirmation from Google that the fingerprint sensor on the back is not included with the Pixel 4 thanks to the companys own leaked photo, the Pixel 4 would offer customers a very clean device design from front to back to sides. Advertisement Without the notch the display also should appear to be more filled out. The bezels on the top and bottom are so thin that there just seems to be more screen to work with, though to be fair the notch didnt really take much away from usable screen space. Other than unseen front thats envisioned here, theres also a secondary color for the phone that hasnt been shown off by Google yet. In its own leaked render the Pixel 4 is black, which means theres going to be at least a black version of the Pixel 4 devices. The second color shown here looks like a white version of the phone (though it looks almost grey), choosing to keep the back color for the camera module and adding a black accent on the side for the power button. Advertisement The same approach has been applied to the power button on the black model helping the whole device have a little but of accented color to bring a tiny bit of detail that stands out from the sea of black that washes over the rest of the device. Both of these renders are also based off of past leaks as well as the one Google leaked on June 12, so theyre as accurate as they can be until Google shows off both sides of the phone. Google still has some surprises left for the overall design of the device, but this is likely what consumers can expect based on any leaked information and images that have been discovered so far. The Huawei Mate X isnt coming out anytime soon. And thats probably a good thing. Huawei has spoken with both CNBC and The Wall Street Journal and told the publications that they are doing extensive testing on the Mate X, before it is released. This is a good thing for Huawei, after seeing how rushed the Galaxy Fold was, and how quickly it broke in reviewers hands back in April. Advertisement Huawei is now pushing the launch of the Mate X back from June to September. Thats a pretty big delay, but at least Huawei is giving us a date. Theres still no date for the Galaxy Fold to finally be released. The company says that it is taking a cautious approach to the Mate X now, after seeing what happened with Samsungs folding smartphone. Considering the Huawei Mate X has a much larger price tag than the Galaxy Fold, thats likely the right move. While owners would be upset about their $2,000 smartphone breaking, they would be even more upset that their nearly $3,000 Mate X broke so quickly. Huawei said to CNBC that it doesnt want to launch a product to destroy our reputation. Thats something that the US government is taking care of. Advertisement The Chinese company isnt blaming the US government for delaying the Mate X though. Its sort of blaming Samsung, but it should actually be thanking them. If Samsung hadnt pushed their Galaxy Fold out so quickly, then these issues wouldnt have arose, and Huawei would likely be in the same boat that Samsung is in now. The US government isnt making things any easier for Huawei though. President Trump put Huawei on the Entity List last month, and slowly but surely, Huaweis partners have started cutting them off. From Google, to Microsoft, to ARM and everything in between. The recent developments with the Entity List likely means that Huawei isnt focused as heavily on its Mate X folding smartphone, as it would normally be. But instead focusing on how it can replace its US partners that it can no longer work with, thanks to President Trump. Huawei has had quite a bit of trouble in the past month, largely thanks to the Entity List. The US government argues that it was put on the Entity List because it works for the Chinese government and is afraid that its networking gear and other products could be used by the Chinese government to spy on users. Thats something the US government doesnt take lightly, as it wants to be the only one spying on its citizens. Advertisement Though Huawei has said numerous times that the US government has shown zero proof that Huawei does work for the Chinese government, and has denied those accusations for nearly a decade now. If you had your hopes up for a foldable smartphone from Huawei, youre going to need to wait a bit longer it seems. It should be for the better, hopefully. As Huawei is able to work out the issues of the Mate X smartphone. The Book That I'd Write, If I Had the Backing (Hint: The Mother of All Cauldrons) Considering its fame and (literally) iconic status, it's absolutely incredible that there is, in English, no good, general book about the Gundestrup Cauldron. Absolutely incredible. Oh, there are scads of specialist articles, and a few of general interest. There's one academic monograph that attempts to read the Gundestrup Cauldron as an early redaction of the same Keltic tale told in the Tain Bo Cualigne. (Since the scenes depicted on the Cauldron differ from the Irish Tain in several notable ways, the author contends that it represents an earlier form of the tale instead. Mmm: sounds circular to me.) So I figure, I'll write it. Beautiful plates, and everything we knowor can guessso far. The finding, general trends of interpretation, how it fits into its time, etc. There will, of course, be a chapter on its (massive) impact on contemporary paganism, as well as one on the (but with original art) that the Nazis commissioned (I kid you not). (It was discovered by divers in the waters of a Bavarian lake in 2001.) Honestly, you couldn't make these things up. Well, I'll need a travel budget, of courseDenmark and Bavaria at the very leastand naturally I'll have to talk to the experts. Six months to research, six months to write. I figure I could probably do it for under 40 grand. In the book industry, that's nothing. They say that as a writer, it's your job to write the book that you'd like to read. So, I'm putting it out there. We really do need a good, accessible book about the Mother of all Cauldrons. There's a gap on the bookshelves here, folks, just waiting to be filled. Feel free to make me an offer. Huaweis Hongmeng OS, as it is dubbed in China, is said to be 60% faster than Android. Thats the latest from Chinese vendors Vivo and OPPO, whove tested the new Android alternative. Presumably, both vendors intend to use Huaweis Hongmeng OS in some of their upcoming devices. Now, the statement that Hongmeng is 60% faster than Android can be chalked up to marketing in some sense. The reason pertains to the fact that few know what this means other than the speed of the mobile operating system could leave Android in the dust. Advertisement To be honest, though, what does this look like? Are apps opening faster in Hongmeng than they would in Android? Is the task manager performing better in Hongmeng than Android? Do apps remain longer in the task manager without refreshing in Hongmeng than Android? Does Hongmeng reboot faster than Android? How is the speed here reflected in the performance? OPPO and Vivo may be testing Huaweis new OS, but we dont know the specifics of that testing. The number 60% is just a number until more details pour in concerning exactly how Hongmeng is superior to Android. But theres a clue regarding the hype surrounding the statistic 60% faster: that is, that Hongmeng is being prepared to ship on Huawei handsets this October, with only entry-level and mid-range handsets getting the new OS installed. Advertisement Tianfeng International analyst Guo Mingxi says that Huaweis Hongmeng OS (dubbed ARK OS in its trademark filings outside China, or OAK OS) isnt ready for the needs of high-end smartphone users. Huawei will place the new OS on its more budget-friendly handsets first, then bring it to the high-end Mate series when the time is right. What emerges from the evidence, then, is that Huaweis Hongmeng OS is nothing more than an entry-level OS at this point. Since Hongmeng will work for entry-level and mid-range devices alone, it can be surmised that perhaps Hongmeng doesnt have a lot of applications to work with which may explain why its faster than Android. Its not hard to conceive that Android Open Source Project (AOSP), barebones Android open to every vendor, is faster than Googles Android, though Googles Android offers an experience that makes AOSP barebones and skeletal by comparison. AOSP may be faster, but its barebones nature isnt all that appealing. Advertisement On another note, analysts have been concerned about Huaweis profit and sales in Q4 2019 this year. Mingxi says that its possible that Huawei may still sell 215-225 million smartphones by years end, a positive forecast in the midst of all the political and technical uncertainty the Chinese OEM faces these days. Hongmeng, as Huaweis OS is dubbed in China, means primordial world. It refers to the beginning ingredients of existence, in this case, for Huaweis new mobile operating system. At this point, Huawei is only placing it on lower-tier smartphones, though the company will have no choice but to bring it to high-end smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and even laptops at some point in the future. Though Huawei is having to bring Hongmeng OS to market as a tool of survival (it planned the OS seven years ago for the same reason), it isnt a bad thing that Android vendors have mobile operating systems of their own in the works. The key to surviving in the mobile space is to become self-sufficient. Any OEM relying solely on Android for profit is leaning on one proverbial leg that could break at any minute. Advertisement Aside from the need to survive, Android isnt a perfect OS, for all the good that can be said about it. Android has a battery problem, which explains Googles continued efforts to pour over battery performance. Sure, battery life can always get better (it will never be perfect), but Google constantly obsesses over it. For example, after implementing battery-saving measures in the last few major system updates, the Android owner has now turned to Dark Mode as a way to save on battery life and intends to implement a systemwide Dark Mode in Android 10.0 Q, to arrive this Fall. The existence of Fuchsia is also a problem for Google, for, if Android was sufficient, why have a backup OS in the first place? Whatever Google has in mind for the future, Android isnt good enough, and Fuchsia is ideal. Advertisement As for Huawei, the Chinese vendor is not only experimenting with its own Hongmeng OS but is also considering the use of Aurora OS for Russian customers. Aurora is a forked version of Jollas Sailfish OS that is said to be not only Android-compatible but also more secure than Android as it is designed for corporations and governments. While Huawei will only use Hongmeng on low-tier handsets for now, it may be considering Sailfish for higher-end devices. Recently, Huawei has been sending out emails to Google Play developers requesting that they develop apps for its AppGallery app store. It seems like the Samsung Galaxy Fold has been delayed again as a company official has apparently said that no media event is on the calendar right now. The report has come straight from the conglomerates home ground of South Korea, and the spokesman further said that nothing has been planned since the April delay. Keep in mind that these remarks were likely made regarding the press briefing of the Galaxy Fold and not about the device itself as the chaebol has reportedly fixed the flaws that led to the initial delay. Samsungs mobile boss DJ Koh said last month that the issues that caused the problems have been reviewed and the company will decide on a new launch date soon. Later on, four days ago, a Samsung spokesperson said that a new date will be announced in the coming weeks. The company was also said to be testing the Galaxy Fold with carriers in South Korea last month. So, while no exact date launch was confirmed, it was assumed that the revised hardware will be here by July. However, with no media briefing in sight, it is unlikely that the phone will be relaunched anytime soon. Advertisement We are half way into June and assuming that Samsung decides to hold a press conference towards the end of July, there is still plenty of time left to organize an event. After all, the major hurdle was getting to the bottom of the issues and remedying them, and with that out of the way, something insignificant like event management should ideally not hold back Samsung from releasing the device. Meanwhile, retail and carrier partners have begun distancing themselves from the Galaxy Fold, presumably because of the companys inability to come up with a launch date. AT&T has started canceling preorders for the phone and Best Buy did the same in May. Huaweis Mate X, which would be Galaxy Folds biggest competitor, has also been delayed. The company had initially planned to release the device in June but now the launch date has been pushed to September. Huawei says that it wants to be on the safe side by conducting some more tests so that its first foldable phone doesnt meet the same fate as Galaxy Fold. Advertisement Now, this admission is rather interesting, as back when Samsung decided to pause the release of the Galaxy Fold, Huawei appeared confident and said that it would stick to its original plan. So, there is a possibility that with everything going on, the Chinese company has decided to not go ahead with the release. Since the Mate X was announced before Huawei was put on the entity list by the U.S. government, it will come with Android and all of Googles apps and services. However, the phone will not be eligible for updates in the future, which means users will be stuck with the current operating system. Given that the Mate X carries a hefty price tag, and is something of a gamble, as it is the companys first foldable smartphone after all, consumers will most likely be a little skeptical about buying it. It is already being reported that sales of Huawei phones have gone down in certain countries, and the company has apparently also downgraded its sales estimates. So, this is not really the best of times to release the Mate X. Advertisement There is a small possibility that Samsung got this scoop earlier on and with its biggest competitor out of the way temporarily, it decided to buy itself some more time and further improve the Galaxy Fold. However, all this uncertainty is unlikely to bode well with consumers and will only shake their confidence in the form factor that the industry was counting on to boost sales. Samsung started its full-screen trend in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, but a new source says that the Korean giant may get even closer to its full-display dream in the Galaxy S11. Tech site LetsGoDigital has been studying Samsungs latest design patent for its Galaxy series and sees a 3D curved display as part of the phone series future. In December 2018, the site discovered a flexible display Samsung intends to implement into its upcoming design that creates a borderless Samsung smartphone, where the screen extends to the edges. This is what some would call a truly bezel-less design. The 3D curved screen is designed as a flat display with curved modules on the edges, creating the 3D curved look. The curved design is not only aesthetically pleasing but would also make the smartphone more resistant to drops, bumps, and impacts. The 3D curved screen is met by way of a 3D curved back on the device, which means that the curvature of the front and back would be the same. Advertisement Essentially, Samsung would take its curved edges that consumers have seen in the Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S7 Edge, and even the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ and make the entire front and back of the device curved. With making the display and back cover curved, Samsung would have to do something with the camera sensors and top speaker. The solution is all about embedding the cameras and speaker into the display, which is what Samsung has done with the optical, in-display fingerprint sensor in the Galaxy S10, the punch-hole Infinity-O and Infinity-U displays of the Galaxy S10 series, and the Infinity-V displays of the Galaxy A series. With the Galaxy S11 renders, Samsung would take things a step further, integrating more parts of the smartphone into the display to create that full-display experience. Samsung would have to integrate the camera at a tilt in order to have it situated well within the flexible display a true engineering marvel. Advertisement Additionally, the curved design is there for more than just beauty; its also there for the brains of the smartphone, to offer additional functionality. Previous patents filed by the Korean giant show the curved sides being used for app icons, while the top and bottom of the display are used as a music player, for example. This means that even the audio speakers will eventually be embedded into the display, leaving nothing behind in the desire to create the perfect screen takeover. Samsung has been experimenting with curved displays and functionality for a long time. Prior to the edge displays and technology, Samsung experimented with the Galaxy Round, a device that offered a flexible AMOLED display. One of the neat features of the device was its ability to skip or play a song, or lower or raise the volume, based on rolling the device on a flat surface. The flexible display was used for certain necessary functions of a smartphone, while rolling the device adds a certain playfulness to what many consider to be routine. Advertisement There are advantages to curved displays and curved back covers apart from just the pretty aesthetic. First, the device is easier to hold in hand, with the curved phone nestling into human fingers. Next, the curvature of the display and back cover prevent prying eyes from looking over ones shoulder. Another great use for curved displays concerns reflection: devices with curved designs are better at preventing screen glare, making them better suited outdoors even in sunlight. The screen glare issue is cut down not only because of the flexibility of the display but also because of its material design: while most displays are made of glass, which creates a glare in sunlight, flexible OLED panels such as those in the Galaxy Round are made of bendable plastic, a material that also reduces sunlight glare. Advertisement The 3D renders of what could be the Galaxy S11 may have some wondering if these can be believed. Sure they can. Ultimately, they reveal what Samsung is up to next, whether it arrives in 2020 with the Galaxy S11 or 2021 with the Galaxy S12. And yet, the renders themselves arent an exact replica of what well see in Samsungs next big thing. So, with that said, renders are informative but they must be seen for what they are and appreciated for what they arent. The Galaxy S11 is expected to maintain similar screen sizes to that of the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+, though it could have a name change of some kind. Other rumors state that Samsung will take back the mobile chip throne with 5-nanometer FinFET technology in the 2020 smartphone alongside a smaller display camera punchole. The Galaxy S11 could see the disappearance of the 3.5mm headphone jack in the Galaxy S lineup if the Galaxy Note 10 headphone jack disappears this year. Aside from this, Samsung could bring its brand new 64MP ISOCELL camera sensor to the Galaxy S11 in 2020, though the Galaxy A (and a mysterious Xiaomi Redmi phone) could see the newest image chip first. Huawei is soon to announce its new Nova 5 series, but photos and specs of the Huawei Nova 5 Pro are now public. The Huawei Nova 5 looks to be the fifth-generation device bearing the Nova moniker for the Chinese OEM, but it returns with some impressive specs for at least the Pro, the higher-end device of the series. The Nova 5 Pro offers a water drop notch display where theres a water drop at the very top of the display. The water drop notch refers to the shape of the notch, if you were wondering. The water drop notch is said to have a 32MP selfie camera there. The back of the Nova 5 Pro features a quad camera (four camera) setup that appears to be similar to the Honor 20. The back could have a 48MP primary camera, though there are no details on the rear camera setup for now. The only clue to the camera is the Nova 5 photo gallery below, taken from Huawei Central, that shows a 48MP AI quad camera setup on the back of the device. The holographic glass back makes an appearance here, bearing a striking resemblance to the Honor series. Advertisement There are two RAM and storage variants for the Nova 5 Pro: an 8GB RAM+128GB storage variant and an 8GB RAM+256GB storage variant. Both are currently available for pre-order in China with a down deposit of 50 Yuan (7 or $6 USD) and come in four colors: Black, Orange, Purple, and Green. The Nova 5 Pros holographic glass back and 48MP AI rear camera are not here by mistake. Huawei already has Honor as a sub-brand, but the company has also requested Nova as a new second sub-brand for its mobile device lineup. As such, the Nova smartphone line would operate in the same way that the Honor devices would, providing affordable options for consumers while a portion of Huaweis business would operate as a distinct, individual entity and thus, be free from the current political mess in which Huawei finds itself. The new Nova sub-brand would also help Huawei make more money in the mobile space, since it would be new and few consumers would be familiar with it. The Nova line would sell apart from Huaweis Mate and Honor series. According to Huawei, there are at least 65 million customers using the companys mobile devices, creating a good start for the upcoming sub-brand. Advertisement Nova means new and star, and perhaps Huawei expects the new Nova sub-brand to be a new, bright spot in its mobile market ambitions. Huawei looks to launch the Nova 5 series, including the Pro, on June 21st in Wuhan, China. At this point, it is presumed that Huawei still has access to Android (until August 19th, that is), so Huawei could launch the Nova 5 series with Android 9.0 Pie. With high-end specs such as a quad camera setup, 8GB of RAM, and so on, its likely that the Nova 5 series (especially the Pro) wont get Huaweis upcoming proprietary Hongmeng OS. Sources say that Huawei has filed for the Hongmeng name in China and that Chinese vendors OPPO and Vivo have tested the OS and found it to be 60% faster than Googles Android. Hongmeng is designed for entry-level and mid-range devices at this point and wont arrive to market until October 2019. The Nova 5s June 21st launch means that interested buyers can expect Android 9.0 Pie here with Huaweis own EMUI 9.0 (or 9.1) skin unless otherwise stated. Advertisement But, unfortunately, the Nova 5s Android 9.0 Pie experience means that these devices will have the latest mobile operating system on Android for less than two months after which, unless the Trump Ban is lifted and Huawei is taken from the Entity List, the operating system will be denied Googles upcoming major system update, Android 10.0 Q. In many ways, this Nova 5 series, unless it launches with an upgradeable OS, appears to be dead on arrival. Posted on: June 14, 2019 1:55 PM [ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] Navigating the changing relationship between the state and the church has been the focus of discussions between Anglican leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania taking part in USPGs triennial International Consultation in Barbados, this week ( 7-14 June). The Chief Executive Officer for USPG, Duncan Dormor, said: The consultation is focusing on relationships between Church and State across the Anglican Communion. Experiences vary greatly: for some discriminatory practices are commonplace, for others attempts are made to co-opt the influence of the church. For bishops and archbishops the issue of when and how to speak out, and when to remain silent is a fundamental one. The consultation has included contributions from Anglican leaders from 17 different Anglican provinces around the world. Rienze Perera, the Archdeacon of Galle in the Diocese of Colombo, spoke out of the experience of the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka, as well as the challenges faced by so many who are marginalised and disempowered. A priest from Hong Kong, Chan Kwok Keung, gave a presentation on the current political tensions in Hong Kong and how the Sheng Kung Hui (the Anglican Church in Hong Kong) relates to the government. Duncan Dormor said: This issue of Church and State is particularly important for leaders in the Anglican Communion, its an issue they have said they wrestle with and of course education is a big issue for many, with the high numbers of church schools. We heard fascinating insights from Archbishop Maimbo Mndolwa in Tanzania, not least the importance of encouraging young Christians to engage in politics. The keynote speaker was Kay Sharon McConney, Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology in Barbados. She mapped out a model of how church and state might work together as partners in a co-creative mission united by a vision of shared concern for the welfare of the people they serve. A lifelong and deeply committed Anglican, Kay McConney, focused on how the church and state in Barbados must come together to tackle the challenges of caring for the growing ageing population and raising the nations children with humanity, in a digital age. She went on to lay down a missional challenge to the church leaders asking questions about what they might unite against, areas where they will stand together and what they must not let come between them. The conference is USPGs triennial international gathering. Posted on: June 14, 2019 2:32 PM [ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] A tough new goal to cut greenhouse gas emission in the UK to almost zero by 2050 has been welcomed by the Church of Englands lead bishop on the environment. The Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam, said: this announcement is very welcome, and the UK can be proud to be setting an example by making this commitment to address the global climate emergency. But he warned that the commitment must be backed by relentless action. The new terms, which were announced by Prime Minister Theresa May, aim to reduce emissions by 2050 from the original target of 80 per cent to net zero. Mrs May said reducing pollution would also benefit public health and cut NHS costs. Bishop Nicholas said: Christians and people of all faiths have long called for action on climate change both to preserve the natural world on which we all rely, and to protect Gods creation for generations to come. Climate change affects us all, but the worlds poorest are most vulnerable to extreme weather events and the least able to cope with the impact. It is imperative for us as Christians to press for action to deal with these threats. Ours is the first generation to know the full scale of the risks posed by climate change and could be the last able to do anything meaningful about it. Britain is the first major nation to propose this target and it has been widely praised by green groups. Posted on: June 14, 2019 2:03 PM [ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] Freedom and the role of faith communities has been the subject of a bridge-building event for Christian and Muslim academics gathered in the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva, Switzerland this week (11-15 June). The Bridge Building annual seminar, now in its 18th year, was set up by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002 and is hosted by the World Council of Churches. Its sponsorship has been taken on by Georgetown University, Washington DC, which invites some 30 scholars from around the world to take part. One of the presenters was Dr Azza Karam, who is a senior adviser on social and cultural development for the United Nations Population Fund in New York, and also a professor at Amsterdams Vrije Universiteit. She claimed the attitude of United Nations has changed toward faith-based organisations in recent years. Dr Karam started the United Nations engagement with faith-based organisations about 20 years ago when UN agencies seemed to steer clear of working with them. She said: We started this work in 2000, but it took off quite intensively in 2007. So, I am looking at it as someone who has seen the pendulum swing. Now we have gone to the other extreme. . . We have made it into a marketplace. She said she was worried about the doing religion, that she believes is now becoming a business in the marketplace. Despite her criticism of some of the interaction with faith-based organisations, Dr Karam said that interfaith encounters are to be cherished in particular ways, not only because theyre religious, but to be cherished because its part of civic engagement. She said governments in the past had tended to focus on secular groups within the civic space. What is to be cherished is that we see the religious actors are part of that space, and it is important how we continue to nurture this space, she said, and we need to be in that civic space. During the week various scholar presented and discussed issues on the topic of freedom between humanity and God, different religions and politics, personal conviction and public order, and between individuals exploring the historic role of faith communities in addressing freedom. Posted on: June 14, 2019 2:27 PM [ACNS, by staff writer] Bishop David Vunagi, the former Archbishop of Melanesia, has been elected to serve as the next Governor General of the Solomon Islands. After gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1978, the Solomon Islands remained a constitutional monarchical system of government, with Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State. The Governor General is elected by the states National Parliament as the Queens personal representative on the islands. The role is largely ceremonial but the post holder does retain some reserved powers. Bishop David was Archbishop of Melanesia from 2009 until his retirement in 2016. He returned to his village on the island of Isabel. Last year he was appointed principal of Selwyn College. Bishop David will take on his new role during a ceremony on 7 July, when the Solomon Islands celebrates its 41st Independence Day. He will succeed Sir Frank Kabui. Governors General of the Solomon Islands serve a five-year time which can be renewed once. A farewell service will be held at Selwyn College tomorrow (15 June). My wife Mary and I feel very humble about this appointment, Bishop David said, and we pray for wisdom as we prepare to take on this dignified position. Posted on: June 14, 2019 2:23 PM [ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] A Mexican-born priest in the Church of Canada has been elected as the coadjutor bishop of Southeast Mexico, where very few of the congregations speak Spanish. Julio Martin, who has been a clergyman in the Anglican Church of Canada for the past 10 years, says he is looking forward to returning to take up the new role, although it was something he had not looked for. An archaeologist by background, Julio Martin said one of the biggest challenges he faces in the rural areas of his new diocese are the many congregations which speak a number of different indigenous languages. He said: some of those languages are as hard as Chinese to learn. . . Im not saying Ill learn them, but out of respect, I would like to be able to lead the Eucharist in their own language thats the aim. Mr Martin said many of the ancient languages, some more than 2,000 years old, were not written down and he would be looking for support from researchers and linguists to help in the task. Ordained in 1990, he came to faith when he was 20 after having to read the Bible for seminar research. The message of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ hit me, he said, so of course I became a Christian. After training for theology in Mexico City, he also studied theology in Canada for two years before returning to work as a priest in some of Mexicos most remote mountainous parishes. Mr Martin completed further theological research in Boston and wrote a theological book in Spanish called, Anglican Catholicism. In 2001 he was appointed as the Dean of the Cathedral in Mexico City, where he met his wife. The couple moved to Canada with their young son. Mr Martin said that he had fallen in love with Canada on his first visit and that the country was like a second home. According to Mr Martin, the Diocese of Southeast Mexico has played a leading role in social outreach, helping establish water purification projects, training in baking and setting up bakeries to help make parishes and communities sustainable. He said: For my episcopacy one of my prayers is to see that there is a spiritual life, because if you have a spiritual life and you have a deep conviction of being forgiven, then you are thankful and your heart moves you to give happily. Autonomy can be based on material well-being, but it also has to be based on a spiritual well-being. Posted on: June 14, 2019 2:16 PM [ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] South African Anglican priest and social justice activist Michael Lapsley will have a private meeting with Pope Francis tomorrow (Saturday 15 June), when he hopes to receive support for his international work in healing of memories. Father Michael Lapsley, who lost both his hands and one of his eyes after receiving a letter bomb while living in exile from South Africa, has spent his life pursuing peace and justice issues. He described the forthcoming visit as a dream come true, saying: it is an enormous privilege to have essentially a one on one with His Holiness the Pope. Michael believes the meeting will be particularly important to take forward the Healing of Memories ministry that he leads. He said: I think healing of memories is something whose time has come in the human family. The openness of Pope Francis to meet with someone to talk about healing of memories, especially as he is a giant of compassion and morality in the world and keeps empathising the importance of mercy and compassion, is particularly significant. He is someone who is responsive to pain in the human family and I think it is singularly appropriate to have this conversation with him. Father Michael will be giving the Pope a copy of his memoirs, Redeeming the Past: My Journey from Freedom Fighter to Healer, in both Spanish and English, that tells his story and the story of the work of Healing of Memories across the world. I will be sharing some of the work we do across the world, he said. I want to thank Pope Francis for the way he has called for humane responses especially to refugees, at a time when there are more refugees than at any time in world history calling our governments for a more humane general response. Michael said he hoped to raise the issues of childhood trauma and gender-based violence, which he said are two particularly dominant narratives within their work. He said: Pope Francis has challenged the human family and also been able to inspire and encourage. I want to appreciate that hes brought into the Catholic catechism an opposition to the death penalty, that is encouraging. Michael was a student in Durban, South Africa in 1973. During the height of apartheid repression, he became chaplain to students at both black and white universities in Durban and began to speak out on behalf of schoolchildren who were being shot, detained and tortured. In 1976 he was exiled by the South African Government for his anti-apartheid activities. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) while living in Lesotho and became one of their chaplains. Whilst living in Zimbabwe he discovered he was on the South African Government hit list. Three months after Nelson Mandelas release from prison in 1990 he received a letter bomb in the post, hidden inside the pages of two religious magazines and was badly injured. He said: What enabled me to make a redemptive response was the prayer love and support of people across the world. My journey has been a journey from being a survivor to being a victor. In a way I would say I was accompanied by people across the world on my journey of healing and in the work Im doing now Im returning the compliment of creating safe and sacred places where people can deal with what has happened to them. Michael founded the Institute for the Healing of Memories, a social healing NGO in South Africa and the United States. The ministry includes workshops where people can deal with how the past has affected them individually, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. It welcomes people from across the world and is also active in a number of countries including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Burundi and Rwanda. Posted on: June 14, 2019 2:10 PM [ACNS, by Rachel Farmer] The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, joined in the celebrations with one of the oldest ecumenical global movements as it marks its 175th anniversary this year. The worldwide YMCA youth movement, which began as an evangelical young mens Christian service organisation, celebrated its start this month with a thanksgiving service at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The Archbishop, who is the President of the YMCA, said: It has been a great pleasure to join in the celebrations of 175 years of the YMCA. The work they have done and continue to do today to help and support young people is truly fantastic! My prayer is that the work continues for the next century! Denise Hatton, the Chief Executive of YMCA England & Wales, said: what started with a concern for the welfare of his fellow workers and the formation of a prayer and Bible study group, grew into the YMCA which now reaches 60 million people worldwide. The YMCAs origins go back to 1844, when a 22-year-old George Williams met with colleagues in the upstairs room of a drapery store just a few yards from St Pauls Cathedral in London, and began the conversations which led to the Young Mens Christian Association being formed. At that time the YMCA was a pioneering forerunner of the global ecumenical movement. Our movement may have been started by a group of young men, but today women are taking full part as participants, volunteers, staff members and key decision makers, the World YMCA Secretary General, Carlos Sanvee, said. Therefore, in the run up to YMCA175, we will be sharing messages on our social media platforms from female leaders to reflect on their journey to encourage our young people and our partners to keep fighting for gender equality. Also as part of the YMCA 175th anniversary celebrations, the organisation issued a world challenge to young people across the globe to volunteer 175 minutes of their time on or following 8 June 2019 to better the communities they live in and to share their experience online under #YMCAChallenge. Later this summer, from 4 to 8 August, a global YMCA 175 youth event will take place at Londons ExCeL conference centre, with around 70 seminars, lectures and workshops embracing the UN Sustainable Development Goals of health, environment, civic engagement, education, economic empowerment & employment. More details of the event can be found on the website: ymca175.com BarcelonaThe judges are about to begin their deliberations following a day loaded with emotion. The trial ended with the closing statements given by the twelve defendants, nine of which controversially have been held on remand for many months. The political nature of this highly unusual, critically important trial one which is loaded with historic significance became apparent once again in the final phase. This was especially true during the Prosecutors Offices closing statements of what is, without a doubt, the most important trial to be held during the democratic period since the recovery of freedom in 1978. A trial full of ideological prejudices, a trial no one would ever have predicted. The case should never have gone as far as the Supreme Court. In fact, this incredible legal process is clear proof of the collective failure of the politics and, moreover, it is proof of the fragility of Spanish democracy. The verdict will decide the direction of the rule of law in Spain: it will put the quality of its system of rights and freedoms to the test. It will establish whether the right to protest, the freedom of expression and the right of assembly can be exercised freely or whether, on the contrary, they can be persecuted and punished. It will establish whether all views can be defended and expressed or if in practice some are persecuted, found guilty and locked behind bars. This is what is standing trial at the Supreme Court and what is currently at stake in Spain. And it's no joke. With the threat of long jail sentences of up to 25 years hanging over them, yesterday the defendants spoke calmly, firmly and with great emotion of their peaceful, democratic beliefs. They acted as they truly are and it is because of what they are that they are on trial, as politicians and civic activists. They behaved, therefore, as representatives of the will of the majority of Catalans to decide their political future at the ballot box, and reiterated that such actions can never be considered a crime. Addressing the people of Spain as a whole, they rejected claims that they hate anyone, the people of Spain in particular. They stressed the need to return to dialogue and political negotiations, without fear or psychological barriers, to solve a problem which should never have gone to court in the first place. They obviously rejected the absurd, twisted accusations of violence during the referendum on 1 October 2017. And they expressed their immense gratitude for the countless expressions of support which they have received throughout this difficult period in which they have been deprived of their freedom. In a show of optimism and dignity, the defendants proved that they have not given up hope. They wished to share with the public their optimism and firm belief that one day a solution will be found which allows the right to self-determination to be exercised with normality. Specifically, they trust that the trials outcome will not worsen the situation in Catalonia and Spain, but instead that it will help to bring that solution. Finally, they spoke of a belief in the existence of a path to reconciliation. The President of Omnium, Jordi Cuixart, also issued a warning, subsequently echoed by the President of the Catalan government, Quim Torra: they will continue to disobey "peacefully, calmly, with all the determination in the world". The Supreme Courts ruling will have enormous implications for Spains political and democratic future in the coming years. Hopefully the judges appreciate the significance of their decision and are capable of acting courageously. With the same courage and dignity shown by the defendants. One year later, in June 2005, Etihad commenced daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt. Then in December 2011, it commenced flights to Dusseldorf. Today, Etihad Airways operates five times a day between Abu Dhabi and Germany twice-daily to Frankfurt and Munich, and daily to Dusseldorf. Germany is a key destination in our global network, said Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer of Etihad Aviation Group. We serve more destinations in Germany than any other country in Europe, and provide significant connections between Germany and many other destinations in our network, via our Abu Dhabi hub. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is focused on strong economic growth, and Etihad Airways is a key enabler of this development. Germany is a major contributor to both the growth of Etihad and the growth in Abu Dhabi. In addition to passenger services, Etihad also provides almost 1,800 tonnes of cargo capacity each week between Abu Dhabi and Germany, including three dedicated freighter flights. In the past decade, Etihad has carried more than 750,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Germany, including German exports such as automobiles, machinery, pharmaceuticals and garments. Launching on London Heathrow (LHR) the new style uniform will be introduced across the network in phases. As part of the Oman Air brand evolution which saw the first major product enhancement through the introduction of its new First Class cabin last year on its newly delivered Boeing 787-9, Oman Air will also launch its new Masterbrand video called State of Wonder which aims to showcase the brand evolution of the Oman Air guest experience and also capture the country as a destination. Abdulaziz Al Raisi, Oman Airs chief executive officer, explained, Inspired by the rich elements of Oman, our new uniform is a testimony that style can be derived from our own inspiring landscapes and surroundings. It was a richly rewarding experience working on this project and we are very proud and excited to now introduce the brand new uniforms on our Oman Air flights. The tremendous amount of effort and time dedicated by our team working through multiple design iterations, and modifications before the precise styling and overall look was achieved in each garment, is indeed praiseworthy. He indicated that the airlines expansion plans for 2019 had been significantly curtailed as a result of the grounding of five MAXs and the non-delivery of a further three that were scheduled to go into operations this year. The airline also suffered revenue losses and market share declines, particularly in its home market of Oman, because of the grounding of the airlines MAXs fleet. Al Raisi, met with Boeings top officials in Muscat recently, and was promised a recovery and support plan for Oman Air that would be submitted to the airline before the upcoming Paris Airshow starting on 17th June 2019. Al Raisi was unequivocal when he said: If I dont hear back from Boeing before I arrive at Le Bourget Airport, then I will have to go ahead with my planned meeting with Airbus at the Paris Airshow. In a strange turn more than three decades after the meltdown, the exclusion area around Chernobyl is gaining a following as a tourism destination, apparently propelled by the popularity of a TV mini-series about the blast that was broadcast in the United States and Britain last month. The New York Times You cast an actual Peruvian shaman, of course. And you get the entire rest of your cast do ayahuasca rituals furing the rehearsal period. Lyndsey Winship talks with Peruvian director-choreographer Oscar Naters, and with said shaman, about their performance piece, Ino Moxo. The Guardian In a word, yes. As one such producer puts it, Theres layers of conversation of what diversity really means in a cultural arts landscape. We have the opportunity to go deep within multiple layers and not just check off the box. Reporter Makeda Easter talks to members of African-American, Asian-American, and Latinx companies about that difference. Los Angeles Times Journalists, politicians, and others worry that the technological sophistication of artificial intelligencegenerated deepfakes makes them dangerous to democracy because it renders evidence meaningless. But what panic over this deepfake phenomenon misses is that audiovisual content doesnt have to be generated through artificial intelligence to be dangerous to society. Cheapfakes rely on free software that allows manipulation through easy conventional editing techniques like speeding, slowing, and cutting. Slate The actress, who will soon be seen in the Hindi remake of Hollywood classic says that it is natural for the audience to make comparisons. Parineeti Chopra is on a roll with her big film choices currently, as is now set to start the official remake of Hollywoods hit thriller The Girl on the Train. Pari will reprise the hugely acclaimed role of the protagonist, essayed by Emily Blunt in the original, and she is okay with people comparing her performance with the Hollywood superstars. Emily Blunts performance in The Girl on the Train had blown my mind, and it is a privilege for me to play the character that she has essayed so brilliantly on screen. The restrain and range she showed as an actor while playing a girl who is troubled and battling herself in the film showed what a fantastic actor she is. When an actor does a remake of a loved film, there are expectations to match the original, if not better it. So, I realise that the audience will look at our film and draw comparisons to the original as well as compare my portrayal of the protagonist versus Emilys, Parineeti says. The actress further adds, There is nothing an actor can do in the remake to steer away from this conversation, so the best way to approach this film for me is to embrace the fact that parallels will be drawn. Since the original film was so well received by people, Im hoping my film will also receive equal acclaim. Im not thinking too much about the comparisons because I want to do my best to bring this character to life for Indian audiences. Based on the 2015 bestseller by Paula Hawkins, the film narrates the story of a divorcee woman who gets entangled in a shocking missing persons investigation that throws her life to the edge. Pari compliments Emily for giving her a super reference point to start her prep for the film. Emilys performance is a super reference point for me. She has brought to life a character from paper and she was genius at it. I will look to try and add my own rendition to the character that people have seen and loved so much. As an actor, I have always wanted to challenge myself and enjoy the process of acting. This role gives me an opportunity to do just that and showcase my versatility even more. I hope it will be interesting for people to see how Emily and I performed the same role with our individual uniqueness, says Pari. The actress, who has gained the favour of the critics after Bharat, says that highs and lows are all part of the film industry. Katrina Kaif, has often been criticised for choosing roles that adhere to the song and dance genre. But now, the actress seems to be coming out her comfort zone. With the success of Bharat, Kat has managed to impress her critics. Even her performance in Zero was much lauded despite the film bombing at the box-office. Nevertheless, Katrina says she feels good to have experienced both ups and downs in her career. Praise makes you feel good and criticism pinches; these two things you cannot change, she says. Even the reviews of Namaste London and New York were good for me. So I started thinking why everyone is talking about the reviews now, she reveals. Adding more about her career trajectory, she says, I think I have come to a reasonable understanding, I feel for films such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Rajneeti, Ive got good reviews. There were few in between, about three years ago, that didnt do well. We just remember that phase because it was so recent. And thats what it is like in the industry: You will have to continuously deliver. You have the misses, which sticks for a while, then when you are up again that sticks for a while too. You have the best of both worlds. Bharat stoked controversy after Priyanka Chopra backed out of the film, and Katrina stepped into her shoes at the last minute. When asked that if she feels relief to get critical acclaim despite her replacing an actress as capable as Priyanka, Kat says she doesnt look at what her contemporaries are doing. I have never thought of it that way until you said it now, she muses. I guess taking that into consideration, its a great validation and its great feedback. But in general, I have tried to maintain a philosophy that I am not looking over my shoulder to see what another person is doing. I just have to be able to answer to myself everyday for giving my best to everything I do. If the answer is affirmative, then, I feel content, she adds. In fact, Katrina feels quite secure in her career at the moment. My entire focus is so much on what I am doing. Another actor could have another approach to their work, but I only feel secure when I have done my preparation. If I have not done it, then nobody can help me feel secure, and it doesnt matter where I am because I know I am unprepared, says the actress. She further says that the unpredictable nature of filmmaking is what makes the ride all the more exciting. With films, its hits and misses, and thats the unpredictable nature of the film industry for everyone. Not for me, but for every person. So the unpredictability of movie making and films makes the appreciation much more special. Her next film Sooryavanshi is no longer coming with Salmans Inshallah. However, the 35-year-old says she doesnt get involved in all those aspects of filmmaking. I genuinely felt that there is room for all films, and I am not the producer of any of the films. I speak when I have the authority to speak; I have no involvement in these films, Kat says, adding that she would definitely speak on films if she was producer. I dont like to make the comment when there is no involvement, she concludes Truth has two sides to it: the one that the world knows, and the other, what the world perceives it as. Rating: Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Rahul Bagga, Rajesh Sharma, Zakir Hussain, Evelyn Sharma Director: Annant Jaaitpaal Truth has two sides to it: the one that the world knows, and the other, what the world perceives it as. Whosoever believes in his or her truth relies heavily on his or her instincts. Truth, then, is most often meant to be something in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or standard, and is the opposite of falsehood. But what essentially is the factual reality? That unfortunately varies from person to person, and even from situation to situation. This weeks underrated release, Kissebaaz, directed by Annant Jaaitpaal, and starring the ever-dependable Pankaj Tripathi has an interesting source material from where stems out a revenge drama about a man who is caught in a messed up situation, but keeps his audience guessing about his own involvement or disentanglement with the disaster that follows. The best part of the film is its writing that at least for a major part of the 123-minute film cant let its audience decide if the one whos pretending to help him is truly a good samaritan or someone who cannot be trusted. Set in Uttar Pradesh, the film is rooted in the narrow confines of the city of Benaras where criminals and politicians thrive, and their nexus is allowed to fix up several people. Obviously, the law enforcers are either hand-in-glove with them or pretend to look the other way when the powers that be have their way. In the opening scene, we are introduced to a police officer (Mouli Ganguly) who has nabbed a criminal, Chuttan Shukla (Pankaj Tripathi), and is on her way to prison in a police van when Chuttan requests her to stop for a lunch break. On the deserted highway, where theres not a soul in sight, Chuttan flirts with her and jokingly tells her that she has caught the wrong man, and that the real culprit is at large. Curious, she falls for his wily ways and eggs him on to reveal more. Chuttan then goes on to narrate the story of two ambitious politicians, Kripashankar Shukla (Zakir Hussain) and Shukla (Rajesh Sharma), and how their bloodthirsty ambitions turn into a fierce battle of one-upmanship as Shuklas son is shot dead at a political meeting. Chuttan, who happens to be Sharmas brother-in-law, makes both ends against the middle by manipulating one against the other. Every time, he stage-manages he gets away with his crafty shrewdness as he pretends to be helping them with a unique scheme. While the police officer is engrossed in Chuttans story, then enters Harsh (Rahul Bagga) in the narration. Harsh, who is picked up by the goons of both the rival groups one by one, and is mistakenly referred to as Ram Lal, pleads innocence, and even begs to be let off since he is engaged to get married to Naina (Anupriya Goenka). Despite his desperate imploring, he is beaten up black and blue as he tries to escape from their clutches. Is Harsh a victim of a conspiracy? Or is there more to Chuttans story that implicates an innocent man? Is the police officer buying Chuttans story? The film then adds more twists around the two factions associated with different political groups. To be fair, the film keeps viewers engaged even as several questions emerge that leave you with more questions than any answers. Harshs torture in the hands of both the rival gangs does seem like a diversion and when Harsh starts singing songs with Naina, the film derails completely. Where it falters is its rather tacky handling of a few scenes and some abrupt editing. With the main character Chuttan played by Tripathi keeping everyone guessing about his real motive, you will find a reason to hang on to your seat, but perhaps, Jaaitpaal needs more seasoned deftness to accomplish the ripeness needed for such a story. You do feel that he has bitten off more than he could chew. Watch it if you must, for Pankaj Tripathi! Following the lead, a Mi-17 helicopter finally sighted the wreckage at 12,000 feet near a tiny village called Lipo. The first clue about the crash site is said to have come from a villager in Arunachal Pradeshs remote mountains, according to the state government officials in the West Siang district. (Photo: ANI | Twitter) Guwahati: The Indian Air Force on Thursday announced that there was no survivor in the June 3 crash of AN-32 aircraft in the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh. The announcement of the IAF came soon after a 15-member search team of mountaineers reached the crash site at the height of 12,000 feet near Gatte village on the border of Siang and Shi-Yomi districts in Arunachal Pradesh. IAF is sad to inform that there are no survivors from the crash of AN-32, the Air Force said in a string of tweets to pay tribute to the brave air-warriors who lost their life in the crash. The IAF also identified the air warriors who died in the crash: Wing Commander G.M. Charles, Squadron Leader H. Vinod, Flight Lieutenants R. Thapa, Ashish Tanwar, S. Mohanty and Mohit K. Garg, Warrant Officer K.K. Mishra, Sergeant Anoop Kumar, Corporal Sherin, Leading Air Craftsman S.K. Singh and Pankaj and two non combatant enrolled employees, Putali and Rajesh Kumar. The aircraft was equipped with an emergency locator transmitter, an emergency beacon in the cargo section that can broadcast distress signals to reveal the location of an aircraft. But no signal came from this device. The first clue about the crash site is said to have come from a villager in Arunachal Pradeshs remote mountains, according to the state government officials in the West Siang district. Following the lead, a Mi-17 helicopter finally sighted the wreckage at 12,000 feet near a tiny village called Lipo. UP Bar Council chief cremated at her native village. Etah/Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh bar council president Darvesh Singh Yadav, who was shot dead by a lawyer on the Agra court premises, was cremated at her native village of Chaandpur in Etah district on Thursday, even as her killing acquired a political hue with opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) raising the issue of poor law and order and jungle raj in the state. Uttar Pradesh law minister Brijesh Pathak attended the funeral, besides a large number of lawyers and members of the public. Following Yadavs killing inside the Agra court complex, the state government said it was committed to providing adequate security on the High Court and district court premises. In a statement issued in Lucknow late Wednesday night, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, Along with the bar council, the Bar Association and the judiciary, the state government is committed to providing adequate security on the premises of the High Court and the district court. He said clear-cut instructions in this regard were given to the state chief secretary and Director General of police (DGP). The government will take effective steps, keeping in mind all the parameters of security, the chief minister said. He expressed grief over the demise of the newly-elected Uttar Pradesh bar council president and conveyed his condolence. The delegation also sought making CCTV vigilance in every hospital mandatory and implementation of a hotline alarm system. Members of Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS wear bandages on their heads in New Delhi on Friday to show solidarity with their counterparts in West Bengal. (Photo: PTI) NEW DELHI: Patients suffered as health services in both government and private hospitals were affected across the country on Friday as doctors went on strike against the recent assault on doctors in West Bengal. As the protests by doctors intensified, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan urged West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this sensitive matter a prestige issue and asked her to ensure an amicable end to the stir which started in her state and spread to other areas. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), an apex body of doctors, called for a strike on Monday while urging Union home minister Amit Shah to enact a Central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals. In a letter to Ms Banerjee, Dr Vardhan urged her to ensure an amicable end to the protests and provide a secure working environment for doctors. He also appealed to the agitating doctors, particularly in West Bengal, to hold symbolic protests and resume work so that patients do not suffer. The Union health minister said, Doctors should resort to other simple and symbolic ways of protest. As medical professionals, their duty is towards protecting the rights of patients. Strike is certainly not the best way to protest. Patients should not be deprived of immediate and emergency healthcare facilities. Junior doctors in West Bengal have been on strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by the relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Referring to Bengal doctors asking Ms Banerjee to provide them and take action against the perpetrators of the violence, Dr Vardhan said, Instead of doing that, she warned them and gave an ultimatum which angered doctors across the country and they proceeded on strike. I plead to the West Bengal chief minister to not make this an issue of prestige, Dr Vardhan added. The IMA launched a three-day nationwide protest from Friday to express solidarity with the doctors and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. The association renewed its demand for a Central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals said it should have a provision for a minimum of seven-year imprisonment to violators. The Union health minister assured doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety and urged them to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. Healthcare facilities were affected at several government and private hospitals across the country as doctors held demonstrations by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. A delegation of Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, United Resident and Doctors Association of India (URDA) and Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), also met Dr Vardhan and gave a representation to him on the violence against doctors in West Bengal. The Union health minister assured the delegation that he will discuss the matter of providing safety to hospitals with the home ministry and also take up the issue with chief ministers and health ministers of states. Doctors in the national capital demanded recruitment of both armed and unarmed trained competent security guards at all government health facilities and increasing the number of security staff at hostels. The delegation also sought making CCTV vigilance in every hospital mandatory and implementation of a hotline alarm system. Dr Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. AIIMS doctors took out a march on the campus with many wearing bandages on their foreheads while some worked wearing helmets. Resident doctors of the Safdarjung Hospital also took out protests on their campus. Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike. In Hyderabad and other places in Telangana, junior doctors staged protests against the assault at major state-run hospitals, including Gandhi hospital and Osamania General hospital in the city, said P.S. Vijayender, a leader of the junior doctors association, in Telangana. Similar protests were reported from Jaipur, Raipur, Chandigarh and Coimbatore. The protests began after a patients relatives assaulted the doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Sunday night. Patients and their attendants seen stranded as doctors from J.J. Hospital protest in Mumbai on Friday to show solidarity with their counterparts in West Bengal. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The stir by junior doctors protesting assault on two of their colleagues at a hospital in Kolkata assumed nationwide proportions Friday with government doctors in various states expressing solidarity and resorting to agitations. The protests began after a patients relatives assaulted the doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Sunday night. The doctors have demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal. Among other things, they are pressing for more stringent laws to protect them from such assaults. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) launched a three-day nationwide protest from Friday to express solidarity with the doctors and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. In Delhi, scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals held demonstrations by boycotting work, marching and raising slogans. They also met Union health minister Harsh Vardhan and apprised him of the medical fraternitys demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. In a letter to Banerjee, the Union minister has urged her to ensure an amicable end to the protests and provide a secure working environment for doctors. Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) had declared that junior doctors at government hospitals in the state will not perform surgeries or attend to out-patient departments (OPDs) between 8 am and 5 pm Friday. Bihar health minister asks officials to launch awareness campaign. Jan Adhikar Party activists protest against the death of children due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outside the residence of state health minister Mangal Pandey in Patna on Friday. (Photo: PTI) Patna: The state government is battling to control the rising cases of encephalitis and brain fever in Bihar which have claimed the lives of around 60 children in the last two weeks. The worst hit has been Muzaffarpur district where the toll has gone up to 57. Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey, who visited Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur on Friday, asked the officials to launch an awareness campaign in the affected areas to prevent the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan has also assured assistance to the state government to tackle rising cases of encephalitis in Bihar. Experts claim that encephalitis is a viral infection which causes inflammation to the brain and its symptoms are convulsions, fever, and headache. According to a report, the symptoms of encephalitis, which has affected the lives of more than 200 children in North Bihar, could be linked to a toxin which is mostly found in litchi fruit. Muzaffarpur is the largest producer of litchi in the country and most of the cases have been reported from the district. Sources also claim that the central team visiting Muzaffarpur and other adjoining districts to study the symptoms has found encephalopathy as one of the main causes of the disease. Efforts are being made to control the situation. The state government has also received suggestions from experts which will be implemented in all 12 districts where the cases of encephalitis have been high, Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey said in Muzaffarpur. On Tuesday, state health officials had claimed that a majority of the children who have died in two Muzaffarpur hospitals were the victims of hypoglycemia and not Acute Encephalitis syndrome. (AES). Modi, Imran exchange pleasantries at SCO summit. New Delhi/Bishkek: India and Pakistan traded veiled barbs at each other at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that responsibility should be fixed on nations that inspire, support and finance terrorism while his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan singled out state terrorism against people under illegal occupation, an oblique reference to Pakistani accusations against India on Kashmir. Sources however confirmed late on Friday evening that both Prime Ministers had exchanged usual pleasantries in the leaders lounge. Meanwhile, in his address, the Pakistan Prime Minister also appeared keen on talks, saying that peace and prosperity in south Asia will remain elusive until the main dynamic in south Asia is shifted from confrontation to cooperation. It may be recalled that Indias stand has been that it will not hold bilateral talks with Pakistan till Islamabad stops supporting cross-border terrorism. The Bishkek Declaration issued after the summit condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and called on the international community to promote cooperation in combating the menace without politicisation and double standards. The SCO member-nations discussed the menace of terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and global economic issues. India was the only SCO member-nation to not endorse the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the declaration. The SCO is an eight-member Central Asian Grouping that comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. India and Pakistan became SCO members in 2017. New Delhi has refused to join the BRI since the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is one of the flagship projects of the BRI. In his address predictably, Pakistan PM Imran Khan described the CPEC in glowing terms. In his address at the SCO summit in the presence of leaders including Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Modi said, Last Sunday, during my visit to Sri Lanka, I went to St. Antonys Church. There I saw the terrible face of terrorism that can happen anywhere and take the lives of innocents. All humanitarian forces should step out of their confines and tackle this menace. Responsibility should be fixed on nations that inspire, support and finance terrorism. In order to wipe out terrorism, SCO member countries should use the full might of the SCO-RATS (regional anti-terrorist structure). In order to tackle terrorism, India calls for the convening of an international conference to discuss measures to tackle terrorism, said Prime Minister Modi. In his address, Pakistan PM Imran Khan said, Growing intolerance and Islamophobia are threatening to accentuate fault-lines between religions. For its part, Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism against people under illegal occupation. We are among the few countries to have successfully turned the tide against terrorism at a heavy cost both to our soldiers and population. Mr Khan added, South Asia continues to be challenged by common enemies poverty, illiteracy, disease and under-development. Political differences and unresolved disputes further compound this predicament. Meanwhile, the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported that during the bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Pakistani PM, Mr Xi said that China supports Pakistan and India in improving their relations. Apart from the issue of terrorism, Mr Modi, in his address, also spoke about connectivity projects in which New Delhi is participating in, such as the development of Chabahar port in Iran. Coining an acronym for Health as various aspects of cooperation within the SCO, PM Modi said H stood for healthcare cooperation, E for economic cooperation, A for alternate energy, L for literature and culture, T for a terrorism-free society and H for humanitarian cooperation. On the BRI, the Bishkek Declaration stated, The Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan reaffirm their support for Chinas Belt and Road Initiative and praise the results of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (Beijing, April 26). They note the ongoing work to implement this initiative together, including the efforts to align the Eurasian Economic Union projects with those under the belt and road initiative. Earlier, Mr Modi could not hold a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the SCO summit here due to scheduling issues, official sources said. According to a schedule put out by the external affairs ministry, Mr Modi was to meet Rouhani at 3.35 pm (local time). As the banquet for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders got extended, the two leaders could not meet, sources said. The NEET for undergraduate medical courses was conducted by the National Testing Agency on May 5. New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday declined to entertain a plea by a group of students hailing from Hyderabad asserting that the answers to the five questions in the answer key of National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) for the undergraduate medical course MBBS and BDS was incorrect and could adversely impact their scores. The NEET for undergraduate medical courses was conducted by the National Testing Agency on May 5. Apparently indicating that it was not inclined to interfere with the outcome of NEET test, a vacation bench of Justice Ajay Rastogi and Justice Surya Kant said that they are no better experts than those who went through the objections and issued a corrected key. Observing that of late interference from the court in such matters was too much, Justice Rastogi said, we sometimes think if we should consider ourselves as experts? The court later allowed senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi to withdraw the petition and move Delhi High Court which would be hearing a similar petition on June 17. He was the eighteenth journalist killed since 1989-90 when the separatist campaign in the State burst into a major violence. SRINAGAR: The members of Jammu and Kashmirs media fraternity on Friday paid tributes to their slain colleague Syed Shujaat Bukhari on his first death anniversary. 50-year-old Bukhari, founder and editor of English daily Rising Kashmir and several other publications in Urdu and Kashmiri, was along with two police guards gunned down by unidentified assailants outside his office in summer capital Srinagar on this day (June 14) last year. He was the eighteenth journalist killed since 1989-90 when the separatist campaign in the State burst into a major violence. The police were quick to blame the gory act on separatist militants and soon named Lashkar-e-Tayyaba cadres based in Pakistan for hatching the conspiracy which, as per their claim, was executed by the outfits three members including two locals and a Pakistani national in Srinagars media hub Mushtaq Press Enclave. But even after a lapse of one year, no charge-sheet has been filed in court of law by the police nor was anything heard on the issue from them since June 28 last year when Inspector General of Police S.P. Pani had at a press conference in Srinagar announced We have collected tangible evidence to establish that the conspirators as well as the killers are affiliated with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. While if the polls to both the seats are held simultaneously, both the parties are expected to get one seat each. New Delhi: Congress on Thursday demanded that Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat should be held simultaneously. Union home minister Amit Shahs Rajya Sabha seat was declared vacant on May 28 after he won his first Lok Sabha election from Gandhinagar in Gujarat in last months Lok Sabha election. While Union textile minister Smriti Iranis seat was notified as vacant a day later, she defeated Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his constituency, Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing a press conference Congress spokesman Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi expressed the worry that the Election Commission (EC), which has faced questions about objectivity after some of its controversial decisions during the national election, would declare polls on different days because of separate notifications. He said, If you have one election today and one after two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, then you will enable the ruling partys MLAs to simply cross 51 per cent in the Assembly of Gujarat and elect one in the first round and one in the second round which is held after weeks. He added that the party had told the EC that if elections for the two seats were to be held on separate dates, it would be unconstitutional and illegal. This would be playing with the MLAs mandate, he said. Dr Singhvi claimed that as per convention, whenever you have two seats of a state going vacant, elections are held together as it happened in the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The BJP has 99 MLAs in Gujarat while the Congress has 77 MLAs in Gujarat so the Congress said that if the polls are staggered the BJP will win both the seats. While if the polls to both the seats are held simultaneously, both the parties are expected to get one seat each. 'Law and order situation in the state has collapsed, government is immune, blood bath is very common' says Cong MP This comes after the Kolkata Police earlier on Wednesday baton charged BJP workers at Bepin Behari Ganguly Street here, while they were protesting the alleged political killings in the state. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: In the wake of ongoing unrest in West Bengal, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, on Thursday, wrote a letter to Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi stating that the Mamata Banerjee-led government machinery is completely "defunct" and "total anarchy" prevailed in the state. Concerned over law and order situation in the state, Chowdhary said "Law and order situation in the state has collapsed, Government is immune! Blood bath is very common and medical fraternity is concerned for their lives vis-a-vis common citizens." "I would like to draw your attention that there is total anarchy prevails in the state of West Bengal as on date! Government machinery is completely defunct and Police are engaged to save their skin and job that depends on the whims and wills of one and only, the Chief Minister of the state," he added. Attacking Banerjee, the Congress MP from Baharampur said, "Attacks on political opponents have been common in this great state, the goons under political patronage have been terrorising ordinary people irrespective of caste, creed, religion and/or noble professionalist." "The recent attack on junior doctors may not be a stray incident, it shows inaction by the most partial Police Force commanded by the State Home Minister who is the Chief Minister herself," he claimed. This comes after the Kolkata Police earlier on Wednesday baton charged BJP workers at Bepin Behari Ganguly Street here, while they were protesting the alleged political killings in the state. The ruckus broke out when BJP workers were marching towards Lal Bazar, raising slogans against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government. In order to control the situation, police also used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. BJP made deep inroads into the Trinamool Congress territory by winning 18 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, restricting the TMC to only 22 seats against 34 the party had won in 2014 national polls. The Left Front stands totally marginalised. The polls have come to a close, but TMC and BJP are still at loggerheads in the state. Reacting on reports, Sena leader Sanjay Raut hinted this in an interview to a Marathi news channel. In 2014, the BJP-Shiv Sena had contested separately and then formed a post poll alliance as no party had clear majority. (Photo: PTI) Mumbai: In a major shift from the acts of his ascendants, who believed in being part of active politics but not electoral politics, the chief of Shiv Senas youth wing Aaditya Thackeray may contest the legislative assembly elections due later this year and the party may project him for the position of chief minister, NDTV reported. Reacting on reports, party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut hinted this in an interview to a Marathi news channel. Claiming that Aditya Thackeray is busy with the preparations for the assembly elections, he said, "A Thackeray doesn't take a deputy's post. A family member is always the chief. The family has prestige in state and national politics." There was also a disclaimer: "He (Aaditya Thackeray) himself has clarified that any decision regarding his entry in the poll arena will be taken by party president Uddhav Thackeray." Aditya Thackeray neither agreed nor denied the news. "I would not wish to speak on this today. We will discuss this later," he told reporters at an interaction organised in Mumbai on account of his birthday on Thursday. Senas stand may create a tussle with the BJP which eyes to retain the CM post. The Sena used to be a harsh critic of the BJP before they came together for the general election. Later, Sena had gone on record acknowledging the BJP as its elder brother. The BJP, however, maintains the next Chief Minister would be from the party. Assembly elections are due later this year. The state has 288 assembly seats. The BJP and Sena will contest on 115 seats each, leaving the remaining 18 seats for its allies. In 2014, the parties had contested separately and then formed a post-poll alliance as no party had a clear majority. Sonowal also met defence minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with him different security issues related to the State. New Delhi: In a bid to ensure smooth implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) whose final list would be published by July 31, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday met home minister Amit Shah and discussed various aspects related to it. Mr Sonowal also met defence minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with him different security issues related to the State. Mr Sonowal during his 15-minute meeting with the home minister, the chief minister discussed the situation which may arise after the publication of the final list of the NRC. The chief minister also briefed Mr Shah about the prevailing law and order situation in Assam. Though Mr Sonowal described the meeting as a courtesy call it is believed the two discussed various issues related to implementation of the NRC. Union home ministry has already decided to provide all possible assistance to the Assam government in setting up 1,000 foreigners tribunals across the State by July 31 when the final list of NRC will be published. Those whose names do not figure in the final NRC draft can challenge their exclusion in these tribunals. Top home ministry officials recently held a meeting in this regard to discuss Assam government's proposal for creating e-foreigners tribunals and setting up an additional 1,000 foreigners tribunals. Centre is also finalising its approval set up e-Foreigners Tribunals for those who were declared illegal immigrants. The draft NRC that was published on July 30, 2018 had led to a huge controversy since 40.7 lakh people were excluded from it. The draft NRC included the names of 2.9 crore people out of the total 3.29 crore applications. The minister said the Opposition party would continue with its arrogance and negativity until it realises the ground reality. New Delhi: Taking a dig at the Congress for casting doubts on the electronic voting machines (EVM), minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday said the grand old party is showing arrogance instead of introspecting the defeat in the elections. Calling Opposition parties, who raised doubts over EVMs use, as the EVM vilaap mandli, the Union minister said that the group has become active again and while earlier they demanded tallying of VVPAT slips with EVM count, they are now looking for new excuses after there was no mismatch. Mr Naqvi said the Congress is showing arrogance of a feudal mindset, instead of introspecting the defeat in the Lok Sabha election and honouring peoples mandate. The minister said the Opposition party would continue with its arrogance and negativity until it realises the ground reality. He claimed, The grand old party has become a brand new flop show due to its negative and frustrated politics. If the Congress does not shun its feudal politics, the party will face extinction. His remarks came days after UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, apparently hinting at EVMs claimed that many types of doubts have emerged in the past few years over the countrys electoral processes. Mrs Gandhi said there is a saying that there is no smoke without fire in Raebareli on Wednesday. Opposition parties, including the Congress, had alleged that EVMS could be tampered with. On being schooled on the veracity of the tweet, Madhu took down her tweet and apologised. We live at a time when chatter from the virtual world influences our actions and opinions in the real world. A suggestion by a renowned social media influencer about a good skin care product or happening bar in town can make us go chasing after both. And thats why online influencers, who are people with credibility within their industries and enjoy a huge number of followers, must be vigilant about what they post, because an inappropriate tweet or retweeting a tweet spewing fake news can, both, lead to chaos and wreak havoc on their reputation. Professor and author, Madhu Kishwar, who has over two million followers on Twitter, learned this the hard way when she retweeted a tweet that claimed that journalist Rana Ayyub supported child rapists. The post was already doing the rounds on social media, and the author posted it, perhaps, without much thought about its veracity. However, the information peddled by the tweet was fake, and the journalist herself pointed out this fact by sharing the tweet with the caption, This fake photo-shopped tweet that shows me advocating child rapists in the name of Islam is being circulated yet again all over social media. From the likes of Ashok Pandit to the entire right-wing ecosystem is sharing this tweet. How sick are you guys ! Apparently, the original tweet against Rana was tweeted by an unverified Republic TV handle, but the account did not exist at the time of writing this article. Also, according to reports doing the rounds online, the original tweet was posted in 2018, but since the screenshot of the origin al tweet is going viral and the image is cropped, there is no way to verify the date. On being schooled on the veracity of the tweet, Madhu took down her tweet and apologised. Her tweet said, My apologies for having trusted a very eminent person who sent me fake tweet about Rana Ayyub. I may have a 1000 differences with her but I would not use any fake information against the #BreakUpIndiaBrigade (sic). But it was not enough for Rana, who threatened to take the former to court. Rana replied to the apology saying, Dont care about your apology Madhu Kishwar. This was a deliberate act and has unleashed vile threats on my timeline. See you in Court ! Madhu wasnt the only one to bite the malicious bait as filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also shared the same screenshot of the tweet and deleted it soon after. When questioned about the same, Ashoke accepts his mistake and says, I totally accept my mistake. I didnt realise it was a fraud account and I deleted it immediately. And its a right attitude that we should be really careful about these things because sometimes we get carried away and its for all sides. Though the filmmaker accepts that he should have verified the news, he heaps blame on the account that originally posted the fake news. He says, Action should be taken against such an account. Any Twitter handle that is not real, should be subjected to some kind of action. It becomes difficult for people to analyse whether its true or false. People, dont see if it (the account) is verified or not. When youre in the flow, you dont go into detail. But is apologising and hastily deleting tweets enough, especially if you have a large follower base? Influencers are blessed with a huge number of followers and clout. People follow them for inspiration and value their opinion. When an influencer participates in spreading fake news it leads to backlash not just from followers but the overall social media universe. It adds to the pain, agony, and trauma for the ones who are at the receiving end of the fake news outbreak, says Hitesh Rajwani, CEO of Social Samosa and adds that influencers should be extra careful about what they post for the sake of their followers. He also talks about how deleting a tweet does not undo the damage already done and that the option to delete a tweet can sometimes lead to people acting irresponsibly. It is easy for people to share and express on social media and yes, the option to delete posts also gives them the leeway to act irresponsibly. Though woke influencers own up to their mistake and delete the content as and when they realize, but in most of the cases, an apology is too little too late and the damage cannot be undone, he concludes. Mr Siddarthan advised us to work hard to retain the 55 per cent vote share in the coming Delhi Assembly polls to be held early next year. New Delhi: The Delhi BJP has asked its workers to focus on the 55 per cent votes, which were secured by the party candidates in the Lok Sabha polls, so that it can form a government after the Assembly polls in Delhi next year. In the weekly review meeting held on Wednesday evening, Delhi BJP general secretary (organisation) Siddarthan told the workers to maintain connection with the electorate built during the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, in which the party got about 55 per cent votes in all the seven seats. Mr Siddarthan advised us to work hard to retain the 55 per cent vote share in the coming Delhi Assembly polls to be held early next year. He explained that by retaining the vote share polled in its favour, BJP will emerge victorious and form government in the national capital after 22 years, said a senior party leader present in the meeting. Mr Siddarthan also asked party leaders to focus on a positive campaign and talk about the good work of the Union government instead of reacting to Arvind Kejriwals government. He told us that instead of reacting to Mr Kejriwals misgovernance or non feasible populist announcements, we should focus on BJPs work and tell people about our own agenda for development, said another party leader present in the meeting. Mr Siddarthan, along with Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, discussed several ideas to be executed on ground before the Assembly polls. The party also stressed upon giving special attention to 12 reserved Assembly constituencies in the city and slum clusters. A party office-bearer told this newspaper that Mr Tiwaris flagship programme, night stay at slum clusters, will be revamped and held regularly in all the 70 Assembly constituencies. Mr Tiwari, Mr Siddarthan, and other senior leaders will hold night stay and outreach programme in all the 70 Assemblies and it will be held regularly as part of the voter outreach campaign, he added. Mr Tiwari also asked the office bearers and workers to focus on work instead of frequenting the offices of senior leaders. The BJP, the CPI(M) and the Congress claimed she is behaving like Hitler and not interested to solve the impasse. Kolkata: The opposition parties in West Bengal slammed chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday for her alleged threats to the striking doctors and sought her immediate resignation as health minister. The BJP, the CPI(M) and the Congress claimed she is behaving like Hitler and not interested to solve the impasse. In the wake of disruption of medical services in several parts of the state over the past three days, Ms Banerjee directed the agitating junior doctors to resume work and warned of action if the order is not followed. The doctors, however, decided to continue their stir. Instead of expressing solidarity to the doctors, she is threatening them. He is behaving like an authoritarian, like a Hitler. This is shameful. She has failed both as the chief minister and the health minister. She should resign immediately, BJP leader Mukul Roy said. State BJP vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said that Ms Banerjee was indulging in blame game instead of solving the problem. Is this a way to deal with the agitating doctors? Instead of solving the problem, she is blaming the doctors, the BJP and others. If she cant control the situation, she should resign as the health minister, Mr Majumdar said. He also criticised Ms Banerjee for referring to Union home minister and BJP president Amit Shah during her speech on Thursday morning. BJP chief Amit Shah is encouraging his party cadre to create communal tension and run propaganda on Facebook, she said and claimed that the doctors agitation is a conspiracy of the BJP and the CPI(M). She is trying to hide her failures by blaming others. If she cant control the situation, she should resign and let us take over. We would show her how to solve problems, Mr Majumdar said. Accusing the CM of politicising the issue, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that Ms Banerjee does not seem interested in ending the impasse. Is she is at all concerned about solving the problem, or does she just want to politicise the matter? he said. State Congress president Somen Mitra also criticised the CM and said that the government should take appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of doctors. CM: Take care of all patients in state West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to senior doctors of all medical colleges and hospitals in the state and requested them to continue taking care of patients. Ms Banerjee, in a communication issued with her official letterhead, requested the senior doctors to take full care of the hospitals and run them smoothly. Please take care of all patients. The poor people are coming from all districts. I will be obliged and honoured if you all take full care of the hospitals. Hospitals must run smoothly and peacefully. Thanks for your full cooperation, Ms Banerjee wrote in the letter. Medical services have been affected in the state since Saturdays attack on two junior doctors by relatives of a patient, who had died at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital. One of the junior doctors was grievously injured in the incident. Highlighting the plight of patients at hospitals due to the ongoing strike by junior doctors, Ms Banerjee on Thursday alleged that some political parties were provoking the matter. In a Facebook post, which came after the striking doctors defied Ms Banerjees 2 pm-deadline to join work, she described the injuries sustained by the two junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital as unfortunate. The doctors have been agitating since Tuesday after their two colleagues were attacked allegedly by family of a patient who died during treatment. Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, Ms Banerjee said, adding that an inquiry has also been ordered to look into complaint of negligence during treatment, resulting in the death of the patient. 5 persons have been arrested and their bail prayers were rejected by the court. Our government has taken full care of the injured doctor. We pray that he recovers quickly. As per information received, he is stable and improving, she added. It is the duty of the state government to ensure proper law and order condition in the state. But at the same time we would also like to appeal to the doctors to resume the services as lots of poor patients are suffering, Mr Mitra said. The B Summary report will absolve Acharya, Siddiqui and Sarang too of the charges. Mumbai: The Mumbai Police on Thursday informed a local court that they have no evidence to prosecute actor Nana Patekar in the molestation case lodged against him by actress Tanushree Dutta. In October last year Ms Dutta had filed complaint with police accusing Mr Patekar of misbehaving with her on the sets of their decade old movie Horn Ok Pleasss when the #metoo movement was in its peak in the country. Deputy commissioner of police Paramjit Singh Dahiya on Wednesday informed that the Suburban Oshiwara police filed a B Summary report before a Metropolitan Magistrate in Andheri. This type of report is filed when the police do not find any evidence against the accused to file a chargesheet and seek trial. The magistrate court is yet to pass an order on the closure of the report. Before accepting or rejecting the report, it will hear arguments of all the parties concerned. Ms Dattas lawyer Nitin Satpute said that they would oppose the police report and even move the high court against it. He further said that the B-summary is not the final report and they could oppose it before the court and post hearing if the court is satisfied, it could be directed to the police for reinvestigation. Ms Dutta, in a statement issued said, A corrupt police force and legal system is giving a clean chit to an even more corrupt person Nana who has been accused in the past of bullying, intimidation and harassment by several women in the film industry. She also alleged that during the shooting of the song sequence, Mr Patekar inappropriately touched her even after she clearly mentioned that she would not perform lewd, vulgar or uncomfortable steps. Based on her complaint, a case was registered against Patekar and three others choreographer Ganesh Acharya, the film's producer Samee Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang for allegedly molesting Ms Dutta on the sets of the movie. The B Summary report will absolve Acharya, Siddiqui and Sarang too of the charges. The accused were booked under IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), but no arrest was made so far. Ms Dutta further said that she failed to understand how the B summary report was filed when statements of witnesses were not yet recorded. She highlighted that their witnesses had been silenced by intimidation, and fake witnesses had been put forth to weaken the case. She asked what was the rush to file a B summary report when all of her witnesses had not even recorded their statements yet. While Mr Patekars advocate Aniket Nikam welcomed the move, Mr Nikam claimed all allegations against Mr Patekar were false since the inception. Truth has the tendency to surface no matter how much one may want to suppress it. My client is innocent and justice will be served, he told. Mumbai NCP president Sachin Ahir told reporters at NCP Bhavan that the party would get at least two Assembly seats in every district in Mumbai. Mumbai: The Mumbai Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has demanded a dozen seats in the city and suburbs, the logic being extension of base in the city not so much for the Assembly elections as the civic body elections in 2022. The demand was put forth at a meeting held with leaders of various districts including Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Navi Mumbai Thursday at NCP Bhavan by NCP chief Sharad Pawar. However, the demand may create a rift between the Congress and NCP in the coming days. Mumbai NCP president Sachin Ahir told reporters at NCP Bhavan that the party would get at least two Assembly seats in every district in Mumbai. The issue had been discussed with senior party leaders in the meeting. The party would take up the issue with its alliance partner, Congress. A senior NCP leader, requesting anonymity, said that the city NCP unit had demanded 12 seats to contest the elections. These were the same seats that had been contested by the Congress and lost twice in the Assembly elections. But the party did not have any candidates for these seats. The leader said that Mr Pawars response was that seats were not an issue but candidates having the capacity to win were. Mr Pawar also directed senior leaders and newly elected MPs to connect with the people ahead of the Assembly elections. The high court Friday noted that the special court should not have ignored the reports submitted by the earlier investigating agencies (ATS and CBI). Mumbai: The Bombay high court Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blast case, holding that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the accusations against them were prima facie true. The court also said that the incriminating evidence gathered by investigation agencies against nine others who had earlier been made accused only to be discharged later, wo-uld also have to be kept in mind while dealing with the present bail pleas. A division bench of Justices I.A. Mahanty and A.M. Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhari. "The applicants shall be released on a cash bail of Rs 50,000. They shall attend the special court each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses," the bench said. The four, who have been in prison since their arrest in 2013, had approached the high court in 2016 after a special court rejected their bail pleas in June that year. The special NIA court, while rejecting the present four accused persons' bail pleas, had held that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the accusations against them were prima facie true. The high court Friday noted that the special court should not have ignored the reports submitted by the earlier investigating agencies (ATS and CBI). "The special court is duty-bound to consider all reports, entire records and documents submitted by the Anti-terrorism Squad, CBI as well as the NIA, the HC said. The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetery near the Hamidia mosque at Malegaon near Nashik on September 8, 2006, claimed 31 lives and injured over 100 people. Boy rescued in less than seven hours; accused claimed she had delivered him. Mumbai: The five-day-old boy kidnapped from BYL Nair Hospital on Thursday night was rescued in less than seven hours. The boy was traced to the civic-run V.N. Desai Hospital in Santacruz on the same day. Two security guards were on duty in the maternity ward of the hospital when the accused, Hazel Donald Corriea (37), came with the baby claiming to have delivered on the way to the hospital. After medical evaluation and further inquiry, the hospital staff exposed Corrieas lie and alerted the Vakola police station. Corriea was booked under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with the kidnapping of minors, said Agripada police officials. According to the police, the accused is married but did not have children. She added that her husband used to torture her to have a baby. It was Snehal Maruti Desai and Manoj Ladoba Malik, members of the security staff at the V.N. Desai Hospital, who found something amiss with Corriea. They promptly alerted nurse Bhakti Tare, who helped expose the accused. We spotted the lady complaining about breathlessness. When we inquired further, she seemed confused and gave incorrect answers. This solidified our doubts, Mr Malik said. Ms Tare then took away the baby from the accused and asked her to undergo a few tests, continued Mr Malik. The photos and videos of the accused and the kidnapped baby were doing their rounds on WhatsApp. We were sure that this was the same baby we had seen on WhatsApp. Even the birthmark of the baby matched, Mr Malik added. After confirming the basic details, the V.N. Desai staff alerted Vakola police station, which forwarded the case to the Agripada police station, since the offence was registered there. Meanwhile, the police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are fighting to seek credit for recovering the child in such a short span of time. According to sources, Khan and Modi did not exchange pleasantries during the dinner hosted on the sidelines of the two-day summit. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue. (Photo: File) Bishkek: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue, which, he said, is the only way to sort out differences, amid spiralling tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Khan, who is in Bishkek for the two-day SCO Summit, told Sputnik in an interview on Thursday that there is no way the two countries should think of resolving issues through military means, reported Radio Pakistan. He reiterated that both New Delhi and Islamabad should come to the negotiating table to resolve the Kashmir issue. Responding to a question on whether Pakistan is seeking international mediation in improving bilateral ties with India, Khan said that Islamabad is looking for mediation as it believes that "progress comes with peace and tensions with neighbours detract from resources that can be spent on human beings." Khan's comments come at a time when he and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi avoided shaking hands at an informal dinner hosted by Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov for the SCO leaders here. According to sources, Khan and Modi did not exchange pleasantries during the dinner hosted on the sidelines of the two-day summit. While Khan is attending the SCO summit for the first time after assuming office last year, this is Modi's first visit to a multilateral forum after being re-elected for a second term. Tensions between India and Pakistan strained further following the deadly February 14 Pulwama terror attack. New Delhi has remained rooted in its stand, saying that terror and talks with Islamabad cannot go together. India had already clarified that there would be no bilateral meeting between the two leaders. This comes despite the Pakistan Prime Minister writing a letter to Modi recently, saying Islamabad wants dialogue with New Delhi to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. Moreover, Modi's chartered plane did not take the Pakistani air space for flying to Bishkek and instead flew via the circuitous route through Oman and Iran. Afghanistan is scheduled to undergo--presidential, provincial councils and the Ghazni parliamentary elections--simultaneously in September. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani that India will support Afghanistan to ensure that a "legitimate government is chosen through the democratic process", said sources on Thursday. Modi who held a bilateral meeting with Ghani on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here promised that India will fulfil all expectations of Afghanistan. The war-torn nation is scheduled to undergo three elections--presidential, the provincial councils and the Ghazni parliamentary elections--simultaneously on September 28. Afghanistan has a long troubled history of elections. Last year, the October's elections were marred by roadside bomb attacks by Taliban. The problems also included malfunctioning of biometric voter verification equipment, incomplete voter lists and huge delays at polling sites. The elections which were supposed to occur on April 20 were postponed due to "mounting pressure" on Independent Election Commission in Kabul to conduct effective voting. Citing Bangladesh example, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the importance of cooperation, sources said. Meanwhile, during the talks, Ghani apprised the development in the peace process led by US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad. Notably, Khalilzad has held many rounds of talks with the Taliban but no agreement has been reached yet. On Monday, the new rounds of discussion were started to revive the stalled talks. Ghani also urged Modi to see terrorism and drugs through a single prism fueling the other. The two leaders also discussed Pakistan, Afghanistan President Ghani raised questions on the "sincerity of Pakistan" in fighting terrorism, sources added. Afghanistan and India both have blamed Pakistan for supporting and harbouring terrorist groups. Initially, a six-course meal was planned but it was reduced due to time constraints The juicy apple dessert was served at the end to sum up the dinner for the world leaders. (Photo: ANI) Bishkek: Leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek relished a lavish Kyrgyz dinner hosted by country's President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Thursday. A special vegetarian meal was prepared for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meal included vegetable salad, Pulao without meat, and special pie as dessert, while for the other leaders, the dishes ranged from Soup Sourpa to authentic Kyrgyz style Pulao served with meat. The juicy apple dessert was served at the end to sum up the dinner for the world leaders. The state leaders enjoyed a four-course meal for about 45 minutes. Initially, a six-course meal was planned but it was reduced due to time constraints. There was a 10-minute difference between the meal courses. Although Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan was at the dinner, no pleasantries were exchanged between PM Modi and him. While Khan is attending the SCO summit for the first time after assuming office last year, this is Modi's first visit to a multilateral forum after being re-elected for a second term. India had already clarified that there would be no bilateral meeting between Khan and Modi during the summit. This comes despite the Pakistan Prime Minister writing a letter to Modi, saying Islamabad wants dialogue with New Delhi to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. Moreover, Modi's chartered plane did not take the Pakistani air space for flying to Bishkek and instead flew via the circuitous route through Oman and Iran. PM Modi highlighted the spirit of SCO to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit today in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. "India has been a permanent SCO member for two years now. We've given a positive contribution in all activities of SCO. We've continued engagements to enhance SCO's role & credibility on the international stage," PM Modi said. In a veiled attack on Pakistan, PM Modi said that countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable as he called for a global conference to combat the menace. PM Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. "India stood for a terrorism-free society," PM said. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, PM Modi said in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. Prime Minister also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against terrorism. Commenting on his visit to Sri Lanka, PM said, "Literature & culture provide our societies a positive activity, stop the spread of radicalisation among the youths. During my visit to Sri Lanka, I visited the St. Anthony's shrine, where I witnessed the ugly face of terrorism that takes the lives of innocents." Founded in 2001 with five-member-countries, India became a member of the SCO in 2017 along with Pakistan. Other member nations include: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Ujbekistan. The two tankers, one Norwegian-operated and one Japanese-owned, were set ablaze in the Gulf of Oman. Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates said Friday that twin attacks on tankers in the Sea of Oman just weeks after four ships were damaged off the UAE marked a "dangerous escalation". "The attack against the tankers in the Gulf of Oman is a worrying development and a dangerous escalation," the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted after Thursday's blasts. Gargash also condemned a Yemeni rebel missile attack which wounded 26 civilians at an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. He said the "blatant attack on civilians" was only the latest in a spate of rebel assaults "undermining the UN's political work and sending a message of continuing violence and hostility". These developments "must spur the international community to act to maintain peace and security in the region", Gargash said. "The responsibility for avoiding an escalation is collective." The two tankers, one Norwegian-operated and one Japanese-owned, were set ablaze in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after US Central Command reported seeing an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from the hull of one of the vessels. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif charged that the US administration had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". He accused it of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tehran in a bid to ease Iran-US tensions. In a subsequent tweet, Gargash said Zarif's "credibility (is) diminishing". "Public relations is no real substitute to constructive policies. De-escalation in (the) current situation requires wise actions not empty words." Thursday's incidents came a month after four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati - were damaged in still unexplained attacks off the nearby UAE port of Fujairah. The Most Affordable U.S. Cities to Live In Fed Up With NYC & San Francisco? We Don't Blame You It goes without saying that the cost of living in the U.S. has never been higher if you live in a city like LA or New York City, youre probably no stranger to paying upwards of $3,000 for your apartment, and while politicians are doing their best to ensure all Americans receive a livable wage, in the meantime, it can be tough to cover day-to-day expenses, especially when living in an expensive, big city. If youre able to pick up and move to a new city if you work remotely or youre in an industry that you could pick up wherever you are, it can be tempting to leave the big, expensive city life for a more affordable cost of living elsewhere. In fact, freeing up that extra income can help you get ahead and plan for the future, even if that means eventually moving back to your city of choice. RELATED: How to Ask for a Raise (and Actually Get It) According to U.S. News & World Report, and GOBankingRates, these are the metropolises that are the most affordable in terms of real estate, median annual salary and percentage of income spent on living expenses. According to various reports, citizens can live comfortably while making $50,000 per year. Here, the most affordable metros in the U.S. from unapologetic big cities to cities with a more small town feel. Louisville, Kentucky GettyImages With a median annual salary of $45,100, Louisville residents reportedly spend 21.1% of their household income on living expenses. This means that theyre able to dedicate more of their income on classic Kentucky activities or travel to big city neighbors like Nashville or Cincinnati. Incidentally, Louisville was also ranked 64th on the list of Best Places 2019 according to U.S. News & World Report. Buffalo, New York GettyImages Sick of life in the city but not ready to totally abandon New York? Head upstate to Buffalo. Tucked along the Canadian border at Lake Erie, this Northern town has a median annual salary of $48,180 and residents spend about 21% of their income on living expenses. Buffalo ranked 52 on the list of Best Places 2019, largely due to its low cost of living and proximity to jaw-dropping natural attractions like Niagara Falls. Baton Rouge, Louisiana GettyImages Yes, Baton Rouge is a surprisingly affordable place to call home. With a median annual salary of $44,500, residents only spend about 20% of their annual income on living expenses. The city has a very strong economy and was rated as one of the "Top 10 Places for Young Adults" in 2010 by portfolio.com. The city was also called one of the best places in the country to start a new business by CNN, due to this strong economic upswing. Indianapolis, Indiana GettyImages Unlike Indiana as a whole, Indianapolis is well known for its financial services, insurance, and pharmaceutical industry, which paves the way for its strong economy. Indianapolis residents spend just 20% of their income on living expenses and need just $40,726.80 to live comfortably (though the median income is about $10K more than that per year). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania GettyImages Located in the Western part of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh is a great option for NYC-dwellers to escape the bustle of the city while enjoying a much more affordable cost of living. A six hour drive from its big city counterparts, Pittsburgh ranks 50th on the Best Places 2019 list. The main reasons for its economic upswing include the shift away from steel and toward high technology, robotics, and nuclear engineering. Phoenix, Arizona GettyImages Anyone who has been to Phoenix could see the appeal of living there the dry heat, sweeping mountain views, and proximity to neighbouring Nevada and California are big selling features. But Phoenix residents also benefit from a considerably low cost of living. Residents only need to earn about $48,628.96 annually to live comfortably in the city, but thats positioned to change as Arizona grows so if the desert is calling you, go, now! Detroit, Michigan GettyImages Its well known that the loss of the industrial and auto industry hit Detroit hard. The largest U.S. city to ever file for bankruptcy protection has since seen significantly lower unemployment rates (even lower than the national average these days) and the economy is only growing, with several major corporations based in the city, including three Fortune 500 companies. Residents need just $34,808 annually to live comfortably, with a one-bedroom apartment running around $600 per month. Las Vegas, Nevada GettyImages Living in Las Vegas may seem unimaginable to an outsider, but theres a lot more than goes on in the city outside of The Strip. While the big economic draw in Vegas is tourism and gaming, there are handfuls of other major corporations based in the city, including Zappos and Allegiant Airlines. Residents will need $43,454.96 annually to live comfortably in Las Vegas. Memphis, Tennessee GettyImages If youre just starting out or on a budget, Memphis is a great alternative to neighboring Nashville. The city is just as music-focused as its bigger city counterpart, but residents will need around $42,260.16 to live comfortably, so if you love the music industry, this may be a great alternative. Due to its central geographic location, the main economic draw in Memphis is the transportation and shipping industry, specifically serving as a primary hub for FedEx and other Fortune 500 companies such as AutoZone and International Paper. San Antonio, Texas GettyImages San Antonio is the oldest municipality in Texas, and while the cost of living is currently low, GOBankingRates researchers expect it to rise significantly in the near future. For now, residents need just $43,460.40 to live comfortably in the city, with big employers including the military (the largest local economic draw), health care, government, and financial services. You Might Also Dig: A Jewish man sentenced to death 16 years ago is asking for a new trial after claiming that the judge who sentenced him should have recused himself for being anti-Semitic. Randy Halprin was sentenced to death in 2003 for murdering a police officer after escaping from a Texas prison in 2000. However, Halprin contends that presiding judge Vickers Cunningham was a racist who regularly used derogatory and offensive language about Jewish people and other minorities. On May 17, Halprins lawyers submitted a writ of habeas corpus petition for a new trial after claiming that Cunningham had a duty to recuse himself and his failure to do so was a violation of the Constitutions due process requirement. On Wednesday (June 12) Ford said it will send back to dealers for inspection 1.2 million of its Explorer SUVs on account of a problem with the rear suspension. More specifically, the rear suspension toe link could fracture in vehicles exposed to frequent full rear suspension articulation (jounce and rebound).Should this happen, the fractured toe link could cause significantly diminishes steering control and pose a more severe risk for crashing.Ford says it is not aware of any injury related to this problem, but admits it knows of a report of a vehicle hitting a curb when the toe link broke.Ford says the affected Explorers were built between May 2010 and January 2017 at the Chicago Assembly Plant. The fix for the issue consists of dealers replacing the left and right-hand rear suspension toe links.Across the border, 12,000 Taurus , Flex, Lincoln MKS and MKT sold in Canada only are also being recalled for the same fractured rear suspension toe link as in the Explorer.Aside from this major Explorer recall, the carmaker conducts another two. Over123,000 F-150 pickup trucks will head back to dealers to get a fix steaming from an earlier, improperly conducted recall. More specifically, the powertrain control module software used to service these vehicles in accordance with recall 19S07 was incomplete.4,300 Econoline vehicles are recalled because of a capacitive discharge weld within a coast clutch component in the transmission that can fail, leading to a loss in mobility for the cars.More info on all the recalls announced by Ford can be found in the document attached below. PHEV EV HP Plug-in technology has become a necessity for crossovers in Europe, as regulations are cracking down on pollution. However, we're surprised by how the Renegadeis ready before Mercedes' hits the market.And we mention Mercedes because Jeep also uses a 1.3-liter engine. For the Renegade, the gasoline-electric combo sits in the 190 and 240 hp range, resulting in the capacity to go from 0 to 100 km/h in around 7 seconds. We know the figure sounds vague, but it's based on which drive mode you are in.The somewhat vaguely defined powertrain also offers 50 km (31 miles) ofrange and an all-electric top speed of around 130 km/h. Meanwhile, the CO2 emissions of only 50 grams per kilometer suggest it would be cheap to run. Charging is done via a port on the left rear fender.But in Europe, the Jeep brand is known for only one thing, and that's ruggedness. That's why this particular off-roader is outfitted with the Trailhawk package. We expect a configuration like this to cost about 40,000 (Trackhawk with 2.0 diesel is 36,000).Jeep also believes the PHEV is a good off-roader. Thanks to the new electric all-wheel-drive technology (eAWD), traction to the rear axle is not provided by a prop shaft but through a dedicated electric motor. This allows the two axles to be separated and to control the torque independently in a more efficient way. According to a year-old report , Jeep will electrify every model by 2021, while an EV version of the Wrangler is also planned. And since the Renegade is based on the Small Wide FCA platform, we suspect the same 240setup will also be found on the Alfa Romeo Tonale. SUV Georg Kacher of Automobile Magazine is one of the few people outside of Lamborghini to have driven the Huracan Sterrato, and according to him, chances are SantAgata Bolognese will roll out a limited-edition model. The provisional business case suggests that we can build this car at a profit, said chief technical officer Maurizio Reggiani.How is this possible, you ask? By manufacturing all restyled or new body panels, claddings, ducts, and splitters on 3D printers, added Reggiani. The question is, how does the Huracan Sterrato differ from the Urus and would this model stand a chance against the high-ridingIn a nutshell, yes. Theres a possibility Lamborghini will produce 500 to 1,000 examples of the breed at 240,000 each, and as opposed to the Urus, the Huracan Sterrato is a supercar with the abilities of a crossover. Think of it as the ultimate all-roader, a concept that Subaru made successful with the Outback in 1993. Further back, American Motors Corporation pioneered the crossover with the four-wheel-drive Eagle in 1979.As unconventional as it sounds, dont forget the Volkswagen Group has experience with this type of vehicle. The A6 Allroad comes to mind, but back in the 1980s, the 959 finished first, second, and sixth in the Paris-Dakar Rally. Turning our attention back to the Huracan Sterrato, 640 ponies from a 5.2-liter V10 should be enough suck-squeeze-bang-blow on a dirt road.Lamborghini re-engineered the Dinamica Veicolo Integrata for this application, calibrating the all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, and torque vectoring for superior off-road performance. Theres also exclusivity to be taken into consideration, an element that Lamborghini customers expect from the Raging Bull of SantAgata Bolognese.If it were your money, would you take the Huracan Sterrato on your favorite weekend escape in the mountainside or you spend 204,000 and change on a well-equipped Urus Earlier this year, we saw the unprecedented disappearance of sea ice from the Bering Sea during a time of year when it should be gaining ice. This trend toward plummeting sea ice in the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic continues, this time centered in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Why it matters: Sea ice loss is disrupting the balance of heat in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is reverberating throughout ecosystems, causing everything from plankton blooms near the Arctic Ocean surface to mass haul-outs of walruses in Russia and Alaska. It may also be disrupting weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere. The big picture: Across the entire Arctic, sea ice extent is at a record low for this point in the year, and depending on weather conditions during the summer, it's possible that 2019 could set a new record low ice extent. The all-time record low sea ice extent was set in 2012, although subsequent years have nearly beaten that mark. So far, weather conditions have favored an early start to the Greenland ice melt season, too, and ice melt there, unlike disappearing sea ice, contributes to global sea level rise. The portion of Greenland experiencing melting ice hit a record high for the date on June 13, with temperatures rising to near freezing at Summit Station, in the center of the ice sheet. The Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the world. What they're saying: "At the moment, you can essentially sail uninterrupted from the North Pacific to the Canadian Arctic," says Zack Labe, a climate scientist and Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Irvine. "The Arctic is a regulator of Northern Hemisphere climate, and while the ice that is melting now isn't going to affect whether you get a thunderstorm tomorrow, in the long term, these are going to have profound effects on your weather and climate down the road that you will have to take action on, like it or not," says Rick Thoman of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Go deeper: New U.S. Arctic strategy omits climate change, takes aim at China, Russia ICE has placed 5,200 detainees under medical quarantine at 39 separate detention facilities for exposure to mumps and chicken pox, an ICE official tells Axios. Why it matters: Mumps, a fast-spreading but relatively mild virus that sometimes causes serious complications, is on the rise in ICE facilities. In March, an ICE official told Reuters that 2,287 detainees were medically quarantined in the U.S. There were no confirmed reports of mumps among ICE detainees before 2018, per an ICE official. The long- and short-term effects on those quarantined include lengthier stays in detention, delayed deportation and postponed scheduled consular interviews, Nathalie Asher, ICE executive associate director for enforcement and removal operations, tells Axios. Between the lines: People who are quarantined can face limited access to their attorneys and bond or asylum proceedings, Quartz reports. By the numbers: As of June 13, there are 4,276 detainees quarantined for exposure to mumps, 99 for exposure to mumps and chicken pox, and 825 for exposure to chicken pox alone. Since September 2018, ICE has had 334 confirmed cases of mumps among people in custody. On the ground: Sara Ramey, immigration attorney and executive director of the Migrant Center for Human Rights, says a third of the clients she currently sees in the South Texas Detention Center are in medical quarantine for mumps. "Its much more of an issue than it has been in the past," Ramey said. "Hearings have been postponed a lot. That leaves the person in detention for weeks more than they would normally." than it has been in the past," Ramey said. "Hearings have been postponed a lot. That leaves the person in detention for weeks more than they would normally." There certainly seems to be an uptick of cohorts or quarantines happening in the detention centers. That seems to be a regular feature, where before it was an anomaly," Elissa Steglich, Clinical Professor at the University of Texas' Immigration Clinic, tells Axios. of cohorts or quarantines happening in the detention centers. That seems to be a regular feature, where before it was an anomaly," Elissa Steglich, Clinical Professor at the University of Texas' Immigration Clinic, tells Axios. "CoreCivic said they are offering vaccinations to the detainees, but not all are accepting the vaccinations," Deb Kline, director at Cleveland Jobs With Justice, tells Axios about the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center. to the detainees, but not all are accepting the vaccinations," Deb Kline, director at Cleveland Jobs With Justice, tells Axios about the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center. "They said 76% of the detainees have been vaccinated," she said, but CoreCivic, which owns and manages private prisons, did not specify what languages the vaccines were being offered in; it only confirmed that multiple languages were being used. Of note: The recommended 2 doses of MMR vaccine is roughly 88% effective at preventing mumps, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Go deeper: Border patrol arrests largest group of migrants to date Oil producers around the world wasted as much natural gas in 2018 as South and Central America use in an entire year, according to new data from the World Bank. Driving the news: Intentionally discarding natural gas by burning it off as carbon dioxide, a practice called flaring, increased 3% to 145 billion cubic meters last year compared to 2017. In the U.S., flaring rose by nearly 50%, driven by booming oil production and a relative lack of infrastructure to contain associated natural gas. Why it matters: For both climate and business purposes flaring contributes to climate change and wastes a product that could be sold commercially. The practice of flaring contributes to climate change by emitting CO2. It is a better option compared to venting though. That's another, less common industry practice of sending methane the primary component of natural gas straight into the atmosphere. Methane's short-term warming impact on the planet is far greater than that of CO2. From a business perspective, companies are wasting a sellable product thats poised to become the worlds dominant energy source. World Bank experts and environmentalists argue gas flaring is an especially needless contribution to climate change. Where it stands: As the accompanying chart shows, the U.S. ranks fourth for how much natural gas it is wasting while producing oil, behind Russia, Iraq and Iran. Trends like these are among the starkest negative environmental consequences of America's oil and gas boom, which has made the U.S. the largest producer of both in the world. But, but, but: Despite the overall increase, the flaring intensity in the U.S. the volume of gas flared per barrel of oil produced remains very low (lower than the 3 others on the chart). Go deeper: In the latest attempt to address the ongoing measles outbreak, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill on Thursday ending vaccination exemptions based on religious beliefs, reports the New York Times. Why it matters: New York City has long been trying to figure out how to combat the measles outbreak particularly because of the resistance of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community to vaccinations. Cuomo said he understands the importance of religious freedom, but protecting public health is equally important, per the NYT. The big picture: A growing number of states have moved to curtail religious exemptions for vaccinations this year following the uptick of measles. California, Arizona, West Virginia, Mississippi and Maine do not allow religious exemptions for vaccinations. Go deeper...Chart: Measles outbreak this year has been worst of the century Two big forces are tugging on the global oil market: the weakening global economy and rising geopolitical tensions over tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. Where it stands: The weakening economy is carrying a lot of weight despite the spike in tensions from the U.S. blaming Iran for yesterday's violence near the Strait of Hormuz, which is the world's biggest oil choke point. Prices, which rose after the attacks, dipped Friday as the International Energy Agency cut its estimate for 2019 oil demand growth to 1.2 million barrels per day. They've since recovered some ground but are still down overall this week. Why it matters: The muted price response despite the tanker attacks is likely a sign of the faltering global economy. "World trade growth has fallen back to its slowest pace since the financial crisis ten years ago," IEA noted in its closely watched monthly report. What to watch: Whether the economic headwinds or the threat of more and wider conflict will hold more sway. RBC Capital Markets' Helima Croft summed up the competing forces in a CNBC interview yesterday. The question this summer, she said, will be this: "What war is going to dominate the market? A trade war or a shooting war? What's next: Looking at 2020 for the first time, IEA sees demand growth recovering to 1.4 million barrels per day, "supported by solid non-OECD demand and petrochemicals expansion." But there's more than enough barrels to meet it thanks to growth from the U.S., Brazil and elsewhere. The report sees non-OPEC supply rising 2.3 million barrels per day in 2020. But, but, but: Demand growth would be lower if U.S.-China trade battles worsen. What they're saying: "A clear message from our first look at 2020 is that there is plenty of non-OPEC supply growth available to meet any likely level of demand, assuming no major geopolitical shock," IEA said. They call this "welcome news" for consumers and the vulnerable global economy, "as it will limit significant upward pressure on oil prices." Winners and losers: As Bloomberg notes, the report underscores OPEC's struggles. IEA sees demand for OPEC's crude falling to 29.3 million barrels daily next year, which is 650,000 barrels below May's output. Go deeper: U.S. releases video claimed to depict Iran removing mine from targeted oil tanker For the first time since 2007, Washington lawmakers will have a hearing on reparations for slavery in the U.S. Why it matters: This is a sign that reparations could no longer be "a fringe issue and occasional punchline" as they have been in the past, writes AP's Errin Whack, who broke the news of this hearing. Between the lines: The House subcommittee hearing is technically a study of the lasting legacy of slavery and how to get on "the path to restorative justice." It will be held on June 19, known as Juneteenth a holiday to recognize the liberation of black slaves. on June 19, known as Juneteenth a holiday to recognize the liberation of black slaves. Author Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose 2014 essay for The Atlantic, "The Case for Reparations," brought the topic back to the national stage, will testify at the hearing by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. whose 2014 essay for The Atlantic, "The Case for Reparations," brought the topic back to the national stage, will testify at the hearing by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. So will actor Danny Glover, who has been an activist for reparations over the years. who has been an activist for reparations over the years. Of that subcommittee's 14 members, only three are people of color. The big picture: While the reparations discussion entered the 2020 conversation early in the cycle, Democratic presidential candidates haven't signed on to directly paying black Americans the traditional understanding of reparations. Instead, many 2020 contenders have endorsed other ideas like forming a committee to further study the issue of reparations, or proposed paying the descendants of slaves in the U.S. many 2020 contenders have endorsed other ideas like forming a committee to further study the issue of reparations, or proposed paying the descendants of slaves in the U.S. Most have talked about racial economic inequalities and how to solve them. Go deeper ... Reparations: Where the 2020 Democratic candidates stand Protests in Khartoum have resumed after Sudan's military leadership admitted to ordering the crackdown on a group of protesters last week that left at least 100 people dead, reports Al Jazeera. The big picture: The uprising in Sudan began in December and brought down Sudans brutal dictator, Omar al-Bashir, four months later. Since then the army and the opposition have grappled over the future of the country. After the protestors refused to stand down and called a national strike, the military turned violent seeming to confirm fears that they had no intention of giving up power or allowing an opening for freedom and democracy. What they're saying: A spokesman for the military council admitted there had been outrageous violations during the crackdown and said an internal investigation had been launched, reports the AP. The State Department Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, is calling for an outside probe, saying, "when governments investigate themselves there tends to be a lot of skepticism," per the Washington Post. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly supported the military council's consolidation of power. The state of play: 108 people were killed and 500 wounded last week, according to the Sudanese Doctors Central Committee. The Health Ministry, which is controlled by the military, reported 61 deaths. Military leadership has shut down internet access on dubious national security grounds, drawing further scrutiny from international organizations and leaders, per the AP. There have been accounts of widespread rape and sexual assault of protestors and medical professionals by security forces and militias, according to the AP. What's next: The Sudanese military has rejected all outside help with the investigation, and says it will share the findings on Saturday, per the Post. The military council is still blaming protesters for the violence. A spokesman called the military "the soul guarantor for peace and stability in the transitional phase" and rejected the opposition's demand for a civilian-led transition. Worth noting: Ousted President Omar al-Bashir will be going to trial on corruption charges stemming from his 3 decades in power, reports Reuters. He's already been charged with ordering the killing of protesters in May, and is suspected of funding terrorism groups. Go deeper: How Sudan's pro-democracy uprising was beaten back More than 600 U.S. companies and industry trade associations including Walmart, Costco, Target and Foot Locker wrote to President Trump on Thursday, copying senior members of his Cabinet to urge them to relent on the trade battle with China. What they're saying: "Broadly applied tariffs are not an effective tool to change Chinas unfair trade practices," the group said in the letter, which was backed by the National Retail Federation's anti-tariff lobbying campaign Tariffs Hurt the Heartland. "Tariffs are taxes paid directly by U.S. companies, including those listed belownot China." Go deeper: Trump's tariffs send retailers into a maelstrom Russias ambassador to Armenia met with Robert Kocharian on Thursday nearly one month after the former Armenian president facing corruption and coup charges was controversially released from prison pending the outcome of his trial. According to a statement posted on Kocharians Facebook page, the meeting took place at Kocharians office located in a Yerevan hotel. The meeting was held in a tete-a-tete format and lasted for more than an hour, said the statement. It did not give any other details. The Russian Embassy in Yerevan confirmed the meeting on Friday. In a one-sentence statement, it said Ambassador Sergey Kopyrkin spoke to Kocharian within the framework of his regular meetings with representatives of social-political and business circles of Armenia. Kocharian was first arrested in July last year on charges of illegally seizing power in the wake of the February 2008 presidential election held two months before he served out his second and final presidential term. The charges denied by him as politically motivated stem from the March 2008 breakup of opposition protests in Yerevan, which left eight protesters and two police servicemen dead. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced the prosecution of Kocharian as well as other former Armenian officials before the ex-president was set free in early August. Russian President Putin telephoned Kocharian to congratulate him on his 64th birthday anniversary later in August. A spokesman for Putin said at the time that the two men have been maintaining warm relations that are not influenced by any events taking place in Armenia. Kocharian, who ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, described the phone call as a show of serious support for him. The ex-president was again arrested in early December. Three weeks later, he received New Year greetings from Putin. Kocharian, his former chief of staff Armen Gevorgian and two retired generals went on trial on May 13. The judge presiding over the trial, Davit Grigorian, ordered Kocharian released from jail five days later. In a separate decision, Grigorian also suspended the trial, citing a possible contradiction between the Armenian constitution and coup charges. Prosecutors appealed against both decisions strongly condemned by political allies and supporters of the current Armenian government. Armenias Court of Appeals began hearings on the matter on Wednesday. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday appointed the Armenian-born former mayor of Glendale, a city in Los Angeles County, as head of a newly formed government division tasked with coordinating Armenias relations with its worldwide Diaspora. Pashinian created the post of commissioner general of Diaspora affairs after abolishing the Ministry of Diaspora as part of a recent restructuring of the Armenian government. The first commissioner, Zareh Sinanyan, will have a 25-member staff. Sinanyan, 43, was born in Soviet Armenia and lived there until emigrating to the United States with his family in 1988. He served as mayor of Glendale, a city with a sizable ethnic Armenian population, from 2014-2015 and 2018. Sinanyan resigned from the Glendale city council last week ahead of his anticipated appointment to the new government position in Yerevan. A vocal critic of Armenias former government, Sinanyan strongly supported last years velvet revolution which brought Pashinian to power. In a May 2018 interview with RFE/RLs Armenian service, he suggested that many Diaspora Armenians will be ready to move to their ancestral homeland after the revolution. We must change our policy towards the Diaspora and make it more effective, Pashinian told Sinanyan when they met later on Friday. He said his government will seek to increase the Diasporas involvement in Armenias economic, social and even political life. You are not an unknown figure in Armenia and the Diaspora, and I think that there is a good chance that we will accomplish our new tasks set in the new era, added Pashinian. Sinanyan spoke, for his part, of huge potential for the Diasporas closer ties with Armenia as well as Nagorno-Karabakh. A law-enforcement agency has again summoned Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukian for interrogation over an arson attack reported ahead of a June 9 local election. The election was held in the town of Abovian where Tsarukian has long held sway. Abovians BHK-backed incumbent Mayor Vahagn Gevorgian narrowly defeated his main challenger Grigor Gulian, who was nominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians Civil Contract party. The car and apartment door of Gulians election campaign manager were set on fire early on Saturday. The Investigative Committee planned to question Tsarukian as a witness in the case on Wednesday evening. However, the wealthy businessman leading Armenias largest parliamentary opposition force did not show up for interrogation. Tsarukian said on Friday that he was offended by the summons because he suspects that investigators deliberately avoid identifying those responsible for the incident. They offended me by sending the notification, he told reporters. Let them send it to the right place. Tsarukian stood by his claims that the attack was stage-managed in an attempt to discredit the Abovian mayor and scuttle his reelection. The BHK leader challenged the investigators to prove the opposite. A spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee, Naira Harutiunian, dismissed his explanation. There is nothing offensive about being summoned for interrogation by an investigative body, she told RFE/RLs Armenian service. Harutiunian said that the committee sent a second summons to Tsarukian late on Thursday. She warned the tycoon against ignoring it as well. We have the right to immediately detain him, she said. Tsarukians party controls the second largest number of seats in Armenias parliament. Its relations with the government have been tense of late. By Leman Mammadova Azerbaijan will become an even more attractive tourist destination after the launch of cruises in the Caspian Sea in the near future. The organization of cruises in the Caspian Sea is planned to start from 2020, Kanan Guluzade, the spokesman of the State Tourism Agency, has told reporters. In his words, the project on organization of cruises in the sea is carried out on the initiative of Russia and is supported by Azerbaijan and other Caspian states. Guluzade said that the cruise ship Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great) is under construction in Russia. This issue was reviewed during the visit of President Vladimir Putin to Baku. Currently, the Azerbaijani side is negotiating with Astrakhan, the relevant maritime structures, he noted, adding that the prices for cruises will be set by the Russian side. He also stressed that in case of high prices, the Azerbaijani side will put forward its proposals to make them more acceptable. Two types of cruises on the liner - short (seven to eight days) and long (13-14 days) - are planned. Short cruises will cover calls to several ports in the northern and southern part of the Caspian Sea, while long cruises will include calls to the ports of all five Caspian countries. Most of the Caspian cruises are planned to begin and end in Baku. Earlier, a memorandum was signed between Moscow River Shipping Company OJSC and Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company CJSC. Under the memorandum, the cruises will connect the three seas - the Caspian, Azov and Black. The ship will have a fitness room, swimming pool, restaurants, cinema etc. At the first stage, trips will be organized on the Astrakhan-Baku route, and the route will be expanded later. For this purpose, the parties will conduct research to organize round trips on the Moscow-Baku, Astrakhan-Makhachkala-Baku, Baku-Enzeli-Noushehr-Turkmenbashi-Aktau-Astrakhan and other routes. Until the middle of the 19th century, people viewed sea travel only as a way of transportation, not suspecting that during the voyage they could enjoy the beauty of the opening landscapes. But nowadays the situation has changed and sea cruises have gained increasing popularity among tourists from all over the world. More importantly, they have become more affordable for a wider range of travelers. The Caspian Sea, the Earths largest inland body of water, has good potential to be among the most popular destinations on the cruise tourism map. A new wave of luxurious ships coming on stream will add on to the cruise offerings in the coming years. Therefore, Caspian countries, in particular Azerbaijan, given their favorable geographic location with access to the Caspian Sea, do not want to miss this opportunity. --- Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @leman_888 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) project is significant in terms of geopolitics, and it is also focused on the real economy, Russian expert Stanislav Pritchin told Trend News Agency during Moscow-Baku video conference on the topic North-South Transport Corridor: prospects for regional integration." The expert noted that one of the main global trends is regionalization. The project parties are trying to move to a global level of interaction. Let us compare INSTC with the Chinas One Belt-One Road Initiative. China built a network of pipelines before the global initiative was announced. But in our case [in case of INSTC] we see a different picture," he said. "Since the initiation of the project to this day, there are still no pivotal routes from the Persian Gulf connected to Russian infrastructure. Therefore, there is a lot of work to do, the expert continued. For example, there is a constructive approach at the political level, and the five-sided format has been quite successful and opened the way to the signing of the Convention on the status of the Caspian Sea. But in parallel, we see that there is a narrow grouping of countries aimed at intensifying economic cooperation," added the expert. "This cooperation, despite certain challenges and sanctions, needs to be developed. I think that strategically, politically, and from the point of view of economic feasibility, it is necessary to complete this transport corridor, which is important for all participating countries for their business, including for entering the Indian market, he elaborated. "Azerbaijan conducts a fairly extensive policy for the export of its products and the establishment of transit through its territory, and it shows considerable success," he remarked. The INSTC is limited to the territory of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). However, within the framework of the possibilities of free trade zones of the CIS, Azerbaijan can allow this project to enter Turkey through the territory of the South Caucasus. The Iranian direction of the project will also be implemented through the capabilities of Azerbaijan via the Rasht-Astara-Qazvin railway. Thus, Azerbaijan will become the key hub of INSTC, which will significantly expand the country's logistics and infrastructure capabilities. The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor is designed for the transportation of goods from India and the countries of the Persian Gulf to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavia. If cargo transportation through the Persian Gulf, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea to Helsinki by sea is carried out within 45-60 days, the delivery time along the "North-South" corridor will equal 20-25 days. In order to develop transportation in this area, Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia signed an agreement in 2005 on the construction of 375 km long railway segments in Iran and between Astara and the Azerbaijan-Iran border, as well as on the reconstruction of an existing railway in Azerbaijan. The Astara-Rasht-Qazvin railway project envisages building a new railway line in Iran, which will connect the Azerbaijani city of Astara to the Iranian cities of Astara, Rasht and Qazvin. The video conference was organized by the representative office of the North-South Political Science Center in Baku, Trend News Agency, and Caspian Expert Club. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The willingness of regional partners, namely Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, to support the implementation of International North-South Transport Corridor (INTC) project for many years testifies its economic feasibility and geopolitical significance, Director of Russian Economic School, Professor of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) Elshad Mammadov told Trend News Agency during the Moscow-Baku video conference entitled North-South Transport Corridor: regional integration prospects. The strengthening of the regional partnership among the three countries testifies to the growing interest of the participating countries in the International North-South Transport Corridor, he added. "Today, the world economy is passing to the stage of formation of the new, sixth technological order, Mammadov said. We observe how the location of the centers of activity and the structural component of economic development are changing. This sets new challenges for the Azerbaijani and Russian national economies, which have many similarities, the expert said. To some extent, this is connected to the similarity of the key sectors of the economy formed during the Soviet period, including the energy, oil and gas sectors." Mammadov stressed that over the past decade, the project participants relied on a fairly important raw material base, ensuring a stable flow of currency, which made it possible to level all external shocks arising in the turbulent global economy. "The issues of diversification and development of our economies, including the non-oil and high-tech sector, are priorities of the state policy of Russia and Azerbaijan, he added. These nuances point to the fact that this project becomes more important. In my opinion, external risks and trade wars that could have disastrous consequences for the global economy are hindering the implementation of large-scale projects, the expert said. It is worth taking into account that developing economies may sharply collapse, more threats may occur for the implementation of such large-scale projects, and the efficiency of logistics and transport corridors may weaken as a result of the recessions on a regional and global scale." The International North-South Transport Corridor has real prospects for implementation in the medium term, the expert stressed. The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor is designed for the transportation of goods from India and the countries of the Persian Gulf to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavia. If cargo transportation by sea through the Persian Gulf, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea to Helsinki takes 45-60 days, the delivery time along the "North-South" corridor will take 20-25 days. Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia signed an agreement in 2005 on the construction of 375 km long railway segments in Iran between Astara and the Azerbaijan-Iran border, and the reconstruction of an existing railway in Azerbaijan to develop transportation in this area. The Astara-Rasht-Qazvin railway project envisages the construction of a new railway line in Iran, which will connect the Azerbaijani city of Astara to the Iranian cities of Astara, Rasht and Qazvin. The video conference was organized by the representative office of the North-South political science center in Baku, Trend News Agency and Caspian Expert Club. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Implementation of the International NorthSouth Transport Corridor (INSTC) project will increase economic and political bonuses for Moscow, Baku and Tehran, Russian political expert Ramin Gasimov told Trend while commenting on the significance of this large-scale transport project and the benefits of its implementation for Azerbaijan and the countries of the region. According to the expert, the creation of the INSTC with the participation of Azerbaijan and Russia will significantly strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy and transport, as well as further strengthen the partnership ties between Moscow and Baku. "The implementation of the project will allow to intensify trade relations of the Caspian littoral states with their counterparts on the coast of the Black Sea, ensuring access to the Persian Gulf and India for Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus, which in turn will increase rail traffic between Europe, South Asia and the Middle East," he said. "Thanks to a well-thought-out foreign policy pursued under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, today Azerbaijan plays a key role in this international project. It is crystal clear that the role of Azerbaijan is increasing from year to year as a regional player and a leading country in the South Caucasus. For Russia, this project is beneficial in terms of diversifying markets, and strengthening its position in the south, he said. The expert pointed out that Russia is interested in this project for several reasons. First, North-South provides Russia and other oil-producing countries in the region with the opportunity to diversify trade, which is important in the conditions of a weak market environment in the global oil market. At the same time, the transport corridor shortens the transport distance, which contributes to the intensification of trade. Secondly, the INSTC reduces transportation costs, so the carriage of goods by rail is potentially cheaper than using the Suez Canal in Egypt," he said. According to the expert, Russia's participation in the project shows that Azerbaijan and Russia are actively increasing bilateral cooperation in the transport sector. "It was also significant in a sense that, after launching the large-scale Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, the government of Azerbaijan offered Russia to transport Russian cargo via this railway. This proposal by the Azerbaijani side confirmed trustful and friendly relations with Russia," Gasimov said. Further, the Russian expert drew attention to the contracts and agreements concluded between Russian and Azerbaijani oil and gas companies, particularly on the joint development of the Goshadash block by Russias Rosneft and Azerbaijans SOCAR. According to him, the fact that the Rosneft company will work together with SOCAR in several fields confirms that Russia and Azerbaijan do not consider themselves to be competitors, but as friendly partners who work in many areas. "The same can be said about the North-South project. When they first started talking about this project, some experts stated that it might not be economically profitable. There were various negative thoughts on this project, few people believed in its implementation. Nevertheless, the project did not lose his relevance, and its implementation remains a high priority for the participating countries," he noted. The Russian expert noted that Baku is confidently pursuing a balanced regional policy in light of the very difficult geopolitical situation in the region and the world, and this position of Azerbaijan is fully supported by Russia. He said that Russia supports Azerbaijan as a moderator and mediator between Europe, Russia and the countries of the Middle East via the implementation of important projects of regional and international significance, and underlined that Azerbaijans mediating role for Russia holds a special place. "We remember how Azerbaijan, along with Kazakhstan, played a significant mediating role in restoring relations between Russia and Turkey [after the incident with the downed Russian aircraft]. This factor confirmed the high authority of Azerbaijan in world politics and in the system of international relations," he said. "I would also like to highlight the personal friendly relations between the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, which undoubtedly contribute to further strengthening bilateral cooperation and building a trustful political dialogue between Moscow and Baku, he said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade Non-cash payments facilitate the transparency of the economy and the Ministry of Taxes works very closely in this sphere with partners, Azerbaijani Taxes Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said at a meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament. Jabbarov noted a decrease in the share of money supply in December 2018 to 51.9 percent compared to the same period in 2017, when the figure was 60.1 percent. The minister said that this precisely demonstrates the dynamics in the payments market. He also emphasized that the number of POS terminals dropped from 80,301 to 67,032, by 16 percent in comparison with 2016, and that today there are 6.7 million payment cards in circulation. The main question is which of the market participants is most beneficial owners of retail outlets, banks or citizens? the minister noted. Further, Jabbarov said that attention needs to be paid to a number of factors in order to answer this question. Among the factors he mentioned, in particular, determining the sizes of commissions. Jabbarov said that currently, in Azerbaijan, the size of the commission when paying by POS-terminals varies in the range of 1.29-2.37 percent while this figure stands at 1.5-2 percent in neighboring Georgia, 1.5-2 percent in the UK, 2-2.5 percent in Italy, and 2-3 percent in Russia. The minister noted that Azerbaijans expenses on commission and tariffs are comparatively lower than in other countries, and the government does not affect this in any way. As for the non-cash payments which are considered part and parcel of market payments in developed countries and e-commerce in Azerbaijan, it is important to note that President Ilham Aliyev approved the state program to expand digital payments in 2018-2020, in September of 2018, according to which in 2021 the annual amount of cashless payments in Azerbaijan will reach approximately 17 billion manats ($9.97 billion). Implementation of the program will allow increasing the share of non-cash payments annually by seven percent. The share of cash payments in transactions carried out in the economy will fall from 74 percent to 40 percent. To speed up the implementation of the state program, three fundamental conditions and specific goals for each of them were defined. Creating a more supportive environment involves not only prohibiting regulations, but also the use of special incentive mechanisms. In general, volume of non-cash payments through Azerbaijans national payment system reached 274 billion manats ($161.22 billion) in 2018, which is 32 percent more compared to the figures from the previous year. The share of cash payments made up 52 percent, which is 8 percent less than the figure for 2017. -- Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Laman Ismayilova An exhibition of works by Azerbaijani artist Ali Seyran has been organized in Paris. The exhibition was organized with the support of the Azerbaijan Embassy in France and the France-Azerbaijan Dialogue Association (ADFA), Azertag reported. At the event, which was held at the Azerbaijani Cultural Center, ADFA President Gunel Safarova spoke about the cultural ties and common features of the two countries. She also spoke about the attention paid to the cultural sphere in Azerbaijan and the contribution to the restoration of many cultural monuments in Europe. Giving detailed information about the activity of ADFA, Safarova said that the one-year-old organization has held more than 30 events in a short time praising the history and culture of Azerbaijan. ADFA President informed the visitors about the creative work of artist Ali Seyran, who has been engaged in painting since childhood. It was noted that the artist who lives in Belgium prefers miniatures. Seyran was inspired by the rich art of Azerbaijan. The exhibition reflecting lifestyle, historical monuments and nature of Azerbaijan was met with great interest. Inspired by the works of Azerbaijani poet Seyyid Imadeddin Nasimi, Ali Seyran created several miniatures. It should ne noted that taking into account the 650-th anniversary of the national poet, 2019 was declared the Year of Nasimi in Azerbaijan. Various scientific institutions, cultural centers and organizations hold a series of events dedicated to the life and creativity of Nasimi. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan will meet in Washington on June 20 with presence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 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 us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to the Republic of Azerbaijan Wei Jinghua upon the end of his diplomatic term, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, the sides exchanged the views on the existing bilateral relations, including cooperation in political, economic, trade, tourism and other fields, at the same time underlined the great potential for further development of bilateral ties. Ambassador Wei Jinghua noted that he spared no efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and China during his tenure. He emphasized that the high level mutual contacts between the two states, including the recent working visit of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev to the People's Republic of China and his meeting with Chairman of the People's Republic of China His Excellency Mr. Xi Jinping, as well as the recent official visit of Mr. Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China to Azerbaijan, contributed to further expanding the bilateral relations. Ambassador Wei Jinghua reiterated Chinas position on respecting Azerbaijans sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. Mammadyarov thanked Ambassador Wei Jinghua for his contribution to the development of relations between the two countries. The Azerbaijani minister underlined the successful development of bilateral ties and referred to the recent mutual exchange of visits as an important impetus to further deepening of the relationships. The minister emphasized that Azerbaijan welcomes Chinas principled position based on norms and principles of international law, especially on respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of states. Mammadyarov wished Ambassador Wei Jinghua every success in his future endeavours. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend An Azerbaijani citizen suspected of murder was included on the international wanted list, Trend reports. Resident of Azerbaijans Lerik district Alipasha Mammadov fled from the Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies after a criminal case was initiated against him. Earlier, the court chose a preventive measure of arrest for Mammadov and the suspect was being searched for. International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) included him on the international wanted list in accordance with Azerbaijans appeal. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has viewed conditions in Children's Arts School No. 2 named after Vagif Mustafazade in Yasamal district, Baku, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Presidential press-service. Minister of Culture Abulfas Garayev informed First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva of the school. Established in 1940, the school was named after Vagif Mustafazade in 1985. The Children's Arts School currently enrolls 385 pupils who are served by 78 teachers. The school building has not been repaired so far. Mehriban Aliyeva instructed that repair and reconstruction work should be carried out in the school. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva has attended the opening of a new building of the orphanage-kindergarten No 11 in Yasamal district, Baku, whose construction was initiated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Presidential press service. Mehriban Aliyeva viewed conditions created at the orphanage-kindergarten. The First Vice-President was informed that the orphanage-kindergarten No 11 consists of two blocks. The construction of the 200-seat building started in May, 2018. The two-storey building has group rooms, a kitchen, a canteen, a gym and a music hall. Children aged from 1 to 6 are served by a 46-strong staff in 10 groups here. Extensive landscaping work was carried out and green areas were laid out in the area of the orphanage-kindergarten. All conditions were created here for children. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend On the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, Open Doors Day will be held for parents and relatives of soldiers in all military units of the Azerbaijani Army on the eve of the Armed Forces Day on June 22 at 10:00, Trend reports referring to the country's Defense Ministry. The event will be held to enhance public control, ensure transparency, strengthen unity between the army and the people, improve the fruitfulness of working with families of soldiers. Relatives of soldiers and members of the public will get acquainted with the housing and living conditions created in military units, as well as will visit official, administrative buildings, soldiers' barracks, and mess halls. During the Open Doors Day, it is planned to hold meetings of the command of military units with parents, during which all issues they are interested in will be discussed. The concert programs and other cultural events will also be organized. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend A farewell ceremony was held for military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey involved in the Azerbaijani-Turkish Live-Firing Joint Tactical Exercises "Indestructible Brotherhood-2019", Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Deputy Commander of the Combined Arms Army, Major General Elman Orujov speaking at the ceremony, noted that the exercises were held at a high level, the servicemen of the two fraternal countries have demonstrated high professionalism, patriotism, and indestructible brotherhood. During the event, the exercise participants have been presented the gifts. The military personnel, weapons, and military equipment of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey moving from the Sadarak border checkpoint through the Umid Bridge over the Aras River returned to the places of their permanent deployment. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov In January-May 2018, Tajikistan imported 206,000 tons of petroleum products, which is 21,000 tons or over 11 percent more compared to the same period of 2018, according to the Antimonopoly Agency under the Government of Tajikistan. About 85 percent of the total volume of imported petroleum products was gasoline and diesel fuel (about 75,000 tons and almost 100,000 tons, respectively). According to the source, one ton of gasoline, on average, cost suppliers $547, and diesel fuel $645. Oil products were imported into the country by more than 100 subjects, of which 56 are engaged in supplies on a regular basis, the Antimonopoly Agency said. The main supplier is Gazpromneft-Tajikistan, which accounts for about 45 percent of the supply of gasoline and almost half of the supply of diesel fuel. Russia was the main supplier of oil products to Tajikistan - 87 percent. Also, relatively small amounts of fuels and lubricants were imported from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and other countries. Tajikistan receives Russian oil products on a duty-free basis. The corresponding agreement between the two countries was signed in February 2013. In early 2018, during the official visit of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon to Moscow, the agreement on cooperation in the supply of petroleum products was amended, according to which Tajikistan should annually determine and provide Russia with the information on the requested volume of petroleum products. Experts consider, over 113 million tons of oil, 863 billion cubic meters of gas lie in the depths of Tajikistan. In the south-west of the republic, more than 80 percent of all oil and gas resources of the country are concentrated, and the remaining 19 percent are in northern Tajikistan. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Armenia has again heated the situation on the front line with Azerbaijan, whose part of territory it keeps under occupation for more than two decades. The Armenian armed forces made an attempt to shoot down the Azerbaijani aviation assets, using the OSA anti-aircraft missile system. The two missiles fired from the anti-aircraft missile system did not hit the target and self-destructed in the air. The aviation assets of the Azerbaijani Air Force conducted scheduled training flights on the Fuzuli direction of the front on June 12. The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry said the Armed Forced retaliated the Armenian military provocation. "The enemy attempted to deny the fact by making false statements to conceal provocations committed by their armed forces aimed at straining the situation on the contact line. We present the photo materials to the press, which confirm that our units were subjected to fire with mortars by the enemy," the ministry said. The Armenian provocation has failed due to the skills of the Azerbaijani military pilots and modern devices installed in the aviation assets. Besides, unsuitability and poor quality of Armenias military equipment, as well as the low level of training of the crew responsible for use of this military equipment are also the cause of the failed attack of the Armenians. This case perfectly illustrates the real situation in the Armenian army. This, in turn, proves the inevitability of a rapid defeat of the aggressor in the event of a full-scale war. Current Armenian leadership, provoking more and more incidents on the frontline, brings closer new hostilities. Although the provocation on June 12 ended in failure, there is no guarantee that Yerevan will not take a new entrapment. The reason for such a behavior of Armenia is the internal situation within the country. Today, Armenia faces growing dissatisfaction with the rule of the "revolutionaries" headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. His rating is falling rapidly. Prices continue rising in former Soviet republic, while the income of the population remains extremely low. The outflow of population from Armenia continues, hereby aggravating the demographic situation. Thus, all the issues that Pashinyan promised to solve personally remains yet unresolved. In addition, the majority of Armenian experts recognize a large number of failures of the new government on the diplomatic front. For more than a year, Pashinyan has not been able to meet even with the U.S. Secretary of State. The trips of other Armenian state officials also ended without any tangible result. Furthermore, the U.S. does not consider Armenia at all as a country of any interest. Moreover, the Armenian media also focuses on the fact that Azerbaijan has managed to establish quite close relations with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, the allies of Armenia in the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union. The Armenian society is outraged by the absolute passivity of Armenia in this direction. So, the Armenian provocations on the frontline are more likely to originate from its failures. Thus, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Defense Minister David Tonoyan want to completely disrupt the negotiation process and start new clashes to write off all their failures. However, this is an extremely primitive plan and a dangerous game for Yerevan. The outcome of this war will be the beginning of the swift end of the current Armenian government. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Abdul Kerimkhanov Russias IrAero airline opens direct flights from Baku to Rostov-on-Don and back, IrAero said in a message. Flights will be operated by Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft on Saturdays starting from July 6. One-way ticket prices will start from 315 manats ($185). The flights will last for two hours. The plane will take off from Baku at 12:50 and arrive in Rostov-on-Don at 13:50. The return flight will depart at 15:00 and arrive in Baku at 18:20. IrAero General Director Yuri Lapin said that Baku route is already a traditional one for the airline. He noted that this route is very much in demand, and not only among Russians. He mentioned that presently, Iraero flies to the capital of Azerbaijan from Chelyabinsk and Orenburg, adding that Baku-Yekaterinburg flight will be open on June 18. Several years ago, Pobeda Airlines flew from Rostov-on-Don to Baku. However, later the low-cost airline ceased the flights. IrAero airline was founded in Irkutsk in 1999. The main type of business before 2006 was cargo transportations in the Far East and Northeast regions of Russia. Since 2006, IrAero has been performing passenger transportations and at the moment it is the leading carrier of the region. The fleet of IrAero consists of CRJ-100/200 aircraft (manufactured in Canada), Antonov An-26 and Antonov An-24 aircraft. Recently the airline has added its park with eight domestically produced aircraft - Sukhoi Superjet 100. In recent years the company has significantly expanded the route network of transportations. IrAero aircraft perform regular flights all over Russia: from Khabarovsk to Moscow, from Magadan to Sochi and St. Petersburg. Besides, the company has entered the international market of air transportation and successfully performs flights to China and Uzbekistan. Currently, IrAero Airlines takes a steady position in the market of passenger and cargo (regular and charter) transportations, confidently mastering new routes and developing its potential. --- Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz If you wanted to invent an avatar to represent the type of person who should not have easy access to firearms, you might come up with someone like Heon "Hank" Yoo. In 2013, after threatening to shoot his resident counselor at Rutgers University, the then-19-year-old Yoo was committed to a New Jersey psychiatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with "aggressive homicidal ideation and explosive personality disorder." A year later a friend was alarmed enough at Yoo's behavior at a shooting range to alert police. He "would shoot at the head of the target every time, even though range policy specifically prohibited such contact," he reported. Even after warnings, Yoo "continued to shoot at the head." Yoo was admitted to a psychiatric clinic again in 2015 "after repetitive disruptions [and] homicidal threats." Several colleges banned him from their campuses. He was twice rejected for military service because of his unstable mental health. Online, he became known as the "Asian Nazi" for his racist rants and threats of violence against blacks and Jews. Yet the Texas Department of Public Safety issued Yoo a license to carry a handgun. The hospitalizations should have barred Yoo from Texas licensure; federal law prohibits anyone who has been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility from buying or possessing a gun. The public safety agency insists it conducts thorough background checks to vet applicants, so it's unclear how it missed the red flags fluttering in Yoo's wake. The department did not respond to questions. Yoo's case represents a facet of the so-called relinquishment gap: the regulatory lapses that occur between the time authorities determine a person shouldn't have guns, and when they actually disarm him. While there is no evidence a large number of gun owners slip through the public safety department's background checks and as a group Texas handgun licensees rarely commit crimes the agency's error with Yoo demonstrates how, when guns are involved, even the occasional snafu can have long-lasting consequences as officials navigate a tangle of laws to undo it. Texas's carry permit holders can purchase guns without undergoing the required federal background check - the assumption being state regulators have already scrubbed the applicant's past. With his record of mental instability cloaked by his Texas license, Yoo was able to easily accumulate weapons he should have been banned from having, including handguns and assault-style rifles. Later, when the public safety agency realized its error and moved to take away his license, the process took months during which time Yoo continued using the wrongly issued permit to buy more guns. Even when it finally revoked the license, the Department of Public Safety merely mailed Yoo a letter asking him to send it back. Instead, he used it to buy even more guns. The mistake compounded and spread as Yoo used the weapons state regulators allowed him to acquire to menace and threaten East Texas residents over nearly two years. "My opinion is that he literally held the university hostage for two months with his disruptive behavior," University of Texas-Tyler Police Chief Mike Medders said. In one 2017 incident, Smith County officials tried to have Yoo committed at a psychiatric hospital after he'd threatened to kill people. But they couldn't find an open bed and so had to release him. "Just as an FYI, we returned Yoo's guns to him this morning," a Texas Ranger wrote in an email. It is not clear why the agency returned firearms to a person prohibited from having them. "Thank you for letting us know," a prosecutor replied. "I'm praying everyone will stay safe." The system works at first Since passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968, federal law has prohibited people "adjudicated as a mental defective" or who have "been committed to a mental institution" from buying or possessing firearms. Mental health orders are issued by thousands of local courts, however, so keeping track of them hasn't been simple. In 1994, the Brady Act created the National Instant Criminal Background Check System NICS as a one-stop clearinghouse for firearms dealers to check before making a sale. Even then, NICS must rely on states voluntarily entering their local criminal and mental health records. Many were slow to sign on. By 2007, after Seung-Hui Cho was able to buy the guns he used to kill 32 at Virginia Tech despite a history of mental illness, studies showed that nearly half of the states hadn't been submitting their records to NICS. Congress and states have since enacted measures to gain greater compliance. In 2009, Texas began requiring local courts to report their criminal and mental health adjudications to the Department of Public Safety, which funnels them to the FBI. The state has sent 300,000 mental health notifications to NICS, ranking it as one of the more compliant in the country, according to fixnics.org, a firearm industry-funded organization dedicated to improving the background check system. New Jersey is ranked second-best among states in NICS compliance. Records show local court officials promptly entered Yoo's two disqualifying psychiatric hospitalizations into the database. Initially, the system worked as intended. In January 2016, Yoo, who recently had moved to Texas, tried to buy a gun at a Grandview store. But the dealer's NICS check returned "denied" and he walked out empty-handed. A month later, he applied to the Texas Department of Public Safety for a license to carry a handgun. Threats and racist rants Although federal laws typically are used to prevent people with a mental health history from acquiring guns, Texas law also bars handgun licensure to anyone with a history of psychiatric hospitalization or a diagnosis of several specific disorders, including bipolar and schizophrenia. Yet the state relies on applicants self-interpreting and truthfully reporting their own medical histories. In his application, Yoo denied having received psychiatric treatment. In later court testimony, he explained he didn't think he had a mental illness; and that he didn't consider being ordered into treatment a commitment. Numbers released by the Texas Department of Public Safety show handgun license denials from self-reported psychiatric conditions are rare. Over the past five years, the agency has issued 1.47 million handgun carry licenses and rejected 7,229 applicants. Of those, fewer than 200 were denied for mental health reasons a number that includes self-reported drug treatment within five years of the application, which can also be disqualifying. DPS said it also runs all applicants through the NICS database before issuing a license. Nevertheless, on May 24, 2016, it granted Yoo permission to publicly carry handguns. Records show he quickly put it to use. In June, police in Prosper, north of Dallas, were called to a grocery store where a man reportedly was threatening to shoot people. Yoo's truck had a Confederate flag hanging off it. When police asked for his ID, he showed them his handgun permit. He was carrying a .45 semiautomatic handgun; an AR-15 assault-style rifle and ammunition were inside the truck. Yoo admitted stating "Black Lives Matter" should be labeled a terrorist organization "and that the federal government and the U.S. military should be able to kill them all," according to the police report. He'd also "made statements about his hatred of individuals who practice Islam and Judaism." But officers determined that he had not threatened anyone specifically, so no crime had been committed. Two months later, police were called to the University of North Texas campus, in Denton, where Yoo was waving a Confederate flag and arguing with students. He acknowledged he was carrying a gun. "I feel threatened," a student told the North Texas Daily student newspaper. "And I shouldn't." But campus-carry recently had been legalized by the legislature, and police determined Yoo was a Texas license holder, so there was nothing they could do. Confirmation that Yoo was not legally permitted to possess the firearms came on September 13, as he tried to buy a Glock handgun from Superior Firearms, in south Tyler. When Yoo presented his Texas carry license at checkout the address did not match his driver's license, so the store decided to run his name through NICS. The database again returned a "denied" notification. "That's when he went off," salesman Bailey Averitt recalled, "yelling that the U.S. should have sided with Hitler" and killed all the blacks and Jews. Gun buying spree not legal but successful Even after learning about Yoo's disqualifying psychiatric history, the public safety department moved slowly. During his run-in with them, Yoo had told Prosper police he was rejected for military service because of his mental health history. The department notified the Department of Public Safety, which opened an investigation into his handgun carry license. To guide its medical-related decisions, the agency relies on an obscure panel called the Medical Advisory Board. Three doctors review each case and render a opinion. On Sept. 15, 2016, the panel concluded Yoo's mental illness made him "incapable of exercising sound judgment," thus ineligible for a handgun license. DPS ordered him to surrender his license unless he wanted to challenge the decision. Yoo did. Medical board appeals are heard by local judges. Records at Smith County Justice of the Peace No. 2 show it took DPS four more months to file the paperwork. In the meantime, Yoo continued using the license. In November, records show he used it to purchase a handgun and an M&P 15 assault-style rifle. On December 19 he used it to buy another assault rifle. On December 21 he purchased a .40 caliber handgun. On Jan. 9, 2017, he bought another assault-style rifle. Yoo's Medical Advisory Board hearing was on March 15, 2017. He didn't show up, and Judge Gary Alfred quickly upheld the panel's decision to revoke his handgun license. Even then, the public safety agency's only action was to send Yoo a letter ordering him to relinquish the license. Months later Yoo was still able to use the invalid Texas license to skip federal background checks. Records show that in November 2017 he bought two shotguns at a Tyler pawnshop. "He didn't purchase them legally," said Frank Coan of the U.S. Attorney's Tyler office. But, "he purchased them successfully." "He may turn violent at any moment" As Yoo accumulated guns, "There was an escalation of incidents," Coan said. It's unclear how much of what he said was intended only as provocation. But his menacing language and license to carry meant police had to take him seriously. Between May 2016 and early 2018, Tyler police generated nearly two dozen reports on Yoo. Five local stores and apartments asked police to write an order banning him from their premises. In October 2016 a Walmart shopper told Tyler police an Asian man had told her he wanted to start killing police officers. The officer recognized Yoo from surveillance footage, writing: He "is known to carry a firearm." A week later, Target shoppers reported a man carrying a handgun and wearing a Confederate flag bandanna over his face said he wanted to kill all the black people in the store. In December, Yoo was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly pointing a gun at an African-American man. A handgun, shotgun, semi-automatic rifle and body armor were in his car. The charges were eventually dropped when witnesses gave inconsistent statements, said Jason Parrish, Yoo's attorney. After Yoo enrolled at the University of Texas-Tyler, administrators fielded more than a dozen complaints and produced two dozen "Behavioral Intervention Reports." Despite the confrontations, records show authorities struggled to stop him. In late 2017, Texas Rangers investigating Yoo's mistakenly issued handgun license interviewed several witnesses who reported hearing Yoo vow "he was going to Washington to kill blacks and Jews." Called into their Tyler office for an interview, Yoo wore a suit with American flag cufflinks. In the police report, the Ranger noted he "makes people nervous" by dressing up in World War II uniforms and carrying around Hitler's manifesto, "Mein Kampf." "Hank has several unorthodox ideas," the Ranger added, "such as all single mothers should be shot in the back of the head." Yoo was taken in for a psychiatric evaluation. According to court records, "medical professionals deemed him harmful to others" and the local crisis center recommended Yoo be involuntarily committed. But according to emails from the Smith County District Attorney's office obtained under an open records request, "no state funded beds were available," and the emergency room said he could no longer stay there. Yoo was released and his guns returned. "Based on the current threat," an assistant prosecutor wrote, "it may be in the interest of community safety" to have a deputy check up on Yoo. By early 2018 the FBI had fielded "numerous complaints...concerning statements on both social media and in person as well as his behavior in public places," according to a police report. On April 6, 2018, nearly two years after the Department of Public Safety mistakenly gave Yoo a license to buy and carry guns, Tyler police and agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gathered outside his apartment. "Investigators were aware of Yoo's mental instability and the risk that he may turn violent at any moment," so an officer pretending to be the building manager asked Yoo to come fill out some parking documents. Charged with the technicality of lying on his firearm purchase forms about his nationality although he is a legal resident, Yoo stated he was a U.S. citizen Yoo's trial, in which he represented himself, lasted three days last November. A month ago, he was sentenced to eight years in federal prison. "These situations often end badly," U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown said in a statement. "It was good that law enforcement worked together to get him off the streets as soon as they did." Friends, family and other mourners picked an appropriate place to gather in remembrance of the late Bob Bowers, a longtime public servant who was as comfortable talking with an iHop waitress or H-E-B bagger as he was with the Port Arthur city officials he worked with for three decades. The Thursday evening visitation was held at the Robert A. (Bob) Bowers Civic Center. Sarah Bowers Weeks said earlier this week that her father was shy about having such a prominent public building named in his honor. He said, You can rename a fire plug out in Sabine Pass after me, she said. He was humble. Weeks also recalled her dad as they kind of public servant who arrived prepared for any task, notebook in tow. His career in Port Arthur government included stints as city engineer, public works director and deputy city manager. At home, it was always important that the children finish their homework and not miss school. Family vacations were spent visiting historical sites or making educational trips. He was shaped by his own experience at Texas A&M, where he graduated with a civil engineering degree in 1954. He cherished education and knew how many doors it could open for people, said his son, David Bowers. Bob Bowers worked for the state highway department after college, then the city of Groves before he joined the city staff in Port Arthur and stayed for 31 years David Bowers said his father deliberately stuck with the public sector. He believed in what he was doing and the number of people he could benefit, he said. He probably felt that was where he needed to be. Sarah Weeks said her fathers 15-year struggle with Alzheimers disease never diminished his love of hymns. He was listening to Ill Fly Away when he died. It was hard seeing him struggle, Weeks said. Its more of a relief now. Robert Alfred Bowers was born in Cleburne in North Texas, attended Lamar University before transferring to A&M and served a couple of years in the Army before settling in Port Arthur. He was 91 when he died a week ago. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com ryan.welch@beaumontenterprise.com Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Hurricane Harvey-mitigation projects in Jefferson and Orange counties may have moved a step closer to reality on Thursday with the signing of the states largest storm-recovery bill. State Rep. Dade Phelan said the legislation gives smaller communities like the ones in his district greater access to the resources needed for the repairs and upgrades stemming from the devastating 2017 tropical storm. I think the tools are there now for local governments, Phelan said after the signing ceremony. Were going to give them a road map and the ability to say, Let's go do this. Phelan, R-Beaumont, and Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, were among the local and statewide leaders accompanying Gov. Greg Abbott in Houston as he made Senate Bill 7 law. The measure sets aside $1.7 billion to help municipalities with infrastructure projects. The bill, authored by Creighton, incorporates parts of Phelans House bill. > > RELATED: Legislature: Tap rainy day fund for flood control The new money comes from the states rainy day fund. Half will go to the Texas Water Development Board to provide flood-project loans or grants, with $47 million of it set aside to create a state flood plan. The other half will help cover the local match required as cities and counties tackle federally funded recovery work. Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick was already thinking about which projects the county will seek help with. That could include an already-approved federal project to raise the levee in Port Arthur, an estimated $800 million project that would require a local match of $280 million. The project could now qualify for state assistance with the match. More Information HARVEY FUNDING Three major local projects approved by the federal government might now qualify for state assistance with local matching funds. Port Arthur levee system improvements Estimated cost: $800 million Local match: $280 million Construction of 27 miles of levees and floodwalls in Orange County Estimated cost: $1.9 billion Local match: $665 million Deepening of the Sabine-Neches Waterway Estimated cost: $1.1 billion Local match: $275 million See More Collapse It was always a great piece of legislation because it provided much needed funds for Harvey relief and flood-control facilities, Branick said. But I think it surpassed expectations. The new law could also help secure the deepening of the Neches-Sabine Waterway thats been approved since 2014, Branick said. The local match for that project would be 25 percent of an estimated $1 billion and probably would have required a tax bond vote, he said. Orange County Judge Carl Thibodeaux said the matching-fund assistance could let counties think about prevention projects instead of just worrying about the next wave of repairs. We could match some of the smaller projects after a storm, but I remember the 10 to 25 percent matches we saw just for property buyouts after (Hurricane) Ike were difficult, he said. Thibodeaux also said the amount of paperwork that goes into grant writing and securing federal projects also can be daunting for small local governments. With the Water Development Board acting as both an arbiter and adviser making sure projects in different communities dont conflict or overlap with each other, Phelan predicted more collaboration among municipalities trying to improve flood mitigation. The state program still has some fine-tuning before any checks are cut. For example, Phelan said regulatory guidelines will have to be approved for the Water Development Boards new role and for the new infrastructure funds. Then there are the 5-year and 50-year state flood plan mandates that will make sure everyone is working toward the same goal. I think there will be some checks and adjustments that we will have to make as we start down this road, Phelan said. We will soon learn in the next five years what works and doesnt work. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com Massachusetts state health officials approved a proposal to turn a 13,000-square-foot building into an ASC, MetroWest Daily News reports. What you should know: 1. Massachusetts-based providers ASC Holding Co., Reliant, and Shields ASC partnered to develop the ASC, Natick Surgery Center. 2. The groups are spending $10 million to renovate the current building. The ASC will feature three operating rooms. 3. The ASC will offer orthopedic, ENT, gynecology, urology and general surgery procedures. 4. The center still needs approval from Natick officials. Cardiovascular Centers of America plans to open cardiovascular outpatient centers across the country, according to Tim Price, the management company's CEO. Mr. Price spoke to Becker's ASC Review about the company's vision and today's cardiovascular opportunities. Note: Responses have been edited for style and clarity. Question: Can you tell me about Cardiovascular Centers of America and its partnership with St. Louis Cardiovascular Institute and St. Louis Specialty Surgery Center? Tim Price: CCOA was founded earlier this year by Dr. William Reilly [MD], who's an interventional cardiologist. He has a history of building medical facilities, including cardiac catheterization labs. He was a founding member of St. Louis Cardiovascular Institute, which is an office-based lab, and St. Louis Specialty Surgery Center that's an ASC. Those two entities operate out of the same physical building in St. Louis. The office-based lab has eight physician partners using that space. They lease time in there as their own office-based lab. [Our model] is truly leading edge at this point. There's the hybrid model where you operate at different times in the ASC and the office-based lab. We've taken that one step further and have [an] office-based lab side-by-side with an ASC. Those operate concurrently. Q: What's CCOA's vision? TP: We wanted to create a platform for physicians to build and run their outpatient cardiovascular businesses. The timing right now [is ideal], with Medicare approving diagnostic catheterizations to be done in the ASC setting, as well as more cases in the office-based lab. We really believe that this is going to be the trajectory of the business. Dr. Reilly and other cardiologists we talk to are constantly struggling with operating and running these office-based labs. In the future, we believe they're going to need to either be partners in or operate ASCs. We created CCOA to provide the services that we're going to provide at St. Louis Cardiovascular Institute and St. Louis Specialty Surgery Center to other cardiovascular businesses. Recently, we announced official partnerships with [those two entities], and we contracted with [Moberly, Mo.-based] Centric Heart & Vascular. They are a hybrid facility that's currently an office-based lab, and they're seeking accreditation as an ASC as well. Those are our first two sites they represent four entities, technically, but they're two physical sites. We're in discussions with others right now as well to bring them under management. Q: Becker's has covered numerous orthopedic-focused partnerships recently, but there haven't been as many in the cardiovascular space. Can you expand on that concept? TP: We view where cardiology is right now to be where cardiovascular will be in 20 years. We want to help bring that forth. There's about 650-plus of these office-based labs they open up almost every month. The majority do mostly vascular and don't even touch heart. But we believe in a more holistic [approach], treating all of the cardiovascular system in these facilities. What that does is it brings your cardiologists into the mix. Right now, 70-plus percent of cardiologists are hospital-employed. Becker's has articles all the time about how burned out these hospital-employed physicians are, their pay going down, the administrative burdens that get put in place. They look at their brethren on the orthopedic side, and they're jealous, frankly. Orthopedic guys make half their money just from being part of these facilities. There's no reason [cardiologists] shouldn't have that same model going forward. Our initial push is to get existing centers under management and provide services. Objective No. 2 is to develop new sites with cardiologists that are currently either employed or just have a small office-based practice, to actually build out these spaces and create new outpatient centers that are cardiology- and cardiovascular-focused. We believe in that specialty model. Q: What's your timeline for those strategic initiatives? TP: Our goal would be to have about 30 centers under management in the next three years. That's our current objective. We think we can build out a few centers per year. So, within five years, we'd have 30 centers and 10 that are new, ground-up developments. If we can scale faster, we'd love to, but that's our goal right now. Our focus initially is Missouri, where we were founded, [but] we're actually far into negotiations with sites in other states. We're not public with those relationships yet. Q: Is there anything else ASC administrators should know about your company and what you're doing in the cardiovascular space? TP: We would love to talk to any current sites that are interested in adding cardiovascular services. We don't provide just pure consulting we do want to have that long-term relationship but if someone's interested in the ASC space, we do have opportunities with CCOA. If you'd like to participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Angie Stewart at astewart@beckershealthcare.com. Doctors Hospital of Manteca (Calif.) is building a two-story, 40,000-square-foot medical office building for $13.3 million adjacent to its main hospital, the Manteca/Ripon Bulletin reports. What you should know: 1. The hospital plans to break ground on the building June 24. 2. Doctors Hospital is an affiliate of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare. Tenet is building the medical office building as an investment in the Manteca community. 3. Doctors Hospital opened a 6,000-square-foot outpatient surgery center in Manteca three years ago. Doctors Hospital Chief Strategy Officer Preston Clark said: "This project is five years in the making and will provide more medical office building space for recruitment of physicians, as we are currently experiencing a shortage in the area. This new building will also help provide additional services for our community members, keeping them close to home for care." Reports from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Medical Economics shed light on physician salary, as well as which states offer the highest. Medical Economics' 90th annual Physician Report shows physician salaries are either declining or remaining stagnant. Medical Economics surveyed 1,300 physicians to generate the report, which includes salary data for 2018: 1. Over half of physicians said their compensation was the same as the previous year. Twenty-six percent of physicians said their compensation dropped, and 22 percent had an increase in compensation. 2. The report provided the average income for seven specialties: - Internal medicine: $262,000 - Family medicine: $242,000 - Pediatrics: $233,000 - Cardiology: $405,000 - OB-GYN: $288,000 - Dermatology: $483,000 - Urology: $362,000 3. More than 70 percent of physicians said such uncompensated tasks as prior authorizations resulted in lower revenue from lost productivity. Lower reimbursement and government regulations also were cited as reasons for lower revenue and pay. 4. Seeing more patients, pay for performance, renegotiated payer contracts and more ancillary services were some of the reasons physicians cited for improved finances. 5. On average, male physicians made $380,000, while female physicians made $200,000 in 2018. The five highest-paying states: - New Hampshire: $275,840 - North Dakota: $266,510 - Maine: $257,550 - Montana: $247,260 - Minnesota: $245,040 The five lowest-paying states: - Mississippi: $174,340 - New York: $171,060 - Arkansas: $165,290 - Nebraska: $161,880 - Oklahoma: $155,130 Several changes coming to the ASC market are tracked in this year's ASC Valuation Survey by HealthCare Appraisers. HealthCare Appraisers and the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association collected data from 26 companies, including ASC managers, investment bankers and business brokers, to compile its report. Below are the typical annual changes in the ASC market respondents observed for: Commercial payer rates: Decrease in rates: 4 percent Rates of potential increases: 0 percent to 1 percent: 13 percent 1.1 percent to 2 percent: 36 percent 2.1 percent to 3 percent: 36 percent 3.1 percent to 4.0 percent: 11 percent Implantables: Decrease in expenses: 4 percent Rates of potential increases: 0 percent to 1 percent: 11 percent 1.1 percent to 2.0 percent: 33 percent 2.1 percent to 3 percent: 22 percent 3.1 to 4.0 percent: 26 percent 4.1 percent to 5.0 percent: 4 percent Drugs: Decrease in expenses: 4 percent Rates of potential increases: 0 percent to 1 percent: 0 percent 1.1 percent to 2 percent: 25 percent 2.1 percent to 3 percent: 31 percent 3.1 percent to 4.0 percent: 11 percent 4.1 percent to 5.0 percent: 18 percent 5.1 percent to 6.0 percent: 11 percent Medical supplies: Decrease in expenses: 4 percent Rates of potential increases: 0 percent to 1 percent: 7 percent 1.1 percent to 2.0 percent: 32 percent 2.1 to 3.0 percent: 36 percent 3.1 percent to 4.0 percent: 14 percent 4.1 percent to 5.0 percent: 7 percent Missoula-based Providence Montana plans to build a multimillion dollar medical office building with an outpatient surgery center in Missoula, Montana Public Radio reports. What you should know: 1. The hospital plans to break ground on the building in the fall. 2. Providence plans to relocate services from Missoula-based St. Patrick Hospital to the new building. 3. Providence Montana CEO Joyce Dombrouski said the medical office building will better position the health system for the future. Here are 17 orthopedics-focused ASCs opened or announced in the first half of 2019: 1. Akron, Ohio-based Orthopaedic Surgery Center is building a bigger, $7 million facility in Boardman, Ohio. 2. Phoenix-based OrthoArizona and Addison, Texas-based United Surgical Partners International moved into a new medical office building and ASC in Gilbert, Ariz. 3. Orthopedic Associates of Hartford (Conn.) opened a $30 million facility in Rocky Hill, Conn. 4. The Glendale-based Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin opened outpatient facilities in Greenfield, Wis., and New Berlin, Wis. 5. Albany Medical Center, Saratoga Hospital and Capital Region North are teaming up to build an outpatient surgery center primarily devoted to joint surgeries. Albany Medical Center and Capital Region North are based in Albany, N.Y., while Saratoga Hospital is located in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 6. Tampa, Fla.-based BioSpine Institute expanded its minimally invasive spine surgery practice to its new Orlando, Fla., facility, which includes medical offices and a surgery center. 7. Canton, Ohio-based Omni Orthopaedics plans to build a surgery center this year in Jackson Township, Ohio. 10. An affiliation between Children's Hospital of New Orleans and Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans will result in several systemwide changes. Children's Hospital will absorb Tulane Lakeside Hospital for Women and Children's inpatient pediatric intensive care services. Lakeside hospital will shift its focus to providing adult intensive care and open an orthopedic surgery center. 11. Concord (N.H.) Orthopaedics will occupy space in Concord Hospital's four-story medical office building addition opening next year. Concord Orthopaedics' surgery center will be on the bottom floor of Concord Hospital's $56 million, 53,000-square-foot medical office building. 12. The Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee a partnership between Franklin, Tenn.-based Williamson Medical Center and more than a dozen orthopedic surgeons opened April 29. 13. A group of surgeons opened Downeast Surgery Center in Bangor, Maine, April 17. 14. Muncie-based Central Indiana Orthopedics began building a facility in MedTech Park, a 37-acre business development in Fishers, Ind. 15. Hoag Orthopedic Institute opened its first full-service general orthopedic office in Tustin, Calif. 16. Alliance Surgery Center will be SurgCenter Development's fifth location in Michigan when construction wraps up in November. The Traverse City-based ASC will be devoted to orthopedic procedures, including joint replacements. 17. Laramie, Wyo.-based Premier Bone and Joint is building a 21,000-square-foot, $10 million surgery center and physical therapy building in Laramie. Five hospitals or health systems that announced, started or completed construction projects in the last week: 1. Rush University Medical Center breaks ground on $450M facility Rush University Medical Center in Chicago broke ground June 12 on its 10-story, $450 million outpatient care center. 2. Sarasota Memorial gets OK to build $437M medical campus Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital received approval for a zoning amendment June 11, clearing the way for the hospital to build a 65-acre medical campus in Venice, Fla. 3. Santa Cruz hospital plans $360M expansion Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Dominican Hospital part of Dignity Health is planning a $360 million expansion. 4. Spectrum Health to consolidate 26 offices into 1 new facility Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Spectrum Health is planning to consolidate 26 offices into one new facility. 5. Valley Hospital gets approval for $735M project Ridgewood, N.J.-based Valley Hospital received approval from the state planning committee June 6 to build a seven-story, 362-bed replacement hospital. More articles on facilities management: Louisiana bans freestanding ERs to protect rural hospitals RWJBarnabas, Rutgers Cancer Institute plan $750M pavilion Banner Health starts $106M expansion Below are nine hospitals or health systems that recently announced or completed construction projects worth more than $300 million in the last two months, reported by Becker's Hospital Review. 1. Rush University Medical Center breaks ground on $450M facility Rush University Medical Center in Chicago broke ground June 12 on its 10-story, $450 million outpatient care center. 2. Sarasota Memorial gets OK to build $437M medical campus Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital received approval for a zoning amendment June 11, clearing the way for the hospital to build a 65-acre medical campus in Venice, Fla. The project is expected to cost $437 million. 3. Santa Cruz hospital plans $360M expansion Santa Cruz, Calif.-based Dominican Hospital part of San Francisco-based Dignity Health is planning a $360 million expansion. 4. Valley Hospital gets approval for $735M project Ridgewood, N.J.-based Valley Hospital received state approval June 6 to build a seven story, 362-bed replacement hospital. 5. RWJBarnabas, Rutgers Cancer Institute plan $750M pavilion RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey announced plans June 3 to develop a freestanding cancer pavilion in New Brunswick, N.J., a project estimated to cost $750 million. 6. ProMedica to open $386M tower in July ProMedica Toledo (Ohio) Hospital will open its $386 million, 13-story tower to patients July 16. 7. Carilion Clinic to invest $500M in expansion Carilion Clinic will spend more than $500 million to build and equip an expansion at Roanoke (Va.) Memorial Hospital. 8. Emory files plan for $1B 'health innovation district' Atlanta-based Emory University filed a rezoning application with the city of Brookhaven, Ga., describing its plans for a $1 billion "health innovation district." 9. Yale New Haven Hospital unveils plans for $838M neurosciences center 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. (ANSA) - Rome, June 14 - Metalworkers' unions FIOM-CGIL, FIM-CISL and UILM-UIL on Friday organized an eight-hour strike and three demonstrations in Milan, Florence and Naples to ask the government and businesses to put at the center of their agenda jobs, salaries, workers' rights and the industrial sector. Marco Bentivogli, the leader of FIM-CISL, said in Milan that the government is "acting like (Francesco) Schettino - it is getting close to a cliff to be applauded but it is making the ship sink", referring to the captain of the crashed Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank in 2012 killing 32 in Italy's worst postwar maritime disaster. The secretary general of UIL Carmelo Barbagallo said "nobody is working to relaunch the economy and investments in the south". The leader of FIOM-CIGL Francesca Re David denounced "industrial desertification, especially in the south". Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital in Boston plans to construct a $250 million expansion including a five-story inpatient building, according to The Boston Business Journal. The 98,000-square-foot addition will add 78 inpatient beds, house clinical support space and feature space for ambulatory services. The project also calls for a renovated parking garage that will add 332 parking spaces. Pending state approval, construction is expected to start in 2020. The project is the first inpatient expansion at the 171-bed hospital since 1976, according to the report. Critical access hospitals are a vital component of rural communities, but a combination of demographic, economic and technological factors make it difficult for these facilities to maintain solid financial footing. We asked critical access hospital CFOs to share the biggest challenges they're facing and to offer advice to their peers. Here's what Julie Georgoff, vice president of finance and CFO of Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton, Ohio, had to say. Question: What is the greatest challenge facing hospital CFOs today? Julie Georgoff: One of the greatest challenges for hospital CFOs is planning and forecasting in today's healthcare environment. We often have discussions around what a successful hospital will look like in ten, or even five years from now. It is becoming more and more difficult to predict with consumerism, advancing technology and evolving insurance models. The industry is also unique in that healthcare has numerous external forces which are able to push their own economic pressures toward hospitals. Healthcare regularly sees escalating costs from vendors, dynamic requirements and/or covered services for health claims and regulatory stipulations. Hospitals are rarely able to recover these increases or push these changes outward due to the complex defined payment methodologies. The new realm of competition for healthcare some of which is yet to be determined also creates a cause for reaction from hospitals. Hospitals are expected to provide for the unexpected/urgent services, elective offerings and a breadth of medical specialties. Many of these foundational services such as physician specialists, trained staff and equipment are necessary 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The free-standing centers or virtual care sites are not typically expected to provide services outside of normal business hours which allows for a different cost and fee structure. They also tend to have less regulatory and environment of care standards. Q: What is the most important piece of advice you could give to other hospital CFOs? JG: Work to help your hospital to think differently. Explore strategies for the "yet to be defined" competition and think like an insurance company about access, cost of care, service definitions and what is sustainable. Q: What skills are essential for a hospital CFO in today's healthcare climate beyond traditional financial and business acumen? JG: Hospital CFOs are assumed to have the financial knowledge and business acumen now the focus is on how we can do things differently, what will healthcare be in the future and more importantly what will it not be. More articles on healthcare finance: Quorum to close Illinois hospital if buyer isn't found AMA calls for payment models that reward care of vulnerable, high-risk patients S&P revises outlook for Care New England after Partners deal dies Jamestown (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center closed on the evening of June 13. The 85-bed hospital abruptly shut down just one day after its Medicare and Medicaid funding was cut off and three days after a new CEO was appointed. A sign on Jamestown Regional's door says the closure is temporary. A hospital employee, who spoke to the Independent Herald on the condition of anonymity, said the hospital shut down after its medical liability insurance expired. The employee said Rennova Health, the West Palm Beach, Fla.-based company that owns Jamestown Regional, told staff the malpractice insurance would be reinstated soon. Michael Alexander, who began serving as CEO of Jamestown Regional on June 10, told local TV station WATE earlier this week that he is trying to get the hospital's Medicaid and Medicare funding reinstated. When he accepted the job, neither he nor Rennova knew CMS was terminating the hospital's provider agreement. More articles on healthcare finance: Magruder Hospital CFO's advice for her peers: 'Think like an insurance company' How a rural Alabama town helped save its hospital Quorum to close Illinois hospital if buyer isn't found The U.S. House of Representatives voted June 12 to end the ban on using federal funds to create a national patient identifier. A national patient identifier would assign a unique number to each patient and their health record that could be used universally by all providers across the country. The House voted 246 to 178 to add an amendment to the 2020 HHS appropriations bill that would eliminate this ban. The amendment was offered by Rep. Bill Foster, PhD, D-Ill., who believes establishing unique patient identifiers would help reduce costs and medical errors, as well as tamp down on "doctor shopping," which may occur when patients are seeking opioid prescriptions, according to a press release. Opponents see the national patient identifier as unnecessary or a potential threat to patient safety. However, the idea has gained support across a broad spectrum of healthcare stakeholders. In a letter dated June 11, a group of healthcare organizations including industry associations, health systems and tech companies urged House representatives to approve the Foster amendment. The lack of such a system, the stakeholders argue, has stifled innovation, added unnecessary costs to the healthcare system and created space for more medical errors to occur. "This problem is so dire that one of the nation's leading patient safety organizations, the ECRI Institute, named patient identification among the top ten threats to patient safety," the groups wrote. Among the organizations that signed the letter were Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare; Orlando, Fla.-based Nemours Children's Health System; America's Health Insurance Plans; the American Medical Informatics Association; IT security company Imprivata; interoperability-focused nonprofit The Sequoia Project; and identity management software firm NextGate. More articles on health IT: Health Catalyst unveils population health technology Colorado hospital launches chatbot service for ER patients AI language analysis helps clinicians predict psychosis with 93% accuracy Hospital and health system executives vary in their knowledge and implementation of blockchain. Some are using it to track prescriptions while others are unsure how the technology works. Anjum Khurshid, MD, PhD, the co-chief of data integration for population health at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, is exploring ways for blockchain to be integrated into healthcare. He is leading Dell Medical School's partnership with the Austin Blockchain Collective, which aims to analyze the use of blockchain technology to positively affect health and healthcare outcomes for patients. Here, Dr. Khurshid explains how hospitals and health systems should approach blockchain as well as the technology's potential. Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. If interested in doing a Q&A, please email Mackenzie Garrity at mgarrity@beckershealthcare.com. Question: What work are you doing to bring blockchain to healthcare? Dr. Anjum Khurshid: We see blockchain as a technology that is evolving rapidly and a technology that has the promise to address some of the challenges that we encounter when sharing and using health information. Some of the key healthcare areas in which we think blockchain technology can be integrated into relate to patients controlling their information. Within healthcare, and other sectors, blockchain adds another level of security for patients and providers. Additionally, the distribution nature of blockchain technology makes it appealing in healthcare for providers to more easily share data. In healthcare, one of the challenges is the siloed nature of health data, as collecting comprehensive data on a single patient can be very costly and difficult. Our engagement in thinking about applications of blockchain in healthcare centers around solving the industry's challenges not just for the sake of applying a new technology but to improve provider and patient experiences. Q: Are there areas where the technology cannot be integrated? AK: The three main challenges with applying blockchain in healthcare regulatory compliance, privacy concerns and education of staff. One of the biggest challenges for blockchain integration in healthcare is the aspect of people and processes and not so much the technology. In fact, we did a pilot study last year that aimed at applying blockchain technology to help identity management among homeless populations. One of the key challenges we ran into, besides obviously educating users and organizations about blockchain, was that we needed to change business processes for organizations to benefit from blockchain. This came from organizations needing to understand where information was stored on the blockchain as well as if the blockchain complied with regulations. Altering processes and training staff was a much harder task than building the blockchain. Q: Where should hospitals with no blockchain experience get started? AK: There is a lot going on in the blockchain area. The development is happening in two fields. One is on the technical side, where in the past few years we have seen blockchain expand from the financial and technology industry into the social and health sectors. For healthcare organizations looking to integrate blockchain, leaders need to understand how blockchain technology can address their challenges. Additionally, executives should learn from other implementations. The promise of blockchain is great; however, its implementation, specifically because of the regulatory environment, is limited. It is important for hospitals that want to jump into this area be informed and look at other examples before they commit. The technology itself is exciting and can help solve some chronic problems in healthcare, but there are still many questions around compliance. More articles on health IT: Health Catalyst unveils population health technology Colorado hospital launches chatbot service for ER patients AI language analysis helps clinicians predict psychosis with 93% accuracy A Rhode Island physician said the health of the state's residents depends on more integration among hospitals, according to the Providence Journal. In a June 14 op-ed, obstetrics and gynecology physician W. Scott Walker, MD, said health in Rhode Island depends on a successful agreement between three Providence-based institutions: Women & Infants Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School. "My career began in 1988, two years after Women & Infants moved crosstown to the Rhode Island Hospital campus," Dr. Walker said. "At that time it seemed logical, and even inevitable, that the two would merge. With Brown Medical School, they offered the opportunity for a truly world-class academic center in our state. Unfortunately, this has not (yet) happened." Dr. Walker said he hopes renewed conversations between the parent companies of the three institutions Lifespan Health and Care New England Health System, both in Providence will result in more integration among the state's healthcare providers. Boston-based Partners HealthCare announced June 4 that it will withdraw its application to acquire Care New England Health System, a three-hospital system based in Providence, Partners pulled out of the deal more than a year after signing a definitive agreement to acquire Care New England. Partners called off talks the same day Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo asked Care New England to try to work out an agreement with Lifespan and Brown University. More articles on transitions and valuations: U of Louisville won't buy Jewish Hospital from CHI New York hospital acquires 2 family medicine practices Tampa General teams up with urgent care provider Nurses at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak (Mich.) claim hospital administrators are participating in anti-union activities to prevent organizing, according to a union news release. About 100 nurses, who want to join the Michigan Nurses Association, launched their organizing campaign in April. They said the push is partially driven by their desire for improved staffing levels and "better opportunities to provide quality care." The group of nurses pushing for unionization represents just 3 percent of the hospital's 3,200 nurses, according to The Oakland Press. Now the group of nurses pushing for unionization allege hospital administrators are forcing them to attend union-busting meetings during work hours. They said these meetings are run by outside consultants wanting to disrupt and prevent nurses from exercising their right to unionize. "Beaumont can't keep pulling RNs away from the work we love looking after our patients to spread their anti-union propaganda. It's bad for nurses, it's bad for our community and it's bad for our patients," said Liz Martinez, RN. Nurses recently expressed their concerns to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on June 13. Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, part of Southfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health, disputed the nurses' allegations. Susan Grant, DNP, BSN, RN, executive vice president and CNO of Beaumont Health, told The Press the meetings are not designed to interfere with unionization but to provide nurses with information on organizing from the National Labor Relations Board. "The educators that are hosting these meetings are providing nurses with content directly from the National Labor Relations Board booklet," said Ms. Grant. "We are providing education for all nurses so that they understand the full scope of their rights as employees in making a fully informed decision. Nurses are asking questions about what being unionized would mean for them. This is an important matter for them." She also told the newspaper that hospital administrators fully support and respect the workers' right to unionize but do not believe the nurses pushing for organizing have views that are fully representative of the hospital's entire nurse population. More articles on human capital and risk: Childrens Minnesota nurses authorize strike Health of New Yorkers in danger due to patient care issues, unionized nurses say Mercy Health, Ohio nurses reach tentative deal to end strike Nurses at Children's Minnesota in St. Paul and Minneapolis voted to reject the health system's latest offer and authorized negotiators to call a strike, according to a union announcement. The vote paves the way for a potential walkout. For a strike to occur, elected nurse members of the negotiating committee would have to schedule a date and provide Children's with at least a 10-day notice. "Nurses feel devalued and disrespected," Elaina Hane, a pediatric intensive care unit nurse at Children's St. Paul campus, said in a news release from the Minnesota Nurses Association. "Nurses are prepared to do what it takes to get a fair contract." The MNA, which represents 1,500 nurses at Children's, has been in contract negotiations with the health system since March. Health insurance and wages remain key sticking points in negotiations. Nurses argue that Children's is leaving them with too much of the insurance cost, while health system management says there are insurance options that have lower premiums than the most expensive health plan, according to Minnesota Public Radio. Negotiations are reportedly scheduled to resume June 14. According to MPR, Katie Penson, Children's senior director of clinical services, critical care, said of the strike authorization vote: "When you consider the progress we've made over several bargaining sessions, and the fact that the union has declined our requests to use a mediator, it doesn't make sense and it's unnecessary." More articles on human capital and risk: 4,000 Kaiser mental health clinicians, healthcare professionals call off June 11 strike Toledo mayor urges Mercy Health, striking nurses to resume bargaining More than 1,000 Albany Med workers seek to unionize Nurses at New York City's public hospitals held a rally June 12 at city hall to call for adequate funding and safe staffing at facilities, the union representing them said. "This is about making sure that we have an adequate public healthcare system in the city of New York that works both for the patient and for the nurses and the staff," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., with the New York State Nurses Association, said in a news release. The nurses who say patient care is jeopardized because staffing levels are too low hope a new labor contract will help the situation, according to CW-affiliate TV station WPIX. The nurses also say they are not paid adequately. Their last contract expired earlier this month. Meanwhile, New York City's public hospital system, NYC Health + Hospitals Corp., said it's made strides. "Nurses are the heart of NYC Health + Hospitals, which is why we have hired over 340 new nurses to make sure we deliver the safest and highest quality care possible," the system said via a statement obtained by WPIX." As part of our transformation, we have made significant investments in staffing to improve patient experience. We have a strong relationship with the New York State Nurses Association and look forward to working together to support our nurses." More articles on human capital and risk: 4,000 Kaiser mental health clinicians, healthcare professionals call off June 11 strike Toledo mayor urges Mercy Health, striking nurses to resume bargaining More than 1,000 Albany Med workers seek to unionize Ascension Providence in Waco, Texas, will break ties with Scott & White Health Plan effective Sept. 1, according to a notice. Ascension Providence cited future access and growth strategies as reasons for the split with the health plan, which is operated by Dallas-based competitor Baylor Scott & White. After the break, Scott & White Health Plan members will lose in-network access to Ascension Providence providers. Some Scott & White Health Plan patients those who are pregnant, have newly diagnosed or relapsed cancer, are undergoing treatment for acute conditions, or are in hospital confinement may be exempt from the change. Of the impending break, a Baylor Scott & White Health spokesperson told the Waco-Tribune Herald, "We began working immediately in an effort to make this a smooth transition for our members affected by this network change." More articles on payer issues: 4 updates on payer-provider relations Group Health Cooperative partners with Fort HealthCare Henry Ford Health insurer's CEO Terri Kline on decision to buy a Medicaid plan (see related story on the Eurogroup). (ANSA) - Luxembourg, June 14 - Economy Minister Giovanni Tria reiterated on Friday that he is confident of averting an EU infringement procedure against Italy for failing to comply with the debt rule. "The concrete action (requested by the European Commission) is to show why we say that we can get to a forecast lowering of the deficit of 0.2 of a percentage point," Tria said on the way into a ECOFIN meeting. "We'll have to give them the figures. "The whole Eurogroup, not just France, acknowledged the Commission's conclusions and said dialogue should continue. "I remain optimistic". Rita Shane, PharmD, FASHP, FCSHP, first joined Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as an intern pharmacist, quickly rising through the ranks, serving as clinical coordinator and assistant director of pharmacy, prior to becoming director of pharmacy in 1988. In 2015, as the health system grew and Dr. Shane excelled in her leadership roles, she was promoted to chief pharmacy officer of the 886-bed academic medical center. Dr. Shane also serves as the assistant dean of clinical pharmacy services and a professor of pharmacy at the University of California-San Francisco School of Pharmacy. She has been with the pharmacy school for more than 20 years. Becker's Hospital Review recently asked her to discuss the biggest opportunity for pharmacy this year, the impact of drug shortages on Cedars-Sinai and a specific drug she is keeping her eyes on. Here's what she had to say: Editor's Note: Responses were edited for length and clarity. Question: What is the biggest opportunity for pharmacy this year? Dr. Rita Shane: Pharmacy has the opportunity to help support health system goals related to expense management and population health. Q: How, if at all, have drug shortages affected Cedars-Sinai's approach to prescribing and dispensing drugs? RS: There is now an ongoing need to evaluate alternatives and get medical staff input on alternatives. It is also important to prioritize the inventory that is left. Additionally, the health system must ensure nursing engagement and education when medications must be administered differently due to the shortages. Q: Is there a specific drug making its way to the market that you have your eye on? RS: I have my eye on gene therapies and CAR-T therapies. Q: What advice would you offer other pharmacy leaders when it comes to achieving formulary compliance? RS: My advice to other pharmacy leaders to achieve compliance is to ensure you have an evidence-based approach. Additionally, make sure you take into account input from medical staff with expertise, evaluate usage and provide feedback to the medical staff. If you are interested in participating in a thought leadership Q&A, email Alia Paavola at apaavola@beckershealthcare.com A federal appeals court revived a class-action lawsuit alleging CVS Health overcharged millions of customers for generic drugs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The lawsuit, initially filed in Oakland, Calif., in 2015, accused CVS of violating federal law by charging customers with private or government insurance more for drugs than uninsured patients who were paying out-of-pocket. Plaintiffs claimed deductibles CVS charged to insured customers were significantly higher than the prices for cash-paying customers enrolled in its Health Savings Pass Program. Rather than continuing to collect deductibles, CVS should have designated its Health Savings Price as "usual and customary," the lawsuit claims. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed the suit in September 2017, arguing that insurance companies knew of the health savings pass and didn't consider the membership program as a "usual and customary price." The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled June 13 that the lower-court decision was flawed because it failed to properly weigh the evidence, according to the report. Access the full report here. The owner of a pain clinic and pharmacy in Florida was sentenced to more than six years in prison and three years probation for his role in a $2.2 million insurance fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Scott Novick, 51, who owned American Pain Management in South Florida and Pacific Pharmacy of Miami, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Novick admitted that he submitted $1.2 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and continued to dispense controlled substances from his clinic, despite Florida law prohibiting the act. He admitted as a result of the fraudulent claims, his clinic and Pacific Pharmacy both made more than $1 million. Mr. Novick was sentenced June 13 by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore. In addition to his sentence, he was ordered to forfeit $1.4 million. Central Maine Medical Center announced June 13 it has remedied several problems and will no longer lose funding from CMS, according to The Portland Press Herald. CMMC learned earlier this year that CMS would suspend payment for Medicare and Medicaid patients unless the hospital fixed problems detected by investigators. The problems included a failure to thoroughly review a medical error and to prevent that error in the first place, with a particular focus on a spine patient who was left paralyzed following improper treatment protocol. The hospital recently sent a correction plan to CMS outlining actions to improve emergency department processes. Among other measures, the hospital will change how it issues medical orders for spine patients and require nurses to show they understand spinal precautions. Investigators found CMMC had corrected its issues and complied with CMS after visiting the hospital June 6 and 7. The hospital would have lost tens of millions of dollars a year if it failed to address the issues by June 30. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ordered McLaren Flint (Mich.) hospital to follow preventive steps to guard against Legionnaires disease June 12, according to ABC affiliate WJRT. Five things to know: 1. The federal and state governments blame McLaren Flint for five Legionnaires' cases in 2018 and 2019. 2. McLaren disputes this argument and says the disease originated outside the hospital. "Our hospital treats sick people, including people that come to our facility with Legionnaires' disease contracted from community sources," McLaren said in a statement. 3. State orders for the hospital include water restrictions such as substituting sponge baths for showers, since Legionnaires' is spread through water droplets. The hospital must also notify patients of Legionella concerns, send all water test results to the state and cooperate with investigators. 4. Officials first investigated McLaren Flint for Legionella contamination during the Flint water crisis of 2014-16. One of the two patients suspected to have contracted the disease in 2019 spent 10 days at McLaren during the disease's incubation period. 5. McLaren has threatened legal action against the MDHHS. New York has banned religious exemptions for school vaccinations amid a major surge in measles cases this year, reports The Washington Post. New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill eliminating the religious exemptions June 13. The new law gives children 30 days to prove they've received all required school vaccinations. Advocates of the new law say it will protect more children from preventable diseases like measles. As of June 6, the CDC has reported 1,022 measles cases nationwide, a majority of which occurred in New York. The state is facing two major measles outbreaks primarily affecting Orthodox Jewish populations in New York City and Rockland County. Opponents of the legislation protested outside of New York's Capitol building in Albany June 13, saying it threatens residents' religious freedom. "While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health," Mr. Cuomo said in a statement cited by the Post. "By signing this measure into law, we will help prevent future transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks." SpineGuard completed a training program for the PediGuard screw placement device line at its first training center in China. Three details: 1. The two-day training was attended by 30 Chinese spine surgeons at the Drum Tower Hospital in Nanjing, where roughly 800 scoliosis surgeries are performed annually. 2. President of the Chinese Scoliosis Research Society and Vice-President of the Chinese Association of Orthopedic Surgeons Yong Qiu, MD, hosted the training at DTH. 3. Spine surgeons were afforded the opportunity to learn and enhance their skill set through training and discussions with hands-on experience and interaction with top spinal deformity surgeons. "I believe by leveraging SpineGuard's advanced techniques and rich experience of XRMED in surgeon education in China, we can bring the skills of the younger generation of spine surgeons to new heights and ultimately benefit the patients," said Dr. Qiu. Stryker will invest more than $224 million (200 million) into three of its facilities in Cork, Ireland, Verdict Medical Devices reports. What you should know: 1. Stryker is expanding its international research, development and innovation efforts. 2. The company hopes to create new products for its orthopedics, neurotechnology and spine divisions. 3. The Irish government is helping fund the projects through IDA Ireland, a foreign investment subsidy program. 4. Stryker operates six locations in Ireland with more than 3,500 employees. "Our team in Ireland has built considerable research and development and new product development capabilities through the partnership of multiple divisions, over the past 20 years, in an effort to serve multiple market segments," said Spencer Stiles, president of Stryker's instruments, neurotechnology and spine group. The Department of Justice charged three Oklahoma-based physicians, including an orthopedic surgeon, are charged with violating the anti-kickback statute for their role in a scheme dating back to November 2012. Five things to know: 1. Gary Robert Lee, MD, and Christopher Parks were accused of bribing physicians to write compounding drug prescriptions for their patients. Orthopedic surgeon Krishna Balarma Parchuri, DO, was among the physicians that received kickbacks and named in the charges. 2. Dr. Lee and Mr. Parks controlled OK Compounding in Skiatook, One Stop RX in Tulsa and NBJ Pharmacy and Airport McKay Pharmacy in Houston. After the defendants paid kickbacks to physicians for writing prescriptions to the pharmacy, they divided the profits. 3. The Department of Justice estimates Tricare paid $3.2 million in false claims, Medicare paid $285,776 in false claims and other federal programs paid around $862,818. Altogether, the federal government paid $4.3 million for the ill-gotten services. 4. Included in the charges are allegations that the physicians sometimes distributed pre-printed prescription pads with a list of compounding formulas and the prescribing physicians checked the boxes with their preferred drug before sending it directly to the pharmacies. Typically, the prescribing physician would write a customized prescription for the patient to take to a pharmacy they choose. A group of neurosurgeons led by OhioHealth's Victor Awuor, MD, are traveling to Kenya to treat patients for neurosurgical conditions, reports 10TV. The trip is part of an initiative from nonprofit organization, The Kisumu Neuroscience Institute, to treat patients in Kisimu, Kenya, who have no access to neurosurgical care. Dr. Awuor told 10TV that Kenya a country with a population of 48 million has only 20 neurosurgeons. The medical team consists of nurses, surgeons and scrub technicians who will treat patients suffering from neurosurgical conditions, as well as traumatic brain injuries and tumors. (ANSA) - Luxembourg, June 14 - Eurogroup President Mario Centeno on Friday called on Italy to come in line with the EU's budget rules after a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg. The European Commission said last week that an infringement procedure would be justified for Italy's failure to comply with the debt rule, while stressing that the proceedings have not been opened yet and it is open to talks. "The Eurogroup listened to the Commission's proposals on Italy and supports the request to take the necessary measures to respect the budget rules," Centeno said. European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici thanked Centeno for his support of the EU executive's stance on Italy. "There is clear support for our analysis and our approach," Moscovici said. "Now we'll continue with the preparatory work that could lead to the procedure, while remaining ready to evaluate every element that Italy may bring. "The door is still open. We are in listening mode". Here are seven spine and neurosurgeons making the news. OhioHealth's Victor Awuor, MD, is traveling to Kenya to treat patients for neurosurgical conditions. The trip is part of an initiative from nonprofit organization, The Kisumu Neuroscience Institute, to treat patients who have no access to neurosurgical care. Board-certified neurosurgeon at The Oregon Clinic in Portland and co-medical director of the Spine Center at Providence Portland Brain and Spine Institute, David Antezana, MD, discussed developing The Complex Spine Roadmap, robotics in spine and his professional goals for the future. Fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon at Summit Spine Institute in West Haven-Sylvan, Ore., Rafe Sales, MD, offered his advice for young physicians considering a career in spine. Two New York University Langone Health physicians board-certified spine surgeon Jonathan Stieber, MD, and assistant professor of neurosurgery Michael Smith, MD performed the first surgical procedure in the U.S. for disc herniation using the Barricaid system from Intrinsic Therapeutics. Board-certified neurosurgeon at The Oregon Clinic in Portland and chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Providence Portland Brain and Spine Institute, Vivek Deshmukh, MD, discussed the modern challenges in spinal surgery. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis named Jacob Buchowski, MD, its first inaugural Lawrence G. and Elizabeth A. Lenke Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Buchowski is an expert in spinal oncology, complex reconstructive spine surgery and spinal deformity. The video has been shared on the official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). In the video, Imran Khan is seen sitting while everyone else stood to welcome the dignitaries entering the hall, including Russin President Vladimir Putin. The video clearly shows that, Khan walked in, went straight to his seat, and sat down despite all other leaders standing till each of the heads of state arrived. Khan, who seemed unaffected even after seeing everyone else standing, stood up briefly only to acknowledge his presence when his name was announced. He could be seen bowing slightly with his hand on his chest when his name is announced. But immediately after that he sits down again, while others continue to stand. Imran Khan earlier broke the diplomatic protocol at the 14th OIC summit held in Saudi Arabia last week, reports India Today. During a meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the sidelines of the summit, Imran Khan spoke to Salman's interpreter for a few minutes and walked off while the message was still being translated to the Saudi king. For which, Imran Khan was criticised by his own countrymen and Saudi Arabia for insulting the king. Imran Khan is currently attending the two-day summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek. Prime Minister of #Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI's Arrival with other World Leaders at Invitation of President of Kyrgyzstan for Opening Ceremony 19th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek Kyrgyzstan (13.06.19)#SCOSummit2019 pic.twitter.com/fYdKYN3Fv7 PTI (@PTIofficial) June 13, 2019 Victoria terminal two handles more than 200,000 freight units on ferries between Belfast and Liverpool each year (stock photo) Stena Line will relocate its Belfast to Heysham service from today ahead of the start of a 15m upgrade to Victoria terminal two. Belfast Harbour is embarking on the redevelopment in preparation for the arrival of Stena's new e-flexer series next spring. Victoria terminal two handles more than 200,000 freight units on ferries between Belfast and Liverpool each year. Read More The new Chinese-built boats will be capable of carrying 20% more freight, but will require new infrastructure to dock in Belfast. Co Down firm Graham has been awarded the contract which is expected to sustain around 100 jobs from the construction phase through to the installation of new ramp infrastructure. The departure dock will remain in Belfast, however, the work has prompted Stena to switch the service to Albert Quay, next to Clarendon Dock, for six months. The Swedish ferry company said the move would minimise customer disruption and inconvenience while the work is being carried out. Until recently used as a store for freight containers, Belfast Harbour has cleared a large area at Albert Dock and treated it to a facelift in preparation for its new use. Anna Breen, Stena Line's freight commercial manger for the Irish Sea north, said: "While we fully appreciate the slight inconvenience that this could cause, Albert Dock/Ballast Quay is a facility which Stena Line has used before and we are very familiar with it. "We will do all we can to minimise any possible inconvenience to our customers. "As we invest and grow our business on the Belfast to Liverpool service, the new e-flexers will provide an additional 20% freight capacity. "We are hopeful this will provide even greater business development opportunities for our customers in the years ahead," Ms Breen added. 'The CSO found that multi-nationals based in Ireland itself represented the number two source for investment in 2017, at 92.5bn (82.3bn)' Multi-nationals in the Republic employed 318,000 people in 2017 on wages averaging 50,000 (45,000) - a third better than their domestic peers - as the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in fuelling Irish fortunes keeps climbing, a new report has shown. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) study, which analysed FDI growth from 2012 to 2017, found that investment by US-headquartered companies played a dominant role, surging by 188% over the period and injecting investment of 519.5bn (462bn). Bermuda-based companies contributed 38bn (33.8bn), the UK 20.1bn (17.9bn), Germany 11.9bn (10.6bn), Spain 8.8bn (7.8bn), France 8.3bn (7.4bn), and Canada and the Netherlands both contributed 4.8bn (4.3bn), it added. Somewhat complicating that picture, the CSO found that multi-nationals based in Ireland itself represented the number two source for investment in 2017, at 92.5bn (82.3bn). That figure reflected corporate inversion activity over the period, when previously American and Bermudan companies switched their HQs to Ireland. For 2017, the CSO study found the Republic performing leaps and bounds above most European peers in attracting foreign direct investment relative to gross domestic product. Belfast is preparing to turn pink tonight as Action Cancer's annual Bra Walk returns to the city centre. Around 1,000 men, women and children will create a sea of pink feathers, sequins and bras as they leave the City Hall for the annual 10km walk. The event, now in its fifth year and once again sponsored by SuperValu, raises funds for the charity's life-saving breast screening service. Every year the charity aims to screen 10,000 women at Action Cancer House and on board the Big Bus, supported by SuperValu and its independent retailers. Three women who were lucky to have the disease picked up early as a result of being screened at the charity's service reveal why they are happy to support The Bra Walk. Read More It was only this time last year that Bangor grandmother and mum-of-two Susan Craig was coming to terms with the shock of a breast cancer diagnosis. Susan (53) had attended a mobile breast screening unit at Ards Hospital for a routine mammogram last January not thinking for one moment that anything was wrong. Just two weeks later she was told the devastating news that she had lobular breast cancer and on St Valentine's Day last year underwent surgery to remove a large lemon-sized tumour and lymph nodes from her right breast. Susan, who runs her own hairdressing salon Hair 4 U in her home town, has been a keen supporter of a range of breast cancer charities including Action Cancer. She took part in The Moonlight Walk in 2012 and is back to support the local charity again by joining the Bra Walk. Susan lives in Bangor with her husband Samuel (53), a builder, and they have two grown-up children, Meggan (31) and Adam (28), and two grandsons, Luis (7) and Teddy, who is six months. Still trying to come to terms with the trauma of the past year she recalls how her diagnosis came about. "I'd been for a mammogram in January 2018," she says. "This was just a routine appointment so I wasn't expecting the outcome to be what it actually was. "Very quickly after the initial appointment, I received a letter asking me to attend the breast screening service at Linenhall Street, where I had another mammogram and they explained that they had detected something on my right breast. "In order to determine exactly what this was, sinister or otherwise, they explained that it was now necessary for them to perform a biopsy." Susan returned to the clinic the following week and was horrified to be told she had lobular breast cancer which grows inwardly behind the nipple. Lobular cancer begins in the milk-producing glands of the breast and has the potential to spread to the lymph nodes. Susan says: "It was on Valentine's Day when I had my surgery and they removed a 4.5cm tumour. Luckily, when they removed some of my lymph nodes, they were clear." A few weeks later she had to return to the Ulster Hospital to undergo further surgery to remove more of the outer cells to ensure all of the cancer had been taken out. She was relieved to be told she didn't need chemotherapy and instead had 18 sessions of radiotherapy. She has also been given Tamoxifen, a hormonal therapy drug used to treat breast cancer. Susan adds: "I cannot thank the medical professionals who treated and took care of me enough, they were absolutely wonderful. The support of my husband and family also helped me enormously "It seems a long time ago since January 2018, but I am delighted to say that at my most recent mammogram I was given the all-clear and now I am back working at my salon in Bangor. "Having been through this and now being cancer-free I cannot stress how important it is to get checked out. "My appointment was a routine one and I didn't expect what happened to happen to me. "It was devastating and I still get emotional about it. I sort of think 'why me', but it has to be someone. "With cancer you just do not know when, where and if it will strike, but I was lucky enough to have it detected when I did." Management consultant Ashley Hurst says she owes her life to the Action Cancer breast screening service. Ashley (44), who lives in Ballyclare with her two daughters Keely (18) and Tegan (15), was 41 when she noticed an Action Cancer billboard in Belfast encouraging women in their 40s and over the age of 70 to book a free breast screening. "I went straight home and booked the appointment online just for peace of mind," she recalls. "I never thought there would be anything wrong as I was healthy, had no symptoms or any family history. My appointment was over in 20 minutes and off I went on a trip to Liverpool to visit family. I didn't give it a second thought." She was stunned when just a week later a letter arrived from Action Cancer informing her that she had been referred for another examination. Too worried to wait, she decided to make a private appointment. "I was shocked, I'm a panicker and I phoned Action Cancer immediately," she says. "They told me the referral appointment would take about two weeks but I couldn't wait that long so I made a private appointment. "I had some more X-rays and was referred on to the City Hospital for a core biopsy. "I was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 23, 2017. I brought my friend along as she is a solicitor and very sensible and I wanted her to write everything down, but she got very upset and started to cry. "The doctor told me that the cancer was a line of cells and would require me to have a mastectomy and chemotherapy. I felt the blood drain from me and I felt numb, I just thought this can't be happening to me." Ashley then faced the dilemma of how to break the news to her daughters, who were 15 and 13 at the time. The girls didn't know that their mum had been for tests and as Keely was doing her GCSEs, Ashley was concerned about how it would impact on her. She says: "I looked up advice online which said it was best to tell the truth and not to sugar coat it. I took them shopping and we had a nice day out together and then I sat them down - they thought they were in trouble! "They both got very upset, the eldest went quiet and the youngest had lots of questions. One thing they didn't ask me, but I could tell they were thinking about was, 'Are you going to be alright are you going to die?' I just did my best to reassure them." Ashley underwent surgery on December 2 and tried to make the most of Christmas with her girls before chemotherapy started in January. She had six sessions every three weeks until April during which the biggest trauma was the loss of her hair. "For the first few days of each cycle I was very tired and weak," she says. "I would just be starting to feel better and it would be time to start the next cycle. "The worst bit of chemo was losing my hair. I had it cut short first and then when it started to fall out, I got it shaved. "I had my wig ready from before Christmas, the girls had helped me pick it out. It was like a better version of my own hair and people would compliment me on it without realising it was a wig." Ashley also had to have herceptin injections every three weeks for a year. Now having fully recovered she feels indebted to Action Cancer and after finishing her chemotherapy in 2017 she welcomed the chance to support the Bra Walk with her mum and daughters, raising 3,000. She adds: "I'm delighted to say that I am now cancer-free. The Action Cancer screening service detected my breast cancer and saved my life. "I wanted to give something back to this amazing charity and raise funds for other women to be screened. If you are a woman aged 40-49 or 70-plus please make an appointment with Action Cancer today - it could save your life just like it did mine." Suzi Waterworth (50) and husband Desi (51) made some radical changes to their lives following Suzi's breast cancer diagnosis in June 2017. Now an ambassador for Action Cancer, Suzi attended screenings with her mum at Action Cancer House since she was 40. Her cancer was detected during a routine visit when she was 48 and the diagnosis made her re-examine how she was living her life. Just three weeks after surgery, she and Desi married in a secret ceremony with just two friends as witnesses. They both also retired from their jobs. Suzi says: "Desi and I had been together over 20 years and although we had no plans to get married we probably would have got round to it someday. The cancer diagnosis 100% prompted us to get married. "We didn't even tell our families and I didn't want the big dress, hair and make-up so we rode to the registry office on our motorbikes and got married in our bike gear. "We also both decided to retire early. When something like this happens you become determined to enjoy life." Suzi had been a regular attender at the Action Cancer screening service and it was during her fourth visit in June 2017 that her cancer was detected. She says: "Each time I got the all-clear, so I wasn't nervous ahead of my fourth screening. I had a family history of breast cancer with both my grandmother and aunt both having had the disease so I was always active about being screened. "Soon after my appointment I received a letter from Action Cancer saying I needed further investigation. "I was referred to the City Hospital breast clinic where I had a core needle biopsy, mammogram and ultrasound and told to come back a week later for the results. My husband and friend both offered to come along with me but I said no. "I had a gut feeling that I would be told I had breast cancer due to my family history. I expected to be told I would need a lumpectomy and radiotherapy as this was my aunt's experience and she was doing well. "At the appointment it was confirmed that I did have breast cancer and it was not possible to have a lumpectomy due to the location in the right breast. I would have to have a mastectomy. I wasn't prepared for this and immediately regretted not bringing my husband. I cried a lot which is unusual for me as I'm not a crier. He has come to every appointment ever since." In July 2017, Suzi underwent surgery when she had her breast removed and reconstruction in one operation, as well as three lymph nodes removed. Just three weeks later she married Desi. Relieved to be given the all clear she was also delighted that she didn't require any further treatment apart from Tamoxifen. She adds: "I was so glad that I had attended Action Cancer for screening meaning that the cancer had been detected early. "I have to take Tamoxifen for five years and have suffered early menopausal symptoms as a result. "I have become an Action Cancer ambassador spreading the word on the free screening service encouraging women in their 40s to book appointments. "It doesn't bear thinking about how my cancer would have progressed if I had waited another two years to be called by the NHS. "I am taking part in The Bra Walk with a group of friends so the charity can save the lives of more women just like me." Police at the scene of an arson attack in the Lagmore Avenue area of west Belfast on June 14th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) A Sinn Fein councillor said a west Belfast family had a lucky escape after a suspected arson attack outside their home praising neighbours for the quick-thinking actions. The incident occurred last night in the Lagmore Avenue area around 1.30am. A caravan outside the property was completely destroyed and scorch damage was caused to the propertly. Police and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) attended the scene. NIFRS determined the fire to be deliberate and police are treating it as arson. Sinn Fein councillor Daniel Baker said that the "quick actions of neighbours" saved lives. "I have spoken with residents who are shocked, but also angry. We could have been dealing with deaths this morning," Councillor Baker said. "If anyone seen anything or anyone hanging about after midnight please come forward." Sergeant Patton said that it was fortunate nobody was injured in the fire. I am appealing for anyone with information who may have witnessed the incident, or who saw any suspicious activity in the area prior to or around the time the fire was reported to us, to contact police at Woodbourne on the non emergency number 101, quoting reference number 69 of 14/06/19," he said. Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Police at the scene of an arson attack in the Lagmore Avenue area of west Belfast on June 14th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police at the scene of an arson attack in the Lagmore Avenue area of west Belfast on June 14th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police at the scene of an arson attack in the Lagmore Avenue area of west Belfast on June 14th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police at the scene of an arson attack in the Lagmore Avenue area of west Belfast on June 14th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Police at the scene of an arson attack in the Lagmore Avenue area of west Belfast on June 14th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police at the scene of an arson attack in the Lagmore Avenue area of west Belfast on June 14th 2019 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Or, if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111" Erdogan 'to act' if Assad does not stop bombing Idlib 28 killed in latest airstrikes on NW Syria (ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, JUNE 14 - Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that it was not ''possible for us to remain silent while our observation towers are being attacked'' in Idlib by the Syrian regime. He added that, if the attacks continue, ''we will do what is needed''. He was speaking to journalists prior to leaving for Tajikistan. ''We want peace to prevail and that there be no more deaths,'' he added, saying that without Ankara's intervention in the dialogue with Moscow, ''at this moment the situation would be very different'' and that there would have bene another wave of ''almost 3 million refugees'' from northern Syria towards Turkey, where over 3.5 million Syrian refugees are already. Some 28 people including 7 civilians have been killed over the past 24 hours of Russian and Syrian government airstrikes in the northwestern part of the country, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which makes use of a large network of sources and researchers on the ground. (ANSAmed). Councillor Adrian McQuillan has been suspended by the DUP for six months A DUP councillor has said he is "deeply disappointed" by the party's decision to suspend him just six weeks after his successful election. Causeway Coast and Glens representative Adrian McQuillan has been suspended for six months by the party. The former MLA said the decision was made following several issues in the run up to last month's local government elections, including his use of "unauthorised" election posters. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Councillor McQuillan said he is "deeply disappointed" by the decision and is seeking advice from his solicitor. "There was a lot of stuff going on during the election, a whole saga, the issue about the election posters was part of it," he said. "The issue was, I used my old MLA posters, which didn't have my running mate on them - but at the time I put them up I was the only candidate selected by the party. "After my election I was told by the party that I would not be allowed to take up any positions on the council, so I knew something was coming." Adrian McQuillan has been a DUP member since 1996 and held an Assembly seat in the East Londonderry constituency for ten years from 2007 to 2017. He lost his Assembly seat in 2017 and last month was elected in the Bann ward of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, garnering 1,047 first preference votes. Councillor McQuillan said the party carried out an investigation into events in the run up to the election, but "my side of the story" wasn't heard. "They party carried out an investigation, but in my opinion they had already made up their mind to suspend me. It's just very disappointing it's ended up like this," he said. "All I can say is I will continue to work for all my constituents, everyone who voted for me and all those who didn't. Anyone who comes to me for help, I will do all I can to help them. One party doesn't make a person, a person makes a party." The Bann representative refused to say whether he is considering leaving the party and sitting as an independent councillor. Councillor McQuillan previously courted controversy for urging residents of Garvagh, Co Londonderry, to "make sure all your outhouses are locked" after members of the Travelling community moved into the area. His comments were labelled "racist", however he defended them stating he was simply "putting out a warning to my community". The DUP said it does not comment on internal party matters. The owner of the Greenvale Hotel where three teenagers died on St Patrick's Day has said he will not demolish the building before police investigations are over. Lauren Bullock, 17, Morgan Barnard, 17, and 16-year-old Connor Currie died after they were crushed near the hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, in an incident which witnesses described as chaotic. The BBC reports some of the bereaved families had expressed concern at a planning application which has been submitted earlier this week to redevelop the hotel. The building itself remains a key piece of evidence into the police investigation into the deaths. Two men, including the hotel owner, remain on police bail over the matter. A planning application from the hotels owner, Michael McElhatton, 52, was received on Tuesday by Mid Ulster Council for the proposed demolition of the hotel and its replacement with properties and garages, located at 57 Drum Road. Darragh Mackin, who acts for the family of Morgan Barnard, told the BBC the family are "cautious and nervous" about plans to demolish the hotel, adding they may take legal action to stop the building's removal. Expand Close Morgan Barnard, Lauren Bullock and Connor Currie. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Morgan Barnard, Lauren Bullock and Connor Currie. Mr McElhatton, in a statement to the BBC, said their will be no changes to the hotel in the near future. "There are weddings booked at Greenvale up to 2022 and assurances have been provided to families that all these bookings will be honoured," a spokesperson for Mr McElhatton said. "There are no plans to make any change to the hotel or its operations for at least the next four years." A Police Ombudsman investigation has also been undertaken after questions arose over the response of the first police officers to the scene. The officers waited for an ambulance to arrive before approaching the crowd. The tragedy happened as a disco took place inside the venue. More than 400 people had gathered outside the hotel before the crush, police said. Detectives have traced 160 witnesses to the incident, which remains under investigation. Diageo, owners of Guinness, has cancelled its sponsorship of London Irish Rugby Club over the signing of former Ulster star Paddy Jackson. The drinks company has been synonymous with the club after a near three-decade association. The newly-promoted Premiership club last month announced the signing of the ex-Ireland international, who, along with his then Ulster and Ireland team-mate Stuart Olding, was found not guilty of rape at a trial in Belfast in 2018. In a statement to The Irish Times, a Diageo spokesman said: "We have met with the club to express our concerns. Their recent decision is not consistent with our values and so we have ended our sponsorship." Earlier this week, Diageo said it had "serious concerns" regarding the decision to sign Paddy Jackson. A London Irish spokesman told the Belfast Telegraph: "London Irishs management is understandably disappointed that Diageo has chosen not to renew its sponsorship agreement with the club, and particularly the manner in which the company has chosen to do so. "The club has always respected the right for everyone to have an opinion, and their right to express that opinion. "London Irish has been open and honest with all of its sponsors, including offering to meet Diageos senior management in Dublin in May, 2019. This offer was not taken up. "London Irish will be moving on without the support of Diageo, who have chosen to stand down after a nearly 30 year association with the club. It is regretful that this relationship has ended in the manner that it has. "The club will make no further statement at this time." Last week, London Irish said Cash Converters' decision to discontinue its association with the club was not related to Jackson's signing. Cash Converters responded to a number of tweets about the club's decision to bring in the fly-half, saying it had decided- after a thorough review- to discontinue its association with the club. "The club would like to clarify that the decision to part ways at the end of 2018/19 season was made before the announcement of player signings in May 2019, and for reasons unrelated to player signings," a club statement read. Two former IRA bombers have been handed jail sentences following a money laundering trial in Spain. Leonard 'Bap' Hardy, and his wife Donna Maguire, once dubbed the Angel of Death, were each given a two-year jail term by the National High Court in Madrid. The pair were found guilty of laundering the profits from "illicit activity" through property purchases in the provinces of Alicante and Malaga between 2005 and 2008 which totalled more than 850,000. Witness Michael Barret, who led a British customs investigation into a large scale tobacco and alcohol smuggling racket, linked Hardy with illegal activities, the four-day trial in April heard. Annual earnings of the accused in Spain, UK and Ireland amounted to a total of 25,800, the prosecution said. Prosecutor Carlos Bautista said an apartment bought in the Costa del Sol town of Nerja was made through a front company, Spanish firm Vinea Import Export, which Hardy's wife controlled as a majority shareholder. The court has issued a liquidating order for the company. The three-judge panel led by Carmen Paloma Gonzalez also handed the pair a fine of 877,218 in the verdict issued on Tuesday and which was released yesterday. Hardy (57) and Maguire (52) - once Europe's most wanted woman - have a 10-day window to appeal. They are believed to be at their home in Co Louth. Their defence lawyer, Luis Casaubon, refused to comment on the sentence. In court, Hardy spoke angrily of the couple's December 2014 arrest in the Canary Islands which he claimed was carried out at the behest of the British Government. Spanish police arrested the ex-IRA pair in a Lanzarote hotel, where they were staying with their four children, aged between nine and 17 at the time. After news of the pair's arrest had emerged, Spain's National Police said in a January 2015 statement: "National Police officers have smashed an organisation involved in smuggling tobacco and alcohol. "Among those arrested are the organisation's alleged ringleader and his wife, both ex-IRA members." In 2012, Hardy was arrested at Stansted Airport in Essex with several alleged gang members as part of a British customs probe into illegal sales of cigarettes and alcohol. His subsequent trial at Kingston Crown Court collapsed in June 2018 as no evidence was presented by the prosecution. Hardy, from Belfast, was sentenced to six years in jail for trying to blow up a British Army base at Osnabruck, Germany in 1989. He walked free because the offence happened before the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. His wife was handed a nine-year sentence in Germany in 1995 after being found guilty of attempted murder and explosive offences over the attack. She was also convicted of spying on military bases but was released because she had spent six years on remand. Ex-IRA terrorist Maguire had previously described the case against the pair as a "load of nonsense" following her arrest in Lanzarote after flying to the island for a post-Ch ristmas break on December 29, 2014. A DUP MP has welcomed the start of a formal consultation on a proposal to add folic acid to flour. It is a campaign close to the hearts of Nigel and Diane Dodds, as their son Andrew was born with spina bifida. He died in 1998 just before his ninth birthday. Read More The couple have been long-term campaigners in favour of the proposal and the North Belfast MP co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Folic Acid Fortification in Westminster. He said: "It is widely recognised that taking the B vitamin folic acid during pregnancy can help prevent certain brain and spine birth defects, known as neural tube defects. "The most effective way of increasing intake across the population is through the fortification of flour with folic acid, which has been shown to have no side-effects. "Since folic acid fortification was introduced in the United State of America in 1998, it is estimated that around 1,300 babies are born each year without an NTD who might otherwise have been affected. "As co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group at Westminster, I warmly welcome that formal statutory consultation is now getting under way." The 12-week consultation will be conducted on a UK-wide basis and will be available on the Gov.uk website. It follows years of campaigning by charities including Shine, which represents people with spina bifida and wants to see folic acid added to flour in a bid to cut birth defects. Pregnant women are currently advised to take a folic acid supplement before conceiving and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to cut the risk of their baby developing spina bifida or anencephaly, where the majority of the brain never develops. But some women forget to take the supplement, do not heed the advice or do not discover they are pregnant until it is too late. Around 1,000 pregnancies are affected by neural tube defects each year in the UK and more than 40% of cases are fatal. Under the plans to fortify flour, experts predict that around 200 birth defects a year could be prevented. "We all want to give our children the best start in life and a birth defect diagnosis is devastating for parents," Public Health Minister Seema Kennedy said. "The simple measure of adding folic acid to flour would help spare hundreds of families from such a life-changing event. Women from the poorest areas are less likely to take folic acid supplements and it is right that we do all we can to protect the most vulnerable in society." Shine chief executive Kate Steele said she was delighted the proposal had taken a major step forward. "After more than 25 years of campaigning for this, we look forward to the day that mandatory fortification with folic acid finally becomes a reality," she said. "Its introduction will change many lives for the better by reducing the incidence of anencephaly and spina bifida. "This relatively simple step will give new babies and children, and their families, the chance of happier, healthier lives." Folic acid fortification has been adopted in more than 60 countries including the US, Australia and Canada. In Australia neural tube defects fell 14% following the mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid. Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 14th June 2019 Underwater searches are conducted by a specialist team in Castle Espie Wetlands area outside Comber in Co. Down. Police continue the search or 55-year-old Pat McCormick as part of their murder investigation. Mr McCormick was last seen in the Comber area on May 30. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye . Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 14th June 2019 Underwater searches are conducted by a specialist team in Castle Espie Wetlands area outside Comber in Co. Down. Police continue the search or 55-year-old Pat McCormick as part of their murder investigation. Mr McCormick was last seen in the Comber area on May 30. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye . Underwater searches are conducted by a specialist team in Castle Espie Wetlands area outside Comber in Co. Down. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye . The family of a missing Co Down man believed to have been murdered are suffering "immense distress" at not knowing what happened to their loved one, a senior PSNI officer has said. Married father-of-four William McCormick (55), who was known as Pat, was last seen on a street in Comber at around 10.45pm on May 30. Yesterday the police officer leading the murder investigation revealed officers were following significant new evidence. Detective Chief Inspector Pete Montgomery also pleaded with those responsible for Mr McCormick's killing to disclose the location of the body for the sake of his relatives. "It is now two weeks on from Pat's disappearance and his family remain absolutely devastated," he said. "They deserve to know what has happened to him and deserve to have his body back." The officer reiterated that police believe the motive behind the killing of the church caretaker could be connected to a "change in lifestyle" of the victim. However, he would not disclose further details. It had previously emerged that Mr McCormick's elderly mother knew where her son was going on the night he vanished. However, the PSNI has said it cannot reveal details of his planned route. Expand Close A watch the police are trying to find PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A watch the police are trying to find Mr Montgomery's appeal comes as specialist police teams visited wetlands near Castle Espie on the outskirts of Comber today to carry out an underwater search following information from the local community. Police will also be carrying out a significant route search in the Comber area with the help of the community rescue team. Last night officers handed leaflets to motorists in Comber in a bid to glean further information. Mr Montgomery disclosed a key line of enquiry focuses on the centre of Comber the day after the ex-soldier was last seen. Addressing the public directly, he asked: "Were you in Comber on Friday, May 31 from 7am and specifically did you walk or drive into the car park at the rear of Castle Street/High Street? "This car park is adjacent to SuperValu and includes the rear of Comber pharmacy and LGs Fish and Chips. "Did you see anyone in this car park acting suspiciously?" Mr Montgomery added: "Please cast your mind back to that morning. "Did you see anyone walk from the flats on Castle Street into this car park via a wooden gate carrying anything?" Expand Close Missing man William McCormick / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Missing man William McCormick The senior detective revealed officers had visited 137 premises from which a total of 96 hours of CCTV have been obtained. Officers have also overseen 15 searches and interviewed 100 individuals so far, which has led to the discovery of new evidence, he added. "We're still trying to locate Pat's clothes, including his Ben Sherman watch," said Mr Montgomery. An expert in missing persons at the National Crime Agency has been consulted as part of the ongoing probe, he revealed. Mr Montgomery also said that accusations Mr McCormick stalked a woman a year ago do not form part of the investigation. "I'm aware of (the reports) but it's not a line of enquiry I'm following," he said. The focus of the investigation, he stressed, is on ensuring that Mr McCormick's loved ones get answers. "I've met with Pat's family on a number of occasions and it's the not knowing that is causing them immense distress," he said. "I would also like to appeal to those directly responsible to come forward to police. "Examine your conscience and allow Pat's family to give him a proper burial. You are denying them this right." Four people - three men aged 20, 26 and 39 and a 20-year-old woman - were arrested in connection to the investigation and later released on bail. Her husband Richard Sterritt, who died in 2016 A neighbour involved in a dispute with a Markethill family over the playing of Lambeg drums has told a court he feared they could develop a super drum capable of reaching 200 decibels and causing instantaneous deafness. Those involved in the row that has been rumbling on since last year have been warned by a judge that it cant go on beyond the end of this month. The family of Richard Sterritt, who died in 2016 aged 52, have a long tradition of drumming. But last year a complaint was lodged by neighbour Kenneth Hartley, who objected to the noise. Mr Sterritts widow Kelley received a noise abatement notice from Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council last August instructing her that the drums could only be played at certain times, amounting to one hour per week. The council stipulated the days and times when the drumming would be acceptable. She launched a challenge to this at Armagh Magistrates Court. Her lawyer said there was no change in recent times to the amount or intensity of drumming at their home, and questioned what had changed for the council to bring about the action. It was stressed that Mrs Sterritt accepted the drums were loud but they had been played for years without any complaints from neighbours. However, she said she was willing to work towards an accommodation in the matter. A council lawyer contended it acted after the noise complaint was received. At that time Mr Hartley told the court the noise was having a negative impact on his familys life and cited concerns that the Sterritt family could develop a drum capable of reaching 200 decibels and causing instantaneous deafness. At a preliminary hearing last September the Sterritt family was given permission to continuing playing the drums when they please, pending the outcome of the challenge. By January District Judge Peter King decided mediators should be introduced in the hope a resolution can be found, otherwise he would make a ruling. Mediation was commenced but the issue remains unresolved, with the council seeking more time. At the most recent court sitting Judge King asked Mr Hartley if mediation was ongoing. He replied: It was on for a time. Things improved somewhat but it (drumming) is still ongoing, especially at weekends. Judge King added: The council want mediation to continue. My view is this cant go on beyond the end of this month. The council are the lead party and its my view they want more time to let mediation run its course. He agreed to an adjournment until June 25. An artist's impression of how the new waterside development on the banks of the Lagan in east Belfast could look Politicians in east Belfast have welcomed city council approval for plans to turn the derelict Sirocco Works site into a waterside development providing offices for 8,000 workers and homes for more than 1,500 residents. The ambitious plan got the go-ahead at the council's planning committee last night. Belfast City Council says the development will transform the east bank of the city, with plans for community, cultural and leisure facilities such as cafes, bars, restaurants and shops, as well as a new Lagan bridge. Councillor Arder Carson, chair of the planning committee, said: "This is a massive step forward for Belfast, with the potential to create almost 20% of the jobs pledged through the Belfast Agenda, as well as providing new space for city centre living, another of our key goals. "I'm also pleased that this project will not only finally transform a site which has been out of use since 1999, but also provide affordable housing units, responding to housing need and ensuring it becomes a place for everyone, with the facilities required to reflect our expected growth in our population by 2035." Local politicians welcomed the council decision. DUP representative George Dorrian told the Belfast Telegraph: "This development has the potential to transform this part of the city - the plans are very impressive. "The site has been derelict for a long time,and it's good news that things are moving forward." Sinn Fein east Belfast representative Mairead O'Donnell said: "The commitment by a private developer to the provision of social housing on-site is a positive and unprecedented step and comes after extensive engagement between Sinn Fein, community groups and local housing providers. "The site formerly occupied by the Sirocco factory has lain empty and derelict for over 10 years, and has passed through previous ownerships with much promise, but unfortunately no delivery. "It is a site with massive potential to transform this part of the city and deliver investment in jobs, leisure and housing." It is alleged a man racially abused a family on a Belfast to Dublin train. Police are investigating after a man allegedly racially abused a family on a train travelling from Belfast to Dublin. The incident is reported to have occurred on Sunday June 9 while a family were travelling on the 7.05pm train from Belfast to Dublin. At around 8.15pm a man boarded the train at Dundalk. It is alleged that he then began racially abusing the family. Gardai are appealing for witnesses and are asking that anyone with information in relation to the incident to make contact with investigating Gardai at Dundalk Garda Station. Officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have mobile phone footage or a voice recording of the incident. Anyone with information can contact Dundalk Garda Station on 042-9388400, the Garda Confidential line 1800 666111, or any Garda Station. Underwater searches are conducted by a specialist team in Castle Espie Wetlands area outside Comber in Co. Down. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye . Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 14th June 2019 Underwater searches are conducted by a specialist team in Castle Espie Wetlands area outside Comber in Co. Down. Police continue the search or 55-year-old Pat McCormick as part of their murder investigation. Mr McCormick was last seen in the Comber area on May 30. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye . Press Eye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 14th June 2019 Underwater searches are conducted by a specialist team in Castle Espie Wetlands area outside Comber in Co. Down. Police continue the search or 55-year-old Pat McCormick as part of their murder investigation. Mr McCormick was last seen in the Comber area on May 30. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye . New information has been received by police investigating the disappearance of a Co Down man, the detective leading the murder probe said. Detective Chief Inspector Pete Montgomery was speaking on Friday as an underwater search was carried out for 55-year-old William McCormick, known as Pat. Mr McCormick was last seen in Comber on May 30. Police believe he was murdered. Major Investigation Team detectives investigating the murder of 55 year old William (Pat) McCormick have received new information following last nights media appeal and road stop in the Comber town centre. (1/2) Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) June 14, 2019 On Thursday, two weeks on from his disappearance, police carried out a media appeal and road stop in Comber. Mr Montgomery said that, as a result, they have received new information and thanked for the community for their co-operation. On Friday police searched a lake and wetland for the missing father of four. An underwater search with a specialist team was carried out at Castle Espie Wetlands. On Saturday a significant route search will be carried out in the Comber area with the help of the Community Rescue Team. Mr McCormick was last seen driving his black car on Castle Street in Comber at about 10.30pm on Thursday May 30. Expand Close William McCormick was last seen in Comber on May 30 (PSNI/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp William McCormick was last seen in Comber on May 30 (PSNI/PA) CCTV footage released by the PSNI shows Mr McCormick crossing Castle Street and walking through an archway. TEL AVIV - In response to the launching of a rocket from Gaza on Thursday evening, which hit a Jewish religious school in Sderot, the Israeli Air Force targeted Hamas in the Gaza Strip. ''Infrastructure of terror on military bases and a naval position of Hamas were hit,'' an army spokesman said, adding that Israel will ''continue to operate against every attempt to harm Israeli civilians.'' The spokesperson said that Israel holds Hamas responsible for everything that comes from Gaza. A similar banner was put up in Portadown town centre earlier this year. PSNI officers did not intervene when a masked man put up a controversial banner in Armagh city centre supporting an ex-British soldier facing murder charges over Bloody Sunday, a Sinn Fein MP has claimed. Newry and Armagh MP Mickey Brady said a masked man put up the Soldier F banner "in broad daylight" and claimed that PSNI officers were "nearby" at the time and did not intervene. He said: "It is wrong that this banner has been erected in Armagh city centre in the first instance but it is absolutely unacceptable that the PSNI stood by at the bottom of the ladder and watched while a masked man put it up. "Incidents like this do nothing to support efforts to build community confidence in the PSNI. "I have called for an urgent meeting with the PSNI over this and will be challenging them to explain why police officers stood by and watched while a masked man was in the city centre in broad daylight." Chief Inspector Barney O'Connor told the Belfast Telegraph: "Police received a report of a banner erected at the Gaol Square area of Armagh yesterday evening (Thursday 13th June). "Upon arrival of police, a number of people were spoken to. One person was wearing a scarf over their face. "As part of our enquiries, police will review body worn footage taken by an officer in attendance." Thirteen people were killed and 15 wounded when members of the Parachute regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry's Bogside on January 30, 1972. A 14th person died in hospital. One soldier, known as "Soldier F", is facing prosecution for the killing of two men on the day and attempted murder of four others. Since the announcement, Parachute Regiment flags and banners in support of Soldier F have appeared across Northern Ireland, erected by those who feel British soldiers are being unfairly investigated for their actions during the Troubles. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson used his trip to Dublin to launch an attack on the Irish government Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is driving the UK towards a no-deal Brexit by subcontracting Northern Ireland policy to the EU, the DUP's chief whip has claimed. In a stinging attack on the Irish government, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said Mr Varadkar and Tanaiste Simon Coveney knew the border was "sensitive" but rather than look for consensus they sought to turn it into "a bargaining chip which could be used by Brussels". Mr Donaldson told the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin that the DUP does not want a hard border but it will not accept the backstop. "The Irish government sought a solution to Brexit which they must know does not have the support of unionists - the so-called backstop. "They abandoned the politics of consensus and instead now find themselves claiming to be a guarantor of the Belfast Agreement, while being at loggerheads with Westminster and unionism in Northern Ireland," he said. Mr Donaldson added that "megaphone diplomacy" had taken over. Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard said the DUP cannot hide its support for a hard Brexit by trying to blame others. The South Down MP said: "It is ridiculous for the DUP to claim that the Irish government is somehow responsible for driving Britain towards a no-deal Brexit. "In reality it is the DUP propping up the British Tories and aligning themselves with the hardliners in the Tories who are competing with each other to deliver the hardest Brexit that is driving us towards a disastrous no-deal crash out. "They are doing this in total contradiction of the democratically expressed views of the people of the north. "The DUP cannot hide their support for a hard Brexit by trying to deflect the blame onto others." Jemma McGrath (left) with Prince Charles at the Youth Can Do It event in London A 29-year-old Belfast woman who was shot nine times by the UVF has showcased her beauty business at a royal reception in London. Jemma McGrath, who launched her firm #Makeupurlife after completing The Prince's Trust Enterprise programme, met Charles at the Youth Can Do It event. Jemma was shot six years ago and underwent one of the longest operations ever carried out at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Three months later she started trying to walk again and after getting used to crutches and the pins in her arms, she fine-tuned her make-up skills using social media. She then took a friend's advice by joining Enterprise, a Prince's Trust programme that helps unemployed young people start up a business. The event celebrated the achievements of people like Jemma who have been helped by the trust's Enterprise programme. Boris Johnson is favourite to become the next Prime Minister DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said Tory leadership hopeful Boris Johnson will not become Prime Minister without the party's support. The former Foreign Secretary is currently the front runner in the race to become the next Tory leader and Prime Minister, with the winner of the contest expected to be announced in the week of July 22. Any incoming PM, however, would require the support of the DUP to stay in that position, as Arlene Foster's party is in a confidence-and -supply agreement with the Conservatives, effectively keeping them in power. Read More On BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback show on Friday, Jeffrey Donaldson was asked how the party would respond if Boris Johnson "did a u-turn" on his stance on the Irish backstop and "put a border down the Irish Sea" if he became PM. In response, the Lagan Valley MP warned: "Well, I think you'll find that without the 10 DUP votes Boris Johnson would not be Prime Minister. I don't think I need to add to that, do I?" The backstop is an insurance policy within the EU Withdrawal Agreement designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. In order to do this, the mechanism would keep the UK in the EU customs union and Northern Ireland in large parts of the EU single market, if alternative arrangements cannot be found by the time the UK leaves. While the DUP have remained staunchly opposed to the backstop, which they see as a threat to the Union, Boris Johnson's position on the issue has changed in recent months. At the end of March, Prime Minister Theresa May brought her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, containing the backstop, before MPs in the Commons. Despite voting it down on two previous occasions, Boris Johnson voted in favour of the deal the third time round. Last weekend, however, he declared in an interview he would "scrap the backstop" altogether and settle the border issue only when the EU is ready to agree a future relationship. Alliance leader Naomi Long has said there is "little prospect" of a breakthrough in the Stormont talks due to "tension and a lack of trust" between parties. Talks aimed at restoring power-sharing have been ongoing since the council elections last month, with Tanaiste Simon Coveney stating negotiations are now focused on "three or four key areas where we don't have agreed compromise right now". Announcing talks would intensify earlier this month, the secretary of state said there was a narrow window of opportunity to restore the devolved institutions. Talks between Sinn Fein and the DUP collapsed in February 2018 after a disagreement over an Irish Language Act. Read More Speaking to the Irish News, Naomi Long said it would be an "uphill battle" to secure a deal before the end of the month, with the Brexit extension and resignation of Theresa May as Prime Minister adding to the difficulties. "To be blunt, as far as agreement before the summer goes, I think the deck is heavily stacked against us," she said. "If I really had to call it I think it can be done by the end of June and I believe it should be done by the end of June, but I think it possibly won't be done by the end of June and that would be a shame." Mrs Long, who won a seat in the European Parliament last month, also voiced her opinion on the Tory leadership contest, stating front runner Boris Johnson is "in the same mould as Trump - you either laugh or you cry". "I think Boris is an opportunist I think he will say what is required to get himself into Number 10 and to become prime minister but once he is there he will say what he likes," she said. "He is less of an ideological Brexiteer than many of his colleagues and has used Brexit as a mechanism to become prime minister." She also poured scorn on Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who she described as an "integrationist and anti-devolutionist who vehemently opposed the Good Friday Agreement". In 2000, Mr Gove wrote a paper called Northern Ireland: the Price of Peace, in which he was strongly critical of the Good Friday Agreement, which he called a rigged referendum, a mortal stain and a humiliation of our army, police and parliament. Brother Tom Forde lashed out at people who were "morally rotten or at least infected" A bishop has apologised for the hurt caused by a friar's comments about gay people and those who use contraceptives, likening them to infected zombies. Bishop of Ossory Dermot Farrell issued a statement expressing his sadness at the "inappropriate language and sentiments" used during a homily at the Capuchin Friary in Co Kilkenny last weekend. Brother Tom Forde told the shocked congregation: "We sense that many of those around us are physically alive but spiritually dead, morally rotten or at least infected." Read More He lashed out at spiritual zombies in "the abuse of drugs and alcohol, adultery, fornication and homosexuality, as well as in the acceptance of abortion and contraception and in the move to legalise euthanasia". Saying he was a fan of TV programmes like The Walking Dead, he said: "The only way to deal with the monsters is to stab or shoot them in the brain." The bishop, in whose diocese the Kilkenny friary is located, said: "Words can hurt, and care needs to be taken by all, in all situations, so as not to alienate, hurt or cause offence. Furthermore, when harm is done an apology is to be given." Expand Close The Cappuchin Friary Catholic Church in Kilkenny where Fr. Tom Forde gave his homily. Credit: Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Cappuchin Friary Catholic Church in Kilkenny where Fr. Tom Forde gave his homily. Credit: Gerry Mooney He said that at the heart of the Christian Gospel is the welcome Christ has "for all people". The Gospel is about "the welcome and inclusion of all; as every person - no matter their faith, or race, or sexual orientation - is made by God and is loved by God," he said. The bishop said he was saddened that a liturgy was used to convey any sentiment "so at variance with this understanding of God". However, Colm O'Gorman, executive director of Amnesty Ireland, expressed regret that the bishop's statement did not go further. He said it went "some way to address the vile and inappropriate comments made" in Fr Forde's homily. "While I welcome it, it would have been better if the bishop had called out the homily's shameful homophobia." While he did not expect the Church to change its "homophobic teaching any day soon", Mr O'Gorman said it was up to Church leaders to ensure that the Church's language in this area was moderated. The human rights advocate added that it was up to the State to ensure that no one can incite hatred. Following the public outcry over the homily, Brother Forde took notes down from his blog where he had posted them following Saturday's Mass. The friar was not available for comment, but a statement was issued in response to the furore by Brother Sean Kelly, Superior of the Kilkenny friary. "The Capuchin Order wishes to state that all are welcome in our churches, irrespective of sexual orientation," it said. "Unfortunate comments were made about homosexuality last Saturday, which gay people would have found hurtful, and we deeply regret this," it continued. "When asked about gay people, Pope Francis has said, 'Who am I to judge?' And speaking to a gay man at an audience in the Vatican he said, 'God made you like this and he loves you'. "We support Pope Francis in his comments on gay people and we will continue to be guided by him and by our own mission statement, which states that we affirm that our fraternities will be places of prayer, hospitality and outreach to all." Two men have been killed in a light aircraft crash in the Republic of Ireland. The privately owned plane took off from a small airstrip outside Athy at around 7.20pm yesterday. Minutes later it disappeared and a search for the missing craft was immediately launched. A search and rescue helicopter from the Irish Coastguard Service located the plane in a field in the townland of Belan, Moone, Kildare, shortly after 4.30am. The two men were pronounced dead at the scene and their bodies were taken to Naas General Hospital. The two deceased men were from Dundrum in Dublin and Kildare. Rescuers said there was no debris at the scene or any immediate indication why the craft crashed. "It looked like the craft just literally dropped out of the sky, like a stone", one said today. The two men have been identified but their names have not been released as they have relatives living overseas. One man was in his 70s and the other in his 50s. Officials from the air accident investigation unit in the Department of Transport and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) are at the scene and helping local gardai with their inquiries into the incident. The deputy coroner for Kildare, Dr Loretta Nolan, from the Curragh, has also been called in. An IAA spokesperson commented: "The IAA is supporting the investigation being carried out by the AAIU and offer sincere condolence to the deceased and their family. We can not comment at this time due to the ongoing investigation." The Air Accident Investigation Unit said in a statement confirmed that they are also investigating the crash. They said in a statement today: "Two Inspectors of Air Accidents have deployed and have commenced an Investigation at the scene. "The aircraft was registered in the United Kingdom and was engaged on a local flight from Kilrush Airfield yesterday evening." The deputy coroner for Kildare, Dr Loretta Nolan, from the Curragh, has also been called in. Local gardai said they were currently trying to contact members of the families of the dead men to tell them of the tragic news. It is understood that the men had taken off from Athy on a leisure flight and the alarm was raised immediately after the pilot lost contact. The report into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme could be published in September, it is understood. The Irish News has reported the findings of the inquiry, led by Sir Patrick Coghlin, is not expected to be published until after the summer. However, a spokesperson for the RHI Inquiry said "no date has been set" for the publication of the report and Sir Patrick continues to work on it. Read More The report is set to include recommendations for future governance in Northern Ireland as Sir Patrick works to establish exactly how the RHI scandal unfolded. RHI landed Stormont with an overspend bill once projected at almost 500million and was cited by former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness as one of his reasons for resigning in January 2017. The inquiry heard a number of allegations directed against senior DUP figures, including leader Arlene Foster, and special advisers. Alliance leader Naomi Long said that the report could have an effect on talks aiming to restore power-sharing at Stormont. Expand Close Alliance leader Naomi Long / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alliance leader Naomi Long Sinn Fein had previously said it would not return to Stormont with Mrs Foster as First Minister over the scandal, but have since relaxed their stance. Mrs Long speculated that the report may not be published until "autumn at the earliest", due to a "protracted period of to-ing and fro-ing". She said that while she did not think attributing blame was the most important issue, it was not an excuse for those who acted improperly during the scandal. "I think if people continue, as unfortunately seemed to happen during the time of the inquiry, to bury their head in the sand as though this was not an issue, then I think people will find that much more of an issue that's difficult to deal with," she said. "You have to have trust and confidence and we all know that has been damaged at a whole series of different levels." RHI was intended to incentivise farmers and other business owners to switch to wood pellet burning boilers by offering them a subsidy to purchase the fuel. Catastrophic errors at government level meant subsidy levels were set higher than it actually cost to buy the pellets, so applicants were effectively able to make a profit on public money by burning boilers without limits. Tariffs were then introduced in an attempt to stop the payments spiralling out of control. ANSAmed - Weekly Diary from June 14 to June 23 (ANSAmed) - ROME, JUNE 14 - Weekly diary of the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean area from June 17 to June 23: MONDAY JUNE 17 VARIOUS CITIES - World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. LUXEMBOURG - EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. TUNIS - Big Summit Africa Moves, African economic forum (until 21/6). PESARO - Experimental theatre 'Donne di cinema. Sguardi sul Cinema spagnolo contemporaneo' ('Women of Cinema, a Look at Contemporary Spanish Cinema) as part of the 55th Internationaal Festival of New Cinema of Pesaro (until 22/6). FLORENCE - The Turkish writer and dissident Burhan Sonmez will be presenting his new novel, 'Labirinto' at Libreria Todo Modo. He will then present the book in Bologna the following day. TUESDAY JUNE 18 LUXEMBOURG - EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting. ROME - Presentation at Associazione della Stampa Estera of 'United Against Inhumanity', an international campaign launched by individuals, civil society groups and NGOs to raise awareness on respect for human rights and the protection of civilians in conflicts. WEDNESDAY JUNE 19 ROME - Presentation at Associazione della Stampa Estera of Global Trends 2018, an annual statistics report by UNHCR on the flow of men, women and children fleeing war. BRUSSELS - European Commission Vice President Frans Timmersman will be receiving Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Global March Against Child Labour, an international campaign for children's rights and against the exploitation of child labor. SINTRA (PORTUGAL) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will be giving a speech at a forum on central banking organised by the European Central Bank. FEZ (MOROCCO ) - A World Youth Orchestra tour comes to and end in Beirut with a concert as part of the Festival of Holy Music of Fez. MAZARA DEL VALLO - The 3rd edition of the sailing competition Euroafrica Cup 2019 will begin (until 29/6). THURSDAY JUNE 20 VARIOUS CITIES - World Refugee Day. BRUSSELS - European Council meeting (also 21/6). TUNIS - Visit by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, now professor at Georgetown University, who will be charing the board of directors meeting of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. TUNISI-GAMMARTH - The 19th edition of the Tunisia Investment Forum - TIF 2019 will begin (also 21/6). FRIDAY JUNE 21 ROME - EU Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis will be taking part in the African Union-EU ministerial conference on agriculture on food safety standards for intra-African trade. SATURDAY JUNE 22 ROME - The Instituto Cervantes will be opening its doors to celebrate 'Dia E, Dia del Espanol'. SUNDAY JUNE 23 NO MAJOR EVENT SCHEDULED. (ANSAmed). Avril Jones and Edward Cairney, who have been convicted of murdering Margaret Fleming (Police Scotland/PA) A man and a woman who made the life of the young woman they should have been caring for a living hell have been convicted of her murder. Margaret Fleming, who had learning difficulties, vanished from the face of the Earth around December 1999. Her body has never been found. Following a seven-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow, her supposed carers, Edward Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 59, were found guilty of murdering the missing woman. Jones was also convicted unanimously of fraudulently claiming 182,000 in benefits by pretending Ms Fleming, who would now have been 38, was alive.Speaking after the conviction, Detective Superintendent Paul Livingstone, senior investigating officer in the case, said money was one of the motivations of the evil and greedy pair. Expand Close Detective Superintendent Paul Livingstone gives a statement to the media outside the High Court in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Detective Superintendent Paul Livingstone gives a statement to the media outside the High Court in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA) He said: The treatment which she was subjected to can only be described as horrific and the conditions in which she lived in were utterly disgusting and uninhabitable. For Cairney and Jones to continue the charade that she was still alive for all these years is abhorrent, with one of their reasons for doing so being for financial gain. We will never know just how Margaret was killed. What we do know is that she lived her last days in what can only be described as a living hell. She must have felt that she was alone in the world with no-one coming to help her, which is just heartbreaking to think of. Expand Close Margaret Fleming was killed between December 18 1999 and January 5 2000 (Police Scotland/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Margaret Fleming was killed between December 18 1999 and January 5 2000 (Police Scotland/PA) Jurors found the couple murdered Margaret by unknown means between December 18 1999 and January 5 2000 at their home in Inverkip, Inverclyde, or elsewhere in Scotland, and then tried to cover up the crime for almost 18 years. The jury took around three hours over two days to reach their majority verdict on the murder charge. Lord Matthews told the pair: You have been convicted of the murder of Margaret Fleming. The only sentence the court can impose is one of life imprisonment, however, as part of that I have to fix a period which must pass before you are eligible to apply for parole. He deferred sentence until July 17, pending reports. Police launched an investigation after it became apparent in October 2016 that Ms Fleming was missing. Routine social services inquiries were said to have sparked concerns over her whereabouts. It was claimed the last independent sighting of her was actually at a family event on December 17 1999. Expand Close Police remove contents from the cottage in Inverkip (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police remove contents from the cottage in Inverkip (Andrew Milligan/PA) Her supposed carers were arrested in October 2017. During their trial, which began in April this year, Ms Fleming was described by prosecutors as a friendless and lonely young woman who had significant difficulties. She went to live at the Seacroft home of the accused following the death of her father when she was a teenager after those closest to her didnt want her. By October 1999, various benefits for Ms Fleming flowed into the household, which was said to have had financial difficulties. The Crown suggested it was tempting for the couple to have the money but not the inconvenience of looking after her. How and exactly when Ms Fleming died may never be fully known.It remains, as the defence highlighted, a case without a body and without a crime scene. Holding them jointly responsibility for the death, the Crown claimed the couple literally got away with murder for 16 years. Expand Close Edward Cairney, 77, from Inverkip, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow ahead of his conviction (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Edward Cairney, 77, from Inverkip, arrives at the High Court in Glasgow ahead of his conviction (Jane Barlow/PA) Money was the motive behind the terrible crime, the court heard, with the pair cooking up an elaborate scheme to conceal her disappearance. They were ultimately brought down by greed, arrogance and lies after Jones made claims of Ms Fleming having fantastical illnesses and conditions in correspondence with benefits officials. As police zoned in on the couple, their fabricated stories to explain Ms Flemings absence became increasingly farcical as they tried to reconcile claims she was both working as a gangmaster and capable of travelling overseas, and that she was someone with major difficulties requiring a number of benefits. Commuters faced annoyance and disruption on Friday, as climate change campaigners blocked major London roads during rush-hour. Extinction Rebellion Lewisham swarmed roads in the south-east of the capital in an attempt to put pressure on the Government over air quality. Air pollution in the borough of Lewisham was found to be approximately six times higher than safe levels recommended by the World Health Organisation in 2017. Expand Close Extinction Rebellion protesters demonstrate outside Lewisham station (Caitlin Doherty/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Extinction Rebellion protesters demonstrate outside Lewisham station (Caitlin Doherty/PA) The recommended amount of PM2.5 particles, which can cause asthma and other respiratory problems, is 25 micrograms per cubic metre of air; however, highs of 150mg were recorded in Lewisham from October 2016 to September 2017 Holly, 34, who did not give her surname, was caught up in traffic jams after protesters blocked the A205 South Circular in Catford, the A21 at Lewisham station, and the A2 in Deptford, until about 9am. While stuck in her car outside Lewisham station, annoyed Holly said: Its backed up and Ive been sat in it for more than half an hour. Im definitely going to be late for work now. Expand Close Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters block a road in Catford (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Extinction Rebellion climate change protesters block a road in Catford (Dominic Lipinski/PA) However, others were more supportive of the protest. Graham, who also did not give his surname, did not take part in the action, but applauded Extinction Rebellion and called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to resign over pollution. The Lewisham resident said: The mans a disgrace. I cant see that theyre doing anything quickly about this problem. In November, Mr Khan called Lewishams air quality a health crisis. Graham, a public body employee, added: If people could see the pollution they would do something about it. Its killing people but nobody seems to care. Expand Close Schoolgirls joined the protest (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Schoolgirls joined the protest (Dominic Lipinski/PA) The death of a nine-year-old child who lived in the area is to be re-examined at an inquest, to determine whether it was linked to air pollution. Ella Kissi-Debrah, who lived near the South Circular Road in Lewisham, died in 2013 after having an asthma attack. A spokesman for Mr Khan said: The mayor recognises we face a climate emergency and shares the protesters passion for tackling this issue. But he is clear that causing disruption for Londoners in this way is unacceptable. The protesters actions caused problems for commuters trying to get to and from work. The mayor is doing all he can to reduce the impact of climate change on Londoners but it is up to the Government to take the bold action required at a national level. Harry Gibson, 35, took part in Friday mornings action, his second Extinction Rebellion protest. He said: The environment catastrophe will far outweigh the damage caused by a few roadblocks on a Friday morning. We need to look to the future for future generations. Fridays disruption was the latest in a series of actions by Extinction Rebellion. Expand Close An Extinction Rebellion protester in Catford (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An Extinction Rebellion protester in Catford (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Protests in Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch led to road closures and traffic gridlock for 10 days in April. More than 1,000 people were arrested after campaigners glued themselves to DLR trains and parked a boat in the middle of Oxford Circus. A body found in a Dumfries and Galloway forest has been confirmed as that of missing Emma Faulds. The 39-year-old had last been seen on April 28 at Fairfield Park in Monkton, South Ayrshire. The remains were found in Galloway Forest and have now been identified as the missing Kilmarnock woman. Expand Close Police in Galloway Forest, where the remains were found (Andrew Milligan/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police in Galloway Forest, where the remains were found (Andrew Milligan/PA) A statement from officers said: Police Scotland can now confirm that the human remains which were discovered in the Galloway Forest area on Wednesday June 12 2019 are that of Emma Faulds. Emmas family have been made aware and specialist officers are continuing to provide support to her family. Last month, a man appeared in court charged with the murder of Ms Faulds. Ross Willox was also charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice on May 10 before returning to Ayr Sheriff Court a week later for a second hearing. The 40-year-old from Ayrshire made no plea and was remanded in custody. What the papers say June 14 (PA) Boris Johnsons performance in the Tory leadership race leads many of Fridays papers. The Sun says the former foreign secretary appeared to be on the way to No 10 after winning 114 votes in a ballot of Tory MPs. Tomorrow's front page: 'Boris Johnson was on the way to No10 last night after nailing his rivals in the race to replace Theresa May' https://t.co/h5d8JC35E3 pic.twitter.com/75aIwqhXdx The Sun (@TheSun) June 13, 2019 The figure amounts to more than a third of the Parliamentary Conservative Party, the Daily Mail reports. His support more than doubled that of his nearest rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the Daily Express reports. In tomorrow's @Daily_Express - Boris Johnson storms ahead in PM race #ToryLeadershipElection - Prince Charles and Camilla host masquerade ball #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/jUAq7mX9oq Daily Express (@Daily_Express) June 13, 2019 It puts Mr Johnson on course to be one of two candidates to go before Tory members in a vote in July, the Financial Times reports. Just published: front page of the Financial Times UK edition, Friday June 14 https://t.co/mhWoX3KrsU pic.twitter.com/anpBLfvcoy Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) June 13, 2019 The Daily Telegraph says Mr Johnsons supporters have called on vanity candidates to pull out of the leadership race in the interest of speeding it up. However, the i reports that his enemies are regrouping in order to mount a fresh challenge. The Times says Mr Johnson is under pressure to take part in TV debates after all his rivals agreed to participate. The Times 14/6/2019 Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles, hold face masks as they host a reception for the Elephant Family Animal Ball at Clarence House on June 13, 2019 in London. Photo : Chris Jackson/Getty Images#thetimes #tomorrowspaperstoday @thetimes pic.twitter.com/y1pycZ0zln The Times Pictures (@TimesPictures) June 13, 2019 In other news, The Guardian leads with the US accusing Iran over attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Guardian front page Friday 14 June 2019: US blames Iran for attacks in key Gulf shipping route pic.twitter.com/RkYW1sQSKV The Guardian (@guardian) June 13, 2019 And the Daily Mirror leads with the row over scrapping universal free TV licences for over-75s. Google appears to have resolved an unfortunate gaffe with its online translation service which incorrectly translated I am sad to see Hong Kong become part of China as I am happy to see Hong Kong become part of China. Users noticed that the mistranslation occurred when attempting to translate from English to both Chinese simplified and Chinese traditional options, amid tensions in the former British colony over a bill allowing suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. The bill is seen as a tightening of Beijings control over the territory, leading to hundreds of thousands of activists taking to the streets of Hong Kong in protest. Users noticed an error on Google Translate and began highlighting it on Twitter, leading Googles public search liaison Danny Sullivan to respond, saying the company was looking into how the mistake happened and that technicians were working on a fix. We're looking into why we had this translation and expect to have a fix to resolve it soon. Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 14, 2019 The company also issued a statement, admitting that its automatic systems can sometimes make unintentional mistakes. Google Translate is an automatic translator, using patterns from millions of existing translations to help decide on the best translation for you, a spokesman said. These automatic systems can sometimes make unintentional mistakes like translating a negative to a positive. We appreciate feedback and we are working on improving the technology. On Wednesday, a cyber attack hit messaging app Telegram, which its founder Pavel Durov said originated from mostly Chinese IP addresses. Communication apps such as Telegram, which use encryption to secure messages, are often used by activists to organise protests. Telegram is blocked in mainland China. Mr Durov said that the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack was state actor-sized and coincided in time with protests in Hong Kong. Shortly after the attack, the platform confirmed its systems had stabilised and user data was safe. An oil tanker on fire in the sea of Oman (AP Photo/ISNA) Donald Trump has confirmed the assessment of senior advisers and publicly accused Iran of being behind recent attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The US president said Iran was a nation of terror whose culpability had beenexposed by the US. He was speaking to Fox News after the US military released a video it said showed Irans Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement. U.S. Central Command Statement on June 13 Limpet Mine Attack in the Gulf of Oman. https://t.co/9S9s3tqHST pic.twitter.com/d71d7d0HOK U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 14, 2019 Iran denied any role in Thursdays apparent attacks, which have again rocked the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the unravelling nuclear deal with world powers. Four other oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port city of Fujairah suffered similar attacks in recent weeks, and Iranian-allied rebels from Yemen have struck US ally Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles. Mr Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers and recently imposed a series of sanctions now squeezing its beleaguered economy and cutting deeply into its oil exports. While Iran maintains it has nothing to do with the recent attacks, its leaders have repeatedly threatened to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the worlds oil travels. Expand Close An oil tanker on fire in the sea of Oman (IRIB News Agency/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An oil tanker on fire in the sea of Oman (IRIB News Agency/AP) Iran accused Washington of waging an Iranophobic campaign against, while Mr Trump countered that the country was a nation of terror. Iran did do it, he said of the attack. The black-and-white US video of the Iranians alongside the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous came after its crew abandoned ship after seeing the undetonated explosive on its hull, said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US militarys Central Command. It shared photos of the vessel, which showed what appeared to be a conical limpet mine against its side. Expand Close A suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous (US Central Command/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous (US Central Command/AP) In the video, the boat from Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard pulls alongside Kokuka Courageous. The Iranians reach up and grab along where the limpet mine could be seen in the photo, and then sail away. In a statement from its UN mission, Iran accused the US of escalating tensions. The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security, the statement said. In Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw flying objects before the attack, suggesting it was not damaged by mines. The suspected attacks occurred about 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran. Expand Close The Front Altair with smoke rising from it in the Gulf of Oman (European Commission/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The Front Altair with smoke rising from it in the Gulf of Oman (European Commission/AP) The Front Altair, loaded with naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as its cargo of flammable chemicals caught fire. The Kokuka Courageous, carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, called for help a short time later. The US Navy sent the USS Bainbridge, which picked up 21 sailors from the Kokuka Courageous, and they stayed overnight on the destroyer, returning to their vessel on Friday to help in it being towed. Thursdays attack resembled one in May that targeted four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. US officials similarly accused Iran of using limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to a ships hull. The mines are designed to disable but not sink a vessel. It is something of an understatement to say that the Parachute Regiment has continued to be controversial in recent months due to the decision to charge Soldier F with two murders relating to Bloody Sunday and the ongoing inquest into the Ballymurphy massacre in 1971. In some loyalist areas of the province the flag of the Parachute Regiment is being flown, ostensibly in support of Soldier F, but there is undoubtedly an element of provocation there too. And recently we learnt that it's not to be flown in the Shankill, due to the shooting dead of four loyalists in that area by the Army during the Troubles. I had a unique insight into most regiments of the Army as I arrived in Tennent Street RUC station in May 1970 as a raw probationer constable fresh from initial training. The station was responsible for policing republican Ardoyne and the loyalist Shankill. The Troubles were moving from simmering to boiling-point and policing was impossible without the support of the Army. Regiments came and went on four-month tours and their HQ and ops room were inside the station, while the main body of troops was billeted in the old linen mill in Flax Street. Working with soldiers every day, I soon realised that the Paras were of a different breed to the normal infantryman, as they were filled with aggression and over-confidence. It soon became apparent that's how they were trained and, in effect, they were shock troops more suited to the battlefield than assisting a civilian power in a policing situation. Their true role was exemplified during the Falklands War in 1982 when Colonel H Jones, OC of Second Battalion the Parachute Regiment, was killed in action as he led his men against enemy machine-gun posts. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for valour. Despite their aggression we, as police officers, greatly appreciated their support on many occasions. During their tours of duty in north Belfast they went on patrol, taking with them police radios. They listened in to us taking calls, for example, to a pub brawl. They were always hot on our heels to such incidents, seeking some action. Often we faced great hostility when responding to these, but the appearance of the men in red berets behind us had a distinctly calming effect on the troublemakers, even through a haze of alcohol. On the evening of September 7, 1972 - the date on which two innocent men, Richie McKinney and Robert Johnston, were shot dead by the Paras - the UDA, in paramilitary garb, had started a riot outside Tennent Street police station. I witnessed the beginning of it and the soldiers charging out through the front gates to deal with it. Over the following hour or so they captured a total of 27 suspected rioters. This incident is firmly imprinted in my head as Sergeant Dan O'Connor and I had the task of charging them all and placing their cases before Belfast Magistrates Court. This resulted in a mountain of paperwork and regular appearances at court. Twenty-six of them were convicted of riotous behaviour and sentenced to the mandatory term of six months' imprisonment. During that same era I experienced another traumatic incident involving the Paras. There had been a sectarian disturbance opposite Unity Flats and a colleague and I, together with two Paras, were detailed to stay behind to give early warning of further trouble. We concealed ourselves in separate shop doorways and, as two men walked past us, coming from the direction of the Shankill Road, they spotted me and called me a "black b******". They were unaware of the two soldiers in the next doorway, one of whom stepped out to confront them. I could hear what I thought was the sound of a rifle butt connecting with teeth, followed by a lot of yelping. The last I saw of the two offenders was of them fleeing at great speed down North Street. It was a good lesson in that one should always be respectful to police officers. In December 1972 I was accepted into the CID and sent to west Belfast as a trainee detective. A year later Alexander Howell was shot dead on the Shankill Road, on that occasion by a member of a Scottish regiment. There had been some sort of brawl outside The Bayardo bar - a notorious UVF haunt - and the soldier who fired the fatal shot was charged with manslaughter, but was eventually acquitted. The loyalist terrorists settled on carrying out a reprisal and, on the day that Howell was killed, they lured a police response unit from Tennent Street to a bogus robbery at Forthriver Road. They had an ambush set in place and a good friend of mine, Constable Michael Logue, was shot dead. More tragedy was to follow when, six months later, Sergeant O'Connor was killed by the IRA while on foot patrol on the Crumlin Road. I was greatly disturbed by his murder, as we had been through so many incidents together that we had developed a firm bond of friendship. As the years moved on I made my way up through the ranks of the CID and, in 1989, I was appointed as the detective superintendent in charge of crime investigation in north Belfast. At that stage in my career I had attended close to 100 murder scenes, so, on a Saturday morning in September, 1989, I took it in my stride when I received a call that an undercover Army unit had shot dead Brian Robinson, a member of the UVF. The military unit had just witnessed him shoot dead Catholic Patrick McKenna at the Ardoyne shops and had pursued him as he and another man escaped on a motorcycle. As they attempted to turn into Cambrai Street both fell off the motorcycle and a female undercover soldier fired several shots into Robinson. When I arrived at the scene his body lay crumpled up against the wall of an old linen mill on the Crumlin Road. There was an added tragic side to this incident as, when Robinson's mother received news of his death, she immediately took ill and died a short time later. They had joint funerals to Roselawn. Robinson's OC was Trevor King, a high-ranking member of the UVF, and there is great suspicion as to how the Army learned of the murderous operation involving Robinson. King's days too were numbered when, on June 16, 1994, he, Colin Craig and David Hamilton were shot by a member of the INLA on the Shankill Road. Craig died at the scene, Hamilton died the following day and King passed away three weeks later. A few days later the UVF got their revenge when they entered The Heights bar in Loughinisland and murdered six of the patrons. The INLA man who undoubtedly killed Craig, Hamilton and King was Gino Gallagher, a prominent member of that organisation. The INLA was renowned for internal feuding and Gallagher too met his demise at the end of a gun fired by one of his erstwhile friends. I realise that, thankfully, there is a whole generation of young people who have been born since the Troubles ended. I dread the thought that, due to the political impasse at Stormont and other factors, we may unconsciously drift back to another era of conflict. The above should give a good indication of the horror that lies ahead should we ever go down that road again. Retired RUC Detective Superintendent Alan Simpson is the author of Duplicity And Deception (Dingle: Brandon Books, 2010) The total number of carers include 8,800 young people, a situation which should shame any civilised community, especially a country which counts itself among the wealthiest in the world (stock photo) Imagine you saw an advertisement for a job that said you must be available to work 24 hours a day, are responsible for the care of a person incapable of functioning fully for themselves, you'll be isolated from friends and society at large for long periods, and for all that you will be paid the princely sum of 39p an hour. Who in their right mind, you might well ask, would ever do that job? Well, there are 220,000 people in Northern Ireland who do exactly that, not through choice but because they have no option. They are known as carers. Yesterday in this newspaper we carried an article by Jane Crosbie Lyle, who has been a carer for her daughter Phoebe after she was left paralysed by a hit-and-run driver 18 years ago. Her account of what being a carer entails was described unemotionally, which made it all the more gripping. She admits she is lucky in having a husband whose income is sufficient for the household and that there is a care package available to support her. But, as she points out, there are tens of thousands who are not so fortunate. Instead, they spend their days stoically caring for a loved one, putting their own lives on hold to ensure that their child, husband, sibling or parent gets the best attention they can give. The total number of carers include 8,800 young people, a situation which should shame any civilised community, especially a country which counts itself among the wealthiest in the world. The contribution of carers to society is astounding in financial terms alone - saving the Government 4.6bn in Northern Ireland and 57bn in the UK as a whole. Their selfless work means the Government can skimp on care packages. And they are not just involved in care. They are responsible for practically every aspect of the lives of those they care for, bringing them to medical appointments, fighting for their statutory rights and ensuring they get their proper benefits. Social media is blamed for many ills, but for carers the closed groups can be lifelines where people can exchange views and just normal everyday conversations. As it is Carers Week, a phone call to a carer, calling in for a cup of tea, or giving them respite even for a short period to allow them to go to the shops or just have time for themselves are among the things any of us could do to ease their workload. It would be better than 39p an hour. Rescued Filipino fishermen transfer to a Philippine Coast Guard ship as they head back to shore in the central province of Occidental Mindoro after their fishing boat was hit by a Chinese ship, June 14, 2019. Beijings ambassador to the Philippines has reached out to Manila amid diplomatic and bilateral fallout over the sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel that left 22 fishermen adrift in the disputed South China Sea, the Philippine presidents spokesman said Friday. Chinese envoy Zhao Jianhua contacted presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo on Thursday night to say that an investigation was under way in Beijing and sanctions would be swift if it found the Chinese vessel was at fault, according to the Filipino official. The fishing boat issue is being thoroughly and seriously investigated, Panelo said, citing from Zhaos message. We share your concerns about fishermen. If it were true that it was a Chinese fishing boat, they would be duly educated and punished for their irresponsible behavior, Panelo added. According to Panelo, Zhao emphasized that incidents happen even in the best-regulated family. We hope this incident could be held in a proper context, Zhao also told Panelo. Earlier in the week, Philippine military and defense officials strongly criticized the incident near Recto Bank on June 9. They accused the Chinese fishing boat of ramming the FB Gimber1, which they said was anchored, and sailing off as the Filipino crew waded at sea after their vessel capsized. A passing Vietnamese boat later picked up the stranded sailors and turned them over to Filipino military authorities in Palawan, an island province in the countrys southwestern region that faces the South China Sea or, as Manila calls it, the West Philippine Sea. On Friday, Panelo said there should be a need to reassess the governments mechanism to prevent the situation from happening again, but he did not directly answer questions when reporters asked him if the collision was intentional. A day earlier, the Philippines lodged a diplomatic protest against China over the incident. During the past two days anger in the Philippines has risen over the incident, with politicians crossing party lines to demand an apology from and swift action by China. The Chinese initially kept mum on the issue but they responded after President Rodrigo Dutertes government, through Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, expressed anger. The Duterte administration is considered a friend by China. The president took pains in the past to woo Chinese support and billions of dollars in business pledges from Beijing, when he took office in mid-2016 soon after an international court of arbitration ruled against Beijing and in favor of Manila in a case to do with territorial claims in the South China Sea. Beijing ignored that ruling. China claims most of the mineral-rich South China Sea, including areas that reach the shores of its smaller neighbors. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the region. Protesters call for Beijing to leave the South China Sea as they march toward the Chinese embassy in Manila on Philippine Independence Day, June 12, 2019. [Luis Liwanag/BenarNews] We were bullied Romulo Festin, the mayor of San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro, where all the 22 survivors came from, said he believed the Chinese ship deliberately rammed into the Filipino boat. We were bullied. In my own view and investigation, it was intentional. They did not even stop to help our people according to reports, Festin said. Festin was optimistic that the government would handle the situation well to prevent a repeat of the incident. Well see how the government will handle this kind of crisis. We have trust in the government. First, our President declared we cannot got to war, so we have to accept that reality, he said. The head of the Philippine Navy, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, took issue with a comment by Chinas foreign ministry that described the incident as an ordinary maritime traffic accident. We dont ram ships that are not moving. You can see that in radar. So if its not moving, why will you ram it? I dont know the reason behind it but I dont consider that as a normal maritime accident, he said. Dennis Jay Santos contributed to this report from Davao City, Philippines. U.S. Assistant State Secretary Denise Natali answers questions during an interview with BenarNews in Washington, June 13, 2019. A joint Filipino-American program aimed at stifling recruitment efforts by Islamic State-linked militants in the southern Philippines will be launched within weeks, a senior U.S. State Department official told BenarNews. Filipino and American officials were finalizing the program while also preparing to release results of a study showing that poverty was not a major driver of radicalization in four southern Philippine provinces where extremist groups operate, U.S. Assistant State Secretary Denise Natali said in an interview on Thursday. The program is being finalized and should be launched in the next couple of weeks, said Natali, chief of the State Departments Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. The study, conducted by Washington from December 2017 to May 2018, involved 1,213 Muslim respondents in the four southern Philippine provinces of Maguindanao, Sulu, Basilan and Lanao del Sur, Natali said. In a bid to carve out their own Wilayah, or province, local militants led the 2017 siege in Marawi, capital of Lanao del Sur and a former Muslim trading hub. Fighter jets pounded the militants with near-daily bombing runs to end a five-month battle that killed more than 1,200 people, most of them local extremists backed by an undetermined number of foreign fighters. Contrary to common belief, sympathy to Filipino militant groups in those provinces may be related to local grievances rather than to IS or al-Qaida, Natali said. If there is a key finding, it was that this is very local, she said. The survey also found that respondents who had expressed sympathy for violent extremism tended to be better off economically than their resilient peers, Natali said. There is no statistical difference between wealth and poverty, she said. There is no direct causal relationship between poverty and violent extremism in this case. Despite the findings, according to Natali, theres not a one-size-fits-all program for dealing with extremist groups. So what we do in one country has to be then tailored to another, she said. What we find in one province can differ in another province, and even within different localities in a province. Natali, a widely recognized expert on Kurdish issues, was appointed by President Donald Trump to lead the bureau in May last year. She was the director for Strategic Research at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the Washington, D.C.-based National Defense University, where she also specialized on the Middle East, Iraq and post-conflict stabilization. Natali visited the Philippines earlier this month and met National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon and other officials. The study about the southern Philippines was focused on better understanding specific conditions and dynamics at the local, sub-national levels so we can be more targeted and more disciplined in the way we conduct programs to counter violent extremism, she said. Natali underscored the significance of making sure that such programs are based on facts, even though they may counter traditional wisdom. She said several issues could also lead to extremism, including exposure to violence and certain types of madrassa education, referring to faith-based institutions of learning. Security officials in countries such as Pakistan have kept a close eye on madrassas that have been accused of radicalizing youths and feeding recruits to militant groups. ISTANBUL - Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that it was not ''possible for us to remain silent while our observation towers are being attacked'' in Idlib by the Syrian regime. He added that, if the attacks continue, ''we will do what is needed''. He was speaking to journalists prior to leaving for Tajikistan. ''We want peace to prevail and that there be no more deaths,'' he added, saying that without Ankara's intervention in the dialogue with Moscow, ''at this moment the situation would be very different'' and that there would have bene another wave of ''almost 3 million refugees'' from northern Syria towards Turkey, where over 3.5 million Syrian refugees are already. Some 28 people including 7 civilians have been killed over the past 24 hours of Russian and Syrian government airstrikes in the northwestern part of the country, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which makes use of a large network of sources and researchers on the ground. Moncks Corner, SC (29461) Today Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny this afternoon. High 78F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. The partnership aims to create a process to facilitate certification of at least 7,000 empanelled hospitals by December 2021 to build a network of quality healthcare providers National Health Authority (NHA) and Quality Council of India (QCI) has signed an MoU for launching a joint initiative of digital certification for Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) empanelled hospitals. The initiative will help the hospitals to get fast-track certification while enhancing healthcare services. The partnership aims to create a process to facilitate certification of at least 7,000 empanelled hospitals by December 2021 to build a network of quality healthcare providers. The MoU seeks to put in place a simple, swift, transparent and paperless mechanism to encourage the hospitals to apply for certification. Following the existing policy of incentivising the accredited hospitals, NHA also plans to incentivise the certified hospitals with higher reimbursement rates so that more hospitals apply for certification. There will be three levels of AB-PMJAY quality certifications: Bronze, Silver and Gold with Gold being the highest level under this initiative. Speaking about the partnership Dr. Indu Bhushan, CEO AB-PMJAY and NHA said, There is an urgent need to help hospitals to get certified to improve the quality healthcare ecosystem in the country. NHA, therefore, has decided to collaborate with QCI and use its well-established systems, skills and credibility for hospital certification. This will boost confidence of beneficiaries in the quality of care being provided under the scheme. Since the treatment rates are fixed and health care providers have been identified, high quality treatment becomes a prime concern of the scheme. The NHA, which is implementing AB-PMJAY, is keeping a watch on the treatment outcomes being achieved by the empanelled hospitals. To ensure quality in healthcare, another accepted way is to monitor at the input level, and certification of the healthcare providers is the right approach for the same. Hospitals which are already certified by nationally or internationally recognized accreditation body can also avail the benefits of the scheme. NABHs Entry-Level/ NQAS certified hospitals can apply for AB PM-JAY Silver quality certification and hospitals with NABHs Full Accreditation/JCI accreditation can apply for AB PM-JAY Gold quality certification directly. Additionally, AB PM-JAY Bronze quality certified hospitals can apply for Silver and later for Gold after successive time period of six months. Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman, QCI said, At every step, QCI will be NHAs partner to achieve the goal of certification of hospitals across India. The joint initiative of NHA and QCI will definitely help the country in achieving the goal of quality healthcare. The MoU was signed by Dr. Arun Gupta, Executive Director, National Health Authority and Dr. Ravi P. Singh, Secretary General, Quality Council of India. The company received No Action Indicated (NAI) compliance status with zero 483 observations from the USFDA Mumbai based Centaur Pharmaceuticals' finished dosage facility in Pune was audited by the USFDA in May 2019 and the audit was concluded with NIL 483 observations. The company received No Action Indicated (NAI) compliance status with zero 483 observations from the USFDA which signifies compliance and conformance to applicable cGMP regulations According to Mr. S.D Sawant, Managing Director, Centaur Pharmaceuticals The NAI is a significant development not only for Centaur but also for the Indian pharmaceutical industry, considering the increasing global regulatory headwinds in the last few years. In addition to USFDA accreditation, the said facility also conforms to MHRA (UK), TGA (Australia), Health Canada, MCC (South Africa) and WHO-GMP standards. If the investigating officer observes conditions which in his or her judgment are violations of the Food Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act or related acts, then he or she may issue the concerned firm an FDA Form 483. On the other hand, an inspection results in a NAI inspection classification when the inspection either reveals no objectionable conditions or that the significance of the documented objections does not warrant further action. This classification signifies the compliance status of the concerned establishment at the time of inspection, based on the recorded observations. The conclusions of the inspection are reported as No Action Indicated (NAI) which is vindication of Centaurs efforts over the past 40 years in ensuring quality and maintaining international standards across the pharmaceutical value chain in API, formulations, clinical research and contract manufacturing says Dr. Jayashing Sawant, President- Technical, Centaur Pharmaceuticals. Centaur is also Indias largest and the worlds third largest manufacturer of psychotropic API with state of the art facility conforming to USFDA, EUGMP/ANSM (France), TGA, PMDA (Japan), KFDA (Korea), ANVISA (Brazil), COFEPRIS (Mexico) and WHO-GMP standards. Centaurs API (Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients) formulations plant situated in Ambernath, Maharashtra is also an US FDA approved plant. In addition, Centaur Pharmaceuticals also has two world class formulations facilities in Goa which are WHO-GMP approved. With the aim of improving preventive care for cardiovascular disease in India, Apollo Hospitals and Abbott are working towards building the countrys first cardiac registry Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the biggest cause of mortality in India with nearly 25 percent of mortalities amongst the age group of 25 to 69 years attributed to CVDs. The condition also seems to affect Indians at least a decade earlier as compared to Europeans. With the aim of improving preventive care for cardiovascular disease in India, Apollo Hospitals and Abbott are working towards building the countrys first cardiac registry. As part of the registry, both the organizations will collect heart health data of patients visiting Apollo Hospitals across the country, including troponin levels measured by Abbotts High Sensitive Troponin-I blood test. The data collected as part of the cardiac registry will help researchers better understand how heart disease impacts Indians, as well as patterns in cardiac risk that can help prevent CVDs and enable physicians and patients to manage their condition much more efficiently. According to the American Heart Association, setting up of cardiac registries in the US has helped hospitals and physicians improve the quality of care provided to the patients. Setting up a national cardiac registry in India would help physicians save countless lives in the years to come. Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, said, Over the last decade, data has been central to improving the standard of care across the world. By setting up a national cardiac registry in India, we aim to collect invaluable data that would enable us improve cardiac care and save a number of lives. Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata set up a pilot test last year to help its employees better understand their risk of developing heart disease. More than 16,000 Apollo's employees have been screened and the data collected has already been added to the registry. "As a leader in heart health, Apollo Hospitals is proud to pioneer the use of Abbott's blood test in India. Our employees have been the first to benefit from this initiative. We have already added the data collected to the registry and we will be making this blood test part of routine health check-ups to enable us capture more data," added Dr Sangita Reddy. Preliminary findings from the pilot indicate that the test is able to identify a younger and wider set of patients at risk of developing heart diseases - ranging from low to medium to high. More than 80 percent of the people participating in the pilot were under the age of 45, and the captured data enabled researchers to identify high-risk patients in this age group, who do not typically get assessed for their risk for heart disease. Agim Beshiri, M.D., Senior Medical Director, global Medical and Scientific affairs at Abbott's diagnostics business said, "This life-changing technology has the potential to transform how doctors identify those at risk for developing heart disease. We know not all patients fit the typical profile of a person at high risk for heart disease. Now, we have a simple and accessible blood test that is specific to the heart, sensitive for women and works across the age groups to address the earlier onset of heart disease in India." Commenting on the strategic partnership between Apollo Hospitals and Abbotts Diagnostics business, Narendra Varde, General Manager and Country Head at Abbotts Diagnostics business said, This is a unique collaboration that will help transform Indias approach to cardiac care. Armed with an ahead-of-time understanding of cardiac profiles, both doctors and surgeons will be better prepared to manage health outcomes. Troponin blood tests have been used in emergency rooms to help aid in the diagnosis of a heart attack but now research shows it could be used in a preventive setting. When added to existing cardiac risk scoring systems, such as the Framingham Risk Score, Abbott's test can more accurately predict a person's chances of having a cardiac event even in those who show no apparent symptoms of cardiac disease potentially years in advance. The APO Group African Women in Media Award has been launched to recognise support of female journalists for women's entrepreneurship in Africa. The winner will receive a USD 2,500 cash prize, an all-expenses paid trip to a prestigious International Women's Forum, and online courses from one of the most respected international universities. Image source: Gallo/Getty. Print: upload the scan(s) of the published article. Radio: upload the SoundCloud link. Website: upload the URL. TV: upload the YouTube link. TV material must first be uploaded to YouTube and radio material to SoundCloud. If not a member of these sites, entrants will need to sign up in order to upload the video or radio material. The link must then be entered on the online entry form when inputting story details. APO Group will presents the inaugural APO Group African Women in Media Award at the 5Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forums (AWIEF) Conference, Exhibition and Awards hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), 29-30 October 2019, with the theme Enhancing impact: digitalisation, investment and intra-African trade.AWIEFs prestigious annual event is a platform that sees global thought leaders, industry experts, policymakers, academics, development organisations and investors gather to dialogue, connect, network, share, collaborate and transact in a combined effort to boost Africas entrepreneurship ecosystem for women.Lionel Reina, CEO of APO Group said, We are extremely excited for the opportunity to highlight the work of female journalists sharing the stories of women entrepreneurs in Africa. The APO Group African Women in Media Award is part of our commitment to supporting the development of journalism on the continent. We are delighted to present this award with AWIEF in Cape Town as we celebrate women in journalism and entrepreneurship.Entries for APO Group African Women in Media Award must offer valuable insights into African female entrepreneurs while appealing to a global audience. The award is open to African woman journalists and bloggers, whether directly employed or freelancers, working in the continent of Africa who have produced a story that has been broadcast or published in English, French, Portuguese or Arabic in the form of a printed publication, a television feature, a radio story, a website or a blog whose primary audience is based in Africa.Stories must have been broadcast or published between January 1 and September 15, 2019. Stories will be judged on content, writing, analysis, creativity, human interest and community impact. All stories must be submitted in electronic format:The online entry form is available here . The deadline for entries is 15 September 2019. The finalists will be announced on 1 October 2019; while the winner will be announced on Wednesday, 30 October 2019 at the annual AWIEF Awards for women entrepreneurship. When asking millennials about where they see themselves career-wise, many will reveal their dream of owning their own businesses. Karl Westvig, CEO of Retail Capital Listen to your customers Just because you would buy your product doesnt mean others would, too. For your company to take off, you will need a sustainable base of customers who are convinced they need, want and deserve whatever it is you are offering. Find out what your audiences needs, which products and services they are buying and which ones they shun, and most importantly - why? Be funding wise Thirty-eight percent of millennials who responded to Ernst & Youngs 2018 Millennial Economy report said a lack of funds is preventing them from starting a business. Fact is that there is money out there. Expand your quest for finance beyond conventional bank loans, explore convenient, flexible funding alternatives. Success is more than profits Stand out by building a business that positively impacts the environment and drives socio-economic well-being. Responsible and sustainable ventures perform better. A 2014 analysis of S&P 500 companies, for instance, has found that corporations with sustainability strategies have an 18% higher return on investment than those that dont. Put in the time Starting, running and growing your business is not for the faint-hearted. Dont expect miracles to happen overnight. Your business wont build itself. Work hard, under-promise, over-deliver, keep your promises, promote your company everywhere (not just on social media) and develop a thorough marketing campaign before launching. Plan your funding strategy Raising funds needs to be a strategy, one which requires you to plan. Prepare for meetings with investors by thinking of every question you might face. Analyse and revise your business plan as you go along. Disrupt, dont be disrupted The 2019 GEMS report suggests the drive to introduce new products and services that disrupt the market is what is driving entrepreneurs. This means you will have to stay on top of your game at all times. Resting on your laurels after being the first in your field may result in someone else disrupting your model, pushing you out of the market whilst you are not paying attention. Be patient It is a misconception that you need to scale your business as soon as you can. Whilst theres nothing wrong with growing, explosive growth too soon can be a threat if you cant keep up with the momentum. A study by Startup Genome found that 74% of high-growth start-ups fail due to premature scaling. Budget like a pro Cash-flow problems happen when you are spending too much, because you are not getting debtors to pay you, or because you are not making money. Draw up and stick to a watertight budget, tracking all your expenses and income, and spend your money wisely to prevent these issues. Take mistakes in your stride You will make mistakes, and that is okay. Learn from them and use this knowledge to fine-tune your plans to build a stronger, more resilient and financially stable business that can make the difference you want it to make. Its a mindset At the end of the day, entrepreneurship is a way of life, not just a way to pay the bills. That is at least what 90% of millennial business owners surveyed in oDesks 2016 Millennials and the Future of Work say. Treat your business as your purpose and raison detre will make your journey towards success a whole lot easier. According to a 2018 study by Ernst & Young, 58% of Americans who fall in the 20-34 age range see themselves running their own companies. The same counts for countries like China. A survey by JWT Intelligence shows that 74% of close to 400 million Chinese millennials would start their own business if they had trouble finding work.The situation is not much different in South Africa. According to Deloittes 2019 Global Millennial Survey, 58% of South African young adults say they want more than working for someone elses company. They want their own business.The question is: what does it take to be, and remain a successful entrepreneur in the struggling local economy and a global economy that is moving lightning-fast and becoming more competitive by the day?Karl Westvig, CEO of Retail Capital, a company that provides access to alternative business funding and working capital for small companies, offers ten invaluable tips. At #jobcrystal, we always look for the best companies, and the best candidates, which together make the best matches. Better than Tinder World Blood Donor Day: What Foods To Eat & Avoid Before Donating Blood Wellness oi-Neha Ghosh World Blood Donor Day is observed every year on 14 June. It aims to raise awareness of the need to donate blood to ensure that all individuals and communities have access to affordable and quality-assured blood and blood products. The event also serves to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood and encourage new donors. The World Blood Donor Day 2019 theme is "Safe blood for all". Donating blood has a lot of health benefits, but it can lead to some side effects like anaemia and fatigue. Eating and drinking the right foods before and after donating blood can lower the risk of side effects. What Foods To Eat Before Donating Blood Food has two types of iron, heme and non-heme iron. The former one is found in meat and fish and this iron is readily absorbed by the body. You absorb around 30 per cent of the heme iron you consume. Non-heme iron is found in plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Your body absorbs about 2 to 10 per cent of the non-heme iron you consume. Before donating blood, consider increasing your intake of iron-rich foods as it will help elevate the iron stores in your body and reduce your risk of iron-deficiency anaemia. Some of the foods that you could have are iron-fortified cold and hot cereals (top it with raisins for an additional boost of iron), eggs, meat, fish and shellfish, vegetables and fruits help in boosting iron. Drink plenty of fluids Half of your blood is made of water so, it's necessary to stay hydrated before donating blood [2] . When you donate blood, your blood pressure can become very low, leading to dizziness. The American Red Cross recommends drinking at least 2 cups of water before donating blood. Either have freshly squeezed home-made juice or plain water. Skip tea and coffee as it can interfere with the absorption of iron. Low-fat foods Before giving blood, have a well-balanced, low-fat meal as eating a high-fat meal can interfere with the blood testing process, because too much fat in the blood will make it impossible to test the blood for infections. You could have a cup serving of low-fat milk with a bowl of hot or cold cereal. Having a piece of fruit with low-fat yogurt or a slice of whole-wheat bread with jam or honey is also a good low-fat breakfast option. Vitamin C-rich foods Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that helps in better absorption of non-heme iron (plant-based iron) [3] . Having vitamin C-rich foods before donating blood is a good idea because it will help your body absorb more iron. Drinking two glasses of orange juice will increase the vitamin C content in your body. Other citrus fruits like kiwis, berries, melon, grapefruit, and pineapple are also good sources of vitamin C. What Foods To Avoid Before Donating Blood Fatty foods As discussed earlier, fatty foods like ice cream, doughnuts or French fries should be avoided as they affect the blood testing process for infectious diseases. Foods that block iron absorption Certain foods and beverages such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and high-calcium foods can affect the body's ability to absorb iron [4] . Alcohol Alcoholic beverages cause dehydration. So, avoid drinking alcohol 24 hours prior to donating blood. According to the American Cancer Society, if you are donating blood platelets, your body should be aspirin-free for at least 36 hours before donating blood. Because aspirin makes blood platelets less useful to a transfusion recipient. What Foods To Eat After Donating Blood Folate-rich foods Folate, also known as folic acid, vitamin B9, or folacin is required by the body to create new red blood cells. This aids in replacing lost blood cells during blood donation [5] . Foods that contain folate are dried beans, liver, asparagus, and green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach. Orange juice is also a good source of folate. Vitamin B6-rich foods After you donate blood, foods high in vitamin B6 are needed by the body to build healthy blood cells and they aid the body in breaking down proteins, as proteins contain many nutrients you require after donating blood [5] . Some of the vitamin B6 foods you could eat are potatoes, eggs, spinach, seeds, bananas, red meat, and fish. Iron-rich foods Iron is another essential mineral required by the body to make haemoglobin. After donating blood, eat foods that contain a good amount of iron. Drink Water Drink an extra 4 cups of water over the next 24 hours to replenish the lost fluids. Guidelines For Donating Blood According To The WHO The blood donor must be 18 to 65 years of age and should weigh at least 50 kg. You can't donate if you have a cold, flu, cold sore, or any other infection. If you have recently done a tattoo or body piercing, you aren't eligible for donating blood for 6 months. You also can't donate blood if you have visited a dentist recently. If you do not meet the minimum haemoglobin level for blood donation, you shouldn't donate. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with AIDS, type 1 diabetes patients and blood cancer patients are not eligible to donate blood. View Article References [1] Skikne, B., Lynch, S., Borek, D., & Cook, J. (1984). Iron and blood donation.Clinics in haematology,13(1), 271-287. [2] Deepika, C., Murugesan, M., & Shastry, S. (2018). Effect of pre-donation fluid intake on fluid shift from interstitial to intravascular compartment in blood donors.Transfusion and Apheresis Science,57(1), 54-57. [3] Hallberg, L., Brune, M., & Rossander, L. (1989). The role of vitamin C in iron absorption.International journal for vitamin and nutrition research. Supplement= Internationale Zeitschrift fur Vitamin-und Ernahrungsforschung. Supplement,30, 103-108. [4] Hallberg, L., & Rossander, L. (1982). Effect of different drinks on the absorption of non-heme iron from composite meals.Human nutrition. Applied nutrition,36(2), 116-123. [5] Kalus, U., Pruss, A., Wodarra, J., Kiesewetter, H., Salama, A., & Radtke, H. (2008). Influence of blood donation on levels of watersoluble vitamins.Transfusion Medicine,18(6), 360-365. Do You Donate Blood? Here Are The Benefits And Risks Of Blood Donation Wellness oi-Amritha K Every year, 14 June is observed as World Blood Donor Day. A joint initiative of the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the day was first observed in 2004 and aims to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood. It was declared as an annual global event in the 58th World Health Assembly in 2005. World Blood Donor Day is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Chagas Disease Day, World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Patient Safety Day, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and World AIDS Day. For 2021, the World Blood Donor Day theme is 'Give Blood and Keep the World Beating'. The message highlights the essential contribution blood donors make to keeping the world pulsating by saving lives and improving others' health. The World Health Organization (WHO) stresses the importance of voluntary blood donation, pointing out that one donation can save as many as three lives. Apart from being used as whole blood, it can also be separated into different components - red blood cells, blood platelets or plasma, etc. and used for treating several diseases [1]. There are three types of blood donors, voluntary, paid and family or replacement [2]. The fact that you feel tired and sick after you have donated blood is only a temporary feeling. But in the long run, there are some serious health benefits of donating blood, with the central one being the balancing of the iron levels in your body [3]. Blood products and blood transfusions help save millions of lives every year and can help patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. Reports suggest that each day, thousands of people need donated blood and blood products to stay alive and healthy [4]. A blood donor's age must be between 18-60 years and their weight should be more than 45 kgs to be able to donate blood. And, one has to wait for 56 days or 8 weeks between whole blood donations. Apart from the selfless act of saving a life, donating blood may also have benefits for the donor. Let's take a look. Health Benefits Of Donating Blood Here is a list of benefits a donor can reap from the process of blood donation. 1. Promotes Heart Health Blood donation helps in maintaining the iron levels and reduces the risk of cardiovascular problems and also help maintain your heart rhythms. By keeping the iron levels in check, blood donations help reduce the risk of developing heart diseases as well [5]. 2. Prevents Hemochromatosis One of the major health benefits of donating blood includes reducing the risk of hemochromatosis. It is a health condition that arises due to excess absorption of iron by the body. This condition is either inherited or may be caused due to alcoholism, anaemia, and other disorders. Regular blood donation will reduce iron overload in the body [6]. 3. Reduces Risk For Liver Damage When the iron level in your body is in excess, it increases the risk for liver failure and damage to the pancreas [7]. Hence, donating blood helps in getting rid of the extra iron; and this, in turn, helps reduce the risk for liver and pancreas damage. nutrition 6 Best Foods For Liver Cancer 4. Manages Blood Pressure One of the other critical benefits of donating blood is the impact it has on controlling high blood pressure levels [8]. When you donate blood, the volume of blood is balanced, thereby preventing the increase in blood pressure. So, a healthy heart is good to prevent cardiovascular diseases. wellness 10 Effective Home Remedies For Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension) 5. Stimulates Blood Cell Production One of the other central health benefits of blood donation is that it helps stimulate the production of new blood cells, which make up for the blood loss and thus help in maintaining your overall health and well-being [9]. 6. Burns Calories According to the University of California, one can burn approximately 650 calories per donation of one pint of blood [10]. Regular blood donors lose weight while in the process and this is helpful for those who are obese and are at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and other health disorders. Because it helps burn those extra calories in your body [11]. However, frequent blood donation isn't advisable as a way to lose weight. 7. May Reduce Cancer Risk Lower levels of iron in the body reduce the risks of developing cancer symptoms. Chances of suffering from cancer especially colon, lung, liver, throat and lung cancer are lower if you donate blood [12]. A reduction in the iron level in the body is linked to low cancer risk. disorders-cure 10 Dangerous Habits That May Cause Cancer Apart from these major health benefits, donating blood can help reduce stress, improve your emotional well-being, benefit your physical health, help get rid of negative feelings, provide a sense of belonging and reduce isolation [13]. Side Effects Of Donating Blood The procedure of blood donation is safe for adults who are healthy. However, there are some minor side effects that could occur. Such as [14]: bruising, continued bleeding, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, pain, and physical weakness. These side effects will only last for a few minutes. But, if you are experiencing the following even after taking proper rest, you should immediately call the blood donation centre or go to a hospital [15]. Lightheadedness, dizziness and nausea even after eating, drinking and resting A raised bump or continued bleeding at the needle site Pain, numbness or tingling in the arm What To Do Before Blood Donation At least a few weeks before you donate blood, ensure that you are eating a healthy amount of iron-rich foods such as seafood, meat, spinach, beans, and sweet potatoes. This will prevent the risk of having low haemoglobin levels [16]. Before you donate blood, you will be asked to fill out a form that has questions about your medical history. This includes whether you have any risk of blood-borne infections, if you are taking any kind of medications, or if you have any nutrient deficiency and so on. After this, a blood sample will be collected from you to rule out any unwanted conditions such as anaemia or blood pressure. If your blood sample turns out positive, the doctor will allow you to donate blood [17]. What To Do During Blood Donation You will be asked to sit or lie down comfortably. An antiseptic solution will be used to clean your arm and a blood pressure cuff will be placed around your upper arm to fill your veins with more blood and make it visible. Then, a sterile needle is inserted into the vein in your arm, which has a plastic tube attached to it that will help draw blood into the blood bag. Only about 400 ml of blood is extracted from the body and this whole process takes about 15 minutes [18][19]. After it is complete, the needle is removed and a small bandage is placed on the area. What To Do After Blood Donation After you have donated blood, keep your arm extended facing upwards to avoid bruising, swelling, blood clot and pain. You can eat a light snack if you want and avoid performing any physical activity in the next 24 hours. Your blood levels will get back to normal after 2-3 weeks. So, therefore to help your body recover quickly here are some tips to follow after donating blood [20]. Drink plenty of water Avoid fatty foods Wear comfortable clothes Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol If you feel dizziness, discomfort or pain, consult a doctor immediately disorders-cure Back Pain: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis And Treatment On A Final Note While donating blood, ensure that you donate it in a specialised medical care centre which practices ultra-safe methods to ensure that you are safe in the process of the donation. All donated blood products are screened for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis c and syphilis before transfusion. Consequently, the gift of blood is the gift of life. Story Of A Son Who Gained Weight To Save Father's Life Pulse lekhaka-Nayeema sultana Family love is an exception where we are always ready to take the extra step to help and save our loved ones. From staying awake when the kids fall ill to making sure that our parents' health is fine, we take every possible step to make sure that our loved ones are hale and hearty. This is the real-life story of a family that will leave you with teary eyes. It is the story of an ailing dad who needed a bone marrow transplant for his survival and his son decided to be his donor despite being underweight! This case is from China where A 11-year-old boy from Xinxiang city, has been praised for trying to save his father's life by eating as much as he can. The boy, Lu Zikuan, revealed that his father was diagnosed with leukaemia a few years ago, and since then he has been treated with constant medication. It is revealed that his health had started deteriorating drastically in recent times and doctors had informed him that the only solution was to make him undergo bone marrow transplant. The family screened themselves to check for the possible matches and they found only one viable donor match - Lu Zikuan who was the eldest son in the family, and he was just 10 years old at the time. Even though he was just 10, this brave primary school student was ready to go under the knife as he wanted to save his father's life. The only hurdle that medics found was that the boy weighed only 30 kg, and the family was told that they wouldn't operate on him unless the boy gained at least 15 kg more. So the boy took no time to change his lifestyle and he started stuffing his tummy with as much food as possible. The boy has been sitting down to eat five times a day and most of his meals consist of a good amount of fatty meats and rice. Since the family is not very sound financially, they have been facing trouble with the cost of food and Lu Yanheng's medical bills as well. The boy's mother is said to earn just 2,000 yuan monthly by doing odd jobs at a grocery store and she relies mostly on discounted meat that she picks up from her workplace every single night. Seeing the boy's dedication to save his father's life, his school had has also organised a fund-raising event that can help the family in coping with the expenses. Lu Zikuan's dedication to his family has touched millions of hearts across the world. OTTAWA - For now, he's going to Washington to meet President Donald Trump, but Canadian business leaders say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be talking to Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi to push the continent's new trade pact towards ratification. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (931 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 leaders summit in La Malbaie, Que., on Friday, June 8, 2018. Canadian business leaders say Trudeau's meeting with Trump will certainly be important in helping push the new NAFTA towards ratification. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - For now, he's going to Washington to meet President Donald Trump, but Canadian business leaders say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be talking to Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi to push the continent's new trade pact towards ratification. Trudeau's Thursday trip to Washington is being billed as part of a concerted push to win ratification of the new North American trade deal in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Legislation to do just that is slowly wending through the House of Commons, and Mexico's Senate is poised to give its final legislative approval early next week. But similar legislation has yet to be introduced in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. The Democrats would like to deny Trump a victory on the trade front, but they also have specific concerns about the labour and environment provisions of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. With the U.S. Congress set to rise at the end of July, Trump's hopes to have the House and Senate ratify USMCA this summer as Vice-President Mike Pence promised Trudeau last month in Ottawa are dwindling. Brian Kingston, vice-president of international issues for the Business Council of Canada, says that's why Trudeau should add Pelosi to his agenda. "I think it would be important, if there's an opportunity, to have a discussion with the House leader. That could be beneficial primarily because, right now, the ball is fully in her court," Kingston said in an interview Friday. Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says that's a good idea, but only if Trump asks Trudeau to speak to Democratic lawmakers. "If they feel it would be helpful for the prime minister to speak to members of Congress, including Nancy Pelosi, then I would think he'd be very open to doing that," Beatty said Friday in an interview. "Should we insert ourselves in the process without a request from the U.S. administration? My inclination would be to ask the administration what they think would be most helpful." Flavio Volpe, president the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, said the meeting of the two leaders is probably most significant for its context rather than content. "The Canadian prime minister publicly appearing on the same side as the American president could give Democrats some cover for supporting the new USMCA." The Prime Minister's Office would only say that it would keep the media informed of Trudeau's itinerary. Trudeau and Trump will meet on Thursday in Washington where the new continental trade deal, as well as their shared concerns about China, will be major topics of discussion. Business groups in all three countries are pushing for a timely ratification of the new pact because they say the uncertainty created by the long, tempestuous renegotiation of NAFTA and the ratification delays are harmful to long-term investment plans. Canadian MPs are to adjourn by next Friday for their summer recess, their last planned sitting days before the October federal election, but they could be recalled in the summer to deal with ratification. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland sidestepped questions on her trip to Washington this week about how Canada would proceed "in tandem" with the U.S. if its lawmakers on Capitol Hill don't ratify the deal before their summer recess. In Canada, the Business Council, an association of top corporate executives, and the Chamber of Commerce, which represents 200,000 Canadian businesses across all sectors, have differing views on how urgent it is for the Trudeau government to ratify the new deal. "Their strategy of following the U.S. process makes sense, however there will be a point where we should ratify this agreement before the election," said Kingston. "Our biggest concern right now is if the president does not feel the Democrats are moving quickly enough, he will withdraw from NAFTA. . . . That would be absolutely disastrous for the Canadian economy." NAFTA, which remains in force, allows any country to withdraw on six-month's notice. If Trump did that, it would be the "ultimate pressure tactic" to push Congress, said Kingston. Beatty said an earlier ratification is certainly a better option, but if the U.S. leaves it hanging, it is not imperative for the Liberal government to ratify before the federal election. "It would be preferable, but I don't think it's essential. Both the Liberals and Conservatives are in favour of ratification. I would anticipate whether it's before or after the federal election, there's no serious impediment to ratification in Canada." OTTAWA - Protests raging in Hong Kong are threatening to become yet another irritant in Canada's fraught relationship with China. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland concludes a two-day visit to Washington with a news conference at the Embassy of Canada, Thursday, June 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/J. Scott Applewhite OTTAWA - Protests raging in Hong Kong are threatening to become yet another irritant in Canada's fraught relationship with China. China's embassy in Canada on Thursday denounced the Canadian government's recent comments on the ongoing protests as "irresponsible" and "erroneous." That appeared to be a reference to a statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, which expressed Canada's concern over the unrest and described freedom of expression and assembly as the "bedrock" of society in Hong Kong. Protesters in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory have been out in force in recent days over a proposed extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to China for trial. Thursday's statement from the Chinese embassy accused Canada of interfering in the affairs of the region and urged Ottawa to get behind the proposed law. Freeland said any legislation should preserve Hong Kong's autonomy, judicial independence and rule of law. "Hong Kong affairs are purely Chinas internal affairs, (which) no other country, organization or individual has the right to interfere in," the embassy statement said. "No country should interfere in the internal affairs of other countries on the grounds of caring for its expatriates. Canada also has many foreign expatriates. What really affects Hong Kongs business confidence and international reputation is not the amendment of the ordinance, but those acts of violence, which have been incited by external forces and damage social peace and disregard the law." Hong Kong police reportedly fired rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at the thousands of protesters who broke through barriers outside government headquarters and the legislature Wednesday, leaving 81 people injured, according to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority. Police said 22 officers were among the injured. Officers at one point "had no choice but to escalate the use of force to disperse the crowd," Stephen Lo, the Hong Kong commissioner of police, told reporters Thursday. "The behaviour of the violent protesters yesterday (Wednesday) imposed a serious threat to the public order." Police used more than 150 rounds of tear gas during Wednesday's clashes, Lo said. That's nearly double the amount used in major 2014 protests. "The ongoing protests in Hong Kong, which are among the largest in the city's history, demonstrate the deep concern among the people of Hong Kong about their future," Freeland said in a statement Wednesday. "Canada remains concerned about the potential effect these proposals may have on the large number of Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence, and on Hong Kong's international reputation.... Freedom of expression and assembly are the bedrock of Hong Kong's free society. It is vital that any legislation preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, rule of law, and independent judiciary." It was the first time Hong Kong police have used tear gas since the 79-day, pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" demonstrations in 2014, which marked the beginning of a shift to a tougher police approach. Officers also fired several rubber bullets and 20 beanbag rounds, which Lo said other countries deployed as non-lethal methods to quell riots and rebellions, and also used batons, pepper spray, and pepper based solution. Many protesters wore hard hats, masks, plastic wrap and carried umbrellas as protection. Eleven were arrested. "We are unarmed," said Daniel Lee, a 42-year-old doctor who noted the police wore respirators to protect against tear gas. He said it was the last chance to fight for Hong Kong's future. "It's expected that we will be hit. There's no way. If no one stands by the kids' side, they will not have any help. This is it." Canada and China are locked in a diplomatic standoff over last December's arrest in Vancouver of high-tech scion and Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is the target of a U.S. extradition request on charges of violating American sanctions against Iran. China has detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in apparent retaliation. Freeland firmly rebuffed China's latest demand Thursday to free Meng, saying it would set a dangerous precedent that could endanger all Canadians abroad. The unapologetic rejection came in Washington, where Freeland ended two days of meetings with top Trump administration officials and U.S. lawmakers, a table-setter for next week's White House meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump. "It would be a very dangerous precedent indeed for Canada to alter its behaviour when it comes to honouring an extradition to treaty in response to external pressure." With files from The Associated Press OTTAWA - Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen says 11 communities the federal government is choosing for a new rural immigration program will gain new workers and citizens that are badly needed to boost dwindling economies. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen responds to the 2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen says 11 new communities selected for a new rural immigration pilot program will gain new workers and new citizens that are badly needed to help boost dwindling rural economies. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen says 11 communities the federal government is choosing for a new rural immigration program will gain new workers and citizens that are badly needed to boost dwindling economies. On Friday Hussen announced the communities chosen for the "rural and northern immigration pilot" a program that will give rural employers the ability to directly select immigrants to hire in their businesses and will also give immigrants the ability to choose one of these 11 communities to make their permanent residence. By taking the decisions on matching immigrants to employers and communities out of Ottawa's hands, rural and northern areas struggling with population declines and worker shortages hope to find newcomers who want to come and stay. "People don't realize just how much the rural economy needs immigration," Hussen said. He has spoken to rural employers desperate for workers, some of whom are turning away multimillion-dollar contracts because of a lack of skilled labour. "Some of them are saying, 'We're going to make decisions to move if we don't have the workers that we need,' and that's just unacceptable. And I know how much these small towns are relying on that large employer to stay in place." With more than two-thirds of immigrants to Canada settling in bigger cities, municipal leaders in smaller towns and communities have been calling on Ottawa to do more to help them attract newcomers. A number of rural communities have already been investing in settlement and integration supports for newcomers to make their towns more attractive to immigrants looking for permanent homes in Canada. That's what Ottawa was looking for when choosing the 11 communities. Now, those areas will receive a range of supports to test the new program. The selected communities are: Thunder Bay, Sault-Ste-Marie, Sudbury, Timmins and North Bay, Ont. Gretna-Rhineland-Altona-Plum Coulee and Brandon, Man. Moose Jaw, Sask. Claresholm, Alta. West Kootenay and Vernon, B.C. This new program is designed after an experiment that has seen success in expanding the population and filling labour needs in the Atlantic provinces. The Atlantic model sees immigrants arriving in the region with job offers and settlement plans for them and their families. Before the program was introduced, the retention rate for newcomers in Nova Scotia was at 60 per cent four in 10 immigrants moved on before long. Now, more than 90 per cent of immigrants who arrive in Nova Scotia through this program are staying. OTTAWA - The Canadian Forces' peacekeeping mission in Mali is going to last a little longer than previously planned but not as long as the United Nations hoped. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (931 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Canadian Armed Forces soldier provides security as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives on the United Nations in Gao, Mali, Saturday December 22, 2018. The military's peacekeeping mission in Mali is going to last a little longer than previously planned ???but not as long as the United Nations hoped. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - The Canadian Forces' peacekeeping mission in Mali is going to last a little longer than previously planned but not as long as the United Nations hoped. Canada's operations in the African nation were supposed to cease at the end of July and the eight helicopters and 250 military personnel providing transportation and logistics help in a UN mission there were to come home. The UN had asked Canada to stay until October, when Romanian troops take over, to minimize a gap in providing lifesaving medical evacuations for injured UN peacekeepers. Global Affairs Canada said Friday that operations will wind down after July 31 and gradually be restricted to only medical evacuations until Aug. 31. A small Canadian transition team will help Romania set up its operations, including the use of C-17 airplanes to help get troops and equipment into the country. The department said in a statement that the decision reflects strategic advice from the Canadian Forces and should "minimize disruption" in medical evacuation services. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan insisted the announcement doesn't mean the government is extending the mission. "Up until the end of July, we will maintain all the missions that we've been conducting. However, to conduct a smooth transition we are going to be focusing strictly on medical evacuations so we can start doing that transition," he told reporters outside the House of Commons. "And this will allow for that gradual handover." The six-year-old United Nations mission in Mali is trying to stabilize the country after a rebellion and a coup. It includes about 16,500 personnel, mostly from other African countries. Since Canadian troops arrived last July, they have done 10 medical evacuations, Global Affairs said. The government also said that Canadian helicopters have also spent more than 3,000 hours in the air, moving 6,400 passengers and almost 168,000 kilograms or more than 370,000 pounds of cargo. Hired civilian contractors can do some of the same work but in much more limited circumstances. They won't rescue wounded peacekeepers under fire, for instance. Sajjan told reporters "troops on the ground will always have that medical evacuation" through the transition, but not cargo transport. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland called the change in plans a "practical and pragmatic plan to ensure a smooth transition between the Canadian and Romanian rotations" in Mali. She said the Romanians would have access to "four C-17 aircraft flights" to help move personnel and equipment. The UN formally asked Canada at the end of the February to stay in Mali until mid-October. Freeland rejected that request following a March peacekeeping summit in New York. The United Nations had told MPs on the House of Commons defence committee that peacekeepers would be forced to scale down operations without the Canadians or Romanians available for emergency evacuations. Sajjan said Canada doesn't have an exact date when Romania's contingent will arrive. "But now, based on the information that we have, we've been able to come (to) the conclusion that having a thorough handover focusing strictly on medical-evacuation missions is going to allow for the same handover that we had received," he said. Why the government has refused to push the mission to October is unclear but the committee's report on the mission suggested military officials were worried about the helicopters' mechanical condition and want them ready for crises back home. Others have linked the Liberals' stance to an electoral calculation, with the fall federal campaign winding up with a vote in late October. WINNIPEG - The federal government has approved a $453-million Manitoba-Minnesota power transmission project that has been the source of friction between Premier Brian Pallister and the Manitoba Metis Federation. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba Hydro power lines are photographed just outside Winnipeg on May 1, 2018. The federal government has approved the proposed $453-million Manitoba-Minnesota hydro-electric power transmission project.The 213-kilometre, 500-kilovolt power line will stretch from a point northwest of Winnipeg and cross the Canada-United States border near the small Manitoba community of Piney. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods WINNIPEG - The federal government has approved a $453-million Manitoba-Minnesota power transmission project that has been the source of friction between Premier Brian Pallister and the Manitoba Metis Federation. The 213-kilometre, 500-kilovolt line would stretch from a point northwest of Winnipeg and cross the Canada-United States border near the small Manitoba community of Piney. Natural Resources Canada says the project is subject to 64 Manitoba licence conditions and another 28 from the National Energy Board to ensure construction safety, environmental protection and ongoing participation for Indigenous groups. Pallister clashed with the Metis over the project last year when he quashed a 50-year deal worth $67 million that had been negotiated between the federation and Manitoba Hydro to help support the transmission line. The premier called it "persuasion money" to a special interest group. In response, nine of 10 Hydro board members resigned. They said Pallister had refused to meet with them to discuss important issues, including Indigenous rights. The federation filed for a judicial review seeking to overturn the decision. It is to be heard by the courts in September. Federation president David Chartrand suggested Friday that it's time for the premier to sit down at the negotiating table now that the project has been approved. "The green light is there. My olive branch is there. Let's sit down at the table and come to terms," he said. Chartrand said he has spoken with the new president of the Hydro board and is optimistic that the Crown utility will uphold its commitment to Metis people. He hopes Pallister will see that it's better for all Manitobans if the matter doesn't end up before the courts. "There's a pathway forward and a right way to do it," he said. The federal government has ordered the board to amend five project conditions to respond to concerns raised by Indigenous groups during consultation. Manitoba Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen said the corporation is to receive more details in the coming weeks. "We have to now begin to meet those conditions before we can begin construction," he said. The government also calls for an initiation to support Indigenous-led studies on the project. The initial goal was to have the project completed by June 2020, Owen said, but the construction schedule will depend on weather and Manitoba Hydro meeting the conditions. Rochelle Squires, Manitoba's sustainable development minister, said the province has worked with Indigenous partners and the Crown utility to ensure proper consultation on the project. "Manitoba is always ready to sit at the table and talk about the conditions," she said. It's an important project which would displace more than 1.5 megatonnes of carbon emissions by removing the need for coal south of the border, she added. Federal Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi said in a statement that the line will enhance the competitiveness of Canada's electricity market while creating good jobs. "Canadians understand that a clean, modern, and resilient electricity network helps fight climate change and transition to a lower carbon economy," he said. OTTAWA - A bill that aims to end solitary confinement has passed in the Senate with a number of amendments changes a large group of lawyers and law societies say are necessary to ensure the bill stays on the right side of the law. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Senate of Canada building and Senate Chamber are pictured in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 18, 2019. A bill that aims to end solitary confinement has passed in the Senate with a number of amendments, changes a group of more than 100 lawyers and law societies say are necessary to ensure the bill stays on the right side of the law. CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA - A bill that aims to end solitary confinement has passed in the Senate with a number of amendments changes a large group of lawyers and law societies say are necessary to ensure the bill stays on the right side of the law. Senators passed Bill C-83 at third reading Wednesday, complete with a package of amendments including adding judicial oversight to decisions about isolating prisoners, more supports for inmates with mental illnesses and community-based options for rehabilitating Indigenous people and members of other vulnerable populations. Now, it will be up to the Liberal government to decide whether to accept the proposed changes. More than 100 legal experts say the bill would be unconstitutional if passed without the amendments. "It has already been decided in two separate decisions (in B.C. and Ontario courts) that segregation without a cap and without independent oversight violates the Charter," the lawyers wrote in a letter sent to senators this week. "With respect, we submit that passing a bill while knowing full well that it is unconstitutional is not only a waste of taxpayers' money, but it also raises questions regarding Canada's commitment to the rule of law." Last October, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced Bill C-83 would end the practice of segregating federal prisoners who pose risks to security or to themselves. Inmates who do pose risks would instead be moved to new "structured intervention units," where they are supposed to get better programming and mental-health care, and more contact with other people. In their letter, the lawyers say they believe these new units are solitary confinement under a different name a concern that has been echoed by a number of human-rights organizations. The lawyers and legal scholars who signed the letter are urging the government to pass the bill with the amendments made by the Senate committee that studied the issue. "We believe that these amendments transform what was a meaningless bill into a document that has the potential to make some positive changes in the lives of prisoners and uphold Canada's international human rights obligations." Sen. Kim Pate, who sponsored many of the changes and who has been a lifelong advocate for prisoners' rights, said she remains optimistic the Liberal government will accept the revisions. But if the changes that would have judges examine isolation decisions are not accepted, she said it will remain unconstitutional. "I think the amendments will be recognized for what they are that they actually strengthen the legislation, they help the government pursue their very laudable stated objectives of the bill and my hope is that they will be accepted." Goodale's spokesperson, Scott Bardsley, said the minister will announce the government's response to the Senate's amendments within days. But he also said the minister vigorously disagrees that Bill C-83 just preserves solitary confinement under a different name, and stressed the new intervention units will be qualitatively different: inmates will be legally entitled to meaningful human contact every day, and programs and rehabilitation will be provided. As for judicial oversight, Bardsley said having isolation decisions reviewed by judges on a routine basis "would be a considerable and unnecessary burden on the court system." "C-83 not only creates a new way of managing inmates who need to be separated for safety reasons, it also creates meaningful external review of those placements," Bardsley said. Independent external decision-makers will be added to review cases if inmates don't get their minimum hours out of their cells or minimum hours of meaningful human contact within a prescribed time period. The Port of Cork has signed a collaboration agreement with the Port of Amsterdam today, a deal which will see both ports look to strengthen each other. "The Port of Cork, as well as Port of Amsterdam, wishes to share their expertise and experience in a number of areas in order to promote trade between their ports," a statement from the Port of Cork read, announcing the deal was signed in the presence of the King and Queen of the Netherlands. Revenue officers have seized 30kgs of 'Amber Leaf' tobacco in Shannon and Limerick. The unstamped tobacco had a retail value of over 15,400, representing a loss to the Exchequer of 12,900. On Monday, 12kgs of tobacco were seized following routine operations. Yesterday, officers seized 18kgs of tobacco following a search of a shop and an adjoining house in Limerick City. A woman in her 30s was interviewed at the scene. The seized tobacco was found in packages which had arrived from the Netherlands and were destined for addresses in Limerick. Investigations are ongoing. An Garda Siochana says it is looking forward to taking part in the Dublin Pride Parade despite one group pulling out of the event due to their involvement. Gardai will march in Dublin's Parade in full uniform for the first time later this month. Queer Action Ireland has withdrawn from the event as it feels having Gardai involved is not a sign of progress given this years festivities fall on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Oisin O'Reilly of BeLong To believes there is a place for everyone in Pride. "I think it's important to remember that we have openly LGBTI members of An Garda Siochana serving and they are also members of our community," said Mr O'Reilly. "Our relationship with the gardai here has become one of openness and positivity. I think that they are committed to a journey of openness and I think that as long as anyone is open to and is engaging with the community's concerns that that is a positive thing. "There is a place for everyone and every member of our community within Pride." Queer Action Ireland announced this week that it is organising an alternative event in Dublin in protest over the inclusion of gardai in this year's parade, as well as the festival's media partnership with RTE. The group said the inclusion of gardai is an affront to the foundations of Pride. The participation of gardai in uniform in this years parade is in direct opposition to the liberatory principles of Pride. The police continue to target LGBTQ+ people, sex workers, migrant and other ethnic minority people in Ireland today. Just this week, gardai have arrested migrant sex workers on both sides of the country. Cops marching in Pride is not a sign of progress, but rather a representation of the further cooptation of our struggle. "While police will make concessions and recruit from our queer and migrant populations, their role remains the same. The Government has announced an increase in funding of 450,000 to prevent and treat HIV. The HIV Fast Track Cities scheme is being operated in 300 cities around the world, with the help of the United Nations. Here, the fund will be used to increase HIV awareness and treatment in cities such as Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Last year was the worst in history for new cases of HIV in Ireland, with 513 diagnoses. Minister of State for Health Promotion, Catherine Byrne, said stigma may still be preventing people from getting tested for HIV: Ms Byrne said: "One of the things it is about is reaching into communities and this probably where this is going to be so important that we can reach into communities now. "Within Dublin, Galway, Cork and Limerick there will be outreach workers and there will be more promotion of services. "Sometimes it's around the stigma that people don't want to get tested and that's what we are trying to break down, those barriers in communities now. DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has repeated his call for the Irish government to agree a specific timeline for the backstop - the insurance mechanism to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. The impasse in Westminster, where a vote on the backstop was defeated three times, was caused by Ireland, he told RTE radios Morning Ireland. Any refusal to address the backstop means that the UK is heading towards a no-deal Brexit, he warned. Mr Donaldson said that the agreement signed between British Prime Minister Teresa May and the EU on the backstop was not legal because she did not have the authority to sign a deal without the approval of parliament. Dublin knows what the problem is. He said he is asking for a time frame on the back stop so people will know that it is temporary and not indefinite. He said: The Irish government is refusing to budge on the time scale." "Thats the only problem. Parliament (UK) could agree if that was removed. He added that from the start he had not wanted a hard border and the UK government had recognised that there needed to be an agreement on both sides to avoid a hard border. It was not in Irelands interests to have a no-deal outcome, but thats where were heading now. That is not in Irelands interests. 50% of Irelands beef goes to the UK. Is it in the interest of Irish farmers that there is no deal? Mr Donaldson said he was disappointed that the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was heading for a no-deal situation because of the backstop. When asked about the Tory leadership race, Mr Donaldson said the DUP had talks with the contenders to express their concern about the backstop. The DUPs agreement is with the Conservative Party and by extension with the Prime Minister, we will work with whoever that is". I do hope we can resolve this issue to avoid a no-deal Brexit and a hard border. I hope the Irish government will work with us to enable us to move to the next stage. Latest: No distress signal was sent from the aircraft which crashed in Co Kildare yesterday evening. The aircraft has been removed from the scene after an initial investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Unit. Two men, one aged 70 and the other in his 50s, were killed when their light aircraft crashed in Belan near Athy. The wreckage was located by the Rescue 116 helicopter at around half four this morning, three hours after the alarm was raised. The Air Accident Investigation Unit is currently carrying out an initial examination of the aircraft at the scene. Lead Investigator Howard Hughes says no communication was made by the pilot. "Indications are there was no communication from the aircraft nor would the pilot have been obliged to have done so," said Mr Hughes. "Kilrush Airfield is located in air space where they do not have to make radio contact with any of the major air traffic control units around Ireland. "So our understanding at this stage is that there was no communication." The scene after an aircraft crash at a farm in Belan, Moone, Co Kildare Light aircraft that crashed killing two men in Kildare was on training flight Update 1.30pm: The chief inspector of the Air Accident Investigation Unit, Jurgen White is hoping to have a preliminary report within 30 days into the fatal air accident which occurred in Kildare yesterday evening. He told RTE radios News at One that at 3am this morning he received a call from an Garda Siochana that an aircraft had not returned to its base in Kilrush airfield in Co. Kildare. An emergency response was immediately initiated involving numerous agencies including the gardai, rescue helicopter R116 and the aviation authority which played back radar tapes to determine the last known position of the aircraft. Once that position was identified it led gardai to discover the downed craft in Belan, Moone, Co. Kildare with the two fatally injured men. The area around Belan, where the crash happened. Google Maps Two inspectors of the Air Accident Investigation Unit are at present on site recording all the information from the aircraft and conducting a full investigation of the site, said Mr White. It is hoped that the wreckage will be removed today and transported to Gormanstown, Co. Meath, for a detailed examination. The aircraft, which was registered in the UK, was based in Kilrush which is not an unusual situation according to Mr White. Its not unusual for UK- or US-registered aircraft to be flying around Ireland. The aircraft was on a training flight when the accident occurred, he said. It was only when families of the two men and the owner of the aircraft became concerned that the alert was activated. He said he will keep an open mind as to the cause of the accident through the entire long and detailed process which will be meticulous. I hope to have a preliminary report within 30 days. Earlier: Two dead in airplane crash in Kildare Two men have died after a light aircraft crashed in Co. Kildare last night. Gardai and emergency services attended the incident at Belan, Moone, Athy, yesterday. At 4.30am this morning, the aircraft was found after a search by Gardai and Irish Coast Guard helicopter rescue 116. The bodies of the two men, aged 70 and in their late 50s, were removed to the mortuary in Naas General Hospital. Naas General Hospital. The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) are at scene and the Irish Aviation Authority have been notified. The AAIU said the aircraft was registered in the UK and "was engaged on a local flight from Kilrush Airfield yesterday evening" when the crash happened. A concerned member of the public reported the men missing at around 7.30pm yesterday evening after they failed to return to the nearby Kilrush airstrip. Additional reporting by Digital Desk A 28-year-old man has been remanded in custody after he was charged with the murder of of his friend who who was stabbed to death on Dublins OConnell Street. Father-of-one, Peter Donnelly, who was from Kilkenny, had moved to Dublin last summer and was residing at various addresses and hostels, and sleeping rough in Dublin. Mr Donnelly, who studied health and fitness, died after he sustained serious injuries outside a premises on Upper O'Connell St at about 1.40am on Tuesday last. Unemployed Damien Singleton, originally from Cork, but of no fixed abode was charged with Mr Donnelly's murder, and production of a knife in connection with the incident. A Garda patrolling the district responded and attempted to render first aid, assisted by members of the public. A description was circulated and a second Garda on beat in the Marlborough Street area arrested another man about 15 minutes later. Mr Donnelly was pronounced dead shortly after he was taken to the Mater Hospital. His body was removed to Dublin City Morgue in Whitehall for a post-mortem. Peter Donnelly. Pic via Facebook. Gardai appealed to the public for information while the O'Connell Street area was sealed off. The arrested man had his detention at Store Street Garda station prolonged so he could receive hospital treatment to a hand injury and undergo surgery. He was brought before Judge Bryan Smyth at Dublin District Court today. Dressed in a green T-shirt, grey trousers and runners, he sat silently throughout the hearing with his left forearm in a cast. Detective Sergeant Brendan Casey told the court the accused was formally cautioned and made no reply when he was arrested for the purpose of being charged at 7.03pm on Thursday for the offence of common law murder. The defendant was charged just before 8pm, the court was told. The charges were read over to him and Mr Singleton made no reply. The district court cannot adjudicate on bail in murder cases. Detective Sergeant Casey applied for a remand in custody and asked for the defendant to appear at Cloverhill District Court on June 18 next. Solicitor Tracy Horan, for Mr Singleton, consented and said her client would appear via video-link at the next hearing. She asked the court to direct medical attention in custody. Ms Horan said: My client, Mr Singleton, had very severe hand injuries and he needed surgery the day before yesterday. Legal aid was granted after a statement of means was handed in to court. Judge Smyth remanded Mr Singleton in custody and said he presumed the defendant would get treatment. A book of evidence has yet to be prepared and a bail application will have to be made in the High Court. Update: Minister of State for Training and Skills John Halligan has denied that the Government decision to allocate 5m of Exchequer funding to Waterford Airport was parish pump politics. The decision faced criticism because the facility that has not had any commercial flights since 2016. Waterford Airport is planning a 12m runway extension that will enable it to cater for larger aircraft. A statement from the department said the remaining cost of the project would be met by private investor and local authority interests that have committed to funding 5m and 2m respectively in return for an equity shareholding in the airport. Among the private investors are Dawn Meats Group, Glanbia Plc and Coolmore Stud. The local authorities involved are Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford. File photo of (left to right) John Halligan, Shane Ross and Finian McGrath. Mr Halligan told RTE radios Today with Sean ORourke show that the south-east deserved the same infrastructure as the rest of the country. I genuinely think that the spin-off exceeds the 5m investment (by the Government). He paid tribute to the Minister for Transport Shane Ross who had met all the interested parties. For anyone to say that is just someone stumping up for Waterford. Thats not the case. When asked how much Glanbia is specifically contributing to the project, Mr Halligan said that he did not know, but that the company had been advocating for some time for a runway extension. The airport will be viable, he said, because the investors had completed assessments. In the last year that Waterford airport did have commercial flights it recorded passenger numbers of 13,511, fewer than the Connemara Airport in Inverin, Co Galway which caters for people travelling to and from the Aran Islands and carried 21,345 passengers in the same year. The business will be there once jets can land, he added. Im absolutely convinced that the investors would have done their assessments. In response to a question about air travel and climate change, Mr Halligan said it would be delusional to suggest that people would not travel by air in the future. Hundreds of thousands of people have no alternative. We need to be practical about this. We are not going to be able to prohibit air travel. Mr Halligan said that the Taoiseach supported the Waterford Airport investment and had visited the city where he met with the Chamber of Commerce and local business representatives. He listened to what they had to say. In response to the parish pump politics allegation, the Minister said he would love to be able to say I got this because Im a Minister, but that was not the case. Look to the private investors. The spin-offs will far exceed the 5m investment. Earlier: Shane Ross: Refusing 5m grant to Waterford Airport would have been its 'death knell' The Transport Minister Shane Ross has awarded 5m to an airport that does not operate any commercial flights. Waterford Regional Airport has not had a single passenger jet land or take off in the last three years. The Department of Transport said the 5m will go towards a 12m runway extension at the airport with the remaining cost to be met by private investors and local authorities who have committed to funding 5m and 2m respectively, in return for an equity shareholding in Waterford Airport. Minister Ross said the funding represents a 40% investment with the remaining funding being provided by private investors and local authorities. The Transport Minister said it is very important for regional policy that the airport is re-opened, and the funding comes with conditions. Mr Ross said: "We looked at this very, very closely and I decided that there are risks involved in this, but the fact of the matter is the Government is only putting in 40% and private investors and local authorities are absolutely convinced, putting their money on the line. "If I was to refuse that, I would obviously be signing the death knell of Waterford Airport. "It's very important for regional policy that Waterford Airport is re-opened, we think it's got a really good chance of success." According to the Irish Independent, the Department of Public Expenditure advised against the allocation, suggesting it is unjustified. The Department of Transport was told that additional funding for the airport must come from within the existing transport budget. John Halligan, who is Mr Rosss Independent Alliance colleague and holds a Dail seat in the constituency, said: If people want to say its parish-pump politics, I dont care. Its a big hit for the south-east. The Department said: "Among the private investors who have shown a willingness to commit time, money and expertise to this project are Conor McCarthy (Leadmore Investment Company), Noel Frisby, Dawn Meats Group, Glanbia plc, Coolmore Stud, Stafford Wholesale Ltd. The local authorities involved are Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford." The runway, when extended from its existing length of 1,433 metres to 2,280 metres, will be able to accommodate large commercial passenger aircraft such as Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s. The Minister said "the airports proposal is fully aligned with the commitment in Project Ireland 2040 to support the dispersal of economic growth throughout all the regions". He added that he was "optimistic about the potential upside of the proposal and was particularly struck by the commitment of the private sector investors to commit not just funding but their business expertise and experience to driving the airport forward". There are a number of conditions attached to the 5m, including the airport being able to demonstrate that the extension can be delivered for 12m, and it will only be paid when all upgrade works are completed and the runway is confirmed to be ready for service by the Irish Aviation Authority. Additional reporting by Digital Desk The US military has released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz. The US Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze on Thursday by an explosion. The ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke. Iran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an "unfounded claim" in the US' "Iranophobic campaign". However, Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the Tanker War, when the US Navy escorted ships through the region. American officials released images they said show that Iran was involved in an attack on an oil tanker near the entrance to the Persian Gulf on Thursday https://t.co/bFIFSuXiGw pic.twitter.com/iveaDaP3zd Bloomberg (@business) June 14, 2019 The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the US military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous. A Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Captain Bill Urban said. "The US and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation," Capt Urban said. "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests." Iran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations. "The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement said. The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The US Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Commander Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack", without elaborating. Thursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. US officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but do not sink, a vessel. US stocks ended nominally lower on Friday as investors awaited next week's Federal Reserve meeting for signs of imminent rate cuts, while the US-Iran confrontation in the Gulf of Oman added to geopolitical uncertainty, sending oil prices higher. Lingering worries over the US-China trade war also weighed on investor sentiment. Weak China data and a warning of a broad slowdown in chip demand from chipmaker Broadcom were the latest signs of fallouts from the tariffs both countries have imposed. Wall Street is awaiting the Fed's interest rate decision next week. Credit:Bloomberg The upcoming Fed meeting, on Tuesday and Wednesday, was seen as pivotal for Wall Street, with stocks primed for a selloff if the Fed fails to take an even more dovish tilt after policymakers' comments raised expectations for a rate cut in recent weeks. "There's a lack of information to trade and the magnitude of the importance of the Fed next week can't be overstated, so you don't want to put any position on in front of something that has the potential to be such big news," said Brian Battle, director of trading at Performance Trust Capital Partners in Chicago When the Chinese Defence Minister recently said the government had been correct in its response to the Tiananmen Square protests, he said a lot about China today. For the past three decades, the Party has kept silent about Tiananmen and obliged its citizens to follow suit. To suddenly come out and portray the massacre as an astute policy decision that ensured three decades of stability is the mark of a regime that has reassumed the mantle of Communist infallibility. In Australia, weve been outraged at police raids on a journalist and the ABC, but this is standard practice in China. Censorship and surveillance are facts of life in a country that has witnessed a steady resurgence of authoritarian rule. Its all to do with that word, stability. Without a firm hand, we are assured China would disintegrate into a mass of unruly, competing interest groups. The high standard of living enjoyed by a growing number of Chinese is seen as proof that government policies are successful. Its an impossible argument to refute because it deals in hypotheticals. Its akin to saying: These vitamin pills are successful because Im still alive. Peng Yun, Miss Melissa and Mr Fish, video still. In its current exhibition, Hot Blood, the White Rabbit Gallery brings together a range of works that take the temperature of a country that has undergone 30 years of massive social turbulence but returned to the same political position. Bob Grandin has a vivid memory of flying a helicopter to resupply ammunition to besieged Australian troops during one of the decisive battles of the Vietnam War. "It was terrifying," he says. "I thought it was a suicide mission." Then Flight Lieutenant Grandin was a 25-year-old who had just arrived in Vietnam. He'd started that day flying Little Pattie and Col Joye into the base for a concert for the troops in August 1966. Sgt Bob Buick (Luke Bracey) and Warrant Officer Jack Kirby (Alexander England) in Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan. Credit:Jasin Boland When the Battle of Long Tan broke out in a rubber plantation four kilometres away, the entertainers had to be evacuated and two helicopters became crucial to the survival of just over 100 Australian and New Zealand troops fighting more than 2000 enemy soldiers. Irvine lives in a modest brick and tile house. She walks slowly, favouring her right leg, and often pauses while speaking, breathing through her nose. Sitting at the kitchen table, even though she's on a cushion, she shifts around a lot, arms folded tightly. Three years after her initial operation, she's now almost entirely incontinent: at her cousin's wedding recently, she wet herself "completely: a full bladder. I was wearing a proper urinary pad, but it was dripping down my leg." She has frequent serious infections and discharge; and she's been unable to have sex with her partner of 12 years for more than a year because it's too painful. None of this proved true. She woke from the operation in agony, and six weeks later, her vaginal cuff and bladder were both prolapsing, and she was still incontinent. "The surgeon was shocked," recalls Irvine. "He sent me back to the referring specialist." "It's a pretty rough job," he told her. "But it's not the worst I've seen.'" In June 2016, when her third son, Parker, was six months old, she had an operation at her small local hospital, performed by two gynaecologists with an "interest" in mesh surgery, to insert transvaginal mesh. She was told the operation would cure her incontinence and prolapse, and that her recovery would be swift and easy two weeks at most. "I didn't want to be wearing nappies for the rest of my life," she explains, smiling. "I did want to get it fixed." After her second son, Sammy, was born in 2013, Irvine noticed what felt like an uncomfortable lump in her vagina when she sat down. This is a common symptom of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a condition that, at some point, affects about half of all women who've had children. It happens when organs of the pelvis bladder, rectum, uterus drop or press into the vagina. She also noticed "a bit of leakage" during exercise, caused by stress urinary incontinence (SUI). This is a separate condition to prolapse, but both are socially disabling and cause serious health problems if very severe and Irvine was only 24. Grace Irvine has blue eyes, pale skin, and short hair that fluffs up at the back like a baby chick's. She is 29 years old. Three years ago, she was a healthy mother of three boys living in a small town in Victoria. She worked as a dental assistant, and wanted to study nursing. The eventual 2018 Senate inquiry recommended a national audit of past mesh procedures and a registry for future ones; mandatory reporting of problems by doctors; and the establishment of specialist multi-disciplinary mesh clinics. It also exposed at least some of what mesh-injured women were dealing with. A young teacher testified about trying to look after a class of little children while wearing a catheter bag strapped to her leg after she was left incontinent; a mother of five described how mesh severed her urethra (the tube that carries urine) and destroyed her vaginal wall; a registered nurse explained that her mesh infections produced such a "putrid-smelling discharge" that even showering twice daily couldn't contain it. Many women confessed they had considered suicide. "I remember sending some mesh-related paperwork to a government administrative office," he recalls. "And when it came back they'd changed the word 'vaginal' to 'pelvic'! That's what's f...ing wrong with all this! For five years, no one's touched this because it's got the word 'vagina' in it. If this had been a male problem, it would have been up there and out there and fixed in six months!" According to former federal senator Derryn Hinch, who agitated for a Senate inquiry into mesh use, this is all par for the course. In this country, most mesh surgery training was facilitated by mesh manufacturers themselves (with all the potential for conflict of interest this creates); the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) required no independent clinical evidence about many of the transvaginal prolapse mesh devices it cleared; and according to a 2017 survey of 1900 women by the Health Issues Centre , a Victorian health consumer peak body, more than 60 per cent of women did not give informed consent. Instead, when things went wrong, these women were cut loose by doctors, regulators and manufacturers alike. Their reports of serious complications and debilitating pain were ignored; the products they were implanted with were not investigated; and their doctors told them they were "imagining the pain", that they should "try anal sex", or that they were "crazy". Since its introduction in the late 1980s , somewhere between 7000 and 18,000 women have experienced complications from mesh surgery in this country. This figure echoes as many as 200,000 cases reported overseas. In what one surgeon has called a "tragic, two-decade-long free-for-all", these women were victims of often poorly trained doctors, using devices that, in many cases, lacked scientific evidence of safety or effectiveness, without being properly informed of what was being done to them. This pain is the worst thing of all, she says. She's not on any painkillers, because she's worried about dependency, and she can't sit for long, or walk far, because it feels "like a cheese grater in my vagina" an analogy used by many mesh patients "like rough surfaces are catching and rubbing together". She can't work, or walk to the local park with her kids, or exercise her border collie; she needs a wheelchair for long outings. The other night, her oldest son, Tyler, now 10, said to her: "'I miss doing things with you, Mum.' " Irvine looks down at the kitchen table. For the only time during a three-hour interview, her self-control slips. "My kids are paying the price for this," she says, eyes filled with tears. "I just can't believe it. I can't believe this happened to me." Transvaginal mesh looks set, by some measures, to become one of the biggest issues in women's health for decades. Hinch calls it the biggest issue "since thalidomide". But is anything actually changing? Beyond the verbal mea culpas and the fight for compensation, what lessons have we learnt about protecting women protecting all of us from these kinds of surgical interventions? And what has anyone actually done to help Grace Irvine, and the thousands of women like her? Overseas, meanwhile, the British Medical Journal reported in 2017 that more than 1000 British women had brought legal cases involving mesh to court. In Canada, more than 3000 transvaginal mesh cases had been filed by the end of 2018, and some 107,000 are outstanding in the US, making it one of the largest mass torts on record. More than $US7 billion has been awarded, and in the next few years according to some estimates global compensation claims for mesh complications could exceed $20 billion. Unsurprisingly, many women have decided all these officials can take their apologies and, as one mesh patient put it, "stuff them". These women are now seeking financial compensation. One of the largest medical class actions in Australian history, by more than 1300 women against Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon (manufacturers of mesh products), is currently awaiting judgment in Sydney's Federal Court. A second case, by 850 women against American Medical Systems (also a manufacturer) was filed last July. There has also been an unknown number of individual settlements against Australian doctors. "I'd like to offer an apology," said Dr Steve Robson, then-president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). "A personal apology and an apology on behalf of the College." Even Greg Hunt, the federal Health Minister, acknowledged in October last year "all of those women with the historic agony and pain that has come from mesh implantation, which has led to horrific outcomes. On behalf of the Australian government, I say sorry." A disaster the medical profession has been collectively apologising for. "It was a long way from our proudest hour," then-Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon told Fairfax Media in 2017. "To call [our support of mesh products] a tragedy is not overstating it at all." Professor Thierry Vancaillie, a gynaecologist and pain specialist at the Women's Health and Research Institute of Australia, testified that "[these women] are unable to sit for any length of time, which means they can't enjoy such basic social interaction as a family dinner. They can't have intercourse. They have difficulty emptying their bladder or bowel. They have difficulty with basic physical activity, such as walking or going up flights of stairs. [For women with serious complications, it is] a true disaster." When retired primary school teacher Alison Blake was 62, she was referred to Sydney surgeon Dr Richard Reid for her pelvic and prolapse problems, for which she'd already had unsuccessful surgery. According to her only child Leesa Tolhurst, before surgery her issues "weren't overly severe. She did feel uncomfortable, but she had full function. She just needed to go to the toilet regularly." Reid operated on Blake a daily ocean swimmer who took pride in her health and appearance in February 2014. She suffered immediate complications, including severe and continuous pain. She returned to Reid, who operated twice more before the end of the month. After this surgery, Blake was left with no bladder function whatsoever. "She was completely reliant on self-catheterising," explains Tolhurst. "She had to plan everywhere she went, because she knew she had two hours at most before she'd have to lie down somewhere [to do that]." She was unable to attend her own father's funeral because the crematorium had no facilities for it. "It completely stole her dignity," says Tolhurst. Leesa Tolhurst, left, with her mother Alison Blake, who took her own life because of the pain of an unsuccessful transvaginal mesh procedure. Credit:Courtesy of Leesa Tolhurst What's become clearer and clearer as more and more women have come forward with horror stories is that this expertise has been, for many, woefully lacking. Professor Helen O'Connell is one of Australia's top functional and female urology surgeons, and a former director of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Her career has neatly spanned the decades during which mesh was extensively used but she has always avoided it, relying instead on native tissue repairs. While diplomatically maintaining that it's "a really complex area", she says that "in almost every circumstance, there's an option" between using mesh and doing native tissue repair. "I'm not saying there's no place for [mesh], but my need for it has become extremely limited." What is required for successful native tissue repair, she says, crediting her practice colleagues, "is really high-quality surgery, performed with a really high level of expertise". But for a substantial minority of women, the experience has been not just bad, but truly horrid. Most complications involve the mesh itself, which hardens and shrinks inside the body, perforating tissue and sometimes piercing other organs. In the bladder or bowel, this can lead to adhesions, infections, fistulas, abscesses and severe urinary and defecation problems. In the vagina, mesh may poke into the vaginal passage itself. Male partners can feel this mesh with their penises during sex; women can feel it themselves with their fingers. Unsurprisingly, many women with mesh problems, like Grace Irvine, find sexual intercourse extremely painful. According to the Health Issues Centre survey, as many as 25 per cent of relationships break down following mesh complications. Importantly, out of 100,000-odd (and perhaps as many as 150,000) women treated in Australia, most have not reported complications from mesh surgery indeed, it's been very successful for many. Success has been most noticeable with stress urinary incontinence, treated via mid-urethral slings (MUS). Many MUS devices have a great deal of scientific evidence behind them, and they remain despite complications the international gold-standard treatment. "Transvaginal mesh" is the catch-all term for any product surgically inserted via the vagina to support the pelvic organs. Doctors embraced the new mesh devices because they were marketed as offering swifter surgery, quicker recovery times and lower failure rates than the traditional "native tissue" treatment, in which women's own tissue is used for support. Sometimes the mesh takes the form of "slings" or "hammocks"; sometimes it's called "tape" that wraps around or beneath organs. It's usually made of polypropylene, but has also been constructed from materials such as nylon and porcine submucosa, a technical term for pigs' guts. "I miss her every day," says Tolhurst, her voice choked. "She wanted to continue her life so much, but she'd just lost all her hope, after hanging on for so long." This continual pain, plus the daily humiliation and social isolation caused by her incontinence, eventually overwhelmed Blake. "I cannot bear the thought of leaving you but the emotional torment and physical pain I'm going through are just too much," she wrote in a note to Tolhurst. "I simply cannot bear to be lying on a couch for months on end and to have to rely on catheters, enemas, Temazepam, painkillers and be a burden to my family and friends." The mesh Reid used in his treatment of Blake, like all transvaginal meshes, was designed for tissue to grow around and through it, "like passionfruit over the chicken coop", as Hinch puts it. This makes its removal extremely difficult, even for highly skilled surgeons. Reid's attempts on Blake left "little spikes of it inside her", says Tolhurst. "On certain movements she'd still feel it digging into her." On his return to Australia, Reid was permitted to practise again (prior to a change in legislation requiring doctors to record suspensions). But his incompetence led to restrictions being placed on his practice in 2011. In 2018 (after he retired), he was found guilty of professional misconduct after 17 women were left with serious injuries following mesh surgery by him. Before her treatment, Blake presumed as most people do of their doctors, especially their specialists that Reid knew what he was doing. In this she was tragically mistaken. Reid had, in fact, been suspended and fined in the US (where he lived for nearly two decades) in 1998, after a disciplinary hearing following complaints by three women. One of these, a 23-year-old, was awarded $US7.6 million after a civil court heard that Reid's surgery had left her unable to "ever have sex again". Alison Blake's case illustrates one of the biggest issues with mesh: medical skill and responsibility. Reid was clearly unfit to be operating when Blake encountered him in 2014. And mesh brought vulnerable patients into contact with doctors working in an extraordinarily laissez-faire, oversight-free arena. As one senior obstetrician gynaecologist explained to Good Weekend, "the mesh reps, the device reps, whoever, come and sit in your office and say, 'So this is the device it's fantastic, we can give you free kits, we can show you how to use it.' And you go, 'Okay, well, I've got a list on Monday, why don't I try it out.' And that's your training." Such an environment places enormous responsibility on individual doctors to oversee themselves. And too often, in mesh cases, this self-monitoring fell short. "We got really excited, and we weren't cautious enough there's no question of that," Dr Jennifer King, then chair of the Urogynaecological Society of Australasia, told the Senate inquiry. "[Mesh] got used overenthusiastically." One anaesthetist who's worked with several mesh surgeons (not including King), believes it went beyond mere enthusiasm. "As a group, they display a lot of narcissistic, god-complex personality traits," he says. "You could argue that surgeons as a whole tend towards narcissism, but these guys were something else. They were absolutely convinced they were wonderful surgeons, and that everything they did was right, and that no one should question them. They thought they were God's gift, basically." Grace Irvine, now 29, can't work, walk to the local park with her kids, or exercise her border collie; she needs a wheelchair for long outings. Credit:Photograph by Kristoffer Paulsen. Hair and make-up by Karen Burton. Grace Irvine has had to grapple with the fact that, in addition to the failure of the surgery itself, she was also subjected to a hysterectomy while under anaesthetic. "They mentioned [a hysterectomy] as a really unlikely possibility in one conversation," she recalls. "They were like, 'We'll just put it down [on the consent form], but we're sure we won't have to do it.' I mean, I had to go and buy a Mirena coil [an IUD] before surgery: they were going to insert it for me. Then I wake up, beside myself with pain, and this has happened." Her surgeons told her they'd removed her uterus because her uterine prolapse was "worse than they thought". As a further blow, Irvine's hospital bed after surgery was in the maternity ward of the hospital; she could hear newborn babies in the rooms on either side. "It was absolutely devastating," she says. There are many stories like hers: women including many young women whose sexual and reproductive organs were irreparably damaged. Reid, as it turns out, worked with another controversial mesh surgeon, Dr Peter Petros, who was involved in the early development of incontinence mesh in Western Australia. Petros came to the attention of the courts as far back as 2004, when a WA district court judge awarded a woman more than $136,000 after evidence of her severe and permanent injuries following mesh surgery by him. Since then, a series of complaints culminated last month in a professional misconduct hearing brought by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC), in which Petros was found to have acted improperly and unethically and misled the Commission. Had he not already retired, he would have been struck off over several issues, including failing to disclose his financial interest in a mesh device, the Tissue Fixation System (TFS), which he developed and promoted for many years. A Tissue Fixation System device, no longer on the market. The HCCC launched its investigation after a woman left with serious and permanent injuries as a result of being implanted with Petros's device by Reid, without her knowledge or consent, complained Petros had failed to disclose to her his financial interest in the device. Petros was also present, supervising Reid, when Reid implanted Petros's TFS device on a second woman, during which Reid cut an artery, resulting in a near fatal incident. The woman required 12 units of blood and transfer to a major public hospital. The tribunal found Petros wrote an improper and inaccurate report about that event, in which he sought "to minimise the course of the surgery and the nature of the complications suffered by the patient". Most surgeons are skilled, careful, and trying to act in their patients' best interests. But, as illustrated by recent court cases, when it came to mesh, doctors, manufacturers, and private hospitals (in which many mesh procedures occurred) all stood to make large one might argue compromisingly large amounts of money. During the Johnson & Johnson class action in Sydney, one of the company's advertising concepts for transvaginal mesh products was tendered to the court. It was an ad aimed at doctors, and in it, two surgeons boast about their successful mesh practices. "Just got back from a week in St. Moritz," says one. "Fabulous ski conditions, beautiful resort." He's just picked up his new Lamborghini. But now he's got to rush he's got to squeeze more mesh patients into his schedule. "You know I can do a TVT-O [an incontinence mesh procedure] in eight minutes." Professor Helen OConnell. Credit:Kristoffer Paulsen Obviously, these aren't real surgeons. But Professor O'Connell "can definitely remember people talking about the time it was taking for them to do a mesh sling. And because people could do it very quickly, potentially that could lead to a position where people would say, 'This is child's play. It's so easy ...' " She pauses. "And, well, it possibly isn't that easy. You may not have as many steps as a heart transplant, but the patient is going to have that mesh there permanently. And if you're not giving it full respect, that could potentially be a problem." In the aftermath of the mesh debacle, many doctors have suggested that it was the device manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson who were to blame for the problems. And if it wasn't the device manufacturers, it was the TGA, which cleared them for use in the first place. The current president of RANZCOG disagrees. "We as a medical profession have to accept responsibility," says Dr Vijay Roach. "We can't just duck it and blame everybody else." He acknowledges that the profession itself may need more oversight, more restrictions, more rules about behaviour and training. "I have no problem with any of that," he says. "I mean, as a specialist doctor, I currently have virtually no regulations governing my working hours, alcohol intake, fee structures. Contrast that to other professionals who are responsible for people's lives." Pilots, train drivers, even forklift operators are subject to shift limits and blood alcohol tests; senior doctors, in particular, have no such requirements. "But the difficulty," says Roach, "is in deciding who regulates it. If you believe and I do that the college is in the best position to regulate doctors and the introduction of new techniques and devices, then the colleges have to be adequately resourced. And we are not." In the meantime, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) has moved to protect patients. Late last year, credentialling procedures for mesh surgeons were accepted by every state and territory, and are currently being implemented by hospitals. According to ACSQHC chief executive, Adjunct Professor Debora Picone, "this guarantees that only the most highly qualified urogynaecologists, gynaecologists and urologists can now undertake mesh surgery. Uncredentialled surgeons are not permitted to undertake that surgery." The problem is that this measure, while positive, is limited in scope. What about the next group of patients being offered new treatments, by doctors without rigorous training, using unproven devices? Describing his own practice, Roach recalls a recent visit from a pair of sales reps with a new laser machine that, they're claiming, will "rejuvenate the vagina" a claim without scientific evidence. "They came in and said, 'We'll get you the equipment, and you're going to be earning $100,000 a month on it'," he recalls. "Just crazy money." As Roach puts it, "the doctor starts by being sucked in to buying this extremely expensive device, and then, because of that financial investment, convinces themselves they're doing the right thing by the patient, when they're not. The doctor is totally conflicted, and the patient never has a chance." Why weren't mesh devices properly investigated 20 years ago, long before surgeons ever got hold of them? How did they ever reach a hospital shelf, let alone a patient's body? The gatekeeper for the Australian medical market is the TGA. Most people believe the TGA's remit from government is to subject every new drug and medical device to stringent review, to ensure that the scientific evidence supporting its safety and effectiveness is absolutely robust. This sounds straightforward. But in the case of mesh, it was not. For some products primarily the MUS products used for incontinence there is extensive research supporting their use. As the 2017 Cochrane Review of mesh studies (a highly respected report by international experts) states, these slings "have a good safety profile" though the experts noted the need for "longer-term data from the numerous existing trials" to help resolve "uncertainties about long-term effectiveness and adverse event profiles". Transvaginal prolapse mesh devices, however, have no such proof. The 2016 Cochrane Review of transvaginal mesh used in prolapse found that the international body of evidence about these devices was of "very low to moderate quality". In many cases, it was simply non-existent, and where present, its limitations included "poor reporting of study methods, inconsistency, and imprecision". As of 2015, what evidence did exist failed to prove safety or efficacy. Indeed, said the Cochrane experts, "the risk-benefit profile means that transvaginal mesh [for prolapse] has limited utility in primary surgery". And yet between the years of 1998 and 2013, the TGA cleared more than 100 different mesh products for implantation in women's bodies, including many of these highly problematic transvaginal prolapse devices. Today, the head of the TGA, Dr John Skerritt, lays responsibility for the original clearances on the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "At that time, the TGA accepted approvals from different jurisdictions, including Europe and the US FDA, and used these approvals as the basis for [clearance in Australia]," he says. An illustration of how one mesh device, the Prolift, was used. This matters because in 2001, the FDA cleared a transvaginal mesh device called the IVS tunneller. And significantly, this device was green-lighted not only for incontinence, but also for prolapse. The FDA made this decision on the basis of "substantial equivalence" that the IVS tunneller was so similar to a device already on the market (in this case, the TVT incontinence sling) that it needed no new or independent clinical proof that it worked, and was safe. This clearance, fatally, meant that the IVS tunneller could be used not just for incontinence, but also for prolapse despite the lack of specific evidence that it was either safe or effective for prolapse use. "It's almost impossible to believe that that [FDA] clearance happened," says Professor Chris Maher, one of Australia's top urogynaecologists and a lead Cochrane Review author. Prolapse and incontinence are different conditions involving different anatomical structures. Also, the IVS tunneller was made of a different material from the TVT, and was of a different design. "The clearance was factually incorrect," says Maher. "There was no substantial equivalence." And yet, in the years to come, this single clearance opened the door for a cascade of new prolapse devices to be approved, first overseas and then in Australia. So in terms of the science behind them, a whole section of the mesh market was simply a castle in the air. Many doctors were as shocked as their patients to discover that the mesh devices they were implanting were not supported by watertight scientific evidence. As of January 2018, all transvaginal mesh prolapse devices have been removed from the Australian market, and, as of last month, only 13 mesh products remain, including some prolapse devices that cannot be inserted transvaginally, and the Johnson & Johnson TVT mesh mid-urethral sling for incontinence. All of them, says Skerritt, are now classified as high-risk (class III), "which [require] extensive analysis of clinical and non-clinical evidence" before clearance. Most doctors think this reclassification is a good move, as is the establishment of a national Pelvic Floor Surgery Clinical Quality Registry, which was announced by Health Minister Greg Hunt in April. "What we want," says Helen O'Connell, "is a very well-tested group of products, about which we have a great deal of long-term data, being used by a group of highly competent surgeons." Women with existing mesh complications are glad others will be protected in future. "I want no woman to suffer as I have suffered," testified one woman at the Senate inquiry. But because they already have now-banned products in their bodies, future restrictions won't help them and might isolate them further as the lack of new cases makes their suffering seem increasingly irrelevant. So if you're one of these women, what do you do now? Grace Irvine, for one, isn't quite sure. She's considering her legal options: she's part of the Johnson & Johnson case, and may yet take legal action against her own doctors. She had her mesh removed at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital last August. According to her operation notes, her mesh was "exposed one centimetre under urethral meatus" where urine is discharged from the body. It was also "very adherent to periosteum and required division at pubic bone to facilitate removal". In other words, mesh was stuck to the tissue covering her pubic bone, which had to then be pulled apart which she describes as "a bit like having your hip surgically broken" and the mesh shaved away from the tissue to get it out. In the course of the operation, the obturator nerves of her right leg were damaged, which is why she limps. She has a large scab on her right shin, I notice during my visit. "Oh yes," she says sheepishly. "I've got no feeling below the knee, so I'm always banging it on things." Her new surgeon, in whom she has great and under the circumstances, extremely touching faith, has told her she will need "several more surgeries". Specialists at The Royal Women's Hospital have also told her that her hysterectomy was unnecessary. Mesh removal complications aren't unusual. Professors O'Connell and Maher both do removal operations, and both regard them as extremely difficult, often distressing procedures. "It's bloody horrible surgery," Dr Jennifer King told the Senate inquiry. Indeed, in many cases, even the most experienced surgeons are reluctant to remove mesh, because of the risks of causing new injuries, or exacerbating old ones. And yet, says Maher, more and more women are anxious about potential problems and seeking full removal. "And because they're so adamant, increasingly it is being performed," he explains. "In a way, doctors' opinions have been sidelined." Mesh removal is a matter of opinion. Some women want it, whatever the risks. "They feel violated," says Hinch. "And I can totally understand that. They just want it gone." Others feel Australian surgeons can't be trusted, and want to travel overseas, where complete mesh removal costs tens of thousands of dollars and results are mixed. According to RANZCOG's submission to the Senate inquiry, removal surgery is entirely possible in Australia, though it may require a surgical team with "urogynaecologist/gynaecologist and urologist and/or colorectal surgeon" expertise, and surgery can take eight hours or longer. A multi-disciplinary team and all-day surgery, to remove a product that took one person as little as eight minutes to put in. And even when such surgery is successful, the problems aren't over. "Unfortunately, pain may persist in as many as 50 per cent of women," says Maher. You may remove all the mesh, repair all the damage, and yet the experience of terrible pain remains. How can this be so? If this had been a male problem, it would have been up there and out there and fixed in six months! Former senator Derryn Hinch Dr Jason Chow is an obstetrician/gynaecologist in Sydney. He's also a pain specialist, and every week he sees patients with chronic pain from mesh complications. Chronic pain, he explains, is the result of a complex sensitisation process within the body. "[It's] a kind of maladaptive response from the nerves that report pain. It's a change in the pathways," he says. "The pathways that tell you you've stepped on a thumbtack and you're feeling pain are not the same as the pathways telling you you're still feeling the thumbtack three months down the track." Professor Debora Picone. The problem is that most non-pain-specialist doctors don't understand chronic pain. For this reason, the Senate inquiry specifically recommended that the multi-disciplinary medical units for the treatment of mesh patients should include pain specialists. "That's crucial," says ACSQHC's Debora Picone. "These women have major issues with pain management, major issues of good old-fashioned psychological trauma, particularly in the old days when they weren't believed. The question is, how long it will take to get the centres going? "I've been in health a long time," she adds. "And to be honest, it's not going to happen overnight not even within 12 months. This is a new clinical problem, and it's a long process. But I'm confident it will happen." Some things have improved for patients with transvaginal mesh complications in Australia. Better awareness among health professionals helps, as will the mesh registry, multi-disciplinary centres and better accreditation of doctors. And the removal of unproven mesh devices from the market, plus information about informed consent, which hospitals must now provide to patients, will help protect women in the future. Dr Vijay Roach. Credit:Steven Siewert But not all the signs are good. Last year, Maher who first raised the alarm on mesh more than 20 years ago experienced a terrifying groundhog day. In last November's edition of the respected Medical Journal of Australia, he and colleague Dr Melissa Buttini expressed the widespread concern of doctors about a new wave of CO2 laser treatments marketed at women for "vaginal rejuvenation". (These are the lasers represented by the reps who visited RANZCOG's president Dr Vijay Roach, suggesting he could make $100,000 a month from treatments.) In August, the US FDA issued a warning about laser devices in this context. (The TGA is currently reviewing their use.) "These products have serious risks and don't have adequate evidence to support their use for these purposes," the FDA stated. "We are deeply concerned women are being harmed." Maher and Buttini are also concerned. They point out the "lack of properly controlled trials", the "deceptive health claims and significant risks", and the fact that companies "promoting vaginal laser treatment do not currently need to provide evidence from stringently conducted trials in order to receive device clearance [from the TGA]". Sound familiar? "It's exactly the same," says Maher. Unproven devices, patients at risk. "Doctors do want to do the best for their patients," he says. "But sometimes they get carried away with their enthusiasm for the newest, most innovative treatments. Women need to know that, if treatments aren't funded by Medicare, they may not have been fully assessed for safety or effectiveness." In the wake of what's gone before, he concludes, doctors and patients alike need to be extremely careful. "Have we got the message from mesh? I'm not sure we have." Lifeline 131 114 To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times. For the 300,000 people who visit Uluru each year, the 2009 plan to stop tourists climbing the rock spelt the beginning of the end of an iconic Australian climb. But for a group of enterprising Sydney businessmen, it presented an opportunity that just months after its inaugural liftoff has now landed in the NSW Supreme Court. Flying high: The Skyship Uluru in operation. Credit:Skyship ULuru The group, including David Adler and Malcolm Beville, a former Macquarie Banker and son of wealthy developer John Beville dreamt up SkyShip Uluru. The giant blimp - the first of its kind in the world - would allow visitors to again enjoy stunning panoramic views as it hovered 150 metres above the ground. For nearly two decades, Redfern's famous Aboriginal flag mural loomed over the Block - a symbol of continuity as the inner city area's streets were rocked by riots and its rows of derelict terraces razed. But the mural was this week ripped down to make way for a development that includes high-rise student housing, removing one of the most recognisable nods to Redfern's past as the focal point of Aboriginal culture and politics in Sydney. Bulldozers ripped down Redfern's famous Aboriginal flag mural this week. Credit:Janie Barrett While remnants of the mural were visible at the worksite on Friday, the bulk of the wall had been torn down on Thursday. "It's such a shame, it's devastating," said Blake Robinson, a Bundjalung man who grew up in Redfern-Waterloo. A Queensland woman caught clutching a large flatscreen TV while lying in the back of a car has copped a hefty fine for not wearing a seatbelt. Officers found the woman holding the new TV as she hid on a folded-down seat of a car they stopped at Laidley, west of Brisbane, last month. The 51-year-old driver was also fined for failing to ensure his passenger was restrained. Credit:Neil Newitt Police have issued a seatbelt warning to all drivers, after slapping the 51-year-old with a $391 fine. A 51-year-old man who was driving was also fined for failing to ensure his passenger was restrained. Queensland Museum reptile expert Andrew Amey travelled to the remote north of the state to confirm a new species of skink, but the "discovery" wasn't news to the traditional owners. On that survey we found the first specimen and we showed [our guide] and he said oh, those things, we dig them up all the time when were putting in post holes and stuff, Dr Amey said. Lerista anyara has been described for the first time by Queensland scientists, but is well known to the local Indigenous people. Credit:Queensland Museum The comment was a reminder that while modern science is still discovering new species tucked away in remote parts of Australia, the traditional owners of the land in many cases have a more complete understanding of the animals which inhabit the area. The new skink species, one of three discovered as part of the Bush Blitz discovery program, is so prevalent that he suspects it might have given the area its Indigenous name. It is a difficult day for the family of Toyah Cordingley, for what would have been her 25th birthday on Friday. The north Queensland woman's body was discovered at Wangetti Beach, just north of Cairns, after she was reported missing on October 21 last year. Toyah Cordingley would have turned 25 this year. Her death has had a significant impact on both local police and the community. Police said they had not given up on finding her killer as their team continues to make progress. One of Sydney's top universities wants to lower its entry standards for year 12 students and delay lifting English language requirements for overseas students to battle a multi-million dollar revenue shortfall. "A below-the-radar approach is recommended to protect reputation," said a slide referring to lower tertiary entrance ranks, which was presented to staff and obtained by the Herald. The University of New South Wales lost $14.2 million after more than 800 domestic students dropped out before or early in term one and the number of first year international students fell by 222, documents show. University executives responded by proposing to cut entry requirements for local students by reviewing subject prerequisites and reducing ATARs for some courses, staff were told during a strategy briefing late last month. An unscrupulous Melbourne fish and chip shop owner and serial fraudster has been served the salty message that a $10,000 bill for minimum chips just wont fly. A customer became suspicious after they checked their bank statement and discovered they had been charged $10,000 by Tim Brosnans fish and chip shop in Melbournes east in August 2016. One customer was charges $10,000 for their order. Bemused, the customer called the store to alert them of the overcharge at which stage Brosnan refused to return the money. On Friday, Brosnan, 45, was convicted of swindling almost $300,000 from fish and chip shop customers over four weeks committed while he was on bail, already accused of defrauding his employer for $1.9 million. The neighbour of a Perth couple accused of abusing their adopted daughter has told a jury she regretted not making a complaint to child protective services after allegedly witnessing the young girl standing in a paddock in the rain. The Perth couple at the centre of the claims appeared in the WA District Court on Thursday, having pleaded not guilty to charges including deprivation of liberty and having control and care of a child and engaging in conduct that could result in the childs suffering. The girl alleges she was made to sleep in a shipping container for more than four months. The girl, who along with her parents cannot be identified for legal reasons, previously told the court her adoptive parents made her sleep in a shipping container, beat her with a metal pipe and tennis racket and cut her hair off. As the trial entered its sixth day, the court heard from a neighbour of the couple, who said she had often seen the young girl doing chores at the couples property in the Perth hills. As Australians bade a final goodbye to Bob Hawke, it was his wife of 24 years who implored the nation to end its grieving and instead celebrate a "life triumphantly well lived". Blanche d'Alpuget had spoken many times of her enduring and abiding love affair with Australia's 23rd prime minister. More recently, as Mr Hawke's health declined, she spoke candidly about the "difficulty" and immense sorrow of a life without him. Blanche D'Alpuget and Bob Hawke together in 2013. Credit:Tim Bauer "He's my best friend," Ms d'Alpuget told the ABC in 2018. Australians glimpsed the depths of her grief on the evening of Mr Hawke's death. Mike Nahan has delivered an explosive rebuke to The West Australian in the wake of his resignation as WA Liberal leader, accusing the newspaper of waging an aggressive political campaign to destroy him and running a protection racket for the McGowan Government. Dr Nahan, who had been dogged by leadership speculation since taking the reins after the Liberals were routed by Labor at the 2017 election, said the newspaper was "a threat to democracy" and called on the competition watchdog to revisit its merger with the Sunday Times. Former WA Liberal leader Mike Nahan has said WA's daily newspaper has become a threat to democracy. Credit:Rebecca Le May It is not the first time Dr Nahan and Perth's only newsprint daily have exchanged barbs, with The West Australian last year running a front page referring to him as a "dead man walking" and briefly refusing to attend his media conferences. In a speech Dr Nahan had said voters in the Darling Range byelection had not listened to traditional media. Lam took office in 2017 as the fourth chief executive of Hong Kong, a candidate pre-vetted by Beijing who won 777 votes in an election restricted to 1200 elite voters. She pledged to heal divisions within Hong Kong and build social unity after the 2014 Occupy protests. On Wednesday morning Lam compared herself to a mother who could not indulge the behaviour of a wayward son - she would not back down on her legislation in response to protests. By night she had labelled protesters "rioters", a trigger which suggests some could face jail sentences. Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam this week. Pro-democracy politicians had been swift to proclaim to the tens of thousands of young people gathered outside the Legislative Council on Wednesday morning that Occupy the democracy movement that had taken over city streets for three months in 2014 was back. But what happened this week was different in several key aspects. Firstly, the escalation was swift. In just three days it went from 1 million people marching peacefully on Sunday in an authorised rally, to the streets resembling a war zone on Wednesday. Lam will come under scrutiny for her handling of her response to Sundays march: she vowed the next day to push ahead with the extradition bill regardless. These comments appeared to ignite the protesters. Protesters against proposed amendments to an extradition law march on a downtown street in Hong Kong on Sunday. Credit:AP Several who spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age said that if the chief executive was not listening to a million people, a return to the streets was Hong Kongs last stand. Then, when they did gather again mid-week, the force with which the police dispelled the protesters was ferocious. Over four hours, 150 rounds of tear gas were fired into what had been a largely peaceful crowd double that used in 2014. Police additionally fired 20 beanbag rounds and rubber bullets. No tear gas warnings were given. In the worst hit area, Harcourt Road, the Herald and The Age had moments earlier watched thousands of students in T-shirts chanting and clapping. On a footbridge above them, a church choir had sung Hallelujah to the Lord. Loading When the gas hit, there was nowhere to run to escape it. The aim of the police response appeared to be to prevent protesters digging in. As they dragged and tied metal barricades into bulkheads, the students risked becoming a highly visible immovable object. When 81 people were hospitalised, police swooped in to make the first arrests of anyone found seeking medical treatment with bullet wounds. A teacher from a prestigious girls school and an IT worker were arrested this way. Hong Kong University was put on notice within 24 hours that its student dormitory would be searched for evidence after two students were also arrested. The swift arrests appear to be an attempt at deterrence. Yet protesters who spoke said they werent cowed by recent heavy sentences handed out for the earlier period of civil disobedience and, if anything, such prosecutions seemed to reinforce the idea of a creeping erosion of Hong Kongs liberties. A protester raises his hands in front of riot police outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council on Wednesday. Credit:Bloomberg Standing on a pedestrian footbridge between the police line and protesters, one man described the defiance on the streets as "Hong Kongs spirit". In 2014, schoolboy Joshua Wong became the international face of the Umbrella movement, but this time there were no clear leaders. The recent jailings are a strong disincentive to being identified by the media. Instead, multiple groups of students and political activists were networking and organising using social media, particularly the encrypted application, Telegram. Graphic art illustrating how to dress safely for a protest was circulated long sleeves, a mask to protect breathing, goggles and of course, the umbrella. A protester obscured by clouds of tear gas in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Credit:Bloomberg Protesters queued to use cash to buy subway tickets, and not their traceable Hong Kong MTR smartcards. Bands of volunteer medics were organised to assist anyone suffering skin burns and the respiratory effects of tear gas. On Tuesday evening as the vigil outside the legislature began, university medical students were on standby at the nearest subway station. A medical student who spoke to the Herald and The Age said his movements were being directed by another student who was in communication with others about where police violence had erupted. On Wednesday, constant calls were put out through the network for supplies water, surgical masks, construction helmets and rolls of cling wrap to protect skin. Pop-up stockpiles emerged around the city. Individual office workers said on Wednesday they had agreed to carry in water and bottles of sodium chloride to treat tear-gas and pepper-spray injuries. Construction helmets that protesters organised to protect themselves. Credit:Bloomberg This rapid spread of information via Telegram made it a target for Chinese state hackers at the height of the protests on Wednesday afternoon. The companys founder Pavel Durov said Telegram came under sustained attack from Chinese IP addresses coinciding with the Hong Kong protests. Also different to 2014 is the unity among community sectors in opposing the extradition bill. Loading The Umbrella movement had been driven by young students pushing for independence. This separatist streak was viewed unfavourably by older democrats who wanted greater democracy for Hong Kong within the framework agreed between Britain and China. But students recently returned in large numbers to the annual June 4 vigil to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, ending a boycott of the event. Students told the Herald and The Age they were now on protecting Hong Kongs core freedoms. Business had been impatient in 2014 at the disruption to the city centre as the occupation of the streets dragged on. But the business community, too, has criticised Lams extradition bill, wary of Beijings long arm reaching into the world-class financial hub. Firms have watched the political winds that blow across the border and can propel sudden crackdowns by the Chinese authorities. A five-year anti-corruption drive under Chinese President Xi Jinping has trumpeted tens of thousands of arrests and punishments. High-profile chief executives in mainland China can just go missing, and then reappear, having confessed. Protesters flee the tear gas. Credit:AP Hong Kong business people were spooked by the apparent kidnap by mainland agents of billionaire Xiao Jianhua from his Four Seasons Hong Kong abode in 2017. Hong Kongs dissident community was equally frightened by the kidnap of five dissident booksellers and publishers. It is against this backdrop that Lam has been trying to reassure the public that safeguards would be put in place to prevent the abuse of an extradition agreement with Beijing. Only serious criminal offences that face a sentence of seven years or more would be covered, under her latest concession. Corrupt businessmen and political activists alike are commonly jailed for longer in China. In 2017, on the 20th anniversary of Hong Kongs handover to China, Xi issued a warning to its youth not to cross Beijings red line separatism would not be tolerated, he said. In 2014, the greatest fear among older democrats who remembered the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests ending in bloodshed - was that Beijings patience would run out. This time, Lam insists the extradition bill is hers, and Beijing is not behind it. The surest proof of this, according to the protesters, would be for Lam to withdraw the bill. A short history of Beijing's interference in Hong Kong New York: More than 600 companies and trade associations, including Walmart and Target, have signed a letter telling President Donald Trump that an escalating trade war with China will hurt families, jobs and the US economy. US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP The letter, dated Thursday and organised by a business coalition called Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, comes as the US Trade Representative's office is set to hold public hearings Monday that will consider extending the 25 per cent tariffs to practically all Chinese imports not already hit with levies, including toys, shirts, household goods and sneakers. Trump has already imposed 25 per cent tariffs on $US250 billion ($361 billion) of goods from China. The letter calls for the White House to remove the tariffs, saying they will have "a significant, negative long-term impact on American businesses, farmers, families and the US economy." Christchurch: The 51st victim of the Christchurch mosque shootings battled for his life for 48 days before succumbing to his injuries. Zekeriya Tuyan. Zekeriya Tuyan, 46, died on May 2 taking the death toll from the March 15 shootings to 51. Shot in the chest at the Masjid Al Noor on Deans Ave, he remained in a critical condition in Christchurch Hospital after the attack, battling fevers and infections. Tuyan can be named for the first time after Justice Cameron Mander lifted the suppression on the names of some of the victims, after the accused gunman pleaded not guilty to all charges in court on Friday. "It's cultural," said Marcia da Costa, the hospital's director. "Brazilians want to plan for everything. They don't want to hit traffic on the way to the hospital. They want to get their nails done, get a wax, to plan it like an event." Still, da Costa and other health professionals are ambivalent. The World Health Organisation has long campaigned to reduce elective C-sections, which are nearly twice as deadly for mothers than natural births and require longer recovery times for mothers and babies. The Presidential Room of the Sao Luiz Hospital in Sao Paulo is available for groups to rent for about $700 per day. Credit:Petala Lopes/The Washington Post In Brazil, public health officials and some of the country's top doctors have worked to cure the upper class of its penchant for the procedure. Costs vary, but C-sections are generally more expensive than natural childbirths. While the risk of maternal death in well-equipped private hospitals is low, hemorrhage and infection are more likely in an elective Caesarean than in a natural birth. For babies, C-sections have been linked to higher rates of respiratory distress, diabetes and high blood pressure. The WHO estimates that about 10%of births require a C-section. "Here we had the opposite statistics," said Rodrigo Aguiar, a director at Brazil's National Supplementary Health Agency, which regulates private hospitals. Friends and relatives waiting for newborn babies to arrive at the cafe of a Sao Paulo hospital. Credit:Petala Lops/The Washington Post The numbers were even more pronounced during the holiday months, he said, when women and doctors called for elective C-sections before the baby was ready to be born. This led to higher rates of respiratory problems for infants and prolonged hospital stays for mothers and babies. "We saw that we had to reevaluate these percentages and make sure that birth decisions were being geared toward the health of the mother and the child, and not for convenience," Aguiar said. Brazil's Health Ministry has taken steps to reduce what it calls the Caesarean "epidemic". In 2016, the government banned medically unnecessary C-sections before 39 weeks. At private hospitals, the procedure has gained favour both among mothers - who want their personal doctors, not the on-call staff at the hospital, to deliver their babies - and among doctors juggling busy schedules. Olimpio de Moraes Filho, president of the Brazilian Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, says Caesarean sections fit some lifestyles. "C-sections today are much safer than they were 30 years ago," he said. "Things are changing. Women are in the job market. Couples are trying to schedule a moment when the family can get together." A hospital in Brazil is catering for the demand arising from families' busy schedules and desire to be together at the birth. Credit:File At the Albert Einstein Maternity Hospital in Sao Paulo, the party starts before the baby is born. A frosted window looking into the operating room turns transparent for the surgery, allowing guests to see the moment of the birth. As Casmalla was wheeled to her operating room, 15 of her closest family members and friends trailed behind. They gathered around the window, ears pressed to the wall, listening for the baby's first wail. When the doctor pulled Lorena from the incision in Casmalla's abdomen, the window turned transparent. Casmalla gave the audience a thumbs-up. "She's here!" said Casmalla's mother-in-law, Marisol, tearing up. Relatives watching on FaceTime asked for closer looks. Paula Ascar Baracat is co-founder of Estudio Matre, a party-planning service that specialises in maternity wards. She says new mothers increasingly prefer receiving guests at the hospital, rather than at home. "The mum has just given birth, she is learning to breast-feed, she doesn't want to entertain at home," Baracat said. "So while she's getting ready for the birth, we are getting ready to host." Baracat's clients spend upward of $10,000 for services that include floral arrangements, guest books, monogrammed sheets, personalised water bottles, and silver-plated favours for guests. Women who have natural births often seek these services, too. Nina Materna, another party-planning service, has three hotlines that women can call as they go into labour. The company promises to have fully sterilised decorations up within eight hours. But C-sections allow mothers another level of planning. In 2015, Linus Pauling Fascina, director of the maternity ward at Einstein, called together doctors, doulas, midwives, feminist activists and government officials to discuss ways to increase the rate of natural births in Brazil's private hospitals. The group launched the Appropriate Birth Project, a partnership with 35 hospitals to prioritise natural deliveries among the country's elite. One of their first steps was to bring the luxury and family experience associated with Caesareans to natural childbirth. Einstein hospital opened five new natural-birth centres with private showers and tubs. At Sao Luiz, women giving birth naturally can choose the colour of the lighting of their in-room whirlpool bathtubs. Fairy lights on the ceiling can turn blue or red, depending on the mood of the patient. All rooms are equipped with MP3 players that patients can load with personalised playlists. Results came quickly. In four years, the rate of natural births at Einstein rose from 18 per cent to nearly 50 per cent. The program has expanded to more than 200 hospitals. "The changes have to be concurrent for everyone: women, their families, their workplace, doctors, nurses," Fascina said. "When the husband comes in and says, 'I'm working, I need to know the date of the birth' - it's about learning to plan for the unplannable." For Bruna Viera, 32, a natural birth was always out of the question. "It doesn't fit with our lifestyle," she said. "I'm a doctor, and my husband is, too. We have a very planned life and had to take vacation for the baby to be born." Viera spent weeks planning the drinks and decorations for her maternity room at Sao Luiz. By the time baby Arthur made his debut last month, her hospital room was decorated with blue and white balloons, the fridge was stocked with rum-barrel-aged beer, and the table of her luxury suite was lined with succulent plants - parting gifts for the 80 guests she expected that weekend. "I love it," she said. "You feel the tenderness people have for you. Many mums suffer from postpartum depression and feel isolated. Your hormones are raging. But to be surrounded by the people you love, people who saw you grow up, is extraordinary." As a half-dozen of her mother's friends cooed at the baby, her husband popped open a bottle of wine. Grandmother Lucimeire Viera swayed baby Arthur in her arms while holding a glass of merlot. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Albany politicians passed a package of bills repealing the religious exemption for vaccines on June 13, amid a measles outbreak that has swept through Brooklyns Orthodox Jewish communities and infected almost 1,000 people statewide. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bills from both legislative chambers into law, which will require children across the state to get vaccinated against a slate of illnesses before they can attend schools at all levels from day care to high school, in order to stem the ongoing epidemic caused by a spread of fear-mongering and false information, according to one of the legislations lead sponsors. New York is at the center of the worst measles outbreak in over a quarter of a century, Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz (D-Bronx) said in a statement. This outbreak has spread because misinformation and irresponsible rhetoric has scared people away from vaccinating their children. We need to end the nonmedical exemptions so preventable diseases will not spread in New York again. Dinowitzs bill, A2371, along with its sister bill in the Senate, S2994, by Manhattan lawmaker Brad Hoylman, passed less than a week ahead of the end of legislative session on June 19 and will mandate that all children in the state who are medically able have to get immunized against a host of illnesses, including measles, mumps, hepatitis B, and others. The new bill will protect New Yorkers who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons and send a message that vaccines are safe and effective in controlling the spread of contagious diseases, according to Hoylman. Today, the state Senate is sending a strong message to New Yorkers that vaccines are safe and effective, the pol said in a statement. Were putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and standing up for the rights of immunocompromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who cant be vaccinated through no fault of their own. State law previously allowed parents to opt their kids out of the mandatory vaccinations using religious exemptions, but lawmakers sprang into action after one of the largest measles epidemics in the country swept across the Empire State beginning last fall. To date, 924 people statewide have been infected with the highly-contagious pathogen, with 571 of those in Brooklyn, concentrated primarily in the boroughs Orthodox Jewish communities in Williamsburg and Borough Park, according to data by the city and state departments of health. Just this week, the city shut down three Williamsburg yeshivas one of them a repeat offender for admitting unvaccinated students and staff, despite an April 9 order by Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot requiring all people living, working, or going to school in certain northern Brooklyn postal codes to get the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or face a $1,000 fine. One legislator criticized the new law, saying that it violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by limiting religious freedom. I am in favor of, and continue to advocate for widespread vaccination. However, the separation of Church and State as guaranteed by the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our Democracy, said state Sen. Simcha Felder, whose district includes Borough Park, where city health officials have confirmed 100 cases of the illness so far. The legislator added in an emailed statement to this paper that the new law marked a slippery slope, particularly in times of increased hate crimes and rising anti-Semitism across the state. Any detraction of religious liberty by the state sets a dangerous precedent. Especially in these times, passing a law that eliminates free exercise of religious rights would set us down a slippery slope. The state has many tools available to manage this outbreak that stop short of tampering with religious freedom. The law previously met with opposition by a small group of anti-vaxxers who protested a rally held by Hoylman and his colleagues in support of the bill at City Hall on May 29, with one anti-vaxxer claiming that the small number of religious exemptions did not impact the spread of measles. Its outrageous to try and take our religious exemptions away, when we make up less than half of 1 percent of the unvaccinated population, said Queens resident Adreana Rodriguez told this paper. But a similar law which state legislators passed in California last year which the New York bill was modeled after led to an increase in immunization there and Hoylman said at the May rally that anti-vaxxers use the religious exemption as a loophole, despite their objections being rooted in junk science not faith. The religious exemption is a loophole, said the Manhattan lawmaker. It is masking someones conspiracy against vaccinations, and it needs to be closed. One of the main claims by anti-vaxxers is that vaccines cause autism, which the Center of Disease Control has proven to be untrue. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Political bigwigs are celebrating a landmark agreement to strengthen the states rent laws, which will affect more than 2.5 million city dwellers. The agreement which would limit the ability of landlords to jack up rent, eliminate the deregulation of many apartments, and make the new rent laws permanent is a historic victory for tenants in New York, according to the leaders of both state legislative chambers. These reforms give New Yorkers the strongest tenant protections in history. For too long, power has been tilted in favor of landlords and these measures finally restore equity and extend protections to tenants across the state, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said in a joint statement on June 11. The agreement officially called the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act is expected to pass both chambers and be signed by the governor before June 15, when the current iteration of the rent laws are set to expire. The ambitious push came on the heels of last Novembers election, which saw the Democratic Party take control of the state Senate a development that the legislative leaders credit with their ability to pass the new agreement. None of these historic new tenant protections would be possible without the fact that New York finally has a united Democratic legislature, said Stewart-Cousins and Heastie. Following the election, housing advocates began pushing lawmakers to enact nine pieces of legislation, collectively known as universal rent control, spearheaded by Sen. Julia Salazar (DBushwick) who first won her seat in November. The agreement reached this week contains many of those proposals, including the abolishment of provisions that allowed landlords to increase rent of rent-stabilized apartments by up to 20 percent each time they were vacated or renovated. The deal also repealed legal provisions that allowed building owners to remove rental units from rent-stabilization altogether if the monthly rent increased above a certain threshold, or if the tenant earned an annual income above $200,000. Since they were first passed in 1994, those provisions led to the deregulation of more than 300,000 units, according to the legislature fact sheet on the agreement. Throughout the legislative session which began in January lawmakers had been scrambling to reach a new agreement before the expiration of the current rent laws. Frustrated with the temporary nature of rent law agreements, which expire every four years, legislators eliminated the sunset provision all together in this agreement ensuring that these laws will remain in effect until the legislature takes purposeful action to repeal or terminate them. One noteworthy aspect of the housing advocates demands that was missing from finalized agreement was the far-reaching good clause provision, which would have made it substantially more difficult for landlords to evict tenants. The provision which had been controversial since it was first introduced by Salazar in January would have prevented building owners from excessively increasing the price of rent during or between lease terms for the vast majority of rental units in the state. Building owners would only be allowed to evict tenants, or deny them renewal of their lease, for good cause, which includes failure to pay rent, using the premises for illegal purposes, or if the building owner themselves wanted to occupy the space. Even with the absence of the important provision, local political leaders celebrated the agreement as a major victory for renters. State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Crown Heights) who successfully mounted a progressive primary challenge against an entrenched incumbent in last years election, in part by campaigning heavily on housing rights put the agreement in historical terms. This bill is the strongest package of tenant protections New York has seen since World War II, he said. For decades, our communities have lost hundreds of thousands of rent regulated units, but with this legislation, we are putting power back in the hands of tenants. We are taking a historic step forward in the fight for housing as a human right. Another Brooklyn legislator, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brighton Beach), who chairs the Housing Committee, said the agreement would allow lower-income people to remain in the city. It reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that New York state remains a welcoming place for everyone who wants to live here, not just the wealthy, he said. Mayor Bill de Blasio took a break from his presidential campaign to celebrate the proposal as a development that will help alleviate strain of lacking affordable housing units in the city. This is a remarkable achievement that will halt displacement, harassment and unjust evictions, and keep working families in the homes they love, said de Blasio. Combined with the citys rapid pace of building and protecting affordable homes, these reforms mean we can go from just holding the line to actually growing the number of apartments New Yorkers can afford. While elected leaders and housing activists celebrated, real estate bigwigs blasted the proposal as detrimental to the housing industry. One real estate organization, Taxpayers for an Affordable New York, argued that building owners would be unable to keep up with growing costs if they were denied the ability to increase rent. This legislation fails to address the citys affordable housing crisis and will lead to disinvestment in the citys private sector rental stock consigning hundreds of thousands of rent-regulated tenants to living in buildings that are likely to fall into disrepair, the organization said in a statement. The President of the Real Estate Board of New York an advocacy group of real estate developers said the increase in government control over rent laws would further entrench the housing problems in New York City. The legislation put forward last night would be a disaster for the citys future, said John Banks. The end result will be that the citys housing crisis will get worse, with less affordable housing and little relief for those New Yorkers who need the most help paying rent. Nevertheless, the proposed legislation is expected to sail through the legislature and land on the desk of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who indicated on June 12 that he will sign the law. I believe this is the best tenant protections they will pass, and I will sign it, he said. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Florida? Fuggetaboudit! According to a new report, more baby boomers live in Brooklyn than in any other city in the United State. The borough houses half as many boomers as all of Florida, with the largest numbers residing in Southeast Brooklyn. The study, conducted by RENTCafe, analyzed Census data from 250 of the countrys biggest cities to find the most popular zip codes among people born between 1948 and 1962. Of the studys top 20 zip codes, Brooklyn claimed eight, Queens snagged four, and Manhattan took two. First place went to the zip code 11234, which includes the Flatlands, Mill Basin, Marine Park, and Bergen Beach, and houses 19,450 boomers. Canarsie and East New York (11236) came in second with 18,672. Brooklyns senior discounts and social programs could contribute to the boroughs large boomer population. But the high numbers may come down to the citys sizeafter all, boomers dont occupy a large share of Brooklyns overall population. Areas with the largest share of boomers are located in more predicable retirement cities, like Scottsdale, Ariz., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. But still, Brooklyns boomers are nothing to scoff at. From Bay Ridge/Fort Hamilton (11229) housing 17,238 to Brownsville (11207) with 14,366, the large group of golden-agers is a force to be reckoned with. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Boeing Co. is coming to this years Paris Air show with some hard choices that will go far in determining who comes out on top in the jetliner duopoly it shares with Airbus SE. Reeling from the grounding of its most important aircraft in the wake of two deadly crashes, Boeing needs to reconsider its timeline and strategy for new models. Piling on pressure is Airbuss likely unveiling of a long-range variant of its A321 model, potentially siphoning off more business from its US rival in the increasingly important market for midrange planes. The cat-and-mouse game over ... Japan's Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp rebranded its Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) family jets to be called the "SpaceJet" and unveiled a redesigned version of the smaller jet to help improve its sales prospects in the large US market. The SpaceJet M100, the revamped version of the MRJ70, will now have up to 76 seats in a typical US cabin configuration rather than the earlier 69 seats, the company said on Thursday, making it a more attractive offering for regional carriers with contracts to major carriers. "On paper, it looks good," Leeham Co analyst Bjorn Fehrm ... The Strait of Hormuz, sometimes described as the worlds most important oil choke point, is a gateway for almost a third of all crude oil and other petroleum products carried by tanker. But it is also an increasingly dangerous place because of recent attacks on tankers, raising fears that the route is vulnerable to assaults that could threaten and destabilise oil prices. After the apparent attack on Thursday on two tankers just outside the strait, tanker operators were quick to voice concerns. We have people of every nationality and vessels of every flag transiting ... The government, after dragging its feet for almost a year, has decided to increase tariffs on 29 high-value US agricultural and industrial imports by up to 50 per cent. This will take effect on June 16. Originally slated to be clamped on August 4 last year, the tariffs were deferred eight times. But now several government sources have confirmed this is part of a retaliatory measure against the Trump administration, despite the Customs authorities officially not terming it as such. The move comes after Washington DC paid no heed to New Delhis request to exempt ... Even after a busy day of palling around, when people headed home to sleep, Girish Karnad would stay up and write. In fact, much of his writing was done at night. The master Kannada playwright was blessed also with a supernatural ability to concentrate in circumstances far from the ideal. He could be in the middle of a railway station but nothing could disturb his ability to concentrate on what he was thinking or writing. He could calmly keep all the hustle and bustle out of his mind, says Shyam Benegal, who as a long-time friend and collaborator observed this discipline up ... So much for moral posturing and cultural sensitivity. Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian brand that was, for a brief moment at the end of last year, a poster child for cultural ignorance and the comeuppance that can ensue; that was held up as an example of how a fashion brand can so profoundly mess up that repercussions are felt throughout the world; and that was variously seen as having a reputation in rags (Forbes) and being in the midst of a downfall (Hypebeast), is quietly, but publicly, on its way back. If not necessarily in China, the front line of its ... The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case nearly seven years after they were arrested. A division bench of Justices Indrajit Mahant and A M Badar granted bail to Lokesh Sharma, Dhan Singh, Rajendra Chaudhary and Manohar Narwariya, who belonged to a Hindu right-wing group Abhinav Bharat. They had moved the high court after a special NIA court denied the relief. The four were arrested on December 29, 2012. On September 8, 2006, serial bomb blasts in a cemetery near Hamidiya Masjid in Malegaon had claimed 37 lives and left over a 100 people injured. The accused were charged under various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charges include section 16 (committing terrorist act) of the UAPA and sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship ) and 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups) of the IPC. They have also been charged under relevant sections of the Explosives Substances Act. In another blast in Malegaon in 2008, six people were killed and a dozen others were injured when a bomb placed on a motorcycle exploded. The accused in this case are Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit, Major (retired) Ramesh Upadhyay, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Ajay Rahirkar, Sameer Kulkarni and Sudhakar Chaturvedi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police on Thursday arrested seven directors of different entities linked to the founder of an investment firm accused of allegedly perpetrating financial fraud in Bengaluru on Thursday. The directors of entities owned by IMA Jewels founder Mohammed Mansoor Khan were arrested by the police. It is alleged that IMA Jewels, with Muslims as its prime investors, has not paid interests on investments for the last three months. Khan disappeared four days ago after sending an audio clip to some investors threatening to commit suicide due to what he alleged "harassment of some politicians and rowdies". Currently, shops of IMA Jewels in Shivaji Nagar are closed and there is no whereabout of Khan and firms' other authorities. Karnataka government has constituted an 11-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged fraud by the firm, which has an estimated Rs 200 crore investment of Muslim women alone. Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said on Twitter that the SIT would be headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police B R Ravikanthe Gowda. Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) S Girish, Additional Commissioner of Police of the Central Crime Branch Balaraju and deputy commissioners of police K Ravishankar, Raja Imam Kasim and Abdul Khadar are other members of the team. Police have also registered a case against IMA Jewels and Khan and teams have been formed to nab him. Scores of investors staged protests outside IMA Jewels' office in Sivaji Nagar, demanding the firm to return their money. Meanwhile, a man identified as Abdul Pasha who had invested Rs 8 lakh in the firm died due to a heart attack in Hesaraghatta. IMA founder Khan, in the said audio clip sent to investors, alleged that rebel Congress MLA Roshan Baig had taken Rs 400 crore and was not paying back. Baig, who aspires to become a minister in the state, rubbished the claims and termed it as an attempt to "assassinate his character". "After my recent political fallouts, some of my adversaries have made a full-fledged attempt at assassinating my character by orchestrating a series of events using underhanded methods. The entire hitjob has been carried out using a baseless, un-investigated audio recording," he tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Days after he took a dig at Home Minister Amit Shah, Janata Dal (U) Bihar unit spokesperson Ajay Alok on Thursday announced to step down from his post citing "incompetency for the job". "I am writing to inform you that I am resigning from the post of the spokesperson of the party as I feel I am not doing a good job. I thank you and the party for giving me this honour but please accept my resignation," Alok wrote in a letter addressed to the state party unit. Alok who is also a general secretary of the party's Bihar unit said that his views are personal and do not match with that of the party. "I have resigned as a spokesperson from JDU as I think I am not doing a good job as my views which are a mine of course do not match with my party," he wrote on Twitter. Thanking the party for its support, he said, "Thanks to my party and my president who has always supported me and I do not want to be a source of embarrassment for @NitishKumar." He on June 11 took a dig at Home Minister Amit Shah over illegal immigration. "Only cursing Mamata Banerjee will not work. We need to tighten our system, especially when Amit Shah ji is our Home Minister. Prevention of illegal immigration is very important. If it does not happen now, when will it be?" the JD (U) leader tweeted on June 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of the NITI Aayog meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held separate meetings on Friday with Chief Ministers and Governors of different states. Among the ministers who called on the Union Home Minister were Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Sikkim Ganga Prasad, Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Jagan Mohan Reddy. The home minister also met the governors of Goa, Sikkim, Assam, Haryana, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh - Mridula Sinha, Ganga Prasad, Jagdish Mukhi, Satyadev Narayan Arya, Tathagata Roy and Ram Naik, respectively. The heads of the states are in the capital to attend the fifth governing council meeting of NITI Aayog on Saturday. "I am here to attend the Niti Aayog meeting tomorrow. We will be representing our case with the Niti Aayog chaired by honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy ahead of the meeting. "The key issues to be discussed at the fifth governing council meeting are rainwater harvesting, drought situation and its relief measures, aspirational districts programme, transforming agriculture and security issues with a focus on the Left Wing Extremism-affected districts," NITI Aayog said on Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday participated in a mass Aksharaabhyasam program as a part of 'Rajanna Badi Bata' (way to school) scheme at a high school in Guntur district of the state. The event was held at the Z P High School in Penumaka village as part of the Rajanna Badi Bata programme that began in the state from June 12. Aksharaabhyasam program promotes for children. During the event, Chief Minister Reddy spoke about the need for the betterment of reforms in the state and assured the development of all 40,000 schools in the state within two years. "We will provide all the amenities and infrastructure needed for schools. We will introduce English Medium in all government schools. At the same time, we will make Telugu language as a compulsory subject", he said. "According to 2011 census, 33 per cent of students are uneducated in AP whereas the average is 26 per cent. I found out during my Pada Yatra that children are not getting books until September, whereas they need to get books by April or May. It is the same with uniforms. There is a shortage of teachers, basic infrastructure at government schools, toilets and drinking water facilities" said Reddy. The chief minister also expressed his worry regarding the fees in private schools. The chief minister announced that the state on January 26 will felicitate women from BPL families who send their children to schools with Rs 15,000. He further interacted with children present in the program. He made some of them sit in his lap and helped them write letters following which he released the academic calendar for the year.I & PR Minister Perni Venkatramaiah (Nani) also attended 'Rajanna Badi Bata' program at MPP School in Sulta Nagaram area. The minister said, "These days, is not affordable to the poor, as they are unable to send their children to schools due to financial constraints". State education minister A. Suresh, Home Minister M. Sucharita, MP N Suresh, MLAs A Ramakrishna Reddy and U Sridevi, district collector Samuel and other officials also took part in the program. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking note of the ongoing nationwide strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday appealed to the Chief Minister of the state, Mamata Banerjee, to not make this an issue of prestige. He also assured doctors that the Central government is committed to ensuring their safety. "I appeal with folded hands to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this an issue of prestige. Despite getting beaten so badly, doctors only asked her to provide them adequate security and take action against all those behind this as per the law. But, she didn't do this and gave an ultimatum to the doctors after which doctors of West Bengal and across the country got angry and went on strike. If the Chief Minister changes her attitude, then patients will not suffer across India," Harsh Vardhan told ANI. "Today, I will write a letter to Mamata Banerjee. I will also try to talk to her. I would like to assure all doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety. I appeal to doctors to hold symbolic protests only and continue to carry out their duties," he added. Harsh Vardhan is also planning to write a letter to all Chief Ministers and state Health Ministers regarding the safety of doctors in hospitals. Doctors in Kolkata have been on strike after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Soon after, the protest was joined by various government and private medical institutions across India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The defeated presidential candidate claims the presidents victory was marred by irregularities. To avoid further violence, 32,000 soldiers and police officers have been deployed in the capital. Hundreds of Prabowo supporters have gathered at the National Monument. The Court will issue its ruling on 28 June. Jakarta (AsiaNews) Amid great expectation and tight security measures, Indonesias Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi, MK) began hearing (pictured) the appeal filed by the countrys opposition against the results of Aprils presidential election. The defeated candidate, Prabowo Subianto, filed a lawsuit on 24 May asking that the election be annulled, and incumbent President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his running mate, Ma'ruf Amin, disqualified. Prabowo claims that the electoral process marred by irregularities, which led to his rivals victory. The Court is scheduled to rule on the matter by 28 June. On 21 May, the Election Commission (Komisi Pemilihan Umum, KPU) announced that Widodo and Maruf won the elections with 55.5 per cent of the vote, against 44.5 per cent for Prabowo and Sandiaga Uno. The incumbent president won 85.6 million votes out 154 million valid ballots. Since then, supported by Islamists and right-wing groups, the opposition has refused to acknowledge defeat. Both the Election Commission and the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) deny any irregularity in voting operations. In court, Prabowo's lawyers have complained about that Widodo's campaign finances and use of state institutions as propaganda tools, so that the election result came about due to "illegal actions, fraud and abuse of power, which are structured, systematic and massive". The lawyers also claim that police and military personnel were pressurised to vote for Widodo and that the government boosted public sector salaries to buy votes. In the days before the election results were announced, Prabowo repeatedly urged voters to express their dissent, raising the authorities' fears. Even prominent figures connected to Prabowo threatened to resort to people-power style action against Widodo and the Election Commission. Immediately after it released the results, violent clashes broke out in Jakarta between Prabowo supporters and the police. Between 21 and 22 May, eight people died in riots with about 900 injured. Right after, police arrested dozens of suspected instigators, including one of Prabowos loyalist, former General Kivlan Zen, on charges of plotting to kill senior security officials. Today, as the nine constitutional judges began hearing he case this morning, hundreds of people gathered at the National Monument (Monumen Nasional, Monas), violating a police ban that prohibits demonstration outside or near the Constitutional Court. According to media reports, the crowd numbered between 1,500 and 2,000. Members of various groups, including university students, took part in action. Three days ago, Prabowo launched an appeal to his supporters not go near the Constitutional Court building. Fearing new clashes, the authorities have deployed 32,000 soldiers and police officers on the streets of the capital. The security forces announced this morning that agents will not be equipped with firearms or lethal weapons, but only with shields, tear gas and water cannons. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ordered a high-level administrative inquiry into the death of a male tiger ST-16 in Sariska Tiger Reserve last week. Principal Secretary to the Rajasthan Government, Abhay Kumar, has been appointed as the inquiry officer. Gehlot ordered the probe to fix responsibility and for taking action against persons concerned. The inquiry officer is expected to suggest ways to assess security arrangements and proper management in Sariska. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday gathered outside the Magistrates' Court in London ahead of his hearing on the possible extradition to the United States. The 47-year-old is facing charges by the US Justice Department of violating the Espionage Act and conspiring to hack into a classified government document. If the charges are proven, Assange could be imprisoned for upto 175 years in the US, reports Sputnik. The hearing has come a day after Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid signed an extradition request sent by the US Justice Department. "Mr Assange was arrested in relation to a provisional extradition request from the United States of America. He is accused of offences including computer misuse and the unauthorised disclosure of national defence information," Javid had said after signing the extradition request. The US prosecutors initially charged Assange with a single count of computer intrusion, but last month added 17 new counts, including controversial charges under the Espionage Act for encouraging, receiving and publishing national defence information in concert with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Assange is currently serving 50 weeks imprisonment sentence in UK's Belmarsh prison for skipping bail to avoid being sent to Sweden over sexual assault allegations. The Australian whistleblower has denied the allegations against him, asserting that they were politically motivated. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Baloch woman activist has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfill his government's earlier promise of making the aware of Pakistan's brutalities in Balochistan. Professor Naela Quadri Baloch, the President of Baloch Women's Forum, made the request while congratulating Modi for securing a massive mandate to lead India for a second term. "Halfway into its first term, his government had promised to raise our plight at the international level. While in practical terms this did not translate into any significant change in India's approach to the Baloch issue, Pakistan used the stray statements issued by India to demonise our seven-decades-old struggle for independence as an India-sponsored movement," Naela said. "The Baloch people hope that the Modi government will fulfil its earlier promise of making the aware of Pakistan's brutalities in occupied Balochistan," she added. The Indian leader made a reference to the Baloch freedom struggle during his 2016 Independence Day speech. He said that people in the Pakistani state of Balochistan had reached out to him. "We would also like to appeal to India and other countries to support Baloch organisations working to educate our children and to promote Baloch language, things that we can only dream of within Pakistan-occupied Balochistan where the garrison state is actively destroying our culture, our language and the education, i.e., the future of our children," she stated. "We do not expect anything more from India or for that matter any other country in the world," Naela further said, adding, "Our struggle for independence will, however, continue irrespective of whether the international community fulfils its minimal moral responsibility toward our people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Kunal Kapoor is back on the big screen and this time with a socially relevant issue. Weaved around the story of a boy who has to bear the brunt of bullies at school, 'Nobelmen' will release on June 28. Makers of the movie have released the first look of the psychological drama in which Kunal portrays the role of a teacher who is pivotal in the life of Shay, the 15-year-old terrorized by a gang of bullies in his boarding school. With the #BootheBully written on top, the poster features Kunal, however his face is cut to half as rest of the poster has an inverted half face of the school student. The 'Rang De Basanti' actor stands against the backdrop of a blackboard, while Shay is under water and also has a scar on one of his cheeks. At the bottom is the name of the film with the last few letters bearing blood stains. While the issue of bullying has found considerable portrayal in Hollywood films, Bollywood is yet to catch up. "Noblemen explores deep-rooted adolescent issues and how youngsters deal with bullying- an uncomfortable truth, even in the most prestigious of educational institutions, and indeed, across all spheres of their lives," said Siddharth Anand Kumar, producer at Yoodlee Films, the production house behind the film. The flick also stars Ali Haji, Mohammad Ali Mir, Muskaan Jaferi, Shaan Grover and Soni Razdan and is directed by Vandana Kataria. Shot against the backdrop of a prestigious boarding school in Mussoorie, the story is a thrilling coming-of-age drama that tackles the uncomfortable topic of bullying that is rampant behind the sheer polished veneer of elite schools, the production company said in a statement. Kunal was last seen with 'Alia Bhatt' and 'Shahrukh Khan' in 'Dear Zindagi'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two local Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders were shot at by unknown assailants in Kanti area in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on Thursday. Both the injured - Surendra Yadav and Umashankar Prasad - have been admitted to a hospital and are said to be in critical condition. "A firing took place in which two people are injured. One person was hit two bullets and the other one was hit four. Both of them are out of danger. We are trying to find out the reason behind this firing. Those involved in this will be arrested soon," said DSP Mukul Ranjan. Further investigation is underway, Ranjan added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A cellphone, mobile charger, few tobacco packets and wire were seized from a Tihar jail cell former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala shares with two other inmates during a surprise inspection, prison authorities said here on Friday. The inspection was carried out on Thursday. One of the two other inmates, however, took responsibility for the prohibited items, they said. The jail authorities have launched an inquiry into the matter to find out if Chautala was using the cellphone. A separate inquiry has also been initiated to ascertain if any prison staff was involved. In January 2013, Indian Lok Dal (INLD) leader O P Chautala along with his son Ajay Chautala were sentenced by a Delhi court to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption in a teachers' recruitment scam case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kunming [China], June 14 (ANI): Yunnan province of China on Thursday expressed its intent of exploring investment opportunities in India, particularly in the fields of medicine and information technology. "There is a great opportunity to work in industries such as medical and IT between India and Yunnan. There are many business councils and associations in Yunnan which have already invested in India." Deng Xiaoli, an official of the Department of Commerce of Yunnan province, told ANI. Deng said that Yunnan wishes to strengthen cooperation with India in order to utilise its expertise and resource for medicine. Expressing optimism in the strengthening of ties between India and Yunnan, Xiaoli said, "We can work together to promote cooperation in bilateral investment and also import and export along with hardcore communication." She made these remarks on the sidelines of The South and Southeast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair (SSACEIF). "India is a big country and has a population similar to China's and we have a lot in common. India is known for its IT sector. Together, we should strengthen cooperation between India and Yunnan to develop the IT industry," she added. With six major exhibition areas, 17 pavilions and 7,500 standard booths, the SSACEIF featured exhibitors from 74 countries, regions and international organisations. This year, Sri Lanka is the theme country of SSACEIF, and the main guest country is Cambodia. The exhibition, which began on June 12, is slated to culminate on June 18. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Miniarwe Ramdas Athawale on Friday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has reacted positively to his demands for one ministerial berth in the upcoming cabinet expansion and 10 seats for his party RPI in the Assembly polls later this year. "I met the CM and demanded that at least one ministerial berth be given to Republican Party of India (RPI) in the upcoming Maharashtra cabinet expansion, I also demanded 10 assembly seats for RPI to contest in polls. The CM was positive to both of my demands," he said talking to reporters after the meeting. Athawale is the president of RPI which is a part of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. He represents the state of Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament. Athawale also requested Fadnavis for a memorial to be made at the site where Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar spent many years of his life and to increase the height of the icon's statue to 350 meters. "I requested to make a memorial at 'Rajgruh' where Baba Saheb Ambedkar spent several years. Currently, Baba Saheb Ambedkar's grandsons live there with their families, I have also demanded their respectable rehabilitation." "I also demanded to increase the height of Ambedkar's statue to 350 meters excluding the height of the foundation of the statue, and the CM agreed to it too," Athawale said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Constable Sunil Kalita of 209 CoBRA battalion of CRPF, who sustained injuries in an IED blast on May 28 during anti-naxal operations in Jharkhand's Saraikela succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday. Kalita, who was first admitted to a hospital in Ranchi, was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to Trauma Centre AIIMS on June 4, where he breathed his last. Security personnel and officers paid floral tribute to the CRPF security personnel at Guwahati airport. Eleven police personnel were injured in an IED blast triggered on May 28 in Kuchai area of Saraikella. The incident occurred when the troops of 209 CoBRA battalion of CRPF, and Jharkhand police were out on special joint operations. Among the injured, 8 personnel were of CoBRA while 3 of Jharkhand Police. All the injured were airlifted to Ranchi and admitted to a hospital for treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons were killed in Nand Nagri red light area in Delhi when two bike-borne miscreants fired several rounds of shots at their car in broad daylight. The two victims were rushed to GTB Hospital by locals but were declared brought dead. The police received a call at 12:12 am on Friday and when they reached the spot, they found the victims' Santro, which was fired upon near the place of incident. A resident of Nand Nagri, one of the victims, Khurvesh was an alleged bad character. A case is being registered and the police are investigating the case from various angles, including one of a potential gang war. Three others were killed in isolated incidents across the city, including two in Bhalswa and one in Vikaspuri area. Separate cases have been registered and the police investigations are underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Punjab court convicted Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Masih in April 2014. She is in Multan Prison, in the same cell that lodged Asia Bibi. The couple was punished for a dispute between children. Lahore (AsiaNews) After five years of waiting, the Lahore High Court has set a date to hear the appeal of a Christian couple sentenced to death on blasphemy charges. Judge Qasim Muhammad Khan will take up the matter on 25 June. The Christian couples defence lawyer is Saif-ul Malook, who represented Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy charges after spending nine years in prison. For Christians, the High Court decision comes as a relief. On 4 April 2014, the District Court in Toba Tek Singh, Punjab, sentenced Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Masih to the death under Section 295-C of the Pakistani Penal Code, commonly referred to as the blasphemy law ", which punishes the Use of derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet, i.e. Muhammad, with the death penalty. Their accuser, a Gojra resident called Muhammad Hussain, says that on 18 July 2013 he received a text message with blasphemous remarks on his mobile phone whilst praying in the mosque. As a result of the accusations made against them, the couple was convicted and sentenced to death, but filed an appeal for release claiming that the evidence presented against them was insufficient. The defendants say that the blasphemy charge was made to punish them over a dispute eight months earlier between their children and those of their neighbours. The latter developed a grudge against the couple, and are believed to have obtained a copy of the wifes national identity card from her place of work, which was used to buy a phone card to send the incriminating text messages. The defendants lawyer, Saif-ul Malook, filed a request for revision before the High Court. To do so, he returned to Pakistan after fleeing to Europe following death threats from Islamic radicals for defending Asia Bibi. In Europe he received offers of citizenships. Malook met Kausar in Multan prison and said that she is in the same cell that lodged Asia Bibi before the Supreme Court acquitted her. The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its order on pleas challenging the new admission criteria for undergraduate admissions to Delhi University (DU). A division bench comprising Justices Anu Malhotra and Talwant Singh reserved its order on a batch of pleas challenging the new admission criteria of the varsity. The petitioners claimed that a change in the eligibility criteria in B Com (Hons) and BA (Hons) in Economics is "illegal" and violates Article 14 of the Constitution, as it was done arbitrarily and without any prior notice. Replying on the pleas, the varsity defended its decision of amending the admission criteria and told the court that new admission norms were formed after holding discussions with the stakeholders and experts in the fields. "The laying of additional eligibility criteria in the undergraduate courses more particularly in B. Com (Hons) and BA Economics (Honours) has been done after much deliberation and discussions with the stakeholders and experts in respective fields," the University said in its reply. Until last year, the eligibility criteria stated that a student had to score at least 50 per cent marks in mathematics to apply for BA (Hons) in Economics. However, this year, the University made the subject mandatory for the 'best of four', that is, Maths has to be part of the top four subjects, aggregate of which will be considered for the admission. Similarly for B.Com (Hons), a student was required to pass mathematics/business mathematics with an aggregate of 45 per cent Similarly, B.Com (Hons) required a student to have passed mathematics or business mathematics with an aggregate of 45 per cent marks as a mandatory requirement, but this year, DU made it compulsory that a student should have 50 per cent or more marks in mathematics or business mathematics and an aggregate of 60 per cent. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) on Friday condemned the murder of Uttar Pradesh Bar Council president Darwesh Singh Yadav. "We stand solidly in support of our brothers and sisters of the Uttar Pradesh Bar in this tragic hour and share their grief," DHCBA Secretary Abhijat said. The association also conveyed its condolences to the members of the bereaved family and also to the entire legal fraternity. The DHCBA appealed to the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the case expeditiously to ensure the severest punishment is awarded to the guilty persons. Yadav had been elected as Uttar Pradesh Bar Council President on Sunday. On Wednesday, Yadav was sitting in a lawyer's chamber at the Agra Civil Courts her aide Manish Sharma came in and shot her dead. He pumped three bullets into Yadav's head and chest and then shot himself in the head too. Sharma was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in a critical condition where he succumbed later. Following the incident, the state government has upgraded security arrangements in all courts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi Police on Friday engaged in a war of words on Twitter after five murders were reported within a day in the capital. "Five murders in Delhi in last 24 hours is an extremely serious situation. I appeal to Lt Governor Delhi and Home Ministry to urgently look into the law and order situation of the capital," the Delhi Chief Minister wrote on Twitter. In response to Kejriwal's tweet, Delhi Police said, "The murders have all been confirmed to be personal enmity related. Accused previously known to the victim and are already arrested in some cases." The police, citing recent statistics, wrote, "Overall heinous crime in 2019 is down by 10.5 per cent, crime by use of fire arms is down by 5.65 per cent, crime against women is down by 11.5 per cent." In the past 24 hours, two persons were killed near Nand Nagri red light when two bike-borne miscreants fired several rounds of shots at their car in broad daylight. The police received a call at 12:12 am on Friday and when they reached the spot, they found the victims' Santro which was fired upon near the place of incident. One of the victims, Khurvesh, was an alleged bad character of the area. "Two accused have been identified and raids are being conducted for them. One suspect has been apprehended and a vehicle has also been seized," the police said. It added that the motive for the crime is prima facie, personal enmity (quarrel over petty issue a year ago). Three others were killed in isolated incidents across the city, including two in Bhalswa and one in Vikaspuri area. Separate cases have been registered and investigations are underway in all the cases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as 43 doctors submitted their resignation here on Friday amidst the ongoing strike by the junior doctors in West Bengal. While 27 doctors of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Darjeeling resigned over the violence against doctors in the state, a total of 16 doctors of R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata also submitted their resignation. "We the following doctors of R. G.Kar Medical College have so far been trying our level best to run the hospital service smoothly. You are aware that the present situation is not ideal for patient care service. In response to the prevailing situation as we are unable to provide service, we would like to resign from our duty," the doctors said in a mass resignation submitted before the Director of Medical Education and Ex. Officio Secretary of the West Bengal government. Various medical bodies called doctors' strike across the country to protest over rising violence against the medical fraternity after a junior doctor of Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to protesting doctors in the state to get back to work and ensure that hospitals can run "smoothly and peacefully". However, the protesting doctors have not called off the strike yet and are demanding adequate security in every medical college and hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging her to "personally intervene" to resolve the woes of agitating doctors in the state. "I take this opportunity to urge upon you to personally intervene in resolving the current impasse and taking steps to provide a secure working environment to doctors in the state of West Bengal. The entire country is being adversely affected due to developments in West Bengal and therefore ensuring an amicable end to the agitation will be beneficial and is strongly warranted. The Government of India is with you in this endeavour and is hilly willing to provide any assistance you may need in this regard," the Union Minister said in his letter to Mamata. "It is our duty to provide good working conditions and a secure environment for them. Strong action against any person who assaults them must be ensured by the law enforcement agencies. At the same time, doctors must also be oriented towards treating patients with courtesy and exhibiting compassion in their interactions," he added. After observing the entire situation, Harsh Vardhan said the agitation by doctors in West Bengal is not heading towards a resolution but seems to be getting "aggravated". "It is a matter of concern that the agitation by doctors in West Bengal is not heading towards resolution, but seems to be getting aggravated. Better communication with doctors and a compassionate approach to take care of the genuine problems being faced by them in day to day functioning would definitely be helpful in tiding over the crisis which has been created," he noted. On Thursday, Mamata had asked agitating junior doctors in West Bengal to resume work within four hours. However, the agitators refused to pay heed and continued protesting against incidences of violence. Various medical bodies have called a strike across the country to protest the rising violence against the medical fraternity after a junior doctor of Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital was allegedly attacked by the relatives of a patient who died on June 10. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eden Hazard, who recently joined Real Marid, said that Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe and Manchester United's Paul Pogba are two of the best players even as he refused to talk about their transfer to Real Madrid from their respective clubs. However, the former Chelsea player Hazard refused to shed any light on the rumours of Mbappe and Pogba joining Real Madrid as well for the next season. "I'm not here to discuss transfers. I came to play with the best. There are new players already and we'll have some time to adapt. It's true that we want to play with the best and the guys you've mentioned are two of those, but I don't decide these things," Goal.com quoted Hazard as saying. Hazard opined over his career also and said that he is in the best moment of his career. "I do not think it's too late, I'm 28 years old, I think I'm in the best moment of my career. The dream of playing for Madrid has been there for a long time but in my career I have always had several stages and now I think it was time to set a before and after in my career," he said. Real Madrid had an awful season as they failed to secure any trophy to their name. Keeping their performance in mind, the club had signed Hazard. Moreover, Hazard is not the only new signing, Luka Jovic, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo Goes have also joined Real Madrid. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hilary Duff's 7-month-old daughter spent the night in the hospital recently because of a bug bite. The little one is doing well now. "She's fine. She just had a little bug bite on her face, and it had a little infection. It was a long night in the hospital, but it was fine," the 31-year-old actor told Us Weekly. The 'Younger' actor, on Monday, revealed that her baby girl, Banks Violet Bair, had been feeling unwell. Sharing a black and white picture of her daughter sleeping on her chest, the actor wrote on Instagram, "Right home to a sick baby." "I actually have Banks' vomit in my hair and I may or may not have the energy to bathe after a day with a sick baby and a night at the hospital. All I want is to watch Handmaids [Tale] ughhhhh," Duff wrote in her Insta story. Duff and husband Matthew Koma welcomed their daughter on October 25. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Air Force continued its efforts to bring back the mortal remains of the 13 air warriors who lost their lives in the ill-fated AN-32, which crashed in the mountainous area of Arunachal Pradesh over 10 days ago. "IAF mountaineers, Army Special Forces personnel and local mountaineers were dropped off at the closest possible location to the crash site and have reached the crash site," a defence ministry release said. The mortal remains and other material evidence have to be picked up by helicopters and brought back to Jorhat in stages. The weather continues to be marginal and is likely to affect the pace of recovery operations. The recovery team is braving the treacherous terrain and inclement weather in order to bring back the mortal remains as soon as possible. The IAF has flown around 200 sorties towards the AN-32 search and recovery operations and is sparing no efforts in recovering the remains of its personnel for which 08 helicopters have been deployed, the defence ministry statement said. IAF said that the next of kin of all personnel on board had been informed about the crash and the subsequent search operations undertaken by the IAF. Concerned family members have been apprised of the progress of the recovery operations as well and IAF officials are in regular touch with them. The IAF and all its personnel stand with the families in this hour of grief, Air Force said.The AN-32 transport aircraft of the Air Force went missing on June 3 after taking off from Assam's Jorhat. The aircraft was headed for Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh when it lost contact with ground authorities at around 1300 hours. After a massive search and rescue operation for eight days, during which assets from several agencies were deployed, the wreckage of the aircraft was located by a Mi-17 chopper.The wreckage was located 16 km north of Lipo at an elevation of 12,000 feet. The picture emerging from the crash site suggested that the plane was trying to cross over the mountain top but could not do so due to blockage of views by clouds. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stating that there is a need to bring Bengali forward, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said those coming to the state must speak the language. Blaming BJP of perpetrating violence, the TMC chief also said that she will not allow West Bengal to become like Gujarat. "I respect all states. When I go to Bihar, UP, and Punjab, I speak in their language. If you are in Bengal you have to speak Bangla. We have to bring Bangla forward. I will not tolerate criminals who stay in Bengal and roam around on bikes. I will not let Bengal become like Gujarat," Banerjee said while addressing party workers here. "In Gujarat, riots happened. People were killed in large numbers," she added. Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Banerjee claimed that he spent "maximum time" in Bihar and West Bengal. "Gandhiji is from Gujarat. When India got independent, he was in Bengal. He was trying to stop riots between Hindus and Muslims. Gandhiji spent maximum time here and in Bihar," she said. Alleging that BJP is doing caste-based and propagating religious polarisation, Banerjee claimed that the party gave money to the criminals to instigate violence. "BJP is giving money to the criminals daily for instigating violence and disturbing peace here. The CPM was also no different. They attacked our workers when they were in power," she said. Terming ballot papers as the only solution, she claimed that EVMs were pre-programmed and questioned pre-result statements of BJP leaders' claiming over 300 seats. "How did they easily say that they will win so many seats? The EVMs were pre-programmed. Machines were tampered. Even the EVMs which were replaced for the faulty ones were pre-programmed. Ballot is the only solution for a democracy. This will be our movement," Banerjee said. The political temperature in West Bengal continues to be high ever since BJP made deep inroads in the state after winning 18 seats and limiting TMC to 22 seats in the recently concluded elections. Widespread violence involving the BJP and the TMC was witnessed during Lok Sabha elections in the state, with both parties trading blame over the issue. The polls have come to a close, but the two parties are still at loggerheads with instances of political violence marring the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday called for a nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services including OPD on June 17 to protest against the assault on a Junior Resident Doctor in Kolkata and sought a central law for ensuring protection to doctors against violence in hospitals. "Since no resolution is coming across after all the solidarity shown by the medical fraternity, IMA calls for the withdrawal of all non-emergency services including OPDs on Monday, June 17 across the nation in all healthcare institutions and all the medical colleges," Dr R V Ashokan, Secretary General of IMA told a press conference here. He said they have called the entire medical fraternity (even Private Hospitals) to join the protest on Monday. "This is for resolution of the crisis in West Bengal, ensuring security in hospitals and for enacting a Central Law," he added. This comes after resident doctors in West Bengal went on strike to protest against the assault on a Junior Doctor of NRS college on June 10 to which doctors across various states have lent support. Demanding an "unconditional acceptance" of demands of all resident doctors, Ashokan said, "Directly and indirectly, violence against doctors will impact the patient care and patient safety. Ultimately the sufferer will be the patient. We demand a resolution on the West Bengal crisis and unconditional acceptance of all the demands of residents." He also said that a Central Hospital Protection Act is a long-standing demand of the medical fraternity. "19 states have Hospital Protection Act. But the implementation is very tardy because there has been no central act. An inter-ministerial committee in 2015 has given a recommendation for the Central act.," said Ashokan. "Today, the entire medical colleges, all the IMA branches in every district, dharnas are being organised across the country and memorandum are being submitted to the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Health Minister," he said. Asserting that the patience of the medical fraternity has thinned due to a flurry of such incidents, he said, "The issue is well known to you. It has been year after year, month after month. We have lost count of the incidents where doctors have been beaten up brutally." Ashokan said that they were only demanding safety in hospitals which he said is not a difficult thing to be ensured by the state. "I and President-elect of IMA went to Calcutta yesterday and amongst the students, fear and violence are raining. We were there in NRS medical college. Violence has been perpetrated in all the medical colleges, in the hostels, in the streets," he said. "Even when we were there, a very strong mob of 300 people marched towards the college. Fortunately, the interns closed the gate and obstructed their entry. This phenomenon is condemned outright by us and we expect the society, the public opinion to be on our side," said Ashokan. The President-Elect of the IMA, Rajan Sharma too condemned the assault on resident doctors. "The way a junior doctor was attacked brutally for an incident with which he had no connection. We went to Calcutta yesterday and found that the junior resident doctor was going to have his meals and he was attacked," Sharma said. "Five accused have been arrested. When we met those doctors, they were not saying he is our leader or he is our leader. They were saying - Sir, what should we do, we are not safe," he added. The IMA president-elect said that such incidents were affecting the working of doctors and their decision making capability. "All across India, this thing is happening again and again and that is affecting us a lot. It is affecting our working, our decision making capability," he said. "If you are not satisfied with us, our services, then you can complaint against us but do not attack. We want to request the Central government to bring this Central Act as soon as possible. The implementation of Act may take some time but the announcement should not," he added. Addressing the gathering Dr V K Moga said, "Every doctor is distressed over the recent incidents. It is the government's mistake that there is lesser number of doctors. We work for 18 hours a day but still get beaten up," he said. "The big question is till when the doctors will keep getting beaten in their line of duty. The protest today was to show solidarity. It will continue and the main protest will be on Monday," Moga added. Meanwhile, Delhi Medical Association also called for a 'total medical bandh on Friday to protest against the assault on the doctor of NRS Medical College, Kolkata. When asked about the inconvenience that will be caused to the public, Rajan Sharma said, "I agree with you. But we are also not happy to come on the streets either. Nowhere in our education, we have taught to protest and go on strike. Please understand that this is such a burning issue that we as an association have given this call. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The truce affects the de-escalation zone of the conflict and will have an indefinite duration. Air raids in recent days have caused at least 25 victims, mostly civilians. Ankara bombs Kurdish targets in northern Iraq at Anadiya and Komane. The main communication line between Dohuk and Amedi broken, several wounded. "The population is terrified". Damascus (AsiaNews) - Russia and Turkey have negotiated "a total ceasefire" between government forces and rebel militias in Idlib, where an offensive by Assad's army against opponents and jihadists in the area has been underway for some time, according to Russian news agencies quoting military sources in the Kremlin. Located in the north of the country, the province is the last stronghold still in the hands of anti-government groups and extremist and jihadist factions (from al Qaeda to the Islamic State, ex Isis). Russia and Turkey (plus Iran) have armed forces on Syrian territory. Despite being on opposite sides (Tehran and Moscow close to Damascus, while Ankara supports the anti-Assad movements), the three countries more than UN diplomacy have managed to loosen the grip of a conflict that has caused almost half a million victims and seven million refugees. According to Russian military sources, the total ceasefire will take effect in the area of de-escalation of the conflict and will allow further human lives to be saved in an area that has long been plagued by violence. The province of Idlib is home to over three million people, including rebels and civilians who fled from the areas reconquered by the government and even during these days it has been subjected to heavy bombing. The attacks in the south of Idlib and north of Hama have continued even beyond midnight, when - at least in theory - the ceasefire that will last "indefinitely" should have already been in place. The air raids last June 10 caused at least 25 victims, many of whom were civilians. Eyewitnesses and local sources speak of hundreds of civilian casualties recorded in the last six weeks of a Syrian army offensive, supported by air raids by the Russian ally. After Aleppo, the eastern Ghouta and Douma, the road map drawn by the Damascus government for the reconquest of the country pointed to the north. The goal is to retake a strategic area and return to pre-war Syria, before the uprising which broke out in March 2011 and then turned into a proxy war between foreign powers. The violence has caused the flight of tens of thousands of people, who have left their homes looking for refuge across the border in Turkey. Yesterday, meanwhile, some fighters from the Ankara air force carried out a series of raids against (alleged) targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, in the Sidakan border area. The villages of Amadiya and Komane have been destroyed. The attacks blocked the main communication route between Dohuk and Amedi and destroyed a fuel station and a water pipeline. According to some local AsiaNews sources there would also be several (slight) injuries among the population. "The population is terrified - states the source - and no one dares to leave their house". Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan yet again broke the diplomatic protocol, this time at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Thursday. In a video shared on the official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Khan is seen seating while everyone else stood to welcome the head of states entering the hall. Upon realizing that he was perhaps the only one seated, he stood briefly and then seated himself again before the others did. Khan earlier broke the diplomatic protocol at the 14th OIC summit held in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. During a meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the sidelines of the summit, Khan spoke to Salman's interpreter and walked off before the message could be translated to the king. The video was widely circulated on social media and Khan was criticized, both by his countrymen and Saudi Arabia for apparently disrespecting the king. Khan and the leaders of the SCO member countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending the two-day summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured President Ashraf Ghani that India will support Afghanistan to ensure that a "legitimate government is chosen through the democratic process", said sources on Thursday. Modi who held a bilateral meeting with Ghani on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here promised that India will fulfil all expectations of Afghanistan. The war-torn nations is scheduled to undergo three elections--presidential, the provincial councils and the Ghazni parliamentary elections--simultaneously on September 28. Afghanistan has a long troubled history of elections. Last year, the October's elections were marred by roadside bomb attacks by Taliban. The problems also included malfunctioning of biometric voter verification equipment, incomplete voter lists and huge delays at polling sites. The elections which were supposed to occur on April 20 were postponed due to "mounting pressure" on Independent Election Commission in Kabul to conduct effective voting. Citing Bangladesh example, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the importance of cooperation, sources said. Meanwhile, during the talks, Ghani apprised the development in the peace process led by US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad. Notably, Khalilzad has held many rounds of talks with the Taliban but no agreement has been reached yet. On Monday, the new rounds of discussion were started to revive the stalled talks. Ghani also urged Modi to see terrorism and drugs through a single prism fueling the other. The two leaders also discussed Pakistan, Afghanistan President Ghani raised questions on the "sincerity of Pakistan" in fighting terrorism, sources added. Afghanistan and India both have blamed Pakistan for supporting and harbouring terrorist groups. Afghanistan President Ghani had strongly condemned the terror attack that took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday killing around 40 CRPF personnel. The CRPF personnel were killed when their convoy was targeted on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on Thursday. The convoy comprised 78 buses in which around 2500 personnel were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With an aim to strengthen bilateral ties, India and Kyrgyzstan on Friday signed 15 agreements in a number of key areas, including defence, trade and investment and health. The signing of the agreements and exchange of documents took place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. The agreements are mentioned as follows: 1. Joint declaration between India and the Kyrgyz Republic on strategic partnership. 2. Road map on trade and economic cooperation between the Republic of India and the Kyrgyz Republic for the five-year period (2019-2024). 3. Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between India and the Kyrgyz Republic. 4. Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between National Security Council Secretariat of India and Office of the Security Council of the Kyrgyz Republic. 5. Protocol to amend Article 26 of India-Kyrgyzstan Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). 6. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of health. 7. MoU between DRDO and Kyrgyz-India Mountain Biomedical Research Centre. 8. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between National Security Guards of India and National Guards of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic. 9. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between National Defence Academy of India and Kyrgyz Military Institute of the Kyrgyz Republic. 10. Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between High Altitude Warfare School (Gulmarg), Indian Armed Forces and Joint Mountain training Centre of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic. 11. Memorandum of Cooperation between Export-Import Bank of India and the Investment Promotion and Protection Agency of the Kyrgyz Republic. 12. MoU between India and the Kyrgyz Republic on cooperation on Information and Communication Technology. 13. Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Consumer Affairs of India and Ministry of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic on cooperation in the field of Legal Metrology. 14. Memorandum of Understanding between Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) of India and National Institute of Strategic Studies (NISS) of the Kyrgyz Republic. 15. Memorandum of Understanding between YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Himachal Pradesh and Kyrgyz National Agrarian University (KNAU). After the exchange of documents ceremony, both India and Kyrgyzstan reaffirmed their stand to fight against terror. "We are together in the fight against terrorism. It is imperative to give out a message to the that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost," Modi said in a joint press conference along with Jeenbekov. The Prime Minister also announced a line of credit of USD 200 million for supporting developmental projects in Kyrgyzstan. "I am happy to announce that we have agreed to celebrate 2021 as the year of cultural and friendship between the Kyrgyz Republic and India," Modi said. The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan and attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, besides holding bilateral meetings with several leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. After the SCO Summit concluded, Modi officially began his bilateral engagements by holding talks with Jeenbekov. The two leaders also jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum. Modi has invited Kyrgyz businesses to invest in India, saying the country has a huge market and is determined to become a five trillion dollar economy in the next five years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shortly after jointly inaugurating the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum, the leaders of the two nations held a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last met the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, a day after his swearing-in ceremony for a second term. Jeenbekov was the first international leader Modi met after taking oath. Apart from the BIMSTEC nations, the SCO Chair and India's important regional ally was invited to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi on May 30. Before holding the bilateral on Friday, the two leaders urged the business community from both countries to "explore the untapped potential" at the joint business forum, according to Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. A wide range of bilateral issues were discussed during the meeting between the two leaders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its refusal to grant a visa to an official group of 87 pilgrims for the 'Shahidi Jor Mela' or Sikh Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day, sources said on Friday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has directed Pakistan to "immediately grant visa without any restriction," sources added. "MEA has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on June 7 under the Bilateral Protocol on Visit to Religious Shrines, 1974. MEA had earlier requested visas for the pilgrims," sources told ANI on Friday. The fifth guru in Sikhism breathed his last in Lahore, Pakistan in 1606. Indian pilgrims observe his martyrdom day by visiting Gurudwara Dera Sahib in Lahore, amongst other things. The gurudwara commemorates the place where Guru Arjan Dev Ji passed away. "The Ministry expressed its concern at the disregard shown by the High Commission of Pakistan on the religious sentiments and devotion of the Indian pilgrims especially by Pakistan unilaterally granting restrictive visa (by rail only) to a private group of Indian pilgrims. MEA called upon Pakistan to immediately grant visa without any restriction," the MEA said, according to sources. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) More than 300 delegates will participate in the inter-sessional meeting of Kimberley Process being hosted by India from June 17 to 21 in Mumbai, the government said on Friday. The Kimberley Process is a commitment to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain. Conflict diamonds means rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments. Kimberly Process members are responsible for stemming 99.8 per cent of the global production of conflict diamonds. India is one of the founder members of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and is the Chair of Kimberley Process for 2019 with the Russian Federation as Vice Chair. Alok Vardhan Chaturvedi, head of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, has been designated as Kimberley Process Chair 2019 and Rupa Dutta, Economic Adviser at the Department of Commerce, is India's Kimberly Process focal point, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Besides meetings of different working groups and committees of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), two special forums on diamond terminology and artisanal mining titled 'Small Steps to Larger Outcomes' will be held during the inter-sessional. At present, KPCS has 55 members representing 82 countries including the European Union with 28 members. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian Army team rescued 81 tourists visiting Shyok in Ladakh and provided them with immediate aid on Friday. "Indian Army rescues 81 tourists visiting Shyok region, stranded onPartapu r- Turtuk road; immediate shelter, medical aid & warm clothing were provided" Northern Command, Indian Army tweeted on Friday. All the rescued tourists were provided with jackets, caps and warm clothes to protect themselves from adverse weather conditions. The Indian Army provided them with food after bringing them to the army camps. Rescued tourists wrote thanksgiving messages for the Indian Army during their stay at the camps. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian supermodel Irina Shayk is moving on from actor Bradley Cooper in style! One week after the 33-year-old model and 44-year-old actor called it quits, Shayk stepped out to walk at Thursday's CR Runway x LuisaViaRoma 90th anniversary fashion show in Italy, reported E! News. The 33-year-old model looked stunning strutting down the runway in two all-black outfits. The first was a form-fitting, strapless, leather dress by Ermanno Scervino, which Shayk wore with long leather gloves, black stockings paired with matching coloured heels. The second was an ensemble by Mugler, which consisted of a pin-striped blazer and matching skirt featuring a thigh-high slit. Shayk also wore a sheer top and gloves, as well as a black scarf. Her hair was slicked back into a chic bun for both the looks. Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, and Stella Maxwell were a few of the other models to grace the catwalk. The fashion show, held at the Piazzale Michelangelo, was part of Pitti Uomo, an event held in Florence twice a year. The fashion show in Italy was the model's first public outing since her breakup with Cooper. A few days before the fashion show, the model posted pictures from her trip to Iceland. News about Shayk split from Cooper broke last Thursday. However, fans suspected that there had been trouble in paradise for a while. E! News had reported that the two had been "questioning" the future of their relationship just a day before their breakup. "As much as they tried to rekindle what they once had, they couldn't find that spark," a source later told E! News. However, Shayk isn't the only one who is moving on after the four-year romance. The 'A Star Is Born' actor was also spotted enjoying a night out with his friends earlier this week. While neither of them has publicly commented on the split, sources told E! News they "both want what's best for their daughter". The two dated for nearly four years before calling it quits. They also share a 2-year-old daughter named Lea de Seine Shayk Cooper. Cooper was linked to his 'A Star Is Born' co-star Lady Gaga after their intimate Oscars performance of 'Shallow' in February and their undeniable chemistry in the critically acclaimed film. However, Gaga shut down the romance rumours on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'. "No," she proclaimed when host Jimmy Kimmel jokingly asked if she was having an affair. "I'm an artist, and I guess Bradley and I did a good job. And, fooled ya," she added. While a source told US Weekly that it was "a non-issue" for Shayk, who knew that Cooper and Gaga "were in character." Cooper was previously married to Jennifer Esposito from 2006 to 2007. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of the International Yoga Day on June 21, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) performed yoga at an altitude of 18,000 feet in freezing Ladakh. In a video released by ITBP, the personnel are seen doing Suryanamaskar and breathing exercises as they gear up for the 5th International Day of Yoga. "Himveers of ITBP gearing up for 5th International Day of Yoga at 18,000 feet in Ladakh", ITBP tweeted along with a video clip. International Yoga Day is celebrated throughout the world on 21 June every year. The concept of Yoga Day was formally promoted in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the very first year of his tenure. Modi founded the Ministry of AYUSH which deals with natural methods of treatment including Yoga, Naturopathy, Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for Ministry of AYUSH announced 'Yoga for the heart' as the theme for Yoga day for 2019. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Patiala House Court on Friday sent separatist leader Shabbir Shah, Masrat Alam and Asiya Andrabi to judicial custody till July 12 in connection with the Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case involving 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Anil Antil sent the three accused to judicial custody till July 12 after the Investigation Agency did not seek their custody. During the course of hearing, Andrabi requested the court to produce him through video conferencing in future hearings citing health reasons. Court asked his counsel to approach concern court after vacations. NIA investigation has established that Aasiya Andrabi is heading Dukhtaran-E-Millat as its Chief and has used social media and other platforms to abet waging of war against the Indian government. She is spreading seditious and insurrectionary imputations against Government of India Dukhtaran-e-Milat, a banned outfit under the First Schedule to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, was allegedly involved in anti-India activities by inciting the general populace of Kashmir for an armed rebellion against the Government of India with aid and assistance of various terrorist organisations based in Pakistan. The NIA investigation based on scientific and oral evidence has conclusively established that for carrying out all these terrorist and subversive activities, the gang of the accused persons is receiving funds from Pakistani agencies through hawala conduits. The investigation also established that the accused persons i.e. the Hurriyat leaders, the terrorists and the stone-pelters are carrying out terrorist attacks and orchestrating violence, stone-pelting and other subversive and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir as a part of their well-planned criminal conspiracy with an attempt to wage a war against India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN denounces police violence against protesters, activists and journalists. The June 9 elections marked by "widespread voting irregularities ". The new president announced the creation of a "special national council" open, among others, to young activists. Nur-Sultan (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The new presidency of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, elected head of Kazakhstan last June 9, has begun with protests. About 1,000 people were arrested in the first week after the elections, provoking the reaction of groups that defend human rights both locally and internationally. These include the United Nations Office for Human Rights (UNHRO), which criticizes police attacks on protesters, activists and journalists. Ryszard Komenda, head of UNHRO Central Asia, calls on "the authorities of Kazakhstan to respect the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression and the right to political participation". The "Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law" and the "Human Rights Charter Foundation", two local NGOs, also denounce mass violations of civil rights and freedoms, in particular freedom of expression and freedom of assembly " . Even the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) points out that the vote was marked by "widespread irregularities". Meanwhile, on June 12, the inauguration ceremony of the new president Tokayev took place, 66 years with a past in international diplomacy. He was sworn in the Independence Palace, then bowed to kiss the national flag as a sign of respect. Finally, a military parade marked the end of the celebrations. His victory was obvious and expected, since he is the protege designated to succeed by former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, who resigned surprisingly after almost 30 years at the helm of the former Soviet Republic. The "Bulgarian" majority with which he was declared the winner - almost 71% of the preferences - is worthy of the former satraps of the Central Asian republics. The authorities of Nur-Sultan, the new name of the capital Astana in honor of the former president, report that 957 people have been sent to trial for five unauthorized demonstrations: of these, 670 were sentenced to six to 15 days prison, 115 fined and 172 received an official warning not to take part in illegal actions. For his part, the new president called for dialogue and announced the creation of a "special national council" open, among others, to young activists. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the capital today. As per Reddy's itinerary, the meeting will take place in the evening. Reddy assumed charge of his office at state secretariat after his resounding victory in the state elections on June 8. In the Andhra Pradesh Assembly election, Reddy's YSRCP got an absolute majority by winning 151 out of 175 seats. On May 30, the YSRCP chief took oath as the second chief minister of Andhra Pradesh since its bifurcation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur visited a food functioning unit here on Friday with an aim to explore possibilities in the fruit processing area. The visit to Dalco Food Facility was to understand the functioning of the unit in the fruit processing area, especially that of apples, as they are grown in abundance in Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister is on a visit to Germany and Netherlands to attract investors to the state. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on June 12 between the state of Himachal Pradesh and Frankfurt Innovation Zentrum (FIZ) in the fields of Ayurgenomics (Ayurveda and Genomics), precision medicine and precision agriculture. During the event, Thakur said that Himachal Pradesh had varied climatic conditions and diverse topography making it suitable for growing a wide range of medicinal plants. He said that the state government would provide all possible help to the interested entrepreneurs for setting up their units in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors at Jaipuria hospital are carrying out their duty wearing black armbands as a mark of protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. "This is not a work boycott. The patients are getting their treatment. We are only trying to register our protest against such violence. Even Indian Medical Association (IMA) has condemned the incident in West Bengal," Dr Vidya Prakash told ANI. The protest comes in line with the junior doctors' protest in Kolkata after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday. "All Rajasthan in Service Doctors Association (ARISDA) President Dr Ajay Chaudhary has allowed us to work wearing black bands. Doctors are feeling unsafe. We demand security for doctors and strict actions against the perpetrators," said Prakash. Talking about the effect of violence on quality of treatment, resident Dr Varun Singh said, "We see around 100-200 patients a day. Violence can cause pressure on the doctors and strain the doctor-patient relationship." There is no security for doctors in either government or private hospitals. It is a big concern, Singh said. Doctors around the country are coming out in support for the protest in over violence against doctors. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After reports of actress Jessica Biel joining Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lobby against a California state pro-vaccine bill surfaced, Biel took to her Instagram account on Thursday morning to clear the air. "I am not against vaccinations. I support children getting vaccinations and I also support families having the right to make educated medical decisions for their children alongside their physicians," Biel wrote on Instagram. "My dearest friends have a child with a medical condition that warrants an exemption from vaccinations, and should this bill pass, it would greatly affect their family's ability to care for their child in this state," she added. "That's why I spoke to legislators and argued against this bill. Not because I don't believe in vaccinations, but because I believe in giving doctors and the families they treat the ability to decide what's best for their patients and the ability to provide that treatment," Biel said. The bill has received criticism by anti-vaccination advocates like Kennedy. Once passed, the bill would decrease the medical exemptions from vaccines that don't have approval from state public health officers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Seven people have been arrested in connection with a case where a woman was allegedly tied to a pole in Kodigehalli for not repaying a loan, police said on Thursday. The matter came to the fore after a video of the incident went viral. In the video, a woman is seen tied up to a pole and some men are standing around her. People can be heard saying "beat her with slippers and brooms". The 36-year-old woman, Rajamani, hails from Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district runs a small hotel here and a chit fund business. She owed Rs 50,000 to some people who were allegedly forced her to return the money. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath is hosting a dinner for his party counterparts in other statess and senior Congress leaders here Friday evening, ahead of the Niti Aayog meeting on Saturday. According to sources, Congress chief ministers Captain Amarinder Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, V Narayanasami and Ashok Gehlot have been invited. Other Senior leaders of the party are also expected to attend the dinner. Discussions on issues to be taken up before the Prime Minister at the NITI Ayog meeting could be held at the dinner, sources said. "Agriculture distress in the country is one of the issues Niti Ayog meet is expected to discuss. The Congress party which has been implementing farm loan waivers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan will have to raise its issues before the Niti Ayog," the sources said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will personally invite Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis at his residence in Mumbai on Friday for the inauguration of the Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project. Rao will personally extend an invitation to the Maharashtra CM to be the chief guest at the Kaleswaram project inauguration function on June 21. Earlier the government said that Rao would also visit newly-elected Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to personally invite for the function. With an estimated cost of Rs 80,500 crore, the KLIP is the costliest irrigation project taken up by a state. Once completed, it will irrigate 7,38,851 hectares of land in Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Medak, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said that he has taken up an initiative of making six selected districts in Maharashtra diesel-free for a period of five years. "I have taken up a program to make six districts - Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Wardha - diesel-free. I have decided that even a drop of diesel will not be there in these districts for five years. It's a difficult job... I have set up six factories where bio-CNG will be made for trucks and buses... Currently, 50 buses are running on that... Organic farming is the future," Gadkari said at the CII Council meeting. Gadkari, who is looking after the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways along with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, said that alternative sources of funding should be harnessed. "We must look forward to alternative sources for financing beyond banks," Gadkari said. He further shared that in the past five years, around Rs 17 lakh crore was invested in the transport sector. Gadkari said that the MSME sector has "great potential for growth and potential for progress of the country. and sought support of the private sector in this direction. "We are bringing improvements as per suggestions of industry and request for more recommendations. The central government is very positive and has faith and trust in the industry. Government is investor-friendly and wants to support industries for employment, growth, and exports," he said. On the sidelines of the event, Gadkari told media that the Centre is not planning to shut down any industry, but changes must be made in view of interest. When asked about the issue of electric mobility, he said, "We do not want to end any industry and want to help out. We want to include the private sector in all our schemes so that the growth rate and employment potential in development increases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The man accused of shooting people at two New Zealand mosques on Friday pleaded not guilty of 92 charges including 51 counts of murder. Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant appeared before Christchurch High Court via an audiovisual link, reported CNN. He has filed a not guilty plea to 51 charges of murder and 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge under the Terrorism Suppression Act, the first time such a charge has been used inside the country. Tarrant was smiling as he appeared before the bench in Auckland, however, he remained silent throughout his appearance. Judge Cameron Mander told the court that Tarrant mental assessment has been completed and no issues had arisen in terms of Tarrant's mental fitness to enter pleas or stand trial. The trial date has been set for May 4, next year. Tarrant last appeared in court in April, when the court ordered he undergoes a mental health assessment. He was arrested on March 15, within 21 minutes of the first emergency calls being received by police. On March 15, Tarrant, a 28-year-old suspected white supremacist from Australia, stormed into two mosques during congregational prayers and indiscriminately opened fire on the assembled, as per the police. The act of terrorism left the entire Muslim community shaken, with the international community and locals showing their solidarity with the affected. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Wrapping up his visit to Kyrgyzstan after taking part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and a string of other bilateral engagements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplaned for New Delhi from Bishkek on Friday. "Thank you to the exceptional people of the Kyrgyz Republic for hosting a productive SCO Summit. This Summit will boost multilateral cooperation and lead to many positive outcomes. I also thank the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and President Jeenbekov for the hospitality," Modi tweeted. While talks with Iran on Friday were shelved due to scheduling issues, he held successful bilaterals with China, Russia, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan, apart from addressing the SCO Summit here. The Prime Minister also held a pull-aside meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus on the sidelines of the SCO Summit on Friday, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. He coined the acronym HEALTH during his address at the Summit, which is a template for strengthening cooperation amongst SCO member-states. Expanding on the acronym, he said that the 'H' in HEALTH stands for Healthcare Cooperation, 'E' for Economic Cooperation, 'A' for Alternate Energy, 'L' for Literature and Culture, 'T' for Terrorism free society and 'H' for Humanitarian Cooperation. Even though India did not hold any official talks with Pakistan -- who is also an SCO member -- in Bishkek, Modi exchanged "usual pleasantries" with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in the Leaders' Lounge at the SCO Summit. Modi also jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyz Business Forum with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov earlier today, following which the new strategic partners held a bilateral. He was also accorded a ceremonial welcome by Jeenbekov at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace in the Kyrgyz capital, which formally started off the Prime Minister's bilateral visit to the Central Asian country. 15 documents were exchanged in various sectors in Modi and Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov's presence at a joint presser which followed the India-Kyrgyz bilateral. India also proposed a 200 million dollar line of credit to Kyrgyzstan during wide-ranging talks with the country on Friday. Even though Pakistan again showed its eagerness in holding talks to resolve all issues, India maintained its stance that Islamabad needed to create a terror-free atmosphere first -- a position which was conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping by the Prime Minister during their bilateral on Thursday. Tensions between India and Pakistan spiralled following the deadly February 14 Pulwama terror attack. New Delhi has remained rooted in its stand, saying that terror and talks with Islamabad cannot go together. China is an all-weather ally of Pakistan. The next SCO Summit will be hosted by Russia, the MEA confirmed in a special briefing here on Friday. India became a full member of the organisation in 2017 in Astana, along with Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US secretary of state claims Iran is "responsible for the attacks", in attempt to "increase tension" and create "instability". A video of the US military would prove Pasdaran involvement. Zarif slams charges and speaks of "diplomatic sabotage". The owner of Kokuka Courageous reports "flying objects", excluding the US version of the mines. Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The episode in the Gulf of Oman is the latest chapter in the ongoing tense standoff between Iran and the United States, with Tehran rejecting all charges of involvement and Washington ever closer to the military action against the Republic Islamic. This morning, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that US allegations about attacks on oil tankers is part of the "diplomatic sabotage" of the 4B band. Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that "Iran is responsible for the attacks" and some US military had released a video proving Tehran's involvement. Yesterday morning two oil tankers were evacuated to the waters of the Gulf of Oman and the crews were rescued by the Iranian navy and the Fifth US fleet stationed in the area, which responded to requests for relief. The two ships involved are the Norwegian Front Altair owned by the Frontiline company, with the flag of the Marshall Islands, which carried a cargo of ethanol from Qatar to Taiwan, and the Kokuka Courageous of the Japanese company Kokuka Sangyo, with the Panamanian flag. The latter transported methanol from Singapore to Saudi Arabia and, during navigation, suffered a gash in the hull just above the waterline, perhaps centered by a torpedo. The first boat damaged by explosions, which according to some could be attributed to a magnetic mine. Both commercial ships are "tied" to Japan and the incidents occurred precisely in conjunction with the diplomatic visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Iran (the first by a Japanese government leader in 40 years). The primary purpose of the trip is to mediate between Iran and the United States, in an attempt to prevent a military drift in the ongoing conflict - so far diplomatic and commercial - between the two fronts. The escalation of tension is increasingly worrying international diplomacies. At the origin of the Rising tensions between Iran and the United States are monopolising the international agenda and remain a source of fear among major world capitals. US-Iranian tension were triggered by US President Donald Trumps 2018 decision to pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, which was followed by the toughest sanctions in history against Iran. Since then, Washington has boosted its military presence in the region, whilst trying to curtail Irans oil exports. Returning to the incident yesterday morning, US Secretary of State Pompeo pointed the finger bluntly against Tehran, speaking of "shameless attacks" that are part of a "campaign" by the Islamic Republic to "increase tensions and create greater instability ". He then announced an "economic and diplomatic" response, although Washington is also evaluating the military option. The version of Iranian involvement would be endorsed by a video posted by the US Central Command in the Middle East in which some members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (Pasdaran) would be seen (but here the use of the conditional is a must) removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers to hide all evidence of the attack. Tehran's reply was immediate, accusing the United States of "Iranophobia". Russia is trying to dampen tensions and, through the words of Dmitri Peskov (spokesman for President Vladimir Putin), underlines that "no one has certain information" on the "causes" and for this reason "rash conclusions cannot be drawn". Moreover, some eye witness accounts would support the Islamic Republics claims: among these, that of the Japanese Kokuka Courageous shipowner, who claims to have noticed "flying objects" before the explosion. Words that therefore seem to deny the use of mines or submarine missiles heralded by the United States. Though there was no "structured meeting", Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan exchanged pleasantries during the second day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday. While talking to Independent, a UK-based news channel, he, however, refused to answer whether Modi had approached Khan or vice versa. "There was no scheduled structured meeting between two leaders. On the second day of the SCO, but they met, shook hands. They also exchanged pleasantries," he said. When asked whether Khan had approached Modi, he said: "It isn't necessary who approached whom". Again pushing for restarting the bilateral talks, the Pak FM said, "I have always said only talks can solve pending contentious issues between Indian and Pakistan". This comes as Modi made a veiled attack on Pakistan while addressing the plenary session here on Friday, stating that countries which support and finance terrorism must be held accountable. Relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated, especially after the Pulwama terror attack, where India lost over 40 CRPF personnel. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack, which saw the entire community throwing its weight behind India in its fight against terrorism. The US, in fact, told Pakistan to immediately stop providing support and a safe haven to terror groups following the dastardly attack which occurred on February 14 this year. Following this, India launched a successful diplomatic campaign to get JeM's Pakistan-based chief Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council, the proposal of which was launched by USA, France and the UK. Azhar was designated as a global terrorist by the UNSC on May 1. In Bishkek, Khan reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue while talking to Russian news agency Sputnik on June 13. India, on the other hand, has maintained its stance that Pakistan needed to create a terror-free atmosphere first, conveying the same to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral on Thursday. "He (Modi) has informed the Chinese President that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror and at this stage, we do not see this happening. We expect it to take concrete action," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had told reporters during a briefing here on the sidelines of the SCO engagements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the second day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here on Friday, as per sources. The two leaders exchanged "usual" pleasantries while they were in the Leaders' Lounge, sources added. This comes as Modi made a veiled attack on Pakistan while addressing the plenary session here on Friday, stating that countries which support and finance terrorism must be held accountable. Relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated, especially after the Pulwama terror attack, where India lost over 40 CRPF personnel. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack, which saw the entire community throwing its weight behind India in its fight against terrorism. The US, in fact, told Pakistan to immediately stop providing support and a safe haven to terror groups following the dastardly attack which occurred on February 14 this year. Following this, India launched a successful diplomatic campaign to get JeM's Pakistan-based chief Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council, the proposal of which was launched by USA, France and the UK. Azhar was designated by the UNSC on May 1. In Bishkek, Khan reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue while talking to Russian news agency Sputnik on June 13. India, on the other hand, has maintained its stance that Pakistan needed to create a terror-free atmosphere first, conveying the same to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral on Thursday. "He (Modi) has informed the Chinese President that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror and at this stage, we do not see this happening. We expect it to take concrete action," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had told reporters during a briefing here on the sidelines of the SCO engagements. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu will meet floor leaders of Rajya Sabha over lunch at his residence in Delhi on June 20. The Rajya Sabha has been convened to meet for the Budget Session from June 20, the day President Ram Nath Kovind will address the joint sitting of Parliament. The session will continue till July 26. In all, there will be 27 sittings of the Upper House of Indian Parliament. The Lok Sabha has already been convened from June 17. Newly elected members will take oath on June 17 and 18, and the Speaker's election will be held on June 19. The Union Budget will be presented on July 5. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors across India took to the streets and have halted medical services in support of the nationwide protest on Friday to demand protection amidst the ongoing strike by the junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital (NRSMCH) in West Bengal. This comes nearly four days after a junior doctor at the Kolkata hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. The resident doctors at Raipur's Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital raised slogans on the streets in protest against the incident in Kolkata. Doctors at North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri have also joined the strike as have the medical practitioners affiliated with Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD). The doctors of AIIMS Delhi meanwhile halted health services leading to inconvenience to thousands of patients. The Resident Doctors' Association, Safdarjung Hospital also took out a protest march in the morning. In cities like Jaipur, doctors have carried on with their duties wearing black bands as a mark of the protest, the members of Indian Medical Association, Trivandrum, on the other hand, held protests over the alleged violence. Doctors with 'Save the Saviour' and 'Stand with NRSMCH' protested at the Government Medical College in Nagpur. Meanwhile, students of NRSMCH have continued their sit-in protest on Friday despite West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to the doctors to get back to work and ensure that hospitals can run "smoothly and peacefully" on Thursday. Apart from demanding strong actions against the culprits of the NRSMCH incident, the medical organisations are pressing for strong legislation and are also demanding a safe working environment for medical practitioners. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a notice to the DGP of Uttar Pradesh, OP Singh, taking suo motu cognisance over the reported brutal assault of a TV journalist covering derailment of a goods train in Shamli by GRP personnel on Tuesday night. "The Commission has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh calling for a detailed report in the matter including action taken against the guilty public servants and status of the FIR Registered against them. The response is expected within four weeks," a statement from the NHRC said. "NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that just a few hours after the Supreme Court ordered the release of a journalist, another TV journalist in the West Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district was brutally assaulted by the SHO of the Government Railway Police, GRP on Tuesday, 11th June 2019 night," stated the release. "He, along with and a constable was booked and suspended after videos of the attack went viral the next day. Reportedly, a group of reporters assembled in the Manipur area where two bogies of a goods train had derailed in the night. An argument took place between the journalists and the police personnel. The victim was then thrashed and dragged to the local GRP police station where he was locked up. The victim has claimed that he was stripped and the SHO urinated in his mouth," it read. "The Commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, amount to gross violation of the victim. Going by the reported allegations, this kind of cruel and uncivilised act by a public servant is highly disgraceful and cannot be tolerated in a civilised society. Stern action should be taken against the police personnel, if found guilty so that such barbaric act is not repeated by any public servant, in future," observed the Commission. "According to the media reports, carried on the 13th of June, 2019, the SHO could be seen attacking the journalist in the video clips. The victim has reportedly alleged that the police personnel attacked him out of vengeance as he had run a story about encroachment by unauthorized vendors in connivance with GRP personnel, last month. Reportedly, an FIR based on the complaint of the journalist has been registered and departmental inquiry under the supervision of the IG Railways, has also been ordered," it stated. Amit Sharma was beaten up on camera by a group of GRP personnel for covering the derailment of a goods train. The journalist claimed he was targetted by GRP personnel for "exposing" their illegal activity. The incident took place just a day after the Supreme Court pulled up Uttar Pradesh government for putting journalist Prashant Kanojia behind the bars for posting tweets on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said the numbers of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) cases are declining in Bihar. "Centre and Bihar government are doing their best. I have assured of providing all possible help. The numbers of cases are declining. I am sure the situation will be contained soon," Dr Harsh Vardhan told ANI. The health minister's comment comes after as many as 57 children died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar's Muzaffarpur while another 130 are hospitalised. "A team of experts and senior doctors from centre visited the hospitals and are advising the state government there. I have held two meetings with the Bihar health minister. We are further analyzing the situation," the union minister said. "The government of India will also help the Bihar government improve their health services and infrastructure to tackling a similar situation in the coming years," Harsh Vardhan added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi (India), June 15 (ANI): Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also a renowned economist, will be missed in the upcoming Budget session of the Parliament as his nearly 30-year-long tenure as a Rajya Sabha member ended on Friday. Singh, who is credited with keeping India away from the great recession of 2008, would not be present in the Rajya Sabha for the first time since his first election from Assam in 1991 as he could not make up to the Parliament' upper House due to Congress' poor strength in the state Assembly. Congress could not get him re-elected from Assam as it has only 25 MLAs as against 43 first-preference votes needed. The grand old party would have fallen short of five MLAs had it even got the support of 13 legislators of All India United Democratic Front. The party even cannot send Singh from other states where Rajya Sabha seats are vacant. With the election of BJP's Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and AGP's Birender Prasad Baishya's unopposed election from Assam, a total of nine seats are lying vacant in Odisha (4), Tamil Nadu (1), Bihar (2) and Gujarat (2). Congress does not have required numbers to secure any Rajya Sabha berths in these states except Gujarat where it is eyeing to grab at least one seat. Although Singh can be sent to the House from Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan or Punjab, there are no immediate vacancies in these states. The party has the ultimate option to make any other leader resign and get him elected from that seat in order to keep the two-time former Prime Minister in the House. However, party sources maintain that it has not been considered in the party. During his tenure as Rajya Sabha MP for 28 years, he led the upper House for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 and acted as the Leader of the Opposition for six years. Singh was last elected to the House in 2013. Parliament's first Budget session after the constitution of the new government at Centre is scheduled to start on June 17. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader PC Chacko on Friday claimed that he did not know Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) NRI cell chairman Rohit Manchanda, who has alleged that he "misbehaved" with him at state Congress office on Friday. It has been reported that Manchanda, who lost Delhi Assembly polls from Saket seat in 2003 by just 116 votes, has demanded Chacko's resignation. Issuing a justification, Chacko told reporters, "Nobody is asking for my resignation. I have not come across anyone asking for my resignation. You can ask the person who has claimed this. I have noted nobody has shown any opinion. Go and ask the person who has told you. I don't know who he is." Briefing about the claimed incident, Manchanda alleged that Chacko lashed on him. "I was near the lift at the party office to receive Chacko ji, when he lashed out at me and said people like me should be thrown out of the party. He said that he has substantial proof against me. We have lost four elections in Delhi under his leadership if the party chief Rahul Gandhi can offer to resign, why can't he? He should be the first person to offer a resignation," Manchanda told ANI. Manchanda further said that he will write to Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit and Congress President Rahul Gandhi demanding the removal of Chacko. "I will write to Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit and Congress President Rahul Gandhi demanding to remove such general secretary in-charge immediately," he said. Manchanda claimed that Chacko was provoked by Manchanda's social media post, demanding the resignation of state unit in-charge. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi (India), June 15 (ANI): With an aim to strengthen the Congress in view of the 2022 UP Assembly elections, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has decided to meet ground-level workers from eastern Uttar Pradesh two days a week in New Delhi. Priyanka, who is in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, will be interacting with ordinary Congress party workers between 10 am to 1 pm every Tuesday and Thursday. The party workers could meet Priyanka without any formal appointment. She will also visit the state in order to connect with the grassroots-level workers and a blueprint of the visit is being worked upon. It is expected that Priyanka will try to get a sense of Congress' organisational conditions on the ground and figure out where the party lacks in the state. According to a source in the party, two such meetings have already taken place. On Thursday, Priyanka accompanied her mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to her maiden visit to Raebareli after winning in the Lok Sabha elections. During the visit, she came down heavily at the party workers for not working in favour of the party in the general elections. The Congress leader has also told the party workers to be ready for the fight ahead. Priyanka said that she will find out the name of workers who did not work in favour of the party in the Lok Sabha elections. "You all know about those who worked religiously and I will find out about those who did not work for the party in the elections," she had said. Priyanka had campaigned vigorously in favour of Congress candidates in UP, especially in Raebareli and Amethi but the party lost all the seats in UP with Raebareli being the only exception. Even Congress President Rahul Gandhi could not save his seat Amethi which he had been representing since 2004. After the Lok Sabha debacle, Priyanka faces an uphill task to strengthen the party cadre in the state in view of the upcoming bypoll and the Assembly elections due in 2022. Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections by winning a paltry 52 seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS met Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday with regard to the violence against doctors in West Bengal and demanded security for their fraternity. Speaking to reporters, Dr Arun, resident doctor AIIMS, said: "It was a successful meeting. The Minister listened to all our problems. He said that he will write letters to all Chief Ministers to ensure the security of doctors in their respective states." When asked if the strike will be called off, another doctor said, "Nothing happened with us but we stood in solidarity with the doctors in Kolkata. We will be talking to them now. As soon as Mamata Banerjee responds to the doctors' issues, we will update you." RDA submitted a letter to the Union Minister seeking his intervention in ensuring the safety of doctors. "Adaptation of a uniform security code applicable to all government healthcare facilities across the country. Formulating an SOP for entry-exit protocols in wards, emergencies, OPDs and hostel premises. Recruitment of both armed and unarmed trained competent security guards in all government hospitals, increasing the number of security staffs to at least thrice the existing numbers, if necessary through outsourced security agencies," the letter read. The RDA also demanded the Centre's intervention to stop "politically motivated atrocity" on protesting doctors in West Bengal. "Making CCTV vigilance in every hospital mandatory, especially in the emergency area. Conducting regular security audits, training and mock drills for both security guards and health care providers," the letter further read. AIIMS doctors are on strike today in the wake of an alleged attack on a junior doctor in West Bengal by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. Earlier, Harsh Vardhan said that the government is committed toward ensuring the safety of doctors. "I would like to assure all doctors that the Government is committed towards their safety. I appeal to doctors to hold symbolic protests only and continue to carry out their duties," Harsh Vardhan told ANI. "I appeal to West Bengal CM to not make this an issue of prestige. She gave the doctors an ultimatum, as a result, they got angry and went on strike. Today, I will write to Mamata Banerjee ji and will also try to speak to her on this issue," he said. On Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked agitating junior doctors in West Bengal to resume work within four hours. On Friday, the AIIMS administration has put out a memorandum on the "code of conduct" to be followed by its employees during the one-day strike. As per the official note, members of RDA have been advised to refrain from holding any dharna/protest/strike within the premises of AIIMS. The administration has also asked doctors to refrain from using loudspeakers, shouting slogans and holding demonstration inside AIIMS campus. "No employee, staff or faculty member will cease work for any reason whatever or disrupt the work or aid, or abet such disruption or cessation. No interference in any official work," the memorandum further read. Thousands of patients in the capital were hit hard after the doctors at AIIMS Delhi halted health services in support of their Kolkata counterparts today. Various medical bodies have called a strike across the country to protest the rising violence against the medical fraternity after a junior doctor of Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Stanley Shanapinda, Research Fellow, La Trobe University Massive public protests taking place in Hong Kong over the past week are aimed at a new extradition law, known as the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, that would see accused criminals extradited to mainland China to face prosecution. Hongkongers feel the law could be used to legalise the kidnapping of people who express views, and act in ways, that are not popular with the Chinese government. The same law could also be used to extradite tourists and visitors to China who are arrested on suspicion of having committed these crimes. Protesters want the bill scrapped. For now, debate of the legislation has been postponed. Organisers say one million people turned out for the protests, while police estimate the number was around 240,000. Either way, it was a significant number of Hong Kongs 7.5 million population. Commentators on Twitter remarked on how well organised the protesters were. So, how did they do it? Protesters across the world are using new technologies to organise. Social media platforms were used to share information about the Hong Kong protests. And messaging apps, such as Telegram and WhatsApp, were essential for coordinating with other protesters. Read more: Beyond hashtags: how a new wave of digital activists is changing society Telegram as a protest tool In choosing a messaging app, organisers are looking to communicate effectively while avoiding surveillance. Telegram, which launched in 2013, has become a more secure competitor to WhatsApp. Telegram says it has standard end-to-end encryption for its chats, to prevent spying on the contents of communications. There is the cloud chats option for group messaging. Telegram also allows for secret chats between two people. These chats are stored on the phones rather than in the cloud, and can be set to self-destruct at a time determined by the user. Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram hasnt suffered major hacks in the recent past. Earlier this year, WhatsApp was reportedly infected with the Pegasus spyware as part of an attempt to access the messages of a UK-based human rights lawyer who was working on a case for civil rights activists. During the 2014 protests, WhatsApp was also reportedly attacked to spy on Hongkongers. Telegram is a partially open source platform. Anyone can contribute to strengthening its security by looking for and fixing vulnerabilities, which can help to prevent hacks like those from Pegasus. Telegram therefore offered Hongkongers a messaging service they could use with a bit more confidence, or so the organisers thought. But the use of spyware isnt the only method available to those who might want to disrupt the communications of protesters. Read more: Shutting down social media does not reduce violence, but rather fuels it Telegram becomes a target The administrator of a 30,000-member Telegram chat group, which was used to organise the protests, was arrested on Tuesday. Ivan Ip, 22, was accused of conspiring to commit a public nuisance. Ip told the New York Times: I never thought that just speaking on the internet, just sharing information, could be regarded as a speech crime [] Im scared that they will show up again and arrest me again. This feeling of terror has been planted in my heart. In a further show of force, Telegram was also targeted in a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack during the protests. DDoS attacks use botnets, which are computers that have been compromised by malicious software and then used to launch cyber attacks in an automated fashion. The owner of the computer may not even know that their property was used as a tool to suppress civil rights activists. Telegrams servers were flooded with junk communications at rate of 200-400 gigabits per second, slowing functioning of the service until it was ineffective or unusable. Based on past trends, this size of an attack is likely to have been carried out by a state actor. Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said source IP addresses indicated the geographic location of the attacks were mainly originating in China. This disruption appears to have been coordinated to occur at the height of the protests for maximum impact, creating a chilling effect on the ability of protesters to organise and communicate. The effect of the attack was global, impacting Telegram users in other countries like the United States. This shows how targeted internet censorship techniques in one country could punish citizens of another. Read more: From billboards to Twitter, why the aesthetics of protest matters more today Forcing protesters into a corner By making Telegram unusable, the cyber attack redirects the communications of organisers onto less secure platforms, where vulnerabilities can be exploited. Communications on these platforms might be more easily intercepted, and metadata and location information might be available from telecommunications companies and ISPs. This can heighten protesters fears of being identified and prosecuted for their political actions. The power of governments to attack and disrupt the communications of protesting citizens has a chilling effect on the universal right to march and to protest. Social media hacking tools, which are sold to repressive governments to spy on their own citizens, further erode the right to free speech and to organise political activity. In this environment, demand for secure social media apps will only increase out of a basic necessity to break free from surveillance, and for protection against authoritative regimes around the world. Stanley Shanapinda does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Originally published in The Conversation. Congress President Rahul Gandhi took to the social media platform to appeal to the youths for donating blood on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day on Friday. "Blood donation done by you is a lifeline for the needy. I congratulate all blood donors on World Blood Donor Day. I appeal to our young friends to donate blood whenever they find an opportunity for it," Rahul Gandhi wrote on Facebook. World Blood Donor Day, established in 2004, is marked every year on June 14. The event serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood. It is also an occasion to thank blood donors for their voluntary efforts in this direction. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Upon arriving at the DRDO Bhawan, the Defence Minister paid floral tributes to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's statue here. Thereafter, he was given detailed a presentation by DRDO Chief G Satheesh Reddy and senior scientists. "The presentation covered recent achievements, details of major ongoing projects and the roadmap of DRDO. The Raksha Mantri was apprised about the DRDO developed cutting-edge, state of the art technologies and systems accepted by the armed forces and those under development," Defence Ministry officials said. Singh appreciated the commitment and dedication of scientists and directed the research agency to focus its energies on flagship programmes of importance. He appreciated the DRDO's initiatives to promote academia and industry and desired for such interaction to be enhanced further to create a greater scientific temper and production base, which would be a driving force for accelerated research and defence manufacturing. The Defence Minister also released the publication "Roadmap of DRDO" which encapsulated the target of the organisation for ten years. Singh congratulated DRDO for its singular achievements in strengthening the defence capabilities and enabling the nation to join a select club of countries having some of the most advanced defence technologies such as Anti-Satellite Capability, 4.5th Generation Fighter Aircraft, Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW & CS) and Ballistic Missile Defence Programme. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met the top Army Commanders along with Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and Vice Chief Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu here on Friday. All the General Officer Commanding in Chiefs (GOC-in-C) of the seven Army Commands were present during the meeting. This is in line with a series of meetings he has presided over after taking over as the Defence Minister. Singh complimented the Indian Army for ensuring the highest level of professionalism, continuous readiness against external and internal challenges and their role in nation building, a defence ministry release said. "It is a matter of great pride that Indian Army is ready for the full spectrum of challenges and it will be ensured that their capabilities keep getting continuously enhanced," Singh was quoted as saying. Emphasising on the jointmanship of the Indian Armed Forces, the minister said that it will be a key area and due endeavours towards the same will be ensured. "Ministry of Defence will remain fully committed to speedily enhance the capabilities of Indian Armed Forces. Ensuring high morale and motivation of all ranks will be the priority," he said while wishing them "all present success and glory." On its part, the Army will be expecting that the projects of infantry modernisation including the procurement of sniper rifles, Light Machine Guns, Bullet Proof Jackets, Ballistic Helmets, and Assault Rifles are expedited. Several of these pieces of equipment were bought during the first term NDA government in limited numbers. The Minister will also be required to take a call on the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) project which has failed to take off so far. Earlier in the day, the Minister met DRDO scientists and reviewed its ongoing projects. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Soon after the US President Donald Trump announced that Sarah Sanders will step down as White House spokesperson, White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway praised Sanders by calling her a "battle-tested warrior". "Sarah Sanders is a tremendous talent and battle-tested warrior who has devoted countless hours to the service of our nation. Grateful for our 3 years together and excited to see what her future holds! Her first and best job=MOM," Conway tweeted. Sanders, who will step down from her position at the end of the month, took to Twitter and said that she is "blessed and forever grateful" to President Trump for the opportunity. "I am blessed and forever grateful to @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he's accomplished. I love the President and my job. The most important job I'll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it's time for us to go home. Thank you Mr. President," Sanders tweeted. President Trump had announced on Thursday that Sanders will step down from her position at the end of the month. "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas," Trump tweeted. Trump praised Sarah, saying she is a "very special person" and has "extraordinary talents". She is now planning to run for Governor of Arkansas. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done," he added. Sarah was considered as the most trusted aides of Trump. Her resignation came as it has been the 94th consecutive day without a White House briefing, the longest stretch of time without a briefing, CNN reported. Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer as press secretary at the White House in July 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Bombay High Court order directing registration of a case against Maharashtra MLA Dhananjay Munde in an alleged case of illegal purchase of government land. A vacation bench of the top court comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Surya also issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the complainant in the case. During the hearing, the apex court bench said High Courts cannot pass such orders in disregard of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), adding that Article 226 is not a 'Ram Baan' (panacea). "There is a system under CrPC. Where is the power for High Court under Article 226 and direct registration of FIR. Article 226 doesn't mean 'Ram Baan'. What's the exceptional feature that High Court ordered registration of FIR?" asked the top court from Maharashtra. Maharashtra government told the court that allegations against Munde were very serious, a preliminary enquiry was conducted and FIR has been registered against him. In his plea, the NPC leader has sought a stay on the High Court order that directed the police to file a case against him for alleged grabbing of government land at village Pus, Taluka Ambajogai, Beed district. The Bombay High Court had on Tuesday directed the police to register the FIR against Munde, opposition leader of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, on the basis of a complaint made by one Rajabhau Phad on October 23 in 2017 at Bardapur police station. The public prosecutor had told the High Court that after making some inquiry, the police realised that the government land was being grabbed by creating false revenue record and by showing some transactions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The meeting on Friday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iran President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) summit here was cancelled due to "scheduling issues," as per sources. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Iran President Hassan Rouhani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, cancelled due to scheduling issues. The official banquet got delayed which disrupted the schedule of all the leaders," sources told ANI. The meeting was supposed to be held against the backdrop of the US sanctions on Iran as well as Tehran's partial withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The United States had also recently announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued to existing importers of Iranian oil, including India. The issue had come up during a meeting between former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during the latter's visit to India last month. After the meeting, Swaraj had said that a decision on buying oil from Iran will be taken after the general elections. In the Joint Declaration issued after the SCO summit, the member-nations called on all participants of the JCPoA or Iran nuclear deal to "strictly fulfil their obligations" for the "effective implementation" of the deal. "The Member States believe the consistent implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear programme to be a priority and, in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, call on all the participants to strictly fulfil their obligations for the comprehensive and effective implementation of the document," the statement outlined. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday made a veiled attack on India over Kashmir during his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here. "Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including State-terrorism against people under illegal occupation," the leader said amidst the SCO Council of Heads of State. Relations between India and Pakistan reached a stalemate after the Pulwama terror attack, where India lost over 40 CRPF personnel. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack, after which the entire community threw its weight behind India in its fight against terrorism. India launched a successful diplomatic campaign to get JeM's Pakistan-based chief Masood Azhar listed as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council, in the aftermath of the attack. The proposal was launched by the US, France and the UK. In a major diplomatic win for India, Azhar was designated as a global terrorist by the UNSC on May 1. India has time and again reiterated that Pakistan needs to create a terror-free atmosphere for talks to be held, with Prime Minister Modi telling Chinese President Xi Jinping the same during their bilateral here on Thursday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) Summit here on Friday, amid mounting tension in the Persian Gulf. The meeting will be held against the backdrop of the US sanctions on Iran as well as Tehran's partial withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The US recently announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued to existing importers of Iranian oil, including India. The issue had come up during a meeting between former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during the latter's visit to India last month. After the meeting, Swaraj had said that a decision on buying oil from Iran will be taken after the general elections. Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani here on Thursday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major move towards enhancing the growth of eco-tourism, the Institute of Bio-Resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) opened state-of-the-art orchidarium in Upper Shillong. The northeastern state of Meghalaya is blessed with favorable climatic conditions and rich fertile soil, that's why its home to some of the most exotic species of flora. "To plant orchids in Delhi, Gurgaon or any other North Indian places, air-conditioned room is required and the cost is very high. But here, the weather is like a natural refrigerator. So you see, we can save a lot of electricity. The second most important thing is that the soil is very fertile. You travel in the northeast and you will find a large number of orchids are growing naturally on tree trunks. But what the people are doing is that they are uprooting the orchids and selling it in the market at a very cheap price," said, Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director Institute of Bio-Resources and Sustainable Development. The orchidarium which was constructed within a span of three months has over 20 varieties of orchids which are found in Meghalaya and its neighboring states. There are also a variety of species of orchids which are found in full abundance in the state. Of 17,000 species of orchids in the world, about 1,250 occur in India, of which nearly 300 are found in Meghalaya. A special natural orchid habitat has been set up in the orchidarium where large varieties of orchids are displayed to attract more visitors. The opening of the orchidarium saw a large number of visitors from every nook and corner of the region and the country as a whole, which is expected to generate employment and boost the income of the small-scale flower farmers. A tourist who visited the orchidarium expressed her delight over having a new tourist spot in the state. "This orchidarium is very interesting as it has also become one of the tourist spots. As Meghalaya is one of the major tourist hubs in the country, now people will get a chance to visit the orchidarium and know more about varieties of orchids. Because of climate change, orchids are reducing and having this kind of germplasm can help us protect the orchids, said a visitor, Jenny. The orchidarium unique and will also lead to the production of orchids in large quantities, with a proper supply chain which will, in turn, open path for business avenues. "Orchidarium is very rare. This is the first on in Shillong and you can see all the species are vet rare and been imported from abroad," said IBSD staff, Shashi Kumar Yadav. The establishment will go a long way in educating people about citizen science and help preserve the fragile eco-system of the state and the country as a whole. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After a video surfaced showing Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel mercilessly beating up Amit Sharma in Shamli on Tuesday, the journalist claimed he was targetted by GRP personnel for "exposing" their illegal activity. Speaking to ANI, Sharma alleged that GRP personnel were involved in a vending business in passenger trains which is prohibited throughout India by the Centre. He covered the story and his organisation flashed the story in a messaging group which, according to him, made government officials angry. The story became a big topic of discussion in the city, he claimed. Sharma said he met Station House Officer of Railway Protection Force (RPF) regarding the story and later, the contractor of the vendors, Nafees, was arrested. Soon after, he claimed he was offered a bribe by the GRP personnel involved in the matter, which he refused. "On June 11, a Delhi-Saharanpur cargo train was derailed and I had gone to cover the whole incident and several other journalists were also present there. An altercation occurred between the journalists present and the GRP personnel who were dressed in plain clothes. During this altercation, the railway police personnel tried to grab my camera which fell off and then they slapped me. When I confronted the personnel on this, I was beaten mercilessly as you can see in the video," the scribe said. Recalling the horror, he added, "I was then taken into the police station, again beaten up and the SHO (GRP) urinated on me. I tried to escape from their grasp but they got hold of me and I was held at gunpoint. I am ashamed to even talk about the treatment meted out to me by the GRP." The journalist's father, Vidyasagar Sharma, has demanded maximum punishment from the authorities. "This is a very painful incident and the aggressors should get the sternest of punishment," he added. The incident occurred a day after the Supreme Court ordered the release of journalist Prashant Kanojia, who was jailed for three days by the Uttar Pradesh police for posting "derogatory" content against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The same day, state police sprang to action and tweeted, "We have come across a video where a journalist has been beaten up & put up in a lock up. DGP UP OP Singh has ordered for immediate suspension of SHO GRP Shamli Rakesh Kumar & Const. Sanjay Pawar. Strict punishment shall be accorded to policemen misbehaving with citizens. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson Lanka Dinakar on Friday dismissed reports that party chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had plans to rope in the consultancy, mentored by political strategist Prashant Kishor. Dubbing the claims as "propaganda", Dinakar told ANI, "N Chandrababu Naidu is introspecting the party's defeat in the recent State Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, there are rumours and propaganda that TDP is going to use the services of Prashant Kishor's IPAC but we haven't taken any such decision. We strongly condemn this propaganda." Issuing a clarification, he maintained that the TDP is a cadre-based party and it does not need any consultant's services. Recently, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also met with the IPAC founder and Janata Dal (U) vice president Kishor. Kishor was recently credited with scripting Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's spectacular victory in Andhra Pradesh where his party YSRCP bagged 151 out of 175 Assembly seats. In 2015, Kishore was also said to have played a role in bringing Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and JD(U) under the banner of Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls. Kishor had joined active last year in September when he was made a Vice President of JD(U) by party chief Nitish Kumar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Brazilian striker Neymar Jr has issued a statement regarding rape allegations against him and said that the truth will appear sooner or later. "I will be brief. I just want to thank the support and care from all those had sent me messages," Goal.com quoted Neymar as saying. "And to say that I am calm. The truth will appear, soon or later. The only wish I have right now is that this case ends as fast as possible," he added. Neymar testified for five hours on Thursday regarding the rape case against him. Earlier, Najila Trindade had accused Neymar of raping her in a Paris hotel and she described the whole incident as "an assault together with rape". Before Neymar issued his statement, prosecutors also issued their statement over the rape case against Neymar. "He answered all the questions. From now on, the commissioner Juliana Bussacos will take other actions needed to conclude the investigation," Goal.com reported. "As the inquiry is confidential, we cannot say anything about these actions. He answered all the questions in a satisfactory way. He denied the crime." The 27-year-old was expected to lead Brazil in the Copa America, but he sustained an ankle injury which has ruled him out of the upcoming tournament. Brazil takes on Bolivia in the Copa America opener on June 14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Sunday said that thunderstorm accompanied with hail and lightning (30-40 kmph) at isolated places are very likely over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh tomorrow (June 15). Besides, the forecasting agency also predicted that some isolated places of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal are likely to be hit by dust storm accompanied with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph tomorrow. States in Northeast India such as Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to receive heavy rainfall on Saturday. The forecasting agency also predicted that Gale winds speed of the order of 100-110 kmph gusting to 125 kmph very likely to prevail over north Arabian Sea and Gujarat coast till evening and decrease gradually thereafter. "The Sea condition is very likely to be phenomenal over the north Arabian Sea and Gujarat coast. Strong winds, speed reaching 40-50 kmph, is very likely to prevail over East-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining the Andaman Sea and Southwest Arabian Sea off Somalia coast," the IMD added. The organisation has also adviced fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next few days. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two terrorists were killed and arms and ammunition have been recovered from them in Braw Bandina area of Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday. "On a credible input, a cordon & search operation was launched jointly by police and security forces in Braw Bandina area of Awantipora. During the search operation, the hiding terrorists fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, 02 terrorists were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. The identities and affiliation of the killed terrorists is being ascertained," said a J & K police release. "Incriminating material including arms & ammunition has been recovered from the site of encounter," it added. This comes after four terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in a village in Pulwama district last week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the United States and Iran are not ready to strike a deal to end their longstanding conflict. He also praised Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who has offered to broker a deal between Tehran and Washington. "While I very much appreciate PM Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted. This comes hours after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, raising tensions in the region. Abe has just completed his two-day visit to Iran, becoming the first sitting Japanese premier to visit the country since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. While talking to reporters, Abe on Wednesday said that helping to ease tension in the region was "the one single thought that brought me to Iran", reported Al Jazeera. The United States has blamed Iran for the recent attack. "The attack on two oil tankers on June 13 was one in a list of Iranian and Iranian-backed attacks over the last month. It was a clear threat to peace, security and freedom of navigation," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a media briefing. "The US will defend its force, interests, partners and allies. We call upon all nations threatened to join us in that endeavour," he added. Tensions have escalated in the already simmering region. The US and Iran are at loggerheads since President Donald Trump's decision in May 2018 to withdraw from a landmark nuclear deal. Following this, the US slapped a multitude of sanctions on Iran, citing the latter's support to state-sponsored terrorism and conflicts. The historic 2015 deal between Iran and powers including the EU and the US, offered sanctions relief to Iran for scaling back its nuclear programme. The US has remained rooted to its stand, saying it would continue to "impose maximum pressure" against Iran till the regime gives up its "destabilising ambitions" of expanding its nuclear programme. Washington recently announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued for Iranian oil imports to eight countries, including India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, named Saraswati Das, was allegedly shot dead by miscreants in Basirhat in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. The BJP has claimed that Das, a housewife, was killed by TMC goons. "Saraswati Das, BJP worker was brutally shot dead by TMC goons in Basirhat. Law and order has totally collapsed in West Bengal where no one is safe. Mamata Banerjee is also Home Minister of West Bengal," read a post on the official Twitter handle of BJP's West Bengal unit. Das played an active role for the BJP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new-born child died on Thursday in Agarpara here due to alleged medical negligence amid doctors' strike across the state. "It is my bad luck. My child died due to lack of treatment. He was not attended by any doctor because of their strike," baby's father Abhijit Mallik told reporters here. Various medical bodies called doctors' strike across the country to protest over rising violence against the medical fraternity after a junior doctor of Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. According to Mallik, the child was born on June 11 and was ailing with a breathing problem. His condition deteriorated on June 12, the doctors of the hospital asked him to go to the child-specialist hospital. Mallik claimed that he went to several hospitals but they did not attend the ailing child after which the child died on June 30 in the morning. The deceased child's father also alleged that the state's health department did not respond to his call. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to protesting doctors in the state to get back to work and ensure that hospitals can run "smoothly and peacefully". However, the protesting doctors have not called off the strike yet and are demanding adequate security in every medical college and hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders will step down from her position at the end of the month, announced President Donald Trump on Thursday. "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas," Trump tweeted. Trump praised Sarah, saying she is a "very special person" and has "extraordinary talents". She is now planning to run for Governor of Arkansas. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!," he added. Sarah was considered as the most trusted aides of Trump. Her resignation came as it has been the 94th consecutive day without a White House briefing, the longest stretch of time without a briefing, CNN reported. Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer as press secretary at the White House in July 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Key benchmark indices extended losses to hit fresh intraday low in mid-morning trade. At 11:23 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 176.61 points or 0.43% at 39,570.65. The Nifty 50 index was down 62.35 points or 0.52% at 11,851.70. The BSE Mid-Cap index was down 0.54%. The BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.35%. The market breadth was negative. On BSE, 698 shares advanced and 1366 shares declined. A total of 118 shares were unchanged. Adani Gas rose over 7% after a media reports suggested that French Energy Giant Total SA was close to acquiring a 30% stake in the company. The deal is expected to trigger an open offer to public shareholders of Adani Gas, and Total may end up having a roughly equal stake in the company, reports added. Adani Gas is an arm of Adani Group and operates in distribution of pipeline networks. PI Industries gained 2.47% after the company announced that the credit rating agency, CRISIL Ratings, had reaffirmed the long-term rating at CRISIL AA/Positive and the Short-Term Rating at CRISIL A1+ in respect of the various banking facilities availed by the company. Gruh Finance dropped 6% after media reports suggested that HDFC is likely to sell 4.2% stake. The sale will be conducted through stock exchanges at Rs 290 per share. HDFC has been selling stake in Gruh Finance to meet the central bank's requirements of facilitating the proposed merger of Gruh Finance with Bandhan Bank. Rites gained 4% after the company said it is planning bonus issue of shares, subject to approval of board of directors and shareholders. The announcement was made during the market hours today. Jet Airways (India) tumbled 11.36%, extending yesterday's 16.71% slump after the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) said on Wednesday that shares of the company will be removed from daily trading of futures and options effective 28 June 2019, citing the air carrier's failure to respond to queries about persisting rumours in the market. No contracts would be available for trading in Jet Airways (India) from 28 June 2019, NSE said. As a preventive surveillance measure, from 28 June 2019 till further notice, the security of the company should be shifted from the rolling segment to the trade-for-trade segment, wherein the settlement in the security will take place on gross basis with 100% upfront margin and 5% price band, it added. Shares of three state-run oil marketing companies fell after Brent crude prices firmed up in international market. HPCL (down 0.44%), BPCL (down 0.40%) and Indian Oil Corporation (down 0.34%) edged lower. Higher crude oil prices could increase under-recoveries of PSU OMCs on domestic sale of LPG and kerosene at controlled prices. The government has already freed pricing of petrol and diesel. In the global commodities markets, Brent for August 2019 settlement was up by 48 cents at $61.80 a barrel. The contract rose $1.34 a barrel or 2.23% to settle at $61.31 a barrel during the previous trading session. The contract rose following attacks on two tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At 7th Datacenter Summit held in Bengaluru Birlasoft has been bestowed with an award for the company's distinguished work in 'Smart Datacenter Management' in the 'Automation' category, at the 7th Datacenter Summit and Awards, held in Bengaluru earlier this month. The award signifies the organization's investments in new technologies, and its commitment towards providing impressive customer experiences for clients worldwide. Over the past decade, Birlasoft has been diligently working towards enhancing its portfolio of cloud-based technologies to reimagine digital transformation and help raise Enterprises to the Power of Digital. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Benefit to 3.6 crore employees and 12.85 lakh employers The Government of India has taken a historic decision to reduce the rate of contribution under the ESI Act from 6.5% to 4% (employers' contribution being reduced from 4.75% to 3.25% and employees' contribution being reduced from 1.75% to 0.75%). Reduced rates will be effective from 01 July 2019. This would benefit 3.6 crore employees and 12.85 lakh employers. The reduced rate of contribution will bring about a substantial relief to workers and it will facilitate further enrollment of workers under the ESI scheme and bring more and more workforce into the formal sector. Similarly, reduction in the share of contribution of employers will reduce the financial liability of the establishments leading to improved viability of these establishments. This shall also lead to enhanced Ease of Doing Business. It is also expected that reduction in rate of ESI contribution shall lead to improved compliance of law. The Employees' State Insurance Act 1948 (the ESI Act) provides for medical, cash, maternity, disability and dependent benefits to the Insured Persons under the Act. The ESI Act is administered by Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Benefits provided under the ESI Act are funded by the contributions made by the employers and the employees. Under the ESI Act, employers and employees both contribute their shares respectively. The Government of India through Ministry of Labour and Employment decides the rate of contribution under the ESI Act. Presently, the rate of contribution is fixed at 6.5% of the wages with employers' share being 4.75% and employees' share being 1.75%. This rate is in vogue since01 January 1997. The Government of India in its pursuit of expanding the Social Security Coverage to more and more people started a programme of special registration of employers and employees from December, 2016 to June, 2017 and also decided to extend the coverage of the scheme to all the districts in the country in a phased manner. The wage ceiling of coverage was also enhanced from Rs 15000/- per month to Rs 21000/- from 01 January 2017. The Government of India is committed to the cause of welfare of employees as well as employers. It is also committed to improve the quality of medical services & other benefits being provided under the ESI scheme. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Laurus Labs announced that it has completed the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspection of its API facilities in Units 1 & 3 at Parawada, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, with two observations which are procedural in nature. This is a regular surveillance audit by USFDA, and no data integrity issues were observed in the inspection. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Station House Officer (SHO) and a police constable were injured after associates of an illegal liquor trader attacked a police team here, authorities said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday night when the team from the DLF Phase 3 police station raided the trader. His associates then attacked the team. They smashed a beer bottle on SHO Ram Kumar's head and beat up the constable. "We have initiated a special drive to curb illegal liquor trade in the city. The DLF Phase 3 SHO and his team were on night patrolling when they spotted the trader and subsequently raided his place during which the attack took place," said Subhash Bokan, the PRO of Gurugram Police. "The attackers are at large now. Efforts are on to nab them." --IANS str/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The year-old Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka on Friday inducted two new ministers in the Cabinet, an official said. "State Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office to legislators R. Shankar and H. Nagesh at a simple ceremony in the Raj Bhavan," the official told IANS here. Shankar is a Karnataka Pragyavantara Janata Paksha (KPJP) MLA from Ranebennur Assembly segment in Haveri district, while Nagesh is an Independent MLA from Mulbagal segment in Kolar district. Both the legislator took the oath in Kannada in the name of god. State Chief Secretary T.M. Vijaya Bhakar conducted the proceedings of the brief oath-taking event in the 'Glass House' on the lawns of the Bhavan. Shankar has become a minister for the second time after he was dropped in a minor cabinet reshuffle on December 22, 2018. Incidentally, Shankar and Nagesh withdrew support to the coalition government on January 15 saying they were disappointed with its poor performance. Contrary to expectations, a legislator from the Congress was not inducted into the 34-member ministry, which has one vacancy. The two legislators were inducted from the 12-member quota of the JD-S, whose 10 MLAs are already in the ministry. Of the 34-member ministry, the JD-S has filled 10 of the 12 cabinet posts and the Congress 21 of the 22 posts, as per the power-sharing agreement the post-poll allies have agreed to in proportionate to their strength in the Assembly. As per the amended Constitution, a state government is entitled to have 34-member ministry, which is 15 per cent of the 225-member state legislative Assembly. In the 225-member state assembly, including one nominated from the Anglo-Indian community, the BJP has 105, Congress 78, excluding speaker, JD-S 37 and one each from KPJP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Independent. In the May 19 two Assembly by-elections, the BJP wrested the Congress seat in Chincholi while the Congress retained the Kundgol Assembly segment in Hubli district. "Instead of including our party's legislators, Kumaraswamy has decided to make Shankar and Nagesh ministers to prevent the opposition BJP from poaching them," a JD-S official told IANS. A split verdict in the May 2018 Assembly elections resulted in a hung house, forcing the ruling parties to form a post-poll alliance to ostensibly keep the BJP out of power as it fell 9 short-off the halfway mark (113) for a simple majority. As the ruling allies faced rout in the recent Lok Sabha elections, winning only one seat each against 25 of the 28 parliamentary seats by the BJP in the southern state, efforts have been on to ensure the fledgling coalition ministry survives and continues to complete its remaining 4-year term. --IANS fb/rs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders were shot at and seriously injured by unidentified gunmen on Friday in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, police said. Surendra Rai and Umashankar Rai were attacked by motorcycle borne criminals who indiscriminately fired at them, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mukul Ranjan said. Ranjan said two bullets hit Surendra rai and four hit Umashankar Rai. They were under treatment. According to the police, it prima facie appeared to be a case of political rivalry in a post Lok Sabha poll scenario. --IANS ik/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Close to 300 farmers in West Bengal's Singur, which had witnessed a violent anti-land acquisition stir over a decade back, signed a memorandum and submitted their land ownership bills demanding reindustrialisation in the area, a state BJP leader said. "Today we held a meeting with the local farmers in Singur and listened to their demands. They want industrialisation there. Close to 300 farmers signed a memorandum and submitted the copy of the land 'parchas'. They believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only person who can fulfil their demand," BJP's Hoogly Lok Sabha MP Locket Chatterjee told IANS. Singur, a rural hamlet in Hooghly district, was on the boil between 2006 and 2008 after the then Left Front government acquired 997.11 acres of land for setting up Tata Motor's small car factory. Demanding return of 400 acres to farmers from whom land was allegedly taken against their will, the then opposition Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee spearheaded a violent and sustained movement that ultimately forced the automobile giant Tata Motors to shift its small car plant to Sanand in Gujarat. "I appeal to Tata to come back to Singur. I also invite the other government and private industries as well. When a big industry is built, several small industries also prosper in the area. We want Singur to be transformed into an industrial town," Chatterjee said. "We do not expect to get any support from the Trinamool Congress government in Bengal. So we are depending solely on Modi ji's intervention to bring in industries in Singur. We will send the memorandum of the farmers to him," she said. In the 2019 polls, BJP's Chatterjee managed to take a lead of over ten thousand votes over state's ruling party in Singur assembly segment. Banerjee has termed the loss a a "matter of shame". BJP leader Mukul Roy, once Banerjee's "right-hand man", and a prominent part of Trinamool's Singur agitation, has recently termed the movement "a mistake". Following the 2019 poll result, farmers in the area had held a demonstration demanding industries to be set up on their land which still lies barren. --IANS mgr/ssp/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four prime accused in the Malegaon 2006 blasts case nearly seven years after they were arrested. Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Nawaria, Rajendra Choudhary and Dhan Singh have been in jail since their arrest in 2013. A division bench comprising Justice I.A. Mahanty and Justice A.M. Badar granted them bail after submission of Rs 50,000 each. It directed them to appear daily during the trial, and not influence witnesses or tamper with the evidence. The four accused had applied for bail in the High Court in 2016, after their earlier bail pleas were rejected by a Special Court. On September 8, 2006 during Friday afternoon prayers around 1 p.m., bombs planted on bicyles went off near the Hamidiya Mosque killing 37 people and injuring over 150 others. The incident sent shockwaves in the Muslim-dominated powerloom town in Nashik. The local police and the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested nine persons after the initial probe. The case was later investigated by the CBI and subsequently by the NIA. In April 2016, a Special Court acquitted all the nine Muslim youths on grounds of insufficient evidence to prove their involvement in the case. Two years later on September 29, 2008, the town was shaken by another blast that was allegedly masterminded by Hindu fanatic groups, the trial for which is currently underway. --IANS qn/rtp (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five terror suspects who were arrested in Dubai in connection with the April 21 Easter Sunday suicide attacks, were brought back to Sri Lanka from Saudi Arabia on Friday, police said. The police said that a special Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team had left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to bring back the suspects, reports the Daily Mirror. The suspects were detained in Dubai following the attacks across the island nation, majority in capital Colombo, that claimed the lives of over 250 people. Besides being a suspect in the April 21 attacks, initial police investigations have revealed that Mohamed Milhan, alias Abu Seelan, was responsible for the killing of two police constables at a checkpoint in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa on November 30, 2018. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators from Punjab on Friday met officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, urging them to ensure the safe return of two Punjabi women "trapped" in Australia and Kuwait. In a statement issued here, the legislators Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Jai Kishan Singh Rori met Under Secretary G.D. Pande and other officials in New Delhi, urging them to facilitate their release and safe return. The AAP leaders said young boys and girls of the state were opting for greener pastures on the foreign shores due to wrong policies of the state and Union governments. The AAP leaders said unscrupulous travel agents were running the nefarious trade in the state. Sandhwan demanded the government should have zero tolerance when it came to acting against travel agents who were managing their business by fraudulently arranging fake visas to trap innocent youth. --IANS vg/niy/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked Iranian leaders during his Tehran visit to release American captives detained by the country, at the request of US President Donald Trump, Kyodo News Agency quoted a Japanese government source as saying on Friday. At least four Americans, including a Navy veteran who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, are being detained in the Iran. Abe is believed to have requested the releases during his talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, the source told Kyodo News Agency. Their response remains unknown. Abe visited Iran as the first Japanese leader to do so in 41 years in hope of serving as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, with tensions having flared in recent weeks and concern growing about possible inadvertent military clashes in the region. But Iran said on Thursday that it will not negotiate with the US, rejecting Abe's bid to broker dialogue between the two foes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The Japanese Prime Minister admitted the road to easing tensions in the region amid the standoff between Iran and the US will be rough but Tokyo will continue to work toward achieving peace and stability. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the ongoing post-poll violence in West Bengal, a woman BJP leader was allegedly shot dead in North 24 Parganas district, state BJP sources said on Friday. "Saraswati Das (42), an active BJP worker from Amlani gram panchayat in North 24 Parganas district's Hannibal, was allegedly murdered by Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters on Thursday evening. She was shot in the head, " a BJP leader said. Das' blood-soaked body was recovered from her residence on Thursday evening, police said. "The death was caused by a bullet injury. We are investigating if the woman had any political or personal rivalry," police added. No one has been arrested yet. The 24 Parganas district has been on the boil since last Saturday, when at least three people were killed in violent clashes between TMC and BJP workers in Sandeshkhali. The BJP alleges that two of its workers were shot dead by TMC-backed goons. --IANS mgr/rtp (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Trinamool leader and Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's son, himself a doctor by profession, on Friday strongly condemned the attack on junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital here. In a lengthy Facebook post, Baidyanath Dastidar wrote "I stand with NRS, Bhar mein Jaye (To hell with politics)" and took a stand for the doctors' movement. "It is reprehensible that some people try to colour doctors on political lines when they give life to serve people," he wrote. However, he deleted the post later. He also encouraged the doctors to carry on the protests. "My medicos friends please carry on your struggle. Your demands are just and valid. Please do not give up. A junior (23-year-old) doctor does not join a hospital to be killed. They have the right to be protected with the best possible protection. I give complete support to the doctors' movement," Dastidar wrote. Being a Trinamool supporter and son of a party leader he also "apologised on behalf of any member of the party if they had criticised any doctor". Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Thursday alleged that the doctors continued their cease-work despite the action taken by the government and the police, and called it a "political conspiracy". "The BJP is trying to create communal tension (saying) that doctors should not attend to Muslim patients, other patients and they will only see BJP patients," she had said. Her nephew Abesh Banerjee, who is a medical student, was seen at a rally holding a placard that read: "You say we are Gods!! Why Treat us like Dogs". Earlier, Kolkata Mayor and state Minister Firhad Hakim's daughter, also a doctor, had criticised the government's handling of the ongoing doctors' strike and said medicos had the right to "peaceful protest" and "safety at work". --IANS bnd/ssp/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The crisis in the Congress is showing no signs of ending, with one of its senior-most leaders A.K. Antony turning down an offer to be the party President, a post which Rahul Gandhi is adamant on quitting in wake of the Lok Sabha electoral debacle. According to party sources, Antony, a former Defence Minister and a trusted man for the Gandhi family, cited health issues as a reason for not taking up the job. Besides, party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal has also declined to accept the post of Working President offered to him, the sources said. Senior party leaders Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad, who have been tasked to look for a face outside the Gandhi family to lead the party, had asked Antony to take up the job. The sources said Antony informed Patel and Azad that he has full respect for the Gandhi family but could not accept the post. Venugopal refused the offer, citing his other role of strengthening the party. He is also in-charge of Karnataka, where the party won only one out of 28 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, despite being in power in the state along with the JD-S after bagging 78 out of 225 seats in the Assembly polls last year. The search for the new leader was initiated after Rahul Gandhi decided to resign from the party's top post, following the dismal performance in the recently-held general elections. Although the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, had rejected Gandhi's resignation, he has remained steadfast on giving up the post. Now Congress leaders are looking for a face from north India to lead the party, the party source said. Names of several senior leaders are doing the round for the role of Working President. The party has considered the Presidium system as well as the option of having multiple Working Presidents. --IANS aks/akk/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least four dacoits carried out a daring daylight robbery at the Muthoot Finance office here, in which one auditor was shot dead and two staffers injured, police said. The masked robbers waving pistols barged into the company's office in a busy commercial area of Untwadi, pushed around staffers and customers and opened fire to scare them, eyewitnesses said. They quickly grabbed an unspecified amount of cash from the cash boxes and decamped from the place within minutes on motorcycles, Deputy Comissioner of Police Laxmikant Patil told mediapersons later. In the mayhem, Sajju Samuel, described as an auditor, sustained three bullet injuries and succumbed instantly in the company premises. Two staffers - Chandrashekhar Deshpande and Kailash Jain - were injured when the robbers assaulted them with the butts of the guns. They have been admitted to a local hospital where their condition was described as stable. A security guard managed to sound the alarm which scared the robbers who again opened fire and fled. Nashik Police Commissioner Vishwas Nangare-Patil and other senior officers were personally supervising the investigations into the sensational dacoity which stunned Nashik today. Police have secured CCTV grabs of the robbers, erected roadblocks at all exit points from the city and the district, special teams have been set up and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits. --IANS qn/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed various issues of his state with them. In his over 15-minute meeting with Shah, Sonowal briefed him about the situation in Assam, where the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be published on July 31. "It was a courtesy call and I have congratulated him on behalf of the people for being chosen as the Home Minister of the country. I have also briefed him about the prevailing law and order situation in Assam," Sonowal told reporters after the meeting. Issues related to the situation which may arise after the publication of the final list of the NRC were also discussed at the meeting, sources said. In his meeting with Rajnath Singh, Sonowal requested him to consider setting up a National Level Training Institute for the armed forces in Assam. Saying that the insurgency in the region has been controlled to a large extent with support of the army, he noted that in spite of significant deployment of the armed forces for guarding the international border as well as for tackling insurgency in Assam, the state does not have a single institution for the armed forces. Sonowal said that the Assam government can give the required land for setting up the institute, which will inspire the youth of Assam and rest of the northeast to join the armed forces and will promote nationalism and national integration in the region. --IANS rak-ah/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed various issues of his state with them. In his over 15-minute meeting with Shah, Sonowal briefed him about the situation in Assam, where the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be published on July 31. "It was a courtesy call and I have congratulated him on behalf of the people for being chosen as the Home Minister of the country. I have also briefed him about the prevailing law and order situation in Assam," Sonowal told reporters after the meeting. Issues related to the situation which may arise after the publication of the final list of the NRC were also discussed at the meeting, sources said. Sonowal also discussed Assam's issues with the Defence Minister. --IANS rak/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP's Kerala unit on Friday hit out at the "hypocritical stance" of the state's ruling LDF and the opposition UDF on the now controversial award winning cartoon, which allegedly depicts rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal in an indecent manner. State BJP president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai said that whenever a Hindu idol is depicted in poor light in cartoons, it is termed a creative thing and it is said that the creator should not be flayed or attacked. "Both the Left and the Congress are up in arms when there are protests from some sections and they bat for the creator. But see, in Bishop Franco's case, both of them are up in arms (against the creator). This is nothing but hypocrisy and a clear case of double standards. "For the BJP, we have only one stand and that is that there should be a proper balance in differentiating between creativity and respect for all," he said. Pillai also said that there will be no issues on this front if everyone learns to respect religious traditions and beliefs, but it does not happen all the time here. Following protests from the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference (KCBC), both the Left government and the Congress flayed the artist and demanded that the state-run Kerala Lalithakala Akademy re-examine its award to the cartoon, which allegedly depicts the bishop as a fowl while a woman's undergarment is seen at the end of the bishop's staff. Mulakkal, who was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Jalandhar, was arrested on September 21, 2018, on rape charges after the four aggrieved nuns joined a public protest in Kochi. He secured bail on October 16, 2018, but is no longer head of the Jalandhar diocese. --IANS sg/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led government of unleashing a "reign of terror" in the Darjeeling hills following the declaration of the Lok Sabha election results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday met West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi seeking a permanent political solution for the region. "Ever since the BJP won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over four lakh votes, a 'reign of terror' has been unleashed there by the state police. The 17 municipal councillors of Darjeeling, who resigned from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and joined the BJP, are being harassed, assaulted and imprisoned in false cases by the local police," BJP leader Mukul Roy said after the meeting with the Governor. "The Governor should immediately intervene in this matter. The BJP is looking for a permanent political solution in Darjeeling," he said with BJP MP from Darjeeling Raju Bista by his side. Roy demanded that the Governor should immediately intervene in order to stop custodial torture of the locals. He also warned the district Superintendent of Police of dire consequences if the police atrocities didn't stop. "The torture on people inside the prisons in Darjeeling should stop. We demand a full scale probe into the issue," Roy said. The Trinamool Congress-turned-BJP leader termed the law and order situation in the state as "terrible" and said that they have urged the Governor to immediately talk to Banerjee to solve the ensuing problems. "We have urged the Governor to immediately talk to the Chief Minister in order to solve the terrible law and order situation in the state. But we believe that she (Banerjee) will not come to meet the Governor because of her arrogance," Roy added. --IANS mgr/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It is a new innings with a major victory. So what will be the top priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi? After winning the vote, it is said that the new name of the Republic of India is 'Republic of Modi'. But the Republic of Modi knows that the importance of the country's economy will be most important. When the Prime Minister came to power, he formed two special committees of the cabinet - for employment and investment-related issues - and he is the chairman of these two committees. Meanwhile, the opposition has focused on unemployment, growth problems and the lack of foreign investment. The Prime Minister won the vote for the second time. The most important issues related to finance. Before the start of the first cabinet meeting, the government took administrative decisions regarding financial assistance to farmers . That was his first signature on the first file of his second innings. Again, the Reserve Bank of India also reduced the repo rate. The Reserve Bank reduced this rate thrice in recent times. The road to further reduction has been kept open. It is believed that the exporters and small industries will be benefited. New Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget for the new government on July 5. Through this budget, the Prime Minister will also try to clarify the financial priorities of his government. GST and IBC were launched by the previous Modi government but still there is a trend of decline in growth rates. Overall, India's growth rate is still faster than many other countries. But due to the drought situation, the picture of the agriculture sector is worrisome. Besides, there is lack of investment in new projects in the private sector and a downward trend in consumption. So, Modi will first face the challenges of agriculture. He cannot control Varuna, the rain god, but it is a big challenge to eliminate the suffering of farmers. The market or so-called market forces will try to establish a direct link between farmers and the market. Farmers should be able to diversify crop cultivation by reducing dependence on grains in order to ensure proper use of water resources. An action plan will also be developed for employment generation as well as for agriculture. Labour-based industrial system will be developed. Suresh Prabhu has been removed from the post of the Minister of Trade and the problem of shortage in the trade sector is still big. Narendra Modi realises there is uncertainty in the development of the economy. If the monsoon is not good, it will impact the country's economy. So the government is now trying to change the main goalpost of job creation in place of growth. In fact, India's economy and have become so interconnected that it is not easy for Modi to go to the extreme rightist ideological line of the long-term financial solution, that is the road to very strict economic reforms. In all the countries before the vote, the ruling party has to walk in the popular streets. Whom we call populism. Before elections, all governments became data karna - benevolent king . Subsidies and charitable allowances became the rule so that the voter is not upset. When Modi won with a huge margin in 2014, economists like Jagdish Bhagwati or Arvind Panagariya thought that Modi would make BJP a chapter of the American Republican Party. But in reality, it was not. I was once told by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that editorial columns can incorporate such a hard line on reform, but it is not possible for the government to follow them. There is a welfare state of Indian economy. Whether the thought is socialist or not. I think Narendra Modi wants to pursue the middle path. That is, neither a strong right-wing extremist reform, nor like the left-wing leftist. There would be a problem if farmers do not get minimum price for their produce. On the other hand, there would be problems for the government if there is an increase in the prices of agricultural commodities. So the government has to ensure a balance. It is not a permanent solution to agricultural problems, all the political parties know that giving full waiver on credit to agricultural debt is disastrous for the economy. However, during the elections, all parties spoke about farm debt waiver. But, raising farm productivity is more necessary. The government should walk along that line . In short, while the government has important made significant strides on foreign policy and national security the real challenge is the one concerning the financial situation. This is the challenge of the Modi-Republic. After becoming Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru gave importance to heavy industries in the country, but in the second year of the plan Nehru thought agriculture should get more priority. So they changed the direction. Since then, Indian economy has been very turbulent. The Modi government should ensure economic equilibrium. It is desirable that the Modi government does not follow the financial model of a particular country or a particular ideology. ( is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at redhat.jayanta@gmail.com) --IANS ghosal/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The man accused of the Christchurch mosque attacks that killed 51 people, on Friday pleaded not guilty to all the 92 charges during his third court appearance following New Zealand's deadliest terrorist attacks on March 15. The suspect, Brenton Tarrant, 28, appeared by video link at the High Court in Christchurch during Friday's hearing, attended by about 80 people, reports Xinhua news agency. His first court appearance in person was on March 16 and Brenton, who is an Australian, will next appear for a case-review hearing in August before facing trial on May 4, 2020. The gunman in an Auckland prison appeared expression-less during the hearing and smiled when his lawyer entered the not guilty pleas. During his first brief court appearance the day after the attacks, he smirked to the media many times. He pled not guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge under the Terrorism Suppression Act. According to the court, no mental health issues arose after the relevant assessment was conducted. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the crisis in the Congress over party chief Rahul Gandhi's insistence to step down from his post, Congress' Chief Ministers and some other senior leaders met here over dinner at the residence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The meeting of the Chief Ministers, who were in the national capital to attend the meeting of the Niti Aayog's governing council on Saturday, were understood to have been called to appeal to Gandhi to remain as party President. First to arrive at Nath's house was former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. However, he left after around half an hour. Soon after him, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also arrived and was followed by Pudicherry Chief Minister V. Narayansamy and Rajya Sabha MP Anand Sharma. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel also arrived there. However, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who was also supposed to join the meeting, did not come, citing health issues. The Congress President offered to step down from his post during the Congress Working Committee meeting on May 25, following the party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The party managed to win only 52 seats. Though the CWC rejected the offer, Gandhi remained adamant on quitting. --IANS aks/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Crime Branch of the Delhi police has arrested a cab driver who allegedly supplied firearms to various criminal gangs active in Najafgarh, Dwarka and Uttam Nagar areas, the police said on Friday. The accused, who was arrested on Wednesday, procured the firearms from Western Uttar Pradesh before selling them in the national capital, the police said. The accused, who has been identified as Rahul Singh alias Guddu (41), was carrying three sophisticated pistols and a country made pistol when he was arrested by the Crime Branch team from Sector 13 in Dwarka. "The accused used to purchase sophisticated pistols from his contact in Aligarh for Rs 20,000-25,000 apiece and sold them to criminals in Delhi for Rs 50,000-60,000. He also purchased country made pistols (katta) for Rs 2,000-4,000 each before selling them to criminals for Rs 6,000-7,000," said Ajit Kumar Singla, Additional Commissioner of Police, Crime (Narcotics). According to the police, the accused was supplying fire arms to criminals in the national capital for the last six months. The police are also conducting raids to get to the source of the illegal firearms. --IANS rag/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A criminal, who had 41 cases against him, and his associate were shot dead here on Friday by unidentified assailants, police said. The incident took place in North-East Delhi's Nand Nagari area. The victims were identified as Khurvesh and Kanchi. The police said that the murders might be the result of personal enmity, but they have not ruled out a gang war. "A PCR call was received at 12.12 p.m. regarding an incident near the Nand Nagri redlight. The victims, who were taken to the GTB Hospital, were declared brought dead on arrival," said Atul Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East). --IANS adv/ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least one staffer was killed and two others injured when four dacoits carried out an armed robbery in Muthoot Finance office here on Friday, police said. The masked robbers barged into the company's office in Untwadi area, opened fire to scare the staffers and customers, witnesses said. They grabbed a large amount of cash and decamped, Deputy Commissioner of Police Laxmikant Patil told reporters. --IANS qn/rs/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some Delhi Congress leaders on Friday demanded resignation of Congress General Secretary and Delhi in-charge P.C. Chacko following the party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls. Rohit Manchanda, a Congress candidate from Saket in 2003, who lost to BJP's Vijay Jolly by a margin of 116 votes told IANS, "I was in the party office to welcome Chacko ji. However, when he came to office, he said that party workers like me have no right to stand in the party office and we should be thrown out." "I told him that you (Chacko) are misbehaving with me because I demanded your resignation," he said. Manchanda said under Chacko, who was made the party in-charge for Delhi in 2014, the party has lost three straight elections (Assembly, civic bodies and Lok Sabha). "If Rahul Gandhi can offer to resign from the party President's post taking moral responsibility for the party's defeat, why cannot Chacko step down?" he asked. He said that when former Chief Minister and Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit can offer to resign, then why not Chacko. He demanded party chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra replace Chacko as in-charge with some other leader. Another party leader, requesting anonymity, backed the claims of Manchanda and said that party workers are completely demoralised due to a series of poll defeats in Delhi, adding that Chacko must be replaced. The Congress-ruled Delhi from 1998 to 2013. However, it was unable to win a single seat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Delhi as well as the Assembly election in 2015. The party was pushed to the third place in the 2017 civic bodies polls while in the recently-concluded general election it again failed to win a single seat out of seven in the capital. Meanwhile, despite repeated calls, Chacko did not respond. --IANS aks/kr/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In solidarity with the striking doctors of West Bengal, doctors of several hospitals of Delhi, including the AIIMS, went on a token strike affecting health services in the capital. The striking doctors demanded immediate security intervention of the Centre and adoption of an uniform security code for all government hospitals across the country. Talking to IANS, AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) President Vijay Gurjar said: "We are in solidarity with the doctors of West Bengal. We demand central security and law for resident doctors. In this regard we met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and submitted a memorandum". All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) RDA vice president Jawahar Singh said the Health Minister has assured the striking doctors that he would personally talk to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Besides, he would also be speaking to the Chief Ministers of all the states on the security of doctors, the Union Minister added. The strike by senior and junior resident doctors has badly affected the health services in the hospital. Gurjar also said that the AIIMS faculty members were working with helmets donned. They also demanded recruitment of both armed and unarmed trained security guards in all government hospitals, besides increasing the number of security staff to at least thrice the existing numbers. Meanwhile, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML), Lady Hardinge Medical College and other Delhi government hospitals, including those run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be observing a token strike on Saturday. The RML Resident Doctors Association President Sumedha said: "We have intimated the Union Health Minister about our strike for tomorrow (Saturday)". He said emergency services would not be affected during the strike, critical care services would be open and doctors would be attending, but Out Patient (OPD) services would remain shut. He said the demand of the doctors include deployment of Central paramilitary forces for the protection of doctors, legislating a Central Doctor Protection Act and that doctors across hospitals in country be provided with separate security. According to a Sir Ganga Ram Hospital statement: "All doctors of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital are fully in support of our colleagues in West Bengal and strongly protest against the growing tendency of violence against doctors. As a support of our solidarity, all private OPD clinics at the hospital will remain closed today (Friday)". Several resident doctors also held a protest at Jantar Mantar against the brutal attack on a Kolkata intern, following the death of a 75-year-old late on Monday. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also asked members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. --IANS rbe/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) on Friday condemned the murder of Uttar Pradesh Bar Council President Darwesh Singh Yadav. "We stand solidly in support of our brothers and sisters of the Uttar Pradesh Bar in this tragic hour and share their grief," DHCBA Secretary Abhijat said. The association also conveyed its condolences to the members of the bereaved family and also to the entire legal fraternity. The DHCBA appealed to the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the case expeditiously to ensure the severest punishment is awarded to the guilty persons. Yadav had been elected as Uttar Pradesh Bar Council President on Sunday. On Wednesday, Yadav was sitting in a lawyer's chamber at the Agra Civil Courts her aide Manish Sharma came in and shot her dead. He pumped three bullets into Yadav's head and chest and then shot himself in the head too. Sharma was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in a critical condition and died later. Following the incident, the state government has upgraded security arrangements in all courts. --IANS ak/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As the crisis in the healthcare services deepened because of the doctors' strike in West Bengal and a number of other states, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday also called for a nationwide strike on June 17, while demanding safe working conditions for doctors. The IMA also launched a three-day pan-India protest, beginning Friday to express solidarity with the junior doctors agitating against the assault of their colleague in Kolkata. "All non-essential services including OPD will be withdrawn for 24 hours starting 6 a.m. on Monday. The emergency and casualty services, however, will continue to function," R.V. Asokan, Secretary General of IMA told IANS. He added that this time, the striking members will not go home till the Central government gives them an assurance that concrete measures for the safety and security of the doctors would be in place in the hospitals. "We are demanding concrete measures such as hospitals be declared as safe zones and CCTVs be installed in the hospital premises. Since the safety measures are not covered under the Indian Penal Code, we want the government to get a bill passed in Parliament, for a uniform security code in the hospitals across the country," he said. Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Banerjee, urging her to ensure an amicable end to the agitation and provide a secure working environment to the doctors in the state, which is the epicentre of the stir that is spreading across the country. He stated that the ongoing strike had adversely impacted healthcare services and was causing severe hardships to the patients across the country. Earlier in the day, doctors of several hospitals, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, went on a 'token strike' in solidarity with the striking doctors in West Bengal protesting the assault on their colleague. AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) President Vijay Gurjar said: "We will take a call on continuing the strike in our general body meeting to be held at 9 p.m. since our colleagues are still on strike in West Bengal." The striking doctors demanded immediate security intervention of the Centre and adoption of a uniform security code for all government hospitals across the country. "We are in solidarity with the doctors of West Bengal. We demand central security and law for resident doctors. In this regard we met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and submitted a memorandum", Gurjar said. The doctors complained that the incident of violence against one of their colleagues in West Bengal wasn't a stray incident and has become a trend across the country. "Violence against the doctors in Kolkata is not a single case and is a trend that has affected other parts of the country as well, including Delhi. While it is convenient to blame the doctors for a death, the rapid spread of show of solidarity in Goa as well as Maharashtra indicates a deep-rooted problem," said H.S. Chhabra, Medical director and Chief of Spine at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC). "We must keep in mind the extreme conditions in which the doctors work, especially in government hospitals - right from overcrowded OPDs to inadequate staff, medicines and infrastructure, doctors are fighting an unequal battle. The doctor-patient ratio in India is abysmally low and the serious physical, mental and emotional stress they undergo takes tremendous effort," Chhabra added. "The working environment of doctors should be free of fear and intimidation so that they can put in their best efforts, and in the current scenario, providing them with safety and security is the least the government can do," he said. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) RDA vice president Jawahar Singh said the Health Minister has assured the striking doctors that he would personally talk to the West Bengal Chief Minister. Besides, he would also be speaking to the Chief Ministers of all states on the security of doctors, the Union Minister added. The strike by senior and junior resident doctors has badly affected health services in the hospitals. Gurjar also said that the AIIMS faculty members were working with helmets donned. They also demanded recruitment of both armed and unarmed trained security guards in all government hospitals, besides increasing the number of security staff to at least thrice the existing numbers. Meanwhile, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML), Lady Hardinge Medical College and other Delhi government hospitals, including those run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be observing a token strike on Saturday. The RML Resident Doctors Association President Sumedha said: "We have intimated the Union Health Minister about our strike for tomorrow (Saturday)". He said emergency services would not be affected during the strike, critical care services would be open and doctors would be attending, but Out-Patient (OPD) services would remain shut. He said the demand of the doctors include deployment of Central paramilitary forces for the protection of doctors, legislating a Central Doctor Protection Act and that doctors across hospitals in country be provided with separate security. According to a Sir Ganga Ram Hospital statement: "All doctors of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital are fully in support of our colleagues in West Bengal and strongly protest against the growing tendency of violence against doctors. As a support of our solidarity, all private OPD clinics at the hospital will remain closed today (Friday)". Several resident doctors also held a protest at Jantar Mantar against the brutal attack on a Kolkata intern, following the death of a 75-year-old patient late on Monday. The Indian Medical Association has also asked members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. --IANS pgs/rbe/akk/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Responding to attacks of Delhi Chief Minister on the law and order situation of the national capital, the Delhi police took to twitter and presented the recent data that supported the department, overseen by the Union Home Ministry. In a tweet, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought Lieutenant Governor's intervention after five murders were reported in 24 hours -- in all the cases the accused had shot the victim. "Five murders in Delhi in the last 24 hours is an extremely serious situation. I appeal to Lieutenant Governor & the Home Ministry to urgently look into the law and order situation of the national capital", Kejriwal tweeted on Friday evening. The tweet did not go down well with the Delhi police which was quick to respond. The police put the data on the micro blogging site which indicated that the crime in the national capital was on a decline. Delhi Police tweeted, "The murders have been confirmed to be personal enmity-related. The overall heinous crime in 2019 is down by 10.5%, crime by use of firearms is down by 5.65% and crime against women is down by 11.5%." The department then tagged the Delhi Chief Minister at the end of the comment. The tweet by the Delhi Chief Minister came after the national capital witnessed five murders within 24 hours, in all of them the accused used firearms. Outer Delhi witnessed two murders in separate instances, in one of them the victim was shot over a financial dispute while in another case, the victim was shot dead due to personal enmity. In yet another case, two men were shot dead by unidentified bike-borne men in East Delhi's Nandnagari area. The case, which appears to be in a series of gangwars in the capital, the Delhi police has neither denied nor accepted the gang war angle. --IANS rag/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors in the government-run and private hospitals in Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Friday staged protests to express their solidarity with the protesting doctors in Kolkata. On a call given by Indian Medical Association (IMA), doctors at all major teaching hospitals in Telangana joined the token protest to condemn the brutal attack on a doctor at a Kolkata hospital. Doctors at Gandhi Hospital, Osmania Hospital and Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad and other hospitals in Telangana staged the protests, demanding an end to violence against doctors. After the token protests, doctors attended their duties wearing black badges. The IMA had called for a nationwide protest against growing number of attacks on doctors. The IMA also urged Telangana government to take measures to stop the attacks on doctors. Voicing concern over the series of incident in NIMS and other hospitals, it demanded stringent action against those involved. Doctors in major hospitals in Andhra Pradesh also staged protests to express solidarity with their colleagues in Kolkata. Protests were staged at hospitals in Vijayawada, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Kurnool. IMA central committee member Dr Gopinath demanded a central legislation to check the attacks on doctors. He was addressed a protest meeting at Adoni Market in Kurnool district. He said the attacks on doctors in West Bengal were highly condemnable. --IANS ms/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five policemen were killed in a Maoist attack at Jharkhand's Saraikela district on Friday, police said. This was the third attack on security forces by the left-wing rebels since the Lok Sabha polls ended last month. According to a police spokesperson, Maoist guerrillas attacked a police patrol at Kukru Bazar under Tiruldih police station area of Saraikela district, killing two Assistant Sub-Inspectors and three constables. The rebels also took away the rifles of the killed police personnel. Following the incident, additional troops from the district headquarters were rushed to the spot. Chief Minister Raghubar Das condemned the attack and asserted that the death of the police personnel would not go in vain. A security personnel was killed and four others injured in a gun battle with Maoists in Jharkhand's Dumka district on June 2. On May 28, 16 security personnel were injured in Maoist landmine blast in Seraikela. --IANS ns/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Stranded at Mumbaia's Chhatrapati Shivaji airport late last night for several hours, protesting passengers of an Air India Bombay to Goa flight were offered a free meal from an airport restaurant at the instance of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, a passenger said on Friday. An office bearer of ruling alliance partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Ketan Bhatikar, who was one of the passengers on the delayed Air India flight to Goa, said that Sawant arranged for food from the Indian Kebab Grill restaurant, placating the frustrated passengers, who had started sloganeering in the airport departure area protesting the delay. "I tried calling Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who answered my phone within two rings at 1.13 a.m. He called me back five times, arranged food for all passengers at Indian Kebab Grill, and exactly at 1.27 a.m. told me that the flight was ready to take-off in 30 minutes. We finally reached Goa at around 3.30 a.m.," Bhatikar told IANS. He also said that the flight, which was initially scheduled to leave at 9.30 p.m. on Thursday, was delayed till 11.30 p.m. Sawant is in New Delhi for two days, where he has a series of meetings scheduled with several Union Ministers and the Vice Chairman of the Niti Aayog. "When the flight landed at the Mumbai airport, Air India officials said that crew members were not ready for take-off and kept changing the timing," Bhatikar said, which frustrated the passengers, who started shouting slogans in the airport premises. "The Chief Minister's outreach should be appreciated. He went out of the way, despite being in Delhi, to ensure that passengers to Goa were treated well, eventually," he added. When contacted, the Chief Minister's Office confirmed the developments. "The Chief Minister ensured that all passengers who were booked to Goa, were looked after on the request made by Bhatikar," an official of the Chief Minister's Office said. --IANS maya/bc (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.) As part of a nationwide call, resident doctors at Goa's biggest government hospital on Friday staged a protest in solidarity against the brutal attack on a doctor at a major Kolkata hospital. "The association of resident doctors of Goa, on behalf of all our junior and senior residents, strongly condemn the brutal and inhumane act of violence on an on-duty doctor at NRS Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata," the Goa Association of Resident Doctors President Veeresh H.M. told the media on Friday here. The protest at the Goa Medical College will be held till 5 p.m. He also said that doctors will continue to attend emergency services at the state Health Ministry-operated facility. Veeresh claims that there was "total lack of support with regards to this matter of the assault from the West Bengal health authorities and Kolkata Police. He has demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. "It really makes us wonder how doctors are supposed to work in such dangerous, insecure and life-threatening environment," Veeresh said. Meanwhile, Panaji's Manipal Hospital, one of the largest private hospitals in Goa, also participated in the protests with its doctors, management and staffers wearing black badges, black shirts and tops as a mark of protest. "Manipal Hospital doctors and management are fully supportive of the West Bengal doctors who are suffering due to violence against them at the top medical college there, by wearing black badges on arms and black shirts," a senior oncologist at the private facility, Shekhar Salkar, said. The protests in the state-run NRS Hospital in Kolkata erupted on Tuesday morning bringing the regular services to a standstill, after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the kin of a 75-year-old patient who died there late Monday night. The family members of the deceased patient alleged medical negligence. An intern named Paribaha Mukherjee sustained a serious skull injury in the attack and has been admitted in the intensive care unit of Kolkata's Institute of Neurosciences. --IANS maya/bc (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.) Iran on Friday "categorically" rejected the US' accusations linking Tehran to the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Dozens of crew members were rescued after the blasts on the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and the Front Altair, owned by a Norwegian company in the Sea of Oman on Thursday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the "unprovoked attacks", saying Washington made its assessment based on intelligence about the type of weapons used. Iran's UN Mission said in a statement released on Friday that the government "categorically rejects" the US claim that it was responsible for the latest incidents against oil tankers which it condemns "in the strongest possible terms", state-run IRNA news agency reported. It said: "Iran stands ready to play an active and constructive role in ensuring the security of strategic maritime passages as well as promoting peace, stability and security in the region." The Mission warned of "the US coercion, intimidation and malign behaviour" and expressed concern "over suspicious incidents" involving the two tankers. It called on the international community to prevent "the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the US and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region". "The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that the only solution to the tension in this region is the active and constructive engagement of all regional countries within the context of a genuine dialogue based on mutual respect and basic principles of international law," the Mission said. The Iranian Mission dismissed as "inflammatory" acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen's statement after a closed UN Security Council meeting on the tanker attacks that Tehran should meet Washington with diplomacy - "not with terror, attacks on ships, infrastructure and diplomatic facilities". The US military's Central Command released a video that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard "removing (an) unexploded limpet mine" from the side of the Kokuka Courageous following the blasts, reports said. The incident came a month after four oil tankers were damaged in an attack off the United Arab Emirates. Washington at the time blamed Iran, but Tehran denied the accusations. --IANS soni/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday urged the agitating doctors to end their strike and appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to withdraw her ultimatum against the doctors in her state, which triggered strikes across the country. "I feel very sad that doctors across India had to strike work in protest against atrocities on doctors in West Bengal and consequently patients across India are suffering. I appeal to Mamata Banerjee to withdraw her ultimatum to the medical community and not make this a prestige issue," he tweeted. Urging the doctors to end their strike in the larger interest of the society, Harsh Vardhan said he would take all possible measures to ensure a safe environment for them at hospitals across the country. "I'll write to all the states where such incidents have occurred and ensure safe working conditions for doctors," he said. The Union Health Minister said this after meeting a delegation of Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, United Resident & Doctors Association of India (URDA) and Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), who gave him a memorandum on the violence against doctors in West Bengal. Expressing deep concern over the West Bengal incident, Harsh Vardhan said: "I strongly condemn the unruly behaviour and assault on doctors. I will discuss it with the Chief Minister of Bengal." In a letter written to Banerjee, he urged her to ensure an amicable end to the agitation and provide a secure working environment to the doctors. He stated that the ongoing strike had adversely impacted healthcare services and was causing severe hardships to the patients across the country. An official statement said the Union Health Minister also assured discussing the issue of providing safety to hospitals with the Home Ministry as well as with the Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of other states, in order to prevent any such incident in the future . "The states should take all possible preventive and deterrent measures, as deemed required so that a peaceful environment prevails and doctors and clinical establishments discharge their duties and professional pursuits without fear or any violence and attacks on them. Together, we shall ensure safe and cordial environment for doctors and patients," he said. Appealing to the doctors, particularly in the West Bengal, Harsh Vardhan stated: "Doctors should resort to other simple and symbolic ways to protest. As medical professionals their duty is towards protecting the rights of their patients. Strike is certainly not the best way to protest. Patients should not be deprived of immediate and emergency healthcare facilities." He also urged all patients and their family members to support doctors in performing their duties and professional pursuits in a peaceful and dedicated manner and not to resort to violence. "Doctors are an integral pillar of the society and often work under stressful and difficult conditions. I appeal to all patients and their caregivers to observe restraint, he said. He appealed to the state governments to complete investigations into all such cases of violence promptly to ensure that criminals get prosecuted in a time-bound manner. --IANS bns/rtp (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two persons, including a juvenile, were shot dead in two separate incidents in outer Delhi's Bhalswa area, the police said on Friday. In the first incident, a 42-year-old businessman identified as Chandrashekhar was shot dead on Thursday evening. The police suspect he was killed over some property issue. As per the police, the accused in this case, who have been been identified, belonged to the same colony where the victim lived. They are yet to be arrested. In another case, a 17-year-old boy was shot dead by two persons on Thursday night. The police said the deceased got involved in a quarrel with some people from the same locality before he was killed. "The boy was killed because of personal enmity between two groups. We have identified the accused and are trying to apprehend them," said Gaurav Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North). --IANS rag/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has called his Congress counterparts for a dinner in the national capital to appeal to party President Rahul Gandhi not to step down from his post, sources said on Friday. The Congress sources said that Kamal Nath, who will arrive in the national capital on Friday, will host the dinner later in the night. On Saturday, he will attend the NITI Aayog governing council meeting. According to the sources, the dinner is likely to be attended by the Chief Ministers of Punjab (Amarinder Singh), Rajasthan (Ashok Gehlot) and Chhattisgarh (Bhupesh Baghel). They added that during the dinner, all the four Chief Ministers are likely to discuss the Gandhi issue, who is adamant about stepping down from the top post. The Congress President offered to step down from his post during the Congress Working Committee meeting on May 25, following the party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The party managed to win only 52 out of 542 seats. The sources added that the four Chief Ministers will pass a resolution appealing to Rahul Gandhi to lead the party and not step down. --IANS aks/ksk/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao called on his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai and invited him for the inauguration of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project on June 21. Rao flew to Mumbai to meet Fadnavis and personally invite him to be the chief guest at the event. KCR, as Rao is popularly known, also met Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao. Fadnavis accepted the invitation and expressed his consent to attend the inauguration of the project. KCR has also decided to invite his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. According to Chief Minister's Office, he would visit Vijayawada shortly to invite Reddy to the event. Built on the Godavari river, the project is expected to change the face of Telangana. The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2016 after Telangana and Maharashtra resolved their dispute over sharing of Godavari waters. The agreement between the two states cleared the decks for the project. --IANS ms/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Callow young men, still in their teens, join Indias prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA) as cadets every six months and three years later they are well-trained military officers in the making and branch out to the army, navy and air force. The most cherished event is the 50th anniversary of the passing out from the NDA and this week. On June 15 the 36th course will meet at Khadakvasla, Pune for what is a poignant and perhaps last such course get together - the Golden Jubilee Reunion (GJR). A memorial meeting at the Hut of Remembrance (HoR) to pay silent homage to those we lost in operations and otherwise is the most sombre and the course has shrunk in numbers from the original 270. The wives of course-mates who are no more are accorded a special status at the reunion and the bonding among the course-mates, many who would be meeting again after 50 years, is distinctive. I was privileged to be part of the 270-plus young cadets who made our bewildered way from then Poona (now Pune) station to Khadakvasla in mid 1966 and certain memories and vignettes remain luminous as they are distilled through a shared experience of having been brothers-in-arms for half a century. Officers from the 36th course were among the junior most who took part in the 1971 war for Bangladesh and later at senior ranks in the Sri Lanka operations and the 1999 Kargil war among other such exigencies. Every NDA course has its share of outstanding officers who acquitted themselves in the highest traditions of the Indian military and the 36th is proud to have four Vir Chakra awardees (P.C. Bharadwaj, Tamal Roy, A.S. Ahlawat and Rohit Sethi) and three Shaurya Chakra winners (P.C. Bharadwaj, Timki Randhawa and Thayi Hari). The 36th also nurtured an Army Chief and now union minister of state (V.K. Singh) and a large number of three star officers among others. Some were injured in combat and related operations (Anil Bhalla and J.J. Smith among others) and yes, there will be a few who have lost limbs or were differently injured while in service - but are still stoic and cheerful. Luck and chance play a very important role in any military trajectory and I had my fair share, which enabled me to stay the course for almost 40 years in uniform. The alternate path was that I would have faced the ignominy of being discharged from the NDA as a first termer in 1966 for very odd reasons. My accidental benefactor was the commandant of the NDA, the esteemed Major General Ranbir Bakshi who had won the coveted Military Cross (MC) in World War II. Within my first month at the NDA I fell ill with a high fever that was not responding to the usual medication and very soon I burst into a severe skin allergy with attendant puss symptoms. My condition deteriorated and I was shifted to the Military Hopsital (MH) in Poona where a team of specialists tried to diagnose my unusual condition. At the time I was a little over 15 years of age and knew little beyond what one imbibed in boarding school and through the books one read. I noticed an odd pattern at the MH where my skin condition elicited much professional interest - local civilian doctors came to examine me (rather rudely) and I was shifted to an isolation ward. Unknown to me the preliminary determination was that I had contracted a rare STD (sexually transmitted disease), for the skin condition was apparently similar (particularly in the groin) to venereal diseases and suddenly I had become a medical and disciplinary case! Various stern looking officers came to question me about whether I had visited the red light area on arrival in Pune, or if I had slipped away from Khadakvasla to indulge in the carnal pleasures of life! I was completely stunned and my condition was absurd. I was often strapped to the bed naked - to prevent me from scratching myself and had no one to speak to, except for a dour nursing orderly who changed my bandages and brought my food. Worse, he insisted on calling me 'rangeela cadet' (colourful cadet) and a 'chhupa rustam' (hidden hero), alluding to my alleged sexual detour. I was informally told that I had contracted an STD and I would be sent packing home. Very luckily for me the skin specialist, a senior World War II veteran, Colonel M.L. Gaind, finally reviewed my case and concluded that I had a congenital allergy that was exacerbated by an antibiotic which had led to the skin flare-up. And as chance would have it, when I was lying unclothed on the examining table with a sheet over me, the NDA commandant General Bakshi walked in for a personal consultation. Clearly the doctor and the general were friends from younger days and my curious case, as it had unfolded was explained to him. I was made to sit up and Gen. Bakshi looked at me empathetically and said: "So son, you are not the 'rangeela' I was told you are. Get well soon and join your course." To say that I was relieved would be the understatement of my 15-year-old life. I returned to the ragging, cycle lifting and front-rolling that first-termers at the NDA undergo with cheer and gratitude. But for the fortuitous visit by the NDA commandant on that particular day, I would have been denied the opportunity to be part of the 36th course for over 50 years. This weekend a bunch of soon to be 70-years-olds will share their individual trajectories at the Golden Jubilee and recall General Baskhi and scores of other officers who molded the callow lads, as also Subedar Major Kanshi Ram, our drill JCO and the chance cum luck factor that shaped our lives. (Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (retd) joined the NDA as part of the 36th course in July 1966 and retired from the Indian Navy in early 2007. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at cudaybhaskar@spsindia.in) --IANS bhaskar/am (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors in Lucknow staged a protest on Friday against the attack on doctors at a major Kolkata hospital. Doctors in the government hospitals in Uttar Pradesh protested wearing black badges and stopped work for two hours. In Lucknow, doctors at King George's Medical University (KGMU) and other government hospitals joined the protest. The doctors also took out a march from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) office to the Shaheed Smarak to express solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. --IANS amita/ksk/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 4,500 doctors started their one day token strike to express solidarity with their Kolkata counterparts, an office-bearer said here on Friday. The medicos, affiliated to Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), stopped attending to patients in all the 26 government hospitals in the state simultaneously. MARD General Secretary Deepak Mundhe told IANS the doctors will keep off all routine duties between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the hospital administration has been informed to ensure all other services are not hampered or patients inconvenienced. A large number of doctors gathered outside the KEM Hospital with banners, posters and placards to express solidarity with the doctors who were assaulted in Kolkata. Similar protests were also being held in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur by MARD members who are demanding adequate protection for their counterparts in West Bengal. The protests erupted on Tuesday morning in Kolkata's state-run NRS Hospital bringing the regular services to a standstill, after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the kin of a 75-year-old patient who died there late on Monday night. The family members of the deceased patient alleged medical negligence. An intern named Paribaha Mukherjee sustained a serious skull injury in the attack and has been admitted in the intensive care unit of the Institute of Neurosciences in Kolkata's Park Circus area. --IANS qn/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As part of the nationwide programme by medicos, doctors and nurses of several Northeastern states extended support on Friday in solidarity to the striking doctors in Kolkata. "Over 1,200 doctors in Tripura, mostly in government services, are wearing black badges while doing their duties in all the hospitals and two medical colleges," All Tripura Government Doctors' Association General Secretary Rajesh Choudhuri told IANS. He said that as part of the show of solidarity, nurses are also performing their duties in all the hospitals wearing black badges. Indian Medical Association (IMA) leader Soubhik Debbarma said that to protest the violence against doctors in different parts of the country, specially in Kolkata, doctors in all the Northeastern states are discharging their duties in all the government and non-government hospitals and nursing homes wearing black badges. Officials of the Health Departments of different Northeastern states said that the health services in their states have not been affected in any way. --IANS sc/rs/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy has received threatening phone calls from unknown persons, the Hyderabad Police said on Friday Kishan Reddy, who received voice Internet calls on May 20, lodged a complaint with Cyber Crime police, which registered a case and launched the investigations. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader provided to police the number from which the calls were made, threatening to kill him. Kishan Reddy, who was elected from Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, was inducted in Modi cabinet on May 30. He had received threatening calls in the past also. Meanwhile, police also registered a case against unknown persons making objectionable posts against Telangana Labour Minister Malla Reddy on the social media. The minister lodged a complaint that some unknown persons were making objectionable posts about him on Facebook and other social media platforms. The police said they identified the IP addresses of those who were trolling him and making objectionable posts. A police officer said they were trying to trace the accused for further action. --IANS ms/rs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan listening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the countries which "promote, support and fund" terrorism must be held accountable. He also pitched for an international conference to discuss how the menace of terror could be fought better. In his address at the Summit of eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here, he said the forces of humanity should shed their narrow minded approach and join hands to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. The SCO-Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure should use all its power to fight terrorism, Modi told the leaders of the grouping, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Last Sunday, during my visit to Sri Lanka, I went to the St Antony Church (which was attacked by terrorists on April 21). There I realized that the ghastly face of terrorism can appear anywhere and anytime, claiming the lives of innocent people," the Prime Minister said. "To deal with this threat, all forces of humanity should come out of their narrow minded approach and come together," he said. The St Antony Church was witness to the bloodiest terror attack in Sri Lanka in which around 250 people were killed. Modi went on to add, "The countries which promote, support and fund terrorism must be held accountable," in a clear reference to PakistanAwhose Prime Minister was also present. "India calls for an international meet to discuss how to deal with terrorism," he said. Underlining the need for stability and security in the SCO region, the Prime minister said an important element in this regard is acea peaceful, united, secure and prosperous Afghanistan". He said India supports the efforts for an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process" and expressed happiness that a road map has been prepared for the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group. During his address, Modi also spoke about the need for the SCO members to work for better connectivity, healthcare, alternate energy and humanitarian cooperation. In the context of connectivity, he said India and the SCO region have links dating back to thousands of years. "This, our common region, needs better connectivity in the modern era. India's focus on connectivity is reflected in the initiatives like the International North-South Transport Corridor, Chahbahar Port (development) and Ashgabat agreement," he said. The Ashgabat agreement, which India joined last year, is a multi-modal transport pact among the nations like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan and Oman. India also started an air freight corridor connecting Kabul and Kandahar in Afghanistan with New Delhi and Mumbai in 2017, the Prime Minister said. "Connectivity is a must for prosperity, regional integration, good governance, transparency and stability," he said. Along with physical connectivity, the people-to-people connectivity holds no less importance," he said. India's E-tourism visa is available for most of the SCO nations, Modi said and announced that the Indian tourism website will soon have a Russian interface and a 24X7 tourism helpline in Russian language for the convenience of the travelers from the SCO countries. In the context of healthcare, he said the SCO should lay thrust on working in this area from 2019 to 2021. India will be happy to share its experience regarding tele-medicine and medical tourism, he added. --IANS rak/akk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal has cleared legal hurdles to import arms from the US government which has been pending for over a year following the differences over payment modality, a media report said. The plan to buy over 6,000 rifles had been delayed after the supplier demanded the entire payment in a single sum, contradicting the procurement law in the country which only allowed payments only in three tranches, The Kathmandu Post said in a report on Thursday. The Nepal Army has long been planning to acquire the M4, M-16, and A4 rifles to equip its squads deployed as Blue Helmets or UN peacekeepers in war-torn countries. Despite the clearance from the Ministry of Defence to procure the arms from the US Army, it had not materialised since the Nepali side couldn't pay the entire amount before the rifles were supplied. The Nepal Army was allowed to make the payment only in three transactions: an advance once the deal is signed, intermediate as delivery begins, and the final payment once all the consignment is delivered-before the Cabinet cleared the hurdles for the payment. But on Thursday, officials said the legal hurdles have been cleared by the Cabinet in a decision made last month. "Now the payment can be made as demanded by the US Army," Babu Ram Gautam, spokesperson for the Defence Ministry, told The Kathmandu Post on Thursday. As only the US Army produces the three variants of the rifles, the imports will be made on a government-to-government deal without bidding, Gautam added. The Nepal government for months tried to convince US authorities to receive the payment in three allotments. It was also on the agenda during Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali's visit to Washington D.C. last December. Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Bigyan Dev Pandey said the procurement process would expedite following the legal clearance. The new procurement is aimed at strengthening the Nepali peacekeepers serving on different UN missions. With 5,076 Blue Helmets, Nepal stands sixth among 127 countries contributing to UN peacekeeping missions around the world. The Nepal Army acquired the M16 rifles for the first time in 2003 as part of the US government's support to contain Maoist revolutionaries. Washington provided around 17,000 sophisticated rifles as per the deal with the Sher Bahadur Deuba government in 2002. The 5.56 mm rifles, which are attached to ammunition belts, can fire 30 rounds within the range of 300 to 350 metres. The Kathmandu Post quoted Andrea De Arment, the US Embassy spokesperson in Nepal, as saying on Thursday that the American government will proceed with the further steps for the supply once the funding is received. Although both the Nepal Army and the US Embassy refrained from disclosing the amount, an estimated 2.19 billion Nepalese Rupees will be required to import the modern rifles. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrated mango grower, Haji Kalimullah, popularly known as 'Mango Man, has named a new variety of mango after Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Kalimullah said that he has been impressed by the personality of Shah "who possess the ability to weave the social fabric and bring people on to one platform". The new mango variety that is being named after Shah is both "good in weight and taste" and will be called "Shah" mango. The Shah mango is ready and is likely to ripen in the coming days when it will enter the market. In 2015, Haji Kalimullah, a Padma Shri awardee, had named a 'royal variety of mango' after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "It is my wish that I can offer him the king of fruits myself and I am confident that he will love it," Kalimullah had said. The Modi mango has a good taste and is also beautiful to look at with the fruit skin bearing lines of crimson and giving it a very rare and appealing hue. "All those who have tasted it, be it officials or the connoisseur of the fruit, have found it very delicious and delectable," Kalimullah, who has orchards in the mango belt of Malihabad on the outskirts of the state capital Lucknow, said. This variety, he said, is a cross between Kolkata's 'Husn-e-Aara' and Lucknow's 'Dussehri'. He was expectedly delighted when the Prime Minister said in a recent interview that he relished eating mangoes. Kalimullah is famous for growing scores of mango varieties and naming them after celebrities. The noted mango grower has a particular tree bearing fruits of 300 different varieties. Kalimullah, who had earlier named his mango varieties after Aishwarya Rai and Sachin Tendulkar, christens different varieties after people who have excelled in their areas of work so that they are always remembered. It is not just Kalimullah who has named his varieties but also several dignitaries have helped him in finding names for his new varieties of the fruit. Former Uttar Pradesh Governor T.V. Rajeswar had named a beautiful mango having two coloured skin, pulp and taste as 'Anarkali' and also awarded him with a cash prize of Rs 25,000. On how he develops the varieties, Kalimullah said unlike others who develop it through grafting process, he crosses flowers and sows their seeds as every seed is different from the other. Nevertheless this is a very arduous process and the success rate is low but the ones that succeed are worth spending time and energy as they grow into rare samples, he said. --IANS amita/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to Uttar Pradesh's Director General of Police demanding a detailed report of the incident of the thrashing of a journalist by railway police personnel in the state's Shamli earlier this week. The apex human rights body has asked the DGP to also include the Action Taken Report (ATR) against the guilty public servants and the status of the FIR registered against them in his report. In a press statement, the NHRC said: "Just a few hours after the Supreme Court ordered the release of a journalist, another TV journalist in west Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district was brutally assaulted by the SHO of the Government Railway Police (GRP) on the night of June 11. He (the SHO) along with a constable were booked and suspended after videos of the attack went viral the next day." "Reportedly, a group of reporters assembled in the Dhimanpura area where two bogies of a goods train had derailed in the night. An argument took place between the journalist and the police personnel. The victim was then thrashed and dragged to the local GRP police station where he was locked up. The victim has claimed that he was stripped and the SHO urinated in his mouth," the statement said. Severely indicting the violent act, the NHRC observed: "If the contents of the media reports are correct it amounts to gross violation of the victim. Going by the reported allegations, this kind of cruel and uncivilized act by a public servant is highly disgraceful and cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. Stern action should be taken against the police personnel if found guilty so that such barbaric act is not repeated by any public servant in future." The NHRC also referred to media reports appearing on June 13 in which the SHO is seen, in a video clip, attacking the journalist. The victim has reportedly charged the police personnel of attacking him out of vengeance as last month he had run a story about an encroachment by unauthorized vendors in connivance with GRP personnel, the NHRC said. An FIR based on the journalist's complaint has been registered and departmental inquiry ordered under the supervision of the Inspector General of Police, Railways. --IANS amita/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death of hundreds of bats in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district has raised alarm in the area and fear of the spread of the Nipah virus. The administrations in Guna and Gwalior districts issued health advisories on Friday. According to sources, the death of the bats a few days earlier in Guna has set alarm bells ringing in the health department. Bats are considered primarily responsible for the Nipah virus. Speaking to the media, Guna's Chief Medical Officer Dr. P. Bunkar said: "Everyone has been asked to be careful due to Nipah virus. We have conducted the post-mortem of the bats and are awaiting the report to take appropriate steps." Presently the facility to test for the virus is available only at the National Institute of Virology in Pune, he said. Besides Guna, an advisory has also been issued in Gwalior because Guna comes under this division and patients from all the districts here come to the divisional government hospital for treatment. "All the medical institutions in the district have been issued directives to prevent the virus," said Dr. S.K. Verma, Chief Medical Officer, Gwalior. Verma has asked the medical officials to immediately refer the patients with Nipah symptoms to the district hospital and J.A.H. hospital, and maintain their records as well. --IANS hindi-rs/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Medicos in Odisha have extended support to the agitating doctors in Kolkata thus joining the nationwide hospitals' stir in solidarity. Students of the SCB Medical College and Hospital and the members of the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) took out a march in Cuttack on Thursday to protest against the brutal assault on fellow medicos of West Bengal. Over 500 resident doctors, junior and interns of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar started a day-long strike on Friday, though emergency services at the premier health institute remained unaffected. The Residents' Doctor Association, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar said they were saddened about the heinous attack on fellow medicos. "Physical violence along with government apathy is unacceptable for any individual in the country. The repeated acts of barbarism have propelled pan-India strike and support to our young brothers and sisters, who constitute the biggest man power to any government health institute," the Association said in a press statement. --IANS cd/rtp (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 130 Sikh pilgrims heading for Pakistan were left stranded at the Attari railway station on Friday as the Indian government did not grant them permission to cross the international border. The pilgrims, mostly elderly and hailing from various parts of Punjab, were going to Pakistan to observe the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru. They reached Attari station in the morning, but the special train from Pakistan didn't get clearance to enter the Indian side. Indian railway authorities said there was no permission from the government so the train from Pakistan was not allowed. There was a lack of communication between the railways and the Minitry of External Affairs, rued a stranded passenger. The stranded pilgrims raised slogans against the government. They also complained that there was lack of drinking water and toilet facilities. "The moment we will get the permission, we will allow the train to enter Attari," Station Master M.L. Rai told reporters. The SGPC every year sends four 'jathas' to Pakistan in a year. The biggest one goes to Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, in November to celebrate his birth anniversary. Another 'jatha' goes on festival of Baisakhi in April. The remaining two leave in May-June on the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh empire. --IANS vg/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The doctors' strike that started in Kolkata earlier this week has now spread across India with the doctors' association of AIIMS showing full support to their West Bengal colleagues. After entire healthcare system in West Bengal was crippled over the past four days, now doctors' in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities in India especially AIIMS hospitals in the national capital, Raipur, Patna and Punjab are observing protest shutdown. Resident doctors in several government hospitals in Kerala and Hyderabad also staged protests as they started their 'cease work' demonstrations in respective cities. Around 4,500 Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) stopped attending to patients in all the 26 government hospitals in the state simultaneously on Friday. MARD General Secretary Deepak Mundhe told IANS the doctors will keep off all routine duties between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the hospital administration has been informed to ensure all other services are not hampered or patients inconvenienced. A large number of doctors gathered outside the KEM Hospital with banners, posters to express solidarity with the doctors who were assaulted in Kolkata on Tuesday following the death of a patient in a state-run hospital. Similar protests were also being held in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur by MARD members who are demanding adequate protection for their counterparts in West Bengal. Senior and junior resident doctors of several government hospitals in the national capital on Friday also went on the one day token strike and boycotted work. Except for emergency services, there will be full shutdown of all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, the AIIMS association said. Resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung hospitals carried bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest and suspended all non-emergency services. Only follow-up patients with a prior appointment were being registered at the OPDs. Diagnostic services were also functioning in a restricted manner. Several resident doctors also held a protest at the Jantar Mantar against the brutal attack on a Kolkata intern. Condemning the violence in Bengal, the AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) has urged all the RDAs across the country to join the token strike. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also asked members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In the wake of the strike, the AIIMS has instituted contingency measures to take care of the admitted patients, including those in the ICUs and wards. --IANS rak-qn-in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Health services in West Bengal's state-run hospitals on Friday remained disrupted as protesting doctors continued their strike despite repeated requests by patients' families to start treatment. The junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital - the epicentre of the protests - continued their sit-in. However, hospital gates were opened enabling normalcy of emergency services. The cease work at the outpatient departments (OPDs) continued in most of the state-run hospitals. "Please resume the work and do not make the dialysis patients and pregnant women suffer as they are not at fault. I apologise on behalf of all the patients of Bengal," a patient's kin requested NRS medicos with folded hands. He pleaded the doctors to understand, saying poor people would suffer without treatment. "There is nothing to apologise. Who are we to forgive? Our only demand is our security and we will continue the movement till we are given some assurance," said one of the protesting doctors at NRS. A pregnant woman's family was denied treatment and she was told that the hospital would not take any responsibility. NRS Medical College principal Saibal Mukhereje sent in his resignation to the Director - Medical Education on Thursday. The hospital's Medical Superintendent and Vice Principal Sourav Chatterjee also put in his papers. The protests erupted at the state-run NRS Hospital on Tuesday morning bringing the regular services to a standstill, after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the kin of a 75-year-old patient who died there late on Monday night. The family members of the deceased patient alleged medical negligence. An intern named Paribaha Mukherjee sustained a serious skull injury in the attack and was admitted in the intensive care unit of the Institute of Neurosciences. With improvement in his condition, Mukherjee has been shifted to the general bed and will be released from hospital within the next two days. According to informed sources, Sagar Dutta Medical College in Kamarhati, in the suburbs of Kolkata witnessed mass resignation but the administration remained tight-lipped about it. A bereaved father was seen holding the body of his deceased infant outside the hospital alleging that the child did not get any treatment. On Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the state-run SSKM Hospital and gave a four-hour ultimatum to the striking doctors to withdraw the agitation and normalise the services. She warned of 'strong action' as per law and even threatened to promulgate the stringent Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) if the strike continued beyond the deadline. Banerjee's harsh words resulted in resumption of emergency services at the SSKM, where senior doctors took charge, but there was a hardening of posture on the part of the striking junior doctors, who lashed out at the Chief Minister for having called them "outsiders", "urban Naxals" , "CPI(M) cadre" and "BJP workers". "After the Chief Minister's words, we will not budge from our stand. If we do so we will wrong ourselves and the patients at large," a doctor of NRS said. --IANS bnd/ssp/rtp (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The issue of the safety and security of on-duty doctors reached the Supreme Court on Friday. A plea has been filed seeking the court's direction to the Centre and the West Bengal government to provide an "enabling environment" for doctors in government hospitals across the country. A junior doctor at NRS Hospital in Kolkata was attacked on Monday by relatives of a patient who had died in the hospital, allegedly due to medical negligence, triggering protests by doctors in West Bengal. On Friday, several doctors boycotted work across the country as a sign of solidarity with their counterparts in West Bengal. The petition cites media reports of a brutal attack on the junior doctor identified as Paribaha Mukherjee by the family members of a senior citizen. Paribaha sustained severe injuries in the attack. The petition filed by advocate Alok Srivastava cited a study by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), stating that more than 75% of doctors across the country have faced some form of violence. This study concluded that 50% violent incidents took place in the Intensive Care Unit of hospitals, and in 70% of the cases, the relatives of the patients were involved. Srivastava said the petition has been filed under Article 32 of the Constitution. Srivastava claimed that it was his public duty to move the apex court and seek its urgent intervention to address issues which led to the strike and protests by doctors of various medical colleges and hospitals across India. The petition sought government-appointed uniformed security personnel at every government hospital in India for the safety and security of the doctors. It also demanded strict action against the perpetrators of the attack on the doctor in West Bengal. In the aftermath of the Kolkata incident, junior doctors in several states reportedly boycotted work affecting medical services in various parts of the country. The Centre has also opened a front against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has pinned the blame on doctors for going on strike in the state. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said the government is committed to ensuring the safety of the doctors. "Doctors particularly working in government hospitals, are doing a great national service by serving the poor and downtrodden in extremely adverse circumstances," the petition noted. --IANS ss/prs/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre has released Rs 57 lakh as refund on the GST charged on raw materials used to prepare food at 'langars' or community kitchens in gurdwaras, including at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said. Badal thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the promise by initiating the process for the first time of refunding the Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on religious institutions. The three-time MP said the Union Ministry of Culture has released Rs 57 lakh as GST refund to the GST authority in Ludhiana which is to be forwarded to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), she said in a statement here. "This is the first installment of GST refund and henceforth this refund will be issued quarterly to the SGPC. I thank the Prime Minister for the respect shown to Sikh sentiments by resolving this issue to the satisfaction of the Sikh community," she said. The Central government in June last year announced financial assistance to offset additional burden under the GST regime on purchases meant for the community kitchens that serve free meals to devotees and the needy. Under the GST regime enforced since July 2017, purchases made for community kitchen were not exempted, eliciting protests from religious organisations like the SGPC, which runs community kitchens at gurdwaras under its control. Though the Central government has not given full-fledged waiver on GST for purchases made for the 'langars', it has allowed provision of special assistance to cover the burden of the additional tax under the GST, officials said. Punjab had announced in March last year that it will waive state GST on 'langar' purchases. --IANS vg/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea moved by a group of students claiming that the answer keys of four questions in the National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses were incorrect. The test was held on May 5. A vacation bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Surya Kant said that the judges cannot become subject experst, and therefore, cannot sit as an appellate body over the National Testing Agency (NTA). "... Of late interference from courts in such issues is too much ...we sometimes think if we should consider ourselves as experts?" the court observed, while declining the plea. The court also said that the judges are not better experts than those who have examined the questions. "If we become subject expert then will every multiple choice question be scrutinized by the courts?" the court asked the petitioner. The court also declined to appoint any subject matter experts to examine the queries of the petitioner. The petitioner, consequently, withdrew the plea from the apex court. The counseling for the NEET exam is scheduled on June 19. On Thursday, a vacation bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi agreed to hear the writ petition, which was filed by advocate Mahfooz Nazki representing Kayathi Rohan Reddy and three others, hailing from Hyderabad. The students claimed that the error can potentially jeopardize prospects of lakhs of students, who had appeared for the test. The counsel for the petitioners urged the top court to direct the quashing of the final answer key published on June 5 by the NTA, the agency which conducts NEET UG -2109. "Pertinently, no option was given to the candidates to file any objections. To the shock and chagrin of the petitioners, not only did the Key continue to have errors, some answers that had been correctly notified earlier, stood changed to a wrong answer", said the petitioners. The court, initially, declined to allocate a hearing on the matter, but at the insistance of the counsel allowed the plea for hearing. The petition claimed that the answer keys first published by the NTA on May 29 had a number of questions answered wrongly. On May 30, the petitioners, through a representation, pointed out the flaws in the official answer keys yet again, and, subsequently, these were published on June 5 after a revision. "The respondents (authorities concerned) have not only failed to rectify the defects/errors in the question papers but have also refused to accept any representations sought to be made by the petitioners in respect of the revised key. The whole process is, therefore, vitiated and is liable to be set aside", said the petition. It also claimed that the authorities concerned discarded the representation sent by students on June 9, citing that the matter has already been referred to the specialists in the field, and the final answer keys were published subsequently. The petitioners had cited National Council Of Educational Research And Training (NCERT) textbooks in their defence. --IANS ss/bc (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Bombay High Court order for registration of FIR against Dhananjay Munde, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, in an alleged land grab case. A vacation bench, comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Surya Kant observed that no exceptional reason has been found which merits the High Court to intervene in this matter and ordered registration of the FIR. The top court issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the complainants. The apex court noted strong observations made by the High Court establishing the necessity for lodging a case against Munde, but failed to see any merit. "If we allow this, then every other person will go to the High Court for registration of FIR..", said the top court. Munde's lawyer, senior advocate Amrendran Sharan insisted that the FIR must go, contending that it signifies wrong exercise of jurisdiction by the High Court. The apex court upheld Munde's lawyer's argument that prima facie no offence is made out against him. Munde on Thursday had moved the top court challenging the Bombay High Court order. The Vacation Bench, comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi, agreed to hear the matter. Earlier, the Bombay High Court had directed the police to lodge a case against Munde in an alleged illegal purchase of government land in Beed district. The court's direction came on a petition filed by Rajabhau Phad, who alleged that the land at Pus village in Ambajogai tehsil, belonged to the government, and it was wrongfully handed over to Belkhandi Math as a gift. The land transfer took place when Ranit Wyanka Giri was its mahant, despite the fact that the land cannot be transferred without government's permission, Phad contended. After Giri's death, his family members transferred the land in their names and claimed ownership, and this information was allegedly not shared with the government, the petitioner said. Later, Munde bought the land in 2012 on the basis of a general power of attorney, according to the petitioner. Phad also alleged that Munde applied for non-agricultural status (NA) of the land. He said the police failed to register a case against Munde and that's why he moved to the High Court stating that the government land cannot be sold to anyone. The petitioner has sought the registration of an FIR under section of forgery and cheating against Munde, his wife and 15 others. --IANS ss/akk/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The SCO on Friday called for closer coordination among the international community over terrorism's cross-border threat and sought comprehensive measures to intensify efforts against terrorism and its ideology and to eliminate the factors that promote it. The Bishkek declaration adopted at the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting, dwelt at length on terrorism, a key concern of India. The member states - India, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - also expressed concern that the process of economic globalisation is being hindered by "growing unilateral protectionist policies and other challenges in international trade". The declaration also said as the modern world continues to change rapidly, the global balance of forces is going through a reconfiguration, primarily due to emergence of new development centres in Asia. The section pertaining to terrorism reflected India's concerns. "The member states believe that increasing challenges and security threats that are becoming cross-border in their nature such as terrorism, the spread of terrorist and extremist ideology, including on the internet, returning foreign terrorist fighters, proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, the risk of an arms race, unsettled regional and local conflicts undermining the international security system, illicit drug trafficking, organised crime, human trafficking, cybercrime, development imbalances, food market instability, climate change, lack of potable water and the spread of infectious diseases require special attention, close coordination and constructive cooperation of the entire international community," the declaration said. Stressing that the member states "condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations", it called to promote global cooperation in combating it "with the central role of the UN", especially Security Council resolutions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and in line with the principles of international law. The SCO members also called for consensus on adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Underlining "that acts of terrorism and extremism cannot be justified", SCO members termed it key to "intensify efforts against terrorism and its ideology, as well as to determine and eliminate the factors and conditions that promote terrorism and extremism". They however termed "interfering in other countries' domestic affairs under the pretext of fighting terrorism and extremism as well as using terrorist, extremist and radical groups to achieve one's own mercenary ends" as "unacceptable". The SCO also marked, as a priority, joint global efforts to "counter the attempts to involve young people in the activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups". On Afghanistan, they supported the efforts of the government and people of the country aimed at restoring peace, economic development, countering terrorism, extremism and drug crime. The declaration also sought "consistent strengthening of the multilateral trading system based on the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and through opposition to the fragmentation of global trade and trade protectionism in all its forms". "Unilateral protectionist actions" in violation of WTO rules and regulations undermine the multilateral trade system and threaten the world economy and trade, they warned. --IANS ps/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Southern Railway on Friday withdrew its circular that instructed station masters and train operation control officials to communicate only in Hindi or in English to avoid misunderstanding. Last month, the Southern Railway had issued a circular asking station masters and train operation controllers to communicate in Hindi or in English and not in regional languages to avoid any miscommunication. The Southern Railway Mazdoor Union (SRMU) had opposed the move as a backdoor imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu. The SRMU had also asked whether the travelling public in Tamil Nadu would also be asked to learn Hindi or English to communicate with the station masters. In its revised circular, the Railways has asked its employees to communicate in such a manner so as not to result in any misunderstanding of the messages. Reacting to the original circular, DMK President M.K. Stalin said it is arrogance on part of the Railways to say that communication should not be in Tamil in Tamil Nadu. He said, the instruction not to speak in Tamil in Tamil Nadu but only in Hindi is not just imposition of Hindi but language dominance. Stalin warned railway officials to stop such "silly" orders or "his party would put a stop to it". --IANS vj/kr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two suspected Lashkar militants were killed on Friday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. The holed up militants were killed in the encounter in Graw-Bandina village of Awantipora. "Two militants believed to belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit have been killed in the encounter. Their exact identity is being established. Searches are still going on in the area," an officer said. "#Awantipora #encounter update: 02 #terrorists killed. #Arms & #ammunition recovered. #Identities & #affiliations are being ascertained," was the update on the official twitter handle of J&K Police. Train services from Srinagar to Banihal town passing through Pulwama district and all mobile Internet services in the area have been suspended. The encounter started earlier in the day when acting on specific information the security forces began a cordon and search operation to flush out hiding militants. --IANS sq/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In Silicon Valley, the world tech mecca, spring is synonymous with developer conferences and state-of-the-art software presentations, but this year those events are running side by side with a most peculiar trend - tarot card reading craze among "techies". In recent months, tarot images such as that of the Magician, the Hermit, the Empress, Death and the Hanged Man have become the rage among thousands of software engineers, graphic designers and programmers who have attended the annual conventions of the big tech firms. "I had a tarot experience before. I was just wondering about something about my professional future. I got a job offer in another state and when I asked, the card's answer was that, as I already believe, I wouldn't be happy if I change places," Becky Chan, a student who attended Facebook's F8 developers conference, told Efe news on Thursday. The Facebook event in San Jose, California, was one of those that first gave prominence to tarot cards with as many as three tables set up in the open-air activities zone where "seers" read the fortunes and the futures of people in the long lines that developed there. "Honestly, I am so surprised by how many people are into that at our agency. Like superstition and those things. There's crystals everywhere. I feel like it's such a stressful environment, if you're in tech, that you just need that kind of release, like something that just makes you a little bit happier," Rachel Krumwiede, a worker at Sandbox, told Efe. Krumwiede travelled to San Jose from Southern California with an office colleague and the pair waited for more than half an hour under the scorching sun until their turn came to have the fortune teller read what the cards had in store for them. A few weeks before the Facebook event, another tech giant, Microsoft, also included a tarot table at its E2 educators conference in Paris, where another long line formed. It's weird, a Patreon employee told Efe, but this isn't occurring only with tarot cards and it seems that the esoteric in general is the current fashion. She said she was perplexed a few weeks earlier when at a meeting several people made reference to their horoscopes to justify company decisions. The employee, who has worked for the San Francisco-based firm for five years, said that the current passion of many techies for the esoteric began a couple of years ago and now has become a thriving fashion. Workers at Google, Apple and Adobe in the San Francisco Bay area also confirmed to Efe that the trend is present at their firms, along with employees at several startups that are, so far anyway, less well-known in the sector. Given the apparent paradox between the frenzy for tarot among the supposedly fact-based, rational and down-to-earth engineers, programmers and other tech professionals, those who are participating in the trend say they were treating it basically as just good fun. "This is my first time, I just want try it out. I don't have any specific question that I want to ask, it's just for fun. I mean, why not? We might be technical people, but that doesn't mean we cannot have fun," another participant at Facebook's F8 event, Shengjie Sun, told Efe. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Iran and bilateral trade. The two leaders on Friday discussed Abe's recent trip to Iran, the ongoing U.S.-Japan bilateral trade negotiations and Trump's upcoming trip to the Group of 20 (G20) Osaka summit in late June, Xinhua reported, citing a White House statement. "President Trump thanked Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran," said the statement. Abe paid a visit to Iran earlier this week, which was the first visit made by a Japanese prime minister since Takeo Fukuda in 1978. The rare visit aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, told Abe on Thursday that it was meaningless to exchange message with Trump, according to Iranian state media. "While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted on Thursday. Abe's visit was also overshadowed by the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. The Trump administration has claimed that Iran is responsible for the attacks, while Tehran called U.S. allegation as "sabotage " --IANS vin/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In its bid to stop the spread of misinformation and hoaxes, Twitter has pulled down almost 5,000 accounts suspected of being directly run or linked to the Iranian government. The micro-blogging site said all the account sets were originated in Iran. "We believe Twitter has a responsibility to protect the integrity of the public conversation -- including through the timely disclosure of information about attempts to manipulate Twitter to influence elections and other civic conversations by foreign or domestic state-backed entities. "We believe the public and research community are better informed by transparency," Yoel Roth, Head of Site Integrity, Twitter, wrote in a blog post on Thursday. Twitter cracked down on a total of 4,779 pages and it took down at least 1,666 accounts in set one that originated in Iran. Cumulatively, these accounts tweeted nearly two million times. They posted global news content, often with an angle that benefited the diplomatic and geostrategic views of the Iranian state. Platform manipulation is a violation of the Twitter Rules, the company noted. Twitter pulled down 248 accounts in set two and 2,865 accounts in set three. These accounts were taken down in set three employed a range of false personas to target conversations about political and social issues in Iran and globally. The micro-blogging platform has been regularly removing accounts, it suspects of election interference from Iran, Russia and other nations since the fallout of the 2016 US presidential election. --IANS ksc/niy/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi police nabbed two members of infamous 'Thak Thak gang' involved in stealing wallets from cars halting at red traffic signals, the police said on Friday. The police identified the accused as Jabbar and Mohammad Furkan, both residents of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. Madhur Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi district, said in view of a series of thefts by Thak Thak gangs and street crimes, police presence has been increased and various teams formed to keep a check on the crime. "On June 14 around 5 p.m. a police team present at Janpath traffic intersection at Connaught Place heard cries for help. The team rushed towards the place at Sansad Marg where they saw two persons running away. The team members caught them after a brief chase. The victim Vikram Singh reported that the accused had knocked at his car as he waited for the traffic signal to turn green. After distracting him, the accused snatched his wallet lying on the dashboard of the car and ran away," said Verma. "On the complaint of the accused, an FIR was registered at Connaught Place police station and the accused were arrested," said the DCP. Police have also recovered the wallet stolen from the victim's car. "Accused Furkan has told us that the gang members stole mobile phones and wallets and sold them at throwaway prices to unknown buyers," said the DCP. --IANS rag/adv/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A panel, headed by ruling NDA constituent Shiv Sena's President Uddhav Thackeray, has reportedly bypassed the Maharashtra government to select a prominent architect for the planned Balasaheb Thackeray Memorial, a RTI reply has revealed. Mumbai-based Right To Information activist Anil Galgali had written to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) seeking details of the memorial coming up in the prime sea-facing plot at Shivaji Park in Dadar, which was earlier used as the city Mayor's official residence. "As per the RTI reply, the 9-member Balasahab Thackeray Memorial Committee (BTMC), headed by Thackeray, has gone ahead and appointed well-known firm, Abha Narain Lamba and Associates as Architect and Project Manager for the Rs 100 crore memorial, keeping the MMRDA in the dark," he said. Galgali said that ideally, this critical position should have been advertised and global tenders sought for designing the landmark monument for which the land allocation and construction costs are being borne by the state government. BTMC Chairman Uddhav Thackeray wrote to the MMRDA Commissioner on March 1 that Lamba and Associates has been appointed to prepare the detailed plan, budget estimates and tender process for the memorial, right up to the completion of the project, he added. "It says a contract has already been signed with the architect's firm and this procedure was conducted in a transparent manner, as per government rules. The fact still remains that we lost a golden opportunity for a global competition to design the landmark," Galgali said. The RTI activist said he has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking to know why an international competition was not considered for the monument which would be dedicated to the Shiv Sena founder, Bal Thackeray, who passed away here on November 17, 2012. Besides Uddhav Thackeray as the Chairman, the BTMC includes Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai as Member-Secretary, Aditya Thackeray, Shashikant Prabhu and BJP MP Poonam Mahajan as Members, while the state Chief Secretary, Urban Development Secretary, Principal Secretary, Law & Judiciary, and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner are ex-officio members. --IANS qn/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain's Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which is in charge of writing advertising codes across Britain, announced on Friday that its new rule banning harmful gender stereotypes in advertisements has come into force. The new rule applies to broadcast and non-broadcast media, including online and social media, said CAP, adding that "advertisements must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence", Xinhua news agency reported. According to the new rule, an ad that depicts a man or a woman failing to achieve a task specifically based on their gender is likely to be problematic, such as a man's inability to change nappies or a woman's inability to park a car. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) -- the country's independent regulator of advertising across all -- will deal with any complaint and assess advertisements to determine if the new rule has been violated. Guy Parker, Chief Executive of the ASA, said: "Our evidence shows how harmful gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to inequality in society, with costs for all of us." Parker highlighted that some portrayals in advertisements might limit people's potential over time, adding that "it's in the interests of women and men, our economy and society that advertisers steer clear of these outdated portrayals, and we're pleased with how the industry has already begun to respond". --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The latest coins from the UK's Royal Mint celebrating the iconic Tower of London were released, that feature the Yeoman Warders who have watched over the tower and its collections, including the Crown Jewels for generations. Following on from the Crown Jewels coin, the Yeoman Warders coin continues the epic story of one of Britain's most iconic heritage sites, a Unesco World Heritage site, Xinhua news agency reported. In order to become a Yeoman Warders recruits, both men and women, must have served in the British military for a minimum of 22 years and must also have reached the rank of warrant officer. They were once part of the Yeomen of the Guard, the monarch's bodyguards who accompanied and protected kings or queens everywhere they went. In Tudor times, King Henry VII believed such an important building as the Tower of London also needed special protection, and so the Royal Bodyguard took on a new duty. The Yeoman Warders were formed for this specific task, which they still carry out today. Royal Mint Director of Consumer Business Nicola Howell said on Thursday: "The Yeoman Warders are such an iconic part of British History and an integral part of the Tower of London. No visit to the Tower is possible without the Warders and we are delighted to be celebrating their history of service with this coin. The coin also featuring a special Tower mint mark that represents the relationship between the Tower of London and The Royal Mint." Emma Saunders from Historic Royal Palaces said: "We are thrilled to be working with The Royal Mint on these stunning coins, which celebrate the Yeoman Warders long and distinguished service and vital contribution to British history." The reverse design of each coin in the collection shows a section of the ancient walls and also features a special Tower mint mark, which is the first time this has appeared on a British coin and is a sign of authenticity and trust. It depicts the White Tower, demonstrating the link between the Tower of London and The Royal Mint, which operated within the fortress for centuries. The Tower of London collection includes coins featuring he Legend of the Ravens, The Crown Jewels and the Yeoman Warders. The coins are in denominations of five pounds, 10 pounds, 25 pounds. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UN Envoy to the Middle East Nicolai Mladinov met Islamic Hamas movement's leaders in Gaza on Friday to help defuse growing tension with Israel, the media reported. Mladinov arrived in Gaza from Israel and met the leadership of the movement in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas has been ruling since 2007, Xinhua news agency reported citing sources. Overnight and early on Thursday, Israeli war planes attacked several facilities and posts in eastern and southern Gaza Strip in response to two rockets attacks carried out by anonymous militants. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, the report said. Mladinov visited Gaza on Friday, when the Palestinians join the weekly anti-Israel rallies, better known as the Great March of Return and Breaking the Israeli Siege, which has been going on since the end of March last year. The Highest Commission of the Great March of Return called on the Gaza Strip's populations to join the weekly protests to reject the Israeli plans to annex large parts of the West Bank. Since the rallies started in 2018, medics said that the Israeli Army killed over 300 demonstrators and wounded more than 17,000 others by live ammunition. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Yogi Adityanath government has failed to achieve its target of purchasing 55 lakh metric tonne (MT) of wheat from farmers at Minimum Support Price (MSP) during the kharif season from March to May. The Uttar Pradesh government has been able to procure only about 36 lakh MT till now, leaving a shortfall of about 19 lakh MT. The purchase deadline which ended on May 31 has now been extended to June end. State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said that the purchase targets were affected as government staff was deployed in election duty. "Another reason could be that wheat-growers may have found the prices in the open market more lucrative," he said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has been reviewing wheat procurement on a regular basis, has directed food department officials to ensure that purchase centres are functional and farmers do not face any hardship in selling their produce to the government. The state Agriculture Department, this year, had enhanced the MSP of wheat to Rs 1,840 per quintal, and had even added an incentive of Rs 20 per quintal for transportation, to provide relief to distressed farmers. However, the purchase has fallen below target. According to estimates by government sources, the total purchase may not cross even 40 lakh MT. A senior official in the agriculture department said that wheat production in the state was low this season as compared to the previous year and there could be an increase in market prices of wheat. The Minister, however, disagreed and said that the estimated production of wheat in the state was nearly 380 lakh MT while last year it was nearly 356 lakh MT. "Production and productivity of wheat has increased from 36.56 quintal to 37.58 quintal per hectare. The low procurement at government purchase centres is an indication that farmers are getting better prices at their farms itself," he explained Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner Alok Kumar said that the purpose of providing MSP to farmers was to ensure that they are not exploited by traders. If the farmers are selling the produce to traders, it means they are getting a better price, he added. --IANS amita/ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttar Pradesh Police attached the house of BSP MP Atul Rai on Friday for not presenting himself before the court in an alleged rape case. The Lok Sabha MP from Ghosi parliamentary seat has been evading arrest after a woman registered a rape case against him in Varanasi's Lanka police station. The police have pasted an attachment notice at Rai's house. The Bahujan Samaj Party's MP, who went underground after the case was filed, had also tried to secure anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court. The allegation was levelled against him during the Lok Sabha election after which Rai went underground but still defeated his Bharatiya Janata Party rival. After the apex court rejected Rai's bail plea, he agreed to surrender but did not do so. Since then, the police is searching for him. According to the case filed against Rai, he took the woman to a flat and exploited her sexually. She also alleged that Rai had forced her to keep silent on the matter. Rai had defeated then BJP sitting MP Harinarayan Rajbhar with a margin of 1,22,018 votes. --IANS hindi-rs/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Online travel agency Expedia has agreed to pay a $325,406 fine to the US government for an alleged violation of the economic sanctions on Cuba, the Treasury Department has said. Expedia, which is based in Bellevue, Washington, may have violated the Cuban Asset Control Regulations, the main mechanism for enforcing the economic embargo on the Caribbean island, reports Efe news. The Treasury Department said on Thursday that Expedia may have sold, through its international subsidiaries, travel services to Cuba to at least 2,221 people between 2011-14, which constituted an "apparent" violation of the embargo. Expedia assisted these individuals with travel or travel services within Cuba or between Cuba and third countries. The Treasury Department said that it appreciated the fact that Expedia informed it about these transactions before receiving any request from the government. "The apparent violations occurred because certain Expedia foreign subsidiaries lacked an understanding of and familiarity with US economic sanctions laws," the Treasury said in a statement. "With respect to at least one foreign subsidiary, Expedia failed to inform the subsidiary until approximately 15 months after Expedia acquired the subsidiary that it was subject to US jurisdiction and law," it added. The Treasury also announced an agreement with Hotelbeds USA - a Florida-based US subsidiary of Spanish group Hotelbeds - settling for a $222,705 fine for providing unauthorized travel services to Cuba. Hotelbeds USA, which also reported its practices to the Treasury, assisted 703 people with their plans to travel to Cuba between 2011-14. In addition, the Treasury fined an individual and a California-based company, Cubasphere Inc., $40,320 for assisting 104 people between 2013-14 on four group trips to Cuba. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A total of 661 US companies and associations have signed a letter to President Donald Trump, urging his administration to abandon tariff hikes and reach a deal with China. According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, a bipartisan campaign against levies, 520 companies and 141 associations said in the letter that they "remain concerned about the escalation of tit-for-tat tariffs" between the US and China, reports Xinhua news agency. "We know firsthand that the additional tariffs will have a significant, negative and long-term impact on American businesses, farmers, families and the US economy," read the letter. "Tariffs are taxes paid directly by US companies." The letter came as the US Trade Representative Office plans to begin a public hearing on June 17 to solicit public comments on and responses to proposed tariff measures. The Trump administration increased additional tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 per cent to 25 per cent in May, and has threatened to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on essentially all remaining Chinese goods sold to the US -- valued at roughly $300 billion -- which are not yet subject to extra duties. In response, China raised additional tariffs on a range of US imports on June 1. Tariffs Hurt the Heartland said combined with the impact of previously implemented tariffs and retaliation, the new tariffs on another $00 billion worth of Chinese imports, if imposed, would result in the loss of more than 2 million US jobs, add more than $2,000 in costs for an average American family of four, and reduce the value of American GDP by 1 per cent. "We urge your administration to get back to the negotiating table," signatories of the letter told Trump. "An escalated trade war is not in the country's best interest, and both sides will lose." --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Air Force on Friday said Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the AN-32 aircraft that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on June 3 has been recovered. "The rescue and search team has recovered the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the process of recovering the mortal remains of all air warriors is still on at the crash site," IAF spokesperson in the Eastern Air Command, Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh told IANS. Though the weather continues to affect the pace of recovery, Singh said all efforts are being made to expeditiously complete the task using all resources of Civil, Army and IAF. On Thursday, the IAF ordered a Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the accident. A team of 16 mountaineers from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army along with five civilian mountaineers are combing the site of crash 16 km north of Lipo, northeast of Tato under West Siang district, at an approximate elevation of 12,000 feet. The bodies of the crash victims were found to be dismembered, Gijum Tali, a state government official, had told IANS. Seven bodies have been recovered till Thursday, the official said The AN-32 took off on June 3 from the Jorhat airbase for the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground in Arunachal's Shi-Yomi district bordering China, but lost contact with the ground agencies within 35 minutes. After the disappearance of the aircraft, the IAF commenced extensive search operations under the direct supervision of the Eastern Air Command headquarters at Shillong. The C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 helicopters of the IAF and ALH helicopters of the Army were launched immediately to locate the missing aircraft. Indian Navy P-81 aircraft joined the search operations on June 4. Resources from various agencies, including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), were brought into the operation to enhance its effectiveness. CARTOSAT and RISAT satellites of the Indian space agency also took images of the area, which assisted the search team in locating the aircraft. Extensive support towards the rescue operation was also provided by the state government and police and the local population. On June 8, the IAF announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for any information leading to the location of the missing aircraft. --IANS rrk-rbe/in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders will step down from her position at the end of this month for a possible political future in her home state of Arkansas, US President Donald Trump has announced. "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas... ," the President tweeted on Thursday. But he has not named a replacement for her. Sanders, 36, is the third woman to have served as White House Press Secretary and is one of Trump's closest aides. ".... She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!" he said in another tweet. Sanders said her role had been "the honour of a lifetime". "I am blessed and forever grateful to @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he's accomplished. I love the President and my job. The most important job I'll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it's time for us to go home. Thank you Mr. President!" she tweeted. Speaking to an event at the White House on Thursday, Trump said that Sanders will join the private sector, while weighing in on the possibility that she will run for Governor of Arkansas, a position that her father Mike Huckabee held from 1996 to 2007. "We've been through a lot together. She's tough, and she's good. If we can get her to run for the Governor of Arkansas, I think she'll do very well," Trump said. Sanders, who later spoke briefly at the podium, called her tenure "truly the most special experience", vowing to continue to be "one of most outspoken and loyal supporters" of Trump and his agenda, Xinhua news agency reported. But she did not comment on the President's suggestion that she might run for office. A senior adviser for Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Sanders was named to the position of Deputy White House Press Secretary after the Republican's victory in the election. She was promoted to White House Press Secretary following the resignation of Sean Spicer in July 2017. During her tenure, there has been a decline in the number of White House press briefings, as the President answers questions from reporters on a near-daily basis. Sanders' last briefing was more 90 days ago but she often gave press gaggles on the White House driveway after she had been interviewed by news outlets. Her relationship with the press corps became particularly strained a year ago after comedian Michelle Wolf took a shot at her during the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association. "She burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye," Wolf had said at the event. --IANS soni/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the concerned officials to establish contact with the district-level officers in order to ensure qualitative improvement in educational standards in the state. Addressing a meeting of department officials, including Basic officials, the Chief Minister said that an education calendar should be adopted in all degree, secondary and primary schools and colleges. He directed that all schools should reopen after summer vacations on June 25 and complete cleanliness should be ensured in schools before the students return for the new academic session. The Chief Minister also warned that no teachers should remain absent during school hours, even if it meant visiting the offices of local education officials. Adityanath underlined the importance of the "School Chalo" campaign and asked the officials to involve the students in tree plantation drives. The Chief Minister, in particular, said that all school buses should be subjected to timely inspections and that students' safety must be taken care of. --IANS amita/arm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the backdrop of fraud and cheating cases involving builders, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday held a meeting with them along with all the three authorities' officials on his review visit to Gautam Buddh Nagar. The Chief Minister is learnt to have told the builders to fulfil the promises made by them or be ready to face the music. Adityanath was in Greater Noida to review the performance of the three local wings -- Noida Authority, Greater Noida Authority and Yamuna Expressway Authority. Around 20 big defaulter-builders were present in the meeting, who have been asked to clear their debts and complete their projects. No representative from Uttar Pradesh RERA was invited to the meeting. According to a senior official who was present in the meeting, the CM emphasized that struggling home buyers should get their flats as soon as possible. "He has given a final warning to the builders who have either fooled or are unable to fulfil their promises to the buyers or haven't cleared the debts of the authority. If the builder fail to do so, they would have to face action. While the three authorities will keep a check on the work," the official said. On Thursday, Manpreet Singh Chaddha alias Monty Chadda, son of liquor baron Ponty Chaddha who was killed in 2012, was arrested by the Delhi police in a cheating case over allegations of duping the investors of over Rs 100 crore in a real estate project at NH24. Noida and Greater Noida have become a hub of angry homebuyers as over 94 projects are stuck for the past 8 years and the buyers have paid as much as 80/95 per cent money to the builders. The CM also discussed the traffic, development, industrial issues in the meeting. "The officials of the three authorities were told to prepare projects related to infrastructure, beautification of the city, traffic, garbage disposal. They were told to submit a road plan to the CM," the official added. (Advitya Bahl can be contacted at advitya.b@ians.in) --- IANS adv/prs (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) It has been a fairly crowded fortnight in terms of news, and so some might have missed what, for me, has been the most interesting and perhaps important story of the past fortnight. This is a story that comes neither from India nor from Europe or from America, but from tiny Hong Kong, which has once again taken to the streets to protest interference by Beijing in the self-administering citys affairs. When I say interference by Beijing and self-administering, I am not being strictly accurate, of course, but that is because normal language cannot quite ... An employee of a leading gold finance firm was killed and two of his colleagues were injured after a gang of five armed robbers Friday stormed into their office here and opened fire, a police official said. The incident occurred around 11.30 am and the robbers fled from the spot without looting any valuables, he said. "A gang of five masked robbers, wielding pistols and an axe, stormed into the office of Muthoot Finance located near City Centre Mall in Untwadi locality of the city. At that time, five employees of the firm and eight customers were present there. The robbers snatched away their mobile phones," Nashik Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangre-Patil said. "They wanted to loot cash from the office. However, they panicked after one of the employees switched on the siren. After that, the robbers fired five rounds, in which computer engineer of the firm, Sajju Samuel (32), a resident of of Kerala, died on the spot," he said. Branch manager Chandrashekhar Deshpande (64) and auditor Kailash Jain (25) suffered injuries in the incident. They were admitted to Nashik Civil Hospital, he said. The robbers fled from the spot, Nangre-Patil said, adding that a dog squad and forensic experts have been pressed into service and a 'nakabandi' operation is being on conducted to trace the culprits. Later, a case was registered against the unidentified accused at Ambad police station under IPC section 396 (dacoity with murder) and the Arms Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An employee of a leading gold finance firm was killed and three others were injured after a gang of five armed robbers Friday stormed into their office here and opened fire, a police official said. The incident occurred around 11.30 am. However, the robbers failed to loot any valuables, he said. "A gang of five masked robbers, wielding pistols and an axe, stormed into the office of Muthoot Finance located near City Centre Mall in Untwadi locality of the city. At that time, five employees of the firm and eight customers were present there. The robbers snatched mobile phones of the employees and customers," Nashik Commissioner of Police Vishwas Nangre-Patil said. "They wanted to loot the cash from the office. However, they panicked after one of the employees switched on the siren. After that, the robbers fired five rounds, in which computer engineer of the firm, Sajju Samuel (32), a resident of of Kerala, died on the spot," he said. Branch manager C B Deshpande (64), another employee Kailash Jain (25) and one more person suffered injuries in the incident. They were admitted to Nashik Civil Hospital, he said. According to Nangre-Patil, a dog squad and forensic experts have been pressed into service and a 'nakabandi' operation is being on conducted to trace the culprits. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Atleast 15 students of Himachal-based Shoolini University have been selected for fully-funded international programs to Taiwan and China. More students could be confirmed in the coming days. These students are pursuing bachelors and master's courses in applied sciences, biotechnology and food technology at the university. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/792680/Shoolini_University_Logo.jpg) Shoolini University has successfully provided several opportunities for students pursuing in areas of biotechnology, microbiology, food technology, botany, zoology, chemistry and physics where they can avail international opportunities in some of the world's best campuses such as the University of Arkansas, University of Naples, Lanzhou University, Gachon University etc. The Office of International Affairs at Shoolini offers a range of opportunities to students for academic benefits, including internships, exchange programs and opportunities for further studies. Shoolini's M.Sc student Anjali Chandel, who leaves for a fully-funded Ph.D. program to Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan in September says, "Firstly, I would like to thank Shoolini University for all the learning because of which I am able to get this opportunity. Also, I want to thank, my HOS Dr Rajesh Sharma and all the faculty members of School of Physics for their support and guidance. I will try to make my Shoolini proud in future." More than 100 such students have availed international opportunities so far. Of those, 30 have been selected to pursue higher such as MS or Ph.D. on a fully-funded program. Considered India's first biotech university, Shoolini students filed over 180 patents in 2018 alone. This makes the 9-year-old university one of the highest patent filers in India. About Shoolini University: Set up in 2009, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences is a research-driven private university with full-recognition from the UGC. A leading university of India, it is recognised for its focus on innovation, quality placements, and world-class faculty. Nestled in the lower Himalayas, the university has received accreditation from NAAC and it is ranked by the NIRF. For more information, visit - https:hooliniuniversity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men were shot dead allegedly by unidentified persons on Friday in northeast Delhi, police said. The deceased have been identified as Khurvesh (40) and Kanchi (28), both residents of Nand Nagari, they said. Khurvesh was named in 41 cases in the national capital and marked as a "bad character" in police records, police said, adding that they are checking whether cases are registered against Kanchi. "Police received information at 12:12 pm on Friday regarding the incident near a signal at Nand Nagri," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Atul Kumar Thakur said. The victims were rushed to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where they were declared brought dead, the DCP said. The accused had fired seven to eight rounds at the victims, a senior police officer said. Thakur said it seems like a case of personal enmity. Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and one of the accused has been identified. Several teams have been formed to nab the perpetrators and CCTV footage from nearby areas is being examined, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) About 300 delegates from India and other countries will participate in the five-day meeting of Kimberley Process (KP) in Mumbai, starting from June 17, the commerce ministry said in a statement. KP is a global initiative to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain. It is a joint initiative of different countries, industry and civil societies to control flow of conflict diamonds, which are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments in the world. Besides meetings of different working groups and committees of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), two special forums regarding Diamond Terminology and Artisanal Mining Small Steps to Larger Outcomes, will be held during the inter-sessional meeting, it said. India is one of the founder members of the scheme and is the Chair of KP for 2019 with Russia as vice-chair. At present, KPCS has 55 members representing 82 countries including EU with 28 members. The Department of Commerce is the nodal department and Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) is designated as the KPCS importing and exporting authority in India, it added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 36-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his former colleague over monetary dispute last week, police said Friday. The accused was identified as Ajay Singh Raghav, a resident of West Ghonda here, they said. According to a senior police officer, an unidentified body of a man was recovered on May 8 from near service road behind Red Fort. Police found a tag of 'New Light Tailor' at Deputy Ganj in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh from the shirt of the deceased, they said. Thereafter, a police team rushed to Bulandshahr to track down the tailor. After tracing him, the police successfully identified the deceased as Deepak, a resident of Bulandshahr. Deepak was working in a printing press at Ansari Road, Daryaganj in Delhi. "During investigation, police examined more than 100 employees of the firm where Deepak was working and apprehended Ajay Singh Raghav, his former colleague," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Harendra Kumar Singh said. During interrogation, Raghav said that Deepak was his good friend and they worked together in a printing press, he said. Two years back, he had lent Rs 1 lakh to Deepak for his wedding. Raghav was in dire need of money and came to Daryaganj on May 7 to take his Rs 1 lakh back from Deepak, the officer said. Deepak took him to Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to give his money but later denied to return the whole amount, following which they engaged in a heated argument, police said. Thereafter, Raghav smashed Deepak's head, making him unconscious and later strangled him in his car and dumped the body in north Delhi's Kotwali area. One car, Deepak's mobile phone, one rope and blood stained clothes were recovered from Raghav's possession, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. A division bench of Justices I A Mahanty and A M Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhary. "The petitions are allowed. The applicants shall be released on cash bail of Rs 50,000. They shall attend the special court on each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses," the bench said. The four, who are in jail since their arrest in 2013, had approached the high court in 2016 after a special court rejected their bail pleas in June that year. The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetery near Hamidia mosque at Malegaon near Nashik on September 8, 2006, claimed 37 lives and injured over 100 people. The Maharashtra's Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), which first probed the case, had initially arrested nine accused from the minority community. The case was later handed over to the CBI, which followed the same line of investigation. When the probe was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) later, it concluded that the blasts were carried out by people belonging to the majority community. The NIA decided to drop charges against the nine accused and booked Singh, Sharma, Narwaria and Chaudhary. The special trial court in 2016 accepted the NIA's stand and discharged the nine accused. Apart from seeking bail, Singh and others had challenged the discharge of the nine men. The four accused also challenged the special court's order rejecting their own applications seeking discharge. Those appeals will be heard by the high court at a later stage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four people, including a four-year-old, were killed and as many injured in a head-on collision between a truck and a jeep near Mohammadabad town on Friday morning, police said. According to an eyewitness, the truck was moving at a high speed when it rammed into the jeep. The deceased have been identified as Deepur (25), Seepu (21), Aarohi (4) and driver Mohit (26), Superintendent of Police Swami Prasad said. In Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the loss of lives in the accident and directed officials to ensure adequate medical treatment to the injured. The police is yet to disclose any information about the truck and the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Four more children died Friday in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district reeling under an outbreak of brain fever, taking the toll to 57 this month, state Health Minister Mangal Pandey said. All the victims have fallen prey to hypoglycemia, a condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar and electrolyte imbalance, officials said. The 57 children died in two state-run hospitals of Muzaffarpur, one of which was visited by the health minister during the day. Pandey said 47 children have lost their lives in the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) while the 10 others died in the Kejriwal Hospital. According to a release issued by the district administration, two children each died in the SKMCH and the Kejriwal Hospital Friday. Since June one, 156 and 66 children were admitted in the SKMCH and the Kejriwal Hospital respectively with suspected cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) but most of them were found to be victims of hypoglycemia. The condition of five children undergoing treatment in each of the hospitals is stated to be critical, the release said. The health minister who held a meeting with doctors and officials said six more ambulances will be available at the SKMCH from Friday and a 100-bed new ward will be made operational there soon. The Kejriwal Hospital's management also agreed to increase the number of beds if the need arises, he said. Pandey said creating awareness among the people is needed to prevent the outbreak of the disease. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already directed the officials concerned to ensure that preventive measures were taken in the affected districts, though deaths have so far been reported from Muzaffarpur only. Health Department's Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar had earlier said the disease has affected 222 blocks of 12 districts especially Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Sheohar and East Champaran. A central government team of experts had visited Muzaffarpur on Wednesday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 41-year-old cab driver was arrested Friday from North Delhi's Dwarka area for allegedly supplying illegal arms in the national capital, police said. Rahul Singh alias Guddu, a resident of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested and four firearms -- three sophisticated pistols of .32 bore and one country made pistol of .315 -- along with two live cartridges were recovered from his possession, A K Singla, Additional Commissioner of police (Crime), said. Guddu allegedly supplied illegal arms to various criminal gangs active in Najafgarh, Dwarka and Uttam Nagar areas in Delhi from western Uttar Pradesh, police said. The arrest came as part of a Delhi Police investigation to bust illegal arms ring in Delhi-NCR. During interrogation, Guddu told police that he came to Delhi about three years back in search of a livelihood and started working as a cab driver. During this time, he came in contact with some criminals of Najafgarh area who asked him to supply illegal arms for them from Aligarh. He allegedly joined the illegal trade and supplied firearms for more than six months, police said. He purchased a sophisticated pistol from one of his contacts in Aligarh for about Rs 25,000 and sold it to criminals in Delhi for about Rs 60,000, they said. He purchased a country-made pistol (katta) for Rs 2,500-3,500 and sold it for Rs 6,000-7,000, they said. Police further said investigation of the case was underway and raids were being conducted to capture the source of the illegal arms. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday urged Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to urgently look into the national capital's law and order situation as five people were shot dead in the "last 24 hours". The Delhi Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. "Five murders in Delhi in last 24 hours is an extremely serious situation. I appeal to @LtGovDelhi & @HMOIndia to urgently look into the law and order situation of the national capital," Kejriwal tweeted. Five people were killed in four different incidents since Thursday night. In the Bhalswa Dairy area, a 42-year-old property dealer and a 17-year-old boy were shot dead in separate incidents. Unidentified assailants shot dead a 35-year-old man in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area and two men were shot dead in Nand Nagari. Reacting to Kejriwal's tweet, the Delhi Police said all the murders were due to personal enmity. "The murders have all been confirmed to be personal enmity related. Accused previously known to victim & already arrested in some cases. Overall heinous crime in 2019 is down by 10.5% Crime by use of fire arms is down by 5.65% Crime against women is down by 11.5% @ArvindKejriwal (sic)," the Delhi Police tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five people were shot dead in four different incidents here since Thursday evening, following which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal raised concern over the city's law and order situation, and urged Lt Governor Anil Baijal and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to look into the issue. The Delhi Police, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, claimed that all the attacks were over personal enmity. "Five murders in Delhi in last 24 hours is an extremely serious situation. I appeal to @LtGovDelhi & @HMOIndia to urgently look into the law and order situation of the national capital," Kejriwal tweeted Friday. The chief minister has been demanding that the Delhi Police be brought under the control of the city government The Delhi Police said in all four cases personal enmity was the reason behind the attacks. "The murders have all been confirmed to be personal enmity related. Accused previously known to victim & already arrested in some cases. Overall heinous crime in 2019 is down by 10.5% Crime by use of fire arms is down by 5.65% Crime against women is down by 11.5% @ArvindKejriwal (sic)," the Delhi Police tweeted. Two people died in separate incidents of shootouts in outer-north Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy area, police said Friday. In the first incident, 42-year-old property dealer Chander Shekhar, a resident of Shradhanand Colony, was shot dead on Thursday evening. Police suspect that the accused persons, residents of the same colony, killed him over a monetary or property issue. The assailants have been identified and a search has been launched to nab them, a senior police officer said. In the second incident in the same area, a 17-year-old boy was shot dead by two persons on Thursday night, police said. Sonu (name changed), the deceased, had a quarrel with some persons of the same locality around three days ago and they could be behind the attack, according to a senior police officer. Unidentified assailants shot dead a 35-year-old Amit Kochar in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area. In Nand Nagri, Khurvesh (40) and Kanchi (28) were shot dead. Khurvesh was named in 41 cases in the national capital and marked as a "bad character" in police records, police said. Kanchi, police said, used to work as a driver with a doctor and was merely accompanying Khurvesh, his neighbour when the two were attacked. Kanchi does not have a criminal record, they added. The accused had fired seven to eight rounds at the victims, a senior police officer said. The two were rushed to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where they were declared brought dead, the DCP said. Thakur said it seems like a case of personal enmity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Six persons were arrested on Friday in north Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area for allegedly stealing copper wire from a government-owned facility, police said. Three persons -- Shan Mohamad (24), Shahzad (26) and Abhishek (22) -- were arrested while attempting to steal copper wire at All India Radio High Power Transmission Aerial Field, which is spread over 300 acres, they said. Total 200 kilogram of copper wire was recovered from their possession, police said. Aas Mohamadd (26), a scrap dealer who allegedly bought the stolen wires, was also arrested from east Delhi's GTB Enclave and bundles of copper wires were recovered from him. Two others -- Umed (33) and Akshay (22) -- were later arrested from Hapur after police conducted several raids. Interrogation revealed Umed, a scrap hawker, had found potential in stealing huge amount of copper wires from the facility and earn money, a senior police officer said. They used to steal copper wire from the area and sold it to scrap dealers at cheap rates, the officer said. Police said hunt is on for three more persons and further investigations are underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be visiting Gautam Buddh Nagar Friday to review various development work and meet traders, builders and buyers to discuss their problems, officials said. He is scheduled to arrive at Greater Noida around 3 pm. He will review the performance of the three local authorities -- Noida Authority, Greater Noida Authority and Yamuna Expressway Authority, the officials said. "During the visit, the chief minister is also likely to discuss the progress in the Jewar airport work, a global tender for which was floated recently to hire a developer," an official from the district administration said. A panel of journalists from Noida and Greater Noida has also sought time to meet Adityanath during the visit to raise its concern over the arrest of three journalists of TV channel Nation Live. The journalists -- Ishika Singh, Anuj Shukla and Anshul Kaushik -- were arrested after their channel aired content that was allegedly defamatory to the chief minister. Noida Traffic Police has issued an advisory informing the public of likely diversions in the evening due to the VIP movement in the area. "Traffic may be diverted on the stretches between Depot Metro Station and Pari Chowk in Greater Noida, and on the Expressway till DND from 7 pm as per need. Use alternative routes to avoid any inconvenience," it said in a statement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following his party's worst-ever drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradeh, Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia Friday met the party's state leaders to assess what went wrong in the elections. Scindia, who was made in-charge of the western UP, and given the responsibility of 38 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, failed to ensure a single victory. A Congress leader who attended the meeting said he spoke to the district and city unit chiefs of the organisation to find out the possible causes behind the rout. Two days back, party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, entrusted with the task of managing polls in the remaining 42 seats in the eastern UP, carried out a similar exercise in Rae Bareli, which was the only seat won by the party this time from the state. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was re-elected from Rae Bareli, while Congress president Rahul Gandhi, her son, lost his Amethi seat to Union Minister Smriti Irani. Priyanka Gandhi has asked senior UP Congress leaders to attend a brain-storming session in Delhi over the weekend to chart out the strategy to contest the 2022 UP assembly polls with full vigour. Ashok Singh, who was trying to get a party ticket from Etawah Lok Sabha seat and was present in the meeting, told PTI, "At the meeting, I conveyed that the party must end experimentation of all kind." "It should repose its faith in workers and cadre, and should not rely on alliances with other parties," he claimed to have told the meeting chaired by Scindia. Senior party leaders and former Union ministers Jitin Prasada, Sriprakash Jaiswal, RPN Singh and Salman Khurshid, however, were conspicuous by their absence at the meeting chaired by Scindia. (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 Friday invited the agitating junior doctors for a meeting at the state secretariat, which they declined saying it is a ploy to break their stir. She convened the meeting to find a solution to the ongoing impasse disrupting normal services at all state-run medical college and hospitals for four days. After the protesting doctors did not turn up on Friday, Banerjee gave them time again at 5 pm on Saturday for the meeting at state secretariat Nabanna, senior physician Sukumar Mukherjee said. Mukherjee along with other senior doctors, who were not part of the agitating medicos, went to meet Banerjee and held a two-hour-long meeting with the chief minister at the secretariat to find out a solution. Banerjee then asked Director of Medical Education Pradip Mitra to invite three or four junior doctors to the secretariat for the meeting. They, however, refused to go the meeting. "This is a ploy to break our unity, our agitation. We will not attend any meeting at the state secretariat. The chief minister has to come here (NRS Medical College and Hospital) and deliver an unconditional apology for the manner in which she had addressed us during her visit to SSKM Hospital yesterday," a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors said. While visiting the SSKM Hospital on Thursday, Banerjee had contended that outsiders had entered medical colleges to create disturbances and the agitation is a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP. Mukherjee said the chief minister waited for the junior doctors to come to the state secretariat on Friday night and when they did not turn up, gave them another time for a meeting on Saturday evening. "We hope some junior doctors will turn up," he said. "We had come to meet the chief minister on our own to find a solution to the impasse. She has briefed us about the steps her government has decided to take in fulfilling the demands of the junior doctors," Mukherjee said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) will celebrate International Yoga Day in a big way on June 21, registrar Abdul Hamid Friday said on Friday. Giving details of the event, he said, "AMU has been observing International Yoga Day since 2015, but this year it will be done in a big way. The celebrations will be marked by a series of events beginning June 15...some prominent yoga exponents have been invited to deliver lectures and hold workshops." "A special feature of this year's event will be a four-day-long training programme, especially for girls. It will be organised by the Department of Physical Education," he added. The week-long programme is being organised by the Department of Physical of AMU. The university authorities also rejected reports in a section of the media that there is no programme scheduled on International Yoga Day at AMU. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and requested him to "soften PM's heart" on the issue of granting special category status to the Rs 2.58 lakh crore debt-ridden state. Reddy also said he would raise the demand in the first meeting of the governing council of the NITI Aayog, to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saturday. "I met Home Minister to try and prevail upon him and also soften PM's heart on special category status...," Reddy told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Shah. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief also urged the Centre to fulfil all commitments made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Reddy, just before swearing in as chief minister, had met both Modi and Shah on the special category status issue. He had said his party could only request the BJP-led central government and not "demand or command". "Today, we might not get it (special category status). We have to be at somebody's mercy but I will remind him (Modi) again and again and someday things will change," Reddy had told the media after his first meeting with Modi. Asked if the post of deputy speaker in Lok Sabha was offered to YSRCP, Reddy said, "Please don't speculate on all these things. First of all, there is no offer... We have not asked and we have not spoken. And neither any such proposal has come from any quarter. As of now, there is no conversation or talk on that." YSRCP won 22 parliamentary seats in the 17th Lok Sabha elections and also swept the assembly polls. The party's parliamentary board meeting is likely to be held on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ascendas India Trust Friday said it will acquire an upcoming IT-SEZ project in Pune, taking its total portfolio to 22 million sq ft. Ascendas Property Fund Trustee Pte Ltd, the trustee-manager of Ascendas India Trust (a-iTrust), in a statement said it has entered into a master agreement with Nalanda Shelter Pvt Ltd (NSPL) and Brickmix Developers Pvt Ltd (BDPL) to acquire BlueRidge 3, an IT/ITES special economic zone development with a total net leasable area up to 1.8 million sq ft. "The project will be developed in two phases. a-iTrust will also provide project funding as part of the agreement," it added. Initially and during the construction period, a-iTrust's investment will be through debt to be used towards repayment of certain existing liabilities and construction. The forward purchase acquisition will be after completion of the project and is subject to receipt of occupancy certificate and other key conditions. Ascendas Property Fund Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Dasgupta said the proposed acquisition of this project will strengthen presence in Hinjewadi, one of Pune's prominent IT/ITES SEZ micro-markets. "As a result of the acquisition of BlueRidge 3, a-iTrust's committed portfolio size will increase by 7 per cent from approximately 20.2 million sq ft to approximately 22.0 million sq ft," it added. a-iTrust was listed in August 2007 as the first Indian property trust in Asia. Its principal objective is to own income-producing real estate used primarily as business space in India. Its current portfolio comprises seven world-class IT business parks and six modern warehouses in India. The company is structured as a business trust, offering stable income distributions similar to a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). a-iTrust is managed by Ascendas Property Fund Trustee Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Ascendas-Singbridge Group. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pterodactyls - extinct flying reptiles - had a remarkable ability to fly from birth, scientists have discovered. The importance of this discovery is highlighted by the fact that no other living vertebrates today, or those in the history of the fossil record, had this ability. This revelation has a profound impact on our understanding of how pterodactyls lived, which is critical to understanding how the dinosaur world worked as a whole. Previously, pterodactyls were thought only to be able to take to the air once they had grown to nearly full size, like birds or bats. This assumption was based on fossilized embryos of the creatures found in China that had poorly developed wings. Researchers from University of Leicester and University of Lincoln in the UK disproved this hypothesis. They compared these embryos with data on prenatal growth in birds and crocodiles, finding that they were still at an early stage of development and a long way from hatching. The discovery of more advanced embryos in China and Argentina that died just before they hatched provided the evidence that pterodactyls had the ability to fly from birth. "Theoretically, what pterosaurs did, growing and flying, is impossible, but they didn't know this, so they did it anyway," said David Unwin, a palaeobiologist at University of Leicester. Another fundamental difference between baby pterodactyls, also known as flaplings, and baby birds or bats, is that they had no parental care and had to feed and look after themselves from birth. Their ability to fly gave them a lifesaving survival mechanism which they used to evade carnivorous dinosaurs. This ability also proved to be one of their biggest killers, as the demanding and dangerous process of flight led to many of them dying at a very early age. The research has also challenged the current view that pterodactyls behaved in a similar way to birds and bats and has provided possible answers to some key questions surrounding these animals. Since flaplings were able to both fly and grow from birth, this provides a possible explanation as to why they were able to reach enormous wingspans, far larger than any historic or current species of bird or bat. How they were able to carry out this process will require further research, but it is a question that would not have been posed without these recent developments in our understanding. "Our technique shows that pterosaurs were different from birds and bats and so comparative anatomy can reveal novel developmental modes in extinct species," said Charles Deeming, from the University of Lincoln. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The director of Berlin's Jewish Museum resigned on Friday amid controversy over a tweet he sent linking to an article that criticised the German parliament for passing legislation against the BDS movement, which demands a boycott of Israel. Professor Peter Schaefer proposed his resignation "to avoid further damage" to the Jewish Museum, a statement on its website said. It was accepted, the statement added, but no specific reason for his departure was given. German parliament last month condemned the BDS -- Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) -- as anti-Semitic. Lawmakers said the group uses anti-Semitic methods to promote its political goals -- a claim firmly rejected by the movement, which calls for a cultural boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestinians. Schaefer came under pressure after the tweet of an article that was critical of that parliamentary decision. After the tweet, the Central Council of Jews in Germany said the museum "appears to have totally slid out of control". Professor Peter Schaefer "today proposed his resignation to the chairman of the board of the foundation and Culture Minister Monika Grutters to avoid further harm to the Jewish Museum Berlin," a museum statement said. Schaefer, director of the museum since September 2014, had recently had his contract extended to stay in post until August 2020, according to the museum. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bhaupur and Khurja section of the dedicated freight corridor in Uttar Pradesh will be open by November and it will reduce pressure on the saturated trunk route of the North Central Railway between Kanpur-New Delhi, the DFCCIL said Friday. The easing of traffic will be done through shifting of freight trains from the Indian Railway route to dedicated freight corridor (DFC). This was decided in a meeting between the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation India Limited (DFCCIL) and the North Central Railway (NCR) on Thursday. Both parties did a detailed review of every aspect for targeted project completion, the statement from the corporation said. Besides targets, coordination issues among various executing agencies were also discussed and finalised, it said. "North Central Railway and DFCCIL agreed to open Bhaupur and Khurja section of DFC by Nov -19 which will ease super saturated trunk route of NCR between Kanpur - New Delhi through shifting of freight trains from Indian Railway to Dedicated Freight Corridor route. "This will not only help NCR to run passenger services efficiently with improved punctuality but will also ensure availability of more time for track and other asset maintenance thus enhanced safety in train operations," the statement said. It has been decided to start train operation between Bhadan and Khurja, it said. "This will help in a great way in doing long overdue non-interlocking work of Tundla.Tundla is the only major rudimentary yard on the main trunk route from Kolkata to Delhi which is operated by hand lever arrangement," the statement said. "A hand lever operated yard is mechanical interlocking and is a chink in the armour for Indian Railway in this era of electronic interlocking and solid state interlocking," it said. The statement said that the entire DFCs will be completed by 2021. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two days after 14 people were killed in lightning and thunderstorms in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the victims. According to information available from the disaster management department, five persons each died in Patna and Nalanda, three were killed in East Champaran and one in Samastipur as lightning struck parts of the state. "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed his grief over the deaths due to thunderstorm and lightning. He has announced immediate payment Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the victims as ex-gratia," an official release said. Kumar has also directed government officials to ensure proper treatment of those injured on Wednesday and prayed for their speedy recovery, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Odisha police on Friday booked a newly elected BJD MP and his family members on the charge of assaulting and sexually harassing a woman journalist who had gone to his residence to complaint against his brother for passing lewd remarks at her. The case was registered against Kendrapara MP Anubhav Mohanty, his younger brother Anuprash and the MP's filmstar wife Barsha Priyadarshini after the journalist, Sashmita Acharya, lodged a written complaint against them, police said. The BJD leader rejected the allegations against him and his family members, though he admitted that the woman had come to his residence to make a complaint. "A case under Sections 294 (obscene acts), 354-A (sexual harassment), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC has been registered against the three persons, including the MP, named in the FIR," said Purighat police station IIC Rashmi Ranjan Sahu. In her complaint, Acharya said Anubhav's younger brother had been passing lewd comments at her for several days and when she visited the MP's house at Choudhury Bazar here on Wednesday evening to complain about it, Anubhav and his wife assaulted her. Police said they were aware about the incident. "The police had to rush to the MP's house after hearing about it and accompanied the woman journalist to her home," Sahu said. Sahu said the statement of the complainant was recorded and the police would soon question all the accused persons. The MP, however, dismissed the accusations. "Since it was late in the night, we told her to come later but she started shouting. I called up the police and she was taken away from my house," Mohanty said. "The allegation is baseless and motivated. It is a for me that she has lodged a police complaint. Let an investigation take place about it," Mohanty said. The incident came barely days after a newly elected BJD MLA in Balangir district was booked for forcing junior engineer to do sit ups in full public glare. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To push its demand for special category status for Odisha, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is planning to join hands with the YSR Congress and the JD(U) in Parliament and raise their voice unitedly. The chief ministers of Odisha, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh -- Naveen Patnaik of BJD, Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and Y S Jaganmohan Reddy of YSR Congress -- have been demanding special category status for their respective state. The BJD, JD(U) and the YSR Congress have substantial presence in Lok Sabha with 12, 16 and 22 members respectively. While the JD(U) is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the BJD and the YSR Congress are not aligned with any bloc. "Though the idea is in nascent stage, we are in favour of making a move with other parties in order to make impact in Parliament," BJD Parliamentary Party leader and Puri MP Pinaki Mishra told PTI. Mishra said it is better to raise the demand in a big way in Parliament along with the MPs of both YSR Congress and JD(U). "All together, the three regional parties have 50 MPs in Lok Sabha and a good number in Rajya Sabha...If we are fighting for a common demand, what is wrong in joining hands and making our voice louder in Parliament," Mishra asked. Replying a question on whether his party has started any move to unite the two other like-minded parties in the struggle for the special category status, Mishra said, "Not so far. But there is no harm in making an effort. Let the first session of Parliament begin. We will make a move taking other parties into confidence." Mishra also appealed to all MPs from Odisha, irrespective of their party affiliation, to join hands and demand special category status for Odisha, which has been frequently hit by natural calamities. Earlier this week, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged him to include natural calamity as an indicator for getting special category status. Since then, Patnaik urged Modi to consider Special Focus State status to the calamity-hit states and allow them to get the benefits being availed by the states categoriesed as the special category states. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been raising the demand for special category status for the state for a long time. He had organised public meetings in support of the demand in Patna and New Delhi too in the past. The YSR Congress is also seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP general secretary Ram Madhav Friday said his party has proved that political parties can be run on the basis of values and performance. He was speaking at the inauguration of a three-day- long orientation-cum-leadership development programme at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP) at Uttan near Bhayandar in Thane district. The training programme is being attended by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and 41 BJP MLAs from his state. RMP, an RSS-affiliated independent research and training institute, is conducting this training programme, which will have sessions on topics like understanding the roles and responsibilities of an MLA. BJP vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Madhav inaugurated the programme. Addressing the lawmakers from the north-eastern state, Madhav said, "You may be quite good popularity-wise, but you should also be as good in terms of performance...BJP is not only a party, but a way of life and a political culture." "We are one of the 1,600 odd registered parties and we are a party with a difference. We have proved that parties can be run on the basis of values and performance," Madhav said. He said India was marching ahead to become a super- power as the country was being led by the "most-honest prime minister". "Our PM Narendra Modi is not just a non-corrupt leader, but more importantly, he is just incorruptible," the Madhav added. Sahasrabuddhe said the BJP has the "copyright" of the of "values and performance". He said while being a popular elected representative was one thing, being an effective representative was different. " and principles should go hand in hand. MLAs here present should have a blueprint about the growth of their constituencies for five years," he said. On the occasion, Khandu expressed hope that the MLAs would gain lot of insights on various fronts in the next three days here. "I had made a promise during my poll campaign that I will train my MLAs so that they can perform well in the five crucial years. After the training session ends, a report card of the all the MLAs will be prepared," he said. Khandu also said that he held talks with a few Bollywood filmmakers and two of them have agreed to shoot their films in his state. The BJP, led by Khandu, won 41 seats in the 60-member Assembly, in the elections held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in the northeastern state bordering China. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Priyavrat Singh Friday accused the BJP of defaming the Congress government by running a "false" campaign that power outages were rampant in state. He also claimed that no unscheduled power cuts were happening in the state as alleged by the saffron party. "In order to defame the government, our rival party (BJP) is running a false propaganda that power cuts are rampant in the state," Singh told reporters. "In fact, we have even suspended the scheduled power cuts for maintenance work due to the scorching summer heat," he added. According to the minister, maintenance work (of supply lines) is being carried out only in cases of emergency. Singh alleged that the power trips were happening as the previous government had failed to carry out proper maintenance work. He said FIRs have been registered in different parts of Madhya Pradesh against people, who deliberately snapped power distribution lines. On the BJP's recent lantern protests in Bhopal and elsewhere in the state over the power crisis, he said the opposition party was indulging in such tactics to defame the government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The IT and social media cell convenor of BJP's Morigaon district unit in Assam, Nitu Kumar Bora, was arrested for posting objectionable remarks against Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on social media. Morigaon Superintendent of Police Swapnanil Deka said Bora posted in his Facebook account that Sonowal and his home department were mute spectator when members of a particular community indulged in activities against hindu women. The accused allegedly stated that the home department should be handed over to Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. "We arrested him yesterday for his communally provocative and objectionable post against the Chief Minister. He was later released on bail," Deka said. Bora's Facebook timeline gives his introduction as "Convenor, Information Technology & Social Media Department, BJP Morigaon District at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)". When contacted, BJP Assam unit spokesperson Aparajita Bhuyan informed that party has already initiated steps against Bora. "A report has been sought from the district committee. Accordingly, if he is found guilty, we will definitely take action against Bora," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Left government in Kerala Friday asked a state-run akademi to review its decision honouring a cartoon depicting Bishop Franco Mullakal as a rooster and alluding to the charge of rape against him. Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan told the State Assembly that the government is of the opinion that the cartoon has "hurt" the sentiments of the Christian community. "The government has already taken a stand that the akademi should review its decision," Balan said. The cartoon titled 'Viswasam Rakshathi' (protection of faith) by K K Subhash of Chengalam and selected by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi for this years award, had appeared in a Malayalam magazine last year after Mullakal was accused of rape by a nun. Showing Mullakal as a rooster, it also has a pink coloured lingerie in the crosier (staff), carried by a bishop as a symbol of the pastoral office, while a group of nuns is shown fleeing. Replying to a submission by opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala seeking review of the award, Balan said "Akademi is an autonomous cultural organisation under the state government. But the government does not interfere in its internal matters such as the awards and all. However, this cartoon has hurt the sentiments of a section of believers," Balan said. He said the cartoon was intended against Bishop Mullakal and not against the community. "The cartoon includes certain religious symbols. We welcome the stand and suggestions of the opposition. The secular fabric of the country cannot be destroyed in the name of freedom of expression," Balan said. He also said the government does not question the cartoonist's right to choose the case involving the bishop as his theme but cannot allow anyone to malign the beliefs of any religion. Chennithala said the decision to honour a cartoon, which had depicted a religious symbol in a condemnable manner, was deplorable. "Freedom of expression must be protected at any cost. But we cannot accept the manner in which the cartoon hurts the religious sentiments of believers," Chennithala said. The Kerala Catholic Bishop Council had slammed the LDF government and said it was targeting the Christians after reaching a conclusion that the minority community did not stand with the CPI(M) during the recent Lok Sabha election, in which the Left front won only one of the 20 seats. Balan, however, rebutted this in the Assembly and said the government never intends to target any community and the Akademi works independently. "Last year's winner Gopikrishnan drew a cartoon criticising Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.We gave him the award," Balan said. Meanwhile, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said in a statement that both the Left and the Congress lack sincerity in the matter. The Church has urged the government to withdraw the award given to the "vulgar cartoon" and also sought an apology by the akademi officials. Mulakkal, then Bishop of Jalandhar, was arrested by the Kerala police in September last year amid a public outrage after a nun alleged she was repeatedly raped by him in a convent in Kottaym district between 2014 and 2016. He is out on bail. Kerala Cartoon Academy, an organisation of cartoonists in the state, has expressed anguish over the controversy, saying the award was determined by a committee comprising eminent cartoonists. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000, memento and certificate. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Centre is committed to develop Odisha as an international hub for steel sector's ancillary industries, Union Minister for Steel Dharmendra Pradhan said Friday. The minister's remark came after his meeting with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. "Met Hon. Chief Minister Odisha, Shri @Naveen_Odisha and discussed ways to work together to usher in economic & industrial development and generate employment opportunities to bring all round prosperity for the people of Odisha," he said in a tweet. In a separate tweet, he said during the meeting he also discussed with the CM ways to enhancing Odisha's footprints further in the steel sector. "Steel will have a large influence in rejuvenating the economy in Odisha. The centre is committed to develop Odisha as a global hub of ancillary industry in the steel sector. Shri @Naveen_Odisha has assured all co-operation in this regard. I am sure the state government will support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiatives and work in collaboration for the holistic development of Odisha," he said. Pradhan also handed over to Patnaik a cheque of Rs 3 crore, contributed by SAIL for relief and restoration work in the aftermath of cyclone Fani. The development assumes significance in the wake of presence of major steel producers in the state, including like Tata Steel, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) in Odisha. The state government is also keen to make Odisha a preferred destination for ancillary and downstream manufacturers in the steel sector. Earlier, the Odisha government held talks with about 70 downstream steel companies and invited them to invest in the state, while assuring them smooth paper work. While taking the charge of the ministry on May 31, 2019, Pradhan, who belongs to Odisha, had said it will remain a priority sector for the government. "I have been given the duty to look after the steel sector by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which I will fulfil with responsibility. Steel is a strong pillar of development. We have to take this pillar to new heights," Pradhan had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors at major government-run hospitals in Chhattisgarh staged protests Friday in solidarity with the ongoing agitation by junior doctors in West Bengal against assault on their colleagues in the eastern state. Around 400 junior doctors of Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur - the biggest government hospital in the state - staged a protest from 8 am to 2 pm in premises of the medical facility. As part of the protest, they stayed away from attending out-patient departments (OPDs) and operation theaters (OTs), Bhagwati Chandra Verma, president, Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) here, told PTI. Holding posters and placards, the protesting doctors raised slogans in support of the agitating physicians in West Bengal and their demands, he said. However, emergency services were unaffected due to the protest, Verma said. Senior doctors of the hospital did not take part in the stir, but attended their work wearing black bandages as a mark of support to their junior colleagues, Verma said. Junior doctors in medical colleges of Ambikapur and Rajnandgaon districts also staged similar protests in their respective premises, he added. At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, senior and junior resident doctors, interns and students - around 500 in number - staged a protest from 8 am to 1 pm, said Rajendra Choudhary, an intern and former president of the AIIMS Medical Students Union, Raipur. Doctors stayed away from OPDs during this period, but services in the emergency section remained unaffected, he said. "We fully stand by the protesting doctors in Kolkata. We demand that the government implement central medical protection act and ensure a safe environment for doctors in the field, Choudhary asserted. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday, demanding better security at workplace after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital. The Indian Medical Association has declared Friday as the "All India Protest Day" against the assault on junior doctors in West Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China on Friday called for dialogue after the United States accused Iran of being behind attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. "We hope that all the relevant sides can properly resolve their differences and resolve the conflict through dialogue and consultations," said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a regular press briefing. "This conforms with the interests of regional countries, and also conforms with the interests of the international community," he added. The two tankers, one Norwegian- and one Japanese-owned, were set blaze in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability and warned Washington would defend its forces and allies in the region. Iran's foreign ministry hit back on Friday, dismissing the accusations as "baseless". China was one of the eight global buyers allowed to import Iranian crude oil before the US ended waivers in early May. Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, with Xi saying that Beijing supports maintaining the Iran nuclear deal, from which the United States has withdrawn, according to the official Xinhua agency. The two leaders are in Bishkek for a previously planned summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional security bloc spearheaded by China and Russia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China Friday summoned a top American diplomat here and lodged a diplomatic protest objecting to a proposed bill that threatens to remove Hong Kong's status as a US special trading partner, amid massive street protests in its autonomous territory against an extradition bill. China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng summoned Robert Forden, the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Beijing, and lodged the protest over the proposed bill, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Le said China will not accept foreign forces meddling in Hong Kong affairs, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. Hong Kong has been witnessing massive protests since June 9 with over a million people taking to the streets opposing the proposed extradition bill over fears that it would allow China to round up opponents to face trial on the mainland China, where the courts are under the Communist Party control. China's warning came a day after US lawmakers reintroduced proposed legislation to "reaffirm the US commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law at a time when these freedoms and Hong Kong's autonomy are being eroded through interference by the Chinese government and Communist Party". The legislation would require an annual assessment of Hong Kong's political autonomy to determine whether it still qualifies for special trade status with the US. It would also threaten sanctions and travel restrictions against individuals found to be involved in disappearances in the semi-autonomous region. Le's protest came after Beijing issued a stern warning to the US over the extradition bill asserting that the instability in the city does not serve American interests. Earlier, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that China was resolutely opposed to a move by US lawmakers to introduce bipartisan legislation that would require the US secretary of state to certify Hong Kong's autonomy each year to justify special treatment for the city. "The US is one of Hong Kong's major trading partners. It is in the interest of the US that Hong Kong can continue to be prosperous and stable. It is not good for the United States to mess up Hong Kong," Geng said. "I would like to emphasise China's determination and will to uphold its unshakeable sovereign and development. Any attempt to create chaos in Hong Kong and undermine Hong Kong's prosperity and stability will be confronted by all Chinese people, including the vast number of Hong Kong compatriots," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has ordered a probe into a complaint that state's senior Congress leader Kishore Upadhaya's younger brother Sachin has duped and threatened his business partner. Rawat ordered the probe by a special investigative team after Sachin's business partner Mukesh Joshi, owning joint venture firm SM Hospitality Pvt Ltd, lodged a complaint with the chief minister. In his complaint, Joshi alleged that the Congress leader's brother has transferred his 50 per cent share in the firm to himself and his wife by forging his signature. Joshi also accused Sachin of blackmailing him and cited a threat to his life as his brother Kishore had political clout. Kishore Upadhaya was earlier president of the Pradesh Congress Committee. The chief minister sent Joshi's complaint the state home secretary asking him to have the matter probed by the SIT as the allegations were of a serious nature. "The charges are of a serious nature. Direct the officials concerned to institute an SIT probe into them," the chief minister's note to the home secretary read. Seeking an impartial inquiry into the matter Joshi, in his complaint to the chief minister, introduced himself as an investor, currently building 2,180 flats under the PM Awas Yojana at Chalang village near Rajpur in Dehradun. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress Friday said the violence against doctors in West Bengal is absolutely reprehensible and urgedthe medical community to take up their duty towards the sick and hapless. The party also asserted that no one shouldinstigate the doctors from refraining to serve. The doctors have been agitating since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS medical college and hospital in Kolkata. "Violence of any kind calls for a blanket condemnation. But violence against doctors, who have dedicated their lives to save and cure others, is absolutely reprehensible & unacceptable," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted. "No one should instigate the doctors from refraining to serve. We call upon the medical community to take up their duty toward the sick and hapless, under their ward and care. The INC stands with the doctors unequivocally," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that countries sponsoring, aiding and funding must be held accountable as he called for a global conference to combat the menace. Addressing the (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against India stood for a terrorism-free society, he said. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, Modi said in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. Prime Minister Modi also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against He also urged the SCO leaders to organise a global conference on terrorism. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and being admitted to the grouping in 2017. CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy is likely to resign next month in the party's national council meeting, sources said Friday. In an earlier meeting to review the CPI's debacle in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, Reddy had offered to resign taking moral responsibility of the defeat. However, his offer was rejected by senior party leaders who said that the loss was a "collective responsibility". "He (Reddy), however, said that his health was not permitting him to continue and that he wanted to retire. A decision will be taken in the national council meeting to be held in July. He is likely to resign," a source in the party said. Asked about his resignation, Reddy did not deny it, but refused to speak on the matter. "What was discussed in the meeting is confidential party matter. A decision will be taken in the national council meeting to be held from July 19-20," he told PTI. The CPI managed to get only two seats in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls. Both the seats were from Tamil Nadu. Reddy was a member of the 12th and 14th Lok Sabha and represented the Nalgonda constituency of Telangana. He was elected to serve as a general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) on March 31, 2012, in the 21st party Congress. Reddy has previously served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, while being a member of the Parliament. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The crew of a Japanese-owned tanker hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman saw a "flying object" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. "The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes," Yutaka Katada, head of Kokuka Sangyo shipping company, told reporters. "We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship," he added. Katada on Thursday had told reporters that the Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, had suffered two apparent attacks. After the first, "our crew members made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again," he said Thursday. On Friday he said he did not yet have information about the nature of the first attack on the tanker. The blasts caused a fire on board, but Katada said Friday there had not been major damage. The crew were evacuated, with one member suffering minor injuries. "Crew members went back to the ship with support of the US military and recovered the backup power source," Katada said. "We'll review the overall damage but we don't think there's a possibility it will sink. There's no damage to the goods and fuel." He added that he believed initial reports suggesting a torpedo was involved in the attack were incorrect. "The damage was above the sea surface. It would have been below water if it was a torpedo. So I think the report is inaccurate." The Kokuka Courageous was hit around the same time as another tanker in the area, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, which was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority. There has been no claim of responsibility for the blasts, with Iran denying US claims of Tehran's involvement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A CRPF commando, who was wounded in an IED blast by the Naxals in Jharkhand last month, succumbed to his injuries at the AIIMS here, an official said on Friday. Constable Sunil Kalita, 32, was injured on May 28 in the jungles of Seraikela Kharsawan district when his party encountered a number of improvised explosive device blasts during patrolling. Kalita was first admitted to a hospital in Ranchi, but he was airlifted to Delhi and brought to the AIIMS on June 4 as he required enhanced medical care. He succumbed to his injuries on Thursday evening, the official said. The jawan was posted with the 209th battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), the elite jungle-warfare battalion of the CRPF. Fourteen other CoBRA and police personnel were injured in the incident that day. According to the official, the commando displayed bravery as he saved his colleagues during the blast despite being grievously injured. Kalita hailed from Assam's Kamrup district and had joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 2011. He was selected to join the CoBRA unit in 2016 and deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Central Reserve Police Force constable Sandeep Yadav, killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district this week, was Friday cremated with state honours in his native Kulala village in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas. Yadav's son lit the pyre amid shouting of patriotic slogans by the large crowd that had assembled there, including MP minister Jeetu Patwari and senior officials. The terror attack in the restive northern state took place on Wednesday, killing four CRPF troopers and injuring three others. Yadav's body arrived on Thursday night in Bhopal, where chief minister Kamal Nath paid tribute and said the state was proud of his supreme sacrifice. The state government also announced Rs 1 crore as financial assistance to Yadav's kin and a government job for one of them. Yadav was part of the 116 battalion of the CRPF stationed in J-K. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr has been charged with forcible touching after he was accused of groping by a woman in a Manhattan bar. According to Variety, a 29-year-old woman claimed that on Sunday Gooding grabbed her breast after he got drunk at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge on Seventh Avenue near West 36th Street. The actor has denied the allegations. On Thursday, the 51-year-old actor turned himself in to the police after which he was charged with the forcible touching, which is a misdemeanour. If proven guilty, the actor could face up to one year prison term under the New York state law. Later in the day, Gooding was released without bail and is set to return to court on June 26. His lawyer, Mark Heller, told USA Today that his client will plead not guilty in the case. Gooding's broke out with 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood" and later won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Jerry Maguire". He most recently portrayed OJ Simpson in "The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday said cyclonic storm Vayu no longer posed any threat to the state as it had moved away westward. Following a meeting with top officials in Gandhinagar, Rupani asked the authorities to let around 2.75 lakh people who had been shifted to safety to return to their homes. "Gujarat is now completely safe. There exists no threat from cyclone Vayu now as the storm has veered towards the west in the Arabian Sea. "Around 2.75 lakh people who were evacuated from the coastal areas are free to return to their homes," the chief minister told reporters. The state government will pay an allowance totaling around Rs 5.5 crore to the evacuees for daily expenses over the next three days, he announced. As per the latest weather report by the Meteorological Centre here, the cyclone is "moving slowly away from the coast" and currently located in the Arabian Sea, around 150 km from Porbandar. "Schools and colleges will start as per their schedules tomorrow. We are also calling back senior officials and ministers who were deployed in ten coastal districts to supervise relief and rescue operations. Road transport buses have started plying in these areas today," Rupani said. Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will remain stationed along the coastline for another 48 hours, he said. It was predicted earlier that the cyclone would make landfall on Gujarat coast Thursday afternoon, leading the government to prepare for possible damage. It also brought moderate-to-heavy rains to 114 tehsils of Gujarat, mostly along the coast. The highest rainfall of 6. 5 inches (160mm) was recorded in Talala tehsil of Gir-Somnath district since Thursday, said the Met department release. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A notorious dacoit and his accomplices allegedly beat two women and tore their cloths in Rajasthan's Dholpur district. Taking cognisance of the matter, the State Human Rights Commission issued a notice and sought a detailed report from Dholpur Superintendent of Police by July 16. Some media reports claimed the women were paraded naked but the police did not confirm this. Dacoit Jagan Gurjar and three of his men barged into the house of a villager and beat his wife and niece under Basai Dang Police Station limits on June 12. "The complainant gave a report against Jagan Gurjar, one Ravi and two others for beating and tearing the cloths of his wife and niece. The victims were admitted to a hospital," said SHO of Basai Dang Police Station Heeralal. The complainant did not mention about the victims being paraded naked in the FIR, only beating and tearing of cloths were mentioned, he said. The FIR was lodged under sections 323, 341, 394, 354 and 307 of IPC. On Thursday night, Jagan Gurjar and his gang members fired shots at police personnel who were trying to nab them. However, the accused managed to escape and no one was injured in the exchange of fire. "The accused opened fire at police and we also had to fire in self-defence. Nearly 30 bullets were fired by us (police)," the SHO said. Heeralal said efforts are on to nab the accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Development Authority has decided to launch a special online housing scheme for people belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories for nearly 500 flats from its old inventory, officials said Friday. The decision was taken in an authority meeting of the urban body chaired by Lt Governor Anil Baijal at the Raj Niwas here, officials said. "The authority decided to launch a special online housing scheme 2019 for SC/ST for approximately 500 flats from the old inventory," the DDA said in a statement. Application fee for the scheme will be received online only, it said. The ratio will be 2:1 for SC and ST category applicants and tentative cost will be as per standard costing, the DDA said. Flats will be in various categories -- SFS (Self-Financing Scheme)/HIG, MIG, LIG and Janta/EWS category. Payment of cost of flats will be on 'cash down' basis except under persons with disability category and draw of lots will be done through a draw of lots, the statement said. All other terms and conditions of the scheme will be as per the brochure of Housing Scheme 2019 including the application fee. The DDA had Tuesday received about 50,000 applications for its new online housing scheme 2019, with authorities attributing the poor response to bulk of the flats being located in Narela area in outer Delhi, among other factors. The deadline to apply for the DDA's online scheme 2019, which was launched in March, had ended on June 10. In the existing provision of the scheme for allotment of houses to the SC/STs, if requisite number of applications is not received from the reserved categories, all remaining flats are offered to the persons belonging to the general category, the DDA said in the statement. The DDA Authority in its meeting also decided to offer one-bedroom flats to Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and recipients of gallantry awards, war widows and persons who have got injured or disabled during action or war, the statement said. "As a welfare gesture, the authority decided to offer one-bedroom flats at Sectors G-2 and G-8 Narela and Sectors-34 and 35 Rohini to the above category of persons at a price of Rs 7 lakhs per dwelling unit although the cost of flat is around 15 lakh," it said. "This will be one-time concession to the persons of this category and it will not be treated as a precedent in future," the DDA said. Since almost 50 per cent of the cost is being charged, a clause will be incorporated in the demand letter that the allottees would not be entitled to sell or transfer or otherwise part with the possession of the flat in any manner for a period of 10 years from the date of possession, and during this period the property will be treated as leasehold, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Friday visited the headquarters of Defence Research and Development Organisation here and reviewed its work in fulfilling requirement of the armed forces. Officials said Singh appreciated the commitment and dedication of DRDO scientists and directed them to focus on flagship programmes of national importance. The defence minister also released a publication titled 'Roadmap of DRDO', which encapsulated its target for the next ten years. Singh was given a detailed presentation by DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy and other senior scientists on various projects being implemented by the organisation, officials said. "The presentation covered recent achievements, details of major ongoing projects and the roadmap of DRDO," the defence ministry said. It said Singh was apprised about the DRDO-developed cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technologies and systems accepted by the armed forces and those under development. "The defence minister appreciated the commitment and dedication of DRDO scientists and directed that they should focus their energies on flagship programmes of national importance," said the ministry. Singh also appreciated the DRDO's initiatives to promote collaboration with academia and industry, and desired that such interaction should be enhanced to create a greater scientific temper and production base. He also congratulated DRDO for its singular achievements in strengthening the national defence capabilities and enabling the nation to join a select club of countries by coming out with advanced defence technologies such capability to take down satellites in space. In March, India carried out an Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) test by shooting down a live satellite. With the A-SAT test, India joined a select group of countries to have capability to shoot down a satellite. The defence minister also mentioned about DRDO's role in development of Tejas fighter aircraft, Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) and ballistic missile defence programme. Earlier, on his arrival at DRDO Bhawan, Singh paid floral tributes at the statue of former President and noted missile scientist Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. At a separate meeting, the defence minister reviewed the working of department of ex-servicemen welfare. He particularly reviewed implementation of various welfare schemes including financial assistance and resettlement support measures to the ex-serviceman, widows and dependents. In a free flowing interaction with senior officials, Singh gave directions to the department and sought a response in a time bound manner on certain issues, officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held a meeting with top brass of the Army and reviewed the overall security challenges facing the country including situation along borders with Pakistan and China, official sources said. The meeting was attended by Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat, Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lieutenant General Devraj Anbu and all the General Officer Commanding-in-Chiefs (GOC-in-C). The security challenges along borders with Pakistan and China were discussed at the meeting, sources said. According to a defence ministry statement, Singh said, "It is matter of great pride that Indian Army is ready for full spectrum of challenges and it will be ensured that their capabilities keep getting continuously enhanced." "Jointmanship of the Indian armed forces will be a key area and due endeavours towards the same will be ensured," he added. Singh said defence ministry will remain fully committed to speedily enhance the capabilities of the armed forces, adding ensuring high morale and motivation of all ranks will be a priority. The ministry said Singh complimented the Indian Army for ensuring the "highest level" of professionalism and showing continuous readiness against external and internal challenges. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court Friday sent Kashmiri separatists Shabir Shah, Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam Bhat, arrested by NIA in connection with a terror funding case, to judicial custody till July 12. The case relates to alleged terror funding in the Valley and involves Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind based in Pakistan. Special Judge Rakesh Syal sent the trio to custody after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not seek any further custodial interrogation, advocate M S Khan, appearing for the accused, told PTI. NIA had arrested the three separatists on July 4 during in-chamber proceedings in the court and the agency was granted 10-day custody of the trio. Shah and Andrabi were already in custody in separate cases, while Alam was earlier brought from Jammu and Kashmir on transit remand where he was lodged in jail for alleged terror activities. NIA had filed a charge sheet in January 2018 against Saeed, another terror mastermind Syed Salahuddin and 10 Kashmiri separatists in a case of alleged terror funding and secessionist activities in the valley. While Shah was in judicial custody in a decade-old money laundering case for alleged terror financing, Andrabi was in jail in a case of allegedly waging a war against the country and delivering hate speeches in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the NIA, Shah had received Rs 10 lakh from hawala operator Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watal, a co-accused in the case. Besides, the money was also sent to the banned outfit Dukhtaraan-e-Milat of which Andrabi was the chief, NIA had said. The case in which the accused were arrested on July 4 relates to alleged conspiracy to wage a war against the government (Section 121 of Indian Penal Code) by carrying out terrorist and secessionist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The probe agency has chargesheeted 12 persons, including Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Other offences for which the accused were chargesheeted include those punishable under sections 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Besides Saeed and Salahuddin, the other 10 accused in the final report were -- Hurriyat leader Syed Shah Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, Geelani's personal assistant Bashir Ahmad Bhat, media advisor and strategist of the Hurriyat Conference Aftab Ahmad Shah, secessionist outfit National Front chief Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (R) Farooq Ahmad Dar, media advisor of Hurriyat Conference (Geelani faction) Mohammad Akbar Khanday, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat official Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, hawala operator Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watal and two stone-pelters - Kamran Yusuf and Javed Ahmad Bhat. According to the NIA, the case was registered on May 30, 2017 and the first arrests made on July 24, 2017. Over 300 witnesses were examined during the probe, it has said. The NIA has said the conspiracy was hatched with active support, connivance and funding from terrorist organisations based in Pakistan and its agencies to achieve their objective of secession of the Jammu and Kashmir by waging war against the Indian government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : The severe water scarcity being faced by Chennai and its suburbs prompted DMK chief M K Stalin Friday to demand the resignation of Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani and to urge Chief Minister K Palaniswami to dismiss him from the cabinet if he did not quit. Demanding to know why people were made to wait for 15 to 18 days to get water through state-run Metrowater lorries, he said the public were running from pillar to post to get even a pot of water. Water supplied through Metrowater pipelines had a foul smell in many areas, he alleged. Chennai and its suburbs are experiencing severe water scarcity, with borewells and lakes going dry, forcing people and commercial establishments to depend on water supplied through tankers from villages in neighbouring districts. Chennai Metrowater cannot meet the entire demand, prompting people to depend on private water tanker operators. Not only drinking water, but availability of water for every day use is under severe strain in many neighbourhoods. Stalin demanded to know why several restaurants were being shut and Information Technology companies were asking their employees to work from home (unable to tackle the water scarcity). Blaming the Municipal Administration Minister for the situation, he said there was no proper reply from him on the crisis. He sought to know why two desalination projects announced in 2013 has still not seen the light of day. "I urge Chief Minister K Palaniswami to take constructive steps to resolve the drinking water crisis faced by the people of Chennai," he said. "Velumani's failure is behind the drinking water crisis faced by people in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu," he alleged. He demanded that the minister quit his post, owning up moral responsibility for the crisis "If he fails to resign, I urge the Chief Minister to dismiss him from his post. The people of Tamil Nadu too expect only that," he said. Expressing satisfaction over his party MLAs "distributing drinking water" to the people, he urged them to accelerate their work more to help them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals in Delhi held demonstrations on Friday by boycotting work, marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata. A group of doctors also met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and apprised him about the medical fraternity's demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Doctors under the banner of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) held out marches in the AIIMS campus Friday, with many wearing bandages on forehead or helmets. Doctors at Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital also joined the protest. Several doctors of Delhi government hospitals, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash (LNJP) Hospital, Dr BR Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, DDU Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, and private hospital like Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Friday also joined the stir. "Yes, doctors at LNJP Hospital have joined the protest in solidarity with colleagues in Bengal. The OPD is shut, and only emergency department is functioning. The hospital OPD's average footfall on a regular day is about 9,000. But, today only about 2,000 has visited," the hospital's Medical Superintendent, Dr Kishore Singh, told PTI. He said patient services will get affected as this is the Delhi government's biggest hospital, but, as fellow doctors, a stand has been taken to show support. At Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, the private OPD was closed for today as a mark of solidarity, officials said. "All doctors of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital are fully in support of our colleagues in West Bengal and strongly protest against growing tendency of violence against doctors," a hospital spokesperson said. The resident doctors associations of G B Pant and Guru Nanak Hospital, associated with the Maulana Azad Medical College have also joined the protest. Condemning the violence in West Bengal, the AIIMS RDA had on Thursday urged resident doctors' association to join the token strike. As scores of doctors began the strike for a day, healthcare services at private and government hospitals in the national capital are being affected. There is a shutdown of out patient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, except emergency services in several hospitals of the city. In the wake of the strike, the AIIMS has instituted contingency measures to take care of the patients admitted, including those in the ICUs and wards. The AIIMS medical superintendent had on Thursday put out a memo stating that as part of contingency measures, OPD services will function in a restricted manner till normalcy is restored. Only follow-up patients with prior appointment will be registered in the OPD, while registration of new patients will be done as per availability of faculty, it said. Routine operation theatre (OT) services will remain suspended and only emergency cases will be taken up for surgical operations. Diagnostic services will also function in a restricted manner, the memo stated. Resident doctors at the AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital had on Thursday worked with bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest. The AIIMS RDA had also decided to observe a 'Black Day' on Friday to protest against the assault on doctors in West Bengal. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) observed a "Black Day" on Thursday against the brutal attack and had declared an absolute shutdown on Friday. The DMA executive stated that the organisation is ready for an agitation to press for strong legislation and strict action against violence at hospitals. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed the members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district. Simultaneously, all the local branches and individual members of the IMA will appeal to the prime minister and the Union home minister, demanding a central legislation against violence against doctors. The IMA has also urged its state branches to pass on the information to government doctors' organisations of the states and request for their support and issue a press statement to this effect. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors at the SMS government hospital here wore black bands and helmets to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. Indian Medical Association's (IMA) state general secretary Dr V K Jain said resident doctors were seen wearing black bands and helmets while discharging their duties in outdoor unit of the SMS hospital here. Jain said doctors in other districts of the state also took part in the token protest. "The protest is over rising violence against doctors. Concrete action should be taken against such attacks," he said. Junior doctors in West Bengal have been agitating since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Government doctors in Uttar Pradesh Friday wore black band to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. Dr Amit Singh, the general secretary of Provincial Medical Services Association UP, said, "Government doctors wore black bands while discharging their duties at various hospitals in the state. In the afternoon, a delegation of the doctors submitted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister through the district magistrate." In the memorandum, "we have demanded security for doctors so that they do not feel scared". He added that more than 18,700 doctors associated with the Provincial Medical Services Association UP took part in the protest. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The stir by junior doctors protesting assault on two of their colleagues at a hospital in Kolkata assumed nationwide proportions Friday with government doctors from various states expressing solidarity and resorting to agitations. The protests began after a patient's relatives assaulted the doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Sunday night. The doctors have demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal. Among other things, they are are pressing for more stringent laws to protect them from such assaults. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) launched a three-day nationwide protest from Friday to express solidarity with the doctors and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. In Delhi, scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals held demonstrations by boycotting work, marching and raising slogans. They also met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and apprised him of the medical fraternity's demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. In a letter to Banerjee, the Union minister has urged her to ensure an "amicable end" to the protests and provide a secure working environment for doctors. Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) had declared that junior doctors at government hospitals in the state will not perform surgeries or attend to out-patient departments (OPDs) between 8 am and 5 pm Friday. In Hyderabad and other places in Telangana, Junior doctors staged protests against the assault at major state-run hospitals, including Gandhi hospital and Osamania General hospital in the city, P S Vijayender, a leader of the junior doctors association in Telangana, said. In Jaipur, doctors at the SMS government hospital wore black bands and helmets to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. Doctors from other districts of Rajasthan also took part in the token protest, according to a report. In Raipur, around 400 junior doctors of Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur - the biggest government hospital in the state - staged a protest from 8 am to 2 pm in premises of the medical facility. The services at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at Panaji and its facilities across the state were partially affected Friday as several doctors went on a one-day strike. In Chandigarh, over 1,200 resident doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) held a demonstration to express solidarity with their protesting counterparts in Kolkata. In Coimbatore, over 100 doctors staged a dharna in front of the government hospital to protest against the assault of a junior doctor in Kolkata. The doctors, including women, belonging to the local chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association raised slogans. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scores of doctors at some government and private hospitals in Delhi held demonstrations Friday by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata. A group of doctors also met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and apprised him of the demands of the medical fraternity to ensure safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. Doctors under the banner of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) held out marches in the AIIMS campus, with many wearing bandages on their foreheads. The resident doctors associations of the Maulana Azad Medical College and associated hospitals have also joined the protest. Condemning the violence in West Bengal, the AIIMS RDA had on Thursday urged all the RDAs across the country to join the token strike. Healthcare services at private and government hospitals in the national capital are likely to be affected on Friday as scores of doctors began the boycott for a day. There will be a complete shutdown of all out patient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, except emergency services in the hospitals, several medical bodies of the city had said on Thursday. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In the wake of the strike in West Bengal, the AIIMS has instituted contingency measures to take care of the admitted patients, including those in the ICUs and wards. As part of contingency measures, OPD services will function in a restricted manner till normalcy is restored, according to a memo put out by the AIIMS medical superintendent on Thursday. Only follow-up patients with prior appointment will be registered in the OPD, while registration of new patients will be done as per availability of the faculty, it said. Routine operation theatre (OT) services will remain suspended and only emergency cases will be taken up for surgical operations. Diagnostic services will also function in a restricted manner, it added. Resident doctors at the AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital had on Thursday worked with bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest. The AIIMS RDA had also decided to observe a 'Black Day' on Friday to protest against the assault on doctors in West Bengal. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) observed a "Black Day" on Thursday against the brutal attack and had declared an absolute shutdown on Friday. The DMA Executive stated that the organisation is ready for an agitation to press for strong legislation and strict action against violence at hospitals. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed the members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has also urged its members to observe a "Black Day" on Thursday against the brutal attack. Simultaneously, all the local branches and individual members of the IMA will send an appeal to the prime minister and the Union home minister, demanding a central Act on violence against doctors and hospitals. The IMA has also urged its state branches to communicate the information to the government doctors' organisations of the states, request for their support and issue a press statement to this effect. Simultaneously, all the local branches and individual members of the IMA will send an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding a central Act on violence against doctors and in hospitals. The IMA on Thursday had also urged its state branches to communicate the information to the government doctors' organisations of the states and request for their support and issue press statements to this effect. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The services at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and its facilities across the state were partially affected Friday as several doctors went on a one-day strike in solidarity with their counterparts in West Bengal. The protest was part of the nationwide strike call given by medical associations after a patient's relatives assaulted two junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The doctors are pressing for more stringent laws to protect them from such assaults. The Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD) president Veeresh HM said a majority of doctors participated in the protest. "We demand immediate arrest of all perpetrators involved (in the attack on doctors at Kolkata hospital) and a formal apology from the Chief Minister of West Bengal for her actions related to the incident," he said in a release. Medical services in Goa were not paralysed as senior doctors were attending to patients, he said. The doctors attached to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Goa branch also extended their support to the protest by wearing black badges on arms and black shirts. "We strongly feel that the West Bengal government should support the doctors," IMA member and senior oncologist Dr Shekhar Salkar said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The country's top association of medical professionals called for a strike on Monday as doctors' protests in after assaults on them spread across India. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) launched a three-day protest Friday and said on Monday doctors won't provide non-essential health services. In Bengal, doctors demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across "We want unconditional apology of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the manner in which she had addressed us at the SSKM Hospital yesterday. She should not have said what she had," a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Dr Arindam Dutta, said. While visiting the SSKM Hospital on Thursday, Banerjee had contended that "outsiders" had entered medical colleges to create disturbances and the agitation was a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP. Listing the six conditions, the agitators said the chief minister will have to visit the injured doctors at the hospital and her office should release a statement condemning the attack on them. "We also want immediate intervention of the chief minister. Documentary evidence of judicial enquiry against the inactivity of the police to provide protection to the doctors at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night should also be provided," he said. Two junior doctors were assaulted on Monday night by family members of a patient who died in the NRS Hospital. "We demand documentary evidence and details of action taken against those who had attacked us," Dutta said. They also demanded unconditional withdrawal of all "false cases and charges" which were imposed on junior doctors and medical students across in the wake of their strike. They also stressed on their demand for improvement of infrastructure in all health facilities as well as posting of armed police personnel there. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Friday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of politicising the issue of doctors' agitation and the BJP of communalising it. Protesting doctors demanded Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal. "West Bengal govt must invite health workers & resolve this humanitarian crisis on a war footing. CM is trying to politicise instead of discharging basic responsibility. BJP wants to communalise by highlighting the religious identity of victims of a tragedy," he tweeted. While visiting the SSKM Hospital on Thursday, Banerjee had contended that "outsiders" had entered medical colleges to create disturbances and the agitation was a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP. Listing the six conditions, the agitators said the chief minister will have to visit the injured doctors at the hospital and her office should release a statement condemning the attack on them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors across Uttarakhand on Friday performed their duties wearing black badges to express solidarity with the ongoing agitation of junior doctors in West Bengal. The doctors will continue to wear black badges till Monday midnight, IMA's state secretary D D Choudhury said. He said it is high time the National Security Act is implemented to create a strong deterrent for those who attack doctors on duty anywhere in the country. Resident doctors at several medical facilities all over the state, including the AIIMS, Rishikesh and the Doon Medical College and Hospital here, wore black badges in protest against the incident. On Monday, a day-long closure of OPD services will be enforced in protest against the incident, Choudhury said, adding emergency operations shall continue as per schedule. Junior doctors in West Bengal have been agitating since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's exports grew by 3.93 per cent to USD 30 billion in May on account of healthy growth in sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals and engineering, according to a commerce ministry data released Friday. Imports too rose by 4.31 per cent to USD 45.35 billion, widening the trade deficit to USD 15.36 billion in May. The deficit, the difference between exports and imports, was USD 14.62 billion in May 2018. Oil imports rose by 8.23 per cent to USD 12.44 billion and non-oil imports expanded by 2.9 per cent to USD 32.91 billion during the month under review. Gold imports rose by 37.43 per cent to USD 4.78 billion. Cumulatively, exports in April-May 2019-20 was up by 2.37 per cent to USD 56 billion. Imports rose by 4.39 per cent to USD 86.75 billion, registering a trade deficit of USD 30.69 billion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Friday met his Bangladeshi and Bahrainian counterparts as he arrived here in the Tajik capital to attend the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). The CICA is a pan-Asia forum for enhancing cooperation and promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. "Reached Dushanbe for the 5th CICA Summit and begun meetings. Delighted that first one was with our closest friend Bangladesh A K Abdul Momen," Jaishankar said in a tweet. "A very warm meeting with a distinguished and experienced collegue Foreign Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa," he said in another tweet. The theme of the 5th Summit is "Shared Vision for a Secure and More Prosperous CICA Region". The Summit will adopt a declaration covering issues of cooperation within CICA. During the Summit, the CICA leaders are likely to deliberate on the existing and emerging issues of common concern to the members and underline implementation of confidence building measures for developing Asia into a prosperous, secure and peaceful region. India is a member of the CICA since its inception and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had participated in the first CICA Summit held in 2002 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. India has been actively participating in various activities conducted under the aegis of CICA. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday called on Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao here ahead of the start of the monsoon session and amid talk of cabinet expansion. Official sources said the purpose of the meeting was "routine briefing" by the chief minister. The monsoon session of the state legislature is to begin from June 17. In the last few days, both Fadnavis and finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had said that the ministry will be expanded. Currently, there are 37 ministers including the chief minister, and Fadnavis can accommodate another five. A vacancy was created due to the death of BJP leader Pandurang Fundkar, then agriculture minister, in 2018. The portfolio is now being handled by revenue minister Chandrakant Patil. Deepak Sawant, then health minister, resigned earlier this year and the department is being looked after by Eknath Shinde, who is also the PWD minister. Parliamentary Affairs and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Girish Bapat resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Pune. His portfolios are being shared by Education Minister Vinod Tawde and Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal. While the BJP has 16 cabinet ministers and seven ministers of state (MoS), its main all Shiv Sena has five cabinet ministers and only one MoS. Smaller allies have one cabinet and MoS post each. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray late Friday night to discuss the proposed cabinet expansion in the state. In the last few days, both Fadnavis and finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar have said the ministry will be expanded. In a tweet, Fadnavis said, "I met shiv sena president uddhav thackeray at his residence Matoshri and discussed in detail cabinet expansion." Earlier in the day, when asked about a cabinet expansion, Thackeray had said, "I don't know when the cabinet expansion is happening. I don't have a 'panchang' (almanac)." There is speculation in political circles that the expansion could take place on Sunday, a day before the three week monsoon session of the state legislature begins. Fadnavis earlier met Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan. Currently, there are 37 ministers including the chief minister, and Fadnavis can accommodate another five. A vacancy was created due to the death of BJP leader Pandurang Fundkar, then agriculture minister, in 2018. The portfolio is now being handled by revenue minister Chandrakant Patil. Deepak Sawant, then health minister, resigned earlier this year and the department is being looked after by Eknath Shinde, who is also the PWD minister. Parliamentary Affairs and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Girish Bapat resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Pune. His portfolios are being shared by Education Minister Vinod Tawde and Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal. While the BJP has 16 cabinet ministers and seven ministers of state (MoS), its main all Shiv Sena has five cabinet ministers and only one MoS. Smaller allies have one cabinet and MoS post each. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chris Hemsworth's movie choices post his success as Thor have one thing in common -- strong and independent female characters. The actor played a handsome but daft-headed secretary in an all-female reboot of "Ghostbusters" and in his latest "MIB: International", he features as Agent H opposite the franchise's first on-field woman agent, Agent M (Tessa Thompson). The Hollywood star says even though he has not picked these movies keeping in mind the debate around gender, he is is happy that the change is finally happening. "I am glad that people are now sort of well aware. And for younger generation, it is normal as opposed to my or the older generations. We sort of have to rethink about it. Making it a norm should be the aim. That's important and I think it's occurring," Hemsworth told PTI in a group interview here. The 35-year-old Australian actor said the fact that audiences are open to female superhero films and have made movies like "Wonder Woman" and "Captain Marvel" a huge success, shows the shift. "It is fantastic that there is a change happening. There has been a conversation for a while now. You talked to people 10 years ago about of a female superhero film and most of them would have said it won't work and so on. "I think 'Captain Marvel' or 'Wonder Woman'... these films have made more money than any of the other stand-alones. These films have as much or sort of more following and appreciation than other films. For my kids in particular, Wonder Woman is their favourite superhero," he added. Hemsworth said he has always enjoyed collaborating with women who are opinionated and working with veteran star Emma Thompson in "MIB: International" was one-of-a-kind experience. "I first met her at an event many years ago. She has the most wacky sense of humour and she is just incredibly kind and collaborative," he said. The actor, however, admitted that he was initially "intimidated" by the Academy Award winning actor. "She's the kind of person who you walk up to and you're intimidated to work with. But she instantly puts you at ease. She is all about sort of having fun. And it's interesting to see it in people like her, who are sort of Gods in the acting world." Hemsworth said, for him, the biggest takeaway in working with seasoned performers like Thompson is their "humility". "The humility these people have and also they still carry that sense of doubt like 'Will this be my last job? 'Am I any good at this?' It's quite comforting. "But it's also part of the talent of people like Emma that keeps you grounded. It just forces you to work harder. It's a pretty good motivator," he said. The Sony Pictures India released "MIB: International" in the country on Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A five-day-old boy abducted from the civic-run Nair Hospital in central Mumbai on Thursday, was rescued within seven hours, and a woman was arrested in this connection, police said on Friday. The woman, identified as Hazel Corriea, was nabbed around 12.30 am from a hospital in suburban Vakola around, where she had gone for treatment, police said. According to police, the incident of abduction had taken place at around 5.30 pm in ward number 7 of the hospital when the baby's mother, Shital Salvi (34) was sleeping. On waking up, she did not find her baby on the bed and informed the hospital staff about it. When staffers checked the video footage of CCTVs installed in the hospital, they spotted a woman rushing out of the medical facility with a baby in her bag, they said. In a tweet posted on Friday, Mumbai police said, "Agripada police station didn't take long to trace the five day old child of Sheetal Ramesh Salvi from the accused, who abducted him from Nair hospital. Accused Hazel Corriea has been booked under section 363 of IPC." "Accused Hazel Corriea was arrested by Agripada police within 7 hours," it said in another tweet. Police said the infant has been handed over to the family. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five persons, including two women and a 5-year-old child, were killed and eight others injured when a pick-up truck collided with a tempo near here. The accident took place in Khailam village under Aliganj police station, police said Friday. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital, where the condition of two of them is said to be critical, they added. UP Irrigation Minister Dharampal Singh rushed to the district hospital on getting the information about the accident. "The driver of the pick-up truck has been arrested, said Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sansar Singh. He identified deceased as Shriwati (45), Krishnapal (30), Mamta (27) and Mamta's son Keshav (5). The identity of the fifth deceased is yet to be ascertained, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five police personnel were killed in an ambush by Maoists Friday while they were patrolling the area here, officials said. According to Sub-Divisional Police Officer Avinash Kumar, the five police personnel -- two assistant sub-inspectors and three constables -- came under attack while patrolling the Tiruldih police station area of the district along the Jharkhand-Bengal border. Additional Director General of Police Murari Lal Meena said the Maoists gheraoed the policemen and shot them dead. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das condemned the attack, saying "their martyrdom will not go in vain". The entire state is with the bereaved families, he said. Das said the incident would not affect the morale of the security personnel and the government would continue to take action against the Maoists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) on Friday announced the appointment of Premal Desai as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its steel division to oversee the restructuring of its business following the collapse of a proposed joint venture with Indian steel major, Tata Steel, in Europe. Steel Europe and Europe had signed agreements on June 30, 2018, to create a 50:50 joint venture. However, the European Commission had raised concerns over high prices for electrical steel, automotive steel and packaging among others in the event of the merger going ahead. In May 2019, the two announced they were scrapping the plan. The 50-year-old Indian-origin executive, who has been Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Steel Europe AG since 2015, will take charge as the Chairman of the Executive Board of the company. As a former Head of Strategy at ThyssenKrupp AG, Desai will now be in charge of formulating a "sustainable strategy" for the steel division. "Shaping the future of steel is a challenging task. There's a lot to do," said Desai. "We look forward to tackling this together as management team. The market environment is not easy, but we are in a strong position and have a lot of potential. We'll build on that," he said. Further down the line, Desai is also set to take over the strategy and planning function as well as the financial function and will lead the Management Board of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG. The German steel major said Andreas Goss will resign from his position as CEO by "mutual agreement" in view of the cancellation of the proposed joint venture with the Indian steel giant Tata, indicating that the changes have been necessitated as a result of the European Union's decision to block the JV over fears that it would have led to increased prices for different types of steel in Europe. "Our steel business is facing major challenges. We have now put together a strong team that will tackle the tasks at hand quickly and develop a sustainable strategy for steel following the cancellation of the joint venture," said Guido Kerkhoff, CEO of ThyssenKrupp AG. Amid the major changes at the top rung of the company, Heribert Fischer will also leave the Steel Board but remain with ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG in an advisory capacity at the request of the company. Bernhard Osburg, currently responsible for sales management in the steel segment, will join the Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG as Chief Commercial Officer and will be responsible for all sales and innovation activities in the steel business. Steel producers in Europe have been hit by falling demand in the past few months, with both ThyssenKrupp and indicating shifts in strategy for their European operations. The two had hoped to create the second-largest European steel entity behind Lakshmi N Mittal's ArcelorMittal with a merger, but the European Commission rejected the plans after an in-depth investigation concluded that the had failed to offer "adequate remedies" to ensure their proposed JV would not reduce competition and increase prices. Know Desai The 50-year-old has been chief financial officer of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe since 2015, and was a former head of strategy at ThyssenKrupp He will be in charge of formulating a sustainable strategy for steel division Desai to take over the strategy and planning function as well as the financial function and will lead the board of ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe (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.) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Friday said he met Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' and held discussions on the upcoming IIT and NIT projects in the state, besides Goa University. He said he had invited the Union Human Resources Development minister to inaugurate a government college campus at Pernem. Sawant also tweeted about his meeting with Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah against the backdrop of the NITI ( National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog meet in New Delhi. "Called on Shri @AmitShah ji, Union Home Minister and BJP National President in New Delhi today" Sawant tweeted. Sawant is scheduled to return to Goa on June 16. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Labour Minister Gopal Rai Friday found alleged irregularities by a private agency at Ambedkar University here on Friday, a government statement said. The minister has ordered termination of the tender of the agency, which sacked sever contractual employees, the statement stated. The labour minister has directed the administration to reinstate the services of the sacked employees. "During the inspection, the minister found irregularities on part of the agency following which he directed the termination of its tender," it stated. For the last few days, Rai has been making inspections at state-owned institutions to address issues of the people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Graphite India Ltd has sought the shareholders' nod to raise upto Rs 5,000 crore to meet the company's resource requirements including capex and acquisitions. The fund will be raised in one or multiple tranches in the Indian or overseas markets, said a company resolution which was sent to the shareholders. Graphite India did not elaborate on any specific capex plan. The company was planning to scale the capacity of its Durgapur unit in West Bengal after the closure of the Bangalore plant following green tribunal orders. The Bangalore plant had an output of 13,000 tonnes and contributed 17.05 per cent to the turnover of the company Ltd in 2017-18. The company had said it would debottleneck its Durgapur unit, along with the Nasik facility to cover the gap caused by the closure of the Bangalore plant. Durgapur is the largest producer of the electrode for the company, accounting for around 59 per cent of its capacity of 98,000 tonnes. The company made a profit after tax of Rs 3,396 crore on an income of Rs 5,233 crore in 2018-19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Agitated by the attack on two junior doctors in West Bengal by a patient's kin earlier this week, junior doctors in Gujarat Friday held peaceful protests demanding security and stricter laws for their protection. Junior doctors and students of different government and private medical colleges organised marches in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat to express solidarity with their WB counterparts. Several doctors held banners with slogans like "Stop violence against doctors", "I protest attacks on doctors" and "Save the saviors". In Ahmedabad, over 300 junior doctors from various government hospitals participated in a protest march demanding action against those involved in attacks on medical personnel as well as a stricter law for the protection of doctors. "Junior doctors are holding such rallies across the country today to express solidarity with the two doctors who were attacked in West Bengal. There must be zero tolerance for those who attack doctors. The offence must be non-bailable. We want a stricter law in this regard," said a junior doctor at one of the protest rallies. "We are healers, not killers. People must show some respect. Today it happened in West Bengal, tomorrow it can happen in other states too. We want justice for those who were attacked there. We want the government to take stern action to stop such violence," said another doctor. Two doctors were seriously injured after relatives of a patient who died in Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata attacked medical staff there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case, holding that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the accusations against them were prima facie true. The "incriminating evidence" gathered by investigation agencies against nine others who had been made accused earlier, but discharged later, will also have to be "kept in mind" while dealing with the present bail pleas, the court also said. A division bench of justices I A Mahanty and A M Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhari. "The applicants shall be released on cash bail of Rs 50,000. They shall attend the special court on each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses," the bench said. The four, who are in jail since their arrest in 2013, had approached the high court in 2016 after a special court rejected their bail pleas in June that year. The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetery near Hamidia mosque at Malegaon near Nashik on September 8, 2006, claimed 31 lives and injured over 100 people. "From the evidence and material available on record, it is not possible to conclude that there are reasonable grounds for believing that accusations against the appellants are prima facie true," the court said, adding that therefore, they are entitled to be released on bail. The Maharashtra Police's Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), which first probed the case, had arrested nine accused from a minority community. The case was later handed over to the CBI, which followed the same line of investigation. When the probe was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), it concluded that the blasts were carried out by people belonging to the majority community. The NIA decided to drop charges against the nine accused and booked Singh, Sharma, Narwaria and Chaudhari. The special trial court in 2016 accepted the NIA's stand and discharged the nine accused. The special NIA court while rejecting the present four accused persons' bail pleas had held that there are reasonable grounds to believe that accusations were prima facie true. The high court Friday, however, noted that the special court should not have ignored the reports submitted by the earlier investigating agencies (ATS and CBI). "The special court is duty-bound to consider all reports, entire record and documents submitted by the Anti Terrorism Squad, CBI as well as the NIA," the HC said. The bench noted that the charge sheet filed by the ATS clearly showed that those who were initially arraigned as accused in the case had held several meetings for conspiring to commit terrorist and subversive activities at Malegaon in order to incite Muslims and cause a riot. It further added that the ATS had submitted to the court forensic evidence to show that RDX was used in the blasts, and the samples collected from the earlier accused persons' houses showed traces of RDX. The second investigating agency, CBI, too submitted evidence against those nine accused, the court observed. "This incriminating evidence available against those nine accused will have to be kept in mind while deciding the appeals (seeking bail) filed by the present applicants, who came to be impleaded as accused persons by the third investigating agency (NIA)," the court said. Besides seeking bail, Singh and others had challenged the discharge of the nine earlier accused. The four accused also challenged the special court's order rejecting their own applications seeking discharge. Those appeals will be heard by the high court at a later stage. Apart from these four, the NIA had named four more persons as accused, who are absconding. While the NIA dropped the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) from the case, it charged the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Explosive Substances Act and the Explosives Act. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Calcutta High Court on Friday refused to pass any interim order on the strike by junior doctors at state-run hospitals in protest against the attack on two of their colleagues by family members of a patient. A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Suvra Ghosh asked the state government to persuade the striking doctors to resume work and provide usual services to patients. The court also directed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to apprise it of the steps taken following the attack on the junior doctors at a city hospital on Monday night. The Chief Justice, during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), reminded the striking doctors of the 'Hippocratic Oath' they take to ensure the welfare of all patients. The bench fixed June 21 for further hearing of the petition. Junior doctors across all state-run hospitals in West Bengal have called for a strike, demanding adequate security in medical colleges and hospitals, after two of their colleagues were brutally beaten up at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city. Emergency wards, outdoor facilities, pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state have remained closed over the past three days in the wake of the protest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Calcutta High Court on Friday refused to pass any interim order on the strike by junior doctors in protest against an attack on their colleagues at a hospital here and asked the state government to resolve the issue so that patients can get health services. A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Suvra Ghosh also directed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to apprise it of the steps taken following the attack on junior doctors, two of whom suffered serious injuries, at NRS Medical College and Hospital on Monday night after death of a patient. The Chief Justice, during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), reminded the striking doctors of the 'Hippocratic Oath' they take to ensure the welfare of all patients. The bench fixed June 21 for further hearing of the petition. Claiming that the strike by the doctors is unlawful, petitioner Kunal Saha prayed that the state take meaningful steps to end the impasse. Appearing for the state, Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted before the court that the government does not support the strike. When the Chief Justice asked him whether the police have initiated action in the case of attack on junior doctors by the relatives and neighbours of a patient, who died Monday night at NRS hospital, Dutta answered in the affirmative. The bench asked the state government to persuade the striking doctors to resume work and provide usual services to patients. Doctors across all state-run hospitals in West Bengal are on a strike, demanding adequate security in medical colleges and hospitals. Emergency wards, outpatient facilities, pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state have remained closed for the last three days in the wake of the protest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A top Union Ministry of Earth Sciences official Friday said cyclone Vayu is likely to recurve and hit Kutch on June 17-18, hours after Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced that the storm posed no threat to the state as it had moved westward. Cyclone Vayu was to hit the Gujarat coast on Thursday, but it changed course on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. It skirted the Gujarat coast, affecting Gir, Somnath, Diu, Junagarh and Porbandar. "Vayu is likely to recurve on June 16 and hit Kutch on June 17-18," M Rajeevan, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told PTI. The intensity of the very severe cyclonic storm is also likely to reduce, Rajeevan said, adding that it may hit the coast as a cyclonic storm or a deep depression. He said the Gujarat government has been alerted about the possible recurvature of the cyclonic storm. Speaking on the IMD's latest weather report, Ahmedabad Meteorological Centre Additional Director Manorama Mohanty, however, said it was too early to predict if the cyclone will recurve and hit Kutch or Saurashtra. "The report says it may recurve in the next 48 hours. But it is also possible it may weaken by then and dissipate in the sea itself. Thus, it is too early to predict that it will come back and hit the Kutch coast," she said. Gujarat Chief Secretary J N Singh said authorities were keeping a watch on the situation and NDRF teams would continue to be stationed along the coastline for the next 48 hours. "Even if it comes back to Kutch or Saurashtra after 48 hours, the system may have weakened significantly. However, we are alert. If something happens on June 17 and 18, we're ready for that. NDRF teams are also there for the next 48 hours. We have not called them back," he said. Earlier in the day, after a meeting with officials in Gandhinagar, CM Rupani had said, "Gujarat is now completely safe. There exists no threat from cyclone Vayu now as the storm has veered towards the west in the Arabian Sea." "Around 2.75 lakh people, who were evacuated from the coastal areas, are free to return to their homes," the chief minister told reporters, adding that the state government would pay a total allowance of around Rs 5.5 crore to the evacuees for daily expenses over the next three days. "Schools and colleges will start tomorrow. We are also calling back senior officials and ministers, who were deployed in 10 coastal districts to supervise relief and rescue operations. Road transport buses have started plying in these areas today," Rupani had said. The cyclone, while not making landfall in Gujarat, brought moderate-to-heavy rains to 114 tehsils, the highest rainfall of 6.5 inches (160mm) being recorded in Talala tehsil of Gir-Somnath district since Thursday, a Met department release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' congratulated JEE (Advanced), 2019 toppers Friday and said encouraged those students who could not qualify not to lose heart. The minister spoke to the JEE (Advanced), 2019 toppers over the phone and appreciated their feat. "Heartiest congratulations to all those students who qualified for the JEE(Advanced) 2019 organised by IIT-Roorkee. I am sure you will play a pivotal role in the making of new India. Students who could not qualify in the entrance test should not be disappointed because there will be many opportunities to prove your mettle," Nishank tweeted. The results of JEE (Advanced), 2019 were announced by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee Friday, with Kartikey Chandresh Gupta of Maharashtra emerging as the topper. Of the total number 1,61,319 candidates who appeared in both the papers one and two of the examination, 38,705 have cleared the exam. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Friday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh DGP, seeking a report within four weeks on the assault of a TV journalist in Shamli on June 11. The human rights body sought a detailed report from the DGP, including action taken against the guilty public servants and the status of the FIR registered against them, an NHRC press note said. In its notice, the NHRC said just a few hours after the Supreme Court ordered the release of a journalist, Amit Sharma was brutally assaulted by an SHO of the Government Railway Police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- Over 450 brands offer their exclusive range of Jewellery at the three-day B2B Fair Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair (HJF 2019), India's premium B2B jewellery trade show, commenced its 12th edition today at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Novotel, Hyderabad. Chief Guest - Shri. T. Padma Rao Goud, Deputy Speaker, Telangana; Mr. Mahendra Tayal, President, Hitech City Jewellers Manufacturers Association; Mr. Mukesh Agarwal, Convener, Hitech City Jewellers Manufacturers Association; Mr.Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India and Mr. Abhijit Mukherjee, Group Director, UBM India inaugurated the fair in the presence of other dignitaries from the jewellery trade. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/471349/UBM_Logo.jpg ) (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/898194/HJF_2019_Logo.jpg )(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/902938/Inauguration_12th_edition_HJF.jpg ) Organised by UBM India, over the years the Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair has been a great platform for the Indian jewellery market, giving an excellent opportunity for the industry players to offer their designer jewellery and for the buyers an one-stop shop solution to witness, experience and place orders for their choice from an exclusive artisans collection. Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair , India's leading exhibition organizer is being held in association with Hitech City Jewellery Manufacturers Association (HJMA) and Telangana Bullion Gems & Jewellery Federation along with 200+ district associations from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi & Uttar Pradesh. Over 450 leading brands from across the country and abroad have showcased their finest jewellery and artisans collection to the visitors at the HJF 2019. The exhibitors comprised of top-most jewellery brands, fine finished jewellery manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, importers and exporters, jewellery manufacturers, machinery manufacturers, diamond, gemstone and pearls manufacturers, precious metal and jewellery mounting traders, packaging and display, hallmarkers, assayers and representatives from trade and governmental bodies. One of the key highlights of the show this year has been the debut participation from Indonesia bringing top 4 brands from Indonesia namely: Nahdi Jewellery, Mira, Ellyhan Jewellery, Indah Mutiara Lambok. Other key highlights of the fair included a designer pavilion that showcased India's prominent jewellery masterpieces; a first ever Regalia pavilion exclusively for B2B meetings and an array of new designs and launches at the fair from Indian and International brands. Speaking at the inauguration of the 12th edition of HJF, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, "India is one of the largest in the world contributing 29 per cent to the global jewellery consumption and is considered to be the hub of the global jewellery market because of its low cost and availability of high-skilled labour. Hyderabad represents the large and growing South Indian manufacturing and retail markets and with the 12th edition of HJF we are proud to play an important role in the region, generating sales and building better business relationships. With a special focus on South India's range of designer jewellery, the show promises to be an excellent platform for both buyers and suppliers and continues to attract key players in the world's jewellery industry. This year, we have participation from well-reputed local and overseas buyers from United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Dubai, Singapore and India and many more reinforcing the expo's position as a proven and trusted sourcing hub for the industry across the world." This year, the B2B fair will see participation from exhibitors that include prominent names such as Anmol Jewellers, Swaroop Jewellers, Chintamani Gold, Sri Shubam Jewellers, Gupta Gold, Vinati Jewellers, JKS Jewels Pvt Ltd, KK Ornaments, Jewel Park, Shree Kalpataru Jewellers Pvt Ltd, Mukti Gold, Anmol Swarn, Nahar Diamonds, SK Jewels, Hreenkar Jewellers, South India Jewellers, SK Seth, Dantara Jewellery, Rajendra Jewellers, Bhindi Jewellers amongst others. The HJF brings to the fore creativity and innovation in jewellery from among several cities and Tier II towns such as Vijayawada, Guntur, Vizag, Nellore and Warangal. The HJF is one of the four-city jewellery shows (Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi) that are hosted throughout the year by UBM India. Internationally, UBM plc organises the World's Biggest Jewellery Trade Event - The Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. Industry speak at HJF 2019: Key Exhibitors quotes: - Speaking on HJF, Mr. Mahender Tayal, President HJMA, Regional Chairman South GJEPC said, "Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl and Gem Fair has been a flagship event for the industry for over a decade. The platform gives us an opportunity to engage with other traders not only from India but also from other countries. We get to witness the latest trends in the jewellery industry, array of the premium jewellery, studded with pearls, ruby, emerald and diamonds and also meet large number of visitors. - Mr.Mukesh Agarwal, Vice president- Hitech City Jewellery manufacturers Association (HJMA) & Director, Swaroop Jewellers said - " We are glad to be associated with UBM from last 11years. HJF is one of the landmark shows for Hyderabad jewellery Manufactures, year-on-year it has gained immense popularity and it is indeed one of the biggest jewellery fair in South India. In this 12th Edition, we are showcasing the wide range of C.Z. pachi jewellery studded with rubies and emeralds, we have also created a complete range in temple jewellery studded with rubies and emeralds and C.Z." - Mr. Preetham Jain, Partner, Kala Mandir Collection - "Hyderabad is potential market for us and Hyderabad Jewellery Pearl and Gem Fair is the right platform for us to connect with small and large scale traders, which otherwise is not possible for us to market our products independently. This year, we have launched our Coimbatore specific unique highly finished casting ornaments at HJF 2019." - Mr. Roshni Prasad, CEO - JKS Jewels Pvt Ltd- "UBM HJF has been a great platform for us to market and promote our portfolio of jewellery. At HJF, we get an opportunity to engage with new buyers and also witness the latest trends in the industry. We are well known for our Kolkata handcrafted jewellery collection and we have showcased our latest designs at HJF 2019". About HJF HJF is organized by UBM, which in June 2019 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit https://hyderabad.jewelleryfair.in/ more information on the HJF and http://www.ubm.com/global-reach/ubm-asia / https://www.informamarkets.com/en/home.html for our presence in Asia. About UBM Asia: UBM Asia recently became part of Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit http://www.ubm.com/asia / https://www.informamarkets.com/en/home.html for more information about our presence in Asia. Source: UBM India Pvt. Ltd. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court Friday stayed Bombay High Court's order directing registration of a case against NCP leader and Maharashtra MLC Dhananjay Munde for alleged illegal purchase of government land. The top court said that plenary power of the high court under Article 226 of the Constitution is not 'Ram Baan' and needs to be used sparingly. A vacation bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Surya Kant also sought reply from the Maharashtra government on the plea filed by Munde seeking stay on the high court order directing police to file a case against him for allegedly purchasing a land at Pus village in Ambajogai tehsil of Beed district. "What is troubling us is the exercise of power under Article 226 of the constitution by the high court in a matter like this. There are no reasons given for use of such powers. The plenary powers of the high court has to be used sparingly. It's not a 'Ram Baan' (panacea)," the bench observed. At the outset, senior advocate Amrendra Sharan, appearing for Munde informed the court that state police has registered the FIR against him in pursuance of the High Court's order. "Both the complaint and the FIR needs to be quashed. No complaint is made out and police has earlier said that no case is made out," the bench said. Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the complainant in the case opposed the contention said that high court was right in ordering for registration of case as police has refused to lodge an FIR against Munde who is a very influential political person. To this, the bench said, "What is so exceptional about this case that high court was forced to exercise its plenary powers guaranteed under Article 226 of the Constitution in disregard to the CrPC provisions." The bench said that the case would set wrong precedence as tomorrow people will move the high court for registration of cases under section 420 (cheating) IPC. Ahmadi said that allegations were very serious and government land was swindled by the accused in connivance with revenue officials. The bench said, "If this is allowed to happen, then every second matter will come up before the high court to get FIR lodged". The high court had on June 10 passed an order for registration of a case against Munde on a plea filed by one Rajabhau Phad, who alleged that the land which belonged to the government was purchased and given to the Belkhandi Math in Beed as gift. As per law, the land cannot be transferred without the government's permission, the initial petition had said. Heirs of Ranit Wyanka Giri, the mahant of the Belkhandi Math, transferred the land in their names and claimed that they were its owners and the government was not informed about it, according to the petition. The land was later bought by Munde on the basis of a general power of attorney in 2012. Munde applied for non-agricultural status (NA) of the land and got it, the petition had alleged. Phad had approached the Bardapur police station in Beed seeking a criminal case to be lodged against Munde, his wife and others. However, when the police failed to initiate a probe, Phad approached the high court claiming that the land originally belonged to the government and hence, cannot be sold to anyone. He had sought an FIR be lodged under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 467, 468 and 471 (forgery) against Munde, his wife and 15 others. Munde had contended before the high court that there was a dispute between the then Math mahant and priest of the trust on this land. He had said the matter was taken to court and on the basis of decree, another person became the owner of the land, adding that in 2012, Munde bought the land from that person by adhering to all legal procedures. The high court's Aurangabad bench, however, had said prima facie it appears the government land was usurped and hence, directed the Bardapur police to file a case against Munde and others and probe the allegations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Haryana Police Friday claimed to have seized 219 boxes of illicit liquor in Panipat district which was allegedly being smuggled in a truck to Bihar. Police have arrested driver of the truck and helper, Sahzad and Kamru, both residents of Muzzafarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh. The seized liquor was being smuggled to Bihar, a spokesperson of Haryana police department said. He said a police team got secret information that a truck bearing UP registration number and carrying illicit liquor concealed under soap boxes was going towards Delhi from Karnal side. "After getting a tip-off, the police team immediately swung into action and signalled the truck driver to stop at a check barrier in Panipat district. "After seeing the police, the driver tried to speed up and run away. Police chased the vehicle, stopped it at a short distance and arrested both accused. On checking the vehicle, 219 boxes of Indian Made Foreign Liquor hidden under soap boxes were recovered," he said. The spokesperson said that during preliminary interrogation, the accused revealed that they were carrying seized liquor from Karnal to Bihar. "A case under relevant sections of the IPC and under the provisions of the Excise Act had been registered against the accused. Both were taken on remand by producing them before a court in Panipat," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After extending the deadline for several times, India will now go ahead with its decision to impose retaliatory import duties on 29 US products, including almond, walnut and pulses, sources said Friday. Finance ministry will issue a notification to this effect soon, they added. In May last year, the ministry had extended the deadline for imposing higher tariffs on these US products till June 16. These deadlines were extended several times since June 2018, when India decided to impose these duties in retaliation to a move by the US to impose high customs duties on certain steel and aluminium products. As part of the imposition of higher import duties, India has notified higher tariffs on several products. While import duty on walnut has been hiked to 120 per cent from 30 per cent, duty on chickpeas, Bengal gram (chana) and masur dal will be raised to 70 per cent, from 30 per cent currently. Levy on lentils will be increased to 40 per cent. India's exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at USD 47.9 billion, while imports were at USD 26.7 billion. The trade balance is in favour of India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India and Kyrgyzstan have prepared a five-year road map to increase the bilateral trade and urged the business communities from both countries to explore the untapped potential in various fields. Addressing the India-Kyrgyz Business Forum, he said that India and Kyrgyztan have given the final shape to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the bilateral investment treaty, which would help in creating a conducive atmosphere for the bilateral trade. Modi and Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyz Business Forum. Ahead of the Modi's visit to Kyrgyzstan, the Union Cabinet had approved the signing and ratification of bilateral investment treaty between India and Kyrgyzstan. The bilateral treaty is likely to increase flow of investment between India and Kyrgyzstan and provide protection to investors from the two nations making investments in both the countries. Stressing that the world's economy was rapidly changing and India's economic progress and technological development were the cause of stability and hope for the world, he said, "India is a big market, and young talent and enthusiastic innovators will play an important role in achieving our goal of making India a USD 5 trillion economy." Modi said that the bilateral trade and economic partnership between India and Kyrgyzstan has not achieved its potential and suggested three ways to give it a boost. "There are three catalysts for the growth of the bilateral trade and investment opportunities. They are conducive atmosphere, connectivity and business-to-business exchanges," he said. Apart from DTAA and bilateral investment treaty, he said "We have prepared a five-year roadmap to increase the bilateral trade." He asked Kyrgyz business leaders to work to with Indian businessmen, saying various products of India and Kyrgyzstan complement each other. "You all are welcome in India," he added. "Kyrgyz organic produce have good reputation in the market. Honey, walnuts and the dairy products of this country are famous for its ecological purity and natural processing," Modi said. He also said Kygyzstan provides good opportunities for Indian businessmen in the field of pharmacheuticals, textiles, railways, hydro-power, mining, mineral explorations and tourism. Underlining the importance of ease of connectivity in bilateral trade, Modi said Chabahar port (in Iran) has emerged as a new means of communication between India and Afghanistan. "There is a need for us to focus on increasing connectivity between India and Central Asia. The Kyrgyzstan republic is part of Eurasian Economic Union, and we are working on a preferential trade agreement to increase trade with the Eurasian Economic Union," he said. Modi said that various initiatives have been taken to increase the business-to-business exchanges under which "Namaskar Euraisa" trade show would be organised. Modi is in Kyrgyz capital to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Other members of the grouping are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its refusal to grant visa to 87 Indian pilgrims who wanted to visit the neighbouring country to observe the death anniversary of fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, official sources said. According to Sikhism, the event is also called Shahdi Jor Mela or Shaheedi Purab of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The pilgrims, who were denied visa, were part of the official jatha (group), the sources said, adding that restrictive visa was granted to a private group of Indian pilgrims. The Ministry of External Affairs has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on June 7, the sources said. The pilgrims visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib on the occasion. The visa for the pilgrims were sought under a 1974 bilateral protocol on visit to religious shrines. "The Ministry expressed its concern at the disregard shown by the High Commission of Pakistan on the religious sentiments and devotion of the Indian pilgrims especially by Pakistan unilaterally granting restrictive visa (by rail only) to a private group of Indian pilgrims," said a source. The MEA called upon Pakistan to immediately grant visa without any restriction, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's service sector exports rose by 2.8 per cent to USD 18.06 billion in the first month of the current fiscal, RBI data showed Friday. The services receipt or exports during April 2018 stood at USD 17.56 billion. Services payments or imports in April 2019 were at USD 11.4 billion, up by 4.6 per cent from USD 10.92 billion in the same month of 2018-19, according to the RBI data on India's international trade in services for April 2019. The Reserve Bank releases monthly data on India's international trade in services with a lag of around 45 days. The monthly data on services are provisional and undergo revision when the Balance of Payments (BoP) data are released on a quarterly basis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) South Africa: Calls to arm teachers slated The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has vehemently rejected calls for teachers to be armed with weapons on school premises, describing the appeal as irresponsible, reckless and dangerous. In a statement issued on Thursday, the department said the call would only escalate the violence that is already causing huge distress among our teachers, learners and the community in general. The reaction comes after the Educators Union of South Africa argued that the arming of teachers would curb attacks on educators. The union that has called for teachers to be armed is not a recognised union in the basic education sector, department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said. He said the DBE is, however, extremely concerned about the escalating violence in schools that has claimed the lives of teachers and learners. The majority of cases we observed indicate that unresolved issues led to the violent attacks. Furthermore, the attacks have widely occurred outside school premises. We have also observed the rise in gang-related activity involving learners and violent incidents ending in unnecessary loss of life. The department is very concerned that the violence has increasingly spilled into schools, causing untold emotional trauma and disruption to the learning and teaching environment, Mhlanga said. Various interventions have been introduced by the department to curb school violence and bullying. Among these is the long-standing protocol agreement with the South African Police Service. The agreement sees 18 000 schools linked to police stations within their vicinity. The agreement entails the police conducting random visits to educate learners about the dangers of crime and violence, starting with bullying. Mhlanga said the department has also developed a conduct of ethics for learners which, among other things, says a learner is expected to: accept that the main reason for being in school is to learn and develop academically, socially and culturally; adhere to school rules; respect the legitimacy and authority of teachers; participate in Learner Representative Councils (LRCs) to safeguard your interests; show respect to other learners and not discriminate; and avoid anti-social behaviour like theft, vandalism, assault, sexual harassment, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as other activities that disrupt the learning process. Mhlanga said the department is deeply concerned that despite the measures, the anti-violence strategy appears not to be yielding results. The strategy require all stakeholders to play their part in making sure that the policies and guidelines are effectively implemented. Crime prevention and the teaching of positive values and morals require a joint effort from all stakeholders, as the violent tendencies are not just a direct influence, but emanate from society. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. India is set to become a five trillion dollar economy by 2024 and is likely to overtake the UK this year to become the fifth largest economy in the world, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Friday. The Union minister for housing and urban affairs was speaking at the national council meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here. "We are a 2.8 trillion dollar economy. We are moving from this to 3 trillion dollar economy and 5 trillion dollar economy by the time the next elections take place. "This year we are likely to overtake the UK to become the fifth largest economy in the world. I have absolutely not doubt that by 2030 we'll be a 10 trillion dollar economy," Puri said. Puri, who also holds the portfolio of civil aviation, said this sector has tremendous potential to grow. "The civil aviation sector has tremendous potential to grow. We need to provide domestic carriers a level playing field and make sure we reclaim the lost space," he said. In the urban space, he said the Narendra Modi government has spent Rs 9,60,000 crores in four years since June 2015, while the expenditure incurred by the Congress-led UPA government had in 10 years (from 2004-14) spent Rs 150,000 crores. "Before the code of conduct kicked in, we sanctioned 83 lakh homes. The construction technologies will slowly reach global standards. Regarding the Smart Cities project, by the end of December this year, there will be 50 independent command and control centres, out of 100 required ones. There are 16 operational now. "Use of technology to create smart cities and ease of living, all that is work in progress. The smart cities project is the fastest implemented project anywhere in the world," the minister said. Puri said the government is setting the agenda for the first 100 days. "I won't make any announcements as the government is under the process of setting the agenda for the first 100 days. The announcements will be made in the coming days and I am sure they will draw up on solid support of trade and industries which is crucial for the success of government programmes," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian national was arrested and 54 kg narcotic drugs recovered from his possession in central Nepal on Friday, police said here. The incident took place at Hetauda city. The 44-year-old man was identified as Sanjaya Mahato, a resident of Bihar's Raxaul district. He was arrested along with his Nepalese accomplice, identified as 28-year-old Rohit Shrestha, police said, adding that 54 kg hemp was recovered from their possession. In a similar incident, police arrested a US national from Tribhuvan International Airport for carrying hashish. The man identified as 46-year-old William Heron was arrested during a security check while he was boarding a Bangkok-bound flight of the Nepal Airlines. Police recovered 5 kg hashish from his luggage. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian national has been arrested in Kuwait for stealing a credit card of a Kuwaiti woman and misusing it, according to a media report. The unidentified Indian was arrested by the personnel from the Criminal Investigations Department after the woman filed a complaint with the police station in Mubarak Al-Kabir. Personnel from the crime branch checked the CCTV footage of the cameras installed in shops from where the suspect had made purchases using the stolen card and took him in custody, the Arab Times reported, citing the Al-Rai daily. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India's second largest software services firm Infosys will announce its financial results for April-June quarter on July 12, according to a BSE filing. "...a meeting of the Board of Directors of the company will be held...on Thursday and Friday, July 11 and 12, 2019 to consider the audited consolidated financial results of the company and its subsidiaries as per Indian Accounting Standards (INDAS) for the quarter ending June 30, 2019...," Infosys said in the filing Friday. It added that the financial results will be presented to the board of directors on July 12 for their approval. According to investor calendar available on the company's website, India's largest IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is slated to announce its June quarter numbers on July 9. Wipro is expected to announce its results for the first quarter on July 17, as per information available on its website. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) International investigators probing the downing of flight MH17 said Friday they will reveal fresh findings next week, nearly five years after the Malaysia Airlines plane was shot over Ukraine. Relatives of the 298 people killed will be informed first next Wednesday, followed by a media briefing, the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team said in a statement. The Boeing 777 travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur was hit by a Russian-made BUK missile on July 17, 2014 as it travelled over territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists. The Netherlands and Australia said in May 2018 that the missile was launched by a Russian military brigade. Russia vehemently denies involvement and instead blames Kiev. The JIT said it would give a press conference next Wednesday "about developments in the criminal investigation into the bringing down of flight MH17", but did not give further details. "This press meeting will be preceded by a closed meeting for the bereaved. The will be informed of the developments first," it said. In March this year, Australia and the Netherlands held the first talks with Russia over the investigation Close to two thirds of those killed on the flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur were Dutch, while 38 Australians were also lost. The Joint Investigation Team includes Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. The team has previously said it would "carefully" study counterclaims by Moscow about the disaster, adding that information previously provided by Russia such as the alleged presence of a Ukrainian fighter jet near the airliner on radar images was "incorrect". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An independent assessment by Britain has concluded that Iran was "almost certainly" responsible for the latest Gulf tanker attacks, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Friday. "Our own assessment leads us to conclude that responsibility for the attacks almost certainly lies with Iran. These latest attacks build on a pattern of destabilising Iranian behaviour and pose a serious danger to the region," Hunt said in a statement. The foreign office statement pinned the blame for Thursday's attack on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard -- a vast and powerful branch of the Iranian military. "No other state or non-state actor could plausibly have been responsible," the foreign office statement said. Hunt called on Iran to "cease all forms of destabilising activity" and said Britain was working with other countries to try to find a diplomatic solution to the escalating standoff between Tehran and Washington. Iran rejects accusation of staging the Guld of Oman attacks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran's foreign ministry on Friday dismissed the US accusation that it was behind the attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman as "baseless". Responding to the "baseless accusations" of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi insisted that Iran had come to "help" the ships in distress and "saved" their crew as quick as possible, according to a statement published on his Telegram channel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran's foreign ministry Friday dismissed as "baseless" US accusations of being behind attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, adding Washington was trying to "sabotage diplomacy". The US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran --(without) a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet. That showed it was "abundantly clear that the #B_Team is moving to a #PlanB: Sabotage diplomacy -- including by @AbeShinzo -- and cover up its #EconomicTerrorism against Iran". Zarif regularly uses the term "B Team" to refer to US National Security Advisor John Bolton as well as Israel's prime minister, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who are all pushing a hard line on Tehran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of being behind Thursday's attacks which left at least one of the tankers ablaze off the Iranian coast, while the crews had to abandon ship. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," Pompeo told reporters. But Iran foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi hit back that Iran had come to "help" the ships in distress and "saved" their crew as quickly as possible, according to a statement published on his Telegram channel. Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability "based on the intelligence, the weapons used, the level expertise needed to execute the operation" and only Iran in the region had the ability to undertake such an operation. "Apparently for Mr. Pompeo and other American authorities accusing Iran is the easiest thing to do," said Mousavi, insisting Iran was upholding the burden of securing the key Strait of Hormuz. The attacks came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Iran seeking to defuse tensions between Washington and the Islamic Republic. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran dismissed as "baseless" on Friday US accusations it executed twin attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, raising fears of conflict in the strategically vital waterway. China called for all sides to "resolve the conflict through dialogue" as oil prices jumped, while the European Union and the United Nations called for restraint. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Washington would defend its regional interests after US Central Command blamed Iranian forces for the attacks -- the second in a month in the strategic shipping lane. CENTCOM released grainy black-and-white video it said showed crew members of an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from the hull of Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous. No proxy group could be responsible, Pompeo said. But Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". He accused Washington of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Iran. One of the targeted vessels is owned by a Japanese company while the other was Norwegian-operated. "It is a serious case which threatens our country's peace and stability," Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that the straits where the incidents ocurred were "vital for our country's energy security". With tensions spiralling between Iran and the United States, the European Union called for "maximum restraint" and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned against a Gulf confrontation. But Iran labelled the attacks "suspicious," as its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by Abe to open talks with US President Donald Trump. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the US a "serious threat to global stability" as he attended an international forum in Kyrgyzstan. "Over the last two years... using its economic, financial and military resources (it) has taken an aggressive approach," he said. The two vessels, which were 10 nautical miles apart en route to Asia, were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast. The Front Altair carrying naphtha, a refined petroleum product, and owned by the Oslo-listed company Frontline was hit by three explosions, according to Norwegian officials, and remained ablaze into Thursday. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries and the ship was on Friday heading towards the UAE port of Khor Fakkan. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members from the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Iran's English-language Press TV aired footage of rescued crewmen from the Front Altair, saying they are all in "full health." "Everything is OK," said one of the vessel's "chief officers", presenting himself as Russian and thanking Iran for its "hospitality." Press TV said 11 of the crew were Russian, 11 Filipino and one Georgian. The crew of the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous saw a "flying object" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. "The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes," Yutaka Katada, head of Kokuka Sangyo shipping company, told reporters. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," CENTCOM said in a statement while Oman said it sent two navy vessels to assist. Pompeo said Thursday's tanker explosions were "the latest in a series of attacks" he blamed on Iran or its "proxies", including Yemeni rebel missile strikes which wounded 26 civilians at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. A Riyadh-led coalition which is fighting the rebels it accuses of being Iranian proxies said Saudi air defences had intercepted a new rebel attack on an airport in the kingdom on Friday. The abortive strike using five rebel drones targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, home to a huge airbase which has been the main launchpad of the coalition's more than four-year bombing campaign in Yemen. "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security," Pompeo said. The United States has also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. The preliminary findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state actor was responsible but stopped short of naming Iran. The US called Thursday for the UN Security Council to confront the "clear threat" posed by Iran. Oil prices jumped at the threat of open conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which some 15 million barrels of crude pass daily. They spiked by more than four per cent at one stage on Thursday as of tanker attacks flashed onto traders' screens. Prices retreated on Friday as as the International Energy Agency downgraded its forecasts for global oil demand growth. "We are in a dangerous moment in the region with this emerging pattern of attacks," said Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst with International Crisis Group. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi pushed for "calm" in a Friday phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as tensions spiked between Washington and Tehran over tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The call came after US President Donald Trump accused Iran of being behind Thursday's attacks on two oil tankers, the latest episode of worsening ties between Baghdad's two closest allies. According to Abdel Mahdi's office, Pompeo phoned the Iraqi prime minister and discussed "the crisis between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran." Abdel Mahdi told Washington's top diplomat that Iraq was "striving for calm." The prime minister has suggested Iraq as a potential mediator between the United States and Iran, but his offers have borne little fruit. Thursday's twin attacks on two vessels after they passed through the Strait of Hormuz -- which Trump said had Iran "written all over it" -- have raised fears of conflict in the strategically vital waterway. Iran has denied involvement and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the US of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy". Iraq condemned the attacks but did not accuse any country of perpetrating them. Abdel Mahdi earlier this week warned of the dangers of war. "Iran isn't weak, and neither is the US. All sides know that war will cost a lot. No one wants war, but does that mean we have peace? No," he told reporters on Tuesday. Baghdad has strong military and diplomatic ties to the US but it is also very close to Tehran, one of Iraq's top trade partners with sway over many Shiite armed units. Iraq has thus been caught in the throes of the tug-of-war between Washington and Tehran since Trump last year withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed tough sanctions. Baghdad secured waivers from Washington to keep importing Iranian gas and electricity for its crippled power sector, but those exemptions will end in less than a week with no indication of whether the US has granted another extension. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ITBP chief S S Deswal has reviewed arrangements for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and urged the pilgrims to undertake the holy expedition with an aim to keep the Himalayas and its ecosystem clean, a senior official said Friday. The Director General (DG) of the border guarding force, which provides manpower and logistics support to the yatra, travelled up to the 17,000-foot-high Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand along with other officials over the past few days. The paramilitary force, tasked with guarding Indian border with China, also provides security, medical aid and communication for the pilgrims since the yatra began in 1981. "This is the first time that any serving DG of the force has reached this high-altitude pass on foot. The DG, along with senior officials, also cleaned the area by collecting garbage and took it to the base for its disposal," a spokesperson of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police said. DG Deswal has appealed to all the citizens and pilgrims that they should strive to keep the Himalayas clean and contribute to keep its ecosystem balanced, he said. Officials of the force deployed for the yatra will also urge the pilgrims to dump garbage generated during the pilgrimage at designated places only. "The force personnel have also been asked to ensure that the mountains are kept clean and troops will themselves collect the garbage and dispose off at designated locations," the spokesperson said. The first batch of 58 pilgrims is expected to reach the higher altitude area next week for their onward voyage to Kailash Mansarovar through the Lipulekh pass, he said. The Ministry of External Affairs organises the yatra from June to September each year through two different routes -- Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim). Known for its religious value and cultural significance, it is undertaken by hundreds of people every year. This time, there will be 18 batches with 60 pilgrims each from the Lipulekh pass and 10 batches with 50 people each from the Nathu La pass. Two liaison officers will assist each batch of pilgrims. The yatra involves trekking at high altitudes of up to 19,500 feet, under inhospitable conditions, including extreme weather and rugged terrain, and may prove hazardous for those who are not physically and medically fit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An elderly Jain seer was killed after his tricycle was hit by a vehicle in Rajasthan's Danta town, police said Friday. The incident occurred on Thursday evening when Viswanath Sagar was going to a nearby village, they said. He was taken to a local hospital from where he was referred to the SMS hospital in Jaipur, but he died on the way, police said. The last rites were performed on Friday in Nasiya here and a large number of people, including his followers, attended it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The sixth international edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival commenced at the British Library here on Friday, with a debut at Belfast in Northern Ireland planned next week. This year's London chapter, which runs until Sunday, brings together over 60 speakers from a range of disciplines, genres and cultures, including Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, acclaimed travel writer Pico Iyer, and award-winning author and journalist Christopher de Bellaigue. The festival will then travel to Belfast as its second stop in the UK to explore themes that bind India and Northern Ireland, both nations deeply affected by issues around border and partition and the concepts of identity and migration. "This time there will be an edition also in Belfast, which is at the initiative of the city. It would certainly help bring a new facet and a new element into this interesting exchange that we have between our two countries," said Ruchi Ghanashyam, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, at a launch ceremony for JLF in London. "And, in London, what better place to have a literary festival than the repository of all literature and books and manuscripts like the British Library...We are enriched by the tradition of reading and the tradition of exchange in the field of literature that has existed between India and Britain," she said. This year's festival line-up includes an evening at the British Museum in London and will cover a series of debates and discussions, opening with a keynote address by Victoria and Albert Museum Director Tristram Hunt, the author of 'Ten Cities That Made An Empire'. "We're back for our sixth edition in London with a colourful bandwagon of books, ideas and dialogue that capture our imaginations and explore the dynamic and challenging times we live in," said Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director of Festival producer Teamwork Arts. "ZEE JLF at the British Library will look at history as well as current affairs, explore scientific works and the creative worlds of cinema, literature and poetry," he said. The international edition of the literature festival, which began its life in Rajasthan, is set to travel to the US, Canada and Australia later in the year, with the organisers defining the core concept as sharing South Asia's unique literary heritage and fusing it with local narratives. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Teenage sensation Takefusa Kubo is poised to be snapped up by Spanish giants Real Madrid, Japanese media reported on Friday. The FC Tokyo forward, who recently made his full Japan debut and is dubbed the "Japanese Messi", has also been linked with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and English champions Manchester City. Contacted by AFP, FC Tokyo declined to comment, but Kubo's likely destination now looks to be Madrid, where he will start at Real's feeder club, according to widespread reports. Kubo, 18, earned his high-profile nickname after being invited to Barcelona's youth academy as a nine-year-old. Barcelona have kept tabs on the player since, but Real Madrid now look to be the front-runners to sign Kubo, whose dribbling skills made him a YouTube hit as a small boy. Los Blancos have offered Kubo two million euros a year to play in Real's second-string Castilla side to gain experience, according to Japanese media. Fierce rivals Barca tried to sign Kubo back in 2014, but were hit by a FIFA transfer ban for breaching rules on signing under-age players. Kubo came on as a second-half substitute in Japan's 2-0 win over El Salvador last weekend and has been included in the Blue Samurai squad for the Copa America, which begins Friday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Friday dismissed a writ petition of BJP leader Jayaprada challenging the election of Azam Khan from the Rampur parliamentary constituency in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election. A bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice N K Jauhari dismissed the writ petition of BJP leader Jayaprada on the grounds of lack of territorial jurisdiction. The bench said Rampur falls under the jurisdiction of the Allahabad High Court and hence, a petition in the Lucknow bench is not maintainable. The court also said that the writ petition itself is not maintainable and only an election petition can be moved in such circumstances. The petition was filed by Jayaprada and argued by her lawyer Amar Singh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Doctors of three state-run hospitals across Jharkhand staged demonstrations wearing black badges on Friday to express solidarity to the striking junior medicos of West Bengal, an official of a doctors' association said here. Doctors of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences here, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College and Hospital at Jhamshedpur and the Patliputra Medical College & Hospital in Dhanbad took part in the demonstration, he said. "Doctors at the three hospitals demonstrated and wore black badges to show solidarity to the junior doctors of Kolkata who were agitating following an assault of two of them by a patient party," Dr Ajay Kumar, the Convenor of Indian Medical Association (Jharkhand Chapter) told PTI. Two junior doctors were seriously injured in an attack by relatives of a patient who died in the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, triggering a state-wide agitation. Kumar said assaults on doctors have increased in the country and it was a combined protest in support of the doctor fraternity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) / -- 1 lakh per month internship offered for data science According to a recent report titled 'Emerging Jobs: India' , by LinkedIn, Data Scientist holds the 5th position amongst the top emerging jobs in India. At the recent campus recruitment drive, many jobs were offered in data science, artificial intelligence, business analytics, machine learning by top firms and start-ups at Aegis School of Data Science for the students of post graduate program in data science. Business analytics and big data in association with IBM endorses the upward trend and demand of talent in the said fields. Aegis School of Data Science campus placement drive phase-1 witnessed mixed of fortune 500 companies and start-ups ranging from fields like IT, fintech, finance, FMGC, market research, artificial intelligence with prominent companies like Johnson & Johnson, Neilsen, Reliance Retail, RBL Bank, Oppo Finance, Blue Dart, Uniphore, Atos Syntel, Hexaware, Neewee, Bajaao.com and many more. Campus placement drive phase-1 highlights: Highest package: 22 lakhs Average package: 14.25 lakhs Internship offer: 1 lakh Number of offers: 75 Number of companies: 27 As of today, about 80 percent of the world's leading organizations consider data science as an important aspect of their operations, especially those who are keen to strengthen and protect their data. With the rise in competition, data scientists are being recruited to analyse data and to build data products. Their demand has increased exponentially over the past decade and is only poised to grow further which makes it a lucrative career. "We love coming back to Aegis School of Data Science. Here we find a great mix of experience and youth who have learnt the art of data from one of the best in the industry. This years' experience was great and we hope the selected candidates will bring further glory to their Alma Mater," shared Suyog Joshi, Co-Founder & CEO, Neewee. "We had taken two people last year as well and the experience is really good and based on that we have come together this year with little more expectations in data analytics and engineering and other analytics profile and so far it is going well and we have identified candidates from Aegis. Overall, it is a very good experience," said Arundhati Kshirsagar, Head - Retail Analytics, Reliance Retail. Dr Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Dean, Aegis School of Data Science commented, "Aegis is primarily committed to create professionals in the field of data science with hands-on capability to address issues of decision process in the corporates. The placement programme is envisaged to cater to the growing demand of data science professionals for competitive and transforming data-driven organisations for better effectiveness." Bhupesh Daheria, CEO, Aegis School of Data Science congratulated by saying, "We congratulate all the successful candidates and wish them good luck for their journey in data Science and AI. We are glad to see the overwhelming response from the recruiters for hiring the data science talent who not only can use statistic but also various AI techniques like Machine learning, deep learning, NLP and computer vision for making sense out of the data for better decision making." "At the campus placement drive this year we found companies evaluating the candidates on their deeper understanding of subjects, and not just tools related knowledge and skills. At Aegis, fundamentals are the focus, and that has positively impacted the placement percentage," expressed Dr. Vinay Kulkarni, Director, Aegis School of Data Science. About Aegis School of Business, Data Science, Cyber Security, Blockchain and Telecom: Aegis is a leading higher education institute offering programs in exponential technologies like Data Science, AI, Machine learning, deep learning, cyber Security, blockchain etc. based in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. Aegis was founded in the year 2002 with support from Bharti Airtel to develop cross functional technology leaders. In 2015, Aegis and IBM collaborated to launch, India first Post Graduate Program (PGP) in Data Science, Business Analytics and Big Data and later-on launching PGP in Cyber Security; PGP in Applied AI; PGP in Blockchain, PGP in Full Stack Development. Aegis also has collaborated with NVIDA DLI for developing skill in applied AI and Deep Learning in India. Aegis has the largest pool of talent having experience ranging from 0 to 30 years studying full time and Executive weekend PGP Data science. Aegis has one of the best course curriculum, providing exposure to a wide range of fields, technologies and tools like Data Science, Business Analytics, Big Data, Statistics, Linear Algebra, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, ML over Microsoft Azure, ML over AWS, Visualization, R, Python, Google Tensorflow, Qlik sense, Tableau, Hadoop, Spark, SQL, IBM SPSS, IBM Watson, IBM Cognos BI, Marketing Analytics, Financial Analytics, People Analytics, Social Media Analytics, Operations Analytics and many more. Participants work on real life project from industry, multiple portfolio projects and a capstone project. For more information, please visit www.aegis.edu.in & www.mUniversity. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Junior doctors in Hyderabad and other places in Telangana Friday staged protests against the assault on a junior doctor in Kolkata. The protests were held at major state-run hospitals, including Gandhi hospital and Osamania General hospital in the city, P S Vijayender, a leader of the junior doctors association in Telangana, said. He claimed that the protests drew a "huge response", with doctors at Warangal, Adilabad and other towns in the state also joining the stir The protests were held in a novel way at some places, with doctors tying bandages on their heads, Vijayender said. "Though the protests were mainly held by medicos, private doctors and others also joined the stir," he said. Vijayander stressed that the issue in West Bengal was not political and said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should try to address the core issue. Junior doctors in West Bengal have been on strike since Tuesday, demanding better security at workplaces after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in Telangana M Bhatti Vikramarka Friday alleged that the "interests of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao" and his family are behind the redesigning of Kaleswaram irrigation project, which has seen an escalation in cost. The project was originally initiated as the 'B R Ambedkar Pranahita Chevella project' at a cost of Rs 38,000 crore during the Congress regime of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh, he told reporters here. The name of the project was changed to Kaleswaram project after it was redesigned by the TRS government, he said. The estimates of expenditure on it was initially put at Rs 80,500 crore, which has now been increased to more than Rs one lakh crore, he claimed. "The cost of the then Babasaheb Ambedkar Pranahita Chevella project cost was only Rs 38,000 crore. Rs 10,000 crore had already been spent in undivided state (Andhra Pradesh) on the project. The balance amount to be paid was only Rs 28,000 crore," he said. Under the EPC contract system, the contractor would have to hand it over after completion for Rs 28,000 crore without the state government being concerned about any rise or fall in project cost, he said. Had the project been continued without redesigning, 16.50 lakh acres would have got irrigation facilities for only Rs 28,000 crore, he claimed. The state government has already spent Rs 50,000 crore after re-naming the project without a single acre getting water, he said. "I dont understand how is this a wonderful project, he said. A power project is being built additionally for the purpose of reverse pumping in Kaleswaram project, he said. The power project is additional to the Rs one lakh crore expenditure, he claimed. If the issues related to Kaleswaram are studied in depth, it is clearly seen that the interests of KCR and KCR family are behind this whole redesigning more than the states interests, Vikramarka said. The state government announced that the Kaleswaram irrigation project would be inaugurated on June 21. Rao travelled to Mumbai Friday to invite his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis for the inauguration. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy would also be invited, the government had said. Vikramarka alleged that the TRS regime was trying to prevent the corruption behind the project by merging MLAs who might question and also giving an impression to people that the project is a wonder in engineering and execution. He claimed that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project has not been provided to MLAs. The Ambedkar Pranahita Chevella project, initiated by Rajasekhara Reddy, who was a Congress Chief Minister, would have benefited Telangana people in a big way, he said. "Is Rao trying to make Jagan Mohan Reddy, by inviting him, say that what Rajasekhara Reddy did was wrong and what he did was right?" Vikramarka asked. He told Jagan Mohan Reddy that his presence at the inauguration would go on to prove that what Rajasekhara Reddy did was wrong. The Kaleswaram project on Godavari river is expected to supply water to 70 per cent of districts in Telangana for agriculture, drinking water and industrial purposes, according to official sources. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A prominent member of a banned Sri Lankan terror outfit involved in the Easter Sunday bombings was among the five suspects repatriated from Saudi Arabia, police said on Friday as they questioned them for their alleged links to the carnage. Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekera said that Mohamed Milhan was a key associate of Zahran Hashim, a leader of the banned National Thawheed Jamath (NTJ) who killed himself in the blast at the posh Shangri La Hotel here. Milhan, who was also listed as a terror suspect in the Intelligence warnings issued before the Easter Sunday terror attacks, is also wanted since November for the killing of two police constables in the eastern Kathankudy area where Hashim had his base. Four others also wanted in connection with the Easter bombings that killed 258 people and injured 500 others were arrested in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. "A team of Criminal Investigations Department officers brought the suspects back to Sri Lanka this morning," Gunasekera said. The suspects were arrested by a team of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) led by an assistant police superintendent, he was quoted as saying by the Times Online. Gunasekara said that the suspects are being questioned at the CID headquarters here. The suspects have been identified as as N.M.A. Milhan, M.A Mohamed Mila, A. Abusally, M.I.M. Ismail, and M.M.M. Shahnawaz Sabri, the report said. The spokesperson said that 107 people have been arrested for having direct links to the suicide bombings that targeted three churches and high-end hotels. He said that the CID is currently questioning 77 suspects in connection with the blasts. Out of the 77 suspects, 25 individuals are under custody of the Terrorist Investigations Department. The terror attacks which took place despite prior intelligence are also blamed on the political infighting between Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that emerged in October last year. Sirisena last week sacked chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis after he testified before a parliament select committee formed to probe the Easter bombings. During the inquiry last week, Mendis testified that the April 21 attacks could have been averted and also said that President Sirisena had failed to hold regular security meetings to assess the threat from Islamic radicals. Earlier, Sirisena suspended police chief Pujith Jayasundera and Sirisena's top defense bureaucrat Hemasiri Fernando after the bombings carried out by the NTJ. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Caught in a row over the controversial JSW Steel land sale, the Karnataka cabinet Friday decided to refer its decision on the sale of 3,667 acres to the firm at Ballari, to a cabinet sub-committee for reconsideration. As there were a lot of objections and opposition to the decision to sell the land, the minister concerned (Industries Minister K J George) requested the Chief Minister to constitute a cabinet sub-committee to look in to all aspects and reconsider it, Rural development minister Krishna Byre told reporters after the cabinet meeting. "On the request of the Industries Minister the cabinet today has given its approval to constitute a sub-committee, which will review it at the earliest and report back to the cabinet," Gowda said. The composition of the cabinet sub-committee has been left to the discretion of the Chief Minister, he said, adding that "though the maximum view of the cabinet was that its decision is right, but in the wake of objection and opposition we are giving it for reconsideration." The Karnataka cabinet had recently decided to convert the lease of 3,667 acres to JSW Steel at Ballari into sale, in accordance with the initial agreement. The issue came up in the cabinet for discussion Friday as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy after consulting with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and George had asked for the subject to be placed before the cabinet once again for reconsideration. Accusing the government of selling the land to the company at a throwaway price, the BJP has commenced a two-day round-the-clock sit-in Friday. State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday had even accused the ruling Congress-JDS coalition of getting "kickbacks", for the sale of land. Causing embarrassment to the coalition, senior Congress leader H K Patil has been opposing the sale, by writing a series of letters to the government. Amid the row, JSW Steel chairman and managing director Sajjan Jindal has said the firm never does anything "illegal" or "disadvantage" the people of Karnataka. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy expanded his cabinet Friday by inducting two Independent MLAs in an apparent move to give stability to his 13-month-old wobbly government. R Shankar and H Nagesh were sworn in as cabinet ministers, months after they withdrew support to the government and sided with the BJP before making a U-turn to move close to the ruling coalition. The exercise is seen as a move to quell growing dissent within the coalition and to ensure that the two lawmakers don't jump the ship once again. Shankar was inducted from the Congress' share and Nagesh from the JD(S) quota in the ministry. Under the coalition arrangement, of the total 34 ministerial positions, the Congress and JD(S) have shared 22 and 12 berths respectively. With the two independents in the government, the coalition strength in the 224-member assembly stands at 118 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37, BSP-1 and Independents-2), besides the Speaker. The BJP has 105 MLAs. Prior to the expansion, three posts were vacant-- two from JD(S) and one from Congress. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan. Ahead of the swearing-in, Shankar met Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and submitted to him a letter to merge his Karnataka Prajnavanta Janata Paksha (KPJP) with the Congress. Though the names of A H Vishwanath, who had recently resigned as JD(S) state president, and MLC B M Farooq were doing the rounds for the third vacant post, the JD(S) leadership decided to keep the post vacant for now. Shankar had served as forest minister in the Kumaraswamy government in the initial stages, while Nagesh, a former Congressman, had contested and won as an Independent after not getting the party ticket in 2018 assembly polls. In the ministry rejig in December last year, Shankar was dropped from the cabinet. He along with Nagesh had then sided with the BJP and written to the Governor withdrawing support to the government. As the BJP failed in its alleged attempts to topple the coalition and form the government, the two lawmakers again allied with the ruling coalition. The two were inducted overlooking the claims of several senior leaders, particularly in the Congress, who are sulking ever since they failed to make it to the ministry earlier. Other than Siddaramaiah and top ministers, most of the Congress leaders' and senior legislators like H K Patil, Ramalinga Reddy, B C Patil and Sudhakar, who are ministerial aspirants, skipped the swearing-in ceremony. While KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao was conspicuous by his absence, Vishwanth too did not attend the swearing-in. According to reports, the coalition leaders are likely to appoint a few disgruntled MLAs as Chairmen to some boards and corporations, that are still vacant or by asking some senior bureaucrats holding the post to vacate. The expansion slated for June 12 was rescheduled to Friday as a three-day state mourning was in place due to the death of Jnanpith awardee and renowned playwright Girish Karnad on Monday. Following a rout in the Lok Sabha polls and growing disgruntlement within, the coalition leaders after a series of negotiations had come to a decision to go in for cabinet expansion by filling in three vacant posts. According to coalition sources, a cabinet rejig is also on the cards after some time, during which a few ministers will be asked to step down to make way for others. The coalition leaders fear onslaught by the BJP to destabilise the government after the saffron party won 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, leaving Congress and JD(S) to share one seat each. The BJP supported independent candidate, Sumalatha Ambareesh, had won in Mandya. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NCP leader Dhananjay Munde Friday got relief from the Supreme Court which stayed the Bombay High Court's order directing registration of a case against him for alleged illegal purchase of a government land. But before the SC order came, police in Beed district registered a case of cheating and forgery against Munde and 13 others as per the high court's June 11 directive. Munde, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, had approached the Supreme Court against the high court's order. "I welcome this SC's decision. The truth has prevailed," he said in a statement. The Supreme Court also sought response from the BJP- led Maharashtra government on Munde's plea. Before the apex court's order came, a case was registered Friday morning at Bardapur police station in Beed district under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 471 (forgery) against Munde and 13 others. The high court, on Tuesday, had directed the police to file a case against the NCP leader in connection with alleged illegal purchase of government land in Pus village of Ambajogai tehsil in Beed district on a petition filed by Rajabhau Phad. Phad had alleged that the land belonged to the government and was given to the Belkhandi Math as a gift when Ranit Wyanka Giri was its mahant (head). It was sold to Munde in 2012 without the government's permission, he contended. Munde has stated that the land was purchased "as per rules and without hoodwinking anyone, organization or the government", and the petition was filed to pursue "political vendetta" as he had flagged an alleged loan fraud involving Phad's father-in-law Ratnakar Gutte earlier. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress general secretary in- charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge Friday said he has exhorted the state unit to put up a united face to take on the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena in the upcoming assembly polls. Talking to reporters here, Kharge expressed confidence that Congress legislators will effectively counter the BJP- Sena government on various issues of public interest during the monsoon session of the state legislature beginning Monday. Earlier in the day, the Congress announced several changes in its legislative wing. It said senior legislator Balasaheb Thorat, an arch- rival of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, has been appointed the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. Vikhe Patil, a senior Congress leader, quit the post of CLP after his son Sujay joined the BJP and successfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Ahmednagar. Vijay Waddetiwar, deputy leader of the Congress in the Assembly, has been elevated as the group leader. "We have named Balasaheb Thorat as the CLP leader and appointed floor leaders in both houses as well as whips. We expect them to be united and work with consensus," he said. "In our party all are efficient, but only a few will have to be chosen for various jobs. We hope they will highlight people's issues in the legislature," Kharge said. Meanwhile, Kharge chaired a review meeting, where he took stock of the political situation in Mumbai and other parts of the coastal Konkan region. Party sources said the state unit has been directed to strengthen booth-level committees and galvanise the grassroots cadre in Konkan, where the party has a weak base. "We have said we want to contest Sawantwadi, Kudal assembly seats in Sindhudurg district and Rajapur, Ratnagiri and Chiplun in Ratnagiri district. "We have also told the leadership that pre-poll alliance should be formalised at the earliest with the PWP (Peasants and Workers Party) along with the NCP in Raigad and the Bahujan Vikas Agadhi (BVS) in Palghar," a senior party leader from Konkan said. While in Mumbai, which has 36 assembly segments, the party has told the leadership it was not averse to leaving one seat in each of the six parliamentary constituencies for the NCP, he said. Maharashtra, which has a 288-member assembly, is likely to go to the polls in October. In the 2014 polls, the Congress had won 42 assembly seats, one more than the NCP. Both parties had fought the polls separately five years ago. However, despite a pre-poll alliance, the Congress and the NCP fared poorly in the just held Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, winning one and four seats, respectively. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike Friday in solidarity with the ongoing agitation of junior doctors in West Bengal. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said junior doctors at government hospitals in the state will not perform surgeries or attend to out-patient departments (OPDs) between 8 am and 5 pm Friday. However, emergency services will not be affected, it said. "We will not be treating any patients in routine OPDs or carry out surgeries or take rounds of wards. Doctors posted on emergency duties will not participate in the protest," a resident doctor, who is a member of MARD, said. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on strike since Tuesday demanding better security at workplace after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital. The Indian Medical Association has declared Friday "All India Protest Day" against the assault on junior doctors. Kalyani Dongre, president, Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, demanded better working conditions for the medical fraternity. Resident doctors face hostile working atmosphere, she said, addressing a gathering of protesting doctors. "We have demanded security from the state government, but nothing is happening. Our members are working in emergency services. Our demand is better working conditions for the medical fraternity and strict punishment for the perpetrators of assault," she said. Nishtha Khatri, president of MARD unit at the government-run KEM Hospital here, said resident doctors and interns from KEM and Seth GS Medical College formed a human chain to protest against the incident at Kolkata hospital. They also wore black dresses and black badges in protest. "Inspite of working selflessly day in and day out, doctors are assaulted. We make immense sacrifices, we work really hard so that our patients can sleep in peace, yet we are often the soft targets," she said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) Friday said its Farm Equipment Sector (FES) has picked up 11.25 per cent stake in Switzerland-based agri-technology firm Gamaya SA for CHF 4.3 million (over Rs 30 crore). The investment will be through subscription to 300 common shares and 30,469 series B preferred shares of Gamaya SA, M&M said in a statement. "With agriculture increasingly becoming technology-intensive, we at Mahindra are investing in future ready technologies to provide complete solutions to the global farming community," M&M FES President Rajesh Jejurikar said. The company's strategic association with Gamaya will enable it to develop and deploy next-generation farming capabilities such as precision agriculture and digital farming technologies, he added. Gamaya co-founder and CEO Yosef Akhtman said the association with Mahindra would help Gamaya bring the benefits of advanced technology, including hyperspectral imaging and machine learning, to both industrial farmers and small holders around the world. Incorporated in the year 2015, Gamaya is focused on providing crop-specific technology solutions for agriculture. It has advanced capabilities in hyperspectral imagery analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning which captures and interprets imagery to give farmers information about the state of their fields and crops. The company operates in Brazil and has several ongoing development activities in India, Ukraine and a few other countries. M&M shares Friday ended 0.83 per cent lower at Rs 635.55 on the BSE. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With striking junior doctors refusing to meet her tonight, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday invited them again to meet her Saturday evening to end the impasse in government hospitals. The doctors, who struck work for the fourth day Friday, refused to meet the chief minister, demanding an unconditional apology from her. They also put up six conditions for withdrawal of their stir. "We want an unconditional apology from Chief Minister Banerjee for the manner in which she addressed us at the SSKM Hospital yesterday. She should not have said what she said. She should come to the NRS Hospital to meet us," said Dr Arindam Dutta, a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors. After her visit to the state-run SSKM Hospital Thursday, Banerjee had alleged some outsiders had entered the medical colleges to create disturbances. She had also dubbed the agitation as a handiwork of the CPI(M) and the BJP. She had also asked the agitating junior doctors across the state to resume work by 2 pm, failing which she had threatened them with disciplinary actions. The doctors had defied her warning. State Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, meanwhile, said he had called up Banerjee to discuss the issue of doctors' strike but got no response from her. "I tried to contact the chief minister. I called her up. Till this moment there is no response from her. If she calls me up, we will discuss the matter," he told reporters after visiting injured junior doctor Paribaha Mukhopadhyay at the hospital. Mukhopadhyay is one of the two junior doctors attacked by the relatives of a patient, who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital here Monday night. The attack on the doctors triggered the ongoing state-wide stir by medicos. Banerjee, however, held a two-hour-long meeting with senior doctors, who were not part of the strike, and invited the agitating doctors for talks at the secretariat Nabanna tonight. After the protesting doctors refused to meet the chief minister, dubbing the invitation as a ploy to derail their stir, she invited them yet again to meet her at 5 pm Saturday at Nabanna. Informing about the chief minister's second invitation, senior physician Sukumar Mukherjee said, "We hope some junior doctors will turn up." The agitating doctors earlier stipulated six conditions for breaking the logjam. Chief Minister Banerjee must visit the injured doctors at the hospital and issue a statement condemning the attack on them. Seeking immediate intervention of the chief minister, the doctors also demanded a judicial probe into the police inaction in providing security to doctors at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital against attack on Monday night. "We demand documentary evidence and details of the action taken against those who attacked us," said Dutta. The agitators also demanded unconditional withdrawal of all "false cases and charges" imposed on junior doctors and medical students across West Bengal for going on strike. They also sought improvement of security infrastructure in all health facilities and posting of armed police personnel to shield them from any attack while on duty. Over 200 senior doctors of various government hospitals across the state resigned from their services to show solidarity with agitators. In his resignation letter, Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine director, Dr P Kundu, said entire medical fraternity of the state fully support the agitation by the doctors of NRS Medical College and Hospital and other government hospitals against the "brutal" attack on medicos during duty. As the medical fraternity from Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand and other states began to rally behind their West Bengal colleagues, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged Banerjee not to make the "sensitive matter" a "prestige issue" and ensure an "amicable end" to the stir. Several prominent personalities like filmmaker Aparna Sen, rights activist Binayak Sen, thespian Kaushik Sen, film director Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and musician Debojyoti Mishra along with many senior doctors, visited the agitators at the NRS Medical College and Hospital to register their support to the agitating doctors. They later participated in a rally holding placards with a message "No more violence, enough is enough". The Calcutta High Court, meanwhile, refused to pass any interim order on the strike. Many relatives of the TMC leaders too backed the doctors stir. They include Banerjee's nephew Abesh Banerjee, state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim's daughter Shabba and son of TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and children of two top Trinamool Congress leaders are among the doctors agitating in West Bengal over the assault on their colleagues. Abesh Banerjee, son of the TMC supremo's brother Kartick Banerjee, is a doctor at KPC Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. With a poster in hand, he was seen at the protest in his college on Thursday and Friday. Kolkata Mayor and state urban development minister Firhad Hakim's daughter Shabba, also a doctor, had on Thursday criticised the state government on social media for its alleged inaction in the matter. "As a TMC supporter I am deeply ashamed at the inaction and the silence of our leader," Shabba Hakim posted on Facebook. Referring to those who have been raising concern over the fate of patients in the wake of the strike, she said, "For those saying 'Ono Rugider ki dosh? (how are other patients at fault?)' Please question the government as in why the police officers posted in government hospitals do little to nothing to protect doctors? Please question them that when 2 truckload of goon showed up why wasn't back up sent immediately?" "Please question why goons are still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors? We have a right to peaceful protest. We have a right to safety at work," she added. Baidyanath, the son of senior TMC leader and MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, also showed solidary with the agitators at NRS Medical College and Hospital. "I stand with NRS. To hell with politics....I personally apologise to all the doctors if any unfair comments have been made against them," he said on Facebook. Doctors across the state have been observing a strike in protest against the attack on their colleagues at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city by family members of a patient, who died Monday night. One of them received serious head injuries and is currently recuperating at Institute of Neurosciences. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state, leaving many patients in the lurch. Banerjee, who visited the state-run SSKM Hospital on Thursday, warned the junior doctors of consequences if they do not rejoin work, but the defiant agitators have refused to abide by the order. They asserted that the protests would continue till their demands are fulfilled. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Tripura Police has arrested a man from Delhi for allegedly posting "fake news" on Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb's personal life, a senior police officer said. Based on specific inputs, Anupam Paul, who had been on the run since April 26, was arrested by the crime branch of Tripura Police on Wednesday. After the arrest, he was produced before a Delhi court on Thursday seeking a transit remand for interrogation and investigation into the case. And, the plea was granted by the court. "He will be taken back to Tripura for interrogation as the court has already granted his transit remand," the police officer said on Friday. The police registered an FIR against Paul for forgery, cheating and conspiracy after the April 25 Facebook post went viral on social media. Earlier, the Tripura Police had arrested a journalist, Saikat Talapatra, in connection with a similar post on Facebook. He is now out on bail, the police officer said. Recently, six people, including journalists, were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for posting or sharing alleged objectionable remarks on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 53-year-old man was arrested on the charges of sedition for allegedly spreading rumours over power cuts on a social media platform in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, police said. The accused, identified as Mangelal Agarwal, was arrested Thursday evening under IPC sections 124 A (sedition) and 505 (1) (2), following a complaint filed by Chhattisgarh State Power Holding Company Limited (CSPHCL), a local police official said. On June 12, the power company had lodged a complaint with City Kotwali police station in Rajnandgaon town that a video had gone viral on social media in which an unidentified man was deliberately spreading rumours and false information in a bid to tarnish the image of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. In the video allegedly posted by Mangelal, a native of Musra village under Dongargarh police station area, on his Facebook account, he is heard saying, "The Bhupesh Baghel-led government and Madhya Pradesh government had allegedly colluded with inverter manufacturing companies to increase its sales by doing frequent power cuts in the respective states." "Inverter companies had allegedly given money to the state government to cut power supply for every 2 hours or after 10 to 15 minutes. As the frequency of power cuts will increase so will the sales of the inverter. This is true because in Delhi there was a meeting of inverter companies with the state government...," he purportedly said in the video. The CSPHCL in its complaint has said that an attempt was made to spread hatred against the state government and disrespect it through the video. The mobile through which video was recorded has been seized, the official said. Agarwal will be produced in a local court Friday, he added. Meanwhile, the opposition BJP condemned the Congress government and accused it of trying to suppress freedom of expression. "While the Congress had promised to repeal the sedition law, the party itself is now misusing it to implicate and threaten common men. If spreading rumours is such a big offence, then so far several Congressmen should have been put behind bars. Congress was elected to power through false campaign only," said Santosh Pandey, BJP MP from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat. "The people of the state have been bearing the brunt of frequent power cuts. It is a failure of the Congress. When people are opposing it, then in frustration, the Congress government has taken such action," Pandey added. Chairman of the state power companies, Shailendra Kumar Shukla, has appealed to the people not to believe in such false propaganda over power cuts. "Personnel of the state's power generation, transmission and distribution companies have been engaged to ensure regular power supply to consumers. People should not believe in such false and rumors regarding the power cuts which can be due to natural phenomenon like storms or other local reasons," he said. Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board was restructured into five companies - distribution, generation, holding, transmission and trading, in 2008. Shukla is chairman of all five companies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 53-year-old man has been arrested and charged with sedition in Chhattisgarh for allegedly spreading rumours on social media over power cuts in the state, police said Friday. The accused identified as Mangelal Agarwal was arrested Thursday evening under IPC sections 124 A (sedition) and 505 (1) (2)(intent to incite) following a complaint filed by Chhattisgarh State Power Holding Company Limited (CSPHCL), a police official said. Agarwal was produced before a local court Friday and remanded to 5-day judicial custody. The police action sparked condemnation with the opposition BJP accusing the state government of trying to suppress freedom of expression. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel later stepped in and directed the police to withdraw the sedition charge against Agarwal., according to a state government release. On June 12, the power company lodged a complaint with City Kotwali police station in Rajnandgaon town that a video had gone viral on social media in which an unidentified man was deliberately spreading rumours and false information in a bid to tarnish the image of the Congress government. In the video allegedly posted by Mangelal, a native of Musra village under Dongargarh police station area, on his Facebook account, he is heard saying, "The Bhupesh Baghel-led government and Madhya Pradesh government have allegedly colluded with inverter manufacturing companies to increase its sales by doing frequent power cuts in the respective states." In the purported video, Mangelal said inverter companies had allegedly given money to the Chhattisgarh government to cut power supply 10 to 15 minutes every 2 hours. "As the frequency of power cuts will increase so will the sales of the inverter. This is true because in Delhi there was a meeting of inverter companies with the state government...," he purportedly said in the video. The CSPHCL in its complaint said an attempt was made to spread hatred against the state government and disrespect it through the video. The mobile through which the video was recorded has been seized, the official said. "While the Congress had promised to repeal the sedition law, the party itself is now misusing it to implicate and threaten the common man. If spreading rumours is such a big offence, then several Congressmen should have been put behind bars. Congress was elected to power through false campaign only," said Santosh Pandey, a BJP MP from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat. "The people of the state have been bearing the brunt of frequent power cuts. It is a failure of the Congress. When people are opposing it, then in frustration, the Congress government has taken such action," Pandey added. Chairman of the five state power companies, Shailendra Kumar Shukla, appealed to the people not to believe in such false propaganda over power cuts. "Personnel of the state's power generation, transmission and distribution companies have been engaged to ensure regular power supply to consumers. People should not believe in such false and rumours regarding the power cuts which can be due to natural phenomenon like storms or other local reasons," he said. Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board was restructured into five companies - distribution, generation, holding, transmission and trading, in 2008. Shukla is chairman of all five companies. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maoist ultras have kidnapped and shot dead a 37-year-old trader in Gumla district, the police said here on Friday. Brajesh Sahu was gunned down by cadres of the banned CPI(Maoist) near a school at Katia village under Bishunpur police station limits on Thursday night. Police sources said the reason behind Sahu's killing could be his support to the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, another proscribed Maoist organisation. The Maoists, who had left some leaflets near the body, also torched a kendu-leaf laden truck near the school. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Brexit deal negotiated by Theresa May is the only one possible for an orderly withdrawal from the EU, the bloc's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Friday as the race to succeed the British prime minister hots up. "I repeat calmly that the United Kingdom still wants to leave the European Union... so the agreement that is on the table is the only agreement possible for an orderly withdrawal," Barnier said. "This is where we're at and we're waiting on the nomination of a new prime minister in London and what it will tell us, that's what matters," Barnier told European and African senators meeting in Paris, including the speaker of Britain's House of Lords, Norman Fowler. On Thursday former London mayor Boris Johnson, a figurehead of the 2016 Brexit campaign, topped the first round of voting for a new leader of the Conservative party and the country. Johnson, who wants to negotiate better withdrawal terms, has pledged to take Britain out of the EU by an October 31 deadline "deal or no deal" -- despite warnings of dire economic consequences if Britain crashes out without an agreement. He secured more than twice the number of votes won by his nearest challengers in Thursday's ballot by Conservative MPs, the first stage in a contest which will produce a new leader in July. Barnier repeated that Brexit was a "lose-lose" deal for both sides but that Brussels had to respect the result of Britain's 2016 referendum on EU membership "while limiting the consequences, which are numerous". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Over 3,500 junior doctors, including post-graduate medical students and house surgeons, in state-run medical colleges across Kerala went on a one-day token strike on Friday demanding hike in stipends. The mass boycott of work by the medicos affected out-patient and in-patient services and other normal functions of the nine government medical colleges in the state. However, services at the casualty ward and ICU were exempted from the strike, hospital sources said. Raising slogans and holding banners and placards, the striking junior doctors also carried out a march to the Directorate of Medical Education here. They said the stipend had not been revised for the last four years even if the medical fees was hiked in the state. "We are demanding a decent stipend. Other states have already increased the stipend and Kerala is yet to give it... This is just a token strike. If our demand is not considered favourably, we will go on an indefinite strike from June 20," striking doctors told television channels. The stipend of medical students and house surgeons was last revised in the state in the year 2015, they said. Though the health authorities had a discussion with representatives of house surgeons and PG doctors in this regard recently, the talks failed. The striking medicos, however, clarified that their agitation had nothing to do with the ongoing nation-wide strike in solidarity with the junior doctors in West Bengal who are on strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opposing the AAP government's proposed free travel scheme for women in Metro trains, its former chief E Sreedharan has urged Prime Minister not to agree to the proposal as it would set "an alarming precedence". In a letter to the prime minister, Sreedharan, popularly called 'Metro Man', said if the government is "so keen" to help women commuters, it can pay the cost of their travel directly to them rather than making travel free on metro trains. The former Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief has also sought Modi's intervention in the matter. Sreedharan said when the first section of the was to be opened in 2002, he had taken a firm decision that no one would be given travel concession. Even the then prime minister had bought a ticket himself to travel to the station from where the metro's first section was inaugurated, he said. "I would very earnestly request you sir not to agree to the Delhi government's proposal of free travel to ladies in the Metro. "If the is so keen to help lady commuters, I would suggest can pay directly to the lady commuters the cost of their travel rather than make travel free on the Metro," Sreedharan said in the letter. Earlier this month, the Arvind Kejriwal government announced that it would make commute for women in public buses and metro trains free. "Now, if ladies are to be given free travel concession in Delhi Metro, it would set an alarming precedence to all other metros in the country. The argument of the that the revenue losses would be reimbursed to the DMRC is a poor solace," the former DMRC managing director said. The DMRC is a joint venture of the Centre and the Delhi government, and one shareholder cannot take an unilateral decision to give concession to one section of the community and push the Delhi Metro in to "inefficiency and bankruptcy", Sreedharan said. Even officers and staff, including the managing director of the DMRC, purchase tickets when they travel on the metro on official duties, he said. Two persons, including a 17-year-old boy, were shot dead in two separate incidents in Outer-North Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy area, police said Friday. In the first incident, minor boy Sonu (name changed), a resident of Shardhanand Colony in Bhalaswa Dairy area was shot dead by another boy of the same age on Thursday night, they said. The police, however, arrested the alleged juvenile delinquent after checking the CCTV footage of nearby areas, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Gaurav Sharma. During interrogation, the minor accused said Sonu used to bully him and beat him up. He said two days before the incident, he had beaten up the accused following which he had decided to teach him a lesson, said police. The accused, along with his associate, procured a country-made pistol and fired at Sonu on Thursday night at around 11:30 PM, police said. Sonu was rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital where he was declared brought dead, the DCP said. A country-made pistol with one empty cartridge was recovered from the minor accused, said the officer, adding the efforts are on to arrest the co-accused too. In the second incident, a 42-year-old property dealer of Shradhanand Colony was shot dead on Thursday evening, police said. Police suspect that property dealer Chander Shekhar was killed by some persons of the same colony over a monetary dispute. The perpetrators of the second crime too have been identified and several teams of the local police have been deployed to nab the killers, the police said. Police are making raids to trace the absconders in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, they added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A mobile phone was found from the prison cell of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala during a surprise inspection by Tihar jail authorities, officials said Friday. According to Additional Inspector General, Tihar, Rajkumar, a surprise inspection was conducted on Thursday and a mobile phone, a charger, tobacco pouch, and a wire were recovered from the prison cell. Chautala's co-inmate Ramesh claimed that the items belonged to him, the officials said. The mobile phone was handed over to the Delhi Police's Special Cell and it will find out about the calls that were made from the phone, they said. Chautala is serving a 10-year sentence in Delhi's Tihar jail. He was convicted in a teachers' recruitment scam case. He had returned to Tihar on Wednesday after a 21-day furlough. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan exchanged pleasantries on Friday during the SCO summit in Bishkek, official sources said. Modi exchanged usual pleasantries with Khan in the Leaders' Lounge at venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here, they said. Both Modi and Khan were here to attend the annual summit of the SCO. The exchange of pleasantries came over two weeks after Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote separate letters to their Indian counterparts, pushing for restarting the bilateral talks. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Khan had also made a telephone call to Modi on May 26 and expressed his desire to work together for the betterment of people of the two countries. On his part, Modi said creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism was essential for fostering peace and prosperity in the region. Following the phone call and letter by Khan to Prime Minister Modi after his re-election for a second term, there were speculation that both may have a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit here. Modi arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO. He held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He also held talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Friday during a bilateral visit during which the two countries upgraded their relations to strategic partnership level. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left for home after the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in which he discussed the global security situation, multilateral economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and topical issues of international and regional importance. On the sidelines of the summit on Thursday, Modi held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He also met Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on Friday. Jeenbekov was the Chair of the SCO Summit 2019. "Thank You Bishkek. After a successful visit to Kyrgyzstan, PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Modi also exchanged usual pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on Friday in the Leaders' Lounge at the venue of the summit. The prime minister arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the SCO summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 40-year old man has been arrested in Morena in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly raping, blackmailing and threatening a minor girl, a senior police official said Friday. The accused, Murari Das, a resident of Barsana near Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, recites scriptures at functions, the official said. "Das came in contact with the 16-year-old victim when her father called him here for a Bhagwad katha function. Das stayed with the victim's family for three days during which time he ensnared her and raped her repeatedly," said Sub Divisional Officer of Police Mahendra Sharma. He said the accused continued to keep in touch with the victim over phone after going back to Barsana. "A couple of days ago, Das asked the girl to come to Barsana with Rs 1 lakh and her mother's jewellery, threatening to defame her if she failed to do so. The family approached police after the girl went missing," he said. Das was arrested on Wednesday and the girl rescued, the SDOP said, adding that he was produced in a court here on Thursday and remanded in judicial custody. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After his prediction of Congress leader Digvijay Singh's victory from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat did not come true, a seer has requested permission from authorities here to carry out his "promise" of taking "samadhi" on June 16. The bizarre request by Baba Vairagyanand Giri has been turned down by Bhopal Collector Tarun Kumar who has asked police to ensure his well-being. Giri had announced that he will take 'samadhi' (entombment) if Singh doesn't win from Bhopal during a "yagna" by several religious leaders for the Congress leader's victory during the Lok Sabha poll campaig. Singh was defeated by BJP's Pragya Singh Thakur by a massive margin of 3.64 lakh votes. "We received a letter on June 13 from Vairagyanand Giri maharaj for taking samadhi. Such kind of permissions are never given and I have directed the police to ensure the protection of Vairagyanand's life and belongings," Kumar told PTI Friday. Advocate Mazid Ali, who was authorised by Vairagyanand to file an application to the district collector on his behalf, said, "Baba Vairagyanand Giri Maharaj had submitted a plea demanding that he be allowed to take Brahmaleen samadhi and a place for the same also be identified for him to perform the task peacefully." He said the application mentioned 2:11 pm on June 16 as an "auspicious time" for the ritual. Ali claimed that Vairagyanand was observing penance in Assam's Kamakhya Temple and urged the administration to "cooperate" with the spiritual leader and "respect his religious feelings". Giri had kept a low profile after the poll verdict and had given evasive replies when queried about his promise by media persons. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hitting out at the Congress for raising doubts over the use of EVMs in the Lok Sabha polls, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Friday said the grand old party is showing arrogance instead of introspecting the defeat in the elections. The 'EVM vilaap mandli' has become active again and while earlier they demanded tallying of VVPAT slips with EVM count, they are now looking for new excuses after there was no mismatch, the minority affairs minister said. The Congress is showing arrogance of a "feudal mindset", instead of introspecting the defeat in the Lok Sabha election and honouring people's mandate, he told reporters here. The Congress will continue with its arrogance and negativity until it realises the ground reality, he said. The grand old party has become a "brand new flop show" due to its "negative and frustrated politics", he claimed. If the Congress does not shun its "feudal politics", the party will face extinction, Naqvi said. His remarks came days after UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, apparently hinting at electronic voting machines (EVMs), claimed "many types of doubts" have emerged in the past few years over the country's electoral processes. "There is a saying that there is no smoke without fire," she said in Raebareli on Wednesday. Opposition parties, including the Congress, had alleged that EVMS can be tampered with, giving the ruling BJP the advantage in an election. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Friday met family members of the three men killed in post-poll violence in North 24 Parganas district's Sandeshkhali area. A delegation of the commission talked to the families who belonged to scheduled castes. It will send its recommendation to the Centre on its return to New Delhi, NCSC chairman Prof Ram Shankar Katheria, a member of the team, told reporters here. Katheria, however, could not go to Sandeshkhali because of his late arrival here. He briefed the media on the basis of reports from other members of the delegation. Senior state government officials accompanied the delegation during its visit to Sandeshkhali. Two workers of the BJP and one activist of the ruling Trinamool Congress were killed there on Saturday after clashes broke out between the two parties. Post-poll violence has been reported from various places of West Bengal after the BJP secured 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, just four less than that of the TMC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to the Rajasthan government over reports that many families in Banswara district are allegedly using their children as a pawn to get money for food. The NHRC Friday observed that the contents of the report, if true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights of the innocent young children, who instead of getting proper education and upbringing, have been given to the custody of unknown people in lieu of money. The NHRC in a statement said, "It has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that there are several villages in Banswara district of the state of Rajasthan in which more than 500 families were found to have used their children as pawn in exchange of Rs 1,500-2,000 from the Gadaria (shepherd) community to get food." The media report has also carried the photographs of children, aged 8 to 12 years, who had been pledged for money. "The commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary, the government of Rajasthan calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks," it said. The NHRC has also asked the state government to inform about the status of implementation of flagship programmes announced and being run by the Centre and the state government in Rajasthan. "The authorities are expected to identify all the victim children and to take steps to reunite them with their families and ensure all basic amenities, including food and education, to the children of the aggrieved families. The state government is also expected to conduct a survey to check if such practice is prevailing in other districts of the state," it said. According to the media report, carried Thursday, the shepherds put them to the work of cattle grazing. Chundai, Bor Talab and Memkhor areas in the district of Banswara and Bawdi Kheda, Limbodi and Ambaghati areas falling under Pratapgarh district are the worst affected, it added. It is also mentioned in the report that government-run schemes like MGNREGA and Bhamashah have "never been implemented" in these areas, the NHRC statement said. Issuing the notice, the commission has observed that the Right to Food is the basic human right and it is aware of the fact that the central government has introduced several schemes to ensure that poor citizens, particularly in the villages, do not die due to starvation. The commission has further observed that apparently the state has "failed in implementation" of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009, which mandates free and compulsory education to all children aged 6-14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The TRS would give issue-based support to the BJP-led NDA government, a senior leader of the ruling party in Telangana said Friday, ahead of the commencement of the Lok Sabha session next week. "No animosity, no friendship", K Keshava Rao, who was retained as Parliamentary Party leader Thursday told PTI, when asked about the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led outfit's policy towards the National Democratic Alliance government. "Absolutely issue-based support; same thing (the stand adopted by TRS towards the previous NDA regime) will continue," the Rajya Sabha member added. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti had backed the NDA on demonetisation, GST and in the elections to the post of President and Vice-President during its last term. Chandrasekhar Rao Thursday shared his thoughts on the strategy to be adopted by party MPs in the Parliament session beginning Monday. The TRS had aimed to sweep the recent Lok Sabha elections in the newly formed state, repeatedly asserting it would win 16 seats and its ally AIMIM one out of the total 17. The TRS won nine Lok Sabha seats. The BJP, which had a lone member from Telangana in the previous Lok Sabha, sprang a huge surprise winning four seats, while the Congress picked up three. Expecting a hung Parliament, the TRS had since last year made efforts to forge a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties which, however, largely remained non-committal. The NDA's massive win dashed hopes of the TRS, which was keen to play a key role in formation of the government in the event of NDA and UPA falling short of the majority mark. The TRS Thursday appointed Khamman MP Nama Nageswara Rao as party leader in the Lok Sabha. Nageswara Rao, who was TDP's parliamentary party leader from 2009 to 2014, had joined the TRS on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A P Jithender Reddy was floor leader of TRS in the previous Lok Sabha, but joined the BJP after being denied ticket. The TRS would also miss K Kavitha, daughter of the Chief Minister, and B Vinod Kumar, who had served as deputy floor leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. Kavitha and Vinod Kumar, two prominent faces of the party, lost to BJP candidates in Nizamabad and Karimnagar constituencies respectively. The TRS has six members in the Rajya Sabha. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The MeT department and private forecaster Skymet had made forecast of rain in the national capital on June 12 but the prediction did not turn out true. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted dust storm, thunder storm with light rain, while the Skymet had made a forecast of "heavy rains" over Delhi and NCR on June 12. The IMD said it did rain in a few areas in the national capital, while the Skymet Weather said the trough approaching Delhi fizzled out before it could reach the national capital. The IMD's Safdurjung observatory recorded two squalls -- one from 6.48 pm to 6.49 pm and second at 6.58 pm to 7 pm. However, no rainfall activity was recorded. Several parts of Delhi witnessed dust storm. It also resulted in the Delhi airport suspending its operations. Kuldeep Srivastava, the regional forecasting chief of IMD, however, said rainfall did take place at a few places. "We don't have observatories at every place. We have five main observatories, which did not record any rainfall. Light rain had occurred at a few places. Since the observatories did not record any rainfall, there's no record of precipitation," Srivastava said. The IMD has observatories at Safdurjung, Palam, Ayanagar, Ridge and Delhi. University Private weather forecaster Symet Weather also predicted "intense rains" in Delhi NCR with strong winds. "Delhi has remained mostly dry this season so far. On June 10 and 11, a trough south of Delhi moved upwards, but that too didn't lead to any major rain activity. The problem is even if there is intense rainfall at any isolated place, if there's no observatory, it won't reflect in data," Mahesh Palawat of Skymet said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Asserting that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should have been humble in her approach at the SSKM hospital, actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen on Friday insisted that the TMC supremo should apologise to the agitating doctors for the alleged threats she issued to them. Sen urged the chief minister to listen to the grievances of the junior doctors patiently. "Mamata Banerjee has done so much for Bengal, but I am sorry to say that I do not support the way she spoke to the doctors. She must have spoken to them humbly because threats do not get anything done. "There is no harm or no shame in saying sorry... That will not hamper her popularity," Sen told PTI. The filmmaker appealed to Banerjee to talk to the junior doctors face-to-face and end the impasse. "The chief minister is the guardian of the state. She is not just the guardian of the patients waiting outside, but also of those young brilliant doctors who are working day in day out throughout the year. "I think, all she needs to do is to sit and talk face-to-face with the protesters to solve the crisis," she said at the state-run Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, where an assault on two interns by the relatives of a patient sparked the protests by the doctors. The Padma Shri awardee also maintained that the state government should look into the demand for adequate security by the doctors. "She (Banerjee) has to understand that she needs to listen to them rather than doing all the talking... There must be a two-way dialogue. She must understand that the junior doctors are hurt. "What they have asked is not much... The state government has the responsibility to look into the security of the doctors. If doctors need to think about their security, how will they work," Sen said. The chief minister should realize that the situation might change for worse if the doctors start resigning enmasse, the filmmaker said. "If they start resigning then what will be the situation here ... It is very important to understand the gravity of the situation," Sen said. Asked if she finds substance in Banerjee's claims that opposition parties were influencing the ongoing protest, Sen said, "I do not think the CM is totally wrong. I can understand that the opposition is trying to gain an advantage of the situation... They (Opposition) are trying to gain power here. But we will not allow that happen." The filmmaker had extended her support to Banerjee during her call for a change in the state, in the final years of the Left Front rule. Sen, who visited the NRS Medical College and Hospital in the morning with actor Kaushik Sen and musician Debojyoti Mishra among others, said it was necessary to stand by the doctors in this hour of crisis. "I am a filmmaker. I have so much work at hand, but I felt it was my responsibility to stand by the doctors. My conscience directed me to stand by them. We need to understand they are doing a noble job," she added. Doctors across the state have called for a strike in protest against the attack on two of their colleagues at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city by family members of a patient, who died Monday night. One of them received serious head injuries and was currently recuperating at the Institute of Neurosciences here. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state, leaving patients in the lurch. Banerjee, who visited the state-run SSKM Hospital on Thursday, warned the junior doctors of consequences if they do not rejoin work, but the defiant agitators have refused to abide by the order. They asserted that the protests would continue till their demands are fulfilled. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal Friday were in no mood to relent as they demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions to the adminstration for withdrawal of their stir, which has disrupted healthcare services in the state and spiralled to other parts of the country. Over 200 senior doctors of various state-run hospitals across the state tendering resigned from their services to show solidarity with the agitators. Late in the evening, Banerjee met the senior doctors and later invited the agitators for talks on Saturday but they declined the offer. "We want unconditional apology of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the manner in which she had addressed us at the SSKM Hospital yesterday. She should not have said what she had," a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Dr Arindam Dutta, said. As the medical fraternity from across the country began to rally behind their Bengal colleagues, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged Banerjee not to make this sensitive matter a "prestige issue" but ensure an "amicable end" to the stir, which entered the fourth day Friday. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi said he called up Banerjee to discuss the issue but got no response from her. "I have tried to contact the chief minister. I have called her up. Till this moment there is no response from her. If she calls me, we will discuss the matter," he told reporters after visiting injured junior doctor Paribaha Mukhopadhyay at the hospital. Listing the six conditions, the agitators said Banerjee will have to visit the injured doctors at the hospital and her office should release a statement condemning the attack on them. "We also want immediate intervention of the chief minister. Documentary evidence of judicial inquiry against the inactivity of the police to provide protection to the doctors at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night should also be provided," Dutta said. "We demand documentary evidence and details of action taken against those who had attacked us," Dutta said. The agitators also demanded unconditional withdrawal of all "false cases and charges" which were imposed on junior doctors and medical students across West Bengal in the wake of strike. They stressed on their demand for improvement of infrastructure in all health facilities as well as posting of armed police personnel there. A senior state health department official said over 200 doctors, including heads of departments of medical colleges and hospitals in Kolkata, Burdwan, Darjeeling and North 24 Parganas districts, sent their resignation letters to the state director of medical education. "We express fullest solidarity to the current movement of NRS Medical College and Hospital and other government hospitals agitating to protest the brutal attack on them while on duty," Dr P Kundu, director of the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, said in the resignation letter. "We strongly stand by the demands of security and protection for all healthcare personnel and we have tried our best to continue life saving services in the interest of our patients till now," Prof (Dr) Dipanjan Bandyopadhyay, Head of Medicine department at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, wrote in the resignation letter which contained the signature of 34 other senior doctors. "Under the present circumstances, it is not possible for us to continue our services indefinitely without minimum manpower resources. In the absence of any constructive development to end this crisis, we are pained to offer our resignation and request you to relieve us of our responsibilities," the resignation letter read. The principal and the medical superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital submitted their resignations on Thursday night. Two junior doctors of the NRS Medical College and Hospital were seriously injured in an attack by family members of a patient who died on Monday night, triggering the stir. Earlier in the day, several prominent personalities like filmmaker Aparna Sen, rights activist Binayak Sen, actor and theatre personality Kaushik Sen, film director Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and musician Debojyoti Mishra along with senior doctors, visited the agitators at NRS Medical College and Hospital showing solidarity towards the junior doctors. They later participated in a rally holding placards with a message "No more violence, enough is enough". While visiting the SSKM Hospital on Thursday, Banerjee had contended that "outsiders" had entered medical colleges to create disturbances and the agitation was a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court refused to pass any interim order on the strike. Many kin of TMC leaders also backed the doctors stir. Among them were Banerjee's nephew Abesh Banerjee, state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim's daughter Shabba and son of TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. In Delhi, scores of doctors at some government and private hospitals held demonstrations by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their Kolkata colleagues. Junior doctors in Odisha staged dharna with bandages on their foreheads, besides staying away from duty. Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand's chances of a top three finish ended after he went down fighting to Fabiano Caruana of United States in the Armageddon game at the Altibox Norway chess here. The Indian slipped to joint seventh place in ranking with just two rounds to go in one of the strongest event of the year. Anand had to hold himself with black and he survived many anxious and nearly catastrophic positions under the normal time control to force a draw under the Classical game. Caruana went to the extent of calling it "embarrassing", as the American was close to being on top for several moves but still the victory deserted him. However in the tiebreaker, which is the new world order in Chess to make it a decisive sport in every game played, the native Italian turned American was spot on in the Italian opening. Anand could not get the counterplay he is famous for and a systematic attack led to a complete collapse on the king side. That left Anand with only six points with two more rounds to come and even two victories now might be insufficient to finish on the podium. The seemingly invincible reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen scored another victory his sixth in Armageddon besides a lone win in Classical over Wesley So wherein he "was gifted a point" according to the now second placed Levon Aronian of Armenia. Carlsen just did enough, the Sicilian Sveshnikov in Classical, that has served him well and then Wesley turned the heat on in the faster game which only suited the best player on the planet currently. Carlsen took his tally to 11 points, and now enjoys a two point lead over Aronian who played a fine tiebreaker to beat Yu Yangyi. Yangyi is in third place on 8.5 points, a full point ahead of compatriot Ding Liren in sole fourth spot. Wesley So is fifth on seven points while Caruana finds himself in sixth spot on 6.5. Maxime vachier-Lagrave of France and Anand are tied seventh on six points apiece, a full point ahead of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan. Someone has to be last in any ten-player event and it seems Alexander Grischuk of Russia is going to be there till the end. The usually charismatic Russian is not finding any good moves and is still in the cellar on 3.5 points. Results round 7: Fabiano Caruana (Usa, 6.5) beat V Anand (Ind, 6); Wesley So (Usa, 7) lost o Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 11); Levon Aronian (Arm, 9) beat Yu Yangyi (Chn, 8.5); Ding Liren (Chn, 7.5) beat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Aze (5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5) beat Alexander Grischuk (Rus, 3.5). (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A day after a man was arrested on sedition charges over his social media post on power cuts in Chhattisgarh, a journalist was Friday held for publishing a "false" over electricity supply in Mahasamund district. Dilip Sharma, who runs an online portal, was arrested based on a complaint lodged by Executive Engineer (EE) of electricity department, Mahasamund, S K Sahu, a police officer said. In his complaint lodged on Thursday, Sahu had alleged that Sharma, in a recently published news, had claimed that there was a blackout in more than 50 villages in Mahasamund for 48 hours which was "false and baseless", Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Mahasamund, Narad Kumar Suryawanshi, told PTI. Sharma was booked under IPC section 505 (1) (b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility), he said. Sharma was produced in a local court which granted him bail, he added. Talking to PTI after his release, Sharma alleged he was being implicated in a false case. He claimed he had published an "authentic" about the blackout for 48 hours in villages of Bagbahra area in Mahasamund from June 6 to June 8. Additional General Manager (Public Relations) of Chhattisgarh State Power Holding Company, Vijay Mishra, said according to the state government's policy, the power utility has been supplying 24 hours of electricity in cities as well as villages. Despite that some anti-social elements have been trying to defame power company by spreading false information of blackout, he alleged. "Power cuts can be due to natural phenomenon like storms or some other local reasons. Presently pre-monsoon maintenance work is underway, for which sometimes power supply has to be withheld. But there is no question of power cut as Chhattisgarh is a power surplus state," Mishra asserted. Meanwhile, the opposition BJP accused the Congress government of murdering the freedom of expression in the state. "The Congress is not able to digest its loss in the Lok Sabha election. It has become intolerant. It is trying to murder freedom of expression in the state which is evident in the cases involving Mangelal Agarwal and Dilip Sharma," state BJP chief Vikram Usendi said. "It is a political character of Congress to murder freedom of expression and whenever it comes to power to shows its nature," he claimed. The action against Sharma came a day after 53-year-old Mangelal Agarwal was arrested in Rajnandgaon district on Thursday evening on the charges of sedition for allegedly spreading rumours over power cuts on a social media platform. However, facing criticism over the action, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel Friday directed the police to withdraw charges of sedition from the case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As a mark of solidarity towards their protesting colleagues in West Bengal, junior doctors in Odisha Friday staged dharna with bandages on their foreheads, besides staying away from duty. Members of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA), AIIMS, Bhubaneswar went on a ceasework protesting the attack on two junior doctors in the neighbouring state. Above 250 junior doctors sat on dharna with bandages on their foreheads and did not join duty, including the outpatient department (OPD). "The ceasework by the resident doctors has affected the health service at AIIMS here. The strike is for one day as a mark of solidarity towards the agitating doctors in West Bengal," a senior doctor at the AIIMS said. The Residents' Doctor Association, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar said in a press release, that it was disheartened and saddened at the grievous crime against the medical fraternity of West Bengal. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed the members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district. The junior doctors have been agitating in West Bengal since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the state-run NRS Medical College and Hospital. Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) and doctors of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Thursday had also protested the incident in West Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mysterious attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz this week show how one of the world's crucial chokepoints for global energy supplies can be easily targeted, 30 years after the US Navy and Iran were entangled in a similarly shadowy conflict called the "Tanker War." While the current tensions are nowhere near the damage done then, it underscores how dangerous the situation is and how explosive it can become. The so-called "Tanker War" involved American naval ships escorting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf and the strait after Iranian mines damaged vessels in the region. It culminated in a one-day naval battle between Washington and Tehran, and also saw America accidentally shoot down an Iranian passenger jet, killing 290 people. US estimates suggest Iran attacked over 160 ships in the late 1980s confrontation. "We need to remember that some 30% of the world's crude oil passes through the straits," said Paolo d'Amico, the chairman of the oil tanker association INTERTANKO. "If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk." So far, six oil tankers have been damaged in suspected limpet mine attacks, explosives that can be magnetically stuck to the side of a ship. The first attack happened May 12 off the coast of the Emirati port city of Fujairah and targeted four tankers. Thursday's apparent attack damaged two other tankers. The US has blamed Iran for both incidents, offering a video on Friday it said showed Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces spirit away one mine stuck to a tanker that didn't explode in Thursday's assault. For its part, Iran denies being involved and calls the allegations part of America's "Iranophobic campaign" against it. Meanwhile, the owner of the tanker Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw "flying objects" before the attack, suggesting it wasn't damaged by mines and contradicting the US military. Confusion pervaded the start of the "Tanker War" as well. That conflict grew out of the bloody eight-year war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s, which began when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. The war killed 1 million people. The US supported Saddam by providing intelligence, weaponry and other aid. Iraq first targeted Iran's shipping and by 1984 attacked Kharg Island, a crucial oil-tanker-loading terminal for Iran. Its air force also attacked ships in the Persian Gulf. After the Kharg attack, Iran began a concerted campaign to attack shipping in the region. Iraq ultimately would attack over 280 vessels to Iran's 168, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. The Iran's mining campaign began in earnest in 1987. At night, the Revolutionary Guard would drop mines from vessels disguised as traditional dhows, which ferry cargo around the waters of the Persian Gulf. As attacks targeted Kuwaiti oil tankers, the US ultimately stepped in to protect them. The Soviet Union also volunteered. While mines represented a small number of the attacks, their psychological impact grew. They also allowed Iran to attack its foes without having to take direct responsibility. The mines were described as "God's angels that descend and do what is necessary," by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who would later become president of Iran. Analysts say use of naval mines and bombs is a trend that continues today. "Iran's strategy at sea particularly is based on disruption," said Dave DesRoches, a professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington. "They know they can't dominate. They have to disrupt." Ultimately, the US tied Iran to the mining when it captured the Ajr, an Iranian ship loaded with mines in 1987. When the USS Samuel B Roberts struck a mine and nearly sank the next year, the Navy matched it to those seized from the Ajr. The attack on the Roberts sparked a daylong naval battle between Iran and the US, known as Operation Praying Mantis. American forces attacked two Iranian oil rigs and sank or damaged six Iranian vessels. Several months later, tragedy struck. The USS Vincennes, after chasing Guard vessels into Iranian territorial waters, mistook an Iran Air commercial jetliner for an Iranian F-14, shooting it down and killing all 290 people onboard. Thirty years later, events of the "Tanker War" still resonate in Iran. A recent billboard put up in Tehran's Vali-e-Asr Square shows U.S. and Israeli ships afire and sinking, with captions in English, Farsi, Arabic and Hebrew reading: "We Drowned Them All." While the billboard is meant to show support for the Palestinians it prominently features Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque it came just days after the Fujairah attack. Around this time as well, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave an address to university students, who gave him a portrait of Nader Mahdavi, a Revolutionary Guard soldier killed in a U.S. attack amid the "Tanker War." "The supreme leader asked whose picture it was and I replied, 'Mahdavi,'" the semi-official ANA agency quoted the student who gave the portrait to Khamenei as saying. "The supreme leader smiled and said, 'Excellent, very timely. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armed with Metro Man E Sreedharan's strong-worded criticism of the AAP government's plan to provide free commute to women in Delhi Metro trains, the opposition BJP and Congress Friday demanded a review of the decision to implement the proposed scheme. Earlier this month, the Arvind Kejriwal government had announced that it would make commute for women in public buses and metro trains free. Sreedharan, the first managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposed the AAP government's proposed scheme, saying it would set "an alarming precedence". Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari concurred with the concerns raised by Sreedharan and said that the Kejriwal government should pay heed to him and review its proposal. "The point raised by the former Delhi Metro chief could not be ignored as he has said that it will lead to inefficiency and a bankrupt Delhi Metro. So, free ride proposal for women in Metro trains must be reviewed by the government," he said. Delhi Congress spokesperson Jitendra Kochar said the proposal of the AAP government was aimed at the upcoming Assembly elections, and asked for the Metro Man's view to be considered "seriously". "My appeal to Kejriwal is that he should think over the proposal otherwise this will lead to the collapse of the Delhi Metro," Kochar said. The ruling AAP, however, defended the free travel proposal and assured Sreedharan that DMRC will not suffer any losses as the Delhi government will reimburse it. "We want to assure him that Delhi Metro will not suffer any losses since the Delhi government will reimburse the agency for free rides taken by women, thus eliminating the possibility of inefficiency," AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a statement. Bhardwaj also countered Sreedharan's suggestion that the government should instead transfer the subsidy amount directly into the accounts of female travellers as complicated and impractical. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan on Friday claimed that India refused to let its train cross the border and bring some 200 Sikh yatrees to Lahore for Jore Mela festivities. "Pakistan had issued visas to some 200 Indian Sikhs to attend the Jore Mela (death anniversary of Guru Arjun Dev jee) and they were due to arrive here by a Pakistani train on Friday. But the Indian government refused to allow the Pakistani train to enter its territory to bring the Sikh yatress here," Amir Hashmi, spokesperson for Evacuee Trust Property Board, told PTI. "We remained in touch with the Indian authorities at the border regarding letting the Pakistani train cross the border to pick the awaiting Sikh yatrees but they plainly refused," Hashmi claimed. He said the Indian authorities gave no reason for their refusal. The ETPB is a government department that looks after the affairs and holy places of minorities in Pakistan. "We have protested the Indian decision. Since the Pakistani High Commission (in Delhi) had issued visas to 200 Sikh yatrees there was no point in stopping them from coming to Lahore," he said, adding that this issue will be take up with India at the government level. Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhik Committee (PSGPC) president Tara Singh said the Indian decision has disappointed the Sikh community in Pakistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Friday began examining a government request for the removal of two senior judges for concealing assets abroad amid a nationwide protest by lawyers, who say the duo were being victimised for being "independent-minded". Pakistan President Arif Alvi moved the SJC last month, asking it to take action against Supreme Court Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Karim Khan Agha of the Sindh High Court for allegedly hiding information of their properties in the UK. The SJC is a constitutional body and deals with cases of misconduct against judges of higher courts. Only the SJC can remove a Supreme Court or a High Court judge. The five-member SJC is headed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The other members are four seniormost judges -- two from the apex court and as many from the high courts. The court proceedings, which were held in-camera, lasted for about one-and-a-half hour. However, there was no formal announcement. Attorney General Anwar Mansoor appeared before the SJC as the prosecutor. According to the guidelines, in the first stage the SJC will determine if the cases were maintainable and merit formal trial. Earlier in the day, wearing black bands in solidarity with the accused judges, the Supreme Court Bar Council (SCBA) led the protest. The (SCBA) and the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) termed the cases as "vendetta by the government against the independent-minded judges". The agitating lawyers led by SCBA president Amanullah Kanrarni also burnt copies of the cases outside the Supreme Court. A group of protesters also held a sit-in at the main entrance of the apex court, virtually blocking the access to the court room. The agitators also put up banners, demanding the withdrawal of the cases, on the walls of the SC building. There were also reports of protests in Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi and Lahore. But the protests in those areas were not forceful as the legal fraternity was divided on the issue with some segments distancing themselves from the strike. Opposition parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Awami National Party and Jamaat-i-Islami, have also announced their support to the lawyers' protest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has conferred Indian-origin Sheikh Mohammad Munir Ansari with the Star of Jerusalem medal - one of the highest honours given to foreign nationals by the Palestinian Authority - for strengthening Indo-Palestine ties. At an event organised to honour 91-year-old Ansari Thursday evening, Abbas thanked him for serving Palestine and Jerusalem with distinction. Ansari, 91, is the Director of Indian Hospice, a unique and historic monument in the heart of Jerusalem, which has become a symbol of India's heritage and presence in the third holiest city for Muslims going back to over 800 years. Abbas said the Ansari family's presence in the old city of Jerusalem reflects the strong traditional ties between Indian and Palestinian people. He called upon for strengthening people-to-people contact between the two sides. Abbas plans to send Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh to India soon to boost tourist inflows from there which can contribute to strong bonding between the two people. Representative of India, Sunil Kumar, who was present at the event, also appreciated the role played by the Ansari family in strengthening Indo-Palestine ties. The Indian hospice has been under the direct supervision of a representative from India since 1924. Ansari's father, Sheikh Nazir Hassan Ansari, was appointed the first Sheikh of the Hospice from whom the mantle passed on to the incumbent who was born in Jerusalem in 1928 and has spent his whole life here. In 2011, India honoured Ansari with the Pravasi Divas Samman, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. The history of the hospice goes back to about 12th century, when famous sufi saint from Punjab Baba Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakar (or Baba Farid, as he is better known) visited Jerusalem on pilgrimage and prayed in seclusion for 40 days at the site. It later became a pilgrimage site for Indian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem and was dedicated as a charitable Waqf property in trust for a pious purpose. The place where Baba Farid is said to have prayed has become a major attraction for Indian tourists visiting Jerusalem. Almost every prominent Indian leader who has visited the region has paid a visit to the site and the hospice continues to host Indians visiting the Holy Land. The hospice also received a grant from the Ministry of External Affairs for its renovation. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan Friday appealed to SC/ST, OBCs, minorities and other weaker sections to strengthen the NDA, saying the alliance would win the hearts of all sections of people through its work in the next five years. Paswan also hit out at the opposition for levelling allegations about electronic voting machines being manipulated during the elections. The union minister was here to review the Food Corporation of India's performance in the southern region. "We have complete confidence that in the next five years we would be able to deliver progress to all the sections and win hearts in such a way that every Indian would forget supporting any other alliance in the future but would be solidly behind NDA alone," he told reporters here. "The LJP appeals to the SC/ST, OBCs, minorities and other weaker sections to strengthen the hands of the NDA and our Prime Minister," he added. Taking potshots at the opposition over EVM tampering allegations, he asked, "LJP wants to ask the Congress and other parties as to why they have suddenly stopped making these reckless allegations?" "Is it because they have no way of explaining how manipulated EVM would have resulted in opposition victories of the DMK and its allies in Tamil Nadu, YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh and the UDF in Kerala," Paswan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) NCP chief Sharad Pawar Friday heard views of party workers from North Maharashtra districts on seats to be contested in the upcoming Assembly polls. This was the second day in a row that Pawar discussed poll-related issues with party men. Pawar met NCP office-bearers from Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Malegaon, Nashik and Ahmednagar districts at party head office here as part of preparations for the polls due in September-October. On Thursday, he had held parleys with representatives from districts in the Konkan region, including Mumbai and adjoining Thane. "The party workers expressed views on seats the party can contest (in North Maharashtra). Saheb (Pawar) heard them patiently," a party source said. The NCP is reportedly seeking a quota of 144 of the 288 assembly seats under its pre-poll pact with the Congress in Maharashtra. The 20-year-old party had contested 278 seats on its own in the 2014 Assembly polls and won 41 of them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 1,200 resident doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here held a demonstration to express solidarity with their protesting counterparts in Kolkata. The functioning of the OPDs was partially hit due to the protest. However, Dr Uttam Kumar Thakur, president of the Association of Resident Doctors at the PGIMER, said all emergency services functioned normally and the on-duty doctors did not join the protest. The protest lasted for five hours from 8 am to 1 pm and the doctors returned to work after it, he said. Doctors in West Bengal are protesting since Tuesday against an attack on two of their colleagues by a mob following the death of a patient at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Resident doctors at government hospitals in Punjab and Haryana too wore black ribbons during the working hours to protest the Kolkata incident. At the Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, a demonstration was held. Similar protests were reported from Bathinda in Punjab besides Faridabad, Sirsa and and some other places in Haryana. "We are with all the doctors who have struck work. We also demand strict action against the goons responsible for the attack," Dr Uttam Kumar Thakur said. He said incidents of violence against on-duty doctors were "increasing day by day". "Though laws are there to protect doctors from such attacks, these remain toothless in the absence of effective implementation. We want the Centre and state governments to ensure that these laws are effectively implemented," he told reporters. Expressing solidarity with the doctors in West Bengal, Thakur said around 1,200 resident doctors at the PGIMER, along with 700 others, including paramedics and the nursing staff, condemned the Kolkata incident. Hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, Thakur in an earlier statement said, "The role of the state government is absolutely disgusting." "It is sheer inefficiency and callousness on the part of the government that they are incapable of giving the minimum protection to their on-duty doctors and solve this problem. We expect from the state government to hear the doctors rather than being stubborn in this situation," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tankers like those apparently attacked in the Gulf of Oman operate through increasingly treacherous waters, facing mounting dangers from piracy and collision as well as geopolitical hazards. Around 60 million barrels of petroleum product move each day on the seas globally, according to the US Energy Information Administration. And around a third of this volume passes through the Straits of Hormuz, a critical shipping passage. This waterway is a principal route for crude exports from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq. It is also a key route for natural gas exports from Qatar. Other highly strategic waterways include the Strait of Malacca between Singapore and Indonesia, the Suez Canal in Egypt and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. "Blocking a chokepoint, even temporarily, can lead to substantial increases in total energy costs and world energy prices," said EIA in a 2017 report. "Chokepoints also leave oil tankers vulnerable to theft from pirates, terrorist attacks, political unrest in the form of wars or hostilities and shipping accidents that can lead to disastrous oil spills." Alexander Booth, head of market analysis at Kpler, said tankers are accustomed to traveling with pirates in their midst, especially in areas like the Strait of Malacca and the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. "Historically, the biggest military or terrorist threat is piracy," Booth said. "Off the coasts of Somalia for instance, whilst they are going through certain areas, they would often broadcast the fact they have guards on board." Booth said attacks such as those suspected on Thursday are "very rare." Thursday's incidents come about a month after attacks on four ships, including three oil tankers, anchored off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. As with Thursday's incidents, the May attacks inflamed tensions between the United States and Iran. Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Iran could do damage. Iran "does not have to launch a major war," Cordesman wrote in an commentary on CSIS's website. "It can conduct sporadic, low-level attacks that do not necessarily provoke a major US or Arab reaction but create sudden risk premiums in petroleum prices and the equivalent of a war of attrition." Still another risk has been Iran's move to shut off automatic identification systems to help tankers evade US sanctions on Iranian crude, said Matt Smith of ClipperData. AIS is used by vessel traffic services and permits ships to know if other vessels are nearby. "One new danger is the increased risk of collisions due to vessels switching off their AIS," Smith said. In January 2018, the Iranian-owned Sanchi tanker carrying 136,000 ton of light crude oil caught fire after colliding with a bulk freighter in a deadly crash. Shipping companies are aware of this and can change course as a result, according to Booth, who said routes can be shifted not just to shorten distances but also due to refinery activity, product specifications and economic factors. "A cargo of products could turn around in the middle of the Atlantic half a dozen times before it actually ends up into its final destination," he said. In all, some 94,000 freighters are navigating across the globe, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Ships carrying solid primary materials like coal or grains represent the largest share of global maritime merchandise by tonnage, at 42.5 per cent. Those moving crude oil or processed product account for 30 per cent. Another 5.6 per cent of maritime traffic is made up of tankers containing liquefied natural gas and chemical products. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sale of Mexico Presidential Plane to Fund Migration Plan Mexico City - President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has promised to fund a crackdown on migrants to Mexico from Central America with proceeds from the sale of the presidential plane and other aircraft used by the last government. The move comes after Mexico and the United States reached a deal last Friday that averted escalating U.S. import tariffs of 5% on Mexican goods in exchange for Mexico doing more to halt Central American migration to the U.S. "About how much this plan is going to cost, let me say, we have the budget," Lopez Obrador said at his regular daily news conference on Wednesday. "It would come out of what we're going to receive from the sale of the luxurious presidential plane." AMLO said the price of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was originally purchased for $218 million for his predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, would start at $150m, citing a United Nations evaluation. During the presidential campaign in 2018, Lopez Obrador pledged to sell the plane and fly commercially instead, and he followed through on that promise only days after taking office. The plane has been on sale for the past several months and has been sitting in a California warehouse. AMLO said he expected the sale to close this week and that funds from the sale of the plane would be put toward the deployment of the newly formed national guard to its southern border with Guatemala. Additional funding would come from the 60 government-owned planes and 70 helicopters that Mexico is also seeking to sell. In the wake of protests by doctors in West Bengal against assault on their colleagues, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court Friday seeking to ensure safety and security of doctors in government hospitals across the country. The petition sought directions to Union ministries of home affairs and health as also West Bengal to depute government appointed security personnel at all government hospitals across the country to ensuring safety and security of the doctors. Due to protests, the healthcare services in the country have been badly disrupted and many people are dying because of the absence of the doctors, it said. "The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has supported the agitation of the doctors and has directed its members of all its state branches to stage protests ad wear black badges on Friday. Many senior doctors have resigned from their government posts in order to express solidarity with the agitating doctors," it said. The plea, filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, also sought directions to the West Bengal government to take strictest legal and penal action against the attackers who assaulted junior doctors at NRS Medical College Hospital, Kolkata, on June 10. "As per the study conducted by IMA, more than 75 percent of doctors across the country have faced some form of violence. This study concluded that 50 percent violent incidents took place in the Intensive Care Unit of hospitals and in 70 percent of cases, the relatives of the patients were actively involved," it said. The plea sought directions to formulate appropriate guidelines/act/rule or regulation to ensure safety and security of the doctors working at government hospitals and to ensure its compliance. "The doctors are our saviours and particularly the doctor working in government hospitals are doing great national service, particularly to the poor and downtrodden of this country, in extremely adverse circumstances," it said. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since June 11, demanding better security at workplace after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital. The IMA declared Friday as the "All India Protest Day" and launched a three-day nationwide protest. It also called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. Over 100 senior doctors of various state-run hospitals across West Bengal resigned from service. Doctors across the country went on protest to express solidarity with the doctors agitating against the attack on their colleagues in West Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given him an opportunity to serve the country through the spread of education and contribute to the building of a New India of his the vision. Pokhriyal who visited Haridwar for the first time after assuming office hoped that he would be able to serve the country as HRD minister as per the prime minister's vision. Thousands of supporters led by state Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik and MLA Yatishwaranand accorded a warm welcome to Nishank who worshipped the holy Ganga at Har ki Pauri ghat. "I have taken blessings of mother Ganga and Lord Shiva. I hope to rise to the expectations of the prime minister," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a USD 200 million line of credit for Kyrgyzstan after wide-ranging talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov as the two sides upgraded their ties to the strategic partnership level and signed 15 agreements, including one to eliminate double taxation. Prime Minister Modi and President Jeenbekov held one-on-one restricted meeting followed by a delegation-level talks during which the two sides discussed on stepping up their bilateral engagement to the next level and exploring new areas of cooperation. Later at a joint press statement, Modi announced the USD 200 million line of credit for Kyrgyzstan and said the two sides have decided to upgrade their ties to the Strategic Partnership level. Prime Minister Modi also said that the two sides have prepared a five-year road map to increase the bilateral trade. He said that the two countries share views on several issues and they have signed 15 agreements, including on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). They also signed the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), MoUs in the field of Health, security, defence and Information and Communication Technology. Prime Minister Modi emphasised on the counter terror cooperation between the two sides and said terrorism cannot be justified in any manner. "We are together in fight against terrorism, it is imperative to give out a message to the world that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost," he said. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace here. "India & Kyrgyzstan are now strategic partners! In a major outcome of the visit, both countries have decided to add strategic dimension to our ties to boost our relationship in defence & security, trade & investment, health, education & development cooperation, among other areas," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after the talks between the two leaders. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could not hold a planned meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit here due to scheduling issues, official sources said. According to a schedule put out by the External Affairs Ministry, Modi was to meet Rouhani at 3:35 PM (local time). As banquet for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders got extended, the two leaders could not meet, sources said. Modi arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO. He held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Modi also held talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Friday during a bilateral visit during which the two countries upgraded their relations to strategic ties. It was expected that Modi and Rouhani would discuss a range of issues including the US sanctions on import of Iranian oil and implementation of the Chabahar port project. The meeting was keenly awaited as it was to take place amid escalating face-off between Iran and the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme. The six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions to India and seven other countries to buy oil from Iran expired on May 2 as Washington did not extend it. Early last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited India in the wake of the US decision to not continue the exemptions to India and other countries. In her meeting with Zarif, the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj conveyed to him that India will take a decision on the import of Iranian oil after the Lok Sabha polls, keeping in mind its commercial, economic and energy security interests. India, the world's third biggest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. Iran was its third largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia till recently. Indo-Iran ties have been on a upswing in the past few years. Prime Minister Modi visited Tehran in May 2016 with an aim to craft a strategic relationship with Iran and expand India's ties with the West Asia. During the visit, India and Iran signed nearly a dozen agreements, centrepiece of which was a deal on development of the strategic Chabahar port. Later, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement providing for transport of goods among the three countries through the port. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting here. Jeenbekov is also the current Chair of the SCO Summit 2019. Prime Minister Modi was welcomed by the Kyrgyz President as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting. "President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of #Kyrgyz Republic, current Chair of #SCOSummit2019 warmly welcomed PM @narendramodi as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting today morning," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet. The meeting between the two leaders is their first interaction after Modi's re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday could not hold a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the SCO summit here due to scheduling issues, official sources said. According to a schedule put out by the External Affairs Ministry, Modi was to meet Rouhani at 3:35 PM (local time). As banquet for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders got extended, the two leaders could not meet, sources said. Modi arrived here Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO. He held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. It was expected that Modi and Rouhani would discuss a range of issues including the US sanctions on import of Iranian oil and implementation of the Chabahar port project. The meeting was keenly awaited as it was to take place amid escalating face-off between Iran and the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme. The six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions to India and seven other countries to buy oil from Iran expired on May 2 as Washington did not extend it. Early last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited India in the wake of the US decision to not continue the exemptions to India and other countries. In her meeting with Zarif, then then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj conveyed to him that India will take a decision on the import of Iranian oil after the Lok Sabha polls, keeping in mind its commercial, economic and energy security interests. India, the world's third biggest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. Iran was its third largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia till recently. Indo-Iran ties have been on a upswing in the past few years. Prime Minister Modi visited Tehran in May 2016 with an aim to craft a strategic relationship with Iran and expand India's ties with the West Asia. During the visit, India and Iran signed nearly a dozen agreements, centrepiece of which was a deal on development of the Chabahar port. Later, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement providing for transport of goods among the three countries through the port. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Further simplification of GST, implementation of direct tax code, initiating job-oriented growth measures and maintaining fiscal prudence were some of the key suggestions made by economists for the ensuing Budget to Finance Minister on Friday. The finance minister is holding customary meetings with different stakeholders, including industry and farmers' bodies. This was the sixth such pre-Budget consultancy meeting. The economists were of the view that the Budget, to be presented in the Lok Sabha on July 5, should set the tone for the next five years and is a unique opportunity to promote manufacturing through 'Make in India'. They touched upon a host of macroeconomic factors like economic growth, jobs, fiscal management, investments and public sector borrowings, according to a release by the Among other major suggestions were removing bottlenecks in supply-chain, framing EXIM policy for agriculture, doing away with specific duties on textiles, reviving inter-state councils for holistic domestic growth, skilling youths, giving fillip to services and manufacturing sector, and bringing structural reforms for a long-term growth. Stability of tax rates, reduction in tariffs, further simplification of GST, implementation of direct tax code, promoting labour intensive sectors, constitution of independent fiscal policy committee and incentivising digital transactions were also made part of the discussions. "I have basically talked about the external threats and opportunities because most people focus on fiscal monetary. So I said (it) is a once in a generation opportunity of moving supply chain to India," said former CEA Arvind Virmani after the meeting. Manoj Panda, Director, Institute of Economic Growth, stressed that the agriculture sector must be liberalised and farmers should be taught learn how to face markets. The participating economists also underlined the need for bringing type framework for NBFC sector, infusing capital in banks and tapping into e-commerce's potential for job growth. Rathin Roy (CEO and Director, NIPFP), S Mahendra Dev (Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research), Shekhar Shah (DG, National Council of Applied Economic Research), T N Ninan (Chairman, Business Standard), Sunil Jain, (Managing Editor, Financial Express), and Surjit S Bhalla (MD, O(X) US Investment) also put forth their views during the meeting which among others was also attended by top officials of the ministry. Other prominent economists in the meeting were Rakesh Mohan, Nitin Desai, and Soumya Kanti Ghosh (Chief Economist, SBI). The process of granting environmental clearances has become faster as the government has reduced the number of days taken to complete the procedure from 640 to 108, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said Friday. Speaking at the national council meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here, he also promised to further bring down the time taken to grant clearances to a period of two to three months. "Earlier, the ministry was addressed as roadblock ministry or tax ministry. There was an atmosphere that there will be no progress of the country. But we showed that protection and growth can go together," Javadekar said while addressing over 100 industrialists at the meeting. "On an average, it used to take 640 days in granting environment clearances. When I was environment minister for two years, I brought it down to 180 days and now, when I took review, it has come down to 108 days. I promise you that in the coming days we will do our best to bring it down to three or two months," the minister said. Javadekar said growth and environment protection are possible together and asked for support and suggestions from industrialists. "In this endeavour, we will not compromise with the environment. Environment protection is important but the country's progress is also important. I believe growth and environment protection both are possible together. That's what we are pledging. We'll do it and your (CII) suggestions are welcome," he said. Javadekar assured to make the environment clearance process not only faster but also transparent to ensure progress. "I can promise you that we not only want to reduce the days of processing the applications but make processes more transparent, taking care of environment and also ensuring progress. I want your suggestions on it on minister.efcc@gov.in. Suggestions are welcome," he told the CII members. Javadekar was open to the suggestion made by a CII member to make a council, on the line of the GST council, to facilitate faster environmental clearances. The Union minister stressed on the need to invest more in innovation to change the economy for the better. He sought the CII's participation in the conference of parties on climate change, which is scheduled to be held in December, to help the government shape its strategy in international lobbying. "I want to make two specific requests to you that CII or any business organisation should help the government in lobbying at the international forum more actively because in the Paris agreement I have seen how Japanese, Chinese businesses shape government opinions and strategy, and do lobbying at the international forum. "You have to participate. Now, the Paris agreement is ratified. America is out of it. We don't know their future. In COP 25 in Chile this December, I want your active collaboration where you can give inputs and argue as well," he said. Stressing on the need to innovate, Javadekar said industries and exports will not grow unless there is ownership of innovation in India. "Our industries won't grow and exports will not rise till we innovate. We lack in innovation. We are nearly importing everything. Unless we innovate we cannot compete because innovation adds value to the nation," he said, adding that there is a need for industries, universities and research labs to work in collaboration. Javadekar said that "we are contributors to innovation and not owners of innovation". "Till the time, we own an innovation, we won't get the full benefit of it and others will take it," the environment minister said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several prominent personalities of the city have come out in support of the agitating doctors, some of them even urging West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to find a solution to the impasse, which entered the fourth day on Friday. Filmmaker Aparna Sen, actor Kaushik Sen, musician Debojyoti Mishra, along with senior doctors from diverse fields, visited the agitators at NRS Medical College and Hospital, where an attack by the family members of a patient Monday night left two interns grievously injured and the medical system paralysed in the state. Sen requested the chief minister to meet the striking doctors and listen to their grievances. "I am a filmmaker. I have so much work at hand, but I felt it was my responsibility to stand by the doctors. My conscience directed me to stand by them. We need to understand they are doing a noble job," she said. Talking about Banerjee's warning of vacating doctors' hostels, if they fail to resume work, the Padma Shri awardee said, "If these bright students move out of state, will it be a desirable situation? Even if you (Mamata) feel hurt by their comments, you have to remember you are elder to them." The agitating junior doctors were seen showing video clips of the assault to Sen. The filmmaker told the agitators that actor Parambrata Chatterjee also wanted to reach out to them, but could not make it. "Chatterjee has also urged the government to ensure that no such attacks happen again," she added. Actor Kaushik Sen urged Banerjee, who also holds the home and health portfolios, to focus more on the healthcare sector. The government should concentrate more on developing the healthcare infrastructure in the state, rather than celebrating numerous festivals, he insisted. Doctors across the state have called for a strike in protest against the attack on two of their colleagues at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city by family members of a patient, who died Monday night. One of them received serious head injuries and was currently recuperating at Institute of Neurosciences. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state, leaving patients in the lurch. Banerjee, who visited state-run SSKM Hospital on Thursday, warned the junior doctors of consequences if they do not rejoin work, but the defiant agitators have refused to abide by the order. They asserted that the protests would continue till their demands are fulfilled. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State capital Lucknow witnessed clear sky Friday, even as the meteorological department forecast that rain accompanied by thunderstorm is very likely at isolated places in the state. Issuing a warning, the meteorological department said that duststorm or thunderstorm accompanied with winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour and lightning are very likely at isolated places over the state. Banda was the hottest place in the state, where maximum temperature rose to 45 degrees Celsius, followed by Etawah, which recorded a high of 44.8 degree Celsius. Allahabad saw mercury reaching to 44.7 degrees Celsius. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load The Rajasthan government on Friday ordered an administrative inquiry into the death of a tiger at Sariska reserve in Alwar, officials said. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has directed the officials to initiate a high-level administrative inquiry. Principal Secretary (cooperatives) Abhay Kumar will carry out the investigation. The tiger, who died on Saturday last, had been shifted to Sariska from Ranthambhore National Park two months ago, officials said. Based on initial reports and the post-mortem, officials said heat stroke was the cause of death. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao Friday met his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai and invited him to the inauguration of the Kaleswaram irrigation project on June 21. Rao, who travelled to Mumbai, met Fadnavis to invite him for the project inauguration, official sources here said. He also met Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Fadnavis would be invited as chief guest at the event, a release from Rao's office said here Thursday. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy would also be invited to the event, the CMO said earlier. The Kaleswaram project across the Godavari river, which flows through Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, aims at meeting drinking water requirements of about 80 per cent of districts in the state,besides the farm sector and industries. The foundation stone for the project was laid on May 2, 2016 by Rao. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Friday asked banks to ensure their are grouted to a wall, pillar, or floor by September-end, except those installed in high secured premises such as airports, to enhance security of the cash vending machines. In 2016, the had set up a Committee on Currency Movement (CCM) to review the entire gamut of security of treasure in transit. Based on the recommendations of the panel, the central bank has now issued instructions aimed at mitigating risks in ATM operations and enhancing security. As part of the security measures, all " shall be operated for cash replenishment only with digital One Time Combination (OTC) locks". Also, "All shall be grouted to a structure (wall, pillar, floor, etc.) by September 30, 2019, except for ATMs installed in highly secured premises such as airports, etc. which have adequate CCTV coverage and are guarded by state/central security personnel". Further, banks may also consider rolling out a comprehensive e-surveillance mechanism at the ATMs to ensure timely alerts and quick response, it said. The new measures to be adopted by banks are in addition to the existing instructions, practices and guidance issued by the and law enforcement agencies. The also warned the banks that non-adherence of timelines or non-observance of the instructions would attract regulatory action including levy of penalty. Regime and Russian air strikes and shelling killed at least 28 people including seven civilians in embattled northwest Syria, a war monitor said Friday, despite a ceasefire announced by Moscow. The civilians were killed in regime air strikes and shelling on the south of Idlib province and the north of Hama province Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Russian and regime air strikes also killed 21 jihadist and Islamist fighters in the same region the same day, the Britain-based monitor added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that enduring peace and prosperity in South Asia will remain elusive until the main dynamics in the region is shifted from "confrontation to cooperation". Addressing the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here, Khan said the South Asia continues to be challenged by common enemies, including poverty, illiteracy, disease and under-development. "Enduring peace and prosperity in South Asia will remain elusive until the main dynamic in South Asia is shifted from confrontation to cooperation," Khan was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan. The "political differences and unresolved disputes further compound the predicament," the prime minister said. "It is important to seize the opportunities for peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes and collective endeavours for regional prosperity," he said. Khan also said that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including "state-terrorism against people under illegal occupation." India and Afghanistan accuse Pakistan of providing safe haven to the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and other militant groups, which carry out attacks in the two neighbouring countries. Khan, who has made public statements in recent months affirming his resolve not to allow Pakistan's soil to be used against any other country, said his country remains ready to share its experience and expertise in counter terrorism. "We are among the few countries to have successfully turned the tide against terrorism," he said, adding that Pakistan will remain actively engaged in SCO's counter-terrorism initiatives. Referring to the Afghan peace talks, Khan said there is finally a realisation that the conflict in Afghanistan has no military solution. Pakistan is fully supporting efforts for peace and reconciliation, through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Goa Labour and Employment Minister Rohan Khaunte Friday said "at least 30 per cent" of government employees were operating private businesses and the administration should weed them out, and in the process create jobs for educated youth. He further said such government servants were lax in their official duties. "If a government servant has started a side business, then it is a good thing since he has created employment. However, he should resign from his government job," Khaunte said, adding that he would be writing to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to create a task force to identify such government staffers. He said Goa should replicate the policy at the Centre under which some officers were asked to take voluntary retirement. Khaunte said Goa's employment policy would be formulated soon and the consultation process for it has already begun. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nearly 400 touts have been held from 205 cities across the country, most of them from West Bengal, in a crackdown by the Railway Protection Force to check misuse of the facility of e-ticketing and tatkal seva, a senior official of the railways' police force said Friday. 'Operation Thunder' was conducted by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) along with the railways' IT cell on Thursday when suspects were identified and simultaneous raids were held in 338 locations, he said. "This is the peak season for railways. Since it is the summer vacations, traffic is high along with it being the wedding season in North India. We learnt that anti-social elements were misusing our facilities and selling tickets at higher rates fraudulently," Director General RPF Arun Kumar told reporters here. He said during the raids the RPF seized 22,253 tickets worth Rs 36,91,580 on which the journeys was supposed to be undertaken, he said. In preliminary inquiry, it has been found that these touts had done business worth Rs 3,79,02,803 so far from such illegal sale of tickets, Kumar said. Fifty-one touts were held from Kolkata in West Bengal, the highest number of arrest, which falls under the East Central Railway. This was followed by Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh over South East Central Railway with 41 such cases, he said. Kumar said an illegal software, 'ANMS/Red Mirchi', has been seized from Kota, Rajasthan which was being used to hack into the tatkal facility offered by the IRCTC which is now being rectified. He said, "387 user ids under which these tickets have been booked frequently have been blacklisted and the tickets have been deactivated. We have also instructed all zonal railways to continue such raids in their areas to mount pressure on these touts. "I appeal to the general public not to book tickets illegally through touts," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia warned Friday against jumping to conclusions over the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman after US President Donald Trump blamed them on Iran. "We consider it necessary to refrain from hasty conclusions," the Russian foreign ministry said, calling for a thorough international investigation. "We strongly condemn the attacks no matter who is behind them," the ministry said in a statement. "We are concerned by tensions in the Gulf of Oman," it said, calling on all parties to show restraint. Two vessels were struck by explosions on Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast, the second attack in a month in the strategic shipping lane. Moscow also thanked Iran for help in rescuing 11 Russian crew members from one of the vessels, the Front Altair. Washington has blamed the attacks on Iran, with Trump saying the incident had Iran "written all over it." The latest incident raised new fears of conflict in the strategically vital waterway. Iran has denied involvement. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Press Secretary will step down at the end of the month, President announced Thursday. Trump making the surprise announcement of her departure hoped that Sanders would run for the Governor of Arkansas State. "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas...., Trump said in a tweet. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!" tweeted the US president. Sanders (36), only the third woman to serve in the prestigious position, is the daughter of popular GOP politician and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Later at a event, Trump praised Sanders. "We've been through a lot together. She's tough, and she's good. You also have tough and bad, right? She's tough but she's good. She's great. And she's going to be leaving the service of her country and she's going to be going - I guess you could say the private sector but I hope she's going she comes from a great state, Arkansas. That's a state I won by a lot, so I like it. We love Arkansas. She's going to be going back to Arkansas with her great family. Her husband is fantastic, Trump said. The outgoing White House Press Secretary said it was one of the "greatest jobs she could ever have". "This has been the honour of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn't be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country, and particularly to work for this president. He has accomplished so much in these two-and-a-half years, and it's truly been something I will treasure forever. It's one of the greatest jobs I could ever have. I've loved every minute, even the hard minutes. I've loved it, Sanders said. She praised Trump and his team. "I love the president; I love the team that I've had the opportunity to work for. The president is surrounded by some of the most incredible and most talented people you could ever imagine, and it's truly the most special experience. The only one I can think of that might top it just a little bit is the fact that I'm a mom, said the outgoing White House Press Secretary. She vowed to "be one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president and his agenda. I know he's going to have an incredible six more years and get a lot more done, like what we're here to celebrate today. Sanders said, "I do not know, when asked if she is considering running for governor of Arkansas. "I learned long time ago never to rule anything out," she told the reporters. Later talking to a group of reporters, Sanders said she wanted to spend time with her family and kids who are growing. She has three kids of seven, five and four years of age. Early this year Indian American Raj Shah departed the White House as the Deputy Press Secretary. The State Bank of India has refused to disclose any communication it received from the government or the Reserve Bank of India on electoral bonds, terming it "personal information" and held in "fiduciary capacity". Responding to an RTI filed by Pune-based activist Vihar Durve who had demanded copies of all letters, correspondence, directions, notifications or e-mails received from the RBI or any government department between 2017 and 2019, the SBI said it cannot be provided by it. The bank cited two exemption clauses under the RTI Act to deny information -- Section 8(1)(e) which pertains to information held in fiduciary capacity and Section 8(1)(J) which pertains to personal information of a person which has no link to any public activity. "Information sought by the applicant cannot be disclosed as it is in fiduciary capacity, disclosure of which is exempted under Section 8(1)(e) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005," the Central Public Information Officer of the bank said in his reply. The bank also refused to give any details of action taken by it on such communications from the RBI and the government. The electoral bonds, for giving donations to political parties, are being sold through SBI only. The sale opens in SBI branches when the Finance Ministry issues a notification of their sale for a given period. The scheme of electoral bonds notified by the Centre in 2018 has been challenged in the Supreme Court. Only the political parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (43 of 1951) and which secured not less than one per cent of the votes polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State, shall be eligible to receive the bonds. The bonds may be purchased by a person who is a citizen of India "or incorporated or established in India," the government had said in a statement last year. The bonds remain valid for 15 days and can be encashed by an eligible political party only through an account with the authorised bank within that period only. A voluntary group working in the field of electoral reforms, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), has demanded a stay on the sale while the CPI(M) has challenged it before the Supreme Court in separate petitions. ADR recently filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018 which was notified by the Centre in January last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Expressing concern over Malaysian palm oil flooding Indian markets, edible oil trade body SEA Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hike import duty on palm oil being purchased from the South-east Asian country, to safeguard domestic oilseed farmers. In January, India had reduced import duty on refined palm oil sourced from Malaysia to 45 per cent from 54 per cent as part of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed by the two countries in fiscal year 2010-11. India is the world's leading vegetable oil buyer and the share of palm oil is more than 60 per cent of the overall imports. In a representation made to the Prime Minister, Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) said there has been a "sharp increase" in imports of refined palm oil as a consequence of the India-Malaysia CECA pact. "We strongly appeal to the government to kindly scrap the CECA agreement with Malaysia with immediate effect and impose higher duty on (RBD) palmolein (refined palm oil) to save domestic refiners and oilseed farmers," it said. According to SEA, the refined, bleached and de-odorised (RBD) palmolein imports have gone up from 1,30,000 tonne in December 2018 to 3,71,060 tonne in May 2019, highest in any single month since May 2013. Total palm oil imports stood at 8,18,149 tonnes during May this year, while soft oils were at 3,62,637 tonnes in the same period, it said. Total vegetable oils (both palm and soft oils) imports in May this year declined to 12,21,989 tonnes from 12,86,240 tonnes in the same month previous year, the SEA data showed. India imports palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, and a small quantity of crude soft oil, including soyabean oil from Latin America. Sunflower oil is imported from Ukraine and Russia. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A section of leaders in Delhi Congress have demanded replacement of its AICC in-charge PC Chacko in the wake of Lok Sabha poll debacle of the party in the national capital. Under the stewardship of Chacko, the Congress was engaged in long drawn discussion over pre-poll alliance with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which finally did not materialise but caused delay in announcement of party candidates in Delhi. Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit who opposed the alliance with the AAP was fielded along with other senior, well-known faces, like former president of the unit Ajay Maken, in the Lok Sabha polls but they suffered massive defeats in all seven seats. Chacko was made in-charge of Delhi Congress in November 2014. "Under leadership of Chacko the party has lost all the elections including the recent Lok Sabha polls as well as Assembly and MCD polls in 2015 and 2017. If Rahul Gandhi can think of resigning taking moral responsibility of the defeat, why should Chacko not also resign," said party leader Rohit Manchanda. His view was supported by some other leaders in the party saying Chacko should step down since even Dikshit has proposed to resign over the party's defeat. Manchanda, who lost Delhi Assembly polls from Saket seat in 2003 by just 116 votes, alleged that Chacko "misbheaved" with him at Delhi Congress office on Friday. "I was there to greet him but he lashed out at me and said that he will ensure that leaders like me have no right to be there in Delhi Congress. I demand Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to replace him with some other leader as in-charge of Delhi Congress," Manchanda told PTI. He said that after the humiliating defeat of Congress in Delhi in parliamentary polls, he had written a Facebook post demanding resignation of Chacko which could be reason why he was "berated" by the senior leader. Chacko denied Manchanda's allegation. "Nothing like that happened. He may be some unimportant person, I do not know him much," he told PTI. Another senior Delhi Congress leader, who confirmed Manchanda's allegation, said, "Everybody is concerned by such a big defeat in Lok Sabha polls so its natural that people responsible for it should quit. Party leaders and workers are losing confidence in contesting Assembly polls early next year under charge of Chacko." Congress which ruled Delhi for 15 years till 2013, failed to open its account in 2015 Assembly polls and the recent parliamentary elections, besides being pushed to third place in civic body polls in 2017. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The challenges IAS officers face in the 21st century are no different from those of the 20th century which is "commitment to the larger public good against all odds", senior bureaucrat V Srinivas told a delegation of civil servants from Gambia during a special training programme. The motto I am ethical, I am accountable and I am the IAS is reflective of India's constitutional values that are deeply rooted in high moral tones with a universal dimension, he said. Srinivas and former cabinet secretary Ajit Seth addressed a 27-member delegation comprising permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries of Gambia on 'Transparency and Accountability in Governance' at the National Centre for Good Governance in Mussoorie. The centre is conducting a special training programme for the senior civil servants from Gambia under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. In the chairman's remarks, Seth said the Right to Information enables improving governance in India by bringing transparency in decisions regarding major contracts, settlement of disputes and clarity in land matters. The large scale adoption of Aadhaar for subsidy disbursement has strengthened India's fight against corruption, he said. The steel frame of India's governance has helped develop a process-driven governance, which is rule based and with adequate accountability, Seth said. India's civil service practices includes mapping of career paths and continuous performance assessment, an official statement quoted him as saying. Srinivas, who is additional secretary in the department of administrative reforms and public grievances, said the bulwark of good governance policies are accountability, transparency, stakeholder participation, judicial framework and fight against corruption. He deliberated on the constitutional provisions of articles 309, 310 and 311 dealing with services and the second administrative reforms commission's recommendation that article 309 Recruitment and Conditions of Service of Persons serving the Union and the State should be further strengthened to protect bonafide actions by civil servants. India's fight against corruption is based on enhanced use of technology, increased transparency, greater stakeholder engagement, severe penalties with time-bound completion of disciplinary proceedings, credible deterrance with strong audit and accounting mechanisms, said Srinivas, who was the lead speaker. During the discussions, the permanent secretaries of Gambia appreciated the progress made by India in the areas of transparency and accountability with independent constitutional bodies like the Central Information Commission, the Central Vigilance Commission and the CAG. They felt that it was an unique opportunity for Gambia's senior officials to understand the best practices of India's governance model. The National Centre for Good Governance, India's leading civil services training institution, has been training civil servants from a number of countries in South Asia and Africa. Recently, the NCGG had entered into a collaboration with the Maldives Civil Services Commission for capacity building of 1,000 Maldives civil servants over the next five years. The agreement was signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Male on June 8. The Ministry of External Affairs bears all expenses pertaining to the training program under ITEC. The training of Gambia's permanent secretaries and deputy permanent secretaries represents an important step India-Africa collaboration. The two week training programme is being held at Mussoorie and Delhi from June 10 to June 21. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Karnataka government to probe the alleged financial fraud perpetrated by an investment firm here, leaving thousands of investors in the lurch, Friday said it was investigating whether he had fled to Dubai. "We are trying to find the whereabouts of Mohammed Mansoor Khan (owner of IMA Jewels). It is a matter of investigation if he has fled to Dubai," deputy Inspector General of Police B R Ravikanthe Gowda, who is heading the Special Investigation Team, told PTI. His statement came amid rumours that Khan had fled to Dubai after police found two abandoned SUVs, allegedly owned by him, one of which was near Kempe Gowda International Airport Police sources said Khan had started his business from Dubai and later shifted to Bengaluru to start IMA Jewels. He luredpeople to invest in his firm as it encouraged investment. A majority of Muslims from various parts ofKarnataka and neighbouring states fell into his trap andinvested lakhs of rupees, they said. Meanwhile, the number of complaints lodged against the company swelled to 30,000, with 2,500 being lodged on Friday alone. On June 12, seven directors of the firm were apprehended. The same day, the state government had announced the setting up of the 11-member SIT, days Khan went absconding after allegedly threatening to commit suicide in an audio clip. As the audio went viral, panicked investors, most of whom are Muslims, had swarmed the firm's office at Shivajinagar in thousands, demanding action against the owner and directors. Khan in an audio clip which went viral on the social media had purportedly said he was committing suicide as he was fed up with corruption. He had also alleged the Shivajinagar Congress MLA Roshan Baig took Rs 400 crore from him and was not returning it. Baig had rubbished the charge, alleging that his political adversaries had orchestrated the "series of events" to tarnish his character. Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate had filed a case of money laundering in the alleged ponzi scheme. The agency's zonal office here filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent to an FIR, and pressed criminal charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials had said. The ED took cognisance of the complaint registered by the Karnataka police and the subsequent creation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged fraud, the officials said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The CBI and Maharashtra CID told the Bombay High Court on Friday that it had, to some extent, established commonality between the killings of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and activist Govind Pansare. A division bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and Gautam Patel was told that in the Dabholkar case all the accused have been arrested but the weapon used in the crime is yet to be recovered. The CBI informed the court that an operation will be carried out within a month to search and retrieve four country-made pistols, which were allegedly dismantled and thrown by the accused into a creek in adjoining Thane district. "We are awaiting necessary permissions from government agencies to undertake the operation," CBI counsel Anil Singh told the court. The bench then noted that the operation should not be delayed and should be carried out before onset of monsoon. CID counsel Ashok Mundargi told the court that in the Pansare case the main conspirators have been arrested and efforts are on to nab the assailants. The bench then asked if investigations carried out so far had pointed out to any commonalities between the two crimes. "Yes, to some extent commonality is established between the two crimes," Mundargi said. The bench, however, noted that there was something lacking in the probe in the Pansare case. "We feel like there is some spark missing in this case. It is not the case that the shooters will never be arrested. They will be nabbed one day. But it should have been done by now," the court said. "It is the credibility of the probe agency that is at stake. It is a case where eminent persons like Dabholkar and Pansare have been killed," it added. The court said the government has to provide all assistance and guidance to the probe agencies in such cases. "Political leaders, who are in power, and made promises to the public that they stand for peace and constitutional rights of citizens should ensure this," the court said. The court was hearing petitions filed by the family of Dabholkar and Pansare seeking court supervision in the probe being carried out by the CID and the CBI. Dabholkar, a well-known anti-superstition activist, was shot dead on August 20, 2013 in Pune. Pansare was shot on February 16, 2015 near his house in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra. He died four days later. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Friday met Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with them various issues concerning the state. During the 15-minute meeting with the home minister, the chief minister briefed him about the prevailing situation in Assam, where the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be published on July 31. "It was a courtesy call and I have congratulated him on behalf of the people for being chosen as the home minister of the country. I have also briefed him about the prevailing law and order situation in Assam," he told reporters after the meeting with Shah. Sonowal is also believed to have discussed with Shah about the situation which may arise after the publication of the final list of the NRC. During his meeting with the defence minister, the chief minister discussed with him certain issues concerning Assam. Sonowal also met Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank during the day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A special team of the Kochi City police has launched a probe to trace a Circle Inspector who has been reported missing, police said Friday. Kochi Central Police Station Circle Inspector V S Navas was reported missing since Thursday morning allegedly after an argument with his senior officer over the wireless set on Wednesday night. A special four-member team headed by DCP G Poonguzhali is probing the case based on a man-missing complaint filed by Navas's wife, police said. Talking to reporters in Thriruvananthapuram, state police chief Loknath Behera said the special team would trace the missing officer soon. "Hopefully, we will get him quickly", Behera said. The police chief said he would talk to Navas personally once he is traced to understand the situation that forced him to go missing. Police said the probe team would also investigate reports of the argument between Navas and his senior officer. Navas was reportedly last seen at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior TMC leader and West Bengal Education minister Partha Chatterjee appealed to striking junior doctors to "keep aside" misunderstandings and withdraw their agitation, which entered its fourth day on Friday. In a Facebook post, Chatterjee, the TMC secretary general said, that all their grievances can be solved through discussions with the government. "I would like to appeal to my young friends to keep aside misunderstandings and join back at work. We should not lose faith on masses. I too have been involved in student politics and now after being appointed in a position, still believe that all of us should work towards serving the masses. "Just like you need security, patients also need treatment. I would appeal to all of you to think over it," he said. The strike by the junior doctors continued on Friday, hampering regular services in all state-run medical colleges and hospitals, and a number of private hospitals. However, emergency services were available at one or two hospitals, including Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital here, on Friday morning. Notwithstanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's warning of strict action if work is not resumed, the junior doctors carried on with their agitation. The junior doctors have been agitating since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi Friday asked all government departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs) here getting financial support from the government to submit their duly audited statements without delay. In her whatsapp message to mediapersons, she said the Chief Minister V Narayanasamy holding the finance portfolio on Thursday took up a pre-budget exercise by holding meetings with the officials. "In the interest of financial system and welfare of the regular government employees, all government departments and PSUsand government-sponsored societies having government staff and getting loans or grants from the government should submit their audited statements without delay," she said. The objective of this requirement was to ensure that besides salaries the government staff should get pension, gratuity, provident fund and leave encashment on their retirement. "It has been seen that several retired personnel suffer for want of timely release of pension and other entitlements and allowances," she said adding that "Financial prudence should return to Puducherry." Also, Bedi wanted listing out of bills awaiting payment. She said the government should take necessary steps to honour its commitments instead of waiting for the former staff to seek judicial remedy for payment. Many have to go to court or keep complaining and suffer. "We should settle the bills," she said. Bedi specifically pointed out that the government should return the provident fund of employees wherever diverted as the report of the provident fund commissioner was now available. She said the diversion of PF amount calls for 'criminal liability.' "It is the duty of all concerned at the helm of affairs to ensure that such basics are ensured in the budget of the union territory for the fiscal 2019-2020," she said. Bedi made it clear that her aim was to make the government departments and PSUs correct the deficiencies. "I will review the situation again at the time when the budget is submitted to her office," she said. Chief Minister had been holding meetings with the officials of various departments since last few days ahead of the budget to be presented shortly. A full-fledged budget was not presented when the House had its session in February this year and funds for the first five months ending August were earmarked to the departments to meet their expenditure from out of the consolidated fund. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sudan's veteran opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi called on Friday for an "objective" international investigation into last week's deadly crackdown on protesters, after the ruling military council rejected such a probe. Mahdi's call was backed by top US envoy Tibor Nagy, who urged an "independent and credible" investigation into the June 3 killings. Thousands of protesters who had camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum for weeks were dispersed in an operation which left dozens dead. The crackdown followed the collapse of talks between protest leaders and generals, following the ouster of president Omar al-Bashir. The generals had repeatedly pledged they would not disperse the sit-in, but on Thursday admitted that "mistakes" had been made. Mahdi, speaking after attending Friday prayers at a mosque in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, condemned the operation. "The protest's dispersal was wrong. There should be an independent international investigation into it," he told AFP. "It's important that the probe is objective and not biased in favour of the authorities." Mahdi's elected government was toppled in a 1989 coup led by Bashir, who then ruled for three decades before being ousted in April following mass protests. Nagy, the US assistant secretary of state for Africa, also called for an investigation. "The USA believe very strongly there has to be an investigation which is independent and credible which will hold accountable those committing the egregious events," he said in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, after a two-day visit to Khartoum. Along with the newly-appointed US special envoy to Sudan, Donald Booth, Nagy met with military council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Thursday. The June 3 crackdown left about 120 people dead and hundreds wounded, according to doctors linked to protesters, while the health ministry put the death toll at 61. The protest movement has also called for an international probe, something rejected by the military council. "We do not accept an international investigating committee. We are a sovereign state," council spokesman Shamseddine Kabbashi told reporters late Thursday. Expressing "regret" over the crackdown, Kabbashi said the plan had been to clear an area close to the sit-in -- but "excesses happened". He said the military is carrying out its own inquiry, whose findings are to be released on Saturday. On Friday, worshippers at the mosque linked to Mahdi's National Umma Party appeared frustrated with the generals' version of the crackdown. "The way the sit-in was dispersed was harsh and unacceptable," said Salim Gebril, a university professor and member of the National Umma Party. "They (the military rulers) keep saying they are looking forward to reaching an agreement (with the protest leaders) but their tone sounded as if they may take another route." Another worshipper, Abdelrahman Amir al-Tom, found the military council's statement to be "extremely disappointing". Protest leaders and generals have now agreed to resume talks after mediation led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Mahdi believes the mediation "may have a positive impact," and may help both sides overcome the differences. "In the end, the military council cannot rule, that is clear, and civilian forces cannot talk about a future without the participation of the military council," the former premier said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Friday said he was "surprised" by former DMRC chief E Sreedharan's opposition to the Delhi government's proposed free travel scheme for women. In a letter to Sreedharan, Sisodia asked him to reconsider his stand and "bless" the AAP dispensation to go ahead with this progressive step. The deputy chief minister said due to proposed free scheme for women, the Delhi Metro's revenue will increase and ridership will go up, and more women will use the public transport. Opposing the AAP government's proposed free travel scheme for women in the Delhi Metro trains, Sreedharan urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to agree to the proposal as it would set "an alarming precedence". "I am surprised and pained to read your letter addressed to the prime minister, in which you have opposed the Delhi government's proposal to bear the cost of allowing free ridership for women in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) trains," Sisodia said in the letter. He also said the Delhi government will buy around a million coupons in bulk from the DMRC on a daily basis and provide these to women commuters for their free travel, seeking to know why should anyone have any objection to that. "Sir, your stand appears to be a result of misunderstanding about the Delhi government's proposal. "You will appreciate that after the completion of Phase-III of the DMRC, its services were designed to have a capacity of daily ridership of four million (forty lakh passengers daily)," Sisodia said. One of the main reasons behind the decreasing Delhi Metro ridership is high fares, he said. "In fact the Delhi Metro is one of the most expensive modes of public transport in the world today (after purchasing power parity). The Delhi Metro needs to drastically improve its efficiency and become cost competitive," he said. The intention of the Delhi government in allowing free travel for women is to ensure women safety and to encourage the use of public transport in the national capital to reduce air pollution, he said, adding that it is a revolutionary step to empower women. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A meeting of the Telangana cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, would be held on June 18, the state government said here Friday. "The Chief Minister will chair the state cabinet on June 18 (Tuesday) afternoon at 2 PM at Pragathi Bhavan," an official release said. The Cabinet meeting is expected to discuss, among others, the proposed new municipal legislation, Andhra Pradesh government handing over buildings held by ithere to Telangana and the inauguration of Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation project scheduled for June 21. TRS sources said Rao is unlikely to visit Delhi on Saturday to attend the NITI Ayog meeting. There was no official word on the matter. Rao visited Mumbai Friday to invite his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis for the inauguration of Kaleswaram project. On June 19, Rao, the president of ruling TRS would preside over the TRS state executive, a TRS release said. TRS sources said the state executive was likely to discuss the recent Lok Sabha election results and the programmes to be taken up by the party in the next few months. Amid expectations that the TRS would win at least 13-14 of the total 17 Lok Sabha seats, it bagged nine. The loss of sitting TRS MP and Rao's daughter K Kavtiha in Nizamabad has disappointed the party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Passengers of an Air India flight bound for Goa, who were stranded at the Mumbai airport and agitating over delay in departure, were provided food after intervention by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, a passenger said Friday. The passenger, Ketan Bhatikar, a functionary of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), was one of the fliers on the delayed flight and called Sawant, who is in New Delhi, for help Thursday midnight. However, the state-run carrier claimed it arranged food for the passengers after the flight got delayed. "A system outage at Air India had left many passengers, including me, stranded at the Mumbai international airport Thursday night. "The flight, which was scheduled to leave at 9.30 pm for Goa, was delayed till 11.30 pm. When the flight landed at the Mumbai airport for Goa-bound passengers to board, it could not take-off due to various reasons, Bhatikar said. The Goa-bound passengers remained stranded there till past midnight, which angered them and they started protesting at the airport, he said. "I called Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who answered my phone within two rings at 1.13 am. He called me back five times, arranged food for all passengers (from a restaurant located in airport premises). "And exactly at 1.27 am, he told me that the flight was ready to take-off in 30 minutes, Bhatikar said, adding the aircraft landed in Goa one hour after departure. Sawant also ensured the stranded passengers were provided necessary information by Air India, the MGP leader said. Videos widely shared on social media show the passengers cheering and praising Sawant for his gesture and timely intervention. Bhatikar was all praise for the Goa CM for taking his phone call late in the night and sorting out everything quickly to end passengers' woes. "I felt great and proud that the Goa CM not only picked up my late night call, but got everything sorted out within 35 minutes and ensured the passengers did not suffer further," the MGP functionary said. When contacted, the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) confirmed the incident. A CMO official said Sawant, who is in New Delhi to meet NITI Aayog officials and Union ministers, co-ordinated with various authorities when he got the call about the stranded passengers. When contacted, an Air India spokesman said the flight was delayed due to adverse weather conditions. He also claimed that food to the stranded passengers was provided by the state-run airline. "An Air India Goa flight from Mumbai was delayed Thursday night because of bad weather. Since, the departure was delayed, the passengers were provided food by the airline," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday insisted that those living in West Bengal will have to learn to speak in Bengali. The TMC supremo also reiterated that outsiders instigated the doctors' agitation in the state and accused the BJP of targeting the Bengalis and the minorities. "Outsiders are instigating the doctors. I had rightly said that they were involved in yesterday's protest. I had seen some outsiders raising slogans (at SSKM hospital)," she said, while addressing a rally here. Alleging that EVMs in the recently held Lok Sabha elections were "programmed", Banerjee also said that ballot papers should be brought back for conducting polls. "Just because they (BJP) won a few seats by programming the EVMs, it doesn't mean that they can beat up Bengalis and minorities. We will not tolerate this," the chief minister said. "The police will take action against the hooligans. If someone is living in Bengal, he or she has to learn Bengali," she added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three persons have died in incidents of tree collapse in the city since Thursday, a civic official said. Mumbai and surrounding areas have been receiving spells of rain amid strong winds in the last couple of days. A little after 4 pm Friday, a tree fell on Nitin Shirvalkar (43) in Anushakti Nagar in suburban Govandi, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's disaster management unit said. Shirvalkar was rushed to BARC Hospital nearby and was declared dead on arrival by doctors there, he added. Earlier in the day, two persons were injured when a tree branch fell on them near Vijaykar Wadi on SV Road in Malad around 6.30 am Friday, the official said. Shailesh Mohanlal Rathod (38) was declared 'brought dead' at Shatabdi Hospital while the other person was undergoing treatment, he said. On Thursday, Anil Ghosalkar (48) was critically injured when a tree collapsed at Takshashila Cooperative Housing Society in suburban Jogeshwari. He succumbed to the injuries at Holy Spirit Hospital Friday, the official said. A notice had been issued to the housing society on April 24 to get the overgrown trees on its premises trimmed, the official added. A BMC official said it had informed societies in all its wards well in advance to trim trees before the arrival of monsoon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Telangana government Friday said it is committed to develop a strongstrategy to promote tourism in the state and sought the cooperation of the industry in their endeavour. "The government of Telangana, under the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, is committed to build the strongest possible tourism strategy," Tourism Minister V Srinivas Goud said here Friday. Goud, who was speaking at a conference on tourism here, sought thecooperation of the sector in the endeavour. The Confederation of Indian Industry, Telangana,in partnership with the state government, organised the conference on "TOURISM 4.0: DESTINATION TELANGANA"with the theme"Linking Heritage, Tradition and Technology for a Sustainable Tourism". CII, Telangana suggested that the government formulate a comprehensive Tourism policy to lay out a long term vision to promote tourism and also adopt a more focused perspective. "Given the inherent strengths and challenges, Telangana can devise a planned approach to address the challenges and lay out a long term vision for tourism development. The vision could be a comprehensive tourism policy, which could be drafted in alignment with the vision with a shorter, more focused & implementation oriented perspective," it said in a white paper submitted at the conference. The white paper, "which is a precursor to the Tourism Policy, identifies certain tourism themes and destinations that align with the states priority to position tourism as an important economic enabler, create employment and also leverage on the states inherent strengths", it said. While it is necessary to develop tourism projects to attracting more people, it was important to focus on developing a few important destinations rather than setting up several new attractions in every possible location, it said. The white paper identified certain focus areas, including connectivity, destination development, safety and security, facilitating tourism investments, skill development for manpower and development of mega projects for implementation through a dedicated tourism policy. State tourism secretary B Venkatesham stressed the need to unlock Telanganas potential in tourism. While the state has rich heritage and culture, it is also advanced in terms of technology, he said, adding tourism was the only industry which can generate employment for various types of people He also emphasized the need for behavioural changes on the part of various stakeholders in the country to promote tourism. Telangana attracted 3.5 lakh foreign tourists in FY 2018-19 and efforts should be made to give a push to the number, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The procurement of paddy from Tamil Nadu has gone up in the last five years as a result of increase in minimum support price (MSP) offered to the crop, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said Friday. Reviewing the performance of the Food Corporation of India in the southern region, Paswan said the MSP went up from Rs 15.10 per kg in 2016-17 to Rs 17.70 per kg during 2018-19, Paswan said. Procurement went up from 2.11 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to 17.50 lakh tonnes in 2018-19. Tamil Nadu, he said, is having enough stocks for meeting the buffer and strategic reserves with 11.16 lakh tonnes of rice and 88,000 tonnes of wheat as on date. On the storage front too, Paswan said the Tamil Nadu region has seen an increase in capacity from 6.35 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 to 12.87 lakh tonnes in 2018-19. Damage to foodgrains in storage has been reduced to zero during the current year as a result of strict monitoring and improvement in scientific storage methods, he said in a statement. The 'food museum' at Thanjavur is expected to be ready by this year end, according to it. In Thanjavur, where the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was established, the centre was setting up the first food museum at a cost of Rs 102 lakh. "The work is progressing and we are expecting to open it by December 2019," the union minister said. Paswan had laid the foundation stone for the 'food museum' in 2015. According to officials, the museum is meant for displaying the growth and activities of the FCI and create awareness among farmers on the corporation's activities. Initiatives on rationalising the labour force in FCI, Paswan said, has fetched excellent results. "In the state alone, savings of an amount of Rs 35.60 lakh could be achieved in the past two years," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first four days of Apollo 11's journey to the Moon had gone according to plan, but just twenty minutes before landing, the atmosphere grew tense as the crew encountered a series of problems. It was July 20, 1969, and as the world followed the spacecraft's progress, it briefly lost radio contact with mission control in Houston. Then, as the lunar module Eagle was in the middle of its descent, piloted by Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and mission commander Neil Armstrong, an alarm bell began ringing. Eagle had detached two hours earlier from the main part of the vessel, the command module, Columbia, where the third crew member Michael Collins remained in orbit. It was an anxious moment for Armstrong, a brilliant test pilot and aeronautical engineer, but a man of famously few words. "Give us a reading on the 1202 Program Alarm," he radios to mission control. They are told to keep going. Houston realizes the onboard computer is experiencing an overflow, but all systems are functional. Below them, the Moon's craters are zipping by fast. Too fast, realizes Armstrong: at this rate, they will overshoot the landing site by several miles. He switches to manual control and starts to scope out a new landing site from his porthole. But there's trouble finding the perfect spot, and it's going to be tight. "Pretty rocky area," he tells Aldrin. Aldrin continues to tell him speed and altitude readings from the computer. "Coming down nicely," he says. "Gonna be right over that crater," Armstrong replies. Meanwhile, the fuel is rapidly depleting. Houston continues to announce the number of seconds left to the "Bingo fuel call" -- the point at which Eagle will have 20 seconds left to land, or abort the mission. It is now 30 seconds left to Bingo. Armstrong, summoning all his experience, is silent as he concentrates. The module comes to a rest on the ground. "Contact Light," says Aldrin, meaning one of the leg's foot sensors has touched down. The engines are switched off. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed," announces Armstrong. "We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot," replies Charlie Duke, the CapCom or capsule communicator on the ground. History records that the number of people who worked on the Apollo program was 400,000. But two figures tower above the rest for their contributions. In 1961, President John F Kennedy called upon his vice president Lyndon Johnson to beat the Soviets in space. "We are in a strategic space race with the Russians, and we are losing," Kennedy had written in a magazine the year before. "If a man orbits Earth this year, his name will be Ivan." Johnson reaches out to the godfather of NASA's space program: Wernher von Braun. The former card-carrying Nazi was the inventor of the V-2 rockets that rained destruction on London in World War II. Toward the end of the war, he surrendered himself to the Americans, who brought him and a hundred of his best engineers to Alabama, as part of the secret "Operation Paperclip." Von Braun told Johnson that while the US was well behind, they could conceivably beat the Russians when it came to putting men on the Moon, if they immediately started work on a giant booster rocket. Kennedy would address Congress later that year, famously committing "to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" by the decade's end. Eight years later, Richard Nixon was president when the goal was realized. In case of a tragedy, he had prepared the following remarks: "Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace." But the extraordinary national efforts paid off. It all happened fast, thanks to a blank check for the mission from Congress. Between October 1968 and May 1969, four preparatory Apollo missions were launched. Armstrong was chosen in December 1968 to command the eleventh. Months from launch, Armstrong told Aldrin he was pulling rank and would be the first to set foot on the lunar surface. "I kept my silence several more days, all the time struggling not to be angry with Neil," Aldrin later recalled in his memoirs. "After all, he was the commander and, as such, the boss." When the monstrous rocket designed by von Braun launched with the Apollo 11 capsule at its summit on Wednesday, July 16 1969, one million people flocked to the beach across from Cape Canaveral to watch. But many had doubts that they'd succeed in landing on the Moon on the first attempt. Armstrong confided in 1999: "My gut feeling was that we had a 90 percent chance -- or better -- of getting back safely, and a 50 percent chance of making a successful landing." For those in America, the final descent would take place on Sunday evening. In Europe, it was already nighttime, but everyone was glued to their televisions, though they could only hear crackling radio communications until Armstrong set up his black and white camera ahead of his first step. His grandmother had advised him not to do it if he felt danger; he had agreed, according to the book "Rocket Men" by Craig Nelson. As he climbed down to the foot of the ladder, he observed that Eagle's footpads had sunk into the ground by only an inch or two, and the surface appeared very fine grained. "It's almost like a powder," he recalled. Then, over the radio: "Okay. I'm going to step off the LM now." A pause, and then the immortal words: "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi High Court tribunal has served a notice on the LTTE, the terror group responsible for former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, to submit if it has any objection to it being continued as a banned organisation for five more years The notice was uploaded on the Home Ministry's website and published in two newspapers -- one English and one in a regional language. The tribunal, headed by Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, has also directed to affix the notice along with the gazette notification of May 14, 2019, extending the ban for five more years "at some conspicuous part of the offices of the LTTE, if any, in India and Sri Lanka". "...You are hereby called upon to show cause in writing within 30 days from the date of service of this notice as to why you Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) be not adjudicated for declaring as an unlawful association and why an order confirming such declaration be not made under section 4 (3) of the Act (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act)," the notice quoted the order of the tribunal dated June 11. The tribunal was constituted as per the UAPA and normally no individual shows up to defend any organisation which is declared as an outlawed and when a tribunal is set up to confirm the order. India had banned the LTTE after the assassination of Gandhi in 1991. The LTTE, a terror outfit based in Sri Lanka but having its supporters, sympathisers and agents in India, came up in 1976. Its objective for a separate homeland (Tamil Eelam) for all Tamils threatens the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, and amounts to cession and secession of a part of the territory of India from the Union and thus falls within the ambit of unlawful activities, the government order banning it said. The LTTE's continued violent and disruptive activities are prejudicial to the integrity and sovereignty of India, it said. "The group continues to adopt a strong anti-India posture and also continues to pose a grave threat to the security of Indian nationals," order said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President Donald Trump on Friday rejected Tehran's denial it was behind mysterious explosions on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying the incident had Iran "written all over it". As US-Iranian tensions soared, Trump dismissed previous threats by Tehran that in case of conflict it could block the Hormuz Strait -- a narrow seaway vital to the world's oil supplies. "They're not going to be closing it," he said in an interview on Fox television. Speaking hours after the US military released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from one of the tankers, Trump was emphatic. "Iran did do it," Trump told the "Fox and Friends" show. "You know they did it because you saw the boat. I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got essentially Iran written all over it. You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off -- and that was exposed," he added. Iran rejects the US accusations. It labelled the attacks "suspicious" as Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to open talks with Trump. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." He accused Washington of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" as Abe visited Iran. One of the targeted vessels is owned by a Japanese company while the other was Norwegian-operated. Iran has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the Hormuz Strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the US. Doing so, would disrupt traffic of oil tankers between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, which leads to the Indian Ocean and global export routes. "If the hostility of enemies increase, we will be able to do so," Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, told semi-official ISNA in April. Trump played down the threat. "It's not going to be closed, it's not going to be closed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms," Trump told Fox Oil prices have surged in response to the geopolitical tension. Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom was monitoring the situation with "great concern," the Saudi SPA agency said. Al-Falih "called upon the international community to assume its joint responsibility and take firm action to secure maritime traffic in the region's waterways." Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, is a bitter regional rival of Iran. China called for all sides to "resolve the conflict through dialogue," while the European Union called for "maximum restraint." Russia, which has close, even if sometimes strained links to Iran, warned through its foreign ministry against "hasty conclusions." The oil tankers that came under attack were 10 nautical miles apart and headed to Asia when they were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast. The Front Altair carrying naphtha, a refined petroleum product, and owned by the Oslo-listed company Frontline was hit by three explosions, according to Norwegian officials, and remained ablaze into Thursday. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries and the ship was on Friday heading towards the UAE port of Khor Fakkan. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members from the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Iran's English-language Press TV aired footage of rescued crewmen from the Front Altair, saying they are all in "full health." "Everything is OK," said one of the vessel's "chief officers", presenting himself as Russian and thanking Iran for its "hospitality." Press TV said 11 of the crew were Russian, 11 Filipino and one Georgian. The crew of the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous saw a "flying object" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," CENTCOM said in a statement while Oman said it sent two navy vessels to assist. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday's tanker explosions were "the latest in a series of attacks" he blamed on Iran or its "proxies", including Yemeni rebel missile strikes which wounded 26 civilians at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. A Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the rebels it accuses of being Iranian proxies said its air defenses had intercepted a new rebel attack on an airport in the Islamic kingdom on Friday. The US has also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. The preliminary findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state actor was responsible but stopped short of naming Iran. The US called Thursday for the UNSC to confront the "clear threat" posed by Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile called the US a "serious threat to global stability" as he attended an international forum in Kyrgyzstan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi Police has arrested two members of infamous 'Thak Thak gang' involved in cases of theft and snatching from cars at red lights across the national capital, officials said Friday. The accused have been identified as Jabbar and Mohammad Furkan, both residents of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. "On Friday at about 5 pm, police at Janpath Red Light in Outer Circle of Connaught Place heard someone screaming chor-chor (thief-thief), following which the team immediately responded and rushed towards the spot," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said. They saw two persons running towards Sansad Marg and caught them after a brief chase. Vikram Singh, the victim, who was also present at the spot reported that these accused knocked his car at the signal and after distracting him, they stole his purse from the dashboard and ran away, police said. During interrogation, the accused revealed that they came to Delhi to commit theft at signals by distracting car drivers, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two men were shot dead allegedly by unidentified persons on Friday in northeast Delhi, police said. The deceased have been identified as Khurvesh (40) and Kanchi (28), both residents of Nand Nagri, they said. "Police have apprehended one suspect, Ashu (25), and identified two accused persons who are absconding. Raids are being conducted to nab them," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Atul Kumar Thakur said. Police also seized a vehicle from his possession, the DCP said, adding that Ashu works as a dealer of second hand cars in the national capital. Police suspect personal enmity behind the killing as a quarrel over petty issue had erupted between Khurvesh and the accused persons last year in Munshi Market at Nand Nagri, the DCP said. Khurvesh was named in 41 cases in the national capital and marked as a "bad character" in police records, police said, adding that they are checking whether cases are registered against Kanchi. Police received information at 12:12 pm on Friday regarding the incident near a signal at Nand Nagri, the DCP said. The victims were rushed to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital where they were declared brought dead, the DCP said. The accused had fired seven to eight rounds at the victims, a senior police officer said. Thakur said it seems like a case of personal enmity. Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Several teams have been formed to nab the perpetrators and CCTV footage from nearby areas is being examined, they said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN's top court on Friday rejected a request by the United Arab Emirates to take special measures against Qatar in a two-year crisis that has added to growing tensions in the Gulf. Oil and gas-rich Qatar has faced an economic and diplomatic boycott since June 2017 by Gulf rivals who accused Doha of backing terrorism and being too close to regional rival Iran. Abu Dhabi had asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to prevent Doha "aggravating" the dispute, after Qatar won a case last year over alleged discrimination against its citizens. ICJ Chief judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said the court "rejects the request for provisional measures submitted by the United Arab Emirates" by a margin of 15 to one. The measures it asked for were temporary ones while the Hague-based court decides on a wider legal battle between the UAE and Qatar over the blockade. The legal blow for the UAE comes as tensions soar in the Gulf after two oil tankers were set ablaze in an attack that Washington has blamed on Tehran. Qatar's representative to the ICJ said it welcomed the rejection of the "groundless" UAE request. "Qatar brought this case to protect the Qatari people against the UAE's policy and practice of racial discrimination. It is the Qatari people who are the victims here, and not the government of the UAE," said Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi. For two years Saudi Arabia and its allies the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have barred Qatari flights from their airports and airspace, banned most Qatari visitors, cut trade and shipping links, and closed their borders, unhappy about Doha's insistence on maintaining its own approach to regional relations. Last June, in a case brought by Qatar, the ICJ ruled that the UAE must allow families which include Qatari members to be reunited, and that Qatari students must be given the chance to complete their education in the Emirates. But Abu Dhabi this year went back to court to seek the special measures, including to stop what it alleged was Doha blocking its own citizens from accessing Emirati websites to ease travel issues. It also asked the ICJ to order Doha to withdraw a separate discrimination case that it has lodged against the UAE with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), a body which upholds a 1965 UN treaty on equality. The ICJ however ruled that the UAE's requests for special measures did not cover "plausible rights" that needed to be protected. "The conditions for the indication of provisional measures... are not met," the court said in its judgment. During a hearing earlier this year, the Emiratis meanwhile also accused Qatar of backing terrorist groups including the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, echoing one of the original allegations by the Gulf allies against Doha. They also alleged that Qatar used its state-controlled channels and fake documents to hamper Abu Dhabi's own efforts to damp down the row, and asked the court to tell Qatar to stop. Doha has repeatedly denied the claims of its rivals, accusing them of seeking regime change. Qatar has maintained cordial relations with Tehran even as other Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia have cooperated with US pressure campaign against Iran, but Doha is also still close to Washington. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United Arab Emirates said Friday that twin attacks on tankers in the Sea of Oman just weeks after four ships were damaged off the UAE coast marked a dangerous escalation". "The attack against the tankers in the Gulf of Oman is a worrying development and a dangerous escalation," the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted after Thursday's blasts. Gargash also condemned a Yemeni rebel missile attack which wounded 26 civilians at an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. He said the "blatant attack on civilians" was only the latest in a spate of rebel assaults "undermining the UN's political work & sending a message of continuing violence & hostility". These developments "must spur the international community to act to maintain peace and security in the region", Gargash said. "The responsibility for avoiding an escalation is collective." The two tankers, one Norwegian- and one Japanese-owned, were set blaze in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after US Central Command said it has seen an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from the hull of one of the vessels. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif charged that the US administration had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". He accused it of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tehran in a bid to ease Iran-US tensions. Thursday's incidents came a month after four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati -- were damaged in still unexplained attacks off the nearby UAE port of Fujairah. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya with 18 newly elected party MPs Sunday, making a fresh pitch for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site there. Thackeray will offer prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple at the site. This will be Thackeray's first visit to Ayodhya after the Lok Sabha results last month. He had visited Ayodhya in November last year. The Shiv Sena had earlier announced that Thackeray and the newly elected MPs would visit Ayodhya before the beginning of the Parliament session on Monday. However, the party's state unit chief Anil Singh said the visit should not been seen from the electoral lens and it was "a matter of devotion and faith". Maharashtra will be going to the polls later in the year. When asked about the purpose of the visit, Singh said, "Before the Lok Sabha elections, Uddhavji went to a number of religious places for darshan. Now, after the party performed well in the polls and is a part of the NDA government, he is going there to offer prayers." Singh termed Thackeray's proposed visit as "thanksgiving to Lord Ram" for the party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections and to affirm its "commitment" for a Ram temple in Ayodhya". "The newly elected Shiv Sena MPs will be reaching Ayodhya Saturday while party chief Uddhav Thackeray is likely to be there the next day," Anil Singh told PTI here Friday. A party statement said Thackeray will offer prayers to Ram Lalla Sunday, a day before the Parliament session begins. Ahead of Thackeray's proposed visit to Ayodhya, senior party leader Sanjay Raut had met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on June 10. After meeting Adityanath, Raut had tweeted, "Met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today regarding the proposed Ayodhya yatra of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. The talks were held in a positive atmosphere and Yogiji welcomed the yatra of Uddhavji." The UP chief minister had visited Ayodhya last Friday to offer prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple. His visit, the first after the Lok Sabha election results, was seen as a move to reiterate support for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site. "It is everybody's wish that Ram Mandir must be constructed," he had said after unveiling a seven-foot Ram statue at a museum in the city. He also took part in the week-long celebrations to mark the birthday of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma was in Ayodhya Friday to participate in the concluding function. The Sena MPs' visit is also being seen as an attempt to put pressure on the BJP-led government at the Centre for the construction of a Ram temple. The title suit over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is being heard by the Supreme Court. Soon after the BJP got a second term in the Lok Sabha elections, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had flagged his organisation's insistence on the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. "Ram's work has to be done, and Ram's work will get done," Bhagwat had said in Udaipur in an apparent reference to it. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A UK judge on Friday set a February 2020 timeline for the extradition trial of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, who faces charges of computer hacking and espionage in the US. At a Westminster Magistrates' Court hearing in London, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ruled that a full extradition hearing lasting five days should begin on February 25 next year, after UK home secretary Sajid Javid had certified the US extradition request. Assange, who appeared via videolink from the high-security Belmarsh prison for the hearing, told the judge that "175 years of my life is effectively at stake" as he defended his website against hacking claims. "WikiLeaks is nothing but a publisher," he said. The barrister representing the 47-year-old Australian national described the charges against his client as raising a "multiplicity of profound issues" and told the court that his client will also be challenging his 50-week imprisonment for breach of his bail conditions in the UK. "We say it [the case] represents an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights," said Mark Summers. A large group of Assange supporters had gathered outside the courtroom to chant slogans and wave placards calling for "Justice for Assange". Opening the proceedings, barrister Ben Brandon, representing the US authorities, said: "This [case] is related to one of the largest compromises of confidential information in the history of the United States." He claimed that the US evidence will show that Assange "first encouraged" former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to illegally obtain documents and then agreed with her to "crack" a password on a Pentagon computer. "By taking steps to crack the password hash, it's said that Mr Assange was also attempting to illegally obtain and receive classified information," Brandon said. The documents in question were said to be related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and information on secret intelligence sources. "By publishing that unredacted material on the internet, Mr Assange created a grave and imminent risk that human intelligence sources, including journalists, human rights defenders and political activists, would suffer serious physical harm or arbitrary detention," Brandon said. On Thursday, UK home secretary Javid confirmed that he had signed an order following a request from the US government to extradite the Wikileaks co-founder. "It is a decision ultimately for the courts, but there is a very important part of it for the home secretary and I want to see justice done at all times and we've got a legitimate extradition request, so I've signed it, but the final decision is now with the courts, the senior Pakistani-origin minister said. Assange, who faces an 18-count indictment by the US Justice Department, had been too ill to appear before the court at a scheduled hearing last month and appeared wearing a grey T-shirt and still sporting his white beard. Judge Arbuthnot, who presides over a number of high-profile Indian extradition requests including that of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and diamond merchant Nirav Modi, is also in charge of his extradition trial. Unlike the India-UK Extradition Treaty, the US-UK treaty involves a relatively simpler legal process for extradition as the requesting state does not require to establish an elaborate prima facie case against the accused before the British courts. The charges against Assange under the US Espionage Act accuse him of soliciting and publishing classified information and conspiring to hack into a government computer. Assange has consistently denied the allegations and his supporters have accused the US and UK governments of an attack on free speech. He is currently serving a 50-week sentence in Britain for breach of his bail conditions after he spent seven years at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he had sought asylum. It emerged last week that plans for an extradition request from Sweden over allegations of sexual attacks in the country had suffered a setback as a Swedish district court ruled against Assange's detention. Swedish prosecutors had dropped their rape investigation in 2017 but reopened it after Ecuador withdrew its offer of asylum to Assange in April this year and allowed Scotland Yard to arrest him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The UN's counter-terrorism czar is on a visit this week to China's Xinjiang region, where Beijing insists one million Uighurs and other Muslims are detained because of a terrorism threat, UN sources and rights activists said Thursday. Vladimir Voronkov, the under-secretary general for counter-terrorism, is the highest level UN official to visit Xinjiang, which activists have described as an open air prison, deprived of religious freedom. UN spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed that Voronkov, a Russian diplomat, was on an official visit to China, but did not provide details of his itinerary. Haq stressed that the UN counter-terrorism office works to ensure that measures used to fight terror respect human rights. Beijing argues that internment camps in Xinjiang 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. Voronkov's visit to Xinjiang, first reported by Foreign Policy magazine, drew sharp criticism from rights activists. "The UN allowing its counterterrorism chief to go to Xinjiang risks confirming China's false narrative that this is a counterterrorism issue, not a question of massive human rights abuses," Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, told AFP. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet asked Beijing in December for permission to carry out a fact-finding mission in Xinjiang, but has been left waiting. Earlier on Thursday, China's new ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Chen Xu, said the UN high commissioner for human rights would pay a visit when "we can find a time which is convenient to both sides." China has insisted that the fate of the estimated one million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims is an internal matter. At the request of the United States and other Western countries, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in May raised the plight of the Uighurs during his visit to China. Guterres told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that "human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism," according to the UN. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The US is ready to help India's defence needs with the latest technologies and equipment, but purchasing long-range S-400 missile defence system from would limit cooperation, the has cautioned. The statement came weeks after an identical warning from a senior State Department official who had said that New Delhi's deal to procure the lethal missile system from will have "serious implications" on India-US defence ties. The S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-to-government deal with in 2014 for the system. and signed a USD 5 billion S-400 air defence system deal in October last year after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister and Russian Senior State Department official (South and Central Asian Affairs) Alice G Wells told House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee for Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation on Thursday that the US now does more military exercises with than any other country. "Under the Trump administration, we've been very clear that we're ready to help meet India's defence needs and we are seeking a very different kind of defence partnership building on the 'Major Defence Partner' designation that has received from Congress," Wells said. She was replying to the Congressional sub-committee on India buying S-400 from Russia and how to make India-US ties as robust and as meaningful as possible. Just a few weeks ago, India, the United States, the and did a sail by in the South Sea, she said. "In both our bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral formats, we're working together in ways that we didn't even conceive of 10 years ago. And so we'd like all aspects of our military relationship to catch up to this new partnership," Wells said. Noting that India has a historical dependence on Russian arms, she said what causes concern with the S-400 is that it effectively could limit India's ability "to increase our own interoperability". At a certain point, she argued, a strategic choice has to be made by India about partnerships and a strategic choice about what weapon systems and platforms it is going to adopt. "It is the case that 10 years ago we did not offer the range of military equipment to India that we're prepared to offer today. We're very much engaged in a conversation with India over how we can broaden our defence relationship," Wells said in response to a question. Signing of COMCASA agreement between the two countries, she said, was a key step forward which allows for the classified sharing of information, which is one of the basic foundational agreements that foster military interoperability. "So we're making significant strides forward in our military relationship," she said. "There is no a blanket waiver or country waiver when it comes to an S-400. We have serious concern about a possible S-400 purchase (by India) and we're continuing our conversations on what the or other defence providers could assist India," Wells said. Over the last 10 years, she said India-US defence trade has increased from zero to USD 18 billion, as has started to diversify its weapons sources. "We expect continued progress and expanding that defence relationship. But it's still the case that about 65 or 70 per cent of India's military hardware is Russian origin," she said. And when Russian Putin visited India last October, there were additional announcements of big ticket military items that were potentially under consideration, she said. Responding to another question, Wells alleged that India has the highest tariff barriers of a country. "Historically it has been a protected market. So, our failure to negotiate an agreement over the course of the last year and a half led to the decision to suspend the GSP benefits," she said. However, GSP or asking India to stop purchasing from is unlikely to push India into the camp, she said when asked about it from a lawmaker. "I don't think so. We are India's largest and best market. Twenty per cent of India's goods come here. There is Indian Foreign Direct Investment in the US. There's a huge interest by US firms in India. As Prime Minister Modi begins his second term. he's preoccupied with job creation and attracting Foreign Direct Investment is going to be a key part of that strategy. "Properly conducted trade can be a huge strength to the relationship and that's certainly our focus as we begin our engagement with Prime Minister Modi in his second term as how do we fix this part of the relationship," Wells added. The US military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. The US Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion. The ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke. Iran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an "unfounded claim" in the US' "Iranophobic campaign." However, Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the "Tanker War," when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region. The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous. A Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said. "The US and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation," Urban said. "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests." Iran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations. "The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement said. The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The US Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack," without elaborating. Thursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. US officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but don't sink, a vessel. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier told journalists the US assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region that the US also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time. "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," Pompeo said. He didn't elaborate and took no questions. Iran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday's incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran "rejected" the overture. "The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency," Pompeo added. At the United Nations, the Security Council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late Thursday at the request of the United States but took no action. Tensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don't offer it new terms to the deal by July 7. Already, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, US sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said early Friday its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom, including the Abha regional airport. The kingdom said a similar attack Wednesday on the Abha airport wounded 26 people. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States called Thursday for the UN Security Council to confront a "clear threat" posed by Tehran, after Washington said Iran was behind an attack on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The council met behind closed doors to hear US acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen present a briefing on Washington's assessment that Iran was responsible for the suspected attack on two tankers in the strategic sea lane. The attacks, which came a month after a similar incident targeting four tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, "demonstrate the clear threat that Iran poses to international peace and security," Cohen said. "I've asked the Security Council to remain seized of the matter and I expect that we will have further conversations about it and how to respond in the days ahead," he added. Washington's view was not shared by other council members, who noted that there was no clear evidence to link Iran to the attacks, diplomats said. Kuwait's Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said council members condemned the violence and that many of them called for an investigation to determine the facts. "We would like to know who was behind this incident," he told reporters after the meeting. The latest incident came amid spiraling tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has pointed the finger at Iran over earlier tanker attacks in May. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the facts should be established but warned against stoking conflict in the volatile Gulf. "If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region," he told an earlier council meeting on UN cooperation with the Arab League. The Norwegian Maritime Authority said three explosions were reported Thursday on board the Norwegian-owned tanker Front Altair after it was "attacked," along with the Singapore-owned ship Kokuka Courageous. Iran said its navy had rescued 44 crew members after the two vessels, which were carrying highly flammable material, caught fire. On May 12, four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati -- were damaged in still unexplained attacks in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates. The UAE last week said initial findings of its investigation pointed to the likelihood that a "state actor" was behind the bombings, but did not specifically blame Iran. The preliminary findings were presented to the council which may consider a response. These showed that it was "highly likely" that four Limpet mines, which are magnetically attached to a ship's hull, were used in the attacks, placed by trained divers deployed from fast boats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the wake of country-wide protests by doctors after attack on two of their colleagues in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday supported the medical fraternity's demand for a central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals and said such crimes should be made non-bailable. "Heinous repeated attacks on doctors across India esp WBengal have led to this situation.Govt must pass a Law to make any attack on Docs a non-bailable offence with min 12 yr jail. Draconian Clinical Establishment Act that treats Docs as criminals must be withdrawn (sic)," Vardhan tweeted. His tweet came hours after the Indian Medical Association launched a four-day nationwide protest from Friday and wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding enactment of a central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals. Reacting to Vardhan's remarks, the IMA thanked the central government for responding positively to its demand. "IMA wholeheartedly thanks the Prime Minister of India and the central government and welcomes the decision on behalf of the medical fraternity of India," it said in a statement. Condemning any form of violence especially against medical professionals in the country, the apex body of doctors said its protest will continue on Saturday and Sunday as well, which will include wearing black badges, dharnas and peace marches, and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. In a letter to Shah, the IMA requested him "to bring a central legislation in the form of special law against violence on doctors and health care establishments". "Any form of violence against medical profession and facilities will be counterproductive, demoralise health providers, thus taking away the confidence and courage of medical profession especially in critical situations," it said "Ultimately the situation will adversely impact on patient care and safety and implications will be far reaching," it said. Renewing the demand for a central law, the IMA said the law should have a provision for a minimum of seven-year jail sentence to violaters. To ensure that the cases are registered, culprits are arrested and conviction is necessitate, appropriate mandatory provisions as provided in the POCSO Act have to be instituted, it demanded. "IMA condemns the recent incident of violence against Dr Paribaha Mukherjee who was brutally attacked by a violent mob at NRS Medical College, Kolkata and demands an exemplary action by the state government. All the legitimate demands of the resident doctors in West Bengal should be accepted unconditionally," RV Asokan, Secretary General of IMA, said. The IMA said all non-essential services including OPDs will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am on June 17, while emergency and causality services will continue to function. Violence in hospitals will adversely affect patient care and institutions will be reluctant to take up complicated and risky patients which will affect critical care. Threat of violence increases the stress levels of health care workers. Sound judgment regarding patient care will be compromised in such situations, he explained. Scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals in Delhi boycotted work, held marches and raised slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata. Similar protests have been held in several other states across the country. The doctors have been agitating since Tuesday in West Bengal demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the wake of protests by the medical fraternity in support of agitating doctors in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Friday urged them to exercise restraint and continue serving patients. He appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this sensitive matter a "prestige issue" and said that he will write to her in this regard. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. "Despite getting beaten so badly, doctors have only asked her (Mamata Banerjee) to provide them with adequate security and also demanded action against the perpetrators of the violence as per the law," Vardhan said. "But instead of doing that, she warned them and gave an ultimatum which angered doctors across the country and they proceeded on strike. So if the chief minister acts in a sensitive manner in such a grave scenario, patients across the country will not suffer. I plead to the West Bengal chief minister to not make this an issue of prestige," he said. He assured doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety and urged them to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. "I appeal to them that they can hold symbolic protests but should also continue to work so that patients do not suffer," the Union health minister said. Vardhan had Thursday urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint and said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with chief ministers of all states. Scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals in Delhi held demonstrations Friday by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. A group of members of the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association also met Vardhan and apprised him of the medical fraternity's demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. They also submitted a memorandum to Vardhan demanding a central law against hospital violence. They have sought immediate security and intervention of the Centre to stop the "politically motivated atrocity" on the protesting doctors in West Bengal. They have also demanded recruitment of both "armed and unarmed trained competent security guards" at all government health facilities and increasing the number of security staff at hostels. The delegation also sought making CCTV vigilance in every hospital mandatory and implementation of a hotline alarm system. Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. Doctors under the banner of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) held out marches in the AIIMS campus, with many wearing bandages on their foreheads while some worked wearing helmets. Resident doctors of the Safdarjung Hospital also took out protests in their campus Healthcare services at private and government hospitals in the national capital are likely to be affected on Friday as scores of doctors began the boycott for a day. There will be a complete shutdown of all out-patient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, except emergency services in the hospitals, several medical bodies of the city had said on Thursday. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges to work on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The IMA launched a four-day nationwide protest from Friday to express solidarity with the doctors agitating against the attack on their colleagues in West Bengal and has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding enactment of a central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals. Condemning any form of violence especially against medical professionals in the country, the apex body of doctors said the protest will continue on Saturday and Sunday as well, which will include wearing black badges, dharnas and peace marches, and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had earlier called for a day-long protest, said it has taken the decision in view of the continued suffering of the resident doctors and repeated occurrence of such incidents without redressal. In a letter to Shah, the IMA requested him "to bring a central legislation in the form of special law against violence on doctors and health care establishments". "Any form of violence against medical profession and facilities will be counterproductive, demoralise health providers, thus taking away the confidence and courage of medical profession especially in critical situations," it said "Ultimately the situation will adversely impact on patient care and safety and implications will be far reaching," it said. Renewing the demand for a central law, the IMA said the law should have a provision for a minimum of seven-year jail sentence to violaters. To ensure that the cases are registered, culprits are arrested and conviction is necessitate, appropriate mandatory provisions as provided in the POCSO Act have to be instituted, it demanded. Hospitals should be declared as safe zones and provision of appropriate security should be the responsibility of the state, it said. "IMA condemns the recent incident of violence against Dr Paribaha Mukherjee who was brutally attacked by a violent mob at NRS Medical College, Kolkata and demands an exemplary action by the state government. All the legitimate demands of the resident doctors in West Bengal should be accepted unconditionally," RV Asokan, Secretary General of IMA, said. The IMA said all non-essential services including OPDs will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am on June 17, while emergency and causality services will continue to function. "Safety and security in hospitals have been a matter of great concern and need to be addressed. IMA has been demanding a central law against hospital violence and has declared a zero-tolerance policy against violence on doctors and healthcare establishments. "World Medical Association has also passed a resolution against violence on healthcare establishments and urged to bring stronger legislation against this menace," Asokan said. Violence in hospitals will adversely affect patient care and institutions will be reluctant to take up complicated and risky patients which will affect critical care. Threat of violence increases the stress levels of health care workers. Sound judgment regarding patient care will be compromised in such situations, he explained. "A national law against violence in hospitals has to be brought in urgently that should provide a minimum of seven years imprisonment for hospital violence," Asokan said. The doctors have been agitating since Tuesday in West Bengal demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Andhra Pradesh government will adopt a two-pronged approach to ensure a corruption-free and inclusive governance by totally revamping the system and taking the service delivery mechanism to people's doorsteps with an integrated welfare agenda, Governor E S L Narasimhan said here on Friday. The process of "total revamp" would involve innovative measures to ensure a corruption-free state that would turn out to be a role model for other states to follow. "My government believes in total transparency. In contrast to erstwhile rules of governance, my government would place transparency and accountability on a high pedestal," the governor said. "To ensure this, in a hitherto unheard of measure, the government has sought the assistance of a judicial commission to look into every sizeable tender even before it is floated," he said. Narasimhan addressed a joint sitting of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council and the Assembly on the third day of the first session. He outlined the priorities and focus areas of the new Y S Jaganmohan Reddy government. "The journey to deliver good governance has just begun. The change we sought will be possible only with the total co-operation of five crore people. My government will move forward with a determination and co-operation of the central and neighbouring state governments," the governor said. He asserted that the government was committed to enable people realise their dreams in tune with the clear mandate they had given (in the recent elections). "It is time for the new government to focus on immediate concerns, some of which are a consequence of the state bifurcation and the rest are consequences of inept handling of the challenges emerged post bifurcation, the governor said, in a charge against the previous Chandrababu Naidu regime. "The misutilisation of resources, both human and physical, further compounded the state's misery. My government has inherited a near-empty treasury, calling for a stricter accountable and efficient spending of public money and all attendant resources," he added. Narasimhan said efforts to pursue, with the Centre, the implementation of all promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 would be top on the government's agenda. "These, among others, include Special Category Status to the state, expeditious completion of the Polavaram project and supporting the state with necessary additional funds," he said. "We request the Union government to fully compensate the state for the loss of opportunities due to bifurcation, including income, employment opportunities, premier health and educational institutions and social infrastructure," the governor said. He said the government has a clear vision and actionable plans to tackle the problems and deliver on promises made, as the election manifesto would be treated as a sacred document. The governor said the government's top focus would be to ensure farmers' welfare and bring about a transformation in the agriculture sector. He announced that the government planned to set up a State Farmers Commission to delve deep into farmer-related issues and bring in reforms. Narasimhan said the government was also evolving an integrated welfare agenda with the promised Nava Ratnalu with nine themes. The Nava Ratnalu included Rythu Bharosa, Aarogya Sri, Amma Vodi, pensions, fee reimbursement, housing for all poor, youth employment and job creation, Aasara-Cheyuta, liquor ban in a phased manner and Jalayagnam (irrigation projects). The governor said the government has already taken major decisions in the last 10 days to deliver some of these promises. He said Polavaram, the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh, and another major project Veligonda would be completed within a definite time frame. "A third-party enquiry by irrigation and technical experts is also envisaged to set right deficiencies and irregularities, if any, in the projects. Should it find necessary, the government will not hesitate to go for reverse tendering after due diligence," Narasimhan added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Women across Switzerland are walking off the job, burning bras and staging other demonstrations to demand fairer pay, more equality, and an end to sexual harassment and violence the first such protests in the Alpine country in 28 years. Discontent over sexism and workplace inequality is underpinning the "women's strike." Many are also demanding higher pay specifically for domestic workers, teachers and caregivers, jobs typically held more by women. Around midnight in Lausanne, hundreds rallied at the city's cathedral and marched downtown to set wooden pallets on fire, then throwing items like neckties and brassieres onto the inferno. A few women scaled the cathedral to shout out the hour, a tradition that is rarely carried out by women. Supporters hoped for a "purple wave," so-called for the color adopted for a movement whose main logo features a clenched fist inside a cross-and-circle Venus symbol. The call to protest encouraged those taking part to avoid store purchases or trips to restaurants, to ratchet up the economic impact. Some companies were showing their support: The Roche Tower in Basel, the northwestern city's highest skyscraper, lit up in the logo of the movement Thursday evening. Women are being encouraged to leave their workplaces at 3:24 pm (local time). Organisers calculate that that is the time when women should stop working to earn as much as men proportionately by average hourly wage. Friday's events allude to protests on June 14, 1991, that drew hundreds of thousands of Swiss women who left their jobs to condemn discrimination, 20 years after Swiss women won the right to vote and a decade after sexual equality became law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top Democratic US presidential contender Joe Biden expressed support Friday for protesters engaged in Hong Kong's deepest political unrest in two decades, warning China that "the world is watching." The international finance hub was rocked this week by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to Beijing, with the semi-autonomous island's embattled leader facing mounting pressure to abandon a deeply unpopular plan to allow extraditions to China. "The extraordinary bravery shown by hundreds of thousands in Hong Kong, marching for the civil liberties & autonomy promised by China is inspiring," tweeted the former US vice president, who is the leading Democrat in the race to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. "And the world is watching," Biden added. "All of us must stand in support of democratic principles and freedom." The veteran Democrat weighed in with his comments two days after Trump offered a cautious response to what he said were "massive" demonstrations, saying he hoped protesters could "work it out with China."On Wednesday, as opposition to the extradition bill grew within an unusually wide cross section of residents, tens of thousands of protesters in Hong Kong were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. The following day, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington sought to reaffirm US commitment to democracy and human rights in Hong Kong, introducing a measure that would also threaten to remove the territory's status as a US special trading partner. Beijing on Friday denounced what it called "violent interference" by US lawmakers, who are critical of what they see as a worsening human rights environment in Hong Kong. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday offered Beijing's support for Pakistan and India to improve their strained relations during his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan here, China's state-run media reported. Xi's remarks comes a day after his meeting with Narendra Modi on Thursday during which the Prime Minister made it amply clear that dialogue with Pakistan is not possible without Islamabad giving up terrorism. During their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, Xi told Khan that China "supports Pakistan and India in improving their relations", state-run Xinhua agency reported. Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan during his talks with President Xi and said India expects "concrete action" by Islamabad to create an atmosphere "free of terror" for the resumption of dialogue. Modi did not meet Khan on the sidelines of the SCO summit, spurning Pakistan Prime Minister's suggestion for a bilateral meeting in Bishkek. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Early this year, 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. Post-Pulwama attack, China made efforts to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan. President XI rushed Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou to Islamabad to discuss the Indo-Pak tensions. During his talks with Khan, Xi also offered China's support for Pakistan in counter terrorism efforts. China is willing to help Pakistan within its capabilities, Xi said, adding that China supports Pakistan in implementing its national counter-terrorism plan to the end and is ready to help the country strengthen its counter-terrorism capacity. Stressing that the two sides should well maintain, consolidate, and develop their all-weather partnership and all-dimensional cooperation, Xi said that China and Pakistan should carry out in-depth communication on issues of common concern, so as to make joint efforts to safeguard regional and international security and stability. The two sides should expand and enrich the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with new focus on areas including industrial parks, agriculture and social welfare, Xi said, referring to the multi-billion dollar project which is part of his ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi also called on the two countries to take the upgrade of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement as an opportunity to vigorously expand bilateral trade. He also urged the two countries to foster a closer community with a shared future against complicated regional and international situations. Xi noted that it has been his third meeting with the Pakistani prime minister in the past eight months. This, he said, fully demonstrates the high level of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. He called on the two countries to carry out closer coordination and cooperation. Pakistan, Khan said, is committed to deepening its strategic relationship with China, and will firmly advance the construction of the CPEC. He added that his country will take effective measures to ensure security for the project. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The telecom sector is brimming with money. The recent back-to-back rights issues of Vodafone Idea Ltd and Bharti Airtel worth Rs 50,000 crore, and Rs 7,000-crore worth of foreign currency perpetual bonds issued by Airtel has led to a situation where the paucity of funds is no longer a concern for the top two telcos in the country - at least for the time being. Both the rights issues got oversubscribed, highlighting the appetite of investors even for a troubled sector like telecom. Since the launch of Jio's disruptive tariffs in September 2016, the incumbent telcos Airtel and Vodafone Idea were finding it difficult to get back on their feet, but the recent round of equity raising has changed the scenario, and there's a general optimism in the sector. Till recently, both telcos were largely reliant on debt funding to meet their short- and long-term investment goals. The fact that they could raise a significant equity within a gap of few days is a sign that investors are hoping for things to get better for incumbents. The last big equity infusion in Airtel took place in February last year when Singtel (which effectively owns 35.2 per cent in Airtel) invested Rs 2,649 crore in Airtel's parent Bharti Telecom through preferential allotment of shares. Vodafone Idea - which was formed last August when Idea Cellular and Vodafone India merged - saw equity infusion of Rs 15,350 crore from parents around the merger. Leading telcos like Airtel and Vodafone Idea require a steady flow of funds to keep fighting in a hyper-competitive market. To raise such a big equity funding was not easy especially at a time when their financial condition is quite weak. Vodafone Idea posted a net loss of Rs 14,604 crore in 2018/19 - its third consecutive year of registering losses. Airtel's profitability, too, is under pressure though it has managed to remain profitable. It is impressive that incumbents were able to attract investors who are aware of the financial might of arch rival Jio which has a backing of Reliance Industries and its phenomenally profitable businesses like oil refining and petrochemicals. The rights issues have also cheered the sector because unlike in the previous equity infusions which were driven by parent companies, there's a big participation from the large institutional investors this time. Despite being highly leveraged, Airtel and Vodafone had the option of raising more debt but instead they took the tougher equity route, and investors didn't disappoint them. It's expected that the funds raised by telcos are going to give them just about a year. Vodafone Idea is reportedly using a large chunk (75 per cent) of these funds to repay debt, and Airtel will use for both capex and debt repayments. Airtel has spent close to Rs 48,000 crore in capex over the past two financial years, and its rival Vodafone Idea plans to invest some Rs 20,000 crore in networks over the next year. At that run-rate, these telcos would need to raise capital from other sources to expand and modernise networks. Airtel is looking at selling stake in the towers business after the merger of Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers. It has already raised more than Rs 12,000 crore by selling minor stakes in Bharti Infratel. Besides, Airtel is planning a $1.25-billion IPO for its Africa unit this year. Money from the Africa IPO will likely go for the local unit there, but Airtel is also working on ways to reduce its debt burden. For instance, it's reportedly in talks with Vodafone Idea to form an infrastructure investment trust with all their combined optic fibre assets. The trust will help these telcos in attracting long-term investment which will go into paring debt. A similar model is being followed by Jio which has two trusts - Reliance Jio Infratel and Jio Digital Fibre - that own most ofJio's fibre and tower assets. At the end of March, Airtel's net debt stood at Rs 1.08 lakh crore, and Vodafone Idea's net debt at Rs 1.18 lakh crore. "Funds from these transactions, when they materialise, are expected to reduce debt meaningfully [for Airtel]. Nevertheless, an uptick in organic cash flows is critical for sustainable improvement in the debt coverage metrics," says ratings agency ICRA in a March report. "The capital requirement in the sector would continue to be high given technology degradation and proposed 5G expansion. The pricing and market competition will continue to put pressure on profitability and cash flows. Prudency in financial and cash flow management is key for telcos," says Raja Lahiri, partner at advisory firm Grant Thornton India. Eating their Lunch Analysts say that countering Jio is challenging, which is marching ahead like nobody's business, especially in terms of subscriber base and revenue market share growth. For instance, Jio's subscriber base has reached 306.7 million subs (as on March) in less than three years and it has garnered revenue market share (RMS) of 31.7 per cent in March, which is close to Vodafone Idea's RMS of 32.2 per cent, and Airtel's 27.3 per cent. Reports suggest that Jio is chasing an RMS of 50 per cent, and it's not going to stop offering the world's cheapest tariffs until it reaches that target. Vodafone Idea and Airtel have to willy-nilly follow Jio's footsteps. As per brokerage Motilal Oswal Securities, Jio is now a leader in 16 out of 22 telecom circles. Bharti is leader in only Karnataka circle and Vodafone Idea in the remaining five circles. "Although Vodafone Idea remains the number one operator, it is fast losing ground and, at this pace, may find it difficult to retain this position over the next quarter or two," says a June report of Motilal Oswal Securities. Telcos are also staring at a major shock in January when IUC (interconnect usage charges), the charges that telcos pay to each other for connecting calls, will be scrapped. At present, IUC charges are six paise per minute for mobile-to-mobile calls. It was reduced from 14 paise in October 2017. IUC contributes significantly to the revenues of telcos. Vodafone Idea has reportedly proposed to increase the IUC charges to 20 paise but its suggestion is unlikely to be heard. Then, the 5G auctions scheduled for the end of the year is going to punch a hole in the financial condition of Airtel and Vodafone Idea. "5G is a distant future from strategy perspective of older telcos. They are yet to monetize investments in 3G/4G. Their primary goal is to convert voice users into data. Airtel is tying up with large content providers to fasten that shift. Still, I think it's going to take 3-4 years for the conversion to happen," says Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research adding that more than 50 per cent of telecom subs are predominantly voice users. In 5G, spectrum pricing remains a critical factor. As per telecom regulator TRAI's recommendations, the reserve price for 5G spectrum in the 3300-3600 megahertz (MHz) band, which is used to deliver 5G services, is Rs 492 crore per MHz for a pan-India minimum block of 20 MHz. Telcos, particularly Airtel and Vodafone Idea, have called these prices exorbitant. "We expect lesser competition in the auctions. The players will adopt a wait-and-watch strategy until next year. 5G is beyond speed; it will have more impact on enterprise users. Jio is expected to be a bit more aggressive on 5G. It aligns with their strategy. They have already captured the consumers' segment, the biggest piece open for them is enterprises, and 5G is meant for enterprises," says Pathak. The Future In March, Airtel and Vodafone Idea reported a drop of 15.1 million and 14.5 million subscribers, respectivel,y while rival Jio added 9.4 million users. The drop is attributed to the change in the strategies of incumbent operators who moved to minimum recharge plans - which starts at Rs 35 - to boot out low-grade customers. This seemed to have a positive impact on their ARPU (average revenue per user). Vodafone Idea's ARPU surged to Rs 104 in the March quarter compared to Rs 89 in the previous quarter. Airtel's ARPU for the March quarter was Rs 123, up from Rs 104 in the previous three-month period. "After several rounds of consolidation, the telecom sector has reached some stability and the recent improvements in ARPUs indicate that the Jio's impact is weakening," says a telecom expert. Analysts at Motilal Oswal Securities say that with slowing subscriber growth for Jio and the limited pricing differential, network capability will become the key differentiating factor for the players. "We believe Bharti and Jio's network capability is largely comparable. Vodafone Idea will likely require another 3-4 quarters to stabilize its network in the top 15 circles. As industry subscriber churn reduces with comparable network capability, the focus would gradually shift toward ARPU accretion to drive growth and profitability," says a report from the brokerage. In 2015/16, during the heydays of telcos, there were murmurs of Reliance Industries' disruptive entry in the telecom sector, but nobody had imagined the scale at which it would unsettle the existing telcos. The new funding has given telcos some more time to continue fighting the tariff battle, and a fresh hope as buoyancy returns in a sector that has been witnessing disruption for nearly three years. BT Buzz: Trade wars - Bigger US retaliation could hurt Indian IT Industry BT Buzz: DHFL defaults on payment; debt mutual funds take hit BT Buzz: PM Modi pushes for big labour reforms; 43 crore unorganised workers to benefit Tech Mahindra on Friday announced the appointment of former Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma and Khaitan & Co Managing Partner Haigreve Khaitan as independent directors on the company board. Both Sharma and Khaitan would be appointed (subject to shareholder's approval) for a period of five years from August 1, after the company's annual general meeting on July 31. In May, Tata Global Beverages had also announced to appoint Sharma independent director on its board. The new appointments on the Tech Mahindra board come after its two independent directors, R Ravi Kulkarni and Anupam Puri, opted out of being re-appointed for their next five-year term. "The board of directors of the company has proposed to the members of the company, the appointment of Haigreve Khaitan and Shikha Sharma as independent directors... the company would be seeking approval of the members for the aforesaid appointments at the ensuing 32nd annual general meeting of the company," Tech Mahindra said in its regulatory filing. Haigreve, 48, who advises a range of large Indian conglomerates and multinational clients in various business sectors, also serves on the boards of various public listed companies, including CEAT Ltd, INOX Leisure Ltd, JSW Steel Ltd, Mahindra Holdings Ltd, and Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance Co Ltd. Shikha Sharma, 60, has more than three decades of experience in the financial sector. She has previously served as MD and CEO of ICICI Personal Financial Services, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company and Axis Bank (from June 2009 to December 2018). Despite an illustrious career, Sharma's exit from Axis Bank was a bitter one as the bank was in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2018. By the end of her tenure in December 2018, the bank saw a huge rise in its gross non-performing assets as compared to other banks. Axis Bank was the first to slip among the private banks, though other banks like ICICI Bank joined in later. Axis Bank was also in the eye of the storm soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move as several bank officials were arrested for converting old currency notes into new. The rot ran deep, so much so that the bank had to hire KPMG to conduct a forensic audit for enhanced due diligence and building more safeguards. Axis Bank had also come under the RBI radar, and the central bank approached the bank's chairman to reconsider Shikha Sharma's fourth term after its board reappointed her for another three years until 2021. Not to make matter worse, Sharma later requested the Axis Bank board to reconsider the period of her re-appointment to December 2018. Axis Bank's NPAs had jumped by over five-fold between 2015 and 2017. The gross NPAs worth Rs 4,110 crore at the end of March 2015 surged to Rs 21,280 crore at the end of March 2017. During the same period, the lender's net profit halved from Rs 7,357.8 crore to Rs 3,679.2 crore. Axis Bank's gross bad loans ratio had risen to 5.04 per cent as of March 2017, up from 0.96 per cent in March 2009, when Sharma took charge. Edited by Manoj Sharma Tata Group to consolidate FMCG Business; announces Tata Chemicals transfer to Tata Global Beverages Axis Bank MD & CEO Shikha Sharma retires; Amitabh Chaudhry takes charge Walmart is planning to use its cash reserves worth $1.2 billion lying outside the US for funding Flipkart's operations. This move is likely to give an impetus to the Indian e-commerce major in the face of cut-throat competition from the likes of Amazon at home. "As of April 30, 2019 and January 31, 2019, cash and cash equivalents of $2.7 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively, may not be freely transferable to the US due to local laws or other restrictions," the US e-commerce giant said in a regulatory filing. "Of the $2.7 billion at April 30, 2019, approximately $1.2 billion can only be accessed through dividends or inter-company financing arrangements subject to approval by Flipkart minority shareholders. However, this cash is expected to be utilised to fund the operations of Flipkart," the filing as seen by the Business Standard stated. Also Read: Flipkart cuts commissions, shipping fee to boost seller numbers; rates to be effective from June 24 This investment commitment comes after Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon and Judith McKenna, President & CEO, Walmart International visited India in April-May this year. Both the heads reportedly evaluated Flipkart's progress as well as finalised the strategy to counter Amazon in India. Jeff Bezos led ecommerce giant recently made a fresh investment of Rs 2,800 crore in its India unit, Amazon Seller Services. This reportedly takes the total funding received from the US-based parent to around Rs 30,090 crore, closer to the $5 billion (over Rs 35,000 crore) kitty that Bezos had committed for the Indian market in 2016. Also Read: Walmart appoints former Google executive Suresh Kumar as chief technology officer The fresh investment will beef up Amazon's war-chest to take on Flipkart, which was acquired by Walmart last year. Significantly, the latest infusion is also the first one since Amazon's April announcement about shutting down its Chinese marketplace by mid-July. Walmart in May 2018, had announced that it is buying 77 per cent stake in Flipkart for about Rs 1.05 lakh crore, a deal which gave the US retailer access to Indian e-commerce market that is estimated to grow to $200 billion within a decade. Also Read: Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart may avoid key queries in CCI study to protect trade secrets Former Chief of Delhi Metro, E. Sreedharan, popularly known as the 'Metro Man' has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Delhi government's 'free metro rides for women' proposal. Sreedharan has reportedly asked the PM to "not agree" to the proposal (making metro rides free for women commuters in Delhi). Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi recently announced its decision of making metro and bus rides in Delhi free for women. Sreedharan, who is currently a principal advisor to the DMRC, has said that the Prime Minister's "personal intervention" was required in the matter. It may be noted that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is an equal partnership between the Delhi government and the Centre. In his letter to the Prime Minister on June 10, Mr. Sreedharan wrote, "One shareholder cannot take a unilateral decision to give concession to one section of community and push Delhi Metro in to inefficiency and bankruptcy", The Hindu reported. He further wrote that he had decided to "not intervene in the working of the Delhi Metro, but the Delhi government's decision has forced him to come forward". "Sir, when the first section of the Delhi Metro was to be opened, I had taken a firm and conscious decision that no one would be given any travel concession on Delhi Metro. This stand was taken to maximize revenues so that Metro fares could be kept low so as to be affordable to ordinary citizens and at the same time Metro would make sufficient operational surpluses to pay back the loans taken from JAICA," the daily quoted Sreedharan, as saying in the letter. He added that the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also bought a ticket when he went to inaugurate the first section of the Metro on December 23, 2002. "Now, if ladies are to be given free travel concession in Delhi Metro, it would set an alarming precendence to all other Metros in the country. The argument of Delhi Govt that the revenue losses would be reimbursed to DMRC is a poor solace. The amount involved in about 1,000 crores per annum today. This will go on increasing as the Metro network expands and with further fare hikes on the Metro," he wrote. (Edited by: Nehal Solanki) Also read: Delhi Metro sends report on free rides to women to Delhi govt Also read: Auto-rickshaw fares in Delhi raised by 18.75%, AAP government issues notification Ahead of his visit to India, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pushed New Delhi to further open its economy and drop the trade barriers, saying countries that have provided American companies access to their markets have seen "real opportunity". Speaking at the India Ideas Summit of US-India Business Council here on Wednesday, he also said America is "open" to dialogue on trade issues. Pompeo said that countries that have allowed US firms to have a "fair and reciprocal trade", have seen America open up to them. "And I think they've seen real opportunity," he said. The top American diplomat's remarks have come amid trade-related frictions between the United States and several other countries, including Mexico, India and China. US President Donald Trump has been pursuing his trade policies aggressively and imposed tariffs on China, hitting billions of dollars of import of Chinese products. The US media Friday reported that India could be his next target. On Monday in a TV interview, Trump criticised India's import tariff on high-end Harley Davidson motorcycles as "unacceptable", though he acknowledged that his "good friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi has slashed the duty by half. Earlier this month, Trump announced his decision to terminated India's designation as a beneficiary under the Generalised System of Preference trade programme, which allows duty-free entry for products in to the US, from June 5. During his visit to India from June 24, Pompeo is to meet Prime Minister Modi and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, and will likely to discuss trade in addition to strategic issues. "We remain open to dialogue, and hope that our friends in India will drop their trade barriers and trust in the competitiveness" of their companies and businesses, he said at major his policy speech at USIBC. "We'll also push for free flow of data across borders, not just to help American companies, but to protect data and secure consumers' privacy," he said. "And speaking of privacy, we are eager to help India establish secure communications networks including 5G." The two countries have to make sure they have economic openness, he said, adding the Trump Administration is trying to take down financial barriers and and create open markets. "It needs to be a place where our partnership is one of true equals, not of domination. Based on my conversations in New Delhi last year, and in subsequent phone calls and meetings, I believe this is a deeply shared vision," Pompeo said, referring to his previous visit to India in September last year for the inaugural "2+2 dialogue". Pompeo said more than 500 American companies successfully operate in India and the US is a market of roughly 20 percent of India's exports in both goods and services. "I think that makes India a perfect partner and a great place for us to figure out how to grow our economies and get win-win solutions for both nations," he said, adding India's free-market reforms unleashed innovation and entrepreneurship. "That prosperity that began to be ushered back in 1991, has helped propel Indians to every corner of the Earth," he said. The secretary of state also talked about trade opportunities in the energy sector. "We've been blessed with abundant affordable energy right here in the United States, and we're now out producing it at enormous levels, not just crude oil but natural gas as well," he said. India by purchasing oil and gas from the US can have a fully diversified energy portfolio where they don't have to "rely on nations that aren't as reliable as" the United States, he said, apparently referring to Iran with which the US is engaged in a bitter standoff after Trump abruptly withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement in May last year. "We want to complete the Westinghouse civil nuclear project, and deliver more American LNG and crude," he said, adding these steps will reduce India's dependence on Iran and Venezuela. Responding to a question from the audience after his address, Pompeo revealed that as a businessman, before he ran for Congress, he had spent some time in Chennai and Bangalore trying to sell products to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. "I'll tell you what. It was tough. India was still opening up, it was still figuring its way through, but there was a real value proposition there, and we did well, he said. When I think about that, when I think about what businesses need when they go to invest in each other's countries, they need stability, they need a set of rules that they can understand, they need to make sure that the efforts that we put forward together from the United States have sufficient bipartisanship, that they won't be whipsawed, as we have elections here, he said. Pompeo will embark on a four-nation visit of the Indo-Pacific on June 24. Other than India, he will visit Sri Lanka, Japan and South Korea, concluding his tour on June 30. Trump and Modi are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka on June 28-29. Also read: India-US relations: Mike Pompeo takes a leaf out of Modi slogan, says 'Modi hai to Mumkin hai' Also read: Pompeo, Wilbur Ross to address this year's India Ideas Summit in Washington Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government hopes to rake in around $83.8 billion (Rs 5.83 trillion rupees) from its latest round of airwaves auction this year. The proposed sale comes at a time when the Indian telecom carriers are struggling amid cut-throat competition which has depleted their earnings while forcing some of them to exit the market. The Central government is planning to sell 8,600 megahertz of telecom airwaves across multiple frequency bands, a telecom ministry official told Bloomberg. Spectrum auctions which are an important source of revenue for the government in the past are coming at a difficult time for India's mobile phone operators. Also Read: Govt to auction 5G spectrum this year, plans trials in 100 days Meanwhile, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had last week announced the debut auction of fifth-generation (5G) spectrum this year along with trials within 100 days. The minister further said that he would also hold talks with the debt-laden telecom industry to figure out its financial concerns and address them. "This calendar year, we should auction. We have adequate spectrum," Prasad told reporters after taking charge of the ministry on June 3. Also Read: Bad news for Anil Ambani as DoT plans to oppose spectrum sale of bankrupt telcos Referring to the next-generation mobile communications standard that supports faster data speeds, the minister said, "As far as the 5G network is concerned, we will start trials in 100 days." Prasad affirmed his commitment to try and bring greater synergies between the IT and telecom ministries. The government's decision to put up an early auction is a significant step as it is a major source of revenue for it. Rs 65,789 crore was raised in the airwaves auction held by the government in 2016-17. Also Read: 2019 and the 5G promise Also Read: TRAI proposes steep price cuts for next spectrum auction, proposes new 5G band Also Read: BSNL on waiting mode for 4G spectrum allocation as DoT seeks TRAI opinion A greater thrust on clusters, ease of doing business, research and development, trade revitalisation and data sovereignty - these appear to be some of the priorities of Modi 2.0. Employment, too. At industry body CII's National Council meeting in Delhi on Friday, four ministers of the NDA government shared their thinking with many CEOs and investors. Here's a snapshot: Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road, Transport & Highways, Shipping and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, mentioned the need to increase the country's "employment potential" multiple times. One way is to make small and medium businesses more competitive. The minister stressed on the importance of clusters to get such businesses going. He invited private sector participation - "make you own cluster, we (government) will help you". Clusters are important given India's 'missing middle' problem - India has a large number of unproductive small companies and not enough mid-tier firms (the sixth economic census found that India has 58.5 million establishments. An overwhelming 95.5 per cent of them had one to five workers). There is an economic and employment imperative to making smaller firms more productive and larger. Clusters are a way of doing that. According to a report of the Working Group on Clustering and Aggregation for the 12th Five Year Plan, submitted to India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2011, 'enterprises can better improve their competitiveness due to the presence of specialised suppliers of raw materials, parts and components, machinery, skills and technology as well as other supporting services. Developing clusters is not only a means to improve the competitiveness of industry but also an instrument for alleviation of poverty, generation of sustainable employment, fostering innovation, enabling better, effective and sustainable credit flow'. Prakash Javadekar 'Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change' and 'Minister of Information and Broadcasting' emphasised on the need for innovation. The industry wouldn't grow or exports wouldn't rise unless India innovates, he stressed. India's innovation ecosystem is broken - innovation hubs, in advanced countries, are in the universities. In India, many universities are just shops and research happens elsewhere. This anomaly got to be corrected. "We are contributors to innovation, not owners of innovation," he said. In other words, much of Indian businesses have not developed technologies that have global relevance which they own. Many small companies make me-too products with pretty archaic technology. They indulge in cost-play and are often at the periphery of the market doing opportunistic sales. Many industry watchers feel this is a hangover from the past, when the Indian industry were given protected markets. Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State of Civil Aviation, Housing & Urban Affairs, and Commerce and Industry suggested India can take advantage of evolving trade situations. The trade war between the United States and China - if it escalates - could work in India's favour if the country's businesses can step in and export at lower rates than what the US imposes on the Middle Kingdom. China would import goods and services worth several trillion dollars over the next five years. Can India position itself as a reliable exporter? That's a question many businesses themselves don't have answers to. Trading with China of course isn't easy but there are bigger forces at play. There is a reversal of globalisation. Between 2004 and 2011, global trade was growing almost double the rate of global GDP growth of about 3.5 per cent - economies were far more open to trade. This trade growth slipped in 2009 after the Lehman Brothers collapse and the ensuing recession but recovered for a couple years. However, since the 2012, global trade has dropped and is growing slower than global GDP growth, data from the credit rating agency India Ratings and Research show. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Law & Justice, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology clearly stated that India will uphold her data sovereignty and that there could be no negotiation on this belief. Not just India, many countries in Europe are worried about data sovereignty or data localisation. Europe is increasingly being worried about the powers of GAFA - Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon - the four companies, all American, deal with personal data and an European document on data protection says that "GAFA has collectively made us accustomed to voluntarily waiving our rights regarding personal data". The head of an Indian policy body recently told Business Today that "the world is now seeing weaponisation of the payments system. After 9/11, everyone started monitoring the payments system for terror. In the last two-three years, payments have become an actual tool for asserting power. Traditionally, the source of power was military. Then it was economic. Today, there is a third source, the digital platforms. GPS, payment systems, identity systems. The digital platforms can get weaponised. So every country has to fight for Digital Sovereignty". The think tank head further added that if India's payments system were to be controlled by others, India is controlled by others. "Any sanctions against India, in the future, could be around payments. Nobody likes the change. Therefore, you see an organised effort by all the US affiliated trade bodies to thwart it. The US has a vested interest in making us a digital colony," he had said. ALSO READ: Budget 2019: PM Modi's 'New India' targets 50,000 new start-ups by 2024 ALSO READ: Modi govt's ambitious goals of universal Internet access by 2022 is commendable: Chairman of US FCC SCO summit: After his successful visits to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending his first multilateral summit at the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO summit) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. On the sidelines of the event, the PM held three bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday, and discussed wide ranging issues of economic and strategic importance. As per India Today, during the sidelines of the SCO summit, PM Modi and Xi Jinping discussed security tensions with Pakistan. PM Modi is believed to have appreciated China for finally designating Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. "There was a brief discussion on Pakistan. PM Modi recalled his efforts, which he said were derailed. PM Modi said that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror and at this stage, we do not see this happening. We expect it to take concrete action," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said after the meeting between the two leaders. He said the major highlight was that Sino-India relations couldn't be looked through the prism of Pakistan. India also acknowledged improving the level of communication with China, which he said, had led to the addressing of some major issues like the opening of Bank of China branch in India, and the listing of Masood Azhar. Xi is also believed to have pushed for stronger ties between the two countries. During PM Modi's meeting with Putin, both the leaders pushed for a strong strategic cooperation between India and Russia. Though there was no discussion on the controversial S-400 missile defence system deal with Russia, Modi thanked Putin for the "support for the rifle manufacturing unit in Amethi". In October 2018, India had signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy S-400 air defence system deal. The deal was signed despite the US threatening to impose sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) instituted by the US Congress on arms purchases from Russia. In his third meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit, Modi met the Afghan President, and the leaders discussed the security issue in Afghanistan and the role played by India in rebuilding the war-torn country. On the issue of terrorism in India, Ghani said India needed to tackle terrorism and drugs with the same force as "one is fueling the other". Ghani also raised concern over Pakistan's reluctance in tackling terrorism in Afghanistan. Emphasising the importance of cooperation between the neighbouring countries, PM Modi said India would extend all possible help in the rebuilding process in Afghanistan and will support its democratically elected government. Edited by Manoj Sharma RBI policy rate cuts not a shot in the arm for private investments: CMIE Aiding 'organised crime': Govt alleges 22 audit violations by Deloitte, KPMG arm in IL&FS fraud case The doctors in Kolkata are not yet ready to give up their 3-day long strike until their demands on security in government hospitals are being met and have defied the deadline set by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) for provoking the protestors and giving a "communal color" to the issue. Additionally, the India Medical Association has declared "All India Protest Day" on Friday (June 14, 2019) against the incident and stood in solidarity with the protesting doctors. Here are top 10 developments that you need to know about the doctors' strike: Emergency wards, outdoor facilities, and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and several private medical facilities in the state remained closed for the third consecutive day due to the doctors' strike who are protesting after two of their colleagues were "attacked and seriously injured" at the NRS Medical College and Hospital here by a mob, following the death of a patient. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata amid slogans of "we want justice" by the doctors. "I condemn the agitation. The junior doctors' strike is a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP", the CM said. The minister who also holds the health and family welfare portfolio asked the police to clear the premises and only allow the patients to stay. Banerjee gave the doctors a 4-hour deadline to rejoin service, however, later extended it to 2 pm. She further warned the doctors of strict action and to vacate the hostels if they do not resume work. Despite the ultimatum given by the CM, the doctors continued their strike. Additionally, a joint platform of doctors met the governor KN Tripathi, who reportedly appealed them to resume their duties. Saibal Kumar Mukherjee (principal of NRS Medical college) and Saurabh Chattopadhyay (MSVP) gave their resignation on Thursday while expressing their regret over their inability to end the doctors' strike. The BJP and the TMC are in a bitter turf in the state of West Bengal where on one-hand, Mamata Banerjee is accusing the saffron party of inciting trouble in the state and the BJP, on the other hand, has claimed that Banerjee is targeting the saffron party as she is rattled by its major gains in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Polls. The West Bengal CM described the injuries sustained by the tow doctors as "unfortunate". She added that five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. She said that an enquiry has also been ordered to look into the complaint of negligence of treatment, which led to the death of the patient. Mamata Banerjee, reportedly, also wrote to senior doctors of all medical colleges and hospitals in the state and requested them to keep taking care of the patients. Meanwhile, the opposition parties have slammed the CM for her alleged "threats" to agitating doctors and sought her "immediate resignation as the health minister". (Edited by: Nehal Solanki) Also read: Doctors protest in Delhi over Kolkata hospital violence Also read: Maha resident docs on 1-day strike in support of agitating WB junior docs Hyde Park, Oxford Circus, Parliament Square, Piccadilly, the Stock Exchange were among many of the world famous landmarks in London that were taken over by an unusual group of protesters last month. Calling themselves the 'Extinction Rebellion or XR for short', hundreds of non-violent protesters offered to get arrested as part of the civil disobedience straight out of Gandhi's playbook that made the British quit India. Within a matter of days, London police was at its wit's end and UK's parliamentarians got together to agree to one of the three key demands of the movement - 'to declare a climate emergency'. It was a stunning success which injected fresh life into tired environmental advocacy and action groups all over the world. Extinction rebellion groups have since sprouted spontaneously all over the world bringing hundreds on to the street. Also Read: Scientists create history; install world's highest weather station at Mount Everest's Death Zone Peaceful protests When I first heard about the successful London protests, I searched the internet and found Olivier and Harriet who had just set up a twitter account for XR Hong Kong. In the first training session, we connected over a live video link with the kind and affectionate Heather from the UK then based in Germany. She took us through the background and key principles of the movement with a few slides sprinkled with her personal experiences in the protests. The whole thing was all of six months old. What struck me immediately was that the movement was deeply inspired by none other than Gandhi. The same 'half-naked fakir' who we in India are happy discarding and denigrating at the slightest opportunity thanks to the rise of the Hindutva brigade. The DNA of XR is deeply embedded in and imbued with Gandhian values and principles. Non-violence is at its core. Inner transformation, community uplift and political action are the intersecting circles that surround that core. Sitting with a group of seven to eight founding members of XR Hong Kong as I went through the training, I had a feeling that Gandhi had come alive again. He had come to inspire just like he did earlier the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr Martin Luther King Jr and anti-Apartheid struggle of Nelson Mandela. Faced with an existential crisis that is likely to be worse than what's being predicted by the vast majority of climate science researchers, XR along with the school strike led by Greta Thunberg seems to be the last hope for humanity. Paris climate agreement called for substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to limit global average temperature rise to below 2 degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. Also Read: Adani gets final nod to start construction of controversial coal mine in Australia It also called for every effort to be made to keep temperature rise below 1.5 degree Celsius. This had made countries like the UK to declare a target of cutting emissions by 80% to below 1990 levels by 2050 and legislate the same into law. However, the latest advice from the inter-governmental panel on climate change (IPCC) seems to suggest that unless drastic remedial action is taken by 2030, the world may have reached a point of no return. This is because of a number of tipping points, such as the melting of the permafrost releasing methane that would accelerate the climate crisis with unpredictable consequences. The levels of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere are already at a level not seen in the last several million years. The last time such an atmosphere existed, there was forest growing in the polar regions and sea levels were several meters higher. The need to act and act now XR's operating principles include 10 ideas that reflect the strong commitment to the preservation of planet Earth with its natural ecosystem. It reflects a deep sense of love for all living beings and nature. It emphasises a shared vision, a regenerative culture, a challenging approach to one's self and beliefs, inclusiveness, equality, non-discrimination and decentralised self-actuation. In a way, it mirrors the 11 principles of Gandhi that were essential for one to become a Satyagrahi or an activist of non-violent civil disobedience. Naturally, the first of the three demands XR makes is for governments to declare a climate emergency by 'telling the truth' about what climate scientists are saying. Also Read: WEF 2019: India not backing down on climate change commitments, says Anand Mahindra This is particularly important given the massive campaign against the scientifically established fact that global heating and climate crisis result directly from anthropogenic sources. The second demand is for governments to enact policies and laws to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025. The third but a critically important goal is the establishment of a people's assembly to direct the actions to achieve the goals by 2025. The people's assembly selected based on the sortition principle is a unique concept in which, as a jury, ordinary people are selected by lottery to represent the population and act on their behalf guided by expert advice. This method has proven to work well all over the world in many different contexts, to address a variety of complex problems at an organisational or a community level. With democracies world over showing tendencies of dysfunction in electing right-wing populists such as Trump and Modi, sortition is believed by many to be the next improved version of democratic governance most suited for an equitable future for mankind. Also Watch: Dry days ahead: Climate change may hit beer production Carbon footprint and remedial action It is becoming increasingly clear that the world is fast hurtling towards imminent self-destruction. The only hope of avoiding such a catastrophe is to re-examine the structural arrangements of modern life and transform it drastically to a low-carbon lifestyle at the earliest possible time. The market-driven open-ended economic growth model and profit-driven corporate culture have to change radically. Instead of financial bottom lines, corporations have to look at their emission budgets. Individuals will have to live a life with rewards and incentives built into our every choice to encourage low-carbon lifestyle. Governments have to drive these changes proactively with progressive legislation. Ordinary people will have to come on the streets to ensure that their governments actually do so. Thanks to XR, England, Ireland, Wales and 558 councils covering 65 million people in 13 countries have declared a climate emergency. A court in the Netherlands has ruled in favour of climate activists directing the Dutch government to increase its target to cut emissions by 17 to 25% by 2020. Such verdict has encouraged activists in many countries to bring similar lawsuits to get their governments to act. Also Read: India adopts cautionary approach to link climate change to security People of developing countries such as India are paying a disproportionately high price for the consumerism of the developed world - particularly over the last few decades. In a fairer world, destruction witnessed in the recent cyclone Fani which affected mostly those who can resist the least would have been compensated for by carbon tax on the rich. But until the people at the bottom of the pyramid realise the climate injustice that is going to increasingly wreak havoc on them while the rich get away, the movements such as XR are not going to succeed. It is the people in the developing world who need to join and indeed lead such rebellion not only to force their own governments to avoid the mistakes of the developed world but demand that rich countries change at the earliest. Greta Thunberg said, "I'm sure that the moment we start behaving as if we were in an emergency, we can avoid climate and ecological catastrophe. Humans are very adaptable: we can still fix this. But the opportunity to do so will not last for long. We must start today. We have no more excuses." XR has now created a platform to achieve just that. Investments in real estate, private equity, land, venture capital, intellectual property, and equity long-short strategies are all alternative investments. An investment not made in bonds, stocks, and cash may be considered an alternative investment. Across India, there are three categories in which alternative investments may be made. Investments in SME Funds, Infrastructure Funds, Social Venture Funds, and Venture Capital Funds are classified under Category 1. Funds in Category 1 invest in economically and socially desirable ventures. Private Equity Funds and Debt Funds fall are classified under category 2 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). An alternative investment that doesn't fall in Category 1 or Category 3 may be clubbed in Category 2. In Category 3 are funds that employ complex and diverse investment strategies that take on higher levels of risk in an effort to earn higher than average returns. Funds in the third category may use leverage and invest across different investment products. Hedge Funds fall in Category 3. Today there are over 520 AIFs registered with SEBI. SEBI's decision late last year to allow AIFs to operate from International Finance Services Centre (IFSC), Gift City is an effort to bring the AIF industry onshore from places like Mauritius and Singapore. The new platform for AIFs at IFSC allows private equity investors to launch funds at marginal cost. AIFs' launch from IFSC will be dollar-based making them convenient for Indians wanting to make offshore investments. Also Read: NBFCs Face A Funds Crisis Investing in Infrastructure, Venture Capital, and SME Funds India is developing rapidly and its leaders and people have global aspirations. The fulfilment of these global aspirations demands the construction of world-class infrastructure across the country. To the countries leaders not only are more and better roads, bridges, airports, railways, and ports essential to meet national aspirations, they are essential to fuel the economy. Over the next several years the country needs to invest a substantial $1.5 trillion in physical infrastructure to grow the economy and meet the aspirations of Indians. In this atmosphere, Infrastructure Funds are financing the construction of infrastructure across India. The Government of India established the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) in 2015 to invest in domestic infrastructure and take advantage of growth just over the horizon. In effect funds such as the NIIFL will align the interests of investors with the ambition of the nation. Home to approximately 7,200 startups, India has a vibrant startup ecosystem in which investments can be made through Venture Capital Funds. A large number of Indian startups are creating efficiencies and bringing about lasting behavioural change in society. As Indians grow accustomed to using services of disruptive startups and their lives synchronise to the services of startups, risks of failure will remain high however some of these startups will likely create lifelong customers and earn attractive returns for investors. Much of urban India is undergoing a behavioural change fuelled by startups. From companies encouraging consumption of fresh foods to food delivery and ride-hailing apps, all are causing behavioural changes whose momentum is changing habits, preferences, and lifestyles. Venture Capital Funds capitalise on the growth trajectory of the Indian startup ecosystem and behavioural changes permeating Indian society. The venture capital space in India also has government backing in the form of frameworks that institutionalise it. Such institutionalisation gives investors clarity about the structure, process, and due diligence of investments in startups making investing in Venture Capital Funds attractive. The recent government decision to ease norms for startups including exemptions for AIFs investing in startups makes Venture Capital Funds even more attractive. Medium-sized enterprises are heavily traded on Indian bourses. SME Funds have been established to take advantage of such trading. Because of the relatively high volatility of SMEs, investing in SME Funds is suited to less risk-averse investors. Also Read: BT Buzz: DHFL defaults on payment; debt mutual funds take hit Private Equity Funds Poised for Growth Private Equity (PE) in India has come of age. An investment in private equity is likely to grow more today than it did in earlier periods. The spectacularly high exits made in 2017 and 2018 highlight this. In 2017 Private Equity Funds received investments in excess of $26 billion while exits from investments stood at $16billion. Globally private equity manages nearly $3 trillion. India's share in global private equity is minuscule and private equity in India attracts investors because of the economy's growth trajectory and growing wealth of investors. Private Equity Funds aren't investment vehicles for unsophisticated investors. Only a fraction of Indian investors, less than .01%, can invest in private equity because such investments demand significant capital and financial astuteness. The risk appetite and sophistication of many wealthy Indians cannot be accommodated by the stock market. Such Indians, hungry for higher returns, take the private equity route. In 2018 the scope of private equity was plainly seen when PE exits, helped by Walmart's purchase of Flipkart, topped $25 billion. Global institutional investors are already attracted to private equity in India because of recently introduced structural reforms including the Goods and Services Tax and Bankruptcy Code. As the Indian economy grows, individual wealth grows, and the expertise of Indian firms blossom, more investors may gravitate to investing in PE Funds. Also Read: How to invest in your 20s to achieve financial freedom in 50s Hedge Funds at a Nascent Stage Hedge Funds are a new investment vehicle in India but suffer because of an unfavourable income tax regime that taxes hedge funds gains at the fund level. The income tax laws in India have failed to define hedge funds. After Private Equity Funds, Venture Capital Funds, and Real Estate Funds, Hedge Funds are the most popular AIF in India. Because some hedge funds are expected to generate returns in rising and falling markets or provide risk premia that is uncorrelated to the public equity markets, Indian investors with higher risk appetites are attracted to them. While not the most popular AIF, the promise of returns in falling and rising markets or lower overall portfolio volatility through diversification makes them attractive to Indian investors. A more favourable tax regime governing hedge funds is likely to increase their attractiveness. Investing in stocks is widespread across India and millions of retail investors have capital invested in Indian bourses. To some wealthier, astute investors, AIFs may be ideal instruments. Certainly, one of the most important reasons to invest in AIFs is the low correlation of different classes of AIFs with other investment vehicles and each other; this presents significant opportunities to Hedge funds. As the AIF ecosystem in India grows from among the smaller in the world to one of greater global prominence, its goal of presenting sophisticated investor opportunities to protect or grow wealth beyond that possible through traditional investments may be realised. Patience and informed consent are the hallmarks of what usually defines success for most things in life, and investing is certainly not an exception to that rule. Due diligence and education are extremely important, and every investor, either on their own or through the services of a trusted advisor, should not approach any investment without understanding the alignment of their expectations relative to the underlying risks that they are taking on. Diversification across uncorrelated asset classes is not a straight-forward exercise, as performance dispersion gets very wide in many alternative offerings. Target allocations to the broad buckets of Hedge Funds, private equity and venture capital absent thorough due diligence is likely going to disappoint most investors. Finally, a long-term view for your investment plan is essential. The most successful investors are the ones who keep an eye on the distant horizon by remaining fully invested across a diverse set of risk premia, paying less attention to the interim and inevitable sharp edges of volatility. 14 Jun 2019, 2:38 PM Uber to use miniature car 'Qute' to take on India's choked, polluted roads Uber Technologies Inc has launched a new ride-hailing service in India's tech capital Bengaluru that will use miniature gas-powered cars called "Qute" to win over commuters stressed out by the sprawling city's heavily-congested streets. Uber will price the Qutes, which can carry up to three passengers and have windows and a fan but no air-conditioning, for slightly less than its standard car service. SCO summit: Modi meets Xi Jinping, Putin, Ashraf Ghani; discuss major issues of trade, terrorism After his successful visits to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending his first multilateral summit at the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. On the sidelines of the event, the PM held three bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani Pompeo pushes India for access to local markets, says US 'open' to discuss trade issues Ahead of his visit to India, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pushed New Delhi to further open its economy and drop the trade barriers, saying countries that have provided American companies access to their markets have seen "real opportunity". Speaking at the India Ideas Summit of US-India Business Council, he also said America is "open" to dialogue on trade issues. PM-Kisan Pension: Farmers' contribution to be Rs 100/month Farmers will have to contribute Rs 100 per month under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana that seeks to provide minimum fixed monthly pension of Rs 3,000 on attainment of 60 years, according to the government.The central government will also contribute an equal amount to the pension fund to be managed by the LIC, which will be responsible for the pension payout, it said. Pakistan extends airspace ban along its eastern border with India till June 28 Pakistan on Thursday extended its airspace ban along its eastern border with India for the third time till June 28, according to a notice issued by the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Pakistan fully closed its airspace on February 26 after the Indian Air Force fighter jets struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot following the Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir. India plans to create own space station, says ISRO chief K Sivan India will look to create its own space station following the completion of the country's first manned mission into space in 2022, its space agency chief said on Thursday. The space station, where astronauts can stay for 15 to 20 days, would be placed in an orbit of about 400 kilometres (kms) above the Earth, K. Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) told a news conference. Doctors across the country have joined protests over violence against medical practitioners as the demonstrations in West Bengal entered the fourth day. The medical fraternity in West Bengal has been protesting since Tuesday after two doctors were seriously injured in an alleged attack by the relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city. The leading doctors' body, Indian Medical Association (IMA), has called a nation-wide strike on June 17 in solidarity with protesting doctors in West Bengal. The doctors' body had declared Friday as 'All India Protest Day'. On Friday morning, junior doctors at AIIMS centres in Delhi, Mumbai and others states joined the protests. Their counterparts in other hospitals and medical colleges of New Delhi, Odisha, Chandigarh, Goa, Rajasthan, Maharashtra have also joined the protests. The doctors are demanding better security in government hospitals. The matter has taken a political colour after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the BJP and CPI(M) for instigating the protests by junior doctors. She has warned strict action if the doctors do not resume work. Meanwhile, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has appealed to the doctors all over the country to end their agitation and return to work. He has asked the doctors to hold symbolic protests and resume work so that the patients do not suffer. Vardhan also wrote to Banerjee to find an 'amicable end' to the stir. In his letter, the Union Health Minister asked Banerjee to not turn a sensitive matter into a 'prestige issue'. Here are the LIVE updates from doctors' strike across India: 08:09 pm: West Bengal Governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi said he has tried to contact Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "I have tried to contact the CM, I have called her, till this moment there is no response from her, if she calls on me then we will discuss the matter. I have called her, let her come," the West Bengal Governor said. West Bengal Governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi: I have tried to contact the CM, I have called her, till this moment there is no response from her, if she calls on me then we will discuss the matter. I have called her, let her come. #DoctorStrike pic.twitter.com/3xvKoY6yZP ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 7:50 pm: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardan calls for a law to make attack on doctors a non-bailable offence with at least 12 years of imprisonment. "Heinous repeated attacks on doctors across India esp WBengal have led to this situation.Govt must pass a Law to make any attack on Docs a non-bailable offence with min 12 yr jail. Draconian Clinical Establishment Act that treats Docs as criminals must be withdrawn," Harsh Vardhan wrote in a tweet. Heinous repeated attacks on doctors across India esp WBengal have led to this situation.Govt must pass a Law to make any attack on Docs a non-bailable offence with min 12 yr jail. Draconian Clinical Establishment Act that treats Docs as criminals must be withdrawn @drharshvardhan pic.twitter.com/DPwV9sTb2j Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) June 14, 2019 6:52 pm: The Indian Medical Association calls for a nation-wide strike on June 17. The strike is in solidarity with junior doctors in West Bengal who are protesting against a recent incident of violence against their two colleagues. 6:50 pm: Junior doctors in Telangana hold protests in support of their counterparts in West Bengal. 6:48 pm: Junior doctors in Rajasthan wear black bands and handsets to show solidarity with the protests being observed by their colleagues in West Bengal. 6:46 pm: Protesting doctors in West Bengal demand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their stir. 6:44 pm: Doctors at major government-run hospitals in Chhattisgarh staged protests in solidarity with the ongoing agitation by junior doctors in West Bengal. Around 400 junior doctors of Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur staged a protest. Senior doctors of the hospital did not take part in the stir, but attended their work wearing black bands as a mark of support to their junior colleagues. 6:42 pm: Government doctors in Uttar Pradesh wear black bands to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. 6:39 pm: Union Helath Minister Harsh Vardhan writes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee regarding the ongoing strike by junior doctors in the state. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan writes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on ongoing doctors' strike in the state, asking her to 'personally intervene to resolve the current impasse.' pic.twitter.com/nW2NpPfstF ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 6:22 pm: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee will meet a panel of top doctors from Kolkata today to end to discuss the issue. The meeting is likely to begin soon. 6:20 pm: A PIL has been filed in Supreme Court seeking safety and security of government doctors and hospitals. 6:15 pm: Total 119 doctors of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Darjeeling, have resigned over violence against doctors in the state. 6:00 pm: "Over 1,200 doctors in Tripura, mostly in government services, are wearing black badges while doing their duties in all the hospitals and two medical colleges," All Tripura Government Doctors' Association General Secretary Rajesh Choudhuri said. 5:45 pm: "Mamata Banerjee has done so much for Bengal, but I am sorry to say that I do not support the way she spoke to the doctors. She must have spoken to them humbly because threats do not get anything done. There is no harm or no shame in saying sorry...That will not hamper her popularity," said Aparna Sen. 5:30 pm: Services at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and its facilities across the state were partially affected on Friday as many doctors went on a one-day strike. 5:15 pm: Around 400 junior doctors in Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur staged a protest from 8 am to 2 pm in the premises of the medical facility. As part of the protest, the doctors stayed away from attending out-patient departments (OPDs) and operation theaters (OTs), Bhagwati Chandra Verma, president, Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) said. 5:00 pm: Total 27 doctors of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Darjeeling, have resigned over violence against doctors in the state. 4:45 pm: A group of doctors also met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and apprised him about the medical fraternity's demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. 4:30 pm: The Calcutta High Court refused to pass any interim order on the strike by junior doctors at state-run hospitals. A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Suvra Ghosh also directed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to apprise it of the steps taken following the attack on the junior doctors at a city hospital on Monday night. Hearing a PIL in the matter, the Chief Justice reminded the protesting doctors of the 'Hippocratic Oath' they take to ensure the welfare of all patients. 4:15 pm: West Bengal Education minister Partha Chatterjee appealed to striking junior doctors to "keep aside" misunderstandings and withdraw their agitation, which entered its fourth day on Friday. In a Facebook post, Chatterjee said, that all their grievances can be solved through discussions with the government. 4:08 pm: Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra stopped work on Friday in solidarity with the ongoing junior doctors' protest in West Bengal. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said junior doctors at government hospitals in the state will not perform surgeries or attend to out-patient departments (OPDs) between 8 am and 5 pm Friday. Emergency services remained unaffected. 4:05 pm: Doctors condemned 'threats' of strict action by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. "We are not outsiders and this agitation is spontaneous... We are contemplating mass resignations," said Dr Arindam Dutta, spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors. 4:02 pm: Services were totally disrupted in outdoor facilities and other departments of state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in Kolkata. However, emergency services were available at one or two hospitals of the city. 4:00 pm: Junior doctors in West Bengal continue their strike for the fourth day. They have been agitating since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. The protesting doctors paid no heed to warning by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that strict action will be taken if they do not return to work. Irish peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform, Linked Finance, has reached the milestone of having issued over 100m in loans to local SMEs. Linked Finance has now provided more than 2,160 loans to local businesses in every county of the country. Companies using the platform see the end-to-end process from initial application, to receipt of funding taking as little as 24 hours. Linked Finance says it offers Irish SMEs a refreshing alternative to the long waits and relentless form filling that have for too long defined business lending in Ireland. The arrival of open banking initiatives related to EU Directive PSD22, will allow Linked Finance to further simplify the process of accessing business loans and the platform expects to be able to provide credit decisions within an hour by the end of the year. With 100 million in funding already provided to local businesses and a growing list of clients, Linked Finance believes is poised for another period of significant growth. The company plans to double headcount at its Dublin headquarters and beyond in 2020. The recruitment drive will see Linked Finance build out its sales organisation to bring the benefits of P2P lending to a wider SME audience across Ireland. Notable companies that have raised funding with Linked Finance in the past include Viking Splash Tours, The Rolling Donut, Lolly & Cooks, Murphys Ice Cream, Iconic Offices and the Irish Fairy Door Company. Commenting on the 100m milestone, Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe said, "Availability of credit is a key consideration for all businesses, and I am aware of the role peer to peer lending is playing in broadening competition in the SME finance market. I congratulate the team at Linked Finance for hitting the milestone of 100m of lending and for helping over 2,100 Irish companies with capital to fund their growth." CEO of Linked Finance, Niall Dorrian added, "The fact that over 100m has been lent on the platform is clear evidence that Linked Finance is now seen as an attractive source of funds for ambitious Irish SMEs. Our ability to deliver quick decisions through a simple, user-friendly application process has already proven extremely popular with business owners. It took us almost 5 years to reach our first 50 million in lending. Now, a little over a year later, weve hit the 100 million milestone. This rapid rate of growth is a clear indication that our model is gaining real traction and why we plan to double our headcount in 2020." Source: www.businessworld.ie Shanghai Regulators Push Didi to Expel Illegal Drivers After Accident By Chen Boyuan and Isabelle Li / Jun 14, 2019 08:15 PM / Business & Tech Chinas leading ride-hailing company Didi has once again attracted regulatory scrutiny after an accident involving an unqualified driver in Shanghai. A Didi driver hit four people in Shanghai on Thursday, seriously injuring one, while rushing to avoid inspectors, according to a statement by Shanghais transportation department. City regulators have since ordered the company to begin an internal investigation and remove all drivers without the required ride-hailing qualifications by the end of this month, the statement said. The driver, surnamed Hao, was not licensed to offer ride-hailing services. He will be fined 10,000 yuan ($1,444) and have his drivers license suspended for three months, while Didis Shanghai office will be fined 100,000 yuan for allowing drivers like Hao to use its platform, the regulators said. Last year, Didi was forced to overhaul its passenger safety mechanisms and suspend its Hitch ride-sharing service indefinitely after two women were killed in separate incidents by their Didi drivers. Didi said on Friday that Hao had overreacted to the inspectors presence out of nervousness, according to a statement published on its Weibo account. The company said it had formed an emergency team to take care of the victims and their families, and will cooperate with the police investigation into Hao. Related: China Regulator Slams Didi Over Safety as Startup Pledges Fixes Contact reporter Isabelle Li (liyi@caixin.com) Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Loma Negra to close clinker production at Barker plant 14 June 2019 Argentina's Loma Negra has announced that it will stop clinker production at its facility in Barker, Buenos Aires. The news follows a month of negotiations with the Ministry of Labor and previously confirmed job losses. As of Thursday, 13 June the plant will operate a single shift with 24 employees, while the procedures for a final closure will begin simultaneously. Loma Negras parent company, Carmargo Correa, has explained that the plant was obsolete, according to Perfil. However, the plant will continue to operate as a grinding facility. Published under The Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church finished up its annual conference at Lake Junaluska, N.C., on Wednesday and announced the appointments of several new pastors for the Chattanooga area. They include Joshua D. Kilbourne at Signal Crest UMC, Timothy B. Bracken at Brainerd, Adam McKee at Harrison, John W. Oldham at Simpson Memorial, Debra P. Dickerson at St. Elmo, Sherry Cothran at St. Marks, and Ty Harrison at Tyner. Other new appointments in the Chattanooga area or Scenic South District are Charlotte S. Williams at Eastdale Village, Justin Keating at Flintstone-Fort Oglethorpe, Charles H. Smelley Jr. at Hurst, Richard L. Brown at Stanley, J. Christopher Ray at New Salem, Christopher Dover at Sand Mountain-Wildwood, and Greg Bartley at Mount Crest in the Sequatchie Cluster. A somewhat unique appointment is that Rachel Collins, a local pastor currently attending the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, will serve as an associate pastor at Burks in Hixson, where father Tony Collins is the senior pastor. The Holston Conference which covers Methodist churches primarily in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and immediate North Georgia also elected clergy delegates to the 2020 General Conference and the 2020 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. Among those elected as a lay delegate to General Conference was Becky Hall, a member of Christ UMC in East Brainerd. An unusually high number of young adult clergy and lay delegates were also selected to attend and vote at both conferences. The General Conference makes decisions for the worldwide United Methodist Church, while the Jurisdictional Conferences most important role is to select bishops to lead conferences in the Southeastern Jurisdiction. Although delegates to General Conference are not required to reveal their theological positions, the talk among the Holston Conference attendees this week was that the slate of Holston candidates selected to General Conference might be more "progressive" overall than the group that attended the special General Conference. During the special conference earlier this year, the worldwide church had strengthened its stand on the prohibition of LBGT clergy members, as well as against wedding ceremonies among LBGT couples being conducted in United Methodist churches or by UMC clergy. Many believe the issue will be discussed and looked at again at the 2020 General Conference, and that is why major attention was placed on the election of delegates at this years Holston Annual Conference. In part because of the voting and due to some technical malfunctions with the equipment, the voting continued for three hours past the planned conclusion of the Holston Conference Wednesday. Also in connection with the LGBT issue, the Holston Conference this week approved by roughly a 5-3 margin a resolution that says it continues to welcome LBGT members into its churches and grieves for the church over the recent General Conference action. The resolution, which was softened in its wording twice before being passed, said in part, We commit ourselves to welcome and affirm LGBTQAI+ persons in the churches of Holston, knowing them as persons of Gods sacred worth. Be it resolved that as the Holston Annual Conference, we commit ourselves to join hands as one, united through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service and our witness as we work together toward Gods hope for the people of Holston and grieve for the harm caused to the body of Christ and its witness in the world. The resolution is simply a statement of support for the LGBT community and does not change this years General Conference vote upholding the rules in the churchs Book of Discipline regarding clergy. The Holston group also began efforts to look at ways it could fight the opioid addiction crisis in the region around its churches and heard lectures from two people who work in the field. The conference attendees also took up a collection of $129,733 to fight the epidemic through mission outreach efforts. Jcshearer2@comcast.net A Chattanooga man with a felony conviction from 2005 has been sentenced to two years in federal prison after being caught firing a gun at a shooting range. Anthony G. Tillman, who earlier pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, appeared before Judge Travis McDonough. His sentencing range was 37-46 months, but the judge said he saw some redeeming features in Tillman, who has reunited with the mother of his son. Defense attorney Erin Rust said the defendant was shooting the gun in a safe, controlled environment, but Judge McDonough said, "It's amazing to me that you thought this was an okay idea." Judge McDonough said Tillman had carried out an armed robbery on Chestnut Street when he was 18 and later picked up other charges while getting his parole revoked and evading arrest. However, he said, "I see somebody who has every ability to do a whole lot better than you have been doing." The court was told that Tillman has been taking an active role in his children's lives and working two jobs. He has been out on bond after picking up the federal charge. Prosecutor Kyle Wilson recommended a 37-month sentence. Jakobi Johnson, who was with Tillman at the gun shop and firing range, got 40 months. Prosecutors said the arrests came on Feb. 15, 2018, after a Bradley County detective was notified by the gun store that the pair had given incorrect information when signing the log. Store employees had learned that Tillman is a convicted felon. Police afterward stopped their car after they finished shooting at the range. A handgun and rifle were in the car. Tillman said the guns belonged to his sister. The USL League One regular season contest between South Georgia Tormenta FC and Chattanooga Red Wolves SC has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. ET at Erk Russell Park. The originally scheduled match was postponed before it started last Saturday due to lingering lightning in the Statesboro, Ga., area. Both clubs return to action this Saturday. Tormenta FC plays at home against Orlando City B, while the Chattanooga Red Wolves take on the Richmond Kickers at City Stadium to end the club's two-week road run. The Red Wolves visited Richmond on April 27 for the first-ever meeting, but ultimately fell 1-0 to the Kickers. The Red Wolves will kick off a three-game home stand on Saturday, June 22, as the team hosts Greenville Triumph SC. The match marks the third and final regular season meeting between the two clubs. Adventure awaits on West Chickamauga Creek later this month, as Kayak Day floats to the top of the Walker Rocks Outdoor Series. Participants will explore what its like to take a peaceful journey aboard a touring kayak at Lee and Gordons Mills on Saturday, June 22, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Battlefield Outdoors will provide demonstration kayaks to give beginners a taste of what its like to go paddling on the creek. Visitors are encouraged to picnic with family and friends onsite during Kayak Day, which is a free community event. Participants are also advised to bring sunscreen, bottled water, a dry or ziplock bag and a towel. The Lee and Gordons Mills launch site is part of the South Chickamauga Creek Blueway, which runs from Chickamauga to Fort Oglethorpe en route to the Tennessee Riverpark, near Chattanooga State Community College. Interest in recreational kayaking has more than doubled over the past decade, according to The Outdoor Foundations 2018 Outdoor Participation Report. Kayak Day aims to build on that growth, by eliminating some of the apprehension associated with learning how to safely maneuver this outdoor activity. The Walker Rocks Outdoor Series continues on July 13 with a Trivia Scavenger Hunt at Lula Lake on Lookout Mountain. Admission will be free, but pre-registration will be required due to limited space. Cleveland State Community College has named its second class of the Mechatronics Honors Institute. The Mechatronics Honors Institute blends classroom instruction with on-site manufacturing experience at various industry partner sites. Classes such as Electrical Components, Mechanical Components and Electric Motors, Electro-Pneumatic and Hydraulic Control, and Digital Fundamentals and PLCs will be offered, among numerous other courses geared toward a career in the manufacturing industry. Upon completion of the program, graduates will earn an associate degree in mechatronics technology. For those students interested in an engineering/STEAM path this will be an easy transition to Middle Tennessee State University or UTC, said officials. This second group of MHI students has been exceptionally amazing to work with, said Marci Reiter, director of Mechatronics Honors Institute. They are all hardworking students who came highly recommended by teachers, administrators, and employers alike. It says quite a bit about the talent and skills of these students when the industry partners cant stop telling me how impressed they were throughout the interviewing process with these students professionalism and overall commitment to succeed so early in life. In order to be selected, candidates were asked to submit an application for the college, a separate application for the Mechatronics Honors Institute, as well as a 500 plus word essay about his/her interest in the manufacturing/engineering field. These prospective students were selectively chosen and accepted based on academic success, ACT / SAT scores, written essay and commitment to work in a team and problem-solving environment. Participating businesses and students assigned to those businesses include: Jonathan Contreras (Coca-Cola) Mr. Contreras attended Cleveland High School. I chose to apply because I saw it as a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a career that is constantly growing and will be depended on for years to come, said Mr. Contreras. I am extremely thankful for the companies that came in to interview us and gave us an opportunity to be selected for a spot in their facilities. I am very excited to take on this next chapter of my life. He plans to continue his education at either MTSU or UTC after CSCC. Mr. Contreras is the son of Jose and Maria Contreras of Charleston. Christian Niehaus (E & E Manufacturing) Mr. Niehaus attended Walker Valley High School. I chose to apply to the MHI in order to gain a better knowledge of mechatronics and engineering, while working hands-on," said Mr. Niehaus. "I am really excited and truly honored that I was chosen for the MHI out of so many people, and I cant wait to go to work and start learning. After CSCC, Mr. Niehaus plans to attend UTC to complete his bachelors degree. He is the son of Doressa Wiseman Niehaus of Cleveland and Greg Niehaus of Ocala, Fl. Axel Cortez (E &E Manufacturing) Mr. Cortez attended McMinn Central High School. I chose to apply to help me grow and improve my mechanical skills," said Mr. Cortez. "Im really looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity given to me and making the most of it. Mr. Cortez is the son of Juan and Maria Cortez of Etowah. Luke Wallace (Wacker) Mr. Wallace attended Walker Valley High School. Im really looking forward to the internship with Wacker and the opportunities that come with it," said Mr. Wallace. "I felt like this was a great way to get work experience in a manufacturing field early in my career. After CSCC, Mr. Wallace plans to continue his education at UTC. He is the son of Chris and Karen Wallace of Cleveland. Samuel Ohlsson (Bayer) Mr. Ohlsson attended Cleveland High School. Im looking forward to learning the skills necessary to be successful in the mechatronics industry, and this seemed like a great way to get hands-on experience from recognized industries, said Mr. Ohlsson. After CSCC, Mr. Ohlsson plans to transfer to either UTC or UTK to continue his education. He is the son of James and Kelly Olsson of Cleveland. Logan Smith (DENSO) Mr. Smith attended McMinn Central High School. I felt like the Mechatronics Honors Institute would be a great opportunity for me," said Mr. Smith. "I knew it would prepare me for a future in the manufacturing industry. I am looking forward to the skills and knowledge that I will gain. I am also excited about putting the skills I learn to use in an industry settingI feel very honored and blessed to be chosen for this opportunity. I am very excited to start next fall. Mr. Smith plans to transfer to UTC to pursue his bachelors degree in Engineering after CSCC. He is the son of Chad and Krissi Smith of Athens, Tn. Logan Hutcheson (DENSO) Mr. Hutcheson attended Copper Basin High School. "I am looking forward to gaining the skills and knowledge I will need to succeed in the manufacturing field," said Mr. Hutcheson. "I am thankful to have been chosen by DENSO for the MHI. This is an excellent opportunity for me, and I cannot wait to begin." He is the son of Robert and Shawna Hutcheson of Ducktown, Tn. Will Richmond (Bayer) Mr. Richmond attended Polk County High School. I am looking forward to the on the job training," said Mr. Richmond. "I am very happy and excited that I was chosen to be a part of the MHI program. He is the son of David and Kim Richmond of Benton, Tn. Daniel Archambault (E & E Manufacturing) Mr. Archambault attended McMinn Central High School. This was a great opportunity for hands-on work experience, and Im very thankful for this opportunity," said Mr. Archambault. Mr. Archambault plans to transfer to UTC to pursue his bachelors degree after CSCC. He is the son of Brad and Carrie Archambault of Englewood, Tn. Caleb Smith (McKee) Mr. Smith attended Bradley Central High School. Im looking forward to this co-op program and finding out what the workforce is like in this industry, said Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith is undecided on his four-year college he will attend. He is the son of Sarah Bullington of Cleveland, Tn. Trent Bright (E & E Manufacturing) Mr. Bright attended McMinn County High School. I am looking forward to learning more and making new friends," said Mr. Bright. "This is a great opportunity, and Im very happy they chose me. Im ready to get to work. Mr. Bright is the son of Rodney and Stephanie Bright of Riceville, Tn. Matthew Robinson (McKee) Mr. Robinson attended Bradley Central High School. I chose to apply for the MHI to further my education in mechatronics and to acquire experience as an intern while increasing my knowledge, said Mr. Robinson. I am excited about this opportunity because I was involved in many areas during high school and look forward to being active in college. Mr. Robinson plans to continue his education at MTSU or UTC in Mechatronic Engineering. He is the son of Bryan and Arlette Robinson of Cleveland, Tn. Edi Abdulahu (Bayer) Mr. Abdulahu attended Ooltewah High School. I chose to apply for the MHI because of the great program Cleveland State offers, and Im looking forward to the experience I will be gaining, said Mr. Abdulahu. Mr. Abdulahu is the son of Muhamed and Alma Abdulahu of Apison, Tn. Ms. Reiter continued, I am excited to work with these students over the next few years and watch their growth, not only academically, but professionally as well. I predict nothing but success for all 13 of these selected applicants. Cleveland State and the MHI is lucky to have such talented students choosing to attend school with us this fall. This is exactly what we have built the MHI to produce highly talented workers to fill our local industrys pipelines. The Cleveland State Community College Honors Program received the Outstanding Instructional Program Award at the 2019 Community Colleges of Appalachia Annual Conference held this past week in Asheville, NC. The theme of the conference was Community Colleges: Catalysts for Entrepreneurship, Economic Development and Empowerment. Our award was specifically for innovation and academic programs, stated Dr. Bill Seymour, We submitted the honors program, and we have one of the strongest honors programs among community colleges in the country. We include not only degree transfer students, but students who are completing their associate of applied science degrees, as well. We include not only degree transfer students, but students who are completing their associate of applied science degrees, as well. Since its redesign in 2015, the Honors Program at Cleveland State has grown from a single-track program serving 14 students to a multi-track program serving more than 100 students. In four years, it has developed two interdisciplinary tracks and three discipline-specific tracks (nursing, business, and mechatronics). In the process, the program has come to serve as a model of best teaching and learning practices for the campus and other Honors programs in Tennessee. The CSCC program holds Honors articulation agreements with three universities, and is currently the only community college Honors program to have an articulation with the University of Tennessee. Over these years, CSCC has moved away from a contract model--wherein one or two students graduated with an Honors diploma each year--and towards a cohort-style program set to graduate thirty students this year alone. The program operates according to one central ideology: they are developers, not gatekeepers. HBO is turning to real history dramas for the time being now that Game of Thrones is a distant Sunday night memory. While Game of Thrones had elements of British history, it didnt have to worry about criticism from historians on fudging historical facts. Its possible HBO will face intense scrutiny in coming weeks/months as they start to air these history-themed shows, with Chernobyl already leading the way. Those of you who happened to catch this compelling miniseries likely wondered how accurate it really was. Despite bringing a compelling warning about how to not handle a major nuclear crisis, some doctors who worked there say a few health facts arent true. Russia has also stepped into this, inflating more drama through our already shaky relationship with them. Stellan Skarsgard | Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images An American doctor says the depiction of radiation effects on the populace arent true When a writing team hears from a UCLA doctor that their miniseries is inaccurate, it no doubt brings a crushing blow after months of writing work put in. This likely hurt, even more, when said doctor so happened to travel to the real Chernobyl to treat the victims in 1986. According to Dr. Robert Gale, HBOs depiction of how the patients reacted to the radiation is extremely inaccurate. He says the show made the patients look more like zombies rather than human beings. Based on his recollections, the patients didnt have the physical decay shown in the miniseries. All of the radiation exposure was reportedly internal rather than external, leading to fewer of the exaggerated health effects portrayed. While its true birth defects did occur in pregnant women, Dr. Gale notes medical room procedures often expose people to more radiation than what Chernobyl exposed to the populace. What about Russias stance on the show? Russia is making its own version of Chernobyl that will blame AMERICA and the CIA https://t.co/FmsErbD5lm Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) June 7, 2019 Yes, its painful to see an American doctor bash Chernobyl so much, especially when it obscures the deeper message about how we might deal with similar crises in the future. Making things worse was when Russia recently condemned HBO for their depiction of events. In their view, America is biased in making the Soviet Union look remiss in how they properly treated the victims. They also think the depiction of Russia at the time is filled with stereotypes, something that can easily haunt any historical project. Russias response inspired them to make their own movie depicting the events at Chernobyl, this time showing America and our CIA in the worst possible light. At a time when were all concerned about what kind of control Russia has over us, our elections, and maybe our President, this probably seems inevitable. At the same time, it might sound alarm bells about how careful HBO should be with history now that theyre dabbling heavily into depicting key world events. Should HBO have deeper insight from historians on upcoming shows? Upcoming on the HBO slate are other history-themed shows like Catherine the Great, Brexit, and Lovecraft Country as just a few. All of these are going to depict major points of history here in America and abroad. We have to wonder if Russia will go after Catherine the Great as well considering shes practically a folklore arts hero from Russias past. Having us depict Russian history is arguably a risky move during a time when were seemingly heading back to a different kind of Cold War. Or was this by design as a form of American payback for them possibly meddling in our Presidential election process? Its not that HBO is focusing entirely on history. Even so, its still about half of their upcoming programming block. Chernobyl could end up being a pawn in Russia one-upping us in factual events of their own history, even if theyve already mastered the art of history revisionism at times like our own government. Netflixs original series, Dead to Me, had a shocking ending which left viewers with more questions than answers. Since its been confirmed the show will return for a second season, the shows creator, Liz Feldman, has addressed what fans can expect next from Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) and Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini). For those who havent watched Season 1 of the series, stop reading this right now because major spoiler alerts are ahead. What is Dead to Me about? First off, a refresher course for those who binge-watched Season 1 in early May 2019 when the series premiered on Netflix. Jen is a real estate agent who found herself raising her two sons alone when her husband died in a hit-and-run. Filled with grief, she starts attending group counseling sessions where she meets Judy who also lost her fiance. Dead to Me Official Trailer | YouTube Again, major spoilers are coming. If you havent watched all of Season 1, stop reading and start watching the show. Back to the show. The two women become fast friends, bonding over their shared feelings of loss. Soon, Judy learns that Jen isnt who she says she is and later discovers shes the driver who hit her husband with her car and left him for dead. How did Season 1 of Dead to Me end? The final episode of Season 1 ended with Jen turning to Judy in her time of need after she shot and from the looks of it killed Steve Wood (James Marsden) in her backyard. Judy found Steve floating in Jens pool. End scene. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini arrive at Netflixs Dead to Me Season 1 Premiere at The Broad Stage on May 02, 2019, in Santa Monica, California. | Amanda Edwards/WireImage And thats how Season 1 ended. Now, fans will wait to see whats in store for Judy and Jen who are now bound together by a very big secret much like the secret Judy kept about accidentally striking and killing Jens husband with her car. What fans can expect from Dead to Me Season 2 Liz Feldman, the creator of Dead to Me, recently discussed what fans could expect from Season 2 of Netflixs newest hit show. Liz Feldman attends Netflixs Dead To Me Season 1 premiere at The Broad Stage on May 02, 2019, in Santa Monica, California. | Presley Ann/Getty Images Given how Season 1 ends, Jen and Judy need each other now more than ever, Feldman told NewNowNext. Instead of one of them keeping a secret from the other, theyre both keeping a secret from everyone else, she added. Feldman didnt exactly paint a picture about Season 2 but its something. When will Season 2 of Dead to Me premiere? No exact release date for Season 2 of Dead to Me has been announced. However, the shows official Twitter posted a tweet on June 3, 2019, saying episodes would be coming soon. These two. Season 2. Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/oXN2zCMFkV Dead To Me (@deadtome) June 4, 2019 Dead to Me | Twitter A day later the show gave a little more detail about Season 2. They posted a photo of Jen and Judy by the pool with Steves body floating in the water on Twitter saying, Its going to take a lot more than a body in a pool to break up these two. #DeadToMe Season 2 coming in 2020. It's going to take a lot more than a body in a pool to break up these two. #DeadToMe Season 2 coming in 2020. pic.twitter.com/7m0PoS8ocy Dead To Me (@deadtome) June 4, 2019 Dead to Me | Twitter So, we know Jen and Judy will stick together in Season 2 which will premiere next year. If Kate Middleton wants a bigger family, now is not really the right time. Although she has blossomed into motherhood, beautifully mastering the art of tending to three toddlers in the public eye, experts suggest she wait a bit for baby number four. All of this is assuming Kate wants a fourth child. At the moment, it seems its just the royal family fans itching for a new Cambridge baby. Is Kate Middleton pregnant with baby No. 4? Prince William and Kate Middleton with their third child, Prince Louis | Samir Hussein/WireImage After Megan Markle and Prince Harry announced their pregnancy, rumors started to swirl around Kate and Prince Williams potential pregnancy as well. Things died down a bit in the rumor mill after Kate has been photographed looking decidedly not pregnant. However, after Megan and Harry welcomed their son into the world, supporters of the royal family began clamoring for Kates next pregnancy. People have wondered if the birth of her nephew would help to urge Kate into growing her own family again. Kate Middleton might have baby fever Kate has made some very public comments about her desire to have more children. She comes from a family of three children but has made mention of always wanting at least three children. Recently, while traveling with Prince William in Northern Ireland in February the Duchess mentioned how a cute baby made her very aware of having a little bit of baby fever. Hes gorgeous, she said of the infant. It makes me feel broody. Broody of course refers to a hens desire to sit upon her eggs, so the comparison is very clear. Shes wanting another child. Experts recommend Kate Middleton waits a while longer before trying Pregnancy takes a toll on a womans body, so doctors typically recommend giving your body a chance to properly heal and recuperate after giving birth. The timeline varies from person to person, but its usually suggested that a mother have about 18-24 months between pregnancies. If Kate and William were to wait the suggested 18 months then shed need to wait until at least October before even trying to conceive, since Prince Louis wont be 18 months old until then. The Mayo Clinic suggests following certain guidelines when working on family planning, including properly spacing out pregnancies. However, because Kate is already 37 years old, doctors might encourage her to wait less than the recommended 18 months and aim closer to 12 months. This puts her in the window of time to start trying for another pregnancy since balancing fertility and increasing age can be tricky business. Kate Middletons previous pregnancies were very difficult Although Kate is a great mother, her previous pregnancies were not a walk in the park. She suffered from some really uncomfortable symptoms during all three of her pregnancies. She had a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. This illness causes severe vomiting in pregnancy. Kate experienced all the effects of the condition including severe nausea, excessive vomiting, and dehydration. This is certainly something which may put having a fourth child on hold for a while. There have been reports that Kate has struggled with some of the more difficult parts of motherhood as well. Kate explained: Its so hard, you get a lot of support as a mother particularly in the early days and maybe up to the age that theyre one. Kate added: But after that there isnt a huge amount Is Kate Middleton ready for another baby? Although her severe morning sickness might cause her to think twice before becoming pregnant again, sources close to the duchess reveal that she really would like to have another child. Catherine would like another baby, the source told the Daily Mail. She loves children and is prepared to put herself through another pregnancy even though they have been complicated by severe morning sickness in the past. So with Prince Louis celebrating his first birthday, it could be any day now. We eagerly await the news that the littlest prince is becoming a big brother. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in the market for a nanny. Weeks after welcoming their first son, the couple is reportedly searching for a caretaker to help them raise little Archie. Although the royal family usually selects nannies from Norland College, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are breaking royal protocol by going with a caregiver from Hollywood. Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and baby Archie Harrison | Photo by Dominic Lipinski WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle break royal protocol Members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, usually pick nannies from Norland College. But royal expert Victoria Howard believes that Harry and Markle will break from tradition and go with someone from Hollywood. According to Express, Howard says the couple wants someone who is a little more progressive in their methods and will help encourage Archies creativity. They do not believe a nanny from Norland will meet their criteria, though Markles friends in Hollywood already have a few recommendations. I think they will look for things that will make them aware of mental health perhaps, encouraging creativity and for them to be themselves, Howard shared. So I definitely think its going to be non-traditional, maybe someone that has been recommended by some of their Hollywood friends perhaps. With the pair looking to Hollywood to meet their childcare needs, there is a strong chance that their new nanny will be an American. That said, Howard believes the two will look for a nanny based in the UK because that would eliminate the need to relocate. The nanny will likely live on the grounds of Frogmore Cottage and will be available at all hours of the day and night. This setup is not uncommon in the royal family, especially given their busy schedules that take them all around the world. What about Meghan Markles mother? During Markles pregnancy, there was talk that she wanted to raise her first child all by herself and would not employ a nanny. Markles mother, Doria Ragland, was also present to lend a hand in the weeks following the delivery. Inside sources claimed that Ragland was planning to stay in London to help raise Archie, though she has since returned home to California. Ragland spent two weeks with Markle and baby Archie at Frogmore Cottage before flying home. This is a face of a woman who is Blessed and Highly Favor! Praise GOD #SussexPrayerChain #MeghanMarkle #SussexSquad pic.twitter.com/mVPjYtsqeC Faith (@FitzScott2507) June 8, 2019 Harry and Markle have not commented on the nanny rumors. The couple has yet to announce Archies godparents or set a time for his christening, so it will probably be a while before we hear anything official on the nanny front. When will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hire a nanny? While we wait to hear something official, an inside source claims that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already hired a nanny. Details about the identity of the new caregiver have not been released, though sources say that they had to sign a comprehensive non-disclosure agreement to land the job. The nanny is reportedly on-call around the clock and was watching Archie when Markle appeared at the Trooping the Colour event last weekend. Although she has a nanny to help out, Markle is still very involved in raising Archie. The former Suits star has reportedly been nursing Archie at all hours of the night and refuses to leave his side. Markle has also avoided the gym these past few weeks and is allegedly taking it easy on herself. It is unclear when Markle will start her fitness regime, but it sounds like she is enjoying the time off as much as she can. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan their next trip Now that they have a nanny, sources believe Harry and Markle are busy planning their upcoming trip to Africa. The couple is expected to fly to Angola this fall to work with one of Markles favorite charities. Depending on how things are going with Archie, there is a chance that the little one joins them for the trip. If that happens, we might get our first glimpse of Harry and Markles new nanny, who will likely tag along for the visit. This could be the next time royal fans get to see a glimpse of #ArchieHarrison. https://t.co/plno0nSSFa Yahoo Style UK (@YahooStyleUK) June 11, 2019 Markle gave birth to Archie on May 6. Shortly after the birth, the couple announced on social media that they would not participate in the traditional hospital photo op. Instead, the pair posted pictures of the newborn several days after the delivery. Markle has remained out of the spotlight since giving birth, though she did appear at the recent Trooping the Colour parade, which was held in honor of Queen Elizabeths 93rd birthday. Somethings cooking on Netflix. From Samin Nosrats Salt Fat Acid Heat to The Great British Baking Show, there are some foodie-approved cooking and baking specials on Netflix thatll leave you hungry for more. Dig in, chefs! Heres our list of the best cooking shows on Netflix. The Great American Baking Show Cookie Week | Mark Bourdillion/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images via Getty Images The Great British Baking Show Baking is still cooking, right? This show is like a streamable, British version of Chopped or Cupcake Wars. Netflix has The Great British Baking Show available for watching and its just as funny and uplifting as youd want it to be. If you binge-watched all of The Great British Baking Show, there are a few other specials available for fans to watch on Netflix. That includes The Great British Baking Show: Holidays, The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass, and The Great British Baking Show: The Beginnings. There was another version of this show made in the United States, The Great American Baking Show, and a holiday special, The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition. Still, theres just something magical about the British version. Maybe its the accents. Chefs Table This documentary-esque series puts a spotlight on some of the worlds best chefs. (It will truly make you wish you were eating the food on the show.) Chefs Table won the 2016 James Beard Award for Visual and Technical Excellence. Additionally, it won the 2017 and 2018 James Beard Award for Television Program, On Location. Of course, everyone loves looking at food. What makes this show unique, however, is how it tells the short of each chef. Each episode features a different chef and how they create their culinary masterpieces. Because many of the restaurants featured in this show are expensive or exclusive,Chefs Table offers everyday viewers a peek into the world of award-winning cuisine. Antoni Porowski and Samin Nosrat | Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix Salt Fat Acid Heat Hosted by Samin Nosrat, this documentary series looks at, what she calls, the four basic elements of cooking salt, fat, acid, and heat. Each episode explores a different aspect of cooking. To highlight that, Samin Nosrat visiting a part of the world that focuses on that element. In the first episode, she stops in Italy to see how they use fat in their cooking. What makes this series special is how personal it feels. Samin Nosrat, who based this series on her New York Times bestselling novel, Salt Fat Acid Heat, pays special attention to each of the specialists she visits. It feels like shes visiting her old friends and the viewers are tagging along for the ride. The food looks incredible, too. Antoni Porowski | Erik Voake/Getty Images for Boursin Cheese Queer Eye Okay, fine. Its not exactly a cooking show, but Queer Eye definitely puts a huge focus on food and building a healthy lifestyle. This is a makeover show that helps the heroes build a better version of themselves. The food and wine expert on Queer Eye, Antoni Porowski, often shows the heroes different quick, inexpensive, and easy recipes. Antoni also owns a restaurant in New York, The Village Den, which specializes in healthy vegan and vegetarian options. His cookbook, Antoni in the Kitchen, releases in September 2019. Jenelle Evans was forced to reveal her Teen Mom 2 salary during her custody battle. While the former reality TV star acknowledged earning $400,000 for her role on the hit reality show in 2018, her very public firing has left a massive hole in her income. Jenelle, unlike her co-stars, hasnt branched out much from her reality TV career path, and thus losing the gig has put a massive dent in her earning potential. Fans have long suspected the mother of three would have money trouble once the show was over, but it looks like it happened sooner than expected. There are three tell-tale signs that Evans is now scrambling to garner a bit of cash. Jenelle is posting more links than usual During the Teen Mom 2 reunion episode, Evans alleged that she had absolutely no control over her social media. In fact, she took the statement a step further and claimed she had never seen the posts that Nessa had a problem with. While it is true that the stars of the Teen Mom franchise contract out their social media to a private company, Evans does have control over her accounts. Shes ramped up the posting of links in recent days, including links that she insists are her exclusive account of what is going on in her life. Reddit fans surmise that the mother of three is paid each time someone clicks on one of those Bit.ly links she includes in her Twitter posts. In fact, theyve gone as far as insisting no one clicks on them to ensure Evans doesnt get paid for monetizing her dogs death and the custody battle that has ensued since. Jenelle is trying to kick off a YouTube career Evans has never really been great at timing. The troubled TV personality received backlash after posting a lengthy video to her YouTube channel that featured her children and several animals. Fans were pretty peeved that she would choose to share video footage of animals when the majority of her current drama centers around the death of the family dog. Jenelle Evans | Photo by Alo Ceballos/GC Images While fans are annoyed at Evans, it is clear she thought posting the video was a reliable way of making some quick cash. The video appears to be monetized on the YouTube platform, meaning every time an ad plays before the video, Jenelle makes a little cash. SocialBlade suggests Evans doesnt make much from YouTube. In fact, the database pegs her yearly earnings at no more than $7,000. It is possible, however, that Evans could gain more viewers if she continues to post to YouTube. As It stands, she only has ten uploads to the channel. Her most recent upload has been viewed right around 100,000 times. Shes trying to make her makeup brand happen Now that shes no longer employed by MTV, Evans is working harder than ever on crafting a makeup brand. She initially attempted to get the business going a few years back, but in recent months shes apparently hit the ground running. According to Radar, Evans and Eason left North Carolina in the wake of their custody battle to take a meeting about JE Cosmetics. The pair skipped town the day after a judge ordered their three children to stay in temporary homes at least through the end of June. The allegedly pre-arranged business meeting took place in Washington DC. Fans had lambasted the pair for vacationing during the custody battle, and most are skeptical a meeting about the makeup line actually took place. Cant stop wont stop. Its all coming together very slowly but carefully. Good things come in time! Follow JECosmeticsInc on Instagram for new updates soon! #MUA #MakeupKit #Universal pic.twitter.com/5DIHE36O32 Jenelle Eason (@PBandJenelley_1) October 17, 2018 Evans, however, has revived the business Instagram page and has filed trademark paperwork. Even if her DC trip had nothing to do with the brand, she is working towards getting the product on the market. Whether it will be successful remains to be seen, but its safe to say she probably wont be the next Kylie Jenner. Melania Trump is unlike any modern first lady. Since she took office, she has earned the reputation of being one of the most low-key first ladies in modern times, despite being married to a man who makes headlines several times each day for one reason or another. But in a rare interview with CNN, Trumps communications director, Stephanie Grisham, opened up about what its really like to work for the first lady. Melania Trump | Karwai Tang/WireImage Trump has subtly redefined the role of first lady To some, Trump has redefined the role in a positive way, but to others, its been negative. Ever since Trump took office beside her husband, people have been wanting to learn more about her. Shes done things differently than previous first ladies from the start. When her husband won the election, she opted not to move to Washington, D.C. with him but rather chose to stay in New York so her son, Barron Trump, could finish out his school year. The move got mixed reviews, though from a motherly standpoint, people understood why she did it. Since moving into the White House, Trump has had far fewer solo appearances, speeches, and public stances than previous ladies such as Michelle Obama or Laura Bush. Trump has one of the smallest teams of any modern first lady When it comes to the way Trump runs her office, there is one stark difference between her and the others: She runs a team nearly half the size of Michelle Obama and Laura Bushs teams. There are only 12 employees who work under her, including her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, who often makes remarks on behalf of the first lady. Trump has always been a very private woman a drastically different take from her husband but the smaller team hasnt gone over well with everyone. Some have suggested that its a sign that Trump has no desire to take on the same roles as former first ladies. I think [a small East Wing staff] puts you at a tremendous disadvantage and also sends a message about how much youre willing to do and how much you want to do, Kate Anderson Bower, a CNN contributor who wrote a book about Trump, told CNN. Trump has personally hired every one of her staff members The team might be small, but that could be in part because Trump values personal relationships with every one of her staff members. Stephanie Grisham told CNN that Trump gets to know her employees personally, both during the hiring process and beyond. Grisham said Trump learns about their personal lives and families outside of the work they do for her. Being so small, we are a tight knit team, Grisham said. She also remarked that, though Trump seems extremely quiet to the public, she is actually very fun and engaged with her employees. Although Grisham shows some bias when it comes to discussing the first lady, she seemed to get across that Trump loves the people she works with and cares about them on a personal level. Trump has spoken out against her husband a handful of times, including when she made it clear she doesnt always agree with the way he tweets. However, it hasnt been enough to win over much of the public. Perhaps a deeper look inside the first ladys office clarifies a few more things about her. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! The Seattle Seahawks wrapped up their annual 12 Tour over the weekend, stopping Friday, June 7, in the West Plains to tour Fairchild Air Force Base. Active defensive backs Neiko Thorpe and Tedric Thompson and former defensive back Jordan Babineaux joined Seahawks dancers, staffers and team mascot Blitz to view the facility and get a glimpse at a day in the life of Airway Heights airmen. Military personnel set up stations for players and staffers to view, letting them try on equipment like air packs and face masks. Thorpe and Thompson both tried on a suit used for emergency water landings, expressing disbelief that airmen could be called upon to tread water in them for long periods of time. Other stations offered details on emergency medical situations and new psychological tools used by the military to help airmen deal with stress and anxiety through mediation. Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) program leaders showed players an audio taping meant to help soldiers de-stress, with the equipment actually tracking their brainwaves. The audio can be used along with other methods to mitigate the risk of physical and psychological injury during SERE education and high-risk training activities. The most interesting thing for me was talking to the psych team, Babineaux said. They use mind techniques that help with mental stimulationand Im like, I might want to try that myself. SERE psychology technician Michael Osten said airmen were excited to meet with the Seahawks crew. Its nice to be able to show our work to other people, Osten said. Base personnel were able to bring their families to meet the players, who briefly signed autographs and spoke with airmen. Babineaux said the opportunity to speak with active military demonstrated how impactful the Seahawks presence in the community really is. I once met a soldier in the military who earned a Purple Heart, and he talked about being deployed and his connection to the Seahawks, Babineaux said. He still felt like he was at home even though he was so far away and in dangerous territory. Later, visitors toured an aircraft, checking out the cockpit and asking airmen about their duties while Thorpe took cellphone photos of the view from the aircraft. Seahawks staff also presented a team flag to base commander Col. Derek Salmi. The 12 Tour was set to continue over the weekend with a visit to Idaho and Silverwood Theme Park. Even with the constant traveling, players said their visit to Fairchild certainly stood out. Its super interesting, Babineaux said. Theyre talking about their jobs and their roles and what they have to do thats the ultimate teamwork. Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com. Write to the Point This is for all you civilians out there. Yes, you, who have never served in the defense and protection of these United States. You see, all veterans make a sacrifice. All serve with the explicit understanding that at any time they may be called upon to protect and defend this great country of ours from enemies foreign and domestic, as the oath of enlistment reads. And in doing so they give something up. In a word, they give up their freedom. Because serving in the armed forces is not a democracy, but by necessity a top-down, hierarchical, authoritarian system wherein those who enlist or are commissioned agree to serve their country for a specific period of time, usually measured in years, under orders that are issued from time to time by their superiors. This chain of command does not happen organically. Service members fall under not just one rule of law, but two. Like everyone, members of the armed forces are subject to U.S. laws. But they are also subject to the Universal Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ. In a nutshell, the UCMJ is the military law that requires service members to take and accept lawful orders, and obey them. I cant speak for the other branches, but one of the first things a Marine Corps recruit is taught when they arrive at boot camp in the dark of night, standing on the yellow footprints, is the basics of the UCMJ. Most service members survive their military service unscathed, receive their discharge and move on with their lives proud to have served. When I was discharged, I was not only surprised, but strangely moved when, in my final formation as an active duty member of the U.S. armed forces, an officer stepped before me, shook my hand and said, Thank you for your service. It had never occurred to me that someone might thank me for fulfilling my duty. As the Cheney Free Press has been reporting these past weeks leading up to the arrival of The Moving Wall, a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., those who returned from the war in Southeast Asia received far less than the welcome past returning veterans had received, particularly those who served in a combat zone. Instead, they were vilified, spat upon, called names and generally made to feel like they had done something wrong, when in fact they were generally just following orders as prescribed under the UCMJ. Many carried still carry deep-seated feelings that they didnt need to be reminded of when they were discharged: survivors guilt. Regret. Sorrow and deep sadness. Anger. These men placed themselves or were conscripted under military law, giving up a part of their freedom in the service of their country. One Vietnam vet shared a story with me recently in which another veteran had told him welcome home. But that wasnt good enough, he told me, because most veterans get it, at least insomuch as every veteran has the shared experience of life under military law. Instead, he yearned for civilians to welcome him home the people for whom he had served to ostensibly help preserve their freedom. He wasnt expecting a ticker tape parade, but a simple, genuine gesture of appreciation. Certainly not the caustic welcome that many Vietnam veterans received. The Moving Wall arrives in Medical Lake on Thursday, June 13. An opening ceremony is scheduled that evening at 6 p.m., followed by another on Saturday at noon. It may already be there as you read this. The exhibit will be staffed with helpful volunteers; veterans service organizations will be on-hand to help veterans with individual needs. The traveling monument will open for viewing 24 hours a day until one final closing ceremony on Sunday at 6 p.m. There are 58,318 names on the Wall, United States citizens who surrendered their freedom in the defense of the United States and were subsequently sent to the front lines of a war that arguably turned into a quagmire. Those 58,318 men and eight women never returned home. Their names are listed in order of death beginning in 1955 and ending in 1975. I encourage you to visit The Moving Wall this weekend. Consider that sea of names, and then look at your reflection in the black granite panels that bear those names. Those young men gave up a part of their freedom, and eventually their lives, on foreign soil so that you could live in relative peace and freedom here in these United States. Ponder all those names of young people whose lives were cut short in your defense. Take your time. Think about the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, wives and kids they left behind. Lives, relationships and futures cut short. Then take a look around. And if the urge overtakes you and you see a guy with gray hair and, perhaps, some indication that he is a Vietnam veteran, and if the moment seems right and appropriate, walk up to him and ask if you can shake his hand. And if he accepts, look him in the eye and tell him, Thank you. Welcome home. Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com. Kmart is under fire after customers in Australia noticed that certain Christian words were banned from printing at the stores photo kiosks. According to the Christian Post, Anthony and Marelynda Dorsett were attempting to have photos printed for their church group when they noticed that words including God, Jesus, church, Bible, and Jewish were replaced by asterisks in their photos. Reportedly, Kmarts photo printing software deemed the words as profanity. Kmart is claiming that the error was from a glitch in the kiosks software. According to the Daily Telegraph, Kodak announced the software issue affected all Kmart photo kiosks across the country and the issue was resolved by Thursday morning. Journalists from the Daily Telegraph decided to investigate to supposed glitch to see if words associated with other religions were also banned. According to News.com, the reporters found that words including Islam, Allah and Koran were allowed. Still, Kmart is asserting that the ban on Christian words was not intentional and was not a targeted attempt to suppress Christian values. A spokeswoman for the company said in a statement that it was a system error and it will be updated overnight. She continued, It in no way reflects our views as a business. At Kmart, we support diversity and inclusiveness irrespective of race, religion, age, gender, ethnicity, ability, appearance or attitude and we want our teams and stores to reflect the communities in which we operate, she added. Despite this, many people including Sam Armytage the host of Australias morning news show Sunrise are not buying that it was a glitch. On Wednesdays episode, Armytage called Kmarts response rubbish. Kmarts come out this morning and said its a technical glitch, rubbish! They have to beg for forgiveness to whichever god they beg to, the show host quipped while hosting a panel with two other people. Kmart is under fire for banning words 'Jesus' and 'Church' on their photo kiosks while 'Islam' and 'Mosque' are OK. pic.twitter.com/qgSiuWdNpr Sunrise (@sunriseon7) June 12, 2019 Daisy Cousens from Sky News also condemned Kmart saying blaming it on the software is a joke and the word selection highlights a huge double standard, the Christian Post reports. She said, Its like its a joke. Sure, theyve blamed it on a software error but isnt that what you blame everything on when something goes wrong thats somewhat controversial? This is just unbelievable. Its such a huge double standard. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Scott Olson/Staff NAIROBI, Kenya, June 14, 2019 (Morning Star News) One of two buildings of a Christian primary school in eastern Uganda was demolished after local Muslims who opposed it threatened tough action, sources said. The building containing three of Hope of Glory Primary Schools seven classrooms was destroyed before dawn on June 2 in predominantly Muslim Kabuna village, Budaka District, following a series of threats that area Muslims sent to the school, officials said. The private school offers instruction in primary grades one through seven. One of the aims of the school is to provide education to formerly Muslim children whose parents have disowned them for putting their faith in Christ, said a school official whose name is withheld for security reasons. Among the 173 students from eight districts, 57 are converts from Islam, he said. Another seven children were Muslims who became Christians after they began attending the school. Complaining that worship at night was disturbing them, area Muslims had written several letters to Kabuna educational officials, the Budaka District police commander and the Budaka Resident District Commissioner demanding closure of the school, he said. If you do not stop night prayers, then we are going to take tough action against the school, read one anonymous letter to school officials a week before the June 2 demolition, he said. We suspect that the destruction is connected with the warnings that we had received previously, the official told Morning Star News. A watchman guarding the school dormitory said he heard the destruction taking place at about 2 a.m. Since the school is closed to the road, I thought it was an accident that had taken place, only to find out in the morning that three classroom had been destroyed, with the bricks lying in ruins and the whole entire three classrooms flat on the ground, said the watchman, whose name is withheld for security reasons. Two months ago area residents mobilized 35 Muslims from Kabuna, Kaperi, Macholi and Kotia villages to march to the school gate and throw stones at the buildings during classes, officials said. Budaka police arrived immediately and restored calm. The June 2 demolition caused damages of about $4,500, including materials, chairs and chalkboards, the school official said. We need financial help to rebuild the classrooms and for security for the school, he said. Otherwise we risk losing children who have showed genuine conversion to the Christian faith from Islam. The attack is the latest of many cases of persecution of Christians in eastern Uganda that Morning Star News has documented. Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population, but with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews. org/resources/aid-agencies/ fo r a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. Wednesday marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Their families are focusing less on O. J. Simpson than on their grief for those they lost. In other news, we are learning more about the woman who was killed when a crane collapsed on her apartment building in Dallas, Texas, last Sunday. Kiersten Smith was a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University and had recently been promoted to a new position in Tenet Healthcare. She was engaged to be married this September. Her family describes her as a selfless, thoughtful and loving daughter, sister, fiancee and friend to many. Further north, two men died while competing in an Ironman triathlon in Madison, Wisconsin, over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that the Islamic State has expanded its reach in Afghanistan and is plotting attacks against the US and other Western countries. And news that the suicide rate in the US is at an all-time high continues to trouble me. I had a good friend in high school who hung himself. Im sure his family is still marked by his death. Its hard to imagine the suffering so many families are facing today. Does God have only three answers to prayer? Its been said that God has only three answers to prayer: Yes, Not yet, and I have something better in mind. If he does not meet a need as I wish him to, I can conclude that he has something better for me instead. But what do we do when the something better seems so awful? Every time I return to Israel, I am reminded that the Holocaust is a present-tense reality for millions of Jews who still grieve for the family members they lost. After Jon Stewarts impassioned testimony, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed a bill this week providing funds for 9/11 first responders and other victims. My father would have been ninety-five years old yesterday. His death at the age of fifty-five was the great tragedy of my life. He never met my sons or grandchildren. He never heard me preach. His death is a reality my brother and I experience every day. I cannot identify the something that was better than preventing the Holocaust, or 9/11, or my fathers heart attack. Deception that drives people from God There was a time when Western culture responded to crisis by turning to God. The greater the problem, the greater our need for his help. But Darwinian evolution convinced multitudes of peopleerroneouslythat science has disproven the Bible and/or rendered it irrelevant and obsolete. Postmodern relativism has convinced multitudes of peopleerroneouslythat truth is personal and subjective, rendering the Bible a diary of religious experience and religion a hobby. Transactional religion we inherited from the ancient Greeks has convinced multitudes of peopleerroneouslythat if we do what God wants us to do, God will do what we want him to do. If we go to church on Sunday, God will bless us on Monday. Then, when the crisis comes, we feel justified in rejecting the God who has not kept up his end of the bargain. If every time I go to the doctor he seems unable to help me, Ill stop going to the doctor. In a culture that has jettisoned biblical truth and authority for consumeristic religion, its not surprising that unexplained suffering drives many people further from God. Questions that still persist The first step in responding to innocent suffering is therefore to turn to Scripture as authoritative truth and to God as our King and Father. Otherwise, we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death without a rod and staff to comfort us (Psalm 23:4). But even for those of us who believe the Bible to be true and relevant and our Father to be all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful, questions persist. Forty years after my fathers death, I still do not understand why the Great Physician who healed every disease and every affliction among the people (Matthew 4:23) did not heal him. Eighteen years after 9/11, I still do not understand why the God who saved the nation of Judah from the Assyrians (Isaiah 37:36) did not save the United States from the terrorists. Seventy-eight years after the Holocaust began, I still do not understand why the God who saved the Jews from Haman (Esther 7) did not save them from Hitler. But I do understand this: my mind is too finite and fallen to understand the God of the universe. This is only logical. If I could understand God, either I would be God or he would not be. I believe; help my unbelief. And so, I believe my response to unexplained suffering should be to do all I can to understand it. Search the Scriptures; seek to comprehend what happened and why; use my mind as fully as I can. Then, if I still have questions I cannot answer, I can trust them to the God whose thoughts are higher than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:9) but whose love for me is unconditional. The more I trust God, the more I can understand God. In fact, the more I trust him, the more I can understand him. This is faith seeking understanding, as St. Anselm put it. The best way to understand marriage is not to let the divorce rate keep us from being married, but to become married. The best way to understand parenting is not to let the threat of climate change keep us from having children, but to have children. The more I trust God, the more I understand. Then, the more I understand, the more I can trust. But even when I cannot understand, I can choose to trust my Father rather than my fallen mind. And I can pray my favorite prayer in the Bible: I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). Do you need to make this prayer yours today? For more from the Denison Forum, please visit www.denisonforum.org. The Daily Article Podcast is Here! Click to Listen Publication Date: June 14, 2019 Photo Courtesy: Getty Images/Michael Ochs/Archives/Stringer An 18-year-old teenager who converted to Christianity from Islam is on the run in Ghana because, she says, her Muslim father is threatening to kill her. Mariam Seidu has been in hiding since March after her father hired youth to attack her at her church, according to Peace FM, a news website in Ghana. She survived but remains in fear for her life. My father said because of the church he will disown me. He told me if I still go to the church, he will bring cutlass [a short sword] to the church and come and butcher me, she told Peace FM. The father, Abubakar Seidu, acknowledged trying to get her to return home but denied threatening to kill her. Yet he said if she remains a Christian, he will disown her. She cant live under my benevolence as a father and go against my orders and beliefs, he told Peace FM. She has turned 18 so she feels and thinks she can take her own decision, right? She should go ahead, but I will never allow her under my roof if she sticks to her new faith. If she insists then we go our separate ways. Mariam credits her Christian faith for saving her from a life of immorality. At first, I was a stubborn girl, she said. I used to go out with my friends, I used to club, I used to take shisha [smoke], I used to take alcohol but I had a friend. That friend, she said, was a Christian who would visit her alongside an evangelism team. When she saw them coming, she would run. She didnt want the gospel. But what changed when she fell sick, Peace FM reported. She decided to attend church with her friend. When we went he prayed for me and when I came home I was feeling well, Seidu said. Islam, she said, wasnt meeting her spiritual needs. She doesnt want to return. I cant just be there like that, she said of Muslim prayers. Her father, though, says hes ready to go to jail to bring her back to Islam. I only tried to put the fear of God in her when I threatened to go to jail because of her decision, he said. Related: Christians Flee Burkina Faso after at Least 19 Christians Are Killed in the African Nation China Installs Surveillance Cameras in Churches to Monitor Christians China Launches Campaign to Dismantle and Eliminate House Churches China Edits Pastors Sermon, Deletes God Made Heaven and Earth Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com. Photo courtesy: Matthew Ansley/Unsplash What is CBD? Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical that comes from cannabis plants and is found in marijuana.Those who use it have seen various benefits such as a reduction in epileptic seizures, reduction in anxiety, increase in pain relief, and help in quitting addictive behaviors such as smoking possibly even opioid addiction disorders. Until recently, CBD oil contained tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)the most active ingredient in marijuana which creates a high in its users. Now, CBD doesnt contain THC, according to this Mayo Clinic article, or at least it may not contain large enough quantities to alter the mental state of its user. CBD can cause some side effects such as fatigue and dry mouth. In some clinical trials, users experienced liver problems, irritability, nausea, and tiredness. CBD can come in a variety of packages such as the oil, an extract, a vaporized liquid, and a capsule. However, of these CBD products, the FDA has only approved of a CBD oil by the name Epidiolex. Is CBD legal? Medicinal marijuana is legal in most places, except for Idaho, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Although not specified in this WebMD article, CBD oil might fall under the medical marijuana umbrella due to its medicinal qualities. According to a recent Harvard article, All 50 states have laws legalizing CBD with varying degrees of restriction, and while the federal government still considers CBD in the same class as marijuana, it doesnt habitually enforce against it. The Benefits In addition to the benefits listed above, researchers claim CBD oil can help with ailments such as depression, cancer-related symptoms, Type-1 diabetes, acne, insomnia, and Alzheimers. And CBD oil works these benefits without the mind-altering symptoms that accompany THC. Also, according to a World Health Organization report, CBD does not produce addictive effects that are common in abused drugs. In particular, unlike other drugs of abuse, it does not activate the mesolimbic dopamine (reward) pathway in the brain or potentiate the effect of rewarding electrical stimulation (pg. 14). This means, those who use it wont get addicted to it. The Risks While the FDA approved Epidiolex, the CBD market is largely unregulated. The FDA held a public hearing May 31, 2019 about CBD, but it appears CBD oil is still not regulated. That means distributors can write what they want on the label of a CBD product. This is a significant risk if a consumer is concerned about the purity or potency of their CBD Oil. As the Mayo Clinic said, A recent study of 84 CBD products bought online showed that more than a quarter of the products contained less CBD than labeled. In addition, THC was found in 18 products. In addition to the side effects listed above, the lack of research on CBD can bring about questions as to whether the benefits of CBD oil are truly a direct causation or some other correlation. The public needs more information about this product to make a safer choice. The Mayo Clinic suggests consulting your doctor if you plan to use CBD products. But even if its helpful and legal and safe, is it okay for Christians to use? Can Christians use CBD? What does the Bible say? The Bible doesnt have anything specific to say about CBD because its writers would not have encountered this. Although CBD didnt really come into existence as its own product until 1963, the Bible might have a thing or two to say about what Christians should do when we encounter gray areas. We should, of course, avoid abusing any substance that can affect our state of mind (Ephesians 5:18). Anything that impairs our judgment can compromise our conscience and allow for spiritually poor decisions. And, considering CBD oil is not regulated, that can allow for certain vendors to slip elements into the products (such as THC), which can affect our judgment. But what about the FDA approved Epidiolex. Can Christians use that? It comes down to conscience. Paul encountered a dilemma of conscience in Rome (Romans 14). Some Christians believed eating meat sold at the temples of pagans was wrong and would allow for demonic activity to enter their lives. Others thought of the meat as an innocuous purchase and did not worry about the spiritual harm. Although Paul recognizes neither Christian in this scenario was right or wrong about the subject, he encouraged Christians to exercise caution, especially when partaking in such meat around each other. If a Christian at the table believed the meat carried demonic forces, Paul admonishes Christians not to eat the meat in front of them and cause them grief or put a stumbling block in front of them. In other words, You may believe its not wrong. But if someone in your company thinks it can cause them to sin or has strong convictions against it, dont flaunt it in their presence. To use another example, some Christians will drink for social occasions. In moderation, alcohol has minimal effect on the body and on ones judgment. However, if you place a wine bottle in your house in front of a guest with a history of alcoholism, you're placing temptation before his or her eyes. Although we may not see a drink every once in a while as a sin, we cause them grief by placing it on the countertop at a social gathering with them. The same biblical principle can apply for CBD oil. Some Christians view the use of any cannabis product as a sin, even if it does not cause any effect on ones judgment. Others see it as a product that can relieve pain. But if a Christian gathers with another, especially a Christian who has a history with addiction to marijuana-related products, they ought to exercise caution. Photo Credit: GettyImages/Tinnakorn Jorruang Only five of us were left after the massacre, said Polly Sheppard. In 2015, Sheppard was in the prayer circle at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church when a 21-year-old white supremacist started shooting. The nations deadliest racially motivated mass shooting at a place of worship took the lives of nine Christians she had worshiped alongside with for years: senior pastor Clementa Pinckney and congregants Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and her best friend Myra Thompson. Four years to the day of the massacre, Emanuel, a documentary recounting their story, will open in over 1,000 theaters nationwide on Monday. Members of all nine victims families participated in interviews, along with survivors such as Sheppard, local reporters, the Charleston mayor, and the Charleston police chief. The film examines societal effects of racismfor this particular historic church and in the American South at largebefore transitioning to the massacre and the victims loved ones subsequent acts of forgiveness. This film is not just about racismits about grace, said director Brian Ivie, who worked on Emanuel for three years. Its a story of a group of people who decided they were going to bear the full weight of the wrong and still wish good upon the wrongdoer. That is the highest form of love possible, a love that Jesus Christ perfected. Emanuel opens at a time when stories of people of color drifting away from evangelical churches due to increasing politicization of the gospel have made national news. Its a hard movie to watch, in all honesty, because it raises poignant questions, said Philip Pinckney, a local pastor who leads the regional reconciliation initiative 1Charleston. What weve seen in Charleston is that forgiveness starts a work. Since the massacre, weve seen an increase in hard conversations around hard topics. Telling the Whole Truth Emanuel connects the horrific events at one of the nations oldest black churches with centuries of racism. Drawing from court evidence, including images of the gunman proudly displaying a Confederate flag, the documentary offers insights into Roofs motivations. [Roof] didnt randomly pick up a gun, said Ivie. He had settled into a worldview and ideology that has been a part of our history for a long time. Motivated by that, this white person killed these black parishionersbecause they were black. Keeping this context in mind, Ivie approached the victims families and survivors about telling the full story and pairing it with vignettes dramatizing historic racism. In 2016, he and producer and New York City pastor Dimas Salaberrios flew to Charleston to cast their vision for a film. When they arrived at popular local restaurant Sticky Fingers Ribhouse, 20 representatives from all nine families showed up. We wanted to make sure we came to their turf and on their terms, said Ivie. We told them two things. First, we as producers dont want to take any money. Second, and even more importantly, we want the world to know where God was in all of this. That was the turning point, adds the filmmaker, whose previous film The Drop Box also explored themes of faith, human dignity, and social justice. Because there were certainly not a lot of Hollywood types or media in general who were saying that to them about this story. While fully exploring the God element might have turned off some potential filmmakers, some viewers of the documentarys trailer criticized the film for including excerpts from President Barack Obamas address at the memorial service for the late pastor and former state senator Clementa Pinckney. There, after delivering a eulogy for his friend, the former president broke into song, leading the tearfully exultant crowd in several verses of Amazing Grace. Article continues below A lot of people dont like President Obama, said Ivie. Many have told me they cant watch the movie because he is in it. Yet this is the families own story, and we tell it as it actually happened. That powerful moment, when I believe God takes over, is the heart of the film. Audacious Forgiveness and the Cross Sheppard has shared her story of surviving that Wednesday night hundreds of times in media interviews, civic functions, and church services. People are listening [to] our message of love and inclusion, she said. But sometimes we listen and then we go back to our same old ways. This is a wake-up call. Last month, Sheppard and Anthony Thompson, who lost his wife to the massacre, told their stories at a Monday night church service in Montgomery, Alabama. Reverend Thompson forgave easily, [but] it wasnt so easy for me, said Sheppard in the service. It took me a little while. When I got there I [found] who God is. I know I have to forgive over and over again, regardless of what happens. Sheppards honest admission of her struggle to forgive seems incongruent with the iconic courtroom scenes when Charleston family members looked Roof in the eye and forgave him. In testimony that went viral, they astonished their fellow Americans by offering forgiveness to the unrepentant white supremacist. Yet at times these acts of forgiveness have been met with skepticism. Some, for instance, see unjust racial dynamics at play, where black victims are culturally expected to forgive white perpetrators of violence. At first glance, forgiveness seems like its giving people a way out of repentance and out of a hard conversation, said Philip Pinckney, who pastors Radiant Church, a multiethnic congregation in Charleston, and who is not related to the late Clementa Pinckney. Many within the black community see [forgiveness] as weakness rather than being helpful. But forgiveness is about something bigger when viewed through a theological lens, he explains. From a distinctly Christian perspective, I forgive you starts the conversation, he said. Gods love for us is not conditional on our getting it right or on our sorrow. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Without a Holy Spirit renewed mind, its not going to make sense, but that is how God works in lives. During the Montgomery church service, the catalytic role of forgiveness could clearly be seen. Following messages from Sheppard and Thompson, two large wooden crosses were placed on stage. They had crosses up there for people to pin things they had to forgive people for or things they had done to people, recalls Sheppard. Thompson set the stage, discussing the painful violations of abuse, estrangement from family members, and other mistreatment people hold on to with cause. He pressed congregants to let go, to forgive and be forgiven. Hundreds of people streamed to the stage to pin their handwritten notes to the planks. When we were leaving, I was amazed by how full those two crosses were, said Sheppard. They both were loaded with offenses and different things. It was about learning to love each other. Jesus walked with lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, you know? We have to include and love everybody, as you love yourself. Article continues below Interviewing dozens of key figures who responded to the massacre has nuanced Ivies idea of forgiveness. Justice and forgiveness can coexist in a societal and interpersonal sense, said Ivie. No one is saying to forgive racism as an idea. Their heart is to forgive this person, who is still a human being and who we all hope will be redeemed. In the midst of their forgiveness, its also true Dylann Roof was sentenced to death. The convicted murderer is currently serving nine consecutive life sentences in a federal penitentiary. Wake-Up Call Since the massacre four years ago, Philip Pinckney has seen increased interest in the ecumenical group 1Charleston. A collective of pastors and Christian leaders in the city of Charleston, the group organizes intentional dialogue around race issues to foster gospel-fueled, Christ-centered racial reconciliation through the church. The group providentially started the year before the shootings, say leaders. This month, 1Charleston will co-host a screening of Emanuel for victims extended families, local clergy, and civic leaders. The strength of 1Charleston is our diversity, said Pinckney. Weve got everything from 100-plus-year-old churches to two-year-old churches, from Anglican to Baptist to Pentecostal. Im grateful that there were already preexisting relationships through this collective. If connections across culture, race, and denomination had not been formed previously, Im not sure we couldve been any help at all in the aftermath. Several hot-button issues converge in this cinematic narrative honoring the Emanuel Nine, including ongoing systemic racism, increasing frequency of mass shootings in the US, and why faith in the public square matters. Many people are afraid that, on the other side of this conversation, theres just going to be retribution, said Ivie on the polarized debates on racial justice. What we see in this story is on the other side there is a very scandalous grace and beautiful love. Its important for us as Christians to move into these uncomfortable placesits where Jesus lived his entire life. How can the church walk out such love when still splintered by cultural, ethnic, and historic divides? We have confusion going on in the church, and God is not the author of it, said Sheppard. The Lord is trying to wake us up. We have more in common than we have that divides us. Distributed by Fathom Events, Emanuel opens in theaters nationwide on June 17 and 19. Josh M. Shepherd covers culture, faith, and public policy issues for media outlets including The Stream and The Federalist. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he previously worked on staff at The Heritage Foundation and Focus on the Family. Josh and his wife live in the Washington, DC, area with their son. A British nurse named Sarah Kuteh was fired from the hospital where she had worked for nearly a decade because she spoke with patients about her faith, passed out Bibles, and sang hymns on the job. Last month, a UK court rejected Kutehs most recent appeal. The Respondent employer did not have a blanket ban on religious speech at the workplace, according to the court of appeals ruling. What was considered to be inappropriate was for the Claimant [Kuteh] to initiate discussions about religion and for her to disobey a lawful instruction given to her by management. Kuteh is the latest in a string of cases of Christian medical workers in the UK who faced punishment for sharing their faith at work. Her lawyers at the Christian Legal Centre are considering further action as questions continue to come up around the appropriate place for religious expression in healthcareparticularly when a sizable number of patients indicate they welcome spiritual care from their providers. The uproar around Kuteh initially broke in June 2016, when a cancer patient complained about what he characterized as her very bizarre behavior. The patient said Kuteh told him that the only way he could get to the Lord was through Jesus, and that she would give him a Bible if he didnt have one. Court documents also allege that Kuteh, a Pentecostal Christian, encouraged the patient to sing along as she sang Psalm 23 and that she held his hand tightly as she prayed an intense prayer that went on and on. On a hospital form, the patient had checked open-minded when asked about his religious beliefs. But in describing Kutehs actions to the court, he likened her evangelism to a Monty Python skit. Little more than two months after the incident, adjudicators had concluded that Kutehs conduct violated Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) rules, and she was fired for gross misconduct. Despite Kutehs initial pushback, an employment tribunal upheld her dismissal, though she was allowed to practice nursing again after a year of restrictions. In subsequent proceedings, it was discovered that Kuteh had a pattern of sharing her faith bedside. On other occasions, a patient said she spent more time talking about religion than doing the assessment, reportedThe Telegraph. She was accused of preaching by another patient. Ultimately, Kuteh objected that the employment tribunal had failed to consider the correct interpretation of the NMC Code and the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate expressions of religious beliefs. She also claimed that the European Convention on Human Rights permitted her conduct, drawing a distinction between true evangelism and improper proselytism. Last months ruling has, for now, put an end to Kutehs case, but the ramifications are ongoing. According to CBN News, some have praised Kutehs methods. Many Ghanaian Christians have a habit of talking about Jesus all the time, even though in the UK it is seen to be culturally inappropriate, said Graham Miller, the CEO of London City Mission. Praise the Lord for Sarahs compassionate heart and courage! Kutehs case is not unique, especially in the UK. In 2008, another UK nurse, Caroline Petrie, was suspended from her job for offering to pray for a patient during a home visit. The patient reported the event, saying she was taken aback, though not offended. Petrie was later reinstated. Another British nurse, Shirley Chaplin, was dismissed from her position in 2009 after she was ordered to remove or hide her crucifix for health and safety reasons and refused, setting in motion a case that made it all the way to international court. And in 2011, British doctor Richard Scott shared his Christian faith with a suicidal 24-year-old patientScott said the patient told him to go for itand was found guilty of malpractice. In the ongoing tension between appropriate and inappropriate religious practices between medical professionals and patients, the lines are still blurry, even as courts hand down their rulings. More than 20 years ago, CT published a three-part story about the medical community increasingly discovering the medical benefits of faith and prayer; a major study conducted more recently found that prayerat least in clinical trial settingsmostly didnt change patient outcomes. Tempered by regulation and secularism in the culture and professional medical settings, most medical professionals still acknowledge the relevance of religious practices in the engagement with patients. In response to the Petrie case in 2008, Nursing Times conducted a survey that found 91 percent of the 2,500 respondents felt Petrie should not have been suspended for offering to pray with her patient. The survey also found that 40 percent of nurses had been asked by a patient to pray and more than 9 in 10 (91%) said nurses praying for patients could sometimes be appropriate. A 2018 Medscape poll found that 88 percent of nurses were comfortable or very comfortable with praying with or for patients. Nearly 8 in 10 (77%) physicians said the same, along with 73 percent of medical students. Majorities of nurses, physicians, and medical students say they always or frequently accept patient requests to pray with them (87%, 69%, and 75%, respectively). Not only are medical professionals willing and able to pray with patients, but the majority of patients believe that spiritual care by physicians is important, according to a recent study in the AMA Journal of Ethics. Approximately half say that want their doctors to pray with them. Relaying a case about a doctor praying an impromptu and undesired prayer with a patient, Duke University professor and physician Peter A. Ubel wrote in The Atlantic in 2013, It was wrong for that neurosurgeon to preach at his patients bedside without first inquiring about his patients spirituality. It is equally wrong for physicians to act as if patients spiritual beliefs have no relevance in their medical care. Spiritual issues are central to patients experience of illness, particularly when they are really sick, says physician James A. Tulsky of the Harvard Cancer Center. To ignore spirituality is to ignore a central piece of what it means for many people to be a patient. Perhaps even more dangerous than ignoring spirituality in hospital rooms is overdoing it. In Kutehs case, she expressed to the court that she was deeply sorry and recognized that she had imposed her views, though she asserted that she hadnt initiated the discussions and that she felt compelled by her passion to comfort patients. Unlike its tense annual meetings over the last few years, when partisan allegiances shook up the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), leaders at this weeks gathering offered broad encouragement to transcend political divides, while the messengers rallied together to condemn sexual abuse. The abuse issue has offered Southern Baptists a common enemy, in contrast to some of the infighting that has surrounded President Donald Trumps election and presidency. Last year, the messengers debated over the decision to invite Vice President Mike Pence to speak, and the year before, controversy mounted over Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission president (ERLC) Russell Moores position against Trump during the 2016 campaign. The 2019 SBC annual meeting was themed Gospel Above All, a line borrowed from president J. D. Greear about keeping secondary issuesincluding politicsfrom dividing them. Political affiliations have a way of obscuring the gospel, ... 1 Matt Chandler defends response to sexual abuse: 'We are an imperfect church' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor Matt Chandler of The Village Church in Texas is standing by his churchs response to recent allegations from former members that the church mishandled the sexual abuse of their underage daughter by one of the churchs former pastors nearly seven years ago. We are an imperfect church with imperfect people, Chandler said in a video clip shared with The Christian Post from the Baptist 21 luncheon held during a break in the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, Tuesday. I make mistakes. I am painfully aware of my limitations, of the weaknesses of the Village Church, of our failures. They are numerous. I dont think Im naive to that. But when it comes to reporting as soon as we had heard, taking our cues from the detective and family, Im not sure what we could have done different, he added. Chandler and his church could soon be facing a lawsuit after former Village Church members Christi Braggs and her husband, Matt, alleged in a report in The New York Times that fired Village Church childrens minister Matthew Tonne sexually abused their daughter when she was about 11 at a church camp in 2012. The couple argue that The Village Church, which is a member of the SBC, responded to their concerns in a spiritually abusive manner and appeared more concerned about the reputation of the megachurch instead of their daughter. The New York Times had reached out to Chandler about the allegations prior to the publication of the report but did not hear from the pastor. During the luncheon on Tuesday, Chandler revealed that he decided to break a sabbatical to respond to the growing controversy partly because he did not want the efforts of the SBC to deal with its internal sexual abuse crisis to lose momentum. More than I want to interact with The New York Times article, I mean Im here because I dont want what were trying to do to lose momentum my bloodline has sexual abuse in it. Ive just seen the outright devastation, the generational devastation that that causes. And so because I have spoken so aggressively about this subject I wanted to be able to come to talk about what weve learned and what happened, he said. Braggs told The New York Times that she was getting ready for a family weekend at a lake with friends in February 2018 when her daughter, who is now an adult, asked to talk to her alone. Her daughter then recounted how six years earlier, while she was at the church camp she woke up in the girls room to some of her undergarments pulled down. A man, whom she did not name, was sitting on her bed, touching her. He left when a light went on in the bathroom. Braggs, who revealed she is a sexual assault survivor, wasted no time in filing a police report and contacting The Village Church. Her daughter later identified Tonne as the man from her memories. Chandler recounted how as soon as they were told about the situation in 2018, they got the police involved and held a meeting with all the parents of the children at the camp that they were able to locate. I was dealing with it not just as a pastor, but as a dad, Chandler said. My oldest daughter was a cabin away from where this incident, alleged incident took place. He said that how the church proceeded with revealing details regarding the incident was guided by the advice of the police investigating the case at the time. He noted that a statement he shared with the church about the abuse allegations last September was also approved by the Bragg family. The statement that I read that morning was actually edited by the family. The family added several sentences about how they felt, loved and supported and cared for. This was not an incident that the media broke. This was an incident that we broke, he explained. We took our cues from the detective and the family throughout the entire process. Even when it became clear they were dialing in on a former employee of The Village Church as the primary suspect, the detective asked us not to mention his name for fear it might obstruct the investigation, he continued. Ive seen some of the criticism of how weve operated here, the primary criticism seems to be that we shouldve released the name, but Im not quite sure how that conversation was supposed to go, Chandler added. He further explained that while the church is still learning how to navigate how to deal with sensitive and complex issues like sexual abuse, he firmly believes we just did the best we could. Im not here to save face. Im here because I dont want you to think we dont need to be serious about these things. We should be courageous about these things, Chandler said. Were not navigating it perfectly, but were doing the best we know how. Chandler also confirmed that the accused former childrens minister was fired for alcohol abuse months before he was indicted for sexual abuse because you cant be an associate childrens minister who continues to get drunk. While he did not say if Tonnes firing had anything to do with the sexual abuse allegations, he said the members of his church were told of the firing on a need-to-know basis. The people that knew that we fired Matt Tonne for drunkenness were the men and women who volunteered at The Village Church in our kids ministry. He was beloved, he worked there for 13 years. Gosh, Ive got a 1-hour audio clip of Matt Tonne talking with my daughter before her baptism. Drawing out of her her belief in Christ, he said, appearing emotional at times. He was a beloved man and so I wanted to meet with those volunteers and say heres whats happened, he said. He explained that as soon as they were made aware Tonne was indicted for sexual abuse, however, they made that information public. When asked if there is anything he would have done differently he said he was still introspecting and he wasnt sure because, until recently, the Braggs had been communicating with church staff that they were doing a good job with providing care. SBC getting sidetracked by debate over women preaching, Jack Graham warns Megachurch pastor discusses 30 years of ministry, sex abuse and complementarianism Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment As he celebrates three decades shepherding a Texas megachurch, former Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham is optimistic about the denomination's future, but fears that the convention might be getting sidetracked by doctrinal debates. The 68-year-old Graham, who celebrated his 30th anniversary at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano this month, told The Christian Post on Tuesday that recent social media debates surrounding the issue of women preaching could be deflecting focus from SBCs true mission of evangelism. As the convention holds its annual meeting this week in Birmingham, Alabama, two issues have dominated discussions in the media and online: whether women should have the right to preach and instances of sexual abuse in churches. While SBC messengers adopted proposals on Tuesday that proponents believe will allow the convention to better review claims of sexual abuse occurring in churches and even expel churches that cover-up abuse, the debate on social media surrounding the SBC's doctrine of complementarianism has continued. I personally think the problem has been exaggerated on social media, Graham, who subscribes to the SBC's teaching that Scripture calls on only men to hold the office of pastor, said. Here's what I really believe: We need to get back to focusing on the Gospel and fulfilling the Great Commission to evangelism and missions. And we seem to be getting sidetracked a lot with the issues that are important but not the important thing. Graham believes the debate over complementarianism versus egalitarianism is an important doctrinal issue that churches and denominations need to have a stance on. But stressed that he defers to local churches to interpret the preaching ministry of their congregation. He assured that Prestonwood follows the guidelines laid out in SBC doctrine. Graham is a little concerned, however, when he sees the debate about womens roles in ministry spill out on social media. The debate was ignited most recently by popular Bible teacher Beth Moore, who quipped in a tweet that she wanted to "teach a mens Sunday School class at a church full of Calvinists," and preach on Mother's Day too. We need to get focused. Southern Baptist churches need to get focused on reaching their communities for Christ, Graham said. That needs to be first and foremost and forever. The goal and the mission of Southern Baptist churches. Read CP's Q&A with Pastor Jack Graham here. Graham estimates that about 90 percent of SBC churches are in agreement with the SBC's doctrinal statement that Scripture dictates that pastors are to be only men. I dont see that changing anytime soon with the Southern Baptist Convention, he said. Beth Moore believes that herself and has said so. Graham explained that the SBC needs to get back to doing what churches are called to do. And that is to make disciples, he said. So many things define Southern Baptists right now. I dont like the whole thing with social media and the division of Christians attacking Christians on social media. That is so damaging and I dont like any of that. When you talk about what has changed in my 30 years, social media is a big change, of course. What has always kept Southern Baptist churches going forward, and growing together, is unifying around the Gospel of Christ and the Great Commission, he added. And that's the one thing that will unite us again and ignite us to do what we are supposed to be doing. Graham clarified that he is not saying that the debate surrounding complementarianism and the SBCs focus on tackling the sex abuse issue are not important issues. These are all important," he said. "Every group of churches or denomination has to decide what is their confession of faith, he continued. The whole conservative resurgence was around our doctrinal beliefs and our faith in God's word and what it teaches. I don't want to minimize the doctrinal theological issues and then the social and cultural issues such as the sexual abuse. While these are very important and we should and are dealing with them, we cannot allow anything to sidetrack us from the mission of Christ for the Church, which is to introduce Jesus Christ to as many people and growing them in discipleship in effective witness to the Lord. Graham also assured that he is supportive of SBCs effort to crack down on sexual abuse in churches. It certainly needs addressing. Every church should be on guard to protect children and to help victims, he said. I know thousands of Southern Baptist churches are aware of the issue, alert to the issue. We're clear and going forward as to how we should go about it in a more intentional way to protect children. Graham also praised the leadership of Ronnie Floyd, the new head of SBCs Executive Committee. Floyd urged messengers on Monday to vote in favor of a resolution to create an SBC committee that would come alongside churches to help process sexual abuse claims. The SBC Sexual Abuse Advisory Group, which was commissioned after an explosive series of reports from The Houston Chronicle detailing claims of sexual abuse in SBC churches, released its report last weekend. The report stresses that a number of churches responded to sex abuse claims by not offering support to the victims and protecting abusers. And I'm sure coming out of Southern Baptist Convention, we will have a clear statement to the world and safeguards in place to help churches, Graham told CP. Again, the denomination itself can only speak to the issue and offer churches an opportunity to get better. And what we're doing, certainly I'm supportive. SBC messengers vote to expel churches over racial discrimination, mishandling sexual abuse Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to expel churches accused of racial discrimination and mishandling cases of sexual abuse. On the opening day of the largest protestant denominations annual meeting, held June 11-12 in Birmingham, Alabama, messengers the delegates selected from autonomous member churches to attend the meeting cast their votes in favor of amendments to the SBCs constitution to state that discrimination based on ethnicity and instances of sexual abuse would put a churchs membership in peril, deeming it to be not in friendly cooperation with the convention. Messengers also voted to amend the SBC's bylaws to give the SBC's Credentials Committee the power to investigate complaints against churches in instances of sexual abuse or racism and make recommendations for action. After the votes, Ronnie Floyd, president of the SBCs Executive Committee, told messengers, "I believe this is a very significant moment in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention. And I believe that every one of us needs to thank God for this moment, the Baptist Press reported. "May this world know that the Southern Baptist Convention stands against all forms of sexual abuse," Floyd said. "May this world know that this convention of churches 47,000 churches, plus a few thousand congregations, just under 52,000 churches and congregations has given a clear signal not only about what we believe about sexual abuse, but we also stand against all ethnic discrimination in the United States and around the world." The Credentials Committee will consist of nine members: the chairman of the Executive Committee; the SBC registration secretary; three members nominated by the Executive Committee; and four members nominated by the SBC Committee on Nominations, the Baptist Press reported. The SBC might also address the statute of limitations laws in abuse cases during this weeks annual meeting, according to The Houston Chronicle. SBC President J.D. Greear said in May that he believes the SBC needs a clearer process for responding to abuse, as well as qualified individuals speaking into the process who ensure that we are a convention of churches who adhere to the legal standards of reporting abuse. Following Tuesday nights vote, Trilla Newbell, director of Community Outreach for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote on Twitter: Last night a woman ran up to me and said, I want to hug you. She went on to say, 10 years ago, at the age of 14, I came to the SBC as a victim. I was being abused by my pastor/father. Today, I'm coming as a victor. I'll never forget her face and her remarkable joy. Celebrating the vote in favor of the amendment against racism, Pastor Garrett Kell of Del Ray Baptist in Alexandria, Virginia, sent out a tweet, saying, An amendment of SBCs bylaws adopted today by the SBC messengers would rule out of friendly cooperation the very churches who started the convention in 1845 because of their racist stance on slavery. Im encouraged by that progress. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, said of the amendments: This is the most important business to be undertaken by #SBC19, and it is really important that this motion pass overwhelmingly. Its an important start. In this age, the SBC needs a standing credentials committee. With the repurposing of the Credentials Committee, changes to the bylaws included the creation of a Registration Committee which will manage the duties previously undertaken by the former Credentials Committee, such as the messenger registration process, the Baptist Press reported. "If it's not working the right way in our minds, we can always change it," Floyd said. "But thank God we have today, once again, sent a clear signal, a concrete statement, that it's not only about what we say, but it's about what we do" in calling Southern Baptist churches to be "faithful to the things of God and to the ways we treat one another." "And to God be the glory for what He has done this day," he added. 19 killed by gunmen in Burkina Faso: 'There's no Christian anymore in this town' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Dozens of armed unidentified gunmen killed at least 19 and injured 13 others in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday. A local government official told AFP on the condition of anonymity that the attack occurred between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and that 19 bodies were found at the time. The official said a search was underway to find others who were killed. Hours before the gunmen attacked, the source said the gunmen stopped three vehicles in the town of Arbinda and set them on fire. The official detailed that one of the drivers was killed. The killing in Arbinda comes as armed groups have spread across the Shael region and committed atrocities in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The United Nations reports that the violence has led to the displacement of at least 4.2 million people, 1 million more than in 2018. In Burkina Faso, innocent lives are being lost due to the rise of jihadist attacks and government counterterror operations. In April, more than 60 people were killed in an attack in Arbinda which has been hit hard by violence. There is no Christian anymore in this town [Arbinda], an anonymous contact told the Christian aid charity Barnabus Fund. It's proven that they were looking for Christians. Families who hide Christians are killed. Arbinda had now lost a total of no less than 100 people within six months. Since 2016, armed Islamist groups linked to both al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Islamic State in Greater Sahara have been attacking civilian targets, police stations and military posts in Burkina Faso, according to Human Rights Watch. Although the violence has spread throughout the country, the epicenter of the violence sits in the northern Sahel, a region that borders Mali and Niger. Contacts told Barnabus Fund that as many as 82 pastors, 1,145 Christians and 151 households have fled from violence in different locations in the Muslim-majority nation. In April, a pastor and five churchgoers were killed in the town of Silgadji in the northern part of the country. At the time it was believed that the Silgadji church attack was the first to target a church in Burkina Faso, a nation where Muslims and Christians largely have coexisted. But in May, a Catholic church was attacked in the northern town of Dablo, where gunmen also killed a pastor and five churchgoers, some of whom were church elders. Additionally, extremists in Dablo set fire to the church and a nearby cafe. They also attacked a local health center and burned a nurses car. Also in May, four Catholics were killed during a procession with a statue of the Virgin Mary in the northern municipality of Zimtenga in the countrys Bam province. Witnesses said that extremists killed civilians because of suspected ties to the government or for supporting the idea of forming self-defense groups, according to Human Rights Watch. One villager told HRW about an extremist attack carried out in the village of Gasseliki that left 12 people dead in January. They kicked the door in, went room to room and found us hiding, the villager was quoted as saying. Then they opened fire in a hail of bullets killing three men. Another witness told HRW about an attack that killed nine men in Sikire village. People are dominated by fear, the witness said. No man over 18 dares sleep in his house anymore for fear of being kidnapped or worse. Others told HRW that the extremists are damaging the livelihood of entire villages through the large-scale looting of livestock. The Christian aid organization Open Doors U.K. reports that many pastors and their families have been kidnapped and remain in captivity while over 200 churches have closed in northern Burkina Faso to avoid more attacks on worship services. This is the biggest shock of our lives as Christians. Never in our wildest imagination did we think this would happen and that today we would be left at the mercy of other believers in safer areas, Pastor Daniel Sawadogo told Open Doors. We have left everything we labored for. Our children have been pushed out of school. Some of our men have been killed without provocation. In addition to the extremist attacks, witnessed told HRW about crimes committed by Burkina Faso security forces, including the execution of 116 men accused of supporting or harboring the armed jihadis. HRW reports that about 100 armed gendarmes officers were dispatched to Arbinda in August. We are witnessing an unprecedented humanitarian emergency in Burkina Faso where an upsurge in armed attacks has caused massive internal displacement," Ursula Mueller, the U.N. assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and deputy emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement issued after a visit to Burkina Faso in March. "Thousands of families, young children, men, and women are surviving in utterly difficult conditions, some in overcrowded tents, and without enough food, water or medical attention. It is critical that we step up the ongoing emergency assistance in Burkina Faso and increase efforts in the Sahel in general where growing insecurity directly generates a rapid deterioration in the humanitarian situation. A state of emergency has been declared in several regions in Burkina Faso. China frees pastor's wife 6 months after arrest Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A key Christian leader of Early Rain Covenant Church in China has been released on bail and reunited with her son six months after she and other members of the congregation were detained and their megachurch shut down by communist authorities. This week, the Facebook page for Early Rain Covenant Church announced that Jiang Rong, wife of church pastor Wang Yi, was released and reunited with the couples 11-year-old son, Shuya, who had been living without his parents since they were detained. Jiang and Wang, who led the 5,000-member church, were initially seized on the night of Dec. 9 and charged with "inciting subversion of state power as authorities conducted a mass arrest of their church members. Jiang was later confirmed to be under an unofficial form of incarceration called residential surveillance at a designated location. International Christian Concern notes that inmates held in this manner are incarcerated in secretive places instead of state-run prisons and are often subjected to torture and other abuses. The outlet predicts that Jiang will most likely face a difficult trial as charges continued to be pressed against her because of her leadership role at the church. She also led prayer and womens groups and hosted Bible study groups at their home. In December following the arrest of Wang and his wife, over 160 church members were arrested. About half of them were quickly released, but 54 were held for a period of days or months. Wang, one of Chinas most prominent pastors, remains in secret detention along with several other church members. Church members who have been released from detention said the authorities planned to charge him with inciting to subvert state power, a charge that can result in up to 10 years imprisonment. Wang's mother, Chen Yaxue, previously told the South China Morning Post that following the church members arrest, police escorted her grandson and Jiang to her home to arrange care for the boy. Jiang was allowed to stay for only two hours before police took her away. Chen revealed that both she and her grandson were placed under round-the-clock surveillance, taking a huge toll on the 11 year old. "They follow us wherever we go," she said. "The surveillance is taking a huge toll on my grandson he's in shock after [his parents were taken away]. He hasn't slept for two nights." "I'm very sad and confused, not sure what to think now," she added. In China, Christian churches must be approved by the government, with their activities strictly regulated and monitored. Christians who do not comply with government demands continue to be arrested for worshiping according to their faith. Chinas crackdown on non-state-sponsored religion has seen the demolition of churches and the removal of hundreds of crosses from churches. Ahead of his arrest, Pastor Wang was vocal about the governments human rights abuses targeting Christians and spoke out against issues like forced abortions. The pastor also openly prayed for victims of the massacre that crushed the Tiananmen Square democracy movement on June 4, 1989. After Wang was detained, the church released his statement explaining his nonviolent resistance to Chinas rulers. I firmly believe that Christ has called me to carry out this faithful disobedience through a life of service, under this regime that opposes the Gospel and persecutes the church, he wrote. This is the means by which I preach the Gospel, and it is the mystery of the Gospel which I preach. The pastor expressed hope that God will use the persecution of Chinese Christians "to help more Chinese people to despair of their futures, to lead them through a wilderness of spiritual disillusionment and through this to make them know Jesus." He said that the persecution of believers and followers of Christ "is the most wicked and the most horrendous evil of Chinese society." "This is not only a sin against Christians. It is also a sin against all non-Christians. For the government is brutally and ruthlessly threatening them and hindering them from coming to Jesus. There is no greater wickedness in the world than this," he declared. "If this regime is one day overthrown by God, it will be for no other reason than God's righteous punishment and revenge for this evil. For on Earth, there has only ever been a thousand-year church. There has never been a thousand-year government. There is only eternal faith. There is no eternal power," the pastor added. China ranks as the 27th worst country in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians, according to Open Doors USAs 2019 World Watch List. Maine becomes 8th state to legalize physician assisted suicide Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Maine has become the latest state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide. Although the state's Democrat Gov. Janet Mills previously said she was hesitant about the bill, she signed it on Wednesday, allowing doctors to prescribe a fatal dose of medication to terminally ill patients. The new law states that obtaining or administering medication that ends a life is not considered suicide under state law and defines "terminal disease" as an incurable condition that is likely to result in death within six months. "It is my hope that this law, while respecting the right to personal liberty, will be used sparingly," Mills said, after deciding to sign the bill, according to The Associated Press. The law also requires another doctor to give a second opinion along with one written and two verbal requests. Forging a request for assisted suicide would be a criminal offense as is coercing someone into requesting life-ending drugs. Maine's law is expected to go into effect in mid-September and was supported by Democrats and a few Republicans in the legislature. Maine is home to the population with the oldest median age. Pro-life critics of the practice are blasting the move. "The legislature and Governor Janet Mills failed the people of Maine," said Matt Valliere, executive director of Patients Rights Action Fund, in a statement provided to The Christian Post. "Assisted suicide is a dangerous public policy that puts the most vulnerable people in society at risk for abuse, coercion and mistakes. It also provides profit-driven insurance companies perverse incentives to offer a quick death, rather than costly continuing quality care. Mainers, especially the terminally ill, people with disabilities, and the poor, deserve better. Meanwhile, those who advocate for assisted suicide, often referred to as "medical aid in dying" or "death with dignity," are remarking on the speed with which such legislation is being adopted around the country. "I think that there's a growing awareness of how important these laws are, how impactful they can be in people's lives," said Peg Sandeen, executive director of the Death With Dignity National Center, in an interview with ABC News. In 1997, Oregon became the first state in the nation to legalize the practice. Since then a handful of other states have adopted similar laws, including: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Vermont, Washington state, and New Jersey, which just adopted its law earlier this year. Montana does not have a law on the books but in 2009 the state Supreme Court held that doctors could use a patients request for assisted suicide medication as a defense against criminal charges. Presently, 10 other states are considering similar bills including: New York, Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Utah. Nigerians describe horrors of Fulani atrocities: 'There is a genocide going on' Unborn babies 'slaughtered like chickens,' entire tribes now homeless Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment WASHINGTON Nigerians from predominantly Christian tribes in Nigeria visited the United States this week to share how their tribes are now homeless and sleeping under the skies after recent massacres at the hands of Fulani radicals and unwanted actions taken by the government. Two members from the Adara community, a majority Christian ethnic group in Southern Kaduna state, shared their experiences during a panel event sponsored by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation that also featured persecuted Nigerians from other parts of the country. Alheri Magaji, the daughter of the current leader of the Adara Chiefdom, told the audience about how her ethnic group suffered vicious attacks carried out from mid-February through April this year that left about 400 dead and displaced thousands in her community. Right now my tribe is nonexistent legally, Magaji explained. Part of the reason why I am here is to try to get my land back. That is who I am. That is my identity. That is what makes me. My people are stranded. They are literally sleeping under the skies on the floor [with] no houses, no food, nothing. It is not about relief materials and how much we can donate. It's about holding the government accountable. As previously reported, a series of Fulani attacks were carried out in Adara communities in the Kajuru local government area in a span of a few weeks by suspected Fulani radicals. Along with the hundreds of lives taken, countless buildings were burned and destroyed. Fulani herdsmen, many of which are Muslim, are a nomadic ethnic group found in West and Central Africa. While conflict between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria has been ongoing for decades, Magaji and other panelists explained that attacks launched by Fulani radicals in the last few years are more atrocious than the farmer-herder conflicts that came before. I spoke to a woman whose limbs were cut off. She had four kids and was nine months pregnant, Magaji recalled. Fulani herdsmen came to a Kajuru town in February, about 400 of them with AK-47s. They came at around 6:30 a.m. They spoke Adara. They came in with war songs. They were singing songs that translate into the owners of the land have come. Its time for settlers to leave. We have 2-month-old babies, 6-month-old babies, babies in the bellies turned from their mothers womb and slaughtered like animals, like chickens, she continued. We are here today to beg the U.S. government and for the world to hear our story. By the time the series of Fulani attacks occurred this past spring, the Adara tribe had already been pushed into a state of uncertainty. Magaji said last May that the Kaduna government passed a measure to split the Adara chiefdom and create a Fulani Muslim emirate in Kajuru. The Adara community detested such a proposal. Magaji added that the Adara chief was kidnapped last Oct. 19 and murdered about a week later even though a ransom was paid for his release. It was when the chief died that the elders in our land realized that the governor [said that] Adara Christians are now under a Muslim Hausa-Fulani emirate, she explained. It is so ridiculous that it was already signed into law and nobody knew about it. For a governor to make that kind of law in the first place without the people of the land knowing about it is illegal and unjust. Magaji said that the elders of her community tried to pressure the government but nobody would listen. When they realized that nobody was going to listen to them, they took the matter to court, she explained. A week after the civil case started in court, my dad and eight other elders were arrested and thrown into prison for no reason. Magaji said the state government blamed the Adara elders for the death of 66 Fulani herdsmen that were killed in February 2019. The problem we have with the statement the governor made is that on the 10th of February, 11 Adarra people were killed, she said. The government didnt say anything about it even when the leaders of the community officially made statements. Arent we citizens? Magaji said that in April, Kaduna Gov. Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai set up a commission to abolish indigeneship in the state. For the Adara community, she said, that means that the government is now taking away their chiefdom and their right to be considered an indigene of the state. We are wondering as Adarra people arent we citizens of Kaduna state? she asked. "If you are taking away my chiefdom and there is no Adara anymore, are you saying that I am no longer even an indigene of Kaduna state? "A Fulani man can come and register as a citizen of Kaduna state and get all the benefits of a citizen while I am a true indigene of the state and I get no allocations and I am not recognized at all?" Last Friday, she said, another bill was passed allowing government officials to regulate preachers in the Kaduna state. "It is so unbelievable sometimes that if I wasnt living it, I wouldnt believe it," she said. "A government official is supposed to tell a preacher how to preach and what to say. The license is to be renewed every year. That tells you that if you dont do what the government says, in a year, you lose your license, even in churches. It is only what the government allows you to say that you are allowed to say to the congregation." Magaji fears that the Adara tribe will end up going "extinct." "The government takes over and does whatever it wants to do," she added. "It's a plan that if it is not [halted] right now, it's going to be terrible for the world at large. There is a genocide going on. Every morning we wake up to different stories." She said that anytime someone tries to speak out about what is happening to the Adara community, they are arrested. However, she added that no Fulani radical has yet been arrested for the mass killing of Adara citizens. As I stand here right now, I have been warned not to say a word because I might be killed, she said. If you speak about it, you could be killed, thrown in prison or harassed by the police. What have I got to lose if I dont talk? she continued. My family is killed every day. My dad was locked up for over 100 days. My tribe is now extinct. If I keep quiet, to what gain will that be? The people who die every day are human beings too. If I have an opportunity to let the world know what is happening in my hometown, I will do anything to be able to save even one life. Mercy Maisamari, the daughter of the head of the Adara Development Association who was kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen and later released on ransom, said during the event that girls like her are kidnapped on a daily basis. They kidnap you, they do whatever, they beat you up, they abuse you, she added. Some will ask you, Where is your Jesus? Call your Jesus to come and save you. Fulani violence has troubled communities across many states in Nigeria. According to the nongovernmental organization International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law, no less than 2,400 Christians were killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen across Nigeria in 2018. Richard Ikiebe, president of the International Organization for Peacebuilding and Social Justice, explained that he has been told that there are around 70 communities in the Plateau state that have been eradicated and repopulated by Fulani herdsmen. Deliberate confusion of narrative Although the Nigerian government argues, as well as some human rights groups, that the crisis is just a farmer-herder conflict, Ikiebe contends that the conflict does have a religious element in addition to economic and transnational elements. It is a deliberate confusion of narrative that has been very successfully used on an international platform, Ikiebe, the director for the Centre for Leadership in Journalism at Pan-Atlantic University, explained. They will tell you that these skirmishes are just farmers and herders. I can tell you it is all of that. It is religious. Please believe it. What is happening in Nigeria is religion. Stephen Enada, the director of the International Committee on Nigeria, said that a rise in Fulani attacks was noticed in the Benue state between 2013 and 2016. Benue state was decimated and it is still being decimated and there is government inaction, Enada said. Napoleon Adamu, a member of the Agatu community in Benue state, told attendees of the event that the troubles for his community started in 2013 after years of peacefully cohabitating with Fulani herders. Now, he says, his community has nowhere to run. From 2013 to 2016, he said there were about 17 different attacks carried out by Fulani radicals. He said that in other parts of Benue, there were 29 attacks. The Fulanis that come over to Agatu this time are not the traditional Fulani that we used to know, Adamu said. We know that when the Fulanis come, they usually come with their children and their wives. But the ones we have now that come, come in large numbers and fully armed. It is not just small arms. We know Fulani to always be carrying their long knife and stick. But this time, they carry AK-47s that the government of Nigeria cannot buy for their own army. Adamu stressed that Fulani radicals dont go back without killing people and burning houses. They choose to even burn houses because it is more difficult for people to come back and rebuild, he explained. Once they burn, their intention is to override the place and take over. That is their intention: taking over the land. According to Adamu, most of the Agatu people that have suffered from the attacks are homeless. The people are hardworking farmers and fisherman. But now, they dont have anywhere to go again, Adamu said. They refuse to be counted as an IDP. They say they dont want to go anywhere. We prefer to sleep under trees. [This land] is where we belong. Leaving the land for other people to take over, we have resisted. By the grace of God, we are still there and we are homeless. We have no voice. Just like in Kaduna, Adamu said the government has never made a public statement about the plight of the Agatu community. At the federal level, we have all the positions of authority taken over. We have no voice, he said. This is not a make-believe story. There are things that we have seen and things that we have felt. Because we have this opportunity, we want to appreciate the government of the U.S. in the first place for the support they have been giving to Nigeria. But please, apart from your support, it is not everybody that is enjoying what you are giving. Trump, Kim Kardashian West announce second chance hiring, rideshare programs for ex-prisoners Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment President Trump and reality TV star Kim Kardashian West announced programs aimed at helping former prisoners become gainfully employed. At an event in the East Room of the White House on Thursday afternoon, the president said his administration was taking steps to encourage businesses to hire former inmates. The unemployment rate for former inmates is up to five times higher than the national average. My administration has set an ambitious goal: We want to cut the unemployment rate for these individuals to single digits within five years. And we think theres a really good chance of doing it, said Trump. Second chance hiring is about safer communities, a stronger workforce, and a thriving economy. We believe in the dignity of work and the pride of a paycheck. Trump went on to tout various efforts being launched by the government to help former inmates get jobs. They included the Federal Bureau of Prisons working with employers to help inmates line up a job when they are released, the Labor Department awarding $2 million in fidelity bonds to states, which underwrite businesses who hire ex-prisoners, and expanding the Second Chance Pell Grant Pilot Program to allow people to use prison time to take college-level classes. Our administration is also working to allow rehabilitated citizens with a criminal record to apply for both federal government jobs and affordable housing something that we were unable to do before, added Trump. At the event, Kardashian West announced the creation of a rideshare partnership aimed at helping former inmates afford transportation to and from job interviews and places of employment. Im so happy to announce today that we have a rideshare partnership where formerly incarcerated people will be gifted gift cards so that they can get rides to and from job interviews, to and from jobs, family members, and that is so important so needed, she explained. I think the ultimate goal is everyone wants the community to be safe. And the more opportunity that we have and that they have, and the support that we help give them, the safer everyone will be. On her Twitter account, the star of Keeping Up With the Kardashians noted that one of the partners in the program was the Lyft company. Proud to partner on this initiative with @Lyft, a company with a history of taking bold action to do whats right for our community. Thank you for providing ride share credits to formally incarcerated people when they come home, tweeted Kardashian West on Thursday. In May 2018, Trump and Kardashian West met to discuss prison reform, including among other topics a request to the president to secure pardons for a few people behind bars. Alabama gov. signs law requiring convicted child molesters to be chemically castrated before parole Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a controversial bill into law Monday that requires chemical castration for sexual predators convicted of offenses against children. Before they can be released on parole, convicts who were charged with committing crimes against children age 13 and younger would have to pay for the treatment which uses medication to reduce testosterone and other chemicals that drive libido. The bill, known as HB 379, was introduced by Republican state Rep. Steve Hurst and was passed by state legislators on May 30. Im very serious, Hurst told AL.com of the new law. Not only did I want it to pass, I want to follow it on through to the future where we can try to improve it. One of the ultimate goals that I want to do is for us to track it and to make sure what medication works for what individuals. He previously told local news station WSFA of Montgomery that if he had his way, convicted child molesters would be castrated for life. "If they're going to mark these children for life, they need to be marked for life," Hurst said. "My preference would be if someone does a small infant child like that, they need to die. God's going to deal with them one day." Hurst also told AL.com that he has been getting messages of support from sexual abuse victims from around the world for seeking to keep child molesters in check. Its amazing how many phone calls and how many emails Ive gotten, he said. People not just in the state of Alabama but all over the world ... Convicted child molesters would have to begin treatment at least one month prior to their release from custody "and shall continue receiving treatment until the court determines the treatment is no longer necessary." Offenders who cannot afford to pay for the treatment "may not be denied parole based solely on his or her inability to pay for the costs associated with the treatment, however. Many supporters of the law, which is expected to take effect in September, agree that the new law is a step in the right direction to help prevent child abuse. But others, like Randall Marshall, executive director of the ALCU of Alabama, told AL.com that the treatment has been rarely used in other states and believes it could also be in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Its not clear that this actually has any effect and whether its even medically proven, Marshall told AL.com. When the state starts experimenting on people, I think it runs afoul of the Constitution. Attorney Raymond Johnson agrees. He told CBS 42 that offenders are likely to challenge the law. "Theyre going to challenge it under the Eighth Amendment ... Theyre going to claim that it is cruel and unusual punishment for someone who has served their time and for the rest of their life [to] have to be castrated, he argued. Alabama joins several other states in approving chemical castration for some sexual offenses. California was the first state to approve the use of chemical castration for repeat child molesters as a condition of their parole. Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin have also experimented with chemical castration. The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels. You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us! Send information, pictures or videos, you remain 100% anonymous. Envia fotos, videos, notas, enlaces o informacion todo 100% Anonimo. Borderland Beat? We love to have you in our team, send Sol Prendido or HEARST an email! Want to be a contributor or citizen reporter forBorderland Beat?We love to have you in our team, sendoran email! WARNING: Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised. COMMENTS: We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. Atheist activist loses yet another 'ridiculous' fight to remove 'In God We Trust' from currency Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An atheist activist has lost yet another fight to have "In God We Trust" removed from U.S. currency after the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal alleging that the motto violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. On Monday, the court rejected without comment the challenge from activist Michael Newdow, who claimed that the inscription In God We Trust on currency was a government endorsement of religion and a violation of the First Amendment, Fox News reports. In his petition to the Supreme Court, Nedow argued that because his clients are all atheist individuals or atheist groups, the government violated their sincere religious belief that there is no God and turned them into political outsiders by placing the phrase In God We Trust on their money. Petitioners are atheists. As such, they fervidly disagree with the religious idea that people should trust in God. On the contrary, their sincere religious belief is that trusting in any God is misguided, the petition read. Defendants have conditioned receipt of the important benefit of using the nations sole 'legal tender' upon conduct proscribed by Petitioners atheism (i.e., upon Petitioners personally bearing and proselytizing a religious message that is directly contrary to the central idea that underlies their religious belief system), it continued. Newdows petition, which refers to "God" as "G-d," also argued that the placement of In God We Trust on the money has real effects on real children and compared the plight of atheist children to the struggles historically faced by black children. Unless this Court ends the flagrant governmental preference for belief in God (and the implicit concomitant denigration of Atheism), the organizations, adults and children bringing this case will spend the rest of their lives as they have spent their lives so far as secondclass citizens, the petition declared. In God We Trust was first put on an American coin in 1864, due to increased religious sentiment and added to both coins and paper bills in 1955. President Dwight Eisenhower signed a law making the phrase the national motto in 1956. In a statement, Mat Staver, founder and chairman of religious liberty law firm Liberty Counsel, praised the courts rejection of Newdows petition. Our national motto In God We Trust has been on all U.S. currency for more than 60 years and it will remain there, despite ridiculous attempts by atheists to remove it, he said. Newdow has in the past failed in several litigation challenges against the "under God" phrase in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. Last year, he faced a loss in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the suit. At the time, judges found that the motto on currency comports with early understandings of the Establishment Clause and did not coerce people into practicing a religion. In 2004, after suing for the removal of "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, his case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court did not decide on the merits of the case but instead said Newdow had no standing to sue. And in 2013, he partnered with the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation to sue the U.S. Treasury over the motto on currency. The California-based activist has also been the face of other atheist campaigns, including attempts to stop prayers being read at the inauguration of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. He also attempted to prevent government leaders from saying the phrase "So help me God" in the 2009, 2013, and 2017 presidential inaugurations. Illinois gov. signs 'extreme' abortion bill: 'New death penalty for unborn' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law on Wednesday a bill that pro-lifers are calling the most "extreme" late-term abortion measure in the country. The governor and the Democratic supermajorities who fast-tracked this legislation have created a new death penalty in Illinois, with no possibility of appeal, for viable unborn preemies, said Peter Breen, former Illinois representative and vice president of Thomas More Society, in a statement. The Reproductive Health Act, or SB 25, establishes a fundamental right to have an abortion while removing all rights from the unborn. It repeals the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, legalizing late-term abortion, even when there is fetal viability, to protect the life or health of the patient. The bill broadens the definition of health of the patient to include (but not limited to) physical, emotional, psychological and familial health and age. This bill is a horrible contradiction of fundamental scientific truths and the work that I do every single day, said Emily Kelly, a neonatal ICU nurse at a major Chicago hospital, according to Illinois Right to Life. Under this law, every single one of my patients could be legally killed in utero in our state. Other provisions in the Reproductive Health Act include requiring private insurance companies to cover abortion with no exceptions for religious institutions explicitly made in the bill and allowing non-physicians, such as advanced practice registered nurses, to perform abortions. Illinois Right to Life also argues that the new law eliminates licensing and health and safety inspections of abortion clinics and threatens the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act, which requires the parents of a minor to be notified 48 hours prior to having an abortion. Gov. Pritzker said the new law is a giant step forward for womens health. "The Reproductive Health Act ensures that women's rights in Illinois do not hinge on the fate of Roe v. Wade, or the whims of an increasingly conservative Supreme Court. In this state, women will always have the right to reproductive health care," Pritzker stated. Breen, meanwhile, believes the measure sends it back to the dark ages as it removes all regulation and oversight. The legacy of this governor, and any legislator who voted to pass this law, will be that of cruel dehumanization of unborn Illinoisans on a mass scale, said Breen. They will bear the legacy of thousands of late-term dismemberment abortions inflicted on perfectly healthy, viable children. Illinois new abortion law comes as more states are passing bills to either restrict abortion or codify a womans right to access abortion. Early this year, New York signed into law a bill that not only decriminalized abortion but also allowed abortion after 24 weeks when necessary to protect the patients health. Pro-lifers have argued that the definition of a patients health is so broad that abortions would be allowed at any point in the pregnancy for essentially any reason. Texas town bans abortion in most circumstances, becomes sanctuary city for the unborn Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A small town in Texas passed an ordinance making them a sanctuary city for the unborn, banning abortions except in certain circumstances. The Waskom City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to prevent abortion providers from conducting business in their jurisdiction, reportedly becoming the first city in Texas to do so. Waskom Mayor Jesse Moore said in a statement quoted by Fox that the new ordinance was about preventing the possible creation of an abortion clinic in his city. We decided to take things into our own hands, and we've got to do something to protect our cities and to protect the unborn children, stated Moore. Mark Dickson of the pro-life group Right to Life East Texas, which helped create the ordinance, told local media outlet KTBS that the new measure will work as intended. This is something that has teeth that will actually allow the City of Waskom to protect themselves from having an abortion clinic here. Whether thats one that comes from the North, East, or wherever, Waskom will be protected, said Dickson. Waskom is located about 22 miles away from Shreveport, Louisiana, where an abortion clinic is located. Louisiana recently passed a ban on abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be found as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. In March, the popular alien conspiracy theory tourist site Roswell, New Mexico passed a resolution denouncing abortion titled A Resolution in Support of the Unborn." The resolution stated, among other things, that each and every innocent human life is unique and precious to God, innocent human life must always be protected and preserved, and that the protection of all human life is important to the people of the City of Roswell. innocent human life, including fetal life, must always be protected and that Society must protect those who cannot protect themselves, resolved Roswells leadership. Over the past several months, states and local governments have debated and sometimes passed measures either expanding or restricting abortion access. A major factor is the possibility many see in the United States Supreme Court overturning the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade in the near future. States like Louisiana and Georgia have passed pro-life laws that either ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected or, in the case of Alabama, have banned it outright. States including Maine and New York have passed laws that codify the Roe decision, with Vermonts governor signing a similar measure earlier this week. Like many Vermonters, I have consistently supported a womans right to choose, stated Vermont Governor Phil Scott, as reported by The Hill. This legislation affirms what is already allowable in Vermont protecting reproductive rights and ensuring those decisions remain between a woman and her health care provider. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Two weeks ago, Narendra Modi was sworn in for a second term as Indias Prime Minister. His party, the BJP, won a resounding victory in parliamentary elections. As Indian pundits a word that is, by the way, of Indian origin will tell you, if Modi and the BJP were the obvious winners, their political rivals, the Congress Party, were the big losers. But theres another potential loser in these elections, one that should especially concern American Christians, and thats Indian Christians. To understand why, you need to understand Hindutva, which is the BJPs governing ideology. It literally means Hinduness, and defines what it means to be an Indian in religious to be specific, Hindu terms. Hindutva regards Christianity and Islam as foreign religions, and therefore any Indian who claims to be a Christian or a Muslim is less than truly Indian. According to this ideology, Hinduism is central to what it means to be an Indian. While most of the world mistakenly sees India as a land of Gandhi, gurus, and nonviolence, theres nothing peaceful or tolerant about Hindutva. For instance, the man who assassinated Gandhi was an adherent of Hindutva who felt Gandhi had betrayed the Hindu community. In the run-up to the election, one BJP candidate called Gandhis assassin a patriot. Though Modi denounced the comments, they are consistent with the principles of Hindutva. More concerning are the many examples of Hindutva-inspired persecution of Christians in India, especially in the five years since the BJP first came to power. In the weeks before the election, there were reports of food deprivation, beatings, and jail directed at Christian converts in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. As Open Doors put it, because radical Hindu nationalists view followers of Jesus as alien to the nation, all Christians in India are suffering persecution. Driven by a desire to cleanse their country from Islam and Christianity, nationalists do not shy away from using extensive violence to achieve their goals. Part of their campaign to cleanse India of Christians involves anti-conversion laws. At least six Indian states effectively prohibit conversions to Christianity. I say effectively, because Hindu nationalists there have found a way around the freedom of religion guaranteed in the Indian constitution. Any conversion that results from force, allurement or fraudulent means is illegal. Given the vagueness of these terms, Indian law empowers ideologically-driven local officials to view all conversions as guilty until proven innocent. For all these reasons and more, India currently ranks tenth on Open Doors World Watch Listwhich is eleven spots higher than when the BJP first assumed power. All of this may come as a surprise given what we often hear or read about India in mainstream media outlets. For example, a recent discussion of the Indian election on a New York Times podcast explained the threat to Indian Muslims, but made no mention of the persecution of Indian Christians. To be fair, India does have the second-largest Muslim population in the world, and the most visible religious conflict there falls along Hindu-Muslim lines. Still, there are more than 30 million Christians in India, and theres some reason to believe that this number may be significantly understated. Muslims arent the only targets of Hindu extremism. Indian Christians are rightly concerned about what Modis triumph means for them. We should be concerned as well. After all, contrary to Hindutva ideology, Christianity is no European import. It existed in India before Paul reached Rome. Some churches in southern India even worship in an offshoot of Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. We must pray for our Indian brethren, asking God to preserve the faith in a subcontinent where it is every bit as native as that which seeks to drive it out. So. Baptists on sex abuse, Ill. abortion, Nigeria genocide Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment We've compiled the top stories of the week. Here's what you need to know: So. Baptists move to take action on sexual abuse In their annual meeting this week, Southern Baptists spent much of the two days tackling the sexual abuse crisis prevalent in their churches. In addition to panel discussions and prayers of repentance, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to amend their constitution to expel churches that display a wanton disregard for sexual abuse, give the Credentials Committee the power to investigate abuse complaints, and approve a resolution condemning all forms of sexual abuse and affirming the need to defend abuse victims. All SBC churches have also been called to go through a curriculum on abuse awareness, prevention and care. Father, forgive us of our negligence, our lovelessness, our fear, sometimes greed or pride or ignorance or selfishness, any other motive that has caused us to be silent or complacent or passive when we should have been vocal and active. J. D. Greear, SBC president Just ahead of the SBC meeting, The Village Church in Texas, led by prominent pastor Matt Chandler, was accused of mishandling the sex abuse of a minor. Read Chandlers response. Illinois new abortion law is extreme, pro-lifers say Illinois became the latest state to enact a bill that allows for late-term abortion. The Reproductive Health Act, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker this week, establishes a fundamental right to have an abortion, removes all rights from the unborn, repeals the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and legalizes abortion at any point in the pregnancy to protect the health of the patient with health broadly defined. The governor and the Democratic supermajorities who fast-tracked this legislation have created a new death penalty in Illinois, with no possibility of appeal, for viable unborn preemies. Peter Breen, vice president of Thomas More Society Also this week, the Waskom City Council in Texas passed an ordinance to prevent abortion providers from conducting business in their jurisdiction. Nigerian Christians plead for help amid Fulani massacres Several Nigerian Christians were in the U.S. this week to report the massacres of their tribes at the hands of Fulani radicals. There is a genocide going on. Every morning we wake up to different stories. Alheri Magaji, daughter of the current leader of the Adara Chiefdom Fulani violence has escalated over the last year with thousands of Christians killed across Nigeria. Nigerian Christians are pleading with the global community for help. Meanwhile, the mother of Leah Sharibu, who was kidnapped by Boko Haram last year, is also asking for help from the U.S. government to secure her release. Colorado baker Jack Phillips faces third lawsuit Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop is being sued for the third time over his refusal to make certain cakes in this case, a transgender one. This is the second time Autumn Scardina is taking legal action against Phillips. Earlier, Scardina had filed a complaint through the state but Colorado agreed to drop the case in March. Last year, in Phillips' first legal fight, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the baker over his refusal to make a same-sex wedding cake. Listen to CPs latest podcast where two men who identified as homosexuals talk about their journeys in finding wholeness in Christ. Pray for The families of at least 19 people who were killed by gunmen in Burkina Faso Christians in China who continue to face imprisonment New releases Books: Oh, Goodness: If everything in our lives we knew to be good was gone, would we still say God is good? by Maria Hatch-Bowersock Growing in Godliness: A Teen Girl's Guide to Maturing in Christ by Lindsey Carlson Pastor known as 'Asian Schindler' risks life to rescue thousands of cybersex slaves in China Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A number of North Korean women trafficked to work in China's multimillion-dollar sex trade have found freedom and healing thanks to the efforts of a South Korean pastor known as the Asian Schindler. In an interview with CNN, a North Korea defector named Lee shared how, for five years, she was imprisoned with a handful of other girls in a tiny apartment in northeast China, after the broker she trusted to plan her escape sold her to a cybersex operator for 30,000 yuan (about $4,500). "When I found out, I felt so humiliated," she told CNN. "I started crying and asked to leave, but the boss said he had paid a lot of money for me and I now had a debt toward him." For years, Lee was forced to perform various sex acts in a chatroom and was only permitted to leave the tiny apartment once every six months. Her captor, a South Korean man, kept all the girls' money and physically abused them if they dared to ask for compensation. In 2015, Lee tried to escape by climbing out of a window and down a metal drain, but she fell and hurt her back and leg, leaving her with a permanent limp. I felt like dying 1,000 times, but I couldn't even kill myself as the boss was always watching us, she said. During those outings, he would always stay right next to us, so we never got to talk to anyone. But in 2018, everything changed. "One of my customers realized I was North Korean and was being held captive," said Lee. "He bought a laptop and let me take control of the screen remotely so I could send messages without my boss noticing," Lee said. The man also gave her the phone number of Chun Ki-Won, a South Korean businessman-turned-pastor who has rescued hundreds of trafficked victims from North Korea over the last few decades. Chun has been nicknamed the Asian Schindler in Korean media for his efforts, after Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist and Nazi Party member who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews. In September 2018, Lee contacted Chun on KakaoTalk, a Korean messaging service and wrote, "Hi, I want to go to South Korea. Can you help me?" Over the following weeks, Lee explained to the pastor how she had ended up in a cybersex chatroom and revealed her apartment's layout and her boss' comings and goings. During their webchat, he reportedly told Lee: Don't worry, we are going to rescue you. Lee typed back as she began to cry: Thank you. I'm afraid. In October last year, Chun dispatched a team to Yanji to extract Lee and another girl named Kwang. The two women were lowered from the fourth-floor apartment window using bedsheets tied together. Within minutes, they found themselves traveling to South Korea in a car. After traveling for five days to south China, the women were smuggled into a neighboring country, eventually seeking asylum at the South Korean Embassy. Upon arrival in South Korea, the pair spent several months at a processing center where they learned how to navigate common practices like taking the subway, getting cash from an ATM and buying groceries in a supermarket. Then, they were provided with a South Korean passport, a subsidized apartment, and the right to enroll at a university for free. Today, Lee hopes to become a teacher, while Kwang, who left school at 12, wants to graduate. "I never really had the luxury of wondering what to do with my life," she said. While the exact number of North Korean defectors who are forced into human trafficking in China and other Asian nations is unclear, experts say an increasing number of women are leaving the North to defect to South Korea. South Korea says it has welcomed more than 32,000 defectors since 1998. Last year alone, the country received 1,137 defectors and a staggering 85% of them were women. Previously, Chun told NBC News that about 99% of defectors to China enter the country via human trafficking. "Because there's high demand for women in China, people in China will pay border patrol to bring women over," he said. "The North Koreans know that they're being sold when they escape, so they naturally fall into human trafficking." Chuns Christian aid organization, Durihana Korean for two become one has helped over 1,000 defectors reach Seoul since 1999. The group's mission is to unite North and South Korea using the Gospel. The organizations website notes that Chun launched Durihana after stumbling upon the body of a North Korean woman who froze to death while trying to escape her country by crossing the river comprising the border between North Korea and China. Upon seeing this, Chun left a lucrative business career, went to seminary and became a pastor, dedicating his life to proclaiming the grace of God to the North Korean people. In 2001, Chun was arrested in China at the China-Mongolia border while helping a group of North Korean defectors escape. He was held in a Chinese prison for nine months and finally released in August 2002. Today, the rescues are more dangerous than ever, the pastor said, especially with the advancement of technology. Additionally, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has labeled Chun a "cancer who should be eradicated." "North Korea announces that they'll kill me once or twice a year," he told NBC News. "China is emphatic about wanting to capture me." But despite the risks, Chun said he will continue to help rescue North Koreans from the physical and spiritual kingdom of darkness under which they live; to proclaim to the North Korean people the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, and to compassionately serve and strengthen them as they rebuild their lives no matter what the cost. Vatican slams 'gender fluidity' as 'confused concept' not based on truth amid LGBT pride month Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Vatican has released a groundbreaking document condemning gender fluidity as nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants as opposed to anything based on the truths of existence. Released amid LGBT pride month by the Vatican department overseeing Catholic education, the 31-page document, called Male and Female He Created Them, warned that the acceptance of flexible ideas of gender threaten to destabilize the family as an institution and ignores the natural, God-given differences between men and women. It is becoming increasingly clear that we are now facing with what might accurately be called an educational crisis, especially in the field of affectivity and sexuality, the document began, adding that the process of identifying sexual identity was being made difficult by the fictitious (construct) known as gender neuter or third gender.' It lamented calls for public recognition of the right to choose ones gender, and of a plurality of new types of unions, in direct contradiction of the model of marriage as being between one man and one woman, which is portrayed as a vestige of patriarchal societies. The idea that gender is fluid is founded on nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants, or momentary desires provoked by emotional impulses and the will of the individual, as opposed to anything based on the truths of existence, it stated. The guidance also said that ideas of intersex or transgender lead to a masculinity or femininity that is ambiguous. This oscillation between male and female becomes, at the end of the day, only a provocative display against so-called traditional frameworks, and one which, in fact, ignores the suffering of those who have to live situations of sexual indeterminacy, it added. The document urges Catholic teachers and educators to be sufficiently prepared regarding the intricacies of the various questions that gender theory brings up and be fully informed about both current and proposed legislation. Still, it emphasized that issue should not be looked at in isolation from the broader question of education in the call to love, noting that the church should be open to listening to and talking with proponents of gender theory, and should not discriminate against those who defined their gender differently. The document was signed by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, the head of the Vaticans Congregation for Catholic Education, and written as a guide for Catholic schools, teachers and educators. The new guidance represents the first attempt to put the Vatican's position into an official text, notes The New York Times. However, Pope Francis has previously warned that gender theory is one of the greatest threats to the modern family and repeatedly argued that people cannot choose their genders. Children are learning that they can choose their own sex. Why is sex, being a woman or a man, a choice and not a fact of nature? he said in a 2017 interview. While the move has been heavily criticized by the LGBT community, the conservative group Catholic Women's Forum praised the Vatican for "throwing a roadblock" in front of the transgender agenda. "The document offers much-needed clarity for parents and educators, reaffirming that our human nature is a 'given' it cannot be wished away or replaced," Mary Rice Hasson, director of the Catholic Women's Forum, told The Christian Post. "Children need the certainty of knowing that they are created male or female forever, and schools must respect parents' authority to teach the truth," she continued. "The Church rejects the idea that identity is an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of genders and sexualities. Who we are must be grounded in the truth that we are created male or female, forever, equal in dignity, and made for one another. " The Vatican's guidance on gender and sexuality comes amid a nationwide push to include gender identity in classroom curriculums. In February, the U.K. Department of Education announced English schools will significantly broaden sex and relationship education to cover topics including same-sex relationships, transgender people, and other issues. In 2017, the Church of England issued a guidance telling its almost 5,000 schools to allow students "to be able to play with the many cloaks of identity." "Children should be at liberty to explore the possibilities of who they might be without judgement or derision, notes the report, which was applauded by the LGBT community. For example, a child may choose the tutu, princess's tiara and heels and/or the firefighter's helmet, tool belt and superhero cloak without expectation or comment. Childhood has a sacred space for creative self-imagining. Government plans to fortify flour with folic acid welcomed by Christian group The Christian Medical Fellowship is hoping that the Government's plans to add folic acid to flour will lead to a drop in the number of babies being aborted for spina bifida. The Government has launched a consultation into its plans to fortify flour with folic acid, which women are recommended to take during pregnancy to reduce the risk of birth defects. The Government's Chief Medical Officer advises that women take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day at least a month before conception and up to the 12th week of pregnancy. However, many women do not take the daily recommended dose. By fortifying flour with folic acid, the Government hopes to prevent spina bifida and other birth defects. Flour milled in the UK already has thiamine, niacin, iron and calcium added to it. Folic acid is added to flour in dozens of countries, including in Canada, where it halved the number of neural defects after being introduced in the nineties. "Women from the poorest areas are less likely to take folic acid supplements and it is right that we do all we can to protect the most vulnerable in society," Public Health Minister Seema Kennedy said. "We all want to give our children the best start in life and a birth defect diagnosis is devastating for parents. "The simple measure of adding folic acid to flour would help spare hundreds of families from such a life-changing event." The Christian Medical Fellowship welcomed the plans. "Neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly are serious but preventable and reasonable interventions to reduce the incidence of these conditions is potentially very positive," it said. "Many other countries have taken similar measures and seen the incidence of neural tube defects fall significantly. "Despite real advances with the in utero surgical treatment of spina bifida, diagnosis of such neural tube defects sadly often leads to abortion. "If the condition can be prevented from developing in the first place, this would be very positive. We are glad to hear that the Government will be giving serious consideration to the potential benefits of fortifying all flour with folic acid." Churches open for quiet reflection on Grenfell anniversary Churches in the London borough where 72 people lost their lives in the devastating Grenfell Tower disaster were opening their doors for quiet reflection on the second anniversary. The catastrophic fire broke out in the early hours of 14 June 2017 and quickly spread through the 24-floor residential tower, trapping many people inside. A 72 second silence was to be observed at midday on Friday in memory of the victims. To mark the second anniversary, Notting Hill Methodist Church, which sits below the tower, was staying open on Friday to give members of the public a quiet space to reflect. The Rev Mike Long said: "We want people to know they have somewhere to come if they need or wish to be together, not out of some duty, but if they feel it would help in some small way." He will be joining other faith leaders in a vigil on Friday evening before taking part in what has become a monthly silent walk that starts and ends at Notting Hill Methodist Church. "Faith can help people connect with their feelings and give expression to them," said Rev Long. With the church's close proximity to the tower, Rev Long and the congregation have been intrinsic in supporting the community in the aftermath of the fire. In addition to hosting many community meetings, the church has acted as a base for agencies working to support those affected by the fire, and Rev Long has offered pastoral and practical support where needed. The church has been in the process of renovating its building to better respond to the needs of the community. "Major urgent building works more recently mean we have had less resource available but from the autumn with new community spaces including a kitchen, we hope to focus on young people and children as well as the wide spread challenge of loneliness amongst older people," said Rev Long. In the last year, a new food bank has opened at the church in partnership with the Trussell Trust, a charity that runs a nationwide network of food banks through churches. An inquiry into the Grenfell Fire is ongoing, with the second phase set to begin in early 2020. "Everyone knows there will be a long wait for answers and decisions to be made about the future for the tower," said Rev Long. "Patience is about actively sticking it out, enduring the limbo. This is hard for many, especially those worried about for example, the long term impact of the fire on the environment." The second anniversary has been surrounded by widespread anger over the number of residential buildings in the UK that are still without adequate fire prevention systems or have the same kind of cladding blamed for spreading the Grenfell fire more rapidly. Church of England Bishops David Walker and Graham Tomlin recently called on the Government to intervene to remove dangerous cladding from dozens of residential buildings. They said that the people of North Kensington felt a "deep sense of betrayal" and that "nothing much" had changed two years on from the disaster. "Christian theology knows a bit about limbo it isn't a position in which residents of dangerous towers should be left," the bishops said in an opinion for Inside Housing magazine. "The community around Grenfell Tower felt alienated even before the fire, feeling they had little control and say in decisions on housing and the local built environment that affected their everyday lives. "The fire itself, of course, had a seismic impact on the local community, which continues to live with the devastation that hit them on the 14 June 2017. "Yet, even now, nearly two years on, things are not much better. "Grief takes time to take its course, but is complicated when you feel that your brother, mother, aunt or friend died needlessly and that since then nothing much seems to have changed." Jo Brand's 'ill-judged' joke and the challenge of comedy I've only ever tried stand-up comedy once. It had been on my "New Years Resolutions" list for quite a few years before I finally took the plunge and gave it a go. Fortunately I wasn't alone, a very good comedian and all-round lovely guy offered me the chance to perform alongside him as a comedy double act at a competition in London. We spent quite a few days writing and rehearsing and then the evening came. I hated it. Don't get me wrong, my friend Nick was brilliant, the audience were warm and we even got some laughs, but I didn't enjoy the experience. Over the years my job has brought me into contact with some amazing comedians. I've had the pleasure of working with them, writing the odd joke for them and some have even become dear friends. I have huge admiration and respect for what they do, but it's not for me. It's why I'm hesitant to wade into the events this week involving Jo Brand. I've never worked with Jo Brand, I've never sat in a production meeting with her or briefed her for a chat show appearance. I've always admired her though. Not least because she was blazing a trail for women in comedy in the UK long before the industry caught up or was willing to make space. Her talent and determination made her a household name at a time when not many women were being given that chance. But this week she got it wrong. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Brand was appearing on Radio 4's satirical programme Heresy. Brand was discussing the trend of throwing milkshakes over far-right political figures (something I wrote about here). She said: "Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?." She clarified: "I'm not gonna do it, it's purely a fantasy, but I think milkshakes are pathetic, I honestly do. Sorry." The Brexit Party leader, Nigel Farage, who himself had a milkshake thrown at him while campaigning in Newcastle, Tweeted afterwards: "I am sick to death of overpaid, left-wing, so-called comedians on the BBC who think their view is morally superior. Can you imagine the reaction if I had said the same thing as Jo Brand?" He then went on to Tweet that the comments were an "incitement to violence" and should be investigated by the police (something the Met are currently assessing). It's worth nothing that Brand has since apologised for the joke which she described as "crass and ill-judged". But others have rushed to defend the comments, citing free speech or quoting things Farage himself has said in the past. Some have even found a certain irony that Farage, such an advocate of free speech and a man that has defended some of his own words or the humour of others in the past, should be so incensed by this joke, from an actual comedian no less. But in the end, I'm still left with the feeling that Jo Brand simply got it wrong. The show might be about "challenging established ideas and questioning received wisdom" but thought and wisdom are still required. Farage might have said some awful things in the past (he definitely has said some awful things in the past) but I'm not sure how they're relevant right now. And I'm absolutely sure that this isn't a race to the bottom where we aim only to stay a few levels above the worst thing said so far. Farage may be responding in a hypocritical manner but that can't be the point. Because, in the midst of everything I can't help but think he's right on one thing. If he'd have said something similar about comedians, that we would, rightly, have been incensed by it. And that means, we have to be sure that our reaction to words isn't entirely guided by our feelings about who is saying them. That our desire to correct isn't only aimed at those whom we already assume are in the wrong. And, let me be clear. I'm not someone who thinks comedians or athletes or presenters should stay out of politics. I welcome the interventions of these brilliant and funny men and women who enable us to see things differently, to question our preconceptions and challenge our personal "red lines". People like Matt Forde and Geoff Northcott who day in and day out create humour from different sides of our political landscape. Luisa Omielan who tackles all sorts of subjects in her own brilliant way. Nish Kumar, John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Mae Martin, Hannah Gadsby...the list goes on. These voices are much needed and very welcome. But three years on from the murder of a British MP and in a climate where politicians receive daily threats of violence, where milkshakes are thrown at people we disagree with, police are required to accompany political journalists, and commentators are fearful for their safety we've all got to watch our words, no matter how funny they may or may not be. Because, if I learnt anything from my one-night-only, never to be repeated foray into the world of stand-up, it's that when it comes to comedy, timing is everything. Matt White is a Northern Irish TV producer living in Essex and working in London. Follow him on Twitter @mattgwhite Michael Curry, Patrick Kielty, A Vicar's Life among winners at Sandford St Martin Awards Bishop Michael Curry, who preached the sermon at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding last year, is among the winners at this year's Sandford St Martin Awards. The annual awards recognise excellence in religious programmes and were held at Lambeth Palace on Thursday evening. Curry, who is the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US, won acclaim after preaching about the power of love at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding at St George's Chapel, Windsor, in May 2018. The bishop picked up the Trustees' Award "in recognition of the global impact of his sermon" at the wedding. "We were made by a power of love, and our lives were meant and are meant to be lived in that love. That's why we are here," the bishop preached at the time. "Ultimately the source of love is God himself: the source of all of our lives." TV presenter and comedian Patrick Kielty was the TV/Video Award winner for his BBC1 documentary, 'My Dad, The Peace Deal and Me', in which he opened up about the murder of his Catholic father by loyalist paramilitaries and went back to Northern Ireland to see what has changed 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement came into effect. Responding on Twitter, he wrote: "Beyond chuffed. And very humbled to be in the same room as your other nominees last night. Thanks for an inspiring evening." The Journalism Award went to Mobeen Azhar for his BBC Radio 4 documentary, 'The Dawn of British Jihad', in which he explores the ties that were established between a minority of British Muslims and militant groups in South Asia, and what drove them to take up arms while others chose peace. BBC 2's 'A Vicar's Life', which takes a behind the scenes look at the lives and ministry of Britain's country vicars, won the Radio Times Readers Award. Father Matthew Cashmore, Assistant Curate in West Hereford and one of the vicars featured in the series, tweeted: "Just found out that #AVicarsLife won the @RadioTimes readers choice award @sandfordawards We are overjoyed and hugely excited for [series producer] @JamieRouth and his team that their dedication and awesomely hard work has resulted in this. Thank you everyone who voted!" My Little Pony cartoon introduces first lesbian couple Christian campaigners have criticised the makers of the My Little Pony children's cartoon for introducing the first lesbian couple to the show during Pride month. Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty will appear in an upcoming episode of the family cartoon called 'The Last Crusade'. Producer Michael Vogel dispelled speculation that the pair were friends or siblings, confirming on social media that they were indeed a lesbian couple. The episode will debut the pair as they take care of school-age character Scootaloo. Christian lobbyists have responded with disappointed and urged parents to take care when it comes to what they allow their children to watch on TV. Lyle Shelton, former managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby said on Twitter, "We said indoctrinating your children & your grandchildren would be a consequence of [gay] 'marriage'. It's a brave new world folks & we need to push back while we still can. Sitting outside politics is no longer an option for conservatives. The Activist Mommy Elizabeth Johnston also questioned the inclusion of a lesbian couple in the children's cartoon. "Why must a show about ponies of all things have a same-sex couple? Just insane. Watch what your kids are watching, folks!" she tweeted. Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis, accused the show's producers of jumping on a "bandwagon". "It seems more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon of the war against children to destroy them by drawing them into depravity," he said. "This is a reminder to parents as you consider TV programs, purchasing books, toys, etc., for children, to keep this in mind at all times: "...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8) Liquefied natural gas is the fuel of the future, Cheniere Energy CEO Jack Fusco said, and energy CEOs need to change the climate debate around the production of their fuels. Speaking at a global economy event at Houston on Thursday, Fusco said that LNG is a cleaner alternative to coal, and the energy industry needs to shift the debate around environmental and health concerns related to LNG. "Natural gas is more than just a bridge fuel, it's the fuel of the future," Fusco said. "We have to get on the right side of the discussion." On HoustonChronicle.com: Cheniere Energy takes patient approach to U.S. trade war with China Fusco said he's been having conversations with other energy CEOs in Houston about changing the dialogue around climate issues. He said energy companies need to "get a seat at the table" for discussions on climate policy. "We're already behind," he said. "We're playing catch up." Fusco spoke about the potential of LNG to provide a cleaner alternative to coal, particularly in China. Speaking about a trip to Bejing, where he said he found it difficult to breathe, he emphasized the need to focus on the health benefits that LNG could bring to foreign markets. In his remarks, Fusco said the industry already "lost" in Vietnam, where a coal-fired power plant expansion is underway. On HoustonChronicle.com: Cheniere Energy inks deals to support two expansion projects "We provide to them a cleaner alternative," he said. "They really need us, and it's for health reasons. They can't breathe." Pitching its fuel overseas is a key strategy for Cheniere, which is in the third stage of construction of three large-scale production units at a new Corpus Christi facility, and seeking permission from regulators to build seven midscale production units. The company plans to market the fuel produced overseas. The units would process 9.5 million metric tons of LNG per year. Apache will supply nearly 140 million cubic feet of natural gas, allowing the facility to make 850,000 metric tons of LNG per year. "There is a great demand for the product; we don't see that going away any time soon," Fusco said. Cheniere closed 2018 with a $471 million profit on $8 billion of revenue. Fusco's total reported compensation was $21.3 million in 2018, and he was one of the top paid CEOs in Houston, second to Ryan Lance of ConocoPhillips, according to data by S&P Global. Global oil supplies will increase far more than demand next year with the start of a host of new projects, putting further pressure on the OPEC cartel, the International Energy Agency said. Even though growth in world oil demand will accelerate to 1.4 million barrels a day in 2020, it will be eclipsed by a 2.3 million barrel-a-day surge in output, as the ongoing boom in U.S. shale is augmented by new fields in Brazil, Norway and Canada. As a result, the world will need significantly less crude from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the IEA, which advises most major economies, predicted in its monthly report on Friday. Though Saudi Arabia and its allies have been deliberately cutting supply this year, and political crises have crushed exports from Venezuela and Iran, OPEC is pumping much more oil than will be required in 2020. PRICES: Oil set for weekly loss as demand fears eclipse Mideast tension A clear message from our first look at 2020 is that there is plenty of non-OPEC supply growth available to meet any likely level of demand, assuming no major geopolitical shock, said the Paris-based IEA. This is welcome news for consumers and the wider health of the currently vulnerable global economy, as it will limit significant upward pressure on oil prices. Oil in New York moved into a bear market last week and Brent sunk below $60 a barrel in London for the first time since January on concern that a slowdown in the global economy -- exacerbated by the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China -- will hurt fuel consumption around the world. OPEC will meet in the coming weeks to decide its response. The IEA report showed that the fears about demand are coming to fruition. Global oil demand grew by 300,000 barrels a day during the first quarter, the weakest since 2011, as developing nations only just offset a drop in developed economies. The agency lowered growth estimates for 2019 as a whole for a second consecutive month, by 100,000 barrels a day. RISKY: Oil tanker insurance costs to jump after Gulf attacks For the rest of this year and into 2020, however, the IEA expects that demand will pick up markedly, averaging 1.2% in 2019 as a whole and 1.4% next year. That rebound assumes some progress in the trade stand-off between the U.S. and China, it said. Even with its optimistic outlook for the economy, the agency sees growth in oil consumption being drowned by new supplies next year. Fracking Boom About half of the supply expansion will be provided by the U.S., which has been transformed by the fracking boom in Texas and North Dakota into the worlds biggest crude producer. But unlike in previous years, growth in America is being supplemented by significant gains elsewhere, such as in Norway and Brazil. That may make for painful reading for the Saudis and other OPEC nations, who together pump 40% of the worlds oil. The demand for their crude will slump for a third consecutive year, to 29.3 million barrels a day. Thats about 650,000 barrels a day less than the 14 OPEC nations pumped last month, when their supply was already significantly reduced as a result of a pact to restrain output, as well as by U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and Iran. Irans production fell to 2.4 million barrels a day, the lowest since the 1980s. The organization and its allies are due to meet in the next few weeks to decide whether to keep going with their agreement to reduce output. Saudi Arabia, OPECs biggest member, has recommended persevering. If OPEC reduces output next year to the levels the IEA considers necessary, production would be the lowest since 2003 -- suggesting that its strategy to support oil markets has backfired. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. LNR Partners, a Miami-based special servicing firm that handles distressed assets such as foreclosures, has sold two Houston properties to local investors. Both properties can be improved. The properties, individually marketed by commercial real estate firms JLL and HFF, were both sold via online platform Ten-X Commercial. In one of the transactions, an affiliate of Houston-based Fuller Realty Partners acquired a pair of 1980s-era Energy Corridor office buildings that had housed a large engineering firm. Located south of Interstate 10, the portfolio consists of Parkview I, a vacant four-story, 110,480-square-foot building at 330 Barker Cypress Road, and Parkview II, a three-story, 65,220-square-foot building at 333 Cypress Run. Together, the properties are 11 percent leased. JLLs Rick Goings, Rudy Hubbard and Kevin McConn represented LNR Partners in the sale. In an online auction transaction, Fuller Parkview LLC paid in the mid-to-high $30s per square foot for the buildings, according to the buyer, placing the total price between $6.2 million and $7 million. Were excited about the opportunity to get a building like this at this location at this price per-square-foot, said Steve Darnall, principal and chief operating officer of Fuller Realty Partners. I dont know of any buildings in the submarket that have traded close to this price. Fuller plans asking rents in the $12- to $14-per-square foot range, plus expenses. Once expenses are factored in, the rate would be less than $20-per-square foot, compared with the typical range of $24 to $27 per-square-foot for Class B properties in the area. Were going to be able to offer the space at very attractive rental rates compared to the overall market, Darnall said. Fuller plans to make improvements to the buildings to attract companies that want to upgrade within the Energy Corridor or from other submarkets. The deal was the first online auction purchase for the investor, which owns 11 office buildings, nine light industrial flex projects and three land parcels in the Houston area. Leasing velocity is a question mark, with the office vacancy in Houston, Darnall said. We think this area has good dynamics moving forward in the long-run. While office vacancy stood at 23.1 percent in the Energy Corridor in the first quarter, the market is turning a corner, according to JLL. The submarket absorbed nearly 150,000 square feet in the first quarter. Theres been a lot of very positive things happening, said Rick Goings of JLL. Energy firms are growing their capital budgets and the number of people that they employ, which has led to pulling sublease space off the market, or leasing more space or moving into brighter and shinier buildings from different submarkets. Parking at the Parkview buildings could be a draw for companies in the area. Theres an abundance of parking for both of these buildings, Goings said. For a very dense user like a lot of engineering firms, having an abundant parking ratio is critical. In the other local LNR transaction, a partnership of Garver Real Estate has purchased Kempwood Tech Center in northwest Houston for an undisclosed price. The property consists of three flex industrial warehouse buildings at Bingle and Kempwood totaling 113,117 square feet. The buildings sit on 7.18 acres at 2700-2778 Bingle Road. Charles Strauss and Martin Hogan of HFF represented LNR Partners. Scott Wilkerson of Garver Real Estate handled the acquisition in-house for the buyer, CG7600 LP, which plans to remodel and update the properties. Garver Real Estate, founded by C.M. Garver, owner of BRH Garver Construction, has about 1.5 million square feet of warehouse space in the Houston market. The buildings, in one of Houstons largest and best-performing industrial submarkets, have about 72,000 square feet available for lease, including a large portion with heavy power in place. Its an opportunity for a new owner to come in, invest some capital, and get them leased, Hogan said. katherine.feser@chron.com twitter.com/kfeser Houston is a little greener thanks to the efforts of nonprofit organization Trees For Houston, which recently completed its spring planting season. Beginning in January and ending in May, the spring planting season ended with 14,682 trees planted throughout the Greater Houston area. Trees For Houston partnered with 20 organizations and hundreds of volunteers to make the planting season a success. Oil posted a weekly decline as the escalating U.S.-China trade war and swelling American stockpiles overshadowed tanker attacks in the Middle East. Futures settled up 0.4% in New York on Friday but still closed the week down 2.7%. London-traded contracts slid for a fourth straight week. The White House blamed Iran for tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, the biggest global choke-point for oil flows. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency said global supplies will swamp demand next year, further pressuring OPEC. U.S. crude stockpiles climbed to their highest since July 2017 last week, sending futures to the lowest in almost five months. The accumulation of excess supply runs counter to seasonal trends and adds to anxiety over the demand implications of the U.S.-China trade dispute, said Bill O'Grady, chief market strategist at Confluence Investment Management LLC in St. Louis. PREVIOUSLY: Oil rises as U.S. blames Iran for Middle East tanker attacks "We're seeing a back-up in inventory, but what's really crippling the market are demand concerns," O'Grady said. "There is a negative effect for the world economy from the trade tensions." The market's muted reaction to the tanker attacks may be because "there's no way" Iran could fully halt the flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz, said Michael Hiley, head of over-the-counter energy trading at LPS Futures in New York. Talk Of War? "A couple of mines on boats that are carrying things other than crude oil, is that really going to stop the flow of crude?" he said. While a war in the Middle East would disrupt energy flows, the region is less important for global crude markets than it was a couple of decades ago due to the rise of U.S. shale production. Unless the situation escalates dramatically, the prospect of a prolonged trade war between China and America -- the world's two biggest economies -- probably remains the key price driver. AT THE PUMP: Gasoline prices unlikely to rise due to tanker attacks West Texas Intermediate for July delivery closed up 23 cents to $52.51 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices have advanced 16% year to date. Brent for August settlement rose 70 cents to $62.01 on London's ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark crude traded at a $9.24 premium to WTI for the same month. See also: As Oil Tankers Burn in the Gulf, Investors Focus on Trade War U.S. officials released images that they said show Iran was involved in Thursday's attacks on the tankers. U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the incidents posed a serious danger to the region and that it was almost certain that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard was involved. --With assistance from James Thornhill, Grant Smith and Heesu Lee. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Oil tanker owners are turning increasingly nervous about loading cargoes from the worlds largest export region for crude after the latest round of attacks on vessels. Both owners and the companies that charter their ships paused bookings on Thursday as they re-evaluated risks to shipping barrels from the Middle East in the wake of attacks on two more tankers just a month after similar incidents. Insurance costs from the region look set to rise too. The U.S. pointed the finger at Iran for the attacks just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for crude oil exports. The Persian Gulf country immediately denied being responsible. Nevertheless, six tankers, hauling a variety of cargoes, have now been targeted in the space of just 32 days -- the kind of threat to merchant shipping that hasnt been seen in the region for decades. ATTACK: Tankers struck near Strait of Hormuz; US blames Iran We need to remember that some 30% of the worlds crude oil passes through the Straits, said Paolo dAmico, chairman of Intertanko, the biggest trade group for tanker owners. If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk. The Joint War Committee, a group that advises insurers, designated the entire Persian Gulf and waters just outside it a so-called Listed Area after the incidents a month ago. The classification gives underwriters room to charge more. As of Thursday, owners were reluctant to send vessels to the region while there was also a dearth of cargoes, according to traders and shipbrokers involved in that market, who spoke on condition of anonymity. DNK, the mutual insurer that covered one of the ships damaged Thursday, will increase its rates for war insurance, according to a person familiar with the matter. Rival insurer Hellenic War Risks Club will probably increase a so-called additional premium that owners pay when sailing to the Persian Gulf with immediate effect, according to a notice on its website. FUELFIX: Get your energy, oil, and gas news updates each weekday DNK insured the Norwegian-owned Front Altair for the full value of the vessel, according to the person familiar with the matter. A ship of that tankers size is worth between $30 million and $50 million, according to another person with knowledge of the matter. Insurers provide war policies that pay out the value of ships damaged or destroyed by acts of both terrorism and war. The Front Altairs cargo of naphtha would be insured under a separate policy. Industry Response Some owners appear to be taking a breather when it comes to accepting charters from the Middle East while they evaluate the risks of lifting oil from the region, according to Halvor Ellefsen, a shipbroker at Fearnleys in London. Shipping companies should consider diverting vessels from the area where the two vessels were attacked Thursday, industry group BIMCO, the largest international shipping association for owners, said in a security advisory to its members. Tensions in the Strait and the Gulf are now at the highest they can be without an actual armed conflict, the group said in a separate statement. Japans Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. has ordered ships it operates in the area to keep a 12-mile radius from the zone where the two tankers were attacked, a company spokesman said on Thursday evening. Intertanko said it is extremely worried about the safety of crews in the region. It also said two of its members suffered explosions at or below the water line in what the group described as an attack. AT THE PUMP: Gasoline prices unlikely to rise due to tanker attacks The crew of the Front Altair was forced to board an Iranian vessel and then taken to Iran, according to a report from DNK seen by Bloomberg. Despite having already been picked up by a merchant ship nearby, Irans navy demanded that the crew were transferred to them, the report said. Rare Disruptions Escalations that materially disrupt Middle East oil supplies are relatively rare. The Iran-Iraq war coincided with a big slump in OPEC oil output in the first half of the 1980s. That conflict saw tankers destroyed as the two countries tried to damage one anothers economies. By contrast, Iraqs 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and the Gulf War that followed, were a long way from Hormuz and had a relatively small impact on flows through the Strait, with Saudi Arabia replacing much of the lost Iraqi and Kuwaiti crude. In the short-term the rates for chartering ships in the Middle East could rise as some owners consider avoiding the region, lowering supply, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Noah Parquette wrote in a report. Shares of tanker companies responded bullishly, suggesting a view among some investors that the tensions could drive up freight rates. Frontline Ltd. -- the owner of the Front Altair -- led the way, rallying as much as 11% in Oslo on Thursday. --With assistance from Jack Wittels, Firat Kayakiran, Alaric Nightingale, Verity Ratcliffe, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Ann Koh and Javier Blas. 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Buc-ees Deputy General Counsel Tracy Richardson was told there was no way he could win a trademark infringement against competitor Choke Canyon. Buc-ees co-founder Don Wasek provided Richardson a coffee cup featuring a grinning green alligator wearing a hat inside a yellow circle, which seemed far too similar to the famous Buc-ees beaver branding. Anything we can do? Wasek asked. Against the advice of intellectual property experts, Richardson filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit claiming that Choke Canyon was simply trying to confuse customers that their store had a connection to Buc-ees. I dont think anybody gave me a chance of winning this case, said Richardson, who recently won the 2019 Business Litigation of the Year Award from the Association of Corporate Counsels Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook. They probably knew that I knew nothing about federal trademark law. For seven-days last year, Richardson did battle in federal court in Houston. Expert witnesses testified. Owners of the two companies took the witness stand. Internal Choke Canyon documents were introduced as evidence. Even a couple customers of both stores swore under oath that they thought Choke Canyon, because of its logo and other marketing and product efforts, was part of Buc-ees. This case is not about an alligator versus a beaver, Richardson told jurors. It is about an intent to deceive and confuse. There are two dissimilarities and 12 similarities in the two logos. The jury ruled in favor of Buc-ee's. Choke Canyon conceded, paying Buc-ees a couple million dollars. On HoustonChronicle.com: Buc-ee's wins federal court trademark fight against competitor Choke Canyon Most importantly, they had to forfeit their logo and change their signs, which is all we wanted to begin with, he said. Very few corporate in-house counsel take cases to trial anymore. Buc-ees and Richardson are the exception. In fact, Buc-ees executives proudly point out that Richardson is not afraid to go to trial and that he has never lost a case. I hired Tracy because he has a wealth of trial experience, Buc-ees General Counsel Jeff Nadalo told The Texas Lawbook. Hes tried 30 jury trials and hes won all 30. We go out of our way to let opposing counsel know that we are willing to go all the way to trial. Richardson was born in Linden, Texas. His father was a sergeant in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam in 1966 when his soldiers suddenly found themselves surrounded by the Viet Cong. Richardsons father took point and battled in hand-to-hand combat, killing two of the enemy before he was defeated. The most important event in my life was my fathers death, he said. I was two. Before he was killed, he wrote letters home to me saying that he was fighting to give me a better life. I always ask myself, would my dad be proud? he said. Richardson said his dad, who received the Silver Star, was a real rebel when he was young. In high school, the boy sitting next to his father in class threw an eraser and hit the teacher. The teacher accused my dad and they got into an argument and my dad punched the teacher, he said. As crazy as it sounds, the other student later became a judge in East Texas and sworn me in as an attorney in 1989. During middle school, Richardson worked for two years as a page in in the Arkansas State Senate. My desk was right next to the lieutenant governor, and he would have me take bills over to the state attorney general to review, he said. He would always tell me a joke to tell the attorney general, and I always would. The Arkansas attorney general at the time was Bill Clinton. That experience got me interested in law and I never really changed my mind about doing anything different after that, he said. On HoustonChronicle.com: Superior Energy's associate general counsel started suing when he was just 19 Richardson went to college at Texas A&M and then graduated from South Texas College of Law in 1989. His first big trial came about a year after he started practicing law. It was an auto collision trial in Tyler and $20,000 was at stake. During the trial, the plaintiffs attorney forgot to move to introduce some key evidence into the court record. The lawyer started talking during closing argument about the evidence he had failed to introduce and I objected, he said. The judge agreed and kept it out. The plaintiff made another mistake that Richardson seized on. The plaintiff had a scheduling conflict and wasnt actually present during closing arguments. I told the jury that she obviously wasnt too interested in the case or she would have been there for closing arguments, he said. The jury deliberated for two hours and ruled in favor of Richardsons client. Richardson, who is a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, practiced for 13 years at Strong Pipkin Bissell & Ledyard in Beaumont. In the fall of 2013, he noticed an advertisement in the Texas Bar Journal about an opening in the legal department at Buc-ee's. Richardson and 600 other lawyers applied. I saw it as a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor and help build the business and be part of its identity, he said. But I also liked the position because it allowed me to still be a practicing trial lawyer, which is very unique for an in-house counsel position. Richardson said he and his buddies would stop by Buc-ees on their way hunting. His favorite items: coconut pie in a cup, chocolate malt balls and cinnamon corn snack puffs. Ive had every type of matter hit my desk - slip-and-fall cases, intellectual property and employment disputes, water rights issues, contract disputes and 18-wheeler issues, he said. Since Ive been at Buc-ees, Ive learned something new just about every day. Richardson and Nadalo agree that the Choke Canyon case was very important to Buc-ees protecting its intellectual property. This was a great courtroom victory for Buc-ees and its because Tracy did an amazing job, Nadalo said. Throughout the trial, Tracy broke down the complex issues in the case for the jury, presenting them in a unique fashion with PowerPoint and testimony. Tracy does a terrific job of connecting with the jury and telling a story and explaining a complex business or legal issue in a way that everyone can understand and appreciate, Nadalo said. He deserves to be the business litigator of the year. For a longer version of this article, please visit TexasLawbook.net. The Klein ISD Police Department and staff formed the Leadership Academy in 2015 to positively influence the relationship between the school district police force and students. Now, the program is getting statewide attention from other Texas school districts and law enforcement organizations. Klein ISD police officers, Sgt. Natalie Van Der Dys and Officer Christi Haggard, delivered a presentation about the program during the 2019 Regional School Safety Summit a two-day conference held in Houston June 10 and 11. The Klein ISD Leadership Academy aims to boost confidence within students, in addition to improving their relationships with staff and police officers. The program was formed after Texas House Bill 2684 went into effect, mandating that school districts with 30,000 students must provide additional training to their officers, Van Der Dys said. The training course included topics such as crisis intervention, de-escalation, suicide prevention, as well as restorative justice: a way of addressing misconduct by using mediation to reconcile the offender with the offended party. Klein ISD Police Chief David Kimberly tasked Van Der Dys and another sergeant with learning more about restorative justice. During a police chief conference, Kimberly obtained a book called Handbook for Success, by Bill Hyche. The book illustrates how adults and authorities can help guide kids toward becoming considerate, productive people. Kimberly asked Haggard and Van Der Dys to create a program combining the lessons in the book with the principles of restorative justice. The result was the Leadership Academy. It happened to be the time that the media was showing everything that was negative on law enforcement, Haggard said. There were all of the shootings and violence on campuses, so we knew at that time that we needed to make that connection with our campuses and our students. Leadership Academy teaches elementary school students about respect, maturity and punctuality, while building relationships within the district through discussions and group activities in 30- to 45-minute sessions. The version of the program beyond elementary school is the H.E.R.O.E.S. program, an acronym for: helpful, empathetic, respectful, open-minded, extraordinary students. Students in the H.E.R.O.E.S. program learn about more mature topics such as dating violence, sexting and bullying. Students selected for the Leadership Academy convene with peers, counselors and police officers in a safe, judgement-free environment where they have equal opportunity to express themselves, Van Der Dys said. Participants speak in turn about specific topics. The rapport built through this process may encourage students to notify staff or officers of potential dangers. A lot of times our students want to tell, Haggard said. There may be drugs, there may be weapons, there may be a fight happening that day. Nine times out of 10, their friends have told them that. We wanted to open up that door for them come and tell us. The Klein ISD Leadership Academy has grown significantly since 2015, expanding from 12 campuses to 32 campuses, with 15 to 20 students in each group. Students are selected for the program by counselors and teachers. Participants are not chosen based on grades or academic success, which gives more students the opportunity to be included, Haggard said. Officers are chosen to participate on a voluntary basis. The Leadership Academy is currently being adapted by other Texas school districts, Van Der Dys said. Additionally, the program is being promoted by the Texas Municipal Police Association, an organization that offers resources and advocates for Texas law enforcement officers. The goal of the program is to not only improve student relationships with law enforcement, she said, but to encourage critical thinking. They initially have that approach of, Whoa, youre the cops; youre only here to arrest people, and thats kind of that paradigm shift that we want to change, Van Der Dys said. She wants to communicate that the districts officers are there for the same reason as the teachers and administrators for the wellbeing of students. Were here to make you succeed and were here for your safety, Van Der Dys said. For us, Leadership Academy was kind of our foot in the door to get that climate change to occur. chevall.pryce@chron.com For officials with Fort Bend County Animal Services saving animals from horrific cases of neglect and abuse is just part of the daily grind. The shelter's latest patient is a 2-year-old black male lab mix named Phoenix. He was found Tuesday off Rocky Falls in the Richmond area with apparent chemical burns on his head and down his back. The shelter said the sweet pup's spirit and gentle nature is why he was named Phoenix. "He was obviously in pain but was sweet to the officer and everyone who handled him at the vet clinic who evaluated him," Barbara Vass, Community Involvement Coordinator for Fort Bend County Animal Services wrote in an email. Phoenix was moved to the Fort Bend Animal Hospital immediately Tuesday and treated for his burns. He is slowly recovering but will need medication for both pain and antibiotics to prevent skin infections, Vass said. She estimates his medical costs will reach upwards of $2,000. For Vass, cases of abuse such as what happened to Phoenix happen way too often. "We see our fair share of neglect cases come through, difficult cases like underweight and embedded collars, puppies left in suitcases ... dogs that have been hit by cars, shot, stabbed or in this case what appears to be a burn," Vass said. "We are an open admission facility so we will not turn these pets away and we have very limited funding for emergency medical care. We do the absolute best with what we have." ADOPT DON'T SHOP: Meet some of Fort Bend County's most eligible rescue dogs Vass said the shelter constantly faces over-capacity issues and the severe medical cases mean the shelter is always in need of funds. Those wanting to donate to the shelter can do so through a fundraiser with the local nonprofit, Fort Bend Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS). As part of the fundraiser, the nonprofit will match the first $7500 in donations they receive. "These funds will help us continue to provide care for pets like Phoenix that come in with emergent medical needs and there seems to be more of them every week," Vass said. Phoenix is staying with a medical foster who has vet tech experience. Vass said she is hopeful Phoenix will be ready to adopt in about three months. Anyone who is interested in Phoenix can call the shelter at 281-342-1512 and ask to speak with the adoption center. Aside from adoptions, the shelter is always seeking people to rescue and foster. "Fosters help us by giving everyone an opportunity to learn how a pet behaves in a home environment and allows that pet to relax outside of the shelter," she said. "We encourage people to come in and meet our pets and hopefully want to help us network them by allowing them in their homes as a foster." The shelter has an adoption fee of just $25, and all pets are vaccinated, have a Rabies vaccine, microchip and are spayed or neutered. Looking for your next best friend? Visit the shelter's website and Facebook page to see all the animals looking for a home now. Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message Jacob McAdams / HCN CanCare, a community of cancer survivors who lift up and inspire cancer patients and caregivers through one-on-one support, recently held its 25th Silver Anniversary Cancer Survivors Day Luncheon on Thursday, May 9, at the Westin Houston, Memorial City hotel. Each year, CanCare hosts this luncheon to celebrate cancer survivorship and raise money to train their volunteers, who provide confidential support to anyone impacted by cancer. This years luncheon was deemed a great success with more than 550 attendees and special guests. The keynote speaker was Houston award-winning KPRC2 chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley, who shared his experience of the cutting-edge clinical trial he endured after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Congratulations to Jack Sharp, grandson of Margaret and Royce Sharp, for winning the local Southern Texas Drive Chip and Putt competition for 12-13 year old boys held recently in Round Rock, Texas. He now advances to Sub Regionals. Great achievement, Jack! Last week Jack and Connie Winn traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the 2019 National ALS Advocacy Conference in Washington. After a day and a half of meetings and training sessions, ALS conference goers from across the country went to Capitol Hill to advocate with their Senators and Representatives to share the ALS story and stress the need for action. The Winns were able to meet with Rep. Kevin Brady and were treated to a tour of the West Wing led by Scott Toland, Assistant Staff Secretary, the Office of the Staff Secretary, Executive Office of the President and son of Walden resident Karen Toland. Connie and Jack were also able to catch up with Jacks cousins whom they had not seen in quite a while. Connie said it was an unbelievable trip. The Conroe City Council awarded a $2.3 million contract Thursday to Conroe-based Smith & Company for the second phase of a project to resurface streets in the downtown area. According to Tommy Wooley, director of capital projects and transportation for Conroe, the project includes an overlay for about six miles of streets in Milltown Area of the city. The project includes sidewalk repairs as well. The project is expected to be complete in about a year. Other projects awarded Sewer lines The council awarded a $1.5 million contract to Houston-based T-Construction for the rehabilitation of about 30,200 feet of sewer line at Forest Estates and Wroxton Drive. Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon asked if the work would affect the newly constructed streets in the area. Woolley said the work will be behind the streets and will not have an effect. Sidewalk improvements According to Woolley, the city has left over grant funds that will be allocated to sidewalk improvements on Wilson Road and Foster Drive. The council awarded a $427,105 to Kingwood-based DVL Enterprises. The project is expected to be complete in about four months. Buried electrical lines As part of its Texas 105 Beautification project, the council awarded a $248,240 to Conroe-based A&H Electric to convert overhead electrical lines to underground services. Woolley said about 20 businesses will be affected by the project. The work is expected to be complete in about five months. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Jason Fochtman, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The Conroe City Council acted Thursday to expand the reach of an ordinance to help address several unfavorable issues throughout the city limits not just downtown. Conroe Police Chief Jeff Christy presented the item to the council that prohibits sleeping in places that limit public access, urinating and defecating in public and aggressive panhandling. Conroe Police Chief Jeff Christy is hoping to get council approval in the next several weeks to update his departments antiquated dispatch and data storage system for better workflow, service to the public and officer safety. Christy presented information to the Conroe City Council during its workshop Wednesday regarding a potential contract with Florida-based CentralSquare Technologies. According to Christy the department has been using is current system since 1998. Technology changes and this type of system certainly has, he said. While the system carries a price tag of $1 million, Christy said the city would only be responsible for about 50 percent of that cost with Montgomery County 911 helping with the remainder of the cost. The yearly maintenance on the system would be about $115,000. The system has two functions, a records management system which would handle all reports and documents and maintains them. The computer aided dispatch function manages all the calls to the department and where officers are being dispatched. It also has an enhanced mapping function for better safety of officers. We think it is a good fit for our department and an agency our size, Christy said. Steve Naegeli, account executive with CentralSquare, told the council many area departments, including the Montgomery County Hospital District, use the system and it allows all the agencies to communicate via the system. Technology changes so quickly and we need to be on the front line and make sure we have the right equipment you need, said Mayor Toby Powell. Christy is expected to bring the item back to council at a later date for consideration. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Changes could soon be on the way for the city of Montgomerys tree ordinance. Assistant to the City Administrator Dave McCorquodale presented a report to the council regarding a draft with updates to the ordinance, which will go before the council again for a vote on June 25. McCorquodale said the ordinance aims to limit indiscriminate cutting of trees in advance development and to preserve existing trees of certain species. Again, you can travel from this room, 90 seconds in any direction and be outside of our city limits, McCorquodale said. And, that is really our competition in terms of being able to build and attract businesses to our city, to help grow the city, is not competing with an adjacent city were competing with the county that has absolutely no constraint. This ordinance really does strike a middle ground between what we get as a city and what the residents get in terms of quality of life with also being able to be viable as a commercial builder or land owner in the city. The staff has worked through revisions, which was a primary topic of discussion between the staff and stakeholders on various topics in late March. The real impetus for change in the ordinance is that local land owners and developers felt that it added a significant amount of cost to the development of property and really had the affect of discouraging businesses from locating in Montgomery, McCorquodale said. So, when we add an update to the ordinance we wanted to facilitate business development and at the same time ensure the quality of life for the city residents. The ordinance states the city council finds trees to be an important public resource that contributes to the unique character of the city with both economic and environmental benefits. It is the goal of the city council to secure these benefits by maintaining the tree canopy over a significant area. The article also intends to prevent indiscriminate cutting of trees in advance development and to preserve existing trees of certain species. The revisions summary addresses the various points, including requirements, exemptions, protected trees, minimum canopy coverage required for development, requirements for specific property types and zones, as well as parking lot trees. Regarding the most significant change, McCorquodale said with the current ordinance the city calculates the number of trees required on the site or the replacement of trees based on caliper inches of trees that are currently on the site. The proposed ordinance uses a canopy coverage that is based on the land use district. A certain amount of the site must be covered by the canopy of the tree to qualify as what the coverage is. If you have a wooded tract, and this is where some of the issues have risen with development of a certain tract of land it may be heavily wooded, the adjacent is a hayfield today and they dont have to do anything, the other one is left with literally tens of thousands of dollars in development costs that the adjacent is not, McCorquodale said. In the context of recognizing that, McCorquodale said the city is at the confluence of the East Texas Piney Woods, the Gulf Coast Prairie, Tall Grass Prairie and more. We are in a really unique spot in that you go a few miles in any direction and the landscape totally changes, he said. That is what informed the amount of canopy coverage that we are using on any one particular lot. The thinking is to classify the percentage of canopy coverage based on the land use zoning that allows you to modify any one of them without having to modify any of the other ones, he added. and, it also recognizes that the type of land use varying from zone to zone is radically different and there are different requirements to utilize a parcel in industrial vs a parcel in commercial vs a parcel in residential vs a parcel in institutional. Council members Jon Bickford, John Champagne, and Rebecca Huss commended the report. It looks like a lot of work was done here, a lot of good work, said Bickford also pleased with McCorquodales coordination with the community to draft the proposed changes. Very cool. I think the canopy idea is a really good idea ... mellsworth@hcnonline.com A call from a suspicious resident who noticed two men walking in a quiet Sugar Land neighborhood around 3:30 a.m. Monday, June 10, led to the arrest of two Houston men accused of burglarizing a home. According to police officials, an alert resident in the New Territory neighborhood called police to report seeing suspicious people walking in the 100 block of Pendelton Place. Patrol officers dispatched to the area reportedly spotted two men who matched the callers description driving a silver, 2005 Chevrolet Equinox and initiated a traffic stop. Further investigation revealed stolen property and a small amount of marijuana in the suspects vehicle, police officials allege. The Philippines is overflowing with excess mangoes after unusual weather conditions caused a surplus of fruit. Now the country is scrambling to make use of them. According to Bloomberg, a change in wind patterns that occurs every two to seven years called El Nino caused the excessive crop after it heated up the Pacific Ocean and sent warm, dry weather to the Philippines. The country's agriculture secretary, Emmanuel "Manny" Pinol, told reporters these circumstances triggered a massive increase in "flowering and fruiting this season." Flies were seen touching raw chicken at a Houston restaurant last week during inspections from June 3 to June 9, according to inspection reports obtained by Chron.com. At the same restaurant, inspectors also found dead roaches and rodents, as well as mold inside the ice machine. It's a little bit of a challenge to pin down Beto O'Rourke, but Stephen Colbert did just that on Tuesday night. After some discussion about the 2020 Democratic primary during an episode of The Late Show on CBS, the host gently suggested that O'Rourke should end his bid for the White House. He is currently trailing at least four other candidates in most national polls. Colbert immediately asked a follow-up question that many Democrats in Texas have been postulating for weeks: Why doesn't Beto try to unseat Republican Senator John Cornyn in 2020? On HoustonChronicle.com: Gov. Abbott says he won't challenge GOP incumbents, a departure from 2018 "He's not particularly popular in Texas right now and you have a chance of beating him," the host said. "Why not go for that?" O'Rourke almost certainly knew the question was coming and had an answer prepared. However, it was still interesting to see his response to a very direct question about a topic that has been much-discussed publicly. "I want to be in the most consequential position to make sure that I do everything I can to deliver for this country," O'Rourke said, preferring to keep the spotlight on his 2020 presidential campaign. You can watch the full exchange and more discussion between the two here. It will be difficult from O'Rourke and all of the other White House hopefuls (the list is over 20, now) to try and navigate the numerous landmines that still remain in the race. And if O'Rourke were to pivot back to Texas, trying to take Cornyn's Senate seat would still be major challenge. Yet, a poll released during the first week of June says O'Rourke could make another real run at the U.S. Senate. Sixty percent of about 400 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters polled by Quinnipiac University said they would prefer to see a O'Rourke take on Cornyn. The poll surveyed 1,159 voters overall and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points overall and plus or minus 5.8 percentage points for Democrats and Democratic-leaners. It's also possible that O'Rourke learned his lesson when he made the transition from United States congressman in Texas to a senatorial candidate who was aiming to beat incumbent Ted Cruz. Cruz ultimately prevailed by a narrow margin in the fall of 2018. But the race gave Texas Democrats across the nation hope that O'Rourke might finally be the one to start turning the tide in a state that has for the past 30 years consistently been a Republican stronghold. Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. A Spring man has been accused for the second time of attempting to hire a hitman to murder his ex-girlfriend after he allegedly approached an undercover officer posing as a contract killer in the Harris County Jail. Prosecutors filed a second charge of solicitation of capital murder against 59-year-old Robert Gordon Letourneau on Thursday, a little more than two months after the initial charge was filed, according to a news release from the Harris County District Attorney's Office. "Domestic violence is rampant in our community" said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in a written statement. "Far too often, people are preyed upon by those who are supposed to be closest to them." FORT BEND ARRESTS: Officials arrest 3 on felony sex crime charges in Fort Bend County last month Letourneau was first arrested in January, accused of violating a protection order that prohibited communication with his ex-girlfriend. He was released on a $2,000 bond. In March, Letourneau was arrested again and charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping after he allegedly hid in the backseat of her car and ambushed her. He forced her to withdraw money from multiple ATM's by holding a screwdriver up to her throat, prosecutors have said. A few weeks later, prosecutors said, an inmate alerted authorities that Letourneau had allegedly tried to hire him as a hitman. Authorities said Letourneau provided inmates methodical and detailed information regarding her whereabouts and routine. He faced his first charge of solicitation of capital murder after this incident. STAY INFORMED: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox After a tip from a second inmate two months later, an undercover officer posed as a hitman and twice met with Letourneau. Prosecutors said he offered the officer $5,000 during the first meeting, along with a storage locker filled with auto parts, to kill his ex-girlfriend. During the second meeting, the officer showed Letourneau a staged photo that made it appear his ex-girlfriend had been killed. On Friday, Letourneau was informed of the new charge during an appearance in the 184th state District Court, the DA's office said. He could face up to life in prison if convicted. The state filed a motion Friday to revoke Letourneau's phone privileges and place him in "double door" lockdown. Shourav Dasari was 14 years old when he and his 16-year-old sister Shobha Dasari began developing their business in the summer of 2017. Now, the siblings from Spring, along with their parents Usha and Ganesh, are the co-founders of a website that has been gaining popularity in the competitive spelling community SpellPundit. The 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. yielded unprecedented results. Not one, but eight spellers were named co-champions after a five-round stalemate. As it turned out, six of eight co-champs were SpellPundit users, including Sohum Sukhatankar, a 13-year-old Dallas resident who heard about the program from a previous national champion. Sukhatankar said hes been using SpellPundit for nearly one year to study for competitions. On top of its relative affordability, he appreciates that the website offers a range of learning modules at varying levels of spelling ability. Its pretty advanced and its very helpful, Sukhatankar said. The number of co-champions using SpellPundit may point to just how widespread the programs use has become. Sukhatankar said he knows of several fellow competitors who use SpellPundit. I find it very inspiring that talented spellers like the Dasari family can continue making a legacy in the spelling world even after theyve aged out of the competition, Sukhatankar said. According to Shourav Dasari, the website has about 1,000 active users. We definitely expected a fair amount of people to use it, but I dont think we expected it to blow up like it has, Shourav Dasari said. Watching his sisters success in her fourth-grade spelling bee inspired Shourav Dasari to take up the activity. After that, we both got motivated to do better in competition, Shourav Dasari said. We started preparing harder and it all kind of went from there. My sister went to the national spelling bee three times and her highest place was 19th. I went to the national spelling bee two times and my highest place was 4th. Related: When it comes to spelling, it's all in the family In the process of studying for competitions, the Dasaris compiled an Excel spreadsheet with a comprehensive list of terms, as well as additional information such as definitions and parts of speech. Shourav and Shobha Dasari continued competing until each aged out of competition upon entering The Woodlands College Park High School, where Shourav Dasari just completed his sophomore year. After we finished spelling, we knew the list would be really useful for other spellers to use, so we decided to create a website that made it accessible to everyone else, Shourav Dasari said. Approximately 120,000 words comprise the SpellPundit catalog and are categorized into sets based on factors such as difficulty. The program has two modes learning and testing. Learning mode lets users study terms and information using a flashcard-like approach. The testing mode challenges spellers to correctly recall and type a word given only the terms related information. People used to mainly rely on quizzing as the most common study method, Shourav Dasari said. Theyd read a list of words and then someone else like a parent or sibling quizzes them on those words. Thats not necessarily the most efficient study method because it requires two people to put in the work. By interacting with the websites modules at a self-guided pace, Shourav Dasari believes spellers may be able to work through word lists faster than by using some more traditional methods of study. As Shourav Dasari prepares to enter his junior year of high school, Shobha Dasari will head to Stanford University to study biomedical engineering. Nonetheless, Shourav said the plan is to continue operating the website. SpellPundit is a family enterprise, he explained. Their mother, Usha Dasari, maintains the website, while their father Ganesh Dasari handles customer support and public relations. Shourav and Shobha Dasari seek out new words and information to keep the website up-to-date. Being an entrepreneur, Shourav Dasari said, can be rewarding. All the hours we put in for spelling, making the lists and preparing, I guess its kind of nice that it pays off in a different way, he said. Its fulfilling to be able to give other people access to a really good resource. mfeuk@hcnonline.com Courtesy photo OakBend Medical Center held an event on Tuesday, June 11, to celebrate its Employee Giving Campaign. For the past three years, employees have donated to the employee campaign raising more than $295,000. The 2019 was the most successful to date with employee giving exceeding $102,000. This year, 400-plus employees donated to the campaign, which equates to greater than 40% employee participation. After years of success running his own law firm, Brian Middleton took a leap of faith in 2018 and entered politics as the Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County District Attorney. Although he admits at the time some friends and many outsiders openly doubted his chances, Middleton ultimately defeated the Republican challenger to become the first African-American elected to serve as Fort Bend County District Attorney. But during his years at North Shore High School, Middleton had less-than-stellar grades and says he hopes the story of his struggle to find academic success will inspire young people to overcome obstacles and succeed. In high school, I wasnt stupid. But I was an underachiever, just trying to fit in and be cool. A lot of my school counselors tried to guide me in the direction of studying trades. But, I had my mind set on going to college, Middleton recently told a group of students at the Houston Community College Missouri City campus. Despite not having the best grades in high school, I went on to graduate from law school with honors. I had a long successful career with my own practice. I think the lesson is that if you apply yourself you can achieve your dreams. If you dont have the grades yet, thats not a reason to give up on your dreams. Hard work and determination are key, Middleton told students at an open house presentation at HCCs Missouri City Campus Wednesday, June 12. The number-one determinate of success is grit. Its how hard you apply yourself. Fear is just an indication to proceed with caution. So, follow your instincts. Pursue your dreams and be zealous, he said. Everything begins with an idea. Your future will be determined by your intent. So, you need a vision to pursue. Get clear in your mind what it is you want to do, and that will become your intention. Middleton was among a group of Fort Bend County VIPs and elected officials at the open house that included Precinct 2 County Constable Daryl Smith Jr., First Assistant District Attorney Ibrahim E. Khawaja and Edward Gordon Jr., Chief Investigator for the DAs office. On HoustonChronicle.com: Fort Bend DA Brian Middleton reshapes staff to fit reform goals Community outreach is an ongoing goal for himself and his staff, Middleton said. We want to reach young people in our community, to give them a positive image about law enforcement and the district attorneys office. Often when we invite them to our functions, they dont show up. So, we decided well go where they are, he said when later interviewed. The Future is Up to You Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Constable Daryl Smith Jr. also spoke during the presentation and encouraged students to look beyond grades as the sole measure of academic success. Its not just the grades you have when you graduate that will help you, but make sure you retain what you learn. Strive to make the best grades you can get. But the point is not everybody can be an A student; not everybody can be a B student; but be the best student you can be, he said. For students considering a future job in law enforcement, Constable Smith advised finishing college before applying to a police academy. You must be 21 years-old before you can carry a gun and become a police officer. So, I tell young people today to go to college and get a degree. You can study criminal justice or another subject but take the time to get your degree. Then, when you are ready to apply to an academy and having a college degree will help you get ahead in your career, he said. The future is up to you. Light the fire within to reach your full potential During the presentation, Middleton introduced Ibrahim E. Khawaja and told students he was the first Arab-American to serve as First Assistant District Attorney not only in Fort Bend County, but in the State of Texas. Khawaja said he was inspired to pursue a law degree after participating in the Teen Court Program as a student at North Shore High School. I decided I had to be a lawyer after that opportunity, he said. After eearning a law degree from the University of Houston Law School, Khawaja went on to become a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorneys office. I flourished there and truly had the job of my dreams as a prosecutor, he said. In 2008, Khawaja left to start his own criminal defense litigation firm and worked in private practice for 11 years. But Middleton was elected last November and offered Khawaja the position of First Assistant DA, he leapt at the opportunity. We want students to know they already within all the tools they need to become successful. They need to be fostered and given opportunities to succeed, Khawaja said. But, they also need to light the fire within to reach their full potential. Houston Community College Missouri City The HCC Missouri City campus offers a wide range of college and continuing education classes. For example, the Information technology program offers computer and technology classes including instruction in cyber-security, programming and computer networks. The Health Science Program offers classes in medical coding, emergency medical technician, medical assistant and introduction to pharmacy among other things. For students planning to transfer to a four-year university, HCC Southwest offers a wide range of classes including chemistry, psychology, history, humanities, education, sociology and many more. Summer classes are now enrolling. HCC Southwest Missouri City campus is located at visit 1600 Texas Parkway. For complete course listings, visit www.hccs.edu/locations/southwest-college/missouri-city-campus Motorists in Tomball will soon drive through less congested roadways as some construction projects are expected to finish. Road construction on Texas 249, north of FM 2920 to the Spring Creek is expected to wrap up in late 2019, said Steven Peik with the engineering firm HDR, Inc. The portion from Harris County will be three lanes of toll road, three lanes of frontage road. As you get into Montgomery County, its going to be two lanes of toll road, three lanes of frontage road, he said. The construction on the 1.6-mile portion of Texas 249 undertaken by the Harris County Toll Road Authority began in March 2017. Related: Texas 249 expansion project shifts into next gear The roadway is expected to open in October or November, Peik said, which would be about a month ahead of the December opening date estimated by HCTRA. The second phase of the construction is approximately $130 million, according to the HCTRA website. Peik said that while rainy weather during the fall had been tough, retaining workers to work on completing the toll road has been a challenge as other construction projects, like the Grand Parkway, have also sought laborers. The manpower is getting to be an issue getting actual people to help out because there was a grab to get anyone thats available to come work for their company. Companies almost have to start giving more money or some sort of other perk to start working for them, he said. A portion of the construction in Montgomery County stretching 3.4 miles would stretch north of Spring Creek to Woodtrace Blvd. and is expected to be completed by mid 2020, Peik said. Within a year from now, we should be able to (get the) toll road up to the Woodtrace area, he said. The future construction of Texas 249 through Montgomery County into Pinehurst and through Magnolia up to Todd Mission may be completed in early 2021. Further construction north toward Texas 105 is expected to continue by the Texas Department of Transportation. Holderrieth Road The construction of Holderrieth Road west of Texas 249 to Calvert Road, which began in July 2018, was originally expected to the be completed in November. Related: Harris County road projects in Tomball set for completion this year The four-lane roadway construction was extended due to weather related issues, but is expected to be completed by the end of June, said Lindsey Trahan, capital improvements coordinator for the Harris County Precinct 4. We are looking to open the road to everybody by the end of this month, she said. The precinct is also completing a study on widening Holderrieth Road to four lanes from two just east of Texas 249 toward Hufsmith-Kohrville Road. The Harris County Commissioners Court will vote on approving the design for the widening during an upcoming meeting in July, Trahan said. mayra.cruz@chron.com Lone Star College names new vice chancellor of student success After an almost 40-year tenure in Aldine Independent School District, Archie Blanson has been selected to serve as Lone Star Colleges vice chancellor of student success. Blanson has a background in teaching and administration that hell use in his new duties including oversight of admissions, registration, dual credit, disabilities, enrollment management and other student service activities and partnerships. Hell also be the primary contact for local school districts involved with the college. LSC Chancellor Steve Head said in a press release that Blanson has a strong sense of commitment to equal opportunity and access for students. Blanson will assume his duties mid-July. Conroe ISD on list of top employers Forbes, through a partnership with research company Statista, compiled a list of the top 200 employers in Texas best liked by employees. The list, released earlier this week, ranked Conroe Independent School District as number 134. The district is one of nine school districts across the state that made the cut. Howard Hughes Corp. presents scholarships Earlier this month, 12 students who graduated from six area high schools and are attending college this fall received scholarships from the Howard Hughes Corp. Coming from College Park, Magnolia, Tomball, Willis, The John Cooper School and The Woodlands high schools, these students were first selected by their high school based on academics and extracurricular activities. The winners include: Dominic Beck, Zach Bouthillette, Corinne Eckert, Ameesha Kulkarni, Logan Lindstrom, Gabby Mussalli, Anna Neidigk, Tyler Oliver, George Salcido, Isaac Shelton, Enrique Valdez and Jessica Young. College-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners announced The first wave of more than 4,000 students across the country who won a college-sponsored National Merit Scholarship between $500 and $2,000 annually to support their undergraduate tuition were recently announced. The Woodlands area schools can claim 12 of those winners. From The Woodlands College Park High School, there were six student winners: Nicole Bealer, who plans to attend the University of Montana; Sithija Manage, who plans to attend Texas A&M University; Lucas Bolinder, who plans to attend the University of Oklahoma; Catherine Burr, who plans to attend Colorado State University; Ankit Chowdhury who plans to attend Texas A&M University; Abby Verzwyvelt, who plans to attend Baylor University. From The Woodlands High School, three students were selected: Rose Herdejurgen, who plans to attend Vanderbilt University; Rushil Kartala, who plans to attend Texas A&M University; Ahsan Mashruf, who plans to attend the University of Texas at Dallas. The John Cooper School had three winners: Samyuktha Hari, who plans to attend the University of Southern California; Erin Frankland, who plans to attend Vanderbilt University; Vidyal Pradeepkumar who plans to attend Texas A&M University. jane.stueckemann@chron.com The Gripen-E fighter during its maiden successful test flight in June 2017. Photo: SAAB STOCKHOLM (BNS): Swedish defence major SAAB, one of the contenders in Switzerlands Air2030 programme to acquire new-generation fighter platforms for the Swiss Air Force, has withdrawn its Gripen E multi-role fighter from participating in ground and flight trials scheduled to be held at Payerne, Switzerland from 24-28 June, 2019. SAABs decision comes after the Swiss defence procurement agency Armasuisse stipulated that the flight tests would involve and evaluate only those aircraft which are operationally ready in 2019. The flight tests are part of the fighter evaluation process that foresees aircraft deliveries (to Switzerland) in 2025. Gripen E will enter into operational service years before Switzerland has scheduled deliveries and will meet all its defined capabilities. However, the Gripen E development plan does not match the Swiss plan to perform flight tests with aircraft that are operationally ready in 2019. Therefore, SAAB has decided not to attend the Swiss flight tests in Payerne 24-28 June," the Swedish firm said in a statement. Gripen E is currently being developed, tested and produced for Sweden and Brazil. It is the most modern and technologically advanced fighter aircraft being developed. The programme is running at a fast and successful speed, with customer deliveries starting later this year, SAAB said further. Upon an invitation from Armasuisse, SAAB submitted a proposal for Gripen E on 25 January 2019. Since the submission of the proposal in January, the Armasuisse expectations on the flight tests have evolved to expect participation of operationally ready aircraft. As Gripen E is yet to become operational, SAAB has presented solutions to perform the Swiss flight tests in 2019. "An offer to complement the Gripen E test aircraft with an operational Gripen C aircraft for the flight tests in June 2019 has not been accepted by Armasuisse, the statement said. Switzerland plans to retire its aging fleet of F-5 and F/A-18 Hornets in the 2020s and replace them with new fighter platforms with expected deliveries by 2025. Other contenders for the Air2030 programme include Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin F-35A. While withdrawing from the ensuing flight trials programme, SAAB, however, remained committed to offer the Gripen E fighters to the Swiss Air Force. We believe that Gripen E is the best choice for Switzerland and the offer, as presented in January 2019, still stands. SAAB is committed to deliver at least 40 Gripen E fighter aircraft on time, meeting requirements and within planned budget, including a comprehensive support concept with local contribution, guaranteeing the most affordable operating costs and the highest level of autonomy, the company said in the statement released on June 13. The child cut from the womb of a murdered, pregnant teenager has died, local reports indicate. It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of baby Yovanny Jadiel Lopez, Lopez family spokeswoman Julie Contreras said in a statement on Facebook, according to the Chicago Sun Times. He passed away this Friday June 14, 2019 from his severe brain injury. Please keep his family in your thoughts & prayers as they go through this difficult time, she said. WGN also reported the child died. The infant's condition has been followed closely by the public, with some reports indicating there was reason for hope. Just weeks ago, there were reports that the baby had opened his eyes. "We were just praying and praying and he opened his eyes, and his dad said, 'Oh my God, he opened his eyes!'" Cecilia Garcia, a student pastor assisting the family, told CNN at the time. "We've been blessed, although this is a really bad tragedy, they're such a loving and humble family and it's just so wrong what happened to them." In early June, WFLD-TV reported the baby was improving and breathed for the first time on his own without a machine, family members said. Clarisa Figueroa, 46, strangled 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez at Figueroa's Chicago home last month, then removed the teen's baby from her body and pretended it was hers, authorities say. Figueroa and her daughter, Desiree Figueroa -- who police say helped in the strangulation -- were arrested in May after investigators found the teen's body in a trash can in Figueroa's yard. Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa, 24, were charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a child less than 13 years old. Clarisa Figueroa's boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, 40, has been charged with concealing the death of a person and one felony count of concealing a homicidal death. Police have said Ochoa-Lopez, a high school student, went to Figueroa's home at least twice this year after connecting on a Facebook group for mothers, where the teen accepted Figueroa's offer of baby items. Suspect pretended she was pregnant and lured victim to her home Assistant state's attorney James Murphy outlined for reporters the alleged actions Clarisa took to lure the pregnant mother. According to prosecutors, Clarisa Figueroa's 20-year-old son Xander died in 2018. In October, she announced that she was pregnant, which was a surprise to her family, since she had her Fallopian tubes tied. By December, Clarisa Figueroa had posted a picture of an ultrasound on Facebook, showing what she claimed was the baby she was carrying, Murphy said. In February, Clarisa Figueroa posted a picture of a crib and baby's room to a Facebook page aimed at helping improve access to baby items for families in need, Murphy said. The next month, she posted on the page again, asking, "Who is due in May" and "Where is the May mama's at." One of the people she connected with, Murphy said, was Ochoa-Lopez, who at that time was seven months pregnant. Clarisa Figueroa offered Ochoa-Lopez clothes for the baby and suggested they talk in a private message. Murphy said that by April 1, Clarisa Figueroa had told her daughter that "she needed help killing a pregnant woman and taking a baby." Around that time, Ochoa-Lopez first visited with Figueroa and Desiree, Murphy said. Desiree's boyfriend was also present. At some point on April 1, they were all together, and Clarisa and Desiree "kept acting strange and on numerous occasions went into a separate room together," leading the boyfriend to tell Desiree that he would call police if they attempted to kill Ochoa-Lopez. The teen then left the house, and Clarisa Figueroa and Desiree told the boyfriend that it was simply an April Fool's joke, Murphy said. How prosecutors say the killing happened On April 23, Murphy said, Ochoa-Lopez returned and sat on a couch. While Desiree Figueroa distracted the teen with a photo album, the elder Figueroa wrapped a cable around the teen's neck from behind, Murphy said. When the teen was able to put her fingers between her neck and the cable, the elder Figueroa told her daughter that she wasn't doing her job, Murphy said. Desiree "then stepped up and began to peel the victim's fingers from the cable one by one," Murphy said. Clarisa Figueroa then got on top of the teen and strangled her for about four to five minutes, the prosecutor said. When Ochoa-Lopez was dead, the elder Figueroa cut the teen's baby from her womb, and then called 911 and said she'd just delivered a baby that wasn't breathing, according to Murphy. Both were hospitalized, but Clarisa Figueroa showed no signs that might have suggested she had just delivered a baby, Murphy said. Ochoa-Lopez's husband reported her missing on April 24, police say. But it would take nearly three weeks before police unraveled what happened, culminating in investigators finding Ochoa-Lopez's remains in a trash can in the backyard of Clarisa Figueroa's home, authorities say. The victim's family alleges police should have made the arrests much sooner, saying that investigators didn't immediately act on leads that the family and community members were providing. Police say their break in the case came from victim's friend Police say a break in the case came May 7 when a friend of the victim told detectives about her Facebook exchanges with Figueroa before she vanished. Detectives visited the Figueroa home that day. Desiree Figueroa told them her mother was in the hospital for problems with her legs. Then she revealed that her mother had just delivered a baby, authorities said. The investigators searched the area and found Ochoa-Lopez's vehicle "not far away," Chicago police Deputy Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan told reporters Thursday. That same day, detectives interviewed the elder Figueroa at a hospital. She denied Ochoa-Lopez came to her house April 23 but admitted to meeting her in the past, Deenihan said. Suspicious, detectives spent the next several days subpoenaing hospital records and collecting DNA samples from the baby and Figueroa. "We determined that Clarisa (Figueroa) was not the mother through DNA," Deenihan said. DNA testing did show that Ochoa-Lopez's husband, Yovani Lopez, was the father, Deenihan said. The woman's body was found in a trash can Armed with a search warrant, crime lab officers searched Figueroa's house in May. Detectives discovered bleach and cleaning solutions in the home, along with evidence of burned clothing and blood on the floors of the living room, bathroom and a hallway, according to Deenihan. "They are finding remains of burned clothes, they are finding some blood indication on the living room carpet, some blood indication on the hallway, some blood indication on the bathroom floor," Deenihan said. Ochoa-Lopez's body was found in a garbage can in the back yard, along with a cable used to strangle her and other evidence, police said. A medical examiner determined that Ochoa-Lopez died of strangulation. Desiree Figueroa told detectives she helped her mother strangle Ochoa-Lopez, police said. The motive for the killing is under investigation, but Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Thursday he believes Clarisa Figueroa wanted to raise the child as her own. Family says police had opportunities to learn what happened sooner Ochoa-Lopez's family said they notified authorities about her interaction with the woman much sooner than May 7. Her husband tried to immediately report her missing to the police, but was told to come back in 72 hours, according to Jacobita Cortes, a pastor of a Chicago church that the family had asked for help. The husband did, and the family hired a private investigator who Cortes says helped to find Ochoa-Lopez's car near the Figueroa home. They also turned to the church for help in reaching out to the community at large, plastering the neighborhood with fliers. Residents last week started calling the church to report that they had seen the young mother enter the house where she was found dead. They said that one of the women who lived there, in her 40s, suddenly had a baby without ever appearing to be pregnant, according to Cortes. Ochoa-Lopez's father, Arnulfo Ochoa, said there were opportunities to find his daughter sooner. "(The private detective) went into that (Facebook) page and found all the information, and he gave it to the police. But even then, they took too long to get there," Ochoa said at a news conference Thursday. "There's going to be anger associated," Johnson, the police superintendent, said Thursday. "When things of this nature occur, the first thing people do is look in retrospect, what could we have done to maybe prevent this? I know our detectives do the best they can." YARDLEY BOROUGH >> Yardley Borough Council will begin the new year looking for a seventh member. Just days before he was scheduled to be sworn in to a four year term, Michael Schummer has decided not to take the seat he was elected to in November. I have recently made the decision that due to personal issues, I will not... A Harris County constable deputy accused of sexually assaulting two women while on duty was released from jail Friday morning after posting bail, according to authorities. Richard Cornejo, who worked for the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office for just over two years, paid bail on $50,000 bonds for both sexual assault charges, court records show. He also posted bail on a $5,000 bond for a misdemeanor charge of official oppression, records show. He was released just after midnight Thursday morning, jail officials said. RELATED: Former deputy charged with sexual assault may have more victims, police say According to earlier reports in the Houston Chronicle, the 37-year-old deputy was fired from the constable's office in November, months after the first woman came forward in May 2018. The second woman came forward in November. Both women were patrons at Palacios, an after-hours club in the 400 block of North Sam Houston Parkway in the Greenspoint area, police said. Cornejo was on duty and in uniform outside the club in his marked patrol SUV, a Chevrolet Tahoe. In one of the cases, he found a woman sleeping in a car outside the club and spotted a marijuana cigarette in the vehicle. The woman said he then offered to follow her home, where the assault occurred, authorities said. In another case, he pulled a woman over and made her drive to a separate location, where he sexually assaulted her, police said. More Information 7 See More Collapse In the court document that details the official oppression charge, Conejo is accused of groping a woman "while a public servant acting under color of his office and employment." Last week, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo urged other possible victims to come forward with information about Cornejo. "He was probably stopping people he thought were intoxicated and trying to take advantage of them," Acevedo said. "We really believe there's other victims." Staff writer Jay R. Jordan contributed to this report. Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. A man died late Thursday after he was stabbed at a bus stop at Buffalo Speedway and Main Street, Houston police said. The victim appeared to be waiting for a bus at about 10 p.m., police said, when someone approached him with the knife. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Chron.com compiled 20 of the top stories from the Houston Chronicle this week, including major developments in the newspaper's Abuse Of Faith investigation and an exclusive interview in the Maleah Davis case. In Kemah, residents remembered the city's police chief, whose body was found after he was thrown overboard from a boat in waters near Texas City. Late president and Houstonian George H.W. Bush was commemorated in College Station as the United States Postal Service unveiled a forever stamp honoring the family's patriarch. Whataburger isn't just a Texas thing anymore. And people from Houston to DFW to El Paso and almost everywhere in between are not happy about it. Especially not J.J. Watt. The hulking lineman may have Wisconsin roots, but Texas has become his home away from home. Here's what's got the Texans star so unhappy. On HoustonChronicle.com: New Whataburger swag just for dad On Friday, Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners announced it had agreed to acquire a majority stake in Whataburger, the incredibly popular Texas-based burger chain (you can read about the full details of that deal here). Watt has expressed his love of Whataburger before. And on Twitter, he even proposed an inventive, multi-step solution for how to keep the brand out of the hands of a non-Texas company. Above you can read Watt's solution and how residents in Houston and the state of Texas reacted to the sale of Whataburger. Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here Finding the right balance of cloud computing resources Administrators in cloud data centers can use these algorithms to develop efficient service-level agreements and cost-effectively manage the computing resources involved in those agreements. BUFFALO, N.Y.Researchers in the University at Buffalo School of Management have developed a solution to manage cloud computing resources more cost-effectively. Forthcoming in Information Systems Research, the study develops strategies for virtual resource management in cloud data centers by integrating concepts and methods from computer science, machine learning, operations management and statistics into algorithms that can be applied to a number of different virtual computing environments. Our findings are most relevant to infrastructure-as-a-service providers, who provide the physical hardware like servers and networking equipment for cloud computing, but they can easily be extended to platform-as-a-service environments as well, says Ram Ramesh, professor of management science and systems in the UB School of Management. To validate the performance of their model, the researchers developed use cases based on actual pricing and service data from Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). Based on these cases, their framework can achieve up to 30% cost savings compared to the traditional resource management model. The researchers say their findings will have the greatest impact for cloud service contract administrators, managers for cloud computing products and services, and engineers for cloud computing technology. Cloud resource management is a complex issue, with multiple performance metrics to consider, says Ramesh. Administrators in cloud data centers can use these algorithms to develop efficient service-level agreements and cost-effectively manage the computing resources involved in those agreements. Ramesh collaborated on the study with Zhiling Guo, associate professor of information systems at Singapore Management University, and Jin Li, assistant professor at Xidian University School of Economics and Management. Computer engineers, computer programmers, software engineers and designers among those benefiting from easier access to work in Canada Canadas Global Talent Stream: Nearly 24,000 visas granted in 2 years Computer engineers, computer programmers, software engineers and designers among those benefiting from easier access to work in Canada Canadas Global Talent Stream: Nearly 24,000 visas granted in 2 years Computer engineers, computer programmers, software engineers and designers among those benefiting from easier access to work in Canada Canadas Global Talent Stream: Nearly 24,000 visas granted in 2 years Computer engineers, computer programmers, software engineers and designers among those benefiting from easier access to work in Canada CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A The Government of Canada this week marked the two-year anniversary of its Global Skills Strategy, which has welcomed nearly 24,000 highly skilled foreign workers through its flagship Global Talent Stream. The Global Talent Stream provides Canadian employers with easier access to temporary foreign workers with experience in 13 occupational categories in fields such as Information Technology and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Occupations covered by the Global Talent Stream include computer engineers, computer programmers, software engineers and designers and web designers and developers. As Canadas technology sector has historically struggled to attract the talent it needs to scale up, this is precisely the type of talent our Government had in mind when it first launched the [Global Skills Strategy], Canadas Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, said in a joint statement. Canadas Information and Communication Technology Council (ICTC) has forecasted 216,000 job vacancies in the countrys ICT sector by 2021. The Government of Canada announced in March that it was making the Global Talent Stream permanent, a move that was welcomed by the Council of Canadian Innovators, among others. The stream allows employers to submit a facilitated Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which waives the requirement to prove they first tried recruiting Canadians and permanent residents of Canada, and expedites the LMIA approval process. The statement said the Global Talent Stream was created to fill labour needs that arent being met by Canadian workers. While Canadian workers are among the worlds most highly educated and skilled, for Canadian firms to remain globally competitive, they must also be able to attract the best minds and talent from other countries, it reads, noting that more than 1,100 Canadian employers have used the Global Talent Stream since its creation in 2017. Around 25 per cent of those recruited through the Global Talent Stream are coming in from the United States and the majority are citizens of India, Hussen told Bloomberg News. Around 16,000 family members accompanied those recruited through the program and benefited from access to work and study permits, he said. Demand for tech workers rising Employers who use the Global Talent Stream must create a Labour Market Benefits Plan that details both the mandatory and complementary benefits of hiring skilled global talent for Canadas labour market, such as job creation, skills and training investments. According to the statement, employers using the Global Talent Stream have committed to creating 48,000 jobs and more than 12,500 paid co-op positions and dedicated more than $113 million to skills development and training. With the Global Skills Strategy, Canada is positioned to succeed in the global race for talent, the statement says. By helping Canadian companies grow, this strategy is creating more jobs for Canadas middle class and a stronger Canadian economy. Tech workers are in high demand in Canada and have a number of options for gaining permanent residence. A key example is British Columbias Tech Pilot, which provides a pathway to permanent residence for tech workers with eligible job offers in 29 occupations. Ontario has also announced its intention to create a similar tech-focused immigration stream, though no details have been released. Tech workers have also fared well under Canadas Express Entry system, the countrys principal pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign labour. In 2017, candidates with work experience as information systems analysts and consultants, software engineers and computer programmer and interactive media developers received the most invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residence through the Express Entry system. Find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool 2019 CICNews All Rights Reserved New York is supposedly in a race with the country and the country with the rest of the world to deploy next-generation 5G wireless networks that could bring us capabilities like remote surgery and, perhaps less significantly, the ability to download whole movies in a matter of seconds. But as New York takes intermittent steps in the direction of deploying the necessary infrastructure to accommodate 5G networks, activists raising concerns about dire health effects of cellphone and wireless radiation are gaining some political traction. Last month, the Syracuse Common Council voted to approve a deal that will allow Verizon to install small cell towers in the city that can transmit data on a new part of the radio spectrum that 5G will use. But approval of the deal Verizon worked out with Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh was a somewhat close vote, passing by five to three. In the months leading up to that vote, some on the Common Council raised concerns about the potential health risks of 5G. Were getting calls also and were getting letters from people telling us to vote no, because theyre concerned about the cancer, the frequencies and all that good stuff, Common Council President Helen Hudson said at a meeting before the vote in early May. Concerns about the health effects of radiation from cellphones and cell towers are nothing new, but the looming expansion into 5G includes specific changes that has some more worried than before. Across the country, small but vocal groups of local activists are bringing awareness to what they call adverse health effects of cell phones and other wireless technology. Manhattan Neighbors for Safer Telecommunications is one such group in New York. While most groups are small in number, there are national associations, like Americans for Responsible Technology, that pull these local factions together. Cellphones emit radiofrequency radiation, which is non-ionizing, or low-frequency and low-energy. Unlike ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays, which are ionizing radiation and much higher on the electromagnetic spectrum, non-ionizing radiation is emitted by devices including radios and remote controls widely viewed as harmless. But 5G will be slightly different. 5G networks will use frequencies that are higher on the radio spectrum than what is used now. These are known as millimeter waves, and while the frequencies are roughly 10 times higher than whats used today, theyre still about 10,000 times lower than frequencies of x-rays, gamma rays and ultraviolet. 5G will also require more cell towers to be built. In order to transmit millimeter waves, small cell towers like the ones coming to Syracuse will be perched on top of light poles, stop signs and buildings, meaning that theyll be closer to homes and schools. And in order to provide full coverage, small cell towers need to be placed closer together than cell towers are now. In Syracuse, theyll be installed on nearly every block. The concern among activists fighting 5G is that combined with our expanding use of cellphones and wireless networks, these small cell towers close to home will lead to constant, long-term exposure to radiofrequency radiation. They fear that will lead to unknown negative health effects. But many experts, researchers and organizations including the American Cancer Society, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. National Toxicology Program dont classify radiofrequency radiation as cancer-causing for humans. The World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies them as possibly carcinogenic, but they also list coffee as a possible carcinogen. For four generations of cellphones, I've seen people claim health effects, but there just hasn't been any conclusive evidence, said Ted Rappaport, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, computer science and radiology medicine at New York University. Rappaport also founded NYU WIRELESS, a multidisciplinary research center focusing on wireless communications and applications. Still, these debates about whether there are health concerns persist and lawmakers and elected officials have taken notice. A small town north of San Francisco recently blocked deployment of small cell towers over community health concerns. And earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens, wrote a letter on the subject to Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates radiofrequency devices. Suozzi notified Pai that his constituents had concerns about the health effects of radiofrequency radiation, and about the fact that the FCCs limits for safe radiofrequency radiation exposure are higher than in other countries. U.S. Reps. Andy Kim and Peter Defazio also wrote similar letters. Suozzi and other elected officials are acting in part on behalf of activists like Debbie Torinese Persampire, a woman who lives in the town of Huntington on Long Island, and the founder of one of the advocacy groups challenging the buildout of 5G networks, Citizens for 5G Awareness. Persampire said she founded the group about two years ago, when she saw a small cell tower go up about five feet away from her backyard fence and began researching what it was. I have young children, and I wanted to know whether or not it was still safe to continue living in this home with this antennae, this small cell antennae right outside, she said. Since then, Persampire has taken on the fight against 5G full-time, and her group has over 1,300 members on Facebook. But why, if experts say theres no reason to fear that radiofrequency will cause cancer in humans, are groups like Citizens for 5G Awareness getting the attention of lawmakers? Some argue its because the body of research is lacking. While its true that high-quality studies havent found clear evidence of an increased risk of cancer from cellphone use in humans, the methods of most studies are not ideal, in part because its hard to measure long-term effects of radiofrequency radiation when our use of cellphones is still relatively new and constantly evolving. A review of medical studies on cellphone radiation in Vox found that theres not enough high-quality evidence to make a definitive determination. Jonathan Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, told Vox that any position can be argued based on the current science because theres not enough evidence. The Vox review also found that there is little data about other health effects of cellphone use, and no conclusions about what steady exposure does to kids which is what Persampire and other advocates speak about most. But the studies touted by the other side have limitations as well. One of the studies that anti-5G advocates point to as proof of health risk was conducted by the National Toxicology Program at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whose results were published last year. The study found that high exposure to radiofrequency radiation from cellphones was linked to some negative health effects in male rats, including clear evidence of heart tumors, some evidence of brain tumors and some evidence of tumors in adrenal glands. While the results from the reputable study are significant, experts warn that theyre not directly applicable to humans. For one, the rats in the study received nine hours of exposure to radiofrequency radiation at higher energy levels than 4G and 5G emits per day over their entire bodies, which is quite different to how humans use cellphones. Another subject of criticism that has been raised and not just by activists is the fact that the FCCs guidelines for safe radiofrequency radiation exposure have not been updated since 1996. Suozzi, Kim and Defazio raised this concern in their letters to the FCC, while a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office recommends that the FCC reassess its current exposure and testing requirements. In his response to letters from lawmakers, Pai noted that the FCC has been in that process since 2013, reviewing its current rules and soliciting expert comment to determine whether the current regulations should be changed. 5G has the ability to transform our nation, and we must be sure that all relevant stakeholders have a say in the implementation process, Suozzi said in an emailed statement. The FCC has circumvented the authority of local governments in its rulemaking process and I would urge them and all the relevant health agencies to work with members of Congress and local governments to address the concerns of constituents around the country. So while those raging against the forthcoming 5G buildout are getting support from some lawmakers, it doesnt look like theyll be able to stop the next generation of wireless. Still, with a handful of lawmakers taking on the issue, and hesitation within local governments like Syracuse, groups like Citizens for 5G Awareness will likely continue to be a vocal faction. The harder we push, I feel like the harder they push back, Persampire said. At a 5G conference hosted by Verizon and City & State in April, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said that her office has received dozens of phone calls about health concerns. The scientists say its not an issue, but then youll see some scientists who say it is. I dont know, Brewer said. New York City has not yet deployed pilots of 5G as other cities have, but its not far away. While regulation of 5G radio frequency rests with the Federal Communications Commission, we are taking a thoughtful approach to prepare for its implementation in New York City, said Robin Levine, a spokeswoman for the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. Greg Loh, chief policy officer for the city of Syracuse, said cities should follow the FCCs lead, adding that Syracuse is taking extra precautions. While Syracuse did enter into an agreement with Verizon Wireless, the Federal Communications Commission had already established the ability for wireless carriers to provide this service in Syracuse and in other cities around the country, Loh wrote over email. Our agreement with Verizon Wireless actually requires a higher standard of testing of small wireless facilities than would be available without the agreement. New technologies always have some unknowns, but it was our belief that any agreement needed to have controls in place to mitigate even potential risks. The city of Syracuse will be able to test any facilities to ensure levels are below the FCC limit or require Verizon to do so, and would shut off any that are found non-compliant. And while future research may support or disprove some of the fears, New Yorkers probably have bigger things to worry about in the meantime. People need to be more worried about putting on sunscreen and getting too many x-rays and taking too many flights above 10,000 feet, than they need to be worried about 5G cellular, Rappaport said. The seven Democratic candidates for Queens district attorney have been challenging each others records for months in a series of small debates and forums. But this week they hit the big time, with back-to-back broadcast forums, on Tuesday night on cable station NY1 and on Wednesday morning on public radio station WNYC. The candidates mostly stuck to their own records in the two debates. Nobody even took the bait when, during the WNYC debate, co-moderator Christine Chung from The City asked the candidates a question that seemed designed to ruffle feathers: (Candidate Tiffany) Caban has a decline to prosecute list of certain crimes. Who disagrees with any of those? Instead, as usual in this contest, there was a lot of agreement on the issues. But the debates werent total love fests, and one candidate got more than her fair share of attacks: Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, who has a target on her back thanks to being the presumptive frontrunner. So City & State took a look at some of the candidates claims, against Katz and others, that deserved closer scrutiny. Claim: Katz couldnt answer a simple question about grand juries. Debate response: Mina Malik, who previously worked as an assistant district attorney in Queens, sought to highlight Katzs lack of experience in criminal court in Tuesdays NY1 debate. Can you tell us, and describe for us, Malik asked, the number of grand jurors that you need, and what constitutes a quorum, and what number you need to return an indictment? You could do it in New York with 12, Katz responded, but thats not really the issue. She then pivoted to discussing her record as an elected official. At the WNYC debate Wednesday, Malik brought up the previous nights exchange, saying she had asked Katz a simple question about basic criminal law in terms of grand jury practice, and she couldnt answer it. Katz responded that 12 people have to vote and 16 people make a quorum, then said Maliks gotcha attitude wouldnt work in the district attorneys office. Fact check: Katz, the only candidate in the race without some experience in criminal court, apparently didnt want to get into the details of grand juries. But her initial response You could do it in New York with 12 did correctly answer the part of Maliks question about the number of jurors needed for an indictment. According to the states 2017 Grand Jurors Handbook, grand juries have 23 members, 16 jurors constitutes a quorum for deliberating or hearing evidence, and at least 12 jurors must agree to return an indictment. Claim: Katz shifted her position on cash bail. Debate response: When asked on NY1 for her position on a new state law limiting the circumstances in which judges can ask for cash bail from a defendant, Katz was clear: Under my administration, we will have no cash bail. Later, New York City Councilman Rory Lancman accused her of changing her tune. The councilman said Katz previously supported only limiting cash bail, and not its outright ban in both misdemeanor and felony cases. The borough president has put out palm cards saying that she supports ending cash bail for low-level misdemeanors, or on her website, ending cash bail for non-violent felonies and misdemeanors, Lancman said. Directly asked by NY1 reporter Bobby Cuza if she had changed her position, Katz said no. Lancman pushed again on the topic, and Katz said that it may have been on the palm card, but insisted that she has been clear about no cash bail since the first debate. Fact check: Katz has clearly shifted her stated position on cash bail. When Katz launched her campaign on Dec. 4, 2018, the Queens Daily Eagle, the New York Law Journal and the Queens Chronicle reported that she supported ending cash bail only for misdemeanors, but not for all felonies. That month, Katz tweeted that she would End cash bail on all misdemeanors and non-violent felonies.During the NY1 debate, Lancmans campaign tweeted a photo of an undated Katz palm card saying she would end cash bail for low-level misdemeanors. Caban campaign spokeswoman Monica Klein also tweeted a video during the debate, allegedly taken in January, of Katz saying, If its misdemeanors, Im not going to ask for bail. Additionally, Katz submitted a questionnaire to the left-leaning criminal justice reform group 5 Boro Defenders in January in which she wrote, I will not seek cash bail for any misdemeanors, and I would advocate for broader state legislation to end to cash bail for misdemeanors. Asked to clarify, Katz campaign spokesman Grant Fox pointed to examples of Katz saying she wanted to end the practice of cash bail from the beginning of the campaign. City & State initially changed this story to reflect that, but further research confirmed that, in the early months of the campaign, Katz was clear in her support about ending cash bail only for misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. Katz was still clear about ending cash bail only for misdemeanors at a March 12 forum. But her position seemed to have shifted some time around April 1, when the state Legislature passed a bill legalizing exactly what she supported the elimination of cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. Two days later, her campaign told Qns.com that Katz supported eliminating cash bail altogether. She seems to have been consistent since then, saying that she as district attorney would not ask for cash bail in any case. More recent palm cards say she would end cash bail completely, as does her campaign website. Claim: The late Queens district attorney had a punitive, carceral mentality. Debate response: The late Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, who died in May, was not able to respond to Lancmans comments on NY1 that his approach to addressing crime was shaped entirely by a punitive, carceral mentality, but Lancman defended that with a statement that could be checked: Today, Queens sends more people charged with misdemeanors to Rikers Island than any other borough. Fact check: That statement is true, according to data provided by the New York City Department of Correction. As the Daily News reported in May, the Queens district attorneys office sent more misdemeanor criminal defendants to jail in 2018 than the prosecutors in the other boroughs. Manhattan and Brooklyn both send more people in total to jail, because of a higher proportion of felony charges, but Queens is in the lead for misdemeanors. Claim: Katz mischaracterized her criminal justice record. Debate response: During the NY1 debate, Katz proudly said she has a history of doing criminal justice reform. But Caban took issue with that, saying, Katz has co-sponsored legislation that praised the 1994 crime bill that contributed to mass incarceration, and has voted and supported for increasing penalties for low-level offenses like graffiti. Fact check: When she was a New York City councilwoman, Katz was one of 16 sponsors of a 2002 resolution calling on the federal government to continue providing funding for NYPD officer salaries. That grant program was created as a result of the 1994 federal crime bill, and while the resolution that Katz co-sponsored did say that the funding helped reduce crime in the city, it would be a stretch to say that it praised the crime bill as a whole. As for graffiti, Katz was one of 22 sponsors on a 2003 law that increased penalties for people repeatedly convicted of graffiti-related misdemeanors. Two years later, she was the lead sponsor of a law to make people convicted of doing graffiti take part in graffiti-removal programs as part of their sentencing. Katzs campaign countered with other examples of her record on criminal justice reform, like the 1996 law she sponsored as an assemblywoman to extend the statute of limitations for cases of sexual abuse against a child and a 1996 law increasing penalties for certain crimes against the welfare of a child. Her spokesman Grant Fox also pointed to Katz holding warrant forgiveness events and legal clinics for immigrants as borough president. Claim: Lasak helped exonerate 20 men and Malik exonerated 26. Debate response: A major part of the campaign of former Supreme Court Judge Gregory Lasak and indeed his public profile for almost two decades is that he helped exonerate about 20 men by leading the wrong man unit as an assistant district attorney in Queens. In the 90s, it came to my attention that there were claims of innocent men in prison, Lasak said during the WNYC debate. I reinvestigated those cases, on my own, and was able to exonerate over 20 men of color who were wrongfully arrested, indicted or convicted. At the same debate, Malik touted her work as special counsel to the late Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. We established a conviction review unit where we looked at claims of wrongful conviction, and in the five years since we established the unit, we exonerated and freed 26 wrongfully convicted people. Fact check: Lasak has been consistent in his claims of exonerating over 20 men since at least 2003, when he left the district attorneys office to become a judge. Though Lasak himself has previously called his review work the wrong man unit, a Lasak campaign spokesman said that name was created by the press, and that it was never an official unit of the office. As for the number, Lasak uses a wider definition of exonerations than some others, including not just those who were wrongfully convicted, but also those who were wrongfully arrested and indicted but freed before trial. Some of those cases are sealed, Lasaks spokesman explained, so they could not provide details about all of them, but the National Registry of Exonerations lists 12 post-conviction exonerations in Queens during the years Lasak worked in the office. And New York Times columnist Jim Dwyer, who wrote a book about exonerations, agreed with the more than 20 number on Twitter in April. As for Malik, she was part of a team that created the Conviction Review Unit in the Brooklyn district attorneys office in 2014. She left in 2015, but she was correct in saying the unit has exonerated 26 people, according to press releases from the office although most were after her departure, with the most recent exoneration coming in May. Editors note: This post has been updated to clarify Melinda Katzs evolving stance on ending cash bail. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council are nearing a deal on the fiscal year 2020 city budget, with a handshake agreement expected as soon as Thursday evening, but no later than the first half of next week. Things are heading in a good direction, but its not done yet, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said at an unrelated press conference Thursday afternoon. The budget is expected to be devoid of any new, big ticket initiatives for city residents after de Blasio set a cautious tone in his February preliminary budget and April executive budget announcements. But Johnson provided a laundry list of budget requests that were still on the table, including pay parity for pre-k teachers who dont work in Department of Education facilities, reversing proposed cuts to public libraries and adding $250 million to the reserves, to be used in case of a fiscal downturn. The mayors office has previously fought back on all those fronts, with de Blasio insisting the current reserves, about $5.5 billion in total, are enough. Johnson said the finances were on his side, since there was an increase in expected personal income tax revenue since the mayor released his executive budget about $450 million more. The mayors office didnt immediately respond to a request to confirm that number, but it would mean that the citys operating budget could be rising to an all-time high of $93 billion. That would be a nearly $4 billion increase over the $89.2 billion budget de Blasio signed last June. Johnson may have another trump card in asking for certain initiatives to be funded: de Blasios presidential ambitions. More than ever, the mayor is likely to want a stress-free budget agreement without major hangups that council members or the press could point to as a stain on de Blasios leadership. Just last week, Johnson told the New York Times that he and the mayor were nowhere close this year to having a budget done, suggesting a deal might be delayed up until the June 30th budget deadline because of de Blasios frequent travel to early presidential primary states like Iowa and South Carolina. But the speaker and the mayor have met in person at least twice since that interview, including a 90-minute sit-down at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon. Johnson seemed to be feeling much more positively about budget talks on Thursday, praising de Blasios good faith negotiations. The entire City Council was present at City Hall Thursday for a regularly scheduled meeting, and news started leaking out about what initiatives would be making it into the budget deal. A well-informed Council source told City & State that the city would be providing funding for 200 new social workers in city schools. That would be a significant win for advocates, including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who have pushed for social worker funding to come out of the budget for the Thrive NYC initiative first lady Chirlane McCrays mental health program which has been criticized for its high spending and opaque results. Still, most members stayed tight-lipped about what they expected the budget deal to look like. A more common topic of conversation was exactly when the mayor and the speaker would meet in the City Hall rotunda for a customary handshake signifying a final deal had been reached. With the mayor due at Gracie Mansion after 7 p.m. on Thursday for a Jewish heritage event, members and their staff were left wondering whether they would be making their evening plans. But, as Johnson put it, a number of puzzle pieces needed to still be fit together as of Thursday afternoon, including potential funding increases for parks, trash pickup and salaries for public defenders. One piece to watch in the final budget agreement: census funding. After the mayor released his executive budget, the council released a statement calling for the city to devote $40 million to ensuring an accurate count in the 2020 census more than the mayors proposed $26 million. But on Thursday, Johnson didnt mention it. The crowd of protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday stretched more than a mile. As the citys legislature considered a bill that would allow extraditions from Hong Kong, which is semi-autonomous, to China, Civil Human Rights Front, the group that organized the demonstration, estimated that more than a million people had come out to march. Hong Kong police, however, put the number at 240,000 people. Crowd size is a marker for energy around a cause. Its hard to measure enthusiasm based on speeches or noise level, says Steve Doig, who specializes in data-based crowd-counting as a professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. So the size of the crowd is the token that various sides will want to inflate or deflate. In 1996, Congress banned the National Park Service from releasing crowd size estimates after the activist Louis Farrakhan threatened to sue over its calculation that the Million Man March attracted only 400,000 people. (Researchers at Boston University did an independent analysis and found that the crowd was closer to 800,000.) Donald Trumps claimthat the audience for his inauguration in 2017 was the largest everwas clearly not true; but his urge to surpass previous numbers was based on comparisons to other fictitious crowd counts. Lyndon Johnsons swearing-in supposedly had 1.2 million attendees, in 1965. Those are impossible standards to beat, Doig says. The claim that Im the most popular becomes ridiculous. Large crowds typically arent contained neatly enough for an easy body count unless people gather in an arena or convention hall. The gold standard is to measure the area containing the crowd and then make a reasonable estimate of the density, Doig says. Its simple math, its reality-based. Thats why parades, or migrating marches, are the hardest of all to quantify, for journalists and police alike. Doig has a few go-to ways of making his calculations. His first tip: learn The Jacobs Method. Herbert Jacobs should be enshrined, Doig says. In the 1960s, Jacobs was a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, whose office overlooked the plaza where protests against the Vietnam War were held. Bricks divided the ground into a pattern of squares. As Jacobs looked down, he created a technique: in a loose crowd, measure one person per ten square feet. It sounds like a lot of space, Doig says, but youre arms length from everyones shoulder. In a tight crowd, each person has five square feet. Youre really in each others space then, he says. There are a lot of ridiculous estimates for one square foot per person, but thats beyond mosh pit density. Doig also likes to imagine the view from a balloon in the sky. Standing at head level, as a new president would during an inauguration, makes crowds look immensea sea of humanity, Doig says. An overhead shot gives better perspectivethough thats hard to come by in Washington, DC, where there are no helicopter flights and no tall buildings; the capital region is also a no drone zone. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Hell also enlist a team. In 2010, for instance, Doig covered labor protests in Lisbon with the help of several students. They came up with a method based on time: Ten seconds is pretty much the limit of attention span, he says. His students positioned themselves at different points along the parade route and counted how many protestors marched by every ten seconds. The team checked for consistent crowd density, and later they compared numbers, before multiplying their tally by the length of time the march took. In the end, the labor unions claimed to have 100,000 protestors. Doigs team estimated that the actual number was closer to 10,000. In Hong Kong, because the protests moved through so many streets, the real challenge, Doig says, is in knowing the available population. In 2017 Hong Kong had 7.4 million residents. If theyre claiming 1 million marched, ask yourself if truly one in every seven people is here, Doig says. Ask: Are enough people not here to explain how everything in this city is still operating? How many of the population are kids in school right now, not on the street? What percentage of the total population are able-bodied adults? Its also worth checking Google Earth, and trying to measure the potential area in which a crowd can gather. Using this method when reviewing a photograph of the Hong Kong demonstrations (above) published this week in The New York Times, Doig figures that the space in view, Hennessy Road, is 210 meters long and 25 meters across, or some 5,500 square meters. At the front, people were a little less than an arms length apart, he observestight for a parade, but not as dense as a standing crowdwhich would make for one person per square meter (roughly ten square feet, per the Herb Jacobs rule). An Asian crowd tends to be filled with people who arent as, er, large as us beefy Americans, he says, and they are more accustomed to being in tighter quarters. So I am arbitrarily going to call this a density of 0.8 square meters per person. That makes for about 7,000 people in the photo. That doesnt help estimate the total crowd that day because we have no idea of all the streets that may have been filled, he adds. Buildings in Hong Kong are so tall that satellite images can be tough to collect, and overhead footage becomes nearly impossible to decipher. From what hes seen from sources on the ground, he would accept conservative estimatesof some quarter of a million protesters in Hong Kong. It would be impossible to make a reliable calculation himself. If 7,000 people fit in 210 meters, there would need to be 142.9 street segments, or about 18.6 miles of streets packed at once to count a million protestors, which seems like too many. None of this is exact science, Doig says. Is that what happened? Dunno. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Amanda Darrach is a contributor to CJR and a visiting scholar at the University of St Andrews School of International Relations. Follow her on Twitter @thedarrach. Climate change has become a defining issue in the early Democratic presidential primary. But the Democratic National Committee has rebuffed calls to hold a dedicated debate on the topic, raising concerns that the issue will once more remain siloed during an election cycle. DNC chairman Tom Perez wrote on Medium this week that the party wouldnt acquiesce to candidates who wanted single-issue debates, although he said he has made clear to our media partners that the issue of climate change must be featured prominently. Perez, who served as Labor Secretary under President Obama, said he wanted to have candidates engage on a range of issues that matter to the American people. But climate change wasnt treated as just one issue during Obamas presidency. It was spread out across the cabinet. The State Department, for example, negotiated the Paris Agreement, and the Transportation Department focused on the risks extreme weather posed to infrastructure. Recently: Severe weather pits meteorologists against some viewers As journalists and candidates seek to show that climate change is too vast to restrict to an environmental issue, theres concern that the DNCs decision is going the opposite way. By refusing to devote one night to an issue that threatens to throw human civilization into crisis, wrote New York Times columnist Justin Gillis, the DNC is enabling another round of presidential primaries in which the climate crisis is basically hidden in the attic. Jay Inslee, the Washington governor and presidential candidate who led the calls for a climate debate, told Mother Jones that he would still participate in a separate climate debate despite apparent DNC threats to blacklist any candidate who did so (Perez has said candidates can participate in issue-based forums and town halls). Sixty-second sound bites, which is all youll be able to get in a party debate, is grossly inadequate to the task, he said. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Unlike previous elections, climate change tops voters concerns ahead of 2020; an April CNN poll of Democratic voters found that 82 percent listed climate change as very important. That should incentivize candidates to discuss climate change from as many perspectives as they can, Max Boykoff, director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, says. Climate change is an issue that cuts to the heart of how we work, live, organize ourselves, how we meet our needs every day, Boykoff, the author of the upcoming book Creative (Climate) Communications, says. Given the information we have, given the challenge we face, its insufficient to not have a dedicated debate to it. Dedicating a debate to climate change would elevate the publics awareness of the biggest story of our time, Bobby Magill, a reporter at Bloomberg Environment and the president of the Society of Environmental Journalists, says in an email. There are so many climate-related issues at stake: The Green New Deal, which has become a GOP favorite subject of scorn, as well as carbon pricing, renewable energy, national security, rising seas, immigration and the future of fossil fuels, he says. Most of those issues affect everybody and are highly political. Campaigns are rarely the best venue for policy discussion, and party polarization means that a general-election debate over climate change effectively devolves into whether or not to trust the scientific consensus. But among Democrats, there is the chance for nuance. And while sixty-second answers wont allow candidates to get far beyond the top-line goals of their climate-change plans, filling 90 minutes of debate time would force each to reckon with the differences between their plans, whether its the phase-out timeline for coal and natural gas, or how they would engage Congress in passing climate legislation. Elizabeth Warren could talk about how her public lands protection plan would limit fossil fuel drilling; Michael Bennet could offer more detail on his Climate Bank strategy to catalyze private investment. Mitchell S. McKinney, a professor of political communication at Missouri University who has studied presidential debates, says parties have rarely held single-issue debates; candidates and organizers are more interested in giving voters an overall impression of a candidates style than the depths of their policy plans. But, he says, climate-focused candidates like Inslee can turn the stage to their advantage. If a candidate gets a budget question, a terrorism question, a trade question, they could frame their answer around climate change, McKinney says. We would expect candidates to have a sense of the public agenda, and theyve got their own topics they want to dwell on. Horse-race political coverage isnt designed to elevate policy nuances, which could bury climate change even on the big stage. A full, wide-ranging specialized debate could change that, SEJs Magill says. This kind of debate might demonstrate to journalists who think climate and environmental issues ought to be siloed that theyre really central to the future of politics, he says. To get a sense of how wide-ranging a climate-change debate could be, I asked journalists who work on environment and climate change issues what questions they would want posed to candidates. Heres a sample of the responses: Bobby Magill, energy reporter for Bloomberg Environment: Elementary school kids today could easily live to see some of the worst effects of climate change by the end of the century. Scientists expect us to see catastrophic climate impacts much, much sooner. What do you have to say to those kids about what youre doing today to protect them from the effects of climate change they will almost certainly experience? Seth Borenstein, science writer for the Associated Press: Do you support or oppose the concept of geo engineering, such as artificial sulfate pollution, to cool global temperatures? Why or why not? Kate Sheppard, Senior enterprise editor for HuffPost: What role will equity play in your plan to address climate change? How will you ensure that those hurt most by the burdens of pollution are helped most by its solutions? Ben Geman, Energy reporter for Axios: Do you see using trade policy, such as the idea of border carbon adjustments, as part of climate policy? Rebecca Beitsch, environment reporter for The Hill: A lot of the plans coming out so far dont have many details on how to tackle pollution from transportation. Im curious how theyd deal with this tricky sector, especially if it involves changing consumer behavior. Amy Carlile, managing editor, Energy & Environment Publishing: What, if anything, can you and other politicians do to make climate change less of a political issue in the US? ICYMI: How teen climate activists getand makeclimate news Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jason Plautz is an award-winning journalist based in Denver who covers environment policy, politics, and research. His writing has appeared in Science, High Country News, Undark, Reveal, HuffPost, and others. He has held reporting positions at Greenwire and National Journal, and was a Ted Scripps Fellow in environmental journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Last June, CBS News reported that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, and Raj Shah, her deputy, were planning to quit the Trump administration. They stuck it out longer than expected. Shah left in January. Yesterdayexactly a year after the original CBS reportwe learned that Sanders will depart at the end of this month. President Trump tweeted the news and Sanders did the same: a mode of communication that has characterized Sanderss time as White House spokesperson. Sanders took over as press secretary in July 2017, following the ouster of Sean Spicer. Sanders showed more endurance, but her performance has been no better than Spicers was. In her two inglorious years on the job, Sanders barred reporters who asked tough questions; promoted Trumps bogus fake news awards; fell in line with the presidents anti-press, enemy of the people rhetoric; and routinely disparaged the intelligence and integrity of the journalists in the White House briefing room. She also lied a lot. Sanders said that Trump never encouraged violence (he did) and that he won an overwhelming majority of votes in 2016 (he did not). In April, the Mueller report confirmed that in May 2017, Sanders (who was then the deputy press secretary) knowingly misled reporters when she claimedtwicethat countless FBI staffers supported Trumps firing of James Comey. Sanders told Muellers office that the claim was not founded on anything; it was a slip of the tongue that she then repeated in the heat of the moment, she said. How did Sanders respond to her confession becoming public? She reiterated the false claim. ICYMI: Right-wing publications launder an anti-journalist smear campaign Still, Sanders may not be remembered for her lies as much as her absence. Last month, reporters noticed that there was literally a coating of dust on the press briefing room podium, CNNs Brian Stelter wrote last night. That is Sanderss legacy. On her watch, the televised White House briefing, a fixture under previous administrations, has all but gone extinct. Earlier this year, Sanders set a record for the longest time without a formal briefing since the practice began. Then she beat her own recordtwice. If she doesnt brief soon, next Wednesday will mark 100 days since Sanders last faced reporters at the podium. (She did stand there in late April, but it was only for a bring your kids to work day stunt that she declared off the record.) In the absence of briefings, White House reporters have had to chase Sanders down on the White House driveway to ask questions, usually following her interviews with Fox News. Fox could be a logical next step for Sanders: ex-administration figures often take contributor gigs on cable news, and Sanders has already said that she plans to remain one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president and his agenda outside the White House. (CNN reportedly has no interest in Sanders; its hard to imagine MSNBC would want her, either.) Trump, in his tweet, encouraged Sanders to run for governor of Arkansas, a post previously occupied by her father, Mike Huckabee; according to CNN, Sanders is thinking seriously about a bid, though there wont be a vacancy until 2022. As far as the White House press secretary job is concerned, CNNs Stelter writes that who replaces Sanders is anyones guess. Trump could promote her deputy, Hogan Gidley, or he could look to an outside booster such as Laura Ingraham. (Stranger things have happened: remember Anthony Scaramucci?) The president, who has gone without a communications chief since March, may decline to fill the post. Why would he need a press secretary, when he believes himself to be his own best messenger? Sign up for CJR 's daily email Below, more on Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the White House communications team: Other notable stories: ICYMI: NYT promotes questionable study on Google and the media 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. CLEVELAND, Ohio AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka believes the new North American Free Trade Agreement isnt good for workers. Hes hosting a town hall meeting in Cleveland on Tuesday, urging union members to lobby against the new NAFTA, saying it would harm workers just like the 25-year-old treaty it seeks to replace. However, supporters believe the new NAFTA addresses concerns raised about the existing trade deal, including job loss. Demanding Better: A Town Hall on Trade is at 6 p.m. at United Steelworkers Local 979 Hall, 3421 Independence Road. The event is part Trumkas tour through states hardest hit by anti-worker trade rules and agreements like NAFTA, he wrote in an email to union members. For decades, NAFTA has benefited corporations and hurt the rest of us, Trumka wrote. So, Ill be meeting with workers to discuss how the new NAFTA is more of the same, and why we should all demand better. The new NAFTA is called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. All three countries will have to ratify the trade pact in order for it to take effect. The Trump administration issued the final text of USMCA to Congress on May 30 as well as a draft document stating whether any new laws or amendments to existing ones are needed to implement the treaty. Because of a 30-day cooling-off period and Congress Fourth of July recess, a bill to ratify the USMCA cant be introduced until July 9, said Daniel Ujczo, a lawyer with the Dickinson Wright law firm in Columbus, who has been closely watching USMCA as chair of the firms international and regional practices The White House wants the deal done by the end of summer, as anything later will get caught up in 2020 electoral politics, he wrote in an email. Ohio AFL- CIO President Tim Burga said presidential politics isnt the focus of Trumkas tour, which includes roundtables in Akron, Toledo and Youngstown. He said it is about workers here being forced to compete against those in Mexico making $2 an hour. This is going to be an honest conversation about policy, about trying to restore our jobs and our wages and about lifting up workers that were hurt by these international trade deals, he said. We have a tremendous opportunity here to do that. Politics will take care of itself as we get to it. Several analyses of government data have shown that blue-collar workers, often union members, were hard-hit by NAFTA. For example, one by Public Citizens Global Trade Watch found that 50,000 Ohio workers lost jobs to NAFTA between 1994 and 2016, ranking the state sixth nationally. Trumkas tour also includes Michigan and Pennsylvania, swing states President Donald Trump won in 2016 along with Ohio. Clearly there are some political ramifications to trade, said David Cohen, a University of Akron political science professor and assistant director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics That was certainly one of the keys to his victories in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which was the key to his Electoral College victory. Donald Trump winning Ohio, and other industrial Midwestern states, was based on the fact that he did much better with blue-collar workers, especially union workers, than past Republicans have. One of the challenges that the Democratic Party has is, How do you win back, especially white, blue-collar voters in the manufacturing sector, Cohen said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is among prominent Democrats, who have come out against USMCA. They want to include a provision allowing workers, unions and others to file labor violations against operations in other countries. Proponents also want the provision to permit both the country, where the alleged violations occurred, as well as the accusing country to jointly inspect the facility in question and submit reports. Any new NAFTA agreement must contain provisions to stop the outsourcing of jobs, level the playing field and enhance labor rights in all NAFTA countries, wrote Patrick Gallagher, sub-district director for the United Steelworkers in Northeast Ohio. The Trump administration doesnt support such proposals by Pelosi and the unions, Ujczo said. Simply, the U.S. position is that if we think Mexico is violating the agreement, and we cannot reach resolution, we will slap on more tariffs, he wrote. Ujczo said it is unlikely USMCA will pass this summer because lawmakers will only have a dozen working days because of recesses. The question remains as to what happens if ratification stalls?" Ujczo wrote. The most likely scenario is a status quo NAFTA with the president campaigning that he got a great deal,' but Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats wont pass it. Democrats will counter that the President does not support labor. BEREA, Ohio -- The Berea Board of Education voted on Wednesday evening (June 12) to hire Michael Draves for the assistant superintendent position -- having neither interviewed him nor having received a resume to review in advance of the vote. They approved a two-year employment contract, effective Aug. 1, 2019, through July 31, 2021. New Berea Superintendent Tracy Wheeler, former assistant superintendent at the Brunswick City Schools, suggested Draves for the position after having worked with him in his role as personnel director at that district. He also is a former Brunswick High School principal. In addition, Draves is a past Berea City Schools teacher and administrative intern/assistant principal, having served the district from 1997-2009. Draves holds a superintendent's license from Ashland University. His wife, Mary, is a science teacher at Berea-Midpark High School. Prior to voting, only board member Steve Dockman made any comment, asking Draves to explain his qualifications because Dockman did not know him. There was no other board discussion, and contract approval was unanimous. During an interview following the meeting, board President Ana Chapman described the process by which Draves was hired. She said administrative contracts are different than negotiated contracts with the districts unions. "The superintendent can hire who she chooses," Chapman said. "Mike has a longstanding working relationship with Tracy, and he's a product of the Berea Schools. We figured it's less time that they're wasting getting to know each other and becoming a team. They can just hit the ground running." Board members congratulated Draves and introduced themselves upon adjournment. I knew him previously, Mike (Sheppard, the outgoing superintendent) knew him, Chapman said, confirming that she had received Draves resume earlier that day (other board members did not), with cleveland.com initially requesting it from the district 24 hours prior to that when first notified of the meeting. (Board members) had not met him previously. It was word of mouth. Reputation," Chapman said. We did what we felt is best for the district and for the students, Chapman added. Read more from the News Sun. MEDINA, Ohio -- After being delayed into winter, then put on hold because of a lack of asphalt, Medinas reconstruction of East Smith Road is nearing completion. But the work wont be without headaches for drivers. The city has announced that starting on Monday (June 17), the intersections at South Broadway Street and East Smith Road and South Court Street and East Smith Road will be closed throughout the day. City Engineer Patrick Patton said the repaving work will start at the South Broadway Street intersection at 5 a.m. After about five hours, it will reopen and crews will move down the block to the South Court Street intersection for another five hours. The stretch of East Smith between South Court and South Broadway will stay closed throughout the day. Patton said switching between intersections instead of paving both at the same time will avoid having both busy intersections closed at the same time. The plan is to continue construction on Tuesday (June 18) following the same schedule. The repairs each day are weather dependent. Patton said if weather interferes, the construction will continue into Wednesday (June 19). The intersections resurfacing wasnt able to be completed last year because local asphalt plants had closed before the work could be completed. The city then had to wait until spring to finish the project, and elected to wait until June so the work would not disrupt traffic heading to schools in the area. Once finished, it will be the end of Medinas most recent phase of construction on East Smith, which stretched from South Court to Jefferson Street. The project cost $1,486,000 and included replacing water lines and storm sewers. The city received a $450,000 grant to help pay for the project. The city is asking residents to plan to use alternate routes while the construction is in progress, as South Broadway, South Court and Smith will all experience traffic delays. Read more news from the Medina Sun. BENTLEYVILLE, Ohio Driving under suspension, Miles Road A Maple Heights woman, 47, was stopped around 12:30 a.m. June 11 for failure to reinstate a suspended license. She was also given a warning for no rear plate illumination, and the car was released to a valid driver. And a Solon man, 50, was stopped around 7:30 p.m. June 7 and cited for driving on a suspended license, with his car being released to a valid driver. Drug abuse, Solon Road A Bedford man, 19, was stopped at 2:13 a.m. June 7 for going left of center in the westbound lane. Officers noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from his car. He initially denied any knowledge of the 5 grams of marijuana later found in his center console and was given a minor misdemeanor citation. He was also issued a warning about driving in marked lanes. Driving under suspension, Hawthorn Parkway A Warrensville Heights woman, 29, was stopped at 9:37 p.m. June 7 and found to be driving on a license suspended previously for not having insurance. Her car was released to a valid driver. Read more news from the Chagrin Solon Sun. UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Crime and calls for police service in the city were down significantly in 2018 when compared to 2017, according to the just-released University Heights Police Department 2018 Annual Report. Part I crimes -- serious crimes such as aggravated burglary, robbery, homicide, theft, rape and assault -- totaled 237 last year, while in 2017, 346 such crimes were investigated. Thats a decrease of 32 percent. The 2018 figure is also much lower than in 2015 (312) and 2016 (355). Breaking down the Part I crimes, there were 171 incidents of theft in 2018, 15 auto thefts and 15 thefts from motor vehicles, 14 burglaries, seven assaults, six robberies and five aggravated robberies in which a weapon was used. The 171 theft cases were a reduction from 264 in 2017. The number of aggravated robberies totaled 13 in 2017, dropping to just five in 2018. The decline in theft was a significant factor of the overall decrease of Part I crimes in 2018, Police Chief Dustin Rogers said in an email response to questions from cleveland.com. Theft incidents are typically a reactionary police function. However, officer presence and preventative patrol can deter thefts from occurring or allow for officer intervention while in progress," he said. "Also during this time period, department methods were implemented to enhance agency consistency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness. Meanwhile, Part II crimes (simple assaults, disorderly conduct, alcohol and drug offenses) which had grown to as many as 1,094 in 2016, numbered only 706 in 2018. The total for 2017 was 827. Its difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, Rogers said of the decrease in Part II crimes, adding again that it could be due to the recently implemented departmental methods. Another significant drop was seen in the number of times residents called police for service. In 2017, police were called for assistance 24,182 times, while in 2018, that figure shrunk to 20,559, a 15 percent decrease. The average police response time in 2018 was one minute and 58 seconds. The report notes that, based on its programming features, emergency Priority 1 calls are not differentiated from Priority 2 calls (non-emergencies). The department has a target response time of three minutes for Priority 1 calls, and the report states that that target was, on average, achieved in 2018. Turning to traffic enforcement, the report states that cited violations decreased from 2,184 in 2017 to 954 last year. This significant decrease is a result of outlier 2017 data, the report notes, in which the department had two dedicated traffic units the entire year, as opposed to the historical single traffic unit. "The majority of 2018 personnel resources were depleted, and the department was not able to deploy even a single dedicated traffic unit. While the UHPD was understaffed in 2018, Rogers said that, this year, four new officers have been hired, bringing the departments roster to 29 officers, with 30 being the ideal number. Once fully staffed, we will be implementing dedicated traffic units again, he said. The number of parking citations went down from 2,034 in 2017 to 1,419 in 2018, likely a result of the aforementioned circumstances, according to the report. Looking back to 2015, there were 3,296 parking citations issued. In other categories, arrests of those charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated numbered 10 in 2018, compared to 13 in 2017. The total number of all arrests dropped from 443 in 2017 to 395 in 2018. The number of traffic accidents to which police responded even took a tumble, from 291 two years ago to 215 last year, a decrease of 26 percent. There were 274 accidents in 2015 and 203 in 2016. Speaking about the decrease in crime when compared to 2017, Rogers stated: When there is a positive impact on crime, a positive impact on the quality of life can be the result. These results can be reassuring that the agency (UHPD) is on track to meet community expectations while in pursuit of service excellence. In light of the report, I credit all members of the police department and all of those in the community, who collectively worked together to have a positive impact on crime in 2018. Our department personnel are dedicated professionals who take pride in providing ethical and diligent service to the community. Their hard work and sacrifice is noticed and appreciated, and its a privilege to work alongside them. Rogers was promoted in March 2018 by Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan from sergeant to police chief, replacing the then-retiring former chief Steven Hammett. In 2018, Rogers instituted the UHPDs Office of Community Policing in an effort to enhance and strengthen relationships with the public through formal engagement and online social media presence. The result was that the UHPD began several initiatives last year. Those initiatives included Coffee with a Cop events, a police National Night Out, a bike helmet rewards program, establishing a police department presence on Facebook and Nextdoor, employing a marketing strategy, taking part in a police officer recruiting fair at Cuyahoga Community College, and holding lunch socials in schools. Department efforts to pursue community engagement opportunities will continue," Rogers said, "with the intention to regularly obtain public feedback to help guide our service and strengthen relations. See more Sun Press news here. SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio Carrying a concealed weapon, Lee Road At 9:20 a.m. June 11, a Garfield Heights woman, 19, reported for a Shaker Heights Municipal Court date and was found to have a knife in her possession. The woman was charged with carrying a concealed weapon. Improper handling of a firearm, Lee Road At 11 a.m. June 7, an officer stopped a car after seeing its driver, a Cleveland man, 40, talking on his cell phone while driving. It was subsequently found that the man was in possession of marijuana and a gun. The man was charged with drug abuse, improperly carrying a firearm in a motor vehicle and distracted driving. Warrant arrest, Chagrin Boulevard At 9:30 p.m. June 7, an officer on patrol ran the plate of a car and found that its owner/driver, a Cleveland woman, 48, was wanted on a Cuyahoga County Sheriffs Office warrant for child endangering. The woman was arrested on the felony warrant. Cocaine possession, Scottsdale Boulevard At 2:25 a.m. June 7, an officer stopped a car for a marked-lanes violation in the area of Scottsdale Boulevard and Ludgate Road. The driver, a Maple Heights woman, 48, was arrested after it was learned that she was in possession of suspected cocaine and heroin, as well as drug paraphernalia. The woman was also cited for the lane violation. OVI, Warrensville Center Road At 3 a.m. June 9, an officer saw a stopped car at the intersection of Warrensville Center Road and Chagrin Boulevard and investigated. It was found that the driver, a Euclid woman, 24, was asleep at the wheel. The driver was intoxicated and was arrested on a charge of OVI. Drug abuse, Lee Road At 3:30 a.m. June 9, an officer stopped a car that showed expired license plates. The driver, an East Cleveland man, 25, was arrested for marijuana possession and a felony charge for carrying a concealed weapon. He was also cited for driving with a suspended license. The cars passenger ran from the scene and was not apprehended. Warrant arrest, Chagrin Boulevard At 5:35 a.m. June 10, a traffic stop was conducted after an officer spotted a driver committing a red light violation. The driver, a Cleveland man, 44, who was driving with a suspended license, was arrested on a Cuyahoga County felony warrant for a probation violation. Disorderly conduct, Sudbury Road At 2:45 a.m. June 12, a Cleveland man, 35, was arrested for disorderly conduct. The man was intoxicated and walked to a home, thinking it was his. The man who lives in the home was pulling his car out of the driveway, and the drunk man attempted to get into the auto. See more Sun Press news here. CLEVELAND, Ohio Attorneys for cities and counties suing drug companies have proposed a class-action structure to negotiate and try to settle thousands of pending federal lawsuits over the nations opioid epidemic. The proposal, unveiled Friday in court filings, would create a mechanism for more than 24,000 city, county and other municipal governments to join together and create a front to negotiate with companies in the large swath of federal litigation currently pending in front of a federal judge in Cleveland. The purpose of certifying a Negotiation Class is to establish and maintain an identified, unified, and durable nationwide body of cities and counties that can credibly claim to negotiate in the best interest of all the class governmental interests, the motion states. Preliminary feedback about the proposed structure alternately drew praise and criticism on Friday. The lawsuits largely accuse drug manufacturers like Purdue Pharma and pharmaceutical distributors such as the Ohio-based Cardinal Health of exacerbating the opioid epidemic. Tens of thousands of people have died nationwide in recent years. Northeast Ohio has been hit particularly hard as heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers are in abundant supply. Drug companies have argued against lawsuits by saying prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin have legitimate medical uses approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The companies have also said they are committed to ensuring prescription painkillers are used properly. Lawsuits continue to be filed in state and federal courts, mostly from local and county governments. The attorneys hope is to give the drug companies a set group of governments to negotiate with, instead of having lawsuits trickle in and continue to make negotiations unwieldy. Some governments opted to not sue, while others have not yet filed suit. The class structure would only be used for negotiation and purposes for the large group, according to the motion. Governments that dont want to participate would not be required to do so. It is neither aimed at being the vehicle for litigation or settlement, the motion states. Lawyers note that the proposed structure is novel. However, if approved, it may help lead to achieving the goals laid out by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland. The judge said from the outset that he would like to see all lawsuits in front of him and otherwise resolved to put money toward combatting the opioid epidemic. None of the parties have reached settlements in the federal litigation. The state of Oklahoma, which sued in state court, reached a $270 million settlement with Purdue Pharma in March, and an $85 million settlement with Teva last month, on the eve of a trial. The Oklahoma trial, in which Johnson & Johnson is the sole remaining defendant, is ongoing. There are thousands of lawsuits filed. Of those, the vast majority are filed by county and municipal governments. Any class would not include other entitles that have filed suit, including hospitals, Native American tribes and representatives of infants born with opioids in their system. The first federal trial is set for October in Cleveland. It will involve claims made by Cuyahoga and Summit counties. Defense attorneys wrote in a court filing in April that an expert for the plaintiffs estimated that it would take $480 billion to properly address the opioid epidemic nationwide. For just Cuyahoga and Summit counties, the cost would be $7.2 billion, another expert opined. Purdue Pharma issued a statement that did not directly state its thoughts on any class-action structure, but said the company is committed to working with all parties toward a resolution that helps bring needed solutions to communities and states to address this public health crisis. We continue to work collaboratively within the ... process outlined by Judge Polster, the statement continues. Cardinal Health said in a statement that it is defending itself from liability in the lawsuits and criticized the proposed class-action structure. As we have said previously, an appropriate settlement could be an option to resolve the lawsuits rather than continuing to litigate, Cardinal Health said. The settlement process class is, however, a novel and untested approach that is likely to face extended legal challenges and lead to years of collateral litigation. This will disrupt any potential resolution and distract from efforts to address the opioid crisis. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, whose office is pursuing separate opioid lawsuits in state court, said in a statement that the proposed structure is an extraordinary process and a novel approach. Were examining it very closely to make sure it is fair and appropriate for Ohioans and complies with the law, Yost said. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland man arrested as part of a human trafficking investigation was sentenced Friday to three-and-a-half years in federal prison for a gun charge. Authorities found two guns in Miquel Jones home when they arrested him in May 2018 after finding him with a 16-year-old girl whose parents had reported her missing. Jones, 49, pleaded guilty in September to a being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Jones, a bespectacled and bearded man who wore a white head covering, told the judge the case stemmed from exacerbated mental health issues. He has previous convictions for robbery, domestic violence and other charges, though those convictions are all more than a decade old. He and his attorney, federal public defender Carlos Warner, argued for the lowest sentence possible. Im just asking for help, Jones said. I dont feel like, in my heart, I deserve to go to prison. The U.S. Probation Office recommended that Jones serve a prison sentence of between 30 and 37 months. U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko acknowledged Jones mental health issues, which also include schizoaffective disorder and depression. But the judge said he did not believe they accounted for all of Jones actions. You just cant blame everything on mental health, Boyko said. Not everything. Boyko said he agreed with assertions made by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Deckert and said he gave a stiffer punishment because this was not a run-of-the-mill gun possession case. A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Jones last month on child pornography and possession of criminal tools charges. Jones indicated in federal court that he intends to fight the state case. Jones 2018 arrest came as part of an investigation by the countys Regional Human Trafficking Task Force. Prosecutors have not detailed exactly what happened between Jones and the girl, though there were references in court and in documents to the girl being identified as a human trafficking victim even before she was found with Jones. There were also references to Jones giving her drugs and having her provide lap dances for tips. An affidavit written by Homeland Security Investigations agent Lawrence Sullivan in May 2018 said the teenagers mother told police that her daughter spoke about engaging in prostitution to support herself since she did not think her mother could support her. Her father told a detective that she was staying with a man known to him as King, who turned out to be Jones. He said Jones provided his daughter drugs to calm her down, and made his daughter stay naked in the house to prevent her from leaving, according to the affidavit. Authorities went to Jones home and conducted surveillance. When Jones and the teen left in a car, the agent trailed them, court filings say. When the agent activated his flashing lights and tried to stop Jones while he was driving downtown, Jones continued and made a series of U-turns. The agent eventually stopped the pursuit out of concern for public safety, Sullivan wrote. Authorities then obtained a search warrant and, after Jones and the teen returned home, executed it and took both into custody. They found the shotgun and a Ruger pistol in the home. Jones said he bought the guns from a drug dealer for protection, and that he had accumulated a debt with dealers and received threats, according to Sullivan. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Fridays crime and courts comments section. WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Surveillance video shows a Cleveland man left his 14-month-old child in a hot car for 45 minutes at Crocker Park, police said. Westlake police officers reviewed surveillance video from the shopping center to determine how long the 23-year-old man left the child in his car while he visited an Apple Store on Saturday afternoon, police said in a news release. The 23-year-old man is facing misdemeanor charges of endangering children and drug abuse in the incident, according to police and court records. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance June 25. A shopper notified a Crocker Park security guard about 12:30 p.m. to a suspicious car on the ground floor of the Main Street Garage. The security guard found the child alone in the backseat of the locked car, police said. The temperature was approximately 70 to 75 degrees at the time, but the cars windows were rolled up and its interior was much warmer, police said. Westlake police officers were called to the parking garage to unlock the car. A rescue squad tended to the crying child, who was taken to a hospital for an evaluation, police said. Officers also found a bag of marijuana in the car, police said. Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services was notified of the incident. The man returned with an Apple Store bag and admitted he parked the car and completely forgot" about his child in the car. If youd like to comment on this story, visit Fridays crime and courts comments section. .@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Trump tells @GStephanopoulos he never suggested firing special counsel Robert Muellerand what ex-White House counsel Don McGahn told Mueller doesnt matter". https://t.co/UVWL3BjvLg pic.twitter.com/EwKGTnQ0kJ Good Morning America (@GMA) June 14, 2019 CLEVELAND, Ohio -- ABC teased another clip from what is shaping up to be a must-see interview with President Donald Trump. In the latest clip, the president gets into a testy exchange with George Stephanopoulos. "George, you're being a little wise guy, OK -- which is, you know, typical for you," Trump told the "Good Morning America" host after Stephanopoulos asked him about not answering special counsel Robert Mueller's questions on obstruction. "Just so you understand. Very simple. It's very simple. There was no crime. There was no collusion," Trump said, repeating a phrase he uses often. "The big thing's collusion. Now, there's no collusion. That means they set -- it was a setup, in my opinion, and I think it's going to come out." Earlier in the clip, Stephanopoulos asked the president about former White House counsel Don McGahn, who testified under oath that Trump directed him to fire Mueller. The story on that very simply, No. 1, I was never going to fire Mueller. I never suggested firing Mueller, Trump said before Stephanopoulos tried to interrupt. "Excuse me, I dont care what he says, it doesnt matter. "Why would he lie to Robert Mueller?" Stephanopoulos asked. Because he wanted to make himself look like a good lawyer or he believed it because I would constantly tell anybody that would listen including you, including the media that Robert Mueller was conflicted. Robert Mueller had a total conflict of interest," Trump said. He had to go, Stephanopoulos said, leadingly. I didnt say that, Trump reiterated. In another clip from the interview that aired Wednesday, the president made headlines for saying he would not only listen if foreign governments offered information on his 2020 opponents, he might not alert the FBI about it. I think maybe you do both, Trump said. Its not an interference, they have information -- I think Id take it. If I thought there was something wrong, Id go maybe to the FBI -- if I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research, oh lets call the FBI. The FBI doesnt have enough agents to take care of it. When you go and talk, honestly, to congressman, they all do it, they always have, and thats the way it is. Its called oppo research." Trumps answer raised eyebrows in the media and on Capitol Hill. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called it evidence once again that he doesnt know right from wrong. Fox News host Neil Cavuto wondered if the interview had something to do with press secretary Sarah Sanders decision to step down, saying on his show, Maybe hes pointing the finger: Why did you get me into this, Sarah Sanders? In an telephone interview Friday on Fox & Friends, Trump sought to clarify his comments. If you dont look at it, youre not going to know if its bad. How are you going to know if its bad? Of course you give it to the FBI or report it to the Attorney General, he said." You couldnt have that happen with our country. I thought it was made clear... I actually said Id do both." Trump on foreign dirt: "Of course you have to look at it because, if you don't look at it, you're not going to know if it's bad. How are you going to know if it's bad?" Via Fox pic.twitter.com/e0e3JoAvbd Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 14, 2019 Stephanopoulos spent two days following the president on the campaign trail and at the White House. The result will air as an ABC News special Sunday at 8 p.m. AKRON, Ohio Three teens, two of them juveniles, could be connected to multiple burglaries after they were arrested Wednesday following a break-in at a residence, police say. Jethan D. Washington, 19, and two juveniles, ages 14 and 15, all of Akron, are each charged with charged with two counts of breaking and entering and burglary. Police say officers were called to the 1300 block of Minson Way in East Akron at 5 a.m. Wednesday. A resident says she saw three males run from her apartment with her television set. She told officers she saw the males run into another nearby apartment. Officers went to the apartment and found three males hiding under blankets in a basement area, police say. The womans television set also was in the basement. Police say clothing found in the basement matched the description of suspects clothing from two break-ins earlier in the night, one at a Metro PCS at 1350 S. Arlington St. and the other at a Metro PCS at 1021 East Ave. The juveniles have been placed in the custody of the Summit County Juvenile Court, while Washington was booked into the Summit County Jail, according to police. If youd like to comment on this story, visit Thursdays crime and courts comments section. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland woman showed signs of mental illness in the months before being accused of bludgeoning her mother to death with a hammer on Thursday, according to police reports. Dana Witcher, 21, is charged with aggravated murder in the death of her 53-year-old mother Donna Ivy, according to court records. She is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail until her first court appearance. Ivy expressed concern about her daughters mental health nine months ago, when she called police to report that Witcher was being violent, according to police reports. Ivy told police in October that Witcher was talking to people who were not in the room, police reports say. Ivy said Witcher had not been prescribed any medication, and asked police to take Witcher to University Hospitals for an evaluation. Witcher told police she did not feel like hurting herself or anyone else. She said she packed her bags and wanted to leave, but Ivy wouldnt give her the keys to her car. Officers noted she showed signs of anger issues but did not appear to be a threat at the time. Officers told Ivy she would need an order through probate court to force her daughter to get a mental health evaluation, police reports say. Nine months after that incident, Witcher bludgeoned her mother to death at their home on Kewanee Avenue near East 185th Street, according to police reports. A police spokeswoman initially said Witcher stabbed Ivey, but police and court records say Witcher used a hammer to beat Ivy to death. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled that Ivy died of blunt force trauma to the head. A neighbor called 911 about 12:30 a.m. Thursday to report that the two women were fighting. The neighbor also said one woman was screaming for help, and that it sounded like someone was being killed in the apartment, according to a 911 dispatch report. Officers forced their way inside the apartment and found Ivy, 53, dead on the floor. They arrested Witcher after finding her in a bedroom. Witcher attended Kent State University from 2015 to the spring of 2018 as an entrepreneur major, a university spokeswoman said. In 2015, she pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct for spraying a then-boyfriends eyes with Lysol disinfectant spray and punching him in the head inside a university dorm. Adolphe Lele LAfrique Archives Lele Lafrique Tchoffo Deben Adolphe, Governor of Cameroons North West Region has Friday, June 14, 2019 signed an order lifting the security restrictions placed on movements of persons and property. The gubernatorial regional order no. 011/RO/E/GNWR/GS/PAOD lifting the restriction of movements of persons and property within the North West Region states: [The Governor hereby orders] that the security restrictions placed on the movements of persons and property within the North West Region as from the date of signature of the present order lifted. The governor goes on to charge Administrative Authorities and Heads of Security and Defence Forces with the implementation of the present order which shall be registered and communicated wherever necessary. North West Governor lifts curfew (c) Facebook Following an escalating security situation in the North West Region in February 2018, the Governor took special security dispositions contained in radio message no. 180951/MRP/MINDEF/01 of February 9, 2018. A curfew from 9pm to 5am went into force. The curfew in Cameroons North West region would be extended by another week in a March 4, 2018 gubernatorial press release in which he said the extension was to contain growing threats from secessionist activities. The governor has renewed the regional order restricting the movement of persons and property as from the 3rd of March 2018 from 9pm to 5am within the North West Region for a period of one week renewable, the release said. Evoking the exigencies of security, the preservation of peace and the maintenance of law and order, the Governor on September 9, 2018 signed Regional Order No. 462/RO/E/GNWR/SG/PAOD restricting movements of persons and property from 6pm to 6am within the North West Region till further notice. On the occasion, he appealed to the population to better collaborate with the law enforcement agencies to put an end to the detrimental activities of secessionist activists and a few misguided individuals who are taking our peace loving and hospitable region hostage. The orders, however, did not apply to administrative authorities, forces of law and order, persons and vehicles in possession of special authorisations to circulate, and ambulances. Prior to the 2018 end of year feasts, Governor Adolphe Lele LAfrique temporarily suspended the dusk to dawn curfew for twelve days. The Governors decision was taken considering the end of year religious and social festivities and took effect from Sunday December 23 to Thursday January 3, 2019. The Governor at the time called on the population to desist from any activity that might jeopardise their security during the period. He also pleaded with the separatist fighters in the bushes to lay down their arms and embrace the olive branch extended by the Head of State through the disarmament and demobilization committee. Governor Lele LAfrique had earlier in November 2018 modified the curfew schedule in his area of jurisdiction to run from 9pm to 6am contrary to 6pm to 6am. The decision took effect from Saturday November 24, 2018 until it was lifted Friday, June 14, 2019. With the curfew now a thing of the past, the Governor must sure be happy with the population for their sacrifice and understanding these past months and sure expects them to remain vigilant in the face of insecurity. The move from the Governor has been welcomed by the population who say they were financially crumbling under the previous dispensation as businesses had come to a standstill. CLEVELAND, Ohio Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH) today asked a county judge to order City Council Clerk Patricia Britt to accept petitions the group submitted to put a lead-safe housing ordinance in front of council. The case was assigned to Common Pleas Judge Dick Ambrose. Britt rejected the petitions in contravention of her powers, and in dereliction of her duties, the lawsuit, filed by attorneys Marc Dann and Donna Taylor-Kolis on behalf of 10 CLASH members alleges. (Read the filing here or at the bottom of the story.) On April 2, CLASH turned in petitions with more than 10,000 signatures to Britt. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections later certified that 6,530 of the collected signatures were valid. Clevelands charter requires at least 5,000 voter signatures for citizens to put an ordinance before City Council and, if council doesnt adopt the law, put it on the ballot. Britt later rejected the petitions maintaining they did not constitute a petition for a proposed ordinance because they do not comply with the form required by Ohio law. That was because the petitions did not include election falsification language required for the initiative to be placed on the ballot. CLASH acknowledged that error but asserted that the city charter still required Britt to accept the petitions and for the ordinance to be introduced to council, even if it could not be placed on the ballot. Attorneys working on behalf of CLASH sent a letter to Law Director Barbara Langhenry May 8 demanding that she order Britt to accept the petitions. Langhenry denied the demand, holding to the citys assertion that the petitions were defective and therefore the ordinance could not be considered by council. CLASH already has started circulating new petitions but its members believe it is important to directly challenge in court the improper rejectionto protect future citizen initiatives from such abuse of power," Jeff Johnson, a CLASH member and former city councilman, said. The Plain Dealer has reached out to Britt for a comment. A city council employee said she was not in the office Friday. City Council President Kevin Kelley said, This has no effect on the path we are on. We are continuing with our plan. CLASHs legal argument is similar to a 2017 challenge by a group that opposed a deal to use city and county money to renovate what was then called Quicken Loans Arena. That group collected about 20,000 signatures to trigger a referendum election to overturn the deal. It would have allowed voters to decide whether public money should have been spent for the renovations. Britt refused to accept the petitions. At the time, it was Langhenry who went to court to force Britt to accept the petitions filed by the coalition, which included members of the Greater Cleveland Congregations, the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, Service Employees International Union Local 1199, AFSCME Ohio Council 8 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26. Those groups later joined in the case, and about a month later the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Britt had to accept the petitions. In a 4-3 decision, the court said that Britt had no more legal discretion to reject petitions than the charter gave her, which is to determine whether the petition has been signed by the required number of qualified electors. CLEVELAND, Ohio When AKeem Rollins doctor recommended he start taking PrEP, the once-daily HIV prevention pill, Rollins was interested until he learned it would cost him nearly $2,000 for a months supply. My heart stopped, recalled Rollins, 29. He learned that his insurance covered part of the cost, and he started taking the pill. Now, as a PrEP Navigator, or educator, at MetroHealth System, hes helping others learn about a drug with the potential to end the world-wide HIV epidemic. PrEP is an important weapon in the fight against HIV and AIDS, but the pills high cost keeps it out of the hands of people who need it. Gilead Sciences, the maker of the PrEP pill Truvada, has raised the price by 45% since the drug received FDA approval for preventing HIV infection six years ago, according to an article in the online journal Healthline. Currently, a months supply costs between $1,600 and $2,000 without insurance. Facing mounting criticism, in May, Gilead agreed to donate Truvada to up to 200,000 uninsured people a year until 2025., according to a CNBC story. The federal government, spurred by President Donald Trumps goal to eliminate HIV by 2030, has also stepped in. Based on a recent recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force health care panel, patients with private health insurance will soon be able to get PrEP at no cost, according to CNBC. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, requires private health plans to cover preventative services that the task force grants an A or B rating. Most insurance plans, including Medicaid and Medicare, cover all or part of the costs associated with PrEP. Ohio offers additional help. PAPI (Patient Assistance Program Intervention), a state-run HIV prevention program, pays for medical costs associated with PrEP for low-income Ohioans. For more PrEP resources, see this accompanying story. The HIV epidemic rages on HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, remains a serious public health problem both around the world and in the United States. In this country, more than 700,000 people have died as a result of HIV/AIDS since the disease was first recognized in 1981, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.1 million people are currently living with HIV. In 2017, more than 38,000 Americans were diagnosed with HIV, most of them young African American and Latino men who have sex with men. HIV rates were also high among transgender individuals, high-risk heterosexuals, and intravenous drug users. State numbers, reported by the Ohio Department of Health, tell a similar story. In 2017, Ohio saw 1,019 new diagnoses of HIV infection; the rate of new diagnoses in African-Americans was 6.7 times higher than that in whites. More than 50% of new diagnoses were in people ages 20 to 34. Nearly 65% of new diagnoses resided in Cuyahoga, Franklin or Montgomery counties. Pre-exposure prophylaxis also called PrEP is at the forefront of national efforts to stop the epidemic of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, by slowing transmission rates. The drug can reduce the risk of HIV infection by 92% in people who are high-risk for HIV and who stick to the once-daily regimen. The PrEP pill Truvada contains two antiretroviral medicines that block the pathways HIV uses to set up an infection. Men who have sex with men, and anyone who has multiple sex partners, has had a sexually transmitted infection, shares needles, exchanges sex for money or a place to live, or has a partner with HIV are considered at high risk for contracting HIV. People who have sex or share needles with HIV-positive people also are part of the high-risk pool. Patients must be checked to be sure they are HIV-negative before starting on PrEP, and must be tested for HIV every three months while on the therapy. But only a fraction of the people who would benefit from PrEP are taking it. From 2012 when Truvada got FDA approval to 2014, about 3,200 people filled prescriptions for Truvada, according to the CDC. The same gap exists locally. Local activists say a lack of funds for marketing and education, and stigma associated with it are barriers. I definitely think there are still a lot of folks within the area who are not familiar with PrEP, said John Licatatiso, training coordinator with the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. However, the situation may be improving in Cuyahoga County, said Dr. Ann Avery, infectious disease physician at MetroHealth. Preliminary data shows there were 161 new HIV cases in 2018, down from 196 in 2016. Beyond the pills cost, the myth that people who take PrEP are having lots of unprotected, promiscuous sex also turns people off. Theres also a stigma attached to young women or straight men taking PrEP because of the drugs associations with the LGBT community, Licatatiso said. You always have to try to dispel this as soon as it comes up, Licatatiso said. Why should we be shaming anyone around trying to be careful and taking a preventative measure? PrEP Workgroup is model for collaboration Four times a year, members of the Cleveland PrEP Workgroup, an advocacy umbrella organization, meet to brainstorm ways to increase access to quality PrEP health care. Its long membership list includes the major health systems (MetroHealth, University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic), public health organizations (Cleveland Department of Health, Ohio Department of Health), and community organizations (the LGBT Center, Recovery Resources). Gilead and Walgreens are also members. When it was founded in 2015, the Cleveland PrEP Workgroup counted just six organizations offering PrEP. Thats grown to 46 registered providers and organizations offering PrEP care, Joshua Kratz, clinical research coordinator at MetroHealth and the workgroups founder, said in an email. Were currently working to expand our data collection and analysis efforts when it comes to (who is using PrEP), Kratz said. Its our goal to use this data to help us identify who we are reaching, who are we failing to reach, what areas are we doing good in, and where are the gaps we need to fill. The advocacy workgroup has sought out grants to fund marketing campaigns, educational events, health care provider trainings, and more. Its third multi-media PrEP campaign using local models is in the works. Our workgroup has become a model adopted by other cities around Ohio and the nation, Kratz said. A grant from the Ohio Department of Health led to Rollins being hired in August as Ohios first full-time PrEP Navigator, tasked with spreading the word about PrEP and making it easier for people to get it. He helps patients overcome any problems that might stop them from getting and staying on PrEP. No transportation? Heres a bus pass. No time to get to the drug store? Hell pick up the prescription and deliver it to a clients home. He gives group presentations to doctors, social workers, health care workers and others about PrEP, and he fields texts and phone calls from individuals. Currently he has 42 clients. People think of prevention as an extra, Rollins said. We are talking about something that is preventative to one of the most destructive illnesses that we have known in human history. CLEVELAND, Ohio A small but vocal group of Democrats is calling on Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish to drop Bill Mason as his new chief of staff. Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, which supports public officials who promote equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, complained in a letter to Budish this week that Mason did not support efforts to offer domestic partnership benefits to county employees when he was prosecutor. Mason played a key role for many years in preventing the county from enacting domestic partnership benefits under the commissioners, the board of Cleveland Stonewall wrote. The fact that this appointment is happening with no regard for how Mason has actively worked against marginalized community residents sends the wrong message at such an already tumultuous time for the office and our state." Dara Adkison, president of Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, could not be reached for comment. Mason, who was appointed to chief of staff on Wednesday, told cleveland.com that he was surprised by the complaint because he supports LGBT rights and couldnt recall working against such efforts in the past. He recalled being asked years ago, when three commissioners led the county government, for a legal opinion as the countys top lawyer on whether the commissioners could provide benefits to same-sex partners of county employees. He said his office ruled at the time that the county could not. In 2012, under the new charter form of county government, County Council and then-County Executive Ed FitzGerald created a domestic partnership registry. Budish, who has enjoyed past support from Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, said he stands by Mason and his record on gay rights. Budish also defended his own record on gay rights. Nobody has done more in the state or county, he said. Budish pointed to his time as Ohio House speaker, when he pushed an anti-discrimination bill through the House that added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of classifications for which it is illegal to discriminate in housing and employment situations. I was the first to ever get that through the House, he said. The bill died when it failed to win the support of the Ohio Senate. CLEVELAND, Ohio Moms participating in Clevelands home visiting program, MomsFirst, now have greater access to free diapers and wipes and can receive bus passes to help them get to work. A $70,500 donation of goods from California-based managed care organization Molina Healthcare is a continuation of a year-old partnership between the two organizations. MomsFirst, which receives about $2 million in federal and state funds annually to provide in-home visits for women at high risk of poor birth outcomes, reaches about 1,300 women who give birth in the city a year. Home visiting programs like MomsFirst have been shown to reduce infant mortality and improve health of both mother and babies. The infant mortality rate, defined as the number of live-born infants who die before reaching a first birthday per 1,000 live births, was 8.43 last year in Cuyahoga County. It was even higher, 12 deaths per 1,000, in the city of Cleveland from 2016 to 2018, the most recent data available. The infant mortality rate during the same period among MomsFirst participants was 7.2. Since 2018, Molina has been donating about 7,000 diapers a month to MomsFirst, distributed to mothers in packs of 10. The companys new commitment increases the supply of diapers by 190,000 a year, and allows the organization to distribute cases of 140 at a time, as well as wipes. Theres a critical need for diapers in Cuyahoga County among needy families. The citys only diaper bank, which operated out of The Downey House on St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland, closed in 2016. Several other area agencies offer diapers on a smaller scale, but many families have trouble accessing them due to lack of transportation and the limited hours the agencies are open. Diapers are expensive. They cost about $75 a month, or roughly $900 a year for one child. Government subsidies such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, cant be used to buy diapers or wipes. About 1 in 3 families nationally do not have enough diapers to keep an infant or child clean, dry, and healthy, according to the National Diaper Bank Network. Some local families resort to reusing soiled diapers, said MomsFirst Project Director Lisa Matthews, and added that the free diapers make an immediate difference in alleviating stress for families. Molina chose Cleveland for its diaper donations because of the lack of a local diaper bank, said Ami Cole, president of Molina Healthcare of Ohio. Molina will also be donating weekly bus passes to 50 MomsFirst participants so that they can get to work and maintain employment. Rotunda Rumblings Minding the store: One of the reasons Ohio medical marijuana remains pricey could be the delay in opening dispensaries, since only 18 of 45 are operational, reports cleveland.coms Laura Hancock. Dispensaries have had to meet with the pharmacy board to talk about their delays. On a related note: The House hasnt yet acted on Senate Bill 57, which would legalize and regulate hemp production in Ohio, even though the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee recommended it for approval more than a week ago. House Speaker Larry Householder said its a matter of priorities, rather than any specific concerns with the bill. Well take a look at that when we have time, Householder said. Right now, our priority is to try to get the priority bills done before the end of June. House passes health measures: The Ohio House unanimously passed House Bill 10, which creates the Governors Office of Drug Policy, a cabinet-level agency to coordinate the states response to addiction and other drug-related problems. House members described it as making Gov. Mike DeWines RecoveryOhio initiative, created in January through an executive order, permanent. The bill sets aside $5.5 million annually to fund the office. The House also voted 86-3 for House Bill 12, which directs governors staff and other state officials to come up with a plan that attempts to reduce disparities in childrens behavioral health. Tech issues: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is one of at least a dozen state AGs talking with each other about starting anti-trust investigations or lawsuits against large tech companies such as Google and Facebook. Cleveland.coms Jeremy Pelzer has the details. Get the message: Would you like to show your support for Capitol Letter, plus get exclusive insider information on Ohio government and politics? Consider Project Text. For $3.99 a month, you can get behind the scenes insights and observations via text messages from the reporting team who puts together our essential daily newsletter. Save me a seat: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan narrowly made the cut for the first Democratic presidential debates, cleveland.coms Seth Richardson reports. Hell be one of 20 candidates on stage during two events later this month in Miami. Ready for prime time: Ryan was also featured on Comedy Centrals The Daily Show on Thursday night where he gave a truncated version of his campaign pitch. Host Trevor Noah also got an answer to the burning question on everyones mind: why did Ryan choose Lil Nas Xs Old Town Road as his walk out music at a recent event? I had one target audience there," Ryan said before Noah asked who. My kids. That was the goal. Free enterprise: Lt. Gov. Jon Husted on Thursday called for a change in state law to encourage innovators like Aaron Westbrook, an Ohio State student who uses 3D printers to make artificial limbs out of recycled plastic and gives them away for free, cleveland.coms Andrew Tobias writes. Husted is working with state Sen. Rob McColley to try to introduce an amendment to the state budget exempting 3D printers from state licensing requirements for prosthetics manufacturing. Both were joined by Westbrook, 20, who runs the prosthetics charity Form 5 Prosthetics. Startup phase: Husted also was asked about the DeWine administrations efforts to get his new InnovateOhio agency funded. DeWine asked for $12.5 million a year to run the agency, which the House cut to $4 million. The Senate budget plan proposes giving it $6 million. Well keep working with them to get the appropriation to where it was when we introduced our version of the budget, Husted said Thursday. Householder said the House didnt know entirely what the agency would be doing when the request came in. I think we all want to be helpful. Apparently, the Senate had a little bit more information than we did, he said. Joint statement: DeWine is not a fan of Cincinnatis decision this week to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. I dont think its a great idea, DeWine said, according to a report for the Enquirer by Julia Starostina. The governor said he wasnt familiar with details of the city ordinance, but he reaffirmed his general opposition to the legalization of marijuana, claiming it can have a significant, permanent drop in IQ for young people who regularly smoke it. Day in court: Ohio State University was hit with two more lawsuits this week from former students and athletes who say that former university team doctor Richard Strauss sexually assaulted them. Cleveland.coms Eric Heisig reports that the suits were filed by 17 people in federal court in Columbus. Confirmed: Businessman (and major GOP donor) Ed Crawford of Lake County is the next U.S. ambassador to Ireland. As cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton reports, the U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of Crawford, who heads the Edward Crawford Group and Park-Ohio Industries, in a 90-4 vote. Post office renaming: The Grand River post office could bear the name of a village police officer who was killed in the Iraq while serving with the Marines, Eaton reports. U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce of Bainbridge Township has introduced legislation in Congress to name the building after the late Lance Corporal Andrew Ace Nowacki, who was killed by a roadside bomb on Feb. 26, 2005. Road renaming: The Ohio House Transportation and Public Safety Committee has voted to rename a stretch of Interstate 271 in Cuyahoga County after Ronald Barron, a former Orange village councilman who died earlier this year. The road-renaming bill, which now heads to the House for further approval, was sponsored by Rep. Juanita Brent, and co-sponsored by the rest of Cuyahoga Countys House delegation. On The Move Mark Hurst has been announced as the medical director for the Ohio Department of Health. Birthdays Friday, 6/14: U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs Sunday, 6/16: Heather Blessing, Ohio House Republicans deputy legal counsel; Scott Stockman, Ohio Senate Democrats legal counsel Straight From The Source I for one am happy @realDonaldTrump met with the Prince of Whales, because it gives me the opportunity to meet with the Duke of Dolphins next week. - U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, on Twitter, making a joke about President Donald Trumps Twitter humorous misspelling of the Duke of Wales earlier in the day. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free. COLUMBUS, Ohio The majority of the businesses that Ohio regulators selected to build medical marijuana dispensaries are not up and running and the state is threatening to yank licenses from many of them due to the delays. In the medical marijuana seed-to-sale chain, dispensaries have become the link experiencing the latest bottleneck in a program that has been beset by delays. Ohio regulators divided the state into regions and allotted a number of dispensaries to operate in each, largely based on population. In all, 56 dispensaries have received provisional licenses. But only 18 of them have completed construction and cleared final inspections to receive certificates of operation. Last week the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, one of the states medical marijuana regulators, met with representatives of about 30 dispensaries that hadnt received a certificate of operation by May 31 including six from Northeast Ohio: GTI Ohio LLC at 1222 Prospect Ave. East, Cleveland: The board notes moderate construction remains to be completed but the dispensary owned by Green Thumb Industries, which will operate its Ohio dispensaries under the brand name RISE has made substantial process. It extended the companys provisional license until Aug. 9. GTI Ohio LLC at 11818 Madison Ave., Lakewood: The board said a lot of construction remains. The license was extended to Sept. 8. Expedited efforts must be completed before additional extensions will be considered, the board recorded in documents GTI Ohio LLC on Detroit Ave., Lakewood: This dispensary also needs a lot of work. The board extended its provisional license until Sept. 8. 127 Ohio LLC at 737 E North St. in Akron: The provisional license was extended until Sept. 8 because substantial work is still needed. KDJOH LLC, doing business as Herbology, at 1220 Buchholzer Blvd. in Cuyahoga Falls: The board noted moderate construction remains but the company has made substantial progress. The company has until Aug. 9 before it could potentially lose its license. AFS Cultivation, doing business as Sky Ohio, 604 Cleveland St., Elyria: Requires a substantial construction effort, the board wrote. Expedited efforts must be completed before additional extensions will be considered. The company was given until Sept. 8. No one from the Northeast Ohio dispensaries that were summoned by the pharmacy board returned cleveland.coms messages about the reason for their delays. A spokeswoman with Green Thumb Industries said that the RISE Cleveland store will be the first Cuyahoga County location to open. She didnt explain the delays. She said the company has RISE locations in Toledo and Lorain that are already open. The board did not summon the remaining eight dispensaries with provisional licenses that have not yet opened because theyve already been in contact with the board over complicated issues that went beyond construction delays, such as legal issues, a board spokesman said. In general, dispensary representatives provided the pharmacy board last week a range of reasons why they are behind, said Curtis Passafume, a member of the pharmacy board. But it generally came down to construction delays and delays by the cities they plan to operate in, he said. Due to the winter, construction came to a halt from January to March, he said. Many dispensary owners described delays in getting permitted by local municipalities, Passafume said. There were a few, I think, that just needed some urging to get going and we made it very clear on that, he said. We did not offer up timeframes up to perpetuity. The dispensaries that talked to the pharmacy board last week were originally given provisional licenses on June 4, 2018. The board gave them all extra time. The most time any dispensary got was until Sept. 8, one year from when the program was supposed to be fully operational. The state told the dispensaries they could yank their licenses and give them to faster-moving applicants. The first legal Ohio medical marijuana dispensaries opened Jan. 16, and that was a delay. The legislature wanted the program to be fully operational Sept. 8, 2018. The dispensary bottleneck may be contributing to Ohios high price of medical marijuana. The discussion about the dispensaries occurred at a Thursday public meeting in Columbus, where one medical marijuana advocate in the audience called out, Go to Michigan, when Ohios medical marijuana prices were discussed. Ohios price for flower is dropping, and averaged $420 -- not a joke -- an ounce for the week ending June 8. The price is dropping from over $450 an ounce in April, but its still more expensive than purchasing it elsewhere. Thats higher than high-quality marijuana people can purchase on the street in Ohio, which is around $330.06 an ounce, according to the crowdsourcing priceofweed.com. For comparison in Michigan, state regulators report the median price of flower was $207.63 an ounce from Oct. 1, 2018 to March 31. Nancy Walsh Mosca, a nurse who is a member of the Ohio Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee, is concerned about prices and the lack of dispensaries close to patients homes. Two patients after Thursdays meeting told her they intend to buy product illegally in Michigan, she said. If its not close or its too expensive, theyre going to turn to alternative methods, she said. CLEVELAND -- Very few people have read the Mueller report. In truth, one has to be a lawyer schooled in the murky crimes of obstruction of justice to understand its import. For those few brave souls who have soldiered through the report, words like nexus and overarching factual issues pepper the narrative. If you methodically read, however, it is clear that Special Counsel Robert Mueller found substantial evidence that the president obstructed justice, but that he also felt constrained by Department of Justice precedent holding that a sitting president cannot be criminally indicted. As a consequence, Mueller laid out the evidence so that it could be handed off to the Congress to decide the political question of whether President Donald Trumps obstructive conduct rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors that require an impeachment inquiry. The House Judiciary Committee, led by Jerry Nadler, has the primary jurisdiction to hold impeachment hearings. But they need witnesses. President Trump has ordered many of those witnesses not to appear. Chief among them is former White House Counsel Don McGahn. McGahn is the most prominent witness to the presidents obstructive behavior, including Trumps order that McGahn fire the Special Counsel over trivial conflict of interests. McGahn refused and almost a year later, when it leaked he had been ordered to fire Mueller, President Trump tried to get McGahn to fabricate evidence to cover-up what he did. McGahn again refused. As a result of being stonewalled by the White House, Chairman Nadler and the majority Democrats began calling witnesses this week to expound on the findings of the Mueller report and to place it in historical context. The point was to place human faces before cameras to explain a report that people were not otherwise reading. John Dean was one of those witnesses asked to testify, along with MSNBC legal analysts and former federal prosecutors Joyce Vance and Barbara McQuade. Because John Dean and I started a continuing legal education program about Watergate and the law of obstruction of justice in 2011, I was asked to come to Washington to assist Dean in his prepared statement and testimony. Our program, called the Watergate CLE, was conceived of years before Donald Trump was even a serious candidate for president. We have given 150 programs and taught obstruction of justice law to tens of thousands of lawyers across the nation. On the day Dean was to testify, we went over to the Rayburn Building to meet in advance with the Democratic staff lawyers so Dean and the other witnesses could be advised of the rules of the road. The House parliamentarian carefully laid out procedures of decorum that prohibited witnesses from disparaging the president personally. It is to me an odd rule, given the Constitutions unbridled protection of free speech. But there it is, and the Democrats took the rule seriously, making sure that when referring to the Mueller report, the witnesses only addressed questions as hypotheticals or in such a way so as not to directly accuse the president of crimes or wrongdoing. Dean was not going to have difficulty following the rule as his purpose was to highlight obstructive acts during Watergate and compare them to activity that Mueller set out in his report (acts like dangling pardons to keep witnesses from cooperating fully with an ongoing investigation). The historical similarities are striking but did not require Dean to reach ultimate conclusions as to whether Trumps actions resulted in obstruction of justice. Notwithstanding what I saw as the Democrats care in trying to adhere to House rules of decorum, the Republicans on the committee showed no such compunction. Jim Jordan, sadly a representative of an Ohio district that includes my hometown, Lima, baited Dean to disparage the president. He kept it up for almost his full five minutes and Dean finally told him that rules of decorum prevented him from answering his questions. But Jordan and others on the Republican side didnt relent viciously attacking Dean with long-disproven Watergate conspiracy theories, such as whether Dean himself ordered the break-in. Remember, folks, Nixon kept tapes and those tapes are definitive proof of who ordered the break-in and what the president knew and when he knew it. The rules of decorum obviously didnt keep the president from tweeting that Dean was a sleazebag and a loser. It is as if the two parties play by two different set of rules. ....No Obstruction. The Dems were devastated - after all this time and money spent ($40,000,000), the Mueller Report was a disaster for them. But they want a Redo, or Do Over. They are even bringing in @CNN sleazebag attorney John Dean. Sorry, no Do Overs - Go back to work! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2019 This is not to say Democrats are saints, but what I witnessed from the Republicans disgusted me. Instead of all the ridiculous personal attacks, maybe the Republicans should listen to what Dean has to say. Read his full statement and you will see that there are remarkable parallels between what Nixon did in 1972 and 1973 and what Trump did in 2016 and 2017. Neither man knew of the underlying crimes in advance (although in Trumps case, that question is still up in the air, given all the people who lied to Mueller or refused to cooperate). Yet both tried to obstruct an ongoing investigation and that is a federal crime. In Watergate we learned that the cover-up is often worse than the crime, especially where that cover-up is being directed by the highest officer of the government, one who is bound by the Constitution to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. In 2019, has that lesson been unlearned? James Robenalt is a partner at Thompson Hine LLP and the author of four nonfiction books, including his latest, Ballots and Bullets, Black Power Politics and Urban Guerrilla Warfare in 1968 Cleveland. He lectures nationally with John Dean on Watergate and legal ethics. CLEVELAND -- Not many people can say they changed the diapers of a future president. But if Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet ends up in the White House, former Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste can add that to his long list of life experiences. The ties that bind the Bennet and Celeste families are deep. And Bennets Ohio connections are significant. Of course, those alone hardly qualify him for the presidency. And Bennets candidacy is a long shot. But even if this is not Bennets year, time will prove a great ally to any Democratic presidential hopeful under age 60 (Bennet is 54), as a mountain of new evidence suggests President Donald Trumps brand of Republicanism is doomed to extinction. Unfortunately, theres no guarantee that extinction will arrive in 2020. And of the 23 Democrats who want Trumps job, Bennets resume is arguably the most impressive and diverse. At worst, his credentials for the job are second only to former Vice President Joe Biden. During a six-year stint in the private sector, Bennet earned a national reputation for his skill in saving struggling businesses. Contrast that with a president who has specialized in bankrupting them. Bennets public-sector experience includes work in Columbus as an aide to Celeste, a deputy U.S. attorney general, a job in the Clinton White House, chief of staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and superintendent of the Denver schools. In 2012, Bennets good friend, retired Forest City Enterprises CEO Albert Ratner, brought him to Cleveland to help implement Clevelands school reform plan. By then, Bennet was a U.S. senator, appointed three years earlier to fill a vacancy in Colorado, an appointment President Barack Obama helped engineer. In 2019, Bennets announcement video for the presidency was as impressive as any you will see from a 2020 presidential candidate. As former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart told me about his longtime friend, Michael is intelligent, thoughtful and grounded . He is highly qualified in the three arenas that constitute presidential duties: governments role in the economy, foreign policy and national security. In the 1960s, Celeste and Bennets father worked in India for former Ambassador Chester Bowles and Bennet is the godfather of one of Celestes grandchildren. Cleveland-based political consultant Jeff Rusnak, who worked with Bennet in the Celeste administration, is a senior advisor to his presidential effort. Bennet said he learned an unbelievable amount from Dick Celeste. I didnt realize how much I had learned until I started running for office myself. If every Democratic voter could spend 15 minutes in a one-on-one conversation with Bennet, he might just win the nomination in a walk. Of course, thats not about to happen. But his views on the economy, education, Washingtons broken political system, the environment, inequality and Americas role in the world convey a deep understanding of our problems and how to help solve them. I think our most important domestic issue if you take climate change out of it, which is a an existential threat to the planet is we have had no economic mobility in America for the last 40 years for 90 percent of the American people, Bennet said in a telephone interview. And our education system is reinforcing the inequality rather than liberating people from it. That is deeply unfair, at war with who we are as a county, and is a threat to our democracy. Bennet fears the country has reached a breaking point. Whats more, While all this is happening, we are having mindless fights over $6 billion for a wall the president said Mexico would pay for. Celeste believes Bennet is the Democrat best-suited to tackle our enormous problems. Michael is about as grounded an individual who has devoted a life to public service as I have ever met, he said. Hes real. Hes authentic. Hes passionate. Hes curious, a student of history and is a total contrast to the guy who is there now. That guy who is there now was put there by the silent generation, voters over age 73. And polls consistently show old, undereducated white males are Trumps most loyal constituents. So as the silent generation dies off, more educated baby boomers will take their place. Worse yet for Republicans, recent studies by the Pew Research Center have found millennials and those born after 1996 are more educated and far more liberal than any age group. As the brilliant conservative columnist David Brooks wrote in a June 3 New York Times column headlined, The Coming GOP Apocalypse, The generation gap is even more powerful when it comes to Republicans. To put it bluntly, young adults hate them. Trumps bootlicking enablers in Congress have already put politics above principle, sacrificing whatever there was of their legacies. Or, as another conservative intellectual, Bret Stephens, put it in a June 4 Opinion conversation with columnist Gail Collins in the Times, The surrender of the mainstream Republican Party to Trump will be a matter of political and even psychological analysis for decades to come. It is the transformation of a party into a cult. It is the triumph of hatred of the left, of elites, of immigrants from s-hole countries over principle. It is the collapse of moral judgment before the blandishments of political power. Left to fix all this will be the kids who spent the final years of the 20th century in diapers. Bennet is long gone from diapers. But he understands the need of the nations young to wrest control of their future from the aging hands of those who subscribe to the misguided notion we can turn back time. Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealers editorial director from 1991 until his retirement in 2009. To reach Brent Larkin: blarkin@cleveland.com Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Follow option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. In a party-line vote Republicans for, Democrats against the Ohio House is seeking to require those claiming compensation for injuries they suffered on the job in Ohio to answer a question about their citizenship. Approved 58-36, the amendment to Ohios pending workers compensation budget, House Bill 80, would ask a claimant if he or she is a U.S. citizen, or an illegal alien or unauthorized alien or someone who has an alien registration number, or other signifier that the claimant is authorized to work. The amendments sponsor is state Rep. Bill Seitz, a suburban Cincinnati Republican. The amendment wouldnt deny compensation to injured workers if they are undocumented, Seitz said (which would be against current Ohio law). Instead, Seitz argues the amendment is aimed at gathering data so the General Assembly can determine what, if anything, needs to be done about such claimants. With due respect, thats baloney. There is no evidence that undocumented workers are gaming the system. This unneeded House amendment is a solution in search of a problem. Yet it will have a major impact if enacted. The amendment will likely cause many non-U.S.-citizen workers -- including but not limited to undocumented aliens -- from filing claims for help theyre entitled to under Ohio law. That includes rehabilitation and health care when they lose fingers, or break limbs, or are otherwise hurt on the job. It will impact, disproportionately, immigrants who do dangerous jobs because they are without good English language skills, or, yes, because they lack proper papers. As Seitz well knows, undocumented workers in Ohio are entitled to collect workers compensation when they are injured on the job. This amendment would use a back door to clamp down on immigrants ability to collect just compensation by making those claims less likely to be filed. Ohio law defines employees people covered by workers compensation to include aliens. And last decade, the 7th Ohio District Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the claim of an injured alien slated for deportation, warning of the negative consequences in on-the-job hazards for all workers if undocumented aliens were excluded: If [they] were injured, the employer would not lose any money because the aliens could not collect workers compensation. Therefore, the employer may become lax in workplace safety, knowing it would suffer no consequences if its employees were injured at work. Seitz says the state Bureau of Workers Compensation makes it very difficult to ascertain the number of workers compensation claims filed against specific employers. But he said a fellow legislator determined that well in excess of 200 claims had been filed against Ohio employers raided last summer in federal immigration raids that targeted meatpacking and landscaping firms in Columbiana and Sandusky counties. But meatpacking is dangerous work, so claims likely would be high, by citizens and noncitizens alike. The Guardian, the British newspaper, reported last year that U.S. meat workers are already three times more to likely suffer serious injury than the average American worker. Whatever the intentions of those who back the Seitz amendment, its fundamentally a political swipe at men and women with dangerous jobs. The Senate, or a Senate-House conference, must delete the amendment. About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. * Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Follow option at the top of the comments, & look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Imagine this: A city council decides to require all childrens summer lemonade stands to add a surcharge to keep other childrens iced-tea stands from closing. This is necessary, they say, to make sure there are enough stands open through the summer heat. Residents would balk at the absurdity and unfairness of such a law. Well, a similar situation is playing out in the Ohio legislature now. Swap lemonade stands for electricity companies that run on natural gas, coal and renewables. Exchange the iced-tea stands for nuclear-powered electricity companies. And trade the city council for the legislature. Since 1999, Ohio has allowed residents and businesses to shop for their electricity provider. But a hotly debated bill passed in the House stretches the definition of competition. House Bill 6 would (mostly) end the states renewable energy mandate and replace it with a new government mandate called the Ohio Clean Air Program to subsidize electricity companies for every megawatt-hour of CO2-free electricity they produce. Katie Tubb is a senior policy analyst for energy in the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. (David Hill, used with permission) The clear beneficiaries are Ohios two struggling nuclear power plants, Davis-Besse and Perry. As proposed, all of Ohios electricity customers would contribute to the Clean Air Program kitty for these companies via a tax tacked onto their monthly electricity bills, regardless of who provides their electricity. Proponents argue the subsidies are needed to keep these two nuclear power plants open. If the legislature doesnt pass the Clean Air Program and these nuclear plants close, the argument goes, jobs will be lost and grid reliability will be compromised. Plus, its for the environment! But the arguments for a new government mandate are about as thin as a soggy paper cup of iced tea. Taken in turn: The prospect of closure isnt such a crisis. The Davis-Besse and Perry plants are indeed slated to close in 2020 and 2021 unless a buyer is found. This has been known since at least 2016. For at least the last 10 years, Perry and Davis-Besse have had higher costs than any other nuclear power plant in PJM (the regional market Ohio belongs to) except Pennsylvanias Three Mile Island plant. In 2018, these three plants had costs of $42.66 per megawatt-hour of electricity they produced. By contrast, all other nuclear power plants had costs of $30.89 per megawatt-hour. The likely reason is that they are single-unit plants, meaning that instead of having multiple nuclear reactors onsite, they only have one and the economics show. Unfortunately, that does mean jobs at Perry and Davis-Besse will be lost. That day will eventually come, whether these plants are subsidized or not. Even then, closing and decommissioning a nuclear power plant is a long, multimillion-dollar process that doesnt immediately turn off the tap of employment and tax revenues. Consider, too, the other side of the job coin. Other companies have made investments in the last decade anticipating Ohio customers needs with the confidence that they and their competitors would both play by market rules. Legislators engage in bait and switch by proposing new rules to socialize costs for certain companies. While subsidizing the purchase of nuclear energy will save those jobs for a time, it will also prevent the creation of others. Grid reliability is perhaps the biggest non-issue. Regional market PJM has 14,000 MW of excess reserves, and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation states that the region has sufficient reserves through 2027, even with announced closures. Lastly, competition helps the environment. Competition forces companies to be efficient and innovative, unlike a government-protected monopoly that can ride on political goodwill. For example, Ohios competitive market has enabled it to enjoy the environmental benefits of the shale-gas revolution rather than be locked into power providers resistant to change. In the end, theres nothing wrong with iced tea or lemonade, per se they bring different things to the table, just like nuclear, gas, coal, and renewables. The problem is government mandates that move choice further from customers and closer to legislators and lobbyists. If Ohio legislators want to be fair, they should defend competitive markets and eliminate policies that created unfairness in the first place. Katie Tubb is a senior policy analyst for energy in the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation (heritage.org). ........................ Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the Follow option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. Paul Tasong, MINEPAT Boss Twitter The African Development Bank (AfDB) says Central Africa stands to benefit the most from the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA). Data findings from the bank led by Hanan Morsy, Director of Research, revealed Central Africa's real income could increase by as much as 7% in one of the scenarios that researchers described in the 2019 African Economic Outlook. Cameroon is currently pushing for the bill to ratify the African Continental Free Trade agreement, to be ratified at the National Assembly. The Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Economic Planning and Regional Development, says the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, offers greater perspective in terms of industrialisation and increased production for Cameroon. Mr. Paul Tassong was talking to reporters at the National Assembly, yesterday June 13, shortly after defending the bill to authorise the president of the republic to ratify the agreement establishing the African continental free trade zone. This bill is of utmost importance for the future of our country, for the future of our continent. It maybe interesting to note that we have a population of about 25 million, we are not a very big economy. We are not a very big economy because our consumer base is too small. This bill when it comes to Cameroon, offers the wider consumer base, offers a bigger market, offer greater perspective s in terms of industrialisation, in terms of increased production, said the Minister. He insisted that many companies have the potential to produce more than what they currently do, but havent been soloing so, because they are not sure about their market. The AfCFTA, according to him, breaks barriers(custom, traffic etc) at the continental level, which is good for every economy, and hence raise living standards of the population. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians are expected to announce the signing of several players selected in MLBs June draft over the next few days. Scott Barnsby, director of amateur scouting, says that 31 of the 40 players that the Indians drafted June 3-5 are at the teams spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., going through physicals and an orientation program. Right-hander Daniel Espino and shortstop Yordys Valdes, the Tribes top two picks, are among the draft picks attending the program. Valdes, a 17-year-old switch-hitter, has already agreed to a signing bonus with the Indians that will pay him $1,001,000 dependent on passing his physical. Its believed his signing could be announced on Friday. Espino, with a slot value of $2.83 million, is said to be close to signing as well, but he was still going through his physical as of Thursday. Espino was the 24th player taken in the draft. He is a native of Panama who struck out 106 batters in 44 innings as a senior at George Premier Academy in Statesboro, Ga. Some scouts, according to MLB.com, project Espino as a reliever because he has a long arm action, but the Indians feel he can start. Espino, 18, reportedly throws between 94-97 mph and has hit 100 mph twice. He throws a two-seam and four-seam fastball. Valdes, 5-11 and 170 pounds, hit .343 (35-for-73) with eight doubles, one triple and 13 RBI in 23 games at McArthur High School in Hollywood, Fla. Valdes defense is ahead of his offense at this point, but the Indians believe hell get stronger and improve with the bat. He was born in Cuba and his father, Oscar, was an outfielder for the Cuban National team. The Indians bonus pool for the draft is $6,148,100. Thats the amount they have to sign their top 10 picks. If they go over the pool, they are taxed or could lose draft picks. Any player signed for less than $125,000 after the 10th round does not count against the bonus pool. Here are the rest of the Tribes top 10 picks and their slot value after Espino and Valdes: Third round: First baseman Joseph Naranjo Ruben, South Ayala (Calif.) High School, $577,000. Fourth round: SS Christian Cairo, Calvary Christian (Fla.) High School, $434,300. Fifth round: RHP Hunter Gaddis, Georgia State, $324,100. Sixth round: SS Jordan Brown, Junipero Serra (Calif.) High School, $251,100. Seventh round: RHP Xzavion Curry, Georgia Tech, $197,300. Eighth round: OF Will Brennan, Kansas State, $163,900. Ninth round: C Will Bartlett, IMG (Fla.) Academy, 150,300. 10th round: RHP Zach Hart, Franklin Pierce University, $142,500. Check out the Indians 2019 draft Get Tribe Insider texts in your phone from Paul Hoynes: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with the award-winning Indians reporter, just like you would with your friends. Its just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Learn more and sign up here. CLEVELAND, Ohio Late Night is something of a what if? fairy tale about the television industry, and its a rather charming one at that. The major fantasy element in this comedy is the main character, Katherine Newbury, brilliantly played by two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson. Thompsons Katherine is a show-business legend, having spent 30 years as the host of a late-night network talk show. And, of course, there are no women starring on late-night network talk shows. The reality is that these hosts have names like Jimmy and James, Stephen and Seth and so-forth not Katherine. Whats more, most of the writers rooms for these shows have tended to be predominantly male and white. It is on these realities that Late Night slyly builds its fairy tale. And no one is more acutely aware of those realities than the writer, producer and co-star of this film, Mindy Kaling. She knows the overall TV landscape extremely well, having written, produced and starred in the Fox comedy The Mindy Project. She also knows the inner workings of a writers room, having been a college intern on Late Night with Conan OBrien and having been the only woman on the writing team for NBCs The Office. She poured all of these experiences into Late Night, which has its satirical elements, to be sure, but opts to make it points with gentle prods rather than wicked stabs. One senses that Kalings affection for television remains high, and her script is more about possibilities than condemnation. When the movies turn a satirical eye on television, the results can be both prophetic and profound. Writer Paddy Chayefskys Network and writer-director James L. Brooks Broadcast News are two ingenious assaults that might come to mind. Late Night isnt that type of comedy. Its considerably less ferocious in its approach. Kaling blunts the sharpened points a bit, so her film works far better as a fascinating character study than social commentary. And the character who emerges as the object of our fascination is Katherine, the queen of late night, whose domain is threatened by an alarming mix of viewer defection, poor demographics and her own complacency. The audience no longer relates to Katherine because Katherine has stopped trying. She has moved away from her viewers by standing still, relying on reputation and routine. As a boss, her playbook would seem to be The Devil Wears Prada. Even worse, she is as isolated from her all-male, all-white writers as she is her public. Not knowing them by name, she assigns them numbers. Imperious, imposing and aloof, she is the Ice Queen chilling the shows production offices with her very presence. Into this dysfunctional world strolls a warm, sunny presence known as Molly Patel (Kaling). A chemical plant efficiency expert from Pennsylvania, she shows up with no actual experience at the moment a shaken Katherine demands that her producer make a diversity hire. The relentlessly upbeat, cheerful and optimistic Molly is the polar opposite of Katherine, or so it seems at first. Shes determined to make a contribution and to prove that she is more than just a diversity hire. By doing so, she just might prove to be the change Katherine and her show need. Kalings script has its predictable and by-the-numbers elements, and Late Night doesnt deliver as many laugh-out-loud moments as youd expect. Still, the chuckles and grins are in great supply, as are the winning performances. In addition to Thompson and Kaling, you get splendid portrayals by Hugh Dancy, Max Casella, Denis OHare and former Akronite John Lithgow (making the most of his screen time as Katherines husband, who is suffering from Parkinsons). But it is Katherine who is facing the most difficult emotional tests, and Thompsons depiction is so achingly true, it will have you momentarily pushing aside the nightmare predicted by Network for the fairy-tale lure of Late Night. Late Night What: Mindy Kaling, Emma Thompson, Hugh Dancy and John Lithgow star in a comedy about the new writer on a late-night talk show. Rated: R Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes When: Friday, June 14. Where: Wide. Grade: B Fru Ndi in Limbe June 13, 2019 Facebook Ni John Fru Ndi, National Chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, party was treated to a hostile and shabby reception on the first lap of his working visit to the South West Region Thursday, June 13, 2019. The SDF National Chairman arrived Limbe sometime before 10:00am and headed to the office of the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Fako where he got a foretaste of the hostilities reserved for him. I think for some reason, I would not want to say he [the Senior Divisional Officer] absconded, but he was not in his office. His assistant talked with such a frown on his face as if he smelled the excreter of a mad man. He told us off. Administration treated me roughly and shabbily, Fru Ndi said. Journalists had their equipment seized by security forces but Fru Ndi intervened and got the equipment returned to their owners. The convoy then drove to the National Refining Company, SONARA that saw four of its 13 production units go up in flames last May 31, 2019. Fru Ndis convoy was blocked at Ngeme on his way to SONARA by security forces who said they were acting on instructions from hierarchy. The Divisional Officer, DO, of Limbe II Subdivision, Ndouga Emaran said because a commission of inquiry has been set up to shed light on what caused the fire disaster at SONARA, Fru Ndi and his delegation could not be granted access. Now that they have put in place the technical committee in charge of inquiry and investigation, they need to work in confidentiality. And entrance to SONARA has been restricted. This is what I said. You do no need any paper. If journalists are taking pictures, they have taken. It is simple, the Divisional Officer said. Fru Ndi said he is not visiting SONARA to interfere with the investigations. What is your governments quarrel with me? What have I done? Fru Ndi asked and the Divisional Officer responded by saying that it is not a quarrel. It is a general security measure. He failed to recall that South West chiefs visited SONARA on June 12, 2019 and were treated to a rousing reception unlike what they reserved for Fru Ndi. Security measure? That I am a security risk in Cameroon? Am I a security risk in this country? Fru Ndi asked the Divisional Officer who responded thus: Have a safe journey Mr. Chairman. To the civil administrator and the troops who blocked him, Fru Ndi had this to say: Here, you send the police to block me because you want me to start fighting with these young men. I will not do it. But let it be on record that you people blocked me from going to SONARA. And when you start hiding people from seeing certain things, it means that you know what is happening. After the altercations at Ngeme that lasted for over a third of an hour, Fru Ndi made a U-turn. His convoy headed to the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, where he was also reserved a shabby and humiliating reception. He walked only a few steps from his car before he was told that the General Manager was not on seat. We learnt that the CDC General Manager Franklin Njie was spotted in Yaounde Thursday. Paramount Chief Hands Symbolic Key Of Limbe To Fru Ndi Fru Ndi is then received at the palace of the paramount chief designate of Limbe, HRH John Elufa Manga Williams. It was about the only warm reception Fru Ndi got in the city of Limbe as he left for Kumba. Chief John Elufa Manga Williams and his cabinet, including former Government Delegate, Lifanda Samuel Ebiama received Chairman Fru Ndi in Limbe. The exchange was rich and at the end HRH John Elufa Manga Williams told him he is free to come to Limbe anytime as long as he has the Key on his chest. Paramount Chief Hands Symbolic Key Of Limbe To Fru Ndi (c) Facebook Fru Ndi at the CDC June 13, 2019 - He was only received outside by the Director of Finance Alibaba founder Jack Ma fired a shot at the United States in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Ma was asked by CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin about the U.S. economy in relation to China, since President-elect Donald Trump has been talking about imposing new tariffs on Chinese imports. Ma says blaming China for any economic issues in the U.S. is misguided. If America is looking to blame anyone, Ma said, it should blame itself. "It's not that other countries steal jobs from you guys," Ma said. "It's your strategy. Distribute the money and things in a proper way." He said the U.S. has wasted over $14 trillion in fighting wars over the past 30 years rather than investing in infrastructure at home. To be sure, Ma is not the only critic of the costly U.S. policies of waging war against terrorism and other enemies outside the homeland. Still, Ma said this was the reason America's economic growth had weakened, not China's supposed theft of jobs. In fact, Ma called outsourcing a "wonderful" and "perfect" strategy. "The American multinational companies made millions and millions of dollars from globalization," Ma said. "The past 30 years, IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, they've made tens of millions the profits they've made are much more than the four Chinese banks put together. ... But where did the money go?" He said the U.S. is not distributing, or investing, its money properly, and that's why many people in the country feel wracked with economic anxiety. He said too much money flows to Wall Street and Silicon Valley. Instead, the country should be helping the Midwest, and Americans "not good in schooling," too. "You're supposed to spend money on your own people," Ma said. "Not everybody can pass Harvard, like me." In a previous interview, Ma said he had been rejected by Harvard 10 times. Along those lines, Ma stressed that globalization is a good thing, but it, too, "should be inclusive," with the spoils not just going to the wealthy few. "The world needs new leadership, but the new leadership is about working together," Ma said. "As a business person, I want the world to share the prosperity together." CNBC's Anita Balakrishnan contributed to this report. The Chewy.com application is displayed on an Apple Inc. iPhone. Chewy.com, the online pet product retailer owned by PetSmart, priced its IPO at $22 per share Thursday, above the expected range, according to a person familiar with the offering. The offering raises just over $1 billion and values the retailer at $8.8 billion. Chewy sold roughly 46 million shares, 5 million more than expected, after upping its expected range to $19 to $21 earlier this week. PetSmart, which is backed by private equity firm BC Partners, acquired Chewy in 2017 for roughly $3 billion to add an online business to complement its store base, as trends shifted online. But as the two business lines diverged, PetSmart transferred part of its stake in Chewy in a move that set the groundwork for a potential IPO. Following the initial public offering, PetSmart will own roughly 70% of the company's common stock and hold approximately 77% voting power. The two will continue to coordinate purchases, giving both stronger bargaining power, Chewy said in IPO registration documents. It will use proceeds from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, according to the filing. Some PetSmart investors likely hope that will include paying down debt. The company's credit metrics have weakened since acquiring Chewy, which added $2 billion in debt to its balance sheet, according to credit ratings agency Moody's. The firm estimates that as of February, PetSmart was leveraged at roughly 8.5 times enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, deprecation and amortization. Chewy was founded in 2011 by Ryan Cohen and Michael Day. Cohen last year stepped down as CEO of the company, succeeded by Sumit Singh, Chewy's former chief operating officer, who held prior roles at Amazon Fresh and Dell. It has distinguished itself from many of its competitors with customer service that includes 24/7 access and two-day shipping of online orders. It calls itself the "largest pure-play pet e-tailer in the United States, offering virtually everything a pet needs. "[Chewy] benefits from the large market of 85 million households who love their pets," noted Kathleen Smith, principal at Renaissance Capital, which manages IPO-focused exchange-traded funds. Chewy reported $3.5 billion in sales for fiscal 2018, up from $2.1 billion in 2017. Since its sale to PetSmart, Chewy has expanded its private-label business and launched "Chewy Pharmacy," an online pet drugstore. Chewy said in its prospectus it will seek continued growth by broadening the array of products it offers, finding new customers and expanding further into pharmacy. It also warned the company has yet to turn a profit, despite strong sales growth. From fiscal 2017 to 2018, it reported a net loss of $268 million, narrowing from a net loss of $338 million. The high costs required to ship heavy pet food have been a drag on the company's results. It has roughly 20% margins. Chewy joins a long list of unprofitable companies that have recently debuted on the public markets, including Uber, Pinterest and SurveyMonkey. Last October, the percentage of unprofitable U.S. companies that went public reached 83%, topping numbers seen even in the dot-com bubble. Those companies have no doubt been attracted to a relatively strong IPO market. Year to date, there have been 65 IPOs in 2019, raising $26 billion, according to Renaissance Capital. Sixty percent of those IPOs are trading above their offer price. Chewy plans to list Friday on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker "CHWY." CNBC's Emma Newburger contributed to this report. WATCH: How IPO millionaires are impacting real estate in San Francisco Democratic presidential candidate and Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg speaks to a crowd at the African American Leadership Council on June 6, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Dustin Chambers | Getty Images Four 2020 Democratic presidential candidates will visit striking McDonald's workers in the coming days as a jammed primary field tries to prove its chops with organized labor. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., heads to Las Vegas on Friday to join striking fast food workers in a state that will hold the third Democratic nominating contest next year. On Saturday, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., will visit laborers' protests in Charleston, South Carolina. That state is also important in the 2020 primary season: It will vote fourth. McDonald's workers who helped to start the Fight for $15 movement that has contributed to minimum wage hikes around the country have pushed for years for union membership and a $15 per hour pay floor. Employees have also urged the chain to better handle accusations of sexual harassment and violence at its locations. They have increased pressure this year to force the company to make changes. "My main motivation is we're fighting for $15 an hour because right now we're just living off of poverty wages, and in Vegas the cost of living is just continuing to go up," Martin Macias said in Spanish, according to a Fight for $15 translator who declined to be named. Macias has worked at a Las Vegas McDonald's for five years and will strike for the first time Friday as part of the Fight for $15 rally. For Democrats, the strikes offer a platform to court key working-class voters in a party traditionally backed by organized labor. As two dozen candidates jockey for support in a Democratic Party increasingly focused on reining in huge corporations, they have jumped at every chance to vouch for workers. The vast majority of the Democratic presidential field has at least sent messages of support for McDonald's employees during strikes earlier this year. Multiple candidates have rallied with the chain's workers. Most recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders marched with McDonald's laborers in the first in the nation caucus state of Iowa. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and 2020 presidential candidate, center, speaks outside a McDonald's restaurant during a Workers Union Action event ahead of the Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S., on Sunday, June 9, 2019. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images It's not just McDonald's. Candidates have made campaign stops at Walmart's annual meeting and joined striking Stop & Shop workers to make the case for higher wages and better representation for workers. Macias, through the translator, said Harris' presence on Friday is important for workers, but he stressed that he wants her to continue to vouch for fast food workers after she leaves Las Vegas. He said the 2020 Democratic candidates "know that they need the vote of the masses" in the 2020 primary, according to the translator. Democratic contenders hope in part to win the support of the country's biggest labor unions, which have so far withheld endorsements early in the 2020 contest. Only a couple notable unions have made their intentions clear. The International Association of Firefighters backed former Vice President Joe Biden, while the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council supported New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. In a statement to CNBC, Harris said, "I'm proud to stand in solidarity with the working women and men fighting for the wages and benefits they deserve here in Nevada." She added that unions "are under attack from the Supreme Court to the White House," saying "we need a leader and president who will stand with unions and working people." Also in a statement, Buttigieg said "these workers are living with low wages, harassment, frequent violent assault and they deserve better." He called it "critically important" for presidential candidates to bring attention to labor issues during a closely watched campaign. Candidates have used the McDonald's strikes not only to highlight wage hikes and union formation, but also to make their cases on related issues. The worker complaints against the fast-food chain come amid a broader national reckoning and political focus on workplace harassment. Google employees and shareholders are coordinating a joint demonstration at Alphabet's shareholder meeting next Wednesday. The groups will try to pressure company stakeholders and leaders to vote on proposals that ban non-disclosure agreements in harassment and discrimination cases and tie executive compensation to its diversity goals. Another includes a proposal to publish a human rights impact assessment for its potential search engine with China called Project Dragonfly. The joint effort comes as Google employees and partners become increasingly vocal over company policies and government contracts. Shareholders haven't spoken directly with workers at scale in the past, according to organizer Yana Calou, who said more people have expressed concern amid reports of retaliation. Calou is a director of engagement and training for Coworker.org, a non-profit that facilitates employee petitions to leaders, including one that led to Google ending forced arbitration. Organizers expect a few hundred people at the Sunnyvale, California, meeting location on the 19th, but it's unclear exactly how many will show up. "There's a very big gap in the company's stated values and the lived experiences of those folks," Calou told CNBC. "People are upset about the fact that if Google says they are really committed to preventing sexual harassment, why are they recommending a 'no' vote on a clawback proposal?" Calou was referring to a proposal to force executives to return incentive compensation "following a material violation of law or company policy that causes significant financial or reputational harm." The proposal specifically mentions a 2018 New York Times story reporting Google paid departing Android leader Andy Rubin $90 million despite credible accusations of sexual misconduct with employees. Rubin has said that parts of the story were inaccurate, and says he engaged only in consensual relationships and was never told of any misconduct. Google janitorial staff and community group Silicon Valley Rising will also be there to vocalize their concern over wage gaps and the residential effects of its imminent expansion into San Jose. The collective group has connected through phone calls up to three times a month for the last few months, Calou said. "Workers are definitely taking from the lessons of the last couple of years leading up to ending forced arbitration," she said. "There's now a massive amount of things workers are upset about." WATCH: Google employees staged a walkout last November to protest the handling of sexual harassment allegations Democratic presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke speaks to the press after taking part in a Pride month run, June 12, 2019 in New York City. Facebook's digital ad library report, which compiles data on businesses and political campaigns, shows that O'Rourke's campaign spent just over $637,000 on digital ads for the site since he jumped into the race in March. Over the last seven days, he spent $43,394, and through the course of 30 days he shelled out $105,000. His 2018 Senate campaign spent $8 million on Facebook ads more than any candidate running in the midterms. "Beto has been relentless about meeting people where they are whether that's showing up in their communities, responding to people on social media through Town Hall for America, or speaking directly to voters on television screens across the country," a campaign spokesman said. "Just like we did in the Senate race, this campaign is working at a breakneck pace to ensure we have the largest grassroots effort this country has ever seen." In a statement to CNBC, O'Rourke's campaign emphasized his focus on meeting voters and appearing at media opportunities. Political strategists said this could be a sign that O'Rourke is focusing more on the ground game than digital tactics because of potential trouble attracting donors even after his campaign against GOP Sen. Ted Cruz grew into a fundraising juggernaut. Beto O'Rourke established a dominant presence on social media during his nail-biting run for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas last year. So far, though, his 2020 presidential campaign has lagged behind major Democratic rivals in Facebook ad spending. At least six other Democratic contenders have spent more on Facebook ads than O'Rourke. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who got into the race a month after O'Rourke, has spent $1.4 million. Others outpacing O'Rourke are entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand. President Donald Trump's campaign is the dominant 2020 force on Facebook, spending $8.9 million on ads from May last year through this month. Meanwhile on Google, O'Rourke is ahead of Sanders in ad investments but lagging behind Harris, Warren and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Veteran Democratic strategists argue that the apparent shift in strategy could reflect that O'Rourke might be having trouble raising funds through Facebook ads, perhaps forcing the operation, under the leadership of former Obama deputy campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon, to focus on other avenues of appealing to potential supporters. "It could [have to do with their fundraising]. That's why she's reallocating resources to the ground game," Democratic strategist Mary Anne-Marsh out of Dewey Square Group told CNBC. "Jen wants to build out their field organization and investing in it now rather than the ads. It's one or the other, or both." Other party advisors echoed the same points while noting the enormous expectations for O'Rourke to replicate his 2018 success cobbling together large sums from small-dollar donors. O'Rourke broke fundraising records in his last run for office, racking up $78 million in donations. About $36 million of that total came from givers who wrote checks for $200 or less, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. For his presidential campaign, O'Rourke raised $9.3 million in the first quarter of 2019, with $5.5 million coming from small contributions. The second quarter ends June 30, and O'Rourke is competing for donor dollars from a field of over 20 candidates. "Beto had much higher expectations. There isn't an endless universe of online donors," a longtime party donor said on the condition of anonymity because of their involvement with multiple campaigns. "When everyone is competing for the same dollars, it's going to be incredibly difficult to raise enough money. For a guy like that, he's spending money, but he wants to have enough cash on hand because he's competing with space where there are a lot of people competing for oxygen." O'Rourke had $6.8 million on hand, according to the most recent quarterly records. The Texas Democrat is also lagging behind in the polls. A Real Clear Politics polling average has O'Rourke ranked sixth with 3.5% of the vote. He's doing well in his home state. Yet 60% of voters in a recent Quinnipac University Texas poll said they would prefer if O'Rourke dropped out of the presidential election and come back to the Lone Star State to face Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Bluebird Bio CEO Nick Leschly on Friday defended the biotech company's $1.8 million price tag for its new gene therapy to treat a rare genetic blood disorder. Bluebird's therapy, Zynteglo, was approved in Europe earlier this month for patients with beta thalassemia who require regular blood transfusions to manage their disease and have no matching donor for a stem cell transplant. The price tag, set Friday, makes the drug the second most expensive in the world behind Swiss drugmaker Novartis' $2.1 million gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. Leschly reasoned that the one-time treatment is a game changer for patients, giving them a "lifelong benefit" while avoiding costly blood transfusions every few weeks for the rest of their lives. Bluebird said patients will only have to pay $1.8 million if the treatment works. The company proposed a five-year installment plan, with 315,000 euros, or $356,567, paid upfront and additional payments due only if the treatment proves effective. It's a form of value-based pricing, Leschly said. "Neither Novartis' drug nor our drug is anywhere near the most expensive drug in the world. It's really thinking about it differently," Leschly said in an interview on CNBC's "The Exchange." "This is a good thing, a one time curative treatment." Novartis and Bluebird's approvals mark a new era in medicine where new therapies can cure patients in a single treatment but at a high price. Insurers and governments will need to figure out how to pay for these therapies and society will need to decide whether any drug, even lifesaving ones, are worth millions of dollars. Bluebird expects the therapy to be approved for beta thalassemia in the U.S. in 2020. In May, Novartis gave a similar reasoning on pricing for its one-time treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, a muscle-wasting disease and leading genetic cause of infant mortality. In rationalizing the expensive price, Novartis said the one-time treatment costs 50% less than the 10-year cost of current chronic management of the disease. Another current treatment for spinal muscular atrophy for children and adults is Biogen's Spinraza, which has a list price of $750,000 for the first year and $375,000 annually thereafter. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, as seen on a monitor at the California Democratic Party Convention in San Francisco on June 1, 2019. The logo of Juul Labs, a sponsor of the convention, was displayed on a monitor next to Pelosi during a portion of her remarks. LOS ANGELES When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the stage at the California Democratic convention on June 1, the logo from Juul Labs was displayed prominently behind her. Within a week, U.S. House Democrats would demand reams of internal documents from the e-cigarette maker as part of a broader probe into the teen vaping epidemic. House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Chairman Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., is scrutinizing the company's social media practices and marketing to underage users, according to the June 7 letter sent to Juul CEO Kevin Burns. "The safety and well-being of America's youth is not for sale," Krishnamoorthi wrote. "I am extremely concerned about reports that Juul's high nicotine content is fueling addiction and that frequent Juul use is sending kids across the country into rehab, some as young as 15." Juul was one of the party's corporate sponsors at the California Democratic Party Convention from May 31 through June 2. During the three-day convention in San Francisco, logos from companies including Juul, Airbnb and Uber flashed on a screen as conventiongoers watched the party's rising stars speak, including presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren who signed on to a letter opening a Senate probe into Juul in April. Presidential contenders California Sen. Kamala Harris and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke also spoke at the convention. The appearance of Juul as a donor upset some Democrats and health advocates who have waged battle against the vaping company. Juul is facing increased scrutiny over the company's marketing practices as teen use reaches epidemic levels. Many lawmakers and public health officials say the company's marketing practices targeted minors through social media influencers, who are paid to promote products on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Critics also say Juul's fruity pod flavors, which are now sold only online, targeted teens. House and Senate lawmakers are also looking at Altria's $12.8 billion investment in Juul last year, which gave the tobacco giant a 35% stake in the vaping company. "If Democrats are going to position themselves as a party that stands up for the public against big special interests, they can't be taking money from the biggest purveyor of nicotine addiction to kids," said Dr. Stanton Glantz, University of California at San Francisco's director of its Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. "They can't talk out of both sides of their mouth." Pelosi and Warren's offices declined to comment for this story. The state Democratic Party also didn't respond to requests for comment. Juul declined to comment about the sponsorship. State Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo said he was shocked to see the Juul logo across the screen on the main stage. "It was disturbing, disappointing and disgusting. Those are the three words that came to mind," he said. "It's giving the impression that the Democratic Party supports this company. It was disappointing because the party of the people would stoop this low for money. And it was disgusting because we know that the company is addicting a future generation." Earlier this year, Hill introduced a bill with state Sen. Steve Glazer of Contra Costa County to prohibit sales of flavored tobacco products in stores and vending machines statewide. "I would prefer that our party not take sponsorship money or give promotional space to a company that preys on young smokers to hook them on nicotine," said Glazer. The tobacco legislation, Senate Bill 38, was pulled by Hill last month after "hostile amendments" were added. A variety of tobacco industry players opposed the legislation, including Juul and the Cigar Association of America, according to a Senate-prepared summary of the legislation. "Juul has become super active politically," said Glantz, a UCSF professor of medicine. He said the rise has come as jurisdictions look to crack down on vaping use, including Juul's hometown of San Francisco. Last year, voters there approved a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products despite the industry waging a $12 million battle to stop it. "We have grown our California team to engage with lawmakers, regulators, public health officials and advocates to drive awareness that JUUL exists to help adult smokers switch and is committed to keeping JUUL products out of the hands of underage people," a company spokesperson said via email. One state party official, though, took to the microphone on the final day of the convention to criticize the decision to take money from Juul. "What committee should I go to to ask this party not to take any money from Juul, who preys on children?" asked Hene Kelly, a Democratic Party director representing the San Francisco region. Chinese electric vehicle start-up Xpeng Motors says it's hoping to close a funding round this year which will probably be a "comparable amount" to the last round that was about $600 million, the company's president told CNBC. China has seen a boom in electric car start-ups, thanks to government support including subsidies for companies which make such so-called new energy vehicles. Xpeng is one of the companies vying for the pole position in this area. Xpeng has launched and started deliveries of a model it called the G3 SUV. In April, the company also unveiled a coupe called the P7. The Chinese automaker has been looking to ramp up the production and deliveries of its cars, and previously stated its goal of delivering 10,000 units of its G3 SUV by July. In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Brian Gu, president of Xpeng, said of the delivery target: "I will not make that promise now but we are very comfortable with that target." Electric vehicle companies are very capital intensive. In an interview with CNBC in March this year, Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng said the company was seeking at least $500 million of funding. Just last year, Xpeng raised 4 billion yuan ($578 million) in a funding round. Gu told CNBC that the company is on track to raise a similar amount of money this year. "Last year, we raised in a B Plus round, raised 600 million U.S. dollars. We're probably going to raise (a) comparable amount to the last round," Gu said. "It will definitely have to be this year." Funding round sizes can change and the final figure could change. Broadcom CEO Hock Tan is paying the price for misjudging President Donald Trump's resolve to "bring the Chinese to their knees," CNBC's Jim Cramer said Friday. Trump feels he has to "sacrifice Broadcom on the alter of Huawei" to humble China in trade negotiations, Cramer argued. Last year, Broadcom received about $900 million in revenue from China-based Huawei, a major maker of smartphones and mobile networking gear. "The president regards Huawei as the Achilles' heel" of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The calculation in effectively blacklisting Huawei from doing business with American companies is that China would never let one of its crown jewels of technology fail, the "Mad Money" host speculated. Tan may be feeling hard done by Trump, said Cramer, pointing out that the Broadcom CEO in 2017 went to the White House, and joined the president, to announce he was relocating the Singapore-based company back to the United States. In another knock, the Trump administration last year blocked Broadcom's $117 billion bid to buy San Diego-based Qualcomm on national security grounds. "What a kiss of death, if you're a great friend with the president," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." "Broadcom is a remarkably good company and it's going to be hurt" in the crossfire between the world's two biggest economic superpowers, he explained. Shares of Broadcom fell sharply at Friday's open on Wall Street, after the semiconductor maker reported late Thursday weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue. It also announced a 2019 revenue forecast cut, predicting a slowdown in demand stemming from the conflicts between Washington and Beijing. This is being "driven by continued geopolitical uncertainties," Tan said in a statement. The company is also seeing the "effects of export restrictions on one of our largest customers," Tan added, in a reference to the Trump administration last month barring Huawei, without special permission, from buying equipment from U.S. companies. However, the Commerce Department did put a 90-day hold on the move. The White House has accused Huawei of being too closely tied to China's communist government and expressed concern about Huawei technology being used for spying against the U.S. For its part, Huawei has repeatedly asserted that it is independent from the Chinese government. A spokesperson for the White House was not immediately available to respond to CNBC's request for comment on Cramer's remarks. Lawmakers need to strike a balance between calls for breaking up Big Tech and focusing more on data privacy regulation, former Federal Trade Commission Chairman William Kovacic told CNBC on Friday. "There's a synthesis of these two positions," Kovacic said in a "Squawk Box" interview. He led the FTC during George W. Bush's presidency from 2008-2009. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren one of the many candidates seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination published a blog post in March called, "Here's how we can break up Big Tech," which outlined her approach to promote more competition in Silicon Valley. "Big tech companies have too much power too much power over our economy, our society, and our democracy," Warren wrote. "They've bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else. And in the process, they have hurt small businesses and stifled innovation." "Warren is right to raise issues," said Kovacic, currently a professor at George Washington University's law school. "The more cautious, conservative approach from a number of Republicans and some Democrats is to temper the means we could use to address them. That could produce an acceptable result." On Wednesday, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said on "Squawk Box" that Democrats are trying to "create another utility" rather than focusing on privacy and innovation. In a CNBC interview Monday, President Donald Trump accused Facebook and Google of colluding with Democrats against him. "I can tell you they discriminate against me," he added, reiterating a view among conservatives that tech companies are biased against Republicans. Kovacic argued on CNBC on Friday that the extreme views on both sides of the political aisle can balance each other out and find a middle ground. The investigations into anti-competition practices and privacy will help, he added. The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating Google parent company Alphabet and considering a potential probe into Apple. The FTC has reportedly taken jurisdiction over looking into Facebook and Amazon. "The simple fact that we have investigations and maybe lawsuits running by themselves has the effect of opening up opportunities for other companies to participate," Kovacic said. Retailers looking to offset added costs stemming from the U.S.-China trade war by hiking prices should rethink their strategies, retail consultant and former department store executive Jan Kniffen said Friday. "It won't get passed through, because the consumer won't accept it," the J. Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Enterprises CEO told CNBC's "Squawk Box," saying consumers have not yet seen a real negative impact from tariffs. On Friday morning, the government said U.S. retail sales increased in May and sales for the prior month were revised higher, indicating shoppers have not been reining in their spending. Last month, President Donald Trump increased tariff rates to 25% from 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, largely affecting retailers of home goods. Case in point, on Thursday, Restoration Hardware parent RH revealed that it's increasing prices on some products to offset the impact of tariffs. Trump has been threatening to place additional tariffs on another $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, essentially the rest of China's imports into the U.S., a move that would then hit the apparel stores. "If you raised it high enough, you would finally start seeing some consumer impacts. And maybe 25% on everything is high enough," said Kniffen. Meanwhile, major U.S. retailers, such as Walmart, likely have been making behind-the-scenes moves to ensure their customers aren't paying more for their everyday items, Kniffen said. "There are all kinds of opportunities to substitute," he said. "If you're well-capitalized, you're a winner because you can invest in the robots it takes to drive the costs down. If you are small, poorly capitalized, and narrowly focused on something that's about to get a tariff, you're toast," Kniffen said. Last month, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testified on Capitol Hill that he spoke with Walmart's top executives on ways to keep prices down during the trade war. Mnuchin also said, at the time, that he has "spoken to all of the major companies that provide consumer goods." Hong Kong runs the risk of losing its special customs status with the U.S. if its autonomy is seen to be eroded with the contentious proposed extradition bill, according to one analyst. There's much at stake for Hong Kong, a special administrative region in China, with the risk that it is increasingly perceived as a "weak link" amid the U.S-China trade war, Eleanor Olcott, China policy analyst at research firm TS Lombard, wrote in a note on Thursday. In a dramatic turnaround on Saturday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam suspended but did not withdraw the bill after massive protests in the past week. However, protests continued on Sunday to demand that the bill be scrapped completely and that Lam resign. The heart of the issue, demonstrators say, is the city ceding its autonomy to Beijing. Under the U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, Washington treats Hong Kong as a separate region from mainland China even after the former British colony transferred to Chinese rule in 1997. That includes treating Hong Kong as a separate customs territory. Therefore, Hong Kong exports to the U.S. are not subject to the tariffs that the Trump administration has imposed on goods from mainland China. With the U.S.-China trade fight in full swing, however, "the risk is that (Hong Kong) is seen by the U.S. as a weak link in the economic and technology conflict," wrote Olcott. That is especially since Hong Kong firms are increasingly turning to the "first sale rule" which Olcott says is "a legal loophole" in American trade legislation that allows exporters to avoid the full cost of Trump's China tariffs. Under the "first sale rule," tariffs are payable on the original price which in this case, is what the Hong Kong-based company pays the factory in China, instead of the price paid by the American buyer. "The danger is that the U.S. starts to view this practice as akin to a weak-point in its trade war," she wrote, explaining that some companies could re-route their goods to a third destination in order to avoid higher tariffs. The extradition bill is posing a risk to Hong Kong in large part due to its timing, Olcott said, as the U.S. is currently "reappraising its China policy." "The US administration ... has drifted away from its pre-Trump strategy of deepening economic ties with allies in the region as a hedge against the (People's Republic of China)," she said, citing the U.S. decision to back out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as an example. American politicians are already warning about what could come if the extradition bill is passed. U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggested that if the extradition changes are made official, Hong Kong may no longer be "sufficiently autonomous" to justify a special trade arrangement between the territory and the United States. Passing the law could be seen as a "major tipping point" in the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy and will come "precisely (at) the moment that the U.S. is sharpening its weapons in the trade war," Olcott said. CNBC's Grace Shao contributed to this report. This story has been updated to include the latest development on the extradition bill. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes his keynote speech during Facebook Inc's annual F8 developers conference in San Jose, California, U.S., April 30, 2019. Stephen Lam | Reuters Facebook, Google and Twitter ramped up their efforts to fight fake news ahead of elections last month but "more needs to be done" in the face of ongoing threats from Russia, EU officials said Friday. In a joint statement and report, the EU reported evidence of "coordinated inauthentic behavior" such as bots and fake accounts trying spread divisive content on online platforms ahead of the European Parliament elections at the end of May. The EU added it found "continued and sustained disinformation activity" by Russian sources aiming to influence voter preferences and suppress turnout. "The tactics used by internal and external actors, in particular linked to Russian sources, are evolving as quickly as the measures adopted by states and online platforms," the statement said. The EU report found it was too early to identify whether there was a "distinct cross-border disinformation campaign" targeting the European elections. Social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have faced backlash from lawmakers around the world for failing to contain the spread of fake information in election campaigns. The EU said the companies have made progress in some of their efforts to fight disinformation, like hiring fact-checking teams and tightening restrictions around political advertising. But European officials added they expect the firms "to maintain momentum and to step up their efforts." The EU said that in the days preceding elections, more than 600 groups and Facebook pages across Germany, France, Italy, the U.K., Poland and Spain were reported to have spread disinformation and hate speech. It said these pages generated 763 million user views. Facebook has been stepping up its fight against fake accounts in recent months. In May, the company reported it removed 2.2 billion fake accounts in the first quarter of 2019, nearly double the amount from the prior quarter. Facebook also toughened its requirements around political advertising on the platform ahead of EU elections. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, whose company reportedly faces an antitrust probe from the Justice Department, is concerned about tech regulation. "I worry that if you regulate for the sake of regulating it, it has a lot of unintended consequences," Pichai said in an interview on CNN.. "You know, if you take a technology like artificial intelligence, it will have implications for our national security and ... for, you know, other important areas of society. And so having leadership I think ends up being pretty critical." Pichai said there are benefits to letting large successful companies thrive. He said big companies can drive "long-term development" and that Google and other large companies are able to invest in futuristic technologies like artificial intelligence, for instance. He added that large companies still deserve scrutiny. Pichai suggested Silicon Valley "can't take for granted" its success. Other tech executives, including Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, have warned that countries like China could get a leg up if American regulators crack down too hard. "Now there are many countries around the world which aspire to be the next Silicon Valley," Pichai said. "And they are supporting their companies, too. So we have to balance both. This doesn't mean you don't scrutinize large companies. But you have to balance it with the fact that ... you want big, successful companies as well." Watch the full interview at CNN. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. WATCH: Amazon and Google are becoming omnipresent whether you like it or not Protesters react after police fired tear gas during a rally against a controversial extradition law proposal outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong on June 12, 2019. Dale de la Rey | AFP | Getty Images Hong Kong activists say they are planning another mass rally at the weekend to pressure the government to drop a plan to allow extraditions to China, as worries over the future of the former British colony's unique status grow. The Civil Human Rights Front, a political advocacy group, announced Thursday on its Facebook page that it applied for a police permit to hold a march on Sunday. That's exactly one week after the group claimed a million people rallied for the Hong Kong government to withdraw the contentious legislation it wants to pass this month. Police estimated the turnout last week was far lower, at about 240,000. But it still marked the largest mass demonstration in the Asian trade and financial hub since 2003, when an estimated 500,000 people gathered in the streets to rally against the government's plans for tighter security legislation. A bullet was fired into the heart of each citizen ... The people of Hong Kong are pained and infuriated. Civil Human Rights Front Tensions intensified on Wednesday as clashes between riot police and a large crowd estimated at more than 10,000 people, according to police left scores injured in violence outside the local Legislative Council. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, while protesters threw objects and charged police lines. Legal 'loophole' Lawmakers were scheduled to debate the bill that critics, including foreign businesses, say threatens Hong Kong's protections under a "one country, two systems" framework with China. That has been in place since 1997 when the mainland regained sovereignty from Britain. But the protests made holding the session impossible. While the scale of demonstrations has since subsided, Legco as the Legislative Council is known has yet to reschedule the debate. Now, with plans for more protests, concerns are rising again. "I don't know what's going to happen next because the situation, actually, is quite volatile," Audrey Eu, a former Legco member, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday. The government claims it must act quickly on the bill to plug what it calls a legal "loophole" and extradite a Hong Kong man accused of murder in Taiwan back to the self-governed island. But the change would also allow fugitives to be sent to mainland China, stoking fears the country might use it to go after dissidents and others who speak out against it. Hong Kong's top official, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, has defied protest calls to drop the legislation and step down from her post. She says the government will ensure that no one's human rights are violated as a result of the extradition legislation. The Civil Human Rights Front also said it applied for a permit to gather outside Legco on Monday as part of efforts to stop the bill from passing. "A bullet was fired into the heart of each citizen," it said of the police use of force. "The people of Hong Kong are pained and infuriated." Huawei said its foldable phone will launch in September, slightly later than it was reportedly set to, as it does extra tests following the debacle Samsung went through with its rival device. A spokesperson for the Chinese technology giant told CNBC on Friday that the company is trying to launch the Huawei Mate X globally, focusing on markets that are rolling out next-generation mobile networks known as 5G. The Mate X, which starts at around 2,299 euros or roughly $2,600, is a 5G-capable device. The Mate X was unveiled in February but has yet to go on sale. Huawei had initially targeted a mid-2019 launch date and in April, Chinese media reported that it was looking at June. But the spokesperson confirmed the official launch will take place in September. He said that the company was doing extra testing with mobile carriers around the world and developers to make sure their apps work when the device is fully unfolded. Huawei's spokesperson said the company was more "cautious" after Samsung's foldable device, the Galaxy Fold, began to break when tested by reviewers in April. Samsung and some of the carriers selling the Galaxy Fold have canceled pre-orders that consumers had already placed. Iran has denied that it was responsible for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed the Islamic Republic for the explosions on the oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday accused the U.S. of jumping "to make allegations against Iranw/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." Zarif tweet: That the US immediately jumped to make allegations against Iranw/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidenceonly makes it abundantly clear that the #B_Team is moving to a #PlanB: Sabotage diplomacyincluding by @AbeShinzoand cover up its #EconomicTerrorism against Iran. Two oil tankers the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous suffered significant damage after experiencing explosions while they were traveling near the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest sea lane for oil shipments. Crews were forced to abandon ship and leave the vessels adrift in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attacks, but the U.S. military released footage on Thursday which it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps removing an unexploded mine from the side of one of the stricken tankers. The attacks come as tensions between Washington and Tehran soared after the Trump administration withdrew from an international nuclear pact with Iran. Tehran has repeatedly threatened to block traffic in the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic. JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon called a meeting Friday with President Donald Trump "productive" about the prospects of a U.S. trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. "We're in favor of getting the USMCA deal done," Dimon told CNBC in brief remarks after the meeting, using the acronym for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. The meeting comes the same week the Business Roundtable, which Dimon chairs, released a member survey that showed decreasing levels of confidence amid growing worries about the various trade skirmishes in which the U.S. has found itself. Dimon, who runs the nation's biggest bank by assets, declined comment about specifics of the Trump meeting but stressed that getting the North American deal done is a high priority. "We going to do everything we can to get that deal done," he said. "It's very important for the United States, very important for the economy." Trump had been threatening tariffs against Mexican imports if it did not do more to stem illegal immigration. The president said the two sides reached an agreement late last week that stemmed the need for the duties to be imposed. A roundtable official said Friday's meeting addressed both the tariff and immigration issues. ""Business Roundtable CEOs and President Trump had a productive discussion about shared goals of continuing robust U.S. economic growth, reforming our broken immigration system, addressing China's unfair trade and investment practices, and passing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to preserve and strengthen North American trade," spokeswoman Jessica Boulanger said in a statement. Jeff Bezos was born the son of a single teen mom who was so strapped she couldn't afford a telephone, and he is now the richest person in the world, worth $117 billion, according to Bloomberg. His own story is inspirational as success stories go. But so is his mom's. "My mom's incredible story. Wow. So grateful. So proud," Bezos tweeted on Monday with the hashtag "#grit" and a clip of a commencement address Jacklyn Bezos delivered at Cambridge College on Sunday. TWEET: My mom's incredible story. Wow. So grateful. So proud. #Grit "I can assure you that being a pregnant teenager in high school was not cool in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at that time," Jeff Axel Springer CEO Mathias Dopfner in 2018. "And so it was very difficult for her." Indeed, Jacklyn Bezos was barely 17 and a junior in high school when she gave birth to Bezos in 1964, she said in her commencement speech. The school administrators initially told her she would not be allowed to finish high school. "It didn't make any sense to me, so I pushed back and I kept on pushing back. And eventually the school relented, they would allow me to come back to school but there would be conditions," Jacklyn said. Those rules were harsh and dehumanizing: "Condition one, I had to arrive and depart school within five minutes of the starting and finishing bells. Condition two, I could not talk to other students. Condition three, I couldn't eat lunch in the cafeteria. Condition four, I was told I would not be allowed to walk across the stage with my classmates to get my diploma," she said. Still, Jacklyn complied, persisted and graduated. Divorced from Bezos's biological father, Ted Jorgensen, by the time Bezos was 17 months, Jacklyn sought out work as a secretary (she had been taking secretarial classes in the afternoons). And "even though I was a terrible typist and couldn't read my own shorthand, somebody actually hired me" she says. She got a job which paid $190 per month. Biden's tweet linked to a New York Times story that cited data from the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy on companies that earned billions of dollars last year but paid no federal taxes. The analysis showed that Amazon topped the list, with pretax profits of nearly $11 billion. In fact, the group found the company actually enjoyed a negative tax rate of 1.2 percent, thanks to a $129 million income tax rebate. "We've paid $2.6B in corporate taxes since 2016. We pay every penny we owe. Congress designed tax laws to encourage companies to reinvest in the American economy," the company wrote on its Amazon News Twitter account. "We have. $200B in investments since 2011 & 300K US jobs. Assume VP Biden's complaint is w/ the tax code, not Amazon." Amazon fired back at the end of the day, redirecting the candidate's aim. "I have nothing against Amazon, but no company pulling in billions of dollars of profits should pay a lower tax rate than firefighters and teachers," Biden wrote Thursday morning. "We need to reward work, not just wealth." The beef began when the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination called out the online giant on Twitter. WASHINGTON Amazon and Joe Biden are in a Twitter spat, and it perfectly captures the controversy over America's new tax code. This was not the result Republicans were going for when they drove the overhaul of the tax code through Congress two years ago with party-line votes in both chambers. The legislation, which President Donald Trump signed into law in late 2017, lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and allowed companies to immediately expense their capital investments. On the flip side, the new law offset some of the cost of those cuts by requiring companies to pay taxes on overseas earnings, a move intended to incentivize investing in America instead. Republicans touted the tax cut as fuel for a new era of prolonged economic growth that would eventually cover the cost of not only the corporate rate cuts, but also steep reductions in individual tax rates. That scenario has yet to materialize. GDP has surpassed projections by continuing to grow at a 3% rate. But it has come at a price: ballooning deficits and dwindling corporate tax revenue. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the deficit to be $738 billion so far this fiscal year, up nearly 39% from the same period last year. Corporate tax receipts were down $11 billion, or nearly 9%. "Well that's what happens when you cut the rate by 40%," said William Gale, co-director of the nonpartisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. "You would need heroic growth to make up the difference." But the pace of decline has been taken even the experts by surprise. As recently as January, the CBO had projected that corporate tax revenue would rebound this year, as some of the immediate benefits of the new law wore off. Instead, the opposite has occurred, and no one is really sure why. "Corporate revenue has fallen off a cliff faster than I think anyone has anticipated," said Seth Hanlon, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a former adviser to President Barack Obama. Perhaps it's because companies have not repatriated their overseas profits as quickly as forecast. Maybe tariffs are reducing corporate income and thereby lowering corporate tax receipts. (Side note: Revenue from customs duties are up more than 80 percent this year to nearly $45 billion.) No matter the reason, the numbers add up to a giant headache for Republicans and a guarantee that cases like Amazon will remain political punching bags well into the 2020 election. Correction: This story was updated to reflect correct deficit and corporate tax receipt data for the fiscal year. "For years I have been hearing that manufacturing is lost in America," Payne said. "And yet there are thousands of manufacturing companies just like this one out there trying to make things domestically. I think it's going to hurt us very badly." Payne said she's tried to source locally and domestically, but many vendors disappeared after the recession, making relying on imports more of a constant. While cutting her staff of eight, including Payne and her husband, has not been necessary as of yet, the future is uncertain. "We waited a long time to increase prices. We finally did a small increase recently," said Payne, who has owned the Colorado business for nearly two decades. "But that still won't cover what we expect in the coming months or years." The owner of Denver Concrete Vibrator, which manufactures equipment that strengthens and settles concrete for infrastructure projects, said tariffs finally took a toll on her business. Raising prices modestly became necessary to remain competitive as her vendors, many of whom rely on imports from China , began charging more. U.S. small business advocates and owners such as Payne are increasingly pushing back on tariffs. The National Federation of Independent Business said about one-third of its membership has reported somewhat or significant negative impacts as a result of recent trade policy changes with Mexico, Canada or China. Another recent poll from BizBuySell, an online business for sale marketplace, surveyed more than 1,700 small business owners and found 43% say China tariffs will increase business costs, and of that group 64% plan to increase prices to stay afloat. The poll also found that nearly two in three small business owners have considered switching to suppliers outside of the U.S. and of that group more than half are looking for a U.S.-based supplier. What's more, one in five businesses said they did not believe they could survive if Chinese tariffs last more than one year. That's the position Bill Skalish's Granite Tech Inc. in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, finds itself in. Skalish said his business is basically on hold due to tariffs on Chinese goods. The company imports quartz, granite and marble countertops from China to use in hotels, student housing and more. His tariff and duty rate combined is currently over 300%. He's hit with regular 301 tariffs on his imports of 25%, but faces extra charges because quartz is a product that the U.S. has found China is dumping, or subsidizing. Skalish testified before the International Trade Commission and spoke with the House Small Business Committee on the impact the trade war has had on business. He said he can no longer afford his trade attorney and operations have all but ceased as domestic quotes are much more expensive than Chinese imports and tariffs are not sustainable. He said two of his nine employees have left in recent months as the business has slowed and he's been unable to offer perks such as bonuses. "We are currently in hibernation, meaning we are not importing anything and haven't since November," Skalish said. "We cancelled purchase orders and had projects in China that we did not ship on the advice of our attorney and freight forwarder." The International Trade Administration says the extra duties known as antidumping and countervailing duties are there to protect American businesses being negatively affected by Chinese dumping. U.S. companies including Cambria Company, a Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based manufacturer of natural stone surfaces petitioned the Commerce Department for relief from "unfairly traded" quartz surfaces from China, which totaled some $460 million in imports in 2017. "Commerce determined that the products were indeed dumped and subsidized. In addition, the U.S. International Trade Commission an independent agency conducted its own investigation and determined that these imports injure the domestic industry," an International Trade Administration spokesperson said in a statement. "The purpose of AD and CVD duties is to protect domestic businesses and workers from the injurious effects of dumped and subsidized imports. This protection is available to companies large and small." One positive for Skalish a ruling on June 11 determined the imports would not be subject to retroactive duties. He said it's a relief but not enough. "We are a small business, and having these tariffs is going to put us out of business, unfortunately," Skalish said. "It's having a dramatic, negative effect on our company and companies with similar business models in the construction industry. The end result is going to be a slowdown in the economy." Former White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn leaves the Prettyman Federal Courthouse following a sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court December 18, 2018 in Washington, DC. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday cracked the whip in the criminal case of President Donald Trump's first national security advisor Michael Flynn, hours after Flynn's new lawyer and prosecutors asked the judge to delay setting a new date for his criminal sentencing by at least another 60 days. Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered Flynn by Monday to tell his new lawyer, the pro-Trump Sidney Powell, to enter an appearance in the case by Monday. The judge also ordered the Texas-based Powell to comply by that same day with a court rule requiring lawyers not admitted to practice in a District of Columbia court to have a local lawyer participate in a case with them. Powell had yet filed that paperwork, despite Flynn's former criminal defense lawyers successfully asking to be removed from the case last week, and despite Powell signing a status report with prosecutors on Friday asking for a delay in the case. Sullivan pointedly noted in his order that Powell signed that report as "Attorney for the Defendant," despite not entering a formal appearance in Flynn's case. Sullivan also ordered the case's parties to show up for a status conference in court next Wednesday. Powell, who has been critical of the prosecution of Flynn, did not return a request for comment from CNBC on Friday. In the status report filed earlier Friday by prosecutors and Powell asking for the delay in the case, the parties said that the retired Army lieutenant general's cooperation with prosecutors is largely complete. But they also noted Flynn may be called by prosecutors testify at the trial of a former lobbying business partners next month. Those men, Bijan Rafiekian and Kamil Alptekin, have denied charges pending in federal court in Virginia that they unlawfully lobbied on behalf of Turkey. The filing also suggests that Flynn's new legal team needs time to familiarize itself with the "voluminous" amount of information in their client's case. It was revealed last week that Flynn had fired his previous lawyers. He since has hired the pro-Trump former federal prosecutor Powell to represent him, along with attorneys from Virginia and Florida. Those new attorneys have all filed documents in the Virginia federal case indicating their reprsentation of Flynn in the case involving Rafiekian and Alptekin. But they had not as of Friday afternoon filed similar paperwork in Flynn's own criminal case, in which he had pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with a Russian diplomat in the weeks before Trump took office. Sullivan was scheduled to sentence Flynn last December. But that proceeding was suspended after Sullivan suggested to Flynn that he would have a better chance of avoiding any jail time by waiting to be sentenced until after he had finished cooperating. Former federal prosecutor David Weinstein told CNBC that ot "appears that Flynn is continuing to pursue the path of cooperation," and that he is "willing and able to testify" at the trial inVirginia. Weinstein added that it "doesn't appear, at least not in this filing, that they'd be looking to withdraw [Flynn's] plea" a question that arose after Flynn hired Powell, who had previously urged him to withdraw his guilty plea. The attacks on a pair of tankers in the Gulf of Oman are likely the work of Iran, according to several analysts. The view among some Middle East watchers aligns with the conclusion presented by the Trump administration, which on Thursday blamed Iran for the suspected strikes. "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday. The determination marks the latest escalation between the Iranian leadership in Tehran and the Trump administration, which has sanctioned Iran and vowed to respond to attacks against U.S. interests and allies with "unrelenting force." Despite those vows, few analysts think Thursday's incidents put the U.S. and Iran on a glide path to war though some warn the adversaries could find themselves hurtling toward conflict. "From the Iranian government standpoint, the U.S. sanctions are designed to cause their economy to collapse and to elicit regime change," Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Thursday. "Now we say we don't want a war, but there are actors in Iran I would say in the Revolutionary Guard who are willing to push the region into the brink of one in order to get the United States and our regional allies to reconsider the current course of action." Overnight Thursday, explosions rocked a pair of tankers transiting the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, leaving one in flames and both adrift. The incident came just one month after four tankers were sabotaged in the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The attacks last month followed the Trump administration's decision to tighten sanctions on Iran in a bid to cut its oil exports to zero. President Donald Trump restored the sanctions last year after unilaterally withdrawing the U.S. from a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday tweeted, "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning." He noted that Iran was holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when the attacks on the vessels, both with links to Japan, occurred. Tweet At least some analysts believe there is some credibility to Iran's denials. "It doesn't really benefit Iran to mess up the transiting of the Strait of Hormuz and the oil flows ... because they're going to alienate whatever supporters they had out there in the European Union, Asian customers that have been trying to work with Iran," John Kilduff, founding partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital, told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "To the extent you have forces out there that want to topple the Iranian regime, or actors, it benefits them," he said. "It gets this game on. It gets the U.S. potentially to such a state of ire that we attack and it gets the Saudis what they want, which is an attack on Iran." Others say Iran is the most likely culprit. "Denials notwithstanding, the attacks fit squarely within Iranian capabilities and motivations," Eurasia Group said in a briefing Thursday. Analysts at the risk consultancy say Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps an elite military unit loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has for decades launched similar attacks to undermine elected leaders. Thursday's strikes may have been engineered to underscore the risk to global oil supplies during Abe's visit, they say. "Indeed, combined with the four incidents in Fujairah, today's attacks appear to be part of a systematic Iranian effort to demonstrate that peace and security in the Gulf is contingent on its own economic stability," Eurasia Group said. Paul Sheldon, chief geopolitical advisor at S&P Global Platts Analytics, also says it would unsurprising if Iran were involved, either directly or indirectly. "The details remain unclear at the time of writing, but the attacks fit Iran's recent pattern of reacting to tightening U.S. sanctions," he said. The tankers Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous movements are shown in this still image taken from an animation obtained June 13, 2019 from social media. Marin Traffic via Reuters Design work on a Harriet Tubman $20 bill was already well under way when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said its release would be delayed from 2020 until 2028, The New York Times reported Friday. Mnuchin delayed releasing the new bill out of concerns that President Donald Trump would create more controversy by canceling the bill, the Times reported, citing current and former department employees who declined to be named. Mnuchin, in a statement released Friday, disputed the notion that the bill's release was being held up and said that the timetable "has not been changed." "As Secretary, my first responsibility is to ensure all security and anti-counterfeiting measures are properly taken in accordance with [the Bureau of Engraving and Printing's] mandates," Mnuchin said. "The suggestion that this process is being stalled is completely erroneous." Bureau of Engraving and Printing Director Len Olijar released a statement denying that any official "'scrapped'" anything. Trump was a vocal critic of the plan to put Tubman on the $20 bill, which originated under President Barack Obama. While campaigning Trump called the move "pure political correctness." He proposed putting her portrait on the $2 bill instead. Tubman was a prominent abolitionist, who was born into slavery and escaped, and later helped liberate other slaves along the Underground Railroad. Trump has often praised President Andrew Jackson, who is currently displayed on the $20. Advocates have campaigned for Jackson's replacement due to his policies persecuting Native Americans and other matters. Mnuchin said in May that the bill was delayed because anti-counterfeiting measures would not be ready for a 2020 release in response to questions from Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., at a House Financial Services Committee hearing. The International Energy Agency (IEA) slashed its estimate for global oil demand growth for the second consecutive month on Friday, citing intensifying trade concerns amid fears of a global recession. The energy agency's closely-watched report comes as world oil markets have undertaken a dramatic shift in recent months, switching from supply-side risks like OPEC's output cuts or U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela to worries about deteriorating demand growth. Crude futures have turned a 45% price rally in the first four months of 2019 into a fall of more than 15% since the start of April. "The main focus I think we should be looking at here is that until very recently the geopolitical factors related to Iran and Venezuela and Libya they were at the forefront of people's minds," Neil Atkinson, head of the oil industry and markets division at the IEA, told CNBC's "Street Signs Europe" on Friday. "Now we are starting to see that confidence in demand is taking over and that is the main driving factor behind the current state of the oil market." International benchmark Brent crude traded at around $61.25 Friday morning, down around 0.1%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $52.15, nearly 0.3% lower. 'Cannot be complacent' A recent slide in oil prices was temporarily reversed on Thursday, following attacks on two oil tankers in one of the world's key shipping routes. The incident in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran pushed crude futures up as much as 4.5% in the previous session. It was the second time in less than a month that tankers had been attacked in the world's most important zone for oil supplies, with hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of oil passing through the shipping lane every year. Washington quickly blamed Iran for the attacks, but Tehran has denied the allegation. "I think we are realizing that, although we cannot be complacent, the situation is not yet representing a major threat to the security of oil supplies to the very important Strait of Hormuz," the IEA's Neil Atkinson said. On the demand side, the IEA followed OPEC by downwardly revising its global oil demand growth forecast for 2019 on Friday. The energy agency said it now expects oil demand growth to reach 1.2 million barrels per day (b/d) this year. That's a downward revision of 100,000 b/d from the IEA's previous projection. Global oil demand is estimated to have risen by just 250,000 b/d year-on-year in the first quarter of 2019, the IEA said, reflecting the lowest annual growth since the fourth quarter of 2011 when the price of Brent averaged $109. Looking beyond the end of 2019, the IEA expects global oil demand growth to rebound to around 1.4 million b/d in 2020. "A clear message from our first look at 2020 is that there is plenty of non-OPEC supply growth available to meet any likely level of demand, assuming no major geopolitical shock, and the OPEC countries are sitting on 3.2 million b/d of spare capacity," the IEA said Friday. "This is welcome news for consumers and the wider health of the currently vulnerable global economy, as it will limit significant upward pressure on oil prices." Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih attends a press conference at the end of the 13th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) of OPEC and non- OPEC countries in Baku on March 18, 2019. Mladen ANTONOV | AFP The IEA cited various reasons for slowing global oil consumption, including: a warm winter in Japan, a slowdown in the petrochemicals industry in Europe, tepid gasoline and diesel demand in the United States and the worsening trade outlook. The U.S. and China have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of one another's goods since the start of 2018, battering financial markets and souring business and consumer sentiment. Expectations that trade officials from world's largest economies will clinch a deal on the side-lines of a G20 meeting in Osaka on June 28-29 have been fading in recent days. OPEC also cited persistent trade tensions between Washington and Beijing as a risk to economic growth and fuel demand. WASHINGTON In the wake of an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian military fast-boats prevented privately owned tug boats from salvaging one of the damaged vessels, two U.S. officials aware of the situation told CNBC. The latest conflict from the world's most important oil choke point brought oil prices up about 1% on Friday and as much as 4% the day prior on renewed fears of conflict in the Middle East leading to global oil supply disruptions. America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, blamed Iran for Thursday's attacks without citing specific evidence as to why Tehran was responsible. "Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted," Pompeo said Thursday. "No economic sanctions entitle the Islamic Republic to attack innocent civilians, disrupt global oil markets and engage in nuclear blackmail." Iranian Revolutionary Guards drive speedboats in front of an oil tanker at the port of Bandar Abbas Atta Kenare | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump said Friday that if Iran were to block the Strait of Hormuz, "it's not going to be closed for long," but did not elaborate on what potential steps the U.S. would take in response. "They're not going to be closing [the strait]," Trump reiterated during a telephone interview with Fox News. Earlier this year, Iran threatened to close the strait in response to a U.S. decision to end waivers on reimposed sanctions for companies that export oil from Iran. The Strait of Hormuz is a gateway for almost a third of all seaborne crude oil. In an exclusive interview with CNBC on Friday, Trump's energy secretary called Iran the "bad neighbor in the neighborhood." "Iran should be thinking about how do we maintain our market share, how do we act like good neighbors, how do we continue to be a part of the global community instead of these obvious acts of treachery in the Strait of Hormuz," Energy Secretary Rick Perry said. At the Pentagon, acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan called the matter an "international problem," adding that his role would be to "set the conditions for diplomacy." He added that he was in close coordination with U.S. Central Command to verify whether forces in the region had necessary resources and support for their missions. In a statement Friday, the board of directors for Frontline Ltd. said that all 23 crew members of the Front Altair oil tanker were unharmed and that the cause of the explosion is unknown. "The incident will be thoroughly investigated by the Company along with third parties, including governmental officials, to determine the cause," the statement said. While sources such as solar and wind may be good for the planet, they do not promise a constant and predictable stream of power in the way that fossil fuels do. Given this fact, if renewables are to become a crucial part of the planet's energy mix, they will need to rely on smart and intuitive energy storage systems. In the U.S., California-based Stem is using artificial intelligence to help businesses store energy on a large scale. The idea is to pair artificial intelligence (AI) with energy storage so that businesses and organizations can, according to Stem, "automate energy cost savings and protect against changing rates." Customers include major firms like Adobe Systems, Bed Bath & Beyond and Whole Foods Market. "We build and operate the largest digitally connected network of intelligent energy storage solutions," Stem's CEO, John Carrington, told CNBC's "Sustainable Energy." "It's all cloud-enabled and it's driven by our AI software platform that we call Athena," Carrington added, explaining that the company's technology offered businesses both flexibility and control when it came to their energy spend. "We lower cost by storing electricity when it's affordable and using it later when costs are high, shifting energy away from the most expensive times of day," Carrington said. Explaining the firm's model further, Stem's CTO Larsh Johnson said that it used AI to predict both a client's needs and the availability and cost of supply, including the sustainability of that supply. This, Johnson added, enabled Stem to "match a customer's requirements with the availability of energy both from the grid and from any onsite renewable generation." Looking at the bigger picture Daniel Mansson, an associate professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, offered his opinion on the benefits of using AI alongside renewable energy storage systems. "The benefits will be when you have a lot of energy storage in the grid, there needs to be a lot of forecasting and modelling to maximize the power produced," he said. "And to coordinate all the storage with all the renewable energy will be very difficult, so the artificial intelligence techniques can be a way of doing this in a more efficient manner," he added. The U.S.-China trade spat may spare a few chipmakers, says one analyst. As large chip companies such as Broadcom fall under pressure from restrictions on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei a major buyer of U.S. semiconductor chips until its recent blacklisting a few more focused players will likely avoid the brunt of the pain, Ark Invest's James Wang said Thursday on CNBC's "Fast Money." "We've never been big on Broadcom," said Wang, who covers semiconductors, next-generation internet and artificial intelligence at Ark. "It's always been an operators' company. This is all about rolling up companies and squeezing out efficiencies. We're more interested, in our funds, to invest in companies that are growing and actually creating opportunities, companies like AMD and Xilinx, who are much more in control of their own fate." The California-based AMD and Xilinx are still relatively large, boasting market values of roughly $33 billion and $27 billion, respectively. But compared with a $104 billion colossus such as Broadcom, which gets nearly half of its revenues from mainland China, according to Factset, they're well-positioned to grow despite geopolitical concerns, Wang said. "You don't see companies like AMD, for example, printing down because they are still relatively small," Wang said as Broadcom's stock fell following the company's disappointing earnings report. "In our tough macro environment, when you go for smaller players, they can grow despite a macro headwind." And while investors might assume that macroeconomic headwinds are a blanket concern for all companies, Wang offered a counterpoint. "The more mature you are as a company, the harder it hits you, because you are more correlated to GDP growth, to more trade," he said. "If you look at some of the younger social media companies during '08, '09, they just grew right through it. Apple you couldn't even tell they were having issues." Apple shares fell nearly 42% between October 2007 and March 2009, the height of the financial crisis. The fell nearly 52% over the same time period. Fast forward to 2019, and "we're looking for companies that [are] building products that are more macro-agnostic, that don't have a 3-to-5% revenue share or hit from the Huawei situation," Wang said. Wang's current focus is on global semiconductor companies racing to build cutting-edge chips for artificial intelligence applications, where the U.S. and China are neck and neck. "I looked at all the venture capital invested in the field of artificial intelligence chips: 40% went into Chinese companies, 35% went to U.S. companies," he said Thursday. China has "wanted silicon and semiconductor independence from the U.S. for a long time now," he said. "A.I. is actually a great reset point, because the classic players who typically control this industry Intel, with the x86 instruction set they are not in the driving seat anymore. A.I. is built on top of frameworks which are instruction- and chip-agnostic, so China actually has a chance to be in the driver for this industry." That has the potential to bifurcate the U.S. and China's respective global trade relationships even further, Wang said, even as he maintained that we're not "quite there yet." "We're certainly considering the possibility you end up with two scenarios: the A.I. companies out of China serving the domestic market, and the U.S. and some of the European companies serving the rest of the world," he said. "It remains to be seen if, globally, other customers will be willing to take Chinese A.I. chips. They still have to prove themselves. They're very early in the software process." Semiconductor stocks continued to fall in Friday's trading session despite Wall Street analysts urging investors not to panic about the drop. The VanEck Vectors Semicondcutor ETF, which tracks the space, fell nearly 3% before midday. Disclaimer US President Donald Trump speaks with Poland's President Andrzej Duda(not shown) as they take part in an Oval Office meeting at the White House in Washington, DC on June 12, 2019. "I'm ready when they are, but whenever they're ready, it's OK. And in the meantime, I'm in no rush. I'm in no rush," he added. "They know it, and they've been told in very strong terms. We want to get them back at the table, if they want to go back," he said, referring to the administration's ongoing efforts to start bilateral negotiations on a new nuclear deal with Iran. "They're not going to be closing [the strait]," Trump said in response to a hypothetical question during a telephone interview on "Fox and Friends." President Donald Trump said Friday that if Iran were to block the Strait of Hormuz, "it's not going to be closed for long," but he did not elaborate on whether the United States had an obligation to keep open the international shipping gateway, which is critical to the oil industry. Earlier this year, Iran threatened to close the strait in response to a U.S. decision to end waivers on reimposed sanctions for companies that export oil from Iran. However, analysts question whether closing the channel is feasible, given the large American naval presence in the strait and the portions of coastline that are controlled by Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The president was responding to attacks Thursday on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, south of the strait, for which the United States has blamed Iran. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial maritime shipping channel that serves as a gateway for up to a third of all the world's tanker-carried crude oil and petroleum products. Iran denies any involvement in the attacks. On Thursday, Iran's mission to the United Nations said in a statement: "Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms." But Trump and members of his administration, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have left no doubt about whom the United States holds responsible for the attacks, citing video evidence they say shows members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps removing an unexploded mine from one of the ships after it was ablaze. "Iran did do it. That was the boat, that was them," Trump said. Thursday's attacks were the second time in just over a month that ships have been attacked by forces the White House says are directly tied to the Iranian regime. On May 12, four tankers in the same area were attacked. Nonetheless, Trump argued that Iran has "changed a lot since I've been president." "They were unstoppable, and now they're in deep deep trouble," Trump said. He did not, however, explain the relationship between these apparently positive changes and the recent attacks, which have rattled international petroleum markets and raised the specter of armed conflict in the Middle East. "When I came into office, they were an absolute terror, they were all over the place, they were in Yemen they were in Syria, we had 14 sites of conflict, and they were in charge of every single place. They were a nation of terror," Trump said. The president claimed that the U.S. decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal last year and reimpose sanctions on Iran has had a positive impact by pressuring the Islamic Republic to return to the negotiating table in order to hash out a bilateral nuclear accord, something which has not happened yet. Trump claimed without evidence that under the previous nuclear deal, Iran would have acquired nuclear weapons in "five or six years," adding, "They cannot have nuclear weapons, We have enough problems with nuclear weapons, which is one of the great difficulties of the world." The president did not appear to have a ready answer to the question of how the United States intended to stop attacks like the ones on the two oil tankers. "We're going to see how to stop these outrageous acts," Trump said in response to a question about what the United States intended to do next. "We'll see what happens, and we don't take it lightly, I can tell you that." Thomas D. Homan, acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, July 27, 2017. Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images Thomas Homan, an immigration hardliner who oversaw deportations under President Barack Obama and was named acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement by President Donald Trump, will return to the Trump administration as "border czar," Trump said Friday. "Tom Homan is coming back," Trump said during a sprawling interview by phone on Fox News. "He's going to be very much involved with the border. That's what he really wants to be involved with." Trump said that Homan, who retired in June 2018, will in his new position report directly to the president and work out of the White House, though his job will require frequent visits to the U.S.-Mexico border. Homan did not respond to a request for comment. WATCH: Trump appoints Homan acting director of ICE in 2017 Homan has a controversial reputation. Under his leadership, border arrests during the Obama administration surged. In 2016, The Washington Post began a profile of Homan: "Thomas Homan deports people. And he's really good at it." On his LinkedIn page, Homan lists the removal of "more than 369.000 aliens from the United States including 216,000 criminal aliens" as one of his key achievements, as well as raising "public and community awareness about the issues of immigration and border security." In 2017, Homan told Congress that undocumented immigrants "need to be worried" that his agency will arrest them. After the comment sparked pushback, Homan doubled down, telling CNN that those in the country illegally "should be afraid." Later, he defended the Trump administration's policy of separating families at the border, telling Fox News the month that he retired that "you'd have to put the blame on the parents." Homan will join the administration amid what Trump has declared a crisis at the southern border. Official government statistics show the number of apprehensions at the border skyrocketing. The situation has captivated the president's focus so fully that he threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican imports until the country could fix the problem. Earlier this month, the U.S. and Mexico announced that the tariffs will not go into effect as part of a deal in which Mexico agreed to deploy 6,000 national guard troops to stem migration through its territory. The war of words between the U.S. and Iran took a dangerous turn after two ships were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. One of the tankers was operated by a Japanese company. They were hit Thursday, the same day Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rhouhani. The Trump administration put the blame squarely on Iran. "It was not an accident that the Japanese tanker was attacked," said Alireza Nader, who heads the New Iran Foundation, a Washington-based think tank that opposes the Islamic Republic. "This was a very blunt warning. Iran is saying to the world we are able to disrupt the world's oil markets and we're going to do it." But not everyone is convinced. "You have to fully understand what happened before you start shooting" said Mark Cancian, a defense expert with Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former colonel in the Marines with decades of operational knowledge of naval combat. File photo of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier, which is currently enroute to Persian Gulf. Source: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Billy Ho | Flickr "The Department of Defense will be reluctant to retaliate until they are certain what happened and who fired on whom, and why," he said. The U.S. has been beefing up naval and air power, capable of striking Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf over the last month after the White House said it had information about possible future attacks against American interests. The Pentagon would not say Thursday whether there were plans to speed the buildup. Nader and Cancian believe it's possible Iranian-funded Houthi rebels, who are mired in a civil war in Yemen, may be to blame. If that's the case, "the U.S. will not want to get involved in a shooting war over Yemen," Cancian said. It will likely take days, weeks or even months for the military to go through the forensics needed to find out exactly who is behind the attack. But if it is determined to be Iran, Cancian believes the U.S. forces in the area will make quick work of Iran's navy. "The U.S. has assets designed to take on Russia and China. Iran's ships are very exposed. I'd expect the U.S. would be able to sink Iran's navy in about two days." There are, however, problems for military planners. Iran has invested heavily in a fleet of small speed boats that are capable of overwhelming bigger U.S. ships. Military planners call this a "first-minute threat." "Once the shooting starts," said Cancian, "those smaller boats will be the first target of the U.S. Navy." Iran, according to Nader, is under increasing pressure due to a new wave of American sanctions. "The regime is desperate because the economy is being choked off," he said. "Khamenei and Iranian officials did not realize how hard sanctions would hurt oil, petrochemicals, steel and minerals, the core of Iran's economy." Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with students in Tehran, Iran on Oct. 18, 2017. Iranian Leader's Press Office - Handout | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images An employee operates a forklift at the distribution center of the Oregon Freeze Dry facility in Tangent, Oregon. U.S. business inventories rebounded in April as sales fell, but inventory accumulation is still expected to be a drag on economic growth in the second quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday that business inventories increased 0.5% after being unchanged in March. Inventories are a key component of gross domestic product. April's reading was in line with economists' expectations. Retail inventories increased 0.5% as estimated in an advance report published last month. Motor vehicle inventories surged 0.8% in April instead of advancing 0.6% as previously reported. Retail inventories excluding autos, which go into the calculation of GDP, gained 0.4% as reported in May, suggesting inventory accumulation could subtract from GDP growth in the second quarter. The government reported last month that inventory investment added 0.60 percentage point to the economy's 3.1% annualized growth rate in the first quarter. Much of the accumulation in inventories reflects tepid domestic demand in the first quarter. A trade war between the United States and China has also contributed to the inventory glut as businesses stocked up in a bid to get ahead of the tariff fight. Wholesale inventories jumped 0.8% in April. Stocks at manufacturers rose 0.3%. The manufacturing inventory glut, which is concentrated in the auto industry, is contributing to sluggish growth in production at factories. Business sales fell 0.2% in April after accelerating 1.3% in the prior month. At April's sales pace, it would take 1.39 months for businesses to clear shelves, up from 1.38 months in March. The motor vehicle inventory-to-sales ratio increased to 2.32 months in April from 2.29 months in March. U.S. government debt yields were little changed on Friday as investors wait for a key policy decision from the Federal Reserve next week. At 3:41 p.m. ET, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to price, held around flatline at 2.08%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was a tick lower at 2.58%. The Fed is set to hold a two-day policy meeting next week. Investors will look for clues for an easing of monetary policy later this year. Traders are now pricing in a more than 80% chance of a rate cut in July and 70% probability of another reduction in September, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool. Yields were under pressure this week as a host of new data added to investor concerns that the U.S. and global economies could be slowing in tandem. The Labor Department said on Thursday that more Americans filed for unemployment benefits than expected last week. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 for the week ended June 8, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Meanwhile, Wednesday's consumer price index data rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in May, while costs excluding volatile energy and food components also rose 0.1%. Prices climbed 1.8% from the previous year while the so-called core gauge rose 2%, both falling short of economists' expectations. "We'd like to believe the fundamentals need to change in order to reprice to an even lower rates plateau; however, the bigger drivers have been trade and geopolitical in nature," wrote Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rate strategy at BMO Capital Markets. "An additional factor which will serve as a lid on yields we have been contemplating is the potential risk asset reaction to any 'hawkish' interpretation of next week's meeting." China's industrial output growth slowed to a more than 17-year low of 5% in May, well below expectations. The National Bureau of Statistics of China report represented the latest sign of weakening demand in the world's second-largest economy. But some of the data offered relief. U.S. retail sales increased in May and sales for the prior month were revised higher, hinting at resilient consumer spending that could calm concerns about a slowdown in the American economy. The Commerce Department said on Friday retail sales rose 0.5% last month, buoyed by strong automobile purchases. Data for April was revised up to show retail sales gaining 0.3%, instead of dropping 0.2% as previously reported. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexico's president, from front left, U.S. president Donald Trump, and Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, sit for photographs as Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Mexico's secretary of economy, from back left, Robert Lighthizer, U.S. trade representative, and Chrystia Freeland, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, stand after signing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the G-20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Friday Nov. 30, 2018. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement looms over the congressional agenda this summer. In recent weeks, officials have rolled up their sleeves and begun to prepare the ground for a positive vote on this landmark trade agreement. Approval of USMCA is an urgent priority for the U.S. business and agriculture community. While Washington wouldn't be recognizable without partisan differences, the constructive engagement on USMCA between the administration and Congress has been noteworthy. Forward movement is also evident in the recent passage of landmark labor reform by Mexico's Congress and news that legislatures in both Canada and Mexico are beginning consideration of the pact. In fact, Mexico's Senate may vote as soon as next week. Another critical step forward came on May 17, when the administration announced it was dropping its tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico. Ending those tariffs and the retaliatory duties levied by our North American neighbors has unleashed a new wave of congressional and business support for USMCA. One by one, obstacles are being removed. Important talks between the administration and congressional Democrats over lingering concerns are ongoing, and these concerns should not be minimized. But it's also true that USMCA approval has taken on a fierce urgency to create certainty in the marketplace, boost economic growth and job creation, and pave the way for future trade talks. Certainty. An early vote for USMCA will provide U.S. businesses from every sectorfrom agriculture to manufacturing and servicesthe certainty that their exports to Canada and Mexico will enter those markets duty-free. This certainty is invaluable because these two markets are invaluable to American business. U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico: Certainty is what American job-creators require if they are to make brick-and-mortar investments and create more jobs for the long haul. Growth. USMCA isn't just about holding on to what you've got. USMCA will boost economic growth by improving the market access guaranteed for U.S. businesses. For example, the agreement further opens the Canadian market to U.S. agricultural exports such as dairy products, poultry, and wine. U.S. farmers and ranchers have faced five years of declining commodity prices, so USMCA's improved market access is more than welcome. And make no mistake: These are growth markets. U.S. exports to Mexico and Canada have grown more over the past decade than sales to any other country. In each case, exports have expanded by more than $100 billion annually. No other market comes close. In fact, Mexico and Canada accounted for about 40% of the growth in U.S. goods exports in dollar terms over the past decade. In particular, USMCA promises growth for America's small and midsized exporters. Canada and Mexico are the top two export destinations for U.S. small and medium-size enterprises, more than 120,000 of which sell their goods and services in our two North American neighbors. When an American small business starts exporting, it's almost always to Canada or Mexico. Modernization. USMCA also promises substantial new benefits by modernizing the rules for commerce in North America to reflect the realities of 21st century trade. Deferring enactment of the agreement means deferring these benefits. To illustrate, when NAFTA was negotiated a quarter century ago, there was no e-commerce, so it's no surprise the agreement did not address this booming sector. Here, USMCA's digital trade chapter sets a new, high standard. Similarly, USMCA modernizes protection for intellectual property. The cutting-edge medicines known as biologics are a case in pointthe old NAFTA did not protect them for the simple reason that they had not yet been invented. All kinds of industries will benefit from modernizing trade rules in this way. Precedent. USMCA's path-breaking provisions will serve as a precedent for future trade agreements and provide benefits that will multiply in the years aheadbut only if Congress approves USMCA. For example, USMCA prohibits "behind the border" barriers against U.S. exports. Too often, foreign governments deploy regulations or standards in an arbitrary way to block imports. USMCA halts this kind of protectionism in disguise. USMCA also raises the bar with binding enforcement for all chapters. This includes labor and the environment, which were not subject to state-to-state dispute settlement under the NAFTA. The U.S. is beginning trade negotiations with Japan, the EU, and potentially other countries. Approving USMCA will allow these breakthroughs to serve as a precedent that will shape these agreements. The Trump administration negotiated a good deal with Canada and Mexico and it deserves to be approved without delay. Approving USMCA will provide job creators with the certainty they need to invest and hire, and the improved market access it promises will spur economic growth. It will modernize North American trade in ways that set a positive precedent for future trade talks. Each day that passes without approving USMCA is a day that these benefits are deferred. Let's build on our momentum and seize these benefits. Myron Brilliant is executive vice president and head of international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form Johnson accused of hiding from TV debates Rivals gang up to force him to participate The Sun in scramble to sabotage coronation Daily Mail Mundell says he wont back him in any round of the contest Daily Telegraph Ex-Mayor drops opposition to third runway The Times French paper brands him a tinpot Trump The Sun Boris Johnson is under intense pressure to debate with his rivals for the Tory leadership on television after all the other candidates agreed to take part. Mr Johnson, the frontrunner, secured an emphatic win in the first round of voting yesterday that put him firmly on course for No 10. He was backed by well over the number of MPs needed to guarantee a place in the final two, with 114 of 313 votes. Jeremy Hunt, in second, had 43. Last night Mr Hunt and the five other candidates still in the race against Mr Johnson committed themselves to joining in debates due to take place on Sunday and Tuesday. The Times Brexit: He may delay Brexit by a few weeks, supporters claim The Sun Stewart threatens alternative parliament The Guardian Top donor shuns Johnson over no-deal threat and backs Hunt Daily Telegraph UK state in pretty good shape for hard Brexit, claims top civil servant FT >Today: ToryDiary: The TV Tory leadership debates are an opportunity for candidates and the Party not simply a risk amidst rumours that other candidates might drop out Seven of the ten candidates went through to the next round of voting, but with the four least popular of the remaining candidates only managing 89 votes between them, they were under pressure to pull out so that the field can be whittled down to the final two during the second vote on Tuesday. The Daily Telegraph understands that Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, is discussing with his backers whether to pull out of the race and throw his weight behind his long-term friend Sajid Javid. Daily Telegraph Johnson supporters demand vanity candidates step back Daily Express Sources claim May backed Hunt The Sun Gove supporters say hes stuffed after cocaine admission Daily Telegraph >Today: MPs Etc.: Which MP is backing which candidate. Our named estimates. Johnson 90, Hunt 43, Gove 34, Raab 24, Javid 19, Hancock 17, Stewart 8 >Yesterday: including Raab and Javid Defeated Leadsom could back Home Secretarys leadership bid The Times after she reportedly appealed to MPs to put a woman through The Sun Raab struggled with his past, defending previous disparaging remarks about feminists and declining to reveal the details of a non-disclosure agreement. On Thursday, he won 27 votes. Several backers have urged him to pull out, freeing them to support Mr Johnson, but so far he is sticking to the course. This campaign is just getting started, and weve got a good base to build on, Mr Raab said.Sajid Javid, the home secretary, also had a day that was below expectations, winning the backing of just 23 MPs and falling short of his campaigns modest informal target of fourth place. Some of his supporters are now also calling for him to bow out of the contest. Were he to do so, it is thought he might ultimately endorse Mr Johnson and potentially serve as his chancellor of the exchequer. Pressure is similarly mounting on health secretary Matt Hancock, who came sixth with 20 votes. FT Analysis: How Johnsons rivals could conspire to keep him from Downing Street Camilla Tominey, Daily Telegraph Editorial: Johnson must be rigorously tested by the process The Sun >Today: Lord Ashcroft in Comment: What my focus groups of wavering Conservative voters told me about the Tory leadership contest >Yesterday: Fraser Nelson: Johnson and Gove could be an unstoppable team The leadership speeches they made this week are, for the most part, interchangeable. When they teamed up three years ago, it made perfect sense: Boris the election-winner and campaigner, Gove the battle-hardened reformer whose team had pretty much run the Vote Leave campaign. This leadership race has shown just how much energy there still is in the Conservative Party: weve seen qualities not noticed before in Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab and perhaps the biggest surprise Rory Stewart. If these talents could be harnessed in a Cabinet, along with Michael Goves radicalism and effectiveness, the Tories would not just be saved but could be almost unbeatable. Quite a prize, if Johnson could bring himself to claim it. Daily Telegraph Johnson will need a team of minders in Number Ten Iain Martin, The Times He must prove to sceptical Scots hes Boris the Brit Alan Cochrane, Daily Telegraph A step towards Downing Street Robert Shrimsley, FT Johnson gives Tories hope of a free-market revolution Matt Kilcoyne, Daily Telegraph Charm is his secret weapon Simon Jenkins, The Guardian A house-trained Farage Peter Oborne, Daily Mail More: Im not pulling out, Im in to win Rory Stewart MP, Daily Telegraph Hunt has what it takes to lead Royston Smith MP, Times Red Box No women left because none were good enough Angela Epstein, Daily Telegraph >Today: Iain Dales column: Johnson unstoppable now, unless he unstops himself >Yesterday: ToryDiary: Johnson as Ulysses. After his many shipwrecks, bloopers and scrapes, Ithaca finally looms into view. Hammond seeks fiscal responsibility pledge May pressed on why Javid wasnt invited to Trump banquet Chancellor Philip Hammond on Thursday challenged the seven remaining contenders for the Conservative leadership to commit to keeping Britains national debt falling, as he tries to prevent an arms race of tax and spending promises by the candidates. Mr Hammond has been alarmed by a plethora of campaign pledges, including frontrunner Boris Johnsons plan to cut high-earners taxes at an annual cost of 10bn. On Thursday the chancellor wrote to the seven candidates asking them to commit to keeping Britains debt falling as a share of national income every year. Mr Hammond, who has not declared who he is supporting in the leadership contest, intends to publish the contenders replies. FT Theresa May faced calls yesterday to explain why Sajid Javid had been excluded from the state banquet for President Trump last week after the home secretary described the decision as odd. Mr Javid, a contender to lead the Conservative Party, made clear his disquiet that he had not been invited to the event, which was attended by cabinet colleagues junior to him. Lord Blunkett, the former home secretary, said he was astonished that Downing Street had allowed this turn of events. He confirmed that he had been invited to the state banquet when President Bush visited in 2003 and said he would have expected Mr Javid to have received the same treatment. The home secretary, who launched his campaign to replace Mrs May on Wednesday, was asked by the Today programme on Radio 4 why he was the only senior cabinet minister not to have been invited to the banquet at Buckingham Palace. The Times Downing Street denies snub FT Fox warns that WTO is in crisis Tugendhat warns of Brexits impact on Northern Ireland The Guardian Business must speed up no-deal planning, says IoD FT Macron urges EU leaders to give UK ultimatum on Mays deal The Sun Brussels says reneging on exit payment would damage UK economy The Guardian Gove u-turns on bird shooting The US-China trade war, industrial strife and political deadlock all threaten to overwhelm the World Trade Organization, putting the future of the institution and the system of free trade in mortal danger, Liam Fox has warned. World leaders need to seize the opportunity to resolve the crisis, opening up trade rapidly to boost economic growth and spread prosperity, the International Trade Secretary said. He criticised the G20 for failing to address the scale [and] urgency of the challenges facing the global trading system and warned the WTO could be facing an existential crisis. The WTO now faces one of the biggest tests since its establishment and, with all its functions under strain, it could become an existential crisis. So, the message from the UK is clear: urgent and drastic action must be taken to protect the global trading system as we know it, he wrote in a blog post. Daily Telegraph A hated scheme which stops farmers shooting pest birds was reversed last night. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he took the action to minimise some of the negative impacts caused by the scrapping of the decades-old general licence. There was outrage across the countryside in April when rules allowing the shooting of 16 bird species to protect crops and livestock were torn up with 36 hours notice by Natural England. The surprise move by the conservation quango to revoke general licences while having no proper alternative to take their place was branded bird-brained by critics. It came after a legal challenge from Wild Justice, a pressure group fronted by BBC wildlife presenter Chris Packham. Farmers said they could no longer cull crows attacking newborn lambs or stop pigeons stripping bare their crops without applying for individual licences, leaving them fearful of prosecution. Daily Mail Umunna joins the Liberal Democrats He wont be the last, says Cable The Times Chuka Umunna has joined the Liberal Democrats days after quitting the party he founded. The MP for Streatham who quit the Labour party to form the Independent Group, which later became Change UK, in February, will become the Lib Dems twelfth MP. On Thursday Layla Moran tweeted: So thrilled to welcome Chuka Umunna to team Lib Dems! The move is another win for the Lib Dems, building on its successes in the European election. It came as Sir Vince Cable, the partys outgoing leader, told the Times Mr Umunna was a formidable, serious political figure. Mr Umunna, who briefly stood for the Labour leadership in 2015, has been a vocal supporter of a second referendum. Daily Telegraph Editorial: The Party struggle to embody the realignment The Times as Change UK rump forced to rename themselves again Change UK was forced to alter its name again yesterday, adopting its third identity in four months of existence. The flailing new party, which was formed by seven MPs who quit Labour in February, will now be called the Independent Group for Change. In a statement, it said it had agreed to change its name after being confronted with a legal challenge from the petition website Change.org. Before it registered as a party, the breakaway group, which consisted of 11 MPs at its peak, was known as the Independent Group. However, it was told by the Electoral Commission that this name was not permissible The MPs settled on the name Change UK and submitted registration papers ahead of the European elections in May. But lawyers from Change.org confronted the party with a legal challenge that disputed its right to use that name. The Times News in Brief: Every week, were keeping tabs on the policy announcements of those candidates still in the race. New entries are in italics. Michael Gove Has not made it clear that Britain should leave without a deal. However, his wife Sarah Vine wrote a column last week explaining that Gove is willing to leave without a deal Originally Gove has said that he is prepared to delay Brexit until 2020, now it has become a few weeks. But, Gove has also said for Britain to leave the EU before the next General Election EU nationals living in the UK at the time of the 2016 referendum to apply for citizenship for free 3 million EU citizens Agree a Canada-style free-trade deal 1 billion investment into schools Continue with the spearheading of banning plastic straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers Replace VAT after Brexit with a lower, simpler US style sales tax Cutting business rates and reduce business regulations following Britains exit from the EU Strongly opposed to Scottish independence Dominic Raab Leave EU with or without a deal come 31 st October and is prepared to halt parliament to get no deal through parliament October and is prepared to halt parliament to get no deal through parliament Reduce the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 15 including a 1p drop straight away. Raab claims that there is a 26bn of headroom in public finances to make the move work. Cut down the number of Whitehall departments, cut out the bureaucracy. He would recycle half of that into frontline services teachers, schools, nurses and the other half into tax cuts for the future A special commission looking at the public sector procurement particularly in the NHS and MOD Provide more powers to the police to increase stop and search Investment of 394 million every week into the NHS following Britains exit from the EU Radical overhaul of competition laws: take on energy, insurance and telecom giants He has indicated that he is not a feminist, and opposes reforms for trans people More opportunities of places for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend private schools with fee support Raise the national insurance contribution threshold from 8,628 to 12,500 An extra ultrasound at 36 weeks to identify late stage problems and day 1 right for Agency workers to attend antenatal appointments Protect working women from redundancy throughout their pregnancy, maternity leave and for six months afterwards Make properly paid paternity leave for dads a day one right in a new job Government action to protect Northern Ireland veterans from the never-ending threat of legal action Announced plans to toughen up community sentences the punishments imposed on offenders as an alternative to a spell behind bars. An elected Conservative Party chairman, rather than a chairman chosen by the party leader Encourage local Conservative Party Associations to propose motions for them to be debated at Conference Extend the current 5 per year membership fee from under-23s to under-25s Create a bespoke initiate to raise funds to employ more professional Party ages in the partys battleground seats Strongly opposed to Scottish independence and another referendum Sajid Javid Prepare fully for a no-deal Brexit Find a deal that can be approved by Parliament Has refused to rule out the possibility of delaying Brexit after the 31 st October October Work with Ireland to amend the Irish backstop to include a time limit or exit clause Use technology in place to solve the Irish problem to deliver Brexit Mr Javid said he would pay for a multi-billion pound spending increase in education by slowing down government debt repayment. He said that could free between 15 billion and 25 billion a year, some of which would go to the education system. Tax cut for the richest one per cent of taxpayers in the UK by getting rid of the 45p income tax rate. This applies only to earners over 150k a year Legal protection for police who crash cars 20,000 more police on streets which he would believe would cost 1bn Slash red tape to make it much easier for police to tackle the rising knife crime on Britains streets Strongly opposed to Scottish independence and strongly against holding another referendum Jeremy Hunt No deal would be a last resort and political suicide Has claimed to have wanted Brexiteers, including the DUP and Tory hardliners to join the negotiating team Defend press freedoms Due to the threats of China and Russia a future increase in defence spending Avoid General Election at all costs Cut Corporation Tax from 19% to 12.5% 1.5 million additional homes for young people over the next ten years Slashing unfair rates of interest on tuition fee debt Young entrepreneurs would be given more support and a new law to legislate for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. There would also be deliver charging points across the country for electric motors. Deploy mental health support teams in every school Would like to see the legal time limit on abortions reduced from 24 weeks to 12 Believes that Scotland do not want another referendum on Scottish independence Boris Johnson Leave the EU by 31 st October with or without a deal October with or without a deal Is not prepared to pay the 39 billion Brexit leave fee unless the Withdrawal Agreement is improved Increase the levels of preparations in case of a No Deal Brexit Increase funding per pupil in Secondary Schools to 5,000 Increase number of police on the streets and increase numbers of stop and search following knife crime in London and elsewhere Slash income tax for 3 million people by increasing the 40p tax rate threshold from 50,000 to 80,000 Against another Scottish independence referendum and strongly opposed to Scottish independence Rory Stewart Each week on Friday, ConservativeHomes panel of John OSullivan, Rachel Wolf, Trevor Phillips, Tim Montgomerie and Marcus Roberts will be analysing and assessing whats happening in the leadership election. Tim Montgomerie If they dont agree with Mays priorities, her successors deserve better than a lame duck PM half-emptying the fiscal cupboard before they even get there. Theresa May seems determined to use her last weeks in office to make substantial announcements in the hope that people might think better of her and her premiership. Its a forlorn hope in my opinion but with this weeks pledge to make Britain the first major nation in the world to commit to zero net carbon emissions Operation Theresa May Wasnt That Useless is very much underway. Im most worried about her plans to announce up to ten billions of pounds of extra public spending for education, mental health and other socially progressive projects. Stiff opposition to these plans from the Chancellor (well done Mr Hammond) has not discouraged her from proceeding with her vanity announcements. Instead, fearing that Cabinet might veto her splurge, she is apparently going to get around that problem by not seeking Cabinet approval. This presents a final test for those ministers who sit around the top table in government and especially to those who are still in the leadership race. Will they finally stand up to Mrs May? The next leader and his Cabinet (and we know it will now be a he) should decide how billions of hard-earned taxpayers money should be spent. Even if they agree with Mays spending priorities they should benefit from announcing them. And if they dont agree with the priorities they deserve better than a lame duck PM half-emptying the fiscal cupboard before they even get there. Theres also a strong case for the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill to intervene. Sir Mark plans to meet the two final candidates to be the UKs next PM as soon as they are chosen so that the civil service can prepare to support their draft agendas for government. Both of those conversations should begin with this issue of Mrs Mays misuse of the dying days of her premiership. Both candidates should make it clear that it is not acceptable. Tim Montgomerie is the founder of ConservativeHome. Marcus Roberts To survive, pick a candidate for policy, not politics. This weeks polling controversy was provided by the ComRes poll and seat projection showing a Boris Johnson-led landslide. Though flawed the poll nonetheless made an important political point that is at the same time both more obvious and more subtle than it first appears. On the face of it, it seems almost too obvious to mention that the Conservatives need to win back Brexit Party supporters to stand any hope of winning the next general election. However, the truth of this is that returning Farage Tories will come not out of a belief in Brexit however rhetorically claimed by a candidate, but rather by the actual delivery of Brexit. To this end, Conservative MPs and members might be well-advised to take into account who is best placed to navigate difficult parliamentary waters prior to October 31st, the extreme challenge of a crash EU renegotiation and finally, the political and economic fallout of a possible no deal. In political terms, should the Conservative Party select the feel-good most Brexity candidate, it will probably not achieve the general election result it desires unless that emotional and rhetorical commitment to Brexit is matched by equivalent legislative, diplomatic, economic and indeed constitutional stewardship and statesmanship. If the Conservative Party selects a pro-Brexit leader, who fails to deliver Brexit, Brexit Party voters will not return to the Conservative Party regardless of how charming, ardent or sincere in their Brexit belief that leader proves to be. On the other hand, were the Conservative Party to choose a moderate Brexit voice who nonetheless actually delivered Brexit, they would be highly likely to see a major electoral dividend as a result. All of this is to say, that this contest is a rare incidence of the electoral necessity for a party to pick a genuine governing talent rather than a candidate of seemingly maximum popular appeal. As the case of Prime Minister May proved, it did not matter how many times or how passionately she proclaimed her belief in Brexit, what truly mattered was the diplomatic gravity of the Brussels negotiations and the political gravity of Westminsters arithmetic. If Conservative MPs and members truly believe that Johnson is capable of navigating these waters and managing these complex, intersecting crises, then they should select him, see Brexit delivered and win back their Farage Tories. If however, they think another candidate is better-suited to deliver Brexit, they should pick them. Because the Conservative Partys electoral existence likely hinges upon the actual delivery of Brexit, not a passionate proclamation of its virtues. Marcus Roberts is Director of International Projects at YouGov. John OSullivan Four conventional challengers now face Boris. All suffer from the same problem: even when we know they differ strongly, as on Brexit, they say almost identical things. So the number of candidates has been reduced by three. But has their quality risen as a result? I doubt it. Both women candidates were voted out. Its a mark of the power of ideology in the media that there have been so few complaints over their exclusion even in the age of women-only short-lists. Had they been neither Leavers nor socially conservative, their combined total of twenty votes would surely have been seen as shameful Tory misogyny. But their departure was mentioned almost in passing. Yet judged by ability and achievement, they were stronger than some of those who survived into the final seven. McVey in particular is a feisty performer who saw off Andrew Marr very effectively on his Sunday show simply by knowing more than he did on topics he had chosen. And she is the only candidate who can argue the majority opinion of Tory activists that a No Deal Brexit is the best-available policy rather than just a negotiating tool. That may be needed in the face of EU intransigence. Her ejection suggests that most Tories dont yet understand their peril. All over the Western world conservative parties are losing the highly-educated. That loss is unlikely to be reversed, but it can be compensated by winning blue-collar votes culturally and economically. McVey embodies the strategy of winning Northern workers. Whoever wins the race would be well-advised to promote her. Four conventional challengers now face Boris. All suffer from the same problem: even when we know they differ strongly, as on Brexit, they say almost identical things. An Enigma machine is needed to break the code. Thats hardly conducive to the emergence of a major policy difference that suddenly propels Javid or Raab to the fore. Jeremy Hunt is modestly ahead already. His shilly-shallying on a no deal did him no harm with MPs. His nearest rival, Michael Gove, has had to battle not only the cocaine story but the fact that it has revived concerns about his knifing Boris last time. All will now depend how much better than everyone else Gove performs in the debates. No pressure but Gove has to triumph. If he fails, Jeremy Hunt will be the Not-Boris finalistunless a thunderbolt strikes him from the roving anti-Brexit guerrilla, Rory Stewart, who is dazzling the commentariat as the candidate who speaks the hard truths that Tory voters dont want to hear. Stewart sends out tweets on where hell turn up next, gets there by Tube or bus, fields questions from startled passers-by, and is blind to the media trailing in his wake. They give him great reviews anyway. Reality intruded when a Daily Telegraph poll showed a Tory Party led by him would receive 19 per cent of the vote and 51 seats (but maybe a landslide in the Press Galley.) It departed when Mr. Stewart hailed his 19 votes as a mandate to convene a rival Parliament across the road if Boris takes Britain out of the EU, ahem, undemocratically. Theatre of the Absurd wont threaten either Boriswith his 114 votesor his last opponent. And if its Hunt, whatever he says, he will still be the Remainer candidate soliloquizing to an audience of Leavers. After three years of delay and obfuscation on Brexit, the plays no longer the thing Boris-ites (or should that be Boris-ians or even Boris-istas?) are calling for vanity candidates to drop out of the race. Im not going to add to those calls but I hope all of the candidates might address the issue of the vanity prime minister and with some urgency. Trevor Phillips True Conservatives need hope, and in this contest, Javid, with his compelling rags-to-riches backstory, is the best answer they have. Why cant Boris Johnsons opponents see that every time they attack him for being a liar, a clown, a libertine and a layabout, they reveal less about him and more about themselves? The public has long ago decided either that none of these things is true about the Tory front-runner or that they dont matter. He has never claimed to be a saint, and in a world where DNA tests have lately revealed that a significant number of us are not fathered by the person we assumed Johnsons pecadilloes take him closer to the average familys experiences, rather than further away. Even more dismayingly, repeated attempts by his media inquisitors to make an issue of his much-quoted comment about burqa-wearing women letterboxes whilst having no impact on Johnsons standing, may be starting to do active harm to British Muslims. The garment is common in the Middle East, but alien to the largely British Muslim population, much it from South Asian or European backgrounds. But it is increasingly being adopted here, often, it is said, at the insistence of men would prefer their wives and daughters to be hidden from public view. So paradoxically, Johnsons critics appear to many to be defending this misogynistic expression of Muslimness and creating a completely false impression of Islam as a wholly sexist, oppressive creed. Which leads me to where we are at the end of Week One. There can be little doubt that the real contest that is taking place is not who will be the next Prime Minister but who will be his minder? Who can the country trust to keep Boris away from whimsy and misadventure, in much the way that Willie Whitelaw served as an emergency brake on the ideological passions of Margaret Thatcher? She herself asserted that Every PM needs a Willie not a deficit frequently identified with this Johnson but he could certainly do with a wrangler. The emerging candidates are Hunt and Javid. The first seems likely to fade next to the blazing sun that is Boris; the latter, if he can make it through to the members ballot could be just the ticket, careful, pragmatic, technocratic. More about this next week, but Javid is a critical test for the Conservative Party. Right now Tories are allowing themselves to be scared off Javid by allegations that he is unpopular amongst minorities. Nonsense. But a 97 per cent white party cant really be expected to know better. There are two typical responses to ethnic diversity in most organisations fear and hope. Right now, Tories are acting out of fear of being called Islamophobic. True Conservatives need hope, and in this contest, Javid, with his compelling rags-to-riches backstory, is the best answer they have. Rachel Wolf These debates are as close as were going to get to testing them before they lead us. For all the potential damage, we need it to be a real fight. Do MPs want there to be a genuine contest? Professor Julian Le Grand professor at LSE once wrote a book on the Knights and Knaves of the public sector. Those who work in the NHS, schools, welfare, are not purely public-spirited altruists. Yes, many of them care about doing the right thing. But they also have personal issues money and status that may or may not align with what is right for users and taxpayers. And so it is with MPs. Who they back is part knight; part knave. The latter part involves calculations like: will I lose my seat at the next general election; and if I back him, will I get a good job?. Meanwhile members of the party and voters can ask one much simpler question who will be the best Prime Minister? We are finally approaching the part of the contest where candidates will be scrutinised, in debate, on this question. The nitty gritty on areas people care about: immigration; fairness; public services (and yes, obviously detail on Brexit) will have to be addressed. So how much of a contest do MPs want there to be? Boris, obviously, would like there to be none at all which is why many say he might lend votes to Hunt. Hunt combines many of the problems other leading candidates have: he is a Remainer; he doesnt have a strong track record of ideas; he is disliked by many public sector voters. The others each have some, but not all, of these failings. That might be exactly why MPs choose to push him through. A decisive defeat would minimise the damage to a divided party and public, so they should put through the weakest strong candidate. I hope they dont though. This is also the best chance we have to see who might fall apart completely once theyre made Prime Minister. We would have noticed a lot about Theresa May her ability to think and respond flexibly; her communication style; her instincts if shed ever had to be in a final two contest. I think that would have saved us a lot of pain down the road. We might think we know the strengths and failings of Johnson; Gove; Hunt; and Javid, but actually we really dont. Nothing is like being Prime Minister. But these debates are as close as were going to get to testing them before they lead us. For all the potential damage, we need it to be a real fight. As MPs prepared to begin the process of narrowing the field of leadership contenders this week, I conducted focus groups in two rather different Conservative seats leafy Putney and leave-y Thurrock to see what wavering Tory voters made of the race. Just as there were mixed views about Theresa Mays tenure in Downing Street she was in an impossible position and had no loyalty from her party; it was her choice to take that position, and she made mistakes; history will be kind to her because she stayed strong in an absolute shitstorm there were varying degrees of optimism as to whether her successor would be able to get out of the Brexit rut. Few thought that a new Prime Minister would be able to persuade more MPs to back a version of the Withdrawal Agreement (the problem wasnt personal, the problem was the deal), but most Leave voters and even some Remainers thought there might now be scope for progress with the EU: They say theyre not going to negotiate any more so you get the impression there wont be a chance for a new leader to get a different deal, but somehow I think there will be. A new person will be able to have a new discussion; Someone with a will to do it. You got the impression that Theresa May was dragging her feet at times; Youve got to have faith, youve got to give them a chance. The way they conduct themselves initially is the key thing; Theres a lot of room for improvement You need someone with a bit of personality, a bit of persona. What, if anything, had people noticed about the contest to find such this individual? All Ive heard is someone sniffing cocaine. I cant think of his name. Most participants (and most could in fact remember the name in question) thought this didnt matter. Everyones got a past; It entices me to like them more because theyre a bit more open-minded. More honest as well, more in touch with the real world; Before that came out, I thought he sounded like an alright candidate. He still does. There could even be public health benefits from the revelation: MPs are making drugs uncool. But the minority view was also strongly held: Its serious Class A drugs. I think it does matter. It wasnt that he tried it once, it was on a regular basis. In his line of profession he cant be doing things like that; You would want our leaders to be humble, honourable are they the characteristics of a leader whos a smackhead? If this latest story was not a reason to doubt Michael Goves suitability for Number Ten, there were others. The strikingly widespread recollection that he stitched up Boris in 2016 had given rise to doubts as to whether he could be trusted: Hell just change his mind. Hes not consistent, hes a snake. For the teachers and relatives of teachers in the groups, what he did with education means he shouldnt be anywhere near Prime Minister. Id go and live abroad. While some did think he came across as competent and direct, seeing his campaign video reminded others of their doubts: I feel like hes old Britain, like the old guard; I cant take him seriously. His face is a little bit funny He looks like a male version of Katie Hopkins; I just dont buy the guy. Slick but insincere. Still, in the Conservative Party that will sell, and anything to keep Corbyn out, I say. Most had not heard of Rory Stewart until he entered the race. Our participants overall reaction was gently positive. He was talking about travelling across, was it Africa or somewhere, with no shoes on. He had quite an interesting youth; He looks after prisons, doesnt he? Hes trying to do some good work there; He wants to fulfil the peoples choice to leave. He sees it as a bit of a tricky one but hes going to make it happen; I think hes quite trustworthy actually. The problem is, hes another Old Etonian, and do we need another one of those? The two words most frequently uttered in response to his campaign video were sweet and interesting but while many liked what he had to say, few could see him in the top job: Its very romantic, isnt it; Hes an interesting bloke but he doesnt look the part, unfortunately; Is he for real? Where does he come from? It sounds like he wrote a song; Sweet, but do we want him running the country? Not a strong figurehead whos going to lead us through. Could be a good number two; If you whacked him with a cold salmon hed fall over; I look at him and I cant take him seriously. Hes making some fair points but I wouldnt want him to be the face of the country. Our groups were also unpersuaded that Matt Hancock currently had what it took to be Prime Minister. At least half did not recognise his picture (Is that Mogg Whatsisname? He wont be in the final two so I havent paid much attention; Is he called Nigel?) Many felt that at his campaign launch he was aping the last Prime Minister but three, not altogether successfully. He reminded me of Tony Blair, in a dated way. I think politics has moved on from there; Hes still learning his trade; Hes one of the more genuine ones, but he needs another ten years; Looks pretty but a bit unconvincing; If you put him up against 27 European politicians they would walk all over him. Few knew anything about Dominic Raab other than that he was prepared to leave the EU with no deal. Those who knew he had served as Brexit Secretary did not necessarily see this as a point in his favour: He was the Brexit negotiator. So he did a good job, didnt he?; didnt Theresa May sack him? A few also remembered a big gaffe. I think hes the one who didnt realise there is a bit of water between England and France. Something ridiculous like that. Even so, some thought that when he declared his candidacy he came across as honest and real, direct, and a strong character who gets to the point but they knew nothing of his background, wondering what is on his agenda beyond Brexit. Many in the groups already considered Sajid Javid to be a competent politician and a plausible candidate: If he says hes going to do something he seems to follow it through when the others are full of hot air. A few had picked up that his dad was a bus driver and that he was the only one who wasnt invited to lunch when Trump came. If peoples initial reaction was characterised by respect rather than warmth, some said after seeing his campaign film that there was room for him to make an impression: I quite like him. He was one of the first people who said the reason I went into politics; There were not loads of promises, just what his drive was. He was confident and he didnt go off the rails about Lisa in Lewisham. Jeremy Hunt was as well recognised as the Home Secretary, and all four groups had clocked his encounter with Victoria Derbyshire (A lady pronounced his name wrong. I think she did it on purpose. She wasnt that embarrassed.) Knowledge about his background was rather hit and miss: Hes the transport minister, isnt he? Hes married to a Chinese lady; He doesnt want to leave without a deal; I think hes Remain; Didnt he leave some documents on a train? His campaign film impressed many: He was saying he started off as an entrepreneur and was talking about the things he had to have, confidence, negotiating skills, things you actually need as a leader, and hes taking them into politics. I think hes the best candidate weve got; I might put a bet on him. If it comes down to Boris and him I think it will be very close; Theres a fair bit of honesty there. Hes confident and enthusiastic. I think people would listen to him. Even so, a few wondered whether he had the X-factor: I like some of the things he said and as a Minister backing up the Prime Minister he might be good, but Im not sure hes a born leader. Boris Johnson was, of course, by far the best known of the candidates on offer and the one to provoke both the strongest reactions and the most formed. He was certainly the biggest figure in the race, and had something indefinable that others did not: Hes got a likeability about him. He gets under peoples skin and gets them to like him; He was Mayor of London for two terms which is hard because its quite left-wing in London, and we had the Olympics. Hes a philanderer and he has certain moral issues but nobodys perfect. Hes got a track record of getting things done; Hes passionate and expressive. I like his message; I like Boris. He always talks to the people, hes a people person, hes there riding the bike, hes just involved; His single-mindedness. He could be the person to move Brexit forward; They need a presence, and most of them dont have that. At the same time, some said their opinion of him had deteriorated over the years: I was a great fan when he was Mayor, but he hasnt been supportive of the last two Prime Ministers and hes lost a lot of Brownie points. It will be interesting to see how he could bring the party back together because hes been a disruptive influence. But those who felt negatively also did so more strongly than they did about any other candidate and remember these were all 2017 Tory voters: Hes a compulsive liar; He had two articles written, one Leave, one Remain; A cheater; Round the bend; I dont trust him; Hes great at telling people what they want to hear, Boris, so hell just go wherever. Thats a bit of a danger; I dont think hes normal at all, I think hes very peculiar; A devious individual and hes doing everything to attract attention to himself; Hes incredibly personable but he doesnt care about genuine people, I dont think. For most in our groups, the strongest candidates were Johnson, Hunt and Javid, though Stewart had also stuck in several peoples minds. But one consistent theme was that people were interested first and foremost in the candidates apparent character and competence they had simply given up listening to policies or plans, whether on Brexit or anything else: Theyll say one thing to your face and then get in the car and say ha, they bought that one, didnt they; Whenever I read about them, the underlying thing that I just cant seem to get past is that theyll do whatever it takes just to be leader and then change their mind; Ive heard it and heard it and heard it and now Im exhausted with listening to all their twaddle. For some of these voters, the identity of the next leader made little difference: Jeremy Corbyn would be disastrous ,but Im more worried about John McDonnell. Theyre a double-act, and its not a comedy act either. But worryingly for the Conservative Party, some of these 2017 Tories thought a Corbyn government so unlikely that they could afford to be choosy: I dont think Corbyn will win, so for me its between the Conservatives and the Liberals, and Im losing faith with the Conservative Party; Brexit is going to be done and it depends what happens afterwards. Not all of them are saying much about that; I might vote for the Brexit Party if it isnt done right; If they say its going to take another three years, Ill say on your horse; They have to unite again; They need to deliver Brexit and get on with running the country. For three years they havent done anything with the country and its going to crap. The product may be contaminated with salmonella International Golden Foods (IGF) of Bensenville, Ill., is recalling certain lot codes of Al Kanater brand tahini. The product may be contaminated with salmonella. No illnesses have been reported to date. The recalled product, which comes in a 16-oz jar bearing the lot number TT4N201127, UPC 692551000020, and product code AT1LB, was sold nationwide. Customers who purchased the recalled product should discontinue using it and return it to the place of purchase for a full ... 100% Website beni-gassenbauer.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 435056 bytes (424.86 kb uncompressed) and 68020 bytes (66.43 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2020-09-28, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 60% Website spider-solitaire.fr uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery and Boostrap. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 40310 bytes (39.37 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-03-14, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Close COLUMBUS, Ohio - Human beings can configure their faces in thousands and thousands of ways to convey emotion, but only 35 expressions actually get the job done across cultures, a new study has found. And while our faces can convey a multitude of emotions--from anger to sadness to riotous joy--the number of ways our faces can convey different emotions varies. Disgust, for example, needs just one facial expression to get its point across throughout the world. Happiness, on the other hand, has 17--a testament to the many varied forms of cheer, delight and contentedness. "This was delightful to discover," said Aleix Martinez, cognitive scientist, professor of electrical and computer engineering at The Ohio State University, and study co-author, "because it speaks to the complex nature of happiness." The differences in how our faces convey happiness can be as simple as the size of our smiles or the crinkles near our eyes, the study found. The study also found that humans use three expressions to convey fear, four to convey surprise, and five each to convey sadness and anger. Those are the findings of a new study published online in the journal IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing. "Happiness acts as a social glue and needs the complexity of different facial expressions; disgust is just that: disgust," Martinez said. The findings build on Martinez's previous work on facial expressions, which found that people can correctly identify other people's emotions about 75 percent of the time based solely on subtle shifts in how blood flow colors a person's nose, eyebrows, cheeks or chin. In this study, Martinez and co-author Ramprakash Srinivasan, a doctoral student at Ohio State in Martinez's lab, assembled a list of words that describe feelings--821 English words, to be exact. They then used those words to mine the internet for images of people's faces. Professional translators translated those words into Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Farsi and Russian. To avoid bias, they used each word to download an equal number of images. They plugged the words into search engines popular in 31 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and ended up with approximately 7.2 million images of facial expressions across a variety of cultures. The study did not include countries from the African continent or other remote parts of the world because of the limited number of candid images available from those areas. Psychologists have debated how to classify human emotion for centuries. An ancient Chinese text--dating back as early as 213 B.C., then modified over the years--described seven "feelings of men" as joy, anger, sadness, fear, love, disliking and liking. Martinez, whose research interests intersect both engineering and the behavior of the human brain, thought there had to be more than just seven or eight. "To think that humans are only capable of eight emotions is absurd," he said. "We are complex creatures. What about the different forms of joy? We experience the world on a much deeper level than just eight emotions." Martinez and Srinivasan hoped to identify the facial configurations that convey emotion across cultures. Based on computer algorithms, they found that the human face is capable of configuring itself in 16,384 unique ways, combining different muscles in different ways. They took the 7.2 million images their searches yielded and sorted them into categories, looking for those that expressed emotion across cultures. Martinez figured they'd find at least a few hundred. They found only 35. "We were shocked," Martinez said. "I thought there would be way, way more." Since the number of universal expressions was smaller than expected, they wondered if most expressions of emotion were culture-specific. The result of this study surprised them even more. Analysis of the same dataset of 7.2 million images showed there are only eight expressions that are used in some--but not all--cultures. These eight expressions convey positive and negative affect, but not emotion categories like joy and anger. The researchers concluded that most facial expressions of emotion are universal, that there are only a few dozen of them and that a large number of them are used to express joyfulness. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare Marijuana studies cover many topics, ranging from legal weeds impact on teen usage rates and crime to whether senior citizens are moving away from prescription opioids and into medical marijuana. But a new study looks at a very different facet of marijuana use: Does legal weed have any correlation with death in the workplace? Specifically, researchers at Montana State University, the University of Colorado and American University looked for an association, if any exists, between legalizing medical marijuana in a state and the number of workplace fatalities. As the researchers wrote, there is increasing concern that legalizing medical marijuana will make workplaces more dangerous. However, the researchers found just the opposite is true. Related: Another Study Finds Lowered Opioid Use Where Medical Marijuana Is Legal Marijuana and reduced workplace fatalities. The study, published late in 2018, looked at workplace fatalities across the country using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Researchers then cross-referenced this information with areas where medical marijuana is legal. They found that legalizing medical marijuana was associated with a 19.5 percent reduction in the number of expected workplace fatalities based on historical trends. This was associated with workers between the ages of 25 and 44. Whats more, the association grew stronger over time, according to the research. In places where medical marijuana has been legal five years, there was a 33.7 percemnt reduction in the number of expected fatalities for workers 25 to 44. Areas where medical marijuana is legal to treat pain and where collective cultivation is legal were associated with a lower fatality rate among workers between the ages of 25 and 44 than those areas that did not have those provisions. The study found that fatalities were not reduced among those workers between ages 16 to 24 and that the association was a negative one though not statistically significant. Related: Federal Appeals Court Orders DEA to Reconsider if Marijuana Belongs on Schedule 1 Why fewer fatalities with marijuana? The study did not reach a conclusion on why the number of expected fatalities had dropped so far, only offering proof that it had happened. The researchers revealed their theories, however, when they suggested further study is needed into the issue. Specifically, they called for further investigation to determine if the study results are attributable to reductions in the consumption of alcohol and other substances that impair cognitive function, memory and motor skills. There are other studies that suggest this could be the case. While it did not focus on the workplace, a recent study in Texas found that opioid prescriptions had dropped in areas where medical marijuana is legal. The drop was biggest for those between the ages of 18 and 55. Further, the study found this drop where medical marijuana is legal. The same drop was not associated with legalized recreational marijuana. Another study found that consumers, led my Millennials, are lowering alcohol use in areas where marijuana is legal. To stay up to date on the latest marijuana-related news make sure to like dispensaries.com on Facebook Related: 5 Cannabis Stats Every Entrepreneur Should Know (60-Second Video) What the U.S. Can Learn From Weed Legalization in Canada Study Finds Fewer People Are Dying on the Job Where Marijuana Is Legal Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved WeWork saw the office space of the future and brought it to fruition. Outfitting coworking spaces with pingpong tables, fresh fruit and other amenities, WeWork has flipped the traditional office space on its head while becoming a $45 billion brand. Now marketing itself as "The We Company," leadership is applying that same methodology to food and retail (Made By We) and even to education (WeGrow). So why is this disruptor such a game-changer? Because it offers two crucial assets for todays working world: flexibility and collaboration. And those assets are important in the modern world: After all, we live in a rapidly changing environment, one where young companies require physical and mental bandwidth to communicate, collaborate and evolve without a huge commitment. Startup founders and leaders should use this same model to find office spaces that grow with them. Related: Can Flexible Working Improve Employee Attraction and Retention? Find the right space. There's a lot to learn from WeWork about what growing businesses need. Young companies struggle in particular to find office spaces that can mature with them as they grow, from family-sized iterations into larger and more complex beasts. Ive helped many companies develop strategic real estate plans, and its incredible how much a workplace can affect many aspects of a business. Its not just a set of walls and windows -- it influences the talent that's attracted, the culture that's cultivated and even how efficient or opportunistic a company is. Another challenge with finding a great space stems from the relative lack of transparency in commercial real estate. Traditional firms often steer their clients toward certain properties or negotiate less optimal deal terms. This is all in the name of building a better rapport with the landlords and developers that represent their primary income stream. Despite numerous challenges, finding the right workplace boils down to leaders setting clear guidelines for their search. Here are three ways to get a company situated in a flexible, personalized workplace: 1. Engage with a tenant-only advocate. Get out of the network of conflicted brokers. Trust your search to a tenant-only advocate whose allegiance isn't with the landlord. A tenant-focused broker will not have inherent, built-in conflicts, will show you all potential properties and can act as a partner to guide you through the process from planning to moving in. Tenant advocates can also bring unconflicted project managers to the table to help manage the arduous process of moving. According to PMI's 9th Global Project Management Survey, "Pulse of the Profession," projects are 28 times more profitable when led by a manager. Why? Because they're more predictable. Experienced project managers assemble a team, manage architects and contractors and oversee the day-to-day process of tailoring a space to a company's unique specifications. These project managers can play peacekeeper in the room and mediate any frank discussions about budget and building needs to keep things in perspective and a vision on track. Related: Why Project Managers Are Essential to Your Business 2. Avoid being rigid. Flexibility isnt an exclusive luxury of millennial WeWorkers. You, too, can engineer flexibility into your workplace by planning ahead for your short-, medium- and long-term real estate needs. Deloitte's 2018 Real Estate Outlook revealed that nontraditional assets such as flexible leasing arrangements allow companies to adapt to future needs. Before engaging in a site search, conduct a needs assessment and build a vision for how your company will grow going forward. Consistently evaluate an office's size and space to determine whether it still meets all your needs. Name brands such as Amazon, Airbnb and Microsoft opt to house departments and regional offices away from their headquarters so they can maintain enough flexibility to grow. Continuously ask questions of your team that assess how useful your current space is while also determining what you'll need going forward. Sometimes the answers will stay the same, and sometimes they'll change drastically. Be flexible enough to incorporate either result into your future office plans. 3. Take stock of your commitments. Hidden costs can bloat any budget -- even expenses associated with a workspace. According to BOMA International's 2018 Office Experience Exchange Report, 10 percent of an office's operations budget goes to utilities, telecommunications and grounds maintenance. To keep these costs from snowballing, strike a balance between over- and under-committing to a workspace. There's no need to sign up for a long-term agreement if your growth plans are unclear. Flexibility is key, and your tenant-only advocate can help you negotiate flexible terms. There are plenty of options to house companies for the short term, which takes the stress and fear out of lease commitments. Options such as WeWork, Co+Hoots and Convene provide young companies with flexible leasing terms that allow them to commit to short-term lease agreements that align better with their current resources and prospects. When negotiating a lease agreement, make sure you have a clear understanding of the terms and the financial ramifications. Verify the landlords measurements and specifications, build in flexibility and make sure you plan for the future. Related: 5 Lease-Term Questions Facing Every Entrepreneur When done right, workplaces help to build relationships, empower employees and partners, enhance collaboration and set the stage for future success. Get inspired by the WeWork model -- hire an advocate, plan carefully and build flexibility into your lease agreements. Related: What WeWork Can Teach You About Your Next Office Move WeWork presento a su nuevo CEO en Mexico She Won $1 Million for Her Big Idea at WeWork's Global Pitch Competition. Here's How -- and Her Top Pitching Strategy. (Podcast) Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Just in time for the July 4th holiday, Stamfords Avon Theatre is hosting its annual screening of the summer classic Jaws on Wednesday, July 3, at 7:30 p.m. Click here for tickets and more information. Based on Peter Benchleys best-selling novel, Steven Spielbergs 1975 shark saga set the standard for the new Hollywood popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out of the water, the theater noted in a news release. The films early action takes place over the Fourth of July weekend, as vacationing city folk swarm the beach. When the giant man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers on Amity Island, a fictional New England summer resort town, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) decides to hunt it down with the help of a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw). Sign up to get events, interviews with artists and more delivered to your inbox for free. Benchley himself can be seen in a cameo in the film as the news reporter who addresses the camera on the beach. Benchley had previously worked as a news reporter for the Washington Post before writing Jaws. And, according to writer Carl Gottlieb, the iconic line Youre gonna need a bigger boat was not scripted, but was ad-libbed by Scheider. The 124-minute film is rated PG. $13; $10 students, seniors; members $8; Carte Blanche members free. 203-967-3660. GREENWICH The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved a settlement with Eversource Energy on Friday morning, officially allowing a new substation project to proceed that will meet the towns growing demand for electricity. Some preliminary work on the project has already begun, including the demolition of the vacant Pet Pantry at 290 Railroad Ave., where the substation will be built. The new substation will be connected to the existing Cos Cob substation with 2.3 miles of transmission lines through town. This puts to rest a very long and storied chapter for the town, First Selectman Peter Tesei said, adding that the settlement was ably negotiated. In a statement, Tesei said the settlement addressed many of the towns concerns. The design of the project will safeguard many of the towns natural resources, including Bruce Park and the adjacent inlets of Long Island Sound; protect critical town infrastructure, including its wastewater system; as well as address the aesthetic concerns raised during this negotiation process, Tesei said. The plan is to have the substation complete and online in 2020, Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross said. Selectman Sandy Litvack, who is an attorney, praised the settlement at Fridays Board of Selectmen meeting. In any litigation there are risks and therefore any settlement represents a meeting of minds and a compromise on both sides, Litvack said. I think the compromise (that was negotiated) ... is extremely favorable to the town. In Fridays statement, which was released by the town, Eversource Vice President of Project Management Steve Sullivan said, the solution was amenable for all involved. This agreement is a significant step toward further strengthening the electric system in Greenwich to ensure our customers have reliable power during heat waves, prolonged severe cold snaps and other peak times of high energy use, Sullivan said. This plan will allow us to meet their energy needs while being sensitive to neighborhood aesthetics. Under the settlement, Eversource will pay the full cost of a pedestrian bridge over Indian Harbor that will carry the transmission lines along the route between the two substations, according to attorney David Ball, who represented the town as outside counsel during the negotiations. This will avoid the environmental impact of having a cofferdam (installed in Indian Harbor), which is beneficial to the town, Ball said. Eversource will build the bridge. They will pay for the bridge. And after construction, title will be conveyed to the town for the bridge. The new bridge will be parallel to the vehicle bridge on Davis Avenue that will be replaced next year. Additionally, the town will have a two-year warranty on the bridge. Eversource will also cover the cost of hiring an independent qualified engineer to inspect the construction. We see that as a big improvement from what the (Connecticut Siting Council) had initially approved, Ball said. The settlement also covered a number of details relating to construction in particular to minimize environmental impact, he said. That includes using solid cable for the transmission line, not high-pressure fluid filled lines, which residents had worried could rupture and cause severe environmental damage in Bruce Park. Eversource has also agreed to complete curb-to-curb paving and restoration on roads that are disrupted by construction. The town also secured limits on blasting and work hours for the project, Ball said. Next week, Eversource is expected to be working at night near Exit 4 of I-95 in the Cos Cob area and will provide traffic management. As part of the agreement, it will be an open air substation, with a 15-foot-high brick wall built around the perimeter, Ball said. Some residents and officials had preferred an indoor structure, but he said the design of the wall will blend in aesthetically with the surrounding neighborhood. A landscape plan has also been agreed to, which Ball said will help with the overall appearance. The substation project has been controversial since it was first proposed in 2011. Town residents and government officials questioned the need for a new substation and said other options should have been explored. But Eversource has consistently said a new substation is needed to meet growing demand for electricity. The town did not have oversight of the new substation, which fell under the jurisdiction of the Connecticut Siting Council under state statute. That left the town with limited options in what it could do. Whereas there might normally be Planning and Zoning issues, Department of Public Works issues, all of that was taken out of the hands of the municipality and put in the hands of the Siting Council, Ball said. Thats the playing ground on which we find ourselves. Eversources initial plan for the substation, which the town believed was too environmentally risky because the transmission line connection would have done beneath ballfields, forest areas and tidal ponds in Bruce Park, was denied by the Siting Council. That plan had also called for the high-pressure fluid filled transmission lines that the town vigorously opposed. However, the revised plan subsequently put forward by Eversource was approved by the council, which the town appealed. Ball noted several improvements in the revised plan, including that the all-underground transmission line takes a different route for the 2.3 miles between the two substations and goes underneath public roads. From the towns perspective, that was a huge improvement, Ball said. Obviously roads are already disturbed, so if theres going to be a burial of a power line you want it under roads as opposed to under a ballfield or an undisturbed area. There were months and months and months of discussion between the town and Eversource leading up to the settlement, he said. This has been a four-year challenge for the town, Ball said. I give credit to both Eversource and the town for working as hard as they did and the technical teams to get to this point to resolve the dispute. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com BRIDGEPORT - Blaming her for a wrenched hand and a broken fingernail will not stop Maria Pereira. The outspoken and often-criticized city Board of Education member sat defiantly in the front row of the cavernous arraignment court Thursday, vowing to fight the latest criminal charge brought against her. She sees it all as an attempt by the citys administration to try and silence her something she vowed will not happen. There will be no plea; I want a trial, she told Hearst Connecticut Media. When her name was called, she stood with her lawyer, Erica Barber, before Superior Court Judge Frank Iannotti and pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree breach of peace, a misdemeanor. The judge continued the case to July 1, which is 10 days before Pereira is set to go on trial before a state magistrate on her other criminal matter, involving a 2018 disturbance at Success Village. She is charged with an infraction in that case that is usually dismissed with a fine, but Pereira is firm in her insistance that she wants a trial in that case, too. Pereira has gone to war against fellow board member Chris Taylor, researching his financial background and producing evidence that Taylor actually lives in Fairfield. And she challenged another rival, City Councilman Ernie Newton, to a drug test after each accused the other of substance abuse. Both passed. In the recent case, Pereira is accused of injuring Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christiana Otuwa when she grabbed some papers out of Otuwas hand. The arrest warrant affidavit is authored by Capt. Brian Fitzgerald, the head of the Bridgeport Police Departments Detective Bureau. According to the affidavit, on May 23, Otuwa complained she was injured by Pereira the previous day during a meeting both attended. Otuwa said Pereira grabbed a reverse suspension document from her right hand and while doing so, twisted Otuwas hand, resulting in a broken fingernail and pain to her hand. Patty Wood, a Board of Education employee, told police she saw Pereira and Otuwa arguing over a document and Pereira then stood up and forcefully grabbed the document from Otuwas hand, the affidavit states. It continues that Otuwa contacted Wood the next day and stated that her finger hurt very badly and her nail was broken. Otuwa also complained about her leg bothering her, the affidavit states. Michael Testani, Bridgeports director of adult education, told police he witnessed the incident and didnt believe it was accidental, according to the affidavit. Testani and Wood told police that Pereira had previously been antagonistic toward Otuwa, and called her a moron. Contributed Photo / BRIDGEPORT A city couple will celebrate their 50th anniversary later this month. Luis and Ana (Burgos) Perez, of Bridgeport, will celebrate 50 years of marriage on Friday, June 28. The couple was married at Parroquia Santuario La Milagrosa in Corozal, Puerto Rico. The Trump administration intensified its effort Friday to demonstrate Iran's culpability in a spate of damaging oil tanker attacks, as dueling accusations from Washington and Tehran heightened concerns about military conflict. American officials said newly released intelligence, including a grainy video, illustrated Tehran's role in twin explosions Thursday that crippled Japanese- and Norwegian-owned ships in the Gulf of Oman. But European nations appealed to all sides to de-escalate, as statements by the owner of one of the targeted ships appeared to challenge the U.S. account that Iranian naval boats had employed limpet mines. President Donald Trump insisted that video released by U.S. Central Command that appeared to show unidentified people in a small boat removing something from the side of a tanker - which officials said was an unexploded mine - was proof that Iran had carried out the attacks. "Well, Iran did do it," he told Fox News. "And you know they did it because you saw the boat." Depicting Iran as a "nation of terror," the president's remarks underscored the urgency that has characterized his administration's approach to a country it has identified as its primary adversary in the Middle East. U.S. officials say Thursday's attacks, like a similar incident off the United Arab Emirates in May, was part of an attempt by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to hobble energy commerce as the United States moves to shut off Tehran's ability to sell oil on international markets. Iran has denied any involvement in the attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran - [without] a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence," accusing the Trump White House of "economic terrorism" and "sabotage diplomacy." The escalating rhetoric on both sides has alarmed allied nations and generated concerns among Democratic lawmakers who fear that the administration, led by national security adviser John Bolton, known for his hawkish views on Iran, could allow a conflict to erupt. Military officials have scrambled to reinforce a presence in the Middle East, which they had reduced in an attempt to refocus on China and Russia, while also voicing concern about the potential for conflict with a well-armed and unpredictable rival. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this week that the impetus behind the attacks on the Japanese ship Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian Front Altair was the administration's "maximum pressure campaign" of sanctions, which is intended to get Iran to negotiate over its nuclear program and its support of militia groups in the region. "This is a way station to a wider conflict breaking out between Iran and the United States," said Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst and Iran project director for the International Crisis Group. "If Iran was behind it, it is very clear the maximum pressure policy of the Trump administration is rendering Iran more aggressive, not less." A day after the attacks, numerous questions remained about what occurred and how the administration will respond. Yutaka Katada, president of the Kokuka Sangyo shipping firm that owns one of the targeted tankers, told reporters Friday in Tokyo: "The crew are saying it was hit with a flying object. They say something came flying toward them, then there was an explosion, then there was a hole in the vessel. Then some crew witnessed a second shot." Katada added: "To put a bomb on the side is not something we are thinking. If it's between an explosion and a penetrating bullet, I have a feeling it is a penetrating bullet. If it was an explosion, there would be damage in different places, but this is just an assumption or a guess." He said he did not believe that the tanker was struck "because it was Japanese," as that would have been difficult for an attacker to determine. The Courageous was targeted as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran. "When the shell hit, it was above the water surface by quite a lot," Katada said. "Because of that, there is no doubt that it wasn't a torpedo." He said the ship's crew saw an Iranian military ship in the vicinity Thursday night Japan time, Reuters news agency reported. The White House said Trump and Abe spoke Friday about "the circumstances surrounding the attacks," and that the president thanked the Japanese leader "for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran." Following the attacks, the USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was in the area, took on board 21 crew members from the ship. According to U.S. officials, the crew of the Front Altair boarded Iranian naval vessels after initially being rescued by another ship. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said that "responsibility for the security of the Strait of Hormuz lies with the Islamic Republic of Iran." "We showed that we were able to rescue the sailors of the ship as soon as possible," Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The accusation against Iran, he said, is "not only not funny . . . but alarming and worrisome." As part of its effort to make its case about the attacks, U.S. officials showed reporters photographs of the Kokuka Courageous with what the Navy identified as a suspected magnetic mine attached to its hull. One official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because many elements of the investigation remain secret, said the unexploded device was probably applied by hand from an Iranian fast boat. It is thought to be the same kind of weapon used to blow a hole elsewhere in the tanker and to damage the Front Altair, two officials said. The officials said the type and timing of the attacks bear Iranian hallmarks. But U.S. officials could not yet say with certainty where the mines were manufactured or exactly how they were laid. "There's not too many ways in which this can be done," one official said. "Very few that don't involve an individual physically placing it on the ship." Before the attacks, Iranian forces fired a surface-to-air missile at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone in the area of the attacks, but they missed, a defense official said Friday. Several days earlier, Yemeni Houthi militants shot down another Reaper in the Red Sea. Those allegations were first reported by CNN. U.S. officials said several nations are discussing how to respond. One option may be to provide military escorts for commercial tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one official said, although no decision has been made. The attacks underscored the vulnerability of commerce in a strategic waterway through which one-fifth of the world's oil passes. It connects energy supplies from Arab nations in the gulf, as well as Iran, to consumers around the globe. Oil prices rose by as much as 4.5% on Thursday before easing back. On Friday, the price of the Brent benchmark crude oil used internationally closed at $62.06 a barrel, up 1.2% but still below Thursday's peak. The price of the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate grade of crude oil closed Friday at $52.51 a barrel, up 0.44%. Trump, in another instance of his binary messaging on foreign affairs, appeared in his remarks to Fox to leave the door open to negotiations with Tehran while criticizing its leadership. "They've been told in very strong terms . . . we want to get them back to the table if they want to get back," he said. "I'm in no rush." Officials said the Trump administration was attempting to broaden the international consensus on finding Iran responsible for the recent attacks. That is likely to be a challenge given European nations' ongoing commitment to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal backed by President Barack Obama and their criticism of the Trump administration's more hostile policy. Germany's government on Friday called for an investigation into the "extraordinarily worrying" incident, but said it had no information on who carried out the attacks, the Associated Press reported. A French Foreign Ministry spokesman also expressed concern and called for restraint on all sides. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China hopes that "all sides can jointly safeguard navigational safety in the relevant waters," news agencies reported. "Nobody wants to see war in the gulf," he said. "That is not in anyone's interest." - - - Cunningham reported from Istanbul. Denyer reported from Tokyo. The Washington Post's William Branigin, John Hudson, Steve Mufson, Karoun Demirjian, Anne Gearan and Carol Morello in Washington and Akiko Kashiwagi in Tokyo contributed to this report. FAIRFIELD After a middle school student was approached by a man in a suspicious vehicle while walking home from school earlier this week, police are urging parents to tell their children to report any suspicious or unusual activity. Police were called on Monday after a Fairfield Woods Middle School student was walking home from school and was approached by an unknown man in a vehicle who called the student over. Police Lt. Eddie Weihe said it happened shortly after dismissal that day. The student ignored the attempt to engage in conversation, went home, and reported what happened, Weihe said. The department said it happened in the area of Palamar Park around 3:30 p.m. The student described the suspect as a white man in his 60s. The vehicle was described as a black car with New York plates. There was no additional description available Thursday. Although no crime was committed, we take these matters very seriously and we will continue to attempt to identify the suspect, Weihe said. Please take note of the description and remain vigilant in observing and reporting any suspicious persons, vehicles, or behaviors to the police at 203-254-4800. Weihe urged parents to regularly remind their children to avoid suspicious people and vehicles and encourage them to talk about anything suspicious or unusual they see throughout their day. When walking home from school, police said, parents should encourage their children to walk home with a friend or in a group and use more populated and well-lit routes. Please do not hesitate to report any strange persons, vehicles, or activity that you or your children may have observed, Weihe said. ROME - If anybody in Western Europe bears a political resemblance to Donald Trump, it is Matteo Salvini. Salvini holds rollicking rallies and talks about putting Italy first. He rails against open borders and bleeding-heart liberals. He's a frenetic social media user who spotlights cases of immigrant crime to show how the country is under threat. Lately, Salvini has even talked about his proposed tax cuts as a Trump-like "cure" for stagnation. "Look at what Donald Trump has done for the American economy," Salvini, the Italian deputy prime minister and leader of the far-right League party, said last month. All the while, Salvini - who is visiting Washington this weekend - is proving that perhaps the best way to have decent relations with Trump's administration is to be a little bit like the president himself. While other Western European countries have responded to Trump with a mix of bafflement, angst and barely-veiled jabbing, Italy has gone a different route, presenting Trump with an example of the hard-driving, personality-driven populism that he tends to gravitate to among allies. Italy and the U.S. have their differences on matters like China policy and NATO spending. But Italy has avoided the acrimony and public criticism that has defined Trump's relations with Germany, France and other major European nations. One Salvini lieutenant - speaking at the beginning of the year, when Salvini's visit was first being planned - went so far as to suggest that Italy could replace the soon-to-exit United Kingdom as the U.S.' most trusted ally inside the European Union. "With Trump, there is a deep synchronicity on the worldview," that official, Guglielmo Picchi, a foreign affairs ministry undersecretary and League member, told the Italian outlet Il Giornale. Salvini, who is Italy's interior minister but also its most powerful politician, is expected to meet with Vice President Mike Pence during his two-day trip, which begins Sunday. Trump in recent weeks greeted two other European nationalist leaders at the White House: first Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, then Polish President Andrzej Duda. During Duda's visit, Trump boosted military ties with Poland while taking a verbal swipe at Germany. "The Trump administration is clearly cultivating a group of populists and building on the anti-immigration right-wing ethnic nationalism that the Trump administration uses at home," said Charles Kupchan, a former Obama National Security Council adviser on European affairs. Kupchan noted that the White House has put its diplomatic focus on governments, like Italy's, that are skeptical about European integration. "This increases the tension with mainstream European countries like France and Germany," Kupchan said, "because they see Trump as actively undermining the project that has animated politics since World War II." Italy has long been a traditional ally of the U.S., but its politics have transformed over the past several years because of forces that would be familiar to Americans - discontent with the economic status quo, distrust of elites, fear about newcomers to the country. Salvini has harnessed those forces to powerful effect, building his own party, the League, from an marginal player to the country's most popular. After his party's soaring performance in May's European parliamentary elections, Salvini posted a photo of himself standing in front of a bookcase with a "Make America Great Again" ball cap - as well as a photograph of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Salvini shares some of Trump's political instincts - and he traveled to Pennsylvania for a Trump campaign rally in 2016 - but he is hardly a political clone. Salvini's supporters note that he has been running the League party since before Trump joined the race for the presidency. He is also more of a single-issue specialist, having built his reputation for his hard-line immigration stance. He is also notably cushy with Russia, something that may not bother Trump, but which does run counter to the wishes of some administration officials and other U.S. politicians, analysts say. "This [trip] is a way to show that Russia isn't a stockholder in the League," one Italian foreign ministry official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to freely share his views. The official said Salvini is moving diplomatically to the "Atlantic" side "as long as Trump is there." Analysts say Salvini will find receptive hosts at the White House, but he could also face pushback from some Trump administration officials for Italian policies, including a foreign policy and infrastructure agreement that Rome signed with Beijing this year. Italy has fallen well short of defense spending targets under NATO, amid criticism from Trump that European allies are overly dependent on U.S. funding. But Giampiero Massolo, a former high-ranking diplomat who is president of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, described Salvini as a "pragmatic" politician who knows "Italy has to show its value-add in order to deal with this administration." "The American president himself seems to be less concerned about permanent alliances than his predecessors," Massolo said. "These are times of more occasional, interest-based alliances. Not alliances for the sake of alliances. You have to pursue common interests - and those common interests may not last." - - - The Washington Post's Stefano Pitrelli contributed to this report. HARTFORD A Winsted man was sentenced to a year in prison Wednesday for selling heroin to a teen overdose victim, federal authorities said. In addition to the prison time, Anthony Hunt, 20, also must five years of supervised release, according to a release from Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham. The case results from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users, according to the release. Further, according to court documents and statements made in court, at about 5:41 p.m. on June 2, 2017, the Connecticut State Police responded to a family-owned boat in Washington, Conn., after receiving a report of a 17-year-old male in cardiac arrest. Attempts to revive the victim were not successful and he was pronounced deceased, the release said. Law enforcement officers seized various drug and non-drug evidence from the boat, including suspected heroin, miscellaneous pharmaceutical pills and an iPhone. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined the victim died from toxicity associated with a number of controlled substances, including heroin and alprazolam, or Xanax, the release said. The investigation found that Hunt sold heroin and Xanax to the victim between May 17 and June 1, 2017, and that the victim traveled to Winsted to purchase drugs from Hunt the day before the victim died, the release said. Hunt was arrested on March 22, 2018 and on Sept. 13, 2018 pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin, the release said. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven Task Force and Connecticut State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis. By Devdutt Pattanaik Mid-day Published on 8th June, 2019, in Mid-day. If you travel to Cambodia, you will come across a folklore that a sage from India known as Kaundinya travelled across the sea to what is now called Cambodia, where he encountered a Naga princess, who fell in love with him. She happened to be the ruler of the local people and married Kaundinya. From them descend the kings of the Kingdom of Kamboja, which later came to be known as Cambodia. Was this Kaundinya Hindu or Buddhist? We really dont know. In fact, in ancient times, in faraway lands, few differentiated between the two. In Hindu mythology, Kaundinya does not play an important role, although he is recognised as one of the sages who travelled from the northern part of India to the southern part of India and over the sea to Southeast Asia. So, he is linked with the transmission of Vedic beliefs and practices, across the subcontinent and beyond. Kaundinya plays a much bigger role in Buddhist mythology. When Siddhartha Gautama is born in the Sakya clan, many sages predicted that he may either be a sage who gives up the world and discovers wisdom, or he will become a great king who will conquer the world. Kaundinya is the only sage to insist he will never be a king but a hermit and he vows that he will be a follower of the hermit. Years later, when Siddhartha gives up his kingdom and goes to the forest and lives the hermits life, Kaundinya and his student follow him, but only until the day Siddhartha refuses to practise self-mortification. When Siddhartha returns as the awakened one or the Buddha, Kaundinya follows him once again and plays an important role in the establishment and spreading of the Buddhist thought across the world. In Buddhist literature, we often hear that just as Buddha had previous lives, so did Kaundinya and they did engage with each other. In one story, we are told that the Buddha-to-be was a tiger and Kaundinya was a tigress and Buddha-to-be offered his own life so that the hungry tigress would not eat her own cubs. In another story, Kaundinya was shipwrecked. Desperately, he looks to the generous king of Kosala, only to discover that he has abandoned the kingdom and given the kingdom to the king of Kashi to avert war. When Kaundinya meets the king of Kosala in the forest, the king of Kosala says if you give me to the king of Kashi, he will give you a reward, which you can use to restore your business. And so, Kaundinya takes the Buddha-to-be, i.e., the king of Kosala to Kashi, and seeks the reward. The king of Kashi is impressed by the generosity and compassion of the king of Kosala and restores him to the throne. With his kingdom restored, the king of Kosala gives the merchant all the wealth he needs to restart the business. Thus, Kaundinya is associated with seafaring merchants in Jataka itself. Does the effort by the city of Bridgeport to dismiss a sexual harassment suit against a longtime city detective reflect worse on the city, the department or the president of the United States? That the question needs to be asked goes some ways toward showing where weve arrived as a society in year three of the Trump administration. The actions of 50-year-old Detective David Garcia as laid out in a civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court against the Police Department are, without question, repulsive. According to a Bridgeport woman who works as a house cleaner and is identified as the victim of a crime, Garcia began sending her sexually explicit text messages and, according to the suit, the violent nature of the acts described in the texts frightened the woman. Consider, for a moment, the vulnerability of a woman facing such actions by a police detective in her city all of it, by her account, unwanted and unprovoked. That it would happen once is bad enough, but the suit says Garcia sent her a half-dozen such texts after investigating a burglary at her home. He was rightly suspended without pay for 30 days following an internal investigation. Police Chief Armando Perez, however, reinstated Garcia, and somehow managed to make the situation demonstrably worse with his comments to reporter Daniel Tepfer. He messed up, but there is more to the story that I cant talk about because it is still in court, he said. But I decided to have him back at work where he could be supervised. Garcias alleged conduct is so far out of bounds for a police officer that messed up is an insulting term to use as a description. And what more to the story could he be referring to? There was an investigation, and Garcia was suspended. Is Perez saying he shouldnt have been? Finally, to assert that Garcia needs to be on active duty so he can be supervised is simply nonsensical. Perez has many times found himself in hot water over words that he says and how he says them, and it is long past time he figures out a way to communicate competently with the public and the press. None of that, though, gets at the city of Bridgeports reasoning in seeking to dismiss the suit against Garcia. The language the detective used, according to the city, is nothing worse than that used by the president of the United States on national television, a seeming reference to the Access Hollywood tape of Donald Trump apparently admitting to sexual assault that briefly roiled the 2016 campaign. Is this where we are as a society? The president said bad things, so its fine if a detective sends sexually violent texts to a crime victim? Its not fine. Its a pathetic attempt by the city and the police chief to cover for behavior that is completely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. Every session, with depressing predictability, the Connecticut state Legislature offers object lessons in how not to run a government. Whether its the last-minute rush to complete a budget or time-wasting effort on bills that have no chance of passing, too many lawmakers seem to lose all sense of time management and transparency once they get to Hartford. Among the worst offenses are what are known as rats anonymous measures inserted into large, complex bills like the budget that receive no debate yet stand to make major changes to important industries, as well as peoples lives. A current example is found in the two-year budget recently approved by both the state House and Senate and now awaiting Gov. Ned Lamonts signature. Included deep within the bills hundreds of pages is a measure that would make it illegal for home-care agencies in Connecticut to use noncompete clauses when hiring. These types of clauses, which prevent people from taking jobs with competing companies for a specified period, have come under fire in many industries for taking power away from workers and leaving them more at the mercy of their employers, often in low-wage industries. It is right to debate the merits of such clauses, as the Legislature did this past session without reaching the point of enacting a restriction on them. The clause aimed at home-care agencies, though, appears to be altogether different, and something that could upend a system that provides care for thousands of people. It has led the industry to seek a rare line-item veto from Lamont, but whether thats even possible in this case is uncertain because theres no monetary allocation at play. The merits of the specific clause, though, are secondary. Its far too common to see this kind of language inserted into larger bills that has not been debated, not been vetted and yet has the potential to make dramatic changes. On a similar note, language in the budget was recently publicized that would benefit exactly one company and be worth potentially millions of dollars. The provision extends a deadline to claim tax credits promised under the Malloy administration using language that would apply only to insurance giant Cigna. If benefits are going to be extended to any company, they must be subject to debate like any bill would be. It is far too common to see this technique in use. Special sessions, in particular, are sometimes veritable dumping grounds for legislation that didnt pass or maybe was never even discussed in the regular term but somehow finds its way inserted into must-pass bills. It has to stop. Anonymity cannot be allowed every insertion or deletion should come with a legislators name attached. And every bill, every clause, that has the potential to make major changes must be given adequate time for debate. If its not possible in the time left in the session, it waits until the next year. And in the meantime, everyone can get to work on those time-management skills. For some of us, one of the best parts of summer involves time spent in front of a hot grill. Whether youre roasting vegetables or making the perfect steak, the combination of fair weather, food, and friends/family is hard to beat. Depending on your menu and the number of guests, the cost of a single barbequing effort can be expensive, and multiple efforts across an entire summer can break your budget in a hurry. Here are five quick tips for managing the cost. Make it a potluck: In some cases, treating your loved ones to a fully prepared meal is extremely satisfying, but if youre the only one with a swimming pool and thus always the host, these costs add up. Having guests bring sides or dessert is pretty standard, but if youre concerned about the level of effort this might impose, simpler requests include drinks, ice, plates, utensils, and activities for the kids (including the grown-up ones!). Serve water: If youre providing drinks for a crowd, the cost of sodas, juices, and/or alcohol can be one of the biggest expenses. Bottled water can be purchased in bulk at a relatively inexpensive cost, especially if you have access to stores like Costco. Alternatively, fill pitchers with water, plenty of ice, and various subtle flavorings (lemons, cucumbers, etc.) to spice things up a bit. Use smaller plates: The smaller plates might not cost less money, but they can help you reduce waste. Bigger plates lead to bigger portions, some proportion of which will always end up in your trash can. With smaller plates, your guests can always grab second helpings if theyre still hungry, less food should find its way to the garbage, and you might have delicious leftovers for a couple days. Grill more veggies: For many folks, meat is a big barbeque expense. Buying bulk or cheaper cuts of meat can help mitigate this, but vegetables are also a delicious grilled option that can be made in larger quantities for a lower cost. Your doctor and bank account are likely to agree that there are numerous benefits to this approach. And about those activities At some barbeques, the emphasis is totally on the food, with little else to pass the time. This can be just fine! If youre looking to have your guests interact more while eating less, there is a wide range of backyard or outdoor-oriented activities for kids of all ages. Your guests will have a fun, memorable experience, and youll probably save yourself a little money. The Story Never Ends: The days are long, but the years are short opinion Its in the bag: Tory frontrunner Boris Johnson yesterday Ten days ago, US President Donald Trump threw his weight behind Boris Johnson as the next British Prime Minister. Yesterday the Tory Party demonstrated that Mr Trump can spot a winner when he sees one. With more than twice as many votes as anyone else, the Presidents favoured candidate now looks what bookmakers call a stone-cold certainty to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader and therefore become our next Prime Minister. By contrast, yesterday was a disaster for Mr Johnsons nearest rival Jeremy Hunt, the establishment choice whos been backed by Chancellor Philip Hammond, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd and (so rumour has it) Theresa May. Much good all those Tory grandees did Mr Hunt. To have any chance at all, the Foreign Secretary needed to score more votes than Johnson in the first ballot. Instead hes limped in with a miserly 43 compared to Boriss 114. He may still make the final two. However, hes all but finished. The situation is even more desperate for Dominic Raab, the Brexiteer who was strongly fancied by many when the contest got underway. If hes got any sense, Raab will abandon ship with as much dignity as he can and rally behind Johnson. Sajid Javid who has pulled off the improbable feat of appearing even more robotic than Mrs May has run a lifeless campaign, which is reflected in the paltry 23 votes he won yesterday. The best to be said for Matthew Hancock, 40-years-old, is that he put down a marker for the future. As for Michael Gove, he has scored more votes than I expected after the Daily Mails damaging revelation that he took cocaine while a journalist on The Times newspaper. Hes still afloat, but only just. With more than twice as many votes as anyone else, the Presidents favoured candidate now looks what bookmakers call a stone-cold certainty to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader Hunts weak performance at least gives Gove the opening he craves to come through the middle as the compromise candidate who can deliver Brexit. Remember that Mr Gove destroyed Boris Johnsons candidacy three years ago. He will be relying on the hope that history can repeat itself. This time I doubt hell manage it. The only candidate, apart from Mr Johnson himself, who can view yesterdays result with pleasure is Rory Stewart. An unranked outsider just a few weeks ago, the International Development Secretary has come from nowhere to win the 19 votes he needed to stay in the contest. More important than that, hes second only to Boris Johnson in terms of popularity among Tory members. For this reason, he is in my judgment the one candidate capable of giving Mr Johnson a run for his money once the leadership battle leaves Parliament. They are the two best candidates to fight it out among the party members who make the final choice of leader. Most Tory MPs are too blinkered to understand that. So its likely Stewart wont get that far. But hes already done something important. Hes shown that he has the credentials to become the leader of the internal Tory opposition to Mr Johnson. Thats significant for the future because a number of Tory MPs will flatly refuse to serve under Mr Johnson especially if he attempts to take Britain to a No Deal Brexit and possibly to drag the Queen into politics by proroguing Parliament in an attempt to force through a No Deal. Remember that the election of Boris Johnson as Tory leader wont be the end of the story. It could, I fear, be the start of another agonisingly convulsive period not just for the Conservative Party but the country too. Mr Johnson has promised to deliver Brexit come what may. If his approach proves too divisive, chaos, anger and division could well lie ahead. And possibly even a split in the Tory Party between Leavers and Remainers. Remember that Mr Gove destroyed Boris Johnsons candidacy three years ago. He will be relying on the hope that history can repeat itself Yet Mr Johnson appears to have one advantage that could just give him the authority he desperately needs in the battles that lie ahead. It looks as if he will have both the support of the majority of MPs in his party as well as the support of the rank and file in the country. Recent history shows why this is important. Jeremy Corbyn had huge backing among Labour members, but his period as party leader has been so bedevilled because the majority of Labour MPs have opposed his leadership. Going further back, Iain Duncan Smith was loved by the majority of the Conservative Party membership in the country, but regarded with deadly contempt by many MPs in Parliament. Mr Johnson should remember, however, that MPs are only lending him their support. Many dont like him and some are voting for him while holding their noses. They are backing him as Tory leader for only one reason. Namely they are scared of Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party. They see Mr Johnson as a house-trained Farage. For that they are prepared to forgive his two failed marriages and his reputation for deep untrustworthiness. But he should understand that he will have the shortest leasehold on the Conservative Party leadership in history unless he pulls off Brexit. Shoppers are going wild over a Next perfume that they claim smells just like a designer offering from Yves Saint Laurent. The British high street retailer's own brand Aura scent comes in a 14 gift set that includes a 100ml bottle of eau de parfum and a 200ml shimmering body cream. A single 100ml bottle costs the same amount. The online description promises notes of 'creamy vanilla', 'white amber' and a 'sensuous musk'. Customers claim the aroma is strikingly similar to that of Yves Saint Laurent's signature Black Opium perfume, which can cost up to 100 for 100ml. Shoppers are going wild over Next's Aura perfume, pictured, which they claim smells just like a designer offering from Yves Saint Laurent - except it is a fraction of the price The original perfume by YSL (pictured) can costs up to 100 for 100ml depending on retailers, more than seven times more than the Next dupe Members of Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK were delighted with the tip, with many saying they wouldn't be able to afford the original perfurmes A Facebook user from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, started a discussion about the high street scent on the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group - and was met with dozens of comments from women who were just as impressed. 'Omg I love that perfume but it's so expensive! Will have to try the Next one,' commented one. Another posted: 'I've been wanting some black opium but yer it's very pricey so thanks. I'll treat myself to this one instead.' 'Think I need to purchase this, not forking out 70 again,' wrote another. The high street retailer's own brand Aura scent comes in a 14 gift set that includes a 100ml bottle of eau de parfum and a 200ml shimmering body cream, pictured Some of the members advised to get the Next gift set, which costs 14, to make even more of a bargain However other users claimed it smelt more like Thierry Mugler's Alien, which can cost 95 for a bottle of 90ml. One argued: 'It smells like alien, not black opium I have both of these perfumes and it deffo smells like Alien.' Another agreed: 'It doesn't smell like Black Opium... It smells like Alien... I wear it all the time.' However it is not only Next's Aura that has impressed. Other members of the Facebook group chimed in with their own picks. Other users pointed out the perfume smells like Thierry Mugler's Alien (pictured), which can cost 95 for 100ml The conflicting reports divided shoppers - but everyone agreed the perfume smells amazing 'I get the Next Just Pink, it's meant to be like Ralph Lauren Romance,' shared one. 'Next Define is also a dupe of Emporio Armani's She,' revealed another. 'They also do this one for anyone who likes Estee Lauder bronze goddess!! Absolute double,' another one wrote, sharing a picture of Next's Summer Sun. Most of these perfumes retail at 14, when their original can reach six times more. Nearly 20 years ago, a French bus driver relaxing after a stint at the wheel came across documents that would end up embarrassing a nation and proving an intriguing Second World War legend. Nosing around buildings at the long-abandoned Canfranc train station in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, Jonathan Diaz noticed a huge pile of yellowing pieces of paper in an old customs house, and one of them bore the words gold bar in heavy type. Aware of the stories about Hitlers stolen gold passing through Canfranc from occupied Europe to Spain during the war, he read on. Canfranc station, pictured, in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, was built as a terminus for trains from Spain and France. There was a luxury hotel there and in its heyday it even had a French embassy. But during the war the station became a hotbed of espionage The official Nazi documents buried after the station had been hastily abandoned by them 55 years earlier confirmed that more than 86 tons of gold had passed through Canfranc, payment for Spanish tungsten, a metal that reinforces steel and was vital to the Nazi war effort. Thered been no mention in the history books about this, reveals Jonathan in the fascinating documentary Nazi Gold Highway, the first episode in new series Secrets Of The Railways. And soon I was to understand why. When US president Bill Clinton declassified documents about Allied attempts to return Nazi gold to its original owners, the Spanish were revealed to have returned only a tiny fraction of the amount they received from the Nazis. Hitlers stolen gold passing through Canfranc from occupied Europe to Spain during the war It was embarrassing for Spain and explains why their authorities gave me such a rough ride when I went public with the documents, says Jonathan. A lot that surrounds Canfranc station, a vast building that stretches for 800ft, is wrapped in controversy. It was built as a terminus for trains from Spain and France because the two countries railways used different gauges. When Canfranc opened in 1928, passengers would have to swap from one train to another to continue their journeys, explains Claire Barratt, an industrial heritage engineer. There was a luxury hotel there and in its heyday it even had a French embassy. But during the war the station became a hotbed of espionage. Once the Nazis arrived it became like the film Casablanca, says journalist and historian Guy Walters. On one level were Nazis holding parties, and above thered be railway workers gathering intelligence and passing it to the Allies. Branded Nazi gold like that which would have passed through Canfranc. The Nazi symbol of the eagle atop the swastika can be seen in the top left-hand corner of the bar Canfranc even had its own real-life version of Rick Blaine, the bar owner played by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca who served the Nazis drinks while scheming with the Allies. Albert Le Lay was head of border control at Canfranc, but was secretly sabotaging trains for the French Resistance and smuggling Jews to Spain. Now a crumbling edifice, Canfranc is about to undergo a 350 million renovation, yet some people think the place is cursed. Historian and journalist Dominic Selwood says, There was a devastating fire in its early years, then General Franco blocked off the nearby Somport Tunnel, then the Nazis occupied it. Not for nothing is it called The Titanic Of The Mountains. Secrets Of The Railways: Nazi Gold Highway, Tuesday, 8pm, Yesterday. Dr David Cunnington (pictured) If you've ever found yourself dozing off at your desk during the day or craving a midday siesta it might not be as unnatural as you think. While it won't earn you any favours with the boss, a sleep expert claims that our bodies are biologically programmed to clock off at various times during the day because we weren't made to just have our 'eight hours of sleep a night'. 'The idea of getting those eight hours comes from the Labour moment in the UK in the early 19th century,' Specialist sleep physician at the Sleep Health Foundation Dr David Cunnington told FEMAIL. The slogan coined by labour rights activist Robert Owen in 1817 'Eight hours' labour, eight hours' recreation, eight hours' rest' became enshrined as the goal in Western society. Up until the early 19th century people were sleeping three or four hours at the start of the night, waking up for a couple of hours, and then napping until the sun rises. Then, during the day, they would often fit in another snooze before they curled up again to repeat the process, because this is biologically how we are programmed. Naturally most workplaces won't accommodate their personnel asking for regular naps, so we are forced to seek sleep only when we return home. If you've ever found yourself dozing off at your desk during the day or craving a midday siesta it might not necessarily be as bad as you think But this places undue stress on the process, particularly for those who are more restless than others. 'We criticise millennials for being lazy but many of them are moving toward that freelancer way of living rather than salary working,' Dr Cunnington said. 'And that means they can allocate time across their day for work, play and sleep and therefore be more productive in whatever role they have.' While there are still examples of biphasic sleep today, mainly in Southern Europe where they sleep twice a day, the bulk of industries and employers follow the eight-hour margin. 'All cultures describe human sleep in that it should ebb and flow. We sleep in cycles of 60 minutes to 120 minutes before coming up to surface,' he said How many hours sleep does each age group need each night? Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours School-aged children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours University students (18-25 years): 7-9 hours Working adults (26-64 years): 7-9 hours Older adults (older than 65 years): 7-8 hours Advertisement 'All cultures describe human sleep in that it should ebb and flow. We sleep in cycles of 60 minutes to 120 minutes before coming up to surface,' he said. 'Most retirees notice they are waking more as they get older because their bodies are not being worked through a 16-hour day like they were when they were younger. 'And they think this is wrong, but biologically, they're just returning to how they should be sleeping.' While newborns are recommended to sleep between 14 and 17 hours, this slowly decreases as you age and enter the workforce. A bemused guest has shared text messages showing a bride-to-be demanding her to cover up her tattoos and fix her hair A bemused guest has shared text messages showing a bridezilla demanding her to cover up her 'clashing' tattoos and fix her hair - or she will be banned from the wedding. Quinne*, from Melbourne, said she was invited to the outdoor wedding, which will be held in December during Australia's scorching summer season. And so the guest - who has tattoos on both arms down to her wrists and pastel coloured hair - was left horrified when the bride asked her to wear a long sleeve dress or a jacket and dye her locks back to a natural colour. The bride insisted her 'look' will 'clash' with the wedding theme and will 'ruin' the pictures so she wanted the guest to 'suck it up' because it's 'my one day'. Taking to a wedding shaming Facebook group, Quinne shared a series of shocking text messages she received from the bride in question. 'So with my wedding, I wanted to ask if you could please make sure your tattoos are covered and could you maybe fix your hair up so it's a natural colour?' the bride-to-be said to Quinne. 'We've put a lot of work into our theme and I'm sorry but your look clashes with it. Even if you just put some spray or something on your hair for the night. 'I just want it to all look perfect and I can send you some ideas, nice long sleeve dresses for you to wear or just wear a jacket.' The bride insisted the guest's 'look' will 'clash' with the wedding theme and will 'ruin' the pictures so she wanted the guest to 'suck it up' because it's 'my one day' (stock image) Shocked by the text message, Quinne responded: 'The wedding is in summer so I'm not sure I could wear a long sleeve dress or jacket? I'm really sensitive to heat so I just don't think I can do that if it's a hot day. 'I can look into a spray I guess, I definitely can't dye it because it's been a lot of work to lighten it to this blue and I'm planning to go a big darker but yeah. I'll look into some options for my hair.' But the bride-to-be quickly shut down her concerns about the heat, saying: 'I know it's hot but it's my one day so if you can't suck it up, I feel like you don't really care about me or [groom-to-be] and probably shouldn't come. 'I'm not asking much and it's not my fault you get hot. Buy some makeup for your tattoos then if you want to be at my wedding, you'll figure it out. If you turn up on the day without anything covered, you won't be let in to the venue.' Clearly horrified by the messages, Quinne responded: 'Wow, so if I don't give myself heat stress I don't love you guys? Makeup that covers tattoos is crazy expensive.' The bride-to-be said she's aware her wedding will be on a hot day but demanded the guest to 'suck it up' because it's 'my one day' Quinne also pointed out that she will be strapped for cash for the next couple of months after she was involved in a car accident. 'Like I know this isn't till December but you know what this year has been like for us. I'm not in your wedding party so I just don't think this is fair to ask,' the guest said. The bride-to-be addressed that she's aware about Quinne's car accident but 'your money issues aren't my problem. 'It doesn't matter that you're not in the wedding party, you'll still be in photos and you will ruin them,' the bride-to-be said. 'You're very pretty normally but your look doesn't work for my wedding and it is very fair to ask you to do something simple so that my day is perfect.' The angry bride-to-be even warned Quinne not to bother with texting her fiance about the demands because he is already in 'full agreement' with her. 'She mentions me texting her fiance because anytime I text him about plans, she gets super p***ed and claims I'm trying to cut her out - even though they're both always invited,' Quinne said. 'I haven't told the fiance yet, but we are seeing them in two weeks so I'll bring it up in person, just trying to avoid making things worse by texting him.' *Name has been changed With home decor and interior design more popular than ever on social media, it can be hard to stand out amongst the masses. But several 'influencers' have done such a beautiful job with their home styling that they've been praised for having the 'best homes on Instagram' and are inspiring thousands to overhaul their own spaces. From dusty pink colour schemes to dreamy bohemian bedrooms, these are six of the most beautiful Australian homes on social media in 2019. Several 'influencers' have done such a beautiful job with their home styling that they've been praised for having the 'best homes on Instagram' and are inspiring thousands to overhaul their own spaces Jasmine Dowling Jasmine, from Brisbane, has nailed millennial pink interiors that ooze sophistication. The designer and digital content creator has shared a variety of photos that show off her at-home study and her bedroom. She has incorporated a variety of soft pinks, pastels and nude tones which she has combined with earthy textures and classy finishes. Jasmine has bought white and mocha linen from Country Road for the bedroom and has made the most of the small size of her office and studio space by creating a gallery wall. Jasmine, from Brisbane, is someone who has nailed millennial pink interiors that ooze sophistication and for her bedroom she has bought white and mocha linen from Country Road She has incorporated a variety of soft pinks, pastels and nude tones which she has combined with earthy textures and classy finishes Beck Wadworth Beck, who splits her time between Australia and New Zealand is known for her stationery brand An Organised Life, which reflects her home life. Photos she has posted show odd a refined colour palette and she decorates simply with impressive stand out features. Her home is all white, black and woods with plenty of gold accents and greenery. Photos Beck has posted show odd a refined colour palette and she decorates simply with impressive stand out features Chloe Grayling Content creator Chloe, from South Australia, is known for her love of colour and boho style. In Instagram posts she has said she loves to change up her home as often as possible but she has shared photos of it with soft rust coloured touches and earthy textures. 'I spend so much time out in nature but I also work from home and love this place right down to its bone,' she said about the room. Chloe has carried a similar theme to her at-home office as well where she has hung fairy lights and adorned the wall with prints. Content creator Chloe, from South Australia, is known for her love of colour and boho style Chloe has carried a similar theme to her at-home office as well where she has hung fairy lights and adorned the wall with prints Talisa Sutton Editor Talisa decorates her Sydney home with beautiful touches of gold, black and white to create an elegant space. She and her husband also use their home to display their impressive art and magazine collection. One of their latest interior design creations is their gender-neutral nursery complete with a unique light fixture and mobile. Editor Talisa decorates her Sydney home with beautiful touches of gold, black and white to create an elegant space She and her husband also use their home to display their impressive art and magazine collection One of their latest interior design creations is their gender-neutral nursery complete with a unique light fixture and mobile Sara Crampton Owner and Buyer at The Undone, Sara, has a minimalist wardrobe which is reflected in her home. It features neutral shades like oatmeal and white which she has incorporated with texture from wooden furniture as well as woven rugs and baskets. She is another fan of displaying unique artwork throughout her home and she is also a fan of bringing the outside in with a variety of indoor plants. Sara's home features neutral shades like oatmeal and white which she has incorporated with warm woods She is another fan of displaying unique artwork throughout her home and she is also a fan of bringing the outside in with a variety of indoor plants Brooke Testoni Style blogger Brooke, from Sydney, is known for her enviable interiors which she often shows on Instagram. She likes to combine a variety of new and old pieces to create homely, yet stylish, rooms. Brooke is an expert at incorporating golden pieces with statement art and light fixtures. Sydneysider Brooke is known for her envible interiors which she often shows on Instagram A mother-of-four has surprised her one-year-old daughter with an incredible $2,600 princess castle bed - complete with a slide, a two sleeping areas and her name printed on the top. Leandrea Goves, from Brisbane, Queensland, purchased her daughter Charlotte's bed as a first birthday present when she was 12 weeks pregnant as the Bed Monkeys company has a waiting list of two years. 'Charlotte came along after three boys so she became our little princess and of course a princess needs a castle,' the 36-year-old told FEMAIL. Leandrea Goves, who is based in Brisbane, purchased her daughter Charlotte's $2,600 bed as a first birthday present from Bed Monkeys, who have a wait list of two years Scott, the owner of Bed Monkeys, took four weeks to build it using 43 separate pieces and three trips to and from his garage to the Goves house So Leandrea spent countless hours on the web looking for castle beds that were one-of-a-kind and fit for her 'over-the-top' daughter. 'As soon as I found out I was having a girl I went crazy. Her wardrobe is already sitting at around $7,000. A lot of my family and friends think its excessive but I enjoy spoiling her and it makes me happy,' she said. Combining ideas she found on Pinterest with ways it could be made larger as she grows, Leandrea employed the help of Bed Monkeys to create it. So Leandrea spent countless hours on the web looking for castle beds that were one-of-a-kind and fit for her 'over-the-top' daughter 'As soon as I found out I was having a girl I went crazy. Her wardrobe is already sitting at around $7,000. A lot of my family and friends think its excessive but I enjoy spoiling her and it makes me happy,' she said 'We understand her bed won't last her forever but once she has outgrown it we will just sell it on for another little princess to enjoy,' she said. Scott, the owner of Bed Monkeys, took four weeks to build it using 43 separate pieces and three trips to and from his garage to the Goves house. 'Her bed is a single at the top and double at the bottom,' Leandrea said. 'The stairs have built in drawers and under the slide there are shelves and space to hang her doll clothes. Leandrea (right), Charlotte (front), Connor (back) and their father were all excited by the bedrooms 'The crown is laser cut and under the double bed there is pink mood lighting. On the sides of the double mattress there are two secret boxes where she can store her special things and the top of the towers is actual shelving.' After the success of the first design Leandrea decided to ask Scott to build her three-year-old son Connor a bed. The design idea was clear from the very start. 'We own an Earth building business and his bed is built as an exact replica of the excavator his father drives,' she said (pictured) 'Connor is a die hard digger fan so of course he had to have one the same as dad,' she said This project cost the family $2,000, and despite some reservations from dad, is now a welcome part of the family home 'We own an Earth building business and his bed is built as an exact replica of the excavator his father drives,' she said. 'Connor is a die hard digger fan so of course he had to have one the same as dad. 'The bed is a king single, the excavator arm actually moves and the bucket is used as a toy box. 'He has a matching shelf personalised with his name and a set of drawers to match the bed.' This project cost the family $2,000, and despite some reservations from dad, is now a welcome part of the family home. Australian retailer Big W is holding an online 'flash sale', with prices on expensive Dyson vacuums, cookware and smart televisions slashed by hundreds of dollars. Products in cosmetics, food and clothes have also been reduced. The sale will run for just over one week and will finish on Wednesday 26 June but the reduced Dyson and Sony televisions will only be on sale until June 16. Australian retailer Big W is holding a nationwide 'flash sale', with prices on expensive Dyson vacuums, cookware and smart televisions slashed by hundreds of dollars The Dyson Ball Multi Floor has a temporary price tag of $399 instead of $499, which is a saving of $100 (left) and the Dyson V6 Cord-free Handstick is being sold for $299 meaning customers save $150 (right) The Dyson V6 Cord-free Handstick is being sold for $299 meaning customers save $150. The Dyson Ball Multi Floor has a temporary price tag of $399 instead of $499, which is a saving of $100, and the Dyson V6 Animal Original handstick is now going for $349, saving you $180. If it's a new television you're after this is the time to purchase one as shoppers will be able to save up to $350 thanks to the fact that the televisions are 20 per cent off. Although the sale finishes on Wednesday 26 the reduced price on Dyson products and Sony televisions will finish on Sunday 16 A variety of pots and pans from Tefal will be slashed by 50 per cent, which will finish on Wednesday 19 A variety of pots and pans from Tefal will be slashed by 50 per cent, which will finish on Wednesday 19. Big W are also offering 40 per cent off mens, womens and kids underwear and socks from Bonds which ends on the same day. Makeup brands Rimmel, Max Factor and Nude by Nature will all be half price until Monday 17. Selected items from Lindt, Cadbury and Mars will be half price as well until Wednesday 26. Anyone growing up in Australia will fondly remember eating the honey coated cornflakes - usually served at children's birthday parties or school cake sales. But before you take a trip down memory lane, do you remember what you called these popular childhood treats? Lee Murray, from Melbourne, took to Twitter to ask everyone the sticky question: 'Internet! What do you call these, and where are you from?' And within hours, the thread sparked a heated debate, with at least 10 very different answers from Australian, British and even Malaysian foodies. Lee Murray, from Melbourne, took to Twitter to ask everyone the sticky question Poll What do you call these treats? Honey joys Cornflake crackles Honey crackers Cornflake crispies Honey cornflakes Cornflake buns Honey jumbles Cornflake madu Honey suckles Cornflake cakes What do you call these treats? Honey joys 289 votes Cornflake crackles 53 votes Honey crackers 16 votes Cornflake crispies 22 votes Honey cornflakes 9 votes Cornflake buns 6 votes Honey jumbles 31 votes Cornflake madu 0 votes Honey suckles 4 votes Cornflake cakes 17 votes Now share your opinion The most common name that popped up on the thread was 'honey joys', followed by 'honey crackles'. 'Honey joys. I live in Canberra now, but also lived in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Also called honey joys in those three places, though I think they were also known as honey crackles in Adelaide,' Matthew said. Katie tweeted: 'Honey joys. Brisbane. But I said this at work the other day and everyone was perplexed.' But it seems every state around the nation had a different answer. 'I've lived in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Alice Springs and I've always known them as honey crackles. Never, ever heard of honey joys,' Janet said. Other Australians suggested they call them 'honey suckles', 'cornflake crackles', 'honey jumbles', 'cornflake crispies' or 'cornflake crunch'. The sugary snack was also a crowd favourite in Malaysia, with many people saying they knew them as 'honey cornflakes' or 'cornflake madu'. British people also chimed in, saying they call them 'cornflake buns', 'cornflake cakes' or 'cornflake tarts'. The sweet honey combined with the crunch of cornflakes have been a family favourite in tens of thousands of Australian homes - so what do you call them? The most common name that popped up was 'honey joys', followed by 'honey crackles' Cheryl shared a picture of the 'honey joys' she made at home just the other day Classically tailored in a crisp dinner jacket and bow tie, bespoke, naturally, 007 is usually the height of sexy sophistication. But now fans are flocking to buy one of James Bonds more unusual outfits, a towelling onesie generally deemed one of his few fashion failures. It would take the bravery of a secret agent to pull off the skin-tight bodysuit, a 345 replica of one worn by Sean Connery in 1964s Goldfinger, which has proved an unexpected hit with fans and completely sold out online after a phenomenal demand. So popular is the blue belted number that the official James Bond store is now taking pre-orders for a new batch released in August. The cotton towelling onesie by designer Orlebar Brown is fastened with a gold-effect clasp to slim would-be spies in at the waist, not that Connery needed that help in his Sixties prime. A replica of Sean Connery's blue belted bodysuit has proved an unexpected hit with fans and completely sold out online after a phenomenal demand. Pictured, the spy in 1964's Goldfinger The replica of the skin-tight bodysuit worn by Sean Connery in the 007 film is by designer Orelbar Brown and will set fans back 345 The original Bond sported the cut-off jumpsuit in a Miami Beach hotel as he tracked titular tycoon, and villain, Auric Goldfinger. Despite his questionable satorial choice, 007 still turned on the charm to seduce Goldfingers kept lady, Jill Masterson, only to find her dispatched in the franchises most memorable death - found face down on a hotel bed painted gold from head to toe. The onesie is part of a collection of vintage clothing recreated in homage to Britains most famous spy. Other offerings include a Dr. No towelling robe, Thunderball swimshorts and a safari jacket that harks back to Bonds pursuit of Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun. Connery played the secret agent in the first five big screen adaptations of Ian Flemings novels, Dr. No, From Russian with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice. before reprising his role in Diamonds are Forever and Never Say Never Again. Moore pictured in the safari suit on set of 'The Man With The Golden Gun,' in which he takes on villain Scaramanga The bond safari jacket is available to buy from the official 007 merchandise store for a whopping 395 His modern counterpart, Daniel Craig, is to appear in his last Bond film next year. The as-yet unnamed Bond 25 film will also be his fifth appearance as 007, after starring in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre. The latest film has been plagued by a host of delays since its inception. Its original director, Danny Boyle, quit the project just weeks before it was due to start filming, later being replaced by American director Cary Fukunaga. Since then, filming had to be suspended after leading man Craig injured himself on set and is now in a cast. The father-of-two was pictured earlier this week hobbling through JFK airport, just days after an explosion on set which injured a crew member. The setback reportedly means that he and Oscar-winner Rami Malek, who is set to play the new Bond villain, are no longer available to shoot at the same time due to the productions constant set-backs. By the time Mr Craig is expected to have recovered from the injury, Mr Malek, 38, has other filming commitments. The film is scheduled to be released on April 3 2010, having been pushed back twice from the original date of October 25 this year. Lady Kitty Spencer dazzled in diamonds as she attended a Bvlgari jewellery exhibition in Capri, Italy on Thursday evening. Princess Diana's niece, 28, who is in a relationship with her fashion tycoon boyfriend, Michael Lewis who at 60 is more than twice her age - put on a stunning display in a monochrome floral jumpsuit with plunging neckline. Coordinating her outfit with a deep blue and silver sparkly necklace and matching earrings, Lady Kitty looked the picture of sophistication. Posing with her hand on her hip, she flashed a smile for the cameras and appeared to be in high spirits for the glitzy event. Lady Kitty Spencer, 28, looked the picture of sophistication as she attended a Bvlgari jewellery exhibition on June 13, 2019 in Capri, Italy Princess Diana's niece put on a stunning display in a monochrome floral jumpsuit with plunging neckline Lady Kitty Spencer, whose beau, Mr Lewis, is six years older than her father, Earl Spencer, paired her outfit with some chic white pointed stilettos. She accessorised with a metallic silver clutch in her left hand, which further complemented her dazzling jewellery and monochrome number. Stopping for photographs in front of the impressive white and gold backdrop, Lady Kitty smiled for the cameras as she posed alongside Jean-Christophe Babin, chief executive officer of Italian jeweler Bulgari. He looked dapper in a black suit and maroon tie - and added a flash of glamour with a suave silver wristwatch. The socialite dazzled in diamonds as she flashed a smile alongside Jean-Christophe Babin (pictured right), chief executive officer of Italian jeweler Bulgari Posing with her hand on her hip, Lady Kitty held a metallic silver clutch bag in her left hand and paired her outfit with white pointed stilettos The socialite was in great company as she was joined by a whole host of famous faces - including Kate Hudson. The actress, 40, who was accompanied to the event by boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, opted for a white and pastel-coloured floral dress with square neckline. She carried a cream clutch bag and added a pop of colour to her outfit with a turquoise necklace. Lady Kitty recently shared photos from her ultra-glamorous holiday with bestie Emma Weymouth, 33, with her 468, 000 strong Instagram follow. The envy-inducing images from their recent jaunt to Morocco show the women posing in the breathtaking setting of the Amanjena resort, just outside Marrakesh, where a suite can cost up to 2,000-a-night. The model was in good company as she was joined by the likes of actress Kate Hudson (pictured), who opted for a white and pastel-coloured floral dress with square neckline A firefighter has revealed the 'harrowing' impact that tackling the Grenfell Tower blaze had on the emergency services as they battled to save people from the inerno. Ricky Nuttall, from London, appeared on This Morning today on the second anniversary of the blaze, which killed 72 people. He said that every firefighter who went into the tower worried that they would die, admitting: 'A part of me was lost that night and won't ever come back.' Ricky Nutall, from London, had worked as a firefighter for 12 years when he attended the Grenfell Tower blaze The emotional firefighter told Eamonn and Ruth that 'every firefighter was worrying about whether they would coming out' as they entered the building Grenfell Tower broke out on Wednesday 17 June 2017, and was the most deadly domestic blaze in the UK since the Second World War. Seventy one people died in the blaze, with a 72nd victim dying months later in hospital Ricky had worked for the fire brigade since 2005 when he was woken up in the middle of the night on Wednesday 17 June and called to Grenfell Tower, along with twenty other fire engines full of firefighters. He said: 'We realised it was a large fire form the outset. They were asking for additional resources at the fire, so we knew there would be 20 fire engines including us.' Unsure what to expect, he says that he was stunned when he heard a call over the radio for another twenty fire engines while en route. The firefighter called the night 'harrowing' and explained that having worked 12 hours on the blaze, he was 'upset' to leave the incident before the fire was out He said that despite working with a wide scale of fires over his career, and knowing that it was a large fire, he was stunned by the extent of the blaze. He told the presenters: 'It was like nothing I have experienced and hopefully will ever experience again. I think that was the same for every firefighter who attended. 'You turn up expecting to see a fire in a window or in two windows. You don't expect to see flames from the first floor to the twenty fourth floor.' He explained that every firefighter who entered the building understood that the work could be fatal for them. Dozens of residents were trapped as Grenfell Tower became engulfed by flames in the early hours. Emotional firefighters were amoung those paying tribute to the victims of the blaze (pictured in June 2017) He called it 'harrowing', saying: 'With any fire there's always a potential that something might go wrong. You're dealing with an unpredictable force. 'I think every firefighter that went in was concerned about whether they were coming out, to a certain extent.' Despite his fear, he bravely entered the building three times over the course of his 12 hour shift. He added: 'However after the first entrance, I felt more confident I would be able to cope.' Ricky explained that he had attempted to stay focused on his training and resources as firefighters desperately fought the blaze As the firefighters desperate attempted to control the blaze, Ricky told how they tried to focus on their work. He said: 'Your mind immediately turns to your training, your resources. If you've got 200 firefighters all trained to do the same thing, you're going to get the best possible outcome, you hope.' And Ruth was barely able to conceal the quiver in her voice as she choked up talking about photographs that later emerged of the exhausted firefighters in shock after their shift. Ricky explained that many didn't want to stop working at the end of their shift, saying: 'I didn't want to leave.' A clearly emotional Ruth and Eamonn spoke to Ricky on the two year anniversary of the fire today on This Morning He continued: 'I'm used to attending an incident and seeing it through to the end. And on that incident it just wasn't possible. 'We were there for 12 hours, working hard for that time, so I was upset that we had to go. But I also realise that was the right decision.' Ricky told the presenters that he continued to find the anniversary of the fire difficult two years on. He said: 'I feel just as upset now as I did on the night as I did on the first year anniversary.' Ricky said the fire brigade had offered counselling to those who attended the blaze, and that he had just finished counselling himself (pictured, firefighters react to the fire) Discussing the shell of the building, which remains standing, he said it 'serves as a memory of that night'. And he explained: 'A part of me was lost that night and won't ever come back.' Ricky went on to say that the fire brigade had been 'proactive' with providing support to the officers who attended the blaze 'from the outset'. He said:'From the fire ground itself on the night that there was going to be a need for an extensive counselling campaign for the firefighters.' The fire tore through the 27 floors of Grenfell Tower, as over 200 firefighters desperately attempted to control the blaze Survivors and bereaved families are gathering today to mark two years since a deadly inferno ripped through Grenfell Tower in west London, claiming the lives of 72 people. Shortly before 1am on June 14, 2017, a small fire broke out in a kitchen in the Kensington high-rise block. The world watched in horror as the blaze engulfed the building with terrifying speed and spread to all four sides in just minutes - in what became the most deadly domestic blaze since the Second World War. Seventy one people died in the blaze, with a 72nd victim dying months later in hospital. A dog trainer who owns 22 pooches has opened up about life with her dogs, admitting her boyfriend comes at the bottom of her list. Becky Shuttleworth, 33, from Rochford, Essex, has ended up with 22 dogs at her home because she was unable to part with every canine she trained. Appearing on This Morning from her home, alongside many of her pets, she admitted that her boyfriend Kevin, 36, comes 23rd in their house . But she insisted that he's very understanding despite being relegated to the spare room, and the fact that many of her dogs are not his biggest fans, saying: 'Every time he walks in the house, they'll bark.' Becky Shuttleworth, 33, from Essex, works as a dog trainer at a local rescue centre and now owns 22 pooches from across the UK The dog lover said that every time her partner walked into the house, her pooches bark. She praised him as 'really understanding' The dog-trainer revealed she is 'unable to go on holiday' as no one will take on the challenge of looking after her dogs The dogs, which range from a Jack Russell terriers to a Dogue de Bordeaux, have settled in well to their new home - with the latest recruit being adopted December 2018. The dog-trainer now spends between 300 to 400 per month on her dogs, and often sleeps with her partner Kevin, 36, in the spare room so the animals can sleep in the main bedroom. She told Ruth and Eamonn that Kevin is 'very understanding', despite the fact the pooches aren't as keen on him. She said: 'He has brought some home. He has been the reason some have stayed. But he is really understanding. A baffled Ruth and Eamonn spoke to Becky from her home in Essex. The dog lover says she normally sleeps in the spare room as her dogs take over the main bedroom Becky explained that her boyfriend Kevin, 36, comes bottom of her list below her dogs - 'and he knows it' 'Every time he walks in the house, they'll bark. Every time he moves from room to room they'll bark. He puts up a lot.' She said he comes 'right at the bottom' of the pecking order in the house, below her 22 dogs. But despite the daily chaos of living with almost two dozen dogs, Becky says she wouldn't change it for the world. She said: 'I started off because I'm a dog trainer. So I started off doing training consults and found that people would give up on their dogs rather than finding time to train them.' Due to the number of dogs she had, and the hours she works, the animal-lover says she was prevented from working with any more UK rescues and ended up adopting more pets from Romania The dogs, which range from a Jack Russels to a Dogue de Bordeaux, are said to have settled in well to Becky's home 'I ended up taking them in because of a lot of them have had aggression issues. A lot of these would have been put to sleep if they didn't come to me. I know I could fix that.' Due to the number of animals she had, and the hours that she worked, Becky says she was unable to work with UK rescues, and so started adopting rescue animals from Romania. Becky opened up about her dogs last month, saying: 'I initially planned on just have one or two dogs myself before I became a trainer and began working alongside a rescue centre in Scotland, who send dogs from all over the UK, that need training before being rehomed. 'It takes a lot of time for a dog to trust you - it can often take six to twelve months to achieve. Becky has banished her partner Kevin to the spare room so that she can sleep with the dogs in her room (pictured with some of her dogs at her home in Essex) She admits she spends up to 400 per month on the dogs, and is often forced to shell out thousands to keep her puppies healthy 'By the time the dogs were trained up, I'd already fallen in love with them and couldn't bring myself to let them go - which is why I've ended up with so many.' Becky, who is a dog trainer, walker and groomer, has even adopted some of her dogs from a charity in Romania. She added: 'Some of these dogs have been really abused - Brian and Chelsea in particular can't even wear a lead because of the extent of the abuse they've previously had. They were too traumatised to be rehomed. 'It was my job to help them develop trust with humans again so they could be rehomed, but I ended up being unable to let them go.' Becky and her partner are unable to go on holiday anymore, as they can't find anyone who will take on the challenge of their 22 dogs She continued: 'I love all my fur babies, but I can't adopt anymore and it's definitely not easy. 'My life quite literally revolves around them, I'm even unable to go on holiday as no one will take on the challenge of caring for 22 dogs at once! 'I have to take some of the poorly dogs to the vets a lot. Bella for example has hydrotherapy once a week and will soon be having physiotherapy too.' She added: 'The dogs sleep all around the house - from the sofa, to the small bed that's just for the dogs in my room.' The dog-lover has adopted almost two dozen dogs, and says her life revolves around her 'fur-babies' Becky, pictured here preparing meals for her 22 dogs in 22 different dog bowls, says her life revolves around the animals who live with her and her partner While Becky doesn't plan on getting on any more dogs any time soon, she doesn't plan on rehoming any of her current troop either. Her newest recruit, Bella, was dumped at a local pet shop just before Christmas and was badly limping on all four legs. Becky later discovered Bella needs two new elbows which would cost her 6,000. Due to the hefty price, Becky is fundraising to help pay for Bella's surgery. She added: 'I'm from a family of dog lovers, I've never understood how someone could have the heart to abuse them. 'I feel like it's my job to restore their faith in humans and make them feel loved and safe again.' A wildly-popular Instagram account for a construction worker influencer, who made headlines after earning over 430,000 followers in just five weeks has been revealed as a clever marketing stunt set up in order to promote a coffee shop, sparking anger from his most dedicated fans. The @justaconstructionguy account, which was said to be run by an Austin-based father called Omar, proved to be an immediate hit with social media users the world over, particularly after it was posted on Twitter by a woman claiming to be his daughter. Posting under the name Barbara L., the woman said that her father, Omar, had set up the account in order to prove that anyone can be an influencer, after asking his daughter what the term meant. However, that sweet story that so quickly captured the hearts of nearly half a million Instagram users, has now been revealed as nothing more than a clever fabrication created in order to promote Austin-based shop Cuvee Coffee. Busted! Wildly-popular Instagram account @justaconstructionguy has been revealed as nothing more than a marketing stunt to promote Austin-based coffee store Cuvee Coffee Hints: Although the account featured a variety of pictures, there were several with tags that promoted Cuvee Coffee Ad: The account, which claimed to be run by a construction worker called Omar, has soared in popularity over the last month, earning more than 430,000 followers in a matter of weeks As reported by Buzzfeed News, Cuvee Coffee owner Mike McKim confessed to being the brains behind the @justaconstructionguy account, revealing that the idea was dreamed up during a 'creative brainstorming session'. 'The whole idea was what we always thought as an influencer, and what we used as an influencer in the past, they dont always fit our brand,' he told the website of the motivation behind the account. 'We need a different type of influencer: a hard-worker, blue-collar guy.' McKim went on to reveal that he worked with a local advertising agency, Bandolier Media, in order to set up the account, adding that the man who features as its face is in fact a construction worker - however he sadly had very little to do with the account creation, other than posing for its posts, a number of which feature coffee and tags for Cuvee Coffee. The coffee shop owner refused to reveal Omar's last name, and he also insisted that he was not responsible for the tweet from Barbara L. under the username @barbzlovescarbs, nor does he know who was behind it. That Twitter account has now been made private. Although the account is fake, McKim explained that it was inspired by his customers - many of whom are actually construction workers 'in hard hats and vests'. 'We started talking about construction guys, and so [Bandolier Media] reached out to Omar and said, "Do you want to have some fun?" McKim revealed to Buzzfeed News. Cheers! Even the images that featured coffee prominently were taken in the same parody style intended to mock traditional influencers Fooled you: One of the first images posted on the account featured a perfectly-poured latte, along with a caption gushing about 'the fine folks at Cuvee Coffee' being 'good sports' 'And he said, "Whats social media? Instagram? Huh?" He said, "I don't know how to do it," so we said, "All right, well help you; lets just have some fun with it."' The coffee shop owner added that Omar received monetary compensation for taking part in a professional shoot, but has not been paid in any way beyond that. He also revealed that the team behind the account had only ever hoped to reach around 1,000 followers - a relatively-tiny number in comparison with their current fan base. That number is also a great deal higher than Cuvee Coffee's official account, which boasts just 16,500 fans, although that number may change after McKim was revealed as the brains behind the stunt. For his part, the coffee shop owner seems delighted with the success of his marketing campaign, sharing a photo of himself and Omar to the Cuvee Coffee account, along with the caption: 'In case you havent heard, our friend Omar (@justaconstructionguy), has picked up a few more followers. 'And by a few, we mean 369,000. Yep, hes internet famous now, and couldnt be more deserving.' It remains to be seen whether the true purpose of the account will cause followers to flee, however it is currently still increasing, despite the fact that the heavily-posed shots showing Omar holding and splashing cups of coffee have now been revealed as nothing more than an ad campaign. So far, follower responses have been mixed; some people are continuing to praise the account - a number of whom appear to be unaware of its true origins - while others have hit out at Cuvee Coffee, accusing McKim of taking advantage of Instagram users. Regular guy? The bio for the account described Omar as a 'coffee lover' The instigator: Omar's popularity soared after his account was posted on Twitter by a woman claiming to be his daughter, who said that he wanted to prove he could become an influencer Revealed: Cuvee Coffee owner Mike McKim (left) confessed to being the brains behind the account, which features Omar (right) as its face 'I cant believe yall are still trying to put a positive spin on this,' one person commented. 'Just admit you cynically preyed on people to make money and then hope another company f***s up worse than you and shifts the internets ire.' Another added: 'This fake stunt that you guys did was so disappointing. Wonder what else you guys lie about,' while one person then chimed in: 'I followed @justaconstructionguy because I thought a regular guy was going against the grain and obnoxious social media attempts to sell things people dont want. Not to help your company make money via an ad campaign.' Others pointed out that the main reason people were so keen to follow Omar was because he seemed so wholesome and genuine - unlike many other people on the internet - and noted that the reality of the stunt totally took away from that. 'This is frustrating because he blew up because of the tweet and because he was doing this to sass his daughter,' one follower wrote. 'Not to help make you money. Totally takes away from the wholesomeness of Omar. Unfollowing immediately.' However others were slightly more sympathetic, and even complimentary, about the stunt, with one person telling McKim and his team, 'Well played,' while one user went as far as to say: 'You guys beat to your own drum, have always loved that about you. Simple, honest. Keep up the great work.' 'The initial intention was to create a new breed of influencers and it looks like Omar is having fun,' another wrote. 'He was given an opportunity (as most influencers try to do) and his daughter helped him find his feet. I see nothing wrong here.' Other than the cups 'o Joe that regularly feature on the account, there are also several other hints about its true purpose; in Omar's (fake) bio, he describes himself as a 'coffee lover' as well as being 'in construction', while several of the posts include Cuvee Coffee tags. Joker: According to McKim, the man featured on the account is in fact called Omar and does work in construction, however other than posing for pictures he has little to do with Instagram Model: Omar was paid to take part in a professional photo shoot, McKim told Buzzfeed News, however other than that he has not received any other monetary compensation One of the first posts shared on the account shows a man holding a perfectly-poured coffee in a thermos cap, and featured the gushing caption: 'Coffee art in a thermos cap? Might be a first! Thanks to fine folks at @cuveecoffee for being good sports.' Another photo shows Omar posing outside of Cuvee Cofee in his hard hat and vest while holding a cup of espresso. That image was captioned: 'When your work neighbors have the best coffee in town,' and the location was listed as Cuvee Coffee. 'The whole genesis started with the construction around us, which led to to construction workers being in our coffee shop,' McKim explained about the reason for choosing a construction worker as the star of his Instagram account. 'Lets create the influencers - I shouldnt say create... lets find the influencer - that we couldnt find. We pay them to make posts for us. That was the goal.' Ironically, McKim added that he felt the need to dream up the perfect influencer because 'sometimes traditional influencers don't feel genuine', leading him and his advertising agency to dream up the vision of the perfect Instagram star. Bandolier Media has yet to comment on the account and it is unclear whether the agency was responsible for the tweet that originally sparked the popularity of the account. The tweet, which was posted in mid-May, read: 'My dad asked me what an influencer was, and after I explained he said, "Pssh, I could do that." Well... he did. The best part is he works in construction.' Prank: McKim worked with Austin advertising agency Bandolier Media in order to create the account, which he says was inspired by the many construction workers who frequent his store Fake it until you make it! The coffee shop owner explained that his aim was originally to rack up just 1,000 followers - a paltry number in comparison with the current fan base Subtle: Although the account was set up to promote coffee, there are plenty of posed parody posts in which the brand and its products are not featured She included screengrabs from his Instagram account, @justaconstructionguy, in which Omar is described as 'in construction,' a 'father & husband,' a 'coffee lover,' and a 'lifestyle influencer' from Austin, Texas. By then, he'd already shared several photos, staged similarly to how Instagram influencers pose for their pages. Except rather than model clothes or stand in front incredible scenes in far-off destinations, Omar was pictured in his construction gear, hard at work or on coffee breaks. In an early post, Omar posed in his neon vest with a tool belt around his waist, seemingly laughing at people off camera. 'The boys were giving me c*** cause Im a model/influencer now,' he captioned the post. In another, he smoked a cigar after a hard day's work, while another shows him shooting pool with a can of beer by his side. Followers have liked his pictures tens of thousands of times each, leaving supportive comments telling Omar how fun his page is. 'You have killed the influencer game. Its killed. Everyone else can stop now,' wrote one. 'Next stop... Just a Construction Guy merch,' joked another. The Duchess of Cornwall joined Chris Evans to announce the winners of a children's short story competition this morning. Camilla, 71, was elegant in a cornflower blue dress as she joined the DJ, 53, at Windsor Castle to present prizes for BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Shows 500 Words competition. The Duchess, who has been involved with the project for a number of years, greeted the former Radio 2 host like an old friend before meeting the six winners of this year's competition, who are all girls. Stars including Michael Sheen, David Walliams, Hugh Bonneville, Konnie Huq and Helen McCrory turned out to read the six winning stories from the stage. Scroll down for video Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, 71, attended the live broadcast of the award ceremony for a children writing competition. Pictured: Greeting Chris Evans Camilla congratulated some of the Gold Award winners of the competition: Eve Molloy (left) and Esme Harrison-Jones (right) After the ceremony the Duchess attended a reception for the award winners, authors and supporters at Windsor Castle. Pictured talking with BBC presenters 500 Words is the UKs most successful short story-writing competition for children between the ages of 5 and 13. It was launched back in 2011, by Chris Evans, and the presenter remains involved despite having left the BBC. The Duchess of Cornwall returned as Honorary Judge, where she read and debated the top 50 stories of the competition with an author panel consisting of Malorie Blackman, Charlie Higson, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Francesca Simon. Gold prize winners take home Chris Evans' height in books, silver winners take home the more diminutive Duchess of Cornwall's height in books and bronze winners receive their own height in books. Radio 2 Breakfast Show host Zoe Ball, who was at the event alongside her Breakfast Show predecessor Evans, said it was an 'honour to meet the fabulously talented writers of the 500 Words-winning stories.' Pants! by Mya Dainty won the silver award in the five to nine-year-olds category for being 'laugh-out-loud funny.' It tells a story from the point of view of a pair of pants. During the live broadcast of the award ceremony Camilla, whose height in books was one of the competition prizes, handed out awards to the winners (pictured) Winners, BBC presenters and the Duchess of Cornwall (centre, in blue) attended the BC Radio 2's 500 Words creative writing competition The competition winner Eve and Esme seemed in good spirits after snatching some of the prizes and their gold awards Eve (left) and Esme (right) proudly showed off their medals, engraved with '500 words' after the name of the competition Novelist Frank Cottrell-Boyce said: 'The idea of a family running away from their own knickers will stay with me for a long time.' And author Charlie Higson said: 'I dont think Ive ever read a story before that was written from the point of view of a pair of pants.' The five other winners were also female. Snow Blood Window Frame by Eve Molloy, a 'humorous retelling of a classic fairytale', won the gold category in the same age group. Fragile Freya by Rosa Moody, 'about the fragility in all of us', scooped the bronze, in a year when there were 'a lot of very moving stories about anxiety and depression.' Camilla pictured during the live broadcast of the award ceremony, which honoured the winners of the competition Comedian David Walliams (pictured) was also at the ceremony and later attended the reception at Windsor Castle Camilla joked on stage with Chris Evans (middle) and BBC Radio 2 breakfast's Zoe Ball as they prepared to reveal the winners Everyone seemed in good spirits during the good-humour ceremony. Camilla was one of the honourary judges Why Did The Chicken by Esme Harrison-Jones, the 'hilarious struggles of daft chickens,' won gold in the 10 to 13-year-old category. Tyrannos-oral Hygiene by Millie Robinson, about a T-Rex with toothache who needs a trip to the dentist, won silver, and A Walk In The Park by Beth Helliwell took bronze. Since its launch in 2011, more than 900,000 children have submitted stories for the competition. All the children, parents, authors and personalities who attended the reception in Windsor after the live broadcast Cheek to cheek: Chris Evans and Camilla seemed delighted to greet each other at the start of the day (pictured) as Tony Hall looked on Life of the party: As they went through the different winners, Chris, Camilla and Zoe were all smiles (pictured) Celebrities in attendance, such as Michael Sheen (pictured), read excerpts from the competition entries to the crowd of children present in Windsor Tony Hall meeting with Camilla before the live broadcast of the ceremony in Windsor (pictured) Veteran royal expert Jennie Bond has warned the Duchess of Sussex needs to rein in 'massively extravagant' spending as 'it doesnt play very well' with the British public. The former BBC royal correspondent, 67, who covered 14 of the most chaotic years of the monarchy during Princess Diana and Prince Charles' divorce, said the new mother should try to be less 'celebrity'. Since joining the royal family, Meghan's become known for favouring expensive designer clothing, which she rarely recycles, and famously celebrated her baby shower in New York with famous pals, to the tune of 330K. Speaking to Yahoo News The Royal Box, Jennie, of Devon, said: 'What I think that Meghan has to be careful of is that shes so, pretty much A-list celebrity as well as senior royal. Veteran royal expert Jennie Bond (pictured right) has warned the Duchess of Sussex (left, at the Trooping the Colour ceremony this year) to rein in her 'massively extravagant' spending as 'it doesnt play very well' with the British public 'I am getting the feeling that the public dont like her terrifically spending huge quantities of money. 'Being extravagant, massively extravagant, she can afford it, she is a wealthy woman, but it doesnt play very well, so I think she needs to just watch that.' Throughout the nine months of her pregnancy, Meghan's maternity wardrobe, which consisted of many designer labels, amounted to more than half a million pounds. She also enjoyed a New York baby shower, where she took over a New York penthouse with her celebrity pals, and went on a 33,000 spa babymoon with Prince Harry just weeks before the birth of their son Archie. And in February, Meghan's clothing totalled more than an estimated 110,000 during her three-day tour of Morocco with Harry - thanks to a kaftan-style Dior gown believed to be worth as much as 90,000. In February, Meghan's clothing totalled more than an estimated 110,000 during her three-day tour of Morocco with Harry - thanks to a kaftan-style Dior gown believed to be worth as much as 90,000 (pictured) Offering the former actress, 37, some more advice, Jennie added: 'I think Id ask Meghan, suggest to her that she tries not to play any games with the press. 'Try not to be too celebrity, because that doesnt go down well with the public, and to try to ignore the fact that shes getting quite a lot of flack from various directions.' Known for her particularly good relationship with Diana, the journalist admitted that the late princess' daughter-in-law 'is a very different woman and much more mature' than the royal she is so often compared to. 'She is being compared to Diana and Im sorry that thats the case because I think she is a very different woman,' Jennie said. Offering the former actress (pictured next to Prince Harry after the Trooping the Colour ceremony), 37, some more advice, Jennie added: 'I think Id ask Meghan, suggest to her that she tries not to play any games with the press 'Much more mature. Much more knowing of her own role and the issues she wishes to espouse. Much readier for the role than Diana ever was.' The broadcaster also revealed in the interview that the 'Diana years were the most difficult because you had the two camps giving you totally conflicting information'. 'Charles' camp and Dianas camp', she explained. 'And trying to find what the accurate report should be was very difficult. 'You felt you were caught in the middle, well I was, caught in the middle of a big domestic row really. A dirty marital breakup, that was so embarrassingly public.' The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge squeezed in a private visit to a lakeside hotel during their visit to Cumbria earlier this week, it has been revealed. William, 36, and Kate, 37, were in the region on Tuesday to carry out a string of engagements, including meeting volunteers in Keswick and helping framers shear their sheep at a farm in Patterdale. But it has now emerged that the couple also found time to enjoy an afternoon tea for two at the four-star Inn on the Lake, in Ullswater. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge squeezed in a private visit to a lakeside hotel during their visit to Cumbria earlier this week, it has been revealed. Pictured, the royal couple greet members of staff and their children on arrival at the Lake District retreat The hotel published photos of the royals on its website, with one (pictured) showing the couple waving to staff as they boarded their helicopter at the end of the day's engagements The couple were in the region on Tuesday to carry out a string of engagements, including meeting volunteers in Keswick and helping framers at a farm in Patterdale, pictured The hotel published photos of the royals on its website and told how they sampled a spread 'fit for a for a future king and queen' from the comfort of a private luxury room. The candid snaps show the couple greeting the hotel director and her two young children, and waving to staff as they boarded their helicopter following their engagement at the farm. Prince William was said to be so impressed by the views of Lake Ullswater that he told staff he wanted to stay for longer on a future visit to the Lake District. Staff from the four-star Inn on the Lake, pictured, told how they sampled a spread 'fit for a for a future king and queen' from the comfort of a private luxury room Candid photos shared by the hotel show the Duke and Duchess greeting the director's son on their arrival. Kate reportedly asked the little boy, pictured, if his favourite food is pizza The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed their afternoon tea in a stunning luxury room similar to the one above. Prince William was said to be impressed with the views of the lake The hotel's 23 afternoon tea, pictured, features sweet and savoury treats including sandwiches, scones and homemade cake. William and Kate enjoyed the afternoon spread The hotel's 23 afternoon tea, usually served at the Orangery, includes homemade sandwiches with a variety of fillings: honey and orange roasted gammon & Hawkshead piccalilli; Appleby Creamery cheddar cheese & sweet pickle; egg & chive mayonnaise; and cucumber & creme fraiche with black pepper. It is served on a beautifully presented stand alongside a homemade savoury treat; homemade plan and fruit scones, with butter, jam and clotted cream; homemade baked treats; macaroon; and a traditional mini trifle. Guests can then order their own drink from a selection of tea and coffee. Another photo showed by the hotel showed the royal couple's helicopter on its grounds The pit stop at the lakeside hotel was likely a welcome respite on a busy day of engagements for the couple. They kicked off their day in the pretty market town of Keswick, where they greeted well-wishers and met community leaders, before sampling produce from local food stalls. They flew by helicopter to Inn on the Lake, before leaving by car to the farm for an afternoon of sheep shearing, dry wall building and a walk through the countryside. The couple then returned briefly to the hotel where their helicopter was waiting to take them away. The polka dot trend has taken over the high street, so it's no surprise to see the sartorially savvy Queen Letixia of Spain in an elegant spotted number as she welcomed guests to the Zarzuela Palace. The Queen of Spain, 46, royal recycled a Massimo Dutti dress she first wore in September 2018 for a visit at the University of Salamanca, for audiences at her Madrid residence today. Her dress, a white number spotted with thick navy dots, was cinched at the waist with a leather navy belt and teamed with navy heels. Letizia greeted visitors with her usual warmth, and shared a sweet moment with a man in a wheelchair. They hugged and held hands as the man was introduced to the Spanish Royal. Queen Letizia of Spain recycled a dress she first wore in September 2018 for audiences at Zarzuela Palace today She shared an emotional moment with an attendee in a wheelchair, who held her hand tightly (pictured) The Spanish royal (centre) posed for pictures with the attended who flocked the Palace in Madrid She let her brunette locks tumble around her shoulders, and kept her makeup natural with a sweep of blush, some mascara and a glossy lip. Letizia is well-known for re-wearing her favourite pieces, and previously stepped out in the same high street dress in Argentina on 27 March for the official opening ceremony of the 8th International Congress of Spanish Language at the Libertador Theatre in Cordoba. It's been a busy week for Letizia, who just yesterday attended a conference for the Spanish Royal Academy of Language with her husband. The man, accompanied by a friend, seemed overjoyed to see the Queen, who leaned towards for a hug (pictured) The mother-of-two looked glowing for the occasion, keeping her make-up natural and dewy Letizia beamed as she greeted attendees alongside her husband, and was seen shaking hands and chatting to those at the event. The mother of two looked elegant in the all blue outfit, which appeared to have been perfectly coordinated. The former journalist stunned in the light baby blue pencil skirt, which featured a large 60s style belt. The Spanish queen accessorised her dress with a navy leather belt, which accentuated her slim waist Pristine perfection! The royal looked elegant in the spotted midi number, which she teamed with navy suede heels She rolled up the sleeves of her Carolina Herrera dark navy taffeta button-down shirt, which perfectly complimented her snakeskin stillettos and matching bag. The royal wore her brunette hair in a sleek centre parting, opting for light blusher and lipstick for her outing. She appeared to be wearing delicate yet dazzling hoop earrings with diamond and blue stones. Meanwhile husband King Felipe appeared to have missed the 'all blue' memo, donning a black suit with a pink tie. Queen Letizia stunned in an gorgeous all-blue ensemble for the royal event in Madrid yesterday Letizia beamed as she greeted attendees alongside her husband King Felipe VI of Spain at the Presidency of the Plenary of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language Queen Letizia joined her husband King Felipe for the annual event at the Royal Academy of Language in Madrid The royal couple attended the event, which was at the Royal Spanish Academy, also known as the RAE. Founded in 1713, it has contributed since then to the expansion and conservation of the unity of the Spanish language. The organisation dedicates itself to language planning and promoting linguistic unity within and between various territories that might use the Spanish language. The royals went on to chair a plenary session with the Royal Spanish Academy President Santiago Munoz. Queen Letizia is mother to Princesses Leonor, 13, and Sofia, 11, with husband King Felipe, 50, who ascended to the Spanish throne in 2014. Letizia married King Felipe ten years ago at Cathedral Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid. Melania Trump has been taking style cues from fellow first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis throughout her husband's presidency to the point that Donald Trump insists she is America's new 'Jackie O.' The late Jackie, who died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1994 at the age of 64, was an undisputed style icon in her era and fans still wax poetic about her timeless looks that have inspired countless celebrities and designers over the years. Melania, 49, also favors minimalist, classic designs and has channeled John F. Kennedy's wife on numerous occasions, most memorably when she wore a powder blue Ralph Lauren dress and coat to her husband's inauguration. Opinion: President Donald Trump has insisted his wife Melania is a modern-day Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, saying she should be called 'Melanie T' to reflect her similarities to 'Jackie O' Start of it all: Melania famously wore a powder blue Ralph Lauren dress and coat to her husband's inauguration in 2016, a look that mirrored Jackie's at JFK's swearing-in 1961 Color story: Long gloves were one of Mrs. Kennedy's signature accessories, and she loved wearing the same color from head to toe, particularly light blue She accessorized her outfit with matching long gloves and heels and immediately drew comparisons to Jackie, who also wore a pale blue skirt suit and long gloves to her husband's inauguration in 1961. White gloves and pillbox hats (though Melania has yet to wear one of those) were Jackie's signature accessories, and she loved wearing the same color from head to toe, something that the current first lady has also emulated over the years. Iconic look: The former first lady wore a light blue Oleg Cassini strapless dress in Mexico in 1962. The current president, however, doesn't seem to be a fan of the color Jackie was particularly a fan of baby blue, a color that she wore to meet Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962. That same year, she donned a light blue Oleg Cassini strapless dress to a foreign ministry reception in Mexico. Ironically, it is that very shade of light blue that also led Trump to compare his wife to the former first lady though, he doesn't seem to be a fan of the color. The president brought up Melania's similarities to Jackie on Friday during a lengthy 'Fox & Friends' TV interview in which why he explained why he is retiring the pale blue paint job in Air Force One that JFK's wife ordered in 1962 in favor of a bolder red, white, and blue color scheme. 'You know, the baby blue doesn't fit with us,' Trump said. 'And people get used to something, but and it was Jackie O and that's good. But we have our own Jackie O today, it's called Melania.' 'Melania!' he repeated. 'We'll call it "Melania T," okay?' The president's inauguration was undoubtedly the most important style moment of Melania's life, but she also likes to emulate Jackie's more casual moments. When she and her husband arrived at Palm Beach International Airport in February 2017, she wore a black button-down, white trousers, and statement sunglasses an outfit nearly identical to the one Jackie had on at the West Palm Beach Airport in 1973. And this isn't the only time Melania has emulated one of Jackie's effortlessly chic black and white looks. Then and now: To meet with France's first lady Brigitte Macron in July 2017, Melania donned a smart red skirt suit. Jackie wore a similarly colored skirt suit in 1962 Tradition: Both first ladies wore black Italian lace veils known as mantillas during their respective visits to the Vatican in 1966 and 2017 Last June, she stepped off Air Force One in Tucson, Arizona, wearing a casual black three-quarter sleeve shirt and wide-leg white pants that she paired with white sneakers and oversized sunglasses. The outfit was reminiscent of the look her predecessor wore in Greece the day before her wedding to Aristotle Onassis, though Jackie's sleeves were shorter and her feet were bare. Melania has taken quite a bit of color inspiration from Jackie as well. In addition to sporting the monochromatic looks that she favored as first lady, the former model has also worn similar shades for big occasions. To meet with France's first lady Brigitte Macron in July 2017, she donned a smart red skirt suit, matching pumps, and black oversized shades. Jackie wore a similarly colored skirt suit to discuss plans for the new National Culture Center (later renamed The Kennedy Center) in the White House in 1962. Lookalikes: When Melania arrived at Palm Beach International Airport in February 2017, she wore an outfit nearly identical to the one Jackie had on at the West Palm Beach Airport in 1973 Casual style: Melania mirrored Jackie last June in a black and white outfit that was reminiscent of the look her predecessor wore in Greece the day before her wedding to Aristotle Onassis Similarities: Mrs. Kennedy wore a white wide-brim hat to a visit to India in 1962. Mrs. Trump sported a similar look in Southampton, England, earlier this month Classic: Jackie, pictured in 1970, was an undisputed style icon in her era and fans still wax poetic about her timeless looks Undoubtedly inspired: Melania, pictured on a safari in Nairobi in 2018, has taken several style cues from Jackie over the years Both women opted to wear demure black dresses and laced veils during their respective visits to the Vatican in Italy to meet the Pope. Jackie had been a widow for three years when she had a private audience with Pope Paul VI in January 1996. She donned a simple yet elegant long-sleeve black dress and an Italian black lace veil. Meanwhile, for her meeting with Pope Benedict in May 2017, Melania wore a lace coat dress and a short lace veil. However, the look might have had to do more with tradition than Jackie O. Many former first ladies have worn a lace veil known as a mantilla in the presence of the Pope, including Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. Melania has had a few more subtle nods to Jackie over the past few years. While in Saudi Arabia in May 2017, she cinched the waist of her long black frock with a large gold belt that was a similar shape and style as the belt Jackie wore to the opera in New York City 50 years earlier. Subtle nod: While in Saudi Arabia in May 2017, Melania donned a large gold belt that was a similar shape and style as the belt Jackie wore to the opera in New York City 50 years earlier Twins: Melania appeared to be inspired by fellow first lady Jackie O when she wore a blue headscarf last week, which were often worn by the style icon Style of the times: Both women have sported sunny yellow gowns to formal events. Jackie is pictured in 1973 while Melania is pictured in 2018 The first ladies are also fans of Chanel suits. Jackie wore several skirt suits by the label, including the now-iconic pink and navy suit she had on the day JFK was assassinated. Melania wore a Chanel Haute Couture dress for the Trumps' first state dinner at the White House in April 2018. She was also an admirer of late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, whom she paid tribute to on social media when he died in February. 'Today the world lost a creative genius. We will miss you Karl! #RIPKarlLagerfeld,' she wrote, sharing an image of one of Lagerfeld's sketches as well as photos of herself modeling his designs and posing with on a red carpet with him. For her first official White House appearance in 2017, Melania wore a white skirt suit designed by Lagerfeld to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It seems the Slovene-born first lady has always admired Jackie O. Back in 1999, when Donald her then-boyfriend was considering running for president for the first time, she told The New York Times she 'would be very traditional' if she got into the White House, 'like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy.' All white: Jackie, pictured in 1963, wore several looks by Chanel. For her first official White House appearance, Melania wore a skirt suit designed by late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld Dress for the job you want! When Melania voted in the 2016 presidential election, she channeled the former first lady in a camel coat similar in style to the one Jackie wore in 1971 Reminiscent: Melania modeled a white double-breasted coat on the Today show in April 2016. The ensemble was a modern version of the white coat Jackie wore to the airport in 1966 When her husband was running for president in 2016, she took the saying, 'Dress for the job you want, not the job you have,' to heart while picking out her looks on the campaign trail. Melania modeled a white double-breasted coat while appearing with her husband and his children at an NBC Town Hall on the Today show in April 2016. The ensemble was a modern version of the white coat Jackie wore to the airport in 1966. And then when she voted in the 2016 presidential election in November, she channeled the former first lady in a camel coat similar in style to the one Jackie wore in at Heathrow Airport near London in June 1971. The strategy seemed to have worked, as she is now first lady, and according to her husband, a style star in her own right. Melania mirrored Jackie last Friday when she was pictured leaving Ireland wearing a $2,090 Burberry trench coat, a pair of large sunglasses, and a scarf wrapped around her head. She tucked the scarf, which appeared to be Hermes, into her coat while boarding Air Force Once with her husband at the Shannon Airport. The first lady bore a striking resemblance to the former Mrs. Kennedy, who was frequently photographed with a pair of sunglasses shielding her eyes and an Hermes headscarf wrapped around her face. A scheming Twitter user tried a creative way to shrug off a persistent suitor who wouldn't stop texting her but her plan to scare him off took an unexpected turn that's left other social media users in hysterics. Brenda, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tweeted on June 12 that she was regretting giving a man her number because he wouldn't take a hint. So she finally resorted to something more dramatic to make him go away: She told him that she was headed to court for armed robbery, thinking wrongly that he'd be horrified and leave her alone. A Twitter user named Brenda said she tried to scare away a guy who wouldn't stop texting her She included screenshots of their conversation, in which she said she had 'court this morning' for 'armed robbery' - but the man used it as an opportunity to try another flirting tactic 'DUDE, Im so dead,' she wrote. 'I gave this guy my number and I regret it because he wont stop texting me every day all day. My attempt to scare him away has backfired.' Hoensty:Brenda (pictured) added that she didn't just tell him to go away because 'men can't handle the truth' She included a screenshot of the text message exchange, which started with two texts in a row from the man one unanswered from the day before, and a 'Good Morning' that day. 'How did you sleep?' he asked. 'Like c**p lol,' she answered. 'I have court this morning.' 'Ouch, for what??? Speeding,' he replied. 'Armed robbery,' she said back. Thinking the best, the man answered, 'You got robbed?' 'No I robbed the corner store near my house,' she replied. 'And I got caught because they recognized me. It's a crazy story. But yeah brb my hearing is at 9:30.' Thinking that she'd finally said the thing that would make him go away, Brenda was surprised when she soon got a flirty reply. 'Guess I found my little Bonnie to my Clyde,' the man answered, referring to the famed bank robbing couple who killed several police officers and civilians before being shot to death by cops in 1934. A riot! Twitter users have found the whole exchange quite funny Brenda's tweet quickly went viral, garnering 383,000 likes and counting. Some people saw the man's response at the ultimate red flag while others thought it was cute that he was either that devoted or had picked up on her joke and met it with equal humor. 'I think its cute how he didnt give up on you after your criminal confession,' wrote one. 'He thought he was being cute until the FBI started knocking,' said another. 'A true ride or die,' tweeted a third. Brenda also chimed back in, answered critics who wanted to know why she didn't simply say she wasn't interested. 'Well men can't handle the truth or the lie I was clearly trolling & being facetious with him,' she said. Two months after tying the knot, designer Marc Jacobs is opening up about the special significance of saying 'I do.' On Thursday, the 56-year-old shared a video celebrate Pride on the Marc Jacobs Beauty YouTube channel, spotlighting three same-sex weddings including his own April 5 nuptials with Charly 'Char' Defrancesco. Speaking about the importance of his big day, the designer said: 'This is about equality, and gays have had to fight for the right to be married. And that's important to me.' They do! Marc Jacobs and his husband Charly 'Char' Defrancesco tied the knot at their $9 million mansion in Rye, New York on April 5 Romantic: On Thursday, he shared video from three weddings, including his own, in a video celebrating Pride Month Add a little bling: The clip includes footage of them exchanging vows and rings A big deal: In a voiceover, Jacobs talks about the significance of the wedding, which happened two months ago 'I found it so special to have that group of closest friends being there while we exchanged our vows,' he said Jacobs and Defrancesco married in a private, intimate ceremony at their new $9 million mansion in Rye, New York, exchanging vows in front of 40 friends and family members. Speaking the new video, entitled Celebrate (With Pride), Jacobs said inviting the most important people in their lives to join in the moment was poignant. 'I found it so special to have that group of closest friends being there while we exchanged our vows,' he said. He also spoke about writing those vows, adding: 'I believe in true love. In writing my vows to Charly, and Charly writing his vows to me, I learned a lot about defining love and defining what commitment is. 'I felt loved more than anything,' he went on. 'And I don't think that has any boundaries. Straight, gay, or otherwise. It's more than a wedding, it's a victory. 'We do have a voice, and we have to make our voices heard,' he said. 'I felt loved more than anything,' he went on. 'And I don't think that has any boundaries. Straight, gay, or otherwise. It's more than a wedding, it's a victory' The footage shows the two men getting ready in their home, putting on suits and ties A sweet floral touch: Each also wore a calla lily pinned to his lapel Jacobs told Defrancesco: 'Char my love, in my darkest and loneliest moment you came into my life like some giant happy baby and made me laugh and smile' While he spoke, images from their wedding played, showing the pair getting ready in their suits with calla lilies on their lapels. They exchanged vows, which they wrote themselves, and then kissed to the applause of onlookers. Their touching vows were also shared, starting with Jacobs speaking to his 36-year-old groom. 'Char my love, in my darkest and loneliest moment you came into my life like some giant happy baby and made me laugh and smile. In that moment, I didn't feel alone or lonely. I felt safe and loved,' he said. 'It is a privilege to be with you and have you in my life and I promise you that I will never take you for granted. 'I promise I will better learn how to listen to you, to hear you, and to understand you. What you have given me, that I've never had before, is the dream of a happy forever. And I promise you that I will never, ever float away.' All the weddings: Though Jacobs' wedding served as the grand finale, the video also included Esmee and Inez from the Netherlands saying 'I do' Sweet: The video also included scenes from the wedding of Aleks and Rafa from Los Angeles Defrancesco responded with a similarly touching speech. 'Marc, never in my life would I ever have imagined a happy ending for myself, and then you came along,' he said. 'I was so amazed and I'm so humbled that such a remarkable and brilliant man would want to love and with just a regular guy like me. I vow to try my best to make you smile every day. I vow to try to give you everything you give to me. 'I love you with all my heart, body, and mind, and I vow to you today that I will never float away,' he concluded. Though Jacobs' wedding served as the grand finale, the video also included scenes from the weddings of Aleks and Rafa from Los Angeles and Esmee and Inez from the Netherlands. According to Marc Jacobs Beauty, the other couples featured in the video were given 'wedding glam' by the brand's makeup artists, while a video crew was sent to help them celebrate their special day. Marc Jacobs Beauty also added six new lip gloss shades to its Enamored Dazzling Gloss Lip Lacquer collection as part of the Pride campaign, while vowing to donate 10 per cent of proceeds made from the collection, up to $75,000, to Sage an organization dedicated to improving the lives of older members of the LGBTQ community. Home sweet home: Their ceremony was held at the 1955 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed waterfront property that Jacobs purchased for $9.18 million Fancy! The 5,700-square-foot home sits on 1.22 acres and has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a two-story living room, a wood-paneled elevator, guest quarters, and a heated garage Check it out: The video also showed a peek inside their newly-purchased home Jacobs had shared another intimate video from his wedding earlier this spring, his first time sharing a look inside the event. The video showed the happy couple getting ready and walking through the halls of their lavish home before exchanging vows in front of an exposed brick wall decorated with cherry blossoms. It also included snippets of their relationship and the proposal. The newly-purchased home that hosted their wedding ceremony is a 1955 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed waterfront property that Jacobs purchased for $9.18 million closing the deal days before the nuptials. According to Architectural Digest, the 5,700-square-foot home sits on 1.22 acres and has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a two-story living room, a wood-paneled elevator, guest quarters with a separate entrance, and a heated garage. It was first designed for Max Hoffman, an Austrian businessman who fled the Nazis to and went on to become the first importer and dealer of European luxury cars in the United States. Par-tay! Following the intimate ceremony, Jacobs and his 36-year-old husband went on to host a lavish party in Manhattan the next night Heading out: The pair were seen in suits while heading to the fete in Manhattan Delish! Social media images showed the happy couple feeding each other cake during their lavish wedding reception A-list: The star-studded party was held at the swanky eatery The Grill on East 52nd Street and the newlyweds took to a podium to address their guests Supermodels: Gigi and Bella Hadid (left) and Emily Ratajkowski (right) were among the 700 guests to attend the lavish wedding reception To be a fly on the wall! Supemodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell were also on the star-studded guest list The boss: Vogue Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Anna Wintour in her trademark dark glasses arrived in a long floral dress matched with a sparkling jewel necklace Following the intimate ceremony, Jacobs and his 36-year-old husband went on to host a lavish party in Manhattan the next night for 700 guests, including a number of high-profile celebrities and models. The star-studded wedding reception was held at the swanky eatery The Grill on East 52nd Street. Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, and Emily Ratajkowski were among the high-profile guests snapped by waiting photographers as they arrived at the festivities. The guest list also stretched to the likes of Christy Turlington, Alek Wek, Helena Christensen, Justin Theroux, Bette Middler, Chloe Sevingny, Rita Ora, Kaia Gerber, Mya, Lil' Kim, and Anna Wintour. As party favors, guests got custom premium VVS cannabis pens with 'Marc and Char' branded on the boxes. They also took home a swag bag with a cheeky note reading, 'I came to Marc and Char's wedding and all I got was this lousy sweatshirt.' It's time to try something fresh, with these mouthwatering shellfish recipes from the king of seafood cookery, Rick Stein. Ricks son Jack says, In 1985, on a family trip to Australia when I was five, my love of seafood took off. 'On a stopover in Singapore we went to a night market and I had chilli crab for the first time. 'My fathers version uses brown crab, which is fuller-flavoured than the mud crabs in Singapore, and my recipe is similar, with a few tweaks. Rick Stein's son Jack has made a few tweaks to the Cornish chilli crab, pictured, recipe Serves 4 Ingredients 2kg (4lb 8oz) boiled brown crab 4tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2.5cm fresh ginger, finely chopped 3 medium-hot, red Dutch chillies, finely chopped 4tbsp tomato ketchup 2tbsp dark soy sauce 1tsp Marmite 2 spring onions cut into 5cm pieces and finely shredded lengthways A handful of chopped coriander Method RICK SAYS Preparing your own crab takes a bit of time and effort and youll need to invest in a sturdy pair of crab (or nut) crackers to break the shell. Advertisement Put the crab on its back, so that the claws and softer body section face upwards, then twist off the main claws, leaving the legs attached. Put your thumbs against the shell, close to the crabs tail, and prise the body section out and away. The legs should still be attached to the body. Remove the stomach sac situated behind the crabs mouth and pull away the feather-like gills (dead mans fingers) attached along the edges of the centre part; discard. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the brown meat from inside the shell; reserve. Chop the body into quarters then cut the main claws in half at the joint. Crack the shells with a hammer or the blunt edge of a knife. Heat the oil, garlic, ginger and chilli in a wok for 1 minute. Turn up the heat and quickly fry the crab meat, then add the ketchup, soy sauce, Marmite and 150ml water. Add the remaining crab in its shell and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and finish with spring onions and chopped coriander. Serve with lots of finger bowls and napkins, as this is a messy dish. Rick Steins restaurants celebrate Summer of Shellfish until September. For more information visit rickstein.com Teenagers should be banned from getting cosmetic procedures amid fears image-conscious schoolgirls are being left permanently damaged, experts say. The Royal Society of Public Health said it should be illegal for under-18s to have lip fillers and other treatments, warning that existing regulation in the cosmetic industry is 'not fit for purpose'. Growing numbers of insecure young women are being targeted on social media and encouraged to have their lips injected with fillers to achieve the 'Love Island look'. But the treatments often carried out in back rooms of hair salons and in customers' living rooms can lead to extreme swelling, infections and allergic reactions. Experts say young women are under growing pressure to look like celebrities from Love Island (pictured left, contestant Anna Vakili) but may be at risk of ending up with disfiguring complications like Billie Roocroft, 23, from Manchester, who was left with massively swollen lips after a procedure which left her with 'stinging, sore pain' in her face and neck A major report by the RSPH warned a lack of regulation means anyone can set up shop offering cosmetic procedures such as Botox, fillers, tattoos and piercings. They said this is putting members of the public at risk of developing serious infections including sepsis or suffering permanent damage from botched procedures. The report said: 'At the extreme end of the scale, botched procedures can result in infection, ulcers, tissue necrosis and even blindness. 'There is currently no legal age requirement for receiving fillers in the UK, leaving it possible for vulnerable young people to access an invasive treatment with few controls. 'There are already rules about not targeting gambling or alcohol adverts at under-18s, and it would be an important next step to extend this to cosmetic procedures.' The RSPH added that all practitioners should be required to have infection control qualification before carrying out treatments that compromise the skin barrier, and that specialist tattoo and piercing equipment should only be sold to licenced individuals. WHAT SHOULD YOU BE WARY OF WHEN GETTING LIP FILLERS? Lip fillers are usually made of hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally occurring substance found in the skin and other bodily tissues. Hyaluronic acid injections are generally safe but can cause redness, swelling, bruising, itching and tenderness at and around the site of the injection. Side effects may affect people differently and should be discussed with a specialist before the injections are done. If someone gets cold sores it can trigger an outbreak, and the injections may not be suitable for people who are at risk of keloid scarring when scars become large and grow out of control. Lip fillers can get infected when: 1. Unregulated cheap products are used which cause a reaction with the tissue leading to a secondary infection 2. When treatment occurs in unsanitary conditions like the back of a gym or a patients sofa. 3. When theres poor aftercare for example use of make up immediately after treatment. 4. Syringes are shared. This is poor practice but common in areas where people want to minimise cost by sharing syringes between patient. How to get safe lip fillers: 1. As per NHS England advice ensure your practitioner is a registered medical professional. 2. Ensure treatment is within a clean clinical environment such as a clinic. 3. Check you practitioner had the appropriate insurance and is experienced at the procedure and treating complications. 4. Always ensure you have a follow up appointment available to you as part of your treatment. 5. Adhere to aftercare and ensure you have emergency contacts for your practitioner. Sources: Save Face and NHS Advertisement Duncan Stephenson, director of external affairs for the Royal Society of Public Health, said: 'A desire to resort to quick-fixes among the "selfie generation" of young women has led to a massive increase in demand for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, especially lip-fillers. 'There is huge pressure on young people to conform to the unrealistic and unattainable ideals they see on Instagram and shows like Love Island. 'But at the moment there is not enough regulation of the cosmetic industry. 'There are no age restrictions on non-surgical procedures it means any 15-year-old schoolgirl could just walk into a shop and get their lips injected. 'Not only does this put vulnerable young women under pressure to get cosmetic work done, it also puts them at risk of infections and side effects such as swelling. 'We have necessary protections on things like alcohol and smoking and gambling, so it makes complete sense for the same protections to be put in place on cosmetic procedures.' A survey found that one in five people who have had a tattoo, cosmetic piercing, acupuncture or electrolysis in the last five years experienced side effects, most commonly burning or swelling. Shirley Cramer CBE, chief executive of RSPH, said: 'The growing popularity of tattoos, piercings and cosmetic procedures is all part and parcel of people choosing to express themselves and their individual identity. 'However, the legislation and regulation of providers of these services, which ultimately protects the public, is markedly different across the UK and in some areas is not fit for purpose. 'This matters because one in five people are still at very real risk of sepsis and other complications. 'With the surge in demand for tattoos, piercings and a growing variety of cosmetic procedures, such as fillers, we hope this report sparks a wider discussion about the need to provide safeguards and reassure those who seek to undertake body modification in all forms in the UK today. 'Ministers were warned four years ago that the industry was "a crisis waiting to happen".' An official review by NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh revealed that the industry was 'almost entirely unregulated'. A toddler has such severe eczema strangers assume he is a burns victim, according to his mother. Theo Burchell developed patches of red, itchy skin at just six months old, with it spreading to his entire face and body within weeks. His mother Hannah Burchell claims the now two-year-old is in such severe pain he claws at his skin until it bleeds and has never slept for more than four hours a night. The 26-year-old, from Bristol, even had to call 999 when her son was screaming in agony, with Theo then spending five days hooked up to drugs. After trying numerous treatments with no luck, Mrs Burchell is desperate for her son to be cured before he starts school in 2022 because she's afraid he will be bullied. Theo Burchell has such severe eczema strangers ask if he is a burns victim. The two-year-old is pictured at Bristol Children's Hospital last year after his condition became so agonising he was screaming for help. Theo was so distressed he could not even catch his breath His mother Hannah Burchell (pictured with Theo and his five-week-old brother Bobby) feels the youngster has few treatment options left, after prescribed creams and steroids had no effect Theo's flare-ups leave him covered from head-to-toe in a red, itchy rash (pictured) Speaking of her son's condition, Mrs Burchell said: 'To see him suffering like that breaks my heart. 'It's horrific. It has taken a part of his childhood away from him. He is missing out on a lot. It has just taken over his life. 'He has no idea why he is in so much pain. It's upsetting to see.' Mrs Burchell first took Theo to the GP in March 2017 when she noticed he was suffering from small rashes. The doctor reassured the mother-of-two eczema is a common condition and she should simply moisturise Theo's skin. However, the youngster soon developed huge scabs all over his body. The GP later prescribed a series of different lotions but they had little effect. Mrs Burchell, who takes Theo to the GP up to twice a month, said: 'He was just getting worse. It got to the point where he was waking up to scratch and he was making his skin bleed. 'He was constantly itching and it stopped him being able to do most things. We tried to dress him in long sleeve clothes to stop him but it didn't work.' Theo is pictured left during his stint in hospital, where he spent five days receiving antiviral medication. His scabby skin (seen right) often oozes, causing his clothes to stick The youngster's back is also 'really rough' and 'covered in scabs' (pictured) Theo (pictured left with his father Lee Burchell) shares a bedroom with his parents, who soothe him back to sleep when he wakes pain. Eczema also causes Theo's face to peel (seen right) Theo was eventually referred to a dermatologist at Bristol Children's Hospital last September, who prescribed a steroid cream. But even the stronger treatment did little to ease the youngster's discomfort, with him later developing eczema herpeticum. Eczema herpeticum is a dangerous viral infection that can spread to large areas of the skin. It is more common in those with the skin condition. Although he pulled through that particular ordeal, Theo still suffers from extreme flare-ups, which once landed him in hospital. 'We had no option but to phone 999,' Mrs Burchell said. 'He was screaming "help, help, it hurts". 'His skin was seeping and his clothes were sticking to him. He couldn't catch his breath he was screaming that much. 'The blisters were oozing and he was inconsolable. He was crying so much he couldn't swallow and could barely breathe.' The youngster was rushed to A&E in Bristol, where he spent five days receiving antiviral medication. 'They had to give him morphine in the ambulance he was in that much pain,' Mrs Burchell said. 'It had me in tears to see him like that.' Theo's parents (pictured together leftr) are desperate for their son to find some relief before he starts school in 2022. They worry the scabby, peeling skin that covers his body (pictured right on his lower back) will cause the youngster to be bullied Theo does not understand why his scabby, inflamed skin (pictured left and right) causes him so much pain. The youngster can be inconsolable and even hyperventilate from the discomfort WHAT IS ECZEMA? Eczema is an inflammatory condition of the skin that leads to redness, blistering, oozing, scaling and thickening. It usually appears in the first few months of life and affects around 10 per cent of babies. Eczema's cause is not fully understood but it is thought to be brought on by the skin's barrier to the outside world not working properly, which allows irritants and allergy-inducing substances to enter. It may be genetic due to the condition often running in families. As well as their skin being affected, sufferers may experience insomnia and irritability. Many factors can make eczema worse. These may include: Heat, dust, soap and detergents Being unwell, such as having a cold Infections Dry skin Stress There is no cure for eczema, however, 70 per cent of childhood sufferers no longer have the condition in their teens. Patients should avoid known triggers for flare ups and use emollients. Source: British Skin Foundation Advertisement Now back at home, Theo shares a room with Mrs Burchell and her husband Lee, 36, who soothe him back to sleep every night. 'He's so frightened and wakes up screaming in a panic,' Mrs Burchell said. 'When he's up in the night he would just scratch more. 'He barely sleeps. He gets no more than a couple of hours every night. 'We are up with him four or five times every night. 'It has left us constantly exhausted and it is emotionally draining.' Mrs Burchell, who is also mother to five-week-old Bobby, tries to manage her son's condition as best she can, but it does little good. 'His skin is really rough and covered in scabs,' she said. 'He screams "stop" when we put the cream on because it's too painful.' Cruel strangers often ask Mrs Burchell 'what's wrong?' with Theo, with some even questioning whether he has been burnt. With the youngster due to start school in two years, Mrs Burchell feels his treatment options are running out. She also worries he will be bullied over his appearance if his eczema does not improve. 'I have no idea if he will be able to manage at school,' she said. 'What if he doesn't stop scratching and what if he gets bullied? 'It has stopped him from seeing friends but we are trying to treat him as a normal child. He loves being outside to play.' Young children are particularly at risk of harm from pollutants Small actions such as travelling by foot should be advised by doctors, he said Dr Ben Marshall said healthcare professionals should be the 'driving force' Doctors should regularly advise patients to cut back on driving to reduce air pollution and improve their own health, an expert has said. Dr Ben Marshall, a consultant in respiratory medicine at University Hospital Southampton, said doctors should be the 'driving force' behind change. Pollutants from vehicle exhausts affect heart health and breathing because they irritate the lining of the lungs and small particles can enter the bloodstream. Dr Marshall said the damage could be prevented and doctors should tell patients to travel by foot and bike instead of using cars particularly those which run on diesel. Dr Ben Marshall, a consultant in respiratory medicine at University Hospital Southampton, said doctors should tell patients to travel by foot and bike instead of using diesel cars Dr Marshall said: 'Air pollution harms the health of millions of people, particularly young children and those with respiratory and heart problems, and is a huge and growing public health issue. 'We are behind as a society in recognising the significance of this problem. 'For healthcare professionals, as people who play such an important part in people's lives and deal with the consequences of air pollution, we must utilise these opportunities to help the cause.' Small actions could make a 'significant difference', Mr Marshall said. 'Initially that can be ensuring actions such as advising on reducing diesel car usage and increasing travel by foot or by bike become routine when it is appropriate to do so during consultations,' he said. Dr Ben Marshall. Photo credit: University Hospital Southampton/PA Wire Air pollution is believed to be to blame for around 8.8million deaths worldwide, and is linked to the shortening of 40,000 lives a year in the UK. Doctors say they are seeing growing numbers of children with breathing problems and are making a clear link to air pollution where the youngsters live. Public Health England has warned there's strong evidence to suggest pollution can lead to heart or lung disease, stroke or cancer and it makes asthma worse. Dr Marshall said this demonstrates the importance of utilising healthcare staff to guide the public on how to improve air quality. Other leading doctors have previously slammed the Government for failing to show the public how their health could be improved if they took action. Professor Stephen Holgate, an asthma expert and the Royal College of Physicians' special adviser on air quality, told The Times last month that air pollution exposure in the UK is the equivalent to every single person smoking one cigarette a day. HOW DOES BAD AIR QUALITY AFFECT BREATHING? Major sources of air pollution from particulate matter include the inefficient use of energy by households, industry, the agriculture and transport sectors, and coal-fired power plants. Nitrogen dioxide is released by vehicle emissions and irritates the lining of the lungs, leading to an increased risk of infection, as well as wheezing, colds and flu. As well as this, PM2.5, which are particles 30 times smaller than the average human hair, are small enough to easily and quickly penetrate deep into the lungs, and enter the bloodstream. There are no safe levels of exposure to PM2.5, which includes toxins like sulfate and black carbon, and pose the greatest risk to human health. Advertisement But Dr Marshall believes a shift in mentality is occurring. He said: 'People are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences, particularly with the ongoing media focus on the tragic case of asthma patient Ella Kissi-Debrah and the relationship between her attacks and increased pollution levels.' Ella, a nine-year-old from south-east London, had a fatal asthma attack in 2013, which her family believe was a result of living in a heavily polluted area. A second inquest into her death has been granted by the High Court following the publication of new evidence relating to air pollution levels close to their home. Dr Marshall said: 'With attention now focused on the extent of air pollution and campaigns such as Clean Air Day ensuring the issue remains high on the agenda, there is the real possibility we can continue to see change.' Campaigners at Greenpeace have challenged the government to phase out diesel and petrol fuelled cars by 2030, saying the current aim of 2040 is too far away. The UK is currently in breach of European safety levels for nitrogen dioxide, which is primarily generated by vehicle traffic, released when fuels such as petrol are burned. These NO2 particles can penetrate the airways and cause damaging inflammation inside the body. The Government has pledged to improve air quality nationwide to World Health Organization standards by 2025. Dr Marshall was speaking ahead of national Clean Air Day, organised by charity Global Action Plan on Thursday June 20. People spend so much time looking down at smartphones and tablets they are growing bony 'spikes' on the backs of their heads, scientists say. Researchers said growing numbers of people have growths called enlarged external occipital protuberances at the base of their skull. Considered rare when they were first discussed in the 1800s, we may now be able to feel the bony lumps with our fingers or see them on bald people. And younger people are developing them faster, with research showing the bumps are most common among 18 to 30-year-olds. Researchers from Australia said the bony lumps, which they call enlarged external occipital protuberances, are becoming more common and larger among younger people who spend a lot of time looking down at smartphones and tablets because their neck muscles need bigger chunks of bone to attach to (Pictured: The bump of a 28-year-old is more than 3cm larger than a 58-year-old's in a study) Scientists at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, have done detailed research into the phenomenon. They scanned more than a thousand skulls belonging to people ranging in age from 18 to 86, BBC Future reports. The lead researcher, Dr David Shahar, told the BBC: 'I have been a clinician for 20 years, and only in the last decade, increasingly I have been discovering that my patients have this growth on the skull.' Dr Shahar suggests the reason for the bony spike becoming more common is the amount of time people particularly the young spend looking down. Hours spent scrolling on smartphones, tablets and laptops could be putting so much strain on lesser used parts of the body that the body parts actually change. Specifically, the muscles which connect the neck to the back of the head are overused as they try to hold still the skull an average adult head can weigh around 5kg (11lbs). In response to those muscles getting bigger and stronger, Dr Shahar suggests, the skeleton grows new layers of bone to reinforce and widen the area. YOUNGER GENERATIONS MAY DEVELOP 'TEXT NECK' A leading Australian chiropractor last year warned he is seeing an 'epidemic of people developing what he calls 'text neck'. Teenagers and children as young as seven are developing hunchbacks and abnormally curved spines because of an addiction to smartphones, according to Dr James Carter. Dr Carter, who is based in Niagara Park on the coast of New South Wales, said children are changing the shapes of their skeletons by bending over for hours at a time. 'I have started seeing lots of cases over the past two years, especially in young schoolchildren and teenagers,' Dr Carter told Daily Mail Australia. 'The condition is called "text neck" because it is often caused when people sit with their heads dropped forward looking at their devices for several hours at a time. 'Instead of a normal forward curve, patients can be seen to have a backwards curve. It can be degenerative, often causing head, neck, shoulder and back pain. 'Many patients come in complaining they have a headache, but we actually find text neck is the cause of it. They often fail a simple heel-to-toe test and tend to fall over.' Advertisement On average the EOPs measured 2.6cm (1in), which the scientists said was 'significantly larger' than the average in 1996. The reason for this, they suggest, is a 'hand held technological revolution'. According to research revealed last year, the average person in the UK spent 24 hours per week about three-and-a-half per day on their smartphones in 2017. On average, people check their phones every 12 minutes, disturbing stats from communications regulator Ofcom revealed. Some 78 per cent of Britons own a smartphone and one in five adults spend 40 hours or more online every week. Dr Shahar and colleagues wrote in their study that 'repetitive and sustained mechanical load' leads to adaptation of the tendons and connective tissues. They said: 'The development of [enlarged] EOP may be attributed to, and explained by, the extensive use of screen-based activities by individuals of all ages, including children, and the associated poor posture. 'Musculoskeletal disorders related to poor posture while using computers and tablets have been investigated extensively and were identified as a risk factor for the development of related symptoms at the neck, shoulders and forearms.' And Dr Shahar said that, although the bony lumps are unlikely to cause any damaging effects themselves, they may never go away. He added: 'Imagine if you have stalactites and stalagmites, if no one is bothering them, they will just keep growing'. Half of Ebola cases have gone undetected since the deadly virus was discovered in 1976, research suggests. A study by the University of Cambridge estimates more than 100 people may have died of the disease without knowing they were infected. Scientists fear doctors who are unfamiliar with the disease may dismiss its severe fever as malaria or typhoid. But picking up on isolated cases is 'crucial' to avoid a 'full outbreak', they warn. A deadly outbreak is currently gripping the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the virus was first discovered, with more than 2,000 people infected since August. Official figures show the death toll there now stands at 1,411, with half of those fatalities happening since April. The virus this week spread to neighbouring Uganda, killing a five-year-old boy, his grandmother and his brother in the first confirmed cases of it crossing a border. The Ebola outbreak which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August has this week spread to Uganda. A total of 1,411 people had died in the outbreak by yesterday 'Most times Ebola has jumped from wildlife to people, this spillover event hasn't been detected,' said Emma Glennon, a graduate student at Cambridge. 'Often these initial cases don't infect anyone else but being able to find and control them locally is crucial because you never know which of these events will grow into full outbreaks.' And once an outbreak has taken hold, it can be extremely difficult to get under control. 'The unfolding epidemic in the DRC demonstrates how difficult it is to stop the disease once it has got out of control, even with international intervention,' Ms Glennon said. 'Most doctors and public health workers have never seen a single Ebola case and severe fever can easily be misdiagnosed as the symptom of malaria, typhoid or yellow fever. 'But if an outbreak is detected early enough, we can prevent it spreading with targeted, low-tech interventions, such as isolating infected people and their contacts.' The researchers analysed three databases which collected data on the West Africa epidemic between 2013 and 2016 the worst ever. The data was then used to simulate the impact of thousands of outbreaks. From these imaginary outbreaks, the researchers calculated how quickly they would expect an isolated case to 'fizzle out' compared to how it could spiral into a devastating epidemic. Pictured is an Ebola screening checkpoint where people crossing from Congo go through foot and hand washing with a chlorine solution, and have their temperature taken, at the Bunagana border crossing with Congo in western Uganda. It was taken on June 10 They then compared their findings to the outcomes of true outbreaks. Off the back of what they found, the researchers stress greater investment is required to prevent Ebola's devastation. 'To limit outbreaks at their source, we need to invest much more to increase local capacity to diagnose and contain Ebola and these more common fevers,' Ms Glennon said. 'We must make sure every local clinic has basic public health and infection control resources. 'International outbreak responses are important but they are often slow, complicated and expensive.' An Ebola health worker is pictured at a treatment center in Beni, Eastern Congo The WHO opened an expert meeting earlier today to decide whether the Ebola outbreak in the DRC should be declared a global emergency. WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet the committee will 'review and make recommendations regarding the Ebola outbreak.' An announcement is expected this evening. The DRC's outbreak only appears to be getting worse, with week-by-week infection rates now far higher than at any time before March. A five-year-old boy died on Monday evening after testing positive for the killer virus in Uganda, which has been on high alert for 10 months. Two further cases the boy's three-year-old brother and grandmother, 50 also died after travelling across the border. The number of diagnosed Ebola cases each week has rocketed in recent weeks, rising from around 30 every seven days on average in January to more than 100 in May Attacks from armed rebels some believed to be linked to Islamic State are slowing down the response and risking the lives of locals and aid workers. Armed militiamen reportedly believe Ebola is a conspiracy against them and have repeatedly attacked health workers battling the epidemic. There have been more than 120 attacks this year against aid workers, with eighty-five being wounded or killed, according to the WHO. Ebola killed 11,000 people and ravaged West Africa during an epidemic between 2014-15. One case was detected in Spain, Italy and the UK, respectively. The DRC declared its 10th ever outbreak of Ebola last August in northeastern North Kivu province. The killer virus, which causes fevers, uncontrollable bleeding and organ failure, quickly spread into the neighbouring Ituri region. Costco has issued a recall of its frozen berry mixture amid fears the products may be contaminated with hepatitis A, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Wednesday. Its recall comes just days after Kroger grocery stores recalled its similar Private Selection Triple Berry Medley. So far, the potentially affected berries all came from manufacturer Townsend Farms, which informed Costco and Kroger its blackberries - used in both blends - may have been exposed to hepatitis A. The contagious viral infection can cause liver inflammation and is typically transmitted when food comes into contact with contaminated fecal matter. So far, no related illnesses have been reported. Costco has recalled its own Kirkland rand berry medley after the manufacturer of the blackberries in the mix notified the wholesaler the berries may have been contaminated with hepatitis A, the FDA announced Hepatitis A can be prevented, if those exposed have gotten vaccinated against the virus. But in recent years it has been on the rise in the US - exponentially so, in fact. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis A outbreaks used to be a once-in-a-decade occurrence. Between 2016 and 2018, however, cases of hepatitis A surged by 300 percent in the US. Concerns over hepatitis A contaminations have been reported for frozen pomegranates in Australia, candies in the US, as well as at a number of restaurants and venues, including a Florida country club and Dunkin' Donuts, in addition to packaged food manufacturing facilities like Townsend Farms. Because hepatitis A is typically passed through fecal matter, transmissions most often happen when people unintentionally ingest stool from an infected person, have anal sex with someone with hepatitis A or share needles with someone who does. So, health officials suspect that the virus is spreading among drug-using and homeless populations, who tend to live in unsanitary conditions. But as the disease spreads more rampantly among these groups, its beginning to reach others they come into contact with as well. For example, when employees of restaurants like Dunkin' Donuts are diagnosed with the disease, health officials issue warnings, as its possible that infected employees' could have touched food or drink after improperly washing their hands. The FDA, Kroger and Costco have not released any specifics about the source of their hepatitis A concerns, and no illnesses have been confirmed. The latest recall came just days after Kroger recalled its own Private Selection medley, concerned over the same potenital contamination Still, as a precaution, Costco has recalled its Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend, sold in 4lb bags, with Best By Dates Between February 16, 202 and May 4, 2020, sold in San Diego and Los Angeles, California, and Hawaii, bearing the following codes: FEB1620,(A),(B),(C),(D),(E),(F),(G), or (H); FEB1820,(A),(B),(C),or (D); FEB2920,(A),(B),(C),or (D); MAR0120,(A),(B),(C),or (D); APR1920,(B),(C), or (D); APR2020(A),(B),(C),(D),(E), or (F); APR2720(A),(B),(C),(D),(E),(F),(G), or (H); APR2820(A),(B),(C),(D),(E),(F),(G), or (H); MAY0220(A),(B),(C),(D),(E),(F),(G), or (H); MAY0420 (H). Kroger has recalled both its Private Selection Frozen Triple Berry Medley, sold both in 16oz and 48oz packages, as well as its Private Selection Frozen Blackberries, sold in 16oz bags. The potentially affected berry medleys and blackberries are stamped with Best By dates: July 7, 2020, June 19, 2020. Kroger's berries are also sold in Ralph's Dillon's, Harris Teeter and King Sooper stores across the US. Out of an abundance of caution, both stores are urging customers to throw out mixed or black berries they bought with these expiration dates. If you have eaten any of the recalled berries and develop sudden nausea, vomiting or stomach pain, fatigue, dark urine, a low fever, clay-colored stool, or joint pain - symptoms of hepatitis A - be sure to call your doctor. Doctors could use scorpion venom to fight human infections after a study on mice found it can kill bacteria without poisonous effects. The venom contains two chemicals which scientists discovered have antibacterial abilities and were able to kill strains responsible for diseases such as tuberculosis. Taken from the Diplocentrus melici scorpion, which is found in Mexico, the venom has promise because it managed to fight off bacteria without damaging healthy tissue in mice. But there is a catch because it's so difficult to extract from such a specific and deadly insect, scientists say it would cost around 34m per gallon to produce for medicine. Doctors could use scorpion venom to fight human infections after a study on mice found it can kill bacteria without poisonous effects, scientists have found Professor Richard Zare, from Stanford University, study senior author, said: 'These compounds might not be the poisonous component of the venom. 'We have no idea why the scorpion makes these compounds. There are more mysteries.' Professor Zare worked with Professor Lourival Possani, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, who has focused on identifying compounds with medicinal potential in scorpion venom for 45 years. Their students captured a few specimens of D. melici in Mexico then 'milked' them for the venom by stimulating their tails with mild electric pulses. The researchers found two key chemical compounds called benzoquinones. Both compounds had a similar molecular structure and one contained oxgygen and the other sulfur. Professor Zare said: 'We only had 0.5 microliters of the venom to work with. This is ten times less than the amount of blood a mosquito will suck in a single serving.' WHAT OTHER MEDICINES ARE MADE WITH ANIMAL PRODUCTS? Medicinal uses of animals, mainly of insects, has been used traditionally across the world and is still incorporated into modern medicine in some countries. Dung beetles have been recommended for constipation, for example, spider silk for healing wounds, and grasshoppers to relieve headaches. While many are now considered pseudoscience, some have been scientifically proven to have potential such as bees' honey which has been found to have antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties in some studies. There has been little medical research conducted since the revolutionary invention of antibiotics. Numerous medicines do contain ingredients derived from animals, usually pigs or cows. These include some insulins, vaccines and pancreatic enzyme supplements. Other animals' natural bodily fluids are in research, such as the poisonous venom of the Colorado River toad. A psychedelic compound, called 5-MeO-DMT holds promise for treating anxiety and depression, researchers at Johns Hopkins University said. Advertisement The benzoquinone compounds were sent to Dr Rogelio Hernandez-Pando at the Salvador Zubiran National Institute of Health Sciences and Nutrition, in Mexico City, for further testing. The team there found that red 1,4-benzoquinone, one of the chemicals, effectively destroyed Staphylococcus aureus, which commonly cause skin infections. Meanwhile blue 1,4-benzoquinone, the other, was lethal to strains of tuberculosis-causing bacteria both normal and those resistant to drugs. Tuberculosis is one of the world's top causes of death, according to the World Health Organization, infecting 10million people and killing 1.6m in 2017. Professor Zare said: 'We found that these compounds killed bacteria, but then the question became "Will it kill you, too?". 'And the answer is no: Hernandez-Pandos group showed that the blue compound kills tuberculosis bacteria but leaves the lining of the lungs in mice intact.' Although the team could work how to produce the medicine in a large quantity, there are limits to how much could be harvested from the animals. Professor Possani said: 'The amount of venom components we can get from the animals is extremely low. 'The synthesis of the compounds was decisive for the success of this work.' Professor Zare added: 'By volume, scorpion venom is one of the most precious materials in the world. It would costs $39million (34,703,000) to produce a gallon of it. 'If you depended only on scorpions to produce it, nobody could afford it, so its important to identify what the critical ingredients are and be able to synthesize them.' The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Less than 20 years ago, people thought that running or going regularly to the gym was for fitness freaks. But step outside your front door today and you can barely move for joggers and cyclists, while its entirely normal to be a member of a gym. In short, most people understand that their physical wellbeing is largely down to themselves, and that it can be vastly improved if only they choose to do so. But what most dont realise is that exactly the same is true of their brain fitness, too. Just as our bodies age, so do our brains with consequences that range from the irritating, such as forgetting why we came into a room, to the terrifying, such as dementia. However, just as with our physical health, there are a range of options available to us to improve our brain health. In fact, the single most important discovery neuroscientists have made since I first became a brain surgeon 15 years ago is that your brains health is largely within your own control. The brain has a remarkable ability to heal itself. We already know, for example, that every brain can make a comeback following a devastating illness or injury. Neurosurgeons like myself witness the living proof in patients whove experienced strokes, injuries or brain cancer yet who manage to make incredible recoveries. Neuro gym: The pecking order When youre trying to remember things, use the lesson of the pecking pigeons (see main article) and intentionally practise area-restricted searches. Diligently scour your brain, first for categories and then for items in each category. This easy exercise takes less than five minutes all you need is a piece of paper and a pencil. Set a timer for two minutes then write down the names of as many kinds of water-dwelling creatures as you can. When you have finished, try the exercise again, but this time using the following categories, listing as many as you can in two minutes. 1. Freshwater fish 2. Ocean-dwelling fish 3. Ocean-dwelling mammals 4. Dangerous fish 5. Sea creatures that have shells You should find that you listed many more different kinds of water-dwelling creatures second time round, using the five categories. Area-restricted searches work for people, just like it works for bacteria and pigeons! Advertisement They can relearn to walk, talk, regain fine motor skills and improve their brain function, using techniques practised not only in a hospital but also at home. And if my patients can do this, why would anyone doubt that healthy people cant push their brain-power into a higher gear too? Because although most of your brain cells are formed in the womb, certain parts of your brain those areas concerned with memory and learning continue to create neurons throughout your life. And all of us can help our brains do this. In an exclusive two-part Daily Mail series starting today, Ill show you how to take control of your own brain health and practical ways you can boost your memory and ability to solve problems. Think of it as a boot camp for your brain. Based on solid, cutting-edge science, my advice and exercises will make your mind fitter, healthier and stronger. So how do you keep your brain young? There are three key activities we must all make sure we continue to do throughout our lives: keep learning; be sociable; and keep active. Research shows people with degrees tend to stay in better brain health than those who did not go on to further education. The reason is that education helps you to develop a larger amount of cognitive reserve and those with this greater quantity of brain-power can afford to lose more, due to natural shrinkage with age, before their brain starts showing obvious signs of decline. Thats why two people whose brains have shrunk equally can appear dramatically different in terms of how quickly their brains seem to age. Those who put their brains to better use can withstand greater loss of brain matter. But even if you left school at 16, theres no reason why you cant continue to study or learn and reap the benefits too. Anything that requires reading, concentration and memorising is good from doing multiplication sums in your head to spelling words backwards and learning another language. Just the effort you make trying to learn something unfamiliar will help to unlock long-unused recesses of your mind. Neuro gym: Target your weak spots The most effective method of memorising facts at least in the short-term is self-testing. Many people first read, then re-read perhaps several times the material theyre trying to learn. But its much more efficient and effective to read it just once, then repeatedly test yourself on key questions on the material, according to studies by psychologists at Washington University, St Louis. This is because self-testing helps you to identify your weak spots which you can then go back and correct. Try it the next time you have to learn something and youll see what a powerful memory tool it actually is. Advertisement Its also vital to keep in contact with others. The more friends you have, the lower your risk of developing dementia, according to numerous studies. Its been estimated that older people with many friendships and relationships could be between 25 and 50 per cent less likely to develop dementia than those with few friends or family contacts. One study of super agers at Northwestern University in Chicago followed a group of 24 people aged 80 and over who had retained the brainpower of people in their 50s. Recruits were selected by their ability to recall a list of 15 random words half an hour after having them read to them. An average 80-year-old remembers only five, while an average 50-year-old remembers nine or more. The super agers, however, remembered at least nine and some could recall all 15. One distinguishing factor shared by all the super agers was that of being extroverted and having many more social contacts than their peers. The third key activity for brain health is exercise, which is just as vital for your brain as it is for your body. Indeed, keeping physically active is one of the best ways of maintaining and even improving your brain health as you age. Countless studies have shown that regular exercise can directly improve your brain function. Five brilliant challenges to boost your brain power Puzzles and games are fun. But scientific studies show most ordinary puzzles dont necessarily make you cleverer or better at handling lifes challenges. These exercises, however, have been specifically selected to expand your capacity to think and remember better. 1 Multiply two-digit numbers in your head Why is it so easy for most of us to multiply 6 times 3 in our head, but so difficult to multiply 16 times 32? Part of the reason is that most of us learned our times tables as schoolchildren so we dont have to think of the answer its already stored in our long-term memory. Weve seen how important your working memory is its like a mental notepad that keeps track of a conversation, remembers why you walked upstairs and helps you think through a problem. Multiplying two-digit numbers is a good way to test your working memory and to strengthen it in the process. Mental multiplication actually improves your working memory. Its a fundamental skill that gets better with practice. Here are ten problems. Do them once... and then spend five minutes a day doing other two-digit multiplication problems in your head. 18 x 21 43 x 82 96 x 58 29 x 72 35 x 19 84 x 33 17 x 71 97 x 63 24 x 45 12 x 81 2 Spell words backward in your head Spelling words backwards forces your brain to think hard and use your working memory. Here are ten words. Look at each one, then close your eyes and spell it backwards in your head. Youll be surprised how hard it is! To really build your brain-power, though, you need to keep doing it. Spend just five minutes a day thinking up words and then spelling them backwards in your head. Try it the next time youre on a bus or on a train.Try the following: Dumbledore Surveillance Parliamentarian Turmoil Elizabeth Shakespeare Antediluvian Establishment Commemoration Intelligence 3 Start using your non-dominant hand Unfamiliar activities force brain cells to sprout new connections. Its amazing how badly most of us write with our non-dominant hand. The part of your brain that controls that hand simply hasnt been challenged. Try using it, and you will literally be building brain connections and strengthening your neurofitness. 4 Embrace the great outdoors Exposure to nature improves your mental functioning. A study by the University of Michigan found that students who took a memory test scored 20 per cent better if they walked in a forest rather than in a city before they did the test. Another study, in the journal Psychological Science, found that walking in nature, or even just looking at pictures of nature, significantly improved attention and short-term memory. And just an hours walk in a park will relieve stress, stimulate your mind, lower blood pressure and strengthen your neurofitness. 5 Get your nose in a book Reading a book makes people smarter. It doesnt have to be Shakespeare or Stephen Hawking but pondering a new idea, guessing how a story will end or trying to figure out a characters motivation all makes you use your brain. The more you use it the stronger it gets. Pick whatever subject appeals to you and just get stuck in. Advertisement And surprisingly, perhaps, resistance training was found to bring much greater benefits than aerobic exercise, with increased muscle tone directly associated with improved brain function in several studies. That said, theres a significant benefit to your brain and body from all forms of exercise and regularity is key. The greatest benefits come from a combination of muscle strengthening plus aerobic exercise which is much more effective than either by itself. shrinkage is just one of many processes that occur in the older brain. Its most obvious effect is seen in the working memory, the work space in your brain where you can hold or manipulate a handful of facts and figures. This space has limits, and the older you get the tighter the limits; this is why mathematicians, musicians and physicists tend to do their best work when theyre young and why once-simple tasks get progressively more difficult with age. It also helps you to multi-task and juggle lifes responsibilities, so its precisely the type of brain function most healthy people want to optimise. You can do some simple exercises at home to enhance your brain capacity and strengthen your working memory. And the good news about your ageing brain is that more people than ever are living into their 80s in excellent brain health. And the rate of Alzheimers, far from increasing, is actually falling. Around 850,000 Britons currently suffer from dementia and, although the total number of cases is rising as people are living longer, the risk of getting dementia is actually lower. In fact, since the Seventies, the risk of dementia due to any cause has fallen by 15 per cent every decade proving that lifestyle plays a major role in how our brains age and that dementia is not an immutable force. Memory of one kind or another is at the heart of all life. What else is DNA but a way for life to remember its own blueprint for reproduction? You might assume that a brain is necessary for remembering, but thats not so. Consider E. coli, the single-celled bacteria that live in the guts of most warm-blooded creatures (humans included) where theyre usually harmless but occasionally cause food-borne sickness. Incredibly, they have a version of a short-term memory. When theyre swimming around in your intestines looking for food, they keep going in a straight line until they find something nutritious, then stop and eat. Then they pirouette around in a tight circle, looking for more food nearby. Once a localised area is exhausted, they continue on their way. This is called area-restricted searching, and almost all animals do it. For instance, if a pigeon finds a crumb under a chair, it will carry on pecking nearby until no crumbs are left, then flutter off to another spot. Both parts of this strategy are really important making sure you find every last crumb in a given area, and then systematically searching other areas. Whats curious is that the human brain works in exactly the same way, using area-restricted search. If I asked you to list all the animals you could think of, you may well begin with the category of pets (cats, dogs, budgies, goldfish). Once youve run out of animals to list, youll move on to another category such as farm animals or jungle animals exhausting each category before moving on rather like the E.coli in your gut or a pigeon pecking for crumbs. A fascinating study, in the journal Memory And Cognition, found that smarter people can list more animals overall than less intelligent people but only because they are better at thinking up more categories in which to mentally search. When the researchers ran the test again with another set of participants, they asked all those taking part to use a set list of categories (such as pets, jungles, farms, woods). As a result the gap between the smarter and less smart people disappeared. Dr Rahul Jandial is both a brain surgeon and a neuroscientist. He is associate professor of neurosurgery based at City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles, where he not only performs brain surgery but also teaches medical students to conduct neuroscience and oncology research. He is married to a cancer doctor and has three sons. Adapted by Judith Keeling from LIFE LESSONS FROM A BRAIN SURGEON by Dr Rahul Jandial, published by Penguin Life on June 27 at 16.99. Dr Rahul Jandial 2019. To order a copy for 13.59 (offer valid to 22/6/19; p&p free on orders over 15), call 0844 571 0640. The power of language People who learn a second language get a significant boost to their brain function that lasts a lifetime. Brain mapping shows that different areas of the brain are used to handle different languages so by learning a second language youre helping to strengthen other parts of your brain. How does this work? BETTER CONCENTRATION Numerous studies show that those who speak more than one language can focus not only more clearly but also have more grey matter, the central mass of cells in your brain. Researchers at the University of Birmingham recently studied 99 volunteers; half spoke only English, while the remainder had been bilingual in English and Mandarin since childhood. The English-only speakers performed slower on two out of three tests of attention. Scientists believe the benefits of speaking two languages are partly due to the fact the brain must actively suppress one language when speaking another. Being able to handle the extra workload results in stronger overall control of attention. This is reflected in brain images of children and adults who speak two languages who have more grey and white matter (the network of connectors linking brain cells) than those who dont. IMPROVED LEARNING A four-year American study of school children in Portland, Oregon, randomly assigned some seven-year-olds to English-only classes, while the rest attended dual-language classes in Spanish, Mandarin or Japanese. By the time they were 11, the dual-language children were a whole year more advanced in terms of their English reading skills than their peers in the English-only group. PROTECTION AGAINST DEMENTIA A remarkable 2007 study in Toronto showed that people who speak more than one language developed symptoms of dementia about four years later than those who spoke only one. A recent review in the journal Current Opinion in Neurology concluded: Life-long bilingualism represents a powerful cognitive reserve delaying the onset of dementia. You may not have been lucky enough to learn another language as a child, but its never too late to start and reap some of the brain health benefits, too. Advertisement On Monday: the mental tricks to beat anxiety THE WHISPER MAN by Alex North (Michael Joseph 12.99, 400 pp) THE WHISPER MAN by Alex North (Michael Joseph 12.99, 400 pp) This is a creepy story from a former sociology teacher that explores the relationships between fathers and sons. Its based around a jailed serial killer who appears to have a copycat, or perhaps an accomplice, who escaped justice. Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake move to the village of Featherbank, struggling to cope with the sudden death of their wife and mother. What they dont know is that the village and house theyve chosen have a terrifying history. When Jake tells his father about whispers he hears at the window at night, Tom discovers that, 15 years earlier, a serial killer known locally as The Whisper Man abducted and murdered five young boys. Now another boy has gone missing, and Jakes stories of the man whispering takes on a frightening new dimension. With the movie rights already sold to Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock would have loved every spine-chilling moment. JOE COUNTRY by Mick Herron (John Murray 14.99, 352 pp) JOE COUNTRY by Mick Herron (John Murray 14.99, 352 pp) Jackson Lamb, the overweight, chain-smoking anti-hero at the heart of Herrons stories about slow horses, ie spooks who are on the scrapheap, is the 21st-century version of George Smiley. He is vulgar, brash, rude and never respectful of authority, but still manages to nurse the best out of no-hopers who have been rejected by MI5 bosses and sent to serve out their time under his command at Slough House. There is none of Smileys elegant diplomacy about Lamb, nor his serpentine ability to see every side of the story, but Herrons character does see the lies that serve the spy-masters and threaten the security of the country. Yet Herron does not seek to be John le Carre his is a wryer, more ironic style; faster, more down to earth, with rapid prose that grabs you by the throat. If you havent read him yet, do so now. THE VAN APFEL GIRLS ARE GONE by Felicity McLean (Point Blank 14.99, 304 pp) THE VAN APFEL GIRLS ARE GONE by Felicity McLean (Point Blank 14.99, 304 pp) An entrancing, melancholy debut from a young Australian that evokes the country and its climate as the background to a mystery about what happened to the three young Van Apfel sisters, who disappeared two decades ago. Its told through the eyes of the girls friend, the then 11-year-old Tikka, who lives across their cul-de-sac in an isolated suburb, surrounded by bush and close to the edge of a gorge and lake. The landscape is superbly captured, but it is the relationship between Tikka and the sisters that lingers. There is a poignancy to the descriptions of what it means to be a girl on the edge of adulthood, the jealousies, friendships, secret plans and private jokes, that feels unerring and true. Did the girls run away, or was there something far more sinister afoot? The mystery that has haunted her for 20 years unravels in a series of flashbacks as Tikka, now 31, returns to her home town in the wake of her sisters illness. Mesmerising. NIGHT BOAT TO TANGIER NIGHT BOAT TO TANGIER by Kevin Barry (Canongate 14.99, 224 pp) by Kevin Barry (Canongate 14.99, 224 pp) The past decade has seen a remarkable surge of exciting, often thrillingly unconventional, fiction from Ireland. Kevin Barry was among the writers leading the charge with his 2011 debut City Of Bohane, a slangy, cartoony gangland yarn set in a distinctly unshiny future. While Id have put money on it being the first in a saga, his next novel, Beatlebone, was instead a mystical riff on the life of John Lennon, with a dash of autobiography thrown in. Its a shock, then, just how ordinary his new book is. We follow Maurice and Charlie, middle-aged hardmen from Ireland, left behind by the black economys shift from drugs to people smuggling. Theyre staking out a Spanish ferry terminal in the hope of sighting Maurices estranged daughter Dilly, an itinerant hippy. Barrys ear for dialogue remains tip-top, but his generosity towards his central duo borders on indulgence your enjoyment may depend on your threshold for their cavernous sense of self-pity. 10 MINUTES 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD by Elif Shafak (Viking 14.99, 320 pp) 10 MINUTES 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD by Elif Shafak (Viking 14.99, 320 pp) The acknowledgements to this book reveal that, for fear of arrest, Elif Shafak recently stayed away from a family funeral in Turkey, where she was raised. She was previously put on trial in 2006 for insulting Turkishness (the charge was dropped) and reportedly her new novel has already riled supporters of the countrys ruling party. Its heroine, Leila, relives her agonising life story in the 10 minutes and 38 seconds (hence the title) after she is murdered in Istanbul. We read of how she was sold to a brothel in the city, after running away when her family in eastern Turkey hushed up her childhood abuse at the hands of a two-faced uncle. Misogyny, religious hypocrisy and nationalist tub-thumping all play a part in a scandalous pile-up of injustices that would be nigh-on impossible to read, were it not for the jaunty ebullience of Shafaks storytelling. It serves her message well, although the late outbreak of sentimentality feels rather glibly redemptive. ON EARTH WERE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong (Cape 12.99, 256 pp) ON EARTH WERE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong(Cape 12.99, 256 pp) Theres been a buzz about this debut novel from a prize-winning poet who was born in Vietnam and lives in the U.S. Set around the time of the Second Gulf War, the narrator, Little Dog, is a writer drafting a tell-all letter to his Vietnamese mother, who cant read. What follows is a ruminative, multi-layered monologue that drifts from his mothers tales of wartime Vietnam to his own experience of growing up gay in America. The books best moments involve his memories of getting a job on a tobacco farm as a 14-year-old, where he falls for another labourer, Trevor, who later becomes a victim of the opioid crisis. But Vuongs prose feels overworked. Really you just want him to get on with the story and when he does, theres some utterly captivating writing amid the musing. Nick Train is one of the industry's most well-known managers. He has managed the Lindsell Train UK Equity fund since its launch in 2006 and the Finsbury Growth & Income trust since 2000 Nick Train, manager of the 7billion Lindsell Train UK Equity fund and 1.7billion Finsbury Growth & Income trust has warned investors his top-performing funds could see a downturn at some point due to the high concentration of their portfolios. In his most recent note, which looked at how the funds fared in May, the manager revealed the top five performing shares - RELX, Unilever, Mondelez, Diageo and London Stock Exchange - during the month represent almost 50 per cent of the portfolios. This means concentration is particularly high and so any hit on just one of these shares could have a negative effect on the funds. A hit on all five - which Train says are currently trading on or close to all-time high share prices - would be significantly worse. Train's warning comes in the wake of 'Woodford-gate' which has seen fellow high-profile UK fund manager Neil Woodford forced to suspend trading in his open-ended equity income fund following mass redemptions. After a bright start Woodford Equity Income has sunk into the mire and it failed to replicate the top performance the manager historically managed to achieve. The Lindsell Train UK Equity fund is up 59 per cent over three years, while Woodford Equity Income is down 18.4 per cent. While Train's note for the 31 May update was written before the saga ensued, his message further highlights that even the top-performing managers can suffer periods of extreme weakness. It serves as a warning to investors not to put too many of their eggs into any one basket. Train said: 'RELX, Unilever, Mondelez and Diageo all delivered percentage gains on the month. 'While the longstanding investment in the London Stock Exchange... gained over 6 per cent, despite the weakness of the markets which make up a portion of its business.' 'In 2019 alone LSE is up 30 per cent, Mondelez 27 per cent, Diageo 19 per cent, Unilever 18 per cent and RELX 14 per cent. It is hard to avoid the conclusion, therefore, that our highly concentrated portfolio comprises a number of big positions that have done very well recently, and indeed over the longer term too. 'It would not at all be a surprise if such a highly concentrated portfolio that had performed well embarked on a period of poor performance at some point.' Lindsell Train UK Equity fund top ten holdings Share Portfolio weighting (%) RELX Unilever Diageo Mondelez Hargreaves Lansdown London Stock Exchange Schroders SAGE Burberry Heineken 10.1 10 10 9 8.6 8 6.6 6.5 6.4 5.9 Source: Lindsell Train as at 31 May 2019 Finsbury Growth & Income trust top ten holdings Share Portfolio weighting (%) RELX Unilever Diageo Hargreaves Lansdown Mondelez London Stock Exchange Schroders Burberry Sage Heineken 10.3 10.2 10.1 8.6 8.5 8.2 7.3 6.5 6.4 5.6 Source: Lindsell Train as at 31 May 2019 The Lindsell Train UK Equity fund has richly rewarded investors and returned 364 per cent since its launch in 2006, significantly outperforming the FTSE All-Share and its Investment Association UK All Companies sector average returns of 115 per cent and 112 per cent respectively, according to FE Analytics. Year-to-date, the fund is up 19 per cent while its sector average and benchmark are lagging behind, both at 12 per cent. But even more impressive is the performance of the Finsbury Growth & Income trust, which Train has run since 2000. Since then it has returned a whopping 716 per cent, soaring above its Association of Investment Companies UK Equity Income sector average return of 227 per cent and the FTSE All-Share return of 163 per cent. Both the trust and fund have outperformed the FTSE All-Share since the start of the year Meanwhile, Train also noted that Daily Mail and General Trust (the parent group of This is Money, MailOnline and the Mail newspapers, was one of his top monthly performers, up over 13 per cent in May. He said: 'Congratulations to the executives of that company for producing recent profits that positively surprised investors. And congratulations to its board for undertaking the demerger and simplification of the company earlier this year. That has really focussed investors on the value of what is retained within DMGT. Still full of latent value, in our opinion.' But the manager also highlighted Burberry and Rathbones, with both companies' share prices falling by double digits last month. 'Burberry is seen as being at the eye of the Trump/China trade war. For our part we are impressed by the strategic progress each can demonstrate,' he added. 'Burberry is taking considerable voluntary profit pain as it pushes its brand toward higher end luxury, to the extent of actually closing non-luxury outlets. 'As a result revenues and profits are not going anywhere for now, but the value of those unchanged revenues is growing higher and higher, as the true luxury proportion grows. 'As to Rathbones its true that the UK savings market is tough, but the company completed the biggest acquisition in its history in 2018 meaning that the operational leverage to eventual better times should be even greater.' Neil Woodford's fall from grace has been dramatic. Just five years ago, the forthright fund manager set up Woodford Investment Management after leaving Invesco to slaps on the back all round. Now, some of his closest allies in the industry are keen to distance themselves. St James's Place and Omnis have fired him from running their funds, and Hargreaves Lansdown has pulled 45million of its clients' money from his Income Focus Fund. The sorry saga should be a warning to savers who have simply ploughed their money into a well-known manager's fund, without looking too deeply and without diversifying to spread their risks. If you spread your savings around different managers then you will not lose everything if one goes bad That even goes for other big names out there. Alongside Neil Woodford, Britain's best-known fund managers are probably Terry Smith of Fundsmith and Nick Train of Lindsell Train. Can investors be sure they won't also turn out to have feet of clay? The answer, sadly, is no. Any manager, however well they have done in the past, can go through a bad patch or even crash and burn. Fortunately, there are some simple protective measures. First, research the fund and the manager's strategy. If you are not comfortable or don't understand, steer clear. And never put all your eggs in one basket. If you spread your savings around different managers then you will not lose everything if one goes bad. And be sceptical never just invest because someone is lauded. One of the problems with Woodford was that, arguably, his flagship Equity Income did not do what it said on the tin. Normally, an equity income fund would have holdings mainly in large quoted companies. But Woodford had invested a large chunk of savers' money in unquoted companies, which aren't listed on a stock market, and so don't have shares that can be easily traded. He had also bought huge stakes in relatively small firms he owns 47 per cent of mattress company Eve Sleep, for example. This makes them difficult to sell, as he would have to find a buyer for his massive stake. Woodford might say he had explained to investors through his blogs and videos that he was taking more of an interest in unquoted and smaller stocks. But not all investors may have realised this. Ryan Hughes, head of active portfolios at AJ Bell, says: 'Woodford was pretty up-front about what the plan was for the Equity Income Fund. 'The bigger issue was that people bought the name above the door, not what was underneath the bonnet.' The lesson for investors is to check if a fund is actually doing what you think don't assume. So what of other big names? Terry Smith's Fundsmith Equity Fund has a big following. It launched in 2010 and has turned a 1,000 investment into 4,520. Nick Train's Lindsell Train Investment Trust has turned 1,000 into 20,500 since 2001. But a stellar track record does not mean a manager is immune to losses. Train this week said that 'it would not at all be a surprise if [our] portfolio that had performed well embarked on a period of poor performance'. At Invesco, Woodford was lauded for his golden touch. His strategy before he left was to concentrate on large companies, where he had 75 per cent of his fund, and dabble in smaller, riskier companies. That changed dramatically. Fast-forward six years, and only 4 per cent of Woodford Equity Income is in those large and mega-cap firms. The lesson for investors is to keep an eye on what the manager is actually doing. Those like Smith and Train are loved for their reliability. They have methods they stick to and it should be easy to spot when they deviate. 'Smith has a big document on his website that explains how he thinks and invests. Before anyone invests they should read it,' says Hughes. Popular Shares - Saga It has been a pretty gloomy run for retirement firm Saga and its army of 180,000 retail investors. Floated for 2.1billion in 2014, it has failed to wow investors and is now worth just 414million. Shares have tanked from a launch price of 185p to 36.93p a brutal 80 per cent drop. Chief executive Lance Batchelor paid the price and is stepping down in January. But look behind the terrible headlines and the 391million debt pile and there could be a good business here. Saga's over-50s market is made up of affluent people, and it is launching a new membership scheme. Next month it takes delivery of a new cruise ship, along with a second vessel in 2020. Cruising is expected to grow by 22.5 per cent over the next five years according to data firm Mintel, much faster than the overall holiday market. In insurance, Saga has introduced a pioneering policy where prices stay the same for three years, meaning loyal customers are not ripped off. As the firm has said, there will be a short, sharp hit to profits but in the long run it could be a popular driver of business. So with shares now so low and new blood poised to take charge, this could just be the right time to buy in. 'He will exclude sectors airlines, financials, biotech, loads of little miners so it's easy to spot if he's doing something he said he wouldn't.' Train likes high-quality stocks which generate large amounts of cash, pay a growing stream of dividends and show potential to adapt to a changing market. If he started putting money in risky start-ups, red lights should start flashing. There are other, lesser-known fund managers, says Hughes. 'Francis Brooke at Troy Trojan Income is a star manager, in terms of how he operates and the way he really sticks to his principles of investing in defensive businesses that generate cash flow,' he says. James Anderson at Baillie Gifford's Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is another. But most of all, Hughes recommends engaging with fund managers. 'I would always urge investors to ask them questions,' he says. Chinese stockbroker Huatai Securities is to list shares in London in a milestone for the City. Huatai is raising up to 1.3billion by selling stock in Britain, becoming the first company from mainland China to do so. Based in Nanjing, Huatai is one of the biggest brokerages in the country. Chinese stockbroker Huatai Securities is to list shares in London Its global depositary receipts a foreign-company alternative to shares will cost $20.50 apiece on the London market, towards the lower end of the $20 to $24.50 range it had set. Huatai will sell up to 82.4million of the global depositary receipts, nearly 10 per cent of the company. It listed in China in 2010, and will be the first Chinese firm to take advantage of the Shanghai-London Stock Connect scheme. This is designed to allow Chinese companies to raise money in London and give British companies the chance to sell shares in China. City leaders hope it will allow them to strengthen lucrative ties with the Asian nation. Huatai makes its London debut on Monday, which will coincide with Britain and China holding the next round of their economic and financial dialogue. A Chinese delegation led by vice-premier Hu Chunhua will arrive in London at the beginning of the week. The entire board of Royal Mail has been refused a bonus after a dismal year in which shares fell by more than 50 per cent. Chief executive Rico Back dubbed the Flying Postman because he commutes from Switzerland will not get an annual bonus of up to 1.1million due to the terrible performance. Back, who lives in a 2.3million penthouse in Zurich, faced outrage, after joining last June, over his 5.8million golden hello. Royal Mail chief executive Rico Back dubbed the Flying Postman because he commutes from Switzerland will not get an annual bonus of up to 1.1m due to the terrible performance He still trousered 647,000 in salaries and workplace benefits over his first ten months despite losing out on bonus pay because he missed targets. Orna Ni-Chionna, chairman of the remuneration committee, wrote in the annual report: 'Shareholders were concerned that since the salary of the incoming chief executive was higher than that of the outgoing chief executive, this would lead to higher potential total pay.' But she said that Royal Mail has reshuffled its remuneration policy so 75 per cent of bosses' bonuses would depend on hitting financial targets. The policy will come into force if passed by shareholders next month. Royal Mail was criticised for paying departing chief executive Moya Greene almost 1m in cash. And Ni-Chionna is leaving having been under fire for holding other boardroom jobs. Ni-Chionna presided over one of the worst shareholder revolts in corporate history last year, when 70 per cent of investors rebelled over pay. Chairman Peter Long quit soon after. Last October, the 503-year-old company issued a shock profit warning and said cost-cutting was slower than expected. It only expects to save 100million this year, down from aims of 230million. But changes to executive pay might save some cash. Bosses could previously pocket a maximum 200 per cent of their salary in bonuses but this has now been lowered to 150 per cent. Hitting target performance also used to win them two-thirds of their maximum bonus, whereas now it will only get them half. The London Metal Exchange has called time on drinking at work as it seeks to enter the modern age. Traders at the world's biggest marketplace for industrial metals have been banned from drinking alcohol during office hours. The 142-year-old exchange is one of the last places where noisy face-to-face trading occurs. Thirsty work: Traders at the London Metal Exchange, the world's biggest marketplace for industrial metals, have been banned from drinking alcohol during office hours But it is trying to reform its brash, male-dominated culture after metals trader Gerald Group hosted an event in Mayfair's Playboy Club. LME members have a reputation for daytime boozing, but the exchange launched its first code of conduct in April, and appointed ex-banker Gay Huey Evans as its first female chairman in May. Traders, who hold auctions on a ring of red sofas and help set global prices for metals like copper and aluminium, will now have to stay sober all through the working day. A spokesman said: 'The LME appreciates the high standards upheld by its members, and has formalised the general position that ring-based personnel should not consume any alcohol prior to conducting business.' Facebook has hired a veteran Standard Chartered executive as the social media giant prepares to launch its own cryptocurrency, it has been reported. Ed Bowles, the bank's head of corporate and public affairs, will become Facebooks director of public policy in September, according to the Financial Times. It comes as Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg held secret talks with Bank of England governor Mark Carney in April about launching a digital currency. Cryptocurrency launch: Facebook is expected to make an announcement on Tuesday The pair are thought to have discussed Facebook's plans to launch Globalcoin, a digital payments system that would allow people to send money to each other without a bank account. Bowles, a banking lobbyist who joined Standard Chartered in 2007, is set to help Facebook push ahead with its global cryptocurrency strategy, as it is likely to face scrutiny in Europe. It is expected to unveil its cryptocurrency strategy on Tuesday, according to the FT. Facebook's plans for its own currency could pose a big challenge to traditional banks as the giant, which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, claims to have 2 billion daily users - a massive customer base it could tap into. And there are concerns that Facebook is lobbying for more relaxed regulation which could expose consumers to risks. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg held secret talks with Mark Carney in April Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook at university in 2004, has reportedly spoken to US regulators about the plans for digital currency as well. The 35-year-old has said he wants it to be as easy to send money via smartphone as it is to send a photograph. But regulators have serious concerns over the US tech titans' push into financial services due to their hard-driving cutthroat sales culture, and numerous scandals over privacy and data breaches. Speaking at a conference in April, Zuckerberg said: 'When I think about all the different ways that people interact privately, I think payments is one of the areas where we have an opportunity to make it a lot easier.' Carney has been highly sceptical of digital currencies to date, saying they are 'not going anywhere' at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year. Peter Fox (pictured outside Merthyr Crown Court in Wales) is accused of raping a teenage girl after she got drunk at a Beyonce concert in Cardiff A teenage girl was raped after getting 'extremely drunk' in a VIP lounge at a Beyonce concert on a school night, a court heard. The schoolgirl, 16, got separated from a friend after the show at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and was chatted up by Peter Fox, 34, in a bar. Fox is accused of taking the drunken girl home to have sex before 'he got bored and went to sleep'. The court heard the girl was still drunk when she arrived at school the next morning and teachers refused to let her sit one of her GCSE exams. She jumped at the chance of seeing her idol Beyonce at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium during her exams on June 6 last year. Prosecutor Roger Griffiths told the jury: 'A boy she knew rang saying he had two VIP tickets for the concert. 'They met up in a pub where she had a gin and lemonade. She was in VIP area 65 during the concert and had five or six vodka and lemonades. 'After the show she and the boy went to a bar where she had more to drink and became separated from her friend. 'She was approached by Peter Fox who asked if the boy was her boyfriend.' Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Fox and the girl got into a taxi together but she only had 5 which wasn't enough to pay for her 20-mile journey home. She got out out of the taxi with Fox on the outskirts of Cardiff and went with him into his home. Mr Griffiths said: 'She recalls going through a blue door, the next thing she can remember was that her trousers were on the floor and a man was on top of her. 'She was extremely drunk but did not consent to having sex.' Beyonce is pictured performing at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on June 6 last year when the alleged rape took place The girl left the house and rang the doorbell of a neighbour who called her father to collect her in the early hours of the morning. Mr Griffiths said: 'The next morning she went to school but, such was her drunken state, the teachers refused to let her sit a GCSE examination. 'After prompting from her older sister she said she had been raped.' The court heard Fox was arrested and initially denied taking the girl home and having sex with her. But the jury was told he later admitted having sex with her but claimed it was with consent. Mr Griffiths told the court: 'He said he got bored and went to sleep. The Crown say she was too drink to consent to sex.' Fox, of Cardiff, denies rape and the trial continues. A 20-year-old man who was shot dead by U.S. Marshals during an attempted arrest outside his family's home had filmed a Facebook Live video just hours earlier boasting that police couldn't catch him and they would 'have to kill me'. Brandon Webber was shot and killed by officers on Wednesday night as they tried to arrest him for multiple felony warrants outside his home in Frayser in North Memphis. Shortly before he was shot, Webber posted an eight-minute live video on Facebook that showed him in a car, rapping and apparently smoking a marijuana cigarette. At one point in the video, which was deleted on Thursday, Webber said he could see a police cruiser driving by. With a laugh, he looked directly into the camera and said the officers would 'have to kill me.' He added that police would have to catch him and said they were ruining his day. Brandon Webber, 20, posted a live video on Facebook that showed him in a car, rapping and apparently smoking a marijuana cigarette in the hours before he was shot dead by U.S. Marshals outside his Memphis home on Wednesday night Hours later, U.S. Marshals shot and killed Webber after they say he rammed a police vehicle and then emerged with a weapon as they tried to arrest him. The incident triggered violent overnight clashes with protesters that left at least 24 police officers injured when they were struck by flying rocks and bricks. Webber had been wanted in a June 3 shooting that happened during a car theft about 25 miles south of Memphis in Hernando, Mississippi. Brandon Webber, 20, was fatally shot by officers in Memphis, Tennessee on Wednesday as they tried to arrest him for outstanding felony warrants outside his home He shot his victim five times at point blank range after Webber took the car on a test drive and then drove off in the stolen vehicle, according to DeSoto County, Mississippi, District Attorney John Champion. The victim remains hospitalized but is expected to survive. A second suspect in the June 3 attack remains at large. Police said they believe the second suspect drove Webber to the location where he met the man selling his car, but was not present for the shooting itself. 'This was a violent felon who did not obviously want to go to jail. And (the marshals) ended up, from my knowledge, doing what they had to do up there, not only to protect themselves but protect other people in the neighborhood,' Champion said. 'It's obvious that he had no appreciation for the value of human life.' Following the fatal shooting Wednesday night, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Webber had rammed his car into vehicles driven by federal agents at about 7pm. He was reportedly carrying a weapon when he got out of his vehicle, authorities said. A later statement from the U.S. Marshals Service made no reference to a weapon and a spokesman declined to say whether Webber had one. His father Sonny said his son was shot between 16 and 20 times, but the number of shots could not immediately be confirmed. Alorea Hardwick, the mother of his toddler son, was reportedly in labor in hospital when Webber was killed. It is not yet clear if she is pregnant with Webber's child. Webber had a two-year-old boy with Alorea His girlfriend Alorea Hardwick, who is the mother of his toddler son, was in labor when Webber was killed. They had been expecting a baby girl but it is not yet clear if she has given birth. She filmed an emotional Facebook Live video of her crying in her hospital bed after hearing the news of Webber's death A criminal history for Webber released by the TBI listed two arrests, in April 2017 and April 2018, on charges including weapons possession, drug dealing and driving without a license. The 2018 charges were not prosecuted, and the 2017 charges were dismissed, court records showed. Webber (pictured with his mother Jaleta) was a Memphis Central High School graduate 'He wasn't a bad guy,' the elder Webber told Reuters of his son. 'He wasn't even living long enough to be a bad guy.' He said his son had sold marijuana but was not a drug dealer. Webber was described by those who knew him as an honors student who graduated from Memphis Central High School in 2017 and was enrolled at the University of Memphis. He had two young children of his own, a 2-year-old boy and a newborn daughter, and was expecting a second daughter soon. His girlfriend Alorea Hardwick, who is the mother of his toddler son, was in labor when Webber was killed. They had been expecting a baby girl but it is not yet clear if she has given birth. She filmed an emotional Facebook Live video of her crying in her hospital bed after hearing the news of Webber's death. Webber and Hardwick had hosted a baby shower on June 1 at the home where he was killed. In the hours after his death, friends flooded Webber's Facebook page with messages of love, grief, disbelief and outrage at the authorities responsible for his death. At least 25 police officers were injured after rioting erupted in the streets of a working-class Memphis neighborhood following the fatal shooting of the 20-year-old Shocking photos show armed police facing off with an angry crowd as the streets descended into chaos following the fatal shooting A man identified as Sonny Webber, right, father of victim Brandon Webber who was shot by U.S. Marshals earlier in the evening, joins the standoff with officers 'He was loving and a very sweet kind person,' Diamond Butler, who has known Webber since middle school, told DailyMail.com. 'I just want everybody to know he was a caring person. He took care of his kids.' On Thursday night, dozens - including Webber's father and other friends and relatives - gathered near the house where he was shot. A couple of men spoke into megaphones and some motorists who drove by honked their horns and shouted messages of encouragement. There was a light police presence with a couple police cars parked at a nearby fire station that was damaged during Wednesday night's unrest. Shortly after Wednesday's shooting, people began to gather in the area, and their numbers swelled as some livestreamed the scene on social media. Memphis police initially responded in street uniforms, then returned in riot gear as people began hurling rocks and bricks. During the unrest, officers cordoned off several blocks in the Frayser neighborhood north of downtown and arrested three people. By 11pm, officers had used tear gas and most of the crowd dispersed. A kidnapped journalist was rescued by security forces in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz hours after he was taken by armed men outside his home. Police said in a statement on Thursday that they intercepted a suspicious vehicle traveling down a dirt road late Wednesday and a shootout ensued between officers and three apparent captors, who escaped on foot. Reporter Marcos Miranda Cogco was discovered tied up in the back of the car. In a Facebook video, journalist Miranda Cogco said he ducked to the floor of the vehicle to avoid flying bullets. Reporter Marcos Miranda Cogco was kidnapped Wednesday morning in Veracruz, Mexico, and rescued late Wednesday after authorities engaged his suspected kidnappers in a shootout Mexican authorities said Marcos Miranda Cogco was discovered tied up in the back of the car (pictured above) Authorities cordon off the area where journalist Marcos Miranda was kidnapped in Veracruz, Mexico, on Wednesday morning The journalist was kidnapped Wednesday morning in the port city of Boca del Rio. He said he was taken to a room and stripped naked while his captors took photos of him and repeatedly hit him in the neck and head. He was treated for minor injuries. Taking off a neck brace in the video, Miranda Cogco said it was the third time in the last six to eight years that someone had attacked or tried to kidnap him. His wife said after his abduction Wednesday that he had received threats for years due to his reporting on Noticias A Tiempo, a news page on Facebook that he founded and edits. Noticias a Tiempo covers local, state and national current events. Miranda Cogco said in the video that he was happy to be alive and would take a few days to rest and be with family before resuming reporting Monday. He vowed not to let the incident intimidate him. 'I am going to continue my criticism against the government,' Miranda Cogco said. The reporter told Mexican journalist Ciro Gomez Leyva on Thursday that his captors first told him he was kidnapped for being a 'gossip.' Shortly later, he said, they told him that there had been a mix-up and he would be freed on orders of their boss. A patrol unit was assigned to monitor his home around the clock until the case is solved, he said. Miranda Cogco's (pictured) kidnapping came less than 12 hours after Norma Sarabia, a crime reporter for Tabasco Hoy, was shot dead outside her home in the state of Tabasco Police and forensic personnel work the crime scene where journalist Marcos Miranda was kidnapped in Veracruz, Mexico on Wednesday Veracruz state Gov. Cuitlahuac Garcia announced the rescue early Thursday via Twitter, applauding the military and state and federal police for their efforts. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists calls Mexico the most dangerous country for reporters in the Western Hemisphere. Forty-nine journalists have been slain in the country since 1992 for motives confirmed as related to their work, while 62 more were killed in circumstances that have not been clarified, the group says. Miranda Cogco's kidnapping came less than 12 hours after Norma Sarabia, a crime reporter for Tabasco Hoy, was shot dead outside her home in neighboring Tabasco state. 'Mexican authorities appear unable to stem the violence that has afflicted the press across the country,' Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ's Mexico representative, said in a statement. 'The administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador can no longer delay in putting forward a comprehensive plan for combatting impunity in crimes against journalists.' An amateur boxer has revealed how he suffered an alleged 30-minute attack by his 105-pound girlfriend that may have left him sterile. Tyler Sweeney accuses his girlfriend Katie Lee Pitchford, 21, of choking him and trying to rip off his genitals in the bedroom they shared in the beach town of Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, on June 4. In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Sweeney, 27, said in a drunk rage Pitchford grabbed his penis and testes as hard as she could 'for at least five seconds', adding: 'I've never felt a worse pain. It was squeeze, pull, rip.' Sweeney, aa master grower of cannabis and marijuana consultant, said something's still just not right with his testicles more than a week later. 'I know there's something not right in there,' Sweeney said. 'It's been feeling like it's badly bruised. So far, I've been too embarrassed to go to the doctor. But it's not been healing right, so I've got a doctor's appointment to figure it out. 'I'm worried at this point I'll never have children.' During his interview with DailyMail.com, Sweeney showed the remnants of his injuries and photos of a deep 4-inch gash in his scrotum that bled for hours. DailyMail.com has decided not to publish the graphic photos. Tyler Sweeney accused his girlfriend Katie Lee Pitchford, 21, of choking him and trying to rip off his genitals in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, on June 4 The 27-year-old said in a drunk rage Pitchford grabbed his penis and testes as hard as she could 'for at least five seconds', adding: 'I've never felt a worse pain'. Pitchford was charged with one misdemeanor count of domestic battery and ordered held without bail because of the possibility she violated her probation In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Sweeney, 27, said in a drunk rage Pitchford grabbed his penis and testes as hard as she could 'for at least five seconds', adding: 'I've never felt a worse pain. It was squeeze, pull, rip' On the afternoon of June 4, Sweeney said he and Pitchford argued over messages he found in her cell phone that seemed to indicate she was cheating on him with a man she met at a hairdressers' convention in Orlando. 'We decided to go out for drinks to hash it out,' he said. 'She bought me lunch, but she got drunk despite the fact she can't drink alcohol while on probation.' The two were eventually asked to leave the restaurant because Pitchford was crying uncontrollably during their breakup chat. 'She was trying to touch and kiss me all day,' Sweeney said. 'I kept telling her I didn't want her affection.' They visited several more bars, Sweeney said, and ended up at her house about 12:30am. 'She decided she wanted to go to the beach, so she put on her bathing suit and super high heels, and we went to the beach,' Sweeney said. Pitchford, however, appeared to be too drunk to walk and fell on the boardwalk, scraping her legs. Sweeney said he drove her back home, cleaned and dressed her wounds and placed her on the bed, asleep. He went into the bathroom, undressed and was about to go to bed, naked, when she woke up. 'She went into a rage,' Sweeney said. 'She was still mad at me for finding the messages on her phone.' At first, said Sweeney, she threw her Bluetooth speaker at his face. On the afternoon of June 4, Sweeney said he and Pitchford argued over messages he found in her cell phone that seemed to indicate she was cheating on him with a man she met at a hairdressers' convention in Orlando Sweeney said the fight after a long day of drinking and arguing. He said he put a drunk Pitchford to bed and he was about to go to bed when she woke up. 'She went into a rage,' Sweeney said. 'She was still mad at me for finding the messages on her phone' 'Then she charged me with a hairbrush and bludgeoned me over the head with it at least 30 times. Then she clocked me one good time on the side of the face and it started bleeding. 'I was trying to get out, but she grabbed my genitals. She was trying to rip them off. I tried to dislodge her fingers and eventually did.' Pitchford, he said, jumped on his back and placed him in a chokehold as they fell on the bed. 'She got on top of me and was strangling me with both hands,' said Sweeney. 'She had a smile on her face. There came a point when I couldn't breathe.' The woman's grandmother, who slept downstairs, eventually called 911 to report the disturbance. Pitchford left the scene before police arrived but she soon returned, claiming she and Sweeney had an argument that never got physical. But when the police officers went to her bedroom to talk to Sweeney, he was still naked and bleeding. When asked if he believes Pitchford aimed for his testicles during the fight or whether she just reached out as a 'crime of opportunity,' Sweeney said she wanted to hurt him. 'She is malicious and aggressive when she is in that state,' he said. 'She tried to rip them off, man.' Sweeney said: 'She charged me with a hairbrush and bludgeoned me over the head with it at least 30 times. I was trying to get out, but she grabbed my genitals. She was trying to rip them off. I tried to dislodge her fingers and eventually did' The woman's grandmother, who slept downstairs, eventually called 911 to report the disturbance. Pitchford left the scene before police arrived but she soon returned, claiming she and Sweeney had an argument that never got physical In fact, when local cops arrived at the house about 3:30am, they found Sweeney naked in the bedroom, bleeding from his scrotum and face. 'The cops were like, ''Dude, how did you let her do this to you'',' said Sweeney, imitating the grimace he saw on one police officer's face. 'They couldn't believe it.' Sweeney, who trained as an amateur boxer, said he didn't want to fight back so that he couldn't be accused of domestic violence and, possibly, lose his pot-growing license. 'I walked away free from an argument at her house and she was arrested,' he said. 'That ought to tell you something about my self-control.' The 27-year-old also suffered bruises to his upper thighs, back, arms and neck, a gash to the left side of his face, lumps to his skull and scratches. During his interview with DailyMail.com, Sweeney pulled down his pants in his living room and showed the remnants of his injuries, including a blue-ish red line that travels the entire length of his scrotum that seemed to indicate that several veins popped in the attack. He also showed photos of a deep 4-inch gash in his scrotum that bled for hours after the incident but has now healed. He is, however, worried about his ability to conceive children. When asked if he'd continue seeing the now-jailed woman, Sweeney said, with a hint of humor, he is considering moving on. When local cops arrived at the house about 3:30am, they found Sweeney naked in the bedroom, bleeding from his scrotum and face. The 27-year-old also suffered bruises to his upper thighs, back, arms and neck, a gash to the left side of his face, lumps to his skull and scratches Sweeney said this was not the first time he has been injured by Pitchford, recalling an alleged incident which occurred a year ago. He claims Pitchford ran him over in a car, leaving him with an eight-inch plate in his clavicle attached to his skeleton with eight screws There is no police report about that incident. 'I didn't call police,' he said. 'She was on probation for other stuff and she would've gone to jail for a long time if I told police' 'I love and care about her, but I hope there's another good-looking woman out there who might be able to handle my junk a little easier. My testicles have been through a lot.' Sweeney's mother, Cynthia Sweeney said when he returned home in the morning of the incident, she was 'mortified', adding: 'I begged him to go to the hospital, but he didn't want to go.' Sweeney said this was not the first time he has been injured by Pitchford, recalling an alleged incident which occurred a year ago. He said: 'We were at my house and we had one of our many arguments and we ended up in her car in the driveway. She started screaming to get out of her car, and while I was exiting and holding to the door, she gunned the car. 'For a while, I tried to run alongside the car, but she was going 30 mph and I fell on my shoulder.' Sweeney said he is now living with an eight-inch plate in his clavicle attached to his skeleton with eight screws. There is, however, no police report about that incident. 'I didn't call police,' he said. 'She was on probation for other stuff and she would've gone to jail for a long time if I told police.' Their complicated relationship, said Cynthia, started three years ago when her son visited a beachside watering-hole where Pitchford worked as a waitress. In November 2017 she was arrested for resisting an officer with violence. Sweeney said: 'She doesn't need to be in jail. She needs psychiatric help. I've had a hard time sleeping. I've been thinking about her.' Pictured: Pitchford in her 2017 mugshot Pitch works as a hairstylist and hair colorist in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida near Orlando Sweeney was on his way out after eating when Pitchford dropped a note on the floor with her name and phone number on it that he later picked up. When they first met, Tyler was working in Colorado and the lovebirds were forced to do the long-distance thing. 'It wasn't easy,' Tyler Sweeney said. 'We'd even have arguments over FaceTime. 'One night, she was so mad about something that she took 10 pills while on FaceTime and hung up after saying 'Goodbye, Tyler, this is it.' What Sweeney didn't know at the time, in late 2017, is that Pitchford had taken 10 of her mother's heart medicine that wouldn't have killed her. But when police and paramedics came to her house to check on her, Pitchford allegedly attacked officers and bit a nurse. Sweeney says she was on probation for that attack when she was arrested last week. In time, Sweeney left Colorado and returned to Florida, partly to reunite with cosmetologist and hairdresser Pitchford. Then came the car incident and 'countless fights' and the June 4 attack, and every time until June 4, Sweeney and Pitchford got back together. 'Ever since they started dating, we've always tried as a family to be there for Katie,' Cynthia said. 'They broke up many times and made up many times. And we accepted her back every time.' Sweeney's mother, Cynthia Sweeney (pictured together) said when he returned home in the morning of the incident, she was 'mortified', adding: 'I begged him to go to the hospital, but he didn't want to go' 'We've tried to convince Tyler to break up with her,' said Sarah Reasbeck, 38, Sweeney's big sister and a confidante of Pitchford. 'He thinks he can save her. But it's not in his best interest to be with her. It's a very toxic relationship.' Pitchford was charged with one misdemeanor count of domestic battery and ordered held without bail because of the possibility she violated her probation. She is scheduled for an arraignment June 25. 'She doesn't need to be in jail,' said Sweeney. 'She needs psychiatric help. I've had a hard time sleeping. I've been thinking about her.' Sweeney, meanwhile, admitted that the incident and its aftermaths have been embarrassing. 'When you grew up in a small town and something like this happens, you can't go anywhere without people looking at you. When they ask me ''How are you?'', I know what they're asking about.' Sweeney was also asked what he'd say to those who've been calling him weak on social media. 'If you call me weak for not beating up another person that I love and care for, I'll take that,' he said. 'And if you label me strong for that, I'll take that, too. 'I know in my heart what's right. I know I walked away free and she didn't.' The upstate New York prison tailor who helped two killers escape jail has been denied parole for a third time. A parole board decision released Thursday says Joyce Mitchell will remain behind bars for at least two more years - she is up for parole again in June 2021. She's serving 2 1/3 to seven years for helping Richard Matt and David Sweat escape Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora in June 2015. She provided tools the killers used in the prison break and Sweat and Matt spent three weeks on the run. Scroll down for video A parole board decision released Thursday says Joyce Mitchell, 55, will remain behind bars for at least two more years She's serving 2 1/3 to seven years for helping Richard Matt and David Sweat escape Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora in June 2015. State corrections spokesman Thomas Mailey says the parole board considers victims' statements, institutional accomplishments, perceived danger to public safety and other factors in determining parole eligibility. Specific reasons for the board's decision were not released. Mitchell is serving her time in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County. In 2015, Sweat and Matt broke out of the Clinton Correctional Facility and spent three weeks on the run Mitchell admitted she had an intimate relationship with Matt. The seamstress sneaked hacksaw blades and other tools to the duo who then cut through walls and pipes at the maximum-security prison. 'If I could take it all back, I would,' Mitchell said during her sentencing. The story of the jail break was featured in the 2018 Showtime miniseries 'Escape at Dannemora' in which Patricia Arquette played Mitchell. Producer Ben Stiller asserted that the material was collected form police reports, interviews and evidence. Sweat is in Auburn Correctional Facility serving a life sentence. Matt was eventually shot and killed by authorities in Malone, New York. Patricia Arquette played Mitchell in Showtime's 2018 series 'Escape at Dannemora' The 'cannibal killer' frat boy accused of murdering a Florida couple and eating one of their faces has appeared in court to challenge insanity rules in the state. Austin Harrouff, 22, said he was fleeing a demon-like figure in when he ran to a Tequesta home and attacked John Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53, spitting out a piece of flesh when deputies arrived and were finally able to subdue him. The suspect appeared in court Thursday where his attorneys attacked the constitutionality of the state's laws governing insanity defenses, arguing it wrongly places the burden of proof on defendants instead of prosecutors. Harrouff, who believes he is part dog, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is pleading insanity. He entered the courtroom dressed in a red-striped jail uniform with a cropped haircut and looked markedly different to previous mugshots and arrest pictures in August 2016. Harrouff, a former Florida State University student, was living with his mother in a home in Jupiter, Florida when the attack took place. He did not know the couple he murdered and the attack was reportedly unprovoked. The suspect appeared in court Thursday, left, dressed in a red-striped jail uniform with a cropped haircut and looking markedly different to previous arrest pictures in 2016, right Austin Harrouff, right, who is accused of killing a Tequesta couple in 2016, listens as his attorney Robert Watson addresses Martin County Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer, Jr. during a hearing Thursday at the Martin County Courthouse in Stuart, Florida An attorney for Harrouff told Circuit Judge Sherwood Bauer Jr. the law's requirement that defendants prove insanity to a 'clear and convincing' level of proof discriminates against the mentally ill because it is a higher burden than for defendants who claim self-defense or duress. Under self-defense, the burden is on prosecutors - they must prove it wasn't. Defendants who claim duress must only prove that it is more likely than not that they acted out of necessity. Attorney Robert J. Watson also said it is unconstitutional that jurors are told before deliberations they are to presume the defendant is sane. He argued that goes against Harrouff's right to be presumed innocent of the August 2016 killings of John Stevens and Michelle Mischcon Stevens. Bauer questioned Watson extensively on this point, asking him how this is unfair to Harrouff. Watson replied that to convict Harrouff of first-degree murder, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt he killed the Stevenses with evil intent. He said since Harrouff is not disputing he killed the Stevenses - his only defense is that his mental illness made it impossible for him to form intent. Given that, Watson said, it is unfair that jurors are told to start with the presumption that 'the defense is invalid' unless proven otherwise. 'We are not presuming you are insane, which is what we should be doing if we are applying a presumption of innocence,' Watson argued. Austin Harrouff was said to have been found by eating Michelle Mishcon and John Stevens, pictured together in the garage of their home in Tequesta, Florida, in 2016 A 38-page psychiatric assessment of Harrouff lists a disturbing and frightening descent into alleged psychosis. It states that Harrouff felt he had 'superpowers within him' and felt like 'he was Jesus'. He began walking around in a 'slow harmonious manner' and believed he had a responsibility to fix people's problems, according to the assessment. The suspect is also said to have bought a Fitbit, which while wearing, made him feel like The Terminator - part robot, part man. He also, at another point, became fixated on horses - following his Sagittarius star sign - and believed himself to be a mythical beast Centaur, according to reports. Prosecutor Jeffrey Hendriks said there is no discrimination in Florida's insanity law against people with mental illnesses. He said some states don't even allow an insanity defense. Bauer said he would rule soon. Harrouff's trial is scheduled for the fall. Harrouff told the 'Dr. Phil' television show two months after the attack that he was fleeing a demon he called 'Daniel' when he ran to the Stevenses' home. About 45 minutes before the attack, he had stormed out of a restaurant two miles away where he had argued with his father. Earlier, his mother had found him at her home drinking cooking oil mixed with Parmesan cheese - a lawsuit filed by Michelle Stevens' family alleges the concoction was spiked with hallucinogenic mushrooms. Harrouff told host Phil McGraw that he doesn't clearly remember the attack and forensic psychologist Dr. Phillip Resnick has said Harrouff believed he was 'half-dog, half man' when he attacked the couple. Harrouff was found with some of his victim's flesh still in his teeth. He was taken to hospital in restraints. The former Florida State student is pictured immediately after he was arrested Mischon and Stevens both died of their injuries. They did not know Harrouff According to court documents, deputies arrived to a horrific scene at the Stevenses' home. Michelle Stevens, 53, lay mangled and dead in the garage and Harrouff, then a muscular exercise science major at Florida State University, was attacking and biting her 59-year-old husband in the driveway. Harrouff is alleged to have also wounded a neighbor who tried to save the couple. One deputy ordered Harrouff off at gunpoint while another used an electric stun gun on him, but he wouldn't let go. Deputies say they didn't shoot Harrouff because they feared hitting John Stevens. Finally, a deputy with a dog arrived and its bites enabled deputies to subdue Harrouff, who had no previous arrest record. He told deputies: 'Help me, I ate something bad' and then admitted it was 'humans' as he spit out a piece of flesh, court documents show. He begged deputies to kill him after they pulled him off Stevens, according to the records. 'Shoot me now; I deserve to die,' Harrouff said. He had to be hospitalized for two months as he ingested an unknown chemical from the Stevens' garage, burning his esophagus. If convicted, Harrouff faces life in prison without parole. His attorneys want him committed to a mental hospital for life. Photo: File As wildfires and floods can threaten our region at a moment's notice, we not only have our human families to consider when preparing for the worst. The Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team is hosting an emergency animal sheltering weekend in Vernon and Coldstream on June 22 and 23. It is an organization that has been a tremendous help during emergencies such as flooding and wildfires. The two venues are St John Ambulance, 1905 47 Ave. in Vernon and The Crate Escape Dog Adventures at 7181 Brewer Rd. in Coldstream. The training runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the cost is $40 per person per day Topics will include setting up and dismantling a shelter, roles and responsibilities, registration and animal intake routine, species/ breed recognition, feeding and animal care species specific, dog walking in a shelter environment, kennel/cage cleaning, personal preparedness to respond, self-care in emergency situations, radio protocols, resource acquisition and equipment. The organization is also looking for new volunteers. "They are looking for people who are interested in volunteering with the organization and who would be able to assist during emergencies," said event organizer Heather Ferguson "A wide variety of volunteers are needed, from people to go into the field and do the hands on animal rescue to administrative duties and team organization leaders. Anyone and everyone can be an asset to the team." For more information email Heather Ferguson. Nicholas Sparks voiced his objection to an LGBT club at the private school he funds in a series of emails sent to faculty members and the board of trustees at Epiphany School of Global Studies. The emails were sent by Sparks to the school's then-headmaster Saul Benjamin, who claims in a lawsuit that the author once said that the lack of black students at the school was not the result of any discriminatory practice, but rather because those individuals 'are too poor and can't do the academic work.' Benjamin is suing Sparks, select members of the Epiphany board and Sparks' charitable foundation for wrongful termination, claiming that he was forced out as headmaster after less than a year due to his push for a more diverse and inclusive community at the school. Sparks did this, claims Benjamin in his complaint, by suggesting the school's new hire was suffering from a mental illness. The bestselling author of The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and Message in a Bottle started Epiphany in 2006, with his charitable foundation providing a portion of the funding for the school in New Bern, North Carolina. Sparks said in a statement on Twitter that Benjamin's allegations from the lawsuit are 'false' and expressed his confidence that a jury would rule in his favor should the case go to trial. Scroll down for video Suit: Nicholas Sparks' (above with his wife Cathy) emails with Saul Benjamin, the former headmaster at the private school he founded, have been filed in an ongoing suit against the author Institution: In the emails, Sparks voices his objections to an LGBT club at Epiphany School of Global Studies (above) Benjamin (left) is suing Sparks (right), select members of the Epiphany board and Sparks' charitable foundation for wrongful termination 'In thinking long and hard, with an open heart, about this topic, I have to conclude that that the [board of trustees] will not sanction a club or association for GLBT students, no matter what it is called,' wrote Sparks in a 2017 email to then-headmaster Benjamin. Sparks was the head of the board of trustees. Sparks' tone was more forceful in emails sent earlier that same day to Benjamin, with the author remarking that 'there will be no club in the future' before stating that 'not allowing them to have a club is NOT discrimination.' Sparks does state that harassment and bullying will not be tolerated in those emails, but Benjamin previously claimed in his suit that he was told to 'stop supporting students who had been bullied based on their sexual identities' by members of the board. It is also not mentioned in these emails that students including the son of an 'influential Epiphany parent' had been bullying LGBT students at the school by telling them they wanted to start a 'homo-caust,' a claim made in the complaint. The Daily Beast was the first to report on these emails, which were sent after Sparks learned two gay students had planned to protest the school's lack of an LGBT club. Benjamin was able to diffuse that protest, and in a email agreed with Sparks that the planned demonstration was 'not appropriate.' Sparks took issue however with Benjamin after he failed to announce the ban in LGBT clubs in an email to parents. That lament from Sparks came hours after he had sent off a a fiery missive to Benjamin. 'On a personal level, I'm both angry and frustrated. Again, my life is being made very difficult, and I don't have time for this,' wrote Sparks. 'I told you this would happen and the BOT told you this would happen if you didn't follow our advice. which was simply, "don't rock the boat on this particular issue." Now, I'm having to put out fires - big, raging inferno s -- because of some of the things that have occurred Since the opening days of school.' He then outlined a number of issues he was having in the email, on which he had also bcc'd his wife. Sparks wrote: As I've noted before, you are perceived by some employees to be arrogant, rude and condescending; to these people, you should apologize. I know you want names, but frankly, I don't know that it's all that important. I think you should sit down first -- in order -- with your leadership team, then the rest of the admin, then the faculty, either one by one or in groups, and ... apologize if necessary. And ask them to give you another chance. (Without defensiveness, by the way.) And ask them to frankly call you on it if you do such things again. You are blessed with a very good team and they should all feel appreciated for what they do. You should handle the situation with the and again, keep in mind, they perceived that you were threatening - even if (in your mind) you weren't. and then making a demand that he do something in direct contradiction to his faith. Again, I'd start with an apology, and then listen ... and then ask what YOU can do to make it better. Make sure all Christian traditions feel especially Christian, especially as we move into the Christmas season. Understand that many people now perceive you as having an agenda with which they disagree. Again, you chose to rock this boat early and hard, not only with Chapel changes (including 4 bells , not 3), but with what some perceive as an agenda that strives to make homosexuality open and accepted -- and not only that, it's one of the most important things we need to do to "fix our school." (Perception matters). My opinion is you should have waited at least a year for these kinds of things -- and I said as much to you numerous times -- and I'm not sure how you can fix it , other than to do the things you outlined in your letter. As for the "Club," there obviously can't be one now, though you might open your doors at your home if you feel qualified to talk to them about it in small group settings. Numbers 1 and 4, when brought together , seem to imply that you believe the "school needed to be fixed." Academically, yes. Financially, yes. Curriculum integration/improvement? Certainly. But spiritually? Frankly, we were good there: it is, and has been since its founding, a kind school, where everyone is kind; it is in fact , the KINDEST school I've ever visited. There has not, for instance, been a single fight in 8 years at the school. People accept other people her e; our first student were Jewish. And until the last 2 months, nearly everyone was fine with how we implemented the Christian traditions at the school, which frankly, go a long way toward creating the culture of kindness. As to the agenda people assume you have. you can't really blame them for thinking such things. Let's look at the first couple of months: Chapel has changed (Christian equivalence of Islam and Judaism, for example). there's a lot of talk about diversity and how we're awful because we don't have it. we need to have a "GLBT Club," we need to support the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, your references to our non-discrimination policy (as opposed, let's say, to a much heavier emphasis on "celebrating our Christian traditions" ... and on the other hand, not only don't we have a chaplain, but no one really knows what's going on with the chaplain search. It's easy to see why people believe that you think your "beliefs" are more more important than theirs ... which is the very definition of "having an agenda." He then launched into another list of things he believed Benjamin should 'take to heart,' which referenced hiring decisions that needed to be made before stating: Regarding diversity, I've now told you half a dozen times that our lack of diversity has NOTHING to do with the school, or anyone at the school. It's not because of what we as a school, has or hasn't done. It has nothing to do with racism, or vestiges of Jim Crow. It comes down to 1) Money and 2) Culture. Even when you have the money, it will be hard sledding, no matter what Jenna does as far as outreach. My point is, if you continually bring this up at the school, it seems to imply that it's the school's fault; that people at the school have done something wrong (which again, goes to numbers 1, 4 & 5). Again, it's not the fault of the school, or anyone at the school, including Janet!!!! If you want to talk to someone about diversity, talk to Jenna (who's designing the diversity scholarship program) or me (who will be responsible for raising the money to fund the scholarship program once Jenna has designed it.) The school was not "broken." It's a great place. It has grown EVERY year since our founding. It needed some academic/global/curricular/financial improvements, but MOST SCHOOLS DO. Five days later, Benjamin was out as headmaster. Three days after that, Sparks emailed Benjamin's wife saying that he believed 'Saul is suffering from a mental illness.' He continued by stating it could be 'Alzheimer's, a variance of bi-polar or something else' in his email. Sparks went on to write in the lengthy email that he believed Benjamin was 'unfit to work and would never again hold another full-time job.' In his complaint, filed back in 2014, Benjamin asked for damages while making 16 claims against defendants The Epiphany School of Global Studies, Nicholas Sparks Foundation, Sparks, Melissa Blackerby, Tracey Lorentzen, and McKinley Gray. Among the claims are discrimination and harassment on the basis of his Jewish race in violation of section 1981 against all defendants; religious discrimination in violation of Title VII against Epiphany; race discrimination in violation of Title VII against Epiphany; disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act against Epiphany; retaliation in violation of Title VII against Epiphany; breach of contract against Epiphany; breach of contract against the Foundation; defamation against Sparks; false imprisonment against Sparks, Gray, and Lorentzen; assault against Sparks; and retaliation in violation of the North Carolina School Violence Prevention Act against all defendants. U.S. District Judge James Dever III ruled last year that a jury would decide whether the author defamed Benjamin with his comments. He also stated in his ruling that a jury should determine if Sparks' comments violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. A jury will also have to determine if Benjamin submitted his resignation on his own accord or was forced out, while also considering whether or not Spark's charitable foundation had reason to terminate the headmaster. Benjamin had four years left on his contract at the time and would be compensated for that time, plus an additional year, if a jury decides that he was fired without cause. The school has stated in their own legal filings that Benjamin misrepresented his qualifications before being hired. Legal experts have warned an Indian fugitive wanted for questioning over the brutal rape and murder of Queensland woman Toyah Cordingley may never face justice. Father-of-three Rajwinder Singh remains at large after the body of Ms Cordingley - who would have turned 25 today - was discovered on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, last October. He is reported to be hiding in a Sikh temple in India and extradition treaty roadblocks could mean detectives might be unable to bring him back to Australia for questioning. Father-of-three Rajwinder Singh (pictured) remains at large after the body of Ms Cordingley - who would have turned 25 today - was discovered on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, last October Ms Cordingley was killed in what police said was a 'sexually motivated' murder while walking her boyfriend's dog along the Queensland beach between 2pm and 2.30pm on October 21 'India is a notoriously difficult place to extradite people from,' Queensland Law Society president and leading law expert Bill Potts told Courier Mail. 'It is a very large country, with a gigantic population, and the court system is so stretched and overcrowded, there are massive delays.' Ms Cordingley was killed in what police said was a 'sexually motivated' murder while walking her boyfriend's dog along the Queensland beach between 2pm and 2.30pm on October 21. Her father Troy discovered his daughter's naked body the following morning and a police investigation was launched in a bid to track down the woman's killer. Singh is understood to be a person of interest and is believed to have left Australia for India the day after Ms Cordingley was killed. Mr Potts said authorities have yet to build a strong murder case and bring together the necessary evidence such as DNA, photographs and eyewitness accounts in order for their extradition order to be approved. Singh's brother-in-law Harpreet Singh feared all the legwork might not pay off in the long run. 'Its hard to find an Indian in India.' The concerns echo the case of alleged Melbourne hit-and-run driver Puneet Puneet and the 11-year-long battle to bring him to justice. Puneet had fled to India while he was on bail after he allegedly ran over Queensland student Dean Hofstee, 19, in 2008. Ms Cordingley's father Troy (pictured, in front of tributes laid for his daughter) discovered his daughter's naked body the following morning and a police investigation was launched in a bid to track down the woman's killer Singh is understood to be a person of interest and is believed to have left Australia for India the day after Ms Cordingley was killed He is alleged to have been drunk and speeding at Southbank, in the Victorian capital. Though Puneet has been fighting extradition since his 2013 arrest in his home country. A combination of court delays and defence lawyer attempts to keep Puneet in India, have meant Australian authorities have been unsuccessful in bringing him back to the country for a proper trial. Despite the potential challenges ahead, a combined effort is being made to bring Singh to Australia. Indian law enforcement agencies are cooperating with Australian Federal Police and Queensland detectives. Singh's relatives have also tried to locate the person of interest, outraged that he left his wife and children, who now face eviction from their Innisfail home in Far North Queensland. Singh's brother-in-law Harpreet Singh (pictured, in an earlier interview) feared all the legwork to extradite Singh might not pay off in the long run Police are warning people to check their wallets after a batch of fake $50 notes were found circulating an Australian state. The warning came on Wednesday after a taxi driver in Western Australia was fooled while working in the dark - and police immediately issued warning urging people: 'Don't get short changed'. Police told Yahoo News that the currency is 'terrible quality' and has some obvious differences from a real $50 note, adding that 'a child could probably tell the difference'. Police are warning people to check their change after a batch of fake $50 notes (pictured) were found circulating an Australian state. They're easily identified by Chinese characters in the corner, the lack of clear windows, and diagonal lines in the corners. 'The paper is poor, the printing is poor, there is no embossing, etc, on it, and it has Chinese writing on it.' 'It's not really counterfeit,' Sgt Johnson told The West Australian. 'It's more toy money, used in China as a training aid for people coming to Australia so that they understand currency values.' The primary distinctions are the Chinese characters in the corner, the lack of clear windows, and diagonal lines in the corners. Police said currency is 'terrible quality' and has some obvious differences from a real $50 note (pictured), noting that 'a child could probably tell the difference' 'You'll notice in the picture the printer has lost ink on the edge of the note leading to this pink edge,' Sgt Johnson said. Police are urging anyone with fake currency to head to their local police station so authorities can begin taking it of circulation. Anyone found using counterfeit currency faces heavy consequences, with a maximum jail sentence of up to 12 years. Piers Morgan has accused the BBC of double standards for backing Jo Brand despite firing Danny Baker. In a Radio 4 satirical comedy panel show broadcast on Thursday evening, Brand made a joke about throwing battery acid - rather than milkshakes - on politicians. She followed her joke by saying she would never do such a thing. Last month after the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby, radio personality Danny Baker tweeted a picture of an upper-class couple holding a chimpanzee dressed as a child. Amid a tweetstorm of complaints about alleged racism - the Duchess's mother being African-American - Baker deleted the tweet and apologised; but was quickly fired by the Corporation. Today Good Morning Britain host Mr Morgan tweeted: 'Why did the BBC instantly sack Danny Baker for an offensive royal baby tweet but won't sack Jo Brand for saying she'd like acid to be thrown at politicians?' The GMB host asked why the BBC had not sacked Brand as it had sacked Danny Baker Mr Morgan's tweet was retweeted 6,000 times and liked by more than 30,000 people Several respondents pointed out that Ms Brand was a guest on the panel show, is not employed by the BBC, and the programme's editors had chosen to include the joke in the broadcast; while Mr Baker - who was a BBC employee - had sent the tweet from his own account not in a format broadcast by the Corporation. Heresy is a pre-recorded show and the BBC last night acknowledged its content had been reviewed and considered by the BBC before broadcast. The Corporation insisted Brand would remain 'part of the Radio 4 family'. Brand yesterday refused to apologise for her acid throwing remark as Nigel Farage called her an 'overpaid, left wing, so called-comedian' as the backlash against her intensified. The 61-year-old said she had nothing to say to the Brexit Party leader and others outraged by the comments on 'Heresy' on Radio Four Extra. Speaking outside her 1.9million detached home in Dulwich, south-east London , Brand refused to say sorry, and laughed as she was driven away in a car. When asked if she would continue working with the BBC, she responded: 'I'm not employed by the BBC, so how can they sack me?' Jo Brand, pictured arriving at a literary festival yesterday, made the joke on the show 'Heresy' Danny Baker. After his tweet he said he wanted to 'formally apologise for the outrage I caused' Farage called her remarks 'completely and utterly disgusting' after he claimed she was 'inciting violence' with her comments on a BBC Radio 4 panel show. This evening the BBC appeared to have pulled the show from its websites, and said in a Tweet it would edit the joke from future broadcasts and its catch-up service. Asked about the row today, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police have received an allegation of incitement to violence that was reported to the MPS on 13 June. 'The allegation relates to comments made on a radio programme. The allegation is currently being assessed. There have been no arrests and inquiries are ongoing.' Brand said on Radio 4 show Heresy that yobs who doused politicians like Farage with milkshakes were 'pathetic' and added: 'Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?' Mr Farage suggested the police would have been knocking on his door 'within minutes' had he made a similar joke The corporation has so far defied calls to axe her, and broadcasting watchdog Ofcom had yesterday received 65 complaints about the episode. And victims of acid attacks have called her comments 'vile' and 'inhumane' while calling on her to spend time in a burns ward before making such remarks. Some called for her arrest. A BBC spokeswoman said: 'Heresy is a long-running comedy programme where, as the title implies and as our listeners know, panellists often say things which are deliberately provocative and go against societal norms but are not intended to be taken seriously. 'We carefully considered the programme before broadcast. It was never intended to encourage or condone violence, and it does not do so, but we have noted the strong reaction to it. 'Comedy will always push boundaries and will continue to do so, but on this occasion we have decided to edit the programme. We regret any offence we have caused.' Authorities say the body of a seven-year-old child believed to be from India has been found near the Arizona-Mexico border. The remains of the little girl were discovered Wednesday morning by Border Patrol agents about 17 miles west of Lukeville. The girl had reportedly been traveling with four other people who were dropped near the international boundary by human smugglers, US Border and Customs Protection said in a statement. The body of a 7-year-old girl believed to be from India was found 17 miles west of Lukeville near the Arizona-Mexico border on Wednesday. Pictured is a border fence separating Nogalez, Mexico/Arizona and Naco, Arizona/Mexico Agents took two other women from India into custody earlier and began searching the area north of the international border in remote terrain, seven miles west of Quitobaquito Springs. Within hours, they discovered the little girls remains, which were recovered by the Pima County Sheriffs Department. Aircraft and helicopters from National Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protections Air and Marine Operations were called out to expand the search. The U.S. Border Patrol said on Friday that they had located a mother and her 8-year-old daughter from India who were travelling with the deceased girl. It is not known if she was related to the other two women. The pair were taken to a hospital for treatment for dehydration after they crossed back into the United States late Thursday night and surrendered to agents. Border Patrol agents located footprints late on Wednesday that indicated the remaining two members of the group crossed back into Mexico. Mexicos Highway two runs parallel to the border of where the girls' body was found, a few hundred yards south of the international boundary. The area the body was found has been described by border agents as 'rugged desert wilderness' with 'little to no resources' A US Border Patrol vehicle drives along the fence separating the US from Mexico near the town of Nogales, Arizona CBP described the surrounding area on the U.S. side of the border as 'rugged desert wilderness' with 'little to no resources.' According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature in the area on Wednesday was approximately 108 degrees. 'Our sympathies are with this little girl and her family,' said Tucson Chief Patrol Agent Roy Villareal. 'This is a senseless death driven by cartels who are profiting from putting lives at risk.' The numbers of Indian people crossing US borders and being apprehended has grown steadily in recent years. In 2018, 8,997 Indian people were detained at US borders countrywide. That number was just 76 in 2007, according to official figures. Police are on the hunt for a man who sexually assaulted a teenage girl on a busy Melbourne tram. The predator sat next to the 17-year-old girl after boarding the number 48 tram outside Victoria Park at 12.40pm on June 5. He sexually assaulted her in front of two women sitting opposite them. Police are on the hunt for a man who sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl on a Melbourne tram (stock image) The man got off the tram at the Kew junction and walked towards Walpole Street. The victim exited the tram at Church Street near a train station in Hawthorn. Investigators would like to speak to anyone who many have witnessed the incident including the two women. SNIP! The guillotine blade sliced three names from the Tory leadership ballot paper yesterday. Bye-bye, Mark Harper. Adios, Andrea Leadsom. Hasta la vista, Esther McVey. No well-dones. No thanks-awfullys. No better-luck-next-times. Politics, it's a brutal business. But would we have it any other way? About a hundred of us gathered to hear the result in the Gladstone Room, a beautiful, oak-panelled space overlooking the Thames. What a grand, imposing setting it was. Bottle-green Pugin wallpaper. Portcullis chairs. Sumptuous art. The room has the feel of an Old Bailey courtroom but as we awaited the announcement it took on the boisterous atmosphere of a college dining hall. Each time the door opened there were exaggerated gasps of expectation. Rory Stewart played the class clown, ribbing his colleagues and cackling at his own jokes. Nerves? Dame Cheryl Gillan with Charles Walker (left) and Bob Blackman (right) reads out the results of the first ballot in the Tory leadership ballot at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on Thursday - Mark Harper, Andrea Leadsom, and Esther McVey failed to make the cut Tory leadership hopeful Rory Stewart grins as he is driven to the Houses of Parliament for the first round of voting Michael Gove is pictured leaving Parliament on Thursday - he came in third place, despite calls to pull out of the race Eventually, acting head of the 1922 Committee Dame Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) entered. There had been a 100 per cent turnout, she said in librarian tones, and no spoiled ballot papers. The scores read out provided few surprises. So no daft 'oohs' or 'aahs'. Once the deed was done, MPs wrapped their knuckles on their desks approvingly. Out with the time-wasters now they can get this party started. Voting had taken place along the committee corridor, a 200-yard strip inside the Palace of Westminster. All morning, the place oozed intrigue and machination. Backbenchers love days like these. Suddenly everyone is interested in them. It's their version of an awards show. Liz Truss dressed up especially in a bright pink pantsuit. She looked like a Quality Street choc but twice as scrummy. Most of the candidates arrived early. Raab, Leadsom, Hancock, Gove. 'Who did you vote for, Michael?' joked one wag. 'The best candidate, of course,' he chuckled. Just past 10.30am, Theresa May swooshed past with her PPS Andrew Bowie (West Aberdeenshire) in tow. Whose name was the PM putting a cross against? 'None of your business!' she squawked over her shoulder, Bowie scampering to keep up. Not long after, Tory turncoat Heidi Allen (party TBC) sauntered past, followed moments later by her trailing mane of Timotei hair. She doesn't get a vote any more, does she? 'No, and I'm glad I don't either.' Bitter? Moi? Former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey speaks at the launch of her short-lived leadership campaign Former Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom formally launched her bid on Tuesday, only to be told she had lost out yesterday Conservative MP Mark Harper speaks at his campaign launch - about a hundred turned up in the Gladstone Room to hear he was among the bottom three to be cut Rory Stewart and his wife Shoshana Clark dawdled for a while. Stewart was in the mood for fighting talk. 'I've always said the only people who can stop Boris are me and Boris,' he said. But he didn't seem altogether certain he'd got the requisite 13 votes to survive. Later on, there would be a mad rush to find one of Rory's backers, Ken Clarke, who'd gone AWOL ahead of the midday voting deadline. Enjoying a nap would have been my guess. Either that or polishing off a large cigar. Esther McVey's fiance Philip Davies (Shipley) pitched up pulling a wheelie case. 'I've told 'im if 'e doesn't vote for me, 'e's movin' owt,' explained Scouse Esther. There was another potential domestic involving husband and wife Andrea Jenkyns (Morley and Outwood) and Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke). Jenkyns voted for Boris while Jack is rooting for Raab. 'Oh no, no, we're all Brexiteers together,' Lopresti mumbled, slightly unconvincingly. Suddenly, a tremor in the floorboards. Fast approaching came the not inconsiderable troika of Sir Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex), Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed) and man-of-the-hour Boris Johnson (Uxbridge). Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt is driven to the Houses of Parliament for the first round of voting for the Conservative party leadership at the Commons There was a mad rush to find Ken Clarke (pictured arriving for the vote), one of Rory Stewart's backers, before the midday ballot as he seemed to have gone AWOL Up close, you really notice how much weight Boris has lost. We jostled with him for a while for a chat, but as it has through much of this campaign, the Johnson gob remained firmly zipped. His supporters, though, were out in force. Cool-cat minister James Cleverly said Boris's record as London Mayor showed he was the man for the job. Sir John Redwood (Wokingham) revealed he was another surprise backer. Most assumed he was a Raab man. Walrus-chopped John Whittingdale (Maldon) was eager to let it be known he'd been aboard Team Boris from the off. Bojo's squeeze Carrie Symonds, he advised, was a 'huge, huge asset'. Background briefing: 'Apples' (aka Symonds) once upon a time was avuncular Whitto's special adviser. Clot of the day was David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden) who was turned away from the polling station because he'd forgotten his security pass. Next up: Super Tuesday. Then the race to find the man to beat Boris really hots up. Two Chicago sisters agreed to end life support for a man they were told by police was their brother - only for their real sibling to turn up alive and well. On May 13, Rosie Brooks received a phone call from Mercy Hospital in Chicago informing her that her brother, Alfonso Bennett, was in intensive care. The man had been found naked on the streets on city's South Side on April 29 and was badly beaten, particularly in the face. He did not have ID. Brooks and her sister, Brenda Bennett-Johnson, went to the hospital to check up on their 'sibling'. They had him on the ventilator, and they had a tube in his mouth, Brooks told WBBM-TV. Alfonso Bennett was thought to have been placed on life support in a Chicago hospital, but was later found to be alive and well after the man in question was taken off a ventilator by Bennett's sisters last month, according to a report Chicago Police informed the hospital that the man on life support was Alfonso Bennett, but the sisters werent so sure. They kept saying CPD identified this person as our brother, Bennett-Johnson said. A nurse told the sisters that police identified the man as Alfonso Bennett, who had a criminal record, using prior mugshots. Police told the hospital that they did not use fingerprint to definitively ID the man because of budget cuts. You dont identify a person through a mugshot versus fingerprints, Bennett-Johnson said. Brenda Bennett-Johnson (left) and her sister, Rosie Brooks (right), said hospital staff told them that police used old mug shots to determine that the man on life support was indeed their brother Fingerprints carries everything. The man on life support was responding to commands by raising his hand. But he never opened his eyes. When it became apparent that his condition was deteriorating, the sisters agreed to allow the hospital to take him off life support. They also agreed to let doctors perform a tracheotomy - an incision in the windpipe made to relieve an obstruction to breathing. Soon afterward, the man was placed in hospice care. Within minutes he was ice cold, Bennett-Johnson said. After he died, the sisters made funeral arrangements. They bought a suit and a casket to prepare for the burial of the man they were told was their brother. Sometime before the funeral, they received a phone call from one of their sisters. She called my sister Yolanda to say, Its a miracle! Its a miracle! said Brooks. Brenda! Brenda! Its Alfonso! Its Alfonso! I said, Youre kidding! The man who was eventually taken off life support (above) was found badly beaten on the streets on Chicago's South Side in late April. He was eventually taken off life support and placed into hospice before he died I could have almost had a heart attack, Bennett-Johnson said. Alfonso Bennett was alive and well. He had just paid one of his sisters a visit. Its sad that it happened like that, Bennett-Johnson said. If it was our brother and we had to go through that, that would have been a different thing. We made all kinds of decisions on someone that wasnt our family. The man who was removed on life support and whose body was taken to the morgue was later identified through fingerprints. Police are now searching for the mans family. When asked to comment, Mercy Hospital said: The family did identify this patient as their brother. CPD says it is taking the matter seriously and is investigating. Knife offences have hit a nine-year high following a nationwide surge in stabbings, official figures reveal. More than 22,000 cases were dealt with by the justice system last year of which one in five involved children. But only a third of offenders went to jail. Sentences were so soft that even many of those with several previous knife convictions avoided being locked up. Yesterdays figures showed 561 criminals were spared prison despite having committed at least three knife offences in the past. Experts said the courts were being pressured by the Government to avoid short jail terms, particularly for children. The data also revealed a 17 per cent fall in the number of under-18s convicted of knife crime who went to prison last year. Knife offences have hit a nine-year high following a nationwide surge in stabbings, official figures reveal (stock image) The rise in offences reflects a recent surge in fatal stabbings with victims ranging from a 14-year-old schoolboy to an 86-year-old grandmother (stock image) The rise in offences reflects a recent surge in fatal stabbings with victims ranging from a 14-year-old schoolboy to an 86-year-old grandmother. But it is also a consequence of greater use of stop-and-search by police leading to more individuals being caught in possession of a weapon. According to the data from the Ministry of Justice, around 22,040 offences involving knives or offensive weapons were dealt with by the criminal justice system in the 12 months to March. Car theft leaps threefold in 5 years Car theft has increased up to threefold over the last five years, analysis of insurance claims has found. With official figures showing a surge in the number of stolen vehicles in recent years, a major audit by insurers Direct Line has revealed Britains car crime hotspots. It shows that the number of car theft claims has more than doubled in the North West, the North East and Yorkshire. But the West Midlands has seen the sharpest rise, with 8,933 claims made last year more than three times the claims made in 2014. Most of them were made in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. London remains the car crime capital of the UK, with 33 claims for every 10,000 vehicles a rise of 61 per cent in five years. Some 12,342 claims were lodged last year, up from 7,664 in 2014. The analysis provides fresh evidence of the resurgence of car crime in the UK, after years of decline. Official figures showed that 112,174 vehicles were reported stolen in the 2017-18 financial year or 307 every day. This was up from just over 77,000 in 2013/14. Police and insurance companies have said this is partly because modern keyless cars have provided easy pickings for thieves. So-called relay devices can be used to hack signals transmitted by the key fob sometimes while inside the owners home to open a car door and start the engine. Advertisement This was up by 35 per cent since the same period in 2015 and the highest since 2010 when 23,667 cases were recorded. Labours Yvette Cooper, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: Weve heard from families [on the committee] whose lives have been devastated by knife crime. Its shocking that the Government still dont have a grip on this violent epidemic. Addressing the high numbers avoiding prison, Harry Fletcher, of the Victims Rights Campaign, said: Courts are being urged to use jail as sparingly as possible. Politicians have made it very clear that they dont want people going down for short periods of time, as prisons are overcrowded. The figures show that 4,586 criminals with one or more previous knife offences were spared jail in the 12 months to March or 40 per cent. Some 1,456 offenders with two or more previous convictions avoided jail including 561 who had committed at least three offences. This was despite a flagship two strikes and youre out policy introduced by David Cameron in 2015, which urged judges to hand out sentences of at least six months. The Ministry of Justice pointed out that the proportion of criminals going to prison for knife offences was at its highest level in ten years. But this was not the case for child offenders, with the number of sentences falling by 17 per cent in a year. Justice Minister Robert Buckland insisted that the Government is committed to doing everything in its power to stop knife crime and its devastating consequences on lives and communities. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has told broadcasters to 'grow up' and stop mistakenly mispronouncing his surname as an extremely offensive word. On Tuesday Victoria Derbyshire apologised immediately and profusely after making the mistake live on air, She follows high profile presenters and politicians to have made the mistake including James Naughtie, Nicky Campbell and Harriet Harman. Today Mr Hunt told the Daily Telegraph that broadcasters should 'grow up' and stop it. He said: 'I'm used to it. I had this when I was at school. 'Personally I think people should just grow up and get over the fact that my last name rhymes with a rather unpleasant word.' 'Personally I think people should just grow up and get over the fact' Mr Hunt said today On Tuesday BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire today became the latest media figure to blunder by pronouncing the surname of the Tory leadership hopeful as 'C***'. She made the error during an exchange on her weekday news and current affairs programme during a four-way debate over who should be the next Tory leader. Derbyshire, 50, said on the programme on BBC Two this morning that she was especially embarrassed because it was usually men who made the mistake, saying 'it's usually men who say that'. Derbyshire later insisted she was not saying 'men generally go around saying the word' She later clarified on Twitter that she meant it had largely been male broadcasters who had made the slip in the past. Addressing Conservative MP Steve Brine, she said: 'You say the man you are backing, Jeremy C*** ... I'm so sorry, Jeremy Hunt. 'I've never said that before in my life. It's normally men who say that so I really, really want to apologise.' The BBC's subtitle service managed to avoid further embarrassment by substituting the word with 'EXPLETIVE'. Derbyshire later tweeted: 'Apologies again and I meant it's been mostly men on air, male broadcasters, who have ended up getting his name wrong. A string of interviewers have previously made the same slip up, including Andrew Marr (pictured) Last week Nicky Campbell (left) mispronounced the Foreign Secretary's (right) name before apologising the listeners and promising to 'proceed with care' The BBC's former China Editor Carrie Gracie, (pictured) made the same mistake as she read the bulletins on News 24 Justin Webb (left) made a similar embarrassing error while reading out a newspaper story about the Health Secretary on on BBC Radio 4's flagship Today programme. James Naughtie (right) has also made the slip-up 'Am not saying men generally go around saying the word! That's what was in my head - appreciate it didn't come out like that. Sorry again.' Women presenters who have previously made the error live on air include BBC News presenter Carrie Gracie on the BBC News Channel in January. And in 2012, Harriet Harman, who was then the deputy leader of the Labour Party, also made the slip up on the BBC programme Question Time. Who has made the Jeremy C*** slip up? Last week: Nicky Campbell , BBC Radio 5 Live , BBC Radio 5 Live January: Carrie Gracie , BBC News Channel , BBC News Channel June 2018: Justin Webb , BBC Radio 4 , BBC Radio 4 2012: Harriet Harman , BBCs Question Time , BBCs Question Time December 2010: Andrew Marr , BBC Radio 4 , BBC Radio 4 December 2010: James Naughtie , BBC Radio 4 Advertisement It is not the first time a BBC presenter has been embarrassed by the Foreign Secretary's name - with two of the most famous ones happening on BBC Radio 4. James Naughtie made the error in 2010 when Mr Hunt was culture secretary, and Justin Webb tripped up last June when he was health and social care secretary. Other journalists who have made the error in the past include Sky News correspondent Jon Craig, and Andrew Marr on Radio 4. Just last week, BBC Radio 5 Live host Nicky Campbell did the same thing. Chelsea Powrie Okanagan College has received a $1.75 million grant over five years to fund a new BC Beverage Technology Access Centre headquartered in Penticton. The centre will provide testing, business services and applied research assistance to the wine, beer, cider and spirits industries in the Okanagan region as well as throughout the province. "This is very exciting for the industries and for Okanagan College," said OC president Jim Hamilton. "The industry support for the proposal we developed has been phenomenal and the input that organizations, businesses and individuals provided was invaluable." Okanagan College research showed that within its catchment area, there are 19 craft cideries, 219 wineries, 16 craft distilleries and 24 craft breweries. The Technology Access Centre will provide analytical and sensory services to support the growing economic sector, and is only the second TAC to be put in place in BC, the first being at Camosun College. It will receive $350,000 annually for the next five years, and then will be eligible to re-apply. The aim is to provide services that will help small and medium sized businesses in the field grow. Penticton's campus was chosen after a lengthy process drawing applications from around the country. Renovation work is already underway at the college, and they hope to begin operations in the fall. Pornographic photos of a woman lured into NXIVM sex cult as a teenager have left jurors disgusted and shocked after the images were viewed on Thursday. There were 18 photos shown to jurors, said to be from 2005 and of a now-grown woman who was a 'sex slave' known as Camilla. Camilla was 15 at the time the photos were taken. A female FBI agent flipped through a binder and showed jurors the photos, page by page. She did not show the photos to the rest of the courtroom. Scroll down for video A female FBI agent showed 18 photos said to be from 2005 and said to show a 'sex slave' known as Camilla. Camilla was 15 at the time of the photos and a virgin when she initially met cult leader, Keith Raniere. Reactions were mixed - some jurors sat without much of a reaction, while others grimaced and lingered over the pictures, the New York Daily News reports. Keith Raniere, the leader of the cult, is said to have furiously scribbled notes as jurors viewed the photos. He passed the notes to his lawyers. Keith Raniere, the leader of the cult, is said to have furiously scribbled notes as jurors viewed the photos. He passed the notes to his lawyers Twisted text messages exchanged between NXIVM 'grand master' Keith Raniere and the underage 'sex slave' at the center of the charges against him were laid bare in the Brooklyn Federal Court, last week. The twisted exchanges revealed the level of control Raniere had over his subject, prosecutors say, as she was forced to send him photographs of her crotch on command and even recruit virgins to join his alleged cult in Upstate New York. Addressing what previous witnesses had already told the courtroom, the texts also showed that the girl was just 15 when she, and her two older sisters, first came into contact with Raniere and his sect in 2005. She was also a virgin. 'My lineage is not supposed to end with my death,' Raniere said when chastising Camila for sleeping with someone else. He had told the teen that he was transferring knowledge and 'energy' to her, but couldn't anymore, according to VICE. 'I had no idea this successor thing even existed,' Camila responded in the 2014 exchange. Twisted text messages exchanged between NXIVM 'grand master' Keith Raniere and the underage 'sex slave' at the center of the charges against him were laid bare in the Brooklyn Federal Court, last week I feel like your puppet, the woman messaged Raniere in November 2014, some nine years into their relationship. A number of days later, Raniere responded, telling the then 24-year-old I need a vow of absolute obedience. I expect you to text me this vow now. She replied soon after, asserting that she vowed to do as you say with 100% obedience. Later likening him to a god, Raniere responded that, you should want to give your god everything. Raniere has pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labor and conspiracy. His lawyer has argued that he never forced any women to act against their will You will arouse me, Raniere added. We will make love for my satisfaction and pleasure. You will do everything you can to provide that. The exchange came just months before Raniere formed his 'master/slave' group in early 2015, in which women were branded and asked to provide naked images and embarrassing information as 'collateral'. Raniere was arrested during a police raid in March 2018. He is accused of being a sadistic conman who abused women under the guise of giving them a path to personal growth. He has pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labor and conspiracy. His lawyer has argued that he never forced any women to act against their will. Raniere faces life in prison if convicted. Ofsted has warned parents cannot have confidence in some outstanding-rated schools because they have not been inspected for so long. Until last year, 296 schools had not been visited by the schools inspectorate for more than a decade because they had the highest possible rating. But this academic year, the watchdog has launched a crackdown over fears that standards were slipping in those schools. And of the 305 outstanding-rated schools they visited between September and March this year, 84 per cent were downgraded. Among those schools that were re-inspected, 54 per cent were downgraded to good, while 25 per cent were found to require improvement and five per cent were rated inadequate. The sample, which represents eight per cent of all outstanding-rated schools, was not representative as they were all schools where there was cause to suspect the top award was no longer valid. However, it proves parents should in future be suspicious of outstanding-rated schools which have not been inspected for a number of years. The reason why Ofsted does not routinely inspect outstanding-rated schools is a government-imposed exception aimed at letting them 'get on with their good work'. Amanda Spielman, the watchdog's chief inspector, said the downgrading of outstanding schools should 'set alarm bells ringing' But Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of schools, wants this exemption lifted. She said: 'Today's figures are not particularly surprising, but they should still set alarm bells ringing. 'The fact that outstanding schools are largely exempt from inspection leaves us with real gaps in our knowledge about the quality of education and safeguarding in these schools. 'Some of them have not been inspected for over a decade, and when our inspectors go back in, they sometimes find standards have significantly declined. 'We believe most schools judged outstanding are still doing outstanding work. 'But for the outstanding grade to be properly meaningful and a genuine beacon of excellence, the exemption should be lifted and Ofsted resourced to routinely inspect these schools.' Australians will dramatically outlive their superannuation savings and it's worse if you're a female, according to a new report. Figures show women are expected to outlive their retirement fund by 12.6 years. This is three years greater than their male counterparts whose super dries up in 9.9 years, according to a new report. Australian women outlive their savings by 12.6 years. This is three years greater than their male counterparts whose superannuation dries up in 9.9 years The revelation comes from a new report by the World Economic Forum, which looks to the financial reality of retirement and gap in savings per gender. Australia's superannuation system is described as one of the most well-developed saving systems in the world but has operational issues during the retirement phase. The report says: 'The Australian retirement system, dominated by superannuation, is one of the most well-developed from an accumulation perspective, with high levels of coverage, mandated levels of savings and strong investment architecture'. 'However, the government has stated that the retirement phase is underdeveloped.' According to the report, retirees in six major economies will outlive their savings between eight to 20 years with women copping the brunt of the shortcomings. Government and employee retirement plans are partially to blame as individuals face increasing pressure to be responsible for their own retirement. The World Economic Forum recommends individuals and policy-makers plan ahead to ensure retirees won't outlive their savings. Han Yik, head of the Institutional Investors Industry, said: 'The real risk people need to manage when investing in their future is the risk of outliving their retirement savings'. 'As people are living longer, they must ensure they have enough retirement funds to last them through their longer lives. 'This requires investing with a long-term mindset earlier in life to increase total savings later on.' Of all the countries examined, women outlived their savings longer than men. In the US, men are expected to be without savings for about eight years compared to 11 for American women. According to the report, retirees in six major economies will outlive their savings between eight to 20 years with women copping the brunt of the shortcomings (stock image) In Japan women will live nearly 20 years past their savings account, five years longer than men. A similar report by the World Economic Forum in 2015 found the retirement savings gap for Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK and the US - stood at $70 trillion. Following the new report, it's projected this gap will increased to $400 trillion by 2050. Women have a greater life expectancy than men in Australia, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. A boy born between 2014 and 2016 is expected to live to the age of 80.4 years while a baby girl is expected to reach 84.6 years on average. Critics have slammed plans by the Church of England to invest in medicinal cannabis companies. The church's investment arm, The Church Commissioners for England, is thought to be relaxing self-imposed rules for investing in medical marijuana companies, as reported by The Financial Times. Edward Mason, head of responsible investment at the Church Commissioners said: 'We make a distinction between recreational cannabis and medicinal cannabis.' 'We are content with it being used for proper medicinal purposes.' The church's investment arm, The Church Commissioners for England, is thought to be relaxing self-imposed rules for investing in medical marijuana companies A large marijuana farm professional commercial grade greenhouse filled With mature budding cannabis plants Jules Gomes, a former vicar on the Isle of Man, questioned why the church wants to invest in something it knows 'nothing about' The change in investment strategy from the Commissioners, who oversee 12.6 billion investment portfolio's, has drawn some criticism. Jules Gomes, a former vicar on the Isle of Man, questioned why the church wants to invest in something it knows 'nothing about.' He told The Daily Caller: 'The Church of England is in a quagmire of its own making. It has lashed itself to the mast of cultural Marxism.' 'Hence, it is content to go along with any fashionable ideology that pops up. Why does the church have to invest in something that it knows little about? 'Has there been robust research carried out? In what way does investing in medical marijuna further the mission of preaching the gospel and making disciples?' Medical cannabis was legalised in the UK in 2018 and is also legal in Canada and a number of states in the US. Scientific studies have shown the drug can alleviate depression, anxiety and stress. Not everyone is against the new investment strategy, Anglican writer David Virtue said: 'As the products are medically, ethically and legally neutral there is no significant change in the Church of England's position on anything.' A-level students who get three D grades should still be able to go to university, a minister insisted yesterday. Chris Skidmore said it is not fair to bar them from degrees as they may have faced disadvantages, such as mental health problems, being brought up in care or living with domestic violence. The higher education ministers comments come after leaked details from a Government review into university funding last year suggested pupils gaining just three Ds or worse should be blocked from taking out student loans for a degree. Universities minister Chris Skidmore arrives for a meeting at 10 Downing Street, June 11 Instead they could be offered cheaper loans for vocational courses in further education colleges. But it prompted an outcry, and when the review was published last month the proposal had been mothballed. During a speech at the annual conference of the Higher Education Policy Institute, a universities think-tank, Mr Skidmore said such young people must not be blamed for their poor performance and instead supported to flourish later on in life. A-level students who get three D grades should still be able to go to university, Chris Skidmore insisted yesterday He added: There are groups in society who, through no fault of their own, may not achieve the qualifications at A-level. Ive seen so many examples of students whove flourished later on in life, and I wasnt going to be the universities minister who was going to be able to defend putting a three-D cap in place. But his comments prompted a backlash from critics who said that accepting poor-performing students on to degree courses did them no favours. Chris McGovern, of the Campaign For Real Education, said: We dont want pupils taking on debts when they are not well-suited to academic study. Too many people leaving university are underemployed or unemployed. Property buyers were in for quite a cultural shock after a loud Middle Eastern wedding interrupted a open house inspection. Hundreds of wedding guests spilled onto Carina Road at Oyster Bay, in Sydney's Sutherland Shire. The footage, uploaded to Auburn_2144 on Instagram, showed the ensuing hilarity unfold as more than 30 potential house buyers slowly showed up to the inspection. Cars adorned in wedding ribbons were seen parked across the street as they blocked parts of the road. A large crowd danced around the parked cars as they clapped along to the loud wedding music with their attention turned on the groom. 'Not a good day for an open house in the shire,' the video read. Hundreds of wedding guests spilled onto Carina Road at Oyster Bay, in Sydney's south, last month Sanders real estate agent Jed Wood had been planning to host an open house inspection down the road and told Daily Mail Australia it was one of the most exciting viewings in his 21 years on the job But Sanders real estate agent Jed Wood, who was hosting the open house, told Daily Mail Australia it was one of the most exciting things he has seen in his 21 years on the job. 'I've heard of weddings like this, but to actually experience it and the culture is an incredible feeling,' he said. Mr Wood said that the family had called him up to warn him that the celebration would be taking place, but it was too late to change the May 25 open inspection. 'The family called us to see if we could change the time. They said they were having a wedding, but I told them we had already booked the advertising space. They said we didn't understand, this is going to be huge,' Mr Wood laughed. 'I just thought, we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it.' But as Mr Wood turned down the street come inspection day, he realised the full scope of the celebrations. 'Two cars can safely pass each other on the street, but when I turned up 20 minutes to the inspection, the road was jam packed. You had top of the range Aldis, Mercedes - the sight was unbelievable. 'House buyers were parking 500 metres away from the house because there just wasn't enough space,' Mr Wood said. Mr Wood said that the family had called him up to warn him that the celebration would be taking place, but it was too late to change the May 25 open inspection Though Mr Wood said the celebration couldn't have been more convenient for the timing of the house inspection Mr Wood said the celebration couldn't have been more convenient for the timing of the house inspection. He said plenty of house buyers stayed around after the brief 30 minute inspection to soak in the dancing and music. 'To see something so cultural is cool and exciting. You could see the buyers weren't in any hurry to leave anywhere.' The house was later sold at auction for $1.2 million. Mr Wood said it was exciting to witness the large wedding celebrations take place on the street CNN's top boss, Jeff Zucker, was accused of making an inappropriate sexual joke about one of the network's female anchors on Thursday CNN's top boss, Jeff Zucker, was accused of making an inappropriate sexual joke about one of the network's female anchors on Thursday. The alleged faux pas took place during the Mirror Awards, an annual journalism awards ceremony, at Syracuse University Thursday morning. CNN 'New Day' anchor Alisyn Camerota served as emcee for the event where Zucker, who in March was named Chairman of WarnerMedia News and Sports, was being honored with the Fred Dressler Leadership Award. The Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr, in a tweet, quoted Zucker making reference to Camerota during his acceptance speech. 'Jeff Zucker on CNN morning anchor Alisyn Camerota, who MC'd the awards show: "I was gonna say that I love waking up WITH YOU every morning, but I want to say that I love waking up TO YOU every morning," Barr tweeted. The Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr, in a tweet, quoted Zucker making reference to Camerota during his acceptance speech CNN 'New Day' anchor Alisyn Camerota served as MC for the Mirror Awards, an annual journalism awards ceremony, at Syracuse University Thursday morning The Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr, in a tweet, quoted Zucker making reference to Camerota during his acceptance speech Barr also noted that 'there were some groans in the room,' after Zucker's alleged comments. Camerota, who in 2017 spoke out about being sexually harassed by former Fox News boss Roger Ailes after his scandalous departure from the network, told the Daily Mail in an emailed statement that Zucker's remarks did not constitute harassment in her view. 'Its the oldest joke in the book made to morning show anchors, both men and women, Camerota said of Zucker's comments, according to a statement provided by CNN. 'I hear it a couple of times a week from people in the grocery store. That isnt harassment, in my opinion, and I didnt find it tone deaf, either,' the anchor added. A smuggling ring thought to have made millions sneaking more than 300 migrants into the UK has been smashed by police. Officers in Romania and France arrested 11 gang members suspected to be part of a major international smuggling operation made up of 59 mainly Romanian truck drivers, middlemen and leaders. It is believed the gang, who are suspected of transporting 308 migrants to Britain, made 3million charging 9,700 to 12,800 for a passage through the Eurotunnel or ferries across the Channel. It is believed the gang, who are suspected of transporting 308 migrants to Britain, made 3million charging 9,700 to 12,800 for a passage through the Eurotunnel or ferries across the Channel (file photo) French and Romanian authorities raided 18 houses on Tuesday, seizing weapons and wads of cash worth 444,000 (pictured: Dover) French and Romanian authorities raided 18 houses on Tuesday, seizing weapons and wads of cash worth 444,000. The operation, supported by crime agency Eurojust, came after French police uncovered a gang smuggling migrants, mostly from the Middle East, using trucks belonging to Romanian companies. Yesterday a Eurojust spokesman said the simultaneous arrests were part of the biggest people smuggling operation this year. The 11 arrested were charged with smuggling, participation in a criminal organisation and money laundering. A Harry Potter collector who killed his friend and left his body in a storage unit for 17 years was only caught when he stopped paying bills on the property. John Spencer White, 63, faced the Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of John Christianos, whose remains were found in a wheelie bin in a Melbourne storage locker last year. After White stopped paying the bills on unit 404 at Total Self Storage in Oakleigh South, the unit was sold to a new owner in July 2018. John Spencer White (pictured), 63, faced the Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to the June 2001 manslaughter of John Christianos A man has been charged with the murder of John Christianos (left) who went missing more than 17 years ago and whose body was found in a wheelie bin (right) last month White was offered the chance to clean out the unit, but did not take it. When workers for the new owner tipped over the bin, they made a grisly discovery: what looked like a human leg and a boot sticking out. White had hired Mr Christianos, a talented artist, to paint portraits of Sir Donald Bradman and Gary Ablett Senior to be sold in his sporting collectables store, Memorabilia Headquarters, in Melbourne's east. As well as a job, he gave Mr Christianos - an alcoholic with mental health issues - a place to live, having watched his own mother battle the same problems. For the first few months things went well, but Mr Christianos' drinking made him become irrational, prosecutor Kevin Doyle said. As he did every Friday, Mr Christianos went to see White on June 11, 2001 to pick up his weekly poster sales money. After a few drinks together, Mr Christianos began to threaten White with a knife, the court heard, based on White's confessions to police. He'd bought a WWII handgun to protect himself from the man who, it was revealed, had killed kittens and threatened to 'massacre' shopkeepers when he was drinking. When Mr Christianos kept coming at him, White fired. 'In self-defence I protected myself. In self-defence I shot him,' White admitted to police. White then covered up what he'd done, stuffing his friend's body head first into a bin, which he took to a storage facility where he kept Harry Potter posters and other memorabilia. White (pictured) gave Mr Christianos - an alcoholic with mental health issues - a place to live as well as a job, having watched his own mother battle the same problems He panicked, his barrister Philip Dunn QC said. White had worked all his life to build himself into a success out of the disadvantage he experienced as a boy. The son of an alcoholic sex worker, he'd become a ward of the state until 15 when he moved home to look after his mother and two siblings, who still relied on him in 2001. He lied about Mr Christianos having been suicidal in order to cover his tracks. Then for some unknown reason, Mr Dunn said, he stopped paying the storage fees, leading to the discovery of Mr Christianos' remains. 'As the years go by, and he doesn't pay the fees, it means he will be detected,' Mr Dunn said. It didn't take long for police to find White, who they'd spoken to when Mr Christianos was reported missing in 2001 'Some would say closure is a good thing,' his sister Victoria said, but he'd always been a roamer and she hoped he would show up one day. It didn't take long for police to find White, who they'd spoken to when Mr Christianos was reported missing in 2001. 'It's pretty obvious the jig is up,' Mr Dunn told the court. Retired antique dealer Max Engellenner knew both men at the time and spoke of White as trustworthy, reliable and honest and added Mr Christianos was a friend, but 'the demon drink got to him'. White will be sentenced at a later date. Prisons in the UK have become so battered that inmates have been able to dig holes through walls with plastic cutlery. Prison officers claim that three inmates at Winchester Prison had been able to break through their cell walls in a bid to escape. The Prison Officers Association (POA) has now demanded the wing be cleared in order for structural engineers to check the fabric of the Victorian prison. The union said prisoners at the category B jail had managed to dig holes with cutlery on dozens of occasions, and that two inmates had found their way to the landings late at night. Winchester Prison (pictured above) is a category B jail and the Prison Officers Association has said that inmates have been able to break through the walls However, according to The Telegraph, the Ministry of Defence denied anyone had escaped their cells and said the crumbling facade was 'not an escape risk'. This is while Winchester jail's Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) claimed that the Victorian prison building, which dates back to 1846 does need 'significant' changes. The IMB said: 'Cells regularly need repair because of wear and tear or vandalism.' The group also described accommodation as unacceptable and the conditions 'dirty and unpleasant'. Inside Winchester Prison (pictured above) where engineers are said to have stated that the wings are structurally sound The prison is situated just across the road from the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (prison is top left) POA chairman Mark Fairhurst said that prisoners were 'tunnelling their way out'. 'They are getting through the walls and end up on the landing. The prison should shut the wing down and refurbish it but they are reluctant to do that. 'They are also trying to dig through the walls at windows. It's a crumbling Victorian prison but because they are on a high floor, you need bedsheets or rope to attempt to escape.' Jack Straw had previously visited the prison during his time as Home Secretary (pictured above with an inmate He added that a boarded-up wall was seen by a POA official last year and that it was big enough for a prisoner to have fit through. 'On 19 November 2018 at a meeting with the governor, the issue of a prisoner digging his way out of a cell on B wing was raised. 'The governor's reply was that engineers had confirmed the structural survey found the wing was sound inside and out and safe. But not so safe that plastic spoons can't be used to make a hole in a cell wall. 'I find it incredible that the MoJ should deny that prisoners have accessed the landing when my own national officials have witnessed the holes in the cell walls for themselves.' A Prison Service spokesman said: 'There is absolutely no truth to the suggestion that damage to cell walls at HMP Winchester has led to prisoners escaping from their cells or that there is a risk of them doing so.' The maintenance contract for the prison had originally been in the hands of contractor Carillion, before its collapse last year. It was claimed that it left a 'considerable backlog of faults' and the IMB said its replacement would 'offer better provision'. CEO of Siepe says having a single source of truth internally is the most important way for firms to move forward. Madison Erhardt UPDATE: 5:15 p.m. A fire along Kelowna's Mission Creek Greenway grew to 15 feet wide and 650 feet long before being snuffed by firefighters. Platoon Capt. Kelly Stephens says the fire was burning at a Rank 1 along the trail, with multiple fire sets. It was quickly extinguished and fire guarded. Fire and RCMP investigators are looking into the cause of the blaze. Three fire engines, a command vehicle, two bush trucks, and 15 personnel responded to the incident. UPDATE: 4:30 p.m. Platoon Capt. Kelly Stephens says the fire along Mission Creek Greenway appears suspicious. There were four to six separate ignition points, he tells Castanet. The fire has now been put out. UPDATE: 3:55 p.m. Smoke from the scene of a fire along the Mission Creek Greenway has died down. Firefighters have blocked the Mayer Road and KLO Road trail access points. Shelley Pohl, who sent in photos from the scene shortly after the fire started, says it spread quickly along the side of the trail in accumulated cottonwood tree fluff. Pohl didn't see how the fire started, but says she sees people smoking along the trail all the time. There were people walking by who called 911, and she estimates they were at the spot only minutes after the fire started. By the time Pohl got off her bike and took a few photos, the fire had spread 50 feet, she said. ORIGINAL: 3:25 p.m. A fire on Kelowna's Mission Creek Greenway has firefighters scrambling. From pictures received by Castanet, at least a portion of the fire appears to be burning next to the trail between the KLO entrance and Mayer Road. There is some concern as winds begin to pick up, and it appears there may be more than one point of ignition. Castanet has reporters heading to the scene. We'll have more details when they become available. Send pics, video to [email protected] Taxi app Uber will expand into rural areas and try to be more OAP-friendly, says the companys boss. Calling an Uber on your phone is seen as something urban millennials do. But its chief executive predicts that the app will be used by pensioners going to and from care homes in rural areas before long. In an exclusive interview with the Mail, Dara Khosrowshahi also claimed car ownership would soon become obsolete, with only the super rich and elite bothering to own and drive their own vehicles. Having a car would be similar to riding a horse, he claimed, popular with the curious minded or those who can afford it. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi takes part in a discussion during an event of The Economic Club of Washington on Tuesday Pressed on how the app could attract older people, Mr Khosrowshahi said: We simplify the service and make sure that its friendly not only to the newer generations but the older generations as well. Making sure that transportation is accessible for more rural life in an affordable way is increasingly an issue... our business is growing beyond the city core. Within 10 to 15 years, he believes, we just dont think car ownership is going to be a goal any more. Maybe for the elite, but not for the masses. There are still people who own horses and there will be some people who own cars but it will be few and far between. British black cab drivers have vehemently opposed Uber and taken to the streets in protest, blaming the Silicon Valley giant for ruining their livelihoods. Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, at the Uber Elevate Summit 2019 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on Wednesday But Mr Khosrowshahi, 50, warned everyone will be using an app to book taxis eventually and urged them to work with Uber. The message would be, we run an open platform and wed love to partner up with you, he said. His comments came just hours after the company unveiled its UberAir flying taxis, which it predicts will be flying over congested roads by 2023 for a price eventually comparable to a cab ride. We will do our best to make sure that UberAir appears in London in the 2020s, he said. But we will have to have lots of discussions with regulatory bodies. When the Iranian-born boss took over in 2017, Uber was dogged by controversies. Founder Travis Kalanick, 42, had been ousted amid allegations of sexism, bullying and flouting safety rules. Mr Khosrowshahi, formerly head of travel website Expedia, has been credited with turning things around. The mother of a 12-year-old girl who is recovering from lifesaving brain surgery blames herself for passing on a gene to her daughters that made them susceptible to cancer. 'Miracle girl' Milli Lucas is less than two weeks into recovery after Sydney-based surgeon Dr Charlie Teo operated on her malignant brain tumour. Her mother Monica Smirk has just learned that her own cancer has returned, and opened up about the debilitating condition that runs in her family. The 47-year-old mother-of-three lives with a rare gene disposition known as Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS). Barely enjoying her new lease on life, Milli has learned her mother Monica Smirk has been diagnosed with breast cancer yet again 'Miracle girl' Milli Lucas (pictured with mother Monica Smirk and father Grant Lucas) is less than two weeks into recovery after Sydney-based surgeon Dr Charlie Teo performed surgery on a malignant brain tumour that other doctors deemed too risky to operate on Fewer than 1,000 people in the world live with it, as the hereditary disorder is passed on through the family and the carrier is exposed to a lifetime risk of cancer. She confessed she blames herself for both of her daughters' cancer diagnosis, and said if she knew of her condition before she was a mother, she never would have had children. 'It kills me every night, I f***ing bawl my eyes out watching (Milli). I did that to her, to them, it kills me every day,' she said. In addition to Milli's debilitating condition, her older sister Tess, now 15, was also diagnosed with a brain tumour. Amelia 'Millie' Lucas (left), from Perth, was tragically diagnosed with an aggressive and malignant brain tumour in January 2016. Her sister Tess, 15, (right) also has the same brain tumour condition but has since been given the all-clear Ms Smirk's brother, niece and mother each had their own battles as well. Three years ago Ms Smirk underwent a double mastectomy and hysterectomy. But she recently learned the cancer has returned in her breast, and said her medical team 'aren't sure what to do yet, but we're keeping an eye on it.' 'I can see it, it's not grown so it can wait, but it'll have to come off eventually,' Ms Smirk told The West Australian. Milli said she doesn't blame her mother's condition for her own cancer diagnosis. The comment is just another display of the 12-year-old's unwavering strength, who was smiling from her hospital bed less than 24 hours after her surgery last week. Every other surgeon Milli and her family met had refused to operate on the basis the surgery was risky, and would likely leave her paralysed or dead Every other surgeon Milli and her family met had refused to operate on the basis the surgery was risky, and would likely leave her paralysed or dead. Dr Teo said the type of tumour Milli had and its difficult location made the procedure even more precarious for surgeons, but she and her family knew the risks involved. 'They [the family] know the risks, they know it's not curative and could reduce her quality of life, but they just aren't ready to give up. It's a very brave decision,' he said. He said the life-changing procedure would hopefully improve Milli's quality of life and give her more time with her family. Dr Teo admitted the procedure was one of the 'more difficult' that he's done in his career. 'It went into the brain stem, the no-go zone where most people don't operate', he said. Dr Teo was able to remove 98 per cent of the girl's tumour, and has referred her to specialists in Germany who will work on getting rid of the remaining two per cent. One in five children missed out on their first choice secondary school this year following a rise in applications caused by a baby boom. New government statistics show 19.1 per cent lost out this year, a rise on the 17.9 per cent who were disappointed in 2018. The squeeze on places was due to a rise in applications of around 20,000 - or 3.7 per cent - to 604,500, following a similar rise the previous year. Department for Education (DfE) analysis says the trend is down to 'rising births since 2002 continuing to move into secondary level.' The number of children missing out on places has been rising steadily for 16 years (stock) Previous government memos have noted the baby boom has been fuelled by migration, as mothers from abroad have on average a higher fertility rate than those who are British-born. Today's figures will mean more children are going to schools this September which are unsuitable for them, poorly-performing or far away from their homes. The proportion missing out on their first choice has risen steadily from a low of 13.3 per cent in 2013. Meanwhile, seven per cent missed out on all of their three preferences this year. Yesterday Geoff Barton, general secretary of the school leaders' union ASCL, said: 'The fact that more families have missed out on their preferred choice of secondary schools this year is a sign of the pressure on the system as pupil numbers rise. 'This is likely to intensify over the next five years because the number of secondary school pupils is expected to increase by another 376,000. 'Additional school places will need to be planned carefully to match demographic need. 'But this is only one part of the picture. 'We must ensure every family is able to access a place in a good local school wherever they live, and that they don't feel the need to chase places in over-subscribed schools.' Schoolgirls pictured leaving school for the day: A smaller and smaller percentage of children are getting their first choice place He said the answer was to improve those schools which are struggling with more funding and measures to tackle teacher recruitment. 'We must make every school the preferred choice of families,' he added. The picture was better at primary level, where the effects of the baby boom are now easing off. Only 9.4 per cent of children missed out on their first choice primary, and only 2.5 per cent missed out on all of their top three. The government stressed that at both secondary and primary level, the vast majority of children got one of their three choices. It added that the overall school population has increased by more than 635,000 pupils since 2010. School standards minister Nick Gibb said: 'Wherever they live and whatever their background, children deserve the best in education. 'Since 2010 we have created more school places and seen school standards rise, meaning there is a greater opportunity for pupils across the country to go to a good or outstanding school. 'This means that, despite rising pupil numbers and the highest number of applications at secondary level for twelve years, the vast majority of parents sending their children to school this September received one of their top three preferences of either primary or secondary school.' The government is on track to create a million new school places by the end of this decade - the largest increase for at least two generations. Mr Gibb said standards have risen under the Tories, with 1.9 million more children attending good or outstanding schools compared to 2010. Mr Gore was killed as he was working in the data centre when the fire broke out A British father-of-three has died in a mystery fire at a residency in Denmark. It is understood that he was in the country working for Facebook at a data centre. Jon Gore, 48, was employed by a British firm providing fire prevention material when the blaze broke out following a possible gas explosion. Mr Gore, of Rochester in Kent, died on May 20, the day before he was due to fly home from the city of Odense. Weeks later Mr Gore's parents, Brian and Rita, have received no explanation from Danish authorities. They paid 5,000 to repatriate his body and are now waiting for a post mortem examination and an inquest in the UK to provide answers. His father said: 'It's been like banging your head against a brick wall. Nobody seems to care. It just seems he is dead, wrap him up and send him home. 'He lived on the site where he was found but we have no idea what he was doing in that room when he was preparing to come home.' Jon Gore, 48, died in a fire in Denmark. His body was so badly burned he could only be identified by the serial number on his heart pacemaker Parents Brian and Rita Gorehope a post mortem and inquest will provide answers over their son's death Mr Gore, from Rochester, had also messaged his two younger children, aged 13 and 11, organising to meet them. The divorcee had told family he was coming home 'for good' after coming to the end of his contract, on the island off the Danish mainland, which started in September. A man sprawled over two priority seats on a packed train swore at a heavily pregnant woman and refused to move while he played on his phone, she has claimed. Danielle, who is eight months pregnant, was looking for a seat when she spotted a man in a high-vis shirt and sandals taking up two seats on the Brisbane train. '(There were) a lot of kids and such jammed on the train as soon as it arrived, so she waited, jumped on last minute and stood,' her partner Daniel Melrose told Daily Mail Australia. A man (pictured) sprawled over two priority seats on a packed train while playing on his phone swore at a heavily pregnant woman and refused to move, the woman claimed 'She was happy to stand, but after the first stop she was getting knocked by people entering and exiting the train - she noticed [the man] in the specifically assigned priority seats ... and asked if he minded moving so she could sit. 'He raised his voice at her saying something like ''I work f***ing 14 hours each day, I can sit where I want when I want'',' Mr Melrose claimed. Mr Melrose went on to explain that the only other person acknowledged her was a man covered in tattoos. '[The tattooed man] wasn't sitting either, but blocked a seat for her quickly after another person left.' Danielle took to social media to slam the tradesman. 'Shout out to this douche bag who wouldn't move for me to sit down on a packed train despite sitting in the ''disabled, pregnant, adults carrying children area'',' she claimed. The post amassed thousands of comments, with many explaining how they might have reacted in Danielle's situation, while others remarked on his 'douche bag sandals'. 'This a**hole that wouldn't move for my 8 month pregnant friend,' one friend wrote. ''I work all day' With those shoes? What do you do, rake sand at the beach?' said one user. 'How hard can one work in those silly shoes?' said another. Daniel Melrose (pictured above with Danielle) said people ignore his heavily pregnant girlfriend on public transport 'literally all the time' When asked about how frequently this type of thing happens, the father-to-be said it wasn't uncommon. 'It literally happens all the time. There's not enough seats for priority, and even when there are people completely disregard them and everyone else.' This is Danielle's second media appearance this year after The Courier-Mail reported that she lost a pendant containing the ashes of her late brother, who died in January. She was hoping to pass the pendant on to her unborn daughter. A mother allegedly left her 10-year-old son home alone all night so she could go to a party on an island. The mother, 27, was charged by police on Wednesday, after she allegedly failed to return from a party on Magnetic Island, offshore Townsville, in Queensland. She is accused of leaving the home on Tuesday evening, about 9.30pm, after telling her son she would be home soon, the Townsville Bulletin reported. The mother was charged by police on Wednesday, after she allegedly failed to return from a party on Magnetic Island (pictured), offshore Townsville, in Queensland When the child woke the next morning he realised his mother was nowhere to be seen. Police learned of the incident when they visited the Douglas home on Wednesday morning about an unrelated matter. Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Miles, from the Townsville Child Protection Investigation Unit, said the mother told police about the party. 'She suggested that arrangements of the care of the child had been made but investigations have found that to be incorrect,' he said. This is the third time the mother has left her son unattended, police will allege. In Queensland it is illegal to leave a child under the age of 12 on their own. 'A person who, having the lawful care or charge of a child under 12 years, leaves the child for an unreasonable time without making reasonable provision for the supervision and care of the child during that time commits a misdemeanour,' the law says. Mr Miles said parents often think their children under 12 are capable of looking after themselves but it's not the case. The mother is accused of leaving the home on Tuesday evening, about 9.30pm, after telling her son she would be home soon. When the child woke the next morning he realised his mother was nowhere to be seen (stock image) 'The reality is I think a lot of people think it's OK because 'my kid knows what to do, I've told them what to do',' he said. 'But at the end of the day, children under the age of 12 are ill-equipped to care for themselves, and/or care for younger siblings and they should not be left in those sort of circumstances.' Detectives are expected to investigate if the mother left her son at home more than the three occasions. She was charged with three counts of leaving a child under 12 unattached and was given bail. She will appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on June 26. Advertisement America's military has released a video claiming to show Iran removing a mine from one of the oil tankers hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Yemen yesterday. Washington last night accused Iran of causing the two blasts, which left one of the vessels burning in a fireball and sparked a fresh exchange of angry rhetoric in an already tense Middle East standoff. The footage published by the U.S. military purports to show Iranian vessels returning to the stricken Japanese-owned tanker Kokuta Courageous and removing an unexploded limpet mine. Iran claimed it had sent a search and rescue team to bring the Kokuta's crew to safety - but America says their real intention was to hide Iranian involvement in the blasts. Last night Tehran dismissed the U.S. claims, calling them 'baseless' and accusing America of 'sabotage diplomacy' and 'Iranophobia'. The shipping firms affected are continuing their investigations today, amid claims that one of the crews saw a 'flying object' before an explosion on board. The explosions, which forced 44 sailors on the Kokuta and the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair to abandon ship, have also sparked fears over the world oil supply after four tankers were targeted in similar blasts last month. Scroll down for videos The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, issued a timeline that suggested the military witnessed Iranian vessels returning to the Japanese vessel 'At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine' from the Courageous, Urban said Tanker crew saw 'flying object' before blast The crew of a Japanese-owned tanker hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman saw a 'flying object' before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. 'The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes,' Yutaka Katada, head of Kokuka Sangyo shipping company, told reporters. 'We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship,' he added. Katada on Thursday had told reporters that the Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, had suffered two apparent attacks. After the first, 'our crew members made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again,' he said Thursday. On Friday he said he did not yet have information about the nature of the first attack on the tanker. The blasts caused a fire on board, but Katada said Friday there had not been major damage. The crew were evacuated, with one member suffering minor injuries. Advertisement As tension ratcheted up again in the Middle East: America said that only Iran could have acted with enough 'sophistication' to carry out the attacks The U.S. dispatched a destroyer, the USS Mason, to shore up its military presence in the region Iran angrily accused America of trying to 'sabotage' its talks with Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, who was in Tehran trying to defuse the crisis Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said separately that America is a 'threat to global stability' Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted drones targeting an airport, two days after the same terminal was attacked by Iran-linked Houthi rebels Britain and Saudi Arabia, both U.S. allies, condemned the apparent attacks while the UN secretary-general called for calm and China said that 'nobody wants to see war in the Gulf' It was claimed that one of the tanker crews had seen a 'flying object' before an explosion The price of oil rocketed on Thursday amid fears of disruption to one of the world's most important tanker routes as a result of an escalation in the region. Laying out the U.S. claims against Iran last night, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said 'it is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman.' 'This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to executive the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,' he said. A diagram showing the U.S. and Iranian forces in the region and the location of recent attacks on oil tankers and a Saudi oil pipeline, which have escalated Middle East tensions An Iranian navy boat tries to control a fire on the crude oil tanker Front Altair in the Gulf of Oman yesterday after it was reportedly attacked with a torpedo 'It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today,' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at the State Department Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) render aid to the crew of the M/V Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman Piracy, collisions, missiles: tankers in troubled waters Tankers such as those hit yesterday operate through increasingly treacherous waters, threatened by piracy, collision and politics. Around 60million barrels of petroleum product move each day on the seas globally, according to the US Energy Information Administration. And around a third of this volume passes through the Straits of Hormuz, a critical shipping passage. This waterway is a principal route for crude exports from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq. 'Blocking a chokepoint, even temporarily, can lead to substantial increases in total energy costs and world energy prices,' said EIA in 2017. 'Chokepoints also leave tankers vulnerable to theft from pirates, terrorist attacks, wars or hostilities and accidents that can lead to disastrous oil spills.' Thursday's incidents come about a month after attacks on four ships, including three oil tankers, anchored off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. As with Thursday's incidents, the May attacks inflamed tensions between the United States and Iran. Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Iran could do damage. Iran 'does not have to launch a major war,' Cordesman wrote in a commentary on CSIS's website. 'It can conduct sporadic, low-level attacks that do not necessarily provoke a major US or Arab reaction but create sudden risk premiums in petroleum prices and the equivalent of a war of attrition.' Yet another risk has been Iran's move to shut off automatic identification systems to help tankers evade US sanctions on Iranian crude, said Matt Smith of ClipperData. AIS is used by vessel traffic services and permits ships to know if other vessels are nearby. In January 2018, the Iranian-owned Sanchi tanker carrying 136,000 ton of light crude oil caught fire after colliding with a bulk freighter in a deadly crash. Advertisement The U.S. Central Command also released the grainy black-and-white video which it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing the unexploded limpet mine from the Japanese ship. 'At 4.10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine' from the Courageous, said Captain Bill Urban said. Britain today backed Pompeo's claim as foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK 'has no reason not to believe the American assessment'. In addition, the German government is calling for an investigation into the 'extraordinarily worrying' suspected attacks. Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, told reporters in Berlin on Friday that a 'spiral of escalation' must be avoided. The U.S. has also dispatched its destroyer USS Mason to the scene to 'provide assistance' after the Navy received distress calls from the two tankers yesterday. Renewing Washington's threat of military action, Captain Urban said: 'The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation. 'The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.' Iran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an 'unfounded claim' in the U.S.' 'Iranophobic campaign.' Foreign minister Javad Zarif said the group he calls the 'B-team' - America's John Bolton, Israel's prime minister, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - were waging 'economic terrorism' against Iran. Tehran accused America of trying to 'sabotage' its talks with Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, who was visiting Tehran in an effort to cool tensions. The Islamic Republic said yesterday it was 'suspicious' about the timing of the blasts during Mr Abe's visit. His talks with Iran's supreme leader appeared to take a wrong turn yesterday as the Ayatollah said Tehran would 'never repeat' negotiations with the U.S. However, Mr Abe said Khamenei assured him that Iran has no intention to produce, possess or use nuclear arms. One of the oil tankers burns in the Gulf of Oman yesterday following an apparent attack on the two vessels, just four weeks after similar acts of sabotage against Saudi ships renewed tensions in the Middle East Inferno: A fire rages on board the oil tanker MT Front Altair after it was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman yesterday, in what has been described as a torpedo attack Smoke pours from the Norwegian-owned oil tanker on Thursday after it was hit by an explosion near the UAE and Iran in an apparent attack which has put the Middle East on high alert The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion Timeline: Escalation in the Gulf region May 5: The U.S. says it is sending the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group and a bomber task force to the Middle East because of a 'credible threat' from Iran. Since then Washington has announced the dispatch to the region of an amphibious assault ship, a Patriot missile battery and an extra 1,500 troops. May 8: Iran vows to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels starting July 7 if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its nuclear deal. The U.S. responds by imposing fresh sanctions on Iran's steel and mining sectors. May 12: Two Saudi oil tankers and two other ships are damaged in mysterious 'sabotage attacks' off the coast of Fujairah, part of the United Arab Emirates. Washington believes Iran is to blame for the attacks, but Tehran denies involvement. May 14: Yemen's pro-Iranian Huthi rebels carry out drone attacks near Riyadh, shutting down a key Saudi oil pipeline. Two days later Saudi-led coalition air strikes hit the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa. The next day the U.S. orders all non-emergency diplomats to leave Iraq, due to an 'imminent' threat from Iranian-linked Iraqi militias. May 19: Trump warns that if Iran attacks American interests 'that will be the official end of Iran'. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the 'genocidal taunts' of U.S. Trump will not 'end Iran'. May 27: Trump says the U.S. is 'not looking for regime change' in Iran. May 30: Saudi Arabia - which accuses Iran of being behind the acts of sabotage and the drone attack in May - gets the backing of Arab leaders in its standoff with Tehran at summits organised by Riyadh. Iran accuses Riyadh of 'sowing division'. June 6: The UAE says a multinational investigation into the sabotage attacks point to the likelihood a state was behind them, without incriminating Iran. June 12: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives in Tehran in a bid to mediate between Washington and Tehran. A Yemeni rebel missile attack on an airport at Abha, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, wounds 26 civilians. The Saudis accuse Iran of supplying the weapon. June 13: Two tankers, Norwegian and Japanese, are hit by explosions in apparent attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Fifth Fleet says that it received two separate distress calls from the tankers in a 'reported attack'. Foreign Minister Zarif says the tanker 'attacks' as Abe visits are 'suspicious'. Mr Abe meets Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who tells him: 'I don't consider Trump as a person worthy of exchanging messages with. I have no response for him and will not answer him.' Advertisement Last night President Trump tweeted in response to the Japanese PM's visit that the U.S. was not 'ready' to make a deal with Iran. He wrote: 'While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!' Meanwhile Russia said it was too early to say who was behind the explosions. It was also claimed today that one of the crews saw a 'flying object' before an explosion on board. 'The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes,' said Yutaka Katada, head of the shipping company which owns the Kokuka. 'We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship.' Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the 'Tanker War,' when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region. The latest round of attacks has sparked fears over oil supplies. 'We need to remember that some 30 per cent of the world's seaborne crude oil passes through the straits. If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk,' said Paolo d'Amico, chairman of the INTERTANKO tanker association. The suspected attacks occurred at dawn on Thursday around 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The destroyer USS Bainbridge went to the vessels' aid after receiving two distress calls, the Navy said. There was also some dispute over who had rescued the 44 sailors, as Iran initially claimed to have taken them to safety - but the Japanese owner of Kokuka said the ship's crew were rescued by a Dutch vessel, then taken to a U.S. warship. The Taiwanese oil refiner which chartered the Marshall Islands-flagged Altair said the ship was 'suspected of being hit by a torpedo'. The Marshall Islands are an 'associated state' of the U.S. Reports said the Front Altair, travelling from Qatar to Taiwan with a cargo of naphtha, a petrochemical product, had suffered three explosions and caught fire after a 'surface attack'. Iranian news agency IRNA claimed that the ship had sunk, but its Norwegian owner Frontline insisted it was still afloat. Its crew of 23 were picked up by nearby vessel Hyundai Dubai. The crew was made up of 11 Russians, one Georgian and 11 Filipinos, International Tanker Management said. The Altair's cargo was worth more than $30million, according to estimates from trade sources. Meanwhile, a shipping broker said the Kokuka, which flies under Panama's flag, had suffered an explosion after an 'outside attack' which may have involved a magnetic mine. At a summit today Hassan Rouhani (right), pictured meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin (left) and China's Xi Jinping (centre) in Kyrgyzstan, said that America was a threat to global stability This satellite image shows the view from above as a fireball erupts from one of the oil tankers in an apparent attack yesterday The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran This diagram shows the movement of the two ships, travelling from left to right with their courses charted in green, before reaching the points (in red) where they were hit by explosions The oil tanker explosions came as Japanese leader Shinzo Abe (left) met Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, in Tehran yesterday Two oil tankers are said to have been targeted with explosions today just weeks after four vessels were attacked in the Middle East (pictured, one of the tankers damaged in last month's acts of sabotage) America is a 'threat to global stability' says Iranian leader Rouhani Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday the United States present a serious threat to global and regional stability as tensions soar in the Gulf. 'The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world,' Rouhani said. Rouhani is pictured today in Kyrgystan He was speaking at a meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - a Eurasian security alliance that includes China, India and Russia. Rouhani criticised the US for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying Washington is forcing other parties and countries to breach a UN Security Council resolution on normalising trade contacts with Tehran. He called on the other participants in the deal to 'carry out their obligations as soon as possible' so Tehran can develop its economic interests under the deal. Advertisement The company operating the ship, which was heading to Singapore, said the attack had caused 'damage to the ship's hull starboard side.' The Kokuka's 21 crew were picked up by the nearby Vessel Coastal Ace, leaving the tanker adrift and empty after an engine room fire. One of the crew members was slightly injured in the incident and received first aid on board the Coastal Ace, while the Kokuka's methanol cargo is said to be intact. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Persian Gulf region. Speaking to the security council today he demanded that 'facts must be established' and said: 'I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels'. The European Union called for 'maximum restraint' to avoid a regional escalation. The explosions yesterday came just weeks after four oil tankers were targetred in mysterious acts of sabotage off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah last month. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship, disabling the vessel without sinking it. Matters worsened after two pumping stations on a major Saudi oil pipeline were attacked by explosive-laden drones, halting the flow of crude along it. High tensions in the Middle East, and belligerent rhetoric from Washington and Tehran, have sparked fears that any sudden movement could escalate into a war. Last month the U.S. deployed B-52 bombers and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to shore up its military presence in the region. Meeting Mr Abe yesterday Iran's Ayatollah said that the U.S. 'couldn't do anything' to stop his country developing nuclear weapons. He also took aim at Donald Trump and said he did not believe the U.S. President's offer of 'honest negotiations'. The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge (pictured), to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a 'reported attack,' without elaborating Dramatic pictures revealed the fireball which erupted on an oil tanker after it was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman The two ships affected FRONT ALTAIR Sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands, an 'associated state' of the US. Owned by Norwegian firm Frontline and operated by Dubai-based firm International Tanker Management. Was travelling from the UAE to Taiwan to deliver 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical product, to the East Asian country. Chartered for this journey by Taiwanese refiner CPC Corp. All 23 crew members are safe after being rescued by the Hyundai Dubai. KOKUKA COURAGEOUS Sails under the flag of Panama. Owned by Japanese firm and Kokuka Sangyo Ltd and operated by BSM Ship Management. Was travelling from Saudi Arabia to Singapore carrying 25,000 tonnes of methanol. All 21 sailors were rescued, with one suffering minor injuries. Advertisement Mr Abe had warned of the danger of an 'accidental' war breaking out in the region. The attacks yesterday also came just hours after Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi airport, wounding 26 people. The Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the Houthis in Yemen immediately pointed the blame at Iran, saying Tehran had equipped the rebel group with 'advanced weapons'. Saudi officials said the attack 'proves this terrorist militia's acquisition of new special weapons' [and] the continuation of the Iranian regime's support and practice of cross-border terrorism.' A rebel TV network acknowledged the attack and said Houthi forces had fired a cruise missile. The latest crisis erupted after Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani threatened to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal with the West, which is faltering already after Donald Trump pulled out of it last year. Tehran has demanded that the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia help Iran to dodge U.S. sanctions, which were restored last year when Donald Trump quit the pact. Speaking last month Rouhani said Iran would ramp up nuclear enrichment if such help did not materialise. Saudi Arabia intercepts new airport attack Saudi forces has intercepted five drones launched by Yemeni rebels linked to Iran, in a second assault on an airport in the kingdom's in two days. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, according to a Saudi coalition statement. Responsibility for Wednesday's attack was claimed by the Houthi rebels, a Yemeni group linked to Iran. They are fighting against the Saudi-led coalition in a civil war which has been raging since 2015. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks. Abha is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. The airport was operating normally today with no fights disrupted, the Saudi-led coalition added. Advertisement But the White House condemned what it called Iran's attempted 'nuclear blackmail of Europe' and warned: 'Expect more sanctions soon. Very soon.' The threat also sparked a backlash from Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu warned he would 'not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons'. U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said Iranian mines were almost certainly behind the May 12 attacks, but declined to provide evidence. The UAE said last week that initial findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state was likely behind the attacks, but added there was no evidence yet of Iranian involvement. Donald Trump's White House has not ruled out military action against Iran, although both sides insist they do not want a war. A week after the May 12 attacks, President Trump warned that if Iran attacks American interests 'that will be the official end of Iran'. Zarif retorted that 'genocidal taunts' would not 'end Iran'. However, in an effort to cool tensions Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said there 'won't be any war' while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. 'fundamentally does not seek any war'. The Taiwanese oil refiner which chartered the Front Altair (file photo) said the ship was 'suspected of being hit by a torpedo' One shipping broker said the Kokuka Courageous (file photo), one of the ships apparently attacked in the Middle East today, may have been targeted with a magnetic mine Last month the U.S. deployed B-52 bombers and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (pictured in the Arabian Sea on June 1) to shore up its military presence in the region The 2015 deal, which then-President Barack Obama helped to negotiate, saw sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme. After the U.S. withdrew from the accord it restored crippling sanctions on Iran, exacerbating a severe economic crisis. European powers have tried to find ways to blunt the impact of new U.S. sanctions, in the hope of persuading Tehran to continue to abide by the deal. However, their efforts have largely failed, with all major European companies abandoning plans to do business with Iran for fear of U.S. punishment. Rouhani slammed European countries for seeing the U.S. as the world's 'sheriff' and said this keeps them from making 'firm decisions for their own national interests.' Under terms of the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300kg of low-enriched uranium, compared with 10,000kg of higher-enriched uranium it once had. Washington has effectively ordered countries around the world to stop buying any Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own. Louise Linton has revealed she feels uncomfortable around Donald Trump Jr. and admits it sucks to be hated after she faced a public backlash over an Instagram post where she flaunted her affluence. The 38-year-old actress owns up to her feelings about the president's son in a new interview with Los Angeles Magazine. Linton who has been married to 77th United States secretary of the treasury, Steven Mnuchin, since 2017 opens up about having to dine with Don Jr. knowing that he's an advocate of hunting game. 'Yes, I feel uncomfortable. Look, I do what I can,' she responded after a long pause when asked about Don Jr.'s slaying of elephants and lions. Linton tells the publication in a Thursday article that she has attended meetings at the White House as she acts as 'a voice for the animals' and notes that one time even her own husband did a 'double take' when he saw her in the Roosevelt Room attending a 'Pets for Vets thing'. Linton says she Googled what Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle wear when deciding what to wear in London recently. She also shared she hangs out with few politicians but Ivanka Trump is one of them Linton is no doubt feeling defensive after she was heavily criticized for posting a photo of herself and Mnuchin walking off a military plane in 2017 while she was dressed in head-to-toe designer labels (pictured) Linton says she was 'deeply depressed for a while' after a backlash about her Instagram post boasting about designer gear as she stepped of government jet Animal lover Louise Linton feels uncomfortable around game-hunting Donald Trump Jr. Donald Trump's sons smile broadly next to the dead carcasses of wild animals that they shot while on a big game hunt in Africa But while she owns up to disliking Don Jr's stance on killing animals for sport, she acknowledged her own controversial public image. 'I was deeply depressed for a while,' she reveals about laying low after social media followers criticized her in August 2017 for bragging about being covered in designer gear while stepping off a private jet paid for by the government. An image of her wearing long black gloves as she stood beside her politician-and-investment-banker husband holding up freshly minted dollar bills November 2017 then drew comparisons to Cruella de Vil, Marie Antoinette and Darth Vader. But she claimed she only covered her hands because of low temperatures. 'You've heard of 'cold cash' right? They call it that because it's kept freezing cold there,' Linton said about the Bureau of Engraving. 'But it sucks being perceived as a person that you're not; it sucks being hated,' she continued. 'Most people know me for the gloves or the plane or that awful Instagram post. Look, I made some rookie mistakes. I understand why people are angry about me getting off that government plane tagging fashion brands. It was a stupid thing to do. I get why everyone rolled their eyes at the opera gloves.' But she shares that getting to see the money being printed and other perks such as flying on an Osprey helicopter, are great bonuses about being married to Mnuchin. On June 4 Linton sat at a table with Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump, White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino, Emma Doyle the White House Principal Deputy Chief of Staff, and Suzanne Ircha, the wife of Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the United Kingdom Don Jr is seen at dinner with Linton in London recently. She says she doesn't feel comfortable around him Linton tells Los Angeles Magazine her past image was based on direction from advisers Linton claims in the interview she didn't have anyone to lean on for advice about being in the spotlight so followed the lead from other actresses She also mentioned traveling to her wedding attended by POTUS and FLOTUS - as part of a motorcade being a highlight. Linton seemingly blamed the flashier image on others. Despite saying she had no guidance when she shot into the spotlight, she also hinted to acting upon the direction of advisers. 'But this caricature of me is the opposite of the girl I actually am. I run a business; I have several movies coming out. I can't hide out for another five years,' she told the magazine. 'S**t happens; mistakes happen. People grow and move on. That whole Instagram thing happened because I got some bad advice. My advisers at the time were telling me to be glamorous and fashionable. I was looking at actresses I admired, and they all tagged their clothes. I should have realized that what's good for movie stars doesn't work for a Cabinet secretary's wife.' She Googled what Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have worn to palace dinners when considering outfits for her visit to London recently. Linton adds in article that switching from LA actress and producer to politician's wife it a tricky transition. She claims rumors about her behavior in the capital are 'crazy'. Louise Linton says she wore long black gloves that got her compared to Darth Vader and Cruella de Vil because the Bureau of Engraving was freezing when she visit November 2017 with husband Steven Mnuchin Linton said it was incredible getting to travel with the presidential motorcade at her wedding last year which was attended by POTUS, FLOTUS, plus Mike and Karen Pence 'It's crazy the s**t people say. Someone claimed that I walk into the Treasury and yell, 'Where is my hubbyyy? Oh, he's on an important phone call? Get him off!' Bulls**t! I would never do that,' Linton tells the publication. 'You can't just boopity-boop saunter into the Treasury. You need an appointment! There's security at the gate! It's so deluded and delusional.' Linton admits to switching the channel when her spouse appears on TV although in the past she found his appearance on screen funny and would video it. She says that after marrying someone in Trump's Cabinet - someone who has attended Burning Man - now they can't even attend a workout without Secret Service security around. 'They especially like coming to SoulCycle. They take all the bikes around Steve and just pedal away! One day when we were there Perez Hilton was also there. He later wrote a dumb item blasting us for taking so much security on the taxpayer dime. I wanted to call him and say, 'You know we don't make our own security decisions, Perez? These decisions are made for us!' Otherwise Linton says she doesn't like to mingle with her husband's White House colleagues. She makes exceptions for small dinner parties with Mike and Susan Pompeo, the 'unbelievably charismatic, beautiful, intelligent, and strong' Ivanka Trump who is 'like a movie star' and her 'incredibly kind, polite, and kind' spouse Jared Kushner. But Linton urges the public not to judge her by the views of her politician friends. 'Look, all of my besties are gay. I did the Pride Run last year and again this year' she defended herself when asked about Trump's policies that allow businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. 'SoI'm caught between a rock and a hard place 'You should measure me by my actions, the friends I keep and the charities I support, not by the politics of my husband. It's like walking a tightrope of dental floss in high heels and trying not to fall left or right. I'm just trying to walk the line in a way that isn't going to piss anybody off.' A young wannabe Islamic State fighter stopped at Sydney Airport as he tried to fly to Syria will walk free from jail after being handed a five-year good behaviour bond. Moudasser Taleb, who had no plane ticket and little money when arrested in mid-2017, was found guilty by a jury in April of preparing to travel to Syria for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities. The defence had claimed Taleb had no intention of engaging in warfare or was mentally ill at the time. Taleb was 22 when caught at the airport in June 2017. He was later found to have videos on his phone of beheadings, people with ISIS flags and battlefields. NSW Supreme Court Justice Peter Hamill on Friday said the two years Taleb had already spent in custody were adequate. The judge found him to be of good character despite his crime. "I accept his mental illness had a significant impact on his moral culpability," Justice Hamill said, referring to a diagnosis of schizophrenia after Taleb's arrest. Justice Hamill said he was in no doubt the decision to place Taleb on a good behaviour bond would be criticised by public commentators "who think no sentence is ever long enough". But he said all the facts before him "cry out" for a sentence that would allow "the young, mentally ill and vulnerable offender" the chance of rehabilitation. Taleb's impairment may have made him more susceptible to extremism and the offender was "an inappropriate vehicle" for a sentence of general deterrence, the judge said. The lengthy bond includes stringent conditions. For the first two years Taleb must not use messaging app Telegram, access any material controlled by IS or any other group espousing radical Islam and continue treatment for his mental illness. The judge stressed repeatedly the young man knew what he was doing was illegal but added he wouldn't have headed to the airport without the "quite appropriate" intervention and encouragement of an undercover police officer. Taleb's interest in Islam became intense in 2014 after an episode in hospital. He was already interested in joining IS in the Middle East before the sophisticated undercover sting began. At the advice of the operative, Taleb made preparations to go to Syria and arrived at the airport with a bag containing military clothing, a sleeping bag, tactical gloves, a solar charger and other gear. Justice Hamill noted that when Taleb asked what he should do if turned away from the airport, the operative suggested he commit an act of domestic terrorism. Taleb replied: "No, I'll just look after my mum." She suffered from multiple sclerosis and the young man looked after her full-time. Taleb initially sat with his arms crossed during Friday's sentencing but smiled at his lawyer when he later realised he was to be freed. "Good luck, Mr Taleb," Justice Hamill said as he left the courtroom. A young wannabe Islamic State fighter who was stopped at Sydney Airport as he tried to fly to Syria is to walk free from jail after being handed a five-year good behaviour bond. Moudasser Taleb, who had no plane ticket and little money when arrested in June 2017, was found guilty by a jury in April this year of preparing to travel to Syria for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities. The defence had claimed Taleb had no intention of engaging in warfare or was mentally ill at the time. Moudasser Taleb (pictured giving the ISIS salute) was arrested at Sydney Airport in Juney 2017. Taleb was 22 years old when he was caught at the airport in June 2017. He told police he was a tourist and not a terrorist while wearing military clothing. Taleb was later found to have videos on his phone of beheadings, people with ISIS flags and battlefields. He was previously seen giving the one-fingered ISIS salute when he appeared at court in April. Dressed in orange prison jumpsuit and dark green velcro sneakers, Taleb made the gesture as he was taken from the court in handcuffs. NSW Supreme Court Justice Peter Hamill on Friday said the two years Taleb had already spent in custody were adequate. The judge found him to be of good character despite his crime. Taleb was found to have schizophrenia after he entered custody. 'I accept his mental illness had a significant impact on his moral culpability,' Justice Hamill said, referring to a diagnosis of schizophrenia after Taleb's arrest. He will be released from jail and given a five year good behaviour bond after serving two years Justice Hamill said he was in no doubt the decision to place Taleb on a good behaviour bond would be criticised by public commentators 'who think no sentence is ever long enough'. But he said all the facts before him 'cry out' for a sentence that would allow 'the young, mentally ill and vulnerable offender' the chance of rehabilitation. The judge said Taleb knew what he was doing was illegal but added he wouldn't have headed to the airport without the 'quite appropriate' intervention and encouragement of an undercover police officer. Photo: Richard Hunter Architect Residents around the Knights of Columbus property on McCurdy Road in Rutland were up in arms over a proposed recovery house for men on that property two years ago. The Freedom's Door Society had proposed the 49-unit project, but walked away after losing provincial funding. Two years later, a 49-unit supportive housing project will go ahead on the property. The provincial government announced the project Thursday, saying B.C. Housing has agreed to buy the site from Culos Development Group. Included in that will be a number of units for youth between 19 and 24. That recommendation came from the city's Journey Home Society. Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson says this will make more than 230 supportive homes either completed or underway in the city. "We know there's more work to do," said Robinson. Mayor Colin Basran says the city and several other agencies are working on the need for housing to support up to 700 residents who are either homeless, or on a waiting list with BC Housing. The Canadian Mental Health Association of Kelowna will oversee day-to-day operations of the new facility on McCurdy Road. Residents will be required to sign a program agreement, outlining expected behaviours and the building's rules. The developer will be before city council Monday seeking a development permit for the project. If approved, construction could begin later this summer with completion in the spring of 2021. The site is the current home of the Knights of Columbus Hall. In exchange for selling the property, the service club will receive a new hall and two residential units in the new building. An information session for those in the neighbourhood will be held later this month. The volleyball world is in shock on Thursday after it was learned that a beloved professional player leaped to his death from an Atlantic City casino. Eric Zaun, 25, was found dead in the parking lot of the Borgata Hotel, Casino, and Spa just after 5:30pm local time on Tuesday. Authorities say he jumped from the hotels 29th floor. Zaun, a native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, moved to California to play professional beach volleyball in 2017. His first season was so successful that he earned the rookie of the year award. Eric Zaun, 25, a professional beach volleyball player from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, has been identified as the man who leaped to his death from an Atlantic City casino on Tuesday The volleyball world was in mourning on Thursday after Zaun was identified as the fatality. He is seen left during a tournament in San Francisco in 2017 Zaun, a star volleyball player in high school, moved out West to pursue a career in professional beach volleyball Authorities say he leaped from the 29th floor of the Borgata Hotel, Casino, and Spa in Atlantic City Initially, police declined to identify the victim, but numerous volleyball organizations released statements expressing sadness over Zauns death. The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, where Zaun began his professional career two years ago, released a statement on Instagram saying: The AVP is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Eric Zaun. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. He will be deeply missed. Zaun was a popular player on the AVP Tour, according to Volleyball Magazine. An all-state selection in New Jersey after a stellar career at Cherry Hill East High School, Zaun was known as a passionate volleyball player. The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, where Zaun began his professional career two years ago, released a statement on Instagram saying: The AVP is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Eric Zaun' Ryan Doherty, a fellow AVP beach volleyball player, tweeted: RIP Eric Zaun. If you are going through something dark or just having a hard time, think about reaching out to someone. A good friend, a complete stranger, a professional; whatever makes sense to you. Sophia Rose tweeted: So sad to hear about Eric Zaun, he was always such a nice guy in my encounters with him. He was so willing to teach and help out. Prayers go out to his family. Ali Berens tweeted: I cant believe youre just gone now but Ill remember you always. Molly Turner tweeted: People struggle in their own ways, quietly. Check up on your loved ones, friends, co-workers, whomever. Rest in peace, Eric Zaun. You were one of a kind. Zach Haube tweeted: Depression is so real. Always here for everyone. RIP #Eric Zaun. Karim Levy tweeted: RIP Eric Zaun...So bad news for this talented beach volleyball player and nice guy we will miss U. Skylar Harrison tweeted: RIP Eric Zaun. You never know what people are going through, and you never know what someone is truly feeling regardless of what appears on the surface. So sad Long Beck tweeted: RIP Eric Zaun, I hope you finally found some peace. Another Twitter user tweeted: Feeling a bunch of emotions after all the Eric Zaun posts and news. He put South Jersey on the beach volleyball map. Jacob Brown tweeted: Eric Zaun was the first person I became friends with when I started playing beach volleyball, it may have only been because he wanted my tank top but it still counts. A true legend you will be missed greatly. In January 2016, he drove his van from New Jersey to Southern California to embark on a professional volleyball career. Zaun also played in the National Volleyball League. During his last full year in the league in 2015, he earned $21,975. He was most recently seen playing at last weekends AVP New York City Open. Zaun and his partner, Avery Drost, tied for ninth. It was the third time they took ninth together at an AVP tournament. This is a huge loss for the entire volleyball community, USA Volleyball CEO Jamie Davis said. Eric was a talented young beach player and stepped up this spring to play snow volleyball for the U.S. He will be missed. He was the most unique person Ive ever known, Ed Ratledge, Zauns former partner, said. He could light up any room with his smile and his laughter and attitude were infectious. It was a privilege to be his partner and to have him in my life, he brought out the best in me and Ill miss him forever. Ryan Doherty, a fellow AVP beach volleyball player, tweeted: RIP Eric Zaun. If you are going through something dark or just having a hard time, think about reaching out to someone. He put South Jersey on the beach volleyball map, wrote one Twitter user of Zaun 'A good friend, a complete stranger, a professional; whatever makes sense to you. Sophia Rose tweeted: So sad to hear about Eric Zaun, he was always such a nice guy in my encounters with him. He was so willing to teach and help out. Prayers go out to his family. Ali Berens tweeted: I cant believe youre just gone now but Ill remember you always. Molly Turner tweeted: People struggle in their own ways, quietly. Check up on your loved ones, friends, co-workers, whomever. Rest in peace, Eric Zaun. You were one of a kind. Zach Haube tweeted: Depression is so real. Always here for everyone. RIP #Eric Zaun. Skylar Harrison tweeted: RIP Eric Zaun. You never know what people are going through, and you never know what someone is truly feeling regardless of what appears on the surface. So sad Another Twitter user tweeted: Feeling a bunch of emotions after all the Eric Zaun posts and news. He put South Jersey on the beach volleyball map. Jacob Brown tweeted: Eric Zaun was the first person I became friends with when I started playing beach volleyball, it may have only been because he wanted my tank top but it still counts. A true legend you will be missed greatly. A hero of the Christchurch terror attack has confronted a white supremacist outside a court hearing for the Australian man accused of shooting 51 people dead in March. Abdul Aziz, who saved lives by running at the alleged gunman at the Linwood Islamic Centre on March 15, sat in the Christchurch High Court for Brenton Tarrant's hearing on Friday. Inside the courtroom Tarrant pleaded not-guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and a single terrorism charge. But before he took up his position in the public gallery, Mr Aziz - who used an Eftpos machine to defend the mosque on March 15 - confronted a white supremacist group supporter who was standing outside the courthouse. The hooded man, 33, played Nazi music from a portable speaker and made racist comments, Radio New Zealand reported. Abdul Aziz (right), a hero of the Christchurch terror attack, has confronted a white supremacist outside a court hearing for the Australian man accused of shooting 51 people dead in March Mr Aziz (right), who saved lives by running at alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant at the Linwood Islamic Centre on March 15, confronted the man After being confronted by Mr Aziz, police stepped in and removed the white supremacist from the area. After hearing the man supporting white supremacist speech, Mr Aziz confronted the hooded man. Moments later, police stepped in and led the man away. He was arrested and later charged with disorderly behaviour. The court, packed with the victims' families and survivors, listened intently as Tarrant pleaded not guilty to a total of 92 charges. Tarrant appeared in the court via video link from the maximum-security prison where he has been held since March. Survivors gasped and cried when Tarrant, originally from Grafton, New South Wales, entered his plea. 'He's a coward ... He was laughing. Just put me, for 15 minutes, with him in one cell and then we'll see if he can laugh anymore,' Mr Aziz said outside of court. 'It was very hard for us even just to look at him.' At one point Mr Aziz even played the role of peacemaker as tensions threatened to boil over Survivors gasped and cried when Tarrant (pictured), originally from Grafton, New South Wales, entered the pleas to all 92 charges via video link from a maximum-security prison in Auckland Brenton Tarrant, 28, pleaded not guilty to 92 charges of terrorism, murder and attempted murder. He is pictured in court on March 16 - one day after the alleged shooting Aziz Abdul (pictured) defended the Linwood mosque with an Eftpos machine during the live-streamed shootings. He said it was 'very hard' to look at Tarrant Temel Atacocugu, shot nine times during the attack, said he was putting his faith in New Zealand's legal system. 'We are strong. He is the loser and we are the winners. He will lose,' he told reporters. Dozens of relatives of victims and survivors packed the courtroom, some visibly nervous during the hearing, other in tears as the pleas were entered. Two further court rooms and some 200 seats were set aside for the public and police maintained a heavy presence through the building. The court on Friday also found Tarrant was mentally fit to stand trial after earlier requesting routine reports. The terror charge against him, laid last month, will be the first prosecution of its kind in New Zealand and some legal experts say it could potentially lead to a complex trial. But Christchurch's Muslim community has welcomed the decision by prosecutors to treat the shootings as an act of terrorism. Police maintained a heavy presence at Christchurch District Court on Friday. A police officer (pictured) stands guard with a rose to pay respect at a funeral for victims on March 21 Mourners (pictured) grieved in the days following the March 15 attack. Both mosques are now covered with tributes for victims and families Tarrant is being held in New Zealand's only maximum security jail, in Auckland, and prison staff say he has no access to television, radio, newspapers or visitors. A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers at two Christchurch mosques on March 15. The attack killed 51 worshipers and wounded dozens and was was broadcast live on Facebook. Tarrant's case will return to court on August 16 and he will stand trial on May 4, 2020. Union bosses have branded Labor leader Anthony Albanese an 'idiot' after prematurely calling for the sacking of union heavy weight John Setka on dodgy information. Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union boss John Setka was laying low of Friday after calls for his scalp were splashed across papers around the country. A relaxed Mr Setka was spotted enjoying a soda water with an acquaintance at a North Melbourne cafe on Friday. He declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia and said he was 'allowing the dust to settle' after a week of controversy. John Setka on Thursday outside the ACTU building in Melbourne. On Friday he enjoyed a soda water at a North Melbourne cafe Comments John Setka never made about anti-family violence advocate Rosie Batty exploded this week, with calls for the union boss to be expelled from the Labor Party Behind closed union doors, his powerful allies are livid at an extraordinary attempt by Mr Albanese to have him removed over supposed comments about anti-family violence campaigner Rosie Batty Mr Setka made at a union event. The claims were later revealed to be false, but Mr Albanese refuses to back down. Sources have told Daily Mail Australia how union bosses are branding the Labor Leader's comments 'idiotic', and that Mr Setka's haters are continue to push for his scalp. 'They're now going after him because they reckon he swears too much,' a source said. 'Can you believe that. Of course he swears too much. But who cares!?' In a tough week for the 'love him or loathe him' union boss, ACTU secretary Sally McManus acknowledged Mr Setka did not denigrate Rosie Batty. 'He never said anything to denigrate Rosie Batty,' she said. 'He didn't in any way say laws are worse for men. It's just been reported in a way that's not correct.' Labor Leader Anthony Albanese has stood by his stance to expel the union boss. Even though the basis for his expulsion have since been proven incorrect The ACTU secretary had earlier called for Mr Setka's scalp if he was found guilty of harassing another woman That matter is currently weaving its way through the Melbourne Magistrates' Court and involves claims Mr Setka bombarded a woman with unwanted texts and phone calls. On Tuesday, Mr Albanese, said he would move to expel Mr Setka from the Labor party over the supposed Batty sledge. 'Rosie Batty is a great campaigner against family violence and the idea that she should be denigrated by someone like John Setka is completely unacceptable to me as leader of the Australian Labor Party, and I don't want him in our party,' he said. Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, backed the move, and said the government had removed him from an advisory board. CFFMEU Victorian secretary John Setka and his wife Emma Walters speak to media this week CFMEU Victorian secretary John Setka and his wife Emma Walters are sticking together through the tough times At a press conference with his wife Emma Walters a day later, Mr Setka said there was no reason for him to resign. Ms Walters claimed her husband had been the victim of a 'get-John Setka campaign'. Maritime Union national president Christy Cain backed Mr Setka, telling the ABC plans to expel him because of 'false' and 'rubbish' claims that he had denigrated Ms Batty would be disgraceful. He claimed he was in the room last week when Mr Setka was meant to have made the comments, and that Mr Albanese was foolish to have accepted the veracity of the retelling. Mr Cain further suggested it should be Mr Albanese not Mr Setka who should resign. A male teacher dressed in a footy jersey has been charged over the grooming and sexual abuse a 14-year-old schoolboy. The 26-year-old teacher was arrested at Campbelltown Police Station, in Sydney's south-west, about 11am on Friday. A search warrant was then used at a storage facility in Appin where detectives found paintings and other items relevant to their investigation. A male teacher dressed in a footy jersey has been accused of grooming and sexually abusing a 14-year-old schoolboy The 26-year-old teacher was arrested by police at Campbelltown Police Station, in the Sydney's south-west, about 11am on Friday The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad began to investigate the alleged incident in April after receiving reports the teenager had been sexually assaulted by a man. They were led to the teacher, who police allege groomed and sexually assaulted the boy on numerous occasions between 2018 and 2019. He has since been stood down from the high school in Sydney's south-west. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault, victim under the age of 16 years and victim under authority of offender. He was also charged with grooming and possessing child abuse material. The man was was refused bail to appear Campbelltown Local Court on Friday. A search warrant was then used at a storage facility in Appin where detectives found paintings and other items relevant to their investigation The ex-teacher was charged with aggravated sexual assault, victim under the age of 16 years and victim under authority of offender An 18-year-old man was detained on Thursday after he was found in the attic space of a 14-year-old girl's bedroom just hours after he had a court appearance for the same crime. Matthew Casto, 18, was tased during his second arrest at the Mt. Juliet residence on Karen Drive, according to local authorities. Mt. Juliet Police say that they were alerted by a vigilant neighbor, who noticed that Casto was walking towards the home, Scoop Nashville reports. Matthew Casto, 18, was tased during his second arrest at the Mt. Juliet residence on Karen Drive, according to local authorities on Thursday Officers searched the home and found the man hiding in an attic. Casto was resisting arrest, which warranted the deployment of the Taser. Casto will likely be charged with violating an order of protection, trespassing and unlawfully entering a home. He was arrested on June 2 after police were called to the home in Mt Juliet for a report of an intruder. A woman told investigators she came home that day to find the bearded, long-haired young man at the top of the stairs. Mt. Juliet Police say that they were alerted by a vigilant neighbor, who noticed that Casto was walking towards the home When Casto saw the woman, he 'bolted' to her 14-year-old daughter's bedroom, despite the mother's screams demanding that he leave, according to a Scoop Nashville report. Police officers who were summoned to the scene reportedly had to remove Casto by force from the residence because he refused to go willingly. Casto was arrested on June 2 after the girl's mother noticed he was in her home An investigation revealed that Casto had been living in the attic space for 'some time' and would come down only at night via the teenage girl's closet after she had locked her bedroom door. According to police, they had warned Casto to stay away from the 14-year-old girl when she ran away from home on May 29. The girl, whom DailyMail.com is not naming because of her age, was found safe in Nashville the next day and was returned home. Police have not commented on the nature of Casto's relationship with the 14-year-old. Following his arrest, the 18-year-old was booked into the county jail on a single count of aggravated criminal trespass. Casto was released on June 6 after posting $2,000 bond. The cafe owner who controversially referred to a customer as an 'a**hole' for leaving a negative review on her business page has defended her unique way of handling complaints. Naomi Corbett, the owner of Low Road Cafe at Windsor, in Brisbane's north, lashed out at mother Kylie Lindsay after she left a 'polite' review on the business Facebook page urging them to consider offering highchairs. The one-star review sparked an online war of words, with the women trading insults in the days following the initial feedback. Ms Corbett has since turned down an opportunity to share her version of events in an opinion piece for the Courier Mail, instead opting to share her thoughts on her business page, crediting the 'bolstered traffic' it has received since the furore. She said while she 'appreciated the gesture, I'm hesitant to put myself in someone else's hands again (except for my husband's he's pretty hot).' Pictured: Cafe owners Ben and Naomi. Naomi said they believe their first answer was appropriate and will continue to address complaints in their unusual way Instead, she decided to put her half completed journalism degree - to which she is 'still paying off a HECS debt' - to good use, and write the opinion piece for her own forum. She said the ability to leave negative reviews that are almost entirely unregulated is damaging to small businesses and harming the industry. 'I want to talk about power, and the way it is wielded by people that don't like what you do and want you to God damn pay for it,' she said. 'That kind of power can be so incredibly damaging and hurtful for a small business. It's unregulated and impossible to remove. You literally wait on the kindness of strangers to rectify your ratings.' She said while her methods of 'fighting back against the bullies' may be unusual, it works for her family and her business, and she has no intentions to change. 'Sure, it's unprofessional but have you MET us?' Naomi Corbett, the owner of Low Road Cafe at Windsor, in Brisbane's north, lashed out at mother Kylie Lindsay after she left a 'polite' review on the business Facebook page urging them to consider offering highchairs Kylie Lindsay (right with family), the daughter of a former Liberal MP, said she left a 'polite' review on The Low Road Cafe's Facebook 'If some folk think we're damaging our brand, to that I say at least it's us who gets to do it, not some entitled ding-dong who storms out because we don't have air-conditioning or stock newspapers.' Ms Corbett said she has received an enormous amount of support since her response to Ms Lindsay's complaint went viral. Families have made the trip out to her cafe to offer support, while other small business owners have phoned telling them to stay strong. Ms Lindsay said the cafe actually bullied her in comments on social media and not the other way around, as Ms Corbett suggested. She said the cafe displayed a noticeboard in front of the store which read 'now with low chairs, love ya Kaz'. Ms Corbett has since turned down an opportunity to share her version of events in an opinion piece for the Courier Mail, instead opting to share her thoughts on her business page, crediting the 'bolstered traffic' it has received since the furore She visited the cafe on Sunday about 8.30am but left after she learnt they did not have high chairs. Pictured: Ms Lindsay's first review The owners of the Low Road Cafe said they appreciate the difficulty of dining with a child as parents of a young family themselves In the first review, Ms Lindsay, 41, wrote: 'We would have loved to have tried this this morning, but were very disappointed when we arrived to find you don't have a highchair'. 'Appreciate it's your business and your choice, but it means that young families like ours aren't able to enjoy your hospitality and support a local business.' The owners of the cafe responded to the original post saying they appreciate the difficulty of dining with a child as parents of a young family themselves. 'We don't have high chairs because our space is small and we've had accidents where people trip over them. Also people leave them covered in crap and it hurts our feelings,' The Low Road Cafe said. The owners added customers are welcome to bring their prams into the restaurant. The matter escalated further when Ms Lindsay shared her story in a Brisbane mother's group on Facebook. 'I feel I was incredibly polite and to then be attacked and stalked online for offering some feedback and sharing with a local mum's page that if they need highchairs I wouldn't go to the Low Road Cafe is appalling,' Ms Lindsay told Daily Mail Australia. Ms Lindsay, who said her first review was deleted by the Low Road Cafe, wrote a follow up review on their Facebook page where she became victim to further online abuse. Ms Lindsay, who said her first review was deleted by the Low Road Cafe, wrote a follow up review on their Facebook page where she became victim to further online abuse In the comment section, the Low Road Cafe wrote: 'You are an a**hole, and when questioned you deleted all of your comments.' 'Keep your one star rating, we don't need you.' Ms Lindsay told Daily Mail Australia the verbal altercation may have started over a high chair but escalated to online bullying. 'I just want to stress this isn't about the highchair. This is about standing up to bullying and intimidation,' she said. 'The cafe might think they are witty and clever but they have done themselves enormous reputational damage and bullying someone is neither witty, nor clever.' Pictured: the front of The Low Road Cafe in Brisbane's northern suburbs Ms Lindsay also said the cafe called her 'Karen' instead of Kylie which she claims was written on a noticeboard in front of the cafe. The noticeboard read: 'Now with low chairs!!! Love ya, Kaz!' Ms Lindsay also reviewed The Low Road Cafe on Google Reviews. 'Hi Karen, thanks for your 4900000th opinion on the matter.. You've been kicking off on all sorts of social media trying to discredit us because you didn't get your way, and now you're here,' the cafe responded. 'We don't have high chairs. We explained why. We are parents ourselves. Please, for the love of God have a glass of wine and pop some kind of nurturing essential oil in your diffuser and leave us alone.' The Low Road Cafe has varying reviews on its Facebook page, ranging from support to distaste in customer service. 'Lovely, non-pretentious place to eat. Friendly staff. Great food. Can't wait to go back,' one customer wrote in support. Ms Lindsay also said the cafe called her 'Karen' instead of Kylie which she claims was written on a noticeboard in front of the cafe. The noticeboard read: 'Now with low chairs!!! Love ya, Kaz!' 'Absolutely the best cafe I've been to. Amazing food, the best coffee and wonderful staff. 5 stars,' said another. Ms Corbett previously told The Courier-Mail they believe their first answer was appropriate, before Ms Lindsay shared it with parenting groups. 'A regular sent us a screen shot and said she's trying to make us out to be anti-family,' she told the publication. 'She's going to get called an a**hole if she goes rabbiting on. 'We are a small mum and dad business, we are cheeky and we're not professional by any stretch.' Naomi explained she was reduced to deleting the posts after the comments turned into strangers yelling at each other through their keyboards. She said if Ms Lindsay accepted the cafe's choice to not have high chairs she would have continued to go about her day and not post in parenting groups. A man who found a wire bristle stuck in his throat after eating a barbecue chicken warning others to be careful when using BBQ cleaning brushes. Luke Greensill, from Brisbane, Australia, said he was eating the meat when he felt something in his throat and thought it was a chicken bone. 'I tried to dislodge it to no avail. It wasn't coming out and it was really scratchy,' he told ABC Radio. A man who found a wire bristle stuck in his throat after chowing down on barbecue chicken has issued a warning to others to be careful using BBQ cleaning brushes Mr Greensill said he then used an inspection camera to perform a a do-it-yourself endoscopy on himself. 'That was when I saw there was a wire stuck in my throat... I presented to the [emergency department] and basically spent the next three days in hospital.' Mr Greensill, who had been dubbed Brisbane's Iron Man, took to Facebook yesterday to post a warning to others to be careful of the cooking implements. 'Still got that BBQ brush? Well, I've still got that piece of wire stuck in my throat. Throw it out before you or a loved one ends up in my position or worse,' he wrote. Doctors operated twice on Mr Greensill under full anaesthetic but they could not remove the 20mm wire bristle that is lodged at the base of his tongue. He said the metal bristle causes him constant discomfort and he is now worried it may dislodge and travel to somewhere else in his body and cause other issues. Mr Greensill said the brush had a warning label on it saying the bristles could dislodge after prolonged use. However, the brush was quite new having been bought for Christmas. Ear, nose and throat surgeon Matthew Broadhurst told the national broadcaster the area where the bristle got stuck is a difficult one for surgeon's to operate on. Mr Greensill said he then used an inspection camera he had bought but never used to give himself a do-it-yourself endoscopy Dr Broadhurst said there was a small window to get an item that is stuck there while it is still 'superficial.' 'That's why he could see it himself with his skilled self-endoscopy; I have never heard of someone doing that before.' Mr Greensill is now waiting to attend another appointment in the next week to hopefully find a solution. Jo Brand has today pulled out of an Alzheimers Society event following controversy over her joke about throwing battery acid over 'unpleasant' politicians. The 61-year-old comic was due to attend the event, with Buzz Bingo, in London on Saturday, but a spokesman for the charity said her 'schedule has now changed'. The announcement came after she apologised last night for the gag calling it 'crass and ill-judged' - but insisted she still didn't think it was 'a mistake'. Brand said 'sorry' to an audience in Henley, Oxfordshire as it emerged police will examine the remarks following an allegation of 'incitement to violence.' Brand sparked outrage after she said on Radio 4 show Heresy that yobs who doused politicians like Farage with milkshakes were 'pathetic' and added: 'Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?' Yesterday the backlash against her grew as victims of acid attacks called her comments 'vile' and 'inhumane' and demanded she was arrested. The BBC has since removed the episode from its iPlayer and released an updated statement in the wake of the outrage after they defied calls to sack her. And today it was announced she would not be appearing at the charity bingo event on Saturday. Sinead Donoghue, head of corporate partnerships at the Alzheimers Society, said: 'Unfortunately in light of recent events, Jos schedule has now changed and shes not able to attend the Buzz Bingo event, celebrating their contribution to Alzheimers Society.' The 61-year-old (pictured last night) spoke when she appeared at an event in Henley, Oxfordshire, after she sparkled outrage for her comments on a BBC Radio 4 show Brand told an audience last night: 'Looking back it probably was somewhat a crass and ill-judged joke that might upset people. 'Of course I'd never do anything like that. It was purely a fantasy. I'm sorry. I'm a human, I make mistakes.' She added: 'I don't think it's a mistake. If you think it is I'm happy to accept that.' The Sun reported that she added: 'Female politicians and public figures are threatened day in, day out, with far worse things than battery acid . . . rape, murder and what have you. 'At least I'm here and trying to explain what I did.' 'I don't think I have anyone to answer to. Nigel Farage wasn't even mentioned by me on the night so why he has taken it upon himself I don't know.' Brand was photographed yesterday at the Henley Literary Festival where she was making an appearance. The sold-out shows revolve around a 'darkly funny guide to being a woman' and comes with a free book. Brand (pictured arriving at a literary festival in Henley, Oxfordshire) yesterday initially refused to apologise for her comments, but later Audience member Emma Toward, 43, said afterwards: 'She said she apologised for her comment, she said it was taken out of context. 'She apologised if she caused any offence. She was very genuine when she said it. The comic faced photographers when she arrived to perform her stand-up show at a church in Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, yesterday afternoon 'She did say that only one bit of her comment which had been tweeted by Nigel Farage and it had been edited. 'The bit that had been missed from her programme was she also said, 'Of course, I would never do that, and I don't condone it [throwing battery acid]'. 'The crowd were very supportive when she said it, there was lots of applause. She also took questions on it. 'There was only one person who asked a question, and asked her was she angry with the editing by the BBC. She said, 'of course not, they had a job to do'.' Her apology came hours after she had refused to say sorry outside her 1.9million detached home in Dulwich, south-east London. She laughed as she as driven away in a car. When asked if she would continue working with the BBC, she responded: 'I'm not employed by the BBC, so how can they sack me?' Earlier Nigel Farage had called her an 'overpaid, left wing, so called-comedian' as the backlash against her intensified. He called her remarks 'completely and utterly disgusting' after he claimed she was 'inciting violence' with her comments. Last night the BBC appeared to have pulled the show from its websites, and said in a Tweet it would edit the joke from future broadcasts and its catch-up service. What is the law on 'incitement to violence' The Metropolitan Police have received an allegation of incitement to violence in relation to Brand's comments. Section 59 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 abolished the common law offence of incitement, with effect from 1 October 2008. Under Section 44 of the new Act - intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence - a person commits an offence if (a) he/she does an act capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence; and (b) he/she intends to encourage or assist its commission. However the person is not to be taken to have intended to encourage or assist the commission of an offence merely because such encouragement or assistance was a foreseeable consequence of his act. Those found guilty under this law can face the same punishment as they would face for the crime they were encouraging. According to the Home Office, carrying out an attack with a corrosive substance can already result in a prison sentence of up to life, depending on the nature of the charges. Being found in possession of acid with intent to carry out an attack can mean a sentence of up to four years. SOURCE: www.legislation.gov.uk Advertisement Asked about the row yesterday, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police have received an allegation of incitement to violence that was reported to the MPS on 13 June. 'The allegation relates to comments made on a radio programme. 'The allegation is currently being assessed. There have been no arrests and inquiries are ongoing.' The corporation has so far defied calls to axe her, and broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has so far received 65 complaints about the episode. The BBC are facing accusations of 'hypocrisy' after bosses decided to sack Radio 5 Live presenter Danny Baker over offensive behaviour, but stood by Brand. The Prime Minister's official spokesman also called on the BBC to explain why the joke was broadcast on one of its radio shows. The spokesman said: 'Theresa May has been clear that politicians should be able to go to work and campaign without fear. 'Brendan Cox, the husband of Jo Cox, has said that violence and intimidation should not be normalised and we should consistently stand against it. The Prime Minister shares this view'. He added: 'It is for the BBC to explain why they thought this to be appropriate content to broadcast'. Farage, who has called on the police to open an investigation into the remarks, said yesterday: 'I am sick to death of overpaid, left wing, so-called comedians on the BBC who think their view is morally superior. 'Can you imagine the reaction if I had said the same thing as Jo Brand?' In a video posted to his Twitter feed he wrote: 'I think we know fairly clearly who Jo Brand was aiming that comment at. Brand, 61, (left) said on Radio 4 show Heresy that yobs who doused politicians like Farage (right, speaking today) with milkshakes were 'pathetic' and added: 'Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?' Acid attack victims slam Jo Brand's 'vile' and 'inhumane' remark as they call on her and the BBC to apologise and say police should arrest her Acid attack victims today slammed Jo Brand and called on police to arrest her after her 'vile' and 'inhumane' joke on a BBC comedy panel show. Sophie Hall, who was injured when Arthur Collins, the father of The Only Way is Essex star Ferne McCann's baby threw acid in a Hackney nightclub, was one victim to speak out today. She said: 'The police need to arrest her so others will think twice and realise it isn't a joking matter, far from it. Sophie Hall (left) called on police to arrest Brand over her comments. Joe Davies (right) called her remarks 'vile' and 'inhumane' 'Something so serious needs to be treated seriously. 'A lot of people watch her and she is obviously a big influence and for her to joke about something like that takes away the seriousness of the act. 'We live in such a society today, that it's sad to say there are some very psychotic people out there that she might influence to actually do something like that.' She told The Mirror: 'It's upsetting that someone like that in the public eye could even make a joke about it. I think it's absolutely outrageous. 'She should never have joked about it in the first place because it's not a joking matter.' The horrific burns suffered by Joe Davies after he was doused in acid She added: 'Jo should go and to a burns unit and see what it does and see if she can make a joke about it afterwards after seeing the trauma people have gone through.' Collins was found guilty of five counts of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and nine counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at a trial in November 2017 after injuring 22 people. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years. Joe Davies, who was left with horrific injuries after having drain cleaner thrown on him called her joke 'vile' and 'disgusting. Mr Davies, 25, told The Sun Online: 'It's disgusting. I can't comprehend how someone could say that and anyone could stand by it saying it's funny. 'The BBC should apologise. It's 100 per cent vile and 100 per cent not funny. 'I don't know what must be going on in someone's head to make a joke like that about another person. It's inhumane. 'It sounds to me like she needs a bit of educating. Andreas Christopheros suffered horrific burns in a mistaken identity attack on his doorstep in Truro, Cornwall, in 2014 Mr Christopheros (pictured with his son Theo and wife Pia, left, and right) today labelled Brand and the BBC 'reckless and deeply stupid' Joe had drain cleaner containing sulphuric acid thrown at him by Roger Comer, 45, after an argument in Slough in 2017. Comer was jailed for nine years. Andreas Christopheros, 33, suffered horrific burns in a mistaken identity attack on his doorstep in Truro, Cornwall, in 2014. Today he labelled Brand and the BBC 'reckless and deeply stupid.' He told the Sun Online: 'I'm all for comedy and free speech, I've laughed at acid attack jokes before, but this is different. 'It's a reckless and deeply stupid thing to put out there on a radio show and both she and the BBC should apologise.' Advertisement 'A lot of people, like Jo Brand, think the referendum is a terrible mistake. 'They have a view that is morally superior to everybody else's and therefore it seems, that anything can be used in defence of their arguments. 'Frankly I think this sort of behaviour is completely and utterly disgusting. 'Can you imagine if I was to tell a story like that, about somebody on the other side of me, an Anna Soubry or someone like that? Nigel Farage called Jo Brand an 'overpaid, left wing, so-called comedian' as the backlash against the comedian intensified Nigel Farage said that Brand's remarks on the comedy panel show amount to hate speech and has called for the police to intervene. It came after Jo Brand (pictured) joked on Radio 4's Heresy that battery acid was a better option than milkshake for throwing at Brexiteers 'I reckon the police would knock on my door within ten minutes. I think it's appalling.' Pictured: Nigel Farage in Newcastle on May 20, when an activist threw milkshake on him Yesterday Brand's friend Frank Skinner defended her when he appeared on ITV's Loose Women. He said: 'I think it is difficult to say anything in public life at all. 'When kids play Hangman, is that a devil may care attitude to capital punishment? 'I don't think Jo, for one second, would want anyone to commit an act of violence - even against Nigel Farage. 'I think most people would see Farage as not one of the peacemakers, they would see him as one of the people who fueled the fire. 'I remember when Margaret Thatcher died, as a young man I had said I hated [her] but the truth is, when it comes down to it, it was this rather sad old woman with dementia and I didn't feel any of that hate. 'We live in a society where people find it much easier to say hate than love about anything. Especially on twitter. 'It is a weird time at the moment where people are very angry about various things but you have got to have jokes.' The sister of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox also spoke out on the scandal. Kim Leadbeater told ITV's Loose Women: 'If something is illegal, there is a very clear line, but when we think about morality and how we speak to each other, who sets the moral compass of the nation? 'And are the rules the same for politicians as they are for comedians? The main thing for me is about personal responsibility, we have got a responsibility to think about the things that we say and do.' On the Radio 4 panel show, broadcast on Tuesday night, Coren asked Brand whether she believed the country was united in agreeing we are living through a 'terrible' time in politics. She responded by calling milkshake a 'pathetic' thing for people to have thrown at their political opponents during May's EU election campaigning. She said: 'Well yes I would say that, but I think that's because certain unpleasant characters are being thrown to the fore and they're very, very easy to hate. 'And I'm kind of thinking, 'why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?' 'I'm not going to do it, it's purely a fantasy, but I think milkshakes are pathetic, I honestly do, sorry.' A BBC spokeswoman said: 'Heresy is a long-running comedy programme where, as the title implies and as our listeners know, panellists often say things which are deliberately provocative and go against societal norms but are not intended to be taken seriously. 'We carefully considered the programme before broadcast. It was never intended to encourage or condone violence, and it does not do so, but we have noted the strong reaction to it. 'Comedy will always push boundaries and will continue to do so, but on this occasion we have decided to edit the programme. We regret any offence we have caused.' The Corporation said Brand would 'remain part of the Radio 4 family'. Brand told reporters outside her home today that she was 'not employed by the BBC' and could not be fired. The Radio Four Extra show Heresy is produced by Avalon Television rather than in-house for the BBC, and the named producers are Victoria Coren-Mitchell and Daisy Knight. Brand's comments follow milkshake attacks on Farage in Newcastle on May 20 and on World War II veteran Don MacNaughton as he campaigned for the party in Aldershot. Milkshakes were also thrown at English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson and Carl Benjamin, also known as YouTube personality Sargon of Akkad, who in 2016 tweeted 'I wouldn't even rape you' to Labour MP Jess Phillips. Brendan Cox, whose Labour MP wife Jo Cox was murdered by a neo Nazi fanatic in June 2016, said: 'I dislike Nigel Farage's politics profoundly. 'But I don't think throwing stuff at politicians you disagree with is a good idea. It normalises violence and intimidation and we should consistently stand against it.' The Brexit Party leader was covered in the drink by a protester as he took his EU election campaign to Newcastle on May 20 Many accused the BBC of hypocrisy questioning why the BBC had sacked Danny Baker for his allegedly racist tweet about the royal baby, but have not axed Brand. Broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeted: 'Why did the BBC instantly sack Danny Baker for an offensive royal baby tweet but won't sack for saying she'd like acid to be thrown at politicians?' Another user posted: 'It's a joke, however it was on the BBC and they fired Danny Baker for a vile joke and to me this is worse. Therefore the BBC should issue the same treatment for Jo Brand.' The host of BBC's Heresy, Victoria Coren Mitchell, responded to Nigel Farage's tweet that Jo Brand's joke was an incitement of violence The joke triggered outrage on social media and was branded 'shameful' and 'disgusting' Leave.EU tweeted: 'Absolutely disgusting remark by so-called 'comedian' Jo Brand, who suggested last night on @BBCRadio4 that we throw battery acid at our politicians. 'Is this sort of hate speech what we fund the @BBC for? Shameful!' Judith Bowler responded: 'Wow! If 'Jo public' made such a suggestion they would be arrested. 'Jo Brand used to be a comedian. Now, sadly, she is an idiot using her public presence to incite hatred and criminal acts.' But others disagreed with critics because the the comments were made on a comedy show that bills itself as a 'discussion programme which challenges established ideas and questions received wisdom'. Victoria Coren Mitchell, the host of the show, she tweeted: 'Nigel, I'm genuinely disappointed; we don't agree on everything but I would totally have had you down as a free speech man. Especially when it comes to jokes.' TV comedian Lee Hurst tweeted: 'Jo Brand is a comedian. She has made a joke. You may not find it funny or you may find it funny. Comedy is subjective. 'If you criticise her because you like her target, but defend other jokes of a similar nature against targets you don't like you are a hypocrite.' Tom Slater, deputy editor at the website Spiked, a pro-Brexit magazine which campaigns on Free Speech issues, also said a police investigation would be wrong. 'My magazine spiked supports the Brexit Party in its fight for democracy,' he said. 'But Nigel Farage's comments today suggest he is far more cavalier when it comes to freedom of speech. 'He seems to suggest comedians should be criminalised for telling jokes. That is deeply authoritarian. Comedians are meant to say risque things. 'No one in their right mind would deem Jo Brand's comments incitement to violence. It seems there are as many snowflakes on the right as on the left these days.' A BBC spokesman said: 'Heresy is a long-running comedy programme where, as the title implies and as our listeners know, panellists often say things which are deliberately provocative and go against societal norms but are not intended to be taken seriously.' Hong Kong social media lit up today when protesters noticed Google's translation software was briefly churning out a rather odd suggestion during a week that has seen the worst political violence to hit the city in decades. Eagle-eyed Google users discovered that when people entered the phrase 'I am sad to see Hong Kong become part of China' the suggested translation in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese converted the word 'sad' to 'happy'. 'Oh my god, I can't believe my eyes,' one Facebook user commented under one of the many screen grabs of the false translation that went viral on Friday. The English phrase reads 'so sad to see Hong Kong become part of China' but the translated Simplified Chinese sentence reads 'so happy to see Hong Kong become part of China' Hundreds of mothers in Hong Kong today hold placards, some of which read 'If we lose the young generation, what's left of Hong Kong', and lit smartphones in a rally against police brutality during Wednesday's clashes This week, Hong Kong plunged into political crisis after mass protests against a controversial extradition bill turned violent. Police fired more than 150 rounds of tear gas and 20 beanbag rounds during Wednesday's clashes. The violence left 81 people hurt. Marchers and opposition leaders demanded the bill be shelved and that the citys Beijing-backed Chief Executive Carrie Lam resign. 'The app intentionally mistranslates the English to 'so happy/content' instead of 'so sad',' added student Rachel Wong on Twitter. 'I hope Google fixes this.' Any reasons why a simple statement would deliver the opposite translation on Google Translate? Just checked this a few minutes ago: pic.twitter.com/aso2TFrFUg Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu) June 14, 2019 This week, Hong Kong plunged into political crisis after mass protests against a controversial extradition bill turned violent When AFP entered the sentence 'I am sad to see Hong Kong become part of China' on Friday morning it did show the wrong translation, replacing sad with happy. Searches involving some other combinations of countries or territories also reproduced the error. An hour later, a correct translation was showing. The company's hugely popular software tool uses complex algorithms and deep learning, as well as allowing users to make suggested translations to improve accuracy. 'Google Translate is an automatic translator, using patterns from millions of existing translations to help decide on the best translation for you,' a spokesman for Google told AFP. Google's hugely popular translation tool uses complex algorithms and deep learning computers to improve accuracy Riot police fire tear gas during clashes with protesters during a rally against a controversial extradition law on Wednesday 'These automatic systems can sometimes make unintentional mistakes like translating a negative to a positive.' The international finance hub has been rocked this week by political violence as protesters opposed to a proposed China extradition law clashed with police. On Thursday, the popular encrypted messaging app telegram, which is being used by protesters to coordinate, announced it had suffered a major cyber-attack that originated from China. The demonstration capped weeks of growing outrage in the business, diplomatic and legal communities, and human rights groups, which fear corrosion of Hong Kongs rule of law and the lack of an fair and open legal system on the mainland. The international finance hub has been rocked this week by political violence as protesters opposed to a proposed China extradition law clashed with police Police fired more than 150 rounds of tear gas and 20 beanbag rounds during Wednesday's clashes. The violence left 81 people hurt The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 amid guarantees of autonomy and various freedoms including a separate legal system, which many diplomats and business leaders believe is its strongest remaining asset. The amendments of the law would simplify case-by-case arrangements to allow extradition of wanted suspects to jurisdictions, including mainland China, Macau and Taiwan, beyond the 20 with which Hong Kong already has extradition treaties. Foreign governments have also expressed concern, warning of the impact on Hong Kongs reputation as an international financial hub, and noting that foreigners wanted in China risk getting ensnared in Hong Kong. A woman whose dog mauled her three-year-old grandson to death then taunted her own son at his child's funeral - and he retaliated by trying to kill her. Korbin Sprott was killed by his grandmother's German Shepherd when the dog attacked him in her backyard in Mackay, Queensland in 2013. Korbin's father James Sprott, 30, had pleaded with his mother Sonia Strachan to have the dog put down after it bit the child a year earlier. Ms Strachan taunted her son at Korbin's funeral, and so he retaliated by going to her house, smashing her face with a beer bottle before trying to break her neck and kill her, a judgment released on Friday has revealed. Korbin Sprott (pictured with his father James) was killed by his grandmother's German Shepherd when the dog attacked him in her backyard in Mackay, Queensland in 2013 Korbin's father James Sprott had pleaded with his mother Sonia Strachan to have the dog put down after it bit the child a year earlier Sonia Strachan's German Shepherd grabbed her grandson by the neck in the front yard of her Mackay, North Queensland, home in 2013 (stock photo) James Sprott had lived with his mother after his marriage ended but their relationship soured when he asked her to have her dog euthanised. He pleaded with his ex-wife not to leave his son in the care of his mother and her dog, but she ignored him. The dog killed Korbin in 2013, but Sprott was not told of his son's death until some time later when a relative living in the United Kingdom called him. At Korbin's funeral, Ms Strachan and her boyfriend Mark Gallagher sat behind Sprott and taunted him. 'I'm going to sit here, you c**ts,' she said, before calling her son a 'dog' and a 'useless c**t', according to the judgment. On April 11, 2017, about four years after his son's death, Sprott went to his mother's house while holding two beer bottles. He smashed one of the bottles into his mother's face before grabbing her head from behind in an attempt to break her neck. Sprott then punched Mr Gallagher in the face and stomped on his head. He turned back to Ms Strachan and threw her on the floor, then into a TV cabinet, then picked up a pot plant and slammed it onto her face as she tried to crawl away on her back. At Korbin's (pictured) funeral, Ms Strachan and her boyfriend Mark Gallagher sat behind Sprott and taunted him A neighbour, Mitchell Thompson, heard the attack and raced over to see Sprott punching his mother hard in the face about five times. 'Help me, he's going to kill me,' she cried, according to the judgment. Thompson punched Sprott in the face, knocking him out. Sprott later told police he wanted to kill his mother and Mr Gallagher. Sprott pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and was originally sentenced to two concurrent sentences of nine-and-a-half years. Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath appealed Sprott's sentence, saying it was inadequate, but the Queensland Court of Appeal disagreed. The judge in the original case was found to have been justified in giving Sprott a lenient sentence due to the poor treatment he received from his mother while growing up. The dog killed Korbin in 2013, but Sprott was not told of son's death until some time later when a relative living in the United Kingdom called him 'In particular, the respondent's state of health was caused in part by his mother's lifelong neglect of him, and was greatly contributed to by both of his victims' irresponsibility that had led to the little boy's death, and by their almost incredible callousness afterwards,' the judgment said. 'While the sentences are outside the general range, so too are the facts of this case outside the usual run of cases.' The appeal to lengthen Sprott's jail sentence was dismissed, and he will be due for release in 2026. Photo: The Canadian Press Former Flint Emergency Manager Gerald Ambrose Prosecutors dropped all criminal charges Thursday against eight people in the Flint water crisis and pledged to start from scratch the investigation into one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in U.S. history. The stunning decision came more than three years and millions of dollars after authorities began examining the roots of the scandal that left Flint's water system tainted with lead. Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who took control of the investigation in January after the election of a new attorney general, said "all available evidence was not pursued" by the previous team of prosecutors. Officials took possession this week of "millions of documents and hundreds of new electronic devices, significantly expanding the scope of our investigation," Hammoud and Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. The efforts "have produced the most comprehensive body of evidence to date related to the Flint water crisis," they said, putting investigators "in the best possible position to find the answers the citizens of Flint deserve." Hammoud's team recently used search warrants to get state-owned mobile devices of former Gov. Rick Snyder and 66 other people from storage. Among those who had charges dismissed: Michigan's former health director, Nick Lyon, who was accused of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly failing to alert the public in a timely fashion about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease when Flint was drawing improperly treated water from the Flint River in 2014 and 2015. The dismissal came a day before a judge planned to announce whether a 2018 decision to send Lyon to trial would stand. Dropping the charges with just hours to spare killed the possibility of an adverse ruling and still gives prosecutors the freedom to haul Lyon into court again. Nonetheless, defence attorney Chip Chamberlain said they "feel fantastic and vindicated." "We're confident that a just and fair investigation, done properly, will yield no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing," he said. Hammoud said she would not speak to reporters until after a June 28 town hall-style meeting with Flint residents. Her boss, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, said a "fearless" team was still on the case. "Justice delayed is not always justice denied," Nessel said in a statement. Some residents were skeptical. "We don't know if new charges will be filed," LeeAnne Walters, who is credited with exposing the lead contamination, told The Associated Press. "It feels kind of degrading, like all that we went through doesn't matter. Our city was poisoned, my children have health issues and the people responsible just had all the charges dropped against them." While waiting for a new pipeline to bring water from Lake Huron, Flint, a majority-black city of 100,000, pulled water from a river without treating it to reduce corrosive effects on old pipes. Lead contaminated the distribution system in a community where 41% of residents are classified by the government as living in poverty. Because of its poor finances, Flint was being run by financial managers appointed by Snyder. The uproar over water quality reached a peak by fall 2015, when a doctor reported high levels of lead in children, which can cause brain damage. Some experts also have linked the water to Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrive in warm water and infect the lungs. People can get sick if they inhale mist or vapour, typically from cooling systems. Flint's water no longer comes from the river and has significantly improved, but some residents are so distrustful that they continue to use bottled water. A Staten Island woman has become at least the seventh American in the last year to die while vacationing in the Dominican Republic, and family wants answers. Leyla Cox, 53, of New Brighton was found dead in her hotel room on Monday, and her son William has claimed no toxicology report has been carried out on her because all the country's machines are broken. Cox said that he was told by the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo that his mother died of a heart attack, but in light of recent news reports about Americans dying during their vacations, he is not ready to accept the official explanation. 'I have a right to be suspicious,' he said. In a phone interview with the New York Post he explained: 'The Dominican Republic has not released an autopsy report. 'They will not do a toxicology report on her because they say the toxicology machines in the Dominican Republic are broken. Leyla Cox, 53,was found dead in her hotel room in the Dominican Republic on Monday, and her son William (pictured together) says he is 'suspicious' after being told no toxicology report has been carried out on her because all the country's machines are broken Leyla Cox, 53, of New Brighton, flew to the Dominican Republic on June 5. She was expected to spend a week on the island before flying back to New York on Wednesday, according to her son, William Cox Cox says he was told by the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo that his mother died of a heart attack 'I've been trying to get her body flown back to the US, so we can do our own autopsy and our own toxicology report,' he said. 'But unfortunately that will cost a fortune. And I do not have anywhere close to that sort of money.' Toxicology reports - drug tests done on people who have died - cost thousands of dollars. Authorities believe the deaths may have been caused by bootleg booze Police believe the seven American tourists who have mysteriously died in the Dominican Republic over the past year may have been poisoned by bootleg liquor. The Caribbean island has said the deaths are isolated incidents, but U.S. law enforcement sources told the New York Post that they are looking into who supplied the alcohol the victims drank in the hours before their deaths. They also want to test the drinks to see if they contain dangerous chemicals. One source told the Post that the FBI will take blood samples from the dead back to its Virginia research center for testing. Most of the victims were apparently healthy adults, several of whom are known to have drank from their hotel room minibars before becoming extremely ill. Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, told the New York post that the symptoms of many of the dead and sick, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are consistent with poisoning from methanol or pesticides. Methanol is toxic form of alcohol used as antifreeze. It is a light, colorless, flammable liquid with a odor similar to that of ethanol (drinking alcohol). 'It looks to me, from what I've heard and read, is that something was added to the drinks or bottles in those little refrigerators,' he said. Advertisement 'They've put me against a wall where I don't have a choice,' William said. 'I don't know how she died. I don't know where she died I know it was in a hotel. I don't know if she was in a room or at the bar.' Leyla flew to the Caribbean island on June 5 and was expected to spend a week on the island before flying back to New York on Wednesday, William told the Staten Island Advance. The family says it is waiting for her body to be transferred from the hospital to Blandino Funeral Home in Santo Domingo. 'Once they have her, they're going to call me, and they're going to make arrangements with me,' said William. Another factor that will likely complicate any attempt to find out what happened is the fact that his mother wished to be cremated - which would preclude any toxicology report. Leyla was found dead in her hotel room on Monday June 10, just one day after her birthday. Cox said he and his family had urged his mother not to go to the island given the recent events. 'My family wanted her to not go on this vacation,' he said. 'I truly believe if my mother was not in the Dominican Republic, she would have been alive right now. 'With everything going on in the news right now, we think she's a casualty of what's been happening.' Cox said he spoke to his mother days before her departure. 'I called her on a Sunday and wished her a happy birthday,' he said. 'I told her I loved her.' It is unclear if Leyla Cox stayed at one of the resorts where other Americans have fallen ill. Earlier on Thursday, an Atlanta couple said they fell violently and mysteriously ill while on a vacation to Dominican Republic. Vanessa McNelley-Neal and her husband James say they were the victims of a 'very intense' sickness while on a break on the island. It is unclear if Leyla Cox stayed at one of the resorts where other Americans have fallen ill. The Dominican resort of Punta Cana is seen in the above stock image Vanessa McNelley-Neal and her husband James have become the latest tourists to say they fell violently and mysteriously ill while on a vacation to Dominican Republic Cynthia Day, 49, and Nathaniel Holmes, 63, of Maryland, checked into the Bahia Principe Hotel, La Romana on May 25. They were found dead in their rooms five days now and their families say they now plan to carry out their own autopsies on their bodies Four American tourists have died at the Bahia Principe hotels and two at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana. FBI officials say they're now investigating each of the deaths. The brother of Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran, John, was also found dead in a Dominican Republic hotel room in April. Corcoran said in a statement on Instagram Thursday that her brother had an 'existing heart condition and we believe he died of natural causes'. Barbara Corcoran says brother's heart attack was unrelated to the recent spate of U.S. tourist deaths in Dominican Republic Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran has she does not believe her brother's death in the Dominican Republic was related to those of seven American tourists which are currently being investigated by the FBI. Corcoran's 60-year-old brother John was holidaying on the Caribbean Island in April with a friend when he died from a sudden heart attack. John Corcoran (right) the 60-year-old brother of Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran, (left) was found dead in a Dominican Republic hotel room in April The circumstances at first appeared eerily similar to those surrounding the other American tourists who all died after becoming seriously ill on the island over the past 12 months. But the real estate maven, 70, said in a statement on Instagram on Thursday: 'My brother had an existing heart condition and we believe he died of natural causes. 'I'm overwhelmed with sadness for the lost lives in the DR and my thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones.' The multi-millionaire said her brother's friend discovered his lifeless body on the floor of their suite. No autopsy has been done but Corcoran clarified that it was not suspicious that her brother, a New Jersey resident, died on the Caribbean island, saying: 'He loved the DR and vacationed there frequently.' Advertisement But the family of Nathaniel Holmes and Cynthia Ann Day, who died at the Bahia Principe Hotel, La Romana, say they plan to carry out their own autopsies on their bodies. Their attorney Steven Bullock told People: 'We are continuing to investigate the exact cause of death. The families are determined to find out what happened and why. At this time the cause of death remains a mystery. 'We look forward to getting the FBI findings.' An autopsy carried out in the Dominican Republic said Holmes and Day they both died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema. Day also reportedly suffered from cerebral edema. The McNelley-Neals told 11Alive they had been staying at the same chain of hotels as other Americans who have died or suffered from illness. The couple first visited in October last year before returning a month later. Vanessa said: 'We had a good couple of days and then started feeling ill. 'Started having really bad abdominal cramps. Thought it was some kind of a GI [gastrointestinal] issue. I had a light headache. 'I had food poisoning years ago in Tahiti so I know what that feels like and it did not feel like that,' Vanessa said. 'The stomach cramping was very different. It was very intense. It was not the normal stomach pains. 'Anything we took didn't really help.' Her husband James added: 'I had a heavy headache that just lasted and lasted. I took everything and nothing phased it.' The couple, living in Puerto Rico at the time, went to the doctor when they first returned home but doctors there and later in Atlanta could not determine what was wrong with them. They say they were sick for at least three weeks. Vanessa added: 'We just left it be until people started having the same issues and it sounded very similar to what we had going on and it just didn't make a lot of sense.' The couple now say they hope 'other people will come forward' and an investigation is launched. Tourist Jerry Martin, from Plant City, Florida, also claimed to have fallen ill at Caribe Club Princess Beach Resort & Spa in Punta Cana last month. He told Fox 13: 'We were down at the pool when it hit, and I had to go up and just lay down and hold my stomach. It was on fire.' DailyMail.com has contacted the resort for comment. The Atlanta couple Vanessa and James McNelley-Neal stayed at the same chain of hotels as others who died, 'It was very intense. It was not the normal stomach pains', Vanessa said Tourist Jerry Martin, from Plant City, Florida, pictured, also claimed to have fallen ill at Caribe Club Princess Beach Resort & Spa in Punta Cana last month Cynthia Day, 49, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland and her fiance Nathaniel Holmes, 63, of Temple Hills, Maryland were found dead in their room at the Bahia Principe hotel Miranda Schaup Werner collapsed on May 25 and died in her room after having a drink from the mini-bar at the all-inclusive Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana. She's pictured left with her husband Dan. David Harrison, 45, right, of Maryland died of an alleged heart attack while vacationing with his wife, Dawn McCoy and their son at the Hard Rock in Punta Cana Yvette Monique Sport, 51, left, of Glenside, Pennsylvania, also died after drinking from the minibar at the Bahia Principe resort, Sport's family members said. Robert Bell Wallace, 67,right, of California, became ill and died after he had a scotch from the room minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic FBI officials say they're now investigating the seven deaths of seemingly healthy Americans who died suddenly at one of two resorts in the last 12 months The Bahia Principe Resorts and Hotels tweeted to say: 'The safety and comfort of our guests and staff stand at the core of our company values and we work daily to insure it. 'All our properties in the Dominican Republic hold some of the most prestigious certifications in the industry including Travelife certifications at the Gold level, as well as a Global Reputation Index (GRI) of 90 percent.' In a statement a spokesman for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana told the DailyMail.com: 'Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana is deeply saddened by these two unfortunate incidents, and we extend our sincerest sympathy to the families of Mr. Harrison and Mr. Wallace. 'We are currently waiting for official reports regarding these deaths, which occurred in July of 2018 and April of 2019 respectively. 'We can assure you, the safety and health of our guests is now, and has always been our highest priority. We currently implement beverage protocols, including purchasing sealed and unopened products from licensed and reputable vendors, as well as daily inspections of all products served throughout the hotel bars and in-room liquor dispensers. 'Additionally, our team members are trained to inspect all supplies, equipment and products that enter the property.' Authorities in the Dominican Republic had said last week the deaths of a Pennsylvania psychotherapist and an American couple five days later at the same resort appear to be unrelated incidents. TIMELINE: American tourists who mysteriously died or were struck down with illnesses in the Dominican Republic June 2018: Yvette Monique Sport, 51, of Glenside, Pennsylvania, dies after drinking from the minibar at at a Bahia Principe hotel in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic. Family said the previously healthy Sport had the drink, went to sleep and never woke up. June 2018: Kaylynn Knull, 29, and Tom Schwander, 33, woke up in their hotel room at the Grand Bahia Principe with a pounding headache. They returned to the room later in the day, to find a 'chemical smell'. The couple changed their flights and flew home early. July 2018: David Harrison dies while on vacation at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana to celebrate his wedding anniversary. He woke up struggling to breathe and covered in sweat. He died that same day. His widow said he'd visited the doctor before the trip who'd given him a clean bill of health. October, 2018: Awilda Montes, 43, of New York, claims she drank a bottle of soda from the minibar at the Grand Bahia Principe resort in La Romana that 'turned out to be bleach.' She survived but suffered chemical burns. April 10, 2019 : Robert Bell Wallace, 67, of California, became ill almost immediately after drinking an alcoholic beverage from his in-room minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort in Punta Cana - the same hotel as Harrison. April 14: Wallace dies in hospital four days after falling ill. May 25: Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvannia, dies within hours of consuming a drink from a resort minibar across the island at Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana. May 25: Cynthia Day, 49, and Nathaniel Holmes, 63, of Maryland, check into the Bahia Principe Hotel, La Romana. May 30: Day and Holmes are found dead in their rooms. June 10: Leyla Cox, 53, of Staten Island, New York, is found dead in her hotel room. The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo informed her family that she died of a heart attack, but her son, William Cox, says he is suspicious. Advertisement The resort released this statement saying it is 'deeply saddened' by the couple's deaths Robert Bell Wallace, 67, of California became ill almost immediately after drinking an alcoholic beverage from his in-room minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort in Punta Cana on April 10, and died on April 14 after being hospitalized, Fox News reported. Pennsylvania's Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, also died after consuming a drink from a resort minibar across the island at Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana on May 25. Five days later, Maryland couple Cynthia Day, 49, and Nathaniel Holmes, 63, were found dead in their rooms on May 30 at the same resort, though staying in an adjacent sister hotel. One year ago, Yvette Monique Sport, 51, of Glenside, Pennsylvania, also died after drinking from the minibar at that resort, Sport's family members told Fox 29. In July 2018, David Harrison, 45, of Maryland died of an alleged heart attack while vacationing with his wife and their son at the Hard Rock in Punta Cana, which his widow now calls into question given the other recent deaths. A 22-year-old Russian woman has died in suspicious circumstances in Bahrain after she fell from a sixth floor window. Lyubov Mezentseva's body was found on the ground outside a hotel on June 5 after she travelled to Gulf country to be with a boyfriend she met online. Lyubov's family believe she was pushed to her death after she split with the mystery man, and say he is not answering their calls. Lyubov Mezentseva, 22, from Russia, travelled to Bahrain to be with a man she met online before being found dead outside a hotel Mezentseva was found dead on June 5, and her family believe she was pushed to her death after she and the mystery man split up 'It is said police have detained a number of people,' said Lyubov's sister Svetlana, adding the family cannot obtain details of what happened to the Russian some ten days after she died. 'We felt it could go wrong (in Bahrain), we did not want her to go there,' even though she regularly sent money home to the family, she said. Yaroslav Levin, a diplomat at the Russian embassy in Bahrain, said: 'We are aware of the fact that the body of the young woman was found near the hotel. 'But it is too early to say what happened.' The woman was from remote Vereschagino village in Perm region in the Ural Mountains. 'All information about the accident is being gathered,' said Levin. A picture of Bahrain uploaded to Mezentseva's social media account. It appears she has been travelling there for four years, but moved permanently in recent months Svetlana, a mother-of-five, said she had been contacted by a Russian female friend of Lyubov in Bahrain. 'That young woman explained that Lyubov had been pushed out of a hotel window,' she said. 'I was very shocked. I called the Russian consulate but they did not say anything meaningful. I still have no idea what led to her death.' She said: 'Lyubov was killed on 5 June. She was pushed down from the 6th floor. 'I do not know who did it. The investigation is in progress, but I was not told anything significant. I am sure it was not suicide, she just could not do it. Svetlana, Lyubov's sister, says she is in contact with another Russian woman living in Bahrain who has fed her information of her sister's demise after the Russian embassy refused to talk Svetlana says she has been told that police have arrested several people, but she has been given no information about the investigation (Lyubov, pictured) 'It is said police have detained a number of people'. Svetlana said her sister 'did not work' in Bahrain and was dependent on her boyfriend but that they had 'split up'. Despite this she sent money home to Russia each month for her family. The sister said she could not afford to repatriate Lyubov's body and was seeking to raise money. Lyubov appears from social media accounts to have been travelling to Bahrain since she was 18. Her sister posted 'We love you, remember and mourn you. You will remain in our hearts forever.' Adrian Murphy, 43, was found dead at his ransacked Battersea home Police are investigating a suspected gay dating app killer following the death of a world champion dancer 48 hours after a similar attack. Adrian Murphy, 43, was found dead last week after inviting a stranger he met on social media to a 1.2 million riverside apartment where he was house-sitting in Battersea, South London. Police believe the Irish dance instructor died after being drugged and robbed by a predator he met online. The culprit is suspected of raping and robbing another man 48 hours earlier. Scotland Yard appealed for other men to come forward as they revealed that a 24-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl had been held on suspicion of murder. The case echoes that of serial killer Stephen Port, who drugged, raped and murdered four young men he met on the dating app Grindr. Adrian Murphy who has been found dead. Detectives are appealing for witnesses and information following the suspicious death of a man in Battersea and a linked incident in Walthamstow Detectives have linked Mr Murphys death to the rape and robbery of a 40-year-old man in Walthamstow, east London, who was similarly drugged and found in a comatose state after inviting someone he met on Grindr to his home on May 30. The victim, who has not been named, was found unconscious by a friend and rushed to hospital. His flat had been ransacked and laptops, mobile phones, a wallet and cash was stolen. On Tuesday, 4 June at 6.38pm police were called by the London Ambulance Service to a block of flats in Lombard Road, SW11 (pictured) where Mr Murphy's body was found Mr Murphy was attacked two days later, on June 1. Police believe he may been drugged by the same assailant who escaped with his valuables and cash, leaving his body to lie undiscovered for three days. Tests have failed to establish the exact cause of death but officers believe the same chemsex drug may have been administered to both victims. Detectives warned there could be other victims who may have been robbed or sexually assaulted after being tricked on gay dating apps. Yesterday friends and family of Mr Murphy spoke of their shock at his death as they revealed he had previously been the victim of a hoax on the dating app. Mr Murphys best friend, Simon Kime, who discovered his body, said there were no signs of a struggle. He said the dancers photo had been used on Grindr without his permission several years ago. He added: I didnt even know he was on Grindr and am quite surprised at some of the things that are coming out. A man and a teenage girl have been arrested in connection with both matters and officers are concerned there may be further offences Mr Murphy, a seven-times Irish dance champion, had set up a successful company and made appearances on TV shows in the UK, Australia and the US. A police spokesman said: Both these attacks share similar characteristics. There is a possibility that there may be other victims out there who we would want to come forward. A man arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder, rape and theft has been released on bail. A 17-year-old girl was arrested on the same day on suspicion of murder and theft, and has been released under investigation. A nurse who twice beat the deadly Ebola virus has given birth to twin boys, it has emerged. Pauline Cafferkey, 43, from Glasgow, who first contracted the killer bug in 2014, welcomed the 'two amazing boys' at 10am on Tuesday. Father Robert Softley Gale announced the arrival of Rafe and Dante on social media by posting a picture of himself with the newborns. The disability campaigner and theatre director, who is gay, wrote: Hello world. Meet these two amazing boys. Pauline Cafferkey, 43, from Glasgow , who first contracted the killer bug in 2014, welcomed the 'two amazing boys' at 10am on Tuesday Father Robert Softley Gale announced the arrival of Rafe and Dante on social media by posting a picture of himself with the newborns (pictured) Born at 10.05 and 10.08 this morning 5lb 14oz and 5lb 8oz. Mum and boys doing brilliantly.' Speaking after the birth, Ms Cafferkey told the Daily Record: 'I would like to thank all the wonderful NHS staff who have helped me since I became ill in 2014 right through to having my babies this week. 'This shows that there is life after Ebola and there is a future for those who have encountered this disease.' On Wednesday, Mr Gale posted another photo of himself with the twins along with a message which read: Hello yall. Weve no idea who the guy holding us is but he seems to think were the best birthday present ever. Mr Softley Gale (left, with the newborns) a disability campaigner and theatre director posted the news on social media and wrote: Hello world. Meet these two amazing boys' Ms Cafferkey (right) said the birth proves 'there is life after Ebola' Ms Cafferkey talking about her ordeal with Victoria Derbyshire on the BBC in 2017 Ms Cafferkey is transported to an RAF Hercules aircraft at Glasgow Airport before she is flown to London for treatment at the Royal Free Hospital after contracting Ebola in 2014 Miss Cafferkey, a nurse for 16 years, almost died after being infected with Ebola while volunteering with Save the Children at a treatment centre in Sierra Leone in 2014. She returned to Britain on December 28 of that year for a planned break but fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with the illness. In 2016, she was cleared of misconduct by the Nursing and Midwifery Council over allegations relating to her arrival in the UK in the early stages of her infection. Following her initial recovery, Miss Cafferkey suffered a series of further health scares due to complications linked to the disease and at one stage fell critically ill again. Mr Gale is gay, with reports stating he is understood to be in a long-term relationship. The nurse, (left, volunteering at Sierra Leone in December 2014, and right) said after giving birth 'This shows that there is life after Ebola and there is a future for those who have encountered this disease' Ms Cafferkey became the first victim to be diagnosed on British soil and spent almost a month in an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in north-west London (pictured) A spokesman for the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital said: We are pleased to confirm, on behalf of Pauline Cafferkey and her partner, that she gave birth on Tuesday to healthy twin boys at a maternity unit within Greater Glasgow. 'Both mother and babies are doing well. No further details of the birth will be issued and we would appeal to the media to respect Paulines wish for her familys privacy. More than 11,300 people have died from Ebola since the epidemic broke out. Another 28,000 nonfatal cases were reported. Seventeen families are still living in temporary accommodation two years after the Grenfell tragedy. Newly released figures reveal that fourteen surviving families of the fire that killed 72 people are in temporary accommodation, with one family in hotel and two families in serviced apartments. London landmarks including Kensington Palace, Downing Street as well as Grenfell Tower were bathed in a green projection light on Thursday night in tribute to the victims. Seventeen families are still living in temporary accommodation two years after the Grenfell tragedy. Fourteen families have been living in temporary accommodation, one family in a hotel and two families in serviced apartments Survivors and bereaved families of Grenfell come together to remember those lost in the 2017 tower blaze. They have organised projections on 'unsafe' high-rise blocks in London, Newcastle and Manchester with messages pushing for building improvements following the tragedy. A projection on London's Frinstead House, a 20-storey block across the road from Grenfell, claimed: '2 years after Grenfell this building still has no sprinklers #demandchange. A message on Cruddas Park House, a 25-storey block in Newcastle, designated to over-50s, read: '2 years after Grenfell and the fire doors in this building still don't work.' While in Salford, Manchester, the projection on the 246-flat NV Building warns that 'dangerous cladding' still wrapped the outside of the structure. Natasha Elcock, Grenfell survivor and co-chair of the Grenfell United campaign group, said: 'We needed to send a strong message. It's been two years since Grenfell and people are still going to bed at night worried that a fire like Grenfell could happen to them. 'After the fire we were promised that blocks would be made safe. Two years later we cannot wait any longer, we need action now so everyone is safe in their homes.' The tower blaze, that killed 72 people in June 2017, has been remembered at landmarks across London On Thursday night, balloons were also released at the tower's memorial in remembrance of the 72 victims People also paid tribute at the North Kensington site Some 328 buildings still have aluminium composite material (ACM) or similar cladding that was used on Grenfell Tower have yet to see removal works begin, it has been reported. According to figures from the Building Safety Programme (BSP) obtained by the BBC, work has not yet begun to remove cladding from 221 of them. As of the end of May, 105 other high-rise buildings that had previously failed safety tests have had work to remove the cladding completed. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told the BBC it has banned combustible materials in external walls of new high-rises and that sprinklers must be installed in new buildings above 30 metres. 'Building owners are ultimately responsible for the safety of the building and it is for them to decide whether to retro-fit sprinklers.' The BSPs figures were reported after survivors and relatives of those killed in the blaze reiterated a call for urgent fire safety recommendations to be made, saying such a move 'could save lives'. Friday marks the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower tragedy that killed 72 people (Grenfell tower in June 2017) Survivors and bereaved families of Grenfell come together to remember those lost in the tower blaze (Grenfell Tower, 2019) Grenfell survivors and bereaved families have organised projections on 'unsafe' high-rise blocks across Britain. A projection on west London's Frinstead House (pictured), a block across the road from Grenfell, says: '2 years after Grenfell this building still has no sprinklers' Balloons were also released at the tower's memorial in remembrance of the 72 victims. Grenfell in numbers: Rehousing survivors: One - family still in a hotel Two - families in serviced apartments 14 - families still in temporary accommodation 184 - families in permanent homes 235 million - approximate amount spent by local authority on purchasing homes Unsafe cladding on buildings around the UK: 105 - high-rise residential and public buildings completed replacement of unsafe cladding 328 - high-rise residential and public buildings still to complete replacement of unsafe cladding 400 million - amount pledged by the Government to replace unsafe cladding on social housing blocks 200 million - amount the Ministry of Housing has committed to funding the removal of cladding from around 170 private high-rise residential blocks Advertisement A memorial service will be held on Friday at St Helen's Church in North Kensington, which will set the tone for a day of remembrance. Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist and Grenfell survivor Leanne Mya will sing during the service, which will also be attended by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire and fire minister Nick Hurd. Yvette Williams, a co-ordinator of campaign group Justice 4 Grenfell, said there was an atmosphere of heaviness in the community following a series of setbacks, including the public inquiry's first report being delayed and the news that any criminal charges will come after the probe has concluded. She said: 'For us the anniversary is always focused on the 72. So you kind of think, what have we really done for them over the last two years, how many steps towards justice have been made?' She added: 'I think foremost in people's minds will be: 72 dead, still no arrests, how come? 'And I think that people are seeing almost a two tier system. We have had prosecutions - we've had loads of them, and they've been the opportunists and fraudsters that said they lived in the tower and claimed public resources. The projection on the 246-flat NV Building (pictured), in Salford, Manchester, warns that 'dangerous cladding' still wrapped the outside of the structure While a message on Cruddas Park House (pictured) in Newcastle, a 25-storey block, designated to over-50s, reads: '2 years after Grenfell and the fire doors in this building still don't work' 'The major players ... we've heard a few people have gone in for questioning, they're roaming free.' Staff at Kensington and Chelsea Council will also gather at the town hall to pay their respects. Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'Two years on from the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower, my thoughts remain with the bereaved, the survivors and the whole North Kensington community. 'Grenfell was both a local and a national tragedy with far-reaching consequences. In the months and years ahead, I hope future Governments will continue to do everything necessary to support all those affected and make certain the voices of the Grenfell community are heard. 'We must not forget all those who lost their lives and we must ensure that the Inquiry continues its important work to establish the truth of what happened that terrible night and why.' London landmarks including Kensington Palace, Downing Street as well as Grenfell Tower were bathed in a green projection light on Thursday night in tribute to the victims A notorious cult leader described as one of Australia's most evil criminals has died in a Melbourne nursing home. Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the glamorous and charismatic founder of The Family died in palliative care on Thursday night aged 98, following a 12 year battle with dementia. She ran a cult in central Victoria that included the illegal adoption and drugging of many children from the early 1970s until 1987, when two children managed to escape and alert police. Identically dressed with bleached blonde hair shaped into the same bob, the children were bashed, starved and injected with LSD by Hamilton-Byrne and other cult leaders in terrifying sect initiation rituals. Scroll down for video Anne Hamilton-Byrne (pictured with cat Tiffany) was the glamorous, charismatic and delusional leader of notorious Australian sect dubbed The Family. She has died aged 98 Lex De Man, the retired Victorian detective who led investigations into the cult group described Hamilton-Byrne as 'the most evil person I ever came across, despite her never being charged with child abuse. 'You wouldn't normally say that about a 98-year-old woman From my perspective upon hearing the news of her death, no-one is sad,' Mr De Man said. 'Those who survived, some justice has been served. Today is not a sad day but a day to celebrate may she rot.' He hopes her death will mark a fresh start for survivors and said his one regret was that she never faced justice for the serious crimes. 'She left a trail of broken lives, ruined people and the one good thing I've seen is that the former children who were victims of some horrible things have moved on with their lives and they're good people,' Mr De Man told AAP 'I think of them today and what they went through.' Hamilton-Byrne spent her final years leaving in a Melbourne nursing home with dementia Identically dressed, the children were allegedly bashed, starved and injected with LSD by Hamilton-Byrne and other cult leaders Survivor Ben Shenton, who was just 18-months-old when he went to the cult, was relieved to hear about Hamilton-Byrne's death. 'I feel for the many families and people who suffered at her hands over the years and I'm just glad that a chapter's closed,' Mr Shenton told The Australian. He was horrified to discover devotees were visiting her when he visited Hamilton-Byrne in her nursing home in 2012. 'To see that perpetrated and to see the damage that it caused in people's lives is more of an issue to me. Her death closes a chapter on that,' Mr Shenton said. Hamilton-Byrne convinced herself and up to 500 followers she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Under the influence of LSD, she believed an apocalyptic war was imminent and that she had a duty to collect children from birth in preparation for a new world. She gathered young boys and girls and raised them as her own on a property in Lake Eildon in central Victoria in the 1970s and 1980s. Some children were obtained through questionable adoptions, others were born to cult members and some were even handed over by compliant sect parents. Survivor Ben Shenton has expressed his relief over the death of the notorious cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne (pictured) convinced herself and up to 500 followers she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. The identically dressed children, with bleached blonde hair shaped into the same bob, were bashed, starved and injected with LSD by Hamilton-Byrne and other cult leaders in terrifying sect initiation rituals. Victims have attempted to pursue Hamilton-Byrne through the Supreme Court in recent years to get justice for the abuse of more than 20 children. Despite police raids on the Lake Eildon property and a massive investigation, the only penalties ever imposed on Hamilton-Byrne and her husband and sect co-founder Bill Hamilton-Byrne were $5000 fines for falsifying a statutory declaration. In a chilling interview featured in the 2017 documentary The Family, she describes her twisted affection for 'her children.' 'I wanted them to look like brothers and sisters - I must admit this,' Hamilton-Byrne said. 'I loved them in their little smocks and jeans and the long hair and ribbons. It was beautiful - it was lovely to see.' Anne Hamilton-Byrne and her husband Bill (left) with a teen who was brought up in the cult Asked why she imprisoned 28 children over two decades, she responded: 'I love children.' The Family documentary director Rosie Jones said Hamilton-Byrne lured many of her victims in with her charm and good looks. 'She was basically Jesus Christ reincarnated in the view of her followers, and I think in her own view,' Ms Jones told ABC Radio Melbourne. 'She was charismatic and gorgeous and she knew how to reach people's weak spots.' Anne Hamilton-Byrne as Evelyn Edwards in Sale in rural Victoria in 1921 Born as Evelyn Edwards in Sale in rural Victoria in 1921, Hamilton-Byrne barely knew her father and her mother was mentally ill. She was a yoga teacher when she met highly-respected English physicist Dr Raynor Johnson in 1963. Together they founded the sect and began to 'adopt' and acquire children to create a 'master race' while teaching a mixture of Christianity and Hinduism. In total, 28 children spent time at the Eildon property, 14 of which Hamilton-Byrne and her husband Bill were thought to be biological parents. Former Lake Eildon children give harrowing descriptions of their traumatic ordeal in the upcoming film. They open up about being forced to take drugs and recall violent physical and sexual assaults. In 2009, The Family founder Anne Hamilton-Byrne mistreating the children at the property Holding back tears, Ben Shenton relived the moment he witnessed Hamilton-Byrne's 'favourite daughter' being beaten to a pulp. 'Sarah was thrashed,' he says, holding back tears. 'I was watching her being belted with a buckle and she's being beaten to the point where she's wriggling out of her clothes. 'Hearing her body smash across the balustrades - it was horrendous to know they had the power to do that and would it.' It wasn't until Victorian Detective Lex De Man learned that children as young as 13 had been injected with LSD that a task force to investigate the sect was established. Asked in a 2017 documentary why she imprisoned 28 children over two decades, Hamilton Byrne (pictured right) responded: 'I love children' She gathered young boys and girls and raised them as her own in the 1970s and 1980s In 1987, authorities dramatically rescued six traumatised children from the sect property after two managed to escape and alert police. Because of legal complexities, Hamilton-Byrne and her husband were only ever convicted of fraud offences in relation with forged birth certificates. They avoided jail and were fined $5,000 each. In 2009, Hamilton-Byrne told the Sunday Herald Sun she was ready to die after reconciling with Sarah, the 'daughter' who had exposed the cult to the world. But she denied mistreating the children, saying, 'They were normal children and they could be disobedient to a point, but not all the time.' The first group of children destined for Lake Eildon. In all, 28 spent time there under the cult A father-of-one was horrified when a train station worker hurled a barrage of abuse at him after he asked for access to a first aid kit. Tibi Moravckik, 45, from Tunbridge Wells, went to the Southeastern staff member's counter to ask for help after falling from his bicycle near High Brooms railway station. While at the counter he says he was insulted by the railway worker and took out his camera to film as the man told him to 'get out of this f***ing station now.' The video shows Mr Moravckik show his bloodied wrist to the camera before the station worker walks quickly around and out in to the middle of the station. Tibi Moravckik, 45, from Tunbridge Wells, is shocked as the Southeastern staff member walks around to his side of the counter before telling him to 'get out of this f***ing station now' Walking towards Mr Moravckik the man aggressively tells him to leave. The cyclist said: 'I came to the station and told him something like "I need a ticket to London, but first please could you help me with a first aid kit? I had an accident on my bike going downhill to the station".' Mr Moravckik appears to be standing quietly at the counter when the railway worker suddenly snaps and makes his way around to the customer's side of the counter. He called 999 after the encounter and says they 'were nice', gave him first aid and asked him what happened. 'They were really professional. One officer helped me and the other spoke with him and watched the station's CCTV,' he added. But the experience left him feeling 'disappointed', especially as he works as a security guard who had helped an injured girl just a few weeks before. He said: 'I was really disappointed from his reaction. He did not try to help at all. Instead he was angry and aggressive. The video shows Mr Moravckik show his bloodied wrist to the camera before the station worker walks quickly around and out in to the middle of the station 'I cannot imagine reacting like that in his shoes. I work as security in a local pub. 'Just a few weeks ago I saw a girl with an injury on another side of the road. We helped her to our pub and gave her first aid. 'How somebody can be such antisocial? No empathy at all? I don't want this situation to happen again. 'I hope that the member of staff will be trained properly to give first aid, or he should be moved to different position, where he doesn't have contact with customers.' While at the counter he says he is insulted by the railway worker which causes him to take out his camera to film A spokesman for Southeastern said: 'We can't comment on staff matters but we are investigating this incident as a matter of urgency.' A spokesman for British Transport Police said: 'Officers were called to High Brooms station at 3.53pm, June 12, following a report of an altercation between a man and a member of staff. 'Enquiries into the incident are currently ongoing and anyone who witnessed what happened is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 362 of 12/06/19.' Advertisement Tory leadership hopefuls were today scrabbling to win the backing of party MPs who supported eliminated candidates as they seek to catch runaway favourite Boris Johnson - with 50 votes up for grabs. Matt Hancock bowed out of the race today to join the three who finished bottom in yesterday's first round ballot - Andrea Leadsom, Mark Harper and Esther McVey. Admitting he cannot beat Mr Johnson, the Health Secretary sparked a feeding frenzy among his rivals by dramatically quitting, with speculation that his 20 votes could end up going to Jeremy Hunt or Sajid Javid. But reports suggest he is also considering backing Boris Johnson - which would help him retain his Cabinet position - or Michael Gove. Although not all his supporters would follow him, Mr Hancock's backing for Mr Johnson would provide a boost that could provide the final push he needs to get through tot he final two and face a vote by party members. Mr Johnson trounced the field in the first round of the contest yesterday, romping home with 114 votes from MPs. The massive haul - more than the next three candidates put together - means he is virtually guaranteed a spot in the final two, who will go to a ballot of party members. Andrea Leadsom's 11 votes could end up with Mr Javid or Mr Johnson, while Esther McVey is widely expected to endorse Mr Johnson and urge her nine backers to follow suit. Mark Harper's tally of 10 looks set to fragment across the campaigns. But the other hopefuls are still fighting over votes to sort out who should be Mr Johnson's opponent in the run-off - and position themselves to get a big job in the next Cabinet. Mr Hunt sought to burnish his credentials today by launching an extraordinary broadside at Mr Johnson for 'hiding', taunting him that his hero Churchill would be 'braver'. The six still standing have been desperately wooing the trio of candidates who were eliminated in the first ballot, with rumours that plum posts are being promised. Some supporters of Home Secretary Mr Javid, who came fifth, are urging him to do a deal with Mr Johnson to become Chancellor. However, one senior MP in Mr Javid's camp dismissed the idea - telling MailOnline that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt taking on Mr Johnson would be a 'quasi University Challenge final'. Mr Hunt was educated at Charterhouse and Magdalen colllege, Oxford, while Mr Johnson went to Eton and Balliol, Oxford. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced today (pictured) that he was dropping out of the Tory leadership race Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson (pictured leaving his London home today) trounced the field in the first round of the contest yesterday, romping home with 114 votes from MPs Mr Hancock quit today after coming sixth in Thursday's vote. 'I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now,' he said. But he refused to say today who he would endorse for PM, saying he wanted to push the values of 'free enterprise, and an open, aspirational, free society'. Ex-minister Esther McVey is widely expected to endorse Mr Johnson and urge her nine backers to follow suit 'I will talk to all the other candidates about how these values can be best taken forward,' he added. He met Mr Javid privately last night, but many of the MPs who voted for him are likely to line up behind Mr Hunt as the best chance of avoiding a hardline Brexit policy. As the struggle for the keys to Downing Street twisted and turned today: Mr Hunt demanded Mr Johnson had take part in TV debates, saying he had to be a 'little bit braver' and saying his hero Winston Churchill would not have ducked 'big occasions'; Mr Johnson tried to defuse the row by committing to participating in the BBC debate on Tuesday - but suggested he will shun the Channel 4 face-off on Sunday; Mr Stewart performed a screeching u-turn saying he would be prepared to serve Boris Johnson if he becomes Prime Minister hours after threatening to set up a rebel Parliament against him; Mr Johnson has been compared to Adolf Hitler by the chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum who vowed to quit the Tories if the frontrunner becomes the party's next leader; Mr Hancock gave a strong hint he will not be backing Dominic Raab during his TV interview by wearing socks inscribed with: 'This is what a feminist looks like.' Mr Raab said last week that he is not a feminist; The trailing candidates have been ramping up pressure on Mr Johnson to take part in TV debates. The front runner has so far taken just six questions from journalists in his highly stage-managed campaign, and has been refusing media requests for interviews. Tory Game of Thrones: Bribes and threats as MPs jostle for position in post-May era Tory big beasts are engaged in Game of Thrones-style manoeuvring as they position themselves for the post-May era. With Boris Johnson in the driving seat for the leadership, bribes and threats are flying at Westminster. Candidates have been desperately wooing supporters of the three colleagues who were eliminated in the first ballot yesterday. There are rumours that Andrea Leadsom - who secured 11 votes - could line up behind Sajid Javid in the first instance. Meanwhile, Esther McVey is widely expected to deliver her nine backers to Boris Johnson, whose Brexit views are close to her own. Mark Harper's tally of 10 looks set to fragment across the campaigns. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has concluded he cannot win, and might now throw his lot in with Jeremy Hunt as the best prospect of taking on Mr Johnson. There are claims that Mr Javid is being urged to do a deal with the front runner that could install him as Chancellor in a new Cabinet - although other backers insist he must stay in. However, Mr Johnson's advantage in the race is such that many individual MPs might decide their best interests lie in joining the winning team - whether their previous candidate wants them to or not. Advertisement Mr Hunt taunted Boris Johnson for 'hiding away' today as he demanded the Tory leadership front runner face him in TV debates. The Foreign Secretary jibed that his rival had to be a 'little bit braver' amid anger at Mr Johnson's 'submarine' strategy of avoiding scrutiny during the campaign. Mr Hunt taunted Mr Johnson that his hero Winston Churchill would not have shirked taking part in 'big occasions'. He went on the attack in a bid to cement his status as the main challenger, pointing out that all six other candidates had signed up to TV debates on Sunday and Tuesday. He said Tory members and the country deserved to know who was going to be the next PM. 'We can only have that debate if our front runner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media, engaging in debates, engaging in the TV debate,' Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'If you want to be prime minister of the United Kingdom, you have to get out there and make your case. 'What would Churchill say if somebody who wants to be prime minister of the United Kingdom was hiding away from the media, not taking part in these big occasions.' Campaign sources said the combative comments showed the 'underdog is getting hungry'. Mr Johnson tried to head off the row by saying he would be prepared to take part in the BBC debate on Tuesday evening once the field has narrowed after the second leadership contest ballot that day. But he made clear he will miss a Channel 4 showdown on Sunday because there would be too many people involved. Mr Johnson told The World At One: "I think it is important that we have a sensible grown-up debate. My own observation is that in the past when you've had loads of candidates, it can be slightly cacophonous and I think the public have had quite a lot of blue on blue action frankly over the last three years. Jeremy Hunt slams Boris Johnson for 'hiding' in Tory leader battle Jeremy Hunt launched an extraordinary broadside at Boris Johnson today for 'hiding' in the Tory leadership battle. The Foreign Secretary said his rival had to be a 'little bit braver' amid anger at Mr Johnson's 'submarine' strategy of avoiding scrutiny during the campaign. Mr Hunt taunted Mr Johnson that his hero Winston Churchill would not have shirked taking part in 'big occasions'. In the 2018 interview, shared by MPs including Hunt supporter Amber Rudd, Mr Johnson said: 'For all politicians the thought of a leadership debate is always a bit daunting because you think ''I might screw it up and I might say something terrible and it could go wrong for me''. 'My feeling is that they are essential and the public does need to see interchange between their potential leaders. 'The way for politicians to allay their anxieties about leadership debates is to have as many of them as possible, so you can make a cock-up in one and then say something sensible in the next. Thats the way to do it.' Advertisement "We don't necessarily need a lot more of that and so what I think the best solution would be, would be to have a debate on what we all have to offer the country and the best time to do that I think would be after the second ballot on Tuesday and the best forum is the proposed BBC debate. I think that's a good idea." Earlier, Mr Johnson's opponents had ganged up on him by committing to appear on the TV leadership debates. In a joint statement, Mr Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Mr Javid, Mr Hancock and Rory Stewart said the leadership contest was 'a critical moment' for both the UK and the Conservative party. They said: 'The next Conservative Leader, and Prime Minister, will have the crucial task of uniting Britain behind a new vision - not only to deliver Brexit, but to define what comes next. 'This leadership contest provides an important opportunity to debate, to shape and to define the ideas which will underpin those competing visions. 'That is why we are committed to taking part in the Channel 4 televised debates this Sunday and the BBC programme next Tuesday.' Those campaigning against Mr Johnson warned his strategy of avoiding media scrutiny could land the Tories with the same sort of leadership coronation that delivered victory for Mrs May in 2016 without her being stress-tested under the spotlight. A spokesman for Mr Stewart's campaign added the next leader must demonstrate they have the capability to 'win back old voters and win over new audiences'. He added: 'Any candidate who seeks that mantle can hardly opt out of a public debate. Latest Tory leader odds Boris Johnson 1/5 Jeremy Hunt 8/1 Rory Stewart 16/1 Michael Gove 20/1 Sajid Javid 25/1 Dominic Raab 50/1 Advertisement 'If any candidate ducks that duty, there is a simple question we should ask: 'What have you got to hide?'' Meanwhile, Mr Raab - who is seeking hard Brexit votes like Mr Johnson - also called for a 'proper debate'. He said: 'I'm looking forward to the first televised debates on Sunday and I hope that everyone gets involved - we should have a proper debate on the vision for the country.' Meanwhile, Mr Hancock is understood to be considering pulling out of the race to support another candidate with a better chance of winning the 33 votes needed to get past the next round. The Times reported the Health Secretary met Mr Javid, the Home Secretary, but the meeting appears not to have resulted in any agreement and Mr Hancock is now thought to be more likely to back Mr Gove or Mr Hunt. Aid Secretary Rory Stewart (pictured on the phone in London today) made it through the first round of the contest Jeremy Hunt (left at Parliament yesterday) came a distant second in the Tory ballot yesterday. Sajid Javid (right) came fifth and is considering whether to drop out Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told Mr Johnson it was his duty to debate with his rivals and 'get out and do the TV debates', according to the Times. How will the Tory leader battle play out? JUNE 18, JUNE 19 The next rounds of voting by MPs will take place. Contenders will be hoping to consolidate their support and hoover up votes from those who have been eliminated. There is also the potential for pacts with candidates who no longer believe they can win. THURSDAY, JUNE 20 After the fifth ballot on this date there will almost certainly only be two candidates left - one of whom is bound to be Boris Johnson. JUNE 20 - JULY 22 Once the final two are decided, they will go to a run-off ballot of the 160,000 Tory members. There will be a schedule of hustings taking place across the country, as the pair make their case to be the next incumbent at No10. WEEK OF JULY 22 The winner is due to be declared this week. They will take over from Theresa May as PM shortly afterwards - probably in time to take a session of PMQs before the Commons breaks up for its summer recess. Advertisement There are calls for the four candidates at the bottom of the results table to drop out and speed up the process of selecting the next leader. One of Mr Johnson's supporters labelled the four 'vanity candidates', saying only Mr Johnson, Mr Hunt and Mr Gove should stay in the race. They added: 'Anyone else who tries to carry on is being indulgent.' If there were only three candidates left by next Tuesday's vote, one would be eliminated and the contest could proceed to the next stage of voting by the party membership the same day, instead of next Thursday as currently scheduled. Meanwhile, Mr Stewart performed a screeching u-turn today, saying he would be prepared to serve Boris Johnson if he becomes Prime Minister hours after threatening to set up a rebel Parliament against him. The International development Secretary, who previously described himself as the 'anti-Boris' choice in the race to replace Theresa May, said he would be 'honoured to serve' if asked. He said he would be prepared to take a ministerial post if there was a No Deal Brexit 'crisis' - having yesterday launched a blistering on suggestions Mr Johnson might shut down Parliament to get the UK out of the EU by October. Mr Stewart, who surprised Westminster by getting enough votes to get through to the second round of the Tory leadership ballot, told the BBC: 'If we ended up in a crisis, and I fear no-deal Brexit would be a crisis, and if he were to wish me to come back, which I think is a little doubtful given the slight acrimony of the last few weeks, then, of course, I'd be honoured to serve.' Just yesterday Mr Stewart said MPs would oppose Mr Johnson and 'bring him down' if he attempted to side-step attempts to block leaving without a deal. Mr Stewart made the astonishing remarks to Sky News minutes after former foreign secretary romped away from the rest of the first in the first round of the ballot. Mr Johnson has so far not ruled out proroguing Parliament - ending the current session - to prevent MPs from trying to block a No Deal Brexit or topple his government if elected Conservative leader. Tory muslim group chief vows to quit if Boris wins the leadership Boris Johnson has been compared to Adolf Hitler by the chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum who vowed to quit the Tories if the frontrunner becomes the party's next leader. Mohammed Amin said the former foreign secretary was a 'buffoon' who was not 'sufficiently moral' to be prime minister. Mr Johnson's candidacy took a hit this morning as Mr Amin said 'popularity is not the test' as he then compared the former mayor of London to the Nazi leader. 'There are many horrible people who have been popular,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Popularity is not the test. The test is, is this person sufficiently moral to be prime minister, and I believe he fails that test.' Mr Amin added: 'A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them.' Told that comparing Mr Johnson with Hitler was 'shocking', Mr Amin defended his comments and said: 'I am not saying Boris Johnson wants to send people to the gas chamber, clearly he doesn't. 'He's a buffoon. But he as far as I am concerned has insufficient concern about the nature of truth for me to ever be a member of a party that he leads.' Advertisement After surprising Westminster and making it to the second round the International Development Secretary said: 'That is an unconstitutional, improper, really disturbing suggestion - that you try to get something through by locking the doors of Parliament. 'Answer us. I've been asking Boris for a week. Tell people because we want to know what kind of leader or prime minister you would want to be. 'But he won't be able to. I guarantee if he were to try, I, and every other MP will sit across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will hold our own session of Parliament and we will bring him down.' Mr Johnson has been compared to Adolf Hitler by the chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum who vowed to quit the Tories if the frontrunner becomes the party's next leader. Mohammed Amin said the former foreign secretary was a 'buffoon' who was not 'sufficiently moral' to be prime minister. Mr Johnson's candidacy took a hit this morning as Mr Amin said 'popularity is not the test' as he then compared the former mayor of London to the Nazi leader. 'There are many horrible people who have been popular,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Popularity is not the test. The test is, is this person sufficiently moral to be prime minister, and I believe he fails that test.' Mr Amin added: 'A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them.' Told that comparing Mr Johnson with Hitler was 'shocking', Mr Amin defended his comments and said: 'I am not saying Boris Johnson wants to send people to the gas chamber, clearly he doesn't. 'He's a buffoon. But he as far as I am concerned has insufficient concern about the nature of truth for me to ever be a member of a party that he leads.' Advertisement Hong Kong police rejected accusations of excessive use of force during clashes in Wednesday's protests against a controversial extradition bill with China. In addition to water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas, riot police fired rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at unarmed protesters in the worst unrest the city has witnessed in decades. The violence left 81 people injured, the hospital authority said. Influential legal bodies and rights group criticised the tough tactics, accusing police of over-stepping lawful powers and launching an unprecedented operation against the much larger mass of peaceful protesters as videos of officers attacking retreating demonstrators, bystanders and journalists have gone viral. The Hong Kong Legislative Council yesterday postponed for the second consecutive day a debate on the extradition bill in the aftermath of the violent clashes. A group of Christian worshippers in Hong Kong sing hymns today to voice their opposition to an extradition law. The Hong Kong Legislative Council yesterday postponed for the second consecutive day a debate on a controversial extradition bill in the aftermath of violent clashes where riot police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray at protesters Police officers fire a tear gas during the demonstration against the controversial extradition bill. A total of 81 people were hurt Riot police fire tear gas during clashes with protesters during the rally. Police chief Stephen Lo yesterday defended his officers, saying they had shown restraint until 'mobsters' tried to storm the city's Legislative Council A protester tries to run for cover as she is attacked by a riot police officer near the city's Legislative Council on Wednesday Today, pro-Beijing lawmakers and 22 former government officials and Legislative Council members urged the government to put the bill on hold. One of the key advisers to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, Executive Council member Bernard Chan, told Cable TV he did not think formal discussion of the bill, a precursor to a final vote by the legislature, should continue at present. Michael Tien, a member of Hong Kong's legislature and a deputy to China's national parliament, called for a delay on the bill's passage. Police chief Stephen Lo yesterday defended his officers, saying they had shown restraint until 'mobsters' tried to storm the city's Legislative Council to block a scheduled debate of the extradition bill. One mother is seen holding a signboard that says 'Don't shoot our Kids!' in a new round of rally in Hong Kong today Residents of the city are urging the government to retract a proposed law that would allow extradition to mainland China Calm appeared to have returned to Hong Kong after days of protests by students and human rights activists opposed to the bill. A protest on Wednesday led to violent clashes between activists and riot police who used tear gas and rubber bullets Hundreds of mothers have gathered in Chater Garden in Central to express their opposition to the pending amendments Residents in Hong Kong have staged demonstration six days in a row since an estimate one million people took to the streets One mother is seen holding a signboard that says 'protect children, protect Hong Kong' during today's peaceful sit-down Officers at one point 'had no choice but to escalate the use of force to disperse the crowd,' Lo told reporters. 'The behavior of the violent protesters yesterday imposed a serious threat to the public order.' Police used more than 150 rounds of tear gas during Wednesday's clashes, he said. That's nearly double the amount used in the city's 2014 protests. It was the first time that Hong Kong police have used tear gas since that year's huge 79-day pro-democracy 'Umbrella Movement' demonstrations, which marked the beginning of a shift to a tougher police approach. Officers also fired several rubber bullets and 20 beanbag rounds, which Lo said other countries deployed as nonlethal methods to quell riots and rebellions, and also used batons, pepper spray, and pepper based solution. In one Apple Daily clip, a young woman who falls to the floor while running away is hit by at least four riot police with batons, while one brings his plastic riot shield crashing down on her. Police stand guard as protesters display placards during a demonstration this morning outside government headquarters People sit next to posters and signs placed following Wednesday's protest against the controversial bill. Today, pro-Beijing lawmakers and 22 former government officials and Legislative Council members urged the government to put the bill on hold A sign reading 'stop shooting my son' is put up in protest against what critics say was excessive use of force shown by police In another, a man resting on a wall is approached by riot police attempting to clear him out of the area. The man, who is said to be a foreigner, is heard yelling 'I can't walk, I can't walk' before officers spray pepper repeatedly into his face at close range. A third online clip shows several policemen slam a protester holding a box of water bottles to the ground, where several kneel on him to hold him down until he releases his phone. Many protesters wore hard hats, masks, plastic wrap and carried umbrellas as protection. Eleven people were arrested. 'We were unarmed,' said Daniel Lee, a 42-year-old doctor who noted that the police wore respirators to protect against tear gas. Fredie Hung, 32, said he was not wearing any goggles or face mask when an officer fired a tear gas at him. 'I wasn't even storming at the barricades. The protest was peaceful and I was just standing on the side of the road. I couldn't breathe the first minute. My eyes were in a lot of pain,' he told MailOnline. A female protester holds up a sign reading 'love, no force' in a rally today following Wednesday's violent clashes A message is written on a post-it note stuck to the wall of a walkway near the Legislative Council building today Police used more than 150 rounds of tear gas during Wednesday's clashes, he said. That's nearly double the amount used in the city's 2014 protests Hong Kong police officers walk past words formed with tape which read 'Protect our city, against extradition to China' Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, said that before 2014, Hong Kong police handled large demonstrations by using softer, non-confrontational tactics. They didn't wear tactical helmets and instead gave out bottled water and medical kits. The officers 'almost invariably managed to get the local demonstrators to cooperate with them,' he said. Police 'kept all the hardware in vans and buses' instead of bringing it out onto the streets, he added. Several senior Hong Kong police officials feel caught between a rock and a hard place amid the crisis. They say Lam's refusal to heed public opinion is sowing resentment in the force, which was already battered by accusations of police brutality during the 2014 protests. 'There are a significant number that blame her for this crisis,' said a senior law enforcement officer in a command position. 'It's madness.' A group of Christian worshippers sing hymns to voice their opposition to an extradition law in Hong Kong today One of the key advisers to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, Executive Council member Bernard Chan, told Cable TV he did not think formal discussion of the bill, a precursor to a final vote by the legislature, should continue at present Message filled the wall of a walkway near the Legislative Council building today. Officers on Wednesday fired several rubber bullets and 20 beanbag rounds, which Lo said other countries deployed as nonlethal methods to quell riots and rebellions, and also used batons, pepper spray, and pepper based solution Influential legal bodies and rights group criticised the tough tactics, accusing police of over-stepping lawful powers and launching an unprecedented operation against the much larger mass of peaceful protesters as videos of officers attacking retreating demonstrators, bystanders and journalists have gone viral He said the demands of the protesters weren't unreasonable, given an inherent mistrust of mainland China's legal system. 'There's definitely a feeling that we're trapped in the middle,' said a senior police officer who declined to be named as he wasn't authorised to speak to the media. 'We can't solve this. The protesters can't solve this. But Carrie can.' At the same time, Hong Kong's tech-savvy protesters are going digitally dark as they try to avoid surveillance and potential future prosecutions, disabling location tracking on their phones, buying train tickets with cash and purging their social media conversations. Many of those on the streets on Wednesday are predominantly young and have grown up in a digital world, but they are all too aware of the dangers of surveillance and leaving online footprints. Ben, a masked office worker at the protests, said he feared the extradition law would have a devastating impact on freedoms. At the same time, tech-savvy protesters are going digitally dark as they try to avoid surveillance and potential future prosecutions, disabling location tracking on phones, buying train tickets with cash and purging their online conversations Hong Kong police rejected accusations of excessive use of force during clashes in Wednesday's protests In addition to pepper spray and tear gas, police fired rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at unarmed people Critics said police over-stepped lawful powers and launched violent operation in maintaining public order Videos of officers attacking retreating protesters, bystanders and journalists have gone viral on social media 'Even if we're not doing anything drastic - as simple as saying something online about China - because of such surveillance they might catch us,' the 25-year-old said. Many people said they turned off their location tracking on their phones and beefed up their digital privacy settings before joining protests, or deleted conversations and photos on social media and messaging apps after they left the demonstrations. There were unusually long lines at ticket machines in the city underground metro stations as protesters used cash to buy tickets rather than tap-in with the city's ubiquitous Octopus cards - whose movements can be more easily tracked. In a city where WhatsApp is usually king, protesters have embraced the encrypted messaging app Telegram in recent days, believing it offers better cyber protection and also because it allows larger groups to co-ordinate. On Thursday Telegram announced it had been the target of a major cyber attack, with most junk requests coming from China. The company's CEO linked the attack to the city's ongoing political unrest. In addition to water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas, riot police fired rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at unarmed protesters in the worst unrest the city has witnessed in decades. The violence left 81 people hurt, the hospital authority said The Hong Kong Legislative Council yesterday postponed for the second consecutive day a debate on the extradition bill in the aftermath of the violent clashes Police chief Stephen Lo yesterday defended his officers, saying they had shown restraint until 'mobsters' tried to storm the city's Legislative Council to block a scheduled debate of the extradition bill Officers at one point 'had no choice but to escalate the use of force to disperse the crowd,' Lo told reporters. 'The behavior of the violent protesters yesterday imposed a serious threat to the public order' Police used more than 150 rounds of tear gas during Wednesday's clashes, police said. That's nearly double the amount used in the city's 2014 protests. It was the first time that Hong Kong police have used tear gas since that year's huge 79-day pro-democracy 'Umbrella Movement' demonstrations, which marked the beginning of a shift to a tougher police approach A protester surnamed Heung told AFP that many people immediately deleted 'evidence showing you were present'. The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has sparked concerns it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status. A mass protest on Sunday drew what organisers said was more than a million people out to the streets to voice their objections to the proposed law. The Civil Human Rights Front which organised last weekend's huge march, announced plans for another demonstration for this coming Sunday. Across the border, Chinese censors are working hard to erase or block news of the Hong Kong protests on social media and search platforms amid a surge in interest from mainland internet users. Tencent's Wechat, the country's most popular social media app, showed searches for 'Hong Kong' peaked at 32.4 million on Wednesday, up from roughly 12 million a week before. 'People are very curious, and there is a lot of discussion on this event,' said one person who works as a content censor at Weibo Corp, which operates the Weibo platform. Officers also fired several rubber bullets and 20 beanbag rounds, which Lo said other countries deployed as nonlethal methods to quell riots and rebellions, and also used batons, pepper spray, and pepper based solution Many people said they turned off their location tracking on their phones and beefed up their digital privacy settings before joining protests, or deleted conversations and photos on social media and messaging apps after they left the demonstrations Across the border, Chinese censors are working hard to erase or block news of the Hong Kong protests on social media and search platforms amid a surge in interest from mainland internet users Tencent's Wechat, the country's most popular social media app, showed searches for 'Hong Kong' peaked at 32.4 million on Wednesday, up from roughly 12 million a week before Freeweibo.com, which tracks censored posts on the Weibo platform, said 'Hong Kong' was the most searched topic in the past few days. Other hashtags such as 'oppose China extradition' and 'go Hong Kong!' were also among the top 10 most-searched topics. Searches for 'Hong Kong' on Baidu, China's top search engine, more than tripled over the weekend, a sharp rise in interest despite strict rules that bar access to foreign social media and news outlets. Tests conducted by Reuters on Wednesday showed some mainland Wechat users could not receive images of the Hong Kong protests, including demonstrators amid tear gas. Similar images posted to popular social media sites were removed within minutes. China's state media made virtually no mention of the protests until Hong Kong authorities denounced Wednesday's violence. Freeweibo.com, which tracks censored posts on the Weibo platform, said 'Hong Kong' was the most searched topic in the past few days. Other hashtags such as 'oppose China extradition' were also among the top 10 most-searched topics Searches for 'Hong Kong' on Baidu, China's top search engine, more than tripled over the weekend, a sharp rise in interest despite strict rules that bar access to foreign social media and news outlets Tests conducted on Wednesday showed some mainland Wechat users could not receive images of the Hong Kong protests, including demonstrators amid tear gas. Similar images posted to popular social media sites were removed within minutes China's state media made virtually no mention of the protests until Hong Kong authorities denounced Wednesday's violence Yesterday, searches for 'Hong Kong' on Weibo showed only statements from the city's chief executive condemning the protests. Other items showed photos of pro-Beijing protesters calling for an end to American interference. Photos of clashes between police and protesters were accompanied by captions that accused 'Hong Kong separatists' of organising attacks on police. While Hong Kongers have free speech and do not encounter the surveillance saturation on the mainland, sliding freedoms and a resurgent Beijing is fuelling anxieties and fears. Recent prosecutions of protest leaders have also used video and digital data to help win convictions. Bruce Lui, a senior journalism lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University, said awareness around security has increased, particularly with China's 'all-pervasive' surveillance technology and wide use of facial recognition and other tracking methods. 'In recent years national security has become an urgent issue for Hong Kong relating to China. Hong Kong laws may have limitations, but China only needs to use national security to surpass (them),' he said. While Hong Kongers have free speech and do not encounter the surveillance saturation on the mainland, sliding freedoms and a resurgent Beijing is fuelling anxieties and fears Recent prosecutions of protest leaders have also used video and digital data to help win convictions City's tech-savvy protesters are going digitally dark to avoid surveillance and potential future prosecutions Bruce Lui, a journalism lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University, said awareness around security has increased, particularly with China's 'all-pervasive' surveillance technology and wide use of facial recognition and other tracking methods China's state media made virtually no mention of the protests until Hong Kong authorities denounced Wednesday's violence. Police chief Stephen Lo yesterday defended his officers, saying they had shown restraint until 'mobsters' tried to storm the city's Legislative Council to block a scheduled debate of the extradition bill The city was rattled in recent years by the disappearance of several booksellers who resurfaced in China facing charges - and the alleged rendition of billionaire businessman Xiao Jianhua in 2017. Critics say the extradition law, if passed, would allow these cases to be carried out openly and legally. 'One month ago, things were still calm in Hong Kong,' said Ben, the office worker. 'But in an instant, it has become this. Who knows if it would become like Xinjiang the day after tomorrow, because things can change so quickly,' he added, referring to an autonomous region tightly ruled by Beijing. In precarious times, many are holding onto core values. 'We're trying to do better with our privacy settings. But we still consider ourselves Hong Kong people, not Chinese, so we still think we have a right to speak out,' said Yau. Ten convicted jihadis were chucked back in their cells after breaching their licence conditions last year - marking the highest ever total. The figures, from a new report by the Home Office, brings into question whether the terrorists are being released from jail while they are still radicalised and dangerous. Criminals can be dragged back to prison if they break the rules of their probation while released on licence or parole, in a move called 'recall'. Ten convicted jihadis were recalled to prison after breaching their licence conditions last year - marking the highest ever total. Pictured: The inside of Belmarsh Prison where notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary was released from last year They have to serve out the rest of their sentence unless a parole board or the Secretary of State for Justice decides to release them. The shocking number of terrorists being recalled is double the previous year total of five. The notorious case of ISIS supporting hate preacher Anjem Choudary saw him serve just half his five and a half year sentence when he was released last year. He has since tried to keep a low profile by refusing to address reporters outside his east London home. Choudary pictured in London last week. He was released last year just half way through a five and a half year sentence The Home Office report - released yesterday - shows the number of people arrested for terror offences in Britain has dropped by 40 per cent in the last year, compared with the 12-month period which saw several high-profile attacks on London and Manchester. The 268 arrests made in the year ending March 2019 was significantly down on the 443 the previous year - the highest since records began - which included the Manchester Arena bombing as well as terror attacks at London Bridge, Parsons Green and Finsbury Park. Islamist extremists made up the bulk of suspects in custody for terror-related offences. There were 178 in the last year, down from 186 the year before which is the first time since 2014 the number has not increased. There are currently 223 terrorists in prison in the UK, which is down 2 per cent on last year and the first drop in numbers since 2013. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, National Lead for Counter Terrorism Policing, said in the report: 'The modern terrorist threat involves simple planning and preparation, with easy access to weaponry and materials. 'Offences previously viewed as outlying are in fact indicative of preliminary behaviour of an intent to commit acts of terrorism.' He added: 'It is important for these terrorist related offences to have much longer sentences proportionate to the gravity of the crimes committed and the threat to the public.' Just over one third, or 90, of the total 268 arrests resulted in a charge, while some 69 people, or 26 per cent, were released without charge, according to Home Office data. Of the 70 people charged with a terrorism-related offence, 32 had been prosecuted, all of whom had been convicted. London Bridge attacker Khuram Shazad Butt (left) and IS executioner Mohammed Reza Haqu (centre) were indoctrinated and carried out killings under the banner of Islamic State. The Sri Lanka bombers (one pictured right) are also believed to have had ties with Islamic State The 268 represents the lowest total since 251 arrests in 2014. The figures show that 41 per cent were white, which was the highest percentage since the 42 per cent recorded in March 2004. Black suspects accounted for 11.9 per cent of those arrested in the 12 months to March 2019, up slightly from 9.9 per cent the previous year. The data also showed Asian suspects accounted for 36.2 per cent of those arrested in 2018-19, down from 40.6 per cent in the 12 months prior, and the lowest percentage since 2006 34.9 per cent. But the report did show an increase in the number and percentage of arrests for suspects with extreme right-wing ideologies. A total of 33 people with such views were arrested in the year to March 2019, up from 29 the previous year, and nine the year before that. It accounted for 14.8 per cent of those arrested, up from 12.7 per cent and 5 per cent in the previous two years. Choudary has severe restrictions on his movements he is electronically tagged and effectively gagged but has been spotted out as late as 11pm. The electronic tag worn as a condition of Choudary's early release from jail is clearly visible under his clothes Many might think it deeply offensive that this disgraced Islamist, who co-founded the British jihadist network al-Muhajiroun and has been an avowed supporter of terrorism here and abroad, is walking the streets of the capital as the inquest into the London Bridge terror attack is takes place. Over the past few weeks, the inquest has heard that Khuram Butt, the ringleader of that atrocity in 2017, was 'like a lion out of a cage' after meeting Choudary. Eight people died as Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, mowed down pedestrians and stabbed people in a frenzy of horrific violence before being shot dead by police. Anjem Choudary leaves a bail hostel in north London after his release from Belmarsh Prison last year. The hate preacher was recently allowed to leave the hostel and return to his family home in London Insensitivity to the families of the bereaved is not the only issue. Security experts have said Choudary's very presence in public is providing succour to followers of his ideology. An unnamed disciple of Choudary, formerly under effective house arrest in Suffolk, recently told the New York Times: 'People are waiting for Anjem to come out; they are waiting for that spark.' Photo: Victoria Times Colonist London Drugs has pledged to cover the operating costs of Remembrance Day events in Victoria for the next few years. We have seen the concern about the Remembrance Day event potentially being cancelled or changed in some way, and we have seen and heard our veterans concerns, Clint Mahlman, president of the B.C. company, said in a statement. We want to ensure that we remove the worry from the community so that this important event continues and can be planned for. The company said in its statement that it plans to meet with representatives of Victoria council and the police department to discuss what is needed to ensure the Remembrance Day commemorations can proceed into the future. The drugstore's offer comes after Victoria city council voted to ask Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence to help cover the cost of policing military events such as Remembrance Day and Victoria Day. Victoria police last week told city council that budget cuts have left them $135,300 short of covering the costs of policing some public events, including $78,400 for Canada Day, $41,700 for special events run by non-profits, and an estimated $15,200 for policing military-related events such as Remembrance Day. During council discussions, which fell on June 6, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Coun. Ben Isitt proposed approaching the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs for funding for military events. Public backlash to the proposal was immediate. City councillors will consider Isitts proposal tonight. Boris Johnson today bowed to pressure and agreed to take part in a live televised Tory leadership debate after being accused of being a coward and hiding by rivals as the race to replace Theresa May turned nasty. But the former foreign secretary has snubbed the first planned multi-candidate programme, due to be broadcast on Channel 4 on Sunday, saying he will instead appear in a second event the BBC on Tuesday. The move means he will will face a less crowded field of opponents. It takes place almost immediately after the next round of leadership votes, in which several of the six remaining candidates are expected to fail to meet the 33 vote target to progress to round three. Mr Johnson's announcement, made to the BBC, came after he was taunted by Jeremy Hunt over his failure to commit to going head-to-head with other challengers for the Tory leadership. Mr Hunt claimed that his rival had to be a 'little bit braver' amid anger at Mr Johnson's 'submarine' strategy of avoiding scrutiny during the campaign. It came as Matt Hancock pulled out of the leadership contest - amid squabbling over who should take on runaway favourite Mr Johnson. The Health Secretary dramatically quit admitting the party was not going to elect him as leader - sparking speculation he could line up behind Jeremy Hunt or Sajid Javid. Speaking on The World At One today on Radio 4 Mr Johnson said he wanted a 'sensible grown-up debate' and claimed he had always been 'keen' to appear on television. Saying he was 'bewildered' by attacks on him over the debates he added: 'My own observation is that in the past when you've had loads of candidates, it can be slightly cacophonous and I think the public have had quite a lot of blue-on-blue action frankly over the last three years. Boris Johnson (pictured today) is now the only candidate who has not agreed to the Channel 4 debate show, fuelling accusations that he is limiting his media appearances to avoid scrutiny 'We don't necessarily need a lot more of that and so what I think the best solution would be, would be to have a debate on what we all have to offer the country and the best time to do that I think would be after the second ballot on Tuesday and the best forum is the proposed BBC debate. Stop calling me a c**t, says Jeremy Hunt in plea to broadcasters Tory leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt has told broadcasters to 'grow up' and refrain from pronouncing his surname using its rhyming expletive. The Foreign Secretary's name has been mistakenly replaced with the c-word by journalists on both television and radio on numerous occasions. In an interview with the Telegraph on their Brexit podcast, he said he was often called 'Jeremy C**t' at school. 'I'm used to it. I had this when I was at school. Personally I think people should just grow up and get over the fact that my last name rhymes with a rather unpleasant word,' he said. Recently, BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire, addressing Tory MP Steve Brine during her own weekday news and current affairs programme on Tuesday, said: 'You say the man you are backing, Jeremy C**t... I'm so sorry, Jeremy Hunt'. She issued a swift apology on air, saying: 'I've never said that before in my life. It's normally men who say that so I really, really want to apologise.' It occurred during a four-way debate over who should take over the leadership of the Conservative party. However, her mistake comes after presenters on Sky News, Channel 4, Channel 5 and the BBC have all fallen foul to the error. Advertisement 'I think that's a good idea.' A Channel 4 spokesman said: 'We are disappointed that Mr Johnson will not be taking part in the debate to face members of the public for full scrutiny alongside the other candidates. 'There will be a lectern available if he changes his mind.' In the wide-ranging interview on the World at One, Mr Johnson committed to leaving the EU by October 31 - and said it would be 'bizarre' for the Government to suggest it would delay again, even if a deal was close. 'It would be absolutely bizarre to signal at this stage that the UK Government was willing once again to run up the white flag and delay again. 'My commitment is to honour the will of the people and take this country out on October 31 and to get this thing done.' He claimed it was 'perfectly realistic' to renegotiate the withdrawal deal that has been defeated by MPs three times. 'There is a clear way that the now effectively defunct Withdrawal Agreement can be disaggregated - the good bits of it can be taken out. On Irish border checks, he said: 'The obvious way to do it is to make sure that you have checks on anybody who breaks the law as you would expect but you do it away from the border.' As the bitter TV debate row broke out this morning, footage emerged of the former foreign secretary backing 'essential' live TV debates in a 2018 interview. He said that politicians should take part in 'as many of them as possible' in a September interview with Sky unearth by opponents. He remains the only one of the six remaining candidates who has not committed to taking part in a Channel 4 event on Sunday, prompting claims he was 'hiding away' from the public in a bid to avoid making gaffes. Latest Tory leader odds Boris Johnson 1/5 Jeremy Hunt 8/1 Rory Stewart 16/1 Michael Gove 20/1 Sajid Javid 25/1 Dominic Raab 50/1 Advertisement Mr Hunt jibed Mr Johnson that his hero Winston Churchill would not have shirked taking part in 'big occasions'. The Foreign Secretary went on the attack today in a bid to cement his status as the main challenger, pointing out that all six other candidates had signed up to TV debates on Sunday and Tuesday. He said Tory members and the country deserved to know who was going to be the next PM. 'We can only have that debate if our frontrunner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media, engaging in debates, engaging in the TV debate,' Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Jeremy Hunt (pictured at Parliament yesterday) came a distant second in the Tory ballot, with Rory Stewart (right, today) a surprise survivor through to the second round 'If you want to be prime minister of the United Kingdom, you have to get out there and make your case. Now Rory Stewart says he WOULD serve under favourite Boris Johnson Rory Stewart performed a screeching u-turn today, saying he would be prepared to serve Boris Johnson if he becomes Prime Minister hours after threatening to set up a rebel Parliament against him. The International development Secretary, who previously described himself as the 'anti-Boris' choice in the race to replace Theresa May, said he would be 'honoured to serve' if asked. He said he would be prepared to take a ministerial post if there was a No Deal Brexit 'crisis' - having yesterday launched a blistering on suggestions Mr Johnson might shut down Parliament to get the UK out of the EU by October. Mr Stewart is now the third favourite to win with Ladbrokes. He surprised Westminster by getting enough votes to get through to the second round of the Tory leadership ballot, told the BBC: 'If we ended up in a crisis, and I fear no-deal Brexit would be a crisis, and if he were to wish me to come back, which I think is a little doubtful given the slight acrimony of the last few weeks, then, of course, I'd be honoured to serve.' Advertisement 'What would Churchill say if somebody who wants to be prime minister of the United Kingdom was hiding away from the media, not taking part in these big occasions.' Campaign sources said the combative comments showed the 'underdog is getting hungry'. The direct assault on Mr Johnson comes after he destroyed the field in the first round of the Tory leadership contest yesterday - raking in backing from 114 MPs. The huge total - nearly three times the 43 Mr Hunt managed - means he is virtually guaranteed a spot in the final two, who will go to a ballot of party members. Mr Hancock bowed out this morning, saying: 'I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now.' Channel 4 News has proposed a programme on Sunday night featuring all seven remaining candidates. The BBC is also planning a debate on Tuesday after the second round of voting by Tory MPs, which will see at least one other candidate eliminated. ITV has proposed a head-to-head debate between the final two. In a video released yesterday on Twitter, Michael Gove appeared to bait Mr Johnson, saying: 'It's all to play for. Very much looking forward to the Channel 4 and BBC debates hope to see all the other candidates there.' Similarly, Dominic Raab said: 'I think the TV debates coming up are a great opportunity to test the views... we're all talking about.' Rory Stewart went further, saying: 'Everybody has accepted except Boris, so again if I could please ask Boris to come forward into these debates and join us. How will the Tory leader battle play out? JUNE 18, JUNE 19 The next rounds of voting by MPs will take place. Contenders will be hoping to consolidate their support and hoover up votes from those who have been eliminated. There is also the potential for pacts with candidates who no longer believe they can win. THURSDAY, JUNE 20 After the fifth ballot on this date there will almost certainly only be two candidates left - one of whom is bound to be Boris Johnson. JUNE 20 - JULY 22 Once the final two are decided, they will go to a run-off ballot of the 160,000 Tory members. There will be a schedule of hustings taking place across the country, as the pair make their case to be the next incumbent at No10. WEEK OF JULY 22 The winner is due to be declared this week. They will take over from Theresa May as PM shortly afterwards - probably in time to take a session of PMQs before the Commons breaks up for its summer recess. Advertisement 'Let's have the debates and let the public make this decision, not just the Members of Parliament.' A source in the Sajid Javid camp said: 'The future of the Conservative Party cannot be decided behind closed doors. 'Everybody in the party should see this contest as an opportunity to put their ideas to the country.' Amber Rudd, one of Jeremy Hunt's most prominent supporters, said candidates had a 'duty' to take part, telling the Mail: 'The Conservative Party needs to remember we are not just choosing our leader, we are choosing the next prime minister.' Officially, Team Boris say they are still 'in discussions' with the broadcasters and have not ruled out taking part. Allies say he is already rehearsing for them with his team. But last night one Johnson supporter, former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell, said there was 'no reason' for Mr Johnson to join the debate with all six other candidates 'because he is some way ahead'. He told the Huffington Post website: 'It depends on the format and also how many, because he's some way ahead so there's no reason for him to debate with everybody.' Another Johnson-supporting MP warned that a six-way debate could be a 'gift to Jeremy Corbyn' if the candidates ended up 'tearing strips' off each other. Mr Johnson faces the prospect of being 'empty chaired' by Channel 4 if he does not attend. A source said it would 'keep a lectern there for those who don't bother to turn up so everyone can see the space'. Tory Muslim group chief vows to quit if Boris wins the leadership Boris Johnson has been compared to Adolf Hitler by the chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum who vowed to quit the Tories if the frontrunner becomes the party's next leader. Mohammed Amin said the former foreign secretary was a 'buffoon' who was not 'sufficiently moral' to be prime minister. Mr Johnson's candidacy took a hit this morning as Mr Amin said 'popularity is not the test' as he then compared the former mayor of London to the Nazi leader. 'There are many horrible people who have been popular,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Popularity is not the test. The test is, is this person sufficiently moral to be prime minister, and I believe he fails that test.' Mr Amin added: 'A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them.' Told that comparing Mr Johnson with Hitler was 'shocking', Mr Amin defended his comments and said: 'I am not saying Boris Johnson wants to send people to the gas chamber, clearly he doesn't. 'He's a buffoon. But he as far as I am concerned has insufficient concern about the nature of truth for me to ever be a member of a party that he leads.' Advertisement Matt Hancock QUITS Tory leadership race after admitting he cannot beat Boris as rivals race to scoop up his 20 votes Tory leadership manoeuvring hit fever pitch today after Matt Hancock pulled out of the leadership contest - admitting he cannot beat runaway favourite Boris Johnson. The Health Secretary sparked a feeding frenzy among his rivals by dramatically quitting, with speculation that his 20 votes could end up going to Jeremy Hunt or Sajid Javid. 'I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now,' he said. Mr Johnson trounced the field in the first round of the contest yesterday, romping home with 114 votes from MPs. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced today (pictured) that he was dropping out of the Tory leadership race The massive haul - more than the next three candidates put together - means he is virtually guaranteed a spot in the final two, who will go to a ballot of party members. But the other hopefuls are still fighting over votes to sort out who should be Mr Johnson's opponent in the run-off - and position themselves to get a big job in the next Cabinet. Mr Hunt sought to burnish his credentials today by launching an extraordinary broadside at Mr Johnson for 'hiding', taunting him that his hero Churchill would be 'braver'. The six still standing have been desperately wooing the trio of candidates who were eliminated in the first ballot, with rumours that plum posts are being promised. Andrea Leadsom's 11 votes could end up with Mr Javid or Mr Johnson, while Esther McVey is widely expected to endorse Mr Johnson and urge her nine backers to follow suit. Mark Harper's tally of 10 looks set to fragment across the campaigns. Mr Hancock refused to say today who he would endorse for PM, saying he wanted to push the values of 'free enterprise, and an open, aspirational, free society'. 'I will talk to all the other candidates about how these values can be best taken forward,' he added. He met Mr Javid privately last night, but many of the MPs who voted for him are likely to line up behind Mr Hunt as the best chance of avoiding a hardline Brexit policy. Some supporters of Home Secretary Mr Javid, who came fifth, are urging him to do a deal with Mr Johnson to become Chancellor. However, one senior MP in Mr Javid's camp dismissed the idea - telling MailOnline that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt taking on Mr Johnson would be a 'quasi University Challenge final'. Mr Hunt was educated at Charterhouse and Magdalen colllege, Oxford, while Mr Johnson went to Eton and Balliol, Oxford. Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson (pictured leaving his London home today) trounced the field in the first round of the contest yesterday, romping home with 114 votes from MPs Two women have been allegedly going on a shoplifting frenzy across Sydney and assaulting staff as they steal thousands of dollars worth of Lego and children's toys. One staff member who tried to stop the women leaving the store with two trolleys overflowing with allegedly stolen Lego was put in a headlock and thrown out of the way. The women have been allegedly targeting Toymate toy stores across Sydney since September last year. The women captured on CCTV footage are seen entering the Castle Hill store with empty trolleys and plastic bags. They wander around the store and allegedly take thousands of dollars worth of Lego and hide in in the bags. The stores that have allegedly been targeted by the thieves are Bankstown, Mount Druitt, Merrylands, Baulkham Hills, Lidcombe, Top Ryde, Chatswood and Warriewood. The women captured on CCTV footage are seen entering the Castle Hill store with empty trolleys and plastic bags. TOYMATE STORES TARGETED BY ALLEGED LEGO THIEVES Bankstown Mount Druitt Merrylands Baulkham Hills Lidcombe Top Ryde Chatswood Warriewood Advertisement They wander around the store and allegedly take thousands of dollars worth of Lego off the shelves and put them in the plastic bags. One woman distracted a staff member while the other allegedly reached behind the counter to snatch a box of high-quality Lego. The alleged brazen Lego thieves are also seen entering the back room of the store to see if there is more stock. The pair casually leave the store with trolleys overflowing with alleged stolen Lego after they realise staff are onto them. A female staff member attempts to stop the women from leaving the shopping centre, but one woman allegedly put her in a headlock and throws her out of the way. The staff member sustained bruises all over her neck and was scared to be at work the next day A female staff member attempts to stop the women from leaving the shopping centre, but one woman allegedly put her in a headlock and throws her out of the way. The staff member sustained bruises all over her neck and was scared to be at work the next day. Toymate management claim a group of four women and one man have been targeting their Sydney stores since September last year. '[Lego] is extremely popular. Easy to off-load and easy to sell online and I suspect a lot of our stuff is probably going into a shop or being sold online,' Toymate Loss Prevention Officer Peter Condello told 9News. Toymate management claim a group of four women and one man have been targeting their Sydney stores since September last year In the Blacktown store, staff members corner the women near the exit of the store and ask them if they could see their receipts, which they allegedly couldn't produce Footage from the Blacktown and Chatswood stores also show the alleged shoplifters stealing stock and being confronted by staff members. In Blacktown, the women allegedly had two trolleys full of Lego valued at $1000. Staff members corner the women near the exit of the store and ask them if they could see their receipts, which they allegedly couldn't produce. Management and security manage claim to retrieve the stock and the women are forced to leave the store. In Chatswood, a woman steals Lego worth $3000 from the store. She is seen asking a fellow shopper for help with reaching a very expensive box of Lego from the top shelf. The woman then moves away from the camera and when she returns, the Lego disappears as it has been allegedly hidden in her packed trolley. Police have been working with Toymate and an investigation into the shoplifting sprees has begun Police have been working with Toymate and an investigation into the shoplifting sprees has begun. 'If they feel they can walk into our stores and assault our staff, steal our stock and abuse people. The message is that's not happening at Toymate anymore,' Mr Condello told 9 News. 'We're after them now. The police are after them now and their time is running out.' Lego is the world's largest and most profitable toy manufacturer, making 1.7billion dollars last year. A woman who died of Ebola was buried by workers in protective clothing last night amid clashes with worried locals after the disease spread into Uganda. The woman died after her family was exposed to Ebola in Congo and returned to Uganda on an unguarded footpath - defeating the screening measures in place at border posts. Her five-year-old grandson also died after vomiting blood. As the woman, identified as Agnes Mbambu, was buried last night, the burial team faced aggression from a group of youngsters who feared they would be exposed to the deadly virus if the burial was not carried out thoroughly. Workers wearing protective clothing bury Agnes Mbambu, a 50-year-old grandmother who died of Ebola along with her five-year-old grandson in Uganda One young man brandished a stick and warned them that 'you will not leave this place if you do not bury the coffin and fill the whole place with soil'. More than 1,400 people have died since this outbreak was declared in August, and the response has been hampered by misinformation and fear in a region that had never faced Ebola before. The disease can spread quickly via close contact with bodily fluids of those infected. Wary residents have attacked health workers or fled. The need for safe burials conflicts with traditional customs of having loved ones wash and dress the corpse. Burying Ms Mbambu took all day and into the night as health workers pulled together the means to do it safely. Villagers look on from a distance as the coffin arrives for the burial of Agnes Mbambu, in the Ugandan village of Karambi near the border with Congo Workers wearing protective clothing prepare to bury Agnes Mbambu, a process which sparked clashes with locals who feared they would be contaminated Tensions grew as the burial team changed into protective suits in the glow of car lights. When the team's leader didn't commit to covering the coffin with soil to the young men's satisfaction - it was not clear why - the confrontation almost ended in violence. Ugandan authorities are now trying to keep Ebola from spreading by tracking everyone who had contact with the infected family. At least 98 such people have been identified, the World Health Organization's Uganda office said. Community participation is key, and the coming days will test Uganda's ability to contain the virus in an area that is a hotbed of anti-government sentiment. Kasese, the town nearest the outbreak, has been tense since the central government jailed a popular traditional leader in late 2016, accusing him of trying to form a breakaway republic. A medical worker carries a bunch of protective rubber gloves used to prevent infection, at the hospital where the first cross-border Ebola victim was isolated in the town of Bwera, Uganda Days ago, the leader's mother died. Her funeral is expected this weekend. Now the government says it is restricting public gatherings in order to contain Ebola, which could lead to anger among those who wanted to meet and mourn. Although Uganda has faced multiple Ebola outbreaks in the past, this is the first time this mountainous area has experienced the virus. Among some people, even those who know the victims, suspicions are high. The burial of Ms Mbambu, Uganda's second Ebola victim, originally was meant to take place some 20 kilometers (12 miles) away, near her father's grave. But the community there rejected her, said Rhoda Katsumbiro, a resident of the village where her coffin now rests. 'The family members there, they thought they would be affected,' Katsumbiro said. 'They feared. We had to bring her here.' An elderly mother has lost her life savings in an 800,000 fight with her dead son's widow who she claims 'loved his money more than him.' Pensioner Mary Farrell suffered a 'catastrophic breakdown in relations' with daughter-in-law Amanda Burden, of Chiswick, west London after her son Ray Farrell died from cancer in 2016, a court heard. Mrs Farrell claimed in court that Ms Burden married her son in 'a deathbed ceremony' then put her 'through an absolute hell' after Ray's death, when the two women clashed over arrangements for his wake and funeral. Ms Burden, who was left 500,000 by Ray and also named executor of his will, along with her friend Kim Southgate, denies ever willingly causing her mother-in-law any distress. Mrs Farrell, who is in her 70s, was left nothing in her son's will but subsequently sued Ray's widow in her capacity as executor, along with Ms Southgate, claiming she was owed 130,000 out of his 815,000 estate. She said she was owned the money because her and her husband loaned their son their life savings to help him buy his 600,000 home in Overton, Hampshire. Pensioner Mary Farrell (left) suffered a 'catastrophic breakdown in relations' with daughter-in-law Amanda Burden (right) of Chiswick, west London But she now faces financial ruin and says her life savings have gone 'down the Swanee' after a judge ruled she is not entitled to a penny of her dead son's cash. Judge Peter Wulwik slammed her 'blatant attempt' to cut the money her estranged daughter-in-law would get from Ray's estate and hit the pensioner with 100,000 in lawyers' bills. Central London County Court heard that wealthy electrician Mr Farrell was in a relationship with Ms Burden, a pensions consultant, for eight years. He married her in what his mother described in court as a 'deathbed ceremony' in February 2016, eight months before his death at the age of 53. In a will penned four days after they wed, Mr Farrell left 150,000 each to his two children from a previous relationship, with the 'residue' of around 500,000 going to Ms Burden, 55. Mrs Farrell said she was owned 130,000 from her sons estate because her and her husband loaned their son their life savings to help him buy this 600,000 home in Overton, Hampshire Mrs Farrell insisted that she was due 130,000 out of the widow's share, because she and her husband had loaned Ray their life savings to help him buy his 600,000 home in Kingsclere Road, Overton, Hampshire. But she told the judge that documentation that would have proved the loan existed 'has now disappeared'. 'I never suspected for a minute that I would end up in court. I don't think Ray would have liked that,' she said. Representing herself, she told the court there had been disagreements between her and Ms Burden about payment for Ray's wake and funeral flowers, telling her: 'You put me through an absolute hell after Ray died'. Ms Burden replied: 'I never knowingly or willingly wished to cause any distress'. Mrs Farrell also berated the widow for not having been at Ray's side in the moment of his death. 'I was not with him when he died. I was in the bedroom next door,' Ms Burden told the judge. Mrs Farrell told the court: 'My money has gone down the Swanee for the benefit of this grieving widow, who wasn't even with my son when he died. 'It was my pension fund. That was my savings. 'I think she loved his money more than him. When he died, he was totally alone, something which we would never have allowed. 'Any family member, especially in Ireland, would take turns to stay with our loved ones, but you decided to go to bed and leave him alone. 'Ray died alone. That is something that he didn't want.' Barrister Richard Dew, for Ms Burden, told the judge: 'This unfortunate dispute arises from a catastrophic breakdown in relations between Mrs Farrell and Ms Burden, Ray's wife, after Ray's death.' Mr Dew accepted that Ray's mum had given him money to buy his home, but insisted it was a gift not a loan. 'There is a presumption that payment from parent to child is by way of gift and not by loan,' he said. 'Such presumptions...exist because they reflect the natural or normal relationships that exist in human nature. 'If Ray had owed a significant sum to his mother...at some point in his life he would have acknowledged this or told Ms Burden. 'It is clear Ray did not consider himself in debt to his mother.' Judge Peter Wulwik, giving his ruling, commented that the fight between the women was focused on 'raw and emotional matters'. 'The defendants admit Mrs Farrell gave Ray the money. However they say that the money was a gift not a loan,' he said. 'There is an absence of any written acknowledgment of a loan by Ray. 'Mrs Farrell alleges that Ms Burden must have removed all traces of documents that supported her case after Ray's death. 'But it was for Mrs Farrell to prove that the monies were a loan. She has failed to prove her case on the balance of probabilities. No monies are due to her from Ray's estate.' The judge went on to add that the case advanced on behalf of the widow and her friend had been 'compelling'. And slamming Mrs Farrell, he said: 'This is little more than a blatant attempt by Mrs Farrell to reduce the residue of Ray's estate, which would otherwise go to Ray's widow, Ms Burden, which is something Mrs Farrell clearly finds hard to cope with. 'The claim fails and is dismissed,' the judge concluded, ordering her to pay Ms Burden and Ms Southgate's 100,000 legal costs bill. 'An offer was made to settle the case for 81,000 and another for 83,000. You had the opportunity of accepting one of the offers but decided against it,' the judge told the pensioner. Mrs Farrell told him: 'I loaned Ray the money. I have lost the money I had saved up for a pension. I have no funds available. I have 300 pension a month. I have no way of paying.' Ms Burden, Ms Southgate and their lawyers will now decide whether to seek to legally enforce the 100,000 debt against Mrs Burden. Advertisement Hong Kong protesters are staging a new round of rally today to protest against a controversial extradition bill after Wednesday's violent clashes between demonstrators and police shocked the world. Hundreds of mothers organised a sit-down in Central to express their opposition to the proposed new law. 'Don't shoot our kids!' said the signboard held by one mother. 'Withdraw the bill, stop being an enemy of the people!' Another mother pleaded. Riot police were said to have used more than 150 rounds of tear gas, several rubber bullets and 20 beanbag rounds to disperse the crowds during the demonstration earlier this week. Eighty-one protesters, mostly students and human rights activists, were injured. Meanwhile, cracks appeared to emerge today in the support base for the proposed Hong Kong law that would allow extraditions to China as opponents of the bill vowed further demonstrations. Two members of Hong Kong's pro-Beijing political camp urged the city's leader Carrie Lam to halt discussions on the unpopular legislation which sparked unprecedented mass protests this week. The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday as tens of thousands of unarmed protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas, rubber bullets and beanbag rounds. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam faced calls from both outside and within her government today to delay extradition legislation that has spurred massive protests. Hundreds of mothers gathered in city centre to call for a retract of the bill Many in Hong Kong fear the measures would undermine the former British colony's legal autonomy. As of Friday afternoon, more than 30,000 people had signed a petition protesting the use of force by police during violent clashes on Wednesday More than 1,000 people joined a peaceful 'mother's protest' Friday evening in a downtown garden. Speakers at the rally called for Lam to step down. One mother is seen holding a piece of paper telling the government that it was not 'children's fault' Police used more than 150 rounds of tear gas grenades, fired several rubber bullets and 20 beanbag rounds on Wednesday The standoff between police and protesters is Hong Kong's most severe political crisis since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city's civil liberties and courts The bill has also drawn criticism from U.S. lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against 'interference' in its internal affairs. China has urged the U.S. to treat Hong Kong 'objectively and fairly' Hong Kong's busy downtown area was calm Friday morning after days of protests by students and human rights activists. But hundreds of parents gathered in a garden in Central in the evening to stage a peaceful sit-down as the latest rallying effort One mother is seen holding a signboard that says 'Don't shoot our Kids!' in a new round of rally in Hong Kong today Residents of the city are urging the government to retract a proposed law that would allow extradition to mainland China Calm appeared to have returned to Hong Kong after days of protests by students and human rights activists opposed to the bill. A protest on Wednesday led to violent clashes between activists and riot police who used tear gas and rubber bullets Today's peaceful sit-in was organised by Civil Human Rights Front, the same group that initiated the million-strong protest on Sunday. Yesterday, the group urged parents in the city to join them in the demonstration on its Facebook page. Their post read: 'We call upon mums to gather in Chater Garden in Central and use the firm strength of mothers to encourage the Hong Kong youngsters and to let them know that they are not alone.' The post continued: 'Together we urge the Chief Executive to break the deadlock and retract the amendments to law at once.' The online petition, signed by tens of thousands, voiced disagreement with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's analogy likening herself and protesters of the extradition bill to a mother and her spoiled children during an interview this week. Demonstrators say they are committed to preventing the government from enacting amendments they see as eroding the freedoms and protections promised when Britain ended its colonial rule of the city in 1997, handing sovereignty to Beijing Activists are planning another large demonstration on coming Sunday. One activist is seen posting a flying for the new rally Hong Kong residents enjoy liberties denied to Chinese living in the mainland: June 4 brought one of the biggest vigils in recent years to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1989 protests in Beijing But many in the city worry their freedoms have been diminishing since Xi came to power in 2012. The detention of several Hong Kong booksellers in late 2015 intensified concern over the territory weakening legal autonomy The booksellers vanished before resurfacing in police custody in mainland China. Among them, Swedish citizen Gui Minhai is under investigation for allegedly leaking state secrets after he sold gossipy books about Chinese leaders Hundreds of mothers have gathered in Chater Garden in Central to express their opposition to the pending amendments Residents in Hong Kong have staged demonstration six days in a row since an estimate one million people took to the streets One mother is seen holding a signboard that says 'protect children, protect Hong Kong' during today's peaceful sit-down The rally's organisers call upon mothers to use their 'firm strength' to encourage the Hong Kong youngsters as a unit The city's pro-Beijing Chief Executive Carrie Lam has so far refused to meet protester demands to withdraw or scrap the bill, which the government plans to put to a vote by next week. But today Lam found herself facing calls from within her own political camp to reverse course and tamp down spiralling public anger. The comments are the first indication that supporters of the extradition law are now having second thoughts following a growing public backlash. The sit in is organised by Civil Human Rights Front, the same group that initiated the million-strong protest on Sunday Meanwhile, cracks have appeared to emerge in the support base for the proposed Hong Kong law within the government The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday Michael Tien, a member of Hong Kong's legislature and a deputy to China's national parliament, openly called on Lam to postpone the bill. 'She would gain points instead of losing points,' he told reporters. 'Nothing is ever too late. New situations arise that would provide the basis for any leader to change their position. There's nothing wrong with that.' 'Give Hong Kong back to us': One protesters is pictured holding a piece of paper to oppose to the potential legislation The mothers started an online petition, signed by tens of thousands, to voice their disagreement with Chief Executive Carrie Lam's analogy likening herself and protesters of the extradition bill to a mother and her spoiled children In self-ruled Taiwan, university students staged a rally today to show their support to the protesters in Hong Kong The Taiwanese rally took place in the island's capital Taipei and were attended by students from National Taiwan University Tien's comments came as Lam's own advisor said pushing ahead with fast-tracking the bill through the city's legislature had now become 'impossible'. Executive Council member Bernard Chan, one of the key advisers to Lam told Cable TV today he did not think formal discussion of the bill, a precursor to a final vote by the legislature, should continue at present. 'Do we consult, strengthen the bill, or what? Is there still any chance of the bill passing? These are all factors the government must consider,' he said. Two members of Hong Kong's pro-Beijing political camp urged the city's leader Carrie Lam (above) to halt discussions on the extradition bill which sparked unprecedented protests The city's pro-Beijing Chief Executive Carrie Lam has so far refused to meet protester demands to withdraw or scrap the bill, which the government plans to put to a vote by next week Michael Tien, a member of Hong Kong's legislature and a deputy to China's national parliament, openly called on Lam to postpone the bill. Above, Tien pictured in 2016 'But I definitely say that right now it's not possible - at a time when there are such intense divisions - to keep discussing this issue. The difficulty is very high.' At the very least we should not escalate the antagonism,' he added, although he stopped short of saying whether the bill should be scrapped. Chan sits on the Executive Council - the equivalent of a cabinet - and was appointed by Lam two years ago to be a top adviser. Pro-democracy lawmakers Claudia Mo (front, centre) and Gary Fan Kwok-wai (front, right) attempt to march to Chief Executive Carrie Lam's residence a day after a violent protest against an extradition law in Hong Kong broke out in the city Police stand guard as protesters display placards during a demonstration against a controversial extradition law proposal near the government headquarters in Hong Kong today Executive council member Ronny Tong has also suggested having a consultation on the bill before progressing, according to broadcaster RTHK. And 22 former government officials or Legislative Council members, including former security secretary Peter Lai Hing-ling, signed a statement calling on Lam to 'yield to public opinion and withdraw the Bill for more thorough deliberation'. 'It is time for Hong Kong to have a cool-down period,' Lai told Reuters. 'Let frayed tempers settle before we resume discussion of this controversial issue. Please, no more blood-letting!' The officials argued it was unwise to trigger more tensions with the public following protests Wednesday that turned violent. A total of 81 people were injured. The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling in the city, has many concerned it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status. Opposition to the bill on Sunday triggered the former British colony's biggest political demonstration since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 under a 'one country, two systems' deal guaranteeing it special autonomy, including freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary. Police use tear gas to block protesters from coming closer to the Legislative Council Executive council member Ronny Tong has also suggested having a consultation on the bill before progressing, according to broadcaster RTHK Many accuse China of extensive meddling since then, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialised in works critical of Chinese leaders. Beijing-backed Lam has stood by the bill, saying it is necessary to plug loopholes that allow criminals wanted on the mainland to use the city as a haven. She has said Hong Kong courts would safeguard human rights. Lam has not appeared in public or commented since Wednesday. China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, has rejected accusations of undermining Hong Kong's freedoms. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Hong Kong matters were an internal affair for China and nobody had a right to interfere. 'Any vain plots to cause chaos in Hong Kong or to damage Hong Kongs prosperity and stability will be resolutely opposed by the whole people of China including the vast majority of Hong Kong compatriots,' he said. 'This does not enjoy popular support and will not succeed.' The proposed bill has thrown Hong Kong, one of the world's most densely populated cities, into chaos, starting on Sunday with a march that drew what organisers said was more than a million people. China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, has rejected accusations of undermining Hong Kong's freedoms Opposition to the bill on Sunday triggered the former British colony's biggest political demonstration since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 under a 'one country, two systems' deal guaranteeing it special autonomy, including freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary Today, police kept a close watch as the city returned to normal, with most protesters retreating and banks re-opening. But further demonstrations are planned. Organisers have urged people to take to the streets on Sunday and protesters have applied for a permit to gather on Monday, when legislators may reconvene to discuss the bill. The Confederation of Trade Unions and Professional Teachers Union called for a citywide strike. A few dozen demonstrators clustered today near the legislature, which had been scheduled to debate the bill this week. 'We are going to be here fixed today to show people that we are here to support. Everyone is planning for a big march on Sunday like last week but no one knows what will happen at night or after,' said a woman surnamed Chan, who was helping at a makeshift first aid and supply station. Police have made more than a dozen arrests, some in hospitals and university campuses, while scores were wounded in the clashes. In the United States, senior congressional lawmakers from both parties introduced legislation to require an annual justification from the U.S. government for the continuation of special business and trade privileges to Hong Kong. China called on the United States not to pass such legislation. The hawkish Chinese newspaper, the Global Times, lambasted foreign leaders for being hypocrites and said their failure to condemn violent demonstrators was 'a stark provocation'. An intruder carrying a large kitchen knife leapt some 30 feet from the third story window of an apartment block after being confronted by the tenant. Striking images captured by Ryan Klee show the dark-haired burglar, dressed in a black polo neck sweater, red patterned pants and trainers, in mid flight as he jumps to the ground still holding the knife. Klee had taken his dogs out for a walk at around 6pm on the morning of Tuesday, June 4 and returned to his secured apartment complex in Issaquah, Washington to find his door ajar. Ryan Klee took this photograph the intruder in mid flight as he jumps from the third-floor window to the ground still holding a huge knife He told KIRO-TV that when he entered the apartment he saw the intruder going through his backpack. The man quickly claimed he was on the wrong floor and said he wanted to leave. But Klee quickly locked the door and blocked his exit. 'He tried to maneuver around me, tried to push me out of the way and we ended up grabbing each other a little bit,' Klee told the station. Klee said he wanted to restrain the suspect to stop him breaking into any other apartments in the complex or going out and hurting somebody else. The man took one of Klee's kitchen knives and violently threatened him before jumping 30-feet out of the window He managed to keep control the situation, forcing the suspect to hand over his identification while he called 911. But during the struggle the intruder seized a large knife from Klee's kitchen and began threatening him. 'He was saying, "I will effing gut you" and putting the knife up to my stomach,' Klee told KIRO-TV. 'Then, he said "I'll cut your throat" and put it up to my neck as well. 'I said, "The only way you're going to leave out of here is you could either be escorted by the police or you can go out the window.'' Ryan Klee (pictured) said he felt obliged to prevent the man leaving to stop him breaking into any of his neighbors' apartments He had no idea the man would take that literally. Issaquah police - with the help of a K9 unit - later tracked down Ryan Dresser, who has a violent criminal past. In December he was charged in two separate robberies and since 2013 there have been eight felony warrants out for his arrest. Dresser's bail was set at $100,000. Prosecutors say he is an extreme risk to the community and is likely to commit another violent offense if released. A black pickup truck belonging to the estranged husband of missing Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos was seen in the town where she lived on the day she vanished - but he was not at the wheel, police have revealed. Fotis Dulos, 51, and his girlfriend Michelle Troconis have been charged in connection with the disappearance of his ex-wife, 50-year-old Jennifer, who was last seen on May 24. The pair were going through a contentious divorce and custody battle. There has been no sign of Jennifer or her body since. Police are searching a pond near Fotis' home and also a garbage disposal plant. He insists he had nothing to do with her disappearance despite surveillance video footage showing a man who looks like him, driving the same car as him, dropping off trash bags at several locations that night. The bags contained items of clothing and a sponge that were soaked in bloody. When tested, the blood was found to be Jennifer's. Now officers say a black Ford F-150 Raptor truck which belonged to Fotis's home-building company Fore Group was in New Canaan on the day Jennifer vanished, but was being driven by an employee. Meanwhile Fotis was driving the employee's truck that day, before the pair switched vehicles in the afternoon. He has not explained why they had swapped cars. A truck belonging to Fotis Dulos (left) was seen in the town where his estranged wife Jennifer (right) lived on the day she disappeared - but an employee of his home-building company was driving it while he was driving the employee's truck, police say Fotis and girlfriend Michelle Troconis (pictured center) have been charged in connection with Jennifer's disappearance after she was last seen on May 24 Police have seized the employee's truck, his phone and computer as they hunt for evidence in Jennifer's disappearance, the Hartford Courant reports. Investigators are not treating the employee as a suspect, and his attorney said he is cooperating fully 'and is just looking forward to moving on with his life.' The employee was in New Canaan to work on a property that Fore Group was building there and which police have already searched. Jennifer was last seen dropping the five children she had with Fotis off at school on May 24 before being reported missing at 7pm that day. Police were called to her home and found dark patches in the garage which they say are consistent with blood stains, and other blood throughout the house. Officers also say they have CCTV footage which shows Fotis and Troconis driving to a trash can near Farmington, where he lived, and dumping bags inside. They say those bags were later found to contain items of clothing and sponges with traces of Jennifer's blood on them. They have not recovered the mother's body, however, and both Fotis and his ex-socialite girlfriend say they are innocent. On Thursday, Fotis' attorney claimed Michelle had even taken a polygraph test and passed it. Fotis Dulos goes jogging with his ankle monitor on on Thursday, two days after posting bail for charges relating to the disappearance of his wife Jennifer The 51-year-old father-of-five must keep his ankle tag on and has had to surrender his passport He repeated his earlier claim that his client is innocent and said he was at home in the morning the day his ex-wife went missing and that cell phone and computer records will prove it. He claims Fotis was on an international phone call with someone in Greece at some stage in the morning on May 24. He believes that the phone and computer data keeps him at his home in Farmington, 70 miles from where Jennifer vanished in New Canaan, for so long that it would have been impossible for him to get to her, harm her and then return to his own house where his cell phone data puts him at 1.37pm. 'Mr. Dulos did not cause his wife to disappear and he did not cause her harm. 'We believe she may well have been a victim of foul play and we have started our own investigation into sources,' Norm Pattis told a WLPR radio show on Thursday. He went on to say that while Michelle had cooperated with police, it did not mean she was working against Fotis. 'It's not clear to me that she has gone into an agreement. I think she did agree to speak to the police and the result has ruled her out as a participant in foul play in New Canaan. 'My understanding is she has taken a polygraph and the question on if she has any knowledge of any foul play or disposal of evidence. She satisfied police and she provided an alibi,' Pattis said. The above illustration shows the area of Connecticut where Jennifer vanished on May 24 and her ex's movements throughout that day, 70 miles away in Farmington. He says his cell phone keeps him in that area until 11am and afterwards but his attorneys have not explained why his cell phone was also in an area where bloody trash bags, with Jennifer's DNA was found, that night Police say there was evidence that Jennifer had been attacked in the garage of her home in New Canaan (above). They found blood spatter and signs of a 'serious physical assault' in there and also found traces of her blood in the kitchen, they said He went on to say the police had 'wedded' themselves to the idea that his client is guilty and will not consider other potential sources of foul play - which he claims his office is now looking in to. TIMELINE May 24 8.30am: Jennifer Dulos is seen for the last time dropping off her children at school 9am: Fotis Dulos' meeting with an attorney, who has not been named, comes to an end at his home in Farmington, his lawyer says 11am: Fotis' co-defendant and girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, comes home to their house in Farmington and confirms he is there. It is unclear where she had been. 12pm: Housekeeper goes to Jennifer Dulos' home in New Canaan and finds nothing of note 1pm: Jennifer Dulos misses her second appointment of that day 1.37pm: Police say Fotis Dulos was back in Farmington but at a property his real estate company owns 3.38pm: He leaves the property 4.17pm: Cell phone has him arriving back at home. The drive is only 2 miles long. It is unclear where he went in between 5.21pm: Cell phone pings back to the house his company owns where he'd been earlier 5.34pm: Cell phone shows him arriving home 7pm: Jennifer's friends and family report her missing 7.10pm: Fotis phone shows him in Hartford, near where trash bags containing his wife's blood were found . Troconis' phone also pings in the area 19.41 - Cell phone comes home Advertisement Jennifer was last seen dropping off the couple's kids at 8.30am in New Canaamn on May 24. At 11am, she missed her first appointment of the day. She missed the second at 1pm. At noon, a housekeeper went to her home and did not report anything suspicious. It was not until 7pm that night, when she had failed to pick up the five children from school, that she was reported missing. Fotis claims he was at home with his lawyer until 9am on the same day. He says he then remained in his home until 11am and that his phone data will prove it. Where he was between 11am and 1.37pm is a mystery but at 1.37pm, his cell phone showed him being in Farmington. Throughout the afternoon, he visited a property that he owns through his property development company several times. His cell phone then pinged that evening in the area of Hartford where a man, who resembled him and driving a similar car to him, was seen dropping trash bags off at different locations. The bags contained sponges and clothes that were soaked in Jennifer's blood, according to state forensic teams. They also found her blood and Fotis' DNA on the faucet of the kitchen of her New Canaan home, and what they described as evidence of a bloody assault and cover up in her garage. Fotis' attorney, however, has said it means nothing. He claims that the bloody garbage bags are an 'anomaly' and that Fotis' DNA was likely on the faucet because he'd been there days earlier. He also says that if the housekeeper who visited the house at noon had seen a bloody crime scene, they would have reported it. Police are seen at Fotis' home in Farmington on Friday, where Troconis traveled with police after giving a videotaped interview to them in the presence of her attorney Pattis added that he has not seen all of the evidence the state is claiming warrants his arrest, but said he is devoted to find out what happened to her. He has not spoken of her remarks in divorce filings that she and her five children were afraid of Fotis who she said made her exhausted children train on waterskis for hours on end, against their will. One of the locations police searched for her body was a pond that he allegedly used to force them to ski on. Michelle Troconis' lawyer has said next to nothing about the case other than to complain about the media coverage of it. She led police through a search of the home she shares with Fotis earlier in the week. One of the three engineers hailed in the acclaimed US series Chernobyl for helping avert an even greater nuclear disaster has said he was just doing his job. Oleksiy Ananenko, now 59, waded through flooded corridors with two other men to drain water from under the power station and prevent another explosion. In the hit mini-series, the bravery of the three engineers is one of the most dramatic and gripping moments of the show. Officials tell workers about the imminent danger of a second explosion and the three men volunteer for the mission to prevent 'millions' of deaths. But Mr Ananenko, now living in a modest one bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Kiev, has insisted that what he did was not heroic. Oleksiy Ananenko, now 59, was hailed as one of the heroes who stopped Chernobyl from being even worse than it was In the episode, actors playing Ananenko and two other engineers, Valeriy Bespalov and Boris Baranov, attempt to empty a water tank located ten feet below the burning reactor. Nuclear experts feared that a second explosion could take place if super-hot radioactive fuel burned through a concrete floor and reacted with the large amount of water in the tank. However, despite the fears of a second explosion, the scale of the disaster was unclear at the time. Mr Ananenko said: 'I never felt like a hero. I was doing my job. 'I was ordered to go there, so I went. I wasn't afraid.' He added that the three men depicted in the series as volunteering for a suicide mission simply obeyed orders, without being clearly informed about the risks they incurred. Protected only by diving equipment and simple respirators, the three men negotiated the partially flooded corridors under the reactor. In the hit mini-series, the bravery of the three engineers is one of the most dramatic and gripping moments of the show Using flashlights, they managed to find the locks for the water tank in the dark and quickly opened them. Mr Ananenko said: 'Immediately I heard a noise that meant the water was draining. That was amazing.' However, watching the scene play out in the TV series, he pointed out some inaccuracies. Pointing at the oxygen cylinders, he said: 'We didn't have them. 'And we walked quicker than that. Why quicker? Because if you went slowly, the dose (of absorbed radiation) would be higher.' Despite carrying two dosimeters with him, Mr Ananenko said he does not recall the exact figure for the amount of radiation his body absorbed. 'That means it wasn't very high,' he said. Of the three engineers, Mr Bespalov is also alive, living in the same district as Mr Ananenko. But Mr Barano died in 2005. Mr Ananenko said that the three men depicted in the series as volunteering for a suicide mission simply obeyed orders Mr Ananenko did not suffer any serious health problems straight after the mission and he was able to continue to work in the nuclear sector until 2017. However, the Chernobyl veteran was forced to retire because he was involved in a serious car accident that plunged him into a coma for a month and affected his memory. Decorated with Soviet and Ukrainian medals, Mr Ananenko now receives a monthly state pension of around $417 (369 euros). Another former Chernobyl worker, Oleksiy Breus, who was a technician at the fatal fourth reactor, said his impression of the mini-series was 'positive on the whole' but he had some criticisms. He said: 'The nuclear scientists are shown as people who are afraid of everything and afraid of their bosses, but in reality they were very resolute.' Mr Breus added that none of the operators fled after the explosion. On the contrary, 'new people came to help,' he said in Pripyat, the nuclear workers' town near the power station that was evacuated after the incident. In the disaster's aftermath, 'we had to run through a building that was unlit and half-destroyed to save injured colleagues and bring them up to doctors' as well as battle the fire, he recalled. Sergiy Parashyn, a former director of the Chernobyl power station who headed its Soviet Communist Party cell when the disaster occurred, also commented on the show. He spoke to journalists inside the renovated underground bunker that is shown in the series as hosting meetings between power station senior staff and officials, scenes he insisted were unrealistic. 'In fact, the specialists were trying to work out what to do, but in the series they are just (shown as) rejecting information,' he said. Advertisement Climate change campaigners blocked routes into the capital during rush hour this morning bringing misery to commuters. Extinction Rebellion protesters swarmed on the A20 near Lewisham station in south east London to demonstrate over air quality in the borough. Protesters handed out leaflets and cake to apologise for the disruption caused to drivers and passengers on a main route into central London. Campaigners are also stopping traffic elsewhere in the borough - in Catford and Deptford. In November, London Mayor Sadiq Khan called Lewisham's air quality a 'health crisis'. Climate change protesters Extinction Rebellion blocked roads in Lewisham, south east London, this morning Campaigners handed out leaflets and cake to apologise for the disruption caused to drivers and passengers on a main route into central London They also blocked roads in Catford, pictured, and Deptford elsewhere in the borough. The protest comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan called Lewisham's air quality a 'health crisis' One commuter Holly, 34, was stuck in the traffic jams outside Lewisham station. She had travelled from Bexley, also in south east London, for her childcare, and still had several miles to drive before she reached her final destination of Bromley. She said: 'It's backed up and I've been sat in it for more than half an hour. I'm definitely going to be late for work now.' Before the protests, some local residents had been concerned about potential disruption to schoolchildren heading in for exams, but protesters confirmed on social media that they had spoken to local schools and taken steps to avoid causing problems for those sitting tests today. Despite this, one Lewisham resident, Orla, took to Twitter to say she had struggled to get to school in time for her exams because of the protest. She said: 'Lots of people (including myself) travel outside of Lewisham to get to school... I left wayy earlier than usual and Im still only going to make my exam by about 5 mins because no buses are running.' Despite a lot of support for the group, not everyone got the message. One confused resident Lee Malcolmson said: 'Not sure what the protest is for at #Deptford but if its about the deaths on this dangerous junction then Im with you 100% #Lewisham @MayorofLondon.' One commuter Holly, 34, was stuck in the traffic jams outside Lewisham station. She had travelled from Bexley, also in south east London, for her childcare, and still had several miles to drive before she reached her final destination of Bromley Protesters were seen wearing face masks featuring the Extinction Rebellion logo (left) and holding up placards including this one which says 'young lungs at work' One of the protesters held up a sign saying 'R.I.P Ella Kissi-Debrah', a nine-year-old girl who died from a fatal asthma attack thought to have been linked to air pollution Despite a lot of support for the group, not everyone got the message. One confused resident Lee Malcolmson thought the group were protesting against deaths on the 'dangerous junction' Despite efforts by the group to avoid problems for those heading into school for exams, not everyone was happy. Orla claimed she only just made it in time for her exam despite leaving early Harry Gibson, 35, was taking part in the action at Lewisham station. He believes stopping commuters is a small price to pay for raising awareness of climate change. He said: 'The environment catastrophe will far outweigh the damage caused by a few roadblocks on a Friday morning.' Mr Gibson, who also took part in the bridge blockades in central London in April, added: 'The planet's not going to last, it's not protected with the way that we're going. We need to look to the future for future generations.' One of the protesters held up a sign saying 'R.I.P Ella Kissi-Debrah', a nine-year-old girl who died from a fatal asthma attack thought to have been linked to air pollution. Earlier this year, her mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, won a battle for a fresh inquest into her death, meaning Ella may become the first person in the UK for whom air pollution is listed as the cause of death. Lewisham resident Graham called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to 'resign' over air quality in the area. He said: 'The man's a disgrace. I can't see that they're doing anything quickly about this problem.' He blamed queues and high numbers of traffic lights for pollution in the area. 'The traffic just idles here, there's an air pollution cloud, you walk around and it's disgusting,' he said. 'They are slowly killing the people who live here by creating car parks in the city. If people could see the pollution they would do something about it. It's killing people but nobody seems to care.' Graham, who works for a public body, praised the Extinction Rebellion action. He added: 'I applaud them, they have my full support. I agree with what they're doing. The problem that we have here is just a scant disregard for the environment and people.' Protesters blocked off roads in three areas between 7.30am and 9am. Lewisham resident Graham called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to 'resign' over air quality in the area. He said: 'The man's a disgrace. I can't see that they're doing anything quickly about this problem' Many of the protesters held signs asking drivers to turn off their engines and not to idle. Pictured: the group outside Lewisham station The billionaire French donors who publicly promised flashy donations totaling hundreds of millions to rebuild Notre Dame have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials. Instead, it's been mainly American and French citizens, via charitable foundations at Notre Dame, that have footed the bills and paid salaries for the up to 150 workers employed by the cathedral since the April 15 fire that devastated the cathedral's roof and caused its masterpiece spire to collapse. This month they are handing over the first payment for the cathedral's reconstruction of 3.6 million euros ($4 million). 'The big donors haven't paid. Not a cent,' said Andre Finot, senior press official at Notre Dame. 'They want to know what exactly their money is being spent on and if they agree to it before they hand it over, and not just to pay employees' salaries.' Almost $1 billion was promised by some of France's richest and most powerful families and companies, some of whom sought to outbid each other, in the hours and days after the inferno. It prompted criticism that the donations were as much about the vanity of the donors wishing to be immortalized in the edifice's fabled stones than the preservation of church heritage. Several high-profile donors pledged a billion euros to rebuild Notre Dame in the aftermath of the fire Francois Pinault of Artemis, the parent company of Kering that owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, promised 100 million euros, while Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of French energy company Total, said his firm would match that figure. Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury giant LVMH that owns Louis Vuitton and Dior, pledged 200 million euros, as did the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation of the L'Oreal fortune. No money has been seen, according to Finot, as the donors wait to see how the reconstruction plans progress and fight it out over contracts. The reality on the ground is that work has been continuing around the clock for weeks and, with no legal financial mechanism in place to pay the workers, the cathedral has been reliant on the charity foundation to fund the first phase of reconstruction. The Friends of Notre Dame de Paris was founded in 2017, and its president, Michel Picaud, estimates that 90% of the donations it has received have come from American donors. Indeed, Picaud has just returned from a fund-raising trip in New York. 'Americans are very generous toward Notre Dame and the monument is very loved in America. Six out of our 11 board members are residents in the U.S.,' Picaud said. The first check toward the rebuilding, accounting for the 'first stage of restorations' according to Picaud, is currently being transferred by the foundation for a sum of 3.6 million euros ($4.1 million). That sum includes funds from mainly small French donors, collected by the linked Notre Dame Foundation. While the billionaire donors delay signing their checks, the workers at the cathedral can afford no such luxury as the risk of lead poisoning has become an issue for the Parisian island on which Notre Dame is located. The estimated 300 tons of lead that made up the roof melted or was released into the atmosphere during the blaze, and sent toxic dust around the island with high levels present in the soils and in administrative buildings, according to Paris' regional health agency. It has recommended that all pregnant women and children under 7 take a blood test for lead levels. Two dedicated workers have been cleaning the toxic lead dust from the forecourt for weeks, and up to 148 more have been cleaning inside and outside the edifice as well as restoring it, according to Finot. Workers are currently creating a wooden walkway to give them access to remove the 250 tons of burnt-out scaffolding that had been installed for the ill-fated restoration of the spire. They will then replace the existing plastic protection with a bigger, more robust 'umbrella' roof. After that, they will begin the reconstruction of the roof and vaulting. The middle vault will be the first stage of the reconstruction. Finot said this process will take a number of months and will all be paid for by the Friends of Notre Dame and other foundations. This comes as the French parliament is slowly passing back and forth amendments to a new law that would create a 'public body' to expedite the restoration of the cathedral and circumvent some of the country's famously complex labor laws. French President Emmanuel Macron has said the work should be completed within a five year deadline. Macron has appointed former army chief Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin to oversee the reconstruction and crack the whip. But critics have said the timeline is overly ambitious. The LVMH luxury goods group run by Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France, pledged 200 million euros Multi-billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault also pledged 100 million euros to the rebuilding programme A spokesman for the Pinault Collection acknowledged that the Pinault family hadn't yet handed over any money despite the progress of works, blaming that on a delay in contracts. 'In short, we are willing to pay, provided it is requested in a contractual framework,' said Jean-Jacques Aillagon, adding that the Pinault family plans to pay via the Friends of Notre Dame. The LVMH Group and the Arnault family said in a statement that it would also be working with the Friends of Notre Dame, that it was signing an agreement and that 'the payments will be made as the work progresses.' Total has pledged to pay its 100 million euros via the Heritage Foundation, whose Director General Celia Verot, confirmed the multinational company has not paid a penny yet and is waiting to see what the plans are and if they are in line with each company's particular vision before they agree to transfer the money. 'How the funds will be used by the state is the big question,' Verot said. 'It's not as brutal as it sounds, but it's a voluntary donation so the companies are waiting for the government's vision to see what precisely they want to fund. It's our function as the intermediary to know that the money is directed in line with the donor's wishes,' she added. President Emmanuel Macron's claimed that the cathedral would be restored 'within five years' While the clean-up and consolidation work currently underway is hugely important, it does not fit that description, said another foundation official, speaking on condition of anonymity. It suggests the wealthy donors want their money to go toward long-lasting, immortalizing structures and not on ephemeral, but equally vital, cleaning and securing of the site that also still poses a real health risk for Parisians. The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation said it, too, hasn't handed over the money because it wants to ensure it's spent on causes that fit the foundation's specific ethos - which supports craftsmanship in art. Olivier de Challus, one of the cathedral's chief guides and architecture experts, said that one of the reasons the rich French donors haven't yet paid up is that there are still so many uncertainties about the direction of the construction work. De Challus said that architectural experts are using digital models to try to establish how much damage the fire did to the 13th-century stone, and whether the structures are fundamentally sound. 'It doesn't matter that the big donors haven't yet paid because the choices about the spire and the major architectural decisions will happen probably late in 2020,' he said. Photo: Town of Oliver The canal where it goes underground at Gallagher Lake It doesnt look like the federal government will be helping the Town of Oliver repair its irrigation canal. Town manager Cathy Cowan told the Oliver Daily News she has received a verbal rejection from Ottawa in relation to a $22 million grant the municipality submitted for the project. In reality, the town needs just $5 million to match the $5 million already committed by the province to the $11.5 million project. Oliver submitted the larger grant request in an attempt to comply with criteria for the federal governments Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund. The project has been strangled by the bureaucracy of the federal government for years, not fitting the appropriate criteria for different ministries and grant programs despite massive infrastructure funding touted by the Trudeau government. Oliver council heard from an engineer this week that said it would cost about $900,000 a month to pump water through the canal at 60 per cent capacity should another rockfall occur at Gallagher Lake. The canal has been running at 70 per cent capacity since a 2016 rockfall, with the town trying to secure funding to reroute the canal from the rockfall zone at Gallagher Lake. The nearly 100-year-old Oliver canal brings water to 1,400 hectares of farmland along its 17.4-kilometre route between Vaseux Lake and Hester Creek. with files from Oliver Daily News Julian Assange today told a court that '175 years of my life is at stake' as he was told he will not face a full extradition hearing until early next year. The Wikileaks founder appeared via video link at Westminster Magistrates' Court as he faces being extradited to the US over hacking top secret government documents. A full hearing on the extradition request is now expected to take place in February, and is scheduled to last five days. Assange is currently serving a 50-week prison sentence after being dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in April and jailed for a bail violation. If Assange only serves half of his sentence, he could potentially be out of prison when the extradition hearing takes place. Speaking outside court after the hearing, his lawyer Jennifer Robinson called the case 'an outrageous affront to journalistic protections.' She said Assange is facing 'a significant, complex case of huge size and scale' and that it was 'incredible pressure' on him after he 'suffered significant health impacts as a result of his time inside the embassy and now inside prison.' Julian Assange, pictured leaving the Ecuadorian Embassy on April 11, is facing possible extradition to the United States where officials want to charge him for leaking secrets Jennifer Robinson, lawyer of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, addresses the media at Westminster Magistrates Court after today's hearing Supporters of Julian Assange outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London for the latest extradition case management hearing for the WikiLeaks founder The hearing came just a day after Home Secretary Sajid Javid singed an extradition request from the US, making it increasingly likely he will be sent to the US to stand trial. Assange is wanted across the Atlantic for what US officials call 'one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States'. Jennifer Robinson, lawyer for Julain Assange, outside court today If found guilty of all the charges against him, the Wikileaks founder could be jailed for 175 years. Ben Brandon, representing the US, formally opened the case on Friday. Assange is fighting against extradition on 18 counts lodged in the US. Assange, who had a scraggly white beard, told the court: '175 years of my life is effectively at stake.' Addressing the judge as 'Lady Arbuthnot', he defended his website against hacking claims, saying: 'WikiLeaks is nothing but a publisher.' The court also heard that he has a date at the Court of Appeal, with his legal team later explaining he is to appeal against his sentence. Mark Summers QC, representing Assange, told the court there are a 'multiplicity of profound issues' with the extradition case. 'We say it represents an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights,' he said. Evidence will show that Assange 'first encouraged' former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to illegally obtain documents, Mr Brandon alleged. The crowd of around a dozen supporters held banners, including one with the message 'Free Assange' outside Westminster Magistrates' Court today Some protesters chanted 'justice for Julian Assange' and 'Defend freedom and democracy' Then Assange agreed with her to 'crack' a password hash on a Pentagon computer, the lawyer continued. 'By taking steps to crack the password hash, it's said that Mr Assange was also attempting to illegally obtain and receive classified information,' Mr Brandon said. The documents relate to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and, the lawyer alleged, information on secret intelligence sources. 'By publishing that unredacted material on the internet, Mr Assange created a grave and imminent risk that human intelligence sources, including journalists, human rights defenders and political activists, would suffer serious physical harm or arbitrary detention,' Mr Brandon said. Julian Assange pictured as he is led out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in handcuffs following his arrest by British police in April. He is being investigated in Sweden and the U.S. Giving a statement outside court after the hearing, Jennifer Robinson, one of Julian Assange's lawyers, said: 'This case is an outrageous affront to journalistic protections. What is the process for extraditing someone to the US and how far down the path is Julian Assange? 1. Extradition request is made to the Secretary of State. In Assange's case, this took place on Tuesday, when the U.S. authorities sent a formal request to Sajid Javid. 2. Secretary of State decides whether to certify the request. In Assange's case, this has happened 3. Judge decides whether to issue a warrant for arrest. This will not be necessary in Assange's case, as he is already in custody for breaching his bail. 4. Preliminary hearing. An earlier attempt to hold the hearing was delayed when Assange was said to be too ill to come to court. 5. Extradition hearing. A full hearing of the issues will later be presented to a court. U.S. Authorities will be represented by one team of lawyers. Assange will be represented by his own lawyers. A judge decides whether there is 'prima facie evidence of guilt' and whether extradition would breach a person's human rights. 6. Appeal. A judge's decision to extradite someone can be appealed in the High Court. Assange declined to consent to be extradite, suggesting he is planning to appeal any decision against him. 7. Secretary of State decides whether to order extradition. The final decision is then made by the Home Secretary. Mr Javid's comments today suggest that if he were to still be Home Secretary at that time, this would be a formality. 8. Possible further appeal. People facing extradition can also appeal the Home Secretary's rubber stamping of their case in the High Court and potentially the Supreme Court. The history of Assange's case suggests this is likely if the case gets this far. Advertisement 'This indictment will place a chilling impact and will affect journalists and publishers everywhere all over the world, by the US seeking to extradite and prosecute a publisher outside the US, who is not a US citizen, for having published truthful information about the United States.' She said the material included 'evidence of war crimes, human rights abuse and corruption the world over'. She added that Assange's legal team are 'very concerned about his health' as he remains in a healthcare ward at Belmarsh prison in south east London. Ms Robinson said: 'He is under a huge amount of pressure and in very difficult circumstances. He is facing, a significant, complex case of huge size and scale and that is incredible pressure to be placed upon someone who has already suffered significant health impacts as a result of his time inside the embassy and now inside prison. 'It has been difficult to have access to him. Its difficult to prepare the case in circumstances where he is in a healthcare ward, where he doesn't have access to a computer to be able to prepare the case, and that's why such a long timetable was set down today. 'We continue to have concerns about the adequacy of the facilities we have which are fundamental to his right to be able to defend himself in these proceedings. 'These are incredibly serious charges which impact upon typical newsgathering activities that journalists engage in all the time the world over.' Protesters earlier gathered outside court holding banners, including one with the message 'Free Assange'. Some chanted 'justice for Julian Assange' and 'Defend freedom and democracy'. Mr Javid said he had signed and certified an extradition order on Wednesday, although the final decision rests with the courts. Protestor Jeannie Farr, who was outside Westminster Magistrates' Court today said the US request was 'illegal and immoral.' She said: 'It completely forgets the due process of law. 'We used to have some notion in a democracy that you were innocent until proven guilty.' US actress Pamela Anderson also visited Assange at the high-security jail on May 7 On Monday, Assange was today visited by his Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (left) and his father John Shipton (right) at HMP Belmarsh in London Ms Farr, who travelled to the demonstration from Stratford-upon-Avon, added: 'I don't think a process can be legal if it's been set in motion through illegal actions and taking Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy was not done in any way from the rule of law.' And an investigation has also been reopened into an allegation of rape in Sweden, which Assange has always denied. Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I am very pleased that the police were finally able to apprehend him and now he's rightly behind bars because he broke UK law. 'There is an extradition request from the US... I signed the extradition order and certified it and that will be going in front of the courts.' He said it was a decision for the courts over whether Assange should be extradited. Mr Javid added: 'There is a very important part of it for the Home Secretary and I want to see justice done at all times and we've got a legitimate extradition request so I've signed it but the final decision is now with the courts.' HMP Belmarsh in London, where Assange is serving 50 weeks for skipping bail but could be extradited to the US A Home Office spokesman said: 'Mr Assange was arrested in relation to a provisional extradition request from the United States of America. 'He is accused of offences including computer misuse and the unauthorised disclosure of national defence information. 'We have received the full extradition request, which has been certified by the Home Secretary. 'This case is now before the courts and it would be inappropriate to comment further.' This week Assange has been visited in prison by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and his father. Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has also been to see him. Last month he was moved to a medical ward at Belmarsh as his supporters expressed 'grave concerns' about his health. Weiwei, who was detained without charge in China for 81 days in 2011 during a crackdown on political activists, is believed to have previously visited Assange in 2015 when he was holed up inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Assange's father John Shipton said after visiting his son: 'It was just very moving to see Julian, particularly in those circumstances, coming out of sick bay and having lost 10kg weight.' He said: 'I think he'll be alright.' A wannabe jihadist who was arrested at the airport while trying to fly to Syria to join ISIS has walked free from jail after two years behind bars. Western Sydney man Moudasser Taleb, 24, was arrested at the Sydney Airport after being caught in an undercover police operation. When he arrived at the airport in June 2017 intending to head to the Middle East to fight for ISIS, police arrested him. He was released on Friday after spending two years behind bars, and said he wanted to 'move on with my life'. 'I'm happy with the result, I'd like to thank the judge for releasing me and I want to put this all behind me and move on with my life,' he said. He also said his family and a job were his priorities now. Taleb celebrated his first day of freedom by enjoying a hot chocolate, strawberries and some waffles along with his brother and lawyers, The Daily Telegraph reported. Wannabe jihadist Moudasser Taleb, 24, (pictured), who was arrested at the airport while trying to fly to Syria to join ISIS, has walked free from jail after two years behind bars The defence claimed Taleb was suffering from mental illness at the time and the court accepted that he wouldn't have offended if not goaded by undercover police. Taleb was found to have schizophrenia after he was arrested. Upon leaving court Taleb said he was ready to put the whole episode behind him. Justice Peter Hamill released Taleb on a five year good behaviour bond. 'In many cases the better way to protect society is to foster the rehabilitation of the offender even where the result appears to be a lenient one and may prove to be unpopular among commentators,' Justice Hamill said. He said all the facts before him 'cry out' for a sentence that would allow 'the young, mentally ill and vulnerable offender' the chance of rehabilitation. The judge said Taleb knew what he was doing was illegal but added he wouldn't have headed to the airport without the 'quite appropriate' intervention and encouragement of an undercover police officer. In April of this year Taleb was found guilty of of preparing to travel to Syria for the purpose of engaging in hostile activities. The defence had claimed Taleb had no intention of engaging in warfare or was mentally ill at the time. Taleb (pictured) celebrated his first day of freedom by enjoying a hot chocolate, strawberries and some waffles along with his brother and lawyers Taleb was later found to have videos on his phone of beheadings, people with ISIS flags and battlefields. He was previously seen giving the one-fingered ISIS salute when he appeared at court in April which he conceded implied he showed no remorse. Justice Hamill said the two years Taleb had already spent in custody were adequate and found him to be of good character despite his crime. 'I accept his mental illness had a significant impact on his moral culpability,' Justice Hamill said, referring to a diagnosis of schizophrenia after Taleb's arrest. Former Yorkshire Building Society worker Nialah Afser, 37 (pictured), robbed 105,000 from the accounts of vulnerable people, such as cancer patients and the elderly, who 'trusted her implicitly' A 'remorseless' society worker stole nearly 105,000 from vulnerable victims including several cancer patients, new parents, the elderly and bereaved families. Nialah Afser, 37, abused her position at Yorkshire Building Society to rob the accounts of extremely vulnerable people who 'trusted her implicitly'. Afser, who was sentenced to four years in jail, even exchanged chocolates, flowers, and thank you cards with her victims. She hid the stolen cash in her accounts and splashed on a holiday to Dubai, as well as designer and high end fashion. Items that were seized included a Chanel handbag, a pair of Prada heels, Kurt Geiger shoes, as well as a coat from Zara and All Saints coat - all left at the branch when she was arrested in January 2016. Afser, from Birmingham, also spent the money on two luxury cars - an Audi A5 and an Audi Q7 Quattro S Line SUV. She spent three years and three months preying on weak customers at the city's New Street branch before she was exposed. When she was arrested, she blamed her crimes on her employers. Birmingham Crown Court heard on Thursday how Afser was appointed as 'deceased champion' at the New Street branch after obtaining her job with the society using forged references. The court heard that she even exchanged chocolates, flowers and thank you cards with her victims who were customers of the branch in New St, Birmingham (pictured) Items that were seized included a Chanel handbag (left), a pair of Prada heels (right), Kurt Geiger shoes, as well as a two coats, one from Zara and the other from All Saints - all of which were all left at the branch after her arrest Afser, described as 'polite, charming and attentive', would take 'vulnerable' customers into a side room. After gaining their trust, she would unlawfully access their accounts, withdrawing various sums of cash after getting them to sign debit slips. Graham Huston, prosecuting, told of one 'fragile' cancer sufferer who had gone into the branch in August 2015 for help as she was undergoing chemotherapy and ended up having 7,000 stolen from her. Mr Huston said: 'It was also clear to the defendant that this customer was trying to put her affairs in order anticipating a bad outcome to her cancer and the defendant took advantage of this.' He added Afser stole 36,000 from one customer who had been made redundant after 23 years. After three years and three months preying on weak customers at the city's New Street branch, Afser was arrested in 2016. She appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday and was sentenced to four years in jail 'When the defendant was arrested and interviewed she said all the allegations had been fabricated by Yorkshire Building Society to get rid of her and she was to say in her interviews in relation to each of the complainants that they were liars,' Mr Huston said. Meanwhile, Ben Williams, defending, said Afser, who previously pleaded guilty to 19 counts of fraud, 'struggles to understand her own behaviour.' Mr Williams said: 'The defendant's behaviour was appalling and would appal any right thinking person listening to the facts of the case.' Sentencing her to four years in jail, Judge Richard Bond said: 'You really do not have remorse in this case and when I mean remorse, I mean feelings of remorse towards the victims.' All victims of the fraud were fully refunded by Yorkshire Building Society with an additional 500 sum paid in compensation. Afser, from Birmingham, also spent the money on two luxury cars - an Audi A5 (left) and an Audi Q7 Quattro S Line SUV (right) The former building society worker also spent the stolen money on a trip to Dubai (Dubai stock image) Judge Bond said: 'I hope that the victims of this offences and the building society take heart in the fact that the court will impose long sentences. 'This is no fault of the building society themselves.' Detective Constable Gary Kinch, who investigated the case for the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), said: 'This criminal abused her position of trust to prey on vulnerable customers and commit hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of fraud. 'This was a particularly callous crime and the judge has rightly handed down a custodial sentence of four years. 'The DCPCU will continue to work closely with the banking industry to investigate cases of insider fraud and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.' Rory Stewart performed a screeching u-turn today, saying he would be prepared to serve Boris Johnson if he becomes Prime Minister hours after threatening to set up a rebel Parliament against him. The International development Secretary, who previously described himself as the 'anti-Boris' choice in the race to replace Theresa May, said he would be 'honoured to serve' if asked. He said he would be prepared to take a ministerial post if there was a No Deal Brexit 'crisis' - having yesterday launched a blistering on suggestions Mr Johnson might shut down Parliament to get the UK out of the EU by October. The abrupt change of heart came as Matt Hancock pulled out of the leadership contest - amid squabbling over who should take on runaway favourite Mr Johnson. The Health Secretary dramatically quit admitting the party was not going to elect him as leader - sparking speculation he could line up behind Jeremy Hunt or Sajid Javid. Mr Stewart is now the third favourite to win with Ladbrokes. He surprised Westminster by getting enough votes to get through to the second round of the Tory leadership ballot, told the BBC: 'If we ended up in a crisis, and I fear no-deal Brexit would be a crisis, and if he were to wish me to come back, which I think is a little doubtful given the slight acrimony of the last few weeks, then, of course, I'd be honoured to serve.' The International development Secretary has previously described himself as the 'anti-Boris' choice in the race to replace Theresa May Mr Johnson won 114 votes yesterday, putting him miles ahead of all his rivals as he seeks to become Tory leader and prime minister Mr Hancock bowed out this morning, saying: 'I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now. Mr Johnson took a massive step towards Downing Street yesterday as he stormed home in the opening round of the Tory leadership battle. The former foreign secretary topped the secret ballot with backing from 114 MPs - ahead of Jeremy Hunt in second with 43. The higher-than-expected score for Mr Johnson - which drew gasps in the Committee Room 14 when it was announced - means he is almost guaranteed to make the final run-off among Tory members. But the other hopefuls are still fighting over votes to sort out who should be Mr Johnson's opponent in the run-off - and position themselves to get a big job in the next Cabinet. Mr Stewart's surprise willingness to serve today comes less than a month after he explicitly said he could not serve in a government led by Mr Johnson as he branded a No Deal Brexit 'dishonest'. The outsider, who yesterday won 19 votes, said in May: 'I could not serve in a government whose policy was to push this country into a no-deal Brexit. 'I could not serve with Boris Johnson.' Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced in a video today (pictured) that he was dropping out of the Tory leadership race Bookmakers immediately slashed the odds on Mr Johnson being the next PM from 4/9 to 1/5 after today's announcement read out by Cheryl Gillan Just yesterday Mr Stewart said MPs would oppose Mr Johnson and 'bring him down' if he attempted to side-step attempts to block leaving without a deal. Mr Stewart made the astonishing remarks to Sky News minutes after former foreign secretary romped away from the rest of the first in the first round of the ballot. Mr Johnson has so far not ruled out proroguing Parliament - ending the current session - to prevent MPs from trying to block a No Deal Brexit or topple his government if elected Conservative leader. After surprising Westminster and making it to the second round the International Development Secretary said: 'That is an unconstitutional, improper, really disturbing suggestion - that you try to get something through by locking the doors of Parliament. 'Answer us. I've been asking Boris for a week. Tell people because we want to know what kind of leader or prime minister you would want to be. 'But he won't be able to. I guarantee if he were to try, I, and every other MP will sit across the road in Methodist Central Hall and we will hold our own session of Parliament and we will bring him down.' Saudi forces on Friday intercepted five drones launched by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, in a second assault on an airport in the kingdom's in two days. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, the coalition said in a statement released by Saudi state media. The latest raid comes amid spiralling regional tensions after Washington accused Iran of carrying out attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, the second such incident in a month in the strategic sea lane. Debris on the tarmac at Abha airport on Wednesday, with a plane belonging to budget Saudi airline Flynas in the background, after the rocket attack two days ago 'The royal Saudi air defence force and air force successfully intercepted and destroyed five unmanned drone aircraft launched by Huthi militia towards Abha international airport and Khamis Mushait,' the coalition statement said without reporting any casualties. The airport was operating normally with no fights disrupted, the statement added. Huthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported earlier that the Iran-aligned rebels had carried out drone attacks on Abha Airport. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks. Wednesday's missile strike hit the civil airport in the mountain resort of Abha, which is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. The latest drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded (pictured, wreckage at the regional airport earlier this week) During a media tour of the airport on Thursday, Saudi authorities said they had closed a part of the arrival lounge after the missile tore a hole in the roof and disrupted flights for several hours. The area was covered in bamboo scaffolding and littered with concrete debris and shards of broken glass. Two passengers, including an Indian national, who suffered mild injuries recalled pandemonium and screams after a loud explosion triggered a blaze, leaving the lounge covered in smoke. A Saudi civil aviation official said authorities were still investigating rebel claims that they fired a cruise missile at the airport. If confirmed that would represent a major leap in the rebels' military capability, experts say. The scene at Abha airport in Saudi Arabia in the early hours of Wednesday as emergency services respond to a rocket attack claimed by Houthi rebels The official also confirmed that it had not been intercepted by the kingdom's Patriot anti-missile batteries. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of arming the rebels with sophisticated weapons, a charge Tehran denies. The coalition vowed to 'take stern action' to deter the rebels and protect civilians after the missile attack, which drew international condemnation including from the European Union. The coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden. Since then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say. It has triggered what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 24.1 million Yemenis - more than two-thirds of the population - in need of aid. Police are investigating the mysterious death of a woman after neighbors claimed that they heard 'faint screams' coming from her home. The body of Carolyn Byington was discovered in her Hunters Glen apartment in Plainsboro, NJ by police just before 6pm. Co-workers from her job in Princeton said she had gone home for lunch, but when she didn't return they asked authorities to check on her. The body of Carolyn Byington was discovered in her Hunters Glen apartment in Plainsboro, NJ by police just before 6pm. It was only when police made their way into her home that they discovered her unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at 7.30pm the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said Following an autopsy, the medical examiners office has ruled the death a homicide which has led to authorities opening an investigation. Neighbors said that Byington would keep to herself and was rarely seen around the apartment complex except when she was going to and from work, WABC-7 reported Neighbors of a 26-year-old woman told police they heard faint screams at around 1pm, as well as furniture being 'moved around' according to WABC-7. But according to an initial report it is not clear if anyone in the area called the 911. Byington grew up in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards, and was a 2015 graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Neighbors said that Byington would keep to herself and was rarely seen around the apartment complex except when she was going to and from work, WABC-7 reported. Colleagues from her company Engine said they were shocked by the news. 'Engine is in mourning over this shocking, senseless tragedy,' according to a statement released to WABC-7. 'Carolyn was deeply cared about by her colleagues. We extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to her family and friends.' Authorities have not disclosed how Byington was killed, if there are any suspects in the case or if there is believed to be a motive. The Chair of the Federal Election Commission has given a withering response to Trump's claim that he would accept dirt on an opponent from a foreign power. Ellen L Weintraub, who has served in the position since 2002, tweeted out a statement that said: 'Let me make something 100% clear... 'It is illegal to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a US election.' 'I would not have thought I needed to say this,' she added. Ellen L Weintraub, who has been chair of the Federal Election Commission since 2002, said she would like to make it '100% clear' that accepting election help from a foreign power is illegal Weintraub tweeted out her statement, along with a biting remark which read: 'I would not have thought that I needed to say this' 'This is not a novel concept. Electoral intervention from foreign governments has been considered unacceptable since the beginning of our nation. 'Our Founding Fathers sounded the alarm about "foreign Interference, Intrigue, and Influence." They knew that when foreign governments seek to influence American politics, it is always to advance their own interests, not America's. 'Anyone who elicits or accepts foreign assistance risks being on the wrong end of a federal investigation. 'Any political campaign that receives an offer of prohibited donation from a foreign source should report that offer to the FBI.' Her tweet came after President Trump doubled down on his extraordinary statement, saying he meets with foreign heads of state all the time and can't be expected to call the FBI after each one. As examples, he gave the 'Queen of England' and 'Prince of Whales' - misspelling Prince Charles official title which is, of course, the Prince of Wales. He wrote: 'I meet and talk to 'foreign governments' every day. 'I just met with the Queen of England (U.K.), the Prince of Whales, the P.M. of the United Kingdom, the P.M. of Ireland, the President of France and the President of Poland. We talked about 'Everything!' He continued: 'Should I immediately...call the FBI about these calls and meetings? How ridiculous! I would never be trusted again. With that being said, my full answer is rarely played by the Fake News Media. They purposely leave out the part that matters.' He was referring to his state visit to the UK earlier this month, which included meetings with Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles. The British monarch is the head of state, not the head of government, and the royal family are by convention excluded from taking part in politics. Nancy Pelosi said it showed he did not know right from wrong, while 2020 Democratic candidates including Elizabeth Warren stepped up calls for impeachment. President Donald Trump has said that if foreign governments offered his campaign damaging information against his 2020 rivals during the upcoming presidential race, he would 'take it in' before, if at all, going to federal authorities, in an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopolous ABC aired multiple quotes by Trump explaining his position. Interviewer George Stephanopoulos, who spent time with Trump over two days this week and traveled aboard Air Force One, brought up offers of foreign dirt on a day Donald Trump Jr. was testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Trump Jr. famously accepted a meeting in Trump Tower in 2016 after being offered dirt on rival Hillary Clinton described as being from the Russian government. 'It's not an interference, they have information -- I think I'd take it,' Trump said. 'If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI -- if I thought there was something wrong.' In a hypothetical in the interview, Trump brought up a scenario of Norway offering information on a campaign rival. 'I think you might want to listen, there isn't anything wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] 'we have information on your opponent,' I think I'd want to hear it.' His Thursday tweets also mentioned Emmanuel Macron, the French president, whom he held talks with after commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Poland's president Andrzej Duda, with whom he met on Wednesday in the Oval Office, and Ireland's prime minister, Led Vardkar, whom he met when landing in Ireland where he stayed between visiting Britain and France. Those three figures - unlike the British royal families - wield political power. Do you want to know a secret? Trump claims that because he met Queen Elizabeth II, and the heir to the UK throne, Prince Charles - whom he called the Prince of Whales - he can't be expected to call the FBI if a foreign government offered him dirt Condemnation: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used her weekly press conference on Thursday morning to say: 'What the president said last night shows once again, over and over again, that he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong. And that's probably the nicest thing I can say about him.' Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in his report, examined whether it was a violation of campaign finance laws for top Trump campaign aides to have accepted information, since it could constitute something of value. But prosecutors concluded the officials who took the meeting may not have been fully cognizant of campaign finance laws at the time. Democrats slammed Trump for his statement to ABC. SO WHAT SHOULD TRUMP DO IF A FOREIGN LEADER OFFERS HIM DIRT? The simple answer would seem to be to call the FBI - or face prosecution. But in reality, there are a lot of barriers in the way of a prosecution. Under 11 CFR 110.20 (b), campaign finance law prohibits a foreign national from contributing or donating 'money or other thing of value,' or even expressly or impliedly promising to do so, 'in connection with any Federal, State, or local election.' That makes it punishable for the foreign actor. And the same laws also makes it illegal to accept such a contribution in kind or donation. 'Just listening' to dirt certainly sounds like a donation in kind - even if Trump did nothing with it, it was given with the intention of harming his opponent, so qualifies as a 'contribution.' But the law also says that the contribution has to be a 'substantial assistance.' Whether 'just listening' constitutes 'substantial assistance' - the next test for prosecutors - is harder to tell. If Trump does nothing with the information, it would not have assisted him. There is little case law to help prosecutors or a potential Trump defense. The Mueller report dodged the issue of defining whether the Trump campaign broke the law at all by suggesting that those involved in the notorious Trump Tower meeting were ignorant of campaign finance law - something which does not apply as a defense to most laws, but does to campaign finance. And nobody has been prosecuted for providing or taking foreign help 'in kind' as opposed to money, providing another potential barrier to a successful prosecution. A bill proposed to the Senate by among others 2020 Democratic candidate Amy Klobuchar aims to make clear that any research offered by a foreign government would be a contribution and therefore accepting it would be a cause for prosecution. It is however legal for a campaign to hire foreign assistance to research the backgrounds of opponents and their actions abroad. That was what Hillary Clinton's campaign ultimately did in asking opposition researchers Fusion GPS to look into Trump because the firm then contracted ex-British spy Christopher Steele to carry out research in Russia. Sources: 11 CFR 110.20, JustSecurity.org Advertisement House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used her weekly press conference on Thursday morning to say: 'What the president said last night shows once again, over and over again, that he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong. And that's probably the nicest thing I can say about him.' Wrote Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts: 'A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation.' (In his report, Mueller declined to make a determination about whether Trump obstructed justice.)' 'Now, he said he'd do it all over again,' she continued. 'It's time to impeach Donald Trump.' Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke tweeted: 'When the President of the United States openly welcomes foreign help to win an election, he threatens the very core of our democracy. If we are to secure justice and ensure this never happens again, we must impeach him.' The tweets about meeting foreign leaders were followed by another tirade, directed at Democrats but apparently confused or misguided. Trump sent out tweets blasting Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Adam Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee. However, Trump appears to have conflated Warner with Schiff, misconstruing key details of the incident he meant to describe. Trump also said Schiff should have called the FBI when he got pranked by a pair of Russian comedians when in fact Schiff can be heard on tape saying he would call the FBI. Wrote Trump: 'When Senator @MarkWarner spoke at length, and in great detail, about extremely negative information on me, with a talented entertainer purporting to be a Russian Operative, did he immediately call the FBI? NO, in fact he didn't even tell the Senate Intelligence Committee of...which he is a member. 'When @RepAdamSchiff took calls from another person, also very successfully purporting to be a Russian Operative, did he call the FBI, or even think to call the FBI? NO!'' 'The fact is that the phony Witch Hunt is a giant scam where Democrats ....and other really bad people, SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN! They even had an 'insurance policy' just in case Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats lost their race for the Presidency! This is the biggest & worst political scandal in the history of the United States of America. Sad!' Warner's press secretary, Rachel Cohen, was flummoxed. 'this never happened. literally, i have NO idea what he's talking about,' she wrote in response to Trump's tweet. It is possible the president was referring to Warner's texts with a lobbyist for a Russian oligarch. Those conversations, as reported by Fox News, were part of an effort to get in touch with ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. However the lobbyist is a real person, not an entertainer purporting to be a Russian operative. And there's more: Trump attacked Mark Warner with a claim he had been spoofed by Russian comedians which did not happen. Warner said he thinks Trump mixed him up with Adam Schiff, who was hoaxed, but who told the two comedians that he was going to call the FBI Confused? Trump launched a broadside at Mark Warner, minority leader of the Senate Intel Committee (left), with a claim he had taken a call from a Russian 'entertainer' and not called the FBI. In fact it was Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intel Committee (right) who was spoofed by two Russian comedians, but ended the call saying he was going to call the FBI In 2018, Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, was the victim of a prank by two Russian comedians who go by 'Vovan' and 'Lexus' and were pretending to be Andriy Parubiy, the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament. They told Schiff they had naked photos of Trump from his made-up affair with a Ukrainian model. However in the recording, despite falling for the prank, Schiff says he will do precisely what Trump says he did not do think about calling the FBI. Says Schiff in the prank call: 'I'll be in touch with the FBI about this. And we'll make arrangements with your staff. I think it probably would be best to provide these materials both to our committee and to the FBI.' Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley also fell for a prank by the pair, when she engaged in a conversation about the fictional country of Binomo. DailyMail.com reached out to the White House for comment and further explanation on the tweets about Warner and Schiff. Warner blasted Trump's comments about accepting oppo from a foreign power and not calling the FBI. 'The last time this President pulled a 'Russia, if you're listening,' Russian operatives sent phishing emails to his opponents the very same day. This isn't a gaffe or a difference of opinion. 'The President has given Russia the green light to interfere in the 2020 election,' Warner wrote, referencing Trump's request during the campaign that Russia get thousands of deleted Clinton emails. Trump later said he was joking. Warner also planned to call up legislation requiring campaigns to alert the FBI when a foreign power offers information. 'If the President and his campaign can't be trusted to do the right thing and report foreign interference to the FBI, then we need to make it a legal requirement by passing my bill, the FIRE Act,' he wrote. He told a CNN reporter in the Capitol he had 'no idea' what Trump was talking about, but said Trump may have mixed him up with Schiff on the Russian prank incident. Warner said 'of course' he would contact the FBI if offered campaign dirt on an opponent. Trump's surrogates suggested that he was simply doing what Hillary Clinton had done through her campaign funding the dossier drawn up by Christopher Steele which includes the unverified allegation that the president paid for Russian prostitutes to urinate on a bed once slept on by Barack Obama. Likely Trump case: The president's son retweeted Fox News host Mark Levin who sees the 'golden showers' dossier and the acceptance of foreign dirt as equivalent House minority leader Kevin McCarthy said he did not 'hear the Speaker appalled' at the Clinton campaign paying for foreign opposition research, meaning the 'golden showers' dossier. Among those making the case for equivalence were his son Donald Trump Jr., who was questioned by Warner on Wednesday, who retweeted Fox News broadcaster Mark Levin. Levin, now a Trump favorite, wrote: 'Uh, remember the dossier? Written by a foreigner claiming to have info from, among others, Russians; paid for by the HC campaign & DNC; used by the Obama admin, promoted by the media, etc. ... But these clowns are appalled by Trump's answer, lol.' The spelling error of Prince of Whales also earned Trump ridicule on twitter, the social medium where he made it. The reference to Whales, rather than Wales, caused hilarity online, with many Twitter users imagine how such a prince might look. One joker wrote: 'Who is next? The Queen of Bees? The Prime Minister of Elephants? The King of Kong? What a time to be alive...' Others pointed out that the Queen of England is not the correct title for Queen Elizabeth II, who is actually Queen of the United Kingdom, although Mr Trump did write 'U.K.' in brackets. Some thought it strange that the underlying suggestion of the tweets was that the the British Royal Family might have information on Joe Biden or other Democrat opponents. Twitter users were quick to imagine what a real 'Prince of Whales' might look like Mohammad Qoraishi (pictured) murdered his wife Parwin after she refused to move to Hull and has been jailed for 16 years A taxi driver who brutally murdered his 19-year-old wife because he as embarrassed by her refusal to bend to his will has been jailed for 16 years. Mohammad Qoraishi, 27, knifed Parwin 38 times, battered her with a frying pan and strangled her in their kitchen as she was cooking eggs on Christmas Day. After their arranged marriage, the thug was infuriated because the aspiring lawyer had refused to leave their home in Kent and move to Hull, East Yorkshire, where he had grown up. Trouble started after they married in August 2018, when Qoraishi insisted his wife relocate despite her having been accepted onto a university course. Her family insisted that he move to be close to them instead, leading to tensions between Qoraishi and his father-in-law. In a text to Parwin in November last year while still living apart, Qoraishi - also known as Tawos - told her: 'I'm f***ing p***ed off big time. People are telling me what type of wife you have when she doesn't give a s*** about you. 'You make things hard for me now. I have to work like a donkey now. I am coming but I'm not happy at all because you don't listen to me.' His friend tried to intervene but was told by Parwin's father, also a taxi driver: 'Curse to his clan, curse to anyone backing him. Tawos is no more than a donkey. Tawos is an animal.' The father found Parwin dead on her kitchen floor hours after he last spoke to her, Maidstone Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Alexandra Healy QC said: 'Parwin Quriashi was the victim of a ferocious and sustained attack in her own kitchen. Police at the Kentish Court block of flats where Kent Police were called to on December 25 and found the body of the 19-year-old 'She had 38 stab wounds. She had also been strangled and hit to the back of her head with a frying pan. 'The defendant fled the scene in his Audi A3 and was subsequently apprehended in the vicinity of Dover, no doubt the Crown say, intending to try to leave the country, not appreciating that because it was Christmas Day, the Port of Dover was closed.' Parwin was found on her side holding the knife while dressed in a blood-stained pink top, trousers and socks. Despite the efforts of her father, paramedics and an air ambulance crew, she was declared dead at the scene. Qoraishi fled the flat in his car, triggering an ANPR camera at 12.22pm, and drove to see a relative in Croydon, south London, before heading back down through Kent to Dover. Police spotted him on the A2 just after 4.30pm as he waited at traffic lights and was arrested. His denim jacket, jeans and T-shirt were blood-stained. He admitted killing Parwin, and was sentenced to at least 16 years and 82 days before being considered for parole. Passing sentence, Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said Qoraishi had 'frenziedly and senselessly' murdered his young wife, who would have been a 'bright light' at Canterbury Christchurch University. Qoraishi admitted murdering the aspiring lawyer at Maidstone Crown Court (pictured) and has been jailed for 16 years 'You also wrenched her from her immediate family in the most unexpected and brutal of fashions, depriving them of a daughter and sister, thereby inflicting on her parents and siblings a degree of pain and suffering so sudden and extreme that it will surely live with them forever. 'I accept you were not your normal self. You were in a rage and you snapped. However, the inescapable fact is you then proceeded deliberately to perform these acts of utter barbarity. 'You have now, in the cold light of day, had to face the enormity of what you have done, and I am prepared to accept that your feelings of shame, embarrassment and remorse are genuine and not simply the product of self-pity.' Hull friends of the taxi driver have spoken of their shock at the killing. Qoraishi worked as a black cab driver in the city before moving to Kent. Shwan Hawler says Qoraishi had never showed any signs of violence and he has been left completely shocked by the news. Mr Hawler met Qoraishi in Spring Bank restaurants and takeaways. He said: 'He seemed a very good person and I really don't why this happened but I heard from some people they said he had a family problem. I was shocked. 'He talked me like a friend but I don't know what he thinks inside his mind. He was always laughing and talking.' The couple, who had an arranged marriage in Afghanistan in August 2018, moved in together just five days before Christmas but their days living together lasted less than a week. It is believed Qoraishi got most of his trade as a taxi driver working from Paragon Interchange before he made the move to Maidstone. The pair, who were also paternal cousins and grew up in the same house, moved apart when he headed to England in 2007 to build a new life - until she joined him in the UK with some of her family in Maidstone in 2011. As a teenager he began life in Hull where he studied at Endeavour High School before getting into work. Another man, who does not want to be named, recalled meeting him for the first time when they were both 15 years old but says there was never any sign of what was to come. 'We were in extra English lessons at Endeavour,' he said. 'He had always been really nice. He was always smiling and chatty. 'It was only for a year that I knew him. He was very pleasant. He came up to me a couple of years ago in a gym. He said he was a delivery driver or he was working in a takeaway. 'It was like speaking to some normal person you haven't seen for a while. There were no violent comments or anything. Nothing about hurting anyone or anything ever. I don't justify any of what happened but you don't know what goes through peoples heads.' This is the moment a test driver of McLaren's 1.75m prototype supercar battled to avert disaster at a petrol station as a suspected electrical fault left the Speedtail engulfed in smoke. The British manufacturer's soon-to-be fastest-ever road car, boasting over 1,000bhp and a top speed of 250mph, is due to be released next year. But two male McLaren employees were pictured dousing it with fire extinguishers as it smoked out today. The car, capable of doing 0 to 186mph in just 12.8 seconds, was snapped at a BP garage near Guildford, Surrey, where firefighters were in attendance. McLaren staff are pictured dousing a prototype of the supercar in Guildford, Surrey, today after a suspected electrical fault The Speedtail is the fastest road car the iconic British manufacturer has ever produced thanks to a 1035 horsepower petrol-electric hybrid powertrain derived from Formula One The driver moved it away from the petrol pumps in time to avert a major catastrophe and it was brought under control. 250mph... with no wing mirrors Goes from 0-62mph in just 2.5 seconds, with a top speed of 250mph This is achieved by pressing the Velocity button, which lowers the car by an inch and elevates two ailerons flaps like those in plane wings in the tail There are no side view mirrors. Instead, small side cameras send images to the drivers dashboard Features electrochromic windscreen and roof, which can go dark at the touch of the button doing away with the need for sun visors Built in Woking, Surrey, with fuel economy of 24mpg Advertisement McLaren is investigating the cause but suspect it is the result of an electrical fault. Roger Ormisher, head of global and North American communications for McLaren, said: 'A prototype version of the McLaren Speedtail experienced what we believe at this stage to be an electrical fault, whilst stationary at a fuel station near Guildford in Surrey, UK. 'As a precautionary measure, having seen a small amount of smoke emanating from the vehicle, McLaren employees moved the car away from the fuel pumps and discharged dry powder extinguishers over the rear of the car. 'The prototype was subsequently recovered to McLaren premises. Nobody was injured as a result of this incident and investigations into the cause of the issue have commenced.' The eyewitness said: 'It was a bit of drama with the petrol station closing the pumps. The two owners pushing the car away from the pump and then putting it out with fire extinguishers and a fire crew attending.' The McLaren worker was sat in the stationary car when it started billowing smoke and rushed to get it away from the pumps before dousing it in Guilford, Surrey, today Firefighters are pictured at the scene in Guildford, Surrey, today where a suspected electrical fault almost caused disaster at the petrol station Hyper-GT: This is the McLaren Speedtail, the British brand's hyper-GT model that has a staggering top speed of 250mph The 2020 McLaren Speedtail has already sold out ahead of its release to customers - with reservations taken for each of the limited 106 designated for production. It will cost 1.75m before taxes - so 2.1m inclusive of VAT in the UK. The Speedtail is described as a 'pioneering petrol-electric hybrid powertrain' which places the driver in the centre of the vehicle with two chairs to the left and right. The 5.2m-long Speedtail is described as 'the spiritual successor to the iconic McLaren F1'. Measuring in at 5.2 metres long, the nose to tail distance is bigger than the average-size UK parking space The three-seat layout puts the driver centrally in the cockpit. Three screens make up the dashboard, which is also flanked by an additional screen on either side which show the view from the external cameras used instead of traditional side mirrors The driving position is among a number of key design features linking the two cars over two decades apart. It is the first of 18 new cars to come from McLaren before 2025 as part of its 'Track25' business plan. To reach its impressive top speed it features a driving mode named 'Velocity' which adjusts the car's idle speed to charge the batteries, adjusts the active aerodynamics, lowers the car's ride height by 35mm and retracts the rear-view cameras. The owner of one of South Australia's biggest dairy farms suspects vegan animal activists sparked a fire that burnt down a shed and destroyed equipment and a tonne of feed. Police are investigating the suspicious blaze which caused $100,000 worth of damage at the Minko North dairy farm, north of Adelaide, in the early hours of Friday morning, which they are treating as arson. Emergency crews were called to the Harvey Road property at Korunye about 12.30am after reports of a shed being on fire. Police are investigating a suspicious fire which burnt down a shed at Minko North dairy farm Neighbours say they heard a car speeding away from the scene moments before a series of loud explosions came from the shed. All that's left of the shed is burnt wreckage. A tractor and a tonne of feed were also destroyed, which disrupted the milking and feeding of 300 cows later that morning. Farm owner Mike Boerema had some idea of who was responsible. 'It does lean towards animal activists but I'll wait and see on the police investigation,' he told Seven News. 'It's terrible. We've lost a major piece of equipment, plus a farm shed.' The fire broke out at the Harvey Road dairy farm about 12.30am on Friday morning The blaze come just six weeks after Mr Boerema put locks on the gates after hundreds of cows were freed from the property by trespassers. Cameras will now be installed following Friday's morning blaze. 'I'm incredibly concerned now, so we're going to have to beef up security,' Mr Boerema said. Minko North (pictured) north of Adelaide is one of South Australia's biggest dairy farms The dairy farm has been a training facility for the University of Adelaide veterinary and animal sciences students since 2013. John Elferink from the South Australian Dairy Farmers Association called on activists to allow farmers go about their business without being unfairly targeted. Fire investigators spent Friday at the property investigating the scene. Photo: The White House A B.C. whale watching company got some unexpected publicity from a president social media gaffe. In a since-deleted tweet on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned meeting with Charles, England's "Prince of Whales." Oops, make that Wales, as a new tweet corrected. Twitter mercilessly mocked the mistake, but Victoria's Prince of Whales marine tour company was all smiles. "The president's misspelling turned out to be our advertising Trump card. We couldn't pay for this kind of international attention," owner Alan McGillivray told CTV News. with files from CTV Vancouver Island Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (pictured) has said that the United States presents a 'serious threat' to global and regional stability Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the United States presents a 'serious threat' to global and regional stability as tensions soar in the Gulf. 'The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world,' Rouhani said. He was speaking at a meeting in Bishkek of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - a Eurasian security alliance that includes China, India and Russia - where he met Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Rouhani criticised the U.S. for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying Washington is forcing other parties and countries to breach a UN Security Council resolution on normalising trade contacts with Tehran. He called on the other participants in the deal to 'carry out their obligations as soon as possible' so Tehran can develop its economic interests under the deal. Rouhani did not refer to the situation in the Gulf where the US has accused Iran of being behind attacks on two tankers. Iran on Friday dismissed the US charges as 'baseless'. At a summit today Hassan Rouhani (right), pictured meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin (left) and China's Xi Jinping (centre) in Kyrgyzstan, said that America was a threat to global stability At the same summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Rouhani that Beijing supports maintaining the 2015 deal with the West. The latest round of U.S.-Iran tensions erupted last month after Rouhani threatened to abandon the deal, which is faltering already after President Trump's withdrawal last May. Tehran has demanded that the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia help Iran to dodge U.S. sanctions, which were restored last year when Donald Trump quit the pact. Speaking last month Rouhani said Iran would ramp up nuclear enrichment if such help did not materialise. But the White House condemned what it called Iran's attempted 'nuclear blackmail of Europe' and warned: 'Expect more sanctions soon. Very soon.' One of the oil tankers burns in the Gulf of Oman yesterday following an apparent attack on the two vessels, just four weeks after similar acts of sabotage against Saudi ships renewed tensions in the Middle East The threat also sparked a backlash from Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu warned he would 'not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons'. U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said Iranian mines were almost certainly behind the May 12 attacks, but declined to provide evidence. The UAE said last week that initial findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state was likely behind the attacks, but added there was no evidence yet of Iranian involvement. Donald Trump's White House has not ruled out military action against Iran, although both sides insist they do not want a war. A week after the May 12 attacks, President Trump warned that if Iran attacks American interests 'that will be the official end of Iran'. Zarif retorted that 'genocidal taunts' would not 'end Iran'. This is the shocking moment an armed robber accidentally shoots himself in the leg and severs a main artery in his groin while raiding a drug store. Security footage captured the bungling criminal, identified as Federico Luis Acosta, demanding money from a lone cashier in Tucuman, Argentina, at around 9pm on Wednesday this week. When he moves to put the revolver back in his trousers after threatening a customer, however, it goes off - fatally injuring him. Acosta staggered onto his motorcycle and got two blocks away before collapsing in a pool of his own blood. He was taken to hospital by police where he died two hours later. Armed robber Frederico Luis Acosta is shown here holding the revolver as he orders the customer, wearing a grey shirt, to stand by a drinks machine. The bungling criminal shot himself in the leg, causing a fatal injury, after placing the gun back in his trousers Security footage, shown here, caught the moment Acosta left the store after fatally shooting himself in the groin. He had targeted a drugs shop in Tucuman, Argentina, on Wednesday Disturbing video shows the criminal, who is wearing a white helmet, pull the gun on a customer and appear to attempt to rob him when he enter the shop. After backing the man against a drinks machine Acosta puts the weapon into his trousers and sets it off by mistake, sending a bullet ripping through his leg. He then staggers out of the shop in an attempt to head away from the crime scene. The customer hands the cashier the stolen wad of notes, dropped by the criminal, before also heading out of the store. Acosta got two blocks on his motorcycle before collapsing on the street and being driven to hospital by police. When the customer entered the shop, unaware that the raid was happening, Acosta pointed the gun at him. After shooting himself the bungling criminal was found two blocks away lying in a pool of his own blood. He was taken to hospital by police where he died two hours later The cashier leaves the store just after the robbery. Graphic pictures later emerged on social media showing Acosta lying in the street in a pool of his own blood Graphic pictures later emerged on social media showing Acosta lying in a pool of blood next to his bike. A police source told Argentinian newspaper La Gaceta the suspect had been on a crime spree and this was his third robbery of the day. He had attacked a woman nearby and robbed another drug store in the area before making his fatal error. Sebastian Ingrao, owner of the store seen in the video, said it was the second time the business had been targeted in 40 days. He told La Gaceta: 'Rodrigo (the cashier) was also in that attack, so he is more scared now and I do not know if he will go back to work. 'They are a family that needs this income but unfortunately because of the insecurity and fear I do not think they can continue. You cannot live like that.' Prosecutors have dropped the case against a man accused of murdering a cousin of Good Morning Britain weatherman Alex Beresford because of lack of evidence. Lovel Bailey, 29, was alleged to have stabbed Nathaniel Armstrong, also 29, in Fulham, west London, on Saturday March 16. Mr Bailey, of Bromwich Walk, Little Bromwich, Birmingham, was arrested at Gatwick Airport. Nathaniel Armstrong was stabbed to death in a fight on Gowan Avenue in Fulham, West London Alex Beresford (pictured) captured the nation's attention in March when he intervened mid-broadcast to speak about prison sentencing and knife crime Pictured: Officers at the scene in Fulham, West London, where Mr Armstrong, the cousin of TV weatherman Alex Beresford, was stabbed to death He was due to face trial at the Old Bailey in November but at a hearing before Judge Wendy Joseph QC, the prosecution announced it was not continuing the case. Oliver Glasgow QC said the 'strength of the evidence' meant there was no realistic prospect of conviction. Mr Bailey had already been released from custody and the family of the dead man informed, he said. Judge Joseph made clear to discontinue a case was not the same as a not guilty verdict, adding: 'The Crown are saying they do not even have a case to bring at the moment.' The incident was alleged to have happened during an argument between Mr Armstrong and the defendant. Good Morning Britain weatherman Alex Beresford (left) and his cousin Nathaniel Armstrong(right) Mr Beresford, 38, has described his cousin as 'a bright young man with his whole future ahead of him'. The killing happened 11 days after the weatherman spoke out about knife crime on ITV's breakfast programme, Good Morning Britain. Mr Armstrong died shortly before 1am in Gowan Avenue - the same street where TV presenter Jill Dando was murdered 20 years ago. In the debate on the ITV breakfast show, he waded into a discussion about knife crime. He said: 'Prison doesn't work though. It does not work. 'I've grown up in some of these communities you guys are talking about. Some of these boys don't fear prison. 'If we don't change the environment we won't change anything. This has been happening for years, years, and it's not always in the media.' The presenter also gave his opinion on the idea that what was needed to tackle the menace of knife crime was more police officers. Advertisement Adorable pictures show a new wolf mother getting to grips with one of her seven cubs that have been born at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire. The bumper litter of European wolves arrived last month. Since then, protective parents Eliska and Jango have regularly been seen picking the pups up in their mouths to move them out of the rain at their enclosure. New wolf mother Eliska getting to grips with one of her seven cubs (pictured) that have been born at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire Protective parents Eliska and Jango have regularly been seen picking the pups up in their mouths to move them out of the rain at their enclosure Amy Waller, Longleat's team manager for carnivores, said: 'Both Eliska (pictured left and right) and Jango are extremely attentive parents, which is a really good sign' Amy Waller, Longleat's team manager for carnivores, said: 'Both Eliska and Jango are extremely attentive parents, which is a really good sign. 'As the pups spend their first few weeks underground it makes it very difficult to work out exactly how many there are. 'Initially we thought there were only five, so to discover there is actually seven of them was a wonderful bonus.' Ms Waller continued: 'As the pups spend their first few weeks underground it makes it very difficult to work out exactly how many there are' She added: 'Initially we thought there were only five, so to discover there is actually seven of them was a wonderful bonus' Wolves live in a highly complex social structure and each knows its place in the pack hierarchy. In the wild the pack depends on this close cooperation for survival, both in hunting and in raising offspring The pups, which weighed about 1lbs when born, are able to eat small amounts of meat from 15 days old but will not be fully weaned until eight to ten weeks. It is the second litter born at Longleat in the last year and boosts the pack size to 14. Ms Waller added: 'The pups' older siblings have also been getting involved with transporting them from den to den but have still not entirely got the hang of holding them the right way up so mum and dad do have to occasionally intervene. The pups, which weighed about 1lbs when born, are able to eat small amounts of meat from 15 days old but will not be fully weaned until eight to ten weeks The new additions are the second litter born at Longleat Safari Park, Wiltshire,in the last year and boosts the pack size to 14 Ms Waller added: 'The pups' older siblings have also been getting involved with transporting them from den to den but have still not entirely got the hang of holding them the right way up so mum and dad do have to occasionally intervene' Wolves live in a highly complex social structure and each knows its place in the pack hierarchy. In the wild the pack depends on this close cooperation for survival, both in hunting and in raising offspring. Wild wolves were eradicated from most of western Europe in the 19th century and they have been extinct from the UK for more than 250 years. When did wolves last roam Britain and are they being reintroduced? Records suggest the last wolf in Britain was killed in Scotland in 1680 by Sir Ewen Cameron in Perthshire (stock pictured) Records suggest the last wolf in Britain was killed in Scotland in 1680 by Sir Ewen Cameron in Perthshire. However, other reports suggest wolves may have survived up until the 19th century, with one potential sighting in 1888. The idea of reintroducing wolves to the country was first floated in the 1960s. The idea has become more popular after the successful reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. But there are currently no plans to reintroduce them. This is unlikely to change unless the majority of landowners and the public support the decision. Scientists from the universities of Oxford, Sussex and Kent have said the species could be safely re-introduced. Within a fenced reserve, wolf packs could be large enough to keep red deer numbers down without posing a threat to residents, farmers and workers, research suggests. The scientists envisage grey wolf populations of around 80 wolves per 1,000 square kilometres of land. Without natural predators, increasing numbers of red deer have had a devastating ecological impact on parts of Scotland. Red deer population densities were as high as 40 deer per square kilometre, enough to prevent tree-regeneration and cause more than a third of all native woodland to suffer damage. Advertisement Cross-breeding between wolves and dogs could drive Europe's wolf population out of existence. 'Swarms' of wolf-dog crossbreeds could drive Europe's wolves out of existence, according to new research . Pictured here, a wolf and a wolf-dog hybrid (darker coat) in Italy Why can wolves and dogs interbreed? Wolves and dogs are interfertile, meaning they can breed and produce viable offspring and these offspring are capable of reproducing themselves. They are members of a wider group, the genus Canis, containing multiple species such as wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, and dogs. The members of Canus can potentially all potentially interbreed. Dogs and wolves share an evolutionary past and thus share many physical and behavioural traits. Dogs evolved from wolves through a centuries-long process of domestication which led to an alteration of the dog's life cycle and behaviour. Wolves (stock pictured) and dogs are interfertile People who own wolf-dog hybrids often find that their pets behaviour makes it a challenge for them to care for. The diversity of genetic composition leads to inconsistent behaviour and makes them more difficult to predict. Wolves and dogs mature at different rates, which makes the physical and mental development of a hybrid animal unpredictable. Sexual maturity of wolves signals a shift in hormone quantity and balance. This hormonal change is often coupled with these changes in the animal. Advertisement Following a number of reintroduction programmes the wild wolf population in Europe is now thought to be around 17,000 in over 28 countries. There are established packs in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain and Italy with numbers also on the rise in parts of France and Germany. In 2011 wolves were also reported in Belgium and the Netherlands. Yet cross-breeding between wolves and dogs could drive Europe's wolf population out of existence, according to research. Wolf-dog hybrid is a term used to describe an animal that is part wolf and part domestic dog. A study by the University of Exeter said this hybridisation threatens the 'genetic identity' of wolves, but scientists are divided on how to deal with it. Habitat destruction driven by human encroachment and global warming is leading to more encounters between wolves and free-roaming dogs. Forty scientists discussed the issue of interbreeding between the species and found there was no general consensus on how to tackle the problem. Wolves and dogs are interfertile, meaning they can breed and produce viable offspring and these offspring are capable of reproducing themselves. They are members of a wider group, the genus Canis, which makes them able to breed. The researchers warned that they come up with a way to resolve this before the wolf species is 'completely lost to hybrid swarms'. Scientists, who were allowed to share their views anonymously, agreed people should be educated about the impact of free-roaming dogs. 'We need to address this issue before wolf-dog hybrids backcross with wolves to the extent that wolf populations will be lost and the conservation of wild populations will become unfeasible,' lead author Valerio Donfrancesco said last month. Mr Donfrancesco, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation from University of Exeter, says it is crucial to 'encourage decision-makers to act'. They all agreed that governments should remove wolf-dog hybrids from small and recovering wild wolf populations. The issues they differed on were how to remove hybrids and free-roaming dogs, and whether they should be kept captive, sterilised and released or even killed. Police believe the seven American tourists who have mysteriously died in the Dominican Republic over the past year may have been poisoned by bootleg liquor. U.S. authorities who are scrambling to get to the bottom of a rash of deaths of American tourists on the Caribbean island are now looking into whether poisoned alcohol is a factor. Investigators are trying to determine who supplied the alcohol the victims drank in the hours before their deaths, a law enforcement source told the New York Post. They also want to test the drinks to see if they contain dangerous chemicals. The FBI will reportedly take blood samples from the dead victims to test back at its Virginia research center. Officials in the Dominican Republic have insisted that the deaths are all isolated incidents but most of the victims were apparently healthy adults before their sudden deaths. Several of them are known to have drank from their hotel room minibars before becoming extremely ill. The deaths have mostly occurred at two resorts: the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville hotel. Seven Americans have died in suspicious circumstances over the past year: David Harrison, 45; Robert Bell Wallace, 67, Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41; Couple Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Day, 49; Yvette Monique Short, 51 and Leyla Cox, 53. VICTIMS (left to right): Leyla Cox, Robert Bell Wallace, Yvette Monique Sport, Miranda Schaup-Werner and David Harrison Maryland couple Cynthia Day, 49, and Nathaniel Holmes, 63, (pictured together) were found dead in their hotel room on May 30 The most recent deaths - the latest reported on Monday - have drawn attention to earlier deaths of American tourists at the two island resorts that received no publicity at the time but some of which are now considered suspect. Five Americans have died this year alone between April and June at the resorts, while two others were reported in June and July last year. FBI officials are now investigating each of the deaths. Many others have also reported falling sick on their vacations but survived. New York woman Leyla Cox, 53, was found dead in her hotel room on Monday - the day after her birthday. It is not clear yet which hotel she was staying in. Her son William has claimed that no toxicology report was carried out on his mother because all the country's machines are broken. He said he was told by the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo that his mother died of a heart attack, but he is not ready to accept the official explanation given the other deaths. Cox was said to be in good health, walked everywhere and was only an occasional drinker. Her son said she would likely have had a few drinks on vacation. She flew to the Caribbean island on June 5 and was scheduled to return home on Wednesday. Her family says they are waiting for her body to be transferred from the hospital to Blandino Funeral Home in Santo Domingo so they can make arrangements for her body to be returned to the U.S. The deaths have mostly occurred at two resorts: the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville hotel The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined other international agencies in conducting tests at the Bahia Principe properties (pictured) last week TIMELINE: American tourists who mysteriously died in the Dominican Republic June 2018: Yvette Monique Sport, 51, of Glenside, Pennsylvania, dies after drinking from the minibar at at a Bahia Principe hotel in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic. Family said the previously healthy Sport had the drink, went to sleep and never woke up. July 2018: David Harrison dies while on vacation at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana to celebrate his wedding anniversary. He woke up struggling to breathe and covered in sweat. He died that same day. His widow said he'd visited the doctor before the trip who'd given him a clean bill of health. April 10, 2019 : Robert Bell Wallace, 67, of California, became ill almost immediately after drinking an alcoholic beverage from his in-room minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort in Punta Cana - the same hotel as Harrison. April 14, 2019: Wallace dies in hospital four days after falling ill. May 25, 2019: Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvannia, dies within hours of consuming a drink from a resort minibar across the island at Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana. May 25, 2019: Cynthia Day, 49, and Nathaniel Holmes, 63, of Maryland, check into the Bahia Principe Hotel, La Romana. May 30, 2019: Day and Holmes are found dead in their rooms. June 10, 2019: Leyla Cox, 53, of Staten Island, New York, is found dead in her hotel room. The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo informed her family that she died of a heart attack, but her son, William Cox, says he is suspicious. Advertisement Three people who died last month all arrived in the seaside resort area of San Pedro de Macoris on May 25. Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvannia, booked a room with her husband at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville hotel. She lost consciousness on the day of her arrival after going out on the balcony. She could not be revived by her husband or hotel medical staff. Schaup-Werner died within hours of consuming a drink from a resort minibar. Maryland couple Cynthia Day, 49, and Edward Holmes, 63, were staying in the adjacent Grand Bahia Principe La Romana hotel. They were found dead on May 30 in their room by hotel staff. The three victims died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, while Schaup-Werner also had a heart attack, according to the Dominican Prosecutor's Office. Robert Wallace, a 67-year-old from California, died at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the resort town of Punta Cana on April 14. His niece said he had just drank a Scotch from his minibar before falling ill. He died four days later. 'He started feeling very sick, he had blood in his urine and stool right afterward,' his niece Chloe Arnold told Fox News said. Pennsylvania woman Yvette Monique Sport, 51, died in June 2018 after drinking from the minibar at a Bahia Principe hotel in Punta Cana. Her family said Sport, who was healthy up until her death, had the drink, went to sleep and never woke up. Maryland man David Harrison, 45, died at the same at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in July 2018. He was on vacation with his wife Dawn McCoy to celebrate their wedding anniversary. He woke up struggling to breathe and covered in sweat before dying hours later. His wife said he had visited the doctor before the trip who'd given him a clean bill of health. McCoy said she initially accepted that her husband succumbed to a heart attack, as she was told, but now questions it. 'When all these people started passing, I stopped and thought to myself, 'How can all these people have the same cause of death as David?'?' she told The Washington Post. FBI officials say they're now investigating the seven deaths of seemingly healthy Americans who died suddenly at one of two resorts in the last 12 months Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, told the New York Post that the symptoms of many of the victims - including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea - were consistent with poisoning from methanol or pesticides. Methanol is toxic form of alcohol used as antifreeze. It is a light, colorless, flammable liquid with a odor similar to that of ethanol (drinking alcohol). Awilda Montes, 43, visited the Bahia Principe La Romana last year with her ex-boyfriend. She took a drink from what she thought was 7 UP but fell ill the next day, she said 'Adulterated alcohol is usually methanol added to alcohol or just plain methanol, which is very, very toxic,' Kobilinsky told the Post. 'It looks to me, from what I've heard and read, is that something was added to the drinks or bottles in those little refrigerators. 'There should be no methanol at all (in the liquor). If it's there, it means it's been adulterated or put there deliberately.' The Hard Rock resort said in a statement that it only purchases 'unopened products from licensed and reputable vendors'. Multiple other tourists have come forward in recent weeks saying they had fallen ill during vacations in the Dominican Republic. Among them was 43-year-old New York woman Awilda Montes who visited the Bahia Principe La Romana last year with her ex-boyfriend. She was staying at the same hotel where three of the people died and said she vomited blood after drinking a soda from the minibar of her room. Philadelphia couple Doug Hand, 40, and his wife, Susie Lauterborn, 38, were vacationing at the Grand Bahia in June last year when they both became sick from what they believed to be food poisoning Colorado couple Kaylynn Knull, 29, and Tom Schwander, 33, say they woke up in their hotel room at the Grand Bahia Principe with a pounding headache in June 2018 Montes had chemical burns inside her mouth that required medical treatment. At the time, she thought she had mistakenly drank bleach left behind by housekeeping. Colorado couple Kaylynn Knull, 29, and Tom Schwander, 33, say they woke up in their hotel room at the Grand Bahia Principe with a pounding headache in June 2018. They returned to the room later in the day to find a 'chemical smell'. The couple changed their flights and flew home early. Philadelphia couple Doug Hand, 40, and his wife, Susie Lauterborn, 38, were vacationing at the Grand Bahia in June last year when they both became sick from what they believed to be food poisoning. Lauterborn ended up having cold sweats, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and a temperature along with rashes on her torso. Her husband was also ill but his symptoms were less severe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined other international agencies in conducting tests at the Bahia Principe properties last week. The FBI confirmed it was assisting local authorities in investigating the deaths. U.S. State Department officials have issued a travel advisory for American tourists heading to the Dominican Republic, telling tourists to exercise 'increased caution'. An under-fire Instagram model has apologised for posting half-naked pictures tagged from the death zone of nuclear wasteland Chernobyl. But Veronika Rocheva, 23, has also revealed that she lied in suggesting that her racy pictures were shot in Pripyat, a ghost city in the doomed power station's 19-mile exclusion area. In fact, her lingerie and topless poses were taken 2,146 miles away at a disused canteen in Siberia, she said, adding that she 'didn't want to hurt or insult people'. 'This was not in fact even Pripyat, we did the shoot in a deserted location in Novosibirsk,' she confessed, saying she had put on the Instagram tag because the deserted location reminded her of the abandoned town. The popularity of the HBO series about the 1986 disaster has sparked a surge in visits - and a backlash against suggestive selfies at the site. Ms Rocheva's picture, in which she poses half-naked wearing just an unzipped hazmat suit and a g-string, attracted particular attention. Instagram model Veronika Rocheva, 23, has apologised for posting half-naked pictures tagged from the death zone of nuclear wasteland Chernobyl such as this one Veronika Rocheva said the lingerie and topless poses such as this one were taken 2,146 miles away at a disused canteen in Siberia The model - unnamed until now - was hit by worldwide criticism and anger over the shoot, which she tagged as being close to the site of the explosion, which took place in Ukraine in what was then the Soviet Union. A further picture showed her wearing a gas mask in what appeared to be a reference to the deadly radiation around the former nuclear plant. Veronika, pictured insisted she 'didn't want to hurt or insult people' with the pictures 'I don't know why we decided to put this geotag,' Veronika told the Russian publication life.ru. 'It was all filmed at a deserted location in Novosibirsk. 'It looked in a way similar to Pripyat and we just tagged the location as 'Pripyat'. 'We simply didn't expect to get such outburst of negative reaction. We didn't think about the consequences.' The Instagram model said: 'In fact I was doing a vlog about the environment when I got inspired by the HBO Chernobyl series. 'This is what made us link the location we used for filming to Pripyat, they just looked so equally abandoned. 'We thought it would be just our friends watching it, that was it.' She said apologetically: 'We didn't want in any way to hurt or insult people that went through such a horrendous tragedy. 'We pay deepest respect to the story of Chernobyl.' The attention on her Instagram account since the scandal has more than trebled her follower count, to around 13,000. In pictures taken inside the exclusion zone, a different influencer geotagged her posts to show her followers where she was In another image, a different Instagram user climbs out from an empty, abandoned swimming pool in the exclusion zone Instagram posts in the area have become so frequent that Craig Mazin, the writer and producer behind the popular miniseries, took to his Twitter to tell people to be respectful. 'It's wonderful that #ChernobylHBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion,' he said in a Tuesday tweet . 'But yes, I've seen the photos going around. 'If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed.' Tourism agencies also claim that they've seen a 30 to 40 per cent increase in the tours they've given in the area. The popularity of the HBO series about Chernobyl has led to a wave of tourism, with agencies claiming that they've seen a 30 to 40 percent increase in the tours they've given to the exclusion zone (pictured, visitors in Pripyat earlier this month) Pripyat became a ghost town in the early hours of of April 26, 1986 when an unexpected power surge caused a series of explosions which released radiation into the atmosphere more than 400 times more extreme than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The disaster was the equivalent to 500 nuclear bombs going off and more than 100,000 people had to flee their homes. The death toll from the explosion is widely disputed, but listed as 4,000 by the United Nations. However, up to 350,000 people weren't evacuated from the surrounding areas for 36 hours after the initial explosion, and more than five million have lived in radiated land around the area in the 33 years since. A woman has been left vomiting and suffering from a nasty rash after she drank 'mouldy' bottled water. Zara Ward bought the 750ml bottle of Pump water last month at a cafe in Eight Mile Plains, Queensland. She claims she had to take two days off work because she started vomiting, suffered from cramping, had diarrhoea and a rash broke out across her body. Zara Ward from Brisbane bought the 750ml bottle of Pump water last month at a cafe in Eight Mile Plains, Queensland Ms Ward claims to have drunk more than half the bottle before she noticed a clump of mould floating in the water. 'I'm extremely disgusted and upset that this happened and cannot trust purchasing bottled drinks now,' she said to 9News. 'People need to be aware that they need to be careful when drinking from your bottled water.' She said she sent the bottle of Pump water back to the local distributor, Coca-Cola Amatil. A spokesperson from Coca-Cola Amatil told 9News they were aware of Ms Ward's situation and had spoken to her directly. 'This problem came about because of a one-off charge to the bottle cleaning process on a production line,' a spokesperson for Coca-Cola Amatil said. 'We've had the material independently tests, and it is not considered to be a food safety concern.' The spokesperson said the rest of the batch of bottled water which Ms Ward's came from has been withdrawn from sale and should not be available in stores. An Indian woman has been tied to a pole and beaten by villagers over an unpaid loan she used to start a hotel. Shocking photos show the woman with her hands tied behind her back leaning over as a group of locals casually stand by. The woman, named locally as Rajamma, looks helpless as onlookers in Bengaluru, southern India say, 'beat her up with slippers and brooms'. Rajamma was believed to be living in Kollegal, Karnataka region with her daughter but took loans from people in the Kodigehalli area north of Bengaluru to start up a hotel. It is believed she had taken out loans of up to Rs 50,000 (560) from some people. However after suffering heavy losses, she could not afford to pay them back. An Indian woman, named locally as Rajamma, was filmed tied to a pole having allegedly been beaten by villagers over an unpaid loan she used to start a hotel Villagers then found her and tied her to a pole in Bengaluru and allegedly told her to return the money, according to ANI news agency. The Times of India reported that in total she had taken as much as Rs 12 lakh (13, 600) in total. Karnataka police arrested seven people following the assault. Shocking photos show the woman with her hands tied behind her back leaning over as a group of locals casually stand by Karnataka police arrested seven people believed to be involved in the assault 'Some of her lenders came to know that Rajamma was in Dharmasthala and traced her on Wednesday,' a police officer told the Times of India. 'They brought her to Kodigehalli on Thursday. 'Along with those who had given her the money, villagers tied her to a pole and assaulted her.' Four men have been charged in New York with smuggling $7million worth of rhino horn and elephant ivory along with 22lbs of heroin. Moazu Kromah - known as Kampala Man - Amara Cherif, Mansur Mohamed Surur and Abdi Husseun Ahmed were charged Thursday with conspiracy to traffic in rhino horns and elephant ivory. Kromah, Cherif and Surur were also charged with a money laundering conspiracy, while Surur and Ahmed were accused of conspiracy to distribute heroin. All four men were charged as part of a joint investigation by the DEA and Fish and Wildlife Service, but using techniques pioneered by the United for Wildlife charity, which is led by Prince William. Four men - one Liberian, one from Guinea and two Kenyans - have been charged with smuggling $7million worth of rhino horn and elephant ivory over seven years (file image) The charges were the result of a joint DEA and Fish and Wildlife Service investigation, but using techniques pioneered by Prince William's wildlife conservation charity Since 2014, the UFW has sought to expose the deep links between poachers and criminal networks worldwide, and go after those ordering the animal killings. The charity argued that such networks after often intertwined with those already smuggling drugs, weapons and people - and provide a relatively easy route to dismantling them, since animal smugglers are less scrupulous in their dealings. Since its founding in 2014, UFW has built up an interlinked network of enforcement agencies, transport companies and banking firms who coordinate to identify suspicious activity, allowing it to be traced back to the source. While Thursday's indictment is not the direct result of UFW's work, it does use the same joined-up thinking, as evidenced by the fact that heroin smuggling charges form part of the indictment. According to the department of justice, the four men had run the alleged smuggling ring since 2012 until just two weeks ago. During that time, they had been involved in the trafficking of horn and ivory from more than 35 rhinoceros and 100 elephants. Kromah, who is originally from Liberia, was arrested in Uganda on June 12, 2019, and expelled to the United States. Prince William has created a network of enforcement agencies, shipping companies and banking institutions to trace the people ordering the poaching of rare wildlife and their connections to criminal networks also smuggling drugs, guns and people (file image) He was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker earlier on Thursday and detained. Cherif, a citizen of Guinea, was arrested in Senegal on June 7, 2019, and remains in custody there pending his extradition to the US. Surur and Ahmed, both from Kenya, remain at large. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: 'As alleged, these defendants are members of an international conspiracy to traffic in not only heroin but also rhino horns and elephant ivory. 'The alleged enterprise, responsible for the illegal slaughter of dozens of rhinos and more than 100 elephants, was as destructive to protected species as it was lucrative.' Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt added: 'Wildlife trafficking will not be tolerated. It is often intertwined with other major types of criminal activity including conspiracy, smuggling, money laundering and narcotics all of which are included in the indictment today. 'The U.S. Department of the Interior remains committed to combating the illegal wildlife trade through the END Wildlife Trafficking Act and the Presidents Executive Order on Transnational Organized Crime.' In May this year, Prince William attended the first United for Wildlife Joint Taskforce meeting to give an update on the organisation's progress. During his speech, he said UFW was now working with 150 members across the world, having trained 55,000 staff members at shipping at banking organisations to spot the signs of wildlife trafficking. Evidence they have gathered supported 52 criminal investigations, played a part in the arrest of 10 traffickers and helped with the seizure of $500,000 in illegal wildlife products, he said. A mother has pleaded guilty to defrauding over $200,000 from Medicare - but she claims she did it to support her family. Talaiha Inia, 45, pleaded guilty to submitting 92 false Medicare claims while working at various doctor's offices across Sydney, 9 News reported. The court heard that Inia had used her role as a practice manager at 12 different doctor's offices across Sydney to falsify and submit fraudulent Medicare claims from 2008 until 2014. She even created her own Medicare forms using Microsoft Word outside of working hours. New South Wales Central Coast woman Talaiha Inia, 45, (pictured) pleaded guilty to submitting 92 false Medicare claims totalling $224,000 over six years The 92 false claims over six years amounted to a total of $224,000. The Crown Prosecutor told the court the large sum was startling however it was accumulated in small chunks over a long period of time. The prosecutor said it seemed the fraudulent claims were 'more a matter of need than greed'. Defence barrister Sally Orman-Hales argued her client had not stolen the money to fund a lavish lifestyle. 'Im not saying people should take money theyre not entitled to. My client was not using it to fund an expensive lifestyle but keep the family going,' she said. Her fraudulent activity was uncovered in February of 2014 when Medicare discovered Inia had submitted two claims for neurological procedures which she alleged her and her daughter underwent. Inia has so far paid back $790 of the $224,000 as part of a debt recovery scheme. She will be sentenced next week. Photo: Contributed Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick says the province should pause a new supportive housing project planned for McCurdy Road in Rutland. The government announced Thursday afternoon plans for a 49-unit supportive housing project on the current site of the Knights of Columbus Hall at the corner of McCurdy and Rutland Road. Area residents were up in arms over a similar project proposed by Freedom's Door on the same property two years ago. "The people of Rutland are very generous and caring, and have done more than their fair share when it comes to housing the hardest to house," Letnick stated in an email. "However, since the opening of Heath House and Hearthstone facilities, I as the local MLA have heard from many residents that they are feeling overwhelmed by the increased number of people openly using drugs, exposure to used needles, and a general sense of feeling unsafe in their own neighbourhood." While he supports the city's Journey Home strategy, Letnick says it's up to the province and partner agencies to show they can house people actively taking drugs without adverse impact on surrounding neighbourhoods. He says that is not the case so far. "I understand the Canadian Mental Health Association as the operator believes it has little control over much of what is happening in the area, but nevertheless is leading a collective effort to develop a strategy to address these neighbourhood issues. I thank them for that. "Therefore, in the interest of respect to the people of Rutland, and in the long-term interest of achieving harmonious progress on the important work of the Journey Home task force, Im asking you to pause this new supportive housing project until the issues surrounding the existing Rutland projects are resolved to their neighbourhoods satisfaction or alternatively create housing which has a better chance of meeting with community support." A pervert who claimed he was a paedophile hunter was found with a vile collection of sick abuse images involving children as young as four. Carl Robinson, from Runcorn, Cheshire, used a dark web browser to build up his catalogue of 342 sickening photos - including 15 in Category A, the worst type. His search terms included 'pre-teen' and 'young teen', and after he downloaded the images - some from a Russian website - he used 'cleaning' software to cover his tracks. One of the photos showed a girl 'no older than four' being raped, while another showed a rape involving a female victim aged 10-12 years old dressed as a nurse. Judge Patrick Thompson blasted his actions at Chester Crown Court, telling him it was the demand created by paedophiles such as himself that led to children being abused. Instead of sending him to jail, the judge gave him a three-year community order and a 35-day rehabilitation requirement as a prison stint would not qualify Robinson from the programme that could help stop him from re-offending. Carl Robinson, from Runcorn, Cheshire, used a dark web browser to build up his catalogue of 342 sickening photos - including 15 in Category A, the worst type Prosecutor Mandy Nepal told the court Robinson, 32, had been a supposed 'paedophile hunter', having set up two stings to meet suspected paedophiles at his own home and at an Asda in Widnes. After his arrest on June 14 last year, he claimed he had sent an image of young girls he had found on Google to someone else because he wanted to be caught. Jamie Baxter, defending, said his client had wanted to be arrested because he did not have the courage to hand himself in - but the judge said Robinson had been 'caught red-handed'. Robinson pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images, one of possession, and one of distribution. The news comes after a paedophile hunter who downloaded over 1,700 images of child abuse over two years after becoming attracted to the sickening photographs was arrested. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Cameron Battisson, 21, initially accessed the twisted websites to snare paedophiles before becoming increasingly attracted to what he saw. He was been handed a three-year community order and made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Judge Patrick Thompson blasted his actions at Chester Crown Court, pictured, telling him it was the demand created by paedophiles such as himself that led to children being abused On top of Robinson's community order and rehabilitation requirement, he was handed a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, with the defendant to be placed on the sex offenders' register for the same length of time. The judge compared the punishment to a suspended sentence because any further offending will result in Robinson going to prison. Judge Thompson said: 'What on earth a 32-year-old man is doing viewing this sick material is just beyond me. 'I don't accept you are a paedophile hunter, we've heard you say that. What you are is a paedophile, viewing material of very young children being raped. 'That child wouldn't be being raped if it wasn't for men like you so people can make money out of the abuse and exploitation of children. 'You should feel thoroughly ashamed. You deserve to go to prison, but it seems to me what's going to save you is your early guilty plea and your acceptance you've got a problem.' He added: 'I've got to protect the public from men like you. Sending you to prison for a very short time probably won't protect the public in the long term. 'What will protect them I hope is if you're placed on the sexual offender treatment programme.' Robinson, of Raleigh Close, Warrington, must also pay a victim surcharge. A playful puppy who became jealous of an older sheepdog who was just trying to do his job clung onto his tail to stop him from herding the animals. Footage shows nine-month-old Flo holding the tail of Sam, seven - both Border Collies - tightly in her tiny jaws. She is seen pulling him back from the flock of sheep as he desperately tries to herd them in Inverurie, Scotland. On several occasions, Sam attempts to spring towards the sheep but is blocked by the puppy's grip. Nine-month-old Flo holds the tail of Sam, seven - both Border Collies - tightly in her tiny jaws to prevent him from performing his sheepdog duties Sam tries several times to spring towards the sheep but is blocked by the puppy's grip Eventually, the older dog manages to free himself, and races off across the field The two dogs (pictured), who are not related, were filmed in Inverurie, Scotland Sam, who is not related to the cheeky puppy, finally manages to free himself with a dramatic sprint, which leaves Flo rolling on her back. Owner Rory Gregor, 28, witnessed the whole hilarious episode and recorded the film in the Scottish field. Mr Gregor, a contract shepherd, said: 'Sam and I were trying to gather the sheep for vaccination. 'Sam was trying to concentrate on his job, but Flo was too eager to play and wouldn't leave him alone. It was hilarious to see.' This hilarious episode was recorded by owner Rory Gregor, 28. Above, the cheeky pair and the sheep, who were being gathered for vaccination Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran has she does not believe her brother's death in the Dominican Republic was related to those of seven American tourists which are currently being investigated by the FBI. Corcoran's 60-year-old brother John was holidaying on the Caribbean Island in April with a friend when he died from a sudden heart attack. The circumstances at first appeared eerily similar to those surrounding the other American tourists who all died after becoming seriously ill on the island over the past 12 months. But the real estate maven, 70, said in a statement on Instagram on Thursday: 'My brother had an existing heart condition and we believe he died of natural causes. John Corcoran (right) the 60-year-old brother of Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran, was found dead in a Dominican Republic hotel room in April, under similar mysterious circumstances to a number of other US tourists who have died while vacationing in the country 'I'm overwhelmed with sadness for the lost lives in the DR and my thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones.' The multi-millionaire said her brother's friend discovered his lifeless body on the floor of their suite. Corcoran, 70, said in a statement on Thursday that she does not believe her brother's death was linked to the other tourists. She said he had a pre-existing heart condition No autopsy has been done but Corcoran clarified that it was not suspicious that her brother, a New Jersey resident, died on the Caribbean island, saying: 'He loved the DR and vacationed there frequently.' The announcement of John's death came during a spate of concerning fatalities where seemingly healthy tourists have embarked on trips to the Dominican Republic, only to never return following sudden deaths caused by heart-attacks or unrecognized illnesses. The latest victim, Leyla Cox, 53, of New Brighton was found dead in her hotel room on Monday, and authorities told her son William that it was a heart attack. However, William says no he has been told that toxicology report has been carried out on her because all the country's machines are broken. FBI officials say they're now investigating each of the deaths, and authorities believe at least some of the victims may have been poisoned by bootleg liquor. The Caribbean island has said the deaths are isolated incidents, but U.S. law enforcement sources told the New York Post that they are looking into who supplied the alcohol the victims drank in the hours before their deaths. They also want to test the drinks to see if they contain dangerous chemicals. Clockwise from top left: Leyla Cox, Robert Bell Wallace, Yvette Monique Sport, Awilda Montes, David Harrison and Miranda Schaup-Werner One source told the Post that the FBI will take blood samples from the dead back to its Virginia research center for testing. Robert Bell Wallace, 67, of California became ill almost immediately after drinking an alcoholic beverage from his in-room minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort in Punta Cana on April 10, and died on April 14 after being hospitalized, Fox News reported. Pennsylvania's Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, also died after consuming a drink from a resort minibar across the island at Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana on May 25. Five days later, Maryland couple Cynthia Day, 49, and Nathaniel Holmes, 63, were found dead in their rooms on May 30 at the same resort, though staying in an adjacent sister hotel. One year ago, Yvette Monique Sport, 51, of Glenside, Pennsylvania, also died after drinking from the minibar at that resort, Sport's family members told Fox 29. In July 2018, David Harrison, 45, of Maryland died of an alleged heart attack while vacationing with his wife and their son at the Hard Rock in Punta Cana, which his widow now calls into question given the other recent deaths. Sport's death certificate said she died of a heart attack. Preliminary tests are said to have shown Schaup-Werner, Day and Holmes all died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention joined other international agencies in conducting tests at the Bahia Principe properties. It was not immediately clear whether other Dominican resorts, like the Hard Rock in Punta Cana, were also inspected. The FBI confirmed it was assisting local authorities in investigating the deaths. This is the shocking moment a yob kicked a defenseless seagull to death in a 'horrific' car park attack. The RSPCA is hunting for the thug, whose sickening attack outside a South Wales library was captured on CCTV. Footage shows the unknown man approaching the bird in a car park next to Tonypandy library in Rhondda Cynon Taf and kicking it several times at around 3.40pm on May 1. RSPCA inspector Simon Evans said: 'This attack is just horrific. The CCTV footage shows this man deliberately kicking this gull, with the bird already appearing to be incapacitated and completely defenceless. 'There is absolutely no justification for this level of cruelty towards the bird - which is protected, as all British birds are, by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Pictured: The thug strolls over to the seagull and kicks it repeatedly in the car park of a South Wales library The yob is pictured kicking the seagull while it lies defenceless on the floor in the car park 'We're appealing for any information to try and find out who this man is. He was wearing jeans and a red zip-up top, trainers and has dark hair and facial hair.' The gull's body was recovered following the incident, with RSPCA inquiries ongoing. Mr Evans added: 'If anyone saw this shocking incident or knows who did this, we urge them to contact our inspectorate appeal line urgently on 0300 123 8018.' The British government is facing mounting pressure from Hong Kong protesters to voice stronger opposition against a controversial extradition bill that has sparked mass protests and violent clashes. People in Hong Kong are calling on the city's former colonial ruler to stop selling crowd-control equipment including tear gas grenades, which is said to have been used against protesters this week. Police were accused of over-stepping lawful powers and launching an unprecedented operation against the much larger mass of peaceful protesters in the former British colony, which was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997, amid guarantees of autonomy and freedoms. People in Hong Kong are calling on the city's former colonial ruler to stop selling crowd-control equipment including tear gas grenades, which is thought to have been used to break up this week's protests against the law Police were accused of over-stepping lawful powers and launching an unprecedented operation against the much larger mass of peaceful protesters in the former British colony, which was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997, amid guarantees of autonomy and freedoms The agreement, signed by then UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang on behalf of their respective governments, promises the ways of life in Hong Kong - including the freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary - would be unchanged for 50 years until 2047, under the principle of 'one country, two systems' 'Britain has abandoned us,' Sanders Lau, 27, a musician who joined rallys on Sunday and Wednesday in protest against the extradition law, told MailOnline. 'The fact that the people of Hong Kong had absolutely no say on this matter is infuriating,' he said. 'Britain has not done its best to ensure that China is honouring the Joint Declaration,' Lau said, referring to the 1984 international agreement registered at the United Nations. The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed by then UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang on behalf of their respective governments, promises the ways of life in Hong Kong - including the freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary - would be unchanged for 50 years until 2047, under the principle of 'one country, two systems.' The Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed by then UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang on behalf of their respective governments, promises the ways of life in Hong Kong - including the freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary - would be unchanged for 50 years until 2047, under the principle of 'one country, two systems' A protester waves a union flag near the government headquarters in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The British government is facing mounting pressure from Hong Kong protesters to voice stronger opposition against the controversial extradition bill Violence erupted during clashes between police and protesters on Wednesday, with riot police firing rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at unarmed protesters in the worst unrest the city has witnessed in decades Hong Kong's last British governor Chris Patten said: 'As the former sovereign power, Britain has a debt of honour to Hong Kong.' He urged the UK to step up and help its former colony Hong Kong's last British governor urges the UK to help former colony Hong Kong's last British governor, Chris Patten, today urged Britain to help Hong Kong out of 'this dark moment'. In a column published in The Guardian, Patten considered Hong Kong police's violent reaction to Wednesday's protest 'not acceptable'. He wrote: 'Governments around the world - particularly Britain - should make our views clear about what is happening. 'And the government in Hong Kong and its masters in Beijing should realise how much damage will be done to Hong Kong if it continues to think it can brazen things out, turning to tear gas and rubber bullets to get its way. ' He added: 'As the former sovereign power, Britain has a debt of honour to Hong Kong.' The former leader urged the Hong Kong government to put the bill on hold and talk to their people. Patten also cited once-classified documents that showed the UK government's position in the lead up to Hong Kong's handover in 1997. The document said: 'It is government policy to only enter into extradition arrangements with governments whose judicial system, penal conditions, human rights standards are of an acceptable level.' 'The arrangements were not at an acceptable level in the 1990s and they certainly are not acceptable today,' Patten added. Advertisement But many accuse China of extensive meddling since, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with local elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialised in works critical of Chinese leaders. Lau believes that the extradition bill will have heavy consequences on Hong Kong's autonomy. 'People have already been self-censoring a lot and the bill would just make things worse,' Lau said. 'People in Hong Kong will no longer have a freedom from fear. It's no secret that China's judicial system is rigged.' 'On the other hand, the law is going to damage Hong Kong's reputation in many ways. The economy will definitely suffer,' he added. The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has sparked concerns it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status. Violence erupted during clashes between police and protesters on Wednesday, with riot police firing rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at unarmed protesters in the worst unrest the city has witnessed in decades. Some waved union glas in acts of defiance during the rally. The violence left 81 people injured, the hospital authority said. Much of the tear gas and crowd control ammunition used against protesters in Hong Kong today is likely to have been made in UK, or at least by companies headquartered here, according to a report in The Guardian. A group of Hong Kong mothers joins a rally this evening to protest against police violence A woman holds up signs reading 'no to extradition bill' and 'love our kids, love Hong Kong' Protesters wave a union flag during a rally against the extradition law on Wednesday People attend a rally protesting against the proposed extradition bill in Hong Kong today The Campaign Against the Arms Trade points out that the UK government has granted a number of licences to Hong Kong allowing the export of a wide range of crowd-control equipment, including tear gas, anti-riot guns, anti-riot shields, body armour, and crowd control ammunition. The most recent licence was granted in December 2018, but exports also take place under an Open Licence granted in 2015, allowing an unlimited quantity to be exported for 5 years. Oliver Feeley-Sprague, Amnesty International UK's military, security and police programme director, said the organisation is 'extremely concerned' that British-made tear gas is being used against peaceful protesters in Hong Kong. 'The use of tear gas against civilians is shocking, and we want the UK Government to prevent any further supplies of crowd control equipment supplied to Hong Kong that risks being used to threaten legitimate protests,' he said. Much of the tear gas and crowd control ammunition used against protesters in Hong Kong today is likely to have been made in UK, or at least by companies headquartered here, according to a report in The Guardian Protesters use umbrellas to protect themselves from tear gas fired by police on Wednesday British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday said extradition rules in Hong Kong had to respect the rights and freedoms set out in the 1984 Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong's future. 'We are concerned about potential effects of these proposals particularly obviously given the large number of British citizens there are in Hong Kong,' May told parliament. 'But it is vital that those extradition arrangements in Hong Kong are in line with the rights and freedoms that were set down in the Sino-British joint declaration.' A Chinese official has called western criticism of the extradition bill 'irresponsible' and says foreign countries have no right to intervene in China's affairs. The Campaign Against the Arms Trade points out that the UK government has granted a number of licences to Hong Kong allowing the export of a wide range of crowd-control equipment, including tear gas, anti-riot guns, anti-riot shields, body armour, and crowd control ammunition Police officers use batons on protesters who were attempting to storm past barricades to get into government offices Hong Kong was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday as tens of thousands of protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang today accused western politicians of blatantly encouraging Hong Kong activists who have led huge protests the bill in the past week. China routinely objects to any criticism as meddling in its internal affairs, including the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong. Geng said that 'no country, organisation or individual has the right to intervene.' He added that all Chinese including the citizens of Hong Kong will surely oppose any attempts to create chaos in Hong Kong and undermine the city's prosperity and stability. Carers Edward Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 59, have been found guilty of murdering Margaret Fleming, pictured, at their house in Seacroft, Inverkip between December 1999 and January 2000 Two carers have been found guilty of murdering a vulnerable 19-year-old woman and covering up her killing for nearly two decades so they could claim 182,000 in benefits. Edward Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 59, murdered Margaret Fleming using unknown means at some point between December 1999 and January 2000. The vulnerable 19 year old had moved into their home in Seacroft, Inverkip, in October 1995 when her father Derek died after those closest to her 'didn't want her', jurors at the High Court in Glasgow heard. Jones was further convicted of fraudulently claiming 182,000 in benefits by pretending that Ms Fleming - who was reported missing in October 2016 - was alive after a seven-week trial. Ms Fleming vanished 'from the face of the earth' around December 1999, and her body has never been found. Prosecutors alleged that they locked her in a room, cut her hair and bound her arms and wrists with tape and other material. The case raises serious questions about local social services who only reported Ms Fleming missing in October 2016 when they were unable to contact her. The jury took around three hours over two days to reach their majority verdict on the murder charge. Cairney and Jones will be sentenced next month. Scroll down for video Holding them jointly responsibility for the death, the Crown claimed the couple 'literally got away with murder for 16 years'. Ms Fleming, left, is pictured with her carers The case raises serious questions about local social services who only reported Ms Fleming missing in October 2016 when they were unable to contact her. They were ultimately brought down by 'greed, arrogance and lies' after Jones made claims of Ms Fleming having 'fantastical' illnesses and conditions in correspondence with benefits officials Cairney, pictured today, told police he met Ms Fleming 10 days before his police interview in October 2017, and that she was still alive. Her body has never been found During their trial, which began in April this year, Ms Fleming was described by prosecutors as a 'friendless and lonely' young woman who had significant difficulties. By October 1999, various benefits for Ms Fleming flowed into the household, which was said to have had financial difficulties. The Crown suggested it was 'tempting' for the couple to have the money but not the 'inconvenience' of looking after her. But during an interview with BBC Scotland's Suzanne Allan in October 2017 the killer couple brazenly denied having anything to do with the disappearance of the woman they were today convicted of murdering. In the chilling clip, Allan asks if either of them harmed Margaret. Jones and Cairney both reply no, and Cairney adds: 'Far from it'. 'She's come to no harm unless she got harmed in the couple of weeks,' he says. Allan also asks whether the pair had heard from Margaret since she vanished, which prompted Cairney to claim that she was alive and working as a gangmaster in Poland. Perhaps the most telling moment was when Allan asked Jones what she would like to say to Margaret if were out there somewhere and watching the interview. Jones remained stony-faced and could not think of a single word to say. Forensic teams spent months sifting through the house, pictured, for any documentation of her life, and a large garden at the property was excavated as part of the search Jones, pictured, was further convicted of fraudulently claiming 182,000 in benefits by pretending that Ms Fleming - who was reported missing in October 2016 - was alive after a seven-week trial Prosecutors alleged that they locked her in a room, cut her hair and bound her arms and wrists with tape and other material. Pictured: inside the house How, and exactly when, Ms Fleming died, may never be fully known. It remains, as the defence highlighted, a case without a body and without a crime scene. Holding them jointly responsibility for the death, the Crown claimed the couple 'literally got away with murder for 16 years'. A living hell: The history of abuse victim suffered Detective superintendent Paul Livingstone - who led the inquiry - said Margaret's last days must have been a 'living hell'. He added outside court: 'Margaret was described as a fun, caring young woman. 'Despite having mild learn difficulties, she just wanted to be loved and have friends 'Margaret had been at college for a brief time before Cairney and Jones began to control her life and keep her prisoner within their home. 'She was subjected to daily punishment including being tied up, having her hair cut short and deprived of food. 'She was subjected to what can only be described as horrific living conditions. 'For them to continue the charade for all these years is absolutely abhorrent - one of the reasons being for financial gain. 'We will never know how Margaret was killed. 'What we do know is that she lived her last days in what can only be described as a living hell 'She must have felt she was alone in the world with no one coming to help her, which is absolutely heartbreaking to think of. 'Who knows what she might have went on to achieve in her life if it had not been ended prematurely at the hands of Cairney and Jones.' Advertisement They were ultimately brought down by 'greed, arrogance and lies' after Jones made claims of Ms Fleming having 'fantastical' illnesses and conditions in correspondence with benefits officials. As police zoned in on the couple, their fabricated stories to explain Ms Fleming's absence became increasingly 'farcical' as they tried to reconcile claims she was both working as a gangmaster and capable of travelling overseas, and that she was someone with major difficulties requiring a number of benefits. Cairney claimed Ms Fleming is still alive, and had told police he met her 10 days before he was interviewed by officers in October 2017. His QC Thomas Ross asked him on Monday: 'Have you ever harmed Margaret?' Cairney said: 'No, I certainly have not. I am incapable of harming a lady... just cannot do that.' Retired marine engineer Cairney claimed that Ms Fleming went missing in early 2000, but came back around a week later. He also said that Ms Fleming would 'come and go' and 'come back if she needed money' between 2000 and 2016. The court heard claims Cairney then met Ms Fleming in London in 2017. He said he told Ms Fleming police were looking for her and that they were 'holding us to ransom'. Cairney insisted that was the last he saw Ms Fleming. He was later detained by police. A search for her was launched after officers were asked by social work officers to visit her remote five-bedroom house, which lies next to the Scottish coast. Police forensic teams spent months sifting through the house, where she lived with her carers, for any documentation of her life, and a large garden at the property was excavated as part of the search. The probe extended more than 500 metres into the River Clyde and also into a nearby woodland but her whereabouts remain a mystery. Jurors heard that Cairney and Jones became carers for Ms Fleming, who would now be 38, when her lawyer father died in October 1995 (pictured: The Inverkip home) The baby son of a woman murdered by a family of womb raiders in Chicago has died in the hospital, two months after being torn from her belly. Yadiel Lopez had been on life support since April 23, when he was cut from his mother Marlen's womb by Clarisa Figueroa and her daughter. Marlen had gone to their home to pick up baby clothes after speaking to Clarisa on Facebook. She was strangled and the women then used a butcher's knife to cut the baby from her stomach and pretend he was their own for weeks before DNA testing proved otherwise. The baby boy's father, Yovani, had been praying for his recovery and was hopeful that he would survive. Despite weeks of promising false starts, like when the baby opened his eyes, he never regained full brain function and was pronounced dead in the hospital on Friday. The Cook County's State's Attorney's Office told DailyMail.com on Friday that it will wait for the result of the baby's post-mortem to determine if additional charges against his mother's killers should be brought. Scroll down for video Yadiel is shown in a more recent photograph. The baby never recovered from the lack of oxygen to the brain that he suffered while being torn from his mother's womb and in the final weeks of his life, his face and limbs had become increasingly swollen Yadiel Lopez had been on life support since April 23, when he was cut from his mother Marlen's womb by Clarisa Figueroa and her daughter. He has died The baby's hands and feet were swollen as were his cheeks. He is shown in the hospital before having his life support turned off on Friday 'It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of baby Yovanny Jadiel Lopez. He passed away this Friday June 14, 2019 from his severe brain injury. 'Please keep his family in your thoughts & prayers as they go through this difficult time,' family spokesman Julie Contreras said. Clarisa, her daughter and her boyfriend remain in custody awaiting their next court date. On April 23, Marlen went to their home in Chicago to pick up free baby clothes. She had been to their home once before for other items. The 19-year-old mother was pregnant with her second baby and had been scouring social media looking for cheap or free goods to prepare for his birth. Clarisa Figueroa, 46, and her daughter Desiree, 24, are being held on murder charges for Marlen's death. It is unclear if they will now also be charged with Yadiel's death Once in the Figueroas' home, prosecutors say Clarisa distracted her with a photo album of pictures of her dead, adult son. Piotr Bobak, Clarisa's boyfriend, has been charged with helping cover up Marlen's murder She then placed an electric cable around her neck and strangled her to death. Desiree, her 24-year-old pregnant daughter, was also in the room. As Marlen fought for her life by placing her fingers in between her neck and the cable, Clarisa screamed at her daughter to stop her. Desiree then got out of her chair and pried Marlen's fingers, one by one, away from her neck. Once Marlen was dead, Clarisa took a butcher's knife to her stomach, sliced it from side to side, then pulled Yadiel out. She put him in a bucket with the umbilical chord still attached then put his mother's body in a trash can in their yard. The older woman then called 911, claiming to have just given birth herself. Baby Yadiel is shown in his father Yovany's arms not long after the gruesome murder plot was discovered last month. He'd been in the hospital for two weeks while his mother was missing, unbeknownst to his real family, while his mother's killers pretended he was their own Yovany had been praying for a miracle for his son's recovery. He is shown in the days after he learned he was in the hospital When an ambulance arrived at the house, she was outside waiting for them. Paramedics never went inside. Instead, they transported Clarisa and the baby to Advocate Christ Medical Center where she taken for an examination and he was put on life support. Despite being looked over by an obstetrics technician and despite not having given birth, no one raised any concerns. Meanwhile, Marlen's family were at home wondering where she had gone. When she did not come home, her husband reported her missing. He was told, he claims, that it had not been long enough since she vanished. After 72 hours, he reported her missing again but claims police immediately suspected him. For weeks, the family pleaded for information about where she had gone. On March 5, more than a month before she went to the house, Marlen and Clarisa spoke on the group, with Clarisa offering her baby clothes Clarisa Figueroa claimed in a fundraising appeal that she had given birth prematurely Police were seen inspecting a fire pit in the woman's backyard on Wednesday night (pictured). Her body was found in a trash can Yovany Lopez, 20, sobbed as he recalled being forced to do a polygraph after reporting his wife Marlen missing on April 23. He says the police never took him seriously and instead suspected him when he reported his wife missing Yovany and Marlen had been married for three years. They also have a toddler son together Then, on May 8, a friend of Marlen's family told police she had been in contact with someone on Facebook to try to get free baby clothes. Officers only then went to the Figueroas' home. There, they found Desiree who said her mother had just given birth. They then found Marlen's car nearby and ordered a warrant for DNA testing on the baby that Desiree claimed was her brother. When the test results came back proving that he was Yovany's baby, detectives searched the Figueroas' home and found Marlen's body in the back yard. The hospital and the Chicago Police Department have come under harsh scrutiny for their handling of the entire incident. For weeks before they were discovered, Clarisa pretended the baby was her own and even campaigned for donations for him on GoFundMe. For months before she met Marlen, she had been claiming online that she was pregnant, despite having her fallopian tubes tied. The city of Bruges has cancelled its popular Christmas ice sculpture festival over concerns about its environmental impact. The Belgian city will replace its ice rink with a plastic version and move it away from its central market square, a UNESCO world heritage site. Bruges officals are making the switch amid fears about the carbon footprint of the cooling systems needed for the ice exhibition. But their decision has prompted outrage from event organisers. Alexander Deman, the lead organiser, told Belgian media that the move had ruined plans for an ice event themed around Frozen 2. The city of Bruges has cancelled its popular Christmas ice sculpture festival (pictured in November 2015) over concerns about its environmental impact The Disney film, the sequel to the 2013 movie, is due to be released in November this year, just as the festival would begin. Speaking to Belgium's Radio 2, he said the festival, which had been running since 2000, would use no more energy than a restaurant or supermarket. He also published the event's energy bill, saying it had cost just over 26,000 - a similar level to a mere 10 Flemish families' annual bill, he suggested. 'It is not so harmful to the environment. The Ice Sculpture Festival in Bruges was the most visited event in the country, with 150,000 to 200,000 visitors,' he said. 'We also had a fantastic theme for this winter. It was the premiere of Frozen 2, the film that will be released worldwide at the end of November.' However, Bruges mayor Dirk De fauw says the city has devised a 'points system' to decide whether winter events are overly harmful to the environment. 'Activities that absorb a lot of energy receive very few points. We are really looking for innovative, sustainable activities,' he said. An ice artist works on an ice sculpture at the Ice Magic Festival in Bruges at a previous year's event. The festival has now been axed over environmental concerns The city's ice rink, which will be synthetic, will be located at the city's 'Lake of Love' in an area known as the Minnewater. In addition, Bruges announced this week that it would cut back its advertising in a bid to limit tourist numbers - after the mayor voiced concerns about 'Disneyfication'. It follows similar moves to manage visitors in the neighbouring Netherlands, where tourism bosses last month said they would try to limit numbers. Arguing that 'more is not always better', the Netherlands will stop promoting tourism and switch its strategy to 'destination management'. Some 18million people visited the Netherlands in 2017 - more than the country's population - and the number is set to grow to 29million by 2030. Overcrowding in tourist hotspots, especially Amsterdam, could reduce the quality of life for local residents and turn them against foreign visitors, officials have warned. Calling for 'quality tourists' who 'add value and don't cause a nuisance', the tourist board has urged a policy of 'develop and discourage' to stop attracting undesirable groups. Among the measures under consideration is a tourist tax similar to that in some destinations in Spain and Italy. Local authorities are also urged to consider closing certain attractions which are popular with undesirable tourists. Three hunters who illegally slaughtered a mountain lion in Yellowstone National Park last year left a trail of evidence on social media that allowed authorities to convict them. Austin Peterson, 20, Trey Juhnke, 20, and Corbin Simmons, 19, received a three-year worldwide hunting ban last month, according to documents obtained by the Jackson Hole News & Guide. The trio had uploaded celebratory photographs of their illegal kill on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, which were seen by other hunters who recognised the landscape and alerted game wardens. Austin Peterson, Trey Juhnke and Corbin Simmons were last month convicted of illegally killing a mountain lion in Yellowstone National Park The trio were caught after they documented their hunt on social media, uploading celebratory photographs Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat The News & Guide reports that while questioning Simmons about the incident, Yellowstone special agent Jake Olson said: 'You know, we ended up getting a lot of this information from a guy in Bozeman off of Facebook because you guys put a bunch of stuff on social media.' The men pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act of 1894, which banned the taking, selling or purchasing of wildlife from protected areas. Along with the three-year ban, they were each fined $1,666. According to the investigation documents, all three men admitted to shooting the mature male mountain lion in Montana on December 12, 2018, before taking it across the border to their vehicle. The men received a three-year worldwide hunting and fishing ban as well as individual fines of $1,666 However they later changed their stories during individual interviews, contradicting each other on key details such as when they saw the boundary posts, where they encountered the cat and who actually took the shot that killed it. Authorities later learned that all three men had fired at the animal, which was hit eight times. Yellowstone's Chief Ranger Pete Webster thanked law enforcement in a statement about the incident. 'Their thorough work spotlighted this egregious act,' he said, 'and the consequences incurred for hunting illegally in Yellowstone National Park.' A Kenyan MP has been arrested for repeatedly slapping a female colleague in the parliament building car park after an argument about budget allocation. Fatuma Gedi accused fellow MP Rashid Kassim Amin of slapping her twice on Thursday for failing to allocate funds to his constituency. Kassim will appear in court on Friday accused of causing 'actual bodily harm', police said. Ms Gedi - who is on the budget committee- said: 'He said... ''you are stupid'', and then he hit me. I was shocked, I could not believe it.' An image of her crying with her mouth bloodied was shared on social media, along with a video where she explained what had happened. Both lawmakers are from the northeastern region of Wajir. Kassim will appear in court on Friday accused of causing 'actual bodily harm' according to police 'The MP has been arrested and will be charged in court for assaulting his colleague,' said Nairobi police chief Philip Ndolo. House Speaker Justin Muturi said: 'I have received the complaint from (Gedi), and I want to say that that is not acceptable, the matter has been referred to the police. Parliament has no room for criminals.' Soon after the incident, female MPs waiting inside the house for the reading of the annual budget staged a walkout. Another female MP Gladys Wanga described witnessing Amin 'hurling insults ... which were followed by blows'. 'I am shocked that women leaders can be attacked by none other than their male colleagues in this parliament. If we leaders are not safe, then how about our women and girls in the counties?' she told journalists outside the court Thursday. Fatuma Gedi accused fellow MP Rashid Kassim Amin of slapping her twice on Thursday, with a photo of her in tears shared online (right) MP Sabina Chege said she was a witness to the alleged assault. She told CNN: 'Mr. Rashid was complaining about funds allocation for his constituency by Hon. Fatuma Gedi who sits on the budget committee, she told him the issue was before the public participation committee of which Rashid never attended. 'He became agitated and started hurling insults at the MP and then he hit her, not once but twice slapped on the face.' Male MPs then made fun of their female counterparts in parliament over the incident, Ms Chege later told BBC Focus on Africa. 'Some of our male colleagues started mocking us and saying it was slapping day,' she said. Photo: Facebook Steven Pirko The fate of Steven Pirko now rests in the hands of seven women and five men from the community. Evidence in Pirko's second-degree murder trial wrapped up last Friday, and after closing arguments were delivered by defence and the Crown this week, Justice Allan Betton delivered his final instructions to the jury Thursday. Through the six weeks of trial, the jury learned Pirko and his friend Elrich Dyck were walking east along Highway 33 in Rutland just before 2 a.m. on Jan. 25, 2014. Pirko testified Dyck had been trying to pick a fight with others as the pair walked to the 7-Eleven from a nearby birthday party, but Dyck denied he had been yelling at strangers. Surveillance footage shows Chris Ausman ran across the street towards the pair at 1:38 a.m., and Dyck and Ausman engaged in a fight. Pirko testified Ausman immediately got the upper hand, hitting Dyck repeatedly in the face. He said Dyck called out for help, so he first hit Ausman in the back of the legs with a hammer he had been carrying, before hitting Ausman several times in the head. However, a forensic pathologist testified there was no evidence of injuries to Ausman's legs. The blows to the head dropped Ausman, and Pirko and Dyck ran from the scene. Pirko quickly returned to retrieve an iPod he had dropped, and he said he also checked to see if Ausman was OK. That's when I realized he was dead, Pirko testified. You could see the blood. While Pirko was identified by police as a suspect in Ausman's death within a few days, he wasn't arrested until almost three years later, on Nov. 18, 2016. After two days of interrogation, Pirko admitted to the killing. On Thursday, Justice Betton summarized Pirko's defence arguments, which include intoxication and protection of another person. Pirko testified he had drank alcohol, smoked cannabis and snorted a line of speed on the night Ausman died. He said his intoxication level was 8.5 out of 10. Additionally, he claimed he never meant to kill Ausman when he struck him in the head with a hammer multiple times, and that he was only trying to protect his friend. It's now up to the jury to decide if Pirko's actions were "reasonable under the circumstances." Crown prosector David Grabavac said Pirko was able to foresee the natural and probable consequences of hitting Mr. Ausman in the head with the hammer. Defence counsel Jordan Watt, meanwhile, characterized Pirko as a drunk, scared, skinny 21 year old with an injured hand who didn't intend to kill Ausman. If the jury accepts the defence that Pirko was justified in protecting Dyck, Pirko will walk free. If the jury only accepts the defence of intoxication, Pirko would still be convicted of manslaughter. The jury's verdict could come later Thursday evening, or deliberations may continue Friday. A Texas hiker who became stranded in rural Arkansas for six days said his fight for survival was made tougher by inch-long ants with stingers as large as their heads. Josh McClatchy, 38, became disorientated while hiking through the Caney Creek Wilderness region, near Mena, Arkansas, and accidentally strayed off the trail. While searching for water, food and cellphone signal were his immediate priorities, McClatchy quickly realized that ants were much more than an annoying pest. Scroll down for video Search and rescue teams started looking for McClatchy almost immediately, but all they found was his car, which was parked at the Buckeye Trail McClatchy began his trek on the Buckeye Trail in the Caney Creek Wilderness area east of Mena in Arkansas, on May 31 'When it comes to the wildlife, I learned very quickly that the ants were my nemesis,' McClatchy told ABC's 'Good Morning America' in an interview on Friday. 'Ants that were an inch long, the stinger as large as the head.' He texted his mother June 1 to say he needed help, but due to poor service he couldn't get through to her. He was reported missing by his mother the same day. 'When you're in the mountains and everyone is yelling, everything echoes so you can't tell where the original sound is coming from,' McClatchy said. 'I immediately got swarmed by ants, so I dropped everything and got out of there,' he said. 'When I say I got out of there, I was around the general area, just trying to avoid the ants. He texted his mother June 1 to say he needed help, but due to spotty cellphone service he couldn't reconnect with her. He was reported missing by his mother the same day McClatchy said he stuck to following streams so he knew he would have a good source of water and because of his careful precautions was lucky to escape relatively unharmed 'Thankfully I was in long sleeves,' McClatchy added. 'That first night I learned to tuck everything in, so I had my wool socks and had my pants tucked in to my wool socks. I had long sleeves, I tucked everything in. It could have been much worse.' McClatchy said he stuck to following streams so he knew he would have a good source of water and because of his careful precautions was lucky to escape relatively unharmed. Despite suffering a cut on his forehead requiring stitches and some mild dehydration, he was finally able to find help and was pictured smiling and talking to emergency responders in the ambulance. The grateful hiker described his rescuers as 'heroes' and thanked the hospital staff for being 'absolutely amazing.' McClatchy, who has bipolar disorder, was without his medication for almost a week. Improved weather conditions allowed searchers to use a National Guard helicopter equipped with infrared technology to search the vicinity where McClatchy was found, about 105 miles (170 kilometers) southwest of Little Rock 'I'm in one of the best spots mentally that I've been in for a long time,' he said. 'I have an incredible support team around me and I'm fortunate because not everyone has that. My outlook is so different now, I'm so grateful.' Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer described the dramatic rescue operation six days ago. Sawyer said improved weather conditions allowed searchers to use a National Guard helicopter equipped with infrared technology to search the vicinity where McClatchy was found, about 105 miles southwest of Little Rock. The chopper crew spotted McClatchy within 30 minutes of the effort with the help of technology, but he was in such a remote location that it took rescuers on the ground an hour to reach him. He was about three miles into the Caney Creek Wilderness area, off of the trail, Sawyer said. He was dehydrated but in good spirits when he was found in the Caney Creek Wilderness area late on Friday The local sheriff described the Caney Creek Wilderness in Arkansas as a 'remote and rugged mountainous area' with many hiking trails It took about four more hours to carry him out to safety on a rescue cart with one wheel. McClatchy was taken immediately to Mena Regional Health System in Mena, Arkansas, for medical evaluation. McClatchy began his trek on the Buckeye Trail in the Caney Creek Wilderness area on May 31, according to WFAA. Around 11.30am the next day, McClatchy texted his mom pictures of the trail on which he was hiking. Roughly five hours later, he texted his mother again, this time to say he was lost. 'Hey mom, I need your help. Remain calm and we'll get through this,' McClatchy wrote. McClatchy's sister Miranda Balduff, told reporters it was a 'miracle' her brother found a cell phone signal to text his mother in the rural terrain Search and rescue teams started looking for McClatchy almost immediately, but all they found was his car, which was parked at the Buckeye Trail. McClatchy was no where to be found until rescuers got a break with the weather on Friday, according to Polk County Sheriff D. Scott Sawyer. 'We will do whatever it takes to find Mr. McClatchy and get him home to his family,' the sheriff told reporters on Tuesday. 'We will continue searching and we will find him.' The sheriff said it's not uncommon for hikers to temporarily go missing, but noted they're usually found within hours. Ahead of McClatchy being found, his sister Miranda Balduff said, 'My brother is very smart and was well prepared for this trip' He described Caney Creek as a 'remote and rugged mountainous area' with many hiking trails. Ahead of McClatchy being found, his sister Miranda Balduff, told reporters it was a 'miracle' her brother found a cell phone signal to text his mother in the rural terrain, also noting that he was an experienced hiker who knows how to survive in the wilderness. 'My brother is very smart and was well prepared for this trip,' she said, confident he would be found before he turned up on Friday. 'He loves hiking, camping and the outdoors... He was extremely excited about this trip. He spoke about the trip during all of our conversations for the last month.' This was McClatchy's first solo attempt at a hiking excursion. A Bronze Star Air Force veteran is suing a Las Vegas cardiologist after discovering that the doctor left a 57-inch metal wire inside his body. On Tuesday, a jury in a civil suit heard that German 'OT' Ortiz, now 70, underwent an angiogram in 2005 which was performed by Dr. Mark Taylor of the Heart Center of Nevada. During the procedure, a catheter was inserted through the bloodstream and a long steel wire was used to keep the catheter stiff. While the catheter was removed, Dr. Taylor inadvertently left the wire inside Ortiz's body, according to the lawsuit. The veteran went for a decade without realizing anything was wrong, before a radiographer made the discovery after taking an X-ray of Ortiz's chest in 2015. The X-ray showed the wire running through his body from his chest down to his thigh. Scroll down for video In this Tuesday, June 11, 2019 photo, German Ortiz's lawyer James Jimmerson gives an opening statement to the jury pointing out the wire on a CAT scan image during a trial at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc Privacy Policy This module may be blocked in CC. Insecure links found German 'OT' Ortiz has brought the lawsuit against Dr. Mark Taylor (pictured) Ortiz and his wife first filed the lawsuit against Dr. Taylor in 2016, and are seeking upwards of $800,000 in damages. According to The Las Vegas Review Journal, the suit alleges medical malpractice, professional negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, as well as negligent hiring, training and supervision. In court on Tuesday, Ortiz's lawyers told the jury that 'a doctor must pay careful attention during a procedure'. They argued: 'If a doctor does not pay careful attention during a procedure, the doctor is responsible for the injuries caused.' Dr. Mark Taylor of UMC listens to opening remarks beside his lawyer Linda Rurangirwa during his trial at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas Victim: plaintiff German Ortiz and his wife, Angela, attend a trial at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. Ortiz's lawyers are asking a jury to award him upward of $800,000 from the cardiologist who performed a 2005 angioplasty and his company after a wire was left in his body However, a lawyer for Dr. Taylor claims that another doctor must have left the wire inside of Ortiz. 'Dr. Taylor met the standard of care and in no way was negligent or uncareful in his cardiology,' the cardiologist's attorney told the court. While Ortiz has had around two-thirds of the wire removed, there is still around 20 inches of the metal which stretches down to his thigh. The trial is expected to last a week. Benjamin J. Dillon (above), 37, has been charged with burglary, intimidation and resisting arrest Grandparents managed to fight-off a man who allegedly broke into their apartment and tried to abduct their six-year-old grandaughter. Benjamin J. Dillon, 37, was arrested and charged with burglary, intimidation and resisting arrest after the incident in Lebanon, Indiana. Boone County Sheriff's Office reported that Dillon kicked down the door of the couple's apartment in the middle of the night, on June 3, and told the grandparents Martin and Patricia Roth that he was 'taking the child.' They managed to force him out of the door, and held him off until officers arrived. Officers say they found Dillon 'shirtless and agitated' outside the apartment complex according to WTHR. Police said that Dillon told them the little girl was being 'raped' and claimed she was his daughter. He clenched his fists and told cops, 'he would fight all of us and kill us' according to their report. Officers fired three stun guns at him, but they proved to be ineffective. They reported that when they managed to subdue and handcuff him, Dillon continued to 'kick' and 'scream' at officers. Patricia Roth (above) told reporters that she was asleep when Dillon broke into the apartment The grandparents believed Dillon (above) may have been on 'drugs' when he kicked down the door of their apartment. He claimed told police he was looking for his daughter Damage to the door frame at the apartment in Lebanon, Indiana The six-year-old was not hurt during the incident but was reported to have been 'scared.' Patricia Roth told Fox59, 'I was sound asleep in my bedroom and this guy came kicking in and said, "You have my daughter." 'I was nervous, very nervous. I was shaking so bad. 'I don't understand why he picked our apartment, I'll never figure that one out. 'I wouldnt want him walking back in my apartment again. He will regret it the next time.' Patricia (left) outside the grandparents' apartment complex in Lebanon The Roth's apartment (above) in Lebanon, Indiana, where Dillon was arrested after he allegedly broke in and threatened to abduct a six-year-old girl Patricia Roth (above) and her husband Martin fought off Dillon until police arrived and took him away In an phone interview with WTHR, Dillon claimed the incident was a 'big misunderstanding' and claimed he was looking for his own child Roth told Fox that she believed Dillon may have been on drugs during the incident. She added: 'I hope he gets the help he needs and gets himself back on his feet.' Dillon, who was already awaiting trail on drug charges, has been jailed with a $75,000 bond before his trial in September. In a phone interview with WTHR , Dillon claims the incident was a 'big misunderstanding.' 'I was under the impression that maybe my daughter might be over there in that apartment complex,' he said. Dillon told them 'I wasn't looking for anybody's child but my own' who said he had not seen 'in a while.' He claimed to believe that somebody inside the apartment might have know where his child was. He also claims that he was let into the apartment by the couple. who he did not know. 'I am truly sorry for coming to your apartment door, for waking you up,' Dillon said. He also said he has enrolled in a substance abuse program. Iran fired a surface-to-air missile at an American drone flying over the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, but missed, military sources revealed Friday afternoon. The launch came hours before an attack on two oil tankers that the U.S. blames on the Islamic republic. The Pentagon routinely flies unmanned drone aircraft like the MQ-9 Reaper drone used Thursday to monitor Iran's military patrols in the Gulf. CNN reported that the missile fell into the water harmlessly. A U.S. official told the cable network that the drone was able to observe Iranian ships approaching the tankers. It's unclear whether the drone's operator was able to see the attack on the vessels. The same official told CNN that in recent days an Iranian missile, fired by Houthi rebels, shot down a different U.S. Reaper drone in the Red Sea. President Donald Trump accused Iran on Friday of attacking the oil tankers and warned Tehran that he doesn't take the aggressive move lightly. 'Iran did do it,' Trump said on 'Fox & Friends' when during a phone interview with the morning cable news show. Scroll down for videos The Pentagon flew an MQ-9 Reaper drone like this one over the Gulf of Oman Friday and saw Iranian boats converging on a pair of oil tankers that wre later targeted by explosive mines; Iran fired a surface-to-air missile at the drone but missed President Donald Trump has accused Iran of attacking the tankers, one of which erupted in a fireball on Thursday An oil tanker was pictured Thursday on fire in the sea of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz after an attack that left it ablaze and adrift while sailors were evacuated The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz He advised Iran's mullahs that the U.S. could see evidence of the attack, citing grainy video footage released Thursday that the American military claimed shows Iranian vessels retrieving an unexploded mine from one of the damaged ships. 'You saw the boat, one to have mines didn't explode and it has Iran written all over it. Successfully took the mine off the boat and that was exposed. They didn't want the evidence left behind. They don't know that we have things that we can detect in the dark that work very well. We have that. It was them that did it,' Trump said. But Trump didn't offer details when pressed on how the United States would respond. 'We're gonna see. We're gonna see how to stop,' he said. 'We'll see what happens. We don't take it lightly, that I can tell you,' he added. He also argued U.S. relations were better with Iran than under former President Barack Obama and claimed Irans hadn't shouted 'death to America' lately. UK foreign secretary warns of 'unintended catastrophic' effects UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned of an 'unintended catastrophe' in the Middle East as tensions ratchet up between the U.S. and Iran. Mr Hunt said Britain backed the U.S. in pointing the finger at Iran over Thursday's tanker explosions. He said Iranian involvement would be a 'deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region'. Mr Hunt, a candidate to be Britain's next Prime Minister, told the BBC today: 'This is deeply worrying and comes at a time of already huge tension. 'I have been in contact with (Mr) Pompeo and, while we will be making our own assessment soberly and carefully, our starting point is obviously to believe U.S. allies. 'At the moment both sides in this dispute think that the other side doesn't want war and the risk you have is that then they do something provocative that leads to catastrophic consequences that weren't intended. 'And so it is a very dangerous situation.' Downing Street earlier called the suspected attacks 'completely unacceptable'. Advertisement 'I don't think they've talked the same way when President Obama signed agreement, they were saying death to America, they were having good time at his expense,' Trump said. 'They haven't screamed "Death to America" lately.' Trump discussed the attacks in a phone call Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The White House said Trump thanked Abe for helping facilitate talks with Iran. Abe later condemned the attack on the tanker, which is Japanese-operated. Abe told reporters: 'Japan adamantly condemns the act that threatened a Japanese ship, no matter who attacked.' On Thursday, U.S. Central Command released a video claiming to show Iran removing a mine from one of the oil tankers hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Yemen - the evidence Trump referred to in his interview. Washington accused Iran of causing the two blasts, which left one of the vessels burning in a fireball and sparked a fresh exchange of angry rhetoric in an already tense Middle East standoff. The footage published by the U.S. military purports to show Iranian vessels returning to the stricken Japanese-owned tanker Kokuta Courageous and removing an unexploded limpet mine. Iran claimed it had sent a search and rescue team to bring the Kokuta's crew to safety, but Washington D.C. argues their real intention was to hide Iranian involvement in the blasts. Tehran dismissed the U.S. claims, calling them 'baseless' and accusing America of 'sabotage diplomacy' and 'Iranophobia.' The shipping firms affected are continuing their investigations amid claims that one of the crews saw a 'flying object' before an explosion on board. The explosions, which forced 44 sailors on the Kokuta and the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair to abandon ship, have also sparked fears over the world oil supply after four tankers were targeted in similar blasts last month. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that an independent investigation should begin to establish who was responsible. Guterres said he was available to mediate if the parties agreed, but added that 'at the present moment we don't see a mechanism of dialogue possible to be in place.' 'It's very important to know the truth and it's very important that responsibilities are clarified,' he stold reporters. 'Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts.' Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) met in Tehran on Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who on Friday condemned the attack but didn't say who he blamed for it Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, issued a timeline that suggested the military witnessed Iranian vessels returning to the Japanese vessel 'At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine' from the Courageous, Urban said Tanker crew saw 'flying object' before blast The crew of a Japanese-owned tanker hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman saw a 'flying object' before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday. 'The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes,' Yutaka Katada, head of Kokuka Sangyo shipping company, told reporters. 'We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship,' he added. Katada on Thursday had told reporters that the Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, had suffered two apparent attacks. After the first, 'our crew members made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again,' he said Thursday. On Friday he said he did not yet have information about the nature of the first attack on the tanker. The blasts caused a fire on board, but Katada said Friday there had not been major damage. The crew were evacuated, with one member suffering minor injuries. Advertisement As tension ratcheted up again in the Middle East: America said that only Iran could have acted with enough 'sophistication' to carry out the attacks The U.S. dispatched a destroyer, the USS Mason, to shore up its military presence in the region Iran angrily accused America of trying to 'sabotage' its talks with Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, who was in Tehran trying to defuse the crisis Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said separately that America is a 'threat to global stability' Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted drones targeting an airport, two days after the same terminal was attacked by Iran-linked Houthi rebels Britain and Saudi Arabia, both U.S. allies, condemned the apparent attacks while the UN secretary-general called for calm and China said that 'nobody wants to see war in the Gulf' It was claimed that one of the tanker crews had seen a 'flying object' before an explosion The price of oil rocketed on Thursday amid fears of disruption to one of the world's most important tanker routes as a result of an escalation in the region. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo laid out the U.S. argument at briefing at the State Department on Thursday. 'It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman,' he said. 'This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to executive the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,' Pompeo noted. A diagram showing the U.S. and Iranian forces in the region and the location of recent attacks on oil tankers and a Saudi oil pipeline, which have escalated Middle East tensions An Iranian navy boat tries to control a fire on the crude oil tanker Front Altair in the Gulf of Oman yesterday after it was reportedly attacked with a torpedo 'It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman,' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at the State Department Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) render aid to the crew of the M/V Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman Piracy, collisions, missiles: tankers in troubled waters Tankers such as those hit yesterday operate through increasingly treacherous waters, threatened by piracy, collision and politics. Around 60million barrels of petroleum product move each day on the seas globally, according to the US Energy Information Administration. And around a third of this volume passes through the Straits of Hormuz, a critical shipping passage. This waterway is a principal route for crude exports from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq. 'Blocking a chokepoint, even temporarily, can lead to substantial increases in total energy costs and world energy prices,' said EIA in 2017. 'Chokepoints also leave tankers vulnerable to theft from pirates, terrorist attacks, wars or hostilities and accidents that can lead to disastrous oil spills.' Thursday's incidents come about a month after attacks on four ships, including three oil tankers, anchored off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. As with Thursday's incidents, the May attacks inflamed tensions between the United States and Iran. Anthony Cordesman, a national security analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Iran could do damage. Iran 'does not have to launch a major war,' Cordesman wrote in a commentary on CSIS's website. 'It can conduct sporadic, low-level attacks that do not necessarily provoke a major US or Arab reaction but create sudden risk premiums in petroleum prices and the equivalent of a war of attrition.' Yet another risk has been Iran's move to shut off automatic identification systems to help tankers evade US sanctions on Iranian crude, said Matt Smith of ClipperData. AIS is used by vessel traffic services and permits ships to know if other vessels are nearby. In January 2018, the Iranian-owned Sanchi tanker carrying 136,000 ton of light crude oil caught fire after colliding with a bulk freighter in a deadly crash. Advertisement The U.S. Central Command also released the grainy black-and-white video which it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing the unexploded limpet mine from the Japanese ship. 'At 4.10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine' from the Courageous, said Captain Bill Urban said. Britain backed Pompeo's claim as foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK 'has no reason not to believe the American assessment'. In addition, the German government is calling for an investigation into the 'extraordinarily worrying' suspected attacks. Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, told reporters in Berlin on Friday that a 'spiral of escalation' must be avoided. The U.S. has also dispatched its destroyer USS Mason to the scene to 'provide assistance' after the Navy received distress calls from the two tankers yesterday. Renewing Washington's threat of military action, Captain Urban said: 'The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation. 'The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.' Iran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an 'unfounded claim' in the U.S.' 'Iranophobic campaign.' Foreign minister Javad Zarif said the group he calls the 'B-team' - America's John Bolton, Israel's prime minister, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - were waging 'economic terrorism' against Iran. Tehran accused America of trying to 'sabotage' its talks with Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, who was visiting Tehran in an effort to cool tensions. The Islamic Republic said yesterday it was 'suspicious' about the timing of the blasts during Abe's visit. His talks with Iran's supreme leader appeared to take a wrong turn yesterday as the Ayatollah said Tehran would 'never repeat' negotiations with the U.S. However,Abe said Khamenei assured him that Iran has no intention to produce, possess or use nuclear arms. One of the oil tankers burns in the Gulf of Oman yesterday following an apparent attack on the two vessels, just four weeks after similar acts of sabotage against Saudi ships renewed tensions in the Middle East Inferno: A fire rages on board the oil tanker MT Front Altair after it was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman yesterday, in what has been described as a torpedo attack Smoke pours from the Norwegian-owned oil tanker on Thursday after it was hit by an explosion near the UAE and Iran in an apparent attack which has put the Middle East on high alert The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion Timeline: Escalation in the Gulf region May 5: The U.S. says it is sending the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group and a bomber task force to the Middle East because of a 'credible threat' from Iran. Since then Washington has announced the dispatch to the region of an amphibious assault ship, a Patriot missile battery and an extra 1,500 troops. May 8: Iran vows to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels starting July 7 if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its nuclear deal. The U.S. responds by imposing fresh sanctions on Iran's steel and mining sectors. May 12: Two Saudi oil tankers and two other ships are damaged in mysterious 'sabotage attacks' off the coast of Fujairah, part of the United Arab Emirates. Washington believes Iran is to blame for the attacks, but Tehran denies involvement. May 14: Yemen's pro-Iranian Huthi rebels carry out drone attacks near Riyadh, shutting down a key Saudi oil pipeline. Two days later Saudi-led coalition air strikes hit the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa. The next day the U.S. orders all non-emergency diplomats to leave Iraq, due to an 'imminent' threat from Iranian-linked Iraqi militias. May 19: Trump warns that if Iran attacks American interests 'that will be the official end of Iran'. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the 'genocidal taunts' of U.S. Trump will not 'end Iran'. May 27: Trump says the U.S. is 'not looking for regime change' in Iran. May 30: Saudi Arabia - which accuses Iran of being behind the acts of sabotage and the drone attack in May - gets the backing of Arab leaders in its standoff with Tehran at summits organised by Riyadh. Iran accuses Riyadh of 'sowing division'. June 6: The UAE says a multinational investigation into the sabotage attacks point to the likelihood a state was behind them, without incriminating Iran. June 12: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives in Tehran in a bid to mediate between Washington and Tehran. A Yemeni rebel missile attack on an airport at Abha, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, wounds 26 civilians. The Saudis accuse Iran of supplying the weapon. June 13: Two tankers, Norwegian and Japanese, are hit by explosions in apparent attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Fifth Fleet says that it received two separate distress calls from the tankers in a 'reported attack'. Foreign Minister Zarif says the tanker 'attacks' as Abe visits are 'suspicious'. Mr Abe meets Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who tells him: 'I don't consider Trump as a person worthy of exchanging messages with. I have no response for him and will not answer him.' Advertisement President Trump tweeted on Thursday in response to the Japanese PM's visit that the U.S. was not 'ready' to make a deal with Iran. He wrote: 'While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!' Meanwhile Russia said it was too early to say who was behind the explosions. It was also claimed today that one of the crews saw a 'flying object' before an explosion on board. 'The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes,' said Yutaka Katada, head of the shipping company which owns the Kokuka. 'We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship.' Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the 'Tanker War,' when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region. The latest round of attacks has sparked fears over oil supplies. 'We need to remember that some 30 per cent of the world's seaborne crude oil passes through the straits. If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk,' said Paolo d'Amico, chairman of the INTERTANKO tanker association. The suspected attacks occurred at dawn on Thursday around 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The destroyer USS Bainbridge went to the vessels' aid after receiving two distress calls, the Navy said. There was also some dispute over who had rescued the 44 sailors, as Iran initially claimed to have taken them to safety - but the Japanese owner of Kokuka said the ship's crew were rescued by a Dutch vessel, then taken to a U.S. warship. The Taiwanese oil refiner which chartered the Marshall Islands-flagged Altair said the ship was 'suspected of being hit by a torpedo'. The Marshall Islands are an 'associated state' of the U.S. Reports said the Front Altair, travelling from Qatar to Taiwan with a cargo of naphtha, a petrochemical product, had suffered three explosions and caught fire after a 'surface attack'. Iranian news agency IRNA claimed that the ship had sunk, but its Norwegian owner Frontline insisted it was still afloat. Its crew of 23 were picked up by nearby vessel Hyundai Dubai. The crew was made up of 11 Russians, one Georgian and 11 Filipinos, International Tanker Management said. The Altair's cargo was worth more than $30million, according to estimates from trade sources. Meanwhile, a shipping broker said the Kokuka, which flies under Panama's flag, had suffered an explosion after an 'outside attack' which may have involved a magnetic mine. At a summit today Hassan Rouhani (right), pictured meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin (left) and China's Xi Jinping (centre) in Kyrgyzstan, said that America was a threat to global stability This satellite image shows the view from above as a fireball erupts from one of the oil tankers in an apparent attack yesterday The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran This diagram shows the movement of the two ships, travelling from left to right with their courses charted in green, before reaching the points (in red) where they were hit by explosions Two oil tankers are said to have been targeted with explosions today just weeks after four vessels were attacked in the Middle East (pictured, one of the tankers damaged in last month's acts of sabotage) America is a 'threat to global stability' says Iranian leader Rouhani Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday the United States present a serious threat to global and regional stability as tensions soar in the Gulf. 'The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world,' Rouhani said. Rouhani is pictured today in Kyrgystan He was speaking at a meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - a Eurasian security alliance that includes China, India and Russia. Rouhani criticised the US for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying Washington is forcing other parties and countries to breach a UN Security Council resolution on normalising trade contacts with Tehran. He called on the other participants in the deal to 'carry out their obligations as soon as possible' so Tehran can develop its economic interests under the deal. Advertisement The company operating the ship, which was heading to Singapore, said the attack had caused 'damage to the ship's hull starboard side.' The Kokuka's 21 crew were picked up by the nearby Vessel Coastal Ace, leaving the tanker adrift and empty after an engine room fire. One of the crew members was slightly injured in the incident and received first aid on board the Coastal Ace, while the Kokuka's methanol cargo is said to be intact. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Persian Gulf region. Speaking to the security council today he demanded that 'facts must be established' and said: 'I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels'. The European Union called for 'maximum restraint' to avoid a regional escalation. The explosions yesterday came just weeks after four oil tankers were targetred in mysterious acts of sabotage off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah last month. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship, disabling the vessel without sinking it. Matters worsened after two pumping stations on a major Saudi oil pipeline were attacked by explosive-laden drones, halting the flow of crude along it. High tensions in the Middle East, and belligerent rhetoric from Washington and Tehran, have sparked fears that any sudden movement could escalate into a war. Last month the U.S. deployed B-52 bombers and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to shore up its military presence in the region. Meeting Mr Abe yesterday Iran's Ayatollah said that the U.S. 'couldn't do anything' to stop his country developing nuclear weapons. He also took aim at Donald Trump and said he did not believe the U.S. President's offer of 'honest negotiations'. The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge (pictured), to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a 'reported attack,' without elaborating Dramatic pictures revealed the fireball which erupted on an oil tanker after it was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman The two ships affected FRONT ALTAIR Sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands, an 'associated state' of the US. Owned by Norwegian firm Frontline and operated by Dubai-based firm International Tanker Management. Was travelling from the UAE to Taiwan to deliver 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical product, to the East Asian country. Chartered for this journey by Taiwanese refiner CPC Corp. All 23 crew members are safe after being rescued by the Hyundai Dubai. KOKUKA COURAGEOUS Sails under the flag of Panama. Owned by Japanese firm and Kokuka Sangyo Ltd and operated by BSM Ship Management. Was travelling from Saudi Arabia to Singapore carrying 25,000 tonnes of methanol. All 21 sailors were rescued, with one suffering minor injuries. Advertisement Mr Abe had warned of the danger of an 'accidental' war breaking out in the region. The attacks yesterday also came just hours after Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi airport, wounding 26 people. The Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the Houthis in Yemen immediately pointed the blame at Iran, saying Tehran had equipped the rebel group with 'advanced weapons'. Saudi officials said the attack 'proves this terrorist militia's acquisition of new special weapons' [and] the continuation of the Iranian regime's support and practice of cross-border terrorism.' A rebel TV network acknowledged the attack and said Houthi forces had fired a cruise missile. The latest crisis erupted after Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani threatened to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal with the West, which is faltering already after Donald Trump pulled out of it last year. Tehran has demanded that the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia help Iran to dodge U.S. sanctions, which were restored last year when Donald Trump quit the pact. Speaking last month Rouhani said Iran would ramp up nuclear enrichment if such help did not materialise. Saudi Arabia intercepts new airport attack Saudi forces has intercepted five drones launched by Yemeni rebels linked to Iran, in a second assault on an airport in the kingdom's in two days. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, according to a Saudi coalition statement. Responsibility for Wednesday's attack was claimed by the Houthi rebels, a Yemeni group linked to Iran. They are fighting against the Saudi-led coalition in a civil war which has been raging since 2015. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks. Abha is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. The airport was operating normally today with no fights disrupted, the Saudi-led coalition added. Advertisement But the White House condemned what it called Iran's attempted 'nuclear blackmail of Europe' and warned: 'Expect more sanctions soon. Very soon.' The threat also sparked a backlash from Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu warned he would 'not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons'. U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said Iranian mines were almost certainly behind the May 12 attacks, but declined to provide evidence. The UAE said last week that initial findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state was likely behind the attacks, but added there was no evidence yet of Iranian involvement. Donald Trump's White House has not ruled out military action against Iran, although both sides insist they do not want a war. A week after the May 12 attacks, President Trump warned that if Iran attacks American interests 'that will be the official end of Iran'. Zarif retorted that 'genocidal taunts' would not 'end Iran'. However, in an effort to cool tensions Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said there 'won't be any war' while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. 'fundamentally does not seek any war'. The Taiwanese oil refiner which chartered the Front Altair (file photo) said the ship was 'suspected of being hit by a torpedo' One shipping broker said the Kokuka Courageous (file photo), one of the ships apparently attacked in the Middle East today, may have been targeted with a magnetic mine Last month the U.S. deployed B-52 bombers and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (pictured in the Arabian Sea on June 1) to shore up its military presence in the region The 2015 deal, which then-President Barack Obama helped to negotiate, saw sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme. After the U.S. withdrew from the accord it restored crippling sanctions on Iran, exacerbating a severe economic crisis. European powers have tried to find ways to blunt the impact of new U.S. sanctions, in the hope of persuading Tehran to continue to abide by the deal. However, their efforts have largely failed, with all major European companies abandoning plans to do business with Iran for fear of U.S. punishment. Rouhani slammed European countries for seeing the U.S. as the world's 'sheriff' and said this keeps them from making 'firm decisions for their own national interests.' Under terms of the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300kg of low-enriched uranium, compared with 10,000kg of higher-enriched uranium it once had. Washington has effectively ordered countries around the world to stop buying any Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own. Billionaire Mark Cuban has said that he believes income inequality contributes to mass shootings, and that reducing inequality could reduce shootings. Cuban's remarks came in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance Editor-in Chief Andy Serwer, in which the Dallas Mavericks owner refused to completely rule out a presidential run in 2020. Shark Tank star Cuban, who has an estimated net worth of $4.1billion, explained that he believed mass shootings are often caused by economic frustration. 'There is a book I read in high school that I ended up buying a copy of, it's called Why Men Rebel,' Cuban said. Yahoo Finance Editor-In-Chief Andy Serwer (left) interviewed billionaire Mark Cuban (right), who said he believes income inequality fuels mass shootings in the U.S. Mark Cuban joins Influencers with Andy Serwer Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer sits down with Mark Cuban, billionaire businessman and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Posted by Influencers with Andy Serwer on Thursday, May 23, 2019 'And basically what he said was when your expectations for your life going forward are increasing but the reality is diverging from that and so what you thought would happen with your life and where you are gets further and further apart, then people do things that they otherwise wouldn't do, whether it's a mass shooting, whether it's who knows what, cheating or whatever it may be,' he continued. He added: 'I think taking care of income inequality and lifting people up from the bottom and creating more opportunities and giving them tax advantages... Whatever it may be, then I think you'll see fewer of those events.' A report last year from the Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center found that more than half of public mass attackers in 2017 displayed indicators of financial stress within the prior five years. Cuban was skeptical that better mental health treatment would reduce mass shootings. Cuban was skeptical that better mental health treatment would reduce mass shootings 'You know, other people say it's a mental health issue,' Cuban said. 'I don't think we've had all those same type of issues for hundreds of years in this country. I think it's more about when people really get disappointed and they have nothing to lose, they'll do things that people with nothing to lose will do.' Asked about what role gun laws play in mass shootings, Cuban said he would 'do guns completely differently.' 'What I would do is change the Second Amendment so it said, one, every citizen has the right to own a gun period, end of story, written in the amendment,' Cuban said. 'Two, the federal government will never be allowed to ever confiscate that gun from an individual period, end of story. Three, states have the right to manage the purchase, ownership, and management of guns owned and held within their borders.' 'We're trying to take a Second Amendment that's been analyzed up and down and backwards and forwards, and it's created its own set of problems. Let's update it.' Cuban, a notorious foe of President Donald Trump, refused to rule out a presidential run in 2020, but tried to downplay the possibility. Police tape frames a sign on June 1 at one of the entrances to the municipal government complex where a shooting incident occurred in Virginia Beach, Virginia 'I don't even want to get into it,' he said. 'I did one quick interview, and then all of a sudden it blew up. I don't want to feed the beast. There is a certain set of circumstances that would push me to do it, but we're not there yet.' Cuban said that he felt former Vice President Joe Biden has a good chance to beat Trump next November. 'If the election were held today, I think Trump would win. I don't think that there's somebody that has the momentum or just the value of the incumbency that Trump has,' he said. But, he added, 'at the same time, between now and then, I think Joe Biden has got a good chance. And we'll see what happens with any of the other of the field of 97 to see if anybody emerges or if anybody new comes in. I think Biden is capable of beating him, but we're not there yet.' Donald Trump compared first lady Melania Trump to the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on Friday, saying she should have the nickname 'Melania T' to reflect her similarities with 'Jackie O.' The president was explaining during a lengthy 'Fox & Friends' TV interview why he is retiring the pale blue paint job JFK's wife ordered in 1962 in favor of bolder colors. 'You know, the baby blue doesn't fit with us,' Trump said. 'And people get used to something, but and it was Jackie O and that's good. But we have our own Jackie O today, it's called Melania.' 'Melania!' he repeated. 'We'll call it "Melania T," okay?' President Donald Trump said Friday in a TV interview on the Fox News Channel that 'Melania T' should be the first lady's new sobriquet, like 'Jackie O' Trump showed off his new Air Force One design on Thursday, saying it should replace Jackie O's preferred color scheme The current Air Force One is painted in cyan and robin's egg blue, and Trump wants a bolder, more masculine look Trump praised his wife of 14 years for her quiet poise and often understated wardrobe, qualities associated with Jackie O. He said crowds at his rallies often hold up banners that read 'We love our first lady' and 'We love stilettos.' That's a reference to an August 2017 miscue that saw her exiting Air Force One in pencil-thin heels while she and the president were in Texas to inspect hurricane damage. Later in the day she turned up in news photographs wearing sneakers. 'You know the high heels, the time the news said she walked in high heels to a Texas flood,' Trump recalled. 'No. She likes to look elegant in the White House but she had the sneakers,' he said. 'She's carrying sneakers from when she gets off!' Mrs. Trump is known for being a fashion plate, wearing some dresses that sell for thousands of dollars at important events like this month's State Banquet in the United Kingdom Jackie Kennedy (later Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, or 'Jackie O,' after the assasination of President John F. Kennedy) brought haute couture to the White House and famously put Halston on the map 'People love her,' he said of Melania. 'People love her. She gets no credit from the media but she gets credit from the people.' Trump insisted that his redesigned exterior for Air Force One would be a better match for the new generation of the Boeing 747 that will be delivered in 2024. 'It's been a long time and it fits the plane better,' he explained. 'You know, it's a very different plane, even though it's a 747.' 'And I like the concept of red, white and blue, and the classic, and I think it's going to look much better actually.' Philip Hammond said he would not serve under a prime minister who was prepared to leave the European Union without a deal Philip Hammond has said he will not serve under Boris Johnson as he blasts the Tory frontrunner over his plans for No Deal Brexit. The Chancellor claimed it was not 'about personalities,' but about the potential Prime Minister's preparation to leave the EU without a deal. Hammond, a Remainer during the 2016 referendum campaign, told reporters in Luxembourg the UK had a financial obligation to its partners in the Union. Johnson outlined the strategic importance of preparing to leave the EU on October 31 without a deal, saying it would be crucial in negotiating with the bloc as he made his leadership campaign launch speech this week. Hammond, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of EU finance ministers today, also warned whoever succeeds Theresa May not to withhold Britain's dues to the bloc. Boris Johnson is odds-on favourite to be the next Prime Minister by the end of July 'I don't think this is about personalities, it's about policies,' Hammond said when asked if he would serve as a minister under Johnson, the front-runner in the Conservative Party leadership race.. 'Before I could serve in any government, I would want to look at the policies that the prime minister was setting out. I would not be able to serve in a government which had as its policy leaving the European Union without a deal,' he said. Johnson has said Britain should be prepared to leave the EU without a deal on October 31 and that withholding the nearly 39billion that May last year agreed to pay the EU could help Britain get a better deal. 'We've always said that the UK is a country which honours its obligations,' Hammond said. 'At least part of the sum that was agreed to be paid is part of our obligations under the existing MFF (long-term EU budget). So I would not recommend any of my colleagues to threaten to withhold payments which are part of an existing obligation the UK has,' Hammond said. France's leading authority on Old Masters paintings has staked his reputation on his belief that a canvas found in the attic of an old house in southwest France is a Caravaggio. Eric Turquin believes that the work - left forgotten under an old mattress for 100 years - is the fiery Italian artist's lost 'Judith and Holofernes'. The painting depicts a grisly biblical scene of the beautiful Jewish widow Judith beheading a sleeping Assyrian general. It will be displayed in Paris on Friday before it goes under the hammer on June 27 in Toulouse, the city where it was discovered five years ago. Guests and members of the media listen to a presentation on 'Judith and Holofernes' by Caravaggio during a press event to promote the upcoming sale of the work at auction French painting expert Eric Turquin, pictured with the painting, has staked his reputation on its authenticity Turquin said it should sell for between 100 and 150 million euros (up to $170 million). 'Not only is it a Caravaggio, but of all the Caravaggios that are known today, this is one of the great pictures,' he insisted. 'The painting is in an extraordinarily good state, much better than the Caravaggios I have seen in Naples,' he claimed. But although everyone agrees on the quality of the work, a minority of experts - particularly in Italy - have their doubts. They believe it is a copy made by the Flemist artist Louis Finson, who worked alongside Caravaggio as he painted. But Turquin is adamant it is the original from 1606 whose existence was first noted in letters between Italian dukes and art dealers four centuries ago. 'When we discovered the picture, when we discovered the attribution, we knew that as soon as we would pronounce the name of Caravaggio, there would be controversy,' Turquin said in an interview. 'We knew that because every single Caravaggio that was discovered since 1951, every single picture has been the object of a debate and fights.' Such controversy is 'part of the artist,' he added. 'This is a non-consensus artist. If there were a consensus, it would be highly suspicious.' He is more convinced than ever since the canvas was cleaned in January, a process that took three weeks. Turquin also believes that it should sell for between 100 and 150 million euros (up to $170 million) The Caravaggio' painting entitled 'Judith Beheading Holofernes', is presented to the press, at the Drouot auction house in Paris, Friday, June 14 He said: '[The cleaning] has shown that the painting was changed a lot as it was painted, with lots of retouching. That proves it is an original. 'Copyists don't make changes like that, they copy. A less virtuoso version of the scene by Finson hangs at the Palazzo Zevallos in Naples. Standing in front of what has been called the 'Toulouse Caravaggio' in a strongroom above his Paris office, Turquin showed the telltale trace of how the artist had changed his mind about which way Judith should be looking. 'After five years of reflection, no one has put up a counter-argument,' said the expert, accusing the Italian doubters of 'pronouncing against the painting without seeing it. 'They say it's impossible because Caravaggio painted (no more than) 65 canvases... For them the history of art is set.' For Turquin, 'the face of Judith is a signature.' 'The energy that comes out of these eyes, the determination that you have in these dark eyes together with the sensuality of her shining lips, it can only belong to Caravaggio,' he said Friday. He also counseled colleagues to keep their eyes open. 'In France, we don't have garage sales ... People keep things. They stay in the same house for 100 years,' he said, adding, 'There are more to find. They should look harder.' Turquin said the painting marked a turning point in Caravaggio's development as an artist. The fiercely original painter had created his first canvas on the theme, the far more formal 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' in 1598, which hangs at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. But by 1606 Caravaggio's life had changed dramatically, and he was on the run for murder. He fled to Naples after being condemned to death for stabbing a man in a street brawl in Rome. 'He was painting faster, more spontaneously and more strikingly,' said Turquin, adding that the painting reflects his now darker view of life. The painting depicting a grisly biblical scene of the beautiful Jewish widow Judith beheading a sleeping Assyrian general 'In one place, he made a brushstroke nearly a metre long. He did Judith's sleeve and the lace on it in one go. He was a virtuoso with the paintbrush. 'He changed his style, painting 'risparmio' (sparingly), using the black background and painting accentuating strokes onto it. This is particularly visible on the sheet.' Other experts have speculated that Finson could have added his own touches to the canvas after Caravaggio left suddenly for Malta in 1607, where he hoped he might be safer from his enemies. Turquin said that he kept the 'Toulouse Caravaggio' in his bedroom for 16 months while art historians, insurers and restorers came to view it. He said: 'We wanted to wait until we were sure before coming forward. He announced the discovery to the world in April 2016 after the Italian Caravaggio expert Nicola Spinosa also gave it his approval. The painting will be sold in Toulouse by Marc Labarbe, the provincial auctioneer who discovered it after a local family asked him to value some 'old things in the attic' of a house they were clearing. The family - who have not been named - believe it may have been brought to France by one of their ancestors, an officer in Napoleon's army. The Corsican invaded the then Kingdom of Naples in 1806 and put his brother Joseph on the throne. Visitors on Friday were given one last chance to admire the 400-year-old painting before it goes on the auction block. A former aged care worker has been jailed after admitting to sexually assaulting an elderly woman with Alzheimer's three months before she died. Gary Cripps, 63, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault in Geelong Magistrate Court near Melbourne on Friday. The grandfather admitted to sexually assaulting 62-year-old Jeanette Post, who was suffering from Alzheimer's and was staying at Sea Views Manor aged care home in Ocean Grove. The grandfather admitted to sexually assaulting 62-year-old Jeanette Post (pictured right), who was suffering from Alzheimer's Outside court, the victim's family expressed their concern about vulnerable patients being taken advantage of at nursing homes, the ABC reported. Ms Post's daughter, Jane Pigdon, told the court Cripps was a 'predator' who took advantage of her mother because she couldn't say no. 'To say his behaviour was repugnant I don't think that gives it enough justice,' she told 7 News outside court. 'We trusted him and he violated that trust to a level that is indescribable.' The court heard that the former aged care worker kissed the victim on her lips, face, chest and hands while she was under his care. Ms Post was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in her 50s, and died just three months after she was assaulted. The court heard the victim's husband, who suffers from motor neurone disease, felt helpless after Ms Post was assaulted and now had regular panic attacks. Gary Cripps (pictured), 63, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault in Geelong Magistrate Court 'The fact that I couldn't keep her safe devastates me. I cry every day,' he wrote in a victim impact statement. Cripps' lawyer said the grandfather felt remorseful for his actions, and said he was experiencing a 'personal meltdown' at the time. Magistrate Peter Mallas said the 63-year-old was trusted by the family to believe the victim was safe. He was sentenced to just one month in jail, followed by an 18-month community corrections order. Cripps will also be put on the sex offenders register for 15 years. Ms Post's other daughter, Sarah Holmes, is calling for better protection of patients as Cripps was sentenced to just one month behind bars. 'I really hope that through the aged care royal commission that people listen to this story and we increase staffing and our ratios and money, and just recognise that the victims of these crimes in aged care are just so vulnerable,' Ms Holes said. 'It's not just them who are victims, it's the people who have placed their trust in a system that we think is broken.' President Donald Trump on Friday said he would contact the FBI if a foreign power handed him information after taking a look at what was being offered and determining whether it was 'bad.' Trump's claim that he would reach out to law enforcement was a reversal from his position just 24 hours ago, when he said it was 'ridiculous' to expect him to call the FBI in such a situation. 'Of course you give it to the FBI or report it to the attorney general,' Trump told Fox & Friends in a call-in interview Friday that may have been an attempt to clean up the situation. But Trump stood firm that he had every right to review the dirt being proffered. President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview 'of course you give it to the FBI' if a foreign power provides political opposition research. He had told ABC News in an interview that aired Wednesday he would not contact the FBI 'Of course you have to look at it,' he explained, in order to 'know if it's bad.' 'How are you going to know if it's bad?' he said. Trump said he has had 'a lot of support' for his position and that 'no one is going to present me with anything bad.' 'You couldn't have that happen with our country, and everybody understands that,' Trump tried to explain. 'If you don't hear what it is, you're not going to know what it is?' he said. 'If I don't listen, you're not going to know,' he said. Having first evaluated the foreign dirt, 'if I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated I'd report to the FBI or law enforcement, absolutely,' Trump explained. Trump mentioned his recent meeting with Queen Elizabeth II and heads of state, saying as president he gets to hear things that others don't get to hear. President Trump participated in a call-in interview with 'Fox and Friends' Friday 'Nobody is going to say bad things to me. They know that I'm a very straight player,' he said. Democrats hammered Trump on Thursday for his initial statement after it aired on ABC News this week, saying it served as an open invitation for Russia to once again interfere in the U.S. elections. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump's comments showed 'he does not know right from wrong.' The president punched back at the speaker. 'It's a fascist statement, it's a disgraceful statement,' Trump told interviewer Steve Doocy, before returning to his usual insults. 'I call her 'Nervous Nancy,' she's a nervous wreck.' Trump's Fox interview came after he took a more defiant posture Thursday, saying it was 'ridiculous' to be expected to call the FBI. He also told ABC's George Stephanopoulos he had never called the FBI in his life, even though a 1981 memo reveals Trump went to the FBI to propose setting up informants in his proposed Atlantic City casino. Trump tweeted Thursday he can't be expected to call the FBI after meeting with figures like the 'Prince of Whales' and the 'Queen of England,' bizarrely suggesting that they might have given him such dirt. Trump's defense of his position and his whale of a typo for the title of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, whom he dined with last week came as leading Democrats blasted his comments and renewed calls to begin his impeachment. 'I meet and talk to 'foreign governments' every day,' Trump wrote on Twitter Thursday morning. 'I just met with the Queen of England (U.K.), the Prince of Whales, the P.M. of the United Kingdom, the P.M. of Ireland, the President of France and the President of Poland. We talked about 'Everything!' He continued: 'Should I immediately...call the FBI about these calls and meetings? How ridiculous! I would never be trusted again. With that being said, my full answer is rarely played by the Fake News Media. They purposely leave out the part that matters,' Trump added. He was referring to his state visit to the UK earlier this month, which included meetings with Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles. The British monarch is the head of state, not the head of government, and the royal family are by convention excluded from taking part in politics. It would be an extraordinary breach of the British constitution for either the Queen or the future king to pass on dirt to Trump about his political opponents. Nancy Pelosi said it showed he did not know right from wrong, while 2020 Democratic candidates including Elizabeth Warren stepped up calls for impeachment. President Donald Trump has said that if foreign governments offered his campaign damaging information against his 2020 rivals during the upcoming presidential race, he would 'take it in' before, if at all, going to federal authorities, in an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopolous ABC aired multiple quotes by Trump explaining his position. Interviewer George Stephanopoulos, who spent time with Trump over two days this week and traveled aboard Air Force One, brought up offers of foreign dirt on a day Donald Trump Jr. was testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Trump Jr. famously accepted a meeting in Trump Tower in 2016 after being offered dirt on rival Hillary Clinton described as being from the Russian government. 'It's not an interference, they have information -- I think I'd take it,' Trump said. 'If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI -- if I thought there was something wrong.' In a hypothetical in the interview, Trump brought up a scenario of Norway offering information on a campaign rival. 'I think you might want to listen, there isn't anything wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] 'we have information on your opponent,' I think I'd want to hear it.' His Thursday tweets also mentioned Emmanuel Macron, the French president, whom he held talks with after commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Poland's president Andrzej Duda, with whom he met on Wednesday in the Oval Office, and Ireland's prime minister, Led Vardkar, whom he met when landing in Ireland where he stayed between visiting Britain and France. Those three figures - unlike the British royal families - wield political power. Do you want to know a secret? Trump claims that because he met Queen Elizabeth II, and the heir to the UK throne, Prince Charles - whom he called the Prince of Whales - he can't be expected to call the FBI if a foreign government offered him dirt Condemnation: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used her weekly press conference on Thursday morning to say: 'What the president said last night shows once again, over and over again, that he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong. And that's probably the nicest thing I can say about him.' SO WHAT SHOULD TRUMP DO IF A FOREIGN LEADER OFFERS HIM DIRT? The simple answer would seem to be to call the FBI - or face prosecution. But in reality, there are a lot of barriers in the way of a prosecution. Under 11 CFR 110.20 (b), campaign finance law prohibits a foreign national from contributing or donating 'money or other thing of value,' or even expressly or impliedly promising to do so, 'in connection with any Federal, State, or local election.' That makes it punishable for the foreign actor. And the same laws also makes it illegal to accept such a contribution in kind or donation. 'Just listening' to dirt certainly sounds like a donation in kind - even if Trump did nothing with it, it was given with the intention of harming his opponent, so qualifies as a 'contribution.' But the law also says that the contribution has to be a 'substantial assistance.' Whether 'just listening' constitutes 'substantial assistance' - the next test for prosecutors - is harder to tell. If Trump does nothing with the information, it would not have assisted him. There is little case law to help prosecutors or a potential Trump defense. The Mueller report dodged the issue of defining whether the Trump campaign broke the law at all by suggesting that those involved in the notorious Trump Tower meeting were ignorant of campaign finance law - something which does not apply as a defense to most laws, but does to campaign finance. And nobody has been prosecuted for providing or taking foreign help 'in kind' as opposed to money, providing another potential barrier to a successful prosecution. A bill proposed to the Senate by among others 2020 Democratic candidate Amy Klobuchar aims to make clear that any research offered by a foreign government would be a contribution and therefore accepting it would be a cause for prosecution. It is however legal for a campaign to hire foreign assistance to research the backgrounds of opponents and their actions abroad. That was what Hillary Clinton's campaign ultimately did in asking opposition researchers Fusion GPS to look into Trump because the firm then contracted ex-British spy Christopher Steele to carry out research in Russia. Sources: 11 CFR 110.20, JustSecurity.org Advertisement Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in his report, examined whether it was a violation of campaign finance laws for top Trump campaign aides to have accepted information, since it could constitute something of value. But prosecutors concluded the officials who took the meeting may not have been fully cognizant of campaign finance laws at the time. Democrats slammed Trump for his statement to ABC. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used her weekly press conference on Thursday morning to say: 'What the president said last night shows once again, over and over again, that he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong. And that's probably the nicest thing I can say about him.' Wrote Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts: 'A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation.' (In his report, Mueller declined to make a determination about whether Trump obstructed justice.)' 'Now, he said he'd do it all over again,' she continued. 'It's time to impeach Donald Trump.' Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke tweeted: 'When the President of the United States openly welcomes foreign help to win an election, he threatens the very core of our democracy. If we are to secure justice and ensure this never happens again, we must impeach him.' The tweets about meeting foreign leaders were followed by another tirade, directed at Democrats but apparently confused or misguided. Trump sent out tweets blasting Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Adam Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee. However, Trump appears to have conflated Warner with Schiff, misconstruing key details of the incident he meant to describe. Trump also said Schiff should have called the FBI when he got pranked by a pair of Russian comedians when in fact Schiff can be heard on tape saying he would call the FBI. Wrote Trump: 'When Senator @MarkWarner spoke at length, and in great detail, about extremely negative information on me, with a talented entertainer purporting to be a Russian Operative, did he immediately call the FBI? NO, in fact he didn't even tell the Senate Intelligence Committee of...which he is a member. 'When @RepAdamSchiff took calls from another person, also very successfully purporting to be a Russian Operative, did he call the FBI, or even think to call the FBI? NO!'' 'The fact is that the phony Witch Hunt is a giant scam where Democrats ....and other really bad people, SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN! They even had an 'insurance policy' just in case Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats lost their race for the Presidency! This is the biggest & worst political scandal in the history of the United States of America. Sad!' Warner's press secretary, Rachel Cohen, was flummoxed. 'this never happened. literally, i have NO idea what he's talking about,' she wrote in response to Trump's tweet. It is possible the president was referring to Warner's texts with a lobbyist for a Russian oligarch. Those conversations, as reported by Fox News, were part of an effort to get in touch with ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. However the lobbyist is a real person, not an entertainer purporting to be a Russian operative. And there's more: Trump attacked Mark Warner with a claim he had been spoofed by Russian comedians which did not happen. Warner said he thinks Trump mixed him up with Adam Schiff, who was hoaxed, but who told the two comedians that he was going to call the FBI Confused? Trump launched a broadside at Mark Warner, minority leader of the Senate Intel Committee (left), with a claim he had taken a call from a Russian 'entertainer' and not called the FBI. In fact it was Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intel Committee (right) who was spoofed by two Russian comedians, but ended the call saying he was going to call the FBI In 2018, Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, was the victim of a prank by two Russian comedians who go by 'Vovan' and 'Lexus' and were pretending to be Andriy Parubiy, the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament. They told Schiff they had naked photos of Trump from his made-up affair with a Ukrainian model. However in the recording, despite falling for the prank, Schiff says he will do precisely what Trump says he did not do think about calling the FBI. Says Schiff in the prank call: 'I'll be in touch with the FBI about this. And we'll make arrangements with your staff. I think it probably would be best to provide these materials both to our committee and to the FBI.' Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley also fell for a prank by the pair, when she engaged in a conversation about the fictional country of Binomo. DailyMail.com reached out to the White House for comment and further explanation on the tweets about Warner and Schiff. Warner blasted Trump's comments about accepting oppo from a foreign power and not calling the FBI. 'The last time this President pulled a 'Russia, if you're listening,' Russian operatives sent phishing emails to his opponents the very same day. This isn't a gaffe or a difference of opinion. 'The President has given Russia the green light to interfere in the 2020 election,' Warner wrote, referencing Trump's request during the campaign that Russia get thousands of deleted Clinton emails. Trump later said he was joking. Warner also planned to call up legislation requiring campaigns to alert the FBI when a foreign power offers information. 'If the President and his campaign can't be trusted to do the right thing and report foreign interference to the FBI, then we need to make it a legal requirement by passing my bill, the FIRE Act,' he wrote. He told a CNN reporter in the Capitol he had 'no idea' what Trump was talking about, but said Trump may have mixed him up with Schiff on the Russian prank incident. Warner said 'of course' he would contact the FBI if offered campaign dirt on an opponent. Trump's surrogates suggested that he was simply doing what Hillary Clinton had done through her campaign funding the dossier drawn up by Christopher Steele which includes the unverified allegation that the president paid for Russian prostitutes to urinate on a bed once slept on by Barack Obama. Likely Trump case: The president's son retweeted Fox News host Mark Levin who sees the 'golden showers' dossier and the acceptance of foreign dirt as equivalent House minority leader Kevin McCarthy said he did not 'hear the Speaker appalled' at the Clinton campaign paying for foreign opposition research, meaning the 'golden showers' dossier. Among those making the case for equivalence were his son Donald Trump Jr., who was questioned by Warner on Wednesday, who retweeted Fox News broadcaster Mark Levin. Levin, now a Trump favorite, wrote: 'Uh, remember the dossier? Written by a foreigner claiming to have info from, among others, Russians; paid for by the HC campaign & DNC; used by the Obama admin, promoted by the media, etc. ... But these clowns are appalled by Trump's answer, lol.' Photo: CTV News The BC Centre for Disease Control is warning that travellers at Vancouver's airport on Sunday may have been exposed to measles. The centre says a passenger with the disease had a layover at Vancouver International Airport on June 9. Dozens of people in British Columbia have been infected with measles this year, prompting health officials to emphasize the importance of immunizations. Read more A fish and chip shop owner has been jailed for trying to charge a customer for a whopping $10,000 for one meal. Tim Brosnan, 45, a reformed alcoholic and the son of a former nun, was the owner of Tally Ho Fisherman's Wharf in Mount Waverley, Melbourne. A customer became alerted to the fraud when they checked their bank statement and realised they had been charged $10,000 for a meal in August 2016. On Friday, Brosnan was sentenced to an extra two years in prison - having committed the fish and chip fraud while on bail for an earlier charge of stealing from his boss. Tim Brosnan (pictured), 45, a reformed alcoholic and the son of a former nun, was the owner of Tally Ho Fisherman's Wharf in Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley The customer called the store to alert Brosnan of the overcharge as they thought it may be a mistake, but he refused to return the money. Another customer told police Brosnan charged them $7,000 and $8,000. He charged his customers a total of $282,533 across 38 transactions for an average total of almost $7,500 per sale. In order to rip off his customers, Brosnan would manually enter the overpriced charges into the store's Eftpos machine, the court heard as reported by The Age. Mr Brosnan withdrew more than $200,000 in cash to pay for defence lawyers after he and another man stole $1.9million from his old employer in 2010 and 2011. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2017 for that fraud. A customer became suspicious of Mr Brosnan after they checked their bank statement and realised they had been charged $10,000 for a meal While imprisoned for those charges, he was sentenced to two more years in jail after he pleaded guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception. Brosnan admitted during a psychologist assessment he had 'narcissism, entitlement and feelings of superiority'. Judge Julie Condon told Brosnan during his sentencing that it was 'not until your current period of incarceration that the serious consequences of your behaviour finally dawned on you'. The victims have been refunded by their banks. A Dominican Republic man has been charged with stealing a U.S. citizen's identity 40 years ago and tricking officials into giving him their social security number so he could live and work in America. The man, whose true identity remains unknown, was convicted in Boston on Thursday of aggravated identity theft, using a passport obtained through false statements, stealing public funds and misuse of a social security number. He could face up to 17 years in prison when he is sentenced on September 18. Federal authorities say the man obtained the birth certificate of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico some time around 1975. At that point, he didn't have the U.S. citizen's social security number so he obtained a fake card bearing the man's name and another number assigned to a different person from Puerto Rico. A Dominican Republic man has been accused of stealing a U.S. citizen's identity to obtain work in America, travel on a passport and obtain unemployment and housing benefits He went on to use the fake social security card from 1975 to 1994 to obtain work in New York and then Boston. Authorities said the man was notified in 1994 by the IRS that the name on his social security card didn't match the number that he was using. He was told to go to a local social security administration office to resolve the issue. The man took the letter to an office in Roxbury, Massachusetts where he convinced the employee that he was the person whose identity he had stolen and that he had forgotten his real social security number. He provided the name, date of birth, place of birth, and parents names on the U.S. citizens birth certificate. The employee entered the information he provided into the system and a match came up for the U.S. citizen's real social security number. The man was then able to obtain a real copy of the social security card bearing the U.S. citizen's name and number. Authorities say he went on to use the social security card for the next 18 years until the U.S. citizen died in Puerto Rico in 2012. A fraud investigation was launched when authorities realized the dead person's social security number was being used in Massachusetts. The man is accused of using the stolen identity to work in Boston, obtain and travel on a U.S. passport, apply for unemployment benefits and obtain public housing benefits for himself and his family. He is due to be sentenced on September 18. President Donald Trump defended his chief counselor Kellyanne Conway on Friday, saying he won't fire her despite the urging of an influential office that serves as the executive branch's civil service watchdog. The Office of Special Counsel a longstanding agency, not Robret Mueller's now-shuttered team recommended Conway's sacking in a report that concluded she abused her position and violated a federal law the prohibits politicking by senior political appointees. 'No, I'm not going to fire her. I think she's a tremendous person,' Trump said on 'Fox & Friends.' 'Based on what I saw yesterday, how could you do that? They have tried to take away her speech,' he said, framing Conway's alleged violations as a First Amendment matter. The president said he would get a 'very strong briefing' about Conway's situation, but ultimately 'it's called freedom of speech.' Kellyanne Conway repeatedly violated federal law when she mixed politics with her administration work, the Office of Special Counsel found but President Trump won't be firing her The president said Friday that when Conway strays into political commentary while she's on the job, 'it's called freedom of speech' The White House's top lawyer engaged in a bitter war of words Thursday with finger-pointing ethics officials. White House counsel Pat Cipollone demanded the OSC retract its 17-page report on Conway that found her guilty of multiple violations of The Hatch Act, the law that bars federal employees from engaging in political activity in the course of their work. 'We ask that you withdraw and retract the report,' Cipollone wrote in the administration's response. The independent watchdog agency, run by Trump-appointee Henry Kerner, refused to back down. Kerner told The Washington Post his recommendation to have Conway fired was 'unprecedented.' 'You know what else is unprecedented?' he said. 'Kellyanne Conway's behavior.' Kerner's agency recommend the president fire his longtime aide, who ran his 2016 presidential campaign. 'Given that Ms. Conway is a repeat offender and has shown disregard for the law, OSC recommends that she be removed from federal service,' the OSC, a federal investigative agency that is in charge of enforcing the Hatch Act, announced in a statement. Office of Special Counsel Chief Henry Kerner defended the agency's recommendation on Conway White House counsel Pat Cipollone asked the OSC to withdraw its recommendation to fire Conway Kerner said the decision to fire or keep Conway was in President Trump's hands. 'We respect his decision and, of course, the president has any option he'd liketo reprimand or not to reprimand,' Kerner told Fox News. 'It is up to the president's discretion and we respect that.' It's highly unlike Trump will take the agency's recommendation. He did not address Conway's status during a meeting with governors at the White House on Thursday afternoon. Conway was in that meeting but did not speak to the press. Cipollone, in his 11-page response, charged Kerner's agency with not contacting Conway as it went through its investigation. 'OSC did not contact Ms. Conway for comment on these or any other statements referenced in the Report,' he charged. But Kerner said the OSC and the White House counsel's office had 'several discussions' and the White House had the report on Conway 'for weeks.' He told Fox News this was 'not some sort of a drop it-on-them situation.' 'I am a Trump appointee - I have no animus toward Kellyanne whatsoever,' he said. 'My job is to make sure the federal workforce stay as depoliticized and as fair as possible.' The OSC, an independent watchdog agency, recommended Kellyanne Conway be fired from White House The White House responded within the hour after the OSC's 17-page report was publicly released. Additionally in his response, Cipollone questioned whether the Hatch Act applies to Conway. Certain high-level officials are exempt. 'First, even assuming that the Hatch Act applies to the most senior advisers to the President in the White House, OSC has violated its statutory obligation to provide Ms. Conway a reasonable opportunity to respond,' he wrote. 'Second, OSC's overbroad and unsupported interpretation of the Hatch Act risks violating Ms. Conway's First Amendment rights and chills the free speech of all government employees,' he added. He also argued Conway's Twitter account and media appearances 'do not violate even the standards used by OSC itself.' Cipollone gave the agency until June 21 to hand over all the documents on Conway it used to come to its recommendation. '[I]n light of the many significant issues discussed in this initial response, I reiterate our request that OSC withdraw and retract its Report. If the OSC chooses not to do so, the White House will need additional information to consider fully and fairly each of the allegations and OSC's conclusions. Accordingly, we ask that you provide the following information by June 21, 2019,' he wrote. The Office of the Special Counsel is not to be confused with special counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation. They are separate entities. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the powerful chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, weighed in. He invited Conway to testify before his panel on June 26 when he holds a hearing with the OSC on her Hatch Act violations. He also said Trump should fire her. 'Complying with the law is not optional. President Trump should terminate Ms. Conway's employment immediately in light of these dozens of violations of federal law,' he said in a statement. The OSC argued if Conway is not punished, it sends a message to other federal employees they need not follow the Hatch Act. ''As a highly visible member of the administration, Ms. Conway's actions, if left unpunished, send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act's restrictions. Her actions erode principal foundation of our democratic system - the rule of law,' it wrote in its report. The report cited comments Conway made on Fox News about former Vice President Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Beto O'Rourke. White House Deputy Press Secretary Steven Groves fired back the OSC was violating Conway's right to free speech. 'The Office of Special Counsel's (OSC) unprecedented actions against Kellyanne Conway are deeply flawed and violate her constitutional rights to free speech and due process. Others, of all political views, have objected to the OSC's unclear and unevenly applied rules which have a chilling effect on free speech for all federal employees,' said he said. Groves made his statement to CNBC's Eamon Javers, who tweeted he was in the press office when the verdict from OSC came in. 'I was just standing in an office in the WH press office when Kellyanne Conway came in. I asked for her reaction to this. She pointed to the door and said 'can you leave, please?' Later, I asked her again, and she said: 'I have no reaction. Why would I give you a reaction?,'' Javers wrote. The White House was quick to defend Kellyanne Conway The OSC said Conway 'violated the Hatch At on numerous occasions by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.' Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are exempt from the Hatch Act but White House employees are not. Last month, when Conway was criticizing former Vice President Joe Biden - who's leading the field for the Democratic presidential nomination - for his Senate record, she brushed aside questions if she was violating the Hatch Act. 'I'm going to talk about people's records because I have the right to,' she said. When a reporter asked her about violating federal law, she responded: 'Blah, blah, blah.' 'If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work,' she said. 'Let me know when the jail sentence starts.' In March of last year, the OSC found Conway in violation of the Hatch Act when she promoted then-U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore's Alabama special election campaign. This is the moment a 'fantasist' accused of inventing a Westminster VIP paedophile ring fled an interview room as police started questioning his claims for the first time. Jurors were shown Carl Beech's recorded interview with the Metropolitan Police in January 2016, over a year after his first videoed interviews with the force. The 51-year-old from Gloucester had stated he witnessed three boys being murdered and he and others were subjected to horrific sexual abuse at the hands of powerful establishment figures. Jurors were shown Carl Beech's recorded interview with the Metropolitan Police in January 2016, over a year after his first videoed interviews with the force The Metropolitan Police carried out extensive investigations into his claims, and he reluctantly agreed to be further questioned about what he alleged, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Beech had told police he had been sexually abused by his step-father Major Ray Beech, then 'given' to Army top brass, security chiefs and politicians. As the video of the interview was played to the jury, Beech appeared to become emotional in the dock, sitting with his head bowed wiping tears from his eyes. Carl Beech, 51, (pictured outside Worcester Crown Court in March 2018) is of accused of falsely claiming a powerful group of politicians and high-profile figures abused him as a child decades ago The court has heard the police had failed to find the identity of 'Scott' a boy that Beech said he saw murdered in a hit and run in 1979 or any details of two other boys Beech claimed to have seen killed. And despite persistent questioning he had failed to bring forward 'Fred' another victim he claimed to be in touch with, the court was told. In a police interview room in Quedgeley, Gloucestershire, on January 11th 2016, Detective Constable Derek Young began the process of unpicking Beech's story. The Met had earlier described his allegations as 'credible and true' but DC Young's interview was set up to take him through the holes in his account. He started by telling Beech: 'I'm here to talk to you about certain inconsistencies, discrepancies and omissions in what you have told us so far. 'You may feel some of my questions are challenging your integrity or your credibility but let me reassure you that is absolutely not the case. 'We need to prepare the best case we possibly can which could go to court and be put before a jury, do you understand that Carl?' Beech knitted his fingers in his lap, nodded and said: 'Yes, that is fine.' He was first quizzed about the murders of the three young boys he said were murdered by the VIPs. He was asked to describe 'Scott' who he said attended his primary school in Kingston upon Thames in as much detail as he could. Carl Beech, pictured in a police interview in 2014, which has been played at Newcastle Crown Court where he denies 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud Beech claimed he was undressed and abused by Lord Bramall (pictured in November 2017 at his home in Hampshire), who is now aged 95 Beech replied: 'Erm yeah he was about my height. Dark hair, erm and he always had worry lines. He was little... I suppose he was the same as me really so... and .. yeah, that is about it really.' He was asked to describe, in as much detail as he could, the house where he saw Harvey Proctor stab and beat a boy to death with another man. He answered 'It was quite a big house. 'It was empty I don't remember any startling features. I don't remember much about it really, I couldn't tell you anything about it really. It was empty, bare, I don't know where it is.' The 'fantasist' helped detectives draw up e-fits of boys he claimed had been murdered by the MP Harvey Proctor (above) and others DC Young then asked him to describe the man who was with Proctor during the killing. At that point Beech, wearing a yellow sweatshirt, buried his face in his arm, sobbed and fled the room. The interview began again three minutes later. Within an hour he had admitted one account about his step-father Major Raymond Beech - who he accused of abusing him - had been untrue. He told his counsellor Vicki Paterson that Major Beech, now deceased, had followed him after he and his mother had moved from Oxfordshire to Kingston upon Thames and had continued abusing him for up to a year. However in interview he told DC Young he had last seen Major Beech when he was arrested in Oxfordshire. DC Young said to him: 'Can you see how things like that can be misunderstood and misconstrued sometimes?' Beech replied: 'Yeah I can and it's.. and it's embarrassing. I suppose that is not the word. I suppose it was just easier to say it was him rather than other members of The Group.' The interview led to the case being dropped and an investigation by an outside force to begin into Beech, who denies 12 counts of perverting the course of justice and fraud. By that time Operation Midland had cost 2m and the homes of Lord Bramall - the 95-year-old former Commander-in-Chief of UK land forces - former Home Secretary Lord Brittan and ex Tory MP Harvey Proctor had been searched. Newspaper reports had started to question his account and Beech became less willing to speak further to the police. He told his liaison officer just before the 'challenge' interview: 'There seems to be little point in putting myself under more stress, it is unlikely the CPS will do anything, it is all pointless and I shouldn't have been so stupid as to think I could speak up against them.' Previously the trial has been told Beech falsely claimed he had been raped by senior army officers and the disgraced television presenter Jimmy Savile. He told the Metropolitian Police that around 15 men attended weekly abuse parties all over the South of England, including the late former Tory PM Ted Heath's yacht, exclusive clubs and Dolphin Square. Beech also said former MI5 and MI6 heads tortured him by tipping spiders over him, gave him electric shocks and threw darts at him. And he alleged the former Conservative Home Secretary Leon Brittan was also part of the ring. His claims led to the Met Police launching Operation Midland, which cost 2 million which was dropped after 16 months without anyone being charged. It was then that Northumbria Police were called in to investigate Beech and unpicked his alleged web of deceit, the court has heard. He denies 12 charges of perverting justice and one of fraud by falsely claiming 22,000 criminal injuries compensation. When the Met asked Northumbria Police to investigate Beech in 2016, cops raided the rented three-bedroom house in Gloucester where he lived with his son. They discovered on the drive a new 34,000 white Ford Mustang convertible which was bought with the compensation cash he received, it is alleged. Beech later fled to Sweden but was tracked down and extradited back to the UK to face justice. The trial continues Nxivm jurors were shown 18 pornographic images of an underage girl on Thursday, that prosecutors claim were taken by cult leader Keith Raniere. It was the first time that they had seen the images of the girl who was allegedly 15 at the time, and many of the men and women were unable to look at times, choosing to turn their heads and avert their eyes. The accused pedophile whose fate they will soon be decided did not look at the images on Thursday, and appeared nonplussed by the evidence being presented in court as he jotted down notes in the book he has kept at trial. Prosecutors will be resting their case against Raniere on Friday, and showed the images during the testimony of Brian Booth, a senior forensic examiner for the FBI. He described finding the images on a hard drive at Raniere's home, as well as an email sent to the cult leader by Rosa Laura Junco. She wrote in a letter to Raniere that she was prepared to offer up her teenage daughter as a sexual partner to the cult leader, the court heard. 'I am 100 percent clear that you are what I want for my daughter (and obviously myself),' wrote Junco, the New York Post reports. Difficult: Nxivm jurors on Thursday saw 18 images of a girl that they claim were taken by Keith Raniere (one image of the girl above on screen seen during opening statement) Shock: Rosa Laura Junco wrote in a letter to Raniere (above last month in a sketch) that she was prepared to offer up her teenage daughter as a sexual partner to the cult leader, the court heard Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar previously spoke of the underage girl whose photos were shown in her opening statement. She outlined how the defendant made a 15-year-old Mexican national his first sex slave after convincing her and her three sisters to travel with him to upstate New York. Once there, Hajjar said that Raniere began to rape the girl and make her pose for nude photographs, one of which was shown in court. In that image the teen could be seen lying on Raniere's bed, one of the hundreds of graphic nude pictures that the cult leader is said to have kept in his possession over the years. Hajjar told jurors that Raniere was also sleeping with his rape victim's two older sisters, one of whom he allegedly imprisoned for 21 months when she showed affection for another man. She was made to write how sorry she was hundreds of times in letters, said Hajjar, before eventually being sent back to Mexico. The youngest sister would stay at Nxivm and become part of an internal sorority called DOS, according to Hajjar, who described how at one point she was ordered to enter a room and perform oral sex on a woman who had been blindfolded and tied-up as an offering to Raniere. She had been referred to as Jane Doe 1 in previous court documents, while Allison Mack was CC-1. Jane Doe 1 was his first 'slave,' and provided 'collateral' which guaranteed she would remain faithful to him. 'CC-1s email was titled "vow 3" and included an attached letter. The letter pledged CC-1s "full and complete life" to 14 RANIERE,' read an early complaint filed in the case. 'In the letter, CC-1 used the terms "slave" and "master" to refer to herself and RANIERE. Moreover, the letter identified 'collateral' to 'cement' the vow made by CC-1. 'This collateral was described as: (1) a letter regarding CC-1's mother and father that would "destroy their character"; (2) a contract that transferred custody of any children birthed by CC-1 to RANIERE if CC-1 broke her commitment to RANIERE; (3) a contract that transferred ownership of CC-1's home if the commitment to RANIERE was broken; and (4) a letter addressed to social services alleging abuse to CC-1's nephews.' It is not clear if any of the claims made in those letters were true. Soon, CC-1 was recruiting slaves of her own and filling out the pyramid that Raniere had hoped to create, selecting Jane Doe 1 as one of these women, it is claimed. Jane Doe 1 stated that her first meeting with Raniere ended with the leader questioning her devotion, but soon things took a bizarre turn. 'The next night CC-1 again received a text message from RANIERE, woke Jane Doe 1 in the middle of the night and assigned her to meet RANIERE and tell him she would do anything he asked her to do. Jane Doe 1 did as she was assigned, and RANIERE led her to a house across the street,' read the complaint. 'RANIERE directed her to remove all her clothes and made comments about her naked body. RANIERE then blindfolded Jane Doe 1, led her into a car and drove her around in a manner that made Jane Doe 1 believe RANIERE was trying to prevent her from knowing where they were going. 'RANIERE led Jane Doe 1, still blindfolded, through some trees, into what she believed was a shack, and tied her to a table. 'Another person in the room, who Jane Doe 1 did not previously know was present, began performing oral sex on Jane Doe 1 as RANIERE circled the table making comments. 'Jane Doe 1 did not want to participate in this sexual activity, but believed it was part of her commitment to DOS and that if she broke her commitment to DOS her collateral could be released.' Jane Doe 1 said that she then began to frequently have sex with Raniere, while also frequently posing nude for CC-1, who on one occasion sent 'close-up pictures of [her slaves'] vaginas' to Raniere. This was not the only task Jane Doe 1 had to undertake, as she was also responsible for reading, reviewing and editing Raniere's writings and texts. The body of a missing four-month-old boy has been found at the bottom of a 30ft well in Ohio. Parents Jessica D. Groves, 39, and Daniel A. Groves, 41, face charges including abduction, kidnapping - and authorities say more charges will be presented to a grand jury at a later date, Fox8 reports. Baby Dylan was placed under the custody of children's services when he was born with 'illicit drugs' in his system in January. He was later returned to the custody of his father, Daniel. But after initially complying with officials' requirements, police say he started to miss court appointments, home visits and doctors appointments. Jessica D. Groves (left), 39, and Daniel A. Groves (right), 41, face kidnapping and abduction charges. Investigators say more charges will be presented in court Baby Dylan Groves (above) was found dead at the bottom of a well in Otway, Ohio The entrance to the home (above) of Jessica D. Groves (left), 39, and Daniel A. Groves (right), 41, where police found evidence to suggest their son Dylan had been dead for months After struggling to contact the couple, police attended the home multiple times, including on May 20 - when they saw the Groves' on a four wheeler fleeing into a wooded area. On June 10, Scioto County Sheriff's Department obtained a warrant to search their home looking for Dylan. Mom Jessica was arrested 'without incident', but the father Daniel Groves reportedly 'barricaded himself inside' the home for six hours before he was detained. Two days later, detectives announced they have discovered Dylan's body inside a 30ft deep well. Police said that the boy had been dead since late March, according to WSAZ. During the search of the couple's home, police say they found stolen items up to the value of $42,000 including two four-wheelers, an ATV, two trailers, a riding lawnmower and more. The body of missing four-year-old Dylan (above) was found at the bottom of a well in Otway, Ohio. A vigil was held for Dylan whose body was found at the bottom of a well, his temporary foster mom Andrea Bowling told WSAZ that she wants justice for his death Daniel A. Groves (left), 41, and Jessica D. Groves (right), 39, face charges of kidnapping and abduction, as well as other offences. Investigators say more charges will be added in court At a vigil for the Dylan Groves, his temporary foster mom Andrea Bowling described the boy as 'precious' and 'adorable' to WSAZ. Andrew Bowling (above) was Dylan's temporary foster mom after the child was taken into the custody of children's services Bowling from Minford, who took care of the boy for 12 days, said: 'He loved being swaddled and held close. 'I took thousands of pictures of him in the short time I had him. 'I cannot wait to see Dylan again... I know he's up there in Heaven, and I truly believe he'll be waiting for me.' The Jessica and Daniel Groves appeared in court on Thursday, where they faced felony charges of abduction, kidnapping, and interference of custody. Daniel Groves also faces charges of probation violation and for receiving stolen property. Jessica Groves is held on a $100,000 bond, Daniel is being held without bond. They will both appear in Portsmouth Court at a later date. Hunter Biden's new wife is said to have been living with her real estate developer boyfriend of two years just weeks before secretly marrying the former vice president's son, who she'd reportedly only known for 10 days. Melissa Cohen, 32, was living with Rob Mendez up until April of this year and the former couple were continuing to 'hang out' into May - when she met 49-year-old Hunter - according to Page Six. The South African activist, who started dating Mendez in July 2017, married Hunter in Los Angeles on May 16 - just weeks after reports surfaced he had called it quits with his late brother Beau's widow Hallie Biden in April after two years of dating. Pals of the divorcee, originally from Johannesburg, are said to have been stunned the wedding with one commenting: 'She just broke up with Rob.' Another added: 'So I'm quite shocked by this being so sudden after their breakup.' Melissa Cohen, 32, was living with Rob Mendez up until April of this year just weeks before secretly marrying Hunter Biden, according to reports The South African activist, who started dating Mendez in July 2017, married Hunter in Los Angeles on May 16. She had reportedly continued to 'hang out' with Mendez into May Mendez said he had 'a very, very good relationship' with Cohen, calling her 'an amazing girl' The dad-of-three said he credits Cohen with 'turning our house around', bringing a 'properness' to the home he shares with his children aged 10, 11 and 13. A friend of Cohen's said she lives in Los Angeles and the newlyweds met in May, having a whirlwind romance, even getting matching tattoos as a sign of their love Mendez told Page Six they had 'a very, very good relationship' , adding: 'The best I've ever had. She found love and she's happy. She's honest to God an amazing girl; extremely intelligent.' The dad-of-three said he credits Cohen with 'turning our house around', bringing a 'properness' to the home he shares with his children aged 10, 11 and 13. They split because 'marriage and kids were in her future, but for me they just aren't' but he says he has 'nothing but love' for Cohen, who was also previously married in 2011. Hunter Biden, pictured, married Melissa Cohen on May 16, shortly after reports surfaced he had called it quits with his late brother Beau's widow Hallie Biden Cohen's brother told DailyMail.com in a statement on behalf of her family: 'We are very happy for them and welcome Hunter to the family.' The hasty vows in California, plus Hunter's recent breakup hint that presidential hopeful Joe Biden and the rest of the Biden family were not in attendance for the wedding. On Sunday, Jill Biden posted a family photo celebrating Hunter's daughter Maisy's graduation from high school in Washington D.C., but absent from the group shot was Hunter's new wife. On Sunday, Joe, Jill, their daughter Ashley Biden, Hunter and Hunter's three daughters, Maisy, Naomi and Finnegan, whom he shares with his ex wife Kathleen, were all pictured in a celebratory graduation photo posted on Instagram. There was no sign of Cohen, with whom Hunter is also said to share a matching tattoo. Hunter recently broke off his relationship with widowed Hallie after dating for two years - beginning in 2017 - following Beau's death from brain cancer in 2015. At the beginning of their relationship, Hunter was still married to his ex-wife Kathleen of 23 years, though they had been estranged. That divorce was finalized in April 2017. Hunter and Kathleen, pictured together in 2016, split after 23 years together Hunter and Hallie began dating after the death of her husband Beau Biden - former Vice President Joe Biden's elder son. Beau and Hallie are pictured here in 2011 In late April, it was reported Hunter split from Hallie, coming on the heels of Joe's presidential campaign announcement. Sources say the breakup was 'amicable' but the reason behind the split remains unknown. His divorce from Kathleen was bitterly contested after she cited irreconcilable differences due to how he spent 'extravagantly on his own interests (including drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, strip clubs and gifts for women with whom he has sexual relations), while leaving the family with no funds to pay legitimate bills.' The Biden family stayed quiet when news broke of Hunter and Hallie's relationship. In 2017, Joe and Jill broke their silence and announced their support of the duo. The devastated family of an Egyptian student who was beaten up by a girl gang before she suffered a stroke and died have said they no longer feel safe in the UK as two of her attackers walked free. Mariam Moustafa, 18, was punched and slammed into a bus stop by Mariah Fraser, 20, Britania Hunter, 18, and a 16-year-old girl in Nottingham. Twelve hours after the attack 'over a boy' on February 20, 2018, she suffered a stroke and fell into a coma before dying less than a month later. Prosecutors could only bring charges of affray against the group, rather than manslaughter or murder, as her death could not be reliably linked to their actions. Despite branding the defendants 'aggressive' and 'cowardly', the judge handed Fraser a custody sentence of just eight months, while Hunter and the other girl walked free. Today Mariam's father, restaurant chef Mohamed Moustafa, blasted the sentence saying 'there is no justice in this country'. Mariam Moustafa's father, restaurant chef Mohamed, pictured with his other daughter Mallak today, blasted the decision to let two girls who beat up his daughter before her death walk free, saying 'there is no justice in this country' Mariam, pictured, was punched and slammed into a bus stop by a girl gang while others laughed and watched. She suffered a stroke and died a month later Britania Hunter (left) was spared custody at Nottingham Crown Court while Mariah Fraser (right) has been sentenced to eight months in a young offenders' institution Mr Moustafa, who moved to the UK from Italy four years ago to give his children a better education, said: 'I am doing my best for my family. We try to do our best in this country. 'We try to respect the law. But after what happened today, I feel nobody can protect my family. We are not safe in this country. 'When I hear there is no link behind the stroke and what happened to my daughter, I don't believe it at all. I feel very upset about what happened. 'For me, it is 100 per cent manslaughter. It [the stroke] happened after several hours, not several days. 'My daughter was killed, and nothing happened. I waited all this time for justice, but now I feel there is no justice in this country. I don't think we will stay here in the UK.' Mariam, who was described as 'keen, hard-working and well-liked' by her college and was set to study at engineering at a London university, collapsed and went to hospital, but was released and suffered a stroke at home around 12 hours after the attack. Prosecutors could only bring charges of affray against the group, rather than manslaughter, as the 18 year old's death could not be reliably linked to their actions The court heard how two of the six, the 16-year-old girl and an 18 year old who will be sentenced later this month, were the main aggressors in the altercation, while the others were either filming the group as Mariam was attacked, or laughing. Mariam's father fought back tears outside court today She had been punched several times during the confrontation 'fuelled by social media' near a bus stop in Parliament Street at 8pm while her friend Pablo Jawara tried to protect her. Now her sister Mallak lives in fear and wants to leave the country. Mallak, 16, said: 'I feel scared. I feel afraid to walk around town. How do I know they won't come after me next? 'All I want to do is leave here. I feel like I can't live my life anymore. Mariam was unique. She was the only person I wanted to be like. 'I feel like my sister died again today. They [the defendants] were just smiling and laughing. They don't even feel sorry. 'They have let them out and said, "go and live your life". You haven't done anything. What about the bright future my sister had? 'They took it off her. That's not fair. Eight months in custody for my sister's life.' The court heard how two of the six, the 16-year-old girl and an 18 year old who will be sentenced later this month, were the main aggressors in the altercation, while the others were either filming the incident or laughing while watching. Passing sentence today, Judge Gregory Dickinson QC branded the defendants 'aggressive' and 'cowardly' and said: 'This was not an attack motivated by hostility to race or religion. It was to do with a boy.' Detailing the reasons why he decided to refer the 16-year-old girl to the youth court, Judge Dickinson added: 'The family of Mariam want the maximum possible sentence to be imposed on all those involved in the case. 'Sympathy for their desperate sadness cannot displace a proper, dispassionate approach to sentencing in a court of law. 'It would only add to the tragedy of this case to put [the girl] into custody.' Hunter was given a 12-month community order and told to carry out 40 hours unpaid work, and the 16-year-old girl was remitted back to youth court with a view to a referral order. The prosecution said after the incident that Fraser, who has previous convictions for robbery, attempted robbery and assault, had searched the internet for 'I have put someone in a coma' when she realised she may be arrested for her part in the attack. Mariam's parents, Mr Moustafa, 51, and Nessrin Abu-Elneinen, 42, were visibly upset as CCTV footage of their daughter collapsing on the bus was played to the court yesterday. The incident caused uproar in Egypt and the country's embassy had called on those responsible to be 'brought to justice swiftly'. Fraser, Hunter and the 16-year-old girl all admitted affray a week before their trial. Mariam's sister Mallak, pictured right with her mother Nessrin Abu-Elenein, said: 'I feel like my sister died again today' The prosecution said four pathologists had concluded the attack could not be 'reliably linked' to Miss Moustafa falling into a coma or her eventual death, meaning manslaughter charges could not be brought. Months before her death, Mariam took to YouTube to explain how her heart condition had left her 'scared' to go to college or leave the house. Miss Moustafa's sister Mallak previously revealed Mariam had been born with half a heart. Speaking directly to Fraser as he sent her to a young offenders' institution, the judge said: 'You used violence. You contributed significantly to the overall seriousness of the affray. 'It is not correct to say that you were "on the periphery", as was submitted on your behalf. 'In my judgment, your role as a part of the incident as a whole, with your record of convictions, means that a custodial sentence is necessary.' Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor Luke Blackburn said: 'To call it an argument would be a mis-description as it was all one way. It developed into threats and violence at that bus stop. 'Miss Moustafa and Mr Jawara got on the bus, doing their best to get away from what was going on.' Mr Blackburn said the 16-year-old youth banged on the bus window to persuade the driver to let them on. The Crown's barrister continued: 'All six went upstairs to find the two people they had been attacking. 'Mr Jawara stood up and did his best to physically protect his friend - he just got in the way of the defendants and did not use any violence. 'The atmosphere was intimidating and violent with the forceful nature of the language being used.' Three other teenagers, aged 18, 17 and 16, will be sentenced at Nottingham Youth Court on June 19 alongside the 16-year-old girl. President Donald Trump said he has a 'lot of great people' to choose from when it comes to selecting a replacement for White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and that makes it difficult to pick one. 'We have a lot of great people, sometimes you have so many that makes it more difficult,' he told 'Fox & Friends' on Friday when he called into the show for a 45-minute interview. There are two names getting the majority of the buzz as Washington indulges in one of its favorite parlor games: who's in and who's out in the Trump administration. President Donald Trump said he has a 'lot of great people' to choose from when it comes to replacing White House press secretary Sarah Sanders Two names leading the list are Melania Trump spokesperson Stephanie Grisham and Deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley Stephanie Grisham attended the state dinner at Buckingham Palace last week Those are Stephanie Grisham, who worked on Trump's campaign and now serves as spokesperson for first lady Melania Trump, and Hogan Gidley, who serves as deputy White House press secretary. 'Stephanie is terrific,' the president told 'Fox & Friends.' But he did not give away who he's leaning toward hiring, merely saying 'we have a lot of great people, a lot of people to choose from.' Grisham is well-liked by the president from her time on his campaign team and she - along with Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway - are one of the 'originals' left in the White House from the 2016 campaign. She was originally part of the West Wing communications team before she moved to the first lady's office in March 2017. And a number of people close to Trump are pushing for her to get the gig, they told Axios, adding that the president likes and trusts her. Another source suggested to the news website that Grisham could also take on a senior role in the press office - moving back to the West Wing from the East Wing. Gidley was brought aboard the Trump team by Sanders, who got to know him when he worked for her father, the former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. But he is said not to have the closest relationship with the president, who was reported to call him 'Tidley.' Gidley was subject to a New York Times profile in May 2018 that described his keen fashion sense and workout routine. And he's also a consistent presence on television to defend the president, who is said to like his interviews. Stephanie Grisham (far left), with the first lady at Washington Children's Hospital in December, worked in the West Wing before moving to the East Wing Hogan Gidley is said not to have the closest relationship with President Trump Gidley was brought about the Trump team by Sarah Sanders, who knew him from her father Trump did rule out one name: former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who served 10 days in that job. 'I like Anthony, I think he should stay where he is right now,' the president told Fox News. The president could simply leave the job open for some time as he has with the communications director job. Trump often asks as his own spokesperson and communication director - using tweets and question-and-answer sessions with the White House press corps to spread his message. Other names being listed include Tony Sayegh, a former Treasury Department spokesman, and Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman at the State Department, the Washington Examiner reported. Tony Sayegh, a former Treasury Department spokesman, and Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman at the State Department, are also being mentioned for the job A few Republican operatives praised Sayegh's television skills, which is a metric Trump uses to judge people. Kellyanne Conway's name has been floated but she turned down a job in the communications shop shortly after Trump was elected. Additionally, she's served as a loyal surrogate in television interviews in her role as counselor to the president. And Trump likes his former campaign manager. He defended her against the finding of a government watchdog that she violated the Hatch Act, a law the forbids government officials from making political statements while working in their professional capacity. The agency recommended Conway be fired for her violations but Trump said she's staying on the job. 'No I'm not going to fire her,' he told 'Fox & Friends.' White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and director of strategic communications Mercedes Schlapp are also being mentioned White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley, Director of the United States National Economic Council Larry Kudlow and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a White House event in May 'It looks to me like they're trying to take away her right of free speech and that's not fair,' he said, adding: 'she's got to have the right to answer questions.' Finally there's director of strategic communications Mercedes Schlapp. She's part of a Republican power couple being married to Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC, a conference of conservatives Trump addresses every year. But she was reported to be up for the White House communications director job in 2018 and did not get it. She and Sayegh fought in a bitter battle at the time for the job neither of them ended up with. Sanders will leave the press secretary job at the end of June after two-and-a-half years at the White House, it was announced Thursday. 'After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,' Trump tweeted. Warm tribute: Donald Trump called Sarah Sanders on stage Thursday to thank her for her service as his second White House Press Secretary Trump hailed her at the White House minutes after the departure announcement. He called her 'a person, a friend, a woman, a great, great magnificent person actually, named Sarah Huckabee Sanders. And she's very popular. She's very popular,' ending the tribute by saying: 'She is a warrior.' 'She's done an incredible job. We've been through a lot together. She's tough and she's good,' Trump gushed. 'If we can get her to run for governor of Arkansas. I think we can get her to do that. I'm trying to get her to do that.' 'I want to thank you for an outstanding job,' he said, kissing her check. A former Playboy model accused of murdering an elderly psychiatrist could face the death penalty for her alleged role in the shocking crime. A District Attorney's office in Las Vegas will ask a committee whether or not they should pursue capital punishment for Kelsey Nichole Turner, 26, and her boyfriend, Jon Logan Kennison, 27. The pair are accused of bludgeoning 71-year-old Dr. Thomas Burchard to death, before leaving his body in the trunk of a Mercedes Benz on a desert road in rural Nevada. The corpse was found rotting in the trunk of the the abandoned two-door coupe on March 7. Police say Burchard, who lived in Salinas, California, had an intimate relationship with Turner and paid rent on a Las Vegas home where she lived with Kennison and their roommate, Diana Nicole Pena. Under a plea deal, Pena is reportedly set to plead guilty as an accessory to murder charge, and will turn on Turner and Kennison, testifying against them in court. Former Playboy model Kelsey Nichole Turner, 26, could face the death penalty over the murder of psychiatrist found dead in trunk of her car. She is pictured on the red carpet last year Turner and her boyfriend Jon Logan Kennison are accused of bludgeoning Burchard and leaving his corpse in the trunk of Turner's Mercedes Benz on a desert road in rural Nevada Police say Burchard, who lived in Salinas, California, had an intimate relationship with Turner and paid rent on a Las Vegas home where she lived Police found blood, footprints, cleaning supplies and items bearing Kennison's name in the house and garage, and blue and white bath towels in the home that matched a towel found with Burchard's body March 7. Authorities believe that Turner, Kennison, and Pena abandoned the Las Vegas home they were sharing after Burchard was murdered. Investigators found blood throughout a bedroom in the Las Vegas home and said there was evidence of attempts to try and clean it up, according to KSBW. Judy Earp, Burchard's longtime girlfriend, said the psychiatrist had given Turner roughly $300,000 during the time they knew each other. Judy Earp, Burchard's longtime girlfriend, said the psychiatrist had given Turner (pictured) roughly $300,000 during the time they knew each other 'He helped a lot of people,' Earp told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 'She had this really sad story. She took the $300,000. I'll just leave it at that.' Earp would not elaborate on how Turner and Burchard knew each other, only saying she did not believe the model was one of his patients. Sources have previously said Burchard and Turner met online. Police said Earp reported the semi-retired child psychiatrist missing days after he sent a March 2 text message to her from Las Vegas. Judy Earp (right), Burchard's longtime girlfriend, said the psychiatrist had given Turner roughly $300,000 during the time they knew each other Earp told police she believed Turner was involved in Burchard's disappearance. In the Mercedes, investigators recovered Burchard's vest and house keys; collected fingerprint and possible DNA evidence; noted apparent blood residue on seats and blue latex gloves; and found cleaning supplies. 'Blood evidence in the back seat suggested Burchard was attacked in the vehicle,' police said in Turner's arrest warrant application. The model was arrested March 21 in Stockton, California. Kennison was arrested April 17 in Las Vegas. They remain jailed without bail pending their arraignment June 11 in state court in Las Vegas. Photo: The Canadian Press Taking unprecedented action, a federal watchdog agency recommended Thursday that President Donald Trump fire one of his most ardent defenders, counsellor Kellyanne Conway , for repeatedly violating a law that limits political activity by government workers. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said in a letter to Trump that Conway has been a "repeat offender" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media. Federal law prohibits employees of the executive branch from using their official authority or influence to affect the result of an election. Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence are exempt from the Hatch Act, but there are no exceptions for White House employees. The agency does not have the authority to fire Conway, who was appointed by Trump, so it would be up to the president to follow its recommendation and dismiss one of his most unwavering defenders. Conway is known for her fiery television appearances in support of the president and his policies. She helped him win election in 2016 as his campaign manager. The recommendation to fire Conway is the first time the watchdog office has recommended the removal of a White House official over Hatch Act violations. Special Counsel Henry Kerner's letter to Trump states: "Ms. Conway's violations, if left unpunished, send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act's restrictions. Her actions erode the principal foundation of our democratic system the rule of law." Conway told reporters who encountered her in the White House press office, "I have no reaction." White House spokesman Steven Groves called the agency's decision "deeply flawed" and said it violated Conway's constitutional rights to free speech and due process. "Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act," Groves said in a statement. A summary of the investigation into Conway stated that beginning in February, Conway engaged in a pattern of partisan attacks on Democratic presidential candidates. She called Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey "sexist" and a "tinny" motivational speaker. In another interview, she accused Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts of "lying" about her ethnicity and "appropriating somebody else's heritage." And she attacked former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas for not thinking the women running "are good enough to be president." It also cited her description of former Vice-President Joe Biden as lacking "vision." The summary also noted that she used her Twitter account to conduct political activity. For example, she retweeted a March 31 message that referred to Biden as "Creepy Uncle Joe" and "took it upon herself to outline other faults she found in Mr. Biden's candidacy," the report said. Advertisement A section of a road bridge has plunged into a river in southern China, sending two vehicles into the water and leaving two people missing. The six-arch traffic link, spanning across the Dongjiang River of Heyuan in Guangdong Province, measured 420 metres (1,377 feet). Around 120 metres (393 feet) of it collapsed early on Friday, said the city's authority. Floodwaters had been pounding on the bridge continuously and the impact could have weakened the structure, according to media. Dramatic footage of the event circulating on social media shows two arches in the middle of the bridge falling apart within seconds and without any apparent warning. A 390-foot-long section collapsed early today in Heyuan, Guangdong Province The bridge was built in 1972 and renovated in 2017. It was examined and repaired as recent as January, said local authority Two people remain missing and one has been saved as rescuers are still looking for survivors of the shocking incident Local newspaper Guangzhou Daily said a reservoir upstream had been releasing floodwaters down Dongjiang River in the past few days. Various regions in southern China have been battered by torrential rain, which triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides. China's Xinhua News Agency said two security guards rescued a 44-year-old man, but two other people are missing. The rescuers are still searching for survivors. Chinese rescuers evacuate a local resident in floodwater caused by a heavy rainstorm in Heyuan city, Guangdong, yesterday The adverse weather struck 249 counties and cities in eight provinces, causing an estimated 1.5 billion in economic losses More than 4.5 million people have been affected and 300,000 have been evacuated, reported Xinhua yesterday Dramatic footage of the event circulating on social media shows two arches in the middle of the bridge falling apart within seconds and without any apparent warning. The bridge was built in 1972 and renovated in 2017. It was examined and repaired as recent as January, according to the city's Highway Bureau. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation. An aerial image shows buildings and other infrastructure submerged in floodwaters in Rongan, Guangxi region Floods, landslides and mudslides triggered by the downpours have affected more than 4.5 million people in eight provinces An excavator clears debris in floodwaters in Guangdong province. The floods wiped out more than 31,000 hectares of crops At least 61 people have been killed by heavy rain and flooding in southern China. More than 4.5 million people have been affected and 300,000 have been evacuated, reported Xinhua yesterday. The adverse weather struck 249 counties and cities in eight provinces, causing an estimated 13.35 billion yuan (1.5 billion) in economic losses. The authority said in a statement on its social media account said direct economic losses totaled over 10 billion yuan Video footage released by Xinhua today shows a team of rescuers struggling to lift several stranded residents out of raging, muddy waters in Heyuan, Guangdong province Rescuers transfer children as the floods hit Xiangxing Township of Yongxin county in Ji'an city, Jiangxi province Two men have died after a light aircraft crashed in Ireland during a training flight. One of the men is in his 50s and the other in his 70s and they were fatally injured following the crash near Athy in County Kildare on Thursday evening. Oneman is believed to be from Dundrum in Dublin and the other from Kildare. They were believed to have been on a training flight when the aircraft crashed. Their families and the owner of the aircraft alerted authorities. The two men died after the light aircraft they were in crashed on Thursday evening. They are believed to have been on a training flight The aircraft wreckage was found with the assistance of Irish Coast Guard helicopter rescue 116 at 4.30am on Friday. Ireland's Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said the aircraft was registered in the United Kingdom and was on a local flight from Kilrush Airfield on Thursday evening. Irish police and emergency services rushed to the scene at Belan, Moone and the remains of the two men were taken to the mortuary at Naas General Hospital. A truck carrying the wreckage from a light aircraft crash in which two men died in Ireland The families and the owner of the aircraft alerted authorities after they became concerned The AAIU is currently at scene and the Irish Aviation Authority has been notified. In a statement the AAIU said: 'The AAIU have been notified of a light aircraft accident at Belan, near Moone, Co Kildare. 'The two occupants have been fatally injured. 'Two Inspectors of Air Accidents have deployed and have commenced an Investigation at the scene. 'The aircraft was registered in the United Kingdom and was engaged on a local flight from Kilrush Airfield yesterday evening.' A new study has surveyed retirement savings habits around the world, and found that savings fall far short of life expectancy in the U.S. and elsewhere. In the U.S., the average 65-year-old has enough savings to provide just 9.7 years of retirement income, according to the report published on Thursday by the World Economic Forum. That leaves the average American man with a savings gap of 8.3 years. Women, who live longer, face a 10.9-year gap. 'Pension systems around the world all face a common problem the strain put on existing promises for retirement because of increases in life expectancy,' wrote the study's authors. This chart shows years of savings (grey) of 65-year-olds in (left to right) USA, the Netherlands, the UK, Australia, Canada and Japan, and additional life expectancy (blue) The forum assumed retirees would need enough income equivalent to 70 per cent of their pre-retirement pay, and didn't include Social Security or other government welfare payments in the total. The graph above shows U.S. average savings at 65 in grey, and additional years of life expectancy for men and women in blue U.S. workers have comparable retirement savings to those in Canada and Australia, and slightly more than those in the U.K., the study found. Japanese workers face the greatest shortfall, with longer life expectancy and just 4.5 years of average savings, leaving a gap of 15 years for men and nearly 20 for women. While Japanese workers save similar amounts to other countries, they tend to choose much more conservative investments, which yield lower returns, the report authors say. 'The size of the gap is such that it requires action' report co-author Han Yik told Bloomberg. 'You either spend less or you make more,' he said. The size of the world's collective retirement savings gap could exceed $400 trillion by 2050, up from $70 trillion in 2015, according to the report. The U.S.'s savings gap will be the largest at $137 trillion, followed by China at $119 trillion and India at $85 trillion. Longer life expectancy, as well as the shift away from traditional pension plans, are both putting retirees at risk of running out of savings, the study finds (stock image) The graph above shows the size of the retirement gap with the light blue area showing how much it is set to rise by 2050 and the dark blue showing the rate it was at in 2015. The red arrow shows the growth from 2015-2050. In the US there is a 28-trillion dollar gap in 2015 but that will be 137 in 2050. In the UK an 8-trillion gap will grow to 33 trillion In addition to increasing life expectancy, the report says the shift to defined contribution plans, such as the 401(k), as opposed to traditional defined benefit pensions, has made saving more difficult and confusing for workers. 'All the risks that governments and employers used to have, we've shifted that onto workers,' Yik said. The report calls for the government and employers to streamline retirement saving with measures such as dashboard reporting, which pools together information regarding different accounts - for example, those held by previous employers - as well as projected government benefits and other benefits. Dashboards allow workers to more easily project their savings income during retirement, and adjust their contributions accordingly. Several countries have already introduced dashboard reporting, including Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, and is being discussed in the UK. EU officials said Friday that 'Russian sources' stepped up a long-running disinformation campaign against the European Union in a bid to undermine the bloc's elections last month. The sources used fake social media accounts, bots and news sites to amplify existing divisive content by targeting particular groups of voters and countries, Security Commissioner Julian King said. 'The number of disinformation cases attributed to Russian sources ... doubled as compared to the same period a year ago,' King said, highlighting a report by European Commission investigators. Julian King, the EU's Security Commissioner, said there were 1,000 cases of disinformation linked to Russia in May - when elections were held - compared to 400 this time last year 'So almost 1,000, as compared with over 400.' The report from the 28-nation EU's executive arm follows pre-election warnings from Brussels to EU countries and social media giants like Facebook and Twitter to guard against 'fake news' from Moscow. 'Available evidence has not allowed us to identify a distinct cross-border disinformation campaign from external sources specifically targeting the European elections,' the report said. 'However, the evidence collected revealed a continued and sustained disinformation activity by Russian sources aiming to suppress turnout and influence voter preferences,' the report said. When asked whether the report contradicted itself, King replied that disinformation aimed at dividing Europeans was 'increasingly locally focused' rather than large scale. He added that EU steps to counter disinformation may have also had 'some sort of deterrent effect.' Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told the same news conference that there was 'no big bang moment' - like Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal - to draw attention to organised manipulation. Then, after revelations from a whistleblower, it was shown that tens of millions of users had their personal data hijacked by Cambridge Analytica, a political firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. But King cited examples of what he said were false reports spread by Russian sources, such as the claims that the EU had made Poland poorer than when it had been a communist country. King accused Russia of using a network of bots, fake social media accounts and fake news sites to spread and amplify what he called 'divisive content' The British commissioner also said Russian sources, without identifying them, suggested French President Emmanuel Macron wants to expel some countries from the EU. He also said a fake Twitter account allegedly linked to Russia has spread false information that the EU has Nazi roots. The Commission report said that 'political actors' in member states often adopted tactics and story lines used by Russian sources to damage the EU. For example, 'malicious actors' used the fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in the French capital two months ago to showcase what they see as an alleged decline in Western Christian values. The alleged trolls also blamed Austria's political crisis and government collapse on the so-called 'European deep state,' as well as 'German and Spanish security services' and others, the report said. The commission said it will take time to determine the 'scope and impact' of disinformation campaigns because of their complex and sophisticated nature. Official figures showed that turnout for the May 23 to 26 elections was at nearly 51 percent, a 20-year high, amid growing debate about the future of the EU. And, even though populists and eurosceptics made significant inroads, they did not achieve the breakthrough feared by the political establishment. Mainstream parties still control the lion's share of the 751-seat European Parliament. The Commission welcomed a voluntary campaign begun last year by US tech giants Google, Twitter and Facebook to stop the spread of falsehoods and hatred on their platforms. The tech giants took down millions of fake accounts and did more to screen political ads, Jourova said. But King and Jourova, a politician from the Czech Republic, said they must provide more detailed information to help identify malicious actors and the countries targeted. They said the new commission that will be formed in the wake of the elections could still pass laws affecting the tech giants if the voluntary approach is insufficient. President Donald tore through the presidential field with the first Democratic debate approaching, insulting Vice President Joe Biden's 'mental capacity,' mocking Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and calling Pete Buttigieg a 'joke.' The president teed off on potential rivals after getting an open-ended question in a 'Fox and Friends' call-in interview. The president obliged, first taking on poll leader former Vice President Joe Biden who was leading Trump by 13-points in a recent Quinnipiac University poll, and who exchanged political blows with Trump while both men were in Iowa this week. President Donald Trump attacked and rated the Democratic field after getting an open-ended 'Everybody knows that Joe Biden does not have what it takes. He doesnt have what it takes,' Trump said. Asked what he meant, Trump responded: 'It means mental capacity, it means a lot of different things.' 'He doesnt have, never did have what it takes,' said Trump, who pointed to Biden's showing in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses before getting elevated as Barack Obama's running mate. 'He never got more than 1 per cent, then Obama came along and surprisingly he took him off I say the trash heap and and ran, but everybody knows Joe is doesn't have it,' Trump said. A Biden campaign aide didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Then Trump turned to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whom he referred to only through the nickname he uses to mock her previous claim of Native American heritage. Warren in the past has blasted Trump for using 'recycled racist name-calling' by employing the term. Warren has risen to third place in recent public polling, behind Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Trump said former Vice President Joe Biden is 'having other people doing his thinking because hes having a hard time thinking lately' Trump called Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who attended a rally protesting against President Donald Trump policies outside of the White House in Washington this week, a 'joke' 'I don't see Kamala,' Trump said of California senator Kamala Harris Trump called Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) 'Pocahontas' 'Now i see that Pocahontas is doing better, I would love to run against her, frankly, I see that [Vermont Sen.] Bernie sanders is not doing well at all, [who] I would have frankly like to have run against.' 'I dont see the other ones, I really dont see it. They talk about Kamala,' he said, referring to California Sen. Kamala Harris, who has skewered him form the Judiciary Comittee, by her first name. 'I don't see Kamala, I don't see I think its probably between the three of them. Mayor Pete, I don't see at all, I think that's a joke Pete,' Trump said of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg. He also pounced on Biden for his recent reveral on the Hyde Amendment dealing with federal funding for abortion procedures. 'The Democrats have become a radical left party and he probably figures he cant win. But Im not sure hes even thinking about it, I think hes having other people doing his thinking because hes having a hard time thinking lately,' said Trump. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez responded on CNN: 'What they all have in common is they're ahead of Trump in the polls, he said. 'He understands that he's in big trouble.' The reason he is doing this nonsense is that he understands that we've got a deep bench here, and he's scared.' 'When he goes low, we got vote, when he goes lower, we get more people out to vote,' Perez said. An audio recording has emerged of a distress call made at the scene of one of the Gulf of Oman explosions yesterday, as the owner of the other tanker said the crew saw a 'flying object' hurtling towards them. In the short clip, the captain of a passing cargo ship voices fears of a torpedo attack as he helps to rescue the crew of the MT Front Altair after it was hit by a blast and caught fire. The sailor, who identifies himself as the captain of the Hyundai Dubai, gives the exact location of the Altair, mentions an explosion and says that its 23 crew members have 'safely disembarked', in the recording published by TradeWinds. Washington alleges that Iran was behind the two blasts and published footage yesterday claiming to show an Iranian patrol boat retrieving an unexploded mine from the Kokuka. However, the accounts of torpedoes and flying objects which are emerging from the two shipping companies do not entirely back America's findings up. Yutaka Katada, the head of the firm which owns the Kokuka Courageous, said that 'something came flying at the ship' - casting doubt on America's theory that it was attacked with a limpet mine. Yutaka Katada, president of the Japanese company operating one of the oil tankers attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, shows a photo of the attacked ship today An Iranian navy boat tries to control a fire on board the MT Front Altair yesterday, as a recording emerged of a distress call by a nearby captain today He said the unknown object punched a hole in the Kokuka Courageous, starting a fire and forcing the crew to evacuate. The shipping firm boss said the weapon had not been a torpedo and revealed that the U.S. Navy was now escorting the stricken vessel to the UAE. He also said it was unlikely that the ship was targeted because of its Japanese ownership - a theory hinted at by Iran as the attacks came during talks with Japan's PM yesterday. The ship's 21 crew have since returned to the vessel and its cargo of 25,000 tonnes of methanol, destined for Singapore, is said to be undamaged. Mr Katada, the head of the Kokuka Sangyo company, said the tanker had suffered two apparent attacks. After the first, crew members 'made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again,' he said. Describing the second blast today, he said: 'The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes. 'We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship.' One crew member suffered minor injuries in the blasts, which have sent Middle East tensions spiralling once again. U.S. Navy sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) render aid to the crew of the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman The owner of the Kokuka Courageous (file photo) said it was unlikely that the ship was targeted because of its Japanese ownership - a theory hinted at by Iran 'Crew members went back to the ship with support of the U.S. military and recovered the backup power source,' Mr Katada said. 'We'll review the overall damage but we don't think there's a possibility it will sink. There's no damage to the goods and fuel.' The United States has blamed Iran for attacking the Kokuka Courageous and the Altair on Thursday but Tehran has denied the allegations. The ship's crew saw an Iranian military ship in the vicinity on Thursday night Japan time, Katada said. Katada said he did not believe Kokuka Courageous was targeted because it was owned by a Japanese firm. The tanker is registered in Panama and was flying a Panamanian flag, he said. 'Unless very carefully examined, it would be hard to tell the tanker was operated or owned by Japanese,' he said. A diagram showing the U.S. and Iranian forces in the region and the location of recent attacks on oil tankers and a Saudi oil pipeline, which have escalated Middle East tensions The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz UK foreign secretary warns of 'unintended catastrophic' effects UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned of an 'unintended catastrophe' in the Middle East as tensions ratchet up between the U.S. and Iran. Mr Hunt said Britain backed the U.S. in pointing the finger at Iran over Thursday's tanker explosions. He said Iranian involvement would be a 'deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region'. Mr Hunt, a candidate to be Britain's next Prime Minister, told the BBC today: 'This is deeply worrying and comes at a time of already huge tension. 'I have been in contact with (Mr) Pompeo and, while we will be making our own assessment soberly and carefully, our starting point is obviously to believe U.S. allies. 'At the moment both sides in this dispute think that the other side doesn't want war and the risk you have is that then they do something provocative that leads to catastrophic consequences that weren't intended. 'And so it is a very dangerous situation.' Downing Street earlier called the suspected attacks 'completely unacceptable'. Advertisement The tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil consumption passes on its way from Middle Eastern producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and Kuwait as well as Iran. 'This strait is very crucial. Without this route we can not transport gasoline and heavy oil to Japan,' Katada said. 'Unless another major incident occurs, as long as we get approval from our crew, we will continue operating our tankers via this route to Saudi Arabia.' Japanese Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Friday that the incidents will be discussed at a meeting of G20 energy and environment ministers this weekend. Seko declined to comment on American officials blaming Iran, saying Japan is still investigating the incident, which occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran. President Donald Trump on Friday repeated the American claim that Iran attacked the oil tankers. 'You saw the boat, one to have mines didn't explode and it has Iran written all over it. Successfully took the mine off the boat and that was exposed. They didn't want the evidence left behind. They don't know that we have things that we can detect in the dark that work very well. We have that. It was them that did it,' Trump said. Laying out the U.S. claims against Iran last night, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said 'it is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman.' 'This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to executive the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,' he said. Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, issued a timeline that suggested the military witnessed Iranian vessels returning to the Japanese vessel The U.S. Central Command also released the grainy black-and-white video which it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing the unexploded limpet mine from the Japanese ship. Britain today backed Pompeo's claim as foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK 'has no reason not to believe the American assessment'. Last night Tehran dismissed the U.S. claims, calling them 'baseless' and accusing America of 'sabotage diplomacy' and 'Iranophobia'. Foreign minister Javad Zarif said the group he calls the 'B-team' - America's John Bolton, Israel's prime minister, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - were waging 'economic terrorism' against Iran. Tehran accused America of trying to 'sabotage' its talks with Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, who was visiting Tehran in an effort to cool tensions. Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) render aid to the crew of the M/V Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman One of the oil tankers burns in the Gulf of Oman yesterday following an apparent attack on the two vessels, just four weeks after similar acts of sabotage against Saudi ships renewed tensions in the Middle East Saudi Arabia intercepts new airport attack Saudi forces has intercepted five drones launched by Yemeni rebels linked to Iran, in a second assault on an airport in the kingdom's in two days. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, according to a Saudi coalition statement. Responsibility for Wednesday's attack was claimed by the Houthi rebels, a Yemeni group linked to Iran. They are fighting against the Saudi-led coalition in a civil war which has been raging since 2015. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks. Abha is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. The airport was operating normally today with no fights disrupted, the Saudi-led coalition added. Advertisement The Islamic Republic said yesterday it was 'suspicious' about the timing of the blasts during Mr Abe's visit. His talks with Iran's supreme leader appeared to take a wrong turn yesterday as the Ayatollah said Tehran would 'never repeat' negotiations with the U.S. However, Mr Abe said Khamenei assured him that Iran has no intention to produce, possess or use nuclear arms. The explosions, which forced 44 sailors on the Kokuta and the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair to abandon ship, have also sparked fears over the world oil supply after four tankers were targeted in similar blasts last month. The latest round of attacks has also sparked fears over global oil supplies. 'We need to remember that some 30 per cent of the world's seaborne crude oil passes through the straits. If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk,' said Paolo d'Amico, chairman of the INTERTANKO tanker association. There was also some dispute over who had rescued the 44 sailors, as Iran initially claimed to have taken them to safety - but the Japanese owner of Kokuka said the ship's crew were rescued by a Dutch vessel, then taken to a U.S. warship. The latest crisis erupted after Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani threatened to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal with the West, which is faltering already after Donald Trump pulled out of it last year. The Taiwanese oil refiner which chartered the Front Altair (file photo) said the ship was 'suspected of being hit by a torpedo' Tehran has demanded that the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia help Iran to dodge U.S. sanctions, which were restored last year when Donald Trump quit the pact. Speaking last month Rouhani said Iran would ramp up nuclear enrichment if such help did not materialise. But the White House condemned what it called Iran's attempted 'nuclear blackmail of Europe' and warned: 'Expect more sanctions soon. Very soon.' The threat also sparked a backlash from Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu warned he would 'not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons'. U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said Iranian mines were almost certainly behind the May 12 attacks, but declined to provide evidence. The UAE said last week that initial findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state was likely behind the attacks, but added there was no evidence yet of Iranian involvement. Donald Trump's White House has not ruled out military action against Iran, although both sides insist they do not want a war. A week after the May 12 attacks, President Trump warned that if Iran attacks American interests 'that will be the official end of Iran'. Zarif retorted that 'genocidal taunts' would not 'end Iran'. However, in an effort to cool tensions Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said there 'won't be any war' while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. 'fundamentally does not seek any war'. A Virginia substitute teacher's has warmed parents' heart after he stepped in the save a student from an embarrassing situation. Vohn Lewis had been standing by during the fifth grade's graduation ceremony, when one student's shoe broke shortly before he was set to walk in graduation. In a spur of the moment decision, Mr Lewis slipped off his shoes for the boy to wear on stage. The boy's mother told another teacher that she 'almost cried' after seeing Mr Lewis' heroic actions. Virginia substitute teacher Vohn Lewis (right) slipped off his shoes for the boy after his pair broke minutes before graduation Catherine Gholson shared photos of the moment Mr Lewis helped out the student in need, praising his generosity. 'This is what being the change you wish to see in the world looks like... blown away by Vohn Lewis!' said Catherine. 'He's always fixing collars and tying shoes, but his vision is bigger than that. Big thanks to him for leading with love and by example.' Mr Lewis had only been at the school since February and is also a mentor in the Brothers United Mentoring Program for young students of colour. Seen as positive role model by the students, Mr Lewis said that he tries to be attentive to every student he passes. 'If I see a child with a shoe untied or a collar messed up, I can't sit there and let him walk by,' Lewis told CBS6. 'I'll definitely walk up to them and let them know, and that's just me.' It was then on 'Moving On Day' that Mr Lewis was approached by the boy and his mother minutes before graduation after a failed attempt to stick the shoe back together. 'Our guidance counselor brought the student and his mom to me and said help we need any supplies that you have,' art teacher said Bradley Kopelove, an art teacher at George Mason Elementary. But when the supplies didn't work, Mr Lewis made the quick decision to save the student any embarrassment. 'Me being me, sometimes my heart leads me to certain situations,' Lewis told WTVR. 'I said "you can wear my shoes man, I wear a size 10".' Teacher Bradley Cook Kopelove later posted the photos, saying: 'Mr. Lewis gave the shoes off his feet to help a student who's shoe broke right before 5th grade graduation! 'Made my day! Thank you for looking out for our boys and creating a positive moment during a potentially terrible one for our student.' Police are pleading with Extinction Rebellion protesters not to use drones as part of a planned 'shut-down' of London's Heathrow Airport next Tuesday. The Metropolitan Police said the planned '11-day shutdown' of Heathrow had the potential to cause 'widespread disruption' and urged activists not to use drones in an effort to suspend flights. Officers said in order to prevent the disruption they have drawn 'vital police resources' from across the capital, and warned that the illegal use of drones at airports has the capability to cause 'great disruption to the public, not only in London, but internationally'. Climate change activists plan to use drones in an effort to suspend flights from Heathrow for 11 days starting on Tuesday Extinction Rebellion (XR) demonstrators at London Heathrow airport. XR has again threatened to shut down the London airport for 11 days using drones if the Government does not cancel a planned expansion Climate change activists attend an Extinction Rebellion protest outside Heathrow Airport in London on April 19. Police have promised a tough crackdown on anyone caught using a drone to ground flights Pictured: Chaos at Gatwick after many passengers found themselves sleeping at the airport following drone disruption in December 2018 'There is speculation that protesters will use drones in order to disrupt business at Heathrow,' said Laurence Taylor, deputy assistant commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police. 'I want to be absolutely clear that anyone caught illegally using a drone can expect to be dealt with in line with the law,' he added in a statement. Police pleaded with the protesters not to disrupt the country's busiest airport after warning them of the drain on the force's resources. It follows the chaos caused by mystery culprits at Gatwick Airport over three days in December, when drone sightings resulted in around 1,000 flights being grounded, affecting 140,000 passengers. 'As we have seen, the illegal use of drones at airports also has the capability to cause great disruption to the public, not only in London, but internationally,' Deputy Assistant Commissioner Taylor said (pictured: Passengers at Gatwick, December 20, 2018) Police officers stand guard during an Extinction Rebellion protest outside Heathrow Airport in on April 19, 2019 The planned action at Heathrow next week has the potential to cause 'widespread disruption', according to police The Met's full statement on the planned Extinction Rebellion protest Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said: 'We are aware of Extinction Rebellion's intention to stage a protest at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday, 18 June. An appropriate policing plan involving specialist officers from across the Met is in place. 'This plan covers the unique challenges that come with a protest being held at an airport. We are determined to play our part in keeping the airspace over London's airports safe for the thousands of planes flying in and out every week. 'There is speculation that protestors will use drones in order to disrupt business at Heathrow. I want to be absolutely clear that anyone caught illegally using a drone can expect to be dealt with in line with the law. 'If flown into the path of an aircraft, a drone has the potential to cause great harm to those on board. Affecting the safety of aircraft passengers is very different to blocking roads around London, and should this happen, the consequences will reflect the severity of the offence. Endangering the safety of an aircraft can result in a life sentence. 'As we have seen, the illegal use of drones at airports also has the capability to cause great disruption to the public, not only in London, but internationally. The airport is part of our national infrastructure, and we will not allow the illegal activity of protestors to cause disruption and misery to thousands. 'We will be deploying resources - both in terms of officers and equipment - to monitor the airspace around Heathrow and quickly detect and disrupt any illegal drone activity. 'While it is our duty to deliver an appropriate plan for this protest, I want to make clear the impact this kind of activity has on frontline policing. This has the potential to cause widespread disruption, and in order to prevent this happening we have drawn vital police resources from across the capital. 'We would urge anybody intending to join this event with a view to committing criminal activity, whether considered peaceful or not, to strongly reconsider. 'Protests of this nature can cause significant disruption to people, but I want to reassure the public that we have a very experienced command team in place for this operation. We will work hard to keep you as informed as possible throughout.' Advertisement 'As we have seen, the illegal use of drones at airports also has the capability to cause great disruption to the public, not only in London, but internationally,' Deputy Assistant Commissioner Taylor said. 'We will be deploying resources, both in terms of officers and equipment, to monitor the airspace around Heathrow and quickly detect and disrupt any illegal drone activity. 'While it is our duty to deliver an appropriate plan for this protest, I want to make clear the impact this kind of activity has on frontline policing. 'This has the potential to cause widespread disruption, and in order to prevent this happening we have drawn vital police resources from across the capital. 'We would urge anybody intending to join this event with a view to committing criminal activity, whether considered peaceful or not, to strongly reconsider. 'Protests of this nature can cause significant disruption to people, but I want to reassure the public that we have a very experienced command team in place for this operation. 'We will work hard to keep you as informed as possible throughout.' A Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said it was aware of the planned protests and would be working with authorities to address any potential disruption. She added: 'This is reckless action that if carried out could endanger the lives of the travelling public and our colleagues. 'We agree with the need to act on climate change, but that requires us to work together constructively, not commit serious criminal offences.' The protesters announced last month they were intending to stage several days of non-violent action at Heathrow over plans to expand the airport. A statement said: 'This is not about targeting the public, but holding the Government to their duty to take leadership on the climate and ecological emergency. 'The addition of the planned third runway would make Heathrow the single biggest carbon emitter in the UK, to expand the airport at this critical point in history would be madness.' Extinction Rebellion said it would release updated details about the protest on Sunday. The Ministry of Defence introduced detection systems capable of being deployed across the UK to combat the threat of drones in the wake of the Gatwick fiasco. A father has been jailed for 10 years after forcing a man to work as a slave at his scrap metal business without pay, while repeatedly beating him. Anthony Baker, 49, and his son Harvey Baker, 19, repeatedly attacked their 'vulnerable' 20-year-old victim for more than two years, while keeping him in a dilapidated caravan at their work site. On Friday a court heard the men's yard was raided by police in January following complaints by members of the public, who found the malnourished young man with extensive bruising and a broken jaw which prevented him from being able to speak properly. Anthony Baker, 49, kept the 20-year-old victim in squalid conditions at the scrap metal yard where he forced him to work as a labourer. Son Harvey Baker, 19, would regularly dish out beatings to keep the man in line. Anthony Baker and his son Harvey kept the vulnerable 20-year-old man living in this caravan in their scrap metal business in Swansea He told police he had been taken in off the streets by the elder Baker at the age of 18, but was then forced to work collecting scrap metal without payment, and fed one meal a day of tinned soup or baked beans. He also said he was beaten 'every day' at the scrap metal yard in Earlswood Cottages in Jersey Marine, Swansea, and was sometimes hit with a scaffolding bar. Swansea Crown Court was told the father and son were arrested by police, while a nurse who treated the victim commented that he looked like someone from a concentration camp. His fingers had been deliberately broken and his nose bitten, and he said he was used as a 'human punch bag' by the pair, with one holding him as the other punched, on several occasions during his ordeal between October 2016 and January 2019. The court heard he was left with a 'distorted' face from his injuries, and with a burst ear drum and cauliflower ears. He also received skin grafting while he was treated in hospital for a fortnight. The victim was used as a 'human punch bag' and ordered to preform 'forced or compulsory labour' over the course of two years until a member of the public made a complaint Anthony Baker, who the court heard had 'limitations in intellect', pleaded guilty to requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, inflicting grievous bodily harm, four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and unlawful wounding. Harvey Baker pleaded guilty to six counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, unlawful wounding, and three counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm. Stephen Donnelly, defending Anthony Baker, said it was to his client's credit he accepted the charges put to him, preventing his victim from having to sit through a trial. Lee Davies, defending Harvey Baker, said he'd 'had time to reflect, and he understands the seriousness of what he's done'. Judge Paul Thomas QC said he found it hard to believe the type of offence had taken place in the 21st century, calling the victim's treatment 'barbaric and savagely inhuman'. Addressing Anthony Baker, he said: 'It would have been utterly appalling if you had treated one of your animals the way your treated him, let alone a teenager. 'On the pretext of giving him somewhere to live you made him your slave. 'You kept him hungry and thirsty. He had to live in conditions unfit for human habitation and was not properly clothed. 'It was cruel above all incredulity. 'He was hit on a regular basis with such cruelty and frequency it amounted to sadistic behaviour. 'I consider you both got a power kick from having someone at your mercy. A powerless teenager. 'He will never recover fully from what you did to him.' Anthony Baker was given a 10-year jail term with an extension period of five years as well as a 20-year modern slavery order meaning he has to alert South Wales Police if he plans on employing anyone Anthony Baker was given a 10-year jail sentence with an extension period of five years, and a 20-year modern slavery order, which will prevent him from employing anyone without first notifying South Wales Police. Harvey Baker was sentenced to six years in a young offender institution. Following the sentencing Catrin Attwell of the Crown Prosecution Service said the Bakers had 'exploited the victim's vulnerability'. She said: 'Modern slavery is a despicable crime. It is hard to believe slavery is happening in our communities but this case reminds us that it does.' A Colombian Bishop is recruiting the army to pour holy water from a helicopter in an exorcism of evil at his violence ravaged city. Bishop of Buenaventura Ruben Dario Jaramillo Montoya reportedly wants the exorcism to rid the streets of 'demons' amid a wave of murders. Montoya told local radio station Blu Radio: 'We want to go around the whole of Buenaventura, from the air, and pour holy water onto it to see if we exorcise and get out all those demons that are destroying our port, so that God's blessing comes and gets rid of all the wickedness that is in our streets.' The National Army are reportedly backing the cleric's decision and have pledged a helicopter to fly the holy water over the city in western Colombia. Ruben Dario Jaramillo Montoya wants to carry out a helicopter exorcism in a Colombia city The city of Buenaventura in western Colombia has seen a wave of violence with 51 homicides reported between January and May, up from 20 in the same period last year Commanders are understood to be in discussions with the priest over where best to deploy the airborne blessing. The bishop said: 'Buenaventura should have the Devil taken away so that we can see if we can get back the tranquillity the city has lost with all this crime, wickedness and the drug trafficking that is hitting our port.' It is said that the exorcism will take place between 13th and 14th July, during a local festival. According to local media, between January and May this year, 51 homicides were reported in the city, 20 more than in the same period last year. The latest murder in the city shocked the country when Diana Tatiana Rodriguez, 10, was found with clear signs of having been tortured and sexually abuses. A street in the city of Buenaventura - in the latest homicide to rock the nation, Diana Tatiana Rodriguez, 10, was found with clear signs of having been tortured and sexually abuses Her uncle, Jhon Edwar Quintero Urquiza was arrested and reportedly confessed to the crime. Buenaventura is one of the municipalities which was worst hit by the armed conflict in Colombia. It is said that the municipality turned into a strategic spot for the drug route to the United States. In 2010, a car bomb attack left nine people died and more than 20 injured. Canceled plans, deferred departures, anxiety-fueled enjoyment. Once we get the vaccine, travel will go back to the way that it was before the pandemic, I told myself, like a stupid baby who was literally born yesterday. And everyone will be kind and fair and climate change will reverse and war is over and the meek shall inherit the earth and and and Well, not yet at least. Two years in, it feels like some of these shifts and trends have staying power. Its easy to think about all the negative new changesranging from irritating to devastatingwell forevermore have to endure, but there are a few silver linings come what may. And as far as the rest of it goes, itd be a safe bet to renew your Xanax prescription in 2022 and soldier on. Photo: The Canadian Press A new poll suggests the federal Liberals have stopped the bleeding from the beating they took in the SNC-Lavalin furor. The Leger poll suggests the Liberals have closed the gap slightly with the front-running Conservatives since April and dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government has eased a bit. More significantly, the poll also suggests the Liberals have opened up a 14-point lead over the Conservatives when it comes to which of the two main parties Canadians would prefer to see form government after the Oct. 21 vote. At the same time, however, the poll suggests more Canadians are worried about the prospect of four more years of Trudeau's Liberals than they are about the Conservatives regaining power. The poll of 1,528 Canadians, randomly recruited from Leger's online panel, was conducted between June 7 and 10 for The Canadian Press; polling experts say online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not generate a random sample of the population. Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they would vote for Andrew Scheer's Conservatives if an election were held today, versus 29 per cent for Trudeau's Liberals a two-point dip for the Tories and a two-point uptick for the Grits. Another 13 per cent said they would vote for Jagmeet Singh's NDP, 11 per cent for Elizabeth May's Green party and three per cent for Maxime Bernier's fledgling People's Party of Canada. Fifty-eight per cent registered dissatisfaction with Trudeau's government, down seven points, while 36 per cent said they were satisfied, up five points. And 25 per cent picked Scheer as the leader they think would make the best prime minister, unchanged since April, while 22 per cent picked Trudeau, up two points. Another eight per cent picked May, six per cent chose Singh and four per cent Bernier. A Leger poll in April found support for the Liberals and Trudeau had sunk to a new low, in the immediate aftermath of the SNC-Lavalin affair. Trudeau lost two senior cabinet ministers, a top aide and the country's top public servant as a result of allegations that his former attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, was improperly pressured by the Prime Minister's Office last fall to halt a criminal prosecution of the Montreal engineering giant. While the latest survey suggests only very modest improvement for the ruling party on most questions, the biggest change came when respondents were asked whether Canada would be better off under a Liberal or a Conservative government: 34 per cent preferred the Liberals versus 20 per cent the Conservatives. In April, the Liberals had only a five-point lead over the Conservatives (30 to 25) on that question. Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque speculated that the shift is due to people getting past their initial reaction to the SNC-Lavalin affair and focusing on the choice they'll have to make at the ballot box in October. "My guess is that all the news coverage, all the polls and all the pundits saying that the Conservatives were surging, that the Liberals were in trouble, maybe some people are waking up and saying, 'Wait a minute here, I stated my case on whatever my thoughts were on the Wilson-Raybould crisis and therefore (said) not Trudeau but, hey, what's the outcome?' " But the poll also suggests there are some contrary impulses at play as voters contemplate the coming election. Forty-six per cent of respondents said they're most worried about the prospect of four more years of Trudeau's government while 37 per cent said they're most concerned about the prospect of the Conservatives regaining power. A teenager has finished her final GSCE exam this morning after never taking a single sick day in 12 years. Paris Glover, 16, of Hull, East Yorkshire, has attended school 2,280 days in a row for 12 years at both primary and secondary school. While her peers were afflicted with chicken pox, ear infections and head lice Paris miraculously managed to avoid ever getting seriously sick. Paris Glover, 16, has finished her final GSCE exam this morning after never taking a single sick day in 12 years. At the age of 11 Paris was recognised for her 100% attendance by students and staff at her former school, Stockwell Primary Academy, during the leavers assembly The 16-year-old says there were days when she felt slightly under the weather but that she's never been struck down with anything bad enough to stay at home for the day. The teenager is now celebrating the extraordinary achievement after completing a 75-minute science exam at 10.15am this morning. She said: 'I feel great today, this is something that I've been working towards for years. The teenager, pictured above with Archbishop Sentamu Academy headteacher Chay Bell, is now celebrating the extraordinary achievement after completing a 75-minute science exam at 10.15am this morning 'My mum and dad have given me lots of support with my attendance, they've pushed me on days when I've had second thoughts about going in. 'Sometimes I have felt a bit under the weather but after going outside and taking my mind off whatever was wrong I actually felt fine. 'I think people feel worse when they stay in and don't do anything.' At the age of 11 Paris was recognised for her 100% attendance by students and staff at her former school, Stockwell Primary Academy, during the leavers assembly. Since then the schoolgirl has had her eyes on the even greater achievement of completing her entire school life without ever missing a day. She said: 'Since primary school I have always wanted to go through secondary without missing another day. 'I was really scared of breaking a bone or something because then I'd have stay off.' The headteacher at Archbishop Sentamu Academy, the school she attends, has today awarded her with a certificate in recognition of her achievement. After getting her GCSE results Paris will start at Wilberforce College in September, where she hopes to take A-levels in applied science, forensic science, criminology and performing arts. For the past few years Paris has been in the army cadets and when she's older would like to enter the military as a medic. Speaking this morning, Paris' beaming dad John Manolasses, 58, said he 'couldn't be prouder' of his 'brilliant' daughter's achievement. He said: 'I'm so proud of Paris, she's amazing. What an outstanding achievement. 'I don't think any school anywhere will see the likes of her again. 'She's such a resilient girl, even when she was feeling a bit under the weather she would go in to school.' Paris Glover, 16, of Hull, East Yorkshire, has attended school 2,280 days in a row for 12 years at both primary and secondary school. While her peers were afflicted with chicken pox, ear infections and head lice Paris miraculously managed to avoid ever getting seriously sick He added: 'I think this says a lot about her character and her puts her in a good position when applying for jobs. 'Employers are always looking for people who will turn up to work no matter what, and that's definitely her. 'She wants to join the military and I think they'd be lucky to have her.' John added: 'Paris hasn't ever given me any trouble at all, she's very well behaved.' Paris lives in Hull with dad John, mum Catherine, 52, and brother John, 22. Archbishop Sentamu Academy headteacher, Chay Bell, said 'To achieve 100% attendance throughout your time in school is a fantastic achievement. 'It shows your commitment and fortitude. Studies show that good attendance, more often than not, lead to excellent outcomes. 'We are all incredibly proud of Paris at the academy.' Taxpayers forked up $127,000 in legal fees for a Massachusetts judge accused of helping a twice-deported illegal alien evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Judge Shelley M Richmond Joseph used the public money right up until the day she was indicted on April 25, according to the Boston Herald. Joseph, 51, was placed on unpaid leave after she appeared in court on obstruction of justices charges. She has since appealed to have her $184,600 annual salary reinstated. A spokesperson for Massachusetts Trial Court administration refused to give a breakdown of Joseph's legal fees to the Boston Herald. Joseph and trial court officer Wesley MacGregor are accused of conspiring to help Jose Medina-Perez evade the ICE agent at Newton District Court on April 2, 2018. The judge allegedly ordered the courtroom recording device to be turned off for 52 seconds while she and Medina-Perez's lawyer had a conversation about getting him out of the courthouse instead of handing him over to an ICE officer. MacGregor is accused of using his access badge to release Medina-Perez through a rear door. The illegal immigrant went free and was at large for several weeks, before eventually being tracked down by authorities. Both Joseph and MacGregor have pleaded not guilty. Taxpayers forked up $127,000 in legal fees for a Massachusetts judge Shelley M Richmond Joseph, who is accused of helping an illegal immigrant evade ICE. She is pictured at a hearing on April 25 According to the Boston Herald, taxpayers also paid $2500 for MacGregor's legal fees. Meanwhile, Joseph first appeared in federal court in Boston on April 25. According to CBS, Joseph's attorney Tom Hoopes said outside courtroom: 'This prosecution is absolutely political, Shelley Joseph is absolutely innocent.' The American Civil Liberties Union also released a statement alleging the charges were the result of President Donald Trump's 'anti-immigrant agenda'. A GoFundMe campaign to help Joseph pay her legal bills has hit $60,800 in pledges. District Court Judge has appealed to have her $184,600 annual salary reinstated after she was suspended without pay Medina-Perez (seen above), who had been deported on two prior occasions, was arrested for drug possession before he wound up in Joseph's courtroom Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling announced the charges against Joseph and MacGregor on April 25. 'The allegations in today's indictment involve obstruction by a sitting judge, that is intentional interference with the enforcement of federal law, and that is a crime,' Lelling said. 'We cannot pick and choose the federal laws we follow, or use our personal views to justify violating the law.' Joseph and MacGregor face charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of a federal proceeding, according to the indictment. The adoptive grandmother of a 16-year-old Iowa girl who was starved to death faces new charges of trying to escape prison where she had been serving a 20-year sentence. Carla Bousman, 64, appeared in court on Thursday to face a new felony charge of escape from custody. The Iowa Department of Corrections says Bousman walked away from the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville on May 2. Authorities caught up with the 5-foot-6, 260-pound inmate about half-a-mile away from the facility. Carla Bousman, 64 (left), the adoptive grandmother of 16-year-old Sabrina Ray who was starved to death in 2017, has been charged with trying to escape prison Bousman is accused of walking away from the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville (pictured) on May 2 A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Corrections told WHO-TV Bousman had been placed in a 'minimum live-out' unit located outside of the prison fence. Inmates housed there are allowed to work outside the prison with supervision and return to the prison at the end of the day. Bousman was imprisoned last year after pleading guilty to neglect of a dependent person and six other charges in the death of Sabrina Ray in 2017. The grandmother admitted that she locked Sabrinas two sisters in a room with the girl as she was dying of starvation. She also admitted concealing evidence after the girl passed away weighing just 56lbs. If convicted of the escape charge, Bousman faces an additional five years in prison. She has pleaded not guilty to the felony count. Her next court appearance is on July 11. Sabrina's adoptive mother, 41-year-old Misty Jo Bousman Ray (left), was sentenced to a life in prison, and her adoptive father, Marc Ray, 43, (right) was handed an 80-year sentence In January, Sabrina's adoptive mother, 41-year-old Misty Jo Bousman Ray, was sentenced to a life in prison without the possibility of parole, and her adoptive father, 43-year-old Marc Ray, was handed an 80-year sentence. Bousman Ray pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree kidnapping and two counts of third-degree kidnapping involving two other adopted children who lived at her Perry, Iowa, home. Sabrina's brother, Justin Ray, 22, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of willful injury and was sentenced to 10 years in prison Marc Ray pleaded guilty in December 2018 to child endangerment causing death and three counts of third-degree kidnapping. Sabrina's brother, Justin Ray, 22, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of willful injury and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors said he drop-kicked the emaciated Sabrina down a basement staircase, leaving her unable to walk, talk, eat or drink normally. Marc and Misty, who ran a daycare center they called Rays of Sunshine Daycare at 1708 First Avenue in Perry, took in Sabrina as a foster child in 2011 and adopted her in 2013. Officers found her adopted sisters in the room with her lifeless body when they arrived at the home in May 2017. Sabrina was discovered wearing a diaper and covered in wounds. In a report briefly unsealed last year, an officer called the home 'the most horrific scene in my entire career and life.' More than 5,000 immigrants currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have now been quarantined for possible exposure to mumps or chicken pox. The agency has recorded cases of either mumps or chicken pox in 39 detention center across the U.S., an ICE official told CNN. They have quarantined 5,200 adult immigrants currently in custody as a result. There are currently about 52,000 migrants being detained in facilities across the U.S. Officials say 4,200 of them have been exposed to mumps and 800 exposed to chicken pox. Migrants are seen outside the U.S. Border Patrol McAllen Station in a makeshift encampment in McAllen, Texas in May. 5,200 migrants are being quarantined for possible exposure to mumps or chicken pox Roughly 100 immigrants have been exposed to both diseases and they are each being quarantined for 25 days. There have been 297 confirmed cases of mumps between September last year and June 13. Last September was the first time a mumps case was recorded in detention centers. Mumps can easily spread through droplets of saliva in the air, especially in close quarters. While most people recover within a few weeks, complications include brain swelling, sterility and hearing loss. They have quarantined 5,200 adult immigrants currently in custody as a result. There are currently about 52,000 migrants being detained in facilities across the U.S There have been 186 mumps cases in immigration detention facilities in Texas since October. In Colorado, 357 people have been quarantined following eight confirmed and five suspected cases of mumps detected since February. ICE had previously reported cases of chicken pox, influenza and measles. Mumps, influenza and chicken pox are largely preventable by vaccine. Vaccination rates in the countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are above 90 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ICE detainees come from countries all over the world, with varying degrees of vaccination coverage. A French anaesthesiologist is accused of killing nine patients while he allegedly triggered heart failure so he could heroically bring them back to life. Dr Frederic Pechier has been linked to 24 suspicious incidents during his time at the clinic in Besancon, eastern France. Pechier had his bail upheld on Wednesday at the Besancon court, despite prosecutors attempting to persuade the judge he should be remanded ahead of his trial. Prosecutor Etienne Manteaux said Pechier was injecting lethal quantities of potassium chloride or anaesthetics and was 'omnipresent' in taking charge of resuscitation. Frederic Pechier (right), suspected of poisoning and murder at the Besancon hospital, and his sister Julie Pechier arrive at the Besancon courthouse on Wednesday Pechier outside the court on Wednesday where his bail was upheld despite prosecutors arguing he should be remanded in custody ahead of his trial The 47-year-old denies the charges, conceding criminal acts were committed at the practice but not by him, NBC reported the prosecutor as saying. The physician was arrested after nine patients went into cardiac arrest between 2008 and 2017. Pechier was first charged in May 2017 and his trial has been delayed pending further investigations by the police who said they had broadened their inquiries to 'around 50 reports of unwanted events.' Pechier's peers considered him a brilliant anaesthesiologist but his quick diagnostics for reanimating patients raised suspicions for investigators. Pechier arrives at court with his sister on Wednesday, he denies all the charges against him Prosecutors have alleged he was the only doctor present when traces of poison or overdoses were uncovered. Pechier's lawyers have denied the claims, and in November they accused police of altering declarations he made during his initial questioning. He has been forced to move away from Besancon, according to Le Fiagro, and is living with his parents outside Poitiers, where his father works in medicine. The dad of a teenage girl 'excluded' from school for wearing an earring mounted a bizarre protest today - after he glued both his hands to its front gates. Irate Geoff Smith, 49, says his daughter Bobbiemay, 14, was sent home after getting a piercing that he claims stops her getting agonising migraines. In protest against the decision Geoff today (Fri) covered his hands with glue and a type of expansion foam then stuck them to two metal bars outside the school. Geoff Smith stuck his hands to the railings of his daughter's school in Leeds. Bobbymay Smith was excluded after teachers spotted her pain relieving earring Bobbiemay Smith (pictured) has been told by teachers that she can't go back to regular classes until the stud is taken out The so-called Daith piercings see a small hole created in the innermost cartilage fold of the ear in an attempt to replicate acupuncture Police were called to the scene of today's protest after Mr Smith attached himself to the gate He staged his protest for around an hour at lunchtime today before he pulled both his hands free from the gates when ordered to by police who were called. During the protest, which was streamed on Facebook, He said: 'I have superglued myself to the gate. 'My daughter has got a legal right to an education. 'The superglue is burning my hands at the minute... but I would put myself through any pain so my daughter can live life without pain.' After less than a minute a worker from the school, Cockburn John Charles Academy in Leeds, West Yorkshire, comes over and asks, 'what are you doing?'. Mr Smith, who works as a roofer, then instructs the man to call the fire brigade. Her father Geoff Smith (left, with Bobbiemay) claims the earring is essential and Bobbiemay (right) hasn't had a migraine since getting the piercing five weeks ago Police and fire service personnel attended the scene. Luckily Mr Smith was able to pull his hands away on his own, although a layer of skin did remain attached to the bars. Police opted not to arrest him and Mr Smith then entered the school to have a meeting with senior staff. Bobbiemay got the piercing in her tragus - the middle part of the outer ear - five weeks ago. The uniform policy at Cockburn John Charles Academy Visible facial, tongue and body piercings and other items of jewellery (ie rings) are NOT permitted. Covering of plasters will not be acceptable. No excessive make up/false eyelashes No Caps, hats, coats, jackets and hoodies No Non uniform tops and jumpers Students arriving with nail varnish, false nails, acrylics will instantly be referred to seculsion. Only natural nails are permissable. No coloured socks (only plain black socks). Only plain back leather type shoes are acceptable without logos. Pumps or any other inappropriate footwear are not permissable. Chelsea/ankle boot and boots that are visible either outside or inside trousers will lead to seclusion. Inappropriate clothing accessories, headbands etc will be confiscated. Advertisement Alternative medicine proponents argue some ear piercings stimulate nerves under the skin and muscle tissues, thereby producing pain-relieving substances, such as endorphins. Mr Smith said the piece of jewellery is not a fashion statement and that he bought the smallest, most inconspicuous stud he could to avoid it being an issue at school. Speaking yesterday ( he said: 'It's awful for a school to deprive a child of their education for something so minor. 'We tried everything to stop Bobbiemay's migraines - she can be in agonising pain for a week at a time with them. 'But she hasn't had one since getting the piercing five weeks ago. The piercing is working, it's not coming out.' He added: 'Bobbiemay was doing really well at that school so that's where I want her go go back to. 'She's missed a lot of school now and it's not fair. She's an intelligent child and they have had no other issues with her until now.' In a statement released yesterday, a school spokesman said: 'We would like to make it clear Bobbiemay Smith has not been excluded from the academy. 'She is welcome back at any time, as long as the earring is removed. Students and parents are aware of our clear uniform policy which is applied consistently. 'In this particular case, medical evidence or a doctor's note has not been provided to suggest exceptional circumstances. 'At all times, our focus is on Bobbiemay's welfare and best interests and we hope to see her return to the academy as soon as possible.' Nigel Shelby, 15, took his own life on April 15 after allegedly being bullied for being gay at school in Alabama The mother of an Alabama teenager who committed suicide believes he was failed by his school who told him 'being gay was a choice.' Nigel Shelby, 15, took his own life on April 15 after he was allegedly bullied and called homophobic slurs at Huntsville High School. His distraught mother Camika alleges that workers in the Huntsville City School system told Nigel being gay was a choice and didn't inform her about discussions he had about his sexuality. In a statement given to WZDX, she said that several hours after her son's death, a school administrator called her telling her to look for a suicide note in his backpack. She claimed: 'People at his school knew that he planned to take his own life. I need to find out who knew and why nobody told me until after he died.' Camika Shelby said that lawyers for the family of Trayvon Martin, the teen shot dead in Florida by George Zimmerman in 2012, will investigate the circumstances surrounding Nigels death. The attorneys, Benjamin Crump and Jasmine Rand, claimed administrators at Nigel's school had a duty to ensure his safety and to address any bullying he experienced because of his sexuality and gender identity. Nigel Shelby's mother Camika alleges workers in the Huntsville City School system told Nigel being gay was a choice and didn't inform her about discussions he had about his sexuality In a statement on behalf of both lawyers, they added: 'We will work hard to determine the role his school contributed in his decision to take his own life and to uncovering the truth surrounding the tragic circumstances of Nigel Shelby's death for his mother.' During a press conference earlier this week, Camika spoke emotionally of the joy her son brought to her life and how he had been 'failed by a system that was there to protect him.' She said: 'The moment that little boy came out, he gave me so much purpose, he had a smile that could brighten up anyone. 'Sweet, kind, he was so loved. Every day I struggle with how do I go on without my purpose, i feel like he was my purpose.' She claimed she has a lot of questions after his death as he seemed fine the day before he died and she had a normal conversation with him. 'I never thought in a million years the next day I would come home from work and find my son the way i did, I'll never get over it. She believes people in the school were aware he may have been planning to take his own life, as she was informed about the note in his backpack. Camika added: 'He said he hoped the world wouldn't be so cruel in the afterlife, what child has to think about something like that. Camika Shelby spoke emotionally of the joy Nigel, (pictured), brought to her life and how he had been 'failed by a system that was there to protect him' Camika said she believes that his death may have been prevented if warning signs were flagged by the school. Mother and son are pictured together in a Facebook picture 'When they contacted me about it he was already gone, I'm speaking out today so that other kids who went through what Nigel went through do not have to be afraid to stand up for their selves 'You are normal, you are loved, it doesn't matter who you decide you want to love, it doesn't make you any different.' She believes that his death may have been prevented if warning signs were flagged by the school. 'I feel like I lost my child because he was failed by a system that was there to protect him. I did everything i could to try to make sure he was okay.' Camika Shelby announced that she is retaining nationally renowned civil rights attorneys Benjamin Crump and Jasmine Rand to investigate the circumstances involving her son's death Benjamin Crump, (center) and Jasmine Rand, (right), represented the family of Trayvon Martin In a statement, Huntsville City Schools said it will work with Camika Shelby and her attorneys to answer questions they may have and 'to correct any misunderstandings or misinformation, to the extent possible.' The school system added: 'The effect of Nigel Shelbys passing is still being felt by the school and district-wide. 'The administrators and counselors of Huntsville High School had a close relationship with Nigel during his time at the school. 'They worked with Nigel to ensure that he felt at home at Huntsville High. They were absolutely devastated by Nigels passing and tried to do everything in their power to support Ms. Shelby during that difficult time.' Huntsville City Schools said it is committed to fostering a culture that is welcoming and inclusive and establishing a learning environment that treats all students with equality and respect. 'We expect all students to treat each other with courtesy and dignity and to refrain from bullying and harassment. 'The district addresses bullying and harassment in both our policy manual and code of student conduct (called the Behavioral Learning Guide), with extensive punishments and interventions for the offending student' A veteran teacher in Florida has been fired after she allegedly choked a student in her classroom following an altercation. Ava Williams, who worked for the Broward School System for more than 20 years was fired by the district Thursday, following several investigations which have been underway since September last year. The teacher was finally snared when a fellow educator, Shawony Russell, stepped forward and claimed Williams had admitted choking the student, after the pupil had slammed their desk against the wall in a rage after the class had gone on lunch. Ava Williams, who worked for the Broward School System for more than 20 years was fired by the district Thursday, following several investigations which have been underway since September last year In a written statement, a Watkins Elementary School student told investigators: 'Teacher walked over to me when I pushed in my chair and said, "Do you hear me?" and she choked me. 'There was no one in the classroom. All the other kids had walked out to the hallway for lunch.' School officials investigated the complaints internally before going to the police with the concerns - ultimately contacting the Broward Sheriff's Office's Child Protective Investigations Section. However, an officer determined the claims was unsubstantiated, so no criminal battery charges were followed up, KFVS reported. But a colleague of Williams eventually came forward and said she had in fact carried out the assault. Russell said Williams 'admitted to Russell that she did choke [the student]. The accusations against Williams are not the first. In 2013 and 2015 she was accused of twisting a student's ear and of hitting students on the back of the head. The veteran teacher is reportedly planning to appeal the school board's decision (Watkins Elementary School) Williams reportedly denied any physical contact with the student and asked whether marks or fingerprints were noticed, the case notes show 'Ms. Russell stated Williams told her if anyone questions her about choking the child, she was going to ask if there were any marks on the child's neck or if fingerprints had been recovered,' KFVS reported. Williams reportedly denied any physical contact with the student and asked whether marks or fingerprints were noticed, the case notes show. The accusations against Williams are not the first. In 2013 and 2015 she was accused of twisting a student's ear and of hitting students on the back of the head. The veteran teacher is reportedly planning to appeal the school board's decision. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has backed America's claim that Iran is responsible for attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East. The Tory leadership hopeful warned of 'unintended but catastrophic' consequences if Iran is proven to be behind the incident. It comes after the US military released a video said to show Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers attacked in the Gulf. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain is currently backing the US in its assessment that Iran is responsible for the suspected attacks and warned of a 'very dangerous situation'. Downing Street earlier called the suspected attacks 'completely unacceptable' Iran rejected accusations by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that it was responsible based on intelligence and the expertise needed to carry out the operation. Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt said Britain is currently backing the US in its assessment that Iran is responsible for the suspected attacks and warned of a 'very dangerous situation'. He told the BBC: 'We are taking this extremely seriously and my message to Iran is that, if they have been involved, it is a deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region'. President Donald Trump on Friday charged Iran with attacking oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and warned Tehran their actions will not be taken lightly. 'Iran did do it,' Trump said on 'Fox & Friends' when he called in to the morning show for an interview 'At the moment both sides in this dispute think that the other side doesn't want war and the risk you have is that then they do something provocative that leads to catastrophic consequences that weren't intended'. Downing Street earlier called the suspected attacks 'completely unacceptable'. The price of oil rocketed on Thursday amid fears of disruption to one of the world's most important tanker routes as a result of an escalation in the region. President Donald Trump on Friday charged Iran with attacking oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and warned Tehran their actions will not be taken lightly. 'Iran did do it,' Trump said on 'Fox & Friends' when he called in to the morning show for an interview. Iran rejected accusations by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, pictured above, that it was responsible based on intelligence and the expertise needed to carry out the operation One of the oil tankers burns in the Gulf of Oman yesterday following an apparent attack on the two vessels, just four weeks after similar acts of sabotage against Saudi ships renewed tensions in the Middle East A diagram showing the U.S. and Iranian forces in the region and the location of recent attacks on oil tankers and a Saudi oil pipeline, which have escalated Middle East tensions The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz He advised Tehran the U.S. could see evidence of the attack and cited a video released Thursday by the American military that claimed to show grainy footage of Iranian vessels retrieving an unexploded mine from one of the damaged ships. 'You saw the boat, one to have mines didn't explode and it has Iran written all over it. Successfully took the mine off the boat and that was exposed. They didn't want the evidence left behind. They don't know that we have things that we can detect in the dark that work very well. We have that. It was them that did it,' Trump said. But Trump didn't offer details when pressed on how the United States would respond. 'We're gonna see. We're gonna see how to stop,' he said. 'We'll see what happens. We don't take it lightly, that I can tell you,' he added. Iran claimed it had sent a search and rescue team to bring the Kokuta's crew to safety - but Washington D.C. argues their real intention was to hide Iranian involvement in the blasts. Tehran dismissed the U.S. claims, calling them 'baseless' and accusing America of 'sabotage diplomacy' and 'Iranophobia'. The shipping firms affected are continuing their investigations amid claims that one of the crews saw a 'flying object' before an explosion on board. The explosions, which forced 44 sailors on the Kokuta and the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair to abandon ship, have also sparked fears over the world oil supply after four tankers were targeted in similar blasts last month. Timeline: Escalation in the Gulf region May 5: The U.S. says it is sending the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group and a bomber task force to the Middle East because of a 'credible threat' from Iran. Since then Washington has announced the dispatch to the region of an amphibious assault ship, a Patriot missile battery and an extra 1,500 troops. May 8: Iran vows to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels starting July 7 if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its nuclear deal. The U.S. responds by imposing fresh sanctions on Iran's steel and mining sectors. May 12: Two Saudi oil tankers and two other ships are damaged in mysterious 'sabotage attacks' off the coast of Fujairah, part of the United Arab Emirates. Washington believes Iran is to blame for the attacks, but Tehran denies involvement. May 14: Yemen's pro-Iranian Huthi rebels carry out drone attacks near Riyadh, shutting down a key Saudi oil pipeline. Two days later Saudi-led coalition air strikes hit the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa. The next day the U.S. orders all non-emergency diplomats to leave Iraq, due to an 'imminent' threat from Iranian-linked Iraqi militias. May 19: Trump warns that if Iran attacks American interests 'that will be the official end of Iran'. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the 'genocidal taunts' of U.S. Trump will not 'end Iran'. May 27: Trump says the U.S. is 'not looking for regime change' in Iran. May 30: Saudi Arabia - which accuses Iran of being behind the acts of sabotage and the drone attack in May - gets the backing of Arab leaders in its standoff with Tehran at summits organised by Riyadh. Iran accuses Riyadh of 'sowing division'. June 6: The UAE says a multinational investigation into the sabotage attacks point to the likelihood a state was behind them, without incriminating Iran. June 12: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives in Tehran in a bid to mediate between Washington and Tehran. A Yemeni rebel missile attack on an airport at Abha, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, wounds 26 civilians. The Saudis accuse Iran of supplying the weapon. June 13: Two tankers, Norwegian and Japanese, are hit by explosions in apparent attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Fifth Fleet says that it received two separate distress calls from the tankers in a 'reported attack'. Foreign Minister Zarif says the tanker 'attacks' as Abe visits are 'suspicious'. Mr Abe meets Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who tells him: 'I don't consider Trump as a person worthy of exchanging messages with. I have no response for him and will not answer him.' Advertisement Inferno: A fire rages on board the oil tanker MT Front Altair after it was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman yesterday, in what has been described as a torpedo attack Advertisement Almost 6,000 Venezuelans entered Peru on Thursday, and thousands more showed up at the northern border on Friday in hopes of entering the Andean country before its government imposed tough immigration requirements at midnight. Peru has been one of the most welcoming destinations for the migrants fleeing the embattled, oil-rich South America nation, but it has been tasked with tightening up its border as Venezuela's economy has collapsed under the Nicolas Maduro regime. The conflict in Venezuela has unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent Latin American history, forcing countries like Peru - a developing nation of 32 million people - to grapple with an unprecedented surge in immigration. Children led a sea of tired migrants who descended from Ecuador upon the Peruvian border town of Tumbes on Friday, ahead of the June 15 deadline for all Venezuelan migrants to have valid visas and passports. On Thursday alone, a record 5,849 Venezuelans entered Peru at Tumbes, compared to a daily average of around 1,500-2,000 in recent months, Peru's immigration office said on Friday. Mass exodus of Venezuelan migrants (pictured Thursday) await their turn at a Peruvian border entry point to submit their refugee documents since Thursday Almost 6,000 Venezuelans have entered Peru since Thursday compared to the daily average of 1,500-2,000 in recent months. Pictured above are migrants that were waiting to be attended by immigration officials on Friday Four million Venezuelans - more than a tenth of the population - have fled the economic and humanitarian crisis in their homeland, the United Nations said last week. Pictured above is a woman waiting to pass immigration controls in Peru on Thursday Almost four million Venezuelans have fled their country amid economy collapse under the Nicolas Maduro regime. Pictured above are migrants that arrived in Peru on Thursday A young Venezuelan girl (pictured) rests at a border service center in the Peruvian town of Tumbes on Thursday. Children reportedly led a sea of migrants that entered Peru from Ecuador At least 6,000 Venezuelans have entered Peru since Thursday at the northern border town of Tumbes. Pictured above are a mother and son aboard a bus in Tumbes on Thursday or Friday UNHCR Information Officer Regina de la Portilla said the agency was 'supporting and complementing the efforts of Peruvian authorities as we face the largest number of Venezuelan people coming to Peru so far.' Rosmaura, a 25-year-old migrant, traveled for a week from eastern Venezuelan city of Maracaibo to reach Tumbes with her two children. She declined to give her second name. 'It was awful!' said Rosmaura, who feared her 5-year-old daughter would not be let in after June 15 because she lacks a passport. The concerned mother, who hopes to make it Chile where most of her family has fled to, said it costs $200-$500 to acquire a passport in Venezuela - an impossible fee for most people in a country where the monthly minimum wage equates to just $6. Four million Venezuelans - more than a tenth of the population - have fled the economic and humanitarian crisis in their homeland, the United Nations said last week. Venezuelan migrant children (pictured Thursday or Friday) sleep while waiting with their parents to pass migration controls in Peru since Thursday before the deadline on new regulations that demand passports and visas from migrants Friday at midnight A group of Venezuelan migrants (pictured) made their way to the Peruvian border on Thursday. The Andean nation is home to 800,000 Venezuelans, the second-largest Venezuelan migrant population outside Colombia, which houses more than 1.2 million Peru is home to some 800,000 Venezuelans, the government says - the second-largest Venezuelan migrant population outside Colombia, which houses more than 1.2 million. Just two years ago, Peru had introduced new migratory laws to accommodate Venezuelan migrants. It doled out hundreds of thousands of special residency cards so they could work legally, go to school and access public health care. But the tide has since turned, amid growing fears fanned by media reports and politicians that Venezuelan migrants are driving down wages and fueling crime. Peru cut short its special residency program and started deporting Venezuelans with criminal records. The government has said it would require migrants to secure a visa from its consulates in Venezuela before going to the border - a policy similar to one implemented by neighboring Chile. As migrants took buses, hitchhiked and trekked their way to Peru's border on Thursday, President Martin Vizcarra defended his new immigration stance from an event in the northern city of Piura. 'Our country has opened its arms to more than 800,000 Venezuelans. I think it's completely logical and justified to ask them to bring visas to ensure better control of who enters,' Vizcarra told journalists. A Venezuelan migrant (pictured Thursday or Friday) carries her son as she walks along the Pan-American Highway after crossing the Peru-Ecuador border. Since Thursday, record record 5,849 Venezuelans entered Peru ahead of the Andean nation's June 15 deadline that will require migrants to present visas and passports at the northern border Peru will require a humanitarian visa, in addition to the passport, to enter the country. It costs $200-$500 to acquire a passport in Venezuela - an impossible fee for most people in a country where the monthly minimum wage equates to just $6. Pictured are Venezuelan migrants arriving in Tumbes, Peru, on Thursday A woman and a child (pictured Thursday or Friday) rest at the northern Peruvian border town of Tumbes, which saw almost 6,000 Venezuelan migrants arrive Thursday A group of Venezuelan migrants (pictured Thursday or Friday) walk southbound along the Pan American highway after receiving their refugee permit at the Peruvian border. I recently went to the Petro-Canada on Ross Road in West Kelowna to get gas. Feeling thirsty, I decided to go into the store to buy a drink. This station is located very close to a high school and being that it was just after noon, there were many students in the store. Upon grabbing my drink, I went to the front to pay. I was about to stand in line behind the students, who were standing orderly and respectfully, when one of the cashiers said rather loudly that's the "student" line, please go to the next cashier, that's the "adult" line. I was taken aback for a second then said, pardon? The cashier repeated what she said about adult and student lines. I looked at her and then the students, and told the kid in the front to go up to the cash where I was supposed to go as an "adult." I then made my way to the back and stood behind the students in line to wait my turn to pay while talking loudly about how ridiculous that concept was. When I got up front to pay, I asked the cashier what the deal was. I was just buying a $2 drink, whereas the students in line had quite a lot of items in their hands. I also asked her why I should get special treatment. My time is no more valuable than the students' and in fact they had to be back in class sooner than I had to return to my office. I spoke to a few students out front afterwards, and they said that it was an everyday occurrence to have the two lines. In my opinion, Petro-Canada is discriminating against the students. But why stop there? Why not form lines based on gender or colour? Students are consumers just as much as the next person in line and should be treated just as fairly as the random "adult" that walks in to buy nothing more than a simple drink. Nick Latondresse Authorities in Chile have launched a rescue effort to save three Bolivians who are stuck underground in a mine. The mine, located in the northern city of San Jose de Tocopilla, collapsed approximately at 10pm local time Thursday, trapping the men at a depth of nearly 230 feet. Local authorities confirmed that the men are still alive. The miners have been identified as Leonardo Condori, 62, and Salomon Veinzaga, 45, and his 19-year-old son, Lenin Veinzaga. A rescue worker in northern Chile steps out of a mine that collapsed Thursday night and trapped three miners from Bolivia. The miners were identified as Leonardo Condori, and Salomon Veinzaga and son, Lenin Veinzaga Chilean rescue workers have moved on to a second plan to free three trapped miners after they initially detonated a rock which blocked the passage way 'We've been in contact with them through bangs and sounds,' Antofagasta regional Gov. Marco Antonio Diaz said, adding that geotechnical experts from mines across the region have been assisting the rescue efforts, which included detonating small explosives to try to remove a large rock blocking the mine shaft. Firefighters joined other rescue teams at the mine some 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) north of the Chilean capital, Santiago. According to Chilean outlet La Tercera, rescuer workers first attempted to bring the miners to safety by exploding a rock that was blocking the path inside the mine. However, the plan backfired when the rock sealed the passage way. Diaz told reporters they would move on to a second plan which would consist of removing smaller material through the side of the mine. 'We'll get through with a hose to drain the material, which at some point will allow us to find a point of light,' said Diaz. 'The material we are removing is from another access tunnel that has not been detonated, but that has been draining the material... If we continue this momentum the material from above will not continue fill the mine and we can reach the miners.' Thursday's mine accident in Chile has brought back memories of a collapse at another mine in the country that trapped 33 men- including a Bolivian worker - for 69 days in 2010. The Chilean mine is pictured Friday Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Twitter that he is worried about his countrymen and offered thanks to his Chilean counterpart for the rescue efforts. The accident has brought back memories of a collapse at a Chilean mine that trapped 33 men- including a Bolivian worker - deep below the earth for 69 days in 2010. They survived longer than any trapped miners before, and their rescue mesmerized millions worldwide. A California court of appeals has ruled that inmates are allowed to possess marijuana - but the cannot use it. The three judge panel in Sacramento ruled that possessing the drug is 'no longer a felony' because of the wording of Proposition 64, that was passed in 2016. Proposition 64, officially known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), allows adults over the age of 21 in the state to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for recreational use. In a 20-page ruling at the Third District Court of Appeals, judges stated that AUMA did not exclude prisoners. But the court reiterated that state law does prohibit smoking or the consumption of marijuana in prison. The three-judge panel wrote in the ruling: '[Under] Proposition 64, possession of less than an ounce of cannabis in prison is no longer a felony. Smoking or ingesting cannabis in prison remains a felony. And they pointed out that prison officials can still punish inmates for possessing marijuana as a rules violation. California's Third District Court of Appeals (above) ruled that a law legalizing possession of an ounce of weed for recreational use does not exclude prisoners Prison inmates can be in possession of one ounce of marijuana in California prisons like the one above but to smoke or ingest it would still be a felony Inmates caught with marijuana could have good behavior credits revoked or be sent to segregated housing, Mercury News report. As part of the ruling, the court overturned Sacramento County convictions for five inmates who had been found with marijuana in their cells. In a 20-page document they ruled: 'According to the plain language of ... Proposition 64, possession of less than an ounce of cannabis in prison is no longer a felony. 'Consumption, not possession, is the act voters determined should remain criminalized if the user is in prison. 'Smoking or ingesting cannabis in prison remains a felony. 'A result is not absurd because the outcome may be unwise' After Proposition 64 passed Californians were permitted to possess an ounce of weed, which can be purchased from legal dispensaries California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has not declared whether his office will appeal the ruling. Here he is pictured speaking at a news conference in Sacramento in May Previously California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office argued that the reading of the law was absurd due it allowing the possession of a controlled substance in prisons. Becerra is reviewing the ruling but did not confirmed whether he will appeal it. Assistant Public Defender David Lynch believed the ruling will benefit prisoners and the prisons themselves. He said: 'This ruling will prevent inmates from having years added to their sentences for simple possession, reducing overcrowding and saving $50,000-75,000 a year in unnecessary costs.' The panel rejected the state's concern that guards could lose control over prisons if inmates were allowed to possess marijuana. Currently 11 states have declared the use of marijuana fully legal (above), one lawyer cites that the difference laws in each state make it a difficult system to work within A defense attorney told Fox40: 'It creates confusion... If it's illegal to take it in, it's illegal to use it but now it's not illegal to have it. 'It's sort of like: what's the point of making it not illegal to have it?' Another attorney, Dan Horowitz of Lafeyette told Mercury News: 'It may be legal, but you can still ban it. 'Cellphones are legal. Pornographic images are legal. You cant have either one in prison.' He went onto cite the difficulties facing American law, as some states legalize recreational or medicinal use, while others firmly reject it. 'I have a client whos facing life in prison for allegedly shipping marijuana to Missouri, yet California inmates can have it in their prison cells. Its insane,' Horowitz told Fox40. In the Third District Court of Appeals ruling, they wrote: 'The remedy for clearly written language that achieves a dubious policy outcome is not judicial intervention but correction by the people or the Legislature,' as reported by NPR. This is the shocking moment an Ohio homeowner claims to have caught two looters filling their truck with her belongings while checking on her tornado damaged property. Nicole Lambert was driving past her house in Harrison Township on Thursday morning when she says she saw a man and woman outside with a vehicle full of her possessions. In the clip Nicole - whose home was damaged by the EF4 tornado on Memorial Day - can be heard confronting the woman who claims she bought the items at Goodwill. But Nicole hits back, telling her: 'You bought this? You're a damn liar.' She adds: 'You came here to steal everything. Look at your truck this is everything that came out of my f***ing house. I work.' Nicole goes on to list items she claims have been taken from her home, including a drill, sandals and a saw. She later claims her handbag, perfume and even her ramen noodles were taken. Nicole Lambert was driving past her house in Harrison Township on Thursday morning when she says she saw a man and woman outside with a vehicle full of her possessions Lambert then began filming her exchange with the woman, who denied looting her home As the woman unloads her truck, Nicole shows off the possessions she claims were stolen and accuses the woman of taking drugs - something she denies. Nicole adds: 'You was about to sell it. I bought all this. This is insane. You know damn well you didn't get this from the goodwill. 'There aint no apologizing as you were about to take what me and my daughter have left.' A man appears at the end of the video and tells her: 'I never went in your house.' Lambert called police and Joshua D. Chapman, 27, and Cynthia R. Gross, 49, were both booked into the Montgomery County Jail and await formal charges. The now both face charges of breaking and entering. One also will also face a drug possession charge, according to reports. Lambert called police and Joshua D. Chapman, 27, and Cynthia R. Gross, 49, who were both booked into the Montgomery County Jail awaiting formal charges As the woman unloads her truck, Nicole shows off the possessions she claims were stolen and accuses the woman of taking drugs - something she denies A man appears at the end of the video and tells her: 'I never went in your house' Nicole told WHIO: 'When I drove by I saw this truck in the driveway. A woman was loading every single last thing in my home into (the truck). It was packed to the top. 'I told her "this is the last of what me and my daughter have. No one sent you here". 'I told her "put this back or there's going to be problems". And she started unloading the truck. That's when I called the cops. It looks like someone robbed my home. 'Some of the things stolen were Christmas presents I bought my daughter back in December. (The looters) found things that I didn't even find. 'If you have a home and its destroyed and you can't be there, I would definitely be checking on it, because I didn't think this would happen. There's been so many people at this address helping me, (my neighbors) don't know who is who anymore.' 'Just keep an eye on your home,' Lambert added. Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said: 'We've warned people (about looting.) I still have numerous extra patrols out especially in affected areas. People have been warned. There is zero tolerance.' DailyMail.com has contacted the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office for comment. Spanish police were forced to board an easyJet flight on landing after a group of holidaymakers caused problems on their way to Ibiza. The Civil Guard officers were called to meet the early morning plane as it touched down on the tarmac at Ibiza Airport and were seen escorting a man from the aircraft. Passengers on the plane from Stansted, which landed at around 9:30am, said one man was hauled off after refusing to give his name and screaming 'p****' at a woman who was complaining about him. Earlier in the flight a male passenger was filmed swearing at another several rows behind him before being urged to sit down by a woman. Land in Ibiza. Bloke gets told off. Refuses to give name. Screams pussy at complaining woman. Police take him off plane Weve landed! pic.twitter.com/zw22DPv2zg Sandy Rashty (@SandyRashty) June 14, 2019 The man he appeared to be shouting at was stood next to an air steward who seemed to be trying to calm him down - and replied with a volley of abuse as the attendant left him and walked towards the cockpit. A woman who posted the footage said in a message: 'Off to a eerrmmmm interesting start with this idiot abusing easyJet staff on our Ibiza flight. 'Staff handled it very well and he was removed by police.' Another added: 'Shocked by the language, "I'm gunna kick you out of your p**** hole."' The man who was told to get off the plane when it landed in Ibiza was accused of refusing to give his name and screaming 'p****' at a woman who was complaining. The Incident happened on board easyJet flight EZY3044 from London Stansted to Ibiza this morning. The plane is thought to have landed around 9.30am. Passengers can be heard criticising the man's actions saying: 'Don't hold everyone else up' It was not immediately clear if police had removed just one or more passengers and whether any were in the footage that was taken, or what had caused the row. A spokesman for easyJet said: 'We can confirm that flight EZY3044 from London Stansted to Ibiza on 14 June was met by police on arrival in Ibiza due to a group of passengers behaving disruptively on board. 'Our cabin crew are highly trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time. 'Whilst such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board. 'The safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew is always our highest priority.' Civil Guard could not be reached for immediate comment this afternoon. The force is not thought to have made any arrests. Off to a eerrmmmm interesting start with this idiot abusing @easyJet staff on our Ibiza flight (staff handled very well and he was removed by police!) @SandyRashty shocked by the language Im gunna kick you out of your pussy hole .... she says that doesnt even make sense pic.twitter.com/Ngr2r0I2jT Rosa Doherty (@Rosa_Doherty) June 14, 2019 Problem passengers removed from flights from police in Spain are not normally formally arrested - and instead have their details taken down so they can be reported for a breach of air security and fined. Last month a group of drunk Brits heading to Benidorm were filmed guzzling beer from a funnel on a Ryanair plane - with the apparent encouragement of an air stewardess. The men treated the aircraft like a nightclub as they took turns filming themselves on the beer bong in unbelievable scenes on board the early morning flight from London Stansted to Alicante. One lad was filmed lying on his back in the aisle as his intoxicated mates poured the contents of two beer cans into the funnel at the top of the plastic tube he had inserted into his mouth and roared with laughter when it spilled over him. Incredibly an air stewardess who appeared to be trying to calm the men down appeared to encourage them as one of the drunks begged her: 'Can you hold it up?.' She seemed to tell them 'This is fine' in broken English before disappearing from the camera shot, hinting they were probably doing something even more outrageous moments earlier. Two days later - on May 27 - police in Majorca were called to haul a group of drunken Brits off a Jet2 plane after it touched down at Palma Airport from Edinburgh. A Jet2 spokesman said afterwards: 'Due to the disruptive behaviour of several passengers on board our flight from Edinburgh to Palma, we took the decision to call the Guardia Civil in Majorca to assist with the disembarkation of those disorderly travellers involved. 'As a family friendly airline we will not tolerate inappropriate behaviour towards our customers and staff alike. We are currently liaising with the relevant authorities in Spain.' Sixty-seven years after he was strung up on a red oak tree by a pair of white North Carolina sheriff's deputies seeking to extract a confession out of him, the now-86-year-old Lynn Council finally got an apology for his near-lynching. Council, who lives in Apex, on Thursday met with the current Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker to recount how he narrowly avoided getting killed by the two officers in 1952. 'They took me down to the woods to kill me,' Council recalled. 'That's what they took me down there for, but things didn't happen that way.' Scroll down for video Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker (pictured in a grey suit) on Thursday apologized to 86-year-old Lynn Council (center) for his near-hanging in 1952 Baker gifted the man a silver key to the sheriff's department as a gesture of goodwill Baker issued Council a formal apology on behalf of his agency, gifted the octogenarian a large silver key to the sheriff's office and extended to him an open invitation to come and visit any time he wants, reported ABC11. 'I cannot change what they did and its effect on your life and this county,' Baker said, 'but we're here to let you know that this office is here to serve and protect each and every person that resides in this county.' Baker also publicly removed from the department's wall of honor a framed photograph of Robert Pleasants, who served as sheriff at the time Council was nearly lynched. It all started when Council, who was 19 years old at the time, and seven others were picked up by the notoriously brutal Apex Police Chief Sam Bagwell on suspicion of robbing a store. Council was 19 years old when two deputies strung him up on this red oak tree to extract a confession from him in connection to a robbery Council visited the site of his near-death experience earlier this year (pictured) The crime took place outside the city limits, so Bagwell struck Council, drove him to Wake County and dropped him off at the local jail, despite his protestations of innocence, reported WRAL. A few days later, two sheriff's deputies came into Council's cell and told him they were going to drive him out into the countryside and hang him. The deputies brought a handcuffed Council to the red oak tree in the woods off Ten Ten Road, looped one end of a rope around his neck and the other around a tree branch, and lifted him a few feet off the ground. Council said the deputies demanded that he confess to the robbery, but he refused because he said he was not guilty. The sheriff told Council he cannot change what happened to him 67 years ago but apologized for the action of the deputies Baker gifted to Council this large silver key to the sheriff's department Baker removed from the department's wall of honor a framed photograph of Robert Pleasants, who served as sheriff at the time Council was nearly lynched Having failed to get a confession from him, the deputies lowered Council to the ground after a minute or two and let him go, leaving him with a permanent ligature mark around his neck. Recalling his lucky escape, Council said: 'Jesus stepped in.' The deputies who nearly killed Council were never charged or disciplined for their actions. In making amends to Council on Thursday, Sheriff Baker expressed commitment to integrity, transparency and accountability. 'It's just the right thing to do,' said the sheriff. 'We're all human beings and we need to make sure we treat each other that way.' John Letteney, who presently occupies the post of the chief of police in Apex, formally apologized to Council in April, telling him his predecessor, Bagwell, didnt deserve to wear a badge and failed his oath to serve the public. An exam board is probing claims two questions were leaked online ahead of students sitting an A-level maths paper earlier today. Bosses are investigating after images claiming to be from Edexcels maths paper three appeared on Twitter. Pearson, which owns the exam board, has also seen more than 14,000 students sign petitions in protest over earlier maths A-level papers which were too hard. The Student Room website has images of the incriminating tweets that were posted late Thursday evening. Two questions were leaked online ahead of students sitting an A-level maths paper earlier today (stock image of students sitting exams) One features a blacked-out Edexcel paper with some questions visible, along with the message: DM if you want tomorrows a level maths, stats and mechanics paper 3 exam. The Twitter account has since been deleted. But further tweets accompanying the images reportedly offered the whole paper for sale for 70. In a statement, Pearson said yesterday: We are aware that an individual circulated blacked out images of two exam questions on social media ahead of todays A-level maths exam. We are investigating the source of this. Students had previously complained to exam boards that papers had been too difficult All students should be reassured we have well-established processes in place to ensure no-one will be advantaged or disadvantaged and this paper will not have to be resat. The revelation comes at the end of a torrid week for Pearson. Two petitions have been launched in protest over previous Edexcel maths A-level papers, which were sat by students on June 5 and 12. Teenagers claim questions, particularly on paper two, were deeply unfair and unreasonable. This is because they were vastly different from those in specimen papers and textbooks. One petition claims students hopes of attending university have been shattered as a direct result of Edexcel deeming it appropriate to abandon the specification taught over two years. It demands that students are awarded their target grades regardless of how they performed. The second larger petition, signed by more than 11,000 students, calls for special consideration when papers are marked to give students a chance at their future. It states: This is because the maths papers this year (specifically paper two) were extremely difficult and unreasonable. They were unlike any specimen, past or textbook questions. Students claimed on social media the papers were poorly written and impossible to prepare for unless they were also studying further maths. Some were stumped by questions on logarithms, while others could not understand why the sigma symbol - the eighteenth letter in the Greek alphabet - kept appearing in the exam. A teenager said on Twitter: They deliberately put in confusing language in order to mess us up and using integration signs from the 1800s isnt helpful at all. Pearson said it takes feedback extremely serious and had shared students comments with its senior examining team. A spokesman said: Candidates should be reassured that the paper reflected the specification, and that we set the grade boundaries for each exam paper each year to adjust for any differences in demand from one year to the next. This ensures a fair system, so that students of the same ability will get the same grade in different years. Meanwhile, Pearson has also come under fire after it emerged on Thursday that a question in a GCSE maths paper is almost identical to one from another boards revision textbook. In its GCSE maths paper three, Edexcel included a question with the same diagram, values and answer as a question from the textbook AQA Certificate: Further Maths. Teachers said the question would have clearly advantaged students taking Edexcel maths and AQA further maths. Pearson said it was investigating how this might have happened and has established processes in place to ensure no one will be advantaged or disadvantaged. On Tuesday, it was forced to defend a GCSE maths question that involved working out the number of calories in a breakfast amid criticism on social media. Advertisement Donald Trump got an up-close look at the new presidential aircraft Friday when the next generation of the Marine One fleet landed on the White House South Lawn. The Sikorsky VH-92A staged the test landing as part of preparations for the new aircraft to enter service in 2021, replacing the Sikorsky VH-3Ds, which have been in service since 1978, completely by 2023. The White House said Trump inspected the new aircraft, but it was unclear if he stepped on board - the press was not allowed to see him near the helicopter. He will have to win a second term to be a passenger on the helicopter, with the first being due to enter service with Marine Helicopter Squadron One - HMX-1 in Corps shorthand - after Inauguration Day 2021. The aircraft which landed is part of a group of test helicopters which have completed more than 500 hours of flying time to assess their readiness. A $542 million contract to deliver the first six an an anticipated 23-strong fleet was signed by the Navy on June 10, making the South Lawn landing a celebration of the move forward in one of the longest-running sagas in military procurement, which formally began in 2002. Airpower: This is the Sikorsky VH-92A which will become the backbone of the presidential fleet by 2023, landing on the South Lawn as part of flight testing Into the air: The VH-92A spent only a few minutes on the South Lawn and took off again to return to base. They are being tested at Patuxent River, Maryland, where three have been delivered Close-up view: The VH-92A will accommodate up to 19 passengers when it enters service, and needs only two crew, compared to the four needed for the VH-3D, which has flown presidents since 1978 Closely-watched: A group of what appeared to be Secret Service and other officials monitored the VH-92A's takeoff Vital moment: The VH-92As will have to land on and take off from the South Lawn regularly once they take over Marine One duties Grand setting: The VH-92A takes off from the South Lawn with the White House behind, a sight which will become routine in the next decade Tribute: The White House was flying the POW-MIA flag alongside the Stars and Stripes because of Flag Day on Sunday Up and away: Once the VH-92As are in service, they will be based at Joint Base Andrews and ferry future presidents to Air Force One from the White House Moment of truth: The successful take-off and landing on the South Lawn is only the second known appearance of the VH-92A at the White House, after another test in September 2018 Off to base: The VH-92A was headed back to Patuxent River, Maryland, where it is being tested by Sikorsky and assessed by the Pentagon The new aircraft will make history when all 21 are delivered as the first presidential transport not derived from a model in service elsewhere with the military. The current backbone of HMX-1, the VH-3Ds, are derivatives of the Sikorsky Sea King which saw service in the Navy and Marines from the 1960s into the last decade. The squadron also uses VH-60N White Hawks, VIP version of the Seahawk and Blackhawk helicopters which have been the mainstay of the Navy, Marine Corps and Army helicopter fleet since the late 1980s. And it has 12 MV-22B Ospreys, which take off as helicopters but fly as regular planes when their rotors tilt from upright to forward They are usually used as protective escorts to the main Air Force One and also to carry the president's entourage, baggage and even - in the case of Barack Obama - his dog. Presidents have not been allowed to use them because of fears over their safety record. The new VH-92s will cost a total of $4.95 billion according to the latest projection from the Navy, who are responsible for their procurement, as disclosed in a General Audit Office report in April this year. It also warned that the helicopter could not land on the South Lawn without damaging it, according to a GAO assessment in 2018. It is unclear if the problem has been resolved, but Friday's test is likely to have been part of the process of dealing with it. The new contract signed in June will see six of the aircraft delivered in 2021, Sikorsky said this week. What's on board: The official Marine Corps specification of the VH-92A. The model it is based on, the S-92, is not in American military service in any other form. Previous Marine One helicopters have had equivalents in other service Close-up: The VH-92A's special features including its rear entrance to the cabin can be seen. The front VIP entrance is on the other side Washington sky: The VH-92A will become a part of life in the capital by after Inauguration Day 2021 Regular service: Marine One carrying Donald Trump and his first lady Melania Trump came in to land on the South Lawn on June 7, bringing them home from a three-country trip to Europe to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day Near and far: Marine One carries the president and First Lady from the South Lawn and on the aerial stages of foreign engagements, including taking him to Air Force One at Southampton, ending his stay in the UK for a state visit and commemorations of the 75th anniversary of D-Day Regular sight: Presidents have spoken to the press with the backdrop of a VH-3D since Jimmy Carter became the first to fly on on one in 1978 That timeframe was yet another slip in the delivery date, although in its matching press release, the Navy said it would be preparing for the six aircraft being in 'initial operational capability' by late 2020. It is only when they have 'full operational capability' that Trump - or any future president - will be allowed to fly in one. Inside the S-92: Although it is unknown what configuration the new Marine One will use, Sikorsky offers a range of options for its regular S-92s, with the lower option likely to be the starting point for the VH-92As No interior pictures of a completed VH-92A have been released by Sikorsky, the Marine Corps or the White House. The helicopter will have a capacity of 19 passengers, five more than the current 14, and a maximum take off weight larger by almost a third - 27,000lb instead of 21,500lb. It will have a crew of two, rather than four, and like the existing VH-3Ds will be equipped with a toilet and air-conditioning. The total of 23 aircraft will allow the VH-3Ds and the White Hawks to be retired. The fleet is so large because as well as transporting the president, the vice-president, members of the Cabinet and other high-ranking officials and visiting foreign leaders are all moved by the Marines. Marine One is also used when the president travels abroad, with the helicopters transported on board C-17 Globemaster or the even larger C-5 Galaxy transport planes. One of the advantages of the new VH-92A is that the tail pylon does not need folded in the hold of either aircraft. The procurement process began in April 2002 when reviews in the aftermath of 9/11 made clear that the current fleet needed upgraded communications capacity, but could not take any extra weight. Under President George W. Bush, manufacturers were asked to come up with planned replacements and Lockheed Martin won a contract to deliver VH-71s, a specially-adapted version of the AugustaWestland AW101. But costs skyrocketed, with the total reaching $11.2 billion, the equivalent of each aircraft costing $400 million. In June 2009, as the country tried to get out of the 2008 financial crisis, Barack Obama's administration canceled it program, using a review to end work on the fleet. In 2014, Sikorsky, which had been bought by Lockheed Martin, was awarded a contract to build a special version of its S-92 civilian helicopter, starting the process over again. Moment of the history: This was the first presidential flight from the South Lawn, with Dwight D. Eisenhower taken to Camp David on board a Bell Ranger piloted by the Air Force's Major Joseph E. Barrett Dual duty: Until 1976, the Army and Marine Corps provided helicopter travel to presidents. The first dedicated Marine One and Army One fleet were Sikorsky UH-34 Seahorses, with John F. Kennedy, his Secret Service chief Jerry Behn and Press Secretary Pierre Salinger seen returning to the White House on April 4 1961 Current fleet: The Sikorsky VH-3D has been the mainstay of the Marine One fleet since 1978. They are part of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, which also has eight VH-60N White Hawks, 12 MV-22B Ospreys, and support aircraft On board: Marine One allows the president and a large entourage to move quickly from the White House to Air Force one or back. In December 2009, Obama (far left) took (from left), his National Security Advisor General James Jones; Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Defense Secretary Robert Gates; and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on board before flying to West Point Military Academy to deliver a speech on Afghanistan Room to relax: Obama put his feet up on board in June 2009 as he headed to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, with (from left) his director of veterans policy, Matt Flavin, assistant press secretary Tommy Vietor and 'body man' Reggie Love Donald Trump showed off a new design for Air Force One that he wants Boeing to apply to a pair of planes due for delivery in 2024 The new aircraft will come after more than 60 years of presidential helicopter use. The first serving president to fly in a helicopter was Dwight D. Eisenhower, who took off from the South Lawn in July 1957 in a two-seater Bell Ranger, piloted by Air Force Major Joseph E. Barrett, to what was described as an 'undisclosed location' because the flight was part of an emergency preparation exercise. In fact it was Camp David, and Eisenhower arrived sweating and uncomfortable - but sold on using a helicopter. He later commissioned the first dedicated presidential helicopter, with a Sikorksy UH-34 Seahorse arriving in 1958. He and John F. Kennedy both used the aircraft and in 1961 the first fully-adapted VIP helicopters, the VH-3As arrived. Adapted from the Sea King, they were succeeded by the similar-looking but more modern VH-3Ds in 1978, two years after the Marine Corps became solely responsible for flying the president by helicopter, ending Army involvement and the use of the call sign Army One when the president was on board. Marine Helicopter Squadron One, based at Joint Base Andrews, has 11 of the adapted Sea Kings, while the president also has had access to VH-60N White Tops since 1987. The adapted Sea Hawks are smaller and lighter than the VH-3Ds and have seen use when the president is landing at less formal or more remote venues. For example, when Trump flew to the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2018, he arrived on a White Hawk, producing dramatic video footage of the flight up a Swiss glacial valley. The smaller White Hawks have less room for the president to stretch out and a smaller door. The new model will have a six-foot tall entrance, allowing its main passenger to enter up the steps, saluting the Marine guard, as his or her predecessors did on the VH-3Ds. Contracts for the new Marine One fleet came before Trump unveiled his new color scheme for the future Air Force One, two converted Boeing 747-800s which are due to enter service in 2024. He ditched the 'Jackie Kennedy' powder blue livery of all planes in the presidential flight since 1962 in favor of a red, white and blue design. Democrats in Congress said they would block the move through the appropriations process. The director of the first Twilight movie has opened up about her difficulty convincing the book's author to accept a more diverse cast of actors to play key characters. Catherine Hardwicke detailed her discussions with best-selling novelist Stephanie Meyer, who reportedly did not want to cast Japanese or black actors to portray the vampires that she had written as being 'pale and glistening.' Hardwicke said she had plans to make the Cullens - the protagonist vampire family - diverse, including having one of the key characters, Alice, played by a Japanese actor, but Meyer refused because she had already 'really seen them in her mind.' Catherine Hardwicke (pictured left) detailed her discussions with best selling novelist Stephanie Meyer (pictured right), who reportedly did not want to cast Japanese or black actors to portray the vampires that she had written as being 'pale and glistening' Such was Meyer's reported reluctance to veer from the characters she had formed in her head that Hardwicke was only able to cast the Kenyan-born actor, Edi Gathegi, to play Laurent, described in the books as having olive skin, by telling the author that 'there are black olives out there!' Discussing the casting issues with the Daily Beast, Hardwick, said: 'I was like, "oh my God, I want the vampires, I want them all Alice, I wanted her to be Japanese!", I had all these ideas. And she just could not accept the Cullens to be more diverse, because she had really seen them in her mind.' 'She knew who each character was representing in a way, a personal friend or a relative or something. She said, "I wrote that they had this pale glistening skin!"' Hardwicke added: '[Meyer] had not really written it [the books] that way. So she probably just didn't see the world that way.' The interview came on the 10-year anniversary of the blockbuster film franchise, which grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, and which has sparked a retrospective discussion about the overwhelmingly whiteness of the cast. Such was Meyer's reported reluctance to veer from the characters she had formed in her head that Hardwicke was only able to cast the Kenyan-born actor, Edi Gathegi, to play Laurent, written as having olive skin, by telling the author that 'there are black olives out there' Discussing the casting of Laurent, whom the director describes as 'one of the scary antagonistic vampires,' Hardwicke said she convinced Meyer that olive skin didn't necessarily mean Caucasian. 'Then she was open to the students in (Bella's) peer group being other ethnicities, so we got Christian Serratos and Justin Chon, so we were able to open it up a little bit.' Elsewhere in the interview, Hardwicke also discussed the difficulties being a woman in Hollywood, and admitted it was likely she only received the nod to direct the role because studio execs did not expect the franchise to be so successful. 'Nobody thought this is a big, blockbuster franchise,' BET reported. 'There were very low expectations for Twilight, because every other studio had turned it down. They said, OK, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was a very popular book for girls, and it made $39 million. That's it.' Hardwicke also discussed the difficulties being a woman in Hollywood, and admitted it was likely she only received the nod to direct the role because studio execs did not expect the franchise to be so successful (some of the cast are pictured) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Hardwicke did not direct later installments) 'We don't know if this could ever make us any more than that, so we don't really want to spend more than that. The expectations were low literally up to opening weekend. 'Why do you think I got the job?' she laughed while contemplating. 'Why do you think they hired a female director? 'If they thought it was going to be a big blockbuster, they wouldn't have ever even hired me, because no woman had ever been hired to do something in the blockbuster category.' The DailyMail.com has contacted Meyer's representatives for comment. Google's CEO has made an appeal that the company should not be broken up, as federal regulators and Congress are directing increasing scrutiny at the tech goliath. Google's massive size allows it to invest in future technologies without worrying about 'short-term profits,' CEO Sundar Pichai insisted in an interview with CNN Business on Thursday. 'Scale does offer many benefits, it's important to understand that,' argued Pichai. 'Big companies are what are investing in technologies like AI the most.' Pichai even hinted that if Google were subject to antitrust regulation, it would spell doom for American innovation, allowing competitors like China to seize the advantage. Google's massive size allows it to invest in future technologies without worrying about 'short-term profits,' CEO Sundar Pichai said in an interview on Thursday 'There are many countries around the world which aspire to be the next Silicon Valley, and they are supporting their companies too. So we have to balance both,' he said in response to a question about China. It comes as Google and other tech giants face withering scrutiny over privacy practices, censorship, the gutting of local journalism, and potential anti-competitive practices. It emerged earlier this month that the Justice Department will look at Google and Apple, while the Federal Trade Commission will probe Amazon and Facebook to determine if they abused their massive market power, setting up what could be unprecedented, wide-ranging probes of some of the world's largest companies. Meanwhile, the House Judiciary committee is launching its own antitrust inquiry into the tech industry, including Google. Asked about the various probes, Pinchai tried to project an air of equanimity, saying it was 'perfectly fine' for companies like Google to be scrutinized when they get big enough. 'Scrutiny is right, and we will participate constructively in these discussions,' he said. Pinchai tried to maintain his cool as Poppy Harlow questioned him about the many and growing calls for antitrust investigations into Google The growing hostility to Google's market dominance has also appeared on the presidential campaign trail, with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat seeking the party's nomination, explicitly promising to break the company up if elected. 'I think there needs to be healthy debate,' Pichai said when asked about Warren's vow. 'Any campaign has moments around that, but what matters to me is the healthy thoughtful conversations around it.' 'I worry that if you regulate for the sake of regulating it, it has a lot of unintended consequences,' he said. On Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust chief suggested he'll take a broad view of how competition is harmed when assessing whether big tech firms should be broken up. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim also was clear in a speech in Israel that he is well aware that just two companies dominate digital advertising, though he did not name the two: Google and Facebook. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim (above) the DOJ's antitrust chief, obliquely compared Google to Standard Oil, spelling trouble for the tech giant Without indicating whether he plans to move against any particular company, he said factors to be considered in assessing whether a monopoly exists - meriting antitrust action - go well beyond whether a company's dominance leads to higher prices Google and Facebook's free (to consumers) services have long been used as an argument against antitrust action, with the companies arguing that their market dominance doesn't cost consumers. 'Consumers actually enjoyed lower prices during the height of Standard Oil's dominance,' Delrahim pointed out, referring to the company that was ruled an illegal monopoly and broken up in 1911. 'The current landscape suggests there are only one or two significant players in important digital spaces, including internet search, social networks, mobile and desktop operating systems, and electronic book sales,' he said in the speech, which was published on the Justice Department's website. 'This is true in certain input markets as well. For example, just two firms take in the lion's share of online ad spending. ' An Old Navy employee was fired after she grabbed a black customer by the wrist and accused her of shoplifting from the store. Lisa Calderon posted footage of her interaction with staff and security at Square One Shopping Center in Ontario on Facebook and claimed she had been racially profiled. She said she initially entered the Old Navy store on Monday to return a recent purchase. Calderon left and had been wearing an Old Navy top she purchased previously, which still had a clothing tag. Lisa Calderon, (pictured), claimed she was racially profiled after a worker at Old Navy grabbed her by the wrist and accused of her a stealing a top she wore on a shopping trip to Square One Shopping Center in Ontario But she was furious when a store worker named Stephanie followed her and grabbed her by the wrist, accusing her of stealing the top. In footage which has gone viral, the store worker can be heard telling Calderon: 'Did you pay for this shirt at Old Navy, the tag is still on it. 'You did not walk into Old Navy with that shirt on, we have cameras Mam, you can come with me. Why are you shaking, are you nervous?.' Calderon reacts furiously to the accusation as the worker refused to let go of her wrist and mall security can then be seen intervening. Lisa tells the worker: 'Let go of my hand, can you let go of my hand Stephanie, I will press charges against if you don't let go of my hand. 'I walked into the store with this shirt, you have no right to be holding my hand because of what you think. The worker, called Stephanie, followed Calderon and then grabbed her by the wrist and would not let go after accusing her of stealing a top she was wearing as it had a tag on it Lisa Calderon, (left), said it was unacceptable that Stephanie, (right), put her hands on her and claimed the security footage would've proved she entered the store wearing the top 'You should watch the cameras, tell her to let go of my f*****g hand because I will pop.' She can then be heard telling security staff that she had bought the top the previous day and always leaves tags on recent purchases. Eventually, Calderon agreed to return to Old Navy, where Stephanies manager, who she identifies as Gillian, apologized and admitted the employee had no right to touch her. In a Facebook post, she wrote: 'I wouldve been more calm and understanding if she didnt accuse me first, and wouldve been happy to show my receipt, especially because I voiced my racial profile complaint to the employee before I left the store. Security staff at the mall then came when Calderon grew upset at being detained there The manager, who identified herself as Gillian, repeatedly apologized over the incident and claimed Stephanie had on right to touch her 'This needs to stop, Stephanie had no right to aggressively lay her hands on me and accuse me of stealing a $13 dollar top, had she not have done that this situation wouldve ended quietly.' In one of the videos, Calderon becomes increasingly upset, claiming she had never been in trouble before. The manager repeatedly apologized over the incident and security staff can be seen trying to calm her down as Stephanie disappears. Lisa told her the manager in the footage: 'There is nothing you can say that can calm me down, she put her hands on me because she said I didn't walk into the store. Calderon claimed she was so upset as she had never been in trouble before and accused the worker of racially profiling her 'This top cost $13, do you think I'd put my life at risk for $13 dollars, I have bills, I have a mortgage to pay. 'This has never happened to me before on my life. The only reason I'm crying is because I'm hurt, I never expected to this to happen to me, you see this on the TV and social media.' In a Twitter post, Old Navy addressed the incident and Calderon claimed she had been contacted by a district manager to say the employee no longer worked at the store. The post read: 'Old Navy was founded to be a place where everyone belongs. Its been a part of our culture & values since day one, and that makes it even more upsetting when incidents occur that dont reflect those values. 'We are so sorry that our customer Lisa Calderon had an unacceptable experience in one of our stores, and we apologize for letting her down. We investigated quickly & thoroughly. 'The employee involved in this situation is no longer with Old Navy.' Photo: Unsplash/Daan Stevens A Port Moody man who was treated for a rare brain inflammation is reaching out for help after being stuck with a $20,000 bill for his care. Jonathon Khounviseth was running a restaurant in Japan with his wife when he lost some of his vision and was suffering from fainting spells. An MRI revealed lesions on his brain, so with the threat of cancer looming, the Port Moody secondary school graduate flew back to Vancouver to be with family while his wife wrapped up the family business. I didnt want her to deal with all these issues and the baby, too, said Khounviseth, who had medical insurance while in Japan. Sick upon his arrival in Vancouver, Khounviseth checked in to Vancouver General Hospital, where, after testing, he learned he had acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which is usually diagnosed in children. For the young dad, it was a relief to know he didnt have cancer. But when he found out that he would have to pay the $20,000 medical bill for treatment because MSP requires a three-month waiting period, the financial concern outweighed his positive diagnosis. I just thought with, especially being a Canadian citizen all my life, I think I would be considered more than a PR [permanent resident] just coming here, said Khounviseth, who had paid into MSP for most his professional life except for four years in Japan. He has appealed but has so far failed to win a reprieve and is now shelling out $600 a month to pay off the the costs while supporting his baby boy and wife and dealing with lingering health issues. Khounviseth has set up a GoFundMe page to get help with some of his costs while also warning others about the waiting period for reinstating health care. Either wait until the period is over if you can or, if you are in a country where you are covered, stay there if you can, he told Glacier Media. According to MSP, new and returning residents are required to complete a waiting period consisting of the balance of the month in which they moved to B.C. plus two months before benefits can begin. Iconic 20th-century artist Frida Kahlo has one of the best-known faces on the planet, but the world at large has never heard the Mexican painter's voice - until, possibly, now. Kahlo, who is instantly recognizable with her convention-defying unibrow, spent her life as a painter in the daunting artistic shadow of her muralist husband Diego Rivera. While there are many silent films of her, her voice seemed doomed to oblivion given there are no known recordings of her. Researchers at Mexico's National Sound Library have this week released a 90-second audio clip that apparently captures the artist's voice. Iconic 20th-century artist Frida Kahlo has one of the best-known faces on the planet, but the world at large has never heard the Mexican painter's voice - until, possibly, now The recording was uncovered in the private collection of the late legendary Mexican radio host Alvaro 'The Bachelor' Galvez y Fuentes. Library officials say it would be the first record of the Mexican artist's voice if confirmed. The tape apparently captures Frida as she was reciting fragments of 'Portrait of Diego' - a text she wrote in 1949 about her painter husband Diego Rivera. The audio clip is from a 1950s pilot episode of the Mexican radio program The Bachelor. Kahlo is not directly identified by the narrator but her voice is introduced as 'she who no longer exists'. 'He is a gigantic, immense child, with a friendly face and a sad gaze,' the woman's voice says after an introductory trickle of guitar. 'His high, dark, extremely intelligent and big eyes rarely hold still. They almost come out of their sockets because of their swollen and protuberant eyelids - like a toad's. They allow his gaze to take in a much wider visual field, as if they were built especially for a painter of large spaces and crowds.' Library officials estimate that the program was released in 1955 or 1956 - a year or two after Kahlo died. Experts are now analyzing it in hopes of determining with certainty whether it is Kahlo. Investigations will involve sound library officials, engineers, audio experts and even still-living sources. Researchers at Mexico's National Sound Library have this week released a 90-second audio clip that apparently captures the artist's voice Library officials say it would be the first record of the Mexican artist's voice if confirmed Pavel Granados, director of the National Sound Library, said Wednesday in announcing the discovery of the recording that Kahlo's voice has been one of the most sought after voices within the library's archive, which contains 600,000 files. He said researchers will try to confirm that the voice belongs to Kahlo by going through 1,300 more tapes from 'The Bachelor.' 'Frida's voice has always been a great enigma, a never-ending search,' Granados said. 'Until now, there had never been a recording of Frida Kahlo.' The Mexican government announced the discovery with caution, saying that studies suggest the recording is the voice of Kahlo, but acknowledging they were not able to confirm it. 'It's a finding that has many elements that can be identified as the probable voice of Frida Kahlo, but it isn't 100 percent certain,' said Secretary of Culture Alejandra Frausto. The voice is notable for its light and smooth tone, which contradicts previously held assumptions of the artist. But it does seem to match French photographer Gisele Freund's description of Kahlo's voice: 'Frida smokes, laughs, speaks with a warm and melodious voice,' she once wrote. Kahlo, whose spent long periods bed-ridden after a traffic accident in her youth, was the creator of some 200 paintings, sketches and drawings - mainly self-portraits - in which she transformed her misfortune into works of bold color and emblematic strength. She attained international fame after her death in 1954 and after the 1970s rose as a feminist icon. Dramatic new evidence of Nazi war crimes on British soil has been uncovered by a leading forensic archaeologist who has discovered a cluster of unmarked mass burial sites in the Channel Islands. Professor Caroline Sturdy Colls has located a number of areas on Alderney where hundreds of missing slave and forced labourers are feared to have been buried during the German occupation of World War II. Her research, said to be first detailed scientific examination of Nazi atrocities on the island, has concluded that the number of deaths caused by Hitler's henchmen, including the SS, was 'far higher' than official records state. The official toll of forced and slave labourers who died on Alderney between 1940 and 1945 currently stands at 389 - a figure based on exhumations that took place in the 1960s at the request of the German War Graves Commission. The number of deaths caused by Hitler's henchmen (soldiers pictured), including the SS, are believed to be greater than official records state after new grave sites were discovered. A leading forensic archaeologist has discovered a cluster of unmarked mass burial sites in the Channel Islands, including the tiny land mass of Alderney But Prof Sturdy Colls, an expert on 'Conflict Archaeology and Genocide Investigation' at Staffordshire University who has spent nearly a decade investigating Nazi war crimes on Alderney, believes that a 'conservative' estimate of the number of people who perished on the island would be at least 700. The Holocaust expert describes her findings, which she made with the help of drones, ground penetrating radar and by examining hundreds of aerial photographs, as evidence of 'possibly the biggest murder case on British soil' in modern times. Much of her research has focused on what remains of the site of Sylt, a notorious concentration camp built in secrecy and run by the SS, and an area called Longy Common where victims of the Nazis were buried in marked graves. Following the liberation in 1945, the marked graves of more than 200 former prisoners were discovered at Longy Common, dubbed the 'Russian cemetery' by Hitler's killers. In addition, a much smaller number of unmarked graves there were documented by officials. Professor Caroline Sturdy Colls (pictured ascending steps from old underground tunnel system on Alderney) belives her new evidence points to 'possibly the biggest murder case on British soil' in modern times Many of those murdered at Sylt suffered appalling deaths: some were beaten to death by 'extremely brutal' guards, others were shot, while there were also cases where prisoners died of malnutrition. Details of Prof Sturdy Colls' findings will be revealed in a major TV documentary called 'Adolf Island', which will be screened on the Smithsonian Channel in the UK on Tuesday (June 18). 'For the first time in 70 years it has been possible to prove that there are unmarked mass graves and individual burial sites on Alderney that have never been documented,' she says in the programme. 'This shows new evidence of Nazi crimes and it demonstrates how little we actually have known up to this point about what happened on Alderney during the occupation.' For decades, the true scale of the atrocities inflicted by the Nazis during the German occupation of the Channel Islands has divided professional opinion. Estimates about the number of people who perished in Hitler's camps on Alderney, just eight miles from France, have varied enormously while there have been allegations from critics on the quiet island that visiting authors, experts and researchers have sought to 'sensationalise' the issue. The Nazi occupation was a dark and sinister chapter in the history of the Channel Islands (Guernsey house pictured), one which caused enormous embarrassment to Winston Churchill and his war-time government Now for the first time there appears to be scientific proof about the number of deaths inflicted by the Nazis in one of the most unlikely outposts of the Third Reich. The Nazi occupation was a dark and sinister chapter in the history of the Channel Islands, one which caused enormous embarrassment to Winston Churchill and his war-time government. Even today, more than 70 years later, it is one that the local authorities are not keen to be reminded of. Prof Sturdy Colls says officials blocked her plans to excavate at the location of Sylt, meaning she had to rely on ground penetrating radar and non-invasive methods to reveal the truth about 'Adolf Island'. During World War ll, Alderney was the most heavily fortified Channel Island as part of Hitler's so-called 'Atlantic Wall'. Nearly all of its population was evacuated to England. Four camps were established - named after the German islands Borkum, Helgoland, Norderney and Sylt to house labourers. During World War ll, Alderney was the most heavily fortified Channel Island as part of Hitler's so-called 'Atlantic Wall'. Prof Sturdy Colls visited these battlements as part of her groundbreaking research The most notorious one was Sylt, an SS facility with a particularly brutal regime. Following the Nazi invasion, labourers were transported to Alderney from Germany to work on Hitler's quest to build an impregnable fortress on British soil. At first they went there voluntarily, but later forced and slave labourers were dispatched to the island. Many of the 6,000 people sent to Alderney were immigrants trapped in Germany, alleged political prisoners and men deemed to be unfit to be soldiers by the Nazis. Prof Sturdy Colls said: 'My current research, which is still ongoing, suggests that more than 350 people are unaccounted for. 'Sixty five of them might well have been buried in unmarked graves discovered in the 1960s but that leaves at least around 285 bodies unaccounted for and brings the total death toll on Alderney to more than 700. German soldiers are given a lecture in the grounds of Victoria College, Jersey, during their occupation of the Channel Islands The expert used drones, ground penetrating radar and by examining hundreds of aerial photographs, as evidence 'This is my conservative estimate of a minimum number of missing individuals based on rigorous research. 'These calculations are based on the records we have of course my research has also shown that the Nazis destroyed many of their records and, as they took the time to destroy them, it begs the question what they contained that they didn't want the world to know.' She went on: 'My research has also demonstrated how Sylt connected to the Nazi concentration camp system in Europe and shown that it was certainly part of it. How Professor Sturdy Colls gathered the dramatic new evidence As Holocaust expert Professor Caroline Sturdy Colls was unable to carry out forensic excavations on Alderney, she had to use so-called 'non-invasive' methods to investigate unmarked graves remain on the island. She says she has used the same techniques at numerous genocide sites across Europe, leading to the successful identification of graves. The methods included using 'airborne LiDAR' a remote sensing technology - which measures the height of a ground surface and other landscape features using laser pulses. This allows archaeologists to visualise and locate features which are often difficult to see with the naked eye. The LiDAR results showed subtle depressions in the landscape indicative of buried remains (at Sylt and Longy Common) and graves (Longy Common). She also used 'Ground Penetrating Radar' (GPR) - a geophysical method that emits radio waves into the ground and records the time and strength of these signals as they return to an antenna. Different buried materials affect the reflection of the radio waves. Natural soil layers and features that interrupt these layers (referred to as 'anomalies') can be recorded, and 2D and 3D data plots of the subsurface are then created. Anomalies may include structural remains, backfilled pits and graves, and other buried materials. By comparing her various survey data with aerial photographs, witness testimony and other documentary evidence, she was able to locate a number of areas on Longy Common consistent with former and potentially unmarked individual and mass graves. Reports by British liberators and aerial photographs from 1943-1945 suggested that an unmarked communal grave was present within the cemetery (on the east side) and in this area significant ground disturbance and a feature consistent with a long trench was identified in the geophysical data (from GPR and resistance survey). Aerial photographs from 1943-1945 also show areas of ground disturbance outside of the cemetery boundaries most notably in two areas to the north and west. Geophysical surveys revealed ground disturbance in both of these areas. 'Of course, to 100% confirm the presence of human remains on the island, forensic archaeological excavations would need to take place,' Prof Sturdy Colls told the Mail. Advertisement 'Some people have tried to claim that what happened on Alderney was not part of this system and to downplay the crimes perpetrated there. 'However, Sylt was a sub-camp of Neuengamme in Germany and it was run by the Nazi SS Death's Head Unit. 'Many of these guards were extremely brutal and they saw treating the prisoners badly and killing them as a sport.' According to her research, many prisoners who survived for years in other SS camps, died with weeks or months of arriving in Alderney. Many causes of death are incorrectly listed on death certificates based on comparisons with witness testimonies to cover up the ways in which people really died, she said. Recently declassified documents and materials previously unavailable in Eastern Europe and Russia provide new information about the nature of death and burial on Alderney. 'My research has shown that the official death toll of forced and slave labourers on Alderney which stands at 389 based on exhumations that took place in the 1960s is too low,' she said. 'I have found strong evidence that there are additional unmarked burials on Longy Common. Features that are consistent with additional mass and individual internments have been located within the cemetery. 'Two further areas of probable unmarked graves outside the cemetery have been identified in aerial photographs and my survey data. 'These areas were unlikely to have been searched by the 1960s exhumation team and so it likely the bodies remain there.' She said her research confirms witness reports that people were killed in a variety of ways and their bodies disposed of via burials. To a lesser extent, bodies were thrown into the sea or buried in pits at low tide, or pushed into concrete. During the making of 'Adolf Island', Prof Sturdy Colls discovered a letter from SS chief Heinrich Himmler to the camp commander on Alderney making it clear that should the island be invaded by the allies, all inmates were to be executed. There were no gas chambers on the island so the SS is said to have rehearsed how they would commit mass murder by herding all the prisoners into a railway tunnel where they would be machine gunned. As a much respected figure who has worked with the UK police on many high profile 'no body' cases, looking for murder victims, her findings will be difficult to ignore even by critics on Alderney keen to consign the Nazi occupation to history. Ahead of the film on Alderney, she told the Mail last night: 'In the past there have been various people who have written sensationalist pieces about the German occupation of Alderney. I am trying to do this from a forensic perspective. 'Be very honest about what we do know, and what we don't know. What we have found in our research is very clear evidence about these additional graves. Very clear evidence about how the SS concentration camp functioned. It is important this site is protected. 'There are people in the local government and in the local community who have actively blocked the work that we have done. They don't want this story to be told. That's a shame because it's not telling the story of the people who suffered on that island. 'I am in consultation now with a number of international organisations, and local bodies in Alderney as well about the results and next steps. 'Any excavations of those graves would have to be very carefully planned. Some of the victims may be Jewish. The majority are most likely to be from Eastern Europe, although not all Jewish. 'I think morally we have a responsibility to address this issue. It's an important part of British and international history, the people who were there from other countries. 'We have got this forensic evidence about something terrible that happened on British soil, and now we have to find out if these non-invasive findings are correct so we don't get this toing and froing between people who want to downplay it and those who want to sensationalise it.' Adolf Island will premiere on Tuesday, June 18 at 9pm on Smithsonian Channel in the UK and on Sunday, June 23 at 10pm in the US. An Arizona family is suing the city of Phoenix for $10million after officers held a five months pregnant woman and her two little girls at gunpoint after their four-year-old daughter is said to have walked out of a store with a $1 doll. Parents Dravon Ames and Iesha Harper said a Phoenix Police Department officer injured their one-year-old daughter during the terrifying moment last month by pulling on one of her arms after the mother refused a command to put the child down. Harper said the girl couldnt walk and the pavement was hot. Footage shows cops, some with guns drawn, telling 22-year-old Dravon Ames: 'I'm gonna put a f***ing cap in your f***ing head' as they surround him and his loved ones. Harper said she was handcuffed after she gave the child to a bystander and was thrown face-first into a police vehicle. The officer who pulled on the childs arm had profanely told Harper that he could have shot her in front of her children. The notice of claim - a precursor to a lawsuit - filed Wednesday also said Ames was injured when officers are said to have committed civil rights violations by pointing guns and profanely yelling commands at the parents. An officer is accused of throwing Ames against a vehicle, kicking his leg so hard that Ames collapsed and punching him for no reason. The claim said one of the officers profanely told Ames in front of his children that he was going to shoot him in the face. Scroll down for video Parents Dravon Ames and Iesha Harper are suing the city of Phoenix for $10million Chilling footage from May 29 shows cops surround Dravon Ames and his family with guns drawn. They tell the 22-year-old: 'I'm gonna put a f***ing cap in your f***ing head' 'He kicked me pretty hard,' Ames said. 'I'm still limping.' 'No threat, no resistance,' said Tom Horne, an attorney representing the family. 'It was completely unjustified.' They want $2.5million for each family member. The former state Attorney General added: 'We're talking about a little doll that's worth maybe $5 and the horrors that came from the overreaction to that.' Police said no injuries were reported to them and claimed other stolen items were in the car. 'After this, me and my daughters will never be the same anymore or feel the same for police because it seems like every police is (sic) out for blood or something. We wasn't (sic) really doing anything,' Harper said in a press conference, AZFamily.com reported. Chief Williams said in a Friday video that she 'gets it' when addressing the alarmed public response to the footage that police say is from May 27 but the family's claim dates as May 29. She also said she stands behind the force as they continue to investigate. 'I, like you, am disturbed by the language and the actions of our officer. I assure you that this incident is not representative of the majority of Phoenix police officers who serve this city,' she told video viewers. Civil rights activist Rev. Jarrett Maupin, said: 'They held guns on these little girls. They held guns on these two parents. 'They just tortured this... father sitting next to me.' Civil rights activist Rev. Jarrett Maupin (center left next to attorney Tom Horne), said: 'They held guns on these little girls. They held guns on these two parents. 'They just tortured this... father sitting next to me' The notice of claim filed Wednesday also said father Ames was injured in the incident. 'After this my daughters will never been the same. It seems police are always out for blood,' Harper said in a press conference Ames' brother posted on Facebook Thursday asking for people to allow him to heal 'mentally and emotionally' In the clip, Harper, 24, stands by in tears, pleading with officers and desperately holding onto her two young children as the horror unfolds. She cries: 'I can't put my hands up, I have a baby. I'm pregnant.' Two videos taken by onlookers show the full extent of the encounter between the young family and cops. In one clip officers can repeatedly be heard swearing in front of the youngsters, telling their parents to 'put your f***ing hands up' . One can be heard saying: 'You're gonna f***ing get shot.' Ames frantically tells them: 'My hands are up. My hands are up.' In a lawsuit they claim police 'grabbed the mother and the baby around both of their necks, and tried to take the baby out of the mother's hand'. It adds the infant got 'dead arm from the incident: 'Island [the couple's one-year-old child] has been having nightmares and wetting her bed, which she has not done before this incident.' As Ames is held against a police car his partner desperately tells police she is unable to lift her arms as she is carrying her one-year-old baby. At least one child can be heard crying as they are taken to safety by witnesses. The officer screams: 'If I tell you to do something you f***ing do it.' Ames replies: 'Yes, sir.' Two videos taken by onlookers show the full extent of the shocking encounter. In one clip officers can repeatedly be heard swearing in front of the youngsters His pregnant fiancee, Iesha Harper, 24, stands by in tears, pleading with officers and desperately holding onto her two young children as the horror unfolds In the second clip onlookers call out to ask to take the children away to avoid them from seeing their parents being detained. Ames told The Phoenix New Times: 'We're thinking we're gonna get shot cause he kept threatening, "I'm gonna shoot you in the face". We were so scared.' Another woman who was inside the vehicle was dropped off at another location before the family reached the apartment complex. It is understood the parents had just pulled into the parking lot to leave their children with a babysitter when their car was surrounded. Ames said: 'A police officer, we don't know who he is, a guy, random guy came up to the door banging on the window with a gun, says he's going to shoot us in our face, telling us to get out of the car. He hasn't alerted us that we're being pulled over anything. 'If you look at the video pretty good I'm snatched out the car and I fly back and that's when he grabs me out the car. My hands were up the whole time.' Cops stated in a report that Harper was 'loud' and 'verbally abusive'. The report claims an officer pulled his gun because Ames 'began to reach towards the center of the vehicle between the front seats'. Police said Harper, the mother of the two children, remained in the vehicle and later explained that she believed one of her daughters had stolen the doll because they didnt have any money. Both parents were handcuffed and detained inside police vehicles, but they were eventually released, Horne said. The family is now said to be seeking $10 million in damages from the police who say they are investigating the incident in which neither Ames or Harper are thought to have been arrested A police report said Ames admitted to shoplifting and threw underwear from the window. No one was charged with shoplifting because the property was returned, and store employees didnt want the case prosecuted, police said. But Ames was given a traffic citation for driving on a suspended license. Horne said the parents didnt know their daughter had taken the doll until they were in the vehicle leaving the store. Horne said the family was taken aback by officers approaching them at the apartment complex because police didnt turn on their lights or sirens that would have indicated they should stop. Their claim states: 'The police officers committed battery, unlawful imprisonment, false arrest, infliction of emotional distress, and violation of civil rights under the fifth and 14th amendments of the United States Constitution. 'The first officer grabbed the mother and the baby around both of their necks, and tried to take the baby out of the mother's hand.' The footage has been condemned online. In one clip officers can repeatedly be heard swearing in front of the youngsters, telling their parents to 'put your f***ing hands up' . One can be heard saying: 'You're gonna f***ing get shot' Arizona senator Martin Quezada has condemned the footage on Twitter, writing: 'This is everything that's wrong with #LawEnforcement today. My #LD29 #Maryvale community deserves better than this type of inexcusable and unjustifiable rage and abuse of power from the @phoenixpolice.' Phoenix police told KNXV-TV the officer who swore is on a 'non-enforcement assignment.' The other officer who drew his gun is understood to still be on patrol. In a statement on their Facebook page police wrote: 'On June 11, 2019, we were provided video of an officer taking two individuals into custody while investigating a shoplifting incident in the area of 3200 East Roosevelt Street. 'This occurred after the suspect vehicle was stopped a short distance from the scene of the theft. It involved a man and a woman with two small children. 'The Phoenix Police Department takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and for this reason, this incident is currently being investigated by the Professional Standards Bureau.' DailyMail.com has contacted Phoenix police for comment. The mother of the 15-year-old Bronx boy who was butchered to death outside a bodega by gang members in a case of mistaken identity thanked Jesus after a jury convicted five men of first-degree murder Friday. A jury found defendants Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, 24; Manuel Rivera, 18; Elvin Garcia, 23; Jose Muniz, 22, and Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, 24, guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, gang assault and conspiracy for the slaying of Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz, 15. The five Trinitarios gang members were among more than a dozen suspects who were arrested after the brutal, fatal attack outside a convenience store in The Bronx on June 20, 2018, which was caught on video. Five men on Friday were found guilty of hacking to death Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz, 15, outside of a Bronx bodega last year After the guilty verdicts were handed down, Junior's mother, Leandra Feliz (center), told media that she thanked Jesus for the decision Junior's brother, Manny Ortiz, told press that it had been a terrible year for the family, but that the guilty verdicts were 'a happy ending' Manuel Rivera (left), Jonaiki Martinez Estrella (center) and Elvin Garcia (right) were found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, gang assault and conspiracy Also convicted were Jose Muniz (left) and Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago (right) 'I want to say thank you, Jesus,' Junior's mother, Leandra Feliz, said to the media after the verdict was handed down Friday afternoon. 'Im not going to have my son back,' Leandra said, according to the New York Post, 'But those killers, those murderers, they wont be outside killing another kid.' Junior's father also thanked the jurors for the verdict. 'I'm grateful of the good job the jury did today - it was a just decision,' Lisandro Guzman said, according to ABC 7. 'My son is not coming back, but at least those thugs are not going to be on the street.' Junior's brother, Manny Ortiz, added that 'It's been a terrible year especially for my mom and now I see a smile on her face. It is a happy ending.' During the six week trial, Leandra was said to have been so distraught that she was eventually barred from listening to testimony in the courtroom. Instead, she had to watch the proceedings on a video feed in a room nearby. Leandra denied a defense lawyer's attempts to paint Junior as a gangster who died in some form of gang retribution. Officials had previously also denied this claim. 'My son was a good kid,' Leandra said to press. 'He was only 15 years old he had never been into any trouble in his life until those killers those murderers murdered my son.' 'Today's verdicts will not bring Junior back. Nothing can,' Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr said in a statement addressing the outcome of the trial Friday. 'But these verdicts will send a message to those who would commit acts of senseless violence, and help us move forward and bring closure to this awful chapter in our borough's history.' Jury deliberations began Thursday and took just one day. While mulling over the verdicts, they asked to re-watch graphic surveillance video showing the moment Junior was dragged out of the convenience store to his death. They also asked to rehear testimony and review all the evidence the prosecution had in the case. NBC New York reported that Muniz was overheard exclaiming in Spanish 'Trinitarios to the day I die' as he was led out of the courtroom. All five convicted killers face life in prison when they are sentenced on July 16. 'We want life without parole, as a family, life without parole for those rats,' Junior's brother, Manny Ortiz, told media after the verdict was announced, PIX 11 reported. Emotions in the courtroom ran high during the quintet's six-week trial, which was marked by several outbursts from Junior's devastated mother, Leandra Feliz. When the gruesome video capturing her son's final moments was played for the jury last month, Leandra began howling in agony and had to be escorted out. According to Trinitarios gang member and cooperating witness Michael Sosa Reyes, ringleader Diego Suero ordered his followers to go after the rival Sunset Crew that evening last June. The gang members spotted aspiring NYPD detective, Junior Guzman-Feliz, walking the streets and mistook him for a notorious member of the rival Sunset Crew Junior was dragged out of the shop by his ankles, and savagely hacked away at him with knives and a machete on the corner of the street The suspects' six-week trial in The Bronx was marked by several outbursts from Guzman-Feliz's devastated mother, Leandra Feliz (in striped shirt on May 23) Shortly afterwards, the gang members spotted Junior on the sidewalk and mistook him for a member of the rival clique. At first the, men pursued him in cars and blocked him from seeking refuge inside a hospital, before chasing him on foot. Reyes recalled for the jury the moment he followed Junior inside the bodega, falsely telling the shopkeeper the boy had done something to his grandmother, and needed to be dealt with. He watched on as other members of the Trinitarios gang dragged the terrified 15-year-old boy, who aspired to become an NYPD detective, out of the store by his ankles, and savagely hacked away at him with knives and a machete on the corner of the street. Reyes testified it was Estrella who used a four-and-a-half inch knife to slice Junior's jugular vein, causing him to bleed out in the street. The remaining nine suspects will be tried for Junior'ss murder in September. An internal Trump campaign poll shows the president trailing Joe Biden in key battlegrounds and is a real product despite Trump claiming such polls 'don't exist.' Trump blasted the media and cited 'fake polls' this week, after reports that the internal campaign poll showed him trailing. Trump also claimed to be up in every state. The poll results have now been unearthed, and the Trump campaign has confirmed its authenticity although Trump's campaign manager says the data are months old and may have been muddied by a key development in the Mueller probe. Trump blasted the media and cited 'fake polls' this week, but his campaign has confirmed the existence of internal polling that had him trailing Joe Biden in battlegrounds although the survey dates to March and is 'ancient,' according to the campaign The poll shows Trump trailing Biden in key battlegrounds including Pennsylvania, where Biden launched his campaign, Wisconsin, a state Trump pried from Democrats, and Florida, a state Trump carried in 2016, ABC News reported. Biden led 55 to 39 in Pennsylvania, 51-41 in Wisconsin, with a 7-point lead in Florida. Trump's lead was just two points in red state Texas. 'These leaked numbers are ancient, in campaign terms, from months-old polling that began in March before two major events had occurred: the release of the summary of the Mueller report exonerating the President, and the beginning of the Democrat candidates defining themselves with their far-left policy message,' Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale told ABC. 'Since then, we have seen huge swings in the President's favor across the 17 states we have polled, based on the policies now espoused by the Democrats. For example, the plan to provide free health care to illegal immigrants results in an 18-point swing toward President Trump,' he added in a statement. President Donald Trump's attacked on Vice President Joe Biden have coincided with public polling that shows him performing well against Trump. Trump on Friday questioned Biden's 'mental capacity' President Donald Trump's attacked on Vice President Joe Biden have coincided with public polling that shows him performing well against Trump. Trump on Friday questioned Biden's 'mental capacity' Earlier this week, Trump tore into 'phony polls' during a White House appearance where he nevertheless acknowledged that his campaign had done internal polling but said purported sources who leaked results 'don't exist.' 'I think we're going to win the state of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and we won them all and now I have the same stuff,' Trump said. 'They're giving out phony polls. No, these are polls that we have that nobody saw. We do very little polling because I'm not a huge believer in polling, you go out there and you fight and you don't really need polls,' Trump said. At the time, he said the allegedly fake polls were put out by the 'corrupt media.' But Trump also seemed to confirm the existence of a poll when he said: 'You need ideas more than polls, but we have some internal polling, very little, and it's unbelievably strong. The strongest I've ever been, is exactly today,' Trump said Wednesday. Trump was also set off enough by the leak of poll results, which followed national polls showing Biden up, that he also teed of on Twitter Wednesday. 'The Fake News has never been more dishonest than it is today,' Trump wrote Wednesday morning on Twitter. 'Thank goodness we can fight back on Social Media. There new weapon of choice is Fake Polling, sometimes referred to as Suppression Polls (they suppress the numbers). Had it in 2016, but this is worse,' he vented. 'The Fake (Corrupt) News Media said they had a leak into polling done by my campaign which, by the way and despite the phony and never ending Witch Hunt, are the best numbers WE have ever had. They reported Fake numbers that they made up & don't even exist. WE WILL WIN AGAIN!' Trump wrote. Trump also denied a New York Times report that he instructed aides to lie about the results, although Press secretary Sarah Sanders did not refute the claim in her initial comments when asked about it. She instead said, 'I think the polling got it completely wrong in 2016. I don't think it's right now.' A senior official with the Trump campaign told DailyMail.com that aides were not asked to lie about the survey, however. After reviewing a new poll poll of 17 battlegrounds, Trump instructed his aides to deny him running behind his rival Biden in key states he needs to stitch together a 2020 win, the New York Times reported. The poll was in the field March 15 through March 28 a span that included the March 24 summary of the Mueller report by Attorney General Bill Barr. Such an event has a potential to roil poll data although Democrats fumed that Barr's letter put a positive spin on Mueller's findings. Trump told ABC's George Stephanopoulos this week polls showing Biden ahead 'don't exist.' 'Nobody showed you those polls because those polls don't exist, George. Those polls don't exist. I'm losing in 15 out of 17 states? Those polls don't exist,' Trump said. The Trump camp says more current polling tested the issues Democrats are running on, and Trump performs better. The President is correct that we have no current polls against defined Democrats at all that show him losing in any of the states we have tested. For example, the President leads in Florida by 8 points,' he said. A public May 22 Florida Atlantic poll showed Trump and Biden tied at 50-50. Trump's attacked on Vice President Joe Biden have coincided with public polling that shows him performing well against Trump. Trump on Friday questioned Biden's 'mental capacity.' Alfred Landecker (pictured) was murdered by Nazis in 1942. His daughter went on to have an affair with one and had three of his children One of the largest conglomerates in the country which owns Krispy Kreme, Keurig and Pret-A-Manger was founded in the love affair of the daughter of a murdered Jew and a Nazi, it has been revealed. JAB Holding, as it is known today, is one of the largest conglomerates in the US. It owns the aforementioned coffee and donut companies and also Panera Bread, Stumptown Coffee, Bally and Coty. It belongs in part to members of the Reimann family who live between the US and Europe. Albert Reimann Jr., their father, was at its helm in during the Second World War, when it was known Benckiser and was based in Germany. The company's use of Nazi forced labor was exposed in 2018 as it took over Pret-A-Manger. But what has been a secret for years is that the mother of three of his children was Emilie Landecker, the daughter of a murdered Jewish man who died in a ghetto after being deported by the Gestapo. She went to work for Benckiser as a teenager, having been baptized Catholic as a child, and for years had an affair with Albert Jr., despite him being a keen follower of the regime which slaughtered her father. Though he was married to someone else, Reimann and the young Landecker had a years-long affair. In 1951, she was 29 and had their first child. She had two more before she stopped working for the company in 1965. It is unclear if he ever knew that her father was Jewish. One of their children, Wolfgang Reimann, has spoken out for the first time about the family's dark history and about his father's ties to the Nazis. Albert died in 1985 without ever telling his children the truth; that he was not just a Nazi sympathizer but an avid follower of Hitler's regime who endorsed it and even allowed the abuse of his factory workers in harsh labor camps. Albert Reimann Sr was a member of the Nazi party. His son, Albert Jr., had the affair His mother, who died in 2017, never acknowledged it to them and tried to shush him and his siblings if they ever asked about it. 'My mother never said anything,' Wolfgang Reimann told The New York Times in an interview published on Friday. 'If I had to live with the love of my life, as my mother did, and this person was also responsible for the terrible things that happened during the war, I would not have spoken much, either, I guess,' he said. Emilie's father was Albert Landecker, a Jewish banker whose Catholic wife died in 1933, when Emilie was six. He raised her and her two siblings. In 1933, when the Nazis took over, he had them baptized as Catholic and transferred any property he owned out of his possession so that it would not be reclaimed by the regime. In 1942, he was deported from the family's home to a ghetto in Poland. A few weeks after having to leave his children, he sent his final letter to them. As he left the home, under the watch of a Nazi who called him a 'dirty Jew' in front of his son, Wilheim, giving him the heartbreaking parting advice of: 'Stay home so that no one associates my Star of David with you. 'Give my love to Emmi and Gerdele. Behave, and obey God,' he said. Emilie, who was by then 18, started working to earn money for the entire family. She then went to Benckiser. Details about her affair with Albert are scarce. According to the family, his wife, Pauline, was aware of their relationship. Above: Forced laborers being crammed on to a lorry before they were taken to work during the Second World War. The Reimanns took advantage of the enslaved workforce He and Pauline never had any children of their own and in 1965, Albert formally adopted those who he had fathered with Emilie. Wolfgang and the rest of the family only discovered the truth of their father's love for the Nazis in the last year after ordering that a historian review company records. Peter Harf, the chairman of the company, said he never believed that it had nothing to do with Nazi practices It revealed that he had written to Heinrich Himmler, the SS leader, in 1937, boasting that the company was 'purely Aryan family business that is over 100 years old'. He added: 'The owners are unconditional followers of the race theory. His own father, Albert Reimann Snr, was also a member of the Nazi party. A month after the war was over, Albert Jr. was arrested by the Allied Forces. He got out of custody by claiming to have never been faithful to the regime. In one letter pleading his innocence, he wrote: 'I may conclude that under the circumstances I am at a loss to understand the origin of the above mentioned allegation. I am rather inclined to believe that I was myself closely surveyed by the Gestapo.' But years earlier, under his watch, senior staff brutalized workers at labor camps including one who forced female workers to stand outside their barracks, naked. If they misbehaved, they risked being raped. On one occasion, foreman Paul Werneburg, threw some of them out of a bunker during a bomb raid. One worker was killed and many others were injured as a result. JAB Holding owns, among other giants, Krispy Kreme (shown). It also owns Keurig, Pret-A-Manger and Stumptown Coffee Emilie, her son says, would have been privy to it all. 'She lived through the horror show happening in our own company. She probably sat in the very bunker when Werneburg threw out the workers,' Wolfgang said. He added that while his mother was quiet and always loved their father, he could not understand why. 'He was not very lovable from my perspective,' he said. The family is now trying to reverse some of the atrocities their father, and his father before him, committed. They have renamed their charity in Albert's honor. The foundation will also increase its budget to 'honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and of Nazi terror'. Senator Chuck Schumer hopes to honor the first female Navy service member killed in the battle against ISIS by naming a U.S. Navy Ship after her. The lawmaker asked fellow senators to support the amendment to the annual defense authorization bill that will commemorate Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent. Kent, 35, from New York, died six weeks into her fifth deployment after a suicide bomber detonated their vest in a busy market area in Manbij, northern Syria. During her military career she had served as a member of Navy Seal teams and as a part of other special operations. Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent (above) who died at the age of 35 in Manbij, northern Syria in January of this year Senator Chuck Schumer (above) has presented and amendment to the annual defense authorization bill urging that Kent should be named on a U.S. Navy ship Schumer wants to have the Navy service member Shannon Kent (above left and left in the right picture) honored by naming one of the U.S. Navy ships named after her. She is pictured with her sister Mariah Smith (right picture, right) In his proposition, Schumer noted that no Navy ship had ever been named after a woman who had fought and died in combat, Fox reported. He wanted her to be honored in a 'manner befitting of her noble service to our country and enduring contributions to the United States Navy.' 'Of the 289 active duty ships in the Navy, only five, only five, are named in honor of women. 'Of the fifty-three named vessels currently under construction, only, just one, is named in honor of a woman. 'And no naval ship has even been named for a woman who fought and died in combat like Shannon Kent did.' Three others died in the blast that claimed the life of Kent on January 16. According to Military.com they were: Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Farmer, Defense Intelligence Agency officer Scott Wirtz, and Ghadir Taher, a Syrian-born interpreter from East Point, Georgia. Kent, a mother of two, who married Green Beret Joe Kent, beat thyroid cancer in between pregnancies and had hoped to study clinical psychology. She was rejected from the advancement opportunity due to her cancer history, and was instead sent on her fatal fifth deployment, according to Fox. Her husband Joe Kent said: 'It is pretty unbelievable she was considered physically fit to be deployable and for a special operation in Syria, but not for a classroom to be a psychologist.' Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Fox News Privacy Policy President Trump and other military at Dover Air Force Base, as they salute and pay their respects to the four servicemen and women who lost their lives on the January 16, suicide bombing in northern Syria Pictured: Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician Shannon M. Kent (left), 35, and Army Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan R. Farmer (right), 37, who both died from a suicide bomber in a busy marketplace in Manbij, northern Syria in January of this year Pictured: Defense Intelligence Agency officer Scott Wirtz and and Ghadir Taher, a Syrian-born interpreter from East Point, Georgia, who also died in the suicide attack in Northern Syria Shannon Kent enlisted in 2003, inspired by her father and uncle who were both first responders that were called to action at the World Trade Center on 9/11. She was described on Military.com as a talented linguist, intelligence analyst and cryptologist, who spoke fluent spoke Arabic. Schumer described her as a 'pioneer' in the special operations community, who paved the way for many other women. He said: Senior Chief Kent was living proof that women could not only keep up with but lead, our nations most highly-trained and capable service members. 'Her courageous efforts and groundbreaking achievements have inspired numerous programs for integrating women into Special Operations Forces, with combat jobs and special operations training now open to female service members.' Schumer proposed the amendment to the Fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, that will be taken to congress later this month. The Justice Department is backing up Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has refused during congressional testimony to say he would hand over President Trump's tax returns as requested. Mnuchin had brushed back congressional Democrats demanding the returns, saying he would seek guidance from Justice Department lawyers. A DOJ memorandum released Friday afternoon sided with the Treasury secretary and former Trump campaign finance chairman. The Justice Department backed up Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, writing that a congressional committee can request confidential tax information from the president information 'only to further a legitimate legislative purpose' The 'memorandum opinion for the general counsel' at Treasury states that Congress must have a 'legitimate legislative purpose' to seek such confidential material. Internal Revenue Code states that the IRS 'shall' furnish returns to appropriate committee chairs, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal of Massachusetts sought six years of Trump's return information. According to the Justice Department, 'The plain language of [the law] does not require a tax committee to provide any purpose in support of its request for tax information. Yet the Committee has repeatedly labored to justify its request for six years of the Presidents returns.' It continues: 'The Committees perceived need to articulate such a justification reflects the fact that the Constitution limits the power that Congress may confer upon its agents. Because each House establishes congressional committees solely to carry out its legislative functions, the Committee may request confidential information from the Executive Branch only to further a legitimate legislative purpose.' Trump has cast aside precedent by failing to release his returns Mnuchin is 'prohibited' from handing over Trump's returns, according to the letter The letter, signed by Steven Engel, assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel, runs 33 pages. It states that the law "protecting confidentiality of tax returns prohibited the Department of the Treasury from complying with a request by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee for the president's tax returns.' Neal's request is part of a barrage of Democratic demands for information. It comes amid an internal party split over whether to impeach Trump in part to force the release of information the administration is holding back despite subpoenas and other threats. Next week, longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks will appear before the House Judiciary Committee after it subpoenaed her. The Justice Department backed up the Treasury secretary with a memorandum released Friday afternoon The DOJ's response repeats the 'legitimate legislative purpose' over and over again including three times in its concluding paragraph. 'Congress could not constitutionally confer upon the Committee the right to compel disclosure by the Executive Branch of confidential information that did not serve a legitimate legislative purpose,' said the Engel letter. 'While the Executive Branch should accord due deference and respect to congressional requests, Treasury was not obliged to accept the Committees stated purpose without question, and based on all the facts and circumstances, we agreed that the Committee lacked a legitimate legislative purpose for its request. In the absence of such a legitimate purpose, 26 U.S.C. 6103(a) Congressional Committees Request for the Presidents Tax Returns 33 barred Treasury from disclosing the Presidents tax information in response to the Chairmans letter or the subsequent subpoenas.' Mnuchin has said the issue may very well end up in court. The courts could find that the broad oversight function of Congress could be a sufficient reason. Or, impeachment articles alleging self-dealing would be a potential reason to seek the returns. A knock at the door of a semi-detached house on a street in the East ward of the city of Peterborough. It's the afternoon of April 22, eight weeks before the June 6 by-election in which Labour will squeak to victory ahead of Nigel Farage's nascent Brexit Party. Alone at home is a 54-year-old Asian woman with severe health problems. On her doorstep she allegedly finds Dr Shabina Qayyum, Labour candidate for the ward in the local council elections, along with two male party officials. Comrades in arms: Jeremy Corbyn, with Parliamentary candidate Lisa Forbes, shakes hands with Tariq Mahmood, far left. Some within the Asian community call Mahmood 'Wormy', a nickname that is as uncomplimentary as it sounds What happened next is in dispute. But the resulting allegations were serious enough for the council to call in the police. Criminal claim was followed by counter-claim; the only certainty is that politics in Peterborough is a dirty business and has been for some years now. Labour's victory by 683 votes, in one of Britain's most keenly-fought by-elections of recent years, has been overshadowed by accusations of electoral fraud and voter harassment centred on the Asian community which is particularly active in Peterborough politics. These allegations have hardly been silenced by the presence in Labour Party-related social media photographs of one Tariq Mahmood. Mahmood, a local businessman who runs a large letting agency, was pictured at the count for the local elections with his hand resting, in apparent benediction, on the head of the victorious Dr Qayyum. He was also photographed in the company of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his candidate Lisa Forbes as they pressed the flesh on local streets during campaigning for the by-election. Mahmood with Labour councillor Dr Shabina Qayyum. For those who treasure the sanctity of the democratic process, his continued presence at counts or on the hustings in 2019 is like seeing a wolf in a field of sheep. There is no suggestion that Mahmood was on the doorstep with Dr Qayyum on April 22 They, too, were pictured with Dr Qayyum. (There is no suggestion that Mahmood was on the doorstep with Dr Qayyum on April 22). Why was this an issue? Because 11 years ago Mahmood was jailed for his role in one of the worst electoral frauds to be perpetrated in the UK this century. For those who treasure the sanctity of the democratic process, his continued presence at counts or on the hustings in 2019 is like seeing a wolf in a field of sheep. It is not as if he is obscure or peripheral. He is a 'kingpin' with many local powerful connections. His brother-in-law is the chairman of the Ghousia mosque where Mr Corbyn spoke during a recent visit, much to the ire of local Muslims who complained that such places should be above politics. Some within the Asian community call Mahmood 'Wormy', a nickname that is as uncomplimentary as it sounds. What is the local Labour Party thinking? They have claimed that Mahmood had no role in their by-election campaign. Yet this is not quite the impression we found among his local neighbourhoods. The opportunity that postal votes afford for election fraud has been shown in Peterborough before by both Labour and Tory activists. And at the heart of the Labour Party plot in 2004 was Tariq 'Wormy' Mahmood. The city's Cathedral Square is pictured above [File photo] His continued presence in local politics is perhaps a symptom of a wider problem. When we visited the city this week we found a climate of unease, if not fear. Opposition councillors claimed they had been targeted with vandalism and violence. Some were afraid to speak openly. There were allegations denied by those said to be responsible of votes being bought. Many of the claims involve the practice of giving people a postal vote on demand, an innovation introduced in the Representation of the People Act 2000. No special reason has to be given for applying for a postal vote and it was not until 2007 that a signature and date of birth were required as proof of identification. The opportunity that postal votes afford for election fraud has been shown in Peterborough before by both Labour and Tory activists. And at the heart of the Labour Party plot in 2004 was Tariq 'Wormy' Mahmood. That year's local elections in the city would become notorious for their corruption. Word of what had happened in city centre wards soon reached the authorities. Voters claimed they had gone to the polls to be told that their vote had already been cast. The city council went to Cambridgeshire Police. In June 2004, Operation Hooper was launched by its major investigations team. Detectives focused on the Central, Park and Ravensthorpe wards. By the time the prosecutions were completed in autumn 2008, six men had been jailed, including two former mayors. At the time of the elections, Mahmood was the secretary of a local Labour Party branch. Another female Asian voter told the Mail about being pressured recently on her doorstep by Labour canvassers. On two occasions, she said, they offered to help her secure postal votes for her household. They also inquired about getting postal votes for her parents, who lived elsewhere. A stock image of the city centre is pictured above [File photo] He and his co-conspirators a failed candidate named Maqbool Hussain and Mohammed Choudhary, Peterborough's first Asian mayor were arrested and charged with forgery and conspiracy to defraud. They denied the allegations. 'They got hold of postal and proxy votes which belonged to voters in the Central ward,' prosecuting QC Anthony Leonard would later tell King's Lynn Crown Court. 'They arranged for postal ballot papers to be sent not to the voter but to addresses with which each defendant was connected.' Such vote-rigging was fairly simple if one knew the bureaucracy. A would-be fraudster might consult the marked registers that were available after every election. These showed who had actually voted. The fraudster could note eligible residents who had not used their votes and so might not in the future and apply for postal votes in their names. These documents did not need to be sent to the voters' home addresses. Once received at an address convenient to the fraudster, the postal ballot statements would be marked, before being sent to the unsuspecting Returning Officers. And so democracy was subverted. All three men were jailed, with Mahmood receiving the longest sentence of 15 months. He was ordered to pay 15,000 in costs. Later that year, three Tories, including former mayor Raja Akhtar, were jailed for between two and five months over a similar postal ballot fraud. They had all brought shame on the city. But shame is not something with which Mahmood has been much, if at all, afflicted. Last year, he made headlines again when he described the Tory Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who has Asian heritage, as a 'coconut' a derogatory term for a person of colour who has 'betrayed' their race on social media. (Mahmood insisted the term was not racist and he could just as well have called him 'turnip head'.) Yet he is still keeping company with such prominent local Labour Party figures as Cllr Dr Qayyum. Let us return to the house in East ward and the contested account of Dr Qayyum's visit on April 22. A friend of the householder told us the disabled woman was asked her voting intentions. The woman answered 'blue' (Conservative) and said she had a postal vote. She claimed that Dr Qayyum and her two colleagues then asked to see her postal vote and entered her home. The three allegedly began searching the voter's kitchen to 'help' her find it, the family friend reported. They were unable to lay hands on the form but the experience left the woman so distressed that she phoned her husband, who was in Pakistan at the time. Her husband contacted the family friend and asked her to report the matter to the police. The friend, who is also from the Asian community, told us: 'The husband said to me that I should go and help 'Aunty'. 'He told me a lady had been in her house with two men and that they were looking for votes.' In fact the family friend contacted her local Conservative councillor, Wayne Fitzgerald, who agreed to support the alleged victim in her complaint. He went to the town hall with the householder and her friend to meet a council official. Cllr Fitzgerald, deputy council leader and chairman of Peterborough Conservative Association, told us: 'I set up a meeting where she could complain to the electoral services manager Rachel Edwards. 'There was a friend who came in with this lady to complain about Dr Shabina Qayyum demanding votes and coming into her home to search for [voting papers] shortly before the local elections. 'Her English was not very good but she relayed a story of being intimidated and pressured to get her postal vote. She felt uncomfortable, threatened and harassed.' Peterborough City Council duly reported the matter to Cambridgeshire police. On April 25, a police officer attended the complainant's home and interviewed her with the help of a telephone translator. The family friend said: 'I sat with her during the police interview and there wasn't an official interpreter. The interpreter was speaking to her on the phone in Urdu. They kept saying, 'I can't hear you, I can't hear you.' 'Aunty shakes when she gets nervous and has been hospitalised since this happened. She's still affected by it. I feel so angry.' The police decided no crime had been committed and have dropped the investigation. Cllr Qayyum told us the police had not interviewed her about the matter. She denied wrongdoing and threatened to report our reporter to a named local chief inspector, merely for asking about the allegations. We have since been told by the city council that Cllr Qayyum has made a counter-claim against the Conservatives in relation to the alleged incident on April 22. A spokesman said the council reported this to police, too. Last night the police said no crime was found to have been committed. Labour's victory by 683 votes, in one of Britain's most keenly-fought by-elections of recent years, has been overshadowed by accusations of electoral fraud and voter harassment centred on the Asian community which is particularly active in Peterborough politics. Lisa Forbes is pictured above with Jeremy Corbyn Another female Asian voter told the Mail about being pressured recently on her doorstep by Labour canvassers. On two occasions, she said, they offered to help her secure postal votes for her household. They also inquired about getting postal votes for her parents, who lived elsewhere. 'They told me, 'If you sign it [the application form] we can take it in for you',' she said, adding that she thought the canvassers could be working for Tariq Mahmood. The voter, who did not wish to be named for fear of repercussions, went on: 'They think that because you are part of a community they can then pressurise you.' A 2014 report by the Electoral Commission warned of risks to the 'vulnerable' of being pressured by postal vote fraudsters and recommended that party campaigners should not be involved in assisting others to complete postal votes. Cllr Fitzgerald also spoke of 'thuggery' among Labour activists and of 'grave concerns' over postal vote harvesting within certain sections of the community. He said: 'Some Labour supporters placed glass bottles under the wheel of a (Tory) politician's car at the count on election night. 'I bore witness to what happened at the count where this mob from the Labour party were intimidating people. Whatever politics you follow you shouldn't be rude or threatening.' Of all the ballots cast in the by-election, 29 per cent were postal votes. This is a high figure, but not close to the record for a poll. A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: 'We have received emails making allegations in the wake of the Peterborough by-election. Any claims of electoral fraud are a matter for the police and should be reported to them.' A spokesman for Cambridgeshire police said the force was investigating three allegations of postal vote fraud and one each of bribery and corruption and breach of the privacy of the vote. Peterborough city council has sought to dispel some of the wilder rumours which have arisen since the by-election. There was no evidence, it said, of postal voters or burka-clad women voting multiple times. Nor had there been reports of voters being turned away because someone had used their vote illegally. Tariq Mahmood's presence during the campaign was a matter for the Labour Party but he was not at the count in an official capacity. Last night, the man himself was defiant. Asked about allegations that his associates applied pressure and harassed voters to back Labour, Tariq Mahmood said: 'All false. It is totally incorrect. 'I have not heard anything [about postal-vote pressure] and I do not believe in that. They were canvassing.' Asked about his role in the local party branch, he said: 'I have no role. It is respect, just respect.' He said the extent of his involvement was writing Facebook posts and urging his immediate family to vote. 'I have lived and worked in this area for 50 years,' he added. 'I am a Labour man. I speak the truth. I go to the count as I have done for over 30 years and I have a hobby of taking pictures of what is accurate information. 'Nobody has any right to stop me from supporting and going to the count as any member of the public is allowed to do.' Pressed on where the accusations against him stem from, he blamed the Conservative Party and 'people who don't like me'. His 2008 conviction, he said, was based on 'not a shred of evidence'. He had simply been 'helping people to vote in the community'. Mahmood claimed that a Tory involved in the 2004 election frauds has also been campaigning this year. His Conservative critics would have to 'answer to the community'. And so politics in Peterborough continues much as it did before. A very dirty business. Additional reporting: Mario Ledwith Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt launches a thinly veiled attack on Boris Johnson today as she warns the Tories against riding the tiger of populism. Miss Mordaunt, a senior lieutenant of leadership contender Jeremy Hunt, also suggests Mr Johnson is a divisive leader who might scare off the majority of voters. In an article for the Daily Mail on the opposite page she hails Mr Hunt as a unifier who can negotiate a way through the Brexit impasse. While not naming Mr Johnson, she warns against picking a leader who will create further division by just reinforcing factions in the party, Parliament or the country. Pictured: Tory frontrunner Boris Johnson appearing on BBC Radio 4's World at One on Friday Her comments will be seen as the opening salvo in the battle to defeat Mr Johnson, who won an emphatic victory in the first round of the Tory leadership contest this week. They also suggest Mr Hunts team is preparing for the final head-to-head round of the leadership contest when he will try to win over Tory members. Mr Hunt went on the offensive yesterday, attacking Mr Johnsons apparent reluctance to appear in Tory leadership debates and asking: What would Churchill say? In her article for the Mail, Miss Mordaunt writes: The next leader must deliver unity and Brexit fast and well. So why are staunch leavers like myself and Liam Fox backing Jeremy Hunt? ... Because we dont need to convince the already convinced. Miss Mordaunt, a senior lieutenant of leadership contender Jeremy Hunt (pictured), also suggests Mr Johnson is a divisive leader who might scare off the majority of voters There are dangers to riding the tiger of populism. Not least that it scares off the majority. Not least that it consumes you last. The intervention from one of the leading lights of the Leave campaign came as: Health Secretary Matt Hancock quit the race, sparking a scramble among the remaining candidates to secure his endorsement and that of his 20 MP backers; Boris Johnson finally agreed to attend a live TV BBC debate between the candidates on Tuesday after the next round of voting is complete; The remaining six candidates vowed to go ahead with a Channel 4 debate on Sunday despite Mr Johnson vetoing the event warning of blue on blue attacks; Mr Johnson made his first appearance in the broadcast studios since the campaign began when he insisted he had taken cocaine only once; Allies said Esther McVey, who was ousted in the first round of voting would endorse Mr Johnson; The chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum sparked uproar after comparing Mr Johnson to Hitler and calling him a buffoon. Mr Hunt finished second in Thursdays vote with 43 votes, six ahead of Michael Gove, and leaving him facing a close race to secure second spot. Chuka under fire Chuka Umunna yesterday refused calls to put himself up for a by-election after signing up to the Liberal Democrats, saying his constituents were happy with his decision. Mr Umunna, MP for Streatham, left Labour to join Change UK in February and has now joined Sir Vince Cables party. Mr Umunna said that when he spoke to his constituents, most commended him because they support Remain. He also claimed that the only people who had attacked his decision were Corbynista activists. But Labour MPs lined up to demand he resign to force a by-election, with party chairman Ian Lavery mocking his party-hopping and tweeting: Put your immense popularity to the good people of Streatham. Lets have a Peoples Vote on you and your principles. Advertisement He began the day by needling Mr Johnson over his failure to appear in public during the campaign. Mr Johnson has come under fire for a submarine strategy of making few comments in newspapers and at his campaign launch. On the Radio 4 Today programme, Mr Hunt said he had been on Today 16 times this year, while Johnson had only appeared once. After Mr Johnson appeared on the World At One on Radio 4 yesterday, Mr Hunt teased him, tweeting: Sounds like someone was listening to the Today programme this morning. Mr Hunts allies say his experience conducting diplomatic negotiations will help him get a better Brexit deal. Miss Mordaunt says he has the ability to negotiate a way through and will not hesitate to leave with No Deal if he cannot secure one. But she goes on to warn of division among Conservatives if the party chooses the wrong leader, adding: To leave with a deal, we need to take the majority with us. Her intervention will turn up the heat on Tuesdays vote in which the remaining candidates must secure 33 votes each to stay in. Appearing on the BBC, Mr Johnson committed to leaving the EU by October 31, adding: It would be absolutely bizarre to signal at this stage that the Government was willing once again to run up the white flag and delay again. Muslim leader's Hitler jibe The chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum compared Boris Johnson to Adolf Hitler yesterday. Mohammed Amin branded the frontrunner a buffoon and said he would quit the Tory party after more than three decades of membership if the former foreign secretary was elected. In an explosive radio interview, he said Mr Johnson should not enter Downing Street because he is not sufficiently moral to be prime minister and that he has insufficient concern about the nature of truth. Mr Amin told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I am not prepared to be a member of a party that chooses him as its leader. I would resign after 36 years. Asked about Mr Johnsons popularity with grassroots members of the party, Mr Amin said: There are many horrible people who have been popular. Popularity is not the test. We dont expect our politicians, our prime ministers, to be saints. But we do require a basic level of morality and integrity. He added: A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them. He acknowledged that his comparison was shocking and stressed: I am not saying Boris Johnson wants to send people to the gas chamber, clearly he doesnt. Hes a buffoon. Mr Amin claimed a column Mr Johnson wrote in The Daily Telegraph last August comparing women who wore burqas to letter boxes and bank robbers had put Muslim women at risk. Advertisement We must not ride the tiger of populism: PENNY MORDAUNT backs Jeremy Hunt as she says Britain needs a democrat, listener and negotiator By Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt Backing Hunt: Miss Mordaunt, who wants Tory unity Let me apologise to the millions of people, outside of Westminster without a Conservative Party membership card, who are watching those who do choose their Prime Minister. You are going to be subjected to hustings, wall-to-wall broadcast coverage, and copious column inches all about the candidates, their families, their pets and their ovens! What you wont have is a vote. All Conservatives should remember that the decision we are taking has a profound effect on you. Whoever we select has one hell of a shift. The challenges they face are about so much more than the fortunes of a political party. People are angry and frustrated. Trust in politicians is at an all-time low. We gave you a clear mandate to leave, so why havent you done it yet? What part of WE WANT TO LEAVE do you not understand? In truth, the reason Brexit hasnt happened yet has nothing to do with the lack of mandate, but the lack of a majority to enact it. True, some politicians have tried to frustrate the process. On the Labour side for political gain. On the Conservative side, for purity of outcome. Every sensible Conservative knows that we either leave Europe or we leave government. Its as simple as that. But we should also remember that there is a far more important reason why we must deliver Brexit: The country needs us to. Having given the vote to the people we must implement their choice. Faith in democracy and our politics depends upon it. Business needs us to extract it from this limbo. It can prepare for any eventuality, but not every eventuality. It must have some certainty. It must have it soon. The people want this settled swiftly. But we must also settle it well. How we Brexit must preserve the opportunities that come from leaving the EU, such as the benefits of an independent trade policy. Deliver it well and we can do so much better than just WTO terms. If we manage to secure a good deal, well have less to mend now and more to spend later on clear and present needs, like education, social care, the NHS and our Armed Forces. And in the coming months a new leader must bring us together. The nation, like my party, has been divided on this issue. Half of us are appalled that the other half voted to leave, that half appalled that we have yet to leave. If we Brexit well we can restore that pride in each other and move on as a country. The next Leader must deliver unity and Brexit fast and well. So why are staunch leavers like myself and Liam Fox backing Jeremy Hunt? Firstly, because we dont need to convince the already convinced. There are dangers to riding the tiger of populism. Not least that it scares off the majority. Not least that it consumes you last. The greatest act of patriotism in the last three years was not people like me who voted to leave, but those who voted remain and accepted the result, Jeremy included. We dont need a Remainer or a Leaver. We need a democrat. We need a listener. We need a negotiator. We need a unifier. We need an intelligent, experienced leader to reach out to help us get the majority we need to break free. He has the ability to negotiate a way through. He knows Europes leaders well and is respected by them. He knows what he must do if he cannot secure a deal and he has been strong and resolute on this point the whole time I have been in Cabinet. All his working life he has been someone who does, not just says. Who creates opportunities, not just exploits them. Who brings people together, not divides them. To deliver Brexit we need to find a consensus in the party. We must not end up with further division by just reinforcing factions in the party, Parliament or the country. We must use this time to map out a plan, persuade others of it, signal both our resolve and our ideas to Brussels, and reassure those worried about the future why they should be confident. In order to leave with a deal, we need to take the majority with us. This is as true for Brexit as it is for the next General Election. This contest is not about the next man, its about the next majority. To secure that majority we need Jeremy Hunt. Photo: The Canadian Press Jurors in Everett, Wash., on Friday heard about the mysterious final days of a young Canadian couple killed in 1987 as well as the novel method authorities used to finally make an arrest three decades later. William Earl Talbott II was arrested last year and charged with aggravated murder, after authorities said they used genetic genealogy to identify him as the person who left his DNA on the clothing of one of the victims. The practice involves identifying suspects by entering crime-scene DNA profiles into public databases that people have used for years to fill out their family trees. Opening statements began with a prosecutor describing how 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jay Cook, left their hometown of Saanich for what was supposed to be an overnight trip to Seattle in November 1987. When they didn't return, their families began a frantic search for them, including renting a plane to try to spot the copper-colored Ford van they had been driving. About a week later, Van Cuylenborg's body was found down an embankment in rural Skagit County, north of Seattle. She was naked from the waist down and had been shot in the back of the head. Hunters found Cook dead two days later in brush near a bridge over the Snoqualmie River in Monroe about 60 miles from where his girlfriend was discovered. He had been beaten with rocks and strangled with twine and two red dog collars, authorities said. The couple's van was found in Bellingham, Wash., near a bus station. Van Cuylenborg's pants were in it; investigators found semen on the hem, and said it matched that on her body. Detectives investigated hundreds of leads in the ensuing decades and tested the DNA against criminal databases, to no avail. But Snohomish County sheriff's detective Jim Scharf learned about Parabon Labs in Reston, Virginia, which was using a new DNA processing method to extract more information from samples. Last year, CeCe Moore, a genealogist there who is known for her work on the public television series "Finding Your Roots," used the public genealogy database GEDmatch to find distant cousins of the person who left the DNA. She built a family tree and determined the source must be a male child of William and Patricia Talbott, of Monroe. William Talbott II, now 56, was their only son. He was 24 at the time of the killings and lived near where Cook's body was found. Genetic genealogy has taken off as an investigative tool in the past year, since police in California revealed that they used it to arrest and charge a man suspected of being the sadistic attacker known as the Golden State killer, who killed 13 people and raped nearly 50 women during the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, authorities have used the DNA method to identify more than 60 cold-case suspects across the country. Talbott was one of the first. Defence lawyer Jon Scott described his client as a "blue-collar guy" who had worked in construction and as a truck driver and lived a "quiet, unremarkable life." "He's just lived and worked, and that's all he's done," Scott said. Relatives of both victims attended the beginning of the trial, which is expected to last four weeks. Cook's mother, Leona Cook, said it's still difficult to hear of the killings, but added: "It's been 32 years. My heart's been hardened, I think." Video footage shows the powerful moment a BMW is pulverized by a battle tank racing towards it at top speed. The video of the German-made Leopard 2A4 battle tank was taken during the 2018 Strong Europe Tank Challenge hosted by the US Army Europe and German Army at Germany's Grafenwohr Training Area. In the clip which has recently emerged, the tank can be seen and heard roaring down a dirt path in a cloud of dust, heading towards a mid-1990s BMW 3 Series sedan. The Leopard 2A4 battle tank can be seen at right, barreling down a dirt path towards a BMW The tank doesn't slow down before it runs over the tank at its top speed of 45mph After being run over by the tank, all that's left of the BMW sedan is a pile of twisted metal While the tank doesn't slow down for a second as it approaches the car, it does go airborne for a moment upon impact, sending shrapnel high into the sky, before exiting the frame. The car itself is smashed to smithereens. Leopard tanks weigh about 136,000 pounds and have 1,479 horsepower engines. It appears that the tank was traveling at it top speed of about 45 mph, The Drive reported. The Leopard tank seen in the video was said to have belong to the Austrian Army's 6th Tank Company, 14th Panzer Battalion, and was going through the challenge's precision driving course, according to MilitaryNotes. Other videos reveal the tank also crushed a PT Cruiser and station wagon during the challenge. The driver who killed two British gap year students when their 4x4 flipped over on a tour of Bolivia may never have passed his test, it emerged last night. Police in the town of Uyuni, on the edge of the worlds largest salt flat where the crash took place, are investigating if the 22-year-old local at the wheel held a valid licence. The tour company which took three British teenagers out to see the Salar de Uyuni flats is also facing prosecution for negligence, officials revealed. Freddie McLennan and Joe Atkins, both 19 and from Kent, were killed when the Toyota Land Cruiser hit a pothole and burst a tyre last Sunday. Freddie McLennan, left. and Joe Atkins, right, both 19 and from Kent, were killed when the Toyota Land Cruiser hit a pothole and burst a tyre last Sunday Mangled: Wreckage of the Toyota Land Cruiser in which the two British teenagers and driver died on a tour of the salt flats A friend of the pair, Callum Fraser, also 19, escaped with a broken arm, while three other men from Argentina and Uruguay also survived. Mr Fraser, like his friends a former pupil of Cranbrook School, told investigators that he remembers the vehicle travelling quickly then suddenly losing control. Marco Rojas Hurtado, the local police commander, told the Mail that driver Luis Alberto Barco was believed to have been an inexperienced driver. Mr Alberto, found dead at the scene, did not have a driving licence with him and officers have not yet been able to find any record of him passing his test. Commander Rojas Hurtado said: I dont think he had much experience because when we went to the scene, he did not have a driving licence on him. In that moment, he was not carrying it. Possibly, he may not have passed his test, we are still confirming that. Usually, cars going out to the flats have to be on a register with the names of those on the trip handed over to police The Foreign Office is supporting the victims families as well as the family of Mr Fraser, who is still in hospital in Bolivia Usually, cars going out to the flats have to be on a register with the names of those on the trip handed over to police, but the tour operator had allegedly not complied with rules on this occasion. Mr Rojas Hurtado added: The company has a responsibility. They are responsible for the driver and all of his actions. They need to respond to allegations that their driver was driving legally, with the correct licence. State prosecutors are in the process of building a case against the company, he said. It is not known if passengers were wearing seat belts but pictures show the inside of the car completely mangled with windows smashed open and vehicle parts littered around. One side of the roof was also caved in. The Foreign Office is supporting the victims families as well as the family of Mr Fraser, who is still in hospital in Bolivia. Mr McLennans family said he had excelled at his A-levels and was due to start at Leeds University. In a statement they added: Freddie was an exceptional young man. We are eternally grateful that Freddie came into our lives. We are struggling to come to terms with his passing. Mr Atkinss family said he was brimming with kindness and humility and had only recently called his family to tell of how elated he was to be seeing the world with his best friends. They added: A calming presence and fiercely loyal friend, he will be forever appreciated by those that knew him. Britain is unlikely to leave the European Union this year even in the event of No Deal, Brussels said last night. Eurocrats say they are convinced Boris Johnson will be the next prime minister, but that he will U-turn on his promise to leave on October 31 come what may. Even in the event of a cliff-edge exit, they believe EU leaders would sign off on a short extension for a 'controlled No Deal' which would last into the beginning of 2020. Eurocrats say they are convinced Boris Johnson (pictured in London yesterday) will be the next prime minister However, EU officials are working on the assumption that Mr Johnson will not insist on forcing through No Deal because this would trigger a no confidence vote by MPs and end his premiership. Instead, they expect him to use his 'charm and charisma' to sell an amended version of the current deal which Theresa May was not capable of delivering. A senior EU source said: 'A lot of people are scared about Boris, but I don't think he is the worst of all. 'I think Boris can sell things back home that Theresa May probably couldn't... One senior EU source said they think 'Boris can sell things back home that Theresa May probably couldn't' 'If people really brief Boris and talk him through the implications of No Deal, I think he will really think twice.' Another senior source added: 'Whatever happens, you'll probably end up with a short-term extension of two or three months. 'It will either be a short extension for a controlled No Deal, or to allow for getting a deal to pass through the [UK] parliament.' Matt Hancock ignited a bidding war for his endorsement last night as he withdrew from the Tory leadership race. The Health Secretary quit the contest, admitting he did not have enough support to reach the next round. He had finished sixth in the first vote of Tory MPs, with 20 backers. The remaining candidates will now attempt to win him over along with his supporters. Matt Hancock ignited a bidding war for his endorsement last night as he withdrew from the Tory leadership race In what appeared to be a jibe aimed at fellow leadership hopeful Dominic Raab, Mr Hancock wore socks bearing the legend This is what a feminist looks like With Boris Johnson so far ahead on 114 votes, the remaining six candidates are engaged in a desperate race for second place. Last night there were signs Mr Hancock was edging towards supporting Michael Gove which would bolster the Environment Secretarys hopes of securing second place ahead of Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. But there was also speculation that he could throw his lot in with Mr Johnson in what would be a devastating blow to the remaining runners. One friend said: Matts had about 86 text messages, and only half of them are from Boris. Sajid Javids hopes of making the final two suffered a major blow after allies of Mr Hancock said he would not be joining up with the Home Secretary, who finished fifth with 23 votes. The pair held talks within hours of the results being announced about the prospect of an alliance. But Mr Hancock was said to be irritated after details of the meeting were leaked. In what appeared to be a jibe aimed at fellow leadership hopeful Dominic Raab, Mr Hancock wore socks bearing the legend This is what a feminist looks like as he withdrew from the race. Mr Hancock did not say who he would endorse, but left the door open to backing Mr Johnson Mr Raab has refused to retract a claim he made in 2011 that feminists are obnoxious bigots. Mr Hancock did not say who he would endorse, but left the door open to backing Mr Johnson. He said: I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now. He added: Im hugely grateful for the warm and enthusiastic support... and am proud of the way we managed to set the agenda by promoting new ideas to make peoples lives better. I will look for the best way to advance the values we fought for, of free enterprise, and an open, aspirational, free society, underpinned by an optimistic belief in the value of each individual person. Furious residents have claimed their apartment tower has been plagued by issues for years before they were 'given five minutes' to evacuate last night. Rosalyn Lean, 65, was told to pack her bags and leave the 131-unit building on Bourke Street in Mascot, Sydney's inner south, by 9pm on Friday due to 'identifiable movements in the basement area'. '(It was) defects in the building, it was the joints and in the last few hours the cracks have got bigger in the car park,' she told The Daily Telegraph. 'We just saw police, they've put a notice on the lift saying this might happen, but it's happened very quickly. I've got to find a hotel.' A crack in the slab which supports a building corner was of most concern, according to a letter from the building manager. Residents will be without accommodation for days as engineers examine the building to make sure it is safe. Another resident, Vitoria Krug, said she recently learned repair works were needed in the basement of the building, before she was suddenly told to evacuate. 'Around 9pm, a police officer knocked our door and said we have five minutes to leave the building with our stuff,' she told news.com.au. Others said cracking in the building 'had been going on for years'. Hundreds of residents have been evacuated from a high-rise apartment block after 'movement' was detected in Sydney's Mascot Some residents were stranded overnight after they were kicked out of their apartments on Friday evening A shop owner from an adjoining building revealed they had been plagued by cracks (pictured) on their walls for five years Residents Leo and Belinda and their pet cat Early slept at a 'stranger's room' on Friday because they had 'nowhere to go'. 'We were told to leave last night because of basement movements. There are cracks on the beam, so it's dangerous to live, so we had to leave.' Diner Express owner Lee has 'no idea' when he will be allowed inside his business after adjoining business owners were kicked out on Saturday morning. 'It's bad. This thing happens and people can't live here and we can't do business,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'I just came this morning and that guy (a police officer) told me "you can't open your shop".' Resident Brian Leggott, who has lived in the building since 2008, blamed a nearby development at Church Avenue for the problems. 'The council and government gave [the development] the green light, barely any questions asked,' he said. 'The land is tiny for the size of this development and basically squeezing Mascot Towers. This is a disgrace and I blame them for turning minor defects into major ones.' Yet another resident, Anthony, told the ABC the building had 'so many issues from day one'. 'I guess defects happen in most apartments but you wouldn't ever have thought it would come to this,' he said. 'Especially after seeing the fiasco with the Opal Tower in Homebush, you would have never thought something like this would happen in metro Sydney. Shop owners in businesses said they had noticed cracks on their walls and ceilings start to develop five years ago, according to 9News. 'We pretty much just moved in and now that. Very worrying. We don't know what to do. We have to take the cars and go somewhere else,' resident Fabiano De Santos said. Resident Fabiano De Santos (pictured) was given told to leave the building after only moving in weeks before The 11-storey building was evacuated as a precautionary on 6pm Friday The area has been closed off by police with multiple fire trucks parked outside the building as 96 units were evacuated. Thirty-five have been deemed 'under no threat'. A number of residents left the building of their own accord, while Fire & Rescue NSW and police also assisted people to leave the building. A temporary shelter has been established at Mascot Town Hall, on the corner of Coward Road and Botany Road, while residents wait for the all clear. A letter from the building manager shows concern about a crack in the slab which supports the building corner. 'The building's engineer has carried out a site inspection this afternoon regarding cracking in the transfer slab beams supporting the primary building corner,' the letter read. 'Following this inspection, the engineer has raised concerns over the safety for residents in the building. 'It has been determined that there will be a partial evacuation of the building, pending further monitoring of the transfer beams over the course of the next week. A letter from the building manager revealed that an inspection was being carried out following reports of cracks in the slab beams The area has been closed off by police with multiple fire trucks parked outside the building 'This will determine if the building is safe for reoccupation.' NSW Fire and Rescue said that there was 'no concern with catastrophic failure of the building' and the evacuation was just a precaution. 'At the moment there is a concern with an 11-storey building,' NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewberry said. 'As a precaution we believe there has been some movement detected over a couple of days, which has been monitored by engineers. 'All we know is there have been some issues and reported movement and there have been some concerns raised. There is no injury or concern of immediate collapse.' There are 20 firefighters on scene and were working with police and engineers Residents are seen with luggage outside the high-rise apartment in Mascot The letter also advised residents to seek an alternative place to stay, and owners are unsure if insurance will cover their temporary accommodation. Residents could be seen wandering around the apartment block, some with luggage while others remained in their pyjamas. Fabiano Di Santos said they were given only 30 minutes to evacuate and grab whatever they could. 'There's not much information at the moment, just told there's a structural problem,' he said. 'This is a surprise for everyone especially us because we bought a unit here two-three months ago. 'The manager said 'the walls are moving'. That's very worrying, we don't know what to do.' Mr Di Santos said he had noticed cracks in the building's walls and in a car park. 'When I heard about it I went the to have a look and the building manager told me that those cracks been getting bigger and bigger by the hour,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Me, my wife and our pets are in a friend's place for tonight and tomorrow, and then we'll see. Management told us that more engineers are coming tomorrow morning to assess the situation and the return home could be days, weeks or months.' Residents could be seen wandering around the apartment, some with luggage while others remain in their pyjamas seeking information The newly-built tower in Sydney Olympic Park was evacuated on Christmas Eve last year after cracks were found in the building, sparking fears it could collapse Rosalyn Lean owns a unit in the building and was told to pack her bags and evacuate by 9pm. She said she was worried it could be a repeat of the Opal Tower. The newly-built tower in Sydney Olympic Park was evacuated on Christmas Eve last year after cracks were found in the building, sparking fears it could collapse. '(It was) defects in the building, it was the joints and in the last few hours the cracks have got bigger in the car park,' she told Daily Telegraph. 'We just saw police, they've put a notice on the lift saying this might happen, but it's happened very quickly. I've got to find a hotel.' 'We're very annoyed and in a panic mode,' Violeta Adriaan, 35, said Violeta Adriaan said she felt 'crap' and 'upset' because there wasn't much information. 'We're very annoyed and in a panic mode,' the 35-year-old said. 'We haven't got any information about who's paying for accommodation and they told us to go to family and friends.' Engineers and building managers remained on the scene to determine the integrity and safety of the affected floors. Rosalyn Lean owns a unit in the building and was told to pack her bags and evacuate by 9pm. She's worried it could be a repeat of the Opal Tower NASA says its presence on the moon won't just be for show. With new technology, the agency hopes to mine natural resources on the lunar surface as well as reachable asteroids. Through NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, the agency said it will begin to explore the feasibility of robotic rovers and mining technology that could make space mining a reality. To do so, it has green-lit two mission concepts this month. NASA wants to get a jump-start on mining in space with a tandem of proposals that would develop future technology. 'We are pursuing new technologies across our development portfolio that could help make deep space exploration more Earth-independent by utilizing resources on the Moon and beyond,' said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate in a statement. 'These NIAC Phase III selections are a component of that forward-looking research and we hope new insights will help us achieve more firsts in space.' With NASA's investment, a tandem of proposals, one from William Whittaker at Carnegie Mellon University and another from Joel Sercel of TransAstra Corporation, will each be given $2 million to study and design technology as well as its implementation throughout the course of the next two years. A proposal dubbed project Skylight would study the deployment of lunar rovers that are capable of formulating 3D models of craters that would help determine if the area is worth mining. Rovers and their equipped technology would also be able to glean insight into the morphology of craters as well and be sophisticated enough to tell if they contain caves, overlooks, and rappel routes. 'Planetary pits are visionary destinations for exploration and science,' reads a description of the project. 'They are gateways to caves which offer havens for human habitation and clues regarding ancient life on Mars.' 'Optical mining' would harness the power of the sun to help weather away the moon's surface and then collect the resulting debris. Perhaps more importantly, the study would help design autonomous rovers that are capable of traveling greater distances on ground in shorter amounts of time -- a departure from current technology which is often slow and methodical. A second proposal will study the creation of what scientists call 'optical mining' technology that harnesses sunlight and focuses it in on the moon's surface, wearing away the targeted materials. Resulting debris would then be captured into an inflatable bag, according to the proposal. Funding for the future technologies come amid heightened emphasis on NASA's return to the moon via a much-anticipated mission dubbed Artemis. That mission will entail 37 separate launches over a decade and culminate in the construction of a moon base by 2028, according to documents leaked in May. The plan also calls for the construction of the lunar 'Gateway' a space station and waypoint on the way to the moon which could be launched by 2024. O2 is to join the battle for the 5G network market this year, chief executive Mark Evans has said, as the mobile operator announced new Apple Watch billing options. The UK's three other largest mobile networks EE, Three and Vodafone have either launched or revealed plans to launch their own super-fast network this year. Mr Evans said O2 was 'committed to launching 5G this year' and was 'excited' to show customers the new experiences it can offer. Scroll down for video O2 will launch its own 5G network this year, chief executive Mark Evans has said, as the mobile operator announced new billing options for the Apple Watch (file photo) WHAT PHONES ARE 5G COMPATIBLE? LG V50 ThinQ Huawei Mate X Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Samsung Galaxy S20 5G Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G ZTE Axon 10 Pro Oppo Reno 5G Huawei Mate 20 X Royole FlexPai Advertisement The first 5G network to be launched in the UK came from mobile provider EE back in May 2019. Initially made available in six cities across the countries, the firm plans to increase coverage over the next two years. It was not long after that Vodafone and Three also announced plans to roll out their own 5G networks, beginning in July and August respectively. The O2 boss disclosed their plans to join the 5G fray as the operator announced it was adding the Apple Watch to its custom plans scheme. This will enable customers to choose how much they would like to pay for the device and then spread that cost over a time period of their choosing, between 3 and 36 months, in order to best suit their budget. Mr Evans said that mobile contract payment plans were currently too rigid and were preventing people from accessing the latest devices. 'The mobile industry should offer greater flexibility to make the power of technology accessible for all,' he said. 'It can't be right that rigid contracts and inflexibility are still stopping consumers from accessing the benefits and freedom of advanced technology like Apple Watch Series 4, offering breakthrough communication and fitness features. 'At O2 we believe that everyone should benefit from access to technology, so we offer customers the control and flexibility to build plans that best suit their needs.' The O2 boss disclosed the plan as the operator announced it was adding the Apple Watch to its custom plans scheme. This will enable customers to choose how much they would like to pay for the device and then spread that cost over a time period of their choosing (file photo) O2 published research from YouGov which suggests that less than 1 in 10 people (0 per cent) currently own a smartwatch, with cost named as one of the biggest barriers to ownership. According to the research, 81 per cent said they felt trapped by fixed-term contracts for mobile technology and 89 per cent agreeing that operators should make monthly contracts payments more flexible. Mr Evans also said the company was 'mindful' of an ongoing Government review into the presence of Chinese firm Huawei in parts of 5G infrastructure and said he hoped to see a 'conclusion made on facts'. The UK Government is currently analysing the potential safety risks of using the Chinese company's equipment to build 5G networks. Concerns have been raised around the company's software engineering, the security of its networks and alleged ties between the firm and the Chinese state. Huawei repeatedly and strongly denied these allegations. Mr Evans acknowledged the UK's own National Cyber Security Centre, which is involved in the analysis of Huawei, is yet to report any security breaches involving the firm and thus that they currently 'meet legislation'. A stunning image shared by NASA shows how two spiral galaxies are being slowly stretched out thanks to gravitational forces as they pass through each other. Captioned 'The Mighty Mice', the shot taken by an astronomer using a small, New Mexico based telescope shows the Mice Galaxies and their tails of stars and gas. The two galaxies, which lie 290 million light-years away, will continue to collide with each other repeatedly until they eventually become one, in billions of years' time. Scroll down for video A stunning image shared by NASA shows how two spiral galaxies are being slowly stretched out thanks to gravitational forces as they pass through each other The image of the interacting galaxies, designated NGC 4676, is NASA's image of the day for June 14, 2019. The entwined galaxies are colloquially known as the Mice Galaxies thanks to their long tails, which are made up of gas and stars. The long tails have formed because the Mice are in the process of passing through each other, with this crossing causing strong gravitational tides that are stretching the galaxies out. 'Because the distances are so large, the cosmic interaction takes place in slow motion over hundreds of millions of years,' said astronomer Bruce Waddington, who submitted the image. 'They will probably collide again and again over the next billion years until they coalesce to form a single galaxy,' he added. The Mice Galaxies lie around 290 million light-years away from the Earth, in the direction of the constellation of Berenice's Hair. This ancient pattern of stars, also referred to as 'Coma Berenices', takes its name from Queen Berenice II of Egypt, who reportedly gave her hair as an offering to the mythological Roman goddess Venus. Experts believe that the Mice Galaxies are members of the Coma Cluster, a group of over 1,000 galaxies that can found within Berenice's Hair. The first image of the Mice Galaxies was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope back in 2002 Mr Waddington captured the image of the Mice Galaxies over a period of six nights using the SkyPi Remote Observatory, which is located in New Mexico, in May 2019. NGC 4676 is rarely imaged by such small telescopes, Mr Waddington explained, but the wide field-of-view used has caught both of the Mice's faint tidal tails, even though they are each several hundred thousands of light-years long. The first image of the Mice Galaxies was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope back in 2002. Pioneering astronomer Johannes Kepler may have dabbled in the ancient practice of alchemy, researchers have suggested. A team found traces of metals associated with the practice on manuscript pages written by the German astronomer, who died in 1630. Analysis of pages, from Hipparchus, his manuscript about the moon, found high levels of metals like gold, silver, mercury and lead, by using analytical chemistry. Alchemy, an ancient branch of natural philosophy, was still practised in the 16th and 17th centuries, even used by Elizabeth I's adviser John Dee. A key figure in the 17th-century scientific revolution, Kepler was 'willing to get his hands dirty', the study because of the significant amount of metals discovered. Scroll down for video Pioneering astronomer Johannes Kepler may have practised alchemy after findings metals associated with the practice on his manuscripts. Far left, a page from one of his manuscripts. Pictured centre, the red and green blobs indicate where the researchers found mercury and far right, the green splodges show where lead was found WHAT IS ALCHEMY? Alchemy is an ancient practice shrouded in mystery and secrecy. Its practitioners mainly sought to turn lead into gold, a quest that has captured the imaginations of people for thousands of years. However, the goals of alchemy went far beyond simply creating some golden nuggets. Alchemy was rooted in a complex spiritual worldview in which everything around us contains a sort of universal spirit, and metals were believed not only to be alive but also to grow inside the Earth. When a base, or common, metal such as lead was found, it was thought to simply be a spiritually and physically immature form of higher metals such as gold. Advertisement Kepler drew on Copernicus's work to find laws of planetary motion that paved the way for Isaac Newton's theory of gravity. He is known as a mathematician and astronomer, although the historical record does not reveal whether he also studied alchemy. Alchemy back then was shrouded in mystery and secrecy, mainly seeking to ancient to turn base metals like lead into gold and silver. It was also rooted in a complex spiritual worldview and thought to cure disease and prolong life. A team led by biotechnologist Gleb Zilberstein and chemist Pier Giorgio Righetti found very significant amounts of metals on the pages of Kepler's manuscript about the moon, catalogued as 'Hipparchus'. They point out that alchemy was still popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. The study suggests that Kepler could have learned the 'pseudo-chemical science' from his colleague Tycho Brahe. Brache, from Denmark, was also an astronomer, and writer known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations. Brahe, known for his interest in alchemy, had invited Kepler to join him at in Prague the court of Rudolf II in Castle Benatky in 1600. Brahe built an alchemical laboratory on the island of Hven, a small Swedish island, which had 16 furnaces and equipment for the purification of metals. When Brahe's body was exhumed in 2010, analysis of hair samples found they contained quantities of gold 'up to 100 times higher than in a normal person today'. After Brahe's death in 1601, Kepler succeeded him as mathematician to Rudolf II. 'It is highly likely that Brahe transmitted his passion to Kepler, who might have started practicing the art of alchemy,' the paper said. 'It was likely 'he was willing to get his hands dirty, as judged from the high levels of 'classical metals' used in this field on all pages of his manuscript Hipparchus. 'He not only had his fingertips contaminated by these metals, but also the sleeves of his garments' Analysis of Kepler's manuscripts found high levels of metals like gold, silver, mercury and lead on the pages using analytical chemistry. Alchemy, an ancient philosophy, was still practised in the 16th and 17th centuries, with even Elizabeth I's scientific adviser John Dee was an alchemist Biotechnologist Gleb Zilberstein told the Guardian that examining texts and manuscripts with analytical chemistry can reveal 'information about what a person was eating, what this person was ill with, what medicines he used, what atmosphere he lived in'. 'It is very important to revisit the legacy of such people to find more about our history. 'These manuscripts are filled with amazing drawings and traces from the person who created them. 'If Kepler was an alchemist, then many processes that led to the formation of European culture, philosophy, science and industry can be understood.' Kepler leaves a legacy of more than 2,600 exoplanet discoveries. The Kepler space telescope is named after the astronomer Johannes, which surveyed the Milky Way to discover hundreds of Earth-size and smaller planets. The spacecraft was launched on March 7, 2009, into an Earth-trailing heliocentric orbit but died last year. After years of service that extended long beyond its initial four-year mission, the spacecraft finally ran out of fuel. The paper is published in the journal Talanta. A deposit return scheme in England could stop 6,600 tons of plastic rubbish polluting our seas and rivers by 2030, according to research. The report by charity Common Seas analysed the impact of a deposit scheme. It found a deposit return scheme applied to all drink containers, not just small bottles less than 750ml would have most impact. The Daily Mail has long campaigned against plastic pollution and successfully led calls for a charge on plastic bags, which has dramatically reduced the number which end up in landfill. The form of the deposit return scheme has not been decided - but is a key measure in the government's strategy to reduce plastic pollution. Scroll down for video A deposit return scheme in England could stop 6,600 tons of plastic rubbish polluting our seas and rivers by 2030, according to research. The report by charity Common Seas analysed the impact of a deposit scheme The Common Seas report said: 'The deposit should be set at a high enough level to stimulate behaviour - eg 20p was proposed in Scotland - and the return infrastructure should be made convenient so as to incentivise a high rate of return.' The report warns that further action will need to be taken to reduce plastic pollution from sources including tyre dust, plastic 'nurdles' from manufacturing and microfibers from laundry and wet wipes. Tyre dust contributes 14,000 tons of plastic to the sea - but the government's strategy does not tackle these sources. 'The impact of the strategy is zero or small for both tyre dust and plastic pellets,' the report said. 'This small impact is driven significantly by the challenges in preventing the flows of microplastic pollution into the watercourse. 'Microplastics, such as those generated from the wear of tyres and textiles are emitted in high volumes and their small size makes them hard to manage... there are currently no alternatives that would eliminate tyre dust... other than through modal shifts and reduced use of transport.' Jo Royle, from Common Seas, told the Guardian. 'We must make sure our energy is focused on the most impactful interventions. We don't have time to be ineffective - the crisis we're facing gets worse every day. 'Our initiative... tackles this problem by helping the right people make better decisions about which policies to implement for maximum impact.' Defra said it had commissioned further research to examine how marine pollution from tyre dust, synthetic materials such as polyester, and fishing gear enters our waterways and oceans. 'We have made great strides to tackle plastic pollution in our oceans, introducing one of the toughest bans on microbeads in the world,' Defra said. 'We will consider this report carefully as we look at how we can address different forms of microplastics, including particles from tyres. This is alongside ambitious plans to ban plastic straws, drink stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds and tackle plastic bottle waste.' Cressida Bonas with her cousin Richard Dinan There are myriad reasons why 32-year-old Richard Dinan has struggled to be taken seriously in the stuffy, insular, academic world of nuclear fusion. For starters, most know him as the much lusted-after veteran of Channel 4's reality show Made In Chelsea, rather than as a big-brained physics boffin. (He was the flash, entrepreneurial, party-promoting posh boy prone to grand gestures he wooed one co-star with his helicopter, for goodness' sake.) Second, he wasn't remotely academic at school (12,615-per-term St Edward's in Oxford), where he had no interest in science whatsoever, and got only a scraping of GCSEs. 'I got an occasional C, mainly Ds,' he says. So it seemed rather a leap when, in 2013, he founded Applied Fusion Systems, to create his own prototype nuclear fusion reactor. He said he was going to raise 200 million to fund it, with the aim of one day becoming the leading private manufacturer of such reactors. He's also written a book on the subject, and been a guest lecturer for Imperial College London's Master of Science students and the Oxford University Scientific Society. For those not in the know, nuclear fusion not to be confused with 'fission', which involves splitting atoms to produce energy in the form of heat is what powers every star in our galaxy, including the sun. It involves fusing two or more small, lighter atoms together to produce another heavier atom. Like fission, it generates heat energy but at far higher temperatures up to 300 million degrees Celsius. As in conventional fission-driven nuclear reactors, the heat would be used to produce steam to drive turbines and generate electricity just much more of it. Richard is pictured at his HQ in Bletchley, with his soon to be built nuclear fusion machine Scientists have, for decades, been trying their utmost to recreate nuclear fusion. Indeed, it's the Holy Grail for physicists, as it has the potential to be a zero-carbon, combustion-free, limitless source of cheap energy that will end our dependence on oil and coal. It is also not as costly or high-maintenance as alternatives such as wind and solar power. The raw ingredients are deuterium (also known as heavy hydrogen), found in sea water, and tritium (super-heavy hydrogen), which occurs naturally in the atmosphere. These fuse to produce helium, a stable and clean gas. Unlike fission, there is no dangerous radioactive waste to deal with. But endless failures to achieve full fusion in labs have led to the joke that 'fusion is the energy source of the future and always will be'. So one can only imagine the shock and shrieks of laughter that recently rippled through the scientific community when Richard announced that the technology for nuclear fusion would soon be available in his rented warehouse on a business park on the outskirts of Milton Keynes. Which is where we are today. And where Richard very pale, very blond and impossibly handsome with his square jaw, light-blue eyes and immaculate bob has a lot to say about his new calling. 'I dream about nuclear fusion. I'm obsessed with the technology. Nuclear fusion is how the stars are shining. This is how the universe makes energy. It's free, it's abundant. It's not setting fire to anything. So we are building a little star. On Earth,' he says, throwing his surprisingly thin arms wide open. 'Right here!' As he talks, and talks about thrusters, conductors, vacuum chambers, and how last year he built his very own 'plasma space thrust' (often used in spacecraft engines), whipping out his monogrammed phone to show me photos of his plans I take a good look around. To be honest, this 10,000 sq ft facility does not feel like the epicentre of the global exploration into nuclear fusion. There isn't a white coat in sight. Just a girl with very dark brows and hair extensions fiddling about on her smartphone. In fact, there's almost nothing really here at all, other than a table, a few screens and a collection of vast metal cogs on the floor. Oh, and what looks like a huge metal barrel with a few holes in it this is the vacuum chamber where fusion would take place, apparently. It is also freezing cold in here, and the loos are a disgrace. But Richard can see beyond all this, to three months hence when, he insists, he'll switch on his prototype and generate a temperature of around 100 million degrees Celsius (hotter that the surface of the sun). What's more, this could be eight years ahead of the $21 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in France a collaboration by 35 nations to carry out the world's largest fusion experiment. It aims to prove that fusion can power the planet in a safe and environmentally friendly way. There is also competition from Tokamak Energy in nearby Oxfordshire, which created Britain's first private fusion reactor. Last year it hit 15 million degrees Celsius and it is going for 100 million by 2020. So what is going on? Is Richard misguided, delusional or just plain crazy? Or is it all a scam? It all started six years ago when he was on holiday in Namibia, which is well-known for meteorite activity. He bought a huge piece of the space debris. 'It blew my mind. It changed everything,' he says. 'Because when you look at a [bit of] meteorite it looks like a piece of iron. 'I wanted to know, 'Why is there iron in space?'. I wanted to know, 'How was it cooked? Where did the heat come from?' he says. If some people were initially sceptical of his new passion 'They thought that I had lost my chickens!' he didn't blame them. There have, after all, been quite a few incarnations of Richard Dinan. The only child of Lady Charlotte Curzon and Barry Dinan, a former Captain in the Irish Guards, he's a cousin of Prince Harry's ex, Cressida Bonas. He's also a descendant of the 1st Earl Howe, who was Admiral of the British fleet on the Glorious First of June in 1794, in the first naval action against the French during the revolutionary wars. Richard speaks to JANE FRYER as he sets up Britain's biggest privately owned nuclear fusion machine He grew up in a 'very sweet cottage in the middle of the countryside' near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, with lots of Bernese mountain dogs. He says he was shy, introverted and adored spending time with his mother, but was always driven to make money. 'We weren't poor, but I realised that, while my parents would buy me a TV or a basic car, if I wanted an expensive watch or a Ferrari I would have to go and ask the world,' he adds. And so, inspired by his unlikely business hero, the late poet and publisher Felix Dennis ('such a rogue!'), and helped by the many doors opened by Cressida's half-brother, Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, he spent his teens promoting posh parties. Then, knowing nothing about publishing, he set up his own student magazine, Ammunition ('A catastrophic failure, really what was I thinking?'). When he was 22 he made 125,000 playing the stock market, and then promptly lost the lot when he branched into spread betting. 'I thought I was so clever, some brilliant trader, but I was an idiot. But what a great lesson. And it doesn't hurt any more because I made it back.' Next, he set up a discount restaurant card scheme called the Phantom Card with his old pal, Alexander Nall-Cain, son of disgraced peer Lord Brocket. 'We raised a million in a year,' he says. He later sold most of his shares and moved into the tech industry. 'I started a 3D printing company. It didn't go well. I got pretty hammered there, too.' But he persevered in tech, investing in companies that have built prototyping facilities for Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover and the Dubai space agency. He made a lot of money and bought himself a fleet of fancy cars, including his beloved black Ferrari with a personalised number plate. 'It's not for showing off otherwise I'd have got a red one,' he insists. 'I just love the machines, I love playing with it, I love the sound.' Richard announced that the technology for nuclear fusion would soon be available in his rented warehouse on a business park on the outskirts of Milton Keynes And then, in 2013, he bought that bit of meteorite and that was that. 'I realised I'd fallen in love with fusion,' he says. 'I wanted to know everything about it.' But not, let's be clear, by heading to the library, or enrolling in an evening class in A-level physics. Instead, he hired private physics tutors and flew around the world talking to experts. Soon he was obsessed. Particularly so when he discovered the science behind nuclear fusion had been cracked back in 1997, but that follow-through had been frustratingly slow. 'I decided to build my own [fusion reactor] as building things quickly is my strength. I'm not a professional physicist or anything, but I knew I could do this smaller, quicker and more efficiently, and I just really, really love physics,' he says. And all of this while still appearing on Made In Chelsea. 'They were a bit bemused,' he agrees. 'Particularly as I got more and more into science.' He did start to change, however. He took co-star and I'm A Celebrity winner Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo on a date to a scientific theatre to watch molecules collide, and tried to woo another beauty with a robot holding a flower. But it was when he wrote a 90-page book on nuclear fusion that producers realised he was moving in a different direction to the show, and in 2014, he left. 'I loved it, loved it, loved it. It was such fun. It took me out of my comfort zone. I'm an only child and very introverted, so to go in front of the camera and try to kiss someone, it's good for you!,' he says. But there are downsides to being a handsome reality star. 'It's harder to be taken seriously. I can't stand up and say the wrong thing there are so many people who would love to call me out on it.' So he worked harder, reading, studying, devouring physics. Until two years ago, he says, he was in too deep. 'I couldn't think about anything else. It consumed my life. I became so obsessed with the science that I was losing the ability to talk about it. I'm the fundraiser, not the scientist. I had to take a step back.' Lately, he has ventured into guest lecturing. A recent talk at girls' boarding school St Mary's Ascot went down a storm. 'At the end, 16-year-old girls were asking about plasma physics and semi conductors. They loved it.' No surprise there. He's a total stud, famous (to teen girls), utterly charming and endearingly nerdy. Even if he does like listening to The Phantom Of The Opera's soundtrack on a loop and bang on a bit too much about physics. ('Just imagine,' he says, 'the same power that gave humanity the ability to do the worst thing we've ever done [create nuclear weapons] can also give us the ability to do the best thing we ever do. This is my life.') Lord knows how his long-term girlfriend a sweet interior designer who, he says, can't bear the celebrity rubbish of Made In Chelsea puts up with it over dinner. He assures me she's patient and never rolls her eyes. But back to the science. Because today, despite the alarmingly empty warehouse, Richard insists he's on track. Last month he turned down an offer of 30 million as 'the company didn't need it'. Who knows, he might just be onto something big. Something massive. Something that will make him the 'mountain of money' he has always dreamt of. And perhaps, more importantly, something that will make people take him seriously. Let's hope so, because Richard Dinan is an unexpected delight. Right at the end, I ask the girl with the eyebrows and hair extensions what her connection to the business of nuclear fusion is. 'Oh, I'm Chloe,' she says. 'I'm taking photos for Richard's Instagram. I handle his social media.' Of course she is! You can take the boy out of Made In Chelsea . . . Advertisement Incredible pictures show a huge airliner being pulled out to sea and sunk to become an artificial reef and diving attraction. The Airbus A330 was taken from Antalya to Ibrice port in Turkey's northwestern Edirne province, and had to be transported using six trucks. It was then pushed out to sea and towed a mile into the Gulf of Saros. When the plane reached its final destination it was sunk to a depth of 30 metres (98 feet) in the hope it will revive diving tourism in the area. Among the companies that have made contributions to the project is the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP). Scroll down to see the jetliner's amazing journey... Engineers start sinking an Airbus A330 in the Gulf of Saros so it can become a diving attraction and an artificial reef The long-range aircraft was transported from Antalya to Ibrice port in Turkey's northwestern Edirne province on six trucks The plane was pushed out to sea and towed a mile into the Gulf of Saros ready to be sunk to a depth of 30 metres (98 feet) It is hoped that the sunken A330 will revive diving tourism in northwestern Turkey Winging it: The plane made for an incongruous sight, dwarfing boats nearby It's been a busy week for newlywed Katherine Schwarzenegger. The beauty was seen out in West Hollywood on Thursday, hitting up some stores with a gal pal just five days after she walked down the aisle to Chris Pratt, 39. Showing a little skin, the new wife, 30, wore an off the shoulder Natalie Martin blouse as she and her friend walked down the sidewalk. Buying spree: Katherine Schwarzenegger was seen out in Los Angeles on Thursday, hitting up some stores with a gal pal just five days after she walked down the aisle to Chris Pratt While perusing a minimalist looking store, Katherine wore skinny blue jeans with lavender colored kitten toe heels. The heels matched her flowing blouse, which highlighted her tan shoulders. With a large gold pendant accentuating her collar bone, the new wife of the Guardians Of The Galaxy star wore her hair down while browsing different shops, and added a pair of Rebecca Minkoff sunglasses to the look as she walked around. Katherine was joined by a friend, who looked just as stylish wearing a long, floral dress. Girl's day out: With an unknown friend by her side, wearing a long, floral dress, the ladies walked with their purses over their arms, getting ready to spend some money The ladies walked with their purses over their arms, getting ready to spend some money. The author looked relaxed as she made her way through West Hollywood. It was also recently discovered that Katherine donned a special family heirloom for her wedding. Turns out it was Maria Shriver's very own veil that completed her bridal look as she went down the aisle in Montecito to marry the Jurassic World hunk. Maria, whose mother Eunice was the sister of John F. Kennedy, wore the veil at her 1986 wedding to Katherine's father Arnold Schwarzenegger, People reports. Heirloom: Katherine wore her mother Maria Shriver's bridal veil as she went down the aisle in Montecito to marry the Jurassic World hunk Katherine first met Chris thanks to mom Maria, who reportedly played matchmaker for the couple according to sources who spoke to People. 'Maria and Chris evidently knew one another through mutual friends, which inspired her to put him in touch with Katherine,' the insider told the outlet. The Avengers star and the author then started dating in June 2018 and confirmed their romance a month later when they were pictured at church with Chris' son. After a short time together, the Parks and Recreation star announced on Instagram in January that he had popped the question to Katherine. He captioned the post: 'Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes! I'm thrilled to be marrying you. Proud to live boldly in faith with you. Here we go!' The brunette is 10 years younger than her now husband. Chris was previously married to Anna Faris and co-parents their son Jack, six, who was included in Saturday's festivities. Khloe Kardashian enjoyed some quality time with her daughter True on Thursday. In a new upload on the one-year-old's Instagram page, the little one could be seen goofing around with her 34-year-old mother in a playhouse. The post comes amid claims that Khloe started running around with True's father Tristan Thompson while he was still dating model Jordan Craig. So sweet: Khloe Kardashian enjoyed some quality time with her daughter True on Thursday Khloe began dating her ex-boyfriend when Jordan was still pregnant with his firstborn child, a two-year-old son called Prince. Jordan maintained in court documents leaked by Radar Online that she was still in a relationship with Tristan when he took up with Khloe. Further, Jordan said Tristan's alleged infidelity with Khloe gave her 'high levels of stress that eventually caused me to have serious pregnancy complications.' Her medical issues during her pregnancy became so severe that she was on bed rest before welcoming Prince in December 2016, she shared. Social media star: In a new upload on the one-year-old's Instagram page, she could be seen goofing around with her 34-year-old mother in a playhouse Drama: Her latest post comes amid claims that she started running around with True's father Tristan Thompson while he was still dating model Jordan Craig Khloe fired up her Insta Stories and insisted in a long post that she had no idea the hunky love rat Tristan was cheating on Jordan with her. 'He pleaded with me that the relationship was over long before we met. He had me talk with his most inner circle,' Khloe told her fans. 'He showed my physical poof (correspondence between the two) and had me on calls with his lawyers to prove his point,' she sensationally claimed. Love rat: Khloe began dating Tristan (pictured) when Jordan was still pregnant with his firstborn child, a two-year-old son called Prince Less than 48 hours before True was born last April, DailyMail.com broke the story of Tristan's alleged infidelity to Khloe with New York City strip club bartender Lani Blair. His girlfriend took him back, only to leave him this February after he shared a kiss at a party with Jordyn Woods, the best friend of Khloe's half-sister Kylie Jenner. Jordan has said that Tristan was serially unfaithful to her, and after their breakup paid her $112,000 as a 'bribe' to prevent her dating other men. 'Tristan and I remained friends for months, however, he eventually made it clear that he did not want me to see or date anyone. I could not agree to this,' said Jordan. Unbothered: This Tuesday, Jordan fired up her Instagram page for an album to show that she was having a merry old time in Paris 'It became clear to me that his interest was never in Prince when I told him I no longer wanted this type of friendship with him and he became completely absent n Princes life,' she explained. Tristan's line was: 'No one ever said about not see or date anyone. All I please said is, if youre a single woman, I wanted to request her not to have random men around my child,' per records obtained by Radar Online. This from a man who had only seen his son nine times in his entire life as of November 2018, Jordan claimed according to Radar Online. He's known for roasting celebrities on Hard Chat. But Tom Gleeson has now turned his attention to Sydney, skewering the Harbour City in a segment on ABC's The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. While hosting fictional travel show 'Go Away' (a parody of Channel Nine's Getaway), the 45-year-old comedian strolled around Sydney and trashed its local landmarks. Ouch! ABC comedian Tom Gleeson (pictured) roasted Sydney during a sketch on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, saying the city has 'no culture' and that Bondi Beach is overrated Tom began the segment by saying: 'The traffic is so bad here, if your friends don't live nearby, you'll never see them again! 'But if your friends live in Sydney, they're probably d**kheads anyway.' He then warned tourists: 'Unless you like overpriced housing, a city with its own bedtime and giant cockroaches that watch while you sleep, then don't come here.' The 'bedtime' gag is, of course, a reference at the controversial lockout laws which have devastated Sydney's once-vibrant nightlife. Back to his old tricks! Tom, 45, is known for roasting celebrities on Hard Chat (pictured) Savage: While hosting fictional travel show 'Go Away' (a parody of Channel Nine's Getaway), the 45-year-old comedian strolled around Sydney and trashed its local landmarks When discussing the world-famous Bondi Beach, located in Sydney's eastern suburbs, Tom called the suburb a 'cliche'. 'The tourists love it, but the locals know that it's a bit s**t,' he added. He then compared the picturesque Sydney Harbour to a 'vajazzled anus' and said that Sydney has 'no culture'. 'There's nothing to miss out on!' Tom's co-star, comedian Susie Youssef (pictured), also poked fun at Sydney's lockout laws as she walked around Kings Cross Tom's co-star, comedian Susie Youssef, also poked fun at Sydney's lockout laws as she walked around Kings Cross. She joked that locals love to stay home and watch TV instead of going out, before adding: 'If you're one of those people with a fear of missing out, don't fear! Sydney is so expensive that no one can afford to go out. So there's nothing to miss out on.' At the end of the segment, longtime Getaway presenter Catriona Rowntree made a cameo appearance and praised Sydney. She also called Tom and 'a**ehole'. In previous 'Go Away' segments, Tom has roasted several Australian cities, including Melbourne, Cairns and Kalgoorlie. The Big Brother mansion at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast has been plagued with graffiti, overgrown plants and smashed windows since the show wrapped up in 2014. And now the abandoned house is set to be revamped into a paintball and laser tag theme park in just three to six months. Businessman Tony Odinson told the Gold Coast Bulletin this week that he's expecting to sign a deal 'soon' with the Queensland Investment Corporation. Revealed: The abandoned Big Brother mansion at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast is set to be transformed in just three to six months Chicago-based Tony, Australian Robert Kusch, along with a silent partner, have reportedly been in talks with the Queensland Investment Corporation for over a year. 'We are calling it Adventure Park to fit in with all the other theme parks there (on the Gold Coast),' Tony told the Bulletin. 'We really want it to be a bit more family-orientated. We intend to have little kids parties too, not just bucks' parties,' he revealed. Family-friendly: The derelict house, which has been vandalised by teenagers, will reportedly become a paintball and laser tag amusement park Theme park: 'We are calling it Adventure Park to fit in with all the other theme parks there (on the Gold Coast),' businessman Tony Odinson told the Gold Coast Bulletin this week However the Queensland Investment Corporation are yet to confirm any plans, telling the Bulletin that they're 'considering a range of future options'. A recent YouTube video which showed inside the derelict Big Brother house has amassed over a million views. Big Brother's final season aired five years ago and was won by housemate Ryan Ginns, before the show was cancelled by Channel Nine. For its entire run, the program was filmed inside a 'compound' at the Dreamworld amusement park on Queensland's Gold Coast. Slide me Then and now: Since being taken off the air in 2014, the Big Brother house has been plagued with graffiti, overgrown plants and smashed windows However since being taken off the air, the Big Brother house has been abandoned, vandalised and torched by arsonists. The derelict set is plagued with graffiti, overgrown plants and smashed windows after being vandalised by teenagers over the past few months. The Big Brother house formerly resembled a palatial Miami mansion that drew inspiration from the world-famous Beverly Hills Hotel in LA. She was sued by her Real Housewives Of Orange County costar Alexis Bellino's ex-husband for defamation after dishing about him on a podcast Now Shannon Beador has been awarded $138,000 in attorney fees after a judge threw out Jim Bellino's lawsuit against her, according to court documents obtained by The Blast. The suit was launched after the 55-year-old reality star claimed on a podcast that people had been injured by Bellino's trampoline business. Vindicated: The Real Housewives Of Orange County star Shannon Beador has been awarded $138,000 in attorney fees after a judge threw out Jim Bellino's lawsuit against her, according to court documents obtained by The Blast; pictured in November Shannon and her fellow housewife Tamra Judge, 51, appeared on an episode of the podcast Juice Scoop with comedian Heather McDonald, during which they took shots at Bellino. The judge dismissed the case against Shannon, at which point she sought to recoup $220,000 in legal fees. After Bellino objected that the amount was excessive and unreasonable, the court made its own calculations and awarded her $137,340.25 in attorney fees. Though he'll end up paying over $100K, Jim originally hoped to received $1 million in his suit against Shannon and Tamra. Hurt feelings: Alexis Bellino's ex-husband Jim Bellino sued Shannon and Tamra Judge for defamation after they claimed his divorce was fake, his trampoline business had left customers paralyzed and he was 'going to jail'; shown in 2012 Jim sought the defamation ruling because the two reality stars had allegedly spread lies about his then-impending divorce, which they claimed was fake. The two also said customers had been paralyzed by the trampolines his business sold and that 'he's going to jail.' Shannon and Tamra denied the defamation claim and said their comments were all rooted in truth. Though the judge dismissed the lawsuit against Shannon, paving the way for the recovery of attorney fees, he allowed the suit to proceed against Tamra, so she's still on the hook for $1 million. Clap back: The judge dismissed the claim and awarded $220K in attorney fees, before lower it to $138K after Bellino objected'; shown in 2016 Though the more serious claims from the podcast are still being disputed, the allegation that Bellino's divorce was fake turned out to be demonstrably false, as Jim and Alexis finalized it in August 2018. Alexis, who was a main cast member from seasons five to eight, confirmed their divorce in June of last year. 'It is with heavy hearts that we inform the public of our mutual decision to end our marriage but its important to us that you know we made this choice together, with love, and as the best decision for our childrens future,' the Bellinos said in a joint statement. 'We hold one another in the highest regards as spouses, and especially as parents. We have agreed on 50/50 custody of the children, and we ask that you respect our privacy by not theorizing about the reasons for our divorce.' Shannon also recently uncoupled from her former husband, David Beador. She was awarded $1.4 million in the April settlement, and she'll also received $10,000 per month in support. Jessica Origliasso's partner, musician Kai Carlton, has silenced speculation about his gender by revealing he is a 'trans man'. The 22-year-old former bartender spoke candidly about his gender identity in a Q&A video shared to Instagram on Thursday. He decided to clarify how he self-identifies after a follower asked why he was participating in LGBT pride events. Setting the record straight: Jessica Origliasso's partner, musician Kai Carlton (right), has silenced speculation about his gender by revealing he's a transgender male 'I don't really know what you mean by you "don't understand the pride thing?"' Kai began. 'Maybe I just don't say it that much because I don't see a reason to really say it socially. But I'm a trans male, so that's why I am prideful.' Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. A 'trans man' is a man who was assigned female at birth. 'I'm a trans male': The 22-year-old former bartender spoke candidly about his gender identity in a Q&A video shared to Instagram on Thursday Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by doctors to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Some undergo surgery as well, but not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures. Jessica debuted her relationship with Kai in November, after splitting with actress Ruby Rose following a tumultuous two-year romance. Affectionate display: On Sunday, the couple kissed for the cameras while attending LA Pride in West Hollywood On Sunday, the couple kissed for the cameras while attending LA Pride in West Hollywood. In April, Jessica and Kai spoke candidly about their relationship in another Instagram Q&A session. Kai said: 'We both fell in love with the people who each of us are. I love and respect Jess for who she is, she loves and respects me for who I am. We're just lucky.' Advertisement They are the most in-demand siblings in the modelling industry. And Gigi Hadid, 24, looked sensational as she joined her sister Bella, 22, for a fierce strut down the runway for LUISAVIAROMA at Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy on Thursday night. Gigi ruled the catwalk in a sexy white top and tie combination, complete with PVC skinny trousers, while sister Bella looked incredible as she showed off her hourglass physique. Monochrome madness: Gigi Hadid, 24, looked sensational as she joined her sister Bella, 22, for a fierce strut down the runway for Luisa Via Roma in Florence, Italy on Thursday night Gigi looked incredible in her androgynous inspired ensemble which featured button detailing, as well as an oversized collar. The collar gave way to a sleek black tie, while the cut-out also teased a glimpse of her sensational decolletage. Her skinny trousers added to the eye-catching monochrome look, and her height was boosted by a pair of towering stilettos as she stormed down the runway. Sister, sister: Gigi ruled the catwalk in a sexy white top and tie combination, complete with PVC trousers, while sister Bella looked incredible as she showed off her hourglass physique Wow: Gigi looked incredible in her androgynous inspired ensemble which featured button detailing, as well as an oversized collar Fashionista: Her skinny trousers added to the eye-catching monochrome look, and her height was boosted by a pair of towering stilettos as she stormed down the runway Gorgeous: The half Palestinian beauty looked every inch the blonde bombshell with sleek locks and heavy black winged eyeliner, as well as nude pout The half Palestinian beauty looked every inch the blonde bombshell with sleek locks and heavy black winged eyeliner, as well as nude pout. Gigi was joined by her gorgeous sister Bella who turned heads in her classic black look. Bella's form-fitting black top put emphasis on her impossibly tiny waist and she too completed the look with PVC trousers. Squad: Gigi was joined by her gorgeous sister Bella who turned heads in her classic black look - posing with Irina (L) Mane attraction: The girlfriend of The Weeknd had her brunette locks styled into a slick bun, while an oversized black hat tamed the rest of her tresses in place Breathtaking: Continuing her sensational display, Bella changed into turquoise ruffled dress with a floral hem and a plunging neckline for her second strut down the runway The girlfriend of The Weeknd had her brunette locks styled into a slick bun, while an oversized black hat tamed the rest of her tresses in place. The beauty also sported a glamorous coat of make-up which made the most of her striking chiselled features. Continuing her sensational display, Bella changed into turquoise ruffled dress with a floral hem and a plunging neckline for her second strut down the runway. Style queen: Taking the ruffles into her hands, the brunette bombshell oozed sophistication when she strutted down the catwalk Striking: Bella brought the drama to her catwalk look with heavy make-up strokes which complemented her light blue dress Bella brought the drama to her catwalk look with heavy make-up strokes which complemented her light blue dress. The supermodel looked divine as she showcased her model-honed figure by knotting the string detailing of her dress around her waist. Taking the ruffles into her hands, the brunette bombshell oozed sophistication when she strutted down the catwalk. Gigi also made an outfit change, slipping her statistics into a criss-cross bandeau inspired satin outfit with a thigh high split. Twice as nice: Gigi also made an outfit change, slipping her statistics into a criss-cross bandeau inspired satin outfit with a thigh high split Babe: Gigi's second look perfectly flattered her figure to perfection as she took to the runway with her fellow models Single and ready to mingle! Irina Shayk was back to her best a little more than a week after her four-year relationship with Bradley Cooper came to an end Dominatrix: The Russian supermodel looked sensational in a leather Bardot dress from Ermanno Scervino. Fashionista: Gloves and sheer stocking tights were also added to Irina's second look of the evening (L) Irina Shayk was back to her best a little more than a week after her four-year relationship with Bradley Cooper came to an end. The Russian supermodel looked sensational in a leather Bardot dress from Ermanno Scervino. With matching leather gloves and sheer black tights adding to a dominatrix-inspired look, Irina, 33, commanded attention at the special event. Work it: Stella Maxwell also looked outrageously sexy in a black bikini complete with labyrinth of chunky jewels as she glided along with a tartan jacket draped off her shoulders The beauty, who has rekindled her romance with Kristen Stewart, looked every inch the blonde bombshell with her free-flowing locks and sultry make-up look Supermodel: Alessandra Ambrosio also vowed in a blazer inspired thigh-skimming minidress with snakeskin print thigh-high boots Stella Maxwell also looked outrageously sexy in a black bikini complete with labyrinth of chunky jewels as she glided along with a tartan jacket draped off her shoulders. The beauty, who has rekindled her romance with Kristen Stewart, looked every inch the blonde bombshell with her free-flowing locks and sultry make-up look. Alessandra Ambrosio also vowed in a blazer inspired thigh-skimming minidress with snakeskin print thigh-high boots. The star, who is runway royalty, sported super sleek locks and dramatic winged eyeshadow, as well as a heavy layer of bronzer. Sultry: The star, who is runway royalty, sported super sleek locks and dramatic winged eyeshadow, as well as a heavy layer of bronzer Like a pro! Alessandra was in her element as she glided down the runway for the fashion extravaganza There she is! Karolina Kurkova looked undeniably chic in a structured coat with extensive fringed detailing Stylish: Like the others, she added a pair of leather gloves to her look Babe: The blonde beauty had her tresses slicked back into a chic bun while her glam features sported a dewy make-up look Here come the girls: A further slew of model heavyweights joined the runway show, including the likes of Doutzen Kroes (L), Joan Smalls (M), Grace Elizabeth (R) - who all wowed in all-black outfits In good condition: Joan and Doutzen in particular sported slicked backed locks which highlighted their jaw-dropping features Oh so chi! Halima Aden donned a grey suit and turtleneck blouse for her turn on the runway Trio: Gigi joined Anok Yai and Vittoria Ceretti as they struck a fierce pose at the top of the runway Work it: Cara Taylor (L) and Maud Welzen (R) were seen in colourful and eye-catching looks as they walked down the runway Karolina Kurkova looked undeniably chic in a structured coat with extensive fringed detailing. A further slew of model heavyweights joined the runway show, including the likes of Doutzen Kroes, Joan Smalls, Grace Elizabeth - who all wowed in all-black outfits. Joan and Doutzen in particular sported slicked backed locks which highlighted their jaw-dropping features. Bloomin' beautiful: Lara Stone also wowed for her turn on the runway as she slipped her figure into a floral dress atop a PVC bodysuit Details: Her ensemble appeared to have an over the top ruffled black train Making a statement: Doutzen (R) was joined by Natasha Poly (L) as they wore similar extravagant ornate garments with bedazzled headpieces Pretty: Natasha's look was dotted by pretty floral detailing on her sleeves and shoulders Elegance: Caroline Trentini (L) and Nyarach Abouch Ayuel (R) looked incredible in simple, yet shimmering, gowns Lara Stone also wowed for her turn on the runway as she slipped her figure into a floral dress atop a PVC bodysuit. Doutzen was joined by Natasha Poly as they wore similar extravagant ornate garments with bedazzled headpieces Italian luxury retailer LuisaViaRoma has teamed up with French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld to curate some chic new looks for the glamorous show. Irina Shayk was back to her best on Thursday evening as she returned to work in Italy, little more than a week after her four-year relationship with Bradley Cooper came to an end. The Russian supermodel looked sensational in a leather Bardot dress from Ermanno Scervino while making her he first catwalk appearance since the split at the CR runway x LUISAVIAROMA 90th Anniversary Show. With matching leather gloves and sheer black tights adding to a dominatrix-inspired look, Irina, 33, commanded attention at the special event, held during annual fashion fair Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence. Make way: Irina Shayk was back to her best on Thursday evening as she returned to work in Italy, little more than a week after her four-year relationship with Bradley Cooper came to an end Black strappy heels completed the sultry brunette's latest look as she joined an array of models, among them Stella Maxwell and Gigi and Bella Hadid, at the special event. Her catwalk appearance comes amid claims that she and Bradley continue to put on a united front for the sake of their two-year-old daughter Lea. A source has told People the pair, who recently split after four years together, spend time together 'as a family' for their toddler. Here she comes: The Russian supermodel looked sensational in a leather Bardot dress from Ermanno Scervino while making her he first catwalk appearance since the split Sultry: Irina also sported a racy pin-stripe co-ord during her latest catwalk appearance 'For Lea's sake, they keep spending time together as a family,' a source told the site. 'Bradley is a great dad. He has always been very involved with his daughter.' Though the couple recently split after four years together, they remain dedicated to the well-being of their daughter and are on the 'same page' about how to raise her. 'They want her to live a normal life, be surrounded by friends and thrive through play. They are both wonderful parents,' the source indicated. Moving on: Her catwalk appearance comes amid claims that she and Bradley continue to put on a united front for the sake of their two-year-old daughter Lea Irina has continued to make her daughter a top priority, with a source telling the site the model has been taking her 'to the park, to classes, to play dates' as she 'just adores' her. Bradley and Irina's daughter Lea seemed to be the biggest reason the couple remained together towards the end of their relationship. Irina reportedly decided to end their relationship at the end of last month because she rarely spent time with Bradley. According to Page Six, the couple were unable to 'make a life together outside of the child', and had broke up several times once the 'lust' wore off. A new production of Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird, adapted by Aaron Sorkin, which is a hit on Broadway, will open in the West End in the spring. The powerful play was produced in New York by Scott Rudin, who will transfer Mockingbird to Londons Gielgud Theatre in either April or May of next year, joining forces with Sonia Friedman, whos been enjoying a winning streak at Broadways Tony Awards unrivalled by any other independent British producer in recent memory. Jez Butterworths play The Ferryman, which Friedman produced with Caro Newling, won the Tony for best new play. Last year another of her productions Harry Potter And The Cursed Child took the top drama prize. A new production of Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird, adapted by Aaron Sorkin, which is a hit on Broadway, will open in the West End in the spring Friedman said she felt vindicated for refusing to allow the Broadway version of Ferryman, a searing Irish family drama clocking in at three hours-plus which played the Royal Court and the Gielgud, to be cut by 20 minutes or more. We said No, this is the play. If you cut anything, it begins to unravel. And we were right to stick to our guns. Friedman added youve got to have nerves of steel to work in New York. The risks are so much higher there. Everything costs more, and the spotlight on the work on Broadway is sharper. When a new work comes to Broadway, the whole of the city is aware of it. The producer, who was speaking to me from Manchester ,where she was attending a performance of the UK tour of The Book Of Mormon, said you are much more aware of your chances of failure in New York particularly with shows that are not obviously and overtly commercial. Friedman took the Almeida Theatres production of James Grahams Ink, about Rupert Murdoch and the early years of The Sun, to New York where it won a Tony for Bertie Carvel, who portrays Murdoch. In the autumn, she will be part of the producing team of The Inheritance, by American playwright Matthew Lopez. The show, which is set in Manhattan, played to great acclaim at the Young Vic and the Noel Coward. Its another masterpiece in waiting. This one feels like its coming home, Friedman told me. The exciting revival of Ibsens Rosmersholm, starring a luminous Hayley Atwell, is another London production that could, in time, find itself playing Broadway. Adam Cooper does love a drop of precipitation. Singing in the rain is his thing, and hes back for more when he reprises his role as Don Lockwood in Jonathan Churchs production of Singin In The Rain for a six-week season at Sadlers Wells from July 24 next year, before heading off on tour Cooper played Lockwood (the Gene Kelly role in the film) for director Paul Kerryson in 2004; and in the Church version at the Palace Theatre in 2011 He has a big history at Sadlers Wells, too, having performed in Matthew Bournes Swan Lake there 25 years ago. Coopers working with Bourne again this Christmas season at Sadlers Wells, from December 3, in The Red Shoes, playing grand impresario Boris Lermontov opposite Ashley Shaw Adam Cooper does love a drop of precipitation. Singing in the rain is his thing, and hes back for more when he reprises his role as Don Lockwood in Jonathan Churchs production of Singin In The Rain for a six-week season at Sadlers Wells from July 24 next year, before heading off on tour. Cooper played Lockwood (the Gene Kelly role in the film) for director Paul Kerryson in 2004; and in the Church version at the Palace Theatre in 2011. He has a big history at Sadlers Wells, too, having performed in Matthew Bournes Swan Lake there 25 years ago. Coopers working with Bourne again this Christmas season at Sadlers Wells, from December 3, in The Red Shoes, playing grand impresario Boris Lermontov opposite Ashley Shaw. Why Anthony is playing the name game Florian Zeller changed the name of the character at the centre of his acclaimed play The Father from Andre to Anthony because he had a vision of Anthony Hopkins in his head as he wrote the screenplay. And three years later, Hopkins was indeed occupying the role of Anthony: a retired engineer aged 80. When I made the decision to make the movie in English, my first dream was to go to Anthony, Zeller said, referring to Oscar-winner Hopkins. He discussed the idea with Christopher Hampton, the playwright who does the English translations of his work. And then they hopped on a plane to visit Hopkins in Los Angeles. We met and we had the same desire to do the film together, Zeller told me during a break from shooting a cutaway with Olivia Colman, whos playing Anthonys daughter Anne, and a more complex scene that will be part of a sequence involving Hopkins, Colman and Rufus Sewell. Olivia Williams, Mark Gatiss and Imogen Poots, who werent on set the day I visited the studio in Middlesex, will be involved, too. Zeller explained that having the films star and title character share the same Christian name was a way for him to play with the part. Probably its part of what interested him. I would say its courageous to play it. We were standing in the hallway of a smart mansion block apartment in Maida Vale . . . one that had been built and assembled by members of the films crew. It boasted a splendid parquet floor that I eyed enviously. Actually, its from B&Q. Cheap as chips, commented David Parfitt, a lead producer of the film with Paris-based Philippe Carcassonne. They did a wash over it and a coat of varnish. The films about getting old, and familial relationships. Its not only about disorientation in an old man, but also about a daughter, Zeller said. She asks: Am I allowed to lead my own life? Its this delicate, painful moment when you become the parent of your own parent. There are some scenes that are achingly poignant. I watch as Colman comforts her father the character Hopkins is playing. Little daddy, little daddy, she coos as she gently cradles him. The scene shot, Colman sits up and pats Hopkins on the shoulder. You made me bloody cry again, she chided. Steven Mackintosh, who plays Elton Johns father in the acclaimed Rocketman film, will join Monica Dolan in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins brilliantly provocative play Appropriate at the Donmar Warehouse from August 16. The playwright focuses on the Lafayettes of Arkansas. The death of the patriarch brings white family members together, but the unmarked graves of slaves who worked on the plantation prompt inappropriate discussions about property prices. Watch out for... Daniel Boys and Oliver Savile, who will play Marvin and Whizzer, respectively, two of the central characters in the celebrated American musical Falsettos, which will be having its long-delayed professional premiere at the Other Palace from August 30. The show, by William Finn and James Lapine is set in the late Seventies and early Eighties, when a mysterious illness began to devastate the lives of gay men. Marvin tries to navigate life with his lover Whizzer and his ex-wife Trina (played by Laura Pitt-Pulford) and her new partner (played by Matt Cardle). Then there are the lesbians next door, one of whom is a doctor trying to deal with the as yet unnamed illness. They are played by Natasha J. Barnes and Gemma Knight-Jones. Albert Atack will play Marvin and Trinas ten-year-old son Jason. I saw a revival a couple of years back in New York and was reminded of how wonderful, and heartbreaking, it can be. Producer David Hutchinson said director Tara Overfield Wilkinson will also choreograph the production. She rose to fame on the controversial reality show, Married At First Sight. And more than a year after her series ended, former bride Blair Rachael is begging for a job on Instagram. On Thursday, the 32-year-old shared a cheerful selfie and announced she was 'going out on a limb' by asking for work in a public forum. The sad reality of Married At First Sight: Former bride Blair Rachael (pictured) begged for work on Instagram on Thursday, telling potential employers to 'slide into her DMs' Blair, who appeared on season five of MAFS, explained she was looking for a job as a personal assistant or office manager in Sydney. 'Ok Instagram fam, I need your help!' she wrote. 'I'm going to try something new and go it on a limb... I'm looking for a new job as a personal assistant or office manager in Sydney!' Familiar face: Blair, who appeared on season five of MAFS, explained she was looking for a job as a personal assistant or office manager in Sydney Blair encouraged potential employers to message her privately via Instagram. 'If you would like me to be a part of your team or have any leads on where I could take my career - slide into my DMs!' she wrote. 'Okay Sydney! Come at me! I'm trying something new and looking to Instagram to land my dream role.' Former flame: Blair rose to fame on Married At First Sight last year, when she was paired with FIFO worker Sean Thomsen. Pictured on their wedding day She included the rather telling hashtag: 'Help me'. Blair rose to fame on Married At First Sight last year, when she was paired with FIFO worker Sean Thomsen. She has since found love with a DJ named Robbie Lowe. She's an actress and model who is best known for her role as Hanna Marin on the teen drama series Pretty Little Liars for seven seasons. And on Thursday, Ashley Benson enjoyed some pampering time when she hit a Beverly Hills hair salon without girlfriend Cara Delevingne. By the end of the afternoon appointment, Benson stepped out the front door and showed off her newly dyed blonde tresses and womanly curves. Fresh new look: Ashley Benson debuted her new blonde wavy hairdo moments after leaving a hair salon in Beverly Hills on Thursday The Anaheim, California native oozed youthful and fresh with her new soft-wave hairdo that looked similar to a style frequently wore by the Olsen twins. Keeping with the young theme, Benson donned a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a white tank top. At one point the actress, 29, gave a hint of her toned tummy when she adjusted her shirt as she headed to her car. She rounded out the ensemble with black leather ankle boots and carried a black leather purse. Casual-cool: The actress, 29, looked fresh and youthful in a pair of ripped black skinny jeans, a white tank top and black leather ankle boots Benson and Delevingne have often been photographed together since their began dating just over a year ago. In fact, they most recently were spotted enjoying a couples getaway in Mexico a little over a week ago. They first met while appearing as upstart Riot Grrrl band members in the critically acclaimed punk rock drama Her Smell, starring Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss. The couple reportedly kept their new romance under the radar so they could get to know each other outside of the spotlight first,' reported a source from Life and Style. Hot item: Benson (left) and Delevingne (right) have been dating for just over a year; they are pictured together in Paris, France in September 2018 Aside from her breakout role in Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017), Benson has also appeared in the daytime soap Days Of Our Lives ( 2004-2007) and the fantasy series Eastwick (2009-2010) Her film career includes Spring Breakers (2012), alongside Selena Gomez, James Franco and Vanessa Hudgens and the comedy-drama Elvis & Nixon (2016) that starred Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey and Colin Hanks. The British-born Delevingne won Model Of The Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014. She branched into acting on 2012 with a minor role in the film adaption of Anna Karenina. Her most notable roles include the romantic mystery film, Paper Towns (2015) and the comic book film Suicide Squad (2016). They have been dating since 2013 and share an adorable son, Harvey Banks, one. And on Thursday, Australian Jack Freestone, 27, finally proposed to his American model girlfriend Alana Blanchard, 29. The professional surfers shared a photo to their respective Instagram pages, with Alana showing off her gorgeous engagement ring. 'Finally did it': Australian surfer Jack Freestone, 27, got engaged to American model girlfriend Alana Blanchard, 29, on Thursday after six years of dating 'So this happened last night, I love you,' Alana captioned the picture, while Jack shared on his Instagram page: 'Finally did it.' In the photo, the athletes warmly embrace and the couple's son Harvey Banks smiles at the camera. Alana proudly holds up her left hand, drawing attention to her sparkling engagement ring. Surfing's power couple: Jack and Alana have been dating since 2013, and share son Harvey Banks, one The couple, who began dating in 2013, welcomed son Harvey Banks in December 2017, in Alana's hometown of Kauai, Hawaii. Alana told US Surfer magazine in October last year that balancing motherhood with a professional surfing career is a 'learning process'. 'It's the most amazing thing ever, but it's also probably the hardest thing ever,' Alana said. Balancing act: Alana told US Surfer magazine in October last year, that balancing motherhood with a professional surfing career, is a 'learning process' 'It's a learning process just trying to maintain your own lives, while still being the best parents you can be, and you figure things out on a daily basis.' The Instagram star, who boasts 1.8 million followers, also revealed that the couple wanted to be as 'involved as possible' in raising Harvey. 'Jack and I decided to be as involved as possible, so we've never even gotten a babysitter or anything, and that definitely affects everything else you want to do,' she said. Lara Stone turned heads as she stormed the runway for LUISAVIAROMA at Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy on Thursday night. The blonde model, 35, wowed as she joined the likes of Bella and Gigi Hadid on the catwalk, commanding attention in a floral number. She slipped her frame in the rose print shoulder-less dress atop a black PVC bodysuit. Dramatic flair: Lara Stone turned heads as she stormed the runway for LUISAVIAROMA at Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy on Thursday night The floor-length dress fell to the ground and she marched along in black heels. Her ensemble also featured an over the top ruffled black train which followed her dramatically along the catwalk. She swept her light blonde mane back in a scraped 'do, perfectly showcasing her porcelain complexion which she kept clean and simple. She swept a dash of bold black mascara over her lashes, added a pop of shadoweing and a light rose pink dab to her pout. In good company: The blonde model wowed as she joined the likes of Bella and Gigi Hadid on the catwalk, commanding attention in a floral number Details: Her ensemble appeared to have an over the top ruffled black train Italian luxury retailer LuisaViaRoma has teamed up with French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld to curate some chic new looks for the glamorous show. Earlier this year, Lara revealed that she met her property developer beau, David Grievson, on dating app Tinder. Speaking about her new romance for the first time, the supermodel proved to be in a completely happy place in her life five years after her marriage to comedian David Walliams came to an end. The Dutch beauty also revealed to Telegraph magazine in April that despite the 'awful' divorce, she has worked well with Walliams to co-parent her six-year-old son Alfred. Bloomin' beautiful: She slipped her frame in the rose print shoulder-less dress atop a black PVC bodysuit Clean look: She swept her light blonde mane back in a scraped 'do, perfectly showcasing her porcelain complexion which she kept clean and simple Lara, who has been dating Grievson for nearly a year now, revealed: 'Sometimes really different people work together - but maybe not for ever. It's awful getting divorced. 'The first time I left Alfred with David, he was really clingy. It's now five years and luckily our son was really young. He didn't really notice anything. It's only now that he knows that we used to be married. 'He's the happiest kid really happy to be home with me and really happy to be home with his dad, so what more could you ask for?' Lara and her dapper beau first starting dating in January 2018, and have been seemingly solid ever since. She's preparing to welcome her first child, a daughter, with partner Damon Collina in the coming weeks. And on Friday, former Bachelor in Paradise star Lisa Hyde offered fans a glimpse of the lavish nursery she's set up in her Sydney home. Taking to Instagram, the 32-year-old gave a tour of the child's room, including cute toys and furniture tailored for a baby girl. Gorgeous: On Friday, former Bachelor in Paradise star Lisa Hyde (right) offered fans a glimpse of the lavish nursery she's set up in her Sydney home. Pictured left: Anita Birges 'I can't thank this amazing woman enough. [Home stylist] Anita Birges has not only transformed my nursery but helped me become a much more organised mummy,' Lisa wrote in the caption. 'I can't wait to share the full nursery transformation along with the furniture and baby products included. I'm so grateful to everyone who sent gifts, this bubba is very lucky.' In the accompanying photos, Lisa is shown assembling furniture and organising the room while flaunting her baby bump in a polka dot dress. Stylish: Taking to Instagram, the 32-year-old gave a tour of her daughter's room, including cute toys and furniture tailored for a baby girl Getting ready: In the accompanying photos, Lisa is shown assembling furniture and organising the room while flaunting her baby bump in a polka dot dress In April, Lisa revealed her daughter had started kicking in the womb. She wrote on Instagram: '[I'm] starting to feel kicks and I'm just so in love already. Can't wait to meet you my little angel.' Lisa rose to fame on the 2014 season of The Bachelor, starring auctioneer Blake Garvey. She eventually placed runner-up behind Sam Frost. She has been dating Damon Collina since mid-2018, with the couple meeting shortly after she filmed season one of Bachelor in Paradise. 'I'm just so in love already': In April, Lisa revealed her daughter had started kicking in the womb The couple threw a 'gender reveal' party in January to announce they're having a girl. Footage from the party showed them popping a large black balloon, from which smaller balloons in various shades of pink emerged. 'It's a girl. Thank you to all our amazing family and friends who witnessed this special moment with us!' Lisa captioned the sweet video. Kristian Nairn, the Northern Ireland actor who played the iconic Hodor on Game of Thrones, is heading to Las Vegas this weekend for an upcoming DJ set. Nairn, 43, announced on social media on Sunday that he will be heading to Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Vegas, to DJ during an event dubbed Rave of Thrones. The actor/DJ will be performing a DJ set at the rooftop at midnight at Terrace at the Hustler Club on Friday, June 14. Hodor's set: Kristian Nairn, the Northern Ireland actor who played the iconic Hodor on Game of Thrones, is heading to Las Vegas this weekend for an upcoming DJ set 'Next week Ill be in Las Vegas at the World Famous @hustlervegas DJing on the roof for the Rave of Thrones comic con convention party,' Nairn said. 'See you guys next week in Sin City!' he added in his Twitter post from last week, which included his poster. He also tweeted about his set on Wednesday, stating, 'I always have such an amazing time in Sin City.. the crowd is always crazy! Tomorrow catch me at the World Famous rooftop from midnight for #RaveOfThrones.' Rave time: 'Next week Ill be in Las Vegas at the World Famous @hustlervegas DJing on the roof for the Rave of Thrones comic con convention party,' Nairn said TMZ reports that the club owners are huge fans of Game of Thrones and Nairn's iconic character Hodor. The venue is said to be, 'tricked out,' to bring the show to life, with TMZ hinting that there may be a brothel theme. Patrons will most likely be dressed up in Game of Thrones cosplay throughout the night's festivities. Hodor: TMZ reports that the club owners are huge fans of Game of Thrones and Nairn's iconic character Hodor Nairn was a DJ long before his Hodor days, serving as the resident DJ at Kremlin, a gay club in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is also an accomplished guitarist, who even got to play backstage with Megadeth at Hellfest Open Air Festival in Cisson, France last June. When he landed the role of Hodor on Game of Thrones, it was the first acting role for the 6-foot-10-inch DJ-turned actor. Hodor: When he landed the role of Hodor on Game of Thrones, it was the first acting role for the 6-foot-10-inch DJ-turned actor Hodor was not a major character in Game of Thrones, but he did have a strong fan following, after his debut in the series premiere in 2011. Hodor was the longtime companion of Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who was crippled in the pilot for being thrown out of a tower by Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). After suffering an unknown accident, all he could say is 'Hodor,' but in the sixth season, it was revealed that his real name is Wyllis, and he repeatedly said 'hold the door' that was repeated so much it ultimately morphed into Hodor. Australian model Elyse Knowles knows how to stir up envy. The former Block winner took to Instagram on Thursday to show off the beautiful deck of her new home in picturesque Byron Bay, in northern NSW. In the photo, Elyse, 26, is pictured smiling next to her boyfriend, Josh Barker, who is also beaming alongside her. Another day in paradise! Model Elyse Knowles (right) shared a glimpse of the gorgeous deck at her new Byron Bay home with boyfriend Josh Barker (left) on Thursday Elyse, clad in a knit jumper and comfortable wide-leg linen pants, looks relaxed while sitting on a lounge chair. The model's long blonde locks are styled loosely as she flashes her pearly white teeth for the camera. Josh, 30, complements Elyse in a khaki collared shirt, faded blue jeans ripped at the knees and a dark brown hat. Picture perfect couple: Elyse, clad in wearing a blonde marl knit and comfortable wide-leg white linen pants, looks relaxed while sitting on a white chair The Instagram post also included a cute snap of the model with her hands playfully wrapped around Josh's neck. Myer ambassador Elyse wrote in the caption: 'Reality of us.' Phoebe Burgess, the 29-year-old wife of NRL star Sam Burgess, was impressed by Elyse's style, commenting: 'My kind of outfit.' Footloose: Josh, 30, complemented Elyse in a khaki collared shirt, faded blue jeans ripped at the knees, and a dark brown hat Lindy Klim, 41, the ex-wife of Olympic swimmer Michael Klim, simply wrote: 'Cuties.' In late 2017, Elyse and Josh walked away victorious at the Block auctions, picking up $547,000 after their home sold to comedian Dave Hughes. Earlier this year, the couple packed up their lives in Melbourne and drove 1,600km north to settle in Byron Bay. Death Row: Countdown To Execution Rating: Grime And Punishment: Dirty Britain Rating: An investigative reporter, a dancing queen or the nation's big sister, Susanna Reid just can't decide who she wants to be. Interviewing a Texas inmate facing execution by lethal injection for the murder of a police officer, Susanna last night played the Hard-Hitting Journo in her two-part documentary, Death Row: Countdown To Execution (ITV). It's a role she has tackled before, during special reports on notorious UK murder cases. But this time, in a plain grey jacket, with her face scrubbed of make-up, she was trying so hard to exude the gravitas and moral weight of Sir Trevor McDonald that I expected her at any moment to slap on a false moustache. Susanna Reid was trying too hard to exude the gravitas and moral weight of Sir Trevor McDonald on Death Row: Countdown To Execution She acted like herself just once, as she drove to meet the killer's son. Singing along to Dolly Parton's Jolene, Susanna said fervently: 'She's so great.' Pop culture is her natural habitat, which makes it strange to see her quizzing a condemned man through the bulletproof screen at the maximum security jail in Huntsville, known as the execution capital of America. White-haired Patrick Murphy was one of seven violent criminals who carried out a string of armed robberies in 2000 after breaking out of prison. Off-duty police officer Aubrey Hawkins was gunned down in cold blood as he went to investigate. Murphy was the getaway driver and claims he was nowhere near the killing although the robbers' car was driven over the bullet-ridden body of Officer Hawkins, the father of a young boy. Susanna didn't appear able to make up her mind about whether the death penalty was justified. Since filming the documentary, she has admitted on Loose Women that her emotions were dragged one way, then the other, apparently unaware that it isn't the job of a serious journalist to impose her own feelings on the report. At first she seemed charmed by the soft-spoken Murphy, who called her Ma'am and emphasised his 'deep regrets' over the policeman's death. Later, when he recounted the rape at knifepoint that sent him to prison in the first place, Susanna could not hide her revulsion. Barrel-bottom of the night: Comedian Leigh Francis is hardly known for his high-brow humour, but his new show Shopping With Keith Lemon (ITV2) really scrapes new lows. Its crass, laboured and sordid. Does anybody ever laugh at this stuff? Advertisement Though she was the wrong woman for the job, her awkwardness did not dampen the drama of the programme's final minutes, as police colleagues of the murdered man and protesters against capital punishment gathered outside the prison to await news. Murphy, a Buddhist convert, had appealed for a monk to be with him as his 'spiritual guide' in his final moments. The prison denied that request . . . and the Supreme Court refused to allow the execution to go ahead until the governor changed his mind. The condemned man had a temporary reprieve. It made for an unexpectedly dramatic and thought-provoking finale. There was nothing to provoke thought but much to turn the stomach in Grime And Punishment: Dirty Britain (C5). The war on litter and fly-tipping has become a topic of national debate, thanks in part to the Mail backing Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean. This show, sadly, had no intention of inspiring viewers to tackle the detritus in the streets around their own homes. It just wanted to wallow in muck. And wallow it did, as two wise-cracking council officials in Cardiff took a flat-bed lorry and a digger to an underpass where mountains of household waste had been dumped. At least they enjoyed their work. In Dudley, West Midlands, Don the extreme cleaner was having less fun shovelling filth out of a squalid flat. 'Some days,' he said dolefully, 'when I get home, my wife wants to meet me at the door with a hosepipe.' She split with her ex-husband, Today show weather presenter Steve Jacobs, in 2018. And on Thursday, Rose Jacobs revealed she fell into a dark place following her separation from the 51-year-old Channel Nine star. In an article for Whimn, the television host, 40, admitted she suffered from anxiety and depression in the wake of her tumultuous marriage breakdown. 'Two years ago, I decided to leave my unhappy marriage': Steve Jacobs' ex-wife Rose has revealed the truth behind their bitter divorce - and says SHE was the one who ended things 'Two years ago I decided to leave my unhappy marriage, after years of trying desperately to make it work,' she wrote. 'As a result of this separation, I've experienced plenty of anxiety and depression, often blaming and questioning myself.' The mother-of-two also acknowledged the financial implications of her separation. 'I struggle to get by week by week as a single mum relying on Centrelink for child support and working in a job that sounds glamorous but is inconsistent and not exactly high paying,' she explained. Rose added that she has a week-on, week-off custody arrangement with Steve, who is the father of her two daughters: Isabella, seven, and Francesca, five. Challenging times: In an article for Whimn , the 40-year-old TV host admitted she suffered from anxiety and depression in the wake of her tumultuous marriage breakdown 'I struggle to get by week by week': Rose split with her ex-husband, Today show weather presenter Steve Jacobs (right), in 2018. Pictured with their daughters, Isabella and Francesca In October last year, Rose debuted her new partner, Matt Shir. She confirmed their romance by sharing several loved-up selfies of the pair to Instagram, and proudly described her boyfriend as a 'viking man'. A friend of Rose's said at the time: 'They are super happy together.' Moving on: In October 2018, Rose debuted her new partner, Matt Shir (right). She confirmed the romance via Instagram, and proudly described her boyfriend as a 'viking man' Too little, too late: Rose and Steve had relocated to Vanuatu with their daughters in mid-2017, in what friends say was a 'last-ditch attempt' to save their marriage. They split within months Rose and Steve had relocated to Vanuatu with their daughters in mid-2017, in what friends say was a 'last-ditch attempt' to save their marriage. However, things fell apart within a few months and, following their split, Rose enjoyed a brief fling with Canadian former commando Dylan Nash. In November last year, Steve told WHO magazine that he'd been thrown 'a few curveballs' since the separation but remained focused on his children. For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14 More details have been revealed in the death of Counting On star Grandma Mary Duggar, who was found by her daughter Deanna Jordan. Washington County Coroner Roger W. Morris confirmed to People on Thursday that Grandma Mary had slipped and fallen into the pool. 'Duggar slipped and fell into the pool and drowned,' Morris said. 'Her daughter Deanna discovered her body and alerted authorities, who pronounced her dead at the scene.' Found: More details have been revealed in the death of Counting On star Grandma Mary Duggar, who was found by her daughter Deanna Jordan News of Grandma Mary's death was first shared on the Duggar Family Facebook page, and later by her granddaughter Jill Dillard. 'My heart breaks. My grandma died suddenly today! She was an amazing woman of God and such a great example to so many! 'She was a feisty, incredible woman who always took the time to talk about Jesus with everyone she knew!,' she added. Jill's statement: News of Grandma Mary's death was first shared on the Duggar Family Facebook page, and later by her granddaughter Jill Dillard 'I know she was ready to check outta here and get her new body in heaven before the old one started giving her too much trouble! We miss you so much!!' The Duggar Family also released a statement to US Weekly, where they confirmed her death was from an accidental drowning while also shedding more light on her recent medical issues. 'Grandma Duggar has had two strokes over the last year and some other medical issues and its our understanding that Grandma Duggar had slipped and fallen and passed by the time her daughter found her in the pool,' a rep for the family said. Support: 'Weve been really touched by the outpouring of support and more than a thousand people referred to her as Americas grandma which is a title we hadnt even given her' 'Weve been really touched by the outpouring of support and more than a thousand people referred to her as Americas grandma which is a title we hadnt even given her. Coroner Morris also released a separate statement to US Weekly, revealing the details of Duggar's passing. 'Mary Duggar died of an accidental drowning in her swimming pool at her home in Springdale, Arkansas, on June 9. It appears she slipped and fell into the pool resulting in her drowning.' Slipped: 'Mary Duggar died of an accidental drowning in her swimming pool at her home in Springdale, Arkansas, on June 9. It appears she slipped and fell into the pool resulting in her drowning' Mary worked as a real estate broker and was the proprietor of Good Neighbor Realty in Springdale, Arkansas Mary's granddaughter Jana Duggar revealed she had taken her grandmother to church that Sunday morning. 'On her last morning spent here on earth I drove Grandma to church where she worshiped her Savior,' she said. 'Later that afternoon, she went to meet Him face to face! Id say thats probably how she wouldve chosen to finish out the day if she got to pick,' she stated. Nicole Kidman's habit of wearing wigs in Hollywood movies has earned her a cult following over the years. And during an episode of their What's The Tee podcast, RuPaul and Michelle Visage jokingly suggested that the actress could be using wigs to hide the fact she is bald. RuPaul said that 'absolutely nobody does wigs like Nicole', sparking a lighthearted debate about her changing hairstyles. Conspiracy theory: RuPaul and Michelle Visage joked that Nicole Kidman (pictured) could be bald, as she is rarely seen with her natural hair and often wears wigs in movies The discussion began with Michelle recalling her recent visit to Australia. She told her RuPaul's Drag Race co-star that the highlight of her trip was seeing a 'billboard of Nicole Kidman selling a hair pill' at the airport. Michelle was likely referring to an advert for supplement brand Swisse, for which Nicole is an ambassador. Under wraps: 'We rarely ever see Nicole Kidman's hair,' RuPaul said in his podcast recently. Pictured on RuPaul's Drag Race She yelled: 'The irony of Nicole Kidman selling a hair pill!' RuPaul then explained Michelle's joke for listeners, saying: 'The irony is that we rarely ever see Nicole Kidman's hair.' Michelle swiftly responded: 'I think she's bald!' 'She's not bald!' replied RuPaul, correcting her. 'She's just got curly hair that ends up being very brittle.' Wigging it! Nicole hasn't showcased her natural hair since the early days of her career, and almost exclusively wears wigs for film roles. Left: in Big Little Lies, and right: in Aquaman Rare sighting: A teenage Nicole displays her naturally curly hair in her first film, BMX Bandits Indeed, recent photos of Nicole - which show her with natural, strawberry blonde hair - support RuPaul's claim. Michelle concluded by saying that Nicole 'selling a hair pill' was nonetheless the 'funniest thing' she'd seen in months. Nicole hasn't showcased her natural hair on screen since the early days of her career, and almost exclusively wears wigs for film roles. Portfolio: Nicole has worn a variety of wigs throughout her impressive career. Pictured (left to right) in: Top Of The Lake (2017), Paddington (2014) and Lion (2016) One of the few times Nicole has displayed her naturally curly hair was in her first feature film, 1983's BMX Bandits. Interestingly, she is known to get a little touchy when asked about the subject. She hung up on The Kyle and Jackie O Show earlier this year when asked about her wigs and also shut down a similar question from a journalist at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2018. She recently appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan in a stunning red-hot bikini. Aubrey Plaza showed off her winning smile she took center stage at the premiere of Legion's third and final season in Hollywood on Thursday. The 34-year-old actress has played multiple characters on the critically-acclaimed FX series, including the show's primary villain. Beaming: Aubrey Plaza, 34, showed off her winning smile she took center stage at the premiere of Legion's third and final season in Hollywood on Thursday Aubrey was a vision of spring in her vivacious floral Prada dress. The white off-the-shoulder outfit was covered in lovely lime green flowers with dark green leaves. The low-cut dress highlighted the Parks And Recreation star's cleavage and her trim arms. She eschewed accessories and wore a simple pair of beige heels so as not to distract from the color look. Her lustrous brunette tresses looked effortlessly wavy and cascaded over one shoulder. Full of life: The Parks And Recreation star was a vision of spring in her vivacious floral dress, which was covered in lovely lime green flowers with dark green leaves Skin-baring: The low-cut dress highlighted the Parks And Recreation star's cleavage and her trim arms Series lead Dan Stevens arrived in a similarly colorful outfit with his crimson double-breasted suit. He paired it with a tie-free white shirt with abstract purple and blue designs. The bright look was rounded out with some black and purple shoes with unmissable metal cap toes. Seeing red: Series lead Dan Stevens arrived in a similarly colorful outfit with his crimson double-breasted suit Dynamic duo: He paired it with a tie-free white shirt with abstract purple and blue designs and the outfit was rounded out with black and purple shoes with metal cap toes Suave: Though he's usually clean shaven on the series, Dan sported a stylish mustache for the premiere Though he's usually clean shaven on the series, Dan sported a stylish mustache for the premiere. He stars as David Hiller, also known as Legion, the son of X-Men icon Charles Xavier. He's gifted with enormously powerful telekinetic and telepathic powers, but his struggles with mental illness also make him a dangerous force. Aubrey plays both Lenny, a fellow patient of the mental hospital David is committed to, and the show's villain, Amahl Farouk, also adopts her figure throughout the series. Mutant drama: Dan stars as David Hiller/Legion, the troubled son of X-Men leader Charles Xavier, while Aubrey plays Lenny, a fellow mental patient and the series' villain Timeless: Dan's co-star Rachel Keller opted for classic style with a velvety black gown, which she paired with Stella Luna heels Blonde beauty: She paired the off-the-shoulder look with simple black heels and had her blonde locks styled in relaxed waves Dan's co-star Rachel Keller opted for classic style with a velvety black gown. She paired the off-the-shoulder look with simple black Stella Luna heels and had her blonde locks styled in relaxed waves. She plays Syd, a mutant who switches consciousness with whomever she touches. Her outcast status makes her a natural ally of David's. Suited up: Amber Midthunder was dressed in a brilliant white suit with loose slacks that nearly swallowed up her white heels Flat midriff: Her matching white crop top showed off her taut tummy, and her dark tresses were held back in a ponytail Golden goddess: Danish actress Stephanie Corneliussen glowed in a silky golden halter top gown, paired with tall black heels Wow: The star looked sensational in glowing golden makeup with her hair in a ponytail Amber Midthunder was dressed in a brilliant white suit with loose slacks that nearly swallowed up her white heels, and a matching crop top that showed off her taut tummy. Danish actress Stephanie Corneliussen glowed in a silky golden halter top gown, paired with tall black heels. Pearl Amanda Dickson, who plays a younger version of Rachel Keller's character, arrived in a striking multicolored striped suit, with the jacket draped over her shoulders and paired with a black blouse. Lauren Tsai, a model and illustrator, has one of her first acting roles in the X-Men-adjacent series. Lauren wore a sheer blue chiffon gown with a velvet bow which certainly glistened for the cameras. Colorful display: Pearl Amanda Dickson, who plays a younger version of Rachel Keller's character, arrived in a striking multicolored striped suit, with the jacket draped over her shoulders and paired with a black blouse Incredible: The star opted for a colourful ensemble, adding a pop of blue eyeshadow Going for a dip: Lauren Tsai, a model and illustrator and actor, wore a sheer blue chiffon gown with a velvet bow which certainly glistened for the cameras Triple threat: Lauren and Stephanie posed with Navid Nagahban Beautiful in blue: Lily Rabe looked fantastic Loved up: She posed with Hamish Linklater Smart: Henrik looked incredibly dapper in a camel-coloured suit and brown shoes Cool: Amin Jospeh looked trendy on the red carpet, wearing a bold orange Stone Island top with a military-style harness Advertisement Luxury jeweler Bulgari made sure their Wednesday event was packed with a VIP crowd. And that much was clear when Uma Thurman graced the red carpet wearing a classically chic black lace look during their soiree in Capri, Italy. The Kill Bill talent, 49, stunned while appearing alongside beauties Laura Harrier and Alicia Vikander. Jewels of Hollywood: Uma Thurman, Laura Harrier and Alicia Vikander all stunned during a VIP Bulgari event in Capri, Italy Uma turned heads while clad in a lace shirt dress which buttoned up the center to feature sheer sleeves and a cinched waistline. The 5foot11 beauty swept her hair to the side and framed her face with emerald earrings from Bulgari which matched her breathtaking jewel necklace. Also attending the event was the lovely Alicia Vikander, who appeared the epitome of elegance in a thigh-skimming black design with textured sleeves. She added strappy stilettos and a silver baguette bag for extra glamour. Lady in lace: Uma turned heads while clad in a lace shirt dress which buttoned up the center to feature sheer sleeves and a cinched waistline Emerald city: The 5foot11 beauty swept her hair to the side and framed her face with emerald earrings from Bulgari which matched her breathtaking jewel necklace The Tomb Raider beauty completed her look with a sapphire and diamond necklace as well as matching earrings and a statement ring from the host brand. Making sure not to distract from her jewels, the star piled her hair up into a neat bun with several loose strands that offered an understated vibe. Spider-Man: Homecoming starlet Laura Harrier wowed in a rose-patterned dress with a high-low hem. Little black dress: The lovely Alicia Vikander, who appeared the epitome of elegance in a thigh-skimming black design with textured sleeves Rings and things: The Tomb Raider beauty completed her look with a sapphire and diamond necklace as well as matching earrings and a statement ring from the host brand In full bloom: Spider-Man: Homecoming starlet Laura Harrier wowed in a rose-patterned dress with a high-low hem Lily Aldridge turned heads in sunny yellow dress with a draped bustline that swept from her shoulders into a cape-like train. Her necklace was a multicolored pyramid shaped choker with accenting pearls. Complementing earrings and a matching bracelet tied everything together. Eva Green of Penny Dreadful commanded attention in firey orange, red, gold and black sequined look with angular shoulders. Sunshine day: Lily Aldridge turned heads in sunny yellow dress with a draped bustline that swept from her shoulders into a cape-like train Large and in charge: Lily posed with company President Babin and creative director Lucia Silvestri Penny for your thoughts: Eva Green of Penny Dreadful commanded attention in firey orange, red, gold and black sequined look with angular shoulders Kate Hudson was in the image of evening elegance when she and partner Danny Fujikawa made their way to a VIP dinner party. The Almost Famous stunner, 40, radiated pure style while wearing a romantic floral gown by Markian to the affair. Kate stunned in an off-white botanical print gown with a low, boxy Florentine neckline that put her cleavage front and center. Puffy elbow-length sleeves continued the timeless glamour of her look while her skirt fell to the floor, finishing off the design with a flounce at the bottom. Pure romance: Kate Hudson looked radiant as she attended a Bulgari dinner party in Capri, Italy on Wednesday night Blonde ambition: Her chin-length blonde locks were blow dried smooth and tucked behind her ears neatly Diamonds are a girl's best friend! Of course the centerpiece of her look was a diamond and turquoise necklace, designed by host Bulgari But of course the centerpiece of her look was a diamond and turquoise necklace, designed by host Bulgari. She also showed off a chunky ring from the world-class jeweler. Completing her ensemble was a stunning snakeskin clutch. Her chin-length blonde locks were blow dried smooth and tucked behind her ears neatly. Playing up her already naturally good looks, the daughter of Goldie Hawn framed her baby blues with dramatically lush lashes and honed her high cheekbones with a bit of perfectly placed blush and bronzer. Kate's other half was dressed to match in an oatmeal-hued suit worn with a crisp white shirt underneath. Well suited: Kate's other half was dressed to match in an oatmeal-hued suit worn with a crisp white shirt underneath In a clutch! Completing her ensemble was a stunning snakeskin clutch Danny, the guitarist of the band Chief, completed the look with a wide-brimmed, olive hat and clean white sneakers. They were welcomed into the affair by Daniel Paltridge, the President of Bulgari North America. Inside the couple enjoyed the company of Spanish model Jon Kortajarena. Famous friends: They hung out with Spanish model Jon Kortajarena at the presentation Boss: They were welcomed into the affair by Daniel Paltridge, the President of Bulgari North America Happy to have you: Kate shared a photo opp with Daniel, who looked sharp in a white tux Her only child turned 15 years old on Thursday. And ahead of the birthday celebrations, Courteney Cox took the opportunity to run a few errands including a trip to a spa in Beverly Hills. The Friends star, who's 54, looked relaxed as she stepped out in a casual ensemble of a black v-neck t-shirt, sweatpants and trainers. Relaxed outing: Her only child turned 15 years old on Thursday. And ahead of the birthday celebrations, Courteney Cox ran a few errands including a trip to a spa in Beverly Hills Courteney wore her dark hair tied back from her face and sported metal-framed sunglasses. The actress accessorized with a heart-shaped gold pendant necklace and small gold earrings. She carried with her a jar of fruit tea as she walked. Errands: The Friends star, who's 54, looked relaxed as she stepped out in a casual ensemble of a black v-neck t-shirt, sweatpants and trainers Apple of her eye: Courteney is mom to daughter Coco, whom she shares with her ex-husband David Arquette Courteney and David met while making the movie Scream, released in 1996. They went on to star together in three sequels. The couple tied the knot in 1999 and their daughter Coco arrived five years later on June 13, 2004. After returning home from running her errands on Thursday, Courteney shared a sweet throwback photo of Coco to her Instagram and wrote: 'Happy birthday sweet Coco! You are such a gift to me and have brought so much joy and love to my life. What a unique soul you are.' 'Such a caring, kind, feisty, sensitive, hilarious, talented, goofy, free spirited, beautiful girl,' she went on. 'Youre my anchor and my teacher. I love you .' 'Sweet Coco!' Courteney shared a sweet throwback photo of Coco to her Instagram later on Thursday and gushed about her 'caring, kind, feisty, sensitive, hilarious, talented' child Doting dad: The teen's father David also posted a throwback snap to Instagram and observed 'she's not a little girl anymore' All grown up: On Thursday evening, Coco posted to Instagram, showing herself in a sleeveless black dress and heels heading to her birthday dinner at an oceanfront restaurant in Malibu On Thursday morning, David, 47, also shared a photo of his teen daughter taken at his 2015 wedding to second wife Christine. In the Instagram caption, he wrote: 'Throwback to Coco at my wedding with @christinaarquette where she sang I will always love you she not a little girl anymore. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COCO!!!' He added another snap of himself with his daughter and his two sons from his second marriage taken at a birthday lunch for Coco and wrote: 'Happy Birthday Coco!!! We love you! I couldnt be happier right now.' On Thursday evening, Coco also posted to Instagram, showing herself in a sleeveless black dress and heels heading to her birthday dinner at an oceanfront restaurant in Malibu. 'I couldnt be happier right now': The actor, 47, also shared a photo of himself and his two sons with second wife Christine as they enjoyed a birthday lunch with Coco Thursday Russell Brand, 44, was spotted Thursday taking daughter Mabel, 2, out for a walk in Los Angeles. The Get Him to the Greek star held his daughter's hand as they walked to get ice cream. He sported a casual look in a loose-fitting white V-neck with a pair of black sweatpants. Daddy/daughter day: Russell Brand, 44, was spotted Thursday taking daughter Mabel, 2, out for a walk in Los Angeles Brand expressed his effortlessly cool style in a pair of gold-framed aviators and a tight manbun. Mabel proved to be a total daddy's girl as she jumped up to give her old man a high five. Brand and wife Laura Gallacher, 31, had Mabel in 2016. The couple was married the next year on a steamboat near their home in Oxfordshire. Dad looks: He sported a casual look in a loose-fitting white V-neck with a pair of black sweatpants High five: Mabel proved to be a total daddy's girl as she jumped up to give her old man a high five Gallacher recently gave Brand the approval to meet with ex-wife Katy Perry, 34, so he could offer her a long-overdue apology for how their marriage ended. Perry's husband Orlando Bloom, 42, played the supportive spouse as well, giving them the go-ahead to meet. Brand and Perry got married in October of 2010, and they filed for divorced only 14 months later. Rolling on the river: Brand and wife Laura Gallacher, 31, had Mabel in 2016. The couple was married the next year on a steamboat near their home in Oxfordshire They met in 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo for Get Him to the Greek, which was ultimately cut from the film. A source close to Brand told The Sun: 'Russell is hoping to see Katy next week. 'He wants to say sorry in particular for the way it ended which was mostly his doing. He also wants to apologise for his moods and jealousy.' Happy wife: Gallacher recently gave Brand the approval to meet with ex-wife Katy Perry, 34, so he could offer her a long-overdue apology for how their marriage ended Honeymoon's over: Brand and Perry got married in October of 2010, and they filed for divorced only 14 months later The fame game: Brand blamed their split on the struggles of fame: 'The marriage didn't last for a very long time and I think that is due to the undulating nature of fame, living in those conditions' In 2017, Brand appeared on In Conversation With, where he told host John Bishop that he blamed the struggles of fame for breaking them up. He said: 'Katy was obviously very, very occupied and busy. I was occupied and busy but not to the same degree. 'The marriage didn't last for a very long time and I think that is due to the undulating nature of fame, living in those conditions. Supportive hubby: Perry's husband Orlando Bloom, 42, played the supportive spouse as well, giving them the go-ahead to meet 'I have come away from that experience and I still feel very warm towards her.' Perry also reflected on their marriage in an interview with Paper Magazine: 'I mean, I was married when I was 25. I'm 34. It was almost 10 years ago. 'I was like, ''One person for the rest of my life,'' and I'm not so sure that that idea is for me. I'm just such a different person than I was.' In the famous film Home Alone, an eight-year-old boy is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for a Christmas vacation. And now The Block's Jess Eva has recalled her partner Norm's own 'Home Alone' moment. In a column penned for 9Honey, the 33-year-old explained that the builder left their Moodle puppy Denise in the bathroom before driving home to Sydney after a weekend away on the Sunshine Coast. 'I thought he lost oxygen to the brain': The Block's Jess Eva (pictured left with partner Norm), 33, revealed the builder's 'Home Alone' moment, in a column penned for 9Honey on Thursday Jess had the luxury of flying home from their trip so she could return back in time to host her Triple M breakfast show. Meanwhile, Norm, 40, drove the couple's children Fred, five, and Matilda, two, back to Sydney, but forgot one other family member along the way. 'He tells me that for the first 250km of the trip, he had a lingering feeling he'd left something at home,' Jess recalled. Family getaway: Jess, Norm, 40, and their children Fred, five, and daughter Matilda (pictured), two, enjoyed a weekend away on the Sunshine Coast After going through all the 'essentials', Norm finally came to the realisation that he had left behind the family's beloved pup. Jess recalled her exasperation when Norm asked her whether he should 'go back' for the dog. 'Now, I love Norm, but there are some moments when I think he's lost oxygen to the brain,' she said. Road trip: Jess flew back to Sydney to return to work on time, while Norm drove the couple's children home Jess and Norm starred on last year's season of The Block and quickly became fan favourites. The bubbly blonde told the Courier Mail in September last year that the show 'saved' their relationship. 'It wasn't that there was anything really wrong with it before but we didn't work as a team,' she explained. 'So then having to do those interviews to camera at the end of each day... is like a marriage counselling session each day.' She has enraged Love Island fans with her sneaky advances. And Maura Higgins only riled viewers further on Thursday evening as she was seen to set her sights on Tommy Fury, much to the chagrin of Molly-Mae Hague. The Irish stunner, 28, sent fans wild as she cheekily asked Tommy, 20, if he'd like to get into bed with her, shortly after she vowed to be 'best friends' with his partner. Oh dear... Maura Higgins only riled viewers further on Thursday evening as she was seen to set her sights on Tommy Fury, much to the chagrin of Molly-Mae Hague Molly-Mae was left fuming on Thursday's Love Island after Maura swooped in, her sights firmly locked on Tommy just moments after Maura gushed over the possibility of being 'best friends' with 'lovely' Molly-Mae. And after Molly-Mae and Tommy clashed over the situation, Maura stirred things up even further by asking the hunky boxer if he'd like to get into bed with her. As the villa's residents prepared to hit the hay, Tommy was seen avoiding getting into bed with Molly-Mae, who he is currently coupled up with. Lying in his boxers, Maura purred: 'Tommy, do you want to get in with me?' This left Molly-Mae even more seething as she was seen pouting across the room. This appears to set up a confrontation between the girls, set to air on Friday. The ladies were seen in a teaser having a chat on the beanbags, with Maura irritably telling Molly-Mae: 'I've come in here to find someone, what do you expect me to do?' One furious fans took to Twitter to reference Saint Patrick's legendary banishment of all reptiles in Ireland - as they alleged she was contradiction to this fact. The angry viewer wrote: 'And I thought St. Patrick banned all the snakes from Ireland ??? Where did this Maura Higgins one crawl out of ? #LoveIsIand.' Rude: The Irish stunner, 28, sent fans wild as she cheekily asked Tommy, 20, if he'd like to get into bed with her, shortly after she vowed to be 'best friends' with his partner Out of order: 'Honestly Maura is a bit of a c**t. Molly-Mae might be a bit annoying but at least shes not a smug manipulative snake #Loveisland' Nasty: Molly-Mae was left fuming on Thursday's Love Island after Maura swooped in, her sights firmly locked on Tommy just moments after Maura gushed over the possibility of being 'best friends' with 'lovely' Molly-Mae Fellow fans penned: 'Get maura out! Horrible snake #LoveIsIand... nah this Maura chick is an actual nasty snake #LoveIsand... 'Maura is good TV Ngl But Shes definitely one of them snakes thatll try to steal her best friends man behind her back #lovelsland... Nah to Maura- I know youre in there to find love but you are coming across like a right snake #loveisland.... 'Mauras the girl in your friendship group that acts like shes everyones best friend but at the first opportunity she bitches about you. Shes a sly, sly snake... 'Maura is a stay way clear kinda girl! Both men and women #snake if anyone wants to see someone so far up there own arse shes ya girl, how is that attractive... Cruel: One furious fans took to Twitter to reference Saint Patrick's legendary banishment of all reptiles in Ireland - as they alleged she was contradiction to this fact 'Honestly Maura is a bit of a c**t. Molly-Mae might be a bit annoying but at least shes not a smug manipulative snake #Loveisland... 'FURIOUS at tonights love island!!! Molly mae was honest with everyone she was talking too at the time, tommys a snake n a dick n maura clearly saw the programme before she came in n knew what was going on!!! 'She came in to be a smug, sour lil bitch & right now i fkn hate her... Maura is the type of girl that's cracks on about being a girls girl then snakes your boyfriend... This Maura girl is a snake no #loveisland... Maura is actually a snake in the grass'. Her lookalike daughter Coco Arquette turned 15 on Thursday. And doting mum Courteney Cox proudly took pictures of her before they headed to dinner at Japanese eatery Nobu in Malibu, along with another friend. The former Friends star, 54, donned a casual white jumper and a pair of blue jeans as she stepped out with Coco before heading to the oceanfront eatery. Lookalike: Coco Arquette's mother Courteney Cox proudly took photos of her as she celebrated her 15th birthday on Thursday with dinner at Japanese eatery Nobu in Malibu Courteney couldn't stop beaming at her beautiful daughter as the teenager posed with a friend by the water's edge. Daughter Coco cut a stylish figure as she wore a sleeveless black dress for the occasion. She completed her evening look with a pair of stylish black heels with a strap around the ankle and a simple silver necklace before taking to Instagram to share the image. Ahead of Coco's birthday celebrations, Courteney was seen taking the opportunity to run a few errands including a trip to a spa in Beverly Hills. Strike a pose: The former Friends star, 54, donned a casual ensemble as she stepped out with her daughter, proudly taking photos along the way Smile: Daughter Coco cut a stylish figure as she wore a sleeveless black dress and wore her brunette locks loose Funny picture: Coco pulled silly faces as her mother made sure she captured the moment '21 years later....': Courteney shared an Instagram matcher of herself and her daughter wearing the same dress on Instagram recently - the actress first wore it in 1998 Courteney looked relaxed as she stepped out in a black v-neck T-shirt, sweatpants and trainers and wore her dark hair tied back from her face. The actress accessorised her look with a heart-shaped gold pendant necklace, small gold earrings and metal-framed sunglasses. She also carried with her a jar of fruit tea as she walked. Coco's parents Courteney and David met while making the movie Scream, released in 1996. They went on to star together in three sequels. The couple tied the knot in 1999 and their daughter Coco arrived five years later on June 13, 2004. Relaxed outing: Ahead of Coco's birthday celebrations, Courteney ran a few errands including a trip to a spa in Beverly Hills Errands: The Friends star looked relaxed as she stepped out in a casual ensemble of a black v-neck t-shirt, sweatpants and trainers Apple of her eye: Courteney is mum to daughter Coco, whom she shares with her ex-husband David Arquette After returning home from running her errands on Thursday, Courteney shared a sweet throwback photo of Coco to her Instagram and wrote: 'Happy birthday sweet Coco! You are such a gift to me and have brought so much joy and love to my life. 'What a unique soul you are. 'Such a caring, kind, feisty, sensitive, hilarious, talented, goofy, free spirited, beautiful girl,' she went on. 'Youre my anchor and my teacher. I love you .' On Thursday morning, David, 47, also shared a photo of his teen daughter taken at his 2015 wedding to second wife Christine. 'Sweet Coco!' Courteney shared a sweet throwback photo of Coco to her Instagram later on Thursday and gushed about her 'caring, kind, feisty, sensitive, hilarious, talented' child Doting dad: Coco's father David also posted a throwback snap to Instagram and observed 'she's not a little girl anymore' In the Instagram caption, he wrote: 'Throwback to Coco at my wedding with @christinaarquette where she sang I will always love you she not a little girl anymore. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COCO!!!' He added another snap of himself with his daughter and his two sons from his second marriage taken at a birthday lunch for Coco and wrote: 'Happy Birthday Coco!!! We love you! I couldnt be happier right now.' 'I couldnt be happier right now': The actor, 47, also shared a photo of himself and his two sons with second wife Christine as they enjoyed a birthday lunch with Coco Thursday She is, by her own admission, on a mission to 'stir things up' as a new addition to Love Island And Curtis Pritchard, 23, decided to admit that he once slid into her DMs before the show to tell her that he thought she was 'good looking' - but he did not reply. He sent the message to the Ballymahon ring girl, 28, when he was appearing as a professional dancer on Dancing With The Stars Ireland. Scroll down for video Ouch! Love Island's Curtis awkwardly said on Thursday night's show that he slid into 'good looking' Maura's DMs when he was on Dancing With The Stars Ireland... (but she didn't reply) This is awkward: Ballymahon ring girl Maura did not seem to recognise Curtis at all Talking to Danny, 21, he said: 'I messaged her on Instagram one time saying she was really good looking. And she never replied to me.' Danny said: 'Now shes come in here looking for love and she wants what youve got.' Things got off to an awkward start when Curtis and Maura hugged on the show - but she did not recognise him. Safe and secure: Curtis is now happily coupled up with Amy and has said his head wouldn't be turned now anyway Red-faced: When Maura first hugged Curtis, it was clear she did not recognise him - he asked her: 'Are you Irish?' even though he already knew He simply said to her: 'You are Irish?' even though he knew this already. But the dancer follows Elma on Instagram and not Maura - although whoever manages his account while he is in the house, probably added Elma, 26. Curtis is now coupled up with Amy, 27, and said that despite Maura's arrival: 'My head has not turned at all.' He has got the moves: Curtis famously appeared as a professional dancer on Dancing With The Stars Ireland last year It's unknown whether or not Amy will get to hear about this little revelation - but it's clear she won't like it one bit if she does find out. The other girls were furious when Maura and Elma made their villa debut on Thursday night. They took Danny, Tommy, 20, Michael, 27, and Anton, 24, on a date collectively, leaving Yewande, Amber and Molly-Mae seething with jealousy. Moving on: It seems as though things are about to hot up with Tommy and Maura who have made their feelings for one another quite clear Molly-Mae had been growing closer to Tommy, who had insisted that his head was not going to be turned for another woman. However, he was shocked to find that his head turned '560 degrees' when Maura came in the house and made a play for him. The pair had a furious row with Molly-Mae, 20, accusing him of embarrassing her by falling for someone new. Jealous: Molly-Mae is furious that Tommy has moved on with someone else, just as they were starting to get close She became a mother for the second time when she welcomed son Winston into the world in February. And Lily Aldridge made a rare post-baby appearance as she attended the star-studded Bulgari Hight Jewellery Exhibition on the Italian island of Capri on Thursday night. The Victoria's Secret Angel, 33, looked elegant as she slipped into a stunning yellow silk gown with a low-cut draped neckline. Hello, yellow: Lily Aldridge made a rare post-baby appearance as she attended the star-studded Bvlgari Hight Jewellery Exhibition on the Italian island of Capri on Thursday night The supermodel's eye-catching ensemble featured a cape-like train which trailed behind her in a glamorous fashion. The mother-of-two paired the full-length dress with a dazzling statement choker embellished with colourful gems and pearls. The fashion icon appeared in high spirits as she swept her dark tresses into a low ponytail with a centre parting and posed with group CEO at Bulgari Jean Christophe Babin and creative director Lucia Silvestri. Lily completed her look with dramatic eye make-up to enhance her naturally stunning features. Hot mama: The Victoria's Secret Angel, 33, looked elegant as she slipped into a stunning yellow silk gown with a low-cut draped neckline Lavish: The supermodel's eye-catching ensemble featured a cape-like train as she posed with group CEO Jean Christophe Babin (centre) and creative director Lucia Silvestri (right) Stunning: Lily (pictured with Lucia Silvestri) wore a dazzling statement choker embellished with colouful gems and pearls The model married Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill, 37, at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California, on May 12, 2011, after first meeting him at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2007. The couple share Dixie Pearl, six, and four-month-old baby son Winston Roy. Lily announced the arrival of her second child via her Instagram page in February, posting a sweet snap of the newborn's feet. In September 2018, the model took to the runway for Brandon Maxwell at New York Fashion Week while five months pregnant. Doting mother: Lily became a parent for the second time when she welcomed son Winston into the world in February Natural beauty: The fashion icon appeared in high spirits as she swept her dark tresses into a low ponytail with a centre parting Glamorous: Lily completed her look with dramatic eye make-up to enhance her naturally stunning features Celebrating the iconic moment, she wrote on her Instagram: 'So proud to walk the runway pregnant! Ive walked a few runways in my life and this is a moment that Ill look back on forever with great emotion. 'Thank you Brandon for letting my shine & being such a true gentleman, Love you FOREVER!!! Thank you @georgecortina for making me feel so beautiful. Makeup by my love @tompecheux & hair by the sweetest @jamespecis. '@mr_stephengalloway from pumping me up before the runway. And love to all the amazing powerful girls casted in the show by @johndavidpfeiffer. 'It was so much fun being backstage will all the girls, everyone was so uplifting and rubbing my belly celebrating this beautiful journey with me. Nothing but Empowerment at Brandon Maxwell.' Little angel: Lily announced the arrival of her second child via her Instagram page in February She's known for her simple but stylish fashion sense. And Jennifer Garner was oozing chic as she left an office in Santa Monica on Thursday. The Hollywood star, 47, put on a stylish display in a grey checked blazer and AMO boyfriend jeans as she left the meeting in the California sunshine. Stylish: Jennifer Garner, 47, was oozing sartorial chic in a fitted grey checked blazer as she left an office in Santa Monica on Thursday Jennifer cut a casual figure in the stylish fitted blazer teamed with light blue jeans as she exited the office after a meeting. The Alias star teamed the look with black brogues and a tan handbag, as she showed off her flawless complexion with barely a scrap of makeup. Jennifer went solo for the outing after she was recently seen heading to church with ex-husband Ben Affleck, 46, and their three children. Relaxed: The Hollywood star, 47, put on a stylish display in a grey checked blazer as she climbed into the car after leaving the meeting The pair married in 2005, after meeting on the set of Daredevil in 2003, but announced their divorce in 2015. Together they share joint custody of their children Violet, 13, Seraphina, 10 and Samuel, seven. Since their divorce was finalised in 2018, the former couple has been seen in many family outings including regular attendance at church in Brentwood. Still close: Jennifer's divorce from husband Ben Affleck was finalised in 2018, and they share joint custody of their three children (above March 2019) Jennifer has since been dating John Miller, 40. He's the CEO of Cali Group, which owns Miso Robotics and a chain of CaliBurger restaurants. The Camping star has introduced John to her three children. He has two children of his own, a nine-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son. Jennifer and Miller were rumoured to be planning a summer wedding, but it appears they are still taking things slow. Their on-off union kept TOWIE viewers hooked. And despite ups and downs, Shelby Tribble and Sam Mucklow appeared to be very much back on as they stepped out on Thursday evening while attending The Caudwell Children Butterfly Ball at The Grosvenor House Hotel. The 26-year-old former beauty queen looked incredible in a billowing silver gown as she joined her sharp co-star, 27, in the street, during which they locked lips before he pretended to strangle her in a playful yet shocking move. Eek! Shelby Tribble and Sam Mucklow appeared to be very much back on as they stepped out on Thursday evening while attending The Caudwell Children Butterfly Ball at The Grosvenor House Hotel Shelby was a vision at the ball as she sported a silver gown with a slashed leg and a billowing mesh adornment flowing from the hip. The reality beauty stuck to her silver theme with dazzling jewellery, a silver clutch bag and sky-high heels to boost her already endless legs. She wore her sleek brunette tresses cascading over her shoulders while staying true to her Essex roots by applying her make-up heavily. Sam looked incredibly dashing in a sharp three-piece suit with a pink silk lined waistcoat worn underneath to give a touch of pizzazz. Cheeky! The 26-year-old former beauty queen looked incredible in a billowing silver gown as she joined her sharp co-star, 27, in the street, during which they locked lips before he pretended to strangle her in a playful yet shocking move Sexy: She left very little to the imagination with a slit extending her entire leg Shelby reignited her turbulent romance with her on/off flame last month, just weeks after calling it quits during an explosive row, which saw him call her a 's**g'. Earlier this year, the pair ended their romance in Thailand after he branded her a 's**g' in a furious row before pursuing Demi Sims. On a recent episode, Sam revealed he had ignited his relationship with Shelby, causing his furious love rival Tom McDonnell to brand him 'slippery'. Silver sensation: Shelby was a vision at the ball as she sported a silver gown with a slashed leg and a billowing mesh adornment flowing from the hip Steamy: They got up close and personal with a saucy kiss outside the bash Revealing the news to Tom's best friend Harry Lee, Sam confidently said: 'Me and Shelby have just been chatting again, it's harmless flirting. She's not with Tom. 'She's being very vague about him and just said "it's early doors", so I don't see any harm in it.' To which Harry replied: 'Tom respects her. He's a lovely boy. I don't want to see him get mugged off.' In the recent fianale of the show, Shelby hadn't been completely honest with Tom about her 'flirty' friendship with Sam. Here we go: Sam looked incredibly dashing in a sharp three-piece suit with a pink silk lined waistcoat worn underneath to give a touch of pizzazz Dazzling: As they arrived at the venue, the duo put on a stunning display Oh dear: The duo spoofed a strangling in a shock move With her close pals having a go at her for running back to the Lothario after he 'clicked his fingers', Shelby then decided to pull Tom to the side to tell the truth. News of their reignited romance is a far cry from when Sam revealed to MailOnline he refused to film with her after feeling she manipulated their Thailand argument to her benefit. He said: 'Im quite intelligent and I was very naive and played. But listen, Shelby is a one-trick pony, without a relationship or a man in her life what else is she bringing to the show? Nothing.' Red carpet ready: The couple looked sensational as they hit the red carpet They became early front-runners to win the current series of Love Island. And, after Thursday night's episode, fans have been left suspecting that Curtis Pritchard, 23, and Amy Hart, 27, are lining up a stint on another reality show as they looked ready to hit the Strictly Come Dancing dance-floor in eye-catching ensembles. Taking to Twitter, Love Island viewers joked the Irish Dancing With The Stars professional had styled his 'half-girlfriend' for the Paso Doble. Strictly? Love Island fans have been left suspecting that Curtis Pritchard, 23, and Amy Hart, 27, are lining up a stint on Strictly as they looked ready to hit the dance-floor on Thursday night Air hostess Amy looked sensational in a pillar-box red bardot top and coordinating maxi skirt - an outfit similar to what a female dancer would wear for the traditional Spanish dance. While his air-hostess partner turned heads in her striking two-piece, Curtis wore a white collared shirt with beige jeans and a leather jacket over the top. One viewer pondered: 'Has Curtis dressed Amy up like it's Paso Double week or what?' Someone else quizzed: 'Are Amy and Curtis the only ones who got the memo about fancy dress this evening? #LoveIsland.' Ready for action: Taking to Twitter, viewers joked Surtis had styled his 'half-girlfriend' (left) for the Paso Doble (pictured right: Susanna Reid performing the Paso Doble on Strictly in 2013) Dishevelled: While his air-hostess partner turned heads in her striking two-piece, Curtis wore a white collared shirt with beige jeans Gorgeous: Amy looked sensational in a pillar-box red bardot top and coordinating maxi skirt - an outfit similar to what a female dancer would wear for the traditional Spanish dance Fan-reaction on social media: One viewer pondered: 'Has Curtis dressed Amy up like it's Paso Double week or what?' A third tweeted: 'We have all made bad outfit choices but Curtis is taking the biscuit tonight #LoveIsland' Another fan of the show recently tweeted: 'Curtis is doing what he needs to do to secure his Strictly Come Dancing spot. #LoveIsland.' 'Curtis is looking to move onto Strictly isn't he? #LoveIsland,' added someone else. One particularly suspicious fan mused: 'curtis is only bustin his hole trying to come across as the perfect man gentleman guy to get off the irish version of strictly come dancing and get onto the good one and that's the tea sis does he even like amy idk I'm like a middle aged woman.' Joking: Someone else quizzed: 'Are Amy and Curtis the only ones who got the memo about fancy dress this evening? #LoveIsland' Fan reaction: Love Island viewers took to social media to voice their opinions Ouch! Love Island's Curtis awkwardly said on Thursday night's show that he slid into 'good looking' Maura's DMs when he was on Dancing With The Stars Ireland... (but she didn't reply) Meanwhile, elsehwere on Thursday night's episode, Curtis told Amy: 'My head has not turned at all' after the arrival of Maura - who's DMs he'd previously slid into (bit she didn't reply). It's unknown whether or not Amy will get to hear about this little revelation - but it's clear she won't like it one bit if she does find out. Talking to Danny, 21, Curtis revealed: 'I messaged her on Instagram one time saying she was really good looking. And she never replied to me.' Her daughter has followed in her modelling footsteps and has already paved an impressive career, being crowned Model of The Year at the 2018 British Fashion Awards. And Cindy Crawford, her daughter Kaia Gerber and husband Rande took some time out from their hectic schedule to enjoy some quality family time with an intimate dinner at Nobu in Malibu, California, on Thursday. The supermodel, 53, looked effortlessly chic for the meal out in a long-sleeved black midi dress. Family: Cindy Crawford, her daughter Kaia and husband Rande took some time out from their hectic schedule to enjoy family time with a dinner at Nobu in Malibu, California, on Thursday She accessorised her look with a pair of snakeskin mules, a gold pendant necklace and a chained bracelet. Cindy styled her brunette locks into a blow-dried hairdo as she added a slick of minimal make-up. Model Kaia, 17, looked stylish in a navy T-shirt and a pinstriped blazer for the meal out with her parents. Stylish: Model Kaia, 17, looked stylish in a navy T-shirt and a pinstriped blazer for the meal out with her parents The starlet styled her newly cropped brunette locks into a voluminous blow-dried hairdo, she added just a slick of make-up. Meanwhile Rande, 57, looked dapper in a casual ensemble of skinny jeans, a grey shirt and a dark blue jacket. Cindy and Rande have been married for 21 years after tying the knot in 1998, as well as Kaia, they also have son Presley, 19. The supermodel and Kaia have been spending plenty of quality mother and daughter time together recently. Brunch: The supermodel and Kaia have been spending plenty of quality mother and daughter time together recently - just days earlier the duo grabbed brunch at Laduree in SoHo, Manhattan, NYC Just days earlier the duo grabbed brunch at Laduree in SoHo, Manhattan, as they enjoyed a visit to New York City. Kaia had been in the Big Apple for work and at the end of May she walked the star-studded Alexander Wang fashion show, joining Kendall Jenner on the runway. Kaia has been making a name for herself in the modelling industry since the age of 10, following in the footsteps of her supermodel mother Cindy Crawford. Model duties: Kaia had been in the Big Apple for work and at the end of May she walked the star-studded Alexander Wang fashion show, joining Kendall Jenner on the runway In an interview with Vogue, Kaia described the best advice her mother gave her as: 'don't do anything you don't want to do and follow your instincts'. She also added that, despite several questions about what it was like being raised by the star, Kaia enjoyed a regular upbringing. She said: 'I admire how down to earth my mom is... everyone would ask me what's it like to have Cindy Crawford as your mom, but Cindy Crawford (the supermodel) wasn't my mom - she did a really good job of separating her work and home life.' She's been embracing life as a grandmother daughter Emilie welcomed her first child. And Coronation Street Kym Marsh had plenty to smile about as she celebrated her 43rd birthday in Warrington on Thursday. The actress cut a stylish figure in a fitted black leather midi skirt and turtleneck jumper as she exited the San Lorenzo Restaurant with family and friends. Dressed up: Coronation Street star Kym Marsh cut a stylish figure in a black leather midi skirt as she celebrated her 43rd birthday at the San Lorenzo Restaurant in Warrington on Thursday Kym looked effortlessly chic as she displayed her jaw-dropping curves in the fitted black jumper with a black leather skirt that boasted a slight split. The star teamed her look with matching black heels and a pair of thick eyelashes as she exited the dinner. Kym - who plays Michelle Connor on Coronation Street - recently became a grandmother for the first time, after Emilie Cunliffe, 22, gave birth to a son on May 3. Chic: The soap star displayed her trim figure in the fitted black leather skirt and turtleneck jumper as she marked the occasion with family and friends Beaming: Kym has been embracing life as a grandmother after her daughter Emilie Cunliffe welcomed her first child last month Speaking at The Pride of Manchester Awards just days later Kym gushed about the new arrival as she praised Emilie for being a 'warrior' during the birth. The star told the Manchester Evening News: 'Emilie is doing great. She has been an absolute warrior. It feels like the royal baby, and we beat her as well.' Kym also admitted that Emilie and her partner Mikey Hoz have already chosen a name but will not be revealing it yet. Family: The actress recently gushed about the new arrival as she praised Emilie, 22, for being a 'warrior' during the birth (above in January 2019) Flawless: Kym was in good spirits as she exited the eatery after celebrating her birthday on June 13 The brunette star announced the happy baby news in a sweet Instagram post last week, after serving as her daughter's birthing partner. Alongside a black and white snap of the tot's hand in her own palm, she wrote: 'Last night was a night I will never forget. 'I became a "Loli" for the first time!!! My beautiful daughter was an absolute warrior and her partner and I were the best birthing team we could be!!! 'I was so honoured to have been a part of bringing him into the world. My beautiful grandson, I love you I will always love you and I promise to help guide you through life as best I can. Welcome to the world "Baby Hoz" #name to follow.' Former Love Island stars Camilla Thurlow and her boyfriend Jamie Jewitt put on a loved-up display when they attended a Soda Stream launch in London on Thursday. The bomb disposal expert, 29, looked lovely wearing a one-shouldered floral mini dress and thigh-high boots as she gazed into her 28-year-old boyfriend's eyes. Stylish: The bomb disposal expert, 29, looked sensational in a one-shouldered floral mini dress as she attended the event The outing comes after Camilla shared a poem she had written on her battle with anxiety on social media, in which she detailed feeling like she wasn't 'enough.' Camilla looked incredible at the event, cinching in her waist with a belt. Meanwhile, Jamie looked incredibly suave in a black leather jacket which he paired with tailored grey trousers. He paired the monochrome outfit with brown and navy brogues, finishing the outfit with a simple black T-shirt. It comes as Camilla gave followers an insight into her struggles with anxiety as she a posted a poem she wrote on Instagram. Titled My Old Friend Anxiety, the poem described scenarios where the Love Island star has felt anxiety creep up on her, including when she's alone in bed or at a party. 'Thanks for making me work harder/ For reminding me I'll never be enough/ You won't even slow down and let me rest/ When i'm feeling rough', one verse read. Honest: The outing comes after Camilla shared a poem that she had written about her battle with anxiety on Instagram Camilla went on to thank her followers for their overwhelming response to her honest way with words. She captioned the post: 'Yesterday, I was completely overwhelmed by your lovely responses to a couple of poems I wrote, which I posted on my stories. 'A lot of you said they made you feel less alone, and so I wanted to post this one as I hope it may bring some of you comfort. All smiles: the star had her stunning body and tiny waist on display in the floral dress 'I would like to be completely clear that I am happy, I have always written little bits here and there - I just never had the courage to post them before!' A host of famous famous, including fellow Love Island stars, were quick to praise Camilla's candid poetry and Jamie wrote: 'This is brilliant'. Love Island star Gabby Allen said: 'Wowwwww Ive got a full body of goosebumps'. Cute pair: Jamie looked incredibly suave in a black leather jacket which he paired with tailored grey trousers Love Island Olivia Buckland wrote: 'This is so amazing Cam', while Alex George said: 'This is something you have written from the heart, massive respect'. Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison wrote: 'I have an overwhelming about of respect for you camilla. Keep being you x' Loose Women star Andrea McLean said: 'Its beautiful Camilla' It comes as Camilla recently revealed that her parents were 'relieved' when she joined the third series of Love Island amid her job which saw her work in landmine clearance in Afghanistan, Cambodia and Azerbaijan. The humanitarian, who found love with Jamie on the ITV2 reality show, spoke candidly to The Times about her decision to go on the matchmaking show, which she said came as a 'relief' for her parents after her dangerous career. Camilla said: 'I think it was a relief because I'd just come back from Afghanistan. It was probably nicer for them to hear that I was going on Love Island rather than heading off somewhere else again.' The brunette beauty admitted that despite working in some of the world's most dangerous locations, appearing on Love Island was the was the scariest thing she's ever done. Beaus: The humanitarian, who found love with Jamie on the ITV2 reality show, spoke candidly to The Times about her decision to go on the matchmaking show Camilla added: 'It's everything I'm not good at: socialising, relationships, wearing a bikini. At that point in my life I'd been quite isolated for quite a time, so the whole reason I went on the show was to re-establish some kind of social life'. Camilla admitted her decision to go on a reality show was born out of the idea that she would be forced to break down some of the social barriers she'd put up - but added she never expected to find love in the villa. The television personality is now continuing her reality TV run with ITV2 show What Camilla Did Next, which will follow the daily lives of the beauty and boyfriend Jamie while also documenting her return to the minefields of Cambodia. By openly sharing her journey through the country's terrain Camilla hopes it will inspire young women to follow in her footsteps. She said: 'I also hope the show will ask some questions about the role of modern feminism and how that fits into life as we know it now.' He's been at rock bottom for weeks after splitting from fiance Michelle. But Coronation Street's Robert Preston could be set for another wedding in the coming weeks, as Vicky Jefferies presents him with a ring in the latest on-set snaps. The Bistro boss looked pensive as Vicky showed him the diamond sparkler, just weeks after the pair were spotted sharing a steamy smooch. Getting married? But Coronation Street's Robert Preston be set for another wedding in the coming weeks, as Vicky Jefferies presented him with a ring in the latest on-set snaps As Robert (played by Tristan Gemmill) sat in his van, Vicky (Kerri Quinn) could be seen handing him a velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring. While the pair both seemed delighted with the sparkling ring, it is unclear whether the ring is for Vicky, or another of Robert's admirers. The pair did share a kiss during filming in April that is yet to air, as Robert tried to protect the mum from loan shark Rick Neelan. Beautiful: As the pair filmed the scenes, Vicky could be seen presenting Robert with a sparkling diamond ring Big deal: The pair shared a steamy smooch in scenes that are yet to air, but fans will have to wait and see whether they are actually pursuing a romance Soap drama: Robert has been trying to help Vicky avoid the sinister loan shark Rick Neelan, after she made a recent return to the soap Pensive: Fans will have to wait and see whether romance will blossom for Vicky and Robert Clashing: During the scenes, Robert was also seen looking tense with Vicky outside her house, so perhaps this comes following a steamy liaison Clashing! The pair also seemed pensive during their chat on Vicky's doorstep, in a similar scene to their steamy kiss weeks earlier Fans have been demanding that Robert reunite with former flame Michelle, after the pair split following their disagreements around having children earlier this year. While it remains to be seen whether the pair will reunite, many die-hard fans will hope that the ring could be for her. Both Michelle and Robert are also set to leave the soap later this year, but it is unclear if they will be riding on into the sunset. Beaming: Vicky seemed to be enjoying her cosy encounter with Robert at her house, though fans will have to wait and see whether romance has blossomed for the pair Questions: Fans have been demanding that Robert reunite with his former flame Michelle Connor, after the pair's romance came to an end earlier this year Jovial: The pair were still in high spirits as they wrapped up warm during a break from filming Vicky is the mum of teen Tyler Jeffries, who was the father of Amy Barlow's baby. The embattled teen eventually decided to have an abortion. Tyler was also the centre of a horrific bullying storyline with Amy's cousin Simon. Now she has been embroiled in a plot involved loan shark Rick, who is demanding money from her and has sent Gary Windass to act as a debt collector. Soap star: Vicky is the mum of teen Tyler Jeffries, who was the father of Amy Barlow's baby. The embattled teen eventually decided to have an abortion Let me in! Robert was also seen furiously pounding on Vicky's door during the filming, hinting all is not well in their complication relationship To be wed? It remains to be seen whether Robert will be walking down the aisle with Vicky, or he will reunite with Michelle Pleased: As the cameras stopped rolling, the pair burst out laughing after sitting inside the van to film another scene Emotional: Vicky seemed to be struggling with the impending threat of Rick tracking her down, as she came close to tears during her meeting with Robert And on the other side of Manchester, the storyline surrounding Gary Windass' decline into villainy continued, as actor Mikey North filmed even more dark scenes. The scenes appear to confirm that Rick will meet a grisly end later this month, as Gary was seen paying off a bent copper to be kept in the loop about the loan shark's murder investigation. Handing the policeman a huge wad of cash, Gary's downward spiral is set to run for months on the soap, after he was revealed as the culprit of the Underworld Factory roof collapse. Dark: And on the other side of Manchester, the storyline surrounding Gary Windass' decline into villainy continued, as actor Mikey North filmed even more explosive scenes Dramatic: The builder handed a huge wad of cash to a bent copper from behind the wheel of his van Tense: Gary's deal seems to confirm that Rick will meet a grisly end next week, when the pair come face to face in an epic final showdown Raging: The villain's fury was hard to miss as he paid off one of the policemen to keep him in the loop Rumours: It had been hinted that Gary would kiss again in the violent scenes, after Rick threatens the life of his girlfriend Sarah Next week fans will finally get to see Gary confront Rick (Greg Wood) in a violent showdown, after he threatens the life of Sarah and the rest of the Platt family. It was claimed that Gary will kill again in the violent scenes, after the factory collapse caused the death of Rana Habib (Bhavna Limbachia) in March. A source told The Sun: 'Garys involvement in the Underworld roof collapse was only just the start of his demise. 'He becomes an all-out bad boy after the breakdown of his relationship with Sarah Platt. Its going to cause shockwaves in Weatherfield and have huge implications for Gary.' Falling apart: Gary's downward spiral is set to continue after he discovers Sarah has been having an affair with solicitor Adam Barlow Corrupt: The police look set to investigate Rick's murder, as he will allegedly be found murdered in a shallow grave in the woods Scheming: Gary was recently unmasked as the culprit behind the Underworld factory roof collapse Plotting: It remains to be seen when his involvement in the tragedy is revealed, and if the new bad boy will kill again Loving it: Speaking about his villainous storyline, Mikey said: 'As an actor you have to relish being given these storylines and Im so excited to see what theyre going to throw at me' Speaking about his villainous storyline and the decade he's spent on the soap, Mikey said: 'As an actor you have to relish being given these storylines and Im so excited to see what theyre going to throw at me. 'Ive been here for over 10 years now and this is the most exciting period of time in Garys life. You want big storylines so Ill take whatever they can throw at me. 'I dont think Gary has any intention of being caught for a long time yet and he wont go down without a fight thats for sure. The stakes are high now for Gary and hes got nothing to lose. 'This is the start of the next chapter in Garys life and I cant wait to get stuck in and see what the writers have in store for him, bring it on I say.' Coronation Street continues on Friday 14th June at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on ITV. She made a typically dazzling red carpet display at the ACE Awards in New York City earlier this week. And Winnie Harlow seemed to be enjoying her break from the runway as she tucked into a plate of rainbow spaghetti at the Kawaii Monster Cafe in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday. The supermodel, 24, posted a fun video to her Instagram page as she indulged in the brightly-coloured pasta dish during her trip. Carb loading! Winnie Harlow seemed to be enjoying her break from the runway as she tucked into a plate of rainbow spaghetti at the Kawaii Monster Cafe in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday The runway queen opted for a casual black hoodie decorated with white writing and a red cross for her dinner date. During the video, which has gathered more than 873,000 views, the fashion favourite appeared in high spirits as she used her chopsticks to take a bite of the colourful food and followed it down with a shot of sprinkles. Winnie - real name Chantelle Brown-Young - completed her look with a pair of gold-hooped earings embellished with the letter 'S'. As she indulged in the quirky dish, the model pulled the spaghetti from her plate and swayed the colorful strands from side to side. Let's feast! The supermodel, 24, posted a fun video to her Instagram page as she indulged in the brightly-coloured pasta dish during her trip Delicious: The fashion favourite appeared in high spirits as she took a bite of the colourful food Indulging: Winnie - real name Chantelle Brown-Young - completed her look with a pair of gold-hooped earings embellished with the letter 'S' With her eyes on the camera, the model lifted the bundle into her mouth before displaying a satisfying smile at the dish. After taking a liking to the colourful food, Winnie took to Instagram and wrote: 'Rainbow Pasta and sprinkle shots (it was Super yummy if youre wondering lol).' Before arriving in Tokyo, the model posed on her plane while en route to Japan Instagram and told her followers she was enjoying a glass of champagne in the air. Winnie wrote: 'See you soon Tokyo. Thank you @flyprvt for allowing me to fill my schedule and still get everywhere in time. 'Sippin @perrierjouet (song: Best you ever had @theestallion cause we leaving Houston baby).' Yum: The model's Instagram video has since gathered more than 873,000 views Take a shot: Winnie followed the spaghetti with a shot of colourful sprinkles Travelling in style: Before arriving in Tokyo, the model posed on her plane while en route to Japan Instagram and told her followers she was enjoying a glass of champagne in the air Winnie was first propelled into the limelight after being discovered by model Tyra Banks on Instagram and being asked to appear on her show-America's Next Top Model in 2014. The model went on to finish in sixth place on the series. The star recently defended herself over comments she made about her time as a contestant on the show and perceived criticism of host Tyra, 45. Winnie wrote on Instagram: 'After being on the show no one would book me and no agency would sign me because of the reality TV stigma. 'It has nothing to do with being ungrateful, and more over nothing to do with "shade" to Tyra. She was the first person of higher status to make me feel like I could be a model and not only am I grateful for that, it's something I'll never forget.' She and her husband Joel McAndrew welcomed their first baby together in December. And Agyness Deyn looked every inch the doting mother as she was spotted enjoying a stroll with her little one in New York City on Thursday. The model, 36, couldn't resist sweetly cooing over her baby as she also walked her pet dog in the Big Apple. Motherhood: Agyness Deyn looked every inch the doting mother as she was spotted enjoying a stroll with her little one in New York City on Thursday Agyness looked stylish as she cut a casual figure in a khaki green boiler suit with the sleeves rolled up. The Her Smell actress teamed the item of clothing with a pair of black Birkenstocks and matching coloured sunglasses. Agyness styled her cropped peroxide blonde locks into a relaxed hairdo as she appeared to go make-up free for her NYC stroll. The model appeared in good spirits as she sweetly cooed over her baby and enjoyed her afternoon outing. Sweet: The model, 36, couldn't resist sweetly cooing over her baby as she also walked her pet dog in the Big Apple Agyness and Joel have yet to formally announce the birth of their first child, keeping their baby's gender and name under wraps since its birth in December. In September, it seemed Agyness was expanding her family as she looked to show off a more rounded stomach while on a laid-back stroll through Manhattan. A representative for Agyness was contacted by MailOnline at the time for comment. She split from her first husband Giovanni Ribisi in 2015 before tying the knot for the second time with her beau Joel in 2016. The Sunset Song actress shared some stunning photos on Instagram via her designer friend Henry Holland of the newlyweds in Brooklyn Heights at the time. Private: Agyness and husband Joel McAndrew have yet to formally announce the birth of their first child, keeping their baby's gender and name under wraps (pictured at their wedding in 2016) The English beauty wrote on her then Instagram page: 'I get to marry my best friend today.' The model turned actress recently returned to screens as the fierce Inspector Elaine Renko in pre-apocalyptic crime drama Hard Sun, which aired in January. The role is an achievement for Agyness who has been pursuing acting success since she first appeared on screen in the 2010 film The Clash Of The Titans. She also starred in star-studded film, Her Smell, as Marielle Hell which was initially released in the US in April. Members of Princeton Boychoir, who are currently celebrating their fifth anniversary season, appeared with Michael Buble in his recent NBC special, "Christmas in the City," which aired Dec. 6. Ranging in age from 9 to 13 years old, this group... He bares a striking resemblance his father, Academy Award-winning actor Michael Douglas. And Cameron Douglas ensured all eyes were on him on Thursday as he displayed his heavily-inked torso while walking the streets of Los Angeles, California. The Loaded star, 40, grinned with a white T-shirt in hand as he opened the door of his car while chatting with a friend. Daring: Cameron Douglas, 40, ensured all eyes were on him on Thursday as he displayed his heavily-inked torso while walking the streets of Los Angeles, California The father-of-one, who previously served seven years behind bars for drugs offences, donned a pair of light-wash, straight leg jeans which hung low on his hips. And he added a splash of colour to his simple ensemble with bright, neon pink trainers and a green beaded necklace. He completed his look with a pair of tortoise shell sunglasses and a black leather watch, with his dark blonde hair swept back from his face. Undress: The Loaded star pulled a white T-shirt over his head as he made his way to his car while chatting with a friend Trouble: The father-of-one, who previously served seven years behind bars for drugs offences, donned a pair of light-wash, straight leg jeans which hung low on his hips Cameron, who is the eldest son of Michael Douglas, 74, and film producer Diandra Luker, 63, served seven years behind bars for drugs offences. Following his early release in 2016, he welcomed a daughter Lua with girlfriend Viviane Thibes, a yoga instructor, in 2017. Speaking after his release, Cameron revealed his father Michael and step-mother Catherine Zeta Jones, 49, 'never gave up on me'. He said: 'My family never gave up on me, not for one second. Catherine is a scrapper, she's someone who came from Wales and clawed her way up to the very top through sheer talent and determination. New arrival: Cameron welcomed a daughter Lua with girlfriend Viviane Thibes, a yoga instructor, in 2017 Family: Cameron revealed his father and step-mother Catherine Zeta Jones, 49, 'never gave up on [him]' when he was behind bars (Pictured in 2017) 'She never gives up on anything and she didnt quit on me. The love of my family got me through my darkest days.' Cameron, who has made headlines throughout his life for drug arrests and trips to rehab, hit rock bottom in 2010 when he was sentenced to five years in jail for dealing in crystal meth and possessing heroin. His sentence was almost doubled in 2011 when he was found trying to sell prescription-only drugs to other inmates. But now clean and sober, Cameron welcomed his first child Lua Izzy, one, in 2017. Rock bottom: Cameron hit rock bottom in 2010 when he was sentenced to five years in jail for dealing in crystal meth and possessing heroin (Pictured in 2009) He said: 'When that cell door slammed shut on the first night of my incarceration, I felt like I was in a bad dream, that I would wake up. But the dream carried on and got worse. 'I lived a nightmare for seven years but the love of my family never wavered.' Cameron is Michael's only child from his first marriage to Diandra Luker. They married in 1977 and split in 1995 finalizing their divorce five years later. He started dating Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones in March 1999 and she gave birth to their son Dylan in August 2000. They married in New York in November 2000 and welcomed daughter Carys in April 2003. George Clooney has revealed he's given up riding motorbikes, after a nasty accident led to being banned by wife Amal. Speaking on Friday's This Morning, the actor, 58, admitted he planned to carry on riding the bikes until a friend - who was also involved in the accident - decided to give up riding them. George was hit head-on by a car as he rode a scooter in Italy during filming for the miniseries Catch-22, and was lucky to walk away without a single broken bone. I'm done! George Clooney has revealed he's given up riding motorbikes, after a nasty accident led to being banned by wife Amal George told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford: 'I was very lucky to pull out of that one, that officially got me off of motorbikes after 40 years. 'There was one of those conversations, we were coming back from the hospital and [Amal] said ''that's it,'' and I thought maybe I can get around this. 'But my buddy who was in the accident said to me ''yeah I'm off.'' Then I was ganged up on.' I want to do it! Speaking on Friday's This Morning, the actor admitted he was planning to go against his wife wishes, until a friend also decided to give up the riding (above August 2016) Grant Heslov, Executive Producer on Catch-22 added: 'That morning was bad. Much worse than I think the press understood. He was behind me and we came up over a hill and I saw a guy who was going to turn and we locked eyes and then he went... 'And he just missed me and I just heard this 'kaboom' and I thought ''Oh my god, George is dead.'' 'I was literally holding him and I said to myself ''If he lives I will give up, I will never ride motorcycles again.'' The amazing thing is that he didn't have a broken bone.' Scary: George was hit head-on by a car as he rode a scooter in Italy during filming for the miniseries Catch-22, and was lucky to walk away without a broken bone (above June 2012) Last year on July 10, George suffered the collision during filming for Catch-22, when he was riding his scooter down the road. Around 8:15 a.m, a car travelling in the opposite direction merged into his lane to make a left turn. Without enough notice, the legendary actor crashed head-on into the car. Security footage captured the accident and showed him flying into the air after colliding, before crashing down to the ground in a heap. According to La Nuova, George was taken to John Paul II hospital, where he was given an MRI scan after complaining of a 'slight trauma to the pelvis and bruises to one leg and an arm.' Amal (nee Alamuddin), 41, rushed to the hospital, though she left with her husband shortly afterward when he got the all clear from his doctors. Tense: The star said that after the accident, Amal said to him: 'that's it' as he was rushed to hospital following the accident TV star: The acclaimed actor will appear in the Channel 4 miniseries as General Scheisskopf. It is based on the classic American novel on the Second World War George had previously revealed that he was forbidden from riding again following the accident, saying at a panel last month: 'I'm not allowed to ride motorcycles. I got into a really bad accident. I hit a guy at 70 miles an hour on my bike. Got launched. And so that's I'm off of bikes.' The star is set to appear in the long-awaited adaptation of Catch-22 on Channel 4, and went onto say he originally turned down the role, due to the original book's long-running legacy. 'When they first asked the answer is no, if you google it it's one of the most iconic novels in American history. I knew it was a lose -lose situation. But if you find a good script and you just run after it,' George explained. Chatty: George spoke on This Morning to promote his role in the miniseries Catch-22 where he stars alongside Christopher Abbott (right) Terrified: Grant Heslov, Executive Producer on Catch-22, also admitted he thought George had been killed in the collision, seconds after it had taken place The star appeared on This Morning with co-star Christopher Abbott, who takes on the lead role of John Yossarian in the drama. George first became engaged to Amal on April 28, 2014, and the couple wed in September of that year. Amal gave birth to twins Ella and Alexander, two, in June 2017. Catch-22 airs on Thursday 20th June on Channel 4. This Morning airs weekdays at 10:30am on ITV. They've been immensely loved up the past few months. But Iggy Azalea's boyfriend Playboi Carti says when it comes to music, he will do anything for love - but he won't do that. The 22-year-old rapper says he has no plans to ever make music with his 29-year-old girlfriend. 'That's a whole 'nother thing:' Iggy Azalea's (left) boyfriend Playboi Carti (right) said this week that while he's a supportive partner he has no plans to make music with his rapper girlfriend 'That's a whole 'nother thing,' the Flatbed Freestyle rapper told Fader magazine this week. However the successful young performer went on to insist: 'I support everything she does.' He also tells the magazine that the pair are in their own bubble and don't much need the company of others. However the successful young performer went on to insist: 'I support everything she does' Just us two: He also tells the magazine that the pair are in their own bubble and don't much need the company of others. 'Once I started talking to her, I just cut off everybody,' he said 'Once I started talking to her, I just cut off everybody,' the rapper went on to tell the magazine. It comes after Iggy quietly returned to social media this week, two weeks after vanishing from Instagram and Twitter due to her nude photos being leaked online. The Australian rapper, who deactivated her Twitter and Instagram accounts on May 27, left fans overjoyed on Monday when she reinstated her popular pages. She's back! Iggy has quietly returned to social media, two weeks after vanishing from Instagram and Twitter due to her nude photos being leaked online Happy fans: The Australian rapper, who deactivated her Twitter and Instagram accounts on May 27, left fans overjoyed on Monday when she reinstated her popular pages Iggy has yet to post anything on her accounts, with her most recent uploads dating back to late last month. Meanwhile, fans have rushed to welcome the Sally Walker hitmaker back to the Internet. One person commented on a recent Instagram picture: 'You're back Iggy!!!!! We missed you! Hope you're feeling better!' Soon? Iggy has yet to post anything on her accounts, with her most recent uploads dating back to late last month Her fans have become accustomed to seeing her heavily filtered photos and videos on Instagram. But on Friday, Married At First Sight's Ines Basic made a rare unfiltered appearance at the Dandelion Wishes Gala in Melbourne's Crown Palladium. The 29-year-old was more than happy to flash her new porcelain veneers as she posed for photos against the media wall. No filter! Married At First Sight's Ines Basic made a rare unfiltered appearance at the Dandelion Wishes Gala in Melbourne's Crown Palladium on Friday The reality TV villain confidently flaunted her slender figure in a silky cream cocktail frock that revealed a generous glimpse of one of her legs. The Bosnian beauty accessorised with a black designer handbag and a pair of matching stilettos. Ines rubbed shoulders with a number of other stars at the charity event, including fellow MAFS alumni Sarah Roza. Leggy: The reality TV villain confidently flaunted her slender figure in a silky cream cocktail frock that revealed a generous glimpse of one of her legs Say cheese! The 29-year-old was more than happy to flash her new porcelain veneers as she posed for photos against the media wall The brunette has indulged in a number of cosmetic procedures since finding fame, and she has no plans to slow down any time soon. In an Instagram Q&A last month, the 29-year-old revealed that she's getting a boob job soon, along with more unspecified work. 'Will I be getting more work done?' she said. 'Yeah. I will be getting a lot! I'm getting my ti**ies, I'm getting a lot of s**t.' Is it really you? The star's fans have become accustomed to seeing her heavily filtered photos and videos on Instagram (pictured) In early May, she got a new set of porcelain veneers from celebrity dentist Dr. Dee. Before that, the star admitted to getting lip fillers and Botox, in addition to her regular spray tans. Ines, a former legal assistant from Queensland, rose to fame as the 'villain' on Married At First Sight earlier this year. He may have his hands full with a slew of acting gigs in the pipeline. But David Arquette took a break from his jam-packed schedule to celebrate the opening of Balt Getty's store, Monk Punk, at a block party on Thursday. The actor, 47, wore an orange track suit, Champion belt bag, gold chain, and sneakers as he posed at the Los Angeles based event. Having some fun: David Arquette took a break from his jam-packed schedule to celebrate the opening of Balt Getty's store, Monk Punk, at a block party on Thursday Not only that, but he also wore a custom white hat featuring his name in cursive. David looked like he was having a blast as he posed alongside the host Balt Getty himself behind the DJ booth. The Never Been Kissed actor grinned from ear to ear at the event, flashing a smile that showed off his gold teeth. Getty heir Balt is debuting his new lifestyle brand Monk Punk and will be dropping a new hip-hop track on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Spreading the love: The actor rocked a gold 'Love' chain necklace In the mix: Arquette posed inside the DJ booth with Getty heir Balt Getty Located north of Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, the multi-purpose Monk Punk shop will serve as a retail space and 'creative hub' for Balt's music label, PurpleHaus, according to the site. Meanwhile, David is set to be as busy as ever with a variety of projects under his belt. The multi-hyphenate has roles in Adultland, Domino: Battle of the Bones, and 12 Hour Shift, which is due for release in 2020. It's here! Getty heir Balt is debuting his new lifestyle brand Monk Punk and will be dropping a new hip-hop track on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter He is also producing 12 Hour Shift, the documentary short Valerie, and Truck'd Up. The actor, who shares daughter Coco, 15, with his ex-wife Courteney Cox, has been married to Christina McLarty since 2015. They have five-year-old son Charlie West Arquette together. She's been soaking up the sun with her family in Italy. And Kate Hudson was oozing summer chic in a gorgeous cream maxi dress, as she cradled her baby daughter Rani on a low-key shopping trip with beau Danny Fujikawa, 33. The Hollywood star, 40, shielded her daughter, eight months, with a colourful umbrella as she joined her boyfriend of two years in strolling through the town on the Amalfi Coast. Family fun: Kate Hudson, 40, was oozing summer chic in a gorgeous cream maxi dress, as she cradled her baby daughter Rani on an Italian getaway with beau Danny Fujikawa, 33 Kate displayed her holiday tan in a loose-fitting cream maxi dress as she carried little Rani in a papoose, with Danny taking plenty of snaps to document their outing. The couple visited some of the shops before heading back to their yacht for lunch. Little Rani was right at home in a papoose and wrapped in a pink and white kaftan, as Kate also shielded herself from the blazing sunshine with a wide-brimmed hat. The Almost Famous star has been documenting her holiday with a slew of social media snaps, with one showing little Rani looking incredibly cute in her father's arms. Lovely: The Hollywood star shielded her daughter, seven months, with a colourful umbrella as she joined her boyfriend of two years in strolling through the town on the Amalfi Coast Smile: As they went shopping in the picturesque town, Danny documented the outing with a slew of snaps Pretty: Kate displayed her holiday tan in a loose cream maxi dress and wide-brimmed hat, as she carried her baby daughter in a papoose Close: The couple have been soaking up the sun on a family break in Italy, with Kate also documenting the occasion with a slew of social media snaps Sweet: The star recently paid tribute to boyfriend Danny on his 33rd birthday, as he played with Rani in the swimming pool Touching: Kate gushed about her beau in a lengthy caption on the Instagram post, adding that he had given her 'the most beautiful gifts' Paying tribute to her beau Danny on his 33rd birthday, Kate wrote: 'This man has given me the most beautiful gifts life can give and the depth of gratitude I feel for the day he was born is beyond any measured spoken word or post. 'I believe that this gratitude exists and is present in our daughters joy and her magical spirit. 'Thank you Mama Fuj and Papa Fuj for raising this beautiful roller coaster ride of a special human. The ups and downs and sideways were all worth it. Happy Birthday baby!' Several days earlier Kate also posted a snap with little Rani asleep on her shoulder, looking utterly at ease among the beautiful Italian landscape. Picturesque: Several days earlier Kate also posted a snap with little Rani asleep on her shoulder, looking utterly at ease among the beautiful Italian landscape Out and about: The couple enjoyed a perusal through the shops before heading back to their yacht for lunch Happy couple: Kate was first linked to her musician boyfriend Danny in March of 2017, when they were spotted kissing in LA Kate was first linked to her musician boyfriend Danny in March of 2017, when they were spotted kissing in LA. The Deepwater Horizon star is also the mother of Ryder Robinson, 15, with her ex-husband Chris Robinson, and Bingham Bellamy with her former partner Matthew Bellamy of the rock group Muse. Kate also co-founded Fabletics, along with Adam Goldenberg and Don Ressler, in 2013, with the brand claiming to offer an 'all inclusive' range of sizes. The screen star also candidly spoke about juggling motherhood with her career in an essay she wrote for InStyle last year. Relaxing: Once back on their yacht, Kate sipped a cool beverage as she took a moment to unwind with pals Loved-up: The Deepwater Horizon star is also the mother of Ryder Robinson, 15, with her ex-husband Chris Robinson, and Bingham Bellamy with her former partner Matthew Bellamy At ease: The couple were later seen cosying up together in the blazing Italian sunshine She said: 'Some days I feel like I should win best mom of the day award, and some days I find myself doing strange things that dont have any real purpose, in faraway corners in my house, and I realise I am literally and deliberately hiding from my children.' 'Yes, I help my kids with their homework. But I also get bored doing it. I will sit and listen to my children pontificate and discuss their ideas till the day is long because it warms my heart, but I really dont want to do math! 'Im gonna say it: Id prefer to watch The Bachelor rather than do fractions and divisions.' Casual: Kate has been looking incredible in a slew of chic holiday ensembles, just eight months after giving birth to baby Rani Sienna Miller has revealed she underwent four hours of prosthetics to undergo her physical transformation for the series The Loudest Voice. The actress, 37, stars as Beth Ailes, the wife of former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, in the series that charts the media executive's career and the allegations of sexual harassment against him. Both Sienna and her co-star Russell Crowe who plays Ailes, look almost unrecognisable in their roles. Makeover: Sienna Miller, 37, has revealed she underwent four hours of prosthetics to undergo her physical transformation for the series The Loudest Voice During an appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Sienna discussed her transformation and admitted it was 'weird' to look at herself in character. She said: 'It's four hours of prosthetics. It's pretty amazing. I found it quite funny at first because you literally cannot recognise yourself at first. So it's quite a weird experience.' Ailes was named chairman of Fox News in 2005 and, following his resignation, became an advisor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign where he assisted with debate preparation. Other stars who are attached to the project include Naomi Watts who is set to play Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News anchor who filed a lawsuit against Ailes in July 2016, claiming sexual harassment. In character: The actress stars as Beth Ailes, the wife of former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, in the series (pictured in February 2019) Transformation: Sienna sported styled blonde locks for her role and make-up to give her an older appearance (pictured in February 2019) She said: 'It's four hours of prosthetics. It's pretty amazing. I found it quite funny at first because you literally cannot recognise yourself at first' Sabrina The Teenage Witch star Jennifer Leigh Green will star as Fox News executive Irena Briganti while Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will portray former PR executive Brian Lewis. Showtime is co-producing the limited series, which will have eight episodes, with Blumhouse Television. Sienna is also set to star in the film 21 Bridges, which also filmed in New York City. Directed by Brian Kirk, 21 Bridges follows a disgraced NYPD detective who becomes embroiled in a manhunt for a cop killer. As the action-packed story unfolds, the cop discovers a huge conspiracy which links his fellow colleagues to a criminal empire and he must decide who he can trust. Advertisement They're one of Hollywood's most well-known couples and have been together for 36 years. And Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell looked in high spirits as they enjoyed a sun-kissed holiday on Italy's Amalfi Coast. The Private Benjamin actress, 73, and her long-term partner Kurt, 68, made the most of the Mediterranean sunshine by going for a boat trip on the O'Mega luxury yacht on Thursday. Trip: Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn, 73, enjoyed a sun-kissed holiday on Italy's Amalfi Coast this week where she was joined her family The pair, who were joined by Goldie's daughter Kate Hudson and her partner Danny Fujikawa on the trip, spent time diving and also went on jet skis. Goldie looked stylish in a dark blue one-piece bathing suit that featured gold detailing around the neckline while Kurt sported a pair of white and black swimming trunks. They spent the day on the O'Mega, a luxury charter yacht that was built in 1987 and converted into a superyacht in 2002. Currently owned by Ezra Boren, it was listed as number 29 on the Power & Motor Yacht magazine's list of the World's 100 Largest Yachts 2008 Holiday: The actress spent some some quality time with her longtime partner Kurt Russell, 68, who sported a pair of white and black swimming trunks Relaxation: Goldie looked stylish in a dark blue one-piece bathing suit that featured gold detailing while she let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders Relationship: Goldie and Kurt one of Hollywood's most well-known couples and have been together for 36 years Family: Joining the couple on their holiday was Goldie's daughter Kate Hudson and her partner Danny Fujikawa The couple starred as unlikely love interests in the 1987 comedy Overboard, a film about a rude wealthy woman who suffers amnesia and is tricked into believing she is married to her carpenter. They first met on the set of the 1968 musical film The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, before becoming romantic after working together on Swing Shift. Kurt previously spoke to Dailymail.com about how the two kept a successful family life while being working actors. He said: We were very aware of what would happen had we both pursued our careers full-on. I very rarely worked when I knew Goldie was going to be working. And vice-versa. Which meant we could be together. 'I never thought that what the business could provide would ever take precedence over us. Money is great, but youve got to say no. You really do. Fun: Kurt took advantage of the warm weather and went diving off the boat as the group soaked up the Mediterranean sun Co-stars: Goldie and Kurt starred as unlikely love interests in the 1987 comedy Overboard, a film about a rude wealthy woman who suffers amnesia and is tricked into believing she is married to her carpenter Beginning: They first met on the set of the 1968 musical film The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, before becoming romantic after working together on Swing Shift Kurt previously spoke to Dailymail.com about how the two kept a successful family life while being working actors He said: We were very aware of what would happen had we both pursued our careers full-on. I very rarely worked when I knew Goldie was going to be working. And vice-versa. Which meant we could be together' Indeed, he said there was at least one occasion when he turned down the chance to star in a major Hollywood production. There was a movie I was going to be paid a lot of money for. Id rather not say what it was, but it came when Id just done two pictures in a row and Goldie was about to go to work, so I had to turn it down. Kurt and Goldie share 32-year-old son Wyatt from their relationship. He added: 'I never thought that what the business could provide would ever take precedence over us. Money is great, but youve got to say no. You really do' Style: Earlier in the day, Goldie sported a dark skirt over her bathing suit along with a white visor and a pair of sandals Life: Oscar nominee Goldie previously discussed her experiences with motherhood in an interview with People magazine She said: 'Certainly, as a mother, Ive made mistakes. We all do, we all will. But the most important thing is to stay authentic and true to yourself and hope that you show by example, not by what you say but by what you do' Career: Kurt began acting in television at the age of 12 in the series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters and has also starred in Escape From L.A., The Hateful Eight and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood Film: In 2015, Kurt joined the Fast & Furious franchise and has appeared in Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious as Mr Nobody Oliver's younger sister Kate Hudson considers Kurt her father, while Goldie is also de facto stepmom to Kurt's oldest son Boston, 38, whom he shares with ex wife Season Hubley. Oscar nominee Goldie previously discussed her experiences with motherhood in an interview with People magazine. She said: 'Certainly, as a mother, Ive made mistakes. We all do, we all will. But the most important thing is to stay authentic and true to yourself and hope that you show by example, not by what you say but by what you do.' She is taking to the stage at the UK's biggest arena on Friday. But as she made her way to the gig, Mel B proved she was just like the rest of us, as she touched up her make-up on a Jubilee line tube with a compact mirror. The Spice Girl, 44, was passing through St John's Wood tube station on the way to Wembley for the group's concert, when her tour photographer snapped her applying her lip gloss and checking her phone. Getting ready: Mel B proved she was just like the rest of us, as she touched up her make-up on a Jubilee line tube with a compact mirror Mel revealed on her Instagram story that the reason she hopped on the underground with some of her team was so that she wasn't late to the show. She told her 1.5 million followers on social media: 'We are on the tube ... We are on the tube on the way to Wembley so we are not late.' Bands typically arrive at their sold out concerts in chauffeur driven cars and tour buses, however Mel instead opted to make a very low-key arrival at the show. Mel appeared to be almost stage ready, as she donned a full face of make-up including a glitzy eye look with sweeping eyeliner and lashings of mascara. Low-key: The Spice Girl, 44, was passing through St John's Wood tube station when her tour photographer snapped her applying her lip gloss and checking her phone Down-to-earth: Bands typically arrive at their sold out concerts in chauffeur driven cars and tour buses, however Mel instead opted to make a very low-key arrival at the show The songstress sported a double denim look, including a cropped jacket and a pair of blue jeans which she teamed with a pair of black heeled boots. Mel teamed her ensemble with a white T-shirt, while completing her look with a black baker boy cap and wore her curly locks in a loose, bouncy style. The Spice Girls - who have reunited as a four piece for a special tour - kicked off the London leg of their hotly-anticipated tour on Thursday evening at Wembley. Mel was no doubt on her way to the second night of the show after a successful return to the arena, 21 years since they last performed there as a group. Glam: Mel appeared to be almost stage ready as she donned a full face of make-up including a glitzy eye look with sweeping eyeliner and lashings of mascara Stylish: The songstress sported a double denim look, including a cropped jacket and a pair of cropped jeans which she teamed with a pair of black heeled boots Mel B, Emma Button, Mel C and Geri Horner have been touring England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland with their 2019 Spice World tour. Addressing the audience during Thursday's show, Geri admitted she was glad to finally be on stage on Wembley after quitting the band shortly before their first Wembley gig in 1998. 'I was gutted they were doing it without me,' she announced. 'Yet 21-years later we came back and are doing it together with you lot.' Emma also admitted she was overwhelmed to be performing at the iconic venue as broke down in tears in front of a crowd of thousands, prompting supportive hugs from her band-mates. Breaking down: There were emotional scenes later that night as Emma admitted she was overwhelmed to be performing at the iconic venue, 21-years after their last Wembley show She'll soon launch her third collaboration with her youngest sister. And Khloe Kardashian covered up her voluptuous figure in a gold bodysuit to pose with Kylie Jenner for a snap shared on Instagram Friday morning. The 34-year-old Good American founder wrapped her arm around her sister in the sassy shot posted after she boasted about her daughter True's luxe nursery. Just the two of us: Khloe Kardashian covered up her voluptuous figure in a gold bodysuit to pose with Kylie Jenner for a snap shared on Instagram Friday morning Khloe's showed off her short blonde bob as she writhed around the millennial pink set wearing a metallic leotard. Kylie was dressed in a matching sleeveless suit with long platinum tresses as she rested on her older sister. She captioned the sultry snap: 'KoKo Kollection launches TODAY' followed by a slew of exclamation marks. Home: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star took her 94million followers on a short-and-sweet tour of True's nursery with a quick Instagram snap The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star took her 94million followers on a short-and-sweet tour of True's nursery with a quick Instagram snap. 'One of my favorite places,' she wrote of her baby girl's room, which featured a plush white twin-sized bed full of pillows and blankets. Above her daughter's bed, an electric pink neon sign said 'Baby Thompson' in cursive lettering. The sisters have worked together before with two collaborations for Jenner's widely popular makeup line, Kylie Cosmetics. Business: The sisters have worked together before with two collaborations for Jenner's widely popular makeup line, Kylie Cosmetics Fans are also patiently awaiting the long-anticipated Kylie Cosmetics x Kendall collection, as Kendall is the only sister in the Jenner/Kardashian without her own Kylie Cosmetics products. Khloe gave birth to her baby girl on April 12, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio with ex-boyfriend Tristan Thompson. Dailymail.com broke the news that Tristan had cheated on Khloe with multiple women just days before the little one was born. They recently called things quits for good after Khloe found out that Tristan was caught in a scandal with Kylie Jenner's best friend Jordyn Woods. Shannen Doherty has begun filming the self-parodic revival of Beverly Hills 90210, the teen drama series she starred on in the 1990s. Entitled BH90210, the new show has reunited much of the original cast and is shooting in Vancouver, British Columbia. Posting an Instagram photo of herself in bed Thursday evening, Shannen, 48, told fans: 'First day of work today and could not of gone better!' Resting up after work: Shannen Doherty has begun filming the self-parodic revival of Beverly Hills 90210, the teen drama series she starred on in the 1990s The Memphis-born Heathers actress shared: 'Had a blast on set and taking in the beauty of Vancouver once again. #bh90210'. Shannen's old Beverly Hills 90210 co-stars Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Brian Austin Green, Gabreille Carteris, Ian Ziering and Tori Spelling are all in the new show. Luke Perry, who became a teen idol through Beverly Hills 90210, died this February at the age of 52 after suffering an ischemic stroke. 'Luke was a huge part of our 90210 family, and personally Luke was a very large part of my life. So, it's obviously very difficult to do this without him,' said Jason in May. The team: Shannen's (third from right) Beverly Hills 90210 co-stars Gabrielle Carteris, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth and Ian Ziering are on the new show He and his cast-mates were at an event to plug their new series, in which Jason explained that the actors will spoof themselves, the Associated Press reports. 'The show is comedic drama, very, very heavy on the comedy side. It's a scripted, fake reality show that follows Jason Priestly and Ian Ziering and Jennie Garth, all of us trying to get a reboot of Beverly Hills 90210 made, and what that entails,' he said. Jason, who was roommates with Brad Pitt in the 1980s before either became a star, described the new show as 'Very much like Episodes.' Dearly departed: Luke Perry, who became a teen idol through Beverly Hills 90210, died this February at the age of 52 after suffering an ischemic stroke He added: 'A little bit of Arrested Development thrown in there. A little bit of Curb Your Enthusiasm thrown in there. But very much in the vein of those shows.' The original series was created by Darren Star and produced by Tori's father Aaron Spelling, the TV legend behind such shows as Dynasty and Charlie's Angels. It ran from 1990 to 2000 and produced a string of spin-offs including 90120, two shows called Melrose Place and a single-season soap entitled Models Inc. It's hard to find a flaw in lifelong charmer Tom Hanks. But Jimmy Kimmel tried to bring out the Toy Story actor's bad side during the 62-year-old actor's Thursday visit to the late night show. Kimmel set things into motion by daring the two-time Oscar winner to steal a cardboard cut out of himself from the souvenir shop next door to Jimmy Kimmel Live's Hollywood studio. No more Mr. Nice Guy! Tom Hanks showed off his rebellious streak when Jimmy Kimmel dared him to steal something Thursday 'You have a reputation for being wonderful and perfect in every way,' Jimmy said before introducing Tom's challenge. Hanks didn't hesitate before accepting the offer and jumping out of his seat to make his way to the shop. 'The only thing I'm gonna get arrested for is being too charming,' Tom winked. Hanks hammed it up as he made his way to the souvenir shop, greeting travelers, chatting up a hot dog vendor and window shopping at Zara. On a mission: Hanks didn't hesitate before accepting the offer and jumping out of his seat to make his way to the shop Sweetheart: 'You have a reputation for being wonderful and perfect in every way,' Jimmy said before introducing Tom's challenge Charm offensive: 'The only thing I'm gonna get arrested for is being too charming,' Tom winked Snack break: Hanks hammed it up as he made his way to the souvenir shop, greeting travelers, chatting up a hot dog vendor and window shopping at Zara 'All right, this is the place,' Tom said as he arrived at the tschoke emporium. Kimmy directed him to the cut-outs, which were all the way in the back of the shop. But the Forest Gump actor couldn't resist the opportunity to glad hand with fans. He tried to play matchmaker for a man from Australia and lady from New Jersey who were both perusing the wares. Then upon learning the man had a wife standing just feet away, he tried to bribe the Mrs. with some cash to go 'meet somebody.' The right spot: 'All right, this is the place,' Tom said as he arrived at the tschoke emporium Love guru? He tried to play matchmaker for a man from Australia and lady from New Jersey who were both perusing the wares but found out the gentleman was married A vandal too! Before securing his own cut out, the actor mischievously defaced Matt Damon's likeness with a Sharpie 'This is literally the opposite of shoplifting!' Jimmy laughed before Tom finally arrived at the cardboard cut-outs. Before securing his own cut out, the actor mischievously defaced Matt Damon's likeness with a Sharpie. 'I am sick of this doof,' he explained while blacking out one of the cut-out's teeth and writing 'I'm a dope' on his forehead. Then it was time for the heist. Rivals: 'I am sick of this doof,' he explained while blacking out one of the cut-out's teeth and writing 'I'm a dope' on his forehead Honest approach: Tom took a straight-forward approach, grabbing the cut-out before declaring: 'I am Tom Hanks and I am stealing this standee' Going for the gold! The actor decided to fully embrace his new bad boy persona, grabbing a few spare Oscar statues before making a beeline to the exit Accomplice to the crime! Jimmy's trustee sidekick Guillermo was waiting for Hanks to help him back to the studio He took a straight-forward approach, grabbing the cut-out before declaring: 'I am Tom Hanks and I am stealing this standee.' Tom made a break for it while teams of tourists captured the prank on their phones. The actor decided to fully embrace his new bad boy persona, grabbing a few spare Oscar statues before making a beeline to the exit. 'You can never have too many of these,' Hanks joked. A little something: On the way he dropped off an Oscar at Jimmy's Hollywood Walk Of Fame star Crowd pleaser! Tom was greeted with cheers when he returned to the studio Honored! Proving he was a consummate crowd pleaser, he handed out the rest of the trophies to some lucky audience members Jimmy's trustee sidekick Guillermo was waiting for Hanks to help him back to the studio. On the way he dropped off an Oscar at Jimmy's Hollywood Walk Of Fame star. Tom was greeted with cheers when he returned to the studio. Proving he was a consummate crowd pleaser, he handed out the rest of the trophies to some lucky audience members. 'Tom Hanks, America's most wanted criminal,' Jimmy laughed before plugging Toy Story 4's June 20 release. Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs Monday through Friday nights on ABC. She's known for being fashion-focused. And Kim Kardashian dressed for success as she visited the White House in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon. The 38-year-old reality star sported a nearly $72,000 ensemble to give a speech about criminal justice to a packed room of politicians, according to Page Six. Serious business: Kim Kardashian dressed for success as she visited the White House in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon The mother-of-four stepped out wearing a supremely chic, forest green blazer from Vetements, which retails for $925. Peeks of the top of a strappy nude tank top peered out from the lapel of her double-breasted coat. She stayed with a monochrome color theme and sported a pair of $1,210 trousers from the French brand. To seal the deal on her pricey ensemble, Kim carried a 'very rare' Hermes Kelly pochette bag. Wow! The 38-year-old reality star sported a nearly $72,000 ensemble to give a speech about criminal justice to a packed room of politicians, according to Page Six Big spender: To seal the deal on her pricey ensemble, Kim carried a 'very rare' Hermes Kelly pochette bag; seen on Instagram stories The ombre lizard with palladium hardware purse features a small handle and silver hardware, and retails for $69,775. Kardashian was on hand to announce a ride share partnership where former prisoners are given gift cards so that they can rides to and from interviews. 'I am heading to the White House to speak at the second chance hiring and reentry event,' she wrote on Twitter. Kim added in another tweet that she was 'honored to be a part of the announcement that the administration and the private sector are stepping up to create opportunities for these men and women to succeed once home.' Work: Kardashian was on hand to announce a ride share partnership where former prisoners are given gift cards so that they can rides to and from interviews Nice: Kim joined attorney Brittany K Barnett and has secretly funded the Buried Alive Project, which has helped free 17 inmates who were handed huge jail sentences for low-level drug offences as part of its 90 Days of Freedom project She's previously made visits to the capital to lobby the pardon of Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving life without parole for drug offenses. Johnson was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 for committing a first-time nonviolent drug crime in Memphis, news which Kim first heard about on Twitter. Kim joined attorney Brittany K Barnett and has secretly funded the Buried Alive Project, which has helped free 17 inmates who were handed huge jail sentences for low-level drug offences as part of its 90 Days of Freedom project. Her interest in the legal world has taken a unique turn as she recently revealed that she registered with the California State Bar to study law to become a fully-fledged lawyer. Kim must also complete 60 college credits and then work as an apprentice at a law firm in San Francisco with the intention to take the Bar Exam in 2022. South Australia's 28,000 teachers have been offered a 2.35 per cent pay rise for each of the next five years, with Treasurer Rob Lucas describing it as "exceptionally fair and reasonable". The offer will cost the government $699 million as it seeks to build and retain an expert teaching workforce. "The government's offer is the culmination of extensive and productive discussion with the union and recognises the important work of our state's teachers, principals and support staff in education and developing our next generation," Mr Lucas said on Friday. The government's proposal also earmarks $45 million over four years of additional support for schools identified as having high levels of complexity. An additional $13 million will be used to create new positions for highly-accomplished and lead teachers, while $4.3 million will go to attracting and retaining teachers in country schools. But the government has rejected calls from the Australian Education Union for a 3.5 per cent interim pay increase and other improvements to working conditions. "South Australian taxpayers simply can't afford those type of extravagant claims," Mr Lucas said. "The government has budgeted for reasonable wage increases and this offer is consistent with this budget." Suspected attacks involving tankers in the Gulf Suspected attacks left two tankers in flames in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, bumping up oil prices and further raising regional tensions triggered by a bitter US-Iran standoff. The ships were struck in the same strategic sea lane where four oil vessels were sabotaged last month in attacks Washington blamed on Tehran. Amid rising fears of a conflict, here is what we know: - What happened? - In the early hours of Thursday, two vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Indian Ocean caught fire. The Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority. Meanwhile a security incident involving the Japanese-owned ship Kokuka Courageous prompted a "full-scale emergency response", Singapore-based BSM Ship Management said. The US Fifth Fleet said its warships had received distress calls from both vessels following a "reported attack". The Front Altair incident took place at 8:50 am Iranian time (0420 GMT) 25 nautical miles off Bandar-e-Jask in southern Iran, Iranian state media reported. The Kokuka Courageous caught fire at 9:50 am, 28 nautical miles off the port, it added. Iran said its navy had rescued 44 crew members from the two vessels, which were carrying highly inflammable material. The Front Altair was reportedly still burning late Thursday, but the fire on the Kokuka Courageous was extinguished, said an Iranian official involved in the rescue operation. The Front Altair was carrying ethanol from Qatar to Taiwan, while the Kokuka Courageous was carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia to Singapore, Iranian state media said. - Who was behind the explosions? - There has been no claim of responsibility for the blasts and international media reports of a "torpedo attack" were not confirmed. Both ships have indicated the attacks originated from the surface, said maritime security company Dryad Global. But it said reports from the Front Altair indicated its hull was breached "on the starboard side partially below the waterline". A starboard attack would mean the involvement of Iran or a proxy was a "real possibility", Dyrad Global said. However, it said, it would be "surprising" for Tehran to conduct such "bellicose" actions while its economy is reeling from US sanctions -- or to knowingly target a Japanese ship while hosting Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe. - Global reactions - Iran's top diplomat also voiced incredulity over the timing of the incident, which came as Abe met Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a bid to ease soaring tensions between Tehran and Washington. "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. Global oil prices surged by four percent immediately after reports of the attacks. UN chief Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the "security incident" and said the world could not afford a major confrontation in Gulf. The European Union called for "maximum restraint" to avoid a regional escalation. - Sensitive location - The Gulf of Oman lies at the eastern end of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel that is a chokepoint for more than a third of the globe's seaborne oil exports. Oil production and alliances in the Gulf Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait in the case of a military confrontation with the United States. Thursday's incidents come a month after four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati -- were damaged in still unexplained attacks off the nearby UAE port of Fujairah. US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Iranian mines were almost certainly behind the May 12 attacks, but declined to provide evidence. The UAE said last week that initial findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state was likely behind the attacks, but added there was no evidence yet of Iranian involvement. - The stakes - After last month's sabotage attacks, Iran-aligned Huthi rebels in Yemen attacked a major Saudi pipeline with explosive-laden drones, closing it down for two days. Washington had on May 5 sent an aircraft carrier group and B-52 bombers to the region over Iranian "threats". On May 8, Iran said it would stop respecting some limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a landmark 2015 deal with world powers, since abandoned by the US. A week after the May 12 attacks, US President Donald Trump warned that if Iran attacks American interests "that will be the official end of Iran". Zarif said "genocidal taunts" would not "end Iran". Senior International Crisis Group analyst Elizabeth Dickinson on Thursday called the emerging pattern of attacks a "dangerous moment". "Any miscalculation or misunderstanding risks a spiral toward more direct confrontation," she told AFP. Brenton Tarrant, the man charged over the Christchurch mosque attacks, when he appeared in court in March The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks in March smiled Friday as his lawyers entered not guilty pleas to multiple murder and terrorism charges. Brenton Tarrant's barrister told Christchurch High Court his client was pleading not guilty to all charges, prompting anger from survivors and relatives of those killed in the March 15 attacks. The self-proclaimed white supremacist appeared in court via audio-visual link from a maximum-security prison in Auckland for the brief hearing. Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian national, was committed to stand trial next year on 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and engaging in a terrorist act. His smiling demeanour enraged survivors still reeling from the worst massacre in modern New Zealand history, who had packed the courthouse's public gallery for a glimpse of the accused. "It just shows he's an animal," Mustafa Boztas, who was wounded in the thigh, told AFP outside the court. "I feel sad that someone can be so unhuman and take the lives of innocent people." Abdul Aziz, who confronted the Christchurch gunman at one of the targeted mosques, speaks to journalists outside the court Abdul Aziz, who confronted the gunman at the Linwood mosque and chased him off the premises, said he wanted to see Tarrant's face. "He was laughing there (in court) and he thinks he was so tough, but he was a coward when he faced me and he ran," he said. "He was not man enough to stand up that time and (now) he's standing there and laughing. "Put me for 15 minutes in one cell and then we will see if he can laugh any more." - Fit for trial - Tarrant allegedly opened fire in the packed Al Noor mosque during Friday prayers, then travelled across town to continue the carnage in the suburban Linwood mosque, while livestreaming his actions on social media. The court heard that mental health assessments had found Tarrant was fit to stand trial. "No issue arises regarding the defendant's fitness to plead, to instruct counsel, and to stand his trial. A fitness hearing is not required," Judge Cameron Mander said in a statement shortly after the hearing. The judge set a trial date of May 4, 2020, with proceedings expected to last at least six weeks, although some lawyers warned the case -- sure to be one of the biggest-ever in New Zealand -- could go twice as long. No caption "The court endeavours to bring serious criminal cases to trial within a year of arrest. The scale and complexity of this case makes this challenging," Mander said. Didar Hossain, whose uncle and friends were killed in the attack, was disappointed the justice system was taking so long to deal with the case. "It should be finished in six months, that would be good for us. We are not happy," he said. Tarrant was remanded in custody to appear for a case review hearing to be held on August 15. Mander barred news outlets from taking photographs or video of Tarrant's latest court appearance, although he said images from an earlier hearing could be used. He also lifted suppression orders on the names of those who were wounded in the attacks, except for those aged under 18. The killings badly rattled normally peaceful New Zealand, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earning international acclaim for her compassionate response towards the country's small, tight-knit Muslim community. Her government tightened gun laws and set about reviewing laws dealing with hate speech, as well as spearheading global efforts to ensure social media giants do more to combat online extremism. Boztas, who spent more than a month in hospital receiving treatment for his wounded leg, vowed the hatred that inspired the attacks would not prevail. "Justice will be served and we will rise from this and transform anger into love," he said. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The blasts detonated far from the bustling megacities of Asia, but the attack this week on two tankers in the strategic Strait of Hormuz hits at the heart of the region's oil import-dependent economies. While the violence only directly jolted two countries in the region - one of the targeted ships was operated by a Tokyo-based company, a nearby South Korean-operated vessel helped rescue sailors - it will unnerve major economies throughout Asia. Officials, analysts and media commentators on Friday hammered home the importance of the Strait of Hormuz for Asia, calling it a crucial lifeline, and there was deep interest in more details about the still-sketchy attack and what the United States and Iran would do in the aftermath. In the end, whether Asia shrugs it off, as some analysts predict, or its economies shudder as a result, the attack highlights the widespread worries over an extreme reliance on a single strip of water for the oil that fuels much of the region's shared progress. Here is a look at how Asia is handling rising tensions in a faraway but economically crucial area, compiled by AP reporters from around the world: ___ Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo Co., the Japanese company operating one of two oil tankers attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, shows a photo of the attacked oil tanker during a news conference Friday, June 14, 2019, in Tokyo. Iran rejects a U.S. accusation against Tehran over suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) WHY ASIA WORRIES The oil, of course. Japan, South Korea and China don't have enough of it; the Middle East does, and much of it flows through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. This could make Asia vulnerable to supply disruptions from U.S.-Iran tensions or violence in the strait. The attack comes months after Iran threatened to shut down the strait to retaliate against U.S. economic sanctions, which tightened in April when the Trump administration decided to end sanctions exemptions for the five biggest importers of Iranian oil, which included China and U.S. allies South Korea and Japan. Japan is the world's fourth-largest consumer of oil - after the United States, China and India - and relies on the Middle East for 80% of its crude oil supply. The 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to a dramatic reduction in Japanese nuclear power generation and increased imports of natural gas, crude oil, fuel oil and coal. In an effort to comply with Washington, Japan says it no longer imports oil from Iran. Officials also say Japanese oil companies are abiding by the embargo because they don't want to be sanctioned. But Japan still gets oil from other Middle East nations using the Strait of Hormuz for transport. South Korea, the world's fifth largest importer of crude oil, also depends on the Middle East for the vast majority of its supplies. Last month, South Korea halted its Iranian oil imports as its waivers from U.S. sanctions on Teheran expired, and it has reportedly tried to increase oil imports from other countries such as Qatar and the United States. China, the world's largest importer of Iranian oil, "understands its growth model is vulnerable to a lack of energy sovereignty," according to market analyst Kyle Rodda of IG, an online trading provider, and has been working over the last several years to diversify its suppliers. That includes looking to Southeast Asia and, increasingly, some oil-producing nations in Africa. ___ THE GEOGRAPHY AND THE POLITICS Asia and the Middle East are linked by a flow of oil, much of it coming by sea and dependent on the Strait of Hormuz, which is the passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Iran threatened to close the strait in April. It also appears poised to break a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from last year. The deal saw Tehran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. For both Japan and South Korea, there is extreme political unease to go along with the economic worries stirred by the violence in the strait. Both nations want to nurture their relationship with Washington, a major trading partner and military protector. But they also need to keep their economies humming, which requires an easing of tension between Washington and Tehran. Japan's conservative prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was in Tehran, looking to do just that, when the attack happened. His limitations in settling the simmering animosity, however, were highlighted by both the timing of the attack and a comment by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who told Abe that he had nothing to say to Trump. In Japan, the world's third largest economy, the tanker attack was front-page news. The Nikkei newspaper, Japan's major business daily, said that if mines are planted in the Strait of Hormuz, "oil trade will be paralyzed." The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper called the Strait of Hormuz Japan's "lifeline." Although the Japanese economy and industry minister has said there will be no immediate effect on stable energy supplies, the Tokyo Shimbun noted "a possibility that Japanese people's lives will be affected." South Korea, worried about Middle East instability, has worked to diversify its crude sources since the energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s. ___ THE FUTURE Analysts said it's highly unlikely that Iran would follow through on its threat to close the strait. That's because a closure could also disrupt Iran's exports to China, which has been working with Russia to build pipelines and other infrastructure that would transport oil and gas into China. For Japan, the attack in the Strait of Hormuz does not represent an imminent threat to Tokyo's oil supply, said Paul Sheldon, chief geopolitical adviser at S&P Global Platts Analytics. "Our sense is that it's not a crisis yet," he said of the tensions. Seoul, meanwhile, will likely be able to withstand a modest jump in oil prices unless there's a full-blown military confrontation, Seo Sang-young, an analyst from Seoul-based Kiwoom Securities, said. "The rise in crude prices could hurt areas like the airlines, chemicals and shipping, but it could also actually benefit some businesses, such as energy companies (including refineries) that produce and export fuel products like gasoline," said Seo, pointing to the diversity of South Korea's industrial lineup. South Korea's shipbuilding industry could also benefit as the rise in oil prices could further boost the growing demand for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which means more orders for giant tankers that transport such gas. ___ Associated Press writers Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo, Kim Tong-hyung and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, Yanan Wang in Beijing, Annabelle Liang in Singapore and Alexandra Olson in New York contributed to this report. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives at Haneda airport in Tokyo Friday morning, June 14, 2019 after a two-day visit to Iran. A Japanese-owned oil tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. (Naoya Osato/Kyodo News via AP) Yutaka Katada, center, president of Kokuka Sangyo Co., the Japanese company operating one of two oil tankers attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, bows after talking to reporters at a news conference Friday, June 14, 2019, in Tokyo. Iran rejects a U.S. accusation against Tehran over suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Yutaka Katada, center, president of Kokuka Sangyo Co., the Japanese company operating one of two oil tankers attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, talks to reporters during a news conference Friday, June 14, 2019, in Tokyo. Iran rejects a U.S. accusation against Tehran over suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) SOFIA, June 14 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- Bulgarian parliament approved amendments to the Black Sea Act that ban tents, as well as vehicles including campers and caravans, from the countrys Black Sea dunes (24 Chasa, Trud, Sega) -- A member of the Bulgarian Navy, Leading Seaman Zheko Dobrev, has died at the age of 36 during the Shabla live-fire exercise at the Black Sea coast, the Defence Ministry said (Trud, Monitor, 24 Chasa) -- Bulgarias Appellate Special Criminal Court uphold an order by a court of first instance to allow a 16-year-old Plovdiv school pupil accused of planning a terrorist attack to remain in the custody of his family and to continue attending school (Sega, Duma, 24 Chasa, Monitor) American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2022. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2022 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. BNP Paribas SA provides a range of banking and financial services in France and internationally. It operates through two divisions, Retail Banking and Services, and Corporate and Institutional Banking. The company offers long-term corporate vehicle leasing, and rental and other financing solutions; and digital banking and investment services, cash management, and factoring services to corporate clients, as well as wealth management services. It also provides credit solutions for individuals under the Cetelem, Cofinoga, Findomestic, AlphaCredit, and Opel Vauxhall brands; savings and protection solutions, including insuring individuals, and their personal projects and assets; and asset management, private banking, and real estate services. In addition, the company offers global market services, including investment, hedging, financing, research, and market intellingence across asset classes; security services comprising clearing, custody, and asset and fund services, as well as corporate trust, and market and financing services; and corporate trade and treasury, debt financing, specialized financing, strategic advisory, mergers and acquisition, and equity capital market services for institutional and corporate clients. The company was formerly known as Banque Nationale de Paris and changed its name to BNP Paribas SA in May 2000. BNP Paribas SA was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Read More There is not enough analysis data for Wynnstay Properties. 4.1 Community Rank Outperform Votes Wynnstay Properties has received 115 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Wynnstay Properties has received 70 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Wynnstay Properties has received 62.16% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Wynnstay Properties and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe WSP will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe WSP will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Continental Building Products Inc (NYSE:CBPX) released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November, 12th. The construction company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.01. The construction company earned $127.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $127.16 million. Continental Building Products had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 18.84% and a net margin of 12.12%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. View Continental Building Products' earnings history. iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF's stock was trading at $39.49 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, IEUR shares have increased by 47.3% and is now trading at $58.16. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The following companies are subsidiares of Eli Lilly and: 1096401 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, ARMO BioSciences Inc, ARMO Bioscience, Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Alnara Pharmaceuticals, Alnara Pharmaceuticals Inc., Andean Technical Operations Center, Applied Molecular Evolution Inc., AurKa Pharma, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc., ChemGen, CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, CoLucid Pharmaceuticals Inc., Dermira, Devices for Vascular Intervention(DVI), Disarm Therapeutics, Dista Ilac Ticaret Ltd. Sti., Dista S.A., Dista-Produtos Quimicos & Farmaceuticos LDA, ELCO Dominicana SRL, ELCO Insurance Company Limited, ELCO Management Inc., ELCO for Trade and Marketing S.A.E., ELGO Insurance Company Limited, Elanco Animal Health Ireland Limited, Elanco Switzerland Holding Sarl, Eli Lilly (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Eli Lilly (Philippines) Incorporated, Eli Lilly (S.A.) (Proprietary) Limited, Eli Lilly (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Eli Lilly (Suisse) S.A., Eli Lilly Asia Inc., Eli Lilly Asia Pacific SSC Sdn Bhd, Eli Lilly Australia Pty. Limited, Eli Lilly B-H d.o.o., Eli Lilly Benelux S.A., Eli Lilly Bienes y Servicios S de RL de CV, Eli Lilly CR s.r.o., Eli Lilly Canada Inc., Eli Lilly Cork Limited, Eli Lilly Danmark A/S, Eli Lilly Egypt for Trading, Eli Lilly European Clinical Trial Services SA, Eli Lilly Export S.A., Eli Lilly Finance S.A., Eli Lilly Ges.m.b.H., Eli Lilly Group Limited, Eli Lilly Holdings Ltd., Eli Lilly Hrvatska d.o.o., Eli Lilly Interamerica Inc., Eli Lilly Interamerica Inc. y Compania Limitada, Eli Lilly International Corporation, Eli Lilly Ireland Holdings Limited, Eli Lilly Israel Ltd., Eli Lilly Italia S.p.A., Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Eli Lilly Kinsale Limited, Eli Lilly Nederland B.V., Eli Lilly Nigeria Ltd., Eli Lilly Norge A.S., Eli Lilly Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd., Eli Lilly Polska Sp.z.o.o. (Ltd.), Eli Lilly Regional Operations GmbH, Eli Lilly Romania SRL, Eli Lilly S.A., Eli Lilly Saudi Arabia Limited, Eli Lilly Services Inc, Eli Lilly Services India Private Limited, Eli Lilly Slovakia s.r.o., Eli Lilly Sweden AB, Eli Lilly Vostok S.A. Geneva, Eli Lilly and Company, Eli Lilly and Company (India) Pvt. Ltd., Eli Lilly and Company (Ireland) Limited, Eli Lilly and Company (N.Z.) Limited, Eli Lilly and Company (Taiwan) Inc., Eli Lilly and Company Limited, Eli Lilly de Centro America S.A., Eli Lilly do Brasil Limitada, Eli Lilly farmacevtska druzba d.o.o., Eli Lilly y Compania de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Eli Lilly y Compania de Venezuela S.A., Glycostasis Inc, Greenfield-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Heart Rhythm Technologies Inc, Hybritech, Hypnion, ICOS Corporation, ImClone GmbH, ImClone LLC, ImClone Systems Holdings Inc., ImClone Systems LLC, Imclone Systems, Irisfarma S.A., Ivy Animal Health, Kinsale Financial Services Unlimited Company, Lilly (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd, Lilly Asia Ventures Fund I L.P., Lilly Asia Ventures Fund II L.P., Lilly Asian Ventures Fund III L.P., Lilly Cayman Holdings, Lilly China Research and Development Co. Ltd., Lilly Deutschland GmbH, Lilly France S.A.S., Lilly Global Nederland Holdings B.V., Lilly Global Services Inc., Lilly Holding GmbH, Lilly Holdings B.V., Lilly Hungaria KFT, Lilly Japan Financing G.K., Lilly Korea Ltd., Lilly Nederland Finance B.V., Lilly Nederland Finance B.V. - GCC, Lilly Nederland Holding B.V., Lilly Pharma Ltd., Lilly Portugal - Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Lilly S.A., Lilly Suzhou Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Lilly Trading Co. LTD, Lilly USA LLC, Lilly Ventures Fund I LLC, Lilly del Caribe Inc., Lilly ilac ticaret limited sirketi, Lohmann Animal Health, Loxo Oncology, Lylly Centre for Clinical Pharmacology PTE. LTD., Novartis Animal Health, OY Eli Lilly Finland AB, Origin Medsystems, PT. Eli Lilly Indonesia, Pacific Biotech, Pharmaserve-Lilly S.A.C.I., Physio-Control, SGX Pharmaceuticals, SGX Pharmaceuticals Inc, Spaly Bioquimica S.A., UAB Eli Lilly Lietuva, Valquifarma S.A., and Vital Pharma Productos Farmaceuticos. Aviva plc provides various insurance, retirement, and savings products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, France, Italy, Poland, and internationally. The company offers life insurance, long-term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities, and medical expenses. In addition, the company offers personal and commercial lines insurance products; long-term insurance and savings products, primarily for individuals. Further, it provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. Additionally, the company offers asset management and protection insurance products. Aviva plc markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Exelon Corp. operates as a utility services holding company, which engages in the energy generation, power marketing, and energy delivery business. It operates through the following segments: Mid Atlantic, Midwest, New York, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and other Power Regions. The Mid-Atlantic segment represents operations in the eastern half of PJM, which includes New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, the District of Columbia and parts of Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The Midwest segment operates in the western half of PJM, which includes portions of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, and the United States footprint of MISO, excluding MISO's Southern Region, which covers all or most of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, the remaining parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio not covered by PJM, and parts of Montana, Missouri and Kentucky. The New York (NY) segment provides operations within ISONY, which covers the state of New York in its entirety. The ERCOT segment includes operations within Electric Reliability Council of Texas, covering most of the state of Texas. Read More When applying for a license to farm the crop, Illinois farmers are asked to specify whether theyre interested in growing hemp that can will be used for fiber in textiles, a variety that generates grains for for food, or a CBD-specific strain of hemp. Their selection isnt binding; in fact, farmers have the option of checking all three boxes. But its clear which form of hemp farming is the most popular. The farmers licensed to grow the crop are nearly five times more interested in growing it for CBD than they are in growing it for food or fiber purposes. 8 hours ago 3 Knocked-Down Stocks That Are Likely to Get Off the Mat in 2022 These stocks disappointed investors but still have trends on their side Theres no doubt that growth investors have not been disappointed with the market performance over the last two years. Read Article Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF's stock was trading at $46.36 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, VGK shares have increased by 47.2% and is now trading at $68.24. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. is an insurance and financial services company. The company provides life insurance, group and employee benefits, automobile and homeowners insurance and business insurance, as well as investment products, annuities, mutual funds, and college savings plans. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Lines, Personal Lines, Property & Casualty Other Operations, Group Benefits and Hartford Funds. The Commercial Lines segment provides workers compensation, property, automobile, liability and umbrella coverage under several different products, primarily throughout the U.S., within its standard commercial lines, which consists of The Hartford's small commercial and middle market lines of business. The Personal Lines segment includes automobile, homeowners and home-based business coverage to individuals across the U.S. The Property & Casualty Other Operations segment includes certain property and casualty operations, currently managed by the company, that have discontinued writing new business and substantially all of the company's asbestos and environmental exposures. The Group Benefits segment offers group life, accident and disabi Read More Like banks, credit card companies hesitate to get involved in the cannabis industry because the drug remains illegal at the federal level. That has meant most dispensaries around the country are only able to accept cash even though customers often spend more than $100 at a time. Many dispensaries have onsite ATMs, and some have systems that accept debit or ATM cards. The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. 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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. Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2022. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected]marketbeat.com | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2022 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. In January 2017, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the litigation trusts claims against all former shareholders who sold at least $50,000 worth of the company's stock during the 2007 leveraged buyout. That group includes more than 5,200 individuals who cashed out at $34 a share when the company went private. Bills for former Charlottesville Clerk of Council Paige Rices iPhone, Apple Watch and up to two iPads were paid through her last day on the payroll, according to city documents. By December, her devices were no longer on the citys wireless bill, but prosecutors allege that she kept the iPhone X and Apple Watch after her last day on Oct. 5. City police announced Thursday evening that Rice, 37, of Albemarle County, was indicted June 7 on a felony embezzlement charge. The indictment says Rice feloniously, wrongfully, and fraudulently use[d], conceal[ed] or convert[ed] an Apple Watch and Apple iPhone X valued at more than $500. The charge could carry up to 20 years in prison, according to the documents. Human Services Director Galloway Beck didnt comment specifically on Rices case, but he said that if an employee is provided with any sort of equipment, it is city property. He said the equipment should be turned in when the employee leaves. The 2-1 opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit means the government will continue to be prevented from standing in the way of migrant teens who seek to end their pregnancies. The American Civil Liberties Union initially brought the case on behalf of a 17-year-old girl from Central America held in a government-funded shelter in Texas. The government's Office of Refugee Resettlement in 2017 had adopted a policy of refusing to "facilitate" abortions for teens in its custody who had crossed the border illegally. In its 81-page ruling Friday, the court noted that under the policy, the former director of the office, E. Scott Lloyd, had to review individual abortion requests and had never approved one, including when the pregnancy resulted from rape. Even when one teen obtained private funding and transportation for the abortion, the director refused to let her leave the shelter to undergo the procedure. "That is not a refusal to fund an abortion; it is a refusal to allow it," the court said in an unsigned opinion joined by Judges Sri Srinivasan and Robert Wilkins. Brigitte Amiri, the ACLU attorney who argued the case, said dozens of young women have benefitedbecause of the injunction the court upheld Friday that protects access. up. Amiri's colleagues receive one to three calls each week, she said, from teens in shelters seeking information about abortion services. "It's a tremendous relief that the government will continue to be prohibited from blocking access to critical care for unaccompanied minors," she said. A Justice Department spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. In fiscal 2018, almost 50,000 unaccompanied minors were referred to the refugee resettlement office, and each year the office has several hundred pregnant minors in its custody. The case attracted broad attention with its explosive mix of abortion and immigration policies, and because of the previous involvement of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh while he was onthe D.C. Circuit. Last March, a federal judge in Washington, issued a nationwide order that prevented the government from interfering with access to abortion services. Justice Department lawyers had asked the appeals court to reverse the order, saying the government should not have to "facilitate the termination of life through abortion." The court rejected the government's argument that the teens could always voluntarily return to their home countries to terminate their pregnancies in part because the teens would need sign off from the U.S. government. "Voluntary departure, then, is not a freely available escape hatch from a government veto on abortion. It is instead a second government veto," the majority said Friday. In addition, the court noted that the teens were unlikely to be able to obtain abortions in their home countries because most minors in custody come from Honduras, Guatemala or El Salvador. "Abortion is criminalized in all three countries," the court said. The government lawyers also asked the appeals court for leeway to consider the circumstances of each individual teen in custody instead of allowing the case to move forward as an official class or group of litigants. In his dissent, Judge Laurence H. Silberman said the class certified by the court "is much too broad; it should not include pregnant minors who do not wish an abortion." Those challenging the policy "contend that all pregnant minors - whether or not they want an abortion - are really aligned with the class representatives because the relevant constitutional right in their view is the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion," Silberman wrote. "I think that confuses a political slogan with a constitutional right." The Trump administration's policy departed from that of the Obama administration, which did not block migrants in U.S. custody from having abortions at their own expense. Now-Justice Kavanaugh was on an earlier panel of appeals court judges reviewing the case when it first reached the D.C. Circuit. The case was repeatedly cited during his nomination battle by abortion rights advocates as evidence that Kavanaugh would allow more restrictions on abortion than the justice he replaced, Anthony Kennedy. When the case initially was on appeal before the full court in October 2017, Kavanaugh's colleagues reversed his order that would have delayed a teen's access to abortion services. Judges Srinivasan and Wilkins voted with the majority to allow immediate access. Kavanaugh dissented. But those who witnessed the shooting and concocted false, exculpatory narratives in the aftermath did so coldly and deliberately. So did those police officials who assisted in portraying McDonald as the aggressor, those who allegedly tried to harass citizen witnesses into changing their stories to fit the bogus police narrative, those who may have erased surveillance video from a Burger King near the spot where McDonald was gunned down and those who saw the dashcam video in the aftermath, dubbed it a good shoot and successfully kept it out of public view for more than a year. The Tribune last month reported Uber is negotiating a 450,000-square-foot lease, which would be the largest in the Old Post Office. Uber has called it a a site of interest, but has yet to confirm plans to move there. There is also The Other Menu, which Id describe as a family-style tasting menu. Its an assortment of dishes, pulled from the regular menu, for $65 per, and its principal virtue is that parties can let the kitchen do the driving. You will have to choose your hummus and three of the five mezze, but after that, food just starts arriving and you start enjoying. Going this route will probably save you a couple-three bucks, but thats not the point. Back in 2015 I moved to Bangkok, Thailand. My goal was to focus on my music, be isolated and have no distractions. I lived there with no wi-fi, didnt talk to people and completely concentrated on my music and finding my sound. What I didnt expect was one day I fell in love. I met a Colombian girl in Laos when I was traveling. We started traveling together and lived in Bangkok. She traveled to Indonesia for a month, I stayed and got jealous. Then I wrote Nevermind like what if I left and it made no sense. After two years we broke up. Thats why I wrote Never Go Back. I was very depressed. It took me six or eight months to heal and finish the EP. Every song is a stage I experienced after the break up. I played her the EP recently, her favorite song was Aura. Not until the works Epilogue did the bass trombone take command of the proceedings. But this section was so radically different from everything that had come before as to suggest a jarring disconnect. So far as musical material was concerned, Stephensons writing fell somewhere between Howard Hansons Symphony No. 2, Romantic, and John Williams more overripe movie scores. You could admire the Technicolor character of this writing while wishing it showed more originality. The NA Secretary General will announce contents of the resolution in regulated time. The NA discussed in plenary session the draft Law on Migration and Immigration by Vietnamese citizens under the direction of NA Vice Chairman Do Ba Ty. Twenty-one lawmakers gave their opinions on the draft law. At the session (Photo: VNA) A majority of legislators agreed with the governments report and the NA Committee on National Defence and Securitys report examining the draft law, saying that the promulgation of the law is necessary, contributing to administrative reform and improving the efficiency of State management on migration and immigration. Minister of Public Security made clear issues raised by deputies. NA Vice Chairman Do Ba Ty asked units concerned to collect deputies opinions and refine the draft law to submit to the NAs eighth session for approval. In the afternoon, deputies discussed the revised Labour Code under the direction of NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong. They gave their feedback on the expansion of extra working time frame, working time in administrative, socio-political organisations, rights and responsibilities of workers and employers, regulations on labour contracts for female workers, among others. Later, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung explained issues raised by lawmakers. NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong requested the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry to acquire public feedback and refine the bill to submit to the eighth session for adoption. On June 13th, the NA will vote to adopt the revised Law on Taxation Management and Law on Public Investment, and look into the draft amended Law on Militia and Self-Defence Forces in plenary session. In the afternoon, they are due to approve the Law on Architecture and debate draft amendments to the Law on Securities in plenary session./. Andrea Kelly and the three children she shares with the 52-year-old Grammy winner, whom she divorced more than a decade ago, joined the WE TV series this season. The premiere comes as R. Kelly faces an assortment of sex-related charges in Cook County, and a new book paints him as an unhygienic predator who has abused dozens of girls and women since at least the early 1990s. $8 per person after 8pm In case youre wondering, pan-cultural = multi-cultural. While tequila is decidedly Mexican, Bar Granada plans to showcase a variety of cultures and talent. The Dayton Salsa Project will play at Saturdays re-opening. A perfect way to introduce Bar Granadas craft tequilas and Latin Arepas Grille. The casual atmosphere, delicious food, and high energy music will have you dancing, whether in your chairs or on your feet. The band starts at 9p, the cover charge is $8 per person. In the style of beer tasting rooms, Bar Granada will not employ servers. Two large arrows hung from the ceiling instruct patrons where to order food and drinks. Youll need to pay separately for each, since they are separate businesses. The walk-up bar features a selection of superior craft tequilas, cocktails, 6 draft beer taps, wine, and soft drinks. The Latin Arepas Tropical Street Food offers arepas, empanadas, tacos, bowls, nachos, and salads. Food and drinks are ordered and paid for separately. (gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options available) The patio is lovely, and not filled with heavy equipment, in spite of looking like the Main Street bridge project has invaded it. Since its on the east side of the building, youll be able to enjoy it without sunglasses. Bar Granadas walls are currently graced with the photography of artist in residence Jen Hunter, a self-taught travel and art photographer based in Dayton along with the paintings of Glenn Scott (yes, the tattoo artist). Bar Granada offers a multi-cultural experience and will send you home with more than full bellies. A tiny bit about craft tequila: This is not the to-kill-ya that made you swear off the stuff in college. It is made from blue agave in Mexico. The pineapple like core is baked, crushed to extract the juice, then fermented and distilled. The resulting clear spirit is blanco. Tequila matured in wood becomes either reposado after two months, anejo after at least a year, and extra anejo, which is aged even longer. Theres a lot more to it than that. Ask the bar staff, theyll tell you all about it. This page may be updated if the event is repeated Past Event - Sunday, July 18, 2021 This page may be updated if the event is repeated Free Event Barnstorming Carnival 2021 Barnstorming of the 1920's and 1930's was by far one of the most important era's to the world of aviation. Pilots flew their open cockpit aircraft all over the countryside of the United States and introduced our communities to the airplane and the sky. Pilots traveled from town to town offering airplane rides and putting on airshows were called barnstormers. Once they sold enough rides in the town, they would pack up and move to the next town for more barnstorming. This is your chance to see real modern day barnstormers and there beautifully restored aircraft travel through the Ohio valley area. Our two-day event will have many activities for you and your family to enjoy: Antique biplane rides Vintage 1920 and 1930 aircraft on display with actual barnstorming pilots RC Model airplane and Helicopter demonstrations Kids activities More! See our website below for more information! Free Event World Refugee Day Celebration World Refugee Day is an annual celebration that honors the courage, strength, and determination of women, men, and children who are forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict, and violence. This is a free, family-friendly event and there will be free parking for attendees. Come by to enjoy storytelling from refugee community members, a multi-cultural fashion show, performances from refugee community groups, resource tables, and great food (of course)! The event will be held at St. John's United Church of Christ (515 E. Third St, Dayton). Post is a fan of open conversations, and she says theyre a must when it comes to cannabis consumption. When our state made it legal, she says, I asked my parents: So, are you guys a 420-friendly household? She has asked the same of Airbnb hosts, and makes a point of checking in with friends about whether bringing weed to their homes is OK. You should feel totally comfortable asking a host whether you can bring pot to their house, and whether its OK if you consume it on site. What you never want to do is to do it anyway when they have said no. She also cautions that even if friends consume cannabis, they may not want it in their homes, especially if they have children. Commercial vehicle sales dropped by 7.8 per cent to 62,551 units against 67,847 units in May last year. New Delhi: Automobile dealers' body FADA on Friday said retail sales of passenger vehicles (PV) in May declined by 1 per cent to 2,51,049 units as compared to the same period last year. According to Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), PV sales stood at 2,53,463 units in May 2018. Two-wheeler sales declined by 8.6 per cent to 14,07,361 units last month as compared with 15,40,377 units in the year-ago period. Commercial vehicle sales dropped by 7.8 per cent to 62,551 units against 67,847 units in May last year. Three-wheeler sales saw a dip of 4 per cent to 50,959 units last month from 53,108 units in the same period last year. Total sales across categories declined by 7.5 per cent to 17,71,920 units in May as against 19,14,795 units in the same month last year. Vivek Oberoi enjoyed his moment of fame when he played the role of the Indian Prime Minister in the film PM Narendra Modi. Now, the actor is set to collaborate with Ekta Kapoor for a new project. Yes, I am collaborating with Ekta for something exciting and we will be announcing it soon, confirms the actor. Vivek has been in the midst of controversies ever since his films release was deferred due to the Election Commissions guidelines and the SC verdict, but the actor is happy with what his film achieved. PM Modi may have got a windfall at the elections, but PM Narendra Modi was an average grosser. Yet Oberoi who even celebrated the success of the films says there are many takeaways. We got a lot of videos from various places Abu Dhabi, Australia, Canada and others. People gave a standing ovation at times. There was a nine-year girl who met me and said that she wanted to be an actress earlier, but after watching the film she wanted to be the Prime Minister, she says. The actor has also started shooting for the third season of his web series Inside Edge. Yes, I started shooting the day PM Narendra Modi released. It was an auspicious day as well for me and I am glad that the show is doing well because we are in the third season now. It was like going back home with Excel, Richa (Chaddha) and the team Their colleagues in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh are already slogging it out as the new Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is going about his official work at a super fast pace, but back in Telangana, it is vacation time for several bureaucrats. If Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and senior IAS officer Rajat Kumar, who was super busy with the elections, is off to Germany where he is chilling out with his family over the world famous German Apple Strudel, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar is off to Canada to see the 553-metre world famous CN Tower! Similarly, senior IPS officer B. Shivdhar Reddy is on a 50-day visit to the US, like his colleagues in the IPS fraternity K. Sreenivasa Reddy and Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat, who are also on a US tour. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary IT, was recently on a vacation with his wife Ruchi and daughter Ishika in Israel This could perhaps be the first time that so many babus are on vacation all at the same time! All of us were waiting for the Lok Sabha elections to get over. Most of us had applied for leave much in advance. There is also a reshuffle of IAS and IPS officers and we wanted to take a vacation before that. But yes, too many of us are on leave or will just return from leave at almost the same time, quips a senior IAS officer. For many of them, election time meant long and extra hours of work, with the workload clearly taking a toll on them. The last nine months were extremely challenging for me. It is important to spend quality time with the family to get back ones focus and a sense of balance, says Rajat Kumar, who is presently on a 20-day vacation in Germany along with his wife Achala Kumar to visit son Rohit Kumar, who works in Amazon in Munich. During the elections, my work stretched from 16 to 18 hours a day, he says. Mahesh Bhagwat and Anjani Kumar For Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, it is both a vacation and a family obligation. He and his wife Vasudhara Sinha, an IRS officer, are on a 15-day trip to Canada to attend their sons graduation ceremony. As Hyderabad Police Commissioner, he too remained super busy during elections both Assembly and Lok Sabha and needed a break. His sons graduation ceremony came at the right time, says an official close to Anjani Kumar. In fact, another senior IPS officer Jitender, who is holding additional charge as Commissioner of Police till Anjani returns, is said to be planning a trip once the latter is back to Hyderabad. Another IPS officer, B. Shivdhar Reddy, who was recently promoted to the rank of Additional DGP, is on a 50-day trip to the US. He too has gone on a family vacation and had applied for leave much in advance, says an official. Meanwhile, like Shivdhar, IPS officer K. Sreenivasa Reddy is also on a 45-day holiday to the US. Both plan to cover many cities in the US during their trips, adds the official. On the other hand, police officer Ravi Gupta, who was on a week-long trip to Australia, just returned from his holiday. As in the case of Anjani Kumar, Ravi Gupta and wife Anjali went to attend their sons graduation ceremony while making the most of their trip to the country. Even Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar just returned from a 10-day holiday. A senior bureaucrat says, It may be vacation time now for many of us but once we are all back, it is going to be work and work alone. Since there is a reshuffle of bureaucracy on the cards, everyone will be back to take charge of their new assignments afresh. A Thomson Reuters Foundation expose based on interviews with about 100 women in Tamil Nadus multi-billion dollar garment industry found all of them were given unlabelled drugs at work for period pains, and more than half said their health suffered. (Photo: File I Representational) Chennai: Sudha seldom thought about the pills she took to ease her period pains during 10-hour shifts as a seamstress in southern India. She could not afford to let anything interrupt her work and cut her wages so she sought medicine from a factory supervisor. They are depressing days and the pills helped, said the factory worker in Tamil Nadu, Indias southern textile hub. But by the end of her first year of work, and after months of taking painkillers without medical advice, Sudhas menstrual cycle had gone haywire aged 17 - and she was not the only one. A Thomson Reuters Foundation expose based on interviews with about 100 women in Tamil Nadus multi-billion dollar garment industry found all of them were given unlabelled drugs at work for period pains, and more than half said their health suffered. The drugs were rarely provided by medical professionals, in violation of labor laws, and the state government said it would monitor the health of garment workers in light of the findings. Many of the women said it took them years to realise the damage the medication had done as they were never warned about side effects, with health problems ranging from depression and anxiety to urinary tract infections, fibroids, and miscarriages. Pills given to the Thomson Reuters Foundation by workers had no markings to show the brand, their composition or expiry date. But two doctors who analysed the pills said they were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - similar to ibuprofen and Advil - that could help relieve menstrual cramps but were known to have possible harmful side-effects if taken frequently. Activists, academics and doctors have voiced concerns that female workers lives were being tightly controlled, from toilet breaks to periods, to keep production lines running as Indias garment sector faces ever greater demands from Western brands. Medical tests found that Sudha - who did not give her surname for fear of reprisals - had fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. A doctor said she needed to stop working and rest. But missing work and wages was not an option as she was helping her mother - a ragpicker - pay back a loan of Rs 1,50,000 ($2,168) to local moneylenders. Half my salary (Rs 6,000) would go in paying off the loan and a big amount on my trips to the doctor, Sudha said. It became a cycle I was not able to break. And even though my health became worse, I needed to keep working to pay the bills. ACTION AFOOT In response to the Thomson Reuters Foundations findings, an official from Tamil Nadu said the state would this year launch a project to monitor the health of its garment workers and collect data on how many suffered from work-related health problems. While Indias Factories Act requires medical dispensaries to be run by qualified nurses or doctors, some small factories flout the law, said Manivelan Rajamanickkam, the top official for occupational and environmental health in Tamil Nadu state. The Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), a group of trade unions, charities and companies including top brands such as H&M, Mothercare, and Gap Inc., said it had heard of pills being given to workers and was investigating. Two top manufacturers associations said their member factories did not give our medication for menstrual pains, and that drugs were not normally provided without a prescription. Sudha, now 20, said frequent gynecologist visits have wiped out her savings while it is a struggle daily to stitch up to 400 parts of clothing from collars and buttons to pockets. I have learnt to ignore my aches and pains when I go to work. I also stay away from any pills, she said, holding a faded folder full of doctors notes and medical prescriptions. My body feels weak after the last couple of years working in the factory, Sudha added. It is difficult but I manage. About 40,000 garment factories and spinning mills across Tamil Nadu employ more than 300,000 female workers, according to data from the government, but the true number could be far higher with thousands of informal workers uncounted. Mainly young village women from poor, illiterate and marginalised communities toil in these factories, working long days to produce garments destined for leading global retailers. Growing pressure from big brands on suppliers to deliver clothes ever-quicker and cheaper is fuelling exploitation from a lack of bathroom breaks to verbal abuse, labor activists said. But the fear of missing work and losing wages due to periods was a major worry for many female workers who said taking painkillers was the best way to ensure their output didnt slip. MONEY OR HEALTH? In each factory, a supervisor known as the timekeeper monitors workers hours and bathroom breaks and often manages a small medical dispensary for workers suffering aches and pains. The women who spoke to the Thomson Reuters Foundation - most of whom were aged 15 to 25 - said they were always told to swallow the pills in front of the overseer, never knowing the name of the drugs or being warned about possible side-effects. They identified the pills only by colour, size and shape. Kanaga Marimuthu took medication every month for almost a year until she noticed a white discharge followed by aches, pains and a fever - then her periods stopped. The 21-year-old was now in better health having visited a doctor, taken time to recover, and steered clear of the pills. The choice was between losing wages and popping more pills to get through the days production targets, said Marimuthu, who now takes time off work if needed during her periods. I chose my health and pray everyday that I will recover completely soon. Two manufacturers associations representing hundreds of factories said protecting workers health was a priority. We have given clear instructions to our members to be sensitive during such times (menstruation), said Selvaraju Kandaswamy, general secretary of the Southern India Mills Association (SIMA), a trade body representing 500-odd factories. Factories keep a tab on the workers health, conducting regular blood tests to check haemoglobin levels and ensure nutritious food if workers have anaemia, he added. Often the workers who join ... are already anaemic and malnourished. Raja Shanmugam, head of the Tiruppur Exporters Association, said medicine was not normally provided to workers without a doctors prescription, and that factories only stocked basic medication for fevers or headaches and a balm for muscle pains. I am not aware of any medication being given to workers for their periods and we definitely would not support such a practice, said Shanmugam, whose association counts more than 1,000 cotton knitwear manufacturers among its members. We ... cannot vouch for all factories, some of which are not our members. CLEARLY UNACCEPTABLE Officials from the Tamil Nadu state and the central government said they were not aware of pills being provided to workers. Factories should refer workers with health concerns to the nearest hospital, said Rajamanickkam, the Tamil Nadu official. Unqualified supervisors doling out medicines should not be practiced, he said, adding that medical dispensaries are legally required to be handled by a qualified nurse. But compliance, especially in smaller factories, is a problem. We will soon be doing surveillance across factories to get a real picture that will reflect the problems workers face. Peter McAllister, head of the ETI that represents about 66 companies in the garment sector - most of whom source from India - said his organisation had only recently heard of the practice. It is clearly unacceptable, McAllister said. Jeeva Balamurugan, general secretary of the all-women Tamilnadu Textile and Common Labour Union, said factory bosses knew the pills they provided could disrupt womens periods yet still handed them out freely - aiming to keep the staff at work. (Some) workers take up to three days off during their periods and that impacts production, said Balamurugan, who took pills during her periods at her old spinning mill job. One time keeper, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her job, said her role mainly involved providing painkillers to the 4,000 female workers under her watch. The pills that are consumed the most are the ones for stomach ache, but I dont know their names or their side effects, said the woman. During their periods, the medicines help them finish work, she added. I myself would never swallow the pills - and dissuade my close friends working from taking them also. At a clinic in Dindigul, doctor P Nalina Kumari said she treated many women from spinning mills and garment factories. The pills they seem to be given are basically causing a hormonal imbalance in their bodies, she said. The visible symptoms are nausea and vomiting. The invisible symptoms are erratic menstrual cycles, depression and in many cases difficulty in conceiving. STIGMA AND SHAME Selvi does not like to talk about her periods. She remembers being teased by her male supervisor when she complained of cramps after starting work at a spinning mill. From then on she kept quiet and asked for painkillers but six months later felt her insides burning and fell ill, forcing her to take 10 days off work and lose wages. Selvi decided to stop taking the drugs after her health worsened, but said she was scared the damage had been done. I was always told this happens to everyone, its normal and I shouldnt fuss, Selvi said, sitting outside her home in Dindigul district. So after a point, I stopped fussing. Social stigma and taboos around menstruation in India are exploited by factory supervisors and managers, said James Victor, head of labor rights charity Serene Secular Social Service Society. These girls have proper menstrual cycles when they are at home and things go wrong only after they join work, said Victor, whose organisation advocates for spinning mill workers. Instead of being given spare sanitary pads or allowed longer bathroom breaks, women were handed pills that stop their periods and were harassed for working slowly, according to Victor. It is an issue no one talks about or acknowledges but everyone knows about. The prevalence .... is alarming. MAXIMUM WORK Under Indian labor laws, factories must have one toilet for every 20 workers but - barring a few major export factories - most do not, auditors and factory inspectors said. There are rules but implementation is a challenge, said an independent auditor carrying out checks for global brands, requesting anonymity since he was presently conducting audits. Workers get barely five minutes a day to use the restroom and many are thwarted by long queues, found a 2016 study by charity Community Awareness Research Education Trust (CARE-T). Female workers said in many instances, dustbins were not cleared, regularly making the toilets impossible to use. The priority is always production, said Prithviraj Sinnathambi, director of CARE-T, which promotes labor rights for garment workers in factories. Manimekalai Natesan, head of womens studies at Bharatidasan University, started documenting the lives of garment workers in 2011 and said there had been little sign of improvement. The exploitative methods continue but under different names and forms, she said. In many instances, the toilets are deliberately kept dirty so that the women will refrain from using them and thereby not take restroom breaks. The idea is to extract maximum work. Sudha still works at the factory and has stopped hoping for change. I was very scared to speak up about the long hours, the period pain, the dirty bathrooms and so many other problems when I joined the factory, she said, recalling her first few days. Four years later, the salary is still the same, the work hours are the same and armed with her medicine box, the time keeper is always watching our every move. Nothing has changed. Junior doctors in Kolkata have been on strike after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. (Photo: File) New Delhi: In the light of the recent assault on doctors in Kolkata, doctors across the nation have joined nationwide protest on Friday to demand protection for doctors. The Indian Medical Association has now called for a nationwide strike protesting the attack on a doctor in Kolkata. The proposed strike is to happen on Monday, June 17. Thousands of patients in the national capital were hit after doctors at AIIMS Delhi halted service. Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) also joined the protest in support of their counterparts in Kolkata. Members of the Indian Medical Association, Trivandrum, also held protests over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Doctors from various medical institutions in Telangana joined the nationwide protest demanding justice and protection to them in the wake of the recent assault on doctors in Kolkata. Condemning the violence against doctors in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. Harsh Vardhan said he would take up the matter of doctors' security with all chief ministers and asked doctors to ensure that essential services to people are not disrupted. Dr Harsh Vardhan appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister to not make this an issue of prestige. "Mamata Banerjee gave doctors an ultimatum, as a result they got angry and went on strike. Today, I will write to Mamata Banerjeeji and will also try to speak to her on this issue," said the Health minister. Junior doctors in Kolkata have been on strike after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Read: If work not resumed in 4 hours, action will be taken: Mamata orders agitating doctors "My sister was supposed to go for eye surgery. She has a tumour in one of her eyes. We reached the hospital as per the given time but the room was locked. The staff at the hospital said that the doctors are on strike. I don't know what when this strike would end," said Mohammed Arif, a resident of Delhi. Santosh Kumar also narrated his ordeal and said due to strike they are forced to take treatment for his mother from a private hospital and being a poor he cannot afford it. "I am poor and have come from a very far place. Doctors here are on strike. My mother has a kidney problem. They told me to take her to a private hospital for the dialysis. I am poor and cannot afford it," Kumar said. Read more: 'Have forgiven them for abusing me,' says Mamata to protesting doctors Speaking to ANI, Prashant Chaudhary, President of MARD at Sion hospital, said: "The incident was clearly a targeted assault. This has now become a law and order issue. We express solidarity to the seriously injured doctors. We will abstain from providing our routine services from 8 am to 5 pm today, but at the same time we will make sure to inform the administration so that Outpatient Department treatment (OPD), Operation Theatres (OT) and wards keep running." Delhi Medical Association (DMA) and Resident Doctors Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have also called for a strike today. "Even though the security has been provided by the Maharashtra government at most medical colleges, we demanded them to increase the security cover. Our other demand is regularisation of working hours of the resident doctors," Chaudhary said. He further said that he wrote a letter to the government regarding the issue, but the stand in their reply was not "empathising". Also Read: Daughter of Kolkata mayor, a doctor, slams Mamata's handling of strike This comes nearly five days after a junior doctor at Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. WB doctors resignation (Photo: ANI) 16 doctors of the R G Kar Medical and Hospital, Kolkata submitted their resignation, stating, "In response to prevailing situation as we are unable to provide service, we would like to resign from our duty." Twenty-seven more doctors of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Darjeeling resigned over violence against doctors in West Bengal. (With inputs from agencies) Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he would take up the issue of private participation in Thiruvananthapuram airport operations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when visits Delhi for the NITI Aayog meeting on June 15. Replying to calling attention by C. Divakaran of the CPI, on Thursday, to the infrastructure major Adani Enterprises, the successful bidder, taking over the airport, he said: "the airport is not going from our hands." He claimed there was a condition while transferring 23.57 acres in 2005 for the new international terminal that if it gets corporatised, the cost of the land should be converted into equity. Moreover, in 2003, the civil aviation secretary had given a written assurance that the state would be consulted before any private participation. It was built in 1932 on 258.06 acres of land owned by the princely state of Travancore given free. The state formed a special purpose vehicle under KSIDC called Trivandrum International Airport Limited (TIAL) to take part in the bid as it got the right of first refusal. However, that was limited to 10 per cent, but the Adanis bagged the award by quoting a much higher share per passenger to the Airport Authority of India. There was an absence of a prior experience clause in the tender document. "There is suspicion on the fact that Adani Group, without any experience in airport development, won six bids," Mr Vijayan said. Dr Shashi Tharoor, the local MP, had the other day reiterated his support for private participation. "All of us who care for Thiruvananthapuram want a well-functioning international airport, whether it's run by Adani, Ambani or Karl Marx!" he tweeted. "We might protect the rights of airport workers but not surrender to ideology." Mumbai: Have you missed any news today? Here are the top national, international headlines of the day. Water crisis in Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu is reeling under acute water crisis for the past several months after Chennai's Porur Lake, which is considered one of the main sources of water, has reached its lowest level. Moreover, with the mercury soaring in the region, there seems to be no respite for perturbed locals in Chennai. Read: Water crisis deepens in TN, soaring temperatures adds to woes Doctor's soften stance: Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal softened their stand on Sunday and asserted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was free to decide the venue of the meeting with them, but stressed that it should be held in open. Read: Protesting docs say CM free to choose venue, but meeting should be in open Pakistan and terror: Pakistan has failed to complete 25 of the 27 action points given by the international terror financing watchdog FATF to check funding to terrorist groups such as LeT and JeM and frontal groups like Jamat-ud-Dawah and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation. Read: Pakistan fails to fulfil 25 of 27 action points given by terror finance watchdog India plays down China's Belt Road Initiative: India maintained its skeptical stand by not endorsing Belt and Road Initiative of China when the matter came up for discussion before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek. Read: India plays down China's Belt and Road Initiative at SCO Shiv Sena vs AIMIM: Ruckus created by the corporators of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen in Aurangabad Municipal Corporation will be dealt in a similar fashion as Pakistan was dealt by India after terror attacks, read Shiv Senas mouthpiece Saamna on Saturday. Read: Referring to Balakot strike, Sena warns AIMIM for ruckus in Aurangabad State vs Centre: Over the row of political violence and doctors' strike in West Bengal, the TMC in the meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, said, State governments should be allowed to carry out their duties without any intervention from the Centre. Read: Allow state governments to function smoothly: TMC's Derek O'Brien to Centre Bihar battles encephalitis: As deaths due to encephalitis in Muzaffarpur mounted to 93 on Sunday, people created ruckus at a government-run hospital here while Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was visiting to take stock of the situation. Read: Bihar: Encephalitis kills 93, public creates ruckus as Harsh Vardhan visits PM calls for cooperation: A day ahead of the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament in which crucial Bills are likely to be tabled, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all leaders to keep political differences aside and not to disrupt the functioning of the Parliament. Read: Keep political differences aside for smooth functioning of Parliament: PM Bengaluru: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy announced on Friday that the government intended to increase the number of English medium classes in its schools from the next academic year seeing the positive response the initiative had received from parents across the state. Mr Kumaraswamy recalled that both he and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr G Parameshwar were branded anti-Kannada by a number of pro-Kannada activists, intellectuals and others for backing English in government schools, but they went ahead as their goal was to equip children to meet the demands of the world today. Limited English medium classes with an intake of 30 each were started in government schools. And seeing parents make a beeline to admit their children to them, the government has decided to open more such classes from the next academic year, he said. Mr Kumaraswamy, who was speaking at a function to launch a 100 public schools and a 1,000 English medium classes in government schools here, insisted that improving the quality of education through English medium classes in government schools would go a long way in fulfilling the aspirations of the children, who came to them. He, however, assured that the government would not neglect Kannada medium schools either. Dr G Parameshwar, in his addresss, appealed to the people not to paint the coalition government anti-Kannada just because it had started English medium classes in its schools. We have done this to protect the mother tongue and to make children fluent in English as this will help them cope with the demands of the world outside, he said, adding that he had studied in a Kannada medium school but got his doctorate from Australia. The DyCM revealed that the government had set aside Rs 1,200 cr for modernisation of government schools in the state. COIMBATORE: He was as young as 14 when he first donated blood. In 2019, Dinesh Kumar Bhandia of Coimbatore is one of three individuals from the textile city who have donated blood more than 100 times. Todays blood donation was his 129th offer. Way back in 1982, the first time I donated blood, age was not a criteria to so. I satisfied all the medical parameters and since then on, I have always tried to ensure that I do so once in every three months. his face beams with joy as he says this. As per his calculations, of donating blood once in three months, he tells us that he should have donated blood 140 times till date. Due to health issues and some unavoidable circumstances, there were times when I was unable to donate blood. he said. On World Blood Donors Day on Friday, Dinesh tells us that besides being an active donor, himself he has motivated several individuals including the physically challenged to donate blood. In a bid to bridge the gap between the demand for blood with supply, Dinesh founded the All India Blood Donors Group in 2011. The group has a pan-India presence and has about 25,000 active blood donors as its members. Very active on Facebook, several patients from across India are beneficiaries. New Delhi/Bishkek: India and Pakistan traded veiled barbs at each other at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that responsibility should be fixed on nations that inspire, support and finance terrorism while his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan singled out state terrorism against people under illegal occupation, an oblique reference to Pakistani accusations against India on Kashmir. In his address at the SCO summit in the presence of leaders including Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Modi said, Last Sunday, during my visit to Sri Lanka, I went to St. Antonys Church. There I saw the terrible face of terrorism that can happen anywhere and take the lives of innocents. All humanitarian forces should step out of their confines and tackle this menace. Responsibility should be fixed on nations that inspire, support and finance terrorism. In order to wipe out terrorism, SCO member countries should use the full might of the SCO-RATS (regional anti-terrorist structure). In order to tackle terrorism, India calls for the convening of an international conference to discuss measures to tackle terrorism, said Modi. Apart from the issue of terrorism, Mr Modi, in his address, also spoke about connectivity projects in which New Delhi is participating in, such as the development of Chabahar port in Iran. Coining an acronym for Health as various aspects of cooperation within the SCO, Modi said H stood for healthcare cooperation, E for economic cooperation, A for alternative energy, L for literature and culture, T for a terrorism-free society and H for humanitarian cooperation. In his address Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said, Growing intolerance and Islamophobia are threatening to accentuate fault-lines between religions. For its part, Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism against people under illegal occupation. We are among thefew countries to have successfully turned the tide against terrorism at a heavy cost both to our soldiers and population. I think it was upsetting to see kind of the emotions and just going through the discussions because people were so nervous about what was going to happen to this program, Lee said. Its going to be really tough to figure out, what is best? What is the best outcome for this? I think that answer is really difficult. New Delhi: Patients suffered as health services in both government and private hospitals were affected across the country on Friday as doctors went on strike against the recent assault on doctors in West Bengal. As the protests by doctors intensified, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this sensitive matter a prestige issue and asked her to ensure an amicable end to the stir which started in her state and spread to other areas. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), an apex body of doctors, called for a strike on Monday while urging Union home minister Amit Shah to enact a Central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals. In a letter to Ms Banerjee, Dr Vardhan urged her to ensure an amicable end to the protests and provide a secure working environment for doctors. He appealed to the agitating doctors, particularly in West Bengal, to hold symbolic protests and resume work so that patients do not suffer. The Union health minister said, Doctors should resort to other simple and symbolic ways of protest. As medical professionals, their duty is towards protecting the rights of patients. Strike is certainly not the best way to protest. Patients should not be deprived of immediate and emergency healthcare facilities. Junior doctors have been on strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by the relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College. Referring to Bengal doctors asking Ms Banerjee to provide them security and take action against the perpetrators of the violence, Dr Vardhan said, Instead of doing that, she warned them and gave an ultimatum which angered doctors across the country and they proceeded on strike. The IMA launched a three-day nationwide protest from Friday to express solidarity with the doctors and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. The association renewed its demand for a Central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals said it should have a provision for a minimum of seven-year imprisonment to violators. The Union health minister assured doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety and urged them to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. Healthcare facilities were affected at several government and private hospitals across the country as doctors held demonstrations by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. A delegation of Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, United Resident and Doctors Association of India (URDA) and Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), also met Dr Vardhan and gave a representation to him on the violence against doctors in West Bengal. The Union health minister assured the delegation that he will discuss the matter of providing safety to hospitals with the home ministry and also take up the issue with chief ministers and health ministers of states. Doctors in the national capital demanded recruitment of both "armed and unarmed trained competent security guards" at all government health facilities and increasing the number of security staff at hostels. The delegation also sought making CCTV vigilance in every hospital mandatory and implementation of a hotline alarm system. Dr Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. AIIMS doctors took out a march on the campus with many wearing bandages on their foreheads while some worked wearing helmets. Resident doctors of the Safdarjung Hospital also took out protests on their campus. Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike. In Hyderabad and other places in Telangana, junior doctors staged protests against the assault at major state-run hospitals, including Gandhi hospital and Osamania General hospital in the city, said P.S. Vijayender, a leader of the junior doctors association, in Telangana. Similar protests were reported from Jaipur, Raipur, Chandigarh and Coimbatore. Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will hold a Cabinet meeting at 2 pm on June 18 at Pragathi Bhavan. On June 19 he will preside over the TRS state executive meeting at TRS Bhavan. Sources in the party said Mr Rao will leave for Vijayawada on June 17 to invite AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for the inauguration of the Kaleshwaram project. It is expected that he will also attend the spiritual event being planned by Visakhapatnam-based Sharada Peetham seer Swami Swaroopanandendra Saraswati at Vijayawada on June 17. On Friday, Mr Rao flew to Mumbai and met Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who is from Telangana state, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and extended a personal invitation to them to attend the inauguration of the Kaleshwaram project scheduled on June 21. Clearance from Maharashtra was vital for the project. Mr Rao went to Mr Fadnavis residence in Mumbai and explain the salient features of the project. Mr Rao returned to Hyderabad on Friday evening and is said to have been decided not to attend the Niti Aayog meet to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday as he would be pre-occupied. Besides, Mr Rao is paying personal attention to ensure the arrangement for the inaugural of his pet scheme go off flawlessly. COIMBATORE: The NIA has summoned four more people to appear for an enquiry in connection with the Sri Lankan blast. According to a source, NIA officials, based on a tip off, started serial investigations, raided a few houses in Coimbatore and confiscated 29 mobile phone sim cards, 300 bullets used for air-guns, six memory cards and ten pen drives along with vital information and pamphlets propagating the ideologies of ISIS. Three youths were recently arrested by Podanur police under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and are being investigated. The prime alleged offender Mohamed Azarudheen is involved in recruiting youths for ISIS from Tamil Nadu and Kerala and conspired for a massive explosion along with an ISIS terrorist identified as Riyas Abubaker from Kasaragod in Kerala. Azarudheen was remanded by the NIA special court at Kochi. Meanwhile, NIA officials have summoned Feroz Khan, Mubheen and Janafar Ali from Coimbatore, asking them to appear before the NIA office at Kochin on Friday for an enquiry, suspecting them to have connections with the banned terrorist movement Islamic state of Iraq and Syria. Umar Farooq was asked to appear before the NIA at its Race course office in Coimbatore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov at the end of a joint press conference in Bishkek on Friday. (AFP) New Delhi/Bishkek: India and Pakistan traded veiled barbs at each other at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that responsibility should be fixed on nations that inspire, support and finance terrorism while his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan singled out state terrorism against people under illegal occupation, an oblique reference to Pakistani accusations against India on Kashmir. In his address, the Pakistan Prime Minister also appeared keen on talks, saying that peace and prosperity in south Asia will remain elusive until the main dynamic in south Asia is shifted from confrontation to cooperation. It may be recalled that Indias stand has been that it will not hold bilateral talks with Pakistan till Islamabad stops supporting cross-border terrorism. The Bishkek Declaration issued after the summit condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and called on the international community to promote cooperation in combating the menace without politicisation and double standards. The SCO member-nations discussed the menace of terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and global economic issues. India was the only SCO member-nation to not endorse the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the declaration. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is an eight-member Central Asian Grouping that comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. India and Pakistan became SCO members in 2017. New Delhi has refused to join the BRI since the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is one of its flagship projects. Reddy, just before swearing in as chief minister, had met both Modi and Shah on the special category status issue. He had said his party could only request the BJP-led central government and not demand or command. (Photo: ANI) New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and requested him to "soften PM's heart" on the issue of granting special category status to the Rs 2.58 lakh crore debt-ridden state. Reddy also said he would raise the demand in the first meeting of the governing council of the NITI Aayog, to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saturday. "I met Home Minister to try and prevail upon him and also soften PM's heart on special category status...," Reddy told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Shah. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief also urged the Centre to fulfil all commitments made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Reddy, just before swearing in as chief minister, had met both Modi and Shah on the special category status issue. He had said his party could only request the BJP-led central government and not "demand or command". "Today, we might not get it (special category status). We have to be at somebody's mercy but I will remind him (Modi) again and again and someday things will change," Reddy had told the media after his first meeting with Modi. Asked if the post of deputy speaker in Lok Sabha was offered to YSRCP, Reddy said, "Please don't speculate on all these things. First of all, there is no offer... We have not asked and we have not spoken. And neither any such proposal has come from any quarter. As of now, there is no conversation or talk on that." YSRCP won 22 parliamentary seats in the 17th Lok Sabha elections and also swept the assembly polls. The party's parliamentary board meeting is likely to be held on Saturday. After the arrest, he was produced before a Delhi court on Thursday seeking a transit remand for interrogation and investigation into the case. (Photo: ANI) Agartala: The Tripura Police has arrested a man from Delhi for allegedly posting "fake news" on Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb's personal life, a senior police officer said. Based on specific inputs, Anupam Paul, who had been on the run since April 26, was arrested by the crime branch of Tripura Police on Wednesday. After the arrest, he was produced before a Delhi court on Thursday seeking a transit remand for interrogation and investigation into the case. And, the plea was granted by the court. "He will be taken back to Tripura for interrogation as the court has already granted his transit remand," the police officer said on Friday. The police registered an FIR against Paul for forgery, cheating and conspiracy after the April 25 Facebook post went viral on social media. Earlier, the Tripura Police had arrested a journalist, Saikat Talapatra, in connection with a similar post on Facebook. He is now out on bail, the police officer said. Recently, six people, including journalists, were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for posting or sharing alleged objectionable remarks on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. TDP MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary on Thursday hit out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy for launching an attack on the leaders of Opposition during his speech in the Legislative Assembly. (Photo: File) Amaravati: TDP MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary on Thursday hit out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy for launching an attack on the leaders of Opposition during his speech in the Legislative Assembly. While delivering a congratulatory speech on the election of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker on Thursday, Jagan Mohan Reddy criticised the previous N Chandrababu Naidu-led government. He pointed out that TDP had poached 23 YSRC MLAs during Naidu's regime. Speaking to ANI, TDP leader Chowdary said: "The Chief Minister started attacking the opposition party during his speech in the house today." Chowdary said, "Opposition leaders were not properly called on when Speaker was being escorted to the chair. The leader of the Opposition Chandrababu Naidu was not called as well. This shows the vindictive nature of the YRSCP government." "In the last assembly in 2014-19 the Opposition leaders were called," he added. Senior YSRC leader Ummareddy Venkateswarlu took the attack to Opposition by saying, "While congratulating the newly elected speaker Tammineni Sitaram today in the house, several leaders violated the conduct of the house." "To enhance the decency and decorum of the house, to protect the spirit of the constitution and also to set the right example to enhance the prestige of Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly is the duties of the legislators," he added. Venkateshwarlu slammed previous government led by Naidu for defection activities, "In the assembly of 2014-2019, several violations of the constitution have taken place but no one talked about it, particularly the encouragement of the defection from one party to another. Though the anti-defection bill was in force never it was given proper respect. The institution of the speaker was degraded while making four defected leaders as ministers in the TDP government." Defending Reddy's criticism of Opposition today at the legislative assembly, Venkateshwarlu said, "An attempt was made today through our leaders to make sure that such incidence does not take place again in the Andhra Legislative assembly." In Beijing, this is likely to be appreciated more acutely after the sharpening of Chinas trade tensions with the United States since last year. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) The 20-minute bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinas President Xi Jinping on Thursday at Bishkek, Kyrghizstan, where both leaders were attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, appears to have been extremely satisfying for both sides. Briefing the media, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said the meeting was warm and cordial. That is saying a lot as India-China relations, while having considerable scope for mutual cooperation bilaterally and internationally, are also spooked by geopolitics and the festering boundary issue, which the two leaders touched on in passing, instructing their special representatives (in Indias case, it is NSA Ajit Doval) grappling with the sensitive question to be constructive bearing in mind the larger context of the push for enhancement of ties in future. Where this leads remains to be seen, although the record is not encouraging on this count. Nevertheless, both countries are leading powers in the global community, with Chinas military and economic power having risen manifold in the past two decades, possibly bringing it to the status of a quasi-superpower. However, the rise of this major world power has not been peaceful or uneventful, as the Doklam standoff showed. For its part, India still doesnt endorse Mr Xis favourite international Belt and Road Initiative project as China has gone ahead with it, disregarding Indias claims in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. But the two can share a commonality of ties. In Beijing, this is likely to be appreciated more acutely after the sharpening of Chinas trade tensions with the United States since last year. President Xi has taken steps of late to allow more Indian agricultural and semi-agricultural exports to China, to which Mr Modi drew favourable attention during their interaction. Apparently, the Indian leader takes it as an extremely good augury that six weeks earlier Mr Xis China dropped its objection at the UN to the listing of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. In light of this, Mr Modi spoke of the benefits of improvement in strategic communications between the two countries. He also made a very positive reference in this context to the start of operations in India by the Bank of China. In light of the Azhar issue, the PM informed President Xi that Indias relations with Pakistan with which China has a tight embrace have been derailed due to terrorism. Again, it remains to be seen how effective the raising of the terrorism issue with China is going to be. Mr Modi and Mr Xi had met for an informal summit at Wuhan, China, in 2018 and India is likely to host the Chinese leader in the same format later this year. With strategic communications having improved, as Mr Modi believes, the proposed informal summit is likely to give us a better idea of the pace of acceleration of the positive side of India-China ties. Since the pathetic performance of the party, the Gandhi clan has been sulking, seething and hunting for scapegoats. (Photo: AP) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi blaming workers for the disastrous performance of her party in the Lok Sabha polls reminds one of Rabindranath Tagore's narrative poem Puraton Bhritto or Old servant, particularly the line ja kihcu harai, ginni bolen keshta baitai chor (Anything that goes missing, the mistress says it must be Keshta). We will seek out the shirkers, we will find out workers who did not give their best, Priyanka Gandhi huffed and puffed at Rae Bareli on Wednesday. She gave credit to her mother Sonia Gandhi for winning Rae Bareli and not workers. Since the pathetic performance of the party, the Gandhi clan has been sulking, seething and hunting for scapegoats. They feel that the king can do no wrong. The dynasty is blaming everyone but themselves. Initially, there were reports that at the working committee meet, the Gandhis had blamed senior leaders for not doing enough. On Wednesday, it was the turn of the party workers to bear the brunt. Incidentally, it was Priyanka Gandhi who was in-charge of Uttar Pradesh. Replying to a question on why and how Priyanka Gandhi failed to have the desired impact, state unit chief Raj Babbar set the tone. She did her job. But the workers, local leaders, candidates, and the organisation failed to rise to the occasion, Raj Babbar told PTI. While eyebrows were being raised at Priyanka Gandhi's scathing attack on workers, the fact remains that the Congress is an organisation built on projection, dynastic rule and is not a cadre-based outfit. Besides Congress, other regional outfits follow the dynastic and projection trend. Only outfits which are cadre-based in this country are either Left or Right. This election might have been all about Narendra Modi but its the strength of party workers which helped the party cross the 300 mark. Priyanka Gandhi and her coterie are on a denial mode. They are refusing to accept that it is the leadership that impacts voters. The workers like the soldier ants are but a strong support system. If the queen bee fails to deliver, the soldier bees die. The hive collapses. Its time Congress accepts the truth that it lacks leadership to counter the magic or the might of Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi becoming the first Gandhi to lose Amethi shows the failure of the leadership. Congress failure to strike right alliances in states, particularly in Uttar Pradesh is a reflection on the leadership, not the workers. As for shirking, Priyanka Gandhi really needs to take a hard look at her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Since the rout, Rahul Gandhi is stung by the Hamletian dilemma. Some say he's behaving like Britain's Edward Heath (Prime Minister from 1970-74) who went into a shell after being trounced by Margaret Thatcher. He apparently felt betrayed and showed his feelings by sporting a permanent sour face in Parliament. As the chasm, Congress is staring into gets bigger by the day, Rahul Gandhi continues to sulk. Rahul Gandhi is behaving like that angry, pampered brat, who locks himself up after losing a game. After the great defeat, instead of stepping out to galvanise the party, he again went into a shell. He has expressed his desire to step down but has not yet stepped down. As Rahul's drama continues, Congress adhering to the usual tried and tested script pleads him to come back. Rahul Gandhi was, is and will be our leader, Randeep Singh Surjewala, party's chief spokesperson, has been going on and on. While the big brother is missing in action, the sister takes it out on the workers. As Congress drifts like a rudderless ship, the BJP continues to move on like a well-oiled machine following its mantra of Charaiveti, Charaiveti (keep walking). With the crucial Assembly elections approaching, BJP has already launched a massive membership drive. Refusing to be complacent even after bagging 303 Lok Sabha seats, party president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah told workers to strive harder as the BJP has still not peaked. In sharp contrast, Congress is ridden with infighting and factionalism across the country. In Maharashtra, the party is on the verge of a split, in Telengana leaders are in a rush to switch allegiance. Congress is all set to implode in Punjab. There's an open war between chief minister Ashok Ghelot and his deputy Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan. Governments are shaky in both Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. This perhaps is the time for the party to consolidate with or without Rahul Gandhi. To consolidate and strengthen the organisation at the grass root level, the Congress highcommand needs to pull up leaders, not the foot soldiers. Clearly, the Congress strategists failed to counter the narrative built by Modi and Shah-led BJP. To be fair, Rahul Gandhi made all the right noises -- talking about unemployment, Rafael, economic slowdown, but somehow the party strategists failed miserably in the propaganda section. Priyanka Gandhi, who seems to be the only visible Gandhi at the moment, had come to the party late. She and her party had sent out a confusing signal about her contesting against Modi from Varanasi. In its zeal to protect the family, the clan lacked the courage to take up the challenge. Rahuls contesting from the second seat in Wayanad perhaps sent a wrong signal to the electorates at Amethi. Congress needs to accept the fact that the Gandhis and the entire leadership failed to deliver. Instead of blaming the workers, Congress needs to take a hard look at itself and decide the road ahead. At this juncture, the Gandhis seem to be helping the BJP achieve its slogan for a Congress mukt Bharat. Gwaliors Sufi mystic, musician and an epoch-making philosopher Muhammad Ghaus Gwaliyari left behind an indelible legacy of syncretic Indian culture in his literature. His spiritual insights guided the lives and thoughts of Indian Muslims over a thousand years and are glaring evidence of how Sufi mystics engaged with Indias cultural practices, not only with their participation in art, culture and literature, but also through the experience of various forms of yoga. A lot of Indian Sufi practices based on self-awareness can be considered yogic in nature, although yoga is defined differently from myriad perspectives. The 16th century Sufi saint Ghaus Gwaliyari was the earliest Indian proponent of Silisila Shattariyya the 15th century Persian Sufi order founded by Sirajuddin Abdullah Shattar. Etymologically, shattar, an Arabic-origin Persian word meaning lightning denotes a code of spiritual practices that lead to a state of completion. No wonder then, the Sufi order of Shattariyya originated in Persia but was codified and completed in India, the land of thousands of mystics. Besides a Shattari Sufi pioneer, Ghaus Gwaliyari was one of the first translators of yoga texts to Persian in the 16th century. Before Gwaliyari, Shaikh Abdul Quddus Gangohi (14561537), who ranks as an eminent Sufi poet from the Sabiri order, was familiar with yoga texts and traditions in India like the yoga of the Naths a Shaivism-related yogic practice which emerged around the 13th century. Like the Hatha Yoga, the practice of Nath is particularly used to transform ones body into a state of awakened self-identity with absolute reality (Sahaja Siddha). Through the lineage of the Nath yogis, the science of Kundalini Kriya Yoga has been preserved in India through the corridors of time. Sufi philosophers like Gangohi and Gwaliyari endeavoured to uphold the age-old Indian legacy of yoga, though it drew controversy from a few fundamentalist clergymen who considered yoga to be incompatible with their puritanical religious moorings. On account of such syncretic ideas and practices, Gwaliyari was vehemently opposed by the orthodox ulema. But he did not give up and carried on with his hard work of translations of yoga texts into Persian, which were later rendered into Arabic, Turkish and Urdu. One of the most notable translations of yogic texts rendered by Gwaliyari is Bahr al-Hayat or The Ocean of Life a Persian translation and explanation of Amrtakunda one of the key Sanskrit texts on yoga. This remarkable Persian translation was rendered in the city of Broach in Gujarat in 1550 and was basically aimed at explaining the Hawd al-Hayat (The Pool of Life), which is the first Arabic translation of Amrtakunda. It occupied a paramount significance in the oral traditions and teachings of the Shattari Sufis in India to the extent that it became a textbook for many of Gwaliyaris followers. Another work by Gwaliyari which highlights close resemblances between the Shattari Sufi practices and yogic exercises is Jawahir-e-Khamsa (The Five Jewels), which was later translated to Arabic by a Mecca-based Shattari teacher, Sibghat Allah. In this treatise, Gwaliyari dwelled upon his mystical experience of ascension which enabled him to hold conversations even with the Divine. Johnson was diagnosed during a doctors visit undertaken as part of the application process to become a police officer. He told reporters earlier in 2017 that he was on a waiting list for a kidney after nearly fainting at a news conference. They say the elephant never forgets And counts the children he begets The females can recall the pain And yet give birth again and again Nature trumps the memory Remembering is secondary When instinct overtakes the beast Copulation is natures feast From Terry Marco Polo by Bachchoo Posing as a champion of the truth you tell the biggest lie. As the defender of democracy, you gaily spit in its eye. The British media estimates that about 160,000 members of the Tory Party will vote in the leadership elections to take place in a week. The majority of these will choose one of the two candidates offered to them by Tory MPs and crown him or her leader and therefore the new Prime Minister of the UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has a population of 66 million people. 613 Tory MPs will, through a process of elimination of the 11 MPs standing, choose two candidates and then the approximately 160,000 members will choose the PM who will be responsible for implementing the will of the people to leave the European Union. This will was expressed in a 2016 referendum by a vote of 51.9 versus 48.1 who voted to remain. A quick mental calculation tells me that the number who will choose a Prime Minister to rule a country of 66 million is 0.0024242 of the population (Okay, that was a lie I mean I used a calculator!). And this will be done with trumpet blasts by the Tories in the name of democracy. The present farce of Britains politics means the dem in that word, which stems from the Greek demos the people should read hyp which stems from the Greek hypocrisis meaning to play a part. The entire fiasco, over the last three years of this democratic decision of the British voting population to leave the European Union, brings the D-word into severe disrepute. Thats the serious aspect of the fiasco but theres another. I for one, gentle reader, have stopped watching situation comedy on British TV in these last few months. For laughs, I turn on the news and current affairs programmes which feature the much more amusing shenanigans of Brexit, of parliamentary bickering over it, of the hypocrisy of the resigned Prime Minister Theresa May and of the twists and turns of the now 11 Tory MPs who aspire to be voted leader and walk into 10 Downing Street without a nod to the democracy in whose name they are standing for the leadership. The farce went explosive this week when each of the candidates had through revelations threatened in the media to admit that at some point in their previous lives, they had indulged in illegal drug-taking. Michael Gove, a previous education minister who introduced a law which stipulated that if a schoolteacher was caught snorting cocaine, he or she would be dismissed from the profession for life, was himself exposed as a cocaine user. Mr Gove said he regretted his mistake in snorting the exhilarating Charlie when he was a journalist, before he was a minister, but the press wouldnt let it go. One of his colleagues said hed still vote for him to be Prime Minister because very many MPs snort cocaine! In the wake of the exposure of Mr Goves indulgence, if not habit, Rory Stewart, another candidate for the prime ministership and an ex-soldier stationed in Iraq, admitted that he had smoked opium while on duty there. Then the current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, another candidate for the leadership, admitted to the press that he had smoked cannabis but regretted it now. Mr Goves colleague, who said the drug-taking may interest the media items but would not affect the way MPs will vote, is probably right. Drugs and the illegal trade in them claim the lives of hundreds of young, mostly black, gang members who shoot and knife each other in the UKs cities in gang-rivalries over drug territories. MPs live in the customer sphere of this underground industry. Safe, and safely hypocritical. Democracy was defined as government of the people, for the people, by the people. Churchill went on to say that its the least-worst system weve evolved. The Brexit referendum has raised important questions. Does democracy work if voters are led to believe that when theres no bread there will be cake? Does it work when the instruments of dissemination of news and opinion are mostly in the hands of those who will profit by one verdict? Is a referendum result final and forever or can it be reversed or reaffirmed after years when hundreds of facts, figures and consequences come to light which inevitably change minds? Britain has a fixed-term Parliament, so if the country voted for one party to rule, it could in five years vote that party out. This aint China! Brexitwallas played on the xenophobia of sections of the British public. Take back control of our democracy was their slogan, and to the majority of supporters, it meant keep the foreigners out. And now these champions of democracy allow a Prime Minister to be installed through the votes of 0.0024242 per cent of the population. Oh yes! The people have spoken. All 0.0024242 per cent of them! The final irony (or perhaps not) is that in the name of defending the right of the British Parliament to pass all of Britains laws, the Brexiteers voted this week to suspend the operation of Parliament so that the new Prime Minister can push through a no-deal Brexit without getting it passed through Parliament. The very perpetrators of the leave campaign whose main platform was take back control meaning let the Westminster Parliament be supreme have now passed into law a means by which that Parliament can be prorogued and the Prime Minister can dictatorially take the UK out of the EU on the worst terms for its economy, future and place in the world. O tempora, O mores! Youve got to laugh. After news broke that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will come with less than ideal specifications namely with the display and the headphone jack there is some great news coming its way and this is going to please Samsung fans the world over. Popular Samsung tipster @IceUniverse has taken to Twitter and dropped a bombshell. He has posted an image what he refers to as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10s screen protector and the interesting takeaway here is that it comes with a display that has no notch or punch-hole cut out for the front-facing camera. As per the ever vigilant @IceUniverse, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 features extremely slim bezels around the display along with curved edges. The screen protector lacks a cut-out for the centrally located punch-hole camera which ought to be centrally located as per leaked images. The Samsung insider claims that the screen lacks this cut-out as the size of the punch-hole is not yet know. A related report by BGR states, Even still, the leak shows accessory makers are already preparing their new products for the Note 10, and that were indeed looking at a redesign compared to last years Note 9. Its also going to be a design thats different from the S10 phones. The Galaxy Note 10 is expected to feature a centrally-located single-lens selfie camera in an Infinity-O display and it will come with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Reports suggest that the handset will come with an Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner thats similar to the Galaxy S10 line-up. We hope that it works a lot faster than the S10s version as it was painfully slow. The rear of the device will come with a quad-camera setup thats vertically aligned and placed at the top-left of the Note 10.Also, there will be a Time of Flight sensor next to the main camera setup. While the Galaxy Note 10 will feature some major upgrades, it is also rumoured to come without a headphone jack; making it the first flagship from the brand not to come with one. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. This hashtag was picked up by a large number of people and influencers and is gaining momentum. (Photo: Twitter I Ola_Mahdi132) Mumbai: It's hard to ignore the recent trend which can be seen on social media with regards to the protests in Sudan. Netizens are changing their profile pictures to blue with hashtag #BlueforSudan. This movement was mainly started in honour of one of the victims, Mohamed Mattar. According to Al Jazeera, Matar was an engineer and his favourite colour was reportedly blue. A crackdown occurred on June 3 on protestors by Rapid Support Forces(RSF) which is led by Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council during which Matar was allegedly shot. #BlueForSudan Meanings of blue color: The Nile Our sky Voice of freedome The souls of our martyrs pic.twitter.com/3yf0Q8DlsE . (@2uvb_) June 13, 2019 Matar was reportedly trying to protect two women during bloody dispersal of the protest camp when he was shot outside the military headquarters. Shahd Khidir, beauty influencer and Matar's friend, reportedly said that Matar's relatives first changed their profile pictures to blue to match his. "Eventually other people began to join," she said. Now it represents all of the Sudanese people who have fallen during the uprising. For my country, for my people, for the fallen, for the martyrs, for the injured, for the raped, for the missing, for Darfur, for the north, east, west, and south #blueforsudan pic.twitter.com/iXDUTIsKsZ Ola Mahdi (@ola_mahdi132) June 13, 2019 Sudanese people had been protesting for months to overthrow ruler Omar al-Bashir to give way for a civilian government. But despite Bashir's removal on April 11, protestors kept pressing hard for a civilian rule, until the crackdown. The military rulers have cut down people's internet access leaving people detached from the outside world. With no internet, the Sudanese are being cut off unable to communicate with the rest of the world. This comes in as a challenge for them. One more hashtag which trended was #IAmTheSudanRevloution. It was endorsed by the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the group which has lead the protests. This hashtag was picked up by a large number of people and influencers and is gaining momentum. This revolution is allowing the people of Sudan to control their narrative by answering them questions. #BlueforSudan has brought hope among the people of the Sudanese community. The Supreme Federal Court (STF), which voted eight to three in favor of the measure, classified homophobia as a crime similar to racism. (Photo: AFP) Brazil: Brazil's Supreme Court voted Thursday to criminalize homophobia, an important step for sexual minorities in one of the most dangerous countries for LGBT people in the world. The Supreme Federal Court (STF), which voted eight to three in favor of the measure, classified homophobia as a crime similar to racism, until Congress -- which is held by a conservative majority and is strongly influenced by evangelical churches -- passes a law specifically addressing such discrimination. Brazil now joins a growing number of countries in the typically conservative and Catholic-influenced Latin American region that have passed measures in favor of LGBT rights. "All prejudice is violence. All discrimination is a cause of suffering," said judge Carmen Luzia while voting in favor of the measure. "But I learned that some prejudices cause more suffering than others." According to the NGO Grupo Gay de Bahia, which has collected national statistics for the past four decades, there were 387 murders and 58 suicides over "homotransphobia" in 2017, a 30 percent increase from 2016. This works out to one LGBT death by suicide or murder every 19 hours in Brazil. The country's highest court considered it neglect of legislative power not to have outlawed such discrimination until now. But the three judges that voted against the measure insisted that criminalizing homophobia was Congress' job, not the court's. "Only Congress can approve (the definition of) crimes and penalties; only Congress can pass laws on criminal conduct," said judge Ricardo Lewandowski. Acts of racism, and now acts of "homotransphobia," in Brazil face one to three years in prison or a fine. The STF's decision has caused tension within Congress, with some legislators feeling stripped of their powers. With a large group defending their interest in Congress, the Pentecostal churches -- whose following has grown exponentially in Brazil, the country with the most Catholics in the world -- are expected to try to slow down initiatives such as that passed by the STF. Criminalizing homophobia could restrict church leaders, many of whom fear being penalized for rejecting same-sex unions by invoking religious texts. But in the STF's verdict, the court explicitly stated that criminalizing "homotransphobia" will not restrict religious freedom, so long as the churches do not promote "hate speech" that incites discrimination, hostility or violence against people due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Thursday's decision is the latest in a wave of pro-LGBT rights decisions in Latin America. Brazil had already legalized same-sex marriage, along with Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay. They were joined most recently by Ecuador, whose highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling for the country. That would be Charles, Prince of Wales, whom Trump had met last week at World War II commemorations in Britain. (Photo: File) Washington: There he blows again. US President Donald Trump's erratic spelling habits on Twitter spouted again on Thursday when he wrote about having recently met with the Prince of Whales. That would be Charles, Prince of Wales, whom he met last week at World War II commemorations in Britain. The error prompted a wave of hilarity online, with one Twitter critic asking if the president had made the mistake on porpoise. Trump, who is an enthusiastic user of social media and has some 61 million Twitter followers, quickly corrected the original tweet. But his new version did not change another inaccurate reference, this time to the Queen of England. Elizabeth II, who hosted Trump at a state dinner in London, is actually queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of which England is only one part. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue. (Photo: File) Bishkek: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue, which, he said, is the only way to sort out differences, amid spiralling tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Khan, who is in Bishkek for the two-day SCO Summit, told Sputnik in an interview on Thursday that there is no way the two countries should think of resolving issues through military means, reported Radio Pakistan. He reiterated that both New Delhi and Islamabad should come to the negotiating table to resolve the Kashmir issue. Responding to a question on whether Pakistan is seeking international mediation in improving bilateral ties with India, Khan said that Islamabad is looking for mediation as it believes that "progress comes with peace and tensions with neighbours detract from resources that can be spent on human beings." Khan's comments come at a time when he and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi avoided shaking hands at an informal dinner hosted by Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov for the SCO leaders here. According to sources, Khan and Modi did not exchange pleasantries during the dinner hosted on the sidelines of the two-day summit. While Khan is attending the SCO summit for the first time after assuming office last year, this is Modi's first visit to a multilateral forum after being re-elected for a second term. Tensions between India and Pakistan strained further following the deadly February 14 Pulwama terror attack. New Delhi has remained rooted in its stand, saying that terror and talks with Islamabad cannot go together. India had already clarified that there would be no bilateral meeting between the two leaders. This comes despite the Pakistan Prime Minister writing a letter to Modi recently, saying Islamabad wants dialogue with New Delhi to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. Moreover, Modi's chartered plane did not take the Pakistani air space for flying to Bishkek and instead flew via the circuitous route through Oman and Iran. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani that India will support Afghanistan to ensure that a "legitimate government is chosen through the democratic process", said sources on Thursday. Modi who held a bilateral meeting with Ghani on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here promised that India will fulfil all expectations of Afghanistan. The war-torn nation is scheduled to undergo three elections--presidential, the provincial councils and the Ghazni parliamentary elections--simultaneously on September 28. Afghanistan has a long troubled history of elections. Last year, the October's elections were marred by roadside bomb attacks by Taliban. The problems also included malfunctioning of biometric voter verification equipment, incomplete voter lists and huge delays at polling sites. The elections which were supposed to occur on April 20 were postponed due to "mounting pressure" on Independent Election Commission in Kabul to conduct effective voting. Citing Bangladesh example, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the importance of cooperation, sources said. Meanwhile, during the talks, Ghani apprised the development in the peace process led by US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad. Notably, Khalilzad has held many rounds of talks with the Taliban but no agreement has been reached yet. On Monday, the new rounds of discussion were started to revive the stalled talks. Ghani also urged Modi to see terrorism and drugs through a single prism fueling the other. The two leaders also discussed Pakistan, Afghanistan President Ghani raised questions on the "sincerity of Pakistan" in fighting terrorism, sources added. Afghanistan and India both have blamed Pakistan for supporting and harbouring terrorist groups. The juicy apple dessert was served at the end to sum up the dinner for the world leaders. (Photo: ANI) Bishkek: Leaders attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek relished a lavish Kyrgyz dinner hosted by country's President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Thursday. A special vegetarian meal was prepared for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meal included vegetable salad, Pulao without meat, and special pie as dessert, while for the other leaders, the dishes ranged from Soup Sourpa to authentic Kyrgyz style Pulao served with meat. The juicy apple dessert was served at the end to sum up the dinner for the world leaders. The state leaders enjoyed a four-course meal for about 45 minutes. Initially, a six-course meal was planned but it was reduced due to time constraints. There was a 10-minute difference between the meal courses. Although Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan was at the dinner, no pleasantries were exchanged between PM Modi and him. While Khan is attending the SCO summit for the first time after assuming office last year, this is Modi's first visit to a multilateral forum after being re-elected for a second term. India had already clarified that there would be no bilateral meeting between Khan and Modi during the summit. This comes despite the Pakistan Prime Minister writing a letter to Modi, saying Islamabad wants dialogue with New Delhi to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. Moreover, Modi's chartered plane did not take the Pakistani air space for flying to Bishkek and instead flew via the circuitous route through Oman and Iran. The issue had come up during a meeting between former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during the latter's visit to India last month. (Photo: File) Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) Summit here on Friday, amid mounting tension in the Persian Gulf. The meeting will be held against the backdrop of the US sanctions on Iran as well as Tehran's partial withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The US recently announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued to existing importers of Iranian oil, including India. The issue had come up during a meeting between former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during the latter's visit to India last month. After the meeting, Swaraj had said that a decision on buying oil from Iran will be taken after the general elections. PM Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani here on Thursday. Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates said Friday that twin attacks on tankers in the Sea of Oman just weeks after four ships were damaged off the UAE marked a "dangerous escalation". "The attack against the tankers in the Gulf of Oman is a worrying development and a dangerous escalation," the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted after Thursday's blasts. Gargash also condemned a Yemeni rebel missile attack which wounded 26 civilians at an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. He said the "blatant attack on civilians" was only the latest in a spate of rebel assaults "undermining the UN's political work and sending a message of continuing violence and hostility". These developments "must spur the international community to act to maintain peace and security in the region", Gargash said. "The responsibility for avoiding an escalation is collective." The two tankers, one Norwegian-operated and one Japanese-owned, were set ablaze in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after US Central Command reported seeing an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from the hull of one of the vessels. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif charged that the US administration had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". He accused it of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tehran in a bid to ease Iran-US tensions. In a subsequent tweet, Gargash said Zarif's "credibility (is) diminishing". "Public relations is no real substitute to constructive policies. De-escalation in (the) current situation requires wise actions not empty words." Thursday's incidents came a month after four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati - were damaged in still unexplained attacks off the nearby UAE port of Fujairah. CPS statement said its meeting regularly with the union with the goal of establishing a contract that rewards educators for their service, supports the best interest of families, and enables the district to build on its record-setting academic progress. Our discussions are moving forward with the focus on reaching a fair agreement before class begins in the fall, and we are not going to be distracted by a PR stunt that doesnt advance that process. During a meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the sidelines of the summit, Khan spoke to Salman's interpreter and walked off before the message could be translated to the king. (Photo: FIle) Bishkek: Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan yet again broke the diplomatic protocol, this time at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Thursday. In a video shared on the official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Khan is seen seating while everyone else stood to welcome the head of states entering the hall. Upon realizing that he was perhaps the only one seated, he stood briefly and then seated himself again before the others did. Khan earlier broke the diplomatic protocol at the 14th OIC summit held in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. During a meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the sidelines of the summit, Khan spoke to Salman's interpreter and walked off before the message could be translated to the king. The video was widely circulated on social media and Khan was criticized, both by his countrymen and Saudi Arabia for apparently disrespecting the king. Khan and the leaders of the SCO member countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending the two-day summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek. The seminary, in the town of Sderot, was empty at the time of the rocket attack as students had left to return to their homes elsewhere to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath, which begins on Friday with their families. (Photo: AP) Jerusalem: Israeli aircraft struck Hamas bases in Gaza early on Friday, the military said, after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants hit a Jewish theological seminary in southern Israel. There were no reported casualties on either side. "Last night, a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory," Friday's military statement said. It said that in response the Israeli Air Force "fighter jets and aircraft targeted terror infrastructure in military compounds and a Hamas naval force military compound as part of a strike on a number of Hamas terror sites throughout the Gaza Strip." The seminary, in the town of Sderot, was empty at the time of the rocket attack as students had left to return to their homes elsewhere to celebrate the Jewish Sabbath, which begins on Friday with their families. "If the rocket had hit a few hours earlier there would have been a disaster," former defence minister Amir Peretz, a Sderot resident, said in an interview on Friday with Israeli public radio. Israeli police said the building was damaged when it was hit "with full force". The Sderot incident came hours after Israeli warplanes bombed bunkers at a Hamas base in southern Gaza on Thursday, causing no casualties, according to a Palestinian security source. That strike came after Israeli air defences intercepted a previous rocket launched from Gaza, the first since hundreds were fired from the enclave in early May in a flare-up which killed 25 Palestinians and four Israelis. Israeli authorities on Wednesday announced a ban on fishing off Gaza, in response to the launching of balloons, fitted with incendiary devices, into Israeli territory to set fire to farmland. "Due to the continuous launching of incendiary balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip towards Israel ... not to allow access to Gaza's maritime space until further notice," the Israeli defence ministry department responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, COGAT, said. A spokesman for the Israeli fire service said incendiary balloons from Gaza caused seven fires on Tuesday alone. In the past year, Palestinians have succeeded in setting fire to large areas of farmland in southern Israel. Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008. And there are mounting concerns that another flare-up could occur ahead of Israel's September 17 elections. The Israeli army said on Friday it "holds Hamas responsible for all events transpiring within the Gaza Strip and emanating from it." Zardari and his sister are two of the main accused in the money laundering scandal which utilised fake bank accounts to channel illegally gained funds out of Pakistan. (Photo: AFP) Islamabad: Pakistan's top anti-graft body has arrested sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari in a case related to money laundering through fake bank accounts, a media report said on Friday. Faryal Talpur, 61, was arrested by the officials of the National Accountability Bureau from in Islamabad, days after the anti-graft body apprehended her brother and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Zardari on Monday. The Islamabad High Court on Monday rejected the two leaders' bail plea in connection to a high-profile case of money laundering allegedly through fake banks accounts. In its orders, the court allowed the NAB to arrest Zardari and Talpur. The brother-sister duo now have the option of appealing the order in the Supreme Court. An arrest warrant was handed to NAB Rawalpindi three days ago, following which it constituted a team to arrest the PPP leader Talpur, Geo News quoted NAB officials as saying. The NAB will not shift Talpur to its offices but would keep her under custody at her Islamabad residence, which has been declared a sub-jail, the report said. The officials have also summoned a team of doctors at the sub-jail to conduct Talpur's medical examination. The Bureau is expected to present Talpur in an accountability court on Saturday to seek her physical remand, the report said. The NAB is investigating four cases where the former president and his sister are the prime accused. Zardari and his sister are two of the main accused in the money laundering scandal which utilised fake bank accounts to channel illegally gained funds out of Pakistan. According to the NAB officials, the duo made transactions of Rs 150 million through alleged fake bank accounts. The cases against Zardari are part of the investigations being conducted by NAB in pursuance of the Supreme Court's verdict in the money laundering of billions through fake accounts case. In the report, NAB listed down at least eight cases where Zardari's link had been established. It further added that 22 inquiries and three investigations were underway while three references had been filed. Zardari, the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, has denied any link with the fake accounts. He has said the allegation was part of a vilification campaign by the ruling party to malign opposition leaders. Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun on Thursday inspected the Bingipura landfill where a parking yard of vehicles seized by the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) will be developed shortly. "A meeting will be held with BTP soon to discuss the issue of parking of seized and unclaimed vehicles in the city at the ongoing levelling of the Bingipura landfill," she said. She further said: "Currently, the levelling of the landfill surface is almost nearing completion. The details will be collected by BTP about the seized vehicles that are parked in front of the police stations in the city," she said. The BBMP had been instructed by Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar to hand over a site to BTP to make space for the seized vehicles, for which the Palike identified the land in Bingipura near Anekal taluk. "A kilometre-long compound has already been constructed and the levelling of the ground is completed by 90%. Thus, only fencing and construction of a 400-m compound wall is pending and that will be completed within a month. The work is being taken up at a cost of RS 4.50 crore under the mayor's funds," she said. The health services in West Bengal was hit with a deluge of resignations from doctors of state-run medical colleges. At least 450 of them tendered their resignations on Friday. The concerned doctors cited inadequate infrastructure and shortage of staff due to the cease work by junior doctors and lack of safety during work. Mass resignation by the senior faculty members at R.G.Kar Medical College & Hospital, #Kolkata. We are thankful to our seniors for not bowing down in front of humiliation from the CM. Unprecedented solidarity from all around! #StandWithNRS#SaveTheDoctors pic.twitter.com/ecOFXaWfwl Dr.Titas Kar (@titask9) June 14, 2019 The development comes a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned the agitating junior doctors of strong action if they do not resume work by 2 pm on Thursday. However, the state government is yet to make any announcement whether their resignations have been accepted. While 175 doctors at the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata tendered their resignation, about 100 doctors resigned at the NRS Medical College in the city. At the R G Kar Medical College 80 doctors resigned and at the North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri in north Bengal about 100 doctors resigned. At least 50 other doctors resigned from a couple of other state-run medical colleges in West Bengal. The ongoing sufferings of junior doctors and patients, which are yet to be addressed is putting us in great pain. Any effective patient-care related services cannot be delivered with in-service doctors in the absence of support from junior doctors. The various reports from different state hospitals and threats on the doctors are putting us in state of insecurity... stated the mass resignation letter of doctors of NRS Medical College. Earlier in the day doctors at the R G Kar Medical College said that the indifferent attitude of the Chief Minister in maintaining law and order was the reason behind their decision to resign. It was an unanimous decision to tender our resignation following indifferent attitude of our Chief Minister to maintain law and order situation in the state. She has made us a scapegoat in front of the people, " said a doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College. He also said that that they demand an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister. However, he clarified that emergency services at the R G Kar Medical College was functioning normally. The agitating junior doctors vowed to carry in their cease work unless the Chief Minister offers an unconditional apology for her remarks against them. They also put forward six conditions for the state government to withdraw their agitation. The conditions included direct intervention of the Chief Minister to address their grievances, documentary evidence of judicial inquiry of police inaction in ensuring safety of doctors. We demand unconditional apology from the Chief Minister. Her office must release a statement condemning the attack on junior doctors at NRS Medical College, said Dr Arindam Dutta, spokesperson of the Joint Forum of Junior Doctors. The health services in West Bengal has been in disarray since late a section of junior doctors at the state-run R G Kar Medical College were allegedly assaulted by some outsiders and family members of a patient after he died at the hospital. BJP has failed to function as an Opposition party in the state, alleged Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister Ivan DSouza. Speaking to mediapersons, he said instead of providing suggestions to the coalition government on improving its governance and welfare schemes, the Opposition leaders were engaged in levelling false allegations against the State government. Dejected over the failure to get ministerial berth, MP Shobha Karandlaje is expressing her displeasure by levelling allegations against the coalition government and has termed the governments decision to expand the Cabinet as the final nail in the coffin, he added. Ivan said that government had waived Rs 10.73 crore out of the Rs 16.73-crore loan borrowed by 3,710 farmers in nationalised banks. A sum of Rs 5.99 crore is pending to be released to Dakshina Kannada district. Out of Rs 526.45-crore loan borrowed by farmers from cooperative societies, the state government has released Rs 197.47 crore to waive loans borrowed by 32,960 farmers, he added. A sum of Rs 328.98 crore is pending to be released to the district. In Udupi district, out of the Rs 39.72-crore loan borrowed by 4,720 farmers from nationalised banks, a sum of Rs 8.26 crore has been released by the state government. A total of 24,232 farmers had borrowed Rs 178-crore loan from cooperative societies in Udupi district. The government has released Rs 54.53 crore to cooperative societiess as part of loan waiver as on May 31, he added. Ivan said that under Podi-free villages, the drive was taken up in 41 villages in Sullia taluk which has been completed. The drive was taken up to covert Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) having multiple ownership into single ownership. The drive will help people in getting their RTC set right. Officials have been urged to organise revenue and pension adalats in each taluk headquaters every month, he added. Stating that the district administration is all set to tackle monsoon woes, Ivan said that Rs 25 lakh each has been released to taluks under natural calamities fund. Water-level in Thumbe vented dam has increased following rainfall and water rationing resorted by the Mangaluru City Corporation has been stopped. The fish that can move leave the area, said Don Scavia, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Michigan and collaborator on the NOAA forecast. The organisms that live in the sediment one of the main food supplies for the fish cant. They die. Theres been videography down there showing dead organisms, but most shrimp and fish that can swim completely leave the area. There are implications for that. The energy it costs the shrimp to leave the area tends to make them smaller. They aggregate in areas that make them easier to catch, so theres the threat of overfishing. The fishing fleets have to go farther away to find them. By Colin Ainsworth Special to the Times CHESTER >> City council added a new topic of conversation to the ongoing talks between the city and Chester Water Authority over a potential sale Wednesday night when it passed a resolution to explore the termination of CWA and issue a request for proposal seeking an interested buyer. The resolution states the citys negotiations with CWA leadership since March 2018 have failed to yield an acceptable agreement to the city and that the citys best interests now lie in pursuing monetizing the CWA. I dont want to delve into the agreement portion of it because the conversations continue, Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland said by phone Thursday. We have not said, No, were not talking anymore but weve put ourselves in exploratory mode. The RFP, drafted by the city solicitor with input from mayor and council, according to Kirkland, states the City intends to sell to the Offeror substantially all of the Water System Assets, including real and personal property, which it acquires from the Authority upon termination of the Authority as a matter of law, excluding cash, cash equivalents, insurance policies, certain books and records, and any assets which may not be sold as a matter of law. Kirkland said the citys goal in finding a potential buyer is to not raise rates in a number of years and continue quality services for our ratepayers. Theyve obviously been working on (the RFP) for a while, said CWA Solicitor Francis J. Catania on Thursday. Were happy to keep talking about a settlement, but if they would prefer to litigate it, well do what we have to protect our ratepayers interests. The resolution and RFP hinges on the question at the core of the negotiations between the two parties since March 2018 whether the city, as CWAs original incorporator, has the ability to terminate and sell the authority. Its a two part question: Can the city vote to terminate the authority by themselves? If theyre wrong on that, then the water authority goes on as before, Catania said. Even if theyre right, the state Supreme Court (in a 2017 ruling on the Pennsylvania Environmental Rights Amendment) made it crystal clear who the money should go to and the money should go to the ratepayers, not the government that put never put any money into it. About 22 percent of the CWAs 42,000 customers are in the city of Chester. The remaining 78 percent are elsewhere in Delaware and Chester counties. The CWA board has three members from Chester City, three from Delaware County and three from Chester County. The CWA Board of Directors approved a resolution in late January to enter a 40-year settlement with the city to avoid litigating the issue, approving a 10 percent rate hike to fund a one-time payment to the city of $60,285,000 through a bond issuance. CWA assets would then be placed into a trust for the 40-year term. The city has not passed a resolution to enter the agreement. Aqua America, whose unsolicited offer to buy the CWA in 2017 spurred the initial controversy, filed suit against the city and CWA in early April to block the settlement. Aqua cited the approximately $750,000 it pays CWA annual for four interconnections in the system and the impact the 10 percent rate increase would have on Aqua customers. The two-year debate over a sale of CWA to a for-profit company has raised concerns from ratepayers over potential rate increases. Randahl Williams, speaking at the January CWA meeting, said he owns properties throughout the county in both CWA territories and in areas served by Aqua. I pay more than twice for the same consumption rate with Aqua, he said, adding that a 4,000-gallon-a-month bill costs him $80 quarterly in the Chester Water Authority area while in the Aqua region, it costs him close to $180. A statement posted on the CWA website ahead of the January meeting estimated that if a sale were to happen and customers rates were doubled based on CWAs gross 2017 revenues of $47 million, customers would pay an additional $1 billion for water service over the next 23 years. In February, Aqua America Inc. Chief Executive Officer Chris Franklin rejected CWAs $1 billion, 23-year projection as silly, saying Aqua had proposed a 10-year moratorium on rate hikes as part of its offer. Catania said Thursday that the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission has denied Aqua the ability to guarantee a rate moratorium in all previous attempts. In response to Wednesday nights resolution, Aqua Pennsylvania President Marc Lucca said in a written statement, Aqua is aware of the city of Chesters intent to sell the Chester Water Authority assets. It is widely understood that the city of Chester has been the owner of the Chester Water Authority assets for more than 100 years and we believe has the legal standing to sell the assets. In this light, we are reviewing the RFP and plan to submit a proposal in response to the citys RFP. Lucca stated that Aquas response would provide a comprehensive outline of the benefits Aqua would bring to the city and to Delaware and Chester counties as weve done for many other systems and communities here in southeast Pennsylvania, and will include employment offers for all employees of CWA. The prospect of a sale has been a concern of CWA employees, according to Ramee Davis, CWA distribution repairman and Service Employees International Union shop steward. I think theres unfair confusion going on. You have guys taking care of their families for 30-40 years (as CWA employees); you have new guys thinking they were getting into a career, a lifetime job, he said by phone. Youre taking about over 70 families, and thats not including the nonunion members. More importantly, the customers are at stake as well, Davis said, encouraging ratepayers to independently research the potential for rate increases following a sale. Its about all our customers, but in the city youre got a lot of senior citizens on a fixed income. They have water every month they can depend on. If you raise these rates you may have customers doing a balancing act with their utilities. Catania raised questions Thursday about advantage knowledge of the RFP resolution on Aquas part. In a Tuesday letter from Kirkland to CWA Board Chairperson Cynthia Leitzell, Kirkland indicated the possibility of issuing an RFP from the marketplace so we get a sense of all possible alternatives. In a Wednesday response, Leitzell stated Kirklands letter was distributed to board members at a meeting that afternoon and requested a meeting before action on the RFP was taken. Leitzell then wrote that an Aqua representative was present at the meeting and asked a departing CWA person if we were sending someone to the meeting tonight.' Leitzell then described a Wednesday phone call between herself and Kirkland, writing I called you and you indicated to me in our call that there was no item on the City Council agenda tonight concerning the Chester Water Authority but that council would be discussing the RFP.' Speaking with the Times Thursday, Kirkland said he told Leitzell the RFP is on the agenda. I never said we were not voting that was not completely accurate information that she provided (the Times) concerning our conversation. Aqua responded Thursday afternoon with a statement from Lucca that Aqua has had conversations with city of Chester about ongoing litigation surrounding the city and the Chester Water Authority and in connection with those discussions, counsel for the city informed our lawyers earlier in the week. Aqua is excited by the opportunity to participate in the citys RFP process and we believe our response will outline many benefits for the customers and communities CWA serves, as well as its employees. The situation between the city and CWA began, in part, in with Aqua Americas (Aqua Pennsylvanias parent company) unsolicited offer to purchase CWA, which the CWA board rejected. At issue throughout the situation has been Chesters status as a financially distressed municipality under Act 47, with a current exit deadline of 2021 to avoid potential state receivership. In August 2017, Kirkland sent a letter to CWA stating that state-appointed Act 47 consultants Econsult concluded that the only way the citys finances could be stabilized was if the authority were to be sold. The controversy grew in late 2017 when a series of Right to Know requests from Catania revealed contact between Chesters Act 47 coordinators and for-profit water companies regarding potential monetization of the Chester Water Authority to relieve the citys financial troubles. HARRISBURG Three buses of Pottstown activists were among the more than 1,000 people who converged on the state capitol Wednesday to fight for fair education funding. It is three times the number of Pottstown protesters who showed up last year and the total crowd was more than twice the size of last years turnout. They were there because if the states fair education funding formula adopted in 2016 were used for all basic education funding, Pottstown would no longer be looking at cutting programs to balance its budget, as happened this year, but could add programs, increase teacher pay and cut local property taxes. Pennsylvania is widely recognized as having one of the worst funding gaps between poor and wealthy districts, due largely to its over-reliance on local property taxes to fund public schools, and its failure to fully implement the fair funding formula. When we look at the inequity in public education, we should be embarrassed, said state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-146th Dist., who met and spoke with the Pottstown protesters when they arrived. Districts all over the Commonwealth are suffering and Pottstown is the fifth most under-funded district in the commonwealth, almost $14 million, and the fair funding formula would make them whole and all the other districts that need to have that, including Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley, said Ciresi. Currently, only 10 percent of Pennsylvania education funding is distributed according to the fair funding formula. Its like I told you I was buying you a Ferrari, but never produced a delivery date, said Ciresi. In addition to its inherent economic unfairness, researchers for POWER have discovered that the current funding scheme actually favors districts with higher white populations, even when poverty levels are the same. Jonathan Corson, known to most in Pottstown as Johnny, says that violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The states failure to enact its own fair funding formula causes our children to be at a disadvantage compared to other children around the commonwealth, said Corson, who is the president of the Pottstown chapter of the NAACP. He and the group of nine other chapter members who accompanied him Wednesday agreed that revitalizing Pottstown would be much easier if school taxes could be lowered and more resources and programs could be to those schools added at the same time. The group visited the offices of House members before and after Wednesdays rally to lobby for fair funding bills. They also paid a visit to the office of state Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24th Dist., for the same purpose, but were told he was busy on the floor of the Senate voting on opioid legislation, said Corson. But a Tweet from Menschs account later that day only highlighted his introduction of a resolution recognizing 244th anniversary of the formation of the U.S. Army. So NAACP chapter members joined other POWER protesters in the office of House Speaker Mike Turzai. Turzai, a Republican who represents an Allegheny County district that is 90 percent white, has the power to ensure fair funding bills get to the floor for a vote, as well as the power to prevent them from even getting a hearing. The protesters were asked to leave Turzais office by the Capitol Police, so they rallied in the hall outside instead. The bill getting the most support Wednesday is House Bill 961. It currently has 61 co-sponsors and, if enacted, would distribute all basic education funding through the formula. It is sponsored by Philadelphia-based state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-200th Dist., and Wednesday he told the rally promises are not enough. I want a hearing not only for my bill, but for all fair funding bills. We have twice as many-co-sponsors as we had last year. On the bus home Wednesday, local organizer Marlene Armato said POWER Interfaith, which organized the rally and the buses which took Pottstown protesters there for free, met recently with Gov. Tom Wolf and urged him to press for hearings for bills like Rabbs. School board candidate Laura Johnson has been part of the effort to get more co-sponsors for Rabbs bill. She said it only needs 103 votes to pass. Wednesday she was the only rally speaker from Pottstown and focused on delivering a few truths. The truth is, we have caring and committed teachers, many of whom stand with us today. The truth is, we have a wonderfully diverse student population. The truth is, we have some truly excellent programs, said Johnson. But since Im telling the truth, I need to tell you the whole truth: As Ive become involved in our schools, Ive learned some troubling news. The truth is, that the current education funding in Pennsylvania is racially biased. The truth is, that students in diverse districts like Pottstown are consistently underfunded, she said as cheers echoed in the Capitol rotunda. The results are severe, said Johnson. Our caring and committed teachers are underpaid. Programs have been cut. Our students lack the supports and opportunities they need. Additionally, our economically hurting town has one of the highest tax burdens in the entire state. Lets tell the truth, she said repeatedly. The lawmakers know there is racial bias in the current funding. They know we are desperately hurting. Many of them have some underfunded schools in their own districts. Johnson concluded: If you are a lawmaker, your job is to ask what is morally and ethically right and use your power to help make it a reality. To hide from what you know is right in the name of political impossibility is to fail to do your job. It is time for our political leaders to find the will and the courage to correct this injustice. There were plenty of examples of that injustice offered Wednesday. Brian Costello, superintendent of the Wilkes-Barre School District, said his students have to enter their buildings through makeshift sheds to protect them from dilapidated buildings. This is an inequity. This is not a Philly problem. This is not a black problem said Rabb. This is a Pennsylvania problem! Justice for our children! Justice for our schools! Justice for our communities! shouted the Rev. Edward Bailey, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Lancaster. Everyone here wants justice! We ended apartheid in South Africa, but apartheid exists in Pennsylvania, said state Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-7th Dist. Lets end it now. Fund the schools, he shouted. And it wasnt just politicians and schools chiefs who took to the microphone. Speakers included school children as well, like Justin Simpson, who said his teachers are frustrated with overcrowded classrooms that are barely heated in the winter. Another young girl, whose name was inaudible, said her school only has two bathrooms, and they are both in the basement. Im not asking for much. I just want a decent school for me and my friends like everybody else. Pottstown students were no less outspoken. More than two dozen, many of whom graduated less than a week ago, climbed onto the buses to add their voices to the call for fair funding. Its important to be able to have programs like art and music and I dont want to see our schools lose that, said Heaven Charriez, who will be a junior at Pottstown High School in September. Also on hand were dozens of members of the Federation of Pottstown Teachers. Naimah Rhodes, who has taught early education at Pottstown High School for four years, said under-funding can be seen in the vocational/technology area by comparing resources available at the Western Center for Technical Students and those at Pottstown high School. It also means lower pay for teachers, Rhodes said. In 2017, The Mercury reported that the average teacher salary in Pottstown is the lowest in Montgomery County. Pottstown loses a lot of really good teachers because of the pay, she said. Also on hand was nearly the majority of the Pottstown School Board and Trenita Lindsay, a member of Pottstown Borough Council. The fact that Pottstown filled three buses tells me this is a really important cause and people understand its important and theyre behind it, said School Board President Amy Francis. And momentum is building. Former school board member Emanuel Wilkerson, who was elected while still a high school student and is now a student at Temple University, made a special trip to Harrisburg to be part of the rally. I can remember when going to Harrisburg for this was just me, Mr. Armato and Mr. Rodriguez in a car. Today, Pottstown came in three buses, Wilkerson said. Its time for Harrisburg to listen to the people. Last year, the rally attracted 600 protesters. This year, with Pottstowns help, 1,000 came. Pottstown Schools Superintendent Stephen Rodriguez, who spoke at last years rally, said the difference one year has made is the difference between throwing a bullet and shooting one. He said Pottstown will keep coming back, with more and more people, until they dont have to come at ball because its schools are funded fairly through the state formula. I am so proud of our community, said Armato. We came together like nothing Ive ever seen before, we had churches, the teachers federation, students, the YWCA, The Hill School, the NAACP, this is something that has really united Pottstown because its something that would help all of Pottstown. Planning for keeping the momentum going is already underway and will be the subject of a meeting Wednesday, June 19, at 7 p.m. in the Pottstown High School cafeteria. SALT LAKE CITY Disney is ready to roll on a new Marvel-themed land in its California Adventure theme park following the opening of Star Wars: Galaxys Edge. According to the LA Times, Disneyland is preparing to build the expansion with plans to open next year. The city of Anaheim has approved building permits for new bathrooms, retail outlets, social spaces and a craft brewery. According to SlashFilm, Marvel Land was announced in October 2018 and will feature rides and attractions based on Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Ant Man and the Avengers. While it doesnt sound like the experience will be on the same scale as the Galaxys Edge role-playing experience, the shops, rides and an apparent life-size Avengers Quinjet will share a similar level of authenticity. The Burbank-based media giant may be investing heavily in theme parks to take advantage of a strong economy, a steady demand for travel and Disneys access to popular intellectual properties characters and storylines on which to base new attractions, the LA Times notes. The superhero land will also replace A Bugs Land, which was closed in September for demolition. Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout, which replaced the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, will act as one of the Marvel Lands main attractions, the LA Times reports. The Marvel expansion will apparently cost over $14 million to construct A drop in the bucket, considering Disneys Parks and Resorts revenue exceeded $5.1 billion in 2018, according to the companys 2018 earnings report. ABC7 in Los Angeles also reports details on Marvel Land will be released at D23 this August. Other Marvel attractions are planned to open at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2023, Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris in 2020 and at the Epcot Theme Park in Florida in 2021, according to the LA Times. SALT LAKE CITY A series of studies headed by a University of Utah professor suggest that mindfulness training or meditation can help those struggling with opioid addiction. Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement, or MORE, is a program developed by Eric Garland, director of the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development and the associate dean for research in the U.'s College of Social Work. Through several studies, one of which is slated to be published this summer, he found the program helped people recover from and even prevent opioid addiction, more so than traditional group therapy. He calls opioid addiction the "disease of despair" and said logically it should then be treated with positive therapy. But mindfulness training doesn't just help people overcome addiction it can potentially reduce the actual pain in those experiencing chronic pain, he said. In his 2014 study of 115 opioid prescribed participants, Garland said the results were "pretty promising." He said the study showed that Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement significantly decreased pain, functional impairment, opioid craving and opioid misuse. The 115 patients were divided into two groups: One underwent eight weeks of weekly mindfulness training and the other completed eight weeks of traditional group therapy sessions. "To do that we started using neuroscience methods to examine how the (mindfulness) therapy was changing people's brains and changing their bodies and we found, pretty amazingly, that one of the ways the therapy seemed to be working was by teaching people how to become more sensitive to natural pleasure." This idea is important when looked at through the lens of addiction neuroscience, he noted. "What happens when people become more and more addicted is that they become less responsive to natural pleasure," he said. In other words, the things that used to make them feel happy or used to matter to them, no longer evoke the same response. "They become blunted to joy from everyday events and experiences and that kind of pushes them to take higher and higher doses of the drug just to feel OK," he added. He explained this process happens because of changes that occur in the brain, specifically the reward system of the brain. "Mindfulness Oriented Recovery Enhancement seemed to be reversing this process by increasing physiological sensitivity to natural pleasure," he said. "We saw this by changes in people's heart rate as they were looking at pictures of smiling babies, beautiful sunsets, lovers holding hands, you know we showed them pictures of things that should be naturally rewarding." After the eight weeks of hourlong weekly mindfulness training sessions, by using EEG to measure brain waves, researchers could see their brains became more responsive to the pleasurable stimuli as well. "And what was really amazing was that the more physiologically responsive to the natural pleasure that people became, the less they craved their opioids," he said. "And then several years later we also found the more physiologically responsive to natural pleasure they became, the less they actually misused opioids. Those were some huge findings." Six Utahns die every week from opioid overdose and the Beehive State has the seventh highest drug overdose rate in the nation, according to Utah Department of Health's website dedicated to ending the "opidemic." As a result of the 2014 study findings, Garland said he received more than $15 million in federal research funding. He is now conducting a clinical trial, funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse, to examine if Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement could be implemented in primary care as a regular therapy for patients with opioid-treated chronic pain. Garland recently finished another clinical trial, funded by a private foundation and slated to be published this summer in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, that looked at an opioid-prescribed chronic pain sample that hasn't progressed into clinical misuse of the drug. This study aimed to further test the results of the 2014 study, and to see whether mindfulness therapy could prevent opioid misuse in the future. "So these are people who are in pain, they're taking pain pills everyday and they're compliant at this point, they're adhering to their doctor's prescription," he explained. "But because they're on high doses of opioids and because they've been taking opioids for many years, they're at risk for misusing opioids or becoming addicted." He said these findings suggest that some of the key neurobiological changes that happen in addiction might be reversible through Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement by decreasing pain and preventing development of opioid misuse. "Pretty much what it says is that if we increase people's positive psychological experiences, then this decreases their pain and opioid misuse," he said. Since the results of the mindfulness therapy studies looked promising, Garland, along with another researcher completed a study to see if the treatment could prevent bad habits from developing in the first place in a non-opioid prescribed population. Instead of training someone to automatically react to a stimuli, what Ivan Pavlov did in his famous experiments where he trained dogs to salivate anytime they heard a bell ring, researchers were looking to interrupt those automatic responses. Adam Hanley, lead author of the study and a research assistant professor at the U.s Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development, said the implications of this study show the benefits of mindfulness therapy can be far-reaching. The study looked to answer two questions: whether mindfulness would disrupt the initial formation of a habit and if it can disrupt the continuation of habits. Hanley and Garland, associate author of the research, divided 49 healthy participants made up of 36 women and 13 men between the ages of 18 and 43 into two groups and trained one group to meditate using mindfulness, while the other group listened to excerpts of a book read aloud. Both groups were then conditioned to blink when they heard a "beep" that signaled an air-puff to one eye, causing them to blink. The book group blinked at the sound of the beep, just like the sound of a bell made Pavlovs dogs salivate. But the mindfulness group was slower to develop the conditioned response and blinked less often than the book group. The findings suggest that meditation training can delay the development of Pavlovian conditioning and decrease the frequency of the behavior once developed, Hanley said. This is the first study, according to Hanley, that shows mindfulness training can disrupt the development of conditioned behaviors and he said the study helped answer that basic scientific question. "Maybe if we can catch children early and kind of integrate mindfulness into the education system, then potentially we can inoculate people against developing these bad habits," Hanley said. "So if they have these mindfulness skills to kind of regulate and be aware of when they're acting automatically then maybe we can stop drug addiction, mental health concerns from popping up before they emerge or before they dig in." Garland is also conducting another study, funded by the Department of Defense, with an opioid-prescribed veteran population that, just like the previous studies, are split into two groups with different interventions: one undergoes eight weeks of mindfulness training and the other attends a typical weekly group therapy session. Brandon Yabko, Mindfulness Center director at Salt Lake's Veterans Hospital, leads both groups in the veterans research study and noted that in the group therapy session, a lot of the support is based on group members holding each other accountable. "My anecdotal kind of data gathering would venture to say that after the support group ends, that's where the decrease or anything in opiates ends as well," he said. "Whereas people in the mindfulness group are learning a skill to have with them for the rest of their life." Yabko, who has chronic back pain, explained that chronic pain patients tend to amplify the pain by adding insult to injury. It's common to add suffering on top of the actual pain being experienced, which makes the overall pain worse, he said. He said mindfulness training helps mitigate this issue by teaching patients not to focus only on the pain, but to look at the broader picture and focus on the parts of the body not in pain. Garland said he is always looking for new opioid-prescribed patients to participate in his studies. He encouraged people to reach out to him if they are interested in participating at drericgarland.com. After his guilty plea was entered, Cochran inadvertently copied court officials on an email to his lawyer in which he disavowed the amount of the fraud and seemed to suggest he wasnt really guilty of the charge he admitted to in court, prosecutors said. If Cochran takes a similar stance at his sentencing hearing, prosecutors said they would ask for an additional six months in prison or a total of two years in prison. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. SALT LAKE CITY On hot, sunny days several years ago, visitors to Liberty Park would have found more than a dozen kids splashing around in the Seven Canyons Fountain. The fountain was turned off two years ago due to health and safety concerns, and the channels that carried water are dry. But the mayor's office has a plan to get the water flowing again by next summer. Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski is asking the City Council for $850,000 to repair and reopen the fountain. She recommends using the capital improvements fund to pay for the project, pending City Council approval late this summer. The fountain, a piece of public art that was built in the middle of the park 26 years ago, represents the seven canyons that deliver water to the Salt Lake Valley. But it was also a popular splash pad for kids that was just too dirty and dangerous. "It's a landmark for Salt Lake City," said Kristin Riker, deputy director of the city's Public Services and director of Parks and Public Lands. "There are actually rocks from each of the canyons in the fountain representing the geology in that area." The fountain was designed as an interactive piece of art by architects Boyd and Elizabeth Blackner and artists John Swain and Steven Goldsmith. It was built with a donation from Salt Lake City philanthropist Obert C. Tanner, founder of O.C. Tanner, and opened in 1993. "It's public artwork that is open and available for the public to interact with and to play in," Riker said. "This place was packed, and kids just loved to use this." Kids and families are still drawn to the area, even though the water is gone. "It was just a great place for families and kids to come to cool off in the summertime," said Riker. "It's dearly missed by our community." Two summers ago, the city turned off the water because the fountain no longer met updated health and safety regulations. "It needed to be shut down so that we could make some improvements," Riker said. Families have missed the fountain. "We come here almost every day," said Jesse Craner, who wanders through the area with her toddler, Henry, and her dog. She would love to splash in the fountain with her boy. "I would want to stop and let him play in it, as long as the water is clean," she said. "I know there were some issues with cleanliness in the past." Four critical health and safety issues arose, including reducing the depth of one basin, installing safer drains and adding a secondary disinfection system. "I would love to see it restored because right now it's just cement and there's not really anything to do," Craner said. Riker said restoring the fountain is one of the most common requests for Liberty Park. "I think there's a great deal of community support for this project," she said. "People would like to see the fountain reopened. It creates a vibrant center to this park." She said a primary goal is to maintain the artistic intent of the fountain, doing their best to meet the expectations of the original artists and architects of the project. If funding is approved by City Council, restoration could be completed next spring. SALT LAKE CITY Rep. Chris Stewart isn't sure there's a way to control the proliferation of digital technology that makes it easier to create synthetic video, images, audio or text known as "deepfakes." The Utah Republican said that some of the suggestions industry experts offered during a congressional hearing Thursday might be helpful in an ideal world, but in the real world they would be nearly impossible to implement. Policies could be adopted to control government and to some extent legitimate businesses, he said. "But we can't control everyone. This is going to be so pervasive and so available that virtually anyone could create this. Its easy to control the U.S. government and say you cant use it, you cant create it for political manipulations or whatever it might be," Stewart said. "But you cant control the other 6 billion people on the earth." A House Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington examined the dangers that deepfakes including the use of emerging artificial intelligence pose to national security, upcoming elections, public trust and journalism. Experts also proposed recommendations on what Congress could do to combat digital misinformation. Stewart said the sheer volume of deepfakes make them difficult to track. "It's like trying to monitor every bumblebee thats flying around America," he said. 'This is a race' David Doermann, director of the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the University of Buffalo, told the committee that combatting synthetic and manipulated media is not only a technical challenge but a social one as well. "Theres no easy solution and its likely to get much worse before it gets much better," he said. People need to use tools and processes to detect fake media rather than relying on government and social media platforms to police content, Doermann said. "If individuals can perform a sniff test and the media smells of misuse, they should have ways to verify it or prove it or easily report it," he said. Detection also needs to be on the front end, not just after the images appear, he said. If that doesn't work, there should be warning labels on content that's not real or authentic whether that's determined by humans, machines or both. Pressure must be put on social media companies to realize that the way their platforms are being misused is unacceptable, Doermann said. "Let there be no question that this is a race the better that manipulators get the better detectors need to be," he said. Software using artificial intelligence or AI can now be used in synthesizing voices, impersonating people in videos and creating a virtual person, said Jack Clark, policy director at San Francisco-based OpenAI. "I dont think AI is the cause of this. It think AI is an accelerant to an issue that has been with us for some time. We do need to take steps to deal with this problem because the pace of this is challenging," he told the panel. Instilling conflict Clint Watts, a former FBI agent on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, identified Russia and China as using AI to mount disinformation campaigns that instill fear and conflict in Western democracies and distort reality for Americans and their allies. Over the long term, deepfakes will target U.S. officials, institutions and agencies to subvert democracy and demoralize Americans, he said. In the short term, synthetic media may incite physical mobilizations under false pretenses, initiate public safety crises and spark the outbreak of violence. The U.S. government should maintain intelligence on adversaries capable of launching deepfake content or the proxies they use to spread disinformation, Watts said. Watts also said Congress should pass laws prohibiting U.S. officials, elected representatives and agencies from creating and distributing false and manipulated content. Policymakers should work with social media companies to develop standards for content accountability and the private sector to implement digital verification signatures for the date, time and origin of content, he said. A crudely altered video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., which was viewed more than 3 million times on social media, gave only a glimpse of what the technology can do. Experts dismissed the clip, which was slowed down to make it appear that Pelosi was slurring her words, as nothing more than a "cheap fake." The Pelosi video "demonstrates the scale of the challenge we face, said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the committee chairman. But he said he fears a more "nightmarish scenario" with such videos spreading disinformation about a political candidate and the public struggling to separate fact from fiction. Schiff said the technology has "the capacity to disrupt entire campaigns, including that for the presidency." Dueling AIs Utah Valley University cybersecurity program director Robert Jorgensen explained how the deployment of AI-driven tools turbo-charged the rate at which deepfake videos have improved over the last few years. Jorgensen said that just a short time ago, computer generated or manipulated images were relatively easy to identify by "quirks" that were apparent to even casual viewers. What has evolved, however, is a technique to pit AI-based tools against each other in a game of one-upmanship that has led to methods to create wholesale fake videos that are extremely difficult to detect. "Generative adversarial networks are a kind of machine learning system where you basically have two AIs that are essentially fighting each other," Jorgensen said. "One AI tries to create a deepfake or something of that nature and the other tries to detect it. One machine is learning to make them better and another is learning to detect them better." Jorgensen said the software tools to create deepfakes are also widely available and cited a project that two UVU cybersecurity graduate students did last year. While neither student had any expertise in videography or AI, Jorgensen said they were able to leverage research, experimentation and software they found on the internet into some very convincing deepfake videos of themselves. Jorgensen noted while deepfake videos are having a moment right now, thanks to the recent Pelosi video and a super-villain version of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, the ability to manipulate images is not new. "This kind of manipulation and propagation isnt new, it's just being taken to the next level," Jorgensen said. "Weve doubted the veracity of photos for a long time, and if we see something unlikely in a photograph, our response is, 'It must be Photoshopped.' "Until fairly recently, manipulated videos looked manipulated but its gotten to the point were it's very convincing." Jorgensen, who spent years working on cybersecurity issues in the private sector before joining UVU, said the efforts to develop deepfake detection software are active, but lagging behind advances in producing the videos. He noted the U.S. military's research division, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA, is spending tens of millions via its Media Forensics program aimed at keeping up with deepfake technology and other synthesized content creation. 'Plays to our fears' University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law professor Amos Guiora explored potential impacts of digital security issues in his book "Cybersecurity: Geopolitics, Law and Policy." He noted that behavior patterns typical of internet users, coupled with the advanced techniques of producing fake or manipulated videos, has laid the groundwork for wide dissemination of deepfake content. "Whats so troubling is, if youre not a keen and careful observer, these things are so realistic, you can get sucked into it," Guiora said. "For most of us, our attention span when were surfing is quick, its brief. You see something thats pretty cool or interesting, you send it on to your circle. "The dissemination rate, the speed that things go viral is so incredibly fast, by the time people catch on to the darkness, the nefariousness, its too late." Guiora said he believes there is real danger associated with the production and disbursement of deepfake videos that extend beyond attempts to malign someone's character based on political ideologies. "What this doctoring does is play to our worst instincts, plays to our fears, plays to our pre-existing biases and prejudices," Guiora said. "The distance from that to physical harm really isn't very far." Guiora, who teaches criminal law and national security law among other topics, believes deepfake videos distributed via social media nodes is further evidence that the time has come to consider how to regulate those arenas, noting the challenges that would come with that effort and balancing First Amendment protections. "Its a conversation that must be had," Guiora said. SALT LAKE CITY Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday he looked at shutting down a political action committee tied to Gov. Gary Herbert's former campaign manager that's raised millions, but was told to hold off to protect an ongoing investigation. "Law enforcement asked us not to do anything on this, so we've had our hands tied on this for the last 18 months," Cox told the Deseret News about the Americans for an Informed Electorate PAC. Formed in February 2016, the PAC has collected almost $4.8 million in small contributions from around the country but has not used those funds to support any candidates or causes, according to filings with the lieutenant governor's office. Joe Demma, who ran Herbert's 2010 campaign for governor and served as his chief of staff in the lieutenant governor's office before that, is a director of the corporation associated with the PAC and received consulting payments from the PAC. Demma was removed as an officer by the PAC from its statement of organization on file with the state in September 2016, and later listed as a governing board member in July 2017, according to state Elections Director Justin Lee. Cox, who is running for governor, said his staff alerted him to what he called "irregular types of activity" over a year and a half ago. Because of that and Demma's involvement, Cox said he contacted a law enforcement agency. The lieutenant governor declined to identify the agency, but the Salt Lake Tribune, which published a story about the PAC earlier this week, has reported it is the FBI, citing a source. FBI spokeswoman Sandra Yi Barker said Thursday she cant "confirm or deny the existence of an investigation." Cox said law enforcement asked his office not to take any action against the PAC or even suggest there were concerns because "they didn't want to draw any attention to it in any way while they were investigating." He said his office, which oversees elections, routinely reaches out to PACs that have problems with their filings, but in those cases, "the people who get it wrong aren't bringing in millions of dollars and haven't worked for the office before." But while the investigation continues, so have contributions to the PAC. In the last year alone, Americans for an Informed Electorate reported nearly $1.8 million in contributions. The most recent contributions reported this year were in April. Cox said that's worrying. "We watch it continue to happen and we were very concerned. But we have had ongoing discussions routinely with law enforcement to make sure that it was still being followed up on," he said. "We trust them to do their jobs. We don't want to tell them how to do their jobs. So we've been anxious but patient in allowing them to do what they felt needed to be done," Cox said. Still, he said he doesn't "have any regrets. I do think it was the right thing to do, to turn it over to law enforcement." He said he has not been told "to date" when there may be action taken as a result of the investigation. Utah law requires political action committees to fulfill a political purpose, but Cox said that doesn't appear to be the case. "This is thinly veiled, at best, political purposes and something that I would have shut down had I not been instructed to not do that," he said. "So I certainly would not give my money to this organization." There have been complaints raised about the PAC posted to various online sites, including ScamFinance.com, which warned, "Handing out credit card information ... is obviously not a good idea so steer clear of them." The site said in 2018 the company behind the PAC, Informed Electorate, "masquerades as a polling agency, but it ends up using high-pressure tactics to demand donations," an allegation supported by dozens of commentors. Informed Electorate's website, votethewill.org, describes the PAC as "organized with the express purpose of gathering information and opinions from the electorate and, through various means, communicating those ideas to elected officials." The website claims over 3.5 million "ongoing conversations," and notes "every contribution to IE PAC goes to support the infrastructure of data collection and broadcast." Demma, who became a vice president of the Mountainland Technical College in Lehi last year, did not return a phone call seeking comment about the investigation into the PAC. Jared Haines, the state's interim commissioner of the Utah System of Technical Colleges, said he has been in contact with the head of Mountainland about Demma and is not aware of any action that may be being considered. "But we'll certainly be talking about what the considerations may be," Haines said. Paul Edwards, the governor's outgoing deputy chief of staff, said in a statement about the PAC that Herbert "is tremendously disappointed to learn of the unethical conduct carried out by this organization, and emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior in all campaign-related matters. Edwards said the governor, who is not seeking re-election, "has had no knowledge of the so-called PAC formed by former state employee, Joe Demma. Demma separated from the lieutenant governors office 10 years ago." Demma, however, said on his LinkedIn profile that he served as a consultant to the governor from 2003 to 2016, and as Herbert's chief of staff and campaign manager from 2004-2012, counting the time Herbert was lieutenant governor. The governor's office said Thursday Demma did do some freelance work for Herbert's 2016 re-election campaign. But Herbert's chief of staff, Justin Harding, said that "in the past five years, Gov. Herbert has not once formally sought out Demma's advice, nor has Demma ever participated in any political meeting of which I have been a part." Harding said Demma "doesn't attend the governor's political meetings, now, in the past, nor will he in the future." LEEDS, Washington County A medical student from New Jersey was killed Thursday when her car hit a horse that had gotten loose on I-15 in southern Utah. Jessica M. Deane, 30, a student at Rocky Vista University Medical School in Ivins, who was originally from New Jersey, was killed about 1:30 a.m. The Utah Highway Patrol says several horses had somehow gotten loose and wandered onto the freeway. Troopers were already en route to the area when Deane, who was driving a Hyundai Veloster, hit a black horse. After impact, the vehicle continued north about another half mile and struck the median cable barrier. UHP Sgt. Nick Street said investigators have identified the owner of the horses. An investigation will be conducted to determine how the horses got loose, and then the case will be submitted to the county attorney's office to determine whether charges are warranted. OGDEN One of two friends charged in the shooting death of a man at a transient camp last year has been found guilty of murder. A jury in Ogden's 2nd District court returned the verdict against Dalton James Aiken, 28, after about three hours of deliberation Wednesday, court records show. After his arrest in August, Aiken told police he and his friend Cory Michael Fitzwater, 35, were in the 21st Street pond area "to find and harass homeless people." The body of Brian Racine, 28, was discovered Aug. 16 in Ogden, where investigators found him near 500 West and 21st Street with a gunshot wound to the head. Both Aiken, 28, and Fitzwater were charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony. During the two-day trial for Aiken this week, prosecutors argued he told police after his arrest that homeless people are "a problem" and don't contribute to society, the Standard-Examiner reported. But Aiken testified that Fitzwater walked up to a man lying on the ground and the two spoke to each other before the man sat up and a cat ran away, which distracted Aiken, who then heard a gunshot and ran. Aiken in a police interview said the gun was his and he had seen Fitzwater use it to shoot Racine in the head, according to charging documents. Fitzwater, for his part, told police he had been in the area at the time of the shooting but didn't see anyone or hear a gunshot. On Aug. 16, police pulled over a car on 17th Street about 3 a.m and found Aiken, Fitzwater and a .45 caliber gun inside, according to charges. An hour later, officers found Racine deceased, with a .45-caliber bullet nearby, prosecutors say. Forensic investigators found the casing was fired from the gun Aiken and Fitzwater had with them when they were arrested. Racine's mother testified that her son had mental illness and had moved from California to Utah as part of his plan to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She called police after she lost contact with her son, and they called her back to say he was dead. Sentencing for Aiken is set for July 29. Fitzwater, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, is due in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. SALT LAKE CITY President Donald Trump gave a shoutout to a former Utah congressman who defended his being open to foreign opposition research on his political opponents. "Thank you Jason Chaffetz!" Trump tweeted, along with a video clip of Chaffetz on Fox News. "This faux, this fake outrage from the left and the media is just part of a pattern here," said Chaffetz, a Fox News contributor. "They are faking the idea that they are exasperated by the president's answer. Of course he can listen." Also, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, said it would be "foolish" for a president not to accept credible information from a foreign ally. Outrage, however, isn't just coming from Democrats or the press. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was among a number of Republicans who lashed out at Trump over his comments. Accepting the work product of a foreign government or the effort of a foreign government to try and influence an election of one candidate or another? It simply strikes at the heart of our democracy, Romney told Politico. Its wrong. Its antithetical to our democratic principles. In an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday, Trump said hed likely take foreign dirt if offered and go maybe to the FBI, if I thought there was something wrong. "I think maybe you do both. I think you might want to listen," Trump told Stephanopoulos. "There's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country Norway 'We have information on your opponent.' Oh. I think I'd want to hear it." On Friday, though, Trump said on "Fox and Friends" that of course he would alert the FBI in such a case, but only after reviewing the information because if you don't look at it, you won't know it's bad. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one Trump's closest allies, urged him directly after the ABC News interview to rethink his willingness to use foreign opposition research, according to Politico. The law is pretty clear. You cant take anything of value from a foreign government, Graham said he told Trump. He says, I didnt say I did. I said: Sitting down and talking to somebodys not a crime, but its probably not a good idea. I dont agree with you. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it "disgraceful," according to Politico. Stewart, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said Friday a president accepting information from a foreign country depends on what it is and where it comes from. "There might be valuable information that comes from one of our allies. If they look at it and it's credible, I think we'd be foolish not to take that information," he told Jim Sciutto on CNN. Chaffetz said it's "just fine" that Trump said he would both listen and go to the FBI, and then later in the Stephanopoulos interview "maybe" go to the FBI. He said Hillary Clinton spent millions to engage a foreign national to dig up dirt on her opponent. "The president isn't suggesting that he would proactively do that, but if somebody approached him, every single campaign I know of would listen to that material first. They absolutely would," he said. Stewart, too, mentioned Clinton, telling CNN, "Don't you see the irony of those who criticizing the president for something he said and not criticizing Hilary Clinton and the Democrats for something they actually did?" Chaffetz also responded to a tweet from Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren saying special counsel Robert Mueller's report made it clear that Trump welcomed foreign help, that he'd do it again and it's time to impeach him. "For the president to say he would listen, they're going to impeach him for that?" he said. "You know what? I'm tired of the impeachment talk. If they're going to impeach him, go ahead and do it. Go ahead and look at the Mueller report because it exonerates the president." Utah Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams said in a tweet he agrees with leaders who condemned Trump. "Our President should never accept help from a foreign power to win an election and any meddling must be reported to law enforcement," he tweeted. "Americans, and only Americans, should choose our leaders. To do otherwise is unethical and illegal." SALT LAKE CITY The Sudan military admitted for the first time that it ordered the brutal crackdown of the countrys protesters, which started a widespread panic and left scores dead, according to Al Jazeera. Sudans ruling military council said it ordered the dispersal of the sit-in protest at the capital, which led to dozens of deaths. The Transitional Military Council (TMC) spokesman Shams al-Din Kabashi said the military "decided to disperse the sit-in, according to Al Jazeera. Context: Protesters began their sit-in outside of the armys headquarters after they saw Sudans longtime president Omar al-Bashir overthrown back in April. As I wrote for the Deseret News, Sudans protesters have argued for the military to give power back to the people and allow for a governmental body controlled by the people instead of by the military. Talks between the protesters and the military broke down on June 3, which led to armed men in military outfits breaking up the protests. The health ministry says 61 people were killed that day, according to Al Jazeera. The fight turned deadly as 120 people were killed since June 3, according to the doctors and multiple reports. Hundreds have been attacked, beaten and arrested. More than 70 women have reportedly been raped, according to Refinery29. Why?: "We ordered the commanders to come up with a plan to disperse this sit-in. They made a plan and implemented it ... but we regret that some mistakes happened," TMC spokesman Kabashi said on Thursday. "What is delaying the negotiations is the false understanding of a civilian-led government ... In my view, civilian is the authorities, the ruling, the task which we agreed on. After we agreed that government ministers and the legislative council would be civilian-led, they are still screaming civilian, civilian," he said. "We believe the majority (of the sovereign council) should be military men and the leadership should be the military. They (protest groups) believe otherwise. We insist that the military is the soul guarantor for peace and stability in the transitional phase." Yes, but: The military shutdown the countrys internet access to stop "victims from reporting the crimes or asking for help from the global community, according to Fast Company. Help: Social media has looked to help with the ongoing crisis. As CNN reported, social media has gone blue as a way to support Sudanese people during their time of crisis by adding blue profile photos to honor the favorite color of a slain peaceful protester. Fast Company outlined a number of ways you can donate and support Sudan during the crisis, including signing a Change.org petition and donating to Save the Children or UNICEF. BOUNTIFUL A Bountiful police officer faces criminal charges in two separate cases accusing him of assault and accessing records he wasn't supposed to. Officer Ryan Kent Newbold, 31, who has been with the Bountiful Police Department since 2015, was charged in February with obstructing justice, a class A misdemeanor, and assault, a class B misdemeanor. Then on May 10, Newbold was charged with obstructing justice, a class A misdemeanor, plus two counts of unlawful access of police records and unlawful access of driver's license records, class B misdemeanors. Bountiful Police Lt. Dave Edwards said Newbold has been placed on paid administrative leave. He declined to provide specific details about what Newbold allegedly did, but noted that the charges are based on two separate incidents. The investigations into the allegations came about because of standard reviews that Bountiful police conduct every time an officer uses force. "In that process of those reviews, there was a concern of use of force in a case. That concern led to an internal investigation. Early on in the internal investigation, it came to light that it could be a potential criminal violation associated with that," Edwards said. In both cases, Edwards said Newbold was on duty when the incidents occurred. Bountiful police contacted the Davis County Attorney's Office to review the cases against Newbold as well as Peace Officers Standards and Training, the state agency that certifies police officers. The charging documents contain few details. According to one set of charges, on Oct. 20 Newbold "used unlawful force or violence on another causing bodily injury. The defendant then made verbal and written reports about the incident that were false and that were submitted to or relied upon by government agencies that were or would be conducting an investigation." The other incident allegedly happened on Nov. 27. Newbold accessed the statewide database for warrants, the National Crime Information Center, and driver's license information "for an unlawful purpose," according to charging documents. He allegedly accessed information "on an individual not associated with any investigation." "The defendant then disseminated the protected records for an unlawful purpose. When questioned, the defendant claimed he accidentally sent (the records), but that was shown to be false through text messages he had sent," according to charging documents. Newbold's attorney, Nathan Evershed, said he also would not release details about the allegations, but stated, "My client asserts his innocence. He is innocent until proven guilty. And we look forward to addressing these matters in a court of law." Newbold is scheduled to next appear in court in one case on June 28, and the other on July 10. Evershed said he will be requesting to have the two cases combined into one. But at a brief hearing Friday before Lubin, the teen moms attorney, Rajeev Bajaj, noted that the ban on her being with her son required her to find other lodging than her own home Thursday night the first night the baby stayed with his maternal grandmother. SALT LAKE CITY Despite difficulties caused by a long-lasting and rainy spring, builders have almost finished the new downtown Salt Lake City women's homeless shelter. "The delays we've experienced include weather, the constant, everyday rain put us back slightly on our schedule, but the building will be ready by July 1," said Preston Cochrane, executive director of Shelter the Homeless, which owns the new centers. Cochrane and other partners in the effort to address homelessness in the area held a news conference Friday giving reporters a glimpse of the $14 million women's resource center at 131 E. 700 South, one of three centers scheduled to open this year to replace the Road Home Shelter downtown. The 60,000-square-foot Geraldine E. King Women's Resource Center will start housing up to 200 women experiencing homelessness by the end of July or beginning of August, according to the Department of Workforce Services, a partner in the projects. June 30 was the original target date for opening all three new homeless resource centers. The modern, open space will offer supportive services including medical support, life-skills training, employment training and housing navigation, Cochrane said. It will be operated by Volunteers of America, with lunches and dinners brought to the center's large dining space every day by Catholic Community Services. Kathy Bray, president and CEO for Volunteers of America-Utah, said the most exciting aspect of the first center is that it will be women-only. "I think the women are really going to like it and they're going to feel special. And that's part of the healing, and it's part of the empowerment that we're hoping to instill because life has been pretty tough for these women," she said. "It's the first time we've had the opportunity in our community to have that for a while, and so to have 200 adult women here with our supportive services, we hope that we're going to be able to move people out of homelessness as soon as possible." Meanwhile, the Gail Miller Resource Center for men and women at 242 W. Paramount Ave. is expected to welcome clients about two weeks after the women's center. The third new resource center, on 1000 West in South Salt Lake, is expected to be ready in September. The combined cost for all three shelters is $62 million, the Department of Workforce Services said. The Utah Legislature appropriated $20 million to fund the construction. Prominent Utah businesswoman Gail Miller pledged to match dollar-for-dollar every donation up to $10 million to help fund the centers. Donations have also included $4 million from businessman Pat King for the women's shelter and $10 million from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for transitional housing. Shelter the Homeless also continues to seek donations to fund the homeless resource centers. As of Monday, the nonprofit had raised more than $6 million out of its $10 million goal, Cochrane said. The Road Home shelter will close in October after years of struggles. Legislators pushing to reform the homelessness system wanted the shelter to close June 30. Until the downtown homeless shelter finally closes in a few months, the Road Home staff has been trying to prepare Salt Lake City's homeless community for the change. "Like anything, change is hard for a lot of people. And where we've had the Road Home there for a long time and that's pretty much a concentrated area where anyone that might be experiencing homelessness may go, either Pioneer Park or that Rio Grande area. So anytime that you have a population that's used to a certain area, that has its challenges," Cochrane said. Shelter the Homeless has held focus groups with the people "to help them overcome any anxiety, help them understand what we're trying to do, and help them improve their lives. Most importantly, that this is a safe place to go," according to Cochrane. Each resource center was designed for crime-prevention and to offer trauma-informed help, he said. In the women's center, the women won't all sleep in one large room, but instead in more isolated, smaller rooms "so that you control the noise," Cochrane said, and for better crowd control. The shelter also has bike storage, a kennel area for companion dogs and a place where women can wash their pets, Cochrane said. "Little things like that that might keep people out of a traditional homeless shelter, we've tried to think of those things and those barriers that keep people on the street, and we want to make sure that we can help anybody that might be in need of our services." Each of the new resource centers will also have neighborhood advisory committees comprised of homeowners, business owners and people who work at hospitals and schools in the areas to identify safety issues in their neighborhoods, including people camping on the streets. While officials hope those staying at the shelters will escape homelessness, Cochrane emphasized that there is still a need for more affordable housing and increased wages to help people escape homelessness. When housing prices soar, "homelessness is right there with it," Cochrane said. Bray said the group is in its hiring and training process for the women's resource center. The center will need "a lot of volunteers." For more information about volunteer opportunities, visit voaut.org. SALT LAKE CITY With thousands of refugees seeking asylum near the United States-Mexico border, there's concern about them being taken and trafficked. Those at Operation Underground Railroad, a nonprofit organization with a mission to rescue children from sex trafficking, hope to prevent that from happening. Last month in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Jessica Mass, Operation Underground Railroad's aftercare director, recently spent two days educating and training about 100 people, including volunteers, first responders, clergy, medical professionals and political figures on how to spot human traffickers. "The training was well received. ... We wanted to make sure that the first responders and the shelter workers were adequately trained in how to identify human trafficking, what to look for and questions to ask," Mass said of the May 6-7 event. "This was not a political training but one to help protect those coming to the United States so they do not fall prey to traffickers." Mass said refugees from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have come to the U.S. for asylum due to threats and kidnappings. As the group's aftercare director since 2015, Mass has given similar trainings in more than 20 countries. Assisting "vulnerable populations" like these are a priority for OUR, she said. "When you can give people knowledge and help them identify trafficking, then change happens, because not only are you educating a community, you're also empowering them to know what to do if they see trafficking," Mass said. "We always encourage people to call the police or to call ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or their local law enforcement." Three of the main reasons why people are trafficked involve a lack of education, lack of livable income and a breakdown of the family, she said. "What those create are vulnerabilities," Mass said. "So when we're working with a vulnerable population, one thing to know is who's at risk and then be able to educate those in the community." Sometimes victims being trafficked don't know they are being trafficked as the betrayal comes at the hands of a "boyfriend" or trusted relative who is actually exploiting them, Mass said. "Traffickers have told me so often that their first tactic is to make that person fall in love with them," Mass said. "If they can make that person fall in love with them, they say, 'I have their heart and then I have their body.'" When a child is rescued from trafficking, OUR's aftercare program provides each survivor with a variety of resources, including mental health, education and vocational training, to assist in the healing process. These resources are enhanced through partnerships with other facilities and shelters, such as The Refugee Ranch in Texas and The Phoenix Dream Center and Streetlight. In her travels and trainings, people often ask Mass how they can get involved. First, she suggests completing an hour-long training on OURRescue.org. Second, get involved in your local community centers, shelters and foster care systems, Mass said. "That's where you really can have an impact on survivors of trafficking in your community," Mass said. OUR's president and founder, Tim Ballard, is a Brigham Young University graduate and is the author of several books published through Deseret Book. SALT LAKE CITY Gov. Gary Herbert visited a Swiss rail company Friday to kick off an 11-day European trade mission that includes stops in France to attend the International Paris Air Show and in Italy. The governor, who arrived in Zurich Thursday, visited the headquarters of the Stadler Rail Group in nearby Bussnang, a company that recently opened a new $50 million manufacturing facility close to Salt Lake City International Airport. Herbert said in a Facebook post he is "more grateful than ever for their decision to locate their North American manufacturing in Utah." He said Stadler is expected to employ 1,000 workers, building rail cars for transit agencies around the country. At the Swiss facility, the governor said he saw firsthand the company's "efforts to expand and innovate passenger train technology" and was "impressed by the steps Stadler is making to make travel easier and more enjoyable for everyone." There was also a meeting with high school-age apprentices, Herbert said, "useful for our team from Talent Ready Utah (the state's work-based learning initiative) to learn how apprenticeships are working in Switzerland." The visit by the trade delegation has been described as an opportunity to explore partnerships, including a similar apprenticeship program with Talent Ready Utah, Salt Lake Community College and public schools. In 2015, a group of state lawmakers and Utah Transit Authority board members stirred controversy by traveling to Switzerland to meet with Stadler officials at the same time the company was bidding to lease space from the transit authority. Later that year, Stadler announced plansto build a plant in Utah, its only facility outside of Europe and northern Africa. The company began contracting with U.S. transit agencies to build trains in 2002. Other stops on the trade mission include the International Paris Air Show that opens Monday. The largest air show in the world is a showcase for aerospace and defense technology. Eight Utah aerospace companies are expected to attend. Also next week, the delegation is set to visit Enel Green Power in Rome, a multinational energy company that has a first-of-its-kind plant in Cove Fort that combines geothermal and hydropower to produce electricity. Val Hale, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, said in a statement the trade mission "will allow Utah companies to connect with diverse industries," relationships he said are key to the state's economic success. A news release from the office and the World Trade Center Utah said the three countries were chosen based on the strength of their economies as well as their close ties to the United States. Nearly two dozen companies and organizations are participating in the trade mission, including Kaddas Enterprises, a company that makes plastic products used in buses, airplanes, utility lines, medical devices and more. The company's CEO, Natalie Kaddas, has already been on four Utah trade missions and said in a statement that "having the support of the governor establishes a level of credibility that a small business could not create on its own." Participants are scheduled to return to Utah on June 22. There have been lots of biopics of late but this is of another kind altogether. Yes, Another Bollywood biopic is on the anvil and this time it is not about any sort player, this time it is about the fearless flamboyant cop Pradeep Sharma from Mumbai who was also known as the encounter specialist and has been credited with killing as many as 312 underworld operatives in his controversial career that is 36 years. According to a media report, the Biopic will be titled Khallas. And the role Of Sharma will be essayed by none other than Randeep Hooda. Sonu Sood will also be playing a prominent character of Sharmas protege who was his associate in several encounters, Daya Nayak. South actress Nikesha Patel will be playing the leading lady in the film. The report states that the biopic is being directed by Ram Gopal Varmas in house assistant director Pradip Khairwar who has assisted the former on Rakhta Charitra. Khairwar has also worked as a production assistant on many of his projects. Therefore, it is needless to say that the film will be a gritty and thrilling representation of the Mumbai underworld. The report further reveals that the film will be produced by Simran Madaan of Pi film production in association with AB CINECRAFT. It will go on floors in August or September. Most of the shoot will happen in Mumbai along with a few foreign locales. The official announcement for the film will be made sometime in the mid of June. Sharma was first posted to the Mahim police station in Mumbai and was moved to the special branch in Juhu (a Mumbai suburb) Rising through the ranks, he went on to head the police stations in other suburbs of Mumbai and became a Senior Inspector in the crime intelligence unit of the Mumbai police. His career spanned 25 years, during which he earned fame for the successful "encounter killings" of as many as 312 criminals, including notorious crime bosses and terrorists belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba. He was one of the most famous officers of the Mumbai Encounter Squad. The film will be exploring all the shades of his life and experiences. The film will surely have a lot of similarities with another Ram Gopal Varma film Ab Tak Chappan which revolved around the life of an encounter specialist Sadhu Agashe. Again this character was also believed to be based on the lives of Pradeep Sharma. The film had Nana Patekar playing Agashe. We tried to get in touch with Khairwar but he remained unavailable till the time of filing the story. For more on this one keep a close tab on Desimartini.com Some Huawei users have complained that their smartphones suddenly started showing ads on the lock screen. UPDATE: Huawei reached out to Digit.in and said that lock-screen images which were displaying ads are now taken down from its servers and they shouldn't be appearing on lock screen of its phones anymore. However, some images with ads might have already been downloaded on a handset, which can be deleted manually by the user by swiping up on such an image and navigating to the operation toolbar. One can then tap on the "Delete" button and click "Remove" in the confirmation box that shows up. The company has not revealed whether this was an inadvertent mistake or was it trying to introduce ads on its phones in a not so subtle manner. However, it has apologised for the inconvenience and says it will continue to improve its services. Xiaomi is known for serving ads in its MIUI skin that runs on top of different Android versions. Users have been complaining about these advertisements and the company has reportedly taken note and could soon bring some changes. While Xiaomi seems to be listening to its users, it seems like Huawei might have taken a step in the wrong direction. Multiple Huawei smartphone users have reported seeing ads out of nowhere on their smartphones. First noted by Android Police, Huawei phones in several regions like Ireland, South Africa, Norway, the UK, Netherlands, and Germany started showing ads on their lockscreen. As per the report, various Huawei handsets are showing ads from Booking.com. Affected phones include the companys last year flagship Huawei P20 series, along with the new P30 Pro. The P20 Lite and Honor 10 users have also complained about the same issue. Users note that these ads are served when one selects preinstalled landscape background wallpapers feature called Magazine Unlock. This option displays different landscape wallpapers everytime the phones screen turns on and the only way to avoid ads is to turn it off. We have reached out to Huawei for a comment on this and will update the article when we hear back. @Huawei_Europe I just got an add of https://t.co/7GRlpt8z3k on my lockscreen. I am using a Huawei and I am not the only one who gets it. pic.twitter.com/mhfGixcwED Ceel Beckers (@BeckersCeel) June 12, 2019 While its not confirmed whether Huawei is planning on introducing ads to its ecosystem, or whether this was a mistake. However, replying to an irked user, Huaweis German Twitter account apologised and said, Im sorry that you think we want to advertise. The tweet also mentioned that one can deactivate the ad by swiping up on the wallpaper from the bottom and navigating to settings. They can then manually delete the image which is displaying the ad. As mentioned earlier, Xiaomi has reportedly announced that it will now monitor and optimise the advertisements users see on MIUI. This doesnt mean that ads are completely going away on the MIUI but they could be shown in a way that doesnt ruin the overall user experience on Xiaomi phones. Xiaomi CEO has reportedly said that the company would remove inappropriate ads that ruin the user experience. Generally, companies turn to advertisements to generate revenue and smartphone-makers allow developers to put ads into their apps for earnings. However, since last few months, Xiaomi phone users have complained of obnoxious ads placed at various spots in MIUI. The Chinese tech firm has reportedly announced that it will now be optimising and monitoring the advertisements in the OS. It means that the ads on MIUI are not vanishing completely but they are likely to be served in a manner that the overall user experience does not get ruined. As per a report in Gizmochina (via mydrivers.com), Xiaomi CEO and Co-founder, Lei Jun, has said that the company would remove inappropriate advertisements that ruin the user experience. Another executive reportedly said that the company is planning to reduce the number of advertisements in MIUI. Apparently, Xiaomi has already started reducing the number of advertising spots and will reportedly reduce more spots in the coming months. MIUI is basically a customised skin based on Android OS that delivers a string of features usually missing from the pure Android OS. These features include themes, Mi Drop and Scanner app. Not only these, Xiaomi has also included some apps, like Mi Pay and Mi Recycle programme meant for MIUI users. Xiaomi launched its UPI-based payments system Mi Pay in India in March. It competes with other digital payments platform like Paytm, Google Pay and Amazon Pay. Apart from China, India is the only country to get the Mi Pay app. As far as the Mi Recycle programme is concerned, it is aimed at helping users easily sell their old handsets. It performs a health check of a user's phone by performing a series of hardware tests, and get a resale value from Cashify. "We hope that bringing the Blood Donations feature to the US will make people more aware of the ongoing need for donations and that communities come together to help ensure everyone has access to safe blood when they need it.", explained Hema Budaraju, Facebook's Product Director of Health, in a newsroom post. According to Facebook, its blood donation service is functioning very well in Bangladesh, Brazil, Pakistan and India as more than 35 million users have already signed up to be donors.In Brazil and India, more than 20 percent of the people who visit blood banks, give credit to social network for influencing them.Now, as promised earlier , the tech giant has launched the same feature in the United States in order to raise awareness related to the blood donations.It is also a step to connect willing donors by the blood banks.Right now the feature is only accessible in New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, and Washington DC, but the company is planning to spread throughout the country in coming months.Facebook has connected with various blood banks and organizations, as users nearby who signed up as donors will be able to see their request on the website and social network's app.America's Blood Centers' chief executive officer, Kate Fry say that it will help every person easily find and join the nearest local blood bank to fulfill the need of diverse pool of blood donors in the United States and also share their experiences and the significance of blood donation culture.Anyone who wants to save precious human lives can sign up to the new Blood Donations entry by visiting their profile's About section.They'll get notified whenever any connected organization in their location calls for a blood donation and all the requests will be viewable in the feature's tab.Read next: Tackle the Facebook Notification Havoc with Easiest Customization Options Karate is a combination of aerobic exercise and strength training that also requires mental focus, balance and coordination. Those components exist in other forms of exercise and activity that have proven beneficial for Parkinsons patients, Fleisher said, but karate seemed to pull all of those together in this really unified way. Hong Kong: Labour chief to visit Geneva Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong will depart for Geneva, Switzerland, tomorrow to attend the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) as a member of the People's Republic of China (PRC) delegation. The conference is also called the Centenary Conference as 2019 marks the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 100th anniversary. The agenda of this year's labour conference includes discussion of the ILO's Global Commission on the Future of Work's report entitled "Work for a brighter future" and international labour standards on ending violence and harassment in the world of work. While in Geneva, apart from exchanges with tripartite representatives of the PRC delegation, Dr Law will also call on the PRC's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland and hold meetings with representatives of the ILO's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the International Social Security Association and the World Economic Forum's System Initiative Management Team. Labour Department and the Labour Advisory Board representatives are also attending the ILC. Dr Law will retun to Hong Kong on June 20. In his absence, Under Secretary for Labour & Welfare Caspar Tsui will be Acting Secretary. This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the 10 countries are importing Vietnamese tra fish with the turnover ranging from over USD1 million to about USD100 million. Mexico is currently the biggest purchaser, importing more than USD99.4 million worth of tra fish from Vietnam in 2018. It is followed by Canada (USD48.04 million), Australia (USD46.84 million), Singapore (USD45.98 million), Malaysia (USD38.33 million) and Japan (USD32.2 million). Last year, Vietnams tra fish exports to the CPTPP members totaled USD328.3 million, up 17.3 percent year on year. The shipments to most of these markets enjoyed strong growth, particularly Malaysia up 72.2 percent, Australia 34.4 percent, Singapore 20.7 percent, and Canada 19.5 percent. Vietnams tra fish exports to the CPTPP members totaled USD328.3 million in 2018, up 17.3 percent year on year (Photo: VNA) Under the agreement, import tariffs on most of aquatic products, including tra fish, will be eliminated. Therefore, businesses believe that this is a chance for Vietnam to bolster tra fish exports to both traditional and potential markets in the CPTPP bloc. Among the CPTPP members, Mexico is the most important market of Vietnamese tra fish because it is not only the biggest importer in the grouping but also ranks first in Latin America and fifth in the world in this regard. Although the tra fish shipment to Mexico fell 4.65 percent in 2018, it has been rising sharply this year, reaching USD40.8 million in the first four months up 31.5 percent year on year. Meanwhile, Japan has yet to be a major market of the Vietnamese product, but exports to it have reported impressive growth in recent years. The tra fish export value to Japan soared 37.6 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year. The revenue continued to surge 38.6 percent to USD8.58 million between January and April of 2019, making Japan one of the top 10 markets of Vietnamese tra fish in the first quarter. Though Chile is still is a small purchaser, good growth has also been seen in tra fish exports to this market, 15 24.3 percent between 2016 and 2018. Despite the modest turnover, Vietnam has become the biggest supplier of white flesh fish for this country. Insiders believe that there remain much potential for the Southeast Asian nation to expand its tra fish market share in Chile. Additionally, with the CPTPP, Chile has great potential to become a bridge helping Vietnamese tra fish enter 33 markets in Latin America./. The dismissive smackdown is becoming a signature of the mayors first days in office. She similarly silenced Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, at her first council meeting. With this one, Lightfoot regained her footing after an unsteady few days. A few days earlier, the Better Government Association, of which I am president, called her out for repeating an unsubstantiated rumor that before the violent Memorial Day weekend the FOP had told its members, If you see some criminal activity, just lay back, do nothing. Subscriber content preview PORTLAND (AP) Oregon's biggest city has launched a program to distribute portable toilets in order to reduce cleanup costs and improve public health and hygiene, officials said. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler proposed the Hygiene Street Response initiative after receiving numerous complaints about human feces in public places, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday. . . . Subscriber content preview YAKIMA (AP) A federal judge on Thursday rejected the Trump administration's challenge to a Washington state law that makes it easier for former workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to win workers compensation benefits. The Legislature last year passed a law that says some cancers and other illnesses among the workers are assumed to have been caused by chemical or radiological exposures at work. That makes it easier for them to win their claims. Before, they had to demonstrate that their illness wasn't caused by something else. . . . Subscriber content preview DRESDEN, Germany (AP) Around 100 works spanning Rembrandt's career are going on show in the German city of Dresden in an exhibition marking the 350th anniversary of the Dutch artist's death. The exhibition at the Kupferstich-Kabinett museum in Dresden opens to the public on Friday and runs through Sept. 15. As well as works by Rembrandt, it features another 50 etchings and drawings by contemporaries and later artists who were inspired by him. . . . Govt reduces ESI contribution rate from 6.5% to 4% The government on Thursday announced a major decision to reduce the rate of contribution under the Employees State Insurance Act (ESI Act) from 6.5 per cent to 4 per cent. While employers contribution will go down from 4.75 per cent to 3.25 per cent, employees contribution is being reduced from 1.75 per cent to 0.75 per cent. The reduced rates, which will be effective from 1 July 2019, would benefit 36 million employees and 1.29 million employers, an official release stated. The reduced rate of contribution will bring about a substantial relief to workers and will facilitate further enrollment of workers under the ESI scheme and bring more and more workforce into the formal sector. At the same time, a reduction in the share of contribution of employers will reduce the financial liability of the establishments leading to improved viability of these establishments. This will also lead to enhanced ease of doing business. It is also expected that reduction in rate of ESI contribution would lead to improved compliance of law. The Employees State Insurance Act 1948 (the ESI Act) provides for medical, cash, maternity, disability and dependent benefits to the Insured Persons under the Act. The ESI Act is administered by Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Benefits provided under the ESI Act are funded by the contributions made by the employers and the employees. Under the ESI Act, employers and employees both contribute their shares respectively. The Government of India through ministry of labour and employment decides the rate of contribution under the ESI Act. At present, the rate of contribution is fixed at 6.5 per cent of the wages with employers share being 4.75 per cent and employees share being 1.75 per cent. This rate is in vogue since 1 January 1997. The Government of India in its pursuit of expanding the social security coverage to more and more people started a programme of special registration of employers and employees from December 2016 to June 2017 and also decided to extend the coverage of the scheme to all the districts in the country in a phased manner. The wage ceiling of coverage was also enhanced from Rs15,000 per month to Rs21,000 from 1 January 2017. These efforts resulted insubstantial increase in the number of registered employees, ie, insured persons and employers and also a quantum jump in the revenue income of the ESIC. The increase in the number of employers, number of insured employees and total contribution received under the ESI scheme areas under: The Employees' State Insurance Scheme is an integrated measure of social insurance designed to protect 'employees' against the impact of incidences of sickness, maternity, disablement and death due to employment injury and to provide medical care to insured persons and their families. The ESI Scheme applies to factories and other establishment's viz. road transport, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, newspaper, shops, and educational/medical institutions wherein 10 or more persons are employed. However, in some states threshold limit for coverage of establishments is still 20. `SaveTheDoctor' protest in West Bengal spreads nationwide Doctors across the country joined the `SaveTheDoctor protest even as the strike by working doctors in West Bengal entered the fourth day and over 120 doctors resigned in protest against the attack on a student doctor in Kolkata. On Friday, the doctors' association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) offered full support to their West Bengal colleagues. Doctors boycotted work and staged protests holding placards and banners with Save the Doctors written on them. The strike started following news in the early hours of Tuesday that a young student doctor was attacked allegedly by the relatives of a recently deceased patient in Kolkatas NRS Medical College and Hospital. The doctor was allegedly hit with a brick on his head, leaving him with a fractured skull. He has been hospitalised and is in a critical condition. The incident sparked massive outrage among the medical community, with several doctors from the state of West Bengals healthcare sector threatening mass resignation if proper action was not taken to ensure the security and safety of doctors. A politically upset West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee asked the doctors to stop all protests and to go back to work. She also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the incident to create communal tension in the state. Services in a large number of state-run hospitals in West Bengal were paralysed after striking junior doctors rejected a four-hour ultimatum from chief minister Mamata Banerjee to withdraw the agitation and restore normalcy. Doctors and other members of the medical community tweeted with the hashtag #SaveTheDoctors, stating that they will be boycotting work and standing in support of the young doctor who was attacked and that the protests will continue until action is taken. Many doctors associations and groups, like the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) have also come forward to condemn the attacks against doctors. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) took note of the issue and announced that on Friday, protests would be held throughout the nation in view of rising incidents of violence against doctors and medical personnel. The association also asked members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. However, IMA stated that patient services, particularly emergency services, will not be affected by the protests. Oil prices spike after mystery attack on oil tankers off Iran coast Amidst increased US presence in the strategic Gulf of Oman, two oil tankers came under attack off the Iran coast on Thursday, in a development that could further deter countries from sourcing crude from Iran and thereby cause a spike in oil prices. Oil prices zoomed after a merchant shipping information service run by Britain's Royal Navy reported the "incident" in the Gulf of Oman. "UK and its partners are currently investigating," United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on its website, without giving further details. Global oil prices gained around four per cent immediately after the reports of the attack. Benchmark Brent oil was trading at $61.74 a barrel, up about three per cent. The Norwegian Maritime Authority said three explosions were reported on board the Norwegian-owned tanker `Front Altair after it was "attacked" along with the Singapore-owned cargo carrier `Kokuka Courageous. The crew of two oil tankers were evacuated after the vessels caught fire. The mystery incident, the second involving shipping in the strategic sea lane, send world oil prices soaring. Iran said its navy had rescued 44 crew members after the two vessels caught fire in "accidents" off its coast. The US 5th Fleet, based in the region, also said it had received two "distress signals." The mystery incident, the second involving shipping in the strategic sea lane in only a few weeks, came amid spiralling tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has pointed the finger at Iran over tanker attacks in May. United States Navy fighter jets were flying missions from an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday. Iranian state media said the first incident occurred on board the Front Altair at 8:50 am (0420 GMT) 25 nautical miles off Bandar-e-Jask in southern Iran. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was carrying a cargo of ethanol from Qatar to Taiwan, official news agency IRNA reported. "As the ship caught fire, 23 of the crew jumped into the water and were saved by a passing ship and handed over to the Iranian rescue unit," it said. "An hour after the first accident the second ship caught fire at 9:50 am 28 nautical miles off the port." The Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous was headed to Singapore from Saudi Arabia with a cargo of methanol, and 21 of its crew jumped and were rescued, according to IRNA. Singapore-based BSM Ship Management, which owns the Kokuka Courageous, said it had "launched a full-scale emergency response following a security incident". "The 21 crew of the vessel abandoned ship after the incident on board which resulted in damage to the ship's hull starboard side," it said. "One crew man from the Kokuka Courageous was slightly injured in the incident and is receiving first aid." It said the vessel is about 70 nautical miles from the United Arab Emirates and just 14 from the coast of Iran. Tehran said it has dispatched a helicopter from the port of Bandar-e-Jask to the ships' location for "further investigation". The Gulf of Oman lies at the other end of the strategic Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf, part of a vital shipping lane through which at least 15 million barrels of crude oil and hundreds of millions of dollars of non-oil imports pass. On May 12, four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati -- were damaged in still unexplained attacks in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates. Two Sinn Fein councillors have been elected Cathaoirleach and Leas Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District (MD) of Donegal. Cllr Noel Jordan (SF) who returns for a second term in the MD was proposed as Cathaoirleach by Cllr Niamh Kennedy (Ind) and seconded by Michael McMahon (SF). His party colleague Cllr McMahon was then elected to the role of Leas Cathaoirleach. Cllr Jordan said it was an honour to once again be Cathaoirleach of Donegal MD. "I am looking forward to working with the Directors of Services Pauric Sheerin, Garry Martin, Mark Sweeney and Enda Monaghan and all the staff. I welcome new members Cllr Michael McMahon and Cllr Barry Sweeny and look forward to working with them." The Cathaoirleach said that the previous five years in the MD had been very productive: "We worked together to see a number of major projects over the line," he said. "We shouldn't underestimate what we do." Projects over the last five years include the visitor centre at Sliabh Liag; opening Killybegs harbour to cruise ships; refurbishment and upgrading of Tir Chonaill Bridge; and significant progress in the Fintra Bridge realignment process. Cllr Jordan also spoke about securing funds for regeneration of a number of towns and villages. And furthermore, there are several major ongoing business and housing developments in the MD. He spoke too about road projects such as Mountcharles to Drumbeigh and the Pettigo road, as well as plans for Frosses to Inver due to begin this year. And there are the walkways from Ballyshannon to Rossnowlagh and Donegal Town to Killymard funded under the Community Improvement Scheme (CIS). "There are exciting times ahead," he said. "I have no doubt that we will all work together as we did for the last five years. If we work for all the MD I have no doubt that we will see every town from Bundoran to Glencolmcille prosper." Cllr McMahon thanked his fellow councillors for electing him as Leas Cathaoirleach: "We will work very closely together," he said. "There is no doubt about that. "Living in Bundoran, we wouldn't have had a councillor there for the last few years, though we haven't been forgotten about. But there is a lot of work to be done. I know I can count on the councillors and management for that." The newly elected councillors with directors of service at Friday's agm of the Donegal Municipal District A few years ago, retired Gen. Karl Eikenberry spoke to a full house at Northwestern and asked how many of the students had parents or siblings who had served in the military. Few stood up. Then he asked the rest of us, ranging widely in age. As the audience began to stand, we could see that the older people folks around my age were rising almost to a person. We were the children of veterans of World War II and the Korean War, and the generation that might have served in Vietnam. Those were all wars in which young men were subject to conscription. There may not have been universal service, but the military ranks included every segment of the population. When participants get to the job fair they should already have in mind what theyre going to do, Warren said. Thats the biggest focus, and what I see happen continuously is they dont know where to go or who to talk to. We want to get them familiarized with the actions to take when they enter, along with proper dress and etiquette and how to talk to recruiters. There will be many tactics discussed to give participants a chance to impress at the job fair. While Wiregrass 2-1-1 receives grant money for a Help Me Grow program for families with children, the nonprofit does not receive federal or state funding for its call center services. Duke said about 98 percent of its funding is local, including support from the Wiregrass United Way. When someone dials 2-1-1 from their telephone, they are connected to call specialists who connect residents with community organizations for services such as food pantries, home healthcare, utility assistance, housing, clothing and even opportunities to volunteer within the seven-county region of Southeast Alabama. The center, which provides its help at no charge, has about 900 partner agencies and works closely with them even during disasters such as last years Hurricane Michael when the center received 4,000 calls pertaining to the storm. For example, Duke said Wiregrass 2-1-1 was able to connect people without power following the hurricane with resources for live-saving necessities such as oxygen tanks. Attorneys for capital murder defendant Coley McCraney claim another inmate has been placed in McCraneys cell to dig for information that may be helpful to police. Defense attorneys David Harrison and Andrew Scarborough have filed a motion in Dale County Circuit Court, asking a judge to separate the inmates. According to the motion, the attorneys allege police have placed inmate Emanuel Gissendanner in McCraneys cell purposely to gain information. Gissendanner was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 2004 for the 2001 killing of Margaret Snellgrove during a robbery and kidnapping. The Alabama Supreme Court in January ordered a new trial for Gissendanner on grounds his defense team did not properly prepare for trial and the guilt phase of his case. Gissendanners case could be heard next week. Attorneys for McCraney have asked that Gissendanner be removed from the cell. The motion does not cite any legal precedent. The motion does not allege any inducements were offered to Gissendanner, who faces either life in prison without parole or death if convicted again at trial. Her advice for anyone interested in traveling a path similar to hers is to be prepared for setbacks. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Its hard to see yourself and your potential, Curry said. Youre not going to see that through just being successful at everything. She said all the students at West Point were superstars in high school and many go there thinking that they have it all together. But Curry said you have to change your perception. She said learning to deal with failure is important for everyone and a huge part of life. Curry realized she lacked confidence. The atmosphere at the military academy helped. Being at West Point, its such a people-oriented environment, she said. It forces you to work with people, and because of that I made so many friendships. The instructors at the school were available to help. I just love how I was able to go to my instructors office and get mentorship, she said, not just pertaining to academics but in leadership and as a person. I formed so many strong relationships and connections with people there because of that. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Louth Independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick raised the matter of unoccupied houses in Louth to the Minister of State for Housing in the Dail this week. Deputy Fitzpatrick said: "With more than 2 million houses and apartments in the State, and almost 200,000 lying empty, according to the Simon Communities in Ireland, it is about time that the Government took the housing crisis seriously." He continued: "I live in County Louth, the smallest county in Ireland. Our local authority has more than 60 unoccupied houses. "These include voids, where the people who once lived there have passed away, others which have been subject to compulsory purchase order, or houses which are vacant for other reasons. The local authority is crying out for help. "There are thousands on the waiting list. There is also a great deal of land in Louth. For some unknown reason, however, the Government has stopped our local authority from building houses. We have the land. All we need is a bit of funding." The Independent TD went on to say: "Is there any chance that the Government could use Louth, the smallest county in Ireland, in a pilot scheme to get 60 families off the waiting list and build these houses directly? "The Government keeps talking about billions of euro, but it would not cost big money to get this sorted out. I saw three houses yesterday in Dundalk. "It would only take a little paint work and other works to get this done. If the council boards up these houses, it will cost tens of thousands of euro. Let us sort out the problem." The Louth TD continued: "In response to my question in the case of County Louth, Damien English responded: 'There is no block on allowing the local authority to develop houses. In fact, we have engaged with the council on several projects. We have more than 60 projects going through the pipeline at the moment to develop houses. 'The council has a large land bank that carries a great deal of debt. We are happy to work with the council on that to bring forward housing solutions, including a combination of private, public and affordable housing, if needs be.' "I have persisted to Damien English that it is not happening", said Fitzpatrick Minister English responded: It is up to Louth County Council to bring forward a plan, and we are happy to engage on that. I wish to be clear on vacancies. We have used Louth as the best example of a local authority that has tackled vacancies. 'The council has gone out on many occasions in recent years under various schemes through which we have allocated money. 'The council has been successful in bringing forward vacant houses that belonged to the private sector. The council took them over through schemes and brought them back into use. 'We are encouraging the council to do more of that. We certainly reward counties where that is done and Louth is one that has successfully achieved this. Deputy Fitzpatrick concluded: "I know of 60 families who desperately need housing. I see this first hand in my constituency. Everyday I am contacted by families who are in dire need. Families require suitable housing. People are living in constant uncertainty. I appeal to the Minister of State to come to County Louth and sort this out." In Illinois, with its astonishing 7,000 local governments, the net effect is that affluent taxpayers now receive less subsidy from citizens of lower-tax states. In other words, Illinois taxpayers now pay more of the true cost of their state and local governments spending. And Illinois politicians no longer can mollify taxpayers with the old canard: Sure, were gouging you, but you can write off our high taxes on your federal return. I was absolutely horrified to hear about a Northbrook District 28 school bus being hit by a bullet while students were on a field trip at the Museum of Science and Industry last month. It is unclear whether a teenager was responsible, but it reminded me of an important way to prevent such violence making sure that children do not have access to guns. In 2015, over 260 children shot themselves or someone else when they found unlocked, loaded guns. Hundreds more children and youths die by suicide with a gun every year. Research shows that approximately 4.6 million American children live in homes with guns that are not stored responsibly. Some of those guns are right here in Northbrook. Lightfoot said she needs to learn more about the situation but said the exempts meaning nonunion police officials have to set the example. And the example of doing something that the mayor has directed them not to do is highly problematic. 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Walkers daughter was given the assignment last year in an issue of Studies Weekly, a national social studies publication that presents lessons on history, government, and society in a newspaper format, designed to be consumed week-by-week. The activity instructed her to write from the point of view of several Civil War-era actors, including a southern cotton plantation owner. Walker told the teacher that her daughter, who is black, would not be completing the assignment. Youre teaching them the horrors of slavery, and then youre asking them to give three pros for slavery? she said in an interview with Education Week. Walker was angry with the teacher, but also with Studies Weekly. What editor was like, this is a good idea? she asked. Her concern comes at a time when there is a growing call for schools to acknowledge the United States history of racism and oppression, and elevate the voices of groups of people who have been marginalized since this countrys founding. Recent campaigns have pushed schools to remove the names of Confederate leaders, and some districts have resurfaced debates about how to describe well-known historical events and figures. The article Walker identified wasnt an isolated incident. An internal review of Studies Weeklys widely used materials found more than 400 examples of racial or ethnic bias, historical inaccuracies, age-inappropriate content, and other errors in the materials, according to internal documents that were presented to the companys executive board, which were recently provided to Education Week. The staff review team flagged about 100 as high-priority fixes, which included biased language or age-inappropriate content, such as descriptions of graphic violence, according to these documents. The review took place during the 2018 calendar year. As part of the process, the company convened a diversity board, made up of K-12 administrators and social studies directors, education and history professors, and advocates, all but one of whom did not work for the company. This board reviewed incidents flagged as high-priority and made suggestions as to whether changes needed to be made, according to internal documents. Many of the issues identified in that review concern Native Americans or enslaved people. Some lessons asked students to espouse the views of plantation owners, or write from the perspectives of slaves. Examples in other lessons include describing Native Americans as troublemakers, saying that they seemed savage, and stating that tribes agreed to trade away their lands to white colonists. We have a tendency to either erase or whitewash our difficult history, and this seems to be an excellent example of the way that starts, said Maureen Costello, the director of Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who reviewed examples of flagged issues at Education Weeks request. We start laying down these false narratives in elementary school. The company says that it has changed and reprinted some of these materials and removed offending articles online. Other articles that included these issues, such as the Arkansas 4th grade and Kentucky 4th grade curricula, were pulled from the online store only after Education Week inquired about the review process. All of these issues are a concern for history and social studies publishers because social awareness is an evolving mindset, the company said in a statement emailed to Education Week, attributed to the executive team. Many of our products had gone to press while our diversity board was reviewing them, the statement reads. Since that time, we have made improvements, replaced identified publications, and reprinted revisions of others for the 2019-2020 school year. Finding Inaccuracies Studies Weekly, a Utah-based curriculum company founded in 1984, sells social studies curriculum for grades K-8 and science curriculum for grades K-5. More than 13,000 schools across the country, with about 4.3 million students, use Studies Weekly, according to the companys website. Eight states have adopted its materials, including Alabama, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. The review process focused on the companys social studies materials, which include newspapers with articles, activities, and writing prompts. In February 2018, the company came under fire for an article included in a 5th grade publication. The short fiction, titled Cotton-Pickin Singing, told the story of a white girl, Alana, and a black boy, Jackson, who were magically transported back to Georgia in the 1700s. Alana explains the history of slavery to the boy in a passage that includes several historical inaccuraciesincluding the false statement that white colonists didnt also enslave Native Americans. As she talks, Alana directs Jackson to pick cotton to appease the overseer. Parents in the Monroe County, Ind., school district voiced concerns about the lesson, and, as a result, the school board ended its contract with the company. That year, the company started an internal review process of their contentand assembled the external diversity board to assist in the work. In discussing the need for the board, Studies Weekly CEO John McCurdy said that what is considered acceptable language is different today than it was in the 1980s and 90s, when Studies Weekly was a new company. Now, he said, You dont call people slaves, you say they were enslaved. Its political correctness, and its sensitivity monitoring, and those kind of things. As a result of the review process, some articles have been changed and will be reprinted with updates, he said. The company also decided to discontinue some articles and write entirely new publications for those states. If teachers call in asking for these publications, they will be able to purchase online-only versionswith the offending articles removed, McCurdy said. Youve got teachers out there that are like, If you guys dont have something for me, I dont have the time to go create new stuff myself, he said. Teachers are swamped. And so they wanted it. Time constraints stalled the updating process, which will pick up again in July, said McCurdy. The company had to divert time to creating new publications for several state adoptions, and as a result not all of the flagged issues were addressed, he said in an email to Education Week. Education publishers do periodically update textbooks and other materials. But because of adoption timelines and purchasing cycles, these changes in the publications often dont reach schools right away. And it can be a logistical challenge to quickly correct a problem or error. In 2015, for example, a Texas high school student found a caption in a McGraw-Hill textbook that described enslaved Africans as workers. At the time, there were 100,000 copies of the book in the state, NPR reported. In this case, McGraw-Hill decided to ship corrected copies to schools for free or provide additional materialsa sticker to cover the caption in the book, and a lesson plan about the language. In their emailed statement, the Studies Weekly executive team noted that a revised weekly unit would be mailed to all of the customers who ordered the Florida 4th grade curriculum, which includes an activity that asks students to argue for or against secession. The diversity boards work had also halted. The companys chief product officer told the board in an April 10 email it was disbanded, and the members received no further assignments. However, they received a second email recently from McCurdy stating that the boards work would continue. That email was sent after he spoke with Education Week on June 7. Framing Historical Narratives Several patterns emerge among the articles that the company flagged as problematic during the review process. Many articles, as described in documents created by the review team, which were obtained by Education Week, include historically inaccurate or misleading information about the relationship between white colonists and indigenous people. Some of these materials are no longer available on Studies Weeklys purchasing website. The rest have been changed online and will be corrected for the print copies purchased for the 2019-2020 school year, according to the companys statement. Articles in Indianas 3rd grade curriculum and Washingtons 4th grade curriculum state that Native Americans agreed to trade away their lands. That framing obscures the contentious history of land rights in these areas, said Costello of Teaching Tolerance. War was often made on tribes, she said. The treaties were also problematic, because they often were coerced. False promises were made [by the U.S. government]. The trends in Studies Weekly materials reflect the broader erasure of Native people in U.S. history curriculum writ large, she said. We dont really ever grapple with the fact that we invaded this land, and then we proceeded to enslave and exploit an entire group of people. Other articles about Native Americans describe tribes as aggressive and primitive. An article in the Arkansas 4th grade curriculum calls indigenous people troublemakers, while an article in the Kentucky 4th grade publication states that Native people had simple clothing, houses and machines. Statements that describe indigenous cultures as simple reflect Eurocentric views that are woefully out of step with current historical knowledge, said Sam Wineburg, a professor of history at Stanford University, in an email. Other flagged articles concern slavery. Some ask that students take on the perspective of slavery advocates. Floridas 4th grade publication includes an activity that gives students the option to argue in favor of seceding from the Union to protect slavery. Others, like Nebraskas 4th and South Carolinas 3rd grade curricula, ask students to imagine that they are enslaved. Simply asking students to imagine the perspective of a slaveholder doesnt give them the tools to understand the past, said Stephanie P. Jones, an assistant professor of education at Grinnell College in Iowa. Instead, she said, teachers can ask students to interrogate primary sources. And activities that ask students to pretend theyre enslaved can be harmful for students of colorincluding students who are descended from enslaved people, said Jones. Why do we always have to emulate ourselves at the worst part of our lives? she asked. Acknowledging a Problem Walker, the Tennessee parent, also raised concerns about this kind of perspective-taking. After calling and emailing Studies Weekly about the writing exercise in her 5th graders work with no response, Walker posted on Studies Weeklys Facebook page in August 2018. A reply from the company on its page noted that it was working with the diversity board to remove dated and offensive content. The section had been removed online, the comment read. The incident made her worry about what her son, who will be starting 5th grade soon, might see in the publication. It just kind of strengthened why its so important for me to teach my kid history at home, and especially black history, said Walker. Theres no way that I trust this company to tell them anything about it. Problematic Lessons In an internal review, Studies Weekly flagged the following issues in their state-specific publications. This list is an excerpt from the hundreds of issues identified in internal documents in 2018, which were obtained by Education Week. Some of these materials are no longer available on Studies Weeklys purchasing website. The others have been changed online and will be corrected for the print copies purchased for the 2019-2020 school year, according to the companys statement. Arkansas 4th grade, Week 10: An article calls indigenous people troublemakers. Arkansas 4th grade, Week 16: An article asks students to imagine that they are a plantation owner. Indianas 3rd grade, Week 9: An article states that Native Americans agreed to keep a small part of land in Ohio. Kentuckys 4th grade, Week 7: An article says that Native Americans had simple clothing, houses and machines. Kentuckys 4th grade, Week 8: An article about the French and Indian War includes the following quote: After all, colonists probably thought, Who exactly owns all that wildland anyway? When the war was over, though, it was pretty clear: England was the owner! Suddenly, heading west didnt seem like trespassing. Folks came with confidence into this land that had once seemed off limits. The article does not mention that Native Americans were living on those lands. Michigans 3rd grade, week 17: An article states that settlers feared Native Americans because they seemed savage. Nebraskas 4th grade, Week 12: A writing activity asks students to imagine that they are enslaved. Virginias 4th grade, Week 9: An article describes Africans who were brought to Jamestown to work on tobacco fields without pay. It wasnt wonderful, but it was better than being a slave! the article reads. Washingtons 4th grade, Week 8: An article states that the Yakama people traded away their lands. Lavora Gayle Gadison, a member of the diversity board that had been assembled to review flagged issues and propose changes, said that the Studies Weekly materials that she saw shared many of the same problems she sees in social studies curricula nationwide. Gadison is the social studies curriculum manager at Cleveland city public schools. In general, she said, lessons objectify enslaved people and teach slavery in isolation without showing how American racism stems from justification of the institution. Materials dont explain that slavery was perpetuated because it was profitable for white peopleincluding the founding fathers. The stories [in Studies Weekly] were no more objectionable than the stories that we find in other U.S. history textbooks, said Gadison, whose district uses Studies Weekly. Gadison said the company was progressive for even looking at these issues. At least there was a start there, and at least there was an acknowledgmentit was acknowledged that there was a problem. Costello of Teaching Tolerance noted that the issues identified by Studies Weekly in their review are not specific to elementary social studies and history curricular materials. Misrepresentations of Native American history and reenactments of slavery can be found in K-12 classrooms across the country, she said. The fact that theyre reinforced in a textbook series is awful. But theyre handed down as the air we breathe, Costello said. But a review like this should be an opportunity to set the record straight, said Costello. Its a lesson in historiography. The way we interpret history changes as we learn more. Jones, the Grinnell professor, said that some of the onus is on districts, schools, and teachers to critically examine the materials theyre handed. Teachers need to be shown how to be interrupters of bias or racism in materials, she said. There are very few elementary school teachers who have much background in social studies, said Costello. Most are either reading or math specialists. Very, very, very few of them either majored or minored in history, she said. They tend to replicate what they were taught. Last fall, I was physically attacked by a student while helping another teacher in their classroom. This was my fourth documented assault at my middle school, and I gave my two-month notice shortly thereafter. Teachers cannot teach, and students cannot learn, in an unsafe school. During my nearly two-year tenure, our administration had been pushing for restorative justice practices. While Denver public schools, where I taught, does not have a uniform policy on restorative justice for all its schools, the district had been teaming up with local organizations and making a concerted effort to implement changes, with trainings, data collection, and Restorative Practice Coordinators. Fifteen Denver schools currently have grants from the district to support this approach. At my school, however, we were given no additional funding or supports. The goal of restorative justiceto limit suspensions, detentions, and arrests (especially in racially inequitable systems of discipline) and replace them with intentional consequences that promote accountability and support personal growthis incredibly important. But with poor implementation and inadequate resources, the results can be unacceptable. We shouldnt do restorative justice unless we do it right. A school district cannot simply say that it's going to become a restorative justice district and add no additional training, funding, or partnerships." Our school did its best. We did some of the things necessary for restorative justice: We made space for intentional discourse, asked students to fill out reflection sheets during interventions, and limited suspensions and expulsions. However, our administrators and staff had little to no formal training in how to lead restorative conversations. We didnt have alternative suspension placements and activities, nor did we have the outside partnerships, therapy services, or funding associated with comprehensive and effective restorative justice systems. Students would get away with both minor infractions and more severe misbehavior, which eventually threatened the overall safety of our school. More crucially, the needs of these students were not being met. Limiting suspension-worthy offenses and passing around a stuffed animal are no substitute for a well-run restorative justice program. Our toolbox was empty. I never had a restorative conversation with the student who physically attacked me. It was not initiated by an administrator, and I did not have the training or the ability to initiate it myself. A 2018 study by Matthew Steinberg of the University of Pennsylvania and Johanna Lacoe at Mathematica Policy Research highlights several crucial lessons required to administer a healthy school-based restorative justice program : First, suspending students for nonviolent misconduct does not benefit the misbehaving student or their peers. Restorative justice can serve as a valuable tool to help students process nonviolent misbehavior. But violent misbehavior, even under restorative justice, often demands a period of time during which the student should be off the school property. Secondly, the studys authors found that, We should not expect changes in student behavior simply by removing consequences for student misconduct. Effective restorative justice programming does not remove penalties. Rather, it makes consequences more intentional. It is a common misconception that restorative justice does not support suspensions or further discipline. Rather, students may do an alternative suspension placement and complete constructive assignments that help them to process the incident. They might also engage in a guided reflective discussion and activity. Finally, for restorative justice to work, schools must have additional supports. A school district cannot simply say that its going to become a restorative justice district and add no additional training, funding, or partnerships. To quote the researchers, again, district-level policy reforms designed to reduce the use of suspensions should be coupled with intensive school-level supports for schools struggling the most with student misconduct. If we are to reduce suspensions, we must offer schools a viable alternative response to student misbehavior. In 2003, Clayton County, Ga., created the nations first school-justice partnership . Since then, it has become a model for effective school restorative justice programming. The more than 20 districts that have adopted the countys model use a multidisciplinary approach, a cocktail of partnerships, people development, resources, and structures designed to effectively run restorative justice programs. The model relies on intentional collaboration between schools, mental and behavioral health specialists, law enforcement, juvenile justice officials, and local community organizations. These districts ensure adults have the support and training necessary to carry out restorative justice best practices. Services include crisis intervention, family-focused counseling, and cognitive behavioral therapy. In Clayton County, this has meant investing the money and resources necessary to support those aims. In the fiscal year 2018, Claytons budget for the partnership was $4,416,480. They also received an additional $838,366 in grant funding from a variety of sources. And it has paid off. Between 2003 and 2018, Clayton Countys average daily population in juvenile detention fell 75 percent. The rate of youths of color committed to the juvenile-justice system has decreased 64 percent, and less than 1 percent of students referred to alternative programs were rearrested before their court case closed. Clayton County has been successful because it has set itself up for success. If Denver, and other districts, are to truly advocate for restorative justice, they must go all in. We need a comprehensive set of policies to help eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline. Students need firm boundaries at school, consistent positive and negative consequences, spaces to reflect, and trusted and trained adults who can help them to process trauma, emotional responses, and typical adolescent rebellion. Restorative justice programming should also involve strategic use of all the local resources available to schools. Denver, for example, with its access to the outdoors, and numerous youth organizations and cultural centers, can take advantage of community partnerships to enrich a restorative justice program. Finally, districts must put their money where their mouth is, through a dedicated application of funds for professional development, increased hiring of social workers and psychologists, and strategic programming. To me, that sounds a lot more promising than a few peace circles. Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 17) This article explores the perception of colour across cultures and highlights the use of colour in corporate branding. Never underestimate the importance of selecting the right colour to represent a brand. Every colour used in branding has a psychological link or message. It is, however, very important to remember that these psychological links can differ from culture to culture; bear this in mind if you do business in different geographical regions and with people of different cultural backgrounds. Fig. 1 shows a summary of well-known brands and the colours representing them. We now turn to the individual colours used predominantly in branding. Red Red captures attention. It generally represents creativity, adventure, excitement, enthusiasm, success and balance. Think about the logos of successful companies such as ABSA; Avis; Cell C; CNN International; Coca-Cola; Kelloggs; Lego; Virgin and Vodacom. Some lighting designers and marketers think splashes of orange do the same as red, but orange is proven to be nowhere as attention commanding as red. Orange is often identified with creativity and playfulness. Some companies that use orange in their logos include Amazon; Bic; Fanta; Payless and the University of Johannesburg. Yellow Yellow draws attention to sunshine, happiness, optimism, summer and cheerfulness, but it can also mean warning, deceit and even distrust. It can also be interpreted as clarity and warmth. Company logos using yellow include Builders Warehouse; Chevrolet; DHL; Ferrari; Hertz; MacDonalds; MTN (although combined with blue and white); Murray and Roberts; Shell and Subway. Blue Blue represents the sea and the sky. Psychologically, it represents stability, harmony, peace, calm and trust. Some of the well-known brands using the colour blue are Dell; Facebook; First National Bank; HP; Oral B; Sappi; Standard Bank and Telkom. Green Green is strongly associated with nature and money. It is linked to growth, fertility, health and generosity. Companies who make good use of the colour green include Berocca; John Deere; Milo; Nedbank; South African National Parks; Spotify; Trees South Africa and WhatsApp. Black Black is used very often in the logos of retailers. This is because the colour black represents mystery; power; elegance; intrigue and sophistication in Western society. This is also the reason why some retailers use black-and-white photographs to promote products or for their lifestyle banners in-store. Brands using black in their branding include Apple; BMW; Chanel; Monster; Taste Holdings; Weber and Woolworths. Brown We all recognise that brown is an earthy colour and it takes us back to the soil, wood, sand and stone. It can also be interpreted as taking us back to our roots and nature. It is not easy to identify companies who use brown in their logos. Nescafe uses different shades of brown for their coffees. Other companies include the Minerals Council of South Africa (formerly the Chamber of Mines); Discovery Medical Aid; Egoli Textiles; Nespresso and UPS. Pink The colour pink is associated with femininity, playfulness, immaturity and love. Retailers like Toy Kingdom; Toys R Us; Hamleys Toy Shop; Toy Factory Shop and Toy Zone use the colour pink to identify the group of children for whom the toy is intended. In line with the colours association with femininity, brands using pink in their logos include Barbie, Charlie and Victorias Secret. White White, the traditional colour of a wedding dress, signifies purity, innocence, goodness, cleanliness and humility. Some examples of companies that use white in their logos are Adidas; Asics; Nike; Showmax; Sygnia (black lettering on a white background); Tsogo Sun; Uber and Woolworths (black lettering on a white background). Purple Purple has long been associated with royalty and religion. It should therefore come as no surprise to learn that purple is associated with power, nobility, luxury, wisdom, old age and spirituality. This symbolism is used by companies such as Cadbury Dairy Milk; Hallmark; Hollard and Yahoo. Grey Grey is a neutral colour. It has no particular meaning and is better associated as simply a shade between black and white. Examples of companies that use grey as the dominant part of their logo are Naspers; Apple and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Colour across cultures Fig. 2 reflects some extreme differences in meaning of colours across cultures. Notice the colour red: In the West, red traditionally reflects danger, love and passion but, in Asia, it denotes happiness, joy and celebration. In Latin America, it implies, religion and passion while, in the Middle East, it reflects danger, caution and evil. Conclusion We take for granted our perception of colour, but colour is in fact far more complex. Lighting design students learn about the absorption, reflection and transmission of light. They understand that a negative effect resulting from absorption is an increase in surface temperature. Even this will vary according to the characteristics of the material upon which the light falls. Contact Phil Hammond, BHA Lighting and BHA School of Lighting, Tel 021 552-4848, phil@bhalighting.co.za Related Articles I think you absolutely have to strike the right balance, but any time I can go to another city, particularly (large) cities like LA and now New York and learn from leaders there firsthand about a number of different issues, Im going to take advantage of that opportunity, Lightfoot said. Theres things that you can learn by being in the room with people thats different than talking to them over the phone or reading a policy paper. 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. Germany has auctioned off the 5G licences. The auction of the German 5G frequency licences brings the state 6.55 billion Euro. All four participating companies were awarded contracts for blocks in the 2 GHz and 3.6 GHz ranges - and voluntarily bid more than expected. The fact that frequencies are a scarce commodity is demonstrated by the auction of the 41 frequency blocks now completed for the launch of the 5G mobile communications network in Germany: 12 blocks with 2 5 MHz bandwidth (paired) in the 1.921.98 GHz range and 2.112.17 GHz and 29 blocks in the 3.43.7 GHz range. In the 3.6 GHz range, one block was defined with a bandwidth of 20 MHz, the remaining blocks with a bandwidth of 10 MHz. The two blocks at the edge No. 1 with 3.43.42 GHz and No. 29 with 3.693.7 GHz were also concretely auctioned off, all others in abstract terms, i.e. the concrete allocation of the actual frequency range is still taking place. This allows a coherent allocation of the frequency blocks. The mobile network operators can reach an agreement among themselves within a period of one month and propose the agreement to the German Federal Network Agency for adoption. A part of the 2 GHz band with 2 20 MHz bandwidth will only become available from 1.1.2026 and can be used by the new licensees for 5G. For the 20 MHz block 3.43.42 GHz (No. 1), the auction price of EUR 44.373 million (knockdown: Vodafone) was significantly lower than for the other blocks. It is located at the lower edge of the 3.6 GHz range planned for 5G and could be disturbed by radar systems operating in the adjacent frequency range. To compensate for the interference, this edge block was equipped with twice the bandwidth, but the four bidders were still remarkably reluctant to use this block. In comparison: The highest bid for a block in the 2 GHz range is EUR 213.816 million also awarded to Vodafone. Four blocks with 2 5 MHz bandwidth (paired) in the 2 GHz band will only be available to the companies that won the contract Drillisch Netz AG, Telefonica Germany and Vodafone from 1 January 2026. These are the ranges 1.931.94 GHz / 2.122.13 GHz and 1.951.96 GHz / 2.142.15 GHz, in which existing rights of use for network access to the provision of telecommunications services continue until 31 December 2025. All other blocks can be used from 1.1.2021. The frequency allocations are all limited until 31.12.2040. Auction 5G Frequencies in Germany Alle Bilder anzeigen (5) At PCIM Europe 2019, Gregg Lowe, CEO of Cree, announced that the company will invest one billion US dollars in manufacturing capacity of SiC and GaN. Wafer capacity is the bottleneck in commercializing silicon carbide. At PCIM Europe 2019, Gregg Lowe, CEO of silicon carbide pioneer Cree, announced to invest one billion dollars into SiC and GaN capacity. DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK was able to talk to him on his plans right after this announcement. DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK: Gregg Lowe, just a few minutes ago you announced that Cree is going to invest one billion US Dollars into capacity. Where is this money coming from? Gregg Lowe: We have recently closed the sale of our lighting business to Ideal Industries. This transaction is worth 310 million. The rest comes from our strong balance sheet. We are going to invest this sum over the next five years. When are you starting invest? Gregg Lowe: Right now. Last year you said to me, Cree doubled its capacity since you came on board in September 2017, and Cree is going to double it again till 2019. What is the new plan? Gregg Lowe: If you take September 2017 as a baseline, we will expand our capacity by 30 times. Cree's capacity expansion is based on three pillars: $450 million will be invested in a new Materials Mega Factory, another $450 million will be spent on equipping an empty wafer fab, and another $100 million will be spent on other aspects of the expansion. Can you please be more specific? In which projects will this amount be invested? Gregg Lowe: The capacity expansion is based on three pillars. Firstly, additionally to our existing materials factory we will build a Materials Mega Factory on the Cree Campus in North Carolina for 450 million dollars. There the raw material will be grown and then sawn into wafers. Secondly, we will equip an empty wafer fab on the Cree campus for another 450 million dollars to process 150 millimeter wafers. However, this so-called North Fab can easily be upgraded for 200 millimeter wafers as soon as market demands this. This could be in the middle of the next decade. Thirdly, another 100 million dollars will go into other aspects of the expansion. When will this North Fab ramp up? Gregg Lowe: In our fiscal year 2022. Its also worth mentioning that our investments in the materials business will include us bringing up a second site that is a few kilometers away and will be supplied from another power grid. This will give us and the industry more security and stability in the supply of raw wafers. Lets come back to the selling of Crees lighting business. I remember talking to you at electronica 2018 about the issues with the lighting business. I proposed to sell it, but you said that you are going to fix it. WEKA Fachmedien At PCIM Europe 2019, Gregg Lowe, CEO of Cree, announced an investment of $1 billion in Wolfspeed over the next five years. The objective is to increase SiC wafer production capacity by 30 times. Just a few minutes after the announcement, we were able to talk to him exclusively. Gregg Lowe: And we have fixed it. By selling it? Gregg Lowe: No. We fixed it first, and then we sold it. We had to fix it anyway, whether we wanted to keep it or sell it. As you can see from our results for the second quarter of our fiscal year 2019, we have been able to leverage the gross margin of our lighting business from 15.9 percent in December 2017 to 25.7 percent in December 2018! And in the same time its gross profit rose by nearly 50 percent! Our team did an amazing job to fix this. Our editor Ralf Higgelke together with Engelbert Hopf, Chief Reporter of Markt&Technik, Gregg Lowe, CEO of Cree/Wolfspeed, and John Palmour, Cree's co-founder and CTO of Wolfspeed (from left to right) But selling the formerly biggest business of Cree is a complete turn-around in strategy, isnt it? Gregg Lowe: You are absolutely right. When I joined the company, we quickly identified that our fastest growing business will be Wolfspeed, the power and RF business of Cree. And as we talked about this last year, our target has been to quadruple that business from 220 million dollars annual revenue in 2017 to 850 million dollars by 2022. For this fiscal year 2019 we have a target of 540 million, so we are on a very good path. Therefore, I expect us to surpass the 850-million-dollar mark by 2022. Seite 1 von 2 Gunfight killed two militans in Kashmir Two militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir district. Two militants were killed in a gunfight in the southern part of Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday morning, police said. TWO DEAD In an official statement, police said the incident occurred in the Braw Bandina village, the Awantipora area. They were informed about the presence of the militants in the village prior to the gun battle. The police are on a mission to identify the militants killed, and to find their affiliations, the statement added. The killings happened two days after five paramilitary personnel were killed in a militant attack in the Anantnag district, Kashmir's south. The killings also came on a day when the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is being held in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, with the attendance of both Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Internet was interrupted in the south of Kashmir soon after the militant killings as people took to the streets at various places, chanting slogans for independence and pelting the heavily armed Indian forces with stones. New Zealand mosque terrorist pleads not guilty Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant has today denied murdering more than 50 Muslims during the Christchurch mosque attacks and will stand trial in May next year. Australian terrorist pleaded not guilty on Friday to 92 charges stemming from a massacre in two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch three months ago and will stand trial in May next year. The terrorist armed with semi-automatic weapons attacked Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on New Zealands South Island on March 15, killing 51 people in the countrys worst peace-time mass shooting. HE HAD BROADCAST THE SHOOTING LIVE FACEBOOK Brenton Tarrant, 29, a white supremacist, appeared by video link from a maximum security facility in Auckland while his lawyer entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. The accusations against him include one terrorism charge. About 80 members of Christchurchs Muslim community and dozens of media representatives attended the hearing in a packed court room, with many seated in another room watching by video. Tarrant has been remanded in custody until Aug. 15, when the next case review hearing is scheduled. The court lifted an order last week suppressing the publication of pictures of Tarrant. An interim suppression order barring the publication of the identity of survivors also lapsed and will not be reinstated. Russia: We condemn the US-Poland treaty Russia's Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has condemned Trump's plan to send additional US troops to Poland, warning it would destabilize the regional security situation. Russia is closely following and scrupulously examines the expansion of military cooperation between the US and Poland, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "WE ARE FOLLOWING THIS TOPIC CLOSELY" The Russian Defense Ministry with great attention analyzes information to prevent any threats to the safety of the Russian Federation, Peskov told reporters in Moscow. On Wednesday, Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a new defense agreement that will send roughly 1,000 more US troops to Poland. Duda and other top Polish officials had been lobbying for a bump to US forces, as well as a permanent US base, in the Central European nation amid concerns about Russian activity in Eastern Europe, particularly its support for separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Duda hailed the decision, saying it marks "another era" in defense relations between Warsaw and Washington, stressing it is ultimately up to the US to decide "how many troops will be sent to Poland." In a statement, Russian Foreign ministry called the US-Poland defense pact "a new factor of tension" in Europe. The ministry said the agreement violates one of the basic point of NATO-Russia Founding Act that restricts deployment of additional military forces in Europe on a regular basis. "Thus, a new factor of military and political tension is emerging in Europe. Further dangerous military build-up on the continent is being carried out by Washington without taking into account obligations under multilateral instruments," the ministry said. Six FETO terror suspects arrested in Turkey Operations to arrest the remaining 12 suspects are ongoing. Six suspects have been arrested in Turkey's capital Ankara for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, judicial sources said Friday. 6 TERROR SUSPECTS ARRESTED The six are part of a group of 18 wanted by Ankara prosecutors for allegedly having financial ties to the terror group, as well as for using ByLock, its encrypted messaging app, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media. FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. Trump is planning to talk to Iran amid tensions Trump said it's too soon to consider making a deal with Iran amid mounting tensions between the two countries. Donald Trump said Thursday it is "too soon" for the US to engage in nuclear talks with Iran just minutes before the country's top diplomat blamed Tehran for attacks on two oil tankers near a critical waterway. "IT'S TOO SOON FOR THE DEAL" "While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal," Trump said on Twitter, referring to Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe. "They are not ready, and neither are we!" Abe visited Iran in a bid to ease tensions between the US and the Islamic Republic. Following their meeting, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in remarks carried by Iranian state news agency FARS that he did not see Trump as deserving of a message from him. "I do not consider Trump, as a person, deserving to exchange messages with. We will not negotiate with the United States," he said, according to FARS. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been at a fever pitch since Trump unilaterally withdrew the US in May 2018 from an international pact aimed at reigning in Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions. UAE extradites suspects of Sri Lanka Easter bombings More than 250 people were massacred and over 500 injured after a series of blasts in April during Christian mass. The United Arab Emirates has repatriated five Sri Lankans for their alleged involvement in the deadly Easter bombings, according to media reports on Friday. THE SUSPECTS ARE BEING QUESTIONED Officials from Sri Lankas Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had travelled to Dubai for investigation into the bombings, which was claimed by Daesh terror group. [CID] officials [] have returned after apprehending five suspects over the Easter Sunday bombings, Colombo-based Sunday Times reported. The media report said Mohamed Milhan, one of the repatriated suspects, was listed as a terror suspect even before the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The suspects are currently being questioned by the CID in Colombo, Sinhalese police said. US continues to blame Iran US has blamed Iran for an attack on 2 tankers in the Gulf of Oman, releasing video footage that it claims shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an exploded mine from one of the vessels' hulls. The US military released a video Thursday that it said showed a member of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) removing an unexploded mine from one of two oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman. US CLAIMS VIDEO SHOWS IRAN REMOVING MINE FOR TANKER In the black-and-white footage posted on the US Navy's Twitter account, a small boat is seen approaching the damaged Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and an individual can be seen allegedly removing what it said to be a limpet mine. The Marshall Islands-flagged Front Altair and Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous were on their way to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia respectively when they were attacked earlier in the day near the Strait of Hormuz. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Tehran, describing the attacks as part of "an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran". Iran's UN Mission said its government categorically rejected Washington's claim that it was responsible for the attacks and condemned the incident "in the strongest possible terms. US government deports immigrant veterans According to the agency, the number of veterans deported or in removal proceedings is unknown since Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not identify them as veterans. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deports noncitizen military veterans despite its legal obligation to take their service for the country into consideration, a federal watchdog agency reported Thursday. "OUR GOVERNMENT IS FAILING OUR IMMIGRANT VETERANS" The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in its study that between 2013 to 2018, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents deported veterans without a second thought. Through its policies, ICE has established that these noncitizen veterans warrant special consideration in the event that they become subject to immigration enforcement and removal from the United States, the GAO wrote. However, because ICE did not consistently adhere to these policies, some veterans who were removed may not have received the level of review and approval that ICE has determined is appropriate for cases involving veterans. The Immigration and Nationality Act allows immigrant service members to acquire US citizenship if they apply for it, but most of these service members mistakenly assume that citizenship comes automatically. Honorably discharged immigrant veterans can be deported if they are convicted of crimes under US law. Deporting veterans represents a failure by our government that could have been prevented if ICE officials had been adhering to agency policies. This level of carelessness and disregard for official procedures is negligent and unacceptable, said Democrat Congressman Mark Takano, the new chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. In its response to the report, ICE said it would update its training for its agents and expects to complete it by May 2020. Our government is failing our immigrant veterans men and women who have dutifully served our nation, said Juan Vargas, another Democrat Congressman from California. USs companies warn Trump on China tariffs Last month, Trump increased the tariffs on China to 25 percent, up from 10 percent, on $200 billion dollars worth of Chinese goods. US companies have sent a letter on Thursday to Donald Trump saying that tariffs on China will have a negative long-term impact on American businesses. WARNING TO TRADE COMPANIES Some 600 American retailers, farmers, and manufacturers, which include Walmart and Levi Strauss, signed the letter, and urged Trump to forego levies on Beijing amid an ongoing trade war between the two countries. "Broadly applied tariffs are not an effective tool to change Chinas unfair trade practices. Tariffs are taxes paid directly by US companies, including those listed below not China," the companies said in the letter. Trump has also warned that he would impose more tariffs on $300 billion dollars worth of goods from China. The companies warned that the additional tariffs could create a huge penalty for the average Americans, adding $2,000 more to the cost for a family of four and reducing the US's GDP by 1 percent, and the amount of jobs in the country by 2 million. "We urge your administration to get back to the negotiating table while working with our allies to develop global, enforceable solutions. An escalated trade war is not in the countrys best interest, and both sides will lose," the letter read. Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, a coalition of US businesses and firms created to oppose tariffs, organized the letter to the Trump. Based on voices coming from the Mahyavanshi community of Surat, and drawing from the intersection of urban studies and recent debates on Dalit experience, the relationship between Dalits and the city is examined. These voices and their narratives of desire and aspiration do not take shape as bereft of sufferings and discriminations. Yet, in their articulation, they allow us to engage with the ignored dimensions of Dalit personhood and reveal facets of city life that are less attended to. The regal realm with the sorrowless name: The awards, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, hope to stimulate ideas on innovative ways in which emerging technologies can be used to address pressing problems in fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model. College Park, MD, June 14, 2019 -- The American Physical Society has announced the newest awardees of the Fundamental Physics Innovation Awards. The awards, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, hope to stimulate ideas on innovative ways in which emerging technologies can be used to address pressing problems in fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model by bringing people together to collaborate on ideas and explore new cost-effective approaches. The awards, which are bestowed multiple times per year, provide funding at three levels: Lectureship Awards ($2,000) for seminar presentations, Visitor Awards ($5,000-10,000) for longer collaborative interactions, and Convening Awards ($25,000-75,000) to support small scientific meetings. "These awards are about bringing people together to think creatively about how we can take the next steps in fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model," says Theodore Hodapp, Director of Project Development at APS. "Large mega-projects offer one direction, but table-top physics may offer a window into underlying physics in completely unexpected ways." The Standard Model, describing nature's matter and force particles, is known to be incomplete, and the conventional techniques for discovering new particles (colliders, large detectors, etc.) are becoming prohibitively expensive. Given the challenge posed by open questions such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, it is important to find alternative ways to test well-motivated theories that aim to solve important problems of fundamental physics. April 2019 Convening Awards Philip Cole: Philip Cole (Lamar University), Elton Smith (Jefferson Lab), and Michael Wood (Canisius College) will receive a Convening Award to organize the Light Dark Matter @ Accelerators LDMA2019 workshop. Andrea Celentano and Marco Battaglieri, both from INFN-Genova, are the lead workshop organizers of LDMA2019, which will convene in Venice, Italy, November 20-22, 2019. April 2019 Visitor Awards Timothy Chupp: Measurement of magnetic fields with absolute accuracy is being transformed with the development of optically pumped 3He magnetometers and self-calibrated measurement the magnetic moment of the helion - the 3He nucleus. This Visitor Award will enable my collaboration with the group of Professor Klaus Blaum of Max Planck Institute, Heidelberg, bringing these two developments together and connecting to measurement of the magnetic moment anomaly of the muon, which is currently underway at Fermilab. Yamac Deliduman: Prof. Yamac (Pehlivan) Deliduman from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul and Prof. A. Baha Balantekin from University of Wisconsin - Madison will collaborate on the neutrino emission from a core collapse supernova. In particular, they will analyze the emergent many-body phenomena associated with neutrino flavor oscillations at high densities, and illuminate the possible role of sterile neutrinos in the scheme. Jayant Murthy: This proposal aims to invite Jayant Murthy, an expert in observational analyses of the ultraviolet background radiation, to Maryland to engage in intensive discussions with James Overduin (Towson University) and Richard Henry (Johns Hopkins University) on the possibility that recently detected anomalies in this radiation may be connected to the nature of dark matter. In particular, we aim to determine whether a conclusive answer to this question may be obtained using data from the ALICE spectrometer aboard the New Horizons spacecraft. Qiaoli Yang: Qiaoli Yang, Associate Professor of Physics at Jinan University in Guangzhou, will visit Professor Pierre Sikivie at University of Florida to explore the quantum nature of axion dark matter. As axions are generally predicted by theories with extra dimensions such as string theory, a deep understanding of their quantum properties and consequent cosmological, astrophysical and laboratory properties may serve as a new window on ultra-high energy scale physics. April 2019 Lectureship Awards Jon Urheim: Prof. Jon Urheim of IU Bloomington will be presenting a department-wide colloquium on the DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) and NOvA (NuMI Off-axis electron neutrino appearance) projects which he works on, as well as on neutrino physics in general. Fundamental physics will be advanced through an interdisciplinary discussion linking neutrino physics with dark matter (LZ, UAlbany Prof. Szydagis) and the LHC (ATLAS, UAlbany Prof. Jain). For more information visit the Moore Foundation Physics Innovation Awards website (https://www.aps.org/programs/innovation/moore/). ### UPTON, NY--Scientists seeking to understand the mechanism underlying superconductivity in "stripe-ordered" cuprates--copper-oxide materials with alternating areas of electric charge and magnetism--discovered an unusual metallic state when attempting to turn superconductivity off. They found that under the conditions of their experiment, even after the material loses its ability to carry electrical current with no energy loss, it retains some conductivity--and possibly the electron (or hole) pairs required for its superconducting superpower. "This work provides circumstantial evidence that the stripe-ordered arrangement of charges and magnetism is good for forming the charge-carrier pairs required for superconductivity to emerge," said John Tranquada, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. Tranquada and his co-authors from Brookhaven Lab and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University, where some of the work was done, describe their findings in a paper just published in Science Advances. A related paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by co-author Alexei Tsvelik, a theorist at Brookhaven Lab, provides insight into the theoretical underpinnings for the observations. The scientists were studying a particular formulation of lanthanum barium copper oxide (LBCO) that exhibits an unusual form of superconductivity at a temperature of 40 Kelvin (-233 degrees Celsius). That's relatively warm in the realm of superconductors. Conventional superconductors must be cooled with liquid helium to temperatures near -273C (0 Kelvin or absolute zero) to carry current without energy loss. Understanding the mechanism behind such "high-temperature" superconductivity might guide the discovery or strategic design of superconductors that operate at higher temperatures. "In principle, such superconductors could improve the electrical power infrastructure with zero-energy-loss power transmission lines," Tranquada said, "or be used in powerful electromagnets for applications like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without the need for costly cooling." The mystery of high-Tc LBCO was the first high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductor discovered, some 33 years ago. It consists of layers of copper-oxide separated by layers composed of lanthanum and barium. Barium contributes fewer electrons than lanthanum to the copper-oxide layers, so at a particular ratio, the imbalance leaves vacancies of electrons, known as holes, in the cuprate planes. Those holes can act as charge carriers and pair up, just like electrons, and at temperatures below 30K, current can move through the material with no resistance in three dimensions--both within and between the layers. An odd characteristic of this material is that, in the copper-oxide layers, at the particular barium concentration, the holes segregate into "stripes" that alternate with areas of magnetic alignment. Since this discovery, in 1995, there has been much debate about the role these stripes play in inducing or inhibiting superconductivity. In 2007, Tranquada and his team discovered the most unusual form of superconductivity in this material at the higher temperature of 40K. If they altered the amount of barium to be just under the amount that allowed 3-D superconductivity, they observed 2-D superconductivity--meaning just within the copper-oxide layers but not between them. "The superconducting layers seem to decouple from one another," Tsvelik, the theorist, said. The current can still flow without loss in any direction within the layers, but there is resistivity in the direction perpendicular to the layers. This observation was interpreted as a sign that charge-carrier pairs were forming "pair density waves" with orientations perpendicular to one another in neighboring layers. "That's why the pairs can't jump from layer to another. It would be like trying to merge into traffic moving in a perpendicular direction. They can't merge," Tsvelik said. Superconducting stripes are hard to kill In the new experiment, the scientists dove deeper into exploring the origins of the unusual superconductivity in the special formulation of LBCO by trying to destroy it. "Often times we test things by pushing them to failure," Tranquada said. Their method of destruction was exposing the material to powerful magnetic fields generated at Florida State. "As the external field gets bigger, the current in the superconductor grows larger and larger to try to cancel out the magnetic field," Tranquada explained. "But there's a limit to the current that can flow without resistance. Finding that limit should tell us something about how strong the superconductor is." For example, if the stripes of charge order and magnetism in LBCO are bad for superconductivity, a modest magnetic field should destroy it. "We thought maybe the charge would get frozen in the stripes so that the material would become an insulator," Tranquada said. But the superconductivity turned out to be a lot more robust. Using perfect crystals of LBCO grown by Brookhaven physicist Genda Gu, Yangmu Li, a postdoctoral fellow who works in Tranquada's lab, took measurements of the material's resistance and conductivity under various conditions at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. At a temperature just above absolute zero with no magnetic field present, the material exhibited full, 3-D superconductivity. Keeping the temperature constant, the scientists had to ramp up the external magnetic field significantly to make the 3-D superconductivity disappear. Even more surprising, when they increased the field strength further, the resistance within the copper-oxide planes went down to zero again! "We saw the same 2-D superconductivity we'd discovered at 40K," Tranquada said. Ramping up the field further destroyed the 2-D superconductivity, but it never completely destroyed the material's ability to carry ordinary current. "The resistance grew but then leveled off," Tranquada noted. Signs of persistent pairs? Additional measurements made under the highest-magnetic-field indicated that the charge-carriers in the material, though no longer superconducting, may still exist as pairs, Tranquada said. "The material becomes a metal that no longer deflects the flow of current," Tsvelik said. "Whenever you have a current in a magnetic field, you would expect some deflection of the charges--electrons or holes--in the direction perpendicular to the current [what scientists call the Hall effect]. But that's not what happens. There is no deflection." In other words, even after the superconductivity is destroyed, the material keeps one of the key signatures of the "pair density wave" that is characteristic of the superconducting state. "My theory relates the presence of the charge-rich stripes with the existence of magnetic moments between them to the formation of the pair density wave state," Tsvelik said. "The observation of no charge deflection at high field shows that the magnetic field can destroy the coherence needed for superconductivity without necessarily destroying the pair density wave." "Together these observations provide additional evidence that the stripes are good for pairing," Tranquada said. "We see the 2-D superconductivity reappear at high field and then, at an even higher field, when we lose the 2-D superconductivity, the material doesn't just become an insulator. There's still some current flowing. We may have lost coherent motion of pairs between the stripes, but we may still have pairs within the stripes that can move incoherently and give us an unusual metallic behavior." ### This work was funded by the DOE Office of Science. The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University is supported by the National Science Foundation. Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science. One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization. Follow @BrookhavenLab on Twitter or find us on Facebook. Related Links Scientific paper: "Tuning from failed superconductor to failed insulator with magnetic field" Scientific paper: "Superconductor-metal transition in odd-frequency-paired superconductor in a magnetic field" Unlocking the Secrets of High-temperature Superconductors Disappearing Superconductivity Reappears -- in 2-D Madrid, Spain, 14 June 2019: The campaign presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) reports how the Cyprus League Against Rheumatism (CYPLAR) successfully took on the Ministry of Health after authorisation was denied to introduce specialised rheumatology nurses due to a perceived lack of interest in rheumatology education.1 In many countries, rheumatology has developed into a recognised nursing specialty where nurses undertake advanced and extended roles. While some countries have accepted that interventions undertaken by nurses are essential to effectively tackle the challenges of chronic illness in an integrated fashion, this concept has not been widely adopted across Europe.2 "We are determined to challenge the government in Cyprus to implement a rheumatology nurse service into the health system," said Ms Andri Phoka Charalambous, Patient Expert General Secretary of the Cyprus League Against Rheumatism, Cyprus. "We're proud to have achieved a significant step towards our goal with the successful implementation of the first rheumatology nurse educational program in Cyprus." After many meetings with the Government Nursing Services demonstrating the value of rheumatology nurses, the officers became very excited about the development of a new "Patient Care with Rheumatic Diseases" educational programme. CYPLAR were instrumental stakeholders in both the design and delivery of the program which was provided to 27 nurses at the end of 2018. Following the training a survey of the participants demonstrated very encouraging results. When asked, "after training will you be interested in working as a rheumatology nurse in a rheumatology clinic?", they were delighted to announce that 100% answered yes! "We highly commend the work of the Cyprus League Against Rheumatism to bring the vital support of rheumatology nurses to people living with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases," said Professor Thomas Dorner, Chairperson of the Scientific Programme Committee, EULAR. "We hope this project acts as an inspiration to others involved in supporting the work of nurses specialising in rheumatology to make a difference in patients' lives." The "Patient Care with Rheumatic Diseases" educational programme was conducted one day per week over three months, with several lectures being delivered by CYPLAR. There were three days of clinical experience in an outpatient Rheumatology Clinic and one day in the Care Department gaining experience in the preparation and delivery of biological and biosimilar therapeutics. Examination consisted of a final written evaluation (60%) and a case study presentation. The significance of this campaign is supported by the results of a randomised controlled trial, also presented today at EULAR 2019, which demonstrates that nurse-led patient education can significantly improve essential safety skills in patients with inflammatory arthritis.3 Results of the study show that, at six months, the 'intervention group' had significantly higher acquisition of safety skills compared to the 'usual care' group with a Biosecure score of 81.2+13.1 versus 75.6+13.0 respectively (p=0.016).3 "Safety is an important issue in the management of inflammatory arthritis treated with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs," said Catherine Beauvais MD, University Hospital Saint Antoine, Paris, France. "We hope our results provide evidence to support the implementation of nurse-led patient education programs in centres across Europe." The study included 120 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis or peripheral spondyloarthritis at the time of their first introduction of a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD). Patients were randomised to receive 'usual care' or 'intervention care' which was a face-to-face nurse-led patient education session at baseline and then at three months. The mean duration of the intervention was 65.5+17.9 minutes at baseline and 43.718.7 at three months.3 At six months, the acquisition of safety skills was measured using the Biosecure score (0-100 scale), a 55-item validated questionnaire assessing competences to deal with fever, infections, vaccination, and other daily life situations. Patients in the intervention group also had a significantly better capacity to cope with their arthritis. Abstract numbers: OP0289-PARE/SAT0679 ### NOTES TO EDITORS For further information on this study, or to request an interview with the study lead, please do not hesitate to contact the EULAR Press Office: Email: eularpressoffice@ruderfinn.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7438 3084 Twitter: @EULAR_Press EULAR TV: YouTube.com/EULARorg About Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are a diverse group of diseases that commonly affect the joints, but can also affect the muscles, other tissues and internal organs. There are more than 200 different RMDs, affecting both children and adults. They are usually caused by problems of the immune system, inflammation, infections or gradual deterioration of joints, muscle and bones. Many of these diseases are long term and worsen over time. They are typically painful and Iimit function. In severe cases, RMDs can result in significant disability, having a major impact on both quality of life and life expectancy. About EULAR The European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the European umbrella organisation representing scientific societies, health professional associations and organisations for people with RMDs. EULAR aims to reduce the burden of RMDs on individuals and society and to improve the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of RMDs. To this end, EULAR fosters excellence in education and research in the field of rheumatology. It promotes the translation of research advances into daily care and fights for the recognition of the needs of people with RMDs by the EU institutions through advocacy action. To find out more about the activities of EULAR, visit: http://www.eular.org References 1. Charalambous AP. The role of patient organisations on the education and establishment of rheumatology nurse. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract OP0289-PARE. 2. van Eijk-Hustings Y, van Tubergen A, Bostrom C, et al. EULAR recommendations for the role of the nurse in the management of chronic inflammatory arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012;71(1):13-9. 3. Beauvais C, Fayet F, Rousseau A, et al. Efficacy of a nurse-led patient education intervention in promoting safety knowledge and skills of patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) treated with biologics: a randomized controlled trial. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract SAT0679. 4. Gossec L, Fautrel B, Flipon E, et al. Safety of biologics: elaboration and validation of a questionnaire assessing patients' self-care safety skills: the BioSecure questionnaire. An initiative of the French Rheumatology Society Therapeutic Education section. Joint Bone Spine. 2013;80(5):471-6. 5. van der Heijde D, Daikh DI, Betteridge N, et al. Common language description of the term rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) for use in communication with the lay public, healthcare providers and other stakeholders endorsed by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Ann Rheum Dis. 2018 Jun;77(6):829-832. Huge impact of pain and sleep on mental health raises questions about the level of care offered to patients Madrid, Spain, 14 June 2019: The results of a survey presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) highlight the significant impact of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) on mental health and a worrying lack of psychological care.1 "Not enough is being done to identify mental health issues and provide the support needed to RMD patients," said Professor Thomas Dorner, Chairperson of the Scientific Programme Committee, EULAR. "This survey highlights the huge importance of pain on the psychological well-being of RMD patients and the critical need to improve the support on offer. These results should act as a wake-up call to services across Europe." A survey of over 900 RMD patients revealed that pain had caused one in ten to have suicidal thoughts within the previous four weeks. Pain had also caused 58% to feel that everything was unmanageable for them.1 Another important finding was a reciprocal relationship between sleep and pain where 69% identified the quality of their sleep as having a negative influence on their pain. In return, two thirds of patients rarely or never feel fully rested when they wake up in the morning, with 36% taking painkillers to improve their sleep.1 "Our study indicates that pain and poor quality of sleep have a huge impact on a patient's daily life, especially on their mental health," said Lene Mandrup Thomsen, the Danish Rheumatism Association, Denmark. "We are using the results of this study in our political work to help campaign for better treatment and support for patients with chronic pain in our healthcare system." Of the participants, 83% have pain daily or several times a week and 46% have received strong painkillers over the last year. Despite a strong focus from Danish authorities on reducing their prescription, less than a quarter of respondents had been offered an alternative to strong painkillers.1 The survey was created by the Danish Rheumatism Association and was completed by over 900 members of a user panel consisting of people who suffer from at least one RMD.1 Results of another survey, also presented today at EULAR 2019, support these findings by revealing a worrying lack of psychological care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and adult juvenile idiopathic arthritis (AJIA) in the UK. In this survey, a quarter of the 1,620 people with rheumatoid arthritis or AJIA were experiencing clinical levels of anxiety or depression. Over half of these had never received a formal diagnosis. However, most concerningly, half of the respondents with rheumatoid arthritis and a third of those with AJIA who had either clinical levels or a formal diagnosis of anxiety or depression had never received any psychological support.2 "Our results highlight that, despite guidelines, many patients in the UK are not receiving the psychological support they need," said Dr Hayley McBain, Health Psychologist, City, University of London, United Kingdom. "It is imperative for rheumatology services to routinely measure anxiety and depression in order to intervene before the individual is in crisis." The survey was conducted by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) in the UK and was designed by patients and researchers. Participants were recruited via social media platforms, membership and non-membership lists and in newsletters and forums. Recruitment was focused on those diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or AJIA aged 18 years and over.2 Abstract number: OP0347-PARE/OP0318-HPR ### NOTES TO EDITORS For further information on this study, or to request an interview with the study lead, please do not hesitate to contact the EULAR Press Office: Email: eularpressoffice@ruderfinn.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7438 3084 Twitter: @EULAR_Press EULAR TV: YouTube.com/EULARorg About Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are a diverse group of diseases that commonly affect the joints, but can also affect the muscles, other tissues and internal organs. There are more than 200 different RMDs, affecting both children and adults. They are usually caused by problems of the immune system, inflammation, infections or gradual deterioration of joints, muscle and bones. Many of these diseases are long term and worsen over time. They are typically painful and Iimit function. In severe cases, RMDs can result in significant disability, having a major impact on both quality of life and life expectancy. About EULAR The European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the European umbrella organisation representing scientific societies, health professional associations and organisations for people with RMDs. EULAR aims to reduce the burden of RMDs on individuals and society and to improve the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of RMDs. To this end, EULAR fosters excellence in education and research in the field of rheumatology. It promotes the translation of research advances into daily care and fights for the recognition of the needs of people with RMDs by the EU institutions through advocacy action. To find out more about the activities of EULAR, visit: http://www.eular.org References 1. Mandrup Thomsen L. The influence of pain on sleep problems, mental health and use of strong painkillers among patients with arthritis. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract OP0347-PARE. 2. McBain H, Bezzant M, Bosworth A. Is psychological support reaching those in most need? a survey of people with rheumatoid arthritis and adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. EULAR 2019; Madrid: Abstract OP0318-HPR. 3. van der Heijde D, Daikh DI, Betteridge N, et al. Common language description of the term rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) for use in communication with the lay public, healthcare providers and other stakeholders endorsed by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Ann Rheum Dis. 2018 Jun;77(6):829-832. A new multi-institution study spearheaded by researchers at Florida State University and the University of California, Los Angeles suggests a tiny protein could play a major role in combating heart failure related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common lethal genetic disorder among children. In collaboration with scientists from across the nation, FSU researchers found that increased levels of the protein sarcospan improve cardiac function by reinforcing cardiac cell membranes, which become feeble in patients with DMD. Their findings were published in the journal JCI Insight. The condition, which typically afflicts young boys, is caused by a mutation that prevents the body from producing dystrophin, a protein crucial to the health of skeletal, respiratory and cardiac muscles. Advances in treatment for certain types of DMD-related muscle degradation have helped to prolong patients' lifespans. However, as DMD patients age, their heart function declines dramatically. "Patients typically live to 20 or 30 years of age," said lead author Michelle Parvatiyar, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences in FSU's College of Human Sciences. "There have been important improvements in respiratory care, which used to be what a majority of patients would succumb to. Now, in their 20s and 30s, they're often succumbing to cardiomyopathy. The heart is functioning with a major component of the cell membrane missing. Over time, it wears out." The study was part of continued efforts by UCLA biologist Rachelle H. Crosbie, the study's corresponding author, who previously identified sarcospan as a protein that could improve mechanical support in skeletal cell membranes lacking dystrophin. Her finding buoyed DMD researchers and affirmed sarcospan's potential as an effective tool in the fight against the condition. "But nobody had really looked at how increasing the levels of this protein might affect the heart," Parvatiyar said. Using a unique mouse model with a dearth of dystrophin, Parvatiyar and her collaborators did just that. In their study, the team found that while it's is not a like-for-like replacement for dystrophin, an overexpression of sarcospan in cardiac cells seems to do the job of stabilizing cell membranes. Even under stress, researchers found, sarcospan overexpression was able to improve the membrane defect in dystrophin-deficient cells. "Sarcospan doesn't quite do the job of dystrophin, but it acts as a glue to stabilize the membrane and hold protein complexes together when dystrophin is lacking," said Parvatiyar, explaining a concept developed by Crosbie. Cardiac measurements confirmed that sarcospan does protect the cell membrane even when the heart is placed under stress. Study co-author and FSU College of Medicine Associate Professor Jose Pinto performed the measurements, along with FSU graduate student Karissa Dieseldorff Jones and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine research assistant Rosemeire Takeuchi Kanashiro. In addition to serving as a kind of stabilizing glue, researchers said sarcospan could also act as a scaffold that supports other essential proteins at the cell membrane. That function could allow sarcospan to carry mini versions of dystrophin -- which, in its normal state, has a long and unwieldy genetic code -- to the edges of cardiac cells, where they could buttress the fragile membranes. "The idea is that you could administer the sarcospan and the dystrophin at the same time, and the sarcospan could facilitate mini dystrophin localizing to the cell membrane and help hold those complexes in place," Parvatiyar said. Sarcospan's two possible functions could augment existing DMD treatments, Parvatiyar said, or they could give rise to novel therapies that fortify weakened cardiac cell membranes and improve the quality of life for people with DMD. In her previous position at UCLA, Parvatiyar had frequent interactions with DMD patients and their families. She said these interactions, and the unshakeable hope she's witnessed in those suffering from DMD, continue to drive her and her colleagues in the search for new ways to combat this debilitating condition. "Those were the first times in my life I'd ever had someone come up to me and thank me for my work," she said. "Sometimes you can feel removed from it in the laboratory day after day. You see incremental progress. But to see people who are really yearning for help is motivating. Their positivity is incredibly inspiring." ### Researchers from UCLA, the University of Miami, SUNY Binghamton University and the University of Washington contributed to this study. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA-CureDuchenne Postdoctoral Fellowship and the American Heart Association. An observational study conducted in a French hospital showed that human contact was responsible for 90 percent of the spread of one species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to new patients, but less than 60 percent of the spread of a different species. These findings suggest hand hygiene is a key, but more methods are needed to fight multidrug-resistant infection. Audrey Duval of the Versailles Saint Quentin University and the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, and colleagues present these results in PLOS Computational Biology. People treated in hospitals and other health care settings are increasingly at risk of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Many of these microbes produce enzymes called extended-spectrum -lactamases (ESBLs), which make them resistant to antibiotics. Understanding how ESBL bacteria spread from person to person is key to developing effective prevention strategies. In the new study, Duval and colleagues distributed wearable sensors to hundreds of patients and health care workers in a French hospital. Equipped with RFID tags, the sensors allowed the researchers to track patterns of human contact between patients over an eight-week period. Meanwhile, they systematically screened patients for ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia. The scientists found that 90 percent of the spread of ESBL K. pneumonia to new patients could be explained by direct or indirect contact with patients who had the same bacteria within the previous eight weeks; this figure was less than 60 percent for ESBL E. Coli. The findings suggest that contact-prevention strategies--primarily hand hygiene--can be very efficient in limiting transmission of ESBL K. pneumonia. However, additional measures, such as environmental decontamination or using antibiotics more appropriately, may be necessary to prevent spread of ESBL E. Coli. The researchers suggest that the same kind of wearable-sensor analysis could be extended to other multidrug-resistant species. Investigation of more detailed genomic data could further illuminate how ESBL-producing bacteria spread. "By combining digital epidemiology and rapid microbiological diagnostic tools, we may be entering a new era to understand and control the risk of hospital-acquired infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria," Duval says. ### An alignment of researchers, health ministries and the World Health Organization has outlined the key steps to develop a global program to control scabies - the parasitic disease that affects 450 million people each year in mainly low-income countries. The research paper, 'The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action' published in The Lancet journal was led by Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute, in collaboration with the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies, the World Health Organization, international researchers and the Ministries of Health of Ethiopia, Solomon Islands and Fiji. Lead author, MCRI's Daniel Engelman, said global scabies control was dependent on developing key operational procedures, including methods for identifying scabies prevalence in all impacted countries. "Scabies is a disease of poverty, and people in low-income, crowded, and warm environments are most vulnerable to infestation caused by the microscopic Sarcoptes scabiei mite," Dr Engelman said. "Scabies causes skin rash and severe itch that can be unbearable, but there is no blood-test, and not even a standardised approach to diagnosis. We don't know how prevalent scabies is in most countries. " Dr Engelman said that a major priority was mapping the global scabies problem using simple skin examinations, which can be conducted by nurses and community health workers. Dr Mike Kama, public health expert and scabies focal person at the Fiji Ministry of Health, said scabies infection rates could now be radically decreased by treating whole populations with an antiparasitic medication called ivermectin, after previous successful trials of the drug in Fiji. "Scientific advances over the past five years suggest that the number of people with scabies in a community can be reduced by more than 90 per cent with a single mass treatment" he said. "This is one of the most effective public health interventions we have." Dr Paul Cantey, Medical Officer for Scabies from the World Health Organization in Geneva, said more work is required to identify when mass treatments for scabies are needed, how best to implement them, and how to engage communities to ensure scabies control initiatives are sustainable. "During studies of mass treatment for scabies, young children were not given ivermectin but treated with topical medicines, which can make treatment of affected communities more complicated. This paper highlights the need to determine if oral scabies medicines can be safely given to young children," Dr Cantey said. The research found scabies infection rates were high in many Pacific nations, parts of South America and Africa, and in Australian, New Zealand and Canadian indigenous communities, where up to 50 per cent of children may have scabies. Senior author, MCRI's Professor Andrew Steer, said the scabies mite causes 'traumatic itching' when the surface of the skin is broken, allowing bacteria to enter. "This can lead to impetigo (school sores), and if the wound becomes infected with the Strep A or Staph bacteria, the sufferer can develop severe, life-threatening infections, as well as chronic health issues such as rheumatic heart disease or chronic kidney disease," Prof Steer said. More than 300,000 people die from rheumatic heart disease around the world every year. Prof Steer said that there was the potential to reduce the burden of rheumatic heart disease by controlling scabies and maintaining healthy skin. The 24 authors of the paper called for a global strategy to tackle scabies and outlined five key steps: Develop a global strategy for the public health control of scabies Map the global population affected by scabies. Facilitate affordable and reliable access to effective treatments Scale-up mass drug administration strategies in highly-affected countries. Work together with affected communities and health programs ### Available for interview: Dr Daniel Engelman Media Contacts: Christine Tondorf MCRI communications advisor +613 9936 6197 / +61413 307 092 christine.tondorf@mcri.edu.au Bridie Byrne MCRI communications specialist +613 9936 6211 / +61 403 664 416 bridie.byrne@mcri.edu.au Studies by scientists at British American Tobacco have shown that aerosol from potentially reduced-risk products (PRRPs), such as vapour and tobacco heating products (THPs), cause significantly less staining to tooth enamel, skin, cloth and wallpaper than does the smoke from conventional cigarettes. The study results are presented today at the Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw, Poland. PRRPs do not involve combustion; the vapour and aerosol they produce are less complex and contain significantly lower levels of certain toxicants as compared to cigarette smoke*. Vaping devices and THPs also do not produce a sidestream aerosol, resulting in reduced odour on consumers' hands and clothes, and lower environmental exposure for bystanders, as compared to conventional cigarettes. It is well known that cigarette smokers can develop stains that discolour teeth enamel. Although this staining is often called nicotine staining, it is actually caused by the tar in cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke can also stain wallpaper, skin, and other materials. BAT's scientists assessed the impact of aerosols from PRRPs. In the series of studies, a reference cigarette (3R4F), a THP (BAT's glo), and two innovative vapour products were assessed. To assess the staining levels, a wide range of materials were used, including wallpaper samples, porcine skin samples, and bovine enamel blocks. In order to mimic conditions in the mouth, the enamel blocks were first incubated with saliva to allow the formation of a pellicle layer, a protective protein film that is normally present on teeth. They were then assessed before, during, and after exposure using a standard technique for assessing toothpaste or teeth-whitening agents. To assess staining of the wallpaper and material samples required modification of BAT's cell culture chamber to allow the samples to be attached and exposed. To assess skin staining, porcine skin samples were incubated with particulate matter contained in the aerosols (isolated from the smoke/aerosols). The results were remarkable -- exposure of tooth enamel, skin, wallpaper and material samples to aerosols from vapour products and THPs did not cause staining (levels of staining were comparable to untreated controls). "A lack of combustion and significantly reduced emissions from glo as compared to conventional cigarettes mean there is less material to deposit and odour to linger. Again, this reflects consideration for others by those using the glo product," said John McAughey, BAT Principal Scientist for aerosol science. These results show switching completely from cigarettes to vapour products or THPs may offer cosmetic and social benefits for consumers. "These benefits around social consideration and personal hygiene are really resonating with users", said Senior Scientist Annette Dalrymple, who presented the results at the conference. "The data generated from this study clearly show that the vapour product and THP assessed caused minimal discoloration -- very promising for consumers. However, further studies are required to understand the long-term effect on teeth staining and oral health when smokers switch to using PRRPs." ### Notes to Editors About British American Tobacco: British American Tobacco is a global tobacco and Potentially Reduced Risk Products company with brands sold in more than 200 markets. It employs more than 50,000 people worldwide and has over 200 brands in its portfolio, with its cigarettes chosen by one in eight of the world's one billion smokers. Leading global brands include Dunhill, Kent, Pall Mall and Lucky Strike. About Potentially Reduced Risk (PRRPs): Potentially Reduced Risk Products is part of the British American Tobacco Group and is focused on developing and delivering high-quality alternative nicotine and tobacco products for adult consumers in the key areas of Vapour, Oral and Tobacco Heating Products. For more information see http://www.bat-science.com. About Tobacco Harm Reduction: The only way to avoid the risks associated with tobacco use is not to consume tobacco at all, and the best way to reduce the risks is to stop using tobacco. However, the concept of harm reduction is increasingly being considered in relation to tobacco use. Harm reduction is about finding practical ways to minimise the health impact of an inherently risky activity or behaviour, without seeking to stop it entirely. It is a key element of BAT's business strategy and is being discussed by some regulators. We think it's important to work towards producing consumer-acceptable, potentially reduced-risk products. We believe that tobacco regulatory policies should include harm reduction approaches for the millions of adults globally who will continue to consume tobacco products. The Public Health Impact of e-cigarettes: Many in the public health community believe e-cigarettes offer great potential for contributing to tobacco harm reduction policies. A 2018 updated evidence review by Public Health England, an executive body of the UK Department of Health, has stated that they estimate that vaping is around 95% less harmful than smoking*. *This does not necessarily mean these products are less harmful than tobacco products For more information: email Sarah_Cooney@bat.com or call +44 (0)7929257291 The world's largest exporter was Madagascar, accounting for 35 percent of the global exports despite a low area of plantations, said Sisir Kumar Mitra, an ISHS representative at the sixth international conference on longan and lychee in Hanoi late last week. Following was China with 18 percent, Thailand with 10 percent and South Africa with 9 percent. According to consumers and companies on the global market, the quality of Vietnam's lychees was much better than similar products from India and China, he said. The ISHS representative said in terms of output, China ranked first with 2 million tonnes per year, followed by India with 677,000 tonnes and Vietnam with 380,000 tonnes. Vietnam has become the second largest exporter of lychees, accounting for 19 percent of the global market share. (Photo: VNA) Despite having the second largest area of lychee plantations in the world after China, over 99 percent of India's lychees are consumed domestically. Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, said Vietnam had a smaller output of lychees against China and India but because of the harvest season and difference in seed quality, Vietnam had seen strong growth in lychee exports. Deputy Director of the Bac Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Viet Toan said Bac Giang province had over 28,500 hectares of lychees trees, including more than 14,000 hectares produced under VietGAP and GlobalGap standards. The provinces output was estimated to reach 150,000 tonnes of lychees this year. Besides domestic markets, Luc Ngan lychees from Bac Giang are available in many countries, including China, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and the UK. Vietnamese lychees have brand protection in China, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Singapore, Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam has had 18 lychee growing regions receiving plantation region codes from the US Department of Agriculture while 36 other regions have reached export standards to ship to China this year. Over the years, many scientific and technological advances have been applied in the production of longan and lychees. However, processed fruit account for only 10 percent of total consumption volume. "Fresh products will always face strict requirements on quality, traceability and quarantine of import markets, Hung said. For instance, China had tightened quarantine, labelling and traceability regulations for Vietnamese fruit. Vietnams businesses must update and strictly implement those requirements to enter the neighbouring market, he said. Processed products do not face the same quarantine requirements, but businesses need more investment to increase quality and marketing activities, Hung said. Nguyen Van Phong, an expert from the Southern Fruit Institute, said the number of small-scale farmers growing rambutan, longan and lychees accounted for 70 percent of domestic production, but they had suffered huge losses due to poor management and traders. The loss rate was up to 25-30 percent of output. This percentage decreased slightly to 11-35 percent for farmers that were part of co-operatives with large production scale. Besides that, the lack of post-harvest technology remained an issue./. this news is not available The British Pound exchange rates remained subdued through Friday's session with Sterling extending losses against a basket of major currency peers. Versus the Euro, the GBP looked set to see out a sixth successive week of losses, the longest spell of depreciation since the tail-end of 2016. At the time of writing, the single currency was last seen trading at 0.89071, up 0.12% on the day. Against the Greenback, after stabilising earlier in the week, the GBP came under renewed pressure on Friday with Sterling last seen trading at a one-week worst at $1.26450, down 0.21% on the day. Price action for the Pound Sterling has been largely range-bound this week with investors side-lined as the Tory leadership contest got underway. Kicking off the process, Thursday saw Conservative party MPs undertake the first round of votes to whittle down the field of runners. In line with expectations, Boris Johnson sailed comfortably through to the second round, leading the pack with a healthy 114 votes. Securing less than half the backers of Johnson, Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove were not-very-close second and third. Of the ten starters, 7 managed to secure the 17 votes or more necessary to secure a place in the second round with Andrea Leadsom, Esther McVey and Mark Harper falling by the wayside. Friday also saw health secretary Matt Hancock withdraw from the race, concluding that the Tories were not ready for a "fresh face" to take charge. Votes will continue to take place (with the next round scheduled for June 18th) until only two contenders remain whereupon the binary proposition will be put to the wider (160k) Conservative Party membership with the final result expected towards the end of July. Looking to the probabilities moving forward, Boris Johnson is the clear bookmaker favourite with odds of just 1/5. Jeremy Hunt is lagging in second with odds of 8 while Gove's odds have risen over recent days with odds now at 18. Above: Conservative Party Leadership Candidate Probabilities Moving forward, Johnson appears to be a shoe-in to at least make it to the head-to-head vote should he manage to secure even the same amount of votes in subsequent 'rounds'. With that in mind, analysts have taken a look at the most likely political and economic outcomes should the ex mayor of London become the next British Prime Minister. While Johnson has tried to downplay his clear desire to pursue a no-deal Brexit over recent sessions, markets at least have seen the growing odds of a Johnson victory coupled to rising odds of a no-deal Brexit. Furthermore, Johnson's Brexit plans appear to consist of going back to the EU with even more demands than Prime Minster May put to the bloc and request drastic alterations to the EU Withdrawal Agreement. While the EU have said they would reconsider the terms of the UK's withdrawal should the UK be looking for closer post-Brexit ties with the bloc, they have unerringly time and time again made it clear that the EU Withdrawal Agreement is absolutely not up for renegotiation, casting severe doubts on the efficacy of Johnson plans. Scenario 1: Snap Election Via a Vote of No Confidence in the Government (35%) With Jonson's plan to seek alterations to the EU agreement almost certainly doomed to fail, the default outcome as the clock ticks down to the October 31st deadline remains that the UK withdraws without a deal. Given a majority in parliament are thought to be averse to such a scenario, UK lawmakers could attempt to force a general election to replace the current government. Having called for the government to call an early election every misstep of the way, leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, could put forward a motion of 'no confidence' in the government - prompting a vote which if the government were to lose would lead to a fresh general election. Looking at the timing required, its likely that any push for a fresh general election will also entail the need to delay Brexit beyond the Halloween deadline. For one, the earliest opportunity for Corbyn to raise a motion of no confidence is expected to be early September, when MPs return from their Summer recess, which with the added seven weeks required between any successful vote of no confidence and the subsequent general election leaves inadequate h time for any incoming government to deal with Brexit. Furthermore, a motion of no-confidence is expected to have greater chances of success should the threat of no-deal Brexit be imminent, meaning Corbyn could be tempted to wait until the eleventh hour to put forth the motion. While a vote of no confidence might see the Tory party ousted, calling the outcome of a general election in the current context is nigh impossible and could easily backfire. Scenario 2: May's Deal Back From the Dead (25%) While the prospect of the thrice-rejected EU Withdrawal Agreement making a return to the House of Commons seems close to laughable, given the alternative options, whoever succeeds to become the next Prime Minister could be faced with very limited choices. Given a majority in parliament are expected to intervene by whatever mechanisms available should it seem like the government is pursuing a hard Brexit outcome, whoever is at the helm is likely to look at alternative options lest risk facing a vote of no confidence. "assuming Boris Johnson and other leading Brexiteers believe the election threat to be credible, it's not impossible that they'll be more open to approving Mays deal (with cosmetic tweaks) than it currently seems," wrote ING economists. However, we've been in this boat before with Prime Minister May ricocheting between the UK and EU amid relentless, and ultimately unsuccessful, attempts to force EU officials to alter the terms of the EU Withdrawal Agreement. Scenario 3: Second Brexit Referendum (15%) With both the current deal on the table (i.e., May's deal) and the prospect of a snap general election unlikely to be well received by the incoming Prime Minister, a high-risk strategy could be for the new PM to call a second referendum. A @BorisJohnson premiership is looming. And Parliament, Whitehall and Bxl are preparing. Latest #Brexit piece pic.twitter.com/v77fiHqwtR Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) 11 June 2019 While indubitably a risky ploy, confirmation of majority support for the UK's withdrawal from the EU would give the incoming PM a strong mandate to deliver. On the other hand, a reversal of the 2016 outcome could obliterate support for the Conservative Party. Beyond the above scenarios we could also see no deal unfold as the default outcome should, despite the best efforts of MPs, we reach the October 31st deadline with no backing for a further extension - either from the UK or from EU officials. According to the latest analyses from ING economists, such an outcome has risen in likelihood over recent weeks and now stands at around 20%. Finally, should the UK appear on track for a no-deal Brexit, the majority in Parliament averse to such an outcome could push to revoke Article 50 altogether, although it's unclear what legislative tools could be used to do so (thus this outcome holds a mere 5% probability). Above: EUR/GBP & GBP/USD Brexit-Based FX Forecasts: ING Of the scenarios, the revocation of Article 50 - despite being a distinctly low-probability outcome - would see the GBP benefit the most, rising to 0.78 against the Euro and $1.47 against the US Dollar. On the other end of the scale and unsurprisingly, no deal Brexit is expected to be the worst possible outcome for the UK with ING forecasts putting the Euro-to-Pound exchange rate at parity and the Pound-to-Dollar at $1.10 under such a scenario. "The bottom line is that a new prime minister could easily find themselves boxed in by the same hurdles as Theresa May," wrote ING developed markets economist, James Smith, adding "In the end, it will come down to whether the new prime minister is prepared to risk losing a no deal Brexit, in order to retain power and control of the next stage of negotiations." Having not succeeded in the process if importing a Swedish registered vehicle into Portugal, I have been informed by a customs broker that I can sell it in Spain or anywhere else in Europe, but not Portugal. I asked if I could sell it to a Swedish person in Portugal and the answer was no. However, I do see on Facebook marketplace that there are cars for sale with foreign registration. Anyway, the reasons for the failure of importation was that I only spent summers in Sweden and was not regarded "officially" by the Swedish government. I knew this would be the main sticking point but decided to give importation a try anyway. Ideally, I would like to sell my car somewhere like Spain that is close to Portugal, rather than driving it back to Sweden to sell, a long and expensive 3 day journey. I wondered also, it would be possible to trade in on another car or motorhome in Spain? If anyone has had this experience, please share. Government auditors said they found significant weaknesses in how the Texas Board of Nursing monitors its program for nurses recovering from substance abuse or mental illness. The report, released Thursday by the state auditors office, detailed a number of problems that could affect the nursing boards ability to ensure that the program is providing services at appropriate funding levels. The focus of the report is the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses, a case management program to help nurses affected by chemical dependency, mental illness or diminished mental capacity. The program is confidential and voluntary, and it can be an alternative to board discipline. Texas lawmakers allocate just over $1 million annually to the program, which is funded through surcharge fees included in the cost of all nursing licenses. Board order fees and drug-testing fees also flow into the program. Auditors conducted fieldwork from December to May, analyzing contract formation for the past two years and financial transactions going back to 2014. While the nursing board agreed to follow the reports recommendations, it disagreed with some of the audit findings. OnExpressNews.com: Nurse voluntarily surrenders licenses after prescriptions draw scrutiny Auditors found a lack of sufficient documentation and outdated references to government code in the contract between the board and the Texas Nurses Foundation, a nonprofit within the Texas Nurses Association that runs the program. The auditors office stands by its conclusion that the board was not able to provide documentation to support that its legal team reviewed the contract prior to execution. Still, foundation CEO Cindy Zolnierek said the organization was pleased with the outcome of the report, which found that the foundations financial processes were sound. For 30 years, the program has provided oversight and support for nurses battling drug or alcohol dependency to eventually return to the workforce. Zolnierek said many of the nurses who complete the program often return to volunteer as peer support partners for current participants. These nurses become some of the most compassionate care providers you would ever encounter due to their own life experience with a chronic condition, she said. Zolnierek said foundation members always strive to be good stewards of state funding and that they believe the audit shows that the organization has been successful. While our program staff and board of directors meet regularly to discuss the program, and stay in frequent contact with the Board of Nursing, she said, much of our monitoring had not been documented, as the audit states. Responding to the report, the nursing board said the audit implied that its activities were ineffective and ignored board staffs close involvement with the program. The auditors said the board had multiple opportunities to resolve these issues yet was unable to provide sufficient documentation to prove it had. READ ALSO: Affidavit: Former San Antonio nurse stole nearly 1,700 pills from rehab facility In a follow-up comment included in the report, the office says the board attempts to diminish the significance of the findings related to weaknesses in its contract monitoring processes. In the last quarter of 2018, the foundation reported 551 participants, which is 21 percent less than the last quarter of the year before. However, auditors said, the board did not document whether it used this information to determine the amount of new funding needed. Auditors also found that the board did not verify these participation totals, resulting in errors that increased the risk that the board will make decisions based on inaccurate information. The nursing boards executive director, Katherine Thomas, declined to comment. Laura Garcia covers the healthcare industry in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her stories and more local coverage on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura A bankruptcy judge on Thursday ordered embattled San Antonio oil and gas businessman Brian Alfaro and his wife to turn over monies theyve received from her company. The funds should go to a court-appointed receiver responsible for collecting an $8 million judgment that nine investors obtained against Alfaro and some of his companies in late 2017, the judge ruled. The investors had claimed they were defrauded by Alfaro, who is appealing the judgment. OnExpressNews.com: Oil man Alfaro and wife not turning over monies, San Antonio receiver alleges That was entirely the reason I appointed a receiver: to go out and collect assets so that the creditors in this case that are entitled to an $8 million judgment on appeal, I understand that could get paid, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta said. Many of the investors are elderly, he added. Gargotta also ruled that Karnes County National Bank must turn over to receiver J. Scott Rose about $129,600 it has received from Kristi Alfaro for mortgage-loan payments on the Alfaros Shavano Park estate. Dean Greer, Brian Alfaros lawyer, and Bill Clanton, Kristi Alfaros attorney, declined to comment after the hearing. The proceedings turned lively when Gargotta questioned why Kristi Alfaro was not in the courtroom. Clanton said he recalled the judge had requested his client attend but never actually issued an order. My goodness, a dumbfounded Gargotta replied. I think I said specifically I would encourage Ms. Alfaro to be here. Its not a party invitation. To be fair, I may have not used the word order, but what other conclusion could you have reached after I said on the record she needs to be here? Stephen Calhoun, an attorney for Rose, told Gargotta he had seen her in the lobby of the courthouse about an hour earlier. The judge then issued an order for her to appear. Greer rose from his chair, and alluding to why she wasnt present, alerted the judge to an FBI agent in the courtroom. Kristi Alfaro arrived in the courtroom about 40 minutes after the judge called a recess. Brian Alfaro didnt attend the proceeding, though he was seen outside the courthouse with his wife and Greer about 40 minutes prior to the hearing. OnExpressNews.com: Bankruptcy judge orders arrest of San Antonio oil exec Alfaro When the hearing resumed, Clanton said his client was spooked by the FBI agents presence. He added he didnt believe she was a target of an investigation. We would like for her to be able to testify uninhibited by her fear of implicating her husband, whos under indictment in (U.S.) District Court here, Clanton said. Brian Alfaro is charged with eight counts of mail fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if found guilty. Alfaro has pleaded not guilty in the case, which stemmed from the investors lawsuit. A trial is set for August. The FBI agent, Jeff Jenson, declined to tell a reporter why he was in the courtroom. Clanton requested Gargotta postpone the hearing so Kristi Alfaro could seek counsel with a criminal defense lawyer as to her rights and her ability to testify. After Calhoun replied that he had no plans to all her as a witness, Gargotta excused her from the proceedings. The receiver was fighting to get monies that he said Kristi Alfaro has received from Synergy E&P, an oil and gas company, as well to have her produce bank records. She is Synergys president. Clanton argued the receiver was trying to snatch her Synergy salary, which he said is not subject to the receivership order. Calhoun, though, said there were an irregular series of deposits into her bank account from Synergy. If there is any pattern at all to the distributions , the pattern is that whenever Mrs. Alfaros balance got low or a large expense was on the horizon, a deposit was made from Synergy, Calhoun said. In May alone, he added, she received 15 distributions totaling $129,000. In all, he calculated she received at least $361,750 since November. Vicky Harper, a self-employed business consultant who does bookkeeping for clients, including Synergy, testified she understood Kristi Alfaros salary was up to $1 million a year and would take it as it is available to her. Where are the funds coming from? Gargotta asked Harper. Im not quite sure, Harper answered, saying she hadnt gotten that far in identifying where Synergys revenue comes from. Ive been told they have investors. Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts has struggled to recover from a string of financial and legal difficulties in recent years, most notably the grisly death of a 10-year-old boy at its Kansas City park in 2016. Co-owner Jeff Henry has a history of drug arrests and domestic violence allegations, the Express-News previously reported. A split between Henry and his brother and Schlitterbahn co-owner, Gary Henry, developed as the companys founding patriarch was dying. Attempts to open parks in the Austin area and Florida fizzled because of politics or lack of financing. After Caleb Schwab was decapitated on the companys Verruckt water slide in Kansas City in 2016, indictments alleged that Jeff Henry and others had designed and built the dangerous ride without the proper expertise. Schlitterbahn adamantly denied the accusations and said the company did not alter or conceal evidence from law enforcement and that it considers safety a core value. The criminal charges against Henry and the other officials were dismissed by a judge in February after improprieties by prosecutors were discovered. A partnership that owned the companys water park on North Padre Island ran into financial problems after a feud erupted between those involved, which included Gary and Jeff Henry. The fighting spawned lawsuits and an arbitration proceeding and forced the filing of an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding two years ago against the group by two companies related to Schlitterbahn. Last spring, IBC Bank assumed ownership of Schlitterbahns park and resort on North Padre Island at a foreclosure auction after a bankruptcy trustee couldnt find another buyer. The agreement to sell the New Braunfels and Galveston venues comes as a Schlitterbahn entity was required to pay off a $186.4 million note by June 1 to EPR Properties, a Kansas City real estate investment trust. The maturity date on the loan had been extended a month. Asked about whether the purchase was connected to the note, a Schlitterbahn spokesperson said the Henry family had multiple reasons for selling the properties and was able to find a buyer to expand the venues. Joshua Fechter, Zeke MacCormack and Patrick Danner contributed to this report. In most parts of Texas, H-E-B is scrapping for market share just like Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons and other retailers. Adjusting its strategy from city to city, H-E-B controls a thin slice of the market in Dallas-Fort Worth where it operates about half a dozen Central Market stores and is expanding its reach in Houston, where its opening stores at a quick pace. But in South Texas, the company remains the undisputed grocery king, claiming a market share of 60 percent, according to the Shelby Report, an industry publication. The region includes San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Brownsville. H-E-B has held Walmart, the worlds largest retailer, at bay and fended off smaller rivals such as Sprouts and Trader Joes. In the fiercely competitive, low-margin grocery industry, how has H-E-B maintained its grip on the area? On ExpressNews.com: Grocery war: Rivals H-E-B and Walmart battle for turf and shoppers in the region For one thing, the company has more than 200 stores in South Texas, a sizable footprint compared with its presence in other parts of the state, and a network of local suppliers. H-E-B began here, when Florence Butt opened a grocery store in Kerrville in 1905, and has stuck around. Its ownership structure is another obvious boon, said analyst David Livingston of DJL Research. Unlike publicly traded companies, H-E-B isnt beholden to Wall Street and its demands for quick profits. It also runs an employee stock ownership plan, giving workers an interest in the chains success. This means they can spend money to gain market share rather than be forced to provide investors with a return, Livingston said in an email. They can invest in stores, experience and employees. There are no Kroger or Albertsons stores in H-E-Bs hometown, unlike in other large Texas cities, and Walmart is perhaps the retailers biggest local competitor. The two companies have snapped up land and price-checked thousands of items in each others stores. H-E-B is very territorial, and they will spend money to defend their turf, Livingston said, adding that the company is more of (a) religion than a retailer. On ExpressNews.com: H-E-B to hire hundreds of employees for new digital HQ in Austin Instead of racing to open new stores, the companys expansion has been measured, said Brittain Ladd, the founder and CEO of Six-Page Consulting. Ladd, a former senior manager of strategy and expansion for Amazons Fresh and Pantry operations, suggested Amazon buy H-E-B to break into physical retail in 2015. Businesses that dont manage their distribution well enough can wind up paying a hefty price. H-E-B is focusing on areas it can service through its distribution network, much of which is in South Texas, another advantage, Ladd said. The company is leveraging its supply chain. So many people in Texas want (an) H-E-B store, he said. Theyre really good at identifying the optimal locations for their stores that allow them to meet customer demand but (also) create new demand. When talking about todays retail environment, industry experts and analysts often highlight the experiential aspect of shopping. Whether its online or at a brick-and-mortar store, people are often looking for an experience to go with their new pants or produce. If retailers want to survive, they have to offer an experience, and H-E-B is succeeding, said Brian Kilcourse, a managing partner at Retail Systems Research. On ExpressNews.com: Robots, scanners, towers: Heres how technology is changing retail Patrons are loyal to the company known for its low prices, friendly employees, customer service and stores that are tailored to the surrounding area. Whether through humorous commercials with the Spurs or sending employees to help reopen stores and restock in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, H-E-B is connected with the community in a meaningful way, Kilcourse said. The retailer has branched into various slices of the market with its Latin-inspired Mi Tienda stores, budget-friendly Joe Vs Smart Shops and upscale Central Markets along with its super-size H-E-B Plus format. Its causing consumers to come to the store because its fun, not as a chore, he added. For its part, H-E-B credits its employees and its relationship with customers. Its through our partners that as a retailer we are able to provide better hospitality, a better shopping experience, more engaging stores and all around exceptional customer service, spokesperson Julie Bedingfield said in an email. Related: H-E-B plans distribution center on San Antonios East Side, adding 300 jobs With Texas-shaped tortilla chips, Texas roots and Texas taglines, H-E-B has also capitalized on the wellspring of state pride, positioning itself as the go-to retailer for the Lone Star States booming population. Other retailers have struggled to compete with H-E-B on price, quality and reputation, Ladd said. He pointed to the companys expansive fresh produce selection and the private-label products it frequently introduces. The companys upper-level hires are another advantage, said Bill Bishop, chief architect at Brick Meets Click, a Barrington, Ill.-based consulting firm. He recalled hearing about an employee in senior management who agreed to live at the average income level of a Valley resident to learn more about potential customers in the area. The companys leaders have been willing to experiment and try new ideas, Bishop and Kilcourse added, noting H-E-Bs early entry into areas such as prepared foods and organic products and the use of data to inform pricing and product selections. Grocers ... would never be accused of being the first out of the gate for anything, Kilcourse said. H-E-B was always kind of an exception to (the) rule. ... They never rest on their laurels. madison.iszler@express-news.net Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, on Thursday took an aggressive new stance against former Vice President Joe Biden, arguing that a vote for his competitor in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries would be a return to the past. O'Rourke's remarks, made in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," mark a departure from his previous hesitance to criticize fellow party hopefuls. Biden is currently leading in early polls for the party's nomination. Asked what he would tell voters in trying to persuade them to vote for him rather than Biden, O'Rourke replied that "you cannot go back to the end of the Obama administration and think that that's good enough." The country "had real problems before Donald Trump became president," O'Rourke said, pointing to the wealth disparity between black and white Americans, the persistent problem of gun violence and the Obama administration's record on deportations, which he described as "destroying families and breaking up communities." On HoustonChronicle.com: Beto O'Rourke: Here's how I'd stop gun violence "So, we cannot return to the past," O'Rourke said. "We cannot simply be about defeating Donald Trump." Later in the interview, asked by co-host Willie Geist, "So is Joe Biden the return to the past?" O'Rourke replied, "He is." "And that cannot be who we are going forward," he said. "We've got to be bigger; we've got to be bolder. We have to set a much higher mark and be relentless in pursuing that." O'Rourke had previously refrained from directly attacking his 2020 competitors, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who bested him in the 2018 Senate race. Like other Democrats, O'Rourke earlier this month was critical of Biden over his support of the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortion in most circumstances. When Biden reversed his stance, O'Rourke issued faint praise: "Well, he got to the right place, and ... yeah, so that's really all I can say on that," O'Rourke said last week in an interview with The Washington Post. TEXAS TAKE: Get your breaking updates and analysis on Texas politics, delivered to your inbox By contrast, in Thursday's "Morning Joe" interview, O'Rourke openly questioned whether Biden's shift on the Hyde Amendment was genuine. "Look, you've got to ask yourself where Joe Biden is on the issues that are most important to you," O'Rourke said. "Did he support the war in Iraq that forever destabilized the Middle East? Does he really believe that women of lower income should be able to make their own decisions abut their own body and be able to afford health care in order to do that? He supported the Hyde Amendment." The Texas Democrat also took aim at Biden's recent remarks on China. "He says China is not [a] threat, nothing to worry about," O'Rourke said. "And now seems to be changing his message on that. So I'm not exactly sure what he believes or what he should apologize for. I only know that this country should be able to do far better." - - - The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan and Matt Viser contributed to this report. AUSTIN Abstinence has long been the backbone of sex education in Texas, but this summer state officials are suggesting teachers should also be having conversations with children about contraceptives, sexual and gender identity, and how to say no. Texas has the fourth-highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, with above-average numbers of students reporting they have sex without condoms and engage in other risky behaviors. In light of those realities, Texas education commissioner Mike Morath is recommending students begin learning about reproductive and sexual health in age-appropriate ways as early as kindergarten and understand sexual risk avoidance by the end of middle school. OnExpressNews.com: Gov. Abbott says he won't challenge GOP incumbents, a departure from 2018 How health education is framed is very important, read the recommendations for updating states 22-year-old standards. It adds, merely teaching health literacy is insufficient to result in behavioral change and positive outcomes. Michael Fisher/ San Antonio Express-News A team of educators will now suggest edits to individual state health education standards to the State Board of Education, an elected body known for engaging in culture wars on social issues. In recent years, the board fought about the content of Mexican American heritage textbooks that described Mexicans as lazy. Last summer, the board dwelled on keeping Moses in the social studies curriculum as an influence to the nations founding fathers. The sex education recommendations dont say the words contraception or gender identity, but its clear that they are calling for teachers to address both of them. This is obviously going to be a contentious topic to deal with, said Ruben Cortez Jr., a Democrat from Brownsville and member of the state board. I dont think theyre going to want this being taught. I think theyre going to want it the same as it is today. State law requires sex education focus on abstinence. Teachers must devote more attention to abstinence from sexual activity than to any other behavior and present it as the preferred choice for all unmarried students of school age. But local school districts also have the power to shape the sex education curriculum, and can go far beyond that if they choose to do so. More than eight in 10 Texas school districts teach abstinence only or have no sex education at all, according to a 2017 report from the Texas Freedom Network, a left-leaning group that has long been a watchdog of the State Board of Education. That report found nearly 17 percent of schools teach more than abstinence, including eight of the top 10 largest school districts. Teacher guidelines for high school sex education at Northside Independent School District, the largest in Bexar County, note that the curriculum is abstinence-based but that it introduces condoms and other contraceptives without bringing them into the classroom and that any question asked by a student can be answered. While the Northside ISD curriculum includes talk of teen pregnancy and risks associated with adolescent sex, it also discusses methods of protection. Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox For kindergartners, the changes proposed to the state board would include lessons about understanding a sense of self. That suggestion would obviously include sexual orientation and gender identity, said Dan Quinn, research director with the Texas Freedom Network. Its kind of hard to imagine what else sense of self would mean if it didnt include that. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox The recommendations say schools should teach students to cultivate skills for healthy relationships, explore personal safety and set limits and boundaries in kindergarten through all grade levels. By the end of middle school, adolescents should understand sexual risk avoidance and learn sexual risk reduction methods that may be needed later in their lives, which would ostensibly include condoms and birth control. Young Texans are about as likely to have had sex as their peers in other states, according to surveys of high school students conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, 52 percent of teens reported they did not use a condom last time they had sex, 6 percentage points higher than teens nationally. Although teen birth rates have shrunk over the last three decades, Texas ranks fourth-highest in the nation. In 2017, Texas reported 27.6 teen births for every 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 years old. Nationally, that rate is 18.8 births, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OnExpressNews.com: Texas Legislative declines to expand Medicaid coverage for new mothers The report recommends a focus on healthy relationships. Education about bullying should begin in third grade and continue through 12th grade. The consequences of sexual harassment and teen dating should be introduced in 7th grade, according to the report. The recommendations come as Texas students struggle with a variety of health issues. One in 10 children age 12 to 17 report having experienced a major depressive episode in the past year and 12.3 percent reported attempting committing suicide, leading to recommendations that students begin to recognize in 7th grade when they themselves or others might need support or intervention. Moraths report also recommends students learn in primary grades to show acceptance of others by respecting differing perspectives, while resisting prejudice and stereotypes. Staff Writer Brooke LaMantia contributed to this report from San Antonio. Andrea.Zelinski@chron.com Democrat Beto ORourke unloaded on former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday, saying Biden would represent a return to the past as the Democratic nominee for president, and questioning his positions on Iraq, China and abortion rights. With the first Democratic debates less than two weeks away and poll numbers showing him way behind Biden, ORourke used a 30-minute appearance on national television to tell voters why they should pick him over President Barack Obamas running mate. Because you cannot go back to the end of the Obama administration and think that thats good enough, the former El Paso Congressman said during his appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe. ORourke then ticked off a list of issues on which the Obama administration failed to deliver, including gun violence and immigration reform. He reminded viewers that during the Obama administration more than 400,000 people were deported in 2012 alone more than the Trump administration deported last year. So we cannot return to the past, ORourke said. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox When host Willie Geist asked ORourke directly if he thinks Biden, 76, is a return to the past, ORourke was clear. He is, said ORourke, 46. And that cannot be who we are going forward. Weve got to be bigger, weve got to be bolder. We have to set a much higher mark. Biden just last week used a stop in New Hampshire to push back at similar criticism from ORourke. I'm not talking about going back to the past, Biden said. ORourkes critique of the Obama administration comes in sharp contrast to the approaches of other Democratic presidential candidates who have tried to use associations with Obama to improve their credentials with voters longing for a return to the Obama era. On HoustonChronicle.com: 2020 Democratic candidates appeal to ex-Obama staffers, donors and voters ORourkes sharper jabs at Biden also contrast somewhat with ORourkes own declarations early in the campaign that he was not running against anyone and was focused on his own message. When asked about Biden then, ORourke lauded his service and welcomed him to the race. The former vice president has surged in public polling. A CNN poll in March showed ORourke in fourth place among the contenders and just 17 percentage points behind Biden. But the latest CNN poll released last month shows ORourke now in sixth place and 27 percentage points behind Biden, who is still the frontrunner. Biden has been quick to remind audiences that he was Obamas vice president. In his first speech in New Hampshire, Biden mentioned Barack five different times in 20 minutes. Obama has not endorsed any of the candidates running for president and has said he intends to stay out of the primary. ORourkes criticism went beyond just classifying Biden as a return to the past. He also questioned Biden approach on key issues like the Iraq war, relations with China and Bidens past support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for most abortions in the U.S. Biden has said he now no longer supports the Hyde Amendment and a month after saying China was no competition for us, Biden now says we are in competition with China. And Biden supported the Iraq War, which ORourke said forever destabilized the Middle East. Youve got to ask yourself where Joe Biden is on the issues that are most important to you, ORourke said. Im not exactly sure what he believes or what he should apologize for. I only know this country should be able to do far better. ORourkes more pointed jabs at Biden come as he and the other 23 Democrats running for the White House prepare for the first presidential debates in Miami on June 26 and June 27. ORourke acknowledged those debates will put a lot of pressure on candidates to explain who they are, what is different about them compared to the others, and spell out specific policy proposals all in 60-second answers. Thats a tall order, ORourke said. But Im training every day both in terms of the information that I take in and in practicing responses that try to get at the heart of achieving those three objectives in every single answer. jeremy.wallace@chron.com For decades, Catholic Democratic politicians have been justifying their pro-choice position by telling us that they were personally opposed to abortion but could not impose their religious view on others. For most, the argument was a fig leaf to justify their shameful failure to protect innocent unborn life. But it appeared that Joe Biden really believed it. For more than 40 years, Biden supported the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortions. In 1994, when a constituent wrote to Biden, urging him, Please dont force me to pay for abortions against my conscience, Biden replied, I agree with you. He pointed out that he had voted no fewer than 50 times against federal funding of abortions, promising, Those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them. In his 2007 book Promises to Keep, Biden wrote, Ive stuck to my middle-of-the-road position on abortion for more than 30 years. But middle-of-the-road is no longer good enough in todays Democratic Party. So when Biden recently reaffirmed his support for the Hyde Amendment, his opponents for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination pounced. There is #NoMiddleGround on womens rights, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted. Abortion is a constitutional right. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., chastised Biden, declaring No womans access to reproductive health care should be based on how much money she has. We must repeal the Hyde Amendment. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and a number of other Democrats also piled on, as did Planned Parenthood, NARAL and Emilys List. As recently as last week, the former vice president was still standing firm. It appeared this might be his Sister Souljah moment, when he separated himself from the extremists in his party. This was both principled and good politics: Just 36 percent of Americans support federal funds to pay for abortion. But then Biden gave in to the mob. He tried to justify his flip-flop at a Democratic National Committee event in Atlanta on Thursday night by declaring, If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someones ZIP code. This is absurd. Americans have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, but the government is not obligated to provide weapons to poor people who cannot afford them. Bidens surrender to the pro-abortion radicals damaged his presidential prospects. First, it made him seem weak and unprincipled. Few pro-choice voters would have abandoned Biden because he opposed taxpayer-funded abortion; indeed, plenty of pro-choice voters agree with that position. But voters will abandon a politician who abandons his principles. Second, it hurt Biden with the one group he claims he can win back for Democrats: working-class voters who cast their ballots twice for him and President Barack Obama, but switched to Donald Trump in 2016. These once-reliable Democratic voters are more socially conservative than the liberal elites. Abortion radicalism doesnt appeal to them. Third, Bidens capitulation refocused the national spotlight on abortion extremism in the Democratic Party. After Alabama passed the most restrictive abortion law in the country, Democrats thought they had the upper hand in painting Republicans as abortion extremists. But now the focus is back on Democrats and their insistence on taxpayer-funded abortion-on-demand up to the moment of birth. In New York, Democrats just lit up the Freedom Tower to celebrate the passage of a new law that removes most restrictions on abortion, even in the third trimester, and in Illinois, the legislature just voted to repeal the states Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. As a senator, Biden consistently voted against late-term abortions. Will he cave on that as well? Democrats dont seem to understand that most Americans including many who identify as pro-choice dont see abortion as something to celebrate but as a necessary evil that should be allowed only in some limited circumstances. A Marist-Knights of Columbus poll found that just 13 percent say abortion should be available at any time during a pregnancy, while 80 percent say it should be allowed only during the first trimester; in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother; or not allowed at all. And a new NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll finds that a 38 percent plurality believes life begins at conception, while a 75 percent supermajority says it begins at the point of viability at the very latest. A majority of Americans support restrictions on abortion and oppose federal funding. Sadly, Biden has aligned himself with the radical minority. He should be ashamed. @marcthiessen Thank you for your service. As a U.S. Army soldier living in San Antonio, I am grateful for these words, which I hear often when wearing my uniform in this community. What many people do not understand is that I am the one who is thankful. I am thankful for the camaraderie, the global understanding, the commitment made to me and my family, and the opportunity to dedicate every day to the people of this country. I am thankful for the education and cost-free healthcare my family and I receive, the world-wide experiences I have had, the technical skills I have learned, and the opportunity to be a leader in the most trusted organization in the nation. I am thankful to be part of history. This week the Army celebrates 244 years of dedicated service. Generations of soldiers have inspired professionalism, honorable service and a commitment to the common good. For this, I am proud to call myself a soldier. And now, I am part of the team inspiring the next great generation of soldiers to find their place in history. That is no easy task, however, even though the majority of Americans have the highest levels of confidence in the U.S. military. We face many challenges when searching for the right people to fill our ranks. Yes, we need infantrymen and Special Forces Soldiers, like you see in the movies, but we also need logisticians, nurses, engineers, truck drivers, and IT specialists. About 50 percent of todays young people admit they know little to nothing about their nations military the people who work daily to protect their freedom. They dont understand the depth of the knowledge and technical skills they can learn in 150 different career paths. They dont understand the degrees they can earn or that the benefits and perks often match or surpass those offered by civilian employers. I have had many jobs in the 20 years I have served in the U.S. Army. I have done everything from infantry and human resources to joint special operations. It has been one of the best decisions of my life. I am a better person because of the U.S. Army and the people I have met throughout my career. I see amazing young people in our battalion area San Antonio, Austin, San Marcos, Corpus Christi, and Harlingen just to name a few desiring to serve their communities, and I believe we are doing them a disservice if we are not encouraging them to explore the military as a potential career path. The Army invests in its people, often to the benefit of outside organizations. Veterans are more likely to vote, volunteer, and be involved in their communities. They have the maturity and self-discipline private industries are seeking. Only 29 percent of todays young people have the ability to meet our qualifications. We will work to find the right people, and we will compete to retain them for the good of our nation. But we need your help. In honor of the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 and the Armys 244th birthday Friday, the Army is activating a nationwide Call to Service. I challenge leaders, parents, educators and all of South-West Texas and Southern New Mexico to step forward. Inspire the young people around you to be part of something bigger, to be part of history. Inspire them to answer the call. I am also inviting you to stop by any U.S. Army Recruiting Stations in the South-West Texas and Southern New Mexico area for an Army Birthday Cake Cutting between 11 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Friday, please come meet your Army and help us celebrate this incredible organization dedicated to serve you. Lt. Col. DAngelo Blount is commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion, San Antonio, which is responsible for hiring more than 2,700 new soldiers from the South-West Texas and Southern New Mexico so far this year. It always deserved special stand-alone consideration if meaningful comprehensive immigration reform was off the table as it has been for a while. Dreamers never deserved to be used as leverage to exact restrictions on immigration that have virtually nothing to do with the reform thats needed. The U.S. House last week approved a measure that would give relief to so-called Dreamers immigrants who were brought here as children. It would lift the threat of deportation for some 2 million such immigrants, grant them 10 years of legal residency if they fulfill certain requirements, and grant them permanent green cards if they work for three years or complete at least two years of higher education or military service. All of which spells a path to citizenship. This is what these immigrants deserve. But in all likelihood, this measure will be bottled up in the Senate. It is unlikely to even be considered. In other words, this represents merely a symbolic victory. But this symbolism matters because it embodies the values of fairness that should be a cornerstone of any sane immigration policy. And it gives lie to the presidents claim that the Democrat-controlled House cannot chew gum and walk at the same time that it cant pass meaningful legislation and investigate him. This bill will be one of more than 100 pieces of legislation coming from the House that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is sitting on to deny Democrats anything that might be claimed as a win and because his most active pursuit these days seems to be packing the courts with the presidents judicial nominations. The House legislation on Dreamers which also affects immigrants on temporary protected status demonstrates that if the bill were considered in the Senate, it would have a good chance of approval. Seven Republicans crossed the aisle to support the measure in the House. If all Senate Democrats supported the measure and were joined by enough Republicans, it would pass in that body. This reflects what has long been one of the most confounding features of the debate on Dreamers. People from both parties at various times have urged some sort of relief for them. And while some measures were introduced, they havent passed. Even President Donald Trump voiced support for Dreamers. Mostly, however, they have been used as pawns in attempts to force Democrats to agree to restrictive immigration policies such as the border wall. President Barack Obama intervened to help many of the Dreamers. He created the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program to give temporary work permits to those who qualified. Trump dismantled the program. That has been halted by the courts so far and its an issue likely to make its way to the Supreme Court. This House legislation is needed to accomplish a more permanent solution for Dreamers. That it will likely not be considered in the Senate is testament to the political brinkmanship that has pervaded this debate since even before Trump took office, though Trump has fueled the fires. He routinely vilifies immigrants of all stripes to score political points with his base, on whom GOP senators also rely to get them through party primaries the real reason the Senate wont take up the measure. Heres the single best argument for relief for Dreamers: They were brought here as children, with no say in coming or staying. This is the only country many of them have known. This country has provided them public K-12 educations, and some states Texas included have granted them in-state tuition to attend public schools of higher education. Not allowing them to stay squanders considerable public investment, denying this economy of their work and successes. Moreover, letting them live under the constant threat of deportation betrays this nations ideals of fairness. And the argument for not offering Dreamers relief? The common argument goes something like this: What part of illegal dont you understand? In this case, applied to people who were children when they were brought here. This is no argument at all. Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 in the Senate who is up for reelection in 2020, could distinguish himself on this issue by exerting pressure on leadership including the president to allow this measure on to the Senate floor. He correctly bucked the president on tariffs. He should urge McConnell to bring this up for consideration, no strings attached. The issue is fairness and not squandering the investment this country has already made in Dreamers. So, Tariff Man Trump (his choice of words) now wants to increase the ethanol content of our gasoline by 5 percent? Anyone out there who owns small gasoline-powered equipment (lawnmowers, chainsaws, weed eaters, boat motors, etc.), beware! The 10 percent ethanol has done considerable damage to some small engines. Fifteen percent ethanol will be catastrophic. My lawnmower has a sticker that reads: Do not use E85 or fuel containing more than 10 percent Ethanol to avoid engine damage. Im going to give Tariff Man a pass on this one because I doubt hes ever gotten his hands dirty in his life. But for those of us who take care of our own homes and properties with the aid of gasoline-powered equipment, this is an important issue. Just say no to 15 percent ethanol! John Carhart No harboring allowed Wonder how many of the people feeding, sheltering and protecting (i.e., harboring) undocumented immigrants are aware of the law Title 8, U.S.C. 1324(a)? It states in very plain language that any assistance to any person in this country illegally is punishable by harsh fines and/or prison time. The harboring portion of the lawmakes it an offense for any person who knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation. Again, penalties: fines and/or prison. No doubt it will be enforced sooner or later; people should be informed. Sharon Dupree Hes no gentleman Re: Joint confinement before killing is questioned, Metro, June 7: Since when did the term gentleman become a synonym for man, person or individual? Lawyer Cleophus Marshall described his client as an African-American gentleman having been placed in a cell with someone who has presented views of racism and prejudice. However objectionable the presence of Marshalls clients cellmate may have been, the term gentleman describes a man displaying courteous, chivalrous, honorable qualities. Not just any old guy. I submit that no one sitting in a jail cell charged with two murders is a gentleman. R.E. Oppenheim Seeking honesty A question every nation and religion must ask is: To whom does a woman belong? Is it her father? Her family? Her husband? Her children? Her government? Her religion? The public? Until we ask an honest question, were never going to get an honest answer. Robert Lopez Flynn GREENWICH They didnt take the traditional path, but they made it to the finish line. Thirteen students enrolled in Windrose, an alternative program affiliated with Greenwich High School, received notice at a ceremony Friday morning that they had officially graduated. They will accept their diplomas Monday at the commencement exercises at GHS. One graduate of the program, Christian Stanback, said it was a life-changer. Here, I grew up, he said among well-wishers at the community hall at the St. Catherine of Siena Church in Riverside. Stanback said the traditional high-school path wasnt a good fit for him, so Windrose was a welcome alternative. I wanted to go someplace to have a future, but I didnt know how to get there. When I came here, I saw it, he said. Everyone here helped me get there. Stanback is planning to attend Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., this fall, aiming to study finance. Greenwich High has offered an alternative program for years, and two years ago it revamped and rebranded the educational offering as Windrose. It is aimed at students who are at risk of failing out of high school, and those who find the regular school program unsuitable. About 40 students were enrolled in Windrose in grades 10-12 this school year. The voluntary program has been at facilities in the St. Catherine church complex in 2019, but it is looking for new accommodations. Were so proud of these students, said Diane Fox, the Windrose program administrator. Addressing the students, she said, We made it work for you, you made it work for yourselves. ... You took a risk and demonstrated resilience. She praised the students for helping each other and said there are many paths to education. A brick-and-mortar building does not set the standard for exceptional learning, she said. Learning can take place anywhere, anytime. Interim School Superintendent Ralph Mayo told the crowd that he worked in the alternative education program in the district more than 30 years ago, calling it a valuable experience that taught him many lessons. Speaking of his former students, and likening them to the current Windrose graduates, Mayo said, They were able to pick themselves up from failures, get back on their feet, and move forward. I never had a better experience. The graduates are largely headed to community college or four-year institutions, or vocational training. One graduate, Jaden Suro, is set to join the Marine Corps. Register for a Teen Coding Camp at the Fairfield Public Library Monday, June 24 through Friday, June 28 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. each day. Learn the basics of Python, a versatile, modern programming language you can use to write an app, build a website, analyze data, control a robot or even to build a self-driving car. You can use Python to design graphics, build games and work with STEM subjects like cryptography, biology, science, AI and robotics. If you have a cool idea, you can use Python to build it. Join us for this fun and interactive class for teens in grades 6-12. Registration is required (https://fplct.librarymarket.com/node/8660). Attendance at all sessions is requested. Instructor Dr. Varghese John (VJ) is an experienced technologist with extensive scientific research experience and a love for learning and teaching. He has led large global technology teams in delivering innovative solutions to complex problems for leading financial service organizations. Film preview at library Join the Fairfield Public Library for an advance preview of Chasing the Moon, a 4-part documentary on the space race by Robert Stone that will air on PBS in July. We will see a portion of Part 1: A Place Beyond the Sky. Its 1961, and as the rivalry with the Soviet Union intensifies, President Kennedy publicly champions Americas space program but privately has concerns about the cost. This screening includes a talk by NASA ambassador Andy Poniros. His presentation will include a discussion of the infancy of the space race with the Soviet Union through to the Apollo program that sent 24 people to the moon. This film screening and talk will take place on Monday, June 24 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Rotary Room at the Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Old Post Road. Registration is requested. Narcan training Connecticut has been confronted with the opioid crisis which has led to an increase in opioid related deaths. Since January 2019, there have already been approximately 12 emergency room visits, of Fairfield residents, for a suspected opioid related drug overdoses. In an effort to combat this issue, the Fairfield Health Department along with Fairfield CARES, and The HUB: Behavioral Health Action Organization for Southwestern CT will be hosting a Narcan training on Tuesday, June 25 at the Fairfield Public Library from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Memorial Room. This training is FREE of charge and a limited number of Narcan kits will be available to attendees. Individuals can register for the Narcan training by going to Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-narcan-training-fairfield-cares-community-coalition-registration-62653451159 . Summer Challenge at Library Its almost summertime and the reading is easy. This years Summer Challenge, A Universe of Stories, calls Fairfielders of all ages children, teens and adults to reach our community goal of 1 million points To achieve our town goal, we will be using Beanstack, an online program that makes keeping track of individual and family reading and activities super easy. Visit our website at https://fairfieldpubliclibrary.org/summerreading/ for more information on creating your account and registering for your age specific program. The Library is having a Summer Challenge Kickoff Party at Penfield Beach, 323 Beach Road, on Thursday, June 20, from 10 a.m. until noon. This is an all ages event. Stop by to register for the Summer Challenge and stay on to play games or just spend time at the beach. No need to register, but you do need to have a beach sticker to park. Barnum musical at Fairfield Museum On Thursday, June 27; Friday, June 28, Saturday, June 29, Barnum: An American Musical will be performed at the Fairfield Museum. The musical pays tribute and celebrates the life of P.T. Barnum. Javier Colon will be the lead in this production along with a cast of 50 actors and actresses. Javier was the winner of the inaugural season of The Voice on NBC. In addition, stand-up comedian and actress Lisa Lampanelli, will have a cameo appearance. Both stars grew up in Fairfield County. Opening night gala reception on June 27 starts at 6 p.m. with dinner and a cocktail party, live and silent auction items, plus 8 p.m. show at $125 per person. Free admission for June 28 show at 7:30 p.m. and June 29 shows at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. First come, first serve for free performances. VIP seating also available for June 28 and 29 shows at $50 per person. Happiness Club The next presentation of the Fairfield Happiness Club is From Tension to Tenderness. Healing the Mother / Adult Daughter Relationship, by Laurie Newkirk and her mother Marlou Newkirk. The mother/adult daughter relationship can be difficult even though both may love the other. Laurie and her mother Marlou Newkirk had their issues rise to the point that 10 years ago Laurie co-founded a website motherrr.com (with 3 rs) that focuses on healing this dynamic relationship. Topics will include handling criticism, advise giving, boundaries and finding forgiveness. Date & Time: Thursday, June 18, from 7-8:45 p.m. Place: the Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield. Everyone is welcome; admission is free. Rides for veterans Fairfield Director of Human and Social Services, Julie DeMarco, announces a partnership with the Trumbull Human Services Department and Greater Bridgeport Transit to provide monthly rides to Veterans to the West Haven VA Hospital. Targeted at veterans, the new service will begin on July 26, 2019. and continue on the last Friday of each month. We recognize that many veterans rely on the VA system for their healthcare but transportation can be challenging according to Ms. DeMarco. The bus will start at the Bigelow Center in Fairfield, travel up to the Trumbull Senior Center and go on to the VA Hospital in West Haven, and reverse the route on the return at the end of the days appointments. Registration is required a week in advance at either senior center. There is no charge for the service. Please contact the Social Services Department at 203 256-3166 for more information. 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 STAMFORD Hours after being released by the police on multiple charges, a Stamford man was arrested for a second time. On Thursday morning at about 3:30 a.m., Quentin Hough, 35, of Hope Street, was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, risk of injury to a child, threatening and criminal mischief. Houghs ex-girlfriend and the mother of his young daughter told police that Hough was supposed to be babysitting while she took a trip to Mexico with her new boyfriend from Yonkers, New York. On her way to the airport, she realized she did not have her passport and turned around to pick it up. But when she got back home to her apartment on Hope Street and found the passport, Hough tried to grab the document from her, according to a police report of the incident, and began chasing her and throwing rocks. By the time police arrived, Hough had threatened to kill the woman and hurt the new boyfriend. When police got there, Hough was on his back in the living room with blood around him on the floor and a wound to the back of his head that took staples to close. The boyfriend, Ashley Dickens, was bleeding profusely from a cut on the left side of his neck that took 11 stitches to sew up. Both men were arrested and charged with second-degree assault. Just a short time after Hough was released on a promise to appear in court after being arraigned at the Stamford courthouse and told not to return to his exs apartment again, a call from the same Hope Street address came in to 911 at 1:15 p.m. Thursday. The woman at the center of the incident said Hough returned to her home and had a knife in his hand and was slashing the tires of her boyfriends car, Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said. Hough was arrested again and charged with criminal trespass, criminal mischief, carrying a dangerous weapon and violating his conditions of release. He was held in lieu of a $50,000 court-appearance bond. At his arraignment on the charges, rather than release him, Judge Gary White looked at the circumstances of his arrest and decided to up the bond to $75,000. Unable to make the bond, Hough was taken to Bridgeport Correctional Center. jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com WASHINGTON Despite broad opposition, two of the U.S. Department of Agricultures research agencies are moving from Washington, D.C., to the Kansas City area, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced June 13. According to a USDA release, moving the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture will save money, put USDA resources closer to stakeholders and attract better workers from nearby land-grant and research universities. Critics, from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, say the decision is rushed and could put the research at risk for reduced funding. The Kansas City region has proven itself to be hub for all things agriculture and is a booming city in Americas heartland, Perdue said. The Kansas City region will allow ERS and NIFA to increase efficiencies and effectiveness and bring important resources and manpower closer to all of our customers. The Kansas City area was selected from among 136 bids from 35 states, after Perdues August 2018 announcement of the plans to relocate the two agencies. The USDA said the move is expected to save nearly $300 million over 15 years, leaving more money for research. Nearly 550 jobs of the 644 jobs between the two agencies will relocate. About NIFA and ERS The National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides grant funding for agricultural research, education and extension programs. The Economic Research Service looks into a range of issues, including the including the rural economy, international trade, food safety and programs that provide food assistance to low-income Americans. It produces market outlook reports for major crops and livestock products, forecasts of the Consumer Price Index for food and a number of other reports. Reaction to the relocation news Members of the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations and the two states governors praised the USDAs move, saying the research agencies are a good fit for their region. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, said the jobs moving to the area will pay between $80,000 and $100,000 a year. ERS and NIFA employees stand in silent protest while Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announces relocation of the agencies to the Kansas City region. pic.twitter.com/KiM9iiUSNo Ben Nuelle (@BenNuelle) June 13, 2019 The plan drew strong criticism from two Democratic chairwomen of U.S. House of Representatives agriculture subcommittees, Marcia Fudge of Ohio and Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands. They accused the USDA of rushing its decision and ignoring farmers, ranchers and researchers who opposed to it. Other critics said the move will impact the agencies ability to produce and fund quality research because of the loss of highly-trained staff, as well as taking the agencies away from important collaborators and policy makers in Washington. The National Farmers Union and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition urged Congress to suspend the move. Moving NIFA and ERS farther away from our nations capital, as the USDA intends to do, could negatively impact the ability of these agencies to produce and fund high-quality research and communicate with legislators, which could, in turn, make it that much more difficult to be a farmer, National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson said in a release. Former USDA chief scientists Gale Buchanan and Catherine Woteki wrote in a letter to the U.S. Congress, sent in late 2018, that moving the National Institute of Food and Agriculture would further undermine USDA research funding. With NIFA being relocated outside of Washington, we worry it will become less relevant and therefore more susceptible to further degradation of its budget, the scientists said in the letter. That letter voiced a number of concerns about the planned relocation and was signed by dozens of agricultural leaders, including Cathann Kress, Ohio State Universitys dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental sciences. (The Associated Press contributed to this report.) Faced with historically bad planting season, farmers get no help from federal payments SALEM, Ohio John Motter, a Hancock County grain farmer, has only been able to work three days this spring. Heavy rainfall this season has Motter and many other farmers far behind on planting. Ohio has had its wettest 12 months in more than a century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In some states, the late planting has reached historical levels. University of Illinois economists reported June 12 that Illinois corn planting progress reached the 50% completion mark June 4, the latest date in the last 60 years. Kirk Merritt, executive director of the Ohio Soybean Association, said Ohio typically has very few prevented planting acres for corn and soybeans, but he expects that to be different this year. He called the situation a slow-motion disaster. Its not a tornado or a hurricane, but it has a similar ultimate effect on farmers, Merritt said. Weather woes Motter chose to file claims for prevented planting on most of his corn acres. While he still plans to plant 450-500 acres of soybeans, he may file for prevented planting on some of those acres, if it continues to rain in the next week. Related article Ohio seeks disaster declaration for farmers The later it gets, the wetter it gets, Motter said. At this point, 40 bushels is the best we can hope for. Itll take every bit of that to cancel out the prevented planting payment. Unplanted acres Compounding the situation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced June 10 that unplanted acres will not qualify for 2019 Market Facilitation Program payments. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a press relaase that only farmers who have planted a 2019 MFP-eligible crop will qualify for a payment. Perdue said farmers who file for prevented planting and plant a 2019 MFP-eligible cover crop may receive a minimal payment. They must be sure, however, to comply with their crop insurance requirements as well. Insurance options Jason Williamson, a northwest Ohio crop insurance agent, has spoken with farmers about prevented planting and how the Market Facilitation Program or other potential disaster aid affects their decisions. Farmers do not yet know what the payment rates will be for the MFP or other disaster aid, he said, making it difficult to decide whether or not to plant. It feels like the weather is ruling over any potential decision folks could be making, Williamson said. Trade war Merritt hopes the USDA will find another way to assist farmers. The bigger-picture point Id make is that we would hope to soon be in a position where we dont need MFP payments, Merritt said. Motter echoed this sentiment. He would prefer trade, rather than a payment. If they solve the trade war, it wont affect farmers at all, he said about the payments. Farmers like to compete, Merritt said. Right now, theyre not being allowed to compete. Merritt said the Ohio Soybean Association and other partners at the state and federal level are pushing for resolution to the trade war as quickly as possible. That would create opportunities for farmers that were there up until a year or two ago and just arent there now, he said. We really need those markets to be opened up again. MFP payment rates Perdue encouraged farmers to make planting decisions based on what works best for their farm and their markets, regardless of what assistance the USDA provides. Rates and details of disaster aid relief are expected in coming weeks. Payment rates for MFP will be determined by county, based on the USDAs assessment of the tariffs impact, according to an Ohio Soybean Association. Disaster aid Legislators also approved additional disaster aid to compensate losses up to 90%, although the USDA says it is highly unlikely that the supplemental appropriation will support that level of coverage in addition to crop insurance. Acreage in declared disaster areas will be eligible for assistance. Eligibility acreage outside of those areas will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Volunteer paddlers assisted to collect data on access sites, journey segments, hazards, dams and portages, amenities at access sites and more. The Core Development Team is ready to share the results of those efforts and look for input before applying to have the trail included in the National Water Trail System. New research will look at how robots can help boost English farms productivity and produce more food through the worlds first farming robotics centre. Farming robots could help tend and quality control high-value crops in the worlds first ever agri-robotics centre at the University of Lincoln. Agri-food is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK twice the scale of automotive and aerospace combined supporting a food chain which generates a Gross Value Added (GVA) of 113bn, with 3.9m employees in a truly international industry. It is widely agreed that robotics will transform the food and farming industries in the coming years, as producers adapt to meet significantly increased global demand. However, according to Lincoln University's Professor Andrew Hunter, there is still research and development to be done. The creation of Lincoln Agri-Robotics is therefore extremely timely and positions Lincolnshire, and the UK, at the leading edge of research innovations in this truly global industry. Technologies will facilitate a step change in agricultural productivity while reducing environmental impact, and this new centre of excellence will be at the forefront of that change, he said. This project will be receiving 6,344,000. It is one of 13 projects to benefit from a share of 76 million to work on ground-breaking research. The programme will tackle a broad range of research challenges, including speeding up crop production. The investment will be made through the government's Industrial Strategy. The NFU President is urging Conservative leadership hopefuls to get Brexit 'right' or risk the 'decimation of Britains ability to feed itself'. The stark warning is in an open letter to the remaining 10 candidates for the next leader of the party, and consequently next Prime Minister. The winner of the contest to succeed Theresa May is expected to be announced in the week of 22 July. NFU President Minette Batters is urging candidates to commit to delivering a 'positive future' for British food production and to work with farmers to 'seize opportunities'. She highlights the importance of avoiding a no-deal Brexit, which will do 'considerable economic damage' to Britains food and farming sectors. Instead, Mrs Batters urges the hopefuls to look at key policy areas which would encourage the future Prime Minister to work with farmers. This includes a Brexit that encourages free and frictionless trade in agri-food goods and an immigration system that maintains access to a seasonal and permanent workforce. She also calls for the next leader to look at a future agricultural policy which supports farmers as food producers and acknowledges the importance of domestic food production. 'Farming is at a crossroads' In the letter, the NFU President says farming is at a 'crossroads' and the industry most affected by the UK's decision to leave the EU. Get it right and the rewards can be huge; get it wrong and we could see the decimation of Britains ability to feed itself and to care for our iconic landscapes. For this reason, the next Prime Minister must commit to doing everything in their power to avoid a hugely damaging no-deal Brexit, given the enormous economic damage this would entail for our food and farming sectors, the wider economy and the people of the UK. Of course, avoiding no-deal and achieving the right outcome from Brexit remains a huge priority for farm businesses; but we also want to work with the next Prime Minister and their government on a broader range of issues, to seize the opportunities the future holds. She adds: As a candidate in the Conservative leadership election, I am asking you to rise to these challenges and pledge your support for farming and commit to a positive future for domestic food production and the high standards associated with it. A letter has also been sent to the candidates for the Liberal Democrat leadership reiterating the role they can play in supporting British farming, such as encouraging the Agriculture Bills passage through Parliament. Who is standing to replace Theresa May? Defra Secretary Michael Gove Health Secretary Matt Hancock Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt Home Secretary Sajid Javid Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson Former Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom Former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab International Development Secretary Rory Stewart Former Chief Whip Mark Harper Scientists studying herbicide resistance in blackgrass have detected clear signs that reduced sensitivity to glyphosate is evolving in the field. A team of researchers have developed a way to predict risks of resistance before it occurs in the field, and have applied this to the use of glyphosate in blackgrass. Dr David Comont, a weed ecologist from Rothamsted Research, said the work provides an early-warning to the UK farming industry that over-reliance on glyphosate is likely to lead to resistance. We found evidence that a number of blackgrass populations are responding to glyphosate use, by evolving reduced sensitivity to this herbicide in the field. Crucially, our results show this happening before high levels of resistance have evolved, whilst there is still time to delay or prevent this resistance, he said. Glyphosate is one of the few herbicides that blackgrass isnt already resistant to and is critical to the control of this weed. Another recent study has shown that its use by UK farmers has risen eight-fold in the last 30 years. According to Dr Paul Neve, head of the Weed Ecology and Evolution research group at Rothamsted, it is this increase in use that is driving the evolution of resistance. We found that blackgrass populations with greater historic exposure to glyphosate are now the populations least sensitive to this chemical. If glyphosate use continues escalating, it may only be a matter of time before resistance evolves. Glyphosate should be used judiciously in strategies that combine herbicide use with other cultural management practices that reduce selection for resistance, he said. The results, published in the journal New Phytologist, demonstrate a completely new approach to monitoring resistance identifying signs of resistance evolution before it becomes a problem in the field. The researchers collected blackgrass seed from 132 farmers fields across 11 English counties from Hertfordshire in the south to Yorkshire in the north, as well as collecting extensive data sets on historical field management, including glyphosate use. More than 16,000 seedlings were grown from these seeds in glasshouses, and the effectiveness of glyphosate in controlling plants from each local population was assessed. Plants from nine of these populations were then cross bred to produce 400 new seed lines with known genetic pedigrees, that were also tested for their responses to glyphosate. Crucially, the team showed that the degree of sensitivity was something plants inherited from their parents, and that the variation in sensitivity between populations was a result of historical glyphosate exposure both prerequisites for pesticide resistance evolution. Breeding from plants that survived glyphosate application resulted in offspring with even less herbicide sensitivity than their parents clearly demonstrating that every generation is heading closer towards resistance than the last. Taken together these results confirm that blackgrass populations can evolve reduced sensitivity to glyphosate on repeated exposure in farmers fields. Egg industry leaders have attacked the failure to include agricultural workers in a proposed list of critical labour after Brexit. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) published its recommendations following a review of the shortage occupation list (SOL). The MAC says its recommendations cover some nine per cent of jobs in the labour market, but the British Egg Industry Council has urged the government to ignore the recommendations. The BEIC has previously warned that EU migrants currently account for up to 60 per cent of people employed in UK packing centres and as many as 40 per cent of those employed on farms, making access to labour vital after Brexit. However, the MAC has not included agriculture on its critical list. The BEIC has expressed disappointment at the MAC's recommendations. BEIC was left extremely disappointed and surprised that the MAC has failed to recognise the need for the agricultural sector to continue to have access to migrant labour from the shortage occupation list, said the group. Despite our representations to the review, the recommendations ignore the fact that around a third of people working in the egg sector come from abroad and, with Brexit on the horizon, our ability to continue to produce an affordable and healthy food needs continued access to overseas labour, particularly given that some jobs require staff on site to protect animal welfare. Without demeaning some of the roles the MAC has included in their review, food production is arguably the most important industry and has not been given the respect it deserves. We are hopeful the government will not take forward these recommendations that could hamper food production in the UK. 'Staggering that farming has been ignored' The NFU has been very vocal in its criticism of the recommendations. NFU president Minette Batters pointed out that, whilst farming had been left off the list, workers who had been included on the list included dance choreographers and artists. She said that during a consultation process the NFU had pointed the MAC review to a range of critical jobs that many non-UK workers performed on farms at all skill levels, including dairy herdsmen and poultry technicians. She said she was very disappointed with the outcome of the review. The NFU is staggered that farming has been ignored in this way and that the MAC has failed to recognise the needs of our industry, and the implications for shoppers wanting to continue to buy affordable, high quality British food, she said. The consultation was poorly managed, with events arranged at just 48 hours notice. These events were supposed to gather evidence on those occupations in shortage across all skill levels, highlighting the need for experience, aptitude and knowledge. In a post-Brexit world, access to overseas workers may be restricted. If we cant get some of these permanent roles on the shortage occupation list, we will be limited purely to UK-based workers to fill those jobs when we know, with the country at near full employment, the numbers are just not there. There are still options available to us through the new immigration policy the Home Office is designing, and the NFU will continue to campaign to raise awareness of these issues with MPs. We urge government to look carefully at these recommendations and add the roles we desperately need so the critical jobs that many non-UK workers perform on our farms at all skill levels are accounted for. 'Needs labour all year round' In October last year, BEIC chief executive Mark Williams warned that a trial post-Brexit agricultural workers scheme announced by the government would not be enough for the UK egg industry. The egg industry needs labour all year round on farms and in packing centres. Therefore, we will continue to lobby for a scheme that can provide this, he said. Mr Williams had previously said that availability of labour was vital to the industry. Following the 2016 referendum, he said, EU workers had started heading home. The industry was trying to promote careers in the egg industry, but he said some British people were not necessarily keen on the hard work involved in the agricultural industry. He said that, following the referendum, the BEIC had conducted a survey, which showed that between 55 and 60 per cent of those working in packing centres were from other EU countries. Between 35 and 40 per cent of those working on farms were from other EU countries. The Migration Advisory Committee was asked by the government to examine which occupations were in shortage and make recommendations as to which occupations should be included on the SOL. In making its recommendations, the committee said some occupations had been added to the list veterinarians, web designers and architects. It said that nine per cent of jobs in the labour market were now included on the list, compared to one per cent previously. The committee has recommended broadening the SOL to include all roles in occupations such as medical practitioners, nurses, programmers and software development professionals. This was recognition of the increasing difficulty in filling such roles, said the committee. MAC chairman Professor Alan Manning said: Todays labour market is very different to the one we reviewed when the last SOL was published in 2013. Unemployment is lower and employers in various industries are facing difficulties in finding skilled people to fill their vacancies. That is why we have recommended expanding the SOL to cover a range of occupations in health, information and engineering fields. However, our recommendations are clearly only applicable under the current immigration system, while EU free movement remains. We are recommending a full review of the SOL once there is a clearer picture of what the future immigration system will look like, he said. Farming leaders are hoping that agricultural workers can still be added to the list. Official figures released by the Scottish government shows a total farming income decline of almost 250m in the last year. The report, released on 11 June, shows total income from farming (TIFF) dropped from 917m in 2017 to 672m last year. The Scottish Conservatives responded to the figures, calling them 'unacceptable'. North East region MSP Peter Chapman said the report shows an 'awful reflection' of the governments 'failure' to address the issue of agriculture after Brexit. It is still unknown what Scotland's plan is for the future funding of the sector despite other UK nations having laid out their plans for their farmers post-Brexit. Mr Chapman said: The lack of schemes to support new entrants, and the governments inability to produce its own plans for what happens after Brexit, must have some bearing on these figures. At the mart and in the field, I have heard the message loud and clear Nicola Sturgeons government have done nothing for farmers and crofters in Scotland. The SNP need to produce their own Bill to handle direct payments after Britain leaves the EU. He added: They have ignored the offers of help from Westminster but have left farmers in the dark in order to further their obsession with separation. Agriculture facts and figures in Scotland: 2019 Total Income from Farming 2018: 672m Other Activities: 265m Feed, Fertiliser, Lime & Seed: 915m Farm Maintenance: 85m Consumption of Fixed Capital: 457m Rent, Interest & Hired Labour: 567m Machinery Repairs & Fuel, Contract Work, Vets Fees & Other Exp: 989m Subsidies: 502m Cereals, Other Crops & Horticulture: 1,068m Livestock: 1,153m Livestock Products: 511m Capital Formation: 185m Total Costs: 3.01bn Output & Support: 3.68bn A new scheme which aims to help Welsh pig farmers lift herd profitability and performance by improving herd health has launched. The new initiative will provide financial assistance for pig herd health planning. Eligible pig farmers can access 80% funding towards an initial herd health plan, followed by further support in subsequent years for its review. Menter Moch Cymru, funded by the EU and Welsh government, launched the scheme. It builds on the free training, support and information resources that the project provides for pig keepers in Wales. The scheme helps farmers achieve on-farm efficiency and drive best practice in proactive animal health planning. Christianne Glossop, Welsh government Chief Veterinary Officer said: This initiative to raise disease awareness on Welsh pig farms is particularly important at this time as we face the threat of emerging diseases, such as African Swine Fever, arriving into the UK. Pig Health Planning and good biosecurity are an important part of preventing the introduction and spread of disease within the national herd. In addition to this, over the past 6 months, Menter Moch Cymru has been delivering bespoke CDP training for Welsh Vets to ensure they are confident and knowledgeable on how to carry out a herd health plan for a pig enterprise. The primary aim of a herd health plan is to promote animal wellbeing by managing identified health problems so that they can be controlled by prevention. Melanie Cargill, Menter Moch Cymru Project Manager added: Herd health planning, a proactive and coordinated approach to animal health and eradicating disease, can have a significant impact on the efficiency and bottom line of a pig enterprise. The launch of this new financial support initiative will help farmers to work with vets to put health plans in place and monitor their effectiveness over the years to come. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike. We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve. Your health is very important, Hull said in court to Franzen. From that standpoint, I appreciate the documentation youve given. I hope ultimately you are released quickly and are able to get on with your life after accepting responsibility. Its a hard day for you and a hard day for your family. But ultimately, my hope is you do what you need to do. Ever feel that you are falling into a pattern when you are dating? Think that despite wanting to break the pattern of the kinds of guys you are attracted to, you are not able to? Well, dont beat yourself up too much about it. A new study has found that people may have a type when it comes to romantic relationships. Researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada wanted to investigate if human beings are attracted to the same type of person across their relationships, and did so by conducting a study which compared the personality traits of the past and present partners of over 300 people. The personality traits covered included agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience. From the responses, the study showed that people do in fact, fall for a similar type of person each time, since both, the past and present partners displayed matching personality characteristics. Although the data collected could not pin point the reason for it, it is interesting that the similarity between past and present partners was in addition to the similarity to the person herself/himself. So, the next time you find yourself unable to break your pattern, take solace in the fact that you are not alone! Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category After Karan Johar's period drama, Takht and Homi Adajania's Angrezi Medium, Kareena Kapoor Khan has given her nod to another big project and it's one of the most awaited projects already. Thanks to the incredible popularity and credibility of its leading man, superstar Aamir Khan. Yes, after 3 Idiots (2009) and Talaash (2012), Kareena and Aamir are all set to reunite for Lal Singh Chaddha, the official Hindi remake of Tom Hanks blockbuster movie, Forest Grump (1994). The film is being directed by Secret Superstar fame director Advait Chandan. As per sources, Advait is currently busy with the pre-production of the film as he is planning to go on floors by end of this year in October. It was Aamir's idea to have Kareena on board. When the team approached Kareena for the Aamir Khan film, she pushed everything aside to accommodate her dates for this particular film. She has one of the biggest blockbusters of her career, 3 Idiots with Aamir and she had enjoyed working with him in the past. She agreed to do the film immediately. She is very excited about the film and is really looking forward to join Aamir on the project. She will be playing his love interest in it. She is currently in London to shoot for Homi Adajania's Angrezi Medium with Irrfan. Next month she is returning to Mumbai for her TV reality show and then, formalities will be done. Post that, the makers will release an official announcement of the same. We are looking forward to seeing Kareena-Aamir magic back on screen, what about you? 'We Felt It Was Our Own Teacher' Talking about how Hrithik has done justice to his portrayal, his students shared, "Watching the trailer, we all felt it was our own teacher playing the character on screen." Anand Kumar Reacts To Hrithik's Performance Hrithik has played me on reel with exuberance, there is not an iota of doubt about it. My students endorse Hrithik's performances to the T, " said Anand Kumar. Anand Kumar's Mother Was Teary-Eyed After Watching The Trailer "When I was selecting Hrithik Roshan, everyone laughed at me saying that he looks like a Greek god and I must select someone who could look the part. But when I met him, he said that this film is very difficult and I will take time to even get into your character. He spoke to me. He sat with me for hours and hours. When the trailer came out, my mother was teary eyed. My brother was also astonished. I have a two-year-old daughter who jumped in excited saying, "Papa, papa," recalled Kumar in an interview with Quint. The Mathematician Claimed He Chose The Director & Actor For His Film "Whenever there's a biopic filmmakers take rights for the story. Then they visit their homes, understand the story and write. But my case was different. I chose them. Not just the script, but who will direct it, who will act. I decided everything. And I have worked with them on the script of the film. I used to end up in heated discussions with Vikas Bahl and Sanjeev Dutta. I didn't want any fiction in the story. Whatever's the real truth should be out there." Tanushree Dutta lashes out at Nana Patekar after he gets clean chit from court | FilmiBeat Actor Tanushree Dutta on Thursday lashed out on the 'corrupt' system after Mumbai Police informed a local court that it has no evidence to prosecute Nana Patekar in a molestation case lodged against him by her. The suburban Oshiwara police on Wednesday filed a 'B Summary' report before a metropolitan magistrate in Andheri, Deputy Commissioner of Police Paramjit Singh Dahiya told PTI. A 'B Summary' report is filed when police do not find any evidence against the accused person to file a charge sheet and seek trial. Dutta's complaint against Patekar last year sparked a nationwide '#MeToo' movement on social media. In a statement, the actor questioned the police's rush to file a 'B Summary' report but said she is 'neither shocked nor surprised' by it. "Our witnesses have been silenced by intimidation and fake witnesses have been put forth to weaken the case. What was the rush to file a B summary report when all of my witnesses have not even recorded their statements yet?? I'm neither shocked nor surprised, being a woman in India this is something we all have got used to," Dutta said. She claimed it must not have been difficult for Patekar to "buy himself" a clean chit when Alok Nath, who has been accused of rape by writer Vinta Nanda, is still acting in films. "But the proof is often in the pudding and a gentle reminder to the Indian public to watch the video of my car being mercilessly attacked and broken while me and my family tried to escape from these monsters on 'Horn ok Pleasse' set 10 years ago. After this if you still decide to watch their movies and support then it's your bad karma," she added. Dutta said she hopes that she never has to face such 'toxicity' again in life. "I'm tired of fighting alone against oppressors, bullies and a corrupt system. I have better things to do in life with my talent and skill set and I need to focus on those but please don't take this example to mean that you will not be heard when you speak up! What Made Salman Khan BURST INTO TEARS In Front Of This Actress? "Continue to expose these creeps through social media and other platforms so that in future people would think twice before troubling an innocent young girl. I still believe by the way that I will get justice and victory will be mine!! How..only time will tell," she concluded. Dutta filed the complaint against Patekar in October 2018 in which she accused him of harassing and misbehaving with her while shooting a song on the sets of the film "Horn Ok Pleasss" in 2008. She also alleged that during the shooting of the song sequence, Patekar inappropriately touched her even after she clearly mentioned that she would not perform lewd, vulgar or uncomfortable steps. Patekar has denied all the allegations. Based on Dutta's complaint, a case was registered against Patekar and three others - choreographer Ganesh Acharya, the film's producer Samee Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang - for allegedly molesting Dutta on the sets of the movie. The 'B Summary' report will absolve Acharya, Siddiqui and Sarang too of the charges. The accused were booked under IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), but no arrest was made so far. Rating: 3.0 /5 Star Cast: Upendra, Rachita Ram, Sonu Gowda Director: Chandru Director R. Chandru is back to his forte with yet another love story. This time, he has not teamed up with a chocolate boy, but instead, the real star of Kannada Cinema, which is set to offer some thrill, and experience. Chandru is known for churning out good love stories while Upendra is loved for his typical philosophical dialogues, which he is famous for. Has the duo planned a combination of this for the audience? Story Santhosh, a rich businessperson, is married to a typical traditional person (much to the wishes of his father) who is a dutiful wife and carries off her chores religiously. The couple has a daughter but Santhosh is not the right fit for an institution called marriage, as he seems least interested in the same. He happens to bump across Dharmika who happens to be his classmate and love interest during his college days. He has some feelings towards Dharmika in the present time and it is here the audience will have to see whether he gets connected to Dharmika back or stays loyal to his marriage. Positives Chandru's Presentation Uppi's Performance Certain Philosophical Dialogues Rachitha & Sonu's Performances Negatives Songs Might not appeal to all sections of audience Performances Uppi is at his usual best. He is active, energetic, looks fit, young and renders a top-notch performance. It is always a treat to watch him mouth dialogues in his usual style. Rachitha Ram has a meaty character and she has utilized the opportunity to the level best. Sonu's performance, especially her body language wins it for her and the movie. Rest of them have done their respective jobs pretty well. Technical Aspects Chandru, as pressed earlier, is a master in making love stories and he has once again scored well with I Love You. The storyline, treatment of the story and allocating weightage to the characters are well worked out, which pretty much has done the trick for him. He is aided by Upendra's contribution in dialogues (which is known to the audience as Uppi's dialogues often linger in the ears of the audience). Chandru and Upendra were sure that this movie would be a safe bet as it appeals to the young set of audience in particular and seems to be contented with the limited appeal. Dr. Kiran's music seems to be on the downside as the tunes aren't too catchy and doesn't justify the genre of a love story. The background music too appears gloomy. Editing by Deepu and Cinematography by Sugnaan are good. Final Verdict I Love You comes in as a neat entertainer if you are a Upendra fan or like his style of movies. Chandru doesn't disappoint you if you are not expecting something crazy from the Uppi-Chandru combination. Read: I Love You Movie Review: Live Updates On Upendra & Rachita Ram Starrer! Rating: 2.0 /5 Star Cast: Vikranth, Mysskin, Suseenthiran, Athulya Ravi, Sai Krishna Director: Ram Prakash Rayappa We have had our share of heist thrillers. What makes this Friday release Suttu Pidikka Utharavu different? The presence of directors Suseenthiran and Mysskin who are usually seen behind the scenes. Read on to find if the action thriller directed by Ramprakash Rayappa comes thumbs up. Story A gang of unidentified men barge into a private bank to loot a ransom with lethal weapons and in the process, they end up injuring and killing innocent citizens. Though the plan isn't executed as expected, the conmen swindle money and manage to escape the crime location; the entry of the police team deters their overall plan. The police team guided by Ibrahim (Mysskin) comes with a revelation that Ashok (Vikranth) heads the con gang. The gang with heavy arms enters a busy and crowded colony in Coimbatore just to escape from the clutches of the police force and subsequently, enters into a cat-mouse fight with the police. Parallel to this proceeding, a group of dreaded terrorists plans something frightful in the city, which makes it a big package of chasing, action, gunshots, etc. Positives The Initial Action Sequence Storyline Mysskin's Performance Negatives Predictable Narrative Not-so Engaging Screenplay Performances Vikranth as the lead of the con gang hasn't delivered a praiseworthy performance and is just okay. Mysskin as a restless cop, is impressive with his body language and dialogue delivery. Director Susindheeran, who is making his on-screen debut, shows his potential as an actor. He fits the bill properly. Athulya Ravi is beautiful but does not make much of an impact in the space given to her. Technical Aspects Director Ramprakash comes with an interesting storyline and sets the tempo well in the initial few scenes. The opening action sequence is interesting, leaving the audience craving for something big; further proceedings of the movie fail to maintain the same tempo. The action sequences during the mid-way of the movie seem a bit cluttered and the audience tends to lose interest over the proceedings as things get predictable. Probably, the director could have been a little careful in handling certain logic and could have avoided certain light-hearted scenes, which are included just from the commercial standpoint. Rest of the technical aspects are adequate, which neither pulls back the movie nor elevates the package. Final Verdict Suttu Pidika Utharavu is good in bits and pieces but pretty average as an overall product. Not a must watch flick for the week. 14 June 2019 Clean Invest Africa plc ("CIA" or the "Company") General Meeting re Proposed acquisition of CoalTech Limited and Coal Agglomeration South Africa (Pty) Ltd ("CoalTech Group") and inter alia Approval of the Waiver Resolution under Rule 9 of the Takeover Code and Re-Admission to NEX Exchange The Company is pleased to announce the posting today of a notice convening a General Meeting of the Shareholders, to be held on 3 July 2019 at 11 a.m., at the offices of Peterhouse Capital Limited, New Liverpool House, 15-17 Eldon Street, London, EC2M 7LD. Should the Resolutions be approved by Shareholders, the Company's Ordinary Shares will be re-admitted to trading on the NEX Exchange Growth Market ("Admission"). It is expected that Admission will become effective and that dealings in the Ordinary Shares will commence on 4 July 2019, subject to the General Meeting approvals. The application is further to the announcement of 11 January 2019, and the signing of a binding Sales and Purchase Agreement ("SPA") to acquire the remaining 97.5% of CoalTech Limited ("CoalTech") and the remaining 97.5% of Coal Agglomeration South Africa (Pty) Ltd ("CASA"), that the Company does not already own. The acquisition constitutes a reverse takeover pursuant to Rule 57 of the NEX Exchange Rules for Issuers. A copy of the Admission Document will shortly be available at: https://www.cleaninvestafrica.com/. The consideration for the Acquisition is approximately 27.16m and will be satisfied by the allotment of the Consideration Shares to the Vendors, at a deemed 2.75 pence in accordance with the terms of the Acquisition Agreement. Of the Consideration Shares, 780,414,224 Consideration Shares, which will represent approximately 67.92% of the Issued Share Capital of the Company, will be allotted to the Non-SA Resident Vendors on Admission. The remaining 207,453,934 Consideration Shares, which will represent approximately 18.06% of the Issued Share Capital, will be allotted to the SA Resident Vendors, following receipt of SARB Approval for the sale of the SA Resident Vendor's shares in the CoalTech Group to the Company. Admission of the SA Resident Vendors' Consideration Shares is expected to take place in early August 2019. The Resolutions will include, inter alia, a resolution to approve a Waiver Resolution to be voted on by the Independent Shareholders, all of whom are independent of the Concert Party. Resolution 2 will be taken on a poll. The issue of the Consideration Shares and exercise of the Management Options would ordinarily trigger an obligation of the Concert Party to make an offer for the Company in accordance with Rule 9 of the Takeover Code. Following allotment and issue of the Consideration Shares to the Non-SA Resident Vendors, the Concert Party will hold 780,414,224 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 82.89 per cent. of the then Issued Share Capital. On the receipt of SARB Approval, the SA Resident Vendors will be issued with 207,453,934 Consideration Shares, representing approximately 18.06 per cent. of the Issued Share Capital, at which point the total Consideration Shares will represent 85.98 per cent. of the Issued Share Capital. Assuming that members of the Concert Party exercise all of their 143,621,020 Management Options, the Concert Party will own in aggregate 1,131,489,178 Ordinary Shares representing approximately 87.54 per cent. of the enlarged issued share capital of the Company, assuming no other shares are issued. The Panel has agreed, however, to waive the obligation for the Concert Party to make a general offer that would otherwise arise as a result of the issue of the Consideration Shares and the exercise of Management Options by any member of the Concert Party, subject to the approval of the Independent Shareholders. A Proposed Directors of the Company at Admission will be join the Board, together with the Existing Directors: Filippo Fantechi, Non-executive Chairman (aged 54) Based in Bahrain, Filippo is the President of CoalTech Limited and major owner and CEO of the Contax Group of Companies. He has over 20 years of business development, project management, sales management, business start-up and market strategy experience in the Middle East, Europe and Russia. Filippo has a strong background in the energy, utility and construction sectors. Former experience includes commercial responsibilities in the GCC region for two large Italian construction companies and overall management responsibilities for a leading Engineering and Construction company. Filippo has a Phd in Civil Engineering from the University of Florence, Italy and a Masters in Project Management from Sinnea Business School, Bologna/Zurich. Directors' Interests On Admission, the interests of the Directors and their families (within the meaning set out in the NEX Exchange Growth Market - Rules for Issuers) in the issued share capital of the Company, all of which are beneficial, and the existence of which is known or could, with reasonable diligence, be ascertained by that Director, are as follows: Director Number of Ordinary Shares on Admission % of Issued Share Capital Samuel Preece 1,200,000 0.13 Filippo Fantechi* 215,944,186 22.94 Noel Lyons 9,800,000 1.04 Paul Ryan None None *Filippo's Ordinary Shares will be held through Contax Partners Inc. (Filippo Fantechi - 51.22%; Cristina Villani - 24.39%; Lorenzo Francesco Fantechi - 24.39%). A copy of the Chief Executive Officer's letter, the expected timetable of principal events and definitions sections contained in the Admission Document are set out in full below of this announcement without material amendment or adjustment The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement. ENQUIRIES: Company Clean Invest Africa PLC Noel Lyons/Paul Ryan Telephone: +44 7912 514 809/ +32 475 754 148 Corporate Adviser Peterhouse Capital Limited Guy Miller/Mark Anwyl Telephone: 020 7220 9795 LETTER FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CLEAN INVEST AFRICA PLC (Incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act 2006 with registration number 10967142) To all Shareholders Dear Shareholder Proposed acquisition of CoalTech Limited and Coal Agglomeration South Africa (Pty) Ltd Approval of waiver of obligations under Rule 9 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers And Notice of General Meeting Introduction I am writing to invite you to the General Meeting of the Company to be held at the offices of Peterhouse Capital Limited, New Liverpool House, 15-17 Eldon Street, London, EC2M 7LD on 3 July 2019 at 11 a.m. The notice of the General Meeting is set out at the end of this Document. On 16 December 2018, the Company entered into a binding sale and purchase agreement to conditionally acquire 97.5% of CoalTech and 97.5% of CASA. The Company already owns the remaining shares in both CoalTech and CASA (each equating to 2.5% of the share capital of both CoalTech and CASA). The consideration for the Acquisition amounts to approximately 27.16m and will be satisfied by the allotment of the Consideration Shares to the Vendors. In view of the size of the Acquisition relative to the Company and voting control of the Company, the Acquisition constitutes a reverse takeover under the NEX Exchange Rules and is therefore conditional, amongst other things, on the approval of Shareholders. Shareholders are also required to approve the waiver of certain obligations which would otherwise be imposed on the Vendors by Rule 9 of the Takeover Code as a result of the issue to them of the Consideration Shares. The purpose of this Document is to explain the background to and reasons for the Proposals and to explain why the Directors consider them to be in the best interests of the Company and Shareholders as a whole and to seek Shareholders' approval for the Resolutions being proposed at the General Meeting. Background to and reasons for the Proposals The Company was admitted to the NEX Exchange Growth Market on 14 November 2017, having raised net funds of approximately 560,000. The Company was admitted as an Investment Vehicle for the purpose of identifying investment opportunities and acquisitions in renewable and clean energy projects/companies or alternative technologies that are used in a socially and environmentally responsible way that will aid the development of the African continent. On 12 February 2018, the Company announced an initial investment of US$500,000 in the CoalTech Group and on 17 December 2018 the Company announced that it had conditionally agreed to acquire the remaining shares in the CoalTech Group that the Company does not already own. On 10 January 2019, trading in the Ordinary Shares was suspended and would remain suspended pending the publication of this Document. The Directors believe that the Acquisition falls within the Company's stated investment strategy that provides Shareholders with an African-based operating business, producing coal pellets in an environmentally compliant manner. Summary Information on the CoalTech Group In 2016 Noel Lyons met with the two principal shareholders of the CoalTech Group, namely Filippo Fantechi, the Proposed Director, and director of Bahrain Energy Services WLL and Contax Partners Inc., and Shaikh Mohammed Abdulla Khalifa AlKhalifa of Bahrain Energy Services WLL. After conducting initial due diligence on the CASA technology, that an investment in the CoalTech Group could potentially lead to capital gains and profitability for the Company, whilst cleaning up of coal discards that lie in dumps or in open-air lagoons as wasted by-products of traditional coal extraction processes. The CoalTech Group is engaged in agglomerating coal fines into coal pellets through the commercialisation of its proprietary binding technology, using, amongst other things, heat and chemical processes. For mining companies the coal fine discards reflect production losses, increased inefficiencies, storage and maintenance costs, end of life financial commitments, and as well as posing considerable environmental challenges. The CoalTech Group has built a coal fines processing plant in Witbank, Province of Mpumalanga, South Africa, that commenced production in November 2018. The plant was built as a pilot plant at a cost of approximate US$ 2,000,000, and with approximately US$4,000,000 spent on research & development and other related costs. Commercial sales and maximum production of approximately 6,000 tonnes of coal pellets per month has quickly built up the proof of concept. The technology has been successful and the CoalTech Group is now in the process of setting up its operations in various target markets by establishing joint ventures with local partners, commencing in South Africa. Coal fines have the same calorific value as coal being mined and sold from a specific mine. These fines are not easily marketable due to high volatilities, high surface moisture content and heterogeneous properties of the fines. Due to their low market values, coal fines are generally disposed in stockpiles or slurry lagoons at or near mining sites. The reprocessing of these fines by the CoalTech Group will offset the environmental impact that results in dust release, acid drainage, spontaneous combustion, amongst other environmental damage caused by the coal fines. Further information on the CoalTech Group is set out below and in Part III and Part IV of this Document. Principle terms of the Acquisition Agreement On 16 December 2018 the Company entered into the Acquisition Agreement with the Vendors to acquire the shares of the CoalTech Group not already owned by the Company. The Acquisition is conditional, inter alia, on the Waiver Resolution be approved by the Shareholders on a poll. The consideration for the Acquisition is approximately 27.16m and will be satisfied by the allotment of the Consideration Shares to the Vendors, at a deemed 2.75 pence per share, in accordance with the terms of the Acquisition Agreement. Of the Consideration Shares, 780,414,224 Consideration Shares, which will represent approximately 67.92% of the Issued Share Capital of the Company, will be allotted to the Non-SA Resident Vendors on Completion. The remaining 207,453,934 Consideration Shares, which will represent approximately 18.06% of the Issued Share Capital, will be allotted to the SA Resident Vendors, following receipt of SARB Approval for the sale of the SA Resident Vendors shares in the CoalTech Group to the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, it is expected that the 780,414,224 Consideration Shares will be issued to the Non-SA Resident Vendors. Together with the Existing Ordinary Shares, the 780,414,224 Consideration Shares will be re-admitted to trading on the NEX Exchange Growth Market pursuant to the Expected Timetable of Principal Events and conditional on passing of the Resolutions, irrespective of whether or not SARB Approval for the sale by the SA Resident Vendors is received. The SA Resident Vendors will take reasonable steps in order to facilitate the South African re-organisation or such other steps as the parties shall agree in relation to SA Resident Vendors' interests, or in relation to a restructuring of CASA, in order to effect the SA Resident Vendors' sale of shares in the CoalTech Group to the Company. The total Consideration Shares will represent approximately 85.98% of the Issued Share Capital and will, when issued, rank pari passu in all respects with the Ordinary Shares then in issue, including all rights to all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid following Admission. The Acquisition Agreement also makes provision for the Company to appoint a representative to the Board from the CoalTech Group management and conditional upon the Resolutions being approved, Filippo Fantechi will be appointed to the board as Non-Executive Chairman. Future Strategy and Prospects of the Enlarged Group The Directors believe that the Proposals are in accordance with the Investment Strategy of the Company referred to in paragraph 2 of this Part I of this Document, and the Company intends to continue to seek investments in accordance with its Investment Strategy once the Acquisition has been completed. Directors and Proposed Director Directors Samuel Toby Preece, Executive Director (aged 43) Samuel has over 20 years of environmental consulting experience, having completed over 1,500 projects in Europe, Asia, Australia, Middle East, Canada, USA and South America as well as across Africa. Samuel has overseen the technical evaluation and permitting of alternative energy projects across the UK, Ireland, Europe and Africa. These projects include a wide range of energy technologies including on and offshore wind, solar, tidal, hydroelectric, geothermal, ground source heat pumps, pumped storage, waste to energy, anaerobic biodigestion, and gas to power, in a number of applications. Samuel spent five years as an in-house technical specialist at an international construction contractor, Laing O'Rourke, working on projects in the technology and energy sectors. Samuel was previously a director responsible for the UK and Ireland's environment business line of AECOM, a business that had revenues of approximately US$17.4 billion in the fiscal year to 2016. In this role at AECOM, Sam advised national and multinational clients on the technical feasibility and licencing and permitting of their energy, technology and land asset projects. These projects include energy projects across Africa. Samuel has access to a network of environmental and energy technical experts located across Africa with local knowledge and technical expertise. Samuel currently supports investors and companies looking to grow and seek investment in business and projects in Africa. These currently include renewable energy and green technology projects in southern and sub-Saharan Africa. Sam also advises on Environmental, Social and Governance risks and opportunities for investors, companies and financial institutions including in the energy sector. Noel Lyons, Non-Executive Director (aged 54) Noel started his career in the accounting profession and progressed from there to management and director level within various organisations. He has worked for such companies as Amoco/BP, Coca Cola, Kentz Corporation Plc and Oilinvest International, and has worked in diverse locations such as Africa and The Middle East. Noel has been involved in several listings on AIM and the NEX Exchange Growth Market in both a management and advisory capacity, including as co-founder and, initially, as a non-executive director of Karoo Energy plc. Noel has an MBA and Masters in Accounting and Finance. Paul Ryan, Non-Executive Director (aged 51) Mr Ryan has 20 years of strategy transactional, commercial and regulatory experience including with international blue chip entities, during which he has been involved in transactions with a value in excess of US$10 billion. Mr Ryan has over 20 years' experience including at board level. From 2002 to 2013, he held a variety of board positions with leading mobile operator Vodafone and its operating subsidiaries, including Head of Strategy, Regulatory and Political Affairs in Brussels and Director of Strategy and External Affairs for Vodafone Ireland and Vodafone Ghana. Prior to this, he worked as a management consultant in the European telecoms sector, served as a strategic adviser at Ofcom, the UK's communication industry regulator, and was a solicitor at leading international City law firm Ashurst. He acts as an adviser, primarily on strategy and public policy, to a range of clients including FTSE100 and Fortune 500 companies largely in the ICT space. Mr Ryan is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales (currently not practising) and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Proposed Director It is proposed that Filippo Fantechi will be appointed to the Board as Non-executive Chairman on Admission. Filippo Fantechi, Non-executive Chairman (aged 54) Based in Bahrain, Filippo is the President of CoalTech Limited and major owner and CEO of the Contax Group of Companies. He has over 20 years of business development, project management, sales management, business start-up and market strategy experience in the Middle East, Europe and Russia. Filippo has a strong background in the energy, utility and construction sectors. Former experience includes commercial responsibilities in the GCC region for two large Italian construction companies and overall management responsibilities for a leading Engineering and Construction company. Filippo has a Phd in Civil Engineering from the University of Florence, Italy and a Masters in Project Management from Sinnea Business School, Bologna/Zurich. Grant of Management Options to the Proposed Director, the Directors and certain management and investors of the Enlarged Group The Directors believe that the Enlarged Group's success is highly dependent on the quality and loyalty of its employees, directors, officers, contractors and consultants. To assist in the recruitment, retention and motivation of high quality staff, as necessary, the Enlarged Group must have an effective remuneration strategy. The Directors and Proposed Director consider that an important part of this remuneration strategy is the ability to award equity incentives and, in particular, share options. The Company will therefore grant 71,810,510 Management Options to Shaikh Mohamed Abdulla Khalifa AlKhalifa and 71,810,510 Management Options to Contax Partners Inc., conditional upon Admission. The Company will grant a further 143,621,020 Management Options to the Directors of the Company on Admission. The total 287,242,040 Management Options, that the Company will have the ability to grant, will represent up to 25 per cent. of the Issued Share Capital of the Company, including the issue to the SA Resident Vendors. The Management Options (save for those to be granted to Shaikh Mohamed Abdulla Khalifa AlKhalifa) are subject to the Lock-In Agreements, for which, details are contained in paragraph 8.3 of Part IV of this Document. Waiver of Rule 9 of the Takeover Code The Takeover Code, which is issued and administered by the Panel, applies to the Company. Under Rule 9 of the Takeover Code, any person who acquires an interest (as defined in the Takeover Code), whether by a series of transactions over a period of time or not, in shares which, taken together with shares in which he is already interested and in which persons acting in concert with him are interested, carry 30 per cent. or more of the voting rights of a company which is subject to the Takeover Code, is normally required to make a general offer to all of the remaining shareholders in that company to acquire their shares. Similarly, where any person, together with persons acting in concert with him, is interested in shares which in aggregate carry not less than 30 per cent. of the voting rights of a company, but does not hold shares carrying more than 50 per cent. of the voting rights of the company, a general offer will normally be required if any further interest in shares carrying voting rights is acquired by any such person. Following allotment and issue of the Consideration Shares to the Non-SA Resident Vendors, the Concert Party will hold 780,414,224 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 82.89 per cent. of the then Issued Share Capital. On the receipt of SARB Approval, the SA Resident Vendors will be issued with 207,453,934 Consideration Shares, representing approximately 18.06 per cent. of the Issued Share Capital, at which point the total Consideration Shares will represent 85.98 per cent. of the Issued Share Capital. Assuming that members of the Concert Party exercise all of their 143,621,020 Management Options, the Concert Party will own in aggregate 1,131,489,178 Ordinary Shares representing approximately 87.54 per cent. of the enlarged issued share capital of the Company, assuming no other shares are issued. The members of the Concert Party do not currently hold any Ordinary Shares. The issue of the Consideration Shares and exercise of the Management Options would therefore trigger an obligation of the Concert Party to make an offer for the Company in accordance with Rule 9 of the Takeover Code. The Panel has agreed, however, to waive the obligation for the Concert Party to make a general offer that would otherwise arise as a result of the issue of the Consideration Shares and the exercise of Management Options by any member of the Concert Party, subject to the approval of the Independent Shareholders, all of whom are independent of the Concert Party. Accordingly, Resolution 2 is being proposed at the General Meeting and will be taken on a poll. For so long as the Concert Party hold more than 50 per cent. of the Company's voting share capital and its members are deemed to be acting in concert by the Panel, they may increase their aggregate interests in the Ordinary Shares in the Company without incurring any obligation under Rule 9 to make a general offer for the remaining shares,although individual members of the Concert Party would not be able to increase their percentage interest in the Ordinary Shares of the Company through, or between, a Rule 9 threshold without the consent of the Panel. Information on the Concert Party The Concert Party comprises the following Vendors of CoalTech Group who are presumed to be acting in concert under the Takeover Code: Vendors (beneficial owner in brackets) Ordinary Shares interested in following the issue of the relevant number of Consideration Shares to the Non-SA Resident Vendors Ordinary Shares interested in following the issue to the Non-SA Resident Vendors as a percentage of the issued Ordinary Shares on Admission Ordinary Shares interested in following the issue of the relevant number of Consideration Shares to the SA Resident Vendors upon SARB Approval Ordinary Shares interested in following the issue to the SA Resident Vendors as a percentage of the Issued Share Capital Number of Management Options Maximum Ordinary Shares interested in following the issue of the Consideration Shares to the SA Resident Vendors and the Non-SA Resident Vendors and exercise of Management Options at Admission as a percentage of the Issued Share Capital Shaikh Mohamed Abdulla Khalifa AlKhalifa 332,619,294 35.33 332,619,294 28.95 71,810,510 31.29 Contax Partners Inc. (Filippo Fantechi - 51.22%; Cristina Villani - 24.39%; Lorenzo Francesco Fantechi - 24.39%) 215,944,186 22.94 215,944,186 18.79 71,810,510 22.26 Wendy Ann Reithofer 87,719,094 9.32 87,719,094 7.63 6.79 Ann Marie Carbery-Antoun 36,554,688 3.88 36,554,688 3.18 2.83 Jan Batist De Wachter 49,391,382 5.25 49,391,382 4.30 3.82 Lee Song Liat (Daniel Lee Chern Kang) 25,288,387 2.69 25,288,387 2.20 1.96 Stephen Christopher Key 7,608,806 0.81 7,608,806 0.66 0.59 Tariq Abdalla Abdulaziz Albassam 25,288,387 2.69 25,288,387 2.20 1.96 Leon Johan Swanepoel - - 148,184,276 12.90 11.46 Jeremy William Nottingham - - 49,391,382 4.30 3.82 Michael McNeil - - 9,878,276 0.86 0.76 Total 780,414,224 82.89 987,868,158 85.98 143,621,020 87.54 Shaikh Mohamed Abdulla Khalifa AlKhalifa Based in the Kingdom of Bahrain and Member of the Bahraini Royal Family, Shaikh Mohamed is a Director Chairman of the Board and a majority owner of iCAP Middle East W.L.L., NCR (Bahrain) W.L.L., Bahrain Energy Services W.L.L. (BES). He is also a director and shareholder of CASA and CoalTech. He is also the Chairman of the Board of UBM AEM (formerly Arabian Exhibition Management W.L.L.) which recently became part of Informa PLC, a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. He is responsible for investment opportunities and has an extensive network of contacts which supports the development of the CoalTech Group business, including professional firms and investment bankers. Contax Partners Inc. Contax Partners Inc is regionally renowned for its expertise in energy projects and related infrastructure. The strategic advice that Contax Partners offers in the Middle East and Africa includes: market intelligence, end-to-end service, consulting and capital expenditure. Contax Partners Inc. is owned by the Proposed Director, Filippo Fantechi, and members of his family (Filippo Fantechi - 51.22%; Cristina Villani - 24.39%; Lorenzo Francesco Fantechi - 24.39%). Further information about Filippo Fantechi is set out in paragraph 6 of this Part I. Wendy Ann Reithofer Based in Dubai, Wendy is the Vice President, Corporate Affairs of CoalTech Limited and former Chief Operating Officer of Contax Partners Inc. She has over 25 years' experience in finance and operations within the Middle East, India, Europe and North America. Former experience includes finance and administration for a real estate investment and development company in the UAE, consulting for gas utilities in the UAE, and financial administration and corporate restructuring for a multi-utility in Canada/US. Ann Marie Carbery-Antoun Based in Dubai, Ann-Marie has over 10 years of strategy development and implementation, project management, corporate transformation, risk management, EPC contracting and procurement experience within the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Ann-Marie has a strong background in the energy, utility and construction sectors. Former experience includes working as a strategy consultant for Accenture, particularly with International Oil Company (IOC) and National Oil Company NOC (NOC) clients in the UK, Holland, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Syria and Qatar. Ann-Marie has a PhD in Developmental Biology from the University of Manchester, England and has been part of Contax Partners since 2008. Jan Batist De Wachter Jean Batist is the Global HR and Administration Manager of AMI Worldwide as well as a director of Bchange Group Pte Ltd, a Singaporean based consulting company with over 30 years' experience in all facets of Human Resources and Organisation Psychology. Lee Song Liat (Daniel Lee Chern Kang) Daniel is the Managing Director since 1994 of Cityneon Middle East W.L.L. which organizes fairs and exhibitions and is located in Bahrain. Stephen Christopher Key Stephen has spent the last 30 years in Bahrain as General Manager of Arabian Exhibition Management, which has recently been acquired by Informa Plc, where he now works as a consultant. Tariq Abdalla Abdulaziz AlBassam Tariq AlBassam is a Saudi based entrepreneur with a degree in mechanical and marine engineering. AlBassam is from a prominent business trading family, which traces its commercial lineage to a trading company established in Calcutta, India, 180 years ago called General Trading & Equipment Company. General Trading & Equipment Company later moved its headquarters to Bombay, with trading companies' offices in Basra, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Beirut. It is currently headquartered in Saudi Arabia. Tariq AlBassam has 45 years of commercial experience creating and managing diverse commercially, industrially, and technologically innovative enterprises from inception to maturity. His experience covers a wide spectrum of industries including ship ownership and operation, construction and industrial equipment marketing and distribution, tele and data communications (establishing the first X.25 network in the Middle East) and finance and real estate development. In addition, AlBassam serves on the board of a publicly traded Saudi Insurance company and other privately held companies and start-up ventures. Leon Johan Swanepoel Based in South Africa, Leon is the mastermind behind the invention of the binder and agglomeration process. He is currently the VP for Research and Development of CoalTech and CASA. Leon is responsible for operation set up and continued research and development of the technology. He is experienced in the coal industry in South Africa, and has been concentrating on various ways of processing and value-adding coal fines. Jeremy William Nottingham Based in South Africa, Jeremy is the former VP Commercial of CASA and CoalTech Limited. His expertise lies within his understanding of local rules and regulations and matters relating to contracts and patents. Prior to joining CoalTech, he was an aluminium specialist with over 20 years of project development and operational experience in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Michael McNeil Based in South Africa, Mike is the former VP Engineering of CASA, and is a seasoned professional who has been responsible for overseeing the design, engineering development and construction of the first 10,000 tpm industrial plant situated in Bulpan, Witbank, Province of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Intentions of the Concert Party Save for the appointment of the Proposed Director, no member of the Concert Party is currently proposing any changes to the Board. The members of the Concert Party have confirmed their intention that, following any increase in their holdings of Ordinary Shares as a result of the issue to them of the Consideration Shares, upon the exercise by them of Management Options held by them on approval of the Waiver Resolution, the combined business of the Company and CoalTech Group would continue in substantially the same manner as the business of the Company and CoalTech Group immediately prior to passing of the Waiver Resolution. The members of the Concert Party have no intention of relocating the business or redeploying the combined fixed assets of the Company and the CoalTech Group. The members of the Concert Party are not restricted from making an offer for the Company. The Concert Party intends to maintain the Company's admission to trading on the NEX Exchange Growth Market. Apart from the Directors, the Company has no employees and therefore the Acquisition has no employment rights implications and there will be no material changes whatsoever in respect of the balance of skills and functions of employment and management, for which, none are employed, apart from the Directors. The Company does not operate any pension schemes and has no research and development facilities. Following Completion, the Concert Party intents to implement the CoalTech Group's operations as outlined in Part III of the Document. Lock-in Agreements and Orderly Market Arrangements Immediately following Admission, the Existing Directors and the Proposed Director will be interested in, in aggregate, 226,944,186 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 24.10 per cent. of the ordinary share capital following issue of the Consideration Shares to the Non-SA Resident Vendors. Each Existing Director and Proposed Director has undertaken to the Company and Peterhouse, subject to certain exceptions as permitted by the NEX Exchange Rules, not to dispose of or transfer any of their respective interests in the Ordinary Shares, for a period of 12 months from Admission. In order to ensure that there is an orderly market in the Ordinary Shares following Admission, Contax Partners Inc. (Filippo Fantechi - 51.22%; Cristina Villani - 24.39%; Lorenzo Francesco Fantechi - 24.39%) and Shaikh Mohamed Abdulla Khalifa AlKhalifa, who will be interested in aggregate 548,563,480 Ordinary Shares, have agreed with Peterhouse to make 45,000,000 Ordinary Shares available for sale as may be required from time to time to satisfy market demand. Further details of such undertakings are contained in paragraph 8.3 of Part IV of this Document. Corporate Governance The Directors and Proposed Directors recognise the importance of sound corporate governance and intend to observe the requirements of the QCA Code to the extent they consider appropriate in light of the Company's size, stage of development and resources. The Company intends to establish, with effect from Admission, an audit committee and a remuneration committee. The members of the audit committee will be Noel Lyons as chairperson, with Samuel Preece and Filippo Fantechi as members. The remuneration committee will be chaired by Paul Ryan, with Filippo Fantechi and Noel Lyons as a member. The audit committee has primary responsibility for monitoring the quality of internal controls and ensuring that the financial performance of the Enlarged Group is properly measured and reported on. The remuneration committee will review the performance of the executive Director and the Non-Executive Chairman and make recommendations to the Board on matters relating to their remuneration and terms of employment. The committee will also make recommendations to the Board on proposals for the granting of share awards and other equity incentives pursuant to any share award scheme or equity incentive scheme in operation from time to time. In light of the size of the Board, the Directors and Proposed Directors do not consider it necessary to establish a nominations committee, however, this will be kept under regular review. The Company has adopted a share dealing code for dealings in shares by directors and senior employees that is appropriate for a NEX Exchange Growth Market company. The Proposed Director will comply with Rule 71 of the NEX Exchange Rules relating to directors' dealings and will take all reasonable steps to ensure compliance by the Enlarged Group's applicable employees. Application to NEX Exchange An application will be made for the Consideration Shares of the Non-SA Resident Vendors to be admitted to trading on the NEX Exchange Growth Market and for trading in the Ordinary Shares to be restored. Dealings in the Ordinary Shares are expected to commence on 4 July 2019. CREST The Company's Articles of Association are consistent with the transfer of Ordinary Shares in dematerialised form in CREST under the CREST Regulations. Application has been made for the Ordinary Shares to be admitted to CREST on Admission. Accordingly, settlement of transactions in the Ordinary Shares following Admission may take place within the CREST system if relevant Shareholders so wish. CREST is a voluntary system and Shareholders who wish to receive and retain certificates in respect of their Ordinary Shares will be able to do so. General Meeting The Notice convening the General Meeting at which the Waiver Resolution, the Acquisition Resolution and the Management Options Resolution will be proposed is set out at the end of this Document. The Waiver Resolution will be voted on by a poll of Shareholders present and voting in person or by proxy at the General Meeting. Subject to approval of the Waiver Resolution the Panel has agreed to waive any obligation under Rule 9 of the Takeover Code on any or all of the Concert Party (as defined in this Document) to make a general offer to Shareholders which obligation might otherwise have arisen as a result of the issue to the members of the Concert Party of, in aggregate, 987,868,158 Consideration Shares and 143,621,020 Ordinary Shares pursuant to the exercise of Management Options, as a result of which the Concert Party will own in aggregate up to 87.54 per cent. of the Issued Share Capital assuming exercise of all of the Concert Party Management Options. Action to be taken Shareholders will find a Form of Proxy enclosed for use at the General Meeting. The Form of Proxy should be completed and signed in accordance with the instructions thereon and returned to Neville Registrars Limited, Neville House, Steelpark Road, Halesowen, B62 8HD, by not later than 11 a.m. on 1 July 2019. The completion and return of a Form of Proxy will not preclude Shareholders from attending the General Meeting and voting in person should they so wish. Further Information Your attention is drawn to the further information set out in the remainder of this Document and, in particular, to the Risk Factors set out in Part VII of this Document. Recommendation The Directors, who have been so advised by Peterhouse, believe that the Proposals are fair and reasonable and in the best interests of the Company and Shareholders as a whole. In providing advice to the Directors, Peterhouse has taken into account the Directors' commercial assessments. Accordingly, the Directors recommend that the Independent Shareholders vote in favour of the Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting. The Directors are not deemed to be Independent Shareholders, by virtue of the proposed grant of 143,621,020 Management Options to the Directors and accordingly are not eligible to vote their, in aggregate, 11,000,000 Ordinary Shares representing 6.83 per cent. of the Existing Ordinary Shares, on the Waiver Resolution. Your sincerely Samuel Preece Chief Executive Officer EXPECTED TIMETABLE OF PRINCIPAL EVENTS Publication of this Document 14 June 2019 Latest time and date for receipt of completed Forms of Proxy 11.00 a.m. on 1 July 2019 General Meeting 11.00 a.m. on 3 July 2019 Dealings start in Issued Share Capital * 4 July 2019 Admission of Non-SA Resident Vendors' Consideration Shares 4 July 2019 Approximate Admission of SA Resident Vendors' Consideration Shares 30 August 2019 Each of the times and dates set out above and mentioned elsewhere in this Document may be subject to change at the absolute discretion of the Company. * Excluding the 207,453,934 Consideration Shares, representing 18.06 % of the Issued Share Capital, which will be issued to the SA Resident Vendors on receipt of SARB Approval. SHARE CAPITAL INFORMATION Ordinary Shares in issue at the date of this Document 161,100,000 Total Consideration Shares to be issued pursuant to the Proposals 987,868,158 Consideration Shares to be issued to the Non-SA Resident Vendors 780,414,224 Consideration Shares to be issued to the SA Resident Vendors* 207,453,934 Issued Share Capital** 1,148,968,158 Consideration Shares as a percentage of the enlarged Issued Share Capital 85.98% Market Capitalisation on Admission*** 25,891,641 *Conditional on SARB Approval **Assuming SARB Approval is granted for the issue of Consideration Shares to the SA Resident Vendors ***Based on a price of 2.75p per Ordinary Share TRADING DATA ISIN GB00BF52QX07 TIDM CIA LEI 21380018O4YRPUEJUS57 DEFINITIONS The following definitions apply throughout this Document, unless the context requires otherwise: 14 June 2019 THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EC NO. 596/2014) ("MAR"). NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION OR PUBLICATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. This announcement is an advertisement for the purposes of the Prospectus Rules of the UK Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and does not constitute a prospectus. Investors must subscribe for or purchase any shares referred to in this announcement only on the basis of information contained in a prospectus expected to be published later today by Augmentum Fintech plc (the "Prospectus") in its final form and not in reliance on this announcement. A copy of the Prospectus will, following publication, be available for inspection from the Company's registered office and on its website (www.augmentum.vc). This announcement does not constitute, and may not be construed as, an offer to sell or an invitation or recommendation to purchase, sell or subscribe for any securities or investments of any description, or a recommendation regarding the issue or the provision of investment advice by any party. LEI: 213800OTQ44T555I8S71 Augmentum Fintech plc (the "Company" or "Augmentum Fintech") Proposed Initial Placing, Offer for Subscription and Intermediaries Offer Further to the announcement made by the Company on 5 June 2019, the Board of Directors of Augmentum Fintech is pleased to announce the proposed issue of new ordinary shares ("Ordinary Shares") to raise gross proceeds of approximately 30 million (the "InitialIssue") at a price of 112 pence per new Ordinary Share (the "Issue Price"), details of which will be set out in the Prospectus. The Initial Issue will comprise an Initial Placing, Offer for Subscription and Intermediaries Offer. The Initial Issue forms part of a proposed Share Issuance Programme of up to 150 million new Ordinary Shares and/or C shares (the "Share Issuance Programme"). Summary Initial Issue of up to 26,785,714 new Ordinary Shares pursuant to an Initial Placing, Offer for Subscription and Intermediaries Offer, targeting gross proceeds of up to approximately 30 million* The Issue Price is 112 pence per new Ordinary Share. This represents a premium of approximately 2.2 per cent. to the Company's audited Net Asset Value per Ordinary Share as at 31 March 2019 of 109.6 pence per Ordinary Share The Issue Price represents a discount of 0.9 per cent. to the closing price per Ordinary Share on 13 June 2019 of 113 pence per Ordinary Share The results of the Initial Issue are expected to be announced on 2 July 2019 The Initial Issue forms part of a 12 month Share Issuance Programme of up to 150 million new Ordinary and/or C shares, details of which were announced on 5 June 2019 and further set out in the Prospectus to be published later today *The Board have reserved the right to increase the size of the Initial Issue up to a total of 44,642,857 new Ordinary Shares, equating to gross proceeds of up to approximately 50 million. Commenting on today's announcement, Neil England, Chairman of Augmentum Fintech plc said: "There is a significant opportunity for fintech businesses in the UK and wider Europe. We are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this and our previously stated ambition is for a much more substantial fund over time; expected to come from a combination of underlying NAV growth and the introduction of new capital. We have successfully delivered on our investment strategy following our IPO last year and now that the Company is substantially fully committed, the Board believes the time is right to raise further funds. This will enable us to take advantage of some interesting opportunities in our identified pipeline." Background to the Company Augmentum Fintech is the UK's only publicly listed investment company focusing on the fintech sector, having launched on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in March 2018, giving businesses access to patient capital and support, unrestricted by conventional fund timelines. On 5 March 2019, the Company announced that it had substantially fully committed the net cash proceeds from the IPO and that it expected to issue further Ordinary Shares in due course in order to continue the growth in its portfolio. Since that announcement, the identified pipeline of opportunities identified by the Portfolio Manager has grown to 450 million, and on 5 June 2019, the Board posted a circular to Shareholders convening a general meeting, to be held at 9.00 a.m. on 1 July 2019, to increase the Company's share issuance authorities. On 11 June 2019, the Company announced its Final Results for the period from incorporation to 31 March 2019, which confirmed: Launch size of the fund was 94 million (on 13 March 2018) and NAV as at 31 March 2019 was 103.1 million The initial portfolio acquired on IPO has generated an annualised IRR of 28% since IPO (annualised as at 31 March 2019 valuation) The net IPO proceeds are substantially fully committed and the Company had 25 million of available cash as at 31 March 2019, of which 15 million was earmarked for follow-on opportunities within the existing portfolio (since which date 8.5 million has been invested in follow-ons) Since launch, the Portfolio Manager has reviewed approximately 675 opportunities, with a combined worth of over 1.5 billion, including the current pipeline of 450 million of opportunities Subsequent to the Company's Final Results announcement, on 13 June 2019 the Company announced it had made an aggregate of 8.5 million of follow-on investments into three portfolio companies, Tide, Monese and DueDil. Reasons for the Initial Issue and use of proceeds The Board, as advised by the Portfolio Manager, believes that there continue to be attractive opportunities for the Company to deliver returns for Shareholders through investment in a portfolio of fintech businesses in the UK and wider Europe and to generate capital growth over the long term for Shareholders. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Initial Issue to acquire investments in accordance with the Company's investment objective and investment policy, in particular including those investments that form part of the identified pipeline. Benefits of the Share Issuance Programme, including the Initial Issue The Board of Directors of the Company believes that the Share Issuance Programme will have the following principal benefits for Shareholders: Raise additional funds in a timely manner to enable the Company to take advantage of opportunities to make further investments in accordance with its investment policy; Increase the market capitalisation of the Company, helping to make the Company attractive to a wider investor base; A greater number of Shares in issue should improve liquidity in the secondary market for the Shares and make the Shares more attractive to a wider range of investors; Grow the Company, thereby spreading the Company's fixed running costs across a larger equity capital base which should over time reduce the level of ongoing expenses per Share; and Give the Company the ability to issue new Ordinary and/or C Shares tactically, so as to manage better the premium to Net Asset Value at which the Shares may trade. Overview of the Initial Issue The Company is targeting an issue of up to approximately 30 million (gross) or approximately 29 million (net of expenses) through the issue of 26,785,714 new Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Initial Issue at the Issue Price of 112 pence per new Ordinary Share. If the overall demand exceeds this target the Directors have reserved the right, following consultation with Fidante Capital and Peel Hunt, to increase the size of the Issue to a maximum of approximately 50 million (gross). The actual number of new Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Initial Issue, and therefore the Gross Issue Proceeds, are not known as at the date of this announcement but will be notified by the Company via a Regulatory Information Service prior to Admission. The Directors intend to use the net proceeds of the Initial Issue to acquire investments in accordance with the Company's investment policy and objective, as more fully set out in the Prospectus. The new Ordinary Shares will, following Admission, rank pari passu in all respects with the Existing Ordinary Shares. The Issue Price is calculated by reference to the NAV per Ordinary Share as at 31 March 2019 (audited) of 109.60 pence plus a premium of approximately 2.2 per cent. as a contribution towards the costs and expenses of the Initial Issue. The Initial Issue is not being underwritten. Initial Placing Each of Fidante Capital and Peel Hunt has agreed to use its respective reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers pursuant to the Initial Placing for the Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Share Issuance Agreement. The terms and conditions which shall apply to any subscription for Ordinary Shares procured by Fidante Capital and Peel Hunt are set out in the Prospectus. The Offer for Subscription The minimum subscription amount for new Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Offer for Subscription is 1,000 and, if the application is for a higher amount, the amount must be a multiple of 1,000, although the Board may accept applications below these minimum amounts in their absolute discretion. The aggregate subscription price is payable in full on application. Multiple subscriptions under the Offer for Subscription by individual investors will not be accepted. The Intermediaries Offer Investors may also subscribe for Ordinary Shares at the Issue Price pursuant to the Intermediaries Offer. Only the Intermediaries' retail investor clients in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are eligible to participate in the Intermediaries Offer. Investors may apply to any one of the Intermediaries to be accepted as their client. No Ordinary Shares allocated under the Intermediaries Offer will be registered in the name of any person whose registered address is outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. A minimum subscription amount of 1,000 per Underlying Applicant will apply. Allocations to Intermediaries will be determined solely by the Company (following consultation with Peel Hunt, Fidante Capital and the Portfolio Manager). Conditions The Initial Issue is conditional, inter alia, on: (i) the passing of the Issue Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meeting to be held on 1 July 2019; (ii) the Share Issuance Agreement becoming unconditional in respect of the Initial Issue (save as to Admission) and not having been terminated in accordance with its terms prior to Admission; and (iii) Admission occurring by 8.00 a.m. on 4 July 2019 (or such later date, not being later than 1 August 2019, as the Company, Fidante Capital and Peel Hunt may agree). If the Initial Issue does not proceed, application monies received will be returned to applicants without interest within 14 days at the applicants' risk. Scaling Back In the event that commitments under the Initial Issue exceed the maximum number of Ordinary Shares available, applications under the Initial Issue will be scaled back at the Company's discretion (in consultation with Fidante Capital, Peel Hunt and the Portfolio Manager). Dilution If 26,785,714 Ordinary Shares are issued pursuant to the Initial Issue and to the extent that Shareholders did not participate in the Initial Issue, there would be a dilution of approximately 22.2 per cent. in their ownership and voting interests in the Company. Directors' Participation Each of the Directors intends to participate in the Initial Issue and intend to, in aggregate, subscribe for 60,000 new Ordinary Shares. Expected Timetable 2019 Prospectus published and Initial Issue opens 14 June General Meeting 9.00 a.m. on 1 July Latest time and date for receipt of completed Application Forms in respect of the Offer for Subscription 11.00 a.m. on 1 July Latest time and date for receipt of completed applications from the Intermediaries in respect of the Intermediaries Offer 3.00 p.m. on 1 July Latest time and date for commitments under the Initial Placing 4.00 p.m. on 1 July Publication of results of the Initial Issue 2 July Admission and dealings in Ordinary Shares issued pursuant to the Initial Issue commence 8.00 a.m. on 4 July CREST accounts credited with uncertificated Ordinary Shares 4 July Where applicable, definitive share certificates despatched by post in the week commencing** 15 July ** Underlying Applicants who apply to Intermediaries for Ordinary Shares under the Intermediaries Offer will not receive share certificates. Any changes to the expected timetable set out above will be notified by the Company through a Regulatory Information Service. Fidante Partners Europe Limited (trading as "Fidante Capital") and Peel Hunt LLP ("Peel Hunt") are acting as Joint Sponsors and Joint Bookrunners to the Company. Peel Hunt is acting as Intermediaries Offer Adviser to the Company. Applications will be made to the Financial Conduct Authority and the London Stock Exchange for all of the new Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to the Initial Issue to be admitted to the premium listing segment of the Official List and to trading on the Main Market. It is expected that Admission will become effective and dealings in the Ordinary Shares will commence at 8.00 a.m. on 4 July 2019. Terms not otherwise defined in this announcement have the meanings that will be given to them in the Prospectus. This summary should be read in conjunction with the full text of the announcement and the Prospectus, when available. The Company will shortly be publishing a Prospectus in connection with the Initial Issue and Share Issuance Programme. The Prospectus be available, subject to certain access restrictions, on the Company's website (www.augmentum.vc), at the Company's registered office at 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1AL, and at the National Storage Mechanism via www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM. For further information, please contact: Augmentum Tim Levene, Portfolio Manager Nigel Szembel, Investor Relations +44 (0)20 3961 5420 +44 (0)7802 362088 nigel@augmentum.vc Fidante Capital (Joint Sponsor and Joint Bookrunner) Nick Donovan John Armstrong-Denby Will Talkington +44 (0)20 7832 0900 Peel Hunt(Joint Sponsor, Joint Bookrunner and Intermediaries Offer Adviser) Liz Yong Luke Simpson +44 (0)20 7418 8900 Frostrow Victoria Hale, Company Secretary +44 (0)20 3170 8732 info@frostrow.com Notes to Editors Augmentum Fintech plc is one of Europe's leading venture capital investors focusing exclusively on the fintech sector. Augmentum Fintech invests in fast growing fintech businesses that are disrupting the banking, insurance, asset management and wider financial services sectors. Augmentum Fintech is the UK's only publicly listed investment company focusing on the fintech sector, having launched on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in 2018, giving businesses access to patient capital and support, unrestricted by conventional fund timelines. Disclaimer This announcement is an advertisement and does not constitute a prospectus and investors must subscribe for or purchase any shares referred to in this announcement only on the basis of information contained in the Prospectus expected to be published bythe Company shortlyand not in reliance on this announcement. Copies of the Prospectus may, subject to any applicable law, be obtained from the registered office of the Company and at the National Storage Mechanism at http://www.morningstar.co.uk/NSM and on the Company's website. This announcement does not constitute, and may not be construed as, an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase investments of any description or a recommendation regarding the issue or the provision of investment advice by any party. No information set out in this announcement is intended to form the basis of any contract of sale, investment decision or any decision to purchase shares in the Company. This is a financial promotion and is not intended to be investment advice. The content of this announcement, which has been prepared by and is the sole responsibility of the Company, has been approved by Augmentum Fintech Management Limited solely for the purposes of section 21(2)(b) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended). This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia, collectively, the "United States"), Australia, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction where such distribution is unlawful, or to US Persons, as defined in Regulation S. The distribution of this announcement may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. Each of Fidante Partners Europe Limited (trading as Fidante Capital) ("Fidante") and Peel Hunt LLP ("Peel Hunt"), which are authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, are acting exclusively for the Company and for no-one else in connection with the Initial Issue, the Share Issuance Programme or any Admission and the other arrangements referred to in this announcement and will not regard any other person as their respective clients in relation to the Initial Issue, the Share Issuance Programme or any Admission and the other arrangements referred to in this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients, nor for providing advice in connection with the Initial Issue and the other arrangements referred to in this announcement. The Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the US Securities Act 1933 ("US Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of US Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act ("Regulation S"). In addition, the Company has not been and will not be registered under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Outside the United States, the Ordinary Shares may be sold to non-US Persons pursuant to the provisions of Regulation S. The value of shares and any income from them is not guaranteed and can fall as well as rise due to stock market and currency movements. When you sell your investment, you may get back less than you originally invested. Figures refer to past performance and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Returns may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations. This announcement contains forward looking statements, including, without limitation, statements including the words"believes", "estimates", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. Such forward looking statements involve unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The Company, the Portfolio Manager, the AIFM, Fidante and Peel Hunt expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect actual results or any change in the assumptions, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based unless required to do so by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Prospectus Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the EU Market Abuse Regulation or other applicable laws, regulations or rules. The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. None of Fidante or Peel Hunt, or any of their respective affiliates, accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for, or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to this announcement, including the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of the announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Fidante, Peel Hunt and their respective affiliates, accordingly disclaim all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise which they might otherwise have in respect of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. In connection with the Initial Issue, Fidante, Peel Hunt and any of their affiliates, may take up a portion of the Ordinary Shares in the Initial Issue as a principal position and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell for their own accounts such Ordinary Shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the Initial Issue or otherwise. Accordingly, references in the Prospectus, once published, to the Shares being issued, offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by, Fidante, Peel Hunt and any of their affiliates acting in such capacity. In addition, Fidante, Peel Hunt and any of their affiliates may enter into financing arrangements (including swaps or contracts for differences) with investors in connection with which Fidante, Peel Hunt and any of their affiliates may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of Shares. Fidante and Peel Hunt do not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so. Information to Distributors Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Ordinary Shares which are the subject of the Initial Issue have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that such Ordinary Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors (such term to have the same meaning as in the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) should note that: the market price of the Ordinary Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Ordinary Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Ordinary Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Issue. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Fidante Capital and Peel Hunt will only procure investors (pursuant to the Placing) who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties. For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Ordinary Shares. Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Ordinary Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels. Partnership with fast-growing, high-potential brands is the latest in a series of successful deals illustrating the Group's active portfolio management, part of its three-year strategic plan "Transform Accelerate" Regulatory News: Press Release 14 June 2019 Pernod Ricard (Paris:RI), through Pernod Ricard USA's New Brand Ventures division, is delighted to announce yesterday's signing of the agreement for the acquisition of a majority share of Rabbit Hole Whiskey, produced and based in Louisville, Kentucky. Rabbit Hole, an award-winning range of Kentucky spirits, is particularly recognized for its iconic, state-of-the-art distillery in the heart of Louisville. The brand's Straight Bourbon and Rye whiskeys are crafted with a mix of carefully selected grains, distilled in copper Vendome column stills and aged in native oak barrels by Louisville's hot summers and cold winters. The Bourbon category is currently undergoing a renaissance; new consumers are discovering its quality and versatility as Bourbon can be appreciated neat and has also recently earned its rightful place in modern mixology. As was the case with previous successful partnerships such as Monkey 47 super premium gin, Smooth Ambler West Virginian whiskey and Del Maguey mezcal, Pernod Ricard is joining forces with a passionate entrepreneur, Kaveh Zamanian. The founder of Rabbit Hole left his day job as a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst to fully dedicate himself to the art of crafting whiskey in the very heart of Kentucky's whiskey culture. As part of the strategic partnership, Kaveh is keeping the majority of his shares in Rabbit Hole and will continue to operate the company. With this strategic partnership, Pernod Ricard expands its newly created portfolio of specialty brands, gathering smaller brands with unique and comprehensive value propositions and select distribution. In the United States, Rabbit Hole will be part of the New Brand Ventures portfolio along with recently-acquired brands Smooth Ambler and Del Maguey. For Alexandre Ricard, CEO of Pernod Ricard, "This partnership is the perfect implementation of our long-term investment strategy to create sustainable value. Kaveh and I embrace the same entrepreneurial spirit. Rabbit Hole is a fast-growing brand, strongly rooted in its terroir and very well positioned in the high-end Bourbon and Kentucky whiskey categories. We are excited to take the brand to the next stage of its very promising development." Kaveh Zamanian added, "Pernod Ricard and I share the same entrepreneurial values and our ethos and strategic visions are fully aligned. By leveraging Pernod Ricard's extensive distribution network to reach new consumers, we are able to strengthen Rabbit Hole's position as a brand and amplify its presence as a new voice in American Whiskey. In partnership with Pernod Ricard, Rabbit Hole is poised to reach new heights. I am very excited about this partnership and our future together." This transaction is expected to close shortly. To download the full version of the press release, go to www.pernod-ricard.com. About Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of 8,987 million in FY18. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes, as well Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard's brands are distributed via six Brand Companies through 86 direct affiliates across five continents. The Group's decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of "Createurs de Convivialite." As reaffirmed by the Group's three-year strategic plan, "Transform and Accelerate," deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard's strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics. As illustrated by the 2030 roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "We bring good times from a good place." In recognition of Pernod Ricard's strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis and is ranked No. 1 in the beverage sector in Vigeo Eiris. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nation's Global Compact LEAD company. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index. About Rabbit Hole Diversifying the spirits landscape with a modern approach to whiskey is Kentucky-based Rabbit Hole. Established in 2012 by Founder and Whiskey Maker Kaveh Zamanian, Rabbit Hole unifies heritage techniques with innovative mash bills to create unique expressions of super premium American whiskey. Through its signature bottlings Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in PX Sherry Casks and London Dry Gin Kentucky Rye Barrel Finish, Rabbit Hole turns the whiskey world on its tail, inviting imbibers to take a sip and dive down the rabbit hole, where "there's no going back." The brand's iconic, awe-inspiring distillery opened May 2018. It produces 1.2 million proof gallons annually and showcases the entire process of crafting bourbon from grain to bottle, unlike any other distillery in the country. Rabbit Hole is the newest member of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, having been inducted in February 2019. Follow Rabbit Hole on Instagram @Rabbit Hole and Facebook @ Rabbit Hole Distillery. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190613005850/en/ Contacts: Pernod Ricard Julia Massies VP, Financial Communications Investor Relations +33 (0) 1 41 00 41 07 Adam Ramjean Investor Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 41 00 41 59 Fabien Darrigues External Communications Director +33 (0) 1 41 00 44 86 Emmanuel Vouin Press Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 41 00 44 04 Alison Donohoe Press Relations Manager +33 (0) 1 41 00 44 63 Rabbit Hole Victoria Jaworski Director of Communications +1 732 580-5215 The district is required to go out to bid every five years for food service, district officials said. The district received four sealed bids by the May 23 deadline for the next contract. Winona sensitive skin care sparkled at World Congress of Dermatology On June 11, China's leading sensitive skincare brand Winona was present for the opening of the World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) in Milan. The WCD represents the highest academic level of worldwide dermatology. Focusing on the demands of sensitive skin, Winona attracted attention and recognition from world's top dermatology experts with its innovative targeted treatment therapies for sensitive skin, and its clinical results reflecting the most exacting international standards of evidence. Supported by sixty dermatologists from around the globe, Winona made this year's WCD the moment that Chinese therapies for sensitive skin seized the international spotlight. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190613005855/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) At the Winona International Summit for Sensitive Skin on June 12, Philippe Humbert, a French authority in dermatology, delivered the speech. He described the findings of a controlled, double-blind, before-after trial carried out by the Research and Studies Center on the Integument (CERT) on Winona's Anti-Sensitive Moisturizing Tolerance Extreme Cream. The outcome of the trial proves that this product causes significant improvement in skin sensitivity, and demonstrates that its active ingredients (Yunnan purslane, Prinsepia utilis Royle) deliver the three key outcomes of soothing, moisturizing, and repairing sensitive skin. The trial is clear evidence that Winona products offer proven levels of efficacy and safety, comparable to any major international brand. CERT is part of the Department of Dermatology's Clinical Investigation Center located in Besancon University Hospital. It has been operating for over 20 years, and is a European and global authority on dermatological disease and cosmetic products. Winona's research into sensitive skin has moved beyond the "bricks-and-mortar" of keratinocytes and intercellular lipids, into investigations of the causes of sensitive skin on the genomic and proteomic levels. The Winona R&D team introduced targeted treatment for sensitive skin using genomics, proteomics, and an in-depth understanding of the skin structure, which sparked strong interest among Chinese and international dermatologists, and has been widely welcomed by industry leaders. Winona makes effective use of the resources available. Inspired by the species diversity of Yunnan, Winona team sought out active ingredients from the plants of the high plateau. Bringing together experts in dermatology, botany, and biology, the company combines the latest advances in dermatological science with the wisdom of eastern skincare traditions. In China, Winona's intensive research into the mechanisms of skin sensitivity, and its consistent pursuit of excellence in product quality, have earned the company an excellent reputation among both skincare experts and consumers. The company is recognized as an authority in care for sensitive skin. The WCD has been an opportunity for Winona to lead other Chinese skincare brands into the international market. With its advanced skincare concepts and its international standards of evidence for efficacy and safety, Winona is building a global reputation for a Chinese skincare brand, and bringing health and beauty to ever more people. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190613005855/en/ Contacts: Yunnan Botanee Bio-technology Group Co., Ltd Yang Xi +8618616598165 xiyang@winona.cn LONDON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global real estate company, Osborne+Co's proposal for The Waterside, a 400m masterplan to regenerate the 1.7 million Sq Ft former historic Sirocco Works site of Belfast, has received outline planning approval from Belfast City Council. Conceived by world renowned architects, Henning Larsen, the masterplan was the winner of the Future Projects Urban Design Award at the World Architecture News Awards. It is set to revive Belfast by linking the city centre with wider East Belfast, repopulating the city and becoming a new eco-system for the city's creative/tech business economy. Through office space for c. 8000 jobs, c. 675 apartments, a hotel, cultural and leisure facilities, River Lagan bridge improvements and creative work spaces it reimagines the former industrial site as a new thriving hub of Belfast. It is one of the most complex placemaking projects in the world, coming at this critical time against the backdrop of BREXIT, no power sharing executive and a community that has been historically divided. Its vision is to deliver a world-class waterfront locale and regeneration for the city that puts Belfast and its people on a global stage. Conor Osborne, Director of Osborne+Co commented: "The Waterside has the potential to make a profound difference to Belfast. We see it as a tool to help drive workplace and cultural evolution in Belfast. This approval sends out a powerful signal that Belfast is open for business and ready to succeed on a global scale." The project is being overseen by Placemaking visionary and Osborne+Co Chairman, Chris Kane who previously led the development of BBC's 2BN property strategy and estate transformation. Flan McNamara, former Project Director on the 2BN London Bridge Quarter (& The Shard) is Construction Director. Privately owned, the founding directors of Osborne+Co have delivered more than 20m Sq Ft of developments across four continents worth 2.5BN to date. A truly global player, the company is currently working on 15 projects in seven countries but The Waterside is the most ambitious in the company's history. Driving the vanguard of change in the global real estate sector, Osborne+Co's vision is to deliver best in class developments with a specific focus on the end user client, which may be a city such as Belfast and its people, or the biggest multinationals in the world. This built-to-suit disruptive approach sees them working hand-in-hand in delivering the global property requirements to multinationals such as HSBC, Nestle, Santander, Citi Group and Standard Chartered. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/901849/Osborne_Co_Waterside_Belfast.jpg LONDON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Partner plc ("Air Partner"), the global aviation services group, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a three-year contract by Airbus, a leading aircraft manufacturer, for Managed Services. Air Partner's Managed Services team provides a range of professional, technical and commercial expertise that is available around the clock, 365 days a year, enabling customers to maximise operational efficiencies. As part of the contract, Air Partner will manage all operational and contractual requirements for Airbus' corporate shuttle flights, which are a vital link for the company's employees and contractors moving between Airbus factories in Chester, Bristol and Toulouse. The flights, which will take place on two dedicated, 49-seat Embraer E145 regional jets, will be operated by Glasgow-based Loganair. The aircraft will operate 28 sectors from Monday to Thursday inclusive every week for the duration of the three-year contract. The announcement follows Air Partner's recent appointment by Aurigny, the flag carrier airline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, to manage its operations control centre in Alderney, and is in line with the group's strategy to grow its Managed Services proposition. Commenting on the contract win, Mark Briffa, CEO of Air Partner plc, said: "We have decades of experience working with some of the world's leading corporations, including many within the aviation sector, and I'm delighted that Airbus has chosen Air Partner's Managed Services offering. Winning such a high-profile contract is testament to the strength of the service we provide and we look forward to using our extensive expertise to support Airbus." Jonathan Hinkles, Managing Director at Loganair, added: "We are very pleased to be operating these flights and look forward to working closely alongside Air Partner's Managed Services team to maintain this vital link in Airbus' operations." About Air Partner: Founded in 1961, Air Partner is a global aviation services group that provides worldwide solutions to industry, commerce, governments and private individuals. The Group has two divisions?: Charter division, comprising air charter broking and remarketing; and the Consulting & Training division, comprising the aviation safety consultancies, Baines Simmons, Clockwork Research and Wildlife Hazard Management, as well as Air Partner's Emergency Planning Division. For reporting purposes, the Group is structured into four divisions: Commercial Jets, Private Jets, Freight (Charter) and Consulting & Training (Baines Simmons, Clockwork Research, Wildlife Hazard Management and Air Partner's Emergency Planning Division). The Commercial Jet division charters large airliners to move groups of any size. Air Partner Remarketing, which is within the Commercial Jet division, provides comprehensive remarketing programmes for all types of commercial and corporate aircraft to a wide range of international clients. Private Jets offers the Company's unique pre-paid JetCard scheme and on-demand charter. Freight charters aircraft of every size to fly almost any cargo anywhere, at any time. Baines Simmons is a world leader in aviation safety consulting specialising in aviation regulation, compliance and safety management. Clockwork Research is a leading fatigue risk management consultancy. Wildlife Hazard Management is a leading Environmental and Air Traffic Control services provider to UK and International airports. Air Partner is headquartered alongside Gatwick airport in the UK. Air Partner operates 24/7 year-round. Air Partner is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIR) and is ISO 9001:2015 compliant for commercial airline and private jet solutions worldwide. www.airpartner.com Velodyne Integrator DGWorld Showcases Advanced Vehicle Automation Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (Stand A50) will demonstrate how its smart, powerful lidar solutions can advance port terminal automation at TOC Europe in Rotterdam, 18-20 June. Velodyne will highlight customer applications that show how its lidar sensors can be used in crane steering, container handling, internal terminal vehicles (ITV), automated guided vehicles (AGV), forklifts, and terminal security/yard monitoring systems. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005040/en/ DGWorld solutions demonstrate how Velodyne's intelligent lidar sensors are helping port and terminal operators deliver consistent service quality and achieve increased safety. (Photo: Business Wire) DGWorld (Stand B21A), a Dubai-based Velodyne integrator, will showcase autonomous taxis, ITVs, AGVs, and terminal operation vehicles that use Velodyne lidar sensors to run autonomously. These vehicles use advanced artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and self-driving systems to bring greater precision and efficiency to port and terminal operations. "Autonomous vehicles (AV) can reduce costs in port and terminal operations, and bring improved reliability and predictability," said Gautam Ahuja, Business Development and Sales Director, DGWorld. "Velodyne's state-of-the-art sensors provide the range, 360-degree field of view, and resolution that our AVs need to synchronize and optimize logistics movements within a port." DGWorld is a leading provider of advanced autonomous solutions for seaports, airports, and urban cities. DGWorld is working with international port terminal operators in automating their ITVs, with projects that are being implemented at ports. "DGWorld solutions demonstrate how Velodyne intelligent lidar sensors are helping port and terminal operators deliver consistent service quality and achieve increased safety," said Erich Smidt, Executive Director Europe, Velodyne Lidar. "DGWorld's technology taps the full power of Velodyne's rich computer perception data to help determine the safest way to navigate and direct AGVs and terminal operation vehicles in complex, busy work environments." About Velodyne Lidar Velodyne provides smart, powerful lidar solutions for autonomy and driver assistance. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Velodyne is known worldwide for its portfolio of breakthrough lidar sensor technologies. In 2005, Velodyne's Founder and CEO, David Hall, invented real-time surround view lidar systems, revolutionizing perception and autonomy for automotive, new mobility, mapping, robotics, and security. Velodyne's high-performance product line includes a broad range of sensing solutions, including the cost-effective Puck, the versatile Ultra Puck, the autonomy-advancing Alpha Puck, the ADAS-optimized Velarray, and the groundbreaking software for driver assistance, Vella. About DGWorld Conceptualised in 2013 in Dubai, DGWorld opened the first robotics development park and demo centre in Dubai and the entire MENA region. DGWorld has been developing products and solutions using advanced AI, automation, and self-driving systems. DGWorld has stimulated the levels of development in the field of AI and robotics technologies, from self-driving automobiles to operating robotics systems by voice command to AI-powered server configurations and working for the concept for digitization and converting Smart Cities to the next level of robotic cities. DGWorld has been working with Velodyne Lidar since 2016, during the development of the autonomous kit, and became a Velodyne integration partner in 2018. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005040/en/ Contacts: Sean Dowdall Landis Communications Inc. for Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (415) 286-7121 velodyne@landispr.com Gautam Ahuja DGWorld +971 50 6600512 gautam@dgworld.com OSLO, Norway, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Two posters to be presented at the 2019 annual congress of the European Hematology Association on 14th June Phase II trial evaluating bemcentinib in combination with low-intensity chemotherapy in elderly acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy shows significant efficacy Preliminary responses reported in 6/14 (43%) patients, with CR/CRi in 4/14 (29%) patients; this is substantially higher than previously observed/historical benchmarks in single-agent cytarabine (low-dose chemotherapy) Median relapse-free survival 7.9 months in CR/CRi patients (data not mature) A second biomarker poster presented by Prof. Gjertsen, University Bergen, shows pharmacodynamic effects of bemcentinib on AML patients blast cell signal at just 4 hours post-dosing of bemcentinib /PRNewswire/ -- BerGenBio ASA (OSE:BGBIO) today presents data showing significant efficacy in a Phase II clinical trial (BGBC003, NCT02488408) evaluating bemcentinib, a first-in-class selective oral AXL inhibitor, in combination with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) as a potential new treatment regimen for AML patients unfit for intensive therapy. The data will be presented by Professor Bjrn Tore Gjertsen MD PhD, Haukeland University Hospital and University of Bergen, at the 2019 annual congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA24), in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Friday, June 14, 2019. In total, 16 patients were enrolled into the trial. Among the 14 patients evaluable for efficacy, 6 responses have been reported; 4 patients achieved complete remission / complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CR/CRi) and 2 patients achieved partial remission (PR). Five of the six responses occurred among elderly AML patients (>75 years). Furthermore, two patients achieved durable stable disease for more than 3 months. The relapse-free survival rate for patients with CR/CRi is 7.9 months (range: 0.7 to 9.6 months) and continues to mature. The combination treatment of bemcentinib and LDAC was overall well-tolerated; the most common adverse events ( > 15% of patients) included anaemia, neutropenia and diarrhoea. Soluble protein (e.g. sAXL) and gene expression biomarker data is still maturing and will be reported in due course. A second biomarker poster from Prof. Gjertsen's group, to be presented on June 15th, examined the effect of bemcentinib monotherapy from a phase 1b/2 clinical trial on patient AML cell signal transduction using mass cytometry. The high-dimensional single cell-level signalling analysis of AML blasts from 6 evaluable patients revealed significant effects already at 4 hours post-dosing of bemcentinib. Professor Bjrn Tore Gjertsen commented: "These early results are encouraging, especially among less fit AML patients with comparatively poor prognosis. Bemcentinib in combination with LDAC resulted in a substantially higher ORR than expected for single-agent cytarabine and clearly warrant further investigation of bemcentinib in an expansion cohort of AML patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy. Our signal cell-level biomarker analysis of AML blasts from patients indicates a substantial effect on cell signalling and represents a potential new biomarker strategy." Richard Godfrey, Chief Executive Officer of BerGenBio, commented: "There are currently limited treatment options for AML patients unable to tolerate intensive chemotherapy, particularly those with relapsed and refractory disease. These promising preliminary data with bemcentinib in combination with low-dose cytarabine, reinforce data we recently at presented at ASCO, and suggests that the addition of our selective AXL inhibitor can substantially improve AML patient outcomes. I am particularly encouraged by the high response rate observed in all patient groups studied, the extended duration of responses seen, which is still maturing, and how well the combination therapy was tolerated. We are still waiting on much of our biomarker data before we can report that and are very excited by cell signalling data presented by our collaborators at the University of Bergen. We will expand this study to include more patients and report more complete data in the coming months. The posters presented at EHA will be made available at www.bergenbio.com in the Investors / Presentations section to coincide with the following conference sessions: Friday 14 June, 17:30 - 19:00 Central European Time The Combination of bemcentinib, a novel, oral, selective AXL-Inhibitor and Low-Dose Cytarabine yields Durable Responses in AML patients Unfit for Intensive Chemotherapy Author: Sonja Loges et al. Sonja Loges et al. Abstract: PF259 PF259 Location: Poster area Saturday 15 June, 17:30 - 19:00 Central European Time Single Cell Signaling Pharmacodynamics in a Phase 1b Clinical Trial of the AXL inhibitor bemcentinib in Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Author: Monica Hellesy et al. Monica Hellesy et al. Abstract: PS999 PS999 Location: Poster area About AML and the BGBC003 Trial Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a rapidly progressing blood cancer. AML is the most common form of acute leukaemia in adults, where malignant AML blasts interfere with the normal functioning of the bone marrow leading to a multitude of complications like anaemia, infections and bleeding. AML is diagnosed in over 20,000 patients in the US annually and is rapidly lethal if left untreated. Successful treatment typically requires intensive therapy or bone marrow transplantation, and relapse and resistance are common. Consequently, there is an urgent need for effective novel therapies in relapsed/refractory patients, particularly those that are ineligible for intensive therapy or bone marrow transplant. The BGBC003 trial is a phase Ib/II multi-centre open label study of bemcentinib in combination with cytarabine (part B2) and decitabine (part B3) in patients with AML who are unsuitable for intensive chemotherapy as a result of advanced age or existing-co-morbidities. Up to 28 patients will be enrolled at centres in the US, Norway, Germany and Italy. For more information please access trial NCT02488408 at www.clinicaltrials.gov. About AXL AXL kinase is a cell membrane receptor and an essential mediator of the biological mechanisms underlying life-threatening diseases. In cancer, AXL suppresses the body's immune response to tumours and drives cancer treatment failure across many indications. AXL inhibitors, therefore, have potential high value at the centre of cancer combination therapy, addressing significant unmet medical needs and multiple high-value market opportunities. Research has also shown that AXL mediates other aggressive diseases. About Bemcentinib Bemcentinib (formerly known as BGB324), is a potentially first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad phase II clinical development programme. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating bemcentinib in multiple solid and haematological tumours, in combination with current and emerging therapies (including immunotherapies, targeted therapies and chemotherapy), and as a single agent. Bemcentinib targets and binds to the intracellular catalytic kinase domain of AXL receptor tyrosine kinase and inhibits its activity. Increase in AXL function has been linked to key mechanisms of drug resistance and immune escape by tumour cells, leading to aggressive metastatic cancers. About BerGenBio ASA BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for aggressive diseases, including immune-evasive, therapy resistant cancers. The company's proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, is a potentially first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad phase II oncology clinical development programme focused on combination and single agent therapy in lung cancer and leukaemia. A first-in-class functional blocking AXL antibody (BGB149) and an AXL-ADC (ADCT-601) are undergoing phase I clinical testing. In parallel, BerGenBio is developing a companion diagnostic test to identify those patient populations most likely to benefit from bemcentinib: this is expected to facilitate more efficient registration trials supporting a precision medicine-based commercialisation strategy. BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary in Oxford, UK. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). www.bergenbio.com Forward looking statements This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which as such are not historical facts, but are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. These assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this announcement by such forward-looking statements. Contacts: Richard Godfrey CEO, BerGenBio ASA +47-917-86-304 Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio ASA rune.skeie@bergenbio.com +47-917-86-513 International Media Relations: Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Welsh, Jessica Hodgson, Nicholas Brown, Carina Jurs Consilium Strategic Communications bergenbio@consilium-comms.com +44-20-3700-5700 Media Relations in Norway: Jan Petter Stiff, Crux Advisers stiff@crux.no +47-995-13-891 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/bergenbio-asa/r/bergenbio-presents-preliminary-phase-ii-clinical-data-at-eha-24--bemcentinib-in-combination-with-low,c2840756 BEIJING, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 /On May 29, 2019 China (Beijing) Asia-Europe International Logistics Cooperation Forum for China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) sponsored by Beijing North Star Events Group Co., Ltd. (North Star Events) and Beijing Logistics and Supply Chain Management Association (BLA)was successfully held in Beijing. As one of the special events focused on Belt and Road logistics cooperation for CIFTIS 2019, organized by North Star Sinogold Exhibition Chengdu Co., Ltd., the forum welcomed distinguished guests, both domestic and foreign countries as the Republic of Latvia, Kazakhstan, Poland and Germany, including representatives of the Ministry of Transport of the PRC, CEEC-China Secretariat on Logistics Cooperation and persons in charge of domestic and foreign entrepreneurs and company representatives in logistics & transportation. Various topics on Asia-Europe sea ports, airports and rail system development, innovation practice of supply chain and the future of China-Europe Railway Express were widely discussed on the forum. Beijing North Star Events Group Co., Ltd., as the forum's sponsor, is also the organizer of the CIFTIS 2019 Logistic Services Zone. GLP the leading global provider of logistics solutions, Sinotrans China's largest integrated logistics integrator, ZTO a Chinese leading express delivery company, presented the latest logistic technologies and trends and made the Logistic Services Zone on CIFTIS a great success. At the end of the forum, Mr. Sun Dongfan, Chairman of Board of Beijing North Star Events Group Co., Ltd., Mrs. Meng Haijun, General Manager of North Star Sinogold Exhibition Chengdu Co., Ltd., Mr. Lin You Lai, Chairman of Beijing Logistics and Supply Chain Management Association, together with the forum' s invited guests, addressed at the launching ceremony of 2019 Chengdu International Supply Chain and Smart Logistics Expo (SCSL 2019), which will be held in Chengdu Century City New International Convention and Exhibition Center during November 14-16, 2019 in Southwest China Sichuan Province. As a key brand under North Star Events, SCSL 2019 is hosted by Beijing North Star Events Group Co., Ltd and NorthStar Sinogold Exhibition Chengdu Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Chengdu Municipal Port and Logistics Office and Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Exposition. It is the only professional exhibition in China planned for the logistics industry in the western region of China and countries along the Belt and Road. It will attract more than 140 domestic and foreign exhibitors from Asia-Europe countries and regions. The gross area for exhibitions will be 22,000 square meters, and the visitors are expected to exceed 12,000 persons. At the same time, the Belt and Road and Central Europe Multimodal Transport International Forum and other international meetings will be also held, with more than 10 forums and conferences as expected. Supported by the Chengdu Municipal government, CHINA AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION(CATA), Chengdu Logistic Association, Chengdu Supply Chain Association,China-Central and Eastern Europe 16+1 Countries Secretariat on Logistics Cooperation, Secretariat of China-Central and Eastern Europe Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, international railway organization, International Union of Transport Routes across the Caspian Sea, Inter-Siberian International Transport Route Coordination Committee(CCTT), China's Sinotrans and railway companies such as UTLC ERA & TRANS CONTAINER from Russia, RTSB from Germany and other enterprenurs from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Poland will participate in the expo and also attend the simultaneous activities. Aimed at making SCSL "the famous exhibition" and North Star Sinogold "the famous exhibition organizer", North Star Events and North Star Sinogold will create an international and professional event to build a world class international platform for logistic services and cross-border trade. China Western Area-Eurasian Import and Export Commodities Expo will soon be launched also by North Star Events. E-mail:marketing001@transportlogisticexpo.com SOURCE: North Star Events View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/548756/The-Launch-ceremony-of-SCSL-2019-held-in-Beijing-CIFTIS-International-Logistics-Cooperation-Forum VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / Cipher Resources Inc. (the "Company" or "Cipher") (TSX-V: CIFR) is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors have approved a change in name of the Company to "Empress Resources Corp.". The change in name remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, and the completion of all applicable regulatory filings. The Company will provide further information as soon as it is available. 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. ROCKVILLE, Maryland, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fact.MR has recently published a fresh study titled "Concrete Mixer Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Market Insights 2019 - 2027", which skillfully targets the global concrete mixer sector to reveal prime developments expected to occur in the coming years. According to researched statistics, revenues from the concrete mixer market exceeded 126,800 units in 2018, and are likely to record 4% Y-o-Y growth in 2019. This significant advancement can be accredited to numerous factors including customer requirement for equipment possessing high technical standards as well as convenient portability. For the readers, this report is an informative source that covers different market aspects such as demand and supply side trends, market size (US$ Mn) & volume (units), Y-o-Y growth, BPS analysis, market attractiveness analysis and a lot more. Preference for Mobile Volumetric Concrete Mixers Set to Bolster Market Growth As per this Fact.MR study, positive sales of in-transit mixers is leading to increased demand for mobile volumetric concrete mixers which are known to prevent concrete waste caused by over-ordering. Furthermore, the volumetric concrete mixers also permit efficient and suitable trips to batch plants, thereby, saving expenses associated to hot loads and reducing the time of operation. Although precision tends to be the key, the availability of user-friendly control options in these equipment would persist to pull customer attention and motivate sales. Request For Sample Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=3579 APEJ Region Emerges as Favorable Marketplace for Concrete Mixer Manufacturers The study discourses the profitable nature of APEJ for stakeholders active in the concrete mixer market. This favorable setting is created due to the important role of the governments in the region, which are acting as facilitators towards different regulations and policies. In addition, resurgent growth across construction activities, merged with escalating government investments in the infrastructure development will continue to supplement growth of the concrete mixer market in the APEJ region. New Generation Truck Mixers to Deliver Cost-Effective Solutions The latest trend across the concrete mixer industry is focused at the introduction of new-generation truck mixers, supported by several leading stakeholders. The major emphasis is being placed on the cost-effectiveness, safety and ergonomics, together with greater customer benefits to deliver superior handling, higher payload and low cleaning cost. Preview Analysis of Global Concrete Mixer Market Segmentation By Product Type (In-transit Mixers, Trailer Concrete Mixers), By Model Type (Stationary, Portable), By Engine Type (Diesel, Electric, Hybrid), By Concrete Capacity, & by Region: - https://www.factmr.com/report/3579/concrete-mixer-market Sales of Portable Concrete Mixers Surge with High-End Proficiency As per this assessment, the number of projects which call for larger concrete volume that is difficult to produce with paddle mixers, has experienced a prominent rise. This aspect has clearly created the demand for portable concrete mixers. It is interesting to know that portable variants endure to account for more than 7 in 10 units of concrete mixers sold globally. This impressive sales count is upheld due to the ability of portable concrete mixers to competently blend water and concrete, and constantly deliver the mixture based on the requirement. The final section of the report is associated to drop light on the competitive scenario active in the global concrete mixer market. Some of the leading players from the target market as mentioned in the report are Caterpillar, SANY GROUP, Liebherr-International AG, Akona Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Henan Sanq Group Machinery Co., Ltd., Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd., Shantui Construction Machinery Co., Ltd., Lino Sella World, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. and Terex Corporation. Request Methodology of this Report- https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RM&rep_id=3579 Find more research reports on Industrial Goods Industry, by Fact.MR Rotary Dryers Market - In 2018, value of the rotary dryers industry was upward of US$ 500 Mn, and is estimated to record a Y-o-Y growth at over 3% in 2019. Advances in technology, alongside steady permeation of Industry 4.0 and connected technologies, have gradually expanded the application scope of rotary dryers in recent years. Hydraulic Filter Market - The demand for hydraulic filters increased steadily to boost global sales to over 41 million units in 2018; the market is likely to envisage 3.5% y-o-y in 2019, according to a recent study published by Fact.MR. Growing demand for hydraulic filters is mainly attributed to the widening range of applications in various end-use industries to limit system failures caused by contamination. Fuel Storage Containers Market- North America, an attractive market for packaging, is likely to remain the leading market for fuel storage containers, underpinned by the paradigm shifts in the digital shopping behavior of consumers, which have resulted in a marked rise in the transportation activities. About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports. Contact Us Rohit Bhisey Fact.MR 11140 Rockville Pike Suite 400 Rockville, MD 20852 United States Email: sales@factmr.com Web: https://www.factmr.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713666/FactMR_Logo.jpg Launch of Burn Mechanism Will See iFinex Revenues Used To Buy Back Tokens ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitfinex is proud to announce the launch of the UNUS SED LEO Transparency Initiative, built around a real-time token burn redemption mechanism. The UNUS SED LEO token was launched on May 22nd following a successful 1bn USD raise, in a unique dual protocol launch which saw the token distributed to contributors across both EOS and Ethereum. Today, Bitfinex have commenced the UNUS SED LEO token burn mechanism as outlined in the whitepaper. This token burn mechanism will see iFinex and its affiliates buy back UNUS SED LEO from the market, at market rates and on a real-time basis, equal to a minimum of 27% of consolidated gross revenues of iFinex (exclusive of Ethfinex), until no more tokens are in commercial circulation. UNUS SED LEO tokens used to pay trading fees on Bitfinex may also be burned. Recovered net funds from Crypto Capital, and an amount equal to at least 80% of recovered net funds from the Bitfinex hack, will also be used to repurchase and burn outstanding UNUS SED LEO tokens. The burn mechanism will continue until 100% of tokens have been redeemed. To complement the launch of the burn mechanism, Bitfinex also unveiled the 'LEO Transparency Dashboard', which provides real-time insights into all collected platform fees, and subsequent LEO burns, as verified by the blockchain. The UNUS SED LEO Transparency Dashboard can be accessed at leo.bitfinex.com . UNUS SED LEO tokens were distributed from the newly-formed subsidiary of iFinex, Unus Sed Leo Limited, as part of a private sale between May 7th and May 13th. The purchase price was 1 USDt for 1 UNUS SED LEO, with no discounts available. The circulating and total supply of UNUS SED LEO is 1,000,000,000. About iFinex: iFinex started operations in 2012, initially operating under the Bitfinex brand, making it one of the longest-standing exchanges in the blockchain industry. Since then, iFinex, through its trading platforms, has become one of the most widely-recognized companies in the cryptocurrency sector, with a community of passionate entrepreneurs, idealists, and technologists that have together contributed to one of the best growth stories in our industry. BEIJING, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Haier is listed among the BrandZ 2019 global top 100 most valuable brands, one of the most prestigious business rankings in the world, jointly released by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown in New York on Tuesday. It is the first time for the company to take a position in the list thanks to its business model innovation. Haier stands in an all-new category of the ranking called the "IoT (Internet of Things) ecosystem brand" which sends out new signals about brand strategy during the IoT era. Haier, which has been well known as a world's first-class brand of home appliances in the past ten years, now is recognized as the sole IoT ecosystem brand and it is the first brand listed in this category. The company has established a unique ecosystem experience model by providing networked appliances and customized smart homes which not only helps build out the greater ecosystem of the smart home, but also takes the leading role in setting international standard. Haier's Internet of Food (IoF), Internet of Clothing (IoC) are the leaders in defining the international standards for the IoT, paving the way for the full deployment of the IoT ecosystem in terms of technology and standards. COSMOPlat, an industrial network platform of Haier, is the carrying platform for ecosystem brand. It is spreading a large-scale customization model which revolves around user experience and the creation of an open and multi-party interactive co-creation & sharing platform, instead of simply replacing people with robots or equipment connections or facilitating transactions. To date, the platform has nurtured 15 emerging ecosystems. It has been replicated in 11 territories and 20 countries, building a greater ecosystem for world-wide customers, encompassing sectors such as clothing, food, accommodation, travel, health, well-being, medical, and education, among others. Haier's management model for ecosystem brand called Rendanheyi highlights that every person and every stakeholder in Haier's ecosystem is a hub. It has been successfully applied across the U.S.' GE home appliances, New Zealand's Fisher & Paykel, Japan's Sanyo, Italy's Candy and other international brands acquired by Haier, forming a greater ecosystem of international brands. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/902149/Haier_ranks_among_BrandZ_Top_100_Most_Valuable_Global_Brands.jpg Caller disagrees with counting illegal immigrants in census: Im sorry, I disagree with your article in the paper and Mayor Irvin. Everybody shouldnt be counted in the census. If youre not legal, you should not be counted. Youre not a citizen. You dont deserve the rights. I dont think say you should hurt them or deprive them. But it does not entitle them to Social Security, food stamps, hospital or anything else. They should be escorted back to the border and come back in the right way. They are breaking the law. If we break the law, we go to jail. If they break the law, you give them everything they want. This is not fair in life. Life is not fair. They should not be counted in our census. You broke the law. You are not American. End of story. Corey Heniser, a vehicle safety expert at Brigade Electronics INC, talks about how the company's technology is helping to reduce the number of workforce fatalities in the road construction industry PORTLAND, Indiana, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Road construction is a hazardous occupation and ranked as one of the most dangerous places to work. While roads are now safer than ever before, incidents involving road workers have risen. According to The Center for Construction Research and Training's Data Center, nearly half of road construction workers killed on site between 2011 and 2016 were struck by a vehicle or machinery, such as dump truck. Blind spots on vehicles are a major contributing factor to collisions and are often the main reason ground workers are killed or injured. As roads get busier, more construction work is being scheduled to take place at night, which further increases safety issues for workers and limits drivers' visibility. Alongside this, ground workers are required to wear ear protection meaning they cannot always hear vehicles approaching. Preventing deaths and keeping workers safe is clearly a challenging yet essential task. Technology is now playing a crucial role in solving many of the safety issues facing the road construction industry. These include eliminating blind spots on vehicles and assisting drivers working in difficult conditions when visibility can be compromised, such as bad weather or overnight. While large mirrors have traditionally been used, they cannot completely eliminate blind spots, but commercial vehicle camera systems, such as Brigade's Backeye360, can. Safety technology can give drivers better visibility as they maneuver their vehicles by providing the driver with a complete surround view of the vehicle in real time in a single image. The system combines images from ultra wide-angle cameras, resulting in a 'bird's-eye view' of the vehicle and surrounding area. Research has shown that in the time it takes to scan four mirrors, assess and then react to hazards, a vehicle could travel as far as 33 feet. Vehicle camera safety systems protect the driver and ground workers in the vicinity of the vehicle. Simple back-up alarms have long been a solution to alerting those on the ground, but research has shown that old-fashioned tonal alarms may be adding to the problem as pedestrians and workers cannot always locate the direction from which the alarm originates. Multi-frequency alarms are solving this problem. Rather than the traditional 'beep beep' of tonal alarms, they create a 'ssh-ssh' sound which is gentle on the ear and dissipates quickly, meaning the alarm can be instantly located and heard only in the danger zone. Radar obstacle detection technology is further enhancing safety in the construction industry. It can detect stationary and moving objects even in the harshest of environments giving the driver an audible and visible warning when objects are within a certain distance. Heavy duty radar systems are able to operate even in high or low temperatures, radar obstacle detection is also waterproof and smoke resistant, and can be easily heard in noisy environments. While technology is key to helping prevent injuries and deaths, it is also essential for companies to be fully committed to implementing robust safety strategies and plans so that demonstrable progress can be made. www.brigade-electronics.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/902361/Brigade_Electronics_Safety.jpg LONDON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, a St Kitts and Nevis delegation led by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Timothy Harris, attended the Caribbean Development Bank's 49th Annual Meeting of its Board of Governors held in Trinidad and Tobago. The event, which focused on economic transformation, is hosted yearly in one of 29 member countries. In an opening statement by President of the Caribbean Development Bank, Dr William Warren Smith, spoke of the need for transformation in the region particularly regarding fiscal management. In October, 2018, St Kitts and Nevis, one of the Borrowing Member Countries, successfully reduced its public debt from 145% of GDP in 2010 to 60% in 2019. While the target date was 2030, the islands managed to reach this milestone twelve years earlier. This makes the nation the first independent country in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States to achieve this international benchmark. Fiscal management is a quality that the Government of St Kitts and Nevis prides itself in. During a press conference last month, PM Harris revealed that the islands' fiscal position was stronger than ever: "Our 2019 fiscal results for period January 1st to 30thApril 2019, indicate that we have achieved a surplus on the recurrent account 2019; our overall balance reveals a surplus; the primary account is also showing a significant surplus and the net fiscal position is remarkably strong as at the end of April 2019. Our fiscal house then, is robustly strong and one of the best in the region." St Kitts and Nevis has been registering an upward economic trajectory, further supported by the islands' Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. Since 1984, the dual-island nation has been empowering foreign investors and their families to obtain second citizenship by making an economic contribution towards the national advancement of St Kitts and Nevis. The Sustainable Growth Fund is the latest investment channel introduced by Premier Harris and is considered the most straightforward route under CBI. Once due diligence is successfully completed and an investment is made, approved applicants gain access to several benefits, including visa-free/visa-on-arrival travel to approximately 160 destinations, enhanced business prospects and the option to pass down their citizenship to future generations. The programme remains the longest standing in the industry and is known as the Platinum Standard brand of CBI. Contact: pr@csglobalpartners.com New ownership structure will support business strategy and continued growth CLEVELAND, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Consolidated Precision Products Corp. ("CPP"), a leading manufacturer of highly engineered components and sub-assemblies primarily for the commercial aerospace, defense and industrial gas turbine markets, today announced that it has entered into a recapitalization transaction with Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based investment firm, and Warburg Pincus, the company's current financial partner. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. As a leading global manufacturer of complex cast products, CPP continues to drive performance through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, including the recently announced purchase of ATI's Cast Products business. "We are excited to continue expanding our suite of complex castings offerings and delivering best-in-class service in collaboration with Berkshire Partners and Warburg Pincus," said James Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of CPP. "Our new relationship with Berkshire Partners and ongoing partnership with Warburg Pincus will enable us to further build upon the success we have achieved. Both firms are growth-oriented and have deep expertise in the aerospace and defense sectors." The investments from Berkshire Partners and Warburg Pincus will further support CPP's long-term growth strategy and reflect the company's dedication to enhancing its comprehensive capabilities for manufacturing highly engineered components for aerospace and defense applications. "We are impressed by the remarkable growth driven by the CPP team and believe the company is well-positioned to continue its leadership in precision castings," said Blake Gottesman, Managing Director, Berkshire Partners. "We have a long history of investing in the aerospace industry, and we look forward to partnering with Warburg Pincus and the talented CPP team to support its growth and success," added Mike Ascione, Managing Director, Berkshire Partners. "We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with CPP's management team," said Dan Zamlong, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. "CPP's long-term commitment to building a market-leading platform in the aerospace and defense markets has proven to be successful. We are excited to partner with Berkshire Partners and the management team as CPP continues to deliver high-quality, mission-critical products for its customers." Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Lazard served as financial advisors to CPP. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP acted as legal advisor to CPP and Warburg Pincus. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal advisor to Berkshire Partners. About Consolidated Precision Products Corp. (CPP) Consolidated Precision Products Corp. ("CPP"), headquartered in Cleveland, OH, is a leading manufacturer of highly-engineered castings and sub-assemblies primarily for the commercial aerospace, defense and industrial gas turbine markets. Founded in 1991, CPP is one of the world's largest investment and precision sand casting companies, producing complex super alloy, aluminum, titanium, magnesium and steel castings for a variety of leading commercial and military aircraft, weapon systems, commercial and regional/business jets, helicopters and industrial gas turbines. CPP serves a wide range of global, blue chip customers with diverse exposure across multiple platforms. For more information about CPP, visit www.cppcorp.com. About Berkshire Partners Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based investment firm, has raised nine private equity funds with more than $16 billion in aggregate capital and has made over 125 investments since its founding in 1986. Berkshire has developed specific industry experience in a number of areas including business services, communications, consumer products and retail, healthcare and industrials, including aerospace. Berkshire has a strong history of partnering with management teams to grow the companies in which it invests with the goal of consistently achieving superior investment returns. The firm is currently investing from Berkshire Fund IX, a $5.5 billion fund raised in 2016. For additional information, visit www.berkshirepartners.com. About Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $58 billion in private equity assets under management. The firm's active portfolio of more than 180 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. The firm has been an active investor in the aerospace and defense sectors with current and former investments including Accelya, CAMP Systems, Consolidated Precision Products, Extant Aerospace, Quest Global, TransDigm and Wencor Group. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 18 private equity funds, which have invested more than $74 billion in over 860 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com. Contact Consolidated Precision Products Corp. Richard A. Legenza (216) 453-4830 Rick.legenza@cppcorp.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. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / Compare-autoinsurance.org has released a new blog post that explains how to use car insurance quotes and compare rates. Car insurance can be a really costly service. But it would be financially devastating not to have one and cause an accident. In order to obtain a balance between costs and the quality of services, clients are advised to get car insurance quotes and compare prices. Now, they can use a single website, http://compare-autoinsurance.org, to obtain price estimates from multiple insurance companies. Car insurance companies use different algorithms to determine rates and premiums . This is why there are high price variations between companies, even for the same insurance product. Each company has its own way of determining costs and some factors are more important than others for each insurer. For example, the value of the car will be more important for a company than the next company, which takes driving history as a more important factor. Car insurance quotes can provide really accurate estimates . By answering a questionnaire, the client will be able to see what he will have to pay, on average, for auto insurance. Of course, a questionnaire does not cover all aspects. For example, not all questionnaires ask certain aspects which can help the client get some discounts. Online quotes will help drivers compare prices and get cheaper coverage . Instead of calling an agent or actually visiting insurance companies, clients can now customize a quote form and obtain free quotes online. Using extensive online forms will ensure that the quotes are more accurate. "Using online car insurance quotes will help drivers compare prices and find coverage that will satisfy their needs and budget "said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. For more information, please visit http://compare-autoinsurance.org Contact: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.biz SOURCE: Internet Marketing Company View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/548757/What-Are-The-Best-Ways-For-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Rates Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2019) - CFN Media Group ("CFN Media"), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry announces publication of an article discussing FSD Pharma Inc. (CSE: HUGE) (OTCQB: FSDDF). The company has been focused on building out its board of directors and advisory board since becoming a full Canadian licensed producer earlier this year. After receiving its cultivation license in 2017, the company began work on a massive cultivation facility that could house nearly four million sq. ft. on 70 acres of land before receiving its sales license in April of this year. By building an independent board to oversee governance and provide expertise, the company is building a solid foundation as it looks to become a medical cannabis leader. Noteworthy New Appointments FSD Pharma recently announced the addition of James A. Datin and Robert J. Ciaruffoli, CPA, to its Board of Directors. Both of these board members bring significant industry experience and connections at some of the largest companies in their respective sectors. Mr. Datin is the President and CEO of BioAgilytix, a leading global bioanalytical contract research organization (CRO). Since becoming CEO, he has been instrumental in growing the company's customer base and capacity, including an expansion into Europe. BioAgilytix was recently acquired by a private equity fund after being named to the Inc. 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America six times. Mr. Ciaruffoli is the co-founder of Broad Street Angels, which is the largest angel investor network in the Philadelphia region with over 100 members. As a CPA, he also served as Chairman and CEO of ParenteBeard/Baker Tilly accounting and advisory firm. He orchestrated the merger of ParenteBeard and Baker Tilly in 2014 to create the 12th largest U.S. accounting and advisory firm. FSD Pharma also added two prominent cannabis researchers to its scientific advisory board as it looks to solidify its footprint in the medical side of the industry. The two new board members join an existing team that brings widespread expertise. Dr. Ziva Cooper, Ph.D., is the Research Director of UCLA's Cannabis Research Initiative in the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She has been overseeing and publishing studies investigating cannabis neurobiology and dependence for over a decade, including the effects of cannabinoids on experimentally-induced pain. She's currently focused on understanding how cannabinoids impact various medical conditions. Dr. Mallory Loflin, Ph.D., is a research scientist for Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of San Diego's School of Medicine. She has dedicated her entire research career to the study of cannabinoids with the goal of informing both prevention efforts for problematic use and the development of cannabinoid-based therapeutics. Building Towards a Long-term Goal FSD Pharma received its sales license earlier this year from Health Canada, which enables it to start monetizing its various projects. In addition to building out its facility, the license enables its partner, Canntab Therapeutics, to commence sales of its suite of novel cannabis oral dose delivery platforms, including CBD and THC capsules, in Canada and other global markets, while paving the way for other tenants to do the same. For example, FSD Pharma announced a $1.5 million strategic investment in and profit-sharing agreement with Pharmastrip Corp., developer of medical cannabis-infused oral thin film strips. Under the terms of the agreement, FSD will install Pharmastrip's proprietary equipment at its Cobourg, Ontario facility and use the equipment to manufacture oral thin film strips and Pharmastrip will grant FSD an exclusive license to manufacture and sell in Canada. Click Here to See FSD CEO Video Interview: FSD Pharma CEO Lays Out Roadmap in Exclusive Video Interview with CFN Media The company also continues to look for ways to scale up production and improve quality. For instance, its agreement with Solarvest BioEnergy Inc. will research the use of algal expression technology in developing pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids. The company is already using algae to create omega-3 products for the nutraceutical industry, and the same approach could be used to develop cannabinoids in a much faster and more reliable process. The company's new board members and advisors could be instrumental in helping build out these initiatives at its own facility and continue to explore new research initiatives. In the meantime, investors can look forward to seeing early revenue in the near-term from Canntab's production and potential long-term revenue as it continues to build out its massive cultivation facility that could eventually become a leading medical cannabis supplier. Looking Ahead FSD Pharma Inc. (CSE: HUGE) (OTCQB: FSDDF) (FRA: 0K9) continues to invest heavily in cutting-edge technologies that could revolutionize the way cannabis is grown and consumed. At the same time, the company continues to appoint board members and advisors that could become instrumental in bringing its vision to life. Investors may want to take a closer look at the stock given these dynamics and the potential for near-term revenue. Disclaimer The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: https://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer. Please follow the link to read the full article on CFN Media: http://bit.ly/2KiJ5IK 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 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/ FSD CONTACT: Zeeshan Saeed President & Founder FSD Pharma Inc. Tel: 416-854-8884 Frank Lane 206-369-7050 Flane@cannabisfn.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/45617 PANTHER METALS PLC 14 June 2019 Result of Annual General Meeting Panther Metals plc ("Panther" or "the Company"), the exploration company with gold and base-metal projects in Australia and Canada, is pleased to announce that at its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") held earlier today, Friday 14 June 2019, all resolutions were duly passed by shareholders. A copy of the Annual General Meeting notice is available at: https://www.panthermetals.co.uk/investors/circulars-notices AGM Statement Dr. Kerim Sener, Chairman, made the following statement: "It is my pleasure to provide the inaugural Chairman's Statement for the Company following it's complete transformation during 2018 in to a fully-fledged exploration enterprise. The Company is now poised to see rapid exploration success across its gold and base-metal project areas in Ontario, Canada, and in the further development of its nascent gold portfolio in the Northern Territory, Australia. Our reasons for focusing on these regions have been stated previously but, in essence, relate specifically to the management of risk balanced against prospectivity, to ensure our efforts are directed toward operationally low-risk regions demonstrating high geological potential. Following recent additions to the portfolio, the Company now holds under licence a contiguous 17km2 of exceptionally prospective ground in the famous Schreiber-Hemlo Greenstone Belt, Ontario. The results obtained from our recent work in this area have been highly encouraging and follow-up work is being planned. Meanwhile licence applications in the Northern Territory covering a total of 163km2 in the Pine Creek Orogen have been submitted and are awaiting grant. These areas already include several identified gold prospects, some of which have already been drill-tested and have yielded positive results. We are expecting to commence exploration on these areas later this year. During the past year the Company has focused on building an exceptionally talented team and the corporate infrastructure necessary to operate effectively across two continents and at least 14 time zones, from its operational base in the UK. The challenge presented by this is alleviated tremendously by having reliable in-country personnel capable of semi-autonomous work, supported by highly cost-effective lines of internet-based communication. We have also adopted a company-wide policy of international travel only when strictly necessary and, even then, in economy or premium-economy class. These example behaviours are reflective of our mantra of ensuring every available penny is spent on value-additive work on the ground, rather than weighted towards supporting unwieldy and inefficient corporate architecture. The latter is an unfortunate reality of many listed junior exploration companies globally, as boards are often not sufficiently aligned with the interests of shareholders. We endeavour to break this mould, particularly given that as a board, we remain significant shareholders of the business and are committed to its long-term success. We very much welcome the support of our shareholders and look forward to providing further updates on our progress and developments in the year ahead." The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement. For further information please contact: From the Global No 1 Home Appliance Brand to the Global Sole IoT Brand The 2019 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking was officially released at the New York Stock Exchange. The list featured 15 Chinese brands including Haier, marking the first time that the company appeared in the rankings. Additionally, Haier made it into a new category the IoT ecosystem brand. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005227/en/ The 2019 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking featured 15 Chinese brands including Haier, marking the first time that the company appeared in the rankings. (Graphic: Business Wire) The BrandZ List of Most Valuable Brands is jointly released by the world's largest advertising group WPP and its subsidiary Kantar, a leading research, insight and data company. The list established a new category the IoT ecosystem brand for the first time, sending a new signal about brand strategy during the internet of things era. Haier was the first and the only brand listed in this category. Since 2009, Haier has been listed in the Euromonitor International World's First-class Brands of Home Appliances for 10 consecutive years, the only brand in the ranking's history to receive this award 10 times in a row. Haier has developed from a catch-up stage to now surpass and lead, having transformed from a Global No 1 Home Appliance Brand to the Sole Global IoT Brand. Being recognized as the sole IoT ecosystem brand has brought Haier one great step closer toward its goal of creating the first world-class IoT model. From Haier Appliance to Haier Smart Home It is Haier's philosophy that a brand is defined by the user. Haier's brand definition is constantly evolving based on the iteration of best user experiences during each era. According to estimates by experts, IoT is most likely to take off in the smart home sector. Haier's smart home customization, with its four unique features consistency in high-end packages, interconnectedness in real scenarios, integrity in full-house solutions, and iteration in super brain is the absolute leader. Haier's internet of food and internet of clothing are the leaders in defining international standards for IoT, paving the way for the full deployment of the IoT ecosystem in terms of technology and standards. COSMOPlat industrial network platform The customization experience offered by Haier's IoT ecosystem is able to be continuously iterated, and absorb ecosystem partners to create the best user experiences. This is all thanks to Haier's in-house industrial network platform COSMOPlat. To date, COSMOPlat has nurtured 15 emerging ecosystems, including the internet of clothing, agriculture, RV, building ceramics and machinery. The model has been replicated in 11 territories and 20 countries, building a greater ecosystem for worldwide customers, encompassing sectors such as clothing, food, accommodation, travel, health, well-being, medical and education. Haier has been designated by the world's three major international standard organizations to lead the development of international standards for large-scale customization and other areas, positioning China's industrial network as a frontrunner today. Management model for the ecosystem brand: Rendanheyi Haier believes that IoT is essentially the internet of people. The main reason behind the Haier ecosystem brand's ability to cover traditional product brands and platform brands is that the Rendanheyi model is able to encompass the traditional management model. The Rendanheyi model has been successfully applied across the US' General Electric Co home appliances, New Zealand's Fisher Paykel, Japan's Sanyo, Italy's Candy and other international brands acquired by Haier, forming a greater ecosystem of international brands. Being recognized as the world's only IoT ecosystem brand demonstrates the success of Haier's innovative Rendanheyi management model, and also brings new requirements to this model: namely, how to make sure the Rendanheyi model is aligned even more closely with the times and the general public during the IoT era, and how to support more enterprises to create their ecosystem brands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005227/en/ Contacts: WeBridge Consulting Chris Chen, +1 937 716 3876 chris.chen@webridgeus.com Financialnewsmedia.com News Commentary PALM BEACH, Florida, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The cannabis marketplace is growing in every way every day. More dispensaries, more acres under cultivation, more products being 'infused', more mergers and acquisitions and more and more news. Every day more articles and new revenue projection are released opining on what has happened, what is happening and what may happen. Perusing all this avalanche of info one common thread is obvious. The market will rise in 2019. There will be more product, more revenues, more infrastructure, more projections and more news. On such projection was made by Arcview Market Research, and was commented upon by various industry publications. One such summary said the following: "Global Marijuana Sales to Grow 38% to $16.9 Billion in 2019 Worldwide consumer cannabis spending should pick up big-time this year (2019) (in 20018) Canada had become the first industrialized country in the world to give the green light to recreational weed, paving the way for billions of dollars in legitimate annual sales, and pulling cannabis out of the shadows and into the spotlight as a valid business mode. We also witnessed plenty of history made in the U.S., too. In December, President Trump signed the farm bill into law, legalizing hemp and hemp-based cannabidiol products throughout the country. Roughly two-thirds of all states have now legalized medical cannabis, with 10 of those states also allowing adult consumption. Active companies in the industry making moves to ready that include: Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE:CHOO) (OTCQB:CHOOF), Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. (TSX-V: FAF) (OTCPK: FFLWF),National Access Cannabis Corp. (TSX-V: META.V) (OTCPK: NACNF), Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF), MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN.CN) (OTCQX: MMNFF). The article continued with: "Another reason weed sales could soar in 2019 is the expectation that some supply kinks will work themselves out. As an example, California is likely to see its pot oversupply lessen as new legal dispensaries open for business. Meanwhile, Health Canada's ability to power through a backlog of cultivation licenses and sales permits should allow more product to hit dispensary store shelves." ChoomHoldings Inc. (CSE:CHOO) (OTCQB:CHOOF) BREAKING NEWS: Choom unveils its retail concept and experience tomorrow in Niagara Falls, Ontario. As one of 25 cannabis stores authorized to open in the province, Choom Niagara provides a curated selection of premium products in an immersive environment designed to elevate and empower consumers. In addition to holding distinction as Niagara Falls' first cannabis store, Choom Niagara represents the brand's debut retail presence in Ontario. With a store firmly established in the key Ontario market, Choom will continue its nationwide rollout, supporting the company's overarching goal to secure one of the largest cannabis retail networks in North America. Choom Niagara carries a diverse range of products, from dry flower and pre-rolls, to oils and capsules. All items are selected from a wide range of Canadian licensed producers, with the product portfolio strategically curated to ignite customer curiosity and encourage cannabis exploration. Store associates have undergone stringent cannabis sommelier training, ensuring clients receive expert customer service customized to their specific needs. The store's intuitive aesthetic, designed by commercial architect and interior design firm Hodgson Design Associates, achieves a relaxed and inviting environment, seamlessly guiding visitors through displays of THC-dominant, CBD-dominant and balanced products. Toronto businesswoman, Lisa Bigioni, was selected from a lottery of qualified candidates to own and manage the store. "I'm delighted to serve the Niagara community, and can't wait to hit the ground running," said Bigioni. "My goal is for the store to become an indispensable resource for cannabis education and support for the local community. Choom's extensive experience in regulated industries provides invaluable insight on store operations, and together we'll deliver a cannabis retail experience the city can be proud of."Read this and more news for Choom at:https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-choo/ Additional industry related developments from around the markets: National Access Cannabis Corp. (TSX-V: META.V) (OTCPK: NACNF) recently responded to the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission ("AGLC") lifting the moratorium on new cannabis retail store openings in Alberta and has indicated that it will be releasing 5 retail cannabis retail licences per week. NAC expects to open one new retail location in Calgary on June 5 th, with an additional 10 built out stores throughout Alberta currently awaiting licensing. "We've been waiting for this positive news from the AGLC," said Mark Goliger , CEO of NAC. "We're ready to open new stores throughout Alberta . We anticipate a new store opening in the Varsity neighbourhood in Calgary on June 5 th, with 18 additional licences submitted and 10 stores built out awaiting licensing and regulatory approval. Today, we have the largest footprint of retail cannabis stores in the province of Alberta , and Canada as a whole, and we're working to maintain this position by continuing to aggressively pursue expansion opportunities in the early stage, and extremely high growth, cannabis industry." Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. (TSX-V: FAF.V) (OTCPK: FFLWF) recently announced the Company has achieved a milestone of C$25 million in system sales since opening on October 17, 2018 , the date adult-use recreational cannabis became legal in Canada . Today, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Fire & Flower Inc. operates 18 licensed cannabis stores in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and has licensed two branded shops in the province of Ontario . "As the adult-use cannabis market continues to develop across Canada , this significant sales milestone demonstrates Fire & Flower's ability to open and operate best-in-class retail stores across the country," shared Trevor Fencott , Chief Executive Officer of Fire & Flower. "Our Hifyre digital platform including our Click & Collect service along with our retail experience team have been key drivers in achieving our level of sales." Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) recently reported that it is partnering with Brookfield Properties to expand its CBD shop network in the U.S. The companies made a deal which allows GGB to open more than 70 prime shop locations at Brookfield's shopping centers throughout the country. The move will further expand GGB's physical footprint to approximately 280 total locations by the end of 2019.Brookfield owns, operates and develops office and multifamily assets in the U.S. Peter Horvath, the CEO of GGB, states that Brookfield "operates some of the most exciting and visited malls in the country" and they are "thrilled to introduce our CBD shops to their centers." "We know that consumers prefer to buy personal care and beauty products from physical stores, and this partnership will allow us access to millions of consumers," Horvath notes. MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN.CN) (OTCQX: MMNFF) recently announced that will partner with Equality California, the largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. During the month of June at all California stores, MedMen will donate 15% of proceeds from limited-edition Pride products to advance LGBTQ equality. In addition, MedMen employees, friends, and family, including many in the LGBTQ community, will march on June 9th in the Los Angeles Pride Parade in support of the local community. MedMen's first flagship store is in West Hollywood and the Company has five other locations throughout Los Angeles. DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated forty six hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press release issued above by Choom Holdings Inc. by a non affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE. This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements. Media Contact email: editor@financialnewsmedia.com +1(561)325-8757 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2019) - Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM) (OTC Pink: BMMJ) (the "Company" or "BaM"), a multi-state operator in California, Nevada, Ohio and Arkansas is pleased to announce it has commenced manufacturing in California through the Body and Mind California subsidiary NMG Cathedral City ("NMG"). The company is proud to announce expansion of the management team with the appointment of Sophia Hase as general manager of the Cathedral City manufacturing operations. "Sophia's experience in operating a large cannabis manufacturing operation combined with her extensive training on best of class ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems are anticipated to move manufacturing at Cathedral City forward rapidly." commented Robert Hasman, President of NMG Nevada and director of Body and Mind." Sophia's career in the health care industry and hands on experience with cannabis operations are expected to allow us to ramp up quickly and bring our popular Body and Mind brands to California." The Cathedral City facility has been producing THC distillate in bulk form since June 2018. The facility is planned to be outfitted to manufacture popular Body and Mind products including oils, wax, live resin, ambrosia and edibles. In addition to the state-of-the-art ethanol and BHO extraction equipment, Body and Mind has ordered the wiped-film distillation system engineered by Mr. Atomizer. The platform uses a patented cascading design to process more material in less time and with less labor to increase production and revenues. The increased production capacity is anticipated to create efficiencies and grow revenues. 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. For further information, please contact: Michael Mills Tel: 800-361-6312 mmills@bamcannabis.com About Body and Mind Inc. BaM is a well capitalized publicly traded company investing in high quality medical and recreational cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and retail. Our wholly owned Nevada subsidiary was awarded one of the first medical marijuana cultivation licences and holds cultivation and manufacturing licenses. BaM products include dried flower, edibles, oils and extracts as well as GPEN Gio cartridges and Lucid Mood offerings. BaM cannabis strains have won numerous awards including the 2019 Las Vegas Weekly Bud Bracket, Las Vegas Hempfest Cup 2016, High Times Top Ten, the NorCal Secret Cup and the Emerald Cup. BaM continues to expand operations in Nevada, Arkansas, Ohio and investment in California and is dedicated to increasing shareholder value by focusing time and resources on improving operational efficiencies, facility expansions, state licensing opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions. Please visit www.bamcannabis.com for more information. Safe Harbor Statement Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release. Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/45618 Their little girls were just 5 and 3 years old when Lisa Barrs husband cleaned out the couples bank accounts and left, never to be seen or heard from again. I had two babies and 67 cents in the bank, Barr said. I have the receipt. Its in a box in my basement. Seventeen years later, Barrs bank accounts are doing just fine, and life is wonderful. She has a husband she adores, a blended family that includes three daughters and a writing career that has surpassed her lifelong professional dreams. How did Barr go from rock-bottom to bliss? One word: unbreakable. I was going through my deepest hell, but I still had to remain fun mommy to these kids, who were going through tremendous trauma. The pain was unbearable at times, but I was not going to fall as a mom and as a woman, said Barr, a North Shore native, author and 30-year veteran of print journalism. She explained that in the years following her separation, she raised her kids alone and worked full time, while fighting for sole custody of her girls. I got a job as the managing editor of Moment magazine but I couldnt afford childcare, so my editor allowed my kids to come into the office and color on the floor so I could work, Barr said. I basically slept three to four hours a night for two years in order to make everything work in my life. Barrs journey and her ability to remain unbreakable led to her second published novel, The Unbreakables, which was released two weeks ago. Like Sophie Bloom, my protagonist, I have hit rock bottom and risen from the rubble to survive, and ultimately, thrive, wrote Barr in an email. Barr is also the author of a historical thriller, Fugitive Colors, which was published in 2015, and a former editor for The Jerusalem Post, Todays Chicago Woman and the Chicago Sun-Times. Life has given me all the feels: joy, pain, heartbreak, passion. Through the trials and tribulations, I've never let anything or anyone break my spirit. That part of me is truly unbreakable, she said. I havent read The Unbreakables, but I did read Barrs Fugitive Colors, a book so compelling I stayed up all night for two nights in a row to finish it. With a different plot than Barrs real life situation, The Unbreakables is the story of a Chicago woman whose husband and best friends betray her, leading to the collapse of her seemingly perfect marriage. In an attempt to put the broken pieces of herself back together, she travels to France. While abroad, she rediscovers her lust for life, art and passion. This is a book of healing, forgiveness, second chances and reinvention. And yes, it gets sexy, Barr said. But while it might seem like a book dealing with infidelity, its really about a woman who had abandoned herself way before that. She lost her passion and now shes going to get it back. Barr explained that she came up with the idea for the story in 2015 when she heard about the Ashley Madison website scandal, in which hackers stole customer data and published names of its members online. I was out with some friends and someone said I have the list and we were all listening to the names of the people in our community. It was the train wreck you couldnt look away from, Barr said. My situation was very different. It wasnt infidelity, but I was able to write the book based on the inner strength I found being a divorced, single mom. My character, Sophie, and I have something in common: a womans strength in the face of adversity, heartbreak and motherhood. No one was going to stop me from surviving. Here are Barrs five tips for the newly separated: 1. Self-care. Invest in yourself. Drink your favorite wine, eat what you enjoy, exercise but do what you love and what makes you feel good. I recommend yoga, long walks with your favorite music, and meditation. This is the time to be good to you. 2. Stay away from toxic people. Hang with the friends and family who make you feel good about you and who prop you up, not tear your down. 3. Get therapy if you need it. Sometimes a professional can help you break through and see the situation through different lenses, and most importantly, push you forward. There is no shame or weakness in seeing a therapist. 4. Be active. Don't curl up on your couch and just binge Netflix. Take time for yourself but get out there. If you're not ready to date, then take that wine-tasting class you've always wanted to do or join a book club. 5. Get rid of all his or her stuff that makes you feel sad. Get it out of sight. Box it or toss it. Looking at it only brings back bittersweet memories. Out of sight is definitely out of mind in this case. Barrs current husband, David, was the first date she had after her divorce. They were introduced by one of Barrs childhood friends. David was divorced with a daughter who was the same age (and who has the same name) as Barrs younger daughter. It was like someone who had just come from a war, she said. I wondered, How do I do this normal? We went to dinner and talked for hours until the restaurant closed and they were vacuuming around us. The two were married two years later, and David ended up adopting Barrs two daughters. David is my best friend. The chemistry is there but its the friendship that makes us so solid. You can leave your lover but you can never leave your best friend, Barr said of her husband of 14 years. He values my writing, respects my passion and is proud of it. We balance each other. Im dramatic and hes feet on the ground, stable, strong and doesnt get unraveled by drama. Hes my favorite place in the whole world. Dr. David Hepburn to discuss "hits and myths" of medical cannabis SUN VALLEY, ID / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / Dr. David Hepburn is proud to announce that he will be presenting at the Sun Valley Wellness Festival & Conference. The 22nd annual Sun Valley Festival & Conference will take place from June 27 to July 1, 2019 at venues in Sun Valley and Ketchum, Idaho. Dr. David Hepburn is scheduled to lead a presentation called "Hits and Myths, Medical Cannabis" on Friday, June 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Argyros Performing Arts Center. Dr. Hepburn will also participate in a medical cannabis panel discussion on Saturday, June 29 at 2:00 p.m. in the Four Pillars Auditorium at Sun Valley Community School. The Sun Valley Festival & Conference is on the cutting edge of health and wellness and is recognized as the longest running wellness festival in the world. Dr. David Hepburn is among Canada's foremost medical cannabis educators. He is a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians (SCC), International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM),The International Cannabis Research Society (ICRS), Physicians for Medical Cannabis (PMC), and the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine (AACM). During his presentation, Dr. David Hepburn will address the stigma surrounding medical cannabis and demonstrate what cannabinoids might offer the medical world. Dr. Hepburn will present scientific validity, truth backed by facts, and real-world medical applications during this lecture, which is geared towards the general public so that they too may understand the possibilities that exist for cannabis as a medicine. "Story after story, all the research that was out there observing a patient going from one state to a completely different one in a month was undeniable with the use of cannabis," says Dr. David Hepburn. "It changes one's life. You know anecdotes don't make good science, but they are a case history for modalities, to do something differently." For more information, please visit https://sunvalleywellness.org/ About Dr. David Hepburn Dr. David Hepburn is one of Canada's leading medical cannabis educators. He is a retired general practitioner and is now an international speaker, helping countries through the process of education, legalization, and regulation of medical cannabis. For more information, please contact: http://drdavehepburn.com/ dahep@shaw.ca SOURCE: Dr. David Hepburn View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/548766/Dr-David-Hepburn-to-Present-at-the-Sun-Valley-Wellness-Festival-and-Conference LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / P. Daniel Ward MD was invited again to participate as a faculty member at the Las Vegas Cosmetic Surgery Conference, which took place from June 5-8. The Las Vegas Cosmetic Surgery (VCS) Conference celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, under the coordination of founder S. Randolph Waldman, MD. The VSC is now the largest cosmetic conference in North America. It gives doctors and medical professionals the opportunity to learn about core specialties, while also receiving information for individuals to take back with them. P. Daniel Ward MD, who lectures and teaches surgeons around the world, spoke on revision rhinoplasty and was the moderator on sessions on rhinoplasty and facelift. An internationally-sought after lecturer, Dr. Ward most commonly teaches about rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, facelift, facial contouring, and non-surgical facial rejuvenation. "I love the opportunity to be able to talk about and teach other plastic surgeons about advances in facial plastic surgery," says Daniel Ward, MD. "It is a great honor to be appreciated and valued by so many institutions and conferences around the world, who value my experience and provide me a platform to share my findings and educate others." In addition to his lectures in Las Vegas, this year, Dr. P. Daniel Ward, MD has been invited to speak at medical conferences in Amsterdam, Portland, St. Petersburg Russia, Seattle, San Diego, New Orleans, Beaver Creek, and Miami, and Oslo. In addition to these large conferences, Dr. Ward will also speak at multiple smaller events and conferences around the state of Utah. The exact dates and times for P. Daniel Ward's lectures at conferences and events will be announced closer to the date of the conferences on social media and his website: https://www.wardmd.com/. Dr. Ward hopes that his lectures teaching other plastic surgeons about facial plastic surgery will help make facial plastic surgery be more effective and safe for all patients. About P. Daniel Ward MD: P. Daniel Ward MD, MS, FACS is an internationally sought-after expert in rhinoplasty, facelifts, fillers, Botox and facial plastic surgery. He is a recipient of the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery grant for his research efforts within the area. Currently, Dr. Ward works out of his private practice, Form Medical Spa, in Salt Lake City which he started in 2016 and now has two additional locations across the state. Between his work as a member of the faculty at the University of Utah, and the Utah Rural Outreach Program - designed to help introduce high school students in less privileged areas to medicine - that he created during his time as a student at the University of Utah, Dr. Ward has shown his desire to help others and create a passion for medicine. Contact: P. Daniel Ward MD Phone Number: 801-513-FACE Email: info@wardmd.com SOURCE: P. Daniel Ward MD View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/548770/P-Daniel-Ward-MD-Again-Named-Faculty-Member-at-Vegas-Cosmetic-Surgery-Symposium New Defined Outcome ETFs will provide International Developed and Emerging Markets exposures, up to a cap, with 15% downside buffers over a one year Outcome Period The only ETFs with built-in buffers on the MSCI EAFE and MSCI Emerging Markets Indexes CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / Innovator Capital Management, LLC (Innovator) today announced plans to expand the category creating Innovator Defined Outcome ETFsm suite with two additional Buffer ETFs based on the MSCI EAFE and the MSCI Emerging Markets Indexes. Developed to provide investors buffered exposure to leading international equity benchmarks, the two new ETFs are anticipated to list on the NYSE Arca on July 1, 2019. "Based on advisor feedback, we are moving forward to provide Buffer ETFs with MSCI EAFE and Emerging Markets exposures," said Bruce Bond, CEO of Innovator ETFs. "We believe the availability of Defined Outcome ETFs based on these broad benchmark indexes will provide the investment community with better tools to manage international equity risk, and may be particularly useful for investors looking to reduce the home equity bias that exists in many portfolios today." Anticipated return profiles for the Innovator MSCI EAFE and MSCI Emerging Markets Buffer ETFs - July Series, as of 6/13/19 Ticker Name Buffer Level Cap range* Outcome Period EJUL Innovator MSCI Emerging Markets Power Buffer ETF 15.00% TBD (to be determined) 12 months 7/1/19 - 6/30/20 IJUL Innovator MSCI EAFE Power Buffer ETF 15.00% TBD 12 months 7/1/19 - 6/30/20 The actual Cap for each Fund will be set at the beginning of the Outcome Period, and is dependent upon market conditions at that time. Periods of high market volatility could result in higher caps, and lower volatility could result in lower caps. "Cap" refers to the maximum potential return, before fees and expenses and any shareholder transaction fees and any extraordinary expenses, if held over the full Outcome Period. "Buffer" refers to the amount of downside protection the fund seeks to provide, before fees and expenses, over the full Outcome Period. Outcome Period is the intended length of time over which the defined outcomes are sought.Upon fund launch, the Caps can be found on a daily basis via www.innovatoretfs.com . EJUL and IJUL are not yet available for investment. Continuing educational efforts around Defined Outcome ETF investing, Innovator will be hosting its next webinar, titled, MSCI Emerging Markets and MSCI EAFE ETFs with Built-In Downside Buffers and Upside, to a Cap, on June 25, 2019 at 1pm ET. Additional information including event registration is available using the following link: http://www.innovatoretfs.com/webinars. The Funds have characteristics unlike many other traditional investment products and may not be suitable for all investors. For more information regarding whether an investment in the Fund is right for you, please see "Investor Suitability" in the prospectus. The Innovator Defined Outcome Suite of ETFs MSCI Emerging Markets: Innovator MSCI Emerging Markets Power Buffer ETF (NYSE: EJUL): Designed to track the return of the MSCI Emerging Markets Price Index (up to a predetermined Cap) while buffering investors against the first 15% of losses over the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. MSCI EAFE: Innovator MSCI EAFE Power Buffer ETF (NYSE: IJUL): Designed to track the return of the MSCI EAFE Price Index (up to a predetermined Cap) while buffering investors against the first 15% of losses over the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. S&P 500 Buffer ETFs: Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETFs (Cboe: BJUN, BAPR, BJUL, BOCT, BJAN): Designed to track the return of the S&P 500 (up to a predetermined Cap) while buffering investors against the first 9% of losses over the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETFs (Cboe: PJUN, PAPR, PJUL, POCT, PJAN): Designed to track the return of the S&P 500 (up to a predetermined Cap) while buffering investors against the first 15% of losses over the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer ETFs (Cboe: UJUN, UAPR, UJUL, UOCT, UJAN): Designed to track the return of the S&P 500 (up to a predetermined Cap) while buffering investors against a decline of 30% of losses over the Outcome Period, from -5% to -35%, before fees and expenses. Investors are exposed to loss between 0% and 5% and over 35% over the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. About Innovator Defined Outcome ETFs Each Innovator Defined Outcome ETFSM seeks to provide a defined exposure to a broad market index (such as the S&P 500, MSCI EAFE or MSCI EM) where the downside buffer level, upside growth potential to a Cap, and Outcome Period are all known, prior to investing. Innovator recently began expanding its suite of S&P 500 Buffer ETFs into a monthly series to provide investors more opportunities to purchase shares as close to the beginning of their respective Outcome Periods as possible. Investors can purchase shares of a previously listed Defined Outcome Buffer ETF throughout the entire Outcome Period, obtaining a current set of defined outcome parameters, which are disclosed daily through a web tool available at: http://innovatoretfs.com/define/. Innovator is focused on delivering defined outcome based solutions inside the benefit-rich ETF wrapper, retaining many of the features that have contributed to the success of structured products 1 (e.g., downside buffer levels, upside participation, defined outcome parameters), but with the added benefits of transparency, liquidity and lower costs afforded by the ETF structure. Interim Period Shareholders Unlike structured notes, which offer limited liquidity, Innovator Defined Outcome ETFs trade throughout the day on an exchange, like a stock. As a result, investors purchasing shares of a Fund after its launch date may achieve a different payoff profile than those who entered the Fund on day one. Innovator recognizes this as a benefit of the Funds and provides a web-based tool that allows investors to know, in real-time throughout the trading day, their potential defined outcome return profile before they invest, based on the current ETF price and the Outcome Period remaining. Innovator's web tool can be accessed at http://www.innovatoretfs.com/define. ETF Construction Each Fund will hold a portfolio of custom exchange-traded FLEX Options that have varying strike prices (the price at which the option purchaser may buy or sell the security, at the expiration date), and the same expiration date (approximately one year). The layering of these FLEX Options with varying strike prices provides the mechanism for producing a Fund's desired outcome (i.e. Cap or buffer). Each Fund intends to roll options components annually, on the last business day of the month associated with each Fund. The ETFs are subadvised by Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (Milliman FRM), a global leader in financial risk management. Milliman FRM also serves as the subadvisor on the award-winning Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETFs, the first series in the revolutionary Innovator Defined Outcome ETFsm suite. Although each Fund seeks to achieve the defined outcomes stated in its investment objective, there is no guarantee that it will do so. The returns that the Funds seek to provide do not include the costs associated with purchasing shares of the Fund and certain expenses incurred by the Fund. About Innovator Capital Management, LLC Innovator Capital Management, LLC is an SEC registered investment advisor (RIA) based in Wheaton, IL. Formed in 2014, the firm is currently headed by ETF visionaries Bruce Bond and John Southard, founders of one of the largest ETF providers in the world. Innovation is our hallmark and acts as a guide to our company principles. Innovator is committed to helping investors better control their financial outcomes by providing investment opportunities they never considered or thought possible. For additional information, visit www.innovatoretfs.com. About Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC Milliman Financial Risk Management LLC (Milliman FRM) is a global leader in financial risk management to the retirement industry, providing investment advisory, hedging, and consulting services on over $147.6 billion in global assets as of March 31, 2019. For more information about Milliman FRM, visit www.Milliman.com/FRM. Media Contact Bill Conboy +1 (303) 415-2290 bill@bccapitalpartners.com 1 Structured notes and structured annuities are financial instruments designed and created to afford investors exposure to an underlying asset through a derivative contract. It is important to note that these ETFs are not structured notes or structured annuities. Investing involves risks. The Funds face numerous market trading risks, including active markets risk, authorized participation concentration risk, buffered loss risk, Cap change risk, capped upside return risk, correlation risk, FLEX Option counterparty risk, cyber security risk, fluctuation of net asset value risk, investment objective risk, limitations of intraday indicative value risk, liquidity risk, management risk, market maker risk, market risk, non-diversification risk, operation risk, options risk, Outcome Period risk, tax risk, trading issues risk, upside participation risk and valuation risk. Unlike mutual funds, the Funds may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. ETFs are bought and sold at market price and not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. The outcomes that a Fund seeks to provide may only be realized if you are holding shares on the first day of the Outcome Period and continue to hold them on the last day of the Outcome Period, approximately one year. If you purchase shares after the Outcome Period has begun or sell shares prior to the Outcome Period's conclusion, you may experience very different investment returns from those that a Fund seeks to provide. These Funds are designed to provide point-to-point exposure to the price return of the MSCI Emerging Markets and MSCI EAFE indexes via a basket of FLEX Options. As a result, the ETFs are not expected to move directly in line with the indexes during the interim period. FLEX Options Risk. The Fund will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). FLEX options, are non-standard options that allow both the writer and purchaser to negotiate various terms. Terms that are negotiable include the exercise style, strike price, expiration date, as well as other feature. The Fund bears the risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the FLEX Options contracts. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than certain other securities such as standardized options. In less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Fund may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices. The values of FLEX Options do not increase or decrease at the same rate as the reference asset and may vary due to factors other than the price of reference asset. Fund shareholders are subject to an upside return cap (the "Cap") that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the funds' for the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. If the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value to a level near to the Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, theCap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next. The Cap, and the Fund's position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund. The Funds' website, www.innovatoretfs.com, provides important Fund information as well information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in a Fund on a daily basis. The Funds only seek to provide shareholders that hold shares for the entire Outcome Period with their respective buffer level against MSCI Emerging Markets and MSCI EAFE Index losses during the Outcome Period. You will bear all Index losses exceeding 9%, 15%, and 30%, respectively. Depending upon market conditions at the time of purchase, a shareholder that purchases shares after the Outcome Period has begun may also lose their entire investment. For instance, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has decreased in value beyond the pre-determined 9% buffer, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer. Similarly, if the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value, an investor purchasing shares at that price may not benefit from the buffer until the Fund's value has decreased to its value at the commencement of the Outcome Period. Each Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses should be considered before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information, and may be obtained at www.innovatoretfs.com or 800.208.5212. Read it carefully before investing. INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS SUBJECT TO COMPLETION OR AMENDMENT. A REGISTRATION STATEMENT RELATING TO THESE SECURITIES HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION BUT HAS NOT YET BECOME EFFECTIVE. THESE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE SOLD NOR MAY OFFERS TO BUY BE ACCEPTED PRIOR TO THE TIME THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT BECOMES EFFECTIVE. THIS COMMUNICATION SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO BUY OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL PRIOR TO REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION UNDER SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH STATE. AN INDICATION OF INTEREST IN RESPONSE TO THIS ADVERTISEMENT WILL INVOLVE NO OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND. Innovator ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Copyright 2019 Innovator Capital Management, LLC. 800.208.5212 SOURCE: Innovator View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/548614/Innovator-Preps-for-MSCI-EAFE-and-Emerging-Markets-Defined-Outcome-ETF-Listings Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2019) - Goldsource Mines Inc. (TSXV: GXS) (FSE: G5M) ("Goldsource" or the "Company") reports on the following matters: 2019 AGM At the Company's AGM held on May 30, 2019, shareholders re-elected N. Eric Fier, Haytham H. Hodaly, Graham C. Thody and Ioannis Tsitos as directors of the Company, re-appointed Davidson & Company LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as auditor of the Company, and approved the renewal of the Company's "rolling 10%" stock option plan. Stock Option Grants The Company has granted, under its stock option plan and subject to any necessary regulatory approvals, stock options to purchase an aggregate of 900,000 common shares of the Company at an exercise price of $0.14 per share for a five-year term expiring June 13, 2024 (the "Options"). The above total includes options granted to employees to purchase 150,000 common shares. Primoris Group Inc. ("Primoris") based in Ontario, Canada, an existing investor relations consultant of the Company, was granted an option to purchase 300,000 common shares. The options will vest over a one-year period pursuant to which 25% shall vest on September 13, 2019 and a further 25% shall vest every three months thereafter until fully vested. Primoris will facilitate editorial coverage through print, radio, TV, and/or online media outlets. Primoris currently owns no common shares of Goldsource and the Company is not aware that it has any right or intent to acquire any direct or indirect interest in Goldsource or its securities. The agreement between Goldsource and Primoris is renewable and may be terminated by either party with 30 days' written notice. Michael Baybak and Company Inc. ("Baybak") based in Florida, USA, an investor relations consultant, was granted options to acquire 450,000 common shares. The options will vest over a one-year period pursuant to which 25% shall vest on September 13, 2019 and a further 25% shall vest every three months thereafter until fully vested. Goldsource has engaged Baybak as a consultant to provide investor relations services for a period of six months, subject to earlier termination or renewal in accordance with the agreement. Baybak is to assist the Company in creating market awareness among the investment community through Baybak's network of investment professionals. Baybak has extensive knowledge of capital markets, specializing in emerging resource companies. Besides the above grant of stock options, Goldsource has agreed to pay Baybak a monthly fee of C$3,500 for the first three months and C$5,000 thereafter. Baybak currently owns no common shares of Goldsource and the Company is not aware that it has any right or intent to acquire any direct or indirect interest in Goldsource or its securities. Baybak's appointment as an investor relations consultant of Goldsource is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. ABOUT GOLDSOURCE MINES INC. Goldsource Mines Inc. (www.goldsourcemines.com) is a Canadian resource company working aggressively to develop its advanced-stage, 100%-owned Eagle Mountain saprolite and hard-rock gold project in Guyana, South America. From 2016 to 2017, through a gravity pilot plant initiative, the Company completed testing on gravity-only gold production and both dry and wet mining open-pit techniques. Goldsource is now focused on delivering feasibility studies to achieve large-scale gold production at Eagle Mountain. Goldsource is led by an experienced management team, proven in making exploration discoveries and in project construction. Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos President Goldsource Mines Inc. For Further Information: Goldsource Mines Inc. Contact: Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos, President Fred Cooper, Investor Relations Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1760 Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313 Toll Free: 1-866-691-1760 (Canada & USA) Email: info@goldsourcemines.com Website: www.goldsourcemines.com 570 Granville Street, Suite 501 Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/45622 VIENNA, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a motion passed on Wednesday in Parliament seeking Austria's withdrawal from the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID)'s Council of Parties, messages of support for the Centre have poured in from all areas of its operations across the world. KAICIID's Board of Directors, comprised of high-level representatives of the world religions, criticised the move, saying it "jeopardised" the Centre's work in interreligious dialogue in some of the most troubled regions of the globe. Senior religious leaders involved with KAICIID's programmes echoed the Board's concerns: His Eminence Shawki Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt, said "I strongly hope and pray the Centre will continue its blessed work to promote God's will of love, respect and cooperation among all of us." In Central African Republic, Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga and Imam Oumar Kobine Layama said KAICIID's work "had a major impact in supporting a resolution of the Central African crisis and has facilitated tolerance, the process of the return of displaced persons, peace, and the principle of living together in CAR." In Myanmar, the Peaceful Myanmar Initiative, a KAICIID-supported platform of Muslim and Buddhist religious leaders, issued a statement saying in part "as a result of our close collaboration over the past 3 years, we have built an extensive network of interfaith dialogue champions, launched an IRD Training Centre, and reached over 3000 individuals." In Nigeria, Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said: "We commend KAICIID for their unrelenting commitment to peacebuilding all over the world. Its relevance has become more and more visible." Fellows from all over the world that have been participants in one of KAICIID's flagship training programmes, also commended its work. Rabbi Alexander Goldberg, Chair, Coordinating Council of Jewish Organisations at the United Nations, said: "KAICIID is a place to engage on human rights, gender equality, rule of law and religious freedom. It is essential in the dialogue between the Western and Arab world." Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, praised KAICIID's programmes, saying: "We are convinced that our partnership with KAICIID has added value to our work in promoting dialogue and building better understanding among young people." In KAICIID's home town, Vienna, local religious leaders joined in praising the Centre. The Reverend Canon Patrick Curran, Chaplain of Christ Church, spoke highly of the influence of KAICIID training programmes. "In times of crisis, these religious leaders contribute to be able to bring peace through relationships.In times of stability, they contribute to a better understanding of difference." Tarafa Baghajati, Chairman, Initiative of Austrian Muslims said: "KAICIID does a good job and has sustainable projects. KAICIID supports, for example, the Jewish-Muslim Leadership Council (MJLC). It has also initiated refugee integration programmes and has sponsored and supported a number of peace initiatives in trouble spots around the world. Who will take over this job?" Read here the full story Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/903014/KAICIID.jpg Regulatory News: Carrefour (Paris:CA): At the Annual General Meeting held today, Carrefour's shareholders approved the proposed 0.46 per share dividend for the 2018 financial year and decided to offer shareholders an option to receive the dividend payment in shares. The issue price of the new shares to be issued in consideration for the dividend has been set at 14.78. This issue price represents 90% of the average opening prices quoted on the regulated market of Euronext Paris during the 20 trading days preceding the date of the Annual General Meeting, less the amount of the dividend, and rounded upward to the nearest euro cent. The dividend ex-date is set on June 20, 2019. The shareholders may opt for the dividend payment in cash or in new shares from June 24, 2019 to July 5, 2019 included, by sending their request to their financial intermediaries. For the shareholders who have not exercised their dividend payment option by July 5, 2019, the dividend shall only be paid in cash1 For the shareholders who have not opted for a dividend payment in shares, the dividend shall be paid in cash on July 11, 2019. For the shareholders who have opted to receive the dividend in shares, settlement and delivery of the shares will be as from July 11, 2019. If the amount of dividends for which the option is exercised does not correspond to a whole number of shares, shareholders may choose to either receive the rounded-up whole number of shares by paying the difference in cash on the day they exercise the option or receive the rounded-down whole number of shares and the balance in cash. The shares issued as dividend payment will carry dividend rights as from January 1, 2019. An application to list these new shares on Euronext Paris will be made. The new shares will rank pari passu with existing shares and will be fully fungible with existing shares already listed. The maximum total number of new shares which may be issued for the purpose of the dividend payment in shares is 24,269,678 shares (excluding additional shares issued for rounding purposes), representing approximately 3.08% of the share capital of Carrefour based on the total number of shares as of May 31, 2019. Calendar: June 20 Dividend ex-date June 21 Dividend record date June 24 Beginning of the option period for the election of share dividend July 5 End of the option period for the election of share dividend July 9 Announcement of the result of the option July 11 Payment of cash dividend, delivery of share dividend Disclaimer This press release constitutes the information document required pursuant to Article 212-4 4 and 212-5 5 of the French Financial Market Authority (AMF) General Regulation and Article 18 of the AMF Instruction DOC-2016-04. This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase securities. This press release and any other document relating to the payment of dividend in shares may only be distributed or disseminated outside of France in conformity with applicable local laws and regulations and shall not constitute an offer for securities in any jurisdiction where such an offer would infringe applicable laws and regulations. The option to receive the 2018 dividend payment in shares, as described herein, is not available to shareholders residing in any country where such option would require registration or approval by local securities regulators. Shareholders residing outside of France must inform themselves about, and comply with, any restrictions which may apply under their local laws. In any event, this option is open to shareholders residing in a Member State of the European Union, the United States of America, Norway and Switzerland. Orders originating from other countries would not be accepted. For tax purposes in relation to the dividend payment in shares, the shareholders are invited to review their personal situation with their own tax advisor. When deciding to opt for a dividend payment in shares, shareholders must consider the risks associated with an equity investment. For further information relating to the Company, its business, strategy, financial results and risks relating to the Group, please refer to the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's 2018 Registration Document (available on the Company's website, www.carrefour.com). 1 ADR holders may be subject to different election and payment conditions and should consult the depositary for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005321/en/ Contacts: Carrefour Investor Relations: Selma Bekhechi, Antoine Parison, Anthony Guglielmo Tel: +33 (0)1 64 50 79 81 Shareholder relations Tel: +33 (0)805 902 902 (n vert en France) RACINE, Wisconsin, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SC Johnson today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Sun Bum, a fast-growing brand that makes quality personal care products including sun protection, hair care and lip care products. The acquisition also includes the Baby Bum brand of sun protection and baby care products. "The Sun Bum brand is a welcome addition to our portfolio of trusted products," said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. "It also expands our robust selection of fast-growing, on-trend products like Babyganics, Method, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and Caldrea that appeal to consumers and their families." SC Johnson expects the deal to be finalized subject to U.S. regulatory approval. As a private company, SC Johnson does not disclose details regarding financial or business transactions. About SC Johnson SC Johnson is a family company dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care, as well as professional products. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE, KIWI, OFF!, PLEDGE, RAID, SCRUBBING BUBBLES, SHOUT, WINDEX and ZIPLOC in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN, BAYGON, BRISE, KABIKILLER, KLEAR, MR MUSCLE and RIDSECT. The 133-year-old company, which generates $10 billion in sales, employs approximately 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/620114/SC_Johnson_Logo.jpg FUTUREN's Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders was held on Friday June 14, 2019, chaired by Bruno Fyot, Chairman of the Board of Directors, in the presence of the college of the Statutory Auditors. A quorum of 87.73% was reached for all resolutions submitted to the vote of the shareholders. All the resolutions were approved by majorities higher than 99.99%. In particular, the General Meeting: approved the parent company and consolidated financial statements for 2018, appointed Geraldine Anceau as Director of the Company, ratified the cooptation of Maud de Galard as Director of the Company, and renewed Denis Rouhier's office as Director of the Company, approved the remuneration policies applicable to the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer for the 2019 fiscal year, and approved the elements of compensation due to the Chief Executive Officer for the 2018 fiscal year. The voting results are available on the Company's website www.futuren-group.com (Finance/General Meetings). The offices held by Bruno Fyot as Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors ended at the close of the General Meeting. Nicolas Couderc is now taking over Bruno Fyot's office as Chairman of the Board of Directors. About FUTUREN FUTUREN is a group active in the field of wind energy, present throughout the entire wind value chain. The Group develops, builds and owns wind farms in four countries: France, Germany, Morocco and Italy. In total, the Group manages 648 MW for its own account and for third parties. CONTACT Elodie Fiorini Group Chief Financial Officer Tel: +33 (0)4 42 906 596 e.fiorini@futuren-group.com French Societe anonyme (public limited company with Board of Directors) with a share capital of 27,789,978.70 Registered office: Cur Defense - 100, esplanade du General de Gaulle - 92932 Paris La Defense - France Administrative address: Europarc de Pichaury - Bat. B9 - 1330, avenue JRGG de la Lauziere - BP 80199 - 13795 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 3 - France Tel: +33 (0)4 42 904 904 - Fax: +33 (0)4 42 904 905 - www.futuren-group.com The stock is listed on the compartment B of Euronext Paris, symbol: FTRN. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Recevez gratuitement par email les prochains communiques de la societe en vous inscrivant sur www.actusnews.com Communique integral et original au format PDF:Telecharger le PDF Companies in the B2B marketplace are finding it difficult to analyze the future impact of a change in marketing metrics and optimize their investments to drive profits. Also, several external factors are resulting in an increase in the market spend for B2B businesses. This is where data analytics solutions such as market mix modeling can help companies to set the correct foundation for their marketing strategies and branding solutions. Quantzig, a leading analytics advisory firm that delivers customized analytics solutions, has announced the completion of their new article on analytics solutions . Data analytics solutions have become a prerequisite for businesses today to excel in a competitive marketplace. By leveraging data analytics solutions companies, especially in the B2B marketplace, are able to devise effective and highly specific campaigns to reach out to prospects. Also, data analytics solutions are helping companies to make better use of their customer and user experience data, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty in the long term. With the help of algorithms, data analytics solutions help companies to anticipate market demands to offer the product or service before it is requested. Additionally, advanced data analytics solutions enable enterprises to react in real time and make the customers feel personally valued. 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. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2019) -Crystal Lake Mining Corporation (TSXV: CLM) (OTC PINK: SIOCF) ("Crystal Lake" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Lawrence Roulston to the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. Roulston, well known for his Golden Triangle expertise that he has shared at conferences and in national and international media, is currently Managing Director of WestBay Capital Advisors, providing business advisory and capital markets expertise to junior and mid-tier sectors of the mining industry. Previously, he was president of a company that provided resource advisory services for U.S. private investors. Before that, he was a mining analyst and consultant as well as editor of the very successful "Resource Opportunities", an independent investment publication focused on the mining industry. He is a mining professional with a B.Sc. in geology and over 35 years of diverse experience in the sector. "I've never been so excited about developments throughout the Golden Triangle and the potential for new discoveries and new mines at a time when infrastructure has never been better," explained Mr. Roulston. "Crystal Lake has quickly become a leader in this region with its Newmont Lake Project which I've been following closely for many years. It is one of the real gems among properties in Northwest British Columbia and I look forward to helping the exceptional team that Crystal Lake has assembled." Richard Savage, President and CEO, commented: "Lawrence is the authority on the Golden Triangle and we're in the heart of this region with the Newmont Lake Project in the prolific Eskay Camp. His involvement at the board level will be instrumental as we advance Crystal Lake corporately and bring this exciting project to the world." To make room for Mr. Roulston as Crystal Lake adjusts for a new era, Mr. John Meekison has resigned from the Company's Board of Directors. The Company thanks John for his loyal service and wishes him well in his future endeavors. About Crystal Lake Mining Crystal Lake Mining is a Canadian-based junior exploration company focused on building shareholder value through high-grade discovery opportunities in British Columbia and Ontario. The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Newmont Lake Project, one of the largest land packages among juniors in the broader Eskay region in the heart of Northwest B.C.'s Golden Triangle. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, CRYSTAL LAKE MINING CORP. "Richard Savage" President & CEO Email: info@crystallakemining.com www.crystallakemining.com For further information please contact: MarketSmart Communications Tel: +1 (604) 261-4466 Toll Free: +1 (877) 261-4466 Email: info@marketsmart.ca Momentum Public Relations Tel: +1 (514) 815-7473 Email: mark@momentumpr.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/45630 Deputy General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Le Quoc Minh has participated in activities within the framework of the congress. Addressing the opening ceremony, Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Maxim Minchev said news journalism is one of the last bastions of real and double-checked news. He underlined the need for news agencies worldwide to accumulate synergy as the situation is changing very quickly. Discussions during the forum will focus on fake news, artificial intelligence, the new models of ownership of news agencies and the new sources of information, he said. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said digitalisation has already changed the perception of the world because information is in abundant supply but in reality it is the most scarce commodity. Today, the truth is often drowned in fake news as speed takes precedence over credibility. The destructive effect of information now has the potential to be more dangerous than bombs and missiles, he warned. The President lauded the organizers and delegates for their efforts in seeking solutions to new challenges facing news agencies. The NAWC is an international congress for the worlds news agencies around the world, which was established in 2004 in Moscow with the purpose of ensuring and improving the members ability to perform as key operators in the fast growing diversity of the global media market. Source: VNA The objectives of the NAWC are to strengthen unbiased news reporting, support the principle of freedom of the press and contribute to the general understanding of the news background. The NAWC is held at least every three years. The News Agency World Council (NACO) is responsible, in collaboration with the hosting news agency, for the structure of, and the program for, the forthcoming Congress. Minchev told a VNA correspondent that the sixth congress is a forum to spread important messages and share initiatives that can be rolled out globally thanks to news agencies. During the event, participants will discuss challenges in the new era and pressing issues in culture, tourism, social media and traditional press in the 21st century, he said. The BTA leader expressed his hope to enhance cooperation with the VNA through joint projects between the two agencies as well as the two countries. On June 12th, VNA Deputy General Director Le Quoc Minh had a working session with Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Doan Tuan Linh, who said the information work plays an important role in promoting relations between the two nations. Applauding the VNAs role in this regard, the diplomat hoped that the agency will help the embassy with the publication of a special photo book in Vietnamese, Bulgarian and English languages, and the organisation of photo exhibitions to mark the 70th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Bulgaria diplomatic ties (February 8th, 1950-2020). Minh said the VNA has sufficient experience and capacity and stands ready to coordinate with relevant agencies to help the embassy carry out the initiatives./. At 25, Young moved to Barrington with her husband two years ago. She said she brings youthful voice to the board, representing her generation and people who rent their homes rather than own them. Elected for the first time, she said she is pleased to be part of a new majority. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / Majestic Gold Corp. ("Majestic" or the "Company") (TSX.V: MJS, FSE: A0BK1D) is pleased to provide a shareholder's update on its operations at the Songjiagou Gold property ("Songjiagou") in conjunction with the Company's Annual General Meeting held on June 13, 2019. Production at Majestic's operation at Songjiagou continues to rely mainly on the open pit that has been in commercial production since May 2011. During 2018, test mining from underground at Songjiagou North contributed higher grade material from test stopes in the upper two levels of what will ultimately be developed into a six-level underground mine. Songjiagou Gold Mine The overall operation of the open pit at Songjiagou is still benefiting from amendments to the mining agreement in early 2017 and by processing higher grade material. Continued optimization of the operation has resulted in achieving even lower total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs that were down to $614 and $712 per ounce respectively for the first six months of fiscal 2019. Gold production for fiscal year 2018 was 29,160 ounces, a 15% increase in production over the prior 2017 fiscal year. This increase was mostly due to an increase in head grade from 0.55 g/t in 2017 to 0.64 g/t in 2018. A significant portion of the past 15 months has been dedicated to work on reducing the angle of the northwestern pit slope, which also included reclamation work on the upper levels of the pit. Extensive work has also been done on road access in and out of the pit and improving the road from the pit to the mill facility in anticipation of increased traffic once increases to mining in the pit are initiated. As a result, mining production in the pit has experienced a decline during this period of work. The Company anticipates that production will ramp up in early fiscal 2020. Songjiagou North Underground The focus of work at the underground operation at Songjiagou during the past year was on development of the upper levels as the ramp advanced toward the deepest of the six levels at -160 metres above sea level. Test mining from the +49 and +9 meter levels began during the first six months of fiscal 2019 at an average rate of 220 tonnes per day with a grade of 2.53 g/t which provided the mill with higher grade material to mix with mill feed from the open pit. Final government approvals are required before the underground can run at full capacity; it is anticipated that these approvals will be granted in late fiscal 2019. Songjiagou North Underground is expected to produce about 90,000 tonnes of ore annually or about 250-275 tonnes per day averaging about 2.4 g/t gold which should add almost 7,000 ounces of gold to yearly production. The underground development has been designed to mine four discrete gold-rich veins that are a continuation of mineralization that is being developed in the open pit. Village Relocation Construction of the main buildings that will house villagers who currently live in close proximity to operations at Songjiagou has been completed and has been inspected and approved. Some minor work on the exterior of the grounds is ongoing and will be completed in the next 2-3 months. Approximately 180 families will move into the complex by the end of fiscal 2019, while retaining their farmland and holding a 75-year condominium lease. Corporate Development The Company continues to monitor progress at Yantai Baiheng Gold Mining Co. Ltd.'s ("Baiheng") Shuang Shan Tun and Xia Yu Cun properties of which the Company holds an option (see August 12, 2015 News Release). At Shuang Shan Tun, Baiheng is progressing with pre-production level development targeting the M7 Vein which hosts almost 80% of the mineralized material discovered by deep drilling at Shuang Shan Tun. Annual General Meeting The Company announces that all of the resolutions set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting for its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on June 13, 2019 were approved by the shareholders, including the election of the six directors nominated by management as put forth in the Information Circular. Stephen Kenwood, P. Geo., a Director of Majestic, is the Qualified Person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has read and approved this news release. About Majestic Gold Currently focused solely in China, Majestic Gold Corp. is a British Columbia based company engaged in commercial gold production at the Songjiagou Gold Mine in eastern Shandong Province, China. Additional information on the Company and its projects is available at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.majesticgold.com. For further information, please contact: Stephen Kenwood, P.Geo., President and CEO Telephone: (604) 560-9060 Email: info@majesticgold.com Website: www.majesticgold.com Cautionary Notes Certain statements contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the 'safe harbor' provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements which relate to future events. Such statements include estimates, forecasts and statements as to management's expectations with respect to, among other things, business and financial prospects, financial multiples and accretion estimates, future trends, plans, strategies, objectives and expectations, including with respect to production, exploration drilling, reserves and resources, exploitation activities and events or future operations. Information inferred from the interpretation of drilling results and information concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to be forward-looking statements, as it constitutes a prediction of what might be found to be present when, and if, a project is actually developed. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as 'may', 'should', 'expects', 'plans, 'anticipates', believes', 'estimates', 'predicts', 'potential', or 'continue' or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, level 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. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggestions herein. Except as required by applicable law, Majestic Gold does not intend to update any forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results. SOURCE: Majestic Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/548754/Majestic-Gold-Corp--Shareholders-Update VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / Silver Range Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SNG) ("Silver Range" or the "Company") is continuing to focus on project generation and cost-effective early stage exploration, while maintaining its sales efforts concerning optioning of drill-ready prospects in Nevada and Nunavut. The Company is currently conducting grassroots exploration and property investigations in Nevada and will soon begin a comprehensive review of a large, southwestern US exploration database which it recently purchased. By continuing to develop and acquire new projects during this quiet period in the market cycle, the Company is positioning itself for renewed growth as investors return to the gold space. Silver Range is looking forward to receiving news from several of its optioned projects, notably Hard Cash in Nunavut where Canarc Resources is planning a maiden drill program this summer. Silver Range also announces the resignation of Mr. Barry Heck as a director of the Company due to increased time requirements for his other business activities. The Company thanks Barry for his considerable contributions to Silver Range since its formation and wishes him the best in his future endeavors. About Silver Range Resources Ltd. Silver Range is a high grade focused precious metals prospect generator working in Nevada and Northern Canada. It has assembled a portfolio of 42 properties, 16 of which are currently optioned to others. Silver Range is actively seeking other joint venture partners to explore the high precious metal targets in its portfolio. ON BEHALF OF SILVER RANGE RESOURCES LTD. "Mike Power" President, C.E.O. & Director For further information concerning Silver Range or its exploration projects please contact: Investor Inquiries Richard Drechsler Vice-President, Communications Tel: (604) 687-2522 NA Toll-Free: (888) 688-2522 rdrechsler@silverrangeresources.com http://www.silverrangeresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain 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. SOURCE: Silver Range Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/548862/Silver-Range-Resources-Ltd-Provides-Operational-Update-and-Announces-a-Directors-Resignation Indias new civil aviation minister said on Friday he is confident that problems at grounded Jet Airways Ltd will be solved, in the governments first comments on the debt-laden carrier since it was reelected last month New Delhi: Indias new civil aviation minister said on Friday he is confident that problems at grounded Jet Airways Ltd will be solved, in the governments first comments on the debt-laden carrier since it was reelected last month. (We are) very confident we can solve the problems at the now defunct carrier, Hardeep Singh Puri said on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi, in comments widely interpreted as referring to Jet. Massive debt and suffocating price competition forced what was once Indias biggest private-sector airline to halt operations in April at the cost of thousands of jobs, and resulting in higher airfares across the industry. The airline and its lenders have been searching for new investors, while employee unions have been calling for government intervention. The government, however, has largely been quiet on the issue since its election victory. Puri has assumed office at a time of distress in areas of Indian aviation. Last year, the government unsuccessfully sought a buyer for money-losing state-owned carrier Air India Ltd. We have made mistakes in civil aviation in the past which we need to correct, Puri said. Jets share price was 9 percent lower in early afternoon trade. The stock sunk in the last two trading sessions after Indias largest stock exchange limited speculative trading in the firm. Despite being one up dubiously in the matter of outstanding over IL&FS whose dues are estimated to be Rs 91,000 crore, DHFL has agreed to set its house in order. That the home loan major DHFLs promoters are busy sewing up a deal with a private equity firm to offload 20 percent of their 40 percent equity stake so as to pay off the whopping dues of the company to banks and others is heartening. The Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) group was in the spotlight after the collapse of IL&FS as it was finding it difficult to raise money and had a huge exposure of banks and mutual funds. News portal Cobrapost had estimated the total dues of the company at a whopping Rs 97,000 crore with the banks exposure being Rs 50,000 crore. State Bank of India (SBI) has an exposure of Rs 11,500 crore more than it has in Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines. Despite being one up dubiously in the matter of outstanding over IL&FS whose dues are estimated to be Rs 91,000 crore, DHFL has agreed to set its house in order. Jet Airways promoters have deemed it fit too to leave the SBI-led consortium to carry the can banks are owed more than Rs 8,500 crore and are nursing dud shares of Jet Airways which they got on the conversion of some of their outstanding into equity. Jet Airways strategic partner Etihad Airways has also been behaving as if it has no role as a promoter to come forward and clear up the mess. Polluter pays is an excellent principle in the environmental laws of advanced countries. You cannot create a mess and leave it blithely as it is. It is time this laudable principle is extended to the financial world also. Banks cannot be expected to be the beast of burden or latter-day rescue capitalists if not venture capitalists. To be sure, the DHFL promoters have been alleged to have diverted funds. The Cobrapost's portal said its investigation identified 45 companies which were used by DHFL promoters Wadhawans to divert funds. It goes on to say these shell companies received loans of Rs 14,282 crore. Within this, 34 companies received close to Rs 10,500 crore unsecured loans of which 11 companies belonged to the Sahara Group that received Rs 3,800 crore. This is a separate matter of investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigative Office (SFIO). This is not the first time the company has come forward to set its house in order without asking for any bank or the government to bail it out. A few days earlier, it paid off the interest of Rs 850 crore on bonds thus scotching speculation that default was imminent. Incidentally, the Narendra Modi government bars the existing promoters from bidding for controlling stakes under the IBC. This should be relaxed subject to the condition no creditor is willy-nilly called upon to take a haircut. Let the money be raised by them from any source including private equity which people in the know perceive as money laundering through the process of round-tripping. This is not to suggest that their financial crimes should be condoned. But top priority should be to protect the creditors. While the IBC has definitely put the fear of God in the minds of promoters with the fear of losing control giving them sleepless nights, the bottom-line so far is it has imposed huge haircuts on the banks and other creditors. Shaming the promoters and denuding them of control is one thing but that should not happen in the manner of cutting off the nose to spite the face. Promoters should not be let off so easily. More often than not a business failure is occasioned by a combination of self-aggrandisement and genuine business reasons including fierce competition. Auditors and the SFIO should work overtime to unearth diversion before the IBC through NCLT throws up the towel and resigns itself to banks and other creditors taking a huge haircut. (The writer is a senior columnist and tweets @smurlidharan) Mortgage lender HDFC on Friday said it has sold over 4.22 percent stake in subsidiary Gruh Finance Ltd (Gruh), which is proposed to be amalgamated with Bandhan Bank for Rs 899.43 crore New Delhi: Mortgage lender HDFC on Friday said it has sold over 4.22 percent stake in subsidiary Gruh Finance Ltd (Gruh), which is proposed to be amalgamated with Bandhan Bank for Rs 899.43 crore. The sale of 3,10,00,000 equity shares representing 4.22 percent of the issued and paid-up share capital of Gruh was carried out through stock exchanges at the prevailing market price, HDFC said in a regulatory filing. The average price was Rs 290.14 equity share, it added. "Post the completion of the aforesaid sale of shares, Gruh would cease to be a subsidiary of the Corporation," HDFC said in the filing. The corporation being a shareholder of Gruh is entitled to 14.96 percent stake post-amalgamation, based on the share exchange ratio. However, the RBI has directed it to hold 9.9 percent or less of the paid-up capital of Bandhan after merger. "In view of this, the Corporation is required to sell such number of shares in Gruh so as to be entitled to 9.9 percent of the post-amalgamation paid-up capital of Bandhan. The sale reported under this disclosure is a part of the said transaction," HDFC said. Gruh is engaged in the business of providing home loans and is registered with the National Housing Bank as a housing finance company. The company's revenues stood at Rs 2,026.65 crore during the year ended March 2019. HDFC had sold 6.10 percent stake Gruh earlier in May for Rs 1,327.89 crore, which was also the part of the RBI requirement of bringing down the holding in the subsidiary firm for the proposed merger into Bandhan Bank. Stock of HDFC traded 0.69 percent down at Rs 2,181.80 on BSE, while Gruh slipped 5.66 percent to Rs 291.05 apiece. The scrip of Bandhan Bank was down by 1.55 percent at Rs 536.95. Only Hinduism is burdened by a rate of growth shows the contempt the world has for the most peaceful, profound and puissant religion Terror has no religion even if terrorists go out of their way to claim they bomb and kill in the name of Islam. But slow economic growth does have a religion Hinduism even though its beneficiaries come from all faiths. Putrefaction of scholarship, a decadence of politics, colonialism of a countrys intellect and an expression of disgust with what a nation comprises this, in short, is what the disparaging, communal expression Hindu rate of growth stands for. It has been polished in the highest pedestals of universities, Indian and global. It has been ruthlessly abused by a politics that wanted to delink Indias sublime ethos of Sanatana Dharma from its future as an independent and prosperous nation. It has found its way into the intellectual discourse in multilateral institutions. It has been legitimised by people occupying the highest echelons of Indians bureaucracy. It has been an aspiration for any scholar of political economy who sought, and still seeks, tenure in universities. And it has been popularised by scavengers in the media. Former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanians recent working paper published by Harvard, and his op-ed in The Indian Express, seems to have brought this defunct, discarded and discredited idea of a Hindu rate of growth back in the national consciousness. What is yet another paper that should be seen as a research agenda focusing on Indias National Income Accounts estimates and treated with as much academic and policy curiosity as any other scholarly analysis has become a subject of Page 1 reports in newspapers and prime time discussions on TV. [Disclosure: this author participated in one such discussion.] Subramanians paper titled, Indias GDP Mis-estimation: Likelihood, Magnitudes, Mechanisms, and Implications, uses data and assumptions to place Indias GDP average growth between 2011-12 and 2016-17 at 4.5 percent 2.5 percentage points lower than the 7.0 percent. To the extent of the research Subramanian has done, the paper must be read by the government, its concerns addressed. Equally, there are several other economists who have been questioning the data and their apprehensions must be taken on board too. The change in the methodology of the way GDP numbers have been calculated has disrupted the way consumers of data have been seeing it. The only major reader of data that has remained unperturbed is the Sensex. On its part, the government has come out with a clarification on the alleged overestimation. In a nutshell, it states that to capture the structural changes in the economy it is necessary to revise the base year of economic indicators. These revisions are done by the Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics comprising experts from academia, National Statistical Commission, Indian Statistical Institute, Reserve Bank of India, Ministries of Finance, Corporate Affairs, Agriculture, NITI Aayog and selected State Governments. For such a large sample of experts to come to unanimity is big enough. They are acceptable to multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Further, the clarification states that a comparison of the old and new series are not amenable to simplistic macro-econometric modelling. This can be debated further, possibly through the creation of a White Paper that talks directly with a citizenry that is today far more financially literate than it ever was. But instead of delving deeper into the numbers, what is happening is the politicisation of the debate that is fast turning into a religiosity of growth, with Hinduphobia dominating the discourse. Celebrity intellectuals, journalists, and activists are using the 4.5 percent number to play up the Hindu rate of growth journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, social scientist Sameer Kochhar, satirist Akash Banerjee. Of course, there is no such denigration of a Christian rate of growth as most of the Western world reels under or an Islamic rate of growth in the Middle East and North Africa (more below). The fact that in terms of religion, only Hinduism is burdened by a rate of growth shows the contempt the world has for the most peaceful, profound and puissant religion a separate discussion. This contempt is strewn about by those who seem to know nothing about the depths of Hinduism; or if they do, know that vilifying Hindus is par for the course they are a peaceful bunch of people and will not kill, bomb or inflict violence. In a perverse sort of way, provoking Hindus is a zero-risk, high-return pastime. An important note here: not a single Muslim or Christian has said so and thats gratifying. But let us examine the intellectual seeds of the idea of a Hindu rate of growth. The first time Hinduism was equated with economic growth was in February 1973, by BPR Vithal, who wrote under a pseudonym, Najin Yanupi: This is the range within which alone the Hindu view of life will hold. Vithal was talking about the rate of growth of Indias per capita income and the range he was referring to was 1 percent to 3 percent. This idea of a Hindu rate of growth was then popularised by Raj Krishna, which former Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu defended in a 2007 paper, as a tongue-in-cheek: Hindu rate of growth is the tongue-in-cheek expression, coined by the Indian economist, the late Raj Krishna, to capture the frustrations Indias planners faced with growth. No matter what they did, growth seemed, invariably, to revert back to 3.5 percent per annum, almost as if this magic figure was written in the lands scriptures. Since then, economists from former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia (1995) to former Chief Economic Advisors Shankar Acharya (2002) and Arvind Virmani (2006), an entire brigade of economists has explored the theme of the Hindu rate of growth. That such a twist of phrase and contempt for Hinduism has been legitimised so smoothly in a country with a Hindu majority and has gone unquestioned shows the tolerance and acceptance by those who practice this faith. This idea today is being re-weaponised against Hindus. In the garb of light-hearted humour, the idea of equating slow GDP growth with Hinduism, and further attributing Hinduism to economic somnolence is being brandished as virtue-signalling. This, by the same people, who shudder to criticise Muslim terrorists killing in the name of Islam, and Christian priests indulging in mass child abuse across the world. Finally, if 3.5 percent is the Hindu rate of growth, the worlds most powerful countries are Hindu. Heres what the growth rates of the 19 countries and the EU that comprise the G20 look like: Countries Growth rate Turkey 7.4 percent India 7.2 percent China 6.9 percent Indonesia 5.1 percent Republic of Korea 3.1 percent Canada 3.0 percent Argentina 2.9 percent European Union 2.5 percent France 2.2 percent Germany 2.2 percent United States 2.2 percent Australia 2.0 percent Mexico 2.0 percent United Kingdom 1.8 percent Japan 1.7 percent Italy 1.6 percent Russia 1.6 percent South Africa 1.3 percent Brazil 1.1 percent Saudi Arabia -0.9 percent Note: Data, from World Bank, is GDP growth for 2017 Some conclusions from the table above: 80 percent of the G20 nations are growing at less than the Hindu rate. The Islamic nation of Saudi Arabia contracted by 0.9 percent less than the Hindu rate. (is this the Muslim rate of growth?) Only four countries grew by more than 3.5 percent in 2017 Turkey, India, China and Indonesia. The seven Christian-dominated nations grew at less than the Hindu rate. The worlds largest economy, the US, a predominantly Christian nation, grew at less than the Hindu rate. As a group, the worlds second-largest area, the EU, again a predominantly Christian area, grew at less than the Hindu rate. Even if we take 4.5 percent as given, India is growing faster than the Hindu rate. If we take World Bank figures, India is expected to grow by 7.5 percent in 2019, unless the numbers are revised in the next Outlook into which religion would you classify this rate? Looking beyond the G20: At 3.2 percent, the world GDP grew at less than the Hindu rate. At 1.0 percent, the Islamic Arab World grew at less than the Hindu rate. At 2.4 percent, the Christian Euro Area grew at less than the Hindu rate. At 1.7 percent, Christian Latin America grew at less than the Hindu rate. At 3.0 percent, the Islamic Middle East and North Africa grew at less than the Hindu rate. At 2.4 percent, the Christian OECD members grew at less than the Hindu rate. So, either most of the economically significant world (G20 comprises 85 percent of global GDP) is growing at less than the Hindu rate. Or, this expression called the Hindu rate of growth is nothing but Hinduphobia. Its time to end this abomination. If we must classify the slow growth years of India, the clearest encapsulation is the Nehru-Gandhi rate of growth. This article was first published on ORF Online and is being reproduced here with the author's permission Automobile dealers' body FADA on Friday said retail sales of passenger vehicles (PV) in May declined by 1 percent to 2,51,049 units as compared to the same period last year New Delhi: Automobile dealers' body FADA on Friday said retail sales of passenger vehicles (PV) in May declined by 1 percent to 2,51,049 units as compared with the same period last year. PV sales stood at 2,53,463 units in May 2018, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). Two-wheeler sales declined by 8.6 percent to 14,07,361 units last month as compared with 15,40,377 units in the year-ago period. Commercial vehicle sales dropped by 7.8 percent to 62,551 units against 67,847 units in May last year. Three-wheeler sales saw a dip of 4 percent to 50,959 units last month from 53,108 units in the same period last year. Total sales across categories declined by 7.5 percent to 17,71,920 units in May as against 19,14,795 units in the same month last year. "Even though on a month on month basis, there was an uptick in vehicle registrations, all categories of vehicles de-grew when compared on yero on year basis," FADA President Ashish Harsharaj Kale said in a statement. It should also be noted that May last year had a very high base and had witnessed second highest registrations on a monthly basis in the last fiscal, he added. Kale expressed serious concerns over the increase of two-wheeler inventory and appealed to the companies to regulate the same at 21 days level. "High inventory at this juncture is an added liability on the auto dealers especially when the current environment is witnessing negative sales growth combined with extremely tight working capital availability," he added. On the outlook, Kale said: "We expect the near-term outlook of the next 4-6 weeks to be similar to last month with overall auto retails continuing to be under strain across all verticals." Passenger vehicle wholesales had witnessed the steepest drop in nearly 18 years, falling by over 20 percent in May. Expressing concern over Malaysian palm oil flooding Indian markets, edible oil trade body SEA on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hike import duty on palm oil being purchased from the South-east Asian country, to safeguard domestic oilseed farmers New Delhi: Expressing concern over Malaysian palm oil flooding Indian markets, edible oil trade body SEA on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hike import duty on palm oil being purchased from the South-east Asian country, to safeguard domestic oilseed farmers. In January, India had reduced import duty on refined palm oil sourced from Malaysia to 45 percent from 54 percent as part of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed by the two countries in fiscal year 2010-11. India is the world's leading vegetable oil buyer and the share of palm oil is more than 60 percent of the overall imports. In a representation made to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) said there has been a "sharp increase" in imports of refined palm oil as a consequence of the India-Malaysia CECA pact. "We strongly appeal to the government to kindly scrap the CECA agreement with Malaysia with immediate effect and impose higher duty on (RBD) palmolein (refined palm oil) to save domestic refiners and oilseed farmers," it said. According to SEA, the refined, bleached and de-odorised (RBD) palmolein imports have gone up from 1,30,000 tonne in December 2018 to 3,71,060 tonne in May 2019, highest in any single month since May 2013. Total palm oil imports stood at 8,18,149 tonnes during May this year, while soft oils were at 3,62,637 tonnes in the same period, it said. Total vegetable oils (both palm and soft oils) imports in May this year declined to 12,21,989 tonnes from 12,86,240 tonnes in the same month previous year, the SEA data showed. India imports palm oil mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, and a small quantity of crude soft oil, including soyabean oil from Latin America. Sunflower oil is imported from Ukraine and Russia. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump met with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday to discuss trade, U.S. investment, immigration and privacy, a White House spokesman said. The meeting comes as Trump deliberates whether to make good on his threat to hike tariffs on imports from China - a move that would affect costs for makers of consumer electronics like phones and tablets. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by James Dalgleish) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. More measures to boost investments in the infrastructure sector, promotion of renewable energy and steps to bring down the cost of projects were some of the suggestions New Delhi: More measures to boost investments in the infrastructure sector, promotion of renewable energy and steps to bring down the cost of projects were some of the suggestions made by representatives of the infrastructure and climate change sectors during their customary pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi Thursday. The main areas of discussion during the meeting included issues relating to bringing in more capital to the infrastructure sector such as highways, railways, telecom and automobiles, including incentives for electric vehicles as well as for the renewable energy sector, a finance ministry statement said. "Two important issues that I raised before the Finance Minister was re-introduction of the tax-free bonds and also raising the cap under the 54 EC from current Rs 50 lakh to Rs 5 crore and lock-in period from five years to three years," NHAI Chairman Nagendranath Sinha told reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting. The 54 EC bonds, or capital gains bonds, are preferred by investors for earning long-term capital gains and they would like tax exemption on these gains. These bonds are issued by REC, PFC, NHAI and IRFC. SIAM President Rajan Wadhera said the automotive industry, which is going through a lot of stress, should be provided some incentives by the government. After the meeting, Director General of Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) Tilak Raj Dua said the government should provide accelerated depreciation rate for batteries and include telecom tower industry under priority sector lending by banks. Other major suggestions made to the finance minister included streamlining of the land acquisition process, creation of green technology acceleration fund, incentivising domestic manufacturing of solar energy equipment and fiscal incentives for the development of electric vehicles industry. Sitharaman is scheduled to present the first Budget of Modi 2.0 government on 5 July. Contractors who get these workers to cut cane, often urged the women to go in for the surgery so that they stop menstruating and it makes their lives easier, and they can work uninterrupted, among other reasons. Many of the women regretted having their uterus removed but felt they had little choice. Asha Shinde got married at the age of 13. Like most couples in Beed district in Maharashtra, she and her husband migrated every year to other places in the Marathwada region, Western Maharashtra or even Karnataka to cut sugarcane for six months a year. The strenuous work begins in October/November and goes on till March. For women like Asha, year after year of this hard work, and bearing three children at a young age caused grave health problems. Her doctor advised a hysterectomy, as she had a prolapsed uterus and was finding it difficult to work. But her problems didnt end there. Till recently, the exploitation of sugarcane cutters, including the women, was considered a problem of wages and poor working conditions. Sexual exploitation was another major issue. In April this year, Tathapi, an NGO, drew attention to a disproportionate number of hysterectomies performed in Beed district, on the women sugarcane cutters. The study reported that contractors who get these workers to cut cane, often urged the women to go in for the surgery so that they stop menstruating and it makes their lives easier, and they can work uninterrupted, among other reasons. After the hysterectomy, Asha, who is now about 40 years old, developed severe back problems. She couldnt work last year, and is undergoing treatment. I spent Rs 1 lakh to 3 lakh and now I can walk, she said. She plans to return to work as it is difficult for her husband to do the cutting alone. The couples are paid based on the number of cartloads they can cut and load. Most of them earn Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 in a season. Of late, work has reduced from six months to about four months in a year. At a meeting in Mumbai, the women spoke of their abysmal conditions, about how they dont even have basic amenities, water to wash themselves or a creche for their children, apart from major health problems due to the work. During the menstrual cycle, they dont get time to even change the cloth they use and often get rashes and urinary tract and reproductive tract infections as a result. After cane cutting for six months, those who own little land like Asha, work in the fields; there is no water and they are dependent on the rain. The parched Marathwada region is once again under a severe drought this year, and has witnessed migration year after year by these sugarcane cutters. It is the women who are paying a heavy price for this unrelenting and back-bending work. They barely sleep during the cane cutting season and often wake up as early as 2 am or even 4 am to start cutting. In addition, they have to do the cooking, fetching water and caring for their children. Sheela Waghmare from Ghodka Rajuri village near Beed said she was married at 12 and has two sons and a daughter. She has studied up to Class Five, unlike most of the other women who are illiterate. I had white discharge and the doctor said it could develop into cancer, so I was advised to remove my uterus. I was 20 years old at that time, she said. Now at 32, she has body ache, back ache and cannot lift anything heavy. Her teenaged son accompanies her at work. We need this work; we have no land. There are so many debts to pay off including medical expenses, I had to take my son along and couldnt send him to school, she said. Another labourer Chaya Dhoke had to sell off a pair of bullocks to pay for medical expenses. She too was married at 12 and after three children, she had a hysterectomy at 17 or 18. I had a tumour, and it used to hurt a lot. When I went to the doctor, I was advised to remove my uterus, she said. The women also dont get much rest after the operation. If they dont report to work for a day in case they are sick, their employers cut Rs 500 to Rs 1000 a day. According to government reports reviewed by activists, 4500 hysterectomies were conducted in Beed in the last three years. Dr Abhay Shukla, co-convenor, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, said the government conducted two surveys. Of the 200 women surveyed in 2018, in Beed district, 72 had hysterectomies. The rate of uterus removal in Beed was 36 percent, compared to 2.6 percent in Maharashtra and 3.2 percent in India. In 2019, Dr Shukla said 271 women were surveyed of whom 56 had hysterectomies, that is 21 percent of them again a high number. According to figures provided by the Beed administration, 11 hospitals conducted most of the surgeries and 85 percent of the surgeries in 2018 and 2019 were in private hospitals. One hospital which did not have a gynecologist conducted 24 hysterectomies which is grossly high, he added. The five groups which came together to highlight this issue of unwanted hysterectomies and working conditions of women sugarcane cutters at a meeting are Maharashtra Mahila Arogya Hakk Parshad, Ekal Mahila Sanghatana, Mahila KIsan Adhikar Manch (MAKAAM), Jan Arogya Abhiyan and National Federation of Indian Women. Manisha Tokle and Seema Kulkarni of MAKAAM said there were many issues affecting women workers, including wages, job security, basic amenities at the workplace, and a safe environment for their children. Many women complained of sexual assault as well. Women spend from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 for surgeries and incur debts. They lacked any medical or social security cover. In the case of one woman, her husband too met with an accident and the treatment cost Rs 2 lakh - Rs 3 lakh. Activists said the women lived in makeshift houses, walked long distances to fetch water and the hard work impacted their health. Many of them regretted having their uterus removed but felt they had little choice. Sometimes the doctors instilled the fear of cancer in them and they consented to the surgery. They are not even registered as workers, and despite welfare boards set up by the government, there is no intervention for their benefit. A government official from the public health department who attended the meeting said a committee was formed to investigate the hospitals which have performed a high number of hysterectomies in the Beed district, and action will be taken against those found guilty. A protocol is also being put into place for approving hysterectomies. There is now a district-level committee in Beed which now has to approve such a surgery. However, so far the activists said there was no action against the hospitals. They demanded the passing of the Clinical Establishment Act for the regulation of private hospitals, action against the 11 private hospitals which performed many surgeries, and making all surveys conducted by the government on this issue public. Under the Social Security act of 2008, a board for sugar cane cutters should be formed and these workers should be registered. Also, sexual harassment at the workplace laws and the Minimum Wages act should be implemented. The onus should also be on the sugar factories to provide a safe working environment and all basic facilities for the workers, since they are migrants. If we consider manual scavenging as an inhuman occupation, then it's important to ask why Gandhi supported the system instead of adopting water closet Editor's note: This is part of a seven-part series on manual scavenging in India. It examines the practice from a socio-political point of view. *** On 2 October 2014, within months in job as prime minister, Narendra Modi launched "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" programme to achieve an India without garbage and litter. On that very launch of the programme, he said a clean India would be a tribute to Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary celebration in 2019. It was not the first time for anyone to evoke Gandhi as a front runner in the campaign for cleanliness. Governments in India have been promoting Gandhis approach to sanitation to address the sanitation crisis that India faces. Gandhis views focused more on personnel hygiene from a religious angle and this laid its foundation to associate sanitation to religion. 'Cleanliness next to Godliness' The phrase is an ancient idea found in Hebrew and Babylonian religious tracts. John Wesley was the first one to record it in a sermon in 1778. It means being clean is a sign of spiritual purity or goodness, as in, dont forget to wash your ears cleanliness is next to godliness. Gandhi in his writings on sanitation always insisted on the importance of cleanliness. He argued cleanliness is an important aspect to gain Gods blessings. We can no more gain Gods blessing with an unclean body than with an unclean mind. A clean body cannot reside in an unclean city," Gandhi wrote on 19 November, 2015, in Young India. Gandhi saw cleanliness as an important aspect to reach or access God rather than goodness. Gandhis view on sanitation was a reinforcement of caste system, which revolves around ritual purity and pollution though his inspiration lies in the West. "I learnt 35 years ago that a lavatory must be as clean as a drawing-room. I learnt this in the West. I believe that many rules about cleanliness in lavatories are observed more scrupulously in the West than in the East," Gandhi said in Navajivan on 24 May, 1925. Gandhi argued the western toilet practices impressed him. Nevertheless, he hardly studied why Indians continue to have unclean sanitation practices. Zizek argues that one can find ideology at the place we least pay attention too, toilet. Following Zizek, I argue Indian toilet is placed in a unique position to a given architecture. In this paper, I am not going into the origin of toilet behaviour, rather 18th-21st Century toilet practices that exist in India. While talking about sanitation behaviour in all societies, anthropologist and cultural theorist, Mary Douglas argues that in all societies dirt was considered out of place, in other words keeping away from waste was considered normal in all societies. With the emergence of industrialisation, many societies were demanded by the state to incorporate place to defecate within the living space. Until then, people's behaviour to toilet varied, many threw waste. In my study on toilet practices, among the many religions Hinduism, Islam and African religions have a unique way of dealing with waste. In Hinduism, one persons state of purity and pollution is a permanent category, while the members of the purity were allowed to transgress, members of polluted were restricted to be in that space. This is the uniqueness to India, where even the shade of the untouchable (polluted) is considered pollution, or even seeing him/her was considered pollution. Whether or not the untouchable does the work, doesn't matter, seeing any of them in public is considered impure. This is the uniqueness to Hinduisms approach to waste. Though many argue that stigma attached to waste exist in all societies, unlike in India those are not permanent category policed by the state and sanctioned by religion. Hinduism demands only one particular caste to work as sweepers and the society enforces them not to study or move away from caste system. Though there are some changes in urban areas, the impact is so less that is not even worth referring. Societies changing their behaviour to human waste Contrary to India, the spread of disease and findings of bacteria in the West enforced the rulers to lay rules in removing waste. It's the first time human waste becomes one's "business" directed by the state. I call this period as a process of secularising human waste. We forbid," says Article 4 of the Edict of 1539, "all emptying or tossing out into the streets and squares of the aforementioned city and its surroundings of refuse, offals, or putrefactions, as well as all waters whatever their nature, and we command you to delay and retain any and all stagnant and sullied waters and urines inside the confines of your homes. (Laporte: 27) In other words, though Christian churches in the earlier period did not have toilets, now they were forced by order to have toilets. It's way back to France, in 1539, the then king of France introduced ordinance that deals on waste. Article 4 of the edict argues, All emptying or tossing out into the streets and squares of the aforementioned city and its surroundings of refuse,... we command you to delay and retain any and all stagnant and sullied waters and urines inside confines of your homes. We enjoin you to carry these and promptly empty them into the stream and given them chase with a bucketful of clean water to hasten their course. (42) With regard to religious places, Article 23 of the edict states ... In the eight subsequent days, the lords and owners of said houses, or the concierges and tenants must be informed within three months after the first injunction, which will be recorded, that they must build the aforementioned cesspools and earth closets or risk the penalty of the confiscation of their abodes, and if these abodes are churches or mortmain properties, they shall be deprived of pensions and rents ensuing from these aforementioned properties for the duration of ten years. While in France in 1539 they started to dissociate waste from religion, in India dirt still even now continues to associate with the religious idea of purity and pollution. This is unique from other societies. Indian government's policies on sanitation are designed based on Hindu religion. It has hardly introduced measures to remove dirt from the very basic aversion built in Hindu religious beliefs. In Hinduism, caste and the temple holds the central position. Henceforth, in caste system, the priests (Brahmin men) are at the top of the system whose only job is to meditate to God. He is kept away from dirt with the help of castes those whose specific work is only to remove filth. Among dirt, menstruation and excreta were considered as filthiest in the Hindu religion. Its under this rule that women and Dalits (untouchables) were restricted entry to temples. Most often, Indians avoid building toilets and if at all they build, they build in a corner or a secluded place. The recent study of Diane Coffey and others, on Indian toilet behaviour also asserts the same points that santiation behaviour is influenced with Hindu religious belief. The ideal house is a agraharam (a rows of Brahmin houses) where Brahmin men (priests) live, which is also considered as a pure place. In the house, waste had its own spatial. Menstruating Hindu women were kept in a separate house, the person who empties the excreta from the bucket were allowed only to enter the house from the behind. Even during menstruation, women's clothes were washed by the scavenger, and the demarcation between the menstruating women and scavenger was always maintained. Andre Bettile stayed for months in one of Brahmins house in Tamil Nadu for his book, Class, Caste and Power, but fails to capture the discriminatory space that continues to exist in those Brahmin houses. Sociologists in India, like Gandhi, have mostly missed to notice or rejected to recognise the exclusive structure extending its roots to Hindu religion which ghettoised the scavenger in a given building. The ghettoisation followed in architecture in post-Independent India to the recent ones of Delhi Metro. In India, schools are considered as a temple of learning, and therefore, many schools avoided to build toilets. Even those who build toilets, had them in a separate place. The progressive campuses like the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has these exclusive stairs that can be seen in Tapti hostel. In 2014, The English and Foreign Languages department built a separate block to facilitate foreign languages department and forgot to construct toilets. While most were speaking against manual scavenging, we hardly saw demands to introduce toilets in railway stations or to increase their numbers. Most government quarters continued to build toilets at the backside of the house and a door exclusive for scavengers were kept to access to empty the bucket. In modern day appartements, a separate lift is kept exclusive for scavengers to remove waste. In Delhi, the cook and the scavenger are different. While the cook sweeps the room, he/she doesn't clean the toilet, or the sweeper is not allowed to clean the house. Those who removed human excreta were given a separate settlement, and wages were not paid but given pittance with whatever eatables remained in each house. Under customary law, scavengers were forced to work without leave. The scavengers were supposed to remove excreta from each individual houses and if the owner was not satisfied s/he could complain to the local magistrate who conducts inquiry, and if found guilty, the scavenger would be given fine for the first time and on the second would be imprisoned (the UP Municipality Act 1916). Gandhi hardly spoke about these practices. In Hinduism, human excreta and menstrual blood is considered filthy, and that still reflects in temples, where we hardly find toilets. It is not a coincidence when we read about Dalits being barred from entering temples. Therefore, the Hindu religious idea of space (purity and pollution) is still followed when one constructs an architecture. In villages, they avoid building toilets and prefer open defecation. Many writers have glorified open defecation which also indirectly validates the association the practice of keeping filth away from house. People would argue that a separate entrance is used to facilitate the bucket system. During those days the practice of defecation was largely practiced in a bucket. The house members would sit on a flat slab with a bucket underneath it. The excreta would fall on the bucket and every day, the municipal servant would remove the bucket and collect the excreta in a drum and wash the bucket and keep it in its place for usage. This was a routine work either to be carried very early in the morning or late at night. For such practices, the municipality or the local bodies collected scavenger tax from households. Such practices were dirty, and most often used to justify the practice of untouchability towards scavengers. Gandhi argued that untouchability is a practice not based on religious notion, but otherwise. He (scavenger), himself, refuses to shake the hand extended to him and says: 'I am too dirty'. But his work finished, he takes his bath, changes his dress, and very properly mixes with the highest in the land. Immediately, therefore, we remove the taint of birth, ie, the idea of superiority and inferiority attaching to birth, we purify Varnashrama," Gandhi wrote in the 13 August, 1925, edition of Young India. He also laid the foundation to valorise scavenging in the article, The Ideal Bhangi, even before Modi. Gandhi opined: "The ideal Bhangi of my conception would be a Brahmin par excellence, possibly even excel him It is the Bhangi who enables society to live. A Bhangi does for society what a mother does for her baby... A mother washes her baby of the dirt and insures his health. In other words, Gandhi supported the caste system but observed stigma of the scavenger is not associated with caste but a temporary factor. However, it was never a factor on the ground. If we argue that the separate entrance in the back of the house was built exclusively to remove human excreta of those days, there were buildings with water closet and not the "bucket system" but still there was a separate rolling stairs for scavengers. Gandhi was certainly aware of these buildings, but he never spoke against such entrances. In many colonial and in government quarters, sweepers were given a separate house. Why didn' Gandhi speak against these ghettoisation of sweepers, or in other words scavengers, in architectural spaces? On the other hand, he had consistent complaints on scavenger about their habits .. eat putrid flesh, become drunkards, commit adultery and keep yourselves dirty". Its again a surprise that Gandhi writes as though the eating habits of scavengers were a voluntary act. Rather it was a customary law enforced upon the scavengers to eat what was provided to them in the place of salary. Instead of speaking against these customary practices, Gandhi rather upheld them. He opined bhangis should do his duty as a service to society and further goes on to say that the bhangis should be an expert of shit, urine, toilet and know converting them to manure. In the last part of the essay, he also wrote an ideal Bhangi, while deriving his livelihood from his occupation, would approach it only as a sacred duty, and laid the foundation to make scavenging an "off the clock" work and a religious service. When we discuss caste system, not all the castes complained about the sanctioned jobs, only those who were provided impure work opposed the system. Gandhis intervention on caste is always to be seen as a reply to those opposed to the caste system and not on those who created such system. Gandhis view attaching religion to waste continues still in the sanitation department and the manual scavenging practice too continued along with that. It was only in 1993 that the government banned the practice of manual scavenging terming it inhuman. Was it a coincidence considering the 90s were a decade of Baba Saheb Ambedkar's centenary and it was his ideology, which forced many to see the inhuman work of manual scavengers. It's this very reason that those fighting against caste system see Ambedkars argument as crucial. Water closet was introduced in India in the late 19th Century. Why did different governments especially the Congress, which ruled India for 49 years continued the practice of manual scavenging. Is it because they nurtured Gandhis idea on sanitation while they adopted industrialisation in all other fields. It again comes as a surprises why Gandhi did not adopt to flush toilets rather spoke everyone should become a scavenger. If we consider manual scavenging as an inhuman occupation, then it's important to ask why Gandhi supported the system instead of adopting water closet. The author works on caste as an independent writer associated with Dalit Camera Healthcare services at private and government hospitals in Delhi are likely to be affected on Friday with scores of doctors deciding to boycott work for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata. New Delhi: Healthcare services at private and government hospitals in the national capital are likely to be affected on Friday with scores of doctors deciding to boycott work for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata. There will be a full shutdown of all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, except emergency services in the hospitals, several medical bodies of the city have said. Resident doctors at the AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital that have worked with bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest on Thursday and called for the suspension of all non-emergency services, including OPD, on 14 June to protest against the violence in Kolkata. Several resident doctors also held a protest at Jantar Mantar against the brutal attack. Condemning the violence in Bengal, the AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) has urged all the RDAs across the country to join the token strike. "There is a complete breakdown of law and order, with reports of mobs attacking doctor hostels with weapons. The government has failed to provide protection and justice to doctors. "The AIIMS RDA condemns this in words and in spirit. Residents across the country are deeply hurt by these turn of events," the RDA said in a statement. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has asked members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has also asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to 12 noon on Friday, 14 June, and hand over a memorandum, addressed to the prime minister, to the collectors in every district. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) observed a "Black Day" on Thursday, 13 June, against the brutal attack and has declared a statewide absolute shutdown on Friday. The DMA Executive stated that the organisation is ready for an agitation to press for strong legislation and strict action against violence at hospitals. Simultaneously, all the local branches and individual members of the IMA will send an appeal to the prime minister and the Union Home Minister, demanding a Central Act on violence against doctors and in hospitals. The IMA has also urged its state branches to communicate the information to the government doctors' organisations of the states and request for their support and issue press statements to this effect. "The gruesome incident in NRS Medical College, Kolkata, is of barbaric nature. IMA condemns the violence perpetrated on a young doctor. The entire medical fraternity expresses solidarity with the resident doctors who are on strike. The IMA headquarters hereby declares All India Protest Day on Friday," an IMA statement said. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In the wake of the strike, the AIIMS has instituted contingency measures to take care of the admitted patients, including those in the ICUs and wards. Only follow-up patients with a prior appointment will be registered in OPD while registration of new patients will be done as per availability of the faculty, it said. Diagnostic services will also function in a restricted manner, it added. The memo asked heads of all clinical departments will make arrangements for round-the-clock availability of doctors of concerned speciality either from research staff or by faculty members. "Under no circumstances, any inpatient ward will function without physical availability of doctors of concerned speciality," it said. Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan, appealed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to not make this an issue of prestige, over nation wide protests, on Friday. New Delhi: Taking note of the ongoing nationwide doctors strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal, Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan, appealed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to not make this an issue of prestige, on Friday. Vardhan condemned the violence against doctors in Kolkata and urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. The minister met a delegation of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Resident Doctor Association and said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with all chief ministers and asked the doctors to ensure that essential services to the people are not disrupted. "I appeal with folded hands to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this an issue of prestige. Despite getting beaten so badly, doctors only asked her to provide them adequate security and take action against all those behind this as per the law. But, she didn't do this and gave an ultimatum to the doctors after which doctors of West Bengal and across the country got angry and went on strike. If the Chief Minister changes her attitude, then patients will not suffer across India," Harsh Vardhan told ANI. "Today, I will write a letter to Mamata Banerjee. I will also try to talk to her. I appeal to doctors to hold symbolic protests only and continue to carry out their duties," he added. Vardhan is also planning to write a letter to all chief ministers and state health ministers regarding the safety of doctors in hospitals. Doctors in Kolkata have been on strike after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Soon after, the protest was joined by various government and private medical institutions across India. Amidst the ongoing strike by the junior doctors at NRS Medical College, the Principal and the Vice-Principal have resigned from their respective posts. All the havoc started after the relative of a patient who died in NRS had allegedly attacked a junior doctor in the hospital. Kolkata: Amid the ongoing strike by the junior doctors at Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, professor Saibal Kumar Mukherjee and Professor Saurabh Chattopadhyay have resigned from their respective posts of the principal and the vice-principal respectively. Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Thursday called for a statewide complete medical bandh on 14 June to protest against the recent assault on Kolkata resident doctors. DMA executive, in its statement, has strongly condemned the brutal violence at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and announced that the entire medical fraternity has expressed solidarity to the seriously injured doctors. The organisation is ready for agitation to press for strong legislation and strict action against hospital violence, the statement said. This comes nearly four days after a junior doctor at the Kolkata hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on 10 June. The incident has triggered protests from doctors in government hospitals across the country, demanding a safe working environment for medical practitioners. In the light of the recent assault on doctors in Kolkata, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors joined the nationwide protest on Friday in demand for protection of their colleagues. 'We will abstain from providing our routine services from 8 am to 5 pm today', said President of the association. This comes nearly five days after a junior doctor at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on 10 June. Mumbai: In the light of the recent assault on doctors in Kolkata, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) joined the nationwide protest on Friday in demand for protection of doctors. Delhi Medical Association (DMA) and Resident Doctors Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have also called for a strike on Friday. Speaking to ANI, Prashant Chaudhary, president of MARD at Scion hospital in Mumbai said, "The incident was clearly a targeted assault. This has now become a law and order issue. We express solidarity to the seriously injured doctors. We will abstain from providing our routine services from 8 am to 5 pm today, but at the same time we will make sure to inform the administration so that Outpatient Department Treatment (OPD), Operation Theatres (OT) and wards keep running. "Even though the security has been provided by the Maharashtra government at most medical colleges, we demanded them to increase the security cover. Our other demand is regularization of working hours of the resident doctors." He further said that he wrote a letter to the government regarding the issue, but the stand in their reply was not "empathizing". This comes nearly five days after a junior doctor at Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on 10 June. The incident has triggered protests from doctors in government hospitals across the country, demanding a safe working environment for medical practitioners. Junior doctors in West Bengal continued with their agitation for the fourth day Friday, hampering regular services in all state-run medical colleges and hospitals, and a number of private hospitals. Kolkata: Junior doctors in West Bengal continued with their agitation for the fourth day on Friday hampering regular services in all state-run medical colleges and hospitals, and a number of private hospitals. However, emergency services were available at one or two hospitals, including Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Friday. Notwithstanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's warning of strict action, if work is not resumed, the junior doctors carried on with their agitation. Services were totally disrupted in outdoor facilities and other departments of state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities. The junior doctors have been agitating since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured, allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. The spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Arindam Dutta, told PTI that demonstrations will continue till their demands are met. "The manner in which the chief minister threatened the junior doctors is quite unexpected... This is an insult to our community. We also condemn this... She has to apologise for what she said yesterday. We are not outsiders and this agitation is spontaneous... We are contemplating mass resignations," Dutta said. Banerjee, who visited the state-run Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) hospital, on Thursday in the wake of disruption of medical services in several parts of the state, had warned the doctors of action if they did not resume work. She had also alleged that "outsiders" present among the agitating SSKM hospital doctors, "abused" her. Expressing solidarity with their junior colleagues, senior doctors said that their demands were quite justified. Meanwhile, the principal and the medical superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital submitted their resignations on Thursday night. The medical college's principal, Saibal Mukherjee, and medical superintendent cum vice-principal Saurabh Chattopadhyaya submitted their resignations to the Director of Medical Education (DME) for "failing to overcome the crisis" at the medical institution. State director of medical education Pradip Kumar De had issued a directive on Thursday night to the principals and directors of all medical colleges to ensure the resumption of normal services immediately at outpatient and emergency departments. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had on Thursday appealed to junior doctors to rejoin their duties. A team of doctors had met the governor at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday and apprised him about the assaults on doctors allegedly by relatives of a patient who had died at the NRS medical college and hospital on Saturday night. A memorandum submitted to the governor by the junior doctors is being sent to the state government for appropriate action, officials said. Doctors Strike LIVE Updates: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has written to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on ongoing doctors' strike in the state. He has asked her to 'personally intervene to resolve the current impasse' and take steps to ensure secure working environment for the doctors. Auto refresh feeds Doctors Strike LIVE Updates: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has written to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on ongoing doctors' strike in the state. He has asked her to "personally intervene to resolve the current impasse" and take steps to ensure secure working environment for the doctors. Hearing a PIL on doctors' strike in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court on Friday gave West Bengal government seven days to respond on issue. The court asked the state what steps were taken by the government to end the impasse. It also said that state will have to put an end to issue and find a solution. Calling for pan-India protest, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) announced a nationwide doctors' strike on Monday (17 June) to protest the attack on an intern at a Kolkata hospital. According to India Today, the top doctors' body has said that no essential medical services should be provided on 17 June and that non-violent protests will continue. Reports say that the Calcutta High Court has refused to pass an interim order against the striking doctors. The court has instead asked the state government to hold talks with the doctors and persuade them to return to work. A formal complaint was lodged on Thursday with the West Bengal Medical Council (WBMC) seeking immediate intervention and to take exemplary disciplinary action against the striking doctors as held by the Honble Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court. A new PIL filed by People for Better Treatment (PBT) against the ongoing doctors strike will also be heard by the Chief Justice bench at Calcutta High Court today, according to PBT president Dr Kunal Saha. Intensifying the protest, at least 80 doctors at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital submit mass resignation. They are demanding an unconditional apology of CM Mamata Banerjee for her statement yesterday. After meeting the doctors' delegation, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said that he will speak to all state's chief minister and would also urge Mamata Banerjee to not make it a prestige issue and resolve the crisis at the earliest as the entire nation was suffering because of it. Union Heath Minister Harsh Vardhan condemned the violence against doctors in Kolkata and urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. The Minister said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with all chief ministers and asked the doctors to ensure that essential services to the people are not disrupted Junior doctors in West Bengal continued with their agitation for the fourth day Friday, hampering regular services in all state-run medical colleges and hospitals, and a number of private hospitals. Emergency services were available at only one or two hospitals, including Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata Resident Doctors of the Institute Of Medical Sciences, BHU Varanasi have showed solidarity toward the attacks on doctors in West Bengal by suspending their services. Junior doctors across West Bengal on Thursday refused to end their stir till they are provided adequate security in government hospitals and defied the deadline set by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who alleged that opposition BJP and Communist Party of India (M) were instigating the protesters as part of a "conspiracy" and giving communal colour to the issue. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outpatient facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a large number of private medical facilities in the state due to the strike by the doctors who are protesting after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital here by a mob following the death of a patient. The India Medical Association has declared "All India Protest Day" on Friday, 14 June, against the incident and expressed solidarity with the striking doctors. The opposition attacked Banerjee over the impasse, with the BJP accusing her of acting as "Hitler". There was high drama as the chief minister reached the state-run SSKM hospital here at around noon amid slogans of "we want justice" by the doctors. "I condemn the agitation. The junior doctors' strike is a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP," Banerjee, who also holds the health and family welfare portfolio, said and directed the police to clear the premises and only allow patients to stay. Stating that patients were suffering, she gave the doctors a four-hour deadline to rejoin service, but later revised it to 2 pm. Warning of strict action against those who do not resume work, she said they will have to vacate hostels. Despite Banerjee's ultimatum, the agitating doctors continued their stir. A joint platform of doctors met Governor K N Tripathi, who appealed them to resume duties. "We will continue with our agitation till our demands are fulfilled. Our demands are simple, proper security with armed policemen at all hospitals, arrest of culprits involved in the NRS attack on Saturday under non-bailable sections. We did not expect the chief minister to say what she did," a member of the delegation said. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief, however alleged that outsiders had entered medical colleges and hospitals to create disturbance and that she was "abused" by the doctors at the hospital. "The BJP, with help from the CPI(M), is indulging in Hindu-Muslim politics. I am shocked to see their love affair," Banerjee said and alleged "BJP chief Amit Shah is encouraging his party cadre to create communal tension and run propaganda on Facebook." The TMC and the BJP are locked in a bitter turf war in West Bengal, which has been rocked by post-poll violence, with Banerjee accusing the saffron party of trying to foment trouble in the state to topple her government. The BJP has claimed that Banerjee is targeting it as she is rattled by its major gains in Lok Sabha elections. In a Facebook post, the chief minister highlighted the plight of patients in hospitals due to the ongoing strike and claimed the government was cooperating with doctors. She described the injuries sustained by the two junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital as "unfortunate". Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, Banerjee said, adding that an inquiry has also been ordered to look into complaint of negligence during treatment, resulting in the death of the patient. "Cancer patients, kidney patients, accident victims, even children coming from distant places are suffering for not getting treatment," she said. Banerjee also wrote to senior doctors of all medical colleges and hospitals in the state and requested them to continue taking care of patients. The opposition parties slammed the CM for her alleged "threats" to agitating doctors and sought her immediate resignation as the health minister. BJP leader Mukul Roy alleged Banerjee has become authoritarian and is behaving like "Hitler". Accusing the TMC supremo of politicizing the issue, CPI (M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said Banerjee does not seem interested in ending the impasse. State Congress president Somen Mitra also criticised the chief minister and said the state government should take appropriate measure to ensure safety and security of doctors. NRS Medical College and Hospital principal Saibal Mukherjee and medical Superintendent cum vice-principal Prof Saurabh Chattopadhyaya have resigned for "failing to overcome the crisis" at the medical institution. Union Heath Minister Harsh Vardhan condemned the violence against doctors in Kolkata and urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. He said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with all chief ministers and asked the doctors to ensure that essential services to the people are not disrupted. Healthcare services at private and government hospitals in the national capital are likely to be affected on Friday with scores of doctors deciding to boycott work for a day. Several resident doctors at the AIIMS, Delhi worked with bandages on their heads as a symbolic protest. The air quality of Delhi, which has been baking at temperatures in excess of 45 degrees Celsius since last week, wasnt ruined overnight. The air quality of the National Capital, which has been baking at temperatures in excess of 45 degrees Celsius since last week, wasnt ruined overnight. The city, which starts resembling a gas chamber every winter, is a dust chamber these days, and the Air Quality Index has been ruling in the range of unhealthy to hazardous for months now. The reason for this catastrophe is not far to seek. The Aravallis, the 700-km mountain range that acts as a green barrier and prevents the desert dust of the Thar from entering the capital, has been meticulously and mercilessly ravaged over decades. Vijay Dhasmana, an ecologist who conducts an annual mapping at the Aravali Biodiversity Park and is associated with the environment awareness NGO, I am Gurgaon, told Firstpost that between 1984 and 2001, as much as 50 percent of the Northern Aravallis have vanished. There are 12 gaps within the scattered Aravallis that are entry points for the desert winds in these morphologically scattered hills. Moreover, since the top soil is now very open, the wind blows the dust off the surface, Dhasmana said, emphasising on the need for reforestation and returning to the wild. Late last year on 23 October, the Supreme Court too took cognisance of the fact that 31 out of 129 Aravallis hills have disappeared. Historically, the Aravalli hills have played a crucial role in recharging the areas groundwater by retaining rain water and sending it downward towards the plains of Haryana and Delhi. In March, the Supreme Court had come down heavily on the government of Haryana for its proposed amendments to the Punjab Land Preservation Act 1900 that provides for conservation of subsoil water and prevention of erosion. The Aravalli Notification 1992 of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), applicable to Alwar in Rajasthan and Gurgaon in Haryana, was supposed to pave the way for the conservation of the fragile ecosystem around the hills that have shrunk in height and width over the past decades. According to this notification, these mountains comprise uncultivable hills (gair mumkin pahaad), cultivable grassy foothills (banjar beed), ravine foothills (gair mumkin beed) and rocky areas between the two hills (roondh). Significantly, the notification does not cover Haryanas Faridabad, which lies east of the Capital, and despite the Supreme Court noting in 2004 that the Aravallis must be protected at all costs, there has been no amendment to the 1992 notification to extend its applicability to the entire Aravalli range. In the wake of the dust build up in the capital, Firstpost went to the affected areas to study the situation first-hand. *** In Alwar is a village named Jajor. Here, farmers complain, the small hill on which they grazed their cattle has been taken over by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to set up a defence facility. According to DRDO and statements by the Congress government of 2011, the forest department had cleared the acquisition of 850 hectares of land in Khoa in Alwar district and 350 hectares in Roopnagar for installing a ballistic missile defence grid to protect western and northern India. But locals have a different story to tell. Dr Virendra Vidrohi, who runs an organisation called the Matsya Mewat Shiksha Evam Vikas Sansthan, said the DRDO had got an NOC from the Gram Panchayat, and not the Gram Sabha. The former is a body that comprises representatives of various villages but not the village closest to the hill, Jajor. Vidrohi shared two documents with Firstpost one a hand-written sheet dated April 2011, with the minutes of the meeting conducted by the then district collector, in which it is clearly stated that the Kithoor Gram Sabha disapproves of the decision to use forest land for other purposes. The other document is a letter from DRDO to the chief conservator of forests in New Delhi, dated a month earlier. The case filed by the Mewat Kisan Panchayat, an unregistered organisation, is now in the Supreme Court, said Vidrohi. We are questioning the NOC (Vidrohi called it a fake document) and the fact that the approvals of the locals wasnt sought, apart from the damage to the ecology such a facility can cause. Vidrohi had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Alwar on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket. Shifat Khan, a resident of Alwar who is associated with the Bahujan Samaj Party, said the granting of the NOC was a mystery. He said the fake NOC was granted by an environment cell in far away Lucknow. The DRDO has in its 2011 letter stated that the central government hereby conveys the stage 1 approval for diversion of 850.00 ha of forest land between Khoa and Jajor for establishing a strategic Defence Project. It added that the legal status of the diverted forest land shall remain unchanged. Vidrohi said that the heat generated by DRDOs facility will ruin the already damaged ecology. Moreover, Aravalli hills typically have boulders that do not support any kind of construction. Our local leader from Alwar (who also contested on a Congress ticket in 2019) Jeetendra Singh was the minister of state for defence at the time, Vidrohi said. Khusheed Ahmad, whose wife Sarijaan Begum was the sarpanch of Kithoor at the time, said he has no knowledge of the Stage 1 approval being granted by the panchayat. We had approached the high court back then, but were asked to file an FIR. Since my wife was the sarpanch, we didnt file an FIR in her name, he said. In Gurgaon, one finds similar stories of the courts and civil society intervening to rescue the once mighty Aravallis. Ram Avtar, 72, former sarpanch of Manesar, recalls all the destruction that happened right before his eyes. He has filed three complaints with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), one of them against the permission of forest clearance sought by the Haryana Police to build a training centre on 398 acres of land. In the first 59 acres, they cut 5,000 trees and they are now waiting to chop off 62,840 trees to build the rest of the complex, he said. In the 1990s, Ram Avtar had led a campaign against the decision of the then chief minister, Om Prakash Chautala, to construct an amusement park that would have taken up 5,000 acres of forest land in 11 villages, including Damdama, Ahbepur, Rithoj, Behelpa, Kherla and Bechirag. In my lifetime, I have noticed that trees like the kikar babool (gum arabic tree) and the dhonk (Anogeissus Pendula) which were the resident trees of the Aravallis are no longer visible, he said. What is perhaps most pertinent about the the Green Tribunal Act, 2010 is that violators cannot be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code, but as civil misdemeanours. Penalties are imposed, the offenders are fined and orders are passed for restoring status quo ante. And life goes on unabashed. Chetan Agarwal, an environmental services analyst based in Gurgaon, says the law is toothless compared to other acts that have provisions for criminal prosecution. For instance, the first FIR under the Punjab Land Preservation Act was filed in March against a resident in Mewla Maharajpur village, on charges of illegal constructions in a forest area of Surajkund. The Supreme Court has finally intervened to rescue the Aravallis, but human nature may have already taken its toll on nature. Its mainly due to heredity, on both sides, she said. I try to eat healthy and exercise, and I never drank or smoked, but Im very much surprised that Im still here at 100. Years ago, people didnt live past 85, but theres been a lot done with medical that keeps people living longer now. The IMD on 8 June had said that thunderstorm accompanied by hail and lightning at isolated places are very likely over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh tomorrow, 15 June. New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of thunderstorm accompanied with hail and lightning, up to 30 to 40 kilometres per hour on Saturday at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh regions. IMD had issued this prediction last Sunday. Besides, the weather forecasting agency also predicted that some isolated places of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal are likely to be hit by dust storm accompanied with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kilometres per hour on Saturday. States in North East India such as Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to receive heavy rainfall on Saturday. The weather forecasting agency also predicted that gales with speed of around 100 to 110 kilometres per hour gusting to 125 kilometres per hour are very likely to prevail over the north Arabian Sea and Gujarat coast till evening and decrease gradually thereafter. "The Sea condition is very likely to be phenomenal over the north Arabian Sea and Gujarat coast. Strong winds, speed reaching 40 to 50 kilometres per hour, is very likely to prevail over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining the Andaman Sea and the southwest Arabian Sea off Somalia coast," the IMD added. The organisation has also adviced fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next few days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the SCO Summit in Bishkek. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Bishkek: India and other members of the SCO on Friday condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and called on the international community to promote cooperation in combatting the menace. According to the Bishkek Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Heads of State Council, the member states stressed that acts of terrorism and extremism cannot be justified. Increasing challenges and security threats that are becoming cross-border in their nature like terrorism, spread of terrorist and extremist ideology including on the internet, returning foreign terrorists, proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction, the risk of an arms race among others need special attention, close coordination and constructive cooperation of the global community, it said. "The member states condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. "They call on the international community to promote global cooperation in combatting terrorism with the central role of the UN by fully implementing corresponding UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in compliance with the UN Charter and the principles of international law without politicisation and double standards and with respect for the sovereignty and independence of all countries," the declaration said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the SCO Summit in Bishkek. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Other members of the grouping are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO member states also urged the global community to work towards a consensus on adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT). Stressing that acts of terrorism and extremism cannot be justified, they believe it is important to take comprehensive measures to intensify efforts against terrorism and its ideology, as well as to determine and eliminate the factors and conditions that promote terrorism and extremism, it said. "They note that interfering in other countries' domestic affairs under the pretext of fighting terrorism and extremism as well as using terrorist, extremist and radical groups to achieve one's own mercenary ends is unacceptable," it said. The member states condemn the propaganda of the ideology of terrorism, extremism and religious intolerance, as well as manifestations of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or convictions in any form, the declaration said. It is a priority to step up the international community's joint efforts to counter the attempts to involve young people in the activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups and will continue to focus on preventing the spread of religious intolerance, xenophobia and racial discrimination, it said. In response to the threat of chemical and biological terrorism, the SCO members reaffirm and emphasise the need to launch multilateral talks at the Conference on Disarmament on an international convention to combat acts of chemical and biological terrorism. They are actively and persistently countering global terrorism, separatism and extremism, transnational organised crime, illegal trade in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, as well as weapons, munitions and explosives, threats to biological and information security and illegal migration, it said. The members believe that one of the key factors of preserving and enhancing security and stability in the SCO space is a prompt settlement of the situation in Afghanistan, according to the declaration. They support the efforts of the government and people of Afghanistan aimed at restoring peace, economic development of the country, countering terrorism, extremism and drug crime, it said. The members will counter the use of information and communications technology to undermine political, economic and public security in the SCO countries, and curb propaganda of terrorism, separatism and extremism online, it said, adding that they emphasised on the need to expand international relations of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure. Indias strategic autonomy in Sri Lanka will seriously be tested by the United States and to a lesser extent Japan. Editor's note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tour of the Maldives is his first international visit after having taken oath for the second time. His 2014 swearing-in ceremony featured leaders from SAARC nations as special invitees, while in 2019, it was the BIMSTEC leaders and those from Kyrgyzstan and Mauritius who were in attendance, underlining the importance the prime minister places on international relations. This is the seventh in a series of articles that looks at key foreign policy targets for the Modi government as it looks to the next five years. *** Prime Minister Narendra Modis brief stopover in Sri Lanka would have otherwise gone unnoticed if not for the strong symbolism it exuded. Modi was the first foreign leader to visit the island nation after the deadly Easter Sunday bombings. Moreover, his unscheduled visit to St Anthonys Church, one of the sites of the bombings, signalled Indias support for Sri Lankas fight against terrorism. That Modi chose Sri Lanka and Maldives for his first international tour after re-election underlined Indias renewed push for greater involvement in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Bilateral ties under Modi 1.0 Nevertheless, five years back, bilateral relations between the two neighbours had been staring at long-term stagnation. Former president Mahinda Rajapaksas alliance with the Chinese (read Hambantota etc.) and the resultant of him being pro-China did not go down well with the Indian foreign policy establishment. In fact, Rajapaksa had an explanation for the breakdown in relations after Modis victory. Unfortunately, the working relationship that existed between my government and the outgoing government did not roll over to the new government formed in 2014. Lack of communication between both parties seems to have led to this situation, Rajapaksa claimed during an event in February 2019. This may explain why Modi waited until March 2015 to embark on his first tour to Sri Lanka. By then, Sri Lanka had elected Maithripala Sirisena as president. Sirisena, in turn, appointed pro-India Ranil Wickremasinghe as prime minister. Interestingly, Sirisena chose India for his first State visit in February 2015. When Modi paid a return trip a month later, he became the first prime minister since Rajiv Gandhi to visit the island nation. Indias relations with Sri Lanka under the Sirisena-Wickremasinghe dispensation seemingly improved. Keen to offset Chinas debt trap, Sri Lanka turned to India for investments, which grabbed the opportunity to counter Beijings influence in the Indian Ocean neighbourhood. The first hint of a rejuvenated partnership under the new dispensation was seen during Sirisenas 2015 visit when both nations signed a civilian nuclear deal. Since then, India has only bolstered its economic profile in Sri Lanka by committing to invest billions in infrastructure projects across the island. India apparently also underplayed the Tamil minority card, out of fear of pushing the Sinhala-majority nation-state further into the arms of Beijing. Thus, except for once in 2015, when Modi urged full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond it, India largely soft-peddled on the Lankan Tamil issue. Concurrent to its economic interests in the island nation, India also utilised its 2,500-year-long civilisational ties to its fullest. Buddhism, as a result, became the common link between the two countries. For instance, India employed an out-of-the-box idea of hosting Lankan military officers in Bodh Gaya in 2018. But Indias relations with Sri Lanka are not without their peculiarities. The bilateral relationship has always faced a misconception problem, owing to their incomparable geographical sizes and Indias close links with the Tamil ethnic minority. Perhaps, the fear of India turning Sri Lanka into a client state may have caused friction between Sirisena and Wickremasinghe. Notably, a 2018 report claimed that Sirisena expressed concerns over Indias involvement in upgrading the Colombo container terminal. However, the government later denied any such arguments between the two leaders. That Colombo mistook New Delhis intelligence inputs ahead of the Easter Sunday bombings as a bid to pit the country against Pakistan was a proof of the misconception problem. India-Sri Lanka relations under Modi 2.0 Sri Lanka sits at the centre of a geopolitical tug of war between India, China and the United States. The reasons are not easy to miss. Sri Lanka is strategically located in the Indian Ocean Region, just a few miles away from the regional giant India. With at least four natural harbours Trincomalee, Hambantota, Galle and Colombo the island nation could potentially serve as a maritime logistics hub. Notably, two-thirds of the oil and container traffic passes six to ten nautical miles south of Sri Lanka every year. The seemingly positive relationship that India built with the Sirisena-Wickremasinghe dispensation has in effect laid the foundation for Indias sustained engagement for the next five years. It is now up to India to scale up the relationship and take it to the next level. For that to happen, India must employee four-pronged approach towards Sri Lanka: economic diplomacy, SAGAR doctrine, cultural diplomacy and counter-terrorism. Economic Diplomacy: Sri Lanka provides the perfect platform for India to perfect the art of economic diplomacy. India remains the single biggest trading partner of the island nation. India is among the top four investors in Sri Lanka with cumulative investments of over US$ 1 billion since 2003, says a 2016 Ministry of External Affairs report. With an FTA already in place, India must push for the early passage of the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA). Not only would it help India to gain a strong foothold in the Sri Lankan market, but also help Sri Lanka become a hub for FDI. Thus, the ETCA could serve as a win-win for both nations, helping India score diplomatic brownie points over Chinas debt-trap diplomacy. SAGAR doctrine: Historically, the Indian Ocean Region has been an irrefutable part of Indias manifest destiny. With the threat of Chinese domination looming large over the region, India must fully utilise the doctrine, which aims to keep the IOR peaceful and secure'. Indias continuous investments into building Sri Lankas infrastructure, including the strategically important Colombo and Trincomalee ports, fits well into the doctrine. Completing the projects although India is undertaking many of them in partnerships on time would decide whether India remains a serious player on the island. This must become a priority as the usual retort is that Indias projects usually end in bureaucratic limbo while China is consistent in its delivery. Maritime security coordination, the key to the SAGAR doctrine, must be strengthened with Sri Lanka in order to protect India's maritime interests. Interestingly, both countries are already part of the 2011 India-Sri Lanka-Maldives trilateral, which aims to maintain maritime security in IOR. Cultural diplomacy: India must build upon the well-established cultural in particular its ancient Buddhist heritage ties it shares with Sri Lanka. Cultural diplomacy would benefit India economically too, since lakhs of Buddhist devotees visit the Buddhist pilgrimage circuit in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The projection of soft power would likely help enhance Indias image in the eyes of the Sinhala majority. Counter-terrorism: In the aftermath of the 21 April bombings in Colombo and the spectre of Islamic State looming large over South Asia India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh, counter-terrorism would once again become a key element in India-Sri Lanka ties. Currently, there seems to be no bilateral mechanism at the moment for regional security. Instead, reviving the NSA-level trilateral talks between Maldives, India and Sri Lanka will help New Delhi bring renewed focus into the IOR. With Wickremasinghe requesting Indias help in counter-terrorism training, the time is ripe for New Delhi to deepen its involvement with the Colombos security apparatus. Need for India to assert itself in IOR Strategic autonomy is the buzzword often associated with the Modi era foreign policy. It denotes the ability of a state to pursue its national interests and adopt its preferred foreign policy without being constrained in any manner by other states. By definition, it very much seems the repackaged version of non-alignment. However, strategic autonomy also helps India to remain multi-aligned. Indias strategic autonomy in Sri Lanka will seriously be tested by the United States and to a lesser extent Japan. While the United States Indo-Pacific strategy, as Ambassador MK Bhadrakumar noted recently, dovetails Indias IOR policy, both powers would never want to play second-fiddle to each other. In fact, India has always been averse to extra-regional powers entering its backyard. However, if the report in the Nikkei Asian Review is to be believed, the US had to enter Sri Lanka after India failed to contain China in its own backyard. Nevertheless, the US also Japan and India are likely to gang up against a resurgent China. However, it is time for India to reassert itself as the pre-eminent power in the region and not operate as an also-ran in the region. Sri Lanka will continue to be the focus of the larger IOR in the next five years. The task seems to cut out for Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. *** Part I: India's foreign policy targets with respect to Pakistan Part II: India's foreign policy targets with respect to Pakistan's obstructionist role in Central Asia Part III: Chumming up to US sure is beneficial for New Delhi but it can't ignore robustness of ties with Russia Part IV: Expanding bilateral ties with Bangladesh vital for New Delhi's 'Act East' targets Part V: India's foreign policy for next 5 years: New Delhi should convey to US in no uncertain terms how importance of better ties hinges on favourable trade policies Part VI: India's foreign policy for the next 5 years: Imran Khan's offer for talks needs profound backing from China, Russia for serious consideration Prior to this attack, the Al-Umar had similarly claimed an attack on a police post in Srinagar, on 26 April this year, in which a police constable was critically injured. Even as Wednesdays attack in south Kashmir that took the lives of five paramilitary soldiers was claimed by the Al-Umar Mujahideen, senior officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Police believe the attack was carried out by the Jaish-e-Mohammad. According to a senior police official, the Al-Umar has claimed the attack despite not having a significant footprint in the Valley in the last decade. The Al-Umar at present lacks the cadres on the ground in Kashmir to mount an offensive. The attacker was a Pakistani national, Al-Umar has no Pakistanis with them, said a senior police official. It is obviously the Jaishs doing. The Al-Umar is an old outfit formed by Kashmiri jihadist Mushtaq Zargar also known as Latram. Zargar was one of the three jihadists released by India in 1999 in exchange for the hijacked Indian Airlines flight 814 and has since been based in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. One among the other two was Maulana Masood Azhar who went on to carve out the Jaish from the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. Security officials in Kashmir believe the Al-Umar claimed the attack to ease off the backlash against the Jaish amid ongoing international scrutiny. On 1 May, this year, Azhar was declared a global terrorist by the United Nations. Wednesdays incident is a significant attack since the February bombing by the Jaish that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. Even in the aftermath of the bombing, pro-Pakistan jihadist outfits, particularly the Hizbul Mujahideen, had seemingly attempted to deflect attention from the Pakistan-based outfit by emphasising on the role of a local Kashmiri who took to arms to fight against oppression. Prior to this attack, the Al-Umar had similarly claimed an attack on a police post in Srinagar, on 26 April this year, in which a police constable was critically injured. Two days later the police arrested a three-member module of the Jaish and held it responsible for the attack. After the arrest of the Jaish cadres, the police superintendent in Srinagar, Haseeb Mughal, had said at a press conference: We are investigating why a different outfit staked the claim for the attack [on April 26]. Security officials in the Valley point out that a fidayeen strike nullified the hype given to the damage inflicted upon the Jaish. The security establishment had patted itself on the back last year on having eliminated the leadership and cadres of the Jaish but the outfit resurfaced to carry out the 14 February bombing this year. Security forces killed 10 of the Jaishs top jihadist commanders, including the mastermind of the suicide bombing, between 14 February and the end of the month and went on to focus its effort on eliminating the outfits cadre once again. A little over two months after the suicide bombing, the Indian Armys Srinagar-based Chinar Corps commander, Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon had said at a press conference that the situation now is such that there is no one willing to take up the leadership of the JeM in the valley after its leadership was targeted. In spite of Pakistans best efforts, we will continue to suppress the JeM. In the aftermath of Wednesdays attacks, however, the security establishment and the administration did not seem to be on the same page. While the police shied away from calling the attack fidayeen or suicidal attack, terming it a stand-off firing attack, the states central government appointed Governor, Satya Pal Malik went ahead to acknowledge it as a fidayeen attack. [W]henever successful attempts are made by the Security Forces to either conduct peaceful elections or continuous elimination of terrorists, the masterminds of terrorists from across the border order them to carry out fidayeen attacks on Forces and yesterdays attack in Anantnag district was also a fidayeen attack, Malik observed as per a government handout. Governor noted that terrorists and their handlers should know that our resolve to eliminate this menace is unshakable. Security forces have, this year, killed at least 122 jihadists, of which only about 27 are foreigners, before this Wednesdays attack and despite most operations focused against the Jaish, the outfit has once again managed to resurface. Eradicating the Jaish, security officials believe, is impossible to do from the Indian side alone. Furthermore, security officials say, the replacement of ethnic Kashmiri police officers with non-local officers who lack the knowledge of local culture, religious nuances, and the militancy has led to increasing reliance on technological inputs rather than human intelligence. As such the police despite having failed in maintaining a human intelligence network off late, sources said, has achieved short term success but the face possible long term drawbacks even if there were rapid gains in the short term. Ties with several over ground workers who had gradually entered into a relationship with the security forces were being severed over fears of a double cross, also not unheard of. While the security establishment may or may not have scored a self-goal by booting out Kashmiri officers, what is required in the current scenario, the official said, is an approach that involved both human and technological intelligence gathering in conducting operations. As a mark of solidarity towards their protesting colleagues in West Bengal, junior doctors in Odisha Friday skip duty, stage dharna with bandages on their foreheads Bhubaneswar: As a mark of solidarity towards their protesting colleagues in West Bengal, junior doctors in Odisha Friday staged a dharna with bandages on their foreheads, besides staying away from duty. Members of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar went on a cease-work, protesting the attack on two junior doctors in the neighbouring state. More than 250 junior doctors sat on a dharna with bandages on their foreheads and did not join duty, including doctors from the outpatient department (OPD). "The cease-work by the resident doctors has affected the health service at AIIMS here. The strike is for one day as a mark of solidarity towards the agitating doctors in West Bengal," a senior doctor at the AIIMS said. The Residents' Doctor Association, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar said in a press release, that it was disheartened and saddened at the grievous crime against the medical fraternity of West Bengal. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed the members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the (IMA) has asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district. The junior doctors have been agitating in West Bengal since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the state-run NRS Medical College and Hospital. Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) and doctors of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Thursday had also protested the incident in West Bengal. Over 100 doctors Friday staged a dharna in front of the government hospital in Coimbatore to protest against the assault of a junior doctor in Kolkata. Coimbatore: Over 100 doctors Friday staged a dharna in front of the government hospital in Coimbatore to protest against the assault of a junior doctor in Kolkata. The doctors, including women, belonging to the local chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, raised slogans against the attack on junior doctors at a Kolkata hospital allegedly by relatives of a patient, who died at the hospital, and sought protection of the medical fraternity in the country. Holding placards such as "zero tolerance", they said doctors were living dangerously without any safety and would continue their protests till safety was ensured at their workplace. To follow LIVE updates of the Kolkata Doctors' Strike, click here The IMA had directed members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on strike since Tuesday demanding better security at their workplace after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital. A division bench of of the Bombay High Court granted bail to the accused Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhary on Friday. Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. A division bench of Justices IA Mahanty and AM Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhary. "The petitions are allowed. The applicants shall be released on cash bail of Rs 50,000. They shall attend the special court on each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses," the bench said. The four, who are in jail since their arrest in 2013, had approached the high court in 2016 after a special court rejected their bail pleas in June that year. The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetery near Hamidia mosque at Malegaon near Nashik on 8 September, 2006, claimed 37 lives and injured over 100 people. The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), which first probed the case, had initially arrested nine accused from the minority community. The case was later handed over to the CBI, which followed the same line of investigation. When the probe was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) later, it concluded that the blasts were carried out by people belonging to the majority community. The NIA decided to drop charges against the nine accused and booked Singh, Sharma, Narwaria and Chaudhary. The special trial court in 2016 accepted NIA's stand and discharged the nine accused. Apart from seeking bail, Singh and others had challenged the discharge of the nine men. The four accused also challenged the special court's order rejecting their own applications seeking discharge. Those appeals will be heard by the high court at a later stage. Tripura Police on Wednesday arrested a man who had been charged with forgery, cheating and conspiracy for viral Facebook post on Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb's wife Agartala: The Tripura Police has arrested a man from Delhi for allegedly posting "fake news" on Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb's personal life, a senior police officer said. Based on specific inputs, Anupam Paul, who had been on the run since 26 April, was arrested by the crime branch of Tripura Police on Wednesday. After the arrest, he was produced before a Delhi court on Thursday seeking a transit remand for interrogation and investigation into the case. The plea was granted by the court. "He will be taken back to Tripura for interrogation as the court has already granted his transit remand," the police officer said on Friday. The police registered an FIR against Paul for forgery, cheating and conspiracy after the 25 April Facebook post went viral on social media. Earlier, the Tripura Police had arrested a journalist, Saikat Talapatra, in connection with a similar post on Facebook. He is now out on bail, the police officer said. Recently, six people, including journalists, were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for posting or sharing alleged objectionable remarks on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh's Directorate General of Police (DGP), seeking a report within on the assault of a TV journalist in Shamli Lucknow: Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh's Directorate General of Police (DGP), seeking a report within four weeks on the assault of a TV journalist in Shamli on Tuesday. The human rights body sought a detailed report from the DGP, including action taken against the guilty public servants and the status of the FIR registered against them, an NHRC press release said. "The victim has claimed that he was stripped and the (SHO) urinated in his mouth," said NHRC in a notice that it issued. The Government Railway Police (GRP) has, however, denied this charge. The commission observed that the contents of media reports, if true, amount to a gross violation of the victim's human rights. "Going by the reported allegations, this kind of cruel and uncivilised act by a public servant is highly disgraceful and cannot be tolerated in a civilised society," the release read. "Stern action should be taken against the police personnel if found guilty so that such a barbaric act is not repeated by any public servant in future," the human rights body stated in the release. A case was against four police personnel, including SHO Rakesh Kumar, on Wednesday under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for causing hurt, insult, robbery and wrongful confinement. Of the four GRP officers, SHO Rakesh Kumar and constable Sanjay Pawar were suspended. The incident had taken place after the policemen entered into an argument with Sharma when he was covering the derailment of a goods train in Shamli on June 11. Sharma has alleged that he was thrashed by the GRP personnel and put in a lock-up. According to the media reports, carried on June 13, the SHO could be seen attacking the journalist in a video clip. Sharma had reportedly alleged that the police personnel attacked him out of vengeance as he had run a story about encroachment by unauthorised vendors in connivance with GRP personnel last month. An FIR on the complaint of the journalist was registered and a departmental inquiry was ordered under the supervision of the IG, Railways. The Press Council of India to has set up a fact-finding committee to probe the incident. The fact-finding committee will visit Shamli Saturday to know details of the incident. The council has sought a reply from the chief secretary; director general of police; the Uttar Pradesh government; and the SSP (GRP), Shamli, in this regard. "The council expresses concern over such incident, which tends to undermine the freedom of the press," the PCI said in a statement. Actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen visited the NRS Hospital in Kolkata to extend her support to the agitating doctors and said that the chief minister should apologise for allegedly issuing threats to the doctors Kolkata: Asserting that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should have been humble in her approach at the Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) Hospital, actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen on Friday insisted that the TMC supremo should apologise to the agitating doctors for the alleged threats she issued to them. Sen urged the chief minister to listen to the grievances of the junior doctors patiently. "Mamata Banerjee has done so much for Bengal, but I am sorry to say that I do not support the way she spoke to the doctors. She must have spoken to them humbly because threats do not get anything done. There is no harm or no shame in saying sorry... That will not hamper her popularity," Sen told PTI. The filmmaker appealed to Banerjee to talk to the junior doctors face-to-face and end the impasse. "The chief minister is the guardian of the state. She is not just the guardian of the patients waiting outside, but also of those young brilliant doctors who are working day in day out throughout the year." "I think, all she needs to do is to sit and talk face-to-face with the protesters to solve the crisis," she said at the state-run Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital, where an assault on two interns by the relatives of a patient sparked the protests by the doctors. The Padma Shri awardee also maintained that the state government should look into the demand for adequate security by the doctors. "She (Banerjee) has to understand that she needs to listen to them rather than doing all the talking... There must be a two-way dialogue. She must understand that the junior doctors are hurt." "What they have asked is not much... The state government has the responsibility to look into the security of the doctors. If doctors need to think about their security, how will they work," Sen said. The chief minister should realize that the situation might change for the worse if the doctors start resigning en masse, the filmmaker said. "If they start resigning then what will be the situation here ... It is very important to understand the gravity of the situation," Sen said. Asked if she finds substance in Banerjee's claims that opposition parties were influencing the ongoing protest, Sen said, "I do not think the CM is totally wrong. I can understand that the Opposition is trying to gain an advantage of the situation... They (Opposition) are trying to gain power here. But we will not allow that to happen." The filmmaker had extended her support to Banerjee during her call for a change in the state, in the final years of the Left Front rule. Sen, who visited the NRS Medical College and Hospital in the morning with actor Kaushik Sen and musician Debojyoti Mishra among others, said it was necessary to stand by the doctors in this hour of crisis. "I am a filmmaker. I have so much work at hand, but I felt it was my responsibility to stand by the doctors. My conscience directed me to stand by them. We need to understand they are doing a noble job," she added. Doctors across the state have called for a strike in protest against the attack on two of their colleagues at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city by family members of a patient, who died Monday night. One of them received serious head injuries and was currently recuperating at the Institute of Neurosciences here. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state, leaving patients in the lurch. Banerjee, who visited the state-run SSKM Hospital on Thursday, warned the junior doctors of consequences if they do not rejoin work, but the defiant agitators have refused to abide by the order. They asserted that the protests would continue till their demands are fulfilled. Twenty winners visited the Space Application Centre for educational purposes and spoke to the scientists there. Twenty winners of Tata Steel's Young Astronomer Talent Search (YATS) programme from Odisha have completed a week-long exposure trip to the space application centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Ahmedabad. YATS, an initiative for high school students in Odisha, is organised in association with Pathani Samanta Planetarium, under the state's science and technology department, a company release said. "Through special initiatives like the YATS, the company motivates and encourages youngsters to think beyond textbooks and celebrate the power of imagination," it said. The theme for 2018-19 was 'Imagine space exploration, 50 years from now' and included an open-quiz for students from classes 6-10 and an essay competition for students from classes 9-10. After due evaluation, the top two entries from each district were invited to participate in the grand finale held here in December 2018. The winning group of 12 girls and 8 boys from across Odisha visited various laboratories of the Space Application Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad and interacted with the scientists, it said. The students also visited the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and interacted with the scientists there. The students were given an opportunity to learn about various aspects of operations of ISRO and evolution of the Indian space programme. The students also went for a visit to Gujarat Science City in Ahmedabad before returning here on Tuesday. The exposure visit of the students was flagged off by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on June 3. YATS was started in 2007 with the aim to create awareness in the field of astronomy and space science among students and motivate and encourage the young minds to become scientists and astronomers. Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas has conferred an Indian national with the Star of Jerusalem medal, one of the highest honours given to foreign nationals by the Palestinian Authority. Jerusalem: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has conferred an Indian national with the Star of Jerusalem medal, one of the highest honours given to foreign nationals by the Palestinian Authority. At an event organised to honour Sheikh Mohammad Munir Ansari on Thursday, evening, 13 June, Abbas thanked Ansari for serving Palestine and Jerusalem, the third holiest city for Muslims, with distinction. The Palestinian President said the Ansari family's presence in the old city of Jerusalem reflects the strong traditional ties between Indian and Palestinian people. He also called upon people for strengthening relations between India and Palestine. Abbas plans to send Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh to India soon, to boost tourist inflows from there, which can contribute to strong bonding between the two countries. Representative of India, Sunil Kumar, who was present the event, also appreciated the role played by the Ansari family in strengthening Indo-Palestine ties. Sheikh Munir Ansari, Director of Indian Hospice that is a unique and historic monument in the heart of the Holy city has become a symbol of India's heritage and presence in the old city of Jerusalem going back to over 800 years. The Indian hospice has been under the direct supervision of a representative from India since 1924. Sheikh Munir Ansari's father, Sheikh Nazir Hassan Ansari, was appointed the first Sheikh of the Hospice from whom the mantle passed on to the incumbent who was born in Jerusalem in 1928 and has spent his whole life here. In 2011, India had honoured Sheikh Munir Ansari with the Pravasi Divas Samman, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. In the 12th century, Baba Farid, the famous sufi saint from Punjab visited Jerusalem on a pilgrimage and prayed in seclusion for 40 days at the current site of the Hospice. It later became a pilgrimage site for Indian pilgrims visiting Jerusalem and was dedicated as a charitable waqf property in trust for a pious purpose. Almost every prominent Indian leader who has visited the region has paid a visit to the site and the hospice, which continues to host Indians visiting the Holy Land. The hospice also received a grant from the Ministry of External Affairs for its renovation. Kanojia's advocate is said to have advised him to return to Delhi immediately and not to speak to the media in Lucknow. 'Prashant raises questions on the government and I think this is not being liked by the people in power,' said Jagisha. Lucknow: Freelance Journalist Prashant Kanojia's four-day ordeal in a Lucknow jail came to an end on 12 June when, on the Supreme Courts orders, he was released on bail. An alumnus of the 2013-2015 batch of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Kanojia had been arrested in Delhi by the Uttar Pradesh Police for posting a satirical tweet on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Ishq chupta nahi chupaane se yogi ji pic.twitter.com/dPIexKheou Prashant Jagdish Kanojia (@PJkanojia) June 6, 2019 According to his former IIMC roommate Punit Kumar Singh, Kanojia was made to clean toilets while he was lodged in hail. "I met Prashant in Lucknow jail and he told me that he is undergoing mental torture as the warden and others were hurling abuses at him." Kanojia's wife Jagisha Arora had reached Lucknow late on 11 June with a copy of the Supreme Court's bail order asking for her husband's immediate release. Kanojia's advocate is said to have advised him to return to Delhi immediately and not to speak to the media in Lucknow. "Prashant raises questions on the government and I think this is not being liked by the people in power," said Jagisha. On the specific post that got him arrested, "police and government should have taken this tweet as a humour," she said. "The arrest cannot be justified." In a Facebook post, Kanojia thanked the media, his family, well-wishers and the Supreme Court: The Lucknow police, including, Director General of Police O P Singh and Lucknow SSPs PRO refused to comment on the issue, with the DGP walking out without saying a word when confronted by a group of journalists. Kanojia had an activist streak and was quick to take up issues related to campus and caste, said his friends. "Prashant never hesitated in being vocal on issues he felt were worth taking up," said Punit. "Even in IIMC he raised various issues and was suspended for a short time. Prashant was not inclined towards any particular ideology and has been called a Congress supporter, a Leftist and what not on social media. He loved covering protests and it was clear he was a man who wanted to highlight problems with government policies and governance. He even participated in the Manusmriti burning programme at Jawaharlal Nehru University." Kanojia's former boss and Editor of the online publication The Wire Siddharth Varadarajan said he is a team player and a very hardworking journalist. "Prashant had been with The Wire since the beginning of our Hindi website and played a key role in bringing protest news in the mainstream. Prashant leaving The Wire was a big loss for us." Condemning his arrest, Varadarajan said, "This was totally unfair and the sections slapped against our former colleague are irrelevant." Shristi Singh, one of Kanojia's former colleagues at The Wire, said despite having differences on various issues, she found him a wonderful person and a journalist with a different approach towards any issue. The Wire was doing a programme on the 25th anniversary of Babri demolition and Prashant went on the streets and did a live conversation with school students on the issue. The kids who did not know anything about the demolition talked about the Ram temple construction. He also raised the issue of growing cases of lynching in India and played an important role in the #NotinmyName campaign," she said. "He is a man with strong opinions and no one could make him budge," recalls Zinia Bandhopadhyay, Kanojia's batchmate from IIMC. He is not diplomatic and hated sugarcoating. There were a few disputes due to his opinions during the course with some batchmates but they were later sorted out." The author is a Lucknow-based freelance writer and state editor for 101Reporters It is not just in Tamil Nadu but throughout India that Dalits suffer from illegal land-grabbing activities. My mother, along with her eight siblings and parents, lived in the slums of Greams Road in Thousand Lights, a locality in central Chennai. Many from the family, including my 75-year-old grandmother, still live there. Despite my family having lived there for a hundred years and having raised it to three floors, the land still has no patta. It is considered to be porombokku land by the government. The house has seen five generations of Dalits and has produced two generations of arts and science graduates, an MBA graduate, four engineers, an architect, a PhD scholar, an insurance company manager, a journalist and a social activist. This house is shelter to 40 individuals, which is 13 Dalit families: yet it has no patta. In fact, no house in the area has patta despite having many generations of families living in them for more than 100 years. This brings me to the recent controversy that Pa Ranjith finds himself in. My only problem is: what is this controversy about? Land rights have been denied to Dalits for centuries. And how does a system, like caste, which ubiquitously exists in the Indian subcontinent in the 21st century, disappear from the Chola kingdom from the 13th century? I always imagined that those who claimed Tamil Nadu to be an example of a casteless state were in the post-Periyar utopia of 20th century. I never once thought that their imagination dated as far back as the 13th century. This also reminds us of the ongoing slum resettlement fiasco in Chennai. Thousands of families were relocated out of their homes across Chennai. Some of these spaces are being turned into parks and parking spaces for institutions. It didnt affect us until a few of our own families were thrown out of Thideer Nagar, a locality which is adjacent to my area. In December 2017, around 3,000 families from our area along the Cooum river were evacuated overnight. The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) followed no protocols in this process. We stood helpless, watching our people thrown into lorries like garbage and taken away from their lands. One of the families is my grandmothers own sister. Incidentally, TNSCB was established by the DMK government in 2007. Since then, it has been used as a political tool by both the Dravidian parties to make gains from the Dalit vote bank in Chennai slums. It's important to note here that like most of the families in my area (story of every other slum in Chennai), my family too was and are patrons of Dravidian ideology. Mine are hardcore DMK supporters. The party has a strong foothold in the Thousand Lights constituency where our slum is located. Even though Thideernagar was a recognised slum under the Tamil Nadu Slum Areas Act 1971, and it was inaugurated by DMKs own MK Stalin in 2017 during his term as mayor, DMK not being in power was cited as the reason for the party to have not raised their voice against this inhumane act. When former chief minister M Karunanidhi died, it was not difficult for the party to find a resting spot for him near the beach, even though they were not in power. In fact, it is the first time that a non-sitting chief minister was allowed to be buried in the Marina beach. It is not just in Tamil Nadu but throughout India that Dalits suffer from illegal land-grabbing activities. The special case of Tamil Nadu is that even though the so-called Dalit-friendly Dravidian parties ruled the state, they did not take any step in this regard to make things better. In fact, it has only become worse, as seen in the case of Thideernagar evacuation. Dalits in Tamil Nadu are very different from the rest of India, yes, but they are in no better situation than them. Since 1999, the Tamil Nadu government under its various Dravidian parties' rule has evacuated around 52,268 families (2,00,000 people) from slums to localities on the periphery of Chennai such as Perumbakkam and Kannagi Nagar. DMK was in power in the state for two terms during this period. Since the last three years, 71,268 families consisting of about 2,62,614 people are in the process of being evicted from regions surrounding Buckingham Canal, Kooum River and certain areas in Adyar. So far, 13,000 families have been forcefully moved. On 8 February, it was decided in the Legislative Assembly that 38,000 more families will be evacuated from the Buckingham Canal slums in the coming few years. Will this too happen right under the nose of the DMK? Name of water body around which the slums are located Number of families to be evicted Number of persons to be evicted Adyar 9246 31876 Buckingham canal West 10685 37634 Buckingham canal Central 10479 39550 Buckingham canal East 22564 84664 Otteri nalla 4659 18701 Kooum 13635 50189 TOTAL 71268 2,62,614 Around 51 percent of these families (36,493 people) belong to the SC/ST communities. This is the Dalit's problem of today. We have clearly understood the fluid nature of land-holding for a Dalit in India whether it is for the poorest of poor Dalits or a middle class family of Dalits like us. Instead of accusing Pa Ranjith of what he did or did not say, its high time to understand the underlying truth of matters. Ranjith makes a very valid point about Panchami lands but everyone is busy lamenting about his criticism on Rajaraja Cholan. It is a well-known fact that according to the GO 1010/1010A issued by the British government in 1892, around 12 lakh acres of land from the Madras Presidency was to be distributed to landless Dalits. This later came to be known as Panchami lands. It is no secret that recorded 3.5 lakh acres are with non-Dalits. These numbers need to be checked, verified and updated. Necessary action should be taken in this regard. This is not about Tamil Nadu or Dravidian politics or Rajaraja Cholan but about the landlessness of Dalit communities wherever they are. Being Tamil does not change the status of a Dalit. Everywhere Hinduism exists, caste survives. I believe in India, no king is an exception to this rule. Ranjith has given us all the opportunity to ponder upon these issues by constantly raising the pertinent question of land. What does it take to make people understand the weakness in your knees that you feel when you know that the JCB is going to hit your house next, especially when you have still not cleared out most of your familys photos nailed to its walls? I went to Perumbakkam to see how the families were doing there. We all know and have heard of the numerous defects in the relocation settlements. But what hit me hard was seeing the people whose voices used to reach at least 70 decibels back home talking in hushed voices for fear of the police raids. A statement made by Asha Kowtal of All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) comes to mind: What do we have that we can call our own? We dont have land, we dont have property. But this small space around Ambedkars statue is something that we can call our own. Sometimes, even that is caged away. Such is the acute thirst for land among Dalit communities. It is foolish to say otherwise. (The author is a filmmaker and journalist from Tamil Nadu.) The Delhi health department has nearly halved its target of setting up these dispensaries, called mohalla (community) clinics. Dr VS Chauhan and two of his assistants sit a little awkwardly amid a pile of medicines. They are there to treat the nearly 150 patients who visit the Delhi government-run clinic in Jangpura every day. The dispensary opens at 8 in the morning and shuts down at 2 pm, making available for us more than 200 diagnostic tests and over 100 medicines, said Sandhya Choudhury, who visited the health centre for the treatment of her ailing child. But not every neighbourhood in the national capital is as fortunate as Jangpura, because the Delhi health department has nearly halved its target of setting up these dispensaries, called Mohalla (community) Clinics. In its flagship programme launched in 2015, the citys ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) promised 1,000 such medical centres across the capital for its nearly two crore residents, mainly the poor, apart from a sizeable floating population. However, scarcity of land has forced the Delhi government to scale down the number to 530, say sources in the health department. Since Delhi is not a full-fledged state, the Delhi government does not own land the way the states do. So, the health department had to confine the project to the limited land resources the government has, said a source in the health department on condition of anonymity. The aim of opening these dispensaries, officially known as the Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, was to provide free basic treatment, diagnosis and medication facilities in every neighbourhood of the capital. The project was seen as a turning point in Delhis healthcare sector. One of the main reasons why the scheme assumed importance was because it was expected to reduce the inflow of patients to the governments creaky hospital system. Because of the weak primary healthcare infrastructure in the capital, a majority of the patients with minor illnesses too flock to the around 37 referral hospitals and 23 polyclinics in the city. Dr Sunil Kumar, medical superintendent of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, a Delhi government health facility, explained the mounting pressure on the 1,500-bed institute. On a daily basis, 250 people are admitted to the hospital through the outpatient department (OPD). From the emergency department, about 50 patients are admitted every day. On top of this, 9,000 patients come to the OPD daily. In the emergency department, about 2,000 patients are seen every day. The abundance of free healthcare with diagnostic facility at the neighbourhood level would have also meant that primary medical protection, which is not covered by insurance, would get taken care of by the Mohalla Clinics, as treatment in these facilities is free for everyone. The Jangpura clinic, established in 2016, was one of the first of its kind. Renu Sharma, 40, a resident of the area, told Firstpost that she often has to visit the Mohalla Clinic in her neighbourhood and is satisfied with the service. I grew up as a stunted child and, so, frequently suffer from various ailments. Whenever Ive visited the clinic, I have never returned without treatment or medicines. Delhi government has no dearth of funds to open more Mohalla Clinics as the yearly budgets run into surplus of several thousand crores the amount was Rs 5,900 crore in the previous budget. But, due to lack of land, the health department had to turn down demands submitted by citizens to open these dispensaries in their localities. We have limited our Mohalla Clinic projects to only lands owned by the Delhi Jal Board and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, as both these bodies come under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government. We are, at present, not proceeding with the project to areas where the Delhi government has no stake on land, said Vijender Garg, an AAP MLA and a member of the Delhi Assembly standing committee on health. Kalkaji and Sriniwaspuri in south Delhi are two areas where Mohalla Clinics were proposed, based on public demand, but the projects could not materialise. Both the areas do not have a Delhi government dispensary and people have to travel long distances to avail treatment. We demanded two Mohalla Clinics but there was no land to establish them, said Raj Kumar, an Aam Aadmi Party volunteer. Previously, there was a provision to open such clinics in rented homes, but the government has done away with that policy, said Somnath Bharti, an AAP MLA. The government is now determined to build only permanent institutions and not temporary ones. So, we are only focussing on the projects to be built on Delhi government land. Opening the first Mohalla Clinic at Peera Garhi in west Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced in 2015 the aim of setting up 1,000 such facilities across the city within a year. However, by the end of the 2018-19 fiscal, the number of these dispensaries was only 191. Vijender Garg said Delhi would have 530 Mohalla Clinics within this year. TS ICET 2019 Result declared: Kakatiya University releases the result of Telangana State Integrated Common Entrance Test (TS ICET) 2019 on its official website today (Friday, 14 June) on official website icet.tsche.ac.in TS ICET 2019 Result declared | Kakatiya University released the result of Telangana State Integrated Common Entrance Test (TS ICET) 2019 on its official website today (Friday, 14 June). Candidates who had appeared for the TS ICET 2019 can visit the official website of Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) at icet.tsche.ac.in to check their score and rank. Students can also check their results on manabadi.co.in TS ICET 2019 exam was held on 23 and 24 May, 2019 across various centres in the state. Last year the results were declared on 13 June. Steps to check TS ICET result 2019: Step 1: Visit the official website of TSCHE at icet.tsche.ac.in Step 2: On the homepage click on the link which says TS ICET result 2019 Step 3: On the new result page enter your TS ICET 2019 registration number and date of birth Step 4: Your TS ICET result 2019 will appear on the screen Step 5: Download and take a print out of your TS ICET 2019 result for future reference. TS ICET 2019 was held for candidates who wish to take admission into MBA and MCA courses of all the universities in Telangana state and their affiliated colleges for the academic year 2019-20. The test was conducted by Kakatiya University, Warangal on behalf of Telangana State Council of Higher Education, Hyderabad. With more doctors threatening to resign unless security is beefed up for them despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees warning of action if they fail to get back to work it seems the situation is headed for a point of no return. Three hundred and counting; the mass resignation of doctors in West Bengal has thrown the state healthcare system into a tailspin. With more doctors threatening to resign unless security is beefed up for them despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees warning of action if they fail to get back to work it seems the situation is headed for a point of no return. The protests began after several junior doctors were thrashed by a 200-odd mob in NRS Medical College and Hospital, when an 85-year-old patient died on Monday, apparently due to medical negligence. The situation deteriorated further on Friday, with doctors from the citys NRS, IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Calcutta Medical College, and RG Kar Medical College putting in their papers. Several hundred doctors might also follow them. From AIIMS to Gandhi Medical College in Secunderabad to KEM in Mumbai, doctors across the country have joined the protests. The issue now seems to have blown up beyond a simple matter of security and safety, into one of lack of faith in the administrative process and in the West Bengal government's unwillingness to address their fears. We will all resign. We are not intimidated by threats of flunking in exams or being jobless, a protesting junior doctor from Calcutta Medical College said, on the condition of anonymity. Doctors in Delhi want the general public to view it as a spontaneous, non-political movement against the forces that threaten to destroy the doctor-patient trust, which affects the general fabric of the society. The series of attacks against us is creating a sense of mistrust along with a depression in the morale and a healthy sense of community between different sections of the society, said Anirban Hom Choudhuri, a professor at department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care at GIPMER. What is perhaps more ominous for the West Bengal government is the willingness of the doctors to continue their agitation despite Mamatas threat on Thursday of invoking ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act). This is an outburst of accumulating grievances and anger precipitated due to long-time negligence of safety and security that the doctors have been demanding, said political analyst Moidul Islam. He felt that recent poll reverses of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) have emboldened the Bengal doctors to take to the streets, as they feel that the government is no longer in a position to browbeat or intimidate them, as the party is loosening its grip on the state. Biswanath Chakraborty, a professor at Department of Political Science in Rabindra Bharati University, blamed the politicisation of the states healthcare system through Rogi Kalyan Samiti for the doctors resentment. We had seen a similar political control by the Left Front government over every arm of executive functioning including healthcare in West Bengal. But Mamata Banerjee, instead of de-politicising the segment, has further added to the already existing woes by continuing with party control, Chakraborty said. There is a yawning gap between demand for healthcare and availability of doctors and infrastructure in hospitals and healthcare, he pointed out. Trinamool party leaders, on the other hand, are blaming the doctors for taking a stubborn stance. On Thursday, Mamata had added fuel to fire by branding the striking doctors as outsiders and attributing a political motive to the strike, at a time when the protesters were looking for some kind of assurance from the chief minister. They have now dug in their heels, as evidenced by Fridays resignations. There have been discordant voices even within the TMC, with Shabba Hakim the daughter of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim also a medical practitioner, siding with the protesters and declaring that she is deeply ashamed about the inaction of the Trinamool leadership. The chief ministers nephew, Abesh, led a march of junior doctors from KPC Medical College in Jadavpur to NRS Medical College, the seat of protest, to show solidarity with the doctors there. Mamata skirted controversy and referred to Abesh and Shabba as children dictated by emotion, but their actions must surely have caused unease in the party, even as Opposition leaders jubilantly declared that the firebrand leader was losing her grip over the party and the administration. Signs are ominous for the Trinamool that the state is in urgent need of medical attention. In the recent Lok Sabha election, the Trinamool trailed in 40 seats out of the total 42 in postal ballots a sign that not only are government employees unhappy, they were showing their resentment at the hustings. Officials are aggrieved about their pending dearness allowance, the long delay in implementing the commission report and above all, the manner in which the diktats of party leaders determine their day in rural Bengal. Battling with a near-lockdown of several healthcare facilities in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee now faces dissent from within her home. Battling with a near-lockdown of several healthcare facilities in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee now faces dissent from within her home. The daughter of one of Mamata's key aide and a minister in her cabinet, along with her own nephew have criticised the West Bengal government's handling of the junior doctors' strike. The medicos have been protesting since Monday when two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata by a mob following the death of a patient. Kolkata Mayor and West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim's daughter, a doctor, has come up with strong criticism of Mamata's handling of the ongoing doctors' strike and said medicos have the right to "peaceful protest" and "safety at work. In a Facebook post, Shabba Hakim asked people to question why "goons were still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors". "As a TMC supporter I am deeply ashamed at the inaction and the silence of our leader," Shabba said on the social networking site close to Wednesday-Thursday midnight. Till then Mamata had remained silent on the issue. "For those saying "Ono Rugider ki dosh?" (what is the fault of the other patients) Sabba suggested they should question the government as in why the police officers posted in government hospitals do little to nothing to protect doctors? Please question them that when 2 truckload of goons showed up why wasn't back up sent immediately?" Hakim asked. Apart from Shabba, Mamatas nephew Abesh son of the chief ministers brother Kartick was one of those who led a march by a team of junior doctors from KPC Medical College and Hospital in Jadavpur towards NRS Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday, The Telegraph reported. Abesh is a student of KPC Medical College, from where Shabba has graduated. When Mamata was asked by vernacular channels to react to these comments, she said: "Dont ask me these personal questions. They are children. Children get emotional. They do things on the basis of those emotions. They can. Please dont drag me down to the level of criticising children. Let them." Meanwhile, the controversy has snowballed into an emotive issue for medicos nationwide. The hashtag #Savethedoctors was trending on Twitter with people from far and wide corners also expressing solidarity with the West Bengal doctors. If today you're quiet on the atrocities being committed on young doctors in Bengal, tomorrow it will be other professionals at the receiving end. Maybe your own brothers, sisters and children will face govt sponsored atrocities. We all are citizens of India #SaveTheDoctors The Bad Doctor (@DOCTORATLARGE) June 13, 2019 Make these governments kneel down.. Let people face 1% of what we face everyday.. Stand for Dignity and solidarity.. Be firm , Be united, keep fighting.#Savethedoctors #IstandwithNRS pic.twitter.com/AIpSIVAbsr Dr Amar Jain (@AmarDoc6) June 14, 2019 Today PGI Chandigarh AlIMS Delhi, Patna, Raipur Vardhaman Mahavir Hospital Safdarjung, MAMC, IMS BHU, JIPMER, SGPGI Lucknow with many state medical colleges will go on complete shutdown of work (except emergency )@narendramodi @MamataOfficial @ndtv @ZeeNews #Savethedoctors Vikeerna Bharti (@Vikeerna) June 14, 2019 There was high drama as the chief minister reached the state-run SSKM hospital here at around noon amid slogans of "we want justice" by the doctors. "I condemn the agitation. The junior doctors' strike is a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP," Mamata, who also holds the health and family welfare portfolio, said and directed the police to clear the premises and only allow patients to stay. Stating that patients were suffering, she gave the doctors a four-hour deadline to rejoin service, but later revised it to 2 pm. Warning of strict action against those who do not resume work, she said they will have to vacate hostels. Despite Banerjee's ultimatum, the agitating doctors continued their stir. A joint platform of doctors met Governor KN Tripathi, who appealed them to resume duties. Meanwhile, doctors in the state were infuriated after Mamata's tough stance. Hindustan Times reported that as many as 18 doctors of the general medicine department of the College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital had offered to resign, saying it had become impossible to run services in the absence of junior doctors. Likewise, the principal and the medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal (MSVP) of the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College have also stepped down in solidarity with the junior doctors' agitation. The India Medical Association has declared "All India Protest Day" on Friday against the incident and expressed solidarity with the striking doctors. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outpatient facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a large number of private medical facilities in the state due to the strike. Reports said that at least three people have died in the state, with their kin blaming it on the unavailability of doctors. Union Heath Minister Harsh Vardhan condemned the violence against doctors in Kolkata and urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. He said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with all chief ministers and asked the doctors to ensure that essential services to the people are not disrupted. With inputs from PTI Amitav Ghosh, who recently won the Jnanpith Award, talks about the themes in his latest book Gun Island, the link between human and animal modes of communication and technology's potential to function as witchcraft Amitav Ghosh received the Jnanpith award earlier this week, becoming the first writer of English literature to win Indias most prestigious literary prize. Its fitting, therefore, that his latest novel Gun Island is a bit of a 'greatest hits' package, a convergence of themes and motifs that mark his previous work climate change (The Great Derangement), xenophobia/political violence (The Shadow Lines), the unlikely symbiosis of science and witchcraft (The Calcutta Chromosome) and even a splash of maritime history (The Ibis Trilogy). While Gun Island does revisit characters and scenes from The Hungry Tide (most notably Piyali, the Bengali-American marine biologist) this is a very different book its pace is frenetic, its digressions (as per usual for Ghosh, these range from etymological segues to riffs on oceanography) as thrilling as the action they tear us away from. The narrator, Dinanath Dutta (Deen) becomes obsessed with the story of the Bonduki Sadagar or Gun Merchant, a Sunderbans legend that has its own shrine. Shortly after his eventful first encounter at the shrine, Deen finds himself questioning the origins and the true nature of this legend and whether it continues to influence modern-day events (especially migration patterns) in a trans-continental investigation spanning Venice, Los Angeles, Bangladesh and beyond. I caught up with Ghosh ahead of the books Delhi launch. The following are excerpts from the interview. In your last book, The Great Derangement, you describe pre-modern novels as narratives that leap from exceptional event to exceptional event. And here we are, with Gun Island, a book that contains cyclones and tornadoes, freak attacks by poisonous snakes/spiders, and even a scene involving bioluminescence. Were you, perhaps, consciously channelising some of that pre-modern narrative technique? I think more than something that I was consciously trying to do, its something that I no longer actively avoid, you know? I think theres really no justification today for trying to hide that aspect of writing fiction. I guess you can say that I am finally able to embrace that method of narration. When Deen meets the teenaged Tipu for the first time, hes awed and I think, a little bit afraid of the boys felicity with computers, his ability to access seemingly any data he wants. Its a reversal of the boy-meets-old-wizard trope; Tipu even says, The internet is the migrants magic carpet. Could you talk me through this theme, of technology-as-magic-trick (Im reminded here of Arthur C Clarkes line about advanced technology being practically indistinguishable from magic)? The character of Deen is, of course, from a previous generation for whom all this technology (smartphones and so on) is new. Im sure youve had this experience as well Tipu belongs to a generation that has grown up with it [new tech] and has experienced it so much that its second nature to them. The really interesting thing about this technology is that it has completely changed all of the parameters that we used to think of as belonging to technology, you know? When I was a kid, or in my 20s and 30s, we had this idea that in order to be conversant with technology, one had to grow up in a technologically advanced country that is no longer the case now. You can now grow up anywhere and master this technology. Unlike, say, the 90s, the Microsoft era, when I was growing up. Exactly. It has completely upended things. You read all of these statistics these days South Asia and Africa have far greater social media usage than a lot of countries in the West. Internet penetration is greater, cellphone networks are extended. Bangladesh has better educational figures than India and so its cellphone usage is much higher, among the highest in the world. So thats one aspect of it. The other aspect is what Arthur C Clarke said, the magic part of it, and I think he was right. Its true that todays technology can unleash something that I mean, you can call it magic, but you can also call it witchcraft. Think of the way in which social media can direct hate and rage, it can summon a violent mob in that sense it really does function like witchcraft. Its a very curious thing. Since youve brought up the W-word, how did you go about working the witchcraft angle into the story, especially its symbolic purposes (thinking of Arthur Miller here and how he used witchcraft to comment on McCarthyism)? In a minor episode in Gun Island, Piya tells Deen about her friend Lisa, an entomologist who warned her town about an impending forest fire, indirectly caused by bark beetles. Nobody listened and when the fire came, people accused her of setting it to gather funding for her research she has to flee for her life. Also, at a different point, Piya says that there are large gaps in our knowledge of beached whales/dolphins, that old beaching stories sound like witchcraft. Well you see this all around us now scientists being blamed, or disbelieved or persecuted. Its happened to many scientists, especially in the US. Climate change scientists, the amount of hounding they get they have received death threats, theyve been persecuted by the law, the State. And why? Just for doing their jobs, for telling you what the problem is. When you consider the scale and the frequency of this phenomenon, its so irrational and so outside of the ordinary that you have to describe it using an extreme thing like witchcraft. In the other case youre talking about, the one with the dolphins, there are so many documented instances of people communicating with animals in a way that existing science cannot explain very well. In the South Pacific island chain, especially, there are many documented cases of head shamans summoning up whales and dolphins. Theres just so much we dont know, and perhaps some things that we may never know. I think this is very important to acknowledge, the limits of our understanding. Now, I can only talk about these things within the framework of novels or fiction in general and so yeah, I do think there are things that modern-day novels have not been able to talk about very well like climate change, but also the unique problems of todays world in general. Is that why you included that monologue of Cintas where she urges Deen never to use the phrase just a story, and suggests that pre-modern modes of storytelling (oral, essentially) had a much better chance of explaining the unexplainable, so to speak? Yeah, its actually true, people in the 17th century would never say something like its just a story, thats a modern thing to do. And stories are, of course, not just stories. If you think about the Ramleela, the way people live it, I think its extraordinary. In Varanasi, certain roles are passed down from generation to generation within the same family, it ends up becoming the framing narrative of their lives. These stories, therefore, are not merely stories. Which isnt to say, of course, that we can go back to those modes of storytelling today we should look at them as resources, things that can offer us solutions for the world, you know. Also read on Firstpost 'The threat of climate change is real, and it is intensifying', says Amitav Ghosh After Deen falls in the knee-high mud several times during his first trip to the Sunderbans, hes handed his (cleaned) glasses back. His interior monologue has a very significant line here My eyeglasses were my last link to civilisation. Soon after this moment, when he sees the rebuses drawn at the shrine, he immediately thinks of asking his boatman companion Horen to fetch his phone/camera. Were these lines, in quick succession, meant to reinforce the idea of Deen as a person hopelessly embedded in modernity? Absolutely. In this respect, Deen is no different from urban Indian men. Im sure if you were to go to the Sunderbans for the first time, you would also fall. Oh, no doubt probably worse than Deen. Its just a specialised walking technique. Its such a strange feeling to walk through that mud, you know. There are all kinds of creatures sliding past you thats actually what makes Deen fall, too, the unfamiliarity of that situation. Hes someone whos used to his comforts, his gadgets. Hes a contemporary creature. And this (the Sunderbans) is like the primeval earth pulling him in, it terrifies him! Its appropriate, though, that its the animals that make him fall Gun Island is full of animal metaphors. Tipu, with his spiked hair, probing eyes and darting movements, is described as a barracuda by Deen. The traffickers Tipu works with are called jackals. In America, as you know, the word used for traffickers very often is coyote. So jackal is more or less a translation of that. But then Ive always liked to use animal metaphors, because whats the alternative? The alternative is to use metaphors rooted in commodities, which is something that contemporary American writers do a lot (and this goes back a long time) that kind of thing always made me uncomfortable, as a reader. I dont want to say, sharp as a credit card. Or queer as a three-dollar bill. Exactly. It betrays a kind of absorption into consumerist culture. I didnt want to do that, and especially not for this book. What I found fascinating, also, about the way animals are used in the book, is the suggestion that stories are perhaps a link between human and animal modes of communication and not something unique to the former. A character suggests that maybe animals talk to each other through shared stories. I think we have to concede that this is a possibility we cant rule out. Because see, why do birds migrate in a certain way? We know, also, that whales have a culture of a certain kind. We know that they can communicate with each other, they can build friendships, there are whale songs. How do you know that they dont have a narrative for what theyre doing? An easy way to shut that down is to say they cant have it, because animals dont have language, or that they migrate because of instinct. But instinct is, as ornithologists have said in the past, impossible to locate in birds. So even in birds, there is a certain level of ideation. Anyone who has worked with crows will tell you theres a great deal of ideation there. How do we know that there arent narratives that are shared in some way? We dont know how, obviously. But clearly, communication systems exist to which we are not privy. Just to flip the question around and put the onus on scientists, for once do you also think theres a certain defensiveness within the scientific community about questions like these, about animal communication? When Tipu asks Deen about Piyas bond with Rani (and wonders whether Piya, too, is a shaman), a dolphin matriarch she has known for many years, Deen tells him Scientists arent allowed to say things like that. Years ago, when I was writing The Hungry Tide, I spent a lot of time with a cetacean specialist, someone who worked with Irawaddy dolphins. Shes a wonderful person, very bright, very prudent and so on. But I observed what she would allow herself to talk about, or to imagine. There was no question of entertaining any ideation among the dolphins. The entire work was dependent firstly on the GPS, secondly on numbers. If you saw something at a particular point in the water, you note it down, location and everything. Thats it, those are the only things you are allowed to think about. I could see that she did have a rapport with certain dolphins but she didnt allow herself to probe that further. Its simply outside their methodology. Also, there are so many people outside of the scientific community who know so many things about animals lion-tamers, for example, or people who work with horses. While Ive had pets myself, I cant say I have an instinctive understanding of dogs. But some people do. You have to allow the possibility that some people can intermittently empathise, understand and yes, even communicate with animals, after a fashion. The people youre talking about here would also include characters like Horen, Fokir and Rafi, residents of the Sunderbans who live in harmony with nature (including animals) Raymond Williams called them ecosystem people and it seems to me that these are some of the most oppressed people on the planet right now. How do we go about reversing this? You know, the sad thing is, what were seeing is irreversible, at every level. And not just irreversible, its in a downward spiral in the most catastrophic ways. Ill just give you an example from India. In 2016, when The Great Derangement came out, there was a terrible drought in Bundelkhand. An alarming number of people migrated out of that region a million people would leave at a time. Now we know that its a permanent migration. Where are these people to go? The maximum they can do is go to the city, eke out a living and live, bunched up, in little boxes, which is alien to them. When you think about it, there have always been areas in India that were water-stressed. Farmers would still figure out ways to work with what little water and other resources they could get, wresting something out of that soil using methods that were unique to them and that region. You might not call it a rich life but it was a life. Now, with mass migration, weve also lost that knowledge its not just one person leaving. Its a library leaving. Because these techniques cant be taught at a university. They can only be learnt by living on the land. Its like a language dying. A Chevrolet Impala whose two occupants were at the Amstar gas station across the street from the club also was damaged in the shooting, reports said. The driver told police that he and a passenger were inside the vehicle when gunfire erupted at the club. He said bullets struck his front passenger door and shattered his window as he attempted to pull out of the station, according to reports. Girish Karnad was filmed twice by director KM Chaitanya for his documentaries on the artiste in Kannada and English. Chaitanya remembers the actor-playwright as a genius with a nose for healthy debate and dissent. Girish Karnad donned multiple hats as a playwright, actor, director, translator, screenwriter and public intellectual in a career spanning over five decades. He passed away on 10 June in his Bengaluru residence due to a degenerative lung disorder, but left behind an exhaustive body of work comprising plays, films, and scripts for posterity. In conversation with Firstpost, Kannada filmmaker KM Chaitanya who made a documentary, Nadedhu Banda Daari, on the actor-playwright says that Karnad was his pragmatic self till his last breath, accepting what was happening to his health as a matter of fact. Chaitanyas association with him goes as far back as 1996. He visited the artiste in Bengaluru only a month ago, after he "won the Amar Ujala Award for Excellence in Literature, and couldnt travel to Delhi to receive it," the filmmaker says. "So he had asked me if we could make a video of his speech and send it to them. While we were shooting it, he was very conscious about where we should cut because he was unable to make the entire speech in one go due to his health, and would be short of breath." Karnad also specified that the camera should zoom in to a close-up every time there was a cut, so as to make the transition smooth. On completing the shoot, he mentioned how his days were numbered, but that he was satisfied with having led a good life. Karnad understood the condition of his lungs, and knew he couldnt go on for much longer. He never saw it as something sad, or something you should feel sorry for, Chaitanya says. He had assisted Karnad in various capacities on numerous films, television series, and plays. With Girish, every day was a new learning, he says. Chaitanya began shooting the Kannada documentary on the Padma awardee in 2009. It was commissioned by the Information Department of Karnataka. Following this, the central Sahitya Akademi asked Chaitanya to make an English version of the same, which he began shooting in 2013-14. He shot over a span of several years and ended up with a lot of material. I shot with him in the places where he grew up, where he studied, where he went to college, and so on. Since he had told me a lot of things over the years, I thought it better to just ask leading questions and let his response become the narration of the documentary. If you watch the documentary, there is very little narration or voice-over. It is just Girish talking about himself. I just stitched the various interviews to make a cohesive whole. While shooting in Kannada, Chaitanya also filmed some portions of the English version, for which he asked renowned Kannada playwright, Vivek Shanbag, to have a free-wheeling chat with Karnad. In the documentary, he speaks about the early influences in his life: his family, particularly his mother, his hometown, securing a Rhodes scholarship to study in Oxford, his reason for studying Mathematics and how it influenced his playwriting. *** Chaitanya's father, Kannada writer K Maralasiddhappa who was friends with Karnad introduced him to the man when the filmmaker decided to move to Mumbai in 1996. During the course of the conversation, Karnad (who'd already lived in Mumbai) asked Chaitanya to assist him on the sets of Antaraal, a TV serial he was directing at the time. The first time I met him, I was very nervous because he was a powerhouse, a genius. I had seen his plays. For me, the fact that I was even in his presence was very overwhelming. But as I started working with him, I felt so comfortable and so rejuvenated in his presence all the time. There was so much to learn, Chaitanya recalls. Following that, the two worked together on more series and films, such as Swarajnama, Kaanooru Heggadathi, Aa Dinagalu, among others. Chaitanya was also credited as co-director on Karnads play, Odakalu Bimba (Bikhre Bimb in Hindi, Broken Images in English), which was incidentally the first play he directed. Although he was nearly 35-40 years older than I was, it felt like I was talking to somebody who was completely young and who could understand my attitude and my thoughts on various things. This was because he was so updated and so fresh all the time, the Kannada filmmaker says about his friend, philosopher, guide. He was always ahead of his times, and that made him the darling of youngsters. He was always encouraging them, spotting talent and pushing them forward. A lot of people looked up to him because of that. Girish Karnad, despite his stature, was always accommodative of everyones views without imposing his opinions on others. Chaitanya describes an instance from a shoot where he was assisting Karnad, when he suddenly turned to him and asked if his approach was correct. He had just begun his career in films, and understandably, nodded yes. But Karnad countered him and said that his expression suggested otherwise, urging him for honest feedback. Chaitanya then expressed what he thought was wrong, and Karnad immediately changed the shot as per his suggestions. For him, it did not matter that I was just a newbie who didnt know filmmaking. He would receive everybodys opinion if it had some substance in it. That has greatly helped how I direct because he was so democratic, he says. Every cameraman could give him suggestions, the editors could cut off something that he had shot, the actors could improvise in his presence and say, No, Ill do it this way. He would work with them. He would take in all their creative energies, and make it into one whole instead of just imposing his will on everybody else, he adds. With Karnad, there was always space for healthy debate. He maturely handled disagreements. If you didnt agree with Karnad about something, he didnt take it as an affront to him. He would try to understand where your disagreement came from. If possible, he would try to convince you about his view point. Otherwise, he would let it be. It was okay to have a difference. That is what is missing in society today and people are becoming more and more polarised because if you disagree with somebody, they want to brand you, term you something or they hate you for disagreeing with them, whereas disagreements are such a fundamental thing for human growth and evolution, the filmmaker says. Girish Karnad was undoubtedly a brilliant wordsmith. His writing was driven by his learning in mathematics, and he approached his writing in a disciplined, systematic fashion. He often likened writing to constructing a house one had to decide where the bedroom and living room would be, and one certainly knew that the kitchen would not sit next to the bathroom. Remembering Girish Karnad: Among India's literary greats, his versatility made him unique Chaitanya recalls an instance when the two were working on a film in Malnad Kannada, a dialect used in the region by the same name. Though Girish wrote the dialogues, we got another person from Malnad to write it in the regional dialect. When the copy came, I took it to him. He took a look at it and began numbering the dialogues. He wrote 1, 4, 6, 2. He then asked me to rewrite the scene in this order and bring it back, he recalls. Chaitanya didnt change a single word, but rewrote the dialogues in the order specified by his mentor. It became a fresh, completely different kind of scene. Since he was a mathematician, he looked at words like that, he explains. According to him, the man had the rare quality of not only writing beautifully, but bringing stories to life visually with equal ease as well. Girish Karnad was among the last of the great Indian playwrights from the golden age extremely well read, with great clarity of thought and well-formed ideologies. He had read the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, the Puranas, and Sanskrit literature. His plays, such as Yayati, Taledanda (Rakt Kalyan in Hindi), Agni Mattu Male (Fire and Rain in English), and Hayavadana drew on mythology and folktales to talk about contemporary issues. When he was critiquing something, and people called him anti-Hindu, I felt like laughing because he had such deep knowledge and pride in his culture and education. If he was critiquing something, it came from a point of education, from a point of knowledge, Chaitanya says, reminding one of the formidable legacy left behind by Karnad, a creative giant like no other. In Uruguay and South Africa, this wave of privatisation had devastating consequences extreme price hikes resulting in poor people losing all access to water. In the case of South Asia and Asia in general public service provision is extremely poor and the private sector has played an important role to ensure affordable service delivery, for example in Singapore. Usually, to ensure public interest, some form of balance is arrived at such as a public-private-partnership management contract. One criticism of this approach has been that the entry of private actors may make it more expensive for marginalised communities to access a resource that the public sector should provide. The reality is not so black and white. But not all decentralised solutions will do. Past experience shows that decentralised water and sanitation solutions from non-governmental organisations and charities have been unsustainable, with donors building water infrastructure and leaving, without providing beneficiaries the training or market infrastructure for upkeep. This problem is best demonstrated by the handpump crisis in Africa , where tens of thousands of boreholes in rural communities have fallen into disrepair. What the next generation of water management calls for are market-based, decentralised solutions from social enterprises. This requires moving from a charity approach of giving free or subsidized water to people, towards enabling them to invest for themselves to ensure sustainability. Given this context, there have been increasing calls for decentralised solutions to address inequities in access to water. Decentralised water systems complement traditional centralised ones in meeting not just the interim needs of urban slums, but the needs of scattered villages too, where centralised systems are not viable. Part of the reason for this is that cost per capita of constructing traditional water systems is higher in rural areas, given the smaller population scattered over a large area. This leads to high operating costs to be recovered by fewer users. Decentralised systems solve this problem, because they are low-cost yet adaptable. These systems can be expanded into fully centralised ones as communities grow, without locking in too much capital. Moreover, such systems allow for innovation while also providing income opportunities locally. Water management is arriving, if it has not already, at a crossroads where long-established and successful approaches are deemed inadequate in meeting the ambitious Sustainable Development Goal targets. Large-scale, centralised infrastructure, which was the hallmark approach to water management in the last two centuries, has certainly allowed us to make great progress in urban water supply access, but progress on rural water supply lags behind. In South Asia, around 206 million people lacked access to basic drinking water in 2015. Of these, 81 percent lived in rural areas. Addressing this inequitable access to water supply services will be at the heart of water management for the future. As the public sector struggles to provide water in South Asia, a bustling start-up industry is stepping in, but these entrepreneurs need to understand the complexity of what they are addressing. For decentralised projects, local governments in many South Asian countries still largely do not have the ability to maintain their own budget or deliver services. This means that they are unlikely to invest in solutions, or be motivated to maintain existing solutions. When the local governments fail to provide solutions, many good but some exploitative solutions will appear from the private sector. It is not wrong for the private sector to provide public services for which there is demand, nor is it wrong for them to charge for this. However, a better model is one where a balance is struck and the private sector innovates and operates, while the public sector oversees to ensure public interest is maintained. A surge of entrepreneurship This is the perfect time to explore such a balance. We live in times when impact investors and tech philanthropists are keen to invest in entrepreneurial solutions to meet the most pressing issues like water. In South Asia alone, there has been a surge in social enterprises in the past decade, many of which are working on water a resource that for long was exclusively managed by the government. India, in particular, has been a breeding ground for innovation, with many local businesses demonstrating success across the water supply delivery chain. Online apps such as TrolleyFresh are becoming commonplace in urban centres as they deliver drinking water to customers at their preferred time and place. Water kiosk franchises such as WaterWalla are helping entrepreneurs in Mumbai and Dharavi establish micro-businesses to sell and distribute water by giving them a storefront, marketing assistance and access to technology. Other start-ups like NextDrop are using mobile phones to collect real-time water delivery data to ensure transparency and enhance utility performance. India is not the only country demonstrating innovation in the water sector. In Bangladesh, micro-franchise enterprises like Drinkwell provide local entrepreneurs with low-cost technology that removes arsenic and fluoride from water, so that these entrepreneurs not only have a livelihood for themselves but are able to provide clean water to nearly 200,000 villages in rural Bangladesh. But are these enterprises the exceptions? And can these innovations really solve South Asias water woes? While there is hype around these enterprises especially those using mobile technologies, given South Asias Information Technology boom there is also doubt from the public sector on whether such enterprises can really understand the depth of the problem and deliver on their ambitious goals. Such doubts exist for good reason because managing sectors like water require an understanding of the entire institutional, legal and political systems that surrounds it. In South Asia, in particular, it is often not the lack of infrastructure or technology that is the largest hurdle in providing access to water it is the more parochial and political issues. Take the example of Xyla Water, a start-up born out of an acceleration program in Norway but with most of its operations in Lahore. The startup aimed to provide low-cost, low-energy filters to poor communities in Pakistan, and received significant support and grants to develop its business. Ultimately though, the start-up failed to deliver. One reason was that it put too much focus on product development, but very little on determining the appropriate market, business model or service delivery chain for disseminating the filters. Moreover, the team was not only scattered across the globe but had little knowledge of the water landscape within Pakistan. After all, while filters can purify water and remove pathogens, they still have to be part of a combined solution that looks at the cause of the problem, which could have more to do with sourcing and distribution of water, or sometimes perverse policies. Xylas story is not unique. Many start-ups suffer from this dilemma: they tend to be too focused on developing a solution, be it a technology or product, rather than understanding the actual problem itself and determining the appropriate solutions that would address that problem. Then, there is the story of Sukoon Water, a social enterprise founded and recently ended by Stanford-graduate Rehan Adamjee, as penned in his start-up postmortem post. After graduation, Rehan had returned to Pakistan filled with the drive to fix a social problem in his case, to provide access to clean water free from faecal contamination in Shirin Jinnah Colony in Karachi. Though his enterprise showed promise and growth early on, it could not reach a level of sustainability to continue operations. After a few years, his market had plateaued to a few households educated enough to know the value of buying clean water; the remainder continued using contaminated water sources. The enterprise thus failed to grow because it operated on a false assumption of expected behaviour change from consumers. Moreover, as Rehan began to understand the depth and scale of the water challenges in Karachi, he began to feel that his work began to not only feel small, it began to almost feel irresponsible and irrelevant. Embracing failure Rehans story, however, can be seen as a success, because he realised that for his enterprise to really succeed, not only did the business model need to be sustainable, but that it should address the actual root of the problem. This is the start of building better, sustainable enterprises. Yes, entrepreneurs in Pakistan and overall South Asia have a long way to go in addressing water challenges. But like start-ups in any other sector, water start-ups will need to fail first (and perhaps multiple times) before they learn how to build sustainable business models that can work independent of grants and subsidies. They will need to focus on designing solutions to actual problems, not just glamorous solutions that win recognition. Sometimes, that could also mean working without the support of foreign grants, which can be easy to get hold of in low-income countries, but only skew perceptions of long-term financial sustainability. The responsibility lies on the shoulders of the public sector as well. For local entrepreneurs to really deliver impactful solutions, governments need to not only engage with big business but support and encourage young entrepreneurs, many of whom are oblivious to issues like water. They also need to equip businesses with the necessary data and knowledge about the sector to develop relevant solutions. In the end, what works in the water sector is a grounded business model that fits within the legal and institutional framework, addresses a problem, has an existing market and can work with the government to provide an integrated solution. Laila Kasuri is a Water Investment and Policy Solutions Analyst with the Global Green Growth Institute based in Seoul. Prior to joining GGGI, she was Faculty Associate at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), and consulting the World Bank as part of the South Asia Water Initiative (SAWI). The Third Pole is a multilingual platform dedicated to promoting information and discussion about the Himalayan watershed and the rivers that originate there. This report was originally published on thethirdpole.net and has been reproduced here with permission. *** Banner image: Private water tanker operators supply water to households to fill the gap left by the public distribution system. Photo by Abhaya Raj Joshi After the latest crisis, Rahul's ability to transform his leadership into a diktat-issuing authority, as his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once personified, is in doubt. The assertion within the Congress, this time around, is not coming from a Gandhi family member, but from regional satraps whom Rahul has not been able to control. It is a matter of curiosity whether Congress party stalwarts are aware of new research in the field of history which suggests that contrary to popular belief, the Roman emperor Nero was not playing his fiddle while Rome burned. In fact, the new claim is that Nero was not even in Rome on 18 July 64 AD, the day it burned down. There is an amusing parallel between a Congress party after its second consecutive Lok Sabha rout and the Roman Empire of yore: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is missing in action. Presumably, he is in London, sticking to his offer to resign from his post. In the meantime, the party's leaders have started talking about collective leadership as a new model to run the Congress. At stake is whether the Congress can revive in time for Assembly elections, due soon in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand. The electoral battle will shift to Delhi and Bihar next year. This means it has to settle the question of what 'collective' rule means. Considering Rahul himself has been spearheading internal reforms since 2011, which promised transparency and accountability, the question remains whether the Congress chief will be part of this collective rule. After the latest crisis, Rahul's ability to transform his leadership into a diktat-issuing authority, as his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once personified, is in doubt. The assertion within the Congress, this time around, is not coming from a Gandhi family member, but from regional satraps whom Rahul has not been able to control. In 1966, when Indira became the Prime Minister after Lal Bahadur Shastri, many Congress leaders were under the impression that she is a mere gungi gudiya or a dumb doll. Yet, Indira asserted herself, to the surprise of veteran Congress leaders including K Kamaraj and Morarji Desai. Her assertion was such that in 1969 the party split into the Congress (O) or Organisation led by the disgruntled satraps and Congress (R) or Requisitionists, led by Indira. Today, a similar challenge lies before Rahul, but with an important distinction: The Congress is no longer in power nor within striking distance of it. Of late, some Congress leaders, such as Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, have affirmed their powerful position in the party. Right after having done well in the Lok Sabha election, Amarinder changed the portfolios of Rahul loyalist Navjot Singh Sidhu. Sidhu has perceived the reallocation of work as a demotion. Therefore, in Punjab, Sidhu is chafing about collective leadership, not Amarinder. It is Sidhu who has been asking whether collective decision-making really exists within the state Congress unit. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath has struck an independent line as he tries to ensure that his government does not topple. First, he had sought an appointment with Rahul along with his son, Nakul, the newly-elected Member of Parliament from Chhindwara. After Rahul refused to meet them, Nath took his son to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This sent a signal that the regional leaders will forge their own survival strategy. The more the party High Command weakens, the longer Rahul takes to decide his course of action, the more this crisis will deepen. In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, three states the Congress recently won Assembly polls in, the news suggests that factional fights are the primary preoccupation of Congress leaders: It is Sachin Pilot versus Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan; Jyotiraditya Scindia versus Digvijaya Singh versus Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh and so on. Twelve of 18 Congress MLAs in Telangana also migrated to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. In some sense, this crisis is long in the making. After the February 2017 Assembly elections in Goa, the Congress needed the support of four additional winning candidates in order to form the government. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) needed eight. Yet, while Congress satraps bickered over who will be the chief minister, Rahul did notor could notpick a candidate. The BJP, acting quickly, forged alliances and came to power. Similarly, factions arose in Karnataka after the Assembly elections, and the central leadership has barely managed to control the jostling. Today, the Congress satraps support the idea of collective leadership but can a weak central leadership ever become the source of a strong collective force. For example, through the election campaign, voices from within the Congress had warned Rahul that his harping on the Rafale deal was not resonating with ordinary voters. With a significantly weaker Congress today than ever before, Rahul recognises that chief ministers and state leaders will insist on calling the shots in their own territories. Should he try to assert himself at the moment, he could face much worse, even outright rebellion. Therefore, it is his compulsion, arising from his weakness, to simply offer to resign. This is his way of attempting to craft a scenario where regional leaders, after failing to agree on a consensus candidate as his replacement, will come to him and request him to take the party reins. In turn, he will demand that they accept his authority and his decisions. There are other reasons why a collective leadership plan does not sit well with the Congress. Ever since the 1980s, except twice, a Gandhi family member has been the president, and therefore, the fulcrum of the party. Even today, if one of the Gandhis becomes a member of the collective leadership team, he or she will become the final arbiter of all disputes. He or she will dominate the discourse and strategy. The Congress had been down the route of functioning without the Gandhis earlier. For instance, Sonia Gandhi, after the assassination of Rajiv, kept out of politics for a few years. She was cajoled and pressured into leading the party, which did return to power in 2004. Even earlier, Narasimha Rao's term as the Prime Minister did try to keep her happy on all counts though she was not formally in politics and a section of the party invoked her name to leave the party including ND Tiwari and Arjun Singh, two leaders of the Congress left the party. Even Manmohan Singh as prime minister had to try hard to maintain a distance from Sonia Gandhi and this was not always possible. In fact, signals from the party do not suggest that the Gandhis are about to adopt a new or different political direction. Earlier this week Rahuls sister Priyanka was in Raebareli, the seat their mother Sonia is Member of Parliament from. There, Priyanka lashed out at party workers for her brothers humiliating defeat from the neighbouring Amethi Lok Sabha seat. She said she would soon identify those in the Congress who did not work for the party. It is evidence that the Gandhis will remain invested in politics. Call it the curse of being a Gandhi, but, really, Rahul has no middle ground or choice. He either has to lead from the front or retire from politics. He cant be just another member in the collective leadership team, for he will invariably become its de facto head. Indian National Congress on Thursday reiterated that its President Rahul Gandhi will continue to lead the party. New Delhi: Indian National Congress on Thursday reiterated that its president Rahul Gandhi will continue to lead the party even as the Gandhi scion remains firm on his decision to step down from the post after the party's humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. "I will not say anything more than what my party said earlier. Take this as my repetition, adoption, endorsement and reaffirmation of Shri Surjewala's statement made on Wednesday," senior party leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said when he was asked to clear the air over Rahul's presidency. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had on Wednesday asserted that Gandhi will remain on the helm of the Congress party. "He was, is and will remain as the President of the Indian National Congress," he had stated. The statement came in the backdrop of several party, state and district units passing a resolution, urging Rahul Gandhi to continue with his post. Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders on Wednesday informally met to take stock of the political situation in absence of members of the Gandhi family. According to sources, the Congress party is in dilemma as to who will take over and lead the party as Gandhi is insistent that a new person is searched for the job. Rahul Gandhi had offered to resign from his post at the Congress Working Committee meeting in May, taking moral responsibility of the party's drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections. Gandhi has kept himself aloof after offering resignation and met only a handful of party leaders including the party treasurer Ahmed Patel, NCP chief Sharad Pawar besides meeting a Chinese delegation at Sonia Gandhi's residence last week. Congress put a poor show in the Lok Sabha polls by winning just 52 seats, while the ruling BJP again came to power with 303 seats. The BJP demanded the resignation of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee from her Home and Health portfolios and sought the intervention of Governor KN Tripathi to resolve the crisis Kolkata: The BJP demanded the immediate resignation of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee from her home and health portfolios and sought the intervention of Governor KN Tripathi to resolve the impasse in the state's health sector which continued for the fourth day on Friday. "The governor should talk to the chief minister immediately and exercise his power as constitutional head of the state to resolve the impasse and restore peace," senior BJP leader Mukul Roy told reporters after meeting the Tripathi at Raj Bhavan here in the evening. Roy, who headed the BJP delegation to the governor, said the TMC has unleashed a "reign of terror" in the state, which has resulted in restlessness in all walks of life. Roy claimed restlessness also prevailed across the state, from Darjeeling to the Jangalmahal and from north Bengal to south Bengal. "The chief minister should leave her ego and arrogance and resolve the stalemate immediately in the interest of the people. Please don't complicate the situation further," Roy said. He also urged the governor for a permanent political solution to the problems in Darjeeling hills. "There should be a permanent political solution to the problems in Darjeeling hills for congenial atmosphere for peaceful living," the BJP leader said. Since the BJP won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat with a massive margin, the TMC goons have attacked innocent people there, making the lives of locals miserable, he alleged. With the joining of majority councillors with the BJP, the civic body in the hills have drifted towards the saffron party, he said, adding "since then the TMC goons have forced the local people to leave the hills. The Darjeeling police superintendent also helped in arresting many hill people, who were also beaten up in custody, he alleged. The terror unleashed by the TMC goons should be stopped, arrested hill people released and peace restored, the BJP demanded. Not only Darjeeling, but supporters of the opposition parties have also become the victims of the TMC's atrocities and a woman BJP supporter was hacked to death at Hasnabad in North 24-Parganas district on Thursday night, Roy said while demanding immediate measures against such "state-sponsored terror" unleashed by the ruling TMC. Although the BJP establishment has relied heavily on anti-Muslim discourse to nurture its version of nationalism, the party has been able to create effective channels with Muslim communities at least at the constituency level. Indicative of a strong desire of the government to reach out, Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvis recent announcement about a few new schemes for the educational empowerment of minorities, especially for Muslims, is a positive move. Naqvis suggestion to create a link between the madrassa system and university education would certainly help many madrassa students. Similarly, the proposal to provide scholarships such as pre-matric, post-matric and merit-cum-means to more than five crore students from minority communities, including 50 percent girls, also shows that the ministry is serious about the question of Muslim backwardness. The reception of these announcements has been quite interesting. The pro-BJP commentators describe them as a reflection of Modi governments new slogan sab ka vishwas(Trust of all). It is claimed that the government would tackle Muslim backwardness on purely egalitarian terms to achieve the development for all, and appeasement of none! However, there is a political reading of Naqvis statement as well. The proposed schemes are seen as a conscious move to assimilate the Muslim voters in what many pro-BJP intellectuals call the mainstream. It is felt that such a move would encourage Muslim voters to think about BJP in a positive manner. These conflicting responses are based on two strong assumptions. First, Naqvis announcements are entirely new and they do not have any relationship with post-2014 official policy discourse on minorities. Second, Muslims do not vote for BJP at all and that has been the reason why the party does not rely on Muslims for electoral support. These assumptions stem from the media-driven contemporary public discourse, which has established the fact that BJP and Muslims are two conflicting entities. Naqvis statement, on the other hand, is rooted in a policy perspective, which the Ministry of Minority Affairs began to work out immediately after 2014 results. Affirmative Action for Muslims 2014-19 One must remember that the BJPs 2014 manifesto talked about the Muslim backwardness as an important minority issue. It promised that the party would take concrete initiatives to modernise madrassa, provide protection to Urdu language and streamline the Waqf management. After the electoral victory in 2014, Narendra Modis BJP government did not deviate from the established policy discourse on minorities. The Ministry of Minority Affairs under Najma Heptulla recognised the Sachar Commission Report as an important reference point for all its schemes and programmes. The Modi government also published the post-Sachar Evaluation Committee Report (popularly known as Kundu Committee) in September 2014. It is worth noting that the ministry still recognises the 15-Point Programme introduced by the former prime minister Manmohan Singh for the Welfare of Minorities. The ministry also commissioned a study in 2016 to evaluate the impacts of these 15 points on minority communities, especially on Muslims. It does not mean that the BJP simply copied the UPA policy framework. The Action taken Report submitted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2018 rejected a few crucial recommendations of the Sachar Report. For example, the government did not accept the inclusion of Arzal (Dalit) Muslims into the Scheduled Caste list. Similarly, the proposal to create an all India cadre of officers for the State Waqf Boards and Central Waqf Council was also rejected. This revised and selective appropriation of Sachar Report goes well with BJPs political critique of UPAs affirmative action framework. BJP has always maintained that the purpose of caste-based-reservation is primarily to reform Hinduism. Evoking this argument, the party rejects inclusions of Muslim and Christian Dalits in the Scheduled Caste category. Yet, the Modi government 2014-19 not only recognised Muslim backwardness, at least on technical grounds but also treated the Sachar Report as a policy source. Muslim vote and BJP Although the BJP establishment has relied heavily on anti-Muslim discourse to nurture its version of nationalism, the party has been able to create effective channels with Muslim communities at least at the constituency level. This strategy has helped the party in two ways. At the discourse level, an impression is created that BJP does not need any Muslim electoral support. This Muslim-Hindu vote binary is employed by the party to consolidate its core Hindutva constituency. Nevertheless, it does not mean that the party ignores the presence of Muslims as voters at all. The informal reach-out to Muslims has helped the party to neutralise any counter political mobilisation. CSDS-Lokniti data shows that BJP did not become the first choice for Muslim voters but it has managed to become a serious option for Muslim voters in many Assembly elections that took place in the 2014-19 period. In fact, that is the reason why Muslim vote share of BJP in 2019 remained intact. The policy package announced by the minister, therefore, is an outcome of two processes: a revised policy imagination of Muslim backwardness and a politics of informal reach out. The author is an associate professor, CSDS and Author of Siyasi Muslims: A Story of Political Islams in India. Even though the Prakash Ambedkar-led VBA failed to win any seats in the Lok Sabha polls, vote share shows party may hope to open its account in the Maharashtra Assembly election While the Lok Sabha election battle in Maharashtra was primarily between the NDA and the UPA, it was also noteworthy due to political debut of the newly-formed Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. Poll data suggests that the Prakash Ambedkar-led VBA may have split the Opposition votes and indirectly ensured an NDA win in seven out of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. However, the data also suggests that the party got a significant vote share in several constituencies, which would come as good news for it in the lead-up to Assembly elections in the state. Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are likely to take place in October this year. The seats where the combined vote share of the chief Opposition party (and its allies) and the VBA would have been more than that of the NDA candidate were Buldhana, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Hatkanagale, Nanded, Parbhani, Sangli and Solapur. Each of these Lok Sabha seats have six Assembly segments, which means that the above Lok Sabha seats would cover 42 Assembly constituencies. Out of these, two seats had former chief ministers as Congress candidates, namely Ashok Chavan (Nanded) and Sushil Kumar Shinde (Solapur). Both lost the electoral battle. Notably, Chavan, who had won the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra in 2014, may have lost the 2019 polls due to a split in the Opposition's votes. Of course, it cannot be said with certainty that the NDA would have lost in all the seven Lok Sabha seats mentioned above if the VBA had not fielded a candidate, as all the votes that the latter garnered would not necessarily have gone into the UPA's kitty. This is particularly relevant for Solapur, where the combined vote share of the Congress and the VBA was 49.46 percent, only marginally ahead of the BJP's vote share of 48.41 percent. However, the split in the Opposition votes had a much clearer effect in Nanded, where the BJPs Prataprao Chikhalikar won the contest with a vote share of 43.1 percent. The combined vote share of the Congress Ashok Chavan and the VBAs Yashpal Bhinge was significantly higher, at 54.27 percent. Vote share in 2019 Lok Sabha polls in seven seats Constituency VBA Congress-NCP+ BJP-Shiv Sena Buldhana 15.41 34.69 46.59 Gadchiroli-Chimur 9.75 38.72 45.5 Hatkanagale 9.86 39.11 46.78 Nanded 14.72 39.55 43.1 Parbhani 11.97 39.65 43.02 Sangli 25.23 28.96 42.77 Solapur 15.68 33.78 48.41 In these 42 Assembly seats, the combined average vote share of the VBA (14.6 percent) and the Congress-NCP alliance (36.35 percent) during the Lok Sabha polls was 51 percent, whereas that of the Shiv Sena and BJP alliance was 45.1 percent. Keeping in mind that the Congress-NCP and the VBA were considering an alliance (and still are considering it in the lead-up to the Assembly election), it is clear that the Ambedkar-led party has a political plank that is primarily opposed to the BJP and Shiv Sena. Ambedkar, speaking to Firstpost about the results of the Lok Sabha election, said, The Congress and NCP seem to believe that the common people are slaves. They do not believe that in a democracy, all the people have a right to express their views. The people have made their verdict clear to them, and have told them that the days of monarchy are over. The Congress and NCP must change their approach. On 26 May, Ambedkar had said in a tweet, If the Congress wants to carry out discussions with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in the future, then it must do so on an equal footing. , . . Prakash Ambedkar (@Prksh_Ambedkar) May 26, 2019 Speaking on the division in the Opposition's vote share, BJP leader and spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said, "The statistics of the election results speak for themselves. The division of votes played a role in only a few seats. Therefore, a blanket statement that a divide in the Opposition camp helped the NDA would not be correct. In the state elections too, our strategy against the Congress-NCP and the VBA will be the same as it was in the Lok Sabha polls." On the whole, the VBA has reason to believe that it has emerged as a significant political player in the state of Maharashtra. Anjali Maydeo, social activist and the wife of Ambedkar, said, "The party was registered in March, and in such a short while, it managed to garner around 40 lakh votes in the state. In many constituencies, we got over 1 lakh votes. This is definitely an achievement for us. Also, in a way, we fought a peoples election'. The party workers and the candidates themselves raised money for the cause. Therefore, they had a strong emotional connect with the party, and considered it to be their own. Although we did not win any seat in the Lok Sabha polls, the party workers are not disheartened, as the focus is now on winning seats to the Vidhan Sabha." Maydeo has helped set up the women's wing of the VBA. She added, "The VBA's entry into politics is an attempt to make politics decentralised, and to ensure that diverse communities can get a share in power. We fielded candidates belonging to communities which had possibly never been able to field a candidate from amongst their own before. For instance, Vishnu Jadhav, our candidate from Beed, is from the Kaikadi community." The Kaikadi community is listed among the de-notified tribes in Maharashtra. De-notified tribes are social groups which had been branded as 'criminal tribes' under the British rule, and continue to face extreme stigmatisation and marginalisation. Speaking about the party's aims for the Maharashtra Assembly election, Maydeo said, "We will aim to win about fifty seats. We can win several seats if the votes of diverse communities can be united in favour of our candidates." The VBA had fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, which won from the Aurangabad seat. In the upcoming Assembly election, the VBA would hope to convert its vote share into seats. Whether it does so in alliance with the Congress-NCP, or fights the poll battle on its own, remains to be seen. Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid on Thursday termed the Centre's minority outreach programme as 'politically motivated' New Delhi: Former Union minister Salman Khurshid sought to downplay the Centre's minority outreach programme which includes a scholarship to minorities and modernisation of Ismalic seminaries, terming the move as "politically motivated". "Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of his speeches indicated that this is being done to somehow persuade minorities not to worry about the government and that the previous government (UPA rule) created a wrong impression about the BJP. If that is the purpose behind giving the scholarship, then it is clearly politically motivated," Khurshid told ANI on Thursday. He slammed the ruling party for questioning the UPA government when it launched many schemes in the welfare of Muslims on the Sachchar Committee's recommendations. He said, "Every government has a responsibility to treat every citizen equally. When we Sachchar Committee report, it was called appeasement. Now that BJP government is doing the same (launching programmes for Muslims), what shall it be called." The Centre recently announced that it will provide scholarship to five crore students belonging to the minority community in the next five years and modernisation of madrasas in its quest to reach out to the minority community, especially to Muslims. The announcement to modernise of madrasas is in line with Modi's plan that he laid out in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections in 2014. "Hold Quran in one hand and computer in other," Modi had said. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, named Saraswati Das, was allegedly shot dead by miscreants in Basirhat in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. The BJP has claimed that Das, a housewife, was killed by 'TMC goons'. North 24 Parganas: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, named Saraswati Das, was allegedly shot dead by miscreants in Basirhat in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. The BJP has claimed that Das, a housewife, was killed by 'TMC goons'. "Saraswati Das, BJP worker was brutally shot dead by TMC goons in Basirhat. Law and order has totally collapsed in West Bengal where no one is safe. Mamata Banerjee is also Home Minister of West Bengal," read a post on the official Twitter handle of BJP's West Bengal unit. Das played an active role for the BJP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. Reuters OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday dismissed a suggestion that Ottawa block the extradition of a top executive from China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to the United States, saying it would set a dangerous precedent. Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested on U.S. fraud charges in Vancouver last December, will challenge Washington's extradition request at hearings that are set to begin next January. China angrily demanded Canada release Meng and detained two Canadians on spying charges. It has also blocked imports of Canadian canola seed and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he fears further retaliation. The Globe and Mail newspaper on Thursday said former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien had floated the idea of the government intervening to stop the extradition case and thereby improve ties with Beijing. "When it comes to Ms Meng there has been no political interference ... and that is the right way for extradition requests to proceed," Freeland told a televised news conference in Washington. "It would be a very dangerous precedent indeed for Canada to alter its behaviour when it comes to honouring an extradition treaty in response to external pressure," she added, saying to do so could make Canadians around the world less safe. Canadian officials say they see no prospect of relations with China improving until Meng's future is resolved. Trudeau said last week he would look at whether it was "appropriate or desirable" to seek a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Japan later this month. Trudeau plans to visit Washington for talks on June 20 which will address the case of the two detained Canadians. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Tom Brown) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Chief Eddie Winters said the woman, identified by the medical examiners office as Kierra Jones, of Chicago, was shot in the 15300 block of Center Avenue after attending the post-funeral event. Reuters Alphabet Incs Google is trying to plug a surge of public scrutiny around the world by overhauling how its policy office operates, with increased emphasis on having policy staffers and top company executives alike building relationships with governments, people familiar with the matter said this week. Government officials in the United States, India, Ireland, Singapore, Australia and at least several other countries have threatened regulation or launched probes concerning Googles user privacy practices, its policing of inappropriate videos and apps, and the potential abuse of its dominance in internet search and advertising. The negative attention on Googles power and its data collection practices could hurt its public image and force costly business changes. Googles global policy office had gone years without a major strategy shift until Karan Bhatia was hired last June from General Electric Co, where he also led government affairs and policy. In his first year, he has added government affairs to his units name before public policy to stress relationship building over whitepaper writing, overhauled reporting lines and begun to cut a roster of contract lobbyists, eight of the people said. The moves aim to get Googles separate units including cloud computing, consumer hardware and YouTubealong with each units senior leadersto take a bigger role in lobbying on issues affecting them and set the company up to uniformly challenge similar regulatory threats in different parts of the world, sources said. In Washington, lawmakers long have raised concerns about Googles executives not engaging enough to address their concerns or personally weigh in on policy discussions, according to lobbyists. The issue attracted attention last September when senators pointedly left an empty seat for Google at an intelligence committee hearing on election integrity after the company declined to send a top executive to testify. The empty-seat blunder, as Googles Washington leadership eventually recognized it, and a string of policy defeats on issues such as copyright in Europe and censorship in Asia have given Bhatia a wide opening to bring changes, sources said. Googles chief executive, Sundar Pichai, has traveled to Washington each quarter since Bhatia joined, including for a meeting with President Donald Trump. The company declined to comment for this story. Spokespeople have declined multiple requests to interview Bhatia since his hiring. New Structure Bhatia centralized policy crafting through a set of centers of excellence, each focused on a separate issue such as data privacy rules, competition law or economic policy, sources said. Googles policy team has been organized regionally, a vestige of the company graduals expansion into new countries. But different regions with limited coordination each had their own projects to create proposals for addressing the same concern. Under Bhatia, those regional teams now focus more on interacting with lawmakers and regulators out of the office, sources said. (Also Read: Google claims it doesnt want to kill ad blockers but protect users privacy) The four regional heads reporting to Bhatia include Ted Osius for Asia Pacific and Doron Avni for Latin America, Africa, Middle East and Greater Russia. Leaders for US-Canada and Europe have not been named. Also reporting to Bhatia are Leslie Miller, who supervises the centers of excellence, and Wilson White, who oversees teams focused on relaying insights to YouTube, Google Cloud and other business units. More Internal Involvement Getting Pichai and his product executives to be more involved has been a challenge over the years because Pichai has been reluctant to make engaging with government policymakers a core duty, people said, in contrast to CEOs such as Apple Incs Tim Cook and General Motors Cos Mary Barra. Bhatia may end up drawing product leaders into government affairs by having individual Google units hire lobbying firms directly in the future, sources said. He has already begun to reset lobbying contracts. Google recently fired one long-time lobbying firm in Europe and has threatened to drop as many as 20 of its US lobbying firms from the 26 it worked with last year, sources said. One US firm said it was told its last day would be 30 June, while three others said they were awaiting word from Google. All declined to be named because they were not authorized to comment on their client. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources, that Google has fired six US lobbying firms, which together accounted for about half of its $20 million domestic lobbying budget. tech2 News Staff Google wants to make signing into your Google apps and services easier for iOS users. Using its Smart Lock app, Google will now use your Android smartphone as a physical 2FA key to log in to a Google account on an iOS device. This means, if you have the Smart Lock app installed on your iPad or iPhone and have 2-Step Verification or 2-factor authentication enabled on your Google account, you can use your Android smartphone to log in. How this works is, when you log into your Google account on an iOS device, the app will ping your Android phone over Bluetooth. Then, by holding the volume down button, you can confirm that it is, in fact, you trying to log in, which relays that information back to the iOS device and allows the login to proceed. Though, Google does warn that it would be wise to have a backup physical security key in case you ever lose your phone. The feature is particularly useful for people who use multiple devices. via GIPHY How to log in to your Google apps on iPhone using an Android device? If you do use multiple phones, here's how you can set this up: Step 1: Add the security key to your Google Account a) Add your personal or work Google Account to your Android (v7.0 or above) phone.b) Make sure youre enrolled in 2-Step Verification (2SV).c) On your computer, visit the 2SV settings and click "Add security key".d) Choose your Android phone from the list of available devices. Step 2: Use your Android phone's built-in security key a) On both of your devices, make sure Bluetooth is turned on.b) On your iPhone or iPad (iOS version 10.0 or up), sign in to your Google Account with your username and password using the Google Smart Lock app.c) Check your Android phone for a notification.d) Follow the instructions to confirm its you signing in. And you are done! This feature was launched in April, but, until now, it only worked with Chrome OS, macOS, or Windows 10. Agence France-Presse Encrypted messaging service Telegram suffered a major cyber-attack that appeared to originate from China, the company's CEO said Thursday, linking it to the ongoing political unrest in Hong Kong. Many protesters in the city have used Telegram app to evade electronic surveillance and coordinate their demonstrations against a controversial Beijing-backed plan that would allow extraditions from the semi-autonomous territory to the mainland. Demonstrations descended into violence Wednesday as police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who tried to storm the city's parliament - the worst political crisis Hong Kong has seen since its 1997 handover from Britain to China.; Telegram announced late Wednesday that it was suffering a "powerful" Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which involves a hacker overwhelming a target's servers by making a massive number of junk requests. Were currently experiencing a powerful DDoS attack, Telegram users in the Americas and some users from other countries may experience connection issues. Telegram Messenger (@telegram) June 12, 2019 It warned users in many regions may face connection issues. Pavel Durov, Telegram's CEO, said the junk requests came mostly from China. "Historically, all state actor-sized DDoS (200-400 Gb/s of junk) we experienced coincided in time with protests in Hong Kong (coordinated on @telegram)," he tweeted. "This case was not an exception." Telegram later announced on Twitter that its service had stabilised. It also posted a series of tweets explaining the nature of the attack. "Imagine that an army of lemmings just jumped the queue at McDonald's in front of youand each is ordering a whopper," it said, referring to the flagship product of the American fast food chain Burger King. "The server is busy telling the whopper lemmings they came to the wrong placebut there are so many of them that the server can't even see you to try and take your order." China's foreign ministry and cyberspace administration did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment. Telegram allows users to exchange encrypted text messages, photos and videos, and also create "channels" for as many as 200,000 people. It also supports encrypted voice calls. It announced last year that it had crossed 200 million monthly active users. Encrypted messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp are preferred around the world by a wide variety of people trying to avoid surveillance by authoritiesfrom Islamic State jihadists and drug dealers to human rights activists and journalists. Governments in recent years have devoted significant resources to breaching the security features of these apps, according to tech firms and researchers. Hong Kong is not behind China's Great Firewall, which heavily restricts internet access in the mainlandwhere Telegram is blocked. The city's special status under its handover agreement allows freedoms unseen in mainland China, but many fear they are under threat as Beijing exerts increasing influence on Hong Kong. The current protests were sparked by fears that the proposed law would allow extraditions to China and leave people exposed to the mainland's politicised and opaque justice system. Reuters By Elizabeth Culliford and Katie Paul SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a "free speech-driven" space. The unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters. The influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago. An analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users. "The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States," Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. "Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together." Twitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter. Some of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter's logo to suggest the platform's decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey. Saudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter's largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer. "It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason," a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler. Twitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of "inauthentic" accounts that pushed talking points favourable to the Saudi government, which has built an "electronic army" tasked with furthering its agenda online. Some Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country's influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump. U.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Matze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site. Those who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter's New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site. Some Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries' flags and Trump's #MAGA hashtag. Offline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017. But the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site's welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments. NEW NEIGHBOURS The Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday. More than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia. One of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: "Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won't forget." Speaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV. She does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation. Many English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers' authenticity. "GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS," posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts. Matze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an "interesting merging" of the two groups. "Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues," he said. "Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech." (Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford and Katie Paul; Editing by Greg Mitchell, Jonathan Weber and Alistair Bell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. tech2 News Staff WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, which also makes it all the more prone to malpractices. Recently we saw how this app was being misused by cloning the app, software and more importantly, the circulation of fake news. (Also Read: WhatsApp says it will take legal action against public claims of messaging abuses) The company then decided to limit the feature of message forwarding to five people only. But seems like people are still finding illegal ways to go about it. Facebook-owned Whatsapp has now decided to take legal action against people for such unauthorized usage. This will include forwarding bulk messages and using Whatsapp for reasons other than personal use. According to WhatsApp, Beginning on December 7, 2019, WhatsApp will take legal action against those we determine are engaged in or assisting others in abuse that violates our Terms of Service, such as automated or bulk messaging, or non-personal use, even if that determination is based on information solely available to us off our platform. (Also Read: Several Whatsapp clones available online help bypass app's anti-spam controls) As per the company, there are businesses that attempt to evade the machine learning systems of WhatsApp as well. Earlier this year, WhatsApp issued are cease and desist notice to companies that were involved in making WhatsApp cloning apps and software. It was about time WhatsApp put down its foot down to tackle the problem of the spread of misinformation... at least in the form of bulk messages. Assad Regime and Russian airstrikes have killed 28 people including seven civilians in embattled Idlib, Northwest Syria Beirut: Assad Regime and Russian airstrikes have killed at least 28 people including seven civilians in embattled northwest Syria, a war monitor said on Friday, despite a ceasefire announced by Moscow. "The civilians were killed in regime air strikes and shelling on the south of Idlib province and the north of Hama province on Thursday," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Russian and Assad regime air strikes also killed 21 jihadist and Islamist fighters in the same region the same day, the Britain-based monitor added. The Idlib region of some three million people is supposed to be protected from a massive regime offensive by a buffer zone deal that Russia and Turkey signed in September. But it was never fully implemented, as jihadists refused to withdraw from a planned demilitarised zone. In January, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate extended its administrative control over the region, which includes most of Idlib province as well as adjacent slivers of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo provinces. The Syrian government and Russia have upped their bombardment of the region since late April, killing more than 360 civilians, according to the observatory. Syria's war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests. Russia launched a military intervention in support of the Assad regime in 2015, helping its forces reclaim large parts of the country from opposition fighters and jihadists. Brazil's Supreme Court voted to criminalize homophobia, on Thursday, an important step for sexual minorities in one of the most dangerous countries for LGBTQ+ people in the world. Brazil: Brazil's Supreme Court voted to criminalise homophobia, on Thursday, an important step for sexual minorities in one of the most dangerous countries for LGBTQ+ people in the world. The Supreme Federal Court (STF), which voted eight to three in favour of the measure, classified homophobia as a crime similar to racism, until the Congress, which is held by a conservative majority and is strongly influenced by evangelical churches, passes a law specifically addressing such discrimination. Brazil now joins a growing number of countries in the typically conservative and Catholic-influenced Latin American region that have passed measures in favour of LGBTQ+ rights. "All prejudice is violence. All discrimination is a cause of suffering," said judge Carmen Luzia while voting in favour of the measure. "But I learned that some prejudices cause more suffering than others," Luzia added. According to the NGO Grupo Gay de Bahia, which has collected national statistics for the past four decades, there were 387 murders and 58 suicides over 'homotransphobia' in 2017, a 30 percent increase from 2016. This works out to one LGBTQ+ death by suicide or murder every 19 hours in Brazil. The country's highest court considered it as a neglect of the legislative power not to have outlawed such discrimination until now. But the three judges that voted against the measure insisted that criminalising homophobia was Congress's job, not the court's. "Only Congress can approve (the definition of) crimes and penalties; only Congress can pass laws on criminal conduct," said judge Ricardo Lewandowski. Acts of racism, and now acts of 'homotransphobia' in Brazil, face one to three years in prison or in a fine. Religious liberty The STF's decision has caused tension within Congress, with some legislators feeling stripped of their powers. With a large group defending their interest in Congress, the Pentecostal churches, whose following has grown exponentially in Brazil, the country with the most Catholics in the world, are expected to try to slow down initiatives that are passed by the STF. Criminalising homophobia could restrict church leaders, many of whom fear being penalised for rejecting same-sex unions by invoking religious texts. But in the STF's verdict, the court explicitly stated that criminalising 'homotransphobia' will not restrict religious freedom, so long as the churches do not promote "hate speech" that incites discrimination, hostility or violence against people due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. This decision is the latest in a wave of pro-LGBTQ+ rights decisions in Latin America. Brazil had already legalised same-sex marriage, along with Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay. They were joined most recently by Ecuador, whose highest court on Wednesday, 12 June, had approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling for the country. Modi also made it clear to Chinese President Xi Jinping that 'talks' with Pakistan is only possible within a bilateral framework nipping in the bud any possibility of Chinese involvement and reiterated Indias stated position that Islamabad has so far failed to create an atmosphere conducive for dialogue because no concrete steps have been taken towards turning off the terror tap. It is remarkable how a section of the Indian media continues to obsess over whether Narendra Modi glanced at Imran Khan, shook his hands, sat at the dinner table opposite, diagonally, beside or at an acute angle, whether there was a pull-aside, whether there was a flutter of eyelids, nudge-and-wink etc., etc., when the ministry of external affairs (MEA) had made it clear with their official statement that there is no chance of a formal or informal bilateral meeting between the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers at the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek. Indian media's myopic Pakistan obsession interferes with its ability to focus on developments of far greater import that took place the day Modi landed in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The prime minister held two delegation-level talks with China and Russia where some important steps were taken towards stabilising the relation with two key foreign powers. Modi also made it clear to Chinese President Xi Jinping that "talks" with Pakistan is only possible within a bilateral framework nipping in the bud any possibility of Chinese involvement and reiterated Indias stated position that Islamabad has so far failed to create an atmosphere conducive for dialogue because no concrete steps have been taken towards turning off the terror tap. According to the transcript provided by the Ministry of External Affairs on media briefing by the foreign secretary on the bilateral between Modi and Xi, the spokesperson quoted Vijay Gokhale as saying, "There was a very brief discussion on Pakistan. Obviously time was a constraint but Prime Minister in fact said that we have a consistent position with respect to Pakistan, we discuss all issues through bilateral mechanism and we look for peaceful settlement through negotiations. We are committed to this process, the prime minister recalled that he has made efforts in this regard and these efforts have been derailed." The significance of the word derailed lies in the fact that Indias hardening of position towards Pakistan is not due to lack of effort on Indias part in improving the ties. It is a result of the disillusionment caused by Islamabads repeated betrayals. The foreign secretary also said that Modi did inform President Xi that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terrorism and that at this stage we did not see this happening as yet. And that therefore we expect Pakistan to take concrete action on the issues that India has proposed in the areas of concerns. Modi also handed an expected snub to Pakistan by ignoring Imrans pleas for talks which is anyway a frothy exercise attempted by the Rawalpindi generals to wriggle out of the diplomatic doghouse. India has pushed Pakistan into a corner and there is no reason why this policy needs to change, at least in the short term. To the more serious end of the business, Modi showed that in his second term he retains the maneuverable deftness to play the great power game into which India has been thrust due to the changing geopolitical environment. An emerging Sino-Russian axis poses some difficult choices for India. Indias bilateral dynamic with China and Russia and own power constraints limit New Delhis ability to shape the strategic choices of an emerging and a waning superpower. The axis, that has emerged primarily to balance the influence of the US, also carries implications for India in terms of constraining its ability to firm up alliances or project power in the regional periphery. In an article in The Indian Express, National University of Singapore director C Raja Mohan noted: That the Sino-Russian alliance is being framed as a counter to the United States makes it that much more complicated for Indian diplomacy. Navigating the rivalry between the great powers remains the biggest challenge for Indias foreign policy during Modis second term. For all these reasons, SCO provided an excellent opportunity for Modi to navigate the geopolitical realignment and ensure that the trajectory of Indias rise as a leading power remains unhindered. On China, the challenge before Modi is to remain engaged and not let Beijing use the power differential between the two nations as a leverage against New Delhi. Continued engagement should let India buy some time to focus on lessening the power differential and at the same time jointly navigate some challenges on trade posed by a transactional US president. Donald Trumps sword-wielding on trade, while targeted at China, has also managed to wound India in some respects and at the same time present some unexpected opportunities in reducing the trust deficit with China. It was interesting to note, therefore, that Modi-Xi meet stressed primarily on raising mutual expectations from the relationship and taking the Wuhan spirit forward. According to the foreign secretarys media briefing, Modi brought up the topics of Chinas cooperation in letting Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar be listed as a global terrorist at the UN, opening of Bank of China branch in India and he attributed it to improved strategic communication between the two sides. PM specifically conveyed to President Jinping and he agreed that both sides need to raise our expectations from the relationship. PM welcomed him to India for next informal summit, President Xi Jinping confirmed his readiness to visit India this year, Gokhale was quoted, as saying. Chinas foreign ministry statement claims that Xi reportedly congratulated Modi on his re-election, highlighted the need to strengthen confidence-building measures, maintain stability as well as strive for a speedy, fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the border dispute through the special representative mechanism and quite significantly stress on jointly safeguard(ing) free trade and multilateralism, according to media reports. (See here and here). While the fundamental strategic and antagonistic nature of the relationship shall endure, the engagement should provide India more opportunities to avoid the pitfalls. With Russia, the nature of the beast is different. Bilateral ties with Russia have eroded substantially from the Soviet-era to now settle on a transactional relationship centred around Indias purchasing of Russian defence equipment. In this arena, ties have remained strong. More than 65 percent of Indian military hardware are sourced from Russia. Moscow still retains its integral role in partnering with India on R&D and military training and remains the only nation to offer cutting-edge defence technology be it nuclear submarines or advanced air and missile defence system such as S-400. However, people-to-people contact has taken a steadily downward turn, trade is minimal and both nations have more differences than agreements on key strategic challenges. The narrow-basing of the relationship almost exclusively on military equipment and to a certain extent on Indias energy security resists diversification in other areas of interests. Russia finds better strategic synergy with China on various issues including balancing the US. And Moscows seller-customer relationship with New Delhi, too, has come under US pressure. Modi and Putin share a personal rapport that was readily evident, but there was nothing to show in the bilateral beyond Putins invitation to Modi to be the main guest at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEC) in Vladivostok in September and Modis warm acceptance of it, to show that the relationship has moved beyond buyer-seller relationship. Russias own interests in retaining a major chunk of Indias defence-spending pie will prevent it from letting the ties go south but equally, Moscows journey from being a part of a solution to Indias China challenge to adding to it will test the strength of the relationship. What Modi showed, however, is a willingness to engage with key powers while strategic realignments are taking place and an awareness of Indias leverages in navigating the turf. The emergence of a clear-eyed Pakistan policy, at long last, is also a welcome move. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue. Bishkek: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue, which, he said, is the only way to sort out differences, amid spiralling tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Khan, who is in Bishkek for the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, told Sputnik in an interview on Thursday that there is no way the two countries should think of resolving issues through military means, reported Radio Pakistan. He reiterated that both New Delhi and Islamabad should come to the negotiating table to resolve the Kashmir issue. Responding to a question on whether Pakistan is seeking international mediation in improving bilateral ties with India, Khan said that Islamabad is looking for mediation as it believes that "progress comes with peace and tensions with neighbours detract from resources that can be spent on human beings." Khan's comments come at a time when he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoided shaking hands at an informal dinner hosted by Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov for the SCO leaders. According to sources, Khan and Modi did not exchange pleasantries during the dinner hosted on the sidelines of the two-day summit. While Khan is attending the SCO summit for the first time after assuming office last year, this is Modi's first visit to a multilateral forum after being re-elected for a second term. Tensions between India and Pakistan strained further following the deadly 14 February Pulwama terror attack. New Delhi has remained rooted in its stand, saying that terror and talks with Islamabad cannot go together. India had already clarified that there would be no bilateral meeting between the two leaders. This comes despite the Pakistan Prime Minister writing a letter to Modi recently, saying Islamabad wants dialogue with New Delhi to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. Moreover, Modi's chartered plane did not take the Pakistani air space for flying to Bishkek and instead flew via the circuitous route through Oman and Iran. Saudi forces on Friday intercepted five drones launched by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, in a second assault on the Abha airport in the kingdom's southwest in two days. Riyadh: Saudi forces on Friday intercepted five drones launched by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, in a second assault on an airport in the kingdom's southwest in two days. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, the coalition said in a statement released by Saudi state media. The latest raid comes amid spiralling regional tensions after Washington accused Iran of carrying out attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, the second such incident in a month in the strategic sea lane. "The Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces and air force successfully intercepted and destroyed five unmanned drone aircraft launched by Houthi militia towards Abha international airport and Khamis Mushait," the coalition statement said without reporting any casualties. The airport was operating normally with no fights disrupted, the statement added. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported earlier that the Iran-aligned rebels had carried out drone attacks on Abha Airport. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks. Wednesday's missile strike hit the civil airport in the mountain resort of Abha, which is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. During a media tour of the airport on Thursday, Saudi authorities said they had closed a part of the arrival lounge after the missile tore a hole in the roof and disrupted flights for several hours. The area was covered in bamboo scaffolding and littered with concrete debris and shards of broken glass, AFP saw. Two passengers, including an Indian national, who suffered mild injuries recalled pandemonium and screams after a loud explosion triggered a blaze, leaving the lounge covered in smoke. A Saudi civil aviation official said authorities were still investigating rebel claims that they fired a cruise missile at the airport. If confirmed that it would represent a major leap in the rebels' military capability, experts say. The official also confirmed that it had not been intercepted by the kingdom's Patriot anti-missile batteries. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of arming the rebels with sophisticated weapons, a charge Tehran denies. The coalition vowed to "take stern action" to deter the rebels and protect civilians after the missile attack, which drew international condemnation including from the European Union. The coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around the second city Aden. Since then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say. It has triggered what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 24.1 million Yemenis -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in need of aid. Economic Development Director Travis Bandstra said the company will help the city figure out exactly what uses the land can be put to, and also to determine what other plots of land would need to be acquired in order to make certain types of development projects viable. In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable as he called for a global conference to combat the menace. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lashed out at countries "sponsoring, aiding and funding" terrorism and told top leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that such states must be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan whose premier Imran Khan was among the audience. Addressing the SCO summit in Bishkek, Modi also called for a global conference to combat the scourge of terrorism. Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. India advocates a terrorism-free society, he said. "During my visit to Sri Lanka last Sunday, I visited the St Anthony's church, where I witnessed the ugly face of terrorism which claims the lives of innocents anywhere," the prime minister said, referring to one of the sites of the devastating Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people in Sri Lanka. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, Modi said in the presence of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Chinese president Xi Jinping, Pakistan prime minister Khan and Iran president Hassan Rouhani among others. "Countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable," he said. Modi also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against terrorism. He also urged the SCO leaders to organise a global conference on terrorism. "Literature and culture provide our societies a positive activity, specially they stop the spread of radicalisation among the youths in our society," Modi said. A peaceful, united, safe and prosperous Afghanistan is vital for the stability and security in the SCO. "Our goal is to support the people and the government of Afghanistan for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled comprehensive peace process. We are happy that a further roadmap has been prepared at the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group," he said. It has been two years since India became a full member of the SCO. India has contributed positively in all the activities of the SCO, the prime minister said. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. India in the past has blamed Pakistan for carrying out terrorist attacks in the country and asked it to stop supporting terror outfits operating from its soil. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Earlier in 2019, 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. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot in 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 later handed over to India. China played a role in easing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani that India will support Afghanistan to ensure that a 'legitimate government is chosen through the democratic process' in the upcoming elections in September Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured President Ashraf Ghani that India will support Afghanistan to ensure that a "legitimate government is chosen through the democratic process", said sources on Thursday. Modi who held a bilateral meeting with Ghani on sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, promised that India will fulfill all expectations of Afghanistan. The war-torn nation is scheduled to undergo three elections, presidential, the provincial councils and the Ghazni parliamentary elections simultaneously on 28 September. The elections which were supposed to occur on April 20 were postponed due to "mounting pressure" on Independent Election Commission in Kabul to conduct effective voting. Afghanistan has a long troubled history of elections. Last year, the October elections were marred by roadside bomb attacks by Taliban. The problems also included malfunctioning of biometric voter verification equipment, incomplete voter lists and huge delays at polling sites. Citing Bangladesh example, Modi highlighted the importance of cooperation, sources said. Meanwhile, during the talks, Ghani apprised the development in the peace process led by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, to Afghanistan. Notably, Khalilzad has held many rounds of talks with the Taliban but no agreement has been reached yet. On Monday, the new rounds of discussion were started to revive the stalled talks. Ghani also urged Modi to see terrorism and drugs through a single prism fueling the other. The two leaders also discussed Pakistan. Ghani raised questions on the "sincerity of Pakistan" in fighting terrorism, sources added. Afghanistan and India both have blamed Pakistan for supporting and harbouring terrorist groups. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had also strongly condemned the terror attack that took place in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama killing around 40 CRPF personnel, which happened on 14 February this year. The United States blamed Iran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, 13 June, that drove up oil prices LCOc1 and raised concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation. Washington: The United States blamed Iran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, 13 June, that drove up oil prices LCOc1 and raised concerns about a new US-Iranian confrontation, but Tehran bluntly denied the allegation. It was not immediately clear what befell the Norwegian-owned Front Altair or the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which both experienced explosions, forcing crews to abandon ship and leave the vessels adrift in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran. One source said the blast on the Front Altair, which caught fire and sent a huge plume of smoke into the air, may have been caused by a magnetic mine. The firm that chartered the Kokuka Courageous tanker said it was hit by a suspected torpedo, but a person with knowledge of the matter told that torpedoes were not used. On Thursday night, United States Central Command spokesman Bill Urban released a video of what the US military said was an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp Gashti Class patrol boat, approaching the Kokuka Courageous, which showed "removing (an) unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous. The tanker attack will not affect Japanese energy supply, Japanese Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said, although the ministry issued a warning to Japanese energy companies. Crude oil prices spiked more than 4 percent after the attacks near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping artery for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf energy producers. Prices later settled about 2 percent higher. [O/R] Brent crude LCOc1 was down by 0.4 percent at $61.06 a barrel in early Asia trading. The US, which had accused Iran or its proxies of carrying out a 12 May attack on four tankers off the United Arab Emirates coast and on 14 May drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations, squarely blamed Iran for Thursdays attacks too. "It is the assessment of the US government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters. Pompeo did not provide explicit evidence to back up the US assertion. This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication, Pompeo said. Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms, the Iranian mission to the United Nations (UN) said in a statement on Thursday evening. It accused the US and its regional allies, which include Iranian rival Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, of warmongering. Iran called on the international community to live up to its responsibilities in preventing the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the US and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region. US and European security officials, as well as regional analysts, cautioned against jumping to conclusions about who carried out the attacks, leaving open the possibility that Iranian proxies, or someone else entirely, might have been responsible. In London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the United Kingdom was taking the matter extremely seriously and that if Iran was involved, it is a deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region. Suspicious attack Tensions between Iran and US have risen since US President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal last year between Iran and global powers that aimed to curb Tehrans nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran has repeatedly warned it would block the Strait of Hormuz if it cannot sell its oil because of US sanctions. Tensions have increased further since Trump acted at the beginning of May to force Irans oil customers to slash their imports to zero or face draconian U.S. financial sanctions. Irans oil exports have dropped to around 400,000 barrels per day in May from 2.5 million barrel per day in April last year. Also in May, the Trump administration said it would send more troops to the Middle East, citing what it saw as a threat of potential attack by Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the tanker explosions as "suspicious" on Twitter and called for regional dialogue. In a later Twitter post, Zarif described the U.S. allegations against Iran as part of "sabotage diplomacy." here That the US immediately jumped to make allegations against Iranw/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidenceonly makes it abundantly clear that the #B_Team is moving to a #PlanB: Sabotage diplomacyincluding by @AbeShinzoand cover up its #EconomicTerrorism against Iran. Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 14, 2019 Tehran has denied responsibility for the 12 May attacks. The crews of both ships struck on Thursday, 13 June, were picked up safely. The Bahrain-based US Navy Fifth Fleet said it had assisted the two tankers after receiving distress calls. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the Security Council on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States that the world could not afford a major confrontation in the Gulf region. The Security Council discussed the attacks behind closed doors on Thursday, 13 June, at the request of the US. Kuwaits UN ambassador, Mansour Al-Otaibi, president of the council for June, said after the meeting that all 15 council members had condemned the attacks. When asked if the US had shown any evidence to support its accusation that Iran was responsible, Al-Otaibi told reporters: We didnt discuss any evidence. Iran, US say war should be avoided Both Iran and the United States have said they want to avoid war. "Iran will never initiate war but will give a crushing response to any aggression," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, 12 June. US Central Command said in a statement on Thursday evening that we have no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community. Pompeo said US policy remained to make economic and diplomatic efforts to bring Iran back to negotiations on a broader deal. The Iranian UN missions statement said: It is ironic that the US who unlawfully withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action now calls Iran to come back to negotiations and diplomacy, using the formal name of the 2015 nuclear accord. In abandoning the deal, Trump made clear he wanted Iran to curb not merely its nuclear work but its development of missiles and support for proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. Some regional analysts said they thought the attacks were likely to have been carried out by Iran and described them as a way for Tehran to try to acquire negotiating leverage and perhaps increase global pressure for US-Iran talks. "There is always the possibility that somebody is trying to blame the Iranians," said Jon Alterman of Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies. But there is the greater likelihood that this represents an effort to bolster Iranian diplomacy by creating a perceived international urgency to have the United States and Iran talk, Alterman said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Tehran when Thursdays attacks occurred, carrying a message for Iran from Trump. Abe, whose country was a big importer of Iranian oil until Trump ratcheted up sanctions, urged all sides not to let tensions increase. Iran said it would not respond to Trumps overture, the substance of which was not made public. The United States military released a video showing Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz. Dubai: The United States military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. The United States navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze on Thursday by an explosion. The ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke. Iran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an "unfounded claim" in the United States' "Iranophobic campaign." However, Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the "Tanker War," when the United States Navy escorted ships through the region. The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the United States military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous. A Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Captain Bill Urban, Central Command spokesman said. "The United States and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation," Urban said. Iran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations. "The United States economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement said. The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometres (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The United States Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Commander Joshua Frey, a fifth Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack," without elaborating. Thursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. United States officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable but don't sink a vessel. Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary of State earlier told journalists the United States' assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region that the United States also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time. "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," Pompeo said. He didn't elaborate and took no questions. Iran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday's incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran "rejected" the overture. "The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency," Pompeo added. At the United Nations, the security council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late Thursday at the request of the United States but took no action. Tensions have escalated in West Asia as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don't offer it new terms to the deal by 7 July. Already, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, United States sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said that its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom, including the Abha regional airport. The kingdom said a similar attack on Wednesday at the Abha airport wounded 26 people. White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders will step down from her position at the end of the month, announced President Donald Trump on Thursday. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who famously said that God "wanted Donald Trump to become president" has resigned, becoming the latest senior aide of the US president to exit his administration. "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas..." Trump tweeted. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!" he added. Sarah was considered as the most trusted aide of Trump. Her resignation came as it has been the 94th consecutive day without a White House briefing, the longest stretch of time without a briefing, CNN reported. Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer as press secretary at the White House in July 2017. Sanders, 36, has been a loyal mouthpiece, famously saying that God "wanted Donald Trump to become president". Only the third woman to serve in the prestigious position, Sanders is the daughter of popular Republican politician and former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee. Later at a White House event, Trump praised Sanders. "We've been through a lot together. She's tough, and she's good. You also have tough and bad, right? She's tough but she's good. She's great. And she's going to be leaving the service of her country and she's going to be going - I guess you could say the private sector but I hope she's going she comes from a great state, Arkansas. That's a state I won by a lot, so I like it. We love Arkansas. She's going to be going back to Arkansas with her great family. Her husband is fantastic, Trump said. Her credibility was questioned during a combative tenure that saw press briefings all but relegated to a thing of the past. She started out as deputy press secretary before replacing Sean Spicer in the top post in July 2017. The outgoing White House press secretary said it was one of the "greatest jobs she could ever have". "This has been the honour of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn't be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country, and particularly to work for this president. He has accomplished so much in these two-and-a-half years, and it's truly been something I will treasure forever. It's one of the greatest jobs I could ever have. I've loved every minute, even the hard minutes. I've loved it, Sanders said. She praised Trump and his team. "I love the president; I love the team that I've had the opportunity to work for. The president is surrounded by some of the most incredible and most talented people you could ever imagine, and it's truly the most special experience. The only one I can think of that might top it just a little bit is the fact that I'm a mom, Sanders said. She vowed to "be one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president and his agenda. I know he's going to have an incredible six more years and get a lot more done, like what we're here to celebrate today. Sanders said, "I do not know, when asked if she is considering running for governor of Arkansas. "I learned a long time ago never to rule anything out," she told the reporters. Later talking to a group of reporters, Sanders said she wanted to spend time with her family and kids who are growing. She has three kids of seven, five and four years of age. Early this year Indian American Raj Shah departed the White House as the deputy press secretary. with inputs from agencies. The issue you raise, of why more revenue has to be the emphasis, and not less spending is also one that is easy to understand, broadly popular and not at all well answered thus far, Id say, Gaines said. The Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus, as the Mother Church for the diocese includes many displays showing the history of the Diocese of Joliet, the statement said. The content of this particular display is not a result of personal discretion. It is an historical record of past auxiliary bishops in the diocese, going back to the first one in 1968. Chefs are in control of whether or not people have a good night. Maybe its their first date, or their anniversary. If we put out a good meal, hopefully people have a better time, said Bucci, who rolled up the sleeves of his chef coat June 6 and prepared chicken, potatoes, buttered noodles, salad and fresh bread at Zion Lutheran Church in Tinley Park. Nearly 75% of small cocoa farmers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast currently earn too little to lead a decent life. Shining a light on this, Dutch institution Wageningen... Read More Gabon WoodShow has attracted the participation of top wood and forestry machinery companies for its second edition which will be held on 24-26 June 2019 at the Jardin Botanique in Libreville, Gabon. This years Gabon WoodShow nearly doubles its exhibitors to over a hundred from at least 23 countries. Top exhibitors represent various countries including Gabon, India, Cameroon, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Germany, France, Singapore, Slovenia, UAE, Belgium, China and South Africa. The exhibitors are expected to showcase their latest product offerings including technological solutions related to timber production at a 5000sqm exhibition space. Among the major exhibitor at Gabon WoodShow is Africa View Panels S.A. With the acquisition of the 8.3 hectare in Gabon Special Economic Zone, AVPSA will soon commence with the commercial production of European and US board-compliant veneer and plywood this year, and particle board in 2020 using leading technology and machinery. AVPSA product range include plain and thin-film coated plywood, plain and pre-laminated particle board, and Okoume veneer. Representing well-known automobile brands at Gabon WoodShow is Sodim TP. The company initially operated for import, distribution and maintenance of civil engineering equipment. They have since expanded to include in their portfolio industrial, forestry and agricultural fields. A local exhibitor, Precious Woods Gabon, produces and trades FSC-certified semi-finished tropical timber products. It is renowned for its contribution to the first comprehensive forest management plan in Central Africa that eventually influenced the national forest code. The company operates two sawmills directly at the forest concession area which they have expanded since 2011. Among the European exhibitor of panel saw, spindle moulder, thicknesser and various other classical woodworking machinery is Robland from Belgium. The company has been offering affordable yet quality woodworking machinery since 1968. Serra, Frances one of the most innovative companies with over 23 years of experience, is exhibiting their sawmill ranges, splitter and edger, sharpening and blades, woodworking and drying machines. They are the distributor of Serra brand and has sold more than 150 fixed and mobile saws in France and in French-speaking countries. A Slovenian company, Mebor, is exhibiting their wood processing machinery at Gabon WoodShow. Mebor has been distinguished with a Golden Gazelle Award for fastest-growing company in Slovenia conferred by a publication, Dnevnik. Mebor generates 95% of its sales revenue abroad and is currently developing specific machines for the production of wood shingle, wood veneer and insulation materials. South Africas Wood Mizer Africa will showcase their product offering utilizing smart solutions for timber processing. Wood Mizer Africa has over 75,000 sawmills in operation in more than 100 countries and is an undisputed leader in thin kerf sawmilling. Greenply Gabon will also exhibit their Okoume face veneers with thickness ranging from 0.2 mm and upwards. Greenply Gabon has a plywood market share of 26% in India. Walid Farghal, Director-General of the Organizing Committee of Gabon WoodShow 2019, said, We anticipate an increase in the number of specialized visitors to 5000 from last years close to 3000 footfalls. They will have the opportunity to interact with industry experts and learn more about the wood industry in Africa including latest products and services. They will also benefit from the events major opportunity which is access to lucrative deals onsite. For interest to visit, register online at www.gabonwoodshow.com or send email inquiry to info@gabonwoodshow.com. Chinese President Xi Jinping is awarded the Manas Order of the First Degree, the highest national prize of Kyrgyzstan, by his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov awarded here on Thursday his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the Manas Order of the First Degree, the highest national prize of the central Asian nation. Speaking at a ceremony held in the state guest house in Bishkek, Jeenbekov said he appreciates Xi's special contributions to the development of the Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership. He said his country will never forget China's long-running support and assistance, and believes that Xi's visit this time will open up a new chapter of bilateral ties between the two countries. In response, Xi said the medal has fully demonstrated the Kyrgyz people's profound friendship towards the Chinese people, adding that he values it very much. Xi said he is ready to join hands with Jeenbekov to deepen the traditional friendship of the two countries, and to push forward the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership for new achievements, so as to better benefit the two peoples. The Chinese president arrived here Wednesday for a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. 4 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] The women could not be reached for comment because theyre on their honeymoon but Hooker said he was excited to be part of their day. As the departments LGBTQ liaison, Hooker said the police have made a commitment to finding ways to reach out to the community and let them know they have the departments support. Is the secret to a long life coffee? Maybe not, but its an important part of her day, according to her son, who speculated there might be some benefit from coffees antioxidants. He said his mother drinks about a quart of coffee a day and occasionally has an espresso for a nightcap. Entrepreneur Realizes American Dream of Business Ownership Maaco Shop in Mansfield Texas participates in RWB Porsche Project with Famous Japanese Car Tuner Akira Nakai June 14, 2019 // Franchising.com // CHARLOTTE - Robert Reid always aspired to owning his own business. Reid moved to the U.S. from Jamaica when he was 18 years old to attend college. Passionate about cars from a very young age, he worked as a helper in a body shop while earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. Reid spent 14 years in corporate America developing skills in managing manufacturing operations and driving continuous improvement - first in the automotive industry and then in consumer products. He held various roles of increasing responsibility including production manager, plant manager, and manufacturing and performance director. But entrepreneurship was always on his mind - and in his blood. Both his mother and father were small business owners - with his mother being hands on while his father spent most of his career in corporate roles. At the age of 36, Reid found himself in the perfect position to start a business. He put his corporate career behind him and followed his dream of being a business owner and his passion for all things automotive. When I looked at franchise opportunities in the automotive space, I found that Maaco fit my criteria for the type of business I wanted to own and the financial potential I wanted to achieve said Reid, owner of the Maaco location in Mansfield, TX, which opened in February 2017. In his second year in business, Reid nearly doubled his output in 2018. Hes well on his way to another significant increase in 2019. Reid cites Maaco University, the companys training program, and tons of support from many of the existing franchisees as instrumental to his success. Maaco U is a solid training program, said Reid. From the pre-opening training you receive in Charlotte to the ongoing training for technicians, you can really learn a great deal. As part of his growth strategy, Reid wants to be sure that his shop is known for more than just economical paint jobs. Last year, his shop participated in a project with a famous Japanese car tuner Akira Nakai, who specializes in design and modification of Porsche 911 models. A close friend of Reid chose him and his Maaco team to paint the RWB and facilitate the project in Dallas. Painting the RWB Porsche was a great opportunity, and it fits with my strategy of proving we are capable of performing the highest levels of work. It is not our core business but we dont ever want to be discredited for a lack of capability, noted Reid. The Maaco economics and national position with fleet business have also helped to fuel our rapid growth. Reid also stresses the importance of hiring good people. Two key members of his team are individuals with not only decades of experience working in collision shops but were also body shop owners in other states. These two gentlemen support the business in any area needed and help mentor the newer employees. One of these individuals is the painter that Reid worked for as a helper while attending college. Reid is a great example of someone who has turned his passion for cars and his years of experience in corporate America into the perfect blend for entrepreneurial success. To learn more about franchising opportunities with Maaco, visit www.franchisewithmaaco.com. To watch a video of the RWB build process, and an interview with Reid at his Maaco center, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsJ4ENdk8ws About Maaco Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Painting, a member of the Driven Brands portfolio, is Americas #1 Bodyshop. Maaco provides automotive paint and cosmetic repair services for nearly 500,000 drivers annually. With more than 500 independently owned and operated franchises across the United States and Canada, Maaco has restored the safety and appearance of more than 20 million vehicles over 47 years. Maaco has been named a top automotive franchise numerous times by Entrepreneur Magazine in its Annual Franchise 500 ranking. In addition to other honors, Maaco has been included on Franchise Times list of Top 200 franchises. For more information about Maaco, visit www.Maaco.com. For more information about franchising opportunities, visit www.Maaco.com/franchise-opportunities. About Driven Brands Driven Brands, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is the parent company of North Americas leading automotive aftermarket brands across four distinct verticals: Repair & Maintenance, housing Meineke Car Care Centers; Paint & Collision, housing Maaco and CARSTAR North America; Distribution, housing 1-800-Radiator & A/C; and Quick Lube, housing Take 5 Oil Change. Driven Brands has more than 2,500 centers across North America, and combined, all businesses generate more than $2.6 billion in system sales and service approximately 8 million vehicles annually. For more information, visit drivenbrands.com. SOURCE Maaco ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus So far, theyve trained close to 25 welders, and 15 are working full time at CarryOn, said Jason Perry, RCCs vice president for workforce development. The program has been a real big success. We managed to keep the company in our area, and not have an economic downturn in Westmoreland County if they had left. Its also enabled CarryOn Trailer to expand, he said. Its workforce at Montross has grown from 160 employees about a year and a half ago to 230 today. RCCs welding program at Montross offers a 40-hour class during the day, three times a week, geared toward CarryOn Trailer employees who have been vetted by the company. It also offers a 42-hour welding class, two evenings a week, thats open to anyone. Those who complete either class and pass a test earn metal inert gas, or MIG, welding certification from the American Welding Society. Some have applied and been hired at CarryOn, Perry said of those taking the evening class. Some are going to work for other companies in the area. Ive tried to position some at Omega Protein in Reedville and some at Potomac Supply in Kinsale. Not all are trying to pursue a career at CarryOn. Some have actually gone on their own to set up their own welding business. According to the National Center for State Courts, the first veterans court opened in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2008. The concept has slowly spread throughout the nation and there are now veterans courts in about 500 of the 3,000 counties in the U.S., including Spotsylvania and Fairfax, as well as Hampton and Norfolk. But they struggle with a lack of financial support and a too-heavy reliance on volunteer judges. The bill before Congress would underwrite efforts to expand veterans courts to more jurisdictions. A study published in 2018 by the National Institutes of Health found that although 20 percent of Veterans Treatment Court participants received jail sanctions during the program, only 14 percent experienced a new incarceration during an average of nearly one year in the program, which is lower than the 2346 percent one-year recidivism rate found among U.S. prisoners. However, VTC participants who had a history of past incarcerations were more likely to experience new incarcerations, and so recidivism remains an issue in this population. Members of Congress should put aside their political differences and get this bill passed pronto. The United States has been engaged in armed conflict since 2001. If anybody deserves a second chance, its those veterans who put their lives on the lineand came home with invisible wounds that have not had a chance to heal. Masoncup previously issued a statement saying, The City of Evanston operates within the statutory limitations established by the Illinois Body-Worn Camera Act and the Illinois Freedom of Information Act with respect to which individuals may review the body worn camera footage. In addition, the attorney-client privilege is fundamental to the lawyer-client relationship. The City believes that the City Clerk cannot be the arbitrator of whether or not an individual has privacy rights with respect to these issues. Do your employees trust your company's leadership? Probably not. In fact, just one in three employees in Gallup's global database strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization. Levels of trust differ greatly among organizations, though. Some organizations are on the high end of the continuum, with seven in 10 employees who have high trust, while others are on the low end with only one in 10. Consider the consequences that come from these two different types of organizational cultures: High trust: Employees who trust their leadership are twice as likely to say they will be with their company one year from now. High-trust organizations also have an enormous advantage in the speed with which any new initiative will take hold. And even when there are periodic mistakes in decisions or communication, employees will give leaders the benefit of the doubt. Low trust: When people don't trust leadership, they're already planning their exit and have no interest in making a new strategy work or creating new customer initiatives. There's nothing in it for them; they've already mentally checked out. In today's age of social media, what happens within an organization also spreads quickly outside the company, ultimately affecting the employment brand and the ability to attract star employees. Who wants to join a company with leaders that people don't trust? Even when there are periodic mistakes in decisions or communication [in high-trust organizations], employees will give leaders the benefit of the doubt. So, what causes people to trust their leaders in the first place? As Gallup's workplace analytics team dug deeper into our database of 4 million work teams, we found this: The spread in how organizational leaders are perceived -- across teams within the average organization -- was nearly as wide as the variability in teams across all organizations. Even though teams within organizations have the same leaders, the teams perceive those leaders very differently. This finding mirrors a discovery reported in Gallup's bestselling book First, Break All the Rules: There is wide variation in the engagement of teams that are in the very same large organization. Same company; vastly different team experiences. A major challenge for leaders of large organizations is that there is no common culture -- often even in prominent, highly regarded companies. This is true regardless of those organizations' lofty mission statements that are written to bind all employees toward a common purpose. Most of the differences in how people perceive organizational leaders across teams within the same organization are determined by how each team perceives its front-line manager. Of course, leaders' consistency, clarity and ethics play a big role -- but in large organizations, leaders have minimal direct influence on individual employees. Leaders can build trust with a lot of employees through the right network. Sociologists have found that there are limits on the number of allies people can maintain in a group. So, for a large organization to function, leaders need loyal friends who also have loyal friends, and so on. It is only through second- and third-degree connections that your networks become influential. A leader's success depends on their reputation extending beyond their closest confidants. Gallup workplace research supports these sociological discoveries. There is a ripple effect in successful organizations: The engagement of leaders extends to the engagement of managers, which then extends to the front line. Much like engagement, trust passes through these same channels. But engagement and trust don't happen if they're simply left to chance. So, who ultimately fosters trust in all levels of the organization? It's the manager. Perceptions of your organizational leaders are filtered through the experiences of your managers. And while there is no common culture in most organizations, there can be if organizations develop great managers. Galveston, TX (77553) Today Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 78F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Wind increasing. Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies overnight. Low 47F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph, becoming NW and increasing to 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph. GameStop is closing down the website ThinkGeek and rolling the brands collectibles business into the main GameStop website as a ThinkGeek section in its online store. The decision was driven by GameStops ailing financial fortunes, and something mentioned in the companys quarterly earnings call earlier this month. In that call, GameStop CEO George Sherman told investors that it planned to further streamline its ThinkGeek business by rolling its online presence into GameStops website. We have very successful collectibles business and need to harness the power of the team and the investment made in that team going forward, said Sherman. The FAQ shared on the ThinkGeek site notes that the brand itself isnt being shuttered, and that its 40 physical locations will remain open despite the shift. A statement made to GameDaily last week though confirms that ThinkGeek suffered layoffs as a result of the consolidation. The company wouldnt comment on numbers, a source told the site that those layoffs included ThinkGeeks remaining marketing and website administration staff. GameStops latest earnings release saw the company report a 13.3 percent decrease in sales, with notable year-over-year hits in its hardware, software, and pre-owned goods categories. Collectables were the only category that saw any significant growth in that report, marking a 10.5 percent increase in sales year-over-year. While the company says it is refocusing its business to zero in on the core elementsmeaningful to [its] future, declining numbers and its decision to cut costs by no longer paying out a quarterly dividend caused the companys share price to take its largest single-day hit in 17 years. While some people appear to be able to get back on to the PlayStation Network, even though they were affected by todays issues, a new error np-31970-0 has been popping up and giving them some trouble. The new error seems to occur when the person attempts to join a party, so it is safe to say that the problems associated with todays issues have not been fully resolved yet. The official network status checker for Playstation still shows the issues are ongoing, as well. Sony sent out a tweet earlier today to advise that they were aware of the current issues, and were working on a fix. If you are still able to get on the PSN, but not join any parties, it may just be time for some singleplayer action. That Crown of Sorrow run will have to wait just a little longer. Were aware that some users are experiencing issues logging into PSN. Thank you for your patience as we investigate: https://t.co/s026QGzJZr Ask PlayStation (@AskPlayStation) June 13, 2019 The reason errors like this such big issues is that people will worry that it is a problem with their end, either their console or their internet connection. Rest assured, this same error has happened before, and at the time it was tied into other network problems on the PSN, so this is almost certainly what is happening today. For now, all you can do is wait for the fix that Sony has advised they are working on. A Lebanon man faces federal charges for allegedly evading $1.7 million in income taxes, failing to file individual income tax returns, obstructing or impeding the IRS and theft of government funds. Robert A. Lund, 62, is scheduled to be arraigned on July 10 in Portland, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. A grand jury returned a true bill on Thursday, the news release states. From December 2000 to November 2013, Lund incorporated or controlled more than 160 business entities and used them to conceal his assets and income from the IRS, according to the news release. He operated four businesses (a computer consulting company, a bookstore, a nutrition store and a scuba diving company) from a building in downtown Albany Lund also operated a trailer park in Sweet Home, renting trailer units to individuals receiving government rental assistance. According to the indictment, in June 2002, after an IRS audit and a lengthy period of litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a U.S. Tax Court finding that Lund owed more than $444,000 in underreported tax liabilities. After the ruling, the IRS Collection Division continued its efforts to collect the taxes Lund owed. In response, Lund sent the IRS frivolous correspondence, threatened to sue the IRS revenue officers, attempted to quash various summonses and subpoenas, filed false bankruptcy petitions, transferred real property to other companies he controlled or created and used these companies to open financial accounts and conceal his income, the news release states. The indictment had not been uploaded to the federal courts online database on Thursday afternoon. Attempts to contact Lund were unsuccessful. Kyle Odegard can be reached at kyle.odegard@lee.net, 541-812-6077 or via Twitter @KyleOdegard. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A proposed tobacco tax hike that was dormant for months was suddenly revived Thursday. Lawmakers were able to amend it to a more palatable version, with the main change being that it will go to the voters. House Bill 2270 passed out of the House Committee on Revenue Thursday morning after a work session was scheduled the night before. It now goes to the Joint Committee on Tax Expenditures before getting a floor vote. Republicans are largely opposed to the idea, and the tobacco lobby has worked hard against it. If it goes to the ballot, voters can approve it with a simple majority. The tax is high on the agenda for Democrats, as the revenue would go to fund the Oregon Health Plan as well as anti-smoking efforts. House Revenue Chair Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene, declined to say whether the change to a ballot referral was a concession to get more votes. She said there were a number of changes made to get legislative leadership and Gov. Kate Brown all on the same page. We never gave up and we never gave in, Brown said Thursday. Im really pleased that the legislature is at least considering it at this point. Rep. Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, declined to discuss changes in the bill, but said when votes are an issue, its often in the Senate. Referring the bill to the voters still requires three-fifths majorities, but it also can provide peace of mind for some on the fence. In the Senate, getting 18 votes on a tax will always be difficult, even with Democrats holding 18 seats. Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Roseburg, said he has been part of the discussions on the bill. He said there is no way he would support it without a ballot referral. He still considering how hell vote, but hes more willing to support it now. The ballot referral isnt the only change made. The proposal is still for a $2 increase on a pack of cigarettes, raising the average cost from about $6 to about $8. It will still consider nicotine vaping products as tobacco products for the purposes of taxing. However, the original bill removed a 50-cent ceiling for taxes on cigars. The new version instead imposes a floor of $3 per cigar, which is taxed at 65 percent. Small cigars will be treated as cigarettes, and must be sold in packages of at least 20. The law would go into effect in 2021 if voters approve. Overall, outside of the ballot referral, the changes are not very significant, according to legislative analysts. A legislative analyst testified that under the assumption that a 10% increase in tax leads to an 8.5% reduction in use, Oregon should generate about $160 million per year from the tax hike. Reps. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, and Werner Reschke, R-Klamath Falls, repeatedly asked if this is a public health policy or a revenue-generating policy. Its both, Smith Warner said, and theres nothing wrong with that. The level of frustration is rising, Reschke said. In fact, its not a new concept. Sin taxes have long been used to make money off products that harm health, such as alcohol. Findley said with the amendment, there hasnt been time to look through the fiscal impacts and revenue forecasts for the new version. I think thats deplorable, Findley said. Rep. Diego Hernandez, D-Portland, also expressed issues with the bill. He said communities of color and the poor smoke more often. They deal with stresses the more privileged dont, driving them to smoke. The wealthy have better access to help to stop smoking. The poor will be paying this, he said. I just want to make that clear. However, he said the tobacco industry has also targeted these communities. As a mechanism to counteract that, the benefits of the tax outweigh the inequities, he said, and in the end voted to move it out of committee. Thursdays hearing was the first on the bill for two months. People around the Capitol often claimed it was dead. Gov. Kate Brown and Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, told media several times that its outcome was far from certain. Christopher Friend, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society, said his organization never gave up fighting for the tax though he always suspected it would end up on the ballot, whether from referral by lawmakers or the tobacco industry funding a campaign to gather signatures to get it on the ballot. Altria, one of the largest tobacco companies and parent company to Philip Morris, has eight lobbyists working this session, and has spent over $800,000 on lobbying efforts, according to its reports to the state. Friend said the tobacco industry spread rumors that the tax proposal was dead. This is an industry that kills people every day, he said. Reporter Aubrey Wieber: aubrey@salemreporter.com or 503-575-1251. Wieber is a reporter for Salem Reporter who works for the Oregon Capital Bureau, a collaboration of EO Media Group, the Pamplin Media Group, and Salem Reporter. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Please urge your state and US legislators to actively support universal health care bills: Senate Bill 770-A in the Oregon Legislature and House Resolution 1384 and Senate Bill 1129 in Congress. They could save your life and your savings. Medical care is either unaffordable or unavailable for many Oregonians. Premiums can be $3,000 and deductibles $10,000. Illnesses worsen over weeks or months until crisis forces patients to the emergency room. As I learned from patients here in Corvallis and across the nation, bills from an ER visit, hospitalization, or prolonged treatment can empty bank accounts and force people to sell their homes. Half of all Go Fund Me campaigns are triggered by health care costs. When patients cannot pay, hospitals raise their prices to make up the difference. Increased hospital prices are borne by the rest of us (socialized). Wouldnt it be wiser for Oregon and the nation to pass laws that allow each one of us to get the care we need to stay healthy, happy, and productive? We cant afford not to. Our current system is killing us, physically and financially. The Albany and Corvallis city councils and the Benton County commissioners have endorsed the path to universal health care as recommended in SB 770-A. Please call, write, email, visit your legislators and tell them why universal health care is so important to you and all of us. Were all better off when we each get the care we need. For more, go to mvhca.org. Mike Huntington, M.D. Corvallis (May 30) Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A: At first I wanted to go into agricultural engineering because I was more interested in the agricultural side than I was in the engineering side. I chose agricultural engineering because it seemed like a good way to secure a job in the agricultural field. Then I realized I dont like Americas modern agriculture field that much. At Oakton, I was taking mostly engineering courses and I actually liked it so I figured I should probably go into a more engineering related field. Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. Two Sanyo Smart TVs Launched Price, Features And More News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Japanese consumer electronics brand Sanyo has announced the launch of two new smart TVs under the Nebula series in India. These latest models are available in 32-inch and 43-inch variants and are touted to provide an immersive viewing experience to users. Like any other smart TV in the market, these models come with many preloaded apps and content. Sanyo Smart TVs Price In India Well, the new Sanyo Smart TVs will be available via the online retailer Amazon India. The company offers one year of warranty on these phones. Notably, these are affordable smart TVs priced at Rs. 12,999 and Rs. 22,999 for the 32-inch and 43-inch models. Sanyo Smart TV Features Sanyo's new Nebula series Smart TVs arrive with for Netflix, YouTube, IPS display tech and more. Also, there will be features such as Fast Cast and Android Mirroring that will let users watch their favorite content on their smartphone on the big screen. These models have two USB ports, two HDMI ports and more. When it comes to the other specifications, the 32-inch TV comes with an HD panel with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels while the bigger 43-inch model flaunts a FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. While the smaller variant of the Sanyo Smart TV has 16W output, the bigger model with a larger display has 60Hz refresh rate to ensure blue-free picture quality and a higher 20W sound output. Pankaj Rana- Business Chief, Sanyo, Panasonic India, said, "Sanyo is committed to making technology accessible to all, and enhancing the viewing experience. With this vision, we are delighted to introduce the Smart LED TVs under our Nebula series. Both the TVs will be available on Amazon with easy financing options. With Netflix, YouTube, IPS technology display and superior speakers, Sanyo Smart TVs are a perfect fit for viewers in today's time. With this launch, we further strengthen our commitment to provide high quality, value for money products to our Indian consumers." Should You Buy These Sanyo TVs? Given that these new Sanyo Nebula Smart TVs are priced reasonably starting from Rs. 12,999, you can buy the same if you want to get your hands on an affordable smart TV that will not leave a hole in your pocket. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Moto One Action Leak Triple Rear Cameras, Punch-Hole display And More Tipped News oi-Sandeep Sarkar Motorola launched a new device in the 'One' smartphone lineup last month in Brazil. The company launched the Moto One Vision smartphone with a punch-hole display and a 48MP primary camera. The Lenovo-backed brand is gearing up to bring the One Vision in India on June 20 and has started teasing the device online. Now, another Moto One smartphone has been spotted over the web along with the key hardware. Moto One Action Renders Leak Online: Motorola seems to be working on a light variant of the recently launched Moto One Vision smartphone. The complete renders of the device have been listed online and which indicates an affordable Moto One smartphone in the make. The upcoming smartphone has been tipped to feature a same punch-hole display design as the Moto One Vision. However, unlike the dual-lens setup on the One Vision, the One Action is said to come with the triple-rear camera setup. Let's have a look at the renders shared: Moto One Action Specifications And Features: The renders appeared over the web hints at a 6.3-inch LCD display panel with an in-display camera cutout. The smartphone display is expected to be a full HD+ panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2520 pixels. In terms of optics, the device might offer a triple camera module at the rear panel. The primary sensor could be a 12.6MP lens. The remaining sensors are yet to be revealed. At the front, the device is said to pack a 12.6 lens to capture selfies and video chats. The processor powering the smartphone will be an Exynos 9609 from Samsung. The chipset will be accompanied by Mali G72 GPU to render high-resolution graphics. The smartphone will run on Android Pie OS and will be backed by a 3,500mAh battery unit. What Do We Think Of The Moto One Action? The leaked renders of the Moto One Action suggests promising hardware. The internals are similar to the recently launched One Vision smartphone. The primary difference in both the models is the camera setup. While the Moto One Vision offers a dual-lens setup, the One Action has been tipped to sport a triple lens setup. The pricing of the device remains a mystery, however, it will play a major factor in its success in the market. credits Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Realme C2 Will Be Available In 8000 Stores Across India News oi-Priyanka Dua Chinese Smartphone Maker Realme today announced that the realme C2 will be available in the offline stores throughout the country in 8000 stores. The newly launched device comes in three variants with 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM, 2GB RAM + 32GB ROM and 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM starting at Rs. 5,999. The device will be available from 15th June 2019 and 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM will be available starting July in offline stores. On The Specification Front The value king realme C2 comes with 6.1 inch HD + Dewdrop Full screen for an immersive experience, while watching videos or playing games. It comes diamond-cut design with 3-layer of paintings and pearl shining particles. Realme C2 will be available in Diamond Black and Diamond Blue. The phone comes with a 4000mAh battery with a day usage assured without charging. The 2.0GHZ and 12nm octa-core Helio P22 processor for realme C2 is capable of a long-lasting battery endurance and powerful performance. Realme C2 will support an expandable 256GB storage with a triple Independent card slot which supports dual sim 4G. The well-customized AI dual rear camera (13MP+2 MP) is apt for more definite and natural photos with the Chroma Boost that can improve the HDR range and colors. The smartphone supports an 80fps/480P slow-motion video recording. Furthermore, it is equipped with color OS 6 based on Android Pie 9.0. Expansion plan Realme as of today has 283 service centers across India and plans to expand the service network in line with the growing market reach across India to serve customers more efficiently. Realme has exclusive service centers in Delhi, Mumbai and Bhopal and plans to open 25 ESCs by end of this year. Madhav Sheth, Chief Executive Officer, realme India said, "Considering the rapidly growing customer demand towards realme C2 we are making the device available at our offline stores. Initially, the device was available for sale in Flipkart.com and our official website and saw a phenomenal response." Nidhi Bhatia, Product Manager, realme India said "We are expanding offline to give more touch and feel of the product to our customers. We strive to give our customers a combination of power and style in our products." Best Mobiles in India Amazon Eco Dot Kids Edition 2019 Launched: Here Are All The Details News oi-Priyanka Dua A month introducing the Fire 7 Kids, Amazon has launched Echo Dot Kids Edition which is the successor of last year edition. The newly launched Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition will be available in Rainbow and Blue color options and costs $49.99. According to a company the newest edition has a rich, full sound that is 70 percent louder than the previous generation. It offers an Alexa experience designed specifically for kids with kid-friendly responses to questions, educational Q&A, kid-focused podcasts, and more. For example, users need to ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, help with math facts, control supported lights, or tell jokes. In addition, the company is providing a year of FreeTime Unlimited, access to more than 1,000 Audible titles, premium Alexa skills from brands like Sony and Disney Publishing, kid-friendly podcasts, and so much more. It comes with 2-year, worry-free guarantee-if it breaks, send it back and we'll replace it. It will start shipping to customers in the US later this month. Furthermore, after the first year of FreeTime Unlimited, customers can continue their subscription starting at $2.99 per month for Prime members and $4.99 per month for customers who are not yet Prime members. The same FreeTime Unlimited subscription can be used across any compatible device to access even more kid-friendly content. This includes age-appropriate books, Audible books, videos, educational apps, and games, available on Fire tablets and compatible iOS and Android devices. The FreeTime Unlimited experience will vary based on device. Parental Controls FreeTime on Alexa also includes parental controls that help parents manage how their kids interact with technology, including: 1 Time limits: Set bedtime time limits so kids can't talk with Alexa late into the night, or simply pause Echo devices for dinner or homework time. 2 The content you want: Parent can choose services and skills for kids 3 Block explicit songs: Parents with Amazon Music, Apple Music, or Spotify can filter playback of songs with explicit lyrics. 4 Activity review: Parent Dashboard allows parents to see their kid's FreeTime on Alexa activity, plus review their voice recordings in the Alexa app. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Steven Carl Bell, 70. passed away on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, from complications of a cerebral vascular accident in Denver, Colo. Family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. with sharing of memories at 4 p.m., Sunday, June 16, at Bell Mortuary in Glasgow. Funeral Services will be 11 a.m., Monday, June 17, at the Evangelical Church in Glasgow with Pastor Seth Runner officiating. Burial will take place at Highland Cemetery in Glasgow. Memorials can be made in Steve's honor to the Scottie Booster Club, Glasgow High School Educational Trust Fund or the donor's choice. Condolences may be left at bellmortuarymontana.com. A full obituary will be printed in the June 19 issue of the Glasgow Courier. CENTCOM statement on recent events in the Gulf of Oman U.S. Central Command June 13, 2019 -- "U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local time and a second one at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Naval Forces Central Command received the calls from the M/V Front Altair and M/V Kokuka Courageous, who were operating in international waters of the Gulf of Oman. USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) was operating in the vicinity and provided immediate assistance to the M/V Kokuka Courageous. Twenty-one mariners from the M/V Kokuka Courageous, who abandoned ship, are currently aboard USS Bainbridge. A Navy P-8 is also providing support." - Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown, a CENTCOM spokesman -30- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran navy investigating dimensions of accident in Oman Sea IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, June 13, IRNA -- The Iranian navy announced that the causes and dimensions of the recent accidents for tankers in the Sea of Oman is under investigation. After receiving information on the accident in the Sea of Oman, the Iranian navy dispatched air-to-sea rescue and patrolling equipment to the accident site, the Iranian army said. Due to the distance of ships from the Iranian coast, a non-Iranian vessel attended the accident site before others and after receiving the first ship's crew delivered them to the Iranian rescue ships, it added. Their nationalities are under investigation, Iranian army reiterated. Iranian navy has always spared no effort for sending humanitarian aid regardless of the nationality of ships' crew. Al-Mayadeen TV Network, meantime, reported on Thursday morning that attack against two big oil tankers, one from Singapore and another one from Norway, carrying crude oil for Japan were affected by two explosions in the Oman Sea. The tankers were damaged in the waters of the Gulf of Oman and then fire broke out in the vessels. Earlier, an informed source told IRNA that 44 sailors of the two foreign oil tankers which were hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman this morning have been rescued by an Iranian vessel in coordination with Hormuzgan's maritime search and rescue center. The sailors have been transported to Jask Port in east of southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan as a result of Iran's humanitarian aid and assistance, the source said. The two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged and the Panama-flagged, were on their ways to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively, the source said. Earlier, foreign media had reported that two oil tankers had been hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman. 9376**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Larry LaLuzerne, who holds a contract for Mundelein's criminal prosecution services, asked numerous questions during the hearing. He said the second employee might get the Orland Park business license after having removed her mother from a new application, and he questioned how often that person would be in Orland Park versus in Mundelein. FM spox: Japanese tanker accident suspicious IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, June 13, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman described as suspicious the attack on two Japanese oil tankers in Sea of Oman and its coincidence with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. In a message which was released on Twitter, Abbas Mousavi expressed concern over suspicious accidents to Japanese trade tankers in the Sea of Oman that happened at the same time with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meeting with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran. He described this act as being in contrast with regional and trans-regional positions and efforts to de-escalate tension. Mousavi reiterated that Iran supports negotiations and cooperation in the region. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said: "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM @AbeShinzo was meeting with Ayatollah @khamenei_ir for extensive and friendly talks, suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning.Iran's proposed Regional Dialogue Forum is imperative." Earlier, an informed source told IRNA that 44 sailors of the two foreign oil tankers which were hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman this morning have been rescued by an Iranian vessel in coordination with Hormuzgan's maritime search and rescue center. The sailors have been transported to Jask Port in east of southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan as a result of Iran's humanitarian aid and assistance, the source said. The two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged and the Panama-flagged, were on their way to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively, the source said. Earlier, foreign media had reported that two oil tankers had been hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman. 9376** NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zarif says suspicious not to describe what happened to Japan tankers IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, June 13, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister said in a message that the mishaps for oil tankers carrying crude for Japan is suspicious as there has been no explanation on what happened to them. Earlier, an informed source told IRNA that 44 sailors of the two foreign oil tankers which were hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman this morning have been rescued by an Iranian vessel in coordination with Hormuzgan's maritime search and rescue center. The sailors have been transported to Jask Port in east of southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan as a result of Iran's humanitarian aid and assistance, the source said. The two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged and the Panama-flagged, were on their ways to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively, the source said. Earlier, foreign media had reported that two oil tankers had been hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman. 9376**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gov't spokesman voices concern over tragic incident for blast of 2 oil tankers in Oman Sea IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, June 13, IRNA -- Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei voiced his concern and sorrow over the explosion of two oil tankers carrying oil for Japan in the Sea of Oman and warned all countries of the region to be careful not to be trapped by those, who benefit from instability in the region. According to the government website, Rabiei expressed sorrow for blasts in the two Japanese oil tankers on Thursday and added that Iran is ready for security and regional cooperation to guarantee security in strategic waterways. Al-Mayadeen TV Network, meantime, reported on Thursday morning that attack against two big oil tankers, one from Singapore and another one from Norway, carrying crude oil for Japan were affected by two explosions in the Oman Sea. The tankers were damaged in the waters of the Gulf of Oman and then fire broke out in the vessels. Earlier, an informed source told IRNA that 44 sailors of the two foreign oil tankers which were hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman this morning have been rescued by an Iranian vessel in coordination with Hormuzgan's maritime search and rescue center. The sailors have been transported to Jask Port in east of southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan as a result of Iran's humanitarian aid and assistance, the source said. The two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged and the Panama-flagged, were on their ways to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively, the source said. Earlier, foreign media had reported that two oil tankers had been hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman. 1391**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Two tankers hit in Gulf of Oman ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency 13 June 2019 / 15:55 Tehran (ISNA) Two oil tankers were hit in a suspected attack on Thursday June 13 in the Gulf of Oman. Oil tanker Front Altair (operating under a Marshall Islands flag) and Kokuka Courageous (working under a panama flag) were the two tankers hit in the Gulf of Oman during which there were explosions which caused a fire onboard. The crew of the two tankers has been safely evacuated. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General visits Iceland NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 11 Jun. 2019 Last updated: 13 Jun. 2019 17:04 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Iceland's important contributions to international security during a visit to Reykjavik on Monday (11 June 2019). After meeting with Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, the Secretary General recalled that Iceland is a founding member of NATO, stressing that its "strategic location in the Atlantic helps to bind Europe and North America together." Mr. Stoltenberg praised Iceland's civilian contributions to NATO missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as the country's leadership on the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Iceland also helped host exercise Trident Juncture 2018, NATO's largest exercise in decades. The Secretary General and Prime Minister Jakobsdottir also discussed current security issues, including Russia's breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, NATO's adaptation to hybrid and cyber threats, and the situation in the High North. Earlier, Mr. Stoltenberg visited Keflavik air base from where air and maritime surveillance flights help keep Iceland, the Atlantic, and the High North secure. He also met the crews of the U.S. 6th Fleet's P-8A anti-submarine warfare aircraft operating out of Keflavik. The Secretary General also met with Iceland's Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, the National Security Council, and the Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Aslaug Arna Sigurbjornsdottir. He is also delivering a speech at the Nordic House in Reykjavik entitled: "70 years of NATO and Iceland: A strong transatlantic bond in an uncertain world". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement Regarding Shipping Vessels in Gulf of Oman Navy News Service Story Number: NNS190613-01 Release Date: 6/13/2019 8:06:00 AM From U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- We are aware of the reported attack on shipping vessels in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local (Bahrain) time and a second one at 7:00 a.m. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) rendered assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NSWC Philadelphia Division Dry Docks Scanning Supports Newest Generation of Aircraft Carriers Navy News Service Story Number: NNS190613-09 Release Date: 6/13/2019 1:13:00 PM From Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division Public Affairs PHILADELPHIA (NNS) -- During a recent visit to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD), Steven Lagana, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) PMS 555, Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan (SIOP) Program Manager, toured the Command's test sites and labs critical to supporting the construction of the Ford-class aircraft carriers. "PMS 555 is totally revamping the way the public shipyards do things," said Glenn Ward, NSWCPD's Strategic Planning and Investments director. "We wanted to highlight what NSWCPD does to support the shipyards." SIOP is a 20-year, $21 billion program that will bring the Navy's four public shipyards up to industry standards by recapitalizing dry-docks, optimizing the shipyards physical layout and workflow, and modernizing capital equipment. Those shipyards include Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Wash., Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. Lagana received briefs of current efforts to support the shipyards, NSWCPD's future projects, and the Command's support of Norfolk Naval Shipyard construction of the first Ford-class aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The visit highlighted NSWCPD's Advanced Data, Prototyping Technologies, and Virtual Environments (ADAPT.VE) Lab that previously supported the SIOP project that created a 3-D point cloud representation of Norfolk Naval Shipyard's Dry-dock 8. NSWCPD engineers created a precise digital 3-D model Dry-dock 8, one of a limited number of shipyard facilities large enough to support the Ford-class aircraft carriers. The 3-D computer model allowed the Navy to manipulate data using existing computer-aided design (CAD) tools to study workflow and increase shipyard productivity. ADAPT.VE Lab engineers first scanned the dock using laser metrology equipment. They were able to use the data to create a 3-D CAD object or a point cloud representation. Then it was possible to program future dry dock operations into the model. This allowed for the visualization and study of workflow, leading to recommendations for the optimal placement of hardware. "The work NSWC Philadelphia accomplished with Dry-dock 8 is exactly what we're looking to do for all four Naval Shipyards build a 3-D digital twin of the yards and find where we can build efficiencies into the workflow while also executing critical maintenance and upgrades to our dry-docks, infrastructure, and capital equipment," Lagana said. This effort created the baseline for optimizing Norfolk Naval Shipyard's capabilities and has future applications for continued support for SIOP and NAVSEA's mission priority to support the on-time delivery of ships and submarines, as well as improve warfighter capability and availability of ships and ship systems. Norfolk Naval Shipyard saw the potential for use of 3-D laser scanning to help streamline various activities in the shipyard, and has obtained their own scanners. NSWCPD has continued to support Norfolk's efforts and has created training documents to aid Norfolk personnel with the use of the equipment. "As a warfare center, we were one of the first to have our foot in the laser metrology door," said Patrick Violante, ADAPT.VE team lead. "We are also striving to make everyone here, and across the Navy aware of what they can do with this technology." NSWCPD is currently supporting the shipyards through several work-tracking projects. NSWCPD's Machinery Control Systems and Advanced Damage Control Systems Branch Manager John Buckley and his team have developed programs that streamline the way shipyards plan and track ship availability. The Works Space Planning Tool and the Electronic Mapping Board help visualize upcoming work by digitally plotting upcoming work in a central application that all stakeholders can access. This allows work to be planned in advance removing work conflicts that can arise during ship availability. The Electronic Mapping Board utilizes existing ship system drawings and allows the workers to record detailed progress reports. Both applications use the Advanced Damage Control System (ADCS) software framework. "There's a world of opportunity in these products," Buckley said. "Mr. Lagana has a lot of vision and long range goals to improve the efficiency of the yards, and he sees our potential to further that." NSWCPD employs approximately 2,600 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel doing research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for Navy ships. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Stout Arrives for Nassau, Bahamas Port Call Navy News Service Story Number: NNS190613-16 Release Date: 6/13/2019 3:35:00 PM By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stacy M. Atkins Ricks, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs and Outreach NASSAU, Bahamas (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) arrived in Nassau, Bahamas, for a scheduled port visit, June 12. The Norfolk-based destroyer arrived in the island nation's port as part of a concerted effort to increase U.S. presence and reinforce the U.S. Navy's commitment to a mutually beneficial partnership. "The Bahamas is one of our most enduring allies, and this is a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship between our two countries," said Cmdr. Nathan Diaz, the ship's commanding officer. "Our crew can't wait to make a difference in the local community, interact with the people and experience everything the country has to offer." The port visit coincides with U.S. Fleet Forces Commander Adm. Christopher W. Grady's scheduled visit to the island to take part in bilateral discussions about the two countries' shared interests. Grady and U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Stephanie Bowers will co-host a reception aboard Stout for senior government officials and members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF). In addition to the on board reception, Stout crewmembers will spend the port visit participating in community relations projects and experiencing the local culture. "We're excited for a chance to visit Nassau to participate in community outreach and to build unit cohesion," said Fire Controlman 2nd Class Elijah Strukley. "After many months of underways and training for numerous events, our first foreign port call since deployment will be a thrilling opportunity!" Stout was commissioned on Aug. 13, 1994, and was named after Rear Adm. Herald F. Stout. He was awarded two Navy Crosses for his outstanding service as commanding officer of USS Claxton (DD 571) in the Solomon Islands during World War II. The ship conducted operations as part of Destroyer Squadron 23, otherwise known as the "Little Beaver" Squadron. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bomber hits police vehicle in east Afghanistan, 9 killed Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 05:16PM A bomber on foot has targeted a police vehicle in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, killing at least nine people and injuring more than a dozen others, local officials say. Atahullah Khogyani, spokesman for Nangarhar province's governor, said the attacker set off his explosives as a police vehicle was passing from a residential area in Jalalabad city on Thursday. "Four security personnel and five civilians have been killed and 12 more, including three security personnel, wounded," media outlets quoted the spokesman as saying. There was at least one child among the fatalities, while three others were among those wounded. A statement released by the Daesh terrorist group's Amaq news outlet claimed responsibility for the attack, without presenting any evidence. Daesh has carried a string of bombings and attacks on government offices, schools, and aid groups in Nangarhar's main city over the past few months. In recent years, Daesh has established a foothold in eastern and northern Afghanistan. The terrorist group has mostly been populating Nangarhar, from where it has been carrying out attacks at major population centers across the country. In April, a report suggested that the United States military had been allowing members of Daesh and their weapons into Afghanistan following the terror group's defeats in Syria and Iraq. Daesh's rise in Afghanistan comes at a time when the Trump administration is engaged in peace talks with the Taliban militant group. In recent months, the Taliban have stepped up attacks as part of their so-called spring offensive, rejecting calls by US chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad to lay down arms. Several round of talks between the US and Taliban recently ended in the Qatari capital Doha, with no tangible progress. The Taliban have said peace negotiations were stumbling over the fundamental question of when foreign forces would depart the war-ravaged country. The administration of President Donald Trump is now negotiating with the Taliban in an attempt to discourage the group from attacking American troops. The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US invasion in 2001. However, 18 years on, Washington is seeking truce with the militants, who still control large swathes of land in the country. US forces have remained bogged down in the country through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Trump, which have seen terrorism flare and production of illegal drugs soar. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tankers attack suspicious, regional dialogue imperative: Zarif Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 12:03PM Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the attack on two tankers in the Sea of Oman amid a landmark visit by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Iran is suspicions, calling for the promotion of dialogue among regional countries. Taking to his official Twitter page on Thursday, hours after the attacks occurred, Iran's top diplomat said, "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning." Highlighting the fact that attacked tankers were bound for Japan, Zarif noted, "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM @AbeShinzo was meeting with Ayatollah @khamenei_ir for extensive and friendly talks." Iran's foreign minister then stressed that promotion of a regional dialogue forum was necessary to deal with Wednesday's and previous attacks on commercial ships in the Persian Gulf, in what was a clear allusion to his previous call for the formation of a such a forum for the Persian Gulf littoral states in an attempt to restore peace and stability to the region. In an article in The Atlantic website published in October 2017, Zarif underlined the need for "meaningful" restoration of peace and stability to the Persian Gulf region, noting, "To achieve this outcome, we should be erecting a working regional mechanism rather than laying more bricks in the wall of division. We can start with a regional dialogue forum, something Iran has always beenpublicly and privatelyin favor of." US economic war behind regional tension: Zarif Earlier on Thursday and following a meeting between Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the visiting Japanese prime minister, Zarif said in another tweet that the US violation of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and the then P5+1 group of countries, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and imposition of economic war on Iranian people were the main reasons behind the current escalation of tension in the region. Earlier in June, Zarif had noted that the US's decision to deploy additional troops to the Middle East is "extremely dangerous" and threatens international peace and security. Earlier this month, Zarif had noted that the US's decision to deploy additional troops to the Middle East is "extremely dangerous" and threatens international peace and security. Zarif made the remarks a day after US President Donald Trump said he was sending some 1,500 troops to the region for "mostly protective" reasons. "Increased US presence in our region is extremely dangerous and it threatens international peace and security, and this should be addressed," the official IRNA news agency quoted Zarif as saying. 'No vessel sank, crew safe and sound' None of the two involved tankers -- one sailing under a Panama flag and another bearing the Marshall Islands' ensign -- sank during the incident, said the director general of Ports and Maritime Department in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, Allah-Morad Afifipour, refuting earlier reports by some news outlets that one of the two tankers had sank following the attack. "Fire has been entirely controlled in the Panama-flagged vessel, and its 21-strong crew will return to the vessel after completion of required safety operations," the Iranian ports official added. He noted that the second tanker's fire, however, is yet to be fully doused, rejecting reports about it having sunk and adding that its 23 crewmembers were in perfect health and transferred to Iran's Jask port. Foreign Ministry echoes Zarif's suspicion Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Moussavi also expressed concern about the incident and echoed Zarif's suspicion, reminding that the attack against the Japan-related tankers had coincided with PM Abe's meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei. Taking to his Twitter page, the Iranian diplomat said, "The attack flew in the face of standing regional and extra-regional efforts aimed at reducing existing tensions and contributing to peace in the region." Like Zarif, he also voiced Tehran's support for "cooperation and dialogue in the region." Iran Navy: Attacks under probe Iran's Navy announced in a statement later on Thursday that an investigation was underway on the circumstances surrounding the incident and its extent. It, however, said "unverified reports" suggested that both vessels were carrying gas condensate and that the fires broke out on their decks. Commenting on the rescue operation, the Navy said it had dispatched airborne and seaborne rescue teams to the area after it was alerted to the attacks by Hormozgan Province's Search and Rescue Department and was able to locate the afflicted tankers. Given the distance between the area and the country's coast, a foreign vessel, which was nearby at the time of the incident, reached there, took in the crewmembers of the first tanker, and handed them over to Iranian relief and rescue vessels, the statement added. The Navy said it would do its utmost in all humanitarian cases, notwithstanding the nationality of those involved, the vessels' ownership or the nature of their cargo. Government spokesman: Beware of region's ill-wishers Iranian Government spokesman has also expressed grave concern about Thursday attack on two tankers in the Sea of Oman. Ali Rabi'ei relayed Iran's "profound concern and regret" with regards to the attack, warning all regional countries against falling prey to machinations of those who stand to benefit from regional instability. "The Iranian government is prepared for regional cooperation aimed at ensuring security, including in strategic waterways," he added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Kazakh counterpart, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Thursday here, pledging to promote cooperation to benefit the peoples of the two countries and the region. The meeting was held ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which will be opened on Friday. Xi congratulated Tokayev on his election as Kazakh president and applauded his contribution to the development of bilateral relations. China-Kazakhstan relations have witnessed leapfrog development over the past 27 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship. The achievement is attributed to the care and promotion by leaders of the two countries for generations and ought to be doubly cherished, Xi said. Hailing the solid foundation, clear direction and steady progress in the joint construction of the Belt and Road by the two countries, Xi called for deepening alignment of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Kazakh "Bright Road" economic policy to benefit the peoples of the two countries and the region. The two countries should promote trade and investment facilitation, strengthen cooperation in production capacity, agriculture, high technology, finance, transport and logistics and that at local levels. More growth areas for cooperation should be created, Xi said. He urged more efforts on people-to-people connectivity in a bid to enhance mutual understanding between the young people. China is ready to enhance cooperation with Kazakhstan within the frameworks of the SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia to make greater contribution to regional security and development, Xi said. Tokayev conveyed congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Developing relations with China will remain a priority in Kazakhstan's foreign policy, which, he said, is significant to the development of his country as well as stability and prosperity of the region, and accords with the interests of the two peoples. Committed to deepening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, Kazakhstan is ready to maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen cooperation in such areas as trade, transport, logistics and digital economy as well as intensify multilateral coordination with China. 2 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] The Naperville native was 5 years old when he first saw a DeLorean in the 1985 movie Back to the Future at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove. That experience would send Ardon on a 34-year journey to learn everything he could about the car and its maker, culminating in a documentary starring Alec Baldwin as the infamous automobile company founder, whos been hailed as both a visionary and a con man. Iran rescues all crew members of tankers hit in Sea of Oman Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 08:09AM Iran has rushed to the assistance of two oil tankers hit by yet unspecified accidents in the Sea of Oman, transferring all of their 44 crew members to its southern shores. An informed source said an Iranian rescue vessel had picked up the 23 crew members of one of the tankers and 21 of the other from the sea and had brought them to safety at Iran's Jask, in the southern Hormozgan Province, IRNA reported on Thursday. Earlier, media reports said explosions had occurred on the two oil tankers, apparently as a result of attacks. The source, whose name and affiliation were not disclosed, said one of the vessels caught fire at 08:50 am Iranian time (04:20 GMT) on Thursday and the second one at 09:50. Details about the incidents are still sketchy, but the ships are known to have sent distress signals to nearby ports and vessels. While the US Navy claimed it had been assisting the tankers, the Iranian rescue vessel was first to reach them and rescue the crew, who had plunged into and were floating on the sea to avoid the fire. Meanwhile, in an interview with Press TV on Thursday, Alexander Azadegan, a professor of international political economy, offered his first thoughts about the incidents in the Sea of Oman. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Oil prices jump following suspected attacks on two oil tankers in Sea of Oman Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 08:03AM Crude oil futures have jumped following reports of explosions targeting two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman. According to Reuters, Brent crude futures were up $1.71, or 2.85%, at $61.68 a barrel by 0908 GMT Thursday, having risen as much as 4.45% to $62.64. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up $1.25, or 2.44%, at $52.39 a barrel. WTI earlier rose as much as 3.85% to $53.11. Both benchmarks are nevertheless headed for a weekly loss. Reuters, citing four shipping and trade sources, said two tankers identified as the Marshal Islands-flagged Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Kokuka had been hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman. The crew of the two tankers were rescued by Iran. They have been transferred to Jask, in southern Iran. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was, according to reports, heading from Qatar to Taiwan when a fire broke out on it. The Panama-flagged ship was en route from a port in Saudi Arabia to Singapore when it was hit by an accident involving a fire. The details of the incidents remain sketchy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel conducts new airstrike on besieged Gaza Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 07:23AM Israel says its warplanes have launched a new airstrike against a position of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip, after the regime allegedly intercepted a rocket fired from the enclave into the Israeli-occupied territories. The Israeli military said in a Twitter post that the airstrike had been conducted in the early hours of Thursday against an "underground network" located at a "military compound of Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip." It was not clear whether the strike had caused any damage or casualties. The statement said the airstrike had been in response to a rocket purportedly fired from Gaza toward the Israeli-occupied territories late Wednesday, claiming that the projectile had been intercepted. In early May, Israel and Hamas reached a truce agreement after exchanges of fire during which Israel heavily bombarded the blockaded sliver and hundreds of rockets were fired from the enclave at Israel, the largest outbreak of violence since the 2014 Gaza war. The Thursday strike came shortly after Israel tightened fishing restrictions against the Gaza Strip, claiming that a barrage of incendiary balloons had been launched from the coastal enclave. "Due to the continuous launching of incendiary balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, it has been decided tonight (Wednesday) not to allow access to Gaza's maritime space until further notice," said a spokesperson for COGAT, a unit of Israel's ministry of military affairs, in a statement. COGAT had said a day earlier that it had reduced the extent of the fishing zone from 10 nautical miles offshore to six. A week before that, it had reduced it from 15 to 10. Under the Oslo Accords signed in 1993, Israel is obligated to permit fishing up to 20 nautical miles, but it has never implemented that obligation. Israel maintains a heavy naval presence off the coast of the impoverished Palestinian enclave, severely affecting the livelihood of some 4,000 fishermen and at least 1,500 more people involved in the fishing industry. Over the past few years, Israeli forces have carried out more than a hundred attacks on Palestinian boats, arresting dozens of fishermen and confiscating several boats. Israel 'deliberately' targeted Gazan homes: NGO According to a report by the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories on Wednesday, the Israeli military forces "deliberately" targeted residential buildings in the Gaza Strip on May 3-6 this year. "Israel launched airstrikes and fired shells at more than 350 targets in Gaza, injuring 153 people and killing 25 including 13" civilians, the NGO said. It added that there had been two minors a three-month-old baby girl and an 11-year-old boy and three women, one of them pregnant, among the victims. "These strikes are part of a policy formulated by" Israeli "officials and the senior military command," the report further said. The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade since June 2007. The blockade has caused a decline in the standard of living as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty. Palestinians have held weekly rallies along the Gaza border to protest the siege on the enclave and demand the right to return of those Palestinians displaced by Israeli aggression since 1948. More than 270 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since anti-occupation protest rallies began in the Gaza Strip on March 30, 2018. Over 16,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Explosions hit two large tankers in Sea of Oman: Reports Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 05:34AM Media reports say two large tankers have been hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman. Iran's Al-Alam television network cited local sources in Oman as saying that two successive explosions were heard in the Sea of Oman also called the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning. The sources said the blasts were caused by attacks on the tankers, according to the report. The tankers had sent distress calls to the sea's littoral states. The area is near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which nearly one-third of all oil traded by sea passes. Reuters, citing four shipping and trade sources, said two tankers identified as the Marshal Islands-flagged Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous had been hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman, and that the crew had been evacuate from the vessels. The crew were safe, the sources added. Iranian rescue workers have rushed to the assistance of two tankers hit by yet unspecified accidents in the Sea of Oman, transferring all of their 44 crew members to its southern shores, IRNA reported. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was, according to reports, heading from Qatar to Taiwan when a fire broke out on the tanker approximately 25 miles from Iran's Jask port city. The Panama-flagged ship was also en route from a port in Saudi Arabia towards Singapore when a fire broke out approximately 28 miles from Jask. The US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet told Reuters that its naval forces are assisting tankers in the Gulf of Oman after receiving two distress calls. "We are aware of the reported attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. US Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local time and a second one at 7:00 a.m.," Joshua Frey of the Fifth Fleet said. The Kokuka Courageous tanker was damaged in the incident, a spokesman for the vessel's manager BSM Ship Management (Singapore) said. "The Kokuka Courageous remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking. The cargo of methanol is intact," the spokesman said. The vessel is about 14 nautical miles off Iran and about 70 nautical miles from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where a number of commercial vessels were targeted by sabotage operations last month. The Norwegian shipping firm Frontline also confirmed that its oil tanker Front Altair was on fire after an incident in the Gulf of Oman, Norwegian newspaper VG reported, quoting a company spokesman. All 23 crew members were brought to safety at a nearby vessel, the spokesman added. Earlier, the Associated Press reported that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations which is run by the British navy warned that an unspecified incident has taken place in the sea and was urging "extreme caution." In another report, shipping newspaper Tradewinds claimed, citing unnamed industry sources, that an oil tanker owned by Norway's Frontline had been struck by a torpedo off the coast of Fujairah. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN confirms Yemen's Ansarullah fully abiding by peace deal Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 01:00AM A UN mission monitoring a peace deal between warring parties in Yemen's Hudaydah says the Houthi Ansarullah movement has fully withdrawn its forces from three key ports in the region based on the truce agreement. Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard, who heads the UN monitoring mission in Hudaydah, said in a statement that regular UN patrols had not detected a Houthi military presence in the three Red Sea ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Isa since May 14. Lollesgaard said Houthi military installations and equipment had been removed from Salif and Ras Isa but largely remained in Hudaydah. He called on the Houthis to "expeditiously complete the removal of all military manifestations, including trenches, as part of their commitment to the process." The Houthi Ansarullah movement's unilateral pullout from the ports in early May was the most significant advance yet for efforts to end the four-year-old waged by the Saudi-led coalition against the movement In December, Yemen's government and the Houthis met in Sweden and agreed to a ceasefire and troop withdrawal deal for Hudaydah. Under phase one, the Ansarullah pulled out of the Red Sea ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Isa last month. Hudaydah is Yemen's main port and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis on the brink of starvation, a situation exacerbated by restricted imports of food and other supplies due to the war. The move by the Houthis is due to be met by a retreat of Saudi-led coalition forces from the eastern outskirts of Hudaydah, facilitating humanitarian access to grain stores at the Red Sea Mills. Lollesgaard said last month that a phase one withdrawal by government and coalition forces would not take place until the warring parties had worked out details for a broader phase two redeployment. More than 70 percent of Yemen's imports used to pass through the docks of Hudaydah, a lifeline for the war-ravaged country's crippled economy. Salif was used for unloading all main types of grain, and Ras Isa, a vital oil terminal, was used for exporting Ma'rib's light crude oil. The lengthy siege has pushed tens of thousands of people in Yemen to the verge of starvation and crippled the country's economy. In an effort to prevent the humanitarian situation from further deteriorating and to avert a larger assault by the Saudi-led coalition on the ports, the Houthis signed a UN-brokered agreement with the ex-government in Sweden last December. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Top U.S. General Says IS Still 'Worrisome' In Afghanistan, But Unlikely To Mount U.S. Attacks By RFE/RL June 13, 2019 A senior U.S. general says the Islamic State (IS) extremist group remains a "very worrisome" presence in Afghanistan, but it is unlikely to mount an attack on the U.S. homeland because it is under strong military pressure. Marine General Frank McKenzie, who heads the U.S. Central Command, on June 12 told reporters the extremist group "in Afghanistan certainly has aspirations to attack the United States." "It is our clear judgment that as long as we maintain pressure on them it will be hard for them to do that," he said. McKenzie, whose Central Command has responsibility for managing U.S. military operations across the Middle East, spoke in Germany with reporters after completing an eight-day trip to Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. The AP earlier this week quoted U.S. and Afghan security officials as saying the extremist group in Afghanistan is expanding its presence, recruiting new members, and plotting attacks on the United States and other Western countries. A U.S. intelligence official based in Afghanistan told AP that a recent series of attacks in the Afghan capital, Kabul, were "practice runs" for even bigger attacks in Europe and the United States. Some experts said IS could use Afghanistan as a base for operations now that the terror group has mainly been driven from its former strongholds in Iraq and Syria. McKenzie said he did not believe IS in Afghanistan has expanded its capabilities but that it does still represent a dangerous presence in the country. He said that "they are very worrisome to us" in their eastern Afghanistan strongholds, and added that combat operations had failed to reduce the number of fighters. Some experts have estimated that IS still has thousands of fighters in the country. U.S. forces in Afghanistan are battling IS fighters -- a mission separate from their effort to advise and assist Afghanistan's defense forces in their battle against the Taliban militant group. U.S. officials have been talking to Taliban representatives in Qatar, attempting to draw them into direct peace talks with the government in Kabul. The Taliban has so far refused to meet with Afghan officials, calling them puppets of the West. IS extremists are not included in the talks, and U.S. and Afghan officials have not sought to bring them in, vowing to defeat them on the battlefield instead. With reporting by AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/general-sees-islamic-state -worrisome-afghanistan/29996663.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Two Oil Tankers Hit By Explosions In Gulf Of Oman; U.S. Blames Iran By RFE/RL June 13, 2019 Two commercial oil tankers were hit by explosions and caught fire in the Gulf of Oman, prompting the evacuation and rescue of dozens of crew members. The United States blamed Iran, accusing it of trying to disrupt oil supplies through the strategic waterway. Ship operators said that 21 crew members on board the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous tanker and 23 on the Front Altair, owned by Norway, were evacuated by nearby vessels after the blasts on June 13. Iranian state media reported that the Iranian Navy rescued the 44 and transferred them to an Iranian port, a claim disputed by the United States, which said its navy had come to the rescue of some of those aboard the ships. One crewman was said to have been slightly injured. The incidents come a month after attacks on four tankers off the nearby United Arab Emirates increased tensions between Tehran and Washington and U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf. In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Tehran, citing the type of explosives used and what he said was the sophistication of the attacks. He asserted it was part of a campaign to escalate tensions in the region. "This is only the latest in a series of attacks, instigated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates, against the United States and its allies," Pompeo said. "And they should be understood in the context of 40 years of unprovoked aggression against freedom-loving nations." Earlier at the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. ambassador condemned the attacks and added that Washington was providing assistance. "It's unacceptable for any party to attack commercial shipping and today's attacks on ships in the Gulf of Oman raise very serious concerns," the U.S. envoy, Jonathan Cohen, said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned at the meeting that the world cannot afford "a major confrontation in the Gulf region." "I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels. Facts must be established and responsibilities clarified," Guterres said. The Japanese government said the tankers carried "Japan-related" cargo. The explosions came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrapped up a two-day landmark visit to Tehran. Iran's foreign minister described the incidents as suspicious, saying they occurred while Abe was meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for "extensive and friendly talks." "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a post to Twitter. The Seafarers Union of Russia said there were 12 Russians among those evacuated, according to the Interfax news agency. The RIA Novosti news agency reported that all of the Russians rescued were safe and had not been injured. The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet earlier said it had received two distress calls, adding that U.S. ships were assisting. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a maritime safety group run by the British Navy, urged "extreme caution" in the area. International Tanker Management, the firm that operates the Front Altair, said an explosion caused a fire on board the vessel, which was heading to the Far East with a petroleum product known as naptha. Another shipping firm, BSM Ship Management, said an "incident" on board the Kokuka Courageous damaged the ship's hull on the starboard side. The vessel was carrying methanol. Iran's IRIB news agency tweeted images of what it said was the ablaze Front Altair. Tehran has been locked in a standoff with Washington since the United States one year ago pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran. Since then, Washington has reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran, stepped up its rhetoric, and beefed up its military presence in the Middle East, raising fears of a possible armed conflict. A U.S. aircraft carrier battle group arrived in the region last month. The U.A.E. blamed last month's attacks just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global oil and gas supplies, on an unnamed "state actor," while the United States alleged that Iran used mines to attack the four tankers -- an accusation Tehran denied. "Some parties in the region are trying to instigate fires in the region and we must be aware of that," Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the Security Council, without specifically naming anyone. Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah said the incidents were threatening international security. In Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned against drawing quick conclusions on the blasts. "Measures to normalize the situation around Iran are needed. We need to be calm and unbiased when investigating what happened, avoid rash conclusions that can turn up the pressure cooker," Ryabkov said. During his talks with the Japanese prime minister, Khamenei ruled out any negotiations with the United States. "Iran does not trust the U.S.," Iran's state media quoted Khamenei as saying. "We have already had the bitter experience with the Americans over the nuclear deal and do not want to repeat this experience." Abe, the first sitting Japanese prime minister to visit Iran in more than 40 years, warned on June 12 that an "accidental conflict" should be avoided at all costs. U.S. President Donald Trump responded to news of Abe's trip, saying he appreciated the visit but he thought it was "too soon to even think about" the United States making a deal with Tehran. "They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump said in a post to Twitter. With reporting by the BBC, Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, TASS, and RIA Novosti Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-navy-aids -tankers-after-reported-attack-in- gulf-of-oman/29996996.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Responsible for Tanker Attacks in Gulf of Oman - Pompeo Sputnik News 22:06 13.06.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States believes that Iran is behind Thursday's attacks on two tanker vessels in the Gulf of Oman, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a press briefing. "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today", Pompeo said. Pompeo explained the assessment is based on intelligence, weapons used, level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources or proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication. The statement comes after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that Iran attaches particular importance to ensuring security in the Persian Gulf and in the entire Middle Eastern region. The IRNA news agency said earlier in the day that Iranian rescue teams saved 44 people, including Russian nationals, after the two oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman. Kokuka Courageous tanker and another oil tanker, Front Altair, were hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on 13 June. The cause of the incident remains unknown. According to some reports, the vessels were subject to a torpedo attack, which caused explosions and fire on at least one vessel. However, there was no official information on the cause of the incident. All crew members of the tankers were evacuated to Iran. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Conducts Successful Hypersonic Weapon Flight Test - Air Force Sputnik News 19:22 13.06.2019 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US military has successfully completed its first test of the hypersonic AGM-183A weapon in an air base in the state of California, the Air Force said in a press release on Thursday. "The US Air Force successfully conducted the first flight test of its AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, on a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft on June 12 at Edwards Air Force Base, California," the release said. The Air Force said that a sensor-only version of the ARRW prototype was carried externally by a B-52 bomber during the test to gather aircraft handling and environmental data as is required for all of its weapon systems undergoing development. The prototype did not have explosives and it was not released from the B-52 during the flight test, the release said. The ARRW rapid prototyping effort awarded a contract in August 2018 to Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, for critical design review, test and production readiness support to facilitate fielded prototypes, the release noted. As one of two rapid prototyping hypersonic efforts, ARRW is set to reach early operational capability by fiscal year 2022, according to the release. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lebanon Will Pay 'Heavy Price' in New Hezbollah-Israel War, IDF Warns Sputnik News 14:39 13.06.2019 Israel and Hezbollah have not engaged in an outright military confrontation since the 34-day devastating war in the summer of 2006, but a fresh conflict is possible, with regional tensions running high. Maj-Gen. Amir Baram, the head of the Israeli Defence Forces' (IDF) Northern Command, has warned that Lebanon would pay a heavy price in case of a new armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. "We will continue to act to thwart its [Hezbollah's] efforts to threaten our security, covertly and overtly as required, and if war is imposed on us, we will exact a heavy price from this organisation and those who give it backing, wherever necessary," the military commander said on Tuesday at a memorial dedicated to the 13th anniversary of the 2006 Lebanon War. Amir Baram went on to say that Hezbollah remains loyal "to the supreme leader in Iran, not to the citizens of Lebanon". "As a direct result, the Lebanese state is liable to pay a heavy price for its cooperation with Shi'ite terrorism in the next campaign," he was quoted as saying by The Jerusalem Post. Baram also accused Hezbollah of violating the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and political party. He claimed that Hezbollah "continues to consolidate power in southern Lebanon" and is "building infrastructure of terrorism and rockets" near the border with Israel, in violation of the resolution. Tel Aviv alleged last year that Hezbollah was setting up observation posts along the Israeli border, but the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which monitors activities in the area, said it had observed no unauthorised armed persons in the area. Incidentally, Baram's intimidatory speech came just hours before a drone appeared to have infiltrated Israel from Lebanese territory, forcing the IDF to scramble jets. The military decided not to shoot the drone down and it returned back soon. Israel has not provided any information on who they believe operated the drone. Israel and Hezbollah, a militarised Shi'ite political group which currently holds several posts in the Lebanese government, fought a brief war in the summer of 2006 which ended in a stalemate. Tel Aviv has repeatedly claimed that Hezbollah - whose primary goal is the destruction of the Jewish state - is a proxy of Iran and that it receives weapons and equipment from Tehran, which the latter denies. Apart from bombing alleged Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria, Israel has recently cracked down on a tunnel network that Hezbollah constructed under the Lebanese border with a presumed goal of sneaking into Israeli territory. The construction of the tunnels began before the 2006 war, but some of the tunnels remained intact until recently. In December, the IDF launched a month-long operation to seek and destroy the cross-border structures. In mid-January, the military said they found the last, sixth underground tunnel and announced the end of the operation. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow Says Concerned by US Move to Deploy Reconnaissance Drones Squadron in Poland Sputnik News 14:35 13.06.2019(updated 14:41 13.06.2019) MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow is concerned by the Washington-Warsaw decision that the United States will establish a reconnaissance squadron of its MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in Poland, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday. "Of course, we are concerned. This reflects the policy of fanning military tensions in Europe, especially on the so-called NATO's eastern flank. Largely destabilizing and escalating programs are being implemented under spurious pretexts", Ryabkov told reporters. The senior official added that Moscow would seek explanations from the United States about its plans to deploy weapons in space. "Among other things, yes. This is one of the elements of the overall picture, which now forms the situation in the sphere of strategic stability", Ryabkov told reporters. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda held a meeting in Washington. According to a joint declaration on bilateral defence cooperation, the United States will establish a reconnaissance squadron of MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in Poland. Additionally, the declaration stipulated the establishment of a Combat Training Center (CTC) in Drawsko Pomorskie and several other sites and a US Division Headquarters in Poland. The sides also agreed to set up an aerial port of debarkation "to support the movement of forces for training or contingency"; an area support group; a US special operations forces group to support various operations; and infrastructure to back the presence of "an armored brigade combat team, a combat aviation brigade, and a combat sustainment support battalion" in Poland. For months, there have been speculations about the US plans to set up a military base and enhance its presence in Poland, which is one of its NATO allies. The Eastern European country's leadership has cited the alleged Russian threat as one of the reasons for its military build-up. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it will never attack any of the NATO countries. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, NATO is well aware of the lack of Moscow's plans to attack any country and uses the alleged threat as a pretext to deploy more equipment and troops near Russia's border. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tehran Refutes Arab Countries' Accusations of Supplying Missiles to Yemen's Houthis Sputnik News 13:38 13.06.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iran rejects the Arab League's accusations that Tehran was supplying the Yemeni Houthi movement with ballistic missiles as "false," Ali-Asghar Khaji, a senior assistant for special political affairs to the Iranian foreign minister, told Sputnik. "These accusations are false. We have always said that there has been no support [for Houthis] with weapons. The only support coming from Iran to Houthis, who are part of the Yemeni people, and who have been under pressure and subject to terrible military attacks, is political and moral support", Khaji said, commenting on the communique. On Wednesday, a Houthi missile struck a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia, wounding 26 people. Saudi Arabia accused Iran of being behind the attack, while Bahrain called for a firm international stand against Tehran to prevent it from supporting terrorist acts. At a May summit in Mecca, the Arab League issued a communique condemning the "continued firing of Iranian-made ballistic missiles" on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis and urging the international community to take a strong stand against Tehran and what it considered Iran's "destabilising activities in the region." Yemen has been locked in a conflict between government forces, led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthi rebels. A Saudi-led coalition has been conducting strikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Calls Reported Oil Tanker Attack in Gulf of Oman 'Suspicious' Sputnik News 12:59 13.06.2019(updated 13:36 13.06.2019) On Thursday morning, reports emerged that two tankers were damaged near the Strait of Hormuz. It comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East and just a month after four vessels were affected in a similar incident off the Emirati coast. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has seemingly hinted that Thursday's reported attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman had something to do with Japan's efforts to advance the peace process in the Middle East. "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM Shinzo Abe was meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei for extensive and friendly talks," Zarif tweeted. "'Suspicious' doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," he added. Iran's government spokesman, Ali Rabei, said Tehran was ready for regional cooperation to ensure the security of strategic waterways. "All countries in the region should be careful not to fall in the trap of those who benefit from regional insecurity," he said. On Thursday, two oil tankers operated by shipping companies Frontline and Bernhard Schulte were damaged in a suspected attack near the Strait of Hormuz, the most important oil artery in the world. No casualties have been reported; the Bahrain-based US Navy 5th Fleet said it was assisting the tanker, while Iranian rescuers, according to local media, have saved and transported 44 crew members to an Iranian port. Japan's Trade Ministry said that the two tankers were carrying "Japan-related" cargo, without providing further details. Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting Iran as part of his effort to reduce tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States. Abe noted on Wednesday that he and Iranian President Rouhani had 'bluntly discussed' how to reduce Iran-US tensions. A similar yet-unsolved incident took place in the Gulf of Oman in mid-May, when four commercial vessels among them two Saudi oil tankers were damaged by limpet mines. UAE investigators blamed the attack on a "state actor" but failed to identify the culprit. The United States, which is embroiled in an escalating war of words with Iran, was quick to accuse the Islamic Republic of orchestrating the attack, which the latter denied. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran Rescues 44 Sailors From Two Oil Tankers After Suspected Attack in Gulf of Oman Reports Sputnik News 09:01 13.06.2019(updated 12:11 13.06.2019) Reports about the incident emerged a month after an attack on four vessels off the Emirati coast, which UAE investigators blamed on an unspecified "state actor". Iranian rescue services saved 44 sailors from tankers after a reported attack and took them to the Iranian port of Jask, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Thursday. The US Navy's 5th Fleet also said that it was assisting two oil tankers targeted in a "reported attack" near the Strait of Hormuz, after the vessels sent disstress calls. It was not immediately clear who attacked the vessels, one of which has been identified as Front Altair, a crude oil tanker owned by Norway's Frontline and carrying the flag of the Marshall Islands. According to shipping newspaper Tradewinds, Frontline's oil tanker had been "torpedoed" off the coast of the Emirate of Fujairah. Taiwan'S energy firm CPC said it had suspicions that Front Altair, which was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, was hit by an unknown onject. Meanwhile, shipping company Bernhard Schulte said that its oil tanker Kokuka Courageous was also damaged in the incident. Kokuka was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Singapore with a cargo of methanol. "The hull has been breached above the water line on the starboard side," the company said in a statement. "All crew are reported safe and only one minor injury reported." Eerlier in the day, Iran's Press TV said that two successive blasts affected two oil tankers on Thursday morning in what it described as "attacks". Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet quoted Oman authorities as saying that at least one tanker had been attacked in Iran's territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman. Brent crude climbed 4.5 per cent in the wake of the reports. Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations, a maritime safety group run by the Royal Navy, has warned about an unspecified incident in the Gulf of Oman between the Emirate of Fujairah and Iran's coast. The group urged "extreme caution", given the ongoing tensions in the region between the United States and Iran, and said that an investigation is underway. It comes a month after another apparent attack on vessels in the Gulf. On 12 May, four oil tankers two Saudi, one Emirati and one Norwegian were targeted off the coast of Fujairah in what the UAE Foreign Ministry described as acts of sabotage. The three countries whose ships were damaged said in a joint statement that limped mines had been placed in a "sophisticated and coordinated operation" by divers. The UAE suggested that it was likely the work of a "state actor" but stop short of identifying the culprit. US officials, however, were quick to point the finger at Iran. "It's clear that Iran is behind the Fujairah attack. Who else would you think would be doing it? Someone from Nepal?" said US National Security Adviser John Bolton. In turn, US Secretary of State Pompeo alleged that Iran had attacked the tankers to raise the global price of oil. Tehran has denied any involvement and called for an investigation. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US to Deploy Reconnaissance Squadron of MQ-9 Reaper Drones in Poland - Joint Declaration Sputnik News 05:47 13.06.2019 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States will establish a reconnaissance squadron of MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in Poland, a joint declaration on bilateral defence cooperation read. "Establishment of a United States Air Force MQ-9 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance squadron in Poland. The United States intends to share information derived from this squadron's operations, as appropriate, in support of our defense objectives," the declaration, released by the White House on Wednesday, following a meeting between Polish President Andrzej Duda and his US counterpart Donald Trump, read. "The United States plans to enhance its current military presence of approximately 4,500 rotational United States military personnel in Poland. This enduring presence is expected to grow by about 1,000 additional United States military personnel in the near-term, and would focus on providing additional defense and deterrence capabilities in Poland," the document added. Moreover, Poland expressed its commitment to provide infrastructure for the joint projects. Additionally, the declaration stipulated the establishment of a Combat Training Center (CTC) in Drawsko Pomorskie and several other sites and a US Division Headquarters in Poland. The sides also agreed to set up an aerial port of debarkation "to support the movement of forces for training or contingency"; an area support group; a US special operations forces group to support various operations; and infrastructure to back the presence of "an armored brigade combat team, a combat aviation brigade, and a combat sustainment support battalion" in Poland. For months, there have been speculations about the US plans to set up a military base and enhance its presence in Poland, which is one of its NATO allies. The Eastern European country's leadership has cited the alleged Russian threat as one of the reasons for its military build-up. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it will never attack any of the NATO countries. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, NATO is well aware of the lack of Moscow's plans to attack any country and uses the alleged threat as a pretext to deploy more equipment and troops near Russia's border. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to the Press Remarks Press Briefing Room Washington, DC June 13, 2019 SECRETARY POMPEO: Good afternoon. It is the assessment of the United States Government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today. This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication. This is only the latest in a series of attacks instigated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates against American and allied interests, and they should be understood in the context of 40 years of unprovoked aggression against freedom-loving nations. On April 22nd, Iran promised the world that it would interrupt the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. It is now working to execute on that promise. In early May, the Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted the covert deployment of modified dhows capable of launching missiles. On May 12th, Iran attacked four commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz. On May 14th, Iran-backed surrogates attacked by armed drones struck two strategically important oil pipelines into Saudi Arabia. On May 19th, a rocket landed near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. On May 31st, a car bomb in Afghanistan wounded four U.S. service members, killed four Afghan civilians, and wounded bystanders. Yesterday, Iranian surrogates fired a missile into Saudi Arabia, striking the arrivals terminal of an international airport, injuring 26 people. Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran. Prime Minister Abe made a trip, a historic trip to Iran, to ask the regime to de-escalate and enter into talks. Iran's supreme leader rejected Prime Minister Abe's diplomacy today by saying he has no response to President Trump and will not answer. The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese oil tanker just outside of Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency. Iran's foreign minister today responded to these attacks. He said sardonically, quote, "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," end of quote. Foreign Minister Zarif may think this is funny, but no one else in the world does. Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted. No economic sanctions entitle the Islamic Republic to attack innocent civilians, disrupt global oil markets, and engage in nuclear blackmail. The international community condemns Iran's assault on the freedom of navigation and the targeting of innocent civilians. Today, I have instructed our UN Ambassador Jonathan Cohen to raise Iran's attacks in the UN Security Council meeting later this afternoon. Our policy remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table at the right time, to encourage a comprehensive deal that addresses the broad range of threats threats today apparent for all the world to see to peace and security. Iran should meet diplomacy with diplomacy, not with terror, bloodshed, and extortion. The United States will defend its forces, interests, and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability. And we call upon all nations threatened by Iran's provocative acts to join us in that endeavor. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN cooperation with League of Arab States 'pivotal', UN chief tells Security Council 13 June 2019 - Global problems require global solutions that rely on "essential" partnerships, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday, stating that "our cooperation with the League of Arab States is pivotal". "Our two organizations share a common mission: to prevent conflict, resolve disputes and act in a spirit of solidarity and unity", he told the meeting on cooperation between the Council and the League (LAS). "We work together to expand economic opportunity, advance respect for all human rights and build political inclusion", he added. Responding to rising tensions in the Gulf, Mr. Guterres noted "with deep concern" the latest attack on oil tankers in the busy Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. "I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels", he stressed. "Facts must be established, and responsibilities clarified". Dozens of crew members were rescued from two oil tankers hit by explosions, following on from attacks against four tankers which were hit off the coast of the United Arab Emirates a month ago. "If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region", the Secretary-General spelled out. New social contract Mr. Guterres explained that people around the world today expect "a new social contract for education, jobs, opportunities for young people, equality for women, respect for human rights and a fair share in national wealth". Within the challenges facing the Arab region, lie opportunities "to build on the words and intentions of the charters of our two organizations" to bring "real change", the UN chief said. The Secretary-General spoke about the UN's commitment to a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the devastating toll on civilians in Syria after eight years of conflict; the impact of armed clashes in Libya; Sudan's struggle to transition back to civilian rule; and the need to rebuild and overcome the trauma and impact of Da'esh, or ISIL, terrorist fighters in Iraq. He also highlighted that Lebanon, "a country significantly affected by regional developments and the generous hosting of large numbers of refugees", needs strengthening, in addition to underscoring that negotiations must be resumed to find a lasting political solution in crisis-torn Yemen. In Somalia, he urged the international community to "remain united to support political progress and the development of security institutions", calling the Arab League "a key partner, both as an organization and through its individual members, for political support and economic development". On these efforts and more, "we continue to invest in building our engagement with regional and sub-regional organizations, including through regular consultations and collaboration", he maintained. Mr. Guterres enumerated UN activities underway with the Arab League, which included biennial General Cooperation meetings, sectoral meetings, capacity building exercises and staff exchanges. He announced that a new UN Liaison Office to LAS in Cairo would become operational this month and lauded Egypt for its support and hospitality. "I fully expect this Liaison Office, the first funded by the UN regular budget, will improve the effectiveness of cooperation between our two organizations", he said. "I intend to continue this fruitful engagement and deepen our collaboration to advance the vision set out in the UN Charter, in the interest of the peoples we collectively serve", the UN chief concluded, offering his "full and active support" moving forward. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Air Force conducts successful hypersonic weapon flight test By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published June 13, 2019 ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- The U.S. Air Force successfully conducted the first flight test of its AGM-183A Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, on a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft on June 12 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. A sensor-only version of the ARRW prototype was carried externally by a B-52 during the test to gather environmental and aircraft handling data. The test gathered data on drag and vibration impacts on the weapon itself and on the external carriage equipment of the aircraft. The prototype did not have explosives and it was not released from the B-52 during the flight test. This type of data collection is required for all Air Force weapon systems undergoing development. "We're using the rapid prototyping authorities provided by Congress to quickly bring hypersonic weapon capabilities to the warfighter," said Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. "We set out an aggressive schedule with ARRW. Getting to this flight test on time highlights the amazing work of our acquisition workforce and our partnership with Lockheed Martin and other industry partners." The Air Force is leading the way in air-launched hypersonic weapon prototyping efforts. As one of two rapid prototyping hypersonic efforts, ARRW is set to reach early operational capability by fiscal year 2022. "This type of speed in our acquisition system is essential it allows us to field capabilities rapidly to compete against the threats we face," Roper said. The flight test serves as the first of many flight tests that will expand the test parameters and capabilities of the ARRW prototype. The ARRW rapid prototyping effort awarded a contract in August 2018 to Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, for critical design review, test and production readiness support to facilitate fielded prototypes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia, China on the Prowl; How US Navy is Responding By Carla Babb June 13, 2019 A major military exercise involving maritime forces from 18 countries is underway in the Baltic Sea, but at its helm is not a fleet permanently based in Europe, but one based half a world away in the U.S. state of Virginia. Baltic Operations, known as BALTOPS, is one of the largest exercises in northern Europe: 50 ships, two submarines, 36 aircraft, and more than 8,000 troops. The exercise, which started Sunday and runs through June 21, is steeped in nearly five decades of tradition. And the U.S. Navy's 2nd Fleet has traveled from the U.S. East Coast to the region to lead the exercises. The fleet was made operational just last month, as increased activity by Russian and Chinese navies worried Washington. "I can be with a small part of my staff on board this ship, or on board an aircraft carrier, or an austere location somewhere else," U.S. Vice Admiral Andrew "Woody" Lewis, the commander of 2nd Fleet, told VOA in Norfolk, Virginia, before heading to the exercises. Lewis said the "whole intent" of re-establishing the 2nd Fleet is to veer away from the "set lines" that break apart the geography between U.S. fleet operations. "An artificial seam creates vulnerabilities, so you know, re-establishing the 2nd Fleet and focusing on that seam, it presents an opportunity. And that's what we want to do, turn vulnerabilities into opportunities," Lewis said. The 2nd Fleet guards the North Atlantic and the Arctic. It was shut down in 2011 to save money. Back then U.S officials had fewer worries about those areas, but times have changed. Top U.S. military leaders say Russia is on the prowl at levels not seen since the end of the Cold War, and China is also operating in the region. "So when we are planning these exercises, and we go out and we operate with our ships, in our aircraft, we are thinking about China and Russia and how we are going to win this high-end fight," said Navy Cmdr. Tara Golden, who heads U.S. Second Fleet training and development. New NATO command NATO has also created a new command to counter a resurgent Russia in the North Atlantic. Vice Admiral Lewis also heads that command, dubbed Joint Force Command Norfolk. Until now, the NATO presence in Norfolk focused on developing future NATO military strategy and concepts, not day-to-day operations. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, French Air Force General Andre Lanata, tells VOA the new operational command will reinforce the link between North America and Europe, amid growing global instability. "It is a concrete way that proves that the alliance is adapting today," he said, "because we need to be fed by the lessons coming from the field in order to adapt our own capabilities." U.S. 2nd Fleet's NATO counterpart is expected to reach full operational capacity in 2021. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Senate Halts Efforts to Prevent Arms Sales to Bahrain, Qatar By Michael Bowman June 13, 2019 The U.S. Senate on Thursday turned back resolutions aimed at disapproving multi-billion-dollar arms sales to Bahrain and Qatar, amid continued intensive congressional scrutiny of weapons sales to U.S. allies in the Middle East. The Senate voted 43-56 against moving the Bahrain resolution out of the Foreign Relations Committee and bringing it to the floor for consideration by the full chamber. It also voted 42-57 against discharging the resolution pertaining to Qatar. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the resolutions seek to block the Trump administration's decisions, announced in May, to sell U.S. missile systems to Bahrain and attack helicopters to Qatar, each valued in the $3 billion range. "The Middle East is a hot cauldron and continually threatening to boil over," Paul said ahead of the votes. "I think it's a mistake to funnel arms into these century-old conflicts." Paul noted that weapons sent to the Middle East can wind up in the hands of America's adversaries. "In Iran to this day, they still have some U.S. weapons that are left over from the weapons the U.S. supplied the shah [U.S.-backed former Iranian leader overthrown in 1979]. In Iraq, some of the weapons we gave them to fight Iran were still there when we returned to fight Saddam Hussein. In Afghanistan, some of the weapons we gave to the Mujahideen to fight the Russians [in the 1980s] were still there when we returned to fight the Taliban [after the 9-11 attacks of 2001]," Paul said. Last year, the Senate also defeated an effort by the Kentucky Republican to block the sale of rocket systems to Bahrain. Bipartisan backing for such sales endured on Thursday, as even some senators who voted in favor of the discharge petitions as a procedural matter told VOA they do not support the underlying resolutions of disapproval. "I support the [arms] sales," said the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez of New Jersey. "On the process, I'm voting to preserve the [Senate's] institutional rightsfor at least a debate to be had over the sales, but I support the underlying sales." Other lawmakers spoke out against the discharge petitions as well as the resolutions. "If they [Gulf states] don't buy arms from us, they're going to buy them from China or Russia," Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn told VOA. "Look, these countries are not democracies, we recognize that. But our interests are aligned, particularly in containing and combating Iran." Bahrain has taken part in the Saudi-led coalition waging an air campaign over Yemen that has resulted in a staggering death toll in the country's bloody civil war. Asked if the bloodshed in Yemen gave him pause about U.S. arms sales to the region, Cornyn said, "It does. Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do about it. It's a civil war that the Iranians are trying to take advantage of, arming the Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia. I don't think that should paralyze us, even though it's a serious concern." The Senate could vote as early as next week on separate resolutions disapproving $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. In the House of Representatives, four Democrats filed resolutions Wednesday that, if passed, would block the licenses required for the sales to move ahead. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan congressional resolution ending U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition targeting Yemen. Aside from the Yemeni conflict, lawmakers from both parties have repeatedly protested Saudi Arabia's role in the October 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mini workout classes will include Core Power yoga at 9:30 a.m.; tai chi from the Centennial Activity Center at 9:55 a.m.; a total workout from Tone UP at 10:20 a.m.; Cross Fit 88 boot camp at 10:45 a.m.; a Centennial Fitness Center body attack class at 11:10 a.m.; Zumba from Fitness Formula Clubs at 11:30 a.m.; cardio dance from Lynettes School of Dance at 11:50 a.m.; and a group dance lesson from Fred Astaire Dance Studio at 12:10 p.m. US Blames Iran for Attacks on 2 Oil Tankers in Gulf of Oman By Carla Babb June 13, 2019 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is blaming Iran for Thursday's attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, off the Iranian coast. One of the tankers was set on fire and sent up smoke thick and black enough to be seen by satellites in space. "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," Pompeo said. "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran." Pompeo said the U.S. based its determination that Iran was behind the attacks on intelligence, the weapons used, and what he called the "level of expertise" needed to carry out such an operation. The secretary noted that Iran was behind other recent similar attacks on shipping and that no proxy group in the region has the resources and ability to attack a tanker with such a "high degree of sophistication." One of the tankers is Norwegian-owned and the other is owned by a Japanese company. 'Suspicious' timing Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the timing of the latest apparent attacks was "beyond suspicious" because Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini. Their talks focused on ways to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran. But Pompeo said the Iranian government "insulted" Japan by striking one of its tankers while Abe was in the country. A U.S. defense official, speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity, said the military has "a lot of indications" Iran attacked the ships. "We're confident, and there is evidence available," the defense official said. The official would not elaborate on what the evidence entailed. This was the latest of many attacks in the region that the U.S. has accused Tehran of carrying out, but it has yet to declassify any incriminating evidence. Both ships were struck at dawn Thursday by what U.S. military officials believe were mines. The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet received distress calls from both stricken tankers about an hour apart. A U.S. Central Command spokesman said the USS Bainbridge guided-missile destroyer provided immediate assistance to the Japanese vessel. Twenty-one crew members from that ship are currently aboard the Bainbridge. A defense official confirmed to VOA that crew members from the Norwegian ship were in Iranian custody. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that Iran's navy rescued 44 crew members from the tankers. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that while he appreciates Abe's efforts to calm tensions with Iran, "it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Global reaction U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen condemned the attacks during a Security Council meeting about the region, saying it was "unacceptable" for anyone to attack commercial shipping. He said Thursday's incident raised "very serious concerns," and that the United States was continuing to assess the situation. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of obtaining the facts. "If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region," Guterres warned. League of Arab States Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told council members the latest incident had made the league "determined to exercise a more robust role to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security in our Arab region." Council President and Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabah Khalid Al-Sabah said the attacks were the latest in "a series of acts of sabotage that are threatening the security of maritime corridors, as well as threatening the energy security of the world." The Gulf of Oman is next to the Strait of Hormuz the strategic waterway that is a vital shipping lane. About 30% of the world's seaborne crude oil travels through this strait. Global oil prices jumped 4% to more than $62 a barrel after the attacks. Last month, the United States accused Iran of using mines to attack four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, an accusation Iran has denied. VOA's Margaret Besheer, Wayne Lee and Cindy Saine contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey's President Turns up Heat on Cyprus, Stoking Fears of Clash By Dorian Jones June 13, 2019 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ratcheted up tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, declaring he will do whatever is necessary to protect Turkey's interests over energy exploration rights in Cypriot waters. "We will not tolerate any action which overlooks the rights and interests of Turkey and Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean," Erdogan said late Wednesday. The Mediterranean island has been divided into Northern Cyprus, recognized only by Turkey, and Cyprus since 1974, following a Turkish military intervention sparked by an Athens-inspired coup. An internationally recognized government led by Greek Cypriots runs Cyprus and has declared an exclusive economic zone around the island to search for hydrocarbons. Ankara contests the Greek Cypriots' sole rights to search for energy and has sent exploration ships to Cyprus. "Greek Cypriots have unilaterally declared an exclusive economic zone, and we've unilaterally declared continental shelf rights [to explore for energy], and the two claims are overlapping," said retired Turkish Ambassador Mithat Rende, an energy expert on Cyprus. With a large natural gas field already discovered, and further massive hydrocarbon reserves believed to exist in Cypriot waters, Rende says Ankara is not ready to back down. "Turkey is ready, and on every occasion they made it clear they are determined to protect the Turkish Cypriots and its own interests," said Rende. "Do you think Turkey is bluffing, or do you think the Greeks and Greek Cypriots will prevent Turkey from protecting its rights?" The situation is complicated by Ankara's refusal to recognize the Greek Cypriot administration as the sole representative of the island, preventing any direct dialogue. However, the escalating dispute is isolating Turkey. "There is a common understanding in the international community that the country threatening fragile peace in the security in the eastern Mediterranean is Turkey," said political scientist Cengiz Aktar of Athens University. "This is very clear from statements from the European Union and U.S. State Department. There is not one single country applauding Turkey's stance." Possibly emboldened by international support, Nicosia issued international arrest warrants for the crew of a Turkish exploration ship operating in Cypriot waters, a move criticized by Erdogan Wednesday. "Nobody can tell us 'why did you do this like this' or 'why did you do this?' To whomever asks 'what business do you have here?' We respond, 'really? We are a guarantor power, and as such, we will protect our rights until the end,'" said Erdogan. Turkey, Greece and Britain were given guarantor status for Cyprus under a 1960 international treaty. Rende says Ankara's isolation is unlikely to lead to a change in policy. "You cannot just say everyone is siding with the Greek Cypriots, so the Turks have to cave in," said Rende. "But if you believe this, you have not understood the Turkish mentality. Turkey will not give up its rights," said Rende. Greece wary Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is campaigning ahead of general elections in July, said Thursday Greece is vigilant for a "hot incident" with Turkey, be it accidental or deliberate. "Greece is getting more and more nervous about these irrational moves by Ankara," said Aktar. "They have been trying to calm things down through these so-called confidence-building messages among the military commanders on the Aegean Sea." Some analysts point to the importance of Washington in defusing regional tensions. "Whenever there was an unexpected crisis, the Americans have been the ones which tried to diminish the tensions to stop, like [President] Bill Clinton in '95, '96, the Imia/Kardak crisis," said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara's Middle East Technical University. Imia/Kardak refers to uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea. Greece and Turkey nearly went to war over their ownership. Robust diplomatic intervention by the United States is widely seen as being responsible for averting a conflict. However, given that Turkish-U.S. relations remain deeply strained over myriad differences, Washington has limited influence over Ankara. Greece refers to the islets as Imia, while the Turks call them Kardak. Analysts point out that despite the unresolved disputes and tensions among Ankara, Athens and Nicosia, there has not been a major conflict since 1974. "Is Cyprus going to provoke a conflict with Turkey? I doubt it," said international relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul's Kadir Has University. "But if you swim in the eastern Mediterranean, you will likely bump into one warship from one country or another," he added. "It's a very tense place, and those tensions are exacerbated by the energy politics in the eastern Mediterranean. In this part of the world, you can get carried away with your own rhetoric, which is very dangerous." "No one wants a war, but skirmishes are possible," said Rende. "A war can erupt out of an accident. So, we all should act with prudence." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran says attacks on 2 oil carriers in Sea of Oman "suspicious" People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 08:20, June 14, 2019 TEHRAN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman earlier on the day were "suspicious." "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers" occurred while the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "for extensive and friendly talks," Zarif tweeted on Thursday. The Iranian foreign minister called for regional dialogue, saying that "Iran's proposed Regional Dialogue Forum is imperative." Two oil tankers were hit in the Sea of Oman on Thursday morning, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. The attacks came amid Abe's visit to Tehran, who is seeking to help ease tensions between Iran and the United States. Last month, four commercial vessels suffered similar sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia warns against 'hasty conclusions' about tanker incidents in Sea of Oman Iran Press TV Fri Jun 14, 2019 05:01PM Russia has warned against jumping to conclusions about a Thursday incident involving two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, which the United States has claimed were attacks carried out by Iran. "We consider it necessary to refrain from hasty conclusions," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. Two large tankers were hit by explosions in the Sea of Oman also called the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. The tankers were identified as the Marshal Islands-flagged Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Shortly after the two vessels sent out distress signals, an Iranian rescue ship rushed to their help and picked up all of the crew. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo quickly blamed Iran. President Donald Trump did the same on Friday. They claimed the ships hit a mine planted by Iran. This is while the Japanese operator of one of the tankers said it had been hit by "a flying object," disputing the US account at least partially. The Russian Foreign Ministry called for a thorough international investigation. "We are concerned by tensions in the Gulf of Oman," it said, urging all parties to show restraint. Iran has strongly rejected the US allegation, calling the incident "suspicious." Meanwhile, Moscow thanked Iran for rescuing the 11 Russian crew members from one of the tankers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemen drones target Saudi's Abha airport for second time in a week Iran Press TV Fri Jun 14, 2019 01:02AM Yemen's armed forces have carried out retaliatory drone attacks on an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia for the second time in a week. Yemeni Qasif-2K drones targeted the airport in the Saudi province of Asir in the early hours of Friday morning, two days after a cruise missile attack by army troopers and allied fighters from Popular Committees at the strategic Saudi facility, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported. There have been no immediate reports of possible casualties or the extent of damage caused as a result of the attack. A Saudi-led coalition spokesman said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency that the country's air missile defense systems had intercepted five Yemeni drones over the Saudi airport on Friday morning. On Wednesday, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces, said US-built surface-to-air missile systems stationed at Abha airport could not intercept the cruise missile, which he said had hit the designated target with great precision. He noted that the missile hit the observation tower in the airport, which is about 200 kilometers north of the border with Yemen and serves domestic and regional routes, causing significant disruption to air travel. Saree pointed out that the missile attack on Abha airport was part of retaliatory measures by Yemeni soldiers and their allies in the face of the Saudi-led coalition's crimes against Yemeni people. Saudi Arabia also confirmed the Wednesday attack, with coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki saying in a statement that a Yemeni missile had hit the airport's arrivals hall, injuring 26 people and causing material damage. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Blames Iran For Attacks On Oil Tankers In Gulf Of Oman By RFE/RL June 14, 2019 U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Iran of carrying out the June 13 attacks against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Trump made the accusation in an interview with Fox News on June 14, adding that the United States would not allow Iranian activity to close international shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz nearby. Trump's remarks came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. government had assessed that "Iran is responsible" for the attacks on the Norwegian and Japanese oil tankers. The U.S. military on June 13 also released video showing what it said was a crew from an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) patrol boat removing what appeared to be an unexploded mine from the side of one of the ships after the attack. "At 4:10 p.m. local time, an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous," Navy Captain Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, said in a statement. Officials told CNN the Pentagon believes it was an attempt by Iranian forces to retrieve evidence of their involvement. "Iran did do it, and you know they did it because you saw the boat," Trump said on June 14. "I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got essentially 'Iran' written all over it. And you saw the boat at night trying to take the mine off and [it] successfully took the mine off the boat, and that was exposed." Iran has denied any connection with the attacks. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi on June 14 called Washington's allegations "alarming," saying that "accusing Iran for such a suspicious and unfortunate incident is the simplest and the most convenient way for Pompeo and other U.S. officials." U.S. acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen on June 13 called upon on the Security Council to confront the "clear threat" posed by Tehran in the region. The attacks "demonstrate the clear threat that Iran poses to international peace and security," Cohen told reporters following the closed-door Security Council meeting. Cohen said that "no proxy group in the area has the resources or the skill to act with this level of sophistication." "Iran, however, has the weapons, the expertise, and the requisite intelligence information to pull this off," he said. China on June 14 urged all parties to exercise restraint. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the United States and Iran should "avoid further escalation of tensions." Geng said a "war in the [Persian] Gulf region of the Middle East is something that no one wants to see." China is the world's largest buyer of Iranian oil and has maintained its support for the Iran nuclear deal. The latest incident in the region comes a month after attacks on four tankers off the coast of the nearby United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) increased tensions between Tehran and Washington and U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf. The U.A.E. said initial findings of its investigation pointed to the likelihood that a "state actor" was behind the bombings, but did not specifically name Iran. Iran also denied being involved in those attacks, and its foreign minister called the timing of the latest incidents suspicious, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a post to Twitter. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, CBS, BBC, CNN, and The Washington Post Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-saudi -britain-accuse-iran-oil-tanker-attack- gulf-oman/29998654.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Navy Destroyer En Route to Oman Gulf in Wake of Oil Tankers Attacks - CENTCOM Sputnik News 01:28 14.06.2019(updated 01:55 14.06.2019) US Central Command said that US military is ready to defend US interests including freedom of navigation, noting that Washington has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. US Central Command said that US Navy destroyer USS Mason is en route to Gulf of Oman to provide assistance after attacks on oil tankers. "USS Mason is en route to the scene to provide assistance," CENTCOM spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown said in a press release on Thursday. "The US and our partners in the region will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves and our interests. Today's attacks are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce." Earlier, Kokuka Courageous tanker and another oil tanker, Front Altair, were hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. According to some reports, the vessels were subject to a torpedo attack, which caused explosions and fire on at least one vessel, however, the cause of the incident remains unknown and there was no official information on the cause of the incident. All crew members of the tankers were evacuated to Iran after the incident. Several hours after the explosions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States believes that Iran was behind the attacks on the vessels. Pompeo claimed that the assessment was based on intelligence, weapons used, and level of expertise needed to execute the operation. His statement came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that Iran attaches particular importance to ensuring security in the Persian Gulf and in the entire Middle Eastern region. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli Forces Initiate Retaliatory Strikes on Gaza Strip - Report Sputnik News 01:03 14.06.2019(updated 01:29 14.06.2019) Israeli airstrikes were reported in the Gaza Strip east of Gaza City around midnight Friday, believed to be in response to a rocket fired at the Israeli city of Sderot the previous day. The airstrike reportedly targeted al-Zaytoun, an area that was also hit by the Israeli Air Force the previous night, again following a rocket attack in southern Israel earlier that day, Sputnik reported. Observers recorded the roar of Israeli jet aircraft over the city and posted them on social media. The site attacked by the IAF is reportedly called "Tunis," and is used by the al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip. Following the rocket attack on Thursday, which hit a yeshiva site in Sderot but did not explode, the city's mayor reportedly called for a land invasion of the self-governing Palestinian territory, according to YNet News. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Owner of One Tanker in Oman Gulf Rules Out Technical Errors as Cause of Fire - Reports Sputnik News 17:34 14.06.2019 STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) - The chief executive of Norwegian shipping firm Frontline Management, the owner of the Front Altair oil tanker, which was reportedly attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, has ruled out the possibility of a technical malfunction being behind the fire aboard the vessel, in an interview published on Friday. "We exclude [the possibility] that technical malfunctions on the ship caused [the fire]. This is a serious incident that must be thoroughly studied and investigated. We, of course, will play an active role in this," Robert Hvide Macleod told Hegnar news outlet. The incident near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that links the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, took place on Thursday. Front Altair and another tanker, Japanese-operated Kokuka Courageous, were affected by explosions and caught fire. While the causes of the incident, which happened in the waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran, remain unknown, US immediately pinned the blame on the Islamic republic, claiming that this assessment was based on intelligence. The United States even announced that its USS Mason destroyer was on its way to the Gulf of Oman, which mounted the already aggravated tensions between the two countries. Meanwhile, Tehran has rebuffed all accusations. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Accuses Iran of Committing Attack on Oil Tankers in Gulf of Oman Sputnik News 15:05 14.06.2019(updated 16:00 14.06.2019) Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of committing attacks against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Tehran has vehemently denied Washington's accusations and called to stop using false flag provocations to shift the blame onto the Islamic Republic of Iran. US President Donald Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News that Iran was responsible for explosions that damaged two oil tankers sailing through the Gulf of Oman on 13 June. Trump alleged that the video, previously released by CENTCOM, proves Tehran's guilt. The US claims that the video shows an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boat approaching one of the tankers and removing an unexploded mine from its hull. "Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat. You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off and that was exposed. I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got essentially Iran written all over it", Trump said. The US president, responding to a question regarding possible steps to counter Iran, said that the administration is "going to see" what could be done and promised that it won't "take it lightly". Trump also touched upon a concern that Iran could possibly close off the Strait of Hormuz, thus cutting off most Gulf States' oil exports, something that Tehran has repeatedly brought up as possible response to US sanctions. Trump assured that even if Iran blocks the Strait, it won't be closed for long. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the first US official to blame Iran for allegedly attacking the oil tankers, although the cause of the explosions has not been determined yet. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released a video allegedly showing an IRGC boat crew removing an unexploded mine from a ship's hull, as "proof" of the US accusations. Iran has denied the US accusations and called on Washington and its regional allies to cease their false flag operations, used to shift the blame onto Tehran. Iranian boats helped to evacuate the tankers' crews, taking them to the port of Jask after the incident, while Iranian firefighters' boats reportedly managed to "contain" the fire on both vessels. On 13 June Norway's Front Altair and Japan's Kokuka Courageous oil tankers sailing through the Gulf of Oman suffered explosions that damaged their hulls and caused a fire. The incident follows a similar one in May, when four oil tankers near the UAE were damaged as a result of what Abu Dabi sees as an "act of sabotage". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In his letter of interest, Brian Bozek, a Park Ridge resident for 35 years, said he was a supporter of Milissis and worked with him on several projects of interest, though he did not elaborate. His professional background is in sales and marketing, and he currently works as a sales account manager for Commercial Forged Products, a forged steel manufacturing company. Iran Urges US, Allies to Stop False Flag Ops in Mideast After Gulf of Oman Tanker Sabotage Sputnik News 09:24 14.06.2019(updated 11:43 14.06.2019) The warning comes on the heels of US accusations that Iran was behind the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on 13 June - just one month after a similar incident near Fujairah was likewise blamed on the Islamic Republic. The Iranian mission to the United Nations has urged the United States and its allies in the Middle East to "stop warmongering" and false flag operations in the region following attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on 13 June that were blamed on Tehran. "Neither fabrications and disinformation campaigns nor shamelessly blaming others can change the realities. The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots as well as false flag operations in the region. Warning, once again, about all of the US coercion, intimidation, and malign behavior, Iran expresses concern over suspicious incidents for the oil tankers that occurred today", the statement issued on Thursday read. The mission has also "categorically" rejected Washington's accusations of Tehran being responsible for the oil tanker incidents as unfounded. "The inflammatory remarks by the US representative against Iran at the UN Security Council on 13 June 2019 was another Iranophobic campaign", it added. In a separate development, the country's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter to stress that the US accusations were part of "sabotage diplomacy" to cover up what he has repeatedly described as "economic terrorism" against Iran: These remarks follow US Central Command's deployment of the US Navy destroyer USS Mason to the Gulf of Oman "to provide assistance" shortly after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed the finger at Tehran while referring to an assessment based on intelligence, weapons used, and level of expertise required to carry out the operation. "USS Mason is en route to the scene to provide assistance. The US and our partners in the region will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves and our interests. Today's attacks are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce", CENTCOM spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brow said in a Thursday press release. What Happened? On 13 June, two oil tankers - Kokuka Courageous, registered in Panama and operated by the Singapore-based Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, and Marshall Islands-flagged Front Altair, owned by Norway's Frontline - were attacked in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway linking Middle East crude producers to key world markets. Multiple media reports have suggested that the vessels were exposed to torpedoes, which caused blasts and a blaze on at least one of them. According to IRNA, Iranian rescue teams evacuated 44 sailors from both ships and took them to the Iranian port of Jask, while US officials were cited by CBS as dismissing those claims as "patently false". The incident comes one month after four oil tankers - two Saudi, one Norwegian, and one Emirati - were tageted in what Abu Dhabi described as "acts of sabotage" near Fujairah. The incident did not cause any casualties or oil spill. Shortly thereafter, several unnamed US officials were cited by AP as saying that "Iranian or Iranian-backed proxies" are believed to be responsible for the incident. Tehran, for its part, urged for an investigation and cautioned against "any conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers" and "adventurism by foreigners" to undermine the region's stability. Tensions have been simmering in the Gulf region since the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, but dramatically escalated last month after the Pentagon deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to send a "clear and unmistakable" message to Iran that any attack on American interests or those of its allies would be met with "unrelenting force". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan Ruling Council Admits It Ordered Deadly Dispersal of Protesters By VOA News June 14, 2019 Sudan's ruling military council has acknowledged it ordered the June 3 attack on protesters in Khartoum that left dozens of people dead. Meanwhile, talks between the council and opposition parties on forming an interim government appear to have stalled again. Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Shams Aldin Al-Kabashi, spokesman for the Transitional Military Council (TMC), said the entire leadership of the army Rapid Support Forces (RSF), security organs and the police, as well as the judiciary and the general prosecutor signed off on the order. Protesters had camped outside the Defense Ministry for eight weeks, demanding Sudan be returned to civilian rule after the military's overthrow of longtime president Omar al-Bashir on April 11. Al-Kabashi acknowledged that the dispersal operation got out of hand, saying the TMC ordered the leaders of forces on the ground to plan and implement for the dispersal of the sit-in, but violations were committed during the operation. The health ministry said at least 61 people were killed during the raid, but doctors aligned with the opposition put the death toll at more than 100. Talks stalled Meanwhile, it appears the TMC and the opposition alliance of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) have reached a new standoff in their talks on an interim government. A leading member of the FFC, Medani Aba, emphasized the opposition wants an independent investigation of the June 3 raid, redeployment of military forces outside Khartoum, and a transfer of power to civilians. In addition, the group rejects direct talks with the TMC, unless it's on the procedural ways of handing the power to the civilian authority, Medani said. The United States also wants to see a transfer of power to civilians, as the top U.S. diplomat to Africa, Tibor Nagy, told reporters during a visit Thursday to Khartoum. "... the entire international community wants exactly what the Sudanese people want. ... We all want a civilian-led government that is acceptable to the Sudanese people," he said. The TMC and FFC agreed last week to resume negotiations after meetings with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The two sides agreed in principle last month to form an interim government made up of both civilians and the military. However, they failed to agree about which side would have a majority of seats in the proposed council. On Thursday, the TMC spokesman rejected the FFC's latest demands, indicating the talks are at an impasse again. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Operation Z - Red Falcons in China On August 21, 1937, the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with the Kuomintang government of China. Later, in the war with Japan, the USSR helped its southern neighbor with equipment and its pilots, who shot down nearly a thousand enemy aircraft and, in general, saved China from complete defeat. Soviet volunteer pilots who courageously fought for the freedom of the Chinese people made a special contribution to strengthening Chinas defense capability during the war. The Russians remained to fight the common Japanese enemy until Russia was imperiled by the Germans on their western front. The peak Russian advisory effort included over 1000 planes and over 2000 pilots, in rotation. This episode is well known in Russia and largely unknown elsewhere. The similar story of the American pilots of the Flyhing Tigers under Clair Chennault is very well known. But the Soviet's Operation Z utterly dwarfed the Flying Tigers. It lasted five times longer, had more than ten times as many aircraft, and nearly ten times as many people. The Soviet effort lasted three years, whereas the Flying Tigers were only in action for seven months. The Flying Tigers numbered fewer than 300 pilots and ground crew at the time of Pearl Harbor, while at least 2640 people of the flight technical staff of the Red Army Air Force took part in the hostilities on the side of the Chinese army. The Flying Tigers had only 99 aircraft before Pearl Harbor, while China received 1,250 Soviet aircraft from October 1937 to June 1941. This was not a token force, even allowing for combat attrition. While in November 1944 the American air force in China had comprised approximately 800 planes, only by March or April 1945 had the number had increased to between 1,500 to 2,000 against the Japanese meager 150. By comparison, by some estimates during the border wars with the Soviet Union (Khalkin Gol), the Kwantung Army was outnumbered by Soviet aircraft by 809 to 250. The military situation in the Far East become aggravated due to the militarist plans of an active member of the Anti-Comintern Pact - Japan. Using the previously captured territory of Manchuria and areas of Inner Mongolia as a springboard, in June 1937, Japanese troops invaded the hinterland of Central China. In a short period, a number of large Chinese cities were captured (including Beijing, Tianjin, Kulgan, etc.). The aircraft fleet of China (Kuomintang Air Force) consisted of about 600 combat aircraft, of which 305 fighters, the rest - light bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, of which only 50% were combat-ready. The total number of Japanese military aircraft involved in the Japanese-Chinese war, amounted to 700 aircraft. In less than two months of fighting, the Chinese Air Force lost more than half of its combat aircraft. By October 22, out of 305 combat-ready aircraft, only 81 aircraft remained in their flying state. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Kuomintang, the country's conservative party, had no illusions about the combat capability of his army and appealed for immediate support to the leaders of the leading world powers. But Britain, France and the United States decided to distance themselves from interfering in the conflict, not wanting to spoil relations with official Tokyo for the time being. In Germany, where the Nazis came to power in 1933, the curbing of military-industrial assistance to the Chinese began. This was explained by the fact that Adolf Hitler decided to reorient the country's foreign policy from China to Japan. With the latter, the Third Reich concluded in the autumn of 1936 the Anti-Comintern Pact. Soviet representatives had taken part in the hostilities in China in the 1930s. In particular, Soviet instructor pilots helped repel an attack by Muslim rebels who besieged the capital of Urumqi, bordering with the USSR on the Xinjiang province, in December 1933. The Japanese soon took exception to the German involvement in China and convinced the Germans to leave by July, 1938. Before the arrival of the Soviet pilots in China, a small group of foreign mercenaries had worked there. Of them was formed, in particular, the so-called 14th Bomber Squadron, consisting of 12 pilots led by Vincent Schmidt. Their actions in China brought no benefit, and their behavior represented a stark contrast to the selflessness and selflessness of the Soviet volunteers. A bunch of volunteer pilots from England, the United States and other capitalist countries, recalls Ya. P. Prokofiev, arrived in China hoping to get rich. These defenders did not look for a fight, but preferred not to take off at all, holed up at the rear airfields, having fun, collecting souvenirs and doing business {14}. The successes of the Soviet volunteer pilots allowed the Chinese government to abandon the services of foreign mercenaries. March 1, 1938, shortly after the raid on the Taiwan Polynin group, it was announced the disbandment of this squadron, which never made a single sortie. In accordance with the non-aggression treaty and agreement on military technical assistance, the government of Chiang Kai-shek turned to the leadership of the USSR for help. Through the Air Force, China soon received the first batch of Soviet aircraft: I-15bis fighters (62 vehicles), I-16s (93 vehicles) and 8 training UTI-4 fighters, 62 SB and 6 TB-3 high-speed bomber, and also spare aircraft engines and aircraft parts. In accordance with the plan of the secret "Operation Z (Zet)", it was envisaged to engage Soviet volunteer pilots in the fighting (following the example of the Spanish events). According to the decision of the military-political leadership of the USSR, the following tasks were formed: an I-16 fighter squadron (31 aircraft, 101 people) and a SB bombers squadron (31 aircraft, 153 people). In October 1937, in the flight brigade of the Academy. NOT. Zhukovsky (Moscow) were collected volunteers from all military districts to be sent to China (447 people of the flight technical staff). A serious disadvantage was the lack of any combat experience for all pilots. Aircraft were transferred to the Chinese side by air. In addition to participating in hostilities, Soviet specialists took an active part in the preparation of the Guomindang air force flight crew. In the cities of Chengdu, Suining, Lianshan, Laohekou and others, flight and aviation technical schools were opened. Only in the Lanzhou school for the period from December 1937 to March 1938, it was possible to train 73 Chinese pilots. Part of the flight personnel of the Chinese Air Force was sent to study in the Soviet Union. In general, by the spring of 1938, 200 pilots had trained in Soviet aviation schools. The first military confrontation of the Soviet pilots with the enemy took place on November 21, 1937. In a battle with 20 Japanese aircraft, the Soviet air group (seven I-16) over Nanking (at that time the capital of the Republic of China) was hit by 3 enemy vehicles without loss (2 A5M fighters and one bomber). The next day, on November 22, a group of GM Prokofiev, 6 I-16 fighters opened a combat account in a battle with six A5Ms, they won one victory without loss. According to the Japanese side, by the end of 1937, Soviet fighter pilots in the area of Nanking and Nanchang managed to temporarily achieve local air superiority. At the same time, successes in the land theater of war have allowed the Japanese military commanders since the beginning of January next year to noticeably increase the activity of their naval aviation, sharply increasing the frequency of its raids on major Chinese cities. In air battles, both sides suffered heavy losses. The actions of the Soviet-Chinese bomber aviation on advanced Japanese airfields forced the enemy to withdraw the main forces of their aviation away from the front line. Due to the low level of flight training, Chinese aviation suffered heavy losses among the pilots. Soviet bomber pilots also suffered losses when confronted with a new high-speed Japanese fighter, the Ki.27 (type 97). For the purpose of safe flight and bombing, it was now necessary to fly at altitudes beyond anti-aircraft fire (at least 7500-8500 m). This required the development of high-altitude flights and technical re-equipment of aircraft (including oxygen masks). Gradually, Soviet pilots were replaced by Chinese crews, and the released flight crew was used as instructors to train new personnel of the Kuomintang Air Force. Soviet pilots continued to participate in the fighting until the beginning of 1940. The USSR continued to support Chinas resistance to Japanese aggression, but now preferred to provide purely material assistance. The recall of Soviet volunteers had an extremely negative effect on the combat capability of the Chinese air force. Inexperienced Chinese pilots crashed planes, and inexperienced technicians did not ensure proper maintenance of the equipment. With the deterioration of political relations with the government of Chiang Kai-shek in early 1940, military supplies from the USSR to China decreased noticeably. The last high-speed bombers of the SB were delivered to Chinese territory in June 1941. Soviet pilots had been recalled from the front a year earlier, only military advisers remained. In total from October 1937 to June 1941, China received 1,250 Soviet aircraft. In general, over the years of the Sino-Japanese war, the Kuomintang air forces received from the Soviet Union 322 bombers (292 SB, 24 DB-3, 6 TB-3 ), 575 fighters with spare aircraft engines, equipment, spare parts and bombs. By one count, at least 2640 people of the flight technical staff of the Red Army Air Force took part in the hostilities on the side of the Chinese army. In total, in 1937-1941, 3,665 military volunteers from the USSR participated in the war of China against Japan [this larger number probably includes non-aviation personnel]. Of these, 211 died or died from wounds. At the same time, more than half of the deaths occurred in the crash of aircraft overtaken on the way from the USSR to China. Many of them were honored with high government awards of the USSR and the Chinese Republic. A total of 14 Soviet pilots were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Later, three "Chinese": G.P. Kravchenko , S.P.Suprun and T.T.Hryukin, received this high rank twice. On a combat score, 6 Soviet pilots had from 5 or more enemy aircraft. For participation in the damage of the Japanese aircraft carrier Soviet military pilot T.T. Hryukin was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Soviet Air Forces performed almost the same tasks as the battles in Spain : fighting for air supremacy, supporting ground forces, conducting aerial reconnaissance, disrupting enemy communications, and bombing the Japanese ships. Claire Chennault later wrote "Russian pilots were tenacious and determined, distinguished by excellent physical form. They could safely withstand 12-hour duty, heavy air combat and a night-time, so abundant that I can not remember anything even close to her similar. They were much older and calmer than American pilots. The Russians never suffered from combat overwork". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US, Guatemala Close to Deal to Block Central American Asylum-Seekers By Ramon Taylor June 13, 2019 The Trump administration hopes within days to conclude a deal with Guatemala that would block Central Americans from seeking asylum in the U.S. VOA has obtained an unsigned copy of a seven-page draft White House agreement which would establish a "safe third country" protocol between the U.S. and Guatemala. The draft is set to be presented to the government in Guatemala City this week. Under the terms of the agreement, migrants fleeing persecution in El Salvador and Honduras would be required to seek asylum in Guatemala, a gateway to Mexico and the United States. With few exceptions, those who continue north to the U.S. without testing their chances in Guatemala would be sent back to Guatemala by U.S. immigration authorities. Mexico has resisted entering a "safe third country" agreement as part of its recent deal with the Trump administration to avoid punishing tariffs. But talks of a regional pact emerged shortly after President Donald Trump revealed he had agreed to terms with Mexico to curb migration levels through increased Mexican enforcement. In May, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) registered the highest monthly total of southwest border apprehensions in 13 years, setting up Trump's most recent showdown with his Mexican counterparts. Under the agreement that staved off U.S. tariffs, Mexico pledged to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops along its southern border with Guatemala and increase its arrests of Central American migrants headed north. Mexico also agreed to an expansion of the United States' "Remain in Mexico" policy or Migrant Protection Protocol which requires migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico pending a decision on their claims. The pending agreement with Guatemala, if signed, would be the first such agreement with a Latin American country in U.S. history. In response to written questions about the draft agreement, a State Department spokesperson for Western Hemisphere Affairs told VOA Thursday that "The U.S. team currently in Guatemala is working with Guatemalan counterparts to explore a full range of initiatives to advance this agenda, including capacity building, strengthening of local institutions, and improved asylum processing," adding, "We will not disclose further details of ongoing, private diplomatic conversations." U.S. delegation in Guatemala Hugo Rodriguez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central America of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs; Carol Thompson O'Connell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration; and a legal adviser were in Guatemala on Thursday as part of a U.S. State Department delegation, according to a State Department official who declined to be identified. The White House finalized the draft agreement Monday, according to the source, and the agreement was expected to be presented to Guatemala officials as early as Thursday three days before a first round of presidential elections in that country. However, there are differences of opinion within the State Department over the merits of the agreement, according to the State Department official. The official said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo directed the negotiators to travel with a slimmed down delegation in order to keep a low profile so close to the balloting. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote on Sunday, there will be a second round of voting in August. Guatemala's current president, Jimmy Morales, is constitutionally prohibited from running for a second term. The White House did not respond to VOA questions about the proposed agreement, including the prospects of Guatemala signing the pact and the thinking behind the timing. VOA has reached out to the Guatemalian government for comment and is awaiting a response. Regional asylum agreement While the outreach to Guatemala has not been made public, the idea of a regional asylum agreement has been floated by international policy makers. On Monday, Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News that the administration had reached an agreement with Guatemala "to essentially say that if people are looking for asylum, that they ought to be willing to apply for asylum in the first safe country in which they arrive." He added: "We will only move onto that if it's necessary." Also Monday, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexican officials who have long resisted the idea of a U.S.-Mexico "safe third country" agreement would consider changing asylum rules after a 45-day review period. But that would only be under the conditions that "it will have to be regional," presented to Congress, and coordinated with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Ebrard suggested that any such regional model might include Guatemala, Panama and Brazil. The U.S. has only one existing "safe third country" agreement, and that's with Canada, signed in 2002. Under that agreement, both countries are deemed safe for refugee claimants, who are "required to request refugee protection in the first safe country they arrive in," with few exceptions, including unaccompanied minors. If a similar agreement were reached with the Guatemalan government, refugees fleeing persecution from neighboring Central American countries might have no choice but to test their asylum chances in Guatemala. If Panama and Brazil followed suit, a collective responsibility would be shared: An African or Indian migrant who makes it to Brazil might have to seek asylum there. Venezuelans might test their chances there or in Panama. In a Wednesday press release, UNHCR urged regional officials "to map out coordinated action" to address growing displacement, and signalled that a regional approach would need to include "expansion of reception capacity and asylum infrastructures, collective support for local integration programs, expanded resettlement within and outside the region and arrangements for safe and dignified return of people not needing international protection." Danger to migrants Guatemala a country plagued by extreme poverty may have incentive to accept U.S. terms for a "safe third country" agreement. In March, the Trump administration announced a cut-off in aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in retaliation for the ongoing migrant crisis on the U.S. southern border. How Guatemala's outgoing president precisely benefits from signing the "safe third" agreement remains unclear. At the end of the day, social consequences may be outweighed by its need to cooperate with U.S. geostrategic goals, says Giulio Talamonti, a security and political analyst and professor at Mariano Galvez University in Guatemala City. "Surely, the only option left for Guatemala, as a small nation in the concert of nations, will be to accept those terms and conditions," Talamonti told VOA's Latin America Division, adding that problems resulting from migration will be transferred to the new Guatemalan government independent of who wins the presidential election. Politically, the Guatemalan government may only stand to lose more if Morales doesn't sign. "I'm not sure Guatemala would gain anything other than to remain in the [U.S. government's] good graces on the regional migration issue, which is a major objective of the current Guatemalan government that leaves office in seven months," retired U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala Stephen McFarland told VOA. Eleanor Acer, director of Human Rights First's Refugee Protection program, says the asylum systems in both Mexico and Guatemala are riddled with deficiencies, and argues the U.S. should be doing more to strengthen the region's ability to host more refugees. "Often, refugees face very real dangers in neighboring countries," Acer told VOA. "They could be at serious risk of being returned to persecution, or their persecutors in some cases can actually reach them in neighboring countries. This is a very real concern." VOA's Masood Farivar and Eugenia Sagastume contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi urges SCO shared future Global Times By Liu Xin in Bishkek and Zhao Yusha in Beijing Source:Global Times Published: 2019/6/14 23:26:21 Hails member states for implementing consensus Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to build a closer community of shared future and to encourage multilateralism, free trade and a more reasonable and fair international order. Xi made the remarks during a speech at the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, which began on Friday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Leaders of China, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan took part in the SCO Summit as permanent members of the organization. The presidents of Belarus, Afghanistan, Iran and Mongolia were attending as representatives of observer countries. Xi said that the SCO has kept a good momentum, with member states actively implementing the consensus they had reached and pushing forward cooperation in every field. He added that SCO member states should jointly build a closer SCO community of shared future and make the organization a new model of mutual trust, safeguarding regional security, mutual benefit and tolerance. Heads of the SCO member states signed the Bishkek Declaration and other documents of cooperation in various fields on Friday. Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for SCO Studies, told the Global Times that the world now has a greater anticipation in and demand for the SCO as it sees the rise of unilateralism and protectionism. "The world is eager to learn how the SCO, an organization representing 41 percent of the global population and covering the largest and most complicated regions, works to promote political, security, cultural and other cooperation between its members," Deng said. Talasbek Mashrapov, dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies and International Relations in Bishkek Humanities University, told the Global Times that the Shanghai spirit, the core value of the SCO, has been widely welcomed by member states and their people. "State members have helped each other's development without intervening in each other's internal affairs. With more members and a growing influence in Asia, the SCO will play a greater role globally," Mashrapov said. India and Pakistan were formally made members of the SCO in 2017. Deng said "India and Pakistan agreed not to bring their conflict into the organization when they joined it. The SCO's partnership, featuring 'non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party,' provides a guideline for soothing their conflicts." Enhancing mutual trust Xi noted in his speech on Friday that SCO member states should join hands in fighting terrorism and extremism and enhance cooperation on de-radicalization. Xi met with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Thursday in Bishkek. Xi said that China will, as always, continue to help Afghanistan build its capacity in fighting terrorism and maintaining stability. Ge Lixing, an expert on diplomatic affairs in Central Asia, told the Global Times that the efficient cooperation on counter-terrorism among SCO members has contributed to regional stability and peace in recent years, which is good for economic development and the promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative. Ge noted that since terror threats have risen in north Afghanistan in recent years, SCO members should further improve counter-terrorism cooperation, including the sharing of information. Mashrapov said that people in Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries are looking forward to economic development opportunities brought by the SCO cooperation agreement and the Belt and Road Initiative. He said stability is crucial for joint development among SCO members. And only by enhancing mutual trust and communication at multilateral events and organizations, including the SCO and the upcoming 5th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), can countries in Asia achieve joint development. Xi, together with many heads of the SCO member states, will attend the CICA summit in Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, on Saturday, said Xinhua. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Warns India's Purchase of Russian S-400 Could Impact Future Joint Defence Deals Sputnik News 17:31 13.06.2019(updated 18:29 13.06.2019) India inked a $5.43 billion deal to purchase Russia's S-400 air defence missile systems last October, and recently promised to move forward with the deal despite the threat of US sanctions. The US State Department has given India an indirect warning that its purchase of Russian-made air defence systems could compromise further arms deals between New Delhi and Washington. Speaking in Washington on Thursday, principal assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Alice Wells said a 'strategic choice' has to be made by countries including India regarding which weapons systems they choose to buy. "What causes concern with the S-400 is that it effectively could limit India's ability to increase our own interoperability. That at a certain point a strategic point has to be made about partnerships and a strategic choice about what weapon systems and platforms a country is going to adopt," Wells said, speaking at a House Foreign Affairs Committee briefing. The warning follows a statement by the Indian Foreign Ministry last week indicating that New Delhi had no plans to scrap its S-400 deal with Moscow despite the threat of US sanctions. The sanctions legislation, known as the 'Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act', was signed into law in 2017, and gives Washington the right to impose sanctions on any country that buys Russian-made defence hardware. The US used of the legislation last September, slapping sanctions on China's defence ministry over its purchase of Russian aircraft and S-400 systems, but has yet to implement it against India. New Delhi has been a major buyer of Russian military equipment for decades, with Russian-sourced arms accounting for up to a quarter of its total foreign purchases in recent years. Washington has already threatened to kick Ankara out of the F-35 fighter jet program if it moves ahead with deliveries of its S-400s next month. Last week, a US State Department official told Indian media that the US may try to persuade New Delhi to abandon its S-400 deal in exchange for the F-35 fighters, as well as unnamed US "analogues" to the Russian air defence system. On Thursday, Indian media reported, citing defence officials, that Delhi was seeking the immediate purchase of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of new Russian arms, including short and medium-range air-to-air missiles, launchers and other equipment. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, reportedly discussing all aspects of bilateral relations between the two countries. Modi said the meeting "was excellent," and asked Putin to speak with him again later this month at the upcoming G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Black Box of Crashed An-32 Indian Military Aircraft Recovered Sputnik News 16:47 13.06.2019 The black box, which stores flight data and the cockpit voice recorder, will likely provide crucial details as investigators continue to look for answers. New Delhi (Sputnik): The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday managed to recover the black box of the crashed AN-32 military transport aircraft which went missing on 3 June and was finally located on 11 June near the border with China. None of the 13 people on board survived, and an IAF official said the AN-32's black box was recovered from crash site in India's Arunachal Pradesh state on Thursday. Moreover, the bodies of all 13 personnel on board were also recovered. The aircraft took off from Jorhat city in the state of Assam for the Mechuka Air Field, only 40 km away from the China border. The device, which stores flight data and other pertinent information, will likely provide crucial details as investigators continue to look for answers, an IAF official said. Technical inspectors will now analyse the data stored in the cockpit voice recorder as they look to uncover the details of the communication the pilot had with air control minutes before the crash. The wreckage of the missing AN-32 was found 16km North of Lipo, North East of Tato, in heavily forested mountainous terrain in the border state of Arunachal Pradesh at an approximate elevation of 12,000ft. The IAF has lost 10 aircraft in nine crashes this year, costing 23 lives. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address India Seeks Russian Missiles, Launchers Worth $1.3 bn in Wake of Dogfight With Pakistan Sputnik News 16:17 13.06.2019 The Indian Air Force (IAF) had asked for the immediate purchase of air-to-air missiles and guided missiles. The nation's stockpile dipped due to an increased number of combat air patrol missions along the border with Pakistan, involving its mainstream fighters such as the Su-30MKI, MiG-29, and Mirage 2000. New Delhi (Sputnik): Russia has offered longer-range missiles to the Indian Air Force after the latter placed orders worth over $700 million for air-to-air missiles and guided missiles following the February Kashmir dogfight with Pakistan. Additionally, the Indian Army also requested that Russia supply launchers and missiles for its defence systems, including multi-barrel launchers. According to one Indian defence official, New Delhi has placed orders for over 300 short-range R-73 air-to-air missiles and 400 medium-range RVV-AE air-to-air guided missiles. The order also includes a Russian-made radar-jamming missile, the X-31. Russia's negotiation team has been "discussing the order with the Indian team" and both countries will soon conclude the purchase order, a source revealed. In March, the Russian missile maker Vympel, which is part of Russia's consolidated JSC Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), offered the RVV-MD short-range missile, the RVV-SD medium-range missile, and the RVV-BD long-range missile to India. The RVV-MD is the export model of the R-74, which has much better range than what India is currently using. Russia also has the K-74M2 (izdeliye 760) missile, which is an improved variant featuring a reduced cross-section for the Sukhoi Su-57, that is intended to match Western missiles such as the AIM-9X and ASRAAM. India and Pakistan engaged in their first air clash in decades when on 26 February Indian fighter jets violated Pakistani airspace and conducted a "non-military, pre-emptive" air strike in Balakot inside Pakistan to destroy infrastructure allegedly belonging to the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed. The jihadi outfit had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack on 14 February in which 40 Indian soldiers were killed in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on the National Highway. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo Praises US-India Defence Cooperation, 'Common Vision in Indo-Pacific' Sputnik News 11:58 13.06.2019 Washington has moved to withdraw its tax exemption programme for Pakistani diplomats, after earlier barring Washington-based Pakistani diplomats from travelling outside a 25-kilometre radius around the city without prior approval. Speaking at the India Ideas Summit in Washington on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington and New Delhi have a unique opportunity to take advantage of their "special partnership". "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States in 2017, President Trump and Modi shared a few hugs and goodwill," Pompeo said. "PM Modi said Indian interest lies in a strong, prosperous and successful America. In similar ways, India's development and its growing role at the international level are in the United States of America's interest as well." Mike Pompeo underscored a willingness on the part of the US to facilitate a dialogue in order to resolve trade differences with India. "It's a partnership of equals is how we see it," added Pompeo, who is set to visit India at the end of the month, when the countries are gearing up for a meeting between President Trump and PM Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. "Under President Trump, we have taken our defence cooperation to new heights, solidifying our common vision in the Indo-Pacific and have taken a far tougher stance on Pakistan's unacceptable support for terrorism," Pompeo claimed. Mike Pompeo's words come on the heels of Washington's move to withdraw its tax exemption programme for Pakistani diplomats, a year after the US barred Pakistani diplomats working in Washington from travelling outside a 25-kilometre radius around the city without prior approval. Earlier, President Donald Trump suspended $1.3 billion in annual security aid it had been providing to Pakistan, citing the country's alleged inaction on the terrorism front, a claim strongly denied by Islamabad. India-Pakistan tensions spiralled to a new low in February when a Pakistan-based militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, claimed responsibility for an attack on a military convoy in which 44 of India's paramilitary police were killed. In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, US National Security Adviser John Bolton told his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval that the US supports India's right to self-defence as both sides have vowed to work together to ensure that Pakistan "ceases to be a safe haven for JeM and other terror groups". Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address No Survivors in Indian An-32 Plane Crash - IAF Sputnik News 10:39 13.06.2019(updated 11:16 13.06.2019) An Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 with 13 people on board went missing last week after it departed from Jorhat. The wreckage, however, was found on Tuesday in a remote area in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Air Force said in a statement on Thursday that eight members of the rescue team reached the crash site today morning, however, there were no survivors at the crash site. "IAF Pays tribute to the brave Air-warriors who lost their life during the #An32 crash on 03 Jun 2019 and stands by with the families of the victims. May their soul rest in peace." The plane took off at 12.25 local time (06.55 GMT) on 3 June and headed to the neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh, where an hour later it was supposed to land at a military airfield near the village of Mechuka. However, the connection with the aircraft was then lost. On the same day, the Indian military, together with the government and civilian structures, launched a large-scale search operation. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Witeks mom, Carole Graham, was a go-getter homemaker raising five children -- including four toyboy girls in Chesterton who were always going to gymnastics meets, Witek said. She and her mother both had big families. They talked on the phone every day and were always planning the next birthday party for one of their children. 'Stay as far away as you can!' Iranian cmdr. warns enemies Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 10:41AM The commander of the Iranian Army's Air Defense Force has warned enemies against approaching Iran's borders. Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard said on Wednesday that there was no safe spot for foreign military aircraft within Iran's aerial or land borders. "We are warning the enemy: there is no safe zone for extraterritorial military aircraft in Iranian skies and lands. Even approaching Iran's borders would be met with a strong response. Thus, I advise you to move as much away [from Iran's frontiers] as you can," Brigadier General Sabahi-Fard said. He also said any act of aggression against Iran would bring regret to the enemies. The Iranian commander said the fact that enemy forces were staying at 200 nautical miles off the Strait of Hormuz was due to Iran's deterrence power. The United States has recently taken a quasi-warlike posture against Iran by dispatching an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber task force, and an amphibious assault ship to the Persian Gulf, citing an alleged Iranian threat. Iran has said it poses no threat to anyone but will defend itself against any aggression. Last week, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been dispatched to the Middle East, was reported to have stayed outside of the strategic Persian Gulf waters. "You don't want to inadvertently escalate something," Capt. Putnam Browne, the commanding officer of the Lincoln, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's Air Defence Chief: 'We Are Warning the EnemyMove as Far Away As You Can From Our Border' Sputnik News 20:32 13.06.2019 Strained relations between Washington and Tehran got worse last month after the US parked a carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea and built up its presence in the Middle East while accusing Iran of involvement in the sabotage of four tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Iranian Air Defence Force commander Brig. Gen. Alireza Sabahifard has urged Tehran's adversaries to keep their distance from the country's frontiers. "We are warning the enemy: there is no safe zone for extraterritorial military aircraft in Iranian skies... Even approaching Iran's borders would be met with a strong response. Thus, I advise you to move as much away [from Iran's borders] as you can," the commander said, as quoted by PressTV. Saying that any acts of aggression against Iran would 'bring regret' to the enemy, Sabahifard boasted that the US military's apparent decision to keep a safe distance of 200 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz waterway was the result of Iran's effective deterrent capabilities. This photo released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry on Sunday, June 9, 2019, shows the Khordad 15, a new surface-to-air missile battery at an undisclosed location in Iran Commenting on US policy toward his country, Sabahifard urged his fellow countrymen and women not to give in to the various pressures. "The enemy has imposed political, economic and cultural pressures on Iran, which have caused some troubles for the Iranian nation, but we should know that the costs of surrender are much higher than resistance," Sabahifard said. According to the commander, the US expansion of its military power in West Asia and the Persian Gulf while calling for negotiations demonstrates the "unreliability" and "instability" of US diplomacy. Last month, soon after scrapping sanctions waivers for multiple major importers of Iranian crude oil, the US deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, a complement of B-52 strategic bombers, Patriot missile defence batteries, fighters, an amphibious landing ship and hundreds of fresh troops to the Middle East, citing concerns about possible attacks by Iran or its proxies against the US and its allies. On May 12, after the US deployment, four commercial tankers docked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were struck in an apparent sabotage attack which Abu Dhabi investigators said was carried out by trained divers. The UAE concluded that the sabotage was likely the work of a "state actor," but did not point the finger directly at any country. US officials, meanwhile, accused Iran directly. In late May, Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton said it was "clear" that Iran was "almost certainly" responsible for the sabotage, but provided no evidence to back up the claim. June 1, 2019 file photo, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, conduct joint exercises in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian sea Iran dismissed the charges as "ridiculous," and alleged that the sabotage attacks were part of alleged plans by the anti-Iran "B-Team" (a reference to Mr. Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed) to start a conflagration with Tehran. On Thursday, as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Iranian officials during the second day of his official visit to Tehran, two more tankers carrying "Japan-related cargo" were crippled in an apparent attack in the Strait of Hormuz, about 14 nautical miles off Iran's coast. Unnamed US defence officials accused Iran of responsibility for the attack, while Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the timing of the event beyond "suspicious" amid Abe's visit. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran nuclear deal implementation only logical, correct path: Russian president Iran Press TV Fri Jun 14, 2019 03:25PM Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the negative consequences of the US' withdrawal from the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement, saying the parties' compliance with the deal would be the "only logical and correct path." "The Iranian nuclear program still raises concerns. The US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a reminder, it was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council in 2015 is not only destabilizing the region, but also can undermine the nuclear non-proliferation regime," Putin said in an address to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) heads of state council meeting in Bishkek on Friday. "While presiding in the SCO, we intend to work to ensure that the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action fulfill their obligations. We consider this to be the only logical and correct path," the Russian leader added. Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China, plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016. Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran. However, President Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticisms. On the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran announced that it would suspend the implementation of some of its commitments under the deal, adding that it would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water, setting a 60-day deadline for the five remaining parties to the deal to take practical measures towards ensuring its interests in the face of the American sanctions. In a press release issued at the end of their two-day summit in Bishkek, the SCO heads of state threw their weight behind steadily implementation of the nuclear accord under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that calls on all the parties to fulfill their obligations unfailingly. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the United States' actions against Iran constitute a blatant attempt to pressure the international community into overlooking the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 in line with Washington's agenda of "strangling" the Islamic Republic. "'Lack of ability to reach an agreement' is probably the nicest thing that one can say [about US actions against Iran], because there is clearly an attempt to force the whole world to not comply with a UN Security Council resolution in order to achieve the goal of strangling a single country," Lavrov said at the Primakov Readings forum in Moscow. Unilateral US actions liable for regional insecurity: Iran FM Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday lashed out at the United States for pursuing unilateral measures against Iran, saying such moves are the only reason behind insecurity and tension in the Middle East. "Unilateral US actionsincl. its #EconomicTerrorism on Iranare solely responsible for insecurity & renewed tension in our region," the top Iranian diplomat said in a post on his Twitter account. He added that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held "important multilateral dialogue" and "fruitful bilateral talks" with his Chinese and Russian counterparts Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, respectively. Zarif is accompanying President Rouhani in his visit to Kyrgyzstan to attend the SCO summit. In a meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Tehran on Monday, Rouhani said European countries must resist the United States' economic terrorism against the Iranian nation and live up to their obligations as per the JCPOA. "We expect Europe to stand up to and resist America's economic terrorism against the Iranian nation and fulfill its obligations in accordance with the JCPOA," Rouhani told Germany's top diplomat, adding that following the US withdrawal from the deal, Iran could have done the same on the strength of Article 36 of the JCPOA, but rather decided to remain patient and give other signatories a chance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iranian President Tells SCO Summit That Trump Poses 'Serious Risk' To Stability By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service June 14, 2019 BISHKEK -- Iranian President Hassan Rohani has told a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek that U.S. actions pose a "serious" threat to regional and global stability. "The U.S. government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world," Rohani said. Rohani made the remarks on June 14, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for attacks on a Japanese and a Norwegian commercial oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that were being escorted by the U.S. Navy. The U.S. military also has released video showing what it said was a crew from an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) patrol boat removing what appeared to be an unexploded mine from the side of one of the ships after the attack. Iran denied any connection with the attacks. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on June 14 called the allegations "alarming," saying that "accusing Iran for such a suspicious and unfortunate incident is the simplest and the most convenient way for Pompeo and other U.S. officials." On June 13 at the UN, U.S. acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen called on the Security Council to confront the "clear threat" posed by Tehran in the region. In his remarks at the SCO summit in Bishkek, Rohani did not mention the June 13 attacks in the Gulf of Oman. But he told leaders from SCO countries that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was responsible for a "plague of unilateralism" that is challenging the international community more than ever. Referring to Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, Rohani said Iran continues to honor the accord. "Iran asks the remaining participants in the nuclear deal to immediately honor their commitments," Rohani said. Meanwhile, Chinese state media quoted President Xi Jinping as telling Rohani on the sidelines of the summit that Beijing would promote a steady development of relations with Iran no matter how the international situation changed. China and Iran have close energy ties, and Beijing has been angered by U.S. threats against countries and companies that violate U.S. sanctions by importing Iranian oil. The Bishkek summit has brought together leaders of the eight SCO member states -- Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. Leaders from Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia were attending the June 14 gathering as observers. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has said the summit would focus on expanding cooperation within the SCO on security, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, economic development, industry, and humanitarian cooperation. Russian President Vladimir Putin told the gathering on June 14 that he thinks there is a "good chance" of pairing the Eurasian Economic Union with China's so-called Belt and Road infrastructure initiative and "establishing a broad Eurasian partnership" for "open, equal, and creative cooperation in the region." SCO leaders also were expected to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. Putin was expected later on June 14 to take part in a trilateral meeting with Xi and Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga on the sidelines of the summit. On June 13, after Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov met with China's president, the Kyrgyz leader said that the internment of ethnic Kyrgyz and other mostly Muslim indigenous people in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang was an "internal matter" for China. After the summit in Bishkek concludes, Putin, Xi, Central Asian leaders, and senior officials from dozens of other countries will convene on June 15 in neighboring Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). With reporting by Reuters, AP, MIR and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/shanghai-cooperation-organization -starts-summit-in-bishkek/29998881.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japanese Warships Heading to Australia for Landmark Visit By Phil Mercer June 13, 2019 For the first time, a Japanese navy ship will take part in joint military exercises in Australian waters. Analysts say it is a sign of growing defense ties between the Asia-Pacific partners. Last week the Australian government was criticized for not giving advance notice of a visit by Chinese warships to Sydney. Every two years, the Australian and United States military take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre. The war-games are mostly conducted across northern and eastern Australia. This year defense forces from New Zealand, Canada and Britain will participate. For the first time, the Japanese navy will also be involved in maneuvers that are designed to foster greater defense cooperation and integration among the allies. Australia and the United States have a military accord dating back to the 1950s, and increasingly the two nations have sought greater military ties with Tokyo, a former World War II enemy. "You are seeing far greater strategic, military, defense and intelligence cooperation between these three countries," said Dr. John Lee, from the United States Studies Center in Sydney. "You can also bet that there will be far more public support for Japanese warships and exercises with Japanese warships compared to the situation when Chinese PLA [People's Liberation Army] ships appeared suddenly in Sydney." The Australian government was criticized for not announcing in advance that three Chinese warships would be sailing into Sydney Harbor earlier this month on a pre-planned four-day stopover. Analysts say Chinese authorities would be monitoring this month's Exercise Talisman Sabre carefully. Most of the drills that run from late June to early August will take place in the Shoalwater Bay military training area and surrounding forests near Rockhampton, in Central Queensland. The simulated battles will involve up to 25,000 military personnel operating at sea, on land and in the skies. Australian officials say the relationship with Japan is its most "mature in Asia" that is "underpinned by a shared commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, as well as common approaches to international security." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Criticizes Kazakhstan's Crackdown On Protester By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service June 13, 2019 The United Nations Human Rights Office has called on Kazakh authorities "to respect freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression and right to political participation" following the detention of hundreds of protesters during rallies since Kazakhstan's June 9 presidential election. "Kazakhstan's actions against peaceful protesters, activists, and journalists during and after the presidential elections on June 9 are extremely regrettable," Ryszard Komenda, head of the UN Human Rights Office for Central Asia, said. "The freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are the building blocks of successful and vibrant societies. Any attempt to restrict them unnecessarily and without proper justification constitute risks for stability and social cohesion," Komenda said. Demonstrators in Nur-Sultan, Almaty, and other cities in Kazakhstan protested against the official results of the presidential election -- which gave the victory to Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, the handpicked successor of former authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbaev. Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office representative Saparbek Nurpeisov told reporters in Nur-Sultan on June 13 that the protesters' rallies were "illegal" because they had not been sanctioned by the authorities. Nurpeisov said 957 detained people had been "punished" -- including 670 who were sentenced to between six and 15 days in jail, 115 who were fined, and 172 who received official warnings about taking part in "illegal" actions. The UN Human Rights Office expressed concerns "about the significant scale of arrests and convictions for peaceful and legitimate expression of political opinion and dissent." "This is an apparent contradiction with Kazakhstan's obligations under international human rights law" Komenda said. "I urge Kazakhstan to fulfil its legal obligations to respect and protect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, expression, and ensure the right to meaningful political participation." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/un-criticizes-kazakhstan-s- crackdown-on-protesters/29997107.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chechen Leader Threatens To 'Break Fingers And Tear Out Tongues' By Current Time June 13, 2019 Ramzan Kadyrov, the coarse-mouthed leader of Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Chechnya, is at it again. In a video posted on Instagram, Kadyrov threatened anyone who insults him or "his people" in online commentaries with grisly punishments. "We won't let anyone insult personalities [online]," Kadyrov, wearing his trademark red-and-white tracksuit, said. "Remove your comments. We are reading them all. There is a whole group working on this. We have traditions, and no one has suspended our customs. That's why I don't care if someone kills me. But if you insult my blood, my clan, my family, my people -- for me, that is the most important thing. We won't ignore a single comment or video.""So watch your tongues," he continued. "Watch your fingers. Because we will break your fingers and rip out your tongues. We won't ignore a single comment or video." The Chechen strongman's comments come in response to a recent border incident with neighboring Daghestan, in which a new sign demarking Chechen territory was torn down after a virulent online campaign. Chechnya has been harshly criticized in the region in recent months for its seemingly aggressive efforts to resolve border disputes with Ingushetia and Daghestan. In September, Kadyrov and Ingushetian leader Yunus-Bek Yevkurov signed a border agreement following secret negotiations, prompting activists in Ingushetia to claim the pact invalid because it represented an illegal transfer of territory to Chechnya. Then in February, Chechnya laid claim to a plot of land near the village of Mekhelta in Daghestan, and that land was reportedly transferred to Chechnya in March. Several other plots of land are currently under dispute and some in Daghestan believe Chechnya is taking control of them without waiting for the completion of talks. Threats of physical violence are a standard part of Kadyrov's diplomatic repertoire. In 2016, international rights groups urged the Kremlin to discipline Kadyrov for his public threats against prominent journalists and opposition political figures. Kadyrov said they "should be treated as enemies of the people, as traitors." "The federal Russian authorities must respond to a string of thinly veiled threats against several prominent human rights defenders, media workers, and political activists, which originated from the political leadership of Chechnya," Amnesty International wrote in a statement. "Such threats should not be taken lightly." "Our research shows that menacing rhetoric against government critics has often been followed by violence," the Committee to Protect Journalists wrote. Investigative journalist Anna Politikovskaya, who wrote extensively about rights abuses in Chechnya, was shot dead in 2006. Although the murder has never been fully solved, three Chechens were convicted of carrying out the killing. Human rights activist Natalya Estemirova was abducted in Chechnya in 2009 and her body found a short time later in Ingushetia. Her killing was never solved and Kadyrov claimed she was killed by unknown people trying to frame him. In 2015, former Deputy Prime Minister and opposition politician Boris Nemtsov -- an energetic critic of both Putin and Kadyrov -- was gunned down in Moscow. Although the case remains open, five Chechens -- including at least one former officer of Kadyrov's security force -- were convicted of carrying out the killing. Kadrov's security forces have been accused many times of carrying out abductions, torture, and extrajudicial disappearances. In May, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report documenting a campaign of intimidation and torture aimed at gay and bisexual men that included beatings, electric shocks, and rapes with foreign objects. Russian gay-rights activists say the campaign has been going on since January and that at least two men have been killed. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/chechen-leader -threatens-to-break-fingers-and- tear-out-tongues-/29997721.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia vows 'retaliatory strike' to new US troops in Poland Iran Press TV Fri Jun 14, 2019 08:56AM Russia says a new US military deployment to Poland announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday would force Moscow to take retaliatory steps. Trump told Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday that he had decided to send an additional 1,000 troops to Poland to join 4,000 forces already there. The US will also send a squadron of MQ-9 Reaper Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance drones as well, he added. The announcement drew response from Russia, which said on Thursday that "its military is tracking these announcements very closely." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow "is analyzing the information, and is doing what is necessary so that such steps in no way threaten the Russian Federation's security." Sergei Ryabkov, a Russian deputy foreign minister, said Trump's move probably reflected "aggressive" intentions. Russia's foreign ministry described Trump's decision for more deployment as a betrayal of Russia's core agreement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1997. Under the deal, NATO had agreed not to permanently deploy significant military forces on the territory of new member states. "The headquarters structures that will be set up in Poland under this reinforcement will deliver much greater potential," the Russian ministry said in a statement. Russia, it said, could not "fail to take this into account in its defense planning and practical activities." "We see in this signs of preparation for further large-scale deployments," it added. Russian parliamentarians separately reacted to the decision, with one lawmaker threatening to make Poland a target in the event of a military conflict. "In the event of any conflict, God forbid, the territory of Poland would become a clear target for a retaliatory strike, if there was suddenly an attack on us," said Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy head of the upper house of parliament's international affairs committee. Another lawmaker, Vladimir Shamanov, raised concern that the US drones could be capable of carrying nuclear weapons at some point, warning that this would gradually lead the world "towards a dangerous moment." Russia has formerly warned that any increased military presence in Poland could prompt it to step up its military presence in neighboring Belarus. UK forces tasked to focus on Russia Meanwhile, UK forces will be shifting away from counter-terrorism work and instead concentrate on blocking what British military describes as covert operations by countries such as Russia. Citing unnamed British officials and military sources, a BBC report said on Thursday that "the need to confront dangerous international behavior by peer adversaries is increasing." "Under the new plan, an operation might be mounted in a Baltic republic or African country in order to uncover and pinpoint Russian covert activities," the report said. Relations between the UK and Russia hit a new low last year, after London accused Moscow of ordering a poison attack on Sergei Skripal, a former double spy, and his daughter in Salisbury in southern England last year. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the alleged attack which left the former Russian spy unconscious for weeks. President Putin also said the Skripals case benefited London more than Moscow. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump created 'phony' Iran emergency to sell arms to Saudi Arabia Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 06:32AM US President Donald Trump has been accused of creating a "phony" emergency to bypass Congress to approve an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia. The White House said last month it was making an emergency provision within the country's arms control law to enable the billions of dollars of arms sales to the Saudi kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, the US's strongest allies in the Persian Gulf. The recourse helps the president spare congressional review for the exports. The Trump administration had cited "alleged threats from Iran" to justify resorting to the provision. R. Clarke Cooper, the State Department's assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday where he was grilled over the $8 billion "'emergency" arms sale to Saudis. Democratic members of the House committee said the president's action violated the law because there was no actual emergency. They also said Trump's action shows that the United States is tolerating worst human rights abuses by Saudi Arabia in its war on Yemen. "There is no emergency. It's phony. It's made up. And it's an abuse of the law," said Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The US has been supporting a 2015-present Saudi-led war against Yemen that seeks to bring back the impoverished country's former Riyadh-backed officials. The American patronage has featured aerial refueling, which the US only stopped earlier in the year after the Saudi-led coalition grew independent of it, as well as logistical and commando support. Tens of thousands have died since the onset of the war, and the entire Yemen has been pushed close to the edge of outright famine. A year after the war was launched, Trump made his maiden foreign visit to Saudi Arabia, announcing more than $100 billion in arms sales to the kingdom. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that four Republicans will join Democrats to oppose the arms sale to Saudi Arabia next week in the Senate. Cooper, however, said the arms sales and US military buildup in the Persian Gulf were needed to counter what he called increasing threats from Iran to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "These malign - even provocative actions mark a new evolution of the threat Iran poses to the security of hundreds of thousands of Americans who live and work in the [Persian] Gulf states, and to the security of the region and our partners," Cooper said. Democrats denounced Trump's bypassing of Congress on the arms sale to Saudi Arabia and US support for Saudi war in Yemen. Representative Brad Sherman, a Democrat, said, "You tell us that you want to send a message with this to our adversaries. It appears that your adversary is Congress and the message is loud and clear: 'We will stretch every statute beyond the breaking point in order to make the Congress irrelevant to the decision-making process.'" "The arms sales you're talking about are controversial. There is significant opposition in Congress. And rather than confront that, you go around it," Sherman added. "In what ways is the United States holding Saudi Arabia accountable for war crimes it has committed by murdering civilians on multiple, multiple occasions in Yemen and causing a famine in Yemen?" asked Democratic Representative Andy Levin. US-Saudi relationship is 'immoral': Omar Representative Ilhan Omar said the US relationship with Saudi Arabia "in its current form is immoral." "But it is not only immoral, it is counterproductive to our national security," Omar added. Lawmakers had been holding up the sales amid concerns about civilian casualties in the war and fury at Saudi Arabia over its killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last year. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and outspoken critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was killed and dismembered last May after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, but the US administration refused to let the murder adversely affect its Saudi ties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey disputes Russia on Idlib truce after post attacked Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 03:14PM Turkey has denied Russian assertions that a ceasefire had been put in place in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib and demanded Russia restore calm in the last major bastion of foreign-backed terrorists. Turkey's Defense Ministry claimed on Thursday that Syrian government forces had carried out a deliberate attack on one of its observation posts in the troubled region. The assault, it said, lightly wounded three Turkish soldiers and damaged equipment and facilities. The ministry said it had raised the issue with Russian counterparts as a fellow guarantor of the de-escalation zone around the militant-riddled territory agreed in September last year. But Russia's Ministry of Defense blamed "terrorists" based in Idlib for the attack and said the Turkish army had asked Moscow to ensure the safety of its personnel and to strike militant hideouts in the region As a result, Russian warplanes carried out four airstrikes against the targets, the coordinates of which were provided by the Turkish military, a ministry statement noted. It also added that a large number of militants and artillery pieces had been destroyed in the aerial raids. Russia and Turkey earlier brokered a full ceasefire agreement in Idlib aimed at halting clashes between government forces and militants in the area. Moscow, a Damascus ally, and Ankara, which backs a number of militant groups in Syria, signed an agreement last September to create a demilitarized zone in Idlib that would be evacuated of all heavy weapons and militants. That agreement put on hold a Syrian government offensive to liberate Idlib, where between 10,000 and 15,000 militants are estimated to be holed up. Militants, however, have persisted in their stay in the zone and refused to leave the area under the deal. Furthermore, terror outfits have repeatedly violated the truce by launching numerous attacks on outposts held by the Syrian army and Russian forces. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently said Moscow and Damascus would give a "crushing" response to militants launching attacks in Idlib. Moscow says it is Turkey's duty to rein in the armed groups that it supports and help separate them from the Takfiri terror outfits, which form a majority of the militant groups inside Idlib. Russia and Turkey, along with Iran, are guarantors of a Syria-wide ceasefire. The trio has been mediating a diplomatic process between the Syrian government and armed groups since early 2017. Idlib remains the only large area in the hands of anti-Damascus militants after government forces backed by Iran and Russia managed to undo militant gains across the country and bring back almost all of Syrian soil under government control. In recent weeks, Syrian armed forces have been conducting counter-terrorism operations in areas surrounding Idlib. The Syrian army has warned civilians to leave Idlib amid preparations for a final military campaign to flush terrorists out of the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trinity Baptist Church: 1831 Virginia St. The Tillman House will host the Gary Youth Feeding Program for youth in the Pulaski District Mondays to Fridays from June 10 to June 28. Breakfast will be from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and lunch will be from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The meals are free. Bridging the Gap summer camp for pre-Kindergarten to sixth grade students will be from Monday to Aug. 2. Half and full day programs will be available. Registration and information: 219-702-4150. The deadline for vendor applications for the Martin Luther King Jr. Indiana State Convention of the Progressive Baptist Congress is Saturday. The event will be at Trinity Baptist Church July 16 to July 18. Call the church office to give vendor information. A youth fundraiser will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at Buffalo Wild Wings, 2515 Southlake Mall Drive, Merrillville. Coupons are available in the church office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays. The Philippian Women Bible Study will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday. On June 22, the church will celebrate "Fabulous Flashback, a celebration of Trinity's 101 years of Ministry in the community from 5-8 p.m. at W.H. Thomas Fellowship Hall. Russia, Turkey broker ceasefire in Syria's embattled Idlib Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 05:02AM Russia and Turkey have brokered a full ceasefire agreement in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib aimed at halting clashes between government forces and militants in the area, the last major bastion of foreign-backed terrorists in the Arab country. The Russian military said in a statement that violence had dropped dramatically on Wednesday after the Moscow-initiated ceasefire applied to the Idlib de-escalation zone came into force. "As a result, the number of attacks of illegal armed groups has significantly decreased...The Syrian government troops have not opened retaliatory fire [after two attacks in the nearby province of Hama], respecting the reached agreements," the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation said in the statement. Major General Viktor Kupchishin, head of the Russian center, also said there was "a significant decline in the number of shots fired from the direction" of the militants, according to Interfax. The Russian official said that on Wednesday there were only two episodes of shelling in Hama Province. The Russian reports did not say how long the cease-fire would last. Moscow, a Damascus ally, and Ankara, which backs a number of militant groups in Syria, signed an agreement last September to create a demilitarized zone in Idlib that would be evacuated of all heavy weapons and militants. That agreement put on hold a Syrian government offensive to liberate Idlib, where between 10,000 and 15,000 militants are estimated to be holed up. Militants have, however, persisted in their stay in the zone and refused to leave the area under the deal. Furthermore, terror outfits have repeatedly violated the truce by launching numerous attacks on outposts held by the Syrian army and Russian forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that "terrorists systematically stage provocations and attack the positions of the Syrian army and communities and also the Russian airbase Hmeimim with multiple rocket systems and drones," vowing a "crushing retaliation" to such acts of violence. Moscow says it is Turkey's duty to rein in the armed groups that it supports and help separate them from the Takfiri terror outfits, which form a majority of the militant groups inside Idlib. Russia and Turkey, along with Iran, are guarantors of a Syria-wide ceasefire. The trio has been mediating a diplomatic process between the Syrian government and armed groups since early 2017. Idlib remains the only large area in the hands of anti-Damascus militants after government forces backed by Iran and Russia managed to undo militant gains across the country and bring back almost all of Syrian soil under government control. In recent weeks, Syrian armed forces have been conducting counter-terrorism operations in areas surrounding Idlib. The Syrian army has warned civilians to leave Idlib amid preparations for a final military campaign to flush terrorists out of the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Launches Airstrikes on Idlib Militants After Attack on Turkish Observation Post - MoD Sputnik News 12:50 13.06.2019(updated 14:18 13.06.2019) ANKARA (Sputnik) - Three Turkish soldiers manning an observation post in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib were injured in a mortar attack on 13 June, the Turkish Defence Ministry said in a statement. The Russian Defence Ministry has reported that Russian combat jets have carried out four airstrikes on terrorist positions in Idlib, using coordinates provided by Turkey. "Using the coordinates provided by the Turkish side, four bomb strikes were carried out by the Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft. As a result, large concentrations of militants and field artillery positions from which the Turkish observation post had been shelled were destroyed", the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. The move came as a response to an attack by al-Nusra* allies on a Turkish Army observation post despite agreeing to a ceasefire, according to the ministry. "Our observation post in Al-Sharia in the Idlib de-escalation zone was attacked from the territory under control of the Syrian government... Three our servicemen were lightly injured", the Turkish Defence Ministry said in a statement. The Turkish Defence Ministry said 35 mortar rounds had been fired, damaging equipment at the post. The wounded are being evacuated. Turkey has contacted Russia, which signed a deal last September to jointly monitor the ceasefire in Idlib. The Turkish command asked the Russian centre for Syrian reconciliation to assist "in ensuring the security of its servicemen and in attacking the positions of terrorists". There are over a dozen militant groups in this restive Syrian province. The National Front for Liberation, a pro-Turkish alliance, and the Nusra Front* terror group have the biggest presence in the area. Russia, Turkey and Iran are the guarantors of the ceasefire in Syria which has been ravaged by an eight-year-long conflict. *Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra, known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham is a terrorist group banned in Russia Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan Jumps In to Support Hong Kong Protesters By Ralph Jennings June 14, 2019 Not long after street demonstrators massed in Hong Kong this week to protest a controversial extradition bill that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial, Taiwan's president, her ruling party and two of her government ministries voiced emphatic support for the demonstrators. Taiwanese officials, who normally avoid taking sides in political issues offshore, back the protest's underlying cause of squelching the expansion of rule by China. Beijing gained control of Hong Kong in 1997 and hopes someday to rule Taiwan the same way, which it calls "one country, two systems." Officials in Taipei jumped into the Hong Kong fray to show they're in tune with China-leery public sentiment at home, especially ahead of elections, analysts say. "I believe that Taiwanese people, regardless of whether in the majority or minority political camps, will feel increasing dissatisfaction toward the Chinese government's actions that could be directed at Taiwan," said Michael Tsai, chairman of the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies in Taiwan. Taiwanese people gather to support Hong Kong people as the administration prepares to open debate on a highly controversial extradition law, in front of Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Culture Office in Taipei, Taiwan, June 12, 2019. In the first show of support, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party weighed in Monday by calling the "one country, two systems" approach "the demise of democracy and freedom." The demonstrations began Sunday. China and the now democratically governed Taiwan have been separately ruled for seven decades. According to a government poll conducted in January more than 80% of Taiwanese oppose any Chinese rule on their island. China still claims sovereignty over Taiwan, where the Nationalists re-established their government in the 1940s after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong's Communists. China has vowed to press for eventual unification. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu attends a news conference, following an agreement by China and the Dominican Republic to establish diplomatic ties, in Taipei, Taiwan, May 1, 2018. Statements from Taiwan Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tweeted Wednesday that he would "stand shoulder to shoulder with the hundreds of thousands in Hong Kong fighting the extradition bill and for rule of law." Street demonstrations began Sunday with hundreds of thousands protesting a proposed law that would let Hong Kong extradite criminal suspects to mainland China, among other places. Authorities in Beijing sometimes prosecute acts of free expression and assembly. Their sentences can be harsher than Hong Kong's, and the legal system less transparent. Under the "two systems" scheme, China has said it would offer Hong Kong a degree of autonomy. On Thursday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen sent her secretary general to meet a group of protest-sympathetic Hong Kong students in Taipei hours after demonstrators in Hong Kong clashed with tear gas-wielding police. "What Taiwanese feel most deeply about this is that 'one country, two systems' is not viable and not acceptable for a democratic Taiwan," Tsai told reporters Thursday. "I think, hopefully, the kind of words given on the part of President Tsai is a kind of mouthpiece from the government perspective to try to defend the Taiwanese interests," said Liu Yih-jiun, a public affairs professor at Fo Guang University in Taiwan. Also Thursday, the Taiwan government's Mainland Affairs Council said no one in politics could support the proposed legal change in Hong Kong. "The president, the premier, all political circles whether in power or not have repeatedly expressed our concern and support, and we emphasize that we will not be an accomplice to an evil law," council spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng told a news conference Thursday. "We especially feel deep regret that the citizens boldly resisting that law encountered violence by the police." Hong Kong's proposed law started with Taiwan, too. Last year a 19-year-old Hong Kong man was suspected of killing his girlfriend on a trip to Taiwan and then fleeing home. The two sides have no extradition treaty, but Hong Kong authorities hope the proposed law would let them extradite the suspect to Taiwan for prosecution. Eyes on Taiwan presidential race Taiwanese officials may be backing Hong Kong's protesters to stand out in elections scheduled for January. They want to be seen as tough against China in keeping with local voter sentiment, experts on the island say. Taiwanese will elect a president and parliament. Tsai Ing-wen is expected to receive her party's nomination next week to run against an opposition Nationalist Party candidate who will probably advocate stronger economic ties with Beijing. Many Taiwanese want tighter economic relations, but without political concessions. Positions taken on Hong Kong "will affect the election next year, at least to some people," said Alex Chiang, an international relations professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei. "They will support pro-independence candidates or at least candidates who take a stronger position against China." To avoid putting anti-Beijing people in office in Taipei, China will strive for a "peaceful resolution with the Hong Kong people" to show it can harmonize with a population rather than using only its authoritarian rule to stop protests, Liu said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey will not back down on plans to obtain Russian S-400 missile systems: FM Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 01:36PM Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says his country will not back down from its decision to buy advanced Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems, rejecting any ultimatums on the issue despite US warnings that it will lead to Ankara's exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program. "The language and content of Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan's letter are unacceptable, will not make Turkey back down from its decisions. Turkey bought S-400, it is going to be delivered and stationed in Turkey," Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Ankara on Thursday. "If there are concerns about S-400s, we should establish a working group with the participation of NATO," the Turkish minister added. Shanahan sent a letter to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar last week, saying Washington would cut short a training program on F-35 fighter jets for Turkish pilots over "safety concerns." "We've suspended some of the activities in terms of training. We haven't suspended any of the maintenance activity," the letter read. Akar on Wednesday objected to the letter, saying it "is not in line with the spirit of alliance" between Ankara and Washington. "We have noticed [...] that the manner is not in line with the spirit of alliance. We are accordingly preparing a response," the Turkish defense chief told reporters in the northern Azerbaijani city of Gabala. Also on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara had already purchased Russian-made S-400s and the missile systems will be delivered next month, reiterating that the deal with Moscow was irreversible. "I'm not saying Turkey will buy S-400s, it already has. We have sealed the deal," Erdogan said at a Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting. He also reacted to US plans to wind down Turkey's involvement in F-35 stealth fighter jet program, underlining that Ankara was not only a client but also a production partner that has invested over $1 billion in the project. "We will meet with President (Donald) Trump in Japan at the end of the month, where we already have meetings planned. I hope there will be a mutual discussion of these issues," Erdogan said. Moscow and Ankara finalized an agreement on the delivery of the S-400 in December 2017. Back in April 2018, Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said in Ankara that they had agreed to expedite the delivery of the S-400. At the time, it was said that the delivery could be made between late 2019 and early 2020. A number of NATO member states have criticized Turkey for purchase of the S-400, arguing the missile batteries are not compatible with those of the military alliance. They also argue that the purchase could jeopardize Ankara's acquisition of F-35 fighter jets and possibly result in US sanctions. The S-400 is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India. Ankara is striving to boost its air defense, particularly after Washington decided in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkish border with Syria, a move that weakened Turkey's air defense. Before gravitating towards Russia, the Turkish military reportedly walked out of a $3.4-billion contract for a similar Chinese system. The withdrawal took place under purported pressure from Washington. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan: Contract on Russian S-400 'a done deal' Iran Press TV Thu Jun 13, 2019 09:58AM Turkey's contract with Russia over the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile systems is a "done deal," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says, once again rejecting US warnings not to go ahead with the purchase. President Erdogan made the remark in a meeting with his AK Party members on Wednesday, also expressing hope that the advanced surface-to-air missile defense systems would be delivered in July. "Turkey has already bought S-400 defense systems. It is a done deal. I hope these systems will be delivered to our country next month," Erdogan said. Turkey and the United States have been at loggerheads for months over Ankara's purchase order for the S-400s, which the US claims are incompatible with NATO systems and the Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighters. Washington has given Ankara until the end of July to abandon its purchase of the Russian missile defense systems or see another deal for the purchase of F-35s from the US canceled. The Pentagon announced on Friday that if Turkey did not give up on the S-400 systems by July 31, Ankara would be blocked from purchasing F-35 fighter jets and the Turkish pilots currently training in the US would be expelled. On Monday, the US grounded Turkish F-35 pilots in Arizona over the S-400 contract with Russia, the Pentagon announced. During his speech on Wednesday, the Turkish president said he will seek answers on his country's "exclusion from F-35 project for reasons that have no rational or legitimate basis." Erdogan also said he hoped to persuade the US not to exclude Turkey from taking part in the F-35 fighter jet program when he meets US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan later this month. The S-400 is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India. Ankara is striving to boost its air defense, particularly after Washington decided in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkish soil. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey 'to reciprocate if US imposes sanctions over S-400' Iran Press TV Fri Jun 14, 2019 05:11PM Turkey has warned that "reciprocal steps" will be taken if the United States imposes sanctions on Ankara over its purchase of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. Asked about possible US sanctions, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview broadcast on Turkish TV on Friday, "If the United States takes any negative actions toward us, we will also take reciprocal steps." Turkey and the United States have been at loggerheads for months over Ankara's purchase order for the S-400s, which the US claims are incompatible with NATO systems and the Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 stealth fighters. Washington has given Ankara until the end of July to cancel its purchase of the Russian missile defense systems or see another deal for the purchase of F-35s from the US canceled. "We are determined on the S-400 issue. No matter what the results will be, we will not take a step back," Cavusoglu stressed, ruling out revoking the order. Turkish officials have repeatedly stressed that the deal for the S-400 system will not be canceled and that the US has to carry out its own obligations under the contract for the purchase of the US F-35s. On Monday, the US grounded Turkish F-35 pilots in Arizona over the S-400 contract, the Pentagon announced. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has objected to that development and has said he plans to raise it with US President Donald Trump when they meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan later this month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey Slams US for Leaking Pentagon Letter on S-400 Deal - Presidential Spokesman Sputnik News 01:51 14.06.2019 ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey condemns the leaking by Washington of a letter by US Acting Secretary of Defence sent to Turkish Defence Minister that contains threats to remove Turkey from the F-35 pilot training program over Ankara's plans to buy the Russian S-400 missile systems, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Thursday. Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to Hulusi Akar last week, seen by the Foreign Policy magazine, in which he said Turkish trainees would have to leave the United States by July 31. "This letter contradicts the spirit of allied relations. Simultaneously with the sending of the letter, its content was disclosed to media. This is unacceptable for serious state affairs ... Everyone must be sure that we will respond. The presidents of Turkey and the United States will discuss the issue of our F-35 trainees at a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan on June 29," Kalin told reporters. The spokesman expressed confidence that the United States would deliver F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. "But delaying this [deliveries] under various pretexts will damage both countries," he stressed. In December 2017, Moscow and Ankara signed a loan agreement for the delivery of the S-400 air defence systems to Turkey. The first shipments of the S-400 are expected later in the summer. In spite of the US threats to impose sanctions against Ankara, Turkish officials have said that purchasing of military equipment is a sovereign right and ruled out the possibility of abandoning plans to acquire the S-400 systems. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address If US Introduces Sanctions Against Turkey Over S-400 Deal, Ankara Will Retaliate Foreign Minister Sputnik News 10:20 14.06.2019(updated 10:48 14.06.2019) Tensions between Turkey and the United States have reached a fever pitch in recent months over Ankara's decision to go ahead with the purchase of Russian-built air defence systems, which Washington claims will jeopardise its NATO ally's role in the F-35 fighter jet programme, possibly prompting sanctions. Turkey will retaliate if the United States imposes sanctions on Ankara over its decision to acquire Russia's S-400 air defence systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday. "One country cannot give instructions to another on how to act. The US should abandon this behaviour. Everyone is concerned about this. How far can it go? If the US takes steps against us, then we will be forced to take reciprocal steps", he said in an interview with the channel NTV. The foreign minister earlier said that "nobody" is in a position to issue Turkey ultimatums regarding its policy. Cavusoglu's remarks come shortly after Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin slammed a letter by US Acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan to the Turkish Defence Minister that reportedly contains threats to remove Ankara from the F-35 pilot training programme over the S-400 deal. "This letter contradicts the spirit of allied relations. Simultaneously with the sending of the letter, its content was disclosed to media. This is unacceptable for serious state affairs... Everyone must be sure that we will respond. The presidents of Turkey and the United States will discuss the issue of our F-35 trainees at a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan on 29 June", Kalin said of the letter, seen by the magazine Foreign Policy. The Turkish side has consistently refused to bow to US threats over the S-400 deal, insisting that the purchase of those weapons is its sovereign affair, and has ruled out the possibility of abandoning plans to complete the acquisition. In late May, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that Turkey's acquisition of Russia's S-400 would have "very real and very negative consequences". Washington has, on a multitude of occasions, claimed that the S-400s are incompatible with NATO military equipment and alleged that the Russian air defence systems pose a threat to F-35 fighter jets. Ankara has, in turn, stressed that the S-400s are not connected in any way to the security of NATO, the US or the F-35s, and the decision to acquire them "does not target a third country". As Turkey has consistently refused to abandon the deal, Washington has threatened to withhold the sale of the stealth fighters to Ankara, or to slap it with sanctions under the 2017 Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Russia and Turkey signed a $2.5 billion loan agreement for the shipment of a total of four batteries of S-400 systems in December 2017. The first delivery is set for July 2019 and will proceed as scheduled, according to Turkish officials. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address More Than 500 Torture Cases Documented By UN In Ukraine Conflict By Christopher Miller June 13, 2019 KYIV -- The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented more than 500 cases of ill-treatment, incommunicado detention, and torture by both Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists since the conflict erupted in April 2014, the mission's head said in Kyiv on June 13. "We believe, however, that this is the tip of the iceberg, as torture is a systemic issue in Ukraine that was exacerbated by the armed conflict," Fiona Frazer told reporters at a press conference where she presented a new UN report. In many instances, Frazer said, "the alleged perpetrators are the state security services and the so-called 'ministries of state security' of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic." In one case documented in the UN report, a foreign national said he had been detained and tortured by officers of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) in December. In March, after the man filed a complaint and Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) launched a probe into the incident, the same SBU officers came to his apartment. "They asked him to come with them to Odesa, allegedly to sign some documents. In their car, the men put on masks, and seized his passport, wallet and phone," the UN report said. "The individuals told him that he had to leave Ukraine. One of them showed the victim a live video stream of two armed men near his apartment where his wife and two children were, and told him they would enter his home if he did not agree to leave," it continued. The SBU officers forced the man to make a statement on video saying he was leaving Ukraine voluntarily and that he had not been abused physically or psychologically, according to the report. At a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, one of the officers delivered a warning: "If you return to Ukraine, we will kill you. If you talk about what happened to you, remember that you have a family in Ukraine." Frazer lamented the lack of progress in previously documented cases of torture at the hands of the SBU and stressed the urgent need to bring the perpetrators to justice. "We see no progress in the investigation of arbitrary and incommunicado detention that took place on the premises of the Kharkiv SBU from 2014 to 2016," Frazer said. "But the Kharkiv SBU is only one of dozens of illegal places of detention, which flourished on both sides of the contact line during the early years of the conflict. "Another location, for example, is the Izoliatsiya detention facility in Donetsk," she said. In Donetsk, the UN documented four cases this year of civilians detained by the security forces of Russia-backed separatists. In one, which occurred on February 26, a mother learned that her two sons had been transferred to a detention facility and charged with "espionage" following their disappearance in 2018. In another, on March 3, a man got into an argument with Donetsk security personnel when crossing a checkpoint and was beaten. "He fainted, and when he regained consciousness, he realized he had been handcuffed and thrown on the floor," the UN report said. "He was then taken outside and left handcuffed to a fence for an hour. They then threatened to kill him. He was released after signing documents which he was not allowed to read." Frazer said the UN mission is aware of at least 51 detention facilities on both sides of the front line where hundreds of people were subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment. Updating the civilian death toll, Frazer said 3,332 civilians have been killed while more than 7,000 were injured as a result of five years of fighting. Around 13,000 people in all have died, according to the organization's count. Frazer said there were 12 civilian deaths and 58 injuries recorded between January 1 and June 9. "These are the lowest figures for the entire conflict period," Frazer said. Her report said the numbers "demonstrate that it is possible to progressively decrease civilian casualties to close to zero." In recent weeks, however, there has been a sharp uptick in artillery shelling and gunfire, resulting in at least six Ukrainian servicemen being killed last week alone. The spike comes amid calls from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reboot stalled peace negotiations, including the so-called Minsk Trilateral Contact Group meetings and the Normandy Format talks. Zelenskiy will fly to France and Germany on June 17-18, respectively, where he is expected to meet with the country's leaders to discuss the conflict, among other issues. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/more-than-500 -torture-cases-documented-by-un-in ukraine-conflict/29997804.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saakashvili, Party Colleagues To Run In Ukraine's Parliamentary Elections By RFE/RL June 13, 2019 The party of Mikheil Saakashvili, the former Georgian president who served as governor of Ukraine's Odesa region in 2015-16, has presented its list of top 10 candidates for Ukraine's July 21 parliamentary elections. Saakashvili tops the list of his Movement of New Forces party, which he announced in a June 13 news conference in Kyiv. He said the list has brought together people with experience in fighting "injustice and corruption." The former Georgian leader returned to Ukraine on May 29, a day after his Ukrainian citizenship was reinstated by new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Saakashvili was president of Georgia from January 2004 until 2013, a year after his party was dislodged by an opposition force in parliamentary elections. In a May 28 interview with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Saakashvili hinted that he wants to play a substantial role in public life, without specifying what it might be. Saakashvili was granted Ukrainian citizenship and appointed to the Odesa governor's post in 2015 by former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, an acquaintance from his student days in Soviet-era Kyiv. Authorities in Tbilisi stripped Saakashvili of his Georgian citizenship in December 2015 on grounds that Georgia does not allow dual citizenship. Then, when relations with Saakashvili soured over reform efforts and the fight against corruption, Poroshenko sacked him from the Odesa governor's post in November 2016. In July 2017, after Saakashvili created his party, Poroshenko issued a decree that stripped Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship. With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Interfax, Pravda.com.ua, and the Kyiv Post Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/saakashvili- party-colleagues-to-run-in-ukraine-s- parliamentary-elections/29998101.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Its to show her, to be one of her role models, she said. How can I tell her to go to school and get your diploma if I havent done it? 'It's Time To Pay': Ukraine Detains Donetsk Separatist Referendum Organizer By Christopher Miller June 14, 2019 KYIV -- The chief organizer of a 2014 Donetsk separatist "independence" referendum in eastern Ukraine condemned by the international community has been detained by Ukrainian authorities, Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko has announced. "Citizen Lyagin is accused of treason," Lutsenko wrote in a Facebook post, which included a profile photograph of a man handcuffed and sitting at a desk. Lutsenko said Lyagin had been detained by the Prosecutor-General's Office and Ukraine's Security Service (SBU). Lyagin is believed to be Roman Lyagin, a Donetsk separatist figure who declared himself the head of the separatists' makeshift election commission in the early days of the conflict that still grinds on between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has promised to come up with creative solutions to end the war, which has claimed the lives of some 13,000 people since April 2014. He has said he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to do so. Lyagin organized a slapdash "independence" vote on May 11, 2014, as the conflict was deepening. The poll was so rushed that many voting booths were still being erected the morning of the vote and some of the ballot boxes used were still adorned with Ukraine's coat of arms -- a blue and yellow trident -- instead of the black, blue, and red flag of the Donetsk "people's republic" movement. Later, Lyagin announced that some 90 percent of voters in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region had chosen self-rule. The poll was not monitored by any reputable international group and condemned by the international community, except for Russia. His role in the vote -- as well as his role in blocking the official Ukrainian presidential vote from taking place in Donetsk later that month -- earned Lyagin a spot on the U.S. sanctions list in 2015. It has also led the Prosecutor-General's Office to accuse him of treason and open a pretrial investigation into his activities, which an official statement released alongside Lutsenko's on June 14 said had included working "in the interests of the Russian Federation to the detriment of the public interest of Ukraine." If tried and convicted, Lyagin could face 12 to 15 years in prison. Lyagin served as the Donetsk "people's republic's" minister of labor and social policy from May 16 to September 26, 2014. After that, he again headed its election commission and organized a local leadership vote that November, which he told this reporter would "lend legitimacy to our power, and give us more distance from Kyiv." Rumors of Lyagin's detention first circulated in March, when a Ukrainian lawmaker claimed to have information that he had fled Donetsk and turned himself in to Ukrainian authorities under an SBU program. That program, known as "Someone's Waiting for You Back Home," offers separatists who have committed crimes under Ukrainian law the opportunity to turn state's witness in exchange for leniency. Lyagin is believed to have spent time in a Donetsk separatist detention facility after falling out with and criticizing its leadership. He reportedly fled to Russia before moving to annexed Crimea. In its own statement, the SBU said Lyagin had been detained as a result of a special operation that brought him to Ukraine. It did not provide more details. Lutsenko made no mention of the SBU program in his Facebook post or Lyagin possibly cooperating with Ukrainian authorities. But he did have a message for Lyagin: "It's time to pay." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/its-time-to- pay-ukraine-detains-donetsk-separatist- referendum-organizer/29999840.html Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address French English SOITEC HOSTS ITS 2019 CAPITAL MARKETS DAY Soitec continues to expand its engineered substrates portfolio from SOI products to new products (POI, GaN) Soitec products served addressable markets (SAM) are expected to reach US$ 2.1 to 2.9 billion market within 5 years At full capacity, estimated sales would reach 1.4 billion with an EBITDA margin at 32% of sales Mid-term financial outlook: FY'22 sales of around 900 million with an EBITDA 2 margin 3 at around 31% of sales In addition, Soitec technologies open new business opportunities in compound semiconductors with a SAM above $ 1.0 billion within 5 years Bernin (Grenoble), France, June 13th, 2019 - Soitec (Euronext Paris), a world leader in designing and manufacturing innovative semiconductor materials, is hosting today its 2019 Capital Markets Day. During the presentations, Soitec's management team will provide an updated vision of the Company's market potential. Paul Boudre, Soitec's CEO, commented: "Soitec is ready to continue its amazing journey in the semiconductor universe, where technology keeps pushing the performance boundaries of everyday electronic devices. Our innovative engineered substrates bring differentiated value to a wide range of electronics systems in our strategic end markets (smartphones, automotive, internet of things and cloud and mobile infrastructure). Within the next five years our SOI core business will reach a served addressable market of US$ 1.6 to 2.4 billion representing a 15 to 25% annual growth and our new products (POI, GaN) a served addressable market of US$ 0.5 billion. In addition, Soitec technologies open new business opportunities in compound semiconductors with a served addressable market above $ 1.0 billion within 5 years. Our mid-term ambition is to reach approximately 900 million of revenues in FY'22. To capture this future growth we will be adding further capacity, focusing in priority on extending our current industrial sites." Outlook Soitec estimates that operating its extended industrial facilities at full capacity would translate into total sales of approximately 1.4 billion Euros with an EBITDA2 of around 450 million Euros or an EBITDA2 margin3 of around 32% based on a $/ rate at 1.13 (the sensitivity of EBITDA to a 10cts fluctuation of the $/ rate being estimated at 45 million Euros). Soitec mid-term target is to reach FY'22 sales of around 900 million Euros with an EBITDA2 margin3 of around 31%, these figures being also based on a $/ rate at 1.13. # # # The slide presentation related to the event will be available on Soitec's website today (13th June, 2019) at 1.30pm together with a live audiocast of the event: https://www.soitec.com/en/investors/investors-material The event will take place from 1.30pm to 6.00pm. # # # Disclaimer This document was prepared by Soitec (the "Company") on June 12th, 2019 in connection with the announcement of the fiscal year 2018-2019 ("FY'19") results. This document is provided for information purposes only. It is public information only. The Company's business operations and financial position is described in the Company's registration document 2017-2018 registered by the Autorite des marches financiers (the "AMF") on June18th, 2018 under visa D.18-0586 (the "Document de Reference") and in the Company's FY'19 half-year report released on November 28th, 2018. Copies of the Document de Reference and of the FY'19 half-year report are available in French and English languages through the Company and may as well be consulted and downloaded on the Company's website (www.soitec.com). The Document de Reference is also available on the AMF's website ( www.amf-france.org ). For information, the Company's registration document 2018-2019 is expected to be registered by the AMF on July 4, 2019. Your attention is drawn to the risk factors described in Chapter 4 of the Document de Reference. A review of these risk factors has been conducted after the closing of FY'19 first half and no new risk was found. This document contains summary information and should be read in conjunction with the Document de Reference and the FY'19 half-year report. In the event of a discrepancy between this document and the Document de Reference or the FY'19 half-year report, the Document de Reference or, as the case may be, the FY'19 half-year report, shall prevail. The information contained in this document has not been independently verified. No representation, warranty or undertaking, express or implied, is made as to, and you may not rely on, the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information and opinions contained in this document. The information contained in this document is provided only as of the date hereof. Neither the Company, nor its shareholders or any of their respective subsidiaries, advisors or representatives, accept any responsibility or liability whatsoever for any loss arising from the use of this document or its contents or in connection whatsoever with this document. This document contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to the Company's future prospects, developments and strategy and are based on analyses of earnings forecasts and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties as they relate to future events and are dependent on circumstances that may or may not materialize in the future. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of the Company's future performance. The Company's actual financial position, results and cash flows, as well as the trends in the sector in which the Company operates may differ materially from those contained in this document. Furthermore, even if the Company's financial position, results, cash-flows and the developments in the sector in which the Company operates were to conform to the forward-looking statements contained in this document, such elements cannot be construed as a reliable indication of the Company's future results or developments. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or make any correction to any forward-looking statement in order to reflect an event or circumstance that may occur after the date of this document. In addition, the occurrence of any of the risks described in Chapter 4 of the Document de Reference may have an impact on these forward-looking statements. This document does not constitute or form part of an offer or a solicitation to purchase, subscribe for, or sell the Company's securities in any country whatsoever. This document, or any part thereof, shall not form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract, commitment or investment decision. Notably, this document does not constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase, subscribe for, or sell securities in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from the registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The Company's shares have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act. Neither the Company nor any other person intends to conduct a public offering of the Company's securities in the United States. Agenda Q1'20 sales are due to be published on July 17th, 2019 after market close. About Soitec Soitec (Euronext, Tech 40 Paris) is a world leader in designing and manufacturing innovative semiconductor materials. The company uses its unique technologies and semiconductor expertise to serve the electronics markets. With more than 3,000 patents worldwide, Soitec's strategy is based on disruptive innovation to answer its customers' needs for high performance, energy efficiency and cost competitiveness. Soitec has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and offices in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Soitec and Smart Cut are registered trademarks of Soitec. For more information, please visit www.soitec.com and follow us on Twitter: @Soitec_EN Investor Relations: Steve Babureck +33 6 16 38 56 27 +1 858 519 6230 steve.babureck@soitec.com Media Contact: Erin Berard +33 6 80 36 53 40 erin.berard@soitec.com Isabelle Laurent +33 1 53 32 61 51 isabelle.laurent@oprgfinancial.fr Fabrice Baron +33 1 53 32 61 27 fabrice.baron@oprgfinancial.fr # # # Soitec is a French joint-stock corporation with a Board of Directors (Societe Anonyme a Conseil d'administration) with a share capital of 62,762,070.50, having its registered office located at Parc Technologique des Fontaines - Chemin des Franques - 38190 Bernin (France), and registered with the Grenoble Trade and Companies Register under number 384 711 909. # # # RENO, Nev., June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spin Games LLC, a leader in Remote Gaming Server technology and interactive content, announced today that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has granted the Company a Conditional Interactive Gaming Manufacturer license enabling Spin to deploy its proprietary and third-party i-Gaming content built upon the ROC Remote Gaming Server (RGS) platform across licensed operator sites within the state. Offering bricks and mortar-based gaming since late 2006, Pennsylvanias legislature approved a bill allowing online casino gambling in October 2017, with the first online offerings expected to go live on July 15 of this year. The states 12 casinos generated a record $309 million in gaming revenue in March 2019, and to date nine operators have applied for licenses to offer i-Gaming products to their players, with three casinos successfully being awarded i-Gaming licenses. Pennsylvania is the fourth US state to legalize online gaming. We are delighted to receive our Pennsylvania i-Gaming conditional license, commented Kent Young, Spin Games Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. This important regulatory approval enables us to provide our existing Pennsylvania customers with our award-winning content immediately when the first online wagers are accepted this summer, and it also represents another key regulatory approval for our Company. As casino operators throughout the Keystone state expand their offerings with interactive online content, we are proud to be able to support their efforts. ABOUT SPIN GAMES A leader in Remote Gaming Server technology and interactive content, Spin Games specializes in designing and developing world-class gaming content and best-in-class interactive technologies for regulated B2B social and real money gaming markets. Produced in HTML5 format and compatible across desktop and multiple mobile applications, the Spin content portfolio includes a versatile range of proprietary and third-party titles, each featuring a unique and engaging theme enhanced with stellar graphics, sounds and features. Founded in Reno, Nevada in 2012, Spin Games has content and RGS licensing agreements with numerous top-tier gaming content providers including Konami Gaming, Everi, Incredible Technologies, Grand Vision Gaming and EIBIC. Additional information about Spin Games is available online at www.spingames.net . FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Kunal Mishra, President & CFO kunal.mishra@spingames.net +1.775.420.3550 Baltic Horizon Fund closed the acquisition with Linstow AS to aquire 100% shares of Tampere Invest SIA, which owns Galerija Centrs Shopping Centre in the heart of Riga. The purchase price is EUR 75 million, which corresponds to an estimated entry yield of approximately 6,7%. The Galerija Centrs property is located on Audeju Street 16, 1050 in Riga Old Town, next to the National Opera. As a block of Old Town, the 5-floor property complex consists of two buildings connected with a passage of glass roofed arcade. Originally opened as Army Department Store in 1938, the high street retail centre was last refurbished in 2006 with an added extension. The net leasable area of the property is 20,073 m2 . The anchor tenants include H&M, RIMI, Massimo Dutti, Douglas, Lindex, Esprit, Gant, Marc OPolo, Max Mara Weekend and others. The fifth floor houses a healthcare centre, a beauty salon and a fitness club. As part of the transaction, Linstow AS, has agreed to subscribe for Baltic Horizon Fund units for the amount of EUR 4 million. The management company is undertaking to arrange private placement of new fund units, the number of which is equal to the subscription amount divided by the latest net asset value per fund unit preceding the subscription. The issuance and listing of new units is expected to take place in July 2019. For additional information, please contact: Tarmo Karotam Baltic Horizon Fund manager E-mail tarmo.karotam@nh-cap.com www.baltichorizon.com Baltic Horizon Fund is a registered contractual public closed-end real estate fund managed by Alternative Investment Fund Manager license holder Northern Horizon Capital AS. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OAKVILLE, Ontario, June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saint Jean Carbon Inc. (Saint Jean or the Company) (TSX-V: SJL) with reference to the previous press release dated April 18, 2019 announces it has closed its books with respect to the private placement announced on March 19, 2019 (the Offering). The Company raised a total of $159,687.50 by issuance of 4,562,500 units (Common Units) at a price of $0.035 per Common Unit. In aggregate, the Company paid a cash finders fee in the amount of $6,853.88 to one arms length finder in relation to the Offering. Each Common Unit consisted of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (Common Share) and one (1) common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant a Warrant). Each Warrant entitled the holder to acquire one (1) additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.05 per Common Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Common Units to preserve the Companys existing operations and for general corporate and administrative purposes. The breakdown of the intended use of proceeds for the ensuing 6-month period is shown in the table below: Purpose Amount Outstanding payables $67,178.16 Outstanding payables of Related Parties for management fees $15,138.40 Outstanding payables of Related Parties for non-management fees $2,835.00 Current operations $39,252.32 Current operations for management fees of Related Parties $24,701.25 Current operations for non-management fees of Related Parties $2,016.00 Private Placement costs $8,566.37 Gross Proceeds $159,687.50 Although the Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering as described above, the actual allocation of net proceeds may vary from the uses set forth above, depending on future operations or unforeseen events or opportunities. All securities issued as part of the Offering are subject to a four month and one (1) day hold period. About Saint Jean Saint Jean is a publicly traded carbon science company, with specific interests in energy storage and green energy creation and green re-creation, with holdings in graphite mining and lithium claims in the province of Quebec in Canada. For the latest information on Saint Jeans properties and news please refer to the website: http://www.saintjeancarbon.com/ On behalf of the Board of Directors Saint Jean Carbon Inc. Paul Ogilvie, CEO and Chairman Information Contact: Email: info@saintjeancarbon.com Tel: (905) 844-1200 Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, concerning Saint Jeans business and affairs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, intends budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates 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. Such forward-looking statements include those with respect to the Companys intention to use the proceeds of the Offering for operating costs and working capital to fund the continued development of the Companys business. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances that may cause actual results to differ materially. The forward-looking statements in this news release assume, inter alia, that the conditions for completion of the Offering, including final regulatory approval will be met. Although Saint Jean believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. There are risks which could affect Saint Jeans ability to complete the Offering, including that required consents and approvals from regulatory authorities will not be obtained. Statements of past performance should not be construed as an indication of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors, including those discussed above, could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this press release, and Saint Jean assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation. English French PRESS RELEASE MAISONS DU MONDE ACCELERATES IN INTERIOR DECORATION ADVICE BY TAKING A MAJORITY STAKE IN START-UP RHINOV Nantes, 14 June 2019 Maisons du Monde (Euronext Paris: MDM, ISIN Code: FR0013153541), a European leader in affordable and inspirational decoration and furniture homeware, is strengthening its service offering in decoration advice by taking a majority stake of 70.4% in Rhinov, a start-up that is reinventing the interior decorating trade. With this majority stake, Maisons du Monde intends to consolidate its positioning as an expert in interior decoration. Over the past 18 months, Maisons du Monde has been developing interior decoration advice services in an omnichannel approach. In December 2017, Maisons du Monde opened a showroom in Paris dedicated to support its clients in their refurbishing projects. Building on this success, Maisons du Monde launched in September 2018 a range of omnichannel services, including the deployment of decoration advice corners (coins Conseil Deco) in stores (50 at the end of June 2019) and three digital solutions, including one in partnership with the Rhinov platform around Maisons du Monde products. Since its creation in 2013, Rhinov has democratized access to the services of interior decorators with a 100% online offer, available from 99/room. Each client project is tailor-made by Rhinovs professional interior decorators, with a high-quality photo-realistic 3D visualization. In 2014, Rhinov positioned itself in the BtoB market, offering a 3D home staging service enabling real estate agents to increase the attractiveness of the properties they sell. In 2017, Rhinov continued its development and delivered a 3D imaging service for developers, then moved into the BtoC market by offering an interior decoration advice service for individuals. In 2018, Rhinov launched an e-shop allowing its customers to directly order the products staged in 3D projects. Based in Bordeaux, Rhinov now has 50 employees (including 25 interior designers and graphic designers) and manages nearly 1,500 projects per month. In 2018, Rhinov posted revenue of 1.3 million euros. Rhinov will continue its dynamic development, operating autonomously under its own brand and with the same management team. This majority stake will enable the two companies to benefit from new synergies, notably by commercializing Rhinovs services on Maisons du Mondes website and in its stores. Maisons du Mondes stake will be financed entirely in cash, without recourse to additional indebtedness. Julie Walbaum, Chief Executive Officer of Maisons du Monde, declared: "We look forward to deepening the work begun in 2018 with the Rhinov teams as part of our digital partnership. Through this modern vision of the interior decorator, which is complementary to our multi-style offering and inspiring visuals, we will reinforce the service dimension of our brand, in order to become our customers preferred partner for all their decoration projects, from inspiration to realization. Xavier Brissonneau, Bastien Paquereau and Jerome Schurch, co-founders and managers of Rhinov, declared: "After several months of partnership, we are delighted with this rapprochement with Maisons du Monde, a growing omnichannel group with an inspiring brand that is complementary to ours. We created Rhinov to democratize interior design advice, combining the potential of 3D technologies and artificial intelligence with the talents of our interior decorators. This new stage will allow us to accelerate access for all to interior decoration services and continue our companys dynamic growth." *** About Maisons du Monde Maisons du Monde is a creator of inspirational lifestyle universes in the homeware industry, offering distinctive and affordable decoration and furniture collections that showcase multiple styles. The Group develops its business through an integrated and complementary omnichannel approach, leveraging its international network of stores, its websites and its catalogues. The Group was founded in France in 1996 and has expanded profitably across Europe since 2003, reporting sales of 1,111 million and EBITDA of 148 million in 2018. At 31 December 2018, the Group operated 336 stores in 9 countries including France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom, and derived 40% of its sales outside France. The Group has also built a successful complementary and comprehensive ecommerce platform, whose sales grew by over 30% per year on average between 2010 and 2018. This platform, which accounted for 23% of the Group's sales in 2018, is available in the countries where it operates stores plus Austria, the Netherlands and Portugal. In 2018, the Group acquired a majority stake in Modani, a furniture chain present in the United States through its stores and ecommerce business. Modani, founded in 2017, is an aspirational lifestyle brand, offering high-quality proprietary modern, contemporary and mid-century furniture at affordable price points, with a nationwide presence through a network of 13 showrooms. corporate.maisonsdumonde.com *** About Rhinov Since its creation in 2013, Rhinov has democratized access to interior decoration services with a 100% online offer, from 99/room. Each project is tailor-made by professional interior designers, based on a plan or sketches and photos sent by the client. The French start-up, based in Bordeaux, now has 50 employees and manages nearly 1,500 projects each month. In 2018, Rhinov posted revenue of 1.3 million euros. *** Contacts Investor Relations Media Relations Laurent Sfaxi +33 2 51 71 52 07 Clementine Prat +33 2 51 79 54 08 lsfaxi@maisonsdumonde.com cprat@maisonsdumonde.com Attachment Dublin, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Research Report on Global and China's Commercial Vehicle Industries, 2019-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. In terms of design and technical characteristics, commercial vehicles are vehicles that are used to transport people and goods. They include trucks that are designed and equipped for carrying goods and buses that have more than nine seats and are used to carry a large number of passengers and their carry-on baggage. Compared with air transport, rail transport, water transport and other modes of transport, highway transport has a door-to-door advantage and high-cost performance. By the end of 2018, the length of China's highways totaled 4,846,500 kilometers, increasing by 73,100 kilometers as compared to 2017; road density reached 50.48 km/100 sq.km., increasing by 0.76 km/100 sq.km. as compared to 2017; the freight traffic of highways reached 39.57 billion tons, increasing by 7.30% YOY; the freight turnover of highways reached 7,124.92 billion ton-km, increasing by 6.70% YOY. The growing highway traffic boosts the demand for commercial vehicles. The production volume of commercial vehicles in China increased from 3,791,000 units in 2014 to 4,371,000 units in 2018. Although it showed a YOY decrease in 2015, it kept rising from 2016 to 2018. Especially in 2018 when the production and sales of automobiles declined, the production and sales of commercial vehicles both achieved growth. China's commercial market is deeply influenced by policies. For example, from 2014 to 2015, the Chinese government released some restrictive policies on commercial vehicles, which led to a decline in commercial vehicle production. In 2016, the government started to subsidize the commercial vehicle industry and took other encouraging measures, which pushed up the production of commercial vehicles to some extent. When the tolls on highways began to be collected based on actual load, the sales volume of light trucks increased. When the emission standards were raised, enterprises accelerated technological innovation and the sales volume of new energy commercial vehicles increased. With the improvement of road networks and the development of rural roads, both the freight traffic and passenger traffic of China's highways will continue to grow from 2019 to 2023, which will stimulate the demand for commercial vehicles. In 2018, the fixed-asset investment in China reached CNY 63,563.60 billion, increasing by 5.90% YOY. The growth rate of fixed-asset investment has a great impact on the development of China's commercial vehicle industry, especially the truck sub-industry. To ensure annual GDP growth rate of no less than 6%, from 2019 to 2023, the Chinese government will certainly increase investment in fixed assets, especially in infrastructure projects, which will drive the demand for commercial vehicles. Key Topics Covered: 1 Relevant Concepts of the Commercial Vehicle Industry 1.1 Definition and Classification of Commercial Vehicles 1.1.1 Definition of Commercial Vehicles 1.1.2 Classification of Commercial Vehicles 1.2 Overview of the Global Commercial Vehicle Industry 1.2.1 Global Production Volume of Commercial Vehicles 1.2.2 Global Demand for Commercial Vehicles 1.3 Parameters and Assumptions 1.3.1 Assumption Bases 1.3.2 Data Sources 2 Analysis of the Commercial Vehicle Industry, 2018-2019 2.1 Development Environment for the Commercial Vehicle Industry 2.1.1 Economic Environment 2.1.2 Policy Environment 2.1.3 Social Environment 2.2 Analysis on Supply of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2014-2018 2.2.1 Production Volume of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2014-2018 2.2.2 Production Volume of Trucks 2.2.3 Production Volume of Buses 2.2.4 Production Volume of New Energy (Electric) Commercial Vehicles 2.3 Analysis of Demand for Commercial Vehicles in China 2.3.1 Major Consumers of Commercial Vehicles 2.3.2 Market Size of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2014-2018 2.3.3 Major Sales Channels of Commercial Vehicles in China 2.3.4 Sales of Commercial Vehicles by Vehicle Type in China, 2014-2018 2.3.5 Sales of Commercial Vehicles by Fuel Type in China, 2015-2017 2.3.6 Sales of Buses by Use in China, 2014-2018 2.3.7 Sales of Commercial Vehicles (Buses) by Size in China, 2014-2018 2.3.8 Sales of Trucks by Type in China, 2014-2018 2.3.9 Sales Volume of New Energy Commercial Vehicles in China 2.4 Analysis on Import and Export of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2014-2018 2.4.1 Import of Commercial Vehicles in China 2.4.2 Export of Commercial Vehicles in China 3 Competition in China's Commercial Vehicle Industry, 2014-2018 3.1 Barriers to Entry in China's Commercial Vehicle Industry 3.1.1 Absolute Cost Advantage Barrier 3.1.2 Policy Barrier 3.1.3 Brand Barrier 3.1.4 Technical Barrier 3.2 Competition Structure of China's Commercial Vehicle Industry 4 Analysis of Major Manufacturers of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2018-2019 4.1 Bus Manufacturers 4.1.1 Jiangling Motors Co., Ltd. 4.1.2 Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co., Ltd. 4.1.3 Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. 4.1.4 Nanjing Iveco Automobile Co., Ltd. 4.1.5 SAIC Maxus Automotive Co., Ltd. 4.1.6 Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., Ltd. 4.1.7 Baoding Changan Bus Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 4.1.8 Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Co., Ltd. 4.1.9 Renault Brilliance Jinbei Automotive Co., Ltd. 4.1.10 Zhongtong Bus Holding Co., Ltd. 4.2 Truck Manufacturers 4.2.1 China FAW Group Corporation 4.2.2 Dongfeng Motor Corporation 4.2.3 CNHTC Jinan Truck Co., Ltd. 4.2.4 Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group Co., Ltd. 4.2.5 Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. 4.2.6 SAIC Iveco Hongyan Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd. 4.2.7 Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp., Ltd. 4.2.8 Dayun Automobile Co., Ltd. 4.2.9 Anhui Hualing Automobile Co., Ltd. 4.2.10 Xuzhou XCMG Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 4.2.11 Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. 4.2.12 Shenyang Jinbei Automotive Co., Ltd. 4.2.13 Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. 4.2.14 Shandong Kama Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. 5 Analysis of Raw Material Costs and Prices of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2016-2019 5.1 Analysis of Commercial Vehicle Manufacturing Costs in China, 2016-2019 5.2 Analysis of Commercial Vehicle Prices in China, 2016-2019 6 Forecast on Development of China's Commercial Vehicle Industry, 2019-2023 6.1 Factors Influencing Development of China's Commercial Vehicle Industry 6.2 Forecast on Supply of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2019-2023 6.2.1 Forecast on Production Volume of Commercial Vehicles in China, 2019-2023 6.2.2 Forecast on Product Structure 6.3 Forecast on Demand for Commercial Vehicles in China, 2019-2023 6.3.1 Overall Demand 6.3.2 Demand by Market Segment 6.4 Prospect of China's New Energy Commercial Vehicle Market For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/w890xw Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. English French MONTREAL, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MOBI724 Global Solutions Inc. (MOBI724 or the Company) (TSX-V:MOS), a global Fintech company, announces that it has received conditional approval to proceed with the closing of the transaction concerning the sale to Ackroo Inc. of certain assets associated with its wholly owned subsidiary, I.Q. 7/24 Inc. (iQ7/24), which was previously announced on May 9th, 2019 (the Transaction). Significant progress was made in satisfying the closing conditions of the announced Transaction which iQ7/24 and Ackroo Inc. expect to close on July 2nd, 2019. About Ackroo Ackroo provides merchants of all sizes a robust, cloud based multi-currency marketing platform to help attract, engage and grow their customers while increasing their revenues and margins. Through a SaaS based business model Ackroo provides an in-store and online automated solution to help merchants process gift card, loyalty and promotional transactions at the point of sale, provide key administrative and marketing data, and to allow customers to access and manage their gift card and loyalty accounts. Ackroo also provides important marketing services to assist their merchants with utilizing Ackroos technology solution. Ackroo is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. For more information, visit: www.ackroo.com. About Mobi724 Global Solutions Inc. We enable smart transactions anywhere MOBI724, a global Fintech company, offers a fully integrated suite of multiple Card-Linked Offers and Rewards, Digital Marketing and Business Intelligence and Payment Solutions (including a mobile EMV compliant payment platform), which work with any payment card, on any mobile device and at any Point of Sale. MOBI724 provides turn-key solutions for card associations, card issuers, banks, retailers, manufacturers, offer providers, to create, manage, deliver and track and measure incentive campaigns worldwide in real time. The company captures value from big data to deliver seamless and personalized user experiences for the benefits of all parties in the ecosystem. MOBI724 headquarters are in Montreal, Canada, and the company presently has operations in North and Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia Pacific. Legal Disclaimer Certain statements in this document, including those which express managements expectations or estimations with regard to the Companys future performance, constitute forward-looking statements as understood by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are, of necessity, based on a certain number of estimates and hypotheses; while management considers these to be accurate at the time they are expressed, they are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and risks on the commercial, economic and competitive levels. We advise readers that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other known and unknown factors that 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 in these forward-looking statements. Investors are advised to not rely unduly on the forward-looking statements. This advisory applies to all forward-looking statements, whether expressed orally or in writing, attributed to the Company or to any individual expressing them in the name of the Company. Unless required by law, the Company is under no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events, or other circumstances. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute a solicitation to buy or sell any securities in the United States. For further information, please visit www.MOBI724.com or contact: Investor Relations: Mr. Marcel Vienneau CEO/President MOBI724 Global Solutions Inc. T: 514-394-5200; E: IR@mobi724.com English Norwegian Aqua Bio Technology ASA (ABT) has entered into an agreement with DNO Group, a company specialized in the marketing and distribution of cosmetics and other consumer goods in Asian markets. Starting in the third quarter 2019, DNO Group will distribute the Moana Skincare series in India and Hong Kong. The partnership with DNO Group is an important milestone in our efforts to develop ABT into an international supplier of natural skincare products, said ABTs head of global sales, Arvid Lindberg. ABT obtained its first commercial rights for the Moana series in 2017. Moana is manufactured in New Zealand, and its main active ingredients are derived from seaweed found in the South Pacific. Initially, ABT obtained the commercial rights for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and is currently marketing the Moana products through partners in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Kuwait. We are pleased to announce that our commercial rights for Moana Skincare have been expanded to include territories outside the EMEA-region. The expansion includes India and Indonesia, and we have also secured certain rights for Hong Kong, said Arvid Lindberg. DNO Group markets and distributes third party beauty products in seven Asian markets, all enjoying rapid growth. India is one of the worlds largest markets for beauty and personal care, with an estimated sale of USD 8 bn this year. The Indian market is expected to reach USD 10 bn by 2021. Despite being significantly smaller, Hong Kong is also a highly attractive market for beauty products. In addition to the citys seven million inhabitants, Hong Kong is visited by nearly 50 million tourists from mainland China every year. Access to consumer goods is a major driver behind the growing Chinese middle class travels to Hong Kong. The Moana products are well suited for consumers in India and Hong Kong, as well as for our portfolio and distribution capabilities. Furthermore, the efficacy of the products themselves is impressive. We expect a highly positive sales development for Moana in Asia going forward, said DNO Groups Managing Director, Ofri Shaysh. For further information, please call Arvid Lindberg, head of global sales, telephone +47 9824 5410. Aqua Bio Technology (ABT) is developing and commercializing sustainable biotechnology for use in skin care products. ABTs cosmetics ingredients are highly effective and they provide the cosmetics industry with natural alternatives to traditional ingredients. ABT is also marketing and distributing natural skin care products developed by partners towards consumers and professional users. Aqua Bio Technology is listed on the Axess market of the Oslo Stock Exchange. This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. TORONTO, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aguia Resources Limited (ASX: AGR, TSXV: AGRL) (Aguia the Company) advises that the following people have resigned from its Board of Directors: Alec Pismiris, Non-Executive Director Diane Lai, Non-Executive Director Brian Moller, Non-Executive Director Paul Pint, Executive Chairman Aguia wishes to thank Messrs Pismiris, Moller & Pint and Ms. Lai for their dedication and service to Aguia and Aguias shareholders. Aguia also advises that at the Companys Extraordinary General Meeting held on 11 June 2019 in Sydney, Australia, in accordance with ASX Listing Rule 3.13.2 and Section 251AA(2) of the Australian Corporations Act a summary of the valid and eligible proxies was as follows: No. Resolution For Open Against Abstain 1 Appointment of Director Mr. Martin Anthony McConnell 82,567,125 428,595 29,865,667 1,046,000 2 Appointment of Director Mr. Jonathan Edward Guinness 82,567,125 428,595 29,865,667 1,046,000 3 Appointment of Director Ms. Christine Mary McGrath 82,567,125 428,595 29,865,667 1,046,000 4 Appointment of Director Mr. David Kit Shearwood 82,567,125 428,595 29,865,667 1,046,000 The following resolutions were passed on a show of hands: Resolution 1 Appointment of Director Mr. Martin Anthony McConnell Resolution 2 Appointment of Director Mr. Jonathan Edward Guinness Resolution 3 Appointment of Director Ms. Christine Mary McGrath Resolution 4 Appointment of Director Mr. David Kit Shearwood For further information, please contact: Justin Reid, Managing Director E: jreid@aguiaresources.com.au Spyros Karellas, Investor Relations North America E: spyros@pinnaclecapitalmarkets.ca T: +1 416-433-5696 Released through: Ben Jarvis, Six Degrees Investor Relations: +61 413 150 448 Follow Aguia on Twitter: @ Aguia_Resources About Aguia: Aguia Resources Limited, (Aguia) is an ASX and TSX Venture listed company whose primary focus is on the exploration and development of mineral resource projects in Brazil. Aguia has an established and highly experienced in-country team based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil with corporate offices in Sydney, Australia. Aguias key projects are located in Rio Grande do Sul, a prime farming area which is 100% dependent on phosphate imports. The Rio Grande phosphate deposits exhibit high quality and low cost production characteristics, and are ideally located with proximity to road, rail, and port infrastructure. Aguias experienced management team has a proven track record of advancing high quality mining assets to production in Brazil. NEITHER THE AUSTRALIAN STOCK EXCHANGE, TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR THEIR REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Cooper said companies considering exporting should begin by having realistic expectations, creating an export plan and modifying their products and services to suit the market.He said companies could use a free market diversification tool created by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which will rank which markets you should look into based on the information you provide. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES TORONTO, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada House Wellness Group Inc. (CSE: CHV) (Canada House or the Company), a fully integrated medical cannabis company, is pleased to provide an update on clinic expansion by its wholly owned subsidiary Canada House Clinics Inc. (CHC). CHC will open its first clinics in Toronto and Halifax, relocate its Petawawa clinic to a larger space and launch a new clinic model in Edmonton. Once the new spaces open, CHC will operate 14 clinics across Canada. We strive to continuously improve the patient experience, said Alex Kroon, President, Canada House Clinics. There is a process involved in cannabinoid therapy and patients are looking for guidance. CHC is committed to offering different models to meet patient needs and increase access for all Canadians requiring medical cannabis therapy. Canada House Clinics first Toronto clinic will open on June 17, 2019 in the Champagne Centre (a multidisciplinary medical complex) in North York. The Champagne Centre is an innovative 270,000 square foot health, sports, and wellness complex that includes the PolyClinic Family and Specialty Medicine Facility. CHC will open its Halifax clinic on July 3, 2019, building on the strong network of clinics already operating in Atlantic Canada. CHC moved its Petawawa location to a larger clinic in the same area on June 10, 2019. This summer in Sherwood Park, Alberta, CHC will open its first location within a third-party medical clinic (an embedded clinic model). CHC will operate an office inside an existing medical clinic. Doctors can offer cannabinoid therapy to their patients. This first embedded clinic will be CHCs second location in the Edmonton area. CHC plans to replicate this embedded clinic model in other cities. Our clinic footprint continues to grow across Canada, said Chris Churchill-Smith, CEO, Canada House. Smart, targeted clinic expansion will reduce our operating expenses, continue to accelerate growth, drive profitability, build shareholder value and help us continue to meet the needs of Canadian patients. About Canada House Wellness Group Inc. Canada House Wellness Group Inc. is the parent company of Abba Medix Corp., a Licensed Producer in Pickering, Ontario that produces high quality medical grade cannabis; Canada House Clinics Inc., with clinics across the country that work directly with primary care teams to provide specialized cannabinoid therapy services to patients suffering from complex medical conditions; and Knalysis Technologies, a provider of fully customizable, cloud-based software that links physician, provider, and patient to data that supports treatment with medical cannabis. Canada House Wellness Groups goal is to become the leading cultivator of premium craft cannabis and provider of cannabinoid therapy, targeting the medical cannabis markets globally. For more information please visit www.canadahouse.ca. For further information, please contact: Liana Del Medico, Director of Communications & Investor Relations Canada House Wellness Group Inc. 289-980-3584 liana.delmedico@canadahouse.ca Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information. This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to, among other things, the Companys clinic, production and technology businesses, its future plans, the Companys markets, objectives, goals, strategies, intentions, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and can generally be identified by the use of words such as may, will, could, should, would, likely, possible, expect, intend, estimate, anticipate, believe, plan, objective and continue (or the negative thereof) and words and expressions of similar import. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Material assumptions used to develop forward-looking information in this news release include, among other things, the regulations related to cannabis use under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and the act respecting cannabis and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts, passed by the Canadian Federal government, making cannabis legal for recreational use by October 17, 2018; Company liquidity and capital resources, including the availability of additional capital resources to fund its activities; level of competition; the ability to adapt products and services to the changing market; the ability to attract and retain key executives; and the ability to execute strategic plans. Additional information about material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations and about material factors or assumptions applied in making forward-looking statements may be found in the Companys most recent annual and interim Managements Discussion and Analysis under Risk and Uncertainties as well as in other public disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The number of juveniles arrested on drug offenses in Henry County and Martinsville generally declined from 2016 to 2018 while Virginias numbers were rising. Crime in Virginia, a report compiled by the Uniform Crime Reporting Section Department of Virginia State Police, showed that Henry County Martinsville had only one drug-related juvenile arrest in 2018. That continued a downward trend that showed Henry County with two juvenile drug-related arrests in 2016, five in 2017 and none in 2018. Martinsville had nine in 2016, none in 2017 and one in 2018. Virginia had 2,087 juvenile drug-related arrests in 2016, 2,373 in 2017 and 2,184 in 2018. Thats a 4% increase from 2016 to 2018. That also has gone against a trend when compared to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations 2017 Crime in the United States. That report showed that, from 2008 to 2017, the number of juveniles arrested for drug abuse violations declined by 42.7%, from 112,037 in 2008 to 64,203 in 2017. Although our numbers decreased while the state increased, we hope that our community policing efforts, our cooperation with Juvenile Intake and Probation [curfew checks], and the good work that our school resource officers are doing within the school system [ours and the city sheriffs] are having an impact on our young citizens to make good positive choices, Martinsville Police Chief Eddie Cassady wrote in an email. I would be [remiss] if we did not also recognize the efforts of Drug Free M-HC and Piedmont Community Services. We further must recognize that these numbers can change at any given time. It is a complete community effort to reduce drug addiction and drug use in any community. Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice also has seen a decline in the percentage of drug-related intake cases to total intake cases in Martinsville from 2015 to 2018, though the actual number of drug-related intake cases has been up and down. An intake case is when a court considers whether a child should be put into the system for drug-related issues. Henry Countys numbers have been up and down. Keep in mind, though, the number of juveniles in these cases is small. Jessica Schneider, research manager for the Department of Juvenile Justice, explained the difference between juvenile arrests by law enforcement and in-take cases. Our data will likely be similar to but not the same as arrest data because we track intakes instead of arrests, she said in an email. An intake complaint is a request for the processing of a petition to initiate a matter that is alleged to fall within the jurisdiction and venue of a particular juvenile and domestic relations district court. An intake officer at the CSU [court service unit] decides whether the complaint will result in no action, diversion or the filing of a petition initiating formal court action. The request processing a petition may come from parents, agency representatives, law enforcement personnel, or any other individual. Multiple intake complaints may be included in one intake case [similar to multiple charges being included in one arrest]. Data that Schneider provided showed that Martinsville had four drug-related intake cases in 2015, seven in 2016, nine in 2017 and seven in 2018. Looking at those numbers as a percentage of all in-take cases, 5.8% were drug-related in 2015, 4.9% in 2016, 4.8% in 2017 and 3.1% in 2018. Henry County had three drug-related intake cases in 2015, nine in 2016 11 in 2017 and eight in 2018. That means 2.5% of the intake cases were drug-related in 2015, 4.1% in 2016, 3.7% in 2017 and 3.4% in 2018. Bonnie Favero, prevention manager for Piedmont Community Services, said that parents should monitor their childrens behavior and educate themselves about new trends as far as substances are concerned, letting their children know they disapprove of substance use of any kind. Parents should know their childrens friends and make sure they are being supervised, Favero said. Juuling is an example of a trend that has many young people using nicotine for the first time. Parents need to know what the drug paraphernalia look like, where it can be hidden and what it can do their youths brains. We provide a program called Hidden In Plain Sight, which educates parents about these issues. Juuling refers to electronic cigarettes, which allows addictive and poisonous vapors to be inhaled through an electronic device. Use of e-cigarettes have skyrocketed among teens, leading several states to raise age limits to purchase them. Paul Collins is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. Contact him at 276-638-8801, ext. 236. Paul Collins is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. Contact him at 276-638-8801, ext. 236. The Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled last year that Wilson should receive a new trial after Wilson argued he received ineffective assistance from his counsel in his appeal. Wilson argued that his attorney for his appeal failed to review the complete record of his trial proceedings, which resulted in the attorney failing to argue that Wilson improperly gave up his right to public defender when he went to trial the first time, court records show. Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation. Amid a record national outbreak in measles, New York state lawmakers outlawed religious exemptions to vaccination, shutting down anti-vaxxers who called the move unconstitutional.Gov. Cuomo signed a bill into law Thursday evening.Both the Democrat-led Assembly and Senate spent the previous hours wrangling over whether or not to repeal the exemption, which allows parents not immunize their children because of their religious beliefs.The current outbreak has been concentrated in the Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg.The shouts of raucous protesters, camped out in the hallways and galleries of the Capitol Building, could be heard echoing through the Assembly chamber Thursday as elected officials argued on the floor. The crowd erupted in jeers and expletive-laden taunts as the legislation passed.The bill's sponsor was undeterred."I think the primary objective we should all have above everything is to protect public health, particularly that of children, " Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) said during a back-and-forth with one of his colleagues.Earlier in the afternoon, the measure narrowly made it out of the Assembly health committee as Yonkers Democrat Nader Sayegh cast a dramatic tie-breaking vote following a brief aside with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx).Resistance to the bill came from well-organized groups of parents and anti-vaxxers who question the safety of inoculations. They carried signs, visited legislator's offices, held rallies around the capital in recent weeks, as they repeated discredited claims that vaccines are linked to autism and that illnesses such as measles, mumps and chickenpox "keep you healthy" and "fight cancer."The law would not force parents to vaccinate their kids, but instead would bar children who have not received the inoculations from schools and daycares. Maine recently joined California and Mississippi in barring exemptions other than for medical reasons.Some lawmakers in the Assembly, including a number of Democrats, expressed concern about the constitutionality of ending the religious exemption while others echoed the protesters' gripes about safety and freedom.Assembly health committee chairman Dick Gottfried (D-Manhattan) voted against it."The First Amendment is fundamental and we should be very wary of limiting its protections," he said during the debate.The Senate passed the measure by a 36-26 margin."We're putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and standing up for the rights of immuno-compromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who can't be vaccinated through no fault of their own," said sponsor Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan). "With our actions today, we can help avoid future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses like measles."Federal health officials said last week that the current measles outbreak is the most widespread in 27 years, surpassing 1,000 confirmed cases. New York has remained the epicenter of the epidemic with the majority of cases in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland County.The highly contagious yet preventable disease was considered eradicated in 2000.City officials said this week that 588 cases of the potentially deadly virus have been confirmed in the five boroughs since September, but noted that cases are slowing amid a rise in city-ordered vaccinations."Vaccines save lives. We are in the midst of a measles epidemic which is completely preventable given proper immunizations," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said. "The fact that New York State has the overwhelming majority of these measles cases is shameful, and we must step up to protect New Yorkers' health." As the Supreme Court considers a challenge to a citizenship question in the 2020 census, the U.S. Census Bureau will start testing the questions effect on participation this week.The bureau announced a test that will go to 480,000 homes, half of which will get the citizenship question. Findings will help determine whether the bureau needs to send out more people to do follow-up interviews if it turns out that the question dampens participation.The Supreme Court has yet to decide whether the question is allowed, but a majority seemed inclined to support it during arguments in April. The case reached the Supreme Court after the state of New York sued the federal government, saying the question was improperly added, and other states joined the lawsuit.Opponents and even some internal census research say asking all Americans about citizenship, last done in the 1950 census, would discourage immigrants from participating. High-immigrant states like Arizona, California, Florida and Texas could lose federal funding and seats in Congress if an undercount results. A Supreme Court ruling on the case is expected this month. The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated for now several powers Republican lawmakers gave the Legislature during a December lame-duck session.The order, in a second major case challenging the laws that passed after a Democrat was elected governor but before he took office, reinstates a law that reduced the power of Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul to drop out of or settle cases. It was issued less than 24 hours before a trial in the Dane County court case was set to begin.The ruling means that for now Kaul can no longer compromise or end most lawsuits brought on behalf of the state without Legislative approval. Kaul is now also prevented from compromising or settling an action brought against the state without a Legislative committee signing off. The law will remain in effect unless the Supreme Court decides to overturn it when it rules on multiple challenges to the law in the coming days or weeks.Using such authority given to him by a state judge's order, Kaul had withdrawn Wisconsin from a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.The only provision the Supreme Court allowed to remain suspended affects so-called guidance documents, which tell regulated businesses how to comply with state agency rules. The high court's order prevents from going into effect a requirement that state agencies finish certifying many of those documents by July 1."Today's ruling is a win for the people of Wisconsin," said Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau."The Supreme Court correctly decided the statutes enacted by the Legislature should remain in effect. We are confident that the constitutionality of these laws will be upheld when the Court hears the full case in the coming months."The Supreme Court ruling will remain in place until it issues its final decision.The order is from a case brought by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1, other unions and state Sen. Janet Bewley, D-Mason, against controversial laws Republicans passed in December that curb the governor's and attorney general's powers.The Supreme Court by a split decision in April decided it would take over the appeal in the case. It did so voluntarily, without a motion from any of the parties involved, a relatively rare move. Parts of the case were set for trial on Wednesday and Thursday in Dane County Court, but the Supreme Court's order suspended it pending a further order from the high court.The unions argue parts of the GOP laws violate the constitutional separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches.The 4-3 order from conservative-backed members of the court comes about a month after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in another major case from the League of Women Voters and other groups challenging the lame-duck laws.The court's conservative-backed majority signaled skepticism of the challengers' argument, which focuses on the legitimacy of the extraordinary session Republicans convened to pass their controversial legislation.Lawyers wanting the lame-duck laws thrown out argue extraordinary sessions, in which lawmakers call themselves into action outside of a regular session, are invalid and not sanctioned by law or the state Constitution. Eight remaining Flint water prosecutions have been dismissed by the Department of Attorney General, officials said Thursday, June 13.Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy issued a statement saying the cases are being dismissed without prejudice -- meaning they could be refiled -- in order to conduct a full and complete investigation, a shocking conclusion to the high-profile criminal prosecutions."Legitimate criminal prosecutions require complete investigations. Upon assuming responsibility of this case, our team of career prosecutors and investigators had immediate and grave concerns about the investigative approach and legal theories embraced by (former special prosecutor Todd Flood), particularly regarding the pursuit of evidence," the statement says."After a complete evaluation, our concerns were validated. Contrary to accepted standards of criminal investigation and prosecution, all available evidence was not pursued. Instead, the (Office of Special Counsel) entered into agreements that gave private law firms--representing Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Treasury, and the Executive Office of former Governor Rick Snyder--a role in deciding what information would be turned over to law enforcement."Thursday's decision means the criminal cases are dismissed against Nick Lyon, former DHHS director; Eden Wells, former chief medical executive for the state; former emergency managers Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Earley; DHHS officials Nancy Peeler and Robert Scott; Department of Environmental Quality official Patrick Cook; and former Flint Department of Public Works Director Howard Croft.Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement Thursday, saying she appreciates the decision arrived at by Hammoud and Worthy."I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied and a fearless and dedicated team of career prosecutors and investigators are hard at work to ensure those who harmed you are held accountable," Nessel's statement says.MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach Flood for comment.Chip Chamberlain, an attorney for Lyon, said the former DHHS director was grateful the charges, including involuntary manslaughter, were dismissed against him and vindicated by the dismissals.The AG's office has scheduled a "community conversation" in Flint for Friday, June 28. More details are forthcoming about the event.Mayor Karen Weaver says the Attorney General's decision to dismiss the current criminal charges in Flint's water cases means the state is prioritizing the city."It means Flint is important. It means that we're a priority," Weaver said. "It means a full investigation so they can start from the beginning and look at everything because so many things were left out." NYCs Deputy Chief Technology Officer Goes to Work for the State Grand Rapids, Mich., Nets an Accolade for Data-Driven Governance White House OMB Releases a Federal Data Strategy Action Plan NYC Launches Call for Innovation Around Air Quality and Urban Heat Islands A new mobile app seeks to reduce gun violence by promoting community engagement.Slated to launch this weekend in Syracuse, N.Y., the app is called Hello Syracuse , and its a relatively simple concept. It basically encourages users to get out and explore the upstate New York city of Syracuse. It does this by creating a list of challenges that can be satisfied by participating in local events, engaging in activities and ultimately learning more about Syracuse.What it does is essentially gamify the experience of living in Syracuse in a way that gets people out of their houses and out socializing, learning, or otherwise just feeling more invested in the place. With the app, users take photos and track their progress to earn points. Theres even a leaderboard to make things slightly competitive.Its as easy as taking a selfie, the developers note in the app description. The app also features push notifications that let users know about more challenges, local events, and any public safety alerts in the area. Its the last item public safety alerts that can most directly reduce incidents of injury due to gun violence by letting users know about shots fired warnings. One might argue, however, that a more engaged community is also inherently a safer one. The app also features a list of resources that range from volunteer opportunities to counseling for trauma.Timothy Jennings-Bey, the creator of the app, and Adam Peruta, the apps developer, recently spoke with local media about their creation. Jennings-Bey, who works with the Syracuse trauma response team, said he hoped the app would inspire others in the community to come up with more solutions to making the city safer and stronger.Jeremy Goldberg, who was formerly New York Citys deputy chief technology officer, has now gone to work for New York state, doing so as its deputy secretary for technology and innovation, according to his LinkedIn As of April 2019, Goldberg works for the office of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He spent the previous two years working out of the NYC Mayors Office of the Chief Technology Officer.One of Goldbergs chief accomplishments was his involvement with NYCx, a program that involved an annual competition for startup companies to offer tech-based solutions for a host of municipal challenges in the nations largest city ranging from Internet connectivity and cybersecurity to more tangible challenges such as transportation.As Goldberg notes on his LinkedIn, more than 400 companies and other organizations participated in the NYCx challenge programs, with one startup even raising more than $23 million in capital after winning.Another prominent facet of Goldbergs work with NYC was advising internal city agencies on policy as it relates to tech, helping to define the trends and other content that will appear in the soon-to-be-released OneNYC2019 Strategic Plan.Before working with NYC, Goldberg worked in tech and innovation in San Jose and San Francisco. In the latter, he was present during the development of the citys now-international and independent Startup in Residence Program.Grand Rapids, Mich., won an accolade for its use of data-driven governance as part of the Equipt to Innovate survey. The survey is a collaboration betweensister publication,and the non-profit urban equity group Living Cities. Within that report, Grand Rapids was identified as a top performer nationwide for data-driven governance.The report described Grand Rapids as a leader when it comes to open data, noting that pretty much the only city information not available through its open data portal must be kept private by law. In addition, the city has started to create data hubs within its open data platform aimed at helping external stakeholders that do not have the resources necessary to share data on their own open data sites.And Equipt to Innovate is not the only report or organization recognizing the work being done in Grand Rapids. In fact, the city was also recently named a Bloomberg Mayors Challenge Champion City for the work it did on mathematical modeling used to gauge impact of economic development on various neighborhoods. That study helped the city learn more about the displacement of minority populations as well as how to predict changes moving forward.Data-drive was one of seven categories in the report, with the others being resident-involved, broadly partnered, dynamically planned, employee engaged, race-informed, and smartly resourced.San Diego was recognized as the years overall top performing city.The White House Office of Management and Budget has released a federal data strategy This strategy, which is being billed as a one-year action plan, was created by a cross-government team and it ties into part of the federal governments management agenda, specifically leveraging data as a strategic asset. Along with the strategy comes a call for feedback The federal government essentially wants to know what people think about the 16 action steps it has laid out with the shared goal of doing a better job of leveraging data. Those action steps range from things like developing a repository of federal data strategy resources and tools to piloting standard data catalogs for Data.gov The period for feedback will remain open through July 5, with the ultimate goal of having all 16 action steps created within the next year, presumably before the creation of a new action plan related to data strategy for next year.New York City has released a call for innovation related to improving air quality and addressing a concept known as urban heat islands. full competition manual is now available here, but essentially, the city is looking for new and innovative ideas, technologies, and approaches to reducing the negative impacts of urban air pollution and the heat island effect, organizers wrote on the calls website . Solutions are encouraged from both mitigation and adaptation perspectives. Urban heat islands, for the unfamiliar, are areas within cities that are significantly warmer than neraby rural areas because of human actions, including the use of motor vehicles, asphalt and other structures.In the call for innovation, the city notes that urban areas have the highest rates of heat-related illness and mortality. Also, the known air quality vulnerability is higher there. The city has stated an ultimate goal of finding and piloting solutions to improve air quality and reduce urban heat vulnerability. Essentially, it would like to make its air cleaner and its temperatures lower, and it wants technologists to help.The challenge is split into two tracks, with one focusing on products and services, while the other takes a look at urban design. Participants will have the opportunity to present their creations to a panel consisting of NYC municipal agency officials, members of academic institutions and other leaders in the space.The deadline for submissions is July 15, with an information webinar to be held on July 2. Federal Broadband Policy Needs Local Input The Threat from the FCC and Lobby Influence at the State Level Even though community broadband has proven itself incredibly valuable and viable, broadband is taking a beating in some areas of the country thanks to what has become a siege against municipal broadband by the large telecom incumbents, including AT&T, Comcast and others. This effort has led to a backlash against muni broadband in some states, depriving communities of a well-tested option when it comes to high-speed connectivity to the Internet and the digital economy.The only way we can fight back is to start with reliable, locally generated data from those in the trenches. This is critically important. Nobody knows about local economies like economic development professionals, community groups, elected officials, co-ops and other local organizations.Right now, several crucial federal and state broadband policy decisions are being made that will benefit from local economic expertise, input and advocacy. Who better to help inform those decisions than local economic development professionals? If communities dont have this expertise at the table in Washington, D.C., and state capitals, local broadband could lose big. So, if they wont seat you at the table, bring a chair.In May, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., co-chairs of the Senate Broadband Caucus, reintroduced the Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act . Since the federal government does not produce current, reliable statistics on the economic impact of broadband on the U.S. economy, the act designates agencies to gather far-ranging statistics on broadband; in addition, they may consult with various national and local stakeholders.Its great to require these agencies to gather economic data, but they should start by requiring local communities to answer this question: What do they need broadband to accomplish, and how will meeting these needs impact local economies?Lets require local governments, community organizations, economic development groups and the citizens who own the problem of poor broadband service to assess, measure and form solutions to those problems. Lets limit federal and state governments to providing the money and other resources to support local solutions under strict guidelines and accountability measures.As part of this needs assessment, we need to ask the right questions: What is community broadbands impact on local businesses, personal economic development and low-income individuals who want to become entrepreneurs? Can broadband attract homeowners or reduce the homework gap? Could community broadband deliver telehealth, slow down hospital closures, attract doctors and nurses, and eliminate unnecessary visits to emergency rooms in rural and low-income urban areas?The Federal Communications Commission just released the second draft of its 2019 Broadband Deployment Report after the first draft was torpedoed by the revelation that key calculations were based on flawed data . Congress mandated the reports to determine if broadband deployments are keeping pace with the needs of residents and businesses, and empowered the FCC to light regulatory fires under the telecom giants to encourage them to keep up community needs.Although the second draft is better, many broadband advocates and experts feel its conclusions do not mesh with reality. "Many may argue that the FCC came to the wrong conclusion; others will say that it is correct. But the point is: How can the FCC come to any conclusion when it knows the information it is basing its decision on is flawed?" Benton Foundation (a nonprofit broadband advocacy group) Executive Director Adrianne Furniss told Multichannel News . The answer is clear: Turn to local economic experts for the best and most truthful answers.Years ago, the FCC set aside spectrum specifically for education through the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) as its known today. Last year, the FCC announced its considering the privatization of EBS despite the fact that numerous communities have expressed their support for EBS, which has provided broadband services where there otherwise wouldnt be any.Advocates of privatization advanced the idea that commercializing this pioneering service will produce the widest deployment of broadband at the lowest possible cost, and commercial interests will better address the homework gap and the digital divide. The FCC has intensified the rhetoric . To counter privatization of EBS, reliable, community-sourced data will be needed to show its effectiveness as a public entity.We have been marinated in a corporate culture that believes only a Fortune 500 company is able to deal with high tech, observed a true broadband pioneer, the late Wally Bowen, founder of the nonprofit Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN). However, quite a few communities hold the power to produce for themselves that which large incumbents fail to deliver blazingly fast and affordable Internet access.Ongoing battles in one-third of the states are underway as lobbyists for the telecom giants ooze throughout the cogs of state government, gumming up the broadband policy machinery with their prohibitions and regressive legislative mandates. These mandates are based on two flawed arguments: 1) Local public entities that want to build and operate their own broadband service dont know what theyre doing and will fail; and 2) local entities should not be unfairly competing with the private sector.Theres plenty of local data to refute the first weak claim, and the second is patently absurd. The earliest community broadband networks such as Thomasville, Ga.; Glasgow, Ky.; and Danville, Va., had economic development as a main driver. Its still a leading driver for over 700 municipalities and counties that have built jurisdiction-wide and partial-area networks.One of the economic benefits from Thomasvilles broadband network was that it helped to eliminate property taxes . Danville launched their nDanville network to help them reduce the towns 19 percent unemployment rate. The network was instrumental in attracting new businesses that resulted in lowering the towns unemployment rate to 9 percent within a few years. Glasgows public utility, Glasgow EPB, invested and recouped $5 million after launching their network.We wanted to reduce the amount of money leaving the local economy destined for the shareholders of a giant telecom company, said William Ray, CEO of EPB. We also wanted to bring new services to our rural community that would otherwise be many years coming to Glasgow.Many community broadband networks are run by municipalities, public utilities and electric co-ops, and some are owned directly by citizens. Community networks, including small Internet service providers (ISPs) and wireless ISPs (WISPs), are locally owned, their revenues stay local and their mission is to help their constituents and members. These are the experts in local economies who should be at the heart of any federal or state broadband policymaking. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency granted for a second time the National Center for Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE 4Y) designation to Purdue University Northwest (PNW) through its College of Technology. PNW is one of only two Indiana institutions to receive the CAE-CDE 4Y designation, which runs through 2024, and the only one within the Purdue system. The designation was granted based upon the colleges B.S. in Computer Information Technology degree. With it the college can conduct further research and education in cybersecurity and infrastructure protection. As a Center of Academic Excellence, PNW students and faculty members will be eligible to compete for National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Defense scholarships and grants. The cloud is a powerful tool for driving digital transformation, but risks abound at every step of the journey. Public-sector IT leaders must assess where they stand in the cloud adoption curve and plan how to optimize their infrastructure costs. (TNS) Last week, the city commission in Grand Rapids, Mich., declined to adopt an ordinance that would allow "small cell" wireless infrastructure to be installed in the public right-of-way with little local regulation.But on Tuesday, the ordinance was brought back for another vote. This time, it passed by a 6-1 tally following a presentation that attempted to ease health concerns related to the technology and lay out the consequences of failing to comply with state and federal law.Third Ward Commissioner Senita Lenear was the lone remaining opposition vote. She said she didn't feel comfortable making a decision without more knowledge to refute public health concerns related to more antennas and microwave radio-frequency radiation."What I don't want is my children and their children to suffer from a decision I've made today, knowing that I'm ignorant to the outcomes of that," Lenear said. "I personally can't support it."First Ward Commissioner Jon O'Connor previously voted "no" on the ordinance, but changed his mind Tuesday. He said his "no" vote was a protest of the state and federal government taking away local control.Second Ward Commissioner Ruth Kelly also flipped her vote."As we moved through this whole process, we were more focused on local control of the fees and the health issues were not so much on our radar so we also owe a debt of gratitude to our residents who came out in force and brought these concerns to our attention," Kelly said. "I do think we need to monitor this as well as pass it."At the center of the issue is the installation of a dense network of small cell wireless utilities on telephone poles, traffic signals, signs and other similar structures in the public right-of-way. The infrastructure is part of the wireless industry's shift to next-generation technology (5G).Legislation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in January (Act 365), and the state of Michigan in March established regulations and fee limits for the installation of the small cell utilities.Grand Rapids had until June 9 to adopt an ordinance to put the city in compliance with state law. Though the policy wasn't approved before the deadline, city staff said they don't anticipate negative consequences.The local ordinance allows the city to be "as restrictive as possible under state law," according to city staff. It allows the city to potentially regulate the spacing of antennas and require insurance coverage, monitoring of RF emissions, and future Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provisions if necessary.Without it, outside counsel Alex Thibodeau said the city wouldn't be able to deny applications, which would gain automatic acceptance at the end of a "shot clock."The initial vote was held June 4 and failed by a 3-3 vote, with Third Ward Commissioner Nathaniel Moody absent and thus unable to cast a vote. After it failed, City Manager Mark Washington said it would likely come back before the full commission if there was determined to be a significant legal risk associated with non-compliance.The ordinance was place on Tuesday evening's commission agenda as a day-of add-on.Before the vote, Alison Sutter, the city's sustainability manager, gave a brief presentation to the commission to address health concerns voiced by community members via emails and public comment.In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified electromagnetic fields produced by cell phones as "possibly carcinogenic to humans," Sutter said. The determination, she said, means there's a casual association that's deemed credible but things like chance or bias haven't been "ruled out with reasonable confidence."Another substance with the same determination is gasoline, she said.More recently, Sutter said a number of groups have researched the public health impact and many -- including the National Cancer Institute, World Health Organization, European Union and Health Canada -- have concluded "there's no adverse health effects established but further research should be conducted."Sutter cited a study in Montgomery County, Maryland, which found small cell technology needed to be deployed at least 11 feet from a dwelling unit to stay below the FCC exposure guidelines.The Kent County Health Department hasn't conducted research or given a statement on the topic, Sutter said.The state and federal legislation was backed by carriers such as Verizon and AT&T that are facing an ever-increasing demand for capacity, speed and reliability.It was opposed by local governments, who considered it "an infringement on their ability to recover costs for the use of public rights of way," according to the Associated Press.Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said the city opposed the legislation and sent staff to Lansing, in collaboration with other municipalities, to testify against it.The city leadership received a letter Friday, June 7, from 10 residents who previously asked the commission not to adopt the ordinance due to health concerns. In the letter, penned by resident Nikki Moore, the group thanked the leaders for listening to the concerns."We are very grateful to know that the public is being heard by our officials," the letter stated, in part. "We thank all of you for being so open minded and for being concerned citizens. It was apparent that most of you struggled with the pros and cons of both sides of passing or not adopting the ordinance."We, too, see how the FCC and state has all but tied so many hands in this subject. We are grateful for your ethics." (TNS) Members of Orlando Police Departments SWAT team are now required to wear body cameras, in a reversal for the agency that had earlier argued recording the specialized group would risk exposing its tactics.OPDs SWAT team Commander Chad Ochiuzzo revealed the change to its members in an April email, which the Orlando Sentinel obtained after weeks of public record requests. In it, Ochiuzzo wrote that cameras need to start being utilized on all SWAT operations by May 1.The Police Department has lauded the devices as a valuable asset, saying they help to boost public trust and reduce citizen complaints . But its decision to require SWAT members to use them went unannounced. When the Sentinel asked about the policy, the agency initially denied that a change had been made.In a May 3 email to the Sentinel, spokesman Sgt. David Baker denied that members were using the devices, saying our SWAT Team is not equipped with or using body worn cameras.Sgt. Eduardo Bernal said in an email Tuesday that Bakers earlier statement was accurate because deployment of the cameras for all SWAT members had been delayed until the end of May.As of May 3, the date of your inquiry, the deployment of BWCs [body worn cameras] on the SWAT Team had not been completed and thus, were not in use on the team, Bernal said. Some officers on the SWAT Team may have received BWCs as part of their regular duties like patrol and that is not the same as using it for the purpose of a SWAT operation.The change came several months after the Sentinel reported that SWAT members at OPD and other major local agencies were not equipped with cameras. Short for special weapons and tactics," SWAT teams use military-style tactics and equipment, handling some of the most fraught situations for police, suspects and bystanders alike, such as drug raids and standoffs.Going forward, Bernal said the OPD SWAT team will be required to follow the same guidelines that govern patrol officers use of body cameras, which require the cameras to be activated at the start of most interactions with civilians."[T]he intent is to use them for all SWAT operations in the future, Bernal said in the email.The officers will have the option to mount the cameras where they want and their use of BWCs will be monitored and evaluated as time passes, Bernal said.OPD began rolling out its body camera program in 2014. By 2017, the agency said it had equipped all of its 435 patrol officers with the cameras.Until now, the agency had stopped short of requiring SWAT members to use them , saying the footage captured would reveal tactics that need to be protected" for the safety of its members, an agency spokeswoman said in October.[I]ts crucial for their safety that its not known how they move behind cover, how they approach buildings or suspects, or where, for example, snipers may be positioned, then-OPD spokeswoman Michelle Guido said. The agency has since undergone a leadership change, with John Mina departing as chief to become Orange County sheriff. His replacement, Orlando Rolon, became chief late last year.In an email, Bernal said the agency decided to equip SWAT with the cameras because [w]e are a progressive agency and are always looking for ways to leverage available technology to assist our operations.Other major agencies around Central Florida still do not require their SWAT teams to use body cameras, citing issues with mounting the devices, battery life and disclosure of tactics.Those agencies include the Orange County Sheriffs Office, the Seminole County Sheriffs Office and the Kissimmee Police Department. The Osceola County Sheriffs Office did not respond Tuesday to a request for information about their body camera policy and has been unresponsive to questions on the topic in the past.Advocates of body worn cameras and some law enforcement experts have argued SWAT tactics are not so sensitive that recording them would be dangerous for members.In Volusia County, SWAT members for the Sheriffs Office and Daytona Beach Police Department mount the cameras to their helmets to be sure their military-style gear doesnt obstruct the devices.Though no policy specifically prohibited SWAT members at OPD from wearing the cameras, their gear wasnt equipped with them.The agencys rollout of body worn cameras has been rocky. Months after the agency announced that all patrol officers had been equipped with the devices, OPD was forced to replace them with new models because of a battery issue. Several shootings have gone unrecorded by OPD officers who either hadnt been assigned cameras, had ones that werent working or failed to turn them on When a SWAT member and two other OPD officers shot and killed 33-year-old Brian Baker at Orlando Regional Medical Center Oct. 1, none were recording. One officer was a police-dog handler, another group that at the time was not required to wear the devices, while the third had just come off a 12-hour shift and his camera battery was dead, officials have said.Police said Baker had threatened hospital staff and claimed to have a gun, though they later discovered he was not armed.Guido said the shooting was recorded by other officers who responded to the hospital. K-9 handlers have since been outfitted with cameras, Bernal said. (TNS) Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a new security directive Tuesday to county board of elections to implement significant security upgrades. Area elections officials are optimistic theyll stop anything that could disrupt an election.Kathy Meyer, director of the Allen County Board of Elections, said the board wants voters to feel safe and know their votes will count and that the correct information is in the system without someone getting into the system who shouldnt.Michelle Wilcox, Auglaize County Board of Elections director, said she supports protecting the voting system from any cyber security threats.Not only did we have mandates put into effect last year, but they are now going into greater depth to be sure everything is in place by Jan. 31, 2020, Wilcox said.The directive provides Ohio with the opportunity to continue to strengthen the security of the election system and become a best practical leader nationwide in the statewide efforts to make elections safer. It instructs county boards of elections on continuing action and outlines additional requirements that each board must take to enhance its overall elections security and to protect its information technology systems.LaRoses directive requires county board of elections to implement significant security upgrades funded by the Help America Vote Act.The requirements include installing Albert Intrusion detection devices provided by the Ohio Secretary of States office for the network of each county board of elections and election systems vendors that do not already utilize one, conduct an assessment and annual training on cyber security and physical security, conduct criminal background checks of permanent board of elections employees and vendors or contractors who perform sensitive services for the board of elections. Other directives are to begin using an email service that assists board staff with identifying whether an email is from a legitimate source.Wilcox said security is important so the election system is not compromised. She said its good to have a backup plan if there would be a threat.Karen Lammers, director of the Putnam County Board of Elections, said the board will do whatever is required for security.We need to make sure those who shouldnt get into our system dont. Its very important to have it secured, and we will learn more about it next week, Lammers said.Election officials will attend mandatory training next week in Columbus on the new directives, where there will be round tablediscussions and election staff will learn how to make quick decisions if election security is compromised.In 2017, the United States Department of Homeland Security designated United States Election Systems as part of the national critical infrastructure. In March 2018, the federal government appropriated $380 million in grants to the states to secure and improve election systems.The boards will be required by July 19 to request the following services: risk and vulnerability assessment that gathers data and combined it with national threat and vulnerability information, remote penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities in externally accessible systems, complete a validated architectural design review to develop a detailed representation of the communications and relationships between devices to identify anomalous communication flows and have an in-depth review on site at the board of elections to determine if a network compromise has occurred. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Thursday that Beijing is ready to join New Delhi in pushing forward a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. During the meeting, Xi congratulated Modi again on his re-election as India's prime minister. Xi noted that China and India are the world's only two emerging economies that boast a population of more than 1 billion respectively, and are both at a crucial stage of rapid development. Cooperation between the two countries, said the Chinese leader, can not only boost their respective development, but also will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the wider world. He also said that during his meeting with Modi last year in Wuhan, China's central Hubei Province, they have led the China-India relationship onto a new stage, adding that China is willing to join India to make continuous efforts in promoting a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi urged the two sides to stick to the fundamental judgement that China and India offer to each other chances for development, and do not pose each other threats, and called on the two countries to keep deepening mutual trust, focusing on cooperation, and properly handling their disputes so as to turn the bilateral relationship into a positive element for their respective development. The Chinese president said the two nations need to constantly broaden the channels for cooperation, conduct cooperation in such areas as investment, industrial capacity and tourism, make a bigger cake of common interests, jointly promote regional inter-connectivity, including the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, in a bid to better boost common development. He also called on the two sides to make good use of such mechanisms as meetings between the two countries' special representatives on the boundary issue, and enhance trust-building measures so as to preserve stability in border areas. As important representatives of developing nations and emerging market economies, China and India, said Xi, need to come together to safeguard free trade and multilateralism, and protect the legitimate development rights of developing countries. Modi said his meeting with Xi last year in Wuhan was very successful, which has helped achieve new progress in bilateral ties, adding that the Indian side is ready to work with China in intensifying high-level exchanges and bolstering strategic communication. He called on the two sides to promote bilateral ties in broad areas, explore new sectors for cooperation, and properly handle their differences. Noting that next year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, Modi said the two countries need to make a good plan for celebration to step up their people-to-people exchanges. 2 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] I think a new, polished up Expo Center is going to attract a lot of business, said Kurt Gillins, vice president of programming and communications for the Valparaiso Chamber, which is holding its annual Community Improvement Awards luncheon at the venue on July 11. The Expo Center is one of the locations being honored. Theres a commenter in Quickly who wondered why there is so much hatefulness about Donald Trump and none against Obama. Well, Obama didnt tweet every five minutes saying how he hates people. Obama understood what the presidency meant and was about, and he was respectful of the Constitution and the laws. Maybe if your idol was more like him, there wouldnt be so much hatefulness toward him. Hondas new compact electric vehicle, the Honda e, is the first Honda to be built on a dedicated EV platform, designed from the ground up to deliver excellent Honda driving dynamics. The Honda e platform has been developed with a focus on urban environments to offer a rewarding, responsive driving experience. The battery is positioned at a low level under the floor, and centrally within the wheelbase of the car, affording a 50:50 weight distribution and low centre of gravity for optimal handling and stability. Power from the high-torque electric motor is delivered through the rear wheels, enabling steering precision even at high acceleration. The platform offers a combination of ride comfort and agility. The four-wheel independent suspension is engineered to offer stability in all conditions, a smooth ride and responsive handling. Elements of the suspension components are forged aluminum to reduce weight and benefit performance and efficiency. When combined with its compact size and short overhang, the Honda e delivers next-generation small car agility to make city driving enjoyable and tight maneuvers in urban environments effortless. For continued ease of use and charging flexibility, the 35.5 kWh Lithium-ion battery can be charged using either Type 2 AC connection or a CCS2 DC rapid charger. Combined with a full range of more than 200 km, the fast-charge capability of the advanced powertrain will deliver exceptional usability to meet the demands of everyday commuting providing 80% charge in 30 minutes. Designed with a focus on simplicity and usability, the Honda e charging port is integrated into the hood, with LED lighting visible through a glass panel to illuminate the port for the driver and highlight the battery charging status. The positioning of the charging port allows easy access from the front of the car or from either side. Displays on the dual touchscreens inside the car present the current level of battery charge, while a drivetrain graphic charts the current power flow and the regeneration and recharging status. The battery pack is water-cooled to maintain an optimum thermal state therefore maximising the efficiency of the battery and charge state, while also ensuring its size and weight are minimised so that it does not compromise cabin room. Hondas new compact electric car is a key part of the brands latest electrification commitment to feature electrified technology in 100% of its European sales by 2025. Presented in prototype form at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the first Honda production battery electric vehicle for the European market will make its mass production debut later this year. Honda has already received 31,000 expressions of interest, and customers can make a reservation for priority ordering online in UK, Germany, France and Norway or register their interest in other European markets on the Honda national websites. Well-intended people who see homeless people in our community say, This is not right. But what can one person possibly do? Magloire Lubika, whose family immigrated from Uganda to Charlotte, had heard his whole life that giving back to your community was the right thing to do. Lubikas father had helped homeless people in Charlotte and often brought his son with him to serve. Lubika, who transferred to UNCG, frequently rode his bike up and down Gate City Boulevard, where he saw many homeless people around the Greensboro Urban Ministry. He decided to stop and talk to people in front of Weaver House and ask them about their lives and their needs. Lubika decided to follow the advice of his father and do something good for his community. He founded Smell the Roses, a nonprofit group, to help the homeless and provide them with tools and pathways to reintegrate into the community. Reginald Gilmore has experienced homelessness. He knows the local homeless community and has seen the good work of Smell the Roses. The GPD Officers recognized that Mr. Smith needed transport to the hospital in accordance with state law... lawyers assert in the brief. However, it was clear that some degree of restraint was necessary to allow for safe transport. The city says in the legal brief that Smith entered the patrol car voluntarily but he slammed his hand against the door multiple times and the officers were concerned he would break the window. He also pressed his feet against the window as if to kick it out. Officers say in the video, according to the document, that Smith would need a hobble for transport. Officers did not use excessive force to restrain Mr. Smith, the lawyers assert in the document. According to the filing, the video shows Smith ran quickly out of the car when the door was opened and ran into an officer with enough force to turn off his body camera. Smith kicked and moved his body and legs before being restrained, attorneys said in the filing. After reading two letters rebuking those who protested Vice President Pences recent visit to Greensboro, I realized I must change my views about him and President Trump as well. It is our duty to welcome Trump with open arms, should we again be so fortunate as to be one of his destinations. But we can do even better. President Trump is mortal. Sooner or later he will need a monument. As a City Council member, Trudy Wade exhausted her energies trying to reopen the White Street Landfill. I suggest crowning that already towering landfill with an impressive structure to receive Trumps remains. Included could be a huge bronze statue of Trump, enveloped in perpetual flames from the abundant methane (generated there by countless tons of buried garbage), and surrounded by tablets engraved with his best tweets. Perhaps this statue could be accompanied by others of demons with flaming pitchforks. This monument would draw the entire worlds attention. It really would! The Tajik edition of the first volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has been released in Dushanbe at a China-Tajikistan seminar on state governing, prior to the state visit of the Chinese president to the Central Asian country. The event, jointly held by the Chinese State Council Information Office, China International Publishing Group and the Chinese Embassy in Tajikistan, was attended by senior government officials of both countries on Tuesday. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon congratulated his Chinese counterpart on the publication of the book in a letter, which was read by First Deputy Prime Minister Davlatali Said at the event. Rahmon noted that under the strategic guidance of President Xi, China has achieved great accomplishments in social and economic as well as scientific and technological fields, while having notable achievements and prestige in the international arena. The book will help the Tajik people better understand China, President Xi's philosophy of governing the country and China's development path, he said. The Tajik president also expressed confidence that Xi's upcoming visit to Tajikistan will inject new impetus into efforts to further consolidate and expand bilateral cooperation in various fields. Wang Xiaohui, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said in an address that Rahmon's letter fully embodies his appreciation and recognition of Xi's idea on the governance of China and reflects the sincere friendship between the two peoples. With a comprehensive and systematic interpretation of the major theoretical and practical issues of China's development in the new era, the book will help promote the pragmatic cooperation between China and Tajikistan in the areas of the Belt and Road Initiative, he said. Following the launching ceremony, experts and scholars of the two countries held in-depth discussions on the book at the seminar. Present at the event were around 200 people from China and Tajikistan. Last week, the Kyrgyz edition of the first volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" was released at the presidential residence in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. Chinese President Xi Jinping is paying a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on June 12-16, during which he will attend the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek and the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe. RIDGEFIELD Some people come into our lives and drift out, without making much difference. Others have a profound impact, are never forgotten and even inspire a movie. For Nick Freeman, 22, of Ridgefield, one who mattered was Bill Bellion his former manager at Squashs Office Supply on Main Street in Ridgefield. Working at Squashs for four years was truly an unforgettable experience, said Freeman. Bill felt like a second father to me. He never had children, but me and two other co-workers, celebrated Fathers Day one year with him and got him a card. His appreciation and care for us as more than his employees is something I can never forget. Those fond memories and Bellions recent passing inspired Freeman, a senior at New York University, to write Help Wanted, a short film for his senior thesis project in Advanced Narrative Workshop. I hope it will be a fitting tribute for one of the kindest, goodhearted people Ive ever known. I tried to incorporate his unique brand of humor and wide emotional range into the writing, said Freeman, who will earn a B.F.A. in film and television in December. To complete the film, he teamed up with his best friend of 10 years, Dion White, 22, of Ridgefield, a senior at Western Connecticut State University. Its always been a dream of ours to work together on a project, said White who will earn a B.A. in media production in December. Nick always used to make music videos for his brother, which I was involved in. This inspired me to use the knowledge I already had and expand it further in my college studies. White added: I thank Dr. Barone in Westconns media department for the development of my craft. Freeman praises Whites production skills. Its incredible to work with Dion on this film because its very personal for both of us. Were so happy to be shooting in our hometown and bringing this dream full circle. Help Wanted is a 15-minute dark comedy. Its about a lonely store manager who comes into his second life after discovering the therapeutic wonder of ASMR [Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response] soap carving. ASMR is a type of therapy based in sound. Scientists have no idea what it is or how it works, but it exists. Its an extremely strange phenomenon, said Freeman. I heard about ASMR years ago through friends, but was inspired to incorporate it into the film after looking over the shoulder of a classmate who was watching ASMR soap carving videos in class. I found it both incredibly strange and very mesmerizing. Freemans objective is to create a world that captures the spirit of the store and his former boss. An office supply store seems ordinary. My goal is to heighten this seemingly normal experience and create something surreal and unexpected, he said. Although White never worked at Squashs, Bellion was an important part of his high school experience. Id frequently go there and talk to Bill. He was an exceptional person. He was truly the face of Squashs and everyone in town knew and loved him, White said. The film has two starring leads, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Douglas McGrath, and writer-humorist, Patricia Marx. I met Doug and Patty when we began working on a mockumentary web series together last year. I was blown away by their quick wit and comedic sense, Freeman said. Both McGrath and Marx are known for their comedic writing for Saturday Night Live in the 1980s. McGrath has written and directed film and theater while Marx writes for The New Yorker. Doug is absolutely hilarious and can convey a broad emotional range. I couldnt be more excited about having him, Freeman said. The cast and crew will be filming at Squashs Office Supply in June. The town has been a huge help to us. Were hoping to get even more support, making it a true Ridgefield production, said White. Freeman has high expectations for the film. I want this film to be sad, strange, funny and beautiful, he said. Freeman credits his professor, Katherine Lindberg, for being a tremendous help in developing the project. Shes made her course incredibly challenging and gratifying, he said. Freemans classmate, Bre Kelly, 21, a senior at NYU, is assisting White with production. This fall, Freeman and White plan on hosting a screening of the film at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, N.Y., and theyll submit it to film festivals. And more filmmaking is planned. Freeman plans on pursuing a career in the film industry. I hope to start out by finding any kind of work, whether it be editing, shooting or directing. My more realistic dream is to start out by shooting or directing music videos, said Freeman. He is currently a videographer at Universal Music Group, shooting and editing music videos and behind-the-scenes pieces for artists. White will also pursue a career in the industry. Im planning on starting my own production company one day where I can work with the people I love and love what I do. Freeman and White are raising money through Indiegogo.com(www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-wanted-a-dark-comedy-nyu-short-film) and reaching out independently. GREENWICH A science fiction classic with themes that continue to have real world implications was selected for this years Greenwich Reads Together program. Ray Bradburys novel Fahrenheit 451 will be the featured title for the Greenwich Librarys community-wide reading experience, which is in its ninth year. A full slate of programs built around the book and its themes will be unveiled in the fall, but the title was revealed Thursday morning. The prizewinning 1953 novel, which has been adapted as a movie twice, tells of a future American society where books are banned and firemen are tasked with burning any remaining ones they find. Under harsh government rule, residents instead numb their minds with television. One day a, fireman finds out there is something more and something better to be found in the world of books. Bradbury wrote the novel because of his own fears about book-burning during the time of McCarthyism. Greenwich Library Director Barbara Ormerod-Glynn said Fahrenheit 451 remains relevant today as a classic of world literature with themes ripe for exploration and discussion. I think the themes of the book, which include the importance of alternate ideas, the dangers of censorship and the mindlessness of the television being watched in this particular book, will resonate with so many people who are concerned about all three of those topics right now, Ormerod-Glynn said. This is about the value of making sure we think through issues in a very particular way. The themes really jump right out at you. Ormerod-Glynn shared part of the introduction to a 50th anniversary copy of Fahrenheit 451 by acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman, who said the novel is a reminder that what we have is valuable and sometimes we take what we value for granted. In past years, Greenwich Reads Together has featured more modern titles with the authors coming tow town for a discussion and question-and-answer sessions. However, due to Greenwich Librarys upcoming massive renovation, which will result in a new auditorium and other upgrades, there is no space available in the fall for an authors appearance. So the program switched to highlighting a classic title instead of a modern one. Fahrenheit 451 was chosen after a lengthy selection process. The library sought community input on possible titles, and four finalists were picked from among the 140 suggestions. Bradburys novel was up against John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and Ernest Gaines A Lesson Before Dying. Those four titles were put up for a vote on the librarys website, allowing the public to pick the winning book. Ormerod-Glynn did not reveal the final vote totals but said Fahrenheit 451 was a clear winner. The Greenwich Reads Together committee, which is made up of library staff and community members, met weekly to consider all 140 suggestions over two months. It was a true labor of love, she said. Books were also chosen for young readers. For middle schoolers, the selection is Ban this Book by Alan Gratz, which is about a shy student standing up against censorship when her favorite book is banned from the library by a well-meaning but misguided parent. For elementary schoolers, the selection is Hands Around the Library by Susan L. Roth and Karen Legett Abouraya, which is about the efforts to protect the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. By focusing on one shared title, Greenwich Reads Together prompts communitywide involvement and promotes the joy of reading and lifelong learning, Ormerod-Glynn said. Nearly 6,000 readers took part in last years events, with more than 20 community organizations involved, said Robert Marks, president of the librarys Board of Trustees. Each year it has grown in scope and participation, Marks said of Greenwich Reads Together. The program is achieving its goals of connecting people of all ages in the discussion of overarching themes of everlasting importance. A crowd of nearly 30 people was on hand for the announcement, including Selectman John Toner, who helped with the grand reveals by tearing the paper off the hidden book titles. kborsuk@greenwichtime.com Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media GREENWICH Any late night travelers headed through Greenwich on Thursday might encounter a road closure in town, expected to last through midnight. Police said King Street between Sherwood Avenue and Cliffdale Road is closed, adding that northbound traffic will have to detour through the area to get to Westchester Airport. BHOPAL, India - Pragya Singh Thakur is a Hindu ascetic who has boasted of her role in destroying a medieval mosque, valorized the man who murdered Mohandas Gandhi as a "patriot" and is facing trial on a charge of terrorist conspiracy. Last month, she was also elected to India's Parliament. Thakur is the most talked-about candidate to win in the recently concluded national polls, which returned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, to power with a massive mandate. The 49-year-old is an unlikely legislator. She renounced family life in her 30s to become a "sadhvi," an honorific for a Hindu nun. But later she would be charged under an anti-terrorism statute for conspiring to target Muslims in a deadly 2008 bomb blast. She denies the charges. Her controversial candidacy and comfortable victory epitomize the growing influence of a militant brand of right-wing Hindu ideology in India, a country of more than 1.3 billion people that its founders envisioned as a secular republic. The decision by the senior leadership of the BJP to tap Thakur to run in the party stronghold of Bhopal, the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh, shocked even its sympathizers. Thakur is the "worst example of poisonous, hate-infused" belief in Hindu primacy, wrote Tavleen Singh, a columnist who admires Modi, in the Indian Express newspaper. There is "no excuse" for Modi to allow people charged with terrorism to contest polls, Singh wrote. A total of 159 newly elected Indian legislators have faced serious criminal charges, an increase of 109 percent since the 2009 elections. But experts on the country's elections said no major party had fielded a candidate charged under a terrorism statute in decades. Thakur's run for office sent a "national signal," said political scientist Tariq Thachil of Vanderbilt University, who studies grass-roots politics in Bhopal. During the election campaign, Modi combined a muscular stance on national security with a pro-development agenda. At the same time, the BJP also provided a platform for fringe candidates like Thakur whose rhetoric stokes tensions between Hindus and Muslims. During the campaign, she described the election as a "religious war" and asked people to dedicate their vote to religion. She received more than 860,000 votes. According to Thakur's brother-in-law, she is the second of five siblings and was born and raised in Bhind, a small town in central India. Her father was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, a Hindu nationalist organization that is the ideological parent of the BJP. She majored in history and spent several years working with the student wing of the RSS. In September 2008, a bomb on a motorbike exploded outside a mosque in Malegaon, a city in western India, killing six people and injuring more than 100. The motorbike was registered in Thakur's name. She was also accused by police of attending a meeting to plot the attack, charges she denies. Thakur spent over eight years in jail before securing bail. The national investigating agency that took over the probe from the police said the evidence against her was not substantiated, but the court disagreed. Her trial began in December and is ongoing. J.P. Mishra, Thakur's lawyer, said there is "not a single piece of evidence" against her. He said the bike had not been in her possession for two years before the blast. Avinash Rasal, the government prosecutor in the case, said that witness testimonies would be crucial to the case. Her political career does not appear to have been damaged by the trial. One recent Sunday morning, several dozen of her new constituents gathered at her rented home in Bhopal. Around 9:30 a.m., Thakur came down the stairs in flowing saffron robes. Everyone got up reverentially. She walked to a corner of the room and bowed in front of a set of framed images. Some were portraits of Hindu gods. One was a portrait of her. Thakur declined a request for an interview, telling a Washington Post reporter that her focus was now her work. Many of the visitors prostrated themselves at her feet and then took selfies. She responded with a smile and placed her hands on their heads in a gesture of blessing. One of those present was Anjali Chauhan, 20, a recent graduate who hoped to work with Thakur for the "upliftment of Hindus." Chauhan said she did not know much about the terrorism case against Thakur and said it was likely she had been framed. Other voters in Bhopal said they cast their vote for the BJP rather than for Thakur. "If the party has fielded her, then we have to go with it," said Aditi Saxena, a psychologist in the city. "I was willing to overlook her past." But some of Thakur's statements on the campaign trail did give Saxena pause. In one instance, Thakur claimed that by cursing a decorated police officer, she had caused his death. (The officer was killed in the line of duty trying to stop a terrorist attack.) Thakur had earlier accused the officer of torturing her while she was in jail, but an investigation by a human rights commission found the allegations were "not substantiated." Cursing an officer whom many Indians consider a hero was not Thakur's most inflammatory remark during the campaign. That moment came when she praised Gandhi's assassin, a Hindu extremist named Nathuram Godse who believed that the revered independence leader had betrayed Hindus in the negotiations over Indian independence and the creation of Pakistan. Godse "was, is and will remain a patriot," Thakur said on the campaign trail. In the ensuing furor, the BJP promised disciplinary action against Thakur, and Modi said he could never forgive the remark. But no official action has been taken. A BJP spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Five days after the election results were announced, Thakur delivered an address at a public event in a suburb of Delhi organized by a group of army veterans. Her speech included flattering references to her life, about which little is known. She said that as a teenager, she jumped from her rooftop in the middle of the night to catch a thief, whom she beat up and handed over to the police - a story she presented as evidence of her early interest in the good of the nation. "God gave me the strength to live for the country," she said, exhorting the crowd to become "soldiers" for the saffron cause. Saffron is the color worn by Hindu ascetics as well as the color of the BJP. Thakur said that saffron-wearing nationalists now inspire fear, a development she viewed with approval. "I like it," she said. "If enemies aren't scared, we should know how to scare them." Read more Indian politician calls the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi a 'patriot' 'Why do I fear to go out in my own country?' In Modi's India, rising unease among Muslims. Election workers in India traveled 300 miles over 4 days to set up a polling booth - for one voter Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news WASHINGTON - For months, Democrats have talked about how cordial their presidential primary contest has been, with candidates exchanging a "welcome to the race" here and a "so glad she's running" there. Criticisms were done in a read-between-the-lines style, and rarely did the candidates even name the person they were going after. No longer. The Democratic contest is entering a new phase as candidates shed their reluctance to counter one another, most visibly in a newfound willingness to criticize former Vice President Joe Biden, who has jumped to an early lead in the polls. Their arguments are merging with fresh attacks on Biden by President Trump, as both Democrats and the Republican incumbent share the same goals - to knock the former vice president out of the race - and with a similar undertone: that he's too old and carries too much baggage. Trump on Tuesday called Biden "a loser" and reminded listeners that he had earned only 1 percent in the 2008 Iowa caucuses - before, as the president put it, "Obama took him off the trash heap." Then he sought to raise questions about Biden's health, much as he did about Hillary Clinton in 2016. "Now, I have to tell you, he's a different guy," Trump said. "He looks different than he used to. He acts different than he used to. He's even slower than he used to be." The double-teaming offers a preview for the first Democratic debates in two weeks, where much of the focus is expected to be on picking apart Biden's extensive record. Beto O'Rourke, the former congressman from Texas, on Thursday launched the most aggressive and wide-ranging attacks on Biden so far, questioning some of his past positions, his more recent statements, and the sincerity of his shift on abortion rights. But he also made the argument that Biden represented the candidate of a prior generation, not the one of the future. "We cannot return to the past," he said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "We cannot simply be about defeating Donald Trump." Later in the interview, asked by co-host Willie Geist, "So is Joe Biden the return to the past?" O'Rourke replied, "He is." "And that cannot be who we are going forward," he said. "We've got to be bigger; we've got to be bolder. We have to set a much higher mark and be relentless in pursuing that." The criticism comes a week after the entire Democratic field separated themselves from Biden's position of supporting the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits using federal money to pay for most abortions. Biden reversed his position after an outcry from women, Democratic activists and other candidates. Biden - who himself ran for president in 1988 as the generational candidate attempting to counter older politicians who spoke from teleprompters and cue cards - did not respond to the criticism on Thursday. But earlier in the week he answered questions about his age, which Trump raised as they both appeared in Iowa. "It's self-evident," Biden said during an exchange with reporters. "You know it's a ridiculous assertion on his part. But anyway look it's a . . . People have a right to question all of our ages. That's totally legitimate thing. But like I say, watch me. Just watch me." He also dismissed questions about voters who want a fresh face, saying, "Vote for a new person then." Biden, 76, is three years older than Trump, who turns 73 on Friday. But the age differential is much greater with some of his Democratic rivals. Biden has been in public life for longer than O'Rourke has been alive. He was in his second term as a U.S. senator when South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was born. Buttigieg, like O'Rourke, has repeatedly referred to a need for a new generation of leadership. On Tuesday, in a foreign policy speech, Buttigieg warned Democrats that they must offer voters a vision that does not "turn the clock back to the 1990s." "It has been difficult to identify a consistent foreign policy in the Democratic Party," Buttigieg said of his party over the past two decades, a period of time in which Biden spent eight years as vice president and, before that, served as a key Senate leader on foreign policy issues. The intra-Democratic criticism came as candidates have gotten more aggressive in trying to define themselves not only by what they want to do - but also by who they are not. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has sharply criticized Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt., for his beliefs in democratic socialism. In response, Sanders tweeted video in which Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who shared some of Sanders's agenda, insisted that "cross our heart and hope to die, we believe in all these things." In addition to his dust-up with Hickenlooper, Sanders has criticized Biden for his vote authorizing the Iraq War and his support for various trade agreements, all of which Sanders opposed. Sanders also has started a twitter hashtag #NoMiddleGround, in an attempt to counter Biden's rhetoric about seeking compromise. Andrew Yang, a 44-year-old tech entrepreneur running for the Democratic nomination, criticized Biden on Sunday for skipping out on an event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that 19 of the 23 candidates attended. "Joe Biden must really not like to travel," he joked to some groans at the gathering. Biden responded later, saying that he had skipped the weekend gathering because Saturday was his daughter's 38th birthday, while Sunday was his granddaughter's high school graduation. "I would skip inauguration for that," Biden said. "Out of 19 presidential candidates in Iowa this weekend I guarantee you that several were missing family obligations," Yang responded on Twitter. "That's what happens when you run for President. If a front-runner says that we have different values, that's on him." O'Rourke had previously refrained from directly attacking his 2020 competitors and has built his reputation as a sunny campaigner who has vowed he would stick with positivity. Despite advice from some of those around him, he was reluctant to go negative against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during their 2018 Senate race. O'Rourke eventually referred to Cruz by the nickname Trump had given him - "Lyin' Ted" - during one of their debates, a decision he later said he regretted. During one of his first campaign events in Iowa, O'Rourke winced when a voter stood and said he wanted "youth" and that he hoped Biden did not get into the presidential contest. "I have to disagree a bit," O'Rourke said in March. "I think if Vice President Biden gets into the race, I think we could use his perspective." "I can't tell anyone else what to do," he said later that day, reflecting on the exchange. "I can only control my own actions. You will not see us demeaning any of the other candidates - ever uttering a personal word about anyone else." O'Rourke on Thursday seemed to try to make a harsh critique about Biden's candidacy without getting too personal. But he was building on the Trump attack from earlier in the week, when the president maligned Biden's physical state. O'Rourke then launched into an indictment of several of the policies of the Obama administration, which has also been a rare direct line of attack among Democratic presidential candidates. Asked what he would tell voters to persuade them to vote for him rather than Biden, O'Rourke replied that "you cannot go back to the end of the Obama administration and think that that's good enough." The country "had real problems before Donald Trump became president," O'Rourke said, pointing to the wealth disparity between black and white Americans, the persistent problem of gun violence and the Obama administration's record on border deportations, which he described as "destroying families and breaking up communities." Like other Democrats, O'Rourke earlier this month was critical of Biden over his support of the antiabortion Hyde Amendment. When Biden reversed his stance, O'Rourke issued faint praise: "Well, he got to the right place, and . . . yeah, so that's really all I can say on that," O'Rourke said last week in an interview with The Washington Post. By contrast, in Thursday's "Morning Joe" interview, O'Rourke openly questioned whether Biden's shift on the Hyde Amendment was genuine. "Look, you've got to ask yourself where Joe Biden is on the issues that are most important to you," O'Rourke said. "Did he support the war in Iraq that forever destabilized the Middle East? Does he really believe that women of lower income should be able to make their own decisions about their own body and be able to afford health care in order to do that? He supported the Hyde Amendment." The Texas Democrat also took aim at Biden's recent remarks on China. "He says China is not [a] threat, nothing to worry about," O'Rourke said. "And now seems to be changing his message on that. So I'm not exactly sure what he believes or what he should apologize for. I only know that this country should be able to do far better." _ _ _ The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan contributed to this report. The Federal Election Commission's chairwoman warned Americans and anyone running for public office Thursday about illegal activity. Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub said it's illegal for anyone to solicit, accept or receive anything of value from a foreigner in connection with a U.S. election. "This is not a novel concept," she said in the statement. "Electoral intervention from foreign governments has been considered unacceptable since the beginnings of our nation." The comments came a day after an interview aired in which President Donald Trump remarked he'd be open to listening if a foreign power offered information regarding a political opponent. William Banks, a Syracuse University law professor, said that information received from a foreign entity could be a little murky under the law, but if someone determined the information was of value, it would be unlawful. The FEC is the independent regulatory agency that oversees enforcement of federal campaign finance law, covering issues such as mandatory reporting of money raised and spent in federal elections and restrictions on contributions to federal elections. "I would not have thought that I needed to say this," Weintraub said. Her statement said she wanted to make the issue "100 percent clear." She advised that anyone who receives foreign assistance risks being on the "wrong end of a federal investigation" and any political campaign that receives an offer of a prohibited donation from a foreign source should report the issue to the FBI. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and No. 2 GOP leader Steve Scalise have separately told reporters Thursday that questions about that are hypothetical. McCarthy says foreign governments shouldn't interfere in U.S. elections. Scalise said he's seen Trump respond one way to a hypothetical question but react differently when an actual event occurs. He offered no specifics. Trump also said he wouldn't necessarily report such an offer to the FBI, which the FBI director has said should be done. China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) spokesperson Gao Feng gestures during a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, June 13, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua] The Ministry of Commerce on Thursday urged the United States to immediately cease its wrong practices and rescind unilateral sanctions against Chinese companies. China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises, ministry spokesman Gao Feng said at a news conference. The ministry will soon release details about an "unreliable entities" list a blacklist of foreign parties that, for noncommercial reasons, harm the interests of Chinese companies, Gao said. China and the US, the world's two largest economies, reached an impasse in negotiations over trade issues. China has repeatedly spoken against Washington's unilateral and protectionist moves, and vowed to take countermeasures. The National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, is preparing to set up a national technological security management list to mitigate risks to national security, earlier reports stated. Gao said it is an international practice for countries to protect their own technologies through the legal system. In the first five months, investment from the US in China climbed 7.5 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said. Overall, China's foreign direct investment increased 6.8 percent year-on-year to 369.06 billion yuan ($53.35 billion) during the period. Trade volume between China and US declined 9.6 percent to 1.42 trillion yuan between January and May. Gao said that five consecutive months of shrinking trade showed that the competitive advantage of US products has declined and companies' normal business has been disrupted. Zhang Ming, China's ambassador to the European Union, said the US government has been wielding the stick of tariffs in many markets, including the EU. China and the EU should work together to foster a more stable and predictable business environment, Zhang said at a luncheon on Tuesday hosted by EU-China Business Association. Bai Chongen, dean of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management, said: "The Chinese economy has a huge potential, and as long as we keep reforming, we will not be defeated. In the meantime, we need to keep the door open to protect multilateralism." Bai suggested that the market in Europe notably the United Kingdom, France and Germany was worthy of pursuing. "The core conflict is that between unilateralism and multilateralism," he said. "China could turn such a situation into a good one if it handles the conflict right, as China can make friends with more countries around the world. This sentiment is shared between those countries and China." Ju Jiandong, an economics professor at Tsinghua University, pointed out that the US needed to carefully evaluate the potential damage a trade war can cause. "The breakdown of the global value chain would cause a stock market crash," he said. "The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers almost crushed Wall Street, and now we are talking about dozens of companies involved in the global industrial value chain." NORWALK Marc Karun first popped onto police radar as a potential suspect two weeks after Kathleen Flynn was found sexually assaulted and strangled to death near Ponus Ridge Middle School in September 1986. For more than three decades, Karuns name continued to resurface as the investigation turned into a cold case. Four times Karun, 53, was convicted of kidnapping or sexual assaulting four females in the years before and after Kathleens death. One of those assaults was on Jan. 27, 1986 eight months before Kathleens death. He was arrested on charges of first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. The kidnapping charge was nolled, the sexual assault was reduced to the fourth degree and he only served a few months in jail. In April 1988, Karun was charged in Derby with first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. He was later sentenced to 16 years in jail, but was released after serving 10. Without conclusive DNA evidence, it was the similarities in these instances that finally led to Karuns arrest this week in Kathleens killing, according to his 55-page arrest warrant filed in Bangor, Maine, near the small town where he has been living since 2013. Several of the cases exhibit a similar geographical profile, modus operandi and rituals to the Kathleen Flynn homicide in some form, Norwalk police Lt. Arthur Weisberger wrote in the warrant. Karun was charged Wednesday with murder with special circumstances and first-degree kidnapping. The statute of limitations expired on the sexual assault charge. Karun waived his extradition during a Maine court hearing and was set to be transported to Norwalk on Friday, according to the Bangor Daily News. More News Arrest made in Norwalk cold case slaying of Kathleen Flynn, 11 Police said Karun was found illegally possession 10 guns when he was arrested on Wednesday, but Maine authorities dropped the charges so he could return to Connecticut. Norwalk police have declined to comment about the arrest or the case until they hold a press conference sometime next week. The warrant details the process on how other suspects in Kathleens murder were eliminated through DNA testing and hair samples. In reviewing the case that identify Marc Karun as the offender committing some form of sexual assault or kidnapping between January of 1986 and June of 1988, the warrant found noticeable similarities with the details of the sexual assault and the murder of Kathleen Flynn on Sept. 23, 1986, the warrant states. Among them was his geographic profile that showed Karun was living or staying as a guest near where the crimes occurred, the warrant said. The areas provided Karun with easy access and the ability to reconnoiter and allow for some degree of control, the warrant stated. When Kathleen was killed, Karun was living about two miles from where she was found, the warrant said. Karun was first interviewed on Oct. 9, 1986, after a green vehicle was identified as possibly connected to the case. Karun had a green vehicle at the time, the warrant said. Karun told investigators he had been at Ponus Ridge Middle School four days before Kathleen was killed, the warrant said. He said he previously attended the school and visited teachers and the librarian. But no school staff who were interviewed at the time and in 2012 recalled seeing him in the school that day, the court papers said. In 2012, the investigation focused on Karun after his DNA was linked to Kathleens fingernail scraping, the warrant said. However, later testing determined it was inconclusive, the warrant said. By 2017, he had racked up four kidnapping and sexual assault convictions stemming from attacks on females that were all carried out in a similar fashion to Kathleens assault, the warrant said. Each victim was disrobed below the waist with her hands tied, the investigation revealed. Forensic evidence determined Kathleens assault had occurred in a similar fashion, the warrant said. But repeated DNA testing didnt conclude that Karun was a contributor to evidence found at the scene, the warrant said. In 2017, police obtained a warrant from a Stamford Superior Court judge to obtain additional DNA samples from Karun in Maine. On Oct. 3, 2017, Norwalk police Sgt. Alex Tolnay met with Karun in Bangor at the Penobscot County Sheriffs Office and collected the swabs. At that point, Karun refused to have any further conversations with Norwalk police. The samples were taken to Connecticuts Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis and examination. In 2017, DNA technology had advanced significantly over the last three decades. A new Fusion 6C test kit allowed further DNA testing on evidence that had been previously examined. However, the results from that test came back either negative or inconclusive. The testing and an investigation over three decades did find noticeable similarities to Kathleens death and that several of the cases exhibit a similar geographic profile, modus operandi and rituals to the Kathleen Flynn homicide in some form. The murder with special circumstances charge is an offense defined as a murder that occurred during the course of a kidnapping, sexual assault or other felony or involves the death of a child under the age of 16. The penalty in Connecticut, if convicted, is a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Almond-colored OnePlus 7 Pro arrived two days ago in the United States and China, and now it is time for India to receive the device as well. The phone will be in stock at noon IST, and can be purchased for INR52,999, which is about $760/675. Just for comparison, the same 8/256 GB option is $699 in the United States and the equivalent of $649 in China. The phones color resembles Sand or Gold, but OnePlus decided to go with the unusual and, honestly, quite catching moniker. There is only one memory combo of the phone that comes with Snapdragon 855 chipset and full-screen experience thanks to the elevating selfie camera. Now OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a regular, telephoto and ultra-wide-angle shooters on the back, with the main one boasting a 48 MP Sony sensor. Other specs worth mentioning are the Warp Charge at 30W and the 6.67 Fluid AMOLED screen which is a piece of art on its own. The next market where the Almond color will arrive is Europe, with launches scheduled for June 25. Source The Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Thursday that all safety concerns must be resolved before the Boeing 737 Max planes resume operation. Gu Xiaohong, deputy director of the administration's general affairs department, said the administration has received notification from the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States that some Boeing 737 planes, including the now grounded Boeing 737 Max, may have defective parts in their wings. The US aviation regulator issued a statement on Sunday warning that some wing components that provide greater lift during takeoff and landing, known as leading edge slat tracks, "may not meet all applicable regulatory requirements for strength and durability". "The affected parts may be susceptible to premature failure or cracks resulting from the improper manufacturing process," the FAA said. Checks would need to be carried out on 179 of the aircraft worldwide, as well as 133 older models called 737 NG to identify where the suspect parts had been installed, Boeing said. The CAAC asked domestic airliners on Tuesday to check, remove and replace the parts if their 737 NG aircraft are affected, Gu said. The administration is closely following the measures taken by the FAA and Boeing regarding the 737 Max aircraft, he said, adding that all safety issues must be resolved before the aircraft can resume service. The Max jet has been grounded since March following two deadly crashes that have been linked to a separate concern about a piece of software in the plane. The administration also said frequent rains and thunderstorms in May have caused more delays and flight cancellations. A total of 10,320 flights were delayed and more than 3,000 canceled in cities including Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai and Nanjing in May, said Sun Shaohua, deputy director of the administration's operation monitoring center. With the peak summer travel season around the corner and increasing rainfall and extreme weather, there will be more pressure in the coming months to ensure normal flight operation, he said. Airports, airliners and air traffic control authorities will strengthen cooperation to ensure normal flight operation during the storm season, including better sharing of information and data, more accuracy in meteorological reporting and more scientific flight schedules, Sun added. While companies like Huawei, Google, and OnePlus have devices that already got the Android Q Beta, Xiaomi is only now unveiling which phones will receive the next Google OS. Today the company posted a list of 11 smartphones that will run take part in the beta program - nine of them are scheduled for Q4 2019, while two more will get it between January and March 2020. Interestingly enough, the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro arrived earlier than most of the flagships listed, but they are the only two with the integration postponed. Apparently, time of launch has nothing to do with it and Xiaomi is betting on its flagship series Mi and Mi Mix to taste the new Android OS first. At the end of May, we spotted the Redmi K20 Pro appearing in the Android Q Beta program with steps how to install it and what bugs are expected, but now the announcement from China talks specifically about the MIUI integration with the Android OS. This means that even if the Redmi flagship is ready for Q, it will not officially run it once the Xiaomi team has the Mi user interface ready. Source (in Chinese) | Via The 55W SuperCharge will be exclusive to the Huawei Mate X for now FCC Chairman claims NASA and NOAA are wrong about 5G interference with weather forecasts Comments Everyone is talking about the Galaxy Note10, but Samsung might have other announcements over the next couple of months. The company is planning to launch at least three new tablets - we already told you about the Galaxy Tab S5 with Snapdragon 855, but it will likely be accompanied by the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 and the Galaxy Tab Active Pro. The former slate already appeared on the Android Enterprise website, and was approved by the Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi Alliance organisations with at least five different model numbers - SM-T295, SM-T295N, SM-T295C, SM-T297 and SM-T290. The first four will have LTE support, which means the different letter in the monikers might reference different carriers. The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active Pro is yet to appear in renders, but the name was registered with the Intellectual Property Office of the European Union (EUIPO), meaning Samsung is most likely preparing for a new rugged tablet after the first Active, launched in 2014 and the Galaxy Tab Active 2, introduced in 2017. Via 1 Via 2 (in Dutch) Haiti - FLASH : Towards a conditioned American aid ? After her return from a mission to Haiti during which she saw acts of political violence perpetrated by gangs allegedly affiliated with the Haitian government, Rep Maxine Waters, Chair of the House Committee on Financial Services, discussed the political crisis in Haiti with, members of the Black Congress, and other concerned congressmen, who agreed to work together to bring justice to the Haitian people and with MP Barbara Lee to make sure that the political crisis in Haiti be included in the report accompanying the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2020. "During my recent trip to Haiti, I was shocked and appalled to learn of the massacre and the burning of homes in La Saline and other evidence of politically motivated violence, and I am deeply disturbed by the allegations that the Haitian government may have been involved," said Congresswoman Waters. "I thank my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for working to include language in the report accompanying the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill to address this urgent crisis." The report accompanying the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, as approved by the Appropriations Committee, includes the following language regarding the crisis in Haiti : "The Committee is greatly concerned by civil unrest in Haiti. The Committee expects the Secretary of State and USAID Administrator to support dialogue aimed at resolving the political crisis and ensuring that upcoming elections are transparent and inclusive. The Committee is especially concerned about the incidents in November 2018 in La Saline, including alleged human rights abuses and the burning of homes in the area. The Committee encourages the Government of Haiti to address the real grievances in the country, including access to housing. The Committee encourages the provision of technical support for thorough and independent investigations into both the allegations of corruption and human rights violations." The report also includes the following additional provision conditioning U.S. foreign assistance for the central Government of Haiti on progress towards reforms : Pursuant to subsection (c), funds are withheld for assistance for the central Government of Haiti unless the Secretary of State certifies and reports that the Government of Haiti is taking the following steps : strengthening the rule of law including by transparently selecting judges based on merit, reducing pre-trial detention, respecting the independence of the judiciary, and implementing reforms to increase transparency and accountability including through the penal and criminal code; Combating corruption including by implementing the 2014 anti-corruption law and prosecuting corrupt officials; Increasing government revenues, including through tax reforms, and increasing expenditures on public services; and; Rresolving commercial disputes between U.S. entities and the government of Haiti. SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Social : New anti-Moise demonstration, violence and vandalism at the rendezvous Thursday about 2,000 people demonstrated again in downtown Port-au-Prince to demand the resignation of President Jovenel Moise and holding the PetroCaribe Trial. The demonstrations on the outskirts of the National Palace being prohibited, the organizers had defined a tour around the Palace in the streets nearby, with the aim of making it 7 times around. For several hours, the protesters followed this course not without some clashes with the security of the Palace while the protesters were too close to the security perimeter. Furious at being prevented by agents of the general security unit of the National Palace, the protesters vented by throwing stones at the Parliament and the security agents... Several barricades of burning tires were erected along the route, individuals have vandalized several private cars, including breaking windows and windshields of vehicles as well as windows of different companies in their path... At the Bicentennial, protesters clashed with other devices of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), unhappy with these blockages protesters threw stones and bottles at the police, then on the Palace of Justice receiving in return tear-gas grenades from the security guards of the Palace of Justice and the PNH, before attacking the offices of Electricite d'Haiti (Ed'H) on the Boulevard Harry Truman then at the Ministry for the Status of Women at the Champs de Mars. Subsequently, several groups of highly motivated demonstrators wearing hoods caused various material damage in outlying areas of the Champ de Mars. In addition, a vehicle carrying merchants returning from Kenscoff was the target of stone throwing at Lalue at the corner of rue Capois and Avenue John Brown, the driver trying to escape a group of very angry people... lost control of his vehicle that overturned causing at least 2 injuries. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27971-haiti-flash-activities-disrupted-in-the-metropolitan-area-panic-in-petion-ville.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27957-haiti-politic-message-from-acting-prime-minister-lapin.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27953-haiti-flash-police-stone-a-protester.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27946-haiti-flash-violent-clashes-at-least-2-dead-many-injured-and-extensive-damage.html TB/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Petit-Goave : Violent clashes between opposition groups Thursday, June 13, 2019, the Seradot Market of Petit-Goave (National Road #2) was, during more than two hours, the scene of strong tensions and violent clashes with stones and bottles between young people of the Street Benoit and members of the radical opposition known as the "Popular and Democratic Sector", some of whom wore their machetes... The National Road #2 at the Seradot Market was littered with shards of bottles and carcasses of all kinds. Trucks and buses providing public transport from Port-au-Prince or the South were blocked in the city center. Those who went south eventually took the Ti Guinen inner road. The youth of Street Benoit, opposed the advance of protesters from the radical opposition on the national #2 towards Seradot Market. Both sides fought hard and residents of the area launched unsuccessful calls for help to the police. Although both groups are of the opposition, the Street Benoit camp would have liked to demonstrate its strength, hoping to be contacted either by the men in power or by the opposition members of Port-au-Prince in order to initiate "lucrative" negotiations. In the opinion of some observers, the young people of Street Benoit have pretended, by strategy, to challenge the legitimacy of Pierre Augustin, James Desrosiers, Bony James, leaders of the local branch of the radical opposition. For Pierre Augustin, spokesman for the radical opposition known as the "Popular and Democratic Sector", the young people of Street Benoit initially pretended to be members of the opposition, but later they would have changed their position and would work now for the team in place and would have in the late afternoon received money from the Government... Augustin, moreover, acknowledged that the youth of Street Benoit had managed to prevent the protesters of the popular sector from reaching their destination. At least two people were injured during the clashes and transported to the hospital. Obviously the young opposition protesters of Petit-Goave are divided and it is the money, this old demon, who seems to be responsible. HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave) The world's leading industrial giants such as the Daimler AG and Airbus, are partnering Chinese tech start-ups, many of which have their registered office in Inno Way, an incubator hub located in Beijing's Zhongguancun area, known as China's Silicon Valley. The cooperation, riding the tide of China's innovation endeavors, focuses on the idea of flight sharing or flying car sharing to ease traffic congestion in major cities across the world. Guo Zheng, CEO of Daimler (China) Science and Technology Innovation Co Ltd, said, "Daimler concentrates not only on the acceleration of vehicle manufacturing, but also on the sectors beyond, such as the services provided to car owners, introduction of a sharing economy, the business environment and also the way to make vehicles fly." Guo made his remarks at a forum entitled "Open Era-the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Festival" staged on June 12 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Inno Way's establishment in response to the trend of innovation and entrepreneurship. The forum was held at a time when a new stage in the scientific and technological revolution led by artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing is transforming the world, and at the same time, providing solutions to problems, such as traffic jams, overcrowding and pollution caused and intensified by factors including traditional production modes and industrial distribution layout. According to Luo Gang, CEO of Airbus China Innovation Center, the world's second largest aircraft producer is attempting to reduce carbon emissions by replacing the traditional fuel-based engines with electric ones. Besides, they are carrying out test flights expected to provide a new means of inter-city transport. Inspired from the ride-sharing platforms spearheaded by Didi and Uber, Airbus is cooperating with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China, hoping to keep up with the times based on creative thinking and new technologies. Nie Lixia, general manager of Inno Way, said big companies were playing a very important role in promoting innovative development. "The technological support and applications provided by big firms are indispensable for SMEs to grow," Nie said. From the launch of 13 institutes five years ago, Inno Way has now given birth to 3,451 start-ups. The incubator is no longer a highway for offices, administrative service windows and cafes only; rather, it has become an ecosystem expected to boost innovation-centered businesses and embrace emerging fundamental changes. Yu Jun, Party secretary of Haidian district committee, said that, from a busy business hub to a tranquil incubator center, Inno Way was becoming increasingly rational in its development as a land of innovation. According to Yu, it will become an indicator of a new ecosystem formed through the connectivity between the district's high-tech enterprises and prestigious universities in the capital such as Tsinghua University and Peking University. Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I-Sag Harbor) and State Senator James Gaughran today announced the introduction of legislation to improve and expand the Real Property Tax Relief Credit. If enacted, the legislation would increase the Real Property Tax Relief Credits maximum qualifying income eligibility from $250,000 to $350,000 and increase the amount of the credit, including raising the maximum level of the credit from $350 to $1,500. Currently set to expire in 2025, the bill would also make the credit permanent. As New Yorkers across the state struggle with housing insecurity, this legislation would directly address... Tony Preite, right, shakes hands with Paul Tuss after delivering a speechduring Bear Paw Development Corp. 50th anniversary reception Thursday at the Havre Historic Post Office in Havre. Bear Paw Development Corp. held a luncheon, tour and concert celebrating its 50-year anniversary Thursday. "The partnership between the (U.S. Economic Development Administration) and Bear Paw represents, I think, the very best of how we can work together to empower and strengthen regions," EDA Denver Regional Director Angela Belden Martinez said at the luncheon. "In your counties, cities, small towns and tribal lands, our partnership and your grit has turned economic challenges into economic opportunities." From city fire trucks to breweries, Bear Paw has helped northern Montana communities grow and maintain a livable place for community members. Bear Paw was established in 1969, the same year as Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the surface of the moon, Martinez said. Just as the country was moving into a new frontier, Bear Paw was forging its own frontier. Since 2006, Bear Paw's Economic Development District, coordinated $139,344,049 for projects through the state, federal and local government sources. In the past 35 years, Bear Paw's business lending has leveraged $60 million for more than 319 private sector start-ups and expansions, creating about 1,516 jobs within 31 years. She said Bear Paw and its community partners have made northern Montana stronger, creating a better quality of life for those within its economic development district. She added that Bear Paw also serves as a cornerstone and template for other economic development corporations on how to assist struggling communities and helps prepare communities within its district for the 21st century. For every dollar which is invested into Bear Paw from the local communities it leverages $27.08 for local governments. "To community leaders, elected officials, residence, thank you for working to promote collaboration and economic opportunities," she said. "Entrepreneurship is the engine of our economy," she said. Former Bear Paw Development Executive Director Tony Preite said that when Bear Paw first started, many people were confused by what the objective of Bear Paw was, but, in time, saw the benefits and the positive work it was doing. Bear Paw has become the premiere economic development corporation, with the most productive, efficient, multi-county district in the country. "I do not make that statement lightly," he said. He added that in 1961 Congress formed the Area Redevelopment Administration Office, which eventually missed its target in rural America and in 1965 was replaced with the Economic Development Administration, which was under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The purpose of the agency was to promote economic development in rural communities. "And that's what it does today," he said. Martinez said Preite is known as "the godfather of economic development." After leaving Bear Paw, Preite continued in economic development including serving as the first Montana director of the newly created U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, director in Denver of Region 8 for the Economic Development Administration and director of the Montana Department of Commerce. Bear Paw Development Executive Director Paul Tuss said that Preite, also well-known for his work in economic development has also served the north-central Montana community as a mentor and friend. Preite said that because of Bear Paw having leaders like Tuss, and his predecessors, such as Vern Griffiths of Butte who originally invested in Bear Paw and helped establish the economic development corporation, Bear Paw has been able to make a great impact to the communities within its district. "Bear Paw has the reputation to do the impossible," Preite said. Martinez said that Tuss has been involved with Bear Paw for almost half of its history and understands the importance of a strong local economy and recognizes the importance of their local, state and federal partners. Preite said that the staff at Bear Paw are also confident and committed to improving the district, carrying on a high level of professionalism throughout five decades. "It is an honor and pleasure, what an occasion," he added. Bear Paw was also celebrating the 10th anniversary of its partnership with the Brownfield Program of the Environmental Protection Agency, which identifies and cleans up contaminated properties and gets them back into use for commercial, retail or economic development in some fashion. Program Officer Barbara Benoy said that the program has been in existence for the past 20 years and Bear Paw has been a partner for half that time and has helped make it one of the most robust programs in the state. Havre Daily News/Ryan Berry Paul Tuss, right, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corporation, mills about and speaks with attendees prior to the beginning of Bear Paw Development's 50th anniversary reception Thursday at the Havre Historic Post Office in Havre. "They are the most prolific, you guys have done such a good job," she said. She added that she wanted to thank Bear Paw and everyone who had a hand in the development of the corporation as well as making the district something everyone can be proud of. Tuss said he also wanted to recognize community leaders, local elected officials, Bear Paw's employees and board members, and the communities within the district for its continued support of Bear Paw. He added that he also wanted to recognize board member Richard Sangrey, who has been on the board for Bear Paw since 1975, and is believed to be the longest-serving board member in any economic development corporation in the nation. Martinez said that a year after Bear Paw was first established in 1969 the EDA invested a $100,000 grant in the corporation for job training and placement. "Ever since, Bear Paw has continued to make an undeniable mark on the regional economy," she said. Havre Police Department A caller at a First Street West business reported Thursday at 9:14 a.m. finding a bag of white powder by a gas pump. -- A 16-year-old was issued a summons on charges of minor in possession of intoxicants and underage tobacco usage, after a caller on Lincoln Avenue asked officers at 9:52 a.m. Thursday to check on a man loitering in the area and an officer at Boulevard Avenue and 11th Street West investigated a man staggering. -- Albert Kenneth Fisher of Havre, 78, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and trespass to property after a caller on Main Street reported Thursday at 2 p.m. a man was lying on the sidewalk. -- John Melvin Birdtail of Harlem, 26, was issued a summons on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia after a caller on First Avenue West reported a strange man in a home Thursday at 6:58 p.m. and an officer investigated suspicious activity at 7:35 p.m. on First Street West. -- A caller at a First Street business asked Thursday at 8:52 p.m. to speak to an officer. -- Someone stopped at the police station Thursday at 9:04 p.m. to speak to an officer about a parenting plan. Hill County Sheriff's Office A caller reported Thursday at 10:19 a.m. a female freaking out in the bathroom of Stone Child College. The call was referred to another agency. -- Robert James Caplette of Havre, 19, was arrested on a State District Court warrant after turning himself in at the Hill County Sheriff's Office Thursday at 5:44 p.m. -- A U.S. Highway 2 caller reported a male walking down the highway trying to stop traffic Thursday at 7:44 p.m. -- John Melvin Birdtail of Harlem, 26, was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, vehicle theft, criminal trespass to vehicle and driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license after a caller reported suspicious activity at a U.S. Highway 87 business Thursday at 11:54 p.m. Havre Fire Department Emergency medical personnel responded to one call Thursday and one call early this morning. Havre Animal Shelter The shelter this morning held two medium-hair cats, two long-hair cats and one 14-week-old medium hair kitten, all of unknown gender; two medium-hair male cats, one short-hair female cat and one medium-hair female cat. -- The Havre shelter also held this morning two female mixed-breed dogs, a female shepherd-Labrador retriever dog, a male shepherd dog, a male Labrador retriever dog, a male mixed-breed 9-month-old puppy and a female mixed-breed 8-month-old puppy. A former Hill County attorney was indicted by a Taylor County, Texas, grand jury Thursday on a charge accusing her of shooting her estranged husband multiple times at his home in Abilene, Texas. Jessica Cole-Hodgkinson, who was Hill County attorney from November 2016 to July 2018, was indicted Thursday on a first-degree felony charge of aggravated assault family violence. The date of her trial was not listed this morning on the public website of the court. Cole-Hodgkinson was arrested and booked into jail in Abilene, Texas, Feb. 3, on the shooting charges and was released on $50,000 bond the next day. Her husband, Carl Hodgkinson, who is facing child pornography charges in Abiliene and pleaded guilty May 16 to federal charges of possession of an unregistered firearm, told police Feb. 3 that Cole-Hodgkinson had been in Abilene about a week and he was helping her move from Montana to Oregon, the complaint filed in court said. He said he returned home early in the morning of Feb. 3 - his girlfriend and her roommate said he had spent the previous day and night into the early morning of the third in their residence - and found Cole-Hodgkinson had locked him out of his residence when his girlfriend dropped him off. He said he had told Cole-Hodgkinson he would be there that morning. Hodgkinson said he found Cole-Hodkginson inside of the shower with handcuffs on. He said when he found her there, she shot him multiple times, and he did not know why she had shot him. He had a gunshot wound in his lower right side which grazed one of his vertebrae, a gunshot wound in the center of his stomach which exited on his left side, a graze wound on the left side of his chest and a gunshot wound in his right bicep that exited the outer side of the bicep. A doctor signed a serious bodily injury form stating that, in his medical opinion, the injuries created a substantial risk of death. Hodgkinson said that after she shot him, Cole-Hodkginson left the residence and he called 911. Cole-Hodkginson was found when a neighbor of Hodkginson called to say Cole-Hodgkinson was in her residence, the complaint said. Cole-Hodgkinson was wearing handcuffs when found, it added. Cole-Hodgkinson had left her position in Havre several months earlier after a year-and-a-half tenure as Hill County attorney filled with complaints. She was appointed in November 2016 to fill the position when the previous county attorney resigned to move to Billings. In March 2017, she was called to appear before Hill County Justice of the Peace Audrey Barger to answer why she had failed to appear to represent the state at a trial in Justice Court. Barger did not find Cole-Hodgkinson in contempt of court after that hearing, but admonished Cole-Hodgkinson to improve her performance. By July 2018, multiple additional complaints had come in regarding Cole-Hodkginson's performance, including a crime victim filing $1 million lawsuit against the county alleging gross incompetence. That case later was dismissed due to lacking factual basis and that Cole-Hodkginson had immunity from being sued for performing her duties. The case the lawsuit was complaining about was re-filed with a Montana deputy attorney general prosecuting, and the offender pleaded guilty and was sentenced. Four felony criminal cases scheduled for trial were dismissed in September 2017 because Cole-Hodgkinson said her office was not prepared to prosecute them. By July 2018, Cole-Hodkginson was facing contempt of court hearings in Justice Court and state District Court. She submitted her resignation effective July 30, 2018, before either hearing was held. In District Court, she was to have explained why she had not filed written judgments on sentences imposed in seven cases in the court. After she announced her resignation and filed the judgments in question, Judge Dan Boucher vacated the hearing. Barger called Cole-Hodgkinson in on a contempt-of-court hearing to explain why she had not ensured an attorney who did not have conflicts of interest could represent the state in three hearings in Barger's court, leading to dismissal of charges in two of the cases. Barger ended finding Cole-Hodgkinson in criminal contempt of court on three counts, fined her $1,500, sentenced her to six days of house arrest and barred her from practicing law in Hill County Justice Court for one year. Cole-Hodgkinson filed a request for Boucher to overturn Barger's findings. Boucher denied the request. When the phone rang, I answered, Barrows residence, Vicki speaking. My sister Debs familiar voice replied, Hi, Im calling to update you on Dads condition. I know you have a lot going on at church, but I think you should try to get away as soon as possible to come and see him. Hes failing quickly. So, I booked a flight and packed my bags. On the way to Arizona I prayed for Dad, for our family, for strength, the same things many of you have prayed many times. Then I said, Daddy God, Im not expecting Dad to recognize me, and Ill be fine if he doesnt. But it would be a huge blessing if he did. Dads dementia had worsened drastically in just a few months, and there were days when he didnt seem to recognize family members who visited every day. My flight arrived in the evening, so my stepmother and I decided to wait until morning to go to the care center. When we arrived, I could see Dad in the family room, along with numerous other residents and a few staff. As I approached the doorway, I could hear Dad telling the other residents that he would arrange a fishing trip for them. He would make sure everyone had a rod and reel and all the supplies they needed. My eyes teared up. I felt sad knowing Dad would never again cast a fly in a Wyoming stream, and, oh, how he loved to fish! But I also felt joy and admiration, knowing that his heart was to share the fun of fishing with his care center family, even though there would be no fishing trips for any of them. When I entered the room, Dad looked up and exclaimed, Vicki! Then, clarifying for the other residents, This is my daughter Vicki. Thank you, Father God! Im not sure my dad knew me during my other visits that week, but Ill always cherish that answered prayer. Dad passed away in May last year, so this is our second Fathers Day without him. I miss him but Im grateful he is no longer battling physical or mental ailments. And Im very glad I got to tell him everything I wanted to say long before the dementia developed. Our relationship was strained for some years, partly because we didnt spend much time together. My parents divorced when I was 6; I lived in Billings with my mom and visited my dad and stepfamily during the summer; there were some summers in high school when I didnt go at all. Those of you who have been part of a blended family know that the process can be quite challenging. We started out as yours, mine and ours, with each of us sometimes thinking, I dont like this and I dont think its going to work. Over the years, though, the Lord brought amazing healing, and we became this is us, and we love each other. Dad and I were able to talk through various issues, seek forgiveness, and readily extend that forgiveness from the heart. How about you? As Fathers Day approaches, are you planning to spend some time with your dad? Or has he passed away? Whether or not he is still alive, are you reminiscing about the good and happy times? Or do you have some memories that still hurt deeply? No one has perfect parents, but some of us experienced a lot of pain in childhood. Are you still one of the walking wounded or have you received the healing you need? God can provide that healing. Many of you may have experienced that, just as I have. But perhaps some of you are reluctant to seek help, maybe because you feel unworthy, or you have heard God referred to as Father and you stumble over that term. You might think, If hes anything like my earthly father, I dont want anything to do with him. Fathers are supposed to provide, but mine didnt. Fathers are supposed to protect us, but mine hurt me instead. Fathers are supposed to help us find our identity and purpose in life, but mine didnt do that. In fact, I have sometimes felt more like an orphan than a beloved child. I can relate to some of those thoughts. But no matter what you experienced with your earthly father, Father God really does love you. He wants to heal you. He promises to always be with you. He wants to protect you and provide for you. He will gladly help you find your true identity and path in life. He doesnt want you to be or feel like an orphan anymore. If you have trouble believing these things, then perhaps you can relate to Jesus more so than to the Father. Jesus told His disciples He came to reveal the Father. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father, He said. And He came to make a way for us to enjoy relationship with Him and the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus almost always referred to the Father with the endearing term Abba, that we translate as Daddy or Papa. As far as I can tell, the one time He spoke otherwise was when the weight of our sin was crushing the life out of Him on the cross, He cried out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? He and the Father understand what its like to have a broken relationship, and they know exactly how to make us and our relationships whole again. So, whatever youre planning for Fathers Day, my prayer is that you will enjoy time with your family, rejoice over happy memories, seek healing if you need it, and let God Father, Son and Spirit love you and draw close to you. I dedicate this column to my dad, Victor Fiala, and to all the fathers in our community. May Father God bless you abundantly! Vicki Barrows is a pastor at Abundant Life Ministries Havre Daily News staff Triangle Communications has announced that it is expanding its wireless internet services into more of Havre. Over the next several months we will be installing additional equipment throughout the city to provide additional capacity and increased speeds, a release from Triangle said. The cooperative warned people to be on the lookout for crews that will be installing poles throughout Havre for the equipment. As we place the poles, we apologize for any inconveniences this may cause the residents of Havre, the release said. The company said it estimates a fall time frame for the launch. People who would like to be added to a wait list for the service are asked to contact Triangles office at 1-800-332-1201 and its customer experience representatives will add them to a wait list to be contacted once service is available. A total of 661 U.S. companies and associations have signed a letter to President Donald Trump, urging his administration to abandon tariff hikes and reach a deal with China, a U.S. nationwide anti-tariff campaign said Thursday. According to a press release issued by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, a bipartisan campaign against levies, 520 companies and 141 associations said in the letter that they "remain concerned about the escalation of tit-for-tat tariffs" between the United States and China. "We know firsthand that the additional tariffs will have a significant, negative and long-term impact on American businesses, farmers, families and the U.S. economy," read the letter. "Tariffs are taxes paid directly by U.S. companies." The letter came as the U.S. Trade Representative Office plans to begin a public hearing on June 17 to solicit public comments on and responses to proposed tariff measures. The Trump administration increased additional tariffs on 200 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent in May, and has threatened to impose tariffs of 25 percent on essentially all remaining Chinese goods sold to the United States -- valued at roughly 300 billion dollars -- which are not yet subject to extra duties. In response, China raised additional tariffs on a range of U.S. imports on June 1. Tariffs Hurt the Heartland said combined with the impact of previously implemented tariffs and retaliation, the new tariffs on another 300 billion dollars worth of Chinese imports, if imposed, would result in the loss of more than 2 million U.S. jobs, add more than 2,000 dollars in costs for an average American family of four, and reduce the value of U.S. gross domestic product by 1 percent. "We urge your administration to get back to the negotiating table," signatories of the letter told Trump. "An escalated trade war is not in the country's best interest, and both sides will lose." A principal in West Virginia has been disciplined for plagiarizing the speech he gave to his schools graduating seniors. Now-graduated student Abby Smith listened to the speech Parkersburg High School Principal Kenny DeMoss gave to her graduating class and thought it sounded familiar. After she found the speech online and saw DeMoss had copied actor Ashton Kutchers 2013 Teen Choice Awards speech almost word-for-word, she did what modern teens know to do, she made a video and posted it on Facebook. Smith created the equivalent of a side-by-side comparison of the two speeches, showing a few seconds of DeMoss speech, followed by the same section in Kutchers speech. This arrangement clearly showed that, aside from a few word-choice changes and addition of personal examples, DeMoss copied not only the format but also ideas, wording, a few personal details and even the style of delivery from Kutcher. The Associated Press reported May 31 that DeMoss issued a statement denying that he did anything wrong in his May 23 remarks to graduating seniors, beyond using a little bit of formating from Kutchers speech. DeMoss also commented in an email to AP that me and my family are the only ones being hurt here. My accuser isnt. I love kids and love this school and this will only make me better. Mmm-hmmm. The Parkersburg News Central reported Tuesday that DeMoss decided maybe he wasnt a victim after all. So DeMoss delivered a public apology to the Wood County Board of Education, and the board voted 4-1 to suspend DeMoss for five whole days. At the beginning of summer. Which is kind of like giving him an extra vacation week. Then he could go back to work. Mmm-hmmm. DeMoss is just lucky this incident played out like real life and not like the movies. If this had been a movie, Smith wouldnt have had to wait to get her video made and online after the fact. She would have pulled out her smart phone, right there while the act of plagiarism was playing out, found the video of Kutcher delivering the speech and showed the evidence to her two best friends sitting next to her. Who could believe it without seeing it? I mean really. Because she couldnt have taken this blatant disregard of ethics and school policy on plagiarism anymore, she would have stood up and held her screen up toward the principal. He would, at first, have thought she was shining a light on him as if he were a rock star, then his face would turn white as he realized what he was seeing and hearing. His first response would have been to speak louder to drown out the video while subtly signally two PE teachers to remover her to the curb. But do not fear for our heroine. She would have stood tall, stood her ground, like an electronic-age Norma Rae, while her two friends quickly worked their technologically advanced teenager fingers and magically gotten all the other students phones synced up to Smiths video. In the rousing climax, one at a time all the kids would stand and confront DeMoss with his own words that were really Kutchers words, blaring back at him right there in living color. Like in every nightmare of public speaking-gone-wrong, flop-sweat would leak through his suit, and he would cry before bolting from the stage. In the pre-release movie trailer, the voice-over guy would say: In a world where a trusted authority figure tries to cheat his own schools code of ethics, one determined teen leads a band of her peers to find justice for her graduating class and to prove a link exists between being socially conscious and social-media conscious. Ashton Kutcher would play the part of the principal, because there is no such thing as too much irony. I would play the school superintendent who got to fire him, because this is a straight-up summer teen movie with a simple plot line and a feel-good ending, not some artsy-nouveau-fartsy movie that ends vaguely with the principal riding a pink elephant in India for no explicable reason at http://www.facebook.com/viewfromthenorth40/. THE daughter of a D-Day veteran said it was an emotional experience visiting Normandy without him. Denise Hornes late father Harry Wheeler helped to capture Pegasus Bridge during the invasion in 1944. She returned last week with her brothers Derek and Sean and sister Sylvia Stevenson to mark the 75th anniversary. Pegasus Bridge, which crosses over the Caen Canal, was captured by a small Allied force in order to prevent German armour crossing and attacking the eastern flank of the Normandy landings. The 181 men, who included members of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, landed in six gliders. Mr Wheeler, a sapper in 249 Field Squadron of the Royal Engineers, was among the men. Mrs Horne, who lives in Shepherds Green, said: It was an emotional trip because the last time we went was 10 years ago, when dad was in a wheelchair and he enjoyed himself. They have huge respect for the veterans there and at the time they were handed flowers as a thank-you for what they had done. This time there were fewer veterans, as they are now older and frailer, but it was nice for us to go and pay our respects, even though Dad wasnt with us. There were also banners with the faces of veterans on and there was one of dad, which was very strange to see because I have the original photograph of him in my living room, but it was also wonderful and made us full of emotion and made our trip even more special. Mr Wheeler had been sent to Normandy because D-company needed explosive experts and British intelligence learnt the bridge was primed with explosives so the Germans could blow it up if the Allies invaded. His job was to disarm it. When he got there he found no bombs just the detonators and wiring as the French underground had taken them off. In 2009, Mr Wheeler returned to Normandy for the 65th anniversary and was given a guard of honour at the bridge. He died in 2011. A NEW chief executive and secretary has been appointed by Phyllis Court Club in Henley. Chris Hogan will take up his role at the private members club off Marlow Road on July 22. He joins from the Royal Southern Yacht Club near Southampton, where he was chief executive and secretary. He was previously chief executive and club secretary at the In & Out Naval and Military Club in St Jamess London and chairman of the Association of London Clubs. Mr Hogan said he looked forward to the challenge of his new role and his aim would be to ensure member satisfaction. Club chairman Stan Ainsley said: Chris has enjoyed an accomplished career in the military and has since held executive roles in private members clubs. As a result he has an excellent understanding of our industry. We are confident that his knowledge and skill set make him the right person to lead our management team and staff. Mr Hogan replaces Graham Owen, who left in January after 10 years. Flash . A new dance trend from Brazil is greeting the Chinese capital of Beijing, as people explore and integrate with the diverse cultures of the global community. Libyan business student Mouftah Nezar Ellihidy assaulted a staff member at Dublin Airport after drinking a glass of wine A one-legged war veteran who was arrested at Dublin Airport after staff thought he was drunk has been spared a sentence and an assault conviction. Mouftah Nezar Ellihidy, of Annaly Terrace, Ongar, Clonsilla, was maimed during conflict in his native Libya. The 29-year-old business student pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to breach of the peace, being intoxicated in public and obstruction and assault of an authorised officer at Terminal One last January 29. He also admitted criminal damage inside a garda car and to a mattress in a cell at Ballymun Garda Station. However, in April a judge gave him the chance to avoid a criminal record and a sentence after noting the "unusual circumstances" of his arrest. Ellihidy returned to court yesterday after paying 260 for the damage caused in the garda station cell, and he had a receipt to show he had donated 400 to charity. Judge Carol Anne Coolican noted that he had complied with an order made earlier by another judge and struck out the case. Dublin District Court had heard evidence that the student began spitting when gardai were called and arrested him. Things escalated after his arrest and he wrecked a mattress in a garda station cell. Defence solicitor Colleen Gildernew said her client was very apologetic, but there were unusual circumstances to the incident. He had lost a leg during the war to topple Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He later lost some fingers as a result of an Islamic State bomb blast, Ms Gildernew said. On the day of his arrest, Ellihidy had packed his crutches in his baggage. He drank one glass of wine that reacted badly with his medication, the solicitor said, and the airport staff thought he was intoxicated and offered him a wheelchair, which he declined. The situation escalated and gardai were called. Appalling Ellihidy now had a scholarship from the Libyan government to study in Ireland. Ms Gildernew said the airport staff assumed Ellihidy "was legless drunk as opposed to being actually legless". The student, who had no previous convictions, was sorry for his actions, the court heard. Judge John Brennan, who had heard the evidence during the hearing in April, described Ellihidy's behaviour as "purely appalling". He added, however, that they were most unusual circumstances in which the accused was a veteran who had suffered badly through his patriotism. A concert-goer has been jailed for his part in a "brutal, frenzied" attack on a woman at a Take That gig which left the victim with a bruised kidney and clumps of her hair torn out. Ciaran Byrne (33) "joined in" after his sister and his then fiancee started the assault when a row over a spilled drink escalated. Judge John Hughes gave him a six-month sentence when he admitted his part in the attack during the concert at Dublin's 3Arena. Byrne, from Dundalk, but now of St Helen's Road, Harrogate, England, pleaded guilty to assault and violent disorder. Garda Adrian Cahill told Dublin District Court the victim (36) and her husband were at the concert on May 16, 2017 when an argument occurred between them and another group of people, including Byrne. Kicked The victim said the people were highly intoxicated and "overly boisterous" throughout the gig, "to the annoyance of them and many other people". Byrne's two co-accused, whose cases have been dealt with separately by the courts, initiated the physical confrontation and it "spiralled". The victim was kicked and punched to the head and body and had large clumps of hair pulled out of her scalp. Her husband found it hard to get to her to help. It was unclear who threw what punch or kick, but witnesses said the victim was "100pc non-aggressive and was at the receiving end," Gda Cahill said, adding that she was in a state of shock after. Byrne had previous public order convictions. Gda Cahill agreed with defence solicitor Michael Hanahoe that the fight started with the two women in Byrne's group while he was in the toilets. When he returned, it was "in full progress" and he joined in what was a "general melee", Mr Hanahoe said. The three were escorted out by security and the accused "went quietly" with gardai. Judge Hughes read from a victim impact statement, noting the woman suffered extensive hair loss and scalp trauma and had to cut her hair short. She suffered a bruised kidney, blood in her urine, fingernail scratches to her neck and other injuries. The woman spoke of the "indignity and fear of being dragged and kicked around the 3Arena in front of my husband and friends, not knowing when it would end". Mr Hanahoe said Byrne "thought he was defending somebody" at the time. "It was a brutal, vicious, frenzied and sustained assault that took place," Judge Hughes said. The victim, who had been celebrating her birthday, was left physically and emotionally traumatised. The judge sentenced the accused to seven months in prison but suspended the final month. He made no compensation order. Byrne was freed on bail pending an appeal against the severity of his sentence. Appeal Byrne's sister Sharon Byrne has already been given a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay 5,000 compensation after pleading guilty. The court heard that case is under appeal. His then fiancee Gemma Finnegan, from whom Byrne has since separated, has also pleaded guilty and her case has yet to be finalised by the court. Amanda Knox, the American former exchange student who became the focus of a sensational murder case, arrived in Italy yesterday for the first time since an appeals court acquitted her in 2011 over the killing of her British roommate. Ms Knox arrived at Milan's Linate Airport en route to the northern city of Modena, where she is scheduled to take part in a panel discussion on wrongful convictions tomorrow. She was accompanied by her mother and fiance, and escorted by plainclothes officers. She kept her eyes down as she exited the airport and did not respond to reporters' questions. Suspicion The killing of Ms Knox's roommate in Perugia, 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, on November 1, 2007, attracted global attention, especially after suspicion fell on Ms Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. Ms Kercher's nude body was found under a blanket in her locked room at the villa where she lived. Investigators said her throat was slit and she had been sexually assaulted. Ms Knox's October 2011 acquittal - following a lower court conviction that brought a 26-year prison sentence - was one step in the long legal process that saw a series of different rulings before she and Mr Sollecito were definitively acquitted in 2015 by Italy's highest court. However, Ms Knox's slander conviction and three-year sentence for having wrongly accused a Congolese bar owner remained intact. In all, she spent four years in jail before her 2011 acquittal freed her to return to her native Seattle. An Ivorian immigrant, Rudy Guede, is now serving a 16-year sentence for Ms Kercher's murder. In January, the European Court of Human Rights ordered Italy to pay Ms Knox 18,400 in financial damages for failures to provide adequate legal and translation assistance during her early questioning by police. The court said Ms Knox "had been particularly vulnerable, being a foreign young woman, 20 at the time, not having been in Italy for very long and not being fluent in Italian". After the decision, Ms Knox wrote on her blog that the court's ruling meant her slander conviction was unjust. Profited Before travelling to Italy, she published an essay about the decision to accept the panel invitation from the Italy Innocence Project. "While on trial for a murder I didn't commit, my prosecutor painted me as a sex-crazed femme fatale, and the media profited for years by sensationalising an already sensational and utterly unjustified story," Ms Knox wrote. "It's on us to stop making and stop consuming such irresponsible media." A 28-year-old man is expected to appear in court this morning in connection with a fatal stabbing on Dublin's O'Connell Street. Damien Singleton, from Coolock, has been interviewed by gardai after he was deemed fit by doctors. He was arrested in relation to the fatal stabbing of his friend Peter Donnelly (39), who died early on Tuesday morning. Gardai later identified him through fingerprints, and the assistance of colleagues from Kilkenny. Mr Singleton, who was detained near the scene, was taken to hospital with knife wounds to his left hand. Surgery It is understood Mr Singleton claimed he too was stabbed during the incident, and required surgery to his wound. Mr Donnelly had been socialising with Mr Singleton and posted a selfie with him on Saturday. Mr Donnelly, who was originally from Kilkenny, had been living in Dublin for some months. Mr Singleton was arrested by gardai in Marlborough Street in the minutes after the stabbing, at about 1.30am. His description had been circulated by a garda who was on duty at the time. A short time before, he requested that Mr Donnelly and another man be monitored on garda CCTV cameras. However, just as gardai were beginning the surveillance, a row broke out between Mr Donnelly and the second man. It is believed the stabbing was captured on camera, and gardai are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the stabbing to contact them. Superintendent Paul Costello, from Store Street Garda Station, said: "Any members of the public in the O'Connell Street, Cathal Brugha Street, Marlborough Street areas between 1am and 2am, particularly any member of the public who may have taken any mobile phone footage of this incident or any mobile phone footage or dashcam footage in these streets at that time, are asked to contact An Garda Siochana." Last Saturday, Mr Donnelly posted a picture on Facebook of himself and Mr Singleton while they were in the Sheriff Street area. The Herald revealed on Wednesday that the garda who witnessed the attack on Tuesday morning gave chase and also alerted her colleagues to the incident. Two gardai who had been on a protection post outside Patsy Hutch's home in Champions Avenue responded to the report and managed to arrest the suspect. A knife was also recovered on Marlborough Street. Gardai have asked anybody with information to contact them at Store Street Garda Station on 01 6668000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800666111. Gardai at the scene of an accident. Stock image Gardai are to be given 2,000 high-tech mobile devices to check motorists' details on the spot. They will tell officers in seconds whether a driver is disqualified or faces outstanding road traffic charges. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said a trial of 50 devices in Limerick had been highly successful. Road safety groups, including Parc, have campaigned for the mobile devices, which give gardai the same technological support they would receive in a garda station. However, Parc warned that such devices can only be as successful as the data they are given. The group again demanded reforms to database resources to ensure Road Safety Authority and court details are accurate and up to date. Mr Flanagan, in a Dail reply to Independent TD Tommy Broughan, confirmed the provision and deployment of the hand-held devices. "There has been an unprecedented level of investment in garda resources across the State in recent years," he said. "An allocation of 1.76bn has been provided to An Garda Siochana for 2019. Significant "Very significant capital investment is also being made, including 342m in garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021. "This continuing investment in people and capital supports the Government's commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence. "The implementation of the Policing Service For The Future report includes a specific action for gardai to acquire and commence the deployment of 2,000 mobile devices for frontline policing by Quarter Four of this year." The devices - known as Mobile Data Stations - will support frontline members with special apps. "It will provide the same access to information as if the garda were at a station," said Mr Flanagan. Lions mane jellyfish, also known as the giant jellyfish or hair jelly Swimmers and surfers beware - lion's mane jellyfish have been spotted off Dublin. The jellyfish, also known as the giant jellyfish or hair jelly, is the world's biggest and packs a powerful sting, even when washed up on the beach. Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said warning signs have been put up in the Sandycove area of the beach, and swimmers are advised to be careful. "As an added precaution, the lifeguard warning flags are on red and will remain in place until further notice," the council said. Lifeguards are keeping an eye on the situation, it added. "Lion's mane jellyfish can still deliver a nasty sting when washed up on the beach and precaution should prevail, both in and out of the water," the council said. "These jellyfish can deliver a venomous sting and may cause medical complications. "If you are stung and you suffer any serious symptoms, including nausea, vomiting or respiratory distress, you should seek medical attention immediately." A number of swimmers needed hospital treatment last year when stung by lion's mane jellyfish. Their stings can cause severe pain. According to the HSE, the jellyfish prefers the cooler waters of the Irish Sea, in particular off Dublin. Experts say it is not unusual to see these types of jellyfish in June. Shock John Leech, of Irish Water Safety, said "some people have had anaphylactic shock" as a result of being stung by the lion's mane, although this is not common. "But there have certainly been a number of such cases in the past," he added. He said the jellyfish's sting is "quite painful". Mr Leech said that among the tips to help avoid being stung are to wear a wetsuit while swimming and apply Vaseline to the face and the backs of the hands. In addition, there are sun creams that are available to buy online that can offer protection against jellyfish. "People do use them," Mr Leech said. He pointed out that more and more people are swimming in open water and embarking on long swims. "You can get quite an infestation of these jellyfish come July and August," Mr Leech said. For further information on how to treat lion's mane jellyfish stings and how to identify them, visit the Irish Water Safety on iws.ie The Hong Kong police have arrested 11 people related to Wednesday's riot around the complex of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and Legislative Council (LegCo), with all walks of social life in Hong Kong strongly condemning the rioters' violent acts and calling for returning to rational discussion. The HKSAR government's Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo said at a briefing Thursday afternoon that 11 people have been arrested for disorderly conduct in public place, unlawful assembly, assaulting police officers and other riot-related crimes. Protesters gathered around the complex of HKSAR government and LegCo Wednesday morning before a LegCo meeting originally scheduled at 11:00 a.m. to discuss the amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance. The protesters caused severe traffic congestion on nearby roads, tried to storm the LegCo building, and attacked police personnel with sharpened iron poles, bricks, wooden planks and rail barriers, forcing the LegCo meeting to be postponed. "The process was premeditative and they (the rioters) particularly acted in an intimidating and inciting manner," Lo said, "Despite these, the police have adopted a restraint and tolerant attitude." According to statistics from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, a total of 80 people were injured and hospitalized due to the riot. According to Lo, a total of 22 police officers have sustained injuries in the incident. "We have strongly condemned the violent behavior of the rioters. I have appealed to the public to conduct their public meeting and public procession in a peaceful and orderly manner," Lo said. Stressing that it is the police's responsibility and duty to maintain public order and offer all Hong Kong residents a safe place to live in, Lo said he sincerely hopes that everyone would express their views and opinions in a peaceful, orderly and lawful manner. Numerous organizations in the Hong Kong society expressed strong condemnation of the rioters' disregard for law and violent acts, and voiced support to the police for enforcing law. Ng Wang-pun, president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong (CMA), criticized the rioters for blocking traffic, obstructing commercial activities in the area and harming Hong Kong's overall business environment. Tam Wai-chu, a renowned Hong Kong politician and lawyer, warned against the incident's "double strikes" on Hong Kong's economy and rule of law. She called on people in Hong Kong to maintain rationality and urged schools to prevent students from participating in illegal activities. Tse Hiu-hung, president of youth group Hong Kong Youth Enlightenment, said the rioters' violent acts cannot be accepted by any civilized and law-based society. She appealed to young people in Hong Kong to stay calm and rational. The HKSAR government tabled the Fugitive Offenders & Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 at the LegCo for discussion in April. It has repeatedly emphasized that the amendment aims to fill loopholes in the HKSAR's existing legal framework and will help protect Hong Kong's law-abiding general public and business environment. Choi Wong Ling-ling, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that she hopes the HKSAR government will continue explaining the amendments to the public to narrow differences and reduce concerns. You are here: China China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) has pledged to push forward full coverage of online case filing services this year to better enable cross-regional case filing. At a symposium held on Wednesday and Thursday in Nanchang, the SPC announced the plan and set a goal for all courts in the Yangtze River Delta to be able to accept cases under other courts' jurisdictions in the entire region and across provincial-level regions this year. Currently, 84 percent of Chinese courts support online case filing, with over 2.4 million cases filed online in 2018, said the SPC. Meanwhile, 32 percent of courts accept cross-jurisdiction case filing within their provincial-level regions, with more than 120,000 cross-jurisdiction cases filed in 2018. By advancing cross-regional case filing reform, the SPC will also explore new possibilities in cross-regional litigation services, such as remote handling of litigation affairs. It will make better use of information technology in litigation services, and build a whole-process big data-based platform. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Afghan counterpart, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, met here Thursday, pledging joint efforts to promote bilateral relations. Xi congratulated Afghanistan on the 100th anniversary of its independence and wished the country an early restoration of peace, stability and development. China and Afghanistan are neighbors that enjoy traditional friendship and strategic partnership of cooperation, Xi said. China is willing to deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation with Afghanistan in various sectors within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), steadily promote practical cooperation in economy and trade, and support the two countries' enterprises to strengthen cooperation based on the principles of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, he said. Xi said China will, as always, continue to help Afghanistan build its capacity in fighting terrorism and maintaining stability. He called on the Afghan side to continue to firmly support China in its fight against the terrorist force of East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The Chinese side firmly supports a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, and will continue to actively encourage and promote talks through various channels to help the Afghan people achieve internal dialogue, Xi said. China supports Afghanistan and Pakistan to improve relations, enhance mutual trust and carry out cooperation, and is ready to further promote the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral cooperation, he said. Ghani conveyed congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. By proposing to build a community with a shared future for mankind and supporting the economic globalization, China has set an example of promoting the construction of a new type of international relations in the 21st century, Ghani said. Ghani thanked China for the active role it has played in his country's peace process and in safeguarding regional peace and stability, adding that Afghanistan is committed to fighting, side by side with China, against the "three forces" including the ETIM. Afghanistan stands ready to align its plan of reconstruction and development with the BRI and set up an even closer trade and economic partnership with China, Ghani added. 2 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Beijing Daxing International Airport will use facial recognition technology at security checkpoints, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced at a press conference on Thursday. The aviation authority also said the new airport will have widely available kiosks for self-service check-in and locations for baggage drop. As a result, passengers could reach their flight gates entirely through automated and paperless procedures. The new airport has constructed a comprehensive network infrastructure to cover its whole floor space and support all services. According to Zhang Rui, deputy director of the airport department at CAAC, Daxing International Airport has installed the RFID luggage tracking technology, enabling passengers to monitor their baggage through a mobile app. Moreover, the airport has built a unified operational data platform to integrate system data of various operational units. This lets the airport to have a comprehensive grasp of flight operation and ground support by combining the platform with big data analysis, helping to support smart decision-making and improve efficiency. Along with the fast development of the civil aviation industry in China, the number of civilian airports and the amount of aviation businesses have increased constantly. In 2018, the country's civilian airports received 1.26 billion passengers, and the amount of landing and take-offs reached 11.09 million. The two numbers registered annual average growth rates of 11% and 19%, respectively, over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, the amount of civilian cargo airports in China-excluding the ones in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan-reached 236, with seven newly opened ones per year on average. The numbers of airports with throughputs of 10 million and 30 million reached 37 and 10, respectively. "However, China's 10-million-throughput airports are facing the problem of saturation or nearly saturation, while passenger needs for convenience, efficiency and comfort have yet to be met." Zhang said, adding that CAAC is promoting the construction of airports with both quality and style. BRISTOL, Va. Nearly one month after 32 dogs were seized from a home in Bristol, Virginia, six dogs are currently available for adoption. On May 17, the Bristol Virginia Police Department seized the dogs, which were living in deplorable conditions, from a home on Dunlap Street, according to Officer Josh Slagle. The dogs were infested with fleas and living in a home where feces had coated the floors, he added. Last weekend, the animal shelter adopted a majority of the dogs to local residents. By Friday, Animal Shelter Manager Deena Bouton said six dogs remained available. They are all male and range in age 1-10 years old, she said. An additional two dogs will be available on June 18 at 11 a.m. Anyone with questions about adopting the dogs can call 276-645-3714. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BRISTOL, Va. A Bristol, Virginia, woman pleaded guilty Thursday morning to a misdemeanor charge of improperly disposing of her mothers body. Jo-Whitney Outland, 55, was given a 12-month sentence, but the judge agreed to suspend the time. She will serve 12 months of supervised probation. She must also pay court fees. Sgt. Steve Crawford with the Bristol Virginia Police Department said Outland was originally charged with a felony after authorities found the body of Outlands mother at their home earlier this year. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In February, police discovered the body of Rosemary Outland, 78, covered in dozens of blankets and surrounded by air fresheners in their shared home on Pine Street. Rosemary Outland died Dec. 29, 2018, of natural causes, according to Crawford. Police checked on the home after family members, who hadnt heard from the woman, became concerned. Crawford said Outland pleaded to a charge that involves no malicious intent. He said he does not believe Outland had any malicious intent and didnt know what to do when her mother died. Outland, who has no criminal record, previously told the Bristol Herald Courier that she is not a bad person, and she didnt know why she failed to call authorities when her mother died. Hagerstown greets 2022 with Krumpe's Donut Drop A crowd gathered downtown for the family event, and the large doughnut dropped at 7 p.m. a little early, in keeping with Hagerstown tradition. Unrest in Sudan and Algeria has accelerated alarmingly, each in different ways, but both offering no end in sight to the unpredictability in the ongoing standoffs between increasingly unpopular transitional regimes with powerful military backing and protesters in two of the largest and populous North African strategic states. The political crisis is paralyzing Algeria, affecting 35 million people across 2.3 million square kilometers and Sudan, with 40 million citizens spread over 2.5 million square kilometers. Promised elections have proved to be an off-and-on-again phenomenon in Sudan, where the Transitional Military Council (TMC) has come under international condemnation following the June 3 killings of scores of people after two days of clashes in Khartoum. The African Union (AU) has suspended Sudan's membership and there are calls for independent investigations into the killings, with the TMC and the protest leaders differing on the number of persons killed. Talks between the former and a broad opposition coalition called Voices for Freedom and Change took place over several weeks following the April overthrow of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. However, an overdose of mutual mistrust has assured continued rejection of each side's proposals. Initial talks achieved agreement on a path forward; however, then came disagreements on the composition and leadership of the agreed supervisory council. In the immediate aftermath of the Khartoum killings, the TMC first said the talks were off, but announced on June 4 that "new elections with international supervision" would be called "in nine months." It then suddenly called for resumption of talks. However, the protest leaders, by this time clearly mistrustful of the increasingly impatient TMC, opted to continue calling for civil disobedience, and openly inviting external intervention. While loud in condemnation, the international community is clearly divided on the way forward: The AU, Arab League, European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) largely stayed aloof while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sought early engagement with the TMC, pumping US$3 billion in aid into Sudan; Washington is appealing to Riyadh to exercise restricting influence over the TMC, while the three African member-states on the UN Security Council are insisting that the AU should be the lead body in the search for a Sudan solution. Meanwhile, Russia welcomes calls for an investigation into the deaths, but is squarely against foreign intervention. The divided Sudanese opposition continues to differ on whether to accept the TMC's latest election plans, while the latter seems in no mood to hand power over to civilians it does not trust; Those speaking for the protesters insist that, before talks can resume, the army must first accept responsibility for the June 3 killings, release all political prisoners, and agree to return to barracks. The square-off continues, even after Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited Khartoum to broker resumption of peace talks between the warring sides. The future doesn't look better in Algeria either. The Constitutional Court canceled the July 4 presidential elections due to insufficient interest (only two candidates registered), while the Army, which forced the departure of unpopular President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, is not bending to demands to also depose the transitional regime. The distance between the transitional administration and the protesters is thus widening. The army is under increasing pressure to appoint a new transitional administration, but is insisting that constitutionality must be maintained and national normalcy must first be restored. In both cases, protesters led by almost invisible and largely overseas-based personalities are lined up against powerful armies that have been part of the institutional life of each country for decades. However, based on history, the present was also largely predictable, and much could have been avoided, if only the opposing sides had been more realistic in their demands and expectations. Protesters have genuine grievances in both countries and public attitudes to the respective armies and transitional authorities have also hardened over time. Armies allied to power for decades are now fully in charge in each country, but protest organizers strongly reject their conditional insistence on returns to normalcy before elections. The protest organizers also seem equally determined not to participate in elections organized by the transitional bodies. It's too early to predict what the end game will be in either Algeria or Sudan. However, what is without doubt is that, notwithstanding the welcome intervention of various outside entities, nothing on the horizon, as yet, offers anything to inspire hope about the immediate future of two major African states in the middle of a transition from chaos and calamity to even more calamitous uncertainty. Earl Bousquet is a contributor to china.org.cn, editor-at-large of The Diplomatic Courier and author of an online regional newspaper column entitled Chronicles of a Chronic Caribbean Chronicler. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. The trade war initiated by the U.S. has caused public indignation around the world. Most enterprises and international organizations are criticizing the country for three reasons. First, there is no legitimate basis for the U.S.-provoked trade war, according to international rules. The U.S. launched the trade war mainly using the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 and the Trade Act of 1974, which are U.S. domestic laws. It is completely unreasonable and illegal for the U.S. to impose sanctions on other countries in accordance with its domestic laws and regulations. Obviously, the U.S. is holding high the "big tariff stick"sidelining international trade organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)to sanction China and its own allies (including Canada, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and some European countries), which is a violation of international trade laws as well. Second, the U.S. wants to solve its trade deficit issue but is violating economic and trade laws at the same time. The U.S. has trade deficits with 103 countries, yet its policies are achieving the opposite result. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. international trade deficit (excluding the service trade) was US$807.5 billion in 2017 and US$891.3 billion in 2018. The trade war launched by the U.S. against China and other countries and regions have led to an increase in these trade deficits rather than a drop. The U.S. market requires imported goods from all over the world to satisfy its domestic needs. Therefore, the U.S. itself is the source of the problem and should be held accountable for the consequences. The sanctions imposed by the U.S. on the results of trade based on market supply and demand are both ridiculous and in violation of international trade laws. With both sides suffering from sanctions, such policies stand to seriously influence the relationship between the U.S. and its trading partners. Third, the negative influence of the U.S.-provoked trade war will affect the global economy. According to UNCTAD, foreign direct investment (FDI) worldwide dropped by 23% in 2017, and 41% in the first half of 2018. Additionally, it dropped by over 40% among developed countries in 2018. Although FDI in China increased 3% last year, the foreign investment growth rate dropped significantly. The global trade growth rate also dropped sharply for the past two years. And now, the deepening trade war brings even greater risks. The International Monetary Fund has lowered its global economic growth rate estimate for 2019 three times in a row from 3.9% to the current 3.3%. This economic downturn has been caused by the uncertainty and risk the world economy faces as a result of the trade war launched by the U.S. In addition, the Donald Trump administration is trying to create an America First policy and realize so-called "American supremacy" through the trade war, but it is just a fantasy. The global industrial, supply, service and value chains are closely linked, yet the U.S. is still using traditional methods to wage a modern trade war. As we all know, two thirds of global trade is composed of intermediate and investment products. When the U.S. imposed additional tariffs on US$50 billion worth of Chinese imports, 73% of these products were intermediate and investment products. When the U.S. imposed additional tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports, 78% of them were these products. Such a large proportion of intermediate and investment products provide U.S. enterprises with products required as part of their industrial chain and U.S. consumers with inexpensive, high-quality goods, while U.S. importers earn profits from the circulation of these products. In terms of practical consequences, 90% of the tariffs imposed by the U.S. will be borne by importers, which will ultimately pass to U.S. enterprises, consumers and farmers, inevitably lowering social welfare in the U.S. Moreover, the tariffs will have a greater impact on the U.S. than on China. The new tariffs directly affect U.S. exports' access to the Chinese market. The major market for many hi-tech products and core parts is China. Hi-tech and advanced products must enter the global industrial chain, since they are of no value without access to markets. Practices against economic laws will merely accelerate the decline of the U.S. and trigger social problems and deep-seated economic risks at a crucial time. Finally, dependence on foreign trade was as high as 60% in the early years of China's reform and opening up before dropping to 50% a decade ago and standing at around 30% currently. China is experiencing industrial restructuring and the structural change of supply and demand in domestic and foreign markets. As a result, the resilience, space and flexibility of economic development in China is sound. The U.S. escalating tariffs will not curb China's development. The author is chief economist of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. This article was first published on Cnfocus.com. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Kazakh counterpart, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, pledging to promote cooperation to benefit the peoples of the two countries and the region. The meeting was held ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which will be opened on Friday. Xi congratulated Tokayev on his election as Kazakh president and applauded his contribution to the development of bilateral relations. China-Kazakhstan relations have witnessed leapfrog development over the past 27 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship. The achievement is attributed to the care and promotion by leaders of the two countries for generations and ought to be doubly cherished, Xi said. Hailing the solid foundation, clear direction and steady progress in the joint construction of the Belt and Road by the two countries, Xi called for deepening alignment of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Kazakh "Bright Road" economic policy to benefit the peoples of the two countries and the region. The two countries should promote trade and investment facilitation, strengthen cooperation in production capacity, agriculture, high technology, finance, transport and logistics and that at local levels. More growth areas for cooperation should be created, Xi said. He urged more efforts on people-to-people connectivity in a bid to enhance mutual understanding between the young people. China is ready to enhance cooperation with Kazakhstan within the frameworks of the SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia to make greater contribution to regional security and development, Xi said. Tokayev conveyed congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Developing relations with China will remain a priority in Kazakhstan's foreign policy, which, he said, is significant to the development of his country as well as stability and prosperity of the region, and accords with the interests of the two peoples. Committed to deepening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, Kazakhstan is ready to maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen cooperation in such areas as trade, transport, logistics and digital economy as well as intensify multilateral coordination with China. Actor Sushmita Sen has flown to Goa to attend the wedding celebrations of her brother Rajeev Sen and Charu Asopa. She was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Friday with her father Shubeer Sen, boyfriend Rohman Shawl and daughters Renee and Alisah. Rajeev and Charu had tied the knot in a court wedding a few days ago. They are set to marry in Goa as per Hindu rituals on June 16. Rajeev shared a selfie with his mother Subra Sen and captioned it, Mid air masti with Mommy #rajakibittu. Rajeev Sen, Sushmita Sen with father Shubeer Sen and daughters Renee and Alisah on their way to Goa. Charu also shared several pictures and videos from Goa as she reached there before the groom. Rajeev shared a picture of himself on his Instagram stories with the caption, On my way to Goa to get married to the most beautiful soul in the world. To this Charu replied on her Instagram, Aww...I love you my babie...your bride is waiting for you, jaldi aao. She also shared a picture with her mother as the two are dressed in saris. She also shared a video of them dancing to live Goan music at their hotel in order to kickstart the pre-wedding celebrations. Charu Asopa shared a glimpse of the pre-wedding celebrations in Goa. Rajeev had made the announcement on his Instagram by sharing their wedding picture with the caption, i Rajeev sen take Charu asopa as my lawful wife #rajakibittu. Charu had commented to the post My husband. He also shared a picture of a handwritten note sent to him by Sushmita to congratulate him and Asopa on their wedding. Also read: Sushmita Sen writes a heartwarming note to celebrate brother Rajeev Sens wedding, says she dressed them for the ceremony She wrote, HE SAID YES Youre the luckiest guy in the world Raja bhaiya @rajeevsen9 Thank you for bringing this #Angel into our lives. Congratulations my sweethearts Charu @asopacharu & Rajeev @rajeevsen9 Cant wait for the wedding, I will dance for both sides!!! #sharing #happiestnewsever #babybrother #engaged #happiness #newjourney #blessings. I love you both beyond #duggadugga. Follow @htshowbiz for more To find evidence of the epidemic of violence against young girls and women gripping India, you have only to flick through your newspaper. In the recent past: Two minor sisters, 13 and 15, gang-raped at gunpoint in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh (UP). In Singrauli district, Madhya Pradesh, an eight-year-old gang-raped by two boys aged 15 and 16. Also in Madhya Pradesh, near Bhopal, a 10-year-old girl first murdered, then raped and sodomised. These are a fraction of the horror stories in a country where, according to National Crime Records Bureau data for 2016, not updated since, 19,764 rape cases were registered an 82% jump in rape cases from the preceding year, with the worst rise in UP where figures have trebled. These are, of course, reported cases in a country where, according to Mint, 99% of sexual assault goes unreported. The welcome judgment in the Kathua case in which an eight-year-old girl was in January last year abducted, raped and then murdered in order to intimidate her community of nomadic shepherds should have been the occasion to talk about this epidemic and figure out a way to end it. Instead, we are seeing ugly politics. During the December 2012 protest, nobody inquired about the religion of the six men who had raped and murdered the medical student. A measure of just how far weve fallen can be seen in our journey of six years when the Hindu Ekta Manch in Kathua marched not for the victim, but her rapists and killers. Bharatiya Janata Party state ministers, since sacked, spoke for the men. And lawyers physically barred the crime branch police from filing a charge-sheet. The Supreme Court was forced to order the trial to be moved to Punjab. This communalisation of rape has been extended to Aligarh where we are hearing sickening details of the murder of a two-year-old girl by Muslim men. Those who are asking liberals who spoke for the Kathua victim seem to ignore the fact that (a) not one person is defending these monstrous men and (b) their own silence on other brutal rapes of children at around the same time make them complicit in communalising child rape. When the religion of the perpetrators becomes more important than the crime itself, you know that you are witnessing a civilisational breakdown. The Kathua judgment is an opportunity to retrace our lost steps and think about next ones. Since 2012, we have tinkered with the law to no avail. We need fresh thinking. Perhaps we need an empowerment commission that calls for ideas from all sections of society. Definitely we need to rehaul our education system to include concepts of consent and respect. And it might not be out place to expand the scope of Beti Bachao, by heightening spending on ground activism. There is something deeply rotten in India. Unless we put the politics behind us, we cannot begin to set it right. Namita Bhandare writes on social issues The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Delhi government is likely to extend its free travel for women scheme in Metros feeder buses too. Critical in ensuring last mile connectivity in the city, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) at present is operating a fleet of 174 feeder buses in which it plans to add 905 buses soon. The DMRC, in its proposal submitted to the Delhi government, stated that implementing the free travel for women scheme would result in an annual loss of around Rs 1560 crore, out of which Rs 11 crore will be incurred in its feeder buses. On Wednesday, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that the Delhi government would pay the DMRC for the expenses in providing the scheme. It was on June 3 when Kejriwal had first announced that his government is working on a proposal to offer free rides to women in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, cluster buses and the Delhi Metro. In its report, a copy of which was seen by Hindustan Times, the DMRC while offering two stop-gap options to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government repeatedly raised concerns over large scale misuse of the free-travel scheme. The scheme, since it depends on manual checks, has very high risk of misuse by individuals as well as misuse in organsied manner The amount spent on the scheme will also be in-fructuous, reads the eight-page proposal. Also read : Delhi Metro fare waiver for women faces hurdles, may take 8 months to be implemented The DMRC also said it is already working on altering the fare collection system in which non-transferable smartcards will be issued. It said in over a year from now, it will also be able to introduce a new technology that will test the genuineness of the beneficiary. In filing its report, the DMRC also consulted a legal advisor to know whether such a financial subsidy or grant can be given by the state government to a particular class of passengers under the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002. The legal team analysed laws such as the Electricity Act, 2003, National Highway Authority Act, 1988 and the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008 to conclude that no such provisions exist under the Metro Act. neither the state government is empowered to subsidise the metro fares or exempt certain class of persons from payment if the metro fares, before the same being recommended by Fare Fixation Committee, which determines the fares to be collected from the passengers travelling on the metro network, reads the legal opinion submitted by the DMRC. The scheme drew flak from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which on Thursday said was a means of the AAP to garner votes ahead of the Delhi assembly elections scheduled early next year. The scheme will take at least eight months to be implemented. The scheme is a sham as elections are around the corner and the model code of conduct for that could come into effect either in December or January. If Kejriwal actually had thought of empowering women, why did he not announce the scheme last year? said Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari. Also read: Delhi: Metro officials not keen on connecting airports T3 station to terminal 2 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON All out-patient clinics and routine services will remain suspended on Friday in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Safdarjung Hospital with over 3,500 resident doctors from the two hospitals striking work in support of the doctors who were allegedly beaten up in West Bengal. Officials said senior doctors will run the emergency department and the ICUs. The two hospitals see almost 20 thousand patients in their clinics, with 40% of them travelling from neighbouring states to seek treatment. Around 1,600 resident doctors from Safdarjung will go on a strike tomorrow to show solidarity with the doctors from Bengal. This will affect the clinics and routine services, however, we will ensure that the emergency department functions properly, said Dr Prakash Thakur, president of Safdarjung Hospitals resident doctors association. Also Watch | Doctors protest in WB part of conspiracy by BJP, CPM: Mamata Banerjee Around 100 routine surgeries are scheduled in each of the hospitals every day, which are likely to be cancelled due to the strike. Routine OT services will largely remain suspended. However, some specific cases may be taken up for surgery as per feasibility and mutual agreement between concerned faculty, reads a letter from AIIMS medical superintendent, listing contingency measures for the strike. A doctor from Kolkatas Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital (NRS) sustained a skull fracture after an attack by the relatives of a patient who died on Monday. Doctors from Kolkata went on strike on Tuesday. On Thursday, Delhi doctors joined in their protest, with resident doctors from AIIMS and Safdarjung working with a bandage on head and wearing helmets. The ongoing and worsening of violence against medical doctors in West Bengal is worrisome and disheartening. There is a complete breakdown of law and order, with reports of mobs attacking doctors hostels with weapons. The government has failed to provide protection and justice to doctors. AIIMS RDA condemns this, read a letter by the doctors association. Studies show that 75% of all doctors in India have faced some form of violence. Apart from the two hospitals, the Delhi Medical Association also called for a doctors strike, which might result in doctors from private hospitals skipping their clinics. All other government hospitals, under the banner of Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), will go on a strike on Saturday. We held a candle light march today, but for a strike at a government hospital we need to give at least a 24 hour notice. Hence, we will be going on a strike on June 15, said Dr Sumedh Sandanshiv, president, FORDA. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union health minister, urged the doctors to observe restraint so that essential services are not disrupted.Doctors are an integral pillar of the society and often work under stressful and difficult conditions. I urge the patients and their caregivers to observe restraint, he said. A 39-year-old Nigerian has been arrested for duping over a dozen people in India over by selling them spurious herbal vaccine, police said on Thursday. Two people who had invested 1.5 crore in the Nigerian mans product had filed separate cases against him. Police said more people might come out to complain against the accused. Police said Gilbert Okoye Pedro introduced the scam, which originated in Macau a decade ago, in India. Pedro scouted for targets on LinkedIn and lured them to invest in purchasing oil from an Indian company and exporting it to Ghana to earn high profit, the police said. Pedro claimed to be a representative of a Ghana-based company that import Folinic B12 oil from India for producing vaccines for race horses. He had also floated a fake Indian company that sold the herbal product, said Anyesh Roy, deputy commissioner of police (Cyber Cell). DCP Roy said Pedro tricked people into buying bottles of the oil (which actually contained honey) from his fake Indian company. Once the investors bought the oil in bulk, Pedro switched off his cellphones, he said. A resident of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, had complained against Pedro, police said. In his complaint, the victim said that Pedro had sent him a request on his LinkedIn profile, posing as Raphael Hougbendji, a Ghanaian working as the spokesperson of Animal Welfare Zoological Ltd. in his country. The foreigner proposed a lucrative business to the complainant of exporting herbal vaccination products (Folinic B12 Oil) from India to Ghana. He told him that the oil is produced by an Indian company based in Assam. The complainant was told that the oil was available in India at a very low price and his company would buy it double its Indian price, said an investigator. The complainant purchased a sample for 20,000. Pedro met him in Connaught Place area, where he checked and cleared the sample, paid 86,000 and asked him to export a litre of it to his company for which he will be paid R45 lakh. The complainant bought one litre of the oil and paid R25 lakh to the company. When the complainant failed to contact the buyer despite repeated attempts, he turned suspicious and opened the bottle to find it filled with honey. We tracked down the suspects whereabouts and finally caught him from a flat in Greater Noida. His interrogation revealed that he had cheated another investor from Tamil Nadu of R1.25 crore, added Roy. Police said Pedro came to India in 2010 but did not return even though his business visa expired long ago. Efforts are on to nab his associates, police said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Candidates seeking admission to Delhi University (DU) under the disability quota are in a fix as from this year the University will accept disability certificate only from certain notified government hospitals. Last month, the Delhi government had, designated 27 government hospitals across 11 districts to issue disability certificates under the new central Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, for 21 conditions. These are the hospitals from where the candidates must get their certificate. Several students said they had certificates issued by hospitals other than those mentioned in the list. I already have a disability certificate issued by a private hospital but I was told that in order to seek admission under the persons with disability (PwD) quota, I would need to get a certificate from hospitals mentioned in the government list, said Rohini-resident Pankaj Kumar, who aspires to study Political Science (H) in the university. The process to obtain such a certificate from the listed government hospitals may take a lot of time and I do not know what to do in the meanwhile, said Kumar, who has a hearing impairment. DU grievance redressal cell in-charge Akhilesh K Verma said that although students had raised this issue during open days, his team had not received any written complaint on the matter so far. The university is simply following the stated procedure and abiding by the rules, he said. Verma said that students could submit the provisional certificates during registration and in the meanwhile apply for such certificates from the listed hospitals. Grievance committee will take the call on the matter, he added. Bipin Kumar Tiwari, officer on special duty at the Equal Opportunities Cell (EOC), said students had approached them to enquire how such certificates are made. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act came in 2016. It is already believed that such students will have these certificates by now because this is nothing new, he said, adding that hospitals should have a uniform proforma for issuing such certificates. To get the required certificate, applicants should approach the hospitals on the list with all the documents they have, Tiwari said adding that the EOC also has help desks to help PwD students so that they dont face any inconvenience. As per the provisions of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act , 2016, not less than 5% seats should be reserved under the disability quota. PwD applicants shall be given a relaxation in the course-specific eligibility in the qualifying examination and in the admission entrance test to the extent of 5%, till seats are filled. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dressed in a flowing long robe adorned with beaded floral embroidery from a bygone era, stylist Xiao Hang looks like she surfaced from a time machine as she strides across the bustling Beijing metro, attracting curious glances and inquisitive questions. China has embraced Western fashion and futuristic technology as its economy boomed in recent decades, but a growing number of young people like Xiao are looking to the past for their sartorial choices and donning traditional hanfu, or Han clothing. These historic costumes of the Han ethnic majority are enjoying a renaissance in part because the government is promoting traditional culture in a bid to boost patriotism and national identity. Period dramas have also contributed to the surge in interest for traditional Chinese garb -- The Story of Minglan, a TV series set in the Song Dynasty, garnered more than 400 million viewers in three days when it debuted earlier this year. There is no uniform definition of what counts as hanfu since each Han-dominated dynasty had its own style, but the outfits are characterised by loose, flowing robes that drape around the body, with sleeves that hang down to the knees. When we were little, we would also drape sheets and duvets around ourselves to pretend we were wearing beautiful clothes, Xiao told AFP. Xiao, who used to work at a state-owned machine manufacturing company, now runs her own hanfu business, where she dresses customers for photo shoots and even plans hanfu-style weddings. This photo taken on April 5, 2019 shows people wearing "hanfu" - traditional Chinese clothing - taking a photo at a gathering of hanfu devotees at a park in Beijing. - China has embraced Western fashion and futuristic technology as its economy boomed in recent decades, but a growing group of young people are going back in time, donning traditional "hanfu", or "Han clothing". (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY CHINA-CLOTHING-TRADITION-HANFU,FEATURE BY QIAN YE AND EVA XIAO (AFP) - Ancient style, new fashion - In modern China, the hanfu community spans the gamut: from history enthusiasts to anime fans, to students and even young professionals. Yang Jiaming, a high school student in Beijing, wears his outfit under his school uniform. Two-thirds of my wardrobe is hanfu, he said, decked out in a Tang-style beige gown and black boots at a hanfu gathering, adding that his classmates and teachers have been supportive of his style. A government-supported revival in Chinese culture has given the hanfu community a boost: since he entered office in 2012, President Xi Jinping has supported the idea of promoting a Han-centric version of heritage. In April, the Communist Youth League of China launched a two-day conference for traditional Chinese garb, including hanfu. A live broadcast of the event drew some 20 million viewers, alongside a visceral outpouring of emotions. Chinese people have abandoned their own culture and chosen Western culture. The red marriage gown has now become a wedding dress, wrote on user on Bilibili, a video streaming platform popular among young anime, comic and gaming fans in China. Clothes are the foundation of culture, said Jiang Xue, who is part of Beijing-based hanfu club Mowutianxia, which has received funding from the Communist Youth League. If we as a people and as a country do not even understand our traditional clothing or dont wear them, how can we talk about other essential parts of our culture? she said. This photo taken on April 5, 2019 shows women wearing "hanfu" - traditional Chinese clothing - preparing for a performance at a gathering of hanfu devotees at a park in Beijing. - China has embraced Western fashion and futuristic technology as its economy boomed in recent decades, but a growing group of young people are going back in time, donning traditional "hanfu", or "Han clothing". (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY CHINA-CLOTHING-TRADITION-HANFU,FEATURE BY QIAN YE AND EVA XIAO (AFP) - Strange clothes - There is some way before the style reaches mainstream acceptance in China. In March, two students in Shijiazhuang Medical College in northern China were reportedly threatened with expulsion for wearing the outfits to school. Others say theyre deterred by the odd looks they get when wearing hanfu in public. I used to be very embarrassed to wear (hanfu) out, screenwriter Cheng Xia told AFP. The 37-year-old said she overcame her reservations after going out dressed in a full outfit last year. Meanwhile, the movement to revive Han ethnic clothing is raising questions about nationalism and Han-ethnocentrism -- a sensitive issue in China where the government is wary of any inter-ethnic conflict. For instance, within the hanfu community, there is long-running opposition towards the qipao, the high-collared, figure-hugging garment that used to be a staple of womens wardrobes. Also known as cheongsam in Cantonese, the qipao -- meaning Qi robe -- began as a long, loose dress worn by the Manchus or Qi people who ruled China from the 17th century to the early 1900s. Its popularity took off in 1920s Shanghai when it was modified into a fitted must-have, favoured by actresses and intellectuals as a symbol of femininity and refinement. Some people... think that the cheongsam was inspired in the Qing Dynasty, which is not enough to represent China. There are nationalist undertones in this issue, said Chinese culture scholar Gong Pengcheng. It is a good trend to explore traditional culture and clothing culture... There are many things we can talk about, and we need not shrink to nationalist confrontation. Yang, the high school student, is more upbeat. He said: At the very least, we can wear our own traditional clothes, just like the ethnic minorities. Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. A division bench of Justices I A Mahanty and A M Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhary. The petitions are allowed. The applicants shall be released on cash bail of 50,000. They shall attend the special court on each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses, the bench said. The four, who are in jail since their arrest in 2013, had approached the high court in 2016 after a special court rejected their bail pleas in June that year. The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetery near Hamidia mosque at Malegaon near Nashik on September 8, 2006, claimed 37 lives and injured over 100 people. The Maharashtras Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), which first probed the case, had initially arrested nine accused from the minority community. The case was later handed over to the CBI, which followed the same line of investigation. Also read: Bombay high court to hear Pragya Thakurs discharge plea on July 29 When the probe was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) later, it concluded that the blasts were carried out by people belonging to the majority community. The NIA decided to drop charges against the nine accused and booked Singh, Sharma, Narwaria and Chaudhary. The special trial court in 2016 accepted the NIAs stand and discharged the nine accused. Apart from seeking bail, Singh and others had challenged the discharge of the nine men. The four accused also challenged the special courts order rejecting their own applications seeking discharge. Those appeals will be heard by the high court at a later stage. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Defying warnings of punitive action by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the stir by junior doctors in West Bengal continued for the fourth consecutive day on Friday with hundreds of doctors in state-run hospitals writing to the authorities saying they would like to resign from their services. Between Thursday and Friday afternoon, as many as 642 doctors - professors, associate professors, assistant professors and medical officers - have written to the authorities. The spate of threats to resign followed after the chief minister on Thursday ruled out any discussion with the agitating doctors. The mass resignation has only symbolic value. Individuals wishing to resign must do so on their own and it is up to the government to decide whether to accept their resignation or not. An elaborate procedure follows. WATCH | Doctors protest in WB part of conspiracy by BJP, CPM: Mamata Banerjee The cease work by the junior doctors has severely affected services in all departments of the medical colleges. The out patients department (OPD), which have the highest footfall in any hospital, were closed. Emergency and the departments for radiology and pathology were affected too. Even indoor services were affected. If junior doctors, who form the bulk of the medics in any hospital stay away from work, its natural that seniors cannot fill the gap. And since many senior doctors expressed their intention to resign, one can imagine the situation, said a senior doctor at the Howrah district hospital. Though no figures were officially available, a health department officer said that the number of junior doctors - interns, house staff and post graduate trainees was between 2,500 and 3,000. The establishments where doctors submitted resignations were R G Kar Medical College and Hospital (126), SSKM Hospital (175), N R S Medical College and Hospital (108), North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (119), National Medical College and Hospital (16), Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital (45), Burdwan Medical College and Hospital (35) and College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital (18). In the national capital, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan pinned the blame for the escalation of protests by doctors on the chief minister and asked her not to make it a prestige issue. Doctors are feeling insecure. I would urge them to return to work in the interest of the common people, but continue their protest, said Bharatiya Janata Party Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh. Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury said, The relatives of the patients are waiting for an immediate solution but the CM has made the situation complex. She will be solely responsible if the doctors stop work across the state. Hearing a public interest case, a division bench of Calcutta High Court on Friday asked the state government to provide details by the date of the next hearing on June 21, of the steps taken by it following the June 10 attack on the junior doctors at Kolkatas N R S Medical College and Hospital. The Indian Medical Association has called for a nationwide strike on June 17. In hospitals such as R G Kar and SSKM, senior doctors gathered at the campus to express wholehearted support for the agitating junior doctors and demanded that the chief minister apologise for the statements she made on Thursday against the agitators. The number of resignations is growing by the hour. At least 60 professors, associate and assistant professors have already written in, expressing their desire to resign. And that number is likely to go up, said Debarati Bardhan, a doctor of R G Kar at 2 pm on Friday. For the past few years, attacks on doctors have happened repeatedly. Instead of understanding our concern for the lack of safety, the chief minister threatened us on Thursday, said Nirmal Bera, the head of psychiatry in North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. On Thursday night, some senior TMC leaders demanded we lift the strike. They abused and even threatened to kill us, alleged Arpan Mukherjee, a house staff of Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. Mamata Banerjees party Trinamool Congress denies the charge and insists that the doctors were being prompted. There is no question of threatening any junior doctor. On Thursday night, after a discussion with us, they agreed to lift the strike. But later, they might have been instigated to change their opinion, said Murshidabad TMC MP, Abu Taher Khan. During the day, members of Kolkatas civil society stood by the agitating doctors. Film director-actor Aparna Sen, theatre personality Kaushik Sen and composer Debojyoti Mishra went to NRS Medical College and Hospital and urged the chief minister to soften her stand, speak to the doctors and find a solution. In the afternoon, the doctors held a protest march in the city. In a post that contradicted the CMs stand, Trinamool Lok Sabha MP Deepak Adhikari posed a question on social media: Why would those who save our lives, be attacked repeatedly? The stir was triggered when a doctor, Paribaha Mukherjee was critically injured in the head after he was beaten up in NRS by the relatives of an octogenarian patient Md Shayeed, who died on Monday. The agitation spread throughout the state from Tuesday onwards. After remaining silent for two days, Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday visited SSKM Hospital and not only ruled out talks with the agitators, but also threatened to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act against the doctors, eviction from hostels (if they did not return to work) and punitive action. She had also alleged that they are falling prey to instigation by political parties. On Friday, CM Banerjee did not make any comment except for pointing out that a protesting doctor at NRS medical college on Thursday was attached to a hospital in Salt Lake, and was therefore an outsider. She was underscoring the point she made on Thursday, that outsiders had joined the agitation. Flash U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Iran is responsible for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman without providing hard evidence, while Tehran called the incident "suspicious." "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," Pompeo told reporters during a brief press conference at the State Department. The top U.S. diplomat, without presenting solid evidence to support his claim, added that the assessment was "based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation" and other issues. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier in the day that the attacks on two oil tankers were "suspicious," noting that they occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "for extensive and friendly talks." Two oil tankers were hit in the Sea of Oman on Thursday morning, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. The attacks came amid Abe's visit to Tehran, who is seeking to help ease tensions between Iran and the United States. "While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted on Thursday afternoon. Over the recent weeks, Washington has ratcheted up pressure on Tehran with a series of sanctions, designations and military threats, trying to press Iran back to negotiations after U.S. exit from the landmark Iran Nuclear Deal over a year ago. Iranian authorities have stressed that Tehran would not sit for negotiations under Washington's threats or sanction pressures. In May, four commercial vessels suffered similar sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. State-run healthcare services continued to be severely affected in Bengal for the fourth consecutive day on Friday with junior doctors continuing their strike in defiance of chief minister Mamata Banerjees ultimatum to join work a day earlier. On Friday morning junior doctors, however, allowed patients to be taken to the emergency section of the NRS Medical College and Hospital that was closed since Tuesday. But they did not treat patients at the emergency that was being manned by senior medics. The outdoor patients department continued to be closed in almost all state-run hospitals. The junior doctors have been on strike since Tuesday in protest against the brutal assault on two colleagues in Nilratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night by family members of an octogenarian patient who passed away. The India Medical Association has declared All India Protest Day on Friday against the incident and expressed solidarity with the striking doctors. Doctors in some parts of the country including Delhis AIIMS and Mumbais JJ Hospital have come out in support of their striking colleagues in Bengal. Also Watch | Doctors protest in WB part of conspiracy by BJP, CPM: Mamata Banerjee The CM, who holds the health and family welfare portfolio, visited the state-run SSKM hospital around noon on Thursday in the wake of the continuing disruption in medical services and warned junior doctors of action if they did not resume work by 2pm. Following the warning by Banerjee, emergency services started at SSKM Hospital and Burdwan Medical College. But junior doctors refused to buckle down and continued to protest. All out-patient clinics and routine services will remain suspended at New Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Safdarjung Hospital with over 3,500 resident doctors from the two hospitals striking work. Also read: Deeply ashamed at Mamata Banerjees inaction, says Kolkata mayors doctor daughter Officials said senior doctors will run the emergency department and the ICUs. The two hospitals see almost 20 thousand patients in their clinics, with 40% of them travelling from neighbouring states to seek treatment. Resident doctors from Maharashtra, too, will join around 80,000 colleagues across the country in a one-day national strike on Friday. Owing to the strike, government medical colleges in the states will have to put routine surgeries as well as services at academic, out-patient and in-patient departments on hold between 8am and 5pm. A few protest processions are expected to be held in Kolkata. On Thursday evening both the principal and medical super of NRS wrote to the director of medical education tendering their resignation. While the opposition has attacked CM Banerjee over the impasse, with the BJP accusing her of acting as Hitler, the chief minister has called the strike a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP. In a Facebook post, the chief minister highlighted the plight of patients in hospitals due to the ongoing strike and claimed the government was cooperating with doctors. She described the injuries sustained by the two junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital as unfortunate. Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, Banerjee said, adding that an inquiry has also been ordered to look into complaint of negligence during treatment, resulting in the death of the patient. (With agency inputs) Thousands of doctors held protests across India on Friday and one of the leading unions announced a nationwide strike on Monday, stepping up an agitation that began from Kolkata and has now escalated into a public health worry with political overtones. Bengal bore the brunt of the protests on Friday, with junior doctors digging in their heels after chief minister Mamata Banerjee gave them an ultimatum the previous day. At least one death, that of a child who could not be admitted to a government hospital, was reported. We are demanding an immediate end to the violence against doctors. The strike is in response to a grave situation, said RV Asokan, secretary general of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which claims to represent 350,000 doctors. IMA also wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah calling for a new law to ensure the safety of doctors in the country. Stirs and demonstrations were witnessed across 17 states and Union Territories and involved about 100,000 doctors across India, according to reports from various medical associations. Trouble began on Monday when three junior doctors at NRS Medical College in Kolkata were assaulted by the relatives of a patient who died during treatment. On Friday, at least a dozen prominent government hospitals in Bengal were paralysed and hundreds of doctors threatened to resign and continue their agitation if the state government did not meet their demands. We want an unconditional apology from the chief minister for the manner in which she addressed us yesterday. She should not have said what she had, a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Dr Arindam Dutta, said while listing six conditions. The other demands included a personal visit by Banerjee to the injured doctors, a condemnation of Mondays attack, and a judicial inquiry into alleged police inaction against the assailants. A petition also flagged the matter to the Calcutta high court, which refused to pass an interim order on the strike and asked the state government to persuade doctors to resume work and provide usual services to patients. The court also directed the Bengal government to spell out the steps it took following the attack. The CM met five prominent doctors and her office invited four representatives of the doctors from NRS Medical College, where Mondays attack took place, to the state secretariat for discussion but the offer was turned down. Doctors in other states took out protest marches and wore black bands and helmets to work, as the fight reached the federal government and the Supreme Court as well. Patients in some major hospitals in the nation, such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Aiims), were seen queued outside out-patient department (OPD) sections as doctors participated in demonstrations. Doctors should resort to other simple and symbolic ways of protest. As medical professionals, their duty is towards protecting the rights of their patients, said Union health minister Harsh Vardhan in New Delhi, when he also called on Banerjee to not make this a prestige issue and resolve the matter with the protesters. Despite getting beaten up so badly, doctors have only asked her [Mamata Banerjee] to provide them adequate security and also demanded action against the perpetrators of the violence as per the law But instead of doing that, she warned them and gave an ultimatum which angered doctors across the country and they proceeded on strike, he said. So if the chief minister acts in a sensitive manner in such a grave scenario, patients across the country will not suffer, he added. Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Friday said he called up chief minister Banerjee to discuss the strike but got no response from her. I have called her up. Till this moment there is no response from her. If she calls me, we will discuss the matter, he said while visiting one of the doctors injured in Mondays attack. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set in motion the process to elect its new president, having announced on Wednesday that it will soon launch a membership drive across the country. The BJP conducts a membership drive every three years, after the term of its president ends. This is followed by organisational elections in smaller units and, finally, the election of the party chief. The term of incumbent president Amit Shah ended in January this year but his team was given an extension till the end of the general elections. A BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, said Shah was expected to continue as party president till the organization processes membership drive and election in states are over. A new president is expected to take over only around December-January, another BJP leader said on condition of anonymity. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been appointed convenor of the membership drive that aims to enrol at least 20% new members, BJP national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said. The BJP boasts an 11-crore-strong membership base, the highest for any political party in India. The schedule for the membership drive will be announced within a week, Yadav said. Four leaders have been given the responsibility of assisting Chouhan during the drive. The decision was taken at a meeting of the BJPs national office-bearers, being attended by general secretaries and presidents of state units. Shah is chairing the meeting. At the meeting, Shah was quoted as saying the BJPs huge victory in the general elections it won 303 seats -- was because of the relentless efforts of party workers. It was because of their efforts that the BJP bagged over 50% votes in at least 220 seats, Yadav said. Another leader quoted Shah as saying the BJP had not only increased it tally but also its margins in the recent election. According to Yadav, the party chief told organisational office-bearers that the party has still not peaked in terms of its electoral performance despite winning the highest-ever 303 seats in 2019. The BJPs reach has to be expanded to new regions and sections of the society, Yadav quoted Shah as saying. He said the BJP had increased its Telangana vote share to 20% despite not putting up a good show in the December assembly elections, and it had to face the heat in Andhra Pradesh because of the anti-Chandrababu Naidu sentiment in that state. On the day governor Keshari Nath Tripathi held a meeting with four principal parties of the state to debate post-poll violence, a BJP political worker was shot dead in a Bengal district and about half a dozen persons were injured when clashes erupted elsewhere between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters. On Thursday evening, Saraswati Das, 40, a BJP worker, was shot dead inside her home in Takipur village in Hasnabad area, about 70 km away from Kolkata. Police officers said the assailants fired from close range. We have started investigation. We are looking into whether it was a political murder, or whether the crime was triggered by something else, said Sabari Rajkumar, the superintendent of police. Das was an active member, and she was getting threats on the phone for the past few days. Goons backed by the TMC killed her inside her house, said Ganesh Ghosh, BJP leader in the area. Dass husband Suvankar, who found the body of his wife riddled with bullets after returning home from the market on Thursday evening, said, I cant understand why my wife was killed. She was receiving threats. I think that TMC-backed men murdered her. It has become a habit of the BJP to invent a political angle in every incident and blame us. Let police investigate the matter, said Jyoti Priyo Mallik, minister and North 24 Parganas district TMC president. The TMC and the BJP were locked in a bitter electoral battle with the latter winning 18 Lok Sabha seats, a nine-fold increase from its 2014 show of two seats. The series of political violence continued in the state even after the election results on May 23. Earlier this week, the chief minister herself admitted that 10 people lost their lives in political violence. Das was the 11th on the list. Only on June 8, the countrys attention was drawn to the murder of three political workers -- two BJP and one TMC supporter -- in Sandeshkhali North 24 Parganas district. In other incidents of violence on Thursday night, three BJP men were beaten in Pingla area of West Midnapore district. BJP leaders called a bandh in the area. In Taldangra of Bankura district about 237 km away from Kolkata, TMC men claimed that their supporters were attacked by BJP members. While four were injured, one of them was admitted in Bishnupur hospital. Police arrested five persons in connection with this violence. Police arrested our men on false grounds. Actually we were attacked, said Vivekananda Patra, a local BJP leader. BJP leaders in Krishnanagar of Nadia district claimed that their men were attacked by TMC men on Thursday night. However, TMC Nadia district leader Gourishankar Dutta said none from his party attacked any one. The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has issued an advisory to all private television channels to carry credits at the end of programmes in the language in which the programmes are telecast for the benefit of viewers who cannot read English. The channels will be free to also carry the credits in English. Union MIB minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted that this was being done to promote Indian languages. He said the government was not restricting the channels to use only Hindi or regional languages, but adding more languages. A similar order will be issued to cinemas as well, he said. It has come to the notice of ministry of information and broadcasting that several Hindi and Regional Language TV channels display the castings/credits/titles of Hindi and Regional language TV serials only in English. This practice tends to deprive people versed with Hindi and Regional languages of the valuable information about casting of TV serials/programmes, the advisory reads. In January, HT had reported that the MIB had written to the Indian Motion Pictures Association, Film and Producers Guild of India, Film Federation of India and Indian Films and TV Producers Council Of India, among others, to run titles and credits in Hindi for all Hindi feature films. The ministry had underlined that since these films were made in Hindi, people not familiar with English should not be deprived of information about actors and crew and other production details. As many as 100 doctors in state-run hospitals in Bengal on Friday wrote to authorities expressing their desire to resign from service even as health services were severely affected as junior doctors continued their stir for the fourth day. The junior doctors have been on strike since Tuesday in protest against the brutal assault on two colleagues in Nilratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night by family members of an octogenarian patient who passed away. Even an ultimatum by chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday to resume work or face action failed to bring the striking doctors back to the wards. Between Thursday and Friday afternoon, as many as 92 doctors -- professors, associate professors, assistant professors and medical officers -- wrote to the authorities expressing their desire to step down. The maximum number of such requests were from Kolkatas RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where at least 60 doctors from general medicine, surgery, neurosurgery departments submitted their resignation to the director of medical education. On Thursday, they gathered at the campus, expressed support for the agitation of the junior doctors and demanded that the chief minister apologise for her statements against the agitators. At least 60 professors, associate and assistant professors have already wrote expressing their desire to resign. But the number is likely to increase, said Debarati Bardhan, a doctor at the hospital. There are reports that about 100 doctors may also resign from NRS Medical College and Hospital. In North Bengal Medical College and Hospital(NBMCH)in Siliguri, the biggest healthcare unit in north Bengal, head of psychiatry Nirmal Bera and his colleague from the same department Uttam Majumdar wrote to the principal expressing their desire to resign. At least 12 doctors of the NBMCH medicine department also resigned on Friday afternoon. For the past few years, attacks on doctors have happened repeatedly. Instead of understanding our concern for lack of safety, the chief minister threatened us on Thursday, said Bera. On Thursday evening, Saibal Mukherjee, principal, and Saurabh Chattopadhyay, medical superintendent and vice principal of NRS Medical College and Hospital offered to resign, saying they have been unable to solve the ongoing problem. On Thursday, as many as 18 doctors of College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital in North 24 Parganas submitted letters to the principal to step down from service. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not only ruled out talks with the agitators, but also threatened to invoke Essential Services Maintenance Act against the doctors and eviction from hostels (if they did not work) and face punitive action. She has also alleged that they are falling prey to instigation by political parties. At least 100 doctors in govt hospitals in Bengal want to resign As many as 100 doctors in state-run hospitals across West Bengal have written to the authorities expressing their desire to resign from the services. Between Thursday and Friday afternoon as many as 92 doctors -- professors, associate professors, assistant professors and medical officers -- wrote to the authorities expressing their desire to step down. Calcutta HC refuses to pass interim order on strike Calcutta high court has refused to pass interim order on strike by junior doctors in state-run hospitals, and has asked West Bengal government to persuade them to rejoin work, reported news agency PTI. Calcutta HC seeks details of steps taken by govt on doctors strike A PIL has been filed in Calcutta High Court by Kunal Saha of People for Better Treatment, seeking that the doctors strike in the state be declared illegal. The HC has sought details of what steps had been taken by West Bengal on attack on doctors and the doctors strike, by next Friday. Next hearing to take place next week. : ANI All private OPDs at Delhis Ganga Ram Hospital to remain closed on Friday The Doctors Forum Society of Delhis Sir Ganga Ram Hospital says all doctors of the hospital are fully in support of our colleagues in West Bengal and strongly protest against growing tendency of violence against doctors. All private OPD clinics at the hospital will remain closed on Friday. : ANI AIIMS doctors wear helmets as mark of protest Members of Resident Doctors Association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) continue to work wearing helmets, as a mark of protest: ANI Delhi: Members of Resident Doctors' Association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) continue to work wearing helmets, as a mark of protest against "worsening of violence against medical doctors in West Bengal." pic.twitter.com/6vAlBdFfPd ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Bengals striking doctors get support from intellectuals A group of West Bengal intellectuals on Friday came out in support of the agitating junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to speak to the striking doctors to normalize the situation, reports IANS. The intellectuals including renowned actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen, stage and screen actor Kaushik Sen, met the agitating doctors and expressed solidarity to their movement. We know that none of you look at the patients cast or religion while treating them. We also know that you are feeling the pain for the patients who have been left untreated due to this impasse. We are with you in this, Aparna Sen said amid loud cheers from the junior doctors at the hospital premises. The Chief Minister is our guardian. I would request her to change her stance a bit on this issue and talk to the young doctors here. They are like your children. Please come here once and talk to them to sort out the problems, she said. 18 doctors in Bengal resign over prevailing situation:ANI 18 doctors from two hospitals in West Bengal resign as protests escalate.:ANI While 16 doctors belonging to RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, submitted their resignation in response to the prevailing situation , two others from North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Darjeeling resigned over violence against doctors in the state. West Bengal: 16 doctors of the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata submit their resignation stating, "In response to prevailing situation as we are unable to provide service, we would like to resign from our duty," pic.twitter.com/a3eVzs6ZLG ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Doctors in Bengaluru hold protest march Doctors hold protest in Bengaluru over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Karnataka: Doctors hold protest in Bengaluru over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/NWdQrK6Dr0 ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Token protest by doctors at govt, private hospitals in Telangana Doctors across the government and private hospitals in Telangana staged token protests on Friday morning to express their solidarity with their colleagues who had struck work at Kolkata in protest against the brutal assault on a doctor. At several hosptials in Hyderabad, including Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences and Gandhi Hospital, doctors assembled on the hospital premises at 9 am and raised slogans demanding that violence against doctors be stopped forthwith. Doctors in Ludhiana stage symbolic protest Doctors of civil hospital in Punjabs Ludhiana, affiliated with IMA, registered their protest against the attack on doctors in Kolkata. It was a symbolic protest and no work has been affected. Harsh Vardhan meets AIIMS doctors Union health minister Harsh Vardhan meets with doctors of New Delhi AIIMS who are also on strike in support of the stir by junior doctors in West Benal. Delhi: Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS meets Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/wuCfEpXhpv ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Dont make it prestige issue: Harsh Vardhan appeals to Bengal CM The health minister added: I appeal to West Bengal CM to not make this an issue of prestige. She gave the doctors an ultimatum, as a result they got angry and went on strike. Today, I will write to Mamata Banerjee ji and will also try to speak to her on this issue. ANI Hold symbolic protests only: Health minister appeals to striking doctors Union Health Minister,Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday appealed to striking doctors across the country to hold only symbolic protests. He told ANI, Id like to assure all doctors that the government is committed towards their safety. I appeal to doctors to hold symbolic protests only & continue to carry out their duties. Kerala doctors join protest Members of Indian Medical Association in KeralasTrivandrum hold protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. In Jaipur, doctors perform duties but wear black bands In Rajasthans Jaipur, doctors at Jaipuria hospital carry out their duties wearing black bands as a mark of protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Doctors treating patients at Jaipurs Jaipuria hospital. ( ANI Photo ) We want justice: Doctors raise slogans at Raipur hospital Resident doctors at Raipurs Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital raised slogans of We Want Justice as they launched their protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal, reported news agency ANI. #WATCH Resident Doctors at Raipur's Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital raise slogans of 'We Want Justice' as they protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. #Chhattisgarh pic.twitter.com/70BsCTmGLN ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 In Nagpur, doctors march with Save the Saviour posters Doctors with Save the Saviour and Stand with NRSMCH posters at Government Medical College in Nagpur, are holding a protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Doctors at AIIMS prepare to observe strike Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) prepare to observe strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Doctors union in Punjabs Patiala joins country-wide protest As junior doctors across the country are taking out marches demand protection for doctors, doctors union in Punjabs Patiala has joined the protest too. Maharashtra resident doctors join protest; demand protection In the light of the recent assault on doctors in Kolkata, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) joined the nationwide protest on Friday to demand protection for doctors. Speaking to ANI, Prashant Chaudhary, President of MARD at Scion hospital, said: The incident was clearly a targeted assault. This has now become a law and order issue. We express solidarity to the seriously injured doctors. We will abstain from providing our routine services from 8 am to 5 pm today, but at the same time we will make sure to inform the administration so that Outpatient Department treatment (OPD), Operation Theatres (OT) and wards keep running. Doctors at Siliguri observe strike, protest march in Hyderabad Doctors at North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri, observe strike. In Hyderabad, doctors of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences hold protest march West Bengal: Doctors at North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri observe strike over violence against doctors at NRS Medical College & Hospital pic.twitter.com/qZvMkUEX0X ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 OPD services at AIIMS, Safdarjung hospital to remain suspended Doctors in Delhis AIIMS, Maharashtra, Patiala and many other parts of the country have come out in support of the striking doctors in Bengal. All out-patient clinics and routine services will remain suspended at New Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Safdarjung Hospital with over 3,500 resident doctors from the two hospitals striking work. Doctors in Patiala protest in support of Bengal doctors strike ( Bharat Bhushan / HT Photo ) Maharashtra doctors shut down OPD Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) are observing strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Official statement says, We are shutting down our OPD, ward and academic services from 8 am to 5 pm today. Emergency services will not be hampered.:ANI Patients facing difficulty at AIIMS due to doctors strike Patients face difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS is on strike on Friday over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Relative of a patient said, My mothers dialysis was scheduled for today, we were told to go and get it done from somewhere else. : ANI Health services severely affected in Bengal State-run healthcare services continue to be severely affected in Bengal for the fourth consecutive day on Friday with junior doctors continuing their strike in defiance of chief minister Mamata Banerjees ultimatum to join work a day earlier. In the wake of protests by the medical fraternity in support of agitating doctors in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Friday urged them to exercise restraint and continue serving patients. He appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this sensitive matter a prestige issue and said that he will write to her in this regard. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Despite getting beaten so badly, doctors have only asked her (Mamata Banerjee) to provide them with adequate security and also demanded action against the perpetrators of the violence as per the law, Vardhan said. But instead of doing that, she warned them and gave an ultimatum which angered doctors across the country and they proceeded on strike. So if the chief minister acts in a sensitive manner in such a grave scenario, patients across the country will not suffer. I plead to the West Bengal chief minister to not make this an issue of prestige, he said. He assured doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety and urged them to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. I appeal to them that they can hold symbolic protests but should also continue to work so that patients do not suffer, the Union health minister said. Also read: Health services in Delhi, Mumbai hit as Bengal doctors strike enters Day 4 Vardhan had Thursday urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint and said he will take up the matter of doctors security with chief ministers of all states. Scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals in Delhi held demonstrations Friday by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. A group of members of the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association also met Vardhan and apprised him of the medical fraternitys demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. They also submitted a memorandum to Vardhan demanding a central law against hospital violence. They have sought immediate security and intervention of the Centre to stop the politically motivated atrocity on the protesting doctors in West Bengal. They have also demanded recruitment of both armed and unarmed trained competent security guards at all government health facilities and increasing the number of security staff at hostels. The delegation also sought making CCTV vigilance in every hospital mandatory and implementation of a hotline alarm system. Also read: Mamata Banerjee and her goons have converted West Bengal into mini Pakistan: BJP Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. Doctors under the banner of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) held out marches in the AIIMS campus, with many wearing bandages on their foreheads while some worked wearing helmets. Resident doctors of the Safdarjung Hospital also took out protests in their campus Healthcare services at private and government hospitals in the national capital are likely to be affected on Friday as scores of doctors began the boycott for a day. There will be a complete shutdown of all out-patient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, except emergency services in the hospitals, several medical bodies of the city had said on Thursday. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has directed members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges to work on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA has asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors offices from 10 am to noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district on Friday, police said. According to a police official, security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Braw Bandina area of Awantipora in the district in south Kashmir after receiving intelligence input about presence of militants in the area. As the forces were conducting searches in the area, the militants fired upon them. The security forces retaliated, he said. Two militants have been killed in the Awantipora operation, the official said, adding the bodies along with arms and ammunition have been recovered from the site. The identity and affiliation of the slain militants are being ascertained, the official said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Stranded at Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji airport late last night for several hours, protesting passengers of an Air India Bombay to Goa flight were offered a free meal from an airport restaurant at the instance of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, a passenger said on Friday. An office bearer of ruling alliance partner Goa Forward Party, Ketan Bhatikar, who was one of the passengers on the delayed Air India flight to Goa said that Sawant arranged for food from the Indian Kebab Grill restaurant, placating the frustrated passengers, who had started sloganeering in the airport departure area protesting the delay. I tried calling Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who answered my phone within two rings at 1.13 a.m. He called me back five times, arranged food for all passengers at Indian Kebab Grill, and exactly at 1.27 a.m. told me that the flight was ready to take-off in 30 minutes. We finally reached Goa at around 3.30 a.m., Bhatikar told IANS. He also said that the flight, which was initially scheduled to leave at 9.30 p.m. on Thursday, was delayed till 11.30 p.m. Sawant is in New Delhi for two days, where he has a series of meetings scheduled with several Union Ministers and the Vice Chairman of the Niti Aayog. Also read: Clear our dues before selling Air India, says pilots union When the flight landed at the Mumbai airport, Air India officials said that crew members were not ready for take-off and kept changing the timing, Bhatikar said, which frustrated the passengers, who started shouting slogans in the airport premises. When contacted, the Chief Ministers Office confirmed the developments. The Chief Minister ensured that all passengers who were booked to Goa, were looked after on the request made by Bhatikar, an official of the Chief Ministers Office said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Afghan counterpart, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, met here Thursday, pledging joint efforts to promote bilateral relations. Xi congratulated Afghanistan on the 100th anniversary of its independence and wished the country an early restoration of peace, stability and development. China and Afghanistan are neighbors that enjoy traditional friendship and strategic partnership of cooperation, Xi said. China is willing to deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation with Afghanistan in various sectors within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), steadily promote practical cooperation in economy and trade, and support the two countries' enterprises to strengthen cooperation based on the principles of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, he said. Xi said China will, as always, continue to help Afghanistan build its capacity in fighting terrorism and maintaining stability. He called on the Afghan side to continue to firmly support China in its fight against the terrorist force of East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The Chinese side firmly supports a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, and will continue to actively encourage and promote talks through various channels to help the Afghan people achieve internal dialogue, Xi said. China supports Afghanistan and Pakistan to improve relations, enhance mutual trust and carry out cooperation, and is ready to further promote the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral cooperation, he said. Ghani conveyed congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. By proposing to build a community with a shared future for mankind and supporting the economic globalization, China has set an example of promoting the construction of a new type of international relations in the 21st century, Ghani said. Ghani thanked China for the active role it has played in his country's peace process and in safeguarding regional peace and stability, adding that Afghanistan is committed to fighting, side by side with China, against the "three forces" including the ETIM. Afghanistan stands ready to align its plan of reconstruction and development with the BRI and set up an even closer trade and economic partnership with China, Ghani added. The Congress on Thursday urged the election commission (EC) to hold simultaneous polls to the two vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat, contending that separate elections will favour the ruling Bharatriya Janata Party (BJP). The two seats have fallen vacant with the election of BJP president Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani to the Lok Sabha. The Congress believes that the poll panel might hold the elections to the two Rajya Sabha seats separately because the results of the Lok Sabha polls from Gandhinagar and Amethi were declared on different days. EC has not made any announcement on whether the polls will be held together or separately. While Shah was declared elected from Gandhinagar on May 23, the formal announcement of Iranis victory she defeated Congress chief Rahuil Gandhi came a day later. You cannot use a technicality that some figures were known on May 23 and some on 24 May and therefore you will have the Rajya Sabha elections separately, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told a news conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi. If you have one election today and one after two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, then you will enable the ruling party legislators to simply cross 51% in Gujarat and elect one in the first round and one in the second round, which is held after weeks, he added. The BJP has 104 legislators in the 182-member Gujarat assembly and the Congresss strength stands at 70. As of now, there are seven vacancies in the Gujarat assembly bringing the strength down to 175. A party will need 61 first-preference votes to get a Rajya Sabha seat. If the elections are held separately, the BJP will win both the seats, otherwise the Congress could bag one, Singhvi said. It will be unconstitutional and illegal. This would be playing with the MLAs mandate, he argued. Singhvi also said that holding elections on separate days would be completely contrary to the convention set in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Whenever you have two seats in a state going vacant, elections are held together. My apprehension can be proved unfounded by a two-line statement, immediately, today or tomorrow, by the EC that there are no intentions of having separate elections for the two seats, Singhvi said. BJP spokesperson Sanjay Mayukh said the decision to schedule polls is taken by the election commission and not by the party or the government. We have no role to play in scheduling polls, it is the domain of the election commission, he said. Slamming Delhi governments announcement of providing free travel to women in metros and busses former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E Sreedharan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his personal intervention urging him to not agree to the proposal adding that the decision to give concession to one section of the community will push Delhi metro into inefficiency and bankruptcy. Sreedharan, in his letter dated June 10, a copy of which has been reviewed by Hindustan Times, said he had taken a firm decision to not intervene in the working of the Delhi metro after stepping down from the post of managing director. The recent decision of Delhi government to extend free travel concession to ladies in Delhi metro has forced me to break this decision, he said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on June 3 had announced women will soon get to travel free in metro and state-run buses. Kejriwal said the free ride offer will be optional, women who can afford it will be able to pay for the ride. WATCH | AAP government announces free bus, Metro rides for women Sreedharan warned this move would also increase the burden of DMRC for the repayment of Japan International Cooperation Agencys loan. When the first section of Delhi metro was to be opened, I had taken a firm and conscious decision that no one would be given any travel concession on Delhi Metro. This stand was taken to maximize revenues so that metro fares could be kept low so as to be affordable to ordinary citizens at the same time metro would make sufficient operational surpluses to pay back the loans taken from JAICA. This stand of Delhi metro was greatly appreciated by all including the then PM Shri Atal Bihar Vajpayee ji...even officers and staff including the managing director of DMRC, when they travel on the metro on official duties purchase tickets, he said. Union minister of state (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Puri had last week said the Delhi government had no viable plan on implementing the scheme adding that the state government had made the announcement without drafting a proposal. Hindustan Times on Friday reported that DMRC, in its proposal submitted to the Delhi government, stated that implementing the scheme would result in an annual loss of around 1560 crore, out of which 11 crore will be incurred in its feeder buses. If ladies are to be given free travel concession in Delhi metro, it would set an alarming precedence to all other metros in the country. The argument of Delhi government that the revenue losses would be reimbursed to DMRSC is a poor solace. The amount involved is about 1000 crore per annum today, Sreedharan wrote. He also warned, the aforementioned amount would keep on increasing as the metro network expands and with further fare hikes on the metro travel. Succeeding governments of Delhi will not be able to play this subsidy. What is worse, once concession is given to one section of the commuters, immediate demands will arise from more deserving sections such as students, handicapped, senior citizen etc. The disease will spread fast to all other metros in the country making them dependent on state governments for subsidies, he said. Sreedharan suggested that the state government should instead pay women commuters directly. I would earnestly request you not to agree to the Delhi governments proposal of free travel to ladies in the metro. If Delhi government is so keen to help lady commuters, I would suggest Delhi government can pay directly to the lady commuters the cost of their travel rather than make travel free on the metro, he added. Kejriwal on Wednesday announced special pink tokens will be provided to allow women free travel on public transport. We would also suggest that the Delhi government provides a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) type subsidy to women commuters instead on inconveniencing everyone. We dont want to go back to the token system anymore which was primitive and also created a lot of hassle. A lot of corruption used to happen with that system. They were suggested by DMRC to provide cards instead but were told the implementation would take much longer. The government should just provide direct subsidy, this scheme will also lead to inconvenience of ladies and is against their dignity as well, a senior government official said requesting anonymity. Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is unlikely to attend the fifth governing council meeting of Niti Aayog to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Saturday. There is no information so far about the chief ministers plan to travel to New Delhi on Saturday. It has not been scheduled in the CMs programme as of now, an official spokesperson of the chief ministers office (CMO) told Hindustan Times. An official familiar with the development said till Thursday, KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, was getting ready to attend the Niti Aayog meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He even instructed the officials to prepare a detailed note which he was planning to present at the governing council meeting. He was keen on showcasing the Rythu Bandhu scheme, which has become a role model for several states. But it is not known why he decided against attending the Niti Aayog meeting, he said. When contacted, senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and former MP B Vinod Kumar said as per his information, KCR was not going to Delhi to attend the Niti Aayog meeting. I am not aware of the exact reason. But I think the chief minister was too preoccupied with the arrangements for the inauguration of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, the biggest in the country, on June 21, he said. The Telangana chief minister on Friday went to Mumbai to meet his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis and invite him to the inauguration of the Kaleshwaram project being built on the Godavari river. He is also planning to go to Vijayawada next week to personally invite Andhra Pradesh chief minister and YSR Congress party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to the function. Unconfirmed reports from TRS sources said KCR had dropped his plan to attend the Niti Aayog meeting as he was upset at being denied an appointment with the Prime Minister for a one-on-one meeting. KCR also wanted to invite the Prime Minister for the inauguration of Kaleshwaram project, but apparently, he could not get the appointment, a TRS source said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her goons have converted the state into a mini Pakistan, Tripura BJP womens wing chief Papia Datta said on Thursday. Hundreds of women wing workers from Tripura have written Jai Shri Ram on postcards to send them to Banerjee. To take part in the nationwide program, Tripura unit of BJP Mahila Morcha will send postcards with Jai Shri Ram written on them to Banerjee. Mamata Banerjee and her goons have converted West Bengal into a mini Pakistan and she is allergic to Ram, a symbol of truth, Datta told ANI. She has also advised Banerjee to start the practice chanting of Jai Shri Ram. The furore over Jai Shri Ram slogan started after Banerjee lost her cool when a group of men chanted Jai Shri Ram as her convoy was passing through Bhatpara area in North 24 Parganas district recently. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who had ruled out negotiations with junior doctors who stopped work to demand better security on Friday received dollops of advice from different quarters on ending the doctors strike. One also came from the Calcutta High Court. A two-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court chaired by Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan told the state government to persuade the striking doctors to resume work and provide usual services to patients. The judges, who took up a request to intervene to end the agitation, did not, however, issue an formal order except asking the state to report back on the steps taken after the attack on the junior doctors at a city hospital on Monday night. The court, which also reminded doctors of the Hippocratic Oath, will take up the case again next week. The courts suggestion came around the same time Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in Delhi pinned the blame for the escalation of protests by doctors on the chief minister and asked her not to make it a prestige issue. Also read: Dont make this prestige issue: Harsh Vardhan says Mamatas ultimatum led to doctors strike Doctors only asked her for security and demanded action against perpetrators of the violence, Dr Harsh Vardhan told reporters. But instead, she warned them and gave an ultimatum which angered doctors across the country and they proceeded on strike, he said. WATCH | Doctors protest in WB part of conspiracy by BJP, CPM: Mamata Banerjee Outpatient facilities were affected in several government-run hospitals in several cities as doctors held protests to express solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after a doctor was attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The Indian Medical Association has called for a nation-wide strike on June 17. Actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen also nudged Banerjee to change her stance a bit and take a more humane view of the threats faced by doctors. The Chief Minister is our guardian. I would request her to change her stance a bit on this issue and talk to the young doctors here. They are like your children. Please come here once and talk to them to sort out the problems, she said. Banerjee did meet the doctors demanding security yesterday but lost her cool with them after left after delivering an ultimatum to get back to work by 2 pm. In between, she also ruled out negotiations, told them about the strike was illegal even according to court verdicts and told them that they would be thrown out of their hostels if they dont work. Also read: Like your children: Aparna Sen urges Mamata Banerjee to change her stance on doctors strike Chhattisgarh police booked for sedition a man seen in a video on social media allegedly claiming that power cuts in the state were being orchestrated to boost the sales of a company manufacturing inverters, but were forced to withdraw the charges on Friday on the intervention of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. The police had lodged a first information report against Mangilal, a resident of Dongargaon, on a complaint by a state-run power distribution company. According to the FIR, he was heard claiming that an inverter company was hand in glove with the Congress-run Chhattisgarh government to stage power cuts for 10-15 minutes every two to three hours to boost the sales of inverters. Mangilal was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 124 (a) (sedition) and Section 505 (1) (b) (disturbing public tranquillity) on Friday, Rajnandgaon superintendent of police Komalochan Kashyap said. He was produced in a local court and remanded in judicial custody. However, chief minister Baghel stepped in soon after, saying that those spreading rumours on social media should not be booked for sedition but under relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act and other sections of the IPC. We have taken back the sedition charges against the person. I believe there should be freedom of speech and no one should be booked for sedition. Secondly, I dont believe in spreading rumours on social media, but the accused should be booked under other sections of the IPC and the IT Act, not sedition, Baghel said. The Chhattisgarh director general of police, DM Awasthi, said, After investigation, it was found that the case is not fit for sedition. Hence, it has been dropped. On Thursday, a Chhattisgarh state power holding company had issued a statement that a complaint had been lodged against Mangilal for spreading rumours regarding the working of the company. Due to natural forces such as storms or other local reasons, power supply is affected but some people through social media are spreading that power cuts are because the power company has made a tacit agreement with some inverter companies, which is totally fake, said Shailendra Shukla, chairman of the five power distribution companies in Chhattisgarh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After appearing to avoid each other at more than half a dozen events during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan briefly exchanged pleasantries on Friday. People familiar with developments were quick to point out that there was no pull aside or formal meeting between the two leaders, who have spoken on phone and exchanged letters since Khans party won Pakistans general election last year. Ahead of the SCO Summit, Indian officials had insisted that there would be no formal meeting between Modi and Khan at Bishkek. This didnt prevent the Pakistani side from making overtures for an engagement. Indias lack of desire to engage was signalled by Modi on Thursday, when he said Pakistan is yet to act on Indias concerns and create an atmosphere free of terrorism. On Thursday and Friday, Modi and Khan were together at two photo ops, a concert, a dinner hosted by the Kyrgyz president, a formal lunch, and two sessions of the SCO leaders but chose not to engage. While six of the eight visiting SCO leaders were hosted at Ala Archa State Residence, the official home of the Kyrgyz president, Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin opted to stay at other venues. It was only when Modi and Khan came face to face in the leaders lounge on Friday that they exchanged usual pleasantries in the presence of SCO heads of government, the people cited above said. Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi described the encounter to Indian journalists as an informal exchange, and said Khan congratulated Modi on his recent election victory with a heavy mandate. Doctors across the government and private hospitals in Telangana staged token protests on Friday morning to express their solidarity with their colleagues who had struck work at Kolkata in protest against the brutal assault on a doctor. At several hospitals in Hyderabad, including Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences and Gandhi Hospital, doctors assembled on the hospital premises at 9 am and raised slogans demanding that violence against doctors be stopped forthwith. We, however, did not stop any work in the hospital, but continued to extend our services wearing black badges as a token of protest, Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav, secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Telangana chapter, told Hindustan Times. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a nationwide protest on Friday against growing number of violent attacks against doctors across the country. Singh said protest demonstrations had taken place in all the IMA branches and hospitals in Telangana from 9 am to 10 am, before the doctors resumed their work. We shall hold a meeting of the IMA representatives in the evening to express solidarity to the striking doctors in Kolkata. We shall submit a representation to the state government requesting it to take stringent action against anyone who attacks the doctors in service, he said. The IMA secretary said at least 10 incidents of attacks on doctors had taken in place different hospitals in Telangana in the last eight months. On May 20, a senior medical officer working at the NIMS was allegedly assaulted by four attendants of a patient who received head injuries in a drunk driving accident case. Later, NIMS Resident Doctors Association members staged a protest against the alleged attack. On March 1, a medical graduate in the same hospital was allegedly attacked by a patients attendants. In February this year, hundreds of doctors in Gandhi Hospital boycotted their duties in protest against the assault on a paediatrician by the family members of a two-month old infant who succumbed to severe illness. Another 300 doctors from Niloufer Childrens Hospital also struck work in protest. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy may have turned down any standing offer of having a deputy speaker from his party but he is clear that he wants a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hopes that the PMs heart would soften one day to grant the state special category status. ... I told him also, that every time I meet him, I will never let you forget the special category status, he told HT. On West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjees refusal to attend the Niti Aayog meeting, Jagan said it was a different story as they were rivals. We dont see anybody as a threat, he said. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping said in Bishkek on Thursday that Beijing is ready to join New Delhi in pushing forward a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. During the meeting, Xi congratulated Modi again on his re-election as India's prime minister. Xi noted that China and India are the world's only two emerging economies that boast a population of more than 1 billion respectively, and are both at a crucial stage of rapid development. Cooperation between the two countries, said the Chinese leader, can not only boost their respective development, but also will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the wider world. He also said that during his meeting with Modi last year in Wuhan, China's central Hubei Province, they have led the China-India relationship onto a new stage, adding that China is willing to join India to make continuous efforts in promoting a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi urged the two sides to stick to the fundamental judgement that China and India offer to each other chances for development, and do not pose each other threats, and called on the two countries to keep deepening mutual trust, focusing on cooperation, and properly handling their disputes so as to turn the bilateral relationship into a positive element for their respective development. The Chinese president said the two nations need to constantly broaden the channels for cooperation, conduct cooperation in such areas as investment, industrial capacity and tourism, make a bigger cake of common interests, jointly promote regional inter-connectivity, including the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, in a bid to better boost common development. He also called on the two sides to make good use of such mechanisms as meetings between the two countries' special representatives on the boundary issue, and enhance trust-building measures so as to preserve stability in border areas. As important representatives of developing nations and emerging market economies, China and India, said Xi, need to come together to safeguard free trade and multilateralism, and protect the legitimate development rights of developing countries. Modi said his meeting with Xi last year in Wuhan was very successful, which has helped achieve new progress in bilateral ties, adding that the Indian side is ready to work with China in intensifying high-level exchanges and bolstering strategic communication. He called on the two sides to promote bilateral ties in broad areas, explore new sectors for cooperation, and properly handle their differences. Noting that next year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, Modi said the two countries need to make a good plan for celebration to step up their people-to-people exchanges. Got a sweet tooth, or you believe it to be a sweet jaw instead? If your answer is yes to either, then youll usually find yourself seeking your favourite dessert item - ranging from both Indian sweets to chocolates to bakery products. Indian savoury dishes are known for their use of spices - like cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon - that gives a distinct character to the sweet your tastebuds have been craving. Indian desserts are not just limited to a post-meal treat as one can have them whenever they crave the taste (in limited amounts for health reasons) and relish its taste. From fruits and vegetables to several other raw products you can easily source from your kitchen, theres something sweet for everyone. Here are some interesting facts (recipes included) about some of the most delicious desserts you can relish on special days with your friends and family members or even when you want to treat yourself on a cheat day. Motichoor Laddoos: With a base of chickpea flour, these deep-fried saffron colour balls resemble doughnuts. Their rich taste comprises the smoothness of pure ghee. The sweet dish, which has its origins in North India, is often seasoned with saffron or melon seeds and sweetened with thickened sugar syrup. The balls are also occasionally mixed with orange food colouring, to make their hue truly pop. Aamras Puri or Rice: Unlike other traditional Indian sweets, there is a finite window for trying this dessert. The reason for that is easy: Plain, pureed mango pulp is the star of the dish. And indeed, its hard to resist a giant bowl of fresh mango. Different recipes may use saffron, milk, powdered sugar and powdered cardamom to flavour the puree. The fruit mixture tastes best when served chilled, with an accompaniment of puri or white rice. Shrikhand: This dish, most popular in Maharashtra and Gujarat, bears some resemblance to a yogurt parfait. Its prepared from hung curd, seasoned with green cardamom, sugar, and saffron. The saffron imparts a delicate yellow hue to the pudding, making it unmistakable from other yogurt desserts. There are variations of shrikhand that you can consider making at home or buy off the shelf from any store. From mango to almonds to pistachios, there are ways to flavour this dish. It can be eaten by itself or with puri, making it an addictive mix of sweet and savoury. Pineapple and Ginger Strudel with rum sauce and vanilla-cinnamon ice cream: A cousin of the classic apple strudel, usually a winter favourite, this pineapple and ginger strudel is equal parts party in your mouth and the sin you need when you want a treat. The key to a good strudel is the genius of its pastry - the crispier yet melt-in-your-mouth it is, the better. Heres a recipe and method to bake pineapple strudels. Recipe: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon minced ginger 1 tablespoon light brown sugar 1/8 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon Ground nutmeg 400gms fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and diced 1 egg yolk, beaten 1 tablespoon dark rum 1 tablespoon powdered sugar 300 Gms strudel dough, room temperature. 4 scoops vanilla and cinnamon ice cream ice cream Method - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. - In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter, add ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let cook 2 minutes, and then add in fruit, stirring gently to combine. Let cook over medium heat to gently caramelize, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove fruit from pan, reserve sauce in a pan. Let the fruit cool to room temperature. - Place strudel dough on a baking sheet and spread. Spread the fruit out on strudel dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around. With the long end closest to you, fold the dough into thirds, then repeat ending with the seam down. Pinch short ends closed. Brush with egg yolk. - Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 20 to 25 minutes. While baking, heat up remaining sauce over medium heat, fortify with rum and 2 tablespoons butter. - To serve, remove strudel from oven and slice immediately into 6 pieces. Drizzle some of the sauce on dessert plates. Place strudel slice on top and dust with powdered sugar and serve ice cream by side. Bebinca: A dense, rich cake traditionally eaten on holidays in Goa, India. The dish has its roots in Portuguese settlers, who came to Goa in the 16th century and brought their custard-style desserts with them. Bebinca is made mostly of a batter of eggs, flour, nutmeg and coconut milk, which is baked in thin layers, and then stacked with a smear of ghee in between. It is a time-consuming dish to make, becoming more labour-intensive as the number of layers increase. Seven is the minimum number, but some versions contain as many as 16 layers. In any form, a bebincas multicoloured striations show off a bakers skill and delight consumers. Gajar Halwa: A winter staple for most households, this dish is also a walk down memory lane for many people of Indian-origin. If you are yet to try your hands on a few helpings of Gajar Halwa, then you need to try it soon. The shredded carrot dish, which is one of the most popular desserts in the country, is relished by one and all. Its often served as heaped in a bowl, with the vivid carrots topped with exotic dry fruits like bright green pistachios or delicately slivered almonds. The secret to a perfect rendition lies in cooking the carrots down with ghee and milk until they are creamy and pudding-like in consistency. The mix is then flavoured with heady green cardamom, pistachios and, sometimes, raisins. For those who want to continue enjoying this tasty treat in the balmy, summer months can consider freezing it and warming it portion wise whenever you want to eat it. Mishti Doi: As the name suggests, the dish takes us to the streets of West Bengal region where it is prepared from simple ingredients that yield more than the sum of its parts. It begins with milk, which is reduced overheat and then sweetened with jaggery, a sugar formed from sugar cane juice or the sap of palm trees. From there, yogurt culture is added and the whole mixture is set until firm. The best traditional way of serving Mishti Doi is in a terracotta or clay bowl, with bright threads of saffron, pistachio crumbles or even edible flowers often scattered over the top of the mixture is often scattered over the top of the mixture. With inputs from ANI Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two women, including a foreign national, died and nine others were injured after a bus travelling to Mumbai from Pune toppled inside the Madap tunnel on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, on Thursday. The Khalapur police suspect the bus, with 27 passengers, was speeding inside the tunnel. The accident took place around 3.30pm and traffic moving towards Mumbai was affected. It took over 30 minutes to clear the traffic, said a police officer from Khalapur police station, on condition of anonymity. According to the police, the victims have been identified as Kavita Sharad Palange, 41, a resident of Thane; and Fatima Dhaif Allah Saleh, 89, a Yemen national. The driver of the bus Mushadiq Anwar Pasha, 59, was also injured. The police have registered an accidental death report, and further investigations are on. While one of the injured has been admitted to a local hospital in Khalapur, eight others were taken to MGM Hospital, Kamothe, in Navi Mumbai. Dr (Lt Gen) KR Salgotra, medical superintendent at MGM Hospital, said eight injured passengers were brought to the hospital around 6pm. The condition of one passenger is critical. However, he is responding to treatment, Salgotra said. Salgotra said that three passengers have sustained fractures and the remaining have minor injuries. Of the eight injured, two are from an Arab country. Indore, Madhya Pradesh: The state government has ordered police escort for water tankers and guards at all water sources. Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Twelve tech companies have asked employees to work from home because they dont have water to sustain operations. Beed, Maharashtra: Almost entire villages are deserted as residents have started migrating in search of water. These are just a few examples of the crisis India is facing. This water emergency, however, is not just about the lack of availability of the natural resource. It is much more severe than that. Our rivers are polluted, traditional water harvesting systems are gone, catchments are deforested, groundwater levels are depleting and ponds and lakes are disappearing at an alarming pace. India has over 18% of the worlds population but just 4% of its freshwater resources. A 2018 report of the NITI Aayog also mentioned that the country is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history. Despite such warnings, unfortunately, the political and public response on the issue has been tepid. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress did not raise the issue during their pre-election rallies as much as required, though their manifestos had water-related promises. The BJP said it will provide piped water to every household by 2024 and the Congress had promised providing universal access to drinking water. Politicians were able to get away with very little focus on the water crisis because the voters did not demand answers even though many of them are severely affected by this crisis. The first proactive efforts at tackling the calamity was seen after the new government took over on May 30 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiling the Jal Shakti ministry, which has been formed by merging the ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation and ministry of drinking water and sanitation. This raised hopes but many were shocked when the new minister, Gajendra Shekhawat, on June 11, said: The water crisis is not as bad as the hype created by the media. The comment comes a month after the Centre issued a drought advisory to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, asking them to use water judiciously. Even if the minister thinks that the situation is under control, his ministry has a long laundry list. First, the water sector is confronted with the lack of credible water information, that is, information about water storage, groundwater, water flows and, in some cases, even rainfall and snowfall levels. This problem has also been acknowledged by the NITI Aayog. Access to accurate water information could help one understand the risks and urgency of the situation and steer towards informed decisions, writes Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, in Economic & Political Weekly (Challenges in Water Governance, April 13, 2019). Second, the PM has promised piped water for all by 2024. This is an important step but the government also needs to spell out how it plans to protect the sources of water, stop the overconsumption, wastage and intense overexploitation of groundwater and strengthen (and in many cases re-establish) the link between groundwater and surface water. Third, this is also the right time to talk about the countrys water governance structure. There is, as the Mihir Shah Committee report (2016) mentions, an express need to rehaul the Central Water Commission, Central Ground Water Board, Central Ground Water Authority, State Pollution Control Boards and Central Pollution Control Board, among others. These institutes, writes Thakkar, may have a different evolution trajectory, but they show a typical top-down, bureaucratic, unaccountable, non-transparent and non-participatory mindset. Fourth, there has to be an acknowledgement that groundwater is Indias lifeline, and, therefore, there has to be a focus on its recharge and aquifer management. Last, but not least, get people involved. Bundelkhand is a drought-prone region, where access to water is at a premium and difficult for the poor to access. While the upper economic classes do not suffer much shortage, the poor face the brunt of this lack of water in a disproportionately large manner. This has huge health and livelihood implications, especially for scheduled castes /scheduled tribes, and within these groups, even more serious for women and children. Despite such odds, illiterate and semi literate women have formed groups (jal sahelis) that work towards water security by spreading water literacy and water conservation, says Indira Khurana, a water and sanitation expert. In Andhra Pradeshs Anantpur district, farmers have formed a collective to share groundwater with each other to sustain their crops. And in Bangalore, Anand Malligavad, a techie, is leading a citizen-driven initiative to rejuvenate the citys lakes. In Delhi and many other cities of India, several resident welfare associations have done commendable work in harvesting rainwater and augmenting groundwater. The government must build on these positive interventions. @kumkumdasgupta SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Leila Cast - Huma Qureshi, Rahul Khanna, Siddharth, Sanjay Suri Rating - 4/5 Netflixs latest Indian original series, Leila, opens with the lynching of a Muslim man. His formerly Hindu wife is arrested by the followers of an authoritarian political leader, and put into a labour camp. Their daughter - a symbol of their transgressive love - is taken away. Its the most courageous opening scene Ive seen since Anurag Kashyaps similarly political Mukkabaaz. What the show cannot achieve in terms of streamlined storytelling, it more than makes up for with the sheer audacity of its ideas, and for having the bravery of following through on them. One scene in particular is so deliberately provocative, I cant imagine it not being controversial. Leila fills a longstanding void in the arena of Indian speculative fiction, and will be considered in the future, along with 2018s Ghoul, as a show that captured the zeitgeist of a nation, at a very pivotal moment in its history. Watch the Leila trailer here But suspicions have already arisen. Its trailer, released on YouTube a month ahead of its debut, has accumulated significantly more dislikes than likes. If youre in the mood to experience the unhinged lawlessness of a YouTube comments section, all you need to do is to scroll down and read. Several people are accusing the series of being Hindu phobic; others are calling for a boycott of Netflix. The YouTube comments section is like an unsupervised nook at the backside of a school, where the rough kids go to sneak a smoke; its a space that encourages the worst ideas human beings are capable of, because its a space that empowers polluted thought. It is where even the most detestable people can find support, and once encouraged, the confidence to continue. The YouTube comments section, some would say, is almost as terrifying as the fictional nation of Aryavarta, circa 2049, where the citizenry has been segregated on the basis of class, religion and income, in a world on the brink of environmental collapse - a key theme that might unfortunately be drowned out by the shows political overtones. Leila channels The Handmaids Tale. (Netflix) Huma Qureshi plays Shalini, a woman of rare privilege in these troubled times. She can, for instance, afford to pay for water, a depleted resource that the less fortunate have to scrounge around for. She is stripped of this entitlement, and of her dignity, when she is arrested by the Rudraksha-wearing foot soldiers of the regime - the chowkidaars, if you will - for having married outside her faith. She is sent to a labour camp, where other transgressive women like her are purified of their sins. The scenes in the camp - where the first episode is largely set - have rather obvious visual and thematic similarities to The Handmaids Tale, Hulus excellent adaptation of Margaret Atwoods dystopian novel. The manner in which the women are framed, the powerful image of red uniforms against a drab background, the soft focus; its all very evocative. Huma Qureshi in a still from Netflixs Leila. (Netflix) In the labour camp, Shalini and the other women are drugged into submission by a troupe of hijra police persons, and are forced, in a daring critique of hyper-nationalism, to express their devotion and gratitude to the nation of Aryavarta. My lineage is my destiny. I am blessed to have been born in this land, they chant, and when they dont, a recording recites the same words on a loop in the background. It has an eerie affect that almost, but not quite, tricks the viewer into believing that they, too, are prisoners. Also read: All tyrants are afraid of losing power: Huma Qureshi, Deepa Mehta on the pointed politics of Netflixs Leila Director Deepa Mehta certainly shoots Huma in a manner that emphasises her entrapment. In moments where Shalini is forced to make difficult decisions, her face is confined in uncomfortably tight close-ups. And it is in those moments that Huma gets a chance to flex her acting muscles. As blunt as some of the shows political statements are, Humas subtle performance nicely balances Leilas overzealous aspects, the biggest and most fearless of which has to be the character of Joshi. Joshiji looms in the background of Leila. (Netflix) He didnt exist in Prayaag Akbars source novel - at least not in this form - which, although very much about class and religious segregation, isnt as overtly political as the show. In the three episodes that were provided for preview, Joshi is seen only in portraits and on billboards, on the walls of shopping malls and government offices - smiling, serene, and surrounded by saffron. Through fear and false promises - mostly about economic growth and the preservation of tradition and culture - he manages to keep the population of Aryavarta under his thumb. His bhakts have a term of endearment for him: Joshiji. Children enjoy his exploits in cartoons about his youth. Their mothers encourage them to be like Joshiji when they grow up. Throughout history, the clampdown on thought and free speech has inspired bold voices to emerge from the darkness. There is something rather rebellious about Leila, especially in an age where we can witness, almost on a daily basis, the consequences of dissent. Mukkabaaz somehow slipped under the radar of the radical right-wing. I hope for Leilas sake that it evades capture, too. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan yet again broke the diplomatic protocol, this time at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in Kyrgyzstans capital Bishkek on Thursday. In a video shared on the official Twitter handle of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Khan is seen seating while everyone else stood to welcome the head of states entering the hall. Upon realizing that he was perhaps the only one seated, he stood briefly and then seated himself again before the others did. Khan earlier broke the diplomatic protocol at the 14th OIC summit held in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. Watch| Imran Khan breaks diplomatic protocol, welcomes world leaders while sitting During a meeting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the sidelines of the summit, Khan spoke to Salmans interpreter and walked off before the message could be translated to the king. The video was widely circulated on social media and Khan was criticized, both by his countrymen and Saudi Arabia for apparently disrespecting the king. Khan and the leaders of the SCO member countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are attending the two-day summit in Kyrgyzstans capital Bishkek. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) China supports efforts to improve ties between New Delhi and Islamabad, President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Imran Khan in Bishkek on Friday, also assuring him of Chinas full cooperation in Pakistans counter-terrorism efforts. Xis assurance to Khan comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him during bilateral talks that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere clear of terror. Xi met Khan on the sidelines of the President Xi Jinping (SCO) summit in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. We support Pakistan in carrying out the national anti-terrorism action plan and will help Pakistan strengthen its counter-terrorism capacity building. China supports Pakistan and India to improve relations, Xi was quoted as having told Khan in a statement issued by the Chinese foreign minister. The Prime Minister did inform President Xi Jinping that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terrorism and that at this stage, we did not see this as happening as yet, and that, therefore, we expect Pakistan to take concrete action on the issues that India has proposed in the areas of concern that we have flagged to Pakistan, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale told a news briefing after the meeting between Xi and Modi on Thursday. On Friday, Modi again raised the issue of state-sponsored terrorism without naming Pakistan. The Chinese foreign ministry statement released late evening -- on the meeting between Xi and Khan said the Chinese leader emphasised the close ties between the two all-weather strategic friends. Xi Jinping emphasized that we must maintain, consolidate and develop China-Pakistan all-weather relations and all-around cooperation. The two sides should thoroughly communicate on issues of common concern and jointly safeguard international and regional security and stability, the statement quoted Xi as saying. There was the obvious reference to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which New Delhi is opposed to as it violates Indias territorial sovereignty because of its path through PoK. We must expand and enrich the construction of the CPEC with a new focus on industrial parks, agriculture, and peoples livelihood, Xi said. It is necessary to seize the opportunity of the escalation of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement and vigorously expand bilateral trade. China is willing to provide assistance to Pakistan within its ability, the Chinese leader said. Xi pointed out that he had met Khan thrice in eight months. This fully reflects the high level of China-Pakistan all-weather strategic partnership. Under the complicated international and regional situation, China and Pakistan should carry out closer coordination and cooperation to build a closer community of destiny. Khan told Xi that Pakistan highly values Chinas positive role in promoting international and regional peace and security and is committed to continue deepening its strategic relationship with China Modi did not meet Khan on the sidelines of the SCO summit. Reports from Bishkek said the two leaders didnt even have an informal interaction during the summit. Besides Xi, Modi met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit. Beijing on Friday denounced what it called violent interference by US lawmakers critical of what they see as a worsening human rights environment in Hong Kong. Congressional representatives introduced the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which appears designed to put pressure on the city -- and its pro-Beijing leader -- to withdraw a planned extradition law. The bill threatens to remove Hong Kongs status as a US special trading partner. Some US lawmakers have made irresponsible remarks about Hong Kong affairs and violently interfered in Chinas internal affairs, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a press briefing. Relevant people in the United States (should) abandon the illusion of attempting to mess up Hong Kong, he added. Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of the semi-autonomous city this week to protest a deeply unpopular plan to allow extraditions to China. Critics say the law would be abused by an increasingly assertive Beijing to pursue its political enemies. Also read: Hong Kong protests against extradition bill were riots: Beijing On Wednesday, the international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since before its 1997 handover, as riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters. Dozens were injured in the clashes, which have fuelled public anger and sparked accusations of police brutality. Another mass rally is planned for Sunday. The citys pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam, who is facing mounting pressure to abandon the extradition legislation, has so far refused to meet protester demands to withdraw or scrap the bill. Chinas determination and will to uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests are unflinching, Geng said. We are not afraid of any threats and intimidation, he said. Any vain attempts to create chaos in Hong Kong... will surely be met with the opposition of all Chinese people, including the vast number of Hong Kong compatriots. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Around 8.15 am on April 21, and as on every Easter Sunday, 44-year-old Ruklanti Peiris was in a hurry. She knew that the main prayer hall of the 1,000-seater St Sebastians Church in Negombo would be crowded. The employee of a garment factory let her husband Romal, their two children and her 74-year-old mother-in-law lag behind, and strode ahead herself, hoping to grab space for them. Meanwhile, a man with a rucksack hurried across the large courtyard of the church, ruffling the head of a child he accidentally bumped into. There was a purpose in his stride. At 8 25 am, he entered the hall and fulfilled it: by pulling a detonator and killing himself. The suicide attack blew off the roof of the church and killed 105 people, including 27 children. And Ruklanti Peiris, the mother of two school students. Of all the brothers of ringleader and self-proclaimed maulvi, Zahran Hashim, who killed themselves across the country, Mohammed Hashthun who attacked St Sebastians, was supposedly the clever one. Much like his diabolical sibling who used the Internet to propagate his call to bloodshed, trained pharmacist Hashthun surfed the Net and assembled the bombs that killed more than 250 people in eight suicide attacks across the island-nation on Easter Sunday. Negombo is a tiny, prosperous town located close to Sri Lankas international airport and about 40km north of the capital Colombo. The overwhelming majority of the 137,000-strong population of the popular beach holiday venue is Roman Catholic. They, along with Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, have coexisted peacefully even during the worst phases of a 30-year-long civil war that ended in 2009. Nearly two months after the April attacks, life here is hobbling back to normalcy. Army troops are out in full force and helping rebuild St Sebastians. Inside, there is fresh paint and rejuvenation Outside, there are reminders of death. The chapels boundary walls are lined with gigantic posters with pictures of those killed; some were babies, barely months old. Passersby of many faiths stream inside to light a candle or offer a prayer at a statue of the soldier saint Sebastian in the courtyard, while army engineers work overtime to complete the renovation work by the end of the month. An investigation into both the intelligence failure in Colombo as well the links to the Islamic State, which claimed the terror attacks, is on. The Sri Lankan government has issued fresh orders to gather biometrics of maulvis at mosques and copies of all Islamic sermons. There is a ban on face veils, and a periodic one on social media, which proved the chief weapon in the hands of the terrorists of the National Thowheed Jamaath, a local militant group accused of having carried out the blasts. There is suspicion in the Sinhalese community and fear among the Muslims, says Ciswan De Croos, episcopal vicar of Negombo. Muslims are a secluded community. Be it growing Middle Eastern influence or women suddenly taking to hijab, outsiders dont know enough about what goes on inside that community. De Croos has been praised by his Muslim counterparts, the maulvis of Negombo. Within minutes of the attack, the Christian priest requested police to provide security to the Muslims and urged young men of his community to desist from violence. There are lots of conspiracy theories about the attacks, De Croos says. That they may be the United States own plan to create chaos and justify occupying this crucial country in the Indian Ocean, that the Muslims are poisoning the water we drink to render Sinhalese impotent, and so on. But other than a few drunken brawls, there has been no communal violence here. At St Sebastians, 35-year-old assistant priest Father Sanjiva is in the middle of his counselling day for families of the victims, and is alone because De Croos is indisposed. Yes, there is a slight change in people here, Sanjiva says. Nobody wants a war. But some people have begun talking about the differences between them and us. I tell them that these attacks were the selfish idea of a few criminals, but that they were a one-time act. It is over. We must move on. Negombo coordinator of the Local Inter-Religious Collective (LIRC), Fathima Joshinka, 46, is helped in her work by her name and ethnic origin. Born to a Muslim-Catholic couple, she is a practising Catholic who is adored by her Muslim fathers family and is married to a Tamil Christian. Joshinka grew up in Negombo and concedes that there has been a change. Some people began by opening madrasas and teaching children a certain ideology different to what was common here. Once the children got interested and influenced, they started building more mosques. The powerful militant group of Buddhist monks, the Colombo-based Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS) claims that their warnings fell on deaf ears. We have been aware of growing Wahabism in Sri Lanka and have repeatedly pointed it out to the government for the past 8 years. These extremist groups even attacked moderate Muslims and took control of their mosques. And yet, no action was taken. Instead, we were wrongly blamed many times but please note, never convicted - for attacking Muslims and other minorities, the CEO of BBS, Dilantha Withenage said. Negombos Town Mosque is on a narrow, crowded street and its cool interiors act as a welcoming shelter to people of all religions and unveiled women alike. Abdul Wahab, an affluent businessman, is taking a break along with Suleiman, the mosques maulvi. Pain and anger reflect on their faces when asked about the terror attacks. What has changed since Easter Sunday? We are afraid, says Wahab. Muslims have been in this country for 1,300 years. But there was never such animosity or fear in Sri Lanka before. A handful of criminals have mutilated our peaceful history forever. The mention of the alleged mastermind, Zahran Hashim, who preached on a Facebook account and on YouTube, triggers a sharp reaction. Who was Zahran Hashmi and how is he a maulvi? asks 36-year-old Maulvi Suleiman. I became one after years of instruction and guidance in reading the Quran under scholars. Can a doctor prescribe medicine he read about on the internet? Suleiman is also incensed by the mention of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, chief of the Islamic State (IS) group. I carry my fathers name. What is Baghdadi? It is a citys name. How can IS interpret the Quran selectively? Do you know that the holy book only tells you to defend yourself if attacked? Much like you are told to wear a helmet, but only if you are riding a bike? The modest Peiris home is tucked away in a quiet side lane. Coconut palms sway in the breeze, which makes posters of deceased factory worker Ruklanti Peiris on the houses boundary wall flutter. Her husband is at home with his 11-year-old son, and mother. Romal was a barman in Dubai, but lost his job after being diagnosed with clinical depression. Doctors forbade him to work; Ruklanti was the only bread-earner. They received SLR 10 lakh (about INR 5 lakh) from the government as an ex-gratia payment. Some money came in from church donations too. The family is facing several problems, but is determined to overcome them. Romal doesnt know how long the money will last. His 11-year-old son, whom the family do not wish to name, suffers from nightmares and cries out for his mother. This terrible crime was committed by a few Muslims, Romal says. How can we be angry with all of them? Peace must remain. There must be no fighting. You are here: World Flash Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman earlier on the day were "suspicious." "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers" occurred while the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "for extensive and friendly talks," Zarif tweeted on Thursday. The Iranian foreign minister called for regional dialogue, saying that "Iran's proposed Regional Dialogue Forum is imperative." Two oil tankers were hit in the Sea of Oman on Thursday morning, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. The attacks came amid Abe's visit to Tehran, who is seeking to help ease tensions between Iran and the United States. Last month, four commercial vessels suffered similar sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. An Indian-origin man based in Leicester has been jailed for three years and nine months after stealing nearly 662,000 from the company he worked for as a bookkeeper for nearly 30 years, the local police said on Friday. Bharat Suchak, 65, admitted to three counts of fraud abusing his position and was sentenced by the Leicester Crown Court on Thursday. Investigations revealed that he transferred large sums of money from the companys bank account to his own. Financial investigator Nicole McIntyre said: (The company) was a family business which had been in business for 40 years. Following the incident the business has gone into liquidation due to the financial loss it suffered at the hands of Suchak. The victims trusted Suchak and felt he was a loyal employee. He abused his position and the victims good nature. This was a lengthy and complex investigation, money was transferred over a period of time using fraudulent transactions so it didnt arouse suspicion. We are pleased that he has pleaded guilty to the offences and we hope the time he will now spend in prison will give him the time to reflect on his crimes and the consequences his actions had had on him, his family, the victims and the wider community, she added. Leicester in the east Midlands has a large population of Indian origin, many of whom migrated there from Idi Amins Uganda in the early 1970s. Members of the community have since rejuvenated the local economy and holds leading positions in various professions. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday the United States present a serious threat to global and regional stability as tensions soar in the Gulf. The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world, Rouhani said, in translated comments. He was speaking at a meeting in Bishkek of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - a Eurasian security alliance that includes China, India and Russia. Rouhani criticised the US for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying Washington is forcing other parties and countries to breach a UN Security Council resolution on normalising trade contacts with Tehran. He called on the other participants in the deal to carry out their obligations as soon as possible so Tehran can develop its economic interests under the deal. Rouhani did not refer to the situation in the Gulf where the US has accused Iran of being behind attacks on two tankers. Iran on Friday dismissed the US charges as baseless. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) UN peacekeepers said Thursday they were 4 this week in Sudans war-torn Darfur region, raising the death toll to 17 after doctors initially reported that militiamen shot dead nine people. The shootings took place in the village of Al-Dalij in the state of Central Darfur on Monday, a doctors committee close to the countrys protest movement said, blaming the massacre on Janjaweed militiamen. The Janjaweed, a militia accused by rights groups of widespread abuses in Darfur at the height of the conflict in the region, has been absorbed into Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. On Tuesday, the doctors committee said nine people were killed by bullets and sticks of the Janjaweed, adding that two more people had been killed but their identity was unknown. On Thursday, the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission deployed in Darfur since 2007 said it had sent a team to Al-Dalij to investigate Mondays events. Also read: Ethiopian leader in Sudan on crisis mediation effort, protesters say medical staff targetted The mission met with the affected persons and local authorities who confirmed that 17 people had been killed, 15 others injured with more than 100 houses burnt, UNAMID said in a statement. It said the violence had flared between nomads and residents apparently angered by the increase in commodity prices at the local market. The conflict in Darfur erupted in 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against the government of then-president Omar al-Bashir, accusing it of marginalising the region economically and politically. The United Nations says the conflict left more than 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. The Janjaweed militiamen were recruited when Khartoum trained and equipped Arab raiders to crush the rebellion. Back then, they were sent to attack villages on camel and horseback as part of a campaign of terror that saw now-ousted Bashir indicted by the International Criminal Court for suspected war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Also read: Sudan death toll climbs to 113 after crackdown on pro-democracy protesters The violence in Darfur has subsided over the years, and militia groups like the Janjaweed have been absorbed into Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The group is commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, now deputy chief of the military council that took power following Bashirs ouster. His forces have been accused of carrying out a crackdown on demonstrators at a Khartoum sit-in on June 3 that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Sri Lankan Catholics celebrated a saints feast inside a bombed church on Thursday, resuming worship at St. Anthonys Shrine after Easter attacks by Islamist militants killed more than 250 people on the island. The April 21 attacks, claimed by militant group Islamic State, targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, shocking the country and shattering a decade of relative peace after the end of a 25-year civil war. Hundreds of worshippers, including survivors and relatives of the victims, gathered at the shrine in the capital, Colombo, for the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, called for peace on the multi-ethnic island that has also been shaken by anti-Muslim riots carried out in retribution for the bombings. Do not make this land become a land of blood, Ranjith said in his sermon at the restored white-painted church. A mass was held on Wednesday evening for the first time since the church was reconsecrated. Authorities say the threat of more Islamist militant attacks has been contained and security services have dismantled most of the network linked to the Easter Sunday bombings. Also read: Faith in the time of terror: Ground report from Sri Lanka (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Five Sri Lankans suspected of having links to Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people were brought home in police custody on Friday after being deported from Saudi Arabia, police said. Police declined to provide details of the arrests beyond saying the five were picked up in a Middle Eastern country and were sent back, in the custody of Sri Lankan police, from the Saudi city of Jeddah. These are the five remaining leaders of the April 21 terrorist group, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told reporters. The coordinated Islamist militant suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches sent shockwaves through the Indian Ocean island state that had enjoyed relative peace since a civil war ended a decade ago. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks that authorities said were carried out by two little-known domestic groups - the National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ) and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim. Also read: Sri Lanka Catholics celebrate mass at restored church after Easter bombings Police declined to give information about the nature of the five suspects roles in the attacks but said one of them, identified as Mohamed Milhan, was a senior member of the NTJ. He could have been the next leader, Gunasekera said. Authorities have arrested more than 2,000 people in connection with the attacks. While courts have released most of them on bail, 634 remain in detention. Authorities say the threat of more attacks has been contained and the security services have dismantled most of the network linked to the bombings. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.) Sri Lankas Supreme Court fined an award-winning woman police officer for illegally detaining and intimidating a teenage girl to frame a local politician for rape, officials said Friday. Chief Inspector Waruni Bogahawatte was also ordered to pay 100,000 rupees ($570) as compensation to the victim while the state was also ordered to pay 50,000 rupees in the hearing earlier this week. The 15-year-old girl was forced by Bogahawatte to undergo repeated medical examinations to establish if she had been sexually attacked. A three-judge bench held that Bogahawatte, who won the best woman officer award in 2017, had abused her authority and violated the girls fundamental rights and also intimidated her family. Local media had hailed her at as a super woman chasing child abusers and sexual offenders. The court heard that Bogahawatte repeatedly forced the girl from the southern town of Akuressa to make a false statement against a low-level politician who faced several unrelated rape allegations. Also read: Sri Lanka police bring five Easter bomb suspects back from Saudi Arabia When the girl insisted she had not been raped or sexually molested by the politician, Bogahawatte had illegally detained her at Matara police station in 2012 and subjected her to four medical examinations which proved negative. Bogahawatte also locked up the girl in a cell with an adult offender, violating rules in dealing with juveniles. The court felt that the girl, who cannot be identified by the media, had been treated as a perpetrator rather than a potential victim of a crime. This court also takes an opportunity to note with concern the increasing number of incidents of abuse of power by law enforcement authorities. There is no doubt that what is brought before courts is a fragment of the totality of incidents taking place across the country, the judges said Wednesday in their 24-page decision seen by AFP. A senior police source told AFP they would immediately withdraw the awards given to Bogahawatte and she would also be subjected to an internal investigation and risked losing her job. Another womens organisation which granted her a Top Career Woman award in 2014 said it was reviewing the case. The Supreme Court asked police to remind their staff of the need to protect the basic rights of individuals. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) A senior Trump administration official said on Thursday there were serious concerns about Indias planned acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defense systems that could not only leave India vulnerable to sanctions but also limit interoperability between US and Indian militaries, a key focus of growing ties between the two countries. Indias acquisition of S-400s effectively could limit Indias ability to increase our own interoperability, Alice Wells, head of the state departments South and Central Asia bureau told lawmakers at a congressional hearing. The threat to defense interoperability is a new and developing argument Americans are deploying to ratchet up the ante for India by saying it could be risking growing defense ties marked by the signing last year of the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) that allows the sharing of classified defense intelligence and is considered a foundational military pact, the sale and offers of sale of hi-tech defense equipment and platforms to India and joint exercises. At (a) certain point a strategic choice has to be made about partnerships and a strategic choice about what weapons systems and platforms a country is going to adopt, Wells said. The United States first used the interoperability argument in the context of S-400s against Turkey, a NATO ally. It is in danger of losing the alliances next-generation F-35 fighter jets that it had contracted to buy, and already paid for, over its plans to buy the Russian missile defense systems despite American warnings and threats, because, US department of defense officials said earlier this week, the two platforms are incompatible. Americans, actually, fear that their cutting-edge, superior technologies could be compromised working in the same environment as Russian equipment. Interoperability was Wellss first line of argument on the issue of S-400s on Indias shopping list in response to a question from a lawmaker who wanted to know Indias reasons for pursuing the deal. And it overtook the threat of sanctions US officials had held out as the lead deterrent under a US law aimed at punishing Russia for the 2016 election meddling, the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). It was not an empty threat at the time and now after a Chinese military procurement agency was sanctioned for buying the same Russian defense systems. Wells did deploy the sanctions threat at the hearing, but later. There is no blanket waiver or country waiver when it comes to an S-400, she said, adding, we have serious concerns about a possible S-400 purchase and we are continuing our conversation on what the United States or others how they could assist India. The United States has offered India its top-of-the-line Terminal high Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot-3 missiles defense systems instead, as obliquely acknowledged by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a speech Wednesday to preview his upcoming first visit to India. Pompeo mentioned the months-old offer of the two American missile defense system without mentioning S-400s. India has yet to respond and has seemed determined to go ahead with the Russian system, a deal that was formalized during President Vladimir Putins visit to New Delhi last October. The United States is not about to give up though and it has conveyed it multiple times to Indians. But Indian interlocutors and officials, who have sought to overplay Indias clout in a miscalculated bid to brazen it out, either ignored the warnings or misread them. And not for the first time in recent times. Despite their pushy optimism, India did not get a second round of waiver from US sanctions on Iranian crude exports (India was one of their biggest buyers) and found itself kicked off a list of 120 countries whose products could enter the US duty free under the Generalized System of Preferences programme. The World War I Western Front spanned some 330 miles as the crow flies, from Nieuport on the Belgian coast southeast to the Swiss border. Less than a mile from the Alsatian village of Pfetterhause is the southern anchor point, known then and now as Kilometer Zero, which remained fixed from late August 1914 through wars end. Marking the spot is a four-sided stone post dating from 1743Swiss frontier marker No. 111. During the war no-mans-land was the narrow Largue River, the Germans occupying the east bank, the French the west. To the south the Swiss army deployed observers to prevent either side from trying to outflank the other through their neutral territory. Alsace is part of France today, but in 1914 it was a German territory. Since losing the region to Germany under the terms of the 1871 Treaty of Frankfurt, the French had placed its reacquisition high on their list of national priorities. Indeed, on Aug. 7, 1914, the First Armys VII Corps under General Louis Bonneau launched Frances opening offensive by attacking into Alsace, headed for the Rhine River. The next day the French took Mulhouse, the largest city in the Sundgau region. But on August 9 the German Seventh Army under General Josias von Heeringen counterattacked and drove the French back almost to their line of departure. Determined to retake Alsace, the French command sacked Bonneau, reinforced VII Corps and attacked east again on August 14. By the 19th its troops had retaken Mulhouse and all the ground south to the border. But setbacks elsewhere along the front soon forced the French to shift VII Corps north. On August 26 the unit withdrew from Mulhouse and most of the Sundgau, leaving only a covering force in western Alsace. While Germany redeployed most of its Seventh Army north, it left a robust force to cover from the west bank of the Rhine to the eastern face of the Vosges Mountains. On the Swiss border the French managed to retain Pfetterhause. The combatants fought several major engagements in the Vosges, but for the duration of the war no further large-scale clashes broke out in Sundgau. The respective armies dug in, built reinforced concrete fortifications, then raided, shelled, bombed and sniped at each other. The Swiss, meanwhile, built a line of observation posts along the border. Not meant to be fighting positions, they were built of wood and earth. The main Swiss defensive line lay several thousand yards to the rear. Flouting the relatively flimsy border security measures, both French and German deserters slipped across into neutral Switzerland. Most would live to see home again. But by wars end some 60,000 German and 59,000 French soldiers had been killed in Alsace, including those fighting in the Vosges. Their bodies rest in 34 German and 56 French military cemeteries. Several years ago a local preservation group built a well-marked historical hiking trail anchored on Kilometer Zero. Several defensive positions have been partially restored. Shell craters and trench lines remain visible in spots, as do a few large aerial bomb craters. Designated stops feature interpretive signs in French, German and English, with maps and period photos. Highlights include the ruins of the southernmost German position, a concrete machine gun outpost about 100 yards from the Swiss border. Set farther back, about 500 yards from Pfetterhause, the remarkably well-preserved Villa Agathe is the southernmost concrete bunker on what was the French side of no-mans-land. Only a few feet south of the border sits Swiss army observation post No. 2. The present-day wooden blockhouse is a faithful reproduction built in 2013 by actual Swiss army engineers. Directly in front of it is the venerable old Kilometer Zero marker, where it stood throughout the war and in the century of regional peace since. The medieval periods faltering and largely unsuccessful steps to constrain the worst excesses of war were an important beginning. LAWS OF WAR IN THE MODERN SENSE DID NOT EMERGE IN EUROPE until well after the terrible wars of religion and politics that marred the 80-year period from 1568 to 1648. Moves to govern the conduct of warfare began in the Early Middle Ages, but these early efforts could not be described in terms as concrete as law. Two concepts especially influenced this gradual development from a loose structure of moral rules to codified laws of war: One was the idea of just war; the other was the ordinances of war that sought to restrict the worst excesses of medieval warfare. In the latter half of the 10th century, military and criminal violence pervaded every facet of life; often there was no appreciable difference between the soldier and the brigand. Historian Christopher Allmand has noted that medieval chroniclers were nearly unanimous in their depiction of the common soldier as a symbol of something to be feared, the perpetrator of violence and destruction, whether this took the form of attacks on property (pillage and arson) or on people (murder and rape). Often the worst offenders were not foreign raiders or invading armies but soldiers in the service of the very countries they imperiled. So dangerous did the soldier appear to the rest of society that one monastic writer of the day cynically remarked that any man who did not know how to set a church on fire was not qualified to call himself a soldier. Secular authority was too fragmented and its reach too short for the kings peace to quell the unrestrained violence that plagued most realms in the early medieval period. In desperation, the church tried to invoke a higher authority to protect itself as well as the most vulnerable members of society. At the Synod of Charroux in 989, the archbishop of Bordeaux declared the Pax Dei, or Peace of God. The Pax Dei threatened excommunication of anyone who despoiled ecclesiastic property, robbed the poor (particularly of their domestic livestock), used violence against women and children, or attacked clergymen who were not bearing arms. The Pax Dei sought to curb the near-constant violence, but not even the threat of eternal damnation could deter a professional caste of warmongers. As a result, ecclesiastical authorities in the 11th century declared the Treuga Dei, or Truce of God. The Treuga was not an attempt to abolish war outright but an effort to ameliorate the damage to society from incessant and unrestrained fighting. The result, historian Philippe Contamine has noted, was less to suppress war than to reserve it to a small number of authorities, possessing the monopoly of violence. Throughout Europe, combat was banned from noon on Saturday until dawn the following Monday; it was later declared unlawful to fight on high holy days and other notable days on the ecclesiastical calendar. Within a century, the Treuga Dei had been expanded to prohibit fighting on all but 80 days of the year. THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, WAS THAT EVEN IN AN ERA WHEN RELIGION DOMINATED all aspects of life, the churchs authority alone was seldom enough to fully constrain the military element. War was a reality of life, and even religious commentators acknowledged that it was sometimes a grim necessity. But how to determine which conflicts were just and therefore legitimate and which were little more than criminal enterprises? Medieval scholars were familiar with the concept of just war from the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Thomas Aquinasauthorities on reconciling Christian proscriptions against killing with the inevitable bloodshed of warfare. A consensus emerged that wars waged under the legitimate authority of kings were just, particularly when fought in defense of the realm or in reaction to an injustice; by contrast, wars of aggression or wars purely for material gain could not be just. In the 14th century a Benedictine prior named Honore Bouvet, relying on that philosophical foundation, argued that the structure of the law, both canonical and secular, offered the only real solution to the evils of unrestrained or unjustified warfare. The Pax Dei and Treuga Dei had classified clergy, women, children, and the elderly as noncombatants who should be spared the ravages of war. Bouvet was among the first to argue that such people should be afforded actual legal protections in war, making them noncombatants in the modern sense. Bouvet also expounded on the idea that the soldier ought to be the servant of his society rather than a threat to it. The challenge, as always, was how to apply the rule of law to men for whom violence was a way of life. No court system then existed to prosecute atrocities in war, and no criminal code had yet been written to even define such acts as war crimes. Medieval civil society could create definitions of what was acceptable conduct in war, but in that era only the hand that wielded the sword could impose such standards on the profession of arms. It was not enough to have a rule; there also had to be people with the authority to enforce the rule and to dispense justice when the rule was violated. And to constrain the worst practices of warfare, secular powers, both royal and military, had to cooperate. Hence military courts were established well before civil courts in most parts of Europe. In the French and English armies of the late medieval period, the constable or marshal of the army held judicial power in addition to the authority of military command. The constable of Francethe commander in chief of the army, usually second in authority only to the kingconvened courts to punish transgressions of military law, as did his English counterpart, the lord marshal. In this role, constable and marshal shared the aim of trying to enforce a minimum standard of acceptable behavior for soldiers, particularly when armies were in the field. That minimum standard was sometimes very low indeed, even among those who claimed to respect the code of chivalry. Alvarez Pelayo, a Spanish cleric in the 14th century, cited 31 offenses that he insisted were common among knights and, by extension, all professional soldiers; the transgressions he cited were the same sort that had inspired the effort to curtail warfare by means of the Pax Dei some 400 years earlier. Among the worst evils common to knights, Pelayo said, were: They commonly lived by rapine; They take part in unjust wars; They do not fight for God or the Common Weal but for booty and to increase their fortunes; They fight in a cruel, implacable manner to gain vengeance, to dominate and injure; They kill men and wage war without legitimate authority of their superiors; and They are often pillagers. PILLAGING, IN PARTICULAR, WAS ONE OF THE MOST INTRACTABLE PROBLEMS of medieval warfare. Repeated attempts to bring plundering and looting under the rule of military law fell short. These practices were inextricably associated with soldiering throughout the era and indeed were sometimes accepted behaviors, but only when restricted to certain victims. Soldiers were not supposed to despoil the citizenry of their own country, but much less protection was afforded the civilian population of the enemy. France suffered terribly from this practice of medieval warfare, since every major land battle of the Hundred Years War was fought on French soil, and the English made a veritable science of destroying nearly everything they could not carry away in their frequent chevauchees, or raids, across the French countryside. English soldiers demonstrated such talent for laying waste to their enemys resources, infrastructure, and people that in France during the 14th century the routiersbands of freebooting soldiers who lived by extortion and pillage whenever there was no formal campaign to provide paycame to be called English, no matter what language they spoke or what country they came from. It was this long-established custom of profiteering in war, the desire to seek ones own fortune above all else, that brought on the first real implementations of military law to restrain soldiers worst behaviors. While the commanders of medieval armies may not have been as troubled by humanitarian issues as were their ecclesiastical contemporaries, they were concerned about the military liability of undisciplined soldiers in the ranks. Battles could be lost if troops left the march to pillage or broke off their pursuit of the enemy to seek plunder. So problematic was this type of behavior, and so great a danger was it to effective command and control, that those in power sometimes took extreme measures to suppress it. In one battle during the First Crusade in 1098, commanders ordered that any man who left the ranks to search for loot before the battle was safely won would have his ears and nose cut off. Several centuries later, the need to impose military discipline and suppress the depredations of pillaging resulted in some of the first formal written regulations of military law. These were the ordinances of war that began to appear in the 14th century. One of the earliest examples in England was the Ordinance of Durham, issued under the writ of Richard II when his army marched on Scotland in 1385. Richards ordinance established the judicial responsibilities of the marshal of the army, prohibited acts such as deserting the ranks to pillage, imposed punishments for violations of these proscriptions, and clearly spelled out the royal command that the rights of civilians were not to be violated. In 1415, at the start of the campaign in France that would culminate in the stunning English victory at Agincourt, Henry V published an even more comprehensive ordinance to govern his armys conduct in the field. He had copies disseminated to all his subordinate commanders, written in the common English of the day, so that thay may have playn knowlege and enfourme their men of thiez foresaide ordinauncez & articlez. Many of the actions that Henrys ordinance prohibited were ones that victimized civilians: That no manner of man be so hardy as to go into any chamber or lodging where any woman lieth in childbed, in order to robb her; That no manner of man be so hardy to take from no man going to the plough and harrow, cart, horse, nor ox, nor any other beast belonging to labor without payment and agreement; and That no manner of man beat down housing to burn, nor apple trees, pear treesnor no other trees bearing fruit. These regulations, enforced by strong leadership, were very effective in controlling the conduct of English soldiers. From 1415 to 1420, even French commentators noted that the regions of France under control of Henry Vs army had been spared the worst of the usual atrocities at the hands of the occupiers. Medieval efforts to moderate the worst excesses of war through legal proscription only achieved limited results, as shown by the dreadful suffering Italy endured in the 16th century, the Low Countries during the Eighty Years War (15681648), and Germany in the Thirty Years War (16181648). But they were a beginning. Centuries would pass before international rules of war were codified into meaningful structures, with mechanisms to effectively enforce them. Yet the medieval periods first faltering steps in this realm formed the rough outlines of the laws of war that we know today. MHQ John A. Haymond is the author of Soldiers: A Global History of the Fighting Man, 18001945 (Stackpole Books, 2018), and The Infamous Dakota War Trials of 1862: Revenge, Military Law, and the Judgment of History (McFarland, 2016). This article appears in the Summer 2019 issue (Vol. 31, No. 4) of MHQThe Quarterly Journal of Military History with the headline: Laws of War | The Origins of Restraint Want to have the lavishly illustrated, premium-quality print edition of MHQ delivered directly to you four times a year? Subscribe now at special savings! By Tim Hepher, Reuters | Jun. 13, 2019 Airbus delivered its first A350 aircraft to Japan Air Lines on Thursday, saying the specially tailored version would start operating on Japan's busy domestic routes. The aircraft is also expected to serve demand during the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, Japanese officials said. Airbus clinched its first jet order from Japan Air Lines in 2013, cracking a big national market long dominated by the European firm's main rival, Boeing. The US$9.5 billion deal came after a lengthy campaign to woo JAL officials who were unfamiliar with Airbus aircraft, including their distinctive side-stick controls. JAL Chairman Yoshiharu Ueki, a former pilot, said an experience on the A380 simulator had helped sway his decision to choose Airbus for JAL, which at the time was one of only two full-service airlines globally without any Airbus aircraft. "I have the urge to take the control stick on the ferry flight to Tokyo," he joked at a webcast ceremony in Toulouse. Boeing dominates the market for wide-body jets in Japan but there is a more mixed market for smaller narrowbody jets. The A350 will fly to Japan using traditional fuel blended with alternative fuel, said Airbus sales chief Christian Scherer. Planemakers and airlines have reiterated pledges to cut emissions sharply amid growing environmental pressure in Europe. H ow smart is your shower? And do you have an intelligent loo? Digital technology is washing over Londons bathrooms, along with advanced engineering and design. Bathroom gadgets are very popular, according to a new survey from online retailer Showerstoyou.co.uk. It found top demand 83 per cent was for a self-cleaning loo, preferably with built-in deodoriser and heated seat. People also want precise water temperature control, spray and timing, mood lighting and built-in sound. Robin Levien of Southwark, a Royal Designer for Industry, tips the thermostatic bath tap. You set your temperature, cutting frustration and time and saving energy and water no more letting out whats too hot, and then adding cold. A level sensor can even turn off the tap. Shower controls have evolved exponentially. Brands such as Hansgrohe have push-button water controls for temperature and spray patterns. Its new ShowerHeaven has built-in lighting and four retractable wings for gently soothing sprays such as PowderRain which save water. It does push-button taps, too. Top toilet tech Levien also rates new Aquablade loos from Ideal Standard, where engineering delivers a flush to about 90 per cent of the surface.But top for toilet tech has to be Japanese brand Toto, which worldwide has sold 50 million of its washlets. This loo cleans not only itself but you, with warm water from an aerated wand. You can also get dried off and there are models with UV light that will break down waste. Priced from 2,772 up to 11,700. The company showroom is at 140-142 St John Street, EC1 (020 7831 7544). Other London stockists include CP Hart in SE1; Bathrooms International, SW1; West One Bathrooms and Hyde Park Kitchens and Bathrooms, both in W1. This loo from Japanese brand Toto cleans not only itself but you, with warm water from an aerated wand French designer Philippe Starck puts his stamp on the shower loo with the SensoWash from Duravit, 505.20, described as the space-saving modern bidet by Martin Carroll, managing director of Duravit UK (36-42 Clerkenwell Road EC1). West One, which has 10 showrooms in London and the South-East, offers intelligent lavatories from about 1,000. In demand, too, are Crosswater digital showers from 599 with colour-coded controls, while the Sunshower even delivers vitamin D. Also popular are TVs disguised as mist-free mirrors, with internet access linked to your phone. At the top end are spa baths. The Battersea branch has one for a small bathroom with steam, a sensory shower head, and horizontal jets by Dornbracht. It costs about 50,000 including installation. And the Toto Flotation Tub, with marginally spooky Hydrohands massage, features a zero gravity position, supposedly for a meditative, weightless effect. Smart phones and the internet have transformed bathrooms, says Yousef Mansuri, CP Harts head of retail design. Now you can control the bathroom heating, fill the bath, listen to your favourite Spotify playlist and sync your lighting, even before you arrive home. Bluetooth technology is also rampant, with speakers built into mirrors and cabinets, saunas and steam generators so you can safely and wirelessly listen to music from your phone or tablet. Ripples is known for friendly, personal service with hand-drawn interior designs. People want to futureproof their bathrooms with advanced features now, says senior designer Neil Curtis. This mirror cabinet from Ripple is controlled by app and links to other bathroom lights. A light system controlled by Bluetooth has an LED illuminated mirror, a magnifying wall mirror for cosmetic lighting and floor-mounted lights that energise or soothe. And dont forget underfloor heating for all floor finishes, whether tiles, wood or vinyl. Customers who dont trouble themselves about this almost always regret it eventually. At Ripples, your heating can be part of a smart home hub, compatible with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant (ripples bathrooms.com; 26 Englands Lane, NW3; also in Brighton, Chelmsford and Reigate). So where will bathrooms go from here? Launched at ISH, the huge spring bathroom fair in Frankfurt, was the RainTunes shower for all five senses, with images, lighting, music, scents and spray patterns controlled from your phone, from an energising morning spritz to a post-exercise soak. ANKARA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The recent attack on a Turkish observation post in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib was "deliberate," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. "We think that the attack is intentional. We will do whatever necessary if the attack continues," Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Ankara. Turkish Defense Ministry said earlier Thursday that a Turkish observation point in Idlib was targeted by 35 mortar rounds from the Syrian government forces, injuring three Turkish soldiers. "Turkey is working hard with Russia to stop these attacks," Cavusoglu said, adding that it is not possible to say a complete cease-fire has been secured. Last year, Russia and Turkey sealed an Idlib agreement to set up a demilitarized zone with a depth of 15-20 km between the armed opposition and the government troops in Syria's Idlib. Turkey has established 12 observation points from Idlib's north to south in order to monitor and sustain the cease-fire to prevent the mass influx of refugees. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] Appointment 14 June 2019 Scandic has recruited Bitte Ferngren as its new HR and Sustainability Director and member of its Executive Committee. Bitte will join Scandic in the fall of 2019 from her previous position as the HR Director of the international insurance company RSA Scandinavia. In the last 20 years, Bitte has held senior HR positions in several major organizations, including five years at Posten Sverige AB and nine years in the Telia Group. In the last four years, she was the HR Director of insurance company RSA Scandinavia, which includes the brands Trygg Hansa and Codan. Appointment 14 June 2019 Graduated from Glion Institute of Higher Education, Andrea Obertello began her professional career in hospitality a decade ago with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Her path in the company has taken her across many different countries and continents - from front-office positions in Uruguay and Miami, to leading the rooms department of Four Seasons Hotel Firenze. She then joined Four Seasons Resort Marrakech as Resort Manager before moving to Four Seasons Hotel Doha as Hotel Manager in 2017. Appointment 14 June 2019 Priya Chandnani comes to her new position with over a decade of experience in the hospitality revenue management function. She was previously vice president, revenue management and distribution for Trump Hotels. Prior to this Ms. Chandnani was affiliated with the Wyndham Hotel Group, serving in positions that included cluster director, area director of revenue management for Dolce Hotels & Resorts, and earlier as director of revenue management when she designed and developed Wyndham's Revenue Management Tactical Mentoring program. Ms. Chandnani has also worked with landmark hotels, including The Waldorf=Astoria in New York City and the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Annamalai University in Chennai, India, and her Master of Science degree in Hospitality Studies from New York University. Ms. Chandnani has received her Diploma of Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition in Mumbai. Appointment 14 June 2019 Carl will be based in Nadi, Fiji and brings with him extensive experience in sales and the destination. Joining the resort from the South Sea Cruises Group where he held the position of global marketing services manager, Carl has a wealth of knowledge and has developed many great contacts in the hospitality industry Prior to this role, he worked for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide as their complex director of sales and marketing based in Samoa. Beginning his tourism career with his country's national carrier, Air New Zealand, Carl says that traveling helps him relax, revitalize and at the same time allows him to explore destinations and expand his foodie pursuits. Industry Update Appointment 14 June 2019 Conan Porter Appointed Regional VP, Wholesaler Southwest At Phoenix American Hospitality in Dallas - TX, USA With over 30 years of experience in the financial field, Conan brings a wealth of ideas to Phoenix American Hospitality. His value proposition has helped advisors with niche marketing and strategic business planning geared towards successfully reaching their goals. Conan previously held positions at NorthStar Securities, LLC, Nationwide Financial, Legg Mason, and American C entury Investments, where he received top sales awards. Recent Appointments at Phoenix American Hospitality Ron R. Rodriguez - Regional VP 21 January 2020 Phoenix American Hospitality, a Dallas-based opportunistic hotel fund manager, announced today that Ron R. Rodriguez has joined its distribution team as regional vice president. In his new role, he will oversee the company's sales efforts throughout the western states, as welRodriguez brings more than 30 years of experience to his position at Phoenix American Hospitality. read more Melissa Sanders - Vice President of Business Development & National Accounts and West Coast Sales. 14 June 2019 Sanders joins Phoenix American Hospitality from E*Trade, where she was Vice President of Regional Sales and responsible for driving elite, firm level business from challenging efforts along with sales strategy, practice management solutions, and used specialized knowledge of industry FinTech to increase her clients' operational eff iciencies and growth capabilities. read more Event Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC) is the world's largest and oldest hospitality technology exposition and conference brand. HITEC offers a unique combination of top-notch education, and brings together the brightest minds and hottest technologies from across the globe to one place. The unparalleled event offers attendees essential education, access to top hospitality technology industry experts and the resources to find cost-effective ways to improve company bottom lines. Combined with the intimate opportunities to connect with fellow professionals, HITEC has everything to enhance your career.Historically hosted annually in a different city throughout North America, HFTP expanded HITEC in 2017 with two additional events outside: one in Europe and the other in Dubai. HITEC Minneapolis is organized by Press Release 14 June 2019 On a rainy May evening, Executive Chef Ruffy Sulaiman and his Hilton Americas-Houston team made the final rounds of a warehouse space they had transformed into a fine dining venue. The team examined the space, making sure that the food was prepared and the tables were elegantly dressed, ahead of a highly anticipated surprise they had in store for a group of deserving volunteers from disaster relief organization Team Rubicon. Advertisements As a part of a global grassroots service initiative called Random Acts of Hospitality, which focuses on extending hospitality beyond the walls of Hilton hotels, Hilton Americas-Houston chose to surprise Team Rubicon volunteers, who are giving of themselves in order to restore a community. To date, hundreds of properties and thousands of Hilton Team Members across the globe have delivered creative, heartfelt surprises that have touched their local communities in unique ways. The Team Rubicon volunteers, many of whom are veterans, did not expect anything in return for their hard work - but were truly deserving of such a grand gesture of appreciation. After a long day of rebuilding homes that were lost as a result of the devastation from Hurricane Harvey, more than 40 Team Rubicon volunteers headed back to their home base nicknamed "The Warehouse," when they were surprised with an unexpected sight. As the volunteers entered, the disbelief quickly turned to happiness and hugs of gratitude. The usual dining space had been transformed for the evening with tables covered in linen tablecloths and adorned with flowers, alongside a three-course meal Chef Ruffy and his team had assembled. For Chef Ruffy, the experience was one he will always cherish. "For these volunteers to leave their families behind and come to Houston to support our community, it's a big deal. You could see in their eyes some of them were tearing up because they didn't expect to be thanked by anyone," Ruffy said. Over the course of the evening, he had a chance to sit down with volunteers and hear their enriching stories about what inspired them to volunteer. Seeing how much joy this gesture brought to the group of volunteers, Chef Ruffy walked away feeling both fulfilled and more motivated than ever to continue giving back to his community, both personally and professionally. Beyond Hilton Americas-Houston, Team Members throughout Hilton locations around the world are conducting meaningful, simple gestures for others that extend Hilton's hospitality beyond the doors of its hotels and into local communities. In another example of the impact of paying it forward, Palmer House, A Hilton Hotel delighted EMS responders, firefighters and the Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Richard C. Ford II with delicious brownies - made from the same recipe which originated at Palmer House in 1893. The Chicago Fire Department has always held a special place in the hearts of those who work at Palmer House Hilton, as the original building of the hotel was lost to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Through the delivery of this sweet treat, Hilton Team Members had a chance to thank their local first responders and firefighters for their ongoing commitment to keeping the community safe. Upon hearing Palmer House Hilton partnered with a local non-profit to help host Camp Kids are Kids - an indoor summer camp for kids living with cancer, Commissioner Ford offered the Chicago Fire Department's support and involvement as well. One small act of hospitality has the power to spark a chain reaction. Watch the Random Acts of Hospitality video to get a sense of the power that many small acts can have. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed an agreement with Hotel Paraag Limited in Bangalore, for two hotels the new built InterContinental Bengaluru Whitefield and Crowne Plaza Bengaluru Raj Bhavan Road, which will be a conversion hotel. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed an agreement with Hotel Paraag Limited in Bangalore, for two hotels the new built InterContinental Bengaluru Whitefield and Crowne Plaza Bengaluru Raj Bhavan Road, which will be a conversion hotel. The development marks the debut of the globally renowned luxury brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in Bengaluru and expansion of IHGs upscale brand, Crowne Plaza in the country. Both hotels are expected to be operational by Q1 2022 and will increase IHGs system size in India by over 400 rooms. As the worlds first international luxury travel hotel brand, InterContinental has been pioneering new international destinations for decades. The brand has had a long and successful history in SWA and has been offering world-class amenities, excellent service and consistent, luxurious experiences to guests from across the world. Each InterContinental hotel represents the InterContinental Life a life that embodies luxury travel as it should be. InterContinental Bengaluru Whitefield will be the third InterContinental branded hotel in India, joining InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort and InterContinental Marine Drive in Mumbai. Already under advance stages of construction, InterContinental Bengaluru Whitefield will feature 265 aesthetically designed rooms. The luxury hotel will be will be centrally located in Whitefield, one of the most important micro-markets of Bengaluru. Featuring an array of dining options, the hotel will offer InterContinentals signature culinary experiences with the best in local and world cuisines. True to its promise of ensuring an indulgent experience for all its guests, InterContinental Bengaluru Whitefield will offer unrivalled facilities and amenities to the guests visiting the city. Offering the best in class events and banqueting facilities, the hotel will feature a large banqueting/meeting space and a large lawn making it a preferred choice for corporate travellers and a great venue for large-scale events including weddings. Post extensive renovation and upgrades to the existing property, on opening in 2022, Crowne Plaza Bengaluru Raj Bhavan Road will boast of 140 well-designed rooms featuring modern amenities. Located in the city centre, on the main Raj Bhavan Road which is an established business and commercial district of Bengaluru, the hotel will enjoy significant visibility and preference amongst the corporate and leisure travellers alike. The hotel will also feature a large banquet/meeting space, a business centre, pool and other world class facilities that reflect the brands promise of quality and comfort. Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said: We are delighted to partner with Hotel Paraag Limited to strengthen the presence of two of our globally renowned brands InterContinental and Crowne Plaza in India. This signing is a significant milestone for us as we debut our iconic brand, InterContinental in Bengaluru and mark the growth of the brand in SWA. This is our sixth InterContinental property, opened or signed in the region and the third in the country. InterContinental has been receiving great response in the region and we are in a number of active discussions to further expand the brand footprint. He added: Bengaluru serves as a host to many leading conferences and seminars attracting global business visitors in large numbers. We therefore see great potential in this market for our brand, Crowne Plaza which is known to offer business ready services to corporate guests and excellent MICE facilities. With 11 open hotels in SWA and 7 in the pipeline, the brand is gaining popularity in the region and has proved to be a great choice for our guests and owners alike. Ramesh Srinivas Jannu, Managing Director, Hotel Paraag Limited said: We are delighted to partner with IHG as they debut their iconic global brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in the city and continue to strengthen the presence of Crowne Plaza, a well-received brand in the upscale segment. Given the rising demand in the city for high quality hospitality from renowned brands, we see this partnership as a great opportunity to offer our guests quality experiences for various needs and occasions. InterContinental Bengaluru Whitefield and Crowne Plaz Bengaluru Raj Bhavan Road will offer an excellent combination of strategic location and IHGs signature hospitality. We couldnt be more confident of the success of these properties as we prepare to host our guests in the near future. IHG currently has 36 hotels operating across four brands in India, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, and a strong pipeline of 41 hotels due to open in the next 2-3 years. **Figures as of March 31st, 2019 Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Hotel industry news and trends. Subscribe 2022 Hotel News Resource If you haven't watched Ava Duvernay's When They See Us, do that immediately. The story follows five Black and Brown teens, better known as the Central Park Five, that wrongfully convicted of the rape of a white woman in New York City. When They See Us has put a major spotlight on the mishandlings in the case, including Linda Fairstein's role in the case. She's faced a ton of public scrutiny which resulted in her publishers dropping her as well as a literary agency. Now, another prosecutor in the case, Elizabeth Lederer, is feeling the heat as she announced she won't be returning to Columbia Law School as a teacher. Lederer served as a part-time teacher at Columbia Law School but after When They See Us put a spotlight on her role in convicting the Central Park Five, she's decided to resign from her position. "Ive enjoyed my years teaching at CLS, and the opportunity it has given me to interact with the many fine students who elected to take my classes," she said in a statement posted by Columbia Law School Dean Law Gillian Lester. "However, given the nature of the recent publicity generated by the Netflix portrayal of the Central Park case, it is best for me not to renew my teaching application." This comes after Black Law Students Association at CU issued a letter, demanding for her termination. "The lives of these five boys were forever changed as a result of Lederer's conduct," the letter read. "During the investigation, Lederer and her colleagues used harmful, racist tactics, including physical abuse and coercion, to force confessions from the five minors. The case they built was founded on false information and an overwhelming lack of physical evidence. As a result, five boys spent their formative years in prison until the charges were vacated in 2002 after the real perpetrator confessed to the crime and DNA evidence linking him to the crime was discovered." Cristiano Ronaldo was accused of rape during the late stages of 2018 by a woman he allegedly met in Las Vegas back in 2009. The woman in question, Kathryn Mayorga, launched a lawsuit against Ronaldo in Nevada but has since withdrawn with the hopes of bringing the lawsuit to Federal court. Well, according to TMZ, that's exactly what has happened as Ronaldo was successfully served his lawsuit papers which means he's headed to court. Since being served the lawsuit, Ronaldo's lawyers have asked the judge for permission to create a 46-page document which will provide arguments to ultimately have the case thrown out by the court. Jan Kruger/Getty Images When Mayorga first filed her lawsuit, she claimed that Ronaldo had paid her $375,000 to keep quiet about the alleged rape and that she was no longer okay with their agreement. As the report states, the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. has reopened the case although they haven't made much progress as no charges have been laid against Ronaldo. Ronaldo has vehemently denied these allegations in the past saying "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in." Stay tuned for updates regarding the case as we will be sure to bring them to you. While the Mike Will Made-It-produced Edgewood stood out as one of last year's strongest albums, Trouble has been biding his time in delivering the followup. Yet all signs point to a triumphant return from Weatherman Skoob, and should "She A Winner" be any indication, perhaps we'll be seeing a slight stylistic deviation. Where Edgewood was a bleak examination of his stomping grounds, this City Girls-assisted banger evokes shades of Mannie Fresh and his work with The Hot Boys, which is to say, infinite bounce. Trouble rides the beat like a veteran, revealing a few new flows in the process. "Do nothing that you want me to, I do what I wanna do," he raps, " fuck your opinion, I pop that shit in front of you." City Girls' Miami comes through with the following verse, her presence ensuring this one will be playing on repeat all summer. Trouble has always flirted with the idea of crafting the quintessential "twerk anthem," as seen by his short-lived and sexually charged "Kesha Dem" challenge. Perhaps he has finally conjured the perfect candidate. Quotable Lyrics Do nothing that you want me to, I do what I wanna do Fuck your opinion, I pop that shit in front of you Zack Fox and Kenny Beats make up one of the most exciting duos in hip-hop today. Zack Fox is different from anybody out there right now, comedically dropping bars as he transitions from a comedian to a successful rapper. Kenny Beats is the perfect producer for him, giving Fox a platform to deliver his gems in a truly eclectic manner. Can you think of anybody else that would shout out Tay-K and then Palestine one after the other on record? Zack Fox is your guy and he's just come through with his latest single "Jesus Is The One (I Got Depression)." The track is short, clocking in at under two minutes but there's enough packed in here for you to enjoy it for hours. From shouting out mental illness to saying he'll rob his mother to buy an old Chevy, this is a must-listen. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bynrs1BAg28 Quotable Lyrics: Bitch, you better praise God or I'ma shoot, and thats on God I ain't playin' bout my Lord and Savior, I'm on my job If you ain't a Christian, I'ma stab you in the face If it ain't 'bout Jesus, I'ma hit you with this K Soldiers in a war zone have a lot of time to think because so much of deployment is spent waiting Waiting on convoys. Waiting to attack. Waiting to be attacked. Waiting in a chow line. Waiting to go home. Chris and Travis Whitmeyer, brothers who served in the U.S. Army, spent their waiting-time in Iraq thinking about starting a business. Travis got interested in distilling spirits while based in Germany, and Chris had always wanted to run a business. In 2012, they started Whitmeyer's Distilling Co., the first legal distillery in Harris County since Prohibition. I wrote about the fledgling company in 2014 as part of the burgeoning craft distilling industry. Five years later, I'm happy to report they are still going strong, expanding and giving back. On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston craft distillery waits to come of age "Are we where we wanted it to be five, seven years ago? I don't know. That picture's changed so many times," Chris Whitmeyer said. "I'm sure we'd all like to make more money and be more comfortable. But we're doing some good things, and we've got a lot of support." Before you can sell whiskey as a straight bourbon, it must age for at least two years. High-quality bourbons require much more aging, which ties up a lot of capital. While the Whitmeyers were waiting for their barrels to age, they also distilled vodka, gin and moonshine, which is an unaged corn whiskey. Moonshine turned out to be a fad, and many entrepreneurs learned the hard way that craft distilling is a tough business. Convincing wholesale distributors to carry a product and then paying retailers to provide marquee shelf space is costly. "We didn't have the funds for the product and the funds for the marketers," Whitmeyer explained. They got a break when the Texas Legislature legalized sales from distillery tasting rooms. "We just rolled the door up and put a piece of plywood on a couple of barrels and started serving on Saturdays," Whitmeyer said. "And, you know, we're making pretty good money doing it without really going after it." Distillery sales and a streamlined business plan put some wind in Whitmeyer's sails. They moved into a larger space, built out a tasting room and bought two new stills. The company can now fill 50 barrels a month if they can find capital patient enough to allow the bourbon to age and become more valuable. Whitmeyer's, like other small distilleries, have set up so-called barrel programs. Private investors buy a share of a bourbon run for between $15,000 and $120,000. While the whiskey ages, interest accrues until the bottles sell, providing investors a handsome return. The brothers want to raise $1.2 million over the next eight quarters, and they've already raised 40%, enough to keep the stills running into next year. The brothers are also developing a plan to move into a purpose-built distillery where they can expand production further. "We're ready to go back out and start venturing into the state and national scenes," Whitmeyer said. First, though, they are fulfilling another mission, which is to help fellow veterans. For June, all post-tax revenues from tasting room sales will go to Camp Hope, a facility run by the PTSD Foundation of America. Not just the profits, but every penny that doesnt go to taxes. On HoustonChronicle.com: PTSD Foundation of America helping area veterans through outreach programs "We've lost some buddies that we went to war with that have come home and have been unable to readjust. It seems like every few months we'll get on Facebook and someone has just deteriorated," Whitmeyer said. "This last Memorial Day came around, and Travis was reading about some friends and said: `We need to make a move.'" Camp Hope provides temporary housing to vets with PTSD and their immediate family members, while also running an intensive, 90-day PTSD treatment program. Professional counselors help vets and their families stabilize enough to return to their communities, where they receive follow-up care. Beginning in July, one dollar from every bottle Whitmeyers sells will go to Camp Hope. The Whitmeyers do not like bringing attention to their military service. Chris told me he wants people to support their business because the whiskey is good, not because they are vets. But they also want people to help former troops who are struggling. "Hopefully, we can raise more awareness, and more people will donate and get out there and volunteer and help," he said. I'm a bit of a whiskey nerd, and I think the Whitmeyer brothers make a great product. But just as important, they are good people using their small business to do good for the community. This Independence Day, I'll be pouring my guests Whitmeyer's to honor those who make the celebration possible. Time does not fly near the end of Tacita Deans film Craneway Event so much as it slowly burns in the light of a setting sun that reflects on a shiny floor and flares through huge windows. It silhouettes a frenetic reverie of dancers whose urgent footfall mingles with the ambient sound of air in a massive building, set against the sight of a lone figure in a wheelchair who is nodding off. That lone figure is Merce Cunningham. He died seven months later, in July 2009, before Dean could finish hand-cutting and syncing the optical sound of about 17 hours worth of 16mm anamorphic film she gathered during three days of rehearsals. The result runs a ruminative one hour and 48 minutes. Dean, who said people were appalled that she made such a long art film, doesnt lock the gallery doors at Rice Universitys Moody Center, where Craneway Event is screening three times a day, but strongly advises viewers to stay for the whole experience, to grasp the emotional arc and observe the progress of the dance. Art people think they can just pop in and do it on the hoof, she said during a visit to Houston for the opening. For what its worth, theres movement in every frame, she said. Its not necessarily boring; Im often accused of that. Nor is the action just ambient; as it progresses through three days, the film captures how the dance comes together. Tacita Dean: Craneway Event and Gillian Wearing: Rock n Roll 70 When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; "Craneway" screens at 10:15, 12:30 and 3 p.m. through July 15; "Rock 'n' Roll 70" through Aug. 31 Where: Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University; Stockton off University Blvd. Details: Free ($10 parking); 713-348-2787, moody.rice.edu See More Collapse I felt I had a responsibility in the end not to make it an illusion of a single day, which I might have done had he not died. It was incredibly precious footage, Dean said. It was an absolute labor of love to sync the sound of the footsteps; can you imagine? So the whole thing took ages, but it meant that I was listening to him for the first time after hed died. I could hear him; it was really emotional. ART REVIEW: Tapestry of tapioca pearls shines in "Super Sarap" at Asia Society Texas Center In the Moodys lobby, the equally celebrated conceptual artist Gillian Wearing is also showing in Texas for the first time. Her Rock n Roll 70 installation offers another investigation into an aging body her own with a site-specific showing of Wallpaper, a monumental grid of portraits that have been digitally altered by others to imagine what she will look like in 20 years. Dean and Wearing, both born in England in the 1960s, belong to a famous generation of British art stars who are still sometimes called the Young British Artists. They are now in their 50s. Capturing Cunningham Deans own body is slowed by rheumatoid arthritis. Her acute empathy for aging artists has revealed itself in a number of shorter filmed portraits not on view in Houston but gathered for a major show in London last year that are uncompromisingly poetic, even elegiac. She has fixated on David Hockneys ancient hands as he cradles cigarettes, watched Cy Twombly (also shortly before he died) contemplate sculptures he couldnt sell, observed the Italian Mario Merz as he cradles a pine cone and listens to funeral bells and caught Claes Oldenburg dusting a lifetimes worth of collected objects. The first time she filmed Cunningham it was her request, not the companys. She wanted to know if he had ever performed 4:33, his longtime partner John Cages confounding composition in which a pianist sits at his or her instrument, not playing. Cunningham hadnt, and he was already wheelchair-bound by then; but he created a performance for Dean in which he sat still, changing positions only for each of the three movements. The beauty of Craneway Event is that it takes us into Cunninghams still quite agile brain. He and his company are preparing for one of their events, a performance of randomly ordered excerpts from their repertory across three barely raised stages in a nonproscenium space. The building is itself an evocative vessel of time. Designed by Albert Kahn and opened in 1930 as a Ford assembly plant at the Port of Richmond, along the San Francisco Bay, Craneway was famous during World War II as the home of Rosie the Riveter. Cunninghams company went there at the invitation of the University of California, Berkeley, and asked Dean to film it, anticipating her work would be part of the choreographers Nearly 90 celebrations in 2009. She fell in love with the site, ultimately rescuing the underfunded performance project by trading an edition of her high-dollar artwork to the buildings owners (who were converting it into an event space) for rent. Metaphors about time flow not just in close-ups of the legendary artist as an old man but also in the panoramic views and barely audible thrum of barges and boats that glide by, sometimes at a glacial pace; the wafting curtains from which the dancers emerge; and the chance presence of birds, creatures Cunningham adored as much as his dancers. Dean opens with a close-up of a pelican on a pylon, later following a waddling pigeon that wanders inside the building. ART REVIEW: Amie Siegel's "Medium Cool" mines society's obsession with luxury Her anamorphic format made with special lenses on the 16mm cameras as well as the projector that produce a double-wide effect is by nature less sharp than digital imagery, a kind of chance operation with potential for failure that Cunningham appreciated. What you cant do with digital is the nondeliberate, Dean said. There is no way of knowing whats happening inside a camera until you process the film . Its all about whats blind. And you kind of sense it; theres a poetry in the unintended act, which is for me, radical. Doing the thing The setting, of course, also added elements of chance things that go wrong in order to go right, Dean said. Im a great believer in that. She didnt expect the factorys floor to be varnished and reflective, and didnt anticipate how each days changing weather would impact Craneway Event. The dancers rigorous steps are already firmly imprinted in their bodies. For long moments, all thats audible is the pounding and squeaking of their feet, which you hear even when you dont see it. That sense of weight belies the spry movements; Cunningham dancers move like gazelles or, well, birds. Still, you cant help but feel exhausted with them at the end of each day, amazed that they grasp what the choreographer wants. Which is primarily a matter of directions. Deans film reveals Cunningham shaping form in space; how he paints with bodies as he nitpicks where certain dancers will face, and when, in the vast volume of a building where the audience will walk around. They work in silence, with only their own rhythmic pacing for timing. Cunninghams dancers never rehearsed to music, hearing it for the first time during the first performance of a piece. That, too, appealed to Dean. Even before she had had a chance to view the entire film, choreographer Kimberly Bartosik, who also was in Houston for a public talk with Dean, understood the scene intimately. She danced with Cunninghams company during the first nine years of her career. He didnt want to control; he just wanted to make sure that you did the thing, in the amount of time, in the space that the work needed. And whatever you brought to it was what you brought to it, she said. You had to be thinking all the time. By the thing, she meant the steps, the form in time and space, she explained. Those were the three elements. It was a step, and it took a very particular amount of time, and it was in a very particular space. All of his work was about how those three things communicated together. Bartosik recalled performing Cunningham and Cages Ocean at a quarry in Minnesota with similar directional challenges. Your body had to figure out how to completely renavigate itself so it didnt lose track of what it had to do because there wasnt one place you had a reference for, she said. Bartosik saw Cunningham pass physical bridges first-hand. During her first years with the company, he could still use his body to suggest what he wanted the dancers to do, even though he wasnt exactly demonstrating the moves. You just did the most extreme version of what he showed, she said. Then he pioneered the use of Life Forms software that produced reams of complex instructions, requiring the dancers to think of their bodies in parts arms do one thing, legs another, torso another, head another then put it back together again and make sense of it. MORE HOUSTON ARTS & THEATER, ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM Always, there was room for failure, Bartosik said. Thats part of why its so alive. You have to be in every extreme moment. If you pull back to stay on your balance, it loses its life. Thats why its beautiful to show rehearsal: Stuff happens. You fall down. You have an injury youre nursing, so youre not quite full out. You lose your place because theres a ship passing by. To show all the human reality about what it is to be a dancer and to do the work Merce asked of you really communicates something. Deepfake Wearing In the bright light of the Moodys foyer, Wearings coolly conceptual installation seems to demand less of viewers. It also looks intentionally mundane, although it consumes a huge wall. Here is Wearings face, aged and multiplied many times, against plain, blandly colored backdrops of portraits that are mostly yearbook-style, straight-on affairs. The kind of portraits that are only interesting to the people in them, generally. At the center, atop Wallpaper, hangs the unfinished triptych Rock n Roll 70, which has a dour image of Wearing at 50; an enhanced image of her slumped and grayer, suggesting 70; and a blank space where she plans to insert an actual portrait of herself when she turns 70 in 2033. Im a few years older, and doing the math. Essentially, Wearing is asking viewers to endure a longer time of waiting and watching than Dean. Theres more immediate gratification in the small, dark gallery devoted to new media works, where Wearing, Gillian loops. Running about five minutes, this deepfake film is a slick, playful collaboration with the advertising firm Weiden + Kennedy that utilizes artificial-intelligence technology. It employs face masking familiar to anyone who has watched some of this years partisan political propaganda on YouTube or Facebook to integrate the artists facial features (and her voice) with those of a diverse group of actors. You walk out still unsure which one of them, if any, is actually her. (Over at Inman Gallery, a work by Jason Salavon adds interactive facial recognition to the equation, so viewers can watch their own faces morph with those of characters who include Donald Trump, Kanye West, a clown and a cat.) Wearing, Gillian get the titles pun? is engagingly humorous and will be wildly appealing to some people. Her work is as finely nuanced as Deans but focused in a different direction, on ideas about identity and self-representation. In the age of selfies and internet memes, its both meaningful and topical. We are a self-obsessed society. Still, I confess: I wasnt in the mood to tolerate it. A friend who stepped into the Craneway Event screening when I was there Wednesday felt that way about Deans film. I think she loves both art and dance as much as I do, but she lasted maybe 20 minutes, max. I dont have the patience to sit through two hours of this, she said. My ADD would not like it. molly.glentzer@chron.com PREVIEW: Get experts picks for concerts, kids stuff, fine arts, movies and more delivered to your inbox weekly. Just step and keep moving. Those were the instructions to my son for getting on an escalator at the mall. We were there to practice using this scary contraption, with its stairs that appear then disappear. The instructions were also for me. Paul is 13 and has autism and ADHD. He rides up escalators, where he can see the steps form. But heading down, where one steps out into open space before the stair exists, Paul freezes. When he was younger, he cried, white-knuckling the handrails as a line of impatient people formed behind him. Gone are the days I could carry or drag him anywhere, and I never wanted to traumatize him, so weve largely avoided the situation. But fear has kept Pauls world rather small. He often tells me hed like to go on a trip by airplane. He hasnt flown since he was a toddler, before his diagnoses before he can remember because I couldnt imagine how wed manage. Never mind the tortuous lines for someone with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or the din of announcements, beeping carts, buzzing baggage-claim carousels and more for someone with sensitivity to sound. Wed never make it past the escalator to the ticket counter. What would I do if he melted down or panicked and ran off? Information The Arc usually holds two Wings for Autism/Wings for All events each year in Houston. The next one will take place in the fall at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. thearc.org/wingsforautism TSA Cares is available for passengers with a disability or medical condition who need extra support. They or loved ones can call 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Central Time Monday-Friday (excluding federal holidays) with questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint. Toll free: 855-787-2227 See More Collapse Its my job to help him work through these things, and Ive been failing him. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Autism 'Shark Tank' Reactor Room opens doors for talented Houstonians with disability When the Down Syndrome Association of Houston invited me to attend Wings for All, a national program that introduces children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to the logistics of air travel, I knew it was time for me to just step and keep moving, too. So, we had to rehearse even before the airport rehearsal. Up and down we went at the store, an amused sales clerk rooting us on, until Paul was comfortable ish. Wings for All is an initiative of The Arc, a national disability-advocacy organization that partners with major airlines and local disability groups to host the program. Eight such events have been held at both Houston airports since 2015, serving nearly 1,000 people with mental disabilities and their families. In addition to The Arc and DSAH, partners for this most recent event were the Autism Society of Texas, Houston Airport System and Southwest Airlines. Paul and I prepped the night before. We read The Arc-provided social story, a special-needs tool combining pictures and text to explain the process: get a boarding pass, check luggage, clear security and head to our gate. We packed a bag and practiced wheeling it around. I told him we wouldnt be going up in the air, just learning how to do all the steps that come before. Because there are a bunch. Including the escalator. He fell asleep excited to check out the inside of a plane. At Hobby Airport, no sooner had we entered from the parking garage than we hit an escalator. Well, lets get this over with, I said to myself, wearing a big fake grin for the kid. He grabbed the rail to his right with both hands and tentatively stuck out a toe as if he were testing the temperature in a bathtub. Bent at the waist, he planted that foot, then the other. Awkward, but he did it. Phew, I thought as we headed to check in. Paul darted away from the throng sometimes, but mostly he waited in line with me to get his boarding pass like hed done this before. I saw his hands going to his ears, but he declined my offers of his noise-canceling headphones. He had plenty to hold his interest: Joy, wearing a please pet me vest, was one of the trained comfort dogs waiting to greet the smaller fries (the golden retriever has her own Facebook page, @JoyComfortDog). Dressed as Disney princesses, Southwests customer service agents welcomed everyone on this practice journey. Headed to the security line, I chatted up Snow White, aka Carroll Herzog, whos worked for the airline 40 years come July. She said shes helped calm travelers like my son and said Wings for All is just as educational for airport and airline personnel because it lets them know whos flying with them every day. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: 500,000 teens with autism will become adults in next 10 years. Where will they work? Paul tapped my shoulder, smiling like he wanted to be part of the conversation (not always the case for people with autism). This is Snow White, I told him, feeling silly at the introduction. Oh, he knows who I am, she replied with a laugh. I love you, Paul said. I wasnt sure if it was directed at me or her. Either way, I felt tension leave my shoulders. He was comfortable. The metal-detector part was no sweat once he got the hang of putting his shoes in the bin. His reward: a gold Transportation Security Administration Junior Officer sticker shaped like a real badge. Despite spying an outpost of his beloved Barrys Pizza, Pauls anxiety crept in. Im not gonna get on. You do it, he told me. Ive been on a plane. This is for you, I coaxed. We arrived at Gate 40, and I wondered again how this was going to go. Elsa from Frozen gave him plastic wings for his lapel. Then our blue Boeing 737-700 with red and orange trim pulled up, and Paul smiled. He couldnt wait to head down the jetway. At our seats, I showed him the seatbelt, window shade, overhead vent and reading light, the tray table that I hope one day hell have to put in its upright and locked position. He looked over the safety-information card in the seat pocket in front of him. He heard about flotation devices and oxygen masks and lighted exits but mostly looked out the small window. Someday, when youre in the air, youll be above the clouds, I told him. I started to daydream about flying somewhere with my son. It suddenly seemed possible. And then the intercom announced it was over. Flight attendants, go ahead and disarm and cross-check doors for arrival. It turned out that wasnt the end of our adventure. Back in the terminal, we encountered a moving sidewalk. Oh, hell, I thought. Well, you cant prepare for everything. Paul passed it, then turned around. Flat escalator? he asked. Yep. Go for it. Same awkward start, then he zipped by people standing still. I thought I saw a smile cross his face as I tried to keep up. Just step and keep moving. A Special World shares programs and experiences by and for the disabled community in Greater Houston. suzanne.garofalo@chron.com ReNew Houston: Get Houstons newest source for healthy living, straight to your inbox. Sign up for the newsletter today. Movers lugged furniture in the front and back doors and up two or three flights of stairs as landscapers rolled out a literal carpet of emerald-green grass in the backyard, the final details for the unveiling of the citys newest show home. Rallin Welch of Welch Builders and Brokers teamed up with the American Society of Interior Designers Texas Gulf Coast chapter for its show-house fundraiser. The nearly 7,000-square-foot, three-story home in River Oaks was a spec home under construction designed by Ryan Gordon of Gordon Partners when ASID jumped in to use the home for its event that runs Thursdays-Sundays, June 15-June 30. That means the floor plan and most of the finishes flooring, counters and tile were already determined by Welch and his investor, Miguel Soto. The $3,899,000 house is listed for sale on har.com. ASIDs 21 interior design teams were allowed to make lighting changes, change paint or install wallpaper, then fully furnish every room. ASID Show House Where: 2104 Chilton in River Oaks When: 1-5 p.m. on June 14; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays June 15-30 Tickets: ASID members, $25; adults (16 and older) $30; children (15 and younger) $15; eventbrite.com See More Collapse Visitors will walk away with inspiration for any room in their home, as well as dozens of examples of mixing old and new, since the home is filled with classic traditional and contemporary furniture styles, with antique or vintage items sprinkled in. All of the lighting is by Circa Lighting and window treatments are by The Shade Store, both of which are event underwriters. Just inside the front door are a piano room and dining room. The piano room, designed by Mary Wilson of Live Beautifully, is an elegant setting for music. A player Steinway grand piano commands one corner, with a quartet of four blue velvet chairs the perfect place to enjoy a recital. Across the foyer is the dining room, and Linda Eyles of Linda Eyles Design let a dynamic Paul Fleming art installation lead the rest of the room. Flemings work consists of dozens of metallic resin plugs adhered to the wall in a scattered pattern that dominates one wall and jumps to the other side of a doorway leading to a bar, pantry and the kitchen. With plum, lavendar and blue in the art, Eyles installed an abstract mural in the same colors on the ceiling and soft gray grasscloth wallpaper on the walls. Steel-blue silk draperies frame the windows and a custom faux marble table the finish by Segreto sits in the center. Even the bar and pantry are staged for the event. Chairma Design Group used jars of candies, baskets of snack chips and trays of fresh fruit to fill the pantry and a cute setup on the nearby bar to look cocktail-hour ready. This space was painted a deep teal Sherwin-Williams Deep Sea Dive and a cotton-linen window shade, featuring wide stripes of hummingbirds, will likely leave you uttering: I want one of those. The rest of the main floor consists of a kitchen, living room and breakfast area, all of them gleaming white, with touches of blue. Furnishings are a mix of classic, contemporary and antique style. The second floor holds a study and four of the homes five bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own bath, plus there are two more powder bathrooms that will leave you wanting to reinvent your own. Cheryl Baker of CDB Interiors, ASIDs event chair, created the upstairs office as a ladys retreat, a white desk and cabinets complemented by whimsically bookish Kate Spade wallpaper. For the event, Baker reupholstered one of her own chairs in blue velvet and had her monogram sewn into it. The master bedroom was designed by Teena Caldwell of Twenty-Two Fifty Interiors in Sugar Land. Caldwell was inspired by soft green pillows trimmed with antique Ottoman Empire raised gold embroidery, made by Rebecca Vizard, who specializes in pillows made with antique textiles. One guest room, designed by Sherrell Neal of Sherrell Design Studio, is a relaxing space in beige and white. Neal hired Decorative and Faux Finishes to roll a pattern with birds onto the walls in Sherwin-Williams Balanced Beige, one of the paint companys most popular neutrals. Another bedroom was designed with a teenage girl in mind, a black and white space with pops of color in the funky art and whimsical furniture that accompanies the white daybed. Home for me is Louisiana, and I remember my aunts having wallpaper and lined drawers, Neal said. Thats why I like to layer patterns and colors that are fresh and clean. I want it to feel like a guest suite thats charming, familiar and Southern. There's also finished space over the garage, where Cristina Robinson of IiiDesign created a lounge/game room -- and not only did she do the room design, but she also created a handful of paintings to finish it off. In a slim bedroom suite there, Jennifer Barron of Jennifer Barron Interiors created a space with a pullout sofa that any guest would love to stay in. The 1,000 square feet on the third floor is divided into three rooms and includes a good deal of finished storage space. Theres an exercise room designed by Saima Seyar of Elima Designs and the current president of the local ASID chapter; a media room designed by Yesely Love of Canaima Design; and a bedroom designed by Ashlee Arter and Tiffany Edwards of Edwards Interiors and Design. Arter said that she and Edwards found fabric with an Asian-influenced pattern with pagodas and pops of red. They used it to cover the beds headboard, and everything else revolves around that. No home this size would be complete without a wine room. This one, designed by Jennifer Harbison of Cobalt Living, is a step-down space off of the kitchen, with room for dozens of bottles of wine. The outdoor patio is fully decorated in comfortable furniture that includes a boho-style hanging chair, all of it looking out onto that bright green artificial turf that covers the backyard. Welchs homes have twice been on the annual AIA Houston architecture tour, and he said another will be on the groups home tour this fall. He described this home on Chilton Street as more like a 5,600-square-foot home with 1,000 square feet of bonus space on the third floor. ACCESS DESIGN: Sign up for the new weekly newsletter on architecture and home design, plus other good reads picked just for you by Houston Chronicle design writer Diane Cowen. 4th Wall Theatre 1824 Spring, 832-767-4991; 4thwalltheatreco.com. May 16-June 8, Collected Stories. Oct. 11-Nov. 2, The Glass Menagerie. Inner Loop A.D. Players 5420 Westheimer, 713-526-2721; adplayers.org. May 17-June 2, The God Committee. June 28-July 28, West Side Story. Sept. 11, The Hiding Place. Nov. 27-Dec. 22, Miracle on 34th Street. W Alley Theatre 615 Texas, 713-220-5700; alleytheatre.org. May 31-June 30, The Three Musketeers, a swashbuckling romp of romance, danger and comedy suited for the whole family. July 19-Aug. 25, Agatha Christies Murder on the Orient Express, a plot-twist masterpiece that has thrilled mystery lovers viafrom television, radio and film. Sept. 13-Oct. 13, The Winters Tale, a sweeping story of wrath and redemption and of lost and then found love. Oct. 4-Nov. 3, Vietgone, now in America, a strange new land of cowboys, hippies and bikers, two Vietnamese refugees just might find each other. Nov. 15-Dec. 29, A Christmas Carol, a family-friendly retelling of Charles Dickens classic story that follows Ebenezer Scrooges journey with the three ghostly spirits who visit him on Christmas Eve. Nov. 26-Dec. 29, Fully Committed, Sam works the reservation line at one of New Yorks hottest restaurants, where the best food inspires the worst behavior. Inner Loop Catastrophic Theatre Midtown Arts Theater Center Houston (MATCH), 3400 Main, 713-522-2723; catastrophictheatre.com. June 28-Aug. 4, Speeding Motorcycle, takes audiences deep into the astounding, hilarious and heartbreaking world of one of Americas most compelling cult musicians. Inner Loop Crighton Theatre 234 N. Main, Conroe, 936-441-7469; crightontheatre.org and stage-right.org. July 5- 21, Annie, with equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyones hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Aug. 16-18, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a reimagining of the Bbiblical story of Joseph, his father, Jacob, 11eleven brothers and the coat of many colors. Sept. 6-22, The Wild Women of Winedale, touching comedy focuses on three women at crossroads in their lives. Oct. 18-Nov. 3, Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella, a hilarious and romantic experience for anyone whos ever had a dream. Dec. 6-22, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Beth Bradleys churchs Christmas pageant is predictable every year, but when seasoned and authoritative pageant director breaks her leg, it is up to Beths inexperienced mother to step in. N Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. MATCH, 3400 Main, 713-561-5113; dirtdogstheatre.org. May 24-June 8, A Lie of the Mind, explores the destinies of two desperate families, linked by marriage but set apart by jealousies and distrust after a severe incident of spousal abuse leaves all their lives altered. Inner Loop Ensemble Theatre 3535 Main, 713-520-0055; ensemblehouston.com. June 27-July 28, Josephine Tonight, a musical biography of showbiz legend Josephine Baker. Inner Loop Hobby Center for the Performing Arts 800 Bagby, 713-315-2525; thehobbycenter.org. June 26-July 14, Disneys Aladdin, a new production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic and comedy. Aug. 6-11, Rent, follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. Oct. 22-27, Cats, tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. Nov. 12-24, Dear Evan Hansen, a profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it. Inner Loop Main Street Theater 2540 Times, 713-524-6706; mainstreettheater.com. Through May 26, Relatively Speaking, Greg proposes to Ginny as she is heading off for the day to see her parents, or so she says. July 20-Aug. 11, Private Lives, Elyot and Amanda, once married and now divorced, meet again while honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel and discover the old flame still burns. Inner Loop Mildreds Umbrella 1824 Spring, 832-463-0409; mildredsumbrella.com. July 18-20 and July 25-27, Museum of Dysfunction XI, a festival of new shorts from emerging and established writers. Inner Loop Pasadena Little Theatre 4318 Allen-Genoa, Pasadena, 713-941-1758; pasadenalittletheatre.org. Through May 19, How I Became a Pirate, Jeremy Jacobs joins Captain Braid Beards band of comical pirates and searches for the perfect spot to bury their treasure. SE Rec Room Arts 100 Jackson, 713-344-1291; recroomarts.org. July 17-Aug. 3, Woyzeck, a radical new contemporary piece based on Buchners 19th-century drama. McGarvey and Hune team up to tell a nonchronological story about one of Americas biggest fears and obsessions: a mass shooting. Inner Loop Stages Repertory Theatre 3201 Allen Parkway, Suite 101, 713-527-0123; stagestheatre.com. Through June 16, Murder for Two, a hilarious murder mystery with a twist in which one actor plays the investigator, the other plays all 13 suspects and both play the piano throughout. May 22-June 9, Sex With Strangers, a sly comedy about lust, love and personal identity in the tell-all internet age. July 12-Sept. 8, The Doyle and Debbie Show, after failed marriages and tabloid scandals, Doyle recruits a new singing partner to regain his former stardom, but when she starts to rise, the comeback becomes a setback for this has-been legend. Aug. 21-Oct. 13, Sisters Back to School Catechism: The Holy Ghost and Other Terrifying Tales, in this newest class, Sister puts the backbone in back to school with a host of lessons about starting anew as well as celebrating the Churchs approved tales of ghosts and goblins and a Catholic-appropriate Halloween costume contest. Sept. 6-7, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Life Could Be a Dream, set in the 60s, a group of crooning buddies enters the Big Whopper Radio contest to try to realize their dreams of making it to the big time. Oct. 4-20, Salt, Root and Roe. on the remote coast of Wales, 80-year-old twins are determined to live out their twilight years on their own terms. Nov. 6-Dec. 15, Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Musical Radio Play, classic story of the last-minute replacement Santa for the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade who claims to be the real Kris Kringle. Nov. 20-Dec. 15, Panto Hansel and Gretel, an outrageous reimagining of the tale of Hansel and Gretel as two selfish Houston parents pursue their dream to be stars of the theater after leaving their social-media-obsessed children in the woods. Inner Loop Stageworks Theatre 10760 Grant, 281-587-6100; stageworkshouston.org. May 17-June 9, Harvey, the story of Elwood P. Dowd, a polite and friendly man with a very strange best friend a 6-foot-3-inch invisible rabbit named Harvey. July 19-Aug. 11, Mamma Mia! ABBAs hits tell the hilarious story of a young womans search for her birth father. NW Theatre Under the Stars Bushwick Bill, the Houston rap star who died last week, occupies an outsize place in my mind. I met him in 1990. I wrote about music for the Houston Press, and he was in the Geto Boys, who had recently finished a self-titled album with starmaking producer Rick Rubin. Rubins remix made the group riveting insane, cartoonish violence, misogyny, misanthropy and all. Bushwick, who stood 38, was the groups visual signature; his bandmates were Willie D., Scarface, and Reddy Red (now Ready Red). In the music world, everyone seemed sure that the local guys were about to blow up nationally. Rap-a-Lot Records, the Geto Boys label, invited me to hang out with the crew. I drove to the apartment that Bill shared with Scarface an address on South Gessner, far from the Fifth Ward that they famously referenced as home. The complex was perfectly ordinary: not fancy, not a dump. When I knocked, Bill opened the door and invited me to wait on a lumpy old sofa while he and Scarface finished getting ready to go out for the night. In the sparsely furnished living room, an old TV in the corner was playing a rerun of The Andy Griffith Show, a 1960s touchstone of wholesomeness and white, small-town values. Bill paused to take in a scene of Mayberrys lovable stumbling drunk, Otis, being gently guided to his cell by kindly lawmen Andy and Barney. Bill hooted: Otis, he said, was his favorite character. Ben DeSoto / Houston Chronicle Neither Bill nor Scarface had a car at his disposal, so we waited for a Rap-a-Lot honcho to show up and give them a ride. At a Fifth Ward dance club, we met Reddy Red and Willie D, and eventually ended up at an after-hours bar in Sunnyside. Shooting the dozens, Bill slayed his opponents, slamming them with biting, funny insults with unbelievable speed. I was shocked how fresh and funny he could make a your momma joke. Reporting that story, I spent more time with the Geto Boys over the next few days, but didnt get another chance to talk much with Bill. I wasnt sure Id ever hear from him again. The call, when it came, stunned me. He was at Ben Taub Hospital, being treated for a gunshot wound. He wanted me to come down, see him, write the story. I found him there in his room, in good spirits, despite a big plastic bandage over his eye, where the bullet had hit him. Sometimes he flirted with the nurses; sometimes he harassed them. He told me several versions of the shooting. The basic outline didnt change: At the apartment where Id first met him, hed been dangling his girlfriends baby off its second-story balcony. The girlfriend shot him in the eye with a derringer. The last time I saw Bill was at a Rap-a-Lot publicity event for other acts. By then the Geto Boys were clearly a big, big deal, the guys who put Houston on the rap map. In the end, theyd have two gold albums and one platinum. Bill had lost vision in the eye, but seemed as cheerful as always. He wore an eyepatch emblazoned with a skull and crossbones. His uncovered eye veered around, spookily. It unnerved me. I must have looked confused. He leaned in conspiratorially and, smiling like a maniac, flipped up his eyepatch. It was covering his good eye, not the bad one. He guffawed. Hed made a tiny hole in the eyepatch that he could see through, letting his bad eye make him look terrifying. Gotta always keepem guessing, he said. That was pure Bill: Quick and vivid and funny tragic, but also laughing under that amped-up facade of horror-movie violence. I felt lucky to be in on the joke. Tarbox Kiersted lives in Houston. Bookmark Gray Matters. It's not fancy, not a dump. LEAGUE CITY -- A giant American flag dangled from the ladders of two firetrucks outside Clear Creek Community Church Friday to honor a widely admired public servant. Kemah Police Chief Chris Reed, 50, died June 7 when he fell overboard while boating with his wife, Jana, in Texas City. A wake from a large vessel hit his pleasure craft and knocked him overboard without a life jacket, officials reported. A week later, hundreds of family members, friends, colleagues and Bay Area residents gathered to remember an influential person in their community. Now Playing: A memorial procession followed a memorial service held at Clear Creek Community Church for Kemah Police Chief Chris Reed. Video: Kirk Sides, Houston Chronicle "Chris' life was dedicated to service service for his country and service for his community," said Bruce Wesley, senior pastor of Clear Creek Community Church. "We will look to God for our strength in comfort. This is a life well-lived in serving others and that's why we gather here today, to remember him." RELATED: Body of Kemah Police Chief Chris Reed recovered Reed served in the U.S. Army as a military policeman, sergeant and paratrooper before his honorable discharge in 1990. He later joined the League City Police Department, where he served as assistant chief and, later, city administrator. Most recently, Reed served as Kemah police chief and was a member of the Clear Creek ISD Board of Trustees from 2016-2019. Reed's sister-in-law, Carol Riffert, read a passage from the Book of Revelation describing "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Clear Creek ISD Superintendent Greg Smith said Reed was a disciple God sent to shed light on League City, Kemah, Nassau Bay and Clear Creek ISD. "He was a man of service service to his country, his community and the 42,000 children and 5,000 employees that comes with being a board trustee," Smith said. BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox Richard Rennison, a close friend, spoke on behalf of several others who knew Reed. "Chris didn't know the meaning of the word 'quit,' which is funny because he didn't know the meaning of a lot of the words he used," he jokingly said, remembering his friend. Reed's daughter Logan said she will remember the father's love that he gave abundantly time and time again. "I know who my father really was," she said. "I got to experience and cherish that every single day. Rest easy, Daddy." Reed is survived by his wife and three children: Logan, son Chase and daughter Alexis. tyler.johnson@chron.com Kingwood-based human resource solutions company Insperity is still growing after more than 30 years in business. The company broke ground on a 270,000 square foot Class A office building with a six-level parking garage last month. About 1,000 employees will work at the new 10-story building, Insperitys fifth in Kingwood. The new facility, which is expected to open in 2020, comes on the heels of a 100,000-square-foot building, dubbed Insperity Centre 4, that opened in 2017. But CEO Paul Sarvadi said Insperity is not done expanding in Kingwood more growth could be on the horizon. Savardi met with the Kingwood Observer and discussed future buildings in Kingwood, the impact of Harvey and flooding on Kingwood and writing his first book. Question: What will the new 10-story building allow you to do that your current facilities dont? Paul Sarvadi: The purpose for this building is related to our growth. Were growing at a rapid pace. This is four years in a row where were growing our customer base in double digit ranges and our profitability too. Thats whats driving the need for it. And we just completed a building (in 2017), filled it up, and we need the space. Question: Will the 1,000 employees stationed at this new building be new employees? PS: When you add a new building you can kind of reshuffle the deck a little bit, and well be consolidating groups together that have been split up. It will allow for us to look at the next three, four years, maybe five even and have space to fill the need. Question: Do you have any more room to grow in Kingwood or are you built-out? PS: A long time ago we bought this property in fact one of the advantages of starting the business in a down economic cycle was that we were able to buy property from the Resolution Trust (Corporation) and the whole real estate market was in an upheaval. (The Resolution Trust Corporation was a government-owned company tasked with liquidating real estate assets, such as mortgage loans and property.) So we have room here for a couple more buildings. None of them will be as large as this one. Question: What would you need to see to commission another building in Kingwood? PS: If we keep growing at this rate youre going to fill this one up in several years, and youd be ready for more. So youd be looking for another building in three or four years. Question: Is the building still on schedule to deliver in 2020? PS: We just broke ground. Weve got an excellent plan and experience with this builder D.E. Harvey Builders... Were on track. We modified the plan a little bit to try to get the parking garage built earlier than the building so we can help displaced employees that are having to (park at a different location and) be shuttled over. Get them back in a normal routine earlier. Question: Any unique design features on the new building? PS: This whole first floor is going to be largely for training new employees from across the country. Theres a lot of other meeting spaces where people meet differently than they have in the past. Also, were taking advantage of the back of the building and the lake out there in the front of Kingwood. So youve got some really nice views and a great atmosphere for employees. Question: Did you get any flooding at Insperity during Harvey? PS: We didnt. We were fortunate that we had no issues, but we had 66 families affected. That was so devastating that we also worked with our community involvement people and the chamber and we started the Lake Houston Area Relief Fund and we contributed ($1 million) as a company as a matching grant and got the community to do the same thing that wed done with our employees. It was epic the way people helped each other in our community. It showed the character of our community. Question: A lot of people in the community are nervous about flooding right now. What makes Insperity so confident about expanding in Kingwood? PS: The Harvey situation was just biblical in a 150-mile radius. Can it happen again? Yes. But not likely like that again. We live in the Houston area, and its pretty flat and the water can only run so fast. But anywhere you live has their own issues. Whether its tornadoes up in Oklahoma or on the coasts you have to deal with those calamities. Its a part of life. We dont worry too much about it. Question: Are you going to build the new building higher off the ground? PS: No. Were pretty high and dry in the front of Kingwood. Most of the issues in the past were closer to the (San Jacinto River) and back at (Lake Houston). It gets pretty wild when that water is up as high as it was down (on Loop 494 in Kingwood), but were high and dry. Question: Insperity is a company that has offices across the country, why are you still committed to having your headquarters in Kingwood? PS: This is our home. This is where we started the company. And weve thought about going to other places, but we feel like this is a commitment that we have here. One of our values statements is to contribute to the communities where you live and work. I actually raised my kids here. We lived close by just outside of Kingwood. Today I live in The Woodlands. This part of town is growing fairly nicely. We draw employees from all over the country. From a recruiting standpoint, theres no reason we need to move anywhere else. Were happy here. Question: Did you see Kingwood/Humble areas going from a bedroom community to what it is today when you opened in 1986? PS: I think theres been great progress in our community over the years, and I think one of things thats really great is we kept that local community feel. Its nice to have amenities as you get larger and capabilities in the community and we have that. But to do that and keep the feel of a small community is no small thing. Question: What was the process of writing your first book Take Care of Your People: The Enlightened CEO's Guide to Business Success like? PS: It was something Ive wanted to do for quite a while. And I wrote a lot of it several years ago and decided the time was right. I think I was not wanting to do it because of how much additional time and effort it adds to your schedule. I was right it has added a lot, but it was an opportunity for us to kind of cast a wider net out there and tell a story that I think needs to be told. Weve been successful by doing two things taking care of our own people well and helping to unleash their potential. Thats resulted in some very impressive business results. Weve also helped a lot of other companies do the same thing. So taking care of you people is a very effective business strategy that sometimes gets under emphasized. I felt like maybe people need a roadmap. Question: Did you have any hangups about giving up your secrets? PS: Thats a good question. No I felt like our mission is really about helping businesses succeed so communities prosper. We believe in that connection. So anything we can share that can help somebody else, were happy to do it. Even if happens to be a competitor. chris.shelton@chron.com Editor's Note: President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on Thursday with some leaders attending the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The following are meeting highlights. Afghanistan China will continue to assist Afghanistan in strengthening its capacity to fight terrorism and maintain stability, President Xi Jinping said in a meeting with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. ISTANBUL - The perilous contest between the United States and Iran for influence in the Middle East escalated dramatically on Thursday as two tankers were targeted in suspected attacks near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil shipments. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the "blatant assault" on the vessels and said the United States would defend itself and its allies against Iranian aggression in the region. But he provided no evidence that the explosions had been the work of Iranian forces. The blasts appeared to be a coordinated attack, damaging the hull of a Japanese-owned tanker and striking a Norwegian-owned vessel, which caught fire and was left adrift in the Gulf of Oman. The incidents were similar to suspected acts of sabotage carried out against tankers near the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah last month and looked to be the latest salvo in the mounting confrontation between the United States and Iran. As the Trump administration has tightened economic sanctions on Iran after withdrawing last year from the historic nuclear deal, Iran and its allies have responded with calibrated attacks in the Persian Gulf area, Iraq and Saudi Arabia aimed at underscoring the potential cost to U.S. interests, including the international oil trade, experts say. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the incidents Thursday as "suspicious," and Iran's naval forces said they were investigating the "accident" in the Gulf of Oman. At the United Nations, the Iranian mission denied any involvement and called the U.S. claim "inflammatory" and "Iranophobic." Japan News-Yomiuri photo by Kaname Yoneyama The crews of both vessels were forced to abandon ship. A U.S. defense official said the USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was in the area, took on board 21 crew members from the Japanese vessel, the Kokuka Courageous. The blast on the Japanese ship appeared timed to undermine diplomatic efforts by Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was wrapping up a high-stakes visit to Tehran. He met there with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and was seeking to help mediate potential talks between U.S. and Iranian officials. Abe had called his talks in Tehran "a major step forward toward securing peace and stability in this region," the Kyodo news agency reported. The second vessel, owned by Norway's Frontline, was "suspected of being hit by a torpedo," an official with Taiwan's state oil refiner, CPC Corp., which chartered the vessel, told the Reuters news agency. The tanker, called the Front Altair, was carrying naphtha, a flammable petrochemical product that was loaded at a port in the UAE and was destined for East Asia, news agencies reported. The ship's 23 crew members - 11 Russians, 11 Filipinos and one Georgian - were rescued by a nearby vessel and transferred to an Iranian navy ship, then taken to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Speaking to reporters, Pompeo said that the U.S. assessment of Iranian involvement is based on intelligence, the type of weapons used and the level of expertise needed, and that no Iranian-backed militia in the region has the resources or proficiency to pull off such a sophisticated operation. He said the impetus behind the attacks was the administration's "maximum pressure campaign" of sanctions that U.S. officials say are designed to get Iran to negotiate over its nuclear program and its support of militias in various neighboring countries. "Our policy remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table at the right time and encourage a comprehensive deal that addresses the broad range of threats," Pompeo said. "Iran should meet diplomacy with diplomacy, not with terror, bloodshed and extortion." In New York, the U.S. representative to the United Nations blamed Tehran for the blasts during a meeting of the Security Council, drawing a sharp response from the Iranian mission. "Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim," the mission said in a statement. "The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement continued. "Neither fabrications and disinformation campaigns nor shamelessly blaming others can change the realities. The U.S. and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots as well as false flag operations in the region." Shortly after Pompeo spoke in Washington, senior U.S. officials showed photographs to reporters of the damaged tanker Courageous with what the Navy identified as a suspected magnetic mine attached to its hull. The unexploded weapon was probably applied by hand from an Iranian fast boat, one official said, and is thought to be the same kind of weapon used to blow a hole elsewhere in the same tanker and to do more-serious damage to the other ship, the Front Altair, two officials said. The officials, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because many elements of the investigation remain secret, said the type and timing of the attack bear Iranian hallmarks, but U.S. officials cannot yet say with certainty where the mines were manufactured or exactly how they were laid. "There's not too many ways in which this can be done," one official said. "Very few that don't involve an individual physically placing it on the ship." The U.S. Central Command late Thursday released a video and timeline that suggested U.S. military assets observed Iranian vessels returning to the Courageous to retrieve the unexploded mine. "At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine" from the Courageous, Capt. Bill Urban, the spokesman for Central Command, said. U.S. officials said several nations are consulting about how to respond. One option may be to provide military escorts for commercial tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one official said, although no decision has been made. "As the threat evolves, it's incumbent on us to reevaluate our presence," said one senior U.S. official. The U.S. military has dispatched a P-8 Poseidon, an anti-ship, anti-submarine and surveillance aircraft, to the area in response to the incident, a defense official said. Senior U.S. officials have frequently been in touch about the incident since Thursday morning, the official added. U.S. Central Command is sending additional troops and weaponry to the Middle East. The Gulf of Oman links the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Persian Gulf. The gulf has been a flash point for tensions between Iran and the United States and its Arab gulf allies. "The tension in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf is now as high as it gets without being an actual armed conflict," said Jakob Larsen, head of maritime security at the Baltic and International Maritime Council, the world's largest international shipping association. "The increase in attacks and the escalated threat to seafarers is an urgent concern to the industry." U.S. officials say the administration's pressure campaign is aimed at isolating Tehran, curbing its support for regional proxies, restricting its ballistic missile program, and ultimately bringing Tehran back to the negotiating table. But some experts say the recent tensions have underscored the limits of that policy. In a climate of hostility, the tanker incidents could bring the parties closer to the brink of violent confrontation. "This is a way station to a wider conflict breaking out between Iran and the United States," said Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst and Iran project director for the International Crisis Group. "If Iran was behind it, it is very clear the maximum pressure policy of the Trump administration is rendering Iran more aggressive, not less." The blasts could also reflect a widening split between pro-diplomacy officials in Iran and hard-liners opposed to further negotiations, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The paramilitary organization, which boasts land, air and sea forces, answers only to Khamenei and is responsible for Iran's external military operations. Iran's security services, including the IRGC, "have a decades-long history of conducting attacks and other operations aimed precisely at undermining the diplomatic objectives of a country's elected representatives," the political risk firm Eurasia Group said in a briefing note Thursday. "The attacks could have been designed to put an exclamation point on Iran's warnings to Abe about the risks of instability in the region," the note said. About 80 percent of Japan's oil imports come from the Middle East and pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The blasts occurred 24 nautical miles from the nearest IRGC naval base, one U.S. official said. IRGC ships are frequently present in that area but had not until recently begun to harass or impede shipping, the official said. "It's clear that there is a pattern of Iranian naval activity in and around commercial shipping lanes that is inconsistent with their prior behavior," the official said. The attacks are part of Iran's response to tightening U.S. sanctions, one official said. He described the Iranian view this way: "If we can't ship oil, no one can." - - - Gearan and Morello from Washington. The Washington Post's Simon Denyer and Akiko Kashiwagi in Tokyo contributed to this report. Hong Kong society must focus on the real concerns Updated: 2019-06-12 07:45 (HK Edition) Currently Hong Kong society's attention is focused mainly on China-US relations and the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance (Amendment) Bill 2019, commonly known as the fugitive law amendment bill. But people here are overlooking the downward spiral of the US economy and its impact on the global economy and also Hong Kong's economy. It is understandable that many Hong Kong residents care a lot about the China-US trade talks, especially after more than a year of failed negotiations; some of them are worried the amended fugitive laws may allow those wanted on serious criminal charges to be rendered to the mainland to face trial, be it mainland, Hong Kong or foreign residents in the city. However, many people are worried because they have been misled by certain Western governments led by Washington and anti-central government, anti-communist forces in Hong Kong. The fact is the US side has insisted that China further open its economy and domestic market in bilateral trade talks and other Western countries have such expectations. Somehow those Western countries and the US in particular have gone to great lengths to depict all their citizens and businesses in Hong Kong as possible fugitives who may have committed crimes on the mainland and may be in danger of being extradited to the mainland if the fugitive law amendment bill becomes law. These kinds of lies are simply unbelievable considering there are more US nationals and businesses on the mainland than in Hong Kong at any given time and neither they nor the US government seem worried about such "dangers" at all. Equally outrageous is the tireless bashing of the mainland's judicial system, which the Western governments and opposition camp in Hong Kong are calling a "grave threat" - but apparently only to Hong Kong society and foreign nationals in Hong Kong, not their citizens and businesses on the mainland. Those Western governments led by Washington and their proxies in Hong Kong managed to hoodwink some Hong Kong residents into believing these big fat lies, thanks to groundless elaborations by biased media and some professional societies openly opposed to the central government at all times. Some of those Hong Kong residents have never set foot on the mainland; while some others do not live or work there. Some have made a lot of money doing business on the mainland but all of a sudden believe the amended fugitive laws will put them in danger of being handed over to the mainland as wanted criminals. Under normal circumstances only the paranoid could be so easily scared. In view of the current situation, the SAR government should, in addition to resuming second reading debate of the fugitive law amendment bill by the Legislative Council (LegCo), step up efforts in explaining the bill to all sectors of Hong Kong society. This is not to say it is unnecessary to thoroughly explain the bill to foreign consuls general and chambers of commerce in Hong Kong, but the fact is certain foreign diplomats and business leaders in Hong Kong cannot be reasoned with for obvious reasons. That is why the government should focus on explaining the bill to the general public. All Hong Kong residents should know they need not worry as long as they do not violate any law on the mainland. Only the guilty have a reason to fear justice no matter where they are. Besides, the government has provided further safeguards by limiting extradition requests to serious crimes only. Why should anyone fear they may be charged with any serious crime if they have never broken any mainland law? Meanwhile, the government should also bring public attention to the current situation of the US economy and global economy. The US Department of Commerce on May 30 released its revised first quarter (Q1) data, which shows its gross domestic product increased only 3.1 percent year-on-year, 0.1 percentage points lower than the previous version. On June 3, the Institute for Supply Management noted in a report that the US' main purchasing managers index (PMI) stood at 49.8, the lowest since October 2016; while financial information service provider IHS Markit announced the US manufacturing industry PMI in May stood at 50.5, about 2 percentage points lower than in April and the lowest since September 2009. As the US manufacturing industry PMI fell to a 10-year low in May, manufacturing industry around the world also recorded the weakest performance since 2012. According to numbers released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on May 28, multiple G20 economies reported lower Q1 export growth rates than Q4 last year, including Russia, South Korea, Indonesia and Japan. On June 3, Morgan Stanley warned that the current economic situation is worse than a slowdown, "if the Trump administration raises tariffs on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese exports to 25 percent and China retaliates, a global recession may start within nine months". The ongoing trade war was initiated by the US. The Trump administration has also targeted other countries with protectionist measures besides China. Such counter-globalization policies are not only weakening the US economy but also casting a grave risk of a recession for Hong Kong's economy. As a matter of fact, monthly statistics for April and May already showed a considerable slowdown so far this year. All sectors of Hong Kong society must focus on the economic downturn and increasing financial risks. This should be done while accelerating the pace of integrating Hong Kong's development into the nation's overall development strategy, especially the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area vision. (HK Edition 06/12/2019 page8) FX Show 'Pose,' is Gay Crazy NEWS PROVIDED BY Catholic League June 14, 2019 NEW YORK, June 14, 2019 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the TV show "Pose": Gay Pride month festivities have hit the air waves. On the June 11 episode of the FX show, "Pose," they made quite a hullaballoo about homosexuals objecting to anti-condom ads sponsored by the Catholic Church. The show featured a lesbian activist who screamed her hatred of all things Catholic to a crowd of supporters. "The Catholic Church has spent millions of dollars putting the false message into the world that condoms don't work and that abstinence is the only way to fight HIV. That is a lie. And that is morally wrong. So, we're staging a die-in in the middle of that congregation as a peaceful protest against the annihilation of our community." She put the blame on the New York Archbishop, Cardinal John O'Connor. There are five errors in this statement. It was not the Catholic Church that featured ads stating that condoms don't workit was the Catholic League. I should know because I wrote them. I posted the most prominent one in the New York City subways in 1994. To read it, click here. The ad, which garnered international attention and was picked up by a museum, did not cost millions. I believe it cost $10,000. It is never morally wrong to tell the truthit is morally wrong to lie: HIV is not a problem for those who abstain from sex before marriage, nor is it a problem for those who confine sexual relations in marriage to their spouse. [Coda: not all sexual acts are equalbeware of anal sex.] The die-in took place in St. Patrick's Cathedral in December 1989. It was not peaceful. Protesters disrupted a Mass, chained themselves to pews, blocked Catholics from going to Communion, yelled obscenities, and spat the Eucharist on the floor. It was Nazi-like. The Catholic Church is not responsible for AIDS. HIV was picked up by irresponsible drug-driven promiscuous homosexual men who practiced lethal sex acts, often in their bathhouses. Even after AIDS was discovered in 1981, gay leadersnot Bill Donohue or Cardinal O'Connordemanded that the bathhouses remain open. Thats how the annihilation of the gay community happened. Even gay activists such as Larry Kramer have said so. Finally, Catholic bashing, just like gay bashing, can never be defended. Nor can lying about history to make a political point. SOURCE Catholic League CONTACT: Media Office, 212-371-3191, pr@catholicleague.org Related Links www.catholicleague.org Share Tweet Facing a roomful of conservative voters at a meet-and-greet earlier this month, Republican Wesley Hunt laid out the stakes for his partys primary in Texas 7th Congressional District. This is about putting the best candidate forward who can beat Lizzie Fletcher. Period. Hunt said. Republican voters still are smarting from their 2018 loss in this suburban west Houston district, where Fletcher, a Democratic Houston energy lawyer, toppled nine-term GOP incumbent John Culberson. Her five-point win flipped the seat blue for the first time since the 1960s, prompting Republicans to take aim at the district almost as soon as Fletcher took office. The GOP primary field already has come into focus, setting up a clash between Hunt, an Army veteran who works for Perry Homes, and Cindy Siegel, a former Bellaire mayor and METRO board member. Battle lines are sharpening, but not around the two candidates conservative bona fides or the strength of their policy proposals. The early contours of the race instead have centered on the question: Who is best positioned to snatch the seat from Fletcher? Threatening to upend the primary is the potential candidacy of Pierce Bush, CEO of the nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston affiliate and grandson of former president George H.W. Bush, who once represented the district. Bush in an email earlier this month said he still is mulling a run for the seat and has been flattered by people who are encouraging me to consider running, though he did not lay out a deadline for a decision. Meanwhile, both declared Republicans have their electability pitches ready to go. Hunt, 37, contends the party could use a new generation of leadership, and he peppers his stump speech with references to his time as a helicopter pilot in the Army, including his combat deployment to Iraq. Siegel, meanwhile, pitches her governing experience serving on Bellaire city council and as mayor, along with a number of boards and commissions. Also, she contends that it will take a Republican woman to beat Fletcher. I feel that way strongly, the 64-year-old Siegel said. It's coming as no surprise to anyone, on a national basis: Women have moved away from the Republican Party. Hunt bristled at Siegels suggestion, calling it identity politics at its finest. We cannot assume that a woman will automatically vote for a woman just because she's a woman, Hunt said. I think we need to assume that these women are intelligent enough and smart enough to make their own decisions. Siegel made clear that she expects to draw votes not purely over her gender, but because she sees herself as the most qualified candidate and is known in the district, known for listening to people and working hard on their behalf. The candidates will have more than eight months to litigate the best strategy for winning back the voters who helped turn the election to Fletcher last November. Suburban, college-educated women were the primary swing constituency in '18, and they will be again in '20, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. So, whoever wins the hearts and minds of those voters is likely to come out on top. Electability In 2018, Fletcher faced an intra-party electability debate within her own primary, when she faced a runoff against activist Laura Moser. The race crystallized an ongoing question in Democratic circles: Should the party elect someone who embraces the partys left-most flank, spurring new voters to the polls? Or is the best bet a candidate who disavows policies, such as Medicare for All, perhaps preserving the chance to scoop up moderate suburban voters disillusioned by President Trump? Fletcher represented the latter choice, and voters chose her over Moser by a 34-point margin. An analysis of the general election results revealed Fletchers winning coalition included right-leaning moderates, particularly white women living in the suburbs. A spokesperson for Fletchers campaign declined comment. This time, the electability debate in the opposite primary has little to do with ideological distinction, though there will be plenty of time for Hunt and Siegel to draw policy contrasts. For now, identity and background and the candidates political connections appear to be drawing the clearest distinctions. Experience matters, Siegel said. I think what differentiates myself from Lizzie Fletcher or any opponent, is the years I have working on complex issues, both in a public policy format and as a CPA. A newcomer to politics, Hunt noted that he is not a lifetime politician, comparing his first-time candidacy to Trumps run in 2016. "Not being somebody that's been entrenched in this system for so long actually kind of gives me an outsider's advantage as to how to approach some of these issues, he said. Trump weighs on the district In 2018, Trumps name did not appear on the ballot, but scores of voters in Texas 7th said they viewed the election as a referendum on the president nonetheless. Now, the presidents down-ballot impact is set to become amplified, for better or worse, with his name likely atop the Republican ticket in 2020. After the president lost the district to Clinton in 2016, 48 to 47 percent, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took notice and weighed in heavily on Fletchers behalf, spending north of $3.5 million on the seat in 2018. This time, House Democrats campaign arm again figures to play a heavy role, making early attempts to muddy the GOP waters. When Trump visited Houston in April, for instance, the group sent reporters a news release with the subject line: With Trump in Houston, How Far Will Hunt and Siegel Go to Win Him Over? The path to winning a Republican primary runs through Donald Trump, Brooke Goren, a DCCC spokesperson, said at the time. "As the President campaigns in Houston today, will Republicans like Wesley Hunt and Cindy Siegel embrace his attempts to devastate Texas economy and gut health care for middle-class families?" Neither candidate sees it that way. Both express avid support for the presidents policies while acknowledging that Republican voters still can reasonably take issue with his brash rhetoric and style. Siegel credited Trump for loosening overbearing and overrearching regulation that she said has produced a healthy economy with low unemployment, even if she would maybe approach things, personally, a little bit differently when it comes to the presidents style. To Hunt, the choice becomes particularly evident when boiling the options down to Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Both candidates tied Fletcher to Pelosi, alleging that she has voted along party lines despite presenting herself as a moderate Democrat. There is a stark contrast between the policies of President Trump and the policies of, let's say, Nancy Pelosi, Hunt said. My message will be that President Trump's policies are best for us. I guarantee you I will conduct myself in a manner that's probably more conducive to what you would like to see, he added. But nevertheless, Trump's policies are still going to rule the day. jasper.scherer@chron.com The U.S. Census Bureau began testing the effects a citizenship question Thursday, sending out questionnaires to about 480,000 households across the country, including some in Houston. Households will be randomly assigned to two groups and asked to complete the 2020 Census questions. One of the groups will receive census questionnaires that include a question about citizenship, the bureau has said. Similar to the 2020 Census, those who receive the survey will be able to respond online, by phone or by mail, the bureau said in a statement to the Chronicle. Additionally, households will also be able to get help over the phone. A number of Houston and Harris County groups have been working to improve immigrant response rates to the Census. Commissioners Court approved a budget of up to $4 million in May for an initiative that would aim to increase census engagement in the communities that are least likely to fill it out. The test will not determine whether a citizenship question will be included in the 2020 Census, Victoria A. Velkoff, associate director of the bureaus demographic programs, told the Chronicle earlier this year. Instead, its purpose is to see how a citizenship question could impact response rates, and help the bureau determine how to best follow-up with those who dont respond. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross first proposed the addition of a citizenship question to the census in March 2018. A citizenship question has not been included in the decennial census since 1950. Ross said the question would help enforce the Voting Rights Act by collecting data on the number of voters in areas with alleged voting rights violations. Opponents said the question will suppress the response rates of non-citizens. In January, a New York federal judge ruled against the question and the White House asked the Supreme Court to weigh in. The high court heard oral arguments in April. The court is expected to make its decision this month. The House Oversight Committee, which is currently controlled by Democrats, voted to hold Ross and Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress on Wednesday. The move came just hours after the Trump administration asserted executive privilege over documents the committee was seeking regarding the citizenship question. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. A Harris County constable deputy accused of sexually assaulting two women while on duty was released from jail Friday morning after posting bail, according to authorities. Richard Cornejo, who worked for the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office for just over two years, paid bail on $50,000 bonds for both sexual assault charges, court records show. He also posted bail on a $5,000 bond for a misdemeanor charge of official oppression, records show. He was released just after midnight Thursday morning, jail officials said. RELATED: Former deputy charged with sexual assault may have more victims, police say According to earlier reports in the Houston Chronicle, the 37-year-old deputy was fired from the constable's office in November, months after the first woman came forward in May 2018. The second woman came forward in November. Both women were patrons at Palacios, an after-hours club in the 400 block of North Sam Houston Parkway in the Greenspoint area, police said. Cornejo was on duty and in uniform outside the club in his marked patrol SUV, a Chevrolet Tahoe. In one of the cases, he found a woman sleeping in a car outside the club and spotted a marijuana cigarette in the vehicle. The woman said he then offered to follow her home, where the assault occurred, authorities said. 2 1 of 2 Houston Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office Show More Show Less In another case, he pulled a woman over and made her drive to a separate location, where he sexually assaulted her, police said. In the court document that details the official oppression charge, Conejo is accused of groping a woman "while a public servant acting under color of his office and employment." More Information 7 See More Collapse Last week, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo urged other possible victims to come forward with information about Cornejo. "He was probably stopping people he thought were intoxicated and trying to take advantage of them," Acevedo said. "We really believe there's other victims." Staff writer Jay R. Jordan contributed to this report. 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. In her first three semesters attending Houston ISDs Booker T. Washington High School and its prized engineering program, Rebekah Hodge rode METRO buses for three hours across the city each day to campus, paying $7.50 in fares. The costs quickly became burdensome for Rebekahs mother and the familys seven children, who skimped on food and went without a car to make ends meet. So, in early 2018, midway through her sophomore year, Rebekah approached her schools new wraparound resource specialist, Francisco Rivera, to ask for help getting a free bus pass. When Rivera delivered, Rebekah returned with more requests: toothpaste, a towel, body wash, a winter coat. Time after time, Rivera came through. I dont think theres an amount of money that you can put on the impact that people like Mr. Rivera make in students lives, said Rebekah, a soft-spoken rising senior with a 4.09 GPA and dreams of attending Rice University. Its not just about a bar of soap. Its not just towels. Its someone letting you know that they care about whats happening in your life. Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Every school day, many of HISDs 209,000 students come to school carrying immense burdens: hunger, homelessness, deported parents, drug-addicted caregivers. To combat those traumas, HISD leaders are implementing one of the nations biggest, boldest plans to address students non-academic needs, hoping happier, healthier children will perform better in the classroom. By 2022, the nations seventh-largest district plans to employ about 300 staff members dedicated solely to childrens social and emotional well-being, placing them full-time in HISDs 280 campuses. When fully scaled, the initiative is expected to cost roughly $15 million in annual salaries and benefits. The employees are expected to identify children needing support, coordinate with local community providers, pair families with resources and use a locally-developed software platform to monitor impact. About 110 schools already house one wraparound resource specialist. I think its life-changing for a number of students, HISD Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones said. Its groundbreaking that were moving toward this. The purpose of the program is amazing, the intricate details of it are amazing, and now the implementation has to be done correctly. HISDs vision reflects an ongoing, national shift away from high-stakes, test-based accountability toward ensuring students feel comfortable, valued and prepared for class. The districts initiative, however, has encountered growing pains in its early days. Inconsistent implementation, high turnover among specialists and uneven buy-in from campus employees have bedeviled the program, according to district officials and data reviewed by the Houston Chronicle. HISD also replaced the administrator overseeing wraparound services and decided to slow the initiatives expansion this spring. Were going to continue to scale this up, but right now, we have an opportunity to sit down and reflect on whats been working, whats not been working and how do we make this better, said HISD Chief Innovation Officer Rick Cruz, who recently took responsibility for the initiative. Nationally, skepticism also remains about school districts ability to influence students lives outside the classroom. Programs similar to HISDs initiative have had mixed impacts on academic and behavioral outcomes, researchers have found. People will say, Of course theres good evidence that when kids feel more valued and safer, theyre better learners, but how you do that is actually pretty complicated, said Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank. Its not just about buying a new curriculum or telling staff youre going to do X, Y and Z. Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Hard, hard stories In the states largest school district, where about three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, educators receive daily reminders of the challenges facing children. At Wheatley High School, where about 30 percent of students do not graduate each year, teenagers desperately need mentors to provide positive influences often lacking at home, specialist Yvette Montgomery said. On the citys lower-income south side, some Lawson Middle School students walk up to two miles to campus through cold, rain and stifling humidity, unable to afford transportation or access city buses, specialist Kiffany Smith said. At Sanchez Elementary School, a high-performing, high-poverty campus in Houstons Greater East End, Hispanic families often cram together into clustered apartment complexes, fearful of evictions and immigration enforcement, specialist Alejandro Martinez said. They all have very hard, hard stories, Martinez said. Sometimes its like, Wow, I dont even know where to start. Educators long have believed childhood traumas frequently go unattended, exacerbating achievement gaps. Compared to their wealthier peers, HISDs economically disadvantaged students are about 20 percent less likely to read on grade level in elementary school and enroll in college immediately after graduation. Adeeb Barqawi witnessed this phenomenon as a physics teacher at HISDs Kashmere High School, which has failed to meet state academic standards for a record nine consecutive years. Tired, hungry, psychologically troubled children struggled to pay attention in class, much less learn high-level science concepts, he said. Barqawi sought out community providers willing to offer food, shelter and free health care. He then connected students with those organizations, tracking his work on a computer spreadsheet. After three years at Kashmere, Barqawi left the classroom in 2015 to create ProUnitas, a nonprofit that would expand his work pairing students with services. The students all had the highest aspirations to achieve, but some had support systems, some didnt, Barqawi said. It was all just luck. So, how do we take that one or two or 10 steps further, in terms of at least systematizing this? Barqawis organization expanded into neighboring campuses, including an elementary and middle school that fed students into Kashmere High. Early data shows relatively little movement on attendance and mobility rates at those schools, with mixed changes in test scores. Still, HISD officials were impressed with ProUnitas model. In November 2017, HISD board members passed a policy directing the district to create a framework for delivering wraparound services in all 280 schools by 2022. Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Building a support system Working off the ProUnitas approach and a Houston Endowment-funded study from the Boston Consulting Group, district officials crafted their initiative: One wraparound resource specialist would work at each HISD campus, serving as a conduit between students and service providers. Each principal would select his or her preferred specialist, primarily choosing internal applicants or outside candidates with backgrounds in social services. The average specialist would earn a salary of about $50,000. Specialists also would use a web-based platform called Purple developed by ProUnitas, which shifted its focus to software as a case management system, tracking available providers and students receiving supports. By placing specialists in schools, district officials believe local nonprofits benefit from a single point person at each campus. Previously, overburdened principals, administrators and teachers orchestrated sporadic efforts with social service providers. It looked different in every place, and in some places, the work wasnt being done, said Noelia Longoria, the districts interim chief academic officer. I think thats the beauty of this: theres systematic ways to help and support. HISD hired its first 40 specialists during the 2017-18 school year, adding another 75 in 2018-19. On a recent Wednesday morning, Martinez offered a window into a coordinators day-to-day routine at Sanchez Elementary. Dressed in a yellow T-shirt tucked into crisp blue jeans, Martinez started his day at the student drop-off line, watching for students appearing out-of-sorts. After the morning bell, he checked on several of the schools neediest students, walking a fifth-grade boy with an upset stomach to the nurses office and delivering a pep talk to a frequently-absent fourth-grade girl anxious about an upcoming math test. Later, Martinez recalled that a fast-talking 5-year-old, one of 11 children in his family, lacked school supplies. Martinez pulled the boy out of class, walked him down to an office, then pulled pencils, crayons, a notebook and scissors from a metal file cabinet. In the late morning, while serving on lunch monitor duty, Martinez spotted a quiet girl whose cancer-stricken mother had not responded to his offers for assistance. Martinez scribbled out a quick note for the girls mother to call him, which she slipped between the pages of a childrens book. Its all about providing them the resources and making them resourceful, Martinez said of families at Sanchez Elementary. But like everything, it takes patience. It doesnt happen overnight. Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Different schools, different solutions At each campus, wraparound resource specialists tailor various efforts to students needs. Martinez said he works closely with apartment complex managers in his neighborhood, arranging methods for ensuring rent gets paid and families stay in their homes. Smith brings counselors from Abundant Life Therapeutic Services of Texas to Lawson Middle twice weekly, where they work with students tackling anger management issues. Montgomery pairs Wheatley High students with mentors from several local initiatives Girls Inc., My Brothers Keeper, Urban Enrichment Institute, Eyes On Me and organizes on-site events with the Houston Food Bank. Theres always more I can be doing, but as far as our work with partnerships, counselors, providers, I feel we really go deep with the students were able to touch, Montgomery said. Using the Purple software, district officials can track students most common needs and the extent of employees work. In 2018-19, specialists logged about 90,000 student check-ins or observations, about 21,500 links between children and providers, and roughly 8,500 instances of providing direct resources. Home-based, health and psychological supports are the most common requests. Cruz said the data allows the district to illustrate the challenges facing students in an unprecedented way. He envisions new possibilities for linking certain interventions with improvements in academic-related metrics, such as attendance, graduation and college completion rates. If we can paint the story around what needs there is and show how these resources are helping our students, then it becomes a lot easier to get the support, whether its monetary or organizations being willing to work with us, Cruz said. Houston ISD officials said they are at least three years away from comprehensively judging the success of the districts wraparound initiative, though they believe anecdotal evidence already proves its worth. Still, research on the impact of social and emotional learning remains relatively scant. In 2017, the national education research nonprofit Child Trends analyzed 19 studies examining the effects of structured wraparound programs in schools. Researchers found some initiatives produced largely positive outcomes on academics and behavior, while others resulted in no significant improvements. Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Comes down to execution The researchers noted high-quality implementation is needed to ensure the success of wraparound models which has challenged HISD at times. District leaders said wraparound work is highly dependent on building relationships with students, families and community leaders. The district, however, struggled with turnover among wraparound specialists in the summer of 2018, with 13 of 40 staffers leaving their schools, according to payroll data. Additionally, Purple software data reviewed by the Houston Chronicle shows inconsistent use of the tool, which could undermine efforts to evaluate the programs impact. Some wraparound coordinators logged thousands of interventions this school year, while others input fewer than 250. District leaders also conceded that some principals have not fully embraced the initiative, instead directing directed specialists to perform more menial tasks, such as lunch monitoring duty. Notably, HISDs model differs significantly from one of the highest-regarded wraparound initiatives, City Connects in Boston, which reaches about 28,000 students in its 18th year. Unlike HISD, City Connects primarily works in elementary and middle schools, sets its coordinator-to-student ratio at 400-to-1 and requires all specialists to have a Masters degree in school counseling or social work. The organization also expanded much more slowly, serving about 12 schools in its first decade. These all sound terrific, but theyre not all the same, and it all comes down to execution, City Connects Executive Director Mary Walsh said. HISD leaders plan to centralize more oversight of specialists in 2019-2020, which was left to principals in the past. District officials also plan to hire 30 specialists in 2019-2020, down from the original plan for 60. As HISD refines its model, Rebekah Hodge said Riveras work as a wraparound resource specialist already has helped her build an impressive college resume: president of the campus band, program manager of the schools renowned rocketry project, recipient of a $5,000 CITGO Petroleum Corporation academic scholarship. I feel like theres anything I can go to him with, Rebekah said. And hell be like, Rebekah, I got you. jacob.carpenter@chron.com For decades, the Battleship Texas has rested in the shallow, brackish waters of the Houston Ship Channel, slowly decaying. While tourists marvel at the last surviving dreadnought that fought in two world wars, beneath the surface a system of pumps pushes out water seeping through the ships corroded hull. Tens of millions in taxpayer dollars have been spent, and several strategies attempted and discarded, to keep the vessel afloat. Now the battleships caretakers are considering a new, bolder strategy: towing the 104-year old vessel hundreds of miles to a dry dock for extensive repairs. This operation would be costly and potentially dangerous, with no guarantee that the ship would endure without needing further renovations. Every day that goes by, every year that goes by, we have more and more water coming in, more and more water being pumped out, said Bruce Bramlett, the executive director of the Battleship Texas Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the battleship museum. In the end, her days are numbered. If we dont intervene now, the waters gonna win because it always does. A copy of an engineering proposal obtained by the Houston Chronicle details several options for transporting the ship from its berth adjacent to the San Jacinto Battleground, down the ship channel and into the Gulf of Mexico before eventually berthing at a dry dock, possibly in Louisiana, Mobile, Ala., or Tampa, Fla. After repairs, the ship would be permanently moored at an undetermined site other than the one near the battleground; Galveston is a frequently mentioned option. The proposal, commissioned by the Battleship Texas Foundation, was prepared by Valkor Energy Services, an oil and gas construction company that specializes in heavy marine transport. In the 21-page study, Valkor outlines several methods for transporting the battleship to a domestic dry dock, involving a combination of pontoons to keep the ship afloat and submersible pumps to prevent the vessel from being inundated on the journey. Valkor also outlines an international option that would prove even more complicated: towing the ship through the ship channel, anchoring it in the Gulf of Mexico, then transferring the 27,000-ton ship to the deck of a massive semi-submersible ship. The battleship would then be taken to an international shipyard for repairs. In the proposal, Valkor says it has received interest and price estimates from shipyards in South Korea, Ukraine, and Vietnam. That option is intriguing to Bramlett because of the relatively low cost of labor and steel overseas. The cost of such a project is unclear. The state Legislature has approved a $35 million appropriation towards the transportation and repair of the battleship, with the understanding that the days of seemingly unlimited public funding are ending. Bramlett expects the cost to exceed the state appropriation by $10 million to $15 million, if not more. How will he make up the gap? Same thing we always do find it, Bramlett said. Earlier efforts While the Battleship Texas was considered one of the more formidable vessels of its time, serving admirably during both world wars including famously shelling the Normandy coast during D-Day age has not been kind to the ship. Years of saltwater corrosion laid waste to the ships steel hull. By the 1980s, lower interior areas had taken on water and structural support had failed in some areas. The original caretakers, the Battleship Texas Commission, lacking the funds to maintain the ship in its declining condition, transferred it to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1983. The state agency raised funds to move the ship from its San Jacinto berth to a dry dock for repairs, collecting $15 million over five years before towing it to a shipyard in Galveston in 1988. After a 14-month refit, the ship transferred to another dry dock facility on Greens Bayou in 1990 for additional maintenance. But the problems didnt end. Bramlett said the Galveston dry dock only fully repaired 10 percent to 15 percent of the hull, and the ship continued to flood periodically. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water were pumped out every day to keep it from sinking or tipping over. The museum caretakers and the parks and wildlife department eventually came up with a plan to preserve the ship: Build a dry berth at its current location to keep the ship out of water and prevent further corrosion. The Legislature approved $25 million for this project in 2009, with the Battleship Texas Foundation pledging an additional $4 million. The state signed a $5.7 million contract with AECOM, a multinational engineering firm, in October 2010 to design and develop the plans. But AECOM determined during its initial surveys that the support structures in many areas of the ship had deteriorated so much that the ship could collapse on itself, even while docked at its wet berth in San Jacinto. As a result, the parks and wildlife department abandoned the dry berth project and has spent at least $54 million maintaining and repairing the ship since 2009, a spokeswoman said. The work included two phases of critical repairs to engine rooms as well as installing an emergency generator, additional pumps, and fuel storage to help address leaks. With the recent passage of Senate Bill 1511, parks and wildlife appears to be wiping its hands of any future involvement in maintaining the battleship. The agency would enter into a 99-year agreement with the Battleship Texas Foundation, which would take over day-to-day operations of the ship and pay for its maintenance. (TPWD) has supplemented the operating costs, leaks, and frankly theyre pragmatic enough to look and say, I dont care who you are, if you lose money long enough, youd be filing bankruptcy and going away, Bramlett said. Plans appear Mickey Mouse Questions have been raised about the feasability of the plans to move and repair ths ship, given its age and condition and the heavy traffic in the Houston Ship Channel. The proposal from Valkor Energy Services states that the project has received a positive response from Port Authorities, Cost (sic) Guard, and American Bureau of Shipping. But a spokeswoman said no Port of Houston officials have had any conversations with Valkor or the Battleship Texas Foundation about the project. The spokeswoman said the Coast Guard and Houston Pilots Association would have final approval authority. Henry de la Garza, a spokesman for the Houston Pilots Association, said the pilots have not been approached about the project. The association would need to see a naval architects report on the structural integrity of the battleship before approving it, de la Garza said. That would be our concern: that it doesnt sink in the middle of the ship channel and cause all kinds of problems, de la Garza said. The proposed method of transporting the battleship with inflatable pontoons attached to the sides acting as its belt and suspenders to keep it buoyant has drawn some skepticism as well Miles Williams, a naval architect for the Texas-based Alan C. McClure Associates Inc., said the Valkor studys image of the battleship with inflatable pontoons attached looked Mickey Mouse. The added weight of the pontoons could inflict even more damage to the ships already compromised hull, Williams said. Bramlett said that any concerns about the method of transporting the ship would be addressed well before it departs its berth. Precautions would include divers aboard the ship to address leakage in the hull, additional pumps, and backup generators, he said. The operation will be insured against catastrophe, Bramlett said, and if insurers raise any issues with the condition of the ship, they would go back to the drawing board. If its not doable, it wont move a foot, Bramlett said. But if it doesnt, its long-term survival is bleak. nick.powell@chron.com WASHINGTON In his first months in office, Texas U.S. Rep. Chip Roy has rivaled the early version of his former boss, Sen. Ted Cruz, in becoming a disrupter on Capitol Hill. Cruz earned his reputation in 2013 when he engineered a government shutdown in a futile gesture to starve the Affordable Care Act of money. Cruz 2.0, still an unbending conservative, has emerged as more of a team player. Two weeks ago, Roy, R-Dripping Springs, drew the ire of victims of tornadoes, flooding and wildfires, kindling a fire around himself by standing alone on the House floor to block passage of billions of dollars for disaster relief. Wording in the bill to speed release of $4.4 billion for Texas to prepare for the next hurricane didnt give Roy pause or stop him from voting no when the package finally passed. This week, Roy lobbed a procedural monkey wrench into a series of spending votes, contributing to a 4:01 a.m. adjournment on Thursday and embellishing his profile as a politician unafraid to poke his finger in the eye of the institution. Roys latest tactic drew praise from allies but triggered grousing from Republicans and Democrats alike, some of it on Twitter. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ken., tweeted at the time that Roy is catching hell from colleagues right now who were complaining that they were missing fundraisers and asking him, Just exactly what do you think this will accomplish? and Are we getting paid overtime? Roy tweeted that he heard a glossary of swamp rhetoric, and that his favorite comments were Pick your battles, Making lots of friends and Whats our strategy? His motivation for both recent stands, he says, is an urgent need to redirect $4.5 billion for the Southwest border to deal with the crush of asylum-seekers arriving from Central America. I dont care whether youre left-wing, right-wing or moderate. It is unconscionable what is happening to our communities and migrants, he says. Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Roys objections run deeper, aimed at the top-heavy, often sclerotic lawmaking process that has evolved on Capitol Hill. The way the House runs, with leaders firmly in control and with eyes on the next election, is provoking backlash from the left as well as from Roy and his House Freedom Caucus allies on the right. Some people who are critical would say that Im trying to be a committee of one and just decide this is the way I think it has to be. No. What Im trying to do is use the tool given to me as a member with an election certificate to the House of Representatives to elevate the conversation and force the decision, he said in an interview. Roy deployed Twitter to defend himself, referring to members of Congress as jet-fume sniffing, cocktail-sipping, swamp creatures. Does he really feel that way? When asked that question, Roy remarked that people on Twitter are apt to come up with punchy phrases. But yes, he allowed, thats how he feels. This town is what it is. Its the same town that tried to scold me that said I dont think we should be passing a bill to supposedly do back pay for federal workers, he said. He was referring to his no vote, one of just seven, against compensating federal workers for lost pay in the government shutdown in January. Perpetuate the shutdown so these guys could go hop in their jets and do all of their fundraising, he said. Im not going to throw stones from a glass house. But I am going to try to do what is right at the right time. He added: The only real backlash has come predominately from the swamp. And if the swamp is biting back, then youre fighting the right fight. For subscribers: Freshman Texas Rep. Chip Roy keeps his promise to go against the grain in Washington Coverage of Roy typically includes references to Cruz, whose Senate office Roy ran as chief of staff before competing for the seat opened with Lamar Smiths retirement. Roy noted that he had accused a reporter of lazy journalism for equating him with Cruz. Im different than Ted Cruz. Im my own guy, he said, noting that he had worked for other Texas Republicans, Sen. John Cornyn and former Gov. Rick Perry among them. Roy was likely to be a target of Democrats nationally given that he won his first term by less than three percent. His actions early on have highlighted the target on his back, amid speculation that former state Sen. Wendy Davis is on the verge of pursuing the Democratic nomination to make the race. Roy is raising money by citing a Davis challenger. A close ally, Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, a pugnacious former college wrestler, went to bat for Roy in a mailer this week, referring to the Texas freshman as a conservative warrior. Roy, Jordan wrote, is facing a potential onslaught of liberal money from across the country in his re-election campaign. News recently broke that one of the left's favorite champions, abortion-extremist Wendy Davis, is looking very seriously at running against Chip and will decide very soon. Roy says he has expected a challenge but believes that his 21st district - which stretches from San Antonio to Austin and includes many Hill Country voters - knew they were getting a principled conservative willing to take stands. I think what Im fighting for is good for all Americans regardless of what their ideology is. So if the Democrats want to mount a challenge, go ahead. Place a big pile of money in Austin and light it on fire. Im going to win next year, he said. As far as making his points, Roy says hes not sure what comes next. But he added, Ill always use every tool at my disposal at the appropriate time to try to make a messaging point or achieve a policy victory, or both. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Chinese writer and Nobel laureate Mo Yan (L) and Regent's Park College principal Robert Ellis unveil the Mo Yan International Writing Center during the Honorary Fellowship Recognition Ceremony at University of Oxford, Britain, on June 12, 2019. Mo Yan was awarded Wednesday the Honorary Fellowship by Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, in recognition of his contribution to Chinese and world literature. The college principal Robert Ellis presented the gown and stole to Mo at the ceremony. They unveiled together a new international writing center named after Mo. (Xinhua/Han Yan) LONDON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese writer and Nobel laureate Mo Yan was awarded Wednesday the Honorary Fellowship by Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, in recognition of his contribution to Chinese and world literature. The college principal Robert Ellis presented the gown and stole to Mo at the ceremony. They unveiled together a new international writing center named after Mo. Two Chinese contemporary writers Su Tong and Yu Hua were invited to work as Writers in Residence for the international writing center. Mo, renowned for his imaginative and humanistic fiction, was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is also a professor at Beijing Normal University. He expressed his gratefulness to the Oxford college and recalled his love to literature since his childhood. He also told the audience in his speech that he was greatly influenced by William Shakespeare's masterpieces and would focus on play writing in the following years. Mo told Xinhua he expects the international writing center in Oxford will further enhance China-UK literature cooperation and talent exchange. Ellis told Xinhua that as the college has strengthened its relationships with Beijing Normal University in the last few years, "it is the very right thing to do for somebody in the university not only to honor Mo Yan's great achievements as writer, but also we want to recognize him and welcome him into our college community. " "It is great honor for us to associate him with us and we hope he too will gain from the association with our college," the principal added. He noted that Regent's Park College, located at the center of Oxford, had historical ties with China and the newly inaugurated Mo Yan International Writing Center is "a very exciting development." "We hope to strengthen our collaboration with Beijing Normal University and hope it will nurture new writers and young people will be stimulated," he said. Ellis believes the interchange between Oxford and Chinese universities will continue to bring advantages to both sides. "One of the advantages of the relationships is the way to deepen the understandings between people from different cultures and different economical and political systems. That is also gained through conversations we have because of the quality writing of Mo Yan. So, to read his books, the Red Sorghum Clan, for instance, is for reader from the West to understand China in a new way," he said. The college also unveiled a portrait of Mo Yan, which was commissioned to join those of other honorary fellows in the college lecture room. Mo was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in east China's Shandong Province. He is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel literature award. 8 1 [ Editor: WPY ] Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. Hi friends! Im sorry for my brief absence, on both this blog and Instagram. Two weeks ago, I embarked on a pastry tour of Israel with some of my favorite baking bloggers (more on that soon!), then got back home and hit the ground running with a major deadline for #weeknightbakingbook. Im on the home stretch, as the manuscript is being sent to the printers on June 27th. Just between you and me, I cant wait to get it out of my life so I can get back to what matters the mostbaking. Theres been too much sitting around in front of a computer, editing! In any case, Ill keep this short and sweet. At the start of the month, the incredibly talented and wonderful Sarah from Broma Bakery worked with Vibe Israel to organize a pastry tour of Israel for baking bloggers like myself to learn about Israel and its cuisine. If Im being honest with you guys, prior to the trip, I didnt really know too much about Israel and wasnt particularly inclined to visitI had a list of nonsense excuses in my head (like it was too far, too hot, too controversial, etc, etc). Part of the reason why I accepted the trip was to learn more about that part of the world, and to push myself out of my comfort zone. Im really glad I did because it was incredibly eye-opening. We were able to meet a ton of locals, from renowned bakers and pastry chefs to humble home cooks, who welcomed us into their homes and taught us how to make challah, Iraqi kubeh, Yemenite kubaneh, and more. Ill hopefully have a more in-depth post for you guys soonIm just trying to decide what to make first! As always, as Im wont to do whenever I travel abroad, I came back home with a suitcase full of ingredients to bake with. This time around, my bag was filled with jars of tahini and spices like Israeli zaatar, sumac, and even Persian black limes. And of course, boxes and boxes of halva. If you guys dont know what halva is, youre in for a treat. Halva is a Middle Eastern candy, made from tahini and sugar. It sort of has the texture of meringue, but is much denser and definitely with more chew. Its also not quite as sweet, and tastes primarily of sesame (its main ingredient). Although you can get halva here in the United States, it mostly comes stale and pre-packaged in small boxes (with the exception of Seed + Millsee the bakers notes). In Israel, most of the halva sold was made in the same day and for sale in open-air markets, in giant concrete-type blocks that could pass for soap. Vendors would slice chunks off the blocks and package them in wax paper for you. The halva there also comes in a ton of varieties, with nuts and seeds often mixed in to give the halva more flavor. Like this black sesame halva! On our last day in Tel Aviv, Edd and I split off from the group to explore Levinsky Market in Tel Aviv. Levinsky Market is known for having a variety of spice shops, small grocers, and more. It was there that I found this black sesame halva. Although it looked pretty unappealing (seriously, it looked like a lump of charcoal or something), I ended up buying the entire block (mostly because the Russian lady selling it to me didnt speak a word of English, but also because I love the toasted flavor of black sesame). Which leads me to these cookies! Ever since seeing Claudias halva cookie post from yesteryear, Ive been wanting to try incorporating chunks of halva into some of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. But because I really wanted the black sesame halva to pop, I decided to stick it on a pale snickerdoodle cookie, where its unique color would really stand out. To add to the black sesame flavor, I rolled each dough in a mix of black sesame sugar (more on that in the bakers notes) and plain ol black sesame seeds (which was what most of you wanted me to do on Instagram Stories all along, lol) in the style of traditional snickerdoodles. Enjoy! also featured: Some bakers notes: Alright, confession time: Im not exactly sure where to buy black sesame halva in the United States. SORRY, Im the worst, I know. I know that Seed + Mill occasionally has some (FYIif youre in New York, I recommend checking out Seed + Mill in Chelsea Market; they sell halva in blocks by weight, similar to how its sold in Israel), but its a seasonal thing and it doesnt seem to be available right now. In a pinch, you can make your own (ugh) or substitute with regular or chocolate halva (definitely available at Seed + Mill). OR skip the halva completely for plain old black sesame snickerdoodles. Theyll still be good, especially if you go for the black sesame sugar route (see below)I promise! A few days ago, when I was developing the recipe for these cookies, I did an Instagram Story series where I baked the cookie dough balls plain, rolled them in black sesame seeds, and rolled them in black sesame sugar. I asked you guys to vote on which variety you liked best. Seeds won by a landslide, every time. I was actually quite disappointed by the results; I wanted black sesame sugar to win! Black sesame sugar, which youve seen on my blog before in the form of cookies and cinnamon rolls, is made by toasting black sesame seeds and then pulsing them with granulated sugar to create a sugar infused with toasted black sesame seeds. Its wonderful and delicious, and I highly recommend making some for these cookies, especially if you cant find black sesame halva (if not, your cookies might not taste black sesame-y enough!). The recipe below includes both varietiesthe snickerdoodles rolled in plain seeds, and rolled in the black sesame sugar. Black Halva Snickerdoodles yield: 16 cookies Prep Time: 5 mins Work Time: 30 mins Bake Time: 27 mins PRINT Ingredients For the Black Sesame Sugar cup (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) black sesame seeds cup (1.75 ounces or 50 grams) granulated sugar For the Snickerdoodles 2 cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) granulated sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract For Assembly 2.5 ounces (71 grams) black sesame halva, sliced into sixteen - to 1-inch chunks (see baker's notes) 1 recipe black sesame sugar cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) black sesame seeds Instructions For the Black Sesame Sugar Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 (F). Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the black sesame seeds evenly across the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir and toss the seeds every 3 minutes to ensure that they're evenly heated and not burning. When done, the seeds will be a light brown color and start to smoke slightly. Immediately pour the seeds onto a heatproof plate to prevent them from cooking further, and cool slightly. Once cool, combine the seeds and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor . Pulse until finely ground, with the texture of cornmeal. The black sesame sugar will keep for two weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. For the Snickerdoodles Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 (F). Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment , combine butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg and vanilla, beating until just combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat on low until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Use a 4-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion out 16 cookies. Place a chunk of halva on the top of each cookie dough mound. Pour the black sesame sugar and the black sesame seeds into two separate, shallow bowls. Working quickly, roll the bottom and bottom-edges of each cookie in either the black sesame sugar or black sesame seeds. Place the prepared cookie dough balls on the sheet pans as you go, leaving at least 4-inches per cookie. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. The cookies will look puffed when you pull them out of the oven, but will fall and crack into the perfect cookies as they cool. Cool cookies on their sheet pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch. Serve the cookies warm, or at room temperature. The cookies can be kept at room temperature, in an airtight container or Ziploc bag, for up to 3 days. CATA Executive Director Margaret Keller at Wednesday's groundbreaking at the former Renaissance Arts Center on Stockbrige Road. Sandra Newman, founder of CATA, is recognized during the event. State Rep. Smitty Pignatelli and state Sen. Adam Hinds offer remarks. PreviousNext CATA Breaks Ground for New Art Center & Headquarters The 6,400 square foot center is designed by Clark & Green Architects. It's expected to take about a year to renovate the structure. GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. Community Access for the Arts broke ground on Wednesday morning for a new art center at 420 Stockbridge Road. The center will be a permanent home for CATA and allow the organization to expand its innovative arts programs for people with disabilities. The two-story, 6,400-square-foot facility will double the organization's existing studio space, with two studios one for visual arts and writing, the other for dance and performing arts. CATA's new arts center will also embody the principles of Universal Design, making the facility accessible to every person. For the first time, the building will bring the organization's studios and offices under the same roof. State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli attended the groundbreaking ceremony with state Sen. Adam Hinds. They both served as honorary co-chairs of CATA's Capital Campaign Steering Committee and provided the event's opening remarks. "It was an honor to attend this historic groundbreaking for an organization that is so highly respected statewide," said Pignatelli. "The impact CATA has on those with special abilities from all around Berkshire County is clearly shown through the good work they do every day to teach their students self-expression through the visual and performing arts. I am thrilled that the community atmosphere will now have a permanent home right here in Great Barrington, and am grateful to have been a part of the celebration today." The purchase and renovation of the former Renaissance Arts Center is being funded in part through a $200,000 grant from MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The design is by architects Clark & Green and Allegrone is managing the construction. Construction is slated to begin in July with the building opening in early 2020. The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund also provided a $7,000 grant to support long-term planning for the new facility. "After 26 years of renting space, CATA will now have a true home -- one that will double our existing space for artists with disabilities," said Executive Director Margaret Keller. "With the growth we've achieved in recent years, we have been bursting at the seams. Now, after intensive planning, we are ready to take this pivotal step forward to give our CATA artists the space they deserve. We cant wait to share our plans with the wider community at the Groundbreaking and in the months ahead." Since 1993, CATA has offered more than 20,000 arts workshops to more than 2,000 people with disabilities in Berkshire and Columbia, N.Y., counties. In the last five years, CATA has dramatically increased its participation by 70 percent and expanded its public programs including performances, readings, and art exhibits featuring work by CATA artists. iciHaiti - Social : 26 Haitians deported from Guadeloupe Monday, June 10, a boat with 26 Haitians fleeing the crisis in Haiti ran aground on a reef north of Guadeloupe, in a particularly dangerous area and were rescued by customs officers, firefighters and the National Society of Sea Rescue (SNSM). As their health was not in danger, they were placed in detention zones near the airport while awaiting deportations to Haiti. The Haitians and the smuggler from Dominica (who was taken into custody while waiting to be brought to justice) claimed that they were en route to St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) in the Caribbean "Since the beginning of the crisis in Haiti, we are witnessing a recrudescence of arrivals of Haitians," said Mathias Haurat, of the CIMADE Guadeloupe, a foreign aid association, which is concerned about the non-compliance among others others of the principle of non-refoulement, included in the Geneva Convention, according to which a State can not return a refugee abroad, if that are fears for his life in his country. Wednesday, June 12 the 26 Haitians were sent back to Haiti. PI/ iciHaiti This content is from: Banking New research reveals that 2019 has already been an historic year for anti-money laundering fines, with the UK handing out the toughest penalties in Europe Imperial Valley News Center President Donald J. Trump Is Helping Americans Gain a Second Chance to Build a Brighter Future Washington, DC - "Americans have always believed in the power of redemption that those who have fallen can work toward brighter days ahead." ~ President Donald J. Trump PROVIDING A SECOND CHANCE AT SUCCESS: President Donald J. Trump is advancing second chance hiring to help give all Americans the opportunity to work towards a brighter future. The Trump Administration is promoting second chance hiring to ensure Americans have opportunities to succeed after leaving prison. The President is mobilizing resources across his Administration to boost second chance hiring. The Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons is launching a new Ready to Work Initiative to connect employers directly with former prisoners. The Department of Labor is awarding more than $2 million to States to support fidelity bonds that will underwrite companies that hire workers with criminal backgrounds. The Department of Education is expanding an initiative that allows individuals in prison to receive Pell Grants to better prepare themselves for the workforce. The Office of Personnel Management is working to make USAJOBS the Federal Governments job listings available to individuals in Federal prison and upon release. The Trump Administration is working with the private sector and non-profit organizations to help give former prisoners a second chance at the American dream. Employers realize that second chance hiring is good for their businesses, especially in todays thriving economy where there are far more job opportunities than job seekers. Non-profits play a critical role by providing transitional assistance, counseling, housing, and education to former prisoners so they may become productive members of society. FROM THE FIRST STEP TO A SECOND CHANCE: The First Step Act and second chance hiring are part of President Trumps agenda to create opportunity for all Americans. Second chance hiring builds on the success of the historic First Step Act signed into law by President Trump in December 2018. The First Step Act created a fairer justice system for all and enacted programs to reduce recidivism and make our communities safer. This landmark legislation reformed policies that failed Americans for decades and enabled some offenders to petition for a review of their sentences. Since the First Step Act was signed into law, 90 percent of those who have had their sentences reduced are African American. LIFTING UP OUR WORKERS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITIES: The American people, our businesses, and our communities all benefit from second chance hiring. On the Passing of Former First Lady Lee Hee-ho Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the Government of the United States, I want to convey my condolences to former First Lady Lee Hee-hos family and the people of the Republic of Korea on her passing. Ms. Lee dedicated her life to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, and facilitated dialogue between North and South Korea. "She led multiple visits to Pyongyang to promote better relations between the two countries, and her efforts for peace will never be forgotten. In this time of loss, please accept our deepest sympathy and assurance that the United States will always remember Ms. Lees dedication and service." Today is the 244th birthday of the U.S. Army, which means the army is a little older than the United States itself. Here's a sample of 27 U.S. Army quotes I've compiled over the years. They include things well-known leaders said, quotes from ordinary soldiers, and a few sources that make clear why the focus on effective leadership we find in the U.S. Army is so important. 1. "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." --George Orwell 2. "We were at war. I wanted to do my part." Stephen Kraft, who joined the army at age 28 after 9/11. (Kraft was one of several soldiers in this compilation who were quoted in a special report I worked on for Stars & Stripes on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.) 3. "I love 'Joe.'" - U.S. Army captain, to me, explaining why he stayed in the army after several deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan 4. "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country." - Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. 5. "I can at least go out and defend my country and do something honorable as a father. Show my son something good." Joshua Hernandez, who joined after 9/11, and deployed to Iraq twice. 6. "I thought to myself, 'Join the army!' It's free. So I figured while I'm here I'll lose a few pounds." --John Candy, from Stripes 7. "I just wanted to do something to support those young people." --Matthew Niblack, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran who joined the National Guard as a sergeant with an age wavier in his early 50s and deployed to Kuwait. 8. "This is all normal, routine stuff. Dude with the AK that I shot in the street? That's routine. The dudes digging an IED? That's an everyday occurrence." An Army lieutenant whose platoon I embedded with in Iraq in 2007 9. "Discipline is the soul of an army." George Washington 10. "Front toward enemy" - Extremely brief and practical advice on an M18 claymore mine 11. "I'd do it all again if I had the chance." Zachariah Chitwood, a veteran of the U.S. Army who was wounded in Iraq. 12. "At this point, Sergeant Bellavia, armed with a M249 SAW gun, entered the room where the insurgents were located and sprayed the room with gunfire ... Seeing a Jihadist loading an RPG launcher, Sergeant Bellavia gunned him down. ... Sergeant Bellavia then came under fire from the insurgent upstairs and the staff sergeant returned the fire, killing the man. ... Sergeant Bellavia pursued, but slipped on the blood-soaked stairs. ... Sergeant Bellavia put a choke hold on the wounded insurgent to keep him from giving away their position. ... In the wild scuffle that followed, Sergeant Bellavia took out his knife and slit the Jihadist's throat." - Silver Star citation for David S. Bellavia, Iraq, whose award will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor later this month 13. "I'd learned a lot in the Army. I knew that above all things in the world I had to become so big, so strong that people and their hatred could never touch me." Sammy Davis, Jr. 14. "Hooah!" - Pretty much the entire U.S. Army. 15. "They've got us surrounded again, the poor bastards." - Gen. Creighton Abrams 16. "9/11 changed the entire direction of my life." - Fred Wellman, who had served as a helicopter pilot in the Army and rejoined after September 11 to serve as a public affairs officer. 17. "It took me another 18 months to convince my wife to let me join the Army National Guard. We had two small children, so it was a very hard decision for her." - Joel Bottem, a veteran who rejoined after 9/11 18. "It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech." - Zell Miller 19. "The most striking thing I have seen throughout my almost four years of service are the NCOs who are willing to do anything for their soldiers. ... It's amazing to have and know people who are willing to go out of their way for you." -- Stephanie Schneider, Afghanistan veteran 20. "The sergeant is the Army." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower 21. "My answer is bring 'em on." - President George W. Bush, talking about insurgents attacking U.S. military members in July 2003 22. "I'm very happy with how it all played. I was very blessed. That was my idea, to go to enlist, do one tour and fight and get out." -- David Kaefring, U.S. Army veteran of Afghanistan 23. "So far, I've spent my entire adult life fighting." -- James Coleman, U.S. Army sergeant 24. "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. -- Colin Powell 25. "Lead from the front." Audie Murphy, most decorated U.S. soldier in World War II 26. It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle. - Norman Schwarzkopf Only a week had passed since Mohammad Ali Acampong finished renovating his house when bombs and bullets struck Marawi City. Pro-Islamic State militants were carving out their own Wilayah, or province, forcing nearly 100,000 people to flee. It became the Philippine militarys toughest and longest conflict since the Second World War. On that day in 2017, 42-year-old Acampong, 42, left his three-storey lakeside house with his family of eight. When the chaos began, our life suddenly became really difficult, the government official told Reuters. We had a comfortable life before. Now we live in between shelters, enduring heat, the lack of water, the lack of everything. Marawi was once one of the most picturesque cities in the Philippines. About half of it is now charred concrete and skeletons of buildings, the remains of 154 days of airstrikes and artillery fire by the military, as well as booby traps laid everywhere by the Islamist rebels. The Acampongs now live in a tiny temporary housing unit on the citys outskirts, competing with thousands of families for water and other basic utilities. At least 500 other families live in plastic tents as does Asnia Sandiman, 25, who produces made-to-order clothing with a government-issued sewing machine. Mohammad sits with his family in a school-turned-evacuation centre (Reuters/Eloisa Lopez) The tent is fine until it rains and it gets so cold, or until the heat is so bad, Sandiman says. My deepest hope is that we are allowed to go back to Marawi but honestly, I would take any permanent address just to get out of here. Hundreds of militants, 165 soldiers and at least 45 civilians were killed in the five-month conflict. President Rodrigo Duterte in October 2017 declared the city liberated, and its rehabilitation officially under way. But there is little sign of progress. Recommended Pictures reveal Philippine city of Marawi devastated after Isis siege Bangon Marawi (Rise Marawi), an interagency task force in charge of reconstruction, has a deadline of 2021 for rebuilding and remains confident of meeting it. We could only go as fast as legally possible, its field office manager, Felix Castro, says. We cant make shortcuts. It takes a while in the beginning but it will be quick once it starts. Except for stray dogs and soldiers on guard, Marawis commercial centre has been abandoned. There is no sign of the promised rehabilitation. Thousands of people are in limbo following a conflict that no one saw coming. Reuters Dolce & Gabbana has extended its size range up to UK 22. The Italian label is the first luxury fashion house to extend its range up to that size, which is the equivalent of a size 54 in Italy, making it one of the most inclusive designer brands for women. The extension begins with Dolce & Gabbanas pre-fall collection, which is on sale now, and the brand has confirmed that it will continue to cast plus-size models in its campaigns to reflect the move. Dolce & Gabbana has been supportive of curvy models for years, a spokesperson for the label tells The Independent. With this project we would like to draw special attention to the brands commitment to womens diversity. Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Show all 9 1 /9 Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images Body positivity activists protest outside London Fashion Week Getty Images The spokesperson added that the size extension reflects one of the brands key mission statements, that womens beauty is not a matter of clothing size. Ashley Graham walks the runway at Dolce & Gabbana's spring/summer 2019 fashion show at Milan Fashion Week on 23 September 2018. (Getty Images) Extending the sizes of the womens collection is a natural evolution for Dolce & Gabbana, they said. The brand has always emphasised womens silhouettes regardless of the measurements. In previous years, Dolce & Gabbana has cast women of all ages and sizes to walk its runways, including actor Monica Bellucci and models Ashely Graham and Tess McMillan. Dolce & Gabbana's decision comes days after Nike unveiled plus-size mannequins in its flagship Oxford Street store to promote body positivity. But the move follows a spate of negative press surrounding Dolce & Gabbana, who came under fire in November amid accusations of racism, leading to the cancellation of the brands runway show in China. The label had released a campaign video featuring an Asian model attempting to eat Italian food with chopsticks. Following the backlash that it received, Dolce & Gabbana later revealed that "The Great Show" catwalk that had been scheduled to take place in Shanghai had been cancelled and later posted an apology video on Twitter. Dolce & Gabbana apologises after racism row We have always loved China; we have visited many cities... and certainly we still have much to learn," said co-founder Domenico Dolce, speaking in Italian. In the subtitled video, Stefano Gabbana added: We offer our sincerest apologies to Chinese people worldwide. Givenchy has teamed up with Japanese shoe label Onitsuka Tiger for a streetwear-inspired trainer collaboration. The luxury French fashion house, which is favoured by the Duchess of Sussex, debuted the new trainers created as part of the partnership on Wednesday at Pitti Uomo, the annual menswear fashion event. The shoes are modelled after Onitsuka Tigers Nippon Made Mexico 66 style, whose classic shape was inspired by several retro running shoes, including the Limber pair which were worn by the national Japanese Olympic team in 1968. While the new Givenchy versions maintain the timeless silhouette of the Mexico 66, they are available in two distinct colourways. The all-white version boasts a simple perforated Givenchy logo which provides a stylish contrast to Onitsuka Tiger's signature embroidered stripes. Best vegan shoes for women Show all 11 1 /11 Best vegan shoes for women Best vegan shoes for women Dr Martens vegan 1461 Oxford brush: 115, Dr Martens Have you lusted after this classic three-eye shoe with its trademark yellow stitching for years while bemoaning its lack of vegan credentials? Well, good things come to those who wait. The iconic 1461s from heritage Midlands brand Dr Martens are now also being made in a super shiny synthetic material that mimics patent leather, so that everybody men included! can bring a touch of rockstar to their footwear. The inner sole is worth paying that bit for its air-cushioned and resistant to oil, meaning no slipping and blisters. We were relieved to find that these didnt need to be "broken in" like other Docs do they were comfy from the first day of wearing them and looked slick with trousers/leggings or a grungy dress. Colour-wise, you can choose from black, the cherry red (seen here), silver chrome or rose gold chrome. Best vegan shoes for women Po-Zu squadron low-cut sneakers: 45, Po-Zu Firstly, yes, these are Star Wars-themed trainers (think rubber Rebel Alliance badge, Star Wars logo and galactic silver colouring), so if youre not a fan of the movie space saga, they might not be for you. If you or a friend are, however, theyll make the perfect affordable footwear gift. They slip on and are fantastically comfortable from the off. The outer is made with linen and Pinatex (a fibre made from pineapple leaves), the lining is organic cotton canvas and the insole is made from cork and natural latex, which moulds to your natural foot shape. Islington-born brand Po-Zu (meaning "to pause" in Japanese) is not entirely vegan, but much of its offering is, and all shoes are ethically produced in Portuguese or Sri Lankan factories using sustainable materials. Best vegan shoes for women Wills Vegan Store Oxford brogues: 78, Wills Vegan Store For the height of vegan sophistication, no-one does brogues better than Wills Vegan Store in London. Made with a kind of Italian faux leather created from plants and organic bio oil, they are fully decked out with the traditional brogue trim. Our top colour pick is the tan it shows up all that intricate stitching beautifully but they come in black or dark brown too. The durable rubber soles offer strong grip, the comfy insoles are made with recycled rubber and theres a small block heel for added suave. Sizing is regular though if you normally look for halves, go one up. The Vegan Society has given this entire range the green light, and Wills is a carbon neutral company that only uses plastic-free packaging, making this the ultimate in ethical browsing. Best vegan shoes for women Merrell all out crush 2 gore-tex: 120, Merrell For the more active vegans among you, trustworthy trainers are a must-buy. US brand Merrell often pops up as a go-to brand for its small but reliable range of versatile shoes and after trying a pair for ourselves, we can see why. This lightweight pair of colourful kicks are built from Gore-Tex, a synthetic material, which is breathable and waterproof so will protect your feet in all running conditions. The heel is lined with lycra to help prevent rubbing and the sole boasts an impressive grip, even through slippy mud. In fact, these were designed especially with Tough Mudder-type challenges in mind. Expect your arches to feel well-supported, with plenty of room for broader feet. They come in black too, but why go boring when you can go jazzy with these bright blue, pink and coral dazzlers? Half sizes are also available. Best vegan shoes for women Birkenstock mayari vegan birko-flor: 60, Birkenstock What we love about Birks is that youre offered the choice between regular width (on the wide side) and narrow width, meaning everyone can find a pair of sandals to live in next summer, regardless of the shape of their feet. These have criss-crossed straps that are more slender than the classic design you might be used to. Theyre made from "Birko-Flor" essentially PVC with a breathable fleece-like lining. Its look mimics leathers two-tone effect and feels just as gentle on the skin while being easier to clean. Its win-win. The footbed, meanwhile, is the German footwear giants standard cork with arch support, only its lined with microfibre, not suede. The sole is made from an elastic material with excellent cushioning. Our pick of the three colours is the cream (pair it with any summer dress imaginable), but we might have to splurge on the dark grey and rose too. Heres hoping they offer a vegan version of the yellow ones soon. Best vegan shoes for women Collection & Co porto black lace up brogues: 120, Collection & Co For something that bit edgier, check out the new, fully vegan, Bristol-based footwear brand Collection & Co, who are doing all sorts of cool things with waste materials in an effort to be more sustainable. We fell in love with these lace-up brogues, which come in jet black or rusty orange. Theyre made in small, ethically-run Portuguese factories from soft faux leather, with faux suede side panels to add textural interest to the design. They slip on and off and have padded insoles for extra comfort, while rubber soles will withstand a pounding of the streets on a shopping mission. The 4cm block heels add a glam bit of height, although shoe lovers with wider feet might want to go for a size up as these are a bit on the narrow side. Oh, and theyve got Petas seal of approval, too. Best vegan shoes for women VivoBarefoot ababa canvas dots Womens: 70, VivoBarefoot Go back to basics with some canvas shoes specially designed by minimalist British shoe company VivoBarefoot to mimic the sensation of being barefoot and free. These dotty delights are handmade in Ethiopia in partnership with social enterprise, Soul of Africa, which supports education projects for disadvantaged kids. Even the print choose from black or natural has been designed in collaboration with local painters. Theyve got an ultra-thin yet surprisingly hardy rubber outsole but no cushioning or heel and are entirely free from animal products. They wont be what youre used to aesthetically theyre purposefully much wider than most shoes to reflect the natural shape of your feet, meaning no more cramped toes. If this all sounds consciously charming but youre dubious about how sturdy and comfy they are to wear, the 100-day free trial should help tempt you to give them a try no likey, just return them at any point. Best vegan shoes for women Matt & Nat kalista black: 84, Matt & Nat Canadian accessories brand Matt & Nat totally shun all animal-derived materials, so you can shop conscience-free (sorry, readers bank balance). These 3-inch block heeled Chelsea boots caught our eye, and certainly do away with any preconceptions that vegan shoes cant be ethical, comfortable and stylish. In fact, the companys motto is "live beautifully", in more ways than one. The Peta-approved Kalistas have a sophisticated pointed toe and are made from black imitation leather, which youd never know wasnt the real deal. They pull on easily thanks to a smart elasticated ankle panel and came up true to size, while the gum rubber sole is hard-wearing enough to see you through those long days dashing between meetings and finally to the pub afterwards! Best vegan shoes for women Beyond Skin lexie black faux leather vegan stilettos: 99, Beyond Skin Every woman needs a reliable pair of black stiletto heels, be it for work, play or both. These faux leather beauties from Brighton-based vegan footwear brand Beyond Skin were recommended to us by a vegan pal who was overjoyed to find some plastic-made shoes that didnt rub and give her blisters (it doesnt give as well as leather does, though). Handmade in Spain, they have pointed toes, a breathable faux leather lining made from recycled materials and a heel of roughly 9cm. Peta has given them the thumbs up, so you can strut down the corridor feeling ethically awesome. No wonder Oscar-winning actor Natalie Portman is one of many famous fans. Some sizes may be out of stock online but weve been assured that theyll be back in shortly, with pre-orders sent out in early March so dont panic! Best vegan shoes for women M&S Collection metal trim loafers: 25, M&S M&S deserves a shout-out as a high street store with a huge range of vegan shoes that arent just kind to animals, but well-made and chic too. We were drawn to these metal trim loafers, which come in cheery cherry red or classic black and offer women with broader feet a "wide fit" option. The man-made material mimics suede (so be careful in rainy weather) and has an elegant check lining. Theyre an absolute steal at just 25 a pair, and so comfy youll forget to take them off when you get home from a long days slog. The only downside is that there are no half sizes if in doubt size up and grab some insoles. Best vegan shoes for women Toms turquoise corduroy womens carmel sneakers: 33, Toms Roll back to the Seventies with these laid-back corduroy kicks from Californian footwear favourite Toms. Though not a vegan brand per se, the company offers an extensive range of shoes that are. These sneakers, inspired by the Sunshine States seaside towns, shot straight to the top of our "must have" list as they tick our three boxes: ethical, comfortable and cool. Theyre also not like any shoes weve spotted elsewhere, so expect compliments from admiring strangers on the street. Though blissfully lightweight to wear with a cushioned insole, theyre also sturdy thanks to a rubber sole. Our faves are the turquoise, but the spicy red ones are hot too. Catch em while theyre 40 per cent off in the sale and you could even justify buying both, especially as for every pair sold, Toms gives another to an underprivileged child. Go for your usual size. On the other hand, the "Triple Black" pair features a bold take on the tiger stripes which come outlined in thick white strokes, while red detailing around the heel offers a pop of contrast. The collaboration marks the first time the luxury French fashion house has teamed up with a footwear manufacturer on a global scale. Likewise, its the first time Onitsuka Tiger has teamed up with a luxury fashion house. (Givenchy (Givenchy) Trainers have continued to be an important focus in the fashion industry in recent years after Phoebe Philo, former creative director of Celine, stepped out for her post spring/sumer 2011 show bow in a pair of Adidas Stan Smiths. Not so long ago, trainers were either bought for tackling the sports hall or the treadmill, but now, thanks in part to Philo, theyre seen in a whole new light. Footwear fans purchasing decisions no longer solely rely on brands like Nike, Adidas or Reebok to get their fashion fill, with a number of high-end labels, including Lanvin, Chanel and Stella McCartney, all launching their own luxury versions. (Givenchy) In 2017, Balenciagas Speed trainer was dubbed the "Shoe of the Year" by fashion bible Vogue after it continued to sell out time and time again. The Speed trainer has been an incredible success for us, a spokesperson from Matches Fashion told the publication. During our second restock, in the summer, we completely sold out in one hour to a high volume of customers who had signed up to put them on their wish lists [this features alerts the customer when the item is back in stock. (Givenchy) "We dont see the demand falling." Every time we upload further stock of this style, it sells out immediately. The trainers, which were worn by both female and male models on Givenchy's runway, are unisex and cost 450 (400). Givenchy x Onitsuka Tiger sneakers are available to purchase now online through Givenchy.com Nasa has spotted strange chevrons on Mars and they look more than a little like an appropriate logo. The curious shapes look remarkably like the famous logo from Star Trek and is carved into the surface of our nearby neighbour. But the space agency is keen to stress that the icon has not been carved into the red planet by the Starfleet. "Enterprising viewers will make the discovery that these features look conspicuously like a famous logo: and youd be right, but its only a coincidence," it wrote. Instead, it's a natural phenomenon that shows how Mars has developed over its history. The shapes spotted on the Hellas Planitia plane on the south of Mars were formed by a confluence of dunes, lava and wind that tell the story of the red planet's surface. On ancient Mars, there were huge crescent-shaped dunes that moved over the area. At some point, an eruption meant that lava flowed around the dunes but did not reach their top. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region When the lava became solid, the dunes were higher up, like islands. But the wind was still able to shift them, and it continued to blow pushing the sand piles away. Recommended Nasa to let tourists into International Space Station That left behind the gaps in the lava plain that the dunes once filled. They are known as "dune casts", and set like casts made out of plaster leaving an unchanging record of the now disappeared dust. Zooming out, it's possible to see that there are actually a variety of the chevrons visible on the surface. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) The images were taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is floating over the Mars surface onboard the space agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The Chase star, Paul Sinha, has announced he has been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. Announcing the news via a blog post on Friday, the comedian and quiz show expert revealed he had been diagnosed with the condition on 30 May. On the evening of Thursday May 30th, an experienced consultant neurologist calmly informed me that I had Parkinsons disease, the post, entitled Diagnosed, begins. Sinha describes the diagnosis as a devastating denouement, explaining to his fans that his symptoms began in 2017 with a sudden-onset, frozen right shoulder. The 49-year-old is best known for his work on ITV game show The Chase, in which he goes by the nickname The Sinnerman. He is also a stand-up comedian who frequents The Edinburgh Festival. NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Show all 18 1 /18 NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, addresses demonstrators following the march AFP/Getty NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary Reuters NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary EPA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary REUTERS NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary PA NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images NHS at 70: demonstration and celebration march to mark anniversary AFP/Getty Images Sinha described his shock at the diagnosis, despite having been afraid about the true cause of his various symptoms. Behind the facade of the cheerful, late night comedy festival drunk was a man deeply scared about facing the truth when back in the UK. Explaining that he now has a treatment plan in place, Sinha says he feels far more prepared for the new challenges ahead, which he will be facing alongside his amazing family, who he says are no strangers to serious medical illness. Signing off the post, Sinh said: I dont consider myself unlucky, and whatever the next stage of my life holds for me, many others have it far worse. He said he plans to continue filming on The Chase, writing and performing his comedy routines. Parkinsons Disease is the second most common neurological disorder in the world, behind Alzheimers. It is a degenerative condition cause by a lack of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is responsible for transmitting signals between nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinsons include involuntary tremors, slower movement and stiffness in the muscles, according to the NHS. Other symptoms can include difficulty balancing, nerve pain, incontinence, insomnia, excessive sweating, depression and anxiety. For more information about the symptoms of Parkinsons disease, visit the NHS here. Stacey Dooley has defended her work with Comic Relief, saying her intentions were never sinister. In February, the Strictly Come Dancing winner faced criticism after taking part in a campaign for the childrens charity which saw her meet local residents in Uganda. After posting a photograph on Instagram of herself holding a young boy during her trip to Africa alongside the caption OB.SESSSSSSSSSSED, Labour MP David Lammy accused the presenter of perpetuating tired and unhelpful stereotypes. The world does not need any more white saviours, Lammy wrote on Twitter. As Ive said before, this just perpetuates tired and unhelpful stereotypes. Lets instead promote voices from across the continent of Africa and have serious debate. Africa Rising - in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Africa Rising - in pictures Africa Rising - in pictures Men using the natural Bogolan dyeing technique, which is an ancient craft tradition in the Niger River, particularly Mali. By Le Ndomo / Boubacar Doumbia. Photography by Adriaan Louw / Design Network Africa Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures An art piece by South African-born artists Athi-Patra Ruga. Photography by Adam McConnachie, Courtesy of Athi-Patra Ruga and WHATIFTHEWORLD Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures An image from C-Stunners by Nairobi-based artist Cyrus Kabiru. The phrames were made using scraps of disused technology. Photography by SMAC Gallery, South Africa Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Photography by Flurina Rothenberger published in the magazine 'I love to dress like I am coming from somewhere and I have a place to go'. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures From the photographic series Proud Women of Africa: Rainbow Girls, which captures the lesbians of South African townships of Gugulethu and Khayelitsha who have been disowned by their families. Photography by : Magic Group Media, Amsterdam, NL Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Babylonstoren, where guests partake in curated dining experiences. Most of the food is planted and cultivated on the farm. Photography by Babylonstoren Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Work by The Nest Collective which spans film, music, fashion and visual arts. Photography by Phyllis Galembo Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Photography by Phyllis Galembo, who documented the clothing of people across Nigeria, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Architecture by Kunle Adeyemi / NLE Photography by Reze Bonna. In collaboration with Makoko Waterfront Community, Blok Kats van Veen architecten, Dykstra Naval Architects, Thieu Besselink, Roel Bosch architecten, Urhahn + Borra, Pieters Bouwtechniek, Ikeyi & Arifayan, Matrix Design & Works Nig Ltd., Solarmate Engineering Nig Ltd. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures A collaboration between Amandine David and Marie Douel, inspired by Burkina Faso. Photography by Emile Barret / Hors Pistes Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Photography by Hector Mediavilla, whose photo series the SAPE Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant People captures the dandies of Congo. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Fantasma, a 'superband' formed in 2014 by producer and rapper Spoek Mathambo who recruited members from acros South Africa. Photography by Fantasma Gestalten 2016 Many others agreed with Lammy, with some questioning her intentions and whether she even had permission to take a photograph with the child. On Thursday, Dooley found herself the target of criticism once again after sharing a new photograph of her flashing a peace sign with a woman in Nigeria. At least this black person is old enough to consent to being in a photo with you, one follower commented on the image. In response, Dooley slammed the idea that her selfies were sinister and said she will not justify her actions any longer. I understand that some are saying they feel its a tired narrativeI get that. What is not OK is people making out like we were somehow sinister in our approach, the 32-year-old wrote. Referring to the photograph of the boy featured in the original image during her Comic Relief visit, Dooley added: Its completely untrue to suggest we didnt ask for consent. We spent the day with his grandad. He has a working relationship with Comic Relief. I'm willing to listen and learn, however I'm not willing to feel I have to justify myself to those who have already made up their mind, based on info they've been fed, by people who weren't there. Dooley continued by saying her main priority was that the people she met were happy with her behaviour and that she has taken on board what critics have to say. Essentially, what I'm saying is, of course everyone is entitled to their opinion and to voice concerns. But please make sure you have the information and you're not making comments based on assumption x x, the presenter concluded. On Tuesday, Comic Reliefs co-founder, screenwriter Richard Curtis, told MPs that future fundraising initiatives will not be based on celebrities going abroad, describing the issue as really complicated. We feel this desperate passionate need to raise as much money as we can, the Notting Hill writer said while giving evidence in front of the International Development Committee, adding: but if were doing harm as well then that wont do. Lammy praised Curtis comments on Twitter, writing: Looks like Comic Relief are finally ready to listen to hundreds of thousands of my constituents and others who support aid but want to move on from the tired, harmful stereotypes and tropes that surround it and prevent genuine equity and partnership." Shell Energy is to pay 390,000 in fines and compensation after overcharging around 12,000 customer accounts. The company, which was known as First Utility until being bought and renamed by oil giant Shell, overcharged on its default tariffs after the governments energy price cap was introduced at the start of 2019. Energy watchdog Ofgem found that between January and March Shell Energy levied charges totalling 100,736.63 in excess of the cap. In addition, the supplier will pay 200,000 to Ofgems consumer redress fund to help support vulnerable customers and 90,000 in compensation, equating to a total payment of 390,000. The price cap for 11 million customers on poor value default tariffs came into force on 1 January 2019. Shell Energy is the first company to face enforcement action for breaching the cap. A number of other companies are understood to have breached the cap but consumer detriment was significantly smaller than that caused by Shell Energy so Ofgem did not take enforcement action. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Shell Energy will re-credit the accounts of affected customers with the amount they were overcharged plus additional compensation. Around 6,200 customer accounts were on tariffs that were not compliant with the price cap, meaning they were paying above than the cap level for their gas, electricity or both. In addition to a refund each of these customers will receive an additional 10 per fuel. The remaining 5,600 customer accounts experienced a delay in their energy price being reduced under the price cap after they requested to change to a cheaper means of paying for their energy. This meant they were paying above the cap level for longer than necessary. They will each receive a refund plus an extra 5 per fuel. In total the 12,000 customer accounts affected around 8,800 customers. Ofgem said it had taken into account the fact that Shell Energy had taken steps to address its failings and to pay redress. Colin Crooks, chief executive of Shell Energy, apologised to all customers who were temporarily out of pocket. We had a small number of customers on fixed-price default tariffs to whom we didnt apply the capped rates because most of these customers would have been better off remaining on their existing tariff. However, we recognise that there were some who would have been better off on the capped rates or who suffered a delay in changing their payment method. We always intended to re-credit these customers, which we are now doing together with a compensation payment, and have agreed to pay into the Ofgem redress fund. The default cap is currently 1,254 per annum for the period between 1 April and 30 September 2019 for households on dual fuel, single-rate (no peak/off-peak) tariffs based on typical consumption. Shell announced in March this year that it would switch all of its 700,000 energy customers to renewable supply. Purchasing First Utility in 2018 marked Shells first step into retail gas and electricity supply as it looks to diversify away from its core fossil fuels business and take on the Big Six energy suppliers. The vast majority of the groups 388bn annual revenues still come from oil and gas, however. A severely epileptic teenager and his family have launched a legal challenge against the NHS and department of health in Northern Ireland over access to his cannabis-based medicine. Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy lodged papers at High Court in Belfast to contest the Health and Social Care Northern Irelands (HSCNI) decision to block GPs from prescribing the drug. Billy has a rare form of epilepsy which causes him to have hundreds of seizures a year but after the 13-year-old began using medicinal cannabis oil prescribed in the US, the teenager was able to go for months at a time without a fit. Ms Caldwell said that in desperation and [with] nowhere else to turn Billy had instructed the KRW Law firm to lodge the case in Belfast. An urgent hearing is provisionally scheduled to be heard later this month. Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Show all 7 1 /7 Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Sister Kate Meeusen, 60, started the Sisters of the Valley in Merced County, California, in 2011 with just 12 marijuana plants. It is now an international cannabis operation and rakes in 850k a year, treating everything from epilepsy to cancer. Brother Dwight / SWNS Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Brother Dwight / SWNS Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Sister Kate Meeusen, 60, started the Sisters of the Valley in Merced County, California, in 2011 with just 12 marijuana plants. Brother Dwight/SWNS Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Brother Dwight / SWNS Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Brother Dwight / SWNS Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Brother Dwight / SWNS Meet the nuns who rake in 850k a year growing and selling cannabis Brother Dwight / SWNS We have exhausted all other options and we are ourselves exhausted, Ms Caldwell wrote in a post on Facebook. This is a road we did not want to take and tried every way we could to avoid it. Sadly for Billy he was left with no choice. Billys case and that of other children with epilepsy, helped spark a change in UK law when the Home Office reclassified medicinal cannabis products to allow them to be prescribed by specialist consultants for conditions like epilepsy or multiple sclerosis. But after it came into effect in November some estimates suggest fewer than 100 people have received prescriptions, with the lack evidence on safety and effectiveness from clinical trials a barrier to specialists prescribing. Billy, who had the UKs first medicinal cannabis prescription before a Home Office crackdown, has been receiving prescriptions privately from a consultant based in England. But this requires his family to regularly fly over from their home in Castlederg, adding costs and disruption to their lives. When Ms Caldwell found that their local GP was willing to prescribe the medicine under the direction of Billys consultant, a common practice in other areas of medicine known as a shared care arrangement. However HSCNIs interpretation of the law is that GPs cannot prescribe it in this way, and the legal challenge aims to clarify this point in law. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The whole thrust of it is to localise Billys care because its unreasonable to expect he and Charlotte to keep travelling back and forth to England to get the prescription, Anurag Deb, a legal assistant with KRW Law told The Independent. Its a huge strain, with the stress of travel, and financial arrangements of having to stay over and have the prescription filled privately. All of those considerations mean we are really pushing to get Billys care localised to his own GP. A spokesperson for the Health Department of Northern Ireland said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter now a case has been lodged. A body found in a forest in Scotland has been confirmed as that of missing youth worker Emma Faulds. The 39-year-old was last seen on 28 April in Monkton, South Ayrshire. Human remains found around 25 miles away in Galloway Forest earlier this week have now been identified as the missing Kilmarnock woman. Police Scotland said her family had been made aware it was her and specialist officers were "continuing to provide support to her family. Last month, Ross Willox appeared in court charged with the murder of Ms Faulds. Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman Show all 11 1 /11 Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman A body found in Galloway Forest in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on 12 June 2019 has been confirmed as that of missing 39-year-old Emma Faulds, from Kilmarnock, who was last seen on 28 April. PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA Emma Faulds: Body found in forest confirmed as that of missing woman PA He was also charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice on 10 May before returning to Ayr Sheriff Court a week later for a second hearing. The 40 year old, from Ayrshire, made no plea and was remanded in custody. Press Association contributed to this report. HALFMOON, N.Y. The small building supply store in Watkins Plaza has been quietly doing business for nearly a year, but with its official grand opening last week the staff is ready to make some noise with local homeowners. Builders First Source, 1675 Route 9, Halfmoon has two big-box competitors nearby and that suits them just fine. The company offers homeowners the kind of personal service thats getting harder to find each day. The store is a satellite branch for the companys regional lumberyard in Johnstown and is quickly becoming a magnet for Capital Region do-it-yourselfers as well as homebuilders looking for better quality products. Weve got one of the big boxes in our backyard and one in our front yard, said sales representative Derek Spagnola with a smile. Were just where we wanted to be. This spot was chosen with a lot of thought. The showroom/store offers customers exterior millwork, doors and windows, siding, decking, and kitchen and bath design from someone with knowledge of the job as well as the product. We provide more personal service than the other guys, Spagnola said. Its an environment where we dont want to intimidate homeowners. Its a showroom where theyre comfortable. The store is part of a national chain out of Dallas, Texas, that bills itself as, the nations largest supplier of structural building products, value-added components, and services to the professional market for new residential construction and repair and remodeling. The company has 400 locations and 15,000 employees. It manufactures roof and floor trusses, wall panels, stairs, vinyl windows, custom millwork, and trim, and interior and exterior doors tailored to customers specific needs. The Halfmoon store also offers an extensive range of construction-related services, including design and product installation. We carry certain brands that we feel are in the better and best categories of the product lines, Spagnola said. We dont do any installation ourselves, but we do vet our recommended contractors. We have a conference room in the back of the store where the homeowner and contractor can get together with our staff and discuss the specifics. The grand opening on June 5 was as much a company promotion and media opportunity as a pep rally for the stores associates. With thumping recorded music, helium-filled balloons, a professional photographer and a food truck for free lunches the company truly put the grand in grand opening. What you see inside is the vision of people who work here on a day to day basis, said sales representative Tom Benson. There were a few things that were outlined for us and then we filled in the things around it. We feel it came out really well. We want to be in this Clifton Park-Halfmoon location for years to come. Benson added that the company and its employees are flexible and well prepared for an evolving marketplace that changes on a daily basis. Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollisen welcomed the business to town, a location known to many builders as the fastest growing community in upstate New York. On behalf of the town, Id like to welcome you, he said. We are so happy youre right here in one of the busiest and fastest growing area in Saratoga County and we wish you the greatest amount of success. Inside the store, sales representatives stood ready by their appropriate sections waiting to help any and all customers who came in. Signs touted the companys mission, first source for quality, first source for service, first source for value. Paul and Dianne Booth of Gansevoort were two customers who made their way through the grand opening hoopla to focus on getting information on some summer project for their home. Were doing a deck on our house and replacing a window and a front door on our sons house so were checking out the best products and prices, Dianne Booth said. Whats good here is you can talk to salespeople who have some knowledge about what it is you want to do. Julian Assange wont face a full extradition hearing to decide whether he will be sent to the United States until February, a London court has ruled. Assange, 47, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London after being accused by US authorities of conspiring to hack computers and of violating espionage law. The court ruled that a full extradition hearing, which is expected to last five days, will begin on 25 February. A hearing will be held before that in October. Assange, who appeared with a scraggly white beard, is being held in Belmarsh prison in London, after being jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail. In April, he was evicted from Ecuadors embassy in London, where he had been holed up since 2012 after the country granted him political asylum. He had been avoiding extradition to Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual assault. Key moments for Julian Assange Show all 9 1 /9 Key moments for Julian Assange Key moments for Julian Assange The situation today Assange was arrested after Metropolitan Police officers were invited into the Ecuadorian embassy on April 11 2019. How did it come to this? Ruptly TV Key moments for Julian Assange The break Assange shows the front page of the Guardian on July 26 2010, the day that they broke the story of the thousands of military files leaked by WikiLeaks AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Wanted A warrant for Assange's arrest was issued in August 2010 for counts of rape and molestation in Sweden AFP/Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Ruling The UK's Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face trial Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Sanctuary Following the ruling, Assange was given asylum by the Ecuadorian governement over fears that his human rights would be violated if he were extradited, he has since remained in the embassy in London Getty Key moments for Julian Assange A friend in Pam Friend Pamela Anderson delivers lunch to Assange at the embassy in October 2016. She has since spoken against his arrest Getty Key moments for Julian Assange Arbitrarily detained A UN panel found in 2016 that Assange had been arbitrarily detained and that he had not been able to claim his full right to asylum. It urged Sweden to withdraw the charges against him Getty Key moments for Julian Assange The cat ultimatum Last year, the Ecuadorian embassy threatened to revoke Assange's internet access unless he stopped making political statements online and started taking better care of James, his pet cat. Assange accused Ecuador of violating his rights Reuters Key moments for Julian Assange Arrest Assange was arrested on April 11 2019. Ecuador revoked his asylum status and invited the Metropolitan Police in to the embassy to arrest him. Reuters He told the court on Friday: 175 years of my life is effectively at stake. The WikiLeaks founder also spoke to defend his website against hacking claims, by saying it is nothing but a publisher. Outside the court, his legal team branded charges in the US an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights. Earlier this week, justice officials in Washington formally submitted an extradition request to the UK over claims Mr Assange published classified information and conspired with former US army soldier Chelsea Manning to crack a defence department computer password. A request to extradite Mr Assange to the US has been signed by Sajid Javid, the home secretary, but must still be approved by the courts. Speaking on the Today programme, Mr Javid said: I am very pleased that the police were finally able to apprehend him and now he is rightly behind bars because he broke UK law. Mr Assange does not have access to a computer in prison and has been moved to the medical wing after his health allegedly deteriorated. At a previous hearing in May, he was too ill to appear via video link. Supporters of Mr Assange protested outside the court, waving banners and chanting no extradition. Babies were the only ones heard crying; the tears of the rest fell silently. The procession of families and residents, memories of tragedy fresh again in their minds, wound its way through eerily noiseless streets closed to traffic. The huge crowd of people of all ages and backgrounds had gathered to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. Young people who in other circumstances might have been too cool to join a march walked alongside parents and grandparents for the silent vigil that began and ended in the shadow of the tower in west London. They came to show solidarity, to support and comfort one another in their grief and to fight for the right of others not to die in an inferno like that on 14 June 2017, that killed 72 people. Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Show all 16 1 /16 Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen PA Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen REUTERS Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen REUTERS Meghan Markle returns to Grenfell Tower community kitchen Getty Images They were joined by Benjamin Zephaniah, the poet and playwright, and rapper Stormzy, who walked among the crowd of thousands, almost all of whom wore green and many of whom carried placards calling for justice. Lowkey, a rapper, addressed the crowd and said the fire should be a never-again moment. He added that the government should more strongly regulate building firms before we regulate you. Earlier, James Brokenshire, the communities secretary, and Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, had laid flowers alongside bereaved relatives at a private ceremony yards from the burnt-out building A 72-second silence, one second representing each victim, was held before the names of the dead were read aloud. Recommended Anger as Downing Street lights up in tribute to Grenfell victims Residents joined a multi-faith vigil and a mass to pray no such disaster would happen again. Pastor Derrick Wilson of the Tabernacle Christian Centre said people were anxious for justice, as he led prayers. Two years exactly since the fire that exposed a deep social divide at the heart of one of Londons wealthiest boroughs, they spoke again of authorities dragging their feet and of the dangers of flammable cladding. According to new government figures, 24,800 homes in 272 buildings are still covered in highly flammable material similar to that used on Grenfell Tower. The Independent has found almost 60,000 people are still living in tower blocks with such cladding. The blaze is still a source of anger, with many local residents accusing the authorities of racism against the largely ethnic-minority occupants of Grenfell Tower. Stephanie Vaz, a wheelchair-user who lives close by, said she still gets panic attacks whenever the fire alarm at her home goes off. The anniversary events, she said, were about friends and families in the area giving each other strength and support. Just seeing everyone together like this makes you want to fight more against the dangerous cladding on other buildings, she said. Coming together triggers memories its something very special and its healing to be together. On Thursday, survivors and victims relatives beamed fire safety warnings onto high-rise blocks of flats in London, Newcastle and Manchester, claiming the buildings were wrapped in dangerous cladding, not fitted with sprinklers, and had defective fire doors. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The bereaved and other campaigners are disappointed that publication of the inquirys first report on the disaster has been delayed until October, when it had been expected by now. The first phase of the inquiry looked at what happened on the night. Detectives investigating the fire say they have carried out 13 interviews under caution and that they expect to conduct more. Sajid Javid has been urged to stop the deportation of an orphaned 11-year-old boy, who has lived in Glasgow for almost all his life Giorgi Kakava, 11, starts high school in August but could be deported to Georgia - a country he cannot remember because he was just eight months old when he left. His mother Sopio Baikhadze died at the age of 35 last year, while waiting for a claim for asylum to be processed. Her dying wish was that Giorgi, who has a Glaswegian accent and does not speak a word of Georgian, would grow up a Scottish boy. Sopio fled to Glasgow because she feared gangsters whom her late husband owed a debt to in the former Soviet country would kill her son Giorgi, who arrived in Scotland aged three, or traffic him. How Barnardo's boss saved HIV positive children from being deported to die Show all 2 1 /2 How Barnardo's boss saved HIV positive children from being deported to die How Barnardo's boss saved HIV positive children from being deported to die 362354.bin GETTY IMAGES How Barnardo's boss saved HIV positive children from being deported to die 362355.bin Barnardo's Human rights experts have characterised Home Office attempts to deport Giorgi as breaching the rights of a child enshrined in international law. The Church of Scotland is also calling on Mr Javid, who has regularly referred to his familys experience of coming to Britain from Pakistan during his bid to become prime minister, to allow Giorgi to stay. Last July, following a campaign that attracted UK-wide attention and the backing of more than 90,000 people who signed an online petition, they were both granted temporary leave to remain in the UK for 30 months. Recommended Orphan threatened with deportation granted temporary leave to remain Giorgi has permission to stay in Scotland until February 2020 and his grandmother, Ketino Baikhadze, can stay until that December, raising questions as to how the child would fend for himself in the months between. Ms Baikhadze said: Sopio was an intelligent girl but had a hard life in Georgia. She came to Scotland to escape gangsters that her husband owed money to who threatened Giorgis life. She hoped to build a good life in Glasgow but she fell ill and after many months died at her home. Her daughter was a very kind and warm person who adored her son, she added. She was a perfect daughter who was my everything, she said. But she has gone, my heart is broken and I cannot leave Giorgi alone. He is such a good boy and I am living for him now. He has no mother and no father and the best thing for him is to stay in Glasgow. Giorgi doesnt understand a word of the Georgian language. He only speaks English and has grown up in Glasgow where all his friends are so it would be very hard for him to go there. Sometimes I use Georgian words and I ask him why dont you understand? and he says because I am Scottish. Reverend Brian Casey, minister of Springburn Parish Church in Glasgow, made an appeal directly to Mr Javid to allow them to stay permanently. Mr Casey he said: The UK is renowned as a land of welcome and opportunity a fact not lost on you as the son of an immigrant who came to this country and worked every hour he could to ensure that his children had the best. Your rise to the top of UK politics speaks volumes about the future immigration aspirations of the UK in seeking talented immigrants from non-EU countries. Georgia is one of those countries and I can assure you that Ketino is a hardworking and proud woman, a quality I admire greatly and one which has clearly been imbued in Giorgi.I would respectfully ask that you show the moral courage of leadership and urgently review this case and grant Giorgi and his grandmother permanent leave to remain in the UK. Homeless asylum seeker Craig Pedzai fears deportation back to Zimbabwe after almost five year wait In a year when this amazing boy starts high school, please show the public that you are as committed as your father was to see that those who come from humble beginnings can reach the pinnacle of their potential. Tracy Kirk, a childrens rights expert and law academic at Glasgow Caledonian University, met Giorgi and his grandmother earlier this week. She said his rights as a child were being breached despite the UK having ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and deporting a grieving boy to a country he does not know is clearly not in his best interests. Ms Kirk said: The Home Office seems to show an utter disregard for childrens rights at every stage of their asylum and immigration processes. The Independent has contacted the Home Office for comment. SWNS Jo Brand will not face police action after joking about throwing battery acid at politicians. The comedian was reported over an allegation of incitement to violence after comments she made on the Radio 4 programme Heresy on Tuesday. She later apologised for the joke, calling it crass and ill-judged. Scotland Yard has now said Ms Brand will face no further action. In a statement released on Friday, it said: Police received an allegation of incitement to violence on 13 June, relating to comments made on a radio programme. The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far Show all 10 1 /10 The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 144548968.jpg Getty Images The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 3454541.jpg Getty The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 52228952.jpg The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far brass-eye_625x352_1.jpg Getty Images The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 155854408.jpg Getty Images The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 154169475.jpg Getty Images The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 3140228.jpg Getty Images The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 115290126.jpg Getty Images The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far 155426455.jpg Getty Images The top 10 comedians who were told they took it too far boyle.jpg The referral has been considered by the Metropolitan Police Service and no further police action will be taken in relation to this allegation. In reply to a question about the state of UK politics, Ms Brand had told the programme: Well, yes, I would say that but thats because certain unpleasant characters are being thrown to the fore and theyre very, very easy to hate and Im kind of thinking, Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid? Thats just me. I'm not going to do it, its purely a fantasy, but I think milkshakes are pathetic, I honestly do, sorry. Nigel Farage was covered in a milkshake while campaigning in Newcastle on 20 May 2019. (PA) Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who had milkshake thrown at him while campaigning in Newcastle, accused Ms Brand of inciting violence, although he did not say against whom. Commenting again on Twitter, he said: I am sick to death of overpaid, left-wing, so-called comedians on the BBC who think their view is morally superior. Can you imagine the reaction if I had said the same thing as Jo Brand? It is understood the report was not made to police by Mr Farage or the Brexit Party. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said it received 65 complaints about the episode of Heresy. The BBC said comedy would always push boundaries, but added that it would edit the Heresy programme, which is hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell. Comedian David Baddiel claimed the BBC was cowardly for censoring Ms Brands joke. Speaking to Newsnight, he said: I dont think I would have nipped it out. Morally wrong? Im not sure. I think theyre just trying not to cause trouble. The BBC are still to some extent the aunty of the nation and they dont like trouble. Even though they did commission a show, Heresy, that was designed to push the boundaries of what people might think and say. If it was up to me, I would have kept that line in for the repeat. Apart from anything, its a bit silly when its had massive coverage to cut it out that looks a bit cowardly. Additional reporting by Press Association Boris Johnson has come under fire at home and abroad after breaking cover to reveal his Brexit plan, while admitting he will duck a live TV debate. The overwhelming favourite to be prime minister next month was ridiculed for claiming a fear of Nigel Farage would force Brussels to grant him a better deal with one senior EU figure saying: No one is scared of him. The Conservative Party may be being held hostage to Nigel Farage, but the EU never will be, Sophie in t Veld, deputy to the European parliaments chief Brexit negotiator, told The Independent before condemning Mr Johnsons populist lies. The frontrunner was also accused of ignorance after insisting the solution to reaching an agreement replacing the Irish backstop with hi-tech checks away from the border was obvious. The claim was immediately criticised by a former assistant director at the Department for International Trade, who pointed out the EU had repeatedly rejected the idea as unworkable. Theres no border outside of the European Union that operates in this way, so to say that it is something that is straight forward to do is just simply incorrect, David Henig said. Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Show all 30 1 /30 Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Pro-Brexit leave the European Union supporters attend a rally in Parliament Square after the final leg of the "March to Leave" in London AP Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit The protest march which started on March 16 in Sunderland, north east England, finished on what was the original date for Brexit to happen before the recent extension Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit AP Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit PA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit EPA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter sips a can of Stella in protests outside of the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Dedicated anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray and likewise pro-Brexit campaigner Joseph Afrane go head to head near the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A pro-Brexit marching band in Parliament Square Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Remain supporters wave EU flags from a bus in Parliament Square PA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter shouts slogans outside parliament EPA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter protests outside parliament Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter protests outside of the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters protest outside of the Houses of Parliament REUTERS Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A pro-Brexit flag is waved in Parliament Square AP Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit The March to Leave nears the Houses of Parliament Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit protester holds a sign outside parliament EPA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters carry the coffin of democracy AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters march outside parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters take part in the March to Leave protest in London PA Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Brexit supporters protest outside parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter holds a sign outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A man holds satirical paintings of politicians Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit An pro-Brexit float on the March to Leave march in London Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit Far-right activist Tommy Robinson addresses protesters outside the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter outside the Houses of Parliament Reuters Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Tommy Robinson supporter arrives at the Houses of Parliament Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A jogger gestures rudely at a Brexit supporter outside of the Houses of Parliament AFP/Getty Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit A Brexit supporter outside the Houses of Parliament PA After finally granting an interview to the BBC, Mr Johnson also admitted to a single inconclusive event snorting cocaine as a teenager, while denying he had taken the drug since. And he provoked anger by claiming accusations that his blundering prolonged the jailing of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran amounted to excusing the people who are really responsible. Mr Johnson agreed to take part in a BBC leadership debate on Tuesday but confirmed he would not show up to a Channel 4 event on Sunday when he would be faced with all five of his rivals. The criticism came as Matt Hancock, the health secretary, dropped out of the race after trailing in the first round of voting on Thursday with just 20 backers. I ran as the candidate of the future, but the party is understandably looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now, Mr Hancock said. He declined to reveal which of the surviving candidates Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid, Rory Stewart and Mr Johnson he would support. Mr Hancock will mull things over in the coming days, The Independent was told, amid suggestions he will back Mr Javid as another moderniser. The home secretarys camp strongly denied rumours he will drop out as b******s, insisting he was just nine MPs short of the 33 votes required to clear the second round of voting on Tuesday. One source close to Mr Javid also sniped that Mr Hunt, the foreign secretary, appeared to be losing enthusiasm, as the rivalry to take on Mr Johnson in the second phase of voting, among Tory members, intensified. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In his interview, Mr Johnson doubled down on his threat to crash out of the EU on 31 October, if necessary, insisting: I dont think some of the promises of doom and disaster are true. However, he claimed it would not be necessary because the EU would shift on the backstop faced with the existential threat of the Brexit Partys dramatic rise. I think what they will see is that politics has changed in the UK and in Europe, they now have 29 Brexit MEPs in Strasbourg, Mr Johnson argued. Brussels would agree to replace the backstop the guarantee of no return to a hard border with checks taking place elsewhere, using new technology, the Tory frontrunner confidently predicted. But Mr Henig dismissed the argument, telling the BBC: This is something that has been said repeatedly by the UK side throughout negotiations and rejected repeatedly by the EU. Recommended Tory leadership hopefuls might just stop Boris Johnson becoming PM Mr Johnsons negotiating tactic appeared to be do the same thing exactly again, he warned, adding: Perhaps in the years to come alternative arrangements will become available. They are not available now. Ian Murray, a Labour supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign, also ridiculed the suggestion, saying: If the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then this proposal is the craziest of all. Ms in t Veld added: The only deal on the table is the one thats been painfully negotiated. Our common priority must be to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the Irish peace process. Mr Johnson refused to backtrack on 31 October as the deadline for leaving, deal or no deal, saying it was time to get this thing done. It would be absolutely bizarre to signal, at this stage, that the UK government was willing once again to run up the white flag and delay again, he said. The chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum has compared Boris Johnson to Adolf Hitler and said he will end his 36-year membership of the party if he becomes prime minister. Mohammed Amin said that Mr Johnson, who won the first round of the Tory leadership race with nearly three times the votes of his closest rival, was not "sufficiently moral" to lead the country. He said the former foreign secretary would have been aware of the knock-on effects of denigrating Islamic dress in an article for the Daily Telegraph last summer, in which he compared women wearing religious headgear to bank robbers and letterboxes. "Mr Johnson is a very intelligent man and when he wrote his article ... he knew exactly what effect it would have," Mr Amin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "It would lead to Muslim women, who wear niqab and burqa, being verbally abused on the streets, in certain cases being physically assaulted with people trying to tear it off. Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Show all 3 1 /3 Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Boris Johnson - 157 votes PA Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Michael Gove - 61 votes Getty Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Jeremy Hunt - 59 votes PA "I'm sure it was clear to him that was the likely consequence of his article. "He chose to mock Muslim women who wear niqab and burqa for his own purposes." Mr Amin, who has been a Tory member for 36 years, added: "We don't expect our leaders and prime ministers to be saints, but we do require a basic level of morality and integrity, and of all the candidates in the leadership election, Boris Johnson is the only one that I believe fails that test. "There are many horrible people who have been popular. Popularity is not the test. "The test is, 'Is this person sufficiently moral to be prime minister?' And I believe he fails that test." Recommended Battle for second place after Boris Johnson takes lead Mr Amin compared Mr Johnson's popularity to that of the Nazi leader, saying: "A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them. "I'm not suggesting he wants to send people to the gas chambers, he's a buffoon. "But he - as far as I'm concerned - has insufficient concern about the nature of truth for me to ever be a member of a party that he leads." Former cabinet minister Priti Patel defended Mr Johnson's record, saying his comments had been misinterpreted as he was a champion of women's rights and girls education around the wolrd. Ms Patel, who is backing Mr Johnson's campaign, said: "I'm sorry to hear that a member of the party feels that way. "I recall that article. It was a defence of women's right to wear whatever they like and I think it is fair to say, Boris himself has said this, the language that he used, he has apologised for any offence that has been caused. "I think fundamentally he was not mocking women." Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The row came as contenders to replace Theresa May were vying to claim the mantle of the stop Boris candidate, after his emphatic victory in the first round of voting. His nearest rival Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, was in second place with 43 votes to Mr Johnson's 114, with Michael Gove, the environment secretary, in third place on 37. Meanwhile, Matt Hancock is understood to be considering pulling out of the race to support another candidate with a better chance of winning the 33 votes needed to get past the next round. The health secretary reportedly met Sajid Javid, the home secretary, but the meeting appears not to have resulted in any agreement. Philip Hammond has warned the candidates for the Tory leadership that they should stand by Britains obligation to pay the 39 billion Brexit divorce bill negotiated by Theresa May. In a veiled attack on Boris Johnson, who threatened to withhold the financial settlement payment as leverage for further Brexit concessions, the chancellor said he would not recommend that a future leader renege on the commitment to the EU. Weve always said that the UK is a country which honours its obligations, Mr Hammond told reporters arriving at a meeting of EU finance minister in Luxembourg. At least part of the sum which was agreed to be paid is part of our obligations under the existing [EU budget] so I would not recommend any of my colleagues to threaten to withhold payments which are part of an existing obligation that the UK has. The chancellor declined to endorse any of the candidates for the leadership of his party, saying he had not declared my hand at this stage and the he prefers to commentate on whats happening instead. "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Show all 15 1 /15 "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage waves from the top deck of the Brexit Betrayal bus on the march from Sunderland to London Reuters "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Marchers pass a sign to "Cuckoo Land" in Easington Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Marchers plod on near Grangetown, Tyne and Wear Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A marcher holds up a blue passport as the march passes Grangetown, Tyne and Wear Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage poses for a photo in a pub in Hartlepool Reuters "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage pays his respects to Tommy, the statue of a First World War soldier in Seaham, County Durham Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march An anti-Brexit van has been graffitied in Sunderland on the Brexit Betrayal march Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A marcher carries a Union flag reading "Storm Brexit" in Sunderland Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A couple push a Save Our Sovereignty trolley through a tunnel in Easington, County Durham during the Brexit Betrayal march Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage enjoys a pint with fellow marchers in Hartlepool Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march A pro-European counter-marcher lets off a smoke grenade with the colours of the EU flag Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage leads the march in Easington Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Marchers plod on near Easington Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage takes part in the Brexit Betrayal march Getty "Leave means leave" - Brexit Betrayal march Nigel Farage poses on the top deck of the Brexit Betrayal bus in Seaham Getty He also said he would rather resign than serve in a Cabinet led by any of the candidates who advocated a no-deal Brexit. Asked specifically whether he would serve in Boris Johnsons cabinet, he said: I dont think this is about personalities, its about policies. Before I could serve in any government I would want to look at the policies that the prime minister was setting out. I would not be able to serve in any government that had as its policy leaving the European Union without a deal. Mr Hammond last night urged Tory leadership candidates to continue to commit to austerity levels of spending, arguing that the policy was a dividing line with Labour and representing fiscal responsibility. The EU has said it will not open any trade talks with the UK until it has settled the issue of the issue of the divorce bill, as well as those of the Northern Ireland border and citizens rights. The financial settlement is mostly commitments made by the EU to fund the current EU budget round, also known as the multi-annual financial framework or MFF. It also includes other liabilities like pension payments for EU civil servants. Boris Johnson has claimed he can force the EU to deliver a fresh Brexit deal because it is terrified by the existential threat of Nigel Farage, as he finally agreed to a major interview. The clear favourite for No 10 said the solution was obvious to strip the Irish backstop out of the divorce agreement and that Brussels would fold, despite its repeated refusal to do so. I think what they will see is that politics has changed in the UK and in Europe, they have now 29 Brexit MEPs in Strasbourg, Mr Johnson argued while again vowing to deliver a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, if the EU refused. Speaking to the BBC, he denied he had taken cocaine since he was a teenager, while admitting to a single inconclusive event as a youth. And he claimed anyone accusing him of blundering over the jailing of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in Iran was excusing the people who are really responsible and that is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Mr Johnson bowed to pressure to face detailed questioning after growing criticism that he was hiding from scrutiny as the runaway favourite coasting to near-certain victory in the race. Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Show all 3 1 /3 Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Boris Johnson - 157 votes PA Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Michael Gove - 61 votes Getty Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Jeremy Hunt - 59 votes PA He said he would take part in a BBC debate among the surviving candidates on Tuesday, but not the Channel 4 event on Sunday evening before further voting knocks out some rivals. Doubling down on his threat to carry out a crash-out Brexit on Halloween night if necessary, Mr Johnson insisted: I dont think some of the promises of doom and disaster are true. However, he claimed it would be necessary, because the EU would shift on the backstop faced with the existential threat of the Brexit Partys dramatic rise. It would agree to replace the backstop the guarantee of no return to a hard border by agreeing checks could take place elsewhere, using new technology. There is a clear way that the now effectively defunct withdrawal agreement can be disaggregated, he claimed, the good bits of it can be taken out. Ian Murray, a Labour supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign immediately ridiculed the suggestion, saying: If the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then this proposal is the craziest of all. The EU has already made it crystal clear that the current extension was granted on condition that there would be no effort to change the withdrawal agreement. It is not going to tear up it up for prime minister Boris Johnson, or any other prime minister for that matter. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Mr Johnson refused to backtrack on 31 October as the deadline for leaving, deal or no deal, saying it was time to get this thing done. It would be absolutely bizarre to signal, at this stage, that the UK government was willing once again to run up the white flag and delay again. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has slapped down Nigel Farage, telling him he does not speak for the UK on the international stage. He also accused the Brexit Party leader of making entirely misleading claims about the state of trade negotiations for when Britain leaves the European Union (EU). Dr Fox made the comments after visiting Japan to represent the UK in a meeting of G20 trade ministers. Mr Farage accused the Government of being simply not prepared to hold trade talks with the US earlier this week. He claimed he was gathering a team of industrialists and dealmakers who would then visit Washington on a trade mission and get this thing moving. Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Show all 14 1 /14 Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election Independent candidate Bobby Elmo Smith watches the by-election count on June 07, 2019 in Peterborough, England. Brexit Party candidate Mike Greene is looking to become the Brexit Partys first MP to Westminster in the Peterborough by-election, which was triggered following the removal of former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya by a recall petition. Getty Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 2 Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage in Newborough in Peterborough prior to votes being counted in the Peterborough by-election. PA Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 3 Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 4 Votes are counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 5 Votes are counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 6 Votes are counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 7 Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 8 Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 9 Labour Party faithful cheer as Lisa Forbes accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 10 Labour Party faithful cheer as Lisa Forbes accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 11 Alan "Howling Laud" Hope of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (L) and party faithful arrive at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 12 Alan "Howling Laud" Hope of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (C) and party faithful arrive at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 13 Mike Greene (C) of the Brexit Party confers with party members at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 14 By-election votes are counted at the KingsGate Centre in Peterborough. REUTERS The criticism came after last weeks state visit by Donald Trump, when Mr Farage claimed the UK was behind the curve on plans for a post-Brexit trade deal with the US. In a series of tweets, Dr Fox stated only the UK Govt speaks for our country internationally in a direct riposte to Mr Farages attempt to muscle his way into negotiations. Rejecting the former Ukip leader's assertion the UK did not have competent trade negotiators, Dr Fox insisted he had a large team of expert staff. But he also flagged up that they would be ready to begin negotiations once the UK had left the EU and not before, which is not allowed under international law. He stressed those talks on a large-scale trade deal would not only be with the US but also Australia and New Zealand. The International Trade Secretary also accused Mr Farage of misleading people over what the UK was able to do while still a member of the EU. He tweeted: It is entirely misleading to suggest that we could already be negotiating trade agreements. You know full well that we cannot begin formal negotiations until we have left the EU. We have been laying the groundwork for UK/US FTA (free trade agreement), including through our joint UK/US working group. Dr Fox issued the rebuttal after visiting Tsukuba in Japan to meet international counterparts. Following the talks, he called for urgent action to protect the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from an existential crisis. But Dr Fox, who is also president of the Board of Trade, said the agreement reached did not address the scale nor urgency of the challenges and urged partners to go further. George Galloway: 'Nigel Farage will eventually be the Prime Minister' He said: The message from the UK is clear: urgent and drastic action must be taken to protect the global trading system as we know it. Earlier this week, Boris Johnsons bid to succeed Theresa May as prime minister and pick up the Brexit baton was bolstered by a resounding victory in the Tory leadership contest ballot of Conservative MPs. The former foreign secretary, who has put delivering Brexit at the heart of his pitch for Number 10, opened up a considerable lead, pulling 71 votes ahead of his six rivals. Press Association Chuka Umunna has landed the job of treasury and business spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats as the rivals to be the partys new leader hailed his arrival as a major contribution. It comes after the former Change UK MP joined Sir Vince Cables unashamedly pro-EU party, claiming last night that Labour and the Tories were committed to facilitating Brexit. He acknowledged his role within the party could change after the conclusion of the Liberal Democrats leadership contest. But frontrunner Jo Swinson said she had a spring in her step, claiming Mr Umunnas decision to join the party demonstrated the Liberal Democrats are the rallying point for those wishing to stop Brexit. Brexit culture: film posters reimagined Show all 5 1 /5 Brexit culture: film posters reimagined Brexit culture: film posters reimagined The Hunchback of Notre Dame with a Brexit spin Jeff Moore / Rooftop Film Club Brexit culture: film posters reimagined Les Miserables reimagined Jeff Moore / Rooftop Film Club Brexit culture: film posters reimagined A Room with a View of Britain's future Jeff Moore / Rooftop Film Club Brexit culture: film posters reimagined Roman Holiday relocated Jeff Moore / Rooftop Film Club Brexit culture: film posters reimagined The Sound of Music reimagined Jeff Moore / Rooftop Film Club Her leadership rival, Ed Davey, also welcomed Mr Umunna to the party, suggesting both contenders are unlikely to shift him from the role after the result of the partys internal election next month. Mr Umunna told The Independent: Vince has asked me to lead on treasury and business issues in the House of Commons, pending the election of our new leader who will no doubt appoint their own team. I will dive straight in and get on with that in addition to, of course, continuing to serve my constituents in Streatham. Before defecting from Labour to Change UK, Mr Umunna had previously served as Ed Milibands shadow business secretary between 2011 and 2015. Following disappointing European election results for Change UK set up earlier this year and made up of disaffected Labour and Tory MPs Mr Umunna went independent, alongside Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston. The Streatham MP said the Liberal Democrats were now at the forefront of a progressive and internationalist movement in British politics. Labour and the Tories are committed to facilitating Brexit, and Brexit makes ending austerity virtually impossible, he added. The Liberal Democrats are not they were arguing for a Peoples Vote and to remain in the EU from the very start. Sir Vince, who will step down as Liberal Democrat leader next month, added: Chuka and I have worked together effectively for many months, campaigning for a Peoples Vote and to stop Brexit. I know that he will be a great asset to our party not just on Brexit, but in fighting for the liberal and social democratic values that we share. Labour immediately reissued its plea for a by-election in Streatham following Mr Umunnas decision to join the Lib Dems. Town Crier 6/14 issue Next weeks meetings: Monday 6 p.m. Clifton Park Highway Safety Committee, town hall Room C 7 p.m. Clifton Park town Board, town hall 7 p.m. Clifton Park GREEN Committee, town hall Room B 7 p.m. Halfmoon Trails and Open Space Advisory Committee, town hall Tuesday 7 p.m. Clifton Park Zoning Board of Appeals, town hall 7 p.m. Clifton Park Environmental Conservation Committee, town hall Room C Wednesday 7 p.m. Halfmoon Town Board, town hall 7 p.m. Clifton Park Ethics Board, town hall Room B Thursday 6:30 p.m. Clifton Park Emergency Services Advisory Board, Building Department 7 p.m. Clifton Park Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Grooms Tavern Recent meetings: Halfmoon Planning Board (May 29) Reviewed and referred to town engineering consultant a request for a 6,000-square-foot addition to an existing building for Kenworth Northeast Group, Inc., 1 Rexford Way. Approved a telecommunications co-location on an existing tower for Dish Network, 13 Solar Drive. Approved a change of use and tenant for Kaplan Ear, Nose & Throat, 1524 Route 9. Approved a change of use and tenant for Johnson Plumbing & Heating, 1466 Route 9. Approved a change of use and tenant for Sump Pump Geeks, 1604 Route 9. Approved a change of use and tenant for Unique Outfitters, 6 Enterprise Avenue. Approved a minor subdivision of Lot No.2 for the Shops of Halfmoon, Route 146 and Route 9. Clifton Park Town Board (June 3) Approved a contract for $16,500 for Fourth of July fireworks Authorized the formation of a Marijuana Policy Review Committee Approved a master grant contract with New York State Agriculture and Markets agency for participation in the Farmland Protection Implementation Grant Program Awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of a sewer line on Blue Spruce Lane Halfmoon Town Board (June 5) Set June 19 for a public hearing to discuss authorizing an amendment to the Town Code to modify sentencing options for violations of town laws. Awarded contracts for the Crescent Park car-top boat launch to Pete Luizzi & Brothers Contracting, Inc. and The Dock Doctors, LLC. Authorized a cash advance from the Consolidated Water District to the Champlain Canal Water Main Extension Capital Project up to the amount of $300,000 to be repaid upon receipt of proceeds from the sale of bonds for the project. Authorized the supervisor to execute any documents associated with the request for $200,000 from the recreational Trails Program (RTP) where the funds are to be utilized to contribute towards the costs associated with design and construction of the Erie Canal Towpath Link trail to close the gap in the towns Erie Canal trail system. Authorized the supervisor to execute any documents associated with the request for $500,000 from the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) where the funds are to be utilized to contribute towards the costs associated with the design of the Crescent Road Bike and Pedestrian Extension to improve non-motorized trail connections. The plight of the Conservatives has been laid bare as a fresh Westminster election poll shows the party in a humiliating fourth position trailing Nigel Farages Brexit Party. The survey, suggesting many Tory MPs are at risk of losing their seats in a snap election, comes as the partys leadership contest rages on, with six candidates remaining in the race to replace Theresa May in Downing Street. The poll by YouGov also shows Labour behind the Liberal Democrats, with the unashamedly pro-EU party continuing to enjoy a boost in the wake of its successful set of results at the European elections. According to the research by YouGov, the Brexit are ahead of Westminsters established political parties on 26 per cent while the Liberal Democrats enjoy 22 per cent of the vote share. Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Show all 3 1 /3 Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Boris Johnson - 157 votes PA Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Michael Gove - 61 votes Getty Who is standing to be the next prime minister? Jeremy Hunt - 59 votes PA Labour, who are calling for a general election, are trailing behind in third place, as the Conservatives are in a humiliating fourth position for a second time, with just 17 per cent of voters opting for the party. Asked which party they would vote for if there were to be a general election, eight per cent of respondents said they would cast their ballot for the Green Party while Change UK has just one per cent support. It comes after predictions of a Margaret Thatcher-style landslide for the Tories under Boris Johnson the frontrunner in the contest promoted a row among polling experts. Mr Johnson, alongside his five rivals, will appear on the BBCs live debate on Tuesday, and today said the party could do less with the blue on blue battles that have overshadowed Ms Mays premiership. I think that anymore blue on blue action is not what I want to get into in this contest, he told the BBCs World At One. On Friday, Sir Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, also welcomed his partys newest recruit, Chuka Umunna, who recently left Change UK a party he had joined after defecting from Jeremy Corbyns Labour Party earlier this year. Sir Vince revealed during a press conference that he was having conversations with other independent MPs about joining the Liberal Democrats. He joins alongside 20,000 people across the country just this month, demonstrating clearly that the Liberal Democrats are the biggest, clearest and most formidable force in the liberal centre-ground of British politics today. Campaigners and survivors have reacted angrily after a green light was projected on to Downing Street in tribute to the victims of the Grenfell disaster, calling it an empty gesture. The prime ministers residence was illuminated along with several London town halls and landmarks to mark the second anniversary of the tragedy, which took place 14 June, 2017. However, critics were quick to point out hundreds of tower blocks across England still have cladding similar to that blamed for spreading the flames up the tower block and creating an inferno that claimed 72 lives, thanks to inaction by authorities. Last week, the inquiry into the disaster announced the publication of its first report would be delayed. Police have said no one will be prosecuted until it is completed. A BBC report showed 328 tower blocks in England still had similar cladding to that used on Grenfell, and that work has not yet begun to remove it on 221 of them. There has been an enormous amount of empty gestures these days, said Moyra Samuels, of the Justice4Grenfell campaign. Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Campaign group Grenfell United project a message on to the side of a tower block in Newcastle ahead of the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire to highlight the number of blocks that are still covered in flammable cladding, despite the role that it played in the fire PA Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures People release balloons in front of the Grenfell Tower during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the fire (Peter Summers/Getty Images) Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Downing Street is illuminated green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire EPA Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Kensington Palace is illuminated green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire Getty Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Campaign group Grenfell United project a message on to the side of a tower block in Salford ahead of the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire to highlight the number of blocks that are still covered in flammable cladding, despite the role that it played in the fire PA Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Campaign group Grenfell United project a message on to the side of a tower block in by the Grenfell Tower ahead of the second anniversary of the fire to highlight the number of blocks that are still covered in flammable cladding, despite the role that it played in the fire PA Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Cards bearing names of victims of the Grenfell fire are attached to a railing nearby to the tower Getty Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures People obersve a memorial during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire Getty Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Campaign group Grenfell United project a message on to the side of a tower block in Salford ahead of the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire to highlight the number of blocks that are still covered in flammable cladding, despite the role that it played in the fire PA Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures The Grenfell Tower is illuminated green to mark the second anniversary of the fire Getty Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Kensington Palace is illuminated green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire Getty Grenfell fire remembered two years on: In pictures Downing Street is illuminated green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell fire EPA Its not good that ministers wear a green heart and then do nothing for the security of the buildings. Green hearts and green lights wont do enough to bring justice to the bereaved and the survivors. Ms Samuels, who has lived in the area for 32 years, said it was time for authorities to implement safety recommendations such as adding alarms to all buildings and stopping cuts to the fire service. She said there was frustration in the community about delays to the public inquiry and the criminal investigation into Grenfell. Families say they feel the inquiry into the disaster has not delivered and argued their voices are not being heard. The inquirys first report was due to be published in spring but has been delayed until October. Clarita Ghavimi, who managed to escape from the tower block, said, We know that many issues will need more expert evidence and further investigation. But some things can be done now a full review of the stay-put policy by the fire brigade, basic safety measures in high rise blocks, like clear signs, clearly marked floor numbers, effective emergency lighting, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. These steps do not need more evidence. They should start now, and could save lives. Earlier this week, Grenfell United, the group of survivors and bereaved families, accused the government of going through the motions on fire safety and failing to take action to prevent similar deadly blazes. On Wednesday night, the group also beamed warnings onto tower blocks across England where residents have raised concerns about flammable cladding, defective fire doors or a lack of sprinklers. The group calls for mandatory fire-safe doors in all blocks, sprinklers to keep escape routes clear and the removal of all dangerous cladding. It also wants a new social housing regulator to be established to ensure residents are listened to and treated with respect. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told the BBC: The government has banned combustible materials in the external walls of new high-rise homes and guidance requires that sprinklers must be installed in new buildings above 30 metres. Building owners are ultimately responsible for the safety of the building and it is for them to decide whether to retrofit sprinklers. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Additional reporting by PA A Kenyan MP has been arrested after a female colleague accused him of slapping her for not giving money to his constituency. Rashid Kassim allegedly assaulted Fatuma Gedi, who sits on the budget committee, in the parliament car park in Nairobi on Thursday. The MP for Wajir East, in northeast Kenya, reportedly confronted his colleague about why she had not allocated funds to his constituency. An image of Ms Gedi in tears with blood in her mouth was circulated on Twitter after the alleged assault. Video footage of female MPs walking out of parliament in protest was also shared on the social media site, alongside the hashtag #JusticeForFatumaGedi. MP Sabina Wanjiru Chege told the BBC that male MPs had been mocking their female colleagues and saying it was slapping day. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kenya confirmed Mr Kassim was arrested in the parliament grounds on Thursday evening. A spokesperson tweeted: Hon. Rashid Kassim Amin, the Member of Parliament for Wajir East was today evening arrested within the Precincts of Parliament by @DCI_Kenya Detectives in connection with causing actual bodily harm to @Hon_FatumaGedi. Further investigations are ongoing. Mr Kassim has not commented on the alleged incident. Brazils top court officially criminalised homophobia and transphobia on Thursday, in a ruling that comes amid fears that the countrys far-right administration would roll back LGBT+ rights. The court said the ruling addressed a legal shortfall that failed to protect the LGBT+ community, and now frames homophobia and transphobia as crimes within Brazils law against racism. Offenders could now face prison sentences of up to five years. According to the rights group the Grupo Gay da Bahia, 420 LGBT+ people were killed across Brazil in 2018, while at least 141 have been killed so far this year. Brazil also leads the world in transgender homicides with 171 in 2017, according to the organisation Transgender Europe. Someone is killed in a homophobic attack here every 16 hours. Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Show all 20 1 /20 Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro waves as he drives past before his swear-in ceremony Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters wait in front of the Planalto Palace, where he will take office EPA Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress before he is sworn AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Supporters take pictures as Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro drives past Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Flanked by first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro waves to the crowd, as he rides in an open car after his swearing-in ceremony AP Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro reacts as he drives past Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration The National Congress before Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro is sworn in AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Jair Bolsonaro gestures at the Congress AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AP Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration EPA Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration Reuters Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty Jair Bolsonaro: Brazil's far-right leader inauguration AFP/Getty In a discriminatory society like the one we live in, the homosexual is different and the transsexual is different, said Justice Carmen Lucia. Every preconception is violence, but some impose more suffering than others. The supreme courts intention had already been voiced in late May after six of the 11 judges had voted in favour of the measure, but was suspended until the other judges voted. The final votes came in on Thursday, making the ruling official with a tally of eight votes in favour and three against. After President Jair Bolsonaro took office on 1 January 2019, Brazil was seen to be turning sharply against LGBT+ rights and feminism. The president has a history of homophobic, transphobic and racist remarks, having in the past bragged that he was homophobic, and very proud and that hed rather have a dead son than a homosexual son. In late April, he caused outrage saying Brazil should not be the country of gay tourism. As Mr Bolsonaro campaigned last year, reports of crimes against LGBT+ people tripled. Brazil had already legalised same-sex marriage, along with Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay. On Wednesday, Ecuador became the latest South American country to join when its highest court approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling for the country. Additional reporting by AP. An American pastor who is also a police officer has prompted uproar by saying LGBT people should be put to death. Grayson Fritts told a congregation that he upheld the Bibles principles, and called other Baptist preachers weak and spineless for not doing the same. The detective ended his sermon at his church in Knoxville, Tennessee, by saying: Put homos to death. Mr Fritts, who is retiring early from Knox County police, has delivered weekly sermons as pastor at All Scripture Baptist Church for about two years. WVLT reported how his latest sermon was filled with hatred for gays and derogatory language. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Show all 13 1 /13 Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities ASOS x GLAAD ASOS and GLAAD - an organisation devoted to countering discrimination against the LGBT+ community - have launched their third exclusive collaboration for Pride 2019. The collection includes 50 pieces such as T-shirts, Co-ord sets and tote bags with 100 per cent of all net profits being donated to the LGBT+ charity. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Converse Converse honours the origins of Pride with this years collection of footwear and apparel, specifically, the 1969 Stonewall Riots. The capsule includes the Chuck Taylor and the Chuck 70 which are emblazoned with rainbow hues and a lightening bolt design. For 2019, proceeds from the Converse Pride Collection will support the brands longstanding local and global LGBTQ partners, including It Gets Better Project and OUT MetroWest. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities DKNY DKNY have launched a capsule collection celebrating Pride in partnership with NY based charity Hetrick-Martin Institute. The collection consists of clothing, accessories, footwear, eyewear, intimates, and jewellery, all with the pride flag incorporated into the design. A donation has been made by DKNY to HMI to support its pioneering mission and empowering results. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Pride Gin, 36 For 2019, Pride in London has launched Pride Gin: a crisp and refreshing tipple with an added bonus - each bottle sold helps keep Pride free for everyone to attend. Pride Gin will launch at Harvey Nichols and Gerrys Wine & Spirits on Old Compton Street for 36 from mid-June, as well as being available by the glass at various bars in Soho. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Harry's Shave with Pride Set, 28 Popular mens grooming company, Harrys, has launched a Shave With Pride set, which includes their signature razor customized with a unique iridescent handle. The set also includes three blade cartridges and a bottle of Harrys shave gel. The limited-edition set comes in an art-inspired box designed by Spanish illustrator, Jose Antonio Roda. Harrys says 100 per cent of profits from the sale of this set will go to The Trevor Project, which will help the non-profit group serve more than 80,000 LGBTQ youth in crisis this year. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Marc Jacobs, Enamoured (with Pride) Dazzling Gloss Lip Lacquer, 22 Marc Jacobs Beauty is adding six shades of Pride-themed lip gloss to its best-selling Enamored Lip Lacquer collection. Available in June, the lip gloss will be sold in limited-edition rainbow packaging and 10 per cent of sales will be donated to Sage, an organization that supports older members of the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Boohoo Online retailer Boohoo has launched the LoveWithoutLimits collection to celebrate Pride 2019. 10 per cent from each sale will be donated between two amazing pride charities - OutRight Action International & LGBT Foundation. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities House of Holland For 2019, House of Holland is celebrating Pride and supporting the work of the Albert Kennedy Trust - charity that serves the LGBT+ youth community in the UK. A fresh new suiting capsule of 3 piece satin tuxedos in the colours of the Transgender Pride Flag will launch alongside the brand's Resort 20 collection. The four colour-blocked suits include a fitted blazer with large scalloped lapel, fitted waistcoat and a flared tailored trouser. 25 per cent of the profit generated from the sales of the range will be donated to the AKT. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities H&M H&M continues its support of LGBT+ equality with a capsule collection for women, men and non-binary individuals. Featuring a range of slogan t-shirts, sportswear-inspired garments and fun accessories, 10 per cent of the sales price will be donated to the UN Free & Equal campaign. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Hunter is celebrating Pride by reimagining its Play boot with a rainbow sole and pull tab. The British boot brand has teamed up with five ambassadors on the launch including ShayShay, Tia Simon-Campbell, Jay Espinosa, Glyn Fussell and Lucy Fizz. Each of the partners has chosen a charity for the brand to donate proceeds to, such as The Outside Project, NAZ, Albert Kennedy Trust, MindOut and Mermaids. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Morphe Morphe has teamed up with The Trevor Project, a charity that helps fund 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis intervention services for LGBT+ youth. One-hundred percent of net proceeds from the Live in Color Artistry Palette (20) and the Live in Color Brush Set 7 Piece Eye Brush Collection (26) will be donated to the organisation. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities UGG Uggs new limited-edition capsule for Pride Month will benefit LGTBQ youths through the Born This Way Foundation, a crisis support and suicide prevention program. The Fluff Yeah Pride slides retail at 100 each with 25 per cent of the proceeds going to the Born This Way Foundation. Pride Month 2019: All the brands giving back to LGBT+ charities Ikea Ikea US has released a rainbow version of its classic blue bag for Pride 2019 to help raise money for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF). All proceeds from the bags will go directly to the HRCF. According to the channel, Mr Fritts said: Heres how it should work: it shouldnt work when we go out and we enforce the laws, because the Bible says the powers that be are ordained of God and God has instilled the power of civil government to send the police in 2019 out to these LGBT freaks and arrest them. Have a trial for them, and if they are convicted then they are to be put to death... do you understand that? Its a capital crime to be carried out by our government. He added: Just as much as God loves, God hates. Mr Fritts said he never called on people to commit violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Understand one of the laws of the US should be to put homos to death, prompting an Amen and nods of agreement from the congregation. In response to the sermon, the district attorney general announced a review of all cases involving the officer as a witness in case of bias. Charme Allen said: I find this speech personally offensive and reprehensible. When any potential witness in a criminal proceeding expresses an opinion of hatred and/or bias towards a class of citizens, I am ethically bound to explore that witness credibility. Knox County mayor Glenn Jacobs called the comments extremely vile and reprehensible and strongly condemned threats of or calls for violence. Someone left a note outside the church saying: Dear Pastor Fritts, I dont know what happened to you, but I am so sorry. Love, Thy Neighbor. The churchs website says: We believe that sodomy (homosexuality) is a sin that is against nature. Mr Fritts later defended himself, saying: I preach what the Bible says, and what the Bible says is not popular. Tom Spangler, Knox County Sheriff, said he would ensure equal protection to all citizens without discrimination. He said that two weeks before the sermon, Mr Fritts had asked for early retirement and was now on paid sick leave, WVLT reported. Ecuador has reportedly given the US military permission to use a Galapagos island as an airfield, angering critics in the South American country who say the agreement is unconstitutional. Under an apparent deal - denied by the US - with Ecuadors right-wing government, the Pentagon will use the tiny airport on San Cristobal island to fight drug trafficking, defence minister Oswaldo Jarrin said. A US air force Boeing 707 plane carrying radar surveillance and a Lockheed P-3 Orion plane will patrol the Pacific Ocean, using the Galapagos as a launching off point, Latin American TV network Telesur reported. But according to Ecuadors 2008 constitution, the establishment of foreign military bases or foreign installations for military purposes will not be allowed. It adds: It is prohibited to cede national military bases to foreign armed or security forces. World's most endangered animals Show all 17 1 /17 World's most endangered animals World's most endangered animals Amur Leopard Endemic to the far east of Russia, the Amur Leopard has a population of around 84 and is critically endangered. Here follows every species that the WWF lists as critically endangered. Getty World's most endangered animals Sumatran Elephant The Sumatran elephant population now stands at only 2400-2800 Getty World's most endangered animals Yangtze Finless Porpoise Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise has an estimated population of 1000-1800 Kenichi Nobusue World's most endangered animals South China Tiger When discovered in the 1950s, the South China tiger population was estimated to be 4000, by 1996 it was estimated to be only 30-80. Scientists consider the tiger to be "functionally extinct" as one has not been sighted for over 25 years World's most endangered animals Sumatran Orangutan The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613 Getty World's most endangered animals Western Lowland Gorilla Though it is the most populous of all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is still critically endangered and its population has declined by 60% in the last quarter century Getty World's most endangered animals Sumatran Rhinoceros The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the surviving rhinoceros species. Only 80 are known to be living today. The last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia died on 28 May 2019 Willem V Strien World's most endangered animals Sumatran Tiger There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left today. They are severely threatened by deforestation and poaching Getty World's most endangered animals Eastern Lowland Gorilla Half of the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in which these gorillas live has been destroyed the past 50 years. There were 17,000 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the 1990s but scientists estimate their population has declined by over 50% since then Getty World's most endangered animals Vaquita The world's rarest marine animal has a population of only 30. They were discovered in 1958 and are endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California Paula Olson / NOAA World's most endangered animals Javan Rhino The most threatened of all rhino species, there are only an estimated 58-68 Javan rhinos left Reuters World's most endangered animals Saola The saola was first sighted in 1992, being the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years. Scientists have only sighted saola in the wild four times and it is considered critically endangered World's most endangered animals Malayan Tiger The Malayan Tiger population now stands at only 250-300 Getty World's most endangered animals Hawksbill Turtle The population of the Hawksbill Turtle has declined by more than 80% in the last century. They are threatened by black market poachers who kill them for their shell Getty World's most endangered animals Black Rhino The population of the black rhino dropped by 98% in the years 1960-1995 due to poaching, it stands today at around 5000 Getty World's most endangered animals Cross River Gorilla The population of the Cross River gorilla has been damaged by deforestation and poaching, it now stands at 200-300 Julie Langford World's most endangered animals Bornean Orangutan The population of the Bornean orangutan has been reduced by over 50% in the past 60 years, now standing at around 104,700. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 50% in the 21st century Getty Mr Jarrin, attempting to reassure critics, said any costs associated with the agreement would be paid for by Washington and insisted it was not an American base since a base means permanence, there will be no permanence of anyone. "Galapagos is for Ecuador our aircraft carrier, it is our natural carrier, because it assures us permanence, replenishment, interception facilities and it is a thousand kilometres from our coasts, he said. But Rafael Correa, Ecuadors former democratic socialist president, hit back, tweeting the Galapagos was NOT an aircraft carrier for gringo use. It is an Ecuadorian province, patrimony of the humanity, patriotic ground," he said. "That his vassal soul can reach these extremes, describes very well the Government he represents. US Department of Defense spokesperson Chris Mitchell told The Independent: "While the US-Ecuador defence relationship continues to move in a positive direction, DoD has not signed an agreement with the Government of Ecuador to use the Galapagos airfield and is not in formal negotiations to do so. Carlos Viteri, an opposition congressman, said: "What is being proposed by the government through the Ministry of Defense is unacceptable and the fact that it intends to cede an inch of Ecuadorian territory should be prohibited." Giant tortoise believed extinct for 100 years discovered in Galapagos The Galapagos Islands, a Unesco world heritage site, have long been popular with travellers seeking out their unique ecosystems and unusual wildlife factors which also inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution more than 150 years ago. The US Department of Defense has been contacted for comment. In the latest tragic turn in the Marlen Ochoa-Lopez case, where a pregnant Chicago teenager was murdered and had her child cut from her womb, her son passed away on Friday. The child, Yovanny Jadiel Lopez, was in grave condition after the murder of his mother and was being treated in intensive care until his death, as reported by CNN. He suffered irrevocable brain damage, said family spokeswoman Julie Contreras. Theres no medicine, theres no pill that can fix that. Only a miracle. This was reinforced by the boys father, Yovani Lopez, and his lawyer Frank Avila, who said: He cant breathe on his own. He cant eat on his own. Theres tubes down his throat. The young boy had sustained brain injuries during his mothers murder. Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, 19, was lured to her death with the promise of free baby clothing and a stroller. Ochoa-Lopez had established contact with her alleged murderer, Clarisa Figueroa, 46, in an expectant mothers group on Facebook. Ms Figueroa had given her baby clothing in the past. However, Ms Figueroa allegedly had a much more sinister plot in establishing a relationship with Ochoa-Lopez. Prosecutors say that, with the help of her daughter Desiree, 24, Ms Figueroa had planned to murder Ms Ochoa-Lopez to steal her unborn child. Ms Figueroa had allegedly planned to raise the child as her own after the loss of her adult son. After allegedly cutting the child from Ms Ochoa-Lopezs womb, Ms Figueroa called 911 and claimed she had just delivered a baby who was not breathing. The child and Ms Figueroa were taken to hospital, although there was no medical indication that the 46-year-old had been pregnant. While in hospital, DNA tests proved that the young boy was the son of Yovanny Jadiel Lopez and had no relation to Ms Figueroa. 48 Hours In: Chicago Show all 2 1 /2 48 Hours In: Chicago 48 Hours In: Chicago chicago.getty.jpg Deep freeze: Chicagos snowy lakefront Getty Images 48 Hours In: Chicago 48hr.jpg The 48 Hours In... Chicago graphic Ms Ochoa-Lopez's body was eventually found by investigators in a trash can on Ms Figueroas property, three weeks after she was reported missing. Authorities also found burned clothing, the cable used to strangle the teen, and blood on the floor of the home. Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa have been indicted on murder charges. Piotr Bobak, Clarisa Figueroas boyfriend, has been indicted on charges of concealment of a homicide. Deaths from suicide, alcohol and drug overdose are at an all-time high in the US, new study reveals. The research was conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, a healthcare advocacy group, with the aim to assess all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 47 aspects of access to health care, quality of care, service use and costs of care, health outcomes, and income-based health care disparities. The data are from 2017 and are presented in its 2019 scorecard. While the numbers nationally are striking, different states have been affected at various degrees, and the past couple years have shown a higher increase than previous ones. Deaths from drug overdoses were at least five times higher in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Ohio, than numbers for alcohol-related mortality and about three times higher than suicide rates. The opioid epidemic has been notable for several years, yet the rates dont seem to be dropping significantly. Research found that drug overdose deaths more than doubled across the country between 2005 and 2017. West Virginia had the highest rates and a 450 per cent increase, according to the report. Australian Drugs Bust Show all 7 1 /7 Australian Drugs Bust Australian Drugs Bust Police operation that seized cocaine worth about 258 million US dollars in NSW and Tahiti, in Sydney. Fifteen men, allegedly part of an Australian criminal syndicate, have been arrested in connection to 500kg of cocaine in NSW and 600kg of cocaine about to be imported from Tahiti. The operation has been running for more than two and a half years but it ramped up during the Christmas period, the Australian Federal Police said in a statement EPA/Australian Police handout Australian Drugs Bust Seized shipment of around 1.1 tonnes of cocaine by the AFP, which they say has an estimated street value of around A$360 million (US$300 million) Australian Federal Police/Handout via REUTERS Australian Drugs Bust Seized shipment of around 1.1 tonnes of cocaine by the AFP, which they say has an estimated street value of around A$360 million (US$300 million) Australian Federal Police handout Australian Drugs Bust A suspect in handcuffs being led away by police during a police operation that seized cocaine worth about 258 million US dollars in NSW and Tahiti, in Sydney, Australia, Australian Federal Police handout Australian Drugs Bust Fifteen men, allegedly part of an Australian criminal syndicate, have been arrested in connection to 500kg of cocaine in NSW and 600kg of cocaine about to be imported from Tahiti. EPA/Australian Police handout Australian Drugs Bust A suspect in handcuffs being led away by police during a police operation that seized cocaine worth about 258 million US dollars in NSW and Tahiti, in Sydney, Australia Australian Federal Police handout Australian Drugs Bust Approximately 500 kilograms of cocaine were seized in NSW and a further 600 kilograms in Tahiti bound for Australia, with 15 men arrested who were allegedly involved in the ring. The drugs are estimated to have a market value of about 258 million US dollars EPA/Australian Police handout Two years ago, the department of health and human services, HHS, declared a public health emergency, and Tom Price, then the department secretary, announced a strategy for fighting the opioid crisis, saying this is not the time for sugarcoating facts or fussing over terminology. We have unimaginably lethal drugs, like fentanyl and carfentanil, pouring into our communities and instantly becoming best sellers because of their reputation for delivering a high so powerful that it can kill you with just one hit, he said. We must begin with a clear-eyed understanding of the problem of drug addiction and overdose in America today. Louella Fletcher-Michie at Bestival 2017 with Ceon Broughton before she took the drugs that led to her death Despite the announcement, at least 47,000 people die from opioids every year. Thats more than 130 deaths a day, according to HHS. On the other hand, states, including North and South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wyoming showed higher numbers of deaths from suicide and alcohol than from drugs. The study also found that death rates strongly correlate health care coverage. States that ranked lowest on the scorecard had the greatest number of uninsured residents. Although uninsured rates have dropped between 2013 and 2017, following the Affordable Care Acts coverage expansion. States that expanded Medicaid saw the largest reductions. Five of the 17 stages that havent expanded Medicaid had the highest number of residents without health coverage. The research also pointed out that health care costs along with premiums and deductibles are rising more rapidly than the U.S. median income. These are all driving factors of consumers, whether they will enrol in insurance or get health care. The lineup for the first 2020 Democratic debates has been set, with some high profile match-ups concentrated on one of the two nights as the nearly two dozen candidates compete for support. The debates will be held across two nights in Miami, with a total of 20 candidates in the mix. The lineup for each night was determined by lottery, and is not reflective of standing in the race. The first night, 26 June, will see Elizabeth Warren sharing the stage with other leading candidates Cory Booker, and Beto O'Rourke, alongside seven other candidates who are vying for a moment in the spotlight amid the crowded field. On the second, just a day later, we can expect some real fireworks when Joe Biden faces off with the other leading candidates: Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and Pete Buttigieg. Six other, lesser known, candidates will also share that stage. Here is a full list of the candidates for each night: Night 1: Ms Warren, Mr Booker, Mr O'Rourke, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Tim Ryan, Bill de Blasio, Jay Inslee. Night 2: Mr Biden, Mr Sanders, Ms Harris, Mr Buttigieg, Michael Bennet, Marianne Williamson, Eric Swalwell, Kirsten Gillibrand, Andrew Yang, John Hickenlooper. 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 2020 candidates qualified for the Democratic National Committee debates in a couple of ways: By receiving 65,000 individual contributions, or by receiving 1 per cent support in at least three polls acknowledged by the party. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events A handful of the candidates qualified on both accounts, including the front-runners like Mr Biden, Mr Sanders, Ms Warren, Mr Buttigieg, and Ms Harris. 2020 Democratic candidate Cory Booker has secured 12 co-sponsors for his reparations bill, which aims to explore the impact of slavery and racial discrimination on African Americans. The bill, known as HR 40 Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, will investigate the impact of the aforementioned factors and develop proposals for how to aptly repay descendants of slaves for long-term discrimination if signed into law. We cannot address the institutional racism and white supremacy that has economically oppressed African-Americans for generations without first fully documenting the extent of the harms of slavery and its painful legacy, said Mr Booker in a statement released to The Root. Its important that we right the wrongs of our nations most discriminatory policies, which halted the upward mobility of African-American communities. Im encouraged to see this legislation to study the issue gain support in Congress and the shared commitment my colleagues have in doing our part to repair the harm done to African-Americans. Recommended Trump administration staff who have left their roles The bills 12 co-sponsors include Senators Edward Markey, Richard Durbin, Mazie Horono, Christopher Coons, Bob Casey, Tammy Duckworth, and Chris Van Hollen, in addition to 2020 Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Amy Klobuchar. All of the co-sponsors are Democrats. 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 HR 40 is also supported by groups such as the NAACP, Al Sharptons National Action Network, and the United Church of Christ, among others. For centuries, Americas economic rise relied on treating millions of Black people as literal property, said senator Bernie Sanders. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events We have still not come to terms with the horrors of legalised slavery and its continuing impacts on our society. I am proud to co-sponsor the H.R. 40 Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act to finally bring the truth about slavery into the open." Joe Biden once said he did not believe abortion was a choice and a right, according to a recently unearthed interview from 2006. Mr Biden, who has received criticism for his abortion positions as he leads a crowded and progressive 2020 primary field, made the remarks during an interview with Texas Monthly, acknowledging his stance on abortions had proved difficult as a Democrat. Im a little bit of an odd man out in my party, Mr Biden said during that interview, which was uncovered on Thursday by CNN. He continued to note that he had voted against restrictions to abortion under Roe v Wade, but that he did not support public funding for abortions. Just last week, Mr Biden flipped his position on federal funding, and announced that he no longer supports the so-called Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion services. At the time of the interview in 2006, Mr Biden was running for president for the second time, and said that he recognised his stance would make things difficult for him. But, the Catholic politician continued to say he did not think of the procedure as a right. It's going to be very difficult, Mr Biden said. I do not view abortion as a choice and a right. I think it's always a tragedy, and I think that it should be rare and safe, and I think we should be focusing on how to limit the number of abortions. There ought to be able to have a common ground and consensus as to do that. Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Show all 15 1 /15 Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden watch Barack Obama's farewell speech on 11 January. Obama called Biden his 'brother' Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years US President Barack Obama speaks alongside US Vice President Joe Biden about the Affordable Care Act AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Obama listens to Joe Biden speak of his work on defeating cancer on 18 October in the White House Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama is applauded by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden while delivering his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. Vice President Joe Biden interjects as President Barack Obama delivers remarks at a reception for the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics at the White House in Washington REUTERS Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Obama and Vice President Joe Biden react after a heckler was removed for their extended interruption (Reuters) Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) as Vice President Joe Biden looks on Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack and Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden observing a moment of silence outside the White House to mark the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Barack Obama and Joe Biden putt on the White House putting green Getty Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama and Joe Biden in April 2013 AFP/Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years January 1, 2013: U.S. President Barack Obama winks as he arrives with Vice President Joe Biden (L) in the briefing room Reuters Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and others receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House May 1, 2011 in Washington, DC Getty Images Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Vice-President Joe Biden, right, confirmed that the US was looking at ways of taking legal action against Julian Assange - back in December 2010 GETTY IMAGES Joe Biden and Barack Obama through the years Joe Biden, left, and retired military officers watch President Barack Obama sign orders to close down the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in January 2009 GETTY IMAGES The issue has gained prominence in recent weeks after a series of states introduced and passed highly restrictive abortion legislation, with Alabama pushing forward with legislation that would essentially ban any abortions in the state. The laws appear to be aimed at getting abortion before the Supreme Court, with the goal of harnessing an increasingly conservative panel of judges there to overturn the landmark abortion ruling Roe v Wade, which essentially determined that abortion cannot be banned in the United States. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In the meantime, most 2020 candidates have spoken out forcefully on the issue, calling in some cases for a federal law that would protection abortion rights. Mr Bidens campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the 2006 video. The head of Americas election commission has issued a stern warning about illegal interference in the electoral process, a day after the president said he would likely accept damaging information about a rival from a foreign nation. Barely 24 hours after Donald Trump caused jaws to drop by saying he may not contact the FBI if approached by a foreign country with information that could help his 2020 reelection bid, the chair of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) said it was against the law to solicit, accept or receive anything of value from a foreign national in relation to an election. Posting a statement on Twitter, a statement she said she would not have thought I needed to say, Ellen Weintraub apparently responded to Mr Trump, without naming him. Let me make something 100 per cent clear to the American public and anyone running for public office, she wrote. It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a US election. 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 Ms Weintraub, who was appointed to the commission by George W Bush in 2002 and elected its chair for 2019, said the distaste of foreign interference in elections was not a novel concept for the country. Our Founding Fathers sounded the alarm about foreign interference, intrigue, and influence, she wrote. They knew that when foreign governments seek to influence American politics, it is always to advance their own interests, not Americas. In an interview with ABC News, part of which were broadcast on Wednesday, Mr Trump suggested he would accept dirt on an opponent offered by a foreign country. I think maybe you do both, he said, asked if he would call the FBI or accept any material. I think you might want to listen, there isnt anything wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] we have information on your opponent oh, I think Id want to hear it. Bill Maher believes that Donald Trump will refuse to leave even if he loses the 2020 election When it was pointed out that FBI director Christopher Wray said last month in congressional testimony his organisation would want to hear about any foreign election meddling, the president dismissed it. The FBI director is wrong, because frankly it doesnt happen like that in life, Mr Trump said. Now maybe it will start happening, maybe today youd think differently. He said he had seen a lot in his life but that he had never called the FBI. In my whole life. You dont call the FBI. You throw somebody out of your office, you do whatever you do, he said. Oh, give me a break life doesnt work that way. Mr Trumps interview sparked widespread outcry, and more demands from Democrats that he be impeached, a move House speaker Nancy Pelosi has so far resisted. On Thursday she told reporters Mr Trumps comments represented an assault on our democracy. Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks on Special Counsel Robert Muellers report into Russian interference in the 2016 election, disputing his own former White House counsels testimony in a new interview. Don McGahn, who previously served under Mr Trump before departing from the White House last year, may have been confused during his interview with the special counsel, the president told ABC News George Stephanopoulos. "The story on that very simply, No. 1, I was never going to fire Mueller, Mr Trump said in a portion of the interview released on Friday. I never suggested firing Mueller," he added. The president was directly contradicting key elements of Mr McGahns testimony, wherein he said Mr Trump had ordered him to instruct the acting attorney general to oust the special counsel. Mr Trump has long alleged Mr Mueller and his investigators had conflicts of interest that should have barred them from probing his suspected collusion with Russian operatives and possible obstruction of justice. Mueller investigation: The key figures Show all 12 1 /12 Mueller investigation: The key figures Mueller investigation: The key figures Robert Mueller is the special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, and potential obstruction of justice by the president. Mr Mueller has a pristine reputation in Washington, where he was previously in charge of the FBI. Throughout his investigation, he and his team have been notoriously tight lipped about what they know and where their investigation has led. REUTERS Mueller investigation: The key figures Former FBI director James Comey was the catalyst that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mr Comey was fired by the president after Mr Trump reportedly asked him to drop his own Russia investigation. Mr Trump has long maintained that the investigation is a "witch hunt". AFP/Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein had authority over the special counsel investigation for much of the two years it has been active. Mr Rosenstein found himself with that responsibility after then-attorney general Jeff Sessions recused himself from that oversight. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney general Jeff Sessions's decision to recuse himself from oversight of the special counsel investigation may have cost him his job in the end. Mr Sessions resigned last year, after weathering a contentious relationship with Donald Trump who vocally criticised his attorney general for taking a step back. Mr Sessions recused himself from the oversight citing longstanding Justice Department rules to not be involved in investigations overseeing campaigns that officials were apart of. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Attorney General William Barr is currently responsible for oversight of the special counsel investigation. Mr Barr's office will be the first to receive the Mueller report when it is finished. His office will then determine what portion or version of that report should be delivered to Congress, and also made public. EPA Mueller investigation: The key figures Michal Cohn is the president's former personal lawyer, who has been helping the special counsel investigation as a part of a plea deal over financial crimes, and campaign finance crimes, he has pleaded guilty to. Among those crimes, Cohen admitted to facilitating $130,000 in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has said he did so at the direction of Mr Trump. Cohen has also admitted that he maintained contacts with Russian officials about a potential Trump real estate project in Moscow for months longer than Mr Trump and others admitted. The talks continued well into 2016 during the campaign, he has said. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Stormy Daniels has alleged that she had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump gave birth to Baron Trump. The accusation is of particular importance as a result of the $130,000 hush money payment she received to keep quiet about the affair during the 2016 campaign. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort was charged alongside Rick Gates for a slew of financial crimes, and was convicted on several counts in a Virginia court. He then pleaded guilty to separate charges filed in a Washington court. Manafort has been sentenced to just 7.5 years in prison for his crimes in spite of recommendations from the special counsel's office for a much harsher sentence. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures George Papadopoulos was one of the first individuals associated with the Trump campaign to be charged by the Mueller probe. He ultimately received a 14 day prison sentence for lying to investigators about contacts he had with Russian officials. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Roger Stone is a well known political fixer and operative, who has made a name for himself for some dirty tactics. He has been charged by the Mueller probe earlier this year, and he has been said to have had prior knowledge that WikiLeaks planned on publishing stolen emails from the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. Getty Images Mueller investigation: The key figures Rick Gates was charged alongside former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for a range of crimes. Gates, who worked alongside Manafort for a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. The two were charged with conspiracy and financial crimes. Gates pleaded guilty. AP Mueller investigation: The key figures Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was one of the first casualties of the Russia scandal, and was forced out of his position in the White House weeks after Donald Trump took office. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to "willfully" making fraudulent statements about contacts he had with Russian officials including former Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then lied to Vice President Mike Pence about that contact. REUTERS The special counsels report listed at least 10 instances where the president possibly obstructed justice throughout the years-long investigation, but did not directly state he was guilty of committing a federal crime. Democratic lawmakers have said the facts are clearly laid out to indicate Mr Trump obstructed justice by ordering the firing of Mr Mueller, saying the special counsel was effectively leaving it up to Congress on whether to pursue action against the president. In the interview released on Friday, Mr Trump clearly becomes tense when discussing Mr McGahns testimony, at one point berating Mr Stephanopoulos over the line of questioning. Recommended Trump administration buckles and agrees to hand over Mueller evidence I don't care what [Mr McGahn] says, it doesn't matter," Mr Trump said. Mr Stephanopoulos pressed on, asking the president Why would [Mr McGahn] lie under oath?" "George, you're being a little wise guy, OK -- which is, you know, typical for you," Mr Trump eventually said as the journalist continued asking him about his possible obstruction of justice. Just so you understand. Very simple. It's very simple. There was no crime. There was no collusion. The big thing's collusion. Now, there's no collusion. That means they set it was a setup, in my opinion, and I think it's going to come out." Donald Trump amid massive outrage and a public scolding by election officials has reversed course and said he would report any information provided by a foreign country to the FBI. He insisted, however, he would have to read it to know whether it was bad. Following widespread criticism and dismay after the president said he would accept foreign-sourced information if it could help his 2020 reelection bid, he said he thought he had made clear he would inform the authorities. Of course, you have to look at itbut of course, you give it to the FBI or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that, Mr Trump said, during a live phone interview with Fox Newss Fox and Friends, one of his favourite shows. You couldnt have that happen with our country, and everybody understands that. He added: If I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated, Id report it to the attorney general, the FBI. Id report it to law enforcement, absolutely. Earlier this week, in an interview with ABC News, the president said he would accept damaging information about an opponent if it was provided by a foreign nation something in breach of election laws. 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 think you might want to listen, there isnt anything wrong with listening, he said. If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] we have information on your opponent oh, I think Id want to hear it. He added: If I thought there was something wrong, Id go maybe to the FBI if I thought there was something wrong. 'There's nothing wrong with listening' Donald Trump says he would accept dirt from foreigners about political opponents On Thursday, the chair of the Federal Election Commission issued a rare public rebuke, apparently in response to the presidents comments, although without naming him. Let me make something 100 per cent clear to the American public and anyone running for public office, Ellen Weintraub said on Twitter. It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a US election. Earlier this year, special counsel Robert Mueller, completed a two-year investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Mr Mueller probe found no evidence of a conspiracy between Moscow and the presidents team, although he detailed numerous interactions. On the question of obstruction of justice, Mr Mueller was unable to exonerate the president. Attorney general William Barr decided there was insufficient evidence to charge Mr Trump. Close Trump blames Iran over oil tanker attacks Donald Trump has insisted that Iran is responsible for an attack on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, after the Pentagon released night-vision footage of what it says is an Iranian navy boat retrieving an unexploded mine from the hull of one of the targets. Phoning in to Fox and Friends for an interview on his 73rd birthday, the president said: Iran did do it. You know they did it because you saw the boat. Meanwhile in an ABC interview, Mr Trump questioned the testimony given to the Mueller investigation by ex-White House counsel Don McGahn, saying the adviser may have been confused when he said under oath that his former employer instructed him to fire the special counsel. He also said Friday that "of course" he would go to the FBI or the attorney general if a foreign power offered him dirt about an opponent. It was an apparent walk back from his earlier comments that he might not contact law enforcement in such a situation. 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 Mr Trump, in an interview Friday with "Fox & Friends," said he would look at the information in order to determine whether or not it was "incorrect." But he added that, "of course you give it to the FBI or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that." Recommended Japanese tanker owner contradicts US on Gulf of Oman attack Earlier in the week, Mr Trump had told ABC News that he would consider accepting information from an outside nation and might not contact law enforcement. His assertion that he would be open to accepting a foreign power's help in his 2020 campaign had ricocheted through Washington, with Democrats condemning it as a call for further election interference and Republicans struggling to defend his comments. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The Associated Press contributed to this report. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load Donald Trump has praised his warrior of a press secretary, as the search begins for a replacement to Sarah Sanders. The president announced this week that Ms Sanders, a combative spokesperson who declined to deny Mr Trumps claim the media was the enemy of the people, would be stepping down at the end of the month. Almost as soon as it was announced Ms Sanders, 36, would be leaving, speculation turned to who would replace her, in what has traditionally been one of the highest-profile jobs in the administration. There was also speculation, partly encouraged by Mr Trump, that Ms Sanders would seek to become governor of her home state of Arkansas. On Friday, Mr Trump was asked about possible replacements. I know a lot of people that want it and theyre a lot of great people and sometimes you have so many that it makes it more difficult, he said, praising Ms Sanders as a warrior. 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 He was asked about first lady Melania Trumps spokesperson Stephanie Grisham, and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who asked to be referred to by his nickname The Mooch, who recently said he would not turn the job down if he were to be offered it again. Well, I like Anthony and hes been very nice and all, but I think he should stay where he is right now, Mr Trump said. But Anthony really is a good guy, Stephanie is terrific. We have a lot of great people, we have a lot of good people to choose from. Ms Grisham has been part of the Trump communications operation since the presidential campaign began, one of just a handful of his original team, which also includes Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway. Trump press aide Sarah Sanders must be fired after admitting she made false claims, says White House reporter April Ryan Reuters said according to a confidant of the president, Mr Trump has four leading candidates under consideration. In addition to Ms Grisham, these were deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley, former state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, and outgoing treasury department spokesman Tony Sayegh. Ms Gidley, a long-time Republican operative, is currently Ms Sanders principal deputy. Ms Nauert has been talked about in the past as a candidate for the press secretary position. She had been a potential pick for the position of US ambassador to the United Nations when Nikki Haley stepped down, but withdrew from consideration. Mr Sayegh has been the well-regarded spokesman for treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and has been talked about in the past for a White House communications position, Reuters said. Mr Trump told Fox News: Sometimes you have so many that it makes it more difficult. But we have some great But Sarah was fantastic, and she is fantastic. Shes going to have a tremendous future.She has been a warrior, in a sense. A visit by the UNs counterterrorism chief to Chinas western Xinjiang region has sparked outrage from human rights groups who say it legitimises Beijings treatment of more than one million Uighur Muslims detained there. Beijing has long argued that its use of detention centres in the region is justified in order to help stamp out extremism and give people new skills. But the complexes have seen China condemned internationally, with accusations of widespread abuses, disappearances and arbitrary detentions targeting the Muslim community. The UNs high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, requested permission to visit Xinjiang and assess the situation in December. On Thursday, Chinas envoy to the UN in Geneva said they were yet to define a time which is convenient to both sides. Yet it seems a convenient time was found for a trip by Vladimir Voronkov, a former Russian diplomat and the UNs undersecretary general for counterterrorism. His visit, first reported by Foreign Policy magazine and later confirmed by a UN spokesperson, sees him become the highest-level UN official to visit the restive region. Details of Mr Voronkovs itinerary were not immediately revealed, but UN spokesperson Farhan Haq did issue a statement saying the UNs counterterrorism office always worked to ensure that measures used to fight terror respected human rights. Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, told Foreign Policy that Mr Voronkovs visit was handing China a propaganda victory. The UN allowing its counterterrorism chief to go to Xinjiang risks confirming Chinas false narrative that this is a counterterrorism issue, not a question of massive human rights abuses, he said. And Prince Zeid Raad Al Hussein of Jordan, the former UN human rights commissioner who clashed with China on a number of occasions, said a simple government-controlled visit to Xinjiang would be quite useless, rais[ing] dramatically the possibility of staging and whitewash. The UN formally raised concerns over the human rights situation in Xinjiang during a visit by secretary general Antonio Guterres to China in May. At the request of some western countries, he told Chinas prime minister that rights in Xinjiang must be respected. China insisted on Thursday that an invitation to rights chief Ms Bachelet is always there, with envoy Chen Xu praising her approach of dialogue and cooperation and contrasting it to that of her predecessor Prince Zeid. We hope to see the high commissioner pay a visit to China including a trip to Xinjiang to see by herself ... Seeing is believing, Mr Chen told a news conference. The Spanish supreme court has blocked a Catalan separatist MEP elected last month from taking his seat in the European Parliament. Oriol Junqueras is one of a number of Catalan politicians in jail for his role in Catalonia's 2017 unilateral declaration of independence. The politician, from the left-wing ERC party, will not be given leave of absence from prison to attend a swearing-in ceremony in Madrid where he would pledge to uphold Spain's constitution. The court ruled that were Mr Junqueras to swear the oath the Spanish state would be "obliged" to let him travel abroad to take possession of his European Parliament seat on 2 July in Strasbourg. But it argued that the former deputy leader of the Catalan regional government is a flight risk and should therefore remain in custody. Mr Junqueras and his comrades face years in prison and a ban on public office if they are convicted of charges including rebellion. Some of the politicians who organised the independence referendum and subsequence declaration of independence, such as the region's former leader Carles Puigdemont, fled the country and are remaining in Belgium. Mr Puigdemont and another politician wanted by authorities, Toni Comin, also stood in the European elections and were elected. But if they attend the swearing-in ceremony in Madrid, they would face arrest. In Friday's ruling, the supreme court said that if Mr Junqueras was allowed to travel outside Spain to attend the parliamentary session it would mean "the loss of judicial control". It added that Brussels, one of the parliament's seats, "is the place where one of fugitives from justice says that he has established the seat of the Catalan Republic's government in exile". Catalonia has a large presence in Brussels and it is from the EU's capital that Mr Puigdemont has launched a campaign to drum up international support for the cause of independence. Iran's military is "almost certainly" responsible for the apparent attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the UK government has claimed. Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government had come to the conclusion after its own assessment of Thursdays incident. He said in a statement on Friday: I condemn yesterdays attacks on two vessels in the Gulf of Oman. These latest attacks build on a pattern of destabilising Iranian behaviour and pose a serious danger to the region. In targeting civilian shipping, international norms have been violated. It is essential that tankers and crews are able to pass through international waters safely. Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Show all 17 1 /17 Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, their surface-to-air missile is seen as it shoots down a US surveillance drone EPA Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures This photo shows US RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned surveillance drone. A drone of this model was shot down by Iran on Thursday 21 June AFP/Getty Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures An oil tanker is on fire after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13. The US has blamed Iran for the attack Reuters Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, debris from the downed US drone is seen after it was recovered from Iranian waters AFP/Getty Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13 Reuters Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures US President Trump holds up a signed executive order to increase sanctions on Iran on 24 June AP Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Iranian President Rouhani stated in a televised address that the White House is "afflicted by mental retardation" following the increase in sanctions on 25 June EPA Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures An Iranian navy boat tackles the fire on the Norwegian owned Front Altair oil tanker after it was hit in a suspected attack AFP/Getty Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, debris from the downed US drone is seen after it was recovered from Iranian waters AFP/Getty Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13 Reuters Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures A screenshot from a video released by the US Department of Defense that the US claims to show Iranian removing an unexploded limpet mine form the hull of the Japan-owned ship that was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 13 Getty Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures An item reportedly found on the Japan-owned oil tanker that was attacked on June 13 in the Gulf of Oman AFP/Getty Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures A handout photograph from the US Department of Defense shows a composite material that the US claim was left behind on the hull of the Japan-owned oil tanker following the removal of an unexploded limpet mine Getty Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures A view from the cabin of an Iranian navy boat as it tackles the fire on the Norwegian owned Front Altair oil tanker after it was hit in a suspected attack EPA Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Release by US government A picture released by U.S. Central Command shows damage to the hull of the oil tanker Kokuka Courageous. The picture suggests that the ship is 'likely' to have been hit by a mine as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moves to blame Iran for the suspected attack Reuters Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13 Reuters Tensions high as Trump approves new Iran sanctions: In pictures Release by US government A picture released by U.S. Central Command shows damage to the hull of the oil tanker Kokuka Courageous. The pictures suggests that the ship is 'likely' to have been hit by a mine as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moves to blame Iran for the suspected attack EPA Mr Hunt called on Iran to urgently cease all forms of destabilising activity. The Iranian mission to the United Nations dismissed US claims that it was behind the attacks earlier on Friday. It said in a statement: Iran categorically rejects the US unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents, and condemns it in the strongest possible terms. Dozens of crew members had to be rescued after the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous were evacuated near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Images shared by Iranian media showed the super tankers ablaze in the sea. The US sent two guided missile destroyers, USS Mason and USS Bainbridge, to the scene of the attacks to protect the vessels. An Iranian tugboat was reportedly waved off by USS Bainbridge when it attempted to tow Kokuka Courageous. The owner of the Japanese tanker claimed US reports of the attacks provided false information about what happened. The ship operator said flying objects that may have been bullets were the cause of damage to the vessel, rather than mines used by Iranian forces, as the US has suggested. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Yutaka Katada said the damage could not have been caused by mines or torpedoes that are shot underwater, since the damage was reportedly above the ships waterline. It seems that something flew towards them. That created the hole, is the report Ive received, Mr Katada told a press conference in Tokyo on Friday, the Financial Times reported. Mr Katada also described reports of a mine attack as false according to several outlets in attendance at the press conference. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said it was important to find out the truth about what happened and called for an independent investigation into the suspected attacks. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said Japan adamantly condemns the attack, no matter who attacked. Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry warned against rushing to assign blame until the completion of a thorough and unbiased international probe. Just a half an hour drive north of Jerusalem, atop a rocked-rippled hill in the West Bank, a battle with the European Court of Justice is under way. Lush vines line the forehead of Jabel al-Taweel, or tall mountain, overlooking the Palestinian towns of al-Bireh and Ramallah. At its tip is a clutch of red-roofed houses surrounded by lands fat with fig trees and grapes that come to an abrupt halt with a snarl of barbed wire. This is Psagot, an Israeli settlement, which like all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, is illegal under international law (a point Israel disputes). Since the mid-1990s it has also been home to a winery that now produces highly rated Israeli wine from vineyards built on stolen private Palestinian land. The serenity of the area belies the international legal fight here, which is centred around wine bottle labels and has travelled from the Conseil dEtat in Paris to the supreme court of the European Union (EU) in Luxembourg The fight came to a head on Thursday and, according to both Palestinians and Israeli observers, is part of a bigger story of the steady collapse of a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yaakov Berg, the wealthy Israeli owner of the Psagot winery, wants to cancel a 2015-imposed EU regulation that requires member states to specifically label products as coming from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, rather than Israel proper. Mr Berg, who moved here from Russia when he was three years old, likens the labels to the yellow patches Jewish people were made to wear by the Nazis. He argues that it is discriminatory against Israel, politicised and designed to encourage a boycott of his produce, and so a boycott of his country, although neither the EU nor the United Nations recognise Israeli settlements within the West Bank as being part of Israel. Together with the US-based Lawfare Project, he first raised the case in Paris, where it was referred to Europes top court. On Thursday the courts Advocate-General issued his opinion ahead of a final ruling. When you say West Bank: Israeli settlement its a political definition it has nothing to do with geography, he tells The Independent from a glass-walled room in his winery that overlooks hundreds of oak wine barrels. He cited biblical texts as a reason why. Recommended US ambassador condemned for saying Israel has right to annex West Bank In all the maps of the world, for 3,000 years it has been written that here [the West Bank] is Israel, everyone knows where Israel is. The winery could face financial troubles if the labelling impacts purchasing habits of people who may not want to buy from settlements. Israels economy ministry estimated at the time the new regulation was introduced, it would cost producers around $50m (40m) a year, affecting fresh goods such as grapes and dates, wine, poultry, honey, olive oil and cosmetics. That is around a fifth of the $200-$300m worth of goods produced in settlements each year: a tiny drop of the $30bn of goods and services Israel exports to the EU annually. For Mr Berg, 70 per cent of the 400,000 bottles his winery produces every year are exported, and Europe is one of his largest markets. The labelling is worse than wearing the yellow star [in Nazi Germany] which just says, this is a Jew, Mr Berg continues. It is like a cigarette warning, [saying] it is dangerous to your health. Despite the pressure, on Thursday Advocate-General Gerard Hogan did not mince his words. He recommended that the EU keep the regulation, saying the settlements are a manifest breach of international law. A violation of that, he continued, constitutes the kind of ethical consideration which the EU legislature acknowledged as legitimate in the context of requiring country of origin information. In short, the labels should stay, he concluded. Though unlikely, the court could choose to ignore this opinion and cancel the labelling requirements in a ruling due this autumn. If it did this, it would mean the EU greenlights the right of Israel to loot land in the West Bank, warns Dror Etkes, an Israeli researcher who has spent two decades monitoring the Israeli settlement enterprise and heads up watchdog Kerem Navot. The battle of wine bottle labels and even Psagot winery itself, he says, tells a larger story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a time when many fear further encroachment on Palestinian territory. In just two weeks, Washington is expected to unfurl Donald Trumps long-awaited peace plan for the region, that already been rejected by the Palestinian leadership on the grounds it will likely be too pro-Israel. The Palestinians cut diplomatic ties with the States when the US president recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israels capital last year. The lines in red show the parcels of Palestinian-owned land, many of which now lie under Psagot vineyard in the settlement, which lie east of the area marked in blue (Dror Etkes) In March Mr Trump recognised the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria in 1967, sparking concerns he may do the same for areas within the West Bank. A few days ago, David Friedman, the Trump-appointed ambassador to Israel, said in an interview he believed that Israel had the right to annex portions of the West Bank, worrying Palestinians further. Like other Trump officials, Mr Friedman has implied that there should be continued Israeli military presence in the West Bank. We are scared of annexation. No single person is not afraid Kaanat Quran, Palestinian land owner Palestinians see this as confirmation that the US has no interest in supporting the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state but would rather advocate officially handing over more land. Amit Gilutz of Israeli rights group BTselem says that Israel already uses the vast majority of the resources in the West Bank often fertile land needed for the development of a viable Palestinian economy for its own use, at the direct expense of the Palestinians. This week the rights group released a new interactive project, Conquer and Divide, illustrating Israels encroachment on Palestinian space shattering land into small, isolated units, and keeping Palestinians apart from one another and from Israelis. Mr Etkes says one of the main patterns of this trend over the last 15 years was agricultural land grabs by settlers and the state, like Psagot. The vineyards of Israeli Psagot winery that belong to the Quran Palestinian family (Bel Trew) Since 2004, nearly 1000 hectares of privately owned Palestinian land has been seized by the settlers for agricultural purposes, according to Mr Etkess own calculations based off decades of research and freedom of information requests from the authorities. Of that nearly a quarter, just over 220 hectares, have been converted into vineyards like Psagot. This is especially happening in hill country where religious hardcore radical settlements like Psagot are located, he tells The Independent. Its an attempt to take more land and to create sources of livelihood for settlers. Psagot is one of a few dozen settlements which specialise in private land grab for use of mainly vineyards, he adds. Back in the countryside surrounding the vineyard, the Palestinians who own that land, say every grab is a double loss. They are not only stealing our land but because we are forbidden to use it, it makes us less capable of providing for ourselves, says Kaanat Quran, 52, who owns the plot of land Mr Bergs family home and first vineyard now sits on. We used to live off the products of the land growing olives, figs, cereals, lentils. Now we are forced to purchase from outside, she adds. She says it dimmed hopes of Palestinian statehood:Of course we are scared of annexation. No single person is not afraid. Psagot wines on display at the winery which hosts tours for visitors to the settlement (Bel Trew) To Kaanat and her cousin Karima, 50, who jointly inherited the 2.5 hectares on Jabal al-Taweel from their grandfather, the Psagot vineyards are known better to them as five-digit registry numbers. They say they started to lose access to their fields in the area in the late 1990s as the settlers violently expanded their vineyards. They were finally sealed out when the Israeli military built a security fence enclosing the land in 2003 in the middle of the Second Intifada. Although Mr Berg denies this to The Independent, Psagots first batch of vines, his own house and swimming pool appears to lie on a quarter of a hectare of Quran land, known as Parcel 233, block 17. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli security unit which oversees civilian issues between Israel and the Palestinians, declined to comment about this on the record. The latest Center Parcs village, and the first in Ireland, is set to open on Monday 29 July 2019 with prices for the launch week already soaring to over 200 a day. Longford Forest, as the location is known, is almost in the centre of the island of Ireland, northeast of the town of Athlone and 75 miles west of Dublin. Belfast is 130 miles away. The project is the sixth in the portfolio of Center Parcs UK, which is owned by the giant private equity firm, Blackstone. Construction of its first Republic of Ireland property has cost 233m (208m). The village has almost 500 properties, with 30 of them apartments and the remainder self-catering lodges. At the heart of the Center Parcs concept is the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. As in other locations, the water is heated to a steady 29.5C year-round. It is claimed to be Irelands largest indoor water park. Places you won't believe are in England Show all 12 1 /12 Places you won't believe are in England Places you won't believe are in England Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall the Minack Theatre could have been hewn by ancient civilisations but in reality was built by a local theatre-loving woman, Rowena Cade, in the 1930s. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Pedn Vounder Beach, Cornwall This sweeping beach with its turquoise water and white sand could be a Greek or Caribbean island, but is actually at the very tip of Cornwall. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Cheddar Gorge, Somerset Cheddar Gorge is a natural rock formation in the Mendip Hills and is Britains highest inland limestone cliffs, rising 450ft. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Rathfinny Wines, Alfriston, Sussex Sussex is perhaps not the first place you would associate with wine production, but this vineyard in the South Downs produces exemplary English sparkling wines thanks to a lucky combination of chalk soil, temperate climate and south facing slopes. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Wastwater, Lake District, Cumbria This spectacular lake is half a mile wide and 260 feet deep, the deepest of all the lakes in the area. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England St Ives harbour, Cornwall Although this may look somewhere in the Mediterranean, it's actually in Cornwall's artistic hub, St Ives. Getty Places you won't believe are in England The Roman Baths, Bath, Somerset Set alongside a temple dedicated to the healing goddess Sulis-Minerva, the baths now form one of the world's best-preserved ancient Roman spas, and are encircled by beautiful 18th- and 19th-century buildings. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England The Painted Hall, Greenwich, London The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich reopened in March after a two year conservation project to bring its magnificent ceiling back to life. The room has been referred to as the Sistine Chapel of the UK. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Lavender fields, Gloucestershire It might look like the rolling hills of Provence, but these lavender fields are actually in Gloucestershire. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Bowfell mountain, Lake District, Cumbria A casual observer could mistake the snowy peaks of Bowfell mountain for somewhere in the Alps. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Cliftonwood, Bristol, North Somerset Just outside the centre of Bristol is Cliftonwood, an up-market enclave where many of the houses are painted in bright colours. Visit Britain Places you won't believe are in England Royal Pavilion, Brighton, Sussex This building wouldnt look out of place in India, but was actually built as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, in the late 18th and early 19th century. Visit Britain The opening date has moved progressively earlier. It was originally announced to be November 2019, then bookings opened for stays starting on 23 August. With an extra three-and-a-half weeks of prime summer holiday to sell, the firm is likely to secure an instant windfall. Test bookings made by The Independent for a family of four found the lowest price for a week starting on opening day, 29 July, to be 1,579 (1,407). The rate of 201 per day buys the most basic two-bedroom Woodland Lodge. Recommended A week in Spain costs less than a weekend at Center Parcs over Easter The top-end property, a four-bedroom Exclusive Lodge with an outdoor spa area, costs 5,353 which works out as almost 700 per day. Anyone who can take a four-day midweek break in November, meanwhile, will pay only 399, or the equivalent of 89 per day. In addition, most activities cost extra. They range from an Aerial Adventure, including trees, ropes and a 185-yard zipwire, to Bollywood dancing lessons. But compared with the Sherwood Forest site, a family of four staying in the basic lodge will save almost 500 by going to Ireland for the week beginning 29 July Access from the UK is easiest by car from Dublin port or airport. Discounts of 25 per cent are available for British visitors to Center Parcs on Irish Ferries from Holyhead in northwest Wales. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The new Center Parcs location is only 20 miles west of the home of Michael OLeary, chief executive of Ryanair, but the budget airline is not offering any cut-price deals to customers. The Center Parcs concept was created in the Netherlands more than 50 years ago, as a way for city dwellers to experience the countryside. It arrived in the UK in 1987, with the opening of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. The Rank Organisation tried to compete by opening a site in Cumbria, but it was soon sold to Center Parcs and now trades as the Whinfell Forest site. Two weeks ago, I found out that Id had a miscarriage a missed or silent miscarriage to be specific. It means that the pregnancy had stopped developing but that my body hadnt realised. I was still having morning sickness, still declining glasses of wine, blithely unaware that my baby had died. See, right there, in the previous line. Ive called it a baby. I have referred to a very early-stage pregnancy as a baby. Which is exactly the kind of inaccurate language that is used by the anti-abortion lobby. And therein lies the problem. Being pregnant caused me to abandon the carefully selected language that I as a staunch pro-choice believer and campaigner had always chosen to use. Before I was pregnant, it was always foetus and never baby. I understood that a heartbeat wasnt a heartbeat, but activity around the fetal pole dubbed a heartbeat to create a more emotionally appealing narrative. But in my joy, swept away by the concept of becoming a mother, I abandoned all of my carefully regulated language in favour of calling it the baby or him (I was convinced that it would have been a boy). Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Show all 7 1 /7 Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Derry Girls cast members Siobhan McSweeney and Nicola Coughlan (right) join MPS and women impacted by Northern Ireland's strict abortion laws PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Heidi Allen (second right) joins the protest PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster A luggage tag on a suitcase, symbolising the women who travel from Northern Ireland to England for terminations PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster The campaigners march across Westminster Bridge PA Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Counter-protesters Rebecca Morgan (left) and her daughter Helen, one, demonstrate in favour of Northern Ireland's current laws Getty Images Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Protesters supporting Northern Ireland's abortion laws at Parliament Square Getty Images Northern Ireland abortion protest in Westminster Demonstrators pull suitcases to symbolise the women who travel from Northern Ireland to England for a termination AFP/Getty Images During the scan where we found out that I had miscarried, the doctor told us that the pregnancy had stopped developing at six weeks and one day. Which just so happens to be the exact date that abortion reform in Georgia now uses as a cut-off for abortion. Even lying on the table wearing a sheet as a skirt and with a probe in my vagina, that was the first thing I thought. How many times had I retweeted a comment saying, Its not a baby at six weeks! How often had I referred to a six-week-old pregnancy as a late period or a clump of cells? And then I lost one of those clumps of cells, and it was devastating. To me, and to my husband, it was a baby. Not technically, but emotionally. We had already talked about names, thought about primary schools and argued about whether they should support England or Wales in rugby. I try to be consistent in my beliefs, for my own sanity if nothing else. So I cant lie, its hard to reconcile these two conflicting ideas: that I lost my baby; but that other women, if they want to, should feel no concern in aborting theirs. In the end, all that I can tell myself is this: a wanted pregnancy is different from an unwanted one. When you want a pregnancy, you mentally transform the embryo or foetus inside you into a person. You imbue them with all sorts of imagined characteristics and elevate them from the potential to life to a complete and fully formed human being. For the most part, when you dont want to be pregnant, you dont do that. Its a pregnancy, not a person. Its hard to accept that most of what made my embryo a baby came from inside my own head. But its true. And it doesnt make my loss any more painful or profound. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Since my miscarriage Ive encountered people who assume that I will now view abortion differently, as if my loss would transform my world view overnight. Often the assumption seems to be that having lost a pregnancy I would resent those who chose to end theirs. That couldnt be further from the truth. Another womans choice to end a pregnancy has no bearing on my own ability to go full term. I dont suddenly view women who have abortions as selfish or ungrateful for rejecting something I want. I see them as brave, pragmatic people making the choice that is right for them. Miscarriage is horrific. Its frightening, panic inducing and surprising painful. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. But it has not changed my views on the essential nature of safe, accessible abortion for all women. Which is lucky, I suppose. Ive already lost something that I valued deeply, I cant to say goodbye to my longest and deepest held beliefs as well. The continued growth of jobs in the UK, albeit at a slower pace, is one of the brighter spots in an otherwise questionable economic landscape. How long it goes on well, lets see... for there are certainly headwinds ahead. But lets step back a moment and see it not so much in the context of this economic cycle or indeed the disruption of Brexit. Lets instead think about the medium and longer terms, and the ways in which the trends of the UK employment market fit into the current set of figures The reason for wanting to think about the long term is that while the size of the UK workforce is expected to continue growing over the next 20 years, unlike that of the eurozone, it will still shrink as a proportion of the total population. We are becoming an older society, but more slowly than the rest of Europe and much more slowly than Japan. The most extreme characterisation of this greying of Europe that I have found is that of the Robert Schuman Foundation, a European research centre created in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It talks in terms of demographic suicide, which is harsh indeed. Whether or not you accept that conclusion, and it is important to remember there are differences within Europe, there is no doubt the continent faces a challenge. One of the ways of meeting that will be to encourage higher participation rates of people of conventional working age, and to encourage people beyond working age to remain in some form of employment. You know its a big day in Westminster because the same old faces come shuffling up the same old corridor and into an oak-panelled room into which only they may go to decide your future for you. The country is choosing a new prime minister. It will be the third of the last four that has been chosen without troubling the nation with the question of whether or not it would like to vote for them. When the current prime minister came shuffling down the corridor, she was asked by a journalist who she would be voting for to succeed her. Thats none of your business, she replied. She, who appointed all her potential successors to her cabinet, knows their strengths and weaknesses. But her opinion is something the public do not get to know. Not that they need to. They wont be voting. Quaint, isnt it. Id say it was like a corrupt African dictatorship, but a corrupt African dictator might well sue for libel. Still, none of us had to wait long to find out the inevitable. After theyd shuffled in and out again, theyd all done as expected. Prime minister Johnson. Its only a matter of time. Recommended Battle for second place after Boris Johnson takes lead The Tory party cannot face up to the truth of what its done, so its sending for the biggest liar of them all. Can you blame them? Theresa May was unable to escape reality, so they destroyed her. Johnson cant do it either, but he says he can, and that will certainly do for now. These are the people deciding your future, so its certainly worth pausing to think that they consider themselves so untrustworthy that Johnsons aides were demanding photos of the ballot papers inside the polling booths, to prove they had voted done as they said they would and voted for Johnson. Its hard to know whats worse. Boris Johnson telling you to jump off a cliff and you doing it. Or the actual belief that theres going to be a junior ministerial job at the bottom of it. These are not normal times but the strategy is easy enough to understand. Brexit has so radicalised the nation that elections arent won from the centre anymore. The Tories have driven their own people to the Faragist fringes, from where they must be reclaimed or face oblivion. They have flooded the streets with crack, and have now decided the only way to sort it out is to send in the biggest, baddest crack dealer of them all. Hes got no answers, no clue, nothing to offer on the tragic waste of it all. But he has got a hell of a lot of crack so get him in there quick; 114 of them voted for him, his presence in the final round now all but a certainty. The lying, the cheating, the staggering incompetence, none of it matters. Not now. Still, if it feels like theres something not quite right about the process, about the people not having any say whatsoever, it may well be that the MPs wont either, in the end. Boris Johnson still refuses to rule out shutting down parliament altogether, to prevent it legislating to stop a no-deal exit. As he waited for the results, and his shock passage into the next round, Rory Stewart was on hand to tell the television cameras that if Boris Johnson tries to do that, he will set up his own rival parliament over the road and bring Boris Johnson down. That is, erm, kind of how civil wars start lads. It is tempting to wonder whether therell be anyone out there willing to fight and die to save the Tory party face, until you remember how often its happened before. Now we wait and see who clubs together, who folds in with who, before the next session of corridor shuffling on Tuesday. In the meantime, the inconvenient truth, that there is currently no solution to the Brexit crisis, stubbornly refuses to go away. And it will be the one truth Prime Minister Johnson wont be able to lie his way out of. Pictures of Daniel Ezzedine show him to be a fresh-faced 17-year-old with a warm cheerful smile. His parents are Lebanese but he was brought up in Germany where he had just left school. His teachers brought him to celebrate his graduation on a trip to Canterbury, where he was assaulted and beaten half to death by a gang of youths in what local people are convinced was a racist attack. It took place at 6pm on 6 June in Rose Lane in the centre of the city about 250 yards from Canterbury Cathedral. Daniel received a merciless beating from his numerous attackers, which left him close to death. Rushed to hospital in London by helicopter, he is still in a coma and doctors initially gave him only a 30 per cent chance of surviving. Seven people were arrested six of them teenagers but none have been charged. The family had difficulty at first in getting visas to enter Britain to see their son because they are not German citizens, though they have lived in Germany for 30 years. I pray and ask Allah for mercy and that you will soon be on your legs again my little brother, wrote Bassam, one of Daniels five brothers. You dont deserve the dead! I live in Canterbury and often pass the spot near Tesco, Marks and Spencer and HSBC where Daniel was set upon. Details of what happened are sparse because the police are not saying what they know and Daniel remains in a coma. But it is telling that the gang chose a Lebanese Muslim to target out of all the passers-by in this well-frequented part of Canterbury. The attack took place close to a pretty little park called Dane John, which in recent years has become a notorious haunt for gangs selling drugs. I asked one young man if he walked through the park at night. I do not like to walk through it in day time, he replied. He said that gangs there are often looking for victims and might easily target a Muslim or anybody different from themselves. A well-attended march against racism took place through the city on Wednesday. Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Show all 14 1 /14 Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election Independent candidate Bobby Elmo Smith watches the by-election count on June 07, 2019 in Peterborough, England. Brexit Party candidate Mike Greene is looking to become the Brexit Partys first MP to Westminster in the Peterborough by-election, which was triggered following the removal of former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya by a recall petition. Getty Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 2 Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage in Newborough in Peterborough prior to votes being counted in the Peterborough by-election. PA Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 3 Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 4 Votes are counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 5 Votes are counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 6 Votes are counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 7 Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 8 Lisa Forbes of the Labour Party accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 9 Labour Party faithful cheer as Lisa Forbes accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 10 Labour Party faithful cheer as Lisa Forbes accepts her win for the local seat after all votes are in and counted at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 11 Alan "Howling Laud" Hope of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (L) and party faithful arrive at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 12 Alan "Howling Laud" Hope of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (C) and party faithful arrive at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 13 Mike Greene (C) of the Brexit Party confers with party members at the Kingsgate Conference Centre in Peterborough, England on June 6, 2019. - A local by-election was triggered when Peterborough's former MP Fiona Onasanya was sacked by her constituents in the first successful re-call petition prompting a by-election. AFP/Getty Images Peterborough by-election: Brexit Party loses out to Labour Peterborough By Election 14 By-election votes are counted at the KingsGate Centre in Peterborough. REUTERS The fate of Daniel Ezzedine is evidence that Britain is becoming a more racist country since the Brexit referendum. Pro-Brexit politicians like Michael Gove deny this, but a poll by Opinium found that overt ethnic abuse and discrimination reported by ethnic minorities has risen from 64 per cent at the beginning of 2016 to 76 per cent today. But this understates the change for the worse that we are seeing. The Brexit vote promoted English national identity and questions about who is and who is not English increasingly distinguished from being British to the top of the political agenda, and this is not going away. One can see this in Canterbury, normally a liberally-minded and tolerant little city accustomed to large numbers of foreign visitors and students. But since 2016 expressions of gut racism have become much more common. Soon after the poll, an Argentinian woman asked for directions from a guard at Canterbury Cathedral and was told: That way to Dover, love. More recently, a homeless person in the high street told a friend of mine: Soon the immigrants will go and I will be able to get a job. Recommended Brexit has destroyed the Conservative art of statecraft I have been travelling around the UK writing a series about Britain in the age of Brexit and I wondered if members of ethnic minorities believed that racism and racist harassment had increased. I asked three people in south Wales chosen because it is so different from south-east England from diverse backgrounds (Pakistani, Sikh, Caribbean, Portuguese) if they had experienced greater racist abuse since the Brexit vote. Shavanah Taj, a national officer for the Public and Commercial Services Union, whose father came from Pakistan to work in a steel plant in south Wales in 1958-59, said that racist harassment had risen in the past three or four years, though it had also been bad in the past: In the 1980s, we used to regularly have dog shit in Tesco bags pushed through our letter box and Pakis Out in big letters written on the side wall of our house. That sort of thing had ebbed but is now back and more virulent than before. As an Asian woman with two small children, she finds her way often deliberately blocked by white men in the street. She and her Nigerian husband have asked themselves for the first time if we will get to the point when we will no longer think of this country as our home. EU says new prime minister will not change Brexit talks Amarjite Singh, a Sikh who works for the Royal Mail and wears a distinctive red turban, agrees that open racism fell away from the end of the 1980s up to 2016. He is alarmed today by the degree to which the far right is more active, holding rallies up and down the country at the same time. He says that many Sikhs there are about 2,500 in Cardiff voted Leave because they feared that their jobs were threatened by East European immigration, but they found that they were also being subjected to anti-immigrant abuse. Singh speaks of one incident that struck him as a sign of escalating racism: Two weeks ago I was on a bus and there was a Somali woman with a baby in a pram which could not be put in the space allotted for it because a young man was blocking it. When the bus driver told him to let her park the pram there, the young man replied: Who does she think she is? Shes only a foreigner. Andrew Woodman, whose mother came here from Portugal in 1952 and his father from Guyana, says that the Brexit vote has emboldened people, as it does in Trumps America, to say in public what they used to say in private. I have been called the N-word and that had rarely happened in recent years. He adds that all you need to generate racial hatred is to persuade people that those who are different from themselves are the reason they are poor. Al-Qaeda and Isis attacks from 9/11 to London Bridge all contributed to Islamophobia, but the Brexit crisis is having much greater and longer-term impact because it is redefining English nationalism in a more exclusive and confrontational way. This affects women of Pakistani origin shopping with their children, but it also leads so a university vice chancellor was telling me this week to a high flying German scientist, who can easily get a job elsewhere, deciding that he no longer likes the UK and going back to Germany. Eurosceptic leaders are in denial about the degree to which the Brexit project depended on beating the anti-immigrant drum. But look at how many Conservative and Brexit Eurosceptics found time this week to denounce Jo Brand and the BBC for expressing purely rhetorical violence. And then consider how few of them have expressed dismay at the real violence that inflicted terrible injuries on young Daniel Ezzedine in the centre of Canterbury. It was the attention to detail that did it. Most Photoshop efforts give themselves away pretty quickly. The lines are all jagged, the fonts not quite right, that sort of thing. But as Chuka Umunna stood there, behind that lectern that so clearly said the words Liberal Democrats, and in front of a large television that said the same, it really did look like the former Labour, former Independent Group, and now former Change UK MP for Streatham had joined the Liberal Democrats. One person who was definitely taken in by it was the Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable. So much so that he even came out himself and gave a little speech, introducing his newest Liberal Democrat MP, Chuka Umunna. And this was when it got really weird. So realistic was it that even Chuka Umunna himself believed it was real, because suddenly he opened his mouth, his lips moved, and he started saying that hed joined the Liberal Democrats. It was a joke that had been allowed to get way out of hand, obviously. But he did have some serious points to make. When the wind-up first started, last night, that Umunna was joining the Liberal Democrats, some people hadnt had to search very hard to dig out whole streams of relentless criticism of the Liberal Democrats, principally from his time as shadow business secretary, shadowing the then business secretary, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable. And here he was, standing next to Vince Cable, having just joined his party. Well, thats what it looked like anyway. Special mention must go to Tory MP for Newquay, Steve Double however. Those looking for criticism of the Lib Dems aimed at them by their newest member did not have to look hard. So special credit to Double, who leapt straight past it all to find criticism that wasnt there. This has aged well, he said, before sharing an old tweet of Chuka Umunnas from 2014, where he claimed he would never bow to pressure from the Liberal Democrats to join their party, and thats a Chuka promise. It was dated 2014. Who are we to question Mr Doubles powers of political analysis, but quite why he imagines, in 2014, during the coalition years, Liberal Democrats might be thinking they could coax Chuka Umunna away from Ed Milibands Labour Party, is truly a mystery. Though one way to explain it might be that the only point in the last four years that I can recall anyone becoming aware of the existence of Steve Double is when, towards the end of the final debate on Theresa Mays withdrawal agreement in April, he announced it was a turd, but its the only turd weve got. What a statesman. Recommended Chuka Umunna lands Liberal Democrat treasury spokesperson job Anyway, it is easy to laugh. Many have done, and will continue to do. People say they want politicians to be honest, right up until they actually are. Then they get laughed at. Chuka Umunna said he hadnt realised how hard it was going to be, setting up a new party. He also said he thought the centre ground in British politics needed a new party, that the Liberal Democrats werent it. And that he was wrong about that too. The mad currents that have swirled under the Lib Dems for the last three years are quite possibly the most bizarre, most uninterpretable of all. When Theresa May called her snap election, senior Lib Dems privately briefed they thought theyd get 30 seats. That didnt happen. The Lib Dem fightback didnt happen. Lib Dems have since privately briefed that might have been because they spent the entire campaign talking about gay sex. Millions have been left politically homeless. But now, for reasons that seem utterly undecipherable, the Lib Dems came second in the European elections and appear to be a brand new insurgency. Chuka acknowledged that there is only space for one centrist offering in the centre ground, and that it can only be the Liberal Democrats. Earlier this week, Rory Stewart said that the psephologist Sir John Curtice had told him that British voters no longer looked like a bell curve, but were now a U-bend. Everyone has rushed to the extremes, and started to claim to speak for the people. This stampeding up both sides of the half-pipe has made life dangerous for anyone still in the centre. People are tumbling back in at high speed. Things have got messy. We are led to believe Umunna is only the first of a few new Liberal Democrat recruits in the coming days. However circuitous his route to get there, however many laughs have been provided along the way, he is only one among dozens if not hundreds of MPs from the two main parties, who know that their party is not fit to govern, and bears precious little resemblance to the organisation they joined, and yet still represent. The littlest political hobo appears to have found a home. The question is how many in the Commons, and the country, might follow. I should have done more, reflected Lord Chris Patten, the last governor of the last British colony, Hong Kong, on the 20th anniversary of the territorys handover to China. In 1997, the country was left to the Chinese government with a form of rule of law guaranteed by an independent Court of Final Appeal, but no democracy. For the past 20 years, Hong Kongs people have repeatedly fought for their rights. Yesterday again, one million Hong Kongese took to the streets to protest against a proposed new extradition law which could see suspected criminals sent to mainland China for trial. The possibility of facing the arbitrary criminal justice system of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is the stuff of nightmares for many of Hong Kongs citizens who hope to vigorously defend the freedom left to them by the Basic Law, the mini constitution negotiated by London and Beijing before the handover, and which was supposed to recognise Hongs Kongs differing capitalist nature and relative autonomy from Chinese society. However the powers of legal interpretation and amendment of the Basic Law are the preserve of the National Peoples Congress of China this is no democracy and Hong Kong civil society is fierce in its resistance. It has long proven its determination, as in 2014 with the Umbrella Movement and Occupy Central with Love and Peace (OCLP), to launch campaigns of civil disobedience that advocate for free elections on the basis of universal and equal suffrage. As a result of those protests, in April this year the leaders of the Umbrella Movement, sociology Professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law Professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister the Rev Chu Yiu-ming, 75, were convicted to 16 months in jail for conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Rev Chus sentence was suspended for two years but the judgement was seen as a serious blow to the pro-democracy camp. Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Show all 40 1 /40 Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A reported two million people took to the streets to protest against a controversial extradition law in Hong Kong on June 16 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters part to allow an ambulance to pass through during a protest on June 16 that reportedly attracted two million people AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester pays tribute to a man who died after falling from a scaffolding during the protests against against the extradition law proposal on June 17 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Following the demonstration, protesters cleared rubbish from the roads where a reported two million people had marched AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters part to allow buses to pass through during a protest on June 16 that reportedly attracted two million people Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A riot police officer strikes at protesters during a protest against the extradition law proposal outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on June 12 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A police officer fires tear gas at protesters during a protest against the extradition law proposal outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on June 12 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters scatter as police fire tear gas during a protest against the extradition law proposal outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on June 12 Pauline Leung via Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters carry a banner opposing the extradition law proposal outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on June 16 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester holds a picture of an injured man who later died after falling from a scaffolding during the protests against against the extradition law proposal on June 17 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters run after police fire tear gas during a protest against the extradition law proposal outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on June 12 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester rests after facing water cannons fired by police during a protest against the extradition law proposal outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on June 12 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Police officers use a water canon on a lone protestor near the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on June 12 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters gather outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on June 12 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester waves a British flag outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on June 12 Getty Images Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters leap over barricades as they occupy roads by the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on June 12 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Some protesters run after police fire tear gas during a protest against the extradition law proposal outside the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on June 12 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Police officers use pepper spray against protesters during clashes after a rally against the extradition law proposal on June 10 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester sits down in front of riot police during a protest against the extradition law proposal on June 12 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters sit in a demonstration following violence in the previous day of protests on June 13 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters barricade themselves in an area outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council during clashes with police after a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A bloody-faced police officer is led away by a colleague after clashing with protesters in a rally against the extradition law proposal on June 10 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters march through Hong Kong in opposition to the extradition law proposal on June 9 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester sits in front of a riot police line during clashes between protesters and police following a protest in Hong Kong in opposition to the extradition law proposal on June 10 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters march through Hong Kong in opposition to the extradition law proposal on June 9 EPA Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester lifts a barricade while a police officer charges in with his baton during clashes after a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester is arrested during a clash after a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters hold pictures of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 9 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester wave a Union Flag in front of police officers during a protest against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters gather outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester is grabbed by a policeman as he crosses the police line during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters gather outside the Hong Kong Legislative Council during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 AFP/Getty Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester shouts next to police officers during a protest during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters march through Hong Kong in opposition to the extradition law proposal on June 9 AP Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Police officers detain a demonstrator during a protest during a rally against the extradition law proposal in Hong Kong on June 10 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week Protesters gather in a park in Hong Kong opposition to the extradition law proposal on June 9 Reuters Hong Kong: Extradition law protests continue into second week A protester sits by ramshackle barriers after clashes between protesters and police following a protest in Hong Kong in opposition to the extradition law proposal on June 10 AP This radicalism is unsurprising. Hong Kong is known for its dynamism as a global financial hub but also for its history of welcoming dissidents. Since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, numerous Chinese radicals have found shelter on the island. The best independent research on China is produced by think tanks, NGOs and prestigious universities now constantly under scrutiny if not direct pressure by the PRC. Professor Johannes Chan, the previous dean of Hong Kong University Law School paid a hard price for expressing his views freely when he was forced to step down for excessive political participation and support of the Occupy Central movement. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events A real worry for the people of Hong Kong is how the Basic Law only guarantees certain rights for them over a period of 50 years without specifying how Hong Kong will be governed after 2047. Currently, although a Special Administrative Region of China, Hong Kong is an independent customs territory and as such a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in its own right. A result of the one country two systems formula invented by China to reassure Hong Kong people at the time of the handover yet this now rests on fragile ground. The British never gave democracy to the colony but planted its seeds, creating a unique system grounded in education and justice. This rather schizophrenic approach to government now poses problems. It was an illusion to believe Singapore like prosperity could suffice for the Hong Kongese. The idea of freedom had already blossomed in the forward thinking business community. Yet the country now lacks the necessary institutional tools to protect its own independence. In 1842, at the end of the Opium War, the island of Hong Kong was ceded in perpetuity by Qing China to the British crown. Later, in 1898, additional new territories on the mainland were leased for 99 years to the British. Since that time, Hong Kong has grown as a blend of both Chinese and western cultures. Yet many rue that the final act of the British empire was not more decisive in entrenching democracy into the countrys constitution. Leila Choukroune is professor of International law and director of the University Research and Innovation Theme in Democratic Citizenship at the University of Portsmouth Recent protests in Hong Kong have tended to run a familiar course. A restrained beginning; escalation into violence as the police move in with tear gas and rubber bullets, and then, sooner or later, nothing. The protests fizzle out. Thus it was five years ago with the pro-democracy umbrella revolution that called for free elections. Thus it may be again, with the protests this week against a bill that would formalise extradition to mainland China. An exception was in 2003, when mass demonstrations led to a draft national security law being dropped. Whether this weeks protesters can replicate that success, however, is another matter. Hong Kongs chief executive, Carrie Lam, seems intent on pushing the contentious bill through. In several respects, though, the start of this protest struck a different tone from the largely youthful umbrella movement. In the numbers taking part in the initial march, in its solemnity, above all in the breadth of participation across ages and social groups, it was reminiscent of nothing more than the mass march of mourning on that June Sunday 30 years ago after the massacre at Tiananmen Square. Sixteen Pakistani nationals have been sent back to their home country after their appeals against deportation were turned down. They include seven removed from the direct provision system. The group opted not to take part in a voluntary return programme, in which illegal immigrants are offered help to go back home, including payment of flights, a small sum towards assisting them to re-integrate and resettle when they have arrived in Pakistan. Officials from the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (Inis) say assisted voluntary return is the preferred method of removing persons from the State and enforced removals are considered as a last resort. They group, who were all adult males, were sent back on a chartered flight from Dublin airport to Islamabad in Pakistan, with a planned stopover in Berlin. This was part of an operation, led by Germany, in conjunction with other EU member states and Frontex, the European border and coastguard agency. The group were accompanied on the flight by officers from the Garda national immigration bureau, two medical staff and an independent monitor. The deportations took place on Thursday after the 16 had exhausted all of their legal options to remain here, including appeals processes. Further charter flights are planned later in the year. Privates Thomas Barrett, from Cork, pictured, and Derek Smallhorne, from Dublin, were murdered on April 18, 1980 Minister with responsibility for defence, Paul Kehoe has told his Lebanese counterpart that he hopes the families of murdered Irish peacekeepers, Private Thomas Barrett and Derek Smallhorne get justice. Mr Kehoe made his comments after it emerged that the trial of Mahmoud Bazzi, who is charged with their murders, has been postponed again until October. Bazzi (74) was deported back to Lebanon from the United States over four years ago and is currently being tried by a military tribunal in Beirut on charges of murdering Pte Barrett, from Cork, and Pte Smallhorne, from Dublin, and the attempted murder of Pte John O'Mahony, on April 18, 1980 Former ice cream seller, Bazzi was sentenced last year to almost four years imprisonment on a separate charge of collaborating with Israel. Bazzi was alleged to have been a former senior member of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), which was founded by a renegade major, Saad Haddad, but operated under the control of the Israelis. His sentence of 3.75 years hard labour dated back to the time of his arrest but he remained in custody, pending the outcome of the murder case. The incident in which the two peacekeepers were abducted, tortured and murdered and Pte O'Mahony injured. took place less than two weeks after a clash between United Nations troops and the SLA in which Massoud Bazzi, a brother of Mahmoud Bazzi, was killed. Mahmoud Bazzi later appeared on Lebanese TV, claiming he was responsible for the shootings to avenge the death of his brother. He later retracted his statement, alleging he had been forced to issue it by his commander. Mr Kehoe raised the issue of the trial during a meeting in Dublin yesterday with Lebanese foreign minister, Gebran Bassil. After a visit to Leinster House, Mr Bassil laid a wreath at the national memorial in Merrion Square in honour of members of the Defence Forces, who lost their lives in the service of the State. During the meeting Mr Bassil expressed his deep appreciation for Ireland's contribution to UN peacekeeping operations. "Ireland has long been one of the significant contributors to UNIFIL in Lebanon and Lebanon salutes Irish peacekeepers' sacrifices for the cause of peace. "Irish presence is still very much needed in the region, it contributes to regional security and stability. "It has also created bonds between our two people, which had already existed but had only been strengthened and grown deeper", Mr Bassil added. Mr Kehoe said the government remained strongly committed to the maintenance of peace and security in southern Lebanon. He added that he was "greatly impressed" by the briefing he had received from Mr Bassil. "We had a very useful discussion on many issues of mutual interest and concern to our countries, including trade, bilateral relations and regional affairs", Mr Kehoe added. Irish troops have been involved in the peace mission in Lebanon since 1978 and the battalion based there represents the biggest overseas deployment by the Defence Forces. Sky Ireland has settled an acrimonious broadband case with the telecoms regulator over access rates to Eir's fibre network. Stock image Eir is to miss its June deadline for connecting 300,000 rural Irish homes to fibre broadband. Under a controversial contract with the government signed in 2017, the company pledged to roll out fibre-to-the-home broadband to 300,000 rural premises, removing them from the governments intervention area map of 840,000 premises for the state-subsidised National Broadband Plan. The company later extended that target number to 330,000. However, a spokesman for Eir said that a number of homes remain unconnected as a hard deadline of the end of June approaches. He said that the majority of the 300,000 original rural premises have been passed by the company, as per the deal with the government. But he said that factors including road construction and a delay on council licenses was holding up a small number of the designated areas. Under the terms of the contract between the government and Eir, this leaves the company open to penalties, most likely the cost of reintegrating the outstanding homes into the National Broadband Plan scheme. However, the company believes that the mitigating circumstances holding up the remaining premises will see avoid the accrual of fines or penalties. The spokesman said that Eir has passed over 300,000 of the 330,000 homes identified in its rural fibre broadband plans. The premises yet to be connected are part of the original 300,000 pledged to the government. Meanwhile, the state is continuing to work on a contract for the National Broadband Plan with its preferred bidder, National Broadband Ireland, the entity formed by Granadas McCourt. A deal is expected by the Autumn with construction of the broadband network to 540,000 rural premises expected to start in early 2020. My main farm enterprise is cut flowers, so instead of ringing my local Teagasc advisor when I've got a question, I get on a plane to Holland. The Dutch have forgotten more about flower farming than I'll ever learn, and I really enjoy travelling for work when I'm not just a passive tourist. It's one thing coping with driving on the left-hand side in Europe, but the speed of the traffic and the complexity of the road network in Holland make it nigh impossible to navigate without Google maps. The Dutch have an added layer of complexity with dedicated lanes and right-of-ways for bicycles. But as I drove around, I couldn't help feeling that this must be what a country feels like when it's fully developed: the density of development, of traffic, the mix of nationalities, and the ease with which it all works. Dutch farms are no different. While Irish dairy farmers might disapprove of the huge borrowings and high-cost systems that their Dutch counterparts have saddled themselves with, there is no question in my mind that the Dutch are years ahead of anyone else on the planet when it comes to horticulture. This was reinforced for me by one farmer's disappointment after a recent visit to the US. Apparently, despite their scale and access to the best of everything, my Dutch friend found that US farmers were "about 10 years behind in terms of technology". The impetus for progress in Dutch agriculture is simple: land price. Most of the Netherlands is suitable for cropping, and cropping land is making anywhere from 9-14/sq metre. Converted into Irish, that's about 36,000-56,000 per acre. The very fact that they are measuring values in square metres tells you something about how efficiently they farm. Also bear in mind that the minimum wage in the Netherlands when all levies and holidays are included is about 17.50 per hour. The equivalent in Ireland is about 12. Despite this drive for efficiency, I was still taken aback when the first farmer I visited informed me that he had invested in not one but two fully autonomous, solar-powered robotic weeders. At 75,000 each they will need to earn their keep on his 190ac holding. That evening I phoned one of my farming connections back home to tell him all about how great Dutch farm technology was. "Yeah, sure there's probably about 10 veg farmers in Ireland now using camera guided weeders and sprayers," was the instantly unimpressed reply. While I was picking my chin off the floor he proceeded to outline to me how the 60pc reduction in fungicide usage alone was going to pay off the 55,000 price-tag in the first year of a new weeder on his own farm. I had mistakenly assumed that the glossy John Deere mags that land in my post every so often painting pictures of machines talking to each other to allow farmers to pin-point further savings on fuel, fertiliser, sprays and labour was just a theoretical scenario that we would see in a YouTube clip over the coming years. The reality is that you don't have to go as far as Holland to meet the agricultural digital revolution that is accelerating even as you read this. Savings Even though it might cost 12,000 to set up a tractor to steer itself using satellites in space, and another 8,000 for the machine behind it to be able to talk to the tractor, the savings more than justify the outlay for top farmers in terms of crop quality, input use and time savings. It's almost a new language with terms like telemetry and LEAN systems, but it's where the 5-10pc margins that define success are being picked up. Whether it's robots milking cows, feeding stock or weeding our fields, there's no stopping the march of technology into our farmyards and fields. Blink and you'll miss the switch. But while it has the potential to solve a raft of burning issues at farm level such as labour and reducing pesticide use, it will inevitably spawn another set of problems as the biggest operators invest heavily to put more distance between themselves and the rest of the pack. As our European colleagues might say, plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. The European Union has agreed a deal to allow US farmers a larger share of Europe's beef market. The Commission today told Member States the outcome of the negotiations to review the functioning of an existing quota to import hormone-free beef into the EU. Based on a Council mandate, the Commission reached an agreement in principle with the US and other substantial supplying countries that 35,000t of this quota will be allocated to the US, phased over a seven-year period, with the remaining amount left available for all other exporters. Under the agreement, a 45,000t quota of non-hormone treated beef was open by the EU to qualifying suppliers, which included the US. Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan said:"With the successful outcome of the negotiations, the Commission has delivered on a very important issue with a major trade partner with which we are engaged in broader trade talks. "With this step, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to bring about a new phase in the relationship with the United States, in line with the agreement reached between Presidents Juncker and Trump in July 2018. "I also want to reiterate that the agreement will not change the overall volume, quality or safety of the beef imported into the EU, which will remain in compliance with the high European standards." In 2009, the EU and the US concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), revised in 2014, which provided for an interim solution to a longstanding dispute in the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the use of certain growth-promoting hormones in beef production. Following the conclusion of this mutually satisfactory outcome in line with WTO rules, the Commission will submit legal proposals for the Council to authorise its signature and to conclude the agreement with the United States in the coming months, after seeking the consent of the European Parliament. US farmers initially dominated the quota, but under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules it also had to be made available to non-US suppliers. Australia and Uruguay, and more recently Argentina, have steadily increased their exports, pushing down the US share of the quota to about 30pc. Australia has confirmed it reluctantly accepted the adjustment and EU diplomats said that Argentina and Uruguay had also accepted the change. The EU is currently in free-trade negotiations with Australia and with South America's Mercosur trade bloc, of which Argentina and Uruguay are members. In both sets of talks, increased shipments of beef to Europe is a key demand. Europe is also offering to start negotiations on a trade deal with the United States to remove import duties on industrial goods, though the two sides are stuck over the issue of market access for agriculture. Washington says it should be part of the talks but the EU is united in ruling it out. The trade talks are part of an agreement struck last year between Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and U.S. President Donald Trump, under which the United States agreed not to impose punitive tariffs on EU car imports while the two sides sought to improve transatlantic trade ties. The beef issue is technically a separate matter. However, with Trump now threatening to impose car tariffs from November and agriculture a clear sticking point, the beef deal would be a way for the European Union to show it is a clear trade ally. Sealing a free trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur after 20 years of talks is the European Unions top priority, EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom said on Thursday. EU negotiations with the Mercosur group of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the worlds fourth-largest trade bloc, have intensified since Europes trade talks with the United States were frozen after Donald Trumps 2016 presidential election victory. However, EU nerves about a surge of beef imports and Mercosur hesitation about opening up some industrial sectors, such as cars, have meant past deadlines have come and gone. A deal may be close, but just beyond reach. European Trade Commissioner Malmstrom said she did not want to specify a new deadline, but believed an agreement could be struck during the term of the current European Commission, which runs until the end of October. There are some complicated matters remaining - agriculture and a few others ... I think there is a window now to close this, during this Commission. I will absolutely do my utmost. This is priority number one right now, she told an event hosted by the Bruegel think-tank in Brussels. Malmstrom said the two sides were getting closer, with offers exchanged already on less controversial farm products. In terms of tariff reduction, it could be the EUs most lucrative trade deal to date, with the savings potentially four times greater than for deals with Canada and Japan combined. It would be an extremely powerful signal ... For economic reasons, strategic reasons, and political reasons everything speaks in favor of this, Malmstrom said. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said a week ago that Mercosur would soon sign a trade deal with the EU. Untold damage IFA President Joe Healy has called on the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to intervene at the highest levels in Brussels to stop the EU-Mercosur trade deal, which he says would do untold damage to Ireland's 3bn beef and livestock sector. He has said In view of the major Brexit implications overhanging the Irish and EU beef sector and the environmental degradation associated with Brazilian beef exports, it would be reckless to support a Mercosur deal. Joe Healy said he has written to the Taoiseach requesting him to make it clear in the strongest possible terms to EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker that Ireland would not be prepared to ratify a deal which will severely damage our vital national interest in beef production. "For the EU Commission to ignore the Brexit implications for beef and proceed with a Mercosur deal to import more Brazilian beef is highly irresponsible." He said a no deal Brexit would take the EU beef sector from 102pc to 116pc self sufficiency, with disastrous consequences for beef prices and farm incomes. This would be further compounded with any increase in imports from Mercosur. How can the Commission ignore the fact that in Brexit the UK could impose tariffs as high as 850m pa on Irish beef and possibly the closure of market access for over 290,000t of our beef exports? "The EU Commission Joint Research Centre conducted an assessment on the cumulative impact of trade deals which showed that increased imports from Mercosur could cost the EU beef sector 5bn to 7bn pa," he said. In terms of climate change, the IFA President pointed out Irish beef production systems are 4 times more carbon efficient than South America, where increased exports are driven on the back of deforestation of the Amazon rainforests. Ireland's exports sharply rose worldwide in April, including a 10pc gain to the UK, in the latest sign that the postponement of Brexit is stimulating short-term activity. Fridays report by the CSO found buoyant export trade as Irelands trade surplus - the gap between the value of exports versus imports - kept growing. Goods worth more than 12.5bn were exported globally, 14pc more than in April 2018 and 13pc more than in March 2019. Exports over the first four months of 2019 totalled 50.5bn, 13pc higher than in January-April 2018. Exports to the United Kingdom - recipients of 9pc of all Irish exports - grew in line with this years short-term surge to beat expected new barriers to trade following Brexit. They rose to 1.13bn, a 10pc gain from April 2018, led by increased sales of fuels and chemicals. The figures for the first four months of 2019 recorded a similar 8pc gain in exports to the UK versus the same period of 2018. Irish imports rose to 7bn in April, 6pc higher than April 2018 and 2pc higher than the previous month, with the most significant gains in petroleum, aircraft and other transport equipment. Imports from the UK remained lively, growing by 8pc to 1.5bn - and representing 22pc of all imports to Ireland. The UK remains Irelands top source for imports. The United States, in second place, sent Ireland 1.24bn in goods, up 24pc from April 2018. THE Central Bank says it hopes to make all financial institutions in Ireland pay the entire cost of their own regulation within the next five years, a move that would save taxpayers tens of millions annually. While the big three domestic banks Bank of Ireland, AIB and Permanent TSB already repay the full costs of their regulation and supervision via levies, hundreds of other institutions from foreign-owned banks to corner credit unions currently repay only a portion of the State's financial policing bills. Fridays publication of a new regime for collecting levies from banks, investment firms, foreign exchange dealers, insurance intermediaries and others shows that staged increases are imminent for every financial sector. Deputy Governor Ed Sibley, who is responsible for prudential regulation, said the Central Bank plan is based on the principle that the regulated financial services firms operating in and out of Ireland should pay the regulatory costs. In 2018, the cost of regulating Ireland's financial institutions totalled 213m, 15pc higher than in 2017. The regulated companies paid 145m in levies and fees, the Central Bank the remaining 68m. Mr Sibley said the Central Bank would face increased regulatory costs to address Brexit and the strengthening of financial conduct regulation. We are committed to stabilising staff numbers and costs to ensure our long-term financial independence and to limit the rate of future increases in levies on regulated firms. Reducing the States regulatory costs to zero by 2024 will mean, according to the Central Bank, gradually ratcheting up levies by financial sector. All other banks operating in Ireland beyond the big three will see their current requirement to repay 80pc of regulatory expenses rise to 90pc this year and 100pc in 2020. Investment funds currently repaying 65pc of costs will repay 80pc of 2019 costs, 90pc for 2020 and 100pc from 2021 onward. A wide swathe of other businesses, including moneylenders and bureaus de change, will not reach the 100pc repayment requirement until 2023. On the slowest path of all are credit unions, which currently repay just 9pc of regulatory costs linked to their operations. The Central Bank timeline remains murky for this sector, suggesting a goal of reclaiming 20pc this year and 50pc of regulatory costs by 2022 but containing no hard targets beyond that date. The reformed levy regime will deliver a delayed sting in the tail for those facing higher levies. While the Central Bank currently collects these funds in September within the same year of assessment -before the full bill for that year is known, requiring subsequent top-ups or refunds - the new system will delays settlement to the following year. This means the increased levies for 2019 wont be collected until the third quarter of 2020 and so on. WORKERS at the Irish operations of US multinational Analog Devices are bracing for a three-day shutdown following US President Donald Trump's blacklisting of Chinese telecoms firm Huawei. Analog employs 1,200 people at its plant in Raheen, Co Limerick, many involved in making semiconductors for Huawei smartphones. It's understood they have been asked to take three days of paid holidays as part of a production slowdown next month. It comes after the US Commerce Department's blacklisted the Chinese giant, and effectively halted its ability to buy American-made parts and components. US-owned businesses are affected regardless of where they manufacture. In the wake of these restrictions, Google has suspended activity with the giant, which supplies huge numbers of smartphones into the market. The move is a huge worry for staff at Analog Devices's Raheen plant. Headquartered in Massachusetts, Analog is one of Limerick's biggest employers, with its complex on the edge of Limerick city its main European base. One worker there, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "The consensus is, people have been asked to take holidays, or unpaid leave if you don't have holidays remaining. It could be anything from three to five working days. "It's to ensure we don't build up an inventory because of the uncertainty out there at the moment." The worker added that staff "right across the board" are affected. Analog workers globally are impacted by this. "It's obviously quite unsettling," the worker added. Mr Trump - who was in Ireland last week - signed the executive order which effectively prevents any American companies doing business with the tech giant. "It's so volatile. One minute, he could say something and it could turn the world on its head - people could lock up their shops and the next minute he could open his mouth, and people could spend again. It's so hard," said the worker in reference to the American president. Shares in Analog have slid since the Huawei action. Analog Devices Limerick is home to the firm's European- based R&D centre, and its global operations manufacturing facility. While Huawei is not Analog's only customer, it is a major client. The firm has around 12.5pc of revenue exposure to 5G smartphone technologies. Last year, workers at Rusal Alumina in Aughinish, Co Limerick, faced a nervous period, due to hostilities between the American and Russian governments. Ultimately, the US treasury waived sanctions on the firm in January. Analog Devices did not respond to a request for comment. GERMANY'S Hauck & Aufhauser has bought a majority stake in Dublin-based alternative fund manager Crossroads Capital Management. The Irish company provides a number of services for investment managers and fund promoters in Europe. The stake in the Irish firm will bring Hauck & Aufhauser's total assets under control to about 124bn. The deal is subject to approval from the Central Bank of Ireland. Holger Sepp, a board member at Hauck & Aufhauser, pointed out that there are 4.6trn of assets under administration in Ireland. Mr Sepp said that buying the stake in Crossroads Capital Management marks a "strategic first step" to invest in Ireland. Crossroads Capital Management is headed by managing director and chief information officer Donnacha Loughrey. The firm is owned by John Bohan of fund administration group Apex Fund Services. Enterprise Ireland is also an investor in Crossroads Capital Management. Adrian Rurawhe, Assistant Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, views an exhibit during the exhibition "2019 Image and Imagination" in Wellington, New Zealand, June 12, 2019. A China-New Zealand art exchange exhibition kicked off here at the New Zealand Parliament Building on Wednesday evening, featuring China's unique aesthetic art. The exhibition, named "2019 Image and Imagination", features works of 20 Chinese artists, showing China's traditional art. It also brings together 20 works of art by New Zealand artists with strong multicultural characteristics. (Xinhua/Zhang Jianyong) WELLINGTON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A China-New Zealand art exchange exhibition kicked off here at the New Zealand Parliament Building on Wednesday evening, featuring China's unique aesthetic art. The exhibition, named "2019 Image and Imagination", features works of 20 Chinese artists, showing China's traditional art. It also brings together 20 works of art by New Zealand artists with strong multicultural characteristics. Guo Zongguang, director of the China Cultural Center in Wellington, saw the exhibition as an opportunity to strengthen ties between New Zealand and China and promote the exchange of ideas. "This exhibition is one of the many projects undertaken as part of the 2019 China-NZ Year of Tourism. This important program has facilitated linkages up and down the country, strengthening ties between NZ and China and promoting many varied opportunities for cultural exchange and dialogue," said Guo. "Today's exhibition will further promote the exchange of ideas. I also think the arts are especially effective in terms of creating a space for us to reflect on issues such as cultural diversity, difference, and harmony," he added. Adrian Rurawhe, Assistant Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament, highly praised this exhibition as "a wonderful thing". "We have this exhibition in Parliament, where all parties can have access to, but even more than that, this place, as the People's House, people come to this building every day and enjoy the exhibition." Rurawhe said. Michael Wood, Under-Secretary for Ethnic Communities of New Zealand, said this exhibition will boost the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and New Zealand. "I am convinced that the key to building a community of well-being in social cohesion and harmony between different people of different cultures, faiths and ethnicities is through understanding," Wood said. "I look around this room, I see traditional Chinese art and I see contemporary art as well. New Zealand is one of the most multicultural societies in the world. We are immensely proud of the diversity and it is a source of strength for our country. One of the ways in which we can build links and come to understand one another more is through the arts," Wood said. The exhibition, which will be open till July 18, is jointly hosted by the Auckland International Art Space, the China Cultural Center in Wellington and the New Zealand parliament Arts Centre. 4 1 [ Editor: WPY ] Multinationals in Ireland employed 318,000 people in 2017 on wages averaging 50,000 - a third better than their domestic peers - as the role of FDI in fuelling Irish fortunes keeps growing, the CSO found in a report published yesterday. The study, which analysed FDI growth from 2012 to 2017, found that investment by US-headquartered companies played a dominant role, surging by 188pc over the period and injecting investment of 519.5bn in 2017. Bermuda-based companies contributed 38bn, the UK 20.1bn, Germany 11.9bn, Spain 8.8bn, France 8.3bn, and Canada and the Netherlands both 4.8bn. Somewhat complicating that picture, the CSO found that multinationals based in Ireland itself represented the second biggest source for investment in 2017, at 92.5bn. That figure reflected so-called corporate inversion activity over the period, when previously American and Bermudan companies switched their HQs to Ireland. For 2017, the CSO study found Ireland outperforming most European peers in attracting foreign direct investment relative to gross domestic product. While most European countries' inward FDI flow was much smaller than their GDP, Ireland's stood at 253pc of GDP that year, second only to Luxembourg. While this investment has helped drive growth in Ireland's workforce, the report found that FDI was creating proportionately fewer positions than its less well-paid domestic peers. From 2012 to 2017, jobs at multinationals in Ireland grew by 7pc to 318,000, representing 14.3pc of all employment and what the CSO called "modest growth on a significant base". Five years before, at the peak of crisis-era joblessness in Ireland, multinationals had contributed 15.7pc of employment. In 2017, the report found, US multinationals provided 121,000 jobs in Ireland, the UK 81,000, Germany 25,000, France 14,000, the Netherlands 13,000 and Switzerland 11,000. It noted that US-driven employment rose 10.9pc over the period, while UK-derived jobs declined 2pc - the only major national source trimming employment here. On the wages front, the CSO found interesting distinctions in average salary levels, even among multinationals. Over the five-year period, US companies offered the highest average pay versus European and Asian sources, although the latter closely followed American pay patterns. In 2017 the average US multinational-sourced salary was 64,000, Asia 61,000 and Europe 41,000. Overall, pay at any multinational was liable to be better than at a domestic employer. While foreign multinationals paid 50k and Irish-domiciled multinationals 57k, domestic firms paid 33k. Insurance companies have been accused of price gouging their customers. A Government minister also said he did not trust the industry and does not hold insurers in high regard. Insurance companies were called on by Junior Minister Michael D'Arcy to re-enter sections of the market they got out of in the past few years. Mr D'Arcy, who has responsibility for insurance reform, said he recognised that voluntary community groups and businesses were struggling with the cost of cover. Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty accused insurers of "gouging" customers, given that their profits shot up by 1,300pc in one year. "I don't trust them. They are involved in price gouging, they are involved in spin, they are involved in bluster. They made profits of a quarter of a billion euro in 2017," he said. The minister said he also did not trust the industry and does not hold insurers in high regard. Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said charities, festivals and firms were facing an insurance crisis. He said the cost of cover was closing businesses and causing festivals to be cancelled. "We are at a crisis point. This is not sustainable," he told the minister. Mr D'Arcy replied that the insurance situation was an "emergency". Experts said that voluntary groups, such as children's play centres, and firms are unable to get public liability and employer liability cover as many domestic firms are not prepared to provide this insurance. Injuries They have to go to insurers based in the UK, but many of these are turning away from this market due to high court awards and uncertainty around settlement levels for injuries. Mr D'Arcy told the Oireachtas Finance Committee insurers should get back into the business liability sector of the market and cut premiums for cover they do provide. He said Government moves to legislate for a judicial council that would allow judges to recalibrate award levels should result in insurers providing more cover to businesses, charities and festivals. Mr D'Arcy said: "It will be important for them to widen their risk horizons and re-enter segments of the market that they have exited from previously, as a measure of good faith that the claims environment should begin to stabilise upon the enactment of the Judicial Council Bill legislation." Mr D'Arcy defended the actions of the Government and insisted that motor insurance premiums fell by 24.5pc since they peaked in July in 2016. There were 50 fraudulent insurance cases reported to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau since last October. Half were staged accidents, the minister said. Charities are being forced to spend 1 out of every 10 they get on insurance, forcing many to curtail services. The insurance crisis means charities are now seeing 10pc of annual expenditure swallowed up by the cost of cover. Businesses and charities alike have seen their insurance premiums shoot up by 200pc over the last five years, a survey from the Alliance for Insurance Reform lobby group shows. The survey of firms and voluntary community groups found that the cost of public and employer liability insurance was now a threat to their survival. Some 95pc of businesses and charities say the Government is not doing enough to address the insurance crisis. Some voluntary groups are being hit with premium rises of up to 60pc, according to Ivan Cooper of The Wheel charities association. He said a survey carried out in conjunction with the Alliance for Insurance Reform shows that 22pc of voluntary groups said the cost of cover was threatening their future. The groups get half of their funding over average from the State, but they are being forced to use around 10pc of their income for insurance. The Association of Irish Festivals and Events (Aoife) said community functions were being put at risk by the surge in insurance costs, with many events struggling to get cover. Aoife's executive director Colm Croffy said local authorities were now asking community groups to get their insurers to provide the county council with indemnity of up to 9.6m. This was up from 1.6m a few years ago. Every 1m rise in the indemnity was costing festival organisers another 1,000. Meanwhile, the survey also showed that nearly half of companies said the cost of cover was threatening their future. Insurance costs were also cited for inhibiting growth and stopping the hiring of more staff. Director of the Alliance Peter Boland said companies and charities cannot afford any further delays to proposed Government reforms in this area. "Even if the long-awaited Judicial Council Bill, intended to address sky-high damages for minor injuries among other things, is enacted as scheduled by the third week in July, we are still looking at no reform of the Book of Quantum before Christmas," he said. His comments come after the Irish Independent revealed profits of general insurers have jumped by 1,300pc, despite the country being gripped by an insurance crisis. Figures from the industry show 17 general insurers in this market made combined operating profits of 227m in 2017, the latest date for overall data on the sector. These profits were up from 16m in 2016, according to Insurance Ireland - a rise of 1,318pc. Motor cover proved hugely profitable in 2017. The 17 domestic non-life insurers made combined profits of 125m from private and commercial motorists. Chairman of the Consumers Association Michael Kilcoyne branded the situation a "rip-off" for customers. "It is time they started sharing the profits with the rest of us," he said. "They have a captive market in motors and they charge what they like." However, insurers made losses on liability insurance, which is what covers businesses when they are sued. Few insurers in this market are prepared to cover public liability and employer liability, forcing firms and charities to seek cover from the UK. Mr Boland claimed insurers were making even higher profits than the industry was admitting. But chief executive of Insurance Ireland Kevin Thompson denied there was a lack of transparency. Insurers had opened their books up to the Government a number of times and the Insurance Factfile report has just been published for 2017, he said. Diarmuid Kelly: The worst arrears cases appear to be very persistent The problem of mortgages falling into long-term arrears has grown to nearly 6bn, in what one analyst called a sign of "enormous unfinished business". The total number of residential properties in mortgage arrears declined in the first quarter, but those mortgages mired in arrears lasting two years or more have kept climbing, particularly in the buy-to-let sector. The Central Bank said the number of principal dwellings in long-term mortgage arrears had grown to represent 45pc of all such arrears cases by the end of March, up from 42pc in 2017. It said those mortgages have 2.4bn outstanding. The Central Bank did report a headline improvement in the total number of mortgages in arrears. It said of the 726,089 mortgages for principal residences in Ireland, 62,834 were behind in payments, a 0.4pc quarterly reduction. This marked the 22nd straight quarterly fall in arrears figures for principal home mortgages. The buy-to-let figures kept worsening, with 19,671 of 111,665 BTL mortgages now in arrears. Analysts warned that banks' efforts to remove struggling homeowners from the arrears statistics could be masking the true scale of defaults. Meanwhile, a new analysis of the Property Price Register shows the extent to which the Greater Dublin area continues to dominate. Three out of four euro spent on residential property last year in Leinster. The research, which was carried out by MyHome.ie, shows that sales in Leinster increased 3.7pc in 2018 to 33,722. With national sales at 56,836, sales in the province accounted for 59pc of the total. Loans from Linked Finance to Irish small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has passed the 100m mark. On the back of this growth the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform aims to double its headcount with the creation of an additional 25 jobs next year. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe welcomed the news, describing the availability of credit as "a key consideration for all businesses." "I am aware of the role peer to peer lending is playing in broadening competition in the SME finance market. I congratulate the team at Linked Finance for hitting the milestone of 100m of lending and for helping over 2,100 Irish companies with capital to fund their growth," Minister Donohoe said. Launched by Peter O'Mahony in 2013, with the aim of using technology to connect SMEs looking for finance with lenders keen to back Irish businesses while earning attractive returns, the platform has now provided more than 2,160 loans to businesses across the country and in every sector of the economy. Niall Dorrian, CEO of Linked Finance, said: "The fact that over 100m has been lent on the platform is clear evidence that Linked Finance is now seen as an attractive source of funds for ambitious Irish SMEs." "Our ability to deliver quick decisions through a simple, user-friendly application process has already proven extremely popular with business owners." Linked Finance has grown rapidly in the past year. Having taken almost five years to reach its first 50m in lending, in a little over 12 months it has hit the 100m mark. "This rapid rate of growth is a clear indication that our model is gaining real traction and why we plan to double our headcount in 2020," Mr Dorrian added. Meanwhile, the company said the arrival of open banking initiatives related to EU Directive PSD2, will allow it to further simplify the process of accessing business loans and the platform expects to be able to provide credit decisions within an hour by the end of the year. Adrian spent a week in China getting a look under the hood of Huawei, the worlds most controversial tech company. He discusses his experience here with two INM acolytes, Sunday Independent deputy business editor Fearghal OConnor and Sunday Independent business correspondent Michael Cogley. He recounts how: - He ended up singing with a band in a Chinese bar only to discover the guitarist was a senior Huawei executive (who then unexpectedly agreed to a revealing interview) - He coped with being behind the great firewall of China, with no access to Google, Facebook, Twitter or any or their associated services (and how the virtual private network he paid for simply didnt work) - He navigated the astonishing scale of Shenzhen, a giant Chinese city that was designed after local politicians visited Shannon in Co Clare in 1980, and which now has 20m people (unlike Shannon in Co Clare) Adrian, Fearghal and Michael also discuss the wider implications of the Huawei controversy for global security, multilateralism and our choice of mobile phone in the future. CHINA'S biggest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, has filed confidentially for a Hong Kong listing that could raise up to $20bn (17.73bn) as early as the third quarter of this year, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said. A deal of that size would be the biggest follow-on share sale globally in seven years and give Alibaba funds for technology investment - a priority for China as economic growth slows. Alibaba holds the record for the world's largest initial public offering with its $25bn float in New York five years ago. The company had initially hoped to float in Hong Kong but its management structure clashed with the city's listing rules. Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, the city's bourse operator, changed the rules last year - primarily to attract Chinese tech groups. Alibaba declined to comment on the deal when contacted by Reuters. Japan's SoftBank, Alibaba's largest shareholder with a 28.7pc stake, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Investment banks China International Capital and Credit Suisse, which are leading the deal, declined to comment. No other banks have been formally mandated as yet. A listing by Alibaba in Hong Kong will be seen as a victory for the city. Trading in Alibaba shares averaged $2.2bn a day in the first quarter of this year. Listing in Hong Kong would also give mainland Chinese investors their first direct access to one of their country's biggest success stories, via a trading link between Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Since its US listing, Alibaba's market value has nearly doubled to $423bn. The filing comes amid growing political unrest in Hong Kong that raised concerns over the potential impact on the city's financial market and businesses. Reuters European Union finance ministers failed to agree in overnight talks on Thursday and Friday on some of the key features of a future euro zone budget and decided to continue discussions in the coming months, a euro zone official said. The ministers wanted to reach a deal on whether the budget for the 19-country euro zone should be financed through dedicated taxes or if it should only draw on cash from the budget for the whole 28-nation European Union. Given no consensus on the sources of financing, the size of the euro zone budget was not discussed, the official said. Neither was there agreement on whether the budget should play a stabilising role in case the euro zone economy was in a downturn, or only help euro zone economies become more competitive and converge with each other, the official said. Faced with the choice of accepting rent cuts or finding new retailers to fill hundreds of stores, UK, retail landlords are swallowing their medicine. Some of Britain's biggest commercial landlords, including Hammerson and British Land, voted in favour of a rescue plan for billionaire Philip Green's Arcadia Group. It means having to accept dozens of store closures and rent cuts of at least 25pc at almost 200 sites. Arcadia includes well-known fashion chains Topshop, Topman, Burton Menswear, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge and Wallis. Approval for the so-called Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) was grudging and highlights how much pressure landlords are under from the pain inflicted on retailers by consumers choosing to shop online rather than in department stores. Commercial landlords Land Securities, Standard Life Aberdeen and the Crown Estate had intended to vote against Arcadia's proposals and switched at the 11th hour, according to people familiar with their plans who asked not to be named. One landlord, Intu Properties, voted against, calling the deal unfair to tenants that pay full rent. Intu owns eight of the top 20 shopping centres in the UK. "It really is like being stuck between a rock and a hard place," said Daniel Swimer, property litigation partner at law firm Joelson. "Landlords could have rent reductions forced upon them or, if the CVA doesn't get passed, they're left with a large retailer failing in the current retail climate." The fact the deal was approved is likely to put further pressure on shopping centre rents and values, and raises the possibility that commercial property owners could be tipped into a crisis similar to that faced by the retailers who make up some of their biggest tenants. The cost of insuring Land Securities' debt against default saw the biggest daily rise since December on the day after the Arcadia vote, according to ICE Data Services. Moody's Investors Service warned of possible damage to the creditworthiness of retail property owners that already face "weak operating performance, with declining footfall and retail sales, and downward pressure on rents." The landlords came under pressure from Arcadia to back the deal or put about 18,000 jobs at risk if the company was forced into administration, people with knowledge of the negotiations said. Several were told they would be shirking their social responsibilities and be blamed for job losses, an accusation they resented, some of the people said, asking not to be identified as the talks were private. Representatives for Arcadia declined to comment. Ultimately the decision to back the CVA came down to the best commercial interests of the landlords, given that they could be left with empty sites if Arcadia fell into administration, two of the people said. Spokesmen for Land Securities, the Crown Estate and Standard Life Aberdeen confirmed they had backed the plans but declined to comment on the detail of the negotiations. Representatives of Hammerson and British Land declined to comment. While many companies have preceded Arcadia's CVA, few have been so large and many secured less generous rent cuts. The risk is that following Arcadia, other retailers now demand the same, even those that have previously undertaken rent cuts. Bloomberg Although some of her girlhood had been spent in rural Ireland, I think of my late maternal grandmother as a Dubliner. Often as a child I stayed in her house on Keeper Road, Crumlin. A chain-smoker, a gently spoken, willowy woman, she was the most skilled teller of ghost stories. I remember her in smoke, her hands moving quickly, as the stories arose from the ashtray and were glittered by her eyes. The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall in Norfolk ("the only ghost ever to be photographed"), the weeping Grey Man who haunted London's Theatre Royal, the banshees she had heard on wintry nights as a little girl. She would tell of the old library in Dublin that was haunted by its founder, the wonderfully named Archbishop Narcissus Marsh. His young ward had run away with her lover and had left a farewell letter in one of the books; every night his ghost searched frantically through the volumes. But the greatest of my grandmother's stories concerned a relative of her own, a cousin or uncle by marriage, who in his twenties had held, if not the most beautiful job in a Victorian city, certainly the most beautifully named. He walked the night-streets of Dublin as a lamplighter. Like London or Liverpool, Manchester or Glasgow, the streets of Victorian Dublin could be thick with smoky fog. Not fog as we know it but filthier, almost touchable, ashy, roiling, full of smuts and stinking cinders. But he found beauty in his work, so my grandmother would tell me. The glow of his lamps through the filth, he had said, was not light but "the smiles of the ghosts". By my grandmother's account, he was a personable, dapper man who enjoyed nattering with his fellow nightwalkers as he went about his mission of dispensing the ghostly glow. A passer-by here, a policeman there. He prided himself, said my grand-mother, on never forgetting a name or a face, and "on being able to peel an orange in his pocket". One midnight, behind the Four Courts, on Church Street, which takes its name from St Michan's Anglican church, he noticed a young man standing alone, staring up at the steeple. The neighbourhood was desperately poor, but the man was well-dressed. The lamplighter approached and asked if he was lost. No, the diffident young man explained. He was looking at the church, a fascinating building; there were said to be mummies in the crypt. There were indeed, the lamplighter confirmed. Some mineral quality in the air had preserved, in their rotting coffins, the medieval bodies of several departed Dubliners, including a 300-year-old nun and a one-time soldier in the army of the Crusaders. Such stories were fascinating, the young man said, offering a cigarette, which the lamplighter accepted. His name was Stoker, said the young man. Abraham Stoker, a writer of ghost stories, by day a government clerk. Months and seasons passed. Every once in a while, the lamplighter would notice the same well-dressed nightwalker, often in the same spot, or on the corner of Arran Quay. They'd exchange a wave or a nod. And then, after a time, Mr Stoker wasn't there anymore. The lamplighter assumed he'd moved away from Dublin. Years later, on an April night in 1912, the lamplighter, now retired, was walking his old beat. As though to greet him, as a one-time sparring partner now become a friend, the Liffey fog was swirling and thick. As he turned on to Church Street, he saw, in a shaft of cold moonlight, the figure of a man he recognised, but had not seen in several decades. Video of the Day "Mr Stoker, sir," he said. Stoker turned to him, weeping, looked him in the eye and strode away wordlessly into the fog. I like to think of the silence in the kitchen, or the crackle of the fire, when, later that night, the lamplighter's wife told her husband, on hearing his story, of something she had happened to read in the Dublin newspapers that morning: Bram Stoker had died the day before in London. I've no doubt my grandmother's story has elements of the tall tale. But it was quite something to grow up with the ghost of Bram Stoker, the Dubliner who gave Dracula to the world. It made me see the hometown of my ancestors differently. Growing up in Dublin, it seemed that you were living in a book of ghost stories, an anthology of the city's past. You walked the streets of Narcissus Marsh and the spectral Dean Swift who was whispered to roam the Liberties at night. Taken, perhaps on a school trip, to visit Kilmainham Gaol, you would come away enthralled by the story of rebel prisoner Joseph Mary Plunkett, who married the artist Grace Gifford the night before his execution. If you went to see rock band The Virgin Prunes, you would hear spooky lyrics written by Oscar Wilde, now screamed with the punk fury of the era. No other city in the world had music like this. In London, Johnny Rotten was snarling of anarchy. In New York, the Ramones were setting fire to guitars. In Dublin, Gavin Friday was quoting De Profundis as he made with the eyeliner and the rouge. We had renegades, but they defied even the conventions of rebellion. Absence was a presence. The dead felt close. The street-songs and Dublin ballads Stoker would have heard were touching, dark, and as alive to the stench of the eddying Liffey as to the possibilities of truth and beauty. It was a world of broken lovers and tough survivors that had far more in common with the gloomy braggadocio of the Chicago blues than with the tweedy jollities of sanitised Irish folk music. Molly Malone, doomed starlet of Dublin's most emblematic song, is herself a ghost who died of fever. Father Holly, the old priest who, in 1979, taught me English for the Leaving Cert, had once seen Yeats's beloved Maud Gonne crossing O'Connell Bridge. When we came to Yeats's line that she had "beauty like a tightened bow", he paused and regarded us with sternest gravitas before saying: "I saw her, boys. She was otherworldly. Like a vision." James Joyce and John Synge had walked the seafront at Dun Laoghaire. On summer evenings their ghosts seemed to hover as you walked the breezy expanse of the pier. The phantom of executed patriot Robert Emmett haunted The Brazen Head inn. Soldiers' ghosts lingered at Collins Barracks. Statues of Edmund Burke and Thomas Davis stood sentry over the streets. Through all of it, for me, walked the king of Dublin ghosts, Stoker, the greatest supernatural storyteller of all time. An eternally elusive man, nothing was named for him, but it was always his inscrutable face I saw when I pictured Dublin as a person, as though glimpsing him through a rainy windowpane. For me, he is the Easter Island god of the ghost story. Everyone else will always be in his shadow. Having known scant literary success in his lifetime, he is now recognised as the genius he was, as immortal as his infamous antihero. My novel, Shadowplay, sees him in London, where he lived most of his life, a theatre manager wrestling with demons of sexuality and doubt, at other times a gentle, funny person, seeming comfortable in his skin, driven by intense love for his friends Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. Perhaps he remembered his home town sometimes, as emigrants will. Perhaps, in his way, he brought it with him. The lost Dublin in which Stoker night-walked was a shadowplace of contrasts, a provincial Victorian backwater throbbing with crusty elegance and pitiless squalor; the desolation of a scandalised diva now reduced to the dole. Chandeliers illuminated her mansions, candles glowed in chapels; red lights flickered in the backstreet brothel doorways. Joyce described his hometown as having "a faint odour of corruption", a pungency that arises from every page of his masterwork, Dubliners. It is so like how Stoker writes about London in Dracula. Dublin has changed, but you still see haunting glimpses of the vanished city, an erased draft of a long lost story. The ruins of tatty dancehalls, the one-time mansions now converted into bedsits, or you sense a weather-beaten lonesomeness expressed by the poet Louis MacNeice in that aching line about the city of Stoker's birth, "the bare bones of a fanlight over a hungry door". A quiet clerk who, in life, was never a bestseller, Stoker lamp-lit our subconscious, shimmered our nightmares and made the darkness sexy as Hell. I don't care if my grandmother's story was fiction. Every time I'm on Church Street, I'm a true believer. Especially on a foggy night. The Daily Telegraph Lena Headey said she is good following the end of Game Of Thrones (Ian West/PA) Lena Headey said she is good following the end of Game Of Thrones. The British actress starred as scheming queen Cersei Lannister in HBOs massively popular fantasy epic, which finished in May after eight seasons. Despite a controversial ending, many fans and Headeys co-stars expressed their sadness at Game Of Thrones coming to a close. Expand Close Lena Headey is starring as an immigration officer in drama The Flood (Ian West/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lena Headey is starring as an immigration officer in drama The Flood (Ian West/PA) However Headey, 45, was asked how she was coming to terms with the ending and told the Press Association: Im alright. Im good. Headey is starring in upcoming drama film The Flood, as a hardened immigration officer who must decide if an asylum seeker whose case she has been referred is telling the truth. Headey said she was moved by the picture of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, whose body washed up in Turkey at the height of the refugee crisis. Expand Close Lena Headey and Ivanno Jeremiah star alongside each other in The Flood (Ian West/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lena Headey and Ivanno Jeremiah star alongside each other in The Flood (Ian West/PA) The disturbing image, taken in September 2015, made headlines around the world and Headey said the issue should be talked about constantly. The conversation shouldnt really have a three-year gap, she added. Video of the Day Headey, who stars in the film alongside Ivanno Jeremiah, Mandip Gill and her Game Of Thrones co-star Iain Glen, said probably all politicians should see the film, saying it would be great if they could watch it. She added the film could remind people about the plight of refugees. (The Flood) is a gentle wakener for people about what's really happening and who it's happening toLena Headey She said: I think the beauty of this movie is youre going to take from it what you will. Everyone will have a different reaction to it. The great thing about The Flood is it doesnt preach anything which is why I loved it. The writing is really beautiful. Its a really quiet film with Ivannos brilliant central performance. Hes extraordinary in it. Its a gentle wakener for people about whats really happening and who its happening to. The Flood will be released on June 21. Fleetwood Mac on stage at the Isle of Wight Festival (Yui Mok/PA) Fleetwood Mac kicked off a hotly anticipated weekend of music in Dublin last night, even though the weather could have been a little kinder. Most of the band - including Mick Fleetwood, Christine and John McVie and Neil Finn - checked into the five-star Merrion Hotel ahead of the RDS gig. They were joined by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn for the second of three exclusive performances in Berlin, Dublin and London. Tonight, fans will descend on Malahide Castle as bluegrass band Mumford and Sons take to the stage alongside Dublin talent Wild Youth, Dermot Kennedy and Norwegian artist Aurora. However, Met Eireann forecaster Liz Gavin warned that Dublin will be hit by more heavy showers tonight. "There will be showers at first, followed by longer spells of rain," she said. "There will be heavy bursts likely in the evening, and heavy rain throughout the night." Mumford and Sons play a second night at Malahide Castle tomorrow, by which time the rain should have turned to lighter showers. They will again be joined by Dermot Kennedy, who has just announced the release of his long-awaited debut album. Taking to Instagram yesterday, he said the album would be out in September. Video of the Day He said he would be playing the 3Arena as part of a worldwide tour on December 22. "I'm so, so excited to announce that my debut album, Without Fear, is going to be released on September 27," he wrote. "I'm so, so proud of this record, and I cannot wait to share it with you." Tickets for the tour go on sale next Friday. Bon Jovi will play the RDS tomorrow and on Sunday night. While there is set to be a reprieve from the wet weather tomorrow night, there will be heavier showers on Sunday, with wet conditions right into next week. On the bright side, there is no weather warning in place for Dublin, although the public is urged to keep an eye on the forecast. "It doesn't look likely that there will be a warning in the Dublin area, but it is something we are always monitoring," said Ms Gavin. Remarks: Brother Tom Forde lashed out at people who were 'morally rotten or at least infected' A bishop has apologised for the hurt caused by a friar's comments about gay people and those who use contraceptives, likening them to infected zombies. Bishop of Ossory Dermot Farrell issued a statement expressing his sadness at the "inappropriate language and sentiments" used during a homily at the Capuchin Friary in Co Kilkenny last weekend. Brother Tom Forde told the shocked congregation: "We sense that many of those around us are physically alive but spiritually dead, morally rotten or at least infected." He lashed out at spiritual zombies in "the abuse of drugs and alcohol, adultery, fornication and homosexuality, as well as in the acceptance of abortion and contraception and in the move to legalise euthanasia". Saying he was a fan of TV programmes like 'The Walking Dead', he said: "The only way to deal with the monsters is to stab or shoot them in the brain." The bishop in whose diocese the Kilkenny friary is located said: "Words can hurt, and care needs to be taken by all, in all situations, so as not to alienate, hurt or cause offence. Furthermore, when harm is done an apology is to be given." Expand Close Church: The Cappuchin Friary in Kilkenny where Tom Forde gave his controversial homily. Photo: Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Church: The Cappuchin Friary in Kilkenny where Tom Forde gave his controversial homily. Photo: Gerry Mooney He said that at the heart of the Christian Gospel is the welcome Christ has "for all people". The Gospel is about "the welcome and inclusion of all; as every person - no matter their faith, or race, or sexual orientation - is made by God and is loved by God," he said. The bishop said he was saddened that a liturgy was used to convey any sentiment "so at variance with this understanding of God". However, Colm O'Gorman, executive director of Amnesty Ireland, expressed regret that the bishop's statement did not go further. He said it went "some way to address the vile and inappropriate comments made" in Fr Forde's homily. "While I welcome it, it would have been better if the bishop had called out the homily's shameful homophobia." While he did not expect the Church to change its "homophobic teaching any day soon", Mr O'Gorman said it was up to Church leaders to ensure that the Church's language in this area was moderated. The human rights advocate added that it was up to the State to ensure that no one can incite hatred. Following the public outcry over the homily, Brother Forde took notes down from his blog where he had posted them following Saturday's Mass. The friar was not available for comment, but a statement was issued in response to the furore by Brother Sean Kelly, Superior of the Kilkenny friary. "The Capuchin Order wishes to state that all are welcome in our churches, irrespective of sexual orientation," it said. "Unfortunate comments were made about homosexuality last Saturday, which gay people would have found hurtful, and we deeply regret this," it continued. "When asked about gay people, Pope Francis has said, 'Who am I to judge?' And speaking to a gay man at an audience in the Vatican he said, 'God made you like this and he loves you'. "We support Pope Francis in his comments on gay people and we will continue to be guided by him and by our own mission statement, which states that we affirm that our fraternities will be places of prayer, hospitality and outreach to all." A jury in the trial of two boys accused of murdering schoolgirl Ana Kriegel is set to resume its deliberations this morning. The jury of eight men and four women was sent home for the night on Thursday afternoon after deliberating for just over four-and-a-half hours. The jurors were set to resume their deliberations today at 10am. At lunch-time yesterday, jurors requested to see a number of exhibits, including a wooden stick, a pair of gloves, a roll of Tescon-branded tape and two tape ends. The jury returned the items just before 3pm when they retired for the day. The two accused, who were aged just 13 at the time, have pleaded not guilty before the Central Criminal Court to murdering 14-year-old Ana Kriegel at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road in Lucan on May 14, 2018. The first accused, known as Boy A, has also denied a charge of aggravated sexual assault. On Wednesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said that there were three charges on the issue paper, and the jury could return verdicts of guilty or not guilty on all three counts. He said that the decision must be unanimous. He said the jury must consider each count separately. Yesterday, the judge recharged the jury on a number of matters. He reminded them that anything one boy said against the other could not be used as evidence against that other boy. He said this also applied to anything said by either accused about the other to anyone else, be it a friend, a teacher or a parent. The judge also re-read the evidence of retired State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy in relation to the injuries to Ana's private areas. Judge McDermott told the jury that he had been asked to do so by both prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC and Boy A's lawyer, Patrick Gageby SC. Ana was last seen by her father leaving her home in the company of Boy B around 5pm on the day she disappeared, and heading towards the park. In his closing speech to the jury, Mr Grehan said that there was an "overwhelming forensic case" against Boy A. He said that the evidence in relation to Boy A pointed in only one way - he was at the scene, he was there when Ana was bleeding, his DNA was on her neck and his semen was on her top. The case against Boy B was different, and relied on "what came out of his own mouth" in his interviews with gardai, Mr Grehan added. In his closing address, Mr Gageby, for Boy A, asked the jury to consider if there was "any solid or real evidence" of his client's intention to kill or his intention to kill Ana Kriegel. In his closing speech, Damien Colgan SC, for Boy B, said the prosecution case was that the two boys planned this together and Boy B collected Ana and brought her to Boy A who then did "untold things" to her. However, Mr Colgan said this theory does not hold water, and "does not add up in any shape or form". He said there was "no plan" and Boy B had "no knowledge". Pleaded guilty: Ciaran Byrne joined in the assault at the gig. Photo: Steve Humphreys A concert-goer has been jailed for his part in a "brutal, frenzied" attack on a woman at a Take That gig which left the victim with a bruised kidney and clumps of her hair torn out. Ciaran Byrne (33) "joined in" after his sister and his then-fiancee started the assault when a row over a spilled drink escalated. Judge John Hughes gave him a six-month sentence when he admitted his part in the attack during the concert at Dublin's 3Arena. Byrne, from Dundalk, Co Louth, but now of St Helen's Road, Harrogate, England, pleaded guilty to assault and violent disorder. Garda Adrian Cahill told Dublin District Court the victim (36) and her husband were at the concert on May 16, 2017, when an argument occurred between them and another group of people, including Byrne. Byrne's two co-accused, whose cases have been dealt with separately by the courts, initiated the physical confrontation and it "spiralled". A MAN has appeared in court accused of murdering his friend, who was stabbed to death on Dublins OConnell Street. Damien Singleton (28) was remanded in custody for four days after he was charged with murdering Peter Donnelly on Tuesday. Mr Singleton, of no fixed address but originally from Cork, is charged with murdering Mr Donnelly (39) and production of a knife. The accused had been taken to Store Street Garda Station after his arrest on Tuesday, but his period of detention had been suspended for a time as he had to be treated for injuries at the Mater Hospital. Expand Close Damien Singleton / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Damien Singleton Today, Detective Sergeant Brendan Casey told Dublin District Court he arrested Mr Singleton at Store Street station at 7.03pm yesterday evening for the purpose of charging him with offence of Common Law murder. He explained in ordinary terms the reason for his arrest and cautioned him that he was not obliged to say anything, and that anything he did say could be used in evidence. Mr Singleton made no reply to the caution and Det Sgt Casey was present when he was charged at 7.58pm with the two offences by Garda Colleen Doherty. Gda Doherty read over the wording of each charge sheet and he made no reply to either charge. He was handed a copy of each charge sheet. Defence solicitor Tracy Horan said she was not making any bail application. Bail can only be granted on a murder charge at High Court level. Ms Horan asked the judge to direct medical attention for the accused while he is in custody. He had a severe hand injury and needed surgery the day before yesterday, she said. Judge Smyth said he was not a medical adviser and presumed Mr Singleton would get necessary treatment. The judge granted free legal aid to the accused after Ms Horan handed a statement of his financial means and said Mr Singleton was unemployed. He remanded the accused in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court on June 18, when he will appear by video link. The accused, wearing a blue-green top and grey bottoms and runners, and with a plaster cast on his left forearm, did not address the court during the brief hearing. Father-of-one Peter "Rocky" Donnelly was originally from Kilkenny, had been living homeless in Dublin. He was fatally stabbed on O'Connell Street shortly after 1.30am. He was tended to at the scene by paramedics before being rushed to the Mater Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A significant portion of O'Connell Street was sealed-off Tuesday, leading to the road being closed until the afternoon while officers from the Garda Technical Bureau carried out an examination of the scene. Superintendent Paul Costello, from Store Street Garda Station appealed at the time for anyone with information to contact gardai. "Any members of the public in the O'Connell Street, Cathal Brugha Street, Marlborough Street areas between 1am and 2am, particularly any member of the public who may have taken any mobile phone footage of this incident or any mobile phone footage or dashcam footage in these streets at that time, are asked to contact An Garda Siochana," Supt Costello said. A convicted paedophile is the defendant in a family will dispute, along with a suspected crystal meth-dealing priest. Fr Michael O'Leary is currently facing four charges in the US after being arrested during a St Patrick's Day drugs bust in New York. The 50-year-old has also had High Court proceedings issued against him over his late mother's will, along with his brother John O'Leary, who is a serial child abuser . The Irish Independent has learned that John O'Leary (60) has at least 16 previous convictions, including the sexual abuse of young children. In 1998 he was convicted of five counts of sexual assault involving children aged between seven and 12. The court heard John O'Leary, of Morehampton Road, Donnybrook, pretended to take prescribed tablets to "quell his physical desires". A Garda sergeant gave evidence that O'Leary was known as "the Jogger". He was later jailed for six months. John O'Leary and his younger brother are currently at the centre of a High Court action aimed at settling their late mother Elizabeth O'Leary's will. But Michael O'Leary is now facing up to 14 years in a US jail if convicted of dealing crystal meth. The priest was arrested shortly before 1am on March 17. According to court documents, he was the driver of a 2018 Toyota. Inside, officers discovered seven zip-lock bags containing 16 grams of methamphetamine, as well as two glass pipes, one of which had residue from the drugs. He was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to supply, which is a B felony and carries a maximum jail term of nine years. He is further charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, which carries a maximum term of five years, as well as use of drug paraphernalia. Fr O'Leary, whose address was given as Our Lady of Consolation, a home for retired priests in the Bronx, is due to appear before Peekskill City Court, New York, on June 24. He is currently on bail of a bond of $1,000 (886). The case came to light after High Court proceedings here could not go ahead due to the arrest. Siblings Nora Harpur, Barry O'Leary, Tadgh O'Leary and Marie O'Leary brought unrelated proceedings against Michael and John O'Leary. The four plaintiffs seek an order condemning a will made by the late Ms O'Leary, of Morehampton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4, in 2009 on the grounds she was not of sound mind when it was executed. It is claimed the family home was left to the defendants and the residue of the estate was left to the other siblings. All smiles: Aisling Callanan, Siobhan Creaven, Nicole Murray and Lauren Dolphin and a friend sat the Leaving Cert art paper at St Raphaels College, Loughrea, Co Galway. Photo: Hany Marzouk ART students are well used to artefacts but teacher Gerard Lane thought the way the word was used in the Leaving Cert art history and appreciation higher-level paper was "a bit odd". It came up in the art gallery and museum question, which Mr Lane, an Association of Secondary Teachers' Ireland subject representative, said was always the most popular. With reference to an exhibition in an art gallery, museum or interpretative centre they had visited, students were asked to describe and discuss two artefacts. Mr Lane, who teaches at Presentation College, Athenry, Co Galway, said the word may have thrown some students. "It is not that they wouldn't have known what an artefact was, but some students would apply the word artefact to an object such as a sword," he said. "When they were asked about a gallery, it needed to be more specific and the examiners should have asked for a painting or a sculpture." While the gallery question might have thrown a few candidates, Mr Lane said, overall the paper was good. Questions on the paper covered a spectrum that included the Ardagh Chalice, Romanesque architecture, the Renaissance, Georgian architecture, Cubism and Robert Ballagh. And it was bang up to date with another where candidates were asked to reflect on artworks in public spaces with reference to the new Luke Kelly sculpture by artist Vera Klute, in Dublin's north inner city. Mr Lane described it as "a nice question" and welcomed another about animated movies transporting the viewer into another reality and one on the use of photographic manipulation in graphic design. He said the ordinary level paper was "pretty standard stuff with nothing I could quibble with". Religious Education (RE) higher-level candidates had an opportunity to get their teeth into discussing what is legally permitted may not be regarded as morally right, one of six essay choices. (stock photo) The Junior Cycle exam reforms have not yet hit home economics, but teacher Margaret Kent detected evidence in yesterday's higher-level paper of the sort of thinking skills that will be required in the future. The ASTI subject representative described it as a "challenging paper that demanded a very good knowledge of the whole course". Ms Kent, of Loreto Secondary School, Fermoy, Co Cork, noted that "this is its second-last year and they are beginning to use the type of questioning that we can expect in the new Junior Cycle. Right across the paper, they were asked to integrate knowledge from different areas of the course in each question". Among her other observations was an entire question on diabetes. "We would not have expected a whole question on a health condition. That is more Leaving Cert," she said. Ms Kent complimented the "nice graphics and contemporary questions" on the ordinary-level paper and said students would have liked it. She also welcomed the use of an image in a question about eggs, which would be helpful for candidates for whom English is a second language. Religious Education (RE) higher-level candidates had an opportunity to get their teeth into discussing "what is legally permitted may not be regarded as morally right", one of six essay choices. Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) subject representative Stephen O'Hara, of Colaiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co Cork, was struck by it. He said that "sometimes people say RE is removed from what is going on in world around us, but this was such a topical question". It was an example of "a connection being made with senior cycle, allowing high-achieving students to go for such questions while also giving enough scope on the paper for others to succeed". Half of the marks on the paper were devoted to section four and Mr O'Hara described it as "very manageable. In the past it has been pitched too high, but not this year". Junior Cert students who had studied Julius Caeser and the Iliad wouldnt have been disappointed by fair papers in Latin and Classical studies, according to one teacher. Jim ODea, from Rathdown School in Glenageary, Co Dublin, predominantly praised both papers and in higher and ordinary levels. The only small criticism Mr ODea, a representative of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland offered, was that the background for some of the passages for translation (in the ordinary exam) would not be as familiar as the passages at higher level. Mr ODea said Latin was: A very fair and balanced paper. Well prepared candidates will have had a good opportunity to display their skills and learning. The paper featured interesting passages for comprehension and translation relating to the Trojan War, Odysseus and Hannibal. Pupils should have been quite happy to see Julius Caesar as one of the options for the main history question and there was also a nice question on Roman Baths. Similarly, in general the ordinary level paper was reasonable, Mr ODea added. The Classical studies higher level paper was Very much along expected lines and quite a fair paper, Mr ODea said. "This paper should have posed no great difficulty for the majority of candidates sitting it. The Iliad and Aeneid questions were particularly straightforward. "The marks in section b of the various topics were broken down for the most part but there were two topics where this was not done. Pupils tend to get higher marks if the questions are subdivided rather than giving a lot of marks for a general question where students may not cover all the angles and lose marks accordingly. The illustrations/pictures on the paper at both levels were of a high quality. Mr ODea said the ordinary paper was also a very fair paper. He reminded pupils new to the subjects in future that there would be some major changes afoot. "From next September the new Classics course comprising Classical Studies, Latin and Greek will be introduced in first year in second-level schools, marking the beginning of the end for Classical Studies, Latin and Greek as we know them up to now." The solicitor representing the couple at the centre of the tragic abortion case in the National Maternity Hospital has written to the HSE criticising the delay in setting up an external review. Stock picture The solicitor representing the couple at the centre of the tragic abortion case in the National Maternity Hospital has written to the HSE criticising the delay in setting up an external review. Caoimhe Haughey also said the decision of the hospital to carry out its own internal audit without independent oversight is "callous and reckless". The concerns are outlined in a letter to Dr Peter McKenna, clinical director of the HSE's National Women and Infants Health Programme. The parents were told their unborn baby had a fatal foetal abnormality in March and would not survive. This led to the agonising decision to have a termination. But a more advanced test later showed the baby was healthy. Ms Haughey said the decision on termination had been based on "misconceived" advice. The couple have called for an independent inquiry and are anxious to ensure lessons are learned. It is expected a panel of UK specialists will be appointed shortly to carry out an external review. The hospital said "significant progress has been made with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in selecting membership of the external review and the terms of reference". A spokesman for the hospital said it hopes to be able to be in a position to finalise these shortly. The regulator overseeing laboratories was unaware for three years that CervicalCheck tests from women in Ireland were being sent to a small unaccredited centre in Manchester, it was confirmed yesterday. Dr Gabriel Scally, who investigated CervicalCheck, is concerned about the future use of the lab in Salford, Manchester, which is overseen by MedLab in Dublin. His report revealed that it started to take tests with just one scientist on the staff in 2016, but was not independently accredited to ensure it met safety standards until he requested an inspection two months ago. A spokesman for the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) said that in April 2016 MedLab made informal enquiries regarding the establishment of a Manchester facility. "The position of INAB at that time was that such a proposal would potentially be acceptable on the basis that the facility would be established, controlled and managed under the direct control of MedLab Dublin. However, INAB did not receive any formal request in relation to this proposal and took no further action. "Although the Manchester MedLab facility was not specifically surveyed by INAB prior to April 2019, the accreditation standards being applied to the work of the cytoscreeners in Manchester were reviewed by INAB in its annual surveillance visits to MedLab's Dublin facility," he said. "This is because MedLab Dublin included relevant data from the Manchester facility for the annual INAB surveillance visits. A formal accreditation of the MedLab Manchester facility undertaken by INAB in April 2019 confirmed that it was fully operating to the required accreditation standards." The HSE said it will continue to use the facility despite Dr Scally's comments. There are four people on its staff looking at 30,000 screens per year, around 600 a week. Currently it is working on part of the backlog of 61,000 tests. A HSE spokeswoman said the backlog was being reduced and was expected to be eliminated within months. It is not doing any HPV testing. The scene of the light aircraft crash in Belan, Co Kildare GARDAI and the Air Accident Investigation Unit have launched a full investigation into the deaths of two men in a light aircraft crash in Co Kildare. The men, aged in their 50s and 70s, died when the two-seater BRM NG5 light aircraft they were travelling in crashed after leaving Kilrush airstrip in Kildare at around 7:20pm yesterday evening. The men were originally from Kildare Town and Dundrum, Dublin. Gardai were alerted to the incident at 1am this morning when the plane failed to return to the runway. Ground and aerial searches were carried out by gardai and the Irish Coast Guard. The wreckage was found in Belan, Co. Kildare at around 4:30am this morning by Irish Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Unit 116. Rescuers said there was no immediate indication why the craft crashed. "It looked like the craft just literally dropped out of the sky, like a stone", one said today. Speaking at this scene this afternoon, Superintendent Martin Walker said that the bodies have since been moved to Naas General Hospital where a post-mortem will be carried out. Mr Walker said they were unable to disclose the names of the men killed in the crash at this time. When emergency personal arrived at the scene, two males, one in their 70s and one in their 50s were pronounced dead at the scene. Following consultation with the deputy coroner the bodies have been moved to Naas General Hospital where a post-mortem will be done later this afternoon. The AAIU have primacy on this investigation and we are here to assist and preserve the scene until they have finished their enquiries. In the interim we have appointed family liaison officers for both families in Dublin and Kildare. We are not releasing the identities of the two deceased until all extended family have been notified of the death, he concluded. The AAIU is currently onsite investigating the scene, however it said that heavy rainfall has hampered its investigation. They expect to remove the aircraft from the scene in the next couple of hours to their Gormanstown, Co Meath base for further investigation. No flight recording device such as a black box was on board the light aircraft and the crew had not made communication with Air Traffic Control during its flight, nor had it an obligation to do so due to the airspace it was flying in. AAIU Inspector, Howard Hughes said that investigation must be careful and methodical to avoid the rick of spoiling potential evidence. What we do now is a field investigation, following that we recover the wreckage which is the process that is going on now to our facility in Gormanstown where we will determine what further steps need to be taken in terms of examining the aircrafts structure, the engine, the engine components. The rain has not made it any easier, at the moment I would estimate that it is going to take at least another hour if not two hours to get the aircraft secured onto the truck that we are using. We need to do that in a manner that doesnt disturb any potential evidence. Local residents have said the community has been left shaken by the crash. Owner of the local Moone High Cross Inn, John Joseph Clinch said incidents like this have never happened in the area before. Its a huge shock for the local community. Nothing like this has ever happened before, its a massive event and we are all in a state of shock and sadness for the two men that sadly lost their lives." Local Fine Gael councillor Ivan Keatley said: I know they are not locals to the area, one is from Kildare town and the other is from Dublin. I believe one of them was an instructor. "Apparently, the aircraft was new and arrived only a few months ago. I have just come from the local community shop and obviously news is only filtering through this morning." The Irish Aviation Authority has said it is supporting the AAIU investigation and offers sincere condolences to the deceased and their families. A woman who was discriminatorily dismissed from her role with a security company after returning from maternity leave has been awarded more than 50,000. Karen Kelly (32) had been on maternity leave and due to return to her job as a receptionist in March 2018 when she was informed she was being moved to a different office. Ms Kelly, who was living in Rush, was a permanent employee in a Swords office for G4S Security but was offered a six-month fixed contract at a Ballymount site. Having had a 30-minute commute to work in her initial role, the new fixed term contract would also require a four-hour round trip to work as she relied on public transport. It was Ms Kelly's case that refusing to allow her to return to her job, or a suitable alternative position following her maternity leave, amounted to discriminatory treatment on the grounds of gender. G4S had claimed that her removal from the site had "nothing to do" with Ms Kelly's pregnancy or maternity leave. Instead, it said that Karen Kelly was removed from the site at the request of the client who had expressed a preference to retain a male employee who provided maternity cover. An earlier decision by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), in which 11,600 had been awarded to the complainant, was appealed by both parties. This week the Labour court ruled that Ms Kelly was discriminatorily dismissed, and also dismissed an appeal by G4S. The court found that a "fair and equitable" amount of 51,168 should be awarded for discriminatory dismissal. Karen Kelly told the Irish Independent she was glad the "nightmare" was over, and praised her family and partner, as well as solicitor Mairead Carey, for "fighting tooth and nail" for her throughout the case. TRANSPORT Minister Shane Ross has gone against the advice of spending officials by giving 5m to an airport which hasnt had a single commercial flight in three years. The ministers for finance and regional development both raised red flags about the handout for Waterford Regional Airport but it was pushed through at Cabinet last Tuesday. The Irish Independent understands a memo compiled by the Department of Public Expenditure suggested the allocation was not justified. The airport is in the constituency of Mr Rosss Independent Alliance colleague John Halligan. The Minister of State confirmed that there was significant opposition within Government, saying that while negotiations were always calm he had to fight tooth and nail. Mr Halligan said: If people want to say its parish-pump politics, I dont care. Its a big hit for the south-east. It comes at a time when Finance Minister Paschal Donohoes management of the national purse strings is under increasing scrutiny. Earlier this week, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) warned the Government's medium-term projections for the public finances are "not credible". Asked why 5m was being provided for the airport in spite of advice to the contrary, a spokesperson for Mr Donohoe said he had indicated to the Department of Transport that "no new money" would be provided. "Any additional allocation for Waterford Airport must be made from within the capital funding already allocated. The decision was made on that basis," the spokesperson said. On top of the direct donation from the Exchequer, another 2m of taxpayers' money will be provided from the coffers of Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford county councils. A number of employers in the south-east, including Glanbia, Coolmore Stud and Dawn Meats, are also being asked to stump another 5m to help fund the project. Mr Halligan, who spent six years on the board of Waterford Airport, argued it was "unprecedented" that private investors were going to help build a runaway. "I trust them rather than the civil servants on this," he said. Waterford has not operated a scheduled commercial service since June 16, 2016, when Belgian airline VLM discontinued flights to Birmingham after entering receivership. The runway, when extended from its existing length of 1,433 metres to 2,280 metres, will be able to accommodate commercial passenger aircraft such as Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s. In 2012, more than 77,000 passengers used Waterford Airport - but by the time flights were suspended in 2016 this was down to 13,500. Efforts to develop routes to Luton, Birmingham, and Manchester in 2017 failed. Ministers were told this week that their focus should be on supporting the regional airports in Donegal, Knock and Kerry. But a negative assessment in relation to Waterford from the Department of Public Expenditure was backed up by a similar evaluation from the Department of Rural Affairs. It was noted that while "no new money" was being provided to Mr Ross, there was an "opportunity cost" associated with diverting 5m to an airport which only caters for a coastguard helicopter and private jets. However, sources said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was in favour of supporting Waterford, having met with business representatives alongside Mr Halligan. But one Fine Gael minister told the Irish Independent: "If it wasn't in Waterford, it wouldn't be happening." Another suggested the announcement was deliberately delayed until after the local elections so as to avoid controversy. A spokesperson for Mr Ross said the project was merited "from the perspective of regional development, tourism and enterprise". They argued it was fully aligned with the Government's commitment "to support the dispersal of economic growth throughout the regions". "This particular model of funding, delivered in partnership with private and local authority interests, is a new one in the context of funding for regional airports. "As a result, the minister has attached certain conditions to the funding. "Firstly, it will be dependent on the airport being able to demonstrate, following the necessary procurement processes, that the project can be delivered for the estimated amount of 12m. "In addition, the Exchequer contribution of 5m will only be paid when all upgrade works are completed and the runway is confirmed to be ready for service by the Irish Aviation Authority," the spokesperson said. Mr Halligan said the south-east deserved the investment. "This is nothing to do with John Halligan, Shane Ross or the Independent Alliance kicking up a stink. I'm comfortable with where I am on it," he said. "I don't even know if I'm standing [for election] again. If I genuinely thought this airport wasn't viable, I wouldn't do it." Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is driving the UK towards a no-deal Brexit by subcontracting the subject of the North to the EU, the DUP's chief whip has claimed. In a stinging attack on the Irish Government, Jeffrey Donaldson said Mr Varadkar and Tanaiste Simon Coveney knew the Border was "sensitive" but rather than look for consensus they sought to turn it into "a bargaining chip which could be used by Brussels". Mr Donaldson told the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin that the DUP did not want a hard Border but neither would it accept the backstop. "The Irish Government sought a solution to Brexit which it must know does not have the support of Unionists - the so-called backstop. "They abandoned the politics of consensus and instead now find themselves claiming to be a guarantor of the Belfast Agreement, whilst being at loggerheads with Westminster and unionism," he said, adding that "megaphone diplomacy" had taken over. Members of the Political Accounts Committee owe Angela Kerins a full apology. They say sorry is the hardest word, and when it comes to our politicians, it is even harder. They are quick to pontificate and lecture others but when it comes to admitting they were wrong, they are strangely struck dumb. Especially about how they have accused others. This is most famously the case with the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Its members have often been quick to grandstand and use witnesses for target practice for their own publicity. This is not to deny, of course, the valuable role the PAC has also played on unearthing revelations about public monies. The most notorious monstering was of Ms Kerins, the former chief executive of Rehab, who has had her name dramatically cleared by the Supreme Court after the PAC questioned her aggressively in 2014 on her personal finances. The Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail has issued a personal apology to Ms Kerins for the way she was treated. The businesswoman claims PAC members knowingly acted outside their remit, seeking commercial information and details of private earnings rather than inquiring solely into Rehab services paid for by the HSE and Solas. In a judgment delivered last month, the Supreme Court found the PAC had acted unlawfully as a whole in its treatment of Ms Kerins when she appeared before two hearings of the committee. "The Kerins judgment was a watershed for us here in the Dail," said Mr O Fearghail. "There has been much commentary outside about the chilling impact that the Kerins judgment might have on the Oireachtas. "The only thing that I feel is chilling is that the Supreme Court found that a committee in the last Dail had effectively broken the law, had trampled on the rights of Ms Kerins. That to me is chilling." These are strong words. "I would personally apologise to Ms Kerins for the fact that that happened," said Mr O Fearghail, "and [it is] our absolute determination to make sure that in what remains of the 32nd Dail, and in future, that type of situation will not happen again". This is a gracious and sincere apology from the gatekeeper of our parliament, so why haven't we heard the same from the then members of the PAC? Why don't they apologise for their treatment of Ms Kerins, which in the High Court she described as "bullying, harassment and persecution", which even led her to consider suicide. The former PAC chairman John McGuinness has refused to say whether he will apologise to the former Rehab boss for her treatment at an Oireachtas committee, which is supposed to be above the standard of a bar-room kangaroo court. When contacted, Mr McGuinness, a Fianna Fail TD, said he had "no comment at this time" on whether he too would apologise. Meanwhile, high-profile members of the committee, Transport Minister Shane Ross and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, have refused to say whether they would apologise to Ms Kerins. The two TDs were among the most robust questioners of Ms Kerins when she was before the Public Accounts Committee in 2014. This is hardly surprising given their appetite for publicity and controversy. Nor did Health Minister Simon Harris respond on the question of an apology. Again, given the fiascos around Harris's watch on health spending and cervical checks, he is a politician who could be doing a lot of apologising. In fairness, the office of Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy conceded that "at the time, Minister Murphy stated that the committee was acting outside its remit". Murphy is a smart and considered guy who rescued the banking committee report and also helped rescue McGuinness as PAC chairman when, in a piece of internal bloodletting, Harris wanted to have McGuinness ousted because of revelations about the Fianna Fail TD's own finances. Proof the PAC can be as ruthless against itself! Most importantly, current PAC chairman Sean Fleming has said Ms Kerins was mistreated and deserves an apology. Pointedly, Fleming also said "those who questioned her in an aggressive manner in 2014 should apologise". So why haven't they done so? Why the silence from our usually visible and voluble politicians? The rest of us have to say sorry every day for things we said and did. The media is constantly being held to account for corrections and apologies, often with a financial pay out. So why should our politicians be allowed to swan around Leinster House without a dicky bird, even though they have thrashed someone publicly? Can they just go on to do the same again? The public would like to hear such an apology so they don't think that politicians are above the expectations and laws of normal behaviour. Worse still, such stonewalling only discredits the otherwise good work of the PAC which has unearthed revelations on the children's hospital overrun and on the President's allowances. Alas, many politicians seem to be more preoccupied with scoring a hit on publicity and public ambush, regardless of the consequences. Have you heard about the country that forked out 90m so that it won't have to pay a fine? Or which is happy to shell out 5m for an airport that doesn't have any flights? No? Well you're living in it. We will return to the airport travesty in a moment. But let us first address what Sean Fleming, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, has described as "a charade". The payout of 86.8m of taxpayers' money to buy so-called carbon credits which he rightly said was "horrific" and "gross hypocrisy". We may also have to pay a further 60m to "buy our way out of pretending" we are meeting our renewable energy targets. The extent to which we have become recidivists when it comes to pick-pocketing the public purse comes as a bit of a shock. Most of us would not recognise a "carbon credit" if it hit us over the head. Now it seems they have. They have done so through an elaborate and massively expensive ruse, by which we can escape meeting our responsibilities. We simply buy unused emissions from somewhere else. We are already the self-confessed EU laggards when it comes to meeting our obligations. Yet we will pay tens of millions for the unused emission credits to create the illusion that by the end of 2020, we will be below our target. But only because we have banked credits from elsewhere. What a wonderful message to pass on to our children on our commitment to a planet we have done more to destroy than any previous generation. Speaking on RTE yesterday, the director of Friends of the Earth Ireland, Oisin Coghlan, said the revelations show "that the cost of inaction will always be greater than the cost of action". The moral case for meeting our obligation is overwhelming, but the financial cost is also compelling. We could face fines or costs of between 2bn-6bn if we do not meet our 2030 targets. Let us now return to the aforementioned millions set aside for a runway by Transport Minister Shane Ross. Waterford Airport has the distinction of not having had any commercial flights for a few years. Not only that, both the ministers for Finance and for Regional Development were against the grant. In the real world, it makes no sense; but in the political bubble where votes are the only currency, cost is set at naught. As TD John Halligan put it: "If people want to say it's parish pump politics, I don't care. It's a big hit for the south east." This very week the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council unleashed a barrage of criticism against the Government for "repeatedly" breaching its own budgetary targets. Not to worry. There is always a few million to spare for a flight of fancy in the airport with no flights. Michelle Rogers is wearing a Leonardo Da Vinci t-shirt with the aplomb which only an artist and part time Roman resident can have. The great Italian artists have inspired much of her work but for her forthcoming exhibition in The Basement Gallery at An Tain Arts Centre, which opens tomorrow Wednesday night, she has sought inspiration closer to home, finding it in the words of Inniskeen poet Patrick Kavanagh. 'It's always special to do an exhibition in your home town, your family, cousins, friends you grew up with all coming to see the work makes it very important personally,' says Michelle. 'I made the paintings specifically for the Dundalk show inspired by a local Poet Patrick Kavanagh who saw the beauty of the everyday here.' 'Secret Places' will be Michelle's second time exhibiting in The Basement Gallery as her first solo show there depicted the grim aftermath of the war in Bosnia after she was selected by Amnesty International to travel the war torn region in 1993. Since then, social activisim has been a driving force in her artwork, much of which has focused on issues of sexual equality, human rights and the environment. It's the latter which has been the driving force behind much of her work in recent years, and in 2016 she was invited by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon to sketch the signatories of the Paris Agreement at the United Nations as 175 countries agreed to accelerate climate action. For this exhibition, Michelle has drawn inspiration from the works of Patrick Kavanagh, the Inniskeen poet who was a regular visitor to Dundalk. 'This exhibition is about secret places and is inspired by a book on Kavanagh by Sr Una Agnew,' she says. 'It talks about his relationship with nature, his obsession with nature and also his spirituality which was very much connected with nature.' She notes the manner in which Kavanagh pays attention to small details. 'That's what artists and poets do. They pay attention to the little things which other people don't see. Kavanagh could see the entire world in a daisy.' The exhibition will feature 48 small works including oils and watercolours, each of which takes its title from lines of Kavanagh's poetry. 'He's very much the poet for today when you need people to care about nature,' she says. She notes that it is young people who are driving the campaign to save the environment and is encouraged by how schoolchildren in Ireland have got on board with protests. 'We have such a beautiful country in Ireland and a history of art and poetry related to nature that it is important that we preserve it.' 'Secret Places' is at the Basement Gallery until July 20th. Sr Margaret Josephine Boyle F.M.S.A, Mount Oliver Convent, Dundalk, and late of Glencolmcille, Donegal, whose death occurred on 8 June, 2019, peacefully, in the care of the loving and dedicated staff at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. Pre-deceased by her sisters Mary Teresa and Sr. Immaculata R.S.M. and her brother John. Sadly missed by her loving sisters Anna and Evelyn, all her nieces, nephews, her Franciscan Community and a wide circle of friends. Reposing at the Convent Chapel on Monday from 4.00pm. Funeral Mass at 11.00am on Tuesday in Convent Chapel, followed by burial in the community cemetery. Ivars Ore, 3 Crescent 1, Muirhevnamor, Dundalk, whose death occurred on 6 June, 2019. Beloved son of Antra and dear partner of Rachel and loving father of Abbie, Malanija and Daniella. He will be sadly missed by his loving partner, children, mother, relatives and friends. Reposing at his residence from 2pm on Sunday. Removal on Wednesday morning to The Church of the Holy Family, arriving for Mass at 11 o'clock. Burial afterwards in St. Patrick's Cemetery. Margaret Morgan (nee Kearney), Griffith Hall, Drumcondra, Dublin and Cooley, whose death occurred on 7 June, 2019, peacefully, at St. Francis' Hospice, Raheny. Beloved wife of the late Sean and dear mother of Therese. She will be sadly missed by her loving daughter, son-in-law Barry, grandchildren Sean, Eabha and Darragh, sisters-in-law Briege and Bridie, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. Reposing at St. Francis' Hospice from 3pm-5pm on Sunday, with prayer service at 4pm. Funeral Mass on Monday morning at 11am in The Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Boher. Burial afterwards in adjoining cemetery. Mary Smith (nee McGahon), late of Marian Park, Dundalk, whose death occurred in London on 26 May, 2019 in St George's Hospital, Tooting. Sadly missed by her husband, Tony; daughter, Laura; brother, Tommy; sisters-in-law, niece, nephews, relatives and friends. Funeral service on Wednesday, 19 June, 2019, at the chapel in Putney Vale Cemetery, Stag Lane, Wimbledon. Breda (Brigid) Ring, Rossmakay, Knockbridge, whose death occurred peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, on 7 June, 2019. Breda (Secondary School Teacher) much loved wife of the late Paddy Carvill and loving mother of Emmet and Clare, loving daughter of Clare and the late Diarmuid Ring and sister of Mairin, Timothy, Padraig, Brendan, Colum and Kevin. Deeply missed by her heartbroken son, daughter, mother, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, and many friends in USA and at home. Reposing at her home from 2pm until 8pm on Saturday and Sunday. House private at all other times. Removal on Monday morning to St. Fursey's Church, Haggardstown arriving for Mass at 11. o'clock. Cremation afterwards in Glasnevin Crematorium at 1.30pm. Annie Dunne (nee Mohan), Ravensdale Park, Dundalk, whose death occurred peacefully on 6 June, 2019, peacefully, in the tender and dedicated care of the staff of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. Beloved wife of Arthur and dear mother of John, Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Cecilia and Briege. She will be sadly missed by her sorrowing husband, son, daughters, daughter-in-law, sons-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brother, sisters, sisters-in-law, extended family, relatives and friends. Reposing at her home from 7.30pm to 9pm on Thursday and from 2pm to 9pm on Friday and Saturday. Removal on Sunday at 12.20pm, to the Church of the Sacred Heart, Jonesborough, arriving for Funeral Mass at 1pm. Burial afterwards in the adjoining Sacred Heart Cemetery. May Pepper (nee Kirke), St. Malachy's Villas, Dundalk, whose death occurred peacefully on 6 June, 2019, peacefully, at Dealgan House Nursing Home. Beloved wife of the late Mattie and loving mammy of Matt, Ray, Catherine and Brendan. Deeply regretted by her sons, daughter, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and family circle. Reposing at home from 11am on Friday. Removal on Saturday at 10.30am, to St. Nicholas' Church, arriving for Funeral Mass at 11am. Burial afterwards in St. Patrick's Cemetery. Micheal Maguire, Tavanamore, Hackballscross, Dundalk, whose death occurred on 4 June, 2019, suddenly at home, surrounded by his loving family. Micheal, son of the late Edward and Brigid Maguire. Beloved husband of Brigid, much loved father of Paula, Mairead, Micheal and Sinead. Sadly missed by sisters Mary Laverty (Lisdoonan) and Martina Keenan, grandchildren Shauna Alanna, Katie, Cathal, Jessica, Turlough, Darragh, Sadie and Eddie, sons-in-law, daughter-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Reposing at his residence from 6pm until 9pm on Wednesday, and on Thursday, from 12 noon until 9pm. Removal Friday morning to the Church of Sacred Heart, Shelagh for Funeral Mass at 11am, burial afterwards in adjoining cemetery. Leo Gartlan, Ard Easmuinn, Dundalk, whose death occurred on 3 June, 2019, peacefully, in the love and tender care of Blackrock Abbey Nursing Home. Predeceased by his wife Bridie (nee Conlon). Leo will be sadly missed by his loving daughter Aideen, sons Declan, Fergus, Cormac and Enda, brother Enda, son-in-law Aidan Gorham, daughters-in-law Kathleen and Nicola, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brother- and sisters in-law, nephews, nieces, extended family relatives, wonderful neighbours and friends. Reposing at his residence from Wednesday afternoon 2pm to 9pm. Removal on Thursday morning at 10.40am proceeding on foot to The Church of The Holy Redeemer arriving for Funeral Mass at 11am followed by burial in St. Brigid's Cemetery, Kilcurry. Iris O'Sullivan, Oldbridge, Toberona, Dundalk, whose death occurred on 4 June, 2019, peacefully, in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, surrounded by her loving family. Reposing at her residence from 2pm on Wednesday and again on Thursday from 2pm. Removal Friday to St Joseph's Church, Castletown, for 12 noon requiem Mass with burial afterwards in Brid-A-Crinn Cemetery. Iris, beloved daughter of the late Sonny and Eileen O'Sullivan, much loved mother of Caroline (Fitzpatrick), Catriona, Charmaine, Pete and their father Peter. Sadly missed by brothers Tommy and Francie, sisters Pat (Rooney) and Annette (Hamill), grandchildren, great-grandchildren, relatives and friends. Sinn Fein councillor Ruairi O Murchu has urged anyone with information about drug related crime to report it to the gardai. Having met with An Garda Siochana in Dundalk Garda Station regarding a number of serious attacks which have taken place recently, he said: 'I urge anyone with information on these or other crimes to bring it to the attention of An Garda Siochana. The community must come forward to help get rid of the scourge of drug dealers in our midst. 'The Gardai are the only people who can deal with these situations and I would also call on people to remain calm and to desist from adding fuel to the fire by posting unhelpful messages and threats on social media." 'Over recent weeks there have been a number of extremely serious and worrying incidents in Dundalk,' noted Cllr O Murchu. Last week a man was seriously injured when a car mounted the footpath and deliberately knocked him down.' 'There have also been a spate of violent attacks, including stabbings, petrol bomb attacks and shootings. I spoke to Gardai about these incidents, many of which are believed to be linked to drug dealing gangs operating in Dundalk. He noted that the report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction found that Ireland is one of six countries where the abuse of crack cocaine has increased in the past five years and has now the 3 highest usage of cocaine in the EU. 'The Chief Superintendent for Louth, Christy Mangan, has spoken recently about an 'epidemic' of drug taking in our towns and villages which has reached such proportion that we face losing a generation of young people to drugs. It's clear that drug use is increasing in Louth as too is the violent crime which accompanies it.' Townspeople and visitors alike are in for a big surprise when SeekDundalk gets underway in the town centre next weekend. The town's inaugural urban art festival will see three internationally acclaimed street artists working on three huge murals which will change the way we see our town. The murals will tell the story of Dundalk from the legend of Cuchulainn through to the last High King of Ireland to the world famous Dundalk born engineer Peter Rice who worked on iconic buildings such as the Sydney Opera House and the Pompediu Centre in Paris. And as the renowned street artists, Dubliners James Earley and Arches along with Dundalk's own Omin work on the larger than life murals, there's a programme of events taking place through the week for all the family. TCCM manager, Martin McElligott explains the ethos behind this new festival, which takes its inspiration from towns and cities the world, becoming kaleidoscopes of creativity by bringing large scale street art to public spaces. 'Dundalk, like most town centres in Ireland , has seen its fair share of shape shifting,' he says, noting that time has taken its toll on some of the key buildings in the heart of the town. ' The festival is double-sided,' he explains, ' helping us transform some of our tired buildings in the coolest way by using them as a giant artistic canvas to translate some of Dundalk's unique history and heritage. Artists James Earley, Aches and Omin have been chosen to create bold and impactful murals focusing on historical figures associated with the town. For eight days starting on Saturday June 15th they will be using Dundalk as their artistic playground, transforming our town centre forever, live in front of thousands of people. 'We are very excited about all our scheduled art pieces from Cuchulainn and Peter Rice but speaking about one that really sticks out in my mind is the one of 'Edward the Bruce' the last High King of Ireland. This story will be painted by the artist known as Aches and is based ib a 700 year old historical event. Edward was the younger brother of the famous Scottish king Robert the Bruce known as the father of Scottish independence and while Robert has had movies made about him and even 3D facial reconstructions, Edward's only acknowledgement was being laid to rest out in Faughart the year he was killed.' Martin thanked their lead sponsors Dundalk BIDs, Colourtrend Paints, Creative Ireland, Creative Spark and all our other sponsors, Dundalk Tidy Towns, The Hairshop, Grandson Design Studio, Thinking Cap, ORH Marketing, Riva Restaurant, All City Paints, MTN, Imperial Hotel and Louth County Council. Sarah Daly from Creative Spark said: 'We are delighted to be involved in this festival to bring creativity to the streets of Dundalk. Creative Spark supports local artists in its centre in Muirhevnamor but really values the opportunity to work with artists in the town centre to increase the visibility of the creative talent and rich history of our area. It is also fantastic that the festival has received the support of the Creative Ireland programme for its inaugural year. This validates the quality of the artists selected and the vision and ambition of the festival promoters.' Managing Director of Colourtrend, Kevin O'Connor commented: 'We at Colourtrend are honoured to be sponsoring Seek Dundalk 2019 and to play such an active role in the festival. As an Irish family brand, it is important for us to celebrate and support local culture and what better way than with an exciting initiative such as SEEK 2019. 'We are delighted to be in a position to help in bringing the colour of this wonderful festival to life and see how these incredible artists use our paint to tell a story that celebrates Irish history and culture in their creative murals. We look forward to seeing what the incredible team of talented artists unveil at SEEK.' There's an exciting programme of events for all the family running throughout the week. Local artist Sean McGuill, who was artist in residence in An Tain Arts Centre last summer, is leading an urban arts painting workshop for children (5-12 years) and teenagers (12-16) on Saturday June 15 from 12noon to 4pm at the Market Square. Those taking part in the workshop will each paint a 30cm sq wooden tile which will then be combined to form a large mosaic of urban art. Artists James Earley, Arches and Omin will be in Creative Spark on Saturday June 15 at 7.00 pm. to talk about their practice and outline their plans for the festival. Guided walking tours to visit the artists painting on-site at St Nicholas Quarter, Earl Street, and The Ramparts will take place each day from Sunday June 16 to June 22 at 2pm. Meet at Dundalk Tourist Office. For further information go to www.seekartsdundalk.com All's fair in love and the war for TV ratings in director Nisha Ganatra's spiky comedy of modern manners, which provides Dame Emma Thompson with a plum role as a veteran talk show host who has grown complacent and lost touch with her viewers. It's a lip-smacking delight to see the two-time Oscar winner in full comic flow, tossing out polished one-liners or rejecting one male staff member's request for a pay rise following the birth of his second child because it represents 'the classic sexist argument for the advancement of men in the workplace'. Scripted with a deft touch by co-star Mindy Kaling, Late Night takes aim at gender equality and diversity in the workplace and occasionally draws blood from well-placed barbs at the expense of the mainstream media's obsession with beauty and youth. Some aspects of the writing are undernourished - one romantic subplot blossoms with almost no on-screen propagation and the emotional fallout of marital betrayal is too neatly contained. However, chemistry between the lead actors fizzes and there is a delightful rapport between Thompson and John Lithgow as the host's scholarly husband, whose brilliant mind is being unravelled by Parkinson's disease. For almost 30 years, Katherine Newbury (Thompson) has presided over an award-winning talk show that has tried to take the higher cultural ground. Unfortunately, ratings have plummeted and network president Caroline Morton (Amy Ryan) takes the decision to replace Katherine with edgy stand-up comedian Daniel Tennant (Ike Barinholtz). Faced with the sobering reality of relinquishing her crown at the end of the current season, Katherine vows to reverse the show's fortunes. 'There aren't any women on the staff because you hate women,' observes long-suffering producer Brad (Denis O'Hare) so Katherine orders him to hastily address the imbalance. Molly Patel (Kaling), an efficiency expert at a chemical plant in Pennsylvania with no writing experience beyond her own stand-up material, is in the right place at the right time. She joins an all-white male writers' room led by Tom Campbell (Reid Scott), who pens Katherine's opening monologue. Fellow writers dismiss Molly as a token hire but colleague Charlie Fain (Hugh Dancy) is more open-minded. 'Just because I was lucky enough to get this job doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to lose it,' beams Molly, who encourages Katherine to mine personal experience to reconfigure the public's perception. Late Night is a sparkling showcase for an ensemble cast led by the luminous Thompson and Kaling, which practises what it preaches by utilising talented women behind and in front of the camera, including editor Eleanor Infante and composer Lesley Barber. Laughter and heartwarming sentiment are keenly balanced, tipping slightly in favour of the latter as the hard-fought battle to save Katherine's show and reputation reaches a predictably crowd-pleasing resolution. My thanks to Edward (Gay) McCarron from Dublin for getting in touch with the below article. It features his grandfather, Luke J Healy, whom he remarks used to cause a bit of annoyance with the local military at Millmount. Apparently Luke would rouse the soldiers with the reveille on his cornet, well before the official bugle call! 'In January 1898, 121 years ago, four well-wrapped men set off early from Dublin to Belfast, on the first car to make the trip. They were perched, facing forwards and backwards, on top a compact 8 horse power Horseless Carriage Compan, Coventry, M.M.C 'dog-cart'. Two years earlier the necessity of a pedestrian preceding a motor car was removed and the speed limit raised to 14 MPH. However, this trip took two days as they made stately progress travelling northwards at 8 miles per hour on the flat, and some 2 mph on steeper sections. The four adventurers were the owner, a Mr. D. W, Alexander; the driver, a Mr. Andrews of the Great Horseless Carriage Company, Coventry, (using a tiller rather than a steering wheel); a Mr. R. McCrum of the Pneumatic Tyre Company and a car enthusiast, a Mr. J.C Percy. The main problem encountered was the reaction of local jaunting car and hackney car jarveys who took strong objection to this new-fangled form of transport. J.C. Percy recalled "We were reviled and sworn at by the jarveys in Dundalk and Drogheda. We found the opposition of the Jehus in the old Boyne city quite formidable and offensive." The more reckless and dangerous jarveys were called "Jesus" after "Jehu", a biblical King of Israel noted for his furious chariot attacks! Their first stop was in Drogheda where they were treated to lunch by Luke J. Healy, a well-known local businessman. While they were at lunch, to add injury to insult, water was thrown over the car by, what Percy described as a "malicious jarvey". The water affected the asbestos jointing and took three hours to dry out before they could proceed, with Mr. Healy now on board for the rest of the trip. As they trundled on to Dundalk for an overnight stay, they were delighted at the enthusiastic receptions by groups of children who had been given the day off to mark of the passing of a horseless car! Percy, was clearly smitten at the possibilities of this new form of transport, writing, at the end of day one: "As we turned into William's Yard in Dundalk, and we listened to the dogcart's pulsations, how fresh it looked. Here was a new toy that had covered the distance quicker than two horses could accomplish and it looked fresher at the 'end of the hunt' than it did at the beginning." He predicted "truly here was an advance in the mode of progression which, when fully perfected and completed would eventually revolutionise all road traffic in the very near future." The next day, they completed their journey arriving in good spirits. Percy's revolution had begun. But could he have anticipated reducing his two-day trip to under 2 hours, or that last year there would be some 2.68 million vehicles on Irish roads - 2.1 million cars - or that over the year there would be 142 fatal collisions? One wonders' The primary schools of Louth gathered at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk to attend the 'GROW' Awards. An acronym for 'Green, Renewable, Organic and Waste Minimisation', this competition serves to reward the primary schools in Louth for all that the work which they undertake to make their environment cleaner, greener and more sustainable. 'The GROW awards are an acknowledgement of the amazing environmental work taking place in the schools throughout the county", according to Barry Eaton of Louth County Council. 'We have seen a huge emphasis on climate action in the recent elections both in Ireland and Europe, and our students are leading the charge in taking action on climate change. Louth also continues to play a leading role in the raising of awareness and education in the areas of environmental and sustainable development issues. Twenty five Green Flags were awarded by An Taisce to our schools in Louth in 2019 which is something that our county can be very proud of'. Cllr. Maria Doyle, Leas Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, presented the 'School of the Year' awards to Monastery National School in Ardee, Presentation Primary School in Drogheda and Scoil Phadraig Naofa in Kilcurry. The staff and pupils of these schools have made significant progress over the twelve months and were thrilled to be recognised by the judges. Winners of the 'Teachers of the Year' awards went to Ms. Deirdre Sweeney from Scoil Mhuire na Trocaire in Ardee, Ms. Fiona White from Presentation Primary School in Drogheda and Ms. Julie Carolan from Rampark National School in Jenkinstown. These three teachers are exceptional role models having shown admirable levels of leadership and dedication in delivering excellent environmental programmes and teaching the value of sustainable living in their schools. Twelve students from across the county were recognised for their contribution, and were delighted to receive their 'Highly Commended' awards in the Junior Environmentalist of the Year 2019 competition. However, three exceptional students were delighted to win the overall awards on the day with Jamie Callaghan from Monastery National School (Ardee), Katie McCormack from Presentation Primary School (Drogheda) and Stella Deary from Scoil Naomh Brid (Ardaghy) receiving the coveted accolade of Junior Environmentalist of the Year for 2019. The participants in the 'Eco Tribes' competition received awards. This year it was the tribes from the Redeemer Boys School in Dundalk, St. Mary's N.S. in Knockbridge, Monksland N.S, St. Mochta's in Louth Village and Scoil Naomh Buite from Monasterboice. St. Peter's National School in Dromiskin were thrilled to be awarded the overall winners of the Eco Tribes 2019. It is an excellent competition and unique to the county! Just about two centuries ago in the town of Drogheda, Henry Fairthlough and his wife Mary welcomed a daughter whom they named Jane. Ahead of her lay what should have been - at least by early 19th century standards - a life of wealth and privilege, since Henry was a prominent Drogheda citizen. Research shows that he was a magistrate, barrister, and owner of much "quality land," For Jane, however, that life never came to be. Instead, in 1864, at the age of 46, she would die of heart failure in a Boston room, be buried by her daughter in an unmarked grave, and, with the passage of time, presumably be forgotten. But Jane is not forgotten. Jane Fairthlough is my second great grandmother. And she is the third great grandmother to my cousins Hildi and Jack. For the three of us-and perhaps other descendants--she is a woman much admired, and about whom we yearn to know more. A woman who left her country behind. A widow who crossed the Atlantic with four young daughters to seek a better life, and arrived in Boston most likely at the start of the American Civil War. A woman who does not appear to have found a better life. It is also possible that she may have been my first immigrant ancestor. The story of how Jane's life veered so sharply from its intended course is as old as time. At the age of about 15, she fell in love with "the wrong man." What we know of these events stems from a family story written by a great granddaughter back in the 1950's, and subsequently buttressed with increasingly solid genealogy research. As the family story tells it, Jane met and subsequently married a man named Patrick Brown on March 29, 1833 in the parish of Stamullen. When Henry Fairthlough heard rumors of the marriage, he confronted her and asked if it were true. When learning that it was, he disowned her on the spot and she never saw her parents again. His objections reportedly stemmed from his belief that the once prosperous Browns-who had fallen on hard times-- were promoting the match for the Fairthlough wealth. In addition, the Browns were Roman Catholic, and it appears quite possible the Fairthloughs were not. Deprived of Jane's family wealth, the Browns reportedly gave the newlyweds a house and some land, as was the custom then. Over time, Jane produced four daughters. First came Mary Ann (my great grandmother) in 1834. Then Rose in 1836, Ellen in 1840, and finally Elizabeth (Lizzy) in 1844. A son Patt, arrived in 1847, but most likely died soon thereafter. At this point, the timeframe becomes a bit murky, given the dearth of records relating to the Browns and to Jane's immigration. What is known is that Jane was eventually widowed and left with her four daughters. The family story suggests that the family was not cordial to her and life became increasingly unpleasant. Her decision to emigrate would support this conclusion. Thus, at some point, Jane somehow got the money to bring her daughters to America and try to start a new life. While there is no way to know whether Jane ended up regretting the decision to leave life in Drogheda, she most probably ensured a better life for at least three of her daughters. Tragically her eldest, Mary Ann, (my great grandmother) became a victim of domestic violence and was buried with her mother in June 1874. (Mary Ann's children, including my grandmother Sarah, were raised in New York by her sister Rose.) And in an interesting twist, daughters Rose and Mary Ann married immigrants in the Catholic Church and identified as Irish on the U.S. Census. Ellen and Lizzie however declared themselves English, and married Protestants who were American-born and from more "socially upscale" families. Along the way, however, there was tragedy, hard work, and of course lots of children. This story may not at first glance seem particularly unique or memorable. She was after all just another girl who fell in love "with the wrong man." And, yes, she was just another immigrant. But my other immigrant ancestors came with spouses and siblings and could reasonably be viewed as typical. Jane made a difficult and couragous decision, but failed to live long enough to see the results-- not even the arrival of her first grandchild. But decisions have consequences, and Jane's decision contributed to new generations of Americans of whom I believe she would be quite proud. She had granddaughters who were incredibly strong and succeeded in raising their children in difficult circumstances. To mention just a few, she had a great grandson and a second great grandson who became presidents of major corporations. Another great grandson was a New York City police officer and one became a lawyer. A second great grandson joined the U.S. Secret Service and protected our vice-president, and a 2nd great granddaughter who will soon celebrate her 101st birthday And a fourth great granddaughter recently earned her doctorate in chemistry. Jane's descendants today are in New York, Florida, California, Vermont, and who knows where else. By all means, it would have been easy to forget Jane, and she no doubt would be surprised that did not occur. But Jane's grave in Brookline, Mass.-which she shares with daughter Mary Ann-recently acquired a stone that was blessed by a local priest. Daughter Mary Ann's picture is on Facebook and ancestry, and at least some of her descendants speak of her often. And Henry Fairthlough's decision had consequences as well. When he disowned his young and presumably rebellious daughter on that day in 1833, he gave America a gift. Surely, a consequence my third great grandfather did not anticipate. Kathy at kathypri@verizon.net. A man who obtained almost 17,000 in social welfare payments has pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft relating to the misappropriation of Jobseekers' Allowance. Mohammed Bashir (63), Scarlet Street, Drogheda, received suspended sentences after the circuit criminal court heard he paid back all the money. It was outlined that the period of claiming in question was from 29 August, 2017 and 17 May, 2018. He made 58 flights between Dublin airport and the UK, only visiting Ireland for two days at a time on average. Bashir, holder of a UK passport, received a PPS no. here in 2015. He made a claim but was unsuccessful. He made a subsequent claim on 8 June, 2017 and was successful on this occasion. Payments were made to him and his family. Garda Raymond Foley who investigated the matter said the defendant owned property, a corner shop and upstairs at nos. 2 and 4, Conway Street, Halifax. This was not disclosed to the Department of Social Protection, and the fact he was resident five days a week in the UK, also did not entitle him to payments. Bashir had just arrived back in Drogheda that day when he was arrested on 22 May, 2018, by Gda Foley for fraudulently claiming social welfare payments. He said he had been in Yorkshire for five days, and made the trip regularly to visit relatives. The defendant told gardai if he booked the flights strategically, he could get them for 9.99. He accepted he effectively did not live in Ireland. Mohammed Bashir had signed pleas of guilty in the district court on 26 October, 2018. He paid back the 16,844 in one go on 30 April last. He lives in Drogheda with his wife and two children. A third is on the way. It was part of his bail conditions that he resides here and that the guards retain his passport. He works full-time in a fish factory and part-time delivering pizzas. There are no previous convictions from either jurisdiction. Counsel for the accused said this was not an exercise in dishonest greed. Bashir saw it as a way out until he got his property sold in England sold. He was getting more and more desperate to sell the house to get himself back on his feet. He has one family to support in Ireland and another in the UK. The court heard the sale yielded 77,500. The defendant was a part-owner, so the other owner had to get their share. He accepted the gravity of the situation and that the injured party is every taxpayer in Ireland. Judge McDonnell said in the circumstances she would adopt the district court sentence limit. She imposed a 12-month term for each offence, suspended for two years, and all to run concurrently. The judge also made an order returning the defendant's passport. A still from the film MIsty Button which was written by Tralee man Seanie Sugrue who is now living in New York City A film written by a Tralee man is set to have its New York City premiere later this month, just three months after scooping the 'Best Feature Film' award at a major Californian film festival. It will make its NYC debut at the Soho International Film Festival; the screening is on this Saturday June 22 at the Village East Cinemas on Second Avenue. The cast and crew will all be in attendance for a Q & A session which will follow the screening. The film was written by Tralee man Seanie Sugrue and was also produced by another Tralee man, Bertie Brosnan along with help in NYC by the other producer, Amanda Martin. A feature film, it tells the story of two down on their luck Irish guys, James and Eoin, who are living in New York and who are approached by a man at a bar who offers them $500 each if they take $10,000 and place a bet on a racehorse called 'Misty Button' for him. They make the fatal mistake of pocketing the money and the two Irish emigres face crisis when Misty Button comes in at 35-1. The film stars Corkmen Cillian O'Sullivan (Vikings, Taken Down) and Shaun Kennedy (American Ripper, Monsters Inside Me) along with John Keating (Boardwalk Empire, Ray Donovan) who is from Tipperary. The president of the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) has not yet discussed joining the FAI's new board, despite being dubbed as the right person to save the organisation from collapse. Sport Ireland chief executive John Treacy recently marvelled at how Sarah Keane has turned around a toxic situation in the Olympic Council of Ireland and Swim Ireland. He claimed that she would be the right person for FAI chiefs to consult with in their own crisis situation. And among the key proposals from the FAI's own Governance Review Group is that a new 12-strong FAI board would have four independent and four female directors. However, Ms Keane told the Irish Independent she had not yet been approached for any position on the new FAI board. "There's certainly been no approach to me regarding that," she said. "I'm on the OFI board, I'm the CEO of Swim Ireland and the chair of the Olympic Commission... I need to see my family and spend time with them now and again," she said. Read more here: Read More The OFI president was speaking at the organisation's AGM in the Campus Conference Centre in Abbotstown. Ms Keane also confirmed that its former president Pat Hickey will attend the European Games in Belarus next week. Mr Hickey was arrested in Rio in August 2016 on charges relating to ticket reselling. It is understood that the International Olympic Council's (IOC) investigation into Mr Hickey and the Rio 2016 ticketing scandal will be completed before the summer games in Tokyo next year. "We have been assured he will have no role or function at the European Games and the International Olympic Committee have indicated that he continues to be self-suspended from any role or function within the Olympic movement," Ms Keane said. It has also been revealed that the fallout from Mr Hickey's departure had cost the organisation up to 2m, wiping out most its reserves. But at yesterday's AGM, the OFI reported a budget surplus of 149,606. It also announced 250,000 worth of Discretionary Funding for 22 national governing bodies, as well as 70,000 Olympic Solidarity Funds related to the Youth Olympic Games. Real Madrid fans urged their club to also sign Paris St Germain striker Kylian Mbappe at Eden Hazards presentation (Manu Fernandez/AP/@AIex_rm) Real Madrid fans were filmed chanting we want Mbappe at Eden Hazards unveiling at the Bernabeu. The footage, which has been viewed over a million times, saw a section of the crowd chanting Queremos a Mbappe during Thursday nights presentation of the new 150 million euro (130 million) signing from Chelsea. Paris St Germain and France star Kylian Mbappe has been consistently linked with a move to the Spanish giants as they attempt to rebuild their squad. Real fan Alex, who filmed the clip, told the Press Association the chant had not been intended as a slight on Hazard. We were waiting for Hazard for almost one hour and a half and everyone sang different songs and this was one, he said. We werent complaining. The opposite. We were excited for the new signings and we just asked for more. Thats how Real Madrid works. Expand Close Real have been linked with Paris St Germains Kylian Mbappe / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Real have been linked with Paris St Germains Kylian Mbappe Hazard refused to be drawn on rumours about a move for Mbappe or Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. He said: Pogba and Mbappe are among the best players out there and I want to play with the best, but Im not the one who decides well see whats going to happen in the future. A migrant boy is helped in the Mediterranean by MSF. Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images Italy has passed a law to fine any boat rescuing refugees from the sea up to 50,000, despite hundreds having died en route this year. Those who repeatedly violate the law risk having their boats seized. The regulation also allows undercover police investigations of possible trafficking operations and approves electronic eavesdropping on suspected people smugglers. "I think we have approved a step forward for the security of this country," said Matteo Salvini, Italy's interior minister and deputy prime minister who has further tightened his country's limitations on refugee rescue boats. Italy's cabinet approved the measure two weeks after the anti-immigrant League triumphed in European parliamentary elections. However, it was watered down after Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and rights groups expressed alarm. Draft versions of the decree explicitly referred to boats taking refugees to Italy's ports, but the final version makes no direct reference to refugee rescue boats. Last month, United Nations human rights experts wrote to Italy to say the draft decree was an attempt to criminalise search and rescue operations carried out by humanitarian groups. Mr Salvini has repeatedly accused charity rescuers of being complicit with people smugglers. NGOs have denied any wrongdoing, but most have stopped operating in the Mediterranean due to Italy's closure of its ports and repeated investigations by prosecutors. Claudia Lodesani, president of Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Italy, said: "A year after the announcement of the closure of its ports, the Italian government continues to target search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, endangering the lives of vulnerable people. "Fining the captain or the ship owner of a search and rescue vessel is like fining an ambulance taking patients to hospital." She said the decree "threatens any vessel that rescues people in distress in its territorial waters with heavy fines", which she said was "a breach of international maritime law". "Saving lives is not a crime," Ms Lodesani added. "It is a legal obligation that EU member states should make a priority. But, once again, Italy shows little sensitivity to international obligations. "Instead of working together with other European states to create a proactive and adequate search and rescue system, the Italian government criminalises sea rescue." The decision to close ports has caused several stand-offs between Mr Salvini and NGOs, but on June 7 the interior ministry allowed a cargo ship with more than 50 refugees on board to dock, after the Italian church said it would house them. Refugee arrivals to Italy have plummeted since Mr Salvini took office, with 2,144 crossing the Mediterranean so far this year, down 85pc on the same period in 2018. Boris Johnson's supporters have called on "vanity candidates" to drop out of the Tory leadership race to speed up the process of selecting the UK's next prime minister. The former foreign secretary was backed by 114 Tory MPs in the first round of voting yesterday - 71 more than his nearest rival, Jeremy Hunt. Seven of the 10 candidates went through to the next round of voting, but the weakest four to remain in the contest only managed 89 votes between them. They came under pressure to pull out so the field can be whittled down to the final two during the second vote next Tuesday. It is believed Matt Hancock, UK health secretary, is discussing with his backers whether to pull out and throw his weight behind his long-time friend Sajid Javid. If Mr Hancock's 20 supporters all switched to the British Home Secretary, it would give him 43 votes, putting him neck and neck with Mr Hunt. Mr Hancock said his 20 votes were "more than I could have hoped for". Michael Gove's campaign was in trouble after he came a distant third and some of his backers said they would now switch to the front-runner. The environment secretary, once seen as the most likely challenger to Mr Johnson, managed just 37 votes after his campaign lost momentum in the wake of his cocaine use confession. With only six weeks left until Parliament's summer recess, Tory MPs are impatient to choose a new leader so progress can be made to enable Britain to leave the EU before October 31. Esther McVey, Andrea Leadsom and Mark Harper were all eliminated after failing to secure the required number of votes to make it to the second round, and only three - Mr Johnson, Mr Hunt and Mr Gove - have enough votes to pass the threshold of 33 needed to get through to the third stage. Dominic Raab received 27 votes, Mr Javid 23, Mr Hancock 20 and Rory Stewart 19. One prominent supporter of Mr Johnson described the four men as "vanity" candidates, adding: "The race is between Boris, Hunt and Gove. Anyone else who tries to carry on is being indulgent." The former London mayor has more than a third of MPs backing him, guaranteeing him a place in the final two unless they desert him. If next Tuesday's vote was just between three hopefuls, it would mean the final two would be known that day, enabling the party to proceed straight away to the second phase of the contest, when party members pick the winner following a series of hustings events around the UK. The current schedule means voting among MPs will continue until next Thursday. Another well-known name who is backing Mr Johnson said: "The honest truth is that most of the other candidates have done much worse than they would have expected, and their supporters will start peeling away to back someone who has a realistic chance of making it to the final two. "The best thing they could do now is to duck out, otherwise they could face the humiliation of their numbers actually going down in the next vote. "I don't think you will see all seven candidates still in the race by Tuesday." However, the remaining candidates insisted the fight remained wide open. The first televised hustings will take place on Sunday evening, when at least five of the survivors are expected to face off on Channel 4. Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt have yet to confirm they will take part, but the other contenders believe they can use the event to build momentum. Supporters of Mr Hunt insisted he had made a "strong start" despite winning the support of only one in seven MPs. He is now 8-1 with Ladbrokes bookmakers to become the next Tory leader, with Mr Johnson 1-5 on and Mr Stewart third favourite at 16-1. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] The billionaire French donors who publicly promised flashy donations totalling hundreds of millions to rebuild Notre Dame have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to officials. Instead, it has been mainly American citizens, through the charitable foundation Friends of Notre Dame, who have footed the bills and paid salaries for up to 150 workers employed since the April 15 fire that devastated the cathedrals roof and caused its famous spire to collapse. This month the foundation is handing over the first payment for the cathedrals reconstruction of 3.6 million euros (3.2 million). Expand Close Scaffolding at Notre Dame (Philippe Lopez/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Scaffolding at Notre Dame (Philippe Lopez/AP) The big donors havent paid. Not a cent, said Andre Finot, senior press official at Notre Dame. They want to know what exactly their money is being spent on and if they agree to it before they hand it over, and not just to pay employees salaries. Hundreds of millions was promised by some of Frances richest and most powerful families and companies, some of whom sought to outbid each other, in the hours and days after the fire. It prompted criticism that the donations were as much about the vanity of the donors wishing to be immortalised in the edifices fabled stones than the preservation of church heritage. Francois Pinault of Artemis, the parent company of Kering which owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, promised 100 million euros (90 million), while Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of French energy company Total, said his firm would match that figure. Bernard Arnault, chief executive of luxury giant LVMH which owns Louis Vuitton and Dior, pledged 200 million euros (180 million), as did the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation of the LOreal fortune. No money has been seen, according to Mr Finot, as the donors wait to see how the reconstruction plans progress and fight it out over contracts. Expand Close The aftermath of the fire (Gareth Fuller/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The aftermath of the fire (Gareth Fuller/PA) The reality on the ground is that work has been continuing around the clock for weeks and, with no legal financial mechanism in place to pay the workers, the cathedral has been reliant on the charity foundation to fund the first phase of reconstruction. The Friends of Notre Dame de Paris was founded in 2017, and its president, Michel Picaud, estimates that 90% of the donations have come from American donors. Americans are very generous toward Notre Dame and the monument is very loved in America. Six out of our 11 board members are residents in the US, Mr Picaud said. While the billionaire donors delay signing their checks, the workers at the cathedral can afford no such luxury as the risk of lead poisoning has become an issue for the Parisian island on which Notre Dame is located. The estimated 300 tons of lead that made up the roof melted or was released into the atmosphere during the blaze, and sent toxic dust around the island with high levels present in the soil and in administrative buildings, according to Paris regional health agency. Expand Close Firefighters at the scene (Benoit Moser/Pompiers de Paris/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Firefighters at the scene (Benoit Moser/Pompiers de Paris/PA) It has recommended that all pregnant women and children under seven take a blood test for lead levels. Two dedicated workers have been cleaning the toxic lead dust from the forecourt for weeks, and up to 148 more have been cleaning inside and outside the edifice as well as restoring it, according to Mr Finot. The French parliament is slowly passing back and forth amendments to a new law that would create a public body to expedite the restoration of the cathedral and circumvent some of the countrys famously complex labour laws. President Emmanuel Macron has said the work should be completed within a five-year deadline. He has appointed former army chief General Jean-Louis Georgelin to oversee the reconstruction and crack the whip, but critics have said the timeline is overly ambitious. A spokesman for the Pinault Collection acknowledged that the Pinault family had not yet handed over any money despite the progress of works, blaming that on a delay in contracts. In short, we are willing to pay, provided it is requested in a contractual framework, said Jean-Jacques Aillagon, adding that the Pinault family plans to pay through the Friends of Notre Dame. The LVMH Group and the Arnault family said in a statement that it would also be working with the Friends of Notre Dame, that it was signing an agreement and that the payments will be made as the work progresses. Total has pledged to pay through the Heritage Foundation, whose director general Celia Verot confirmed the multinational has not paid a penny yet and is waiting to see what the plans are and if they are in line with each companys particular vision before they agree to transfer the money. Confident: Actor Cuba Gooding Jr is escorted handcuffed by officers as he exits the NYPD Special Victims Unit in Harlem. Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters Cuba Gooding Jr turned himself in to police last night and was charged with forcible touching after a woman accused the actor of groping her at a New York City night spot. The 51-year-old Oscar-winning star of 'Jerry Maguire' denies the allegations. Mr Gooding smiled and waved as he walked into the police station, where he was fingerprinted and a mug shot was taken. He was expected to be arraigned later last night. A conviction could put him behind bars for up to a year. Mr Gooding's lawyer, Mark Heller, said security video from Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge showed "not the slightest scintilla of inappropriate conduct" on his part and will exonerate him. "Mr Gooding has not acted inappropriately in any shape or form," Mr Heller said. "Nothing in the video could even be considered ambiguous, and I frankly am shocked and horrified that this case is being prosecuted," he added. A 29-year-old woman told police that Mr Gooding grabbed her breast while he was intoxicated. Mr Heller said he doubted the accuser would show up at court hearings and suggested prosecutors should charge her with perjury if she testified in court and her allegations were contradicted by video. The NYPD has not identified the accuser. Mr Heller said that after he and his staff reviewed the two-hour security video, he was hesitant to let Mr Gooding surrender and thought police and prosecutors would drop the case. The Manhattan district attorney's office did not comment. Mr Heller also disputed allegations in media reports from a second woman said to have come forward in recent days and told police that Mr Gooding grabbed her buttocks at a New York City restaurant in 2008. Mr Gooding was not charged on that allegation. Reform: Kim Kardashian speaks as US President Donald Trump holds an event on second chance hiring and justice reform in the White House. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images More than a dozen 2020 Democratic presidential candidates attacked US President Donald Trump yesterday after he said he would consider taking information on his political challengers from a foreign government. The remarks sparked a new wave of calls for impeachment and raised new concerns about the security of American elections. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News, Mr Trump said he would not only consider "listening" to what he described as "oppo research" from foreign sources but added that he also might not alert the FBI. "I think you might want to listen; there isn't anything wrong with listening," Mr Trump said. "If somebody called from a country, Norway, 'We have information on your opponent', oh, I think I'd want to hear it." Mr Trump also argued that these types of interactions shouldn't be characterised as "interference". "It's not an interference, they have information - I think I'd take it," he said. "If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI, if I thought there was something wrong." By early yesterday, the president's comments had drawn fierce backlash from at least 15 candidates running for the Democratic nomination. In the wake of the report on Russian interference in the 2016 election by special counsel Robert Mueller, many said that Mr Trump's statements to ABC News reaffirmed their beliefs that he is unfit to hold office. In the interview's aftermath, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders and Beto O'Rourke were among those arguing that Mr Trump's words were more reason to begin impeachment proceedings. Ms Warren was the first Democratic presidential candidate to voice support for impeachment back in April, and Ms Gillibrand, Mr Sanders and Mr O'Rourke have since espoused similar sentiments. Citing the Mueller report, Ms Warren tweeted, "A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation." (Mr Mueller declined to make a determination about whether Mr Trump obstructed justice.) "Now, he said he'd do it all over again," she wrote. "It's time to impeach Donald Trump." In an appearance on CNN's 'Anderson Cooper 360', Mr Sanders said he was "not exactly shocked" by Mr Trump's interview. He maintained that "the American people need to understand what this president has done, his contempt for the law". "We have a president that neither understands the constitution of the United States or respects the constitution," Mr Sanders said, describing Mr Trump as "somebody who does not believe in the separation of powers and somebody who thinks he's above the law." On Twitter, Mr O'Rourke wrote that Mr Trump's view on foreign help in elections "threatens the very core of our democracy". "If we are to secure justice and ensure this never happens again, we must impeach him," he tweeted. Other Democratic candidates accused Mr Trump of undermining the integrity of the election system and threatening national security. Democrat hopefuls former vice president Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Michael Bennet denounced Mr Trump for, as Mr Biden put it, "once again welcoming foreign interference in our elections". "The 2020 elections are not secure," Ms Klobuchar tweeted. "Disgraceful." In an interview on MSNBC, Ms Harris called Mr Trump's statements "outrageous". "It just tells me that the guy doesn't understand the job and can't do it very well," she said, adding that Mr Trump was again "putting his self-interest in front of the interests of our democracy and the integrity of our democracy and the American people's confidence in the security and integrity of our election system." Speaking on CNN, Mr Bennet blasted Mr Trump as "weak and pathetic". "He's a cheater," Mr Bennet said. "He doesn't care how he wins as long as he does win and I think more important than that, he doesn't care what's happening in the average lives of Americans or what's happening to America's place in the world, which is a real tragedy." Mr Trump appeared unfazed by the intense blowback. Rather than lashing out at his detractors on Twitter, the president took time to watch Fox News and to correct a typo in a tweet sent from the official show account of CNN's Chris Cuomo. ( Washington Post) The World Health Organisation says the Ebola virus outbreak in Congo which spread to Uganda does not yet merit being declared a global emergency, but is an extraordinary event of deep concern. The UN health agency convened its expert committee for the third time to assess the outbreak, which some experts say met the criteria to be designated an international emergency long ago. This outbreak, the second-deadliest in history, has killed more than 1,400 people since it was declared in August. The exportation of #Ebola cases from #DRC into #Uganda is a reminder that as long as this outbreak continues in DRC, there is a risk of spread to neighbouring countries, although the risk of spread to countries outside the region remains low. World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 14, 2019 At a press briefing following the meeting, Dr Preben Aavitsland, the acting chair of the committee, announced that the outbreak is a health emergency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but that the situation does not yet meet the criteria for being declared a global one. For such a declaration, an outbreak must constitute a risk to other countries and require a coordinated response. The declaration typically triggers more funding and political attention. Dr Aavitsland said the committee was deeply disappointed that WHO and the affected countries have not received the funding needed to stop the outbreak and delivered a blunt message to donors: Step up. The outbreak, occurring close to the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan, has been like no other. Expand Close People crossing the border have their temperature taken to check for symptoms of Ebola (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People crossing the border have their temperature taken to check for symptoms of Ebola (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP) Mistrust has been high in a region that had never faced Ebola before and attacks by rebel groups have undermined aid efforts. On Thursday, WHOs emergencies chief acknowledged the agency has been unable to track the origins of nearly half of new Ebola cases in DR Congo amid the challenges, suggesting it does not know where the virus is spreading. WHOs expert committee has met twice previously to consider the situation in DR Congo. In April, the UN health agency said the outbreak was of deep concern but officials were moderately optimistic it could be contained within a foreseeable time. The Governor recognized that neither the House nor Senate had included Medicaid expansion in budgets they passed, adding talks are going on behind the scenes that might lead to expansion. Democrats in both chambers support the expansion and a growing number of Republicans are open to some form of expansion, but it is being blocked by Senate Republican leadership. The major opposition has two prongs. First, and maybe most importantly, Medicaid expansion is associated with former President Barack Obama and Republicans dont want anything that smells of Obama. There is the additional concern about costs. The federal government promises to provide 90 percent of the costs; many say the federal government is already broke and they dont want to add to federal deficits. Further, they fear that a cash strapped federal government will drastically reduce the 90-10 match. But 37 states, many with Republican governors and/or legislatures have joined, convinced the benefits outweigh the risks. They also know that once a benefit has begun it never gets repealed or even greatly reduced. Congress wont likely risk losing voters in 37 states, even if it means more deficits. Gail Young announced her 2020 campaign for North Carolinas 83rd House District candidacy for NC House District 83. Young, a career public servant, retired as a Division Director in the Land Use and Environmental Services Agency of Mecklenburg County after 28 years in local government. She continues to consultant. In 2018, Young ran a competitive race against four-term incumbent, Rep. Larry Pittman. Young is a Democrat and Pittman a Republican. The failures of the majority in the Legislature that first led me to make the decision to run still remain, Young said. Our educators have to take to the streets to demand resources; our rural hospitals are in jeopardy of closing; and hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians lack healthcare because, for political reasons, we are leaving federal Medicaid expansion money on the table. North Carolinians deserve leaders dedicated to building a better future for the residents of our state, not petty partisan games. Reverend Robert P. Mathis, Jr, pastor and the Christian Education Department of Price Memorial invites the public to a 30 years celebration of participation in the Adopt a Highway/Adopt a Street program. This celebration will be held Thursday, June 20 at 4 p.m. at the intersection of Union Street and Foard Street, Concord. City officials will affix the 30 years star on the 2 signs along Union Street. Invited guests include Rev. Dr. Kevin McGill, Sr., Presiding Elder of the Concord District, Mayor Dusch, members of the Concord City Council, former Mayor Padgett, former pastors and members who participated in the pickups over the past 30 years. Since 1989, Price Memorial holds the record for being one of the longest serving participants in the Adopt a Highway program. Following the ceremony, guests are invited to a reception at the Allen T. Small Family Center at 192 Spring Street, SW. With the Violence Against Women Act mired in partisan politics, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is hoping to turn the focus back to the most vulnerable in Indian Country. Six members of the U.S. Senate -- four Democrats and two Republicans -- joined forces on Thursday to introduce the Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act [ PDF ]. The bill aims to help tribes, states and the federal government address the crisis of the missing and murdered, and it seeks to improve coordination among law enforcement in tribal communities. For too long, poor coordination, limited data, and an unacceptable lack of federal resources have erected enormous barriers to justice all across Indian Country, Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), the sponsor of the measure, said in a press release "When public safety programs are underresourced, crimes are underreported and cases go unsolved," said Udall, who serves as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs . "Our bill addresses these barriers head on by increasing the efficiency of federal law enforcement programs and providing Tribes and states with the tools they need to ensure that Native communities are safe and strong. The BADGES Act is being taken up by the committee at a hearing on June 19 . Four additional bills that address a wide range of public safety issues in Indian Country by expanding on the landmark tribal jurisdiction provisions of the 2013 version of VAWA are also on the agenda For Your Calendars: The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding a hearing on June 19 to focus on public safety legislation, including bills to address the #MMIW crisis. indianz.com (@indianz) June 8, 2019 S.227 , also known as Savanna's Act, is among the items up for consideration. The bill is named in honor of Savanna Marie Greywind , a Spirit Lake Nation woman who went missing and was murdered in North Dakota in 2017. Just 22 years old at the time, she was eight months pregnant when she was kidnapped -- her child miraculously survived the brutal attack. "Last year I met Savanna's family, spoke with her mother and held her baby," said Paula Antoine, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who serves on the board of Dakota Rural Action ,a grassroots group based in neighboring South Dakota.. "The sorrow in their eyes is held by so many people as the number of missing and murdered indigenous rises daily. The unfortunate families who carry the burden of a missing sister, mother or daughter or son cannot be ignored." A prior version of the measure, which requires the federal government to account for the numbers of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, nearly became law during the last session of Congress. But a Republican who was on his way out of office held it up at the last minute even though it enjoys bipartisan support. "We have a duty of moral trust toward our nations first people and we must all be part of the solution," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who introduced the bill in January and serves on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Greywind's case is notable in that two people were brought to justice for the crime, with both serving life in prison for her death and for the kidnapping of her child. One of the defendants has since filed an appeal to his sentence in hopes of reducing his punishment. Additionally, the crime did not occur in Indian Country but in Fargo, North Dakota's most populous city. Though the overwhelming majority of American Indians and Alaska Natives live in urban areas, as Greywind did, some advocates contend the bill named in her honor does not include any provisions to address their needs. "We support legislation that is going to create safer environments for Native people," said Esther Lucero, who is Navajo and Latina, and serves as chief executive officer of the Seattle Indian Health Board in Washington state. "We will always stand with our tribal partners, but we need legislators to understand that 71 percent of the American Indian and Alaska Native population live in urban areas, and they are essentially excluded from this legislation." Last November, as the prior Savanna's Act was advancing on Capitol Hill , a division of Lucero's organization released a historic report which exposed the gaps in documenting cases missing and murdered Native women and girls . But the new version of the bill was introduced without any provisions suggested by these urban advocates. We are glad that our report has helped bring attention to the MMIWG cause and the issues around data, but that report specifically highlights the epidemic and data issues in urban areas," said Abigail Echo-Hawk, the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute and co-author of the landmark Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report "Now it is being used by legislators to advance political agendas, while the people it is meant to serve are being ignored, asserted Echo-Hawk, who is a citizen of the Pawnee Nation . Some of the sponsors of Savanna's Act were present during an event in the nation's capital where Lucero and Echo-Hawk unveiled the report. Urban Indigenous women & girls go missing/are murdered at extremely high rates, yet there is little data on the crisis. We started gathering the data and need your help to continue. Stand with us. #MMIWG #DecolonizeData #NotInvisible #NoMoreStolenSisters https://t.co/KpyN81CgxI pic.twitter.com/XI8ldlvnIr UIHI (@TheUIHI) November 14, 2018 The provisions of S.227 apply to Indian lands and lands owned by Alaska Native corporations -- metropolitan areas aren't mentioned at all. Despite the oversight, a number of tribes and Indian organizations support the bill. In recent years, our communities have had to struggle with the loss of our missing loved ones, and this bill would provide much-needed resources to help address the alarming rate of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples, said Vice President Myron Lizer of the Navajo Nation. Another measure being heard next week is S.288 , the Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act. The bipartisan bill expands on VAWA by recognizing tribal authority over non-Indians who commit sexual assault, sex trafficking and stalking. An alarming number of Native people endure violence in their lifetimesincluding women, children, and police officers. We know that these crimes are often committed by non-Native people in Indian Country, said Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), who is the newest Democratic member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Yet, tribes are unable to take action against these offenders and the federal government is failing to investigate and prosecute these crimes. We need to make sure tribes are able to seek and get justice for their members, and for survivors." A companion bill also expands on VAWA. S.290 , the Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act, ensures that tribes can arrest, prosecute and sentence non-Indians who commit crimes against children and against law enforcement. Too often victims of violence in Indian Country never see justice. Our tribal citizens deserve better, said Jefferson Keel, the president of the National Congress of American Indians , speaking in support of S.288 and S.290. "These important bills will help ensure that tribal governments, just like state and local governments, are able to prosecute offenders who prey on their citizens or commit crimes against their law enforcement officers. Wonderful meeting today with @RepDebHaaland and @RepTorresSmall to discuss several importance matters including our efforts to combat the growing missing and murdered Indigenous relatives epidemic in Indian Country. We appreciate your support! Ahehee pic.twitter.com/UfKBI4FP2c Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (@NNPrezNez) June 13, 2019 The fifth item on the agenda is S.982 , the Not Invisible Act. The bill includes provisions to address the crisis of missing, murdered and trafficked Native Americans by improving coordination among federal agencies and by including survivors of trafficking and family members of the missing and murdered on a new advisory committee. "For the protection of Native families and communities, the passage of this act is necessary.," Principal Chief Bill John Baker of the Cherokee Nation said in an opinion published on Indianz.Com . "With best practices being shared and the proposed advisory committee, we can successfully address the crisis that has plagued our tribes for decades. We can drive down the numbers through education, awareness and with better policing and prosecuting tools." Baker pointed out that the U.S. House version of the Not Invisible Act is the first in history to be introduced by the lawmakers who are citizens of federally recognized tribes, including the first two Native women in Congress H.R.2438 is sponsored by Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico), Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas), Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma). "It is crucial that we not wait any longer to raise awareness about violence against Native Americans, especially women and children. The statistics are shocking," Baker wrote. An empty red dress is seen at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington as part of "The REDress Project," an installation by Metis artist Jaime Black that raises awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) American Indians and Alaska Natives suffer from the highest rate of victimization of any racial or ethnic group, according to numerous federal reports. Data shows that most perpetrators are from another race, highlighting the need for tribes to be able to hold all offenders accountable. Another report confirmed that Native women suffer from the second-highest homicide rate in the U.S. Most Native victims of homicide are young and most of the offenders are non-Native. The 2013 version of VAWA was a step toward addressing the "shocking" statistics. Yet prominent Republican lawmakers have continued to question their constitutionality even though non-Indians who have been held accountable under the law have not complained of mistreatment. But with Democrats in control of the House, the chamber was able to pass H.R.1585 , the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, in April. The bill expands on the 2013 tribal jurisdiction provisions even includes provisions to address the #MMIW crisis and issues facing urban Indians. Right now the US Senate is a legislative graveyard, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), member of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, says in calling for passage of bill to protect Native women and address crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. #MMIW #MMIWG pic.twitter.com/LByylwMUfn indianz.com (@indianz) May 22, 2019 The bill, however, has yet to be taken up in the Republican-controlled Senate . Democrats have repeatedly tried to pressure and shame their colleagues across the aisle into taking action, to no avail. "Thanks to the work of some of my colleagues in both chambers, it also brings renewed attention to violence against Native American women who are so often overlooked," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), who is the Democratic minority leader in the Senate. According to Republicans, H.R.1585 includes provisions that go beyond the intent of VAWA. The most controversial ones, besides the tribal language, address gun violence and protections for transgendered individuals. The lack of GOP support -- only 33 voted in favor of H.R.1585 on April 4 -- gives Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), the Republican majority leader in the Senate, little incentive to bring the bill up for consideration. And Republican co-sponsors of bills like the BADGES Act, Savanna's Act, the Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act, the Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act and the Not Invisible Act have done little, publicly, so far to pressure their leader into action. Next week's hearing gives them a chance to speak up. "We must do more to ensure public safety in our Native communities," said Sen. Martha McSally (R-Arizona), who is the newest member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "This is why I am proud to work with my colleagues on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on legislation to give tribal law enforcement the tools they need by expanding access to federal criminal data bases, streamlining recruitment and retention procedures, and supporting best practices for investigating and prosecuting cases in Indian Country," said McSally, whose staff participated in a public safety roundtable with tribal leaders and Trump administration officials on Tuesday, I appreciate the generous time Gila River Gov @StephenRoeLewis spent with us for a tour of a local tribal facility that provides services to Native Women. Thank you Governor! pic.twitter.com/VwMcawU8ZM Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney (@ASIndianAffairs) June 13, 2019 The "Reclaiming Native Communities" event, which took place on the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, "was about hearing from tribal leadership, Indian Country, advocates, and communities, said Tara Sweeney , who is the first Alaska Native woman to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior This is a priority for the Department and the Trump administration," said Sweeney. "We need to stop the escalating cycle of violence for our Native communities. A representative of Interior is expected to testify at the upcoming hearing, which takes place at 2:30pm Eastern on June 19 in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. A witness list has not yet been made public. Today, Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis met with Katharine MacGregor, Acting Deputy Secretary-Department of Interior/ Assistant... Posted by Gila River Indian Community on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice Join the Conversation Related Stories Community protests deaths of migrant refugee children at southern border People's World On Wednesday, May 22, the news announced the death, in U.S. custody, of a sixth refugee child who had crossed the border. The child was a 10-year-old girl , as yet unnamed, from El Salvador. Abominable it is that another child died in American hands and equally shocking was the fact that the youngster passed away eight months earlier in September of 2018. This begs the question: How many more children have died that we dont know about? This is a Trump cover-up and an outrage. As this news coursed through the Indigenous and progressive community here it was immediately felt that a protest demonstration must be organized. The demonstration was held that following Wednesday, May 29, at the federal building in downtown Nashville. Presently, the majority of migrants crossing the border are Indigenous with over 60% being from Guatemala, according to the latest news reports. The protest, organized by the local Native community, emphasized that the Trump administration does not care about human rights or justice. As Illinois Democratic representative, Lauren Underwood, recently said, the deaths of these children is intentional. This is the result of government policy that holds the refugees under conditions that are life-threatening. The children and their families are held in cages in warehouses with frigid temperatures, without adequate bedding, no blankets or warm clothing, given frozen sandwiches to eat and forced to drink fetid water. This is torture. Some children have given testimony that they were only given apples and water for several days while being caged. Children were forced to wear soiled underwear for days. The children are forced to sleep on cold floors under bright lights that are kept on all night. This is enforced sleep deprivation that further weakens their immune systems and makes them susceptible to deadly respiratory diseases. Again, this is torture resulting in death. Nursing mothers are being separated from their infants. These acts are crimes against humanity under international law. The refugees are being held in fascist concentration death camps. These families, after being soaked from crossing rivers or being caught in rainstorms, are housed in facilities with freezing temperatures hierlas, iceboxes in Spanish, and kept in unlivable conditions. Small wonder children are dying and that these deaths are ranked as intentional. Migrants, including children, are seen at the Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, on June 17, 2018. Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Daily accounts of more atrocities pour in. On Friday, May 31, national news reported that 900 migrants had been crammed into the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center that only had space for 120. Border Patrol agents said that many migrants were forced to stand for days or weeks because there wasnt enough room to even sit on the floor. Some refugees even stood on toilets to get air to breathe. News footage indicated these poor human beings compacted elbow to elbow. This is barbaric and medieval! Just this past week this writer received an email petition from Progress America on June 4, indicating that family separation continues and demanding the closing of the Homestead Child Detention Center. The email stated in pertinent part as follows: Our government is holding over 2,000 child migrants, who have been separated from their families by U.S. immigration officials, in a detention center in Homestead, Florida. Instead of being released to family members or other sponsors, children are spending weeks or months in inhumane detention. The level of cruelty and neglect on the part of the Trump Administration for children who come to our country fleeing violence and poverty is stunning, and we cant afford to be numb to it. Unfortunately, the country is not rising to the standard that it should to demand an immediate end to the horrific treatment of these hapless children and their families. Is the nation becoming numb to the plight of these persecuted unfortunates? There should be massive demonstrations across the country demanding an end to the incarceration of these refugees in these death and disease-ridden prison camps. Where is the conscience of America? In El Paso, the federal authorities reportedly told the media that no change in holding facilities could be expected before November. These holding pens are designed to kill the most vulnerable- the children. On May 31, ABC News reported that more than 2,400 children were still waiting to be picked up from Border Patrol stations along the U.S.-Mexico border. The federal agencies tasked with caring for them cant agree on why they are not being moved to childrens shelters. Facilities at the Border Patrol centers- oftentimes just cement blocks without beds- are woefully inadequate and inappropriate for children. But as the number of migrant children skyrocketed to 9,000 for the month of April alone, the federal government has left children waiting at these installations for weeks or even months. When put on the spot as to why thousands of children are stuck in border detention centers on any given day, the Homeland Security Department, which oversees border operations, points the finger at Health and Human Services(HHS) saying that HHS does not have bed space for the waiting children. But HHS fires back that it is not out of bed space and will accept any child transported into its custody as long as the child is medically cleared. Talk about passing the proverbial buck! In the meantime, the children continue to languish under inhuman conditions. This is intentional. There is also the issue of how many children are still actually separated from their families. The latest figures given to this writer by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on 5/28/19 stated that as of October 15, the government provided the courts with official data that indicated that at least 2,654 children had been separated from their families. In September of last year, other sources said that as many as 11,800 children were still separated from their loved ones. Both figures are atrocious and indicative of a government that seeks to terrorize migrant families. Moreover, in light of the aforementioned figures for children in April alone, the true numbers must be astronomical and near incalculable. DHS OIG announces they will investigate death of migrant child who was under BP custody. pic.twitter.com/K1SeQPjWRc Valerie Gonzalez (@ValOnTheBorder) December 14, 2018 Again as this writer pens this column more daily reports of abominable conditions and atrocities flood the media. Some of these conditions are from inspections of last year that have just been disclosed within this week. This amounts to a cover-up. On June 6, it was disclosed that the Department of Homeland Securitys inspector general found spoiled food, unusable toilets and inadequate recreation time in surprise visits to immigration detention facilities in California, Louisiana, New York, and Colorado between May and November of last year. The locations inspected in those states had rotting food issues, which put all the detainees, particularly the children, at risk for food-borne illnesses. This was a year ago which begs the question: What else is being covered up by this administration in these death camps? Further, just in the last couple of days, it was reported by U.S. doctors that the Border Patrol was confiscating the medicines of migrant children . Also, a volunteer for the humanitarian organization, No More Deaths, in southern Arizona is facing 20 years in prison for providing food, water, and clothing to refugees crossing the border. But, in light of the fact that the remains of over 3,000 migrants have been found in the southern Arizona desert since 2001, this is a case of where the prosecutors should be prosecuted. As for the heinous policies that are carried out by Trump we must not forget these atrocities are carried out in a ruthless attempt to halt non-white immigration. Several months ago Trump said that he would like to see more immigrants to the U.S. preferably from Norway. Racist that he is, Trump wants to maintain a white majority in this country (this writer for obvious reasons prefers a non-white majority). These tragedies also demand that the United States, international agencies, and humanitarian and human rights... Posted by Indian Law Resource Center on Monday, December 31, 2018 This also brings up the issue of Obama and deportations. We must not forget that this was also the policy of the Obama administration in the same respect to maintaining this land as a white majority country. In one year alone, 2012 to be exact, under Obama there were over 400,000 deportations. In his last year in office, Obama was responsible for nationwide waves of family deportation raids. He expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) powers to find, arrest and deport migrants. Between 2009 and 2015, his administration deported over 2.5 million migrants, more in fact than the government of his Republican predecessor George W. Bush. Obamas policies in this regard were a cold-blooded capitulation to racism. In the meantime, there is also the agonizing issue of just where are so many of the separated children. Reportedly the Trump administration has destroyed the files of countless refugee children. Speculation is that many of the children could have fallen to sex traffickers. Again, this would be the fault of the iniquitous Trump regime. All the while this government fosters the lethal, unspeakable conditions that are taking the lives of these innocent youngsters. The children are dying. Where is the conscience of America? Albert Bender is a Cherokee activist, historian, political columnist, and freelance reporter for Native and Non-Native publications. He was an organizer and delegate to the First and Second Intercontinental Indian Conferences held in Quito, Ecuador and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Recently, he has been an active participant and reporter in the Standing Rock struggle in North Dakota. He is an attorney and is currently writing a legal treatise on Native American sovereignty. He is also writing a book on the war crimes committed by the U.S. against the Maya people in the Guatemalan civil war of the late 20th century. He is also the recipient of several Eagle Awards by the Tennessee Native American Eagle Organization and a former Director of Native American Legal Departments and a Tribal Public Defender. This article originally appeared on People's World . It is published under a Creative Commons license Join the Conversation Federal judge denies Flandreau hemp injunction FLANDREAU A few weeks back the Flandreau Sioux Tribe filed suit against Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue . Last week the Tribe lost an emergency motion for a preliminary injunction against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA had refused to sign off on the Tribes hemp growing operation, and having already committed critical resources to that project, and looking at a closing planting window, the Tribe wanted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to proceed with hemp production until a ruling on their suit against Perdue is handed down. But Federal Judge Karen Schrier ruled against the Tribe Citing the recent government shutdown, the USDA asserted they had not had enough time to establish new regulations based upon changes between the 2014 Farm Bill and the 2018 Farm Bill , which approves the growing and transportation of hemp. They stated that until such changes are implemented, they did not have to comply with the mandatory 60-day response time to the submitted Tribal Plan. UPDATE: The judge denied the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribes request to start growing hemp. While the tribe will suffer irreparable harm it must wait for the Department of Agriculture to finalize hemp regulations, the judge ruled. Decision here: https://t.co/217fZpu2nI indianz.com (@indianz) June 7, 2019 On May 23, 2019, the Tribe filed a complaint in United States District Court for the State of South Dakota, to sue the Secretary of Agriculture Perdue. As the spring window for crop planting closes, the Tribe found itself between a rock and a hard place concerning hemp. Following the guidelines of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, which amended the 1946 Agricultural Marketing Act (AMA), removing hemp as a controlled substance and allowing legal hemp production, the Tribe submitted a plan to grow hemp to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), received on March 8, 2019. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue had 60 days to approve the plan and failed to do so. In an acknowledgement letter to the Tribe, dated April 24, 2019, Perdues rationale was that the USDA is required by law to approve the Tribal Plan, because it meets all the criteria, but only after the has had a chance to finalize and publish it in the Federal Register. Tribal hemp production could then proceed in the spring of 2020, as Perdue did not feel compelled by the language of the AMA (section 297B) to approve the plan within 60 days. The Tribe asserts that the Secretary has overreached his power. In the introduction of their supporting brief for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) (so that they can proceed with hemp production before the crop planting window closes), the Tribe asserted: Completely ignoring the will of Congress and the very statute it is here tasked with implementing, the USDA has violated its mandatory review deadline and attempts to assume power not delegated to it by Congress to the ongoing harm of the Tribe. The Tribe said they have already committed land, resources and money to this hemp growing season, and that the Tribal Plan met the seven discrete requirements laid out by Congress. They also point out the language states clearly that Tribes and states shall only be required to meet those seven steps. Perdue is not alleging they did not, only that the USDA does not have to act within the 60-day mandatory review deadline. The Tribe points out in their complaint that the words, shall only be required to include were intentionally added by Congress to specifically limit the Secretarys authority to impose additional requirements on states and tribes. James Giago Davies is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. He can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com Copyright permission Native Sun News Today Join the Conversation Related Stories Medical services across India is set to come to a standstill as doctors responding to a call by the Indian Medical Association's all India protest day to express solidarity with the striking doctors. Doctors in some of the biggest hospitals in India like the AIIMS in New Delhi and the Safdarjung Hospital have boycotted OPDs for the day as a mark of protest. Read more Two Days After 5 CRPF Personnel Were Killed In Anantnag, Two Terrorists Gunned Down In Pulwama Two terrorists were killed by the Indian security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. The encounter broke out on Friday, police said after the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Braw Bandina area of Awantipora in the district in south Kashmir following an intelligence input about the presence of the terrorists. Read more It Is Mid-June And Delhi Is Yet To See Onset Of Monsoon While Other States Have Received Pre-Monsoon Showers National Capital Delhi is in the grip of an acute heatwave and an unusually long dry spell. While it is not limited to Delhi as most of central and northern India are experiencing the hot sizzling summer, the national capital seems to be the worst affected. We are two weeks into June, which also is the beginning of the annual monsoon season in the country. Read more Two Elderly Citizens Die In Their Delhi Home Due To Extreme Heat And Lack Of Food In a tragic incident, two elderly persons in Rana Pratap Bagh under Bharat Nagar in the national capital were found dead, police said, adding the deceased could have died due to lack of food and extreme heat. Bodies of Chaman Lal Khosla (95) and his sister Raj Kumari (77) were found in in a decomposed stage inside their residence. Police have sent the bodies for post-mortem to find out the actual cause of death. Read more Karnataka Woman Tied To Pole And Harassed For Not Repaying Loan Of Rs. 50,000 There are several instances of people being harassed over non payment of loans taken by them and in another incident reported from Kodigehalli in Bengaluru, a woman was allegedly tied to a rope. Seven people have been arrested in connection with a case where a woman was allegedly tied to a pole in for not repaying a loan, police said. The matter came to the fore after a video of the incident went viral. Read more 801 Workers Died Cleaning Sewers In India Since 1993 As Many Safai Karamcharis Still Await Safety Gears The sight of safai karamcharis cleaning the dirty sewers is not pleasing to our naked eyes. Imagine what goes on when they step into the sewers without any protective gears. The calls for safety equipment being provided to these safai karamcharis have been on the rise. However, several states in the country are yet to implement it. A new report has revealed that around 801 sanitation workers have died while cleaning sewers in the country since 1993, Manhar Valjibhai Zala, chairperson, National Commission for Safai Karamcharis said. Read more Every so often we come across the news that some airline crew member has been caught by the authorities trying to smuggle anything ranging from gold to drugs and wildlife and expensive electronic goods. With a number of cases recently surfacing where its staff was caught for smuggling, national carrier Air India has issued some strict guidelines for its crew to prevent smuggling. BCCL As part of its recently introduced zero tolerance policy on smuggling, Air India has prohibited crew members from removing anything that does not belong to them, including food trays, from the aircraft. According to reports, the rule was implemented after a senior cabin crew member was caught smuggling bottles of alcohol from an Air India flight. BCCL The development comes as there have been allegations of Air India failing to take action against its crew members who have been caught for smuggling items including alcohol meant for passengers and in another case when a senior crew member was caught in Mumbai smuggling iPhones. Medical services across India is set to come to a standstill as doctors responding to a call by the Indian Medical Association's all India protest day to express solidarity with the striking doctors. Doctors in some of the biggest hospitals in India like the AIIMS in New Delhi and the Safdarjung Hospital have boycotted OPDs for the day as a mark of protest. Delhi: Patients and their relatives outside the OPD at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS is on strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/rRCeZqDfxr ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Delhi: Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) prepare to observe strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/pza71njjum ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 In Maharashtra too, the scenes are not different where around 4,500 resident doctors in the state are staying away from work on Friday. According to the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) junior doctors across government hospitals in the state would not perform surgeries or work in out-patient departments (OPDs) between 8 am and 5 pm. The same has been happening across almost all cities in India crippling the medical services. But the biggest victim of the strike are the patients, especially those in hospitals like AIIMS who have come from far of places for treatment. The surprise strike has caught them off guard and many including patients and relatives have been left helpless in the scorching sun. "My mother's dialysis was scheduled for today, we were told to go & get it done from somewhere else," a relative of one of the patients who was denied treatment in AIIMS told ANI. Delhi: Patients face difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS is on strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Relative of a patient says, "My mother's dialysis was scheduled for today, we were told to go & get it done from somewhere else," pic.twitter.com/sFVF6D8VMj ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Meanwhile, there is no end at sight for the ongoing protests in Kolkata even on the fourth day. The junior doctors have been on strike since Tuesday in protest against the brutal assault on two colleagues in Nilratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night by family members of an octogenarian patient who passed away. West Bengal: Doctors at North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri observe strike over violence against doctors at NRS Medical College & Hospital pic.twitter.com/qZvMkUEX0X ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Despite a stern warning to return to work by CM Mamata Banerjee, the doctors are continuing with their strike. "We have already explained our demands in posters. CM should come here," a Junior doctor at NRS Medical College Hospital told ANI. Even as Mamata is trying to act tough there was some embarrassment for her as Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim's daughter, a doctor, came out with strong criticism of on how the Chief Minister is handling of the ongoing doctors' strike and said medicos have the right to "peaceful protest" and "safety at work. In a Facebook post, Shabba Hakim asked people to question why "goons were still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors". "As a TMC supporter I am deeply ashamed at the inaction and the silence of our leader," Shabba Hakim said. Following the attack, doctors are demanding security at work and action against those who assaulted the doctor. Using Google Maps and just the name of a private school, Delhi Police reunited an 11-year-old boy, who had been missing for over a month from Punjab, with his family. A team of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), comprising of head constable Pradeep and constable Jawed of the northeast Delhi police, found Abhijit crying in the corner of a childcare home while they were trying to locate another missing kid. The caretakers said that the boy was found on the streets. After much cajoling, Abhijit told the cops the name of his school and that he was from Punjab. Police started searching for schools by that name in Punjab on Google Maps, using any bit of information the child could give them, like the geographical features he saw on the way to his school. toi Police managed to zero-in on a town named Prem Nagar. The local police confirmed that they had received a missing complaint about a boy with a similar description and shared the contact details of his father. The boy turned out to be the son of a senior manager of a private company. However, on contacting him, the family said that a lot of people had contacted them with similar claims in a bid to extort money from them. representational image The cops sent in the photos of their IDs and the photo of the child to convince them and the boy was finally reunited with his family. DCP (northeast) Atul Kumar Thakur said that the AHTU unit, under the supervision of additional DCP RP Meena, has so far reunited 82 children with their families this year. These days, tech companies may be all about automation. But when it comes to customer service at least, it seems we still want to be able to speak to another person. Maybe it's just that you want to yell at a real person instead of a computer when things go wrong. Either way, the numbers don't lie in a new survey conducted by Longitude on behalf of Verizon. The study involved 6,000 consumers across 15 countries including India. People want real conversations Their research showed that 54 of people trying to contact customer service prefer to do it over the phone. And we're not talking about just old-fashioned folk either. Younger customers want it almost as much as older ones Though millennials might be comfortable making app purchases and and digital wallet payments, when shit hits the fan they want to communicate directly with a person too. At least 38 percent of 18-24-year-olds said the same, as did 46 percent of 25-34-year-olds. Millennials still want digital alternatives though This is despite the fact that 55 percent of 18-24-year-olds are drawn to companies that offer newer digital customer experience alternatives, as well as 47 percent of 25-65 year olds. So companies look more attractive to a younger crowd when they have, for instance, the option to chat with customer support. However, many will still opt for the phone alternative. Human conversation or bust They're pretty unforgiving of being taken for granted too. If they hang up without talking to a company rep, 34 percent of these people never call back. If you ditch customers, they'll ditch you And if customer support doesn't have a person available on the other end, people aren't afraid to take their business elsewhere. The new report showed that 34 percent of people left unattended by a human employee would switch to a different brand. Additionally, if your customer service number is hard to find, 21 percent are likely to switch services right then. Time's always running out for customer reps Moreover, people don't have a lot of patience. A previous survey by Talkdesk uncovered that most people will stay on hold waiting for a customer service representative for at most 90 seconds on average. Automated menus are not great at all This also comes into play when, for example, a company has an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system for customer support. You know, it's the automated menu that tells you to press a number depending on the grievance on inquiry you have. Too many menu choices, or ones that are vague, could have customers hanging up even earlier. Being too complicated is also bad Take SBI's IVR system for its credit/debit card inquiries. That requires anywhere between two to four button presses just to get to your option of choice. And that's not including the time it takes to listen to all the choices in each menu step, not to mention how many times you have to enter your card or account numbers. A month ago, on the orders of the US government, Google banned Huawei from using Android and Google Play. Inconvenient though that was, the company isn't going to let that set it back forever. So now they have their own OS, and they claim it's even better. Images courtesy: Reuters Huawei has been working on an Android rival, rumoured to be called HongMeng in China and Oak OS in other regions. Reports now indicate the OS could be ready as early as October this year. And apparently, at least according to Huawei, it's 60 percent faster than Android Tencent, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have now apparently sent teams to Huawei in order to test the new operating system. There aren't any specific numbers available beyond that claim however, nor what tests these would entail, so take this with a pinch of salt. The claim was initially reported by China's Global Times, considered pretty much a government mouthpiece. It also talked about how the companies conducting the tests, as well as a source with a major Chinese carrier, said they're all working together to help Huawei push out HongMeng as soon as possible. There's currently speculation, given the source of the report, that this is just another battle in the PR war between the US and China concerning their trade relations. After all, the US attempted to hit China hard by blocking Huawei from partnering with US hardware and software firms. So the idea is that this is China's way of showing that, if Huawei gets its own OS out, it might lead to an exodus of all the other major Chinese firms, from Android to Oak OS, which would be a massive hit to Google, and consequently America. At this point, it's a waiting game for customers to see which country blinks first and relents. Because if the standoff continues, your next Chinese smartphone, be it Huawei or something else, could be completely different from the Android you've grown used to. YouTube has been getting some flak recently for its lax policing of the platform. Specifically, when it refused to ban a YouTuber carrying out a months-long campaign of harassment against a prominent journalist. Now, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is trying to make amends. Conservative talking head in the US Stephen Crowder had been for months making homophobic and racist comments about a Vox journalist in his videos, and encouraging his users to tack on their abuse as well on social media. And yet, after an investigation, YouTube failed to ban him from the platform, stating he wasn't violating their guidelines. Of course, that didn't go down well with the LGBTQ+ community, and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was forced to make public apologies following the decision. Now, it seems Pichai is taking matters into his own hands. In a meeting on Tuesday, Pichai and other top executives met with representatives of the LGBTQ employeesto discuss what they called a "pattern of crises". Additionally, in an internal mail shared with The Verge, the embattled CEO attempted to address both the toxic work environment within the company for female, homosexual, and non-binary employees, but also a system on their platform that's seen repeat abusers and harassers get away scot-free. "It was important for me to hear directly from LGBTQ+ Googlers to better understand the full range of experiences," he wrote. "One thing that came through very clearly is the LGBTQ+ community has felt a lot of pain and frustration over recent events." "Our Gaygler and Trans communities have always been a core part of Google culture. You are a source of pride for us as Googlers, and also a source of hope for people globally who don't feel comfortable being out in their own workplaces and communities. It's important to me that we continue to work hard to ensure Google is a place where everyone feels included." "With respect to YouTube, Susan and the team are already taking a hard look at the harassment policies and will do this in consultation with many groups, including people who have themselves experienced harassment. We're also thinking through ways to engage more with our LGBTQ+ community at important moments and get input from our ERG leads and representatives." A letter isn't much though, it's just a "perhaps we'll actually get to this soon" kind of deal. Whether or not Google actually attempts to make amends is another thing entirely. And yet, it's something they sorely need to do. In November last year, Google employees across the world staged a walkout in protest of the company's treatment of women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. At the time it was specifically triggered by news emerging that Android creator Andy Rubin had, during his time at Google, sexually abused female employees. Worse, he didn't just get away with it, he also got a hefty severance package in the process. Then earlier this year, we heard that it was a similar case with former VP of Google Amit Singhal. He was also forced out of the company on sexual harassment charges, and yet was handed a fat pay check. All of this is part of the reason why Sundar Pichai isn't considered the most reputable CEO anymore. Google has a lot of work to do in the humanity department, and they need to get started right now. Back in September, surgeons at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York were scrubbing up in preparation for a major surgery. They were planning to open up a woman's skull to extricate a malignant brain tumour. What they found instead was something else. Rachel Palma had come to her doctor in 2017 complaining of a variety of symptoms. It started with prolonged bouts of insomnia for the 42-year-old newlywed. When she could sleep, she complained of horrible nightmares. SHe was also experiencing hallucinations, imagining things that weren't happening. Mount Sinai Health System By January 2018, things had gotten worse. She was starting to have trouble holding things, dropping a coffee mug even though she was focusing on it. It got so bad she had to start calling everyone because she couldn't text anymore. Then came the confusion. She locked herself out of her house, showed up for work without her uniform, found herself staring at a computer screen unable to understand the words. At one point, she even called her parents and left a message saying that the place she had bough her bed from years ago suddenly wanted it back. Eventually, after multiple visits to doctors and specialists at Mount Sinai, they identified a lesion on her frontal lobe, near the speech center. Malignant brain cancer. Palma was devastated, and agreed to brain surgery. But when surgeons got into her head, expecting to cut out a brain tumour, they instead found a mass of something whitish, almost like a tiny bird egg. "We were all saying, 'What is this?' " Jonathan Rasouli, chief neurosurgery resident at the hospital, told The Washington Post. "It was very shocking. We were scratching our heads, surprised at what it looked like." Mount Sinai Health System So they took out the mass and placed it under a microscope. When they sliced into it, they found a baby tapeworm. "Of course I was grossed out," Palma said about having a tapeworm egg in her brain. "But of course, I was also relieved. It meant that no further treatment was necessary." She was officially diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, a parasitic infection in the brain caused by the tapeworm Taenia solium. Taenia isn't common to the US. When it does present however, it's in one of two ways. The most common way to get an adult tapeworm of this kind is by ingesting undercooked pork, where the tapeworm is living inside the animal's gut. But how did it get in her brain? Well, there's another way to get it. But how did the tapeworm get inside the brain? When the tapeworm lays eggs, they're shed in a person's stools. But if they transfer onto the patient's hands, and they don't properly wash (gross) they can pass the eggs on to other people. For instance, if someone in a restaurant kitchen has a tapeworm, visits the bathroom but doesn't wash up properly, and then prepares your food, you can end up eating those microscopic eggs. The eggs then travel to the small intestine, where they hatch into larvae. These larvae then burrow through the walls of your bowel, getting into your bloodstream, and get a free ride to anywhere in your body. In Palma's case, that was to her brain, where the larva was like a fluid-filled cyst. The adult form of the tapeworm is easily treated with an anti-parasitic, but getting rid of larvae is more complex. It also depends on the stage of infection, and where it's located. Luckily for Palma, her infection was easily enough removed during the surgery. Now, she says her symptoms have "almost 100 percent" vanished. Mull over that nightmare fuel. Losing a loved one is never easy, but when it comes as a shock, the pain becomes even more unbearable. Shiva lost his younger brother, Mahendra, at the age of 12, after he drowned in Asmanpet Lake, Hyderabad. He was his only family and after his death, he got a purpose to live after he started rescuing people who attempt suicide by drowning. He now stays near Tank Bund Lake and works as a lifeguard, so that no one else has to suffer the pain he once did. Unsplash Till now, Shiva has saved 107 people who tried to commit suicide by drowning. Speaking to ANI, Shiva said, "People used to appreciate me for my social work when I was in an orphanage. My brother accidentally drowned in Asmanpet lake when I was 12-year-old. I went to the spot to recover my brother's dead body, following which, I started living around Tank Bund and started rescuing people who tried to commit suicide by jumping into the water." "I also helped police in recovering dead bodies from the water. Till now I have saved 107 lives by directly jumping into the water and bringing them out." He further added, "Police approach me to recover the dead bodies from lakes. They had earlier promised to give me the home guard job but I have not received it yet. I rescue people without safety gears and if the government provides me with them, I can work even better." Unsplash He also narrated the incident, how once a rod pierced into his chest and shoulder while saving a drowning woman. "I have been infected several times due to the water in Tank Bund lake," he said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone), Viswa Prasad told ANI, "Shiva has always helped us in retrieving bodies from the lakes. No one has ever come forward to help us except him. I recently wrote a letter to the Director of Telangana Social Welfare Educational Institution Society Praveen Kumar, asking him to admit Shiva's children in schools." "Government should come forward to help him. We are also going to approach Hyderabad Collector to help him in any manner possible," DCP Prasad added. Unsplash In another incident, a 19-year-old crane operator, Lan Junze, was hailed as a hero after he saved 14 people in China who were trapped in a burning building. The terrible incident happened in Liaoning city of Fushun in China. Activists in Hong Kong are protesting against the extradition bill. Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) said that it was planning to hold a third protest on Sunday afternoon against the bill that would allow fugitives to be extradited to mainland China, although it had not yet received permits to do so from the police. Journalists from various agencies have been covering the protests in Hong Kong. Journalists in conflict zones face lots of problems and going to any conflicted zone requires journalist to make choices which has risks attached to it. Many of them have little or no hostile environment training and very often are not entirely sure of what might happen, since the situation is vulnerable. One of the journalist from CBS News Asia correspondent Ramy Inocencio, was reporting at ground zero on June 12 when tear gas was fired by the police. The journalist was unprotected from tear gas, until a few protesters stepped in and gave him an umbrella. While he continued reporting, another protestor gave him a helmet. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media platforms. Even Inocencio shared the video expressing his gratitude for the unnamed protestor. Hong Kong's youth protestors are kind. I post this clip to say thanks. @CBSrandy was rolling when the police fired tear gas at the group we were in. An umbrella and helmet were forced on me. I'll prob never know who they are but I'm so grateful for their care. #HongKongProtests pic.twitter.com/NNAsFjpXOP Ramy Inocencio (@RamyInocencio) June 13, 2019 This was not the only time that the protesters helped the journalist. Inocencio also put another still from the same site. His post garnered over 971k views on Twitter till now, with 34,009 likes and 21,789 retweets. Earlier I said our team was tear gassed as we filmed next to a group of #HongKong protestors. Our awesome photog @CBSrandy grabbed this still from the vid. These super kind protestors helped douse my eyes. Watch @CBSEveningNews tonight to see how it happened. @CBSNews is here. pic.twitter.com/XwH4nt1XsG Ramy Inocencio (@RamyInocencio) June 12, 2019 People on Twitter started praising the kind act by the protesters. 1. Love these people! Kari B Hertel (@karibowieHertel) June 13, 2019 2. Thank you for reporting the truth to the world (@nizyou_haruka) June 13, 2019 3. You are lucky. Some other aren't. We Hongkongers suffered more than 100 injuries with a few in ICU, at least one nearly died. pic.twitter.com/xHmV5J3MpV Hongkong Bear News (@Hongkong_Bear) June 13, 2019 4. Hong Kongers are some of the most compassionate people Ive ever met. Patterson Estate (@ChristineNavin) June 13, 2019 5. Agree. Truly kind and beautiful people. Mary Neigh (@nashvl) June 13, 2019 6. Acts of kindness and humanity captured on camera! You were well protected, @RamyInocencio! Eva Tam (@evatam) June 13, 2019 7. I cried NorahFW (@yeung_nora) June 13, 2019 According to CNA, 81 people have been injured in the protests till now. Meanwhile, 22 police officers were also injured and 11 people were arrested. The police had fired about 150 tear gas canisters, though Hong Kong Police Commissioner Stephen Lo had defended the police and their actions, saying that they had shown restraint, until mobsters attempted to storm the parliament. A couple of days ago, a Delhi-based journalist, Prashant Kanojia, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday for sharing a post about the state's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, that was considered objectionable. According to the reports, the chief of the private television news channel and its editor too were arrested in Noida, for airing allegedly defamatory content on Yogi Adityanath. He has been arrested on the charges including Sections 500 (defamation) and 505 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. It was just another day in Lebanon when two grandparents fought off a man who was trying to abduct their little granddaughter. A 37-year-old man who goes by the name Benjamin Dillon invaded an apartment at night with an intention to kidnap a 6-year-old girl. Twitter Little did he know that the grandparents were right in the next room, asleep. They heard someone storming into their apartment and it was then they screamed out loud and both grandparents Martin and Patricia Roth, called 911 immediately. According to police, Dillion kicked his way into an apartment in Lebanon in the middle of the night and insisted he was taking the child. Police arrived to find Dillon shirtless and very agitated, they said. He reportedly told investigators his daughter was inside of the apartment being raped. Twitter The police reports also said that he also threatened to fight all of us [the police] and kill us. Dillion said, I think it was a big misunderstanding. I know I physically fought with police officers but I never physically broke into the place. I was under the impression that maybe my daughter might be over there in that apartment complex. I am truly sorry for coming to your apartment door, for waking you up. I know I didnt kick you door in. Its a mistake. Dillon was arrested for burglary, battery on a law enforcement officer and intimidation among other charges. After the guests have left, one of the most disheartening sights at a wedding venue is the kilos of food that has been wasted and put into bins. An eye-opening revelation was made by a report cited in CSR Journal, which says that Indians waste as much food as the entire United Kingdom consumes. While people go to sleep with a growling stomach, there are people who do not care about this fact and still waste food. A staggering 194 million people in India go hungry every day. One in every four children is malnourished. It's more than just alarming to read such gut-wrenching statistics, while we sit in our comfortable homes and take food for granted. But this man is doing something laudable. A video that is going viral on social media, shows a man standing near the dustbins, urging people to finish everything that is left on their plate and not waste it. He doesn't spare even those who seem reluctant, instead he forces them to polish off the food. In the video, you can also hear him saying "Nahi nahi khatam kijiye." Here is the video: As per 2018, India ranks 103 out of 119 countries on the Global Hunger Index. In a country where so many people cannot afford even one proper meal a day, how can a select few be okay with wasting so much of food? While, people in India have no fear of wasting food as there are no rules and regulations for that! We really need to learn something from Germany. Several restaurants in Germany have come up with a novel way to reduce food wastage. As per a report in Conde Nast Traveler - restaurants, which include two Japanese restaurants and a Chinese-Mongolian restaurant, have started fining customers who fail to finish their meals. The aim is to encourage people to order only what they are able to eat and not waste food. This is a part of restaurant's 'eat up or pay up' policy. In a bid to check food wastage, restaurant in Telangana, named Kedari Food Court also came up with this policy of slapping Rs 50 fine on those who waste food but reward people who finish their meals with Rs 10. According to Telangana Today, the owner Kedari and his family members have been running the hotel since 2002; they introduced the fine system two years ago. In a shocking incident, mother of two children committed suicide on May 13 in Tamil Nadu after she was scolded by her husband for using the popular video making app - TikTok. 24-year-old Anitha recorded herself as she drank the poison and then sent the video via WhatsApp to her husband, who was in Singapore. According to reports in IANS, Anithas husband Pazhanivel did not appreciate his wifes TikTok addiction and had asked her to quit. Representational Image - Indiatimes In the video, Anitha is seen drinking a dark-coloured liquid from a white bottle before coughing. She dies soon after it. The incident obviously attracted criticism online and the video surfaced on a few YouTube channels as well. However, this is not the first time TikTok has led to somebodys death. In a similar incident, earlier in January, a 15-year-old girl from Mumbai hung herself in her house on her birthday, after her grandmother scolded her for constantly being hooked to TikTok. Later in April, a 19-year-old man from Delhi died after his friend allegedly shot him while making a video on the app. They were making the video inside an SUV and using a real gun as a part of the video. India Today The incident took place at Barakhamba Road and police said the victim, Salman, was with three friends at the time of the incident. All three of his friends have been arrested. A case was registered against the accused under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, 1959. Not so long ago, Madras High Court banned TikTok, because it believed that the app encouraged pornography. On April 24, they lifted the ban with one condition that the platform should not be used for obscene videos. The app was pulled down from both, Google Play Store and Apple's App Store until April 25 - a day after the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench lifted the ban. A short clip of a man using a police van to create a short video caught many eyeballs. Shared by Sayyed Mobin Ahmad, the video was recorded in Nagpur district of Maharashtra. As he walked down the steps of the police van, the soundtrack Miya Bhai could be heard in the background. The next frame showed the area around, which looked like a police station, and in the final frame the man is seen getting out of a Renault. Here is the video: Many women have painful period cramps, and for some, they're more severe than the others. At times, even getting out of bed seems impossible and those who can afford it choose to take a leave. However, that's not a privilege most women have. In a gut-wrenching revelation in Tamil Nadu, a Thomson Reuters Foundation expose based on interviews with about 100 women in Tamil Nadu's multi-billion dollar garment industry found all of them were allegedly given unlabeled drugs at work for period pains. Representational Image - self.com Women who were having these pills also said that their health suffered. "They are depressing days and the pills helped (sic)," the factory worker in Tamil Nadu told Reuters. Women could not afford to let anything interrupt their work and get wages deducted, so they sought medicine from a factory supervisor. The women are used to working in 10-hour shifts and pills helped them ease their period pain. 17-year-old, Sudha, took the painkillers - without any medical advice - and by the end of her first year of work, Sudhas menstrual cycle had gone for a toss. The saddest part is, she is not the only one. Medical tests found that Sudha had non-cancerous growths that developed in and around the uterus. A doctor advised her to stop working and take rest. But missing work was not an option for Sudha, as she was helping her mother - a ragpicker - pay back a loan of Rs 150,000 to local moneylenders. Representational Image - drsobia.com "Half my salary (6,000 rupees) would go in paying off the loan and a big amount on my trips to the doctor," Sudha told Reuters. "It became a cycle I was not able to break. And even though my health became worse, I needed to keep working to pay the bills," she added. The state government said that they would monitor the health of the garment workers. Many women said that it took them years to realise the damage that these painkillers were doing. According to the women, they were never warned about the side effects and the health problems like depression and anxiety. Some of them even suffered from urinary tract infections and miscarriages. Pills that were given to Thomson Reuters Foundation by the workers had no markings to show the brand, their composition or even expiry date. Two doctors, analysed the pills and said that they were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, that could relieve menstrual cramps but were known to have possible harmful side-effects if taken frequently. Activists, academicians and doctors have raised concerns that female workers lives were allegedly being controlled from toilet breaks to periods, to keep production lines running. Picture Credits: The Hindu Authorities say an Indian child was possibly found at the Arizona-Mexico border. The U.S./Mexico border fence covered in barbed/concertina wire as seen from Nogales, Arizona, on Feb. 9, 2019. (Ariana Drehsler /AFP/Getty Images) Naushad Kermally (left), seen here with his wife Nariman, was victorious in winning the Sugar Land, Texas, District 2 Council position June 8. He is seen here addressing supporters at his victory celebration. (Pooja Salhotra photo) Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Gay men porn - the exceptionally top Gay men porn website pages checklist! It truly is only robust to easily acknowledge that even Gay men porn has entered our unique lifetime could have an impact on and modulate it. The moment up over a time period for the United kingdom that there evidently was a joke regarding the film from your studio Exclusive regarding the cell mobile from the metro as well as the percent of people that include awareness to this phone. 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Head to our official website to know about gay pornstars Still, major companies in Chile and Australia seem to be best positioned to increase capacity. As a result, new supply could come from low-cost producers rather than marginal cost producers. "The market seems to be in capital starvation. The question is if it is so deep that supply wont be as great as expected going forward," McKinsey & Co leader for electric vehicles Ken Hoffman said. "New projects, at least conceptually, would be coming from producers at the lower end of the cost curve, particularly from Chile," Morgan Stanley managing director Javier Martinez de Olcoz Cerdan said. "They have [virtually] unlimited resources [and capacity increases would come at] low cost, low capex." Chile, for example, aims to maintain its current share of global output, at around 32%. The countrys ministry of mining estimates current projects around the world are enough to bring global production to 1.5 million tonnes per year from 2027 onward. "We will need new supply after 2027 if demand expectations do not materialize," Chilean vice minister of mining Pablo Terrazas said. "Chile is the main lithium producer in South America; we need to take the lead and sustainably increase output." This could mean that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will want to get more involved, granting capital needed for this supply increase, Fastmarkets head of battery raw materials research William Adams said. "The environment is looking so constructive demand-wise for many decades and low prices and depreciated equity markets could mean there is not enough money coming to the industry at a time when it is needed," he said. The Chilean ministry of mining currently has three different scenarios for world lithium demand and in most of them supply would be tight. A base-case of "medium demand" would mean consumption hits 1 million tonnes by 2027-28, Terrazas said. In the bullish one, demand would total 1 million tonnes by 2024 and surpass 3 million tonnes in 2038. The bearish scenario contemplates 1 million tonnes in 2034-35, reaching around 1.1 million tonnes by 2038. Fastmarkets latest price assessment for battery-grade lithium carbonate (minimum 99.5%) in China, Japan and main South Korean ports was $11-12.50 per kg cif on June 6, the lowest level since at least August 2017. Prices were at $13-15 per kg on December 27. 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... Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari has been a fashionista and no one can deny the fact. Mrs Buhari not only rocks an amazing fashion style but they also never come as cheap. The First Lady stirred up a sort of debate after she rocked a stylish Oscar De La Renta dress during the Democracy Day dinner and gala on Tuesday night. The dress, an Oscar de la Renta Silk-Crepe Cape-Back Caftan costs a whopping $2,145(N772,200) and was made by American haute couture designer, Oscar De La Renta. Currently sold out, the dress which used to cost $4,290 (1,544,400), now is now being retailed for $2,145 about N772,200. Mrs Buhari has never hidden her love Oscar de la Renta, 2017 she also rocked the brand during a reception she held for her visiting Ugandan counterpart, Janet Museveni. Nollywood actor, Uche Maduagwu, has slammed Etinosa for blaming alcohol as her reason for going nude on MC galaxy live Instagram. Uche who made his view known via an Instagram post said Alcohol do not remove peoples bra or pants, but people do. What he posted below: //www.instagram.com/embed.js General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has come for ladies who are praying for a good husband but on their first meeting with the man, they request for an iPhone. Nigerian televangelist took to micro-blogging site, Twitter to make this known as he revealed that most ladies are materialistic because they start requesting for things probably that is why men run away from them. In his words; Most single ladies are so materialistic yet they are praying for a good husband..you just met a man and already asking for an iPhone. Is that the registration fee to been his friend?. It seems ladies have become of fond of doing this because a follower of his also contributed to the conversation. He talked about his experience. He tweeted; Sir I met one after two weeks was asking me to place her on monthly salary I refuse then I notice money starts getting lost each time she enters my car until I caught her red handed. Apostle then Suleman responded saying; Monthly salary as what?are you civil service and even if you are,whats her job description and office location?..thank God her true attitude showed up..men should take care of women but marry them first..any role before then is merely supportive. See full post below: https://twitter.com/kelvinobioma3/status/1139393206859124738 The wife of the President, Aisha Buhari has changed her title from The wife of the president to First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This change was announced from during an award night and dinner in honour of wives of former Governors at the State House, Abuja on Thursday. Bisi Olumide-Ajayi, a media aide to the first lady also issued a statement to announce the change of the official title. According to the statement Aisha Buhari will now to be addressed as the first lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The aide also revealed that Aisha after the election of her husband in 2015, personally chose to be called the wife of the President A decision she says caused confusion, hence the need for the change of title. However, it will be recalled that Buhari in 2014, shortly before his first term election, said he will scrap the office of the first lady. According to Buhari, there will be no office for the first lady if elected because there is no office of the first lady in the Nigerian constitution, just as there is no official role for presidents wives. Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has disclosed that she would now be addressed as the first lady of Nigeria with immediate effect contrary to the wife of the president which she was addressed. She made this announcement during an event held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Her words: When my husband was elected newly I personally chose to be called the wife of the President. But, I realized that it causes confusion from the state as to whether the wives of state governors are to be addressed as the first ladies or wives of the governors. So, forgive me for confusing you from the beginning, but now I chose to be called the first lady, The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by David Umaru to affirm him as the senator-elect of Niger East senatorial district. The court in a unanimous judgement led by Ibrahim Muhammad on Friday held the senator who was elected on the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC), was not validly nominated by the party. The court held that the appellant, Mohammed Sani, was the rightful winner of the APC primary election which held in the senatorial district. The judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which on April 8 affirmed Umaru as the winner of the Senatorial seat was therefore set aside And upheld the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declared Sani as the candidate of the party for the election, validly nominated. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was therefore ordered without delay to issue Sani, a certificate of return as the Senator representing Niger East. A former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has decried the negative rating of the country in relation to other countries of the world. According to the former minister, the country has the highest number of HIV infected babies in the world and also the most dangerous place for women to have children. The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) chieftain is also decried a recent rating that put the country as the extreme poverty capital of the world. Read what he tweeted below Nigeria has more HIV-infected babies than ANY country in the world. Nigeria is the most dangerous place for women to have children in the world. Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world. Nigeria has more children out of school than ANY other county in the world. Nigeria has the second most deadly terrorist organization in the world. Nigeria has the fourth most deadly terrorist organization in the world. Nigeria is the most dangerous place for Christians to live in the world. Nigeria is the worlds capital for mass murder, ethnic cleansing and genocide Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Friday said his reelection in November will be a landslide victory. The governor said this while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. His words: I am the Governor today and Insha Allah, l will return back as the Governor for another four years, after the November 16 election. As for the ticket, the analogy is that the tenant cannot send the landlord out of his house. So, APC in Kogi state was rebuilt by me, after the good job done by our late leader, His Excellency, Prince Abubakar Audu. After his demise, l came, rebuilt it from the scratch to what it is today. That is evident in the last outing of the party where we had 25/25, in the State House of Assembly. We also won 7 out of the 9 contested positions in the House of Representatives and two out of the three Senators representing Kogi state in the Senate. So, anybody that is making such noise, does not disturb me, because, in the market place, noise is allowed. You know, in Kogi politics is the loudest, so people must make noise and you cant stop that. But surely, l am very good with my party from the local government to the national level. They know that l am the leader of the party in my state. I have built it and it is very strong. Anytime, any day, we will win elections in landslide. That l am going to win in the primaries is given by the grace of God, by whichever means, direct or indirect, he said Secondly, in the November Governorship election, we are not just talking of winning, we are looking at the margins. The margin is going to be such that whoever comes far second, will be discouraged to go to court. On Buhari immortalising MKO Abiola, Bello said: I think something would have been wrong if he had not done this. For effectively doing it well, we cant thank him enough. It is so significant for us and the future generation to know that this man paid the supreme price for the democracy we are enjoying today. We continue to pray for him to do more for the country. He has blazed the trail. Its significance for politics and politicians It politics, we have to be real we are in this politics to serve. Chief MKO Abiola was out to serve us. He was denied. President Muhammadu Buhari is serving us and he has also recognized the man who paid the supreme sacrifice and what this means is that we must remain real and have the interest of the masses at heart and serve them to the best of our ability. he said On what Nigerians should expect from APC, now that its members lead the National Assembly leadership, he said: You are going to see government at ease in the next level. Programs, projects and every policies of government, you are going to see them implemented with ease unlike what we saw in the eight National Assembly. You can see now that the atmosphere is very calm and everybody is happy. It shows that APC got it right this time around. So, kudos to Mr. President, leadership of our great party and leadership of the National Assembly and all the members of the National Assembly. Fani Kayode, a former minister for aviation, has called Babagana Kingibe the real villain of democracy after the latter claimed that former president Olusegun Obasanjo was one of the architects of June 12 annulment. Fani Kayode who made his view known while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja describe the allegation levied against Obasanjo as a lie from the pit of hell. In his own words: I have immense respect for Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and I congratulate and commend him for the great honor that was bestowed upon him and Chief MKO Abiola by the Buhari administration. I also commend President Muhammadu Buhari for doing the right thing and not only making June 12th our authentic Democracy Day but also naming the National Stadium after Abiola. We must not allow anyone to indulge in historical revisionism or re-write history. Obasanjo was not a member of General Ibrahim Babangidas administration and neither did he have any hand in that monstrous perfidy and conspiracy against democracy and the Nigerian people. It is easy to see and discern who the real villain and traitor is between Obasanjo and Kingibe in this matter. One stood for democracy whilst the other joined and collaborated with those that literally killed it. As a matter of fact the man that insisted on the annulment of the June 12th election literally at gunpoint, Gen. Sani Abacha, was the same person that set up Obasanjo in a trumped up coup plot a few years later, jailed him and attempted to murder him with a lethal injection whilst he was in jail. The same Abacha was responsible for the murder of Gen. Shehu Musa Yaradua when he was also falsely accused and jailed for coup-plotting. It is the greatest irony of history and fate that the same Kingibe that has made this grievous allegation against Obasanjo and who was a protegee of both Obasanjo and Shehu Musa Yaradua ended up serving in a Government that was led by the same Sani Abacha who not only insisted on the annulment of Abiolas mandate but also jailed and was intent on killing them both. However the assertion that President Olusegun Obasanjo had any hand in the annulment of the June 12th election is a lie from the pit of hell. The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Shuaibu Ibrahim, on Friday assured corps members that the scheme will communicate to them when the payment of N30,000 new allowance would start. This was made known by the DG at a workshop/ training on Freedom of Information Act for Desk Officers of the NYSC in Abuja. The DG was asked when the payment of N30,000 allowance for corps members would take -off, and he said: They will be communicated accordingly, please. According to the DG, the workshop was organised to consolidate on the successes recorded by the scheme regarding the use of the FOIA. His words: Since the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act in 2011, the NYSC has been in the forefront of ensuring total compliance with the provisions of the Act.2 Following the declaration by Aisha Buhari that she has dropped the wife of the president title and wishes to be addressed as the first lady from not on, Nigerians have reacted. Nigerians while reacting have fired heavy shots at her with some saying she is done with the deception game. What Nigerians are saying: Issues facing Nigeria:Terrorism, insecurity, bad economy, loomin recession, unprecedented poverty, injustice, fraudsters, poor education, bad government policies e.t.c. Issues important to Aisha Buhari: U keep calling me wife of d president instead of first lady Bearly (@grizzly_bean) June 14, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js First Lady Aisha Buhari Sebi your husband failed during his first tenure because you were called Wife of the President? Lere Olayinka Aresa 1 (@OlayinkaLere) June 14, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The deceived can now see the real colour SULE ISAAC (@Isaacsule91) June 14, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js We are expecting more reversal of all the deceptive promises they made to clinch power in 2015. Ikechukwu (@Ikechuk94121508) June 14, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Senate President Ahmad Lawan on Thursday revealed that former Abia state governor, Orji Uzor-Kalu, senator representing Abia north, was his roommate at the University of Maiduguri in 1980. The Senate president made the revelation during a dinner hosted by the Abia state senator in which Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate president, and some senators were his guests at his Abuja residence. Lawan thanked Kalu for putting the dinner together and said that senators under his leadership will unite beyond party lines. The Nigerian project is a project of the Nigerian people and not a political partys project and everybody must ensure that it works, he said. In the 9th senate, we are going to work together and we will distribute functions across party lines. Addressing his guests, Kalu said the occasion was for the celebration of victory. No motion is going to be moved here and no motion is going to be seconded here. All we are here for is to eat and drink, he said. Nigerian Comedian, Woli Arole has taken to Instagram to celebrate his father with whom he shares a striking resemblance with. The self acclaimed international stand-up comedian took to Instagram to celebrate his father, Chief Baiyegun who turned 79 today, June 14, 2019 with the caption; Happy birthday to my guy from way back, my friend, my GEE, my Daddy . Chief Baiyegun. Your life, principles and values has been a guide to me. I celebrate you on your 79th birthday today. God keep you for us. Baba boxer, Baba Physio, Chief fun ra e. God bless you. See side by side photo of the father and son below: Controversial journalist, Kemi Olulonyo has claimed that she was attacked by 5 armed robbers in her home around the hours of 1:45am today, June 14, 2019. The traumatized journalist took to social media to cry out for help. According to her, the robbers broke the doors into the house with crowbars, tied them up at gunpoint as they were also armed with cutlass, crowbars. She claimed they took away all their electronics and beat them. Kemi Olunloyo further buttressed her reason for guns to be legalized in Nigeria like America because this could happen to anybody. In her words, MY TRAUMA JUST HEIGHTENED! 5 armed robbers entered here at 1:45am 6/14/19. They smashed the doors into the house with crowbars, tied us up at gunpoint, cutlass, crowbars, cleared all electronics and beat us. My mom, sisters house girl and everyone was begging for their lives. I was having a panic attack pleading the blood of Jesus while already dealing with #PTSD@richkjtmusic devices are gone. All his new music and phone gone as he records at night. He came out of his room cos he heard me screaming Dont kill me! Help us. Devices can be replaced, not lives. Now 2:50am Ibadan now. Im typing from an old 4G Android stored away not used anymore since 2014. I cannot even reach Governor @seyi_amakinde who lives behind us or police as WhatsApp is on my phone they took. This is security in Nigeria for you. This is why I asked for guns to be legalized in Nigeria like America. It could happen to anyone. Pls someone call any police you know. My police list is on my phone they took. I remain helpless This area GRA Agodi has had a lot of robberies. We want jewelry, devices and cash. I had 5k in the wallet, have them They cleared the whole house then left saying Shut up, we wont kill you. See full post below; https://www.instagram.com/instablog9ja/p/ByrjxbwHUBt/?igshid=1w2r81ci4rgx2 Rochas Okorocha, a former governor of Imo state has shared that he is in the Senate for just three reasons. Okorocha who made his reasons known shortly after his swearing in by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, said he is in the red chambers to do the things that are dear to his heart. His words: I am here to do things dear to my heart. One of them is: the bridge connecting the south-east to other ethnic groups seems to be very faulty, resulting from the politics we have played in the south-east. It will be my pleasure to reconnect this bridge so that the south-east people will move along at the same pace with other geopolitical zones. My second mission (at) the National Assembly is to see the possibility of making free education a reality so that the children of the poor can go to school. If I achieve these, I will be glad that I did, as a member of the Senate. The third one is, I am concerned about the killings and destruction of lives in the northern part of this country. Whatever we can do on the floor of the Senate, we will have the executive curb this insurgency. I will be here and happy to work with my colleagues. Former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani has reacted to unconfirmed reports that the Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde has offered to wave off his immunity in case of corruption allegations. The senator while hailing the decision said it will be unprecedented in the history of Nigeria, adding that there can be no better claim to transparency. He tweeted on Friday afternoon thus: The report that the Governor of Oyo state Seyi Makinde has offered to wave off his immunity in case of corruption allegations against him is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. There can be no better claim to transparency. More to come A man named Ihuaku has been arrested by The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Imo state for alleging rapping his mother has he blames it on Alcohol. The suspect who is said to be a 45-years-old man confessed to his crimes as he said he was on the influence of alcohol. he said After drinking on that fateful evening, there was a heavy downpour and I could not resist the urge for sex; so, I had to use a local pistol to threaten my mother to submission and I later raped her, Ihuaku stated. The man who is still living in his mothers house said he is yet to be married because he has no form of income as he is jobless. The mother reported the suspect to the youth in the area, who apprehended him and alerted men of the corps. She said, I was in the kitchen and saw him (Ihuaku) with a pistol. He used it to threaten me. He told me that he would kill me. I could not do anything other than to beg him to drop the gun. she also said it was the second time the incident was happening. The state Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. Raji Ibrahim, said the suspect will remain in custody as he will be charged to court. ALSO READ: Suspects Narrate How They hynopized A Sales Girl And Collected N1.4 Million Naira From Her World Cultural Council has announced the winners of the 2019 Albert Einstein World Award of Science The winner of the 2019 Albert Einstein World Award of Science is Dr. Zhong Lin Wang, Chair and Regents Professor, School of Materials Science & Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. The prize is awarded for Dr. Wang's pioneering and seminal contributions to the discovery, innovation and implementation of nanogenerators and self-powered systems. These innovations enable unprecedented new technologies for harvesting energy from the environment and biological systems, with applications in personal electronics, sensor networks, biomedical and healthcare devices, and environmental monitoring. The jury also acknowledged the significant impact of his discoveries and breakthroughs, which have already inspired worldwide efforts in academia and industry towards a wide range of technological applications that will be of great benefit to humankind and the sustainable development of our society. Dr. Zhong Lin Wang received his Ph.D. in Physics from Arizona State University in 1987. Throughout his career, he has made seminal and pioneering contributions to developing new energy and sensor technology that are expected to change the world in the near future. He is best known for the discovery and development of nanogenerators for self-powered systems and large-scale blue energy, an unprecedented technology for harvesting energy from the environment and biological systems, for applications in personal electronics, internet of things, biomedical devices, environmental monitoring and robotics. His innovations also provide a revolutionary approach for obtaining large-scale energy from daily life non-polluting sources with potential to harvest huge amounts of energy from ocean waves, aimed at solving the future energy needs of the world. Wang's discovery and breakthroughs in developing nanogenerators have established the principle and technological road map for using mechanical energy for powering mobile sensors. He first showed that the nanogenerator originated from the Maxwell's displacement current and revived the applications of Maxwell's equations in energy and sensors. His recent understanding on the physics of triboelectrification solves a 2,600 year old science problem and establishes the foundation for triboelectric nanogenerators. His research on self-powered nanosystems has inspired the worldwide efforts in academia and industry for harvesting ambient energy for micro-nanosystems, which is now a distinct discipline in energy science - nano energy. Nanogenerators have the potential to revolutionize every corner of our life, ranging from the internet of things, to human-machine interfacing for robotics and artificial intelligence, implantable medical devices, health care, self-powered sensors for infrastructure monitoring and even environmental protection. It is remarkable that his discoveries and inventions originate from innovative and creative unprecedented fundamental studies based on basic physical properties of materials and long-known theories, such as piezoelectricity and triboelectricity. Dr. Wang has already published a remarkable number of peer reviewed papers 1,500 including 55 in Nature, Science and sister journals, and has an enormous impact on the nanotechnology community as measured by the number of citations (over 205,000) and has an H-index of 226, according to Google Scholar, June 2019. In addition to being a chair professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, he is also the director of Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems. Finally, Dr. Wang's personal qualities should not be overlooked. He has been described as a "natural leader, always very kind, inspiring, full of energy, with a positive impact on everyone collaborating with him." The 2019 Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts will be presented to Portuguese independent film producer, Paulo Branco. This recognition is given for Mr. Branco's engagement with new views on cinematographic expressions and his dedicated commitment to cultivating intensive communication and activity between the different fields of culture It is a prize granted for his prolific and varied achievements in the dynamics of independent cinema, producing and coproducing with film directors from four continents, constantly open to new ideas, opening new paths and building bridges worldwide, as well as his dedicated commitment to bringing together different fields of culture, such as literature, fine arts and music. Born in Lisbon in 1950, Paulo Branco is a Portuguese independent film producer. Since 1979 he has produced or coproduced over 300 films, working with Portuguese and international directors from four continents, and often giving the chance of a screen debut to aspiring filmmakers who have gone on to become great cinematographers. His constant openness to new ideas and support for creative figures from all over the globe make him a truly unifying force, whose contribution to the enrichment of cinema is colossal. According to John Malkovich, Branco is "possibly the most prodigious producer of art films in the history of cinema", while German director Wim Wenders describes him as "a producer of the kind that has almost altogether vanished: he cares for his films and invests himself personally." His work entails the arduous job of finding financing for arthouse films, described by Wenders as a "Herculean task", but one that he successfully achieved, constantly providing alternatives to mainstream production. Paulo Branco has promoted Portuguese and European cinema at international festivals, where he has also sat on the jury or been its president. Twenty-seven of his films have been included in the Official Selection at Cannes, while 48 have been presented at Venice Film Festival. In his home country, he has also facilitated access to culture by distributing films and building cinema theatres. He is the Director and founder of the Lisbon & Sintra Film Festival, which he founded in 2007. Fostering dialogue between cinema, literature, music and the visual arts, this encounter supports reflection and debate on the great issues of our times. Every year Paulo welcomes some of the world's greatest film directors (such as Francis Ford Coppola, Bernardo Bertolucci, Pedro Almodovar), writers, actors, artists and musicians, among others. His commitment to independent cinema in Portugal has helped to bolster its position on the cultural map of the world. During his 40-year career, Branco has been awarded numerous accolades for his work, including "Greatest European Producer" by the European Parliament in 1997, the "Gabriela Mistral Order" - the highest distinction in Chile in 1998, the first Premio Raimondo Rezzonico (The Best Independent Producer Award) at the Locarno Film Festival in 2002 and the Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et Des Lettres de la Republique Francaise, France, in 2004 and the CINEUROPA Award in 2014. The work of Paulo Branco has made a huge contribution to furthering the aesthetic horizon of cinema, in Portugal and worldwide, as well as broadening the cultural formation of audiences and the public in general. ### The 2019 Award Ceremony This year the World Cultural Council (WCC) will celebrate its 36th Award Ceremony on Friday 4th October 2019 at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, in the framework of the Tsukuba Conference. It will be a very special occasion for the WCC to hold its Award Ceremony within the frame of the Tsukuba Conference. Bringing together global leaders in the field of science, technology and innovation, the conference will engender opportunities for these to express their visions of the future and to meet potential partners for solving a diverse range of social issues. As part of the programme, the WCC, in cooperation with the University of Tsukuba, organizes laureate lectures that create an opportunity for interaction between the community and the winners. These lectures will take place on Friday 4th October. During the Award Ceremony, the World Cultural Council will grant special acknowledgements to young researchers or scholars from Japan who have achieved outstanding performance in science or the arts. The ten promising young research leaders are: Dr. Shinichi Enami, Senior Researcher, National Institute for Environmental Studies; Dr. Yasunori Ichihashi, Team Leader, BioResource Research Center, RIKEN (Institute of Physical and Chemical Research); Dr. Kazuhiro Ikeda, Research Group Leader, Photonics System Group, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology; Dr. Yasunori Kikuchi, Associate Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo; Dr. Masayuki Matsumoto, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba; Dr. Hiroyuki Miyauchi, Senior Research Engineer, Building Research Institute; Dr. Yuko Shimada, Assistant Professor, Life Science Center for Survival Dynamics, Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance, University of Tsukuba; Dr. Ken-ichi Uchida, Group Leader, Spin Caloritronics Group, National Institute for Materials Science; Dr. Yutaka Ushiroda, Professor, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization and Dr. Taiyo Yoshioka, Researcher, The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization. They will each receive a commemorative Diploma for their impressive work at such an early stage of their careers. Related links: https:/ / www. consejoculturalmundial. org https:/ / tsukuba-conference. com/ wcc/ COPYRIGHT 2018 CONSEJO CULTURAL MUNDIAL/ UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. LOS ANGELES, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. private space company SpaceX on Wednesday successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a trio of satellites for the Canadian government from Vandenberg Air Force Base in the state of California. The rocket, carrying Canada's RADARSAT Constellation that includes three Earth observation satellites, blasted off at 7:17 a.m. Pacific Time (1417 GMT) from Space Launch Complex-4E at the air force base. SpaceX confirmed main engine cutoff and stage separation of the rocket about two minutes after its liftoff. Falcon 9's first stage successfully returned to land at SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 at the air force base, according to the SpaceX live broadcast. About one hour later, the three radar-imaging satellites were deployed to orbit. Prior to this mission, SpaceX has successfully landed a first stage booster on land 14 times and has recovered Falcon 9 first stages from 26 missions at sea using the company's Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships, according to the Hawthorne, California-headquartered company. The satellites will orbit Earth at an altitude of 600 km. They are evenly spaced on the same orbital plane, separated around the globe by 32 minutes or approximately 14,600 km, according to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) The three-satellite configuration will provide daily revisits of Canada's vast territory and maritime approaches, as well as daily access to any point of 90 percent of the world's surface. The RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) is Canada's newest generation of radar Earth observation satellites that will contribute to a better understanding of Canada's land and natural resources. The expected lifespan of RCM is seven years for each satellite. The mission will capture images of Earth's water, land, ice and atmosphere during the day and night and in all types of weather, including heavy cloud cover, smoke and haze. The mission is designed to provide effective solutions in three main areas: maritime surveillance, disaster management and ecosystem monitoring, according to the CSA. The RCM is the successor to the CSA's Radarsat-2 satellite, marking the start of a third generation for Canada's radar imaging satellite systems. While Radarsat-2 and the earlier Radarsat-1 were single-satellite missions, RCM uses three spacecraft to increase the frequency of coverage and enable new applications for the data the satellites gather. Wednesday's launch is the second major mission that SpaceX has undertaken for the CSA. SpaceX previously carried the CSA's multipurpose CASSIOPE satellite in September 2013 on the sixth Falcon 9 mission. [ Editor: WPY ] Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Plant Activators are substances that increase crops natural defense mechanisms. These substrates do not directly attack pathogens but trigger biochemical modifications in plants so they may defend against pests. Just like human antibodies plant activators are essential in plants to resist attacks from pests such as fungal or bacterial pathogens or insects. The growing interest in plant health and soil-plant interactions has collectively hatched the concept of Plant Activators that can be commercially available and sprinkled, sprayed, or used in the soil treatment. Using plant activators is a cost-efficient mean of pushing yields to escalated limits. Although plant activators have just begun to test the market, they are already witnessing a huge demand across the world. Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/6457 Acknowledging the increasing demand, uptake, and hence the enormous growth that the market perceives at present, Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently issued study report asserts that the Global Plant Activators Market will witness exponential accruals registering a healthy CAGR during the review period (2017 2023). The rapidly growing demand for food driven by the ever-increasing population worldwide is a dominant driving force behind the growth of the market, augmenting the demand and adoption of Plant Activators. Besides, the increasing demand for enhanced crop productivity has raised the demand for Plant Activators globally. The idea of increasing crop cultivation in space has been discussed around for long. This newly found application area of plant activators, i.e. space farming is likely to provide a considerable impetus to the growth of the market. Additionally, the prospective opportunities of long-term human space expedition have sustainably raised the need to find alternative options to provide food for the people in space. Global Plant Activators Market Segments For ease of understanding, the MRFR analysis has been segmented into five key dynamics: - By Source: Biological and Chemical. By Form: Granules, Solutions, and Powders among others. By Crop Type: Fruits & Vegetables, Cereals & Grains, Oilseeds & Pulses, and Turf & Ornamentals among others. By Mode of Application: Foliar Spray and Soil Treatment among others. By Regions: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest-of-the-World. Global Plant Activators Market Regional Analysis The European region, heading with the huge uptake of this product dominates the global plant activators market, in terms of both revenues as well as market size. Europe has the worlds largest area under Plant Activators production, and the market in this region is anticipated to register a considerable CAGR during 2017 -2023. Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/6457 Depleting agricultural land is resulting in the increasing demand for plant activators to ensure the longevity of the plants and hence, increased productivity in the available land. Additionally, rising demand for pulses, grains, and oilseeds in some of the European countries such as the U.K, Germany, and France is projected to boost the plant activators market during the forecast period. The Plant Activators Market in the Asia Pacific region accounts for the second largest market, globally. Factors such as the abundant availability of cultivated land have uplifted the demand for plant activators in the region. Also, the trend of organic farming is escalating the demand for bio-activators. Furthermore, the ever-increasing population encourages the use to plant activators, creating a significant demand for fruits and vegetables. The North American Plant Activators Market is rapidly emerging as a profitable market, globally. The horticulture and aquaculture sector majorly lead the market in the region. Besides the recent trend of hydroponic, Aquaponics, and vertical farming are substantiating the market growth of plant activators in the region. Global Plant Activators Market Competitive Analysis The Plant Activators Market appears to be highly competitive with several large and small key players accounting for a substantial market share. These players emphasizing on new product development initiatives, and geographical expansion compete based upon price and brand reinforcement. Well established players incorporate strategic initiatives such as acquisition, collaboration, partnership, expansion, and technology launch to gain an edge over their competitors and to maintain their position in the market. Major Players: Key players leading the Global Plant Activators Market include Isagro (Italy), Syngenta (Switzerland), Plant Health Care (US), Arysta LifeScience Corporation (US), Alltech (US), Nihon Nohyaku Co. Ltd (Japan), Certis USA LLC (US), Meiji Holdings Co. Ltd (Japan), Gowan Company (US), Futureco Bioscience SA (Spain), Eagle Plant Protect Private Limited (India), and NutriAg Inc. (Canada) among others. Industry/ Innovation/ Related News: December 27, 2018 - BioPrime AgriSolutions Pvt Ltd (India), a DIPP recognized advanced agri-biotech company announced receiving cash prizes and investment opportunities in the recent National Bio-entrepreneurship Competition for its bio-activators. These bio-activators can act as an alternative to conventional chemical pesticides and allow growers to maintain beneficial insect (natural predator) populations in their fields. BioPrime develops alternative bio-organic and sustainable solutions for crop improvement, nutrition, and protection. With agricultural biologicals acting as bio-activators, the company ensures sustainable crops despite the growing impact of climate change and crop losses. These bio-activators are soon to replace chemical fertilizers. The National Bio-entrepreneurship Competition was organized by a joint initiative of C-CAMP (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms) under the BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council), and Regional Entrepreneurship Centre (BREC). About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Popular Nigerian actor, Jide Awobona took to his Instagram page to warn parents to protect their babies, as he goes against people kissing peoples babies. Jide Awobona is reacting to the report of a 4-weeks-old baby, who contracted herpes after being kissed at a christening in the UK as he tells parents to go against kissing their babies. Also Read: Why I Want To Be Addressed As The First Lady From Now Aisha Buhari The actor warned that if people claiming to really love parents go visiting, they should not kiss their babies and when told not do so they should not get angry over it. He wrote: The wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, has declared that she would like to be addressed as the first lady from now henceforth because she was the one that told her husband in the first case that she would love the address of the wife of the president in the first case. She made this known during an event held at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, which had the wives of the 36 governors of Nigeria in attendance. In her own words: When my husband was elected newly I personally chose to be called the wife of the President. But, I realized that it causes confusion from the state as to whether the wives of state governors are to be addressed as the first ladies or wives of the governors. So, forgive me for confusing you from the beginning, but now I chose to be called the first lady, Save Me the Plums My Gourmet Memoir By Ruth Reichl Random House. 266 pp. $27 Reviewed by Panthea Reid While memoir writers must stick to autobiographical truth, they can freely borrow fictional techniques, as Ruth Reichl did in My Cooking Year (2015). Her ostensible subject in that book was the surprise closing of Gourmet magazine, where shed been editor-in-chief for a decade. Her actual subject was her recovery through cooking. In Save Me the Plums (2019), Reichl narrates the Gourmet debacle. At 8, she had been enraptured by tattered old copies of Gourmet. In a used book store, her father, a book designer, thrilled her by spending 50 cents on a Gourmet Cookbook. Adventures in book- and then food-shopping with her father read like passages from a novel. Decades later, as food critic for the New York Times, Reichl held power over the Manhattan restaurant scene. When Gourmet offered to sextuple her salary, Reichl accepted. Husband Michael and their son Nick, as well as a poorly introduced half-brother and several female friends, supported her decision. Gourmet did not, however, finance a support staff, not even a fact-checker. Reichl had to manage with great energy but little sleep. Reichl introduces a number of Gourmet characters. She has a formula for presenting them: a name with a professional identification and then a sentence about the appearance of each. I cant recall which was the tall, thin stork of a man, whoever had pale-blue eyes and windburned cheeks, whose pale, clever face was bare of makeup, or who was nicely dressed but without striking looks. These markers attempt a fiction-like presentation but are forgettable, as these people were to Gourmet. Reichls own ambivalence is a larger issue. A Conde Nast executive described Gourmets threshold for employment as appreciating luxury, but Reichl presents herself as a dowdy person who disdains luxuries. She was taken aback when Gourmet provided her with a huge dress allowance and a limousine. She insists that, as an unregenerate hippie, she prefers to ride the subway. We all navigate between insider and outsider roles in private and public lives. As she depicts her persona in and outside of Gourmet, Reichl, however, plays both roles at once. She does narrate many great scenes. During the horror of 9/11, after she grabbed passports and terrified cats, Reichl left the city, panicked but relieved that Michael had taken Nick and some classmates into the unharmed countryside, where she soon made spaghetti for all. The next day, she returned to the city and, along with others in the restaurant world, began cooking for rescue workers, who were covered in white powder and looked like ghosts staggering through the smoke. Chili, cornbread, lasagna, and brownies fed hope. In a happy scene, the sickly Nick, who would hardly eat as a child, suddenly develops a ravenous appetite, eating even sea urchin roe. Later, for a school project, he edited a cookbook and wrote an editorial rather like one of his mothers. When Reichl secured the distinguished writer David Foster Wallace for a Gourmet article about Maine lobsters, she feared protests about boiling lobsters alive. After readers instead applauded the edgiest article wed ever published, she learned that when something frightens me, it is definitely worth doing. As the recession deepened, Reichl suggested a recovery issue: Paris on the cheap. She volunteered and wrote marvelous stories about restaurants on back streets offering three-course dinners for $25. Inexpensive hotels were no joy, but the extraordinary food was priceless. Reichl became Brand Ruth, a television personality, award-winner, and honorary charity figurehead. Her account here lacks stories, as if shes forgotten her own dictum in Tender at the Bone (1998): The most important thing in life is a good story. She scorns those at Gourmet who thought theyd owned the exclusive little world of food. They were losing out to ethnic restaurants and more diverse, inventive cooking. After the lobster article, Reichl insisted that they tackle other edgy food issues. The executives reacted. In Reichls terms, they murdered the magazine. This seems to me not a tale of homicide or of losing out in the evolution of the fittest. Instead, it is yet another story of the unmerited demise of the controversial and provocative. At the books close, Reichl is making German apple pancakes for her family, with a recipe for her readers. This is the homey, helpful, and buoyant Ruth Reichl readers love, who tells an unambivalent story about food as healing agent and redemption. A banner reads "Camden Rising" outside the new high-rise office tower on the waterfront in Camden, N.J., on Thursday, May 9, 2019. The project involved $245 million in tax breaks, including $79 million for NFI. The logistics company disputes allegations made by the Teamsters that it provided false information on its application for tax credits. Read more A South Jersey trucking and logistics company is disputing allegations made by a labor union that it failed to disclose a criminal conviction on its application for $79 million in tax breaks. The company, NFI, said the affiliate that pleaded guilty in a 2005 case was dissolved years before NFI applied for tax credits in 2016. We have fully complied with all of the requirements of the application process for Grow New Jersey tax credits, NFI spokesperson T.J. Lynch said in a statement. The tax credit program is overseen by the states Economic Development Authority. We have reviewed the letter sent by the Teamsters Union to the EDA and, as is typical of the Teamsters tactics, it is littered with inaccuracies and misinformation, Lynch said. The Teamsters called for an investigation and prosecution of NFI in a letter Thursday to the EDA and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. The union alleged that NFI had failed to disclose on its application for tax credits a 2005 criminal conviction of an NFI affiliate, as well as pending civil claims alleging violations of wage and labor laws. Companies that apply for tax credits have to certify that statements on their applications are true. The letter came amid broader investigations of the EDAs multibillion-dollar tax credit programs: one by a task force appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy, and another by a state grand jury. NFI, along with South Jersey Democratic power broker George E. Norcross III and several other companies, has sued the governor, claiming the task force was created unlawfully and should be disbanded. The suit also names the EDA as a defendant. Citing pending litigation, the EDA declined to answer questions about whether the agency advised NFI on whether it had to disclose the criminal conviction of a dissolved affiliate, or whether any agency policies address those circumstances. The EDA in 2017 awarded $245 million in tax breaks to be dispensed over a 10-year period to NFI, Norcross-led insurance brokerage Conner Strong & Buckelew, and developer the Michaels Organization to build an office tower on the Camden waterfront. The companies pledged to bring jobs to the struggling city. On Thursday, the Teamsters pointed to a 2005 case in which a company called Interactive Logistics Inc. pleaded guilty in federal court in Camden to defrauding beer maker Anheuser-Busch of $225,000. Interactive Logistics was registered to do business in New Jersey as NFI Interactive Logistics Inc. Court records show the plea agreement covering three counts of wire fraud was authorized by the companys three shareholders, including Sidney Brown, who is now chief executive of NFI and who signed the companys 2016 application for tax credits. At the time of the guilty plea, Brown told the news media in a statement: We as a company made an isolated error and will work to ensure this never happens again. Applicants for the Grow New Jersey tax incentive program are asked whether they or any affiliates have been found guilty or liable of criminal violations, including in the performance of a public or private contract. NFI answered that it had not. On Friday, Lynch said: With respect to the 2005 case ... the entity involved in that legal proceeding was dissolved in 2011 and, as a result, is not an affiliate of NFI. Lynch did not respond to follow-up questions about whether the company received advice from the EDA or anyone else on how to handle that disclosure issue. The Teamsters also alleged that NFI failed to disclose two civil cases in response to a question about whether the company was a party to any pending legal proceedings. The question covers alleged violations of laws governing hours of labor, prevailing wage standards, and discrimination in wages. NFI marked no on that part of the application. In its statement Friday, NFI said it submitted a supplement to the EDA describing the existence of lawsuits. "The EDA requested additional information about certain litigation, which we promptly provided, it said. According to records obtained by The Inquirer, an application supplement from NFI said the company had been party to employment-related litigation in the ordinary course of its business. The lawsuits, NFI said, involved allegations of discrimination and harassment, among other claims. The supplement did not specifically mention the two pending cases identified by the Teamsters. One suit, brought by truck drivers, alleges violations of state wage law. The other says the company failed to pay overtime to workers in Texas in violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. NFI has denied wrongdoing in both suits. Lynch also did not respond to follow-up questions about whether NFI disclosed the cases to EDA at any point. At West Chester University, a statue of the mascot sits outside the library. Read more Thirty-six professors less than 4 percent of those eligible applied by Wednesdays deadline for a phased retirement under a new program offered by Pennsylvanias 14 state universities. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education didnt say how many applicants they were hoping to attract when the program was approved. The number represents about half of what Kenneth M. Mash, president of the statewide faculty union, had anticipated, though he said his estimate had been a rough guess. He said he thought the system would get about 200 over the three years for which the program is in effect. In a routine year, a couple of hundred faculty members retire; under the phaseout plan, he had anticipated an additional 60 or 70 a year. I would have expected that there would have been a bit more than that, Mash said of the first years numbers. In retrospect, it came late. Not only that, I expect that some people want to see how it goes first before they take part in it. I think Ill be interested next year. The plan comes as another 2 percent enrollment decline is projected for the fall and some universities are struggling to close projected budget gaps. The 14 universities dipped below 100,000 students last school year for the first time since 2001. The system and the faculty union agreed on the program earlier this spring. Under it, faculty can retire in phases over three years. Their workload and pay would be gradually reduced, while they maintain full benefits. Nearly one-fifth of the unions 5,150 full-time faculty members were eligible. Those who qualify generally must be at least 60 and have worked at least 15 years in the system. Its not clear how much the system will save under the program; it has not released savings projections. Mash noted that the reduction in work schedules for those faculty will result in at least some savings. The largest number of applications seven came from Kutztown University, while three schools Cheyney, Mansfield, and Slippery Rock received no applicants. The breakdown at other campuses: East Stroudsburg, one; Edinboro, two; Bloomsburg, two; California, three; Indiana, three; Lock Haven, three; Millersville, three; Clarion, four; Shippensburg, four; and West Chester, four. The phased retirements would begin in the fall. Faculty members typically teach eight classes per year. The system is likely to face another cash crunch for 2019-20. But just how much cutting will be necessary wont be known until the state budget is enacted. Administrators asked for a $38 million funding increase, and Gov. Tom Wolf proposed $7 million. The system also has begun negotiations on a new contract with the faculty union; the current pact expires June 30. Faculty agreed to a one-year contract last time, after a three-day strike in 2016. Pictured from left to right are Rebecca Edelmayer, Alzheimer's Association director of scientific engagement; Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton; John Trojanowski, co-director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR) at Penn; Laura Wisse; Yuk Yee Leung; Virginia Lee, director of CNDR, and Kristina Fransel, Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter executive director. Read more The Alzheimers Association Delaware Valley Chapter this week announced nearly $790,000 in grant awards to Philadelphia scientists. The awards are from the Alzheimers Association International Research Grant Program and the Biomarkers Across Neurodegenerative Diseases (BAND) grant program, a collaboration between the Alzheimers Association, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research, Alzheimers Research UK and Weston Brain Institute. All of the recipients are at the University of Pennsylvania. The Alzheimers Association is currently investing over $165 million in grants for more than 450 projects in 25 countries. The new Philadelphia grants went to: Alice Chen-Plotkin to study biological networks and the pathophysiology of Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease. Amount: $149,621 over two years. Dawn Mechanic-Hamilton to develop and validate a mobile cognitive assessment tool: a platform for two digital games. One is a memory card game and the other measures cognitive skills and brain processing speed. These functions have previously been identified as showing the earliest changes in Alzheimer's disease. Amount: $139,497 over two years. Gabor Egervari to study how problems with the protein ACSS2 may affect learning and memory in people with Alzheimer's disease. Amount: $175,000 over three years. Laura Wisse to study the causes and progression of "suspected non-Alzheimers pathophysiology," or SNAP. People with SNAP have damaged nerve cells and loss of brain volume and often also have diminished cognitive functioning. They do not have the hallmark pathological features of Alzheimer's disease. Amount: $175,000 over three years. Yuk Yee Leung to study genetic aspects of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Amount: $150,000 over two years. Dr. Bonnie Milas looks up at a photo of her son, Robert, who died of an overdose, in her office at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Milas, an anesthesiologist at Penn, has become an advocate for overdose prevention. Read more Bonnie Milas knows exactly how quickly a dose of fentanyl can stop the breath. A cardiac anesthesiologist for decades at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, she works every day with the drug that, in its illicit form, has contaminated most of Philadelphias heroin supply, and is now blamed for killing thousands. Many more are saved by quick administration of Narcan, the same reversal drug that Milas uses in her operating room for patients who dont wake up quickly enough from anesthesia. Her medical training is the reason she knew what to do the day she first found her son Robert overdosing in her home, and how she saved his life with an intravenous dose of Narcan she happened to have in her medical bag. It is also how she knew that nothing could be done on the January morning last year when she drove frantically to an apartment in Philadelphia, pushed past a police officer, and saw her son on the bathroom floor. Robert was 27 and, even that early in 2018, already was the citys 16th overdose victim of the year. A toxicology report would find only fentanyl in his system. Last month, her family suffered yet another devastating loss: Her older son, who had saved his younger brother from overdoses twice and was Milas only surviving child, himself died of an accidental drug overdose. That loss is still so fresh she cannot fully discuss it. In the wake of unimaginable tragedy, Milas has committed herself to educating others on how to prevent overdoses. She has spoken up at university forums on the opioid crisis, advocating for supervised-injection sites as a lifesaving measure in the crisis gripping the region, where medical personnel monitor users, reverse overdoses, and also help connect them with treatment. From her home in Yardley, shes joined the Bucks County Overdose Prevention and Education initiative, hosting Narcan trainings and encouraging parents to develop the kind of overdose-prevention plan she didnt have when she caught Robert, then in high school, hiding a syringe. In her own words: Bonnie Milas on fighting overdoses. Robert had been an intensely curious child, a brilliant math and physics student who struggled with other subjects and had been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. It was like him, Milas thought at the time, to have tried heroin just for the experience, and she believed him when he assured her he never would again. She would think later that it made a kind of horrible sense that Robert would choose a downer as his drug of choice: something to calm his mind. For him to feel better about what it is that he was feeling, she said intense self-doubt, sensitivity, and inadequacy. They were expectations he was setting for himself, Milas said. We didnt care what he chose to do, as long as he put his heart and soul into it." At first, she found it almost unbelievable that her kind, funny son, who made her laugh harder than anyone else, could fall into addiction. But her physicians training meant she eventually began to see signs she couldnt ignore. Roberts constricted pupils. How he would fall asleep upright. How he would become suddenly exuberant, bubbly, eager to please, after a dose of heroin pulled him out of withdrawals painful symptoms. Even his speech was a tell: On the phone from college, Milas would listen to the timbre of his voice, the ragged edge of his breath, and know he had been using. She never shared what was happening with anyone outside the immediate family, even as Robert slipped into full-blown addiction, struggling in and out of rehabs, overdosing again and again. Milas, her husband, and her 90-year-old father-in-law each saved Robert from an overdose. Milas and her husband feared the stigma their son would face had his condition been more widely known. We were never ashamed of Robert, she said. But the couple sat through dinner parties where acquaintances blithely talked about how any parent whose child succumbed to addiction clearly had not spent enough time with their kids. This was 2009, 2010. There was no opioid crisis. There was no information out there whatsoever, Milas said. The family endured in silence. But since Roberts death, Milas has felt compelled to speak up. She wants to help the families of people in addiction to prepare to save their loved ones lives, to have a plan to deal with overdoses. Dinner party guests might think suburban kids are safer. But Milas knows ambulances can take longer to arrive in the suburbs, and so its even more critical that families know what to do. Were extremely grateful to her, said Diane W. Rosati, the executive director of the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission, where Milas developed her Narcan training program, working with a local paramedic. As a representative of government, we cant have every base covered community members have a willingness to step in and help, and this is a tremendous example of that. Milas encourages families not only to carry Narcan in a nasal spray formulation but also to learn rescue breathing, chest compressions, and CPR to help loved ones breathe until paramedics arrive. Opioids kill by suppressing respiration, she explains. Above all, Milas is making it OK for worried families to talk about what to do if the thing they fear most happens. Its a terrifying situation for family members, standing there, not knowing what to do, she said. Im trying to get loved ones, neighbors, whoever, to take another step forward. Every day, in the operating room, Milas administers the drug that killed her youngest son. In her hands, it is a lifesaver that makes surgery safe and eases the worst pain of illness and injury. Milas keeps a CPR dummy in her office and demonstrates rescue breathing techniques with clinical precision, even in the grip of an unspeakable grief now visited on her twice. She keeps doses of Narcan spray on hand, too because, she says, you never know when you might need it. A short time after Roberts death, Milas was driving in Bucks County and saw a police officer performing CPR on a young man lying on the ground next to his car. There were no paramedics on the scene yet, and she stopped to ask if the officers needed help. On the side of the road, she ended up reversing an overdose. It wasnt just because of Robert that she felt compelled to pull over: She is a physician. Her job is to rescue people. But her son is why she will always carry Narcan, and why she hopes everyone will. Get trained. Get the skill set. You wont have any regret," she said. "And you wont feel that, I should have done something, and I didnt. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania William McSwain has filed a suit to stop a nonprofit from opening the nation's first supervised drug injection site to address Philadelphia's opioid problem. Read more The U.S. Attorneys Office this week asked a federal judge to hand down an early ruling in the governments lawsuit against the nonprofit attempting to open a supervised injection site in Philadelphia. The filing, known as a dispositive motion, asks a judge to rule in the governments favor, forgoing a discovery period and a trial. Attorneys for Safehouse, the nonprofit founded to help address the nations worst big-city overdose crisis, said they would prefer a trial. In the brief, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain used former Gov. Ed Rendells own words to argue against the legality of a site where people can use drugs under medical supervision, be revived if they overdose, and access treatment. McSwain quoted remarks delivered by Rendell, who serves on the nonprofits board, at a Cato Institute symposium in March. There, speaking of his decision to back the site, Rendell said he knew it was against the law." He didnt specify which law. McSwain has argued that it violates a federal law colloquially known as the crackhouse statute, which forbids the operation of a facility for drug use or sales. Safehouse has argued in court that the law was never meant to cover a public-health measure, and at the Cato conference, Rendell said he didnt believe the authors of the crackhouse statute intended to make a place like Safehouse illegal because it will not possess or distribute drugs. Do we really want to put those people in jail? [Medical personnel] volunteering their time? he said at the conference. The brief also noted that Rendell garnered a laugh from the Cato audience when he said Safehouses argument that saving lives in the overdose crisis is a reflection of its founders religious beliefs isnt our strongest argument. (The nonprofits strongest argument, Rendell continued, is that legislative intent does matter. You cant put down in black letters everything thats developed as technology changes, circumstances change, environments change.) Thats a pretty damning admission, from my perspective, McSwain said. Ed Rendell has basically just said they have no case. In an interview with the Inquirer, Rendell said McSwain was taking his remarks out of context. He also reiterated his belief that the crackhouse statue was never meant to cover a supervised injection site in Reason magazine this week. The senators and congressmen who developed the crack house statute never in a million years thought about volunteer medical personnel standing by while someone injecting themselves ready to reverse the effects of the overdose, he said in that interview. Do you think they thought for a minute that that activity should be criminal? Ronda Goldfein, Safehouses vice president and an attorney, said she didnt believe that anyones extrajudicial statement is the determining factor on whether an event or activity is lawful. We think this matter needs to go before a court, have a judge look at the information, and make a decision based on the materials in front of him. We are not asking judges to look beyond the courtroom, said Goldfein, who is married to an Inquirer editor, David Lee Preston. In the brief and in an interview with The Inquirer, McSwain reiterated his argument that opening a supervised injection site is illegal because it violates the crackhouse statute. He also called Safehouses religious freedom argument too broad. I dont doubt [a supervised injection site] is consistent with their Judeo-Christian beliefs, but that is not enough to trigger religious-liberty protections, McSwain said. He continued, reading from the brief: What of, for example, the bank robber who claims that he steals from the rich to give to the poor in order to reduce harm to the underprivileged community or even to save lives?" Goldfein has argued that the sites, which have existed in Canada and several other countries for decades, are a legitimate public-health measure designed to save lives in a city where more than 3,000 people have died of drug overdoses in the last three years. We maintain our consistent disagreement over whether its a lawful activity, and the fact that they have responded doesnt change our respectful disagreement, she said. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney talks at a neighborhood cleanup in Kensington in November 2018, shortly after declaring a disaster in the neighborhood over the opioid crisis. RACHEL WISNIEWSKI / For the Inquirer Read more In a statement aimed at assuaging Kensington residents concerns about a supervised injection site, Mayor Jim Kenney said Wednesday afternoon that he told advocates looking to open a site that neighbors public safety concerns must be addressed before a site opens in Philadelphia. Still, handling policing and safety around the proposed site is the citys job, Kenney said. City officials stressed that they are committed to supporting the sites, where people in addiction can use drugs, be revived if they overdose, and access treatment and other social services. This is not us backing away, said Brian Abernathy, the citys managing director. If anything, were doubling down on the concept. I want this to be a national model, and in order to do that, we have to do some work. Kenney wrote that he had met with community members and Safehouse, the nonprofit trying to open a site, this week, and is encouraging Safehouse to look at other prospective sites while the city tackles matters of public safety. The mayor announced in January 2018, in the wake of an overdose death toll of 1,217 people the year before, that he would allow private entities to operate supervised injection sites in the city. By that fall, advocates announced they had incorporated Safehouse, saying it is crucial to save lives in a city with the worst urban overdose crisis in the country. The organizations board members included Jose Benitez, who runs Prevention Point, the citys only needle exchange; Ronda Goldfein, the executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, who is also married to Inquirer editor David Lee Preston; and former Gov. Ed Rendell. Earlier this year, the U.S. Attorneys Office in Philadelphia filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to block a site from opening. And in March, Rendell announced that the nonprofit had been offered a lease in Kensington, renewing community fears. Safehouse has not signed that lease, and does not have enough funding to open. But news of the potential lease brought community members to packed meetings to protest the idea of a site. Some objected to the sites on moral grounds, concerned about enabling drug use. Others, like Shannon Farrell, the leader of the Harrowgate Civic Association, say they understand supervised injection sites will cut down on the open-air drug use and discarded needles that have plagued the neighborhood for years. But they remain concerned about drug dealing and related violence around a potential site and, after years of neglect from the city, worry that opening a site is a sign that city officials are once again containing drug use in Kensington. Neighborhoods across the city have seen alarming spikes in overdose deaths. But as Kenney acknowledged that the epicenter of the crisis is in Kensington, where more people die of overdoses than anywhere else in the city, he said multiple sites should open around the city. We cannot open one [overdose prevention site] in Kensington and expect it to address this issue at scale, Kenney wrote. Abernathy said the city has no timeline to establish a public safety plan, and acknowledged that he doesnt expect multiple sites to open across the city at the same time. We have to answer the question about how police officers will interact with the site itself, how we handle people who are going to prey on those addicted, and how we address some of the violence that has happened around that community and making sure people feel safe, he said. He added that the city hasnt yet had enough public discourse on the sites, and Kenneys statement said the city will work over the next few months to help community members understand why opening a site is important. Part of what were hoping is that we take that immediacy, that, Oh my god, is this going to open on Monday? out of the conversation, so that we can actually have a productive dialogue," Abernathy said. Farrell and Benitez did not immediately return calls for comment. Alene S. Ammond while she served as a state senator in New Jersey representing parts of Camden and Burlington Counties. Read more Alene S. Ammond, 86, a New Jersey state senator representing Cherry Hill during the 1970s who famously challenged her Democratic Party colleagues in federal court when they ostracized her for speaking publicly about closed-door dealings, died Tuesday, June 4, of pneumonia at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She was dubbed "the Terror of Trenton after she was ousted in 1974 from the Senate Democratic Caucus for revealing to the press what her mostly male counterparts were saying secretly about state business. Sen. Ammond fought back, and a federal judge made a determination that her constitutional right to free speech had been violated, as was the right of her constituents to equal protection under the law. It has been well established that she is not only a maverick, but also an outspoken critic of what goes on in the legislative halls of this state, Judge Mitchell H. Cohen said in court at the time, the New York Times reported. She lost her re-election bid when she was defeated in the Democratic primary by a party-backed opponent, who then lost in the general election to a Republican. Sen. Ammond, who most recently lived in Voorhees, later ran for office several times but never succeeded. Still, she remained a vocal advocate on a variety of issues at the state and local level. Alene Ammond spent most of her life trying to help the community, said former Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt, who called her two campaigns against him a good rivalry. Sen. Ammond was born in Jackson Heights, Queens. She was a semiprofessional ballet dancer in New York while attending college, her family said. She met her future husband, Harold J. Ammond, who was working in the city after graduating from Cornell University, on a blind date. They married in 1957. The couple eventually moved to Cherry Hill, where Sen. Ammond became a newspaper reporter. She later became active in public policy and co-founded with Rose Marie Hospodor an advocacy group called the Cherry Hill League. She was elected in 1973 to the state Senate. After her term in office, she continued to be vocal on issues such as taxes and government spending, the environment, and animal rights. In a statement, her family asked that her memory be honored through civic activism. In lieu of flowers, as opportunities arise: Find and embrace your own voice in your community and stand up to injustice, her family said. Speak up at town meetings, voice your opinion at a school board gathering, write your views in a letter to the editor, talk to friends, family, and neighbors about community concerns, fight machine politics, and lastly and quite importantly: Vote. In addition to her husband, Sen. Ammond is survived by daughters Cynthia Shuman and Karen Langevin; five grandchildren; and a brother. Donations may be made to the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, 1019 N. Fifth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123. Staff writer Kevin Riordan contributed to this article. Rhonda Davis, a grandmother from North Philadelphia, was all smiles with her aunt Brenda Reed Saturday upon graduating from Cheyney University, where she was also valedictorian. Read more When Rhonda E. Davis told her husband she was going to college, he asked: Why do you want to do all that? 'Because its for me," she told him. "I want to complete my education. So he left her. With her husband gone, the grandmother of 11 moved out of her Southwest Philadelphia home and into a dorm at Cheyney University, living alongside teens fresh out of high school. The tab was largely covered by her full scholarship to the honors program, an accolade Davis earned by excelling at Community College of Philadelphia, where she got her associates degree. On Saturday, the 60-year-old budding artist and writer not only graduated from the nations oldest historically black college, but served as its valedictorian. Davis grade-point average? A near-perfect 3.97. She leaves with two bachelors degrees, one in fine arts and one in graphic design. But she said she got much more from her college experience. It gave me, she said, pausing, a misty twinkle in her eye, me. Her Cheyney classes and administrators cheered Friday when Davis was called up at the senior brunch to accept the universitys highest academic honor. She cried as they draped the powder-blue valedictorian sash around her neck and university president Aaron A. Walton posed with her for a picture. For the last three years, the nearly always smiling Davis has tutored other students, given them advice, encouraged them to go to class, and asked about their studies. Shes such an inspiration, not only to the students, but to all of us, said Elisabeth Burton, executive director for campus life and student affairs. The students follow her around like Mother Goose. Jaymi Phillips, 27, a graduating senior who donned her Miss Cheyney title sash and crown at the brunch, said it was Davis who suggested she pursue a double major. Shes getting her degree in psychology and sociology. Having Davis at the school, Phillips said, is motivational. Its never too late to go back and finish what you started, Phillips said. Davis success is good for Cheyney, too. The school has been in a fight for its existence, struggling with low enrollment and financial strain. It might seem like were not doing a good job here, but we are, said graduating senior Koffi Kengbo, 28. So when you have somebody like [Davis], who is an older person and came here and completed her degree and is graduating with high honors, that can encourage other people to come to Cheyney, too. Students 35 and older made up about 16 percent of enrollment at degree-granting postsecondary institutions in 2016, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The percentage gets much smaller for those deeper into middle age. Only about 2.9 percent of students enrolled in undergraduate institutions in fall 2015 were 50 and over, according to government data analyzed by Robert Kelchen, a higher-education professor at Seton Hall University. Davis achievement has been a long time coming. She grew up the oldest of six children to a single mom who was frequently moving around the city in search of a better neighborhood. Davis was born when her mother was just 16, and Davis herself started working summer jobs as a teen to help the family. She attended Overbrook High and later got her GED. College was not even a thought. Then she started having her own children, eventually four in all. She worked as a residential adviser, helping people with physical and mental disabilities. She once ran a day care in her home but closed it in 2008 when enrollment fell. A few years later, she fell into a deep depression. Her children had grown up, and her husband was working at SEPTA. I was just stagnant, she said. Her mother suggested college. In 2012, Davis enrolled at CCP, hoping to become a writer. There, she met Ruth Rovner, a benevolent donor who not only provides financial assistance but befriends the students she helps. Rovner took her to plays and hooked her up with the Broad Street Review magazine, where Davis wrote reviews. One day during community college, she stopped by a table where Cheyney representatives were talking to students. One asked Davis what she planned to do next. She said she hoped to start writing and illustrating childrens books. She said, Why not a bachelors?' Davis recalled. Indeed, why not? Davis thought. A week later, she got the offer for the free scholarship, covering tuition, fees, and room and board, roughly worth $16,000 annually. Everyone was excited about it but my husband, Davis recalled. She had planned on commuting to Cheyneys campus in Delaware and Chester Counties. But with her husband, Otis Davis Jr., leaving, she thought shed like to stay on campus. She asked the college if the scholarship covered housing. It mostly did. She had to pay $347 a semester for a single room suite at the dorm, called the Living Learning Center. Her children and grandchildren threw her a trunk party where they gave her dorm supplies. It didnt take long for students to begin looking up to her, their own parents no longer nearby. She often wore a T-shirt that says Mama Bear because thats what she was to them. She showed them how to do research and get jobs. The late-night dorm parties? She skipped those. Thats the one thing I do not do, she said. She never minded the noise from her neighbors; it was their turn to be young. She would just retreat into her room, which had its own bathroom, a tiny kitchenette and bedroom and her own artwork hung on the walls. She fell in love with painting at Cheyney. Leaving wont be easy. Her husband died nearly a year ago. She wishes he could see her now. That thought alone caused her to pull over while driving one day last week. She cussed him out, then sobbed. You should be here, she thought. They never lost touch or stopped loving each other, she said. She still wears her wedding ring. Her children and grandchildren were there on Saturday when Cheyney held its commencement ceremony and Davis took center stage. Her 77-year-old mother, Trudy Sanders, watched a live stream of the event from her home in Virginia Beach. That girl has never failed to amaze me, said Sanders. Davis had a theme for her speech. Nothing changes, if nothing changes, shetold her fellow graduates. You have to be the person who initiates that change. Davis plans to move back to her Philadelphia house, where her daughter lives. She already has started a business hand-painting jewelry boxes and she plans to write and illustrate childrens books. Shes already written one. She also plans to pursue an online masters degree in fine arts. Soon, she will take her dream trip solo, a cross-country train ride, with her watercolors, acrylics, and sketchbooks in tow. Im just going to see the countryside," she said, and paint. Tu Huynh, with the City's Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, blocks a parent peregrine falcon from their nest on City Hall Tower May 15, 201, while staffers with the Pennsylvania Game Commission do a nest inspection and banding of a fledgling. One 18 day old nestling and three unhatched eggs were in the nest. F. Arthur McMorris, the commission's falcon coordinator, noted the unhatched eggs were probably the result of the females declining fertility due to age (she is 13 years old). Read more Inquirer staff photographer Jessica Griffin rode a cramped, musty City Hall Tower elevator up to the 15th floor, where a peregrine falcon has long built her nest, to capture a yearly ritual: Pennsylvania Game Commission workers outfitting falcon nestlings with tracking devices to keep watch over the population of the once-endangered species. One 18-day-old nestling and three unhatched eggs were in the nest. F. Arthur McMorris, the commissions falcon coordinator, noted that the unhatched eggs were probably the result of the 13-year-old mothers declining fertility. As the team attached the tracking bands and checked the babys health, Griffin captured this photo of Tu Huynh, with the Citys Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, yielding a broom to block the mother from interfering with the 20-minute process. Someone said watch out for their claws and your hair," said Griffin. Samai Kallon, a dish room worker at LSG Sky Chef, poses as workers vote to authorize a strike or not on Thursday. Nationwide, the workers who prepare food for airlines are considering going on strike because of low wages and expensive health care. Read more Last year, Philadelphia airline food workers got a significant raise. Starting salaries went from $7.90 an hour to $12.20, the result of a years-long campaign to get the workers covered by Philadelphias minimum wage for city workers, contractors, and subcontractors. Empowered by this gain, the workers most of them immigrants, many from West Africa are now ready for another fight. The majority of the more than 400 Philadelphia-based unionized workers employed by the German company LSG Sky Chefs voted to authorize a strike Thursday, the union Unite Here said. The final count was 317-0. The Philly workers, who primarily service American Airlines flights, are part of a national campaign by Unite Here to get a $15-an-hour minimum wage and less-expensive health care. In Philly, the median wage for the LSG workers is $13.10, according to the union, and 28 percent of workers have company-provided health insurance. About 11,000 workers around the United States primarily employed by LSG and Gate Gourmet are voting this week on whether to authorize a strike. Workers serving airports like Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington Reagan National already have voted in favor of a work stoppage. But even if the majority of workers authorize a strike nationwide, which Unite Here expects, a work stoppage would be against federal law. These workers fall under the Railway Labor Act, which aims to ensure that railroads and airlines run smoothly. So, after the vote, the union plans to appeal to the National Mediation Board, a federal agency currently with a Republican majority, to release the workers from the Railway Labor Act. The union says it does not plan to go on strike. Still, a strike authorization vote can be powerful. The faculty and staff union of Community College of Philadelphia voted to authorize a strike in March after three years of contract negotiation stalemate and one week later came to a deal on a contract. The prospect of an airline industry strike arose during last winters government shutdown, when some wondered if air delays could force an end to the closure. An LSG Sky Chefs spokesperson said that wages, as well as other benefits, including vacations, uniforms, and company-provided meals, as well as health and welfare, are subject to the collective bargaining process between our company and their union representatives, and that it was continuing to negotiate in good faith. On a cool, overcast Thursday, LSG Sky Chefs employees largely middle-age African and Asian immigrants came to the parking lot outside their workplace to vote. Some were dressed in heavy coats and winter hats because they work in the refrigerated foods section, while others wore chefs jackets or light blue workers shirts with their names embroidered. Upbeat music played from the speakers as union staffers and members applied blue I voted yes temporary tattoos to workers hands and asked workers to sign a pledge to join a forthcoming rally. Some, like Joan N. Freeman, a Liberian immigrant who works in cold foods, preparing fruits like honeydew melon and pineapple for airline meals, came on their day off. Freeman, 46, was a nurse in her native country and hopes to go to school in Philadelphia so she can practice again. For now, she makes $12.50 an hour Its not enough" and says its so cold in the area where she works that sometimes she sneaks into the hot foods section to warm her hands in the oven. Others, like Jusufu Fofana, voted at the beginning of their 5 a.m. shift, just before the sun rose. Fofana, 27, is a packer, filling carts with cans of soda and Biscoff cookies that flight attendants will serve to passengers. Fofana, who started at $7.35 in 2015 and now makes $13.90, sends money back to his wife and four children, who live in his native Monrovia, Liberia. He had an elbow injury in 2017 and was stunned to find that his health insurance for which he pays $32 a week would not cover any of his $1,411 hospital bill (he has a $2,000 deductible). Samai Kallon, who was a high school teacher and union leader in his native Kenema, Sierra Leone, also came on his day off, wearing chunky gold rings and a feathered fedora. The 60-something man works in the dish room, overseeing a machine that incinerates garbage. Until I see the end, he said, I will not move. 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. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks after he was sworn in for his second term, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Read more HARRISBURG Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is again seeking to raise the states minimum wage to $15 by 2025, even though the issue has for years been opposed by Republicans who control both legislative chambers. Wolf, a Democrat, on Wednesday proposed raising the states current minimum of $7.25 the same as the federal minimum on a sliding scale, starting with a bump to $12 this July. It would rise by 50 cents every year until 2025, when it would be $15. The wage would increase with the cost of living every year after that. At a news conference in the state Capitol, Wolf noted that 29 states have a higher minimum wage than the one set at the federal level. That includes all of Pennsylvanias surrounding states, according to data compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Raising the wage just to $12 an hour, Wolf said, would give a raise to one million Pennsylvania workers. Pennsylvania has to be a place where hard work is rewarded, said Wolf, who was flanked by Democratic lawmakers, low-wage workers, and other advocates. Too many people are working harder and harder and they still cant afford basics like food, transportation, and shelter. Wolf has proposed a minimum-wage increase every year since taking office in 2015, a call that has gone nowhere. Republicans control both the House and Senate, and have the power to determine what measures get a vote. For years, GOP leaders have balked, with many saying they would prefer the federal government deal with the wage issue. Business groups also oppose a minimum-wage boost in Pennsylvania, saying it would cause financial hardship from reduced hours and benefits to outright job cuts that would ultimately harm workers. We think there is a broad agreement that policymakers should focus on policies that help single parents and low-income families we just dont think that this is the most effective and smart way to address that, said Alex Halper, director of government affairs for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. Pennsylvanias minimum wage has not risen in a decade. Lawmakers last approved a boost in 2006, with the rate eventually moving to $7.15 an hour. But it only reached $7.25 an hour in 2009 to match the federal minimum wage. Meanwhile, surrounding states have been upping theirs. According to the U.S, Department of Labor, Maryland set its minimum at $10.10 per hour; West Virginia is at $8.75 per hour; New York is $11.10 per hour; and Ohio is $8.55 an hour. And in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy and Democratic leaders of the state Legislature earlier this month reached an agreement to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024. According to a 2018 study by the Keystone Research Center, a liberal-leaning think tank in Harrisburg, a $15 hourly minimum wage would give a raise to 253,698 Philadelphia residents. In Allegheny County, it would increase the wages of 216,710 residents. An Iranian navy boat sprays water to extinguish a fire on an oil tanker in the sea of Oman on Thursday. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz came under a suspected attack Thursday. Read more ISTANBUL - President Donald Trump rejected Iran's denials Friday that it attacked two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, insisting in a television interview that "Iran did do it" and pointing to a video released by the U.S. Central Command purporting to show Iranian vessels retrieving an unexploded mine from one of the damaged ships. Iran called the U.S. allegations against it "alarming." In an interview on Fox News's "Fox & Friends" program, Trump said, referring to the Central Command video: "Well, Iran did do it, and you know they did do it because you saw the boat." He added, "They didn't want the evidence left behind. . . . It was them that did it." Trump denounced Iran's leadership while also expressing interest in negotiations. "They're a nation of terror, and they've changed a lot since I've been president," he said. "They're in deep, deep trouble." He later added: "They've been told in very strong terms . . . we want to get them back to the table if they want to get back. I'm in no rush." Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran - [without] a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence," and he accused the Trump White House of "economic terrorism" and "sabotage diplomacy." The U.S. Central Command late Thursday made public a dark, grainy video and corresponding timeline suggesting that U.S. military assets in the region observed the Iranian vessels approaching the tanker and removing the device. "At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine" from the Courageous, said Capt. Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman. Senior U.S. officials showed photographs to reporters of the damaged tanker Kokuka Courageous with what the Navy identified as a suspected magnetic mine attached to its hull. The unexploded weapon was probably applied by hand from an Iranian fast boat, one official said. It is thought to be the same kind of weapon used to blow a hole elsewhere in the same tanker and to do more-serious damage to the other ship that was targeted, the Front Altair, two officials said. The officials, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because many elements of the investigation remain secret, said the type and timing of the attacks bear Iranian hallmarks. But U.S. officials could not yet say with certainty where the mines were manufactured or exactly how they were laid. "There's not too many ways in which this can be done," one official said. "Very few that don't involve an individual physically placing it on the ship." Germany's government Friday called for an investigation into the "extraordinarily worrying" incident and said it had no information on who carried out the attacks, the Associated Press reported. A "spiral of escalation" must be avoided, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters Friday in Berlin, the AP said. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang urged restraint and said China hopes that "all sides can jointly safeguard navigational safety in the relevant waters," news agencies reported. "Nobody wants to see war in the gulf," he said. "That is not in anyone's interest." The two tankers, which carried petrochemicals from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf of Oman, were targeted early Thursday in what observers said marked a serious escalation in the strategic waterway, through which one-fifth of the world's oil passes. It connects energy supplies from Arab nations in the gulf, as well as Iran, to consumers around the globe. The Courageous is a Japanese-owned vessel and was targeted as Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, met with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran. A U.S. defense official said the USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was in the area, took on board 21 crew members from the ship. Iran's navy also rescued crew members from the Front Altair, a Norwegian-owned ship. "The responsibility for the security of the Strait of Hormuz lies with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we showed that we were able to rescue the sailors of the ship as soon as possible," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said, Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The accusation against Iran, he said, is "not only not funny . . . but alarming and worrisome." U.S. officials said several nations are consulting about how to respond. One option may be to provide military escorts for commercial tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one official said, although no decision has been made. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran Thursday for the "blatant assault" on the vessels and said the United States would defend itself and its allies against Iranian aggression in the region. But he provided no evidence that the explosions were the work of Iranian forces. Pompeo said the U.S. assessment of Iranian involvement is based on intelligence, the type of weapons used and the level of expertise needed, and that no Iranian-backed militia in the region has the resources or proficiency to pull off such a sophisticated operation. "As the threat evolves, it's incumbent on us to reevaluate our presence," said one senior U.S. official. The U.S. military has dispatched a P-8 Poseidon, an anti-ship, anti-submarine and surveillance aircraft, to the area in response to the incident, a defense official said. The incidents were similar to suspected acts of sabotage carried out against tankers near the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah last month and looked to be the latest salvo in the mounting confrontation between the United States and Iran. As the Trump administration has tightened economic sanctions on Iran after withdrawing last year from the historic nuclear deal, Iran and its allies have responded with calibrated attacks in the Persian Gulf area, Iraq and Saudi Arabia aimed at underscoring the potential cost to U.S. interests, including the international oil trade, experts say. Pompeo said the impetus behind the attacks was the administration's "maximum pressure campaign" of sanctions that U.S. officials say are designed to get Iran to negotiate over its nuclear program and its support of militias in various neighboring countries. "Our policy remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table at the right time and encourage a comprehensive deal that addresses the broad range of threats," Pompeo said. "Iran should meet diplomacy with diplomacy, not with terror, bloodshed and extortion." But some experts say the recent tensions have underscored the limits of that policy. In a climate of hostility, the tanker incidents could bring the parties closer to the brink of violent confrontation. "This is a way station to a wider conflict breaking out between Iran and the United States," said Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst and Iran project director for the International Crisis Group. "If Iran was behind it, it is very clear the maximum pressure policy of the Trump administration is rendering Iran more aggressive, not less." The blasts could also reflect a widening split between pro-diplomacy officials in Iran and hard-liners opposed to further negotiations, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The branch of the Iranian military, which boasts land, air and sea forces, answers only to Khamenei and is responsible for Iran's external military operations. Iran's security services, including the IRGC, "have a decades-long history of conducting attacks and other operations aimed precisely at undermining the diplomatic objectives of a country's elected representatives," the political risk firm Eurasia Group said in a briefing note Thursday. "The attacks could have been designed to put an exclamation point on Iran's warnings to Abe about the risks of instability in the region," the note said. About 80 percent of Japan's oil imports come from the Middle East and pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The blasts occurred 24 nautical miles from the nearest IRGC naval base, one U.S. official said. IRGC ships are frequently present in that area but had not until recently begun to harass or impede shipping, the official said. "It's clear that there is a pattern of Iranian naval activity in and around commercial shipping lanes that is inconsistent with their prior behavior," the official said. The attacks are part of Iran's response to tightening U.S. sanctions, one official said. He described the Iranian view this way: "If we can't ship oil, no one can." The Washington Posts William Branigin, Anne Gearan and Carol Morello in Washington and Simon Denyer and Akiko Kashiwagi in Tokyo contributed to this report. The Rev. Andre E. Johnson speaks Thursday, June 13, 2019, about the confrontation Wednesday night between residents and police after a man was fatally shot by U.S. Marshals in Memphis, Tenn. Johnson was in the crowd when police released tear gas after people threw rocks and bricks at officers as tensions escalated after the shooting. Read more MEMPHIS, Tenn. Police appealed for calm Thursday in a tense Memphis neighborhood where a rock-throwing crowd gathered after federal marshals fatally shot a black man who, authorities said, had rammed a police vehicle with a stolen car. Thirty-six officers suffered minor injuries from flying rocks and bricks in the hours following the death of 20-year-old Brandon Webber, who was killed Wednesday evening after he exited the car holding some type of weapon, authorities said. Webber had been wanted in a June 3 shooting that happened during a car theft about 25 miles south of Memphis in Hernando, Miss. The victim was shot five times and survived. The car was the one used to ram the police vehicle, according to DeSoto County, Miss., District Attorney John Champion, who spoke Thursday at a news conference. Elected officials condemned the violence, and the police chief pleaded for patience while the shooting is investigated. But unanswered questions left many people angry as they recalled other police shootings around the country. On Thursday evening, dozens including Webber's father and other friends and relatives gathered near the house where he was shot. A couple of men spoke into megaphones and some motorists who drove by honked their horns and shouted messages of encouragement. There was a light police presence with a couple police cars parked at a nearby fire station that was damaged during Wednesday night's unrest. Shortly after Wednesday's shooting, people began to gather in the area, and their numbers swelled as some livestreamed the scene on social media. Memphis police initially responded in street uniforms, then returned in riot gear as people began hurling rocks and bricks. During the unrest, officers cordoned off several blocks in the Frayser neighborhood north of downtown and arrested three people. By 11 p.m., officers had used tear gas and most of the crowd dispersed, Police Director Michael Rallings said. Rallings implored residents to wait until the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) finished its investigation. He appealed for people to refrain from violence and from spreading possible misinformation about the shooting. "I need everyone to stay calm," Rallings said. He later told WREG-TV that while peaceful protests are allowed, authorities would not tolerate further attacks on officers or any property damage or looting. Among steps designed to maintain public order and protect law enforcement, Rallings said, officers' days off have been canceled and they will ride in two-person cars as a precaution. Separately, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said through a spokeswoman that the shooting would be fully investigated. Lee's press secretary, Laine Arnold, said the crowd's actions were "not representative of the community, but we stand firmly against acts of lawlessness that threaten the safety of our neighborhoods." Webber's home was in a working-class neighborhood of north Memphis. By Thursday afternoon, the police presence was minimal, with two squad cars parked in front of a fire station. No uniformed officers were visible. About 20 people stood outside of Webber's one-story house, and others gathered nearby. One woman wept loudly and hugged a man as she cried. The Rev. Andre E. Johnson said he was standing among the protesters when tear gas was released. He said he heard no police order to disperse. People were upset because they initially did not know why the marshals sought to arrest Webber, said Johnson, who called him a beloved member of the community. "The problem with it is they feel that police and the administration and city officials do not treat them as humans. That's what it really boils down to: You are not worthy of an explanation," said Johnson, speaking hours before the Mississippi prosecutor described the allegations against Webber. TBI spokeswoman Keli McAlister said a fugitive task force went to a Frayser home to look for a suspect with felony warrants. She said marshals spotted the man getting into a car, which then rammed task force vehicles several times before the man got out with the weapon. Marshals then opened fire, she said. McAlister did not say how many marshals fired or how many times the man was shot. The TBI identified the dead man as Webber. Authorities provided no details about the type of weapon or the charges that drew the task force's interest. A criminal history for Webber released by the TBI listed two arrests, in April 2017 and April 2018, on charges including weapons possession, drug dealing and driving without a license. The 2018 charges were not prosecuted, and the 2017 charges were dismissed, court records showed. Webbers father, Sonny Webber, told the Associated Press by phone that his son leaves a 2-year-old boy and a young daughter, with another daughter on the way: He would have had three children. Now hell have a child that he wont get to meet. The TBI is routinely called in to investigate police shootings around the state. TBI investigators typically deliver a report to the local district attorney, who then decides whether to pursue charges against officers involved. At least two journalists also were hurt in Wednesday's violence. Memphis-area police shootings in the past four years have prompted sporadic protests. Among them was Darrius Stewart, an unarmed 19-year-old who was fatally shot during a fight in 2015 with Connor Schilling, a white officer who was trying to arrest him on outstanding warrants. A Shelby County district attorney recommended that Schilling be charged with voluntary manslaughter, but a grand jury refused to indict him. Associated Press writers Jonathan Mattise and Rebecca Reynolds Yonker and researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this article. In this June 7, 2019, photo, migrants adjust a shade canopy over an outdoor encampment where they're waiting to be processed by immigration in El Paso, Texas. The Trump administration is facing growing complaints from migrants about severe overcrowding, meager food, and other hardships at border holding centers like this one. Read more EL PASO, Texas The Trump administration is facing growing complaints from migrants about severe overcrowding, meager food, and other hardships at border holding centers, with some people at an encampment in El Paso being forced to sleep on the bare ground during dust storms. The Border Network for Human Rights issued a report Friday based on dozens of testimonials of immigrants over the past month and a half, providing a snapshot of cramped conditions and prolonged stays in detention amid a record surge of migrant families coming into the U.S. from Central America. The report comes a day after an advocate described finding a teenage mother cradling a premature baby inside a Border Patrol processing center in Texas. The advocate said the baby should have been in a hospital, not a facility where adults are kept in large fenced-in sections that critics describe as cages. "The state of human rights in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands is grave and is only getting worse," the immigrant rights group said in its report. "People are dying because of what is happening." Five immigrant children have died since late last year after being detained by the Border Patrol, including a flu-stricken teenager who was found dead in a facility migrants refer to as the "icebox" because of the temperatures inside. Customs and Border Protection responded to the complaints by saying: "Allegations are not facts. If there is an issue it is best to contact CBP directly. In many cases the matter can be resolved immediately." The agency also cited its response to a critical inspector general's report last month, in which it said the government is devoted to treating migrants in its custody "with the utmost dignity and respect." The Trump administration has blamed the worsening crisis on inaction by Congress. Many of the complaints center on El Paso, where the inspector general found severe overcrowding inside a processing center. A cell designed for a dozen people was crammed with 76, and migrants had to stand on the toilets. With indoor facilities overcrowded, the Border Patrol has kept some immigrants outside and in tents near a bridge in El Paso with nothing but a Mylar foil blanket. Others have been kept in an empty parking lot, where migrants huddled underneath tarps and foil blankets repurposed as shade covers against the sweltering heat. A professor who visited two weeks ago said it resembled a "human dog pound." The Border Patrol responded by adding additional shade structures, but migrants are still kept outside in temperatures approaching 100 degrees. Migrants in El Paso and elsewhere also complained of inadequate food such as a single burrito and a cup of water per day. Women said they were denied feminine hygiene products. Another complaint is that migrants are kept in detention beyond the 72-hour limit set by Customs and Border Protection. Some reported being held for 30 days or more, and one told the Associated Press she had been in detention for around 45 days. The teenage mother with the premature baby, for example, spent nine days in Border Patrol custody after crossing the Rio Grande with her newborn, according to a legal advocate who visited the girl in a McAllen, Texas, processing center. An exodus of people fleeing poverty, drought, and violence in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador has led to a record number of migrant families being apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months. Agents made 132,887 apprehensions in May, including a record 84,542 adults and children traveling together. Those apprehended also included 11,507 children traveling alone. President Donald Trumps $4.5 billion border request for things such as an expansion of detention, medical care, food, and shelter has languished on Capitol Hill since he sent it over six weeks ago, with House Democrats at odds with the White House. Congress is set to go on a break in two weeks. Lawmakers are becoming increasingly agitated. "In the first five months of this year, the number of apprehensions at the border has already exceeded the population of Atlanta, Georgia," said Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas. Associated Press writers Astrid Galvan and Andrew Taylor contributed to this article. This June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. military's Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. The U.S. military on Friday, June 14, 2019, released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. (U.S. Central Command via AP) Read more ISTANBUL The perilous contest between the United States and Iran for influence in the Middle East escalated dramatically on Thursday as two tankers were targeted in suspected attacks near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil shipments. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the "blatant assault" on the vessels and said the United States would defend itself and its allies against Iranian aggression in the region. Late Thursday, American officials released images they said show that Iran was involved in at least one of the attacks. A Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous, one of two tankers attacked on Thursday, according to Navy Captain Bill Urban of the U.S. Central Command. That was after another mine had already detonated, damaging the ship, the U.S. said. The video and photographs showing a boat alongside the hull of a larger vessel with a hole in its side were released by Central Command along with a timeline of the episode. It was the first evidence publicly put forward by the U.S. to support its claim that Iran was behind the attacks. Irans U.N. Mission said Thursday night that the government categorically rejects the U.S. claim that it was responsible for the blasts and condemned the accusation in the strongest possible terms. The mission called for an urgent dialogue among all countries in the Persian Gulf region to ease tensions. The blasts appeared to be a coordinated attack, damaging the hull of a Japanese-owned tanker and striking another Norwegian-owned vessel, which caught fire and was left adrift in the Gulf of Oman. The attacks were similar to suspected acts of sabotage carried out against tankers near the United Arab Emirates Fujairah port last month and looked to be the latest salvo in the mounting confrontation between the U.S. and Iran. As the Trump administration has tightened economic sanctions on Iran after withdrawing last year from the historic nuclear deal, Iran and its allies have responded with a series of calibrated attacks in the gulf, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia aimed at underscoring the potential cost to U.S. interests, including the international oil trade, experts say. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the incidents Thursday as "suspicious," and Iran's naval forces said they were investigating the "accident" in the Gulf of Oman. The crews of both vessels were force to abandon ship. A U.S. defense officials said the USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was in the area, took on board 21 crew members from the Japanese vessel, the Kokuka Courageous. The attack on the Japanese ship appeared timed to undermine diplomatic efforts by Japans prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was wrapping up a high-stakes visit to Tehran. He met there with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and was seeking to help mediate potential talks between U.S. and Iranian officials. Abe had called his talks in Tehran a major step forward toward securing peace and stability in this region, the Kyodo news agency reported. The second vessel, owned by Norway's Frontline, was "suspected of being hit by a torpedo," an official with Taiwan's state oil refiner, CPC Corp., which chartered the vessel, told the Reuters news agency. The tanker, called the Front Altair, was carrying naphtha, a flammable petrochemical product that was loaded at a port in the United Arab Emirates and destined for East Asia, news agencies reported. The ships 23 crew members 11 Russians, 11 Filipinos, and one Georgian were rescued by a nearby vessel and transferred to an Iranian navy ship, then taken to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Speaking to reporters, Pompeo said the U.S. assessment of Iranian involvement is based on intelligence, the type of weapons used and the level of expertise needed, and the fact that no other Iranian-backed militia in the region has the resources or proficiency to pull off such a sophisticated operation. He said the impetus behind the attacks was the administration's "maximum pressure campaign" of sanctions that U.S. officials say are designed to get Iran to negotiate over its nuclear program and its support of militias in various neighboring countries. Our policy remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table at the right time and encourage a comprehensive deal that addresses the broad range of threats, Pompeo said. Iran should meet diplomacy with diplomacy, not with terror, bloodshed, and extortion. Shortly after Pompeo spoke, senior U.S. officials showed photographs to reporters of the damaged tanker Courageous with what the Navy identified as a suspected magnetic mine stuck to its hull. The unexploded weapon was probably applied by hand from an Iranian fast boat, one official said, and is thought to be the same kind of weapon used to blow a hole elsewhere in the same tanker and to do more serious damage to the other ship, the Front Altair, two officials said. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity because many elements of the investigation remain secret, said the type and timing of the attack bear Iranian hallmarks, but U.S. officials cannot yet say for sure where the mines were manufactured or exactly how they were laid. "There's not too many ways in which this can be done," one official said. "Very few that don't involve an individual physically placing it on the ship." U.S. officials said several nations are consulting about how to respond. One option may be to provide military escorts for commercial tankers moving through the strait, one official said, although no decision has been made. As the threat evolves its incumbent on us to reevaluate our presence, said one senior U.S. official. The U.S. military has already dispatched a P-8 Poseidon, an anti-ship, anti-submarine, and surveillance aircraft, to the area in response to the incident, a defense officials said. Senior U.S. officials have been in frequent touch about the incident since Thursday morning, the official added. U.S. Central Command is sending additional troops and weaponry to the Middle East. The Gulf of Oman links the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Persian Gulf. The gulf has been a flash point for tensions between Iran, the United States, and its Arab gulf allies. "The tension in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf is now as high as it gets without being an actual armed conflict," said Jakob Larsen, head of maritime security at the Baltic and International Maritime Council (Bimco), the world's largest international shipping association. "The increase in attacks and the escalated threat to seafarers is an urgent concern to the industry." U.S. officials say the administrations pressure campaign is aimed to isolate Tehran, curb its support for regional proxies and advanced ballistic missile program, and ultimately bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. But some experts say the recent tensions have underscored the limits of that policy. In a climate of hostility, the tanker incidents could bring the parties closer to the brink of violent confrontation. "This is a way station to a wider conflict breaking out between Iran and the United States," said Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst and Iran project director for the International Crisis Group. "If Iran was behind it, it is very clear the maximum pressure policy of the Trump administration is rendering Iran more aggressive, not less." The attacks could also reflect a widening split between pro-diplomacy officials in Iran and hard-liners opposed to further negotiations, including the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The paramilitary organization, which boasts land, air, and sea forces, answers only to Khamenei and is responsible for Irans external military operations. Iran's security services, including the IRGC, "have a decades-long history of conducting attacks and other operations aimed precisely at undermining the diplomatic objectives of a country's elected representatives," the political risk firm Eurasia Group said in a briefing note Thursday. "The attacks could have been designed to put an exclamation point on Iran's warnings to Abe about the risks of instability in the region," the note said. About 80 percent of Japan's oil imports come from the Middle East and travel through the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks occurred 24 nautical miles from the nearest IRGC naval base, one U.S. official said. IRGC ships are frequently present in that area, but had not until recently begun to harass or impede shipping, the official said. "It's clear that there is a pattern of Iranian naval activity in and around commercial shipping lanes that is inconsistent with their prior behavior," the official said. The attacks are part of Iran's response to tightening U.S. sanctions, one official said. He described the Iranian view this way: "If we can't ship oil, no one can." The Washington Posts Simon Denyer and Akiko Kashiwagi in Tokyo contributed to this article, which contains information from the Associated Press and Bloomberg News. Camden County Police Chief J. Scott Thomson inside R-TOIC at the police headquarters in Camden in 2014. Read more Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson didnt understand when his mentor, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, told him that it would be clear when it was time to leave the force. After 25 years, Thomson, who oversaw the transition of the department from Camden City to county control in 2013, will retire at the end of August, Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said Friday. Assistant Chief Joseph Wysocki will replace Thomson. Thomson had been chief of the city police force since 2008, before the county took control of the department. While the force is called the Camden County Police Department, its jurisdiction is limited to the long-troubled waterfront city. Cappelli and others, including Ramsey, credited Thomson with overseeing a reduction of crime rates in Camden and efforts to build trust between the police and the citizens of the city. Thomson said in a statement that he would remain involved in the city as a board member with Camden Sophisticated Sisters, which describes itself as a life-saving nonprofit disguised as a drill team, as well as a volunteer with Guadalupe Family Services and other organizations that help Camdens youth. Matthew Melucci examines a trampoline and play set that blew into a neighbor's yard after tornado apparently touched down Thursday behind his home in Mullica Hill. Read more Two tornadoes touched down in South Jersey on Thursday night, recording winds whipping up to 100 mph, the National Weather Service, assessing the extent of damage, said Friday. The quick-moving storms in Gloucester to Camden counties ripped siding and shingles from homes. The first tornado was classified by the federal agency as an EF0 the least-powerful category of tornado, with wind speeds from 65 to 85 mph when it touched down around 8:15 p.m. in Harrison Townships Mullica Hill section. A second twister occurred in Deptford and Blackwood around 8:30 p.m., touching down intermittently for two miles. The weather service classified it as an EF1, with wind speeds from 90 to 100 mph. Shortly after the storm passed through the area Thursday night, the weather service confirmed a tornado touched down in Mullica Hill based on a video showing a clear funnel with some small debris being lofted. Chad Shafer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service regional office in Mount Holly, said the team went to Salem, Gloucester, and Camden counties Friday and determined that damage in Salem County, near the city of Salem and Woodstown, was caused by straight-line winds of 60 to 80 mph. The extent of damage was not fully known, but Harrison Township Police Lt. Ronald Cundey said the department did not receive any calls about the twister. "Other than people posting their own videos, you know probably as much about it as we do, Cundey said. Im kind of surprised myself. Jessica DiBacco said her phone went off about 8:15 p.m. with a tornado warning. In about five minutes, as her husband was upstairs watching the sky out of a window, the wind picked up in Mullica Hill. It just happened so fast, she said. Quick wind, it got really, really dark and the rain started coming down really bad. DiBacco said trees surrounding the familys home swayed so violently she feared they would snap. She said her husband, Lou, yelled to take their two young sons and dogs to the basement for protection while he remained upstairs, watching and filming through the window. Lou DiBacco would end up recording the tornado as it hit Matthew Melucci and Alexandra Kenyons home, about a half-mile away. The tornado blew the familys new playset and trampoline over a clump of trees; the grill across the deck. The wind started to pull items out of their open garage before Melucci rushed to shut the door. Gusts tugged at the roof, leaving cracks in the walls. Fence panels around their backyard pool fell down. A nearby tree landed close to their front yard. The wind was just insane, Melucci said. Fragments of what was once a playset for his 7- and 3-year-old sons were scattered in the grass. The family huddled in the basement for about 20 minutes. Once the tornado seemed to have quieted, Melucci and Kenyon cautiously ventured outside. Thats when we saw everything gone, Kenyon said. In Gloucester Township, Blackwood Elementary School was closed Friday because it had no power and police there reported some streets were closed due to downed trees and power lines because of the second tornado. The tornadoes were at least the fourth and fifth to touch down within 50 miles of Philadelphia in a month, and the second and third confirmed in New Jersey this year, following an EF-1 tornado that hit Stanhope in Sussex County on May 28, causing damage but no injuries. The state averages about two tornadoes a year, Shafer said. Other recent tornadoes in the Philadelphia region include a May 19 twister at a Bucks County campground, a May 21 tornado in Berks County, and a May 22 twister on the Bucks-Lehigh border. Bill Bunting, chief of the forecast operations branch at the storm center, in Norman, Okla., has said a stubborn pattern in the upper atmosphere has been particularly conducive to setting off the severe storms that spawn tornadoes this spring. As of May 31, there had been 935 reported tornadoes in the United States so far in 2019, compared to an average of 1,125 for all of the last three years. The fact that its been persistent is unusual, but not unprecedented, Bunting said. Tornado numbers generally have increased, said Bunting, but that might be due to better detection, thanks to more sophisticated radar systems and increased reporting at a time when image-recording equipment is pervasive and continually improving. As for the hand of worldwide warming, tornado specialists point out that twisters are idiosyncratic storms that get their ferocious spin from a complicated matrix of conditions. Its not a cop-out, said Bunting. We just dont know. HARRISBURG Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled legislature have just two weeks left to meet the July 1 deadline for a new budget. Yet few in the Capitol appear stressed over the annual horse-trading ritual. This year, there is more money revenues are running more than $800 million higher than projected and more realism: Its Wolfs fifth time at the budget negotiating table, and he and GOP leaders have managed this time to avoid the overt clash of wills that marked the governors early years in office. Still, there are policy disagreements, and many of them center around the priorities Wolf embedded in his $34.1 billion budget proposal. Here are the issues that will dominate talks this year: Minimum wage Wolf has proposed raising the states current minimum of $7.25 the same as the federal minimum every year since taking office in 2015. This year, he wants to hike it on a sliding scale, starting with a bump to $12 this July. It would rise by 50 cents every year until 2025, when it would reach $15. After that, the wage would increase every year with the cost of living. Republicans have historically rejected the idea. But earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) made headlines when he said he believed it was time to seriously discuss a hike, although stressing that he believed the increase needed to be more reasonable than what Wolf was proposing. Surrounding states, including New Jersey, Maryland, and New York, all have higher minimum wages. In an interview last week, Corman said talks are ongoing but added, We havent landed anywhere as of yet. Leaders in the House of Representatives have largely avoided public discussion of the issue (House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler has not responded to requests for comment). On Thursday, Rep. Patty Kim (D., Dauphin) wrote on Twitter that talks on the issue have stalled: I introduced FOUR min wage bills since 2013. They all sat in committee without a hearing for a total of 1,725 days! Low-wage workers cant wait any longer! Though a deal on hiking the minimum wage can be struck at any time, proponents hoped for one during this months budget negotiations. State Police user fee Wolf also wants to impose a sliding-scale fee on municipalities that rely on the State Police for patrol coverage (it would only apply to municipalities without local police forces, or that have disbanded them). The fee would range from $8 to $166 per person, depending on a communitys population. The fee would raise $103 million, administration officials have said. Like the minimum wage, the State Police fee proposal is something Wolf has sought before without success. Some Republicans have balked at the impact it would have on small, rural areas, while others have noted that even municipalities with their own police forces, such as Philadelphia, use State Police services and would not be forced to pay anything. House Republican leaders have been openly critical of the fee and signaled they would not support it. Corman, too, said that for the moment, the proposal appears dead. General Assistance funding Wolf earlier this year proposed reinstating a cash-assistance program helping the poorest Pennsylvanians a program Republicans eliminated in 2012. The so-called general assistance program had supported residents, many disabled, with a $200 monthly stipend, which they used for housing, transportation, and personal necessities. GOP leaders signaled earlier this year that they would block its reinstatement. Wolf, while promising to continue fighting for the program, has pitched an alternative: using the roughly $50 million that supported general assistance to help low-income residents secure affordable housing. Corman last week said he and others in his caucus are open to discussion on the governors alternative plan. But State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Philadelphia), who has rallied for the original cash-assistance program, has skewered the Republican-led push to permanently kill the program. That any lawmaker could consider tearing dollars out of the hands of people who are literally unable to buy feminine hygiene products or pay for bus fare otherwise is morally reprehensible, she and two other advocates wrote in an op-ed. Education As he has every year since taking office, Wolf is asking for more money for public education an additional $200 million in funding for K-12 instruction in public schools as well as a $50 million boost for special education and an extra $7 million for Pennsylvanias 14 state universities. Though there is bound to be quibbling on the amounts, this issue is not expected to bog down talks. What is likely to create tension is a push by House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) to boost by $100 million a program that provides tax breaks to businesses that donate money for scholarships to private schools. Wolf has balked at Turzais proposed increase, and the issue is bound to be a negotiating chip in talks. Restore PA This was the governors signature budget program, and it appears as good as dead. Republicans like the concept but oppose how Wolf would pay for it: a new tax on natural gas drillers. Wolf had wanted to borrow $4.5 billion over four years and dedicate the money to help fund infrastructure improvements, fight blight, and build higher-speed internet in rural areas, among other initiatives. The loan would be paid off using money from a gas severance tax, a levy that Republicans have blocked every year since Wolf took office. Voting machines Wolfs budget proposal included $15 million to help counties cover the cost of updating their voting machines. His administration last year directed counties to begin using machines that create a paper record of votes to verify the accuracy of results. The goal is to have the new machines operating by the 2020 primary. Counties, estimating the price tag at $125 million, have balked at the expense. The administration has said it will propose similar annual infusions to help offset those costs, for a total of $75 million, over five years. But Corman last week said Wolf created this problem for counties by unilaterally moving to decertify [existing] machines and now will have to find another way to solve it. I dont think we should have to be the ones to bail him out, Corman said. HARRISBURG Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday unveiled a $34.1 billion budget that would boost funding for public schools, raise the minimum wage, and help counties update their voting machines, while steering clear of the broad-based tax increases that sank some of his earlier initiatives. The Democratic governors budget his first since reelection was a return to some of his more progressive wishes and a nod to the realities of negotiating with the Republican-controlled legislature, which has refused to consider increases in the state sales and personal income taxes. Still, Wolf is seeking other changes that have been rejected in the past, among them a severance tax on natural gas albeit, this time one that would be dedicated to refurbishing aging infrastructure instead of propping up the states general fund. That tax proposal is not in the budget, which must be approved by June 30, but is expected to be part of the overall debate. In the coming weeks, well have the chance to discuss, debate, and negotiate the details, Wolf told a joint session of the legislature in his 27-minute speech. He later added: While the rest of this country and indeed the rest of the world descends into divisive, nasty, and unproductive bouts of shouting, we are showing everyone else, right here in the heart of democracy, how democracy is supposed to work. After the speech, Republicans struck an optimistic tone, saying they thought there were many areas where the two sides could agree. Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) said he was pleased with Wolfs overall message, but warned there are other policy changes that the governor did not address but that he believes are necessary. That includes a reduction in the states 9.99 percent corporate net income tax and an emphasis on cutting expenditures. This budget is not just going to be a slam dunk, Scarnati said. In all, the governors plan would increase spending by $1.4 billion or 4.2 percent over this years approved $32.7 billion budget. (That, however, does not include the $500 million needed to fill a projected gap in the current budget.) To pay for it, Wolf is relying on a projection that revenue from taxes and fees will grow 2.6 percent or nearly $900 million in the next fiscal year. The plan also counts on people making a higher minimum wage paying more in sales and income taxes; and raising new dollars from a new fee on State Police coverage in municipalities with no police of their own. Both are proposals the legislature has opposed before. On the spending side, Wolfs plan calls for an additional $200 million in funding for K-12 instruction in public schools, an extra $50 million for special education and an additional $7 million for Pennsylvanias 14 state universities. It also calls for educational-policy changes, such as raising the school dropout age from 17 to 18, while lowering the age at which children must begin attending school from 8 to 6. The governor also wants to set a $45,000 minimum salary for public school teachers, up from $18,500. That would affect roughly 3,200 teachers, many in rural districts, administration officials said. The four state-related universities Temple, Lincoln, Penn State, and the University of Pittsburgh would receive no boost over this fiscal years spending. Wolf, however, is proposing $8 million for grants to community college students who remain in the state for work. Outside of education, the governors budget proposes a $15 million increase to serve more people with intellectual disabilities who are currently on a waiting list for services. The governors plan includes $15 million to help counties cover the cost of updating their voting machines. Wolfs administration last year directed counties to begin using machines that create a paper record of votes to verify the accuracy of results. The goal is to have the new machines operating by the 2020 primary. Counties have estimated the total cost at $125 million, and have balked at the expense. The administration has said it will propose similar annual infusions to help offset those costs, for a total of $75 million, over five years. Wolf will ask state lawmakers to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $12 per hour starting in July, with additional increases coming each year until 2025, when it would reach $15 an hour. His administration expects the measure would save the state $36 million in the 2019-20 fiscal year, an amount it attributes in part to lower costs for social services. Republican leaders have repeatedly resisted attempts to increase the minimum wage, arguing that such changes should be driven by the marketplace rather than the government. The last change to the states minimum wage came a decade ago, when federal officials raised the rate. Wolf isseeking to raise $103 million by imposing a sliding-scale fee on municipalities that rely on the State Police for patrol coverage. The fee would range from $8 to $166 per person, depending on a communitys population. Wolf in the past has proposed a flat fee, which has been blocked by the legislature. And a debate is expected over Wolfs effort to impose a severance tax on natural gas extracted through Marcellus Shale drilling. You cant escape it, said Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee who supports a new drilling tax. The governor has proposed borrowing $4.5 billion over four years and dedicating the money to help fund disaster recovery and infrastructure improvement, the latter a longtime goal for legislative Republicans. The loan, the governor said, would be paid off using money from a severance tax. Republican leaders have resisted past severance tax proposals, citing potential harm to the natural gas industry. The Wolf administration has said the governor will take out the loan only if legislators approve the levy. Other areas of Wolfs budget are likely to be easier sells. Both Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday praised the governors emphasis on enhancing work development and job training programs. Wolf, for example, called for creating a workforce command center to coordinate and streamline programs aimed at connecting employers with a trained workforce. We have not had that kind of recognition that our government can be better organized to respond to workforce demands, said Sen. Arthur Haywood, a Democrat whose district includes portions of Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. The governor has also proposed dedicating additional money for agricultural projects, including $2.6 million to increase organic farming in the state and $2 million to create a center to help farmers create business plans. And he asks for a $1.5 million increase in funding to provide people with the opioid overdose-reversal drug Naloxone. Kate Giammarise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette contributed to this article. Lilia Lara, a Tijuana resident, displays the U.S. and Mexican flags at the plaza where Mexican President Andres Lopez Obrador is to hold a rally in Tijuana, Mexico, Saturday, June 8, 2019. President Trump has put on hold his plan to begin imposing tariffs on Mexico on Monday, saying the U.S. ally will take "strong measures" to reduce the flow of Central American migrants into the United States. Lara said she arrived early to get a good spot for the rally. (AP Photo/ Hans-Maximo Musielik) Read more President Donald Trumps detractors are trying to play down the significance of the U.S.-Mexico immigration deal, saying it is largely composed of actions that Mexico had already agreed to many months ago. Nice try. If Mexico had truly agreed to implement many of these measures in December, then why had they not been implemented six months later? As even Mexican officials acknowledge, it was Trumps threat of tariffs that forced Mexicos hand. In announcing the deal, a relieved Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the most important thing is that they didnt apply tariffs and we didnt experience an economic slowdown. The fact is, Trump bucked Republicans on Capitol Hill and even many of his own advisers, and used the threat of tariffs to get Mexico to act and it worked. The measures Mexico has promised to avoid those tariffs include the deployment of 6,000 national guard forces at Mexicos largely unguarded border with Guatemala, which according to Mexican negotiating documents will be the first time in recent history that Mexico has decided to take operational control of its southern border as a priority. Mexico also agreed to carry out thousands more arrests of illegal migrants each week and to remove the caps it imposed on the number of U.S. asylum-seekers it would accept and hold inside Mexico. Until now, Mexico had been accepting a maximum of 300 people a day from the United States. Trump rightly said that was not good enough at a time when more than 4,600 migrants were apprehended crossing the border each day in May. Now there will be no limit, which means the United States can send back to Mexico most of the Central American families who cross the border to seek asylum. That will relieve the stress on our border agents, who have been overwhelmed by the unprecedented flow of families and unaccompanied minors the vast majority of whom do not qualify for asylum. Ultimately, the Trump administration wants Central American migrants to have to seek asylum in Mexico rather than the United States. The United States and Canada have a safe third country agreement under which those seeking asylum must make their claim in the country where they first arrive. If Mexico were designated a safe third country, those crossing its southern border would have to seek asylum and settle there. That would push the Central American migrants problem from our southern border to Mexicos southern border where it belongs. As Roger Noriega, a former U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States, pointed out during an interview for the American Enterprise Institutes new podcast (which I cohost), it would also put the human smugglers out of business. If Mexico is designated a safe third country, Noriega says, people will no longer be paying coyotes their life savings to get to the United States, because they are not going to pay that to get to Mexico. Mexican officials persuaded Trump to delay his demand for a safe third country agreement and give them 45 days to show that the other measures in the agreement will work. If they dont, Ebrard understands that Mexico will either have to accept new asylum measures or face tariffs. If were successful, the number of people waiting for asylum in Mexico will decrease, he said. If we fail, and if we dont get the results, well, were not going to have solid arguments to propose a different path. The president deserves credit for forcing a reluctant Mexican government to act. He was able to do so because the administration in Mexico City knew he was willing to pull the tariff trigger. It knew that Republicans on Capitol Hill would not overturn his action. And it knew that its country was vulnerable because while tariffs would certainly have hurt the U.S. economy, they would devastate Mexicos, which contracted in the first quarter of 2019. Everyone advised him not to do it, but Trump saw his leverage and he used it. If his critics in Congress had done their job by providing him with the emergency border funds he requested in May, and by fixing our asylum laws, he would not have been forced to do so. Mexico now has 90 days to show progress and so does Congress. If members do not like the blunt instrument of tariffs, then they should give the president some alternatives. Otherwise, they will be unable to avoid blame if a trade war with Mexico ensues. Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for the Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. @marcthiessen Abd'Allah Lateef in front of the U.S. Supreme Court while visiting Washington, D.C., for the Incarcerated Children's Advocacy Network's first Impact Day. Lateef spent 31 years in prison before Supreme Court rulings overturned life without parole sentences for persons convicted of murder as juveniles. Read more In 2017, Philadelphias City Council declared June to be Reentry Awareness Month, meant to build support for individuals who have been released from prison and are therefore reentering society. This work from more than 100 organizations in the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition reflects part of national efforts to raise awareness of reentrys importance, the mayors office announced. Since then, the city and country have talked about reentry more and more. Last week in Pennsylvania, a bipartisan group of lawmakers took steps to make June a statewide reentry month. But, according to many people directly affected by these programs, reentry doesnt tell the full story. Here are perspectives from Media Justice Fellows all of whom are living reentry working with Philadelphias Reentry Think Tank to produce journalism that changes the narrative. Recognize the fullness of our humanity I work for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), a registered nonprofit dedicated to ending extreme sentencing for children. This job is personal for me: At 17 years old, as an unwitting accomplice to a 21-year-old, I participated in an unarmed robbery during which the target was shoved to the ground, suffering a fractured femur. Although the decedent was not shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death, he died of heart failure 18 days after the robbery. His preexisting heart condition was believed to have been aggravated by stress from the robbery and later surgery to repair his fracture. Under the felony murder doctrine applied in Pennsylvania, a person who commits a felony offense (such as a robbery or burglary) is held liable for any unintentional or unforeseen deaths that occur as a result. So at 17 years old I was charged, tried, and convicted for felony murder. I was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Despite numerous unsuccessful legal challenges to my conviction and sentence, it was not until the U.S. Supreme Court pushed back against imposing life-without-parole sentences for minors calling it a form of cruel and unusual punishment that I became eligible for resentencing. On July 27, 2017, I was resentenced to a term of 30-to-life, making me eligible for parole. And on Oct. 10, 2017, I walked out of the state Correctional Facility at Frackville, a nominally free man after having been incarcerated for 31 years. Through my work and personal experience, Ive come to believe the biggest misconceptions around reentry start with the word reentry itself or at least the way the term gets used in the criminal justice system. Federal, state, and county corrections agencies, and their service providers, often use reentry to mean everything and nothing. That is to say, there is no standard definition for reentry beyond a rudimentary understanding of returning to society after incarceration. However, one set of metrics is frequently linked to successful reentry: no rearrests or reincarceration within three to five years. If we can hit that bar, then people working within the system celebrate it as success. But that definition oversimplifies the issue, reducing it to corrections-speak. Measuring reentry as simply keeping individuals out of prison ignores whether or not those who have stayed out of prison have access to prosperity or sufficient supports that allow them to live with dignity. It ignores their quality of life. We need metrics that instead recognize the fullness of our humanity and of our value. Those of us working in this community often use the term transition instead of reentry, as in transitioning into a life of dignity, meaning, and purpose. In a sense, I was transitioning into the fullness of my being for all 31 years I was incarcerated. However, since my official release in 2017, I, like many of my peers, still search for meaningful access to equity, opportunity, happiness, and prosperity. It seems our freedom is constantly marred by the indignities of age-old stereotypes, unfounded myths, and racist biases that distort our value as human beings. I began helping others navigate these challenges just under a year ago, working with CFSY, a national organization based in D.C. I joined them full time last fall as their Pennsylvania coordinator. I see every day that Philadelphia is at the heart of this issue. We have 189 children across Pennsylvania who received life sentences and have since returned, and more than 140 of those people returned to Philadelphia specifically. Ive seen how this group, in particular, gets labeled as juvenile lifers, and how that labeling fails them. Weve moved away from the language of ex-convicts and ex-felons, which is good, but introducing someone as formerly incarcerated still does not reflect the human beings behind the term. It others them as being unlike everyone else. That in itself creates disadvantages making individuals feel dehumanized, and also making it harder for them to find meaningful jobs or affordable housing, to access higher education, or to deal with parole agents who monitor them when they are out of prison. Working with children who have been confined, I encounter a perception of danger surrounding these youths. Some employers show apprehension about whether these folks are truly reformed, or what the fallout would be if they hired persons convicted of murder as part of second-chance initiatives. That stigma becomes very difficult to overcome. One of the most important and immediate things we can do to push back against that stigma, and create opportunities for people in so-called reentry, is to bring these individuals into contact with policymakers who make decisions about their lives. Business owners, too, could use training to identify legitimate concerns in working with this group such as the unpredictability of parole supervision requirements and how that may impact productivity, the likelihood of rearrest, or post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by incarceration. Those concerns must be separated from ones not based in fact, like the assumption that these youths are dangerous or incapable of adapting to life on the outside, or that they otherwise lack employable skills. Likewise, nuanced media reporting can help reverse decades of sensationalized headlines that tended to demonize rather then humanize people who, in their past, committed acts of violence and harm that no longer define who they are. These efforts can help correct inaccurate assumptions about people who have been stigmatized, and redefine how we see reentry. AbdAllah Lateef is the Pennsylvania coordinator for the Incarcerated Childrens Advocacy Network, an outreach initiative of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, and cofounder of the Redemption Project. Seniors often go unnoticed Whats one thing you wish more people understood about reentry? I went to prison at 50 and was released at 65. I imagined release as a panacea, anticipating pieces of a puzzle that fall into place as matter of course. That was naive. What I didnt grasp, and what Id like folks to understand, is that the challenges of reentry work, home, family are complicated by a loss of self that happens when youre institutionalized. Because emotional and psychological scarring is rarely part of the narrative, a void in reentry services is trauma care. Whats the greatest challenge youve faced in your reentry experience? One thing I grapple with frequently is how to best repackage my 25-year career as a pastry chef (from before incarceration) to suit my capabilities as a 65-year-old man. Long hours on my feet and hoisting 50-pound bags of flour are formidable challenges. But the bigger challenge is using my professional skills to serve a new view of my place in the world being responsible to help those who may need the support I struggled to find while in prison. Youre focusing your current research and work on senior reentry. Why? Aging is difficult. Seniors are a population the public rarely considers as returning citizens. In prison, seniors often go unnoticed because older men and woman adjust more readily and therefore require less attention. Upon release, we continue to receive less attention. But its a problem because as older adults our needs arent necessarily met by cookie-cutter programs designed for our younger counterparts, like job placement programs that focus on entry-level jobs and ignore our past work history. We deserve more support. Joe Schwartz is a lifelong resident of Philadelphia. He worked as a pastry chef before being incarcerated in federal prison at 50 and serving 14 years of a 20-year sentence. His sentence was commuted under President Barack Obamas clemency initiative, and he was released in September 2018 after completing a residential drug treatment program. I felt like a Martian Whats one thing you wish more people understood about reentry? That you had a life before prison that youre returning to. Thats why I use the term returning citizen instead of, say, person in reentry. I was commuted from a life sentence, but even if youve just done three years, five years, or if youre been paroled you are a returning citizen, because you were a citizen before incarceration. Whats the greatest challenge youve faced in your reentry experience? The toll you carry from your years in prison doesnt disappear when you leave. When youre incarcerated, [officers] can tear down anything youre wearing to search for contraband items; they regulate your phone calls describing you as an inmate calling from a correctional institute you feel your humanity get stripped away every day that occurs. There comes a time when you dont feel like you have it anymore. When I left prison, I felt like a Martian like I really didnt belong. Youre focusing your current work on community centers, also known as halfway houses," where many people live after incarceration. Why? First off, its close to home thats where I live now. These centers widely provide the necessary services for transition. After youve spent three decades in prison, leaving is like, you take someone from an undeveloped country, drop that person off in the middle of New York City, and say: OK, just navigate the way native New Yorkers do. Community centers have to get people up to speed. Yet sometimes our options are minimal. Take employment I got my associates in accounting in 1992, while in prison. By now the skills Ive learned are as outdated as using an abacus to do math. What can community centers do to fill those gaps? Raymond Jordan is an aspiring mentor wanting to share principle, character, and integrity with young men in communities that interact frequently with the criminal justice system. President Trump said there's no real difference between taking intel on political opponents from Russia, headed by Vladimir Putin, and meeting with Queen Elizabeth. Read more What do Queen Elizabeth II and Vladimir Putin have in common? Well, according to President Donald Trump, there is no difference between having a chat with Britains queen and accepting dirt about a political opponent from the Kremlin. When asked, in an astonishing interview with ABC News, whether he would welcome campaign help from an adversary like Russia or China, Trump said, Id take it. He denied this amounted to election interference. More to the dangerous point, he scoffed at the idea of reporting such foreign intervention to the FBI, saying he might or might not report it to the bureau. When reminded that FBI chief Christopher Wray says foreign meddling should be reported, the president snapped, The FBI director is wrong. Then, in the most delusional outburst of all, Trump tweeted Thursday that he met and talked to foreign governments every day, including his recent visit with the British monarch. Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings? he wrote. How ridiculous! By Friday, under growing criticism, the president was backpedaling, saying he would absolutely report dirt dug up by a foreign country. But given his fierce rhetoric to the contrary, why should anyone believe him? This has chilling implications for the 2020 campaign. For one thing, if the president really cant tell the difference between the queen and Vladimir Putin (or Xi Jinping), then this signals a serious state of mental decline. Think about it: On the one hand, the 93-year-old monarch, smiling sweetly next to a scowling Trump in an ill-fitting tux at a state dinner at Buckingham Palace. On the other, a Russian leader who is holding U.S. businessman Michael Calvey hostage on trumped-up charges, whose security forces jail journalists on planted evidence, who is still abetting war crimes in Syria, who is partnering with China to challenge America, etc. etc. Could the president please specify the similarities? Equally chilling, the interview makes clear that Trump views himself and his family as above U.S. law, which makes it a crime for a candidate to accept anything of value from foreign governments or citizens for purposes of winning elections. Most disturbing, the president is practically inviting Russia, and other foreign troublemakers, to meddle in 2020. Hes enticing foreign adversaries to hack us in order to help their favorite candidates, says Clint Watts, a noted expert on cyber-espionage and counterterrorism and current fellow at Philadelphias Foreign Policy Research Institute. He is increasing [the risk of] everything you are trying to defend against, adds Watts. Even some of the presidents strong supporters are disturbed by the contradiction. If a public official is approached by a foreign government offering anything of value, the answer is no whether it be money, opposition research, said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) on Thursday. Moreover, the presidents disdain for the FBI in rebuffing the current director, whom he appointed undermines the law enforcement agencies tasked with keeping our elections safe. Inside the agencies, if you are working on the foreign-influence task force, for sure it undercuts the force, says Watts, a former FBI special agent. Theyd have to worry whether they would be investigated by Trump, Watts adds. He is referring to the push by the White House to probe the work of the FBI and CIA in launching the Russia inquiry. Indeed, Trump, and the GOP, have tried to rebuff criticism of his behavior by accusing Democrats of doing the same during the 2016 campaign. But the example they constantly cite the dossier of alleged Trump ties to Russia gathered by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele is a red herring. It bears no comparison to Trumps green light to foreign election meddling (or his 2016 encouragement to Russia to hack Hillary Clintons emails). Steele was working for a U.S.-based research firm, not a hostile government. And the firm was first hired to do oppo research on candidate Trump by a conservative news outlet opposed to Trump, before the Clinton campaign took over the contract. And most important when Steele found possible ties between Trump and the Russian government, guess what he did? He turned the information over to the FBI, as U.S. law requires. And as Trump says he might not do. Instead, the president attacks the FBI and investigations of his 2016 campaign. So we are left with the spectacle of a leader who encourages adversaries to undermine our elections. Who says politicians do this all the time. Who sees nothing wrong with skirting U.S. laws. When asked if politicians always took campaign help from foreign adversaries, Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) snapped: No we dont. Lets stop there. No we dont. Yet the GOP appears ready to let Trump troll the next election. So keep in mind pictures of Putin and Queen Elizabeth side by side. And the fact that Trump sees no difference between accepting campaign help from the former and diplomatic chitchat with the latter. Call the FBI on information from Moscow? Give me a break," says the president. "Life doesnt work that way. Maybe not for Trump, who stands ready to sell out his country and its laws for his own gain. Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. In her new role, Piddington will use her experience and extensive relationships in the broker market in Australia to increase the 360 footprint in the cyber market. She will also take on the role of underwriting development manager for NSW. We are thrilled to have Jodie join the growing 360 team as we look to capitalise on a number of emerging opportunities and partnerships in the cyber space, said Denis Morrissey, director of 360. She will bring underwriting capability, drive and passion to our business that can only enhance our ability to deliver on the broader aspirations that Chris Lynch, and I, have for the business. Mogridge knows Bupa well having been a non-executive director of Bupa Australia and New Zealand since 2013 and chairman of Bupa Care Services New Zealand and its predecessor from 1998-2015, said Roger Davis, chairman of the Bupa Group. He brings substantial experience having served on the boards of both private and public companies, in Australia and New Zealand, and as a distinguished business leader over many years. I look forward to working with Hisham El-Ansary as chief executive officer and the team to pursue Bupas purpose of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives, Mogridge said. Read more: Bupa appoints Australia CEO Davis also thanked Roxon for her significant contribution to the company for the past five years. We have greatly valued her unique insights, skills, and experience and her deep understanding of the health and community services sector, Davis said. We sincerely thank her for her significant contribution to Bupa and wish her every success. Bupa also announced Michael Hawkers appointment as the deputy chairman of the Bupa Australia and New Zealand board. Hawker joined the Bupa ANZ board in April as a non-executive director and is also a member of the Bupa Group board. Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has announced the appointment of Ulrich Kadow as global head of marine and Tom Fadden as global head of aviation. The dual appointments are effective July 01 and both will report directly to chief underwriting officer specialty Paul ONeill, who will oversee the firms energy line of business on an interim basis. Currently chief agent of AGCS Canada, Kadow will take over from Simon Buxton, the current global head of marine and energy who will leave Allianz to pursue other opportunities outside the company. Until a successor in Canada is confirmed, Kadow will maintain a dual leadership role for both that country and the firms marine line of business responsibilities. Filed on behalf of 69 of the people who died, as well as several others who were injured, the 143-count wrongful death and products liability complaint is demanding a jury trial in Philadelphia County against Arconic Inc and two related corporations for the Reynobond polyethylene cladding panels; Celotex Corporation for Celotex insulation; and Whirlpool Corporation for the Hotpoint brand fridge-freezer, a unit of which was previously cited as the origin of the blaze. While the flames erupted in a flat in London, this fire originated and spread because of decisions made in the United States by United States corporates that prioritized profits over safety, explained Robert J. Mongeluzzi of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, P.C. (SMBB). We seek to hold these American companies accountable on their home turf to send a message that conduct like this will not be tolerated anywhere in the world. The defendants are all incorporated and headquartered in the US. Plaintiff Nicholas Burton, who became a widower in January 2018 after his wifes injuries from the fire ultimately led to her passing, believes the most effective means to hold the firms who he claimed knew of the dangers with their products accountable is by suing them where they are based. The case, Estate of Gloria Trevisan, et al. vs. Arconic, Inc., et al., is seeking undetermined compensation including punitive damages. Also representing the plaintiffs along with SMBB is DiCello Levitt Gutzler LLC, whose Mark A. DiCello asserted: As we allege in our complaint, this type of cladding is banned from use on residential structures higher than 40 feet in the United States, because it is highly flammable. The Grenfell Tower was more than 200 feet tall. Tragically, Arconic waited to make the decision to stop selling this dangerous product until after this horrific tragedy. They designed and marketed a lethal product and reaped the profits while the victims paid the price. Gomes, who lived with his then pregnant wife and two daughters on the 21st floor of Grenfell Tower, said the incident should never happen again to anyone. He declared: Corporations must be held to account for each and every person who died or was injured; from our son, the youngest person to lose his life, to the grandparents who died protecting the ones they loved. We will never forget. We will not let them down. We will see justice for all at Grenfell. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed nearly $1.8 million in fines for a Maine roofing contractor after an employee died in December. An OSHA spokesman told the Portland Press Herald that the fine against Shawn Purvis is one of the largest in New England in recent years. Purvis is already facing a manslaughter charge and a $2.5 million wrongful death lawsuit by the family of Alan Loignon, who fell off a roof in Portland in December. Purvis is accused of discouraging the use of safety equipment so his crews could finish jobs faster. He contends he cannot force his roofers to use safety gear he provides because theyre self-employed subcontractors. The states labor department and a roofing industry group say general contractors are responsible for worksite safety. Information from: Portland Press Herald Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Workers' Compensation Maine The pilot killed when his helicopter hit the roof of a New York City skyscraper in rain and fog radioed that he was lost and trying to get back to the heliport but couldnt find it, an official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The radio calls are the clearest evidence yet that foul weather might have played a role in Mondays crash. The person wasnt authorized to discuss the radio calls publicly because of the ongoing federal safety investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. Videos posted on social media soon after the crash showed a helicopter that investigators believe is the doomed chopper pausing and hovering south of the heliport, then turning and making an erratic flight back north through rain and clouds. The pilot, 58-year-old Tim McCormack, was not authorized to fly in limited visibility, raising questions about why he took off in the first place. McCormack was only licensed to fly under regulations known as visual flight rules, which require generally good weather and clear conditions, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The rules demand at least 3 miles of visibility and that aircraft steer clear of clouds for daytime flights. The visibility at the time of Mondays crash was about 11/4 miles at nearby Central Park, with low clouds blanketing the skyline. The crash in the tightly controlled airspace of midtown Manhattan shook the 750-foot AXA Equitable building, obliterated the Agusta A109E helicopter, sparked a fire and forced office workers to flee. It briefly triggered memories of 9/11 and fears of a terrorist attack, but authorities said there is no indication the crash was deliberate. The crash, the second in Manhattan in a month, also led to renewed calls for restricting helicopter flights over the city. U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who represents the area where McCormack crashed, said its past time for the FAA to ban unnecessary helicopters from the citys skies. Fellow Democrat Rep. Nydia Velazquez said she wants tourist flights grounded. Last year, five passengers were killed when a sightseeing helicopter plunged into the East River . The risks to New Yorkers are just too high, Maloney said. At a National Transportation Safety Board briefing Tuesday, investigator Doug Brazy said that McCormack had arrived at a heliport on New York Citys East River after a trip carrying one passenger from nearby Westchester County. The passenger told investigators there was nothing out of the ordinary about the 15-minute flight, Brazy said. McCormack waited at the heliport for about two hours and reviewed the weather before taking off on what was supposed to be a trip to the helicopters home airport in Linden, New Jersey, Brazy said. That trip would have taken the helicopter south, over the citys harbor and past the Statue of Liberty. The helicopter hit the building about 11 minutes after taking off, in an area where flights arent supposed to take place. A flight restriction in effect since President Donald Trump took office prohibits aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet within a 1-mile radius of Trump Tower, only a few blocks from the crash site. Helicopters going in and out of the heliport on Manhattans East Side are only allowed to fly in the restricted area if they have permission and are communicating with air traffic control at LaGuardia Airport. Brazy said the pilot never made such a request and didnt contact air traffic control. Its unclear if authorities were aware before the crash that the helicopter had entered restricted air space. Those questions are part of our investigation, safety board spokesman Terry Williams said. Brazy said McCormacks planned route to Linden wouldnt have required him to contact air traffic control. The helicopter was not equipped with a flight data recorder or a cockpit voice recorder, he said. Asked if the weather may have played a factor, Brazy said it is certainly one of the most interesting concerns we have. Should the helicopter have been flying? I do not know yet, he said. The crashed helicopter was owned through a real estate firm and used for executive travel, authorities said. In New York City, helicopters giving tourists a whirlybirds eye view of landmarks account for the majority of take offs. Those flights were cut in half to about 30,000 a year under a 2016 deal between operators and the city, which runs two of Manhattans three commercial heliports. But a new Uber service is threatening to crowd the skies once more. The ride-hailing service said last week it would start helicoptering passengers between Manhattan and Kennedy Airport at $200 a ride, drawing scrutiny from Velazquez and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, a Democrat, who on Fox 5 asked: Is that really necessary? Is it safe? John Dellaportas, the president of the Stop the Chop advocacy group, said only public safety and medical flights should be allowed. Its a bit like Groundhog Day that every time theres a deadly crash, politicians say great things and then everybody goes back to their business, said Dellaportas, a lawyer. Sam Goldstein, a spokesman for New Yorks tourist helicopter industry, said operators have already regulated themselves into a position where theyre safe, predictable and a good neighbor. McCormack, a former fire chief in upstate Clinton Corners, had 15 years of experience flying helicopters and single-engine airplanes and was certified as a flight instructor last year, according to FAA records. McCormack was a highly seasoned and very well regarded pilot, Linden airport director Paul Dudley said. Brazy said a salvage crew expected to start moving the wreckage from the roof Tuesday to a secure location, possibly by taking pieces down the stairs and elevator. The location within the city and on top of the roof of a building is probably the biggest challenge in the investigation, Brazy said. Associated Press writers Joseph Frederick and Kiley Armstrong contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics New York Aviation Oil tanker owners are turning increasingly nervous about loading cargoes from the worlds largest export region for crude after the latest round of attacks on vessels. Both owners and the companies that charter their ships paused bookings on Thursday as they re-evaluated risks to shipping barrels from the Middle East in the wake of attacks on two more tankers just a month after similar incidents. Insurance costs from the region look set to rise too. The U.S. pointed the finger at Iran for the attacks just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for crude exports. The Persian Gulf country immediately denied being responsible. Nevertheless, six tankers, hauling a variety of cargoes, have now been targeted in the space of just 32 days the kind of threat to merchant shipping that hasnt been seen in the region for decades. We need to remember that some 30% of the worlds crude oil passes through the Straits, said Paolo dAmico, chairman of Intertanko, the biggest trade group for tanker owners. If the waters are becoming unsafe, the supply to the entire Western world could be at risk. The Joint War Committee, a group that advises insurers, designated the entire Persian Gulf and waters just outside it a so-called Listed Area after the incidents a month ago. The classification gives underwriters room to charge more. As of Thursday, owners were reluctant to send vessels to the region while there was also a dearth of cargoes, according to traders and shipbrokers involved in that market, who spoke on condition of anonymity. DNK, the mutual insurer that covered one of the ships damaged Thursday, will increase its rates for war insurance, according to a person familiar with the matter. Rival insurer Hellenic War Risks Club will probably increase a so-called additional premium that owners pay when sailing to the Persian Gulf with immediate effect, according to a notice on its website. Japans Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. has ordered ships it operates in the area to keep a 12-mile radius from the zone where the two tankers were attacked, a company spokesman said on Thursday evening. Intertanko said it is extremely worried about the safety of crews in the region. It also said two of its members suffered explosions at or below the water line in what the group described as an attack. Rare Disruptions Escalations that materially disrupt Middle East oil supplies are relatively rare. The Iran-Iraq war coincided with a big slump in OPEC oil output in the first half of the 1980s. That conflict saw tankers destroyed as the two countries tried to damage one anothers economies. By contrast, Iraqs 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and the Gulf War that followed, were a long way from Hormuz and had a relatively small impact on flows through the Strait, with Saudi Arabia replacing much of the lost Iraqi and Kuwaiti crude. In the short-term the rates for chartering ships in the Middle East could rise as some owners consider avoiding the region, lowering supply, JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Noah Parquette wrote in a report. Shares of tanker companies responded bullishly, suggesting a view among some investors that the tensions could drive up freight rates. Frontline Ltd. the owner of the Front Altair led the way, rallying as much as 11% in Oslo on Thursday. With assistance from Jack Wittels, Firat Kayakiran, Alaric Nightingale, Verity Ratcliffe, Tsuyoshi Inajima, Ann Koh and Javier Blas. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Pricing Trends Energy Oil Gas Ottawa increased the insurance coverage available for canola exporters, a government corporation said on Thursday, as it seeks to reduce trade risks amid a dispute with China. China halted purchases of Canadian canola in March, citing pests in shipments by Richardson International Ltd and Viterra Inc. The move, coming as Beijing has also expressed anger that Canadian police had arrested a Huawei Technologies Co Ltd executive in December, has pressured canola prices. China was the biggest canola export market for Canada, which is the worlds biggest producer of the crop used to make cooking oil. Export Development Canada (EDC), a government corporation, will increase the credit insurance available to exporters by an additional C$150 million ($112.59 million) worth of sales, EDC Executive Vice President Carl Burlock said at a news conference announcing the change. The insurance will be available for commercially viable sales contracts of canola seed, oil and meal, and will cover potential non-payment. Burlock could not identify the total amount of credit insurance available for canola sales. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Ottawa would boost its insurance program for canola exporters. Pakistan and Bangladesh are two markets that canola exporters have expressed an interest in, Burlock said. Dwayne Couldwell, senior merchandiser of oilseeds for Winnipeg-based Paterson Grain, said he had never used EDC insurance for canola sales because the premium exceeds the usual profit on a shipment. Im fully supportive of the concept but unless its considerably different than the former EDC financing, its just too expensive for the profits we can generate on the export market, he said. EDC prices its insurance relative to the risk, Burlock said. Spokespersons for Richardson and Viterra did not respond to requests for comment. Canadian pork, soybean and pea exporters have also run into problems shipping to China. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said at the news conference she was open to boosting credit insurance to commodities other than canola if needed. ($1 = 1.3323 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Kelsey Johnson in Ottawa and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; editing by Richard Chang) Topics China Canada China should focus on market reforms and avoid restricting access for U.S. financial firms if the trade war escalates and spills into the financial sector, said a lobby group representing global banks and asset managers. The Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA) also urged Beijing to accelerate the opening up of the countrys financial markets to attract much-needed foreign capital to aid a slowing economy amid rising trade tensions. Our message to the Chinese authorities would be that it wouldnt be wise at this point in time to play those kind of games between U.S. and non-U.S. firms, ASIFMA CEO Mark Austen told Reuters. China really needs to open up their markets for their own interests and create a transparent, fair, non-discriminatory access to their market. Austen added that there was as yet no evidence of China favoring non-U.S. firms over U.S.-based ones. In March, U.S. banking giant JP Morgan won regulatory approval from China to take majority control of its securities joint venture, putting it on a par with Swiss rival UBS and London-headquartered HSBC, who already have that right. JP Morgan is also close to becoming the first foreign firm to own a majority of its Chinese mutual fund business, Reuters reported last month. Tensions between Washington and Beijing have sharply intensified since trade negotiations collapsed last month, with both countries slapping higher tariffs on each others goods. The U.S. blacklisting of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies also raised the prospects of a technology cold war. Amid concerns the trade dispute could affect other areas such as rare earths and capital markets, China on Tuesday vowed a tough response if Trump insists on dialing up the pressure with more tariffs. On Thursday, however, Chinese officials promised to continue reforming the countrys financial sector. We will further open Chinas banking, insurance, securities and trust sectors, said Guo Shuqing, head of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), at a financial forum in Shanghai. We especially welcome experienced global asset managers, along with domestic players, to raise yuan capital, and invest in yuan-denominated securities markets. In a report published on Thursday, ASIFMA complained that China has been slow in granting local operation licenses to U.S. rating agency Fitch Ratings, and U.S. bank card payment firms Visa and Mastercard, but Austen sees no links between these cases and rising trade tensions. We certainly see at this point no evidence of very significant escalation in slowing down of U.S. firms getting access to the Chinese market in favor of other non-U.S., non-Chinese firms, Austen said. I think the Chinese authorities are well aware that they need to create a transparent, non-discriminatory access and not allow politics to be infused into that because it actually undermines everything theyre trying to do in developing their financial markets. In its report, ASIFMA urged China to accelerate reform of its capital markets, relax foreign ownership rules and create a level playing field between domestic and foreign firms. China needs to step up its transformation toward a consumption-led economy and cut its reliance on exports, so theres a real domestic imperative for China to develop its own capital markets and allow foreign investment to flow in and foreign firms to operate in China to help with that development, said Austen, who expects a current account deficit in China in the medium term. ASIFMA also urged China to relax capital controls, even as the trade war triggers concerns about capital outflows and yuan depreciation. China has been very sensitive to capital outflows since 2015/2016, and with the escalation of the trade tensions, they will become even more sensitive in the short term, Austen said. But curbs on outflows would discourage foreign capital inflows, he said. (Reporting by Samuel Shen and John Ruwitch; editing by Jacqueline Wong and Sam Holmes) Topics USA China Threatening to leave the European Union without a deal isnt likely to win Britain concessions from the bloc, the countrys biggest business group said in a warning to candidates jostling to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May. Ive never felt it was a particularly credible negotiating threat, Confederation of British Industry Director General Carolyn Fairbairn said in an interview. Because it was a bit like saying If you dont do what I want, Ill shoot my foot off. It was something right from the beginning that was so harmful to us. Fairbairns words came before the 10 Conservative Party leadership candidates were whittled down to seven in a vote on Thursday. And while she declined to name specific politicians, its a shot across the bows of candidates including the favorite, Boris Johnson, who said this week that the option of a no-deal Brexit is a vital tool of negotiation. Brexit is already exacting a toll on U.K. business in the form of lost orders and customers, a drop-off in investment and increased costs for stockpiling and other no-deal preparations, Fairbairn said. That heightens the urgency to resolve the impasse and move on to other things companies care about, such as improving infrastructure and plugging skills gaps, she told Bloomberg. Its not that the Brexit uncertainty and fear of no deal is going to have an impact in the future, its having it right now, Fairbairn said. This is a situation of enormous urgency. Fairbairns comments add to a series of warnings from the U.K.s top business groups. Politicians have been chasing rainbows, the British Chambers of Commerce said, while the delay to Britains split from the EU has meant no good news for employers, according to Make UK, the biggest manufacturing lobbyist. The Institute of Directors warned that companies are under-estimating the threat of no-deal and the Federation of Small Businesses said the Tory leadership contest only adds to their confusion. The fallout from a no-deal split will go beyond the immediate effects, according to Fairbairn. The greater risk is the long-term impact of losing the ability to trade frictionlessly with our closest market of 500 million people, she said. Were talking too much about the short-term disruption and the empty shelves and poor availability of lettuces; it almost trivializes it, Fairbairn said. For me, the real risk of no-deal is it triggers a serious decline in our competitiveness for the long-term. As well as Johnson, pro-Brexit candidate Dominic Raab has said hes prepared to leave the EU without a deal, while Sajid Javid has said hed prefer no-deal to no Brexit at all. Other contenders, including Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, have signaled theyd prefer to delay Brexit if necessary. Matthew Hancock like Fairbairn says no deal isnt a credible threat, while Rory Stewart has said hed entirely rule it out. Read More: Heres How 11 Tory Contenders for UK Prime Minister Plan to Fix Brexit In the current leadership contest, what we feel is not coming through enough is the extent of the real challenge to business at the moment and the importance of resolving that uncertainty, Fairbairn said. The chief of Britains biggest industry group, who was awarded a damehood last week, has written to all the candidates demanding they champion business and secure a Brexit deal that protects the economy. She said shed had good responses, but didnt say which candidates had replied. Fairbairn also said: Businesses are still preparing for all eventualities, including a no-deal Brexit Shes concerned about the number of our members who say that they are losing customers, and this is now quite widespread Some companies will be less ready for a no-deal Brexit at the end of October than they were in March, because they cant afford to prepare again for the eventuality All the CBIs counterpart organizations in Europe are opposed to a no-deal Brexit. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Europe Uk Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) is rearranging roles in the management team of its Specialty business segment. Effective July 1, 2019, Ulrich Kadow will be appointed as AGCS global head of Marine. Effective immediately, Tom Fadden will be appointed as AGCS global head of Aviation. Both will report directly to Paul ONeill, chief underwriting officer Specialty. Currently chief agent of AGCS Canada, Ulrich Kadow will take over from current global head of Marine and Energy, Simon Buxton, who leaves Allianz to pursue other opportunities outside the company. Until a successor in Canada is confirmed, Ulrich Kadow will maintain a dual leadership role for both the country and marine line of business responsibilities. Kadow has led AGCS Canadian business since May 2015, after joining AGCS in 2006. During his 13 years with the company, he has held a variety of positions within AGCS in Europe, Asia and North America. Directly prior to his move to Toronto, he was global head of Package & Multiline where he established the mid-market property, liability and engineering business in Canada, Asia, South Africa, Australia and Denmark. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School and an M.S in Computer Science from University of Technology Munich TUM. He also holds a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation. Currently regional head of Aviation for Regional Unit London and global airline product leader, Fadden will succeed Michael Hansen, who leaves Allianz later this year. He will maintain his regional leadership role on an interim basis. Joining Allianz in 2004, Fadden has held his current leadership roles since June 2016. Prior to that, he held a variety of aviation insurance roles, including senior airline underwriter, airline underwriting manager and global airline product leader responsible for airline portfolio strategy and steering globally. With more than 30 years of aviation insurance experience, he started his career at British Aviation Insurance Group/Global Aerospace where he held roles as product underwriter and senior airline underwriter. He holds an associateship of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Source: Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) Topics Underwriting Canada Aviation Allianz Ryan Hicks has been named senior vice president, chief human resources officer for the Farmers Alliance Companies in McPherson, Kansas. With this promotion, Hicks becomes a member of the executive management team. Hicks joined Farmers Alliance in early 2016, after several years in sales-related leadership positions. His experience has shown his focus on building strong relationships, and a commitment to caring for others. As a member of the executive management team, he will now assume additional responsibilities regarding strategic and operational planning, in addition to management and direction of the human resources staff. The Farmers Alliance Companies Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance Company, Alliance Indemnity Company and Alliance Insurance Company Inc. provide property and casualty insurance through independent agents in an eight-state region. Source: Farmers Alliance Companies Topics Agribusiness The family of Jeffrey Eisenman, a 65-year-old passenger on the Carnival Sunshine, alleges in a lawsuit that the worlds largest cruise company wouldnt let him off of the ship after he suffered a heart attack last December. Eisenman died on the way to another port. Eisenman suffered a serious heart attack while the ship was docked at Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Dec. 3, according to a suit filed Wednesday in Miami federal court. Carnivals doctor said Eisenman would need a stent implanted and that he should be flown to Miami because Grand Turks hospital wasnt equipped with a cardiac unit. Just before the ships 4 p.m. departure, the Eisenman family was told he couldnt leave and the ship set sail for San Juan. But the family had purchased insurance that would cover an air ambulance, according to the suit. A representative for Carnival said the Miami-based company was sorry for the Eisenman familys loss, but the scenario alleged in their lawsuit isnt accurate. Our onboard medical team followed all proper procedures to attend to a guest who became critically ill very quickly, including liaising with the local hospital which was not equipped to handle his condition, the company said in a statement. Mr. Eisenmans treatment plan and keeping him on the ship was formulated in consultation with his family. Eisenman died overnight on the ship, but the family says their ordeal didnt end there. Carnival told the Eisenmans that his corpse couldnt be removed in Puerto Rico because the line couldnt guarantee the body would be returned promptly from the hurricane-ravaged island. Eisenmans wife and daughter left the ship in Puerto Rico, while his son stayed aboard, accompanying the body back to the continental U.S., according to the suit. Negligence Claimed The Eisenmans allege the cruise line was negligent in not appreciating the severity of Eisenmans condition and evacuating him quickly. Carnival shares dropped as much as 1.3% to $52.69 on Thursday. The stock was up 8.3% this year through Wednesdays close, compared with a 15% gain for the S&P 500 Index. Cruise lines have personnel specifically trained to handle critical unexpected incidents, according to the Cruise Line International Association. The industry doesnt have a one-size-fits-all approach to care, which will vary depending on the situation, according to the groups website. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits A postal worker on disability retirement for psychological issues returned to her workplace years later and killed six people. A Connecticut beer delivery worker irate over being forced to resign opened fire as he was being escorted out of the building, killing eight co-workers. A few weeks ago, a longtime municipal engineer submitted his resignation in the morning and within hours went on a rampage inside the Virginia Beach building, killing 11 co-workers and a contractor. The Virginia Beach killing is one of 11 mass workplace killings dating back to 2006 in the U.S., according to a database of mass killings maintained through a partnership between AP, USA Today and Northeastern University. In all, nearly 90 people have died in these mass shootings, which are defined as four or more people killed, not including the perpetrator. And while such workplace shootings remain rare among the tens of thousands of gun deaths each year, they resonate among Americans who worry they might become an aggrieved co-workers next victim. The phenomenon steadily seeped into the publics consciousness following a series of workplace massacres, including a big one at a post office that eventually led to the term going postal being coined in the 1990s. The U.S. Postal Service went to great lengths to examine the issue and dispel the notion that its workers were more prone to violence. Here are some of the key takeaways from the data: What are the reasons people kill co-workers? Several factors have led up to these mass killings: they include disagreements on the job, feeling mistreated by bosses and colleagues and anger in the aftermath of court proceedings. Most of the time there are all sorts of signs of what the grievances were, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist with Northeastern University who has studied mass killings for decades. Some shooters left behind letters complaining of unfair treatment. In the case of the mass shooting at a Manchester, Connecticut, beer distributorship, the gunman called 911 as police closed in and told the operator that he had experienced racism at the company and wished hed killed even more co-workers. While the investigation is still young, the gunman who earlier this month carried out the attack at the municipal building in Virginia Beach stands in stark contrast; seemingly well-liked, in good standing with his employer and had not voiced any grievances. Of the 11 workplace shootings tracked in the database, the most lethal was not the result of a workplace grievance. A radicalized couple carried out the attack against the husbands co-workers at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California, killing 14. Where do most workplace killings take place? The shootings by employees have occurred in a variety of locations: a military base, warehouses, catering company, beer distributor, RV part manufacturer and plastics company among them. The data show that the four workplace killings with the highest death toll happened in government offices or at a government work event. However, criminologists who study gun violence caution that the number of workplace shootings is too small to draw reliable conclusions. The government shootings include 13 killed at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, and 12 at a Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. There are so many questions we dont have any answers to, said Susan B. Sorenson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Ortner Center on Violence and Abuse in Relationships. The reality is there are millions of people who go to work every day in government buildings and millions of people who go into government buildings every day. And almost every single one of them goes home safely. What happens to the shooters? In nearly every case, the shooter killed himself or herself, or was killed by police at a higher rate than other types of public killings, where gunmen were more likely to be arrested. Out of the 11 cases, the only gunman who survived is Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who was sentenced to death for the Fort Hood massacre. The gunman in Virginia Beach was killed in the shootout. Nearly all the offenders in workplace killings were men. However, the shooting in San Bernardino was carried out by two killers, one of them a woman who accompanied her husband. And in Goleta, Calif. in 2006, the former postal worker who killed seven people was a woman. What is the history of workplace shootings? Mass workplace killings have been happening for decades in the U.S. and around the world, gaining widespread attention in the 1980s and `90s. One of the deadliest was carried out in 1986 by a mail carrier who killed 14 Postal Service colleagues in Edmond, Oklahoma. That incident and others prompted the Postal Service to commission a study in 2000 to examine workplace violence around the time that the term going postal was becoming a conversational term. The Postal Service called it the most comprehensive survey ever conducted of workplace violence in our nation, including focus groups, interviews with employees and lengthy examination of policies. The report issued several recommendations to flag violent tendencies while claiming that going postal is a myth and that postal employees are less violent than the national workforce. Associated Press data editor Meghan Hoyer contributed to this report. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance Virginia Gov. Greg Abbott has signed four bills into law aimed at bolstering the states emergency preparedness and disaster relief programs, including framework that provides more than $1.6 billion for flood control projects and repairs across the state. The legislation, which lawmakers hope will act as a how-to guide for future disasters, comes nearly two years after Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston and hit Texas with record rainfalls. The storm was one of the most severe disasters in Texas history, dumping over 50 inches of rain in some parts of Houston and killing more than 80 people. On June 13, Abbott gathered with state lawmakers and local leaders to sign the bills at Gallery Furniture, owned by Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale. In 2017, McIngvale opened two of his stores as shelters for Houstonians displaced by the storm. We saw a storm, when you looked at it, that was unlike any other storm in the history of Texas, Abbott said at the signing. This was a challenge far beyond any challenge we had ever faced in the history of the state of Texas and I am so proud of the way the people behind me stepped up to help their constituents deal with that challenge. Senate Bill 7, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and sponsored by Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, establishes two new funds, the Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund and the Flood Infrastructure Fund, to address the effects of Hurricane Harvey and prepare for future flooding and disasters. The $1.6 billion for the funds are taken out of the states savings fund, and part of the money will go toward local communities that require a match from state funds in order to free up federal aid. Together, what these laws do is this: They ensure that Texas and our local communities are doing far more than just rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Abbott said. We are rebuilding Texas in ways that will be far better than before Hurricane Harvey struck. Early this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $19.1 billion disaster relief bill that releases $4 billion in relief aid allocated to Texas. Throughout this years legislative session, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has been pressing state lawmakers to tap into the states rainy day fund to boost disaster relief and prevention efforts. Turner said the laws are another important step in Houstons long-term recovery. Houston experienced one of the worst rain events in North American history, Turner said in a statement. We knew if we were going to recover, we needed to have more resources, in this case the states Rainy Day Fund. The Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund houses four distinct accounts, each with a specific purpose. One account, the Hurricane Harvey Account, is designated to provide funds, under the direction of the Texas Department of Emergency Management, for projects related to the 2017 hurricane. The account expires in 2031. I have thousands of constituents who flooded and lost everything. I have constituents in this room whose home was swept off its foundation in the middle of the night, Creighton said Thursday. Texans were prepared for Hurricane Harvey in the best way that they could possibly be, but we could never have imagined the scale of that unprecedented storm. We will be better prepared next time around to fight that battle. In addition to Senate Bill 7, the governor signed three other bills that establish framework for disaster preparedness and relief programs. House Bill 5 requires the Texas Division of Emergency Management to develop a catastrophic debris management plan and training, as well as creates a work group to advise local governments on how they can assist with recovery efforts. House Bill 7 requires the governors office to develop a list of laws that could be waived in the event of a disaster to streamline the recovery process. Senate Bill 6 requires the Texas Department of Emergency Management to develop a disaster response model guide and a wet debris study group for local communities. The bill also creates a disaster recovery loan program for communities that suffered significant infrastructure damage. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/06/13/abbott-signs-disaster-relief-bills/. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Related: Topics Catastrophe Texas Legislation Flood Hurricane An Atlanta-area police chief was appointed by Georgias governor Wednesday to head the states insurance commission after the previous commissioner was indicted on federal charges. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp announced that Doraville Police Chief John King will fill the office while predecessor Jim Becks suspension continues. King, a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army National Guard and native of Mexico, will be the first Hispanic statewide constitutional officer in Georgia. Kemp said during a news conference that Kings integrity made him a leading choice during a difficult time for the commission, despite little experience in the insurance space. For me, number one, we had to have a person of very high integrity in the current situation that were in, Kemp said, adding that he felt King was someone who could restore trust. Beck voluntarily suspended himself as insurance commissioner in May after being indicted on federal charges including wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Hes accused of devising an elaborate invoicing scheme to defraud his employer out of more than $2 million over a five-year period and of using some of the ill-gotten gains to fund his statewide election campaign. A Republican elected to the post in November, Beck has declared his innocence and has been receiving a state salary while suspended. According to a biography on the Doraville Polices website, King began his law enforcement career in 1985 with the Atlanta Police Department. He began working for Doraville police in 1993 as a detective, before being named police chief in 2002. In his career with the National Guard, King previously served as Commander of the Macon-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and saw deployments to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the recipient of a Bronze Star Medal. Kemp also appointed Chief Magistrate Judge Joyette Holmes as Cobb County district attorney Wednesday. Holmes will be the first woman and first African American to fill the position. She takes over for Vic Reynolds, who was appointed director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in February by Kemp. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Georgia Law Enforcement Faced with weeks more flooding in a part of Mississippi thats been underwater since February, one of the states U.S. senators on Wednesday asked President Donald Trump to order temporary pumps to the area to begin pumping water over the levee and into the already-swollen Mississippi River. In a letter to Trump, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also renewed her advocacy for a permanent pumping station that would remove floodwater from the southern end of Mississippis Delta region. Thats a long-sought and much disputed project that was vetoed in 2008 by the George W. Bush administration as harmful to the regions wetlands. Levees and floodgates north of Vicksburg were built to prevent water from overflowing into the Delta when the river rises. As of Wednesday, the river has been above flood stage at Vicksburg for 116 consecutive days, with floodgates closed much of that time. The problem comes when the gates are closed and it rains in parts of northern Mississippi. That water flows into the south end of the Delta region and cant drain into the river. Trapped inside levees with nowhere to go, the water has been high since February in whats known as the Yazoo backwater area. Floodwater has swamped 860 square miles (2,200 sq. kilometers), an area larger than the cities of New York and Los Angeles combined. Residents say its the worst flood since 1973, and its been getting worse again since Friday, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed floodgates for another time. There is an immediate need to remove the trapped floodwaters, which can only be accomplished by pumping it from the protected side of the levee system, Hyde-Smith wrote. She likened it to the deployment of pumps to drain low-lying areas of New Orleans after flooding associated with 2005s Hurricane Katrina swamped the city. She said the government could use money included in a disaster relief act passed last week to pay for dewatering. She wrote that she wants temporary pumps to remove floodwaters until a long-term solution is constructed. Thats in line with a renewed push by Hyde-Smith and other Mississippi officials to get the veto reversed. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler told Hyde-Smith in an April hearing that his agency is reconsidering its earlier rejection. Thats exactly what environmentalists fear. They have opposed plans for permanent pumps, saying the titanic pumping station is a multi-hundred million dollar boondoggle that would most benefit large farmers in the area, while draining a complex of wetlands that are of national importance. To me, this is something of a Trojan horse to get pumps in place that would stay in place, said Melissa Samet, senior water resources counsel for the National Wildlife Federation. Samet noted that any water pumped out of the region would have to go somewhere else, part of a multistate balancing act of who floods and who is protected in the heavily engineered Mississippi system. If you start pumping, you have winners and losers, Samet said, arguing that it would be better to elevate homes and roads inside the backwater area. She said old studies show flood levels would increase in nearby areas that are outside the protection of the levee system. She also noted floodwater coursing through a spillway north of New Orleans thats killing seafood and marine life because its turning brackish estuaries into freshwater. Mississippi officials have complained about that situation as well. Thats a hard calculus for many residents of the flooded region to understand, though, with hundreds of homes flooded and some farmers unable to plant a single acre this year. Mississippi Levee Board Chief Engineer Peter Nimrod is a pump supporter who calls Hyde-Smiths request a brilliant idea, saying it would provide at least a little relief. He said farmers have been proposing to use their small farm pumps to try to drain water, even though thats an impractical solution. People have been talking about pumps since day one, Nimrod said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Flood Mississippi Pollution Faced with legislation in California that endangers their business model, Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are urging a compromise that would keep their drivers from being considered employees. We can make independent work better if we update century-old employment laws, Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi and Lyft co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer wrote in a rare, jointly written opinion column published Wednesday in the San Francisco Chronicle. Many drivers are offering ideas to improve their experience, and companies like ours have a responsibility to come to the table prepared to do our part. The executives public appeal follows months of private efforts by the ride-share giants and other companies to secure support from Californias governor, state lawmakers, and labor leaders for some deal to shield them from a sweeping 2018 state supreme court ruling that makes it difficult for firms to claim their workers arent employees. Whether Uber and Lyft drivers remain independent contractors or must be treated like employees goes to the heart of the on-demand economys reliance on a casual labor force to keep costs down. For both companies, which just went public, the prospect of being compelled in their home state to completely overhaul how drivers are compensated is an existential threat. Under the April 2018 ruling known as Dynamex, workers are employees entitled to state wage-law protections unless they are conducting work that it outside the usual course of the companys business. For companies whose core service is transporting customers via an army of drivers they claim are all contractors, that could be a challenging test to pass. In their Wednesday op-ed column, Khosrowshahi, Green and Zimmer say drivers value the flexibility that comes with being treated as contractors. Very few jobs allow you to start or stop working whenever, wherever, as often as you want, they wrote. Rather than forcing the companies to classify them as employees, they say, California should embrace an alternative: Let them keep treating drivers as contractors, but guarantee the drivers some minimum pay during the time theyre picking up and dropping off passengers; create a company-supported benefits fund for perks like paid time off; and establish an association for drivers to advocate for further improvements. Today in California, they write, we have an opportunity to work with legislators and labor groups to find a different solution that preserves drivers ability to work independently if they choose to do so while improving the quality and security of their work. Platform companies in industries like food delivery, as well as the ride-hail firms, have also been discussing similar proposals with leaders of unions, including affiliates of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Service Employees International Union and United Food & Commercial Workers, according to people familiar with the discussions. Vikrum Aiyer, Postmates vice president of global public policy, said the company has found some in labor to be willing to at least brainstorm with us and to coalesce around what the contours of a better social contract can be, something he said he hopes could become a national model. Union leaders declined to directly discuss the status of their talks with gig companies. Rights, Benefits Every single worker in California deserves the right to organize, a living wage, benefits like health care and retirement, and a voice to set standards in their industry, Doug Bloch, political director for a regional Teamsters chapter, said in an emailed statement. We are committed to supporting gig workers in their fight for all those things. Bob Schoonover, president of SEIU California, said gig-economy workers have gotten the short end of the stick for too long. Their activism, he said, has created momentum that cant be denied, and the companies they work for now recognize they must do better. Some labor leaders are cool to compromises like the one put forward Wednesday by Ubers and Lyfts executives. Such terms are woefully short of the protections gig workers are entitled to under current law, Steve Smith, a spokesman for the states AFL-CIO chapter, said in an emailed statement. Cesar Diaz, legislative and political director for Californias building and construction trades council, said deals cut with app-based companies risk undermining labor standards much more broadly. Any deal that makes a worker who is justifiably an employee into an independent contractor taking away their benefits and protections in current law today is a bad deal, he said. In May, Californias Democrat-dominated state assembly passed legislation that, if approved by the state senate and governor, would codify the Dynamex rulings broad definition of an employee and apply it, with exceptions, to a wide swathe of state laws. Newsom Review California Governor Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, has been meeting with labor leaders and executives from major gig companies about the issue, according to people familiar with the matter. Newsom spokesman Brian Ferguson said that if the legislation codifying Dynamex reached his desk, it would be evaluated on its own merits. Whatever happens in California will reshape the national debate over the rights and roles of gig workers. Democrats in Congress, including six senators running for president, last month sponsored a bill that would make a test like Dynamexs the standard for which workers have the right to unionize under federal law. Clearly this whole movement to quote-unquote independent contractors has been a way to skirt the basic protections that workers are entitled to, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said in an interview last week. Sanders has asserted on Twitter that Uber and Lyft drivers are employees, In an April filing for its initial public offering, Uber said that requiring its drivers to be treated as employees would require us to fundamentally change our business model, and consequently have an adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Our companies are no longer upstarts, the Uber and Lyft executives wrote in their Wednesday op-ed. We are public companies that tens of millions of people rely on for mobility and for work. If there ever was a time for new policies, its now. With assistance from Eric Newcomer. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics California Legislation Personal Auto Contractors Sharing Economy Ridesharing Travelers Cos. is strengthening its wildfire-defense efforts after deadly blazes swept through California last year. The insurer is adding a service to all of its California home and landlord policies, helping customers prepare their property for a fire by different means such as taping vents or applying fire retardants to cut back on risk. That comes after fires in November caused more than $12 billion in insured losses industrywide. California battled blazes last year that killed residents and devastated the town of Paradise. Travelers joins companies such as American International Group Inc.s private client group and Chubb Ltd. that offer ways to help clients try to prevent damage from wildfires. Travelers offering, with private firm Wildfire Defense Systems, is in addition to the efforts of local firefighters and seeks ways to help customers remove potential fuel from around homes. The service can help us reach and protect more California homes in the event of an emergency, Michael Klein, Travelers president of personal insurance, said in a statement. Klein said in January that the insurer was also in talks with regulators to raise rates for some homeowners in the state and may deny some renewals in the area after two significant years in a row of losses. Related: Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Trends Wildfire A wrongful death lawsuit claims dangerous work conditions and a Wyoming developers negligence caused the deaths of two men when a trench collapsed last year. The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports the lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of 42-year-old Juan Baez-Sanchez and 56-year-old Victoriano Garcia-Perez, who died last September while working on the 12-foot-deep trench at a house construction site owned by Wilson developer Jamie Mackay. Beneficiaries of the two men are seeking $1 million in damages for each death. The lawsuit claims the deaths could have been avoided. The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration earlier this year proposed more than $10,500 penalties against Mackays Fireside Resort after finding unsafe conditions at the work site. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Nevadas attorney general is recommending approval of a $25 million settlement with homeowners and insurance companies who sought more than $300 million in damages from the state after a fire destroyed 24 homes south of Reno when strong winds reignited a smoldering prescribed burn that escaped in 2016. Lawyers for 105 plaintiffs who sued the Nevada Division of Forestry told a judge last month they had reached a tentative settlement that would require approval by the three-member state Board of Examiners. A trial to determine the amount of damages had been scheduled for December after a jury found the state guilty of gross negligence and liable for losses last year. Gov. Steve Sisolak, Attorney General Aaron Ford and Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske (suh-GAV-skee) are expected to approve the $25 million settlement agreement Thursday in Carson City. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Nevada Brazil OECD - Large In May 2017, Brazil sent a formal request to join the OECD. The Brazilian government believed that becoming an OECD member would help attract foreign investment into the economy. However, the acceptance of Brazil as an OECD member is currently uncertain. Just a few years ago, Brazils chances for acceptance into the OECD were much more favorable. Brazils historical membership bids In 2009, the former OECD Secretary Angel Gurria, who was visiting Brasilia to present an analysis on the Brazilian economy, noted that the possibility of Brazil becoming a formal partner of the OECD is up to the Brazilians; our doors are open to Brazil". Such an invitation was to be evaluated by Guido Mantega, the former Brazilian Finance Minister. However, at the time, Mantega expressed a lack of interest in the invitation. Subsequently, the opportunity to join the OECD then was missed. Nowadays, the conditions to join the OECD have changed, and Brazils 2017 request has been subject to a more stringent evaluation with additional requests for economic adjustments and the possibility to be subject to veto by OECD member countries. Currently, Mexico, Chile and Colombia are the only Latin American members of the OECD. Following Brazils application for OECD membership in 2017, which was supported by former President Michel Temer, several lobbying attempts by the Brazilian authorities have been made to expedite the process. At the beginning of 2018, Henrique Meirelles, the then Finance Minister, along with Angel Gurria, the OECD Secretary-General, and Jorge Antonio Rachid, the Secretary of the local tax authorities, launched an OECD-Brazil work programme to start making local transfer pricing (TP) rules more compatible with the OECD TP guidelines. This programme seeks to align Brazils rules and unique characteristics with internationally accepted practices. OECD membership requirements The decision to accept Brazil into the OECD is now partly dependent on the OECD Committee for Tax Affairs, one of the 23 committees that advise the OECD Council. The committees assessment, which is related to local TP rules, can vary ranging from: Acceptance; Acceptance with a specified deadline for implementation; Acceptance after reservations or modifications to local TP rules, to rejection of local TP rules. The 23 OECD Committees deal with various topics that range from fiscal, to the environment, education, and policies specific to topics such as the working group on bribery on international business transactions, which are all guided by OECD's core values. These core values include a commitment to pluralistic democracy based on the rule of law, respect for human rights, adherence to open and transparent market economy principles, and sustainable development. The recent election of Jair Bolsonaro as the new president of Brazil, and Paulo Guedes as Finance Minister, has raised doubts on whether the government would continue to seek membership of the OECD. However, last January, during the World Economic Forum at Davos, Guedes met with Gurria and indicated Brazil's intention to enter the OECD as soon as possible. The OECD secretary characterised the meeting as very productive. OECD veto As mentioned above, the acceptance of Brazil to the OECD is subject to veto from its members. In March 2019, during a state visit by the Brazilian president to the US, Bolsonaro secured US President Donald Trump's support for the countrys entry into the OECD. However, Trumps support did not come free, and came with conditions that notably included Brazil renouncing preferential treatment as a "developing country" by the WTO. Protectionism and preferential treatment of developing countries by the WTO was harshly criticised by Trump in a press conference in October 2018. He noted: They charge us what they wantIf you ask some people, they say that Brazil is among the toughest in the world may be the toughest in the world. And we don't call Brazil and say, Hey, you're treating our companies unfairly, treating our country unfairly. BaseFirma believes that Brazils acceptance to the OECD should not be contingent upon its non-inclusion in the list of countries that the WTO supports in its effort to overcome poverty and become more developed. That was not the case for countries such South Korea, Mexico and Turkey, which are members of both the G20 and the OECD, and are also included in the WTOs list of developing countries. Transfer pricing alignment From a local perspective, BaseFirma supports aligning Brazilian TP rules with the OECD model in order to create a more favorable treatment of multinationals doing business in Brazil. Brazils unique methods in testing import and export transactions with fixed statutory margins fail to consider risks and functions assumed by the local entity. The required fixed margins may require up to a 66% mark-up for tangible goods imported from related parties, depending on the company's economic sector. If Brazil wants to minimise the reasons why OECD members may veto its acceptance, it should start by giving up its current TP system, and re-design it to be more in line with internationally accepted principles. Taxpayers and international investors have been waiting for changes to the Brazilian TP rules for decades. It is about time to move on and make it easier to do business in Brazil. Davi Santana de Jesus This article was written by Davi Santana de Jesus (davi.santana@basefirma.com) of BaseFirma Brasil. The material on this site is for financial institutions, professional investors and their professional advisers. It is for information only. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before using the site. All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. 2021 Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. For help please see our FAQ. Share this article June 14, 2019 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Bob Moriarty of 321 Gold discusses a company with an Arizona copper project that has been getting a lot of attention. I first wrote about Barksdale Capital Corp. (BRO:TSX.V) in late February of this year. As the price of copper dropped so did the price of the shares. They were $0.55 then, have recovered a little and only $0.57 today even as the story is better understood. They made a giant step forward a few days ago when Teck stepped up to the plate and took a $1.5 million dollar placement into Barksdale. That will put them at 8% ownership in addition to a 15% ownership already by Osisko and having Eric Sprott as a major investor. I cannot stress enough what a simple decision this is to invest in what will be a major base metals deposit. It sits on the border with the $2.1 billion Taylor project owned by South32. But one of the world's leading CRD experts, Peter Megaw, believes that Barksdale holds the heart of the system and the feeders to the Taylor project. I'll be as direct as I can possibly be. If the Taylor project is worth $2.1 billion and Barksdale has the lion's share of the system, Barksdale is worth a hell of a lot more than $21 million for their 67.5% of the sweet spot. Management thinks so, I think so, Osisko thinks so, Eric Sprott thinks so and now Teck thinks so. Just what are you waiting for? I own a lot of shares bought in the open market. BRO is an advertiser and I am biased. Do your own due diligence. BRO-V $0.57 (Jun 13, 2019) BRKCF-OTCBB 38.6 million shares Barksdale Capital Website. Bob and Barb Moriarty brought 321gold.com to the Internet almost 16 years ago. They later added 321energy.com to cover oil, natural gas, gasoline, coal, solar, wind and nuclear energy. Both sites feature articles, editorial opinions, pricing figures and updates on current events affecting both sectors. Previously, Moriarty was a Marine F-4B and O-1 pilot with more than 832 missions in Vietnam. He holds 14 international aviation records. Disclosure: 1) Bob Moriarty: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Barksdale Capital. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: Barksdale Capital is an advertiser on 321 Gold. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector. 2) The following companies mentioned are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. 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Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Barksdale Capital, a company mentioned in this article. More Info: This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp Exports to Britain rose by 10% in April despite ongoing Brexit uncertainty, CSO figures have shown. The value of exports to Britain increased by 102 million to 1.13bn in April, a 10% jump compared with the same month in 2018. Exports to Britain accounted for 9% of total exports, the CSO said. The value of exports to Britain in the first four months of the year was just over 4.75bn, an increase of 369m, or 8%, on the first four months of 2018, according to the CSO figures. Imports from Britain increased by 113m, or 8%, to more than 1.5bn in April compared with the same month last year. Imports from Britain were 22% of the value of total imports in April, the CSO said. The value of goods imports from Britain from January to April was 6.7bn, an increase of 899m, or 15%, on the first four months of last year. Seasonally adjusted goods exports overall increased by 1.47bn, or 13%, to 12.45bn in April compared with March, the CSO said. Medical and pharmaceutical exports increased by 21% to 4.6bn in April 2019 compared with April last year. They represented 37% of the value of total exports, the CSO said. The EU accounted for just under 5.75bn of total goods exports in April 2019, or 46% overall. More than 1.2bn went to Belgium and just over 1bn went to Germany, according to the CSO. The US was the main non-EU destination accounting for just under a third of total exports in April 2019, with a value of almost 4bn. The EU accounted for 58% of total imports, or almost 4.1bn, in April -- a decrease of 167m compared to the same month last year. The USA with 1.24bn and China with 419m were the main non-EU sources of imports, the CSO said. The Governments controversial legislation to grant adopted people basic information and tracing rights breaches international human rights law and appears to ignore EU law entirely. Thats according to a range of legal experts who have joined adoption rights campaigners, representatives of natural mothers, and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties in claiming that the long-awaited legislation is not fit for purpose. Despite campaigners labelling it deeply discriminatory, Childrens Minister Katherine Zappone has defended recent amendments to the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill as striking the correct balance between the right to privacy and the right to identity. She said she is hopeful the bill will pass all stages of the Oireachtas before the summer recess. The principal amendment will introduce a system whereby Tusla will attempt to locate and contact both natural parents as soon as an adopted person requests access to their own early life and adoption files. Where the natural parent does not consent to the release of the information, both parties will make their case before the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI). However, solicitor Fred Logue of FP Logue, a specialist in information law, said the proposed amendments to the bill are extremely concerning and appear to ignore EU law entirely. I dont think the proposed amendments create a regime that is compatible with data protection law, he said. Adoptees have a fundamental EU-law right of access to their personal data. Any request for access must be answered within a month by Tusla as data controller. There are parallel administrative and judicial remedies via the data protection commission and the courts for those who are dissatisfied with the response. He said the legislation seems to ignore the legal position that a public authority cannot blindly follow national law that conflicts with EU law and actually has to disapply those conflicting laws giving full effect to EU law. So whatever way a request is made, it must be handled as a subject access request which renders this overly-complex new regime redundant and unlawful. He added that, in his view, it is not legally possible for the AAI to act as a decision maker in respect of access requests since this would encroach on the responsibilities of the data controller and on the jurisdiction of the Data Protection Commission and the courts to handle complaints concerning access to personal data. The Collaborative Forum on Mother and Baby Homes, which comprises adopted people and natural parents, called for the bill to be scrapped in its report. To date, the Government has refused to publish the report in full. The report which the Irish Examiner has obtained labels plans to transfer information and tracing responsibility solely to Tusla as astonishing and a measure of unbelievable crassness and insensitivity. Without exception, all representative groups, sampled by our sub-committee have called for the immediate removal of Tusla from their involvement in providing information services, the report says. The levels of anger, frustration and discontent with Tusla amongst service users have escalated to record numbers. Lecturer in human rights law at the Irish Centre for Human Rights in NUIG, Maeve ORourke, said the planned legislation is out of step with other European jurisdictions, including Northern Ireland and Britain, where adopted people receive their full information at adulthood. She said that what happened in Irelands historic adoption system amounts to, in many instances, enforced disappearance as defined under European and international human rights law: People who were forcibly separated from family members have an immediate right to all information regarding those separations. Politicians always like to keep an ear to the ground but they could be getting even closer to nature if Micheal Martin gets his way. The Fianna Fail leader wants the Dail to go wild. Taking inspiration from University College Cork who have created a home for insects, bees and other wildlife, Mr Martin has suggested the pristine lawn in front of Leinster House be let grow into a wildflower meadow. Mr Martin told the Irish Examiner: All across the country people are trying to do their bit to protect biodiversity and encourage pollinators. For a while now, Ive been looking at the Merrion Lawn and wondering why we mightnt replant that with Irish wildflowers and create a bit of a sanctuary in the city centre. If the national parliament can demonstrate to people that handing over lawn to wildflowers is worthwhile, it might act as something of an example, Mr Martin said he hopes that representatives from all parties in the Oireachtas would get behind the idea. But some may be concerned the meadowland may provide a sanctuary for political rivals to lie waiting for them in the long-grass. Mr Martin added that he would be contacting the Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail with a view to ditching the lawn mowers and strimmers. Mr O Fearghal last night said he would discuss the matter with the OPW who are responsible for the grounds. We will look at it and would certainly consider it, he said. The plan was welcomed by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan who went further by suggesting bird boxes be installed on the scaffolding currently encasing Leinster House. The country's only dedicated service for supporting children through the grief of losing a parent through death or parental separation has called on the government to fully fund its services as it has seen demand triple. The Childrens Grief Centre in Limerick, has helped over 1,300 children, aged 4-18 years, since it opened 10 years ago. However, at a conference to mark its tenth anniversary the centres director, Sr Helen Culhane, said it is running at full capacity and needs a new building to meet demand. What is really sad is that we now have 207 children on our waiting list, so (demand) has tripled, Sr Culhane said. It has relied on the support of the Mercy Sisters congregation for use of its Westbourne Convent in Limerick but we have now run out of space," she added. It really is very sad that 4% of our budget comes from the government, and 96% comes from the general public, and from my own congregation. "A service like this needs to be fully funded if we are serious about helping our children." The centre is lobbying the government to help it build a larger 4m centre. The annual cost of running the service is approximately 150,000. Olive Foley, whose late Ireland and Munster rugby star husband, Anthony Axel Foley, died suddenly in 2016, described how the centre continues to cushion her family in their grief. Anthony died so suddenly, in his sleep, very unexpectedly. So, I was left with two grieving children, and absolutely no experience, and in complete shock myself, Ms Foley, who is now an ambassador for the centre, said. The services provided allow children to express themselves through play, art, and offering a listening ear in a safe, and non-judgmental setting. Irish Examiner political correspondent Daniel McConnell spoke about his battle trying to cope with the death of his mother, Ann, in 1991, when he was 12 years old. Grief is a very personal thing, but for me, I know I would have benefitted massively from attending something like the Childrens Grief Centre when I was growing up, Mr McConnell said. The speakers all agreed the service should be fully state-funded to ensure early intervention supports are provided to children who may fall through the cracks later in their adult life because of the impact of their grief. Children need help and support with discerning their grief and what has happened to them whether its separation of their parents or the (death) of a parent or sibling - they need help and support early on to prevent problems down the road, Ms Foley added. As more than 8,700 students sat German exams today, a tricky listening comprehension about a beard competition may have proven difficult to even the top students. While a range of topical topics such as extreme weather and cyber hacking made an appearance during the higher level written section, there were a few surprises during the listening exam. ASTI subject rep for German, Pamela Conway, said: The listening proved to be tricky this year as speakers spoke very rapidly in parts and the bit about the beard competition in Germany may have proved difficult to even good higher level students. "The ordinary level paper took the mystery out of what kind of competition was being discussed by stating in the question it was a beard competition. The speed of speaking posed some difficulties to both higher level and ordinary level students on the listening. The section on the listening on Austria's new gay marriage law was topical, as was the section on computer games addiction." The first literary text on the higher level paper about a girl meeting a fascinating boy again was manageable, even if the ending about the boys dangerous smile was a bit odd, she added. Students would have also found the second journalistic text interesting, as it featured the story of a boy who left on a world trip with just 50, she added. The vocabulary was straightforward when it came to the ordinary level paper, Ms Conway said. The second text followed the theme of travels exhibited in the higher level paper, with a text about a group of unlikely students on a seven-day, 200 km kayak challenge. "The final text was about Youtubers who built manned drones- another engaging topic of interest. It had the unusual title of going to the bakery in the bathtub, she added. More than 9,000 students enjoyed "fair and reasonable" Construction Studies exams on Friday afternoon. "Students would have been pleased with the wide variety of questions on both papers," said ASTI Construction Studies rep, James Howley, of St Nathy's College in Roscommon. "There were plenty of opportunities for students to showcase their knowledge." Both papers featured a strong focus on topical issues such as sustainable construction, low carbon footprints and the refurbishment of existing housing stock. Mount Mercy College German class "The use of renewable energy and methods of reusing wastewater also would have made an appearance." The last question on the paper asked students to discuss the best practice of building sustainable houses, he added. "That is a broad question where students could draw from their knowledge of geography, science, and current affairs." When it came to the ordinary level paper, the topics were "very much in line" with those featuring on the higher level paper, Mr Howley added. "The same topics, different angle. I think it was a very reasonable paper overall." The majority of homeless families had rented privately before losing their homes, according to a new study. A study of more than 230 families by Focus Ireland has shone a light on the major factors contributing to homelessness in Dublin. Some 68% of the families reported their last stable home was in the private rented sector. Of families, 86 said they became homeless because their landlord had decided to stop renting out the property, opting to sell it, moving in themselves, or seeing the property repossessed by the bank. Puzzles hub Visit our brain gym where you will find simple and cryptic crosswords, sudoku puzzles and much more. Updated at midnight every day. PS ... We would love to hear your feedback on the section right HERE More than 40 people were detained under emergency anti-terrorism laws in the last year, figures reveal. In addition to these arrests, conducted under 1998 laws, over 100 people were detained in the same period under the State's foundation 1939 anti-terror legislation. Some 13 people have been convicted of terror offences in the last 12 months and a further 34 are awaiting trial. In a report renewing emergency powers in the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said dissident republican groups pose a real and persistent threat. He said this was evidenced tragically by the murders of PSNI prison officers, attempted murders of PSNI constables and the recent murder of young journalist Lyra McKee in Derry. The minister said the small number of people supporting jihadist extremism was a cause for concern and that their activities were monitored very closely. The 1998 Act was enacted in the wake of the slaughter of 29 people, including a mother of twins, by the Real IRA in Omagh on August 15 that year. The Act, which amended the earlier Offences Against the State Acts, contains provisions which change the rules of evidence in relation to the offence of membership of an unlawful organisation, create certain new/substantive offences and extend the maximum period of detention under section 30 of the 1939 Act. The Act also contains a provision that certain sections would cease to be in operation unless the Oireachtas passes resolutions to continue for a further period. In his report to the Oireachtas, covering the period June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019, the minister said: 42 people were detained under the 1998 Act compared to 28 people in the previous year (June 2017 to May 2018) and 54 in the year before that; 102 people were arrested or detained in respect of offences under the 1939 Act compared to 166 in the previous year and 154 in the year before that; 13 people were convicted in the courts in the last year compared to 23 in the previous year and 83 in the year before that; 34 people are currently awaiting trial compared to 19 in the previous year and 45 in the year before that There has been a massive increase in detentions in the last 12 months under Section 7 of the 1998 Act, relating to possession of articles for purposes connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an offence. The numbers have gone from two in 2016, to 24 in 2017, to zero in 2018 and up to 66 in 2019. There has been a substantial drop in detentions under Section 2 of the 1998 Act, relating to the drawing of interferences from an accused's failure to answer questions relating to the offence of membership of an unlawful organisation. The numbers have dropped from 68 in 2016, to 31 in 2017, to 21 in 2018 and to three in 2019. Minister Flanagan said the primary security threat was from dissident republicans: There remains a real and persistent threat from these groups. They operate on an all-island basis, carrying out planning, preparatory and support activities in this jurisdiction with a view to launching attacks in Northern Ireland. He said: The dissident paramilitary groups continue to focus their efforts primarily on targeting members of the security forces in Northern Ireland, as evidenced tragically in recent years by the murders of NI Prison Officers, and a number of attempts to murder PSNI constables. "This year also saw further tragedy with the appalling murder of a young journalist in Derry. He said Ireland could not consider itself immune from international, jihadist-type terrorism and extremism, though an attack here was considered unlikely. But he added: There is a small number of people here whose activities in support of extremism gives cause for concern and the authorities monitor their activities very closely. A preliminary report into the cause of an air crash in Kildare which took the lives of two men is expected within the next 30 days. The crash occurred at Belan, Moone in Kildare on Thursday evening. The aircraft was registered in the United Kingdom and was engaged on a local flight from Kilrush Airfield. Superintendent Martin Walker said that a concerned member of the public notified Gardai once the aircraft had failed to return to the airfield. "They had departed from the area of Kilrush airstrip. Obviously, at that stage, we had concerns for the occupants of what was described as a BRM Aero Bristell NG 5 aircraft. So we commenced a search and we also engaged the services of search and rescue helicopter," he told KFM. Gardai were assisted in their search by Irish Coast Guard helicopter rescue 116 and the aircraft was located this morning at 4.30am. Two men, one aged in his 70s and the other in his late 50s, were fatally injured in the crash. Their bodies were taken to the mortuary in Naas General Hospital. Two Inspectors of Air Accidents were deployed and have begun an investigation of the scene. The Irish Aviation Authority has also been notified. Superintendent Martin Walker (right) along with Howard Hughes (centre) and John Owens, of the Air Accident Investigation Unit, speak to the media near the scene in Belan, Moone, in Co. Kildare. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Chief inspector of the Air Accident Investigation Unit, Jurgen White said he is hoping to have a preliminary report within 30 days into the accident. He told RTE Radio's News at One that, at 3am, he received a call from An Garda Siochana that an aircraft had not returned to its base in Kilrush airfield in Kildare. An emergency response was immediately initiated involving numerous agencies including the gardai, rescue helicopter R116 and the aviation authority which played back radar tapes to determine the last known position of the aircraft. Once that position was identified it led gardai to discover the downed craft in Belan, Moone, Co. Kildare with the two fatally injured men. Mr White said that the two inspectors at the site had begun recording all the information from the aircraft and were conducting a full investigation of the site. It is expected that the wreckage will be removed tomorrow and transported to Gormanstown in Meath for a detailed examination. Mr White said that it was not unusual for a UK registered aircraft to be based in Kilrush and that the aircraft was on a training flight when the accident occurred. "It was only when families of the two men and the owner of the aircraft became concerned that the alert was activated," he said. Mr White said he will keep an open mind as to the cause of the accident though the entire long and detailed process which will be meticulous. Social workers are to meet with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs next week, because social work students are struggling to get work placements. This struggle is due to a lack of formal arrangements. The chair of the Irish Association of Social Workers, Aine McGuirk, said more social workers must be trained and retained, but that it was difficult to secure work placements for those already studying the profession. Both the IASW and the universities that offer social work courses have flagged the difficulties of pairing up students with social workers for placements, due to the lack of formal arrangements and because social workers have to take on the responsibility alongside a heavy workload. Ms McGuirk said students in other disciplines, such as medicine and dentistry, had clear pathways to placements. In a four-year degree course, social work students are likely to undergo four placements, at least one of which must be with a statutory body. We havent got enough social workers to fill vacancies, between health, Tusla, the whole lot, Ms McGuirk said. One solution is to increase the number of graduates, which would increase the throughput. The biggest problem for the colleges is securing practice placements for the students. Tusla said: The provision of social work placements for students is extremely important to Tusla, and a Social Work Education Group and Social Work Education Sub-Group (Placements) has been established to review and streamline this process. This group, which includes representatives from DCYA, Tusla, HSE Solas, The Department of Education and Skills, The Technological Higher Education Authority, and The Irish Universities Association has convened and the next meeting is scheduled for June 20. Tusla will continue to work with its partners and stakeholders to identify any actions that can be taken to improve and streamline this process. This special committee will meet next week to discuss the issue, and it will follow a research conference being held today in Dublin and organised by the IASW. Tusla also said: Tusla has always, and will continue to, commit to providing placements for students social workers from across the four social work training institutions. This is actually set to increase with Maynooth University and Sligo IT now offering 25 and 20 places respectively on their newly developed social work courses. The organisers of the All-Ireland Social Work research Consortium said they want it to reframe the negative narrative around the profession, which is often characterised by resource issues and high-profile cases, by highlighting the research that social workers and students undertake. It will also look at Brexit. Colin Reid, chair of the British Association of Social Workers Northern Ireland, cited the potential social impacts of Brexit, which will affect the work of frontline social workers, particularly in border regions. The Blood Board says stocks of type O negative and B negative are urgently needed to meet demand. The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) needs to receive 3,000 donations a week, but just 3% of the population give blood regularly. A man has been found guilty of attacking his then girlfriend by throwing her on the floor, beating her, and then pinning her to the bed in their flat before he then dropped her to work. Michael OSullivan, of Barrack St, Bantry, Co Cork, denied the allegation and told Judge James McNulty: I would not do that to another human being. After being found guilty, it emerged he had a previous conviction for assault and had received a two-year jail sentence, with six months suspended, in Cork City in 2014 for a sexual assault. The case was brought before Bantry District Court after a complaint by Diana Sullivan, who was Mr OSullivans girlfriend at the time. She told the court that on the morning of December 5, 2017, they were in the bedroom of their flat at Colomane, near Bantry, when they had an argument. She admitted slapping OSullivan across the face. She told the judge: He was watching porn next to me. She said OSullivan then got up out of bed and threw her to the ground and began hitting her, before then throwing her back on the bed and pinning her down with his knees and continuing to strike her. I was scared and I was crying, said Ms Sullivan. She told the judge she had work that morning and that OSullivan dropped her into town. She told the judge that when she was getting out of the car, I said I was sorry but I was not going to let him get away with hitting me like that. She went to Bantry Garda Station to make a statement. Garda Eleanor Hennessy told the court Ms Sullivan was upset and had described what had happened. Ms Sullivan later produced pictures, shown in court, of bruising to her arm. OSullivan, aged 44, denied there had been an assault and said he did not recall being struck himself. The court heard that because of that admission, Ms Sullivan had later received an adult caution. OSullivan said it had been a whirlwind relationship and a turbulent one, but he said he did not recall the events of that morning, although he did remember Ms Sullivan telling him that night that he had gone to the Garda station. The relationship ended some weeks later, he said. Judge McNulty said he considered Ms Sullivans evidence to be truthful and reliable, and that it was corroborated by Garda Hennessys account. He said OSullivans evidence was unsatisfactory, including his inability to recall the events of that day. The court heard OSullivan had five previous convictions, including for assault in 2002, and the two-year sentence with six months suspended for sexual assault handed down in Cork City on November 27, 2014. Regarding OSullivans claim in the witness box, the judge said he thought it had been a tad effusive and that clearly this man is in denial. Domestic violence is unforgivable and I imagine, for the victim, it is unforgettable, he said, sentencing OSullivan to three months in prison. Thankfully she had the strength of character and moral courage to go straight to the Garda station. Recognisance for appeal was set at 100, no cash. Arlene Harris talks to three men about their delight in being parents to growing children and how they deal with the difficulties of single or sole fatherhood. DADS play a vital part in their childrens lives and for the past three years new fathers in Ireland have been granted two weeks of statutory paternity leave at any stage during the first 26 weeks of fatherhood. Fear of missing out at work is stopping some men from taking this paternity leave with just 40% of dads taking time off to be with their newborns last year. But with many experts extolling the benefits of paternal bonding, these figures will hopefully rise as employers encourage new dads to spend time with their families. Almost 220,000 family units in Ireland are headed by a lone parent an increase of more than 3,500 since the last census in 2011. And while the vast majority of these parents are women (84%), one in seven (or 13.6%) single parents are male. With Fathers Day just around the corner, we speak to three solo dads whose children are their world. Sole parent Stephen Teap (38) lost his wife, Irene, to cervical cancer in 2017. As father to two boys Oscar (six) and Noah (four) the Cork man, who is a high-profile member of the CervicalCheck steering committee, says there is nothing more important than his sons health and happiness. Spending time with my boys, making memories and being a family is everything to me, he says. Reliving my youth through their eyes is always great fun, whether its Santa Claus around Christmas time, dressing up for Halloween or watching the favourite movies I loved as a kid and seeing the expressions on my boys faces as they experience the magic I did for the first time; even the tooth fairy brings its own excitement. We dont often hear about young widowers with small children, he says. While I am referred to as a single parent, I think sole parent is more accurate. I know a lot of single-parent situations can be filled with conflict but there are also many who still have the assistance of the other parent in raising their kids even though theyre still not together. But Im on my own and that became very apparent last month when Oscar became ill after a trip to Legoland in England. The GP referred him to hospital for tests and it was decided to admit him overnight. Once I heard that the panic kicked in and I truly felt alone. Thank God I have great family and friends who come to my aid and Oscar, who had picked up a bug, is doing fine. Birthdays feature among the most difficult days. Its when we notice Irenes absence the most. She took great pride in baking the birthday cake and hand making all of the decorations. Special occasions are also very difficult, especially the firsts, Oscars first school concert or Noahs first Christmas singing concert in Montessori, you cant help but feel sad for the boys that their mother isnt around to witness this. Also, silly things then like Oscar taking off on his bike last year or reading his first book from start to finish recently or something as simple as Noah dressing himself for the very first time and being so happy with himself with his huge, three-year-old achievement. Stephen, head of network and training at Volvo Cars Ireland, says the most challenging part of being a sole parent is trying to juggle routine but it is hugely rewarding and worth all the effort. Making packed lunches, dropping the boys to school and creche, going to work, being back in time to collect them, making dinner, doing homework and, most importantly, squeezing in family time together, can be exhausting, he says. It leaves very little time for things like heading out for a run or going to the gym, which requires a lot of planning. But the three of us are the best of friends and try and have as much fun as possible. We love going swimming, to the cinema and to Fota. Last summer we bought a tent and have been camping a few times with friends and the boys absolutely love this. We just did our first trip of 2019 last weekend. The boys value their one-on-one time with their dad. Normally it means sweets for them and a quick espresso for me, but its their time they have on their own with me and, for some reason, they love to suggest a sneaky coffee which I will never refuse. Making memories has become all the more important since Irene passed away. Memories are the one thing which cant be taken away from us. I try to keep her memory alive as the boys were so young when she passed away, which is why we try and do the most we can every day. Mums are often seen as key with support services focussed on her role. What advice would he give to sole fathers? All the support groups out there for parents all seem to be concentrated around mothers and its difficult if youre looking for advice on anything. All I would say is surround yourself with friends who have children of their own so you can weigh on them for support and get parenting tips for whatever reason you need them. He believes more needs to be done to help people in his situation. The increasing cost of childcare and lack of governmental support is something which affects all parents. I wasnt always a single parent and the problems I have today are the same as when my boys had their mum around, just now its highlighted more that Im the only income. The cost of childcare forces a lot of parents to make the choice between work or staying at home and given that most households require two incomes to keep a roof over their heads this puts an awful lot of pressure on young families , so I definitely think there could be more done in relation to tax breaks for single parents. As a single income household, something certainly should be done to ease the financial pressures around childcare particularly. I love being their dad Michael Rossney with his children Aimee and Harvey: They ask questions about re-unification, which is hard as their mum and I are not going to get back together, so I have to be very honest. Picture: Moya Nolan Michael Rossney (40) has two children Aimee (five) and Harvey (four). He shares the parenting role with his ex-wife and says the days his children are with him are the most special. Its hard to put into words how much I love being their dad, says the employment specialist. Aimee loves planning things so I really enjoy our negotiations around what will she wear that day and what were going to eat. Harvey is wonderful and incredibly funny. He is constantly moving and singing or making sounds. I love it when he finds a song he likes and he gets completely still as nothing is allowed to distract him from the music. Hes a real boy obsessed with pirates, Lego and superheroes but at the same time, he is incredibly gentle and kind. I told him that I wanted to trim down my belly to make it like a superheros belly. He thought about it for a while and then told me not to worry because The Hulk had a belly too and he was a superhero. Michael, who lives in Dublin, says being a dad has allowed him to revisit his childhood and enjoy being silly. But the part-time role does bring challenges. Both the joy and responsibility are immense. But like most kids with separated parents, they ask questions about re-unification, which is hard as their mum and I are not going to get back together, so I have to be very honest and direct but in a gentle way. Purpose in life Ray Brennan and his children Sean and Zara: Without a doubt, I would say that being a dad has changed me for the better. Picture: Moya Nolan Ray Brennan (47) is father to Zara (nine) and Sean (five). A software developer, he says the rewards of being a father are endless and he never tires of watching his children grow. It is fantastic to see them develop and mature and I have noticed that whatever I ask of them, they will exceed my expectations, he says. I just love spending time with them and am amazed by how determined they are, whether it comes to learning to swim or building something out of Lego. My daughter recently gave me the birthday present of being able to swim 1k this she achieved because she wanted to do something special for me and had been practising for months I was so proud that she managed to achieve such a feat at her age. It can be difficult when its time for the children to return to their mum. Not being with them all the time is very challenging and waving goodbye to them when they have to go back to their mother is very hard, he says. The Dublin man says being a parent brings many unexpected moments, but the most surprising thing of all is how it totally transformed his life. He says: I spent many years just wandering through life without any thoughts as to where I was going with it all. I would change course and go wherever I fancied at the drop of a hat but that all seemed to change when I had my first child. I was suddenly given a purpose in life and all I wanted to do was to protect my little girl the feeling was amazing. Then when my son was born I developed a real sense of pride, followed by a responsibility to teach him well. So without a doubt, I would say that being a dad has changed me for the better. Nurturing dads Fathers play a significant role in their childrens lives and this has often been overlooked, but thankfully times are changing, says child Wexford-based psychologist Peadar Maxwell. In the past, research focused more on the role of mothers, while fathers were portrayed as providers and disciplinarians when a mother needed backup, he says. This jaded and unhelpful view has been replaced by modern research which supports what most of us already know fathers are a hugely important part of a childs development and emotional life. Children who have a caring, involved and supportive father are more likely to feel more secure and have better outcomes across a number of themes in their life. Research shows that having a devoted dad is hugely beneficial to a childs development. Several studies indicate that children of men with a nurturing and encouraging style of fathering are more likely to have enhanced verbal and emotional skills, which is also associated with better intellectual and academic achievement, he says. This is not to say that children cannot be parented successfully by one parent or two mothers but it does put paid to the outdated notion that fathers have a restricted role in their childrens lives. There have always been loving, doting fathers just as there have always been absent or preoccupied fathers. What has changed is that we are starting to pay more attention to the role of men in their families and to the ability of men to relate in a loving and nurturing way. Now society and workplaces need to catch up and provide fathers with the permission and support to be the best father they can be. See: www.onefamily.ie Stephen Henderson tonight resigned from his position as Cobh Ramblers manager after the teams 2-1 home win over Galway United. Denzil Fernandez gave the Rams an interval lead, added to by a second from prolific Jaze Kabia on the hour. Galway pulled one back through Stephen Walshs drive but they couldnt plunder an equaliser. Shortly afterwards, a club statement read: Cobh Ramblers wish to announce that first team manager Stephen Henderson has tonight resigned his position with immediate effect. The board of Cobh Ramblers reluctantly accepted Stephens decision and we would like to place on record our heartfelt thanks to Stephen for all his work during his time at Cobh Ramblers. Stephen played a key role in reestablishing Cobh Ramblers as a League of Ireland club and for that we will be forever grateful. An interim manager will be appointed in the coming days. Meanwhile Shelbourne are on course for a Premier Division return after they saw off fellow challengers Drogheda United 2-1 at Tolka Park. Ciaran Kilduff was the match-winner at Tolka Park, putting them ahead and restoring that lead in the second half after Sean Brennan had equalised. They head into the break four points clear at the summit. Bray Wanderers remain the mix for a play-off spot after a late winner from Hugh Douglas clinched a 3-2 victory over rivals Longford Town. Athlone Town and Cabinteely drew 2-2 while Wexford held Limerick scoreless in the south-east. Just because something is permitted, doesnt mean it is right, writes Elaine Loughlin What we have is a penny wise but pound foolish Paschal, who has lost his prudence, and is now a dangerous Donohoe. The practiced political jibe directed at the finance minister was flawlessly delivered to the waiting media by Fianna Fails Jack Chambers earlier this week. There were a few smirks and eye-rolls from the journalists, but Mr Chambers was highlighting a rising anger and concern around the Governments mismanagement of the public finances and the mounting billions above budget that are being spent on the National Broadband Plan and the National Childrens Hospital. Leo Varadkars Government now seems determined to spend and overspend its way out of any problem. But our Government needs to realise that we cannot simply buy our way out of the climate crisis. We cannot continue to use the purchase of carbon credits as a free pass for inaction. The Governments climate shopping spree was revealed at the Public Accounts Committee this week when members were told that the State has spent more than 86m in buying itself out of international environmental targets. PAC chair Sean Fleming was scathing in his attack of the throw money at it attitude adopted by our Government to climate change. We are saying that if we dont meet our targets, we will buy unused emission credits from somebody else and pay the price, Mr Fleming said. He went on to describe the spending as horrific. He said Irelands approach to reducing carbon emissions is a charade, and suggested the Government are misleading the public through purchasing of carbon credits purely to pretend we are coming in under target. In simple English, if we dont meet our targets we can buy our way out of the problem by buying unused emissions from somewhere else. Its the biggest act of gross hypocrisy when it comes to the environment, said Mr Fleming. But hypocritical or not, the State intends to continue to dole out money to make up for our terrible record on tackling the climate crisis. The committee heard that we are likely to have to spend another 67.5m to buy ourselves out of further renewable energy targets by the end of next year. On top of that, we are set to spend up to 13m more to address EU2020 emissions targets deficits. The Department of Environments secretary general Mark Griffin admitted that while the Government is committed to climate change reform, it is failing to meet its existing targets. Ireland has been told that it must be at 16% renewable energy by 2020. However, the Government now expects to reach just 13% in that timeframe. Indeed, the Fiscal Advisory Council said during the week the overall cost of not meeting our 2030 emissions targets could be as much as 5.5bn. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan called for these funds to instead be invested in renewable energy, public transport, and other mitigating measures. It is far better that we spend that money now on the changes needed to move away from fossil fuels. So often we are hearing about the cost of dealing with climate change, but not dealing with it is clearly going to cost more, said Mr Ryan. Of course the Governments spending on carbon credits is all allowed. The Kyoto Protocol permits countries that have emission units to spare emissions permitted to them but not used to sell this excess capacity to countries that are over their targets. This polluter pays system allows gas-guzzling, carbon-producing countries like Ireland to buy carbon credits from good countries. Just like oil or gold, carbon is now tracked and traded like any other commodity. It is known as the carbon market. This trading system has been used by us and many other developed nations as a way of gaining absolution from our sins against the environment without actually addressing our discretions. Its not surprising then, that negotiators at the last UN climate summit in December could not reach consensus on whether and how to continue Kyoto-era offset schemes under the Paris Agreement. States may now be beginning to realise that the carbon barter system cannot continue, but replacing it will require considerable effort and massive changes in policy on their part. Talks on the future of carbon trading will resume in Bonn, Germany, this month but for now, carbon credits are legal currency. But just because something is permitted doesnt mean it is right and this week, the UN claimed in an article that carbon offsets are not our get-out-of-jail-free card. Experts in the environment section of the UN said that buying carbon credits in exchange for a clean conscience while people carry on flying, buying diesel cars, and powering their homes with fossil fuels is no longer acceptable. We are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said. In recent months, we have seen thousands of young people take to our streets calling for action to tackle climate change. The wider public through the ballot box sent out a clear message that they want change when they brought about a green wave electing 49 local Green Party councillors and two Green MEPs last month. While those in Leinster House are now talking green, their actions are anything but eco-friendly and the small efforts made to date come nowhere near where we now need to be. Junior Minister John Halligan perhaps summed up the type of thinking in Government when he was asked about the potential environmental impact of Waterford Airport yesterday. If anybody thinks that we are not going to be travelling by air in the next 10, 15, 20 years, they are delusional, he told RTEs Today with Sean ORourke. Climate Minister Richard Bruton is expected to publish a long-awaited cross-Government climate action plan next week. Campaigners have said that the Governments latest climate action plan must signal a new departure, putting Ireland on the path to zero climate pollution by 2050 and ending business-as-usual. Oisin Coghlan, director of Friends of the Earth, said Mr Varadkar now has to stop speaking out of both sides of his mouth on climate action and pick a side, the fossil fuel industry or a safe future for our children. Otherwise, it doesnt matter how many bells and whistles Richard Brutons climate plan has, no one will trust them to follow through fast enough or fairly enough. Unfortunately, the problem with previous plans launched in 2000 and 2007 is that they werent followed up with enough actual action. Ireland got its reputation as a climate laggard because of that implementation gap, he said. Instead of opening the purse strings again, our Government now needs to pull its socks up and get real on climate change. We have come a long way in making our roads safer over the past two decades. In 1998, 458 deaths occurred on Irish roads, compared with 146 in 2018. In fact, as the Road Safety Authority (RSA) revealed yesterday, there has been a 68% reduction in fatalities on Irish roads since the introduction of the first road safety strategy in 1998. Road deaths have decreased by 26% since 2010, with the implementation of improved legislation, such as new drug driving laws, greater traffic law enforcement activities, and road safety campaigns playing a part in making that happen. Thats the good news. The not-so-good news is that, despite this huge improvement, the RSAs chief executive Moyagh Murdock says it is unlikely that targets for reducing deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads will be met next year. The target had been to reduce road deaths to under 124 a year by 2020, but that is now unlikely to be achieved. That target forms part of an EU-wide strategy to make roads safer across all member states. In 2010, the European Commission renewed its commitment to improve road safety by setting a target of reducing road deaths by 50% by 2020, compared to 2010 levels. This target followed an earlier one set in 2001 to halve the number of road deaths by 2010. A new target to halve road deaths by 2030 compared to 2020 levels was announced by the European Commission last year. The 2020 target will only be met by a handful of member states and Ireland is not one of them. Our failure to meet what is, admittedly, a challenging target was revealed at the RSA Annual International Road Safety Conference which will inform the development of the next Government road safety strategy. According to Ms Murdock, enforcement is key to reducing road deaths. Enforcement is, of course, very important, considering that more than a third of car users who die in road crashes are not wearing seatbelts. But surely a more holistic approach is needed if we are to achieve a substantial decrease in the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. That is the approach being taken by some EU states. The French have reduced speed limits on undivided rural roads to 80km/h. That should give us pause for thought here, considering the number of similar roads in Ireland where the limit remains at 100km/h. They have also taken a much broader view of road safety. In the city of Dunkirk in Normandy a free bus service has doubled the number of people using public transport, with the consequent reduction in car use leading to fewer road accidents. It is not only the wealthy states with large populations that are achieving substantial improvements in road safety. The former Soviet republic of Estonia, with a population of 1.3m, will meet the EU target, using a combination of traffic law enforcement and public safety campaigns. Though not in the EU, Norway is part of the push for safer driving throughout Europe and has almost halved road deaths since 2010, thanks, in part, to a speed awareness campaign targeting young male drivers. No single road safety measure will make a difference but a combined approach will. Asia 'Too Many' Maps Slow Return of Indonesia's Indigenous Land Indonesian President Joko Widodos pledge to hand back 31 million acres of land to indigenous people is currently being held up by land disputes. / Reuters BANGKOKA pledge by Indonesia to hand back control of customary forests to indigenous people is being hampered by overlapping land claims for mines, plantations, forests and public land in the country, a senior government official said on Thursday. Indonesian President Joko Widodo had vowed to return 12.7 million hectares (31 million acres) of land to indigenous people following a historic 2013 court ruling to lift state control of customary forests. Rights to about 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) of forest land had been handed over by 2017, but land rights activists said the process was slow, and the government had refused to recognise a map of customary land prepared by indigenous rights group AMAN. There are too many mapswe have 85 thematic maps for forestry, mining, plantations, customary forests, etc, said Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, assistant deputy minister for forest governance in the environment ministry. We need to reconcile them all before settling a claim. We are also trying to reconcile AMANs map, but there are some discrepancies, and we have to consider them carefully, he said in an interview on the sidelines of a conference in Bangkok. Widodo, who won a second term in an election in April, last year signed an agrarian reform decree aimed at issuing titles to the landless and raise farm incomes. The government aims to register all land in the country by 2025. But land rights activists have said the governments insistence on only recognising clean and clear land excludes conflicted areas and those where ownership is disputed, denying millions of people a chance for legal titles. Last week, the Indonesian forestry ministry for the first time published a map showing the locations of customary forests covering about 472,981 hectares (1.1 million acres) that it has verified. The map will be updated every few months as more areas are verified, and will help settle claims faster, Wibowo said. Last month, Widodo ordered government officials to resolve land conflicts quickly, and favor communities with prior claims on land given to palm oil and mining developers. This will also help expedite the issuing of titles, said Wibowo. Indonesias environment minister on Wednesday said a moratorium on new forest clearing for palm oil plantations or logging operations, which has been regularly extended since 2011, would become permanent. More than 800,000 hectares (1.9 million acres) of land in the country were embroiled in disputes at the end of last year, according to advocacy group Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), many involving palm oil plantations. Disputes such as these can be resolved faster under the countrys One Map program that seeks to clarify land holdings and synchronise overlapping thematic maps, Wibowo said. Land ownership is a complex matter and it takes time to verify claims, resolve disputes and issue titles, he said. By addressing overlaps in the different maps with the One Map policy, we can not only resolve disputes, but also promote more efficient land use that benefits communities and businesses, he said. You may also like these stories: Frenchman Sentenced to Death for Drug Trafficking in Indonesia Indonesian President Says to Go All Out in Second Term to Boost Economic Reform Jokowi 2.0 Could Open Indonesias Door to Foreign Investors Enslaved for Decades, Indigenous Indians Freed by Land Titles Burma Armys Tough Stance on 3 Northern Alliance Groups Thwarts Bilateral Deals: AA Chief AA chief Maj-Gen. Tun Myat Naing / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy YANGONThe commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army, (AA), Major-General Tun Myat Naing, said negotiations on bilateral ceasefire agreements will fail if the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) maintains its hardline attitude toward three of the four members of the Northern Alliance. Even if we could reach an agreement over the venue [for the meeting], there might still be problems about the meeting agenda, especially about the deployment of troops. They [the Tatmadaw] have spoken aggressively about troop deployments. And they have not expressed clearly their policies on our allies, the TNLA [Taang National Liberation Army] and the MNDAA [Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army]. So, we are taking a wait-and-see attitude in response to their hardline attitude, Maj-Gen. Tun Myat Naing told The Irrawaddy. The Northern Alliance is a coalition of four ethnic armed groups: the AA, TNLA, MNDAA and Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Formed by 26 Arakanese youths in April 2009 in Kachin States Laiza with the support of the KIA, the AA today is a 7,000-strong army. While the AA aims to establish a stronghold in its homeland, Rakhine State, the Tatmadaw has said that it considers the AA to be based in Laiza, and does not recognize it as having established a presence in Rakhine. We are already in Rakhine, and have been fighting many clashes with them. Their refusal to acknowledge our existence in Rakhine will only worsen the situation. They have said the same about troop deployments of the MNDAA and the TNLA, Maj-Gen. Tun Myat Naing told The Irrawaddy. We want to see a move that will bring about some political improvement, not necessarily on the bilateral [ceasefire agreement] alone, he added. In 2015, the ethnic armed group started to infiltrate Chin States Paletwa Township on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, in order to realize its dream of returning to Rakhine. The group has gradually expanded its areas of operation to Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Ponnagyun and Mrauk-U in northern Rakhine State. Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team said, We have clarified our stance on the AA. We have nothing more to say. And we will reveal our policies on other groups when we hold talks with them. Our stance on the AA will not change. Rakhine State was stable in the past; the conflict will only grow bigger given the current situation. So, we will not change our mind. The governments National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) and the Northern Alliance last met on April 30. While the meeting did not produce any progress toward signing bilateral ceasefire agreements, Brig-Gen. Zaw Min Tun said the government and the Tatmadaw have discussed recommendations submitted by the Northern Alliance at the April 30 meeting and reached a consensus on their recommendations. He declined to provide details. We have articulated our stance. Whether the bilateral [ceasefire agreement] will be successful or not will depend on them [the Northern Alliance], he added. The Northern Alliance also called for establishing a ceasefire monitoring mechanism as well as a military code of conduct in signing bilateral ceasefire agreements. According to political and ethnic affairs analyst U Maung Maung Soe, If military deployments are to be discussed as part of the bilateral [ceasefire agreements], [the Tatmadaw] will have to talk not only with the AA, but also with the TNLA and the MNDAA. Though the [Tatmadaw] has not signed a bilateral [ceasefire agreement] with the KIA, a truce was signed [between the KIA and the Tatmadaw] in 1994, and troop deployments were discussed then. So there is no problem. Intense debates are likely between the Tatmadaw and the groups, as they have never discussed troop deployments before, U Maung Maung Soe said. There will be progress on the political front only when the bilateral ceasefire agreement is signed. But the Tatmadaw is very seriously concerned, and it acts by blocking the political dialogue. This hinders a political breakthrough, he said. At the April 30 meeting, the NRPC and the Northern Alliance agreed to meet again on May 24-25, but that meeting has been indefinitely postponed. You may also like these stories: AA Says It Will Free 8 Detainees When Calm Returns to S. Chin State We Are United Because We Are All Under Threat: AA Chief At Least 20 Troops Killed in Paletwa Clashes, AA Says Burma Civilians Injured, School Shelled in Army Response to Mrauk-U Ambush Daw Kyar Htay Sein, a neighbor of victim U Maung Win Yee shows the couple's the burnt out home at Ywar Haung Taw Village, Mrauk-U Township on March 20, 2019. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy YANGONAt least three men and a child from northern Rakhine States Mrauk-U Township were wounded when a military unit opened fire along a village road Thursday afternoon, witnesses and members of a local rescue team say. The rescue team in Mrauk-U identified the victims as U Tun San Hla, U Hla Tun Tha and Maung Kyaw Lin Naing, a 9-year-old boy, from Ywar Haung Taw village, and U Tun Kyaw from Sin Cha Seik quarter. U Tun San Hla, shot in the abdomen, is in critical condition. The others were shot in their legs and arms. Ywar Haung Taw village is about 2 kilometers east of Mrauk-U. The Thursday attack marks the second time the village has experienced shelling by the army. In late March a mortar explosion injured two there. The vast majority of village residents, concerned for their safety, had sought refuge in downtown monasteries, but returned weeks later when the situation had calmed down. The village monasterys abbot told The Irrawaddy that the military unit, traveling through the village to Mrauk-Us downtown from neighboring Minbya Townships Pan Myaung model village, began shooting at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday. He said the shooting lasted about an hour and a half, striking a religious hall in the monastery compound. According to the abbot, Maung Kyaw Lin Naing was shot in the thigh while walking through the village and the other two men were while in their homes. He said the army unit had accused the villagers of planting landmines on a nearby highway. The road the military unit opened fire on runs 550 meters (1,800 feet) through the village, from end to end. They started shooting from the entrance to the exit of the village, the abbot said. School windows were completely destroyed by bullets. Myanmars academic year began on June 2 and the village primary school was operating when the shooting ensued. The school employs between seven and 10 teachers and serves 30 students. When firing broke out, the school superintendent sheltered students in a classroom. Ko Moe, another village resident whose name has been changed to protect his safety, corroborated this account of soldiers indiscriminately firing at the school and, he added, at civilian homes. He said there were empty bullet casings littered along the road and four unexploded mortar shells, including one at his compound. Additionally, three unexploded casings, a 60 mm mortar round, an Enarga anti-tank rifle-based grenade launcher and other munitions were found in the village. The spent bullet casings by bear a triangle mark and Log no. 5.56 mm, he said. We collected nearly a full buckets worth of bullet casings, Ko Moe said. He said the troops belonged to Light Infantry Division 22. The monk said that as of Thursday the entire village had moved again to a safer location, save for a few, mostly elderly, villagers. Locals say there was no armed engagement between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar military in the village immediately prior to the incident. Colonel Win Zaw Oo of the Western Command told The Irrawaddy that troops opened fire when, shortly after three army tanks and a column of marching troops passed Ma Kyar Taung Hill, at about 3:30 p.m., they encountered landmine explosions targeting the marching soldiers. He declined to comment whether the army trucks and foot soldiers were entering or leaving the village at the time. Asked about the targeting of schools and civilian homes, Col. Win Zaw Oo said his soldiers fired only at locations where bullets came from. He accused AA fighters of using the monastery compound as cover while ambushing the military unit. Our soldiers responded to where bullets were coming from, he said. On Friday, in a separate incident, the AA announced on its website that they had clashed with the military near Buthidaung Townships Sai Din River on Wednesday and Thursday, in which they claimed to have killed at least 25 soldiers and lost one of their own. The AA said the shooting in Ywar Haung Taw village was carried out by Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 81, which is under the command of Light Infantry Division (LID) No. 22 in Rakhine State. The AA will act on those who falsify clashes to intentionally target civilians in the region, an AAs website update read. Burma Jailed Americans Family Pleads to US, Myanmar Govts in Hemp Case John Fredric Todoroki and Ko Shane Latt arrive for a court hearing in Mandalay / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy YANGONThe family of US citizen John Frederic Todoroki, who was accused of growing marijuana in Mandalays Nganzun Township, has appealed to the Myanmar government for help, pleading that Todoroki only tried to help Myanmar farmers growing industrial hemp and did not commit any drug-related crimes. The family sent the letters to Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and Mandalay Region Chief Minister U Zaw Myint Maung on June 12, as well as to U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and U.S. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell. Todoroki, 63, was arrested with fellow III M Global Nutraceutical employees Ko Shane Latt, 37, and Ma Shunlae Myat Noe, 23, on April 24 under the Myanmar Anti-Narcotics Law for allegedly operating a marijuana plantation in Myotha Industrial Park in Myinchan Township, Mandalay Region. They were placed in Myin Gyan Prison and their trial is ongoing. The familys letters were shared with the media during a press conference held by the team of lawyers representing the accused in Yangon on Friday. U Thein Than Oo, one of the defense lawyers, said the case has occurred only because of widespread misunderstandings of cannabis, a genus of plant, and marijuana, a drug derived from plants within the genus, and that his client had been growing an industrial, non-psychoactive form of cannabis legally for 10 months. It is important that the government look into the familys appeal letters, he said, noting that it is the first ever case of its kind in Myanmar. According to the 1993 Myanmar Narcotics Law, cannabis cannot legally be grown. Growing hemp, a plant in the genus cannabis, as an industrial fiber became legal in the U.S. in December, but it is still considered illegal in Myanmar. But, the lawyer said, such a law should be in consideration for amendment. If hemp becomes legal under Myanmar law, he said, it would also help a lot of farmers. Ann Todoroki, the wife of the accused, said in her letter that her imprisoned husband has suffered from constant heat stroke and high blood pressure since his detention. At his age and health he wont survive. Nobody in the country is taking accountability or responsibility. He went over to Myanmar to help the country and is now being prosecuted, unjustly. It is clear that the company received permission to grow industrial hemp. I respectfully ask you to help me, she wrote in the appeal letter to the Myanmar president. Todoroki is one of 20 outside consultants from the U.S., the U.K., Brazil and Germany, his wife wrote, hired as a consultant for expertise in construction, water irrigation and drought mitigation for the research and development project in an industrial park known as MMID. She wrote that Todoroki believes that the rural farmer can make much more than they presently are. The company is a foreign direct investment for Myanmar offering higher paying job opportunities and development of the region. He is helping the community immensely by pushing for the highest paid wages in the region nearly doubling and tripling in many cases. The lawyers said they are now in contact with the family and better able to get a complete picture of the case. U Thein Than Oo said Todoroki helps Myanmar by sharing agricultural expertise with farmers, in a way helping to elevate living conditions, and so his work was of mutual benefit. A bad consequence of this case is that it shocks the investment community and damages the reputation of the country, since the government had permitted the company to grow hemp in some 50 acres of land near Mandalay, Myanmars cultural capital, he said. You may also like these stories: Four More US Citizens Wanted in Connection with Mandalay Marijuana Plantation Raided Cannabis Farm Was Approved to Grow Hemp, Legal Adviser Says American, 2 Others Held over Marijuana Plantation in Mandalay Division Burma Join Peace Process, Dont Complain from Outside: Senior Govt Negotiator The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committees secretariat holds an informal meeting at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Yangon on June 13, 2019. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy YANGONWhen it comes to the peace process, it is better to come inside the house and start a debate than shouting and stoning the house from outside, said U Khin Zaw Oo, a member of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) secretariat. The secretariat held an informal meeting on Thursday and Friday at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) in Yangon to try to find solutions to break the impasse in the countrys peace process. Speaking at the meeting, U Khin Zaw Oo, who is also the secretary of the governments Peace Commission, called on all concerned groups to continue to work within the peace process, instead of complaining about it from the outside. It is important that everyone comes inside and discusses [the issues] frankly, he said, seemingly frustrated at some ethnic armed groups decision to stay away from peace talks. The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), announced in November the suspension of its participation in formal meetings of the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) at various levels. The move came a month after another NCA signatory, the Karen National Union (KNU), announced the suspension of its participation in the talks. The suspensions followed disagreements at a meeting between the 10 NCA signatories and the Myanmar Military (or Tatmadaw) on Oct. 15-16 over the latters insistence on a single military for the country, and its demand that ethnic groups forgo the right to seek secession from the Union. Though the formal UPDJC meetings are supposed to be held monthly according to the NCA, nearly a year elapsed between the previous one and the ongoing meeting in Yangon. Similarly, the 21st-Century Panglong Union Peace Conference has not been held since July 2018, though the NCA states that the conference should be held twice a year. No matter what changes they want, they are to be discussed at formal meetings. Only then will we be able to converge. While they have the right to talk at the formal meetings, speaking from the outside and not coming to the [negotiating] table will only harmnot helpthe negotiations, U Khin Zaw Oo said. Both the RCSS and the KNU said they would try to push the stalled peace process through informal talks. The KNU, however, was absent from the UPDJC informal meeting, which ended on Friday. Informal talks contribute to trust building, but they are not enough. There is a need to hold formal meetings in line with procedures to reinforce the relations. Decisions reached at the formal meetings are key to overcoming the obstacles and keep the negotiation process going. We have to admit that the negotiation process has stalled, as formal meetings have stalled, U Khin Zaw Oo said. Secretary-2 of the RCSS Colonel Sai Ngern, who is also a secretary of the UPDJC, blamed the dogmatism of the stakeholders for the stalled peace process. While ethnic armed revolutionary organizations stick to federalism, the Tatmadaw insists on a single army and non-secession. So we could not find a convergent point and are trapped in the peace process, blaming each other. Different groups have different priorities and there is a need to look fairly at both sides. There must be sympathy. It is also important to ensure equality, respect and recognition among dialogue partners, he said. He called on the signatory groups to assist the governments efforts to adopt core principles of federalism and democracy by 2020. U Khin Zaw Oo called for frank discussions on obstacles to the Union Peace Conference. The 10 NCA signatories are: the KNU, the Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council (KNLA-PC), the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, the RCSS/SSA-S, the All Burma Students Democratic Front, the Chin National Front, the Arakan Liberation Party, the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, the New Mon State Party and Lahu Democratic Union. Burma Parliaments Constitution Amendment Panel Completes Review of Charter Parliamentary staff sell copies of Myanmars Constitution at the Lower House of Parliament in Naypyitaw in July 2012. / REUTERS YANGONThe Union Parliaments Charter Amendment Committee on Thursday completed reviewing the entire Constitution for possible amendments. It will submit a report on its findings to Parliament next month. Committee secretary U Myat Nyana Soe, who is also an Upper House lawmaker for the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), said the report recommends that various provisions of the Constitution be repealed, amended, added to, or retained. The committee, formed on Feb. 19, is tasked with reviewing the charter, reporting its findings to Parliament not later than July 17, and drafting an amendment bill based on Parliaments debate of the findings. Comprising 45 representatives of political parties and the military, the panel reviewed all 15 chapters of the Constitution, along with five additional schedules relating to tax collection, the state and regional legislatures, self-administered regions and other topics, U Myat Nyana Soe said. The committee secretary said the details of the committees findings would be made public when they are submitted to Parliament, which is in recess. It is prohibited to disclose the details of the committees meeting. Formation of the amendment committee was the NLDs first official attempt to amend the Constitution since it took power in 2016. The move has drawn strong resistance from military-appointed lawmakers in Parliament and the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). In a lecture titled Challenges of Transition at Charles University in Prague during her recent visit to the Czech Republic, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said that while opposition to constitutional reform is to be expected in the legislature, the NLD has been encouraged by the interest with which people are following the proceedings. The 2008 Constitution prevents the emergence of a truly functional democratic system, she said. She pointed to some undemocratic provisions in the Constitution, such as reserving 25 percent of parliamentary seatsboth regionally and nationallyfor the military; granting the Army chief the power to appoint three important ministers (defense, home affairs, and border affairs) and the final say in questions of military justice. She also cited Article 436, which requires approval from more than 75 percent of the total lawmakers in Parliament to amend a number of crucial articles (most of which privilege the military), after which the proposed amendment must be approved by a majority of eligible voters in a nationwide referendum. The article is one of the most controversial in the Constitution, as it effectively gives the military a veto over any proposed changes. Not surprisingly, juridical experts have pronounced that the Myanmar Constitution is about the most rigid in the world today, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said. Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) lawmaker U Sai Thiha Kyaw told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the party proposed changes to almost all clauses of the Constitution at the committees meetings. But we dont have high expectations [for the proposed changes], he said. Burma Shortage of Blood Donations Highlighted on World Blood Donor Day Buddhist monks donate at a blood donation center on the Myanmar new year April 17, 2019. / Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy YANGONSurvey findings released ahead of World Blood Donor Day on June 14 have shown a high number of people in Myanmar believe the blood donation process to be too complicated or risky to get involved in. The findings come at a time when Myanmars national blood bank says it is around 100 liters short of blood required by patients every daythe equivalent of 600 blood transfusions. As part of their campaign to drive up the number blood donations in Myanmar, Synapse Original conducted a survey which found many are not aware of the online donation booking facilities or how little time it takes to donatejust 15 minutes. The survey results were released on Thursday in a statement alongside some startling blood-related facts: one in four of us will need a blood transfusion some time in our lives; each donation of 450 milliliters can be used to perform up to three blood transfusions; and most of the National Blood Centers blood goes to Yangon Childrens Hospital. Researchers who spoke to Dr. Thiha Aung, deputy director and head of the National Blood Center in Yangon, were told that despite the ongoing undersupply of blood, there has been an improvement in the outreach of donations in recent years. Two years ago, we could only support half of Yangons public hospitals. Today, we support 12 out of the 16 major hospitals in Yangon, she said. This is including the Yangon Childrens Hospital, one of our main beneficiaries. Donors can make an appointment by going to the blood donation drive website, by calling 01-372753 or by going directly to the National Blood Centre located next to Junction City shopping mall on the corner of Bogyoke Aung San Road and Shwedagon Pagoda Road. There is also a mobile donation bus at Shwedagon Pagoda each evening between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Blood transfusions are used in Myanmar hospitals every day in emergency care, surgical interventions and to treat blood diseases like thalassemia and cancers like leukemia. Healthy men and women, both local and foreign, aged 18 to 55 can donate and the blood types most in demand are A, B and AB. Burma UEC Upholds Mandalay Election Results Shan Ethnic Affairs Minister for the Mandalay regional government Sai Pan Hsai and Nan Htwe Hmone. / The Irrawaddy NAYPYITAWThe Union Election Commission (UEC) has dismissed the complaint of a Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) candidate against her National League for Democracy (NLD) rival in last years disputed Mandalay Region parliament by-election. The dismissal means NLD candidate Sai Pan Hsai will remain the Shan State ethnic affairs minister for the Mandalay Regional government. Nan Htwe Hmone, an SNLD candidate who won the largest number of votes behind Sai Pan Hsai, filed a complaint with the UEC accusing Sai Pan Hsai of vote rigging. She claimed that ineligible voters voted for her rival and that the head of the polling station allowed it to happen; that Sai Pan Hsais polling agent wore an SNLD-party pin while monitoring the polling station; and that Sai Pan Hsai failed to submit a full report of his campaign expenditures to the UEC. U Sai Pan Hsais lawyer, U Myo Swe, told reporters that the UEC dismissed the complaint because Nan Htwe Hmone could not prove any of her allegations. So, the UEC ruled that he [Sai Pan Hsai] did not rig the election, and dismissed the complaint, U Myo Swe said. Sai Pan Hsai denies withholding information about campaign expenditures. He claimed that those who supported him in his campaign are party members who gave support according to party policy and bore expenses themselves. Because he was not paying them, there was no need to submit a report to the UEC, he said. Still, Nan Htwe Hmone believes the NLD candidate violated election laws, and said she will submit an appeal. The decision suggests that they [UEC] accept the argument that accounts were not submitted according to NLD policy. Article 73 (a), (b) and (c) of the election law clearly explains how accounts must be prepared. I assume that [the NLD candidate] did not do it accordingly, she told reporters. For example, added Vice Chairman of the SNLD U Sai Nyunt Lwin, the candidate went [on the campaign trail] with 30 cars. He submitted expenses for only two cars and said the rest were paid for by his supporters, and therefore there is no need to report those expenses. This is what the UEC concluded, and its against the law, he said. A candidate would have to incur huge expenses if they visited every township in Mandalay Region so, to reduce this burden, NLD policy is for a candidate to go with one car and a few aides while supporters give a hand in other townships, U Myo Swe told reporters. You cant count them [as paid campaigners]. The candidate bore no expenses for them. Besides, said Chairman of the UEC Tribunal U Aung Myint, the UEC is only authorized to decide matters related to vote rigging and is not responsible for matters outside that scope. Even if some of their allegations are true, they have nothing to do with us, he said. There were over 42,000 eligible voters in the constituency, but only about 17,900 turned out. Five candidates competed, with Sai Pan Hsai winning over 40 percent of the votes, Nan Htwe Hmone over 26 percent, and the USDP candidate just over 23 percent. In May, the UEC ruled in favor of an NLD candidate over his USDP rival in last years disputed Yangon Regional Parliament by-election in Seikkan Township. Translated from Burmese by Ko Ko Thet. You may also like these stories: UEC Demands Arakan National Party Change Terms Used in By-Election Campaign Female Candidate Stumps For Shan Vote in Mandalay The arrival of 5G technology will drive a new wave of growth in the rapidly evolving robotics and artificial intelligence sector, according to one global investment advisory firm. Richard Lightbound, chief executive EMEA & Asia for ROBO Global, told clients of ETF Securities in Sydney this week that companies harnessing data through the use of robotics will be at the forefront of developments in the rapidly evolving sector over the next five years. Its no longer just about putting robots into service, Lightbound said. Its about using those robots to gather data and then redeploy that data elsewhere. Theres no doubt 5G will be the big enabler for future growth. Lightbound highlighted logistics and factory automation, agriculture and healthcare as areas that he said stand to benefit the most from the huge advances in sensing technology. The US-based ROBO Global is in partnership with ETF Securities, which launched the first exchange traded fund in Australia to provide investors with access to global companies focusing on robotics, automation and artificial intelligence technologies. According to EFT Securities, the ETFS ROBO Global Robotics and Automation ETF (ASX: ROBO) has performed strongly this year, returning 15.5% year to date, and ROBO has $126.8 million in funds under management and was recently upgraded by ratings agency Lonsec to 'recommended'." ETF Securities chief executive Kris Walesby said Australian investors were increasingly becoming aware of the transformative potential offered by robotics and artificial intelligence. With few opportunities available locally, ROBO offers a cheap way for investors to gain access to international companies at the forefront of these exciting technologies through our unique partnership with ROBO Global, Walesby said. The ROBO Global Robotics and Automation Index tracks the performance of 89 stocks from 12 sub-sectors that have been identified as offering the greatest growth potential. The index captures stocks from 15 countries with North America accounting for 43% of the index followed by Japan on 24%. According to Lightbound, despite a weaker macroeconomic outlook globally in the first quarter of 2019, earnings estimates for companies in the ROBO index have stabilised and continued to point to earnings per share growth of eight percent for the full year. The base case here is that a US-China trade deal will be agreed and that is now largely discounted by equity markets, he said. And while orders of factory automation equipment in China are yet to turn up, they have stopped deteriorating and early signs of credit and manufacturing activity improvements are increasingly clear. Semiconductor and hardware manufacturer Broadcom has said it will take a hit of about US$2 billion in annual sales for its current financial year which ends in November, due to the restrictions placed on Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei Technologies. The company made the disclosure during an analysts' call after the announcement of its second-quarter results on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported. Broadcom is the first semiconductor maker to announce any results since the ban on Huawei using American-made components in its products was put in place on 16 May. Chief executive Hock Tan said the company had made about US$900 million from sales to Huawei in the previous financial year, about 4.3% of its revenue for that year. The US$2 billion was a reflection of the loss from sales to Huawei and also a lack of confidence among customers, Tan said. With respect to semiconductors it is clear that the US-China trade conflict, including the Huawei export ban, is creating economic and political uncertainty and reducing visibility for global [manufacturing] customers." Other smaller semiconductor firms like Qorvo and Lumentum have both revised their quarterly revenue guidance down by about US$50 million each. Analog Devices, a bigger company in the same line, said in May that revenue for its third quarter would be about US$100 million below what analysts predict. The US Government placed Huawei and 68 of its affiliates on its Entity List on 16 May, meaning that the company would have to seek permission to purchase any American components it needed to manufacture its products. Four days later, Google announced it was cutting off Huawei's access to future updates of Google's Android and Google Play Store. Huawei, which is now the second biggest smartphone vendor globally after Samsung, uses a customised version of Android on all its smartphones and tablets. On 21 May, the US Commerce Department eased some of the restrictions until August, allowing Huawei to maintain and update existing networks and handsets. The Federal Government is putting cost savings first and people second through its increasing use of technology and algorithms to control the lives of Australians who are in need and seeking income support, the Human Rights Law Centre says. Tech developments should not be at the cost of human rights, the HRLC said in a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on poverty. Monique Hurley, a Lawyer at the Centre, said computer-automated penalties and robo-debt were causing distress and risked driving struggling families deeper into poverty. Computers making decisions about peoples livelihoods can be the difference between a child having food or going hungry, said Hurley. Single mothers with pre-school aged children have been left stranded and have had to turn to charities for food vouchers. The robo-debt debacle has seen the government bully people into paying debts they do not owe, in an attempt prioritise efficiency over human rights." Last month, the Australian Greens called on the government to immediately halt the recovery of money claimed to be owed to Centrelink and calculated through the use of data, after the Department of Human Services wiped a $4000 debt that was at the heart of a Federal Court challenge to the recovery scheme. The digital rights group, Electronic Frontiers Australia, also called for the new government to rewind what it described as "the infamous Centrelink data-matching program known as robo-debt". Hurley said: "This is a government program that threatens to leave a struggling mother without money just because she hasnt completed a task or reported it, and computers are taking human compassion out of the equation. A program that leaves even one child hungry or cold has no place in Australia." She said social security was a human right and should not depend on where one lives, who one is or the colour of one's skin. "Digital technologies, while bringing some benefits, can seriously threaten human rights. For such technologies to do good, ending inequality must be central to their design," she added. BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Thursday that Beijing is ready to join New Delhi in pushing forward a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. During the meeting, Xi congratulated Modi again on his re-election as India's prime minister. Xi noted that China and India are the world's only two emerging economies that boast a population of more than 1 billion respectively, and are both at a crucial stage of rapid development. Cooperation between the two countries, said the Chinese leader, can not only boost their respective development, but also will contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the wider world. He also said that during his meeting with Modi last year in Wuhan, China's central Hubei Province, they have led the China-India relationship onto a new stage, adding that China is willing to join India to make continuous efforts in promoting a closer development partnership between the two sides. Xi urged the two sides to stick to the fundamental judgement that China and India offer to each other chances for development, and do not pose each other threats, and called on the two countries to keep deepening mutual trust, focusing on cooperation, and properly handling their disputes so as to turn the bilateral relationship into a positive element for their respective development. The Chinese president said the two nations need to constantly broaden the channels for cooperation, conduct cooperation in such areas as investment, industrial capacity and tourism, make a bigger cake of common interests, jointly promote regional inter-connectivity, including the construction of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, in a bid to better boost common development. He also called on the two sides to make good use of such mechanisms as meetings between the two countries' special representatives on the boundary issue, and enhance trust-building measures so as to preserve stability in border areas. As important representatives of developing nations and emerging market economies, China and India, said Xi, need to come together to safeguard free trade and multilateralism, and protect the legitimate development rights of developing countries. Modi said his meeting with Xi last year in Wuhan was very successful, which has helped achieve new progress in bilateral ties, adding that the Indian side is ready to work with China in intensifying high-level exchanges and bolstering strategic communication. He called on the two sides to promote bilateral ties in broad areas, explore new sectors for cooperation, and properly handle their differences. Noting that next year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, Modi said the two countries need to make a good plan for celebration to step up their people-to-people exchanges. Given the continued pressure on cigarette volumes, we think this is a key reason Philip Morris USA is being more aggressive with pricing, Herzog said. In fact, we wouldnt be surprised if they took another increase in the fall or later this year. The manufacturers are again testing the elasticity of their customers disposable income, Herzog said. Cigarette manufacturers likely face even greater (revenue) pressure under the FDAs effort to lower nicotine levels in combustible cigarettes, an event we continue to view to be several years away given the complexities of issues ahead, Herzog said. Therefore, we believe pricing will remain a critical driver of revenue and earnings growth. There had been some retailer concern about raising prices given the increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes, including Juul with its 74.5% market share in May. Juuls e-cig dominance attracted a $12.8 billion investment from Altria Group Inc. on Dec. 23 for a 35% ownership stake. Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris USA. Herzog said that for all their buzz, e-cigarettes remain as just the fourth largest tobacco product with 4% of retail tobacco sales, compared with 83% for traditional cigarettes, 8% for chewing and smokeless tobacco and 5% for cigars. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Varker said the family wants an explanation for how this happened and why three days passed between when the dog was euthanized and when the family found out. Smith said he sought out the family to apologize. I offered what I could do to make it less painful for them, but obviously we cant undo this, Smith said. About 40 to 50 bite dogs are taken into the shelter each month for quarantine, Smith said. Ten were admitted on Saturday alone. While there is a separate room to segregate sick dogs from healthy dogs, the bite dogs are put in kennels alongside other dogs due to space constraints. Like many county shelters, the Davidson County Animal Shelter is stretched thin on resources and kennel space, he said. The shelter has the capacity to hold up to 200 animals at a time. Smith said that, in the last four years the shelter has been partnered with the county, they have taken in about 20,000 animals. This is the first time this has ever happened, he said. I dont say that to demean this situation. I just want to note that our error rate is extremely low, and we want to make it even lower. Just when you thought immigration enforcement could not become more divisive or partisan, enter former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. President Donald Trump has appointed Cuccinelli to be the acting head of the Citizenship and Immigration Service a move the Republican-controlled Senate urged the president last week not to make. Other than Trump senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, I cannot imagine anyone who thinks his selection is a good idea. Cuccinelli starts fires everywhere he goes. He certainly does not have a reputation as a problem solver. After his bungled bid for governor of Virginia in 2013, Cuccinelli went on to be a sour presence in Republican circles until Trump began to publicly muse about making him immigration czar this spring. There are a few reasons for which the usually accommodating Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been so matter-of-fact in his opposition to Cuccinelli. The first of these has to do with process: To have even a small chance at passing any immigration legislation, the executive branch, Republican congressional leaders and, dare I say, a few Democrats will have to move in perfect synchronization and with minimal friction. But minimal friction has never been a term associated with Ken Cuccinelli. In an extraordinary interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, President Donald Trump said that he would be open to listening to a foreign country's opposition research against his 2020 rival, suggested that all congressmen have done the same and said FBI Director Christopher Wray was "wrong" in saying that a candidate should report such interference to the FBI. "I think you might want to listen; there isn't anything wrong with listening," Trump said. "If somebody called from a country, Norway, 'We have information on your opponent,' oh, I think I'd want to hear it." He denied that this was interference at all. "It's not an interference, they have information -- I think I'd take it," Trump said. "If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI, if I thought there was something wrong." He does not seem to appreciate that conducting and spreading opposition research and seeking to help one candidate are exactly how Russia and other bad actors interfere with Western democracies. He seems entirely unaware of the campaign finance law that prohibits one from soliciting something of value from a foreign national. Worst of all, he seems oblivious to the betrayal of American democracy that he is advocating. People who are pro-life generally regard themselves as representatives of this tradition. By their own lights, they are hoping to expand the circle of legal inclusion and protection to a powerless member of the human family. If they are wrong, they are wrong for a nonreligious reason. Pro-life people believe that life should be protected because it is biologically human, growing and genetically distinct from the mother. Gillibrand and other pro-choice purists believe that life should be protected because it is biologically human, growing, genetically distinct from the mother and outside the uterine wall. To millions of Americans, this seems like an arbitrary basis for a life and death decision. Why not start protections when the brain activity of a fetus begins? Why not at viability (a line which is marching ever backward)? Why is Gillibrand's position a matter of "moral clarity," while every other viewpoint is not only wrong but illegitimate and undemocratic? Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 13, 2019) - Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV: BEX) ('Benton' or 'the Company') is pleased to announce that it has received data from its recently flown high-detail airborne magnetic survey and has identified several high priority targets for immediate follow-up. Of particular interest is a distinct fold that extends over 600 m west from the known mineralization at the Panama Zone. This fold zone has not been previously mapped and is one of many structural features identified by the geophysical survey which Benton will inspect in the field. Benton will collect soil samples, prospect and map this area along with other high priority targets this summer. Further evaluation of the detailed airborne is currently underway and other targets will be followed up on when received. The Panama project is host to some of the highest unsourced gold grains (107 grains) in glacial till discovered by the Geological Survey of Canada, 1999 (Open File 3038). Benton is also pleased to be presenting the project this Friday at the CIM Exploration Roundup in Red Lake, ON. Highlights from Benton's recently released Phase I drill program are as follows: Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Gold (g/t) Composite PL-19-01 79.6 87.2 7.6 1.58 1.58 g/t over 7.6 m incl 79.6 84.3 4.7 2.34 2.34 g/t Au over 4.7 m PL-19-02 148.5 155 6.5 1.23 1.23 g/t Au over 6.5 m PL-19-03 79.6 85.4 5.8 1.21 1.21 g/t Au over 5.8 m incl 82.4 84.4 2 2.55 2.55 g/t Au over 2 m PL-19-04 72.8 78.6 5.8 1.07 1.07 g/t Au over 5.8 m incl 75.8 78.6 2.8 1.67 1.67 g/t Au over 2.8 m PL-19-05B 77.5 93.6 16.1 0.57 0.57 g/t Au over 16.1 m incl 89 91 2 2.07 2.07 g/t Au over 2 m PL-19-06 82 83 1 0.427 0.427 g/t Au over 1 m PL-19-07 35.4 36.4 1 0.563 0.563 g/t Au over 1 m PL-19-08 270.5 279 8.4 0.18 0.18 g/t Au over 8.4 m PL-19-09 100 102 2 0.425 0.425 g/t Au over 2 m Note: Reported intercepts are core lengths not true widths. Figure 1 QP Nathan Sims (P.Geo.), Senior Exploration Manager for Benton Resources Inc., the 'Qualified Person' under National Instrument 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release and prepared or supervised its preparation. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benton Resources Inc., "Stephen Stares" Stephen Stares, President About Benton Resources Inc. Benton Resources is a well-funded Canadian-based project generator with a diversified property portfolio in Gold, Silver, Nickel, Copper, and Platinum group elements. Benton holds multiple high-grade projects available for option which can be viewed on the Company's website. Many projects have an up-to-date 43-101 Report available. Parties interested in seeking more information about properties available for option can contact Mr. Stares at the number below. For further information, please contact: Stephen Stares, President & CEO Phone: 807-475-7474 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. CHF Capital Markets Cathy Hume, CEO Phone: 416-868-1079 x231 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.bentonresources.ca Twitter: @BentonResources Facebook: @BentonResourcesBEX THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gold Reserve Inc. (TSXV: GRZ) (OTCQX: GDRZF) (Gold Reserve or the Company) is pleased to announce that, at the annual general and special meeting of holders (the Shareholders) of its Class A common shares (the Class A Shares) held today (the Meeting), Shareholders overwhelmingly voted in favour of the special resolution (the Arrangement Resolution) to approve the previously announced return of capital transaction by way of a plan of arrangement (the Return of Capital Transaction). Subject to the terms and conditions of the plan of arrangement, Shareholders will receive approximately US$75 million, or approximately US$0.76 per Class A Share. The Arrangement Resolution required approval by at least two-thirds of the votes cast by Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. The Arrangement Resolution was approved by approximately 99% of the votes cast by all of the Shareholders eligible to vote at the Meeting. Gold Reserve also obtained today the final order of the Alberta Court of Queens Bench which was required to complete the Return of Capital Transaction. It is expected that the Return of Capital Transaction will be completed on June 14, 2019. Full details of the Return of Capital Transaction are described in the Companys management proxy circular and other related materials. Those documents are available without charge on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov and are posted on the Companys website at www.goldreserveinc.com. In addition to approval of the Arrangement Resolution, Shareholders also elected James H. Coleman, Rockne J. Timm, A. Douglas Belanger, James P. Geyer, Jean Charles Potvin, Robert A. Cohen and James Michael Johnston as directors of Gold Reserve to hold office until the next annual meeting or until their successors are duly elected or appointed, appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditors of the Company and received the audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2018. Registered Shareholders are required to submit a letter of transmittal to Computershare Trust Company of Canada, the Companys transfer agent, to receive the distribution payable pursuant to the Return of Capital Transaction. Non-registered Shareholders will have the distribution payable pursuant to the Return of Capital Transaction recorded in their accounts by their intermediaries and should contact their intermediaries with any questions about this process. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable U.S. federal securities laws and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws and state Gold Reserves and its managements intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions for the future including without limitation statements with respect to the completion of the Return of Capital Transaction. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. We caution that such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other risks that may cause the actual outcomes, financial results, performance, or achievements of Gold Reserve to be materially different from our estimated outcomes, future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements, including without limitation the timing for the completion of the Return of Capital Transaction and the anticipated tax treatment for Shareholders of the Return of Capital Transaction. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Gold Reserves forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of the risk factors affecting the Companys business, see the Companys Annual Information Form and Managements Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2018 which have been filed on SEDAR and are available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com and which form part of the Companys Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2018 which have been filed on EDGAR and are available under the Companys profile at www.sec.gov/edgar. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Gold Reserve or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Gold Reserve disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to its disclosure obligations under applicable rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws. 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. Saudi forces on Friday intercepted five drones launched by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, in a second assault on an airport in the kingdoms southwest in two days. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, the coalition said in a statement released by Saudi state media. The latest raids come amid spiralling regional tensions after Washington accused Iran of carrying out attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, the second such incident in a month in the strategic sea lane. The royal Saudi air defence force and air force successfully intercepted and destroyed five unmanned drone aircraft launched by Huthi militia towards Abha international airport and Khamis Mushait, the coalition statement said without reporting any casualties. The airport was operating normally with no flights disrupted, the statement added. Huthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported earlier that the Iran-linked rebels had carried out drone attacks on Abha airport. The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks and warned that coalition airports were valid targets. The latest attacks could prompt an escalation in the coalitions bombing campaign as it vowed after Wednesdays missile strike to take stern action to deter the rebels and protect civilians. The missile struck the airport in the mountain resort of Abha, which is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. During a media tour of the airport on Thursday, Saudi authorities said they had closed a part of the arrival lounge after the missile tore a hole in the roof and disrupted flights for several hours. The area was covered in bamboo scaffolding and littered with concrete debris and shards of broken glass, AFP saw. Two passengers, including an Indian national, who suffered mild injuries recalled pandemonium and screams after a loud explosion triggered a blaze, leaving the lounge covered in smoke. War crime Human Rights Watch denounced the strike as an apparent war crime. The Huthis should immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, said HRWs deputy Middle East director Michael Page. Unlawful Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen never justify Huthi attacks on Saudi civilians. A Saudi civil aviation official said authorities were still investigating rebel claims that they fired a cruise missile at the airport. If confirmed that would represent a major leap in the rebels military capability, experts say. The official also confirmed that it had not been intercepted by the kingdoms Patriot anti-missile batteries. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of arming the rebels with sophisticated weapons, a charge Tehran denies. The coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden. Since then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say. It has triggered what the UN describes as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 24 million Yemenis more than two-thirds of the population in need of aid. bur-ac/dcr MICHAEL PAGE INTERNATIONAL In December 2013, Gambias opposition figure Amadou Sanneh appeared on television in an unusual circumstance. He was apparently confessing to the following crime: helping one Malang Fatty with an affidavit that suggested he was a member of the United Democratic Party (UDP), an opposition party, whose life was threatened in the country. Sanneh was then a treasurer of the UDP who was tipped as being in line for the partys leadership succession. For President Yahya Jammeh and his security apparatus this was a crime for which Sanneh should face serious consequences. It was also an opportunity to eliminate a strong political opponent. Being in the political opposition under Jammeh was practically criminalized. It certainly meant you wouldnt appear on national television. During the 22 years Jammeh ruled Gambia with an iron fist, from July 1994 to January 2017, political opponents, human rights defenders and journalists fled the country for the safety of their lives. A media trial After his arrest, Sanneh had been taken to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) with two of his colleagues, Malang Fatty and Sambou Fatty (not related). Both Sanneh and Sambou Fatty were accused to have helped Malang Fatty with the affidavit that claimed his life was in danger. They asked me to come on television and apologize to Yahya Jammeh, testified Sanneh before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) on June 11. He told the NIA he was not going to do that. He was then taken before a panel of NIA officials, led by their director at the time, Yankuaba Badgie, who is today standing trial for the murder of another UDP supporter, Ebrima Solo Sandeng, in 2016. Despite the beatings, Sanneh would not give in. And yet here he was on Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS). His media trial, as it has been known in the Gambia, was relayed to him by his wife after his release in January of 2017, after Jammeh had fled to Equatorial Guinea and Adama Barrow took over as the democratically elected president of the Gambia. Since his release, Sanneh had never wanted to view the video of his broadcast because he wanted to forget it. The video was played to him for the first time at the TRRC. The room went cold. Sanneh peeked at the video as it was being played for him and shook his head. He appeared uncomfortable, adjusted himself in his sitting position and glanced at the small crowd where his family sat. Then he looked down again. Both him and his party leader Ousainou Darboe, who was present among the public, had spatters of tears in their eyes. I did not recollect my appearances on GRTS. I was unconscious. I never remembered giving an interview to GRTS, Sanneh said after he saw the video. Conversations with Yahya Jammeh Alongside Malang Fatty and Sambou Fatty, Sanneh was convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit an act with seditious intention, sedition, possession of seditious publication and false swearing. All three were sentenced to 5 years in jail. Sanneh had been arrested several times prior to that as a member of the United Democratic Party and in some occasions he reportedly suffered gruesome torture. His most recent torture, in 2013, left his spinal column partially displaced, he said. Sanneh was a professional accountant who resigned from government after holding the positions of accountant general and permanent secretary at the Trade Ministry. As the governments chief accountant, Sanneh had met Jammeh in the early days after the 1994 coup. When they first came in, they had no respect for procedures or processes. Working in government for so many years, I know systems are institutionalized. But they displayed a lot of ignorance in governments system and they had no respect for established rules and processes, Sanneh testified. Sometimes Chairman Yahya Jammeh would call, we would go to his office at the State House and he would be ranting asking where these people [referring to former Government] have kept our money. I would try to explain what exists and where the governments funds are. When they took over, we found significant reserves of the government. I would explain to them that the countrys resources were intact. But somebody [Yahya Jammeh] was angry and he had a preconceived mind about the former government. Sometimes, you will go [to Jammehs office] at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. and you will be there up to 6 p.m. He keeps you there just talking about himself. These were things that were not material to governance, said Sanneh. Beating up UDP supporters at Denton Bridge From then on, Sanneh realized the country was in trouble and he left the administration to establish an audit firm. Sannehs leaving of the government coincided with the setting up of the opposition UDP to challenge the soldiers turned politicians. In 1996, Sanneh joined the UDP as the country approached a presidential election. This weeks hearing at Gambias Truth Commission was about the relationship between former president Jammehs Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party (APRC) and UDP, the APRCs biggest threat. Witnesses came forward to tell the life of an opponent under Jammehs dictatorship, including UDPs leader (and briefly Gambias vice-president in 2018-2019), Ousainou Darboe (not related to this writer). The bad blood between the UDP and the APRC started from day one as Jammeh prepared for his first election. Omar Darboe, a UDP supporter, recounted when a UDP convoy was stopped on September 22, 1996, at the Denton Bridge that separates Banjul from the rest of the metropolis. He said there were about a hundred UDP supporters in a truck when they arrived at the Denton Bridge. A group of soldiers stood there and one of them shot their vehicle tyres. They forced us out of the vehicle, hitting us with gun butts, said Omar Darboe. Some of us were women. They told us to undress ourselves and we did. We were asked to lie down and they were stamping on us. They stamped on every side of our bodies including our heads. They were wearing boots. They were in full uniform, Omar Darboe testified. Death of a phenomenal drummer Though dozens of UDP supporters died in the hands of state operatives under Jammeh, no immediate casualty was claimed in this incident. However, a medical doctor who treated 115 people beaten on that day, Dr Sheriff Ceesay, told the Commission that he knew one phenomenal drummer who died as a result of his injuries. Due to doctor-client confidentiality issues, Ceesay said he was not able to mention the name of this drummer. But followers of Gambian politics know he was referring to 59-year old Kebuteh Jafuneh. Jafuneh was famous for his traditional drumming, especially during political rallies. He was also a staunch political opponent. And that cost him his life, according to Dr Ceesays testimony. Federal grant to establish Rural Railroad Safety Center at Kansas State University Friday, June 14, 2019 Eric Fitzsimmons, assistant professor of civil engineering at Kansas State University, will lead the Rural Railroad Safety Center project, which is being established with a more than $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration | Download this photo. MANHATTAN The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration has announced the recipients of more than $326 million in grant funds under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program and the Special Transportation Circumstances Program, for a wide variety of state and local railroad infrastructure projects. The grants will fund 45 projects in 29 states, including just over $2.5 million for a Rural Railroad Safety Center at Kansas State University. "These investments in intercity passenger and freight rail will benefit surrounding communities, make grade crossings safer and improve service reliability," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. Heading up the project will be Eric Fitzsimmons, assistant professor of civil engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. His collaborators are civil engineering faculty members Robert Peterman, professor; and Christopher Jones and Stacey Kulesza, associate professors. "Our state's economy depends on safe, reliable rail transportation to connect farmers and businesses to the nation and deliver goods to market," said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, Kansas. "This grant to establish the Rural Railroad Safety Center at K-State will help solidify Kansas as a leader in rail transportation and share the expertise of officials at K-State with the rest of the country and industry. I was pleased to support efforts to help secure this funding from the Department of Transportation, and look forward to working alongside the university to build and grow this innovative program." Partner institutions include the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; University of Florida; Pennsylvania State University, Altoona; and California State University, Chico. "I often brag that the two things American agriculture does is produce more per acre and get our goods to market cheaper and more reliably than any other country in the world, said U.S. Rep. Dr. Roger Marshall, also from Kansas. "Rail transportation is an important component of this, and Im proud of the work done to support workforce development and ensure future rail industry safety research through the establishment of the Rural Railroad Safety Center at Kansas State University." The Rural Railroad Safety Center will have four strategic goals: Conduct and promote railroad safety research selected by industry partners and the Federal Railroad Administration. Develop a comprehensive unified railroad education curriculum to be delivered at all partnering universities. Facilitate novel rail-focused outreach activities, including a bimonthly railroad seminar and undergraduate summer research experiences. Disseminate research results and technology transfer to be used by the railroad industry via various outlets. "I certainly want to thank the entire Kansas Congressional delegation for their support and assistance in securing this grant," Fitzsimmons said. "By the end of the three-year grant period, it is our goal to have evolved into a vibrant center for industry-relevant railroad research," he said. "Additional educational and outreach programs will be in place to train and develop a diverse workforce for the railroad industry and our research outcomes will help ensure the future of the rail industry is as safe and efficient as possible." SALEM, Ore. The Oregon Senate has passed a bill which would make the state's laws against hate crimes more comprehensive, according to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. Rosenblum has been an outspoken champion of the bill. This bill is the culmination of a significant community effort to provide law enforcement with an updated law that gives themnew tools to investigate, enforce, and combat bias crime and bias incidents in Oregon, said Attorney General Rosenblum. This law will better capture bias crimes in Oregon by having stronger mechanisms in place for victims to report bias crimes and incidents that may not be a criminal actbut are rooted in bias and just as harmful to Oregonians. Thank you to the Oregon Senate for passing a new hate crime law last night! This was a significant community effort that will provide law enforcement with new tools to investigate, enforce, and combat bias crime and bias incidents in Oregon #OrLeg https://t.co/7V1h0tyoPH Ellen Rosenblum (@ORDOJ) June 14, 2019 Senate Bill 577 resulted from the AG's Hate Crimes Task Force, a group of activists, policymakers, religious leaders, and law enforcement officers that toured western Oregon early this year, taking inventory of the kinds of hate crimes that people experience and developing legislation to address them. Rosenblum and the Hate Crimes Task Force came to Medford in January for a "listening session" to help sharpen those policies. According to Rosenblum, the new bill intends to do the following: Focus on the victim. This law creates a better system to support victims of hate and bias activity by requiring law enforcement to refer victims to the Oregon Department of Justices Civil Rights Division for assistance, safety planning and other services if their case cannot otherwise be prosecuted. This law creates a better system to support victims of hate and bias activity by requiring law enforcement to refer victims to the Oregon Department of Justices Civil Rights Division for assistance, safety planning and other services if their case cannot otherwise be prosecuted. Improve the collection of hate crimes data. Law enforcement agencies are required to record any crime which they interpret to be a bias crime, but many law enforcement agencies in Oregon routinely report no hate crimes. For example, in 2018, Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg and Bend reported zero hate crimes. This law will require far more comprehensive data collection in this area, starting with hate incidents, conduct which may not rise to the level of a crime, and going through the prosecution and sentencing of any crime motivated by bias. The Criminal Justice Commission will be required to work with the Oregon State Police, district attorneys and the Oregon Department of Justice to collect, interpret and publicly report on hate and bias activity in Oregon. Law enforcement agencies are required to record any crime which they interpret to be a bias crime, but many law enforcement agencies in Oregon routinely report no hate crimes. For example, in 2018, Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg and Bend reported zero hate crimes. This law will require far more comprehensive data collection in this area, starting with hate incidents, conduct which may not rise to the level of a crime, and going through the prosecution and sentencing of any crime motivated by bias. The Criminal Justice Commission will be required to work with the Oregon State Police, district attorneys and the Oregon Department of Justice to collect, interpret and publicly report on hate and bias activity in Oregon. Modernize Oregons Intimidation statute. Oregons intimidation statute was written in 1981, and was written in response to organized supremacist gang activity. For this reason, the statute as presently written focuses on the number of participants, not the character of the underlying harm. For example, it is a felony for two individuals to apply racist graffiti but it is only a misdemeanor for one individual to physically assault another individual because of the color of their skin. This law adds violence, or the immediate threat of violence, based on a persons membership in a protected class as a felony. Oregons intimidation statute was written in 1981, and was written in response to organized supremacist gang activity. For this reason, the statute as presently written focuses on the number of participants, not the character of the underlying harm. For example, it is a felony for two individuals to apply racist graffiti but it is only a misdemeanor for one individual to physically assault another individual because of the color of their skin. This law adds violence, or the immediate threat of violence, based on a persons membership in a protected class as a felony. Clarifies that gender identity is a protected class. Individuals victimized for their gender identity are believed to be the fastest growing type of hate crime. This new law brings Oregon in step with many other states and adds gender identity to the list of protected classes. SB 577 now goes on to the House of Representatives. Oregon has seen several high-profile cases in the past several years that have been regarded as hate crimes, including a former Oregon State University student who placed stickers with racial epithets on people's vehicles, another man who attacked a Sikh convenience store clerk, and the Portland man accused of stabbing and killing two men in a light-rail car when they stepped up to defend two Muslim women. Today, June 13, 2019, the Oregon State Senate passed SB 283, which directs the Oregon Health Authority to review independently-funded scientific studies of the health effects of exposure to microwave radiation, particularly exposure that results from use of wireless network technologies in schools. The bill also directs the Oregon Department of Education to develop recommendations to schools in this state for practices and alternative technologies that reduce students exposure to microwave radiation that Oregon Health Authority report identifies as harmful. The bill is expected to also pass in the House, following compelling testimony from the Chair of the Health Committee, Sen. Laurie Monnes-Anderson. Monnes-Anderson has championed this issue for many years while facing ridicule and disrespect from other legislators. The issue has come to the fore as reports of cancer clusters in schools near cell towers and using wireless microwave technology, as faculty and students increasingly report being stricken with microwave sickness in schools, at alarming rates. KEARNEY Legislation to extend the first phase of the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program for another 13 years has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The inaugural 13-year increment expires Dec. 31, 2019, and the extension is proposed through 2032. Theyre looking to schedule hearings in both (chambers) later this month and into July, PRRIP Executive Director Jason Farnsworth told the Hub this morning. The innovative program involves the U.S. Department of Interior, the three Platte Basin states Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming and stakeholders that include irrigators and environmental organizations in a basinwide effort to meet water and land habitat needs for four species listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. The species are whooping cranes, least terns and piping plovers in Nebraskas Central Platte River and pallid sturgeon on the Lower Platte. Farnsworth said Senate bill S990 was introduced April 2 by Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso and House bill HR3237 was introduced Wednesday by Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse. Walter says that passengers in Groups 1 and 2 tend to be frequent fliers with the airline and may have elite status, while those in Groups 3 to 5 are occasional fliers and prefer to be seated at the gate longer. In addition to shrinking its lanes, United has installed new display screens at its gates that indicate in large text which groups are currently boarding. Although Walter declined to give exact numbers, she says that the new procedures have made boarding faster. The airlines customer satisfaction metrics have also improved, she says. Zach Honig, editor at large of the travel site the Points Guy, is a frequent United flier who usually boards in Group 1 and says that he didnt see a noticeable difference after the new process was introduced. There is still that rush at the gate, he says. It might seem most logical for airlines to board window-seat passengers first, followed by those who have middle and aisle seats, but Honig said that he has yet to see such a process in his regular travels on a number of airlines. Boarding groups are typically based on class of service, what kind of fare they purchased or someones elite status, but that may not always be the most organized way to get passengers on board, he says. Mary began her teaching career in Stratton, teaching second grade from 1975 to 1980. Yearning to be closer to family, Mary applied for the third-grade elementary position in Ord, where she taught from 1980 until she retired in 2009. Students remember her as the teacher with a contagious laugh and smile, who gave the best hugs, and often showered them with unconditional love and support, as well as Hersheys chocolate Kisses. Mary made each one of her students feel special and made sure to end the day with a hug and an I love you. Mary was an active member of the First United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir for many years. Some of her hobbies included cheering on the Husker and Kansas City Royals, attending Ord Chants school activities and sports, bowling and traveling. Her favorite vacation spot was Panama City Beach, Fla. Miss Mary Molle will be remembered as a selfless and caring individual, who was a friend to all, who demonstrated extreme faith and positivity throughout her life, and was a devoted educator. It was a grand gesture when Gov. Tony Evers ordered the rainbow flag to be flown over the state Capitol last week to celebrate the hard-fought gains the states lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has made in recent years to overcome discrimination and social stigma. It was also a big mistake. We have no quarrel with Evers attempt to send a message that Wisconsin is or should be a welcoming and inclusive place where everyone can live without fear of persecution, judgment or discrimination. But we have a great problem with the idea that this governor or any governor should elevate this social and political cause or any such cause over another and thus give it the imprimatur of state government. Thats government-sponsored speech, not free speech, and thats not something we should be running up the flagpole. We fear Evers has now opened up a Pandoras box for any and all sorts of causes to demand air time over the states Capitol and that will likely lead to disputes and possible lawsuits. According to news reports, a governors spokesperson said Evers alone has the authority to decide which banners can or should grace the Capitol flagpole. Will we then see requests for flags emblazoned with Pro Choice or Pro Life depending on who is the current occupant of the governors seat? Will there be requests to fly the flag of Mexico on Cinco de Mayo to honor the states sizeable Mexican-American citizen population and perhaps make a statement on immigration policy? What, we have to ask, happened to the only other flag that has graced the Capitol flagpole below the Stars and Stripes and the state flag of Wisconsin the black and white POW/MIA flag? Was that put in storage for the month to be replaced by the rainbow flag? The first time Evers rejects a request to fly a banner over the state Capitol from a group with a social/political agenda that wants to elevate the visibility of its cause whether it is just or abhorrent we expect it could well land the state in court to defend its favoritism. How would the governor this one or any one decide what flies and what does not? Thats a determination that should not be left to the whim of a sitting governor. Nor do we want to see the state Legislature get involved and come up with some flag-flying legislation. The flags flying over the state Capitol should represent the people of the United States and the citizens of Wisconsin and its missing veterans all the people and not be used to exalt one political cause or another. Those causes and concerns, many of them heartfelt, can be sorted out under the Capitol dome, on the floors of the state Senate and Assembly, and in the governors office. Where they should be. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 327 Shares Share The best lens for reflection is to be immersed in the places and people that spawned those memories. Why else would reunions matter? Twenty years after we graduated the Yale School of Medicine, I found myself on campus embracing my classmates again. But it didnt take long before I felt something creeping up behind the celebratory mood. Amid storytelling and laughter, I couldnt help reflecting on some of the more difficult parts of my journey there. Im still not entirely sure how it was that I was accepted to Yale. I experienced academic success as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona while jumping through the requisite hoops of research and volunteering. I also benefited from being the son of a surgeon, which allowed for an early focus on becoming a physician. That said, I recall an embarrassingly naive sense of confidence that would lead me to apply there for early decision. In designating Yale as my early decision school, I was forbidden from applying to other institutions until a decision about my application was rendered. The majority of schools had rolling admissions policies, which meant that most spots are gone for applicants late in the cycle. If I was rejected at Yale, I might not be accepted anywhere. Why take such a risk? In researching medical schools, it became clear to me that there was something very different about Yale. The Yale System professed that the practice of medicine is collaborative, not competitive. Students historically learned in an environment where there were no grades, no tests, and no class rank. Instead, students were expected to learn with and from each other, not at each others expense. By demonstrating how much I wanted to go to their medical school, I hoped they would take a chance on me. It paid off, and I was accepted to the Class of 1999. I recall an early meeting in the auditorium where the admissions director gave an accounting of our small, hundred-person class. Roughly two-thirds were standouts from the Ivies, Stanford, Berkeley, MIT and the like. Several already had PhDs. They had survived wars and cancer. They had started foundations and flown fighter jets. They were star athletes and accomplished artists. They had published papers and won prizes. In one way or another, many of them had already made a mark on the world. My hubris at being a state school superstar mostly stemmed from my serial procrastination that was mitigated by pulling all-nighters and acing exams. As excitement gave way to the monumental task of learning to be a physician, I noticed that my peers questions were articulate and insightful. Their answers to instructors queries were mature, demonstrating deep understanding of the subject matter. In comparison, I felt childish and lost. I tried to study, but unlike college, there was no assigned reading material. Without being told what to memorize and regurgitate, and in the absence of a looming exam that actually mattered, I floundered. We had optional exams so we could gauge our progress, but they were anonymous and didnt count for anything since there were no grades. Paradoxically, my classmates studied harder than I had ever seen anyone study before. By the time our first exams came, New Haven had grown grayer and colder. My scores, which no one knew but me, were abysmal. It was a secret, devastating academic failure. In its wake, I remember sitting at my desk, anatomy books open, staring out the window of my dorm room. I wondered if I had made a terrible mistake. Thats when I decided to ask for help. I reached out to my classmates. I asked what books they were using. I asked how they studied. Someone taught me to make a reading schedule. I adopted a classmates policy of passing on social events unless I had completed my days tasks. If I didnt understand a concept, I would ask a colleague that did. What better person to ask a question about neuroscience than the guy who already had a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford? I shadowed my studious friends, plopping down my books where and when they did. Slowly but surely, I began to understand how and why to learn. It was not about tests, but about knowledge. In retrospect, what my classmates so generously gave me were the tools and discipline to understand medicine. By the time first year ended, I felt like I belonged. Not just in my grasp of the information, but in my attitude towards being a student physician. It became rooted in the idea that time, energy and effort we invest in our knowledge pays endless dividends for our patients. This concept was transformative and to this day underpins not just my high expectations of myself, but also my students and residents. The late Yale surgeon and author, Sherwin Nuland, summed it up best during a lecture where he admonished us, People are going to ask you for advice, to make life and death decisions for them and their families. You better know damn well what youre talking about! Spending time with my classmates at the reunion filled me with gratitude and humility. I still appreciate their investment in me. Im not sure if they would have been so generous with their support if we were competing for a spot at the top of the class. What good would it have done, there amongst the best and brightest, if they didnt help me? Being a physician is a journey of lifelong learning, and no one can chart that path for you. The Yale System allowed me to find motivation and discipline with the support of my colleagues. As physicians, we collectively embrace the endeavor to attain knowledge and competence to deserve the trust that our patients place in us. Without the Yale System, I may never have reached that conclusion. When I tell people I went to Yale, sometimes they comment on what an impressive place it is. I always say yes, thats true to some degree but it was the people that mattered the most. Ara Feinstein is a trauma surgeon and physician executive, Banner Health. Image credit: Shutterstock.com EUGENE, Ore. -- The state Higher Education Coordinating Commission approved the University of Oregon's resident undergraduate tuition plan for the 2019-2020 school year. Currently the tuition increase would be 6.91 percent. The HECC is required to approve any tuition increase of 5 percent or more. The UO Board of Trustees adopted a tuition rate increase indexed to the level of state funding for higher education. Jamie Moffitt, vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer, released a statement: "None of us are happy that we will have to raise tuition by over 5 percent this year. Unfortunately, we had little choice given the current financial situation. It is only through a combination of increased tuition, state funding and budget cuts that we will be able to balance the university budget. While we are grateful to the state for allocating an additional $100 million to fund universities across the state, the investment necessary to keep tuition under 5 percent was $120 million. We will continue to work with lawmakers to advocate for increased funding for higher education. The Legislature is expected to approve the final Public University Support Fund in the week of June 17. For more information, click here. EUGENE, Ore. -- Emerald Empire Kiwanis Club held their 27th annual Fresh Berry Distribution Day on Thursday. About 780 orders of strawberries were made by residents across western Oregon. The strawberries came in buckets of 15 and 30 pounds, costing $32 and $49. Fresh Berry Distribution Day is the club's only fundraiser. They have another berry sale in September. The proceeds from each sale are distributed amongst the community and many different programs such as Food For Lane County, the Metropolitan Choral Festival and Mount Pisgah Hayride. "Strawberries and berries we don't get much of because it's a very perishable product, and so that's what makes this really special, that we can put through to our meal sites or our pantries," said Dawn Marie Woodward with Food For Lane County. Each year, they raise up to $20,000. For more information, click here. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Afghan counterpart, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, met here Thursday, pledging joint efforts to promote bilateral relations. Xi congratulated Afghanistan on the 100th anniversary of its independence and wished the country an early restoration of peace, stability and development. China and Afghanistan are neighbors that enjoy traditional friendship and strategic partnership of cooperation, Xi said. China is willing to deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation with Afghanistan in various sectors within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), steadily promote practical cooperation in economy and trade, and support the two countries' enterprises to strengthen cooperation based on the principles of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, he said. Xi said China will, as always, continue to help Afghanistan build its capacity in fighting terrorism and maintaining stability. He called on the Afghan side to continue to firmly support China in its fight against the terrorist force of East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The Chinese side firmly supports a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, and will continue to actively encourage and promote talks through various channels to help the Afghan people achieve internal dialogue, Xi said. China supports Afghanistan and Pakistan to improve relations, enhance mutual trust and carry out cooperation, and is ready to further promote the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral cooperation, he said. Ghani conveyed congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. By proposing to build a community with a shared future for mankind and supporting the economic globalization, China has set an example of promoting the construction of a new type of international relations in the 21st century, Ghani said. Ghani thanked China for the active role it has played in his country's peace process and in safeguarding regional peace and stability, adding that Afghanistan is committed to fighting, side by side with China, against the "three forces" including the ETIM. Afghanistan stands ready to align its plan of reconstruction and development with the BRI and set up an even closer trade and economic partnership with China, Ghani added. Three young entrepreneurs from County Kilkenny are going head-to-head with entrepreneurs from County Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow at the Regional Final of Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition, which takes place on Wednesday June 19 in Carlow. The Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny will be represented at this years Regional Final in the Best Idea Category by John Duggan, who hails from Tullahought, Piltown, Co Kilkenny. John is co-founding director & CEO of Loanitt Ltd, a recently formed Fintech company that has plans to designed a cutting-edge technology platform that streamlines the credit application process for all stakeholders. In the Start Up category, Kilkenny will be represented by Jens Kopke and his business Motoklik. From his passion for motorsports, Jens left his full-time employment to follow his dream and set up Motoklik. Motoklik aims to improve the performance and safety of off-road motorcyclists through it's USP, automated suspension set-up. Rory Gannon, from Cakeface, based in Irishtown, Kilkenny - a premium food business that creates unique high end desserts is the Countys representative in the Best Established Business category. The business currently consists of a cafe, food production kitchen and cookery school with plans in place to open a new venture in the second half of 2019. At the Regional Final event which is being held in the Step House Hotel, Borris Co Carlow, three finalists will be selected by the judging panel to compete at the IBYE National Final in September, one from each competition category. This initiative for young entrepreneurs is run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) nationwide, and supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland. The investment awards will be used by the young entrepreneurs to help fund business start-ups, create new jobs locally or to help develop new products for international markets. Fiona Deegan, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny, wished local category winners the best of luck at the Regional Final, saying: This competition highlights that Irelands entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Our young entrepreneurs are the employers of the future, and are the backbone of the Irish economy. This initiative aims to assist young entrepreneurs to develop and grow their business proposals through the supports such as bootcamps, training, networking and mentoring associated with the IBYE competition. More details about the competition and the supports available to young entrepreneurs are available through www.localenterprise.ie and from the IBYE website at www.ibye.ie. The attacks on two Japan-bound tankers leaving the Strait of Hormuz this morning are the talk of the day. Oil prices shot up more than 3% on the newsas did gold and the US dollaras one would expect. So is it time to speculate on oil? Not for menot yet. Oil has already given back about half of this mornings surge, and the day aint done yet. I dont think this is because investors are dismissing the threat to this vital chokepoint in the global flow of oil. Gold and the USD remain near their intraday highs, showing continuing concern. Rather, I suspect its due to the projection of declining oil demand that OPEC issued today. Open warfare closing the Strait of Hormuz would likely set flame to much of the Middle East. Thats an outcome so extreme that markets wont price it in until its actually happening. So, despite the scare, most investors expect the Middle East to carry on as it has for years. In this setting, the OPEC + Russia production cuts may not be enough to offset lower demand caused by the trade war and the decelerating global economy. And I doubt US shale producers are going to cut production. We could see a renewed oil glut and much lower oil prices soon. An interesting aspect of this story is that the US again says Iran is to blame, as it did after last months attacks. Despite the US saying it has intel to support its claims, the international community seems reluctant to believe the claims. I wonder if this could be an unintended consequence of the USs recent disruption of longstanding treaties and alliances. Or maybe its just that, like me, they cant believe Irans leaders would be stupid enough to start a war nobody would really win. It would be easier to believe that its Irans enemies seeking to frame Iran. But what if the culprits dont really want a war? What if all they want is to slow the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, rather than stop it? If that resulted in higher prices, it would benefit any oil-producing countryeven those not in the region. Such would be a dangerous gameone that could easily spin out of controlbut I wouldnt put it beyond some of the egomaniacs calling the shots on the global stage today. I cant say what the truth of the matter is, and we may never know. What I can say is that while last months attacks were an exceptional eventan outliertodays attacks make for an emerging pattern. If the pattern continues, with or without escalation to open warfare, it will mean higher oil prices. Such a trend would likely be long-lived, and I would consider speculating in the space if it plays out that way. Meanwhile, it was good to see gold doing its job as a safe haven today. That always encouraging, but its especially important when the dollar rises at the same time. Its proof that during times of elevated systemic risk, gold is not just another dollar-denominated commodity, like copper or coffee. Gold is physical wealth. Its an asset on which one can go long, for which theres no short, no counterparty risk. Gold is money. Oddly enough, while todays developments leave me uncertain about oil in the near term, they are very bullish for gold. This dangerous pattern of attacks on oil shipping is yet one more push for gold to break out of its six-year trading range. I cant promise that, but the odds have just increased significantly. And Im glad to have a portfolio of stocks poised to benefit in The Independent Speculator. Caveat emptor, By Melanie Burton MELBOURNE, June 14 (Reuters) - Rare earth developers in Australia say they are edging closer to signing deals with new customers that would drive forward their projects amid mounting global supply concerns over the minerals that are crucial to high-tech industries. Australia contains only 2.8% of the world's rare earth reserves, according to the United States Geological Survey. However, the country accounts for more than half of the new projects in the global pipeline, according to data compiled by the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) at Curtin University. Rare earths are a group of 17 minerals critical to a wide array of industries from high-tech consumer electronics to electric vehicles and sophisticated military equipment. Most of Australia's projects, however, have been stuck as developers struggle to secure financing because of the domination of China, which accounts for about 90% of global rare earths processing capacity and one-quarter of the world's reserves. Even the projects closest to start-up are unlikely to begin operations until 2023 at the earliest, the WASM data shows. Still, those projects may speed up amid the escalating trade war between the United States and China. The United States imports 80% of its rare earths from China, where state-owned news outlets have reported it could cut its shipments to the U.S. as part of the dispute. Northern Minerals , which is developing the Browns Range project in Australia's northwest, said last week that it was in "discussions with an internationally recognised industrial group" for supply. "The level of interest has increased since the increased news focus on the issue," a company spokesman said this week. Hastings Technology , which is readying its Yangibana rare earths project in Western Australia for late 2021 production already has one preliminary supply agreement with Germany's Thyssenkrupp and signed another with automotive supplier Schaeffler AG last week. "We are working on another German supply agreement which we expect to tie up this year," said Charles Lew, Hastings' executive chairman. Additionally, Hastings is receiving financing from Germany's strategic minerals procurement body, he said. The prospects for Australia's rare earths industry are picking up based on growing demand expectations. The U.S. said this week it would look to Australia and Canada to develop rare earths reserves around the world to reduce the global reliance on China. A Thyssenkrupp spokesman said last week that "in the area of rare earths we are regularly on the lookout for new partners to serve the growing global demand." The reason rare earths projects outside of China have not advanced is because China's vast production, underpinned by cheaper labour and less stringent environmental regulations, means no one else can compete on cost, said WASM Professor Dudley Kingsnorth. Australia's Lynas Corp, the world's only rare earths producer outside of China, has been supported by low interest loans from Japan's government. Last month Lynas outlined expansion plans including building a U.S. processing plant. Kingsnorth estimates the world will need 75,000 tonnes of rare earths per year to be independent of China by 2025. However, his projections are that the rest of the world will only be producing 50,000 tonnes independent of China by that time. End-users are not willing to invest in mines that are years away from production and more costly than in China, he said. However, companies are not pricing in the risk of a politically driven supply disruption, he said. "It's not about being competitive with China, it's do you get your metals or not?" said Kingsnorth. Without government support, most new projects will struggle to see the light of day, said a resource companies analyst who declined to be named because of company policy. Especially if companies are planning to build processing plants, the cost of which can be an order of magnitude more than the value of the companies building them, he said. For example, Australian rare earths miner Arafura Resources, a company with a market capitalization of A$77 million ($53.24 million), is seeking to secure $1 billion in funding for its project that includes a processing plant. Arafura and fellow miner Alkane Resources met with U.S. defence officials as part of an Australian trade delegation in February but returned empty handed, executives from both companies said. "The conundrum that's occurring is do or don't people wish to put money on the ground to pay higher costs to mitigate risk?" said Alkane's Managing Director Nick Earner. ($1 = 1.4463 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Melanie Burton in MELBOURNE. Additional reporting by Yuka Obayashi in TOKYO and Christoph Steitz in FRANKFURT; editing by Christian Schmollinger) (Bloomberg) -- The head of the Democratic Republic of Congo's state mining company will no longer exercise control over the business, despite being reappointed to the post, the president's spokesman said. Albert Yuma, who was named president of Gecamines's board in 2010, retained the position in a May 29 order signed by President Felix Tshisekedi. Nongovernmental groups have criticized the lack of transparency at Gecamines and Yuma of overseeing corruption -- allegations he rejects. Yuma is a close ally of former President Joseph Kabila, whom Tshisekedi succeeded after elections in December. International mining companies have an uneasy relationship with Yuma because he's committed to renegotiating Gecamines's joint ventures to secure better terms for the state, and supported legislation to increase royalties and introduced taxes. Miners operating in Congo, the world's largest source of cobalt and the fourth-biggest copper producer, include Glencore Plc and China Molybdenum Co. Yuma previously had "power" at Gecamines "beyond what was devolved to him as president of the board," especially after the company's director-general was fired by Kabila in 2014 and not replaced, Tshisekedi's spokesman Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba said by phone. The firm will now be managed by its new director-general, Sama Lukonde, and his deputy, Ntambwe Ngoy Kabongo, alongside Yuma and six other directors. Tshisekedi wants "Gecamines to stop being a kind of dairy cow for certain Congolese political officials," Yamba Yamba said. Yuma didn't respond to calls seeking comment. Organizations including the Atlanta-based Carter Center and London-based Global Witness have accused Gecamines of failing to account for hundreds of millions of dollars paid to it by mining companies. The company, a junior shareholder in most of Congo's mining projects, rejects the allegation and says its paid $372 million to the national Treasury between 2009 and 2014, including more than $250 million in tax advances. A local organization, the Public Expenses Observatory, wrote to Tshisekedi on June 6 urging him to reverse Yuma's reappointment, claiming "his previous mandate at Gecamines excelled in financial scandal without precedent." Such allegations are part of the "propaganda of the DRC's enemies," according to a Gecamines statement last week. Boardroom Battle Kabila's allies in parliament also want Tshisekedi to cancel the nomination of Gecamines' new board. His Common Front for Congo, or FCC, says the directive is unconstitutional as it lacks the counter-signature of a sitting prime minister. While Tshisekedi won the presidential election, FCC candidates secured majorities in both houses of parliament and provincial assemblies, leading the head of state and his predecessor to agree to govern Congo in coalition with a prime minister from the ranks of the FCC. To contact the reporter on this story: William Clowes in Kinshasa at wclowes@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net, Hilton Shone, Pauline Bax For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2019 Bloomberg L.P. Creative Commons image of mining truck courtesy of MINING.com "It doesn't look as if there will be much relief for copper, though there will be support from supply side disruptions like Chuquicamata (copper mine) in Chile." A firmer U.S. currency in afternoon trade further undermined commodity prices because dollar-denominated commodities become more expensive for importers in other currencies, which could subdue demand. CODELCO: Union workers at Codelco's Chuquicamata copper mine, one of the worlds largest, said they would walk off the job on Friday after failing to reach a labour deal with Codelco, the world's top copper producer. ACTIVITY: China's industrial output growth slowed unexpectedly in May to a more than 17-year low, with investment also cooling in the latest sign of weakening demand. Global demand for base metals is highly correlated with industrial production. TRADE: Talks between the world's two largest economies collapsed last month, with U.S. President Donald Trump accusing China of watering down commitments it had made. Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods and has threatened even more. DEMAND: China accounts for about half of global copper demand, estimated at 24 million tonnes this year, while the United States consumes nearly 10%. STOCKS: Rising copper stocks in LME-approved warehouses -- at 252,425 tonnes and up 35% since late May -- are weighing on copper prices. LEAD: Worries about lead supplies, mainly used to make auto batteries, have been fuelled by Belgium-listed Nyrstar , which has halted output at its Port Pirie lead and zinc smelter in Australia and declared force majeure. SPREADS: That worry is compounded by one company holding large amounts of lead on LME warrant and can be seen in the premium paid for nearby delivery. The premium for cash over the three-month lead contract stands at about $8 a tonne, having been at a discount at the end of May. It rose to 2-1/2 year highs above $40 a tonne earlier this month. Three-month lead slipped 1.3% to close at $1,865 a tonne. NICKEL: Prices of stainless steel ingredient nickel touched two-week highs at $12,065 a tonne on concern about supply from major producer Indonesia, where flooding has halted some mining operations. It did not trade in closing rings but was up 0.2% at $11,865 a tonne in electronic trading at 1600 GMT. PRICES: Aluminium fell 1.3% to $1,764.50 a tonne in closing rings, zinc shed 1% to $2,453 and tin dropped 0.8% to $19,205. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Top Base and Precious Metals Analysis - GFMS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Pratima Desai Editing by Louise Heavens and David Goodman) (Kitco News) - The dearth of investment capital flowing into the junior exploration space is taking its toll on sentiment among industry executives, but one mining CEO said that this could the bottom signal everyone is waiting for. Hugh Agro, president and CEO of Revival Gold Hugh Agro, president and CEO of Revival Gold, said in a recent interview with Kitco News that for him, negative sentiment among industry officials is as high as it was back in the late 1990s. "I have seen a number of CEOs throw in the towel," he said. "This environment is shaking out all the weak players, but I think the industry will be stronger in the long-term." However, he added that industry players and investors have to remember that mining is a cyclical industry and he thinks it is only a matter of time before interest and capital returns to the sector. The junior mining sector is already starting to see the slow return of fresh investment as gold prices trade near a one-year high. The Vaneck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: GDXJ) has pushed to its highest level since early-April, last trading at $31.90 a share, up more than 1% on the day. However, looking past the price of gold, Agro said that the most significant factor that will drive renewed interest back to junior miners is the growing supply gap among the larger producers. "You have to keep your eye on the long-term landscape," he said. "The fact is that no new growth projects are being developed within the gold industry." Because of the current market environment, Agro added that the junior mining sector offers the best value for investors. "A focused management team can generate real value from their assets in a way that a large producer with their systems, processes and G&A burdens can't," he said. "There is a lot of value hidden in some of these projects and it's up to the management teams to find that value and not just concede in a tough market environment." Because industry sentiment is so low, Agro said that he expects to see more merger and acquisition activity. He added that Revival is keeping its eyes open for potential growth opportunities. "Now is the time to be building a growth company in the gold market," he said, "not when everyone is overpaying for assets. Part of Revival's strategy at this point in time is to keep its eyes open for other opportunities to complement our portfolio. We do think there are a lot of good opportunities out there." Revival gold has just started its summer exploration program at its Beartrack property in Idaho. The work program will include 5,000 meters of core drilling. Agro noted that the company has identified about 2 million ounces of gold ounces within the property. He added that their goal is to get that to 3 million ounces with their current program. FRANKFURT, June 14 (Reuters) - Euro zone banks are still seeing a "high" number of loans go unpaid and borrowers declare default despite years of economic growth, the European Central Bank's top supervisor Andrea Enria said on Friday. But Enria also praised the sector's "ambitious" plans to reduce a mountain of non-performing loans (NPLs) inherited from the last recession. They are particularly high still in countries such as Italy, Greece and Portugal. Enria also urged lenders to step up their efforts and stem a flow of newly soured credit and customer defaults. "It seems that inflows of new NPLs are still on the high side not least when you consider where we are in the business cycle," Enria said. "It also seems that some banks with high NPLs are still reporting increasing default rates. We find this somewhat worrying, and we urge banks to stem this inflow by rethinking their underwriting standards and engaging with distressed debtors," he added. The ECB has been putting pressure on banks to tackle the issue of old and new unpaid loans, including via new rules that prompted pushback from Italy and were eventually watered down. Enria said, however, that banks appeared finally to be coming to grips with the problem. "Looking at the most recent NPL strategies, their plans for the future are also quite ambitious," he said. "Most importantly, they are particularly aggressive in dealing with the older vintages of NPLs." More than half of unpaid loans at problem banks are older than two years and more than a quarter older than five. (Reporting by Francesco Canepa Editing by Balazs Koranyi and Gareth Jones) LUXEMBOURG, June 14 (Reuters) - Italy should clarify in the next few days how it intends to avert a European Union disciplinary action over its soaring debt, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday. He spoke after Italian Finance Minister Giovanni Tria explained Rome's public finances to euro zone counterparts at a meeting in Luxembourg. The EU has said there is room to open a disciplinary procedure against Italy, which could lead to fines. Asked at a news conference when Italy should reply to the EU's executive commission to avert disciplinary proceedings, Le Maire said: "I would say a few days." EU governments this week endorsed the European Commission's assessment that Italy was in breach of EU fiscal rules because of its growing debt, which Rome's eurosceptic government has not tackled, pursuing instead free-spending policies. This would justify the opening of a disciplinary procedure, the EU said. Such punitive action would need to be started before the summer break under EU rules. The Commission is expected to decide on whether to recommend the move on June 26, EU officials and documents said, although a one-week delay could be possible. The final decision by EU finance ministers is expected on July 8-9. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio Editing by Mark Heinrich) Angola, IN (46703) Today Cloudy with a mixture of winter precipitation. Areas of patchy fog. High around 35F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 90%. Snow and ice accumulating 1 to 3 inches.. Tonight Periods of snow. Low around 20F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Occasional rain with some snow mixing in for the afternoon. High 38F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.. Tonight Cloudy with snow. Low near 20F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Periods of rain and snow. Areas of patchy fog. High 38F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precip 90%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.. Tonight Snow likely. Low 21F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches. EXO's leader Suho's ring-tone service for the forthcoming Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) rapidly sold out, according to Daegu News. "We didn't expect (the sound service) will be sold out so fast because it's distributed by first come first served basis. Suho's popularity has been greatly felt as many people gathered, and the server is temporarily down," states a DIMF official. Suho also appeared in a promotional video prior to this for prospective attendees to take part in the biggest musical festival in South Korea. Because of this, the number of followers of every DIMF social media accounts significantly increased. Almost a month ago, Suho was declared as the honorary PR ambassador for the upcoming prestigious festival. DIMF Chairman Lee Jang-woo shared in an interview that Suho's contributions to the musical theatre industry and his immense popularity will bolster the affair. "EXO's Suho, who is loved all over the world, is expected to maximize its synergy by participating as DIMF's goodwill ambassador and as a musical actor," he said. "We want to make DIMF a cultural industry brand representing South Korea. We want the festival to have even more interest and participation with the help of Suho." The 13th DIMF is slated to kick-start from June 21 to July 8, 2019. There is also a high possibility for Suho to visit the event. Not just by Korea but performances from other countries are expected to partake in the event. The affair also hopes to open tickets for music enthusiasts around the globe, such as the ones from France, Britain, China, and Spain. Apart from being the leader of the K-Pop supergroup EXO, Suho has also been active as a musical theatre actor, having headlined large-scale musical shows such as "The Last Kiss" as Rudolf in 2017 and "The One Who Laughs" as Gwynplaine in 2018, which bagged him three awards. In an interview, Suho revealed why he chose the latter as his second musical involvement. He shared, "Not a year has passed since my debut as a musical actor. I was interested in 'The Man Who Laughs' even before I started to practice for 'The Last Kiss.' I wanted to see the script so badly." The idol-musical actor added, "I like the Joker character very much, and the Joker is a character derived from 'The Man Who Laughs.' I wanted an opportunity to audition for that character, and I was lucky enough to be cast for the role." Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, addresses an activity during the national mass entrepreneurship and innovation week in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, June 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) HANGZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday called for further boosting mass entrepreneurship and innovation to better stabilize employment, promote innovation and strengthen new growth impetus. Li made the remarks when addressing an activity in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, on the country's efforts to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. Calling mass entrepreneurship and innovation "important pillars" of China's economic resilience, Li said the country can withstand downward economic pressures and maintain long-term economic fundamentals by stimulating market players' vitality and social creativity. "Mass entrepreneurship and innovation provide strong support for employment," Li said, noting that the initiative has created broad employment opportunities for Chinese people, especially young people. Governments at all levels should deepen reform to streamline administrative approvals, delegate power to lower levels and improve regulation and services, Li said, adding that they must also improve the business environment and further implement measures to cut taxes and fees on a larger scale. 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(Representational Image) New Delhi: Property consultant Anarock has demanded industry status for the real estate sector, single-window clearance for development and increase in bank funding to developers for completing projects in its wish list for the upcoming budget. It has also pitched for re-introduction of input tax credit (ITC) in GST, which has been withdrawn from this fiscal year. "With the Modi government taking full charge, all sectors have high hopes from the finance minister - who is already saddled with multiple issues including the slowing economy, liquidity crunch due to NBFC crisis, lack of job creation and rising NPAs, among others," Anarock Chairman Anuj Puri said. Since real estate is one of the major contributors to the gross domestic product (GDP) growth and can help the government resolve the shortfall in job creation to quite an extent, he said it is naturally expected that the upcoming budget will help the industry. Besides the usual demand for single-window clearance and industry status, Puri said the budget should include further tax sops to homebuyers as well as investors to help the sector recover from liquidity crunch. "From the builder perspective, their funding issues need serious attention." The consultant said there is a need to refinance non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). "The liquidity crisis is the major factor preventing completion of over 5.6 lakh stalled units across top seven cities. For this, the government could possibly increase the finance limits for NBFCs - a major source of funding for developers. This will help revive the sector to a large extent," Puri said. He also stressed on the need to increase bank funding to developers. Seeking more tax benefits for homebuyers and investors, Puri said, "While the interim budget in February did try to woo back investors and buyers alike by offering some sops, there need to be more direct benefits by way of reduction in income tax slabs, higher relief on housing loan rates, and an increase in the deduction limit under Section 80C from the current Rs 1.5 lakh a year." On the GST regime, he said ITC benefits should be re-instated. "Without ITC benefits, builders are seeing sizeable drop in their profits and will eventually pass the buck on to buyers in the form of higher prices. With the ITC benefit, property prices will remain under control and thereby boost sales, helping beleaguered developers to overcome some of their financial stress," Puri said. From April this year, the government has withdrawn the ITC benefits, but reduced GST rate to 1 per cent from 8 per cent for affordable housing. For other housing projects, the GST rate has been cut to 5 per cent from 12 per cent earlier. The government did give a choice to developers to follow old rates in case of projects launched before April 1, 2019. A decision on the contentious issue of use of Huawei equipment in telecom infrastructure, particularly for futuristic 5G networks, is expected to be taken soon. New Delhi: The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) -- the apex decision-making body of the Telecom Department -- Thursday cleared norms for 5G trials in India, even as the government mulls a "calibrated" view on the question of Chinese giant Huawei's participation. A decision on the contentious issue of use of Huawei equipment in telecom infrastructure, particularly for futuristic 5G networks, is expected to be taken soon, said a senior government official who did not wish to be named. The official asserted that India will take a considered view on the matter "maximising its self interest". When contacted, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said: "...it will be a calibrated decision. We will ensure all security certifications, and there will be no compromise on security and equally we will drive a hard bargain to ensure that there is space for Indian intellectual property rights (IPRs) in new 5G rollouts". "India is engaged with global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and India is also keeping track of global developments. We believe this is a huge opportunity to create a platform for 5G with Indian capabilities. "So whichever OEM we partner with, one of the key considerations will be to see who will give us the best deal for Indian start-ups, Indian IPRs and Indian standards," she told reporters. Sources said a final decision will be taken soon keeping in view India's interest, capabilities, commercial and strategic requirements as well as overall geopolitical considerations. Last month, the Trump administration had placed Huawei and its affiliates on a blacklist, a move that barred the Chinese telecom equipment major from purchasing parts and components from American firms without the US government's approval. The US had subsequently relaxed some of the restrictions to reduce disruption for customers. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recently alluded to the issue, saying it was a "complex" matter and will be looked at seriously by India including security aspects. Huawei has maintained that its engagement with the Indian government for 5G trials has been "positive" and hoped that the country will make its "own independent decision" on the issue. Meanwhile, the DCC has approved norms for spectrum allocation for 5G trials based on the recommendations of a DoT-constituted committee chaired by IIT Kanpur Director Abhay Karandikar. The panel was tasked to give recommendations on the scope of 5G trials, as well as size, quantum, pricing and other aspects for offering experimental/trial spectrum. "The thrust of that is to ensure that in India, we are able to develop our own hardware devices and make available experimental spectrum on extremely liberal terms...so it is being given for a period of one year, which is extendible as compared to 3 months which was the maximum period earlier," a source said. There will be experimental and technology trial licences, applicable to all Indian entities involved in research and development, incubation, experimentation, as also telecom service providers. The licence fee has been pegged at Rs 5,000 with simplified clearance process. It also entails a provision for 'deemed licence', aimed at promoting startups and facilitating ease of doing business. Asked when the allotment of spectrum for 5G trials will take place, the source said it will happen soon. Also, it was decided that Common Services Centres (CSCs) will leverage the fibre network in one lakh gram panchayats -- under BharatNet -- and start delivering services including maintaining wi-fi hotspots and connecting development institutions. The DCC also approved a proposal pertaining to implementation of BharatNet in public private partnership (PPP) mode. "Linking up to homes, linking up to development institutions and linking up to towers will be focus on BharatNet in PPP mode," the source added. Dr Reddy's said it will receive sales-based royalties on a quarterly basis. New Delhi: Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Friday said it has entered into a definitive agreement with Upsher-Smith Laboratories to sell the US and select territory rights of its neurology branded products -- Tosymra and Zembrace -- for over USD 110 million (approx Rs 765 crore). "Under the agreement, Dr Reddy's will receive USD 70 million as upfront consideration, USD 40.5 million in near-term milestones and additional financial considerations including, existing contractual obligation and inventory," the company said in a regulatory filing. Subsequently, Dr Reddy's said it will receive sales-based royalties on a quarterly basis. Both the products are commercialised through Dr Reddy's wholly-owned subsidiary, Promius Pharma. The company said Tosymra and Zembrace were designed and developed with the goal of addressing unmet needs of large but discrete segments of patients suffering from episodic migraine who need options other than their current therapies. Dr Reddy's Laboratories Co-Chairman and CEO GV Prasad said, "This is a testament to our strong research and development capabilities, and delivering solutions to unmet needs of patients. In a short time, we created a well-recognised migraine specialty business in the US and we look forward to our partnership with Upsher-Smith". The closing of the transaction is subject to various customary closing conditions, the company said. Shares of Dr Reddy's were trading 1.44 per cent lower at Rs 2,549 apiece on the BSE. Earlier in the day, the RBI injected Rs 15,000 crore into the system through bond purchases. Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India said on Thursday said it will infuse Rs 12,500 crore into the financial system through bond purchases on June 20. The decision has taken based on a review of the evolving liquidity conditions and assessment of the durable liquidity needs going forward, the central bank said in a statement. The purchase of government securities under the Open Market Operation (OMO) for Rs 125 billion (Rs 12,500 crore) will be conducted on June 20, 2019. The government securities to be purchased in the auction would be communicated in due course, the RBI added. Earlier in the day, the RBI injected Rs 15,000 crore into the system through bond purchases. The RBI uses open market operations (OMO) for injecting liquidity into the system through the purchase of government bonds (G-sec). Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday told officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA not to spare anyone who violated traffic laws, even if it was his brother. SanwoOlu, who was at LASTMA office in Oshodi, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Friday said emphatically that if his brother broke traffic law, he should be arrested. According to him, there would be no sacred cow in the enforcement of the law, saying that if anyone broke traffic law and was arrested and he said he knew the governor, tell him to call the governor to pay the money for the offence. He told them not to listen to anyone from his cabinet who might want to use his position to get someone arrested by the officers off the hook. Sanwo-Olu also made it clear that he would not condone corruption or bribe-taking from any LASTMA official. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates An Indiana teen who fatally stabbed her mother has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. On Wednesday, 17-year-old Chastinea Reeves was sentenced by a Lake Superior Court judge as part of a plea deal, the Chicago Tribune, WGNTV and NWI Times report. During the hearing, the teen told the judge she regretted murdering her mother. If I could go back, I wouldnt do it, Reeves said. I do miss my mother. In Feb. 2017, Reevess mother, Jamie Garnett, 34, was found dead in their Gary home she had been stabbed 60 times. An AMBER Alert was issued for Reeves, then 15, who was located and taken into custody, Fox32 reported at the time. She was charged with murder and in May pleaded guilty, accepting a plea deal, according to the Tribune. Your being young doesnt impress me. You knew better. You knew better than this, Judge Diane Boswell told Reeves Wednesday. Its unclear what motivated Reeves to kill her mother. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Hyderabad: The Hyderabad cyber crime police is investigating two complaints from Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy that he had received threatening calls from unidentified persons twice over a period of two months. The calls were made in voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) mode, which makes tracking them difficult. Mr Reddy received threatening calls on April 24 from two different numbers. Following this, he lodged a complaint with the Kacheguda police who registered a case under IPC Section 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation). Mr Reddy said that on May 20 he had received two threatening calls from a number. The unidentified caller spoke in filthy language and threatened the minister with dire consequences. Cops probe video against Malla When Mr Reddy asked the caller about his identity, he refused to reveal his name and the address. Following this, Mr Reddy approached the cyber crime police to trace the caller as there was a threat to his life. The Hyderabad cyber crime police registered a case under IPC Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) and began investigations. The Hyderabad cyber crime police also registered a case against unidentified persons who made an objectionable video against Telangana state labour minister Ch. Malla Reddy on the social media. The video drew a comparison between Mr Malla Reddy and Congress leader A. Revanth Reddy. In the background were some objectionable comments on Mr Malla Reddy. The minister lodged a complaint with the Hyderbad cyber crime police. The Hyderbad cyber crime police police registered a case under IPC Section 469 (Forgery for purpose of harming reputation). A Kenyan MP has been arrested for allegedly slapping a female colleague because she did not allocate money to his constituency. Rashid Kassim is accused of slapping Fatuma Gedi, who sits on the budget committee, in the capital Nairobi. A photo of Ms Gedi crying with blood in her mouth after the alleged assault has been shared widely on Twitter. Female MPs subsequently walked out of parliament in protest after their male colleagues mocked them. Mr Kassim, MP for Wajir East in north-eastern Kenya, is accused of attacking Ms Gedi in the parliament building car park after confronting her about why she had not allocated money to his area. Male MPs then made fun of their female counterparts in parliament over the incident. Some of our male colleagues started mocking us and saying it was slapping day, she said. Ms Chege added that they said women needed to have manners and we need to know how to treat men. Female MPs subsequently walked out of parliament, demanding the arrest of Mr Kassim, who was subsequently detained. We are all members of parliament we are no lesser than them, Ms Chege said. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Imo State Command, has arrested one Paul Ihuaku for allegedly raping his mother. Punch Metro gathered that 45-year-old Ihuaku hails from Umueke Ezagbogu in the Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. Briefing journalists on Thursday, the state Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Raji Ibrahim, said the suspect was arrested by the operatives of the corps following a tip-off. It was gathered that after the incident, the mother reported the suspect to the youth in the area, who apprehended him and alerted men of the corps. The men of the command later proceeded to the residence of the suspect and arrested him, he added. Fielding questions from journalists, the suspect confessed to the crime, adding that he was under the influence of alcohol. After drinking on that fateful evening, there was a heavy downpour and I could not resist the urge for sex; so, I had to use a local pistol to threaten my mother to submission and I later r-ped her, Ihuaku stated. Asked if he was married, the suspect said he did not have the means yet, as he was not doing anything tangible. I was not bewitched. I was under the influence of alcohol, he added. It was also gathered that the incident took place in the village house the suspect is living in with his mother. The mother (name withheld) confessed that the incident was the second time. She said, I was in the kitchen and saw him (Ihuaku) with a pistol. He used it to threaten me. He told me that he would kill me. I could not do anything other than to beg him to drop the gun. It was in the process that he threw me on the ground and it (r-pe) happened. I had to call on the youth the next morning, as the incident happened when it was already dark and damp. The youth later went to the NSCDC headquarters in Itu to report him, hence his arrest. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State has urged the Chief of Army Staff , Lt.- Gen. Tukur Buratai, to speed up action on the joint security team to combat rising security challenge in the state. A statement issued in Osogbo by Mr Adeniyi Adeshina, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said Oyetola made the plea when he met with Buratai in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Osun government had announced that a joint security team of policemen, soldiers and operatives in other security agencies would be set up to patrol the highways and dark spots. According to Adeshina, the governor told the Chief of Army Staff that his visit was a follow up to the letter of request sent to him to support the security efforts in the state. He also said that the governor commended Buratai for the efforts of the military whose engineers were constructing a bridge across River Osun to connect Ede with Kuta and other communities in the state. Oyetola, according to the statement, said the South West governors have also resolved to organise a security summit. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has remanded Bisong James Oyen, a fake employment officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in prison custody. Oyen was arraigned by the EFCC, Port Harcourts Zonal Office on Thursday on a two-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007, and punishable under Section 1 (2) of the same Act. One of the count charges read: That you, Bisong James Oyen, on or about 11th December, 2018 at Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this honourable Court did forge Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Appointment letter and delivered same to Talbort Young for employment with intent that it may be acted upon as genuine, a pretext which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007, and punishable under section 1 (2) of the same Act. He pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to him. In view of his plea, Prosecution Counsel, Esin-Otu Ebipade urged the court to fix a date for the commencement of hearing. The defendant was not represented by any Counsel. Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter to June 18, 2019 for hearing and ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates States in Northeast India such as Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to receive heavy rainfall on Saturday. (Photo: Representational purpose) New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD), on Sunday, said that thunderstorm accompanied with hail and lightning (30-40 kmph) at isolated places are very likely over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh on Saturday. Besides, the weather forecasting agency also predicted that some isolated places of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal are likely to be hit by dust storm accompanied with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph tomorrow. States in Northeast India such as Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to receive heavy rainfall on Saturday. The weather forecasting agency also predicted that Gale winds speed of the order of 100-110 kmph gusting to 125 kmph very likely to prevail over the north Arabian Sea and Gujarat coast till evening and decrease gradually thereafter. "The Sea condition is very likely to be phenomenal over the north Arabian Sea and Gujarat coast. Strong winds, speed reaching 40-50 kmph, is very likely to prevail over East-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining the Andaman Sea and Southwest Arabian Sea off Somalia coast," the IMD added. The organisation has also adviced fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next few days. Iran says attacks on 2 oil carriers in Sea of Oman "suspicious" TEHRAN, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman earlier on the day were "suspicious." "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers" occurred while the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "for extensive and friendly talks," Zarif tweeted on Thursday. The Iranian foreign minister called for regional dialogue, saying that "Iran's proposed Regional Dialogue Forum is imperative." Two oil tankers were hit in the Sea of Oman on Thursday morning, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. The attacks came amid Abe's visit to Tehran, who is seeking to help ease tensions between Iran and the United States. Last month, four commercial vessels suffered similar sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The patrolling team deployed at Nallagandla lake which found a deer stuck in a sink pit near the lake. Officials believe the deer could have strayed from the UoH. Hyderabad: A deer that strayed from the forest to Nallagandla lake, Serilingampally, in search of water got stuck in a sink pit situated near the lake. The Lake Protection Force of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) rescued the deer from drowning on Friday. Mr Viswajit Kampati, director of the GHMCs enforcement, vigilance and disaster management wing, said The patrolling team deployed at Nallagandla lake found a deer stuck in a sink pit near the lake. They rescued the deer and handed it over to the forest department for treatment and care. Officials believe the deer could have strayed from the University of Hyderabad campus at Gachibowli. The Lake Protection Force has been deployed at 17 lakes in Hyderabad and comprises 120 people, all of whom have primarily been designated the task of patrolling and preventing vandalism and garbage dumping in and around the water bodies across the city. We are hoping to expand the capacity of the Lake Protection Force in the future, Mr Kampati added. It was one of the publishing events of the millennium so far: the publication of Harper Lees second book in 2015, more than half a century after To Kill a Mockingbird. Actually, though it was set two decades after Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman had been written before it was the manuscript that piqued publishers interest in Lee and introduced Atticus Finch to the world. Lees intended follow-up to Mockingbird was to have staked out bold new ground. Conceived as a work of In Cold Blood-like reportage, its subject matter was no less hard-boiled six corpses, a suspected serial killer rumored to dabble in voodoo, a vigilante who slew him and lawyer who represented both. Yet it was also familiar: an Alabama court case intersected by race the alleged mass murderer and his avenger were black; their Atticus-like defender white. Moreover, Lee had furnished crucial assistance to her friend Truman Capote in the workup for In Cold Blood and gotten within one semester of a law degree before dropping out of college. The project seemed a match of author with subject. But it became an albatross. She finally abandoned and, with it, any aspiration to a post-Mockingbird second act. In Furious Hours, Casey Cep picks up where Lee left off with a full accounting of a shocking true-crime case and the great literary might-have-been it spawned. The Rev. Willie Maxwell was nothing if not industrious. Besides preaching, he quarried rock and ran a crew clearing timber for paper mills. And in 1970 he allegedly began cutting a swath through his own family tree, cleaning up on life insurance policies hed taken out on relatives. Over the next seven years, he lost two wives, a brother, nephew and stepdaughter plus the husband of his second wife whose death permitted that marriage (and another payout) all under highly suspicious circumstances. Yet the police seemed unable to touch him. Casey Cep picks up where Lee left off with a full accounting of a shocking true-crime case and the great literary might-have-been it spawned. The truth was more prosaic. Authorities were thwarted by evidence that, pre-DNA testing, didnt quite meet the threshold for making charges stick. That, and a resourceful attorney whose zeal for defending his client was matched only by the alacrity with which he pursued Maxwells insurance claims for which he cut a deal to take half of all he recouped. For ex-Democratic state lawmaker Tom Radney, defending Maxwell was highly remunerative but came at reputational cost. Rehabilitation was at hand though when, at the funeral of Maxwells stepdaughter, a relative of the girl, Robert Burns, shot Maxwell dead Radney lost one client and acquired another. Advertisement And Radney was who tipped Lee, an acquaintance, to this real-life Southern Gothic. For Lee it was a literary homecoming. Mockingbird wasnt the book shed intended as Watchman attests. In that germinal work, far from being a moral exemplar, Atticus kvetches about the NAACP and integration. It sought to capture an insidious reality wherein upstanding citizens could defend a black man in court only to bar him from the ballot box, writes Cep. Mockingbirds simplification was driven by novelistic exigency; her editor found Watchman preachy. But it also pandered to Northerners expectations, Cep adds. Later, Lee reprised Watchmans theme in a story commissioned by Esquire about some white people who were segregationists & at the same time loathed & hated the K.K.K. It was deemed an axiomatic impossibility and spiked. Here was a real-life case true to her lived experience then that was impregnable to an editors incredulity or red pen. And Burns trial, for which Lee decamped south, didnt disappoint: amid fervid legal sparring, Radneys daring insanity defense prevailed Burns was consigned to a psychiatric hospital from which within weeks he was discharged. By turning the proceedings into a proxy trial of Maxwell calling a witness who testified Maxwell attempted to enlist him in a plot to murder his stepdaughter Radney valorized Burns as an agent of retributive justice. He also expiated his own sins. But it also trod vexed ground moral muddiness concerning black criminality in a criminally racist society. Then there was Radney, for all his progressivism and civil rights activism a troubling figure, supposed redemption or not. While Maxwell kept his liberty and Radney took him to the bank (locals branded the plush office he built himself, the Maxwell House), a black community marked by extended kinship ties was terrorized, wondering whod be next to suffer one of the accidents or premature deaths that uncannily befell many of Maxwells relatives. Robert Burns, center, and his family at the defense table on the first day of the trial. (The Alexander City Outlook) It was knotty and dramatically unwieldy, not to mention the mountain of rumors andmolehill of facts, as Lee put it. Then there were her scruples; she didnt hold with the license Capote took to arrange, even invent, facts for a more congenial narrative. She recast her account as fiction, but didnt get far (unless her sealed estate contains a cache of material). Cep narrates this saga atmospherically and with empathy. There are lyrical passages Alabama sits like a headstone between Mississippi and Georgia plus judicious detail: police at Maxwells funeral scan mens blazers to see if they flapped in the wind or stayed still, held down by the weight of a gun. Excursions into the annals of life insurance fraud and folkways of voodoo are fascinating. Though I wonder if she reckons sufficiently with Radney an exhibit here of the insouciance toward black-on-black crime she otherwise notes. Ultimately, Cep conjectures, Lee lost her nerve. Here, the 17 years since Mockingbirds publication during which shed been blocked before the trial hardly seem an incidental prologue. Lees complaints about the penal tax bracket into which Mockingbirds earnings vaulted her, supposedly proscribing her ability to work, appear to transpose a wider defensive crouch a sentiment captured in a remark cited in a New York Times review of a 2006 biography: When youre at the top, theres only one way to go. A book jacket for Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, by Casey Cep. (Knopf) In relinquishing the burden of expectations, Lee found release. Somewhere along the line, she stopped doing two things destructive to her own well-being, writes Cep. One was drinking; the other was writing. After three dark decades, her letters become more buoyant no longer anguished, and absent almost any mention of trying to write. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee Casey Cep Knopf: 336 pp., $26.95 Phillips writing has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, Atlantic (online), Smithsonian, Washington Monthly, Irish Times and other publications. Romance novelist Nicholas Sparks sought to ban a club for LGBTQ students at the North Carolina religious school he co-founded. Sparks, who founded the Epiphany School of Global Studies in New Bern, N.C., with his then-wife, Catherine, in 2006, objected to what he considered a pro-LGBTQ agenda on the part of the schools headmaster, according to emails written by the novelist and obtained by the Daily Beast. The emails were unearthed as part of a discrimination and defamation lawsuit filed against Sparks, best known as the author of The Notebook and A Walk to Remember, by Saul Hillel Benjamin, the Epiphany Schools former CEO and headmaster. In the lawsuit, filed in 2014, Benjamin claims that Sparks told parents of students that the then-headmaster was mentally ill. Benjamin, a Quaker who was raised in the Jewish faith, also claims Sparks made a series of derogatory remarks about Jews, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community. Advertisement Benjamin claims that LGBTQ students at the Epiphany School had formed an informal club to support one another, which was soon met with bullying by other students who talked about initiating a homo-caust. Benjamin says that he discouraged two LGBTQ girls from staging a protest over the controversy and spoke out against bullying during the schools weekly Chapel Talk. Sparks chastised the headmaster in an email, writing, Again, you chose to rock this boat early and hard ... with what some perceive as an agenda that strives to make open and accepted. ... As for the Club, there obviously cant be one now, though you might open your doors at your home if you feel qualified to talk to them about it in small group settings. In another email, Sparks complained that Benjamins priorities were misplaced, writing, Finally, weve spent way, way too much time in the first few months talking about tolerance, diversity, nondiscrimination and LGBT in these first 12 weeks. Benjamin also claims that Sparks said the reason the Epiphany School had a small number of African American students was that they were too poor and cant do the academic work. In an email to Benjamin, Sparks wrote, Regarding diversity, Ive now told you half a dozen times that our lack of diversity has NOTHING to do with the school or anyone at the school. Its not because of what we as a school has or hasnt done [sic]. It has nothing to do with racism or vestiges of Jim Crow. It comes down to 1) Money and 2) Culture. On Twitter, Sparks released a statement accusing the Daily Beast of repeating false accusations and claims against him and the Epiphany School. Epiphany is and remains a place where students and faculty of any race, belief, religion, background or orientation should feel welcome, he wrote. My commitment to these values, as well as Epiphanys commitment to these values, have been and remain constant. Benjamins lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in August. Bayer will pump about $5.6 billion of its research and development budget into alternatives to its weedkiller glyphosate over the next decade as it battles more than 13,000 lawsuits claiming the herbicide causes cancer. Trying to ease concerns about the controversial compound, the German chemical and drug company said it will seek more public feedback during the coming safety certification process in Europe. Bayer wants to offer farmers new products to fight weeds while standing behind glyphosate-based Roundup, which it acquired via its $63-billion purchase of Monsanto. While glyphosate will continue to play an important role in agriculture and in Bayers portfolio, the company is committed to offering more choices for growers, it said in a statement Friday. Bayer is working to rehabilitate its image as it battles a wave of U.S.-centered litigation that has spread to other countries such as Australia. Last month, the German company suffered a third straight trial loss over claims that exposure to Roundup caused cancer, prompting some analysts to raise their estimates for settling the litigation to as much as $10 billion. Advertisement Column: Did a jury ignore science when it hit Monsanto with a $2-billion verdict? The $5.6 billion in spending on new herbicides over the next decade does not represent new money. Its part of Bayers existing 2.5 billion-euro annual budget for crop science research and development, spokesman Tino Andresen said. The company expects more growth from seeds and digital farming businesses in coming years, where innovation is expected to yield greater rewards. The companys U.S.-traded shares fell 1.5% on Friday. Theyve sunk by nearly half since the Monsanto deal closed a year ago. Bayer has struggled to cope with the negative sentiment that Monsanto has left in the minds of many people around the world. Last month, it hired law firm Sidley Austin to investigate a surveillance project that the U.S. company launched against European reporters and policymakers. Bayer and others that sell glyphosate-based products need another review in order to keep selling the chemical in the European Union after 2022. The last round was contentious, ending in a reapproval for just five years compared with the usual 15 in 2017. Re-registration for glyphosate in the EU is due to start this year. While the process typically involves some public review, Bayer promised to invite scientists, journalists and nongovernmental organizations to contribute to the companys scientific preparations. The European Commission, which published more than 6,000 pages of assessments during the chemicals last review, has also pledged greater transparency. Governments of several European countries, including France and Germany, have moved to curb use of the weedkiller. Some companies are also edging away from the product. Deutsche Bahn said its looking for ways to keep weeds in check along its 20,000-mile German rail network without Roundup. Options include using hot water, electrical shocks or UV-C light, the company said in emailed comments. A U.S. judge overseeing federal lawsuits has appointed high-profile mediator Ken Feinberg to lead settlement talks over the herbicide litigation. The next case is set to go to trial in August in St. Louis, a district that is close to Monsantos headquarters but also is considered friendly to plaintiffs. A Los Angeles councilman, concerned about the housing crisis, is trying to stop landlords from turning rent-controlled apartments into pricey furnished units for people who want a short-term lease. Councilman Mike Bonin submitted a motion Friday asking city officials to draft an ordinance requiring initial leases in rent-controlled buildings to last at least 12 months. This comes after the Los Angeles Times reported on the phenomenon for example, highlighting a startup that partnered with a Hollywood landlord to turn a $1,800-a-month rent-controlled studio apartment into a $3,300-a-month furnished, extended-stay corporate rental. Housing advocates say the practice contributes to the affordable housing crisis by taking long-term homes off the market. But corporate housing companies say they provide needed temporary housing at cheaper rates than hotels. Advertisement The corporate housing industry says demand is growing for short-term leases of furnished units, leading to a wave of new companies that market apartments to business travelers or people whose primary home is being renovated. Such leases are for at least a month but typically less than a year. High tenant turnover in rent-controlled units gives landlords more freedom to increase the rents they charge. Although the landlords can set the rent at the beginning of a lease, annual price increases are limited as long as the tenant stays. When that tenant moves out, the landlord can set a new price. Larry Gross, executive director for the Coalition for Economic Survival, called the situation another potential threat that could diminish our affordable housing stock and displace tenants, and he praised Bonins response. Hopefully it will head off what could be a potentially huge loophole in our current protections around rent-controlled housing, Gross said. StayTony founder Tony Diamond, whose company partners with landlords to renovate rent-controlled apartments and offer short-term leases, defended the practice, arguing that it makes staying in Los Angeles accessible to traveling nurses and others. The important thing is we are very affordable for corporate housing, about as affordable as you will find in the marketplace, Diamond said. Overall, Los Angeles County needs nearly 517,000 more units of affordable rental housing to meet demand, and a renter needs to make $47.52 per hour to afford the median monthly rent of $2,471, according to a report by the California Housing Partnership. Last week, officials reported that L.A. countys homeless population ballooned 12% in the last year, with a leap of 16% in the city of Los Angeles. City officials have been trying to regulate short-term rentals popularized by websites such as Airbnb, VRBO and Homeaway. A new law set to take effect July 1 explicitly bans stays of 30 days or less in rent-controlled buildings or in units that arent someones primary residence that is, second homes or investment properties. In his motion Friday, Bonin asked the city to examine whether a similar policy is needed for extended-stay corporate housing. The motion also asks city officials to create a report on corporate housing units and their effect on Los Angeles supply of long-term housing, as well as how other cities have addressed the issue. The motion was referred to the housing committee, where it will be debated. If approved, it will advance to the City Council for a vote. City Councilmen Bonin, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Paul Koretz and David Ryu are also looking into taxing landlords who keep homes vacant, hoping to pressure them into lowering rents and filling up their empty units. In this global competition, the final round (testing and evaluation of the actual prototype), takes place at SpaceX headquarters in California, the US, and the fastest pod wins the competition. CHENNAI: Avishkar Hyperloop, a 27-member student team from IIT-M, has become the only team from Asia to qualify for the Space X hyperloop pod competition 2019. The prototype of the pod was unveiled at IIT-M on Friday. Hyperloop is a proposed fifth mode of transportation which will propel passengers at a speed of nearly 1,200km/hr using magnetic levitation of trains in near-vacuum tubes. The concept was first proposed in 2013 by Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Space X and Tesla Inc. Sponsored by SpaceX, the hyperloop pod competition sees the brightest minds from around the world, present their subscale prototype pods demonstrating the technical feasibility of the hyperloop concept. In this global competition, the final round (testing and evaluation of the actual prototype), takes place at SpaceX headquarters in California, the US, and the fastest pod wins the competition. The young team comprising students from various streams and years qualified in the preliminary briefing round (where they presented an overview of the project) last year to become one among the top 21 finalists from over 1,600 teams from around the world. Speaking about the competition, Mr Suyash Singh, Student Team Head, Avishkar Hyperloop, said, The primary factor to decide the winner is the top speed achieved by the hyperloop pod in the run in the 1-mile long vacuum tube, installed at the SpaceX headquarters. The design has to go through a lot of checks and scrutiny based on its feasibility, manufacturing possibility and its safety aspects. The pod developed by the Avishkaar Team spans about three metres in length and weighs around 120 kg. The team worked extensively on the structure, braking system, power system and propulsion system for months to achieve high speed. As Huawei Technologies Co. comes under unrelenting pressure from the Trump administration, the Chinese telecom giant has one advantage that the U.S. cant undermine: a vast, global portfolio of patents on critical technology. Huawei holds 56,492 active patents on telecommunications, networking and other high-tech inventions worldwide, according to Anaqua, an intellectual property-management software firm. And its stepping up pursuit of royalties and licensing fees as its access to U.S. markets and suppliers is being restricted. The company is in protracted licensing talks with Verizon Communications Inc. and is in a dispute with chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. over the value of patents. Huawei also lodged claims against Harris Corp. after the defense contractor sued it last year alleging infringement of patents for networking and cloud security. Patents are, at their basic level, weapons of economic warfare, said Brad Hulbert, a patent lawyer with McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff in Chicago. Theyre being hurt by the sanctions that the Trump administration imposed and saying, You have hurt us and our ability to sell, and we can hurt back. Its saber-rattling. Advertisement Broader national security concerns also hang over this technology battle. In some circles, Huaweis outsize role as a supplier to next-generation 5G networks makes it a potential threat either as an espionage agent or network disruption tool. Huawei has not only become a contentious figure in the 5G arms race but is also one of several companies targeted in President Trumps ongoing trade dispute with China. Ren Zhengfei: The man behind Huawei Trump signed an order in May thats expected to restrict Huawei from selling equipment in the U.S. Shortly afterward, the Department of Commerce said it had put Huawei on a blacklist that could forbid it from doing business with American companies. For its part, China sees Huawei as a potent symbol of its evolution from the worlds factory to a technology powerhouse, while the U.S. claims the tech company steals inventions from American firms. Huawei has invested a lot of money, and they want to be recognized, said Jim McGregor, a Mesa, Ariz.-based technology analyst with Tirias Research. Huawei is just playing out standard business practices for the wireless industry. Patent disputes are common in the tech industry, and the coming revolution predicted by advances in 5G wireless technology promises to bring even more. Traditional players like Ericsson and Nokia are ramping up efforts to get more money from their patents. San Diego-based Qualcomm is appealing a ruling in a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission that threatens the licensing program that accounts for the bulk of its profits. Huawei and Samsung Electronics Co. ended a two-year royalty fight in February. Qualcomm and Huawei are seen as two of the biggest players developing 5G that could bring not only faster speeds but also new capabilities, including surgical procedures performed remotely via robots and self-driving cars that talk to one another. The global ban on Huawei equipment promoted by Trump has roiled telecom companies worldwide. Its a reminder, McGregor said, that 5G relies on both the U.S. and China. Huawei, over the past couple of years, has really ramped up its efforts in not only patents but in the standard bodies, particularly in wireless technology, McGregor said. They can say, Whether youre using our equipment or Ericssons equipment, youre using our inventions. You still have to take a license. The Chinese government and companies have been investing billions in high-tech research and have the patents to show for it. Last year alone, Huawei received 1,680 U.S. patents, making it the 16th-biggest recipient, figures by Fairview Researchs IFI Patent Claims Services show. Huaweis total portfolio of active patents and published applications is 102,911, according to Anaqua. Royalty demands against cellphone carrier Verizon by Huawei, reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal, could be become part of the political battle, said Peter Toren, a Washington-based patent lawyer who consults with other firms and companies on licensing and litigation. Given Huaweis position and the pressure they are feeling, they have nothing to lose at this point [by going] after American companies in the patent arena, Toren said. They get poked in one area and theyre going to stick back in another to show there are consequences for this continued pressure. I dont see how the government can stop them, he said. They have ownership in the patents. Verizon, while declining to comment on specific talks, sees the negotiations as more than just a typical patent-licensing discussion. These issues are larger than just Verizon, the company said in a statement. Given the broader geopolitical context, any issue involving Huawei has implications for our entire industry and also raise national and international concerns. Officials with Huawei had no immediate comment. McGregor said it makes sense for Huawei to demand royalties from Verizon because Verizon is the largest cellphone carrier in the U.S. Verizon claims to be the first carrier to offer speedy new 5G services for mobile phones, though its available only in a limited area. If they dont go to them within a reasonable amount of time and at least try to enforce those patents, those patents become unenforceable, McGregor said. You have to pick a starting point. Its better to pick one of the major players, and it makes sense to pick one of those whos rolling out that technology. More than a decade after Tribune Co. went private in a leveraged buyout that saddled the Los Angeles Times then-owner with $13 billion in debt and led to its bankruptcy, Sam Zell and dozens of former executives have agreed to pay $200 million to settle a lawsuit brought by unsecured creditors. The settlement agreement, awaiting approval in Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, would close the book for the corporate directors and officers behind what Zell called the deal from hell an ill-fated transaction that, the plaintiffs alleged, doomed the company to insolvency from the outset. But thousands of ordinary shareholders may still be forced to give back some of the proceeds from the 2007 buyout if the litigation trust representing the unsecured creditors prevails in still-unsettled actions. During court-ordered mediation in March, more than 50 former Tribune directors and senior executives agreed to settle with the litigation trust for $200 million, according to a motion filed May 31. The deadline for objections to the agreement is Monday, with a court approval hearing scheduled for July 11. Advertisement In addition to Zell, a number of Chicago business powerhouses are among the settling defendants. They include former Tribune Co. Chief Executive Dennis FitzSimons; Crane Kenney, a former Tribune executive who is now president of business operations for the Chicago Cubs; Miles White, chairman and CEO of Abbott and a former Tribune board member; and Tim Knight, CEO of Tribune Publishing Co. and a former Tribune Co. executive. The $200 million is significantly in excess of available liability insurance, according to the settlement agreement. That means the settlement defendants will have to make up the difference. Reached through a spokeswoman Thursday, Zell declined to comment. FitzSimons, who received $50 million through stock sales and incentives in the buyout, according to court documents, also declined to comment on the settlement agreement. Tribune Co. the predecessor company to Tribune Media filed for bankruptcy in December 2008, one year after Chicago billionaire Zell took the company private in a heavily leveraged $8.2-billion deal. At the time, Zell blamed a perfect storm of industry and economic forces the Great Recession but the bankruptcy case turned on charges leveled by junior creditors that the debt burden was unsustainable. When the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2012, it was under the control of senior creditors Oaktree Capital Management; Angelo, Gordon & Co.; and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The Tribune Litigation Trust, which represents the unsecured creditors, filed a fraudulent conveyance lawsuit to recover losses, alleging that the leveraged buyout was a breach of fiduciary duties by virtually every participant in the transaction. The litigation trust is to distribute the $200 million to unsecured creditors based on a formula approved in the Tribune Co. reorganization plan. The settlement is not an admission of any liability or wrongdoing by the defendants, according to the agreement. Although the $200-million payment due 20 days after approval from the Bankruptcy Court will free Zell and the other settlement defendants from future claims related to the leveraged buyout, the litigation trust is still pursuing a number of parties to the deal, including Tribune Co.s financial advisors and thousands of ordinary shareholders. In January 2017, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the litigation trusts claims against all former shareholders who sold at least $50,000 worth of the companys stock during the 2007 leveraged buyout. That group includes more than 5,200 individuals who cashed out at $34 a share when the company went private. A federal judge dismissed a motion to amend the complaint in April, but the litigation trust specifically excluded those former shareholders in the settlement agreement and plans to appeal the 2017 dismissal, sources said. The settlement agreement also excludes financial advisors to the leveraged buyout such as Citibank, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, with the litigation trust appealing an earlier dismissal against those defendants. Those appeals could take years to resolve. Tribune Media spun off the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and other newspapers into Tribune Publishing in 2014, retaining broadcast, real estate and other assets. The Times has since been purchased by billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. In December, Nexstar Media Group agreed to buy Tribune Media for about $4.1 billion, pending approval from shareholders and federal regulators. Channick writes for the Chicago Tribune. Robert Jackson, one of the Securities and Exchange Commissions four commissioners, said the agency should consider publishing new guidance on chief executives use of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, in the wake of controversies involving Tesla founder Elon Musk. Without prejudging a particular matter, it might be time for us to come forward and say, here are some principles of this game, said Jackson, a Donald Trump appointee and a Democrat, speaking at an industry conference on Thursday. Earlier this year, Jackson dissented from an agreement between the SEC and Musk concerning the Tesla chief executives use of Twitter. Musk was sued by the SEC in 2018 after falsely claiming he had secured funding for a buyout of the car company, leading to a settlement under which Musk was required to receive legal preapproval for tweets that could affect Teslas share price. Advertisement But that deal unraveled this year after Musk tweeted about the number of cars Tesla expected to make in 2019. A new accord was struck in April, from which Jackson dissented. I cannot support a settlement in which [Musk] does not admit what is crystal clear to anyone who has followed this bizarre series of events, Jackson said in a statement at the time. Musk breached the agreement he made last year with the Commission and with American investors. Whats important to me is that the legal principles weve always had in the securities markets apply to all the innovative things that are happening, Jackson said Thursday, but Twitter is a little different. Its a medium; its informal. It can be responsive, there can be retweets, there can be a conversation, in ways that are not contemplated by every single SEC rule. He added: CEOs want to share what they can within the bounds of the law. And of course they should. The question is, how can we do that in a way that protects investors? The rising number of corporate executives that use platforms like Twitter and Facebook to divulge news albeit often fluffy announcements rather than market-sensitive facts had become a headache for the SEC even before Musks tweets. In July 2012, when Reed Hastings, the Netflix chief executive, wrote on his personal Facebook page that the company had just enjoyed a record-breaking month, Netflixs shares rose. The SEC warned Hastings it may censure him for breaching fair disclosure rules, but the executive countered that he had 200,000 subscribers to his Facebook page so the post should be considered a public disclosure. In April 2013 the SEC agreed with Hastings and Netflix that social media disclosure could constitute public disclosure, provided that investors have properly been alerted to which social media will be used to disseminate information. One set of shareholders should not be able to get a jump on other shareholders just because the company is selectively disclosing important information, George Canellos, then-acting director of the SECs enforcement division, said in a statement at the time. Most social media are perfectly suitable methods for communicating with investors, but not if the access is restricted or if investors dont know thats where they need to turn to get the latest news. President Trumps attempt to transform American health insurance is almost complete. Twenty months ago, frustrated after attempts to repeal Obamacare fell apart in the Republican-controlled Senate, Trump pledged to use executive power to do what Congress failed to legislate. An executive order set in motion regulations to promote healthcare choice and competition across the United States. On Thursday, the administration finished the last of three rules to do just that advancing conservative policies without undoing the central framework established by the ACA. Together, the changes have loosened Obama-era restrictions on short-term health plans that dont meet the ACAs standards. Theyve permitted small employers to join together to buy lightly regulated coverage called association health plans. And the rule published Thursday gives employers, particularly small businesses, more flexibility to steer tax-exempt dollars to employees for healthcare. Advertisement The administrative actions are far short of repealing or replacing the Affordable Care Act, the law that expanded coverage to about 20 million people. Many of the ACAs elements remain largely intact, including billions of dollars in subsidies, strict standards for insurance plan design, and rules that protect people with preexisting medical conditions. But Trumps agencies have taken administrative steps to shift the health law quite significantly, said Larry Levitt, senior vice president for health reform at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research group. Spreading risk The cumulative effect could erode a core principle of the ACA: ensuring that people can rely on their health insurance if they get sick, and to spread the costs of illness widely. It opens up an opportunity for healthy people to land with coverage that may be cheaper, but not necessarily as comprehensive, said Kevin Lucia, research professor at Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. The rule completed Thursday expands the use of health reimbursement arrangements, or HRAs, which let employers use tax-exempt funds to help workers pay for medical expenses, like a co-pay at a doctors office. In the past, HRAs could be used only in combination with group health plans sponsored by the employers. Starting in 2020, companies can use HRAs to subsidize workers buying entire health plans on the individual market, instead of offering them a company plan. The Trump administration estimates that the rule will have far-reaching effects in the long run. It projects that 800,000 employers, most with fewer than 20 workers, will eventually offer HRAs to help 11 million workers purchase individual insurance coverage by 2029. That could have a profound impact on the many Americans who now get coverage through their jobs sending them out to buy their own coverage instead. It has the potential to transform employer-provided health insurance in a major way, Levitt said in an email. If the projections are accurate, that would represent a huge influx of workers into the individual market governed by Obamacare rules. Meaningful change A broad shift to HRAs could resemble the movement in retirement benefits from defined benefit pensions to 401(k) plans, where employers make fixed contributions instead of promising a set benefit for years in the future. A similar change in health coverage would give businesses more predictable costs, while shifting the risk of higher healthcare expenses onto workers. The rule will provide hundreds of thousands of businesses a better way to offer health insurance coverage, and millions of workers and their families a better way to obtain coverage, Joe Grogan, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, told reporters on a conference call Thursday. While it may be years before the full consequences of more flexible HRA rules become clear, other effects of Trumps executive order are already apparent. The biggest impact so far comes from the rule expanding access to short-term health plans. While the plans are cheaper than Obamacare coverage, they cover less and can exclude people with preexisting conditions. Federal actuaries estimated last year that an additional 600,000 people would buy such plans in 2019. That could drive premiums up in the ACA markets, but many people purchasing Obamacare coverage are insulated from hikes. Congressional Democrats have criticized short-term coverage as junk and are probing several companies that sell it. Another Trump administration rule to encourage small businesses to jointly buy insurance through business associations has been held up by a court challenge, with a federal judge calling it an end run around the ACA. Beyond executive actions, the Trump administration is also pursuing its healthcare agenda in the courts. A Texas judge ruled late last year in favor of GOP-controlled states that argued the ACA was unconstitutional. That ruling is being appealed by Democratic attorneys general. The Department of Justice initially defended some parts of the law, but in March the Trump administration abruptly changed course and asked an appeals court to strike down the entire ACA. The opera opens with five white doors stretched across the stage. Projected onto each of them is a face of the Central Park Five: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise. Composer Anthony Davis and librettist Richard Wesley explore the 1989 arrest and wrongful conviction of five black and Latino teenagers in New York City for the rape and beating of Trisha Meili, a white jogger in Central Park. Labeled a wolf pack by the media and coerced into false confessions that were quickly recanted, the teens none older than 16 at the time went on to serve six to 13 years before being exonerated in 2002 after Matias Reyes confessed to the crime. The mobile doors in Davis opera are crucial props throughout the production. They establish a sense of home for the performers playing the Five, before quickly becoming interrogation rooms and walls between prison cells where they wait out their sentences. Commissioned by Long Beach Opera, The Central Park Five makes its world premiere Saturday in San Pedro. Advertisement It comes two weeks after the release of Netflixs When They See Us, a four-part series delving into the attack, trial, imprisonment and exoneration of the Central Park Five by Ava DuVernay. The filmmakers retelling reignited public conversation about the events and condemnation over the failure of the criminal justice system. A rehearsal of The Central Park Five at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Although Davis hasnt had time to watch the series yet, he hopes his opera will add yet another layer of emotional connection to the story. The work is both exhilarating and crushingly tragic, Davis said. Those are all the ingredients that you want in an opera. Its not like a movie or a documentary that can get you to all the facts and different sides. Its more about your identification with people onstage and how they represent those people in those lives. REVIEW: Ava DuVernays When They See Us gets to the human heart of the Central Park Five Davis lived in New York during the Central Park jogger case and recalled Donald Trumps full-page ads calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in New York. I hated what Trump did, the way the press was handling it, and how they were demonizing these kids, he said. Nearly 30 years later, Davis began working on The Central Park Five after reading Wesleys libretto around 2014. In 2016, the composer staged what he called a rough pass at the opera in New Jersey called Five. Since then, hes made major revisions including adding Trump to the libretto. He sings about bringing back the death penalty. Davis took inspiration from the music of the era, R&B boy groups including Take 6 and Boyz II Men who emphasized harmony in their songs, as well as hip-hop group Public Enemy. The composer wanted to capture the essence of the time and the emotional intensity the young teens faced. I tried to musically express what I thought they would be feeling: despair and fear and also the sense of theyve lost their innocence and youth, David said. Stepping into the role of Santana is an experience that Orson Van Gay II said hes still processing. As a black man in the U.S., you carry your own journey, Van Gay said. So when you have to put on somebody elses experiences, that just opens up a whole other world for you. Tenor Nathan Granner plays Wise. While practicing his part late one night, he began sobbing. Im the same age as Korey, Granner said. So when he was being incarcerated, I was enjoying my life in a suburb of Kansas City. For Bernard Holcomb, who sings the part of Richardson, the gravity of the role didnt fully click until watching the Netflix series. I became much more angry, Holcomb said. I have so much anger and sadness, and all these emotions that Im now able to bring to the stage. As an art form that takes on history and tragedy, opera is a fitting avenue for the Central Park Five story, the performers said. Derrell Acon, the bass-baritone who plays McCray, noticed peers expressing on social media that the Netflix series was too difficult and painful to watch. Opera, however, creates a sense of community, he said. The difficulties of the emotion, I think people are far more readily able to handle when they have an entire audience and the artists onstage behind them, Acon said. The composer for The Central Park Five, Anthony Davis. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) For Davis, its especially important to tell black history through opera. Hes done it before. Davis first opera, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, opened in 1986, and in 1997 he premiered Amistad, based on the rebellion of Mende captives on a Spanish slave ship. (Davis noted that both operas premiered before films by directors Spike Lee and Steven Spielberg). Opera is sometimes off-putting for our community, said Davis, who is black. We can make it ours, make it serve our purposes and serve the purpose of telling our stories. The Central Park Five ends with another story, of an unarmed black man shot by Milwaukee police while holding a phone. Davis hopes the audience realizes this isnt over and this is an ongoing struggle. The cast of Long Beach Operas The Central Park Five, from left, Nathan Granner, Bernard Holcomb, Derell Acon, Orson Van Gay and Cedric Berry. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) ===== Long Beach Operas The Central Park Five Where: Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday and June 22, 2:30 p.m. June 23. Tickets: $49-$150 Info: longbeachopera.org In the summer of 1997, Men in Black became the movie that cemented up-and-comer Will Smiths global status as a movie star. A universally panned sequel followed in 2002, followed 10 years later by a better received but notoriously troubled third installment. According to Hollywoods clock, that means its officially time for a revisit. The Will Smith-free Men in Black: International, now in theaters from director F. Gary Gray, stars Marvel Cinematic Universe veterans Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson as the new agents in the expanding MIB landscape. Despite being fresh off the record-breaking success of the behemoth Avengers: Endgame (where Hemsworth plays the mighty Thor and Thompson plays fan-favorite heroine Valkyrie) the stars admit they worried about measuring up to the original MIB. Weve been discussing this a lot, Hemsworth said in a phone interview. Personally I always have a certain amount of fear and healthy anxiety as far as the work Im about to embark on. Particularly when theres a pre-established franchise, which weve both dealt with in the Marvel world, you use whats available to you in terms of whats been done before and you let the fear motivate you, then push it aside and make your own version. Advertisement I like to make films that Id like to see in the cinema, he continued. Visually impressive and fun and thats what this embodied. And the fact that it wasnt a remake or a reboot but a continuation and an opportunity to expand the universe was pretty epic. That understanding of the film as an update to the series rather than a reboot also helped ease Thompsons anxieties about measuring up. All of those worries and trepidation went away because I think what were doing is so important in its way, she said. Were living in a time in Hollywood where theres a lot of nostalgia and a lot of beloved franchises are being revisited. Theres never been a woman at the forefront of those stories so I think its really exciting to revisit these properties with an inclusive lens and a more modern sensibility. Chris Hemsworth plays the decorated Agent H of MIBs London bureau in Men in Black: International. The star was photographed at the Corinthia Hotel in London, England on June 2, 2019. (Matthew Lloyd / Los Angeles Times) RELATED: Avengers: Every MCU movie ranked in order of significance to Endgame Though you wouldnt know from the title, women have factored into previous installments of MIB, though not prominently. Emma Thompson reprises her Men in Black 3 role as the head of the organization and jokes with Tessa Thompsons character about their employers misleading name. The reality is that women exist in the organization through the name on paper wouldnt make you think that, Tessa Thompson summarized. And I think thats such a cute, funny joke because that exists in every crevice, not just in Hollywood but in the world. The timing of introducing a female agent into the universe as the film industry seeks to increase representation and inclusion among its own ranks is not lost on the actress. Obviously this is happening in a time where this cultural conversation, particularly in Hollywood, is around representation, she said. The truth is, the producers and the studio had been wanting to continue this franchise for a while. That idea happened before any of these conversations around representation. I think its happening right on time, but its certainly not just some sort of thin response to whats happening in the moment, she added. The film is called Men in Black and we had conversations about how we turn that on its head and make a joke about it so we can relinquish the audience worrying about it. To me, true equality comes when women can exist in those spaces and its not noteworthy. Its not something we need to congratulate, applaud or comment on it just is. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in a scene from Columbia Pictures Men in Black: International. (Giles Keyte / Sony / Columbia Pictures) RELATED: The summers biggest movie franchises ranked Joining Thompson and Hemsworth as a franchise newcomer is Liam Neeson, who plays a pivotal supporting role in the film as High T, the head of MIBs London bureau. Filming wrapped before the actors viral interview with the Independent was published earlier this year, in which he reflected on a friend opening up about her rape and the conversation prompting him, as a young man, to walk the streets for days looking to kill a black bastard. Thompson says she discussed the controversy with Neeson via email. I realize that there were some cultural differences in terms of where he grew up, what his words meant to me and what they might mean to fans, she said of the Irish actor. People actually, not just fans. Forget about a movie, just humans. Though she says she has more thoughts about the topic than we have time, Thompson says Neeson was responsive to the conversation. I think its really complicated but I realize that sometimes there can be a chasm between your intention and your impact, she said. I think his intention was to open up an honest dialogue about revenge and what it means to be vengeful. And I dont think he realized the impact of his words in terms of talking about race and the fact that violence is perpetuated upon people of color just because theyre of color. I think I understand his heart from having worked with him, she added. I think if theres still any sort of curiosity or concerns about his initial words that people need to go and revisit what he most recently said. The truth is, the onus isnt on me and it shouldnt be on Chris or Gary or anyone else involved in the movie to explain but Liam. Tessa Thompson plays rookie Agent M, the first person to seek out the MIB on her own. Thompson was photographed at the Corinthia Hotel in London on June 2, 2019. (Matthew Lloyd / For The Times) RELATED: Tessa Thompson and Little Woods director Nia DaCosta are breaking down Hollywood barriers Men in Black International marked Thompsons third big blockbuster outing with Hemsworth, following Endgame and 2017s Thor: Ragnarok. Working with Chris is really my introduction to making big movies, the actress said. Ragnarok was my first time making a movie of that size and scope, so Im still kind of a baby at it. Its interesting that my whole trajectory since Ive started [on blockbusters] has been with Chris. I feel really lucky because hes so good at it and so giving and has taught me so much about the stamina it takes to make these kinds of movies, the imagination, the sense of humor, and how important it is to keep morale up on set, which he does so well. In the history of Hollywood movies theres been so many duos that get to work on tons of films together in this line of Hepburn and Tracy, she added. So I loved that idea of taking two people and putting them in different kinds of circumstances. Another significant thing about her previous experiences working with Hemsworth, Thompson says, was the chance to star opposite him not as a romantic lead but as an equal. I think it remains to be very rare, particularly to have a female and male team up where their dynamic is not romantic but is complicated, where they get to spar and battle in intellect and where they are partners, she said. And to get to do that in the context of a bigger tentpole movie, I think, is really unique. I feel very lucky because Chris is just an ideal partner to do that with. For his part, Hemsworth said, Having this great friendship that continues to grow through each of these experiences has been a huge advantage. Youre able to hit the ground running and not spend the shooting schedule getting to know each other and understand one anothers rhythms and find the chemistry. No matter how hard you try, its kind of there or not. And we were lucky enough from day one on Ragnarok to notice that were like-minded and have similar approaches to our work. Its definitely one of my favorite working relationships. The actors have had different directors for each of their three projects, including Taika Waititi for Thor and Joe and Anthony Russo for Endgame. That has made each film a drastically different experience, Thompson said. For example, Waititi, whose third-act spin on Thor Hemsworth called refreshing, fostered collaboration by including himself in the improvisation process. Taika is such a gifted performer so hes constantly giving us [alternatives] because hes a writer, said Thompson. So Ragnarok was a lot of being quick, where hed shout something at you and youd have to then make it your own in a second. On the other hand, Gray gave the actors more artistic rein to try things out themselves. Gary doesnt write he knows whats funny so he can come in and say, That works, but hes not going to spit an alt out at you, said Thompson. So the process of working on Men in Black was a lot more thinking on our feet and really improvising ourselves. We would pitch each other ideas and really work with each other, and that was the first time Ive ever done that. We did so much collaboration on Thor but Taika orchestrated so much of it and did a lot of heavy lifting, she added. This time around, it was a lot of Chris and I doing that. So I feel like I really grew because we were really in it together. We found our own rhythms that were really ours. sonaiya.kelley@latimes.com follow me on twitter @sonaiyak It spoils nothing to point out that Murder Mystery, a painless, mostly mirthless action-comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, ends with an explicit homage to Agatha Christie. Its not an especially obscure reference sorry, Postern of Fate fans which is only to be expected. Any movie with a title like Murder Mystery is clearly both announcing and skewering its own obviousness. But it also might be presenting itself as an increasingly rare bird, a throwback to the days when big stars, baroque weapons and a little parlor trickery could yield an inordinate amount of pleasure. Which is not to imply that the murder mystery is some kind of endangered cinematic subspecies. Christie herself remains a hot commodity, as evidenced by recent screen adaptations of And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. Even still, we are well past the days when Hollywood churned out classical detective yarns by the dozen for an audience hip to their geeky, creaky puzzle-solving pleasures. For anyone who mourns those days, the mere idea of a daffy, spoofy Clue knockoff, with two popular American stars heading up a large international cast, might sound like a reasonably enticing prospect. The intentions are certainly there in Murder Mystery even when the execution falters, as it does early and often. You could think of Nick and Audrey Spitz, a bickering couple on a long-overdue European vacation, as an ugly-American version of Nick and Nora Charles, or perhaps Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. Nick (Sandler) is a slovenly NYPD cop who keeps failing his detective exam. Audrey (Aniston) is a long-suffering hairdresser and, conveniently, a mystery buff. She spends most of their transatlantic flight buried in her latest paperback whodunit, foreshadowing the mayhem to come and establishing herself as the real sleuth of the two. But she also strikes up a conversation with Charles Cavendish (Luke Evans), a handsome first-class passenger who turns out to be an English viscount on his way to a dreaded family reunion. He invites Audrey and Nick along for kicks; they impulsively say yes, and soon find themselves aboard a private yacht overflowing with shrimp cocktail and extremely toxic vibes. Advertisement You need only glance at Charles monstrous billionaire uncle, Malcolm Quince (Terence Stamp, in full glower-power mode), to know that he will wind up with a bejeweled dagger in his chest before the night is over. Was he murdered by Toby (David Williams), the son he despised, or Charles, the embittered nephew he recently divested of his fiancee (Shioli Kutsuna)? Or could it have been the glamorous actress (Gemma Arterton), the brooding colonel (John Kani), the wisecracking maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), the hunky Formula One superstar (Luis Gerardo Mendez) or the hulking bodyguard (Olafur Darri Olafsson) nearly all of whom had good reason to loathe Malcolm even before he announced his decision to cut them out of his will? Naturally, despite an abundance of motive in Malcolms inner circle, the easy targets here are Nick and Audrey, who quickly arouse the suspicions of the pompous French detective (Dany Boon) assigned to investigate. And so they set out to prove their innocence, tracking this increasingly frenzied homicidal farce from Malaga to Monte Carlo to Lake Como, where the multiple grisly crime scenes somehow never run the risk of spoiling the scenery. They do, however, tend to cancel out what little hilarity the director Kyle Newacheck (Game Over, Man!) and his actors are able to muster. Adam Sandler, from left, Jennifer Aniston and Luis Gerardo Mendez in the movie Murder Mystery. (Scott Yamano / Netflix) One could imagine a context in which some of this belabored mayhem might be funny, maybe a dinner-theater stage with lots of booze and a strong audience-participation element. Seen from the vantage of your living room, however, the spectacle of Aniston and Sandler bumbling their way through one strained, busy set-piece after another becomes a deflating, even depressing experience. You watch as they submit themselves to the usual hijinks of escape and pursuit, whether it means walking along a narrow upper-story ledge or joining a high-speed car chase, and realize that you long to see them doing just about anything else. This is hardly the fault of the actors, both game professionals who seem to be following the advice of their 2011 screen pairing, Just Go With It. Sandler, who can be a superb dramatic actor when given the right role, cant do much with this lame hapless-hubby routine. Aniston, not for the first time, seems more engaged and wide-awake than her material, and you can sense her mental gears grinding away as she tests out bits of business and digs for stray moments of comic gold. None, alas, are forthcoming. The screenwriter James Vanderbilt, whose credits include the brilliant true-crime procedural Zodiac, clearly knows enough about plotting to squeeze in a nifty red herring or several, and hes good at planting clues that double neatly as product placements. He does not, however, appear to have an obvious aptitude for comedy, or at least not the spirit of inspired, unruly silliness to which the movie seems to aspire. Murder Mystery is a reminder that there are few things harder to pull off, that what looks casually tossed-off, in fact, requires skill and ingenuity, timing and concentration. Thats the difference between a comedy that sags and one that kills. ------------ Murder Mystery Rating: PG-13, for violence/bloody images, crude sexual content and language Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes Playing: Streaming on Netflix justin.chang@latimes.com | Twitter: @JustinCChang City on a Hill, which gets underway Sunday on Showtime, is a classic drama of cops, criminals and politicos. Set in Boston in the early 1990s, it ostensibly has to do with whats known as the Boston Miracle, a successful campaign to reduce violence and corruption in the city though thats not yet obvious from the three episodes (out of a total 10) available to review. The title phrase has been circulating in political speeches for more than half a century, since president-elect John F. Kennedy borrowed it from a 1630 address by Puritan John Winthrop, in turn quoting the Sermon on the Mount: A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Ronald Reagan added shining to impart a kind of heavenly glow to the American project, but Winthrops meaning as he packed his first boatload of colonists off to, yes, Boston was more along the lines of, Dont mess up, because God and everyone are watching. An appropriate title, then, and also an ironic one. The series is like many things you may have seen before. Yet just as new music may be made entirely out of samples, creating something at once fresh and familiar, so too can a decent television series be constructed out of existing parts. Executive producers include well-known greater Boston products Ben Affleck (who approached creator Chuck MacLean with the germ of an idea) and his partner-pal Matt Damon, bringing the local cred. Theyre joined by Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, whose Homicide: Life on the Street was a model of the naturalistic, character-driven, site-specific procedural. (Fontana is also the showrunner here.) Through David Simon, who worked on Homicide (and wrote the book on which it was based), they are also grandfathers to The Wire and Show Me a Hero, big-canvas civic dramas that City on a Hill doesnt seek to emulate, exactly, but with which it shares concerns. (Deadwood, another story of metropolitan evolution, is a cousin, and a closer one than the many New England crime dramas the new series superficially resembles.) Advertisement Kevin Bacon plays a rule-bending FBI agent in Showtimes new drama City on a Hill. (Claire Folger / Showtime) An armored car robbery goes bad, and a drug raid goes bust; intersecting ripple effects rock boats and upset apple carts, to mix a metaphor, and suddenly the stability of an interlaced political, legal and illegal ecosystem is endangered. All those cops looking to reach their pensions, lawyers in the DAs office only there because they know someone; a crusader threatens their way of life, new-to-the-department prosecutor Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge), a crusader, is told. That he is a black man out of Brooklyn only amplifies his outsider status. Hodge plays him as deceptively laconic. I like what my job should be, Ward tells his wife, Siobhan (Lauren E. Banks), who comes from money they are nearly the only people of means we glimpse in these early episodes. Kevin Bacon, who entered pop consciousness by way of Levinsons 1982 film Diner, plays Jackie Rohr, an FBI agent in whose way fate throws Ward. They will have to learn to work together and perhaps grow to like each other in the bargain. (Take away the guns and the badges and these stories are rom-coms underneath.) Rohr has all the usual bad habits of his fictional kind, including drugs, infidelity, small acts of extortion, and singing along to heavy rock on the car radio. Despite his stated desire to sail eight years to my pension, though, theres some vestigial impulse within him to do good while advancing his own interests. Deeper than he lets on, or perhaps can quite remember, Rohr quotes the muckraking early 20th-century journalist Lincoln Steffens, as well as William Blake and the now-obscure satirical novelist James Branch Cabell: One has to pay at all times, and sometimes one has to pay rather dearly, for being honest. And though hes a mess of a person he has informants, but no real friends more than any other character here, he seems to be enjoying himself. (As does Bacon, playing him without vanity.) Rohr likes power, but what power he has is local; though semi-legendary, hes as small-time as the crooks hes chasing. Frankie Ryan (Jonathan Tucker), from robbery-happy Charlestown (like the figures in Afflecks 2010 film The Town), is the man behind the armored car heist, so blue collar that crime is just one of his jobs hes an honest working stiff whos crooked on the side. Brother Jimmy (Mark OBrien) is a human wild card, good for sudden dramatic twists and random scenes of sex and violence. Jonathan Tucker plays a part-time Boston criminal and Amanda Clayton his accomplice and wife in the Showtime drama City on a Hill. (Francisco Roman / Showtime) In order to ensure that City on a Hill isnt just dudes from Cambridge to Quincy, the series sets itself up as a three-family drama. There are wives and daughters (troubled or troublesome) and mothers-in-law. Cathy Ryan (Amanda Clayton) handles her familys ill-gotten gains; Jenny Rohr (Jill Hennessy) is trying to fill the gap created by her husbands inattention; Siobhan wants to mobilize the community against violence, with partners of whom Ward does not wholly approve. Its not a radical dramatic idea to make the criminals marriage healthier than the cops. (There is one female character related to no one: an investigator, played by Sarah Shahi, assigned to Ward. The part feels like an inheritance from Archie Panjabis Kalinda on The Good Wife.) The period detail stays on the right side of showy, but most important, people here inhabit spaces appropriate to their class and character. The acting builds out the reality too: The performances sell the material, even when the material seems poorly motivated, confusing or just unlikely. The stars pull their weight, but keep an eye on Kevin Dunn as Wards weary police captain; J. Bernard Calloway; Lee Tergesen as a bookie; and the great Cathy Moriarty as the mother of gangsters. There is some effort to relate the series to contemporary troubles; 25 years is not all that long in the slow-bending arc of the moral universe. When Rohr brings up Roy Cohn, an early mentor to our current president, his words seem to refer to the president himself: What Cohn knew was that if you held on to the lie against all evidence, there was nothing anybody could do. When Jenny tells her priest, All due respect, Father, Im getting sick of men telling me what to do, one hesitates to tell her that a quarter-century later she might be saying the same thing. And when police arrive to a shooting where Ward was present, he raises his hands as they enter. Why do you got your hands up? asks an officer. So theres no mistakes, Ward replies. But perhaps I am projecting. City on a Hill Where: Showtime When: 9 p.m. Sunday Rated: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17) robert.lloyd@latimes.com Follow Robert Lloyd on Twitter @LATimesTVLloyd Nobody is getting their head cut off, Zendaya says. Shes referring to the hubbub over her latest project: Euphoria, HBOs unflinching portrait of teen life. Its true. There arent the beheadings viewers came to expect from Game of Thrones. But that doesnt mean the new HBO drama isnt raising eyebrows. The first episode includes a drug overdose, an unsettling statutory rape scene, and a sexual encounter involving unsolicited choking. Euphoria has spurred controversy ahead of its Sunday premiere for its gritty use of sex, drugs, and nudity to illustrate the grown-up situations Generation Z must navigate. While such mature content has become a hallmark of HBO, adding teen characters to the mix has provoked criticism. For the record: A previous version of this story listed crystal meth addiction among the youthful struggles of series adapter Sam Levinson. That was not among his struggles. Inside the energetic Crossroads restaurant on Melrose Avenue, Zendaya and her costar, Hunter Schafer, are deep in discussion about the need for a dark, uncensored exploration on teen life an antidote to the glossier version typically pushed on television. This show is in no way to tell people what the right thing to do is, Zendaya, 22, says. This is not The Moral Message Show. This is to inspire compassion among people for other human beings and to understand that everyone has a story you dont know about, a battle that theyre fighting that you dont understand. I dont find the show shocking, but there will be people who do. Advertisement But I also think thats what being a teenager is, Schafer, 20, adds. Finding the middle ground between being an adult and being a kid and that transition. I think thats one of the hardest parts, is finding yourself in adult situations but not knowing how to navigate them. And that makes people uncomfortable because it is uncomfortable. So, yeah, its not easy to watch, but to some degree, everyone will be able to relate to it because everyone has experienced what thats like on some level. Based on the Israeli series of the same name, Euphoria was adapted for HBO by Sam Levinson (the son of filmmaker Barry Levinson) and counts rapper Drake a graduate of the more wholesome teen series Degrassi: The Next Generation as an executive producer. Levinson, 34, pulled from his own troubled youth and battle with anxiety, depression and addiction to opiates in creating the series. Zendaya in a scene from Euphoria. (Hbo) I think people like to kind of put their head in the sand when it comes to some of these conversations, Levinson says in a telephone interview. And theres such a generational disconnect. Its not like 30 years ago, when one generation could provide at least a bit of a road map for the next generation. Life now moves at such a fast speed. I think were all adapting at the same time, so its difficult to give any kind of real advice to the younger generation about how to navigate the world. While Euphoria features an ensemble of teen characters, it centers on the intimacy that develops between Rue and Jules, who become each others confidantes and advocates amid the pressures of adolescence. The series is full of hefty material for Zendaya and Schafer to dig into: Zendayas Rue is a high school student fresh off an unsuccessful stint in rehab who cant stop her destructive compulsions I know youre not allowed to say it, but drugs are kinda cool, Rue confesses while riding a high. Schafers Jules is a trans girl who recently moved into town and is battling her own demons, including a habit of spending her nights having sex with closeted older men and a harrowing past of self-harm. I think Rue and Jules are soul mates, Zendaya says. Whether thats healthy is questionable. But I think that at a point in time, theres a connection that nobody else will be able to understand but them and theyll always have it. Theres a lot of beauty in it, but theres also a lot of toxicity. Theyre both leaning on each other in a way and finding comfort or safety or a bit of a new addiction within each other. They become each others alternative to the toxic elements in their lives is how Schafer describes the relationship between the characters. Hunter Schafer, left, and Zendaya in a scene from Euphoria. (Eddy Chen / HBO) Stepping into the roles was its own coming-of-age tightrope for the young actresses. A Disney Channel darling since the age of 13 in 2010s Shake It Up, Zendaya (whose last name is Coleman) was facing a transition in her career. During breaks from her subsequent Disney gig, K.C. Undercover, she built a list of credits that took her beyond the bounds of Mickey Mouse. She appeared in 2017s Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter Parkers love interest, MJ a part shell reprise in the forthcoming sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home. She also starred in 2017s big-screen musical The Greatest Showman. But plotting her post-Disney career after K.C. Undercover came to an end in early 2018 proved daunting. Its very hard to go from what feels like elementary school and feels like the same grade over and over and over again to finally being able to go to college and then having to go back to the same [elementary] grade, she says. It was just tough. Im not saying it made me sad or anything. But it didnt feel great. And after [K.C.] was done, it was weird because Ive had a consistent job, or that kind of schedule, since I was, like, 13. So then to face the fact that I didnt have that anymore was a little weird. And all the scripts I was getting just did not feel right to me because they were with the pretense of what Id done already, still in that world. Nothing fit. Nothing worked. For Schafer, Euphoria marks her first TV series. The Raleigh, N.C., native had been working in New York as a model for fashion heavy-hitters like Dior and Marc Jacobs. She was set to go to fashion design school when she saw a casting call on Instagram seeking a trans actress for the series. I was a little scared about being trans and falling into an archetype, she says. But after getting a few scripts, it started to make more sense to me and started to resonate even more. On the day of this interview, the two are nestled side-by-side in a booth at the celeb-spotting restaurant (on this visit, Tobey Maguire and Sara Gilbert). Theres talk of whether oat milk is worth the hype Zendaya is skeptical, while Schafer touts it as the whole milk of the non-dairy milks and a duet of Chers Believe as it blares through the speakers. When the conversation turns to whether they share any similarities with the characters they play, the two become contemplative. Hunter Schafer, above, and Zendaya in a scene from Euphoria. (HBO) One of the first things that lined up was just that we had similar transition timelines we both transitioned on the earlier side of high school, Schafer says. I kind of could see her from the beginning, as far as what she looks like and what her energy was like, and it wasnt that far off. But I would say [Jules] was probably a little more confident than me in high school. Where we really differ is the way we coped and the way we survived high school. Because my way of coping was fantasizing about where I could get myself in the future. [Jules] wants to have relationships and go to parties and has built these toxic relationships with men that she turns to for affirmation. Zendaya says its hard to explain how she relates to Rue. Unlike the character, the actress says she has never done drugs or consumed alcohol. I know in that sense people kind of assume this is a huge acting stretch for me, she says. But as a human being, I think Rue is very similar to me. Shes a good person. Theres an innocence to her. Beyond the shocking nature of the series, the two hope Euphoria provides a sobering window into the anxiety and stress facing young people today. There have been a number of studies that assert Gen Z to be the most stressed and depressed generation. I think a lot of people dont understand how intense and complicated it is to be a teenager today, Schafer says. I think a lot of parents see their kids on their phones and think theyre a [damn] zombie. That is an entirely alternate reality that they are immersed in in that moment that is probably way more complicated and fast-paced than [parents] even realize. Even I dont fully get it, Zendaya says. But I understand a good percent of it. Rue says in the first episode something like, We just showed up here without a map or compass. And its true, because we dont know what the were doing. Nobody actually knows what theyre doing. Imagine growing up in social media and being a child. Its not easy. Its confusing. And its uncomfortable. Its a lot of things. Its created by the very people that call us the zombies or whatever. Its like, were the byproduct of this , you know? Euphoria Where: HBO When: 10 p.m. Sunday Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children younger than 17) yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com Twitter: @villarrealy McDonalds announced last month that it would feature an array of items from its global menus at its U.S. franchises, including a Stroopwafel McFlurry from the Netherlands, a Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger from Spain, a Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich from Canada and Cheesy Bacon Fries from Australia. ALSO: McDonalds has a new international menu and we tried all of it Advertisement But the oversights were glaring as in, why is there nothing from Asia or Latin America on this menu? Say, a green tea sundae from Hong Kong or a deep fried cheese pie from Mexico. Or, better yet, the incredible hot sauce bars that are a staple at every McDonalds in Peru. Thankfully, we have a hack for the latter. The Peruvian brand Alacena makes a pair of hot sauces from Peruvian chiles for export that are available in the U.S.: Uchucuta, a spicy, garlicky sauce made with rocoto (a red pepper) and the milder crema de aji amarillo (a milder yellow pepper mix). You can order these online or find them in stock at Latin American grocers that specialize in South American products, such as Rincon Chileno in East Hollywood. (The irony of buying Peruvian hot sauce at a Chilean market will not be lost on anyone who knows about the war the two countries fought 140 years ago. Neither side of my Chilean-Peruvian family has let me forget it.) But rest assured, one taste and itll be hard to go back to ketchup. carolina.miranda@latimes.com @cmonstah Mysuru: In a tragic incident a 45-year-old school teacher was shot dead by a 65-year-old man, who then killed himself with the same weapon in Ponnampet police station limits in Kodagu on Friday. The incident took place between 8 am and 8.30 am near police outpost at Baalele in Virajpet taluk. The deceased teacher has been identified as Aadengada Asha Kaveramma, while Jagadeesh Maachimaada is the accused. Asha was working as assistant Head Mistress at Lions Nursery and Primary School, Gonikoppal, and is survived by two daughters who live in Bengaluru. Jagadeesh was a resident of Ponnampet. According to Kodagu SP Dr Suman D. Pennekar, the shooting occurred when Asha was waiting for bus. The accused was hiding in a plantation and fired bullets from a distance of over 15 feet. While one bullet pierced her head, another her shoulder. The accused then fired at himself. Dinesh a youth who came to her rescue also suffered bullet injury in his hand and was hospitalised, she said. Jagadeesh had used a SBBL-Single barrel weapon, which was a jamma weapon, inherited by land holding communities of Coorg, and registered with Srimangala police station. The SP said the exact reason for the crime is yet to be ascertained. As per preliminary investigation Asha and Jagadish knew each other for past ten years and were not on good terms. Two years ago Asha has lodged a police complaint against Jagadeesh alleging that he had attempted to rape her maid. Later she had lodged another complaint alleging that Jagadeesh had morphed her photograph and was threatening to circulate them. Chargesheets have been filed in both cases and trials are on, the SP said. According to school sources, Asha wanted to resign and settle with her children in Bengaluru, but they had requested her to continue for some more time as they were happy with her work. Both the bodies were handed over to relatives after autopsy at Gonikoppal government hospital. Ponnampet police have registered a case and begun investigation. Yasu, an acclaimed sushiya from Toronto, will open on June 20 in Beverly Hills. Chef Yasuhisa Ouchi opened the original Yasu in 2014, four years after making his debut in Toronto with Nigiri-Ya, a more casual, takeout-focused sushi spot he has since sold. Just two months after Yasu opened, Toronto critic Chris Nutall-Smith would declare in Canadas the Globe and Mail, Both times I ate at Yasu... the evening sent me into a seafood-induced bliss-state, awarding it three and a half stars and also comparing it to Jiro Onos Tokyo. Advertisement It was the first major accolade of many to come for the small restaurant, which only serves an omakase menu, accommodating a maximum of eighteen people, including twelve seats across from the sushi chefs as they work. The most recent was being named No. 14 on a list of Torontos best restaurants, as picked by his peers in the local chef community. Similar to its northern sister, Yasu in Beverly Hills is an Edomae-style sushi restaurant focused on cut-to-order fish served on warm, hand-shaped nigiri, presented to the customer one piece at a time. The restaurant will have two nightly seatings, with ten seats at the sushi counter and capacity for another twelve guests. The design hews very closely to the Canadian original, Ouchi says, maintaining the stark, modern look that allows diners to focus on the fish at hand. Ouchi claims this western expansion is mostly for adventure, but quickly betrays his excitement for the bounty of Southern Californias oceans, especially our local sea urchin. We focus on a very traditional style, he explains, but trying to use local fish. Here, by the sea, theres much more local fish Im excited to use. Specifically, hes excited to incorporate live spot prawns from Santa Barbara and California King Salmon into his L.A. omakase. He also plans on serving Alaskan shirako cod milt Japanese firefly squid, uni from both Southern California and Japan, lobster with ponzu and yuzu, and three courses of tuna. About 20 courses will be offered at $130 per person. 265 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, yasu-sushibar.com Not every 2020 Democratic hopeful will get to go head to head with front-runner Joe Biden when the candidates meet for their first debate in Miami later this month, but the former vice president will be on the stage with some formidable rivals, including Sens. Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The first night of the two-night debate, on June 26, will feature Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Rep. Beto ORourke of Texas. Biden and the other leading candidates will appear on the second night, June 27, according to NBC, which is hosting the debate. NBC News and Telemundo held a drawing Friday afternoon to determine who will get to tangle with whom among the 20 candidates qualified to be on the debate stage. Advertisement Each night, a pack of lesser-known candidates will share the stage with the leaders, hoping the event becomes an opportunity to break out from the scrum and ascend in national polls. Its a high hurdle. Even with the event broken into two nights, with two hours each night, each candidate will only get a few minutes to speak. Biden and others with strong polling numbers, including Sanders and Warren, may be able to cruise through the night sticking to tested talking points and sound bites. The candidates well behind in the polls will have few opportunities to throw the leaders off their game plans and create their own viral moments. The lineup was chosen randomly, with the names of candidates written on pieces of paper that were folded, put into a box and drawn out blindly while representatives of each of the campaigns watched. (Los Angeles Times) But the results nonetheless give an advantage to some candidates. Several of Bidens top-tier rivals, who are eager to chip into his lead, landed alongside him. Sanders, who is polling in second place in many national surveys, will have an opportunity to highlight Bidens moderation and reluctance to embrace progressive policies, including universal healthcare and free four-year public college. Harris and Buttigiegs presence on the stage will call attention to the fact that both Biden and Sanders are white men in their mid-70s, with policy ideas that date back years. Warrens absence from that grouping could cut both ways. At a time when her campaign is ascendant and she has overtaken Sanders in some polls, the Massachusetts senator wont be there on the night likely to attract the most attention. But she will be the star of the first session of these highly anticipated debates. Most of the candidates with whom Warren will be sharing the stage are polling in the low single digits, including some who made a splash when they entered the race, including Booker, ORourke and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. For the candidates polling so poorly that they are relative unknowns to most Americans, a podium alongside Biden and Sanders could be an opening for them to have a moment. Those hopefuls include entrepreneur Andrew Yang and activist and author Marianne Williamson, who writes about spirituality. The political battle royale is almost sure to be watched by millions. The debate, to be televised live by NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, will feature questions from news anchors Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Chuck Todd and Jose Diaz-Balart and MSNBCs Rachel Maddow. Several televised town halls this year featuring just one 2020 hopeful at a time have attracted cable news audiences exceeding 2 million viewers. The first Republican primary debate in the 2016 presidential cycle, an unwieldy affair with 17 contenders divided into two groups, attracted roughly 24 million viewers. It was one of the most watched broadcasts ever on cable news. California Democratic 2020 presidential primary is a wide-open race, poll finds When the GOP faced such a massive field, it relegated the candidates with lower poll standings to what got branded an undercard debate. The Democratic National Committee opted not to take that approach. Facing intense scrutiny in the aftermath of a messy 2016 primary, during which the party was accused of tilting the scale in favor of Hillary Clinton, the establishment-favored candidate, the DNC leadership is straining to project inclusivity and transparency. Hence the lottery actually two lotteries, one for candidates above 2% in the polling average, the other for those below, designed to ensure that some from each group will be on stage each night. Still, some measure of internal strife is inevitable when the stakes are so high. And this debate is no exception. The concentration of higher-polling candidates on the second night led to some intra-party grumbling and second guessing of the DNCs decision not to take more initiative in shaping the lineup. One hopeful who wont be on the stage is Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who joined the race in mid-May. He barely missed the threshold of 1% of support in DNC-approved polls nationwide or in early-voting states or contributions from at least 65,000 donors. Bullock accused the party of penalizing him for delaying his entry so he could focus on his states business during its legislative session. 1 / 20 Former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware (John Bazemore / Associated Press) 2 / 20 Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) 3 / 20 Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (Kimberly White / Getty Images for MoveOn) 4 / 20 Sen. Kamala Harris of California (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 20 Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. (Michael Conroy / Associated Press) 6 / 20 Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado (Scott Olson / Getty Images) 7 / 20 Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey (Scott Olson / Getty Images) 8 / 20 Former Housing Secretary Julian Castro of Texas (Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images) 9 / 20 Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York (John Locher / Associated Press) 10 / 20 Former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) 11 / 20 Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii (Michael Wyke / Associated Press) 12 / 20 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York (Scott Olson / Getty Images) 13 / 20 Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (Charles Krupa / Associated Press) 14 / 20 Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (Chris Carlson / Associated Press) 15 / 20 Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota (Bryon Houlgrave / Associated Press) 16 / 20 Former Rep. Beto ORourke of Texas (John Locher / Associated Press) 17 / 20 Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio (Michael Chritton / Akron Beacon Journal) 18 / 20 Rep. Eric Swalwell of California (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 20 Author Marianne Williamson of California (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) 20 / 20 Businessman Andrew Yang of New York (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) As the debate lineup was unveiled, Bullock was rolling out a fundraising ad featuring a Montanan in a camo hat, alongside his dog and hunting hunting gear, disgusted with the DNC for excluding a Democrat who won in a state that Trump carried by 20 points. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Fla., also failed to meet the threshold for joining the first debate. Bullock and the others may make the cut for the next round of debates, in July, but since the DNC has capped the total number of eligible candidates at 20, someone else will get bounced out if they succeed. Some progressive activists are also protesting that the DNC refused the request of one candidate, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, to hold a debate focused exclusively on climate change. Grassroots anger over the refusal was intensified by the partys warning that candidates who participate in an unsanctioned climate debate may not be invited to any of the 11 planned DNC primary debates that will follow the Miami event. The rule is standard protocol for the DNC and had been spelled out to candidates before Inslee made his request. Candidates are permitted to participate in forums and town halls not sanctioned by the DNC, and progressive groups are working to organize at least one such event focused on climate. The debate over debates is certain to intensify as the race lumbers on. The barrier to entry will start ratcheting up before the candidates meet for a third debate in September, as the DNC looks to remove the less viable from the stage. Those who arent registering 2% in the polls by then or raising money from at least 130,000 donors wont make the cut. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times 2020 election calendar If you read enough about the Bohemian Grove, a private 2,700-acre swath of redwood-covered land on the Lower Russian River, you come to understand theres nothing especially mystical about the secretive, testosterone-fueled revelry that goes on there every summer. Its a bunch of normally uptight dudes who get to cut loose and schmooze in a glamorously rustic environment, replete with over-the-top pseudo Druidic ceremonies, musical performances, serious lakeside chats about public policy and drinking that happens early and often. Each summer, the Bohemian Grove, a couple hours northwest of San Francisco, becomes an alternative world headquarters for about 3,000 rich and well-connected men. They are either members or guests of San Franciscos Bohemian Club, an exclusive, all-male bastion with a waiting list that is reportedly decades long. The Bohemian motto, Weaving spiders come not here, is a fig leaf, designed to play down or conceal an unassailable truth men can make profitable connections among the redwoods. Advertisement From July 8 to 28, Bohos crowd the Santa Rosa airport with their private jets and helicopters, then swoop by limo or luxury car to their well-hidden wonderland in the tiny town of Monte Rio, one of the poorest communities in western Sonoma County. Some stay the whole time, some come in only for weekends. For the last 15 years, the Bohemian Grove has contracted with the county to provide the encampment, as it is called, with a four-deputy detail. The cost, about $151,000, is reimbursed by the Bohemian Club. Last week, the annual contract came up for a vote before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. As it happens, for the first time in history, the five-member board has a female majority. Also for the first time, not coincidentally, questions have been raised about the propriety of doing business with the Bohemians. How can we contract tax-funded services with a club that openly discriminates against women? wondered Supervisor Shirlee Zane, setting off a long-overdue debate. A few days later, her colleague, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, penned an open letter to the Bohemian Club. The Grove is in Hopkins district; she is its first female supervisor. Though all of her male predecessors visited the Grove, she has never set foot on the property. Its a flashback to an era when powerful men were the only dominant political paradigm, when only men could vote, when only men could have bank accounts and sign checks and pay bills, she wrote. The Club has been around for 150 years. A lot has changed in that time. But the Club hasnt. I think thats what makes it so great for members, and so utterly incomprehensible to the rest of us. Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins wonders why the county should provide security services to the all-male Bohemian Grove encampment in Monte Rio, a town in her district. (Robin Abcarian/Los Angeles Times) The Groves manager did not respond to my emailed request for a comment. On Tuesday afternoon, Hopkins and I met in a Santa Rosa coffee shop. That morning, she and the rest of the board had voted unanimously to honor the security contract with the Bohemian Grove, mainly because the event is only a month away. I asked her how, exactly, women are disadvantaged by the all-male enclave. Granted, I have only been in politics for 2 years, she said, but I have learned that its all about relationships. Your currency in your community is really all of the people that you know, who trust you. When you look at the Grove, where its about people coming together for a good time, that creates the currency of relationships. As a woman, if you dont have access to those relationships, you are going to be at a disadvantage. Its a lack of accessibility. Next year, she said, she will oppose the contract. Im not voting for it unless there is actually a public safety benefit, and the way I read this contract, there isnt, she said. You are basically stationing four sheriffs personnel in a parking lot. They are not enforcing laws. Its about keeping people out of there. But theres also something more important that bugs her about Bohemian Grove. It barely lifts a finger to help its community. :: Monte Rio is a tiny town, with a population of fewer than 1,000. Its homes are scattered along the Russian River on Highway 116, which winds through redwood groves and vineyards. It is famous if that is the right word for its quaint welcome sign, suspended over the highway: Welcome to Monte Rio, Vacation Wonderland, it says on one side. Monte Rio Awaits Your Return, says the other. A few miles southwest of Guerneville, it has the highest homeless population in western Sonoma County, said Hopkins, and also the highest opioid-related death rate. Many of its residents are on fixed incomes. There is no municipal sewer system. Many old septic systems are failing and contributing to bacterial pollution in the Russian River. In many places, Hopkins said, there are cesspools. The water quality control board, she said, is going to be coming down with a hammer, telling people they have to upgrade their septic systems. But most people wont be able to afford to. In fact, she said, the community has been in decline for years because of its wastewater problems. Homes cant be expanded without triggering expensive septic permits, and businesses have closed because they cant upgrade for lack of sewers. Recently, she noted, the Bohemian Grove, which has pulled more than 200 building permits in the last 15 years, has installed its own $3-million sewer system. So what, exactly, does the excessively wealthy Grove contribute to struggling Monte Rio? Local high school students often work seasonally at the Grove, for $13 or $14 an hour. Some Bohemian Club members, she said, help put on an annual variety show whose proceeds about $60,000 are divided among the Fire Department, school and Catholic church. The Bohos donate about $3,000 a year to an annual music festival called Rockin the River, Hopkins said. Property taxes for the land amount about $250,000 a year. But the Grove does not collect what every other inn and campground do: a hotel bed tax. Why doesnt the Grove pay that? Thats an open question, Hopkins said. She thinks the Groves cozy relationship with elected officials has led to a lack of scrutiny and oversight. Shed love to have a conversation with the Bohemian Clubs leadership, she said, but I honestly dont know whos in charge. :: Its easy to get close to the Bohemian Grove. You drive through Monte Rio and up Bohemian Avenue, which leads to the Grove. Inside a gate, there is a surprisingly large dirt parking lot with new-looking light stanchions around the perimeter. No trespassing signs are posted on redwoods. The famous Monte Rio sign, suspended over HIghway 116, welcomes and bids goodbye to visitors. (Robin Abcarian/Los Angeles Times) Public attention on the Grove waxes and wanes, but so much has been written that calling it a secret is a misnomer. There have been organized protests, books, magazine articles and discrimination lawsuits. In 1987, Bohemians were finally forced to hire women, though they still cant be members. In 2001, the British journalist Jon Ronson teamed up with the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to infiltrate the gathering. They dressed like preppies and walked right in. Ronson, who chronicled the adventure in the 2001 book Them: Adventures with Extremists, thought the gathering was a rather silly and excessive celebration of male bonding; Jones hawked his secretly recorded footage as if hed discovered the evil klatch of billionaires that rules the world. Its possible both are right. robin.abcarian@latimes.com Twitter: @AbcarianLAT In Big Bear Lake, officials worry about an explosive wildfire roaring through the resort city, trapping tens of thousands of people. In the Santa Monica Mountains, authorities stage a mock evacuation in Mandeville Canyon, where police discover they are too slow to rescue residents from a wildfire disaster. And in the thick forest of the San Jacinto Mountains, an Idyllwild resident laments that his town resembles an arsonists dream. Advertisement On the heels of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season in state history, officials across California are growing increasingly anxious over what many fear will be another one. Fire experts and climatologists warn that the heavy rains of recent months produced an excess of vegetation, which over the hot summer will become dry fuel. At the same time, the death toll from last falls Camp and Woolsey fires and the Tubbs fire the year before that has highlighted the vulnerability of communities throughout the state. In a meeting with emergency managers recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom urged officials to prepare for the worst and then gave voice to a growing sense of dread. We just cant take this anymore, Newsom told the gathering. The state cant take 2018 again. Cant do 2017. We cant take it anymore. After the Camp fire killed 85 people in and around the town of Paradise and revealed glaring shortcomings in municipal evacuation plans the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection conducted a risk assessment that found an estimated 11 million residents, or 1 in 4 Californians, live in areas considered to be at high risk of a wildfire. I anticipate theres a whole lot of people in suburban Southern California, and frankly in the Bay Area, that would never consider themselves a part of that 1 out of 4 Californians that live in a fire risk area, but they actually do, said Wade Crowfoot, head of the California Natural Resources Agency. Wooden roof shingles and pine trees near homes increase the fire danger in the community of Sugarloaf, near Big Bear Lake. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Sleeping giants When it comes to the risk of forest fire in Southern California, Richard Minnich, a fire ecologist at UC Riverside, said he is most concerned about communities that havent burned since the 19th century: Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains, and the isolated, mile-high community of Idyllwild. These areas, he said, have hundreds of trees per acre with trunks more than 4 inches in diameter and an under-story of young conifers and brush. By way of comparison, he said, a healthy, safer forest has about 13 such trees per acre. In the event of a fire, the heavy under-story would create what foresters call a fuel ladder that would send flames up into the canopy, triggering a massive blaze. In Idyllwild, authorities have been sounding the alarm for years about the buildup of tinder-dry trees and brush. My town still resembles an arsonists dream, resident Mark Yardas said. Amanda Mayer is aware of the fire danger presented by overhanging branches over her two-story home in the residential community of Sugarloaf near Big Bear City. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Risk management For all the urgency local and state officials are bringing into fire preparations this year, their methods for reducing the risks are nothing new. Near highways, well probably do a combination of handwork and machine work: bulldozers, masticators, things like that, said John Melvin, Cal Fires chief for resource protection and improvement. Its tried-and-true methods. What were doing is greatly increasing the pace and scale, and we have more resources to do that. Indeed, the National Guard troops that President Trump requested for border duty, and that Newsom recalled, are now working on fire breaks, Melvin said. But a growing chorus of environmental advocates and some former fire officials are urging the state to shift its wildfire strategy to one that starts from the home outward. That means using fire-safe roofing materials and vent screens in homes and pruning vegetation within a 100-foot radius of residences, among other things. The states current strategy which relies primarily on altering forestland is costly financially and environmentally, they argue. It also has failed to prevent deaths and massive property loss in extreme, wind-driven fire events such as the Camp and Tubbs fires which together killed more than 100 people. Studies show that the principal cause of residential destruction is not the result of high-intensity wildfire engulfing homes, said Big Bear Lake resident and ecologist Chad Hanson. Instead, home ignitions are due to showers of firebrands landing on flammable materials or on nearby vegetation. After that, one burning home sets fire to another and another. During a recent walk down a shady lane in Sugarloaf a densely populated neighborhood whose streets are arranged in a grid pattern Hanson gestured toward a clutch of homes. Everywhere you look, there are piles of dry pine needles on deteriorating shake shingle roofs and thick brush growing against walls made of wooden planks, Hanson said. I understand the comfort in peoples voices when they say: The Forest Service plans to thin the forests around here. So, well be OK, he said. But they are wrong. Less than a block away, Amanda Mayer, 38, was striding beneath the branches of a 30-foot-tall oak tree draped over the veranda and roof of a wood-sided Victorian-style home she shares with her family. Everybody knows this tree is too close to the house, she said. But this is a pretty poor community. Many of us have to work two jobs to get by. So, the idea of paying someone tons of money to trim this tree is not high on my priority list right now. Mandeville Canyon homeowner association members Flo Chapgier, left, and Yolanda Bergman count the number of people evacuating while advising resident Laurie La Shelle during a recent wildfire drill. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Little response time On a recent rainy Sunday in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles police officers moved from house to house as part of an elaborate evacuation drill. As part of a scripted scenario, officers told residents that a fire had broken out nearby, amid 25- to 35-mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph. Residents had two hours to clear out before a shower of embers, and then flames, arrived. But as officers made their way up the canyon, the fire prevented them from reaching residents to the north. As a result, first-responders scrambled to transform their simulated evacuation drill into a simulated rescue mission. Among those residents who attended the drill was Maureen Levinson. Although she lives in Bel-Air, she said she felt compelled to attend the event after watching images of the Woolsey fire, which ripped through Ventura and Los Angeles counties and devastated Malibu. She and her neighbors were heartbroken when they watched video of homes burning but saw no firetrucks nearby. The lesson was clear, she said. If were in a fire, at some point theyre going to give up on us, Levinson said. Sugarloaf, an unincorporated community near Big Bear City, faces some of the highest wildfire risk in Southern California. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Evacuation plans In the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains, where the suburbs meet the wilderness, many have built homes amid forest and brush, despite the wildfire risk. Big Bear Lake Fire Chief Jeffrey Willis knows the danger that comes with the high-velocity, dry Santa Ana winds that blow out of the desert each fall and transform the citys 100-foot-tall Jeffrey pines into fuel. You can plan all you want, but a plan is only good until something doesnt fit, Willis said. Then you have to plan on the fly. Lake Arrowhead, which is home to 12,000 permanent residents, has not burned since 1879. Yet each time firefighters put out a small blaze, that means unburned brush and timber is left to fuel future fires. Jason Brooks, a San Bernardino County Fire Department engineer, was only half-kidding when he said, If every property owner in Lake Arrowhead created defensible space around their homes, thered be no trees left to look at. In this high-altitude, high-fire risk area, a revised evacuation plan funded by the county calls for releasing vehicles in a series of periodic segments, or tiers, with only people in the most threatened areas leaving first at a desired speed of 25 mph. Thats because, according to the Mountain Region Emergency Road Capacity Study, if the entire community of Big Bear Lake, for example, were to be evacuated in one instance, the roads would be overloaded and traffic would not process. There is potential for catastrophic losses, the study warns, as thousands of people move into the mountaintop communities. A San Francisco-based federal appeals court ordered a judge Friday to reconsider her ruling against President Trumps decision to ban transgender people from the military. In a unanimous, unsigned order, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals told a federal district judge in the state of Washington to take into account executive privileges in reweighing her decision. The U.S. Supreme Court put a hold on the judges nationwide injunction in January, allowing the ban to take effect while the government appealed to the 9th Circuit. Fridays decision continued that hold. LGBTQ rights lawyers who brought the case nevertheless said the ruling contained statements helpful to their challenge. The court held that the ban targets transgender people and must be analyzed through that lens. Advertisement It also made clear that the district court was entitled to evaluate this discriminatory policy through a full presentation of the facts, which we are eager to make, said Lambda Legal lawyer Sharon McGowan. The case, which is being heard by Seattle-based District Judge Marsha J. Pechman, began with a challenge to a policy Trump announced on Twitter in 2017 that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve in the military. Pechman issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against that decision, ruling that it was not a well-considered military judgment. The president later revoked the 2017 decision and replaced it with a policy based on a 44-page report that addressed a medical condition gender dysphoria rather than transgender status. That policy was issued by then-Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis. The government asked Pechman to remove her injunction because the new policy differed from the first. She declined, and the government appealed to the 9th Circuit. Regardless of its overall effect, the 2018 Policy is significantly different from the 2017 Memorandum in both its creation and its specific provisions, the 9th Circuit wrote Friday. The 2018 policy followed a study by a panel of military experts that met 13 times over a period of 90 days, the judges noted, and appears to have been the product of independent military judgment. In short, the panel wrote, the district court must apply appropriate military deference to its evaluation of the 2018 Policy. The 9th Circuit also ordered the lower court to weigh executive privilege in reconsidering orders requiring the Trump administration to produce documents related to the policy. The power of the executive branch is not to be taken lightly, the panel reminded the judge. The militarys interest in full and frank communication about policymaking raises serious although not insurmountable national defense interests, the court said. The case was decided by 9th Circuit Judges Raymond C. Fisher, a Clinton appointee, and Richard R. Clifton and Consuelo M. Callahan, both appointed by George W. Bush. maura.dolan@latimes.com Twitter: @mauradolan A federal judge granted preliminary approval Thursday to the landmark $215-million class-action settlement that USC had agreed to pay to former patients of campus gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall. Under the terms of the settlement, the approximately 17,000 women treated during the physicians three-decade career would each be eligible to receive between $2,500 and $250,000. The amount would depend on the severity of the misconduct alleged and the womens willingness to confidentially detail those experiences in written statements or interviews. The preliminary sign-off by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson is not expected to conclude USCs payouts to female students and alumnae. More than 720 women are pursuing separate claims against the university in state court, and their lawyers have criticized the class-action agreement as paltry. Still, interim President Wanda Austin termed the court action an important step forward in healing. Advertisement The settlement provides every affected individual the opportunity for a fair and respectful resolution, and it contains additional reforms that will build upon the impactful changes we have already made to strengthen our university, Austin said. USC will pay the former patients attorneys up to $25 million under the agreement. Tyndall is part of the settlement, but under the approved terms he will not contribute to the payout to the women or their attorneys, and he will not admit liability or wrongdoing. The gynecologist still faces an ongoing criminal investigation. The Los Angeles County district attorneys office said Thursday that it had received 131 criminal reports against Tyndall and had not made a decision about whether to file charges. In court papers, Tyndalls lawyers have denied that their client acted inappropriately during his medical exams at the student health center. Within the next month, former patients of Tyndall identified through USC records will receive formal notices about the settlement terms. Those already suing in state court have until November to decide whether to opt out of the settlement. Attorney Mike Arias, who is co-liaison counsel for the state court plaintiffs, said lawyers are expected to meet individually with clients to discuss the facts of their claims and what they could reasonably expect as they press forward with litigation. Of the class-action settlements top possible award of $250,000, Arias said, I think that number is significantly lower than most cases out there that have resulted in settlements for this type of conduct. The ultimate payment for each patient will be determined by a panel of three people including a gynecologist and a forensic psychologist. No payments will be distributed until Wilson, the judge, grants final approval to the settlement. In his order Thursday, Wilson scheduled a hearing for Jan. 6 for final approval. matt.hamilton@latimes.com Twitter: @MattHjourno Soon after he took over as medical director of the Urgent Care & Surgery Center in eastern Tennessee in 2012, Dr. Marc Valley realized he was supervising illegal drug dealers in lab coats. Platoons of patients socialized in the parking lot, none seemingly afflicted by injuries. The packed waiting room echoed with chatter about how and where to score painkillers known as opioids. Valley discovered that clinic staffers were barely vetting patients. Some charts didnt even include a diagnosis or pain level, yet patients all seemed to receive the same dosage of powerful opioids. He worried that dozens risked dying from overdoses. He complained to management and tried to rein in the malpractice. But the operators ignored him. Their only concern, he said, was the money pouring in. Advertisement He quit after three months, convinced he was running an illicit pill mill, not a legitimate clinic. It was so very sad, recalled Valley, now 60. I knew it was wrong, and I walked away. But I can empathize with those who didnt. It was tempting. There was just so much money. After he quit, the pill mill located in a one-story office beside a state highway in Lenoir City, Tenn., in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains was targeted by federal agents in a three-year investigation of local pain clinics. The ensuing raids, telephone wiretaps and criminal charges against 140 people provide an unparalleled autopsy of how a handful of pill mills exacerbated the nations opioid epidemic during a critical early period in its history. By the time they were shut down in 2015, four freewheeling clinics had churned out prescriptions for more than 12 million opioid pills and had generated at least $21 million, court records show. In a rare step, federal authorities combed through medical files and death records, seeking the toll of lives lost from three of the clinics in the Knoxville area and a predecessor in southern Florida. They were stunned to discover that more than 700 patients had died, not including those who bought the pills on the secondary black market. A significant percentage of those deaths, directly or indirectly, prosecutors wrote, were the result of overdosing on narcotics prescribed by the clinics. The opioid crisis wouldnt be nearly as bad, where it is today, if it werent for pill mills like these, said David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and a former police chief in Knoxville whose officers helped investigate the clinics. Some doctors started to see money could be made from prescribing these pills, and they forgot or ignored their responsibility to do no harm, he added. They literally devastated communities. To understand the crisis, you have to understand the role these clinics played. John Sliger with a photo of his son, Justin, who died from an opioid overdose. (Del Quentin Wilber / Los Angeles Times) Like many tragedies involving prescription pain pills, this one began in Florida, during what authorities describe as the Wild West era of prescription opioid fraud. In the mid-1990s, Purdue Pharma introduced a painkiller called OxyContin, which it billed as a safer and less addictive version of oxycodone, then in widespread use. At the same time, doctors were encouraged by professional groups to aggressively treat pain, and restrictions on prescribing opioids were loosened. Pain clinics popped up to meet surging demand, and in 2009 the first Urgent Care & Surgery Center opened its doors in Hollywood, Fla., about 20 miles north of Miami. It was owned and operated, court records show, by three South Florida residents: Benjamin Rodriguez, 44, and two men with both U.S. and Italian citizenship Luca P. Sartini, 59, and Luigi Palma, 53. The clinic, in a squat building flanked by palm trees, was soon churning through hundreds of patients each month. It charged about $300 per appointment and didnt take medical insurance, according to court records. Its dispensary charged $700 to fill a typical prescription. The clinic raked in cash as word spread that it was pumping out pain pills. Patients arrived in cars and vans from up the East Coast. Many were led by a sponsor, a drug dealer who paid for the trip, the clinic visit and the prescriptions in exchange for half the patients haul of pills. It was a lucrative trade-off. Sponsors typically made a $4,000 monthly profit per patient, court records show. Few of the patients needed painkillers for injuries or illnesses, and many relaxed in the parking lot before appointments, creating what federal agents described as a party atmosphere. The party came to an end after local businesses and community members complained to authorities. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration sent in undercover investigators in 2010. They got pills with ease. One even got a prescription after boasting he intended to sell the pills on the street. The DEA raided the office that December. By then, prosecutors allege, Sartini, Palma and Rodriguez were already planning their next move. Authorities were closing in, and Florida was enacting regulations that would make it more difficult to profit from fake pain. They had little trouble finding a new spot patient records and license plates in their parking lot pointed them 860 miles north to eastern Tennessee. Instead of forcing patients to drive hours to their clinics, they would bring their pill mill to the addicts. In January 2011, they opened shop in Knoxville, a hot zone of opioid addiction and a crossroads of major highways, including Interstate 75. Addicts called I-75 the Oxy Express because it was the route they took to pain clinics in Florida. The owners installed Sylvia Hofstetter, who had helped oversee the Hollywood clinic, to run Comprehensive Healthcare Systems on the second floor of a drab suburban office building. A doting grandmother, Hofstetter was a tough, demanding boss. Her police mug shot shows a woman with frizzy black hair, arched eyebrows and a sharp nose and cheekbones. Hofstetter pushed her staff to see too many patients and write too many prescriptions, prosecutors allege. A physicians assistant, they wrote, was so inundated with patients that he rarely left exam rooms and feared he would be fired if he did not liberally write opioid prescriptions for as many patients as possible. The clinic attracted patients from other states, just like the one in Hollywood, treating 200 to 250 a week. It quickly became unimaginably profitable, about $240,000 a month, an FBI agent wrote. Once again, the flood of patients worried neighboring businesses and they complained to the landlord. The office was forced to close in August 2013. By then, the Floridians had a backup plan. They transferred their patients to a clinic they had opened two years earlier in Lenoir City, Tenn., a quiet riverfront town about 28 miles southwest of Knoxville. Hofstetter and the owners didnt know it, but the clinic in Knoxville was already drawing federal attention. The FBI had launched an investigation, and undercover agents and police posed as patients to get pills. They didnt have to try very hard. They were asked few questions and exams were cursory. Staffers barely looked at 3-D imaging reports and ignored screening tests that suggested drug abuse. During one exam, according to an affidavit, an undercover agent asked why a nurse practitioner was inspecting his arms. She was looking for needle marks, she replied. We have a lot of people that shoot up their medications, she explained, an apparent acknowledgment that patients were misusing the opioids. Hofstetter soon grew frustrated at not sharing in the profits, prosecutors allege, and she secretly launched a separate pain clinic in Knoxville with a local businessman. At its peak in mid-2014, Hofstetters rival pill mill treated 1,000 patients and was grossing $362,000 a month, court papers show. The pickings were so rich that several of her employees soon quit to start their own pill mill. Federal authorities raided and shut the three clinics in March 2015. That year, more than 1,000 people died of overdoses from prescription and other opioids, including heroin, in Tennessee. Since then, state and federal officials have enacted stricter guidelines and regulations that helped reduce the number of pill mills. They also have pushed doctors to more carefully prescribe addictive opioids. Nationwide, painkiller prescriptions have dropped 25% from their peak in 2012. But it didnt end the ravages of the opioid crisis. Unable to easily get OxyContin, pill addicts shifted to heroin and potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl. In 2017, according to the most recent federal data, more than 47,600 people died of opioid overdoses, a 133% increase since the first Urgent Care & Surgery Center opened in Florida a decade ago. Knoxville is still sorting through the pill mills deadly legacy. Most of the 140 people charged in the investigation pleaded guilty to federal offenses. Hofstetter is scheduled to stand trial in October. Her attorney did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment. Rodriguez, the part-owner, is expected to soon plead guilty in a deal with prosecutors, according to his attorney. Sartini and Palma fled to Italy to avoid arrest, prosecutors say, and are fighting extradition. Their attorneys could not be reached for comment or did not reply to emails. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorneys office for the Eastern District of Tennessee declined to comment. The barrage of prosecutions has brought little solace to family members of overdose victims. Justin Sliger, a 33-year-old handyman and drug dealer, died early on Valentines Day 2014 in his motel room, next to his two slumbering sons. It was not the familys first such tragedy Sligers mother and a stepmother both had died from overdoses of pain pills. Sliger had begun visiting Hofstetters breakaway clinic in Knoxville to make some money for the family, his father said. I didnt think he was using enough to kill himself over. We all took it hard, still do. He loved those boys, and now they wont ever really get to know him. Sligers father doesnt understand why a doctor would prescribed opioids to his son. He wasnt sick or injured and was dealing pills on the side. But he got prescriptions anyway, all too easily. President Trump and Iranian leaders traded accusations Friday over who was responsible for fiery explosions that crippled two oil tankers off Irans coast, but both sides appeared cautious not to go beyond a war of words, at least for now, to avoid a direct military confrontation. After blaming Iran hours after what appeared to be coordinated attacks on a Japanese and a Norwegian tanker on Thursday, the Trump administration considered options Friday but showed no immediate sign of responding. Options include providing armed escorts to vessels navigating vulnerable shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz, reflagging tankers of friendly nations with the U.S. flag to entitle them to U.S. naval protection, and adding more sanctions to what is already a long blacklist. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the Pentagon was making plans for possible military action in case of more attacks or efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint through which much of the worlds oil passes. Advertisement We obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate, Shanahan told reporters. Iranian officials pointedly warned in April, after the Trump administration tightened a ban on Irans oil exports and worsened its economic recession, that they might interrupt the flow of oil through the narrow strait. The attacks, which caused no injuries, may have been calculated to show that while Tehran could not withstand a full-on U.S. military assault, it could still rattle the White House. Irans real interest is to show it retains the ability to strike back, said Jon Alterman, a former State Department official in the George W. Bush administration now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington. The worst thing for Iran is to suffer the sanctions and be ignored. U.S. officials said military action against Iran was not imminent. U.S. intelligence agencies are seeking to bolster their initial assessment that Iranian operatives had sabotaged the two tankers, hoping to persuade U.S. allies to join the White House in publicly condemning Tehran. A defense official played down the likelihood that U.S. warships would escort convoys of tankers in the Persian Gulf. The operation would require allies to contribute warships, the official said, and building that coalition might prove difficult for the White House. Many leaders in Europe and Asia remain angry over Trumps decision to withdraw last year from the Iran nuclear deal, signed in 2015 by the Obama administration, Russia, China, France, Germany and Great Britain. Under the agreement, Iran dismantled most of its nuclear production infrastructure and admitted international inspectors. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo was first to blame Iran for the tanker explosions Thursday. On Friday, Trump echoed the charge in a TV interview, saying a limpet mine attached to one of the ships hulls had probably got essentially Iran written all over it, although U.S. forces or allies did not recover the munition. He instead pointed to a grainy video, taken from a U.S. surveillance aircraft, that the Pentagon said shows a crew from an Iranian patrol boat navigating to the stricken ships bow and removing an unexploded mine 10 hours after the initial explosion, then speeding off. So it was them that did it, Trump said on Fox & Friends. The tanker, the 558-foot Kokuka Courageous, reportedly was hit midship with projectiles above the waterline after sunrise, but the source wasnt clear. We received reports that something flew towards the ship, Yutaka Katada, president of Kokaku Sangyo Co., which owns the ship, told a news conference in Tokyo. The place where the projectile landed was significantly higher than the water level, so we are absolutely sure that this wasnt a torpedo. Crews abandoned both the Kokura Courageous and the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, which was attacked less than an hour later, with an Iranian naval vessel helping rescue the crew on the 826-foot Front Altair. Both ships were carrying fuel products to Asia and were sailing in international waters. The explosions occurred several hours before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in Tehran with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to try to ease tensions and create a U.S. communications channel. Khamenei later said he had rejected Abes overture, saying honest negotiations will not come from an individual such as Trump, according to Iranian state television. Trump and Abe spoke by phone Friday, and the White House issued a statement that said they discussed the circumstances surrounding the attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, language considerably less accusatory than Trump or Pompeo had used. Iranian officials, who quickly denied any involvement in the explosions Thursday, were careful Friday to blame Trumps aides and allies but not him, and suggested it might be the work of unidentified actors seeking to create a crisis. That the US immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran w/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence only makes it abundantly clear that the #B_Team is moving to a #PlanB: Sabotage diplomacy, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Twitter. The B-Team is Zarifs derisive term for U.S. national security advisor John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan. They represent governments determined to restrain Iran, isolate it diplomatically and punish it economically for what they call its malign behavior, especially its support for militant groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. After four tankers were damaged by mines off the coast of the United Arab Emirates a month ago, Bolton was adamant in warning that additional violence would be met with sharp U.S. retaliation. The administration subsequently sent the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and strategic bombers to the region, and an additional 1,500 U.S. troops to help bolster defenses for U.S. facilities and personnel. But Trump pushed back against Pentagon requests for a more robust escalation. The U.S. case against Iran was not clear-cut on Friday. Some analysts agreed with Iranian officials that Tehran had no incentive to attack a Japanese tanker during Abes highly-publicized visit. Put simply, it isnt in Irans interest to escalate, Dina Esfandiary, a fellow at the Century Foundation, a think tank in Washington and New York, said in an interview Friday. Why would Iran want a war it is ill-equipped to fight? she added. It would be isolated, would turn its new European friends against it, and it would be fighting a militarily superior U.S. Esfandiary said the attacks may have been a message from hard-line elements in Irans government that they could act against the U.S.-led sanctions campaign and cripple global energy supplies. But other analysts said Irans goal was to create uncertainty and sharply higher prices in oil markets that would encourage Japan and other countries that rely on oil supplies from the Persian Gulf to pressure the Trump administration to ease sanctions. They wanted to spook Abe, said Behnam Ben Taleblu, who specializes in Iran at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a national security think tank in Washington. This is not the last iteration of Iran escalating. On Friday, crew members returned to the Kokuka Courageous, which was being towed by a tugboat to a port for repairs. It was shadowed by the Bainbridge, the U.S. destroyer that had participated in the rescue on Thursday, according to a defense official. The ship was moving slowly and was not expected to reach port for several days, the official said. A fire that raged Thursday aboard the Front Altair had gone out and the ship was listing to one side but not in danger of sinking, the official said. Four tugboats sent by the ships owner to tow the vessel were blocked from approaching it by Iranian patrol boats, the official said. Wilkinson and Cloud reported from Washington and Bulos reported from Beirut. Staff writer Caroline S. Engelmayer in Washington contributed to this report. For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter For years, critics of Californias cap-and-trade program have lambasted it as a government slush fund. They say that politicians are able to dip into it to fund their pet projects or raid it to fill the shortfall of the moment as long as they can assert a mildly credible connection between the spending and the states ambitious goals to fight climate change. Well, California lawmakers are about to prove those critics right. As part of the budget negotiations, lawmakers shelved Gov. Gavin Newsoms controversial water tax that would have raised $140 million a year to help low-income communities finally clean up their contaminated water systems. Instead, lawmakers plan to fund the much-needed water cleanups with $100 million a year in cap-and-trade dollars money that is paid to the state by polluters and which is legally required to be spent on projects to reduce the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Advertisement Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute So how do leaders justify using cap-and-trade dollars for water cleanups? Newsoms office said that communities with tainted water need bottled water delivered in trucks that pollute the air. If the water supply is cleaned, that will reduce vehicle emissions. By that ludicrous logic, California could pay for expanded Medi-Cal benefits with cap-and-trade dollars too, because if people have preventive healthcare, theyll get sick less and drive to the hospital less and produce fewer greenhouse gases. There is no question that the state needs to put up significant money to help pay for the infrastructure necessary for safe drinking water. Because of environmental degradation and industrial pollution, thousands of Californians especially in low-income communities in the San Joaquin Valley cant drink a glass of tap water, brush their teeth or even take a shower without risking sickness. Its a Third World problem in the worlds fifth-largest economy. The Times supported the proposal to create a Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund and to pay for it with a 95-cent-per-month charge on residential water bills, along with new fees on dairies and feedlots. But that was a no-go with legislators, who worried that voters would rebel against a water tax, especially when the state has a $21.5-billion budget surplus. Instead, they found an easier solution: Just take cap-and-trade dollars. But cap-and-trade dollars are for projects that really reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as replacing dirty diesel engines or capturing methane pollution from dairies. Lawmakers undermine public trust in and public support for the states climate program when they divert that money to other needs. Whats more, the state will have to struggle to meet its ambitious goals to slash greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. The changes necessary to dramatically shrink the states carbon footprint will be be extremely costly, and will be seen and felt by Californians in their homes, their jobs, their utility bills and their communities. The state needs every cap-and-trade dollar it has to fight global warming. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Only on Wednesday, the NIA had released some details of the raids it had carried out from dawn to dusk in seven places linked to the merchants of Islamic terror. Coimbatore: The National Investigation Agency on Friday arrested Md. Azharuddin, who it said was the kingpin of ISIS terror module operating from here and having links with international terror groups on social media and other means. "One accused Md. Azharuddin of Coimbatore arrested by NIA in connection with ISIS in Tamilnadu. Earlier, today morning, NIA had conducted search at his place", said a NIA tweet Friday evening. In fact, NIA has been on the trail of Azharuddin and his associates operating in various parts of South India, particularly Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The two states are currently at the top of the target terrain for the ISIS whose leadership in the region believe that the two neighbouring states have become extremely vulnerable to the extremists' infiltration and planning 'hits' either independently or in association with some associate-outfits in the region. The changed political environment after the demise of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and the consequent dispersal of priorities for the successors in power-from hard administration to politics of survival--could have created such a cozy sense of comfort and confidence, security experts feel. Only on Wednesday, the NIA had released some details of the raids it had carried out from dawn to dusk in seven places linked to the merchants of Islamic terror. Among those raided places were the premises of 32-year-old Azharuddin at Ukkadam in Coimbatore. The suspect was described by the NIA as the leader of the terror module and has been maintaining the Facebook page named 'KhilafahGFX' through which he has been propagating the ideology of ISIS/Daish.and has been a FB friend of Sri Lankan suicide bomber Zahran Hashim. The NIA has been able to establish links between the terror modules operating in Tamil Nadu and Kerala for some time now. The intelligence gathered from the intercepted communications and admissions by the nabbed suspects under intense interrogation has helped in preparing well to counter any subversive planning by these elements, said a source, adding that it was from one such 'verified' intel-input that the alert was sent to Colombo regarding suicide bomb attacks. Unfortunately, that alert went wasted as the Easter bombings claimed many lives in the Sri Lankan capital. The NIA tweet now has received huge response on social media with several people hailing the agency for its dedicated and intense planning and operations to ensure that South India stayed safe, despite its vulnerability in terms of the distracted political leadership and poor local policing. The NIA is the best thing to happen for this country. To its credit, most of the metros have been blast free for a decade, said Digital Nagrik? @diginagrik. Another twitterati raised a serious issue, posting: Question is how could they operate freely in Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore in particular without any hurdle, state intelligence dept not working well, we're they giving helping hand to terrorists? Must look into, issue z national security? He got a quick response to that tweet, as a concerned woman posted thus: TN shows more energy for being Anti Hindi than security issues. During the impassioned Los Angeles teachers strike earlier this year, one of the chief disputes was whether charter schools were a lifeline to students who deserve an alternative to low-performing district schools, or a leech that insidiously siphons money from a public school system struggling to fulfill its obligation to educate the vast majority of L.A.s students. After the strike ended in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a task force to study that question and other charter-related issues to inform future policy decisions. Now the task force has wrapped up its work, and it is depressing to find that it didnt accomplish what was supposed to be its overriding goal. The groups report included several reasonable recommendations for overdue reform of Californias charter schools. But we still dont know whether charters are draining vital resources at publicly run schools or having a minimal impact on them. That question has been at the forefront of anti-charter complaints across California. Enrollment has been shrinking significantly in the Los Angeles Unified School District, with a hefty amount of that caused by the growth of charter schools, which enroll more than 100,000 students within the district. State funding for those students follows them from the district schools to the charters. The answer is key to the hot topic of how strictly to control charter expansion in California, if at all. Many charter schools offer an educational lifeline to students who otherwise would have to attend low-performing district-run schools. But the state also has an obligation to keep the money drain associated with charters from harming traditional public education, which will always be needed and which serves the vast majority of students. Advertisement Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Supporters of charter schools say that districts dont need the money because they no longer have to educate the students who leave. Charter skeptics point out that districts still have fixed costs, such as buildings and administration, and that students dont always leave in numbers that allow a school to shrink their roster of teachers. Whats been needed is an objective analysis that serves as the foundation for considering any policy changes, such as whether to let districts consider the financial impact of a new charter school when deciding whether to grant approval, or whether to place a temporary moratorium on charters. There are various pieces of legislation designed to address these issues; all of them are controversial, and some are making more progress through the Legislature than others. One proposal in the report calls for continuing to pay schools for each student they lose to charters for one year to help them adjust to the shift in revenue. Is it too much money? Too little? Taxpayers who would pick up that extra tab of paying twice in one year for the same student have no way of knowing because the research hasnt been done. Who decides what the financial impact of charters would be in the absence of a state analysis of the actual effect? Allowing school boards, which have a vested interest in the outcome, to do that would be like handing the hen house keys to the local fox. The report is on shaky ground when it comes to financial issues because it simply didnt do its homework on them. It had a few school districts make presentations; it looked at analyses compiled by others. But school districts are of course not disinterested parties. And the outside analyses were conducted by groups or people with pro- or anti-charter leanings. Its not surprising, then, that the most useful recommendations from the task force have nothing to do with charters fiscal impact. Those include having a state body set the standards for authorizing and overseeing charter schools, given that better oversight has been needed for years; taking away the State Board of Educations authority to approve charter applications on appeal, because people on both sides of the debate agree that the board provides little oversight; and banning school districts from approving charter schools outside their own boundaries. Thanks to the task force for providing some useful ideas. But if the state wanted to learn the facts about the financial impacts of charter schools, it might have been better off asking the Legislative Analysts Office to do the work, or the state auditor. With nothing more than this report to guide policy, California will be arguing charter school finance well into the future. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. On first blush, the proposed legislation that sent more than a million Hong Kong residents into the streets on Sunday and resulted in violent clashes with police in the following days may not seem like such a big deal. Its purpose is purportedly to allow the accused murderer of a Hong Kong girl to be extradited to Taiwan, where the killing is alleged to have occurred. But the protesters know that the bill is actually the latest attempt by Chinas central government to further breach Hong Kongs autonomy and the essential human freedoms guaranteed by treaty until at least 2047. The extradition bill would permit the Beijing-controlled Hong Kong authorities to send residents for trial to any country. The problem is that those countries include China, where Hong Kong residents would be at the mercy of a system controlled by a government unencumbered by civil rights protections, by checks and balances or by a transparent system of justice. Hong Kong protesters are facing an intolerable crackdown that would have seemed unhappily familiar to American Colonists contemplating revolution against the British king in the 18th century. Just as the Americans were used to governing themselves notwithstanding their formal relationship with a distant country, and just as they were properly outraged when that country began to crack down on perceived troublemakers by transporting them beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences, as the Declaration of Independence puts it; so the people of Hong Kong are facing the destruction of their accustomed freedoms by a Chinese government that only reluctantly acknowledges the autonomy of its special administrative region. Advertisement Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute It is a coarse and bullying move. Beijing controls the levers of power in Hong Kong but has to an extent abided by the 1997 treaty with Britain that transferred the territory to China while promising a continuation of a capitalist economic system, independent courts and freedoms of speech and assembly for 50 years. The one country, two systems notion has provided international investors and companies an important base for doing business in China without subjecting themselves to random or oppressive Chinese justice. In recent years, though, China has begun to chip away at Hong Kongs freedoms. The extradition bill would further chill confidence in China. A disapproving worlds options are few. Nations have expressed their unhappiness over the oppression of Chinas Uighur population and its treatment of Tibet, but are loath to impair trade relations. The U.S. is already locked in a trade war with China, and the Hong Kong situation only drives the countries further apart. Furthermore, its hard to see how extending tariffs to exports from Hong Kong, which are not currently covered, would do its people any good. Yet its essential for the U.S. and other nations of the world to press Hong Kongs case. And it is essential to behave as if China which purports to respect treaties, if not human rights just might listen. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Which job opening will be filled first: chief executive of Wells Fargo, or White House press secretary? The Wells Fargo job has been open since March, when embattled CEO Timothy Sloan stepped down as head of the countrys fourth-largest bank. It offers a seven-figure salary, a schweet office in downtown San Francisco, free checking and perks galore, plus a severance package whats not to like? Quite a bit, evidently. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that two of Wells top candidates have turned the bank down, and a third is balking. The bank has been clouded by the miasma of scandal for several years, dating back to revelations in 2016 that it surreptitiously signed customers up for accounts they had not sought. The shock waves have now claimed the tenures of two Wells CEOs. Nevertheless, its a job that rational bank executives would still consider attractive, if challenging. Advertisement By contrast, what rational person would consider taking Sarah Huckabee Sanders job as President Trumps spokesperson? There are more red flags waving here than at a Chinese Communist Party parade. (If you have it handy, consider spinning the Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil while you read the next few paragraphs.) One of the first considerations in taking any new job is the workplace environment, especially the tone set by the person who would be your immediate supervisor. But the White House communications office has been a dumpster fire, going through six communications directors in a little more than two years. Anthony Scaramucci lasted all of 11 days in that role. No one has held the job since Bill Shine left in March. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute The bigger issue, though, is the daily crossfire between the president and the White House press corps. The former is a reckless and hyperbolic speaker, salting his statements of fact and policy liberally with misstatements, misdirections and flat-out lies. The latter, which is by nature adversarial, has been breathtakingly antipathetic towards Trump, sometimes embarrassingly so. Who in their right mind would want to get in the middle of that? I dont see anything wrong with Sanders being combative with the press thats something her boss evidently relishes, and its hardly unprecedented. But Trump also demands loyalty, and my colleague Scott Martelle noted the cost to Sanders: By vigorously defending even the most whack-a-doodle statements from Trump, she came to be viewed as just as untrustworthy as the president. Meanwhile, its been impossible for anyone in Trumps communications shop to fulfill their No. 1 task, which is to control the message coming out of the White House. The problem starts with the presidents habit of jumping on Twitter during executive time and holding forth on whatever flits across his consciousness (which seems curiously in sync with the days programming on Fox & Friends). Add to that Trumps willingness to take questions from the press multiple times per week during informal gaggles (a habit that should have endeared him to a press corps stiff-armed by a standoffish President Obama), which, while admirable, undermines the effort to focus the publics attention on the policy initiative or narrative du jour. Then throw in the insane amount of leaks coming out of this White House, and youre left with an endless succession of revelations and rumors to be confirmed, denied, tamped down or damage-controlled. Put it all together and youve got a job thats unpleasant to perform, with core missions that cannot be fulfilled. And as a bonus, its ruinous to your credibility. Yes, it does command the top salary for a White House staffer, which was a little less than $180,000 last year the same as Trumps chief of staff and his national security advisor. Considering all the above, however, would that be enough money for you to take the job? Thanks largely to the obsessions of President Trump, this countrys attention has been riveted by the tens of thousands of migrants, most of them families, moving north through Mexico in hopes of reaching a future in America. But that migration is just part of a growing regional crisis that has people on the move not only from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, but also from Venezuela an all-but-failed state and parts of Colombia, where there are fears of renewed violence from a resurgent separatist movement that has over the years displaced more than 7 million people within the country. Each of these issues is problematic enough on its own, but taken in their totality they pose a growing and dire threat to regional stability. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees this week renewed a call for regional talks to confront the displacement issue before it evolves into a much larger and harder-to-handle refugee crisis. Advertisement The number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants who have left their country has reached four million. More international help is needed, urgently, for countries hosting them. https://t.co/k0LWPaPeqV via @refugees Filippo Grandi (@RefugeesChief) June 7, 2019 As it is, the U.S. asylum system is overwhelmed by requests for sanctuary, with some 350,000 people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border from March through May, a significant jump over recent years (though not all are seeking asylum). Similarly, Mexico has endured a doubling of asylum requests. And the UNHCR estimates 4 million Venezuelans have fled their country, with most of them settling in Colombia, Peru and Chile in search of food and work. Given the unresolved battle for power between President Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido, the legislative leader who has declared himself president, conditions in Venezuela arent likely to settle any time soon. The UNHCR has suggested a pragmatic approach of governments working together to expand capacities for dealing with refugees in the short term and, as needed, helping them integrate into new societies or reintegrate into the ones they left. Its neither a new problem nor a new approach the UNHCR helped organize a meeting of American states and international organizations a decade ago to focus on regional migration issues. Governments in the region should unite in addressing the growing migration problem. But clearly, previous efforts have been insufficient to handle the current task. While the Trump administration seems to think the solution to the flow is to simply stop people from crossing borders, that strategy wont work over time. The problem requires a regional solution, including creating an multinational infrastructure for giving aid to those who desperately need it, stabilizing civic institutions in nations with long histories of political turmoil, and building capacity to help people affected not only by political upheaval but also by recurring earthquakes, powerful hurricanes and, as were seeing now, crop failures and food insecurity influenced by climate change. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute Of course, getting the Trump administration, which is deeply suspicious of multilateral agreements and actions, to embrace such a regional approach to problem resolution isnt likely to happen. But the UNHCR is right to make this call, and other governments in the region should unite in addressing the growing migration problem, even if the U.S. remains on the sidelines for now. This year, a landmark case challenging the constitutionality of money bail is expected to come before the California Supreme Court. This is the culmination of an effort to reform the states troubled money bail system, pitting justice-reform advocates against the for-profit bail industry. For a court that tries hard to achieve consensus, this case may present a challenge. Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has publicly criticized the money bail system, and Associate Justice Joshua Groban, the newest member of the court, has not previously ruled on bail issues. The court will review an appellate ruling from last year that involved the bail for Kenneth Humphrey, a retired shipyard worker charged with threatening and stealing $5 and a bottle of cologne from an elderly man. A trial court judge had initially set bail at $600,000, but it was lowered to $350,000 after Humphrey demonstrated a willingness to undergo treatment for drug addiction. Keeping people in jail while they await trial is unnecessary in most cases and harmful to them, their families and our justice system. Advertisement With the bail still out of his financial reach, Humphrey remained in jail until a three-judge appellate court unanimously ruled that it would violate due process to order a bond that Humphrey could not afford without the court examining his ability to pay and whether other conditions placed on his release might ensure his future court appearances. The appellate court then ordered another bail hearing for Humphrey. At that hearing, Humphrey was not required to post cash bail. Instead, conditions tailored to his case were imposed. Despite previous court rulings cautioning judges against setting unreasonable bail, the everyday practice in California courts is to set high bail as an easy means of detaining someone in custody while they await trial, rather than deciding on a case-by-case basis whether detention is necessary. Judges have broad authority to craft effective alternatives to money bail, such as ordering close supervision of the defendant during his release. They routinely fail to offer alternatives, leading to the unnecessary detention of thousands of people who could be safely released prior to trial. Humphreys case is an excellent example of this. Once the Court of Appeal required his bail conditions be set according to his ability to pay, the trial court did not impose money bail. Instead, it made residential drug treatment attendance, the wearing of an ankle monitor and compliance with a restraining order the conditions of his release. He has successfully complied with those conditions. Californias for-profit bail bond industry hopes the state Supreme Court will overturn the lower courts ruling, opening the door for a ballot initiative fight to reinstate money bail. Money bail was scheduled to end in October, but that has been delayed because the bail bond industry succeeded in getting a referendum on the ballot in 2020 to repeal the new law. The stakes in this case are high. Fundamental constitutional tenets the presumption of innocence and the related principle that a person cannot be punished for a crime until convicted are in question. Keeping people in jail while they await trial is unnecessary in most cases and harmful to them, their families and our justice system. Unnecessary pretrial detention makes it exceedingly difficult for people to prepare their defense and often leads to more guilty pleas if a sentence for a minor crime is shorter than the time expected to be spent in jail awaiting trial. Just because this is accepted as common practice does not make it constitutional. The long-term effects of pretrial detention have been well documented. Time behind bars causes people to lose their jobs and jeopardizes their financial stability and public safety. Children can suffer irreparable trauma when separated from a parent who is in jail. The right to release a defendant on bail has been preserved in the California Constitution since its adoption in 1849. Should the state Supreme Court reverse the appellate courts ruling, it could result in effectively undermining the right to bail even for defendants charged with minor offenses if judges need not consider whether those defendants can afford the bail amount that is set. Of course, if the Supreme Court upholds the lower court ruling, it will need to contend with another question: How should the law define a persons ability to pay? For equal treatment under the law to prevail, ability to pay must mean a person can pay the full bail amount out of personal assets. That means being able to meet bail without paying a fee to a bail agent, or without causing undue hardship to the person jailed or their family in terms of being able to pay for lifes basic necessities food, clothing, medical care, transportation, shelter. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion What is not in dispute in this case is a judges obligation to consider both public safety and flight risk when determining whether someone can be released on bail prior to trial. The state Constitution, which prohibits excessive bail and guarantees Californians the absolute right to pretrial release on bail, provides ample authority for judges to order detention in cases where an individual has been charged with a capital offense or felony involving acts of violence or sexual assault, or where the individual poses a physical threat to the safety of another. Public safety will remain paramount regardless. While the outcome of this case is hard to predict, its implications and this courts legacy will be far-reaching. In the past, Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye has called the money bail system outdated, unsafe and unfair. Soon, she and the other members of the court will have the chance to change that. Laurie L. Levenson is a professor of law at Loyola Law School and a former federal prosecutor. We had been asylum seekers for 16 months, living in hostels in the United Arab Emirates and Italy, when my family arrived in Oklahoma. In Iran, we had been part of a respected family of doctors and academics. Now, as refugees, the sharpest sting we endured wasnt from hunger or cold, but from everyday shame: Over what little we now had, our useless Iranian educations, the color of our skin, our pungent food, our foreign habits. We moved into a ramshackle apartment complex in the bad part of town. It was a hopeless place. In a parking lot full of rusted metal, cigarette butts baked in oil puddles. Unwashed children idled long past sundown in a meager ravine. In our new community, we expected to find fellow immigrants, other newcomers itching to study, to work. Instead we were surrounded by poor Americans, which made us suspicious. How did they end up here when they had every advantage access to American passports, a lifetime of American education. My mother, brother and I shared two rooms and kept to ourselves. After a few months, my mother married a fellow Iranian named Rahim, and his half-American daughter sometimes stayed with us. I wasnt accustomed to living so humbly. We hardly had space to breathe. This is what most people dont understand about being a refugee: The shame is constant and the Western gaze tempers every footfall. Advertisement Yet I loved my stepsisters visits. She was my only friend, and I could trust her to keep our Iranian secrets from our classmates because she was also tainted by them. And yet she had access to something I did not: American roots, American pride, the ability to just be herself. When I was 11, my long hair was chopped into an atrocious Joan Jett mullet. Then puberty hit and my Iranian nose began to sprout. It seemed now that even my own body was giving up on the endless task of seeming normal, or American. Our tiny apartment was a refuge. It was a purely Iranian space that could smell like turmeric and onion and be draped in bright fuzzy blankets, and no one would care. It was unbreached by Americans. In such a small space, the Oklahoma heat made daily cooking a nuisance and so, one August day, we decided to cook for the week. By midmorning, a shirtless Rahim was steaming rice, chopping eggplant, dicing leftover onions. A pot of the best Persian dish, ghormeh sabzi, a fragrant lamb stew, bubbled on the stove, coating every surface with its pungent aroma. The smell would last for days. But who cared? It was just us. My mother had set plates on the living room floor on old bedding made into a sofreh, a floor-cloth for eating. We had left the front door ajar and soon a timid face peeked in. It belonged to the youth pastor from our new church, a man in his mid-20s who appeared fresh-faced despite the apocalyptic heat. Hi there! Were the welcome crew! he said in the warm, unbothered Oklahoma way Id soon come to know. He stepped inside. Behind him four kids from my school lingered, glancing around and whispering to each other. One sniffed the air. Though 30 years have passed, I have never felt more shame than I did that morning. Like most anyone, I have made a fool of myself in a hundred ways. Once I got carsick and my boss held my hair back as I vomited by a roadside. Once I hit the dance floor with my skirt tucked into my underwear. But I was grown up when those things happened: There was more of me to absorb the blow. The day the youth group visited, I was small enough to be devastated. And this is what most people dont understand about being a refugee: The shame is constant and the Western gaze tempers every footfall. The second after I realized these people intended to come in, I saw everything through newfound American eyes our repurposed old bedding, our thrift-store clothes, the odd smells from our kitchen, our toilet with the wash bucket, our Iranian books and photos of our refugee days. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion Our visitors didnt stay long. We were so awkward, running around offering tea, gathering up the sofreh. To them it was just a casual stop-by, but it had ruined my weekend. Perhaps today people are more sensitive to dignity and social class, how one relates so cruelly to the other, especially in private spaces. And yet, for us, it wasnt just about being poor. It was about a toxic mix of indignities reserved for the displaced the stigma over our Eastern origins, our poverty, that we had fallen so far and lost so much of ourselves. In Iran, my mother had been a doctor, and that mattered in our private calculation of shame. All that is long over now. Ive assimilated and moved on, acquired degrees and reclaimed my ability to travel. What I remember of my childhood displacement is this: Dignity matters. Back in our refugee days, our tangible needs meant little compared with our psychological ones. Hunger may cause the stomach to ache, I quickly learned, but it cripples the pride. And it takes a lifetime of care to mend it back into its original shape. Dina Nayeri is the author of the forthcoming book The Ungrateful Refugee. To the editor: The campaign in favor of the Measure EE parcel tax for Los Angeles public schools was poorly articulated, poorly run, unfocused and leaderless. It was spawned by the exciting energy of the Mardi Gras-like teachers strike in January. (This election was a bigger rout than the Measure EE failure; readers vote 9 to 1 against columnist, column, June 12) Turnout was extremely low in the neighborhoods where it needed to be high for the measure to pass, and it was higher in middle-class neighborhoods. While people know class sizes in California are too large, they also appear to think we are among the top 10 states in school funding, not the bottom 10, and that anything the Los Angeles Unified School District does is mismanaged and a plot to help caravans of immigrants. They remember a former superintendents botched iPad program. Yet when you take time and explain the facts, voters respond positively, as they have exceeded the two-thirds vote threshold on almost all past LAUSD measures. The next campaign should not come without deep planning and lead time. Advertisement David Tokofsky, Los Angeles The writer is a former LAUSD Board of Education member. .. To the editor: I was disappointed but not surprised that Measure EE failed. These ridiculous mini elections should not be held. They cost taxpayers millions of dollars so they can vote on a single measure or office. This election should not have been held in June. Measure EE might have passed if it was on the ballot during a regular election cycle. Nancy Feigelson, Chatsworth Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook To the editor: When I saw the headline in the June 12 print edition, Biden, Trump trade barbs in Iowa, I thought that former Vice President Joe Biden had changed his strategy of fairly polite criticism and was instead lobbing insults at Trump. What I read in the article instead was that Biden had said Trump was an existential threat. As the report by former Justice Department special counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice, I think this is a reasonable, if arguable, statement. Biden also stated, Hes seen the Lord. He had, as we say in Delaware, an altar call, and, He is a threat to our core values. Meanwhile, Trump is quoted as calling Biden a loser, a dummy and weak mentally; saying Biden reminds me of Crooked Hillary and was part of the Obama-Sleepy Joe administration; and remarking that the former vice president was a sleepy guy. Advertisement I fail to see the equivalency here. The Los Angeles Times can do better than this. David Jones, Los Angeles .. To the editor: As article after article and poll after poll continue to treat Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee, I am compelled to wonder if we have once again forgotten what Edmund Burke tried to teach us: Those who dont know history are destined to repeat it. Al Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton were all party stalwarts whose time had come to be president. They lost. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were the candidates thought to be unelectable. They won. Stu Krieger, Los Angeles .. To the editor: And so it begins. In the article about Bidens and Trumps campaigning in Iowa, Biden is referenced as calling Trump an existential threat and discussing the negative economic impact of Trumps tariffs on average Americans. Trump calls Biden a loser and a dummy. And what is the print headline? Biden, Trump trade barbs in Iowa. Really? Youre equating loser and dummy with Iowa farmers have been crushed by his tariff war on China? Nice to see The Times perpetuate the both sides do it media perspective of 2016. Sandra Willard, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Much like their elected representatives, California Democrats are divided sharply over whether Congress should move to impeach President Trump, a new poll shows. Trump remains deeply unpopular in the nations largest state, with its heavily Democratic electorate, according to the new Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, conducted for The Times. More than 6 in 10 Californians and almost 9 in 10 Democrats in the state said Trumps policies have been bad for California. Almost two-thirds of voters in the state said they planned to cast ballots against him in next years election. But when the question turns to impeachment, results are more equivocal, the poll shows. Advertisement Among registered voters overall, 35% said Congress should start impeachment proceedings and 30% said Congress should continue investigating Trump, but not start the impeachment process essentially the position taken by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. A third said Congress should drop the matter and move to other topics. (Lorena Elebee / Los Angeles Times) A narrow majority of Democrats, 53%, said Congress should start the impeachment process. But about 4 in 10 favored continued investigations. Only about 8% of Democrats said Congress should move on. Voters registered without a party preference divided almost equally among the three choices. An overwhelming 86% of California Republicans would like to see Congress move to other topics. Trump remains hugely unpopular in California and most think his policies are harming the state. Even so, there is no consensus for the Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against the president in this decidedly blue state, said Mark DiCamillo, who directs the Berkeley IGS poll. That should serve as a cautionary note to congressional leaders, he said. Impeachment has indeed divided House Democrats. A group of about 60 members has pushed Pelosi to open a formal impeachment inquiry, which would be the first step toward potentially voting to impeach. Pelosi has resisted, arguing that Democrats should impeach Trump only if they can persuade a large majority of the country that the evidence clearly requires that move. Heres where each California Democrat stands on opening an impeachment inquiry on Trump Under the Constitution, if a majority of the House votes to impeach, the Senate then must conduct a trial. The president can be removed from office if two-thirds of the Senate votes to do so. In the current Senate, that would require the unlikely prospect of 20 Republicans voting for conviction, assuming all 47 Democrats and independents backed it. Two presidents, Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, have been impeached, but neither was removed from office. President Nixon resigned in 1974 after the House began impeachment proceedings, but before a formal vote. In California, support for impeachment runs strongest among the states most liberal voters. About two-thirds of those who describe themselves as very liberal support opening impeachment proceedings, and about 3 in 10 in that group say Congress should continue investigating. By comparison, self-described moderates divide almost equally among those who support impeachment, those who back investigating and those who want Congress to turn to other matters. Backing for impeachment is also stronger among minority voters than among whites and stronger among younger voters than older. Almost half of voters younger than 30 say Congress should move toward impeachment. Among voters 50 and older, support for impeachment drops to about 3 in 10. Self-described conservatives overwhelmingly say that Congress should move on to other topics. In liberal California, however, thats very much a minority position. How the Berkeley IGS poll was conducted The division over impeachment, however, does not extend to voting for Trump in next years election: Only 26% of the states voters said they would definitely vote to reelect Trump, while 63% said they would definitely not vote to reelect. The states likely vote falls along now-familiar lines: Democrats are united against him, with more than 9 in 10 saying they would definitely vote against Trump. California Republicans are somewhat less united, but about three-quarters said they would definitely vote for Trump. The division among California Republicans also appears in how they view next springs presidential primary. Just over 4 in 10 of those who intend to vote in the Republican primary said they thought that having a candidate challenge Trump would be a good thing. However, 56% of Republicans said a challenge to Trump would be a bad thing. Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld has said he will challenge Trump for the GOP nomination. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has flirted with the idea, as has former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who ran in 2016. Are suburbs pushing homeless people into L.A.? Debate rages as numbers spike (Los Angeles Times) (Los Angeles Times) The Republican primary in California is open only to registered Republicans, unlike the Democratic primary, which is open to Democrats and voters who arent registered with a party. The divide among voters over a Trump challenger is mostly ideological: Those who described themselves as very conservative opposed a challenger to Trump by 72% to 28%. Those who called themselves somewhat conservative were closely divided, and those who labeled themselves as moderate or liberal favored a challenger, 58% to 42%. Among California voters as a whole, about two-thirds disapprove of Trumps performance in office, and one-third approve. That division has remained consistent in Berkeley IGS polls since the spring of Trumps first year in office. In addition to feeling that Trumps policies have been negative for the state, most California voters also say his policies have hurt them and their families. Overall, 56% of voters feel that way, compared with 29% who say Trumps policies have helped them and 15% who say they have neither helped nor hurt. The poll surveyed 4,435 registered voters statewide online June 4-10. Of them, 3,328 were considered likely to vote in the general election in November 2020, and 721 were deemed likely voters in the states GOP presidential primary on March 3. The poll results for the full sample of registered voters have an estimated sampling error of roughly 2.5 percentage points in either direction. Only a few weeks ago, many political analysts were writing off Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Her campaign was too much a collection of position papers, and not enough about a person, some said. She had spent too much money on staff in early states, and her decision to eschew big donors had crippled her ability to pay for it, others averred. The Massachusetts senators campaign seemed stuck. Those problems still exist. But as is so often the case, the dire assessment proved premature. Thursdays poll of California voters, done for The Times by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, provided the latest evidence that Warren is on a roll and gives a sense of where her support comes from. Sign up for the Essential Politics newsletter Advertisement WARREN VS. SANDERS Warrens rise cant help but be at the expense of Sen. Bernie Sanders. As the two candidates at the left end of the Democratic field, they inevitably compete for many of the same voters. Thats one reason that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs potential endorsement looms large for both candidates, as Janet Hook wrote. The new Berkeley IGS poll reveals a lot about how support for the two candidates differs in California, which will send more delegates to next years Democratic nominating convention than any other state. At least for now, Warren solidly leads among the type of voters who define California liberalism. She dominates among those who define themselves as very liberal, getting 1 in 3 of their votes. And she leads the field among white college graduates, with 22%, edging out Joe Biden by a couple of percentage points. Sanders has only 10% of that group. Biden and Warren also share the lead among black voters, while Sanders gets only single-digit support among them. White college-educated liberals in California are often relatively affluent, and, indeed, Warren leads among those whose taxes shed increase getting support from 21% of those earning $200,000 or more, again narrowly ahead of Biden. About 6 in 10 of Warrens supporters earn $100,000 or more. A similar picture comes from looking at the issues to which voters give priority: Warren has a big lead among those who back immediate adoption of certain criminal justice reforms, such as reducing sentences for lower-level offenses, a priority for many liberal voters. Sanders draws a notably different profile. His backers are younger he has a big lead among voters younger than 30, and about 4 in 10 of his supporters are younger than 50. That younger support, which is true nationwide, translates in California into backing from Latinos, especially Latinos whose main language is English a group that is young, on average. He leads the field among that group, while Biden leads among Latinos whose main language is Spanish and among California voters who are immigrants. Sanders also draws significantly more support from men than women, something thats rare among Democrats. That wasnt surprising in 2016 when he was the only challenger to Hillary Clinton. Its more striking now. Even Pete Buttigieg, who gets strong support from gay men, has only slightly more backing from men than women, the poll found. For Sanders, its more lopsided: Men are a minority of likely voters in the California Democratic primary, but 54% of Sanders backers. Sanders backers, on average, are also more likely than Warrens to be blue-collar. Biden has a big lead among Democratic voters who havent gone to college, but Sanders comes in second, with more than twice as much support as Warren. And he leads among those who have some college education, but not a four-year degree, probably in part because of support among students. His backers are also less affluent. Only about 4 in 10 of Sanders backers earn more than $100,000, compared with Warrens 6 in 10. He leads the field among voters earning less than $40,000 a year. He also leads among those voters who put a priority on legalizing pot. THE SECOND CHOICE For Sen. Kamala Harris, the poll results came as bad news -- fourth place in her home state is a problem, even if the difference between first and fourth is fairly small. But as Warrens experience has shown, primary campaigns often have sudden ups and downs. And the poll indicates that if other candidates falter, Harris has potential to rise. The clearest evidence comes from looking at second choices. Harris leads overall as a second choice for voters. In particular, shes the second choice for both Biden and Warren supporters, cited by 28% of Biden voters and 40% of Warrens. One group shes not popular with, however, are Sanders backers. Their overwhelming second choice is Warren, cited by 42%. Biden comes in next as the second choice of 20% of Sanders backers. Harris gets 17%. DEMOCRATS PREPARE TO DEBATE The Democratic National Committee on Thursday announced the official list of the 20 candidates who qualify for first presidential debate, which will be held over two nights, on June 26 and 27, with 10 candidates each session. Friday afternoon, NBC, which is hosting the debate, is scheduled to announce the results of the lottery to determine who will appear which night. The lineup could matter. With 23 more-or-less serious candidates running and a self-imposed limit of 20 candidates for the debate, the DNC was bound to draw some controversy. The biggest involved the exclusion of Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who got into the race late and barely missed the threshold of 1% support in at least three polls. Bullock may make the cut for the July debate, which, of course, would bump someone else, generating more complaints. The threshold will be twice as high for the September debate, which could force some candidates out of the race. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio made the debate cutoff, but thats about all thats gone right for him, Evan Halper wrote. De Blasio has drawn heavy criticism at home for running and, so far, has attracted mostly yawns from voters elsewhere. Even in Iowa, where voters love to be courted, some are getting tired of the huge field. Seema Mehta reported from the Cedar Rapids convention center, where 19 Democrats each got five minutes to summarize their campaign pitches in the first major cattle call of the Iowa campaign. Biden, who skipped that event to go to his granddaughters high school graduation, took considerable flak for being absent. But he may have had the last laugh. Two days later, he had Democrats attention all to himself as he and President Trump crossed paths and split screens, campaigning across the state, focused on each other, as Eli Stokols and Hook reported. TRUMPS DIGITAL ADVANTAGE Trump has a big, early lead in Facebook ads, and that deeply worries Democratic strategists, as Halper and Noah Bierman reported. The presidents reelection campaign is busy testing messages and gathering data for the general election while Democrats are tied up in their primary. That means the eventual Democratic nominee will have to play catch-up. IMPEACHMENT DEBATE Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) was a young staff member when the House considered impeaching President Nixon. She was a member of Congress during the Clinton impeachment. And, as Jennifer Haberkorn reported, she doesnt want a third. Lofgrens experience illustrates some of the reasons why House Democratic leaders have taken a go-slow approach to impeachment. Another reason: As our Berkeley IGS poll showed, even in California, many Democratic voters arent convinced. About half of Democrats statewide think Congress should move to impeach, but the rest dont. And among non-party voters, only about one-third favor starting the impeachment process, the poll found. And Trumps popularity in California is far lower than it is nationwide. Meanwhile, of course, Trump continues to give Democrats more reasons for wanting to remove him from office. The latest came in an interview with ABCs George Stephanopoulos in which Trump said he would welcome foreign help in the 2020 election. Id take it, he said when asked how hed respond if Russia again offered dirt on an opponent. As Stokols, Bierman and Chris Megerian reported, the remark once again fanned partisan flames. Trumps remark came at a time when House Democrats have been struggling for solid footing in their efforts to continue investigating Trump. As Megerian wrote, the White House has blocked most of the witnesses they have wanted to summon. This week, the best they could do was to bring John Dean to testify. As Caroline Engelmayer wrote, Dean cited parallels between Watergate and Trumps actions, but even as theater, the hearing got little attention. And the fight over access continued. The Justice Department and the House Judiciary Committee reached a partial deal to hand over evidence from Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation. That averted an immediate contempt fight, although the House voted to authorize going to court over subpoenas if the administration doesnt follow through. Meanwhile, a different House committee voted to begin contempt proceedings against Atty. Gen. William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for their refusal to turn over documents related to putting a question about citizenship into the 2020 census. As Doyle McManus wrote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosis anti-Trump strategy is see you in court. Shes hopeful that a series of court decisions against the administration will strengthen the Democrats standing with the public. But as Engelmayer wrote, that strategy faces several problems, one of which is those court rulings could come too late to matter. WHAT HOMELESS PROBLEM? Homelessness is a crisis in California and many other urban centers. But the 2020 candidates are mostly ignoring it, as Tyrone Beason, Melanie Mason and Michael Finnegan wrote. Theres little political constituency to gain, and the policy issues are formidable. Thats not true of immigration. Harris outlined a new plan this week on that issue. As Mason reported, she said she would protect Dreamers through executive orders if necessary. GOODBYE SARAH Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trumps White House press secretary, is stepping down. As Bierman and Stokols reported, shes presided over the demise of the daily press briefing none has taken place for more than three months and confessed to Muellers investigators that she lied to reporters on at least one occasion. Trump tweeted that he hopes shell run for governor in her native Arkansas, following the path of her father, Mike Huckabee, who was governor from 1996 to 2007. THE MEXICO DEAL As Tracy Wilkinson wrote, U.S. and Mexican officials continue to give different accounts of the immigration deal that averted Trumps threat to impose tariffs on Mexican imports. In earlier administrations, reporters and the public might have been inclined to give the White House version the benefit of the doubt. Under Trump, thats disappeared. WEEKEND READ Set aside time to read Del Wilbers excellent account of how a few pill mills helped fan the U.S. opioid inferno responsible for 12 million pills and 700 deaths. LOGISTICS That wraps up this week. Until next time, keep track of all the developments in national politics and the Trump administration at our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics. Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com. If you like this newsletter, tell your friends to sign up. David.lauter@latimes.com @davidlauter After receiving flaks, Southern Railways hastily scrapped the order, issuing a new one on Friday that asked officials to communicate clearly. (Photo: Representational image) Chennai: The Southern Railways, on Friday, has scrapped the order which read that official communication between the Divisional Control Office and the Station Masters should be either in Hindi or English. According to the railways, the order, issued on Wednesday, was to prevent either side not understanding what is being said. It was reported that the order was sent out after a collision between two trains was narrowly averted following a misunderstanding among officials. In a letter dated June 12, Chief Transportation Planning Manager (CTPM) R Siva wrote, The communication between the Divisional Control Office and the Station Masters should be either in English or in Hindi and the use of regional language should be avoided to prevent either side not understanding what is being said. The communication was addressed to Section Controllers, Station Staff, Traffic Inspectors and Station Masters of the Chennai division. Opposition parties, however, objected to the order. DMK, PMK and DK parties called it imposition of Hindi on the state where the subject of linguistic identity is very sensitive. After receiving flaks, Southern Railways hastily scrapped the order, issuing a new one on Friday that asked officials to communicate clearly. Seeking to stem a bipartisan furor, President Trump said Friday that he would of course contact the FBI if a foreign government gave him dirt on his political opponents but not until after he looked at it first. If you dont hear what it is, youre not going to know what it is, Trump told Fox News. I mean, how can you report something that you dont know? Trumps revised stance did little to assuage critics who warned the president is setting the country up for a repeat of the foreign interference in the 2016 election that led to a lengthy special counsel investigation, multiple congressional inquiries and widespread concerns about the integrity of U.S. elections. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III concluded that Kremlin-backed operatives interfered in the 2016 election in a sweeping and systematic effort that was ultimately aimed at benefiting Trump. In addition to extensive contacts with senior Trump aides, Russians released stolen Democratic Party emails and spread divisive disinformation on social media. Advertisement Trumps willingness to accept foreign help in the 2020 race drew a chorus of criticism by elected officials, legal scholars and historians, who argued that Trump was undermining long-established norms of U.S. politics and in danger of violating federal law. Its certainly clear, even after the turmoil of the last two years, the president hasnt learned anything, or if hes learned something, hes learned the exact wrong lesson, said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Hes learned that he can accept foreign help and still escape the law. Trump said its OK to take campaign dirt from foreign powers. Is it legal? The controversy began Wednesday after Trump told ABC News that he might not tell the FBI if a foreign government offered his campaign derogatory information on a rival. Its not an interference [if] they have information, he said. I think Id take it. If I thought there was something wrong, Id go maybe to the FBI. That set off alarms all day Thursday on Capitol Hill, with Democrats expressing outrage and Republicans distancing themselves from the presidents position. Federal law expressly prohibits foreigners from making gifts to U.S. political campaigns. Although he refused to admit fault, he initially said his remarks were mischaracterized, a gambit that fell through when ABC released the full transcript of what he said. On Friday, he sought to amend his comments during a phone-in interview on Fox & Friends, the presidents favorite morning show and a reliable destination for softball interviews. Trump said he doesnt think anybody would present me with anything bad because they know how much I love this country. But he added that if they did, hed hear them out. If I dont listen, youre not gonna know, Trump said. Now, if I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated, Id report it to the Attorney General, the FBI. Id report it to law enforcement, absolutely. The caveat didnt convince his many critics. Max Bergmann, who directs the Moscow Project at the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank, said Trump viewed his campaigns contacts with Russia in 2016 as appropriate and saw no reason to change. In Trumps view, If they didnt get me then, then what I do in 2020 is going to be no different, Bergmann said. In his ABC interview, Trump directly contradicted FBI director Christopher Wray, who testified to Congress last month that campaigns should immediately report contacts with foreigners who want to influence an election. Wray, Trump said, is wrong. Wray has not publicly responded, but former FBI officials described the presidents put-down of the director and his twice-declared willingness to consider foreign help for his campaign as troubling. If President Trump is willing to entertain a conversation, foreign intel services love that, said Stephanie Douglas, a former executive assistant director of the FBI national security branch. It just makes him more vulnerable, and it makes the job of the FBI much harder. In another sign that Californias legal cannabis market is in deep trouble, state officials plan to extend the period that growers and sellers can operate with provisional licenses by five years, giving them a delay in complying with stricter rules for regular permits. But the proposal faces opposition from environmental groups. They object that it would allow cannabis farms to remain out of compliance with laws aimed at protecting waterways, land and the public. The change is included in legislation related to the state budget. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed it as hundreds of pot farmers faced the expiration of temporary licenses and the prospect that they would have to shut down operations, industry officials said. Cannabis firms have complained that Californias rules and bureaucracy are so complicated and taxes are so high that growers and sellers are discouraged from coming out of the black market. Illicit operations are not complying with environmental rules or paying taxes, licensed growers say. Advertisement So far, only 208 growers have obtained regular, annual licenses, while another 1,532 are still operating on provisional permits as they go through the cumbersome paperwork that requires detailed environmental reviews. Among cannabis retailers, only 39 have received regular licenses while 2,751 are still operating on provisional or temporary permits. Industry officials, including Hezekiah Allen, welcomed the delay in requiring regular licenses. Slowing things down is probably the most important thing that can be done to help smooth the transition to a regulated market, said Allen, the chairman of Emerald Grown, a cooperative of 130 licensed cultivators. Pot entrepreneurs are running out of patience and money while waiting on L.A. permits The state had hoped to move cannabis businesses from temporary licenses to annual, or regular, licenses after a year. There is disagreement between the state and industry over what is behind the delays. Staffing problems appear to be an issue, according to Josh Drayton, spokesman for the California Cannabis Industry Assn. Cannabis growers wanting a regular license must complete a detailed environmental review that shows how their farm will affect area water supplies, vegetation and wildlife. As a result, some cannabis firms were having to wait 10 months to a year to get approval of regular licenses, long after temporary permits were set to expire. We have started to see that the processing of annual licenses was clearly taking much longer than the licensing authorities had anticipated, Drayton said. For cultivators, we were seeing our members falling into expiration of their temporary licenses in huge numbers. The five-year extension was proposed in part because the agencies responsible for administering the licensing program say they are overwhelmed with the workload that has poured in, said Cathy Mudge, spokeswoman for Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), a coauthor of the bill. The division that licenses growers is authorized for 151 positions, but 60 of them are still unfilled, leaving the office 39% below its budgeted staffing level. Still, the California Department of Food and Agriculture denies that staffing has been an issue in processing permit applications. Many of them are submitted in an incomplete state, said Rebecca Foree, a department spokeswoman, adding that more staff time must be spent when applicants fail to file required documents, such as those needed to comply with environmental rules. In addition, applicants often take up to 90 days to respond to our requests to resolve deficiencies in their applications, Foree said. Drayton said state agencies have often been slow to respond to applicants trying to complete their documentation. Black market cannabis shops thrive in L.A. even as city cracks down The change providing five more years to use provisional licenses would take effect July 1 if signed into law this month by Newsom, a leading proponent of Proposition 64, the 2016 initiative approved by voters that allowed the sale of marijuana for recreational use by firms licensed by the state. The Newsom administration noted that the changes also allow more cannabis firms to get new licenses, removing a requirement that they hold a temporary license during the first year of legalization. The new system will strengthen the mandate that operators move diligently towards annual licensure, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance. The restructuring of provisional licensure allows a provisional license to serve as a step-up license for operators newly entering the licensed system, allowing operators to legally do business in the licensed market while concurrently navigating local approval processes, including the environmental review requirements, he added. The proposed change in the law would also provide a two-year delay in the requirement that local governments complete detailed environmental studies before adopting local regulations, potentially allowing more cities to allow cannabis operations. Three-quarters of cities have not approved cannabis sales. However, a coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife is pressing lawmakers and the governor to reduce the extension to two years, to 2022, according to Kim Delfino, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife. She said the bills proposal to give cannabis firms five years to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act creates a significant risk of harm to the public health and environment, but it also is inconsistent with Proposition 64. CEQA, she added, is an essential part of the cannabis rules. Preventing the discharge of toxic chemicals, dewatering and pollution of waterways, and destruction of natural landscapes is significantly more effective and less costly before projects are implemented than having to remediate environmental and public health problems after they occur, she said. The new legislation would also address a concern by the states permitted businesses that they face unfair competition from thousands of unlicensed growers and sellers. The bill sets a new $30,000 fine for firms caught operating without a license. Tougher enforcement is welcomed by Drayton, who noted a lack of enforcement has hindered legal operators, reducing the amount of tax revenue they generate for the state. Were now 18 months in and were not reaching our tax revenue goals, Drayton said. The industry is not as successful as folks were anticipating, and there need to be some solutions on how to get this industry back off the ground. Sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com Twitter: @mcgreevy99 Jessica Biel may have thought she could quietly slip into Californias Capitol this week to lobby against a bill to tighten vaccine requirements without damage to her brand or reputation. But the massive online response to her visit demonstrated how public opinion has shifted since celebrities last waded into the vaccination debate. Biel, who is married to Justin Timberlake, posed for selfies with lawmakers in their offices Tuesday and greeted others on the red-carpeted Senate floor, where an electronic message board welcomed her. But the moment her Capitol companion anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted pictures online of the actress lobbying efforts, a public that overwhelmingly supports mandatory vaccinations unleashed an avalanche of criticism. That kind of lashing may be one reason that celebrities active in opposing state immunization legislation in 2015 Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Alicia Silverstone and Jenna Elfman among them have hesitated to join Biel in publicly lobbying against this years legislation. She cant help but get this kind of backlash, said UC Riverside medical sociologist Richard Carpiano, who studies vaccine hesitancy. She did kind of show up late to the party, at a very bad time to be doing it. Advertisement A decade ago, celebrities played a key role in stoking vaccine suspicions, and experts say those seeds of doubt contributed to a decline in childhood immunization rates. Actress Amanda Peet, in an interview Thursday, said the atmosphere felt different when she began championing vaccines in 2008. Peet said people sent her hate mail and she even lost friends in Hollywood and elsewhere by being out-front with her support of immunizations. Celebrities in particular tend to have an anti-corporate mentality, she said, that makes them suspicious of pharmaceutical companies and anyone with pro-vaccine views. That sentiment has shifted. Experts say an anti-vaccine stance has become particularly unpopular this year as the nation grapples with a major measles outbreak that has infected more than 1,000 Americans. The result is that vaccine advocates such as Peet havent felt the need to speak out as much as they have in the past. I felt like the tides were turning and scientists and medical professionals were starting to be heard, Peet said Thursday. I dont meet that many people who are afraid of vaccines now. Still, a bill this year in the state Legislature has prompted vaccine-wary parents to show up by the hundreds to protest and attend hearings, reminiscent of past vaccine debates. The bill passed the Senate last month and now faces an uncertain future in the Assembly. SB 276 by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) would make it more difficult for doctors to exempt children from shots required to attend school. The bill would allow the state Department of Public Health to decide whether the underlying condition cited by a doctor warrants a medical exemption from all or some vaccinations. Pan, a medical doctor, contends that some unscrupulous physicians are profiting off granting unneeded exemptions. I think its unfortunate that celebrities who have a platform, not because of their expertise in health or medicine or public health, weigh in on issues that will actually endanger children and endanger our safety. I think thats irresponsible, Pan said Thursday. Clearly they have sway. Thats why advertisers pay them for endorsements and other things. Celebrities have a long history of trying to sway California legislation, particularly on social matters. Often their visits to the Capitol result in photo ops but little real controversy, such as when Kim Kardashian showed up Sacramento this year to advocate for criminal justice reform. Vaccines are a different story. After Biels lobbying trended Wednesday on Twitter, she was pressured to clarify her unclear position on the legislation. She posted on Instagram on Thursday that she supports children getting vaccines but opposes the bill because of her views on the parent-doctor relationship. Thats why I spoke to legislators and argued against this bill, she added. Not because I dont believe in vaccinations, but because I believe in giving doctors and the families they treat the ability to decide whats best for their patients and the ability to provide that treatment. The post had more than 12,000 comments as of Thursday evening, more than any of her other recent ones. Though Biel may have gained new followers because of it, many criticized her. Comedian Jen Kirkman went after Biel in a harsh tweet Thursday morning, one that has since been removed: People are dying due to anti-vaxxers and your ignorance will contribute to that death toll, she wrote. The shift toward a more pro-vaccine stance has been a long time coming, experts say. A measles outbreak at Disneyland in 2015 probably clarified the importance of vaccines for Californians, said UC Hastings law professor Dorit Reiss, who studies vaccine legislation. Reiss also linked the shift to a major blow to the anti-vaccine movement in 2010. Many parents reluctance to vaccinate their children was sparked by a 1998 paper by British scientist Andrew Wakefield that connected vaccines and autism. But in 2010, the Lancet journal, which had published the Wakefield paper, retracted the study, officially debunking the myth. People naturally asked, What else are we being lied to about by the anti-vaccine movement? said Reiss. In the United States, lawmakers had the most success in passing anti-vaccine legislation in the first five years after the 1998 study came out, according to a 2014 paper that tracked the success of pro- and anti-vaccine legislation. But the scientists identified 2011, the year following the Lancet retraction, as a turning point, when bills tightening vaccine laws began to succeed in legislatures, marking a victory for pro-vaccine forces. Reiss recalled that the first major pushback to a celebrity espousing anti-vaccine beliefs was in 2013, when Katie Couric interviewed a mother who said her daughter died from the HPV vaccine. Many newspapers, including The Times, published pieces criticizing Couric. It was a strong, concentrated backlash that was a big change, because before that we had seen a lot of celebrities, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, talking about vaccines, and there was little to no pushback, Reiss said. A Public Policy Institute of California poll released this month found that 73% of Californians believe parents should have to vaccinate their children against diseases like measles. The survey found that 62% of Californians believe vaccines are very safe, compared with 57% in 2015. Elisa Sobo, anthropology chair at San Diego State who has studied the social aspects of vaccine decisions, said Biel seems to be aware that questioning the importance of vaccines is an unpopular stance and is trying to steer clear of the anti-vaccine label. So if were going to call these anti-vax people crazy, and I still want to hold my position, I just relabel myself, Sobo said. Im not an extremist, Im a reasonable person, you should talk to me ... so they dont bring her into the bin with all the other tinfoil-hat people. Those who oppose the bill say pushback is their major challenge. Some Sacramento insiders say they are hesitant to raise any concerns about the bill because they fear being labeled an anti-vaxxer. Gov. Gavin Newsom found himself defending his record supporting vaccines and explaining that his own children are vaccinated after he questioned whether the bill interfered in the doctor-patient relationship. Im a parent; I dont want someone that the governor of California appointed to make a decision for my family, Newsom said this month. Opponents of the bill latched onto his comments, particularly Kennedy, who posted a picture of himself with the governor and thanked him for his wise and sober opposition to a draconian proposal. Newsom has not publicly stated his position on the bill. California Gov. @GavinNewsom has just passed that test with his wise and sober opposition to a draconian proposal to forcibly vaccinate medically fragile children against the wishes of their parents and the ... Read more: https://t.co/d8TQneA8BT pic.twitter.com/yRbxmVVEnL Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 3, 2019 The fact that Kennedy could set up a meeting with Newsom irked Leah Russin of Vaccinate California, which supports the bill. Although the photo was taken in January before the vaccine bill was introduced, Russin said it shows the power of celebrities in being able to set up meetings with key political figures who would otherwise delegate the task to staff. The people whose opinions matter should be the doctors and the doctors overwhelmingly support this bill, Russin said. When celebrities want to engage on a matter, they should hand their microphone to the experts. melody.gutierrez@latimes.com Follow @MelodyGutierrez on Twitter and sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter. The Orange County Sheriffs Department on Tuesday requested $9.2 million from the Board of Supervisors to increase the number of beds for newly booked inmates with mental illness. The request is for a planned expansion of the Intake Release Center, a temporary housing unit where inmates are booked before being transferred to Central Jail in Santa Ana or the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange. Approval from the board would expand the number of beds in the mental health observation unit from 115 to 540. The Sheriffs Department is converting cells that were previously used by general population inmates not expanding the jails footprint for the addition. To staff the expansion, the Orange County Health Care Agency plans to hire 119, full-time correctional mental health employees and four part-timers in fiscal 2019-20 at an expected annual cost of $16.9 million. After taking an in-depth tour of the Intake Release Center about a week ago, all of these recommended items for the CEOs recommended budget here are definitely needed, Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said. The supervisors signaled in a nonbinding straw vote they were willing to fund the project. There isnt a concrete timeline yet on when the additional mental health beds would be added, said Robert Beaver, senior director of administrative services for the Sheriffs Department. The project will also provide step-down beds, which are reserved for inmates who are mentally ill but not in a crisis that requires around-the-clock observation. Its really changing how we need to operate the jails and part of that is adding the people and changing the physical layout, Beaver said. The increasing number of mentally ill inmates, as well as lawsuits from family members of inmates who have committed suicide behind bars, have spurred the county to adopt a strategic plan to prevent futures deaths. Jail reform advocate Daisy Hernandez of the ACLU of Southern California said more needs to be done for those who arent behind bars. Increasing the number of Orange County Health Care Agency staff might be positive for the population in jail but expanding the system of care behind bars is not the solution, Hernandez said. The county should instead allocate more money to provide mental health care in communities, she said. Tom Dominguez, president of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, said his members are supportive of the countys plan. Anytime youre bringing your services directly to inmates, its better security-wise, Dominguez said. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Daniel Langhorne is a contributor to TimesOC. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielLanghorne. For more news and features about Orange County, visit TimesOC.com or follow us on Twitter @timesocofficial. The U.S. Army turned 244 years old Friday. The branch is older than the United States itself, with origins in the Continental Army that convened to fight in the Revolutionary War. The OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa celebrated the Armys anniversary with a party Friday at the Heroes Hall veterans museum, featuring a ceremony, military representatives and birthday cake. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. David Hayward was a pilot of a B-25 bomber in World War II. The Air Force first lieutenant was once given a mission to attack an enemy airport in Burma. But just as he and his fellow pilots arrived, the enemy gave chase. He remembers a Japanese fighter plane flying alongside. It was a pretty scary moment, he said, though he and his compatriots managed to get through it. I try to tell the students that yes, we do get scared, said Hayward, of Huntington Beach. Were human beings. But somehow our training is good and we manage to survive. That was just one of the stories Corona del Mar High School students heard Thursday as part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School Districts Living History program, which joins groups of about six students with military veterans the groups select or are paired with through the Freedom Committee of Orange County, an organization of veterans that works to facilitate the program. I think its important to bring history by those that lived it into the classroom, said Scott Williams, president of the Freedom Committee. Its a learning experience for the students and its also a learning experience for the veterans themselves because we bring the personal stories that fill in the blanks in the history for our period. Students research the military campaigns the veterans were in and prepare a list of questions for them. Veterans then go to schools and speak with classes about their service in Corona del Mars case, sophomore world history classes. The students later write a reflection and thank-you letter to give to their veterans at a luncheon, which took place at CdM on Thursday afternoon. About 100 veterans gathered for the event in the schools gym, along with students, district staff and community members. Jillian Marquez, who was in Haywards group of students, said she was excited to speak with someone who was part of a war, particularly one of great significance like World War II. He talked about having to wake up one day and not having someone next to you [who] the night before ... was there. They werent there anymore because they had passed, Jillian said. When he said that, that made me really sad because Im like, Oh, what if I wake up and one of my best friends just isnt there one day? I felt a lot of empathy in that. Jillian said the program made history more personal and gave her a reason to learn more about the subject because she knew someone who was involved in it. Sophomore class President Troy Tsubota said he knew about the project beforehand because of older siblings who had passed through the school. Troy was involved in organizing the luncheon. Its a really great experience for all the sophomores and just for everyone to hear a bunch of stories from all the different veterans, and its a really cool experience and Im glad to be involved in it, Troy said. The program has been at Corona del Mar High School since 1999, beginning with a panel of about five World War II veterans. It was expanded to other Newport-Mesa campuses about four years ago, said Denise Weiland, an organizer of the event, and now includes three middle schools TeWinkle, Ensign and Costa Mesa and all the high schools Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor, Estancia, Early College, Back Bay and Costa Mesa. The Living History program provides a once-in-a-lifetime first-person account to our students and fosters patriotism that extends through the rest of their life, said district board President Charlene Metoyer. We ... are totally grateful to CdM for treating our veterans with the respect and love they all deserve. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. After more than a year of steering the Anteater Express diesel-fueled buses, driver Raul Lopez-Gallo says he can feel and hear the difference in operating the UC Irvine campus zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell bus. Its smoother ... and quieter, said Lopez-Gallo, who like all of the campus bus drivers is also a student. Because its powered by an electric motor, the power delivery is smoother compared to an internal combustion engine. The vehicle, which can travel more than 200 miles on one 50-kilogram tank of gaseous hydrogen, will be joined by 20 plug-in electric buses later this year, making it possible for UCI to become the first college in the country to convert to an all-electric bus fleet, according to a university release. The school will stop using its 29 diesel-fueled buses in favor of the new eco-friendly vehicles, which are all expected to arrive at the school by August, said Anteater Express General Manager Tim Rudek. The entire electric fleet should be in use by September at the latest, he said. A spokesman with the schools Advanced Power & Energy Program said he believes the electric buses will have greater capacity, allowing the routes and service to operate the same despite fewer buses. Students ride the Anteater Express hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus at UC Irvine. (Scott Smeltzer | Daily Pilot) The college decided after acquiring the hydrogen vehicle to go with the plug-ins. For one thing, the fuel cost for the electric vehicles, at 67 cents per mile, would be much lower than for the hydrogen vehicle. The 20 buses will be charged using UCIs self-generating microgrid, which includes solar panels. Battery electric buses operate on being charged with electricity from the grid, and they have a limited range, but still have approximately 100 miles on a charge of electricity, said Scott Samuelsen, director of the Advanced Power & Energy Program. A hydrogen electric bus runs on hydrogen, which is transformed on board to electricity using a fuel cell. Its advantage is a longer range to support longer routes of transit. The Anteater shuttle service will enter a lease-to-purchase deal for the electric buses with BYD America, based in Los Angeles, for $15 million to be paid over 12 years. --------- For the Record: The original version of this story incorrectly identified BYD America as Build Your Dreams and incorrectly stated that it is a Chinese company. ---------- The cost of the new buses, being built at BYDs Lancaster plant, will be covered by a student referendum, passed by undergraduates in the 2012-13 school year, that put into effect a quarterly bus fee that would increase by $8 annually until it reaches $40. Lower operational cost savings associated with the e-fleet will free up money as well. In 2016, responses in a student survey regarding Anteater Express services reflected a favorable stance toward electric buses over conventional ones, according to Tracy La, president of the Associated Students of UCI. Based on what Ive seen on social media and the students who talk to us, a lot of them are joining in on supporting this, and we see that its important to students, La said. Students board a hydrogen-powered bus at UC Irvine on Thursday. It will be joined later this year by 20 buses that run on electricity. (Scott Smeltzer | Daily Pilot) The Anteater Express currently has around 100 student drivers, who log 80 hours of training before operating the regular buses and commit at least 13 and a half hours each week to driving. Rudek said driver training on the electric buses will begin as soon as the vehicles arrive on campus. Its a whole different world driving a diesel bus and then going to an electric bus, Lopez-Gallo said. But its something that Im excited to share with co-workers and the whole UCI community. alexandra.chan@latimes.com Twitter: @AlexandraChan10 Authorities are searching for a Glendale pastor they suspect sexually assaulted a minor Wednesday night at a Covina hotel room. Douglas Rivera is suspected of driving to the Vanllee Hotel and Suites just after 8 p.m., where he reportedly spotted a lit room with its drapes open and spied on two minors who were inside. Rivera, a 40-year-old resident of Baldwin Park, then proceeded to masturbate in his vehicle as he watched the minors, according to the Covina Police Department. He then got out of his car and stood outside of the hotel room window, where he pretended to be on his phone. After 30 minutes, police said Rivera went inside the hotel and forced his way into the room where the minors were staying. Covina police said the minors, reported by KTLA to be part of a tourist group from China, opened the door for him thinking it was their chaperone. He assaulted one of the minors and then fled from the area in his car, authorities said. Rivera is described as bald, having a stocky build with hair around his ears, a short beard and glasses. He was last seen wearing a tan or brown-colored suit with a blue and white striped shirt. His vehicle is a new model Dodge 4500 Ram truck thats either black or dark colored with a flat bed and a large metal ramp. Douglas Rivera was identified by police as a man they say sexually assaulted a minor in a Covina hotel room. (Covina Police Department) Rivera is listed as a pastor of Gods Gypsy Christian Church, which worships out of Glendale City Church. KTLA reported that police told the station that Rivera is a pastor. On Friday evening, Glendale City Church released a statement on Facebook distancing itself from Rivera. It said the relationship between the city church and Gods Gypsy Christian was simply lessor to lessee. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, with the RYMM congregation, with law enforcement and with Rev. Rivera, according to the statement. We pray for justice and healing to win the day. Anyone with information about Riveras whereabouts can contact Covina police at (626) 384-5665 or call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc A chase involving Glendale police and a burglary suspect came to an abrupt end in Silver Lake on Thursday when the fleeing vehicle collided into another car and sparked a small brush fire. The pursuit began just before 4 p.m. when officers from the Glendale Police Department were responding to a residential burglary in the 200 block of West Kenneth Road. An officer traveling southbound on the 5 Freeway tried to stop a vehicle that matched the description of one connected to the burglary, but it immediately took off. Sgt. Dan Suttles, a department spokesman, said the driver sped down the freeway and briefly stopped just before the exit for Los Feliz Boulevard, and two men and a woman exited the vehicle. The trio ran in the direction of Griffith Park while the car continued on the 5 Freeway before transitioning onto the southbound 2 Freeway. Suttles said the driver attempted to exit on Glendale Boulevard at Waterloo Street when the car collided into a vehicle in the intersection. The resulting collision caused a small brush fire that was eventually extinguished by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The woman driving the fleeing vehicle was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after complaining of pain before being taken into custody. The driver of the other vehicle was also checked out at a local hospital. Suttles said the three people who fled from the vehicle on the freeway are still at large. Water conservation and creativity produced a quartet of honors for students from Monte Vista Elementary, Rosemont Middle School and Crescenta Valley High. Two participants won first place, while two more were finalists in the Foothill Municipal Water Districts eighth annual Water is Life art competition. The contest was open to students from kindergarten to 12th grade who reside within the water districts area of La Crescenta-Montrose, La Canada Flintridge and Altadena. First-place winners received $100, second-place finishers were awarded $50 and honorable mentions received $25. There were 73 entries and 11 finalists in three categories. All finalists will have their art entered into the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California competition, which will include prizes and recognition in December. Rosemont Middle Schools Joanna S. Kim won first place in the seventh-through-12th-grade category, while Crescenta Valley High freshman Heidy Hur and junior Alyssa Minjares were runner-up and honorable mention, respectively. Hurs younger sister, Monte Vista fifth-grader Olivia, took first place in the fourth-through-sixth-grade category. Kims artwork included a clock hovering near a shower, car wash, toilet and washing machine. Monte Vista Elementary School fifth-grader Olivia Hur won first place in her category, fourth through sixth grade, in the recent Foothill Municipal Water District Water is Life student art competition. (Courtesy of the Foothill Municipal Water District) People use a lot of water in order to use the sink, toilet, washing machine and so on, so I just felt like they should conserve more water as they use those [appliances], Kim said. The seventh-grader said it took her two months to complete her drawing, which was inspired, in part, by a camping trip with friends and family. I saw that a lot of my friends were taking really long showers, and I just wanted to draw something to remind people to conserve, Kim said. Olivia Hur said she was ecstatic about winning first place. It feels pretty exciting because you dont think youre going to win when theres a lot of people, Hur said. Hurs piece included several water drops holding stop signs near a young girl brushing her teeth. Many people waste a lot of water, like turning on the water when theyre brushing their teeth, so my drawing is saying, dont do that, Hur said. You should save water. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the protesting junior doctors of Kolkata's SSKM Hospital of verbally abusing her during her visit. Mamata Banerjee was at the state-run hospital on Thursday to take stock of the situation in the wake of disruption of medical services across the state. She said there were outsiders present among the agitating SSKM hospital doctors, who "abused" her. "I went to the emergency section where they could have talked to me, but the language they used when I was there and the manner they abused me. Had somebody else been there in my place, some other action would have followed," Mamata Banerjee told a Bengali news channel on Thursday. "But, I have forgiven them. They can oppose me, they can hurl abuses at me. I don't mind because they are young. I only want them to resume work," she said. Read: If work not resumed in 4 hours, action will be taken: Mamata orders agitating doctors Doctors across West Bengal are protesting against an attack on two of their colleagues at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city by family members of a patient, who died on Monday night. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a large number of private medical facilities in the state, leaving the patients in limbo. Also Read: India doctors join Bengal strike, Health minister will talk security with CMs Meanwhile, the principal and the medical superintendent of the state-run NRS Medical College and Hospital submitted their resignations to the the Medical Education director on Thursday night. NRS Medical College and Hospital principal, Prof Saibal Mukherjee, and medical Superintendent cum vice-principal, Prof Saurabh Chattopadhyaya submitted their resignations to the Medical Education director for "failing to overcome the crisis" at the medical institution. Read more: Daughter of Kolkata mayor, a doctor, slams Mamata's handling of strike The director, Prof Pradip Kumar De had issued a directive to all principals and medical superintendents of medical colleges and hospitals to ensure resumption of normal patient care services immediately at out patient departments and emergencies. The directive said "action may be taken against those who will obstruct in discharging duties of doctors in OPDs and emergency department." Glendale City Council members have decided to fill a vacant seat on the dais by appointing a member from the community and launched a call for statements of interest this week. The council has been one member short since last Friday, when former Councilman Zareh Sinanyan resigned to work for the Armenian government. The remaining four members opted not to call a special election in November their only other option to fill the seat citing city staffs projected price tag of more than $1 million to put the issue before voters. There would no expense if we appointed someone, said Councilwoman Paula Devine during the most recent council meeting on Tuesday, adding that it could be done immediately. Thats really what we need, is someone sitting here to even out the vote, Devine said, calling potential 2-2 splits troublesome. Mayor Ara Najarian ultimately agreed, though he called it a tough decision. You want the public to have a say and decide who the next council member is, Najarian said, but suggested the associated cost was prohibitive. Any appointed individual would serve until the city holds its next regularly scheduled election in March of next year, or about 7 months, as outlined by the citys charter. Those interested in filling the council seat can submit a statement including qualifications and other pertinent information to City Atty. Mike Garcia via email or snail mail. Statements must be received by 5 p.m. on June 17 for consideration. Council members will discuss the applicants and likely make an appointment during a special meeting set for 10 a.m. on June 21. That Friday marks Mayor Ara Najarians last business day before he leaves for a vacation, which will extend past July 7, the councils deadline to make an appointment. If council members do not make a decision by that date, they must immediately call for a special election, according to a city report. An individual chosen in a special election would serve until 2022, or what would have been the end of Sinanyans second term. Prior to the discussion of his replacement, Sinanyan addressed the council and described his decision to join the Armenian prime ministers cabinet as fraught with mixed emotions. My goal was always to do what was best for my broader family of Glendalians to ensure that our children grew up in a safe and prosperous city, said Sinanyan, who was first elected to the local council in 2013. But asthe grandson of displaced people, refugees from the Armenian Genocide, who were once again forced to flee [their] homeland because of communism, I feel the great duty to return home and serve the seven million Armenians worldwide who have stories that are similar, if not identical, to mine, Sinanyan said. In his pending role, Sinanyan will be in charge of Armenias diaspora affairs, reporting to the countrys prime minister, according to Armenian news outlets. He will serve as a liaison between Armenia and its communities around the world, Najarian said last week, citing conversations he had with Sinanyan, who could not be reached for comment. Statements of interest can be delivered personally or mailed to 613 E. Broadway, Room 220, Glendale, CA, Attn: City Attorney Michael J. Garcia. They can also be emailed to mjgarcia@glendaleca.gov For more information, call the city attorneys office at (818) 548-2080. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. The Hillsides young professional group called H100 celebrated its 10th annual farm-to-table dinner in an exquisite setting in a private Pasadena estate on June 2. About 80 guests enjoyed locally sourced, farm-fresh food and cocktails while raising more than $7,000 for the children who live in Hillsides residential program. We are so thankful for this generous group of volunteers and donors who in the last 10 years has grown from a handful of supporters to over 100 members strong, said Carrie Espinoza, chief advancement officer at Hillsides. Tonight, they continued to show their commitment to the children by contributing funds to sponsor outings, birthday celebrations and seasonal gifts, making the childrens wishes come true, she added. Guests, dressed in summer chic attire, were treated to a family-style dinner catered by Alexandras Table. Working off a theme of pink grapefruit and avocados, owner and chef Alexandra Poer created a diverse and delicious menu that included an avocado and grapefruit spinach and farro salad, grilled flank steak with chimichurri and a roasted cauliflower dish with a citrus-curry vinaigrette. Guests also enjoyed a specialty coffee bar. Especially poignant was when guests heard from a former resident of Hillsides, Michael Bowen, 32, who lived at Hillsides for most of his childhood, from 1994 to 2006. He spoke about the loving Hillsides staff, and how volunteers and donors provided him with some of his happiest memories. He also said that his positive experiences at Hillsides motivated him to build a career in social services. The care and treatment I received made me want to advocate for people who dont have a voice, he said. The hosts of the dinner were Megan and Rick Foker. Event sponsors included Debbe and Spike Booth, Kelly and Samuel Garrison, John S. Gong, Ava and Ed Herrera, the Van Buren family and Uyen-Uyen Vo. This annual event is H100s signature event and membership drive. H100 was founded in 2009 to nurture a younger community base for Hillsides and to create the next generation of support. Besides Ava Herrera, who serves as H100s president, the board is made up of Katie Bolton, Melissa Corrente, Dan Harper, David Hitchcock, Michele Van Buren, Uyen-Uyen Vo and Nicola Wilkins-Miller. Also on the board are La Canada Flintridge residents Holly Breckheimer and Alison Stewart. Breckheimer attended the event with her husband, Peter. Stewart was with her husband, Ian. H100 supports the children who live in Hillsides residential treatment services program, which is a short-term residential therapeutic program offered in a safe and stable environment for children who cannot live at home. To learn more about Hillsides residential treatment services or H100, visit www.Hillsides.org. Hillsides, with its affiliate Bienvenidos, is dedicated to healing children and young adults, strengthening families and transforming communities through quality comprehensive services and advocacy. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the agency serves nearly 17,000 children and families in Southern California throughout more than 40 sites, including school-based mental health offices in Los Angeles, Pasadena and Baldwin Park. Foster care and adoptions services are offered in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. More information is also available on Facebook @hillsideschildren, on Twitter @Hillsides or on Instagram @HillsidesPasadena. Janice Paul, Catherine Cea, Agnes Foos, Nelda Stender were in attendance at the Delta Delta Delta Circle Degree Ceremony where Cea, a LCF resident and a senior at UC Santa Barbara, is transitioning from collegiate to alumnae membership in the sorority. (Courtesy of Janice Paul) Catherine Cea, daughter of Marta and Gil Cea of La Canada Flintridge, recently participated in the Delta Delta Delta Circle Degree ceremony for seniors transitioning from collegiate to alumnae membership. La Canada Flintridge Tri Delta alumnae Janice Paul and Agnes Foos, joined by Nelda Stender, traveled to Santa Barbara to conduct the ceremony for 20 seniors at the Tri Delta sorority house on June 1. As an active member of Tri Delta at UC Santa Barbara, Catherine Cea served as chapter treasurer, an academic standards committee member and academic development chair. She received a scholarship from Glendale Area Alumnae Panhellenic as a senior in high school in 2015 and as a collegiate member of Delta Delta Delta in 2017. She was awarded the Mary Ellen Gilstrap Memorial Scholarship in 2018 at the area Founders Day luncheon last November. At UC Santa Barbara, Catherine Cea majored in English, with a minor in Portuguese, and she completed the honors program. Academic awards at graduation included College of Letters and Science high honors at graduation; honors program Academic Excellence Award; Department of Spanish and Portuguese Student of Excellence; and Phi Beta Kappa Society. Jane Napier Neely covers the La Canada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Manager Brad Ausmus didnt want to say he was getting the band back together, but he did concede this: The Angels are close to seeing all their hitters healthy again, and thats a welcome change. Weve had some guys step up a little bit in the interim, Ausmus said. Brian Goodwin has done a nice job. We had [Cesar] Puello have come up and hes done a nice job. Theres been contributors that have helped. But itd be nice to get the regular nine or eight back together. It initially seemed that fielding the Angels optimal starting lineup one that features Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton and Shohei Ohtani together for the first time since the end of last season would take longer than hoped when Simmons suffered a grade 3 sprain of his left ankle on May 20. Now it seems Simmons could be activated from the injured list by the end of June, a return that could closely coincide with Uptons full recovery from turf toe. Simmons, who has ncreased his infield drills and taken batting practice this week, will face pitchers for the first time since the injury in a few days. He could go on a rehab assignment after that, but it would likely be brief. Upton could join the Angels on this three-city trip that began Thursday, maybe as soon as next week in Toronto. Advertisement Although it is possible veteran infielder Zack Cozart is still on the injured list at the end of June, the Angels could finally have the batting order they thought they would have at this years All-Star break before Upton ran into a wall at Angel Stadium and sprained his left big toe in late March. Despite losing Simmons and his .298 average so soon after Ohtanis return, the Angels have stayed hot. They s entered Thursdays game against the Tampa Bay Rays ranked third in average (.275) and fifth in on-base-plus-slugging-percentage (.812) since Ohtani rejoined the lineup May 7. Puello, promoted from triple-A Salt Lake when Cozart was placed on the injured list May 27, has helped those efforts with a .441 average and 1.136 OPS through his first nine games. But Upton and Simmons bats should further spark a team struggling to get to .500. I dont want to say back together because they havent really been together, Ausmus said. But itd be nice to get them together. Pitchers rehab progress a mixed bag Right-hander Matt Harvey remains sidelined with an upper back strain, but other recovering Angels pitchers are moving in right direction. J.C. Ramirez increased his pitch count to 84 in his last rehab start Thursday, going 4 2/3 innings at triple-A Salt Lake. Hes not experienced any setbacks since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2018, but the Angels arent ready to declare when hell return to the active roster. I think hes got a little more time left, Ausmus said. Ramirez started his rehab assignment May 30. MLB rules dictate that pitchers can remain on such an assignment for 30 consecutive days. Since theyll face a roster crunch upon his activation, the Angels could benefit from maxing out his time. They should have a better idea of what the pitching staff to look like going forward by the end of June Sign up for our daily sports newsletter That obviously comes into play, how our current crop of starters are performing, Ausmus said. And the health of certain guys. Were preparing him as a starter, because you can work backward, but we dont have to make that decision right now. As you know, things can change. Two-way player Ohtani could start throwing off a mound before the All-Star break if everything goes to plan, Ausmus said. Ohtani will only serve as a designated hitter this season, but he is expected to ramp up his throwing rehab in the coming months. Keynan Middleton, also recovering from elbow ligament surgery, hasnt progressed as seamlessly as Ramirez. The reliever, who underwent the same procedure 13 months ago, experienced a setback in early May but was cleared to resume throwing within a week. He moved on to throwing bullpen sessions and has stagnated. He is not facing hitters yet, Ausmus said. Meanwhile, right-hander Trevor Cahill remains on the injured list recovering from elbow soreness that cropped up nine days ago. The Angels hoped hed be available to pitch this weekend against the Rays, but he didnt throw for four days before Thursday afternoon. I usually come back pretty quick, Cahill said. I might maybe throw a bullpen tomorrow and get the good to go. I have no idea. maria.torres@latimes.com @maria_torres3 Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome to our horse racing newsletter and I already miss Jon Whites weekly contribution. Every day seems to bring news as Santa Anita counts down to its final day of the meeting, June 23. But that wont be the end of it, as horses will continue to train over the track until July 11 when the Del Mar track becomes available. The latest moves have been interesting, to say the least. Perhaps the most puzzling is Gov. Gavin Newsom calling for no more horses to be racing at Santa Anita until independent veterinary reviews were in place. Well, theyve been in place for years. Let me quote Rule 1846 titled Racing Soundness Examination: Each and every horse entered shall be subjected to a veterinary examination for racing soundness and health on race day not later than two hours prior to official post time for the race in which the horse is to compete. Then there is Rule 1853 titled Examination Required: The official veterinarian shall examine each horse that is scheduled to race to determine its fitness to start. Now, if you go back to the weekend, the California Horse Racing Board asked Santa Anita to voluntarily close down and not run the last (at that time) seven days of the meeting. But the track could remain open for training. Interesting splitting of the baby. While you could concede that racing is more dangerous than training if for no other reason than there are so many horses running together at full speed. But whatever inherent risks there are have not gone away for training. Still, if Santa Anita were not open for training, there would be no place for them to stretch their legs on a daily basis. Even if a horse isnt racing or training they need to get out of their stalls and either canter or gallop almost every day. Then on Wednesday, there was the big announcement that there would be enhanced safety reviews of horses at Santa Anita. A panel of five people, to include Dr. Rick Arthur, chief vet for the CHRB, and Darrel McHargue, chief steward for the CHRB. According to a news release, any one of the five members of the panel can keep a horse from running. However, this panel has a lifespan shorter than a butterfly or house fly. Its good for the remaining six racing days. There is no mention of expanding it. Add to all this the fact that the Breeders Cup meets on June 27 and the fate of Santa Anita as this years host could be decided then. This is a really, really tough decision. If the Breeders Cup moves the races to Churchill Downs, a track that normally has a higher mortality rate than Santa Anita, then the group is making a huge statement that Santa Anita is not a safe track to run on. Keep it at Santa Anita and you are inviting a week of nothing but stories and discussion on how safe the track is, likely overshadowing the actual racing. And, then, if a horse goes down, there will be second-guessing of a proportion we havent seen in a while. Tough call. So what will happen these last two weeks of racing at Santa Anita? Certainly the hope is nothing but racing. Santa Anita preview Its a really strong Friday card at Santa Anita, eight races starting at 1 p.m. There are five allowance/optional claiming races and four turf races. Field sizes arent bad either and given the caliber of the card, there shouldnt be a lot of scratches from the new panel. But thats just a guess. The feature is likely the third race, a mile on the turf for horses 3 and up. Its got some heavy hitters in it. The favorite, at 5-2, is Liam the Charmer, who has been racing at the top, although not with a lot of success. Trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Ruben Fuentes, he was 14th last out in a Grade 1 at Doha and he finished 12th in the Breeders Cup Turf. He did win the Grade 2 John Henry. Hes five-of-17 lifetime. The second choice, at 3-1, runs for John Sadler and Drayden Van Dyke. He finished fifth last out in the Gold Cup, which was won by Vino Rosso. He finished eighth in last years Rebel Stakes. Most of his other races have been at the allowance level. Here are the field sizes, in order: 6, 8 (1 also eligible), 6, 7, 9, 7, 7, 8. Ciaran Thorntons SA pick of the day RACE FIVE: No. 3 Capture the Sea (15-1) Capture the Sea is from trainer Craig Dollase who is 30% first time grass like today and 50% in the money with big prices. We get 15-1 morning line Friday. The horse is protected as well in this optional claimer race in a sign of optimism. These allowance races have been giving us great value during the meet. Dam has one winner from three starters on turf. Last week four of five sprint races on turf saw a gate-to-wire winner and jockey Edwin Maldonado jumps on so we know this is the strategy today. This is the best betting race on the card. If the favorite does not win in this wide open race its going to be a big price. Sundays result: On Sunday as the guest on Quigleys Corner at Santa Anita and our free full card, we went seven of nine with six of those winners the top choice. Our play of the day Playa Chica was bet down to 6-1 with Flavien Prat almost riding a perfect race sitting at the back of the pack and flying home down the stretch to lose by a head running second. Ciaran Thornton is the handicapper for Californiapick4.com, which offers daily full card picks, longshots of the day, best bets of the day. Los Alamitos Weekend preview Its time to turn things over to marketing and media guru Orlando Gutierrez, who will tell us about the upcoming weekend at Los Alamitos. Orlando, the floor is yours. Dr. Steve Burns homebred filly Tequila Sangria, a finalist to the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity, will make her sophomore debut when she heads a group of 3-year-olds in the $11,525 allowance feature in the seventh race on Friday. First post on Friday is 6 p.m. Tequila Sangria was lightly raced in 2018, with three starts. She won her first race by 1 lengths at 300 yards and then qualifying to the Golden State Million after running second to Apollitical Pence in the trials. Apollitical Pence was one of the top males at Los Alamitos last year and most recently won the Heritage Place Derby at Remington Park in Oklahoma. We started her late but she broke her maiden in good fashion, trainer Mike Casselman said. Running second to Apollitical Pence was nice, but unfortunately she didnt have a great trip in the Golden State Million final (finishing 10th). After some time off, shes been coming along great for her 2019 debut. Tequila Sangria is eligible to run in the trials to the Governors Cup Derby on July 14 and the Golden State Derby trials in August, Los Alamitos Super Derby trials in October and Southern California Derby trials in late November. Eight top sophomores led by stakes winner Red Hawk Cartel, a multiple graded derby placed horse in 2019, will be in the $13,400 allowance on Saturday. The 330-yard feature is the eighth and final race with a first post at 6:30. Red Hawk Cartel represents one of the top racing teams at Los Alamitos in the form of owner Martha Wells, trainer Matt Fales, and jockey Erasmo Gasca. Red Hawk Cartel won just once during his freshman campaign, in the Freshman Stakes on California Breeders Champions Night. He qualified to the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity and later finished second in his trial to the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity. This year, Red Hawk Cartel has posted a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby and a third in the Grade 3 El Primero Del Ano Derby -- both of those won by superstar Powerful Favorite. The field will also feature Los Alamitos Winter Derby finalist I Like My Chances and El Primero finalist Teller Hez Famous, a pair of sophomores owned by Bradbury Racing. I Like My Chances enters Saturday's main event in solid racing form after second or better in three consecutive allowance events, including a half-length win on March 30. Teller Hez Famous ran fourth in his last two allowance starts, both times finishing behind his stablemate. Jockey Brayan Pena, who has won 106 thoroughbreds wins, will look to add another win when he guides Sonic Boy from the three in Saturday's second race at 4 1/2 furlongs. The Peppered Cat gelding has hit the board in 11 of 21 career starts. He is trained by Robert Lucas. Brighton Boy will look to score his second victory in nine days in Saturdays race. Brighton Boy made his Los Alamitos night debut a winning one when he cruised to a 3 1/2 length win at 870 yards on June 7. He had previously raced at Los Alamitos during the daytime summer thoroughbred meet in 2018. Edgar Payeras will ride Brighton Boy from the six. In last Sundays Ed Burke Million Futurity trials, five of the 10 qualifiers came out of the first of 11 trials including fastest qualifier Dreams Divine for Reliance Ranches and trainer Mike Robbins. Dreams Divine finished third in the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity on May 19. Mental Error, the runner-up in the Kindergarten Futurity, also qualified to the Ed Burke Million final to be held on June 23. Ed Burgarts L.A. pick of the day THIRD RACE: No. 5 Hollywood Sky (3-1) This colt has more tactical speed than Seattle Encounter, the 8-5 morning-line favorite, and switches to leading local distance rider Edgar Payeras. He was sharp third in last outing versus wire-to-wire winner Fancy Terrace, who has now captured three of his last four outs. In addition, the colt was clearly ahead of Seattle Encounter around the far turn while only finishing behind the same foe at the wire. With very few speed foes in this $5,000 field, I can see Hollywood Sky making a clear early lead. Final thought If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter you can click here and sign up. Remember, its free, and all we need is your email, nothing more. Tell your friends, or even people you dont like that much. Any thoughts, you can reach me at johnacherwa@gmail.com. You can also feed my ego by following me on Twitter @jcherwa. Now, the star of the show, Fridays entries. Trains that once took freight and passengers around some of Hawaiis islands are back in business, sort of. Visitors can hop aboard and ride through history along the coast or through old sugar plantations. The scenic rides are a throwback to a time when trains once operated on Hawaii, Maui and Oahu. Oahu About 25 miles northwest of the Waikiki resorts, the Hawaiian Railway Society operates a route that follows what was the Oahu Railway and Land Co. from 1889 until 1970. A freight train rumbles along Oahus North Shore during the era that came to a close in 1970. (Hawaiian Railway Society) The tracks use a portion of the line begun by 19th-century businessman Benjamin Dillingham, who had a railroad and a special interest in Hawaiis sugar cane plantations. Advertisement He received a franchise from King [David] Kalakaua to build a railroad on the island, said Steve Vendt, the railways operations manager. It was no different than the Southern Pacific or the Union Pacific. And it was pressed into service during the war. During World War II, the Oahu railway hauled over 2 million soldiers on the island, he said. The luxurious parlor car built for Oahu businessman Benjamin Dillingham. (Hawaiian Railway Society) On the second Sunday of each month, visitors can take a ride in the lines pride and joy: Dillinghams personal luxury rail car, built in 1900. Theres oak, mahogany, cherry, birdseye maple inside, Vendt said. It has a small galley and a toilet with a marble-top sink. Train rides depart Ewa Beach at 3 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 3 p.m. Sundays. They travel west through the Ko Olina community past Disneys Aulani resort and Four Seasons Oahu and continue along the ocean for about half a mile. (The 3 p.m. trips are particularly popular since they stop outside an ice cream parlor in Ko Olina.) Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for children 2 to 12 and seniors 62 and older. Rides in the Dillingham parlor car cost $30; tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The Pineapple Express prepares to leave the station at the Dole Plantation, about 25 miles north of Honolulu. (Castle & Cooke Properties) Also on Oahu, visitors can hop onto the Pineapple Express during a visit to the Dole Plantation. The train makes a two-mile journey through fields of pineapple and groves of bananas while a narrator shares the story of James Dole and the world-famous fruit empire he created on the same land at the beginning of the 20th century. A vintage locomotive hauls passenger cars through a banana grove at the Dole Plantation on Oahu. (Castle & Cooke Properties) Several trips are offered each day. Tickets cost $11.50 for grownups and $9.50 for children 4 to 12 years old. The Kauai Plantation Railway takes guests on a 40-minute ride through working orchards that supply the plantations restaurants with fresh produce. (Jay Jones) Kauai A few miles west of Lihue, the Kauai Plantation Railway offers an experience that blends a train ride with the islands natural landscape. The train makes a loop through 100 acres of the Kilohana Plantation, where workers still toil in fields not far from restaurants and shops. During the journey, riders pass orchards in which 42 varieties of fruit are grown, including apple bananas, avocados, mangoes, pineapples and the little-known orange-yellow and fleshy canistel, also called eggfruit. Passengers aboard the Kauai train disembark to feed goats, pigs and donkeys. (Jay Jones) Several trips are offered starting at 10 a.m. daily. Tickets can be bought in advance on the website for $19.50 for adults and $14 for children 3 to 12. Maui A fourth tourist train, the Sugar Cane Train near Lahaina, is currently closed for improvements. The railroads website said the line plans to reopen in 2019. travel@latimes.com @latimestravel A crowd of protesters in T-shirts and masks sprinted through the streets, tear gas mushrooming behind them. Suddenly, a cry came from behind: Inhaler! Everyone froze, spinning on their heels. Inhaler! Inhaler! they chanted in unison. Advertisement Within 20 seconds, two young women sprinted forward, pulling asthma inhalers from their bags and passing them along. OK! yelled the youth in the distance. The paused protesters spun and ran again, smoke fumes licking at their backs. Hong Kongs protesters had mobilized on Wednesday as if theyd been trained for years. Anyone who needed a helmet, mask, or umbrella would yell to the sky. Those around them would stop, passing the message instantly through the crowds with unified chants and matching hand motions: patting their heads for a helmet, cupping their eyes for goggles, rolling their arms for cling wrap, which they were using to protect exposed skin from tear gas and pepper spray. An outsider might assume there must be some administrative genius at the core, directing the tens of thousands of protesters who surrounded the legislative building to prevent discussion of an extradition bill that if approved would send people to China at its request. But Hong Kong activism has evolved. Five years after the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement of 2014, in which high-profile individuals led mass occupation of the city center, only to be arrested or exiled in the aftermath, Hong Kongs youth have decentralized their protests. They are impeccably organized, yet no one is in charge. This is a new model of Hong Kong protests, said Baggio Leung, 32, convener of Youngspiration, a local political group formed after the 2014 Umbrella Movement. Leung was elected to the legislative council in 2016, but disqualified for deliberately mispronouncing China in his swearing-in oath. Several other pro-democratic legislators have also been disqualified from serving in the council, some imprisoned along with civil society and student leaders after having participated in the Umbrella Movement. This time around, protesters are deliberately leaderless, Leung said. It looks quite organized and well-disciplined. But Im quite sure you cannot find anyone managing the whole thing, Leung said, adding that the protesters logistical practices bringing supplies, setting up medical stations, rapid mass communication were in-built from the last few years of practice. Its just like a machine or a self-learning AI that can run by themselves, he said. Many groups are participating in a growing wave of grassroots dissent. Unions, student associations, churches and activist organizations like Demosisto, a nonviolent resistance group led by Joshua Wong, the now-imprisoned face of the Umbrella Movement, have all called on members to participate in marches, rallies, and other forms of direct action. On Friday morning, Demosisto activists flooded into a metro station at rush hour. Seven protesters knelt on the floor, calling the white-collar workers walking past to join a planned anti-extradition bill rally on Sunday. Some passersby shouted words of encouragement to the activists as police checked their IDs. But Demosisto is only one of many groups protesting. And none have stepped up to claim leadership. We are just one of the participants. Its leaderless, autonomous, said Nathan Law, 25, founding chairman of Demosisto and a former legislator who was also disqualified for the way he took his oath. Most participants in the protests are not coming as part of any organization, Law said, but finding out about different activities through social platforms online. A group of Christian worshippers sing hymns to voice their opposition to an extradition law in Hong Kong, China, June 14, 2019. (JEROME FAVRE / EPA-EFE / REX) People are receiving information through social platforms, Telegram channels, online forums, and they decide by themselves [what to do], Law said. People are voting on the internet. One popular online forum is LIHKG, a Hong Kong version of Reddit where anonymous users are posting ideas for creative protest: disrupting the subway station, gathering for vigils or picnics, making anti-extradition bill memes that appeal to conservative values so that older Hong Kongers will get involved. You can choose thumbs up or thumbs down, and people discuss whether they support or are against it, Law said. If momentum gathers behind one idea, people act. Person A says something online, Person B says something else. Today more people support As idea, so we do it. Tomorrow we may agree with B instead of A, said Philip Leung, 21, a student protester whos active on LIHKG and other social platforms. It doesnt matter that activists dont know the identity of A, B, or any other person posting ideas, he said. We express the ideals of freedom instead of idolizing a particular person, Leung said, adding that the only uniting focus for all protesters is their opposition to the anti-extradition bill. We dont have anyone or any particular party to tell us what to do. Even planned actions by organized groups like churches and unions have taken on a life of their own. Local churches called for mass prayer meetings in the days leading up to Wednesdays planned legislative discussion of the extradition bill. When the Tuesday night meeting ended at 9 p.m., participants didnt want to leave, said local pastor Wong Siu Yung. The pastors suggested singing a hymn, Sing Hallelujah to the Lord, a simple song that could be finished within a few minutes. They sang for eight hours, Wong said. Some people were still singing when their next prayer meeting began at 7:30 a.m. A woman holds a flower as she joins hundreds of mothers protesting against the amendments to the extradition law after Wednesdays violent protest in Hong Kong on Friday, June 14, 2019. (Vincent Yu / Associated Press) People took up the song again during Wednesdays protests as pastors stood between rows of police and youth protesters, hoping to defuse tension. We stood in the middle, made a long row, held up our hands and sang, Wong said. Then later, the youth behind us put down their umbrellas. Then, same as us, they raised their hands and sang. After the protests escalated into clashes and then were dispersed, a new group of protesters returned to a bridge near the legislative building on Thursday, holding signs denouncing police violence and singing the hymn as they faced a group of police. Wong didnt know who they were. The churches had stopped organizing on Wednesday, he said. OPINION: Stand with the people of Hong Kong Maybe there are some smaller fellowships, Christians or non-Christians, groups of eight or 10 people who contact each other and decide to go out, Wong said, adding that protesters may be singing the song as a way to keep a calm atmosphere. This isnt our central decision. The police crackdown has pushed youth activists toward further decentralization, breaking up mass Telegram channels into smaller groups. The youth now mobilize through dozens of Instagram pages, chat groups and old-fashioned groups of friends pulling friends together. There are signs the older generation is tuning in. More than 44,000 Hong Kong mothers signed a scathing open letter to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Thursday, after Lam said on television that listening to protesters would be like a mother indulging wayward children. We are a group of mothers in Hong Kong, and we would definitely not use tear gas, potentially lethal rubber bullets and beanbag rounds on our own children, and we would not be able to stay unmoved if we see young people covered with blood after being bashed by police batons, the letter said. Hundreds of angry mothers gathered in a park Friday night for a mothers rally against the extradition bill and police violence, holding signs with messages like, Dont shoot our kids. The real violence comes from the Hong Kong governments deliberate and persistent attempt to be the enemies of the people, said Susanne Choi, one of the organizers. We gather here to send a signal to the young people that they will not be alone. We will be with them. Women, come out! one of the speakers said. Lets see how the police will beat women. Come out Sunday! Come out Monday! Come out Tuesday! Come out every day! A decentralized movement is harder to control. Police may arrest individuals, but there is no core to catch. Since Sunday, police have arrested 34 people, including four protesters taken from hospitals on charges of rioting and a 22-year-old administrator of a Telegram group from his home. But that lack of control could also be dangerous, said Baggio Leung of Youngspiration. Late Wednesday night, with tensions high and more than a thousand young protesters still roaming the streets, building makeshift barricades to block riot police, Leung had worried that there was no way to deescalate the situation. If police had shot, everyone would die. Theyre unarmed, Leung said. If there were leaders, they could step forward and urge retreat in case the police brought real guns, he said an image that Hong Kongers remember from Tiananmen Square. If I have a position, I can urge them to leave, Leung said. But Im not the one who called them out, so they can choose not to listen to me. Who am I to decide? Mexicos top immigration official resigned his post Friday amid continued pressure from the United States that Mexico take a harder line against migrants. A statement posted online by the National Institute of Migration said director Tonatiuh Guillen Lopez had submitted a letter of resignation to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The statement did not say why the director had stepped down, but there was widespread speculation that Guillen, an outspoken champion of human rights, had clashed with the president over his willingness to comply with U.S. demands. Earlier this month, Lopez Obrador agreed to send 6,000 National Guard troops to Mexicos southern border and to house and feed more asylum seekers from Central America who have been returned from the U.S. to wait in Mexico while their immigration cases are heard. Advertisement Mexican officials agreed to the deal to avoid potentially crippling tariffs that President Trump had threatened to impose on all imports from Mexico. Guillen, the former head of an immigration think tank, was notably absent during back-to-back meetings in Washington where that deal was worked out. Negotiating on behalf of the Mexicans was Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. In an article this week in El Universal newspaper, Mexican political reporter Carlos Loret de Mola wrote that Guillen was excluded from those meetings because he had clashed with U.S. officials in the past. According to the report, Guillen angered then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during a meeting in March when he said people have a right to migrate. Guillens departure reflects internal divisions in the Lopez Obrador government and in the country more broadly over how best to deal with Mexicos increasingly demanding neighbor to the north. As a candidate, Lopez Obrador vowed to respect the rights of migrants, assailing then-President Enrique Pena Nieto for doing the dirty work of the U.S. in detaining and deporting Central Americans. But Trumps tariff threat put Lopez Obrador in a bind. Economists warned that tariffs could push the already sluggish Mexican economy into a recession. Critics of the deal Lopez Obrador struck with the U.S. say it is inhumane and unsustainable. Mexico has already taken in more than 11,000 asylum seekers who have been returned from the U.S. while they wait out their cases, and that number is expected to rise in the coming months. That would almost certainly put an economic and social strain on northern border cities where anti-immigrant sentiments have been simmering. Tensions are also running high in southern Mexico, where the recent immigration crackdown has sowed fear and uncertainty among those trying to head north. Lopez Obrador celebrated the recent deal for averting tariffs. But his victory may be temporary. The U.S. has warned that if Mexico is unable to stem the flow of migrants in the next 45 days, it will push for an agreement that would force asylum seekers to first seek refuge in Mexico. If Mexico hasnt slowed migration within 90 days, Trump may once again seek to impose tariffs. kate.linthicum@latimes.com Twitter: @katelinthicum Uncertainty hangs over the upcoming election in Guatemala. On June 16, the country will go to the polls to elect a successor to former comedian Jimmy Morales, who rode a wave of anti-corruption protests to office as an outsider candidate in 2015. They will also elect some 158 congressional representatives, 338 mayors, and 20 parliamentary members for the Central American Parliament. The process has been marred by lawsuits and violence, including the assassination of a left-wing mayoral candidate, part of a string of attacks against Indigenous and rural organizations in the country. The elections stand against a backdrop of a growing constitutional crisis as the ongoing struggle between the president and the UN-backed anti-corruption body, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) continues. With major presidential candidates like former Attorney General Thelma Aldana and Zury Rios -the daughter of dictator Efrain Rios Montt- barred from running, Sandra Torres, a center-right candidate who faced Morales in 2015 in the second round, is widely seen as the frontrunner. Full Article On Friday, after a week of negotiations with Mexico, President Donald Trump "indefinitely delayed" tariffs on all Mexican goods, allegedly going into effect today. In return, Mexico will take "unprecedented steps" to curb illegal migration. The U.S. has pledged to speed up asylum requests and expand a policy that sends back applicants to Mexico during their wait for their adjudication date. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that Mexico would be sending six thousand National Guard troops to its southern border with Guatemala. The president admitted he was ready to slap retaliatory tariffs on the U.S., but that Mexico's dignity is "intact" after both nations reached an accord. Trump said he was confident that Mexico would enforce the new migratory protocols that attempt to stem the influx of Central American asylum-seekers into the United States. On Saturday, officials from both countries admitted that the actions to avoid tariffs were taken "months ago." Full Article New Delhi: After possibly their worst performance in a general election, political circles are agog with discussions on the need for a merger of all Left parties for the Communist movement to remain relevant in the country. Barely days after the Lok Sabha results and with the CPI and CPM both on the brink of losing their national party status, CPI general secretary Sudhakar Reddy had sought the merger of the two biggest Left parties. The marginalisation of the Left will have a very serious implication on the future of the country... the situation demands the reunification of the Communist parties and reworking of strategies, he had said. Sources said that informal discussions have already begun among the parties which includes the CPM, CPI, CPI(ML), Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP). Though these issues are being talked about, talks on merger front are only informal as of now, said CPI national president and Rajya Sabha member D. Raja. He said that as far as the CPI is concerned, it is the partys stated position that reunification is necessary. Since the CPI first split in 1964 after 32 comrades famously walking out of a national committee meeting, the first time when a proposal of a merger of the four Communist parties CPM, CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc was spoken about was in 1986. Sources said though the suggestion on the merger of the four Communist parties is in the air since the 1986, things are very difficult to carry out at the ground level. As a senior leader from one of the parties pointed out that a proposal to form joint committees at the state level, which was proposed way back in 1990s, has not worked out yet due to issues of local politics. A good example is how the RSP and the Forward Bloc are part of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala though they are part of the Left Front at the national level and even in West Bengal. The most pertinent factor is that all the Left parties have come a long way since the split in 1964. The issues of disagreement, including the Soviet-China split and anti-Congressism, have ceased to exist. While the soviet disintegration has made most world Communist movements irrelevant, the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP has brought together all anti-BJP parties of different hues, including the Congress, for their survival. - Swazilands King Mswati III has denied widely circulated reports that he decreed that men of his country should marry at least 5 wives by June 2019 - He described the report as an insult to his personality and the country - Mswati III reportedly had 15 wives and 25 children himself King Mswati III of Swaziland has refuted reports that he warned men who failed to marry at least 5 wives by June 2019, that they would be sanctioned. Mswati III said such a report is an insult to his personality and Swaziland as a country. This is contained in a report sighted by Legit.ng on Swaziland-based media Punch.com. The report had claimed that the king was not happy with the growing number of unmarried women in the country. King Mswati III, King of Swaziland. Photo credit: IHarare. READ ALSO: Nigerian woman cries out as Germany deports her and 3 kids He was, therefore, said to have made the order, warning that any man or woman who failed to obey would be thrown in jail. PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app However, Mswati III has released a statement to debunk the report. According to the statement, such an issue has never been raised by the king. The statement also described the report as an assassination on the king's character. PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group The statement by the King of Swaziland. Photo credit: Punch.com.gh READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda Speaking about marriages and weddings, Legit.ng had reported that the Kano state government revealed that it has finally concluded arrangements to conduct mass wedding for 1,500 prospective couples from across the 44 local government areas of the state. Follow LEGIT to keep pace with the breaking news in Nigeria! Would you invite your ex to your wedding? Why? - on Legit TV Source: Legit.ng - The fed govt has been urged by the Coalition for Nigeria Movement to ban OBJ and GEJ from attending state events in future - The group also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the former leaders and ensure they pay for any crimes that could be established against them - The coalition presented a 7-point demand to the federal govt, which it said must be met to prove that the government is not colluding with OBJ and GEJ to ink the country The federal government has been urged by the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, to probe and ban former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan from attending state events in future. The group made the call in a statement signed by its convener, Patriot Sabo Odeh. READ ALSO: Flood destroys over N15m worth of goods in Aba, renders many homeless Legit.ng gathers that Odeh called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the former leaders and ensure they pay for any crimes that could be established against them. The group also commended the federal government for renaming of the Abuja Stadium as MKO Abiola Stadium, among other developments. It said: These developments have elated Nigerians across class, ethnic, religious and political divides. It went further: It is however alarming that there is a pocket of evil people that are saddened by the very fact that Nigerias democracy have survived their repeated assault on it, which has made their intentions to abort two decades of continued democracy to fail serially. So toxic is their bad wish for the country that they are unable to hide their disappointment and anger that the country is on the path of thriving in spite of their willful acts of sabotage against the nation. To this end, the Coalition for Nigeria Movement hereby presents a 7-point demand to the federal government, which must be met to prove that the present administration is not colluding with Obasanjo and Jonathan to ink the country. Our demands are: That the federal government conduct a comprehensive audit of government funds by probing national finances from 1999 2015. This probe should be with a view to unravel the mysteries surrounding the loss of Nigerias resources, which has become imperative to unveil the true identities of those who stole Nigeria blind but are today parading as elder statesmen." The group also called for anyone indicted by the aforementioned investigation to stand trial and be given the stiffest punishment applicable where they are convicted. It stated further: That the federal government should henceforth not extend any invitation to state functions to any of Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan for using their positions in the past to enrich themselves and families to the detriment of the common masses of our beloved country. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan were absent for the 2019 Democracy Day celebration which held place at the Eagles Square in Abuja. A former head of state, Yakubu Gowon, was also not present at the event. Former presidents and heads of state were scheduled to arrive at the venue by 9:35am on Wednesday, June 12. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! Who is Nigeria's greatest president ever? - on Legit TV: Source: Legit.ng - The high number of political parties in Nigeria has been described as a challenge to democratic progress - The assertion was made by the special representatives of the secretary general and head of the United Nations Office for West Africa, Mohammed Ibn Chambas - According to him, the UN is seeking ways to be part of the process which strengthen the capacity of INEC to better deliver in future elections The special representatives of the secretary general and head of the United Nations Office for West Africa, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has expressed concern over the high number of political parties in Nigeria. Chambas, who visited the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, in Abuja, said the UN was seeking ways to be part of the process which strengthen the capacity of INEC to better deliver in future elections, Sahara Reporters reports. Legit.ng notes that the UN envoy said: So, we came here seeking to be part of that conversation going forward and we will particularly be interested in a number of issues, such as the number of political parties, mode of registration, internal democracy, and accreditation of party agents which the chairman of INEC himself has already identified. READ ALSO: Uzor Kalu hosts Lawan, Omo-Agege to dinner, tasks all lawmakers on unity The number of political parties in certain elections in our West Africa and Sahel sub-region has posed a challenge recently and it is not only here in Nigeria that we need to look at the issue of the number of political parties and their mode of registration. Recently in Senegal, this same challenge was faced; they have found their manner of dealing with it. Next door in the Republic of Benin, when they were confronted with as many as 249 registered political parties, they have also tried to find their way to handle this issue. In the last elections in Nigeria, many of you will recall that there were 73 presidential candidates. I am not talking about registered political parties but presidential candidates. With the usual Nigerian people, some people even referred to the ballot paper as a tablecloth on account of its length and breadth. Of course, that also has its own challenges and for countries in our sub-region, presenting them with such long list of candidates sometimes distracts them from the quality of the process and informed decisions by the electorate. So, these are legitimate issues that we want to be part of this conversation that has been initiated by the INEC chairman. The UN wants to be part of that preparation. We want to always see in what way we can be useful. How can we support, how can we facilitate, how can we be part of the process which strengthen the capacity of INEC to better deliver in future elections? PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, June 13, claimed that it does not have a server where results of the February 23 presidential election were uploaded. The commission made this known at the ongoing presidential election petitions tribunal in Abuja. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better 2019 Election: Atiku heads to court to contest election result, can he win? | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng A Schuylkill County woman is facing federal charges for allegedly perpetrating a grandparents scam that targeted the elderly. Yahaira Diaz, 33, of Pottsville, was charged Friday with federal counts of aggravated identity theft, mail fraud, and access device fraud. Diaz was arrested in March 2018, along with five others, after Bethlehem police began investigating packages being shipped by scam victims to city addresses. Under the scam, a person calls an elderly victim and poses as the victims grandchild or as an attorney representing the grandchild. The caller claims the grandchild is in legal trouble and needs money for bail or for an attorney. The victim is told to send thousands of dollars in cash via overnight delivery to an address where the schemers retrieved the package, prosecutors said. The scammers continue calling to demand more money. In the calls, the scammers claim the grandchild was arrested for driving under the influence, or that a pregnant woman was involved in the cash, or that the pregnant woman was hurt or killed, prosecutors said. Diaz allegedly led this particular scheme, which targeted people in Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas. Diaz recruited and controlled the other suspects in the scheme, and shared some of the money with them, prosecutors said. They allowed Diaz to use their address for package delivery, and helped pick up the packages. Diaz allegedly identified and arranged for access to homes in Bethlehem or Allentown where her co-conspirators instructed victims to send the packages. Diaz and her co-conspirators had 10 elderly victims, netted $158,800 and attempted to get at least $69,000 more, investigators said. Diaz and five others were arrested in March 2018 for allegedly using Bethlehem addresses for the schemes ill-gotten gains. The group called an Arkansas man and said his grandson was involved in a crash and arrested on a drunken driving charge, police said. The caller said the grandson needed $5,000 and requested it be mailed to 517 Dakotah St. in Bethlehem. Police said the victim mailed $5,000 to an Dakotah Street address on two separate occasions and, when they called a third time asking for more money, the victim contacted police. Bethlehem police said they arrested the other suspects, all from New York, when they came to pick up the money at the Bethlehem address. If convicted in the federal case, Diaz faces a maximum possible sentence of 72 years in prison, including a mandatory minimum term of two years in prison. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Service, the Bethlehem Police Department, and the Northampton County District Attorneys Office, and is being prosecuted by Deputy United States Attorney Louis Lappen. Editors note: This story was updated July 16, 2019, to reflect that the victims were not from Bethlehem or Allentown. Rather, the victims allegedly mailed cash to homes in Bethlehem and Allentown. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The tax bill for an Easton school-turned-apartment building is dropping under a settlement with the propertys three taxing bodies. Easton, the Easton Area School District and Northampton County agreed to cut by 59.5% to 71.7% the assessment of 811 Northampton St., according to the settlement approved by Easton City Council on Wednesday night. The assessment determines the property's annual tax bill, and is changing for tax years 2013 through 2019. It is based on the property's fair market value dropping from $491,800 to $200,000 for the first four years and to $290,000 for 2017, 2018 and 2019, under the settlement. Developer Munhel "Manny" Makhoul last month celebrated the rebirth of the former Cottingham Elementary School into 14 apartments, with monthly rents ranging from $900 to $1,100. He said Thursday he had nothing to do with the lower tax assessment, which is something previous owner Abe Atiyeh pursued with an appeal to the Northampton County Board of Assessment Appeals. In buying the property from Atiyeh, Makhoul said he agreed to pay Atiyeh for the difference in the tax bill under the new assessments, compared to the original assessment. The property previously generated no tax revenue at all. It was owned by the Easton Area School District, which used it as an administration building prior to moving in 2007 into a new administration building at 1801 Bushkill Drive in Forks Township. Mayor Sal Panto Jr. at Wednesday's council meeting wondered how the building's assessment has been cut, even as it's been redeveloped. "I think the assessment board should be notified that property values in Easton are going up, not down," he said. City Solicitor Bill Murphy said Atiyeh's appeal focused on the period when the building was vacant. Even now, Makhoul has yet to secure a certificate of occupancy for the apartments, Murphy said. "Once that's done and the property is then opened for occupancy, then the county goes back and they do an interim assessment" to establish the new fair market value, Murphy explained. City council on Wednesday approved another tax assessment appeal settlement, this one with Gary A. DellAlba Family Trust et al. for the gas station and convenience store at 158-160 S. Third St. Under that agreement, for the 2018 tax year, the propertys fair market value decreases from $1.7 million to $1.6 million, and its assessment drops 5.8% from $564,400 to $531,000. Council approved that settlement without discussion. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Some people thought it was a truck rumbling by. Others felt the brief the tremor and thought it was thunder or a household appliance on the fritz. And others recognized it for what it was and reported it the USGS. A 3.4-magnitude earthquake shook central Pennsylvania Tuesday evening with an epicenter about 11 miles southwest of Mifflintown. According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake could be felt more than 40 miles away. It was felt pretty widely near State College, said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the USGS. We have some reports from Hagerstown, Elizabethtown and from Harrisburg. A USGS map shows some reports as far north as the Williamsport area. For Pennsylvania, Caruso said magnitude 3.4 earthquakes do happen occasionally, but they are infrequent. The largest recorded earthquake in Pennsylvania occurred in Berks County in 1994, measuring a magnitude of 4.6. When one thinks of earthquakes in the U.S., what often comes to mind is California along the San Andreas Fault, the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. But California earthquakes are far different earthquakes than we experience. In California, Caruso said the rocks underground are broken up by faults and are not felt very far from the epicenter. In this part of the country, especially near the Appalachian Mountains, the rock underground is continuous and more connected, transmitting energy from earthquakes more widely. A great example is the one in central Virginia in 2011, he said. That was an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8. It was felt in Canada, Chicago and all up and down the East Coast. If a similar one occurred in California, it would not be felt as far away. The cause of earthquakes in California is different than the origin here, as well. Were too far from the edge of the North American Plate to feel tectonic shifts like California, he said, so the earthquakes we feel are typically the result of what scientists call Isostatic Rebound. Thats an effect caused by the last Ice Age when that area was covered by thick sheets of ice, Caruso explained. That ice exerted plenty of weight and pressure down onto continent, and since it melted more than 10,000 years ago, the earth has been rebounding. Its a common idea, but its one a local expert doesnt quite buy. Isostatic Rebound is a hypothesis that has been kicked around for a lot of years, said Charles Scharnberger, a retired professor of geology at Millersville University, who still monitors the seismic station there and maintains his interest in earthquakes. We dont know what causes earthquakes in the northeastern part of North America. Other parts of the world, like the Balkans, experienced a similar buildup of ice during the Ice Age, but they do not see the same levels of seismic activity as northeastern North America, he said, casting doubt on Isostatic Rebound. Whats really happening here is more of a mystery, he said, but it could have something to do with the westward shift of the North American tectonic plate. Though the plates meet in California, where most of the seismic activity occurs, that movement still causes stress, squeezing and pressure along the entire length of the plate, reverberating as far back as the East Coast, he said. A 3.4 earthquake like the one in Mifflintown is in the medium range for Pennsylvania and may occur every couple of years, Scharnberger said. According the USGS, this was the strongest earthquake felt or originating in Pennsylvania over the last year. It was followed by a 1.3 aftershock. This years earthquakes in Pennsylvania include: 1 magnitude in Wernersville on April 11 1.6 in Whitefield April 10 1.1 in Whitefield March 18 1.1 in Shippensburg Feb. 26. The chances of a devastating earthquake here are low, but Scharnberger said its not impossible. Ive actually done some calculations on the probability of that happening based on the historic record we have, he said. Its about a 1 in 200 chance in any given year. Its the 200-year earthquake. That doesnt mean one will occur every 200 years, but if the historic record went back far enough tens of thousands of years it would likely average out to a major earthquake on the East Coast every 200 years, he said. A 25-year-old Tennessee woman was formally charged with fatally stabbing a Pennsylvania jeweler inside a hotel room in Treme last February, the District Attorneys office announced Thursday (June 13). Magen Hall, 25, was indicted on charges of second-degree murder in the Feb. 28 death of Patrick Murphy, 62, as well as armed robbery and obstruction of justice, the district attorneys office said. Murphy was found dead from multiple stab wounds in a hotel room bed at the Empress Hotel in the 1300 block of Ursulines Avenue. Video surveillance at the hotel showed that Murphy and Hall arrived to the hotel together around 2:10 a.m., police said. She was seen leaving the hotel room alone and briskly walking out the front door about one and a half hours later. No one else was seen entering or leaving the room until the housekeeper found Murphy on the bed around 11:40 a.m. Two hotel guests, staying in an adjacent room, told police they heard a man and woman arguing loudly around 3:30 a.m., followed by sounds of a struggle that lasted about two minutes. Hall was arrested March 3 and booked into Orleans Parish jail. She is still in jail, in lieu of a $750,000 bond set for the murder charge, jail records show. If a jury finds Hall guilty of murder, she could spend life in prison, the district attorneys office said. She faces 10 to 99 years in prison for armed robbery and up to 40 years for obstruction of justice in a homicide investigation. A 40-year-old woman who operated a yoga studio in Lehigh County died this week after being caught in a rip current while swimming in the Dominican Republic, published reports say. She was the second area woman to die recently in the nation on the island of Hispaniola. Surely Miller, whose yoga business was on Shady Nook Road in Washington Township, drowned after going missing Tuesday off Sousa Beach in Cabarete, Puerto Plata, according to the Dominican news source Noticias Sin. She was swimming in the Atlantic Ocean with her partner Karan Bindra, the publication said. Her body was found Wednesday by a fisherman off the east coast of San Felipe de Puerto Plata, Noticias Sin said. Miller was the mother of three children -- Dylan, 15; Miles 11, and Preston, 9 -- according to a fundraising effort. In an interview with the Morning Call, Bindra said they were both caught in the rough current, but while he was able to relax and go with it, she tried to swim to shore and succumbed. Our local yoga community is mourning the loss of one of its own. Surely Miller, 40, died after getting caught in a rip current in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. Miller owned a yoga studio in Slatington. (Photo from Facebook) @brcnews13 pic.twitter.com/7Yd39lHtPt Alyssa Kratz (@AlyssaKratzNews) June 13, 2019 Bindra, who couldnt immediately be reached Friday morning, in the published report called Miller a beautiful flower, a woman who impacted thousands of people. The GoFundMe effort added, Surely has blessed so many of us with her warm healing touch. The fundraiser was at just less than $6,000 on Friday morning with a goal of $100,000 to provide financial support in whatever area (the children) may need especially their educational and spiritual development. Miller, Bindra and the children moved six months ago to the Dominican Republic, the newspaper said. According to a biography on Millers website, she sought to "help others intellectually know and heal their bodies, and source their own power to heal through their practice. The Morning Call said Bindra and she continued to teach in their new home. Yoga had a wider definition for the former New Yorker who reports said had Dominican roots. To Surely, yoga means life and she credits it with saving her own. In the chaos of life, she nearly lost herself until she reclaimed her strength through yoga, according to her website. Miller is the second local person to die recently in the country. Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Whitehall Township, collapsed and died shortly after checking in May 25 at the Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana with her husband, Dan Werner. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A controversial 60-foot-high wall and fence planned along a scenic stretch of I-80 in northern Warren County is facing public scrutiny next week. Dubbed the Jurassic Park fence," the proposed project between mile marker 1.04 and 1.45 is designed to catch falling rocks on a section of highway through Knowlton and Hardwick townships. The stretch is in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and has the highest rockfall hazard rating in the state, the New Jersey Department of Transportation said. NJDOT is hosting an open house to answer questions from the public from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at North Warren Regional High School, 10 Noe Road, Blairstown. NJDOT spokesman Steve Schapiro said the meeting is to show "why the project is needed to ensure public safety, the possible alternatives under consideration, and for the public to provide input." Schapiro said there have been several meetings over the years, and the last public information session was two years ago. Knowlton Township Mayor Adele Starrs and Hardwick Township Mayor Kevin Duffy have been heavily involved in the process since the idea was announced, but said residents havent had the opportunity to weigh in. We dont get these opportunities very much, and that makes it all the more important for every resident come out, Starrs said, adding the community at large has overwhelming responded and asked if the project is really necessary. The closer the department of transportation gets to starting construction, the less chance there will be of changing the project in any meaningful way. Thats why its imperative we make ourselves heard now. Its extremely important people understand the full impact the project, from cost to the design and installation, to the need/necessity of it, Duffy said. The estimated price tag in 2018 was $50 million, but that has jumped to a more recent estimate of $65 million, officials said. Schapiro said it is too early to have an estimated project cost because the project is still in the design phase. Construction was originally proposed for 2020, but Schapiro said the contract is expected to go out for bid and be awarded in late 2022, with construction expected to begin in 2023. Construction is expected to last up to two years, with lanes periodically closing on the highway. The alternatives being considered do not call for a full closure of I-80, and therefore there are no plans for a detour, as the highway will remain open while the work is being done, Schapiro said via email. The project has moved out of concept development, NJDOT has decided on design and it is now in preliminary engineering, Starrs said. An NJDOT spokesman did not immediately comment on questions asking about the project, or concerns officials raised about the project. Local officials have already made their opinions known, and they are not happy about the plans for a 60-foot metal fence on a stepped pyramid made of concrete against the cliffs. Duffy said after meeting NJDOT and local legislators this past June, the department said there would be more public hearings. But the open house will be stations that people will visit, there wont be one presentation and the ability to air questions in front of everybody, Duffy said. Were still at the frustrating part, he said. Its just not what we were expecting," Duffy said. It just doesnt make sense financially, or frankly any other way. More than 20 area towns, and groups such as the NJ Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association, have opposed to the plan. The question is, cant we do this in a better way? Starrs asked. Safety has been one of the reasons behind the new fencing, with NJDOT citing nine rockfall incidents between 2001 and 2016, including one fatality. Starrs said she has tried to get information about the incidents from NJDOT. After a fifth OPRA request, she was able to get some information, but it was so heavily redacted -- more than dozen pages of solid black redactions -- it was very hard to corroborate the statistics they are providing. A nearby stretch of I-80 sees between 70 and 80 crashes a year, and this does nothing to mitigate that, Duffy said. Cost is another point of contention. Local officials have pointed out there have been more non-rock-related crashes on that exact stretch of I-80, but Starrs said NJDOT has ignored that. Alternatives suggested included anchored, metal rockfall netting or mesh, similar to that being installed along Route 248 in the Lehigh Gap. The decided design is similar to the fencing along Route 46, Starrs said. The fencing will permanently damage the vistas, Duffy said. Two years of a construction is a long time for an area that sees hundreds of millions of tourist dollars drawn to the water gap and surrounding area, Duffy said. Starrs said Knowlton officials have asked for information on possible traffic detours, but have yet to receive any. On the Pennsylvania side, Upper Mount Bethel Township Supervisor Robert Teel said his community was never notified by NJDOT of the project, but that the township mayors came to a supervisors meeting to inform them. Teel spoke about the effect on truck drivers traveling between the two states, and drivers heading to the Slate Belt and the Poconos, specifically Mount Airy casino, Camelback Resort and other Pocono attractions. Its going to be a nightmare for our area, Teel said. Anytime there is an accident on I-80, traffic can be backed up for 15 miles or more, Teel said, and then trucks and other traffic use Route 611 and drive through Upper Mount Bethel to get to Route 33. Fire crews in Pennsylvania help with accident calls on the New Jersey side, but Teel is wondering how they will be able to get there when construction starts. This is not something thats warranted or needed, Teel said. Im still going to holler as long as I can. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. Mulbagal Independent MLA H. Nagesh and Ranebennur MLA R. Shankar after taking oath as cabinet ministers at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru on Friday. (Photo: DC) Bengaluru: In a determined bid to bolster the stability of the 13-month old Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday inducted two independent legislators- R. Shankar and H. Nagesh- into his cabinet. But considering the number of senior leaders who gave the event a miss, it remains to be seen if the induction will help calm frayed tempers or will only worsen the tussle within the coalition taking it to the brink. Shankar is a Karnataka Pragyavantara Janata Paksha (KPJP) MLA from Ranebennur in Haveri while Nagesh is an independent MLA from Mulbagal in Kolar. With the induction of the two independents, the coalition strength in the 224-member assembly stands at 118 while the BJP has 105 MLAs. No legislator from the Congress or Janata Dal (Secular) was inducted and with just one vacant slot left, this is likely to cause a lot of heartburn among aspirants in both parties. In fact, the resentment was evident even at the swearing-in ceremony with former JD(S) state president A. H. Vishwanath skipping the event and choosing to meet Bharatiya Janata Party leaders instead! Many other senior leaders were missing including former ministers Ramalinga Reddy and Roshan Baig who have been involved in a war of words with the Congress leadership in recent weeks. Former minister H.K. Patil kept away and so did Hirekerur MLA B.C. Patil, a cabinet hopeful who missed the bus again. Instead of giving an opportunity to our party's legislators, Mr Kumaraswamy has decided to make Mr Shankar and Mr Nagesh ministers to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party from poaching them, a Congress leader pointed out. Sources said that there is a possibility of the Chief Minister undertaking a cabinet rejig at a later stage when some of the current ministers will be asked to step down to provide an opportunity to disgruntled coalition MLAs, many of whom are threatening to jump ship and join the Bharatiya Janata Party. Laois man, Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick returned home last week for a special celebration. Professor Fitzpatrick's Channel 4 show based in his busy vet practice in Surrey is watched by millions. He often pops back home to Laois where he grew up on a Ballyfin farm, and attended secondary school in Ballyfin College, now the luxury Ballyfin House Hotel. Late in May, he came back to celebrate his mother Rita's 90th birthday. He tweeted lovely photos of Rita surrounded by lots of chocolates and balloons showing photos of her wedding day. "90 heart shaped chocolates to wish a very Happy 90th Birthday to Mammy Rita. The brightest star of them all x " he wrote. 90 heart shaped chocolates to wish a very Happy 90th Birthday to Mammy Rita. The brightest star of them all x pic.twitter.com/mVTbw2hUDM Noel Fitzpatrick (@ProfNoelFitz) May 27, 2019 Professor Fitzpatrick also met one of his old teachers from Ballyfin to also celebrate his birthday. "While in Ireland I visited my science teacher Brother Maurice who is 94 this week. He believed in and encouraged me - and showed me that everything is possible x" he wrote. While in Ireland I visited my science teacher Brother Maurice who is 94 this week. He believed in and encouraged me - and showed me that everything is possible x pic.twitter.com/JozRrrM2Mf Noel Fitzpatrick (@ProfNoelFitz) May 27, 2019 The show returns for a new series on Wednesday, June 19 on Channel 4 at 8pm. Support continues to grow in Laois for PATH, a group of volunteers who travel to Dublin weekly to feed and support homeless people on the streets. A new support group has begun in Clonaghadoo village, part of Mountmellick's parish, to aid the good work of PATH Portlaoise Action to Homelessness. Clonaghadoo PATH support group has begun holding monthly Mass time collections of food and supplies for PATH to deliver to the homeless on Dublin streets. The Laois group drive up with hot food and supplies every Saturday night. Group member Annette said they formed after a successful local collection for PATH held last Christmas. We wanted to do more and we knew the parish would be delighted to help. We can all help this group. It's great what they are doing, travelling up and giving up their Saturday nights, she said. The collections at 9am mass in Clonaghadoo, with the blessing of Parish Priest Fr Micheal Murphy, will be on the second Sunday of every month. The first took place last Sunday. Baskets were filled at the back of the church with items that PATH had told the group were urgently needed. This included mens shower gels, roll-on deodorant, shampoo, sun-cream, underwear and bottled water. We will have an updated list for July and will have it in fliers and on the parish newsletter. Anyone who wishes to donate is welcome, said Annette. Irene Redmond is the chairperson of PATH. We are extremely grateful for the support from everybody in Laois. This help means that people who might not be able to go to Dublin can still contribute, she said. The charity has posted a warm thank you to the organisers and contributors, on their Facebook page. "A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of meeting some of the parishioners along with Fr Murphy. We spoke about the work we do and they wanted to help. A fantastic group was formed with Annette Dalton and her friends leading the way. We got a phone call asking us to collect the items gathered in the first collection. "We were thrilled and humbled by the support from the ladies and parishioners. Your collection will go a long way to helping make a difference in the lives of the homeless people we help every week. Thank you to each and every one of you who contributed, small acts of kindness make a big difference. Thank you to Annette and the ladies, to Fr Murphy and to all the parishioners who supported the group," PATH said. The next collection is on July 14. The plane that crashed in Kildare and claimed the lives of two men was was a BRM Aero Bristell NG5 aircraft. It has a top speed of over 250km per hour and was first built in 2011. It had taken off from Kilrush Airfield between Athy and Narraghmore. The men who perished are understood to be from Kildare and Dublin. Kildare Gardai and the Irish Coastguard team began carrying out a search following reports of two missing men yesterday evening, who were out on a pleasure flight. Assistant Fire Officer for Co Kildare, Derek Bergin, said the aircraft came down in a field was in a field, there were no houses nearby. The plane was found near Moone, Athy. Fire services from Dunlavin and Athy, along with Kildare Gardai remained at the scene until about 10.30am this morning. The BRM Aero Bristell NG5 is a Czech-made low-wing, two-seater aircraft. It has a single engine and is an ultralight design. Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) officials at the accident site will be gathering all available evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash. They will also recover a flight recorder unit if one was available. They will identify primary parts of the aircraft as well as conducting witness interviews. When all on-site work is completed, the wreckage will be transported to the AAIU examination facility in Gormanston, Co. Meath. It can take up to 30 days for an official accident report to be compiled and published. Storm clouds gathered in Laois today and unleashed a hefty summer shower on Portlaoise as the abnormal summer continues. In its forecast Met Eireann predicted scattered showers on Friday with some limited bright or sunny spells, the best of these in the northern and western areas. It said the showers will become more widespread this afternoon, some heavy with the chance of the isolated thundery burst this evening. Top temperatures 11 to 15 Celsius. Met Eireann said winds would be light to moderate and variable in direction but fresh southeasterly along eastern coasts later today. In her forecast after the RTE news on Thursday, meteorologist Siobhan Ryan said Ireland had experienced double the average June rainfall and temperatures were below normal for the month. More below picture FORECAST ON MET Eireann's website issued at 10.56 am on Friday, June 14. TONIGHT - FRIDAY 14TH JUNE Further showers early tonight. However a spell of rain will affect much of Leinster and Ulster tonight and overnight, the rain heavy at times with the risk of isolated thunder, elsewhere showers will become more scattered with clear spells developing. Lowest temperatures 3 to 8 Celsius in light to moderate variable breezes. Misty in places with a few fog patches developing. TOMORROW - SATURDAY 15TH JUNE Any rain lingering over Ulster and parts of north Leinster soon clearing. Then a bright, fresh day countrywide with sunny spells, but some scattered showers about also with a few heavy in the afternoon. Top temperatures 13 to 16 Celsius, in a light to moderate southwest or variable breeze. Read also: WATCH DREARY WEATHER FORECAST EXPLAINER NATIONAL OUTLOOK General: Cool and showery at first, with some heavy showers at times. Occasional sunny spells too, but temperatures below normal for mid-June in the short term. More seasonal temperatures expected from around Sunday onwards. Staying largely unsettled though, with low pressure remaining close-by. Saturday night: Clear spells overnight, with just well scattered light showers. Lows of 5 to 8 C. Sunday: Widespread showers for Sunday. A few bright or short sunny spells, but the showers will be fairly widespread by lunchtime. Many will be heavy in the afternoon and early evening, with possibly a few thundery downpours in places. Top temperatures 14 to 17 C in light to moderate south to southwest winds, which will be occasionally fresh and gusty near south and southeast coasts. Further showers overnight. Lows of 8 to 10 C. Monday: Further showers expected on Monday, heaviest and most frequent in the west and northwest with longer drier and sunnier intervals elsewhere. Top temperatures 14 to 18 C in moderate southwesterly winds. Mostly dry and clear overnight. Lows of 6 to 9 C. Tuesday: A few showers, but mostly dry and bright, with cloudy and sunny periods. Top temperatures 17 to 19 maybe 20 C, in light to moderate variable breezes. A spell of rain looks likely to move up over the country on Tuesday night. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with occasional rain, but brightening up from the west later in the day. Top temperatures 14 to 18 C in light variable breezes. New childcare regulations for after-school care may lead to rising costs for parents and fewer places for 12-year-old children, according to a leading Kildare childcare provider. The new regulations, which come into effect in August, will require services to operate with a minimum adult to child ratio of 1:12, as well as other requirements, such as Garda vetting for staff members in after-school care programmes. Georga Dowling, who runs Childs Play Early Education in Newbridge, has acknowledged that, while the governments move is in line with best practice, there are concerns that in the current childcare crisis parents will lose out as the new ratio may force prices to increase to cover new hiring costs, or places will be reduced. She said that what is missing from the proposal is the pay and respect for childcare staff. The government is not putting in the EU amount of funding towards the payment of early educators, she said. We all need ratios but if there are no staff and operators are trying to recruit staff... but if they are not there they will have to reduce the places. People dont want to work in the early education sector as the pay in general is so low because the wages are not supplemented by the government. It is very difficult to keep staff at 12 an hour or so. Graduates are coming out with their degrees but dont want to work for that pay. We (operators) have to pay rates, rent or mortages and may as a result have to increase the price for the parents. The government needs to invest more in the industry to make it attractive to workes so that we can keep people. She added that in general the current ratio for after-school children is 1:18 which would be norm however during homework this would decease to 1:7 and once finished the ratio increases back up for free play time. The children come in from school and stay until 6.30pm and this time covers project work, home work, free play, snacks and dinner - the whole educational programme. Ideally the solution would be that the government start investing in early child care to make it well paid for the staff, welfare for children and affordable for parents, said Ms Dowling. Eva Moniszkr, the manager of Tots Creche and Childcare in Newbridge, agreed that costs will rise with the new regulations. It will mean more costs for operators, she said. It is very hard to get staff to work full time. People prefer to work in the mornings than all day from 9am to 6pm. Meanwhile, under the National Childcare Scheme to be rolled out in October, parents of school-aged children in childcare will be eligible for a means-tested subsidy provided their child attends a Tulsa-registered provider. A spokesperson for Kildare County Childcare Committee, with regard to the adult child ratio, said, the ratios are essential for high quality childcare to ensure adequate supervision of children and individual attention, adding that the quality of services in the county is very high overall, with the vast majority of childcare services in the county offering school-aged childcare, providing a ratio which falls within the new standards, and indeed many are operating with fewer children per staff member. A statement from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs stated that it would not expect to see an increase in fees for school age childcare or an overall reduction in places as a result of the regulations. On the contrary, the Department expects the number of places to increase. The 12:1 ratio still allows a good profit margin for services. Taking a fee of 5 per hour for a school age childcare service and multiplying this by 12 enables 60 to be earned per hour. The average wage in the childcare sector is 12 per hour. Staff costs are the biggest expense for childcare providers. The 12:1 ratio enables businesses to operate in a very viable way and still cross-subsidise more expensive services for younger children where they exist. The new National Childcare Scheme is being introduced in October next, and will allow some parents to access means-tested childcare supports. Full information is available at www.ncs.gov.ie/home. SEE ALSO: Dunnes Stores to open in Naas Locals living in the rural area of Belan in Moone heard the search and rescue helicopter at around 4am this morning but didn't realise until day dawned that two men had died nearby in a tragic air crash. The crash site itself is well in off the public road, two fields beyond a lane way which leads to a private farmyard. One local man said the helicopter had woken him up around 4am. He was shocked to learn the reason for their presence later on this morning. Another neighbour said he had heard the plane had taken off from Kilrush airfield before it crashed a short time later. "Our thoughts are with the family and we are mindful of the tragic situation," said another local resident. Evelyn Kavanagh of Greese View House, Evelyn lives about three quarters of a mile from the crash site, in a quiet, rural area near Junction 3. At about 4.30am a helicopter was circling over the garage of my house," she said. Ms Kavanagh said that she got a call from a friend at about 11am this morning to tell her that a plane had crashed at Belan. She also offered her sympathies to the families involved. News of the crash was only emerging as the morning progressed with several media outlets arriving at the rural County Kildare scene. Gardai have sealed off the site so the crash site investigators can carry out their investigation. Kildare Superintendant Martin Walker is due to give a briefing at the scene at 2pm. Cllr Ivan Keatley said he had heard one of the deceased men may have been an instructor and one may have had links to Kildare town. A former Kildare resident serving time in a US prison for serious fraud offences has been given a release date of March 2021, according to a Leinster Leader investigation. Dual Irish and US citizen Patrick Lee (46), who was living at an address in Newtown, Kildare town, in the past, was sentenced at a federal court in Boston in March on charges arising out of a multi-year mortgage fraud scheme in Boston. Lee was sentenced to four years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $842,552 (745,120) to victim lenders. Mortgage lenders suffered losses of $3.9m (3.45m). According to the court documents, the fraudster has not yet filed an appeal. Lee is incarcerated at Allenwood low security correctional institution in Pennsylvania state. The Leader was informed by the US Attorneys Office District of Massachusetts this week that Lees release date is March 20, 2021 In November 2018, Lee pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction. A year previously, he was extradited from Ireland in 2017 to face the charges, marking the first extradition from Ireland to the United States since 2012. According to court documents, between July 2005 and May 2007, Lee engaged with others in a mortgage fraud scheme. Lee or an associate bought five multi-family buildings, financed those purchases with fraudulently obtained mortgage loans, and then quickly converted the buildings to condominiums which facilitated the resale of individual units in the buildings to fake buyers. Irish Water can confirm that most of the homes and businesses affected by the water outage caused by a burst pipe in Carrick-on-Shannon have a temporary water supply returned. A small number of houses in high lying areas are still without a supply, however, Irish Water, working in partnership with Leitrim County Council expect that those properties will receive a temporary supply this morning (Friday, June 14). Customers receiving this temporary supply may experience intermittent outages and lower than normal pressures while repairs continue. Customers in the areas affected are asked to conserve water in their homes and business while repairs to the burst pipe continue. Further information on conservation measures is available on the Irish Water website here. Irish Water and its contractors are continuing to work to repair the burst pipe in difficult conditions. Repairs are complex due to ground conditions and the condition of the old cast iron mains pipe. Irish Water will continue to update the public as repairs continue. Customers are advised to check their internal plumbing for air locks. More information on airlocks is available on the Irish Water website here. The area affected by the burst are houses and businesses on the Leitrim Road, Shannon Grove, The Paddocks, Tir na Si, Cluain Ard, Cluain Si, Pairc Meala, Gort Aoibhin, Cluain Oir, Cnoc Beag, Maigh Glas, Ros Airgid, and Bothair Saileach. A spokesperson for Irish Water said: "understands the inconvenience when a burst occurs and thanks customers for their patience while we work to repair the burst and restore a full supply to impacted customers. A traffic management system will be in place for the duration of the works. "Our customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1850 278 278 and customers can also contact us on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. Updates will continue to be provided on the water supply and services section of the Irish Water website www.water.ie" Eason is delighted to announce Fionn OLeary from Gortletteragh NS as this years Eason All-Ireland Spelling Bee Champion. Fionn took home the trophy following stiff competition from the three other finalists. Fionn successfully spelled silhouette after a competitive spell-off at The Helix today. Fionn is an avid reader and loves reading the Percy Jackson series. Along with the prestigious title of Eason Spelling Bee 2019 Champion, Fionn will also take home a collection of books for his school library worth 7,500 as well as a personal collection of books worth 500. Now in its ninth year, the Eason Spelling Bee is the very definition of fun for school kids, encouraging them to read more, expand their vocabulary and fall in love with literacy. Brendan Corbett, Group Head of Marketing at Eason, said; Were delighted to announce Fionn as the Eason Spelling Bee Champion 2019. As we conclude the ninth year of the Eason Spelling Bee, we want to thank all of the participating schools and pupils who made the competition so exciting. The children involved continue to impress us with their level of spelling skill and its brilliant to see the schools continue to support the Eason Spelling Bee year after year. We look forward to celebrating our ten-year anniversary next year. This year, 900 schools around Ireland took part in the nationwide contest. Eason partnered with Today FM for a fourth year and presenter Alison Curtis was the host of this years Provincial and All-Ireland Spelling Bee Finals. If the Congress Party under Indira Gandhi introduced the political relationship between the government and ruling party as one where the former de facto took control of the latter, the Left Front in West Bengal, after 1977, rolled out a system wherein, the party became the government. This was chiefly across rural areas where Operation Barga, the land reforms giving inheritance rights to sharecroppers, leased agricultural fields by landlords. Alongside these reforms, the Jyoti Basu government had rolled in the panchayat system. These functioned as local governance units and became the executing arm for the governments welfare schemes. Electoral dominance in panchayats effectively meant that the party cadre and local leaders doubled up as government functionaries. Despite the Left Fronts supremacy, in a large number of villages the Congress continued to resist Communist hegemony. In these islands, the Congress or smaller Opposition parties too controlled local governance. This made the party endemic in West Bengal, destroying other social institutions. There was no activity, be it the local carrom club, the traders association or even the school managing committee, which were not platforms where one party contested another. Not all support for the party mobilised by local leaders who were more often than not the resident mastaan, a polite term for goon was ideological. Mostly, the relationship was mutually beneficial the leaders were free to determine beneficiaries of government schemes and as a quid pro quo, the party was assured of votes. Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamul Congress played along, for she knew that once the threshold was reached, the local leaders would queue up at her portal. In campaigns to reach the tipping point where the Trinamul Congress could be considered an alternative to the CPI(M)-led Left Front, Ms Banerjee raked emotive the land issues in Nandigram and Singur, besides other non-sectarian issues. Moreover, for close to two decades, she led brave mass agitations and steered street protests, often at great risk to her life. In contrast, the BJP has opted for shortcuts. The party reached this far chiefly on the shoulders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, and on rising anti-incumbency sentiment. But the rise of the BJP carries graver portent because this is ideologically driven and harnesses long-dormant Hindu communalist sentiment. What has caused this is besides the point, because the implications of the majority community turning sectarian are more ominous than the other way around. For a long time, it was believed that the BJPs Hindutva-centric politics would cut no ice with Bengalis as Bengal was once was crucible of modernity and home to the Indian Renaissance. The idea of cultural nationalism would find few takers here, it was felt. The rapid decline and eventual disappearance of the Jan Sangh after Syama Prasad Mookerjees death was cited as an indication of Hindutvas limited appeal. In terms of realpolitik, little changed in West Bengal, at the policy level as well as in political orientation, after the Left Front was voted out in 2011. The party system remained, and this merely shifted its loyalty from one party to another. As far as the people were concerned, they still had to remain on the right side of the mastaans to benefit from state largesse. From 2013, when Narendra Modi assumed the BJP leadership and indicated that he was seriously pursuing electoral success in this one-time Leftist bastion, Mamata Banerjee responded with alertness. But, to consolidate her electoral base, she did what the Left Front never did actively woo extreme elements among the states Muslims. This provided the BJP with the opening it needed. The Lok Sabha results from West Bengal are the biggest takeaway for the BJP because it opens the door to political power in the state when Assembly elections are next held, due in 2021. The BJPs rise in the state, accompanied by political polarisation on communal lines, is extremely worrying. The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), which has without fail conducted post-poll surveys for long, has now released ominous data, especially from West Bengal. That the BJP won 18 Lok Sabha seats and got 40.3 per cent voteshare, against the TMCs 22 seats and 43.3 per cent voteshare is widely known. But more startlingly, the votes of the two parties mirror the religious divide in the state. The BJP voteshare is almost entirely raised on the support the party secured among Hindus in the state while the TMCs voteshare, and the near decimation of the Left (collectively just 7.5 per cent) is primarily due to Muslims lining up behind Ms Banerjee and her party. While in 2014, the BJP had an estimated support of 21 per cent of Hindus, this time the backing rose to 57 per cent. Likewise, while in 2014, there was a three-way split in the Muslim vote TMC (40 per cent), Left Front (31 per cent) and the Congress (24 per cent) this time the ruling party in the state has secured 70 per cent of the communitys backing. The BJP is yet to secure wrest control of the ideologically agnostic party apparatus across West Bengal, but this has been greatly neutralised by the Hindutva-driven push from people. To retain their control over the people and to continue acting like powerbrokers, the mastaan brigade will hereon have to embrace the BJP ideologically. So far, the BJP has not exhibited any indication of willingness to alter the states power mechanics. As the post-poll violence and the insistence on provocatively parading bodies of deceased party workers demonstrates, the BJP appears to be a party in a hurry and is unwMamata Banerjee (Photo: ANI)illing to stop at anything. Attempts to give a communal twist to the death of a Muslim man in a leading Kolkata hospital is also continuing from both sides. Instead of accepting that medical neglect is common in hospitals, Ms Baneerjee is intent on cracking the whip solely on doctors, without even once condemning the violence. The BJP, on the other hand, is using the incident as another opportunity to arouse Hindu passion by depicting it as one more instance of Muslim appeasement. The end result is that the state hurtles towards more violence, which people thought was in the past. Suddenly, history pages are being flipped to see what may yet break out once again. Eason is delighted to announce Fionn OLeary from Leitrim as this years Eason All-Ireland Spelling Bee Champion. Fionn took home the trophy following stiff competition from the three other finalists. Fionn successfully spelled silhouette after a competitive spell-off at The Helix yesterday. Fionn is an avid reader and loves reading the Percy Jackson series. Along with the prestigious title of Eason Spelling Bee 2019 Champion, Fionn will also take home a collection of books for his school library, worth 7,500 as well as a personal collection of books worth 500. Now in its ninth year, the Eason Spelling Bee is the very definition of fun for school kids, encouraging them to read more, expand their vocabulary and fall in love with literacy. Brendan Corbett, Group Head of Marketing at Eason, said; Were delighted to announce Fionn as the Eason Spelling Bee Champion 2019. As we conclude the ninth year of the Eason Spelling Bee, we want to thank all of the participating schools and pupils who made the competition so exciting. The children involved continue to impress us with their level of spelling skill and its brilliant to see the schools continue to support the Eason Spelling Bee year after year. We look forward to celebrating our ten-year anniversary next year. This year, 900 schools around Ireland took part in the nationwide contest. Eason partnered with Today FM for a fourth year and presenter Alison Curtis was the host of this years Provincial and All-Ireland Spelling Bee Finals. Catch up on all the 2019 Spelling Bee buzz on www.easons.com/spellingbee and @easons #EasonSpellingBee As the world looks towards the centenary of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, an exhibition telling of WW1 through the lens of Leitrim and its people opens at St Georges Heritage Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon on June 19 next. The exhibition comprises personalised artworks remembering the fallen - some created by family members and others under an Adopt a Soldier programme and a pop up museum of personal artefacts and family treasures of that time, accompanied by Gallant Sons, a National Library of Ireland touring exhibition. Part of Leitrims Versailles Programme and supported by Leitrim Peace IV Partnership, it shares experiences from some Leitrim families who lost loved ones in the Great War. Among those remembered in the exhibition are Patrick Canning, son of Patrick and Mary Canning of Ballinamore, who enlisted as Patrick McGuire, although the exact reason why is not known. Having lost his life on 25 March 1917, Patrick is commemorated at Belgiums Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery. Patrick McGuinness of Kiltyclogher served as Lance Corporal with the Royal Engineers. Injured in the field, he was one of the few to recuperate at home. He passed away in October 1915 and now rests in Rossinver Old Graveyard. Following successful exhibitions in Ballinamore, Carrigallen and Manorhamilton, the exhibition is on show at St Georges Heritage Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon from June 19-28. The exhibition opens 7pm Wednesday, June 19, and all are welcome. The Remembering Leitrim War Dead project is supported by the European Unions PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Contact LeitrimCommemorations@ gmail.com or 086 8093965 for more information. A NEWCASTLE West woman with 225 previous convictions came before the local court last week to face three charges of shoplifting from local shops. Before the court was Mary Ryan, 17 Sharwood Estate, Newcastle West who pleaded to the offences of taking goods without payment from Dooleys Pharmacy valued at 75 last May 12, of taking goods valued at 58.47 from SuperValu last May 22 and taking goods without payment from the same supermarket valued at 264.34 last May 19. None of the goods were recovered, the court was told. Pleading for his client, solicitor Michael ODonnell said she was dealing with these matters upfront. He accepted she had a diabolical record but said she had seen the light. Judge Mary Larkin said the problem was the accuseds addiction. She knows it. I know it, she said. Ms Ryan pleaded with the judge, saying: I was doing good. I had a relapse. I know exactly what your difficulty is, the judge said pointing out that there had been a number of attempts by Ms Ryan to stop but to absolutely no avail. She told Ms Ryan when she had appeared before her with 150 convictions, you giggled. Then it was 180 convictions and now it was 225 plus the current ones, the judge pointed out. Ms Ryan said she hadnt touched anything since the previous Friday and had been signing on every day. Will you give me one last chance? she asked. Nothing is going to prevent you from committing theft to subsidise your habit except going to jail, Judge Larkin said. I am not giving you another chance. I feel very harsh doing that but there is continued criminality here. She sentenced Ms Ryan to three months imprisonment on the May 19 charge of taking 264.34 worth of goods without payment. Recognisance with leave to appeal was set at her own bond of 250 and an independent surety of 1000 with 500 to be lodged. A LIMERICK woman will take to the skies in a bid to raise funds for Milford Hospice in memory of her late father. Shannon O'Neill, 26, from Meanus, has raised more than 6,000and still countingfor the palliative care facility, which cared for her father William who died from bowel cancer last year. This weekend, Shannon will host a charity event and will do a sky dive in memory of her father this September. She is also organising a charity social night at the Pier Hotel this Saturday at 8pm. William, who spent most of his life on Old Cork Road, worked for Fulflex for most of his professional career and spent his last working years in Element 6. The married father-of-three was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2017 and passed away in April 2018, aged 52. Shannon says the nurses in Milford "couldn't have been kinder, more thoughtful or attentive" during his care. "The four of us [Shannon, sister Jade, brother Adam, and mum Jennifer] stayed in my dad's room every night, on chairs, floors and windowsills, and the nurses would come and work around us, while being more than happy to answer any questions at any time. "They [nurses] not only cared for my dad and kept him comfortable, they also looked after us so well, and didnt bat an eyelid to the other 20 family members that slept all over the Solas Ward," she told the Leader this Thursday. She said that he was a "massive family man" and that they "couldn't have been closer as a family". "His life revolved around his family and not just us four, he adored his mother and father, his siblings, and he loved my mam's family just as much. He was the most hardworking person I know, he worked hard all his life so that we could have the absolute best childhoods and later years, we couldnt have asked for more." She said that he was a huge Liverpool FC fan, and adored his two pet Labradors Mylo and Kobe. "We often joked he loved them just as much, if not more, than his three children," she said. On her father's birthday, September 27, Shannon will do a sky dive from 10,000 feet in memory of William. And she said the reaction has been "generous" so far, with over 50 prizes to give away at this weekend's raffle, including a signed Limerick jersey by the All-Ireland champs, a signed Munster Jersey, a range of vouchers and many more. "Initially, I didnt think i would get the reaction I have, everyone is being so generous! "I honestly couldnt thank everyone enough for how generous theyve been with donations, spot prizes, sponsors, and the Pier Hotel who have been so kind to us and looked after us so well, when it came to organising the event." THE chairman of Limerick Tidy Towns has told private business owners who do not take care of their basements to shape up or sell out. Helen ODonnell was speaking after the latest Irish Business Against Litter (Ibal) anti-litter league revealed a massive problem with dumping on private lands, particularly in High Street, Cecil Street and off Upper William Street. Tidy Towns has run a high-profile campaign to persuade building owners to allow them in to clean-up dirty basements. The problem has once again been highlighted by Ibal in its latest report, which sees the city fall down 18 places, and is now considered one of the most littered in the state. Ms ODonnell says it is frustrating, because there is little the Tidy Towns volunteers can do about private land. Its a repeated problem, she told The Leader, Tidy Towns would make a huge appeal to successful business people who we know hold some of these properties and keep them in an appalling state, derelict, and the basement full of every kind of disgusting rubbish. I would be calling on them to shape up or sell out. While we have repeatedly put huge volunteer effort into tidying peoples private property, as we are passionate about having our city as the cleanest place, we need support. Mayor Michael Sheahan is calling on everyone to help in the fight against litter. The Ibal report has highlighted a number of issues. I am particularly calling on all basement owners to clean their basements today and keep them clean. Its not good enough to leave it to city centre volunteers who have done marvellous work on basements, or to wait for an enforcement notice to clean up. Clean up for yourselves, your neighbours and visitors to our city, was the mayors message to the people. While Limerick was in 35th position, there was even worse news for the southside community of Galvone and its surrounds, with the inspectors placing it in 38th out of 40. The inspectors from An Taisce singled out the back of the industrial estate for criticism, the recycle facility at the Roxboro Shopping Centre was slammed for the fact it was left overflowing when they visited. Newly elected Janesboro councillor Sarah Kiely said there are no plans for additional bins in the area including for dog litter. Its something she plans to address locally, saying: Its not really good enough. Galvone has again hit the headlines, which is disappointing. It says in the report, Galvone is littered but improved, so we have to see the positive in that. Before, we were the only ones hitting the headlines. Now we are littered, but improved, she added. Top of the second Ibal anti-litter league for 2019 was Kilkenny. Meanwhile, the only two areas placed below Galvone were Ballymun in North Dublin, the only litter blackspot and Mahon in Cork. A TAXI driver who blocked the path of pedestrians when he pulled in at the rear of a taxi rank in the city centre was fined 150 for breaching taxi regulations. Charles Amoh Bossman, 69, who has an address at Ballycummin Village was prosecuted, before Limerick District Court, by the National Transport Authority for standing for hire on a public road last summer. Michael Mullane, a compliance officer with the NTA, told barrister Katherine Finn, prosecuting, that he was on duty at OConnell Street on August 16, last when he observed the defendants taxi pull in at the rear of the rank was which was completely full. He remained in a pedestrian area for six minutes, he said adding that pedestrians had to go around his taxi to cross the road. Judge Marian OLeary was told the detection was made near Brown Thomas at around 6.30pm and that the defendant, who is a native of Ghana, was very courteous and polite when approached by Mr Mullane. Solicitor Darach McCarthy said his client has no previous convictions and that he is working to put his children through college. He is of pensionable age, he said urging the court to be lenient given Mr Bossmans modest income. Mr McCarthy also the judge to note his clients age and previous good record. He cant make any excuse, he said. Judge OLeary imposed a 150 fine and directed that he pay a contribution of 200 towards the costs of the National Transport Authority. A Mirza Ghalib quoting district and sessions judge Tejwinder Singh in his order delivered in Pathankot, on what is called the Kathua case in which an eight-year-old girl was brutalised referred to the perpetrators of this heinous crime as men who behaved like there is a law of the jungle prevalent in our society. It pains one to say this, but the learned judge was stating the obvious. The Kathua case, which horrified and shocked the country, only succeeded in underlining the deep sickness plaguing our dysfunctional, disjointed and fragmented society. A sickness that goes beyond sexual assault, beyond perversions, beyond cruelty and beyond sadism. What is this condition called? Is there a name for such depravity? Since the Kathua crime, committed on January 10, 2018 hit national headlines and the victims shell-shocked father filed a missing person report, there have been countless similar crimes involving the most vulnerable members of our nation helpless little girls. In the Kathua case seven persons, including four cops, were involved. The main conspirator is a retired revenue officer, and believe it or not, a priest of the temple where the female child was held, drugged, raped and murdered. A devil named Deepak Khajuria (a special police officer), is the villain who begged to be allowed to rape her one last time before she was killed. One cannot insult the animal kingdom by describing these men as jaanwars. And this crime goes well beyond the learned judges description. Since, even the law of the jungle has its own rules and codes. Have you ever heard of an animal conspiracy to sexually assault and kill the young of another? The real savages are those who live amongst us and pretend to be civilised and educated human beings. These assaulters held positions in government. They were technically educated. They wielded power a power they chose to abuse in a manner so grotesque and abhorrent, one wonders about the lives of these psychopaths and how they believed theyd get away with the crime. Thanks to the Supreme Court fast-tracking the case and asking for the trial to be conducted on camera, six convictions were confirmed earlier this week. A juvenile accused, tutored by Anand Dutta, an assistant inspector of police, to destroy the evidence for a bribe of Rs 4 lakhs (paid by the murderer-priest, Sanji Ram), is yet to be tried. Is five years in jail enough of a punishment for those who conspired to destroy the evidence? Is a life term for the three main accused sufficient? These are questions that really do not have clear-cut answers. A tender young life has been savagely snuffed out. Whether these men now rot in jail or not matters little. The murdered childs father, a nomadic Bakharwal from the higher reaches of Kashmir, said with utmost dignity and immense grace that he wants to go back to Kathua and sit by his baby girls grave for a long time, offering prayers and expressing his gratitude for the verdict. Imagine! Look at this mans incredible strength of character! No vengeful words. No hate. Just deeply felt sorrow that may never heal his wounds, but offers much needed solace. The grieving father does not seek revenge or the death sentence for those degraded creatures who snatched away his little one. He seeks peace and closure. What a remarkable man. Without going into the gory details about the more recent Aligarh murder of a two-and-a-half year old girl child, whose mutilated body was found in a dumping ground, it makes one ask: Have horrific sexual crimes against infants little girls and little boys become so commonplace that soon a time may come when we turn immune and turn away, dismissing it as another sordid manifestation of our own hideousness? That will be the most pathetic response to an ongoing tragedy we are clearly unable to deal with. Sometimes I watch teenage boys aimlessly loitering around Mumbais streets hooked to their mobile phones. Most, I am told, are watching hardcore pornography since it is accessible and more significantly free. Sexual violence forms the core of most such sites. Kids assume it is normal, even desirable. Most of the recent cases of sexual crimes involve juveniles who have either been instigated to participate in the gangrape of a child, or have done so without thinking of the consequences. One dreads to wake up and read the front page these days. The frequency of gruesome crimes against children has gone up drastically or so it appears since we dont really possess sufficient data. So many incidents are unreported. Most go unpunished. The worst aspect of these reports is the direct involvement of cops. For each Kathua or Aligarh murder, there are hundreds of undetected cases. I am not even cataloguing the rapes and murders committed by family members to settle scores. Suspending the Internet, as has happened in Tappal, Aligarh, will not bring back the two-and-a-half year old infant. Neither will the reintroduction of the ridiculously dubbed romeo squads by chief minister Yogi Adityanath take away the shame of five rapes a week in his state of Uttar Pradesh. Intensified vigilance is but one small measure to protect victims. But more than any of these State measures, we need a crash course in introspection the sickness in our society is reaching epidemic levels. We have to save our children and women whatever it takes. THE Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has reiterated the Governments commitment to move forward with plans for a directly elected Mayor of Limerick. Eoghan Murphy was speaking in the Dail this week in response to a Parliamentary Question submitted by Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins following last months plebiscite which was passed by almost 4,000 votes. It is now my intention to deliver on the will of the people of Limerick without delay. Significant work on the proposal has already been carried out, he said. In the expectation that the preparatory work can be carried out and the legislative process is prioritised in the Oireachtas, the first election for mayor could take place in Limerick City and County Council in 2021, he added Minister of State John Paul Phelan who has responsibility for local government reform has previously said the required legislation is his number one priority. The first directly-elected mayor will serve in the role until May 2024 when the next local elections are due to take place. Every subsequent holder of the office will serve for a five-year term for a maximum of two terms. The directly-elected Mayor of Limerick, who will be paid around 130,000 a year, will have some executive responsibilites which are currently carried out by the chief executive of the local authority. There number of elected councillors will not change. TRIBUTES have been paid to Conn Murray, who is stepping down after seven years serving Limericks local authorities. Mr Murray will leave the role of chief executive after his contract expires in mid-August. In a letter to Mayor Michael Sheahan and his staff, Mr Murray said: I have had the pleasure of serving the public in many different capacities over the last 40 years as I developed my career in local government. The last seven years back in Limerick have, on a personal and professional level, been the most rewarding. Mayor Sheahan said that the key statistics from Mr Murrays period in charge speak for themselves. We have, in the past five years, seen over 15,000 new jobs and 2billion of planned investment bound for Limerick. The blueprint for this success has been Limerick 2030: An Economic and Spatial Plan for Limerick a once in a generation plan delivered by Conn that has steered the recovery of our city and county, a recovery that has urban centres across the nation and beyond looking on in envy. Initiatives like Limerick Twenty Thirty, which is going to be transformative for the city, advancing the Regeneration programme, the creation of the largest economic unit in any local authority and implementing the Irelands first National City of Culture programme all came under his watch. Cllr Daniel Butler said Mr Murrays greatest legacy was the creation of Limerick Twenty Thirty, which is charged with regenerating huge swathes of the city. Its a body that has become an example of local authority ingenuity not just in Ireland but across Europe. A brave and bold move that reflects the man himself, Cllr Butler added. Green Party councillor Brian Leddin wants to see a cross-party group set up to decide who succeeds Mr Murray in the high-profile role. He said: Appointing a chief executive is a power clearly reserved for democratically-elected councillors, and it is entirely proper that we communicate our preferences for what kind of chief executive we would like to appoint. The Limerick Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan added: There have been some incredible leaders of Limerick across many spheres and eras but Conn Murray has been a stand-out figure in our time, and has been the principal architect of the resurgence of Limerick through the recession and the birth of a new era that we have embarked on. A LIMERICK man who sexually assaulted a boy has not paid a penny of 200,000 he owes the victim in damages, the court heard. Cian McCarthy, aged 22, was just seven-years-old when he was first abused by his neighbour, Pat OBrien, of Tankardstown, Kilmallock. O'Brien pleaded guilty in 2008 at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to six counts of sexual assault. In evidence, Mr McCarthy said O'Brien would come up behind him and would kiss and fondle him. OBrien was sentenced to three years in prison. In 2017, McCarthy sued O'Brien in the High Court for assault and trespass to the person on different dates between 2004 and 2006. He was awarded 200,000. In Kilmallock Court last month, there was an instalment order application by Mr McCarthy against OBrien in respect of the 200,000. Marie Ford, solicitor for McCarthy, said OBrien, aged 69, had not paid a penny and questioned him on a statement of means that he had filed. OBriens solicitor, Bill ODonnell said his client had filed a very honest statement of means. Ms Ford said the figures show he has a surplus of 50 every week. Some weeks I might and some weeks I wont. Ive had to pay 160 in and out to the Regional Hospital for an angiogram. I had to pay 95 each way to Nenagh Hospital to get my cataracts done. Im very much in the red, said OBrien. Ms Ford asked about 20,000 he has in a Kilmallock Credit Union account. OBrien said he received 19,000 from a car accident and that money will be used to pay legal fees from the High Court case. Mr ODonnell told Judge Marian OLeary that OBriens legal costs havent been taxed yet. The court heard that OBrien has 1,458.82 in an AIB account. My old age pension and a 120 pension per month from the UK when I worked there, said OBrien. He said all he has is his house and his car - a 2011 Toyota Avensis valued at 4,200. Ms Ford asked OBrien is there a for sale sign outside the house. My house was up for sale while I was in prison. I served three years. I thought that was the end of it. I cant make people buy it. There are five houses on my road. I am putting it on the market, said OBrien. His house is valued at 125,000, Ms Ford asked: Are you willing to pay monthly instalments? I will pay when I sell my house, said OBrien. You need to start paying now, said Ms Ford. Where am I going to get it? How am I going to live? replied OBrien. Ms Ford said OBrien has shown no regard for the High Court order. A for sale sign needs to go up, said Ms Ford, who made an application for an instalment order of 300 a month. Judge OLeary said OBrien has uncertainty because he has a bill of costs coming. The judge ordered OBrien pay 100 a month of the 200,000 he owes Mr McCarthy. BUSINESS people in the city are entitled to be protected from a serial shoplifter who has been described as a scourge for shop-owners and staff they employ. Those were the comments of Judge Tom ODonnell as he jailed Adam Hayes who is so prolific he is on first name terms with security guards at stores across the city. Mr Hayes, 32, of Lee Estate, Island Road had pleaded guilty to nine separate theft charges relating to offences which occurred over a short period last year. Garda Enda Clifford told Limerick Circuit Court handbags worth a total of 234.50 were stolen from Allens, William Street, on four separate occasions in January and February as well as cosmetics worth 330 from the Body Shop, OConnell Street, on three separate dates. The other offences, which Mr Hayes admitted, relate to the theft of pizza worth 42 from Garveys SuperValu, Grove Island, and beauty products worth 42.96 from Charlotte Quay pharmacy. Some of the property was recovered as he was following or apprehended by security staff. Garda Clifford said Mr Hayes, who has nearly 200 previous convictions, has been banned from the city centre in the past given the torment he has caused for retailers. He said most of the theft incidents were captured on CCTV and that in each case security personnel were able to identify Mr Hayes as he was known to them. Imposing sentence, Judge ODonnell noted Mr Hayes has chronic drugs issues and that there is an ongoing cycle of criminality every time he is released from prison. The cold reality is that he is the scourge of shop owners and the security staff they employ, he said commenting that nothing is safe unless it is nailed to the ground. The judge said the multiplicity of charges was an aggravating factor as was Mr Hayes previous history. However, he noted that he was the victim of a serious assault a number of years ago and that he is generally cooperative when arrested and questioned by gardai. However, he said a custodial sentence had to be imposed. Business people are entitled to conduct their lawful business and to be protected from the actions of the accused, he commented. A four year prison sentence was imposed with the final 12 months suspended. The sentence was back-dated to February 18, 2018 the date of Mr Hayes arrest. A TAKEAWAY in a Limerick village has re-opened after the HSE ordered it to close earlier this month. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has confirmed that Burger Bite at Main Street, Foynes was ordered to close on June 7 following an inspection of the premises by Environmental Health Officers. The Closure Order, which was served on the proprietor under the provisions of the FSAI Act 1998, was formally lifted by the HSE the following day June 8 when the matters of concern were rectified. The reason for the Closure Order has not been disclosed publicly by the FSAI and its not known if the inspection was planned or simply routine. Burger Bite is the third food premises in Limerick to be ordered to close so far in 2019. Another takeaway premises in Bruree was ordered to close in February while a retail premises in the city centre was ordered to close last month. Both premises have since reopened after the closure orders were lifted. The African Indie Writers Review (AFIRE) ejournal is happy to announce The 2019 Linda Ikeji Prize for Literature. This is going to be an annual event. The Prize: N1,000,000.00 (One Million Naira) The Need: African Indie-Writers Review (AFIRE) is an ejournal strategically positioned to hold out a hand to new, contemporary and audacious African writers most interested in taking their work to a wider world. We now live in a global village of both happy and sad magic, where technology levels the opportunity gap between those who have been seen and those who have much to show, but have not been heard from. There is one thing we all must agree on: Africa never stopped talking, from every nook and corner. Sometimes we are forced to talk, as the late Christopher Okigbo puts it, without voice or audience. But Africa keeps talking. Today we must find both our voice and our audience inside our own communal cry. Silence should never be an option. We must keep our fires burning. Call for submission: We are now receiving submissions for the 2019 Linda Ikeji Prize for Literature. All entries should be forwarded to: [email protected] DEADLINE for submission: June 30 2019. No material submitted after 11:59pm on June 30 2019 will be considered. CATEGORIES There are six categories for material to be submitted to AFIRE: Fiction, Prose full length novels: published, self-published or unpublished Fiction, Prose short stories: published, self-published or unpublished Non Fiction - published, self-published or unpublished Poetry collections: published, self-published or unpublished Drama - published, self-published or unpublished Social media essays collections: published, self-published or unpublished Requirements All materials should be submitted in Microsoft Word file format. Pdf files are allowed for only poetry submissions where original format is considered a critical part of the aesthetic presentation. Fonts should be size 12 in all submitted materials. Materials could be of any topic and theme, as long as it demonstrates a clear and undisputable motion for growth and development, enlightenment and humanity on the continent. New African writers in diaspora holding valid passports of any African country are eligible to participate. The decisions of the judging panel are final. Welcome to the new literary drum on the continent! Family of the American model who died in a hotel room in Ghana, are asking f ... If former Vice President Joe Biden gets elected in 2020, he's curing cancer. At least that's what the presidential hopeful promised at a campaign stop in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Tuesday this week. "I promise you if I'm elected president, you're going to see the single most important thing that changes America," Biden announced. "We're gonna cure cancer." The crowd cheered in response. But Biden's promise made one cancer expert cringe. "Are we going to open the news one day and hear that cancer has been cured? No," Deanna Attai, an assistant clinical professor of surgery at the University of California Los Angeles, told Live Science. "It's just not that simple," she added. This campaign promise is misleading because it suggests that cancer is one disease with one cure, which is not the case, Attai said. More than one disease, more than one cure There are more than 100 kinds of cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health. Each of those cancers has a different cause, from viruses to radiation. Each demands its own treatment. Developing individual treatments for each variety of cancer from screening tools to therapies is a piecemeal process. "It's two steps forward, one step back," Attai said. So when Biden promises to cure cancer, he's talking about curing not just one, but many diseases. Some of those diseases, we may realistically never be able to cure. After all, cancer is characterized by cells that "take on a life of their own," she added. These cells can mutate, change and evade the drugs scientists develop. So a single cure for all cancers? That's not going to happen, Attai said. Even a single, incredibly effective cancer drug takes much more than a presidential term to develop. Before they become available to patients, treatments must go through years of animal testing and clinical trials. The whole process can take years, often longer than a single presidential term, Attai said. Not the only way to save lives There's another issue with the promise of a singular cure for cancer: it isn't the only way to save people from cancer. And since cancer research funding isnt unlimited, focusing only on a cure can potentially mean spending less money on other avenues that could save just as many lives. Since 1991, cancer death rates have dropped by 27% 2,629,200 fewer deaths than we would have expected, according to the American Cancer Society. The main reason for this progress? People smoke less. Lung cancer, one of the top three deadliest forms of cancer, has seen some of the steepest declines over the past three decades. Although not all cases of cancer prevention are as cut and dry as reducing smoking, many cases of cancer are likely preventable through reducing environmental harm. Other potential causes of cancer include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and exposure to air pollution. "Focusing on a cure doesn't address why cancer is developing in the first place," Attai said. It also doesn't address socioeconomic disparities and the resulting gulf in access to care, she added. Overall, cancer deaths are 20% higher in the country's poorest communities compared to the richest communities, due in part to discrepancies in health care access, according to a report by the American Cancer Society. The greatest differences in cancer outcomes between these communities occur in the most preventable and treatable cancers, the report adds. For example, we know that a vaccine can prevent most cases of cervical cancer, which is the second deadliest cancer in women ages 20 to 39, according to the American Cancer Society. Twice as many women die from this cancer in lower income counties compared to the highest income counties. By eliminating this gap in access to treatment, one study estimated that 34% of these deaths could be prevented. A cure for all cancers may not be a realistic campaign promise but there are steps that can be taken toward reducing cancer's impact, Attai said. Those steps include funneling dollars into research, programs that provide health care to underserved communities and public health spending. "Progress in treating cancer is incremental," Attai said, "We shouldn't be putting an artificial timeline on a cure." Originally published on Live Science. Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory: Stories By Raphael Bob-Waksberg Knopf. 256 pp. $25.95 --- "The sun is shining / and the birds are singing / and because today is the very last day / they will sing forever." These words, set against a cut-up photograph of a river edged by mountains, appear on the home page of "A Softer World," a web comic by Emily Horne and Joey Comeau that ran from 2003 to 2015. There is a certain subset of millennials who become misty-eyed when you bring it up, remembering how profound this comic felt to their younger selves. While I haven't scientifically tested it, my theory is that the Venn diagram of readers of "A Softer World" and viewers of the Netflix original series "BoJack Horseman" is a circle. While these two seemingly disconnected media darlings differ utterly in style and subject matter, they share a tone, by turns ironic, melancholy and ironically melancholy, full of angst, yearning, insecurity, love and a healthy dose of self-awareness. Additionally, they share a core of very real existentialism masking itself (more or less successfully) with humor. Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of "Bojack," has now taken this particularly millennial tone - and as a millennial, I do not say this with derision - to a new form: the short story. His debut collection, "Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory" (a title that seems straight out of "A Softer World") will surely appeal to his existing fan base. With 18 stories of varying lengths, "Damaged Glory" is deftly and confidently written, full of experimental fun. The first story, "Salted Circus Cashews, Swear to God," about a nameless he-and-she who've finished a date and gone to his house, is very short, its text starting overlarge and getting smaller and smaller until by the end it is as minuscule as the ingredients lists on food packaging. This brief, two-page opener perfectly sets the tone for the collection, as the story, which seems at first like it's about nothing, becomes an intense, anxious internal monologue about the perils of trust. "Short Stories" is a numbered list of brief near-cliches that mock common pitfalls of heterosexual relationships: 3. "You're not like other girls," he said to every girl. 4. She told him she loved him and cared about him, and he was so dizzy in love himself he didn't realize she was breaking up with him. Many of the stories have some sort of formal or fantastical gimmick, including one about superheroes whose powers work only when they're drunk, and another about a couple planning a small and nonreligious wedding who get pressured by friends and family into including a host of alternate-universe traditions such as an expensive Promise Egg, a Shrieking Chorus (which is essential for the "Weeping and Flailing and Shouting of Lamentations") and plentiful goat sacrifice. "Rufus," meanwhile, is told entirely from the point of view of a lovable dog. While no two stories here feel similar, there are themes that seem to preoccupy Bob-Waksberg, mostly involving emotional vulnerability or its lack, the ways in which humans shut themselves off from one another, and that deeply terrifying thing: love, whether romantic, platonic or familial. "Missed Connection - m4w," which was originally posted by the author on Craigslist's Missed Connections section, begins as expected: "I saw you on the Manhattan-bound Brooklyn Q train." By the time we get to the second page, though, both the "I" and the "you" have missed their stops, gotten to the end of the line and still haven't spoken a word. What begins as a story inspired by a fun fad ends as a depressing yet moving rumination on what it means to spend a life with someone - say, in a marriage - and never really know them. While "Damaged Glory" owes a debt to the postmodern irony that permeated experimental literature for a time, it thankfully doesn't dwell in cynicism. Quite the opposite; Bob-Waksberg manages to balance his ironic humor with a deep sincerity that continues to surprise and delight. While some pieces are certainly more successful than others - a couple of stories rely too heavily on their structural gimmick or go on too long without giving us a reason to care - the majority do that mysterious thing that good art can do: make your heart clench with feeling, your eyes fill with tears, your lips twitch toward a smile or all three at once. --- Masad is a queer Israeli American book critic and writer and a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her debut novel, "All My Mother's Lovers," is forthcoming from Dutton in 2020. China will fight to end if U.S. keeps escalating trade frictions: MOC BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- "China will fight to the end if the United States continues to escalate trade frictions," the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday. China will not give ground on issues of principle during bilateral economic and trade talks, which are clearly stated in a white paper on bilateral trade consultations issued earlier this month, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a press conference. In response to the new threat of tarrifs by the United States, Gao said China is firmly against U.S. unilateralism and bullying. "China's stance on trade war has been consistent and clear. We do not want, but is not afraid of a trade war. The United States has taken a practice of maximum pressure and continuously escalated trade frictions, causing serious setbacks in the China-U.S. trade talks, according to Gao. "The United States is entirely to blame." "China's attitude is very clear. The United States must change its attitude, show sincerity and correct its wrong practices if it wants the talks to continue," Gao said. Bishkek: Funze restaurant in Bishkek hosted the global leaders for dinner on Thursday and anticipated a face-off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan as the two leaders sat across the table but nothing happened, The Indian Express reported. Koi dua-salaam nahin hua (there was no exchange of pleasantries), a source told The Indian Express, after the dinner. At the cultural concert which followed the dinner, the two leaders sat in the first row separated by seven dignitaries. This was in sharp contrast to what happened in Astana, Kazakhstan when PM Modi met the then PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and enquired about his health, his mother and family. This meeting was preceded by PM Modis gesture of making a surprise stopover in Lahore to greet Sharif on his birthday." Before landing in Bishkek, Khan told Russian news agency Sputnik that Pakistans relationship with India is probably at its lowest point, and hoped PM Modi will use his big mandate to resolve all differences, including the Kashmir issue. Highlighting that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries provide these fresh platforms and developing a relationship with other countries, he said, And that means, of course, India as well because at the moment our bilateral relationship with India is, probably, at its lowest point. And, yes, it will be an opportunity to speak to the Indian leadership during this SCO conference. There is no bilateral meeting scheduled on Friday as well. Referring to PM Modis re-election, Khan told Sputnik, But we hope now that the current Prime Minister has one big mandate, we hope that he will use this mandate to develop a better relationship and bring peace in the subcontinent. When asked on diplomatic meeting with PM Modi, Khan said, Well, we have already indicated to India that after the elections. We actually tried before the elections, but unfortunately we felt that before the elections Prime Minister Modis party was building up this hysteria, unfortunately, the anti-Pakistan feeling among its people, appealing to its right-wing Hindu nationalists, and so there was no chance of peace before the elections. There is no way two nuclear-armed countries should think of resolving the differences through military means. It is madness. So we hope that now we can progress, use dialogue to resolve our differences, Khan said. Khan also noted that Pakistan has opened the Kartarpur corridor and called it a great initiative. Khan further said, People-to-people contact only works when the governments also try to get closer. You cant have a situation where the governments have animosity towards each other and expect people to get closer. It does not happen. So the governments have to, the Indian government has to take this initiative. Now, I think, it is time for them to take the initiative, and so we can get back on the dialogue table. Jessica Cisneros' campaign announcement has made waves throughout Texas, with its epicenter right here in the Gateway City. In case you missed it, Jessica Cisneros, a 26-year-old Laredoan, former valedictorian of Early College High School and current immigration and human rights attorney, announced her campaign for Congress earlier this morning. The campaign will pit her against long-time Representative Henry Cuellar in the Democratic primary. Laredo Colleges associate degree nursing program is ranked No. 1 in Texas out of 58 schools, according to recent rankings from rncareers.org. Were very proud. Were elated with the student results, said LC Nursing Instructor Jose Luis Santos. It also has to do with students return and success, and were glad were able to guide ours students to successful testing and, of course, career placement. LC is also 14th in the nation out of a thousand schools. The rankings are based on testing success on the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses, accreditation, institutional ranking, price to attend, graduation rates and retention rates. Santos said about 100% of students graduate and pass the nursing exam. He added the vocational nursing program is also highly ranked, showing how well the nursing school is doing. It is fifth out of 76 Texas programs, according to Practicalnursing.org. READ MORE: The best, worst elementary schools in Webb County in 2019, according to Children at Risk There is a uniform standard for all of our programs, he said. We think that the system we have in place, the faculty we have in place, and the leadership all contribute to that process. LC Associate Degree Nursing Instructor Marissa Jimenez added the school receives support from the administration, the LC Board of Trustees and the community partners such as hospitals where students do their clinical training. She said although the nursing instruction can be challenging, the standards are high for a reason. A lot of people a lot of students, the community the word is its difficult, she said. But we have certain standards that we wont compromise, and we want students to rise to that level of expectation, expertise. So we will continue to uphold our standards and fulfill our commitment to our community, our college and the nursing profession. Thats kind of what we live by. As the department prepares for a new building at the LC South Campus which will include a clinic it is also preparing to start a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for August. The program is pending accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Santos said the Texas Board of Nursing occasionally makes changes to its requirements, and so the school wants to be ahead of the curve. READ MORE: Meet the 26-year-old Laredo attorney running against Cuellar in Congress Its about every five to seven years and were due for a change, he said. We need to stay ahead of that change in testing, so on a yearly basis, we do a self-evaluation, we hire new faculty and we want younger faculty with younger ideas. The department works on retaining dedicated alumni to instruct the students who are familiar with LC and its standards. A lot of faculty are alumni who went to these programs. Theyre pretty passionate about our students, our programs, our community, Jimenez said. We were these students, and now were educating them. The nursing graduating class in May had about 30 students and they are starting testing for their certification, which the college will keep an eye on. We need to be above 80%. We have been at 100%, but we are kind of nervous, expectant proud parents who are waiting on the test, Santos said. Were hearing back little by little. Theyre passing and theyre doing well so far. Job placement for our students in Laredo is 100%. Lisa Dreher can be reached at 956-728-2567 or lisa.dreher@lmtonline.com LEAGUE CITY -- A giant American flag dangled from the ladders of two firetrucks outside Clear Creek Community Church Friday to honor a widely admired public servant. Kemah Police Chief Chris Reed, 50, died June 7 when he fell overboard while boating with his wife, Jana, in Texas City. A wake from a large vessel hit his pleasure craft and knocked him overboard without a life jacket, officials reported. A week later, hundreds of family members, friends, colleagues and Bay Area residents gathered to remember an influential person in their community. "Chris' life was dedicated to service service for his country and service for his community," said Bruce Wesley, senior pastor of Clear Creek Community Church. "We will look to God for our strength in comfort. This is a life well-lived in serving others and that's why we gather here today, to remember him." RELATED: Body of Kemah Police Chief Chris Reed recovered Reed served in the U.S. Army as a military policeman, sergeant and paratrooper before his honorable discharge in 1990. He later joined the League City Police Department, where he served as assistant chief and, later, city administrator. Most recently, Reed served as Kemah police chief and was a member of the Clear Creek ISD Board of Trustees from 2016-2019. Reed's sister-in-law, Carol Riffert, read a passage from the Book of Revelation describing "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Clear Creek ISD Superintendent Greg Smith said Reed was a disciple God sent to shed light on League City, Kemah, Nassau Bay and Clear Creek ISD. "He was a man of service service to his country, his community and the 42,000 children and 5,000 employees that comes with being a board trustee," Smith said. BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox Richard Rennison, a close friend, spoke on behalf of several others who knew Reed. "Chris didn't know the meaning of the word 'quit,' which is funny because he didn't know the meaning of a lot of the words he used," he jokingly said, remembering his friend. Reed's daughter Logan said she will remember the father's love that he gave abundantly time and time again. "I know who my father really was," she said. "I got to experience and cherish that every single day. Rest easy, Daddy." Reed is survived by his wife and three children: Logan, son Chase and daughter Alexis. tyler.johnson@chron.com More than 300 furious people poured into the streets and, soon, the scene in the Frayser neighborhood of northern Memphis on Wednesday night echoed those from various other American cities in recent years: angry protests, bursts of violence and clouds of tear gas. The chaos came in response to the shooting of Brandon Webber, a well-known local 20-year-old, by U.S. Marshal Service deputies attempting to serve an arrest warrant. Initially, police said Webber was shot about 7 p.m. Wednesday after he rammed the car of marshals attempting to serve him and then displayed a weapon. Law enforcement officials said Thursday that Webber was wanted in connection to a shooting in Mississippi earlier this month and considered armed and dangerous by the officers attempting to arrest him. But little information had trickled out in the hours after Webber's death, as enraged crowds gathered near the scene. Family members said they were unaware of any warrants in Webber's name, and residents spread versions of the shooting that suggested he may have been shot more than 20 times, possibly while handcuffed - details police have not confirmed nor denied. Webber is one of at least 406 people who have been shot and killed by American police officers in 2019, according to a Washington Post database that tracks such shootings. As the crowd ballooned in size, some pelted officers with rocks and chunks of cement, which police officials said left as many as three dozen officers with minor injuries. "Honestly (the police) did a good job of restraining themselves, even though they were being pounded," said the Rev. Charlie Caswell, who has lived in the Frayser neighborhood for nearly 30 years and was among clergy members who attempted to soothe the raging crowd. "People's feelings were hurt. They wanted to know the truth of what happened," Caswell said. "The stories just weren't adding up. You can only expect the community to continue to have unrest until they are provided some answers." Those answers came Thursday night, when officials in Hernando, Mississippi, disclosed that Webber was wanted there in connection to a June 3 shooting. According to Hernando police, Webber had responded to a Craigslist posting of a car for sale, traveled to Hernando, and then he and the car's owner took a test drive. Then, as the car's owner got out of the vehicle, police said Webber pulled out a gun and shot the man five times before speeding away with the man's car. It was that victim's car, police said, that Webber was driving when officers attempted to arrest him. "I've been doing this a long time and fully understand the frustration," John Champion, a prosecutor for Mississippi's DeSoto County, said of the unrest in Memphis. "But . . . it wasn't something where they just went roughshod up to Memphis trying to find somebody. This was a violent felon who did not, obviously, want to go to jail." Friends and family described Webber as outgoing and friendly, and expressed shock that he would have had any outstanding warrants. Friends gathered Thursday afternoon at the local high school to give interviews about his life and their memories with him, and to call on a speedy investigation of his death. "My heart is broken over the news," Greg McCullough, principal of Memphis's Central High School, said in a statement, which recalled Webber as a talented art student. "He seemed to really love his experience at Central High and he engaged well with others." Webber's shooting came during a tumultuous week in Memphis, just a day after local officials released controversial body-camera footage of the April 2018 shooting of Terrence Carlton, an unarmed black 25-year-old, and announced that they would not file charges against police Lt. Andrew Brown. The body-camera video shows Brown confronting Carlton - who had been identified as a suspect in two shootings earlier that night - as the man jogs down the sidewalk after 1 a.m. "I'll kill you," Brown screams, as he jumps out of his patrol car. "Get on the ground!" Carlton can then be seen curling up into a fetal position on the ground. When he rolls over, toward Brown, the officer shoots twice. According to local prosecutors, Carlton "had something dark in his hand" and the body-camera footage captures the officer claiming that Carlton had verbally threatened to kill him - neither of which can be seen or heard in the video released this week. Officials have acknowledged that Carlton did not have a weapon and had only a cellphone in his hand. "You have confusion over how and why this is happening nationally, with black and brown kids being targeted," said Michalyn Easter-Thomas, an educator and local organizer who grew up two blocks from where Webber was shot. "You had a lot of confusion last night and today, a lot of anger," she said. "People just feel like they don't have any information." Community leaders hope the new details provided by police Thursday will keep the streets calm in coming days, although many stress that the unrest on Wednesday should serve as a reminder for local officials that they cannot fail to address the issues at the core of police and community relationships, especially in minority neighborhoods. "One should not ever say, 'Oh, God, how can that ever happen here?' " said A.C. Wharton, the city's former mayor. "All urban communities, especially with broad demographics concerning race and income, have tension between law enforcement. You cannot feign surprise or shock." Still, Wharton credited local police officials with building a strong relationship with the community, in large part because many top officials in the department were promoted internally and still have direct ties to some of the city's roughest neighborhoods. But in a case like this one, it's not enough simply for local police to hold up their hands and point to the U.S. marshals, Wharton said. The more quickly the community can be provided details, he said, the more quickly tensions can cool. "The people in the streets do not split hairs between whether it was a county deputy, a city police officer, a deputy U.S. marshal, or whoever," Wharton said. "Law enforcement as a whole has a cross to bear - trying to prevent these situations ahead of time, and preaching every day that they are not here to be an occupying force. That we live here too." HURON COUNTY Automated buses could be shuttling residents around the Thumb area if Huron County is selected to be a part of a new pilot testing program. An association of transit and transportation agencies including Michigan's recently formed the Automated Bus Consortium. It is a collaboration designed to investigate the feasibility of implementing pilot automated bus projects across the United States. AECOM, a California-based infrastructure firm, is looking to accelerate the deployment of automated transit technologies nationwide, which could possibly include Huron Transit Corp (HTC), also known as Thumb Area Transit (TAT). Officials from the Michigan Department of Transportation recently contacted HTC and inquired about potentially bringing automated buses to the Thumb. "They (MDOT) were looking to work on grants to work on technology," Ken Jimkoski, director of HTC, told the Tribune. "They're looking at different areas to see how it would work." "We were asked to apply for it, (a grant), and we did," he added. The pilot projects will use full-sized, full-speed buses and enable consortium members to collectively demonstrate and deploy automated technologies in live service environments. The buses would still be equipped with a driver. Jimkoski said everything is still in the initial stages, and Huron County has not officially been selected. AECOM will manage the planning, assessment, implementation and evaluation of the program's rollout in all locations. The consortium will make an expected initial purchase of 75 to 100 full-sized, automated buses. The consortium's plan is calling for a 12-month feasibility phase, followed by implementation within a two-year period. A start date is expected to begin between 2021 and 2022. Each agency will make its own decisions regarding future additional automated bus purchases and deployment following the completion of the feasibility phase. Former vice president Joe Biden on Friday pledged not to use illicit campaign tactics or spread disinformation in his run for the presidency, and called on other candidates to do the same. The pledge includes a promise not to "fabricate, use or spread data or materials that were falsified, fabricated, doxed or stolen" and to avoid using bot networks or doctored images - including "deepfake videos" - to attack other candidates. Biden also renewed a promise to not accept intelligence on his rivals from foreign governments. "This is simple. American elections should be decided by the American people and not by Russian or any other foreign power," Biden said in a statement Friday. "Donald Trump doesn't think it matters if candidates accept damaging intel on their opponent from a foreign government. He's dead wrong." Many of the Democratic candidates have decried the use of foreign information, but there has so far not been a standard pledge through which the campaigns agree to disavow the full range of disinformation and other improper tactics. Biden's pledge came two days after President Trump said he might be willing to accept information from foreign governments on his opponents, and that he wouldn't necessarily report such instances to federal law enforcement. "I think you might want to listen; there isn't anything wrong with listening," Trump told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos this week. "If somebody called from a country, Norway, 'We have information on your opponent,' oh, I think I'd want to hear it." The president's remarks prompted an outcry from Democratic lawmakers and candidates, including renewed calls for impeachment, as well as more muted criticism from some Republicans. On Friday morning, Trump called into Fox & Friends to soften his comments somewhat, saying he didn't "think anybody would present me with anything because they know how much I love the country." The recent report by special counsel Robert Mueller detailed deliberate and widespread Russian interference in the 2016 election in an effort to help Trump get elected. Heading into their first presidential race since then, Democrats are on edge about the possibility of further foreign meddling. Democratic lawmakers said they would be doubling down on efforts to pass legislation to strengthen election security and integrity. In a concurrent effort, state Democratic leaders are gathering in New Mexico this weekend to discuss a pact that could be signed by state Democratic parties, the Democratic National Committee and the party's 2020 presidential candidates to disavow illicit campaign tactics - and to report any use of those tactics to the DNC and to law enforcement officials. The agreement would ban campaigns from using hacked information, disinformation campaigns, bots, fake accounts, altered text and images, and fake speech, according to a draft of the proposal given to The Washington Post. I have two special treats for you this week. The greatest value of the week is a delightful, inexpensive white blend from South Africa, all the more attractive because of its $12 price tag. But the sneak gem is a pink lambrusco from Italy that rose fans will want to seek out. In April, I tried to persuade you to ignore any prejudices you might have against lambrusco as the sweetish red your mother may have kept in the refrigerator door. If you're a rose fan, the Lini 910 may just make you a fervent convert to this unheralded wine. Essay Chenin Blanc-Viognier-Roussanne 2018 Two and a half stars Coastal Region, South Africa, $12 Essay is a play on S.A., for South Africa. The wine is a delicious blend based on chenin blanc, which excels in South Africa. The result is a cornucopia of white flowers and tropical fruit flavors, with waxy mouthfeel. Hard to beat at this price. Alcohol by volume: 13 percent. Lini 910 Labrusca Rose NV Three stars Lambrusco dell'Emilia, Italy, $16 Lambrusco, a light-bodied, sparkling red, is Italy's surprise partner to pizza, barbecue and charcuterie. This is the first rose Lambrusco I've tried, and it's a delight. Flavors of watermelon, strawberry and wild herbs make for a refreshing patio pounder, and if you're not careful, you may finish it before the food is ready. And there are bubbles! This wine is new to the market, but it should get wider availability, especially if customers aren't skeptical about trying a pink lambrusco. ABV: 11 percent. Domaine Naturaliste Rebus Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Three stars Wilyabrup, Margaret River, Australia, $30 Winemaker Bruce Dukes has crafted an elegant, plush New World-style cabernet that explodes with ripe flavors of blackberries, currants and blueberries. Even with its fruit-forward flavors, it maintains an Old World sensibility - the oak is beautifully integrated to give structure and tannin to the wine, the alcohol is in check, and there's a mineral undertone that suggests a fine bordeaux. Pair this with the next large hunk of beef you grill for a summer party. ABV: 14 percent. Gone Rogue Mish Mash White 2018 Three stars Great Southern, Australia, $23 This delicious riot of a wine - designed to appeal to iconoclasts of all ages - is a blend of riesling and pinot grigio, with a dash of viognier tossed in for good measure (and, well, aromas and body). That recipe corresponds to none of the paradigms of the wine world, but it succeeds with a frenzy of flavor, balance and fun. Both the name and label encourage us to "go rogue" and defy limitations. ABV: 13 percent. Smith & Perry Pinot Noir 2015 Two stars Oregon, $15 Here's an all-around tasty Oregon pinot noir, with Bing cherry and sarsaparilla flavors. It may be easy to finish this without realizing it, but you'll want to savor this wine and save some for dinner. - - - Three stars: Exceptional Two stars: Excellent One star: Very good - - - Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit today in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. "India has been a permanent SCO member for two years now. We've given a positive contribution in all activities of SCO. We've continued engagements to enhance SCO's role & credibility on the international stage," PM Modi said. In a veiled attack on Pakistan, PM Modi said that countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable as he called for a global conference to combat the menace. PM Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. "India stood for a terrorism-free society," PM said. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, PM Modi said in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. Prime Minister also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against terrorism. Commenting on his visit to Sri Lanka, PM said, "Literature & culture provide our societies a positive activity, stop the spread of radicalisation among the youths. During my visit to Sri Lanka, I visited the St. Anthony's shrine, where I witnessed the ugly face of terrorism that takes the lives of innocents." Founded in 2001 with five-member-countries, India became a member of the SCO in 2017 along with Pakistan. Other member nations include: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Ujbekistan. BAGHDAD - As tensions soared Friday between the United States and Iran, Iraqis weighed the prospect that their country would once again become a battleground for the two rivals. The recent military defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq has ushered in an unprecedented period of stability. Baghdad's cafes do a roaring trade, and when darkness falls, nightlife has taken on an energy that younger generations here are seeing for the first time in their lives. But sitting in the shade of a chaotic outdoor cafe Friday, Ahmed Ali, 58, was worried. "If Iran and America do go to war, then of course we'll be right in the middle," he said, rubbing his temple with a frown. "This cannot go well for us." There are few countries where the power struggle between Washington and Tehran has had such an impact. Backroom deals involving officials from both countries have shaped the makeup of Iraq's governments. After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Iran sponsored violence against American troops. With President Donald Trump on Friday accusing Iran of attacking two tankers in the Gulf of Oman a day earlier, Iraqis wondered whether they would see a new violent escalation on their own soil. Iran backs a handful of powerful militias in Iraq, while the United States still has more than 5,000 troops here. Last month, the Trump administration said it had intelligence suggesting a threat to U.S. forces, and the State Department ordered a partial evacuation from its consular facilities in Iraq. When, days later, a rocket landed less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, many saw it as a warning to Washington. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi called for "calm" on Friday, during a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Iraqis interviewed in Baghdad were keenly aware of the dangers posed by the enmity between the United States and Iraq's neighbor Iran. For people like Ali, a retired soldier who had fought in a ruinous eight-year war with Iran, the threat of clashes or violent attacks seemed real. For others, the very fact of rising tensions was enough to make them fret over how long the city's boom might last. "It will be like all the other periods of fear here. Things get tense, people get nervous, jobs suffer - we suffer," said Abbas Mehdi, 60, packing up discs of "The Godfather" as he closed his sidewalk DVD stall for the day. "There are so many levers of influence that Iran could pull here, and like always, it's the Iraqi people who would suffer most." The economic recovery that followed the victory over the Islamic State remains fragile, others said. Standing at his stall on the bustling Mutanabbi book market, Rasoul Kareem, 33, worried a return of violence to the country would quiet the streets and hurt his ability to support a family. "This place is so full again," he said. "We don't want that to change." Iraqis have long kept a close eye on their neighbor's at-times threatening behavior. And while they say a violent confrontation between Iran and the United States is possible, these Iraqis are not predicting the worst-case scenario. "It's worrying, but it isn't a new question in Iraq," said Hussein Alawi, 56. "It's been happening since the '70s, and it seems pretty clear at this time that neither power is foolish enough to start a conflict here." As an Iraqi, he said, he saw a political truth Trump does not recognize. "The problem here is America," Alawi said. "It doesn't take Iran seriously as a world power. It doesn't see how rational the foreign policy is there. They're just not going to snap and drag us into a war." Given Iraq's history with Iran and the United States, it is inevitable Iraqis might feel fearful, said a young mechanical engineer, Mohamed Ali. "But Iranians don't want a war, and nor do Americans. They don't want to set the region on fire." - - - The Washington Post's Mustafa Salim contributed to this report. New York officially ended religious exemptions for school vaccines Thursday as the state grapples with its largest measles outbreak in years. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, signed the legislation into law Thursday evening after it passed in the state's Senate and Assembly, ending years of gridlock over the issue. "We're putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and standing up for the rights of immunocompromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who can't be vaccinated through no fault of their own," state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat, said in a statement. The law gives unvaccinated students up to 30 days to show they've started their required immunizations. All states have laws requiring various vaccines for students and all allow for medical exemptions. Many also grant parents the right to exempt their children from the vaccines for religious reasons, and a smaller number for philosophical reasons. But the tide of public opinion has been changing as measles cases this year have already surged to the highest levels since 1992. More than 1,000 cases of measles in at least 13 outbreaks have been diagnosed in the country this year, with the majority in New York. The cases have largely stemmed from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population in Brooklyn, and to a lesser extent, Rockland County, which anti-vaccine groups have had some success at targeting with misinformation. Many of these activists claim that vaccines cause autism, a link disproved repeatedly by scientists and medical experts. Measles, a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease, was thought to have been eliminated in 2000, due to the success of decades-long campaigns to get people vaccinated. Of New York's measles cases, 74 percent have come from the Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn, home to a large ultra-Orthodox population. Opponents of the bill protested Thursday outside of New York's capitol in Albany before the vote, claiming the legislation is an assault on religious freedom. Inside the building, some people chanted, "Shame," after the measure passed the Assembly, while another woman shouted obscenities at lawmakers, the Associated Press reported. "I'm not aware of anything in the Torah, the Bible, the Koran or anything else that suggests you should not get vaccinated," Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the Democrat who sponsored the bill, told reporters. "If you choose to not vaccinate your child, therefore potentially endangering other children . . . then you're the one choosing not to send your children to school." New York joins states such as California, Mississippi, West Virginia and Maine by outlawing nonmedical exemptions for vaccines. Several other states are deliberating whether to eliminate religious waivers for vaccines. "The science is crystal clear: Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to keep our children safe," Cuomo said in a statement. "While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health and by signing this measure into law, we will help prevent further transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks." The bill's passage was coupled with the news that the New York City Health Department has closed two private schools in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Brooklyn for failing to comply with a recent emergency health order. The Health Department said the two schools failed to provide proof of immunity for a student at the school and allowed other unvaccinated children and staff on its site. The Health Department has closed a total of 11 schools over vaccine-related issues this year. - - - The Washington Post's Lena Sun contributed to this report. WASHINGTON - Sarah Sanders, the combative White House press secretary whose tenure was marked by controversy and questions about her credibility, will be leaving at the end of the month after 22 months on the job, President Donald Trump announced Thursday. The president shared the news of her unexpected departure in a tweet, writing that she planned to return home to Arkansas. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job!" he wrote. "I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!" Sanders, 36, has been among the longest-serving senior officials in Trump's administration. During her rocky stint as the president's official spokeswoman and top adviser, Sanders endeared herself to her boss and to his supporters by her staunch defense of him and his remarks. She often amplified Trump's criticism of the news media, pushing back on reporters' questions, sometimes sarcastically. Sanders made her devotion to the president plain in January, when she told an interviewer for the Christian TV network CBN that "God wanted Donald Trump to become president." But her truthfulness was often called into question, including in special counsel Robert Mueller III's nearly two-year investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The special counsel's report cites two occasions when Sanders told reporters that "countless" rank-and-file members of the FBI supported Trump's firing of then-FBI Director James Comey in May 2017 and that they had lost confidence in him. But when asked about this description by investigators, Sanders didn't stand behind her remarks. She told Mueller's team that the first time she made the statement it was a "slip of the tongue" and that when she repeated it later in a press interview it "was a comment she made 'in the heat of the moment' that was not founded on anything," according to the report. Sanders' time as press secretary is also notable for what she didn't do as much as for what she did. On her watch, the principal function of a press secretary - representing the White House in media briefings - all but ceased to exist. The White House set a record in January for the longest stretch in modern history without a news briefing, 41 days. It then set a record, 42 days, in March, followed by a third streak, reaching 94 days Thursday. In recent months, Sanders' primary public contact with reporters was on the White House driveway, where she would hold irregular and impromptu "gaggles," usually after appearing on Fox News. While Sanders scaled back her public role, a decision that drew heavy criticism from press and government transparency advocates, she became more influential behind the scenes as a trusted adviser to the president, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the inner workings of the White House. Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford She was one of a few aides who could dissuade Trump from making a questionable decision - and occasionally help him edit a tweet - and regularly attended meetings on foreign policy, trade and health care in the Situation Room or the Oval Office, though she was not particularly versed in the details of the issues. Trump would call her in the morning to complain about his news coverage and would sometimes talk to her multiple times a day. Sanders was also a frequent presence in the Oval Office. The terms of her departure were unclear, though Sanders told staff around 4 p.m. in her office that it was her choice, according to people with knowledge of her comments. "I am blessed and forever grateful to @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he's accomplished. I love the President and my job. The most important job I'll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it's time for us to go home. Thank you Mr. President!," she tweeted Thursday afternoon. Although Trump floated the idea of Sanders running for governor of Arkansas in both his tweet and later during an event at the White House, it's unclear how seriously she is pursuing that idea. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchison's term isn't up until 2022. Sanders joined Trump's presidential campaign as a senior communications adviser in early 2016 after managing the unsuccessful campaign of her father, Republican and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. She served as a spokesman for Trump during the campaign; he appointed her the top deputy to Trump's first press secretary, Sean Spicer, and she replaced Spicer after he resigned in July 2017. In contrast to Spicer, who could grow visibly agitated under press questioning, Sanders initially drew praise from White House reporters for her calm and friendly manner. But those relations began to sour when she started to skirt questions, occasionally with a chaser of condescension, on sensitive topics by offering rote answers, such as "I haven't spoken with the president about that" or offering to follow up later and then neglecting to do so. The eventual decision to stop holding briefings for long periods of time also reflected Sanders' struggle to publicly defend and explain Trump's misstatements and outright falsehoods. In a testy exchange during a briefing in early October, for example, Sanders lashed out at CNN reporter Jim Acosta after he asked her if she had any problem defending Trump, who had mocked Christine Blasey Ford, the California woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of assaulting her when they were teenagers. "I don't have any problem stating facts, no," Sanders replied. She paused before adding, "I know that's something you probably do have a problem with. I don't." On Sanders' watch, the White House took the unusual step of banning two reporters, Acosta and his CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins from events after they asked questions Trump didn't like during televised encounters with the president. The White House took the unprecedented action of taking away Acosta's White House press pass in early November after he angered Trump during a news conference and briefly tangled with a press aide who sought to take a microphone from Acosta's hand. A few days later, a federal judge handed the White House a rebuke, saying it had violated Acosta's due-process rights. He ordered the White House to restore Acosta's pass. Acosta was soon back at work. Among other questionable statements, she asserted in June 2017 that the "president in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence." PolitiFact found multiple examples in which Trump "showed a tolerance for, and sometimes even a favorable disposition toward, physical violence" in his campaign rhetoric and statements as president. She also said in October that Trump was elected by "the overwhelming majority" of voters in 2016. In fact, Hillary Clinton received 2.9 million more votes that Trump, whose victory was sealed by his winning margin in the electoral college. Other times, she appeared to be caught unaware of recent developments. In May, Sanders was blindsided by Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani's disclosure during a TV interview that Trump had paid $130,000 to reimburse Michael Cohen, his longtime personal attorney, for Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels, the porn actress who said she had a sexual relationship with Trump. Sanders had previously insisted that Trump wasn't aware of Cohen's payment to Daniels, which was made to secure her silence about the alleged affair just days before the election. After Giuliani's comment, Sanders tacitly acknowledged that Trump himself was the source of the misinformation. She explained the discrepancy at a press briefing by saying repeatedly that she gave "the best information that we have at the time." She also said in the summer of 2017 that Trump "certainly didn't dictate" a misleading statement to the New York Times on behalf of his son, Donald Trump Jr., about the circumstances surrounding his meeting at Trump Tower with Russian operatives during the 2016 campaign. The president's personal legal team later told Mueller that Trump had, in fact, dictated the statement. Asked by reporters in June to explain this misinformation, Sanders declined. She instead repeatedly told reporters to ask Trump's lawyers about their own statements. "I'm an honest person," she said when reporters grilled her about her credibility. She added, "Frankly, I think my credibility is probably higher than the media's. And I think in large part that's because you guys spend more of your time focused on attacking the president instead of reporting the news." Sanders herself has occasionally been the subject of news stories, such as during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April 2018. Comedian Michelle Wolf mocked her during her standup routine, joking at one point that Sanders "burns facts and then uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye." Sanders, who was sitting several seats away on the dais, did not visibly react at the time. She later told Fox News, "That evening says a whole lot more about her than it does about me." She said much the same thing in June of that year, when she and her husband and some friends were asked to leave a restaurant in Lexington, Va., after the restaurant's owner said her kitchen staff objected to serving her. "Her actions say far more about her than about me," Sanders tweeted. "I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so." She later tweeted out the name of the restaurant, drawing a rebuke from ethics experts who said it amounted to an abuse of power. While Sanders was well liked within the White House, she also conflicted at times with fellow aides, particularly during the highly chaotic first few months of Trump's presidency. Early in the administration, Sanders was among a group of White House aides who gathered in Spicer's office to discuss leaks to the media. Stephen Bannon, then a senior White House adviser, defended a group of his loyalists who had been accused of the leaks. These young aides, Bannon railed, were "warriors" for Trump. Finally, Sanders had heard enough. She stood from her perch on the couch to look Bannon in the eye and became visibly emotional. "I'll tell you who the warriors for Trump are," Sanders said, recalled someone in the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to recall a private conversation. "The warriors are the folks like me who were there from the beginning and are still fighting for him every day." Then, she turned and walked out. - - - The Washington Post's Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey contributed to this report. WASHINGTON - A federal jury on Thursday convicted a second Libyan militant of conspiracy in the deadly 2012 attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. The jury in Washington delivered a partial verdict, finding Mustafa al-Imam, 47, guilty on one count each of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and maliciously destroying government property, but deadlocking on 15 of 17 other counts, including the most serious charges of murder and attempted murder in the overnight attacks that began Sept. 11, 2012, on a U.S. diplomatic mission and nearby CIA post. U.S. District Judge Christopher R. "Casey" Cooper directed jurors to continue deliberating when they return Monday, said a spokesman for Jessie K. Liu, the U.S. attorney for the District. The verdict, on the fifth day of jury deliberations that followed a four-week trial, echoed the finding of a separate jury in November 2017 that found accused ringleader and Libyan militia leader Ahmed Abu Khattala, 47, guilty of four of 18 counts, but not directly responsible for the deaths of Stevens, State Department communications aide Sean Smith and CIA security contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. Abu Khatalla is serving a 22-year prison sentence handed down by Cooper, who presided over both trials. Stevens was the first U.S. ambassador killed while in the performance of his duties in nearly 40 years. Imam's capture was ordered by President Donald Trump, and his trial in civilian court marked the first of a foreign terrorism suspect captured abroad during his administration. Imam faces maximum penalties of up to 15 years for conspiracy and 20 years for destruction of property. After getting the split verdict in the initial Benghazi trial, the government switched out prosecution teams and delivered a more streamlined case against Imam in which they sought to fix accountability not only for the assault on the diplomatic mission but also for a second round of attacks hours later on a secret nearby CIA annex in which Woods and Doherty were killed in a rooftop mortar strike. As they had done at Abu Khattala's trial, prosecutors drew out testimony by Libyan witnesses paid millions for their assistance who said they saw or heard Abu Khattala take steps to plan, execute and claim responsibility for the attacks on what he called an illegal U.S. spy base in his home city. They relied on records of calls to and from Abu Khattala's cellphone, stolen from the Libyana mobile phone company, and surveillance video of Abu Khattala's men among scores who overran the diplomatic mission. Imam was captured by U.S. Special Operations forces in Misurata, Libya, on Oct. 29, 2017, one day before FBI agent Michael Clarke testified during Abu Khattala's trial that Abu Khattala had implicated Imam - in questioning by U.S. investigators - as a person with whom Abu Khattala rode to and from the diplomatic compound the night of the attacks, and as the person shown in security videos carrying a looted map from the compound headquarters. At Imam's trial, a joint FBI terrorism task force officer testified that Imam gave three interviews after he had received his Miranda rights warning and before he invoked his right to an attorney. The statements came after Imam was shackled, gagged and blindfolded after being grabbed off a street, taken to a U.S. warship, and held in a 6-by-7-foot detention "pod," testimony showed. "I know why I'm here . . . because of Khattala," Imam allegedly told agents, according to statements at trial, adding he traveled with him to the compound and took a phone at his order and a map on his own initiative. "The defendant put himself on the scene of the U.S. Mission during the time that that battle was being waged," prosecutor Karen Seifert said in closing arguments. Defense attorney Matthew Peed called Imam a "simple man" who worked as a grocery clerk, who militia members believed was mentally disabled because he was terrified of sleeping in the dark, and who was friends with Abu Khattala because they had met in prison before the attacks. "There is no evidence whatsoever that Mr. Al-Imam knew about this attack or agreed with it," Peed said, arguing the defendant went home to bed before the dawn attacks at the CIA annex. At least a dozen others are known to have been charged in sealed U.S. criminal complaints in connection with the Benghazi attacks, although none before Abu Khattala and Imam are known to have been apprehended. Several State Department and CIA contractor security guards testified at trial, including those who suffered grievous injuries. The attacks had generated partisan political venom toward then secretary of state and later 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Airbus, OCCAR Sign New A400M Contract, Securing Programs Future The page you requested is only available to subscribers. 1. If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. You can also see the contents of your shopping cart at any time by clicking on the "Order" tab on the navigation bar at the top of any page, or by clicking on the "Your order" light blue link in the top right-hand corner of our home page, immediately under the log-on box. Authorities combed a forested lot for skeletal remains Thursday after a dog found a human skull. A homeowner near the 11800 block of Ferndell Street, near Furay Road in northeast Houston, called police after the pup brought them the skull from a property thick with trees and garbage, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Investigators found more bone fragments and "burn spots" in the lot, the sheriff continued. "Deputies that know the area very well say it's a very desolate, dark area," Gonzalez said. "There's not a lot of lighting out here and, as you can see, it's used as some kind of dumping ground." 'SANCTUARY CITY FOR THE UNBORN': All-male East Texas city council unanimously bans abortion The medical examiner confirmed that the skull was human and police are treated the investigation as a possible homicide. "We don't know if foul play is involved yet," Gonzalez said, adding that the person could have died of natural causes. The lot where the skull was found in wedged between a neighborhood of trailer homes and the Whispering Pines Landfill. STAY INFORMED: Text CHRON to 77453 to get breaking news alerts by text | Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. One East Texas town has made itself a "sanctuary" city, co-opting the language of immigrant activists to fight for a different kind of cause. Earlier this week, a five-person city council composed entirely of men, approved a city ordinance that makes Waskom, Tex., a "sanctuary city for the unborn." The town, which, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, has fewer than 2,300 residents, is located right next to the Texas-Louisiana border (roughly 28 miles west of Shreveport). So, how did the law allow for this to happen? On HoustonChronicle.com: Possible fentanyl exposure leaves HCSO deputies hospitalized after finding drugs, money The city council in Roswell, New Mexico provided a blueprint with a measure that declared itself a "Second Amendment Sanctuary City." Roswell's ordinance contrasted with the state's decision to push through legislation that requires a background check for individuals involved in the private sale of a gun. Reports indicate Waskom does not have any abortion clinics, but the five men decided on this municipal prohibition to make sure that one never opens in the town. The decision could lead to potential lawsuits and the cost of those lawsuits on the town's taxpayers could be very high. However, that prospect did not concern some residents, who told several members of the local media "God will take care of them." The town's declaration stands directly in opposition to previous U.S. Supreme Court rulings (primarily the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion a constitutional right). However, the now-conservative leaning U.S. Supreme Court seems to have emboldened several statewide bans on abortion. Currently, there is a bill awaiting the governor's signature in Austin. One that would require doctors to treat "a child born alive after an abortion." Abortion has already been banned after 20 weeks in Texas. The most recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (in 2015) said that "only about 1.3 percent of abortions in the United States in 2015 were performed in or after the 21st week of pregnancy." Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Saturday marks the first day of public pool season in San Antonio and there's a new spot to splash this summer. Elmendorf Lake Park Pool, at 235 Shore Drive, is celebrating a grand opening. The West Side addition is the newest of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department-operated pools. A San Antonio man sentenced to 37 years in prison in the fatal stabbing of his wife in 2018 had to be removed from a courtroom Thursday after he yelled at his in-laws as they delivered an emotional victim impact statement. Christian Daniel Martinez was 32 when he was arrested and charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of his wife, Monica Martinez, also 32. She was found unresponsive around 5 p.m. Feb. 21, 2018, in a home in the 900 block of Ware Boulevard on the South Side. San Antonio police said at the time that when they arrived at the home, Christian Martinez was found with two knives. He was arrested without incident. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox He pleaded guilty Wednesday before Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl as part of an agreement reached with prosecutors that would give him a maximum of 37 years in prison. The judge allowed Monica Martinezs relatives to deliver victim impact statements Thursday morning in the 175th state District Court. Several relatives none of whom would give their names or allow them to be released by prosecutors or victim advocates were flanked by other family members as each took turns reading remarks as they faced Martinez in front of the judges bench. I hope you dont sleep at night, thinking about her, said a woman who described herself as Monica Martinezs sister and best friend. I will never forgive you. Next, a man describing himself as the victims brother told Martinez he had no feelings toward him, and wanted the man to feel the pain he inflicted on his sister. My mother will always live within me and my sisters, said a young woman who described herself as the victims daughter. Dont ever write me or my siblings, dont ever find us. You were never a father. I will forever hate you, said a man who described himself as the Martinezes son. For however many years they give you, its never enough. RELATED: Video shows armed burglar who stole company truck, lawnmowers from Goodwill When Monica Martinezs parents began to speak in Spanish, the defendant began yelling back at them, also in Spanish, which prompted a relative in the gallery to yell, Shut up, you dont have the right to speak! Court bailiffs then grabbed Martinez and removed him from the courtroom. Martinez, now 33, will have to serve at least half of his sentence before he would be eligible for parole. Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 Gripen Offer to Finland Includes 2 GlobalEye AEW Aircraft The page you requested is only available to subscribers. 1. If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. You can also see the contents of your shopping cart at any time by clicking on the "Order" tab on the navigation bar at the top of any page, or by clicking on the "Your order" light blue link in the top right-hand corner of our home page, immediately under the log-on box. A Bexar County sheriff deputy who was already on unpaid administrative leave for attendance problems is set to be fired after she was arrested for Thursday night for allegedly driving drunk with a child in her car, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Nancy Cruz, 23, was arrested just before midnight by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper, according to the news release. Her bail is set at $5,000. 3 1 of 3 Animal Care Services Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Animal Care Services Show More Show Less 3 of 3 It can get HOT in Texas. No surprises there. While it may be easy for us to grab a cold drink, hop in the pool or just park a seat in front of the A.C., it can be a little tougher for our pets. Remember--the heat can put pets at risk because dogs cool their bodies by panting which is much less effective than sweating. Plus, dogs and cats ARE wearing fur coats! With summer not even officially here, temperatures are already climbing towards triple digits so its best to keep in mind keep in mind- overheating can kill your pet! Thats because our pets cool their bodies by panting which is much less effective than sweating. Pets most at risk from overheating include: young, elderly or overweight pets, those with a short muzzle or those with thick or dark colored coats. Some of the symptoms of heat stress include excessive thirst, heavy panting, glazed eyes, vomiting, restlessness, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, a rapid heartbeat, profuse drooling or salivating and unconsciousness. If an animal does show signs of heat stress, gradually lower their body temperature and get them to a vet immediately. The pads of a pets paws can also be burned if forced to walk on hot pavement. In addition to seeing these types of injuries, Animal Care Services also sees pets brought in with severe, crusted sunburns from being left outside without the legally required shade. Its uncomfortable for the pet who has to undergo extensive medical treatment and their owner who faces potential criminal charges for animal cruelty. LONDON A British court has set a date early next year for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face a U.S. extradition petition over his role in revealing classified government and military information. The judge at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday set a full extradition hearing for Feb. 25, 2020. It is expected to last about five days. Interim hearings are expected in July and October. Assange, 47, who has been suffering from ill health, appeared in court via video link from prison. He appeared tired and showed signs of a possible hand tremor. He was again sporting a beard after having shaved it off before his last court appearance. Ben Brandon, a British lawyer representing the U.S. government, told a hearing that the case related to one of the largest compromises of confidential information in the history of the United States. U.S. officials are seeking to prosecute Assange under the Espionage Act, blaming him for directing WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of secret documents that disclosed the names of people who provided confidential information to American and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Australian is currently in Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London serving a 50-week sentence for jumping bail in Britain. His legal team is appealing that sentence. He also faces questioning from Swedish prosecutors investigating a rape allegation. Assange faces 18 U.S. charges, including conspiracy to hack into government computers. Citing the possible maximum prison term he could face if convicted on all counts, Assange said: One hundred and seventy-five years of my life is effectively at stake. Assange complained that he has not yet received the full U.S. indictment because his lawyers arent allowed to give him documents and can only send him papers through the mail. Judge Emma Arbuthnot said the paperwork only arrived Thursday and that no one has had a chance to fully read it. Assange asserts that he is a journalist with First Amendment protections. His lawyer, Mark Summers, said the case represents an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights. Gregory Katz is an Associated Press writer. Russia Warns More US Troops in Poland Will Destabilize Europe The page you requested is only available to subscribers. 1. If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. You can also see the contents of your shopping cart at any time by clicking on the "Order" tab on the navigation bar at the top of any page, or by clicking on the "Your order" light blue link in the top right-hand corner of our home page, immediately under the log-on box. 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 Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: June 14 2019 The subject stole a wallet from the store counter at the Mobil Gas Station. Man who stole a wallet from the counter at the Mobil Gas Station in Inwood. Crime Stoppers and the Nassau County Police Department are seeking the publics help in identifying the pictured subject. The subject is wanted in connection with a Grand Larceny that occurred in Inwood, New York. On December 15, 2018, at approximately 2:40 A.M., the subject stole a wallet from the store counter at the Mobil Gas Station located at 605 Burnside Avenue in Inwood. The subject fled the scene in an unknown direction. Crime Stoppers is asking anyone who can identify the subject, or with any information about this crime to call our toll free hotline: 1-800-244-TIPS (8477). Local News, Crime, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: June 14 2019 Report: Rey Vazquez, 26, violently resisted arrest when confronted by detectives. The Fifth Squad reports an arrest in connection with an Attempted Robbery that occurred on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 4:50 p.m. in Elmont. According to detectives, an unknown male subject entered the Alzaeem Convenience store located at 800 Elmont Rd. Once inside, the subject demanded that the clerk, a 21 year old male, hand over cash from the register. When the victim refused, the subject displayed a small black canister believed to be mace and discharged a liquid into the victims face. The victim suffered pain, a burning sensation to his eyes and difficulty breathing. The subject then fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction. The victim was treated for his injuries at the scene. Fifth Squad detectives report the arrest of Rey Vazquez, 26, of Valley Stream, in connection with the above incident. A subsequent investigation led detectives to Vazquezs location and while attempting to place him under arrest, in front of 15 William Street, he violently resisted causing detectives to sustain numerous non-life threatening injuries that required treatment at an area hospital. Vazquez, who was eventually placed into custody, is charged with Attempted Robbery 1st Degree, Attempted Robbery 2nd Degree and Assault 2nd Degree. He was arraigned at First District Court, Hempstead. Turkey to Debut Mock-Up of Future Fighter at Paris Airshow The page you requested is only available to subscribers. 1. If you are a Premium Service subscriber, please log in here to access this story: Log-in : Password : 2. If you are not a subcriber, you can: -- buy access to this page: unlimited access for seven days costs 3.00 EUR + VAT (at 20%) if applicable. Clicking on the "Ok" button below will place the item in your shopping cart and return you to our home page, where you will be able to select additional stories. -- select additional stories and services from our home page and pay for them at the same time. -- see your shopping cart. You can also see the contents of your shopping cart at any time by clicking on the "Order" tab on the navigation bar at the top of any page, or by clicking on the "Your order" light blue link in the top right-hand corner of our home page, immediately under the log-on box. Download Image: Web Lycoming College invites Williamsport and its surrounding communities to experience John McKaigs nautical imagery at the Lycoming College Art Gallery beginning Friday, July 5. A celebratory reception will take place on Friday, August 30, 5 p.m., with a gallery talk scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Gallery hours will be extended until 9 p.m. for the reception, and the exhibit will be available until Friday, August 30. McKaigs exhibit explores themes of passage and escape through a variety of media. Using nautical elements and water imagery, he poetically depicts ideas of healing and working through trauma. Although drawing is the basis of his body of work, he also moves between printmaking and painting. McKaig received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Miami University in Ohio and went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Syracuse University. Currently a visiting professor of drawing and figure drawing at Bloomsburg University, McKaig boasts a fruitful career in teaching. He has taught drawing, art history, and sculpture at the Pennsylvania College of Technology; printmaking, painting, figure drawing and anatomy at Syracuse University; drawing and illustration at Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, N.Y.; and all levels of painting, printmaking, general and figure drawing, and analog photography at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen, Mich. He has exhibited work throughout the United States and internationally in group and juried exhibitions. He also has a number of solo exhibitions, including a recent exhibition at the HUB Robeson gallery at Pennsylvania State University. The Lycoming College Art Gallery, located in downtown Williamsport at 25 W. Fourth St., contributes to the citys arts culture and provides a way for the College to become more involved with the community surrounding it. Lycoming art students have the opportunity to interact with visiting artists, as well as learn first-hand the inner workings of a gallery. For the McKaig exhibit, the gallery will be open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 5-9 p.m. For more information, please visit the gallery online at: https://www.lycoming.edu /art /gallery.html or send an email to dirocco@lycoming.edu. To support academics at Lycoming College, including the arts, please visit www.lycoming.edu /advancement /give-now.aspx to make a gift to the Lycoming Fund. Macs may be a far less tempting target for malware and viruses, but theyre not immune from attack. Even if you dont care about adware or being used as means to infect users on other platforms, its still possible to fall victim to ransomware, password theft, or stolen iPhone backups. Accordingly, good antivirus software will protect your Mac on all of these fronts. Itll catch malware thats still spreading or in circulation; block ransomware; protect older systems with out-of-date software from security vulnerabilities; prevent your Mac from acting as a carrier for malware aimed at other operating systems; and keep infected files off of any virtual machines youre running. Many antivirus suites provide a decent level of protection, but a few rise above all others by providing the very best in performance. Our top contenders dominate by posting perfect (or virtually near perfect) scores from security research labs, passing our own malware detection tests with flying colors, offering well-designed interfaces, and even throwing in extra features like a firewall or password manager. Best antivirus for Mac reviews If you have specific requirements or just wish to see other options, below is a list of all the antivirus software weve reviewed. Well keep evaluating new and refreshed software on a regular basis, so be sure to come back to see what else weve put through the ringer. PROMOTION Antivirus Deal: Intego Mac Premium Bundle Get Integos Mac Premium Bundle X9 with antivirus, firewall, backup and system performance tools for just $29.99 (down from $84.99) for the first year. Get Deal What to look for in antivirus software By our reckoning, antivirus software should be able to neutralize a threat before it can begin wreaking havoc. That means preventing the download, installation, or execution of malicious software. Since you can encounter threats by visiting compromised or malicious websites, receiving virus-laden attachments, or accessing USB drives with malware, good AV software should scan on a continuous basis unless you configure it otherwise. And ideally, files identified as malicious should be quarantined into a special storage area managed by the AV software, with the option to automatically delete files known to be malware or repair normal documents that also carry devious payloads. Great AV suites also will monitor the filesystem for certain kinds of changes. Ransomwarewhich is malware that will rapidly encrypt user files like documents and mailboxes and then delete the originalshas become a huge moneymaker on other platforms. As a prime opportunity for attackers, its the greatest danger Mac users likely face as a category. Detecting this pattern and halting it before any files are unavailable should be possible without an anti-malware system knowing the specific innards of a ransomware virus. Sophos, our top pick, includes this feature in the Home Premium version of its 2018 update. Other vendors, like Avast and Trend Micro Antivirus, offer an alternative feature that allows you to whitelist programs allowed to manipulate files in specific directories. So if this particular type of attack becomes rapidly popular, youll be protected. Good antivirus software should also use minimal computational resources. Thats especially the case these daysAV monitoring hasnt become much more complicated than when it first became available, and faster, multi-core CPUs can easily handle the demands of running AV software in the background without disturbing your active work. Beyond these primary features, an easy-to-navigate interface and extra features are worth factoring into your decision. Some AV software are full-fledged suites that offer additional options like backup service for essential files, a password manager, parental controls, anti-tracking and privacy modes or options, a more advanced firewall, and the blocking of Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs). How we test Each software package is evaluated creating a clean installation of macOS Mojave, cloning it for each AV product, and then booting separately into each one to install a different package. This was to ensure that previous app installations didnt interfere with new onessometimes AV software treats other AV software as an infection. In addition to visiting malicious websites, downloading known malicious software, and even running said malware, we also reference the most recent reports from two labs that regularly cover macOS malware: AV Comparatives and AV-TEST. These laboratories test AV software against sets of known malware as well as products that are grouped as potentially unwanted applications (like adware). The latter doesnt damage or expose your computer or its files but may consume power and CPU cycles. Because the testing effectively looks at a combination of virus databases and behavior, they remain good gauges even after many months. When an antivirus software package lacks a rating from a known security research lab, we do more extensive testing with real malware. Finally, while we gave props for a lot of different features and behaviors, we marked products down if they lacked any or all of the following: A nearly perfect score on macOS malware detection Ransomware monitoring Native browser plug-in or system-level Web proxy A high score on Windows malware detection Privacy concerns Using an anti-virus product, especially any that includes tools to also improve your online privacy, may lull you into believing youre safe from personal and private information leaking out. Thats not quite the case. While theres no reason to panic, you should consider a few reasonable issues. First, an antivirus product may upload the complete text of files flagged to the cloud, where it can be analyzed by separate tools hosted there. This practice is normal and sensible: Some malware can detect when a running process may examine it, and will then engage in subterfuge. Antivirus software makers also can access their massive databases to examine files with characteristics that trigger their algorithmscertain elements that match known malware. As a result, security researchers discover new viruses, worms, Trojans horses, and the like. However, helping the greater good means youll have to be comfortable with trusting a third-party with your file contents. Where appropriate, we noted privacy policy issues in individual reviews. Second, this software may also rely partly or entirely on cloud-based checks of URLs, malware, and the like. Accordingly, an AV package might upload every URL you visit, metadata about files, signatures of files, information about your computers hardware, a list of running or installed applications, and more. Companies vary on their disclosure of such policies, and may not let you opt out of this kind of sharing. We note issues in each review as available. Third, anti-virus software makers also get a sense of what behavior is happening on your computer thats being monitored or blocked, and may use that information for their own purposes. In some cases, you can opt out of this information gathering. Real Madrid set to beat Barcelona to signing of Japanese wonderkid Takefusa Kubo Real Madrid Catalans tried to sign forward in 2014 Real Madrid are set to beat Barcelona to the signing of Japanese starlet Takefusa Kubo from Tokyo FC. Barcelona tried to sign the 18-year-old back in 2014, but their attempts to bring him and other under-age players to the Camp Nou saw them suspended from signing players by FIFA. Kubo didn't end up joining the Catalan club and now it seems like he's going to get his move to Spain with Real Madrid instead. Paris Saint-Germain are also thought to be monitoring the forward's progress, but Los Blancos are leading the chase. They've offered Kubo a salary of one million euros a year and, although the deal is not 100 percent done, MARCA believe that an agreement is very close to being reached. Real Madrid would pay Tokyo FC two million euros as a transfer fee, give him a five-year contract and put him into the Castilla squad for next season. Any move for the Japanese player would see Real Madrid continue their recent trend of signing younger players. Vinicius Junior has already proved to be a success and his compatriot Rodrygo Goes will join the club this summer as well. Real Madrid sign Takefusa Kubo Fichajes Real Madrid Beat Barcelona to teenager's signature Real Madrid have signed Takefusa Kubo. The Japanese youngster will pen a six-year deal with the club where he will play with Castilla under the orders of Raul Gonzalez. The 18-year-old's signing has been agreed between Madrid and Tokyo FC for two million euros and the player himself will earn one million euros per season. Madrid moved in ahead of Barcelona by signing Kubo, as the Catalans had him in their ranks as a youth but was one of the players that led to their 2014 FIFA sanction and he returned to Japan. While Castilla will be his home for next season, he is a signing for the future and the plan is to have him in the first team in the coming seasons. Vallie Wendell Hyltons life didnt look very promising at the beginning. One of 15 children, 10 surviving past infancy, Hylton lived in a log cabin with holes in the walls. In the wintertime, he could see the snow falling without walking outside or glancing out of the window. All Hylton had to do was peek out of one of the many breezy holes that dotted his home. My dads early life was very humble, Patricia Grant said of her late father. Vallie Wendell Hyltons life didnt look very promising at the beginning. One of 15 children, 10 surviving past infancy, Hylton lived in a log cabin with holes in the walls. In the wintertime, he could see the snow falling without walking outside or glancing out of the window. All Hylton had to do was peek out of one of the many breezy holes that dotted his home. My dads early life was very humble, Patricia Grant said of her late father. Growing up in Martinsville without much money and limited opportunities, Hylton didnt have much to look forward to. Teachers and everyone told him he was never going to be anyone, Grant said. Somehow, Hylton tuned out all of the negativity. Determined to make his life worthwhile after graduating from George Washington Carver High School, now an elementary school in Henry County, Hylton attended college at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md., where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. During his lifetime, Hylton earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and a Master of Science, Pre-Medicine/Biology degree from North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro. He also earned a Doctorate of Education in Curriculum/Instruction and Administration/Supervision from the University of Virginia. My dad loved education, Grant said. You couldnt have a conversation with him without talking about education. Hylton died on May 13, and his family and friends gathered Saturday at G.W. Carver Elementary School to celebrate his life and legacy. They even toured his second-floor classroom. Thats where he started after his love of learning brought him back to Henry County, back to the same institution where teachers told him he wouldnt amount to much. When he walked the halls of G.W. Carver High School in the 1950s and 60s, it was as a teacher. First, he got that education. Then, he started giving it back to the same poor kids in the neighborhood where he grew up, Grant said. He wanted to give them a different message. Speaking positively to students about their potential, Hylton sought out interactive learning methods for his biology and chemistry classes. The teacher developed an idea for a student science fair. Preparing for the big event which grew larger and larger each year Hylton often took students on field trips to the old DuPont plant, where they learned about nylon production. When the day for the anticipated science fair arrived each year, a panel of judges scoured the displays and made their top selections. He wanted all of his students to do something to be able to showcase their talents and the things they had learned in his class, Grant said. The winner received an opportunity to compete at the Virginia State Fair, with the hope of obtaining a scholarship. Grant said she was too young, at the time, to recall if any Carver students ever won one of the converted Virginia State Fair scholarships, but she said she hoped they did. After 14 years at Carver and one year at Bassett High School, Hylton moved on to other endeavors, which still focused on education. One of Hyltons greatest achievements occurred when he worked as a conciliator, mediator and educational specialist for the United States Department of Justice. Hylton assisted more than 40 states with the immediate goal of desegregating schools, which as mandated by federal law. Hylton conducted several hundred seminars related to desegregation, educational equity and staff development. He would go throughout the country holding classes and developing plans on how to integrate schools, Grant said. He would teach teachers how to integrate classrooms. He wasnt just desegregating schools; he was desegregating minds. It became his life goal. Other major accomplishments include creating programs for troubled schools across Virginia to help disadvantaged children finish high school attend college, GED and self-reliance programs for at-risk mothers and grandmothers in several public housing communities in Richmond City and the development of several Adopt-A-School programs. Hylton also worked with many Virginia municipalities to reduce suspensions, expulsions and discipline problems while promoting positive self-esteem, achievement and attendance. In appreciation for his numerous efforts, the Richmond Virginia Seminary conferred upon him the Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, in recognition of Hyltons dedication to humanity as an outstanding educator and teacher. Coming from humble beginnings including working through college to pay his tuition Hylton championed learners despite their economic or societal dispositions. He set up two scholarships one at the Maryland-Eastern Shore and the other at the New College Institute in Martinsville for those with a desire to attend college but not the resources. Fully funded, these scholarships will continue for years to come, despite Hyltons passing on May 13. Any student who receives that scholarship, hopefully, will learn who he was and what he was about, Grant said. To pay it forward and impact another childs life in the same was that he did theirs would be the greatest legacy the recipient could pay to my dad. Get that degree, then do it for someone else. Amie Knowles can be reached at amierknowles@gmail.com Amie Knowles can be reached at amierknowles@gmail.com Two dogs were killed Wednesday during an incident in Spotsylvania County in which the dogs seriously injured a young woman and bit one of the deputies who had come to her aid, police said. Sheriff's Capt. C.A. Carey said deputies went to Stonewall Estates subdivision off Old Plank Road about 4:30 p.m. after receiving calls about a woman being attacked outside her residence on Stonewall Lane. The dogs were still mauling the woman when deputies arrived, he said. Carey said that as deputies intervened, at least one of the dogs attacked a deputy, biting the deputy on the upper leg and causing a significant wound. Both dogs were shot by authorities and later died after being taken to an animal hospital. The woman, who is in her 20s, was rushed to a hospital and had emergency surgery, Carey said. She was still in the hospital Thursday morning. An infant inside the home at the time of the attack was not harmed. The injured deputy received staples to close his wounds, Carey said. He was released from a hospital Wednesday night. The large dogs were described as Cane Corsos, or Italian mastiffs. They lived at the same residence as the woman, though Carey said he wasn't sure if they belonged to her or someone else. Carey also said he wasn't sure if there were more than two dogs involved in the incident. The entrance to the subdivision was closed for about an hour as the Sheriff's Office investigated the incident and rescue workers tended to the wounded. Read MassLives coverage of untested rape kits in Massachusetts. ----------------------- Marlene Roses partially naked body was left alongside a New Bedford railroad bridge, her bruised and bloody remains revealing to investigators that she had suffered a violent assault. The 42-year-old Rose was last seen around 11 the night before, spotted sitting on a wall at the corner of Austin and Purchase streets. A few minutes after 11, a neighbor reported hearing a woman scream. Another neighbors dog began to bark in the direction of the railroad tracks. Then morning came. It was about 8:20 a.m. on July 7, 2002, when a man collecting cans near the bridge, which crosses Route 18 to Wamsutta Mills, discovered Roses body, according to documents filed in Fall River Superior Court. She was lying on her back, a white hat covering her face. The slaying of Rose would remain unsolved for more than eight years. And through those years, there was DNA sitting forgotten in law enforcement storage that pointed to the identity of Roses killer. A rape kit collected five years before Roses killing, in 1997, contained DNA that matched the saliva collected from Roses body. That rape kit was never tested. Authorities now say that had that rape kit been tested, there could have been a swift arrest for Roses murder. It would be years before there was any sense of justice. The Massachusetts Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program provides medical forensic examinations at no cost to patients in designated hospitals and Childrens Advocacy Centers across the state. Several untested rape kits in Massachusetts date back to the 1970s and 80s In Massachusetts, there have been two separate efforts to track down the number of rape kits that have never been tested. The state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, or EOPSS, has started its first legally mandated inventory, which identified 387 untested rape kits. That data does not include Bristol County, which separately, has received a $2 million federal Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant to identify and test previously untested rape kits collected in that county. MassLive obtained the EOPSS untested rape kit data through a public records request. Hundreds of the kits are from the 1990s and 2000s, but there was one glaring anomaly. Winchester police has an untested rape kit from 1971. Brockton has the largest number of untested rape kits with 27, all of which were collected in the 1990s. Of course, there could be other police departments with more, but that remains unclear because the EOPSS list does not include the Bristol County rape kit inventory. EOPSS asked more than 400 reporting agencies, including municipal law enforcement, sheriffs offices, university law enforcement and hospital security, how many untested rape kits were in their possession. Eighty-seven reporting agencies informed EOPSS of untested kits. Several reporting agencies only had one untested kit. There are kits recently collected, some from last year and even the first months of 2019. But at least 85 kits are decades old. The Dennis Police Department reported five kits, all from the 1980s. Most have associated police reports, according to the data. Some departments reported untested kits but did not report what year the kit was collected. In Bristol County, a preliminary inventory indicated 2,124 rape kits submitted by county law enforcement to the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab dating back to 1983 were never tested or were only partially tested, according to the Bristol County grant application, obtained by MassLive through a public records request. A total of 2,273 rape kits were sent to the Crime Lab from Bristol County during that time period, meaning only 149 were fully tested for DNA at the lab, according to the data. Previously, Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol District Attorneys office, said, We have received no information as to why the [rape kits] were not tested by the lab. As of Friday afternoon, Miliote said the district attorneys office had received some information about why the kits were not tested, and that information was still being reviewed. Because of the federal grant, Bristol County kits were not included in the EOPSS inventory, despite the fact the EOPSS is the fiscal agent of the award. The EOPSS inventory relied on specific definitions of rape kits following the passage of an omnibus criminal justice reform statute last year. It is not clear if Bristol County used the same definitions in its preliminary inventory. Boston police has its own crime lab and it was not immediately clear how many untested rape kits are on evidence shelves. Worcester, the second largest city in New England, reported zero untested rape kits to the EOPSS inquiry. Its impossible to know how many rape kits have been destroyed before ever making it to the crime lab. Thats what happened to Michelle Bowdler, a Massachusetts woman who was raped in her Boston apartment in 1984. Decades later, Bowdler found out her rape kit sat at the Boston Police Department untouched until it was lost or destroyed. This is the first part of a lengthy and complicated process of identifying untested rape kits and working toward testing all of them. When kits are finally sent to the lab and tested, cases can potentially be connected through DNA matching, giving authorities a chance to identify potential serial rapists. While the process is a major step forward, each kit that has been sitting untested and neglected represents a person who suffered a violent crime. Each one of those kits that is sitting on a shelf does represent a survivor who has gone through a terrible ordeal, such as sexual assault, and has been violated in the most intimate of ways and then went to the hospital, reported it to law enforcement, basically did everything society asked them to do after a sexual assault, and then the evidence that could bring the offender in that case to accountability and justice, and healing to a survivor, just sits on a self, said Ilse Knecht, the director of policy and advocacy at the Joyful Heart Foundation. Rape kits -- also called sexual assault evidence kits (SEAKs) or sexual assault kits (SAKs) -- are collected when a victim goes to the hospital after an assault. Medical professionals, including Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, use cotton swabs and other materials to collect DNA from a survivors body. From the hospital, DNA should go to a crime lab for testing. One of the things that we have to think about is the survivors themselves. These are survivors that went to the hospital and had evidence collected from their bodies because they wanted to preserve the evidence, because they wanted to make sure that they were physically OK, because that was the next step that they felt they had to do, said Katia Santiago-Taylor, the advocacy and legislative affairs manager at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, or BARCC. When kits sit abandoned on police evidence shelves, a chance to solve crimes is lost. Rape kits sitting on shelves means that there are dangerous offenders walking the streets of Massachusetts communities. Many of these offenders are serial offenders. Theyre serial rapists. They commit all kinds of crime from lower-level crimes, burglary, robbery, all kinds of property offenses, to assault, domestic violence and homicide," Knecht said. When those rape kits sit on shelves not only are there dangerous offenders just free to victimize again and again, but survivors that those kits represent are waiting for justice." According to the CDC, one in three women and one in four men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes. Nearly one in five women and one in 38 men have experienced completed or attempted rape. The cost of rape is estimated to be $122,461 per victim, according to the CDC, including medical expenses, lost productivity, criminal justice activities and other costs. The impact of sexual violence can be both physical, including bruising and genital injuries, as well as psychological, including depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, the CDC said. Victims can also suffer chronic consequences, according to the CDC, including post-traumatic stress disorder or reoccurring gynecological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and sexual health problems. Marlene Rose was murdered on the evening of July 6, 2002, in New Bedford. She was last seen at the corner of Austin and Purchase streets before her body was found the next morning next to a railroad bridge about 100 yards away. No one would be charged with Rose's killing for more than 8 years. But charges could have come sooner had authorities tested a 1997 rape kit. Lack of testing halts Marlene Rose murder investigation After Roses remains were discovered, members of the State Police Crime Scene Services unit were called to the railroad bridge. The area is behind Purchase Street, about 100 yards away from the wall Rose was sitting on the night before. Its just across the street from where Rose was last seen alive. There were signs of trauma on Roses face, neck, hand and legs. The medical examiner ruled the manner of her death was a homicide and the cause was asphyxia by manual strangulation. Her body was bruised and bloody and showed that before she died, she had been the victim of a violent, sexual assault, which included what appeared to be bite marks to her breasts, court documents read. A chemist ran swabs along parts of Roses body, collecting DNA. Roses hands were covered with bags before her body was moved from the scene, a measure to preserve any evidence that could be on her fingers, or wedged under her fingernails. Investigators collected samples from Roses body and found DNA belonging to an unknown man. That DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Indexing System, more commonly referred to as CODIS. The DNA did not match anyone else in the system. Sitting forgotten in law enforcement storage was that 1997 rape kit -- the one that was never tested. And the perpetrator of that rape was the same man who killed Rose. If the original SAK [sexual assault kit] was tested in 1997, the defendants DNA sample would have been in CODIS, Miliote said. After the murder of Marlene Rose, a saliva sample was entered into CODIS as an unknown. It would have matched the original SAK from 1997, which would likely have resulted in a timely arrest for the murder at that time. Timely testing may not have saved Roses life, but it could have prevented her slaying from becoming a cold case. In this Jan. 9, 2015 file photo, District Attorney Thomas Quinn III makes a statement outside Bristol County Superior Court in Fall River. Quinn's office, along with the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Security and the Massachusetts State Police, has received federal funding to test rape kits. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)AP Backlog doesnt account for kits that never made it to the Crime Lab The 387 untested kits identified by EOPSS will eventually be sent to the Crime Lab. EOPSS did not respond to a question asking why rape kits have gone untested. Some of the kits identified in Bristol County will not be tested until 2020. Because it has received the federal grant, the Bristol County kits are going to an outside testing lab rather than the State Police Crime Lab. To call someone 37 years later and say weve analyzed your kit and this is what we found, I dont know if theres any way that thats not going to be a bit traumatizing, said Santiago-Taylor, of BARCC. Bristol Countys grant application offers some reasons why the rape kits may not have been tested. Some of the kits were screened and did not yield biological results. Others may not have been tested because the technology was not available at the time, according to documents included in the grant application. Some kits were not submitted or tested due to a lack of clarity regarding policies and procedures among the police departments, the Bristol County District Attorneys Office and [the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab], the application reads. Budget constraints that resulted in a reduction in the number of sexual assault detectives limited the personnel available for these cases. Santiago-Taylor said that in her conversations with the Crime Lab, the message is always that kits are tested as soon as they arrive. So, hearing there was no accountability or way to track where those kits were after they left the hospital and they were not at the crime lab, its sad, she said, speaking about the untested kits from Bristol County. Its concerning that theres that many kits [for] people who were under the impression that the evidence was going to be analyzed and it was not analyzed. When rape kits pile up, waiting for testing at a crime lab, its known as a backlog. In Massachusetts, a backlog is defined as kits that are in queue for Criminalistics or DNA testing at the Crime Lab. That does not account for possible cases where local law enforcement never submitted a kit to the lab at all, or possible cases where a kit was sent to the lab, was never tested and then was sent back to local law enforcement. As of June 10, there are 453 rape kits at various stages in the testing process at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab. Most of those kits have completed criminalistics testing and will soon undergo DNA testing if they have not already, according to Felix Browne a spokesman for EOPSS. That number could change daily, as new kits come in for testing and others are completed. When the 387 kits identified in the EOPSS inventory go to the Crime Lab, they will become a part of the states backlog until testing is finished. As part of the criminal justice reform statute, law enforcement agencies are required to submit all rape kits to the State Police Crime Lab that have not been submitted before. Those newly-submitted kits must be tested within 30 days. EOPSS is working to create a tracking system, so survivors will be able to follow their kits collection until testing is concluded. A vendor has been selected and EOPSS is in the process of negotiating the terms of the contract and the scope of work for the project, Browne said. Asked if EOPSS is seeking to learn how many rape kits have been destroyed by local law enforcement without ever being sent to the Crime Lab, Browne said that is not within the scope of the criminal justice reform statute, but that it is EOPSSs goal to identify, collect, and submit for testing every kit with investigative value. Gov. Charlie Bakers administration has proposed funds in the fiscal 2020 budget to hire 27 additional forensic scientists and support staff for the Crime Lab, said Browne. In fiscal 2019, 34 forensic scientists and support staff were approved and are currently in the hiring process. Bakers administration has also built a rape kit storage facility in Milford. In April, Baker signed a supplemental budget including $8 million to collect and test rape kits. John Loflin in a March 2011 booking photo at the Bristol County Jail and House of Correction. Loflin later pleaded guilty to murder in the 2002 killing of Marlene Rose and a 1997 rape, both of which occurred in New Bedford. DNA collected in Tennessee provides a new lead in Marlene Rose murder After eight years with no leads in the Marlene Rose murder there was a sudden break in the case. On Nov. 3, 2010, an update came: A DNA match to the saliva collected from Roses body was confirmed through CODIS. The cold case was now an active investigation. John Loflin, a resident of Tennessee who previously lived in New Bedford -- on Austin Street, in the area where Rose was last seen alive -- provided authorities with his DNA as a part of a probation matter following a drug conviction in that state. Loflin moved away from New Bedford shortly after Rose was killed, according to court documents. Finally with a suspect, officials looked into Loflins criminal history, dating back to the years before Roses slaying. That led authorities to an Aug. 10, 1997, rape in New Bedford. Loflin was charged with raping a woman at knifepoint near the Wamsutta Mills -- a short distance from where Roses body was discarded years later. The rape kit collected from that victim was never tested. A distressed woman had gotten out of a gray car near Sawyer Street and flagged down a New Bedford police officer, telling him she had just been raped at knifepoint. New Bedford Police Officer Kurt Dreher, according to documents filed in Bristol Superior Court, noticed a long red mark on the victims throat as she described that a man had raped her at knifepoint, threatening to kill her. The woman told police that Loflin had picked her up and brought her to an area by the Wamsutta Mills (a short distance from where the body of Marlene Rose was discovered), court documents read. He then pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. He threatened her with the knife and told her to have sex with him. The officer chased the car and pulled over the driver, identified as Loflin. A knife was visible inside the car. The victim went to the hospital and a sexual assault kit was collected. That kit was taken to the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab but was never tested. It is unknown why this SAK was not tested, however during that time there were varied policies and procedures regarding SAK testing and submission, reads a narrative included in the states application for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant. Loflin was charged with aggravated rape and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The case went into the court system but was later dismissed. Grant paperwork indicates the charges were dismissed after the victim in the 1997 case moved out of the country resulting in no further evidence to proceed with. However, court documents filed in connection with Roses murder divulge that the victim did not move out of the country, but rather was not a United States citizen and was deported back to Portugal. During the investigation into the murder of Marlene Rose, the police made efforts to try and track down [the 1997 rape victim] in Portugal and learned that she had died a couple of years before, read court documents filed in November 2013. With the new suspicion that Loflin killed Rose, the rape kit was finally sent to the lab, more than 10 years after the assault. The DNA was a match for Loflin. The same profile picked up from Roses body. The Massachusetts Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program provides medical forensic examinations at no cost to patients in designated hospitals and Childrens Advocacy Centers across the state. Mass. law enforcement has never before audited its untested rape kits Backlogs of untested rape kits have become a national conversation in the last several years as advocacy groups push for law enforcement to take an inventory of their shelves and all test kits, including the old and forgotten. The federal government has estimated that hundreds of thousands of rape kits have gone untested, collecting dust in law enforcement storage, in medical facilities and other sites. Some states have started to address the problem. In Detroit, more than 11,000 abandoned kits have been tested, which resulted in 2,616 DNA database matches, officials have said. That testing allowed authorities to identify 811 potential serial rapists who have committed crimes across the country. In Massachusetts, a full statewide inventory of untested rape kits has never before been completed. In 2015, EOPSS requested reports from municipal police departments on the number of untested rape kits in their possession. Only 75 departments responded. Massachusetts has 351 municipalities. MassLive in 2017 asked roughly a dozen police departments how many untested rape kits were sitting on evidence shelves. Two departments said it would take more than 30 hours of counting. Nine departments reported zero untested kits. Some advocates found that number hard to believe. This new EOPSS inventory does indicate that hundreds of reporting agencies say they are in possession of zero untested rape kits. Any time at this day and age when a state or city or jurisdiction says we have none, theyd be the first place in the country. Let me just put it that way, said Knecht, of the Joyful Heart Foundation. Theyd be literally the first and only place in the country that truly has none. Knecht said she has sent records requests to small communities in the country that have about 30 rapes reported per year. Even in those cases, Knecht said, she has found that those communities usually have one kit sitting untested. Law enforcement has been criticized for the lack of testing in cases in which survivors know the identity of the person who raped them. There are still law enforcement out there who dont know that rapists often rape people they know and people they dont know and that by testing all kits you can connect a stranger case and an acquaintance case and solve the stranger case by the acquaintance case, Knecht explained. "That has happened. But there are a lot of law enforcement working in this arena, on sexual assault cases, who dont know that and will still say, no, we dont need to send kits in acquaintance cases for testing. There will continue to be more rape kits for authorities to collect, test and track. Former Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter speaks to the media outside the Fall River Justice Center. Sutter was the district attorney when John Loflin was indicted in 2011 with the killing of Marlene Rose in 2002, which Loflin later pleaded guilty to, along with the rape of another woman in 1997. Both incidents occurred in New Bedford. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)AP More than 10 years after Marlene Roses murder, a guilty plea Both Rose and the 1997 rape victim were prostitutes in the New Bedford area. In 2010, after Loflin was charged with Roses murder and charged again with the 1997 assault, one of his relatives came to his defense. The relative claimed that in 1997, Loflin was robbed by the rape victim. Unlike [the 1997 victim] who submitted to the defendants force and threats to kill her while he raped her, the evidence suggests that Marlene Rose did not submit and was then beaten and strangled, read court documents. Several members of Roses family have died in the years since Roses murder. One relative did not respond to a request for an interview for this story. Loflin was indicted by a Bristol County Grand Jury on a charge of murder in the first degree on April 1, 2011. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder days before his trial was slated to begin in November 2013. Loflin also pleaded guilty to the 1997 rape. Loflin, who is now 57, was sentenced in November 2013 to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. For help 24/7 you can call the RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE or go online. For information about rape crisis centers across Massachusetts, see here. The MassDOT says it will release the long-awaited study and location recommendation for a new Massachusett Turnpike exit between Westfield and Lee on Interstate 90 during the summer months. That vague approximation worries state Rep. William Smitty Pignatelli, D-Lenox, the lawmaker who got the study included in the states 2018 budget. He now fears that what he sees as a vital lifeline to the Hilltowns is getting slow walked on Beacon Hill. "In the summer months. It had better be in this month," Pignatelli, whose district includes Blandford, Russell and Tolland. "I don't understand what is taking so long." There is a 30-mile stretch between Exit 2 in Lee and Exit 3 in Westfield on I-90. The distance makes it inconvenient for travelers and truckers to access a good chunk of Western Massachusetts. Getting an exit in between 2 and 3 has been a priority for local leaders for generations. Calls for the new exit got louder in 2017 once the state did away with toll booths and went with cashless tolling using overhead gantries. Some drivers informally get on and off the Mass Pike through open gates at maintenance access points. But MassDOT says the practice is against the law and very dangerous. MassDOT spokeswoman Judith Reardon Riley told The Republican via email this week that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is in the process of finishing up an analysis of the three alternative exit locations and drafting study recommendations. She said there will be a meeting for the members of the Working Group, a public informational meeting and then the study will be released to the public in order to receive feedback. Pignatelli said he's received the same information. It was back in February 2019 that MasDOT released a list of three finalists for the exit site and cost estimates of between $29.5 million to $37.8 million. The three possibilities, narrowed form a list of seven, are: Alternative 1 at Algerie Road in Otis: estimated cost of $37.8 million. Alternative 2 at the MassDOT Maintenance Facility in Blandford: estimated cost of $29.5 million. Alternative 3 at the Blandford Service Plaza in Blandford: estimated cost of $34 million. Public meetings on the subject have drawn folks who are looking for access and easier, quicker ways to commute to jobs in Greater Springfield. However, some residents have complained that an exit would change the rural nature of the Hilltown communities. Humason called the exit the "last chance" for the Hilltowns and their economic development efforts. "I dont think the Commonwealth is going to put money into the Hilltowns, if there is no way to access the Hilltowns," he said. 4/24/2019 - Blandford - This is North Street bridge, a possible location for a new highway exit on Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) between Exit 2 in Lee and Exit 3 in Westfield. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) And the highway exit doesnt necessarily mean roadside businesses and fast food joints. "Local zoning can control that," Humason said. Pignatelli said residents are worried that the exit would stress local roads leading to and away, roads that already might not be in good shape. The solution, he said, is for the state to take over responsibility for the access roads. MassDOT has said the process of going from selecting a site to finishing the exit could take as long as 10 years. SPRINGFIELD Before she started training at Tech Foundry, Damaris Ortiz of Springfield didnt know how to leap from classes at Springfield Technical Community College into the career she wanted working with computers. Erwin Bates of Ludlow was laid off in December and didnt want to go back to the factory jobs hed had since getting out of the Marines in 1994. "I'd always been interested in IT, hobby programming, learning on my own time," Bates said. Today, Bates one of the 20 graduates in Tech Foundrys latest class has a job at Northeast IT Systems in Westfield. Ortiz, meanwhile, is finishing her internship working on computer systems and imaging at Savage Arms, also in Westfield. She hopes, as many Tech Foundry students do, to turn that internship into a full-time job. Its been great, Ortiz said. Tech Foundry has really prepared me. Founded in 2014, Tech Foundry has graduated 250 students, said Dara Nussbaum-Vazquez, the organizations executive director. On Friday the Tech Foundry offices at 1391 Main St. got a visit from state Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee, Patrick Larkin, director of the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, also known as MassTech, and Carolyn Kirk, MassTechs director. All of our efforts are about creating pathways into these careers, said Wagner, the assistant majority leader in the House. Kirk formally announced a $50,000 grant to support the most recent Tech Foundry Class and its transition to a Tech Foundry 3.0 curriculum. The three were on a three-stop tour of Springfield-area tech innovators. They talked cybersecurity at Bay Path University and health care technology at TechSpring, a Baystate Health project located in the MassLive Building in downtown Springfield. Delcie Bean, who started Paragus IT as a teenager, and others in the local computer industry launched Tech Foundry to help educate workers in skills needed by the regions computer and information technology employers. That includes programming, technical support, troubleshooting, data security and data management, and soft skills like dealing with people and operating in a business environment. Tech Foundry 3.0 refers to the current program of study, which represents a refinement of what Tech Foundry has done over the years. At first, the program was open to high school students. Today, it is for high school graduates or people with equivalency diplomas. The current 14-week program emphasizes internships, with usually students doing a short stint in a workplace and then a longer period of on-the-job learning, said Nussbaum-Vazquez. The program emphasizes being life-long learners as well. Tech Foundry also focuses on getting people from underserved or underrepresented communities ready for tech jobs, Nussbaum-Vazquez said. Tech Foundry's classes are a third female, she said. That's better than the industry average of 28 percent female, but short of Tech Foundry's 50/50 goal. Tech Foundry's classes are half Latino and Black, she said. Rediker Software of Hampden has had great success with Tech Foundry students, said Andrew Anderlonis, the companys president. "There just arent that many people locally with the skills we need," he said. "We have people we hired from the first few classes of Tech Foundry who have moved up and been promoted in the company." Without Tech Foundry, Rediker would need to rely on search firms and hiring folks from outside the region. "And the people here are pre-screened," Anderlonis said. Rediker, which has about 120 employees, provides software tools for teachers and school districts that do everything from tracking discipline and grades to managing admissions at private schools to communicating with parents and running school district websites. Nussbaum-Vazquez said the jobs Tech Foundry preps folks for start at $18 or $19 an hour. Applications for the fall 2019 class will be available soon here. A Haverhill businesswoman looking to open a recreational marijuana store has filed a lawsuit against two businessmen who have sued the city in an attempt to block her store from opening. According to The Eagle-Tribune, three owners of two businesses near the proposed shops 124 Washington St. address recently sued the city alleging that zoning for pot shops breaches the rights of neighboring property owners. As the plaintiff in the lawsuit filed in Essex County Superior Court, Caroline Pineau argues that Bradford Brooks and Lloyd Jennings have engaged in a pattern and practice of threatening, extorting, intimidating and/or suing a business neighbor for their own financial gain, the newspaper reports. The Eagle-Tribune reports that Pineau, also operating under the company name Haverhill Stem LLC, said in the lawsuit that the men demanded $30,000 from her. The debt could be traced to a previous dispute between Brooks and Jennings and the Victor Emmanuel Lodge of the Sons of Italy, the previous business located at 124 Washington St., the paper said. A copy of the lawsuit obtained by the newspaper demands that Brooks and Jennings stop intimidating Pineau and for damages related to the conflict. The original lawsuit, first intended to be heard in state land court, has now been moved to U.S. District Court because it involves federal issues, the newspaper reports. Though legal for adult-use in Massachusetts, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Possession, cultivation and distribution of cannabis remains illegal under federal law. Many marijuana businesses in Massachusetts have received legal backlash from their respective communities. Earlier this year, neighbors of a Cambridge medical marijuana dispensary sued the business in U.S. District Court alleging that the store, Healthy Pharms, broke the anti-racketeering RICO statute as they were involved in federal marijuana crimes. The neighbors argued the business hurt their property values. Though the case was settled out of court, the lawsuit could have shattered the budding Massachusetts marijuana industry. If a judge sided with the neighbors, that decision could have made the state reexamine existing marijuana laws. Cases like this are not unique to Massachusetts, RICO lawsuits against marijuana businesses have been decided and are pending across the country. In late 2018, a jury ruled in favor of a Colorado cannabis cultivation facility embroiled in a similar federal racketeering lawsuit, according to The Colorado Sun. The Cambridge neighbors also brought a zoning appeal to state court, however they eventually agreed to dismiss the case. AMHERST Town Clerk Margaret Nartowicz will resign later this month to take a job in the municipality of Berlin as that communitys first town administrator, beginning on July 1. Her return to Amherst, in August, as the town clerk lasted less than a year. She had previously served as town clerk here until 2003, prior to taking the job as Sunderlands town administrator, and then serving as Rutlands administrator from 2015 to 2018. Small town administration is really where my heart is, though I am in a large town at the moment, Nartowicz told Berlins three-person Board of Selectmen during her May 22 job interview, when they selected her as town administrator. The reason why I chose Berlin to apply to is because for a small community that has had no central administrative [director] it has accomplished an incredible amount, she said during her interview. In choosing Berlin, she cited its decision to become a Green Community, adoption of the Community Preservation Act, and that it has at least 10 percent of its housing deemed affordable according to state criteria. To date, 240 of the states 351 cities and towns have been designated a Green Community by the commonwealth. A municipality with that designation is eligible for grants to to implement energy-efficiency measures, construct renewable energy projects, or pursue other avenues to reduce their fossil fuel energy consumption. When Nartowicz returned to Amherst last summer, the community was still operating with a five-member board of selectmen, whose meeting minutes were taken by a secretary to Town Manager Paul Bockelman. When the new Town Council began work in December, the Town Clerk had the added responsibility of being the Councils official record keeper, a task that included taking and transcribing minutes for the full body and subcommittee requiring a lot of extra evening work. BOSTON -- Three Brockton men accused of manufacturing hallucinogenic and psychoactive drugs were indicted in federal court on Wednesday. Binh Thanh Le, 22, Steven McCall, 23, and Allante Pires, 22, were each charged with conspiring to manufacture and distribute MDMA, Ketamine and Xanax. All three had been charged previously by criminal complaint and detained, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. The three men are accused of receiving wholesale quantities of controlled substances in the mail and then using them to manufacture the drugs in rented office space in Stoughton, she said. The men then allegedly marketed and sold the drugs on Dark Net Market websites under a vendor site they created called "EastSideHigh", she said. During the investigation, law enforcement officers confiscated more than seven kilograms of Ketamine, more than 10,000 Xanax pills, at least 20 kilograms of MDMA, also known as "Molly", $200,000 worth of Bitcoin and more than $100,000 in cash, she said. When executing the search warrant at the office space, law enforcement also found a pill press, shipping and packaging materials and encountered McCall, who was wearing a respirator and believed to be working on filling drug orders, she said. During the investigation, an undercover federal agent also ordered MDMA from one of the EastSideHigh vendor sites on a Dark Net Marketplace. Agents also intercepted envelopes of the drugs, which were being mailed, which was allowed through a search warrant, DiLorio-Sterling said. The case was investigated by Lellings office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Massachusetts State Police, Homeland Security investigators in Boston, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Norfolk County District Attorneys office. Homeland Security in Colorado and postal inspectors across the country assisted with the investigation, she said. WARE A 3.2-mile stretch of Central Mass. Rail Trail along Ware River in town may yet get built. Although that would still be years away, a milestone of sorts was reached Wednesday: East Quabbin Land Trust, which hopes to build it, received permission from Ware Conservation Commission to construct the proposed 10 feet wide trail. The commissions OK was required because the project involves work within existing wetlands. Total wetland impacts are alteration of 3,642 square feet. Four areas adjacent to the former railroad bed are identified for replication that total 4,987 square feet, according to the EQLT work-plan, contained in their Notice of Intent, that the Commission approved by a 3 to 1 vote on June 12. The EQLT, which owns a half-mile stretch along the abandoned Boston and Maine Railroad bed at Frohloff farm on Church St., will now seek permission from National Grid, to build it they own most of the rest of the land, where the trail is proposed, from Grenville Park to the Gilberville/Ware covered bridge, along the Ware Rivers westerly banks. The East Quabbin Land Trust is requesting a license agreement from National Grid for use of a part of their ownership in Ware, Massachusetts to re-construct the former railroad bed into the Mass Central Rail Trail, the agencys NOI to the Commission said. At this point, the EQLT will begin negotiations with the power company, the agencys Executive Director Cynthia Henshaw said in an interview outside town hall, following the Commissions approval. This will still take several years to get built, but now we have local approvals for the next steps, she said. Central Mass. Rail Trail, when fully built, would be 104 miles of public trails, west from Northampton to Cambridge. Henshaw described it as an important public recreation trail accessible for all. Cultivate, the Leicester marijuana store that was one of the first to sell recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, will pay a $75,000 fine for violations related to labeling and tracking inventory. The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday signed off on a negotiated agreement with the owner of Cultivate, Samuel Barber. Im convinced they understand the mistakes theyve made and the violations that occurred, and they understand it cannot happen again, and we will not tolerate it happening again, said Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman. Hoffman said allowing a licensee to negotiate a settlement with the commission is an efficient way to use commission resources, rather than issuing an order, then having the company challenge it. Our objective is to fix the situation and ensure it wont happen again, Hoffman said. Francy Wade, a spokeswoman for Cultivate, said in a statement, The Cannabis Control Commission issued three violations in January which were rapidly resolved. Processes have been put in place to make sure these labeling and inventory issues arent repeated. According to the agreement, inspectors conducted an unannounced inspection of Cultivate on Jan. 30 after identifying inventory discrepancies in the states online tracking system. Commission inspectors identified 14 batches of marijuana products, which were bought wholesale from a medical marijuana dispensary and were being sold on the recreational market, that lacked proper labeling. The products which included cartridges, flower, massage oil and shea butter lacked labels warning that they contained THC and were not safe for children. They did not include batch identification numbers, serving sizes or directions for use. While the commission did not find that there was any missing marijuana, it did identify discrepancies between a count of physical inventory and two separate inventory tracking systems, which indicated that the store lacked proper procedures for tracking inventory. Some plants and packages were not properly tagged. (Tagging is used to keep track of products.) The commission ordered Cultivate to stop selling the mislabeled products and post the cease and desist order in a conspicuous location in its facility. A Feb. 4 inspection indicated that the order had not been posted as required. (At a commission meeting, commissioners said the order was posted in a back office, rather than in the main store.) The commission confirmed in the agreement that Cultivate has resolved the issues, all employees have been credentialed to sell and track inventory, and all products can be sold as long as they are properly labeled. This is the first fine the commission has levied on a recreational marijuana store since Cultivate and NETA in Northampton became the first licensed recreational stores to open last November. Hoffman said other marijuana businesses should be aware that the commission will do unannounced inspections and will enforce its rules. We take our regulations seriously, he said. We will enforce all of our regulations, and we are not going to wait until renewal time to check you out. Hoffman said there is no evidence of any violations at Cultivate other than those caught by the inspectors. PALMER It took nearly 80 years for the remains of Frank A. Hryniewicz, who died at the start of World War II, to be identified. But his hometown never forgot his sacrifice at Pearl Harbor and dedicated a park in Three Rivers village in his honor. Each year, Three Rivers residents mark Veterans Day and Memorial Day with ceremonies at Hryniewicz Park. Its the central point of Three Rivers. Theres a childrens playground, there are picnic tables and a gazebo and at Christmas time Santa Claus sits at the casino, said Marjorie Cavanaugh, a veteran of the Korean War and longtime resident. Nearly 80 years after his death at age 20, Hryniewicz, a Navy Seaman 1st Class, has been identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. To identify Hryniewicz remains, scientists from the agency used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis. According to The Republican archives, Hryniewicz was the first serviceman from Palmer to die in World War II. The son of John Hryniewicz, he had enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940. At the time, he was survived by two brothers, Edward and Alexander, and a sister, Rose. His family had received a letter from him two weeks before the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was one of 429 crewmen serving on the USS Oklahoma. The battleship was destroyed and all of the crewmen, including Hryniewicz, were killed. We knew that he was killed at Pearl Harbor, but we did not know much else about him, Cavanaugh said. His brother was actually my sons Boy Scout leader, but his family that lived here in town is all gone now. A memorial service for Hryniewicz was held in Three Rivers on Feb. 21, 1942 and the park was dedicated in his name after the end of World War II. Every year on Dec. 7, we have a ceremony at the monument because of him, Cavanaugh said. I think he would be pleased to know that the park is still used and that the town enjoys it." Earlier this year, the remains of another Oklahoma crew member from Western Massachusetts, Electricians Mate 3rd Class Roman W. Sadlowski, 21, were identified. According to the agency there are 72,704 still unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 26,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable. Hryniewicz and Sadlowski names are recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from World War II. WARE -- Police are asking for help to identify a woman who took money collected to help cancer patients. The suspect took a donation can for the Jimmy Fund off the counter of the Honeyland Farms store on East Street, put it in her purse and left the store, police said. The woman, who was captured on the store camera in the Wednesday afternoon theft, is described as middle-aged and was wearing a pink shirt. She was a passenger in what is believed to be a green sedan, police said. Anyone who has information about the theft or can identify the suspect is asked to call Sgt. Chris DeSantis at 413-967-3571 or email waretipline@townofware.com. People can remain anonymous. Jimmy Fund donation cans are distributed by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and all money deposited is sent to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to help cancer patients. Ware Police Department is a supporter of the charity, police said. CHICOPEE -- Officials at Westover Air Reserve Base are warning residents they will hear extra noise coming from F-15 jets flying into and out of the base over the next few weeks. The base is hosting the jets from the Massachusetts Air National Guards 104th Fighter Wing while repairs are being made at Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield. The work is expected to continue for at least three weeks, Westover officials said. Westover also hosted the F-15 fighter jets from Barnes during the summer of 2013 when the runway was being repaved. There were no problems reported at that time. SPRINGFIELD Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is once again calling for stronger laws to crack down on repeat violent offenders, saying Edwin Hernandezs arrest in a Tuesday homicide is his third arrest on gun charges in less than a year. I guess the third time is a charm, Sarno said in a prepared statement Thursday. A young man is dead, families and neighborhoods are adversely affected what the hell does it take to hold these types of dangerous repeat violent offenders! On Wednesday, Hernandez, 20, of Holyoke, denied one count of murder and other charges in Springfield District Court in the shooting death of Isaiah Ramos, 19. Ramos was shot and killed Tuesday at Liberty and Genesee streets in the citys Liberty Heights neighborhood. Hernandez had been arraigned in November in Chicopee, accused of firing shots at a group of men, but was released from jail on conditions after the prosecution asked that he be held without bail. No one was injured in the incident. Sarno said he is once again calling on the state legislature to pass a bill that he supports that would allow prosecutors to appeal bail amounts they believe are too low. Supporters of the bill say that defense lawyers can appeal bails set by district court judges to Superior Court, but prosecutors cannot. The Hampden County Bar Association has said higher bails discriminate against lower-income defendants, and that the perception of low bail is not to blame for violent crime in Springfield. Sarno said police keep arresting repeat violent offenders and some of our Judges and Court System keep letting them out through their revolving door policies. He called for passage of the bail legislation and/or dangerousness legislation by Gov. Charlie Baker intended to crack down on violent criminals. Bakers bill would expand the offenses for which a judge could hold a hearing to deem someone dangerous. We need to respect and protect all our law abiding citizens of all backgrounds and stop coddling these repeat violent offenders,Sarno said. "Believe it or not, thats what our citizens want done. Believe you me judges wouldnt stand for this in their neighborhoods, but its acceptable in our urban neighborhoods! Go, collusion! That could be President Donald Trumps unofficial re-election campaign slogan. After all, Trump effectively invited outsiders to interfere in the 2020 presidential campaign when he told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulost that hed likely welcome hearing dirt on an opponent from those acting on behalf of a foreign nation. It comes as no surprise that Trump cannot admit -- to the nation, to the world, to himself, most notably -- that Russia meddled in our 2016 presidential election in an effort to aid his candidacy. This has been obvious since immediately after it became clear that his shocking defeat of Hillary Clinton was perhaps not exclusively due to his own brilliance as a campaigner, but may have been given a much-needed boost from Kremlin-directed misinformation efforts. That, and then-FBI Director James Comey's astonishingly foolish decision to reinsert Clinton's emails into the campaign narrative on the eve of Election Day, of course. No one has been surprised to hear Trump repeating his refrain -- no collusion, no obstruction -- despite the meaningless of his assertion. Which in no way means that Trump cannot still, after all this time, say something shocking. Which he did in an interview with Stephanopoulos, portions of which were released on Wednesday. Asked if his campaign, offered dirt on an opponent by someone acting on behalf of a foreign nation -- Russia or China, for example -- would welcome the information, or would instead inform the FBI, Trump said: "I think maybe you do both." He still doesn't get it, does he. Trump continued: "I think you might want to listen. I don't -- there's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country -- Norway -- 'We have information on your opponent' -- oh, I think I'd want to hear it." Pressed further, Trump dug himself a bigger hole, conflating foreign interference with traditional politicking. "It's not an interference, they have information -- I think I'd take it," Trump said. "If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI -- if I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research, 'oh let's call the FBI.' The FBI doesn't have enough agents to take care of it. When you go and talk, honestly, to congressman, they all do it, they always have, and that's the way it is. It's called oppo research." No, it's not, in fact. It's called foreign interference. And that Trump cannot, or will not, make a distinction ought to concern anyone who cares a whit about the sanctity of our nation's electoral process. It should concern even those who once thought of themselves as proud Republicans, who spoke of the importance of hewing to the rule of law and who understood that there were limits, both ethical and legal limits, regarding what was fair game when running for office in America. One imagines Russian President Vladimir Putin hearing Trump's latest bit of foolishness and smiling with delight at our president's invitation to mess with our nation's election again next year. Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, may also welcome the virtual invitation from Trump to meddle in our 2020 election. Others whose interest are not our interests are also doubtless on the list of those who noted with fascination Trump's answers to Stephanopoulos. That Trump was unable to admit that thered been a problem was bad enough. Now, hes gone an unconscionable step further by welcoming more troubles ahead. SPRINGFIELD - A former Chicopee police officer was fined $5,000 for admitting guilt in an immigration fraud scheme, but avoided any jail time. Nhac Duy Truong, 44, of East Longmeadow could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in November to filing false immigration petitions in 2008 and 2009. Judge Mark Mastroianni handed down the sentence Thursday in U.S. District Court in Springfield In the petitions to U.S. Immigration officials, Truong claimed a Vietnamese woman was his alien fiance and they were to be married. The woman was actually the sister of Truongs common-law wife. Two years after submitting the petitions, Truong signed a sworn affidavit for the sister, in which he denied ever having met his common-law wife. The two were living together at this time, and she is the mother of his two children. Charges were filed against him in November. According to U.S. Immigration law, a U.S. citizen may petition to have a fiance allowed into the country on a visa, provided the intention is to marry within 90 days. In order for the person to be eligible for permanent resident status, the marriage has to be valid, meaning a bona fide intent to establish a life together and the marriage is not for the sole purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit. According to terms of the plea agreement, Truong agreed to step down from the Chicopee police and never seek employment again in law enforcement. He announced his retirement in November, one day before pleading guilty. He was with the Chicopee police since 2004. He was originally hired in 1998 by the Springfield police, becoming the departments first officer of Vietnamese descent. He among a group of officers laid off in 2004 due to budget cuts. A Springfield man charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Charles White in downtown Chicopee last weekend is in custody of state police in New Mexico after he was picked up on a warrant Thursday. Gilfrey Gregory, 27, was stopped Thursday afternoon on Interstate 10 near Lordsburg, New Mexico, according to New Mexico State Police. He was driving a minivan with Florida license plates, and had 5 juveniles in the vehicle, police said. Police had been on the lookout for the vehicle after receiving information that Gregory would be inside it, and that he was wanted on a murder warrant issued out of Massachusetts. The Hampden district attorneys office said he is charged in Whites killing. Two other men have also been charged in the case. Daniel T. Caldwell, 27, pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of murder. Namel Clark was arraigned Friday in Springfield District Court, where he also pleaded not guilty to murder. Gregory is being held at the Hildalgo County Adult Detention Center, pending rendition proceedings to return him to Massachusetts to stand trial. The five juveniles were placed in the custody of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Family Department. Lordsburg is about 130 miles west of El Paso, Texas, and around 40 miles north of the Mexican border. Gregory has a long history with police in gun crimes. In 2011, he was arrested at age 18 along with 2 other men for narcotics and weapons violations after he was involved in a rolling gun battle with occupants of another car on Princeton Street. He served 18 months in jail. In 2015, Gregory and another man were arrested in Springfield, charged with firing a gun into a car on State Street, and then leading police on a chase that ended in a crash. BOSTON -- David Ortizs daughter, Alexandria, shared a thoughtful Instagram post Thursday afternoon, writing her wounded father has not once looked for pity, tears, or even indicated how he feels in his current state. Ortiz suffered a gunshot wound to the lower back at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic on Sunday night. He underwent two surgeries early in the week and is currently resting comfortably in the intensive care unit at Mass. General Hospital. Alexandria, 18, sang the national anthem at Fenway Park before the home opener in 2016, which was her fathers final season. Heres Alexandrias full post: "I would like to formally thank everyone who has reached out so kindly to feed us, transport us, and support us. Those who have extended prayers, thoughts, and love, I thank you. If there is one thing this world should know it is the admiration I have for this man, my father. I find myself complaining on a daily basis yet chaos has struck but my dad hasnt complained once. I promise on my life he has not once looked for pity, tears, or even indicated how he feels in his current state. He may be hungry (hes eating only ice right now) and he may be tired but you know what he said not more than 3 minutes ago? Even the toothpaste tastes good here. I hoped to share a bit of optimism in a time like this. People keep asking: [if] there is anything [they] can do. There is one thing everyone can do. Anytime you want to complain or feel sorry practice Davids method and turn that sorrow into optimism. #myRemarkableDadDavid #IceChipDiet#ThankYouDoctorsDominicanandAmerican SPRINGFIELD Tensions were high in Springfield District Court Friday as the shortage of lawyers for poor defendants came to a head, with a judge calling the problem a train wreck that has been developing for months. Representatives for a legal organization and a state agency said bar advocates and public defenders are overloaded with cases, meaning some people charged with crimes arent getting lawyers soon enough. That was the case with Dermot Weaver and Ivan Quinones, said Donald Frank, supervising attorney for Lawyers for Justice, an organization that manages bar advocates in Hampden County. We cant do the impossible, Frank told Judge John Payne as Weaver and Quinones sat handcuffed on a bench behind him. Under the law, Frank argued, the men had to be released from pretrial detention because they have been held for more than seven days without getting a lawyer appointed. Frank said he was not there to be a lawyer for the men he was only seeking to secure their pretrial release under the law. There are two categories of people appointed to represent criminal defendants who cant afford a lawyer. Bar advocates are private lawyers willing to be appointed at an hourly rate to take cases, paid by the state, for indigent defendants. In Hampden County the administration of that system is by Lawyers for Justice. Public defenders are staff attorneys of the state Committee for Public Counsel Services. Bar advocates are needed for appointment because there are not anywhere near enough public defenders to handle the number of cases. The rate of pay in Massachusetts for private lawyers willing to take such district court cases is $53 per hour with no benefits. There are also caps on the number of hours the lawyers can get paid for in a year. Payne told Frank and representatives of CPCS he was going to keep appointing CPCS for defendants, even though an official for the committee told Payne lawyers cant take any more cases. Randy Gioia, deputy chief counsel for CPCS statewide, said taking more cases would be unethical for staff lawyers because they could not provide adequate counsel to all clients. But Judge John Payne said Friday he would not rescind an order he issued earlier this week for local attorneys with the Committee for Public Counsel Services the state agency that provides public defenders to keep taking cases. Rebecca Jacobstein, a lawyer with the state agency, said an appeal will be filed with the state Supreme Judicial Court to overturn Paynes order. Rebecca Jacobstein, CPCS lawyer, said an appeal will be filed with the state Supreme Judicial Court to overturn Paynes order. Payne said he knows the CPCS action appealing to a higher court seeking to overturn his order to keep taking cases is the first act of a play, I understand that. He said he has the utmost respect for CPCS lawyers but he cannot allow them to stop taking appointments, no matter how large their caseloads. Both Payne and the lawyers said people higher up in state government and the Legislature are the ones who need to address the problem. Frank said in his view, the lawyer shortage is primarily a matter of compensation. For many years the Legislature has been called on to raise the hourly amount for bar advocates. He said Sarah Pegus, administrator, and Kim Duclos, administrative assistant, for Lawyers for Justice have begged and pleaded for private lawyers to take cases. Frank, Gioia and Jacobstein all based their arguments for release of defendants held for more than seven days without a lawyer on a state high court ruling called the Lavallee decision. The decision came after a similar crisis in getting representation for poor defendants in 2004. Under Lavallee, defendants cannot be held for longer than seven days without representation. The lawyers told Payne there are more than 50 defendants from Springfield District Court without lawyers, with about 10 held in jail. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Fitzgerald told Payne she just received the materials about Weaver and Quinones and hadnt had a chance to formulate a legal argument. Payne asked why Weaver and Quinones, for whom Payne said he had set small bail amounts, were the first defendants for whom Frank was demanding release. Frank said they were the first two defendants who were held more than seven days without representation. Payne told Fitzgerald and Frank to talk and come back with some proposed conditions of release for Weaver and Quinones. After Fitzgerald and Frank talked they presented release conditions to Payne, which he ordered for the men. Weaver and Quinones men were released on personal surety with conditions they stay away from certain people or places and report to probation weekly. Weaver has charges including attempt to commit a crime (breaking into cars) and larceny under $250. Quinones has charges including assault and battery on a family member and vandalism. In an affidavit attached to Franks motion regarding release of Weaver and Quinones, Duclos said in past years they have had to assign fewer than forty cases per month. Last April, we had to assign over seventy cases. The numbers have been climbing each month, she said. There are about 140 District Court certified lawyers willing to take cases, she said, compared to about 180 in past years, she said. TechSpring hosted its June Tap into TechSpring event with a panel discussion focused on the realities of the opioid crisis and how new technologies could make it easier for physicians to treat those with addiction. Audience members from businesses across the state networked with one another over pizza and beer before the panel began in the TechSpring offices in downtown Springfield on Thursday night. Started in 2014 by Baystate Health, TechSpring is tasked with creating state of the art digital healthcare systems to accelerate new advancements in the field. Each speaker took 15 minutes at the beginning of the panel to discuss their experiences treating those with opioid addiction. Bill Soares, an emergency medicine physician at Baystate Health and an associate professor at UMass Medical School said that as an emergency physician, he had a unique view of the crisis since he sees overdose cases constantly. Last year, he said, the Baystate Health system had 2,500 visits from patients with some sort of issue with opioids, whether that was an overdose, withdrawal or opioid use disorder. To give perspective to the issue, Soares explained that 70,237 people died from opioid overdoses in 2017 12,000 more lives than the amount of Americans who died in the Vietnam War. This is something that we see on a near daily basis, Soares said. I can expect about every other shift that I work, I will likely be trying to resuscitate someone who is young, who has had an overdose and who will probably die. Soares said that he gets frustrated because he knows treatments like Narcan are highly underutilized. This, he said, was due to myths surrounding the crisis that paint drug users as those who had a choice to continue using. People struggling with addiction might not feel comfortable going to family members to talk about their problems due to the fear of being judged, Soares said. When an incident occurs, theres little means for a person who feels isolated to get the medication they need. But these myths, Soares explained, give physicians an opportunity to find new ideas and technologies to try and overcome overdoses, and stop opioid abuse before it happens by treating it less like a taboo. If we can have people talking and not feeling scared for themselves, for their family members. That they will be judged, he said, that would be incredible growth. Peter Friedman, chief research officer at Baystate and associate dean for research at UMass Medical, explained that a lot of opioid abuse starts when a physician prescribes an opiate to someone for pain. A person can become reliant quick on the drug, he said, and after a prescription is finished, a person might go looking on the street for the same high. To combat this, Friedmann said there are many advancements being made in the field of alternative pain solutions. Neurotransmitters, biofeedback apps and counseling can help people move through periods of pain without turning to opiates. Even further, he said, drug monitoring programs along with smart pill dispensers could curb patients going to different doctors for prescriptions and abuse. Theres a lot of interest in this space and a lot of opportunities, Friedmann said, noting that technology like this is still in developmental stages. At the very least, a shift in public opinion about the opioid crisis would make it easier for needle exchange programs to become more frequent, said Liz Whynott, director of HIV health and prevention at Tapestry Health. Many who suffer from drug addiction use the same syringes multiple times, which could lead to blown veins and infections, she said. Even worse, shared syringes are widely known to transmit infectious diseases like HIV, Whynott said. Along with syringe access and disposal services, Tapestry also gives out Narcan, a drug that reverses an opioid overdose. Whynott said this service caught a lot of backlash from critics at first, but has since become more accepted as the crisis hits more communities. A lot of people saw it as enabling, thinking that if you gave someone a tool to reverse an overdose, what would make them stop using? she said. Narcan enables breathing, it enables life. You cant recover if youre dead. One audience member asked the panel about what sort of education physicians are giving patients about opioids after a prescription is made. Soares said that state regulations mandate that physicians talk about levels of risk for people prescribed opioids, and that this risk should be communicated to the patient. And even though physicians are prescribing opioids less, the amount being prescribed needs to be scrutinized. Sometimes our options are limited, he said of the amount approved for treatments for pain. Were really trying to explore what are the appropriate ways to deal with that. POLK COUNTY, NC -- Members of the North Carolina Helo-Aquatic Rescue Team, known as NC HART, airlifted an injured hiker and his dog Wednesday from a remote area on White Oak Mountain near Mill Spring in Polk County. The elderly man became lost in the woods Tuesday evening, and Polk County rescuers searched for him all night, locating him at about 7 a.m. Wednesday. He was injured from a fall and too weak to walk out, so local rescuers requested assistance from the NC HART program. The NC HART crew arrived and hoisted the injured hiker and his dog into the aircraft, along with four tired rescuers who had searched all night. They flew to a nearby landing area and transferred the patient to a waiting ambulance for transport to a local hospital. - Drivers must yield to those walking inside of a crosswalk. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} - If you find yourself in a situation where sidewalks are not provided, walk only on the shoulder of the roadway facing traffic. - If there is no crosswalk in sight, cross the road that is the shortest distance to the opposite side. - If you are crossing a roadway at any point other than a marked crosswalk or at an intersection, you must yield the right of way to all vehicles. Despite a lot of these examples being commonplace, Lawrence said that the agency still notices persisting issues between pedestrians and motorists either due to lack of knowledge or impatience. The main issue that we see on the pedestrian side is that people are impatient and do not wait for the proper signal so it is safe to walk or cross. They also cross in areas not marked and just dart out from behind parked cars thinking they will not be hit, said Lawrence. With motorists, lack of patience and distractions are always factors, but also lack of knowledge of what they are supposed to do and or just disregard for the law. Regardless, the chief maintains that safety for the walking and driving public is paramount. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} I had no idea any of that was going on, said Miss Jacie of the honor. I dont know how they got by with all of that, but they did and they surprised me. I was so surprised, just so surprised. Miss Jacie, and her husband Frank, opened White Lightning Talent Competition in 1975 to continue on the Fletchers legacy of competition dance. Dancers from all over the southeast come to North Carolina to compete in White Lightning. Dance is just part of me and I just keep going, she said. I start the recital for the next year in January, so the recital for next year is already started. I dont know who is going to be in it, or all the things that are going to be in it, but its started. A lot of planning goes into it. There are a lot of hours that Im up late or up early, but then there are some days I dont do anything at all. It is just a different kind of work that everyone else does. Many of her students can be seen dancing at local parades and events, but one trip that some of the older dancers are looking forward to is performing in the Thanksgiving Macys Day Parade in 2020. BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- An article under the byline of Si Wei has expressed concerns over the indiscriminate use of cyber attacks by the United States. The United States, as the de facto global cyberspace superpower, has top strengths in cyber attacks and cyber intelligence gathering, and it has never stopped abusing such strengths to disturb cyberspace order, said the article. Accusing the Chinese government of supporting commercial espionage against U.S. institutions, the United States has failed to produce any substantial evidence. Instead, it resorted to speculation and framing, the article said. On the other hand, the United States often uses state capacity in cyber attacks to help its businesses reap profits. Pointing fingers at Russia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea and other countries for allegedly attacking its critical information infrastructures, the United States has in fact never stopped seeking to infiltrate into and control other countries' critical information infrastructures, said the article. The global cyberspace governance is highly complicated, and it is a common aspiration to create a sound cyberspace international order. In 2011, China, Russia and other countries submitted the document of the International Code of Conduct for Information Security to the United Nations. In 2015, the UN Group of Governmental Experts on information security, composed of experts from 20 countries including China and Russia, submitted a report to the United Nations on the consensus of the norms of responsible cyberspace behaviors, including not using information and communications technology (ICT) to damage other countries' critical infrastructure and preventing the proliferation of malicious ICT tools, techniques and the use of harmful hidden functions. The United States, however, has been taking a passive attitude toward these international norms, the article said. Asia Pacific Orthopedic Biomaterial Market As per the latest study published by Market Research Future (MRFR), the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market is poised to strike a CAGR of 12.6% during the forecast period 2017 to 2023. Biomaterials are extensively used for manufacturing implants as they do not evoke immunological reactions. The growth of the orthopedic branch of medicine coupled with rising demand for biomaterials for implants is likely to drive the growth of the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market in the upcoming years. The advancements in the medical science over the years has catalyzed the adoption of biomaterials for implants and surgeries. The trend is projected to perpetuate during the projection period. Furthermore, the extensive use of biomaterials for the treatment of internal fractures is another factor responsible for driving the expansion of the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market. The rising demand for knee and hip replacements coupled with increasing medical emergencies and bone injuries in the region are projected to have a favorable impact on the proliferation of the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market over the assessment period. Other factors that are estimated to accelerate the revenue creation for the participants of the Asia Pacific orthopedic material market include rising aging population, increasing orthopedic surgeries, initiatives undertaken by governments, etc. Nevertheless, stringent regulation, the high cost of treatment and joint implant failures are expected to restrict the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market expansion over 2023. Request Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/643 Asia Pacific Orthopedic Biomaterial Market Competitive Dashboard: Some of the key players profiled in the report are Cam Bioceramics B.V. (Netherland), Kyocera Corporation (Japan), S&V Technologies (Germany), Rayner (UK), Materion Corporation (US), InVision Biomedical (US), Invibio Ltd. (U.K.), Royal DSM (Netherlands), BASF SE (Germany), Covestro (Germany), Corbion N.V. (Netherlands), Tianjin Walkman Biomaterial Co. (China), Kanghui Holdings (China), CeramTec (Germany), Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. (US), and Xian Airfoil Technology Co (China). Asia Pacific Orthopedic Biomaterial Market Segmentation: By material, the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market has been segmented into metals and non-metals. The metals segment is sub-segmented into stainless steel, titanium alloy, cobalt alloy, and others. The non-metal segment has been further sub-segmented into ceramic, polymeric, natural biomaterials, and others. The ceramic sub-segment is segmented into alumina, calcium phosphate, zirconium dioxide, carbon, and others. The polymeric sub-segment has been segmented into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene, silicone, polyester, and others. The natural biomaterials sub-segment has been further segmented into collagen, chitin & chitosan, and others. By application, the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market has been segmented into joint replacement, fracture fixation devices, tissue fixation, spine implants, viscosupplementation, and others. The joint replacement segment is sub-segmented into hip replacement, knee replacement, shoulder and elbow replacement, and other. The tissue fixation segment is sub-segmented into interference screws, suture anchors, and others. Spine implants segment has been further sub-segmented into spine fusion and other. The fracture fixation devices segment is sub-segmented into screws, plates for bones, rods, and other. By end users, the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market is segmented into hospital, clinics, and others. Asia Pacific Orthopedic Biomaterial Market Regional Analysis: China is the most significant country-level market in the region. It is likely to retain a dominant share of the market towards the end of the forecast period. The factors that are contributing towards the growth of the market in China are increasing awareness of biodegradable products, growing geriatric population, rapid research and development activities, etc. The developments in the medical sector of the country and initiatives undertaken by the government for the promotion of biomaterials in implant surgeries are forecasted to have a positive influence on the expansion of the Asia Pacific orthopedic biomaterial market. Japan and Australia are prognosticated to trail China in terms of revenue generation over the review period. The increasing aging population of these country-level markets is likely to catapult the Asia Pacific orthopedic biometric market on an upward trajectory. Browse Complete Report with TOC @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/asia-pacific-orthopedic-biometrial-market-643 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Beauty Devices promise to offer the same service as one can receive from aesthetic treatment. Existing companies are focusing on advanced technology and unique approaches to create competition with the new entrants. With developing technology in every aspect of life, beauty devices have attracted a huge amount of consumers to adopt these technologically advanced products. Global Beauty Device Market is one of the flourishing markets across the world. The global beauty devices market is expected to showcase a CAGR of 7.8 % as per a new report by Market Research Future (MRFR). Get Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/562 Beauty Devices Market Dominant Players Some of key the players in the market are LOreal S.A. Nu Skin Enterprises Panasonic Corporation Syneron Medical Ltd Home Skinovations Ltd TRIA Beauty Inc. Procter & Gamble Co. PhotoMedex Inc. Tria Beauty Inc. Industry News: January 07, 2019 La Roche-Posay (US), a leading global wellness brand providing dermatologist Tested Skin Care products introduces the worlds first wearable sensor My Skin Track pH at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This sensor comes along with a companion app to easily measure personal skin pH levels and create customized product regimens to better care for skin. This innovative sensor uses microfluidic technology and measures skin pH levels accurately. A key indicator of skin health this revolutionary innovation is still at the prototype stage. Get Discount on Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/562 Beauty Devices Market Drivers and Restraints With the rising population, beauty devices and services, high disposable income, increasing prevalence of hair and skin problems and increasing hormonal disorders, and extensive technological advancement, the global market for beauty devices is sure to expand. Aging population another major factor leading to the growth of this market. Old age is directly proportional to reduced vascular and glandular network in the skin layers, loss of fibrous tissues, sagging of skin, wrinkles, dryness, and pigmentation of the skin. Anti-aging devices and products tighten and revitalize the skin and make one look younger. Adoption of such technologies by the consumers is elevating the market growth. Also, the increasing hair and skin problems caused due to excess pollution and UV radiations are sure to boost up the market growth in years to come. Meanwhile, side effects such as postoperative erythema, edema scarring, ecchymosis, and superficial burns are hindering the growth of beauty devices market. Moreover, risks related to photo rejuvenation devices comprises excessive swelling, blistering acts bruising, discomfort and fragile skin are the major restraints of the market globally. Beauty Devices Market Segmentation MRFR report segments the Global Beauty Devices Market by type, application, and end-user for a better analysis of the upcoming market. Based on the type, the beauty devices market can be segmented into hair care, skin care, oral care, and others. Furthermore, hair care segmented into hair removal devices, hair growth devices, hair styling devices, and others and skin care segmented into light/led and photo rejuvenation therapy devices, cellulite reduction devices, acne removal devices, and others. Application-wise, the beauty devices market can be segmented into commercial purpose and others. Furthermore, the commercial purpose can be segmented into hospitals/clinics, salon/spas, and others. On the basis of end-user, the beauty devices market can be segmented into professional and personalized. Beauty Devices Market Regional Analysis Regionally, the market for beauty devices can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Asia-Pacific is expected to show the fastest growth during the forecast period. America dominates the global market due to increasing patients with PCOS, advanced technology, increasing support from the government for R&D and rise in the aging population. Moreover, the concentration of major companies has fueled the growth in this region. Owing to the availability of funds and government support for R&D, Europe stands in the second position and is expected to grow over the forecasted period. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region in Beauty Devices Market due to the presence of advanced healthcare technology, high healthcare cost, and huge patient population. China is leading the largest market share because of rising aging population and stupendous economic growth. Meanwhile, regions like Africa and Middle East is expected to experience a luxurious growth in years to come. About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com Gene expression analysis is research dedicated towards functional genomics extending the application purview of studying genes and gene transcripts. Synthesizing functional gene products such as functional RNAs and protein species offers insights on how an intact organism survives when a particular gene goes missing. Growth in personalized medicine and technological developments are driving market growth. According to a data published by the Foley & Lardner LLP, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 16 new personalized medicines in 2017. Moreover, the development of genomic databases and increased government funding towards genomics is fueling market growth. Get Free Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7805 However, the lack of skilled labor and the high cost of instruments may hamper market growth during the assessment period. The Global Gene Expression Analysis Market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period. It is estimated that the global gene expression analysis market is expected to hold a market value of USD 3.250 million and register a CAGR ~9.1% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2023. Segmentation The global gene expression analysis market has been segmented into product, services, application, end-user, and region. The market, on the basis of product, has been segmented into consumables and instruments. The market, based on consumables, has been further segmented into reagents and DNA chips. The market, based on instruments, has been further segmented into polymerase chain reaction (PCR), next-generation sequencing (NGS), microarray, Sanger sequencing, and others. The market, by services, has been segmented into gene expression profiling services, sequencing services, bioinformatics solutions, and others. The market, by application, has been segmented into drug discovery, diagnosis, research, and others. The market, by end-user, has been segmented into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, academic & research institutes, contract research organizations, and others. The market has been segmented, by region, into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The gene expression analysis market in the Americas has further been segmented into North America and South America, with the North American market divided into the US and Canada. The European gene expression analysis market has been segmented into Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Western Europe has further been classified as Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe. The gene expression analysis market in Asia-Pacific has been segmented into Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. The gene expression analysis market in the Middle East & Africa has been segmented into the Middle East and Africa. Key Players GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Illumina, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., BGI, PerkinElmer Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., QIAGEN, Oxford Gene Technology, Eurofins Scientific, Danaher, Genotypic Technology Pvt Ltd, Macrogen Inc. are some of the key players in the global gene expression analysis market. Browse Complete 160 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures at @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/gene-expression-analysis-market-7805 Regional Market Summary Geographically, the Americas is anticipated to dominate the global gene expression analysis market owing to the increasing research activities and the rising popularity of gene expression tests. Additionally, the well-developed healthcare sector is anticipated to boost the American gene expression analysis market. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing region in the market due to the growing investment from governments in the field of genomics, and continuously developing economies. According to a report published by the International Journal of Social and Developmental Concerns in October 2017, in Malaysia, the growth of the public primary, as well as secondary care facilities, has decreased in the past few years, and it has not kept pace with the rapid urbanization. Thus, such factors restraint the growth of the market in this region. On the other hand, the Middle East & Africa has the least share of the market. Europe is expected to hold the second largest position in the global gene expression analysis market. The market growth in this region is attributed to the availability of funds for research. About US: Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Healthcare BPO Market Development and Opportunity Overview Factors that are propelling the growth of the market include the burgeoning healthcare sector and increasing insurance claims. Moreover, factors such as the advancements healthcare IT, new business models & processes, and the increasing use of digital technologies in healthcare are escalating the healthcare BPO market on the global platform. Acknowledging the huge expansion that the global healthcare BPO market is growing at a rapid pace is witnessing currently, Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently published study report asserts that the booming global healthcare BPO market is poised to touch a valuation of USD 449,623.8 MN by 2023, registering approximately 12.3% CAGR throughout the forecast period (2017-2023). In 2017, the market had valued over USD 199,500 MN. Avail Free Sample Copy at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1335 Additional major factors that are driving the growth of healthcare BPO market include the developments in digital technologies that are transforming processes from electronic records to telemedicine which is further allowing many healthcare providers to deliver services in innovative ways. Major Players: Key players leading the global healthcare BPO market include Accenture Plc. (U.S.) Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (U.S.) Infosys BPO Ltd. (India) Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (U.S) IBM Corporation (U.S) Wipro (U.S) Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (India) and WNS (India) among others. Moreover, addition to the health services that are evolving and allowing individuals to involve in healthcare decisions that impact them and call for easier access are fostering the growth of the market. In the recent years, outsourcing has played a major role in delivering quality patient care. Additionally, stricter requirements related to patient privacy, safety, treatment and payments, are creating a major demand in the healthcare BPO market, altering compliance processes. Cloud-based BPO is identified as a current trend in the market which is revolutionizing business outsourcing processes, helping healthcare organizations to reduce cost by using global delivery models and secure data access. Global Healthcare BPO Market Segments For ease of understanding, the analysis has been segmented into two key dynamics: By Services : Pharmaceutical Services, Non-Clinical Services, Claim Management, Payer Services, Member Management, Medical Billing, Provider Services, and Medical Coding Services By Regions : North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest-of-the-World. Access Complete Report Page Enabled with detailed Table of Content at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/healthcare-bpo-market-1335 Healthcare BPO Market Regional Analysis The North American region, heading with the constant advancements in healthcare technology accounts for the leading market in the global healthcare BPO market. Factors such as the concentration of major market players and an increase in the number of outsourcing of services in the hospitals, healthcare organizations, and healthcare insurance companies have boosted the growth of the regional market. Also, the mandatory implementation of ICD-10 codes accounts for a major driving force fuelling the growth in the regional market. The healthcare BPO market in North America is expected to create a substantial revenue pocket growing at a phenomenal CAGR over the forecast period. The healthcare BPO market in the European region accounts for the second-largest market, globally. Factors fostering the regional market include the increasing number of people seeking insurance, consolidation of the healthcare system, the pressure to cut healthcare costs, and pharmaceutical companies facing patent cliffs. Moreover, factors such as the constant improvements in the regulatory scenario, the pressure to reduce healthcare costs, and rising uptake of healthcare IT, big data, and cloud computing are propelling the growth in the regional market. The European healthcare BPO market is expected to grow at a considerable CAGR throughout the forecast period. The Asia Pacific healthcare BPO market has emerged a promising market, globally. Especially India, among other rapidly developing APAC countries has emerged as a lucrative market. Although in an embryonic stage, the Indian healthcare BPO market is already considered as a strong market. India has been attracting foreign healthcare organizations with its advanced futuristic BPO services alongside the efficient workforce. With its high-quality and low-cost services, India has become the most preferred outsourcing destinations in the world and the first choice of healthcare providers based in the USA and Europe. Indias well-developed pharmaceutical and medical education system is a key driving force. Indias quality of education, medical infrastructure and facilities are also regarded as useful. Factors such as large English-speaking population, and large talent pool of graduates and post-graduates in various technical and non-technical fields and the presence of more than 500 firms engaged in providing BPO services are impacting the growth of the market. Ask for an Exclusive Discount at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/1335 Industry/innovation/Related News: April 24, 2019 - eSimplify (the US), a leading global provider of Patent Pending Physician Analytics announced that it would be presenting its innovative patent-pending physician analytics software solution at the AAPC HEALTHCON 2019, to be held during April 28 May 1, 2019. The American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC), HEALTHCON features sessions, covering various specialties, including medical coding, audit/compliance, billing, practice management, and legal trends and issues. eSimplify analytics help Healthcare BPO Services, RCM Consultants, and Medical Device Suppliers to reduce their customer acquisition costs and help independent physicians, independent physician groups, and small- to mid-sized medical practice groups discover missed revenue. About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. Contact: Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Healthcare analytics offers the macro and micro level insights into hospital management, patient records, costs, diagnoses, and more in the burgeoning Healthcare industry. As a result, the uptake of healthcare analytics solutions is widening rapidly, leading to an increase in the size of its Healthcare Analytics Market. Real-time information provided by healthcare analytics, help managers to make decisions, deliver actionable insights, and thus to operate in a better fashion. Healthcare analytics is revolutionizing pharmaceutical organizations as well. Using more data and analytics, pharmaceutical organizations can assure their formulations positively. Moreover, the latest trend of increasing collaboration between healthcare organizations and pharmaceutical companies to improve treatment plans is escalating the market on the global platform, revolutionizing the healthcare sector, completely. Major Key Players Key players leading the global healthcare analytics market include Cerner, SAS Institute Inc., Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, IBM, Inovalon, Wipro, Cotiviti, Health Catalyst, Citiustech, Mckesson, Oracle, Optum, SCIO Health Analytics, Medeanalytics, and Vitreoshealth, among others. Request Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7819 Considering the exponential traction that the market is garnering currently, Market Research Future (MRFR) in its recently published study analysis asserts that the global healthcare analytics is poised to demonstrate significant growth registering a staggering double-digit CAGR of 27.1% throughout the forecast period. In the year 2018, the market had valued at USD 12,126.70 MN. The demand to curtail healthcare costs is playing a vital role in the overall growth of the market. Additional factors that are bolstering the growth of the market include the high adoption of technological advancements in the field of healthcare and the availability of low-cost technology that improves patient care by improving existing procedures, providing better services. Conversely, factors such as the concerns over the data security alongside the cost of analytical solutions and the technological incompetence are hampering the growth of the market. Nevertheless, the increasing demand for reducing paperwork and better treatment plans in collaboration with pharmaceutical organizations would support the market growth of the market over the review period. Global Healthcare Analytics Market Segmentation By Type: Descriptive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics, Predictive Analytics, and Cognitive Analytics. Descriptive Analytics, Prescriptive Analytics, Predictive Analytics, and Cognitive Analytics. By Component: Software and Services. Software and Services. By Delivery Model: On-premise and On-demand. On-premise and On-demand. By Application: Clinical Analytics (Quality Improvement & Clinical Benchmarking, Clinical Decision Support (CDS)), Operational & Administrative Analytics, and Population Health Analytics, Waste & Abuse (FWA), Risk Adjustment & Assessment) among others. Clinical Analytics (Quality Improvement & Clinical Benchmarking, Clinical Decision Support (CDS)), Operational & Administrative Analytics, and Population Health Analytics, Waste & Abuse (FWA), Risk Adjustment & Assessment) among others. By End-user: Payers (Private Insurance Companies, Employers and Private Exchanges, Government Agencies,) and Providers (Hospitals & Clinics, Post-Acute Care Organizations, Ambulatory Settings), among others. Payers (Private Insurance Companies, Employers and Private Exchanges, Government Agencies,) and Providers (Hospitals & Clinics, Post-Acute Care Organizations, Ambulatory Settings), among others. By Regions:Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Rest-of-the-World. Healthcare Analytics Market Regional Analysis North America, heading with the presence of major players, accounts for the leading region in the global healthcare analytics market. Rapid technological advancements in RCM and clinical analytics and increasing adoption of healthcare IT drive the regional market. Additional factors that are bolstering growth in the regional market include the rising government initiatives to reduce medical errors and the use of big data and mHealth solutions. Also, increased focus on big data management & analysis, the establishment of healthcare policies by the federal government, and early emergence and adoption of healthcare analytics across the region would fuel the growth of the market during the forecast period. The healthcare analytics market in the European region accounts for the second-largest market, globally. Factors such as government support and the presence of a well-established healthcare sector foster market growth in the region. Moreover, the increasing number of healthcare infrastructures and the healthcare insurance companies are fueling the increase in the regional market. The Asia Pacific healthcare analytics market is emerging as a profitable market globally. Factors such as vast technological advancements and the increasing demand to reduce medical errors are propelling the growth in the regional healthcare analytics market. With the several niche market players trying to leverage the share in the regional market, the number of technology providers is also expected to increase over the forecast period. Moreover, factors such as the increasing patient pool drive the growth of the regional market, creating a huge demand for healthcare analytics in the region. The market is majorly propelled by some of the rapidly developing countries such as India and China. Healthcare Analytics Market Competitive Analysis Highly competitive, the healthcare analytics market appears fragmented due to the presence of major players. Agreement & partnership, product launch, acquisition, and expansion are some of the key strategies traced from the analysis of recent market developments. Major players who are increasingly expanding their footprint internationally are making it difficult for local vendors to compete with them with their extensive technology portfolios, differentiation, quality, and pricing. Industry/Innovations/Related News: Waystar, Inc. (the US), a leading revenue cycle management (RCM) specialist announced the acquisition of PARO (the US), a healthcare financial assistance and predictive analytics specialist. PARO identified more than 3.5 MN patients as eligible for free or discounted care and reclassified on average, nearly 30 % of what would otherwise be considered bad debt to charitable write-offs. The acquisition of PARO would help Waystar to provide health systems and hospitals with solutions to address their evolving challenges of determination of the healthcare revenue cycle equation by adding PAROs technology to its platform. Browse Full Research Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/healthcare-analytics-market-7819 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact: Akash Anand Market Research Future +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Increasing prevalence of bone problems, adoption of advanced techniques in diagnosis, and increasing government support have driven the growth of the Knee Bursitis Market. According to the World Health Organization, 422 million people across the globe are suffering from diabetes. Diabetes is the major reason for cardiovascular diseases. Increasing prevalence of diabetes, rapidly developing technology, and increasing geriatric population across the globe are fuelling the growth of the market. However, strict regulations are to be followed by the manufacturer for the development of the devices. Strict regulatory rules and the high cost of treatment may slow the growth of the market over the assessment period. Get Exclusive Free Sample Copy @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5408 Key Players: MediaPharma srl, Merck & Co., Inc, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc, Oncolys BioPharma Inc, United Therapeutics Corp and others. Segmentation The global knee bursitis market has been segmented on the basis of diagnosis, treatment, and end users. On the basis of the diagnosis, the global knee bursitis market is segmented into imaging tests and others. Imaging tests are further segmented into X-ray, MRI, ultrasound, and others. Based on the treatment, it is segmented medication, therapy, surgery and others. Medication is sub-further segmented into antibiotic treatment and others. Others segment includes corticosteroid injection and others. On the basis of the end users, the market is segmented Regional Analysis The Americas command a major share of the Knee Bursitis Market owing to the huge patient population suffering from bone related problems & diabetes, increasing demand for the advanced devices, and strong government support. Additionally, availability of funds and rising geriatric population are expected to fuel the growth of the market. According to the United States Census Bureau, when the global population reached 7 billion in 2012, 562 million (or 8.0 %) people were aged 65 and over. In 2015, the older population rose by 55 million and the proportion of the older population reached 8.5 % of the total population Europe accounts for the second largest market across the globe, which is followed by the Asia Pacific. Strong government support, availability of funds for research, and high healthcare expenditure is driving the growth of the market. Browse Full Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/knee-bursitis-market-5408 . The Asia Pacific is the fastest growing Knee Bursitis Market owing to increasing need for better devices, rapidly improving technology, and the presence of huge patient pool. China and India are the key contributors to the growth of the market. Additionally, increasing government support, and presence of huge opportunity have fuelled the growth of the market in the Asia Pacific. The Middle East & Africa holds the least share of the global market due to limited availability of medical facilities and poor economic conditions in the African region. The Middle East holds the major share in the market in this region owing to a well-developed economy, whereas, African region is expecting a healthy growth due to the presence of huge opportunity in the market. Into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic centers, research centers, academic institutes and others. About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by 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. Contact: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune 411028 Maharashtra, India +1 646 845 9312 Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com . New York magazine has teamed with Marc Jacobs on a capsule collection featuring the New York logo on Marc Jacobs retail products. Some of the items, which include sandals, jewelry, bags and apparel, also contain the words Marc Jacobs stylized in the magazine's signature logo. For example, a pair of gold hoop earrings: One reads New York and the other Marc Jacobs, in the logo first drawn by renowned graphic designer Milton Glaser in 1968. (Theyre already sold out online.) We saw this as a unique licensing opportunity, as both Marc Jacobs and New York magazine are brands intrinsic to New York, stated Shyra Smart, New Yorks head of business development. advertisement advertisement Prices range from $35 socks to $1,295 purses, some of which look like a rolled up New York magazine. The capsule collection is part of designer Marc Jacobs new label: The Marc Jacobs. For the past two years, New York has also partnered with OnlyNY, a boutique streetwear brand, for two capsule collections in 2017 and 2018. Magazine covers, illustrations and photos from the magazines first decade were printed onto merchandise like hoodies and tote bags. New Yorks city editor Christopher Bonanos believes these collaborations correlate with the magazines coverage of shopping and consumerism. Upscale urbanites are enthusiastic shoppers and diners. They craved advice and direction from other enthusiastic shoppers and diners, Bonanos stated. So it seems appropriate that a major designer wants to pair up with us. Bonanos has eBay alerts set for items related to New York. Recently, a New York-branded paperweight sold for $600. He said this bodes well for the Marc Jacobs collaboration. New Yorks shopping site The Strategist opened its first brick-and-mortar pop-up shop last November . Consumers could purchase curated products for the holiday season. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 13, 2019 Siding against Facebook, a federal appellate court has revived a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of violating a robo-texting law. The decision, issued Thursday by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, means Facebook must now face a complaint by Montana resident Noah Duguid, who alleged the company repeatedly sent him unwanted text messages. Duguid, who apparently had been assigned a recycled phone number by his carrier, alleged in a 2014 class-action complaint that Facebook repeatedly sent him messages stating that his account had been accessed -- although he never had an account with the social networking service. Duguid said in court papers that he emailed Facebook with complaints about the texts, but the company persisted in sending them. advertisement advertisement Duguid alleged that the texts violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits companies from using autodialers to send robo-texts to consumers without their consent. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act defines autodialer as equipment that is capable of storing and dialing numbers using a random or sequential generator. Judges across the country have struggled to figure out when texting systems meet that definition, and have arrived at different conclusions. U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar in the Northern District of California dismissed Duguid's lawsuit, ruling that even if his allegations were true, they wouldn't prove that Facebook's text-dialing system was an autodialer. Duguid then asked the 9th Circuit to reinstate his claims. Facebook countered that Tigar's decision was correct and shouldn't be disturbed. The company said its texting system didn't generate the numbers randomly, but in response to information about a potential security breach. The 9th Circuit rejected Facebook's argument, ruling that Duguid's claims, if true, were sufficient to establish that Facebook used an autodialer to send him texts. He alleges that Facebook maintains a database of phone numbers and explains how Facebook programs its equipment to automatically generate messages to those stored numbers, the judges wrote. The amended complaint explains in detail how Facebook automates even the aspects of the messages that appear personalized. Facebook also argued to the 9th Circuit that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act itself violates the First Amendment, because the law exempts robo-texts aimed at collecting debts owed to the government. Facebook said it's unconstitutional to impose different rules on companies engaged in debt collections than other types of communications. The 9th Circuit agreed that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's exception for debt collectors is unconstitutional, but said the remedy is to remove that provision from the statute. We reject Facebooks challenge that the TCPA as a whole is facially unconstitutional, but we sever the debt-collection exception as violative of the First Amendment, the judges wrote. by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, June 14, 2019 Kids all over America will be posting loving messages for their dads on Instagram on Fathers Day, but how many fathers will see these? Relatively few, according to Michelob Ultra, which reports there are 8.5 million #FathersDay posts on Instagram, but just 1.6 million dads using that social channel. Solution? The brand is offering to turn those Instagram posts into printed cards and send them to the intended dads. All posts using #ULTRADad will be eligible to be turned into cards. The cards include a Drizly code for ordering Michelob Ultra. The beer brand is promoting the campaign with a video of Shawn Booth, of The Bachelorette, giving his own dad one of the cards. (Booth is also currently promoting a Superior Year social contest for Michelob Ultra.) The card offer, from agencies Laundry Service and Cycle, is the third iteration of the brands #ULTRADad Fathers Day campaign. advertisement advertisement Last year, Michelob Ultra shot a video celebrating father figures, including stepfathers. This year, sibling Anheuser-Busch InBev brand Budweiser has also created a video honoring stepfathers (below). Bud is also donating $1 to the Stepfamily Foundation each time someone mentions the video in a post about his or her stepdad. The video has pulled more than a million views on YouTube since its posting on June 12. by Maarten Albarda , Featured Contributor, June 14, 2019 General Mills CMO Ivan Pollard issued a statement following backlash against the terms of an agency review his company is conducting. In the statement, he explains and defends the terms set for the review issued at the beginning of May. (To be clear: I am not in any way involved in this review.) What happened is that, following a General Mills RFP that was sent to several agencies, some of the agencies took issue with the terms, and made them public. According to Adweek: The specifics of these agreements, sources said, include 120-day payment periods, no compensation for the pitch process and complete ownership of all creative concepts, whether General Mills ultimately hires the agencies in question or not. So how terrible is this? As we all know, 120-day payment terms are nothing new. They have been around probably since 2008 or 2009, instigated by Reckitt Benckiser and Anheuser-Busch InBev.The 120 days is a tough call and not easy to manage for an agency group. advertisement advertisement But I can recall several conversations with global agency group leaders who were perfectly willing and capable to discuss payment terms of 120 days. They explained that, as long as it wasnt on media buying, there was flexibility on terms to pay. I am not saying the agency holding companies liked the idea. But businesses have pushed payment terms across the board and across all their suppliers. None of these suppliers were happy, but this has become a cost of business, and somehow everyone makes it work. It is the same for agency holding companies. Compensation for the pitch process? Thats something I have never encountered before, and I have been around a little while. Neither the Association of National Advertisers, nor the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, the British equivalent of the ANA, have rules that suggest that advertisers pay for pitches. You can check the joint ANA/4As pitch rules here, and ISBAs pitch rules here, Both sites include free, downloadable guides. So what about the issue of ownership of proposed creative concepts? This is a little more complex. Agency holding companies are doing an awful lot of pitches. And some concepts may have a bit of a shelf life. If one advertiser does not buy a lifestyle concept, perhaps another advertiser will say yes. Or if you have a good idea for a car ad, who is to say that one car advertiser in a pitch might reject what another car advertiser considers the winning concept? That's why General Mills wants to protect what it sees in pitches. As a principle, that is common sense. Says Ivan Pollard: I know that IP ownership has also been a big topic of conversation. I acknowledge that there are times when agencies pitch similar ideas and, in these instances, we must protect ourselves. If agencies have a great idea or concept for our brands, it is likely we will want to work with them. In the world of real estate, it is location, location, location. In the ad world, its ideas, ideas, ideas. I must agree with the General Mills CMO that protecting ideas from being recycled requires protection. You can agree with the losing agencies that you wont actually use their ideas. But by the same token, neither should they. So is General Mills such a big, bad pitch bully? Not really. Its simply working by the rule book of pitches today. Nothing wrong with that. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, June 14, 2019 Watchdogs are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to prohibit wireless carriers from disclosing their customers' locations without consent. Continuing to allow access to real-time location data of cell phones is a safety concern that the Commission must take seriously, the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law, New Americas Open Technology Institute, and Free Press write in an informal complaint sent to the FCC Friday. The sharing of real-time location data of potentially all wireless customers served by the carriers raises significant concerns about public safety, the groups write. The Commission should not condone this behavior, and must stamp it out where it can. advertisement advertisement The organizations say the sale of real-time location data violates the Communications Act, which prohibits carriers from disclosing private data -- including location information -- unless consumers have consented, or pursuant to a lawful order. The carriers have broadly disclosed their customers location information in direct violation of these obligations, the groups write. They add that the carriers appear to have either violated their privacy policies, or failed to include key information in their privacy policies -- namely that they sold location data to outside parties. Free Press and the others are asking the FCC to investigate the carriers, enjoin them from disclosing geolocation information, and impose fines. The complaint was spurred by several reports accusing carriers of disclosing information about their customers' precise whereabouts. In January, the publication Motherboard reported that some of the largest carriers are selling customers' location data to third parties. Motherboard's article detailed how a reporter paid a bounty hunter $300 to track a phone's location to a neighborhood in Queens, New York. The carrier for that phone was T-Mobile, which shared the location data with the aggregator Zumigo, which in turn shared the data with Microbilt. Microbilt then shared the information with a bounty hunter, who shared it with a bail industry source, according to the article. That report came around seven months after it emerged that an aggregator was selling location data to law enforcement authorities who lacked warrants. In the complaint filed Friday, the advocates also note that scammers have duped carriers into providing real-time location data by creating email accounts that appear to belong to the police. The FCC's two Democratic commissioners, Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks, have pushed the agency to crack down on the carriers' location data practices. Our location information isnt supposed to be used without our knowledge and consent, Starks wrote in a recent op-ed in The New York Times. The F.C.C. must use its authority to protect consumers and promote public safety, and act swiftly and decisively to stop illegal and dangerous pay-to-track practices once and for all. by Melynda Fuller , June 14, 2019 Having previously invested in mobile media technology platform Zig Media Inc back in 2018, Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter Media Group announced this week it has acquired the company. Zig prioritizes images and videos over word. Users consume, share and react to content through a scrolling feed of photos linking to third-party news sites. The platform drives traffic to publishers and social media outlets through the optimization of content consumption. Zig founders Joshua James and John Tornow join Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter Media Group as senior executives, while fellow cofounder -Zig president Adam Platzner will consult for a limited time during the transition. In total, four Zig employees will join the Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Platzner stated of the acquisition: that both Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter and investors like Graydon Carter, Ron Meyer, Quincy Jones, and Michael Rapino at Live Nation brought the platform to its present iteration. The team at Zig understands and shares our passion for putting artists first, and were excited to bring this innovative technology in-house to contribute to our existing and future product strategy, stated Deanna Brown, president of Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Technology has impacted human activities monumentally. Now, scientists want to know if human brains are being affected too. Share on Pinterest Being constantly connected to the online world may have long-lasting effects on the human brain. The internet has been around for less than 3 decades, but the technology has already had an immense impact on the way humanity functions. This is apparent to us all in the way people communicate, foster relationships, and source information. But there is one thing that scientists are still unsure of: What effect is the online world having on human brains? A new review by researchers from five universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia attempts to find the answer. The theory goes that neuroplasticity or the brains ability to structurally change over time means that the experiences and lessons we gain from internet use could be having a significant impact. Identifying and understanding these changes in children and young adults is particularly important as their brains are still developing. The World Health Organization (WHO) have already issued concern, recommending that children younger than 5 years old should spend no more than 1 hour in front of a screen on any day. The latest review considered three areas: the capacity for attention and concentration; memory processes; and social cognition. By examining numerous findings from previous studies, the international team of researchers was able to analyze whether the internet was proving beneficial or detrimental in each of these instances. Researchers from Harvard University in Boston, MA, Australias Western Sydney University, and the United Kingdoms Kings College London, Oxford University, and the University of Manchester all took part. Their conclusions appear in the journal, World Psychiatry . Multitasking and memory changes Researchers first looked at digital multitasking. Evidence showed that doing multiple things online did not improve peoples ability to multitask elsewhere. In fact, it could make people more likely to pay attention to new distractions. [T]he limitless stream of prompts and notifications from the internet encourages us towards constantly holding a divided attention which then, in turn, may decrease our capacity for maintaining concentration on a single task, explains Joseph Firth, senior research fellow at Western Sydney Universitys NICM Health Research Institute. However, more research is necessary to find out the immediate and long-lasting effects of this kind of behavior on young people. Next, the team studied memory. While previous generations had to store facts mentally, modern humans can now leave factual content to the internet. This may actually provide some benefits to the brain, allowing it to focus on other, more ambitious tasks, the researchers theorize. Given we now have most of the worlds factual information literally at our fingertips, this appears to have the potential to begin changing the ways in which we store, and even value, facts and knowledge in society, and in the brain. Joseph Firth But, again, further research into the long-term cognitive effects of relying on the internet for facts is required. There is also a need to delve deeper into the impact on our spatial memory, especially now that most people go online for navigation help. Social enhancements or problems? Social interaction was the last investigation element. The team found that the brain seems to process online interactions in a surprisingly similar way to real-life ones. This may be beneficial for older people struggling with feelings of isolation. But young people, on the other hand, appear to be more susceptible to social consequences that arise from online interactions, such as peer pressure and feelings of rejection. The review failed to find a causal link between internet use and poor mental health. However, the researchers did note that advances such as social media may work as a form of therapy for young people with mental health problems. Overall, future research needs to focus on young people, as it is somewhat clear that older adults may be positively stimulated by the features the internet offers. We cannot yet make the same conclusions for younger people, however. Advertisement The findings were based on 6004 midlife and older adults, living at Northern latitudes (England, 50-55oN) derived from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Since UVB radiation (sunlight) is a known determinant of vitamin D status, this was investigated. Interestingly, residents in the South of England had a reduced risk of deficiency, compared with the North, even after adjustment for socioeconomic and other predictors of vitamin D status.This new research demonstrates that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in older adult populations living at Northern latitudes and highlights the importance of public health strategies throughout midlife and older age to achieve optimal vitamin D status.Associate Professor in Nutrition at Trinity College, Maria O'Sullivan commented 'Our study identified factors associated with vitamin D deficiency, including being aged 80+ years, obesity and sedentary lifestyles; all of which are increasing traits in western populations. Furthermore, this is one of the few studies to highlight the importance of non-white ethnicity in vitamin D deficiency in a large study of aging. The findings are valuable in developing targeted strategies to eliminate vitamin D deficiency (at 30nmol/L) in older populations'.First Author Dr Niamh Aspell, who conducted the study as part of her PhD at Trinity said: 'Those who used a vitamin D supplement, were less likely to be vitamin D deficient as may be expected, but supplement use was low (4.4%) and, therefore, food fortification and other strategies need to be considered at policy level for older populations'.Co-Author and Trinity Research Fellow Dr. Eamon Laird, said: 'The high rates of deficiency are similar to rates seen in other high latitude countries such as Ireland. However, other more northern countries such as Finland have implemented a successful vitamin D fortification policy which has all but eliminated deficiency in the population. Such a policy could easily be implemented in the UK and Ireland '.Source: Eurekalert Within five days, a strike that started in West Bengal, has now spread to other cities with doctors from all over the country showing solidarity to the cause of protection of medical practitioners. It all started on Monday at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital where a 74-year-old patient Mohammad Syeed passed away. The relatives of the deceased allegedly beat up the doctors blaming medical negligence for the death. The clash led to an intern getting a severe head injury. Kolkata:Junior doctors at NRS Medical College&Hospital go on strike after doctors were allegedly attacked by a patient's family who died yesterday.Chandrima Bhattacharya,Health Min,says,"Emergency is open&talks are on.4 ppl have been arrested in connection with attack on doctors" pic.twitter.com/EU3HNJvfnV ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2019 Following that, doctors at NRS refused to release Syeed's body, demanding an apology for the incident. This was followed by some relatives and local residents storming the hospital and pelting stones at junior doctors. Reportedly, five relatives of the deceased have been arrested after an FIR. The incident led to a lot of outrage with people demanding safe working spaces for doctors. Apparently, the doctors are also wearing bandages and helmets as a way to protest. Following the incident at NRS, a lot of junior doctors from different hospitals in West Bengal also joined the protest. West Bengal: Doctors at North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri observe strike over violence against doctors at NRS Medical College & Hospital pic.twitter.com/qZvMkUEX0X ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 With Delhi Medical Association (DMA) declaring a Black Day yesterday, the protest also spread to Delhi with AIIMS Delhi joining in. The Indian Medical Association also urged doctors to wear a black badge as a way to protest. Delhi: Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) prepare to observe strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/pza71njjum ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Yesterday afternoon, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a four-hour ultimatum to end the doctors' strike while visiting the state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata. She was quoted as saying, [Doctors who are protesting] are outsiders. The government will not support them in any way. I condemn doctors who have gone on strike. Policemen die in line of duty but the police don't go on a strike. She also said, Medical services come under the Essential Services Act and the doctors cannot afford to do such protests. I don't understand medicine, but today I saw an accident victim lying without being attended to. He will die lying there because of the protest. Let good sense prevail or else we will be forced to take action. While her stand till now is still understandable, she did bring in BJP and called it a conspiracy. She said, This strike is a BJP conspiracy. Protesters are disrupting medical services. This should end at once. All anti-social people of one particular community are doing this under police protection. Really not the time for this, tbh. While the strike is still continuing and doesn't seem to come to an end soon, there are two different narratives emerging. There are stories about how a lot of patients are suffering because the doctors aren't there to treat them. Delhi: Patients face difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS is on strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Relative of a patient says, "My mother's dialysis was scheduled for today, we were told to go & get it done from somewhere else," pic.twitter.com/sFVF6D8VMj ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 But, at the same time, there are a lot of posts about doctors wearing helmets and bandages as a symbol of protest while also treating patients. Delhi: Members of Resident Doctors' Association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) work wearing helmets & bandages, as a mark of protest against "worsening of violence against medical doctors in West Bengal." pic.twitter.com/Fgrv6Jtjdq ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2019 People on Twitter are mostly standing with the doctors and respect their fight for safety while working. A lot of people have also brought up the fact that a lot of other patients are suffering and that's not fair. This is what happened when 200 people came by trucks and attacked Doctors and interns at NRS Hospital. They thrashed an intern's skull bcz a 85 yrs old man died. It doesnt feel safe living in WB nowadays. It's a goon's era we are living in. The protest must go on. #standwithnrs pic.twitter.com/9WkqH2XHOI Nabanita Das (@nabanita_speaks) June 11, 2019 Dear Doctors, I completely empathise with the fact that whatever happened in #NRS is deplorable & a strong protest is very valid but it's also true that making other patients, including small babies, suffer due for no to fault of theirs is also not something u can really justify Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) June 13, 2019 People are also calling out Mamata Banerjee. Attack on doctors happened in NRS college bt CM Mamata Banerjee went to SSKM college. Instead of condemning attack, she is condeming strike and clng students outsider & politicaly motivated. She is okay with doctors getting killed in line of duty. Again vote bank. #BengalBurning Pradeep Bhandari (@pradip103) June 13, 2019 Summed up. A patient Mohammed Sayeed died in NRS Hospital in Bengal. Soon after that: 1. Hospital was attacked by a violent Mob of 200 People. 2. Rioters came in two lorries to attack the doctors. 3. Mob also pelted bricks. Many injured. One Doctor is struggling for life. Pray for him. Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) June 12, 2019 As per the latest reports, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced a nationwide doctors' strike on June 17. The IMA said 3.5 lakh doctors will participate in the nationwide strike on Monday. Watch this space for more update. The International Space Station, as we all know, is currently the only fully functional space station in the Earth's lower orbit. It's the result of a partnership between European countries represented by the European Space Agency the United States, Japan, Canada, and Russia. Well, looks like there's going to be another space station by the year 2030 and it's going to be launched by none other than India. The same has been confirmed by the ISRO chief K Sivan during a press conference where he also talked a bit more about the project. Reuters He made it a point to inform that India will not be joining the International Space Station (ISS) and launch its own space station, which will be an extension of the Gaganyaan project. We have to sustain the Gaganyaan programme. So, subsequently, as a long-term plan, we are planning to have the space station in India. We are going to join the international community in manned missions to the moon, asteroids. We have a clear plan for the space programme, Sivan said. The proposed space station will likely weigh 20 tonnes and it's said to be used for conducting microgravity experiments. India is targetting 2030 as the date to launch the space station and the preliminary plan is for the space station is to accommodate astronauts for up to 15-20 days in space. We still don't have a lot of details, but we hope to learn more after the completion of Gaganyaan mission. Reuters As for the Gaganyaan mission, the government is said to have cleared a budget of Rs. 10,000 crore. It looks like there will be two flights from Sriharikota before the maiden flight with crew takes of sometime in 2022. ISRO's complete focus right now is on India's second moon mission, Chandrayan -2. It will take off on July 15 and will attempt to land near the South Pole of the Moon, which has remained an uncharted territory so far. You can learn more about the Chandrayan-2 mission right here. EGLE hosts first compliance conference in Marquette EGLE hosts first compliance conference in Marquette June 13, 2019 The first Northern Michigan Environmental Compliance Conference in the U.P. brought together professionals from the business community, government, and environmental groups to discuss the impact of important issues close to home and statewide. For two days in early June, more than 170 participants gathered at Northern Michigan University in Marquette for a Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy-sponsored event that provided Upper Peninsula stakeholders with an opportunity to learn more about topics such as hazardous waste, asbestos removal, air permitting, mineral drilling, water regulations, and brownfield redevelopment. EGLE Director Liesl Eichler Clark's keynote highlighted the department's priorities for the region and state, such as water infrastructure upgrades, recent changes to the Lead and Copper Rule, continuing PFAS investigation and remediation, and solid waste management. Clark also emphasized the importance of improving the department's communication efforts with stakeholders and the public. EGLE's Jim Ostrowski, who helped to coordinate the event, said it was important to provide a conference that afforded easy access for businesses and communities in the region. "We had a great turnout for a first-time event," Ostrowski said. "The staff here have been really encouraged by the great conversations they've been able to have with attendees about environmental regulations and how to comply with them." In one of the main presentations, Carl Lindquist, executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Trust Lake Superior, discussed how public, private and non-profit partnerships can be successfully leveraged to achieve common goals. Other sessions provided updates on EGLE's air, land, and water resource priorities in the U.P., and Michigan's PFAS response, presented by Steve Sliver, director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team. There were three breakout tracks and more than 18 sessions that covered a variety of topics from air permitting to water infrastructure finance. Find the agenda, presentations and information from the conference online, and view Director Clark's presentation on YouTube. # # # Take a short survey and let us know what you think about MI Environment. There are three primary reasons the cannabis industry has so much trouble obtaining routine banking and credit card processing but it is all really the same reason -- fear. Card associations, banks and regulatory agencies worry they can not prevent what they fear most. The card associations fear illegal transactions. The banks fear money laundering and fraud. Regulatory agencies fear tax fraud. The work arounds the cannabis industry might consider -- such as offshore accounts, miscoding, virtual ATMs, cryptocurrency, vouchering and even customer facing mobile apps -- have all failed. Many have resulted in accounts being closed, fines and penalties. Related: Your Cannabis Company Can Get a Bank Account but Not Easily All the fear is, however, unfounded, because blockchain banking technology now exists that makes illegal transactions, money laundering and tax and bank fraud impossible. The technology consists of three elements: a digital wallet, a closed-loop ecosystem and a blockchain ledger. A digital wallet functions just like an online bank account. It is FDIC insured, earns interest, you can write checks from it, etc. The major difference is that you can also make wallet-to-wallet transfers. The closed-loop ecosystem simply means that digital wallets are only issued to organizations that have passed a strict know-your-customer background check. Related: U.S. Bank Subsidiary Backs Out of Handling CBD Payment Processing The blockchain ledger is the secret sauce. This ledger is a record of every penny from the time it goes into the wallet to whatever is done inside the wallet or wallets and ends with the deposit from the wallet to a bank account outside the ecosystem. The key is that this immutable record is made available in real time to the card brands, the banks, and the regulatory agencies. Because all transactions are fully transparent, it keeps everyone honest! Let me give you a few examples of how technology can eliminate illegal transactions, bank fraud and tax evasion. Let's say hypothetically that a dispensary in Washington state with traditional credit card processing wanted to fill orders from Idaho, where cannabis is illegal. All that dispensary would need to do is get a backup terminal and take it to Idaho. The card brands and the banks would have no way of knowing these illegal transactions were occurring. Compare that to blockchain technology, which captures a geolocation for every transaction. The geolocation would show the transaction was occurring in Idaho and decline the transaction! Let's use the same Washington/Idaho scenario to demonstrate how blockchain prevents bank fraud. As you know cannabis transactions can not cross state lines. If a dispensary in Washington attempts to take money from their digital wallet and deposit it into a bank in Idaho, the technology would see the Routing numbers are attached across state lines and decline the transaction! Tipping is a perfect example of how tax fraud is eliminated. Today a dispensary would have to show that they collected tips and paid those tips to their budtenders in order to transfer the tax liability from the dispensary to the budtender. Blockchain technology provides that record in real time, with every penny and every transaction! Compliant banking and credit card processing is possible for the cannabis industry with the proper reporting, transparency and protections the latest technology provides. Related: How Blockchain Could Solve the Cannabis Industry's Problems With Banking and Credit Card Processing Innovations That are Driving Healthcare Technology to Address Mass Medicine Trato, la startup mexicana que busca 'acabar' con los contratos de papel a traves de IA y Blockchain Copyright 2019 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Though debt-free college took the lions share headlines this legislative session, another bill with little financial impact but huge consequences for a growing number of college students facing hunger cleared both the state House and Senate without fanfare or fuss. On the last day of the session, on the heels of midnight, Sen. Will Haskell, D-Westport, spoke about what he called a growing epidemic among his college-aged peers: food insecurity or the inability to access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. The bill mandates the collection of data on food insecurity from the states public colleges and universities. Haskell, who at 23 years-old is the youngest member of the General Assembly, said the issue had been a recurring theme in his meetings with administrators and students as part of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. He classified the matter as urgent and in need of further research36 of his fellow senators agreed. There are students out there who are too rich for Pell Grants and too poor to afford college, Haskell said. There are students who are falling through the cracks and as much as wed like to believe that we have a strong safety net in place, young people are being overlooked and going to class hungry. According to Marlene Schwartz, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, safety nets such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) often fail because the majority of full-time college students are not eligible for benefits unless they fulfill the 20-hour a week work requirement. Theres also an assumption that all college students have families that can give them the money they need. But that is not the reality today especially in light of work to make college accessible to students from different backgrounds, Schwartz said. Specifically, the legislation requires the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities to each study the policies affecting students experiencing food insecurity and collect data from their respective universities and colleges. The term food insecurity has become commonplace in the lexicon of Connecticuts colleges and universities with food pantries popping up at the University of Connecticut and larger scale ones, like the Cougar Pantry at Manchester Community College, expanding in size since its inception in 2015. Nationally, at least 40 percent of college students experience food insecurity before graduating, according to a 2018 study released by The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, which surveyed over 160,000 students at 120 colleges and universities across the United States. A study released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office late last year revealed an issue the bill attempts to address: information about the prevalence of food insecurity among college students is limited, both nationally and locally. The GAO review of 31 national studies provided some insight despite limitations: 25 estimated that food insecurity affects between 9 percent to well over 50 percent of college students. Nearly two dozen of those studies estimated food insecurity rates of more than 30 percent. This year, during the month of October, CSCUs four state universities, 12 community colleges and all of UConns campuses will be required to record the number of students who reported experiencing food insecurity or attempted to access benefits offered by each institution. Additionally, each school must report the dispersal of any emergency aid or grants. The bills House champion, Rep. Gregg Haddad, D-Mansfield, said the decision to limit the collection of data to one month was reached as a compromise to accommodate the smaller schools that may not have the infrastructure in place to roll out large scale data collection without interrupting services that already exist to help food insecure students. In addition, the schools must report whether they currently operate a food pantry and disclose the number of students served and the number of pounds of food they distributed during that one month period. Haddad, who also chairs the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, classified the bill as exploratory and said its goal is not to establish a comprehensive database. Were looking for [the colleges and universities in the study] to paint a picture of what is occurring on college campuses now, Haddad said. We will use that information to have further conversations with the same institutions to determine if theres something more we could do through the state. Food insecurity had been recognized long before it reached the House floor, and advocates hope now that it has received legislative backing this session, through a bill that would study its scope, it can further be dragged from the shadows. Schwartz said food insecurity is a significant issue that has received relatively little research or policy attention. A legislature is a place that embraces incrementalism and sometimes it just takes longer to do the obvious, Haddad said. Sometimes it just takes time, but I was pleased with the progress that weve made this year. Haddad said he attributed the successful passage of the bill to the persistence of the bills sponsors and cosponsors, but also to the advocacy of students who helped increase awareness and helped to move a number of legislators to feel comfortable with authorizing and requiring additional research. One such student was UConn senior Wawa Gatheru, who spearheaded a grassroots initiative to address food insecurity on the universitys Storrs campus through a series of pop-up food pantries which served over 600 students over the course of two events. Currently, UConn does not operate a food pantry on campus, but Gatheru said she hopes the study will lead to the funding of a permanent one. Gordon Plouffe, a member of the CT Food Justice Project, who is at the helm of Manchester Community Colleges Cougar Pantry, said on average they serve 6,000 students a semester. At least eight of the 12 community colleges that will take part in the study this October currently have food pantries on campus to serve its food insecure students, two other community colleges are stops on a mobile pantry bus route and both Central Connecticut State University and Eastern have on-site pantries. Maureen Chalmers, president of the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (4Cs), said within the last five years, community college faculty and staff have ramped up efforts to support students struggling to have their basic needs met according to both Schwartz and Haskell, community college students are disproportionally food insecure. When students are hungry or worrying about other essentials like where they will sleep that night, they cannot focus on academics, Chalmers said. Students should not be forced to choose between an education that could serve as a pathway out of poverty or paying for food and housing. Haskell said its a piecemeal approach to a problem that needs to be addressed at the root cause. Im concerned and I think many other committee members are concerned that without a comprehensive solution, what were doing is putting a Band-Aid on the larger wound, Haskell said. We need to look at why they are food insecure, to begin with, and explore ways can we help them be on a more steady financial footing to make sure that they dont have to visit the food pantry in the first place. Joe Mantegna, an award-winning actor who currently stars in "Criminal Minds" on CBS, is the national spokesperson for the campaign to build the National Museum of the United States Army (www.ArmyHistory.org). On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I joined a preview tour of the National Museum of the United States Army, scheduled to open next year at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. As I approached the main entrance of the massive building encased in steel panels and glass, I walked over a pathway of granite bricks adorned with the names of those who have served. I paused for a moment to run my hand over the one reading, "William J. Novelli, World War II, Chicago, IL." William Novelli was my uncle. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942, he was offered a deferment that would have allowed him to serve his time at home. He declined. Willie's older brothers had deployed to Europe, and he wanted to follow them. My uncle served in the Army for three years, and not once did I hear him express regret for his decision to enter combat. Later in life, he shared his war stories, and I am forever grateful that he did. Surrounding my Uncle Willie's brick are ones honoring his brothers. Nearby, I spotted some more recognizable names, including fellow World War II veteran, Sen. Bob Dole. However, most of the tributes along the pathway honored people like my uncle, ordinary Americans who once accomplished something extraordinary. Inside the museum, construction is ongoing, yet some of the largest artifacts are already in place. When our tour passed through the World War II gallery, I could see my uncle's story coming to life. As we approached a Higgins boat -- one of the few remaining that is known to have carried troops ashore at Normandy on D-Day -- I thought of how many times my uncle told me what it was like to step foot on those war-torn beaches on the 20th day of the operation. When we walked up to the Sherman "Jumbo" Tank that was the first to break through enemy lines outside the town of Bastogne, I remembered how my Uncle Willie fought valiantly in the Battle of the Bulge despite his shattered knee. The "Higgins Boat" is moved in the future National Museum of the United States Army, Aug. 8, 2017. (U.S. Army/Michel'le Stokes) For more than 25 years, I have imitated my Uncle Willie's distinctive raspy voice when recording the character of Fat Tony on "The Simpsons." It started as a light-hearted tribute to the uncle who had made such an impact on my life. But as my Uncle Willie grew older, I wanted to preserve not only his voice, but his stories -- the ones that so many of his generation once told but are now being lost to time. The National Museum of the United States Army will be the first museum to tell the history of the U.S. Army in its entirety. Visitors will trace the legacy of those first soldiers who gave our nation the confidence to declare its independence. Artifacts, documents, images and paintings -- most never seen by the American public -- will tell how our Army evolved from its humble beginnings into the force that made all the difference in two world wars. My generation will recognize the Huey helicopter already hanging from the museum's rafters as one of the countless we saw fly past our television screens during the years of the Vietnam War. Many will know exactly what it felt like to be seated in those helicopters as they flew young soldiers to and from jungle battlefields. Americans will feel the sting of memories stirred by the artifacts from the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle that led the 2003 charge from Kuwait to Baghdad is already in place to tell the story of the years that followed those attacks. The memories of those initial years of fighting are still fresh though, just like D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, they will one day be a distant part of our nation's memory if we carelessly forget them. In nearly two and a half centuries, 30 million men and women have served as American soldiers. Each of their stories deserves to be told. And we, as grateful Americans, owe it to ourselves to preserve the Army's history as it is inseparable from our own. The National Museum of the United States Army is being constructed largely with the support of individual Americans. As building continues, that support is still needed. On June 14, the nation celebrates the Army's 244th birthday. Let's make sure that when they blow out their candles next year, they can do so in a magnificent museum, telling the stories of every soldier, past, present and future. -- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration. This article by Jeff Schogol originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues. Once again, social media is fascinated with the type of weapon the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan uses. This time, the attention is on Army Gen. Scott Miller's sidearm. On May 28, Afghan media tweeted pictures of Miller meeting with Afghan officials while holstering a .45 caliber M1911A1 pistol -- which the Army no longer issues to soldiers. After Military Times reported that Miller is a former special operator who was likely issued the pistol years ago, some barracks lawyers took to Facebook to claim Miller should face non-judicial punishment for bringing a personally owned, unauthorized weapon to a combat zone. One critic even claimed that Miller was "a good example of I'm above the law toxic leadership." However, this is not a case of different spanks for different ranks. Miller was first issued the .45 pistol in 1992, and it became his official general officer-assigned weapon in 2009, his spokesman, Army Col. David Butler, told Task & Purpose. The general fires his weapons regularly and encourages other troops downrange to go to the firing range as well, Butler said. This is the second time that Miller's weapon of choice has caused a stir. In November, he was photographed holding an M4 carbine while on his way to attend a meeting. This came a month after a gunman opened fire at a meeting Miller was attending, killing an Afghan police commander and wounding Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smiley. Some speculated that Miller was armed with a carbine as a result of the insider attack, but Butler said at the time that the general was simply carrying the weapon from his helicopter and he gave the M4 to another service member before meeting with Afghan officials. More articles from Task & Purpose: The Army is returning more remains of Native American children to their families a century after they died at 'assimilation school' Marine Raider convicted of misdemeanor assault for punching his girlfriend several times Trump still hasn't officially nominated Patrick Shanahan more than a month after saying he would The Senate has passed its version of the Pentagon's budget bill, in many cases providing more money than requested for the Army's next-generation combat vehicles and helicopters, as well as infantry support weapons. The Senates proposed $750 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020 authorizes $534.8 million for the Army's advanced aviation development. The $75.6 million increase falls under Advanced Component & Prototypes, according to the document. In addition, the proposed budget allocates $254.6 million for the Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, about $9 million more than the service requested. FVL is one of the Army's top modernization priorities, designed to replace the service's major combat platforms by 2028. The proposal also would budget $418.4 million for the Army's manned ground vehicle under the Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) program -- a $40 million increase over the service's fiscal 2020 request. The NGCV is being designed to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The increase would go toward development of the NGCV's 50mm main gun, according to the budget document. The Army's No. 1 modernization priority -- long-range precision fires -- would receive $178.3 million, slightly more than the $174.3 million the service requested. The $4 million increase would be scheduled to go toward hypersonic weapons research. The Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office has been tasked to field one battery of long-range hypersonic weapons capable of maneuvering at speeds of more than Mach 5 by fiscal 2023. The Senate plan also slots $393.6 million for the Army's effort to mount potent, 30mm cannons on Stryker vehicles. That's nearly triple what the service requested. The Army recently selected five defense firms to participate in a design study for mounting a 30mm cannon on the Stryker wheeled vehicle in an effort to field the first Stryker brigade with that armament by 2022. In addition, the spending plan would reserve $126 million for infantry support weapons, which includes $19.9 million above the administration's request for the automatic rifle version of the Next-Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW). The NGSW program is being designed to feature automatic rifle and rifle versions of a 6.8mm weapon that will replace the M249 and M4 carbine family in infantry and other close-combat formations. It's a top program under the Army's soldier lethality modernization priority. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. An Iranian small attack craft fired a surface to-air missile (SAM) at a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone this week, a senior defense official said on background Friday. The incident happened in the general area where explosions crippled two tankers in the Gulf of Oman Thursday, the official said. The official also confirmed a report from CNN that a SAM allegedly fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down an MQ-9 over the Red Sea earlier this week. The two alleged attacks against U.S. assets by Iran and an Iranian proxy group are the first against the U.S. military to be confirmed since the U.S. began building up forces in the region last month. The White House accelerated the dispatch of an aircraft carrier to the Gulf region in May, charging that Iran was planning an offensive against U.S. forces and interests in the region. "There was an MQ-9 in the vicinity" overhead where the tankers Front Adair and Kokuka Courageous were proceeding in the Gulf Thursday, the official said. The SAM that missed the Reaper was fired from an Iranian patrol craft, the official added. The earlier shootdown of and MQ-9, allegedly by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, would not be the first time the U.S. military has come into conflict with the group. The Houthis have been supplied with missiles and other arms by Iran in the years-long Yemeni civil war against the government of Yemen, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In October 2016, the Houthis fired missiles that fell short in an attempted attack against the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Mason in the Red Sea. The Mason later fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at radar installations believed to have been used in the attempted attack on the warship, Pentagon officials said at the time. On Friday, the Mason entered the Gulf of Oman to join the destroyer Bainbridge, which had picked up 21 crew members from the Kokuka Courageous on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if the two missile attacks would lead to an escalation of the current crisis in the region. "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East," U.S. Central Command officials said in a statement Thursday following the explosions aboard the two tankers. "However, we will defend our interests." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. This article by Paul Szoldra originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues. Fifteen pounds. That seems to be what separates a high-performing Marine from eventually becoming a combat casualty, according to new research carried out by a Marine captain at the Naval Postgraduate School. In her award-winning master's thesis, titled Paying For Weight In Blood: An Analysis of Weight and Protection Level of a Combat Load During Tactical Operations, Capt. Courtney Thompson argues that being able to move faster is more important against near-peer enemies in combat, and the all-too-common trend of burdening troops with heavier loads can lead to an increase in casualties. "I was pretty shocked that 15 pounds of gear on top of 43 pounds of gear was already enough," said Thompson, referencing the typical 43-pound fighting load of flak jacket, kevlar helmet, and other personal protective gear. Thompson, a combat engineer, based her research off a variety of data, including an Australian study that looked into the effects of combat loads on physical mobility, historical research, and a Government Accountability Office report, which found that the average ground combat soldier or Marine in 2016 was typically carrying a staggering 120 pounds of gear. She also plugged data into a computer simulation pitting a 13-Marine rifle squad against a small insurgent force armed with AK-47 rifles. After factoring in individual weapons, physical fitness levels, marksmanship, and the squad member's billet, she found that troops fighting under heavier loads were more likely to become casualties, while Marines that were able to move faster -- and thus, were harder to hit -- brought about a 60% reduction in casualties. To put it in grunt-speak: ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain. And Thompson, for her part, figured out just how much pain can come as leaders add more gear to the packing list. "It's a problem that we've had for a long time, and the trend that we're seeing is getting worse, not better," Thompson told Task & Purpose. Historically, the recommended weight for ground combat troops hasn't changed all that much since the 19th century. A study in the late 1800s recommended a fighting load of 48 pounds. By 2007 the U.S. Naval Research Advisory Committee said it should be 50. But those weights have been brushed aside in favor of more protective equipment, weaponry, and other gear. Nowadays, a typical Marine or Army rifleman can carry anywhere from 90 pounds in combat while machine gunners and javelin gunners are sometimes saddled with nearly 160 pounds. "If we keep going on this trend, you're going to get to a point where people just can't lift the weight," Thompson said. Although Thompson doesn't expect the Marine Corps to suddenly tell all its grunts to drop their packs and rejoice, she does think that offering up hard data on how weight can influence combat effectiveness will give senior leaders more information to make better decisions. For example, if intelligence reporting shows a small force of enemy fighters have AK-47s and the chances for explosive devices are low, the data shows it's better to have troops outfitted with Level III armor, instead of outfitting them with the additional weight that comes with Level IV. "What these results are showing is that a balance of weight and protection is best," Thompson said. "It's not going to give you any more protection, and those extra pounds you don't need to carry." Her analysis found that most Marines would perform best with a fighting load of 50 pounds or less and an assault load of 75 pounds or less. Percentage-wise, most can effectively carry 30% of their body weight as a fighting load, or 45% for the assault load. Additional weight, Thompson argues, is where the data shows a "statistically significant detriment" to combat effectiveness. "Simulations are never perfect, but even the most basic simulations can provide really important insights," Thompson told Task & Purpose. "If we're slow against a peer adversary, we have a much higher probability of getting hit. If we're lighter and we can be exposed to enemy fire the least amount of time possible, we have a better probability of not getting hit." More articles from Task & Purpose: Owen West resigns as assistant defense secretary for special operations The Marine Corps is looking for yet another lightweight helmet for grunts Army Rangers scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc in honor of Rangers who stormed Normandy A second U.S. Navy destroyer, the Mason, was en route to the Gulf of Oman on Friday in a show of force, set to join the destroyer Bainbridge in the region following reported attacks on two civilian oil tankers. U.S. leaders have blamed the attacks, which damaged the vessels but appear to have caused no casualties, on the fast-boat navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), now led by a shadowy figure, Adm. Alireza Tangsiri. Tangsiri maintains that the U.S. is bluffing. The Americans "just want to exert pressure in order to have negotiations," Tangsiri, the newly appointed commander of the IRGC navy, said last month of a recent buildup of U.S. forces in the region led by the carrier Lincoln and its strike group. In his only known public statement, Tangsiri told Iran's Fars news agency that "we are fully prepared and, if the enemy makes any mistakes, we can in the first stage hit all American installations in the area. Surely, the enemy will not make such a mistake." Related content: Who is this saber-rattling admiral? "Not much is known about him," American Enterprise Institute analyst Michael Rubin said of Tangsiri, who replaced Adm. Ali Fedavi with a mandate from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni for "accelerated growth of military capabilities and preparations." Since Tangsiri took over earlier this year, "there's been a huge increase in Iranian [unmanned aerial vehicle] activity" over the region to monitor U.S. movements, said Rubin, an Iran specialist with close ties to the U.S. Navy. Iran has long relied on a "good cop, bad cop" strategy at sea with the U.S. Navy, he said, with the regular Iranian navy maintaining professional contacts with American ships while the IRGC navy threatens to go rogue. In the current crisis, Rubin said he doesn't immediately foresee the U.S. returning to the so-called "tanker wars" strategy of the 1980s, when Navy warships escorted re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz. Retired Vice Adm. Michael Franken agreed. "There's nothing to be gained by running to the gun here" in response to two abandoned tankers burning in the Gulf, said Franken, a 36-year veteran with long experience in the region and now an analyst at the Stimson Center. In addition, the Navy lacks the assets for prolonged escort duty, Franken said. "It becomes a huge, huge lift for the Navy," he said. "No, I don't think we're going to be headed to tanker escorting duties." On Friday, President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the explosions aboard the two tankers and ramped up pressure on Tehran. At the same time, he left room for the possibility of negotiations. Trump went on the cable program "Fox & Friends" and said that the video released by U.S. Central Command showing a small Iranian boat pulling what was said to be a limpet mine from the side of one of the tankers was evidence of Iran's culpability. "Well, Iran did do it, and you know they did do it because you saw the boat. They didn't want the evidence left behind," Trump said. "It was them that did it." "They're a nation of terror," he said of Iran, but "they've changed a lot since I've been president." "They're in deep, deep trouble" because of sanctions imposed by the U.S., Trump said, but "we want to get them back to the table if they want to get back. I'm in no rush." He added that if Iran seeks to close the Straits of Hormuz, through which passes about 30% of the world's oil, "it won't be closed for long." In a series of releases Thursday, the Navy and U.S. Central Command said the service had received a pair of distress calls within an hour from the tankers Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous, which were proceeding about 10 nautical miles from each other in the Gulf of Oman. The Bainbridge, which had been about 40 miles from the general area, took aboard 21 crew members from the Kokuka Courageous, the Navy said. The Mason was joining the Bainbridge in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, it added. "This is what we're out here for," said Cmdr. M. Kathryn Devine, commander of the Bainbridge, according to the Navy release. "Our mission is to ensure maritime safety and to answer the call for aid when we can." The 23 crew members of the Altair, who had abandoned ship, were initially picked up by the cargo ship Hyundai Dubai and then transferred to an Iranian naval vessel and taken to the port city of Jask, according to a statement from the Bermuda-based Norwegian company Frontline Ltd., owner of the Front Adair. Frontline Ltd. said the crew members were unharmed and are expected to be repatriated shortly. The ship remained afloat, it said, adding, "The cause of the explosion remains unknown to the company, although we have ruled out the possibility that it was caused by mechanical or human error." Iran's English-language Press TV showed footage of several of the Front Adair crew members apparently in good condition. "This video refutes false reports by some media outlets claiming that Iran avoided helping the sailors working on the vessel," Press TV said. At a news conference Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the tanker attacks. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," Pompeo said. "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," he added. In response, Amir Abdollahian, chief adviser to the Iranian Parliament speaker, said in a series of Tweets on Friday that U.S. intelligence agencies and Israel's Mossad intelligence service were responsible for the tanker attacks, Iran's Fars news agency reported. "The main suspects of the recent insecurities in the region of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are the U.S. intelligence services and Mossad," Abdollahian said Friday, in a post on his Twitter page. Barbara Slavin, director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, said solid evidence of Iran's involvement in the tanker attacks is lacking, but the toll on Iranians of the U.S. sanctions makes it increasingly likely that the Tehran regime will lash out. "Iran is looking for some kind of concession," Slavin said. "If the U.S. continues to force the embargo, you're going to see more incidents like this." In a statement Friday from its United Nations mission, Iran acknowledged frustration at the economic sanctions. "The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people, as well as its massive military presence in the region, have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. The union representing 260,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees recently won a "cease and desist" arbitration ruling against the department's posting of lengthy lists of firings, suspensions and other disciplinary actions in violation of the Privacy Act. The ruling found that the VA was guilty of an "unfair labor practice" against the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in the website postings of "Adverse Action Reports" that allowed for the easy identification of workers targeted for disciplinary procedures. In his ruling, Andrew Strongin, an arbitrator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, directed the VA to "remove the AARs from its website and cease and desist publishing the AARs in that or like manner until such time as it achieves compliance with the Privacy Act." Strongin wrote that the VA began posting the lists in a "public relations" effort to restore its image following the wait times scandals of 2014 but, in the process, "flagrantly disregarded the agency's own General Counsel's advisory opinion and the rights of those employees" who were listed. Related: VA Firings Climb Under Trump; Dems Charge Low-Wage Workers Targeted The AARs included the type and date of the disciplinary action, as well as the grade, level, position and category of the employees, making them identifiable in violation of the union's contract and their privacy rights, according to the AFGE. The VA's actions were taken "in a pursuit to shame employees and erode veterans' trust in the VA," AFGE President J. David Cox Sr. said in a statement. "VA leaders should be focusing on improving veterans' access to quality health care at VA facilities, not publicly shaming employees and violating their privacy." The arbitrator's ruling was handed down in March and announced last week when the decision was finalized, AFGE spokesman Tim Kauffman said. The AARs were one of the immediate results of the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in June 2017 in what he said was an effort to remove "bad actors" from the VA. The Accountability Act made it easier for VA management to fire, suspend or otherwise discipline employees. In its first year of operation, it resulted in more than 3,500 actions against workers, according to the VA. However, the union and several House Democrats, including Rep. Mark Takano, D-California, currently chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, charged that the VA was mostly targeting low-wage custodial, laundry and food service staff while ignoring infractions by supervisors. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Nowadays, you can find entire sections of the internet devoted to mastering the art of "off-grid" living. There, you can find both experts and charlatans exchanging argumentative blows in the never-ending digital debates we've let permeate through every facet of our modern lives. Back in 1967, however, things were different. The internet was still a long way off, as were debates about the best solar-powered showers and thousand-dollar coolers. Getting off the grid back then was a conceptually simpler exercise: you just went into the woods and made do with what you had. Of course, without much of the technology even the saltiest of outdoorsmen have come to rely on today (like modern waterproofing and insulation in our clothes), living off the land was only simple in concept. Doing so, of course, took hard men with even harder wills; men like Dick Proenneke. Dick Proenneke hard at work in Twin Lakes, Alaska. (National Parks Service photo taken by Richard Proenneke and donated by Raymond Proenneke) Proenneke joined the Navy the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a carpenter, honing his woodworking skills until the end of the war. Upon leaving service, he trained as a diesel mechanic, quickly earning a name for himself that allowed him to travel around the West Coast for work before once again loaning his skills to the Navy as a civilian heavy equipment operator and mechanic at the Naval Air Station Kodiak in Alaska. After an accident at work years later nearly left Proenneke blind, he decided to devote the remainder of his life to living it as he saw fit. A modest and responsible man, he'd saved enough by age 50 to start his retirement, though while most see retirement as an end to hard work, for Proenneke, it was just the beginning. An avid naturalist and amateur filmmaker, Proenneke set off to build a log home in the unsettled wilderness of Twin Lakes, Alaska--far from the closest remnants of human civilization. Aside from a few tools and some waterproofing materials he utilized in the construction of his home, he built the entire cabin by hand using only what he had available in the dense Alaskan bush. While this is a feat many others have accomplished, what made Proenneke special was that he filmed the whole thing, giving us a first-hand look at how off-grid living was done back before people debated it in online forums instead of doing it for real. Proenneke leaned hard on his days as a Navy carpenter in the construction of his home, building most of it with little more than hand saws, mallets, and a sharp ax. He even fashioned the hinges on his doors out of wood he harvested from nearby trees. In the videos he captured along the way, you can see the combination of expertise and patience guiding Proenneke's hands, making quick work of complex tasks and, if you're anything like me, occasionally even fooling you into thinking the work looks easy. Proenneke remained in his modest but expertly crafted cabin for the better part of three decades before finally returning to civilization at age 82. Four years later, he passed away, leaving the cabin to the National Parks Service to be preserved for posterity, as his remote home at Twin Lakes had already become a bit of a tourist attraction for like-minded adventurers that imagined their own lives away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Today, Dick Proenneke's legacy lives on not only thanks to visitors reaching his remote cabin, but in a series of books and television specials compiled before and after his death. His footage, combined with journals Proenneke maintained over the years, offer a glimpse into the reality of embraced solitude, self-reliance, and what man is capable of if he's willing to forgo convenience in favor of purpose. Much of his footage can now be found on YouTube, allowing an entirely new generation of aspiring outdoor enthusiasts to see what getting "off the grid" meant back before that turn of phrase was even invented. Watching Proenneke's films not only serves as a how-to of sorts, but it also serves as a reminder that humanity wasn't always so tied to electricity, comfort, and recreation. There was a time when our lives were intrinsically linked to the world around us, when our survival was predicated on our wits and work ethic, and when our job was just a list of things that had to get done before sunset. Dick Proenneke is a reminder to us all that we aren't the consumers and couch potatoes we've been groomed to be: we're powerful, capable men and women wired just like the survivors, warriors, and hunters that came before us. The only difference between Dick Proenneke and each of us is a bit of know-how and a lot of heart. These videos can help with the former, but for the latter, you'll have to look for inside yourself. MORE POSTS FROM WE ARE THE MIGHTY: Why getting in trouble early makes you a better leader The ridiculous anatomy of most Army Reserve drill days 7 real excuses troops use that no NCO ever believes We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. WATM is made in Hollywood by veterans. It's military life presented like never before. Check it out at We Are the Mighty. Key The china-stone quarry at Middletown has furnished the most extraordinary specimens of columbite yet described in the world. A single group of crystals obtained at this place weighed fourteen pounds. It occurs in crystals disseminated through the feldspar, many of which are very remarkable, not only for their size, but for their perfection of form. The border zone, 1 to 7 inches thick, consists of fine-grained quartz and muscovite with minor massive white plagioclase. The wall zone, 1 to 6 feet thick, consists of fine- to coarse-grained milky quartz, white plagioclase (locally The quartz-[microcline] perthite zone is coarse-grained. It consists of quartz and [microcline] perthite, with subordinate plagioclase and muscovite, and accessory biotite [annite], apatite, garnet, tourmaline, columbite-tantalite, The pegmatite is a tabular lens with irregular walls. It is at least 500 feet long and has been mined for a maximum distance of 140 feet down dip. It ranges from 4 inches to 60 feet in thickness, and averages 20 to 25 feet. The pegmatite strikes north-south and dips 50 W; it seems to terminate just north of the workings. It is concordant with the foliation and bedding of fine- to medium-grained quartz-muscovite-biotite schist that has layers of fine-grained quartzite, 1 to 6 inches thick. The wall rock adjacent to the contact is rich in tourmaline and garnet.The border zone, 1 to 7 inches thick, consists of fine-grained quartz and muscovite with minor massive white plagioclase. The wall zone, 1 to 6 feet thick, consists of fine- to coarse-grained milky quartz, white plagioclase (locally cleavelandite ) and accessory sheet-bearing muscovite, [microcline] perthite and garnet.The quartz-[microcline] perthite zone is coarse-grained. It consists of quartz and [microcline] perthite, with subordinate plagioclase and muscovite, and accessory biotite [annite], apatite, garnet, tourmaline, columbite-tantalite, autunite and torbernite . The outer part of the zone - adjacent to the wall zone - seems to be richer in plagioclase and perhaps, if better exposures were available, the quartz-[microcline] perthite zone could be divided into 2 zones. Pods of milky quartz as much as 4 by 30 feet lie in the quartz-[microcline] perthite zone. Mica books of poor quality lie near the margins of some pods. Apatite occurs in aggregates of subhedral pale green crystals that average 1/4 inch in diameter. The aggregates are 3 inches to 2 feet in diameter and occur chiefly in [microcline] perthite masses. Almost all of them contain subhedral plates of columbite-tantalite 1/8 to 1 inch long. Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Dana Chemical Elements Detailed Mineral List: Actinolite Formula: Ca 2 (Mg 4.5-2.5 Fe 0.5-2.5 )Si 8 O 22 OH 2 Description: Probably in the host rock. Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State Albite Formula: Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Colour: white Description: abundantly found at this place, lining cavities in small translucent or transparent crystals, both simple and compound (Shepard 1837) Reference: Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255; Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409; Shepard (1837) Albite var. Cleavelandite Formula: Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Description: In the wall zone. Reference: Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255 Almandine Formula: Fe2+ 3 Al 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Reference: Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255 Annite Formula: KFe2+ 3 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Description: Accessory in the quartz-microcline zone. fka biotite Reference: Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255 Autunite Formula: Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 10-12H 2 O Habit: flakes, minute tabular crystals and thin scales Colour: lemon yellow Fluorescence: green Description: Probably actually meta-autunite. Associated with fluorapatite, uraninite, meta-torbernite. "Areas as broad as three and four inches on a specimen were covered well with flakes of autunite." (Jones 1960) Reference: Shepard (1837); Jones (1960); Cameron (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255; Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409 Bertrandite Formula: Be 4 (Si 2 O 7 )(OH) 2 Description: "L. N. Yedlin has recently described a four inch group of fine crystals" (Schooner 1958) Reference: Schooner (1958); Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409 Beryl Formula: Be 3 Al 2 (Si 6 O 18 ) Colour: yellow-green Description: large crystals of a greenish yellow color (Shepard 1837) Reference: Shepard (1837); Foye (1922); Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409 Calcite Formula: CaCO 3 Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS 2 Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State Columbite-(Fe) Formula: Fe2+Nb 2 O 6 Habit: skeletal, prismatic Colour: black with iridescence Description: Dana (1837) gives analytical results: "columbic acid" (a mix of niobic and tantalic acid) 73.90%, "protoxyd of iron" 15.65%, "protoxyd of manganese" 8.00%. The specific gravity was 5.95, now known to corresponding to about 70% niobium to 30% tantalum in the "columbic acid". Later analyses that could separate "columbic acid" into niobium and tantalum oxides confirmed these results. "The china-stone quarry at Middletown has furnished the most extraordinary specimens of columbite yet described in the world. A single group of crystals obtained at this place weighed fourteen pounds. It occurs in crystals disseminated through the feldspar, many of which are very remarkable, not only for their size, but for their perfection of form." (Shepard 1837) Accessory in the quartz-microcline zone, also in fluorapatite aggregates. Reference: Dana (1837) On the Identity of Torrelite of Thomson with Columbite; Shepard (1837); Cameron et al (1954) Diopside Formula: CaMgSi 2 O 6 Description: Probably in the host rock. Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State Fluorapatite Formula: Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F Habit: short six and twelve-sided prisms, subhedral aggregates Colour: pale reddish white, through bluish white to asparagus-green, pale green Fluorescence: yellow Description: "The Tollgate Mine has some very large manganapatite. It was observed in massive sections up to four inches across. The greatest amount is smaller in size but also massive. No individual crystals were observed here. The material is associated with the mica, feldspar, quartz and secondary uranium minerals." (Jones 1960) "in short six and twelve-sided prisms, from one quarter, to above an inch in diameter. Their color varies from pale reddish white, through bluish white to asparagus-green; and where penetrated by [uranophane] they present a citron-yellow color." (Shepard 1837) Accessory in the quartz-microcline zone. "Apatite occurs in aggregates of subhedral pale green crystals that average 1/4 inch in diameter. The aggregates are 3 inches to 2 feet in diameter and occur chiefly in perthite masses. Almost all of them contain subhedral plates of columbite-tantalite 1/8 to 1 inch long." (Cameron 1954) Reference: Shepard (1837); Jones (1960); Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255 Fluorite Formula: CaF 2 Habit: coatings Colour: green, purple Description: some green and purple coatings on schist Reference: Schooner (1958); Jones (1960) 'Lepidolite' Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State; Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409 'Limonite' Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State Microcline Formula: K(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Habit: subhedral, elongated crystals of the "sexdecimal figure", elongated in the direction of the edges formed by the meeting of the planes P and M, and which incline to each other under 90 degrees (Shepard 1837) Colour: white with a slight tinge of yellow, salmon Description: In the quartz-microcline zone it occurs as salmon-colored anhedral to subhedral crystals, 6 inches to 7 feet long, and in 1-inch grains in quartz-feldspar aggregates (Cameron et al 1954) Reference: Shepard (1837); Watts (1916); Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255 Muscovite Formula: KAl 2 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Habit: tabular Colour: pale ruby Description: "The mica books in the wall zone are pale ruby, and are 4 inches in average diameter and 3/4 inch in thickness. Some books exceed 5 feet in diameter and are more than 1 foot thick. Most of the mica is clear, but many books are wedge-shaped and marred by A structure, ruling and reeving. The average mica content of the wall zone is probably much less than 5 percent." (Cameron et al 1954) Reference: Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255 Pyrite Formula: FeS 2 Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State Pyrrhotite Formula: Fe 1-x S Reference: Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State Quartz Formula: SiO 2 Habit: massive Description: In all zones of the pegmatite. Jones (1960) mentions quartz "which fluoresced a good white to blue-white". Scheelite inclusions perhaps? Reference: Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255 Quartz var. Rose Quartz Formula: SiO 2 Habit: massive Colour: rose Reference: Shepard (1837) Rutile ? Formula: TiO 2 Description: No specimens available for study. The Shepard (1837) report does not adequately support the identification of rutile. Reference: Shepard (1837), A Report on the Geological Survey of Connecticut Scheelite Formula: Ca(WO 4 ) Description: "scheelite has been reported or observed in minute amounts" (Jones 1960) Reference: Jones (1960) Schorl Formula: Na(Fe2+ 3 )Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) Reference: Van King Sphalerite Formula: ZnS Habit: massive Colour: blackish brown Description: Described by Shepard as "marasmolite", found by Silliman (1851) to be the iron-rich "marmatite variety of blende" [sphalerite]. Schooner 1958 writes: "Harry Dickerson, former operator of the Tollgate Mine, showed the author a concentration of the mineral in the shaft where the last work was done there. Very rich specimens, up to a foot across, composed of about equal proportions of sphalerite and quartz or sphalerite and albite, were collected on that occasion. While sphalerite is a common pegmatite mineral, this has been the most outstanding occurrence of the type to be seen in Connecticut." Reference: Silliman, Benjamin. (1851): Mineral Species Described by Prof. C. U. Shepard. Marasmolite; Schooner (1958) ' Tantalite' Formula: (Mn,Fe)(Ta,Nb) 2 O 6 Colour: blood-red Description: Mistake for columbite-tantalite series. Reference: Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255; Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409 Topaz ? Formula: Al 2 (SiO 4 )(F,OH) 2 Reference: Shepard, Charles U. (1838). Notice of a Second Locality of Topaz in Connecticut, and of the Phenakite in Massachusetts (Am. Jour. of Sci. 34:329-331). Torbernite Formula: Cu(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 12H 2 O Habit: minute tabular crystals and thin scales Colour: green Description: Probably actually metatorbernite. "in minute tabular crystals and thin scales of a siskin-green...It is attended by pitchblende [uraninite], uranium ochre [uranophane] and apatite" (Shepard 1837) and meta-autunite "It occurs occupying small cavities, mostly situated in pitchblende [uraninite]. Its texture is earthy, and its color dark green" (Shepard 1837) Accessory in the quartz-microcline zone. Reference: Shepard (1837); Cameron et al (1954) USGS Prof Paper 255; Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409 'Tourmaline' Formula: A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z Description: "The wall rock adjacent to the contact is rich in tourmaline and garnet." (Cameron et al 1954) Reference: Cameron et al (1954); Rocks & Minerals (1995) 70:396-409 Uraninite Formula: UO 2 Habit: octahedral, massive Colour: black Description: "massive and impalpable in composition, though often bounded by faces which belong to the octahedral crystallization" (Shepard 1837) Associated with secondaries. Reference: Shepard (1837) Uranophane- Formula: Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (SiO 3 OH) 2 5H 2 O Description: Alteration of uraninite, associated with it and other secondary minerals. Reference: Shepard (1837) Zircon Formula: Zr(SiO 4 ) Reference: Shepard (1837) Zircon var. Cyrtolite Formula: Zr[(SiO 4 ),(OH) 4 ] Reference: Schooner (1958); Januzzi, 1976. Mineral Localities of CT and Southeastern NY State List of minerals for each chemical element H Hydrogen H Annite KFe 3 2+(AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 H Actinolite Ca 2 (Mg 4.5-2.5 Fe 0.5-2.5 )Si 8 O 22 OH 2 H Autunite Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 10-12H 2 O H Bertrandite Be 4 (Si 2 O 7 )(OH) 2 H Zircon var. Cyrtolite Zr[(SiO 4 ),(OH) 4 ] H Muscovite KAl 2 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 H Torbernite Cu(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 12H 2 O H Uranophane- Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (SiO 3 OH) 2 5H 2 O H Schorl Na(Fe 3 2+)Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) H Topaz Al 2 (SiO 4 )(F,OH) 2 Be Beryllium Be Bertrandite Be 4 (Si 2 O 7 )(OH) 2 Be Beryl Be 3 Al 2 (Si 6 O 18 ) B Boron B Tourmaline A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z B Schorl Na(Fe 3 2+)Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) C Carbon C Calcite CaCO 3 O Oxygen O Columbite-(Fe) Fe2+Nb 2 O 6 O Annite KFe 3 2+(AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 O Actinolite Ca 2 (Mg 4.5-2.5 Fe 0.5-2.5 )Si 8 O 22 OH 2 O Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) O Almandine Fe 3 2+Al 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 O Autunite Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 10-12H 2 O O Bertrandite Be 4 (Si 2 O 7 )(OH) 2 O Beryl Be 3 Al 2 (Si 6 O 18 ) O Calcite CaCO 3 O Zircon var. Cyrtolite Zr[(SiO 4 ),(OH) 4 ] O Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 O Fluorapatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F O Microcline K(AlSi 3 O 8 ) O Muscovite KAl 2 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 O Torbernite Cu(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 12H 2 O O Tourmaline A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z O Uraninite UO 2 O Uranophane- Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (SiO 3 OH) 2 5H 2 O O Albite var. Cleavelandite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) O Schorl Na(Fe 3 2+)Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) O Zircon Zr(SiO 4 ) O Quartz var. Rose Quartz SiO 2 O Scheelite Ca(WO 4 ) O Quartz SiO 2 O Rutile TiO 2 O Topaz Al 2 (SiO 4 )(F,OH) 2 O Tantalite (Mn,Fe)(Ta,Nb) 2 O 6 F Fluorine F Fluorapatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F F Fluorite CaF 2 F Topaz Al 2 (SiO 4 )(F,OH) 2 Na Sodium Na Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Na Albite var. Cleavelandite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Na Schorl Na(Fe 3 2+)Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) Mg Magnesium Mg Actinolite Ca 2 (Mg 4.5-2.5 Fe 0.5-2.5 )Si 8 O 22 OH 2 Mg Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 Al Aluminium Al Annite KFe 3 2+(AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Al Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Al Almandine Fe 3 2+Al 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Al Beryl Be 3 Al 2 (Si 6 O 18 ) Al Microcline K(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Al Muscovite KAl 2 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Al Albite var. Cleavelandite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Al Schorl Na(Fe 3 2+)Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) Al Topaz Al 2 (SiO 4 )(F,OH) 2 Si Silicon Si Annite KFe 3 2+(AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Si Actinolite Ca 2 (Mg 4.5-2.5 Fe 0.5-2.5 )Si 8 O 22 OH 2 Si Albite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Si Almandine Fe 3 2+Al 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Si Bertrandite Be 4 (Si 2 O 7 )(OH) 2 Si Beryl Be 3 Al 2 (Si 6 O 18 ) Si Zircon var. Cyrtolite Zr[(SiO 4 ),(OH) 4 ] Si Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 Si Microcline K(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Si Muscovite KAl 2 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Si Tourmaline A(D 3 )G 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 X 3 Z Si Uranophane- Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (SiO 3 OH) 2 5H 2 O Si Albite var. Cleavelandite Na(AlSi 3 O 8 ) Si Schorl Na(Fe 3 2+)Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) Si Zircon Zr(SiO 4 ) Si Quartz var. Rose Quartz SiO 2 Si Quartz SiO 2 Si Topaz Al 2 (SiO 4 )(F,OH) 2 P Phosphorus P Autunite Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 10-12H 2 O P Fluorapatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F P Torbernite Cu(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 12H 2 O S Sulfur S Chalcopyrite CuFeS 2 S Pyrite FeS 2 S Pyrrhotite Fe 1-x S S Sphalerite ZnS K Potassium K Annite KFe 3 2+(AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 K Microcline K(AlSi 3 O 8 ) K Muscovite KAl 2 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Ca Calcium Ca Actinolite Ca 2 (Mg 4.5-2.5 Fe 0.5-2.5 )Si 8 O 22 OH 2 Ca Autunite Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 10-12H 2 O Ca Calcite CaCO 3 Ca Diopside CaMgSi 2 O 6 Ca Fluorapatite Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 F Ca Uranophane- Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (SiO 3 OH) 2 5H 2 O Ca Scheelite Ca(WO 4 ) Ca Fluorite CaF 2 Ti Titanium Ti Rutile TiO 2 Mn Manganese Mn Tantalite (Mn,Fe)(Ta,Nb) 2 O 6 Fe Iron Fe Columbite-(Fe) Fe2+Nb 2 O 6 Fe Annite KFe 3 2+(AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 Fe Actinolite Ca 2 (Mg 4.5-2.5 Fe 0.5-2.5 )Si 8 O 22 OH 2 Fe Almandine Fe 3 2+Al 2 (SiO 4 ) 3 Fe Chalcopyrite CuFeS 2 Fe Pyrite FeS 2 Fe Pyrrhotite Fe 1-x S Fe Schorl Na(Fe 3 2+)Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH) Fe Tantalite (Mn,Fe)(Ta,Nb) 2 O 6 Cu Copper Cu Chalcopyrite CuFeS 2 Cu Torbernite Cu(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 12H 2 O Zn Zinc Zn Sphalerite ZnS Zr Zirconium Zr Zircon var. Cyrtolite Zr[(SiO 4 ),(OH) 4 ] Zr Zircon Zr(SiO 4 ) Nb Niobium Nb Columbite-(Fe) Fe2+Nb 2 O 6 Nb Tantalite (Mn,Fe)(Ta,Nb) 2 O 6 Ta Tantalum Ta Tantalite (Mn,Fe)(Ta,Nb) 2 O 6 W Tungsten W Scheelite Ca(WO 4 ) U Uranium U Autunite Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 10-12H 2 O U Torbernite Cu(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 12H 2 O U Uraninite UO 2 U Uranophane- Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (SiO 3 OH) 2 5H 2 O References Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A) Silliman, Benjamin. (1836): Notice of a Large Crystal of Columbite. American Journal of Science, s.1, vol. 30, p. 387-388. Dana, J. D. (1837): On the Identity of Torrelite of Thomson with Columbite. American Journal of Science. Series 1, Vol. 32, p. 149-153. Shepard, Charles U. (1837): Report on the Geological Survey of Connecticut. Shepard, Charles U. (1838). Notice of a Second Locality of Topaz in Connecticut, and of the Phenakite in Massachusetts (Am. Jour. of Sci. 34:329-331). Hall, Frederick. (1840): From the East and from the West. F. Taylor and W. M. Morrison, Washington City. Silliman, Benjamin. (1851): Mineral Species Described by Prof. C. U. Shepard. Marasmolite. American Journal of Science, s.2, v. 12, p. 210. Dana, James D. (1856): Supplement to the Mineralogy of J. D. Dana. American Journal of Science, s. 2, v. 21, p. 198. Dana, James D. (1857): 4th Supplement to Dana's Mineralogy. American Journal of Science, s. 2, v. 24, p. 115. Watts, A. S. (1916): Feldspars of New England and North Appalachian States. United States Bureau of Mines. Bulletin 92. Foye, W. G. (1922): Mineral Localities in the Vicinity of Middletown, Connecticut. (American Mineralogist 7:4-12). Rice, William North, and Wilbur Garland Foye. (1927): Guide to the Geology of Middletown, Connecticut, and Vicinity. State Geological and Natural History Survey. Bulletin 41. Cameron, Eugene N., Larrabee David M., McNair, Andrew H., Page, James T., Stewart, Glenn W., and Shainin, Vincent E. (1954): Pegmatite Investigations 1942-45 New England; USGS Professional Paper 255. Schooner, Richard. (1958): The Mineralogy of the Portland-East Hampton-Middletown-Haddam Area in Connecticut (With a few notes on Glastonbury and Marlborough). Stugard, Frederick, Jr. (1958): Pegmatites of the Middletown Area, Connecticut. USGS Bulletin 1042-Q. Jones, Robert W. (1960): Luminescent Minerals of Connecticut, a Guide to Their Properties and Locations. Schooner, Richard. (1961): The Mineralogy of Connecticut. Henderson, William A., Jr. (1975): The Bertrandites of Connecticut. The Mineralogical Record, Vol. 6, No. 3, pages 114-123. Januzzi, Ronald. (1976): Mineral Localities of Connecticut and Southeastern New York State (Taylor Assoc./Mineralogical Press). Schooner, Richard. (c.1980): The Mineralogy of Central Connecticut (privately published), 149 pages. Weber, Marcelle H. and Earle C. Sullivan. (1995): Connecticut Mineral Locality Index. Rocks & Minerals (Connecticut Issue), Vol. 70, No. 6, p. 403. Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality North America Plate Tectonic Plate This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary. A granite pegmatite quarried on and off since perhaps 1825 for mica and feldspar. It was called the "china-stone quarry" by Shepard (1837) and Hall (1840) and by 1850 it featured the first feldspar grinding mill in the United States (Cameron et al, 1954). Most of the mining is said to have been done for feldspar and mica prior to 1896, but intermittent operations were conducted between 1896 and 1926. Watts (1916) called it the Bidwell Quarry and Cameron et al (1954) noted that in the 1940s it was still owned by Ernest S. Bidwell. Fausto Bertolini of New Haven, Conn., worked the mine for mica and feldspar from July 1943 to January 1945.The name Tollgate refers to the quarry's proximity to the old Middlesex Turnpike toll road (1802-1876), which later became state Route 9, then 9A, and finally 154. Foye (1922) is the first reference to use that name, by which it has been known ever since.Perhaps best known for columbite-(Fe) , Shepard (1837) described this early find:A 7 x 7 inch portion of it weighing nearly 13 pounds was purchased by Wesleyan University. Hall (1838) describes his visit to the quarry and seeing the columbite, then the largest known in the world, on display at Wesleyan. Crystals from this quarry were used during the 19th century by many researchers to eventually work out the chemistry of the columbite-tantalite series. Dana (1837, 1856 and 1857) provided analyses showing that the Middletown crystals are columbite-(Fe).Some authors speculate that the first columbite crystal, found by Governor Winthrop in the mid-17th century and eventually analyzed in Britain by Hatchett in 1802, came from this pegmatite. Richard Schooner noted that when the crystal was found there was no clear demarcation of where Middletown ended and New London (where it was supposedly found, though none have ever been found there) began and always believed that Middletown was the logical choice. However, large crystals were also found at an outcrop in Haddam later prospected for columbite ( https://www.mindat.org/loc-193458.html). According to Cameron (1954) surface workings in 1945 consisted of an open pit 350 feet long, 65 feet in average width, and 30 feet in average depth. Underground workings consist of two inclines, each 45 feet long, and two drifts, each 40 feet long. In the early 1990s the quarry was filled when a church was built on the property.Cameron et al (1954) gives the most detailed description of the pegmatite: How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. 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Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts In what has become an all-too-familiar refrain for Nationals fans, right-hander Koda Glover has suffered a setback in his rehab from a forearm strain and will be shut down entirely for the next six weeks, manager Dave Martinez told reporters Thursday (link via Sam Fortier of the Washington Post). Glover received a platelet-rich plasma injection at the recommendation of Dr. James Andrews after experiencing elbow pain in a recent throwing session. Once touted as the Nationals potential closer of the future, Glover has instead seen his career punctuated by a series of prolonged absences due to injury. Since his debut in 2016, the now-26-year-old Glover has missed time due to a torn labrum in his hip, multiple shoulder injuries and a lower back injury as well. High as the organizations expectations for Glover have been, hes managed to tally just 55 1/3 innings as a big leaguer dating back to 2016. In that time, the former eighth-round pick has a 4.55 ERA (4.00 FIP) with 6.8 K/9, 3.4 BB.9, 0.81 HR/9, a 41.4 percent ground-ball rate and an average fastball velocity of 96.2 mph. Despite that minimal workload, Glover has spent enough time on the Major League disabled list/injured list to qualify for arbitration eligibility this offseason. While some might peg him as a potential non-tender candidate, thered be little risk in retaining him. His lack of innings, particularly in his platform 2019 campaign, would make his raise rather minimal. Glover also has a pair of minor league options remaining, which enhances his appeal moving forward. And the Nationals, who carry MLBs worst bullpen ERA, arent exactly in a position to be parting with any relievers they believe to be talented even if Glovers absence has contributed to the current state of the Washington bullpen. Hundreds of food workers who serve Delta flights out of the Detroit airport voted 97 percent in favor of striking for better wages and healthcare as the airline industry booms. This news comes from UNITE HERE, which is an international union that represents 300,000 hospitality workers in North America. According to a news release from the union, the vote in Detroit comes on the heels of 21 other votes expected to take place at airports around the country in the coming weeks. Todays results mark just the beginning of a change in kitchens at DTW and airports across the U.S., Nia Winston, UNITE HERE Local 24 president, said in the release. Poverty and unattainable healthcare must end in the airline catering industry, and the working people who help make DTW one of the best airports in the country should be able to afford to feed their children and to the doctor when they are sick. Related: Inert grenade in luggage causes scene, heavy police response to Detroit airport The vote that took place Thursday, June 13 was also said to represent the largest such vote that has ever occurred in the U.S. airline catering industry. UNITE HERE reports that 74 percent of food workers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport make less than $15 an hour, with the lowest reported hourly wage coming in at $11.25. About 7 percent of workers have put in more than 20 years of service time at the airport, including two with 30-plus years at DTW. Related: Passenger throwing punches on Paris-bound flight forces plane to land in Detroit The unions members are said to be employed by LSG Sky Chefs, which is described as the largest subcontractor for airline catering work in the country. The airlines make billions off the backs of catering workers like me, Shandolyn Lewis, a DTW airline food worker, said in the release. "I have to work almost 20 hours overtime every week to afford the $400 per month company insurance plan I need to tend to my daughters chronic asthma. I voted yes today because we deserve more, and because One Job Should Be Enough to survive in the city of Detroit. MUNISING, MI Two Michigan captains, a deckhand and a well-placed physician were among those who saved a family of four from the shores of Lake Superior Tuesday night. The Minneapolis family had been forced to swim about 150 yards through 47-degree water to the rocky shoreline after their canoe began taking on water and swamped near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Pictured Rocks Cruises, whose passengers and crew spotted the family, recounted the dramatic rescue in a detailed Facebook post. After spotting the family, Captain David Sliter made several emergency calls for help because the jagged boulders and underwater obstacles in the area in front of the beach made it impossible for his cruise ship to reach the family. The Alger County Sheriffs Department, as well as Dean Seaberg of the Grand Island Ferry Service responded. It was Seabergs boat that had a shallow enough draft to approach the stranded family, who were noticeably distressed due to rising winds. Family of 4 rescued at Pictured Rocks after canoe swamped in Lake Superior Seaberg was joined by deckhand Alex Hill of Pictured Rocks Cruises and a physician who happened to be a passenger on the Pictured Rocks Cruise boat. The trio eventually climbed the rocks to reach the family. The two children were reportedly so weak and numbed by cold that they couldnt walk, so Hill and the physician carried them approximately 40 yards down a rock pile to an area where the Alger County Sheriff boat could pick them up and rush them to Munising Memorial Hospital for medical attention. Sliter told WLUC-TV6 that he later visited the family at the hospital, only to find they didnt have keys to their vehicle or RV because it had all been lost when the canoe became swamped, so he lent them his vehicle. Alger County Sheriffs officials are reminding people to use extreme caution when out on Lake Superior. Ford announced earlier this week it had opened a new research center in Tel Aviv, Israel in what it describes as a burgeoning technology community. The automaker reports in a Wednesday, June 12 news release that the Ford Research Center will act as a research hub while supporting its automotive and mobility businesses. Ford specified that it will aim to find start-up companies working with connectivity, sensors, cybersecurity and in-vehicle monitoring, among other fields. Bill Ford, executive chairman of the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker, was on hand for the opening of the center and said this provides an opportunity to join a growing innovation community in Israel. The Research Center, opened by Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company, will play a significant role as Ford pursues its vision to become the worlds most trusted company, designing smart vehicles for a smart world. The center will include a vehicle lab to support proof of concept efforts and AI work conducted by the SAIPS team. Expanding Fords presence in Israel with the new Research Center will allow us to engage with the best technology and leading companies a lot faster, Udy Danino, founder and CEO with Ford subsidiary SAIPS, said in the release, and further support Fords goals of bringing together our vehicle and technology expertise to create new solutions to meet the mobility challenges of today and tomorrow. Danino was introduced as the technical director for the facility, and Ford describes SAIPS as Israels leading computer vision and machine learning company. The office itself is located in the new Adgar360 building in Tel Aviv. Ford has existing global research centers located in Aachen, Germany; Nanjing, China and Dearborn. The Associated Press reports that Ford joins General Motors, BMW and several other automakers to have active tech labs in Tel Aviv. LANSING, MI -- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday, June 14 denied a second formal request from officials in Jackson County to remove embattled Sheriff Steven Rand from office. Whitmer, who has the power to remove Rand from office under state law, in March denied a year-old request from the Jackson County Board of Commissioners to do so. Following that decision, Jackson Mayor Derek Dobies submitted a second, much more elaborate, 264-page request for removal. Its abundantly clear that the audio recordings and allegations of the sheriffs conduct are beneath any public office," Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said. "While the administration strongly condemns these actions, we accept the attorney generals recommendation to deny the request because it does not satisfy the grounds for removal. Dobies said hes pleased with the governors condemnation of Rands conduct. Although the request was denied, the response provides more insight into potential next steps, he said. "I look forward to continuing to ensure that the Sheriff is held accountable for his behavior and removed from office. I would suggest that the easiest next step would be for Sheriff Rand to simply resign. Documents submitted by Dobies included a five-page letter, a signed affidavit with a list of 15 allegations against the sheriff, copies of two lawsuits filed against Rand by a pair of sheriffs office employees, letters from the city and county asking the governor to remove Rand and 50 news articles. The packet was formally delivered to Rand in March, according to Dobies. Despite the mayors effort to be thorough, Attorney General Dana Nessels Chief Legal Counsel Suzanne Sonneborn determined the request didnt meet the statutory requirements for removal of an elected official. Sonneborn said the request lacked a required affidavit from Dobies, based on personal knowledge, outlining why Rand should be removed from office. Rather, the request includes an affidavit that sets forth (Dobies') general familiarity with complaints against the sheriff by others together with publicly available recorded statements of the sheriff," Sonneborn wrote. In addition, there is no indication from the mayors letter that Sheriff Rand has been served a copy of the removal request. " ... Even if such allegations were supported by a valid affidavit based on personal knowledge, the allegations do not encompass conduct which would be grounds for removal." State law allows the governor to remove an elected public official for extortion, habitual drunkenness, a conviction related to drunkenness, a felony conviction, official misconduct or willful neglect of duty. Dobies removal request accused Rand of mocking an employee for his disability, making a comment about an imagined snuff film with a female courthouse employee, using racial slurs, discharging his gun in his office, not filing a report on it and calling a county judge a scatterbrained c---. The sheriff "tainted, perverted and corrupted the Jackson County Sheriffs Office by his behavior and by allowing other officers to participate in racist, sexist and discriminatory behaviors, Dobies wrote in his removal request. These actions clearly meet the definition of misconduct in office. Rands comments many of which are backed up by audio recordings violate various laws, Dobies argues, like the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It also violates the citys non-discrimination ordinance and the sheriffs own internal policy, Dobies removal request said. Dobies cited state court decisions that misconduct is defined as the commission of a wrongful act, commission of a lawful act in a wrongful manner or failure to do an act required by the duties of the office" also known as malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance. When a sheriff uses his words to discriminate against the LGBT community, African Americans, women, disabled persons and the like, it emboldens bigots and racists to emerge into our public spaces too, the mayor said following the governors decision. Thats why this unresolved matter with Sheriff Rand is still relevant. Attorney General Dana Nessels office, in response to the separate Board of Commissioners request for removal, determined "an officials intemperate statements, including ugly epithets, while deeply offensive, do not, by themselves, constitute willful neglect of duty or official misconduct and do not provide a basis for removal. Jackson County Board of Commissioners Chairman James Steve Shotwell Jr. called the response a cop out." Outside of removal from office by Whitmer, a recall campaign is the only remaining option for residents who want to force Rand out of office. Should a recall petition gather the required number of signatures to go before voters -- and pass -- its unlikely Rand would be replaced any earlier than May 2020, just months before Rands current term expires. Full recommendation from Whitmers counsel: A group of lawmakers and survivors are pushing for stricter regulations for testing, diagnosing and reporting Lyme disease cases in Michigan - but critics of the bills say the legislation would further confuse how the cases are handled. On Thursday, the Michigan House Health Policy Committee took testimony on eight bills and one resolution supporters said would help those who suffer from the tick-borne illness get correctly diagnosed and treated sooner. Reps. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, and Gary Eisen, R-St. Clair Township, who both sponsored bills in the package, told lawmakers they suffered from Lyme disease and struggled getting a straight answer and treatment from doctors for years. Whitsett showed the committee a stack of stuffed binders she said were only a portion of her medical records while she sought diagnosis and treatment for her illness. It took me months to find a doctor willing to test me, she said. You cannot get the help that you really need and deserve. Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, and if left untreated can spread to joints, the heart or the nervous system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics, and warns against prolonged use of antibiotics to treat Lyme disease symptoms. The resolution in the package would urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its definition of Lyme disease symptoms and reconsider standards for diagnosing and treating the disease. House Bills 4603 through 4609 would require additional testing for and reporting of Lyme disease cases, require health insurers to cover Lyme disease testing and prohibit any disciplinary action for doctors who opt to treat Lyme disease patients with long-term antibiotic use. A separate bill, HB 4659, would require state parks, campgrounds and trails to post signage warning patrons about tick-borne diseases. Supporters of the bill who survived Lyme disease told the committee it could prevent others from going through years of pain and illness before hitting on a treatment that worked, and keep them from paying thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for necessary treatment. But health providers balked at some of the requirements the bills would impose, noting the CDC does not currently recognize Lyme disease as a chronic illness, meaning there are no set codes for insurers to use to cover it. In an emerging area of clinical medicine, we are concerned with a government mandate for treatment protocol that is not agreed upon by the medical community, Kristen Kraft of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan wrote in provided testimony. Blue Cross does recognize the appropriate use of antibiotics for extended treatment periods for certain disease indications, done in consultation with providers. The Michigan Lyme Disease Association also opposed the bills as introduced, taking the position that reform is needed, but that the bills are repetitive, loosely worded and would do little to help Lyme disease patients. In their current form the bills are not relevant in some cases, are not a top priority in others, are incomplete, lack funding to accomplish their goals and lack substance, Carrie Nielsen, the associations secretary, wrote in testimony to the committee. The bills would have to be passed through the House and Senate and signed by the governor before becoming law. For the first time, NASA has shed some light on how much it expects its moon landing as part of the Artemis program to cost over the next five years. Jim Bridenstine, the space agencys administrator, told CNN Business on Thursday, June 13 that he expects NASA to require between $20 and $30 billion for the moon landing. The outlet notes that this would require an additional $4 to $6 billion added to the NASA annual budget over that period of time. The Artemis program will send the first woman and next man to the moon by 2024 as it works to develop a sustainable lunar presence by 2028. NASA will use the Gateway lunar outpost to access the moon, which has a targeted launch date in late 2022. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. Related: Breaking down NASAs $21B 2020 budget that will take it from Moon to Mars For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon - We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2019 The former Oklahoma congressman told CNN that NASA is negotiating the budget with the Trump administration, Office of Management and Budget, and with the National Space Council led by Vice President Mike Pence. We will go to the Moon in the next decade with innovative, new technologies and systems to explore more locations across the lunar surface than ever before, Bridenstine said when the space agencys 2020 budget was announced. This time, when we got to the moon, we will stay. We will use what we learn as we move forward to the moon to take the next giant leap -- sending astronauts to Mars. As noted, the Artemis program aims to return humans to the moons surface by 2024, establish a sustainable lunar presence by 2028 and put the first astronaut on Mars in the 2030s. Related: Trump wants to shift $1.6B in Pell Grant funds for NASAs mission to moon, then Mars As we focus on lunar exploration, we dont see the Moon as a conclusion. It's preparation that forges a sustainable path towards Mars and other worlds. Our greatest adventures remain ahead of us through our #Artemis program returning humans to the Moon: https://t.co/OlE7R8beka pic.twitter.com/8mAhMb3C2u NASA (@NASA) June 10, 2019 For those in need of a refresher, see below for a compact self-reported NASA timeline: Exploration Mission-1 in 2020 Exploration Mission-2 in 2022 First use of Gateway Element in 2022 Science and Exploration Rover lands on moon in 2023 American astronauts land on the moon in 2024 Lunar surface missions in 2028 Astronauts on Mars aimed for the 2030s Related: NASA awards $253.5M to 1st commercial moon landing services partners While NASA claims the clear-as-day Star Trek Starfleet logo shown on the surface of Mars is nothing more than a coincidence, the imagination of Trekkies around the world has already gone where no man has gone before. The image embedded below for you to weigh in on was made by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter back on April 22. The University of Arizonas HiRISE team says the curious chevron shapes located in southeast Hellas Planitia exist thanks to dunes, lava and wind on Mars. Photo of Mars appears to show Star Trek logo on surface to Shatners delight (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona). The team says that in the past crescent-shaped dunes moved across the area on Mars, and that at some point there was an eruption and lava flowed around the dunes, but not over them. The lava solidified, but these dunes still stuck up like islands. However, they were still just dunes, and the wind continued to blow, a blog post describing the photo reads. "Eventually, the sand piles that were the dunes migrated away, leaving these 'footprints in the lava plain. These are also called dune casts and record the presence of dunes that were surrounded by lava. Enterprising viewers will make the discovery that these features look conspicuously like a famous logo: and youd be right, but its only a coincidence. The image even drew the attention of USS Enterprise Capt. James T. Kirk, the main character of the series played by William Shatner. The iconic actor had some fun with his counterparts from the Star Wars galaxy teasing that the Enterprise beat them to Mars. Hey @starwars! Will you hurry up your Rebel Scums? We beat you! https://t.co/b53KxKlAlj William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) June 13, 2019 NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched back in August 2005 and reached the Red Planet in March 2006. The spacecraft continues to search for evidence that water existed on Mars today in 2019. The U.S. space agency says the orbiter has met all of its science goals and is operating on a pair of extensions with the latest coming in 2010. The orbiter isnt just looking for the evidence of past water, but is more focused on whether water was ever around long enough to provide a habitat for life. ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbors city administrator has recommended Michael Cox, of the Boston Police Academy, to serve as the citys new police chief. Coxs broad experience and abilities will be an asset to the Ann Arbor Police Department, City Administrator Howard Lazarus said in a Thursday afternoon announcement. Michael has a keen understanding of the challenges facing law enforcement today, and he welcomes the opportunity to work with our community members to increase the departments community-oriented policing philosophy," Lazarus said in a news release. He will serve the Ann Arbor community well. Cox took part in extensive interviews for the role last month along with two other candidates, Deputy Ann Arbor Police Chief Jason Forsberg and Prescott Valley, Arizona Police Chief Bryan Jarrell. Cox previously said his family fell in love with the Ann Arbor area when his son went to school here. He reiterated his admiration for the city in the release Thursday. I'm excited to begin this new chapter in my career in a city as vibrant and engaging as Ann Arbor; and I welcome the opportunity to work with such an exceptional department," he said. By working together, I'm confident we can increase transparency with those we serve and identify service enhancements that would be a value to our community." Cox currently serves as Bureau of Professional Development superintendent for the Boston Police Academy. He's worked at the Boston Police Department since 1989, where, among various roles, he served as deputy superintendent for the Bureau of Field Services and commander of the operations division. He's earned degrees from Boston University, Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, and Providence College in Rhode Island. A movie is also reportedly in the works based on Coxs assault by fellow officers and a subsequent legal battle in 1995. City Council will consider the recommendation at their July 1 meeting, according to the release. If confirmed, he is expected to take the helm of the police department on July 15. YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI -- Officials are expected to break ground on the Tony Hawk Foundation-funded skate park this month in Ypsilanti Township. The new skate park will be adjacent to the Community Center Park at the corner of East Clark and Midway roads, and a groundbreaking ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Friday, June 21 to celebrate the start of the design and buildout phase. The project is also funded in part by the county and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with completion projected for spring 2020, according to a news release. The effort to bring a skate park to the area began in early 2018 and was sparked by a Built to Play matching grant of up to $250,000 through the two foundations. The Washtenaw County Parks Commission has provided the funds needed for the grant match. The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission contracted New Line Skateparks to design and build the site. The design and construction team, based in Langley, British Columbia, will be part of a Community Design Workshop at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26 at the Ypsilanti Township Community Center, 2025 E. Clark Road. The workshop will include an overview of the skate parks design and development, in which participants can offer ideas, sketches and feedback toward. Other upcoming skate park events: International Go Skateboarding Day on Friday, June 21 Grand opening of the Detroit Riverside Park Skate park on Saturday, June 22 Ann Arbor Skateparks Light up the Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 23 Tony Hawk launched a temporary Downtown Detroit skate park dubbed Wayfinding in August 2017 and has previously supported several area skate park projects. ANN ARBOR, MI - Reddened faces wet with tears stared up at the judge from the gallery. The prosecutors eyes, under a furrowed brow, shifted to his detective. The detective leaned forward. Then the decision came - evidence against Gregory Agnew, 51, in the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Tammy Niver will be allowed during his murder trial in the death of his estranged wife, Martha Agnew, 49. Leaving out the details of Gregory Agnews alleged abuse of Niver and the circumstances of her disappearance would mislead a jury, Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Darlene OBrien said during a final pretrial hearing Thursday, June 13. The facts of Tammy Nivers disappearance are intertwined with the relationship of the victim here from the date that (Niver) went missing, throughout, OBrien said. One of Martha Agnew's sisters pumped her fist in the air as O'Brien spoke. A loved one of Niver looked up at the ceiling. Gregory Agnew cleared his throat but kept his eyes straight ahead. The decision comes as Gregory Agnew heads to trial this summer on one count of open murder in the February 2018 strangulation of Martha Agnew, while the couple was going through a divorce. Prosecutors say the scene was staged to look like her death was an overdose, and it came just weeks after police tried to get Martha Agnew to flip on her soon-to-be ex-husband in the case of Nivers disappearance. Shortly after 24-year-old Niver went missing in August 1993, her friend Martha Agnew - then Martha McGeorge - offered to wear a wire to help police get a confession from Gregory Agnew, according to extensive police reports added to court filings ahead of Thursdays hearing. Before police got what they wanted, however, Martha McGeorge started dating Gregory Agnew. Gregory Agnew has never been charged in the disappearance of Niver, though, in 2014, police attempted to arrest him for her suspected murder. That same month, Martha Agnew was forced to testify under a prosecutor's investigative subpoena, and refused to be truthful, prosecutors said in court filings. She and Gregory Agnew then married and won a $45,000 settlement from the county for improper arrest. Nivers disappearance is the nexus of the relationship of Martha and Gregory Agnew, Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Andrew Childers said Thursday. Evidence of Nivers violent relationship with Gregory Agnew, whom she was trying to leave, also shows a pattern, he argued. What we have in (Martha Agnews) instance again is a relationship ending, Childers said. " The defendant is taking efforts to acquire assets in the dissolution of that marriage that hes not entitled to and as that is becoming clear - that hes not going to get access to the home and things like that - we have this death of Martha Agnew and its made to look like an accident." Childers also argued for the inclusion of two calls to police for incidents between Martha and Gregory Agnew, as well as an assault reported by another ex-girlfriend, who said Gregory Agnew raped and electrocuted her when she tried to leave him. OBrien agreed to admit the police calls regarding the married couple. She declined to allow evidence of the rape and electrocution, noting that though it would show a pattern, the incident was 30 years old, and its exclusion would not mislead a jury. Gregory Agnew's attorney, Ronald R. Gold, fought against the admission of any alleged prior acts, arguing it shifted the burden of proof to his defendant and removed a presumption of innocence. Gold has maintained his clients innocence in the demise of both Martha Agnew and Niver. Hes alleged police retaliation for the wrongful arrest settlement. (Niver) disappeared - we dont know why. She may have jumped off a bridge She may have gone here. She may have gone there I cant think of anything more prejudicial than allowing a jury to hear that, he said Thursday. He argued hell be defending Gregory Agnew in two cases instead of one. He also said it might be difficult finding a jury that doesnt know about the prior evidence, because of the publicity of the case. Due to scheduling conflicts with witnesses, a trial date in the case was moved from July 22 to Aug. 26. A final pretrial hearing is now scheduled for Aug. 1. Gregory Agnew faces up to life in prison if convicted. TECUMSEH, MI - An investigation into Tecumseh Public Schools Interim Superintendent Ryan Rhoades found the former administrator did not violate the districts anti-harrassment policy. The report did, however, conclude Rhoades behaved unprofessionally and retaliated against an employee who spoke against him during a contentious board meeting, according to the report, obtained by The Ann Arbor News through a Freedom of Information Act request. Rhoades, who resigned hours before the report was released Thursday, June 13, was described by investigator Mark Paliszewski of Recon Management Group, LLC as having a very aggressive management style," while some witnesses described his conduct as abusive," contributing to a tense atmosphere. Substantial, credible evidence shows that he was aggressive, mean and retaliated against those who spoke out against him, Paliszewski wrote. There is not a preponderance of the evidence that any of the administrators or teachers knowingly or intentionally filed false complaints against (Rhoades). The complaints, I believe, were filed in good faith. One instance of Rhoades inappropriate behavior, the report showed, involved statements to a group of administrators and others that he would kill them or burn them to the ground if they revealed the secret that he was told he would ultimately be given the superintendent position. The statements were confirmed by multiple, credible witnesses, the investigation showed. Other allegations against Rhoades involved retaliating against workers who spoke out against him with adverse actions toward their job status, or simply not being cordial to them, the report showed. One unidentified employee noted she at times feared for her physical safety, while another intermediate school district-contracted employee described Rhoades as a giant a** hole. (Rhoades) has certain responsibilities to make certain decisions about district employees job status, Paliszewski wrote. However, a preponderance of evidence indicates that (Rhoades) made statements that he would retailate against anyone speaking out against him, and in one instance he took adverse actions against (redacted) after he and (redacted) spoke against (Rhoades) at a board meeting. In Rhoades resignation letter, he encouraged the Tecumseh community to petition Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to compel the Michigan Department of Education to take control over the district, dissolve its board of education and replace its entire administration. The plea from Rhoades came along with claims that investigation process was flawed," and based on circumstantial, he said, she said evidence. Little to no evidence was collected, documented emails ignored, and the entire report was based on the opinion of one individual who conducted the interviews, Rhoades wrote. What is more concerning is that the school district attorney had access to the report, before it was released to the entire school board, to suggest editing. How is that not a conflict of interest? Paliszewski defended the validity of the report Thursday. The RECON Management Group investigation report for Tecumseh Public Schools was accurate and based on the investigators factual findings, Paliszewski said. The districts legal counsel did not inappropriately influence or change any factual findings. Any statement to the contrary is not accurate. Rhoades has claimed TPS Board President Tim Simpson directed him to target and terminate employees, but the investigation found those allegations were not substantiated. Audio footage Rhoades played for the investigator of an exchange between he and Simpson confirmed that Simpson did not have inappropriate intent," Paliszewski found. I could not find sufficient evidence supporting (Rhoades') claims against Mr. Simpson, Paliszewski concluded. It is (Rhoades') word against Mr. Simpsons word, and (Rhoades) did not raise his concerns contemporaneously. Despite clearing Simpson of wrongdoing, a good portion of the investigation surrounded exchanges between he and Rhoades. While much of the interview section of the report was redacted, it revealed Simpsons involvement in numerous decisions impacting the district. Rhoades claimed Simpson gave him marching orders, and to only share information with him, which was denied by Simpson when interviewed by the investigator. Rhoades also described a situation in which an intermediate school district lawyer wrote a brief on FOIA requests, and that Simpson instructed him to delete certain emails to protect against disclosure, while telling Rhoades to check with him on all FOIA disclosures. Simpson indicated he only told Rhoades not to give his resume to an unidentified person, because they would put it on social media, but claims he never instructed Rhoades to destroy any emails. Simpson also denied ordering Rhoades to target specific employees, but did ask him to look into certain schools that seemed to have issues. "I believe that all of these unfounded allegations from Mr. Rhoades has united the staff and board, Simpson said following Rhoades resignation. We are all here to make sure all TPS students get the best education possible. While there may be some philosophical differences, we will continue to work with our (administrators), teachers and staff to find a compromise that will benefit all students. The audio recording included an exchange between Rhoades and Simpson in which the board president expressed a desire for transparency, and getting rid of some of the educational methodologies the district implemented under former Superintendent Kelly Coffin. Simpson also expressed the need to reach out to teachers to repair any divides. Paliszewskis investigation also noted that leadership turnover brought certain philosophical changes to the district, creating a division between supporters of 21st Century learning strategies implemented in the 2017-18 school year and traditional education methods championed by the new board. The 21st Century learning strategies, like project-based learning, had a negative label, and was perceived as a potentially job-threatening label," according to Paliszewski. The investigation did not support allegations that Rhoades drove to the homes of administrators in an attempt to intimidate them. Rhoades was hired as Tecumsehs technology director in December 2018 before being named interim co-superintendent with Griff Mills, who resigned shortly thereafter when Rhoades proposed not to renew the contract of longtime Tecumseh Compass Lower Elementary Principal Carl Lewandowski. Rhoades was given a contract by the board on March 25, but was placed on paid, non-disciplinary leave the following day, after five Tecumseh school administrators issued a vote of no confidence against him, accusing him of creating a hostile work environment, harassing, intimidating and threatening staff. The district currently is being led by Interim Superintendent Greg Lewis, who was appointed May 13, becoming TPS fifth superintendent in a period of five months since a new board of education took office in January. The TPS Board of Education will host a special meeting at 7 p.m. Friday, June 14 to discuss the Rhoades resignation. SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MI -- One person died and four were left injured after a crash in Shiawassee County. Deputies with the Shiawassee County Sheriffs Office responded around 3:15 p.m. Thursday, June 13 to the intersection of Lansing and Vernon roads in Vernon Township for a two-vehicle crash. The preliminary investigation by the county sheriffs office revealed a minivan headed north on Vernon Road disregarded the stop sign and collided with a Michigan Department of Transportation vehicle headed west on Lansing Road. A 48-year-old Corunna woman was riding in the front passenger seat of the minivan. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and a backseat passenger in the minivan were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The MDOT vehicle was occupied by a driver and one passenger. Both occupants of the MDOT vehicle were transported to area hospitals. All names are being withheld at this time, police said. The incident remains under investigation. The Durand Police Department, Michigan State Police, Shiawassee County Road Commission, Durand Fire Department, Vernon Township Fire Department, Perry and MMR ambulance services, and Shiawassee County Central Dispatch assisted the county sheriffs office with the incident and at the scene. CARO, MI -- Over 100 community members, educators, local leaders and concerned health workers attended a forum Thursday to speak about the halted reconstruction of a state psychiatric hospital in Caro. In March, Gov. Gretchen Whitmers administration announced a halt to the $115 million construction project that was approved by former Gov. Rick Snyders administration. The project had already broken ground with $3 million spent. Further construction was postponed so independent consultant Myers and Stauffer could review the project and recommend next steps. Dozens of residents spoke at a listening forum held by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Myers and Stauffer Thursday, Jun 13. Caro resident Matt Campbell said he had one simple statement to make: Regardless of the benefit that may come to a community that may receive a facility like this if its not built here, it can in no way benefit enough to offset the cost and the devastation to this community by removing it, Campbell said. The state has concerns about staffing, ability for patients families to be involved in their treatment and water accessibility, according to a release from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. There is a high level of care given to patients at the center, which is a reflection of the community in Caro and Tuscola County, said Kim Spicer, a worker at the Caro Center. I had no idea when I came here, the impact that this was going to have on my life," Spicer said. "I have met people that are so lost in their own heads its unreal to anyone on the street who hasnt met or been involved or had someone in their family who is mentally ill. Some residents said Caro is the best place for the hospital because of the communitys long-time commitment to the mental health industry. The current Caro Psychiatric Hospital first opened in 1914. Tuscola County Controller and Administrator Michael Hoagland said water accessibility was being addressed before the state halted construction of the new facility. We hired a known engineer to study this matter and for some reason this information isnt getting in the right hand and it needs to be because water is not a problem, he said. Many community members said they were worried about job loss in Tuscola County, an area where officials said the hospital is the second largest employer. Caro School district officials said losing this major employer would cause enrollment to drop, which reduces school funding. Peter Newman, superintendent of Caro Public Schools, said he recently worked with a director at the Caro center to put out a staff survey. He said job loss if the center moved could lead to up to an almost $1 million loss to district funding. The Genesee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously in May to work with state legislatures to move the center from Tuscola County to Genesee. Newman attended a Genesee County commissioners meeting where he said it became apparent discussion over making moves to relocate the center had been happening for a long time. I though that was something that was very unfair," he said. "I felt my heart sink a little bit, because silver shovels went into the ground, signs went up, people got excited. We had jobs. We had people coming to fill jobs. Vanessa Day, a representative with Myers and Stauffer, said comments from the community forum would be sent to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and compiled in the final report in the review of how to move forward with the new facility. Our job is to inform their process. We invite you here because we need you to inform our process, Day said GRAND BLANC, MI -- New firefighters and recruits for the Grand Blanc City Fire Department were introduced at a Grand Blanc City Council meeting Wednesday. Two newly purchased fire response vehicles were also on display in front of the city offices. For the first time in over seven decades, the city of Grand Blanc will launch a lone firefighting venture in July. The city chose to create its own department after the township decided in January to dissolve a 72-year-old fire authority partnership between the two communities. Fire chief Dennis Smith introduced new firefighters and recruits at a city council meeting Wednesday, June 13. New firefighters are already certified. The recruits will have to go through training before serving on the department. New certified firefighters: Pete Alexander (over 21 years of experience.): A former Grand Blanc firefighter and captain, Alexander has Level 3 Officer certification along with several other fire service-related certifications. He was Genesee County firefighter of the year in 2014. John Borysewicz (over 21 years of experience.): Former Grand Blanc firefighter and Lieutenant. John has level 3 officer certifications, former Hazmat team member and a licensed EMT. John is also a certified trainer and has numerous other fire service industry related certifications. John is a retired United States Air Force Master Sergeant and world traveler. John came out of retirement to serve again for our community. Ryan Daup (6 years of experience): Daup has certifications as a Hazmat first responder and medical first responder. Charlie Farley (17 years of experience): Farley has numerous firefighting related certifications including officer classes. He is a certified fire investigator and a retired Oakland County Sheriffs Deputy with over 25 years of law enforcement experience. Rich Ferriby (over 40 years of experience): Ferribly is a former Deputy Chief of the Grand Blanc Fire Department. He has multiple certifications and came out of retirement to serve the community. Robert Handa (over 14 years of experience): A former Grand Blanc firefighter, Handa is currently an engineer for VAST Production and he is also a United States Army veteran. He holds numerous certifications in the firefighting industry including officer classes. Brandon Liddell (over 14 years of experience): In addition to fire service experience, Linddell has crash rescue, structural firefighting and hazardous materials certifications, among others. He is a veteran of the United States Army-Air National Guard and is currently an Oakland County Deputy Sheriff. Patrick Murphy (over 14 years of experience): Murphy is a full-time firefighter for the City of Flint and a former Lieutenant with the Burton Fire Department. He has numerous fire service certifications including officer classes, hazardous materials operations and drivers training. Jim Parkin (over 10 years of experience): Parkin is a former Grand Blanc firefighter. He holds several certifications in the firefighting industry including hazardous materials training and is a licensed Paramedic with Swartz Ambulance. He is U.S. Army Veteran and obtained the rank of Specialist E-4 before being honorable discharged. Chris Rhind (6 years of experience): Rhind is the current police Lieutenant for the Grand Blanc City Police Department. He has command and general public service experience. Noah Scott (first time firefighter): Scott recently became a certified firefighter. The citys fire department is Scotts first job as a firefighter and he will soon start school to become a certified paramedic. Brandon Smith (over 7 years of experience): Smith is a former Grand Blanc firefighter. He is currently a Genesee County Sheriffs Deputy and U.S. Army veteran who obtained the rank of sergeant before being honorably discharged. He holds certifications in hazardous materials, leadership and incident command. Charles Thompson (over 9 years of experience): Thompson is a full-time firefighter for the Orion Township Fire Department. He has numerous fire service certifications including EMT training. James Varga (over 12 years of experience): Varga is on the Capac Fire Department but lives in Grand Blanc. He is a certified fire inspector and plan reviewer. He holds numerous fire service certifications including hazardous materials and incident command. New recruits: Gerald Beckman: Beckman is currently a United States Army Reservist with over 21 years of experience as an E4 Specialist. He also works as a truck driver contracted to the U.S. Postal Service, bringing years of experience in large vehicle driving. Michael Blondell: Blondell is a former Fire Commission member and holds a masters degree in Business, co-owns and operates two thriving businesses and is a former supervisor for General Motors. Brian Byarski: A detective sergeant for the city police department with several years of law enforcement experience, Byarski holds a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice. Cameron Hicks. Hicks currently works for the Grand Blanc City DPW as a summer employee. Hicks has taken some college courses and wants to pursue a job in criminal justice. Christina Irwin: Irwin is the Human Resource Director for the City of Grand Blanc. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from the University of Michigan. Brian Lipe: Lipe is the citys police chief. He is a U.S. Army veteran with years of law enforcement and command experience. He also holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Michigan. Jakobe Maxson: Maxson is a Genesee County Sheriffs Deputy with four years of experience. He is a Army National Guard veteran. He is trained and experienced in heavy equipment operations, and obtained an E-2 level before being honorable discharged. FLINT, MI -- Fadwa Hammoud put eight criminal cases related to the Flint water crisis out of their misery Thursday, dismissing them all in one fell swoop. Now we see if the new Michigan solicitor general can do any better and whether someone will finally be held responsible for contaminating a citys water supply. The eight criminal cases dismissed against current and former city and state officials felt like they were on life support, moving at a snails pace even before former special prosecutor Todd Flood was fired and replaced by Hammoud earlier this year. The eight cases seemed weak, so much so that one might have been dismissed in the next 24 hours on a simple motion to quash in Genesee Circuit Court. Seven of the 15 individuals charged with Flint water crimes during the tenure of former Attorney General Bill Schuette and Flood already had the charges against them disposed of through no-contest plea agreements that resulted in no one spending a single night in jail or paying even a single dollar in fines. We never felt there was any substance to the case against former Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, his attorney, Chip Chamberlain said after Thursdays dismissal of involuntary manslaughter and other charges against his client. We feel very confident the charges will not be re-filed. Not only Lyon, but the others facing Flint water charges werent exactly running scared. An attorney for Robert Scott, an official for DHHS who was charged with misconduct in office, conspiracy, and willful neglect of duty, said Thursday that her client should never have been charged in the first place, saying an innocent man was wrongfully accused, charged and prosecuted. In the Lyon case, it appeared to be a struggle for prosecutors to show even that the victims of his alleged manslaughter actually died of Legionnaires disease, that the Legionnaires outbreaks here were caused by Flints bad water, and that Lyon violated a state law for failing to warn the public of the outbreaks. In the end, Hammoud reached a similar conclusion -- the cases against Scott, Lyon and the six remaining defendants were not built to last, doomed by a flawed discovery process that resulted in some potential evidence never having been properly reviewed by Flood and his team. Since she was appointed by Attorney General Dana Nessel to lead the water prosecutions with Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, Hammoud sought delays in prosecuting the cases, finding fault with Floods work every step of the way. Legitimate criminal prosecutions require complete investigations. Upon assuming responsibility of this case, our team of career prosecutors and investigators had immediate and grave concerns about the investigative approach and legal theories embraced by (Schuette and Flood), particularly regarding the pursuit of evidence. After a complete evaluation, our concerns were validated." At the heart of those concerns was a flawed discovery process in which prosecutors relied on agreements that gave private law firms-- representing state agencies, including the Executive Office of former Gov. Rick Snyder -- a role in deciding what information would be turned over to law enforcement, Hammoud alleges. Flood has said little about that publicly since he was fired just a few months ago. But even in the cases that remained active, there was not a clear path forward. On Friday, June 14, Genesee Circuit Judge Joseph Farah was scheduled to announce his decision on whether the case against Lyon was so weak that it should be dismissed rather than allowing a jury to hear it. A similar motion had been filed by attorneys for Dr. Eden Wells, the former chief medical executive for the state, putting her continued prosecution in question. Former emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose were charged criminally, but only spent a few hours in court on the charges against them and their cases were delayed repeatedly. On Thursday, Earley and Ambrose were dismissed from responsibility for the water crisis even though they made decisions that led directly to the citys continued use of the Flint River for drinking water despite elevated levels of lead, increasing problems with bacteria and suspicions about a connection between the water and Legionnaires outbreaks. They lorded over the city in place of the elected mayor and city council in 2014 and 2015, using a dirty water source and a broken-down plant with a skeleton crew of workers in a failed effort to save money. They call this starting over, and Nessel, who called the prosecutions politically motivated show trials during her campaign for attorney general, expressed her support of the strategy in a statement she issued Thursday. I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied and a fearless and dedicated team of career prosecutors and investigators are hard at work to ensure those who harmed you are held accountable," her statement said. Time will tell whether Hammoud can do that. Time has shown us that it hasnt been done to date. FLINT, MI -- Congress must open an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump to defend the rule of law, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, said in a statement Friday, June 14. I dont come to this conclusion lightly. But we are at this moment because the president is taking us there," Kildee said. The Special Counsels report uncovered serious crimes, including that the president engaged in obstruction of justice in at least 10 instances. The president and his administration have illegally blocked and ignored congressional oversight efforts. And the presidents recent comments welcoming and encouraging foreign interference in our elections were absolutely chilling. The presidents statements are not only unpatriotic, they are illegal. Kildee is the chief deputy whip in the 116th Congress, a leadership position within the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. The Flint Democrat is responsible for mobilizing members on legislation before they come to the floor to vote. He was appointed by House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-South Carolina. The congressman has a history of having been critical of Trump, calling him childish in January after talks aimed at ending a federal government shutdown fell apart and a man baby" last month after the presidents angry walkout from a meeting with top Democrats. His statement Friday said an impeachment inquiry is about protecting the rule of law and defending the Constitution, not punishing Trump for his misdeeds. I believe opening an impeachment inquiry will focus the efforts of Congress to get answers about the presidents conduct. And while I do not prejudge the outcome of any inquiry, and understand it may not necessarily lead to impeachment, I have come to the conclusion that we have no other choice. The American people deserve answers and the absolute truth, the statement says. FLINT, MI -- McLaren-Flint wants an administrative hearing before the state enforces the terms of an order it wants to impose on the hospital because of issues with Legionnaires disease. In a demand for the hearing -- filed Friday, June 14 with the state -- McLarens attorneys say the order issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs contains allegations, findings and conclusions that are untrue and denies any violation of health regulations cited by the state. DHHS and the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs issued orders under the Public Health Code Wednesday, June 12, demanding McLaren correct certain conditions in the hospital to reduce the risk of future exposure to Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires disease. The hospitals hearing demand says it is entitled to make its case within the next 14 days and expects that the hearing will last five full days. McLaren also demanded that subpoenas be issued to ensure the testimony of 13 individuals including Orlene Hawks, director of LARA; Robert Gordon, director of DHHS and John McKellar, Genesee County health officer. This weeks order is the latest in a continuing dispute between the state and the hospital over the facilitys role in Legionnaires outbreaks that dates back to the Flint water crisis. The hospital has maintained that its become a scapegoat for the state as DHHS has attempted to shift blame for a large number of cases of the disease away from its own current and former employees and to McLaren. DHHS said in a news release this week that under the state Public Health Code it has a duty to prevent the spread of diseases and the existence of sources of contamination" and has the authority to issue an order to "correct, at the owners expense, a building or condition which violates health laws or which the local health officer or director reasonably believes to be a nuisance, unsanitary condition or cause of illness. Health officials for the state have claimed exposure to McLaren -- not Flint water -- was the only explanation for the surge in Legionnaires cases during the water crisis, when at least a dozen people from the county died of the disease. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- More than 100 community members and stakeholders gathered at a local elementary school Thursday evening, June 13, to meet the three finalists for Grand Rapids next police chief. For two hours, the finalists -- Grand Rapids Deputy Police Chief Eric Payne, Lansing Police Chief Michael Yankowski and retired Pittsburgh Assistant Police Chief Larry Scirotto -- answered community questions on a variety of topics, including ethics, policy, community-police relations and law enforcement experience. Each candidate was given an opportunity to provide an opening statement before the trio took questions at Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School, 1205 Grandville Ave. SW. The event was recorded and shared on the citys Youtube and Facebook pages. City Manager Mark Washington invited residents to submit comment cards and further questions after the forum. He plans to choose the police departments next leader before the end of the month. Payne has served Grand Rapids in a variety of roles for 33 years. In his current role, he oversees the patrol division, Special Response Team, traffic unit, office of special events and canine unit. In his opening statement, the deputy chief emphasized that hes not just an officer in the city, hes part of the community. He later acknowledged that he lives 1.25 miles outside the city limits, but said hed be open to moving into the city. I believe theres more work to be done, even though we have a good department, Payne said. The bottom line is, what it comes down to is building relationships. Scirotto spent 23 years with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, which has an authorized staff of 950 sworn officers. He retired last spring to seek further education and leadership training, but said he always intended to return to policing after completing his masters degree program in spring 2020. I had only been educated and trained by police, he said. All my theories came from police ... to be a better leader I needed to seek education outside the confines of the organization and engage academia and the private sector and how they were managing and leading their organizations. Scirotto said he aspires to make a very good department great" by advancing intentional" community engagement and making the department the national gold standard for law enforcement and community-police relations. Yankowski, a 25-year veteran of the Lansing Police Department who has been in his current role since 2013, said hes a firm believer in policing with the community. As police chief in Lansing, he said hes tried to focus on building community-police trust, recruiting and hiring a diverse police department that represents the city, reducing violent crime, increasing training and officer wellness, and strengthening policies and accountability. My commitment to the city of Grand Rapids is strong, Yankowski said. When we talk about community policing and community relations, its about getting our officers involved in the community. There can never be enough community engagement or enough community policing. We need to give our officers the tools to be successful. Each candidate was asked what makes a great officer and what makes a bad officer. Yankowski said he wants fully ethical officers who are the best human beings we can get. Good officers, he said, have compassion, empathy, and listening skills. He wants officers who got into law enforcement to help people, not those who become officers for the power and authority. Paynes answer focused on listening skills. He referenced his past experience as a crisis negotiator and said theres a significant need for police to listen to the community they serve. An officers ability to listen and get to the core of problems makes a good officer, Payne said. Its being able to relate to people, interpersonal skills and thats what Im looking for in every officer. Scirotto said hes looking primarily for men and women who are committed to the care of others, and who exhibited that commitment prior to becoming an officer. Asked about the police departments interactions with federal agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Yankowski and Scirotto referenced the policies at their current/previous departments and said they dont ask for immigration status and dont get involved with ICE agents unless theres a judicial warrant. Payne said the Grand Rapids Police Department is working on developing a policy regarding how officers contact and work with federal partners, including ICE. Grand Rapids contracted Public Sector Search & Consulting, Inc. for $34,000 to lead the search process for the citys next police chief. The firm narrowed the pool of 31 applicants to three finalists, with the help of City Manager Washington. The city manager has dismissed the notion that Payne has a leg up on the other candidates because hes already a member of the Grand Rapids Police Department. Interim Police Chief David Kiddle has led the police department since December 2018 when former chief David Rahinsky announced he was stepping down and retiring to Florida. Washington will meet with the finalists Friday, June 14. KENT COUNTY A Michigan man could be charged for shooting a goose that kept him up at night. According to an official DNR report, the ordeal began when Justin Ulberg, a conservation officer in DNR District 7, assisted the Kent County Sheriffs Department with an investigation of a Canada goose being illegally killed in a residential area. CO Ulberg responded to the area and interviewed the suspect. According to the report, the suspect denied the accusation at first, but a confession was soon received. The subject said that the geese keep him up because they are so loud. Michigan man ticketed for stealing gosling from its mother The subject admitted to shooting the goose with a pellet gun. He added that he was surprised he even hit it because hes shot at the geese in the past and always missed. A report was submitted to the county prosecutors office for possible charges. DNR District 7 is in West Michigan and includes Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Cass, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, St Joseph and Van Buren counties. HOLLAND TOWNSHIP An 18-year-old man who was arrested Thursday morning is suspected of being behind multiple home invasions in the past month around the Holland Township area, according to the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office. The home invasions took place in the general area of 112th Street and James Street in Holland Township, police said. There was nothing taken, and no one was injured in any of the invasions, according to a release issued by police. Police received a call around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday from a homeowner on the 10000 block of Foxwood Trail, who reported the 18-year-old man in his home. The homeowner confronted the man, who then ran from the home, police said. Police arrived at the scene and proceeded to search for the suspect. After a short time, Zeeland police took into custody a man who matched the suspects description. After questioning, police identified the man as the suspect from the Foxwood Trail home invasion, the release reads. Police believe the man, of Holland Township, had been involved in at least three other recent home invasions in the area, according to the release. The incidents all took place between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., and all the homes were unlocked. As investigation continues, the man is being lodged in the Ottawa County Jail. His name will be released following arraignment. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT. Zeeland Police Department and the K9 Unit of the Holland Department of Public Safety assisted with the arrest. HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, MI -- An 18-year-old man faces up to 20 years in prison on allegations he broke into multiple Holland Township homes over the past month. Dominique Asher Hawkins was arraigned Friday, June 14, on charges of first-degree home invasion and illegal entry, according to the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office. The home invasion charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. In each of the break-ins, nothing was taken and no one was injured, investigators previously said. Hawkins was arrested early Thursday after he was chased out of a home he had allegedly broken into on Foxwood Trail, Ottawa County sheriffs Capt. Mark Bennett said. The homeowner who chased Hawkins away called police, and officers then found and arrested Hawkins in the city of Zeeland a short time later, Bennett said. Investigators believe Hawkins broke into at least three other homes in the area of 112th and James streets in Holland Township over the past month, according to Bennett. The break-ins all happened between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. at homes that were left unlocked, the captain said. Hawkins, who is a Holland Township resident, remains lodged in Ottawa County Jail on a $30,000 bond. GRAND RAPIDS, MI More than 200 protesters, angry that Congressman Justin Amash is the only Republican in Congress who supports impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, attended a Squash Amash in 2020 rally Friday outside his district office. Amash is an embarrassment to our party, said Meshawn Maddock, co-founder of Michigan Trump Republicans, which organized the rally at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building. We dont care if he steps down because we know he is not getting re-elected again because so many people in the 3rd District and statewide want him replaced. He has directly challenged our president and worked against him to join the Democrats in asking for his impeachment. The event was planned to celebrate Trumps birthday and to honor Flag Day, not just bash Amashs impeachment stance and voting record. The crowd sang Happy Birthday to the president. After reading special counsel Robert Muellers report, Amash tweeted in May that he believed the president engaged in impeachable conduct. He also said that Attorney General William Barr had deliberately misrepresented the findings of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Amash, R-Cascade Township, won a fifth term to his 3rd Congressional District seat in November, defeating Democrat Cathy Albro. He faced no primary challenger. However, several protesters who lined the sidewalk along Michigan Street said they have been displeased with Amash in recent years but voted for him reluctantly or not at all, absent a strong Republican option. The last straw was him siding with Democrats to impeach Trump, said Barbara Burns, of Rockford. We voted Trump in because of his stance on things and he hasnt supported him. Amash is not a Republican and we need someone who has our interests at heart. Amash has said that he is a constitutional conservative and a libertarian. His office did not return calls or emails for comment on the rally. Circulating among the crowd Friday were state Rep. Jim Lower, R-Greenville, and Army National Guard veteran Tom Norton, who have announced they will challenge Amash in the 2020 primary. They were not among the speakers because Maddock, of Milford, said the rally was not about their specific campaigns but denouncing Amash. Only a few Amash supporters were present at the event. Libertarian Patty Malowney, of Grand Rapids, held an Amash for President sign. I think he is a good choice for president, not just because he is Libertarian, but because he doesnt align with one political party, Malowney said. I think thats what most Americans are looking for someone that can be objective and principled. Thats why I like him. Amash has not said he plans to run for president nor that he wont. He doubled down on his impeachment position during a town hall that drew a largely supportive crowd. Tom Horrigan, of Grand Rapids, said Amash shouldnt be condemned for standing on principle. He had a tough decision to make and he followed his conscience, he said. But Nick VanBelkum, of Rockford, said Amash is not a good politician. The problem is nobody runs against him because he has so much money, he said. "Hopefully, these type of things (rallies) will help because we need educated voters. He is terribly arrogant and that is all his voting record shows. Michigans 3rd District includes Kent, Barry, Ionia, Montcalm and Calhoun counties and part of Grand Rapids. But protesters came from across the state including Milford, Farmington Hills and Livonia. Some protesters say Amash could be vulnerable now that the DeVos family is no longer backing him financially. The DeVos family led by the late Amway co-founder Rich DeVos has been an influential player in Republican politics for decades. In May, the family said it was ending its longtime support of Amash. Nick Wasmiller, family spokesman, said the family has not made any political contributions to the congressman this cycle and had no plans to do so. He said the family has experienced increasing concerns about a lack of representation for the 3rd Congressional district. Tennessee businessman Jeff Webb, founder of The New American Populist political action committee, addressed the crowd along with Maddock and Diane Schindlbeck, of Fremont, the other co-founder of Michigan Trump Republicans. "He has been fighting the president since day one,'' Schindlbeck said. "Trump won Michigan, Trump won Kent County, he is not even listening to his own voter base.'' At one point protesters were urged to join into an old but familiar chant about former Democratic Presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton "Lock her up!' Webbs group helped to promote and fund the event. He said he thinks Amash has been a Never Trumper from the beginning and their group is making constituents around the country aware of how certain elected officials have voted. Besides impeachment, several protesters commented on Amash in 2017 being the only Republican vote against Kates Law. The then Republican-led House passed the legislation to crack down on illegal immigration and push a key Trump priority. The bills imposed tougher sentences on criminals who have entered the U.S. illegally multiple times and cut off some federal grants from sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities. Amash said he voted against Kates Law because a provision in the legislation would deny Fifth Amendment due process to some criminal defendants. In December, Amash was among eight Republicans who voted against a spending bill that included nearly $6 million for Trumps proposed Mexico border wall. He also joined a dozen Republicans who supported a resolution to block Trumps emergency declaration to fund the border wall, as a misuse of emergency powers. "Amash is not voting in the way I think or others in the district,'' said Grandvilles Wayne Weller. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington has said he wants a police chief who will strengthen trust in local law enforcement and commit to 21st Century Policing strategies. Improving community-police relations was a common theme throughout the two-hour community forum Thursday, June 13, as the three finalists for the job took questions from the the public, and later media representatives. Later this month, Washington is expected to select one of the three finalists -- Grand Rapids Deputy Police Chief Eric Payne, Lansing Police Chief Michael Yankowski and retired Pittsburgh Assistant Police Chief Larry Scirotto -- to be the citys next police chief. All three candidates expressed a willingness or interest in additional oversight of the department -- a recommendation of 21st Century Policing Solutions firm that reviewed the departments policies and procedures last year. The city manager also created an administrative position in his office to provide oversight of the police department. The police departments relationship with some in the community has taken a hit in recent years. A traffic stop study published in 2017 showed black drivers in Grand Rapids were twice as likely to be stopped than non-black drivers. Combined with a handful of other high-profile incidents involving black youth and an ongoing investigation by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, the department has been accused of racial profiling and disparate policing. Payne, 55, the lone internal candidate, stressed the need for officers to build relationships in the community so theres a better mutual understanding of shared priorities. He said hes spent decades building relationships here, and encourages his officers to do the same. The deputy chief said he believes the culture of the department and policing nationwide has been changing, and that relying on saying its within our policy and procedures is no longer accepted by the public. When it comes to civilian oversight, Payne said the under-utilized Civilian Appeals Board needs to be reexamined between the city, department leadership and the unions. The question was asked, should they have subpoena powers? Payne said. "Thats one of the things we need to work out in developing a new board ... We need to have that other layer of accountability. "Were going to have that oversight come in and I welcome it, just like I welcome the review by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. If were not doing things correctly, we need to change them and move forward and do better. Yankowski, 46, used his six years as police chief in Lansing as his resume for strengthening community trust and establishing a department-wide focus on community-policing in an urban, diverse city that demanded changes from its department. We start from a young age, really embedding and molding our officers to think about community solutions, he said. "Theres so much more to policing than making an arrest and writing tickets. Our mission it to keep our community safe, to maintain order. Its also to foster a better quality of life for our residents, citizens, visitors and those who come and go from the city of Lansing. Those are the ideas Ill be able to bring to Grand Rapids." The Lansing Police Department neighbors the Michigan Department of Civil Rights -- the same group investigating 23 accusations of racial profiling against the Grand Rapids Police Department. Yankowski said his department has a relationship with some at the MDCR. It also relies on civilian oversight from eight police board commissioners and a citizen commissioner investigator. Im all about community-based, problem-oriented and a data-driven approach to policing, Yankowski said. We get our legitimacy from our community and our authority from our community. ... We have to police with our community. Coming from the department with arguably the most civilian oversight of the three finalists is Scirotto, 45, who retired from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in 2018 to pursue a masters degree in organizational development and leadership. For most of the 23 years he worked in the bureau, Scirotto said the departments internal affairs division was not a police function. A group of civilian investigators and police representatives made up the body, under the leadership of a civilian manager out of the citys law office. Pittsburgh also has its mayors initiative civilian review board to provide oversight of the police department. It provides great value to an organization to have that involvement and oversight, Scirotto said. If were true to the fact were transparent, that our motives are pure and we have nothing to hide, it would serve Grand Rapids well to prescribe to some version of that. Asked about the perceived need for a culture change within the Grand Rapids Police Department, Yankowski said its apparent the police department and community are not on the same page on a lot of issues. Much like it did in Lansing, Yankowski said a culture change will take time, and will require a commitment from the community to support its police officers and get involved in opportunities like the citizens police academy and neighborhood watch programs. Ive been a chief over six years and over the course weve gotten to strengthen those relationships and increase our diversity within the organization, all while reducing violent crime in our city, he said. We have to support our police officers. Its a very challenging job; they are human beings and from time to time they are going to make mistakes. Its our job to hold them accountable and to retrain them, but its also the communitys responsibility to support their police department. Scirottos evaluation was a little different. He said it isnt a cultural change hes hearing calls for from the public, but rather more transparent accountability and an opportunity for meaningful community input in policy and policing initiatives. As an outsider, the former Pittsburgh officer said he would bring a new perspective and wouldnt be beholden to the decisions and initiatives of the past. Often times we get aligned with those decisions because we created them and were stubborn and at times dont want to let go of things weve invested a lot of time and energy into, Scirotto said. I dont have any invested time in any of the initiatives that the Grand Rapids Police Department has partaken in, therefore I give it a fresh perspective more than a culture change. The three finalists were interviewed by six panels, including representatives from local faith organizations, businesses, law enforcement agencies and non-profit groups, before Thursdays community event. They were scheduled to meet with Washington on Friday, June 14. Washington is expected to select a new police chief by the end of June. MANISTEE COUNTY, MI -- A 67-year-old Manistee County woman has been charged with a pair of misdemeanors for her role in a September 2018 fatal crash in a construction zone. On Thursday, June 13, the Manistee County Sheriffs Office announced that Charlene Myers, of Bear Lake, had been arraigned on two charges related to the crash that killed Andre Alvesteffer, 20, and injured Damon Williamson, 23. Myers was charged with a moving violation causing death and a moving violation causing serious impairment of a body function. She faces up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500. The single-vehicle crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25 on U.S. 31 near Russell Street in Manistee Countys village of Bear Lake. Police said the womans 2013 Ford Taurus crossed the center line, left the road, and hit the pair of workers. Witnesses told police the car was traveling at a high speed, which was believed to be a factor in the crash. Alvesteffer was killed, while Williamson was transported to the Munson Medical Center in critical condition before improving to stable condition. Police didnt provide further details on his condition this week. The driver, who was not injured, was given a $1,000 personal recognizance bond. She is due back at the 85th District Court on June 26 for a pretrial hearing. PENN TOWNSHIP, MI -- A 50-year-old Illinois man has died from injuries he suffered nearly a week ago when he was pushed into a Cass County lake. The death has been ruled accidental. Parish Swanson of Aurora, Illinois, was playing with his sons June 8 on a dock at Donnell Lake when he was pushed into the lake, according to the Cass County Sheriffs Office. Swanson went underwater for a brief, unknown time before his sons were able to bring him back to shore, the sheriff's office reported. Resuscitation efforts were tried before an ambulance took him an area hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition. Cass County Sheriff Sheriff Richard J. Behnke said Friday, June 14, that Swanson had died from his injuries. Behnke said his office does not believe any foul play or suspicious intent was behind Swansons death. The investigation, now closed, ruled the death accidental. The Democratic National Committee announced 20 candidates qualified to participate in the first primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign. Three candidates in the historically large field of contenders -- Montana Gov. Steve Bullock; U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; and Wayne Messam, mayor of Miramar, Florida -- will not attend debates spread over two nights on June 26 and 27 in Miami, according to a Thursday news release from the DNC. Candidates who qualified needed to earn 1% of support in three polls or solicit donations from 65,000 people. The debate will be broadcast live on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. The DNC announced it will determine the 10-member debate lineups for each night at random. Identical requirements are in place for the second presidential primary debate, broadcast live on CNN from Detroits Fox Theatre on back-to-back nights on July 30 and 31. The debate lineups for each night will be determined at random to provide each candidate with a fair opportunity to make his or her case to a national audience. DNC Chair Tom Perez said Detroit "embodies the values and character of the Democratic Party, in a statement. With its diversity, its storied history, and its proud ties to the labor movement, Detroit is the perfect place for our partys second debate, Perez said. The DNC will increase requirements to participate in the partys third and fourth debates this fall. ABC News and Univision will broadcast the third debate on Sept. 12 and 13 at an unnamed venue, with another debate in October. To qualify, candidates must meet a 2% polling threshold in at least four polls sponsored by an approved organization and collect 130,000 unique donors and 400 donors per state. Candidates made a fundraising push in the weeks before the DNC deadline to qualify for the Miami debates, some offering trips to the event and one-on-one meetings in exchange for donations. Candidates who qualify for the first debates include former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Cory Booker, D-N.J., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn; Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as well as U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii; Tim Ryan, D-Ohio; Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.; and former Reps. John Delaney, D-Maryland.; Beto ORourke, D-Texas; former housing secretary Julian Castro; New York Mayor Bill de Blasio; South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; author Marianne Williamson and businessman Andrew Yang. Michigan hosted several primary debates for Republicans and Democrats during the last three decades, including a 2016 GOP primary debate at The Fox Theatre. Michigan hosted only one sparring session between presidential nominees. Democrats who campaigned in Michigan include Booker, Gillibrand, Harris, Klobuchar, Sanders,Warren, Inslee, ORourke, Ryan, Castro, Yang and Williamson. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence also visited Michigan earlier this year. John James, a Republican businessman running for U.S. Senate, said President Donald Trumps strong-arm trade policies are standing up for American workers and businesses. During a Thursday guest appearance on conservative commentator Ben Shapiros radio show, James said no one wants to be on the front of a trade war" but something needed to be done to stop other countries from taking advantage of American workers. James acknowledged Michigans automotive and agriculture industries are significantly impacted by changes in trade policy but did not directly reference the presidents tariffs. Trump endorsed James, 37, early in his unsuccessful 2018 challenge to U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing. James was unable to stop Stabenow from earning a third term, losing by 6.5 percentage points, but his performance impressed Republican Congressional recruiting organizations, spokesmen said. The National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee competed to recruit James, who announced he will seek the Republican Partys nomination for U.S. Senate during a June 6 appearance on Fox & Friends. Shapiro said the Senate race will have implications on Trumps re-election effort, saying Trump must win Michigan to stay in the White House. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township is one of two Democratic senators facing re-election in a Trump state. Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes in 2016, a narrow margin leaving MDP Chair Lavora Barnes confident that Democrats can reclaim the state in 2020. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Stewart Boss said James will have to answer for Trumps agenda, especially steel and aluminum tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. A 2018 analysis of the tariffs estimated $2.3 billion of state exports would be subject to retaliatory tariffs imposed by both countries. Peters campaign also expects Trump to be a liability for Republicans in 2020, according to a staff memo shared with MLive.com. Peters spoke out against the negative impact tariffs have on Michigan industry during the Mackinac Policy Conference last month. We all agree that if you have a country that is violating trade rules they need to be held accountable, but if you are being tough you have to be smart, Peters said at the time. (We) dont have to be going after our allies. Trump announced the U.S. reached a deal to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum coming from Mexico and Canada, the latter of which is Michigans largest trading partner. James said Trumps trade agenda makes a stand against trading allies who have long taken advantage of American workers. I believe that free but fair trade is an absolute imperative, James said. James said Michigan will be at the center of the 2020 presidential election. He said voters realize economic success under the Trump administration needs to continue. Recent public opinion polling by Glengariff Group on behalf of WDIV-Ch. 4 and The Detroit News found found 54% of Michigan voters have an unfavorable impression of Trump. A survey of 600 people found 51% of voters said they would vote for someone else, with former Vice President Joe Biden with the strongest support out of the possible Democratic challengers. The poll has a 4% margin of error. Shapiro said James has a sterling record but was ignored by the national media in 2018. The West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran positioned himself an independent thinker," blaming both parties for failing to fix a broken system. James said gained leadership experience through building his fathers business and surviving the Iraq War. We need someone who has a passion for serve, a clear vision for the future and the energy to implement this, James said Thursday. As a black Republican, James said he wont fit into someones perfect box. He said his father overcame racism to find success and America needs to offer that promise to everyone, but career politicians divide the country along racial lines for their own benefit. James said he feels called to service, and promised to donate 5-cents of every fundraising dollar to charity. Peters already marshaling its resources for a 2020 re-election campaign. A memo released by the campaign last week touted the strongest first-quarter fundraising numbers in the states history, with $3 million in cash on-hand for the race. The freshman senator and U.S. Navy Reserve veteran ran unopposed in the 2014 Democratic primary and went on to beat Republican Terri Lynn Land by 14 percentage points. President Donald Trump said investments by Michigan automakers will fare well for his re-election campaign. Trump said polling in battleground states underestimate his chance of winning the 2020 election during a wide-ranging phone call with Fox & Friends hosts Friday morning. The Republican president said its rare for Democrats to lose in Michigan, but said millions of dollars in new investment announced by General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Ford Motor Co. improves his chances of wining the state again. I think were going to do very well in Michigan, Trump said. I won it last time because I have 10 car companies building plants in Michigan and bringing back the automobile business to Michigan. Its not clear which companies Trump is referring to. General Motors announced plans to invest $150 million in equipment at its Flint truck plant to produce the new Chevy Silverado and other vehicles. GM announced it would bring 1,000 jobs to the plant and give priority in hiring to GM workers who had been laid off elsewhere. Ford announced a $900 million investment in its Flat Rock Assembly Plant and a new autonomous manufacturing center. The investment is expected to create 900 jobs by 2023. FCA also announced plans to invest $4.5 billion to build a new assembly plant in Detroit and increase production at five manufacturing facilities in Michigan. The investment is expected to create 6,500 jobs. Trump celebrated the investments at rally in Grand Rapids earlier this year, saying they were made possible by his decision to leave the Trans-Pacific Partnership and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump said his first meeting as president was with auto executives. Before I took the oath of office, the United States automobile industry was decimated and it was going down, and you people knew it better than anybody else, Trump said. Trump held campaign rallies across the country this year, including a visit to Grand Rapids in March, and will officially kickoff his re-election campaign in Orlando, Florida next week. The president offered a few comments on the crowded Democratic primary. Trump said he will likely face either former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., or U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in the general election next year. Trump said Biden doesnt have the mental capacity to be president, painting him as an ineffective politician laying on the trash heap before former President Barack Obama tapped him as his running mate. Michigan voters have an unfavorable view of Trumps job performance, according to a Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll conducted by the Glengariff Group. The poll found 51% of voters would vote for someone else next November. The perception of President Trumps performance is driven by where voters get their news, with Fox News viewers more likely to approve of the president. Glengariff Group surveyed 600 likely general election voters from May 28-30, and the poll has a margin of error of 4%. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said it will be tougher for Trump to win Michigan during his re-election campaign during a Detroit Economic Club event last week. Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee to claim Michigan since 1988, winning by 10,704 votes, but Michigan veered back toward blue candidates during the 2018 midterms. Many of the Democratic candidates visited Michigan to campaign, though Biden is a notable exception due to his status as the front-runner. The president also pushed back reporting by The New York Times and others about a 17-state poll conducted by his internal pollster. The poll reportedly shows Biden leading in many of the states Trump needs to win, including Michigan. Trump said Friday he is winning in every state polled. Every poll that I see and every poll that we have Im doing well, Trump said. Chinese technology giant Huawei is in the process of launching its Hongmeng operating system (OS) to replace Googles Android OS, the firms vice president of public affairs and communications Andrew Williamson, has said. Huawei was blacklisted last month by US President Donald Trumps administration which accused the company of spying for the Chinese government. The worlds biggest maker of telecoms network gear was barred from doing business with US tech companies, including Alphabets Google, whose Android OS is used in Huaweis phones. Also on rt.com Huaweis own operating system could be ready this year if cut off from US tech, top exec says According to UN data, Huawei Technologies is aiming to trademark its own OS in at least nine countries and Europe. Huawei is in the process of potentially launching a replacement, Williamson told Reuters, adding: Presumably well be trying to put trademarks. Huawei has filed for a Hongmeng trademark in Cambodia, Canada, South Korea and New Zealand, data from the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) showed. An application has also been filed in Peru in May, according to the countrys antitrust agency Indecopi. Also on rt.com Patriot games: Chinese dump iPhones & switch to domestic Huawei devices amid US crackdown US State Department director for international communications policy Jonathan Fritz said that only time would show if Huawei could diversify. He was meeting with officials in Europe to warn against buying Huawei equipment for next-generation mobile networks. It is a fair question to ask if one decides to go with Huawei and Huawei continues to be on our entity list, will Huawei be able to actually deliver what it promises any particular client, said Fritz. Huawei has not yet revealed the details about its OS but the applications to trademark the operating system show that it wants to use Hongmeng for gadgets ranging from smartphones and portable computers to robots and car televisions. For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section Chinese President Xi Jinping told Irans president on Friday that Beijing will promote steady development of ties with Iran no matter how the situation changes. Xi made the comment in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Xinhua said. Washington blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new US-Iranian confrontation, Reuters reports. Tehran has denied the allegation. China to promote steady ties with Iran, Xi says China to promote steady ties with Iran, Xi says Source : RT - Daily news The Japanese company that owns the Kokuka Courageous tanker has said its crew spotted flying objects before the attack in the Gulf of Oman, contradicting US claims that the vessel was damaged by a naval mine. Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo, told reporters on Friday that sailors on board the ill-fated oil tanker observed flying objects just before the incident in which the ship caught fire and was badly damaged. The giant vessel was hit twice, first near the engine room and then on its starboard side. He suggested that those flying objects could have been bullets, and called reports of striking a mine false. Both points at which the ship was damaged were above her waterline, which couldnt be so if it had struck an underwater mine. The tanker was carrying petroleum products to Singapore and Thailand when it was attacked while sailing through the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. All 21 crew members abandoned the ship and were reportedly rescued by an Iranian vessel. While many details of the incident are still shrouded in mystery, the US was quick to blame Iran. READ MORE: US sends destroyer to Gulf of Oman tanker incident site as Pentagon says no interest in new war Later that day, the US military released a blurry video showing what they claimed were Iranian sailors removing an unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous. The poor quality of the video made it especially challenging to independently verify the claims. Katadas account partly contradicted American allegations of a mine attack, but did mention that the crew had spotted an Iranian Navy ship nearby. However, the president failed to specify whether it was there before or after the attack. Another tanker, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, also suffered some damage while passing through the Gulf of Oman at around the same time. There have been reports of a torpedo attack on the vessel, but it is not yet clear from the firms statement whether it was attacked. It is unknown who would benefit from targeting the ships, but the timing of the incidents is especially sensitive. The attack on the tankers that were carrying Japan-related cargo notably came during a rare visit to Tehran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Also on rt.com BURNING tanker filmed by Iran after 'attacks' in Gulf of Oman (VIDEO) Suspicious doesnt begin to describe what likely transpired this morning, said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. As the day progressed, he hit back at the US accusations, saying Washington is trying to set up a false-flag attack in order to sabotage diplomacy and cover up their own economic terrorism against Tehran. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Michigans attorney general has dropped all pending criminal charges related to the Flint water contamination crisis, opting to restart the investigation. No official has been held accountable for the scandal to date. The office of Michigan AG Dana Nessel on Thursday dismissed charges filed by the previous state administration against eight individuals in connection to the crisis. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the state can reindict the same individuals in the future. Flint suffered a major public utilities crisis between 2014 and 2015, when the city administration catastrophically botched a project to swap Flints municipal water source. The project, designed to cut costs for the nearly-bankrupt city, resulted in massive lead contamination that risked poisoning thousands of residents. The eight defendants include former Michigan health director Nick Lyon, the highest-ranking official caught up in the prior investigation. Lyon was charged with involuntary manslaughter for failing to notify the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires disease a severe form of pneumonia in the Flint area around the time of the water crisis. Also on rt.com Criminal justice reform in Atlanta & Americas lead-poisoned water The indictment alleges two men died of the illness as a result of Lyons failure to act, and links the outbreak to Flints then-unsafe water supply. A legal representative for Lyon said he feels fantastic and vindicated after Thursdays decision, though he acknowledged that the former health director could still face charges as a result of the new investigation. Some residents were less enthusiastic about Nessels decision to scrap the indictments. Just wow. Drop the charges? wrote one member of Project Flint, a local activist group. How about add new ones in addition? It's amateur hour at the office of the Michigan Attorney General, tweeted Charlie LeDuff, a reporter with Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK. As I predicted, all criminal charges dropped today in #Flint poison water catastrophe. Prosecutors tasked with reviewing the case issued a statement on Thursday questioning the veracity of the first investigation, and explained their decision to start the inquiry anew. "Our team of career prosecutors and investigators had immediate and grave concerns about the investigative approach and legal theories embraced by the previous state administration, particularly the pursuit of evidence, they said in the statement. While the prosecutors said they were being mindful of the expenditure of public resources in pursuit of the new probe, they added they could not give Flint residents the investigation they rightly deserve by continuing to build on a flawed foundation. Also on rt.com Kansas residents drank contaminated water for six years while state sat on damning chemical tests Like this story? Share it with a friend! Turkey is holding firm in its commitment to honor its purchase of Russian air defense systems, warning the US that it is prepared to take reciprocal steps in reply to any sanctions imposed by Washington. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed as futile the USs continuous efforts to dissuade Turkey from receiving S-400 batteries from Russia, during an interview with Turkish TV on Friday. The minister added that Ankara was steadfast in continuing with the purchase, whatever the consequences. We are determined on the S-400 issue. No matter what the results will be, we will not take a step back. Also on rt.com US threats over F-35 program dishonor NATO alliance, Ankara says When asked about the possibility of a US-imposed sanctions regime against its NATO ally, Cavusoglu said Turkey was prepared to respond. If the United States takes any negative actions towards us, we will also take reciprocal steps. Tensions between the US government and Turkey over the S-400 have been simmering for months but have taken on a new urgency as Ankara gears up to receive its first deliveries of the system this summer. Washington argues that the incorporation of a Russian-made air defense system into Turkeys arsenal would compromise the security of the F-35 fighter jet and has threatened to remove Turkey as a program partner. The US has also reportedly failed to respond to Turkish suggestions to form a working group in order to gauge the potential impact of the S-400 on NATO systems. Also on rt.com Nobody can give ultimatum to Turkey: Ankaras FM rejects US demand to drop S-400 deal with Russia On Thursday, Cavusoglu commented on a letter from acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to Turkeys defense minister, outlining how Turkey would be ostracized from the F-35 program if it didnt comply with its demands. We reject the wording [of] the letter to our defense minister. Nobody can give an ultimatum to Turkey, he said. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng Thursday stressed that utmost efforts should be made in developing standards, conducting regulation, imposing penalties and seeking accountability to ensure food safety. Progress in food safety should be made by constantly identifying related problems and solving them, Han, who also heads the State Council's food safety committee, made the remarks at a committee seminar. Related administrative approval system should be reformed while efforts will be made to improve the social credit system, Han said. China unveiled a guideline in May to enhance the country's food safety with a phased plan to build a modern governance mechanism in the field. More than 97 percent of the country's major produce should pass quality and food safety test by 2020, while over 98 percent of food should pass spot checks, according to the guideline released by central authorities. By 2035, China should have a set of world-leading food safety standards, a marked drop in illegal practices and globally advanced risk control capabilities. The guideline called for joint contribution from all stakeholders including governments, enterprises and consumers. Smita Bhandari GST the journey of this landmark tax reform over the last 23 months has been rewarding as the economy moved favourably towards the organised sector. The journey paced up through 34 GST Council Meetings, recognised the need to deliver benefits to consumers and MSMEs through rate cuts, took initiatives in digital reforms, provided free accounting software and a vigilant Anti-Profiteering Authority that hit headlines on numerous occasions. With the government enjoying a majority in the GST Council and the stabilising trend of GST revenues, one could expect that the Centre would quickly introduce the simplification reforms and take up immediately issues that were put on the back burner. The most pressing one being easing compliances through the simplified return the single-page return under Sahaj and Sugam formats. This, in itself, will be a big respite for small traders. On the other hand, for the organised sector, the new return process coupled with the proposed Section 43A seek to put the onus on large businesses for vendor compliance. It is necessary that the new input tax credit (ITC) mechanism, which requires suppliers to report every invoice and the recipient to lock the same on the GSTN portal, is used as a tool to encourage greater compliance participation and not lead to large businesses being needlessly pursued for any non-compliance of vendors. Any tax digital reform of this magnitude requires a well- prepared ecosystem -- Large tax payers hope that the government puts into effect measures for smooth migration and bolster its IT system to deal with the iterative process proposed for claiming ITC. On the policy front, the GST Council is likely to move forward on the prolonged debate on ending the moratorium on natural gas and other petroleum products from GST inclusion. A decision to this effect, which was in the past influenced by state governments, may now see the light of day as the industry clamour gets louder. Another continuing deliberation for the government would be to table the plan of moving towards a single revenue neutral rate as against the current 5-tier tax structure. Whether any move could be expected in the short term will depend on the GST mop-up targets that will be finalized for the upcoming Budget on July 5. In the past, any amendment to the law required a majority vote in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha. As the House arithmetic is set to change, it is likely that amendments that were put in the cold storage may be actively taken up. Some of them could include considering changes in the place of supply rules for goods or services, relaxation in the stringent and vast penal provisions and the like. Industries would also do well to bring to the table any issues or propositions that warrant changes to the GST Act. Now that monthly compliances for FY17-18 are completed and the deadline for the annual return is soon approaching, the Revenue Department has all the transaction level data to commence audits. With officials armed with data from two sets of sources (from the supplier and through acceptance from the recipient) and incrementally data from the E-Waybill system in the case of goods, businesses should expect technologically aided audits that are pointed and specific to start. The governments technology platform to perform a 3-way match, including the proposal to mandate tax-invoice generation from the GSTN portal, is a sure means to ensure a high compliance rate coupled and minimal tax evasion. One important cog in successfully achieving this objective requires that businesses should be given time to assess and implement the impact on their processes and IT systems for automation. A collaborative testing period and implementation period will go a long way in stabilising GST for India Inc. The transaction level data available with the government is slated to revolutionise the entire tax landscape in India. In the near future, it could become a barometer for businesses to assess the economic well-being of organisations and businesses. To conclude, back with a huge majority, the incumbent government should now ensure that the nascent tax regime achieves all that was promised at the stroke of midnight in Parliament on June 30, 2017 One Nation, One Tax. The government is looking to initiate a mega merger of all state-owned general insurers with the aim to create one large public sector general insurance company that will be comparable to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). An Economic Times report said this could complement the existing proposal to merger three state-run non-life entities into one single company. But there is a hitch. While having one state-owned general insurer would be able to create a more valuable entity on the stock markets, there would be job cuts after the merger. Once merged, the entity could be worth almost Rs 2.5 lakh crore, making it the largest non-life insurer in the country. The total employee strength of the three companies put together is around 59,000 spread over 8,200 offices. It is estimated that after the merger, there could be a 20-30 percent reduction in the employee count through the use of Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) and other mechanisms. Of the 27 general insurance companies in India, New India Assurance, United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance and National Insurance are state-owned entities. At present, there are two specialist insurers, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) and Agriculture Insurance Company. The rest are private non-life insurers. As per the report, the mega merger will be the next step to the existing plan. In the Union Budget 2018-19, the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced that United India, National Insurance and Oriental Insurance will be merged and subsequently listed. If the new proposal is considered, they will be merged with New India Assurance, post-merger of these three insurers, creating an insurance behmoth on the lines of LIC in the general insurance space. This merger has been a pet project of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. The idea to merge the three insurers was to create a stronger and larger insurance company that was sustainable in the long run. At present, New India Assurance is already listed on the stock exchanges. Maintaining adequate solvency margin has been a challenge for a few of the PSU insurers. With this merger, the issue will be resolved. State-owned insurers, in life as well as general insurance, have been a result of mergers with several companies. For instance, LIC was incorporated on September 1, 1956 by amalgamating 243 companies. The general insurance industry was nationalised in 1972 and 107 insurers were grouped and amalgamated into the four PSU general insurers. Of these, United India was formed by a merger of 12 Indian insurers, four co-operative insurance societies and Indian operations of five foreign insurers, apart from the general insurance operations of LICs southern region. Similarly, National Insurance was formed by a merger of 21 foreign and 11 Indian companies. Post-nationalisation, there has been one successful merger in the general insurance industry. This was L&T General Insurance's merger with HDFC ERGO General Insurance in 2017. Indian edible oil refiners have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise duty on refined palm oil imports from Malaysia to protect the local industry following a surge in inbound shipments from the South-east Asian country, a trade body said on Friday. India is the world's biggest importer of edible oils. Its refined palm oil imports in May jumped to 371,060 tonnes from 238,479 tonnes in April, the Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA) said in a letter to Modi. In January, India cut duty on refined palm oil sourced from Malaysia to 45% from 54% as part of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed by the two countries nearly a decade ago. "We strongly appeal to the government to kindly scrap the CECA agreement with Malaysia with immediate effect and impose higher duty on RBD palmolein to save domestic refiners and oilseed farmers," the SEA said. Representative image More measures to boost investments in the infrastructure sector, promotion of renewable energy and steps to bring down cost of projects were some of the suggestions made by representatives of the infrastructure and climate change sectors during their customary pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here. The main areas of discussion during the meeting included issues relating to bringing in more capital to the infrastructure sector such as highways, railways, telecom and automobiles, including incentives for electric vehicles as well as for the renewable energy sector, a finance ministry statement said. "Two important issues that I raised before the Finance Minister was re-introduction of the tax-free bonds and also raising the cap under the 54 EC from current Rs 50 lakh to Rs 5 crore and lock-in period from five years to three years," NHAI Chairman Nagendranath Sinha told reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting. The 54 EC bonds, or capital gains bonds, are preferred by investors for earning long-term capital gains and they would like tax exemption on these gains. These bonds are issued by REC, PFC, NHAI and IRFC. SIAM President Rajan Wadhera said the automotive industry, which is going through a lot of stress, should be provided some incentives by the government. After the meeting, Director General of Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) Tilak Raj Dua said the government should provide accelerated depreciation rate for batteries and include telecom tower industry under priority sector lending by banks. Other major suggestions made to the finance minister included streamlining of land acquisition process, creation of green technology acceleration fund, incentivising domestic manufacturing of solar energy equipment and fiscal incentives for development of electric vehicles industry. Sitharaman is scheduled to present the first Budget of Modi 2.0 government on July 5. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said there is a need for a separate financial arm for the roads sector. "While there are other provisions for funding, like the foreign investment initiative under the Finance Ministry, they are time consuming," he said. He added that the roads and highways sector has contributed 1.75 to the GDP and more than Rs 17 lakh crore has been approved for the sector in the past five years. Gadkari said that there is a need to look at alternate sources of funding for infrastructure projects as securing finance from banks has become difficult. He said that more than 400 projects were stalled when he assumed responsibility of roads and highways. He said that resolving these issues may have saved the banks from NPAs of nearly 3 lakh crore rupees. Gadkari's portfolio also includes MSMEs and he announced that ban on corporates and private players in the MSME sector has been lifted to pave way for formation of 700 clusters. He said that there is a need to move from import substitution to export oriented economy, adding that this could be achieved through growth of MSMEs. He cited the example of incense sticks that account for 4000 crore worth of imports which could be manufactured here. He also indicated that the World Bank has shown interest in SMEs. Addressing industrialists at the CII National Council Meeting 2019, he said industrialists need to shift focus from urban areas and help build the rural and backward areas in India. He also urged the industry to set up skill centres to train manpower. Gadkari announced that a new website will be launched next week called 'Bank of Ideas and Innovation', inviting ideas and suggestions from the public. The Reserve Bank on June 14 asked banks to ensure their ATMs are grouted to a wall, pillar, or floor by September-end, except those installed in high secured premises such as airports, to enhance security of the cash vending machines. In 2016, the RBI had set up a Committee on Currency Movement (CCM) to review the entire gamut of security of treasure in transit. Based on the recommendations of the panel, the central bank has now issued instructions aimed at mitigating risks in ATM operations and enhancing security. As part of the security measures, all "ATMs shall be operated for cash replenishment only with digital One Time Combination (OTC) locks". Also, "All ATMs shall be grouted to a structure (wall, pillar, floor, etc.) by September 30, 2019, except for ATMs installed in highly secured premises such as airports, etc. which have adequate CCTV coverage and are guarded by state/central security personnel". Further, banks may also consider rolling out a comprehensive e-surveillance mechanism at the ATMs to ensure timely alerts and quick response, it said. The new measures to be adopted by banks are in addition to the existing instructions, practices and guidance issued by the RBI and law enforcement agencies. The RBI also warned the banks that non-adherence of timelines or non-observance of the instructions would attract regulatory action including levy of penalty. Describing India as a "high-tariff market", US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urged the Modi government to carry out reforms that will open up the Indian economy and market. In an unusually blunt remarks, Ross asked India to remove the overly restrictive market access barriers for American companies. "As President (Donald) Trump has said, we look forward to working with the (Indian) Prime Minister and his administration to address a mutual trading opportunities and the mutual investment potentials," the commerce secretary said in his key note address to the India Ideas Summit of US Indian Business Council (USIBC) here. Ross said he is planning a trip to India in the near future to discuss and address some of the key issues challenging the India and US trade ties. The US official was in India just before the Lok Sabha elections during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top Indian government officials. The US, he said, is a good place to invest and the country is open for business. The Trump administration has been addressing a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship, not only with India but also with its other trading partners across the world. US is the "least protectionist" major country, but India has "one of the highest levels of tariffs in the world", Ross said, adding that protectionist practices also hurt the countries themselves. Ross expressed hope that since Modi has been voted back to power with a stronger mandate, he would be able to carry out necessary reforms and take India towards "a more open economy". "The mindset of moving towards a more open economy" is very important, he said, adding that both the US and India would benefit from this change. American companies based in the Indian market are confronted with both tariffs and non-tariff barriers, particularly including e-commerce rules, data localisation, restrictions, price controls on medical devices and pharmaceuticals other products. Some of these barriers are relatively new. For the development of a viable commercial relationships, US companies need more predictability, more transparency or more consistency of regulations, Ross said, as he justified the Trump administration's decision to withdraw the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for India. GSP is a programme for preferential access to certain goods markets in the US. At the same time, Ross acknowledged that India has been making significant improvement in ease of doing business ranking of the World Bank. The US, he said, is encouraged by India's efforts to improve the business climate and to attract investment at the subnational level. Many US companies find it advantageous to take the approach of working through their states to establish partnerships and identify customers in Indian, he said. Chinese technology major Huawei has said the company would invest heavily in those countries where they are welcome, as per a report in Bloomberg. The companys global vice president of marketing insights Andrew Williamson also added that if the US pressed on its sanctions, global adoption of 5G technology would be hindered. "Restricting competition in 5G infrastructure will have huge costs. Governments and companies around the world will have to address those costs against the supposed risks of national security," the paper quoted Williamson. The Trump-administration had in May blacklisted the Huawei and imposed sanctions on the sale of its equipment in the US. Impact of the ban in the Mexico market remains unclear, but the company is fast losing its foothold in Europe as demand nosedived. Following the blacklist, which barred Huawei from doing business with U.S. tech companies such as Alphabet, whose Android OS is used in Huawei's phones, an executive of Huawei said on June 13 that the telecoms giant is in the process of potentially launching its "Hongmeng" operating system (OS) to replace the U.S. Android OS. Williamson, said in an interview on June 13 that the company will "presumably" trademark Hongmeng, which he said has likely been rolled out to a million devices in China. Huawei has come under mounting scrutiny for over a year, led by U.S. allegations that "back doors" in its routers, switches and other gear could allow China to spy on U.S. communications. The company has denied its products pose a security threat. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) June 14 said its Farm Equipment Sector (FES) has picked up 11.25 per cent stake in Switzerland-based agri-technology firm Gamaya SA for CHF 4.3 million (over Rs 30 crore). The investment will be through subscription to 300 common shares and 30,469 series B preferred shares of Gamaya SA, M&M said in a statement. "With agriculture increasingly becoming technology-intensive, we at Mahindra are investing in future ready technologies to provide complete solutions to the global farming community," M&M FES President Rajesh Jejurikar said. The company's strategic association with Gamaya will enable it to develop and deploy next-generation farming capabilities such as precision agriculture and digital farming technologies, he added. Gamaya co-founder and CEO Yosef Akhtman said the association with Mahindra would help Gamaya bring the benefits of advanced technology, including hyperspectral imaging and machine learning, to both industrial farmers and small holders around the world. Incorporated in the year 2015, Gamaya is focused on providing crop-specific technology solutions for agriculture. It has advanced capabilities in hyperspectral imagery analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning which captures and interprets imagery to give farmers information about the state of their fields and crops. The company operates in Brazil and has several ongoing development activities in India, Ukraine and a few other countries. M&M shares Friday ended 0.83 per cent lower at Rs 635.55 on the BSE. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Biocon shares fell 3 percent intraday to hit a 52-week low of Rs 248.30 on June 14 despite company getting certificate of good manufacturing practice from the EU regulator for its Bengaluru unit. The stock closed at Rs 248.90, down 2.93 percent. These facilities are used for the manufacture of portfolio of biosimilars. The European agency inspected Bengaluru unit in March 2019. "This was a surveillance inspection of our existing DP and OS facilities and a pre-approval inspection of our additional DP manufacturing line," company said in its filing. "Biocon has received the Certificate of GMP compliance from EMA for its Biologics Drug Product (DP) as well as Drug Substance (DS) facilities at Biocon Park, Bengaluru," it said. This certification will enable company to continue addressing the growing needs of patients in the EU markets and enhance access to high quality biosimilars, it added. Indian market witnessed volatile swings on either side throughout the week. Both Sensex and Nifty50 fell by about 0.4 percent each for the week ended June 14. The Nifty50 which formed a Bearish Belt Hold kind of pattern on the daily charts recorded a bearish candle on the weekly chart for the second consecutive week in a row. The final tally on D-St for June 14 the S&P BSE Sensex fell 289 points to 39,452 while the Nifty50 closed 90 points lower at 11,823. On the daily scale, the index closed around its 20-days exponential moving average which acted as a support for index throughout June. Weak global cues, upcoming US Federal Reserve policy meeting on June 18-19, the progress of monsoon, high valuations, progress of US-China trade talks and retaliatory tariff from India on US goods are some of the factors which weighed on sentiment. The international trade war is all set to intensify as sources told CNBC-TV18 that India is set to impose its own retaliatory tariffs on 29 products against the US. "Ripple effect from a weak global market while premium valuation and slow economy are hurting the market. A continuous exchange of words between US and Tehran regarding the oil tanker attack, progress of US-China trade-war, fed policy outcome on June 19 and progress of monsoon will be closely watched by the investors, Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services Ltd told Moneycontrol. The market is cautious today awaiting these important events while companies highly leveraged are most impacted, he said. In terms of sectors, the S&P BSE Realty index plunged by over 2 percent, followed by the S&P BSE Telecom index which was down 1.6 percent, and the S&P BSE Banking index plunged 1.3 percent on June 14. Top Sensex gainers include names like L&T, Vedanta, Sun Pharma, and Power Grid. In terms of losers, Tata Motors DVR lost nearly 3 percent, followed by Bharti Airtel which was down 2.7 percent, and Axis Bank which closed 2.3 percent lower. Stocks in news: Shares of Smartlink Holdings touched 52-week high, gained 11 percent after the company approved buyback of shares. Shares of Jet Airways plummeted 10 percent after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) adjourned an insolvency plea against the carrier, giving it a fresh lease of life. Aurobindo Pharma shares fell 3 percent after the US health regulator pointed out data integrity lapses at finished dosages plant in Bachupally, Telangana. Gruh Finance shares fell 5 percent after multiple block deals. HDFC informed exchanges it sold 4.22 percent stake in the company ahead of Bandhan Bank merger. Global Update: Asian markets ended mostly lower on Friday with Shanghai composite down 0.99 percent at 2,881.97, Kospi shed 0.37 percent at 2,095.41, while Nikkei added 0.4 percent at 21,116.89. European markets are trading lower on the back tensions between the US and Iran following attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Hexaware Technologies shares gained nearly 3 percent intraday on June 14 after the company acquired US firm Mobiquity Inc for more offerings in cloud and automation segments. "We acquired Mobiquity Inc for a total consideration of around $182 million, to directly compete with large digital agencies and consulting firms," the Indian IT firm said in its BSE filing. The company further said it would pay upfront up to $131 million and rest through deferred consideration up to $51 million, part of which is contingent on earnouts. Mobiquity having headquartered in the US and a global presence across 3 continents, creates digital products for some of the most well-known brands in the world, such as Amazon Web Services, Rabobank, Philips, Wawa, Backbase and Otsuka. Mobiquity specialises in creating frictionless multi-channel digital experiences using cloud technologies. "Mobiquity strengthens two of our key strategic offerings: Cloudify Everything and Customer Experience Transformation. We are seeing a strong demand for these capabilities and, with this acquisition, we will be able to further accelerate our contributions to our customers' business growth," R Srikrishna, CEO, Hexaware Technologies said. Mobiquity group revenue was $70 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 At 0930 hrs, the stock was quoting at Rs 353.65, up Rs 7.70, or 2.23 percent on the BSE. The Nifty50 is likely to open flat on Friday tracking mixed trend seen in other Asian markets. The S&P BSE Sensex closed 15 points lower at 39,741 while the Nifty50 ended 7 points higher at 11,914 on Thursday. Overnight, U.S. stocks rose on Thursday after two days of declines, as energy shares rebounded with oil on concerns of a supply disruption following attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, said a Reuters report. In commodities, Brent crude futures slipped 0.29 percent to $61.13 per barrel after rallying 2.3 percent the previous day. Brent surged on Thursday after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, one Norwegian-owned and the other Japanese-owned, added the report. Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a flat to negative opening for the broader index in India, a fall of 17.5 points or 0.15 percent. Nifty futures were trading around 11,902-level on the Singaporean Exchange. Snapping its two-session gaining streak, the rupee dived 16 paise to close at 69.50 against the US dollar June 13 amid a sharp rise in crude oil prices. Stocks in news: HDFC may offload 4.2 percent stake in Gruh Finance on June 14, according to CNBC-TV18. The stake sale may be done at a floor price of Rs 290 per share. The base deal size is expected to be around three crore shares with an upsize option. The US Food and Drug Administration has pointed out data integrity lapses at Aurobindo Pharma Limited finished dosages plant at Bachupallynear here. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on June 13 adjourned the hearing on Jet Airways insolvency case to June 20. Remember, the stock fell by 16% on Thursday. Technical Recommendations: We spoke to IIFL and heres what they have to recommend: ICICI Lombard: Buy| LTP: Rs 1149| Target: Rs 1211| Stop Loss: Rs 1124| Upside 5% KEC International Ltd: Buy| LTP: Rs 323| Target: Rs 346| Stop Loss: Rs 313| Upside 7% Maruti Suzuki Jun Futs: Sell| LTP: Rs 6792| Target: Rs 6588| Stop Loss: Rs 6893| Downside 3% Oil fell on Friday after sharp gains in the previous session when prices were boosted after attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman stoked concerns of reduced crude flows through one of the world's key shipping routes. The attacks near Iran and the Strait of Hormuz countered concerns about global demand that had hammered prices in recent weeks, analysts said. It was the second time in a month tankers have been attacked in the world's most important zone for oil supplies, amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Washington quickly blamed Iran for Thursday's attacks, but Tehran bluntly denied the allegation. Brent crude futures were down 17 cents, or 0.3%, at $61.14 a barrel by 0041 GMT. They settled up 2.23% on Thursday, at $61.31, having risen as much as 4.5%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 39 cents, or 0.8%, at $51.89 a barrel. They closed 2.23% higher at $52.28 a barrel in the previous session, having also risen as much as 4.5%. "The drums of war are beating and driving asset prices," Greg McKenna, strategist at McKenna Macro said in a morning note. Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 multinational nuclear pact with Iran and reimposed sanctions, especially targeting Tehran's oil exports. Iran, which has distanced itself from the previous attacks, has said it would not be cowed by what it called psychological warfare. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States has assessed Iran was behind the attacks on Thursday, and arrived at its conclusion based on intelligence, weapons used and the level of expertise needed. Iran "categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," the Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Thursday evening. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Wockhardt shares rallied 3.7 percent intraday on June 14 after the US health regulator issued zero 483 observations for bioequivalence centre in Maharashtra. The pharma company informed exchanges that the US Food and Drug Administration has carried out an inspection of its bioequivalence centre located at R&D Centre, Aurangabad in Maharashtra during June 10-12. Bioanalytical and quality systems of bioequivalence studies of Tamsulosin 0.4mg capsules and Metoprolol ER tablets were audited, it added. "At the end of inspection, there was zero 483 observations, signifying that best practices were followed, in compliance to regulations," Wockhardt said. This outcome would lead approvals of ANDAs in pipeline for which bioequivalence studies are being or will be done in the said centre, it added. The stock was quoting at Rs 385.90, up Rs 2.80, or 0.73 percent on the BSE at 10:06 hours IST. It was one of the biggest losers in last one year, losing 45 percent. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The second month of FY19-20 saw a notable change in the sector and stock allocation from the top 20 mutual fund houses. On a month-on-month basis, MFs showed interest in capital goods, telecom, financials (private and PSU), and cement and chemical sectors, which witnessed an increase in weight. For the same period, technology, healthcare, autos, consumer, metals, oil & gas, utilities, and media saw an MoM decrease in weight. MFs were net buyers in 58 percent of the Nifty stocks in May as compared to 44 percent in April. Private banks the top sector holding of MFs saw their weight increase for the eighth successive month, to climb to a new high of 19.7 percent, an increase of 40 basis points MoM and 330 bps YoY. This was followed by Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) with 9.1 percent weight, technology with 8.5 percent, and capital goods with 8 percent. According to a report from Motilal Oswal Financial Services titled Fund Folio-Indian Mutual Fund Tracker', L&T was one of the preferred stocks among MFs in the month, with net buying by 15 funds. The company saw a value increase of Rs 55 billion in May, as the stock was up 15.6 percent. SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Ltd, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Bajaj Finance were others who saw maximum value increase from MFs last month. In terms of value decrease MoM, ITC, Infosys, Tata Motors, Aurobindo Pharma and Reliance Industries witnessed the maximum decline in value on an MoM basis. Last month, Nifty went up 1.5 percent. MF flows Positive momentum in the domestic MF industry in the past two months, created a new record last month as the total assets under management (AUM) hit the Rs 25.9 trillion mark, up 4.6 percent, surpassing the previous high of Rs 25.2 trillion in August 2018. Notably, the MF industrys AUM has surged a staggering 3.9 times in the past 10 years. The MoM increase can be primarily attributed to a rise in AUM of income/debt, equity and ETF-oriented schemes. In terms of inflows, equity schemes (including ELSS and Arbitrage) saw net inflows increase to Rs 97 billion in May as against 58 billion in April. The increase was led by higher gross inflows at Rs 278 billion in May, up 21 percent MoM, while redemptions were up 5 percent MoM at Rs 180 billion. Amit Sanghvi, a 25-year-old from Mumbai, was cheated of Rs 20,000 while using a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) application. He had called a fake helpline number of the UPI developing company. Amit is from Udaipur, but moved to Mumbai, where he got a job, in March 2016. He used to transfer money to his family and friends using UPI applications such as Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), Google Pay and PhonePe. Fake app helplines On 29 September, 2018, Amit initiated a transfer process to send Rs 20,000 to his father using BHIM (UPI app). But app displayed a message stating that the transaction had failed. However, he received an SMS from his bank stating that his account had been debited with the same amount. He was stunned after reading the message from the bank, but decided to wait for a couple of hours as, often, such transactions get reversed and the amount returns to the savings account. But even after waiting for an entire day, there was no update from the bank about any reversal of the amount to the account linked with the UPI app. So, he decided to connect with the call centre from a helpline number given on the twitter account of the app developing company that claimed to solve problems related to money transfers, cashback, KYC etc. on the UPI app. He realised that the call centre was a fake one. Fraudsters had created a fake twitter account for BHIM and given a fake call centre number. So, consumers ended up complaining on this fake twitter handle or calling them for any complaints. Amit was one of the victims to have given a call on this fake call centre number. The person (fraudster) claiming to be the app developing companys representative on the call took his complaint of unsuccessful transfer. The call centre fraudster assured Amit that such technical glitches were common and that he did not worry. He further said that a few more notifications would be delivered to his mobile number and that he needed to accept them. Amit did what he was instructed to do by the representative (fraudster) on the call. He started accepting all the notifications, expecting the reimbursement of the Rs 20,000 he had lost. Amit says, I accepted those notifications, entered the PIN while being in conversation on call with the fraudster and immediately Rs 20,000 got wiped off from my bank account linked with UPI app which I realised only after hanging up the call. Fraudsters are finding different ways to cheat consumers using technology. Here is how you should seek redressal in such issues and the steps you need to take immediately after you realise that you have been defrauded. Preserve transaction details In case you observe any suspicious activity in your bank account linked with your UPI app or if you unfortunately are a victim of any fraudulent transactions on the UPI app, the first step to take is to make screenshots of the transaction suspected to be fraudulent. Jayant Saran, Partner at Deloitte India says, You need to store important information associated with the UPI transaction such as transaction ID, and beneficiary bank account details. This information will be useful while complaining to the police, bank and UPI app companies at subsequent stages. Sajai Singh, Partner at J. Sagar Associates adds, You should also change your password / PIN on UPI app immediately to curb fraudulent transactions in your bank account. Raise a flag with bank, UPI app company In case any fraudulent transaction has been committed with your bank account linked to the UPI app, immediately register a complaint by giving a call or sending an email to your bank. Also, request your bank to block future UPI transactions associated with the account. Generally, during the process of on-boarding in any UPI application, the app and banks send text messages (SMS) at various stagesregistration, adding a bank account and while setting the UPI PIN. Praveena Rai, Chief Operating Officer at the National Payments Corporation of India says, If you are not registered for UPI services on any app but happen to get an SMS regarding the on-boarding process having been initiated, then reach out to your bank immediately and lodge a complaint. You also need to lodge a complaint of fraudulent transaction with the UPI app developing company to investigate the issue. Dewang Neralla, CEO of payments solution company Atom Technologies says, There are mechanisms in place to raise the issues in case of disputes with most of the UPI app developing companies. For instance, on Google Pay, there is a dispute option on each paid transaction to raise the complaint if you feel its suspicious / fraudulent. One can also raise the issue with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for fraudulent transaction on BHIM by clearly giving the details of the incident. The registered cases with the bank and UPI company will have to be resolved within 10 days of reporting the fraud. Complain to the cyber-crime cell After you notify your bank and the UPI app developing company, you should also file a written complaint with the nearest police station. Mukul Shrivastava, Partner, Forensic and Integrity Services at EY suggests, You should file the first information report (FIR) with the local police station and request them to forward it to the cyber-crime cell in case the police station in your area doesnt have this division. This is because cyber-crime cells have the expertise to investigate digital fraud cases. While filing the cyber-crime complaint, you need to provide your identity proof, contact details and address proof. You would also need to provide your last six months bank statement, details of the fraudulent transactions and a copy/screenshots of the messages received while making those transactions. Take the issue to the ombudsman for digital payments In January 2019, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched an ombudsman scheme for digital payments. The idea was to have the mechanism of ombudsman for redressal of complaints against deficiency in services related to digital transactions. The deficiencies identified and included are delays in payment/credit/refunds, unauthorized transfers, and failure to act on instructions given by the customer (example: stop payment). Saran says, The instructions regarding fraudulent transactions are not clearly articulated by the RBI to lodge a complaint with ombudsman; however, the complaint form does not bind the complainant to adhere to the above grounds and hence registering and getting the complaint acknowledged should be a priority in case of a fraud. You can file a complaint with the ombudsman and send it to the concerned office of the ombudsman by post/fax/hand delivery. You can also file it by email to the ombudsman for digital transactions. A complaint form is also available on RBI's website, though it is not mandatory to use this format. Singh says, The complainant is required to give following details to ombudsman for reviewing a case: name and address proofs, the facts giving rise to the complaint supported by documents/screenshots/messages, the nature and extent of the loss and the name / contact number / address (any information that is available) against whom the complaint is made. Anuj Bhansali, Head of Fraud and Risk at PhonePe says, Frauds such as the request money ones typically dont fall under the ombudsman scheme as they are incurred by fooling the user into doing a spurious transaction. Shrivastava suggests, To prevent frauds arising due to request money option, UPI developer companies should introduce a choice in the user interface to disable and enable this request money for consumers. Given this choice to consumers may control fraudulent transactions arising out of it. Need for centralised body to streamline the process Bhansali says, There is a need for the Government to think about creating a centralised committee that includes banks, payment gateways, payment platforms, new age fintech players and law enforcement agencies. Today, these fraudsters are able to get away with such conning because of a lack of an official framework that leads to poor coordination between agencies causing the money trail to vanish before the law enforcement agency can act. For instance, if a customers bank account is in Rajasthan, and say he/she works in Bangalore, the fraudster is from Madhya Pradesh and the fraud money is withdrawn in West Bengal. Investigation in such a case this entails working with four states to actually source the information. No law enforcement agency will have the jurisdiction to cover all states unless it is moved to the central government. A centralised body can streamline this process and bring relief to users. Moneycontrol's take Digital app-based payment is only three years old. Experts are of the opinion that, with time, new regulations are expected to be rolled out. Such laws would protect the consumers. But being extra careful while making app-based money transactions is the most important aspect to note. It is imperative for consumers to first verify the source of the request before proceeding with any transfer. RBIs ombudsman scheme does not accept complaints in cases where, legitimately, the consumer has entered the PIN and transferred the amount using UPI apps. So, prevention is always better than cure. For the first time, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has two women project directors Ritu Karidhal and Muthayya Vanitha for its inter-planetary mission Chandrayaan 2. ISRO Chairman K Sivan, in a press conference on June 12, said close to 30 percent of the team working on Chandrayaan 2 are women. Why is the fact that two women leading the project a big deal? It is a big deal because space science has been dominated by men for a long time and, until recently, the role of women in space projects barely got any attention. At least not until Mangalyaan, Indias Mars orbiter mission, when the picture of women scientists celebrating after the success went viral. The women who shot to limelight then were Karidhal, TK Anuradha and Nandini Harinath. Sivan said, We are only in our third inter-planetary mission and we already have women leading the team. While Karidhal is the director of the mission, Vanitha is the project director for Chandrayaan 2. Chandrayaan 2, all set for launch on July 15 at 2.51 am, is the most challenging mission for ISRO due to soft landing the organisation is attempting with its lander. The project cost is close to Rs 1,000 crore with the involvement of close to 600 industries and 15 academia collaboration. The roles of project director and mission director comes with huge responsibilities as ISRO takes on its second mission to the moon. While the project director is fully responsible for the entire project from its inception till completion, the mission director is a temporary functional leader who oversees the mission and coordinates with various agencies for seamless completion of the project. Going by their accomplishments, the two women are more than capable of handling the Chandrayaan 2 mission. In the Mars orbiter mission, Karidhal not only played a key role in the mission but was also the deputy operations director. Mangalyaan started in 2012 and the scientists had to complete the mission in a very short span of 10 months at the expense of Rs 450 crore. At a TED Talk a few years ago, Karidhal, who has earned the nickname Rocket Woman, talked about her fascination with stars even as a kid growing up in a middle class family in Lucknow. Joining ISRO in 1997 was only a natural progression, according to her. She was awarded a young scientist award in 2007, which she received from then President APJ Abdul Kalam. Being in charge of Mangalyaan was by far the biggest project for her. Karidhal was responsible for conceptualisation and execution of the crafts onward autonomy system. In an interview to iDiva after Mangalyaans launch, Karidha had said, That's basically the brain of the satellite, a software system coded in well enough to function on its own, determine what and when to detach, anything that needs to be infracted. If there's malfunction, the system needs to be designed well enough to correct and recover on its own in outer space." Being a deputy operations director, Karidhal had to ensure that it was executed without anomaly. If Karidhal was Rocket Woman, Chandrayaan 2 project director M Vanitha was named the top scientist to look out for in 2019 by Nature magazine. She was awarded the Best Woman Scientist Award in 2006. Prior to Chandrayaan 2, Vanitha was heading the Telemetry and Telecommand Divisions in the Digital Systems Group, ISRO Satellite Centre. She had also worked as the deputy projects director for the TTC-baseband systems for Cartosat-1 and is the Deputy Project Director, Digital Systems for Oceansat-2 and Megha-Tropiques satellite. Representative image live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Operations at NMDC mines in Chhattisgarh may have begun on June 12 after the adivasis called off their stir but the whole episode could still turn out to be another Niyamgiri. The adivasis were protesting the proposed mining of a hill, considered sacred. The hill was to be mined by NCL, a joint venture between NMDC and the state's Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC). NCL had given the contract of the project to Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), the flagship company of the $11 billion Adani Group. The issue is similar to what had forced Vedanta Resources to back out from mining the Niyamgiri hills, in Odisha. While Niyamgiri was the abode of Niyam Raja, the hill in Chattisgarh's Dantewada district is where Goddess Pithor Rani resides, believe the adivasis. While the conflict adds one more layer to the nature/adivasis rights vs development debate, its resolution may also set the tone for projects that involve land acquisition and rehabilitation. The protests Nearly 10,000 adivasis had gathered in Dantewada on June 7, to protest the mining plan. The hill is part of the resourceful Bailadila Range, which contributes to almost 70 percent of production of NMDC, the country's largest iron ore miner. The hill is supposed to have reserves that can generate 10 million tons of iron ore a year. The adivasis alleged, says a report by The Hindu, that false Gram Sabhas were arranged to get consent for the mining. According to the Forest Rights Act, no project can be taken up unless approved by the local Gram Sabhas. The protesters relented after the state government assured that a committee will submit a report within 15 days, and will look for a resolution. Niyamgiri rewind Vedanta Resources was forced to drop plans to mine Niyamgiri hills, which have rich reserves of bauxite. The mining project was important for the company's alumina refinery in the neighbouring Lanjigarh district. Without a captive mine, the viability of the refinery was in question. While the Environment Ministry in 2010 declined to give clearance for the project, later in 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the hill can't be mined without the approval from Gram Sabhas. Eventually, 10 villages voted against the project in Gram Sabhas, and a request by the state's mining corporation to hold voting again, was squashed. The controversy had got global attention as Vedanta Resources was then listed on the London Stock Exchange. Another layer While the two projects have similar challenges, the plan in Chhattisgarh has another issue. It is not just the adivasis who are objecting the project. Even workers unions are against it. Their contention is that the contract to AEL, a private company, should be revoked, especially when a public sector unit can do the same work. When the NMDC has been operating the mines here for 60 years, where is the need for a corporate entity? The Hindu quoted Rajesh Sandhu, Secretary of the local branch of All India Trade Union Congress. The NCL though has claimed that the project will not impact the shrine of Pithor Rani. Now eyes are on the government report, which is expected to come by the end of the month. James Abdey & G L Tayal Following the comprehensive national policies on education in 1968 and 1986, we have another one in 2019, belatedly. Education is the bedrock of human capital formation, and considering that India is the world's youngest major economy which is supposed to be reaping its demographic dividend even as we write, this is somewhat overdue. In fact, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2019, for the most part, acknowledges the fact that higher education (HE) in India has not received due focus for years now. Better late than never though, and what is particularly welcome is NEP 2019s emphasis on internationalisation, teacher training and research. Internationalisation is indisputably one way for Indian higher education institutions to punch above their weight. Collaborations with prominent international universities give Indian students exposure to rigorous standards of education and cutting-edge curricula while Indian teachers profit immensely from the resultant transfer of knowledge as well as best practices in teaching and research. This is why, while the government puts in place longer term plans to strengthen Indias own higher education structure, it must borrow from the prominent institutions around the world to deliver better learning in the short term. Teacher training is imperative and is key to the long-term strategy. Effective trainers are a prerequisite for quality training, without which one cannot have a skilled workforce. Recognising this, the Government of India last year introduced the Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) and Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) for educators. NEP 2019 takes that agenda forward, and tellingly, high-quality teaching forms a vital part of all three of its restructured HE institution categories. It is not merely sufficient for the government to indicate a commitment to teacher training. Incentives must trickle down to individual institutions so that they are supportive of teachers who wish to re-think and transform their teaching practices. If all teachers re-imagine themselves as lead learners and collaborate with fellow academics to identify and disseminate best practices, they could facilitate transformative learning communities and outcomes, and truly aid human capital formation. Research is both the output of, and input for, high-quality human capital. When the latest research is robust and rooted in the search for answers to pressing real-world problems, it enriches the curricula that generations of learners use for skill-building. Massive investment in research and development, large numbers of patents and other forms of intellectual property and a thriving innovation ecosystem are the hallmarks of a knowledge economy, which can sustain long-term economic growth as well as development. That is why it is high time Indias investment in knowledge-building caught up with the size of Indias economy. Speaking of investment in higher education, it is important to note that the dream of making India a haven of skilled human capital will not materialise unless the government puts its money where its mouth is. Last years Budget saw a dismal allocation of funds for education, with nearly Rs 35,000 crore being allotted to higher education. This amounts to a spend of about Rs 10,000 per current higher education student, whether undergraduate or doctoral. Considering that the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in HE is only 25 percent (of youth in the 18-23 age group), the spend works out to only about Rs 2,500 per eligible youth. Even though the government is chasing a GER target of 50 percent by 2035, the increase in spend over the 2017-18 fiscal was nominal, at 0.42 percent. By contrast, higher education spending in China increased by 9.72 percent in 2017. Indias expenditure on research also paints a similar picture; at 0.62 percent of GDP, it is the lowest among all the BRICS countries. In its upcoming Budget, the newly-elected government would do well to earmark funds for some of the steps outlined in the draft NEP for revitalising Indian higher education. One hopes that its overwhelming mandate will give it the wherewithal to spend on driving long-term growth by investing heavily in higher education. Following his party's worst-ever drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradeh, Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia June 14 met the party's state leaders to assess what went wrong in the elections. Scindia, who was made in-charge of the western UP, and given the responsibility of 38 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, failed to ensure a single victory. A Congress leader who attended the meeting said he spoke to the district and city unit chiefs of the organisation to find out the possible causes behind the rout. Two days back, party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, entrusted with the task of managing polls in the remaining 42 seats in the eastern UP, carried out a similar exercise in Rae Bareli, which was the only seat won by the party this time from the state. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was re-elected from Rae Bareli, while Congress president Rahul Gandhi, her son, lost his Amethi seat to Union Minister Smriti Irani. Priyanka Gandhi has asked senior UP Congress leaders to attend a brain-storming session in Delhi over the weekend to chart out the strategy to contest the 2022 UP assembly polls with full vigour. Ashok Singh, who was trying to get a party ticket from Etawah Lok Sabha seat and was present in the meeting, told PTI, "At the meeting, I conveyed that the party must end experimentation of all kind." "It should repose its faith in workers and cadre, and should not rely on alliances with other parties," he claimed to have told the meeting chaired by Scindia. Senior party leaders and former Union ministers Jitin Prasada, Sriprakash Jaiswal, RPN Singh and Salman Khurshid, however, were conspicuous by their absence at the meeting chaired by Scindia. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday said cyclonic storm Vayu no longer posed any threat to the state as it had moved away westward. Following a meeting with top officials in Gandhinagar, Rupani asked the authorities to let around 2.75 lakh people who had been shifted to safety to return to their homes. "Gujarat is now completely safe. There exists no threat from cyclone Vayu now as the storm has veered towards the west in the Arabian Sea. "Around 2.75 lakh people who were evacuated from the coastal areas are free to return to their homes," the chief minister told reporters. The state government will pay an allowance totaling around Rs 5.5 crore to the evacuees for daily expenses over the next three days, he announced. As per the latest weather report by the Meteorological Centre here, the cyclone is "moving slowly away from the coast" and currently located in the Arabian Sea, around 150 km from Porbandar. "Schools and colleges will start as per their schedules tomorrow. We are also calling back senior officials and ministers who were deployed in ten coastal districts to supervise relief and rescue operations. Road transport buses have started plying in these areas today," Rupani said. Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will remain stationed along the coastline for another 48 hours, he said. It was predicted earlier that the cyclone would make landfall on Gujarat coast Thursday afternoon, leading the government to prepare for possible damage. It also brought moderate-to-heavy rains to 114 tehsils of Gujarat, mostly along the coast. The highest rainfall of 6. 5 inches (160mm) was recorded in Talala tehsil of Gir-Somnath district since Thursday, said the Met department release. Representative image Junior doctors in West Bengal continued with their agitation for the fourth day Friday, hampering regular services in all state-run medical colleges and hospitals, and a number of private hospitals. However, emergency services were available at one or two hospitals, including Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital here, on Friday morning. Notwithstanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's warning of strict action if work is not resumed, the junior doctors carried on with their agitation. Services were totally disrupted in outdoor facilities and other departments of state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities. The junior doctors have been agitating since Tuesday demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at at th NRS Medical College and Hospital. The spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Dr Arindam Dutta, told PTI that demonstrations will continue till their demands are met. "The manner in which the chief minister threatened the junior doctors is quite unexpected... This is an insult to our community. We also condemn this... She has to apologise for what she said yesterday. "We are not outsiders and this agitation is spontaneous... We are contemplating mass resignations," Dutta said. Banerjee, who visited the state-run SSKM hospital on Thursday in the wake of disruption of medical services in several parts of the state, had warned the doctors of action if they did not resume work. She had also alleged that "outsiders" present among the agitating SSKM hospital doctors, "abused" her. Expressing solidarity with their junior colleagues, senior doctors said that their demands were quite justified. Meanwhile, the principal and the medical superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital submitted their resignations on Thursday night. The medical college's principal, Prof Saibal Mukherjee, and medical superintendent cum vice-principal Prof Saurabh Chattopadhyaya submitted their resignations to the Director of Medical Education (DME) for "failing to overcome the crisis" at the medical institution. State DME Prof Dr Pradip Kumar De had issued a directive on Thursday night to the principals and directors of all medical colleges to ensure resumption of normal services immediately at out patient and emergency departments. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had on Thursday appealed to junior doctors to rejoin their duties. A team of doctors had met the governor at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday and apprised him about the assaults on doctors allegedly by relatives of a patient who had died at the NRS medical college and hospital on Saturday night. A memorandum submitted to the governor by the junior doctors is being sent to the state government for appropriate action, officials said. File image The first Niti Aayog's Governing Council meeting under the new NDA government will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 15. This will be the fifth overall meeting of the Council. The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is said to be attended by chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, several Union ministers and senior government officials. Agenda The agenda for the meeting includes: > Rain-water harvesting> Drought situation and relief measures> Aspirational Districts Programme achievements and challenges> Security-related issues with specific focus on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts> Transforming agriculture: Need for structural reforms with special emphasis on Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act and Essential Commodities Act (ECA)> The Governing Council will review the action taken on agenda items of the previous meeting and deliberates upon the future developmental priorities. Who's who to attend Vice-Chairman, Members, CEO and senior officers of NITI Aayog will take part in the proceeding at the Governing Council meeting The meeting will be chaired by the PM. Besides, Union Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, will attend the meeting as ex-officio members. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Ministry of Planning, will be attending the event as special invitees to the Governing Council. Special invitees to the fifth meeting will include the National Security Adviser, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister of Jal Shakti and the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries. Mamata Banerjee to skip the meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refused to attend the meeting, saying it is "fruitless" as Niti Aayog has no financial powers to support state plans. "Given the fact that the Niti Aayog has no financial powers and the power to support state plans it is fruitless for me to attend the meeting of a body that is bereft of any financial powers," Banerjee said in a letter to PM Modi. About NITI Aayogs Governing Council It is the premier body tasked with evolving a shared vision of national development priorities, sectors and strategies with the active involvement of States in shaping the development narrative. It comprises the PM, CMs of all states and Union Territories with Legislatures and Lt Governors of other Union Territories, and other special invitees. History > The first meeting was held on February 8, 2015, at which PM Modi laid down the key mandates of Niti Aayog such as fostering cooperative federalism and addressing national issues through active participation of the states.> The second meeting on July 15, 2015 reviewed the progress made by the three sub-groups of chief ministers and the two task forces.> In the third meeting on April 23, 2017, PM Modi had pitched for conducting simultaneous elections of the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies and shifting to a January-December fiscal year. > The fourth meeting of the council on June 17, 2018 deliberated upon measures taken to double farmers' income and the progress of the government's flagship schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan and Mission Indradhanush. (With inputs from PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the SCO Summit here and discussed the role being played by India towards an inclusive peace process in the conflict-hit nation. "Late night meeting between trusted friends. PM @narendramodi met with Afghan President @ashrafghani on sidelines of #SCOsummit in Bishkek," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after the meeting. The two leaders "shared perspectives on situation in Afghanistan, including the role played by India towards an inclusive peace process", he said. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. File image Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting here. Jeenbekov is also the current Chair of the SCO Summit 2019. Prime Minister Modi was welcomed by the Kyrgyz President as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting. "President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of #Kyrgyz Republic, current Chair of #SCOSummit2019 warmly welcomed PM @narendramodi as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting today morning," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet. The meeting between the two leaders is their first interaction after Modi's re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. The US is ready to help India's defence needs with the latest technologies and equipment, but New Delhi purchasing long-range S-400 missile defence system from Russia would limit cooperation, the Trump administration has cautioned. The statement came weeks after an identical warning from a senior State Department official who had said that New Delhi's deal to procure the lethal missile system from Moscow will have "serious implications" on India-US defence ties. The S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. China was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-to-government deal with Russia in 2014 for the system. India and Russia signed a USD 5 billion S-400 air defence system deal in October last year after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Senior State Department official (South and Central Asian Affairs) Alice G Wells told House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee for Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation on Thursday that the US now does more military exercises with India than any other country. "Under the Trump administration, we've been very clear that we're ready to help meet India's defence needs and we are seeking a very different kind of defence partnership building on the 'Major Defence Partner' designation that India has received from Congress," Wells said. She was replying to the Congressional sub-committee on India buying S-400 from Russia and how to make India-US ties as robust and as meaningful as possible. Just a few weeks ago, India, the United States, the Philippines and Japan did a sail by in the South China Sea, she said. "In both our bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral formats, we're working together in ways that we didn't even conceive of 10 years ago. And so we'd like all aspects of our military relationship to catch up to this new partnership," Wells said. Noting that India has a historical dependence on Russian arms, she said what causes concern with the S-400 is that it effectively could limit India's ability "to increase our own interoperability". At a certain point, she argued, a strategic choice has to be made by India about partnerships and a strategic choice about what weapon systems and platforms it is going to adopt. "It is the case that 10 years ago we did not offer the range of military equipment to India that we're prepared to offer today. We're very much engaged in a conversation with India over how we can broaden our defence relationship," Wells said in response to a question. Signing of COMCASA agreement between the two countries, she said, was a key step forward which allows for the classified sharing of information, which is one of the basic foundational agreements that foster military interoperability. "So we're making significant strides forward in our military relationship," she said. "There is no a blanket waiver or country waiver when it comes to an S-400. We have serious concern about a possible S-400 purchase (by India) and we're continuing our conversations on what the United States or other defence providers could assist India," Wells said. Over the last 10 years, she said India-US defence trade has increased from zero to USD 18 billion, as New Delhi has started to diversify its weapons sources. "We expect continued progress and expanding that defence relationship. But it's still the case that about 65 or 70 per cent of India's military hardware is Russian origin," she said. And when Russian President Putin visited India last October, there were additional announcements of big ticket military items that were potentially under consideration, she said. Responding to another question, Wells alleged that India has the highest tariff barriers of a G-20 country. "Historically it has been a protected market. So, our failure to negotiate an agreement over the course of the last year and a half led to the decision to suspend the GSP benefits," she said. However, GSP or asking India to stop purchasing oil from Iran is unlikely to push India into the China camp, she said when asked about it from a lawmaker. "I don't think so. We are India's largest and best market. Twenty per cent of India's goods come here. There is Indian Foreign Direct Investment in the US. There's a huge interest by US firms in India. As Prime Minister Modi begins his second term. he's preoccupied with job creation and attracting Foreign Direct Investment is going to be a key part of that strategy. "Properly conducted trade can be a huge strength to the relationship and that's certainly our focus as we begin our engagement with Prime Minister Modi in his second term as how do we fix this part of the relationship," Wells added. Firebrand JD(U) leader Ajay Alok has resigned from the post of party spokesperson stating that he does not wish to cause "embarrassment" to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also heads the party. Although Alok, one of the most visible faces of his party, didn't elaborate on what might have "embarrassed" his political mentor, there have been murmurs of Kumar being upset over his party spokesperson going overboard in his criticism of the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal and the illegal immigration problem in that state. He shared his resignation letter, addressed to the party's state unit chief Vashishtha Narayan Singh, on his Twitter handle late Thursday night. "I am writing to inform you that I am resigning from post of spokesperson of the party as I feel I am not doing a good job for the party. I thank you and the party for giving me this opportunity but please accept my resignation," Alok said in the short letter of resignation. In a subsequent tweet, he said, "I have resigned as a Spokesperson from JDU as I think I am not doing good job as my views which are mine ofcourse do not match with my party. Thanks to my Party and my President who has always supported me and I don't want to be a source of embarrassment for @NitishKumar (sic)." On Wednesday, Alok had rebuffed Banerjee after she reportedly issued a statement commending Kumar for JD(U)'s decision to contest assembly elections in four states, other than Bihar, on its own and not as a part of the NDA. Alok had accused the Trinamool Congress chief, of "converting her state into a mini Pakistan" and alleged that Biharis living in West Bengal were being driven out "not by Bengalis, but by Rohingyas". The utterances had evoked criticism from opposition leaders in Bihar, some of them charging Alok with echoing the views of the Sangh Parivar notwithstanding Kumar's claims of adherence to social justice and communal harmony. Notably, less than 24 hours before Alok announced his resignation, he had come out with a couple of tweets urging the Narendra Modi government at the Centre to crack down on the problem of illegal immigration. "With the sacking of Income Tax department officials, @narendramodi has given a message that he is committed to wiping out corruption. But now, assets of those BSF officials who have been posted at borders along Bangladesh and Burma (Myanmar) must also be looked into. Bangladeshis and Rohingyas did not sneak inside just like that," he had tweeted. In another tweet, he remarked, "Only railing against @MamataOfficial will not do. We need to strengthen our own mechanism, especially when @AmitShah is our Home Minister. Illegal immigration must be curbed. When, if not now?". West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that majority of EVMs were pre-programmed by the BJP during the recent Lok Sabha polls, and urged all opposition parties to form a fact-finding team to unearth the truth. "We have already discussed this with the Congress. If required, we shall move court challenging this electoral malpractice," Banerjee said. She wondered how BJP leaders could predict the near- exact figures of the poll results before they were announced. "How the BJP leaders came to know beforehand that it will win in over 300 seats in the country and 23 in Bengal? The final tally was close to what they had predicted. The EVMs were all pre-programmed by the BJP," she claimed during an interview to a Bengali news channel. The chief minister alleged that the programming was done keeping in mind the possible transfer of votes among parties. Banerjee also appealed to supporters of the Left parties to refrain from joining the BJP, and instead come to the TMC fold, which will "look into their interests". She accused the BJP of spending huge amount of money to influence the voters, and said the Trinamool Congress had lodged several complaints to the Election Commission in this regard, which "fell on deaf ears". "The BJP not only utilised money power, but also used all government agencies against the opposition parties for political gains," she said. The chief minister also criticised the poll panel for failing to operate in an impartial manner. The Congress has demanded simultaneous elections on the two Rajya Sabha seats which have fallen vacant in Gujarat. The seats are vacant after Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Textile Minister Smriti Irani won in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and resigned from the Rajya Sabha. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, at a press conference on June 13, said they came to know that there could be a bid to hold elections for the two seats separately. The party will approach the Election Commission (EC) with its demand of holding elections for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat together, he said. Why simultaneous polls? In the presser, Singhvi pointed out that simultaneous voting can bring one of the two Rajya Sabha seats to Congress, without taking the name of the party. Concerning the strength of its members in the Gujarat Assembly and on the basis of first preference and second preference votes, one seat will go to the ruling party and the next to the Opposition. It is according to an established fact, said Singhvi. This means one seat will go to ruling BJP and other to the Congress, who is the opposition party in the House. "If you have one election today and one after few weeks, then the first election would be on the basis of the majority of MLAs in the Assembly that will support the ruling party and the next election again will be on the basis of the majority, he said. The BJP has 99 legislators in the Gujarat assembly and the Congress 77. Any such "games" should be throttled at the inception because they are "unconstitutional games", the Congress spokesperson said. "This would be a mockery of our constitutional ethos. It would be completely contrary to conventions. Whenever there are two seats of a state going vacant, you have elections together. It is obvious to everybody that the purpose of that is to ensure there is a fair exercise of franchise of each MLA," Singhvi said. "We will demand from the Election Commission complete vigilance to ensure that whenever you want to have elections, they have to be held together. You cannot use a technicality to hold them separately," Singhvi said. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Karnataka on June 14 protested against the sale of a 3,700-acre land parcel in Bengaluru to JSW Steel. This came even as Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said the government would reconsider its decision to sell the land to JSW amid the huge backlash against the deal. Karnataka State BJP President BS Yeddyurappa in a tweet raised alarm against the deal and called it 'fishy'. It read: "Karnataka government's fishy behaviour to sell few thousands of acres of land to Jindal hints at a massive scam. Is Congress trying to make up for all the losses in the Lok Sabha elections?" Shobha Karandlaje, General Secretary of BJP Karnataka, in her tweet asked the coalition government to explain to the people why it is keen on selling thousands of acres of land to Jindal at a meagre price, despite protests. On June 13, Yuva Morcha, the BJPs youth wing, led by the young BJP MP Tejasvi Surya protested the state governments decision to seal the lease-cum-sale deal. This came after the Karnataka government in its cabinet decision last month approved the lease-cum-sale deed of nearly 3,700-acre land to JSW Steel. It priced a 2,00-acre parcel at Rs 1.22 lakh per acre and Rs 1.50 lakh for another 1,667 acres. Apart from BJP leaders, even the senior Congress leader, HK Patil wrote two letters to the JD(S)-Congress government against the deal. The main issue is the pricing, which the BJP leaders and HK Patil said is very low. In his letter to the government, Patil said that the market value of the land in question is at least Rs 1 crore per acre. According to reports, other leaders have pegged the price of the land to be Rs 15-20 lakh. However, Congress and JD(S) leaders have defended the decision saying the government is only implementing what it had committed to JSW Steel in 2005 since the company had met all the conditions of the agreement. Industries Minister KJ George, in a press briefing, said the conditions which were met included employment generation and project implementation. However, the document detailing the conditions was not disclosed. Recently, rural development minister Krishna Byre Gowda pointed out that it was the BJP government in 2011 who decided on the value of Rs 90,000 per acre when they were in power. In the cabinet meeting last week, the HD Kumaraswamy-led government increased the price to Rs 1.22 lakh. With huge cry over the sale of land, Kumaraswamy said the government will discuss the matter again before the deal is finalised. Subir Roy The administration in West Bengal appears to be breaking down. Till early this week, at least 15 people had died in post poll violence. The governments decision to disallow victory processions seems to have been ignored. A protest rally against the violence was taken out by the BJP on Wednesday in Kolkata, creating inevitable traffic chaos. Additionally, the emergency departments of public hospitals in the state have been rendered non-functional after junior doctors have gone on strike to protest against the assault on them at a leading Kolkata hospital by aggrieved relatives of an aged patient who died. What should set alarm bells ringing is the combative chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, usually quick with words without much thought, appears to have lost some of her fire. It is difficult to apportion blame for the violence as both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP appear to be doing their own thing. While the BJP cadre appear to be in control of themselves and focused on discrediting the Trinamool government, the latter seem to be bent on self-destructing. The centres stern advisory to the state government on the prevailing situation, the state governors journey to Delhi and on return calling a meeting with the main political parties to advise restraint is unlikely to have an impact. Attention is now focused on New Delhi to find a clue as to whether or when it will impose presidents rule in the state as the breakdown of law and order and the polices inability to effectively intervene maybe it has even lost the will to do so appears to be extensive. There is in fact an alternative theory which holds that the centre will do everything to make life difficult for the state government, holding it up in poor light, without actually dismissing it. This can be a tactical move as actual dismissal can give the Trinamool a campaign plank to depict itself as a victim of central highhandedness. If this turns out to be the case and the centre stands by as normal life in the state remains severely affected, then the final victim of the politics of both the contending sides will be the people of the state. In such a situation it is difficult to visualize a return to normal life in which small businesses in particular are able to function and enable workers to earn something. The key long term cause of the lawlessness, perpetrated by muscular local gangs coming under one banner or the other, is the lack of jobs. The Trinamool has now discredited and exposed itself by coming up second in the Singur assembly segment of the Hooghly parliamentary constituency which has been won by the BJP. It is here that Mamata Banerjee laid the foundations of her success in the 2011 assembly elections by driving out the Tata Nano project on the ground that the Left Fronts decision to allow it was anti-farmer as it would take away fertile land from under the plough. The fact that the same Singur has rejected the Trinamool is historys verdict on her politics of the time. But even as Banerjees past strategy catches up with her, the BJP in the state does not hold out much hope of being able to provide a better government. Its rank and file comes from the same stock as that of the Trinamool. Its state leaders speak the same intemperate language as do the Trinamools. The biggest inadequacy of the BJP in the state is the absence of a leader who can command popular respect and steer the state back to normal living and may be even pursue some development. So the dilemma for the BJPs national leadership is that even as it has power within its grasp in the state it does not have a candidate of any kind of stature commanding public respect on whom can be placed the mantle of leadership. What goes around comes around the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal is playing the Singur card against CM Mamata Banerjee. After 11 years of the TATA Nano controversy, Singur is still a key factor in the political sphere in West Bengal. Banerjee, the-then leader of the opposition in Bengal, accused the Left Front government of illegal and forceful land acquisition from farmers. She went on a 25-day hunger strike to shut down the TATA Nano factory in the census town in Hooghly. Her movement was fuelled by top intellectuals in the state, who went strongly against the governments decision. Banerjees demonstration played a massive role as the political unrest forced TATA to withdraw its project. Moreover, the movement played a crucial role in her political career as she managed to topple the invincible Left in the following state elections. Narendra Modi came into the picture soon after TATAs exit from Bengal. The-then chief minister of Gujarat famously sent a one-word text message to Ratan Tata's mobile phone Suswagatham to welcome him to start his factory in the state. Tata did accept the invitation and opened the factory in Sanand in Ahmedabad. Today, the Singur issue is relevant because, according to the BJP, Banerjee had failed to keep her promise to convert the 997 acres into cultivable land. Kisan Morcha, the farmer wing of the saffron party, aims to organise a mass movement to force the Trinamool government into handing over the unused land to set up an industry. Also Read: Political Pulse | Mamata Banerjee stands morally defeated but the BJP is reluctant to seize power The farmers lost their land and the opportunity of having industry in their area as well," The New Indian Expressed quoted Ramakrishna Pal, the West Bengal president of the Kisan Morcha, as saying. Banerjee offered Rs 2,000 and 16 kg rice for farmers when she legally returned the land to them. However, not everyone agrees on her ideas for development. We dont want to live on dole forever and would rather have the industrialisation dreams revived, The Times of India quoted one of the farmers as saying. The TMC lost its Singur (Hooghly) seat in the general elections 2019. Banerjee considered the defeat a personal blow for her as she called it a matter of great shame, The Telegraph reported. The constituency, which once scripted her path to glory, was hers no more. Locket Chatterjee, the newly-elected BJP MP who has been one of the strongest voices in favour of bringing TATA back to Bengal, is scheduled to visit Singur on June 14. In a meeting which Chatterjee claims to be apolitical, she will reportedly listen to farmers woes. According to BJP leader Sanjay Pandey, the state suffered heavy losses after TATAs exit. Everyone will benefit if our MP initiates the reindustrialisation in Singur, Bengali newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika quoted him as saying. Also Read: Did Mamata Banerjee underestimate the saffron sentiment? Mukul Roy, once Banerjees right-hand man, was a prominent part of the TMCs Singur movement. Roy, currently in the BJP, now considers the movement a mistake. "It neither served the purpose of industry nor agriculture," NDTV quoted Roy as saying. "The farmers are now suffering as the land there cannot be used for agricultural purposes." In Lok Sabha elections 2019, the BJPs performance in Bengal was massive. While it had secured just two seats with 10.2 percent vote share in 2014, it emerged victorious in 18 out of 42 seats this time with 40.5 percent vote share. It was Singur that helped Banerjee form the government in 2011. Only time will tell if the BJP can ride on the issue to turn the tide against her in 2021. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More With the launch of the electric three-wheeler, Piaggio will become the fourth manufacturer to enter this segment after Mahindra Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company . The Italy-headquartered company will start pilot production of the electric three-wheeler, powered by a 4.5 kW motor, in September this year. "The price of the electric three-wheeler should be the same as the on-road price of the CNG three-wheeler which ranges between Rs 1.45 - Rs 1.95 lakh. This is because the cost of the battery is not involved as we will be offering swapable battery service in association with Sun Mobility," said Diego Graffi, CEO & Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles. Swapable means the owner can either charge the battery when needed, or go to a service centre and swap the present battery with a fully charged one. Sun Mobility is headed by Chetan Maini, who had founded Reva Electric Car Company, which was later acquired by Mahindra & Mahindra. Race against time Manufacturers who are racing against time to meet the deadline of April 1, 2020 to transition to BS-VI may be asked by the government to fully shift to electric platorm by 2023 as far as three-wheelers are concerned. New investments of Piaggio will go into upgradation to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norm, expand capacity, making fresh investments for electric technology, and production lines, development of new engines and development of alternate fuel technology such as hybrids. While Mahindra was the first to launch electric three-wheelers powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, Bajaj Auto and TVS will follow suit later this year. The cheapest Mahindra electric three-wheeler Treo is priced at Rs 1.36 lakh having a certified range of 170km. Graffi said that Piaggio's electric three-wheeler will have a range of 80-100km. Piaggio has forayed into the mid-body segment of three-wheelers with the launch of new Ape City+. Built on a new platform and equipped with a new 230cc engine, the Ape City+ will be available in four fuel options - LPG, CNG, petrol and diesel. The diesel engine is powered by a 436cc engine. Piaggio has priced the City+ at Rs 1.74 - 1.9 lakh, in line with the competition. The model will be available only in BS-IV variant now and will get upgraded to BS-VI before end of the year. The company is expanding its engine capacity to 100,000 per year. Its vehicle making capacity is at 380,000 units per annum. Piaggio Vehicles, India's second largest three-wheeler maker, will invest Rs 200-300 crore over three years on product and technology development, including the launch of a fully electric three-wheeler in the December quarter. Image for representation Two National Register of Citizens (NRC) officials were arrested by Assam Police after being caught red-handed while accepting bribes to include a persons name on the NRC draft list. Police sources said Syed Shahjahan, a field-level official of the NRC help centre located in Ganeshguri, Guwahati, had sought a bribe of Rs 10,000 from one Kajari Ghosh Dutta. Dutta, a resident of Guwahati, needed to get some technical errors in her NRC application corrected so that her name featured on the citizenship list. Instead of cowering, Dutta asked the Assam Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to intervene and filed a police complaint. According to the deal with the official, she was supposed to pay the bribe on Thursday. Thats the day the ACB sleuths decided to lay the trap. Shahjahan, 48, was caught in action while taking the bribe money around 11 am on Thursday, reported NDTV. Interestingly, Dutta, who is a resident of Ananda Nagar area of Guwahati, had filed a separate First Information Report (FIR) against Rahul Parashar, the Assistant Local Registrar of Citizen Registration, who worked at the same NRC help centre. Parashar, 27, was also nabbed by cops for allegedly being complicit in the crime. The bribe money, along with some documents, was seized by the ACB sleuths from the NRC Seva Kendra office. The NRC listings are supposed to help identify illegal immigrants residing in states bordering Bangladesh. The final NRC list including the name of Assam's residents will be published at the end of next month. The Star Trek logo like formation spotted on Mars. (Photo: NASA/University of Arizona) Space agency NASA has just discovered some in Mars that looks like a Starfleet insignia embedded on it. A dune has formed on the Red Planet and taken the shape of the famous Star Trek logo. It can be clearly spotted in the photograph taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The spotting of the logo can be paralleled to the face on Mars phenomenon. By all means, this seems to be a fluke occurrence, caused by the movement of wind, lava, and other natural forces that sculpt the landscape of the Red Planet. The University of Arizona, which operates the MRO HiRISE camera, said: Enterprising viewers will make the discovery that these features look conspicuously like a famous logo You'd be right, but it's only a coincidence. The dune resembling the logo was spotted in Hellas Planitia, which is a massive plain in the Hellas impact basin, located towards the southern end of Mars. The interplay of dunes, wind, and lava made the particular chevron look so prominent, according to a statement from the University. The special camera has captured several other chevrons on the planet, so it is safe to say that it may not be the first time that one resembling a Star Trek logo was found. Scientists, who have been working with HiRISE, have studied the quaint features on the planet in details. Explaining what could have happened, they said it was a result of several natural forces, beginning with crescent-shaped sand dunes being formed by wind and surface interaction. Followed by that, the lava from surrounding areas seep in. But, because they are not dense enough, they are unable to cover the dunes entirely. When the molten matter cools down, the dunes start looking like tiny islands that jut out of the landscape, reported Space.com. The statement from the University further explains: However, since they are still just dunes, and the winds do keep blowing, the sand piles wither away, leaving behind what looks like footprints in the lava plain. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (AFP) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan got ridiculed for breaking diplomatic protocol once again. This time around, he remained seated while everyone else stood up to greet the various heads of states at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Thursday. Prime Minister of #Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI's Arrival with other World Leaders at Invitation of President of Kyrgyzstan for Opening Ceremony 19th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek Kyrgyzstan (13.06.19)#SCOSummit2019 pic.twitter.com/fYdKYN3Fv7 PTI (@PTIofficial) June 13, 2019 The video of the same was shared on the official Twitter account of Imran Khans own political party -- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. In the clip, he can be seen seated whereas everyone else can be seen standing to greet the various world leaders entering the hall. Unlike others, Khan headed straight for his seat after entering and sat down, although he could see that the others were standing until all the heads of states arrived. The Pakistan PM looked on, unfazed, and stood up only once, that too for a short while, when his name was announced. He also bowed his head a little with his hand on his chest, to acknowledge after his name was being announced. Earlier this month too, Khan had broken the diplomatic protocol while attending the 14th Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation Summit. While interacting with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, he spoke to the King's interpreter and left before his statement could be translated. A video of the incident had gone viral and Khan was widely criticised, just as he was for his present exhibition of nonchalance. Although I am 100% supporting IK n PTI but I think IK should keep standing as all other leaders.Sometimes he makes these silly n useless mistakes which his opponents grab as a opportunity to defame him. muneeza ahmad (@muneeza05) June 13, 2019 Must study the decorum of diplomatic visits to make some mark in future Mr IK. VIR as Ever# (@viral64720576) June 13, 2019 Woh handsome hai na isiliye amardasbhalla (@amardasbhalla) June 13, 2019 Itni bowling ki hai..ghutnon mein dard hoga Sitikantha Parija (@massofneurons) June 14, 2019 When IK became PM I personally thought that he will be able to do something good for Pak. But now I believe he is just show off. Over confidence is not good either for him or PAKISTAN. Robin Singla (@singla_kush) June 14, 2019 Why He's Always be like this , Such basic Manners we Learn At our homes BILAL AHMAD (@BilalAhmad_1) June 14, 2019 Pakistani Twitter users were quick to take note and express their unhappiness. US President Donald Trump Weeks after United States President Donald Trump had invoked a gaffe parade on social media for fist-bumping the British Queen, he referred to Prince Charles as the Prince of Whales. He took Prince Charles name on Twitter while referring to the number of world leaders he had met during his recent visit to Europe. The 72-year-old was boasting on Thursday about meeting the members of the British royal family during his visit when he went terribly wrong with the royal titles. Instead of addressing Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales, he said he was the Prince of Whales instead. Trump tweeted: I meet and talk to 'foreign governments' every day. I just met with the Queen of England (UK), the Prince of Whales, the PM of the United Kingdom, the PM of Ireland, the President of France, and the President of Poland. Though the US President deleted the tweet shortly after and wrote the post again sans the spelling error, netizens had already noted the mistake in the 20 minutes the post was up on Twitter. Thousands of social media users began poking fun at Trump's blunder, making Prince of Whales a trending topic in the United Kingdom. The funniest response came from WalesOnline; the page immediately changed its Twitter name to Whales Online and also added a whale emoji. Even the Royal Albert Hall introduced a few temporary changes to their Prince of Wales room; all the portraits and works of art adorning the room were replaced with pictures of whales. there is only one (1) Prince of Whales pic.twitter.com/pBUvhgKzOR emery lord (@emerylord) June 13, 2019 One person even pointed out that someone should laud Trump for highlighting that the Queen of England is from the UK. Can we PLEASE stop mocking his illiteracy for writing Prince of Whales and THANK his thoughtful parentheses for teaching us all that the Queen of England is from the U.K.? Can we PLEASE stop mocking his illiteracy for writing Prince of Whales and THANK his thoughtful parentheses for teaching us all that the Queen of England is from the U.K.? pic.twitter.com/7ahd9HoHP7 John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) June 13, 2019 First photos in from Trump's meeting with the Prince of Whales pic.twitter.com/MclQIT9G2A Hazel Shearing (@hazelshearing) June 13, 2019 Good grief. The Prince of Whales. Narwhal, Beluga, or Humpback? Trump is an international embarrassment. This is going to be headline news in the UK, and he will be (rightly) ruthlessly mocked for it. pic.twitter.com/kBK53hVdtk Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 13, 2019 "I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO THE PRINCE OF WHALES!" pic.twitter.com/gGrXNF6wa1 Born Miserable (@bornmiserable) June 13, 2019 Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari, who is in the custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), was admitted to a hospital in Rawalpindi after a drop in his sugar level and blood pressure, according to a media report. A NAB team arrested the 63-year-old co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from his house here on Monday in a multi-million dollar money laundering case, hours after the Islamabad High Court rejected his bail plea. On Tuesday, an accountability court granted the NAB 11-day physical remand of Zardari and ordered that he be presented before the court again on June 21. The former president was shifted to Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) on Thursday evening, the Geo TV reported. He underwent angiography and other tests at the facility, it said. According to NAB officials, it was a routine check-up of the PPP leader. However, Zardari's party said it was not formally informed about the deterioration in health condition of the co-chairman. Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur are two of the main accused in the money laundering scandal which utilised fake bank accounts to channel illegally gained funds out of Pakistan. According to the NAB, the anti-corruption watchdog which is probing them in the fake bank accounts case, the duo made transactions of Rs 150 million through alleged fake bank accounts. Zardari, the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, has denied any link with the fake accounts. He has said the allegation was part of a vilification campaign by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to malign opposition leaders. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly from the NA-213 Nawabshah seat of Sindh province in last year's general election. Zardari's arrest prompted a strong reaction from the Opposition and sporadic protests by PPP workers in various parts of the country, mostly in the party-ruled Sindh province. China's crude steel output hit a record high in May, official data showed on Friday, even as a jump in prices of raw materials, particularly iron ore, cut into mills' profit margins. The world's top steel maker produced 89.09 million tonnes of crude steel last month, up from 85.03 million tonnes in April and 81.13 million tonnes in May a year ago, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. Average daily output of the industrial metal reached 2.87 million tonnes, according to Reuters calculations based on the official data, up from a record 2.83 million tonnes in April. China's steel output has been running at high levels for the past year as mills took advantage of strong domestic demand. In January to May, China churned out a total of 404.88 million tonnes of steel, up 10.2% from the same period last year, the NBS data showed. "Steel output will remain at a high level in the coming months, with more lenient production restrictions at major steelmaking cities in summer and expectations of robust demand from construction sites," Zhuo Guiqiu, an analyst from Jinrui Futures, said before data was released. The city of Tangshan, China's top steelmaking hub, extended anti-smog curbs on heavy industry to the end of June, but mills that are scheduled to move out of the city will be exempt from the restrictions. Utilisation rates at Chinese steel mills across the country stood at a relatively high 71.13% as of June 14, according to data compiled by Mysteel consultancy. However, a jump in iron ore prices due to supply disruptions has sharply reduced profit margins for steel mills, clouding the outlook for further expansion in steel production. Margins have tumbled more than 50 percent over the past two months to around 350 yuan ($50.56) a tonne for rebar steel, according to data tracked by Jinrui Futures "Despite plunging margins, mills are not planning to reduce production at this moment as there is still some profitability," said Zhuo. "But we will still have to watch if operations at steel mills will be disrupted by short-term safety or environmental inspections conducted by local governments in the summer." Beijing has found its villain in its multi-fronted conflict with the United States: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The former CIA chief has been singled out for scorn, in Chinese state media and even at the foreign ministry, over his criticism of everything from Chinese tech giant Huawei to its record on human rights. During a regular media briefing on Monday, China's Foreign Ministry accused Pompeo by name of telling lies, a striking departure from its usual practice of referring to foreign officials as "the relevant person", or using similar wording. Relations between the world's two largest economies have nosedived amid a bitter trade war, US sanctions on Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Washington's support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan and criticism of a China's treatment of Muslims in its western region of Xinjiang. Pompeo has also angered Beijing with warnings about Chinese activity in the Arctic and President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road infrastructure programme. On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry took Pompeo to task for an interview with Swiss media where he criticised Huawei. "For some time, Mr. Pompeo has been talking about China wherever he goes. Unfortunately his remarks are filled with lies and fallacies," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters. "Mr. Pompeo should understand a plain truth. That is, every smear campaign with rumour-mongering and discord-sowing will only whittle down further his credibility and that of his country, the United States." One Chinese official acknowledged to Reuters the "rare direct mention" of Pompeo by name at the ministry's daily briefing, its main venue for getting messages out to the rest of the world. Chinese state media, given a long leash by propaganda authorities to lash out at the United States since the latest trade talks failed last month, has also not minced words. Strongly nationalistic tabloid the Global Times last month called Pompeo a "gossipy woman" who is trying to "foment dissension", in a piece that was widely re-published by other media outlets. On Wednesday the same newspaper called Pompeo "harsh and unreasonable" with a "gangster style". A second Chinese official said the reason Beijing didn't like Pompeo was simple: "He's a Cold War warrior." Beijing often tells Washington to abandon "Cold War thinking". A senior US State Department official, asked about the unusually direct criticism of Pompeo, said: "We don't comment on Chinese Communist Party propaganda." Last week, the foreign ministry targeted Pompeo for his remarks on the 30th anniversary of Beijing's bloody June 4, 1989, crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, in which he said "ghosts" had yet to be laid to rest and urged a full accounting of the victims. One foreign diplomatic source told Reuters that China was responding to the harder line coming out of the State Department on China, and might be testing the waters to try to work out whether this was also representative of what Trump thought, especially ahead of the G20 meeting later this month. A second foreign diplomatic source said that in private meetings the Chinese are even harsher about Pompeo. "They rant. They hate him," said the source, who, like the first source, spoke on condition of anonymity. Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Beijing's elite Renmin University, said China viewed Pompeo against the backdrop of his CIA heritage and does not like his direct attacks. "China feels this is unprofessional and has been upset by it," Wang said. "Generally China wouldn't react so intensely, but this man has gone too far." The rancour comes ahead of the G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka, which Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump will both attend. China has not cut off communications with Pompeo, though. Last month, he and the Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, spoke by telephone, with Wang saying the United States must "change its course", according to the ministry. Trump himself has largely been spared in the foreign ministry blasts, at least directly, and in Russia last week Xi referred to Trump as his friend. More acrimony could lie ahead, with US Vice President Mike Pence, who gave a hard-line speech on China in November, expected on June 24 to give a China-focused speech at Washington's Wilson Center. A sitting U.S. governor and a congressman will be among the four candidates left off the stage when the Democratic Party holds its pivotal first debate in Miami later this month. The Democratic National Committee announced on Thursday the list of 20 presidential candidates who qualified to participate in the debate. The decision deals a blow to the candidates who will be omitted: Montana Governor Steve Bullock, U.S. Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel, and Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Florida. The debates, held over two nights on June 26 and June 27, will offer a sprawling Democratic field its first close-up with Americans and allow candidates who have trailed in opinion polls the opportunity for a poll-boosting viral moment. The 20 qualifying candidates will be randomly divided between the two nights in a way that ensures top-polling candidates will be spread evenly between both debates. The drawing is expected to take place on Friday in New York. Candidates qualified for the debates by receiving at least 1% in three polls, or by receiving donations from 65,000 supporters, including at least 200 donors apiece in 20 states. In most years, the list of candidates to participate in a presidential debate would not garner much attention. But the historically large field of 24 candidates forced the Democratic Party to establish rules to limit participation and make the debates less unwieldy - and forced a mad dash from bottom-tier candidates to meet the requirements. Bullock has been the most vocal critic of the system. He was the final candidate to enter the race after formally launching his presidential campaign in May. He waited until after Montana's legislature completed its session. But that gave him less time to build support in the polls or raise money. "I had a job to do, and if it ultimately ever came down to choosing between getting Medicare reauthorised, getting 100,000 Montanans healthcare versus getting in earlier just to try to bump up on yet another poll, I'd make that same choice time and time again," Bullock said on MSNBC after the list was finalised. The debate will be broadcast in prime time on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo and be streamed online for free on a variety of digital and social platforms. Here are the participants: * Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado * Former Vice President Joe Biden * Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey * South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg * Former Housing Secretary JuliAn Castro * New York Mayor Bill de Blasio * Former Representative John Delaney of Maryland * Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii * Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York * Senator Kamala Harris of California * Former Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado * Governor Jay Inslee of Washington * Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota * Former Representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas * Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio * Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont * Representative Eric Swalwell of California * Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts * Author Marianne Williamson * Entrepreneur Andrew Yang Some Hong Kong tycoons have started moving personal wealth offshore as concern deepens over a local government plan to allow extraditions of suspects to face trial in China for the first time, according to financial advisers, bankers and lawyers familiar with such transactions. One tycoon, who considers himself potentially politically exposed, has started shifting more than $100 million from a local Citibank account to a Citibank account in Singapore, according to an adviser involved in the transactions. "It's started. We're hearing others are doing it, too, but no-one is going to go on parade that they are leaving," the adviser said. "The fear is that the bar is coming right down on Beijing's ability to get your assets in Hong Kong. Singapore is the favoured destination." Hong Kong and Singapore compete fiercely to be considered Asia's premier financial centre. The riches held by Hong Kong's tycoons have until now made the city the larger base for private wealth, boasting 853 individuals worth more than $100 million - just over double the number in Singapore - according to a 2018 report from Credit Suisse. The extradition bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has sparked unusually broad concern it may threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status. Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, has stood by the bill, saying it is necessary to plug loopholes that allow criminals wanted on the mainland to use the city as a haven. She has said the courts would safeguard human rights. Protests and violence forced an initial legislative debate to be shelved last Wednesday and it is unclear when they would resume to pass the bill. Professor Simon Young, of the University of Hong Kong's law school, told Reuters that it was understandable that some Hong Kong residents might be considering moving assets out of the city given the little-noticed financial reach of the bill. If the bill becomes law, it will be possible for mainland Chinese courts to request Hong Kong courts to freeze and confiscate assets related to crimes committed on the mainland, beyond an existing provision covering the proceeds of drug offences. "This has been largely overlooked in the public debate but it is really a significant part of the proposed amendments," Young said. "It may not have been overlooked, of course, by the tycoons and those giving them legal advice." SINGAPORE SHIFT The head of the private banking operations of an international bank in Hong Kong, who declined to be named, said clients have been moving money out of Hong Kong to Singapore. "These aren't mainland Chinese clients who might be politically exposed, but wealthy Hong Kong clients," the banker said. "The situation in Hong Kong is out of control. They can't believe that Carrie Lam or Beijing leaders are so stupid that they don't realise the economic damage from this." A Hong Kong government spokesman did not directly address Reuters' questions over capital flight, but said Hong Kong's "world class financial infrastructure" and open, international market had a regulatory regime "completely compatible with that of overseas markets". The amendments seek to simplify case-by-case extraditions to jurisdictions, including mainland China, beyond the 20 with which Hong Kong already has extradition treaties. As well as removing an explicit block on extraditions to mainland China in the current Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, the amendments also remove the restrictions on the mainland from the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance, known as the MLAO. According a recent Hong Kong Bar Association study, the MLAO allows foreign jurisdictions to ask Hong Kong authorities to gather evidence for use outside the city "and to render other forms of assistance, such as freezing and confiscating the assets of persons wanted for crimes in other jurisdictions". Search, seizure and confiscation can involve cases with a penalty of two years in prison or more, compared with the threshold of seven years for extraditions under the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, the submission notes. Requests can also be made at the investigative rather than prosecution stage. The association notes that the mutual legal assistance amendments would "significantly strengthen the impact of the amended Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in relation to criminal prosecutions on the mainland". The Hong Kong government spokesman noted that any external confiscation order had to be registered in a Hong Kong court and could be challenged. It had to meet a "double criminality" standard, whereby it had to be based on conduct that was also a crime in Hong Kong. "The rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people and foreigners in Hong Kong, including their assets, are fully protected by the Basic Law," the spokesman added, referring to Hong Kong's mini-constitution. Prominent commercial lawyer Kevin Yam said he was aware of high net-worth Hong Kong figures taking steps to move assets to Singapore as they matured or market conditions proved favourable. "At this point I would say it is a steady trickle rather than stampede but is most definitely happening," he said. Three other private bankers said they had received inquiries from clients about the impact of the bill, but had not yet seen the funds move. Yam said few expected the bill to be widely exploited by Beijing overnight if passed, but it was creating a climate of deep unease, with the fear it could be used more liberally in coming years. "It is great for Singapore," he said. "And such an own goal for Hong Kong." Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday that US actions present a serious threat to global and regional stability, speaking at an international forum in Kyrgyzstan. "The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world," Rouhani said, in translated comments, at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a Eurasian security alliance. US President Donald Trump said on June 14 he was ready to launch talks with Iran whenever it was ready, even as he blamed Tehran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. "We want to get them back to the table," Trump told Fox News in an interview. "I'm ready when they are," adding that he was in "no rush." Asked how to he planned to address Tehran and stop any further incidents, Trump said: "We'll see what happens." Thursday's attacks raised questions about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key commercial route, and what steps the United States may take to protect the area. U.S. officials have said the United States would defend its interests. "They're not going to be closing it. It's not going to be closed. It's not going to be closed for long," Trump said. The Trump administration has blamed Iran for the attack, citing a video made from a U.S. aircraft that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards on patrol boats drawing up to one of the ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the blasts and removing an unexploded limpet mine. "Iran did do it," Trump told Fox. "It's essentially got Iran written all over it... I guess they didn't want the evidence left behind." Tehran has called to U.S. accusation alarming and wrong. The Gulf of Oman connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation, but Tehran bluntly denied the allegation. It was not immediately clear what befell the Norwegian-owned Front Altair or the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which both experienced explosions, forcing crews to abandon ship and leave the vessels adrift in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran. One source said the blast on the Front Altair, which caught fire and sent a huge plume of smoke into the air, may have been caused by a magnetic mine. The firm that chartered the Kokuka Courageous tanker said it was hit by a suspected torpedo, but a person with knowledge of the matter said torpedoes were not used. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the United States had video showing Iran's military removing what Washington believes was an unexploded limpet mine from the side of the Japanese tanker. Crude oil prices spiked more than 4% after the attacks near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping artery for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf energy producers. Prices later settled about 2% higher. [O/R] Brent crude was down by 0.4% at $61.06 a barrel in early Asia trading. The United States, which has accused Iran or its proxies of carrying out a May 12 attack on four tankers off the United Arab Emirates' coast as well as May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations, squarely blamed Iran for Thursday's attacks. "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters. Pompeo did not provide explicit evidence to back up the U.S. assertion. "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," Pompeo said. Iran "categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," the Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Thursday evening. It accused the United States and its regional allies, which include Iranian rival Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, of "warmongering." Iran called on "the international community to live up to its responsibilities in preventing the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the U.S. and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region." U.S. and European security officials as well as regional analysts cautioned against jumping to conclusions about who carried out the attacks, leaving open the possibility that Iranian proxies, or someone else entirely, might have been responsible. In London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK was taking the matter "extremely seriously" and that if Iran was involved, "it is a deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region." 'SUSPICIOUS' Tensions between Iran and the United States have risen since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal last year between Iran and global powers that aimed to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran has repeatedly warned it would block the Strait of Hormuz if it cannot sell its oil because of U.S. sanctions. Tensions have increased further since Trump acted at the beginning of May to force Iran's oil customers to slash their imports to zero or face draconian U.S. financial sanctions. Iran's oil exports have dropped to around 400,000 barrels per day in May from 2.5 million bpd in April last year. Also in May, the Trump administration said it would send more troops to the Middle East, citing what it saw as a threat of potential attack by Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the tanker explosions as "suspicious" https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-tanker-iran-zarif/irans-zarif-calls-oil-tanker-incidents-suspicious-wants-regional-talks-idUSD5N20801L on Twitter and called for regional dialogue. Tehran has denied responsibility for the May 12 attacks. The crews of both ships struck on Thursday were picked up safely. The Bahrain-based U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet said it had assisted the two tankers after receiving distress calls. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the Security Council on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States that the world could not afford "a major confrontation in the Gulf region". The Security Council discussed the attacks behind closed doors on Thursday at the request of the United States. Kuwait's U.N. ambassador, Mansour Al-Otaibi, president of the council for June, said after the meeting that all 15 council members had condemned the attacks. When asked if the United States had shown any evidence to support its accusation that Iran was responsible, Al-Otaibi told reporters: "We didn't discuss any evidence." IRAN, U.S. SAY WAR SHOULD BE AVOIDED Both Iran and the United States have said they want to avoid war. "Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday. U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Thursday evening that "we have no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community." Pompeo said U.S. policy remained making economic and diplomatic efforts to bring Iran back to negotiations on a broader deal. The Iranian U.N. mission's statement said: "It is ironic that the U.S. who unlawfully withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action now calls Iran to come back to negotiations and diplomacy," using the formal name of the 2015 nuclear accord. In abandoning the deal, Trump made clear he wanted Iran to curb not merely its nuclear work but its development of missiles and support for proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Some regional analysts said they thought the attacks were likely to have been carried out by Iran and described them as a way for Tehran to try to acquire negotiating leverage and perhaps increase global pressure for U.S.-Iran talks. "There is always the possibility that somebody is trying to blame the Iranians," said Jon Alterman of Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies. "But there is the greater likelihood that this represents an effort to bolster Iranian diplomacy by creating a perceived international urgency to have the United States and Iran talk," Alterman said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Tehran when Thursday's attacks occurred, carrying a message for Iran from Trump. Abe, whose country was a big importer of Iranian oil until Trump ratcheted up sanctions, urged all sides not to let tensions increase. Iran said it would not respond to Trump's overture, the substance of which was not made public. Chinese President Xi Jinping told Iran's president on Friday that China will promote steady development of ties with Iran no matter how the situation changes, Chinese state media said. The official Xinhua news agency said Xi made the comment in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation, though Tehran has denied the allegation. An order by the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) today could see major changes in the management structure of NDTV Ltd. The market regulator, acting on a complaint filed by Quantum Securities Pvt Ltd., in 2016-17 has acted against NDTVs famous promoters Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy as well as their investment company RRPR Holding Pvt Ltd., The detailed order ends with the following directions: i. RRPR Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy are restrained from accessing the securities market and are further prohibited from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities, directly or indirectly buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities, directly indirectly, or being associated with the securities market in any manner, whatsoever, for a period of two years. It is also clarified that during the said period of restraint/prohibition, the existing holding, including units of mutual shall remain frozen. Prannoy and Radhika Roy are also restrained from holding or occupying position as director or any key managerial personnel in NDTV for two years, or any other listed company for a period of one year. The detailed order can be accessed here Prominent private and public provident funds like Infosys Ltd PF, Hewlett-Packard Global Ltd PF, The Times of India PF, the Postal Life Insurance Fund, the NPS Trust, and the Army Group Insurance Fund are exposed to non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN), the company at the centre of the IL&FS fiasco. As per a SFIO investigation report, more than two dozen public and private sector pension funds have an exposure of over Rs 5,000 crore in the commercial paper and NCDs floated by IFIN. With the entity now in the midst of a severe liquidity crisis, the fate of these investments remains uncertain, putting at risk the hard-earned pension money of lakhs of employees. The investments in these now toxic instruments were primarily made due to the positive and impressive ratings given to commercial papers and NCDs of IL&FS Financial Services (IFIN) on a regular basis. The ratings remained good despite the unhealthy financial condition of the company. Among the investors of the NCDs of IFIN with investments more than Rs 50 crore were the Postal Life Insurance Fund with the exposure of Rs 315 crore, the highest amount among the 30 names who hold the NCDs. It was followed by NPS Trust (Rs 229.3 crore), the Postal Life Insurance Fund (Rs 205 crore), and the General Insurance Corporation India (Rs 160 crore). Other prominent names were The Times of India Provident Fund (Rs 62.7 crore), the Infosys Ltd Provident Fund (Rs 96 crore), and the Hewlett-Packard Global Ltd PF (Rs 60 crore). The armed forces are also exposed to these investments with the Army Group Insurance Fund investing close to Rs 65 crore in IFIN instruments. "The investors of the NCDs were mostly the entities managing public funds like banks, insurance companies, pension/provident funds of salaried class employee etc," the report noted. "As on September 30, 2018, the outstanding NCDs were to the tune of Rs 5,334.75 crore." The document shows that several investors who subscribed to the IL&FS' financial arm's NCDs and commercial papers, attributed their decision to invest on the high ratings accorded by the rating agencies. Anurag Jain, Chief Investment Officer at Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance Company, which invested around Rs 30 crore in commercial papers and around Rs 10 crore in NCDs of IFIN, said their decision to invest was primarily influenced by the credit ratings provided by CARE and ICRA. "The investment in the IL&FS/IFIN papers was done primarily on the basis of the rating of the companies as provided by the rating agencies CARE and ICRA, which are the highest rated in their categories," the SFIO document quoted Jain as saying. During the period between 2013 and 2018, the agencies which gave ratings to the financial instruments of IFIN were CARE Ratings, ICRA Ltd, India Ratings & Research and Brickwork Rating India, according to the document. With an investment of around Rs 115 crore in IFIN's NCDs, the Oriental Insurance Company was also apparently duped by the ratings accorded to IFIN. "The basis of selection of debt securities are based on the financials, credit ratings and best yields available in the market. IFIN is an NBFC and based on the financial, credit ratings and better yields available, some funds have been allocated periodically based on the constant AAA ratings assigned by two rating agencies, CARE and India Ratings," said Dushyant Kumar Bagoti, DGM at Oriental Insurance Company. Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article. In a landmark judgement in March last year, the Supreme Court had recognised that a terminally ill patient or a person in a persistent vegetative state has the right to die with dignity. But in order to do so, the person will have to execute what is known as a Living Will. Despite the name, a living will is not at all like the wills that people use to bequeath property after their death. In fact, quite in contrast to a normal will, a Living Will has no power after death. It is essentially a document that sets out a patients wishes on how they want to be treated if they are seriously ill and become unable to communicate their decisions. Doctors often refer to a Living Will as an advance directive. Such a document becomes important to a person when their life reaches a point at which attempts to unnecessarily prolong it may only compromise dignity and quality of life. A Living Will respects the patients human rights and in particular their right to reject medical treatment. Even medical professionals benefit from having a Living Will, as it assists them in making difficult decisions with regards to their patients healthcare. Such a document also helps to take away the burden of making difficult decisions from family, friends and loved ones. Although not officially categorised as such, there are six different types of Living Wills to consider. A document that instructs the concerned physician and family members that life prolonging treatments should not be used, thus allowing the person to die naturally, is known as a Living Will Declaration. In contrast a document that is the complete opposite of a Living Will, such that it allows the concerned person to ensure that all life-prolonging medical treatments are used to extend life, is called a Life-Prolonging Procedures Declaration. There is also a Psychiatric Advance Directive that is written to direct the doctors in the treatment of incapacitating mental illness. Furthermore, patients can also direct healthcare providers not to resuscitate in case of cardiac arrest, with a Do Not Resuscitate Declaration and Order. The doctor can also issue an advance directive to indicate the regimen to be followed for a chronically ill patient, so that wherever the patient goes their treatment is not interrupted or changed; this is known as a Physician Order for Scope of Treatment (POST). A document registering a person for organ and tissue donation, is also another type of Living Will. In all the above cases and wherever a Living Will is used, there has to be a medical power of attorney. This is to ensure that an individual is nominated by the patient to make certain that their wishes about health are carried out as per directions. The legal term for such an individual is Attorney-in-Fact. The attorney-in-fact does not have to be a lawyer and it can be any adult the patient trusts. Such an individual is granted the power to act for the person only in the ways clearly listed out in the document. More importantly, the person given the medical power of attorney is not required to accept the responsibility of the outcome. The document registering the attorney-in-fact should contain the name of the adult chosen, a list of situations in which the attorney-in-fact needs the power to act, a list of the powers granted and a list of powers that are not granted. A Living Will is an important legal document that has to be prepared in the right way. Although the use of a Living Will is a new concept in India, there are forms available at some hospitals that help you in drafting such a will. If such a form is not readily available, you can still draft a similar directive yourself. (At the bottom of this article is a sample form that you can use and modify as per your requirements.) Ensure that there are two eyewitnesses, who shall be required to sign the living will document. A doctors certificate is also required to ensure the authenticity of a Living Will, as it would help testify to the fact that the concerned person was of sound mind and capable of making their own decisions at the time of drafting the document. In order to make the Living Will a legally binding document, it should be prepared in the presence of a lawyer and all documents should be appropriately notarised. Once a Living Will document has been officially prepared, it can only be cancelled orally, in writing or by destruction of the declaration by the concerned patient themselves. The cancellation takes effect only when the concerned physician or hospital is informed of the same. But as the concept is fairly new in India, it still remains to be seen how effective it shall be. Nevertheless, it is a step in the right direction to end the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients. (Dr Rekha Bhatkhande is a noted gastroenterologist and former Dean of Sushrusha Hospital, Mumbai) A Sample of a Living Will (we can draw up our own wills as per our requirement or wishes) Advance Medical Directive (LIVING WILL) and Medical Power of Attorney This declaration is made by me: Name: Date of Birth: Aadhaar no. Full Address: Date: At (place): I am an adult of sound mind and am making the Declaration of my own free will, voluntarily and after careful consideration. If the time comes that I can no longer take part in the decision making about my medical treatment, this Declaration will comprise the final expression of my wishes. It is requested that all concerned should take these wishes into account before taking any medical decision regarding my life. If at any time: I reach the stage of terminal illness and I lapse into a coma with no reasonable expectation of regaining consciousness or I have a diseased state from which I have no reasonable chances of recovering with any acceptable quality of life or I reach a persistent vegetative state from which I have no reasonable expectation of regaining any significant cognitive functioning Then the following steps must be taken. I request a panel of three very senior doctors not related to my medical treatment be appointed by the hospital to check out if my case falls in any one/all of the above states, once this is confirmed then I should be deemed to have declined any of the chosen life-sustaining measures listed below, and if any such treatment has been started it may be withdrawn: Multiple Blood Transfusions Artificial feeding by intravenous route or nasogastric tube, gastrostomy, or nasojejunal tube. Dialysis Artificial Respiration (tracheotomy, ventilator support) Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (DC shock, Cardiac Pacemaker, Ventilator) Chemotherapy Very high risk, last ditch surgical procedures Other wishes: (written by hand) I request that this Declaration be honoured by my family members and the hospital administration and doctors as a final expression of my legal right to refuse medical and surgical treatment accepting the consequences of such a refusal. This document may be informed to my regular physician, Dr.______________________________ And to the Hospital_______________________________________________________________ A Medical Power of Attorney This should be given to my Surrogate Decision Maker or Attorney in Fact to implement my Declaration from time to time on my behalf. He/ she/they have consented to take this responsibility. My Attorney in Fact should be allowed access to all my medical files and treatment options to be able to take decisions on my behalf even if contrary views are expressed by others. Name: Date of Birth: Aadhaar no. Full Address: Tel no: Email address: If the above mentioned person is not available then next two persons may be approached in the same order as listed Name: Date of Birth: Aadhaar no. Full Address: Tel. No. Email address Name: Date of Birth: Aadhaar no. Full Address: Tel.no. Email address In the absence of all of the above authorized attorneys-in-fact, a member of my family or the hospital itself will have the authority to express the wishes on my behalf regarding my current treatment. I submit that this Declaration and the Medical Power of Attorney shall remain in force during my lifetime and unless I revoke it at any time and until the notice of its revocation has been received by my Attorneys, and the Hospital. I am fully competent to understand the Declaration and Medical Power of Attorney I have made, and I understand the importance of it. SIGNATURE: NAME OF SIGNATORY: DATE: PLACE: Eye-Witnesses I have signed this document in front of Witnesses who are required by law to validate this document containing the Declaration and the Medical Power of Attorney. I believe them to be competent enough to witness this procedure and sign on the document. WITNESS SIGNATURE: NAME: AADHAR NO: ADDRESS: DATE: PLACE WITNESS SIGNATURE: NAME: AADHAR NO: ADDRESS: DATE PLACE SIGNED IN MY PRESENCE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY (Lawyer, Notary) STAMP Theres an old mining site in Las Vegas. You can tell it hasnt been operating for years by the rusty tin shacks peppered throughout the hillside. Once a gold mining site, Mountain Pass has been dormant for almost a 100 years. But now, new owners are switching the lights back on. The site is getting a face liftnew trucks, new drills, new facilities. It represents a glimmer of hope for the US. It might even be good news for Aussie resource stocks too. It wont be gold, though. At Mountain Pass, the owners will be looking for something far more valuable and useful. The new project could be as simple as digging a big hole in the ground, but as complex as the most sophisticated industrial chemicals. Welcome to Americas rare earth efforts Free report reveals three tiny mining stocks set to ride the lithium frenzy. Click here to find out who they are. Shifting the entire US supply chain Rare earthsthe stuff thats everywhere, but only found in very small concentrations. This is the stuff that goes into your smartphone, wind turbines, electric vehicles, fighter jets and various military technologies. Problem is China controls the stuff. They produce about 80% of all rare earths and control 90% of the processing. And Trump is pissing them off real good. According to Bloomberg, China has a plan Beijing has readied a plan to restrict exports of rare earths to the U.S. if needed, as both sides in the trade war dig in for a protracted dispute, according to people familiar with the matter. The government has prepared the steps it will take to use its stranglehold on the critical minerals in a targeted way to hurt the U.S. economy, the people said. The measures would likely focus on heavy rare earths, a sub-group of the materials where the U.S. is particularly reliant on China. The plan can be implemented as soon as the government decides to go ahead, they said, without giving further details. Bloomberg also decided to state the obvious and cited Shanghai Metals Markets Racket Hu who said: Currently, its still just a possibility that China may ban or do some kind of restrictionsBut if it does happen, then we believe prices of rare earths will surge. Of course, Chinas plan might just be noise at this pointjournos spinning rumours into a story. Those over at The Washington Post are of the opinion that Chinese supply restrictions might do little to nothing in hurting the US need for rare earths. It is also hard to imagine any embargo being foolproof. Despite official Chinese attempts to stamp out illegal production, rogue operations last year produced an estimated 60,000 tons of rare earths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That means American customers would almost certainly obtain some supplies in the event of an export ban. But if the Chinese rouges are not up for it, then what about Australian and US producers? The Mountain Pass efforts show you the US is not afraid to painfully wean themselves off Chinese supply. Aussie supply is another option for them Word is, theyve already tapped us on the shoulder to set aside piles of rare earth when we have some. The Australian Financial Review writes: Sources have confirmed a report by The Financial Times that the US State Department is working with Canada and Australia to better understand what critical minerals each country has and how these can be developed. The three countries have sought to bring together high-level government support for reducing the reliance on China for strategic materials. Australias response to the US call to arms has seen Austrade put together a prospectus of so-called critical minerals which could be developed with the help of capital from the US, Europe, Japan or South Korea. To speed these developments Austrade has led trade delegations to the US and north Asia and will take another group to Europe later this month. Is this the rare earth opportunity youve been waiting for? My colleagues Sam Volkering and Ryan Clarkson-Ledward over at Australian Small-Cap Investigator have been waiting for this onefor about 15 months! Take a look at what they told subscribers of their Microcap Trader advisory service 15 months ago: So while the world waits to learn more about how this war will unfold, or even if it will unfold at all weve been looking at how it could play out to our advantage. And we believe that if Trump wants any hope of winning his trade war, he will need some allies. What little he has left anyway. Which is why Australia could in fact, benefit from all of this. The recent talks (before the declaration of war) between Trump and Malcom Turnbull highlighted a new crisis for the US. Chinas stranglehold over rare earths. A collection of metals that are crucial for products like electronic devices, electric cars and military products, like missiles. 15 months later, it would seem everyone else is coming to a similar conclusion, Sam and Ryan wrote on Tuesday. Now that the mainstream has caught up, youll need a new angle, a new way to think about rare earths and how you could position yourself to benefit in the coming months. Your friend, Harje Ronngard, Editor, Money Morning FREE report: Why uranium is destined to bounceback in 2019 (big time). Click here to claim your free copy. For all of the fear mongering and apocalyptic media, the rise of artificial intelligence hasnt yet resulted in machines triumphing over us. Theres been no grand invention that has triggered the beginning of the end. Or any major ethical dilemmas about the legal rights of artificially intelligent beings. Instead, this is a shift that has been happening over the last two decades quietly and consistently. And quite literally, under your nose. The reality is that on paper, you are already an artificially intelligent being. Your mobile phone, which is perpetually either in your hand or in your pocket, is akin to an extra limb one which makes you vastly more intelligent and efficient. It puts thousands of years worth of knowledge at your fingertips, and allows you to communicate with someone across great stretches of ocean in real time. 400 years ago, you would have been labelled a witch and drowned alive for that feat. But now, those who dont have those technological superpowers are looked down upon. Im sure those living in the last century also would have gawked at our self-driving cars and automated industries wondering if humans would be made redundant altogether. But for us, the change has been so gradual we havent even noticed it. And instead of despairing about how things used to be and pushing against the change, people are beginning to wake up to the idea that were vastly better off with AI and automation than without it. Right now, companies all over the world are scrambling to keep coming up with ideas that will make us faster and smarter. Inventions that will get us from point A to point B at speeds that are superhuman all the while keeping it cost effective and environmentally friendly. Uber, a company that has always been at the forefront of innovation, is of course a leader in this space. Particularly when it comes to turning our society into the high tech, technicolour dream that has been portrayed time and time again in our favourite sci-fi movies. And based on an announcement released by the company this week, it looks like were one step closer to having the power to fly through the sky at the push of a button. Download your free report to learn the four hottest AI and Automation stocks on the ASX right now. Plus, youll receive a free subscription to Money Morning. Hailing a drone? Uber is well aware that, with the global population rising, the idea that every person is entitled to their own car is becoming untenable. The roads are congested, pushing our tempers and emission levels to dangerous highs. On the ground, the situation is dire. But the skies present a whole new world of possibility. Which is why next year, Melbourne will become the third city in the world along with Dallas and Los Angeles to test Ubers new air travel service. According to an announcement released by the company this week, in 2020, Uber Air pilot flights will commence with commercial operations planned to begin in 2023. By that time, travelling by electric air taxi should be about the same price as an Uber X car. If the trial is successful, other Australian cities will follow suit in the coming years. As Susan Anderson, representative for Uber Australia, New Zealand and North Asia confirmed: Australian governments have adopted a forward-looking approach to ridesharing and future transport technology This, coupled with Melbournes unique demographic and geospatial factors, and culture of innovation and technology, makes Melbourne the perfect third launch city for Uber Air. According to Ubers new infomercial, the electric air taxis would take off and land vertically from designated skyports that would be located on the rooftops of shopping centres and alike. The drone-like aircraft will be able to hold four passengers and a pilot, who will be able to sit back and watch the peak hour traffic creep along from the skies. Using the Uber Air service, a trip to Melbourne Airport from the CBD would only take 10 minutes, as opposed to travelling for up to an hour by car. And the process of ordering an Uber Air will be as simple as hailing a taxi. In line with the growing push towards environmentally-friendly energy sources, Uber aircrafts will also operate on rechargeable batteries that produce no emissions and are 90% more energy efficient than standard helicopters. Already the company is working with big Aussie names like Telstra, Westfield and Melbourne Airport, along with the Victorian government to make this Blade Runner-esque vision a reality. Theres no doubt this is a big step forward for Melbourne and Australia as a whole. Not only will it establish Victoria as a pioneering state for the future of commercial travel, but it also utilises a number of key Aussie industries. Perhaps the most important of which is 5G. As Telstra CEO Andrew Penn revealed: Telstra is excited to be part of a truly momentous point in time for Melbourne on the world stage. Our network strength, coverage and leadership in 5G, along with our ongoing work on drones and related standards, will support Ubers incredible technology and innovation to develop a service we have all imagined would one day be possible. This development just goes to show how 5G is a technology crucial for facilitating the world of tomorrow. Uber Air is just one invention that will need to utilise the insanely fast network speeds that 5G will provide. And theres no question that other companies will need to do the same. But as my fellow editor Harje Ronngard has been saying for a while, a lot of these companies, like Uber, are needlessly risky investments. Their business models have pitfalls that shouldnt be overlooked. However, that doesnt mean you need to boycott the tech of the future. Instead, you can come at it from a different angle. And 5G stocks, which will make up the global network of the future, could be the perfect way to do that. So next time you read about flying cars, or virtual reality, or any other wonderous invention that will take us even further into the future, take a look at the technology behind it. Because there are a great wealth of opportunities to be found. This week in Money Morning Why did you not buy REA Group Ltd [ASX:REA] in 2000? This was going to be a company worth far more in the years ahead. And yet, so many people missed out on the whopping gains that could have changed the course of their lives. So how can you pick up more of the big idea stocks, rather than watching them make others rich? Harje answers this and more on Tuesday. Is Warren Buffett right to be sceptical of cryptos? The media portrays everyone in cryptos as shady, gambling-addicted youths that would throw their lives away for a bit of extra coin. But theres a whole other movement a large group of enthusiasts that believe crypto could be something more. So whos right? To find out, click here. Have you heard about Facebooks new project: GlobalCoin? Its likely to be the social networks payment division. Not only that, but it could be the payment facilitator that ties Facebooks e-commerce ambitions together. And as Harje wrote on Thursday, this could be the beginning of a new payment system that completely breaks down the notion of separate currencies. To read the full story, click here. Rare earthsthe stuff thats everywhere but only found in very small concentrations. This is the stuff that goes into your smartphone, wind turbines, electric vehicles, fighter jets and various military technologies. The problem is that China controls the stuff. But as Harje wrote on Friday, could a shift in this sector be the rare opportunity youve been waiting for? To find out, click here. Until next week, Katie Johnson, Editor, Money Weekend PS: Download your free report to learn how to invest in lucrative biotech stocks. Plus, youll receive a free subscription to Money Morning. Download now. June 14, 2019 Iran Decided To Put Maximum Pressure On Trump - Here Is How It Will Do It Thirteen month ago the United States launched a total economic war against Iran. It demands its capitulation. Now Iran decided to respond in kind. It will wage a maximum pressure campaign on U.S. economic interests until the Trump administration concedes its defeat. Shipping in the Middle East will soon become very hazardous. Oil prices will go through the roof. Trump will be trapped between two choices neither of which he will like. In early May 2018 U.S. President Trump broke the nuclear deal with Iran and sanctioned all trade with that country. Iran reacted cautiously. It hoped that the other signatories of the nuclear deal would stick to their promises and continue to trade with it. The year since proved that such expectations were wrong. Under threat of U.S. sanctions the European partners stopped buying Iranian oil and also ended their exports to it. The new financial instrument that was supposed to allow payments between European countries and Iran has still not been implemented. It is also a weak construct and will have too little capacity to make significant trade possible. Russia and China each have their own problems with the United States. They do not support trade with Iran when it endangers their other interests. Meanwhile the Trump administration increased the pressure on Iran. It removed waivers it had given to some countries to buy Iranian oil. It designated a part of the Iranian armed forces, the Revolutionary Guard Corp (ICRG), as a terrorist entity. On Friday it sanctioned Iran's biggest producer of petrochemical products because that company is alleged to have relations with the ICRG. The strategic patience Iran demonstrated throughout the year since Trump killed the deal brought no result. Trump will stay in power, probably for another five and a half years, while Iran's economic situation continuous to get worse. The situation requires a strategic reorientation and the adoption of a new plan to counter U.S. pressure. On the strategic side a long term reorientation in four different fields will counter the effects the economic war on Iran. Foreign imports to Iran will be reduced to a minimum level by increasing production at home. Iran will ally with no one, not even China and Russia, as it recognizes that relying on partners has no value when those partners have their own higher interests. The third step is to loosen interior pressure on the 'reformist' who argued for a more 'western' orientation. Trump, and the cowardice of the Europeans, have proven that their arguments are false. The last measure is to reorientate exports from global oil trade to other products, probably derived from oil, and to neighboring countries. All four steps will take some time. They are at large a reorientation from a globalization strategy to a more isolationist national one. Some first steps of this new plan are already visible. A common bank will be set up by Syria, Iraq and Iran to facilitate trade between those countries. The economic reorientation is not sufficient. To directly counter Trump's maximum pressure campaign requires a tactical reorientation. Trump continues to call for negotiations with Iran but he can accept nothing but a total capitulation. Trump also proved that the U.S. does not stick to the agreements it makes. There is therefore no hope for Iran to achieve anything through negotiations. There is only one way to counter Trump's maximum pressure campaign and that is by putting maximum pressure on him. Neither Washington, nor the anti-Iranian countries in the Middle East, nor the other nuclear deal signers have so far paid a price for their hostile acts against Iran. That will now change. Current loaded tanker traffic in the Middle East via Tanker Trackers - bigger Iran will move against the interests of the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It will do so in deniable form to give the U.S. and others no opening for taking military actions against it. Iran has friends in various countries in the Middle East who will support it with their own capabilities. The campaign Iran now launches will also create severe damage for other countries. In mid 2018, after Trump began to sanction Iran's oil exports, its leaders explained how it would counter the move: If Iran can't export oil no-one in Middle East will, Tehran warns. Last December Iran's President Rouhani repeated that position: If one day they want to prevent the export of Irans oil, then no oil will be exported from the Persian Gulf, [Rouhani] said. In mid May 2019, one year after Trump destroyed the nuclear deal, a demonstration of capabilities damaged four tankers which anchored near Fujairah in the UAE. There was no evidence to blame the attack on Iran. The incident was a warning. But the U.S. ignored it and increased the sanction pressure on Iran. Yesterday two tankers with petrochemical products were attacked while crossing the Gulf of Oman. Coming only a few days after Trump sanctioned Iran's petrochemical exports points to Iran's involvement. But again no evidence was left in place to blame the incident on Iran. The U.S. published a grainy black and white video which it says shows an Iranian Search and Rescue crew removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the tankers. No mine in visible in the video. The Iranian crew seems to inspect the damage on the tanker. The U.S. itself admits that the video was taken several hours after the incident. The U.S. also says that one of its ships was nearby. Why did it take no steps to remove the claimed mine itself? Meanwhile the owner of the Kokuka Courageous, one of the stricken ships, said that the damage to its ship was not caused by mines but by drones: Two flying objects damaged a Japanese tanker owned by Kokuka Sangyo Co in an attack on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, but there was no damage to the cargo of methanol, the company president said on Friday. ... The crew told us something came flying at the ship, and they found a hole, Katada said. Then some crew witnessed the second shot. Katada also rejected speculation that the tanker, which sailed under the flag of Panama, was attacked because it was a Japanese owned vessel: Unless very carefully examined, it would be hard to tell the tanker was operated or owned by Japanese, he said. Despite the obvious lack of knowledge of who or what caused the incident the U.S. immediately blamed Iran: Secretary Pompeo @SecPompeo - 18:27 UTC - 13 Jun 2019 It is the assessment of the U.S. government that Iran is responsible for today's attacks in the Gulf of Oman. These attacks are a threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable escalation of tension by Iran. Iran pushed back: Javad Zarif @JZarif - 12:11 UTC - 14 Jun 2019 That the US immediately jumped to make allegations against Iranw/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidenceonly makes it abundantly clear that the #B_Team is moving to a #PlanB: Sabotage diplomacyincluding by @AbeShinzoand cover up its #EconomicTerrorism against Iran. I warned of exactly this scenario a few months ago, not because I'm clairvoyant, but because I recognize where the #B_Team is coming from. The "B-team" includes Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton, Israel's Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahoo, Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Zayed of the UAE. To say that the attacks were provocations by the U.S. or its Middle East allies is made easier by their evident ruthlessness. Any accusations by the Trump administration of Iranian culpability will be easily dismissed because everyone knows that Trump and his crew are notorious liars. This cat and mouse game will now continue and steadily gain pace. More tankers will get damaged or even sunk. Saudi refineries will start to explode. UAE harbors will experience difficulties. Iran will plausibly deny that it is involved in any of this. The U.S. will continue to blame Iran but will have no evidence to prove it. Insurance for Middle East cargo will become very expensive. Consumer prices for oil products will increase and increase again. The collateral damage will be immense. All this will gradually put more pressure on Trump. The U.S. will want to negotiate with Iran, but that will be rejected unless Trump rejoins the nuclear deal and lifts all his sanctions. He can not do that without losing face and his allies. By mid 2020 the maximum pressure campaign will reach its zenith. Oil prices will explode and the U.S. will fall into a recession. The world economy will tank and everyone will know who caused the underlying issue. Trump's reelection will come into doubt. There will also be pressure on Trump to take military action against Iran. But he knows that a war would be equally disastrous for his re-election chances, and for the United States. A war against Iran would put the whole Middle East in flames. The maximum pressure Trump hoped to wage against Iran will turn into maximum pressure on him and his allies. He will be trapped and there will be no way out. Posted by b on June 14, 2019 at 17:04 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page Lyndsey Alicia Gonzalez, 23, of 155 Pinecrest Drive, in Franklin, was charged with misdemeanor larceny. She was cited and released. Darryl Eugene Kirk, 50, of 6030 Nowling Chapel Church Road, in Morganton, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor failure to appear and one count each of misdemeanor assault on a female and communicating threats. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a 48 hour hold plus a $1,000 cash bond. Diamond Haley Myers, 21, of 2171 Drum Lane, in Granite Falls, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of driving while impaired, driving while license revoked, reckless driving to endanger and child abuse. She was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,500 secured bond. Her trial date was set for June 19. Robert Michael Payne, 35, of 8254 George Hildebran School Road, in Connelly Springs, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of failure to appear or comply, probation violation and injury to personal property. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $23,000 secured bond. Willie Charles Davis, 45, of 4363 Homer Burns Ave., in Hickory, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was transported to Burke-Catawba jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. His trial date was set for June 28. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics has received a $465,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to ensure critical broadband infrastructure is available to serve the schools new campus in Morganton set to open in the fall of 2021. Golden LEAF is a nonprofit focused on increasing prosperity in rural North Carolina. The grant project will enhance educational opportunities and create lasting economic impact for Morganton and surrounding communities. In our 20th year of service to North Carolina, we are pleased to invest in the Morganton expansion of NCSSM, which will be a catalyst for economic development in the region, said Randy Isenhower, chairman of the board of the Golden LEAF Foundation. This grant will leverage significant state funding and will help NCSSM-Morganton create an expected economic impact on the region of $12 million annually. The broadband infrastructure also has the potential to benefit other important educational organizations in the region and to promote additional economic development. Approximately 9.4 million square feet of new office projects are currently under construction in the Greater Toronto Area, a pace of development largely impelled by outsized market demand for the asset class, according to Colliers International (Toronto) senior managing director Daniel Holmes. The additional supply would be especially crucial, considering that at present, Torontos office vacancy is around 1%. If you look at Manhattan, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Boston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Miami [and] Phoenix as all major central business districts within North America, Toronto has the lowest vacancy rate of all of them, Holmes told Postmedia. The Ontario government just lobbied Ottawa for funding to fight money laundering. In a letter to federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli indicated the province was willing to establish a beneficial ownership registry, and while a registry is imperative, there could be a way to both curtail money laundering and monetize it. They can make the RCMP into a profit centre for the government because now youre bringing in $50 billion to $100b a yearwe dont know how much but thats one of the estimates [C.D. Howe Institute estimates $100-130b is laundered in Canada every year], said Franklin. England and Wales passed the Unexplained Wealth Order. Under that act, if people cant explain where the money came from to buy real estate assets, the real estate is forfeited. Its seized by the government and sold. Unexplained Wealth Orders involve whats called a reverse onus in legalese, and Franklin isnt sure whether or not it would conflict with the Charter. We might have to amend some of our laws to make sure we can do this, he said. Normally the police have to charge you with a crime to prove it, but here they tell you to prove to them where you got money to buy the house. By creating a whistleblower clause, which would entice the public to participate in identifying ill-gotten gains, the government could really pad its coffers. Earlier this week, Montreal unveiled a new by-law that included an update to the requirements for multi-family construction permits. The By-law for a Diverse Metropolis specifically mandated developers to help improve the availability of cost-effective homes in the market. To qualify for a residential construction permit, the contractor will have to enter into an agreement with the city, whereby they will contribute to increasing the supply of social, affordable and family housing, either by building new dwelling units, transferring land, or paying a financial contribution, the Montreal government announced. In spite of numerous efforts, lawmakers have been unsuccessful in revising the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Calabria officially became the director of the FHFA two months ago, and has since urged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to end the conservatorship that began after the housing crash in 2008, which is when regulators took control of the two companies. Calabria wants Congress to empower the FHFA to charter new competitors for Fannie and Freddie. Hes also seeking expanded oversight authority over firms that support the housing market, including nonbank mortgage servicers, citing similar powers granted to agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Calabria has said that he would do everything within his authority to strengthen the housing finance system. He said this meant removing Fannie and Freddie from conservatorship, because that measure was only intended to be a short-term solution in order to make sure the market continued to function through the aftermath of the downturn. They are now of unprecedented duration and scope and leave the mortgage market, and American taxpayers, vulnerable to another market downturn, he wrote. He has previously said that Fannie and Freddie could be freed even without Congressional action. After insisting that it wanted an outsider to step into the role of CEO, it was reported last week that the Wells Fargo board was considering keeping interim CEO Allen Parker in the job permanently. It turns out there may be a reason for that nobody else seems to want the job. Wells Fargo has been searching for a permanent CEO since March, when then-CEO Tim Sloan abruptly stepped down amid mounting criticism of his handling of the banks numerous scandals. So far, however, the search doesnt seem to have borne much fruit. Wells Fargo has approached several top candidates, including PNC Financial Services Group CEO William Demchak and U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Both execs refused the job. Wells Fargo has also sounded JPMorgan Chase consumer banking chief Gordon Smith for the role, but sources told WSJ that Smith was reluctant to take the job and would probably stay at JPMorgan. Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States, speaks at the award ceremony held at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, on June 12, 2019. Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president who helped set the China-U.S. diplomatic relationship in motion forty years ago, was recognized for his crucial role in an award ceremony on Wednesday. The George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, also known as the Bush China Foundation (BCF), bestowed its inaugural George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship in U.S.-China Relations on Carter, saying he made "profound contributions to the development of constructive and mutually beneficial relations" between the two countries. Carter, who suffered a fall and underwent subsequent surgery last month, was not present at the ceremony in person. His son Chip Carter received the award in his place. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) ATLANTA, United States, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president who helped set the China-U.S. diplomatic relationship in motion forty years ago, was recognized for his crucial role in an award ceremony on Wednesday. The George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, also known as the Bush China Foundation (BCF), bestowed its inaugural George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship in U.S.-China Relations on Carter, saying he made "profound contributions to the development of constructive and mutually beneficial relations" between the two countries. At the award ceremony held at the Carter Center here, speakers took the opportunity to look back at how Carter helped normalize what would be considered the most important bilateral relationship in the world, and reaffirm the importance of this bilateral relationship for the peoples of the two countries as well as the world forty years on. "President Carter displayed tremendous vision in normalizing U.S.-China relations," said Neil Bush, son of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, on behalf of the BCF. "President Carter took bold and politically courageous action to establish formal diplomatic relations between our nations. That decision not only transformed U.S.-China relations, but indeed quite literally changed the world and for the better," Bush said, explaining why Carter was chosen as the first recipient of the award. "Intuitively, President Carter understood that normalization was about the long game," Bush said. Carter, who suffered a fall and underwent subsequent surgery last month, was not present at the ceremony in person. His son Chip Carter received the award in his place. Chip Carter recalled that normalizing the relationship with China had been a priority for his father going into the presidency, and that an official delegation including Chip Carter was dispatched to China to meet with its top and local officials less than three months into Carter's presidency. The speakers noted that the statesmanship the two former presidents demonstrated in developing the U.S.-China relationship should be an example for modern-day leaders, as some in Washington are trying to pit the two countries against each other. "President Bush categorically rejected the notion that China is an enemy or adversary of our nation. On the contrary, he laid out a powerful vision of U.S.-China full partnership and friendship," said David Firestein, president and CEO of the BCF, in his remarks. "Many of us here today are alarmed as President Bush was at the increasing shrillness and anger that we now hear in the rhetoric about China in some U.S. elite circles. President Bush held the view that anger did not make for good policy," Firestein warned. Firestein noted that both presidents, Carter and Bush, attached great importance to the China-U.S. relationship, and called on Washington to "heed the wise counsel" of the two presidents. Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States, echoed Firestein in saying there "are yet some irrational dialogues about our relationship." "Some are clamoring for a decoupling of the two countries and even a new cold war. These attempts are not only questioning the achievements we have made over the past four decades and challenging the very tangible outcomes of our cooperation, but also putting the future of our relations and the prospects for global stability and prosperity at great risk," Cui said. Ambassador Mary Ann Peters, CEO of the Carter Center, said there is great potential for the two countries to cooperate. Peters said an idea for a deconfliction committee among countries with a military presence in Djibouti, including the United States and China, has been "turned into a reality with discussion ongoing about how to institutionalize regular meetings." Firestein said the award would continue to be bestowed and that it would not be limited to U.S. citizens. (Bloomberg) -- Parsley Energy Inc. said it would be attractive for any potential buyer as the U.S. shale driller expects to generate positive free cash flow in the back half of this year. We are attractive for purchasers whatever type of investor it is, Chief Executive Officer Matt Gallagher said in a phone interview on Thursday. Thats always a goal, an objective of ours. He declined to say whether the company had been approached about a deal. Last months $38 billion takeover of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. by Occidental Petroleum Corp. fueled speculation that an M&A spree could follow among companies exploring for oil in the Permian Basin, which straddles Texas and New Mexico. But major producers including Exxon Mobil Corp., and Chevron Corp. have said they are wary of scooping up smaller rivals as would-be sellers are demanding too much money. Scott Sheffield, the CEO of shale producer Pioneer Natural Resources Co., recently cited Parsley, which was founded by his son, as being among the top targets in the Permian. RELATED: 'Permania' has cooled; acquisition opportunities remain We are in a small handful of companies that have some of the best rock and a healthy business model and a very long runway of inventories, Gallagher said. There are four or five good companies that always go to the top of that conversation. Healthy Consolidation Gallagher sees healthy consolidation among independent drillers operating in the worlds biggest shale basin over the next decade. Theres been a pickup in M&A questioning but not a material pickup in M&A discussions, Gallagher said. Acquisitions are complicated and you have to be able to underwrite a commodity view for a sustained period of time. The CEO anticipates a more gradual pace of deal-making, with one to two big announcements and 10-20 smaller ones a year going forward. Executives at some of the biggest oil producers have been talking down the prospect of deals in the Permian, saying they wont be bailing out struggling drillers anytime soon. OIL REPORT: Midstream companies prepare as Delaware Basin heats up Theres a component of hardball but theres also some reality that everybodys really focused on their own models, Gallagher said. They also want to deliver on what they say before they go shopping. What Bloomberg Intelligence Says While we appreciate the Permians success, the legacy play is crowded, and infrastructure constraints have ignited volatility in differentials and slowed output. Bifurcation in valuations between smaller and larger E&Ps will be reconciled through consolidation, but we reject the view of a wholesale wave, with investors mandating more controlled spending and return of excess cash while voicing skepticism over recent M&A. Still, the Permian will overshadow peers even in a clouded commodity backdrop.--Vincent G. Piazza, senior industry analyst, and Michael Kay, senior industry analystClick here to see the research Parsley has declined 37% over the past 12 months, compared with a 21% drop in the Russell 1000 Energy Index. The shares were down 1% at $17.27 as of 10:12 a.m. in New York. Investors have soured not only on the Permian but the oil industry in general given the slump in oil prices and a failure to rein in costs. After being in exploration mode between 2012 to 2017, the shale sector hasnt switched to delivering returns as quickly as it should have. Patience is up from an investor standpoint and we have to start showing returns on the income statements," Gallagher said. Although the driller hasnt been active on the acquisitions front this year or last, Gallagher played down the possibility it could be left behind by its rivals. Its like riding a bike -- you dont lose it. And the focus is on fundamental value drivers so theres no need to just get bigger to say youre getting bigger. The average price of gas dropped a state-leading 10 cents in Odessa last week, according to AAA Texas. And the decline in Midland wasnt far behind. Drivers in Midland paid on average -- 6 cents less for regular unleaded week over week, according to the organizations survey of larger metropolitan areas. That decline was greater than the 4-cent average across the state. AAA Texas reported this week that some of the largest price declines happened in West Texas, the Panhandle and away from the Gulf Coast. Amarillo tied Odessa with a 10-cent average decline. An 8-cent price decline was reported in Amarillo and Texarkana, and the decline was 7 cents in San Angelo and El Paso. Year over year, the price drop has been substantial. The state average is 32 cents. No larger metropolitan area is enjoying more savings than Odessa (50 cents). Midland again was not far behind at 45 cents, which is tied with San Angelo for second of the 27 larger metropolitan areas surveyed. AAA Texas reports refinery utilization in the United States is at its highest level since early January, resulting in overall gasoline stocks at healthy levels to meet robust summer demand. Prices are dropping because of cheaper crude oil, and at the same time U.S. supply is keeping pace with demand. The organization also noted that gasoline stock inventories sit ahead of this time last year and are at the largest level for this time of year (early June) on record for the region, according to Energy Information Administration data. If high inventory levels remain in place, drivers in the southern region of the U.S. can expect to see even cheaper gas prices throughout the summer, according to AAA Texas. The average price in Midland is still the highest in the state at $2.64. The average in Odessa fell to $2.56, which is 1 cent behind El Paso for the second highest average. Drivers in McAllen are paying the lowest average -- $2.22. AAA Texas reported the following averages from around the region: $2.37 in San Angelo and Amarillo, $2.42 in Lubbock and $2.53 in Abilene. Gas price report Mid-Odessa Texas Thursday $2.566 $2.397 Previous week $2.639 $2.460 Last month $2.712 $2.566 Last year $3.057 $2.713 Source: TexasGasPrices.com See More Collapse Gas price report Cheapest gas: $2.34 (Shoppers stop, Indiana Ave./South C) A 26-year-old Laredoan, former valedictorian of Early College High School and current immigration and human rights attorney, Jessica Cisneros is announcing her campaign Thursday to run for Congress in 2020 to represent Laredo and the rest of Texas' 28th District, which spans from San Antonio to Mission. RELATED: Left-wing group creates fund to oust Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar "I'm super excited to finally have the opportunity," said Cisneros to Laredo Morning Times. "I've been working for it and praying for it, to be able to give back to my community here in South Texas. From a very young age, I've known that I wanted to give back to my community. I've been inspired by the people here in Laredo." Cisneros will have the chance to give Laredo's Rep. Henry Cuellar a serious primary challenger in this very blue district, which has solely been represented by Democrats since it was created in 1993. Cisneros is backed by Justice Democrats, the progressive advocacy group that famously recruited Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her successful primary bid to represent New York's 14th congressional district. And Cisneros' platform reflects Justice Democrats' core values, which have become emblematic of the progressive left. According to a release from the Justice Democrats, they include: fixing the U.S. immigration system, ending family separations, opposing the border wall, instating a $15 minimum wage and a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, the end of corporate money influencing elections, free public college, women's health and reproductive rights, gun reform, expanding Social Security, and making the wealthy pay their fair share. Cisneros has pledged to reject campaign contributions from corporate political action committees and lobbyists. Since Justice Democrats first announced that they would be targeting Cuellar's seat in the primary, doubt has poured forth about the likelihood of a liberal Democrat winning an election in Laredo. In a recent Texas Monthly story on this very topic, Democratic consultant Christian Archer says he believes the Justice Democrats have misunderstood this congressional district. READ MORE: How Ocasio-Cortez and new liberal women are changing their party "(Justice Democrats) probably don't know Laredo. ... These are farmers and ranchers and people who grew up carrying a gun," Archer is quoted as saying in the story. Cisneros begs to differ. She said people believe this area is conservative in part because Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, perpetuates the idea. "South Texas is its own district. We are placed in a very unique spot in terms of politics and also geographically, being right here on the border," Cisneros said. "But fundamentally I think the big issues are being able to address things like poverty the rampant poverty that we have here on the border health care access and the jobs issue." Cisneros said she first thought about running for Congress when she was an intern for Cuellar's office in Washington, D.C. in 2014. "I saw firsthand how he was silent on certain issues," she said. "He took the people of South Texas for granted. It was a very insightful experience. And that's when I (thought), 'You know what, that's going to be me one day running for Congress. I'm going to listen to the issues that South Texans want to be addressed. I'm going to listen to the people, and I'm going to be a fierce advocate for them.'" Cisneros grew up in the Sal Si Puedes neighborhood in central Laredo. Her father owned his own trucking company but had to close his business when the trade industry took a turn, she explains in her campaign video. He is now a truck driver. "I'm really excited to start talking to the people of South Texas and figuring out what needs to be done in trade. Trade is a very personal issue to me because that's how my family is provided for. ... So anything in terms of trade, trade policies, impacts my household directly," she said. "And Laredo and the rest of South Texas, our economy is dependent on trade. So whatever solution we're going to be proposing, it has to be a smart one, and it has to take in mind the interest of everyday South Texans like my dad." Cisneros graduated first in her class at Early College High School in 2011, studied government and Latin American studies at the University of Texas at Austin, and then earned her law degree from the University of Texas Law School, specializing in immigration law. While in law school, she worked with UT faculty to create the Women in Immigration Detention Assistance Project with the goal to help asylum seekers at the Hutto Detention Center in Tyler, Texas. In the process of obtaining her law degree, Cisneros said she kept feeling that even presenting the best case possible wouldn't be enough if the laws aren't written to protect the rights and interests of everyday Americans. "Being a lawyer pushed me more to assess what the issues were and just go to the root of the problem," Cisneros said. "If the problems are the laws, then let's go change them. So I'm running for Congress." After graduating and taking her bar exam, Cisneros joined a legal fellowship program last fall at Brooklyn Defenders Services in New York, which offered public-defender-style services in immigration cases. "I'm the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, and just coming from a community where everyone has their own immigration story, that left me wanting to be an immigration advocate and immigration lawyer. I took what I learned during that fellowship, and now I'm so ready to advocate for the people here in my hometown and South Texas," she said. But Cisneros is not practicing law at the moment as she is instead working full-time on her campaign. "I'm taking this seriously," she said. "I'm a person who takes her commitments seriously, and I want to put forth the best campaign possible. I want to take in mind the issues that South Texans want addressed." READ MORE: Biden enters Democratic campaign for president as front-runner Cisneros was surprised to find out that she had been nominated to run with the Justice Democrats by John Balli, one of her teachers at Early College and a mentor ever since. "He's believed in me so much, and even through college, through law school, he's just been there and has such a big impact on me, like so many educators here," she said. "I wouldn't be here where I am today if it wasn't for teachers in Laredo." Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com Home of the Living God Ministries in Midland will donate summer clothing to 25 children of incarcerated individuals, according to the churchs pastor. The children will receive their clothing Saturday during a luncheon at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Pastor Lavonda Johnson said. Johnson said she decided to organize the donation after visiting her son, who is incarcerated, and hearing other inmates say their children didnt have clothes for the upcoming season. She said incarceration can create financial problems for families. We know when one parent is absent, the other parent has such a hard time, Johnson said. The kids who will receive clothes are children of inmates at Midland County jail, she said. She connected with the inmates through her son, who told her which families needed assistance. Johnson said she started asking volunteers three months ago to adopt a child and shop for him or her. She said she doesnt know how much volunteers spent on the clothes, but each was asked not to spend more than $200. Whoever adopted a kid, we asked them to treat it was like their child, Johnson said. She said it was the first year for the donation drive and shes hoping to expand it to more than 25 children next year. She said it was a cause close to her heart. I feel like, why should children have to go without just because one parent, or sometimes both, is incarcerated? Johnson said. The volunteers who shopped for the children are with Community Worship Center, Antioch Baptist Church and Agape Counseling Services of West Texas, she said. Last year, Johnson and members of Home of the Living God organized an event to feed the Permian Basins homeless and impoverished residents, she said. They fed 299 people at the event in May 2018, according to Johnson. Home of the Living God Ministries will give the clothing to the children during a luncheon at the MLK Community Center at 11 a.m. Saturday. The strong-arm tactics employed by federal prosecutors in the United States may be about to hit the UK, thanks to the Serious Fraud Offices (SFO) new head, Lisa Osofsky, a former FBI lawyer. It will be interesting to see how her approach to law enforcement goes down with the normally more reserved culture of the UK. Last year, for example, among others she called for an extension to corporate criminal liability law and the creation of an all-encompassing failure to prevent fraud offense. I have no issue with Ms. Osofskys approach to the problem of corporate crime, and in particular tax evasion which she is seeking to address. But the law in the UK is somewhat different to that across the pond in the USA. She is quoted in the London Evening Standard as saying: You can spend 20 years in jail for what you did or wear a wire and work with us. The issue of employing cooperating witnesses or a rat, as the mafia would refer to them is a sensitive one. The UKs approach to the subject of covert investigation is likely much more rigid than Ms. Osofsky is used to. The UKs Regulation of Investigative Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) is often the bane of UK law enforcement, frequently frustrating investigations due to the rigidity of the legislation, complicated further by the unyielding manner in which it is overseen and administered. For the police (or as in this case the SFO and Her Majestys Revenue and Customs [HMRC]), to secure permission to wire a covert human intelligence source (CHIS) in order to gather evidence, requires an extremely high threshold. It is also reserved for the most serious of crimes, and very few tax evasion cases are likely to reach the required ceiling. The RIPA S.3 (c) does allow for Ms. Osofskys plan, permitting the deployment of a CHIS in the interests of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom. But, as stated, the level of criminality under investigation will need to be extremely serious before permission to insert a CHIS and their wire will be forthcoming. Indeed, the mere fact that Ms. Osofsky is suggesting the tactic that initial suspects be pressed to wear a wire in exchange for a reduced level of vulnerability to imprisonment, raises further issues under UK law: namely those affecting the deployment of a Participating Informant or PI. The hurdles to the police using a PI are many. The Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) directives outline the restrictions as follows, from Part A (7): The need to protect an informant will not justify per se the grant of immunity or the giving of a restricted use undertaking, and adds: Offenders of this kind are always prosecuted before being used as witnesses. There are two main reasons for doing so. First, it is nearly always in the public interest to prosecute a person responsible for a large number of major crimes; and secondly, if such a person were not prosecuted, allegations of a deal could reduce their credibility as a witness and, hence the weight of their evidence. The guidelines continue, but I am sure you are getting the gist. In this instance, Ms Osofskys motives are both honorable and in keeping with the serious damage that tax evasion inflicts upon the global economy, let alone in the UK. However, the composition of any application seeking permission to use a CHIS will require some careful consideration. But in her statement to the Evening Standard, Ms. Osofsky specifically alludes to the possibility of employing the services of a PI, with a view to reducing their own prison sentence, which takes the threshold to a whole new level. I wish Ms. Osofsky well in her endeavors. Her approach is refreshing and innovative for the UK. Unhelpfully, she may find the prevailing legislation and guidelines will frustrate her efforts as they have frustrated others before her. With thanks to Tony McClements, Senior Investigator at Martin Kenney & Co, for his assistance with this post. He served for 33 years with UK police forces and has specialized in Fraud & Financial Investigation since 1998. He is also a lecturer in these subjects at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN). ____ Martin Kenney is Managing Partner of Martin Kenney & Co., Solicitors, a specialist investigative and asset recovery practice based in the BVI, focused on multi-jurisdictional fraud and grand corruption cases www.martinkenney.com | @MKSolicitors. In 2014 he was the recipient of the ACFEs highest honour: the Cressey Award for life-time achievement in the detection and deterrence of fraud. He was selected as one of the Top Thought Leaders of the Legal Profession in 2018 and 2019 by Whos Who Legal International and as the number one offshore lawyer for asset recovery in 2017 and 2018. Limited-Time Offer: MNR Pro You've heard about our guaranteed views but how about guaranteed placements?! What is it? Our full MNR Package bundled with a Native Article campaign that gets your client's content on premium publisher sites vastly increasing their reach and visibility. Plus up to 1000 words included! Job Title: Ethics & Compliance Senior Manager Employer: Cognizant Location: United Kingdom Description: Cognizant Technology Solutions is seeking an Ethics & Compliance (E&C) Senior Manager to support our Regional Ethics & Compliance Officer (RECO) in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), as well as our corporate E&C program. The position is based in the United Kingdom, preferably in London. The E&C Senior Manager will be an experienced compliance professional reporting to the EMEA RECO . . . Continue reading A case challenging Illinois Firearm Owners Identification card law is headed to the Illinois Supreme Court, but a gun rights group said it could end up in the nations highest court. The case out of White County involves a disabled woman who had a single-shot .22-caliber rifle, Illinois State Rifle Association Executive Director Richard Pearson said. The judge in White County said the FOID card is unconstitutional in the home, Pearson said. So thats where we stand today and the state of Illinois doesnt agree to that. Vivian Claudine Brown of Carmi did not have a criminal record and would have been eligible to have a FOID card. On March 18, 2017, Browns husband, from whom she was separated, alleged Brown was shooting a gun inside, according to court documents. Police found no evidence the rifle had been fired in the residence. However, Brown later was charged with possession of a firearm without the required FOID card, a class A misdemeanor. Are you prohibited from having a FOID card? The judge said I dont think so, Pearson said. She didnt do a thing wrong except wanting to defend her own life. The case now bypasses the appellate court because it deals with constitutional issues, Pearson said. If the state Supreme Court agrees with the White County judges decision, Pearson said, it means people could keep a firearm in the home without a FOID card. The problem, of course, is if you have to transfer it to and from and that was not covered in this case, so youd still need a FOID card, Pearson said. Pearson doesnt expect the case to be heard until at least October. The Illinois Attorney Generals office argued the circuit courts ruling missed the mark. But both this Court and the United States Supreme Court have held that the kinds of regulations found in the FOID Card Act e.g., preventing felons or people from mental illnesses from possessing firearms are the sorts of meaningful regulations permitted under the Second Amendment, the Illinois States Attorneys Office wrote in court documents. The defendant didnt have a criminal record, and Pearson said she was not a person who could fit into any of the prohibited categories. If the Illinois Supreme Court overturns the circuit courts ruling, Pearson said, his group is ready to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Its a constitutional right, its a fundamental right, Pearson said. There are some things about fundamental rights, you cant make them so restrictive that you cant do this. The U.S. Supreme Court previously has struck down some Illinois gun laws, including in 2010 in the case of McDonald vs. The City of Chicago, where the high court deemed the citys handgun ban unconditional. An appeals court in 2011 and in 2017 struck down the citys ban on gun ranges. And in 2012, an appeals court ruled Illinois ban on carrying firearms outside the home was unconstitutional. That forced state lawmakers to enact a concealed carry law that allowed residents to get a permit to carry outside the home. One of the key reasons many workers across the country supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election was his willingness to call out countries that violate U.S. trade agreements. For far too long, the United States has been unwilling to enforce its trade deals and as a result, the U.S. airline industry is under attack right now from foreign trade-violators who claim to be our partners. For over a decade, Qatar has subsidized its state-owned carrier Qatar Airways to the tune of more than $25 billion in violation of the countrys Open Skies aviation trade agreement with the United States. To address the subsidies, the Trump administration announced in 2018 that it had obtained a commitment from the Qatari government to end the trade agreement violations and cease launching new flights directly between the United States and countries outside Qatar. Yet, Qatar was already preparing to break the deal before the ink on its commitment was dry. In 2017, Qatar Airways bought a substantial stake in Meridiana, a struggling Italian carrier, and rebranded it as Air Italy, and announced that Qatar would massively expand Air Italy to make it the dominant carrier between the Italy and the world. Qatar Airways installed many of its top executives in leadership roles at Air Italy. Two of Air Italys five board members have ties to Qatar Airways. Air Italys chief operating officer held the same position at Qatar Airways, running the Middle Eastern carriers day-to-day operations. Air Italys top flight and ground operations executive held a similar position at Qatar Airways. On top of that, Qatar Airways gifted Air Italy 50 new planes and invested heavily in the Italian carrier. The intent was clear: redirect Qatari government subsidies into Air Italy and use the carrier as a proxy for Qatar Airways. In this role, under Qatar Airways backing and direction, Air Italy is launching new routes to the United States. It doesnt matter if these routes lose money because continued infusions of Qatari subsidies will wipe away any losses. Given the difficulty they face in matching this subsidized competition, U.S. carriers may well be forced out of markets, which could result in my fellow pilots, as well as others in the airline industry, losing their jobs. Recently, Qatar Airways supporters have delivered a half-hearted defense of Qatars attempts to break its promises to the Trump administration. In a letter to the Trump administration, Qatar Airways few supporters claim the Air Italy transaction was legal and approved by European regulators. But therein lies the problem. What may benefit Qatar can hurt the United States and its workers. The Trump administrations foremost obligation is to look out for American interests and especially American industries and workers whether that is the pilot, flight attendant, ground crew, or airport employee. U.S. airline industry jobs are exposed and stand to be affected by Qatars continuous violations and by extension those of Air Italy. What American workers need and what the entire country needs is for the Trump administration to enforce its understanding with the government of Qatar that Qatar Airways will be financially transparent and not introduce new nonstop flying between the United States and points outside Qatar. Trump campaigned on being a strong advocate for U.S. workers. As the leader of a union that represents more than 62,000 pilots across the United States and Canada, that message resonates. We hope the administration will make good on the presidents pledge and call out these trade violators. Ensuring that all carriers follow the same rules is the most important action our government can take in helping the global aviation industry thrive. Joe DePete is the president of the Air Line Pilots Association International. You may not be ready for next years elections, but in political time, theyre coming up fast. Even politicians who arent running for president are crafting their stump speeches. Which means that at some point youre almost certain to hear someone announce, sternly, I. Will. Not. Compromise. And if youre there in the crowd and agree with his or her position, you may even join the applause. Which is understandable, but let me tell you why, far from applauding that line, I shy from politicians who use it. In a democracy, being able to compromise and knowing how is a core skill for governing. Shouting No Compromise! may fire up the crowd, but its a recipe for failure when it comes to getting things done in office. In fact, it was a core skill even before we had our current system. Pretty much every sentence in our Constitution was the product of compromise, crafted by people who felt passionately about the issues they confronted yet found a way to agree on language that would enable the country to function. It is true that any legislative body needs members who set out the vision the pure ideological positions as part of the public dialogue. But if theyre allowed to control or dominate the process, nothing gets done. When pushed, most politicians understand that cooperation and working together to build consensus have to prevail in the end. So why doesnt it happen more? Because compromise is not easy, especially on issues of consequence, and especially today, when the country is so deeply divided and polarized. Even the word itself causes disagreement. To someone like me, its a way forward. To others, including a lot of voters, its a betrayal of principle. Once you do compromise, youve always got the problem of selling the result to others. Sometimes, in fact, you have the problem of selling it to yourself. When I was in office, I often found myself second-guessing my own decisions. Did I give up too much on principle? Was there another path to the same goal without compromising? Maybe I didnt give enough? Is the compromise that emerged actually workable? This last is an important question. Any politician seeking to forge common ground with others has to weigh whether people voters and colleagues outside the meeting room will be willing to accept or at least tolerate a compromise. Ive certainly encountered politicians who have walked out of efforts to reach agreement because they felt they couldnt sell it. Or, even more common, who support compromise as long as its the other side that does all the compromising. The thing is, politicians never control the political environment in which theyre working. They have to seek the best solution given the cards theyve been dealt. They cant dictate whos on the other side of the negotiating table, or the political climate in their community. This makes the kind of people youre dealing with supremely important. As a lawmaker or officeholder seeking to move forward and faced with colleagues who may hold very different views, you need counterparts who know they need to make the system work and are willing to be flexible. In a way, youre hoping for politicians who take into consideration the broad concerns of the entire population, not just those who support them or voted for them. In Central Park one day during WWII, Judge Learned Hand told an assembled crowd, The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the mind of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias. That is also the spirit of our representative democracy, and we need politicians who embrace it. So when Americans complain about Congress not getting anything done, I have limited sympathy. Congress struggles because it has members who dont know how to compromise, are afraid to, or dont want to. And those members are there because we sent them there. In other words, we share the blame. Lee Hamilton is a senior adviser for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. 4WEB Medical, a Dallas, TX-based orthopedic device company, closed a round of financing of undisclosed amount. SWK Holdings Corporation provided the financial resources. The company will use the funds to accelerate growth over the next five years with investments in product development, procedural based solutions and clinical research. Founded in 2008 by Jessee Hunt, CEO, 4WEB Medical focuses on developing innovative implants utilizing its proprietary Truss Implant TechnologyTM, which utilizes mechanobiology to actively participate in the healing process. Under load, the implants deliver strain to adjacent cellular material, stimulating osteogenic activity. The 4WEB Medical product portfolio includes Cervical, Anterior, Posterior and Lateral Spine Truss Systems, as well as the Osteotomy Truss System and custom implant services for extremity, tumor and trauma procedures. The company received 510K clearance to market a spine interbody fusion device manufactured with 3D printing technology. Since that time, over 40,000 of its devices have been implanted globally. FinSMEs 13/06/2019 Elvis Kwashie has written his name ... Audio Analytic, a Cambridge, UK-based sound recognition company, closed a $12m Series B funding. Backers included Cambridge Innovation Capital and IQ Capital and new investor National Grid Partners. The company intends to use the funds to invest in core technology and IP, further extend the number of sounds and scenes that its customers products can recognise. Led by Dr Chris Mitchell, founder and CEO, Audio Analytic is global leader in intelligent sound recognition, using advanced, edge-based AI to provide consumer technology with a wide sense of hearing. The company advanced AI sound recognition technology which can be embedded into consumer devices to make them more helpful to people, by understanding and reacting to the contextual information provided by sounds. Audio Analytics core technology platform comprises two synergistic parts: Alexandria, a large commercially-usable audio dataset for machine learning, featuring millions of audio files that are organised taxonomically, with full data provenance freeing licensees from concerns over copyright; AuditoryNET, a highly-optimized deep neural network for sound recognition, which models the ideophonic features of sounds. With offices in San Francisco, the company has licensed its technology to major global brands, including two of the worlds biggest companies, Hive, Iliad, Sengled and others. Partners include Arm, Intel, Knowles, Ambarella, Ambiq, Vesper, Frontier and others. FinSMEs 13/06/2019 Germany-based seed stage venture capital firm High-Tech Grunderfonds recently received a 3m investment for its Fund III. The fund, which last year closed at 316.5m, was reopened to enable the entry of the founders of Cologne-based Fond Of. Its volume now totals 319.5m. The makers of FOND OF will open their new Growth Accelerator, the xdeck, at the beginning of 2020 in their new building project, The Ship in Cologne. As an initiative by founders for founders, the xdeck is aiming to address responsible and strong start-up teams from the consumer, commerce and digital sectors. On xdeck, they will receive support in implementing their business models and imparting knowledge in all relevant issues that are encountered during the growth phase. Interested enterprises receive further information to the xdeck under [email protected] Startups can apply for a place on the xdeck at [email protected] Fond Of is a platform for personal growth, development of potentials and innovation. The founders, Oliver Steinki, Florian Michajlezko and Sven-Oliver Pink, started 2010 with the mission to disrupt the market for school bags with their first brand ergobag. The product universe now includes a total of seven kids-, lifestyle- and business-backpack brands as well as a fashion label. The founders of Fond Of GmbH are developers of the new building project The Ship. It is being built in Cologne-Ehrenfeld and will provide space for around 500 people on a gross floor area of over 13,000 sqm. Completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2020. The 275 Fond Of employees and the founders Growth Accelerator, the xdeck, will move into the building in addition to other innovative companies. FinSMEs 14/06/2019 Sacramento, CA It appears that the California governor will soon sign the $214.8 billion state budget, which was passed today by the Assembly and Senate in separate votes. Overwhelmingly supported by Democrats in both chambers, the 900-plus page budget bill increases spending for health care and education, bolsters the states top firefighting agency in the wake of devastating wildfire seasons, and further boosts state reserves. Republicans argued against it, saying it spends money on the wrong priorities. Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins commented, What a luxury we have, to get to stand here and argue over where we should put our savings, how we should spend some of the additional money we have to support struggling Californians. Lawmakers will need to pass more than a dozen trailer measures to implement the new budget. Among these is one what would assign a monthly fee on cellphone bills to pay for 911 system upgrades. Another restores the Trump Administration-eliminated tax on those who refuse to purchase private health insurance with the goal of making California the first state in the nation to help middle class families pay a portion of their monthly health insurance premiums. Under the budget, the Golden State would become the first to give some adults illegally living in the country government-funded health insurance; it is part of Democrats health insurance plan to provide for every California resident. Just ahead of the bills passing, Republican Sen. John Moorlach, noting he was a 1960 immigrant from the Netherlands, remarked. I just dont get the prioritization. State spending on public education will increase to $12,018 for every student in K-12 schools and provide grants of up to $20,000 for students studying to be teachers if they promise to teach subjects impacted by the teacher shortage, including STEM subjects (science, technology, math, and engineering). CAL Fire is slated to receive $40.3 million to buy 13 new fire engines and hire 131 people to operate them; also just over $13 million to maintain and operate seven used C-130 air tankers the state is receiving free of charge from the federal government. California Water Board View Photo Sacramento, CA California water regulators received a federal rebuke this week over an incomplete water quality plan submission. Feeling the irony, Tri-Dam Project partners, the Oakdale (OID) and South San Joaquin (SSJID) irrigation districts, which hold senior water rights on the Stanislaus River and are among over two dozen agencies suing the State Water Resources Control Board, were quick to comment. Keep in mind that the federal EPA approves all states water quality control plans under the Clean Water Act, so every state has to prepare one, states OID General Manager Steve Knell. In a one-and-a-half-page letter, the EPA indicated the board was lacking in several areas, and called the board out for its water quality plan to raise salinity standards in the delta without the required analysis. Knell is incredulous that the boards submission to the EPA also amounted to one-and-a-half pages, and included directions for the feds to reference the state website for more information. For a state agency to be so curt with a federal agency on something that has great potential in our state to cause economic harm, and we believe environmental harmto just shove this obligation off in a page-and-a-halfto us, it is an unconscionable response, he says, shaking his head. It does not do justice to the feds role in reviewing water quality control plansdid they just not care? He shares a hope that the EPA will call out the board on the entire plan. Every water quality control plan has to be protective of all the beneficial uses in the statetheres pages of probably 15 beneficial uses in the State of California that require protection, no matter what you do and here, the state turns in one element water quality and says, were good. Continuing, Knell opines, For now, this is the first shot across the bow by the federal EPA and we will see how the state responds. He shares a hope that the EPA letter further opens up a dialog for a negotiated settlement of all the impending lawsuits. We want the state to recognize that even the federal government sees deficiencies in its documenta do over and getting it right is much preferred for all of us as opposed to continuing to push forward a deficient document for implementation that is [otherwise] going to be litigated and mired in lawsuits for a decade or so. Resident rescued in Calaveras County during Monday Feb 4 2019 storm flooding View Photo Sacramento, CA As part of its water management efforts, California lawmakers will spend just over $9-million to study atmospheric river weather events. Specifically, the California Department of Water Resources will research how it can better forecast the intensity of these major rainfall events that often result in flooding. The author of the bill, Democratic Senator Bill Dodd of Napa, argues that the state will face increasingly unpredictable weather patterns over the coming years as a result of climate change. The Department of Water resources indicates that over recent years over half of the states annual rainfall has come from Atmospheric Rivers, and 90-percent of the flooding. BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- China's people-to-people and cultural exchanges with both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have deepened in recent years under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, with new progress in terms of cultural heritage preservation, films and publishing cooperation. Some facts are as follows: -- Since 2013, China has continued to hold the "Happy Spring Festival -- China Tajikistan One Family" event in Tajikistan, which has been warmly welcomed by local people. -- In 2014, the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, following a joint application by countries including China and Kyrgyzstan. -- Under the framework of the "Silk Road Film &Television Bridge Project" launched in 2015, Tajik and Kyrgyz language versions of some outstanding Chinese movies and TV series were made, including the documentaries "Tea: Story of the Leaf" and "Porcelain Story" in Tajik and "Silk Road: The Journey Goes on" and "China's Mega Projects" in Kyrgyz, which have been aired through the two countries' national television broadcasts. -- In 2018, China exported copyrights of more than 190 books to Kyrgyzstan. A book on jointly building Belt and Road was among those translated into Kyrgyz and published in Kyrgyzstan. Shans, a bookstore in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, is the first bookstore in Central Asia selling works of Chinese authors translated into Kyrgyz and Kazakh languages and serves as a window for local readers to learn about China. -- In June 2018, delegations from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan attended the first Shanghai Cooperation Organization film festival in China. Tajik film "Air Safar" was among the winners of the Special Jury Awards, while Kyrgyz film "Night Accident" got the Best Actor Award. -- In May 2019, representatives of the cultural and artistic circles of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan attended the thematic forum "Culture, Tourism and People-to-People Exchanges" of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations as well as events like the Asian culture carnival. -- On June 10, 2019, a major event featuring Chinese cultural elements was held to mark the inauguration of the "China Pavilion" at the Bishkek Humanities University. Programs with Chinese features like the Kunqu Opera, ventriloquism, the dramatic art of Face-Changing, as well as traditional Kyrgyz dances were performed. Riverlane, a Cambridge, UK-based quantum computing software developer, raised 3.7m in seed funding. The round was led by Cambridge Innovation Capital and Amadeus Capital Partners, with participation from Cambridge Enterprise. The company intends to use the funds to demonstrate its technology across a range of quantum computing hardware platforms, focused on early adopters in materials design and drug discovery, and expand its team of quantum software researchers and computational physicists. Founded by Dr Steve Brierley, Senior Research Fellow in Applied Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Riverlane is building a simulation engine for microscopic systems to replace expensive laboratory tests with computer simulation. Its software leverages the capabilities of the quantum computer, which operates using the principles of quantum mechanics. In the same way that graphics processing units (GPUs) accelerate machine learning workloads, Riverlane uses quantum computers to accelerate the simulation of quantum systems. The company is working with leading academics and companies on critical early use cases for its software, such as developing new battery materials and drug treatments. FinSMEs 13/06/2019 The merchant bank that's taking over the majority stake in Whataburger was founded by one of Warren Buffett's favorite investors. On Friday, news broke that BDT Capital Partners, a Chicago-based company, is becoming the majority shareholder of Whataburger. Theres a new shopping center in the works on the North Side near Huebner Road and Research Drive. Tacos N Salsa Mexican Cafe, Romelias Bakery & Specialties, Hon Machi Sushi & Teppanyaki, Smoothie King and Pirates Cove Car Wash are listed on a sign posted at the property. The site appears to be in Birnbaum Property Companys portfolio, and renderings show a retail strip center. A representative for Birnbaum didnt respond to a request for comment. Group fitness studio TruFusion may be opening a new location at The Rim shopping center, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Work on the 13,300-square-foot space is expected to conclude in November. TruFusion has a studio in Austin and plans to open one in Dallas, as well as locations outside Texas. Honchos, a food truck known for its churros, opens its first brick-and-mortar spot Friday, Staff Writer Chuck Blount reports. The restaurant is at 6421 Broadway. Another new restaurant, Makos on the Creek, also opened this week. The seafood grill and bar at 169 Buffalo Place in Cibolo has a large indoor dining area and an outside patio, Blount writes. A San Antonio staple, Pan American Restaurant and Party House, was recently demolished, Staff Writer Madalyn Mendoza reports. The former eatery at 1444 Division is now a pile of rubble. Discount store chain Five Below may be opening a new location at Loop 1604 and Potranco Road, a TDLR filing indicates. Work is expected to be finished in September. Gift retailer BoxLunch plans to open a new store at North Star Mall, according to its website. The business has a store at Ingram Park Mall. Work on the North Star Mall location is expected to conclude in October, according to a TDLR filing. Pluckers Wing Bar is opening its second San Antonio location July 8, the Austin-based company announced this week. The new restaurant is at 15651 Interstate 10 W., according to Blount. A longtime local restaurant couple is returning to San Antonio and opening Jubilee Cafe & Bakery later this month, Staff Writer Paul Stephen reports. Barbara and Bill Harris are the owners of the shuttered Daisy Tea Room, Apple Annies Tea Room, Sugarbakers and other eateries. Their latest venture, Jubilee, will be located at 555 E. Basse Road. madison.iszler@express-news.net This article, SpaceX pulls off dazzling Falcon 9 launch and landing in thick fog, originally appeared on CNET.com. SpaceX on Wednesday launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, containing the Canadian Space Agency's Radarsat trio of Earth observation satellites. The broadcast was telecast live on SpaceX's YouTube channel and it was a particularly interesting one -- the base was covered in fog. That provided a wonderful image of the Falcon 9 bursting through the layer of fog as it ascended to orbit (above). It also provided an interesting landing for the Falcon 9 booster as it returned to land at Vandenberg shortly after separation. If you missed it as it happened, you can watch a replay of the launch below. Canada's three Radarsat satellites, shaped like old rubber stamps, will gather data about the nation's coasts and waterways to help ships navigate the Arctic, provide agriculture solutions and help first responders save lives, according to the agency. The dimensions of the satellites are such that they're almost as big as a Tesla Roadster , but they're only half as heavy. Eventually the satellites will settle into an orbit around 600 kilometers (around 370 miles) above the Earth. For SpaceX, it's another flight for the Falcon 9 rocket, which delivered the Crew Dragon to the International Space Station in March. The first stage booster successfully returned to land at Vandenberg after separation. After the Radarsat mission, SpaceX will launch the Falcon Heavy for the third time on the STP-2 mission. That's scheduled to take place on June 24 (with a backup launch window on June 25). It's regarded as one of the most challenging launches in SpaceX history and will be attempting to deploy a suite of satellites into orbit for the Department of Defense. It'll also be carrying the Planetary Society's experimental solar sail, LightSail 2. Provided the Falcon Heavy core can be recovered in that mission, it'll be the first such success for SpaceX, which was unable to keep the core from toppling over in rough seas during the Arabsat mission. Originally published June 11, 6:05 p.m. PT. Update, June 12 at 9:01 a.m. and 6:09 p.m.: Confirmed launch and added details. Looking for some unusual summer fun? Lucy Cooper's Texas Ice House has you covered with a weekly vibrator races. An adult-themed descendant of chicken poop bingo and turtle races that have long been a staple of bar fun, the ice house is hosting "Good Vibrations" every Thursday at 9 p.m. until the end of August, owner Braunda Smith told mySA.com. "On Thursday, we roll into our B.O.B races, our battery operated boyfriend races," Smith laughed. "We are a 21 and up bar all the time, so this is just really good summer 'vibes' and a lot of fun." RELATED: Free festival for San Antonio UFO enthusiasts coming this summer Smith said they set up a track on the main stage and allow people to pick their racer, which is provided by the ice house participants are not to bring their own. About five or 10 minutes before the race starts, everyone involved grabs their card with the name of the racer, which are all "fun, tongue-in-cheek names," Smith said. "People get really excited for their little racer and they are actually like cheering on this inanimate object. It's so funny to watch," Smith said. "It's just fun to see everyone kind of giggle and have some good adult fun." RELATED: Two San Antonio drag storytime events coming up during Pride Month During the event, there are food and drinks specials as well, Smith said. Smith added that the bar also hosts a naughty bingo night every Wednesdays called "Not Your Grandma's Bingo" -- where the ice house gives out novelty gifts as prizes. "Life is meant to be enjoyed," Smith said. "I think the biggest thing we are just trying to push with these events is to not take yourself so seriously. It's summer and it's hot outside, so we just want everybody to have a good time." Priscilla Aguirre is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre A new national listicle from culture website Thrillist suggests a few Texas spots to go glamping, the term for camping luxuriously (think 2,000-thread-count sheets instead of a sleeping bag). Among them is a Marfa lodging with a cult following: EL Cosmico, 802 South Highland Avenue. The 22-acre campground features a variety of accommodations, from a Mongolian yurt to an Airstream camper, Sioux-style teepees or you can pack your own tent. Houston Chronicle: Book this yurt to channel your chic inner hippie in Marfa "The campground also offers several communal spaces like a hammock grove, outdoor dining area with barbecues and picnic tables, and a community lounge -- it feels like you're back in summer camp, only a little cooler," Thrillist says. Another place to stay in Marfa that we would recommend is the restored 1930s Hotel Paisano, 207 North Highland. It's well known among fans of cult classic 1956 movie "Giant" because many of the film's actors, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor included, stayed at this hotel. The classic, Spanish-style structure is a warm and quaint place to rest after a day of touring the artsy Texas town. TX TRAVEL: Vacation like you own a sprawling Texas ranch, even if you don't The other Texas glamping outpost on the site's list is Collective Retreats in the Texas Hill Country. "By partnering with landowners to utilize land that otherwise cannot be developed into hotels due to lack of infrastructure, Collective Retreats offers travelers picturesque backdrops they would otherwise be unable to experience," Thrillist reports. If Thrillist had asked us, we'd definitely recommend checking out the globes in Terlingua. Basecamp Terlingua offers separate, 225-square-foot inflated spheres that can be rented for a getaway at rustic resort Basecamp Terlingua, near Big Bend National Park. The clear bubble allows for uninterrupted views. Each bubble is outfitted with a queen-sized bed, full bathroom, coffee station with mini-fridge and a small indoor seating area with a view of the Chisos Mountains. Just outside the globes there's an additional outdoor shower and another seating area with a fire pit. Have you gone glamping in Texas? Which is your favorite spot? 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. Along with finding classes and new friends, an incoming UTSA freshman is sifting through overnight internet celebrity that's making him a popular face around campus long before the first day of school. "Good morning y'all" has been the repeated and upbeat message across Twitter, putting millions, including stars like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rob Kardashian, in a brighter mood. The voice and energetic personality behind it is that of Nicolas Cuadra, a recent Reagan High School graduate who is now about to start college at UTSA. Early in his final semester at Reagan, the 18-year-old started every school day with an energetic "Good morning, y'all" to the entire room, regardless of who was listening or half-asleep still. READ ALSO: S.A. friends become internet sensations for epic video of funny morning hype-up routine Cuadra's friend, Gabe Monterrubio, appreciated the positivity so much he started recording each time entry into the economics class. Neither the video man or the star expected the clip to have the reach it has had. "I doubt people would care that much about some kid saying, 'good morning,'" Cuadra said he told Monterrubio. Nevertheless, Monterrubio kept the camera rolling throughout the semester and on June 5, he released the entire compilation, saying "Only thing I'll miss about high school." After multiple versions of Monterrubio's original video was shared, it was clear the world was enamored by the enthusiasm. RELATED: San Antonio's UTSA love story that started at H-E-B ends up on 'Good Morning America' "And a fine morning to you too, sir," Gordon-Levitt replied to the video, while Kardashian said he was "crying." While Cuadra is feeling a little starstruck by the attention, he is being treated as a local celebrity in his own right on campus and the semester is still weeks from starting. More viral videos show other Roadrunners excitedly spotting Cuadra during orientation. He has amassed his own fanbase of people wanting to know more about him, including if he's single (he is not). "It's a little weird that so many people know who I am already before starting college, but it's pretty cool since I love meeting new people," he said. "So many people knew who I was when I went to orientation and it was cool to see how big the video really is and it's going to be a lot of fun to see who recognizes me when school starts." The attention is also translating online, where Cuadra's modest Instagram and Twitter following has grown to nearly 40,000 and 30,000 respectively. Cuadra's girlfriend saw the opportunity for a small merchandise launch and now he has his own line of t-shirts and stickers featuring his signature phrase. READ ALSO: 9-year-old girl in viral Jiu-Jitsu video is San Antonio's own pint-size powerhouse Monterrubio, who said he knew the video would go viral, just not to the extent that it has, is just happy to see his friend's genuine personality spreading far beyond their economics classroom. "He has to be the most positive upbeat person I've ever met, just a really kindhearted kid," he said. "It's really exciting that we were able to share Nico's addictive personality with the world." Will Cuadra carry on his cheerful morning tradition? He said "maybe," once he gets acquainted with his new classmates. Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye A letter from a neo-Nazi group landed in the mailbox of San Antonio's Folklores Coffee House, the South Side business owner says. Co-owner Tatu Herrera told mySA.com the letter from New Order was received Friday. Herrera posted a photo of the letter emblazoned with swastikas and a header that reads "White and Proud!" to the business' Facebook page. "I'm not really sure what to write, I'm furious, confused, a little bit of everything. I'm not sure if this is a joke or what but a couple of things," Herrera said in the post. "I don't put up with racism, 2nd you sent it to a business and addressed to business that obviously has nothing to do with racism, Nazism, white power, none of it. 3rd, it's a way of intimidation, you're going about it the wrong way. This definitely isn't the way. Thanks for scaring our staff. #lovehasnofear" Herrera said the letter contains information on how to "join the hate group." He said it has been reported to Southern Poverty Law Center, which is dedicated to "fighting hate and bigotry" through means of litigation, education and advocacy. RELATED: Flyers from neo-Nazi group makes appearance in San Antonio neighborhood again Milwaukee-based New Order is a successor to the American Nazi Party, which has Martin Kerr at the helm. In 2017, the group commemorated American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell in Arlington,Va., according to The Washington Post. At the time, Kerr said the gathering was to "test" that community's "commitment to diversity." "We're very encouraged generally about the mood of the country," he told The Washington Post. "We think things are moving towards radicalization and polarization. I know a lot of people think polarization is a bad thing, but we don't. The more racial polarization, the better." The San Antonio Police Department was unable to comment on the letter, since the verbiage was unclear from the photo and they have not been made aware of any report. Michael Martinez, public information officer for the local United States Postal Inspection Service, said based off Herrera's description of the verbiage, the letter is not illegal and there is nothing that prohibits groups from sending those types of solicitations. Any mailed form of threats or extortion would be illegal, he said. The SPLC was not immediately available to comment on the piece of mail. It's unclear if any other local businesses or residents received similar letters recently. Customers and friends of the shop who were upset by the letter replied in the comments of the post. "Your consistent push for inclusivity and community support is a testament that people such as the ones that sent this letter are on the steady decline," one person said. "The fact that this letter was even written reinforces that. We as a community are proud of the cultural melting pot that is our city." Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @MaddySkye Allegations of threats emerged at a hearing Friday regarding the siblings of King Jay Davila, a San Antonio baby whose body was found in a backpack and buried in a field in January. Childrens Court Associate Judge Richard Garcia conducted a hearing to receive updates on how the children of Jasmine Gonzales are doing while in temporary placement with Gonzales mother and step-grandfather. Gonzales is Kings mother. State Child Protective Services removed her other children from her care for the time being. During the proceedings Friday, the court heard allegations that Gonzales was making harassing phone calls to her parents about Jasmine McGill, a community activist who has been vetted by CPS and has been assisting the family through her nonprofit, Kings Angels. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox McGill said later that she had to file a police report because Gonzales made terroristic threats. The organization was formed in the wake of the death of King, who initially was reported missing in January by Gonzales fiance, Christopher Davila. He claimed to be the boys father and was caring for the 8-month-old at the time. Davila said the baby died by accident. Police said he tried to cover up the death by claiming the baby was taken during a car theft. It turned out to be a fake scheme carried out with the help of Davilas relatives, police said. A few days later, Davila led authorities to a shallow grave in a Northeast Side field where he had buried the baby. He faces several charges and remains in jail. Later, it was revealed that the boys father is Martin Gonzales, Jasmine Gonzales estranged husband who is in prison in Northeast Texas. On ExpressNews.com: Thats my blood: San Antonio man says his is the father of King Jay Jasmine Gonzales testified Friday that she did not want McGill to have contact with her children, stating that they are being told to keep secrets from their mother. She also said she did not want McGill to post anything on social media about her children. The judge ordered no social media posting about the children, especially pictures, but did not order McGill to cease contact with them. I don't have a problem with phone calls, Garcia told Gonzales. But, if you have nothing nice to say, dont call. Garcia set another hearing for July 2. This is a developing story. Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 A man found guilty this week of performing a sexual act on a flight to San Antonio was slapped Friday with a maximum $500 fine. U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Farrer said he believed Enrique Gonzalez, 49, who is originally from the San Antonio area, made a one time mistake when he masturbated on a United Airlines flight carrying 76 passengers on Feb. 3. Another passenger seated near Gonzalez witnessed the act and reported him to the flight crew. Related: Airplane passenger accused of trying the 'Mile High Club' on trial in San Antonio Gonzalez, who lived in California, faced a $500 fine and/or up to 90 days in jail. The judge didnt impose any jail time. His lawyer, David Cavazos, said during Fridays hearing that Gonzalez is a licensed physicians assistant who gave up that career to do missionary work. He was on his way back to Texas to come back and live here with his mom, who is dealing with Crohns disease and is not doing very good, Cavazos told the judge. He got carried away with his wife and made a horrible mistake, and hes remorseful for it. Gonzalezs case is a rare example of what happens to those caught performing sexual acts on planes, often referred to as joining the Mile High Club. Gonzalez was arrested when the plane landed, and he spent several hours at the Bexar County Jail. His wife paid $1,000 to bail him out. On a police body camera video played during Wednesdays trial, she acknowledged helping him with the sexual act, but said nothing was exposed because they were covered with a shawl. She was not charged. On ExpressNews.com: Passenger found guilty at San Antonio trial over Mile High Club incident At trial, the judge found Gonzalez guilty of a federal misdemeanor charge of lewd, indecent or obscene conduct in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. I am paying in heart and soul for my indiscretion on that dreadful evening, Gonzalez told the judge. I am most regretful to my family and my dear friends, for the embarrassment, the confusion ... this caused. They deserve better. Cavazos asked the judge to sentence Gonzalez only to the night he served in jail, with no fine or other additional time behind bars, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Bettina Richardson argued the crime called for more. Richardson noted that the flight crew believed there might be a confrontation between the outraged witness and Gonzalez. As flight attendant pointed out, this isnt only about the lewd conduct, Richardson said. It is about what it can turn into. 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 The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in figuring out what happened to a woman whose charred remains were found near a wooded trail at Government Canyon. On Wednesday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar revealed that the remains found on April 4 belonged to Norma Pacheco, 39. Did you notice that Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and U.S. President Donald Trump both claimed victory in the recent tariff standoff? The prospect of an ugly trade war between Mexico and the United States was never a win-win situation. Yet both sides say they won. Its absurd. This is all political theater, a pair of Mission Accomplished photo-ops on both sides of the border. Lopez Obrador riled up supporters in Tijuana, saying that Mexico had triumphed at the negotiating table and emerged with its national dignity intact. Mexico Wins! screamed the headline in one Mexican newspaper, while another said that Mexico had deactivated Trump. Lopez Obrador was cool and condescending, telling the crowd: To President Donald Trump I raise not a closed fist, but an open and honest hand. Meanwhile, Trump told his supporters via tweet that the tariffs he had threatened to impose against Mexico would be indefinitely suspended because of an agreement with Mexico to stop illegal immigration into the United States. For its part, Mexico supposedly agreed to send thousands of law enforcement officials to the Mexico-Guatemala border and also agreed to expand its policy of allowing asylum applicants to wait in Mexico while U.S. officials process their claims. According to press accounts, both concessions were made over the past six months. So they were not a result of the standoff. Regardless, Mexicos concessions arent worth more than a fistful of pesos. Youll recall that the United States has also, over the years, deployed thousands of law enforcement officials i.e., Border Patrol agents to the U.S.-Mexico border, along with thousands of National Guard troops. And it has still been unable to stop the flow of migrants. And whats the point of processing asylum claims in Mexico rather than the United States? It just delays the decision that Americans have to make about whether to take in these folks or ship them back home. Furthermore, the White House has an odd definition for what constitutes an agreement. Mexico gave up something, and the United States gave up nothing except a threat that it could never afford to make good on anyway. Thats not an agreement. Thats a stickup. To recap, against the advice of his own economic advisers and senators in his own party, Trump targeted, by some measures, our No. 1 trading partner and threatened to impose a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican goods, which was set to increase to 25 percent in four months. But a tariff isnt an attack on a foreign country. Its a tax on U.S. consumers. So if Trump had followed through which he insists he still might do if Mexico doesnt keep its promises the folks who would have paid the consequences live on this side of the border. It occurs to me that the relationship between Mexicans and Americans is very give-and-take. They give, we take. Mexicans already clean our homes, cut our lawns, fix our roofs, cook our food, wash our dishes, care for our elderly, wipe our kids noses, build our houses, care for our pets, shop for our groceries, tend to our livestock, pick our crops, make our beds and make our lives easier in countless other ways. If youre living an upper-middle-class lifestyle despite only earning middle-class wages because you can afford housekeepers and nannies at bargain prices, thank the Mexicans. If youre at all comforted by the fact that the Social Security system is bolstered by millions of dollars paid into the system by undocumented immigrants who will never collect what they put in, thats the Mexicans, too. Still, Trump wants the Mexicans to do even more and fix our broken immigration system. Americans wrecked it over the last few decades by injecting racism, letting employers off the hook, giving family unification priority over the needs of our labor market and failing to create adequate avenues for people to immigrate legally. So naturally its up to the Mexicans to restore order. Its bizarre. The same people who used to tell us that we couldnt trust Mexico to control immigration into the United States now assure us that we can trust Mexico to control immigration into the United States. Its also illogical. Here immigration restrictionists have spent decades insisting that Mexico is inferior, dysfunctional and corrupt. And now were supposed to believe that even with its flaws our neighbor can save us from our own destiny. ruben@rubennavarrette.com MDC-T leader, Dr Thokozani Khupe, yesterday condemned the rowdy behaviour of MDC Alliance supporters after they jeered her during the burial procession of the late Vimbai Tsvangirai-Java who was buried in Harare yesterday. This was after the director of ceremonies acknowledged the presence of Dr Khupe at Glen Forest Memorial Park where the body of Mrs Tsvangirai-Java was being laid to rest. The acknowledgement did not go well with MDC supporters with some calling for Dr Khupe to leave the place. The incident was a strong reminder of the violent incident last year where thugs attacked Dr Khupe and others at the burial of MDC founding president, Morgan Tsvangirai, at Humanikwa Village in Buhera, threatening to burn her alive in a hut. Speaking on the sidelines of the burial ceremony, Dr Khupe condemned the behaviour and called on MDC-A supporters to stop politicising funerals. As you can see today is a sad moment for all of us where we have come to mourn the passing on of Honourable Vimbai and also to celebrate her life. She was our founding presidents daughter and we had lived with her all our lives. But when people come to mourn, they must mourn. This culture of coming to funerals to hijack and turn them into political rallies must come to an end, and I mean this culture must come to a stop. It is unacceptable, it is uncultured, it is not Zimbabwean and I have never seen that, she said. We have opportunities to go out there and do rallies, but to do that here is unacceptable, I have never seen such. Even the one who has departed, I dont think she is happy, if they can indeed see I dont think they are happy with what they see here today. When people come to funerals, they must do exactly what they have gone there for, I hope and trust that these people will learn and change their behaviour especially when we come to funerals, people should also respect the dead. Dr Khupe also spoke about the ongoing national political dialogue where she said the initiative is good for the people of Zimbabwe. When we are in dialogue, we are doing it for Zimbabweans, we are saying we want things to change but we cannot change things by going out there throwing stones, by burning tyres, by destroying peoples shops but we only resolve issues by discussing issues and this is what some of us are doing. Chronicle Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News Apostle Talent Chiwenga, who bashes the corrupt and calls out Zanu PF leaders for misrule during his sermons, says an accident that claimed the lives of his wife and two others on Wednesday was an assassination attempt. Chiwenga was the only survivor after his vehicle rolled several times near Masvingo, he says after he was forced off the road by a vehicle coming in the opposite direction. Before going into surgery on Thursday, Chiwenga recorded a video from his hospital bed, blaming the accident on cruel politicians and adding: If God wants me to live and continue with my assignment, he will save my life. Im not afraid of dying, there is a better place than this earth. Two weeks ago, Chiwenga wrote to President Emmerson Mnangagwa complaining that he was being followed by state security agents. He has previously been in the crosshairs of vice president Constantino Chiwenga for giving a prophecy about the imminent death of two high-profile politicians. Chiwenga is being treated at Makurira Memorial Clinic in Masvingo for concussion to his head, a fractured arm, three broken fingers and broken ribs, he revealed. Chiwenga, who was driving to Harare after attending church conferences in South Africa, recalled how they arrived in Masvingo at about 4PM on Tuesday and sought a mechanic to fix a broken fan belt. The repair took three hours, he said. After the vehicle was fixed, he said he decided to relieve one Baba Kanyuchi, who had driven up to Masvingo. About 20km after passing the tollgate, I looked around and everyone was asleep. My average speed was 100km/h, and the maximum I drove was 120km/h owing to the fan belt problem. I then saw a car coming from the Harare side, that car swerved into my lane and I flashed the driver with my headlights to show him that he was doing something wrong, Chiwenga said, speaking with surprising clarity but appearing to be in pain. The other driver appeared like he wanted to have a collision with me. It looked like a Toyota one tonne truck or Toyota Hilux, but it had a bumper on it and some yellow lamps on top of the roof. When I tried to avoid the other vehicle by leaving the road, both front wheels got into a ditch or went over a hump, producing a great noise. My car swerved back into the road but I realised I was no longer in control, the steering wheel was more loose than it usually is. When we crossed the road, we faced directly to a tree. When I tried to turn the car back to avoid that tree, it overturned and that was the last time I remember. I woke up after an hour maybe, there were a lot of people around. Baba Kanyuchi said dont mention your name, they (assassins) could be still here. People used axes to get me out. It is sad to realise that my colleagues have lost their lives. I can assure you that this was not an ordinary accident. When we arrived at Beitbridge, the immigration officer took my passport and went away for about two-and-a-half minutes, saying he wanted to use another scanner. My suspicion is that there were people who knew we had gone to South Africa and they were waiting for us. Chiwenga is in no doubt that the other vehicle involved in the incident had forced him off the road. He believes they did not finish him off because they thought I was dying; I was bleeding a lot. His wife, Baba Kanyuchi and a Mai Vhurumuku died at the accident scene. I dont think it was necessary for them to kill my wife this is the cruelty of our politicians. I hope God is going to forgive those that are behind this, he said. Apostle Chiwenga was driven to hospital by another motorist, he says after an ambulance called to the crash scene took too long. If that well-wisher had not driven me to the hospital on time, I would be dead. I dont know who that person was, but Im grateful to them, and all the others that helped me. Im in pain because I lost the mother of my children. Whos going to take care of my children? I dont know, Chiwenga said in the 13-minute video. He said should he not survive the operation, he was assigning a Pastor Baloyi, and a Pastor Marange to take over as leaders of his church, the Jesus Revelation Ministries. In my absence, God is going to help you to steer this ministry wherever it wants to go. You need to be stronger than you were before. The doctrine of Christ that I taught you, theres no way you can forget it, he said. I dont have any regret. I have preached the word with a clear conscience. If the will of God is that this is my time to go, I have no better place to go than where he wants me to go. Watch video below: ZimLive Breaking News via Email Loading... Related Zimbabwe Latest News By Glory M. Liu, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Political Theory Project at Brown University with research interests in the history of political thought, American politics and political economy. She is currently working on a book project titled Inventing the Invisible Hand: Adam Smith in American Thought and Politics, 1776-Present. Cross-posted from Alternet. People like to fight over Adam Smith. To some, the Scottish philosopher is the patron saint of capitalism who wrote that great bible of economics, The Wealth of Nations (1776). Its doctrine, his followers claim, is that unfettered markets lead to economic growth, making everyone better off. In Smiths now-iconic phrase, its the invisible hand of the market, not the heavy hand of government, that provides us with freedom, security and prosperity. To others, such as the Nobel prizewinning economist Joseph Stiglitz, Smith is the embodiment of a neoliberal fantasy that needs to be put to rest, or at least revised. They question whether economic growth should be the most important goal, point to the problems of inequality, and argue that Smiths system would not have enabled massive accumulations of wealth in the first place. Whatever your political leanings, one thing is clear: Smith speaks on both sides of a longstanding debate about the fundamental values of modern market-oriented society. But these arguments over Smiths ideas and identity are not new. His complicated reputation today is the consequence of a long history of fighting to claim his intellectual authority. Smiths first biographer, Dugald Stewart, deliberately portrayed him in the 1790s as an introverted, awkward genius whose magnum opus was an apolitical handbook of sorts. Stewart downplayed Smiths more politically subversive moments, such as his blistering criticism of merchants, his hostility towards established religion, and his contempt for national prejudice, or nationalism. Instead, Stewart shined a spotlight on what he believed was one of the most important opinions in The Wealth of Nations: that Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things. Stewarts biography (first delivered as an eulogy in 1793, then published in 1794 and 1795) appeared in the wake of major events that terrified British audiences: the French Revolution of 1789, the Reign of Terror that followed and the sedition trials that followed in both England and Scotland. As the British historian Emma Rothschild has shown, Stewarts depiction of Smiths ideas cherrypicked in order to imbue political economy with scientific authority. She writes that he wanted to portray political economy as an innocuous, technical sort of subject, to help construct a politically safe legacy for Smith during politically dangerous times. Stewarts effort marked the beginning of Smiths association with conservative economics. Smith would soon earn a reputation as the father of the science of political economy what we now know as economics. Initially, political economy was a branch of moral philosophy; studying political economy would equip future statesmen with the principles for making a nation wealthy and happy. From the 1780s to the mid-19th century, The Wealth of Nations was often used as a textbook in political economy courses in the US. Even when new textbooks and treatises on political economy were published, they were often compared with the standard treatise on the Science of Political Economy, in the words of one 19th-century American scholar. That founding-father status took Smiths ideas far. Politics became the arena in which his ideas and economic ideas in general were tried, tested and wielded. Politicians found much in Smith to support their beliefs, but the invisible hand had yet to become a catchphrase of capitalism. In the US, congressmen invoked Smiths name to bolster their positions on the tariff. In 1824, George McDuffie of South Carolina defended his position on free trade upon the authority of Adam Smith, who has done more to enlighten the world of political economy than any man of modern times. He is the founder of the science. By the second half of the 19th century, Smith was being dubbed the apostle of free trade. Even those who championed protectionism appealed to his ideas, often only to delegitimise them. The chief object of protection is to develop the home trade, one congressman declared in 1859, and in this it has the sanction of the apostle of free trade, Adam Smith himself. This sloganising of Smiths name and ideas is perhaps most recognisable to us today in the phrase the invisible hand. Its popularity as a political catchphrase stems from the rising so-called Chicago School economists in the mid- to late-20th century, of whom Milton Friedman is a prominent example. Smiths metaphor of the invisible hand was a central theme in much of Friedmans public-facing works op-eds, television shows, public debates, speeches and bestselling books. In 1977, Friedman described the invisible hand as representing the price system: the way in which voluntary acts of millions of individuals each pursuing his own objectives could be coordinated, without central direction, through a price system. This insight marked The Wealth of Nations as the beginning of scientific economics. What is more, Friedman also linked Smith with American founding values. Thomas Jeffersons Declaration of Independence was the political twin of Smiths Wealth of Nations, according to Friedman in 1988, and economic freedom was a prerequisite for political freedom in America. In popular imagination, Smiths invisible hand has become so strongly associated with Friedmans openly conservative economic agenda that people often take for granted that is what Smith meant. Many scholars have argued the contrary. Indeed, it is easy to forget that Smith who he was, is, and what he stands for has been invented and reinvented by different people, writing and arguing in different times, for different purposes. It can be tempting to dismiss some past interpretations and uses of Smith as quaint, superficial, misleading or wrong. But they also reveal something about how and why we read him. Smiths value has always been political, and its often politicised. But much of that value stems from assumptions about the neutrality and objectivity of the science he invented when, in fact, those assumptions are ones that his later readers projected onto him. Smith was a scientist, no doubt, but his science of man (in David Humes phrasing) was not value-free. At the same time, we should be wary of reading his science through the lens of a single normative value whether that is freedom, equality, growth or something else. Adam Smiths works remain vital because our need to identify and understand the values of a market society, to take advantage of its unique powers and temper its worst impulses, is as important as at any time in the previous two centuries. Economic ideas carry immense power. They have changed the world as much as armies and navies. The extraordinary breadth and sophistication of Smiths thought reminds us that economic thinking can not and should not be separated from moral and political decisions. Yes, Saturns Rings Are Awesome NASAs Cassini Showed Us Just HOW Awesome. Space.com Giants Of The Monsoon Forest Explores The Lives Of Working Elephants In Asia NPR Empire of Meat The Baffler Rising methane: A new climate challenge Science Exxon, Saudis Bet on Plastics Growth in Giant Gulf Coast Plant Bloomberg Answering Questions About Nuclear Power Neurologica Blog (TP). Hundreds Of U.S. Flights Canceled As GPS-Based Aircraft Navigation System Fails Forbes. From last week, still germane. Syraqistan China? Brexit UK signs Assange extradition papers to US Politico Trump Transition Maine shakes up debate with tough internet privacy law The Hill 2020 Imperial Collapse Watch Amy Chua and the big little lies of US meritocracy FT Class Warfare The radical plan to change how Harvard teaches economics Vox (FM). From May, still highly germane. The Standard Errors of Persistence (PDF) Morgan Kelly, Centre for Economic Policy Research. Important? Change Agent: Gene Sharps Neoliberal Nonviolence (Part One) Marcie Smith, Nonsite.org. Todays must-read. Antidote du Jour (via): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here By Michael Hudson, a research professor of Economics at University of Missouri, Kansas City, and a research associate at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. His latest book is and forgive them their debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption from Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year. President Trump has threatened Chinas President Xi that if they dont meet and talk at the upcoming G20 meetings in Japan, June 29-30, the United States will not soften its tariff war and economic sanctions against Chinese exports and technology. Some meeting between Chinese and U.S. leaders will indeed take place, but it cannot be anything like a real negotiation. Such meetings normally are planned in advance, by specialized officials working together to prepare an agreement to be announced by their heads of state. No such preparation has taken place, or can take place. Mr. Trump doesnt delegate authority. He opens negotiations with a threat. That costs nothing, and you never know (or at least, he never knows) whether he can get a freebee. His threat is that the U.S. can hurt its adversary unless that country agrees to abide by Americas wish-list. But in this case the list is so unrealistic that the media are embarrassed to talk about it. The US is making impossible demands for economic surrender that no country could accept. What appears on the surface to be only a trade war is really a full-fledged Cold War 2.0. Americas Wish List: Other Countries Neoliberal Subservience At stake is whether China will agree to do what Russia did in the 1990s: put a Yeltsin-like puppet of neoliberal planners in place to shift control of its economy from its government to the U.S. financial sector and its planners. So the fight really is over what kind of planning China and the rest of the world should have: by governments to raise prosperity, or by the financial sector to extract revenue and impose austerity. U.S. diplomacy aims to make other countries dependent on its agricultural exports, its oil (or oil in countries that U.S. majors and allies control), information and military technology. This trade dependency will enable U.S. strategists to impose sanctions that would deprive economies of basic food, energy, communications and replacement parts if they resist U.S. demands. The objective is to gain financial control of global resources and make trade partners pay interest, licensing fees and high prices for products in which the United States enjoys monopoly pricing rights for intellectual property. A trade war thus aims to make other countries dependent on U.S.-controlled food, oil, banking and finance, or high-technology goods whose disruption will cause austerity and suffering until the trade partner surrenders. Chinas Willingness to Give Trump a Win Threats are cheap, but Mr. Trump cant really follow through without turning farmers, Wall Street and the stock market, Walmart and much of the IT sector against him at election time if his tariffs on China increase the cost of living and doing business. His diplomatic threat is really that the US will cut its own economic throat, imposing sanctions on its own importers and investors if China does not acquiesce. It is easy to see what Chinas answer will be. It will stand aside and let the US self-destruct. Its negotiators are quite happy to offer whatever China has planned to do anyway, and let Trump brag that this is a concession he has won. China has a great sweetener that I think President Xi Jinping should offer: It can nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. We know that he wants what his predecessor Barack Obama got. And doesnt he deserve it more? After all, he is helping to bring Eurasia together, driving China and Russia into an alliance with neighboring counties, reaching out to Europe. Trump may be too narcissistic to realize the irony here. Catalyzing Asian and European trade independence, financial independence, food independence and IT independence from the threat of U.S. sanctions will leave the U.S. isolated in the emerging multilateralism. Americas Wish for a Neoliberal Chinese Yeltsin (and Another Russian Yeltsin for That Matter) A good diplomat does not make demands to which the only answer can be No. There is no way that China will dismantle its mixed economy and turn it over to U.S. and other global investors. It is no secret that the United States achieved world industrial supremacy in the late 19th and early 20th century by heavy public-sector subsidy of education, roads, communication and other basic infrastructure. Todays privatized, financialized and Thatcherized economies are high-cost and inefficient. Yet U.S. officials persist in their dream of promoting some neoliberal Chinese leader or free market party to wreak the damage that Yeltsin and his American advisors wrought on Russia. The U.S. idea of a win-win agreement is one in which China will be permitted to grow as long as it agrees to become a U.S. financial and trade satellite, not an independent competitor. Trumps trade tantrum is that other countries are simply following the same economic strategy that once made America great, but which neoliberals have destroyed here and in much of Europe. U.S. negotiators are unwilling to acknowledge that the United States has lost its competitive industrial advantage and become a high-cost rentier economy. Its GDP is empty, consisting mainly of the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) rents, profits and capital gains while the nations infrastructure decays and its labor is reduced to a prat-time gig economy. Under these conditions the effect of trade threats can only be to speed up the drive by other countries to become economically self-reliant. Everyones favourite food secrets are back for a fifth season! Go behind the scenes of the factories churning out delicious sweets, old-time classics and the new generation of artisanal treats. Wednesdays from 9:30pm AEDT. (Natural News) Its becoming more and more obvious that the American Left is really no different from the Communist Left of the former Soviet Union or the Left-wing authoritarianism practiced by Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. And nowhere is this more evident than the manner in which the progressive-owned social media behemoths operate. While platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter ban conservative journalists and news organizations because they simply dont like their political perspectives or their exposure of nonsensical, destructive Leftist policies, they have no problems allowing actual terrorist groups to retain a voice. As the Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday, Twitter has allowed foreign terrorist groups like Palestinian-based, Iran-supported Hamas to retain their accounts, but longtime users Alex Jones, Natural News, and Project Veritas have been booted off. The absurdity has come to the attention of some lawmakers: Members of Congress petitioned Twitter on Wednesday to ban accounts linked to several foreign terrorist groups, including the Palestinian Hamas organization, according to a letter sent to the social networking site. In a letter to San Francisco-based Twitter, 16 lawmakers urged Twitter CEO and founder Jack Dorsey to take down all content promoting terrorist activity, as well as deplatforming senior Hamas officials and associates from Twitter who radicalize individuals to incite violence against Israelis, the group noted. Perhaps unsurprisingly, based on its reputation for booting individuals and media organizations that do real reporting and dont serve as propaganda outlets for groups favored by the American Left (Israel isnt; Arab terrorists are), Twitter has become a haven for militant organizations, with leaders of said groups using the platform as a means of communicating with like-minded followers. Ironically or hypocritically Twitter claims it is cracking down on any speech considered to foster or promote hate and violence, though in the past thats really just been an excuse to target conservative speech. Providing a social media platform for terrorists is against the law That said, some on the Left have been subjected to bans as well, but the platform has a spotty record, at best, of taking action against organizations that actually call for violence against political enemies and actually takes violent action (including murder) against opponents namely, radical Islamic organizations that promote terrorist activity via Twitter. (Related: Americas left-wing communists openly plot mass assassinations through Twitter groups.) Some U.S. lawmakers and reform advocates say that Dorseys company could actually be giving aid and comfort material support for these terrorist organizations just by giving them a social media platform, which is not allowed under federal law. Congress has already determined that providing material support, resources, and intangible assistance to a [Foreign Terrorist Organization] is a federal crime, wrote the lawmakers, led by Republican Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), co-chairs of the House Republican Israel Caucus. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has upheld that federal law prohibiting individuals and groups from providing material support to FTOs does not violate the First Amendment, they said in their letter. It is imperative that Twitter, a United States Company, bans designated FTOs, removing all content promoting terrorist activity. Every year, Hamas uses Twitter to gather mass participation for its Days of Rage against Israel, the lawmakers wrote, an event that creates a national security threat for the Jewish state and almost always results in violence and death. The lawmakers said that should Twitter ignore their request, they are prepared to offer legislation aimed at requiring accounts belonging to terrorist groups be banned though in todays political environment, with Democrats running the House, such legislation would never pass because the Left would reject it. Since there are already laws on the books, its going to be incumbent upon the Trump Justice Department and other appropriate government enforcement agencies to take action against Twitter should the company refuse on its own to do the right thing. Read more about how the tech giants are promoting worldwide terrorism at TechGiants.news and Terrorism.news. Sources include: FreeBeacon.com NewsTarget.com (Natural News) A Mexican startup is turning the tons of agricultural waste produced by avocado farms into useful products. Named Biofase, the company uses a technique that converts the discarded pits of the fruit into bioplastic, which in turn is used to make biodegradable plastic products. Biofase set up shop in the Mexican state of Michoacan, the center of the countrys avocado industry. One of its factories gathers the unwanted seeds and turns them into bioplastic, while the other one transforms the plastics into drinking straws and cutlery. These disposable plastic products are supposedly capable of being broken down by natural processes such as sunlight and bacterial action at a much faster rate than conventional plastics. They will thus pose less of a danger to the environment, animals, and human health. Our family of biodegradable resins can be processed by all conventional methods of plastic molding, the company posted on its official Twitter account. (Related: Researchers study fungi to turn food waste into sustainable bioplastic.) Mexican company turns avocado pits into biodegradable plastics Scott Munguia founded Biofase in 2013. A biochemical engineer by training, he came up with the process of turning avocado pits into biodegradable plastics after much trial and error. During his time as a student, Munguia desired a solution to the problem of plastic pollution. He decided to look for a renewable and reliable source of raw materials with which he could manufacture biodegradable plastics. He tested the seeds of various fruits such as mango and mamey for their potential to serve as ingredients for the bioplastics. Eventually, he selected avocados, a primary agricultural product of Mexico. Munguia spent more than a year searching for an efficient way to extract a molecular compound from the pit of the fruit. In turn, the molecule provided a biopolymer suitable for molding into various shapes. Most conventional plastics come from fossil fuels. They can last for more than a century before the elements finally degrade the plastic pieces into their harmless constituents. In comparison, the Biofase-manufactured bioplastics are designed to start degrading after spending 240 days outdoors or in a landfill, where most plastic trash ends up. Bioplastic cutlery and straws that are 100 percent biodegradable In 2015, Munguia set up the first avocado pit processing plant in Morelia, Michoacan. The facility gathered the seeds, converted them into eco-friendly bioplastics, and sold the plastics as raw materials for other companies to turn into finished products. By 2016, Biofase built a second plant. This one took bioplastics manufactured from the earlier facility and turned the material into single-use plastic forks, knives, and spoons. Later, the second plant began producing disposable straws as well. A third plant operated in Mochoacan. People are still reluctant to pay more for [a product] that protects the environment, Munguia earlier remarked regarding the difficulty of getting people to change their habits from fossil fuel-based plastics to bioplastics. Since then, Mexican municipalities began banning disposable plastics, starting with Queretaros 2017 ban on the use of disposable plastic bags. The increasing number of initiatives, laws, and regulations passed at the state and municipal levels in Mexico drove companies and consumers to start looking for biodegradable alternatives. Biofase claims that it is the only biopolymer manufacturer in Mexico and the leading producer in Latin America. Its bioplastic materials and products go to a dozen countries, including Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the United States, Peru, and Mexico itself. The plants can convert 15 metric tons of avocado pits each day. It produces 130 metric tons of biodegradable plastic products every month. Forty percent of its productions are disposable straws, with the rest being plastic cutlery. Sources include: EcoWatch.com MexicoNewsDaily.com Sergio Taylor once dreamed of becoming a police officer but actual police in the East Bay say the Oakland mans dream has crossed into criminal behavior. Taylor was back in court Thursday after an Oakland Police Officer claims he spotted him pulling someone over Sunday. The officers said Taylor was driving a Chevy Impala that had a blue and red flashing light on the dashboard. He said he wasn't able to catch up to Taylor who allegedly got in his car and raced towards the freeway, but Taylor said it wasn't him and says hr has an alibi to prove it. "I never identified myself as a police officer. Ive always identified myself as security, same thing as it says on my uniform," Taylor said. "I dont know how someone would be able to identify themselves as police when it clearly states in broad daylight 'Security.'" If you scroll through Taylor's social media however, you could mistake him for a sworn officer. He poses with what appears to be a badge, duty belt, body camera and even a canine officer. Taylor said he works for a security company based in Oakland names All About Security. NBC Bay Area reached out to them but have not heard back. The judge increased Taylor's bail to $45,000 Thursday, he'll return to court Friday to prove he's made bail. Google development in downtown San Jose could result in $235 million in rent increases by 2030 if nearly 5,300 affordable homes and 12,500 market-rate homes do not enter the market, according to a report released Wednesday by a San Jose nonprofit. The city approved a $110 million "mega-campus" for Google in December after immense pushback from local residents who said the move would aggravate gentrification and already-skyrocketing housing prices in Silicon Valley. The city expects to collect 24.8 million in property tax revenue from the roughly 7 million square-foot project each year, according to the study, but a lack of sufficient housing could cost renters $127.4 million from rents almost five times as high as they are now. Residents and activists gathered with the nonprofit Working Partnerships USA outside City Hall on Wednesday attributed the jump in rents to the "Google Effect," which could cause property values to soar around the lucrative development. The project will, however, include a community benefits plan to create investments in local programs. Jeffrey Buchanan, policy director at Working Partnerships USA, said Google has the responsibility to go above and beyond in public commitment due to the large amount of public resources, such as land and transit assets, being dedicated to the project. "We think the community benefits plan is an opportunity for Google to really play a leadership role in investing and preventing displacement," Buchanan said. Drawing from Google's contributions to Mountain View for its headquarters in 2015, he said this could mean as much as $900 million in impact fees and community benefits toward housing and other resources in San Jose. This could mitigate the findings of Wednesday's report, which predicts an $816 annual rent hike by 2030 for San Jose residents, $756 for renters countywide and an increasing, pre-existing rent burden for communities of color. "There's a number of ways that we think Google, adding it all up, can work with the city and work with the community to address these impacts, but it's going to take real leadership and commitment to developing without displacement," Buchanan said. The project is currently passing through two or more years of planning, design and review before the final development is approved for construction. It will be master planned by a single developer and the city is requiring that 25 percent of its 3,000 projected homes be affordable housing. The mega-campus will have room for nearly 20,000 employees, and city leaders hope it will provide a core for a future transit hub connecting BART, high-speed rail, Caltrain and other public transit at the Diridon Station. Streets that were closed due to a house fire in San Mateo Thursday morning have been re-opened, according to San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department. Fire crews responded to a two-alarm fire in the 1100 block of Norton Street around 11 a.m. Thursday. Several neighboring streets as well as the Kehoe Avenue off-ramp from northbound U.S. Highway 101 were closed in response to the fire. The first crews to arrive saw heavy smoke coming from the rear of the home. They immediately "went into rescue mode" and entered the main house but found no one inside, according to Fire Marshal Robert Marshall. The fire spread to two outbuildings, destroying one and damaging the other, Marshall said. The approximately 30 firefighters who arrived in 14 fire engines that were called to the location brought the fire under control in about 45 minutes, according to Marshall. Occupants of the home got out in time, and did not suffer any injuries. The Kehoe off-ramp from northbound Highway 101 was re-opened after a couple of hours, Marshall said. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, according to Marshall. The man accused of the New Zealand mosque attacks smirked as his lawyer entered not guilty pleas to terrorism, murder and attempted murder charges Friday before a judge who set his trial for next May. The courtroom was filled with 80 survivors and family members of the 51 who were slain, while about another 60 watched the hearing on video in an overflow room at the Christchurch High Court. Four cultural advisers and other staff were assigned to help the victims and family members understand the proceedings and the next steps in the case. A man who addressed the survivors said they had been praying during the holy month of Ramadan and that the Muslim community would help and support each other during the coming weeks and months. Brenton Tarrant, the 28-year-old Australian accused of the attacks, appeared at the hearing via video link from a small room at the maximum security prison in Auckland where he's being held. The link was muted and he didn't attempt to speak. Other than smirking a couple of times, Tarrant showed little emotion during the hearing. When Judge Cameron Mander asked if he could hear and see what was going on in the courtroom, Tarrant nodded. At times he looked around the room and stretched his neck. The judge did not allow cameras or video in the courtroom although did approve a sketch artist commissioned by The Associated Press. Tarrant has been charged with 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one terrorism charge in relation to the March 15 shootings. Mander said the findings of two mental-health assessments showed Tarrant had no issues related to his ability to enter pleas and stand trial. The assessments are standard in murder cases. The judge scheduled a six-week trial to begin May 4. Tarrant will remain in custody ahead of his next hearing in mid-August. Outside the court, police and court security staff escorted a man away after he got into an argument with survivors and family members, who later said the man was saying things supportive of white supremacist ideology. Police said they arrested a 33-year-old man and charged him with disorderly behavior. Janna Ezat wore a shirt that she'd designed which featured an image of her son Hussein Al-Umari, who was killed in the attacks. She said the court hearing had made her angry. "Before I was OK and calm and believe in this life my son died and he is in a good place," she said. "But when I saw the terrorist, he was just, he's nothing. Just sitting like that. Pretending that he's innocent and nothing is wrong." She said she thought the shooter deserved to be given the death penalty, even though New Zealand no longer institutes the punishment. "It's not easy to lose your child. Not only my child, but 50 people," Ezat said. "It's unfair. It's unfair. And he was laughing." Abdul Aziz, who is considered a hero for confronting the gunman at the Linwood mosque, said he wouldn't say the suspect's name. "He's a coward. And behind the cell he's laughing," Aziz said. "He should have laughed when I faced him. Then I would see how he laugh. He run like a dog. He run like a chicken." In the March 15 attacks during Friday prayers, 42 worshippers were killed at the Al Noor mosque and seven were killed at the Linwood mosque. Two more people died later at the Christchurch Hospital. The shooter livestreamed much of the attack on Facebook. Tarrant had earlier published a 74-page manifesto espousing a white supremacist philosophy and detailing his plans to attack the mosques. New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed never to say the accused man's name. Last month she helped lead a global pledge named the "Christchurch Call," aimed at boosting efforts to keep internet platforms from being used to spread hate, organize extremist groups and broadcast attacks. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has hired a new lawyer, a former federal prosecutor who has earned the praise of President Donald Trump and repeatedly denigrated the Russia investigation. Trump took notice of Flynn's new legal representation, calling Sidney Powell a "GREAT LAWYER" and wishing luck to them both on Twitter. Powell responded, "Thank you Mr. President!!" and "I'm honored." The change in lawyers, especially to one with a publicly combative stance toward special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, may herald a shift in Flynn's legal strategy in the final stages of his case. And Trump's words of support for Flynn and his new attorney reflect the president's continued interest in, and occasional sympathy for, some of his former aides entangled in the investigation. Flynn became a key cooperator for Mueller after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations during the presidential transition period with the Russian ambassador to the United States. He was supposed to have been sentenced in December, but the hearing was abruptly cut short after Flynn asked to postpone it so that he could continue cooperating with the Justice Department and earn additional credit toward a reduced sentence. Powell has been an outspoken critic of Mueller's investigation. On Twitter, she advertises a T-shirt with cartoonish images of Mueller and his team bearing the slogan "Creeps on a Mission." She is also the author of a book titled "Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice." She confirmed in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that she was Flynn's new lawyer. Asked about a subpoena for his records and testimony announced Thursday by the House intelligence committee, Powell said, "The General is continuing to cooperate with the government" but otherwise declined to comment. Mueller's investigation ended in March with a report that found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to tip the outcome of the 2016 presidential election in Trump's favor. But it did not reach a conclusion on whether the president had obstructed justice. It is not clear how much additional legal work is required for Flynn as he awaits sentencing. In a recent court filing, Flynn's former lawyers, Robert Kelner and Stephen Anthony, revealed that they had been fired but they did not say why. At Flynn's December hearing, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan declared himself disgusted by Flynn and raised the question of whether his actions amounted to treason. He later backpedaled and said he didn't mean to suggest that they did. Powell told AP in February that she was sitting with members of the Flynn family on the day of that hearing. "I was absolutely stunned," Powell told AP. "The first thing that stunned me was that the judge had the facts all wrong. Here we are in a high-profile case like this involving false statements, and Judge Sullivan comes out with false information and a complete misunderstanding of the facts of the case, and he had the chance to prepare for it. I was flabbergasted." Trump has long taken a keen interest in Flynn's case, wishing him luck on the morning of his sentencing last December. Trump's former attorney John Dowd left Kelner a phone message last year in which he asked for a heads-up if Flynn had incriminating information about Trump that he planned to share with prosecutors. ___ Smith reported from Providence, Rhode Island. The topic of reparations for slavery is headed to Capitol Hill for its first hearing in more than a decade with writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and actor Danny Glover set to testify before a House panel. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is scheduled to hold the hearing next Wednesday, its stated purpose "to examine, through open and constructive discourse, the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, its continuing impact on the community and the path to restorative justice." The date of the hearing, June 19, coincides with Juneteenth, a cultural holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people in America. Former Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the longtime sponsor of House Resolution 40, first proposed the measure calling for a study of reparations in 1989. Conyers reintroduced the bill every session until his resignation in 2017 . Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, the resolution's new sponsor, introduced it earlier this year and pushed for next week's hearing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in February that she supports a reparations study, a topic that hasn't been the subject of a House hearing since 2007. Reparations had been a fringe issue and occasional punchline until Coates' 2014 essay in The Atlantic, "The Case for Reparations," thrust the topic back into the national discourse. Glover, an activist as well as the star of the "Lethal Weapon" movies and the classics "The Color Purple" and "A Rage in Harlem," has spoken in favor of the issue for years. In an interview with Coates as he prepared to leave office, President Barack Obama questioned the implementation of reparations but not the concept. And in a conversation Coates had earlier this year with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the popular progressive endorsed reparations. The reparations debate became part of the 2020 presidential race early, as several Democratic presidential primary candidates signaled their support for compensating the descendants of slaves, though not in the traditional sense of direct payouts to black Americans. Most have been vague on more specific ideas, but they have instead offered policies addressing economic inequality that could disproportionately benefit black people. The brother-in-law of former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has been found guilty of rape, stalking, kidnapping, witness intimidation and other offenses, according to the Norfolk District Attorney's Office. Bernard Sigh, 67, of Milton, was found guilty of the charges Thursday in Norfolk Superior Court. He was arrested in December 2017 after a woman told police he hid in a closet in her Milton apartment wearing only underwear. She said he grabbed her, preventing her from leaving. His attorney had said Sigh shared the apartment with the woman on an alternating basis, had reason to be there and didn't mean to frighten her. Following his appearance in Quincy District Court that December, Sigh was eventually released on bail, but then placed into custody after he violated probation by contacting the victim in April 2018. "Despite the added pressure surrounding this case, among other barriers, this victim demonstrated great courage and resolve in pushing through to todays resolution," Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said. "Not every sexual assault or domestic violence victim is positioned to endure the burdens our system places on them this victim deserves our support and gratitude." Sigh was previously convicted in 1993 after he pleaded guilty to spousal rape in California. He will be sentenced on June 24. He faces a maximum of 20 years in state prison on the rape convictions and a minimum-mandatory sentence of 1 year for the conviction on stalking due to a violation of a protective order. Warning: Details may be disturbing for some readers. An attorney representing the father of an infant child who was cut from his mother's womb in Chicago called for new charges against the trio accused in the case after the baby died weeks after his mother's murder. "The baby did not just die - the baby was murdered," Attorney Frank Avila said Friday. The infant boy who was cut from his mother's womb with a butcher knife died Friday at a hospital where he had been in grave condition since the April attack that killed 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa, a family spokeswoman said. "It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of baby Yovanny Jadiel Lopez," family spokeswoman Julie Contreras said in a statement. "He passed away this morning, Friday, June 14, 2019 from his severe brain injury." "Please keep his family in your thoughts & prayers as they go through this difficult time," her statement continued, adding that the funeral would be a private event for family only. Avila said during a news conference Friday that the family hopes to bury the baby with his mother. "I ask State's Attorney Kim Foxx and her staff to please indict these vicious evil murderers for killing this beautiful baby," Avila said. Yovanny had been hospitalized and on life support for weeks after authorities say he was cut from Marlen Ochoa's womb on April 23, the day she went missing and prosecutors alleged she was brutally murdered. Prosecutors say 46-year-old Clarisa Figueroa claimed she had given birth to the baby when she took him to the hospital. Figuero and her 24-year-old daughter, Desiree Figueroa, have been charged with murder in Ochoa's death. Clarisa Figueroa's boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, has been charged with concealing a homicide. Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Friday that he expects both women will now also be charged with murder in the baby's death. "We had that glimmer of hope he we would survive but we know it was an act of violence the way he was born and what brings me solace is he is now with mom," said family pastor Emma Lozano. "What we have to do now is make sure we demand justice for these atrocious acts and violence not only for his mom but for Yovanny." Authorities contend that not long after Clarisa Figueroa's adult son died of natural causes, she told her family she was pregnant. They say she plotted for months to acquire a newborn, and that she posted an ultrasound and photos of a room decorated for a baby on her Facebook page. In March, she and Ochoa connected on a Facebook page for pregnant women. Prosecutors alleged the mother-daughter duo lured Ochoa to their home, where they offered to give her clothes and other items for her unborn child. As Desiree Figueroa was showing Ochoa a photo album of her late brother to distract her, Clarisa Figueroa sneaked up behind her and strangled her with a cord before her baby was cut from her womb. Later that day, Clarisa Figueroa called 911 claiming that her newborn baby was not breathing. When first responders arrived, the child was blue. They tried to resuscitate the infant and took him to Christ Medical Center, where he remained until his death. The Illinois Department of Public Health opened an investigation last month on Christ Medical Center after the Cook County sheriff's office questioned whether the hospital violated state law by not immediately reporting that a woman who claimed to be the mother of a newborn showed no signs of giving birth. Prosecutors said that Clarisa Figueroa was examined in a birthing center at the hospital and "showed no signs consistent with a woman who had just delivered a baby." A technician at the hospital reported cleaning blood from her arms, face and hands, but according to prosecutors, it was unclear if anyone verified that she had actually given birth. Police found Ochoa's body last month outside Clarisa Figueroa's Chicago home. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Three people, including a child, were shot in the citys Albany Park neighborhood on Thursday night, according to Chicago police. At approximately 9 p.m. in the 4900 block of North Kedzie, police say that three people were shot and then transported themselves to Swedish Covenant Hospital. Police say that a child, whose age is unknown, was later transported to Lurie Childrens Hospital with gunshot wounds. A woman and a man, whose ages have not been confirmed, were later transferred to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, and their condition is unknown at this time. Three women were arrested in a prostitution sting at three suburban spas and massage parlors this week, authorities said. The undercover operations took place on Monday and Wednesday, the Crystal Lake Police Department said in a statement. Officers posed as customers at three businesses in Crystal Lake: JJ's Massage, located at 5899 Northwest Highway; Crystal's Spa, located at 386 W. Virginia St.; and Infinity Day Spa, located at 435 Angela Ln. During the investigation, police said three employees of the various spas attempted to engage in sex acts with the undercover officers in exchange for payment. Qianyu Warren, 32, of Woodstock, was arrested at Crystal Spa, while 53-year-old Changjuan He, of San Gabriel, California, was arrested at JJs Massage, and 60-year-old Soon D. Kim, of Flushing, New York, was taken into custody at Infinity Day Spa. All three women were each charged with one misdemeanor count of prostitution, officials said. They were also found to not have a valid Illinois massage license, police said, and were cited for violations of additional city ordinances related to business permitting. An investigation into several building code violations remained ongoing with city officials, according to police. Authorities said no evidence of human trafficking was discovering in the investigation. Each woman posted their 10% bond of $1,500 and were released from custody, according to police. They were scheduled to appear in court again on July 2. Police say a teenager who accompanied his father to sell an Xbox was killed in Gary. Commander Jack Hamady says the 16-year-old Merrillville boy was in a car when he was shot Wednesday. The boy's father had arranged to sell an Xbox to someone who had connected with him online. The Post-Tribune says the Lake County coroner's office identified the victim as Johnny Peluyera. No arrests have been made. Gary police say online sellers and buyers should meet at a police station parking lot or a public place. Police are investigating after a man was found dead Thursday at a bus stop in the Loop. Someone getting off a bus about 7:45 a.m. in the 300 block of West Madison Street found the 35-year-old man slumped over with blood on him, according to Chicago police. He was dead at the scene. The Cook County medical examiners office has not released details about the death. Area Central detectives are conducting a death investigation. A woman was shot and killed late Wednesday inside a Walgreens on Chicagos Northwest Side, according to police. Lexi Sutter reports. The former president of a fraternity at Northwestern University is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the associations account. Peter Schellenbach, 77, was charged with a class 1 felony count of theft for allegedly stealing $460,000 from the Sigma Chi Home Association while he was its president from 2006 to 2012, the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. Schellenbach, of north suburban Glencoe, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in Cook County Circuit Court, the attorney generals office said. The charge is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Schellenbach allegedly transferred the fraternitys money to his personal account, the attorney generals office said. He allegedly used more than $267,000 to fund an Iraqi investment account with Sterling Currency Group, whose owners were convicted of fraud in federal court in 2018. Schellenbach lost all of Sigma Chis money he had invested. He also used Sigma Chis money for personal expenses, including online trading websites, credit cards and the Chicago Yacht Club, the attorney generals office said. When board members asked Schellenbach about the missing money, he allegedly said the withdrawals some as large as $70,000 were loans he would repay. According to circuit court records, Schellenbach was initially charged in February 2012 in a criminal complaint. He is due in court again on July 10. A woman suspected of shoplifting at a Walgreens on the Northwest Side was fatally shot after a manager confronted her and called for a friend who used to work security. The man showed up with a gun at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and started tussling with the 46-year-old woman, Chicago police said. After she fell to the ground, he shot her in the face. He picked up the single shell casing and drove off from the store, located at 4817 W. Fullerton Ave., according to a police source. The woman had been carrying a t-shirt and five boxes of leggings. Paramedics performed CPR while taking her to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. Her identity has not been released. Detectives have identified the gunman, but he remained at large Thursday afternoon, police said. He was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans, and had driven off in a dark-colored SUV. Store employees told police the shooting stemmed from a possible shoplifting incident, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. The stores manager confronted the woman for shoplifting and tried to stop her at the door, a police source said. The manager called his friend who showed up minutes later and confronted the woman. While the former guard and woman were fighting, the man pulled out a gun and fired a single shot, which entered through her forehead, the police source said. Unconfirmed radio reports initially indicated that the shooter may have identified himself as a police officer. But Guglielmi said the shooting did not involve any law enforcement officer or agents. A police source said the suspected gunman, a 33-year-old man, has been arrested before on charges of impersonating a government official. The alleged gunman lives two blocks from the store and once worked for Monterrey Security, the Chicago Tribune reported. County records show the 46-year-old woman has an arrest history including shoplifting. A Walgreens spokesman wrote in a statement: We are committed to providing a safe environment for our employees, patients and customers in the communities we serve. The company referred questions about the shooting to police. An autopsy released Thursday confirmed the woman died of a gunshot wound to her face, the Cook County medical examiners office said. Area North detectives are conducting a homicide investigation. In his familys home in Guilford, there are photos of moments that Mike Song will cherish forever. We are sitting on Block Island with a beautiful sunset, looking out over the ocean, just having a great family moment, he said, pointing to a photo in the living room. A new addition is a framed jersey with photos of his son, Ethan. He played lacrosse, Mike said. He was great. this was his favorite sport. Ethan died less than two weeks after his 15th birthday in January 2018. The day he got his braces off, he went to one friends house and despite having a lifetime of adventures and being in 10,000 places in this home he was not safe, Mike said. He ended up dying there. That night, Ethans parents made a pledge to prevent their nightmare from happening to another family. Ethan Song died after accidentally shooting himself at a friends home. Now his family is pushing for stronger gun storage laws on the national level. My wife Kristin really sparked I think part of this whole revolution when the night that Ethan died, she turned to me and said, cause we couldnt sleep, something positive has to come out of this or I wont be able to live with it, Mike said, I said me, too. A year and a half later, at the Guilford Fire Department, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed Ethans Law. It is a gun safety measure in memory of the teen who accidentally killed himself while handling a firearm that was left in a cardboard box inside a Tupperware container. Ethans death has brought me to my knees, Kristin said before the governor inked his signature on the new law. But no matter how tired, shattered or despondent I may be, I will rise unafraid every day in honor of Ethan. Ethans law requires owners to safely store loaded or unloaded guns. Absolutely, this safe would have saved Ethans life, he wasnt going to hack into someones safe, Mike said, showing NBC Connecticut how a biometric safe works at his house. If you suddenly need access to your gun you press one button put your fingerprint here, safe is open, safe is basically open. The Song family gained support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Hartford. Violation of Ethans Law in the state is considered a Class D Felony. Although not a mandate for Connecticut schools, Ethans Law includes the creation of a gun safety curriculum. Were passionate about education and guess what so is the NRA, so are the CCDL our local gun rights chapter," Mike said. The Guilford Fire Department was packed for the Thursday afternoon signing of Ethans Law. Several local gun violence prevention groups, including families form Newtown, were there. Kristin Song delivered a powerful and emotional narrative reflecting on the night she lost her youngest child. The woman needed to see her beautiful boy, Kristin said, so he knows that hes loved and cherished. To kiss his forehead, to tuck him in one last time, to whisper hes at peace now. She was not allowed to say goodbye. I am not a victim, I am not a survivor, Kristin said at the end of her remarks. I am a warrior and here we come DC. With support of local gun violence prevention groups, Mike and Kristin Song have already taken trips to meet with lawmakers in Washington, DC. When we went to DC, we didnt go to the easiest folks to convert, we went to the toughest folks to convert and every time I talked to them I felt hopeful, Mike said. One of the most encouraging things was how fast everybody came together, people crossed the aisle, he added about the laws passage in Connecticut. Through their advocacy for the safe gun storage law, the Song family has connected with other families impacted by gun violence from Sandy Hook to Parkland to Columbine. We know how hard this is, how painful this is, we dont want a single other parent to have to experience this because it truly is a nightmare, Mike said. The next trip for the Song family to Washington, DC will be in September, Mike said. This celebration of Ethans life Thursday came right before Fathers Day. I plan to do a lot of things, Mike said, but Ethan will be permeating with me every second of that day and really every day for me. Some big changes could be in the works in Mystic at its impressive Mystic Seaport Museum. For visitors and locals alike, it is a Connecticut gem. Its an outstanding place, said Craig Hutula of Tolland. Its idyllic. Its wonderful, said Beth Arp, who was visiting from New York. It shows everything that it used to be and then they have all the people that are trained to tell you about it. While the maritime museum is anchored in heritage, its president said he wants to make sure it continues to be relevant. We cant just be one-dimensional, not solely about the past but also making the present much more relevant to that history, explained President and CEO Steve White. The proposed plan, which is in the conceptual phase, calls for the demolition of Latitude 41 Restaurant and Tavern along Route 27 and the construction of a hotel and event space. The Greenwich Hospitality Group is building a building that will provide both a boutique hotel experience as well as fine dining on the river, White said. White said the plan also calls for an underwater research and education center to make the learning experience even more hands-on. If you can imagine a ROV in the Pacific Ocean on certain coral reefs and then beaming all that via satellite right here to mystic seaport museum for school groups to witness. While people said they can appreciate a vision for something more modern, they said they hope the museum holds on to its charm. Weve gone to some places that are historic, but theyve been updated with technology and it makes it more engaging, said Hutula. They still have to keep it the old-fashioned, said Arp. I mean they have plenty of hotels here. According to museum officials, the proposal to the Town of Stonington was submitted on Thursday. If approved, construction on the hotel and restaurant would begin next year. The College Board Opportunity Scholarships is a national program open to all students, starting with the class of 2020, and the state of Connecticut has teamed up with the College Board to launch a supplemental pool of scholarship funds available to students from lower-income families, according to the governors office. As of June 1, eligible students who join the national College Board Opportunity Scholarships program are eligible for an additional $40,000 in scholarships per year, according to the governors office. Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut State Department of Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell made the announcement Friday. These scholarships offer a great opportunity for high school students who are pursuing higher education and struggling with the growing costs of college, Lamont said in a statement. I want to thank the College Board for partnering with our state on this important initiative it will result in many more students being able to access the necessary opportunities that will help them advance their career goals. They said the College Board has committed $25 million over five years to the new program and has already awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to more than 1,000 students across the country, including 15 in Connecticut. All students can earn opportunities for scholarships by completing any or all of the following six steps: Building a college list Practicing for the SAT Improving their SAT scores Strengthening their college list Completing the FAFSA Applying to college By completing each step, students earn a chance for scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000 and doing all six steps will earn students a chance for $40,000 for their college education. The six actions in the College Board Opportunity Scholarships are the critical steps that many students, especially low-income students, dont pursue, limiting their college prospects. Through CSDEs leadership, more students in Connecticut will know about and take these crucial steps, Priscilla Rodriguez, executive director of Scholarships Strategy at the College Board, said in a statement. The additional scholarships available to Connecticut students will be awarded monthly through random drawings among all eligible students, beginning with the class of 2020, according to the governors office. At CSDE, we have been committed to outreach efforts to engage and encourage more students to participate in rigorous coursework while increasing their access to college-level material and college-entrance exams, especially for students of color and those from low-income families, Wentzell said in a statement. College Board Opportunity Scholarships can be used at any accredited two-year or four-year college and are open to all students, regardless of citizenship status, according to a statement from the governors office. Find out more here. State police are investigating a carjacking in Haddam and they are looking for a gray 2014 Hyundai Tucson. Officials said a resident of Killingworth Road in the Higganum section of Haddam called 911 around 12 p.m. after she confronted a man who was in the process of stealing her vehicle out of her open garage. The woman found the suspect in the driver's seat of her gray 2014 Hyundai Tucson with a Connecticut license place of 1AGKK3. The woman opened the vehicle's driver door during the confrontation, but the suspect backed out of her driveway and caused her to fall. The suspect then drove north on Killingworth Road, state police added. The suspect can be seen on local business surveillance video walking southbound in the direction of the woman's house prior to the incident, authorities said. The male suspect is described as a white man who is approximately 30-40 years old with a medium build. He is approximately 5'10" and has brown hair and a possible goatee. He was wearing sunglasses, a light-colored ball cap, dark-colored knee length shorts, dark high-top footwear and was carrying a dark-colored backpack or bag, according to state police. The woman refused medical treatment at the scene. The vehicle has minor driver-side door damage, police added. Police are canvassing the area and they ask anyone who sees the vehicle not approach it. They urge people to avoid contact with the driver and call state police at Troop F in Westbrook at 860-399-2100. After months of work by state employees and volunteers, Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden is finally back open to the public in time for Fathers Day weekend. Hiking up the main Tower Trail, scars from the destructive storm ago are still noticeable. It looked like a desert when they finally cleared it off, said Regina Banos, owner of nearby Wentworths Homemade Ice Cream. This Saturday marks 13 months since the Hamden tornado on May 15, 2018 turned into a microburst with more than 100 mile per hour winds that forever changed the landscape of Sleeping Giant State Park. It was a little sad at the beginning because theres so much decimation of the trees, Maria Piscionieri told NBC Connecticut on Friday afternoon, but once we got going, yeah it was all the good feelings came back. The park is a symbol of Hamden, appearing on the town seal. But its many visitors come from near and far. This is a destination, Hamden Mayor Curt Leng (D-Hamden) said. People come here from all over the state so it's going to have an absolute positive impact on small businesses that are surrounding the area. Banos said her business took a hit the past 13 months, so she is thrilled Sleeping Giant is back open for the summer season. This whole community was fractured. It affected everybody, be it the person who lost their roof, the people who lose their business, Banos said, but were whole again and thats the best feeling, period. Since the gate was unlocked Friday morning, hikers have been taking advantage of the weather and returned to the trails. I was elated this is one of my favorite places in the state to come hiking, Piscioneri said. State officials said 75 percent of the $735,000 spent to restore the park should be reimbursed by FEMA. Volunteers from the Sleeping Giant Park Association (SGPA) also worked for months to render the trails safe. Its our first day of summer break, so it was the perfect way to spend it, said Lisa Lamonico, who brought her daughters to the park. Mayor Leng said he thought the park might not open until the Fourth of July. "My plan is to come and spend Fathers Day and get up to the castle and check it out, he said. The SGPA put out a PSA on Facebook to respect the taped off areas in order to let the grass grow. Major Attaway is taking a break from playing Genie in the Broadway production of "Aladdin" to perform the role in the national tour for one reason: home. "It gives me the opportunity to do the show in Dallas. How else to say thank you to your hometown than sweating onstage like crazy," Attaway said. The Fort Worth native appears in "Aladdin" at the Dallas Summer Musicals, now playing at the Music Hall at Fair Park through June 23. North Texas is where Attaway learned his craft, appearing at the Dallas Theater Center, Theatre Three, WaterTower Theatre, Jubilee Theatre and Casa Manana. In 2016, he became the standby for James Monroe Iglehart, the actor who won a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for originating the role of Genie. When Iglehart left the show to join the cast of "Hamilton," Attaway took on the role of Genie full-time in 2017. Deen van Meer Performing on Broadway has been rewarding. People call him "Genie" and he receives messages from around the world, praising his performance. This is a role he dreamed of as an adolescent, singing along with the animated Disney movie as he recovered from Blount's disease, a growth disorder of the shin bone. He knows how lucky he is. "There is no other person on the planet who has the job I have," Attaway said. "It can be a little daunting, but it can be inspiring too." In addition to playing Genie, Attaway does significant voiceover work and hopes to originate a role. "Once you set a goal and attain it, you set new goals," Attaway said. Attaway joined the national tour in February, performing in Tempe, San Diego, Costa Mesa, Portland, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Sacramento. After performing in Washington, D.C. in September, he will leave the tour and return to the Broadway production of "Aladdin." This is Attaways first touring experience and it brings its own challenges. His characters physically demanding performance sets the pace of show. Each venue is different and Attaway must adapt to the different stages, acoustics and traffic patterns. When he is first performing in a new venue, he needs to be reminded which way his dressing room is. He loves the audience reaction. "Their excitement levels cant be rivaled," Attaway said. Traveling, working and living with a touring cast is a different dynamic. "There is a different camaraderie that comes with a touring company," Attaway said. "On the tour, youre a forced family." Deen van Meer Attaway is not the only Texan on this tour. Clinton Greenspan, an Arlington native, plays Aladdin. Attaway and Greenspan were in Theatre Threes 2015 production of "Hot Mikado." Greenspan was in the ensemble and Attaway played the Mikado. They were not in many scenes together and therefore; they were not at many rehearsals together. Their Theatre Three experience provides a good foundation for the actors to develop a fresh onstage rapport for the tour. "There was an automatic familiarity, but there was still a lot to learn about each other," Attaway said. Attaway recently saw Disneys live action movie of "Aladdin." "I love it," he said. "I got to see a reimagining of the parts of the show we cant do onstage. Its nice to see a fleshed-out Agrabah." He is a fan of Will Smiths interpretation of Genie and appreciates elements Smith brings to the role. "I was really happy watching his Genie happen," Attaway said. "It was nice to connect to a new Genie. I don't know how it could happen, but Id love for him to see me in the show. I do hope I get to meet him." Deen van Meer The tour stop at Fair Park holds many charms for Attaway. "You really cant beat DFW for barbecue and Tex-Mex," Attaway said. "It will be nice to settle into an energy that is home and breathe Texas air." Performing in Dallas allows Attaway to show kids from his hometown that wishes can be granted with a lot of hard work. "Theres no right way to do this. One of the most important things to work on is to let go of expectation," Attaway said. "You have to find your own truth in this world of imagination." ONLINE: Learn more about Dallas Summer Musicals. Nearly 1,500 former ITT Tech students in Texas with open loans will receive $13 million in debt relief as part of a 43-state class action lawsuit worth nearly $170 million. Former students with open, active loans held by the CUSO, ITT Tech's parent company, will no longer be required to make any payments and the debts will be canceled according to a multistate settlement agreement announced Friday by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office. Paxton's office said, "that under the threat of litigation, CUSO agreed to forego collection of outstanding loans, supply credit reporting agencies with information to update students' credit information and cease doing business." CUSO agrees to "discharge and cancel all outstanding balances of all Affected State Consumers' Loan accounts, including their associated fees, charges, and interest." CUSO has also agreed to notify, within 30 days, all affected consumers and consumer reporting agencies as to the status of the loans. The University of North Texass Frisco campus and several other local colleges are inviting former ITT students to come and check them out this week to see if they can transfer after their school closed. Paxton said the school's parent company, Student CU Connect CUSO, LLC, offered students temporary credit to cover the gap between federal student aid and the cost of tuition. Unlike federal aid, ITT's credit was due back the following academic year and if it wasn't paid the school threatened to pull students out of class or expel them, "in order to coerce students into accepting high-interest loans from CUSO." Paxton's office said neither ITT Tech or CUSO made students aware of the true cost of temporary credit repayment until it was converted into a loan and that CUSO loan defaults were projected to exceed 90 percent due to high costs and lack of success ITT graduates had getting jobs with their earned degree. "Students who attended ITT Tech are burdened with unpayable debts they received while pursuing an honest education. This college and loan program have failed them tremendously," Paxton said. "I am proud of my office for holding CUSO accountable for their abusive loan practices and aiding students who were pressured into signing a loan without knowledge of the full cost or deadlines." The group that accredited ITT found that the chain, which was among the biggest for-profit chains in the nation, failed to meet several basic standards and was unlikely to comply in the future. On Aug. 25, 2016, the Department of Education announced a ban on enrolling students at the school using federal loans. North Texas ITT Tech students sound off on their frustration and shock about the sudden closure of their school and the fact they appear to have wasted tens of thousands of dollars pursuing a degree. Later that year, without the access to federal student aid, ITT Tech declared bankruptcy and shut down more than 130 campuses in 38 states. The closure left students unable to finish their degrees and on the hook for outstanding debts. At the time, they had enrolled roughly 45,000 students and reported $850 million in revenue. In Texas, that included 10 campuses in Arlington, Austin, DeSoto, Houston (3), Richardson, San Antonio (2) and Waco. View a copy of the settlement below. Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Thursday that extends the activity of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners through the end of the state's next legislative session, the governor's office says. The board was set to be disbanded Sept. 1, after lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have extended operations for the state agency. Had the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners been abolished, so would have any requirements for someone to call themselves a plumber. That potential concerned many plumbers who said the lack of regulation could pose a major safety risk statewide. To issue the executive order, Abbott used a part of the Texas Government Code that allows the governor to suspend regulatory statutes for state business if following them would hinder disaster recovery, the governor's office said. Abbott's office said having a qualified workforce of licensed plumbers is critical to Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. The executive order will extend the state plumbing board's operations through May 31, 2021, which would allow the 87th legislature time to address the matter. After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law this week legalizing lemonade stands, young entrepreneurs are setting up shop. Eight-year-old Avery Bench first got the idea when she overheard some adults talk about the new law that would prevent cities or neighborhood associations from banning kids from selling drinks on private property. She and 4-year-old Emmy took the idea to their mom, Sara. "We set up down by our pool, and they had a little table with a cute neon pink sign," Bench said. For three hours, the girls sold drinks in their Arlington neighborhood. They emptied two bottles of lemonade and collected a few other donations along the way. "I think it's great. You know, teach kids to earn a little bit of money and Avery kept track of how many sales she made," Bench said. Avery said she hadn't totaled her final sales, but she believed it's more than enough for their goal of surprising dad with something special come Sunday. "I feel really proud of myself, my sister and my mom that we earned that much to buy him a really nice Father's Day present," Avery said. The bill, which passed unanimously in both chambers, will become law Sept. 1. Sharing a stage with tearful survivors of sex abuse, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention apologized Wednesday for the abuse crisis besetting his denomination and outlined an array of steps to address it. "We are broken-hearted and angry," said the Rev. J.D. Greear as the largest U.S. protestant denomination neared the end of its two-day national meeting. "Give us the courage to make the changes that genuine repentance requires." In an impassioned speech, preceded by prayers of lamentation, Greear blamed the crisis on years of cover-ups. He praised a new anti-abuse curriculum being offered to all SBC churches and seminaries. He said the SBC must do better in screening potential pastors. "Father, forgive us," he prayed after calling out a litany of sins. The Rev. Russell Moore, head of the SBC's public policy arm, said the abuse crisis is a result of satanic forces at work in the church. "The vital question is what we will do next," Moore said during an address. Moments earlier, dozens of abuse victims and supporters stood during a prayer for survivors of sexual misconduct. Some wept openly. Abuse survivor Stephanie Davis stood onstage and received a standing ovation after a video presentation in which she recounted her experience was shown. Davis said she was abused as a teen by a music minister who went on to seminary and kept working in churches until last year. "No one ever told me it wasn't my fault," she said. "We have to get this right," Davis said in the video, urging the church to stand with victims and to hold abusers accountable. On Tuesday, the opening day of the meeting, delegates approved the SBC's first-ever measures aimed directly at combating sex abuse committed by clergy and staff. One provision establishes a permanent committee to review allegations of abuse at member churches and recommend action if warranted. Two other proposals, if ratified again next year, would specify that churches could be expelled from the denomination for mishandling cases of sexual abuse or racial discrimination. The committee assigned to review abuse cases will have four women among its nine members. But delegates voted down a motion to replace one male member with Susan Codone, an engineering professor and sexual abuse survivor whose personal story was featured in recently released ABC report. Some activists and abuse survivors remain skeptical of the SBC's commitment to a tough anti-abuse approach, and are urging swifter action to create a database listing credibly accused abusers that could be shared among the SBC's 47,000 member churches. Xavier Torrado, secretary of the Southern Baptist branch in Puerto Rico, said additional training and new resources that were approved to combat sexual misconduct were vital. "We've known for many years that the pastors didn't have the skills or the resources or the knowledge of how to address this," said Torrado, whose job will now include teaching ministers about the new measures. Christie Crawford, a mother of five whose husband Matt Crawford is a pastor at a two-campus church in Tallahassee, Florida, said the denomination's actions this week would let congregations know that protecting children from abuse is both important and required, as is reporting possible misconduct. "I think that what we've done and said will empower people," she said. "It will cause people to be more vocal at the local church level if they see things that make them uncomfortable." Crawford's church, City Church Tallahassee, already has requirements including background checks and a six-month waiting period for anyone wanting to volunteer with minors, she said. "The world that we live in ... is a place where all parents have to be vigilant because of the dangers that are lurking," Crawford said. The Southern Baptist Convention says it had 14.8 million members in 2018, down about 192,000 from the previous year. Sex abuse already was a high-profile issue at the SBC's 2018 national meeting in Dallas, after which Greear formed an advisory group to draft recommendations on how to confront the problem. Pressure on the SBC intensified in recent months, however, due in part to articles by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News asserting that hundreds of Southern Baptist clergy and staff have been accused of sexual misconduct over the past 20 years, including dozens who returned to church duties, while leaving more than 700 victims with little in the way of justice or apologies. A small Texas city has passed a local abortion ban and declared itself a "sanctuary city for the unborn." Right to Life of East Texas said the vote Tuesday by the all-male Waskom City Council means the city along the Louisiana border is "standing for life." The ordinance refers to groups that provide abortion services as "criminal organizations." City leaders expressed concern that Louisiana's new, tighter abortion restrictions could lead women to travel to Texas for the procedure. The ordinance is largely symbolic, as no one was performing abortions in Waskom or had expressed a desire to do so. City attorney Kurt Truelove said he expects a legal challenge. The U.S. Education Department has opened investigations into foreign funding at Georgetown University and Texas A&M University as part of a broader push to monitor international money flowing to American colleges. Both universities are being ordered to disclose years of financial records amid concerns they have not fully reported their foreign gifts and contracts to the federal government, according to letters sent to the schools Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press. The inquiries are part of a broader campaign to scrutinize foreign funding going to universities and to improve reporting by schools, according to a Trump administration official familiar with the effort. More schools probably will face questioning as federal officials focus on an issue they see as crucial to transparency and national security, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigations and spoke on condition of anonymity. Federal law requires U.S. colleges to report contracts and donations from foreign sources totaling $250,000 or more, but past filings from Georgetown and Texas A&M "may not fully capture" that information, according to the letters. As an example, department officials wrote, both schools should have reported funding related to branch campuses they operate in Qatar, an oil-rich nation in the Mideast that hosts the outposts of several U.S. colleges. The records being sought by investigators go far beyond Qatar, though, and include dealings with China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, and specific companies in those nations. Investigators ordered both schools to disclose funding from Huawei or ZTE, the Chinese tech giants that some U.S. officials call a threat to national security. Georgetown is being asked to detail money it received from any sources in Saudi Arabia or Russia, including Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cybersecurity company. The letters warn that Georgetown and Texas A&M could face legal action and financial penalties if they're found to have broken the rules. If investigators find a violation, it can be referred to the U.S. attorney general's office for action "to compel compliance and to recover the full costs'" of the investigation and enforcement, according to the letters. Georgetown officials said the school is reviewing the letter and will cooperate with the inquiry. The university said in a statement that it "takes seriously its reporting obligations and provides all information as required by the Department of Education every six months." Texas A&M issued a statement saying it takes compliance and security seriously. "We just received the document today from the U.S. Department of Education and are reviewing it. We are fully cooperating with the inquiry." The crackdown follows complaints from some lawmakers that the Education Department hasn't done enough to review foreign funding to colleges. The issue has gained attention amid heightened tensions with China and some other nations. In February, a bipartisan panel in Congress urged U.S. colleges to cut ties with the Confucius Institute, a Chinese language program funded by a branch of the Chinese government. Some critics say it is a threat to U.S. national security and academic freedom. The same panel found that 70% of U.S. schools receiving $250,000 or more from China to operate Confucius Institutes failed to report the funding, and that the Education Department failed to provide adequate oversight. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, chairman of the panel, told the department in January to issue updated guidance and improve its oversight practices. On Thursday, he applauded the agency for taking action. "When U.S. schools take money from foreign governments, the American people deserve to know about it," he said. Colleges have complained that the rules are unclear. In January, the American Council on Education, which represents dozens of college chiefs, asked for clarity on several aspects of the law and noted that the last guidance on the topic was issued in 2004. The group said schools have been given no guidance on how to correct errors in their filings, for example, and said it is unclear if university foundations, which often house colleges' endowments, are subject to the rules. The letters to Georgetown and Texas A&M both say the schools should have reported funding from their foundations and other nonprofits they control. Foreign funding information that schools submit to the Education Department often provides little detail about where the money comes from and none about how it's used. Typically schools report only the amount of money, the date of the agreement, the country it came from and, sometimes, a specific source within that country. According to data submitted by Georgetown, the school has received more than $415 million from abroad since 2012, including $36 million last year. Nearly all of Georgetown's foreign money reported for 2018 came from sources in Qatar, including $33 million from the Qatar Foundation, a nonprofit that has a partnership with Georgetown to support the school's campus in Qatar. Data filed by Texas A&M show that the school has received $285 million from foreign sources since 2014, including $6.1 million last year. All of Texas A&M's reported funding from last year also came through a partnership with the Qatar Foundation. The recent deaths of several tourists in the Dominican Republic and the shooting of former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz have raised safety concerns among those planning to visit the island. But fallout to the countrys heavy tourism sector so far hasn't led to a slew of canceled trips, according to some industry experts. And a snapshot of the overall impact on tourism in the Dominican Republic won't be clear until the government issues its next report in the fall. Local government authorities have promised theyre working with U.S. authorities to investigate the recent deaths of four U.S. tourists in a resort in La Romana and in Punta Cana, while saying the cases are unrelated and isolated. But tourism officials are otherwise remaining tight-lipped about the impact of those cases on the country's image abroad. The Ministry of Tourism, contacted several times for a comment on how visits to the island have been affected, said it is not giving interviews "until the investigations conclude." On Wednesday, the tourism ministry released a statement saying, the FBI is conducting a deeper toxicology analysis and results might take up to 30 days. In the meantime, Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia last week ordered hotels to install surveillance cameras within 60 days, in a step to make the Dominican Republic safer, he said. The measures also follow the beating of a Delaware woman in a Punta Cana resort back in January that made international headlines. She decided to share her experience on Facebook "in the hopes women will be more aware" and prevent what happened to her. While some have turned to social media to express their concerns and announce their intentions to cancel their future trips to the country, industry data hasn't shown a shift yet. Online travel insurance companies, like Allianz, which serves 35 million travelers every year, and TravelGuard, are not seeing trip cancellations to the island. While we havent received any claims from consumers who want to cancel their trips to the DR, we have received a handful of questions on our social media pages from people who have questions about how travel insurance can help them on their trips, Daniel Durazo, Allianzs director of marketing and communications told NBC. A spokesperson from the Wisconsin-based insurance TravelGuard said "we have not noted any inquiries regarding trip cancellation inquiries for DR either." Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com, a website for consumers to search, compare and purchase travel insurance, said he's aware of only one family who, on Tuesday, canceled their July trip to the DR "as a result of the news stories coming out." Still, through Thursday afternoon, TravelInsurance.com is "pacing to almost double the number of policies sold in June versus the average of the prior three months with DR listed as primary destination," Sandberg said. That's an indicator that interest remains strong. And the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, which represents 30 hotels in the Dominican Republic as well as the country's national hotels association, hasnt received information about a spike in trip cancellations. We have not seen any impact on travel to the region in recent weeks. The Caribbean is on track in 2019 to experience the highest number of visitors on record, the organization said in a statement. The association said about 30 million people visit the Caribbean annually. From that figure, the Ministry of Tourism in the Dominican Republic claims an average of 6 million people visiting a year. Last year, the Dominican Republic's booming tourism industry grossed $7.6 billion, accounting for more than 17% of its economy, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Americans have much to do with the figure. Of the 6.6 million tourists the Dominican Republic received last year, 2 million flew there from the U.S., who visited particularly during the winter, according to the government agency. This week, the Ministry of Tourism cited a report from its central bank that said 99% of U.S. tourists they surveyed said theyd return to the island for vacation. Some tourists interviewed by NBC Washington and Telemundo44 last week in Santo Domingo agreed with that assessment. But one woman said she was worried about visiting La Romana with kids and another said she was reconsidering drinking alcohol there. Local business owner Bienvenido Torres said he didn't anticipate a drop in business. Im not scared tourists will not come to my store, Torres said. Fear among less experienced travelers is expected, according to Mark Murphy, travel expert and CEO of travAlliancemedia. For Murphy, the problem is that all these recent events, including Ortiz's shooting at a Santo Domingo nightclub, are being unfairly linked. Everything is conflated," he said. That fear might be reflected in flight searches to the country. Kayak, a metasearch travel website that processes over two billion travel queries yearly, said that searches were "trending downward" since last week for flights from the U.S. to the Dominican Republic. "Each day for the week of June 4 to June 10, we've seen more than a 12% drop in flight searches when compared to the week prior with the largest drop occurring on Thursday, June 6, when it went down 22%," Kayak said. Yet, the summer marks the Dominican Republic's lowest tourism season, which means it may be too soon to say how travel is affected by winter. People who decide to cancel are mostly not travel-experienced," Murphy said. "Someone who has traveled and has visited the DR will probably come again. Of the two million Americans who visited the Dominican Republic last year, the State Department reported 13 deaths. There were three homicides on the list, just below vehicle accidents and drownings. Since April 15 of this year, the country has been ranked the second lowest safety concern out of four levels on the State Department's trip advisory list. The warning to "exercise increased caution due to crime" is below other categories that warn travelers to reconsider or cancel trips. Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic, says the advisory. The State Department also recommends tourists be aware of their surroundings and not display signs of wealth, like jewelry. For Murphy with travAlliancemedia, the advice comes down to two words, common sense, since these are things you should consider everywhere you go, including home." Ecuador's highest court authorized same-sex marriage Wednesday in a landmark case seeking to expand LGBT rights in the small South American nation. The decision by the Constitutional Court came after a lengthy legal battle waged by several couples and gay rights advocates. With the 5-to-4 ruling, Ecuador joins a handful of Latin American nations Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia and Uruguay that have legalized same-sex marriage either through judicial rulings, or less frequently, legislative action. Plaintiff Efrain Soria told The Associated Press that he would immediately begin planning a wedding with his partner, Xavier Benalcazar, whom he met years ago and has been in a civil union since 2012. Same-sex unions have been legal in Ecuador for a decade but civil partners enjoy fewer rights than married couples when it comes to inheritance and estate laws. In the ruling, the justices instructed congress to pass legislation ensuring equal treatment for all under the country's marriage law. The ruling is "a joy for our entire community and Ecuador," said Soria, who is also president of the Ecuadorian Equality Foundation, an LGBT rights group. A decision by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights affirming that countries should allow same-sex couples the right to marry paved the way for the case. What to Know A man arrested outside a NJ elementary school Thursday was found with a gun and numerous rounds of ammunition, prosecutors say Thomas J. Wilkie, 46, of Bear, Delaware, faces unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of hollow-point bullets and other charges Wilkie allegedly targeted the school over a relationship issue with a faculty member, a senior official said A Delaware man was arrested outside a New Jersey elementary school Thursday after he was found with a loaded handgun and massive supplies of ammunition, prosecutors say. The heavily armed man appears to have been targeting the school because of a relationship gone bad with a faculty member, according to a senior law enforcement official. Just before 4 p.m. Thursday, Westfield Police Department patrol officers and detectives responded to Tamaques Elementary School on a report from the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware that a man -- later identified as Thomas J. Wilkie, 46, of Bear, Delaware -- was en route to the school and possibly armed. A senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation says that the brother of the man arrested with ammo and a weapon at a NJ school was the person who alerted authorities that Wilkie was in a bad place mentally. According to the official, Wilkie made entrance to the school searching for a woman he had been in a relationship with -- but he did not have a weapon on him at this point. When she wasn't there he allegedly returned to his car and called the woman who said she was at a tutoring appointment but would return to the school. Wilkie then waited in his car and called his brother, the official said. Based on that call, the brother was concerned about Wilkie's state of mind and called the Delaware State Police and alerted them to the situation, according to the official. The school was placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure, and to identify any potential threats. After-school programs were active at the time. Arriving officers located Wilkie in the front seat of his vehicle, a 2019 Mitsubishi SUV, parked in the schools parking lot, holding a .45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets, prosecutors say. It is illegal to possess hollow-point bullets in New Jersey unless you are a law enforcement, the law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said. Wilkie had two additional loaded clips of ammunition, while 130 additional rounds of ammunition were located in the vehicles trunk, prosecutors say. At this point law enforcement officials believe that Wilkie was out for the woman who he was formerly involved in a relationship and did not intend to kill others, but the amount of ammo is concerning they say, according to the person briefed on the case. He is charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth-degree possession of hollow-point bullets, and fourth-degree trespassing on school grounds, Union County Acting Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport announced Friday. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security has been assisting with the investigation. Wilkie's first appearance and detention hearing scheduled to take place June 19. Convictions on second-degree criminal charges are commonly punishable by 5 to 10 years in state prison. Attorney information for Wilkie was not immediately known. A spokeswoman for the Westfield Public Schools said in a statement that the district is referring all inquiries to the Union County Prosecutor's Office "as this remains an active investigation." What to Know Neighbors of a woman found dead earlier this week in her New Jersey apartment had told police they heard screams the day she died Neighbors said they heard faint screams but didn't know if anyone had called police Authorities ruled her death a homicide, but tey did not say how she was killed Neighbors of a woman found dead earlier this week in her New Jersey apartment had told police they heard screams the day she died. News 12 reports Wednesday that neighbors saw 26-year-old Carolyn Byington arrive to her Plainsboro home from work for lunch Monday afternoon. They say they heard faint screams but didn't know if anyone had called police. Byington's body was found that evening when concerned coworkers called police when she didn't return to work. Authorities ruled her death a homicide. They did not say how she was killed. Neighbors say they heard screams coming from her apartment about 1 p.m. Monday. Byington was a 2015 graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. She worked at Engine, a marketing firm in Princeton. No arrests have been made. The Mexican government has accused the New York-based fashion house Carolina Herrera of cultural appropriation in its Resort 2020 collection. Mexican Minister of Culture Alejandra Frausto sent a letter Monday to the Venezuelan designer and to Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera New York, asking for a public explanation to justify the use of "cultural elements" that belong to certain indigenous communities. Frausto used as an example the traditional embroidery from Tenango de Doria, in the state of Hidalgo, and from Istmo de Tehuantepec, in the state of Oaxaca. A spokeswoman for Carolina Herrera issued a statement Wednesday saying that the fashion house recognizes "the wonderful and diverse craft and textile work of Mexican artisans" and that the collection is inspired "by the culture's rich colors and artisanal techniques." What to Know Officials say the non-venomous snake measured about a foot long and a quarter-inch in diameter. A snake stowed away in a man's bag and remained undetected until it completed the trip from Florida to Hawaii, officials said. The southern black racer snake slithered out of the man's backpack when he arrived on Maui Monday, Hawaii News Now reported Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the 20-year-old Virginia man was not aware of the animal until it emerged after he arrived at a vacation rental property in the community of Pukalani. The non-venomous snake measured about a foot long and a quarter-inch in diameter, officials said. The property owner informed the visitor that snakes are illegal in Hawaii and alerted police, who captured the snake along with state Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel. The man said he did not intentionally bring the racer snake when he traveled from Florida, where the species is common and can grow up to 6 feet in length. The snake is expected to be transferred to Oahu, officials said. Owning or knowingly transporting illegal pets is a felony in Hawaii punishable by a $200,000 fine and up to three years in prison. Snakes have no natural predators in Hawaii and pose a threat to Hawaii's native species. Visitors may not understand "the threat that snakes pose to our community and our unique environment," said Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, chairperson of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture. "It is fortunate that the owner of the rental was aware of the seriousness of the snake being transported to Hawaii and took appropriate action and reported it," Shimabukuro-Geiser said. A bear initially seen in Philadelphia's Andorra section Thursday afternoon that successfully eluded capture for most of the day was finally nabbed shortly after 6 p.m. The 100-pound, 2-year-old cub was hit with a tranquilizer dart Thursday but continued to roam in a wooded area near the Andorra Shopping Center. Hours later, the State Game Warden shot the bear with another tranquilizer dart. The bear was found sleeping and taken without incident by animal control officers to State Game Lands in Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Witnesses previously spotted the creature hiding in the bushes around Manatawna Avenue. As many as two dozen Philadelphia police officers and local animal control officers searched the Andorra and Roxborough neighborhoods near Ridge Avenue. The latest bear sightings follow another sighting Wednesday in East Falls. It was unclear, however, if the bear in Roxborough and Andorra was the same one spotted in East Falls. The warden believes the bear's mother kicked him out and he was looking for a new territory. The cub was taken to Game Land in Hamburg. A class of fourth-graders at Wallingford Elementary School in Delaware County persuaded the owner of one of the biggest pizzeria chains in the United States to change his straw policy. The students wrote essays to Jim Ilaria, the CEO of UNO Pizzeria & Grill, in hopes of getting him to update his business's straw practices. Within weeks, Ilaria responded by changing UNOs policy for giving out straws with drinks at its more than 100 restaurants to "on-demand only." Susan Knight, the students' teacher at Wallington, said she was "ridiculously proud" of her fourth graders' accomplishment. "I would say Im overwhelmed and I tear up at times because not only what they have done, but weve needed some pretty special adult help along the way," she said. On Friday, Ilaria visited the class complete with an UNO-style pizza party to celebrate their efforts to bring a positive environmental change. "Small kids can make big changes to their world," Ilaria said. "They know that they can change the world and thats whats important." He added, "My franchise thought it was the right thing to do for the environment. Our franchise partners got behind this right away." The Wallingford kids didn't just change the straw policy at UNO. They also wrote essays to a local restaurant called Rubys Diner, which changed its policy within a week. Last month, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a proclamation making June 1 "Skip the Straw Day" in Pennsylvania. Years of plastic use, like straws, bags, and cups have led researchers to estimate that 90% of all seabirds and sea turtle species have ingested pieces of plastic, according to a report in the World Wildlife Magazine. Within a decade, the magazine has reported there could be a pound of plastic in the ocean for every three pounds of fish. An Oregon man is on a mission to raise awareness to breast cancer by biking across the nation and visiting cancer patients in honor of a late friend. Brent Bundy, of Portland, is near the end of his sixth Oregon-to-New York cross-country bike trip. On Thursday, Bundy arrived at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Hospital in Center City, where he plans to meet with patients next week. This is Bundys first time in Philadelphia and the furthest south hes been on any of his bike trips. Outside of the hospital, his itinerary included a stop for a cheesesteak and posing at the Rocky statue with his bike. His final destination each year? The Breast Imaging Center at Staten Island University Hospital. On his way to the East Coast on one of his first rides in 2006, Bundy looked up and noticed the treatment center. "Theyre about five blocks away from where I dip my tires in the ocean, Bundy said. The 51-year-old rides for one of his best friends, Gina, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2004. He started biking to spread awareness of breast cancer. "If Gina got tested, shed probably still be here today," he said. Bundys bicycle has visited 1,500 cities, towns and boroughs, logging nearly 30,000 miles. He perseveres through all types of weather to stop and speak with cancer patients and their families in every city he visits. "I feel better," he said. "It was really hard going through (Gina's death). The only time I feel better is when Im helping other people." Bundy's goal is for anyone at risk to "just get tested early; your survival rate is like 95% if you catch it early," he said. You can follow Bundys progress on the final leg of his trip on his Twitter account, @BrentLeeBundy1. A Pennsylvania woman is accused of causing an injury to a baby girl that led to her death eight years later. A Pennsylvania woman is accused of causing an injury to a baby girl that led to her death eight years later. Delilah Reader, 35, of Kunkletown, Monroe County, is charged with murder in the third degree. Investigators said Reader was the sole caregiver of 10-month-old Angelina Thomas. She allegedly caused the child to suffer a traumatic brain injury back on Dec. 6, 2007. The injury caused developmental delays, cognitive and learning impairments, physical disabilities, and a seizure disorder which led to the girls death in 2015, officials said. After an investigation by a Lehigh County detective and Grand Jury, Reader was taken into custody Thursday without incident and later arraigneA Pennsylvania woman is accused of causing an injury to a baby girl that led to her death eight years later. Delilah Reader, 35, of Kunkletown, Monroe County, is charged with murder in the third degree. Investigators said Reader was the sole caregiver of 10-month-old Angelina Thomas. She allegedly caused the child to suffer a traumatic brain injury back on Dec. 6, 2007. The injury caused developmental delays, cognitive and learning impairments, physical disabilities, and a seizure disorder which led to the girls death in 2015, officials said. After an investigation by a Lehigh County detective and a Grand Jury, Reader was taken into custody Thursday without incident and later arraigned. Officials have not yet revealed how Reader allegedly injured the child. A Philadelphia judge opened the door for some 60 undocumented minors to be housed in a controversial residential care facility on Old York Road. The ruling, issued Thursday by Common Pleas Judge Paula Patrick, green-lit Arizona-based VisionQuest to transfer dozens of boys between the ages of 12 and 17 to Philly despite concerns from the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustments that the facility did not have the appropriate permits to operate. Judge Patrick ruled that the youth waiting to be transferred to North Philadelphia would be "irreparably harmed" by further delay and there would be "no harm to the public" resulting from their occupancy. Plans for the facility have been thwarted since earlier this year. VisionQuest intended to transfer the youth in February, but the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections intervened in January, according to court records. It argued that VisionQuest required a different permit to operate as a facility for children detained by the federal government. Judge Patrick rejected that argument, instead ruling that VisionQuest had already been serving as a "group home" for youth since 2010, provided that the minors were not under in the delinquent justice system. As a result, she reasoned, VisionQuest may house children under the age of 18 "who have no lawful immigration status in the U.S." or legal guardians living in the country. We disagree with the Courts ruling," city spokesman Mike Dunn said in a statement. "The City stands by our contention that Visionquests proposed use of 5210 Old York Road is disallowed under its 2010 zoning permit, a position upheld by the Zoning Board of Adjustment." Dunn added that the city is reviewing the court's decision and will "make a decision on how to proceed in the coming days. VisionQuest did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication. The agency has a standing contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement to operate an Unaccompanied Alien Children Program shelter, according to court records. But the agency has a long history of abuse and violations, including the deaths of young people under its watch. Local advocates worry what that could mean for new arrivals. "The court's decision to allow this for-profit business to open a detention center in our city is appalling," Miguel Andrade, spokesperson for the immigrant advocacy group Juntos, said in a statement. "They are dismissing the dozens of cases of abuse by VisionQuest, as well as their own employees, who say this center shouldn't open." The controversies surrounding VisionQuest date back decades. Most recently in 2017, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services ended its contract with VisionQuest after allegations of violence and abuse. Prior to that, in 1987, a report by the Rand Corporation found that the treatment methods used by VisionQuest were unorthodox and that the activities engaged in by the youths posed unnecessary risks to their health and safety. Many of those issues continued through the following decades. In 1994, the U.S. Department of Justice documented more instances of physical and mental abuse at VisionQuestss Franklin, Pennsylvania, campus. Young residents said staffers pulled their hair, used harsh restraints, choked youth and slammed them into walls. Founded in Tuscon in 1973, VisionQuest expanded to Pennsylvania in 1980. It provides intervention services to at-risk youth and families in six states including Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to its website. Services include residential programs, community-based programs, mental health and substance abuse services, and functional family therapy. The organizations programs are also offered in Arizona, Florida, Texas and Maryland. Indicted six-term GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter has held steadfast to his contention that a corruption case against him is the result of a political witch hunt. But that argument got tougher Thursday for the former Marine and close ally of President Donald Trump after his wife, who worked as his campaign manager, pleaded guilty to a single corruption count and acknowledged being a co-conspirator with her husband in spending more than $200,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses. Margaret Hunter accepted a plea deal that calls for 59 charges to be dismissed in exchange for her testimony, full cooperation with prosecutors and other concessions. The conspiracy charge to which she pleaded includes all the allegations contained in the 60-count indictment. "The walls were closing in on him before, now this just makes it more claustrophobic," said Jason Forge, a former federal attorney who prosecuted California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham in 2005 for one of the worst bribery scandals to ever bring down a federal lawmaker. Rep. Hunter "has fewer and fewer options. It's not just his campaign manager. It's his campaign manager and his wife," Forge said. Margaret Hunter detailed in her plea agreement how she and her husband knowingly used the campaign's credit card for six years to bankroll trips to Italy, Las Vegas and Disneyland. She said other expenses charged on the card included $399 for zip lining for Rep. Hunter and two of his three children; $500 in airline travel expenses for their pet bunny, Eggburt; and $351 for a family lunch in connection with a child's Irish dance competition. The plea agreement describes a couple perpetually in debt yet footing the bill for dinners with friends and private school tuition for their children. They charged more than $500 on the card to celebrate their son's birthday at historic Hotel del Coronado and then told the campaign treasurer the charges were "campaign related," according to her plea agreement. Rep. Hunter, who represents Southern California's most Republican congressional district, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that he's been politically targeted by federal prosecutors. After he was indicted last year, he referred to the Justice Department as "the Democrats' arm of law enforcement." He said Thursday that the case should have been handled by the Federal Election Commission and alleged U.S. prosecutors indicted him and his wife ahead of the November elections "to inflict as much political damage as possible in hopes of picking up a congressional seat." "It was politically motivated at the beginning, it remains politically motivated now," he said. Hunter won re-election despite the indictment. Experts say the corruption case may not be as easy to win, given the additional evidence his wife is providing and her possible testimony. His argument of being targeted for political reasons also does not stand, they say, because the U.S. Justice Department is overseen by a Republican attorney general who was appointed by Trump. "When neither the facts nor the law is on your side, you attack the opposing counsel," election law attorney Fred Woocher said. "That seems like the strategy here. Maybe he'll find a juror amenable to some conspiracy theory." The congressman's attorney, Gregory Vega, has asked for two assistant U.S. attorneys to be recused after they went to a fundraising event for then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton while the congressman was being investigated. However, the U.S. Secret Service told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the agency had requested their presence as routine protocol and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California reviewed the situation last year and determined there was no conflict. According to the plea agreement, the couple engaged in more than 30 illegal transactions totaling more than $200,000 between 2010 and 2016. Duncan Hunter's chief of staff and campaign treasurer repeatedly warned that it was improper to use campaign cash for personal expenses, according to his wife's plea agreement. They also are accused of trying to conceal the illegal spending in federal campaign finance reports. Duncan Hunter's lawyers said in 2017 that the couple repaid the campaign about $60,000. Prosecutors say the conspiracy was set up in such a way that Hunter and his wife could spend money without having to inform each other. Hunter's wife hid purchases "for items like school lunches" while the congressman concealed spending to "facilitate certain personal relationships with others." That is an apparent veiled reference to alleged infidelities Hunter's lawyer, Vega, alluded to in an August letter to the Justice Department urging prosecutors to delay any action until after the election. He wrote that "while there may be evidence of infidelity, irresponsibility, or alcohol dependence, the underlying facts do not equate to criminal activity." The congressman has suggested his wife was to blame for any misuse of funds. In an interview with Fox News last year, Rep. Hunter said his campaign made mistakes, that he gave his wife power of attorney when he deployed to Iraq in 2003, and that she handled his finances during his last five terms in office. In a statement read by her attorney, Margaret Hunter said Thursday that she accepts full responsibility for her actions and "is deeply remorseful." "I understand there will be more consequences stemming from my actions but as demonstrated this morning with the entry of the plea, I've taken the first step to facing those consequences," she said. Hunter's trial is scheduled for Sept. 10, one week before his wife's sentencing. What to Know Federal prosecutors indicted former bank CEO Stephen Calk for allegedly trading loans for a Trump Administration post Calk allegedly approved $16 million in loans to Paul Manafort and then sought a senior post after Trump's election Special Counsel Robert Mueller probed the relationship between Manafort and Calk as part of his investigation A banker who prosecutors say tried to buy himself a senior post in President Donald Trump's administration by making risky loans to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty Thursday to a financial institution bribery charge as his lawyer said he's done nothing wrong. Stephen M. Calk, 54, was released on $5 million bail after making a brief appearance in Manhattan federal court. Calk, who lives in Chicago where The Federal Savings Bank is headquartered, was told by Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman to have no contact with bank employees except for his brother until prosecutors next week submit a list of individuals he cannot communicate with. The small bank where Calk was CEO when he allegedly carried out the scheme said in a statement that Calk already had no involvement with the bank and is on a leave of absence. In a statement, Calk attorney Jeremy Margolis said Calk will be exonerated on the "baseless isolated charge." He called the arrest a "travesty." He said the bank his client founded and Calk were "victims of Mr. Manafort's ongoing fraud. Mr. Calk did not commit any offense with him." Another defense lawyer, Daniel Stein, said outside court: "These loans were simply not a bribe for anything." "The Special Counsel and a federal judge have determined that The Federal Savings Bank was a victim of Mr. Manafort's crimes," the bank said in a statement, adding it isn't accused of "any wrongdoing." Federal prosecutors described the charge in a release, saying Calk abused his bank position by approving $16 million in high risk loans that were ultimately downgraded by the bank's primary regulator. William F. Sweeney Jr., head of New York's FBI office, said Calk "went to great lengths to avoid banking violations in an attempt to secure a senior position in a presidential administration." "His attempt at petitioning for political favors was unsuccessful in more ways than one he didn't get the job he wanted, and he compromised the one he had," Sweeney added. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison. The relationship between Manafort and Calk was a focus of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as far back as early 2018, sources told NBC News at the time. Manafort lobbied Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to consider Calk for Secretary of the Army, according to emails from the weeks leading up to the 2016 election shown to jurors at Manafort's tax evasion and bank fraud trial last year. Prosecutors said while Manafort's loans were pending approval, Calk gave Manafort a ranked list of government positions he wanted, starting with Secretary of the Treasury, followed by Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Defense, as well as 19 ambassadorships similarly ranked and starting with the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. According to trial evidence, Manafort passed along Calk's resume to Kushner in a Nov. 30, 2016, email, along with two other names of people he said "should be a part of the Trump administration." Manafort wrote that the individuals would be "totally reliable and responsive to the Trump White House." He also said Calk was "strong in defense issues, management and finance." Kushner responded, "On it!" Calk was formally interviewed for the position of under secretary of the Army in early January 2017 at the Presidential Transition Team's Trump Tower offices, prosecutors noted. But Calk never got an administration post, though he did approve Manafort's loans. Manafort received a $9.5 million cash-out refinance from Calk's bank on November 2016 and an additional $6.5 million construction loan on a Manafort property in New York in January 2017. Prosecutors said Calk began in July 2016 to exploit his position as head of the bank and its holding company, knowing Manafort urgently needed loans to avoid foreclosure proceedings on multiple properties he and his family owned. Calk himself was not summoned by federal prosecutors to testify in Manafort's case. Instead, executives who worked under Calk at The Federal Savings Bank testified he began green-lighting more than $16 million in loans after he expressed interest in joining the Cabinet if Trump won the 2016 election. Testifying under an immunity agreement, James Brennan, who was a vice president of the bank at the time, said Calk overruled bank executives who rejected Manafort's loan for "inconsistencies." The loan "closed because Mr. Calk wanted it to close," Brennan said. The federal jury was unable to reach a verdict on the bank fraud charge related to Calk, but Manafort was convicted on eight other counts in the case. Manafort later acknowledged guilt in all the bank-related charges as part of a deal with the special counsel's office. Manafort is serving a 7 year sentence after his convictions on 10 charges alleging multiple crimes, including bank and tax fraud, misleading the government over his foreign lobbying work and encouraged witnesses to lie on his behalf. He also faces an indictment in New York charging him with state crimes , including a residential mortgage fraud scheme. A Syrian doctor says he won't return to the United States to finish his studies at Brown University because of the Trump administration's travel ban. Khaled Almilaji said Wednesday there's too much uncertainty, even though he possibly could get a student visa under the scaled-back version of the ban. The administration has given itself a Thursday deadline for implementing it. Almilaji, 35, moved to Canada this month to pursue his master's degree at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He said it's unfortunate he had to withdraw from Brown, but "bad things happen and you have to adapt." He's still working with his mentors at the Ivy League school as he tries to reopen a large underground hospital for women and children in northwest Syria. He plans to get specialists at Brown to train hospital staff online and answer their questions about complicated cases. Trump says the ban is needed to protect the U.S. from terrorists. Almilaji was recently awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Canadian representative of Queen Elizabeth II. "Nothing really slows him down including Donald Trump, and including all the many other obstacles that arise along the way in doing this work," said Dr. Adam Levine, who leads the Humanitarian Innovation Initiative at Brown. Almilaji, a fellow with the initiative, coordinated a campaign that vaccinated 1.4 million Syrian children and risked his life to provide medical care during the country's civil war. He's working with Canadian doctors to establish safe health facilities in Syria, train medical workers and connect hospitals. The group formed the Canadian International Medical Relief Organization. Almilaji received a letter last week from the governor general of Canada stating that he's a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal. The governor general is the queen's representative in Canada and recognizes exceptional individuals on her behalf and on behalf of all Canadians. The other co-founders of CIMRO, Mark Cameron and Jay Dahman, are also receiving the medal. Almilaji was earning a master's degree in public health at Brown University when the travel ban first went into effect in January. He went to Turkey for a brief trip after the fall semester and got stuck overseas while his pregnant wife remained in the U.S. They were reunited in Toronto this month and are expecting a baby girl in August. This week's Supreme Court order partially reinstated the ban, allowing the administration to block travelers from Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran and Yemen unless they can prove a "bona fide relationship" with a person or entity in the United States. The court's guidance said that a student admitted to study at an American university would fit that exception. Almilaji travels to Turkey to oversee projects in Syria. He said he was told by lawyers that if he did return to the United States, it would be unwise to leave again. "It would take away my basic rights of movement and seeing my family and the work that I love and commit to, to my people," he said. "It's really unfair." Canada, he said, affords him guaranteed experience and knowledge to pursue his work in a better way. Almilaji has launched an advocacy and awareness campaign, Care4SyrianKids, with Brown classmates. When Syria is stable enough, he wants to return and work on preventing diseases and other health problems. D.C.'s attorney general hosted a community meeting Thursday evening asking for feedback on whether notorious drug lord Rayful Edmond III should be released from prison early. Police have said Edmond, now 54, helped fuel D.C.'s crack epidemic in the 1980s. Notorious for leading a major cocaine trafficking ring in D.C. from about 1985 to 1989, he is currently serving a life sentence without parole for federal drug distribution charges. But prosecutors have requested early release for Edmond, saying his cooperation with police since the late 1990s led to a recommendation that his sentence be reduced. Attorney General Karl Racine wants to know how the community feels about Edmond's possible release. "Our job is to understand your views and to express the range of views on the re-sentencing of Mr. Edmond," he said. Edmond was never convicted of any murders, but he was sentenced for drug charges. He has spent time in prison helping Federal prosecutors put other drug dealers behind bars, and for that cooperation, prosecutors say a judge should release Edmond for time served. Ward 5 ANC Commissioner Robert Brannum disagrees. "Mr. Edmond may feel he has shared the scope of his criminal enterprise to meet early release, however it must not be lost to the mind of others that communities were devastated," he said. D.C. resident Johnathan Mack said a judge should set him free. "The 30 years that he has served is sufficient time," he said. Residents can offer their thoughts at two more community meetings: Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Martha's Table (2375 Elvans Road SE) and June 29 from 1-3 p.m. at Frank D. Reeves Center (2000 14th St. NW). The community also can share feedback via an online form, by calling 202-727-3400 to speak directly with a rep from the D.C. attorney general's office or by mailing a written statement to Office of the Attorney General, ATTN: Rayful Edmond Case, 441 4th St. NW, Suite 1100 South, Washington, D.C. 20001. Last month, Racine went before a judge to convince him that, as D.C.'s attorney general, he should be allowed to testify at any hearing on Edmond's possible release. His office will submit a brief to the court that reflects the community feedback by Aug. 30. Edmond is expected to appear before a judge in October. He still faces an additional 30 years in prison in Pennsylvania for selling drugs in prison. Prosecutors there are considering reducing that sentence. President Donald Trump has blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but he also held out hope that implicit U.S. threats to use force will yield talks with the Islamic Republic as the Pentagon considers beefing up defenses in the Persian Gulf area. A day after explosions blew holes in two oil tankers just outside Iran's territorial waters, rattling international oil markets, the administration seemed caught between pressure to punish Iran and reassure Washington's Gulf Arab allies without drawing the U.S. closer to war. "Iran did it," Trump said Friday on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends." He didn't offer evidence, but the U.S. military released video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to cover its tracks. By pointing the finger at Iran, Trump was keeping a public spotlight on an adversary he accuses of terrorism but also has invited to negotiate. The approach is similar to his diplomacy with North Korea, which has quieted talk of war but not yet achieved his goal of nuclear disarmament. Iran has shown little sign of backing down, creating uncertainty about how far the Trump administration can go with its campaign of increasing pressure through sanctions. Iran denied any involvement in the attacks and accused Washington of waging an "Iranophobic campaign" of economic warfare. A U.S. Navy team was aboard one of the tankers, the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, collecting forensic evidence Friday, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation. Apparently alluding to the U.S. video, Trump said Iran's culpability had been "exposed." He did not say what he intended to do about it but suggested "very tough" U.S. sanctions, including efforts to strangle Iranian oil revenues, would have the desired effect. "They've been told in very strong terms we want to get them back to the table," Trump said. Just a day earlier, the president took the opposite view, tweeting that it was "too soon to even think about making a deal" with Iran's leaders. "They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump last year withdrew the United States from an international agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program that was signed in 2015 under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. He has since re-instated economic sanctions aimed at compelling the Iranians to return to the negotiating table. Just last month the U.S. ended waivers that allowed some countries to continue buying Iranian oil, a move that is starving Iran of oil income and that coincided with what U.S. officials called a surge in intelligence pointing to Iranian preparations for attacks against U.S. forces and interests in the Gulf region. In response to those intelligence warnings, the U.S. on May 5 announced it was accelerating the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group to the Gulf region. It also sent four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Qatar and has beefed up its defenses in the region by deploying more Patriot air defense systems. Officials said that Pentagon deliberations about possibly sending more military resources to the region, including more Patriot missile batteries, could be accelerated by Thursday's dramatic attack on the oil tankers. At the Pentagon, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Iran is not just a U.S. problem. He said the U.S. goal is to "build international consensus to this international problem," and to ensure that U.S. military commanders in the region get the resources and support they need. In remarks to reporters later, Shanahan noted the commercial and strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes about 20 percent of the world's oil. "So, we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate," he said. Other administration officials said the U.S. is re-evaluating its presence in the region and will discuss the matter with allies before making decisions. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said Thursday the U.S. is looking at all options to ensure that maritime traffic in the region is safe and that international commerce, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, is not disrupted. One option, they said, is for U.S. and allied ships to accompany vessels through the strait, noting that this tactic has been used in the past. They said there is no timeline for any decisions. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said that providing naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz is an option, but, "I don't think it's a sustainable option because of the amount of traffic." She said tanker warfare in the Persian Gulf has historically been a problem, and she wouldn't be opposed to the U.S. having a more visible presence in the region. Slotkin, a former senior policy adviser at the Pentagon, said she is concerned that the Trump administration does not have a clear strategy on Iran. She said it's difficult to deter Iran without provoking additional violence, adding, "I don't believe this administration is capable of walking such a deft, fine line." In ticking off a list of Iranian acts of "unprovoked aggression," including Thursday's oil tanker attacks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added a surprise accusation. He asserted on Thursday that a late May car bombing of a U.S. convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, was among a series of threats or attacks by Iran and its proxies against American and allies interests. At the time, the Taliban claimed credit for the attack, with no public word of Iranian involvement. Pompeo's inclusion of the Afghanistan attack in his list of six Iranian incidents has raised eyebrows in Congress, where he and other U.S. officials have suggested that the administration would be legally justified in taking military action against Iran under the 2001 Authorization of Military Force, or AUMF. In that law, Congress gave then-President George W. Bush authority to retaliate against al-Qaida and the Taliban for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It has subsequently been used to allow military force against extremists elsewhere, from the Philippines to Syria. As the world awaited Washington's next move, analysts said it was difficult to sort out the conflicting claims. "There are few actors in the world that have less credibility than Donald Trump and the Iranian regime, so even U.S. allies at the moment are confused about what happened," said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He said the "tremendous mistrust" of both Trump and Iran has made "the biggest priority for most countries to simply avoid conflict or further escalation." At the same time, Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in a difficult position, Sadjadpour said. "If he didn't respond to Trump's provocations, he would risk looking like a paper tiger and projecting weakness. But if he responds overly aggressive to Trump he potentially destabilizes his own rule and his own regime. That's why we've seen Iran calibrate its escalation." AP writers Zeke Miller and Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Far under the largest crater in the solar system lies a huge blob, mystifying the scientists who recently discovered it, NBC News reported. It could be a huge metal deposit generated by the asteroid that slammed into the moon billions of years ago, creating the South Pole-Aitkin basin, according to the team of scientists who made the discovery, which was announced in April in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The mass weighs the equivalent of about 4.8 quintillion pounds on Earth, which is about five times more than the entire Big Island of Hawaii. "This is a very large mass of a scale that is difficult even for geologists to recognize," North Carolina State University planetary geology professor Paul Byrne said. A teenage girl is speaking out after being hurt in a hit-and-run pedestrian crash in Worcester, Massachusetts. Sixteen-year-old Leyshali Rodriguez Sanchez had to have staples in her head after she was hit by a car Wednesday morning at the intersection of Melrose Street and Burncoat Street. She was released from the hospital Thursday night. "I saw the car coming from the side of my eye, and I don't remember any more," said Rodriguez Sanchez. The sophomore was walking to Burncoat High School when a person in a black sedan hit her and took off. She was in the crosswalk at the time. "When I first woke up, I was on the floor and my body was hurting," Rodriguez Sanchez recalled. The teenager says she feels fortunate to be alive. She has many bruises and will need another surgery for her broken shoulder. Worcester Police say the sedan traveled east toward Melrose Street. "I don't know why they did it, but if they hit me, they should have at least stopped and checked on me," she said. "I feel like that was really messed up." "You don't leave my daughter and leave her like that," said Lourdes Sanchez, the victim's mother. "She's convulsing. You don't do that." The family says it has been in touch with police and believes authorities have some clues on the driver. Former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi is appealing a decision that bars him from registering as a Beacon Hill lobbyist after being convicted of federal corruption charges. The 73-year-old Democrat who was granted compassionate release in 2016 after serving five years of an eight-year sentence had applied to become a lobbyist. The state Lobbyist Division, overseen by Democratic Secretary of State William Galvin, denied DiMasi's application in March, citing his federal conviction, which included extortion charges. On Thursday, DiMasi and his lawyer, Meredith Fierro, appeared at a hearing in Boston to appeal the decision. Fierro argued that a state law requiring the secretary of state's office to automatically disqualify the lobbyist registration of anyone convicted of a felony for violating the state's ethics and lobbying laws does not apply to DiMasi since DiMasi was convicted on federal charges. "The section is very narrow," Fierro said at Thursday's hearing. Marissa Soto-Ortiz, a lawyer representing the state Lobbyist Division, argued that DiMasi's violations require his automatic disqualification for 10 years from the date of his conviction or at least until June 2021. If that argument fails, Soto-Ortiz raised the possibility that the actions taken by DiMasi which resulted in his conviction were in effect a form of lobbying which required his registration as a lobbyist. DiMasi was charged with using his clout as speaker to steer lucrative state contracts to a software company in exchange for $65,000 in payments funneled through DiMasi's outside law firm. Since DiMasi, who was serving as House speaker at the time, was not registered as a lobbyist, Soto-Ortiz said the Lobbyist Division could block DiMasi from acting as a registered lobbyist for an additional three years from the end of the current proceedings. DiMasi resigned in 2009 and was convicted in 2011. Thursday's hearing was preliminary. It could take several more months before final arguments are made to the hearing officer, Peter Cassidy. Any decision by Cassidy could be appealed to the courts. While in prison, DiMasi was treated for tongue and prostate cancer. In arguing for compassionate release, his lawyers and family members said that while his cancer was in remission, the illness had resulted in a narrowing of his esophagus that created a risk of choking and required he be constantly monitored while eating and drinking. Customers are rallying around a Massachusetts restaurant after the owners said they received hate mail because of their gay pride flag. The letter was addressed to Bonefish Harry's in Beverly and posted on the restaurant's Facebook page. In it, a man claiming to be a long-time customer calls the rainbow flag a "disappointment" and condemns the restaurant for publicly supporting "immoral activity." Restaurant employees have not been able to track down the anonymous author who also asked for the flag to be removed, but they were outraged after reading it. "I think it's embarrassing and just sad," said bartender Kiri Rostad. "There was no return address so it just seemed bizarre." The restaurant's owners posted the letter online with their own message that they would not be bullied into taking it down. Employees were shocked to see the support that came after it. "It gives me goosebumps. I've been brought to tears so many times over the last two days," said Rostad. The restaurant's original post received thousands of likes, comments and shares. New customers are coming in from all over to support the seafood establishment. Cards and flowers were also being delivered. Gail O'Docherty and her friends came from Gloucester and Rockport for lunch Friday after hearing about the hate mail. "I had seen it on my Facebook and I said we have to go to this place to support them. We have to take a stand," said O'Docherty. There are some who think the letter was a publicity stunt, but restaurant employees said that could not be further from the truth. They just want customers to know everyone is welcome and their rainbow flag will be on display no matter what. "It was just something really terrible that the community turned into a huge, beautiful thing," said Rostad. "And that's the one thing I will always take from this." Police in Maine have caught the culprit who broke into a pizza shop. However, the suspect is not in custody. That's because the suspect is a moose. "We found the suspect and they are not in custody. Boring right?" The Dover-Foxcroft Police Department posted on its Facebook page. A picture shows a moose climbing out of a smashed front window to the pizzeria. Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Ryan Reardon told the Bangor Daily News that the moose likely got spooked and ran out of the woods. Moose are known to be driven from the woods in the summertime by an increase in bugs, Reardon said. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts is pushing ahead with his 2020 campaign despite not qualifying for the first presidential primary debates later this month. Twenty candidates, including U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, will take the stage in Miami June 26 and 27. Moulton says the first debates are far from make it or break it since voters don't go to the polls until February. He points to past Presidents like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter who were at 1% or less at this point in their primaries. "I'm not disappointed because I knew that getting into the race so late, this was likely to happen. That was a calculated risk," Moulton said on Friday. Moulton, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Miramar, Florida, Mayor Wayne Messam did not make the debate threshold. In order to make the cut, candidates must be at least one percent in three public polls and receive contributions from 65,000 donors. "Well, there are some polls that are just so few people that they're statistically insignificant," said Moulton. "I do well with people who know who I am but Ive got to introduce myself to more Americans." Moulton said he is not disparraged by those who say he has no chance of winning the race. "People said that in my first race for Congress... I was 53 points down. And plenty of people told me to quit," he said. "I ended up winning that race by 11 points." Political analyst Steve Kerrigan says Moulton is at least getting media attention for not being on the debate stage which in and of itself is valuable. "This is by no means a death knell for his campaign," said Kerrigan. "He does have a very specific message that he is using in this campaign and I think that voice is important." Still, Moulton has no major endorsements, no campaign staff or campaign offices in states like New Hampshire. So what is his path forward? "I believe there's no better foil for Donald Trump than a young combat veteran. That's why I am in this race. I'm in it to take on Donald Trump. And I'm in it to win," said Moulton. He says his unique message, running as a national security candidate, sets him apart. And he's moving full steam ahead with a trip to New Hampshire this weekend, in the hopes of being a part of the next debate in July. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will leave her post as White House press secretary at the end of the month having lost credibility as she tried to defend Trumps misstatements, exaggerations and falsehoods in increasingly testy exchanges with reporters. Sanders relationship with the press had so deteriorated by the end of her two-year tenure that once frequent press briefings had become nonexistent. Her last formal briefing was on March 11 unless you count the "kids-only" briefing in April held for "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day." Sanders took over the lectern in the West Wings briefing room on July 23, 2017, after her predecessor, Sean Spicer, resigned. Initially Sanders joked with reporters, deflected questions she did not want to answer and even got a shout out from the White House communications director in the Obama administration, Jen Psaki. But she also accused reporters of deliberately putting out information that they knew to be untrue and as Trump made demonstrably false statements, she criticized journalists by name and called them the enemy of the American people. Journalists weren't the only ones who questioned her truthfulness, in turn. Special counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed that Sanders' had made up comments in defending the firing of FBI Director James Comey. On May 10, 2017, Sanders said "countless" FBI agents had told the White House they had lost confidence Comey, but Mueller determined that Sanders' "comments were not founded on anything." "Sanders told this Office that her reference to hearing from 'countless members of the FBI' was a 'slip of the tongue,'" Mueller's report said. "She also recalled that her statement in a separate press interview that rank-and-file FBI agents had lost confidence in Comey was a comment she made 'in the heat of the moment' that was not founded on anything." Following the release of Mueller's report, Sanders continued to defend her evidence-free remarks, apologizing only for not being "a robot like the Democratic Party." The daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sanders made other headlines at the White House Correspondents Dinner in April 2017 when she was subjected to a scorching roast by comedian Michelle Wolf, who joked that Sanders burns facts and uses the ash to create a prefect smoky eye, and again in June of that year when the owner of the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, asked her to leave. Trump described her on Thursday as a "warrior" while Sanders, for her part, said she would remain a loyal supporter to the president. With Sanders on her way out the door to return with her family to Arkansas -- where she may run for governor -- here is a look back at some of her top contentious encounters with reporters covering the White House. Confrontations With CNNs Acosta Sanders was accused of tweeting out a doctored video in November 2018 that made it appear that CNNs White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, had touched a White House intern who was trying to take a microphone from him. Acostas press pass was suspended after he refused to relinquish the microphone to the intern during a heated exchange with Trump during a press conference. Sanders said Acosta put his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job, an assertion that did not appear to be supported by the original version of the video. Sanders already had a difficult relationship with Acosta, who earlier had asked her to disavow President Donald Trumps characterization of the media as the enemy of the people. She deflected the request and instead said, without offering evidence, that The media has attacked me personally on a number of occasions, including your own network. Said I should be harassed as a life sentence, that I should be choked. The White House quickly reinstated Acostas press pass after CNN filed a lawsuit and a federal judge ordered his pass be restored temporarily. Arrests at the Border Sanders admitted that she misspoke when she said that Customs and Border Protection officers in 2018 arrested 4,000 known or suspected terrorists who came across our southern border. I should have said 4,000 at all points of entry, not just at the southern border, she said in January. NBC News wrote that the 4,000 figure was from 2017 not 2018 data and referred to stops made by the Department of Homeland Security across the globe, mostly at airports, in the 2017 fiscal year not 2018. The Department of Homeland Security prevented nearly 4,000 known or suspected terrorists from "traveling to or entering the United States." No immigrant has been arrested on the southern border on terrorism charges in recent years. Hush Money to Stormy Daniels After Rudy Giuliani revealed in May 2018 that Trump had reimbursed his personal lawyer for a $130,000 payment to hush up Stormy Daniels, Sanders struggled to explain her comments echoing Trumps assertions just a month earlier that he did not know about the payment. We give the very best information that we have at the time, she responded on May 3, 2018. I do that every single day and will continue to do that every day Im in this position. One reporter asked: Were you lying to us at the time? Or were you in the dark? Daniels has claimed a sexual encounter with the president, which Trump denies. In April 2018 aboard Air Force One, Trump responded no when asked if he knew about the payment. As to why his lawyer, Michael Cohen, had made the payment if there was no truth to the allegation, Trump told the reporters that they would have to ask Cohen. He also claimed that he did not know where Cohen had gotten the money from to make the payment. The next month Giuliani, without first warning Sanders, admitted on Hannity on Fox News that Trump had reimbursed Cohen. That August, as Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws, he implicated the president in the payments, saying a candidate for federal office (in other words Trump) had directed him to make them. Trump Tower Meeting Sanders refused to explain in June 2018 why she told reporters Trump certainly didnt dictate the statement released by his son Donald Trump Jr. about the 2016 meeting in Trump Tower between Trumps campaign, a Russian lawyer and others when in fact he did. The presidents lawyers in a letter to Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrote that Trump dictated a short but accurate statement. Donald Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting after he was promised dirt on Hillary Clinton, but later said the meeting was about adoptions. The lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, reportedly focused on efforts to repeal the Magnitsky Act, which has been used to impose sanctions on Russians officials believed to be responsible for human rights violations. Their assets have been frozen and they are banned from entering the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin retaliated when the law was passed in 2012 by banning adoptions of Russian children by Americans. In January 2019, Veselnitskaya was charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan of obstructing a separate investigation into money laundering. She is not in the United States. African American employment Last August, Sanders said that Trump, in his first year and a half in office, had tripled what President Barack Obama had in eight years for African American employment. Politifact.com called her statement false. Sanders said Trump had created 700,000 new jobs for African Americans compared to only for 195,000 for Obama, but the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that under Obama, African American employment rose just under 3 million. Sanders later tweeted a correction. Vetting of Diversity Visa Applicants In a press briefing in November 2017, Sanders claimed a day after a terrorist attack in New York City left eight people dead, that diversity visa applicants were not vetted. You cant randomly select people and not have them thoroughly vetted and not have the ability to know whether or not these people want to do good things or bad things when they get here, she said. PolitiFact.com noted that those eligible for a visa through the diversity lottery must undergo a review of their passport, police and medical records and education or work experience. Chicago Gun Violence Sanders, in a claim after the massacre in Las Vegas that PolitiFact.com called Pants on Fire, said that Chicago provided evidence that gun control laws do not work. "I think if you look to Chicago, where you had over 4,000 victims of gun-related crimes last year, they have the strictest gun laws in the country. That certainly hasnt helped there," Sanders said. Chicago does not have the toughest gun laws in the United States, PolitiFact.com wrote, and called some Illinois laws lenient. More on James Comeys Firing On MSNBCs Morning Joe Sanders repeated the assertion from the White House that Trump fired FBI Director James Comes in May 2017 on the recommendation of the attorney general and the deputy attorney general. I think hes heard from the rank and file of the FBI, but particularly someone who had done a thorough review and someone who has the respect and reputation that the deputy attorney general has, he took that seriously, FactCheck.org quoted Sanders as saying in the May 10, 2017, interview. He took the recommendation seriously. And he made a decision based on that. The next day Trump undercut Sanders and other White House officials by telling NBCs Lester Holt that he was going to fire Comey regardless of the recommendation and that this Russia thing with Trump and Russia played into his decision. "Substantial evidence indicates that the catalyst for the Presidents decision to fire Comey was Comeys unwillingness to publicly state that the President was not personally under investigation, despite the Presidents repeated requests that Comey make such an announcement," Mueller wrote in his report, which was released to the public in a redacted form on April 18, 2019. Mueller determined that "the President and White House aides initially advanced a pretextual reason to the press and the public for Comeys termination." Find "the New Asgard" sign at St Abbs: Before I take you on a magical journey to Hollywood with this little guide to an amazing Avengers filming location in Scotland (a quick 90 minute drive from Newcastle) I should probably warn you that if you're yet to watch Avengers Endgame you'd best stop reading right now. Whilst I'm not one for spoiling the end of movies I'm too excited about our discovery to not share this with my fellow Marvel fans - I can't possibly keep it to myself! Anyone fancy a trip to New Asgard?Simon and I are both big Marvel fans, we drive about with the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack blaring out of the car stereo, he's well aware of my Ross Gellar style laminated list that allows me to cheat on him with Chris Hemsworth and we spend far too much of our time ranking our favourite super heroes! So when I discovered that the filming location for New Asgard was only an hour and a half away from our home in the North East I couldn't resist arranging a surprise trip for my husband.I'm sure Avengers Engame fans will all agree with me that some of the very best scenes of the movie involve a drunken layabout Thor eating pizza and playing video games in his harbour side home in New Asgard, the coastal settlement for the Asgardians following the havoc caused by Thanos and that infuriating jewelled glove!New Asgard looked beautiful on screen and when Rocket and Hulk went to visit Thor in his new home Simon and I were debating where it had been filmed on our way home from the movie - both agreeing that it was perhaps somewhere on the beautiful coastline of Norway. We never would have guessed it was a beautiful fishing village in Scotland, a short drive from Northumberland.As soon as I discovered the New Asgard location, completely by accident, I decided not to tell Simon and instead arranged a little stop on our way back from a recent trip to Edinburgh. Telling him I had planned a surprise in a mystery location I put him behind the wheel and guided him there keeping my fingers crossed that St Abbs lived up to my expectations. I had nervous butterflies in my tummy on the approach just hoping it was everything I wanted it to be.Approaching St Abbs Harbour I noticed a sign on the side of the road - "St Abbs twinned with New Asgard" I knew Simon had spotted it too when he turned to me, gave me the biggest grin and swore! I knew immediately that I'd earned myself a good few wife points.Following the road down the steep hill down to the harbour we found a small carpark with just a couple of parking spots left. As St Abbs is a tiny harbour village with just a few residents there isn't a huge amount of parking places and it certainly wasn't designed for hoards of visitors, however locals have fully embraced their Hollywood fame, which became immediately apparent when we spotted a fair amount of "Welcome to New Asgard" signs dotted around the harbour. I'm sure as word continues to get out and with the arrival of the Summer this little Scottish village is going to have a serious amount of visitors calling.We parked up for an hour which cost us 1.00 and set off for a little potter around the harbour, Simon eagerly skipping about amongst the fishing nets excitedly telling me which bits of dialogue were filmed in which spots. As a huge movie fan he was in his element stepping straight into one of his favourite movies.Locations are easy to spot with the beautiful white house instantly recognisable as the Cormorant and Tun pub - I'm afraid it isn't really a pub and you definitely won't find Thor propping up the bar but seeing it sitting above the harbour was still pretty amazing.The real treat of your visit though is getting your photograph taken with the sign - oh so cheesy but yes it really does have to be done! Just behind the carpark you'll find some wooden steps going up to the top of the hill to the St Abbs Visitors Centre and that's where you'll find the second "Twinned with New Asgard" sign - perfectly placed with the views over the harbour below - the perfect photo opportunity.I love that Scottish Borders Council made the official signs to put up - celebrating that very special time that Hollywood descended on a small village on the coast of Scotland! It's definitely something that everyone in the village and local area is very proud of.Don't you worry though, if the thought of a day trip revolving around super heroes isn't your idea of fun, St Abbs is well worth a visit if you enjoy the most spectacular scenery. Not only is the harbour beautiful but the views of the cliffs from the village is truly breathtaking - you can see the whole shape of the coastline perfectly and it's a wonderful place to spend some time. Although we didn't stop you'll find the super cute Ebbcarrs Cafe on the harbour serving lunches, homemade cakes and coffees with outside seating if you happen to see some sunshine on your visit.We absolutely loved our trip to St Abbs, I'll be using it to my advantage for a while reminding Simon what an awesome wife I am, and it also acted as a very welcome reminder that the Scottish borders are a beautiful area to explore and a very much unvisited place right on our doorstep.I can't wait to return and explore some more!Coldingham RoadSt AbbsEyemouthScotlandTD14 5PL Seven cancer researchers selected as Pew-Stewart Scholars PHILADELPHIA--The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust announced today the 2019 class members of the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research. The seven early-career scholars who make up the 2019 class are spearheading innovative research efforts designed to find cures for cancer, with each receiving a four-year grant to advance these initiatives. This is the sixth year that the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust has partnered with Pew to support researchers pursuing groundbreaking work focused on better understanding the origins, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. "Cancer is a complex, devastating disease that the medical and scientific communities are diligently working to understand and ultimately cure," said Rebecca W. Rimel, Pew's president and CEO. "Pew is proud to support researchers who have dedicated their careers to this noble cause." The class of 2019 is examining several promising areas of cancer research, including strategies to reprogram tumor-associated immune cells, investigate a mutant protein in lung cancer, and develop methods to treat acute myeloid leukemia, among other topics. "Curing cancer demands curiosity, ingenuity, and perseverance from researchers," said Peter M. Howley, M.D., chair of the Pew-Stewart national advisory committee. "This new class of scholars displays those traits, and I am eager to see what they can accomplish." The 2019 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research are: Michel DuPage, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley Dr. DuPage will investigate how the immune system is suppressed within the tumor microenvironment. Luke Gilbert, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco Dr. Gilbert will develop strategies to treat a form of acute myeloid leukemia that is associated with a mutation or deficiency in the TP53 protein. Diana Hargreaves, Ph.D. Salk Institute for Biological Studies Dr. Hargreaves will explore how tumor-associated macrophages can be reprogrammed to treat cancer. Piro Lito, M.D., Ph.D. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Dr. Lito will investigate how mutant KRAS proteins drive lung cancer, aiming to identify novel therapies for this disease. Chao Lu, Ph.D. Columbia University Dr. Lu will investigate how abnormalities in the way chromosomes are modified contribute to the development of cancer. Stefani Spranger, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dr. Spranger will examine how the makeup of patients' tumor immune microenvironment contributes to their response to immunotherapy. Gabriel D. Victora, Ph.D. The Rockefeller University Dr. Victora will characterize the dynamic interaction between different immune cell types as cancers develop and change over time. ### The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org. This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. 'America First' shows U.S.' "only I shall develop and you shall not" mindset: ambassador BRUSSELS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- "I don't think it is a secret to anyone now why the trade frictions have flared up and how things have come to what they are today. The root cause is that the U.S. administration, chanting the slogan of'America First,' goes for unilateralism, protectionism and economic hegemonism," Ambassador Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, has said. "The U.S. side makes a lot of groundless accusations of China, resorts to economic blackmail with tariff increases and attempts to impose its demands on China with maximum pressure. The U.S. is also going to great lengths under the guise of national security to bring down Chinese companies and disrupt normal scientific and technological cooperation and market competition," Zhang said Wednesday in a speech during a luncheon hosted by the EU-China Business Association. "This shows nothing but a hegemonic mindset that 'Only I shall develop and you shall not,'" said the ambassador. In an escalation of the trade tensions, Washington on May 10 imposed additional tariffs on 200 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Chinese imports up from 10 percent to 25 percent, and has threatened to raise tariffs on further Chinese imports. In response, China imposed additional tariffs on a range of U.S. imports at the beginning of this month. "In the common interest of China and the U.S., and for the sake of proper order in world trade, China is committed to the basic principle of resolving disputes through dialog and consultation. China has responded to American concerns with utmost sincerity and patience," said Zhang. "China has tried to build consensus with the U.S. while reserving and properly addressing the differences. China has overcome all sorts of difficulties, engaged in many rounds of dialogue and negotiations with the U.S. and put forward pragmatic proposals," he told the audience. "In short, China has made painstaking efforts to stabilize its business ties with the U.S. But the U.S., in return, has gone back on its words over and over again and kept creating new problems. This has eventually led to spiraling trade tensions between the two countries," he noted, warning that "China is not the only victim." "The stick of tariffs has been wielded at many, including the EU. While the steel and aluminum issue is pending, the auto tariff is like a sword hanging over Europeans' heads," he said. "With the doctrine of 'America First,' it seems that any country and any sector could become an easy target at any time. Our world could not be more uncertain," he noted, reminding his audience that the U.S.' abuse of tariff threats and long-arm jurisdiction is a source of great uncertainties for multinationals. "Business is business. To put a political or security label on business issues would disrupt global industrial and supply chains. Just think of it. There might be one day when your products are subject to an additional 25 percent tariff, or your company is charged with breaking export control rules on shaky grounds, or even your employees are arbitrarily arrested while they are traveling overseas. For any company, it would be simply a nightmare," he said. A Monmouth University survey released on May 30 showed that 62 percent of the American people believed that U.S. consumers are paying the additional tariffs the U.S. administration imposed on Chinese imports, countering President Donald Trump's claim that Beijing is bearing the brunt. Only 23 percent believed that Chinese producers were the main victims, said the poll. Jordan Grice / Hearst Connecticut Media BRIDGEPORT The launch and presentation of the new Plan Bridgeport website will occur at 6 p.m. on June 19, the city Planning Department announced in a tweet. Plan Bridgeport is a master plan that lays out a 10-year map for city conservation and development goals. Minor Memorial Library in Roxbury will present a program and book signing with Woodbury residents and mother and daughter Velya Jancz-Urban and Ehris Urban June 20 at 5:30 p.m. They will sign copies of their new memoir How to Survive a Brazilian Betrayal at the South Street library. The Village Improvement Society of Washington will hold its 90thy annual family picnic June 14 at 6 p.m. Washington residents are invited to attend the rain or shine festivities to be held at River Walk Pavilion next to Washington Primary School. Food and beverages will be provided by VIS. The Village Improvement Society was established by the late Ehrick Rossiter with its first board of directors formally organized in 1928. The mission remains the same today: to support various projects and programs throughout the town with the sole interest of making Washington an even better place to live. Those wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to Village Improvement Society may mail it to P.O. Box 132, Washington Depot, CT 06794 or bring it to the picnic. If approved by council members at their Tuesday, Jan. 4, meeting, the contract would be extended by five years and the association would have to accommodate for the Olympics in 2028 and the association would have a say in potential developments on the race track. Madison Village became aware almost 30 years ago that its government office building didnt comply with access requirements stipulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yet in 2019, as leaders intensified efforts to relocate their governmental home base, the Village Hall at 126 W. Main St. still did not conform with ADA accessibility standards. Madison Villages situation raised questions about what is expected of communities occupying old government buildings that are not ADA accessible. The current Village Hall was built 100 years ago and originally served as Madisons first public library. Madison Village purchased the building in the early 1970s when the Madison Public Library built and moved to a new location in Madison Township. On June 3, Village Council failed to override Mayor Sam Brittons veto of an ordinance authorizing the purchase of the Lakeland East building to serve as a new administration center and Police Department. The ordinance also stated that Madison was seeking to make the move due to the age and functional obsolescence of the current Village Hall. One of the motivations for getting out of this building was the whole ADA compliance issue, Village Council President Duane Frager said at the June 3 council meeting. Ive heard from everyone who has an opinion on this, we just need to do this and well be fine, or we just need to do that and well be fine. Id like to understand a little better what the issue is. What we need to do to be OK. Frager asked village Law Director Joseph Szeman to provide clarification. Szeman conceded that hes not an architect and couldnt speak about specific modifications that would be necessary to make Village Hall fully accessible and create safe passageways for disabled people. However, he pointed out that its easier to see whats lacking. Generally, obviously, there are clear, objective barriers, particularly for persons who are mobility limited, to entering into the Village Hall, Szeman said. There is no ramp, there is no lift, anything of that nature. Back in 1990, the village was made aware that its government building did not comply with the newly signed Americans with Disabilities Act. Ten years later, the villages engineering consultant conducted a review of what it would cost to modify Village Hall to make it ADA accessible. The village received five different proposals, the most expensive of which was $200,000, which would have added a complete elevator to the side of the building. In 2001, council decided it was a better idea to develop a new municipal complex rather than put money into renovating the existing Village Hall, based on its current age and condition. Various proposals to relocate village offices and the Police Department were discussed over the next 18 years. But in the meantime, ADA accessibility issues at the current Village Hall remained unresolved. Szeman said the ADA is actually a little bit nuanced when it comes to old government buildings. Because the way (the ADA) was structured, newer construction and renovations, post-act, have to be in accordance with the accessibility standards and guidelines, he said. The ADA does not actually mandate that old, nonconforming buildings be renovated to be ADA compliant. However, he emphasized that even if a government entity doesnt update an older building to comply with ADA guidelines, it still must ensure that all of its services are accessible to people with disabilities. One of those services would be to come to a meeting of Village Council, Szeman said. We have Mayors Court, of course and other things a little more day to day, perhaps mundane, coming to pay bills, or inquire of the administration regarding some issue. When a building is not equipped with ADA accessible features like ramps or elevators, services must be provided to the public in nonstructural ways, Szeman explained. And nonstructural ways that the village has gone about accommodating them in the past, for example, is to actually have a mayors court conducted on the front sidewalk or in the parking lot, he said. Or, one of the ways that is recognized in federal regulations, to accommodate persons not able to attend a council meeting because of physical barriers, would be to have the meeting some place else which is ADA accessible. Szeman said Madison Village needs to have a game plan in place to accommodate persons in the manner in which the government is accessible to them. After council failed to cast enough yes votes on June 3 to override Brittons veto of the Lakeland East ordinance, the mayor said village Administrator Dwayne Bailey has laid out a plan that would spend $59,558 to renovate Stratton Place into a Village Hall and Police Department. He said Stratton Place already has a handicap-accessible ramp and complies with Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Our need to act on this issue is primarily driven by the fact that our current facilities are not ADA accessible and do not adequately serve all of our constituents, he wrote in his veto order. Stratton Place, a community center located at 33 E. Main St., has its own parking lot locating in the rear of the building. The village Police Department would continue to use the former Fire Station 1 as a garage for its vehicles. Council members have been given copies of the Stratton Place renovation plan to review. The proposal is likely to be a topic of discussion when Village Council holds its next meeting on June 17. Fun and education often coincide at summer day camps, where students can work in teams, test their skills and learn more about the world around them. Camp Invention is no exception. A National Inventors Hall of Fame program, Camp Invention is a STEM-based summer program for students going into kindergarten through sixth grade. There are 1,600 programs across the U.S., including some in Lake County. St. Gabriel Catholic School hosted a Camp Invention program for the first time this past week. Students from St. Gabriel, as well as other local schools, had the opportunity to operate robots, build catapults and boats, design their own logos, as well as learn about the invention process and patenting. Each one of the strands is based on the inventions of either inductees or nominees to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, said Christine Horne, the camps director. Thats probably my favorite part about it. Students rotated between hour-long sessions (strands) each day of camp. The four areas were called Farm Tech, Deep Sea Mystery, Innovation Force and DIY Orbot. Students are working with creating new inventions and working their way through the design process, Horne said. Theyre working with robot programming and how it deals with improving farming across the country, as well as how scientists use science to learn about the past. One activity the students engaged in was building their own, miniature sailboats from materials like aluminum foil, Popsicle sticks, egg cartons and more. Students tested the buoyancy of their boats in a wading pool and filled the watercraft with metal washers, to see how much weight each boat could hold without sinking. Failure is encouraged, Horne said. Every time they try something and it doesnt work, its an opportunity for them to try something new and think beyond that. So failure is not the end of a project, but the beginning of learning something new. When asked, Horne said that the biggest benefit of the camp is being able to show students that things just dont appear on the shelves or in the community. Hard work and research and teamwork go into everything that they see, Horne said. And just because they hit a stopping place where something is frustrating them, it doesnt mean that (they) should stop. Lincoln Fulkerson, who is entering fifth grade, had been to Camp Invention in Middlefield in the past. He said that, compared to the previous camp, this years camp is more geared toward problem-solving. We arent making whatever we want, Lincoln said about the camp this year. We have to go a specific step for a problem. He added that his favorite session was the Farm Tech because he enjoys the problem solving aspect of it. When asked what lesson hed take with him after the camp, Lincoln said that he learned to always experiment before you do stuff. Failed does not mean youre finished, right? Horne added. Other schools featuring Camp Invention included St. Paschal Babylon in Highland Heights, Lander Elementary in Mayfield Heights and the Willoughby-Eastlake School of Innovation in Willoughby Hills. The School of Innovations Camp Invention took place the week of June 3-7. Eric Wernet, co-director of the camp, said that there were just below 200 students registered this year. (What sets it apart is) its a truly hands-on, science- and math-based camp, Wernet said. Camp Invention also features leadership interns, who are high school students who assist with the camp. Middle school leaders-in-training can also be a part of the program. Some of the leaders, Wernet mentioned, have attended the camp in the past and returned to become leadership interns. (The camp is) something that if you started as a first-grader and finished as a sixth-grader you wouldnt see the same thing five years in a row, Wernet added, concerning the camps activities. Every single year is different. A personalized prognosis for patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer was the goal of a new study by Katherine Varley, PhD, researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and assistant professor of oncological sciences at the University of Utah. Twenty percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States will learn they have triple-negative breast cancer. That diagnosis means the three most common proteins known to fuel breast cancer growth- estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2- are not present in the tumor. Those patients will not respond to any of the targeted therapies developed to treat breast cancer with those characteristics. After surgery, their only treatment option is chemotherapy. Targeted therapy allows healthy cells to survive, but chemotherapy can kill normal cells when eliminating the cancer cells. Sixty percent of patients with triple-negative breast cancer will survive more than five years without disease, but four out of ten women will have a rapid recurrence of the disease. There are currently no clinical tests to assess an individual patient's prognosis, so all patients receive aggressive chemotherapy that can include up to four chemotherapy drugs and six months of treatment. Varley's new findings, recently published in Cancer Research, could change that. We could very accurately predict which patients were going to have long-term disease-free survival and which patients were likely to have recurring disease. This is very exciting because it could be the first clinical test to enable personalized prognosis for triple-negative breast cancer patients." Katherine Varley, PhD, researcher at Huntsman Cancer Institute Varley previously discovered triple-negative breast cancer patients, whose tumors naturally turned on an immune response, were disease-free for much longer than those who did not. The objective of the new study was to find a way to translate this discovery into a clinical test to determine which patients have an inherently good prognosis and might safely be treated with less aggressive therapy. "That's significant because chemotherapy can lead to long-term heart and nerve problems," Varley noted. "If we can understand which patients need aggressive treatment and which patients will likely do well with less aggressive treatment, we could make a big difference in their lives." Varley worked closely on the study with Rachel Stewart, DO, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Kentucky. They used specimens from patients treated at HCI. The tumor samples were taken more than five years ago, so the researchers could determine how each patient fared in the long term. The next step was developing a way to test for biomarkers of the immune response. The biomarker test was developed using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. This is important because it means this test can be run on tumor biopsy specimens that are routinely collected for breast cancer diagnosis. The research team is currently applying the test to triple-negative breast cancer patient samples from clinical trials of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Their next step is to validate that the test can be used to predict prognosis and choose the most effective and safest treatments. They are also investigating whether this test could be used for patients with HER2 positive breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and melanoma because the immune response is similar in those diseases. "We're working as fast as possible to validate the test so it can benefit patients," said Varley. "One of my goals is to translate the discoveries we make in basic science and in our genomics research into clinical tests because I know patients are waiting." Congress is finally getting down to real work on legislation to end "surprise" medical bills, which patients get if they inadvertently receive care from an out-of-network health providers or use one in an emergency. But doctors, hospitals, insurers and other health care payers can't seem to agree on who should pay more so patients can pay less. Meanwhile, the fight over women's reproductive rights continues in both Washington, D.C., and the states. This week, governors in three states Vermont, Illinois and Maine signed bills to make abortions easier to obtain. At the same time, the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives took up a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services that still includes the "Hyde Amendment," which bans most federal abortion funding despite the fact that most House Democrats oppose the restriction. House Democratic leaders fear that the fight to eliminate the restriction would jeopardize the rest of the spending bill in the GOP-controlled Senate and at the White House. This week's panelists are Julie Rovner from Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner. Among the takeaways from this week's podcast: Republicans on Capitol Hill and at the White House are just as eager as Democrats are to settle on legislation that would keep consumers from getting surprise medical bills. It would provide a nice counterpoint during the upcoming campaign to Democrats' charges that the GOP has been undermining health care with its opposition to the Affordable Care Act. A federal judge in Texas has struck down the ACA's provision that health plans must cover contraception. That is at odds with another judge in Pennsylvania who earlier this year blocked the Trump administration's plans to loosen the birth control mandate. State insurance regulators are raising concerns about health care sharing ministries, which offer plans that provide coverage for some medical expenses. But consumers often don't realize that the plans may not cover many health costs, including those from preexisting conditions. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too: Julie Rovner: The Washington Post's "In Alabama Where Lawmakers Banned Abortion for Rape Victims Rapists' Parental Rights Are Protected," by Emily Wax-Thibodeaux Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times' "Planned Parenthood to Host Women's Health Forum for 2020 Democrats," by Lisa Lerer Stephanie Armour: NPR's "You May Be Stressing Out Your Dog," by Rebecca Hersher Kimberly Leonard: Politico's "Lost in Translation: Epic Goes to Denmark," by Arthur Allen To hear all our podcasts, click here. And subscribe to What the Health? on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or Pocket Casts. Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston explain that space travellers often face muscle loss that is caused due to reduced gravity during their flight missions in space. They have found that exercise and certain hormones could help prevent this muscle loss. The results of their study were published in the latest issue of the journal PLOS One. The study was titled, Proteomic investigation of human skeletal muscle before and after 70 days of head down bed rest with or without exercise and testosterone countermeasures. Muscle loss for space travelers could be reduced finds study. Image Credit: By Andrey Armyagov / Shutterstock There has been a growing number of space travelers in the recent past after NASA announced that it would allow private citizens to visit the International Space Station. There are several adverse effects of reduced gravity on the human body say the researchers that most people are unaware of. Senior author Randall Urban, UTMB chief research officer and professor in the department of internal medicine, in his statement said, The study has given us the ability to identify biomarkers that predict how susceptible each individual is to muscle function decline and how effectively different exercise and hormone treatments can combat the atrophy. Muscle atrophy is wasting away and thinning of the muscles due to unused. Senior author Melinda Sheffield-Moore, professor in the Texas T&M department of health and kinesiology and UTMB department of internal medicine, also said, This new ability may allow scientists to personalize space medicine by designing specific exercise and/or hormone intervention programs for each astronaut on Earth before they embark on a long-term mission to space. The team explains that the weight bearing muscles of the body do not work when there is zero gravity. This leads to their atrophy and loss. Long space missions are fraught with problems such as muscle weakness and loss, the team explains. People need to exercise regularly while in space to keep the muscles working. However these in-flight exercises are often not enough to prevent muscle loss, they write. They explain that to study muscle loss due to lack of gravity they used 24 healthy male participants (aged between 27 and 43 years) who were on a 70 day bed rest. The team writes that long term head down bed rest could mimic the effects seen on long space flights with periods of reduced gravity. The participants were divided into three groups. Some of these men were provided with an exercise regimen and also received injections that contained either testosterone or placebo. Another group was provided with no exercise training or supplements for the 70 days. Muscle biopsies were taken from the participants throughout the study to look at the proteins in the muscle tissues. Thus the participants were divided into three groups; Placebo and non-exercise group (8 individuals) Placebo plus exercise (8 individuals) Testosterone and exercise (8 individuals) Testosterone enanthate injections were given 100mg intramuscular at weekly intervals for 2 weeks and then stopped for two weeks and again resumed for two weeks. This on and off cycle was continued till the end of the 70 day period. The exercise regimens included continuous aerobic exercise, resistance exercise (using horizontal squat device, a horizontal leg press and a prone leg curl machine), supine aerobic exercise (using Standalone Zero Gravity Locomotion, Simulator vertical treadmill and a supine cycle ergometer) and high intensity interval aerobic exercise. Results revealed that the muscles underwent significant changes due to unused. These changes could be reduced with regular exercise, they noted. Exercise led to a healthy organization of the muscle proteins they noted. Addition of the testosterone supplements added to the muscle growth that was beyond the muscle development seen with exercise alone, the team found. The team gathered a total of 932 protein spots. Of these 130 spots were found to be altered from normal in terms of total protein or phosphoprotein levels. The team writes that reason behind these changes include calcium signaling, actin cytoskeleton signaling, integrin linked kinase (ILK) signaling, and epithelial adherens junction signalling. The authors conclude that hormone testosterone may act as a proteome and help rebuild the muscles. They wrote, ...the baseline proteome may aid in the development of personalized countermeasures to mitigate health risks in astronauts as related to loss of muscle mass and function. Senior author E. Lichar Dillon, UTMB assistant professor in the department of internal medicine said in a statement, The unique insights we've gained on muscle proteins during extended bed rest could someday be applied to predict changes to muscle mass/strength in various situations and then develop a personalized program of exercises and hormonal countermeasures. The research received funding support from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Institute for Translational Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch, from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health and from the National Cancer Institute. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a gene that gives Salmonella resistance to antibiotics of last resort in a sample taken from a human patient in the U.S. The find is the first evidence that the gene mcr-3.1 has made its way into the U.S. from Asia. There are more than 2,500 known serotypes of Salmonella. In the U.S., Salmonella enterica 4,[5],12:i:- ST34 is responsible for a significant percentage of human illnesses. The drug resistance gene in question - known as mcr-3.1 - gives Salmonella resistance to colistin, the drug of last resort for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant Salmonella. Public health officials have known about this gene for some time. In 2015, they saw that mcr-3.1 had moved from a chromosome to a plasmid in China, which paves the way for the gene to be transmitted between organisms. For example, E. coli and Salmonella are in the same family, so once the gene is on a plasmid, that plasmid could move between the bacteria and they could transmit this gene to each other. Once mcr-3.1 jumped to the plasmid, it spread to 30 different countries, although not - as far as we knew - to the U.S." Siddhartha Thakur, professor and director of global health at NC State and corresponding author of the research Thakur's lab is one of several nationally participating in epidemiological surveillance for resistant strains of Salmonella. The lab generates whole genome sequences from Salmonella samples every year as part of routine monitoring for the presence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. When veterinary medicine student Valerie Nelson and Ph.D. student Daniel Monte did genome sequencing on 100 clinical human stool samples taken from the southeastern U.S. between 2014 and 2016, they discovered that one sample contained the resistant mcr-3.1 gene. The sample came from a person who had traveled to China two weeks prior to becoming ill with a Salmonella infection. "This project proved the importance of ongoing sequencing and surveillance," says Nelson. "The original project did not involve this gene at all." "The positive sample was from 2014, so this discovery definitely has implications for the spread of colistin-resistant Salmonella in the U.S.," Thakur says. "Our lab will continue to try and fill in these knowledge gaps." The research appears in the Journal of Medical Microbiology and was supported by the National Institutes of Health/Food and Drug Administration (award number 5U 18FD006194-02). Monte and Nelson are first author and co-author, respectively. Prior to his global health role, Thakur was associate director of the emerging infectious diseases program at NC State's Comparative Medicine Institute. Source: North Carolina State University Journal reference: Thakur, S. et al. (2019) Multidrug- and colistin-resistant Salmonella enterica 4,[5],12:i:- sequence type 34 carrying the mcr-3.1 gene on the IncHI2 plasmid recovered from a human. Journal of Medical Microbiology. doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.001012. As California lawmakers attempt to tighten the rules on childhood vaccinations, they're getting pushback from unexpected quarters: high-profile officials who support vaccines. In the past few weeks, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the members of the Medical Board of California have questioned a bill that would give the California Department of Public Health authority to decide whether a child can skip routine vaccinations. Anti-vaccine activists have capitalized on these moments, plastering Facebook pages and social media with praise for the officials' statements. But those officials are not against vaccinations. In fact, they have made clear they're committed to vaccines, and to dealing with the problem the bill is supposed to fix doctors providing kids with medical exemptions for reasons that don't meet federal standards. "Having been in public health for a long time, I am a huge supporter of vaccines," said Dr. Michelle Bholat, a family medicine physician in Santa Monica and until recently a member of the medical board, which has oversight over physicians and their licenses. What concerns her, she said at a late-May meeting of the board, was the measure's potential effect on doctor-patient relationships and the particulars of who would qualify for a medical exemption. Pediatrician and state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) introduced the bill to address a spike in the number of children who have been granted what he calls "fake" medical exemptions from vaccinations; more than five times as many kids have medical exemptions this past school year than in 2015-16. SB 276 would give the final say on medical exemption applications to the state public health department, which would be required to follow guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Any exemptions provided by doctors would be subject to approval or denial by the department. The only other state that gives control of vaccine exemptions to a public health agency is West Virginia. The measure passed the state Senate in May and is awaiting consideration in the state Assembly. The debate over the measure comes as new state data shows that the percentage of kindergartners who had all their recommended shots fell for the second straight year, largely due to an increase in medical exemptions written by doctors. During the past school year, the share of fully vaccinated kindergartners dropped to 94.8%, down from 95.6% in 2016-17, putting the state in potentially dangerous territory officials recommend 90-95% coverage for community immunity. And as vaccination rates dip, measles is spreading nationwide. In the largest outbreak since 1992, more than 1,000 people have been infected across the country this year through June 5, including 51 in California. Nearly three years ago, California enacted a law by Pan that bars parents from citing personal or religious beliefs to avoid vaccinating their children. Children could be exempted only on medical grounds if the shots were harmful to their health. That ban improved vaccination rates, though progress has been slipping. Today, many of the schools that had the highest rates of unvaccinated students before the law took effect still do. Doctors have broad authority to grant medical exemptions from vaccination; some wield that power liberally and sometimes for cash, signing dozens or hundreds of exemptions for children, sometimes in far-off communities. Pan's bill would crack down on this practice and has the strong support of the medical establishment. It was co-sponsored by two powerful doctor associations, the American Academy of Pediatrics, California, and the California Medical Association. "We want to make sure unscrupulous physicians aren't making medical exemptions for money," said Dr. David Aizuss, the president of the California Medical Association. "The idea of the bill is to protect a real personal medical exemption, where kids are on chemotherapy or have an immunological response." But it has its critics and this time, they extend beyond the small but fervent group of people who continue to question the extensive scientific evidence that shows vaccines are safe. And although raising concerns is typical in the legislative process, their criticisms take on outsize importance with a subject as explosive as vaccines. The biggest name among the new critics is Newsom, who said he's worried about interfering with the doctor-patient relationship. "I like doctor-patient relationships. Bureaucratic relationships are more challenging for me," he said at the state Democratic Party convention in early June. "I'm a parent; I don't want someone that the governor of California appointed to make a decision for my family." State Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), a co-sponsor of Pan's previous legislation, abstained from voting on the new measure last month, saying he'd made commitments during the previous fight to leave medical exemptions to the discretion of doctors. Last month, the Medical Board of California offered just lukewarm support, and only to portions of the bill, after listening to 200 members of the public speak against it for more than two hours. The board members called on Pan to address a variety of concerns, from the potential oversight role the state public health department might play, to the proposed guidelines for medical exemptions. They agreed on one thing: It should be easier for the board to investigate complaints of questionable medical exemptions. To look into complaints, the board needs to see medical records. To get those records, it generally needs permission from patients or their guardians, something parents who have sought medical exemptions are often unwilling to provide. The bill would give the board access to these records. One physician, Dr. Bob Sears in Orange County, a well-known opponent to vaccine mandates, was put on probation in 2018 for writing an exemption for a 2-year-old without taking any medical history. Since 2016, at least 173 complaints against physicians for inappropriate exemptions have been filed with the state medical board, with more than 100 currently under investigation, the board said. Medical exemptions for California kids are clustered in certain communities and schools. In Humboldt County, 5.8% of kindergartners have medical exemptions from shots, according to the new state data. In Nevada County, the rate is 10.6%. All told, nearly one-third of the state's counties have fallen below 95% immunity from measles. Aizuss of the California Medical Association said the organization is working with Newsom's office and the medical board, among others, to update the bill so that it will be "workable, effective and supported by the governor." "I think that our goal is the same," he said. "The idea of the bill is to protect the sanctity of the true physician-patient relationship, as opposed to a relationship where physicians were granting the medical exemption for a fee, which is not a true physician-patient relationship." California Healthline reporter Ana B. Ibarra contributed to this report. This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation. Only a few cases of the newly discovered Bourbon virus have been reported, and two of them ended in death, partly because no specific treatments are available for the tick-borne illness. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified an experimental antiviral drug that cures mice infected with the potentially lethal virus. The drug, favipiravir, is approved in Japan but not the U.S. for treatment of influenza, a related virus. "Without the flu drug, 100 percent of the infected mice died, and with the treatment, 100 percent survived," said Jacco Boon, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine and the paper's senior author. "Up until now, doctors have not had any way to treat Bourbon virus. We've found something that works, at least in mice, and it suggests that antivirals for flu are a good place to start looking for a treatment for Bourbon." The findings are published June 13 in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Bourbon virus was first identified in 2014 in a previously healthy middle-aged man in Kansas. The man arrived at the hospital with flu-like symptoms and a history of tick bites. Thinking he had ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne bacterial infection that causes similar symptoms and often affects people in the Midwest, doctors started him on antibiotics. But the man continued to decline, and further testing for ehrlichiosis and every other infection the doctors could think of came up negative. After his death 11 days later, a sample of his blood was sent to experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who specialize in mysterious infections. The CDC researchers identified a new virus and named it Bourbon after the county where the patient had lived. A second case appeared in the St. Louis area in 2017, in a woman who arrived at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis complaining of fever, fatigue and body aches. Washington University infectious disease specialist Jennie Kwon, DO, an assistant professor of medicine, worked with the CDC to identify Bourbon virus which has similarities to flu virus as the cause. We were able to tell the patient and her family that we had identified the cause of her illness, but the unfortunate part is that there was no antiviral treatment available. The team did its best to provide supportive care, but unfortunately, she did not survive." Kwon, associate hospital epidemiologist at Barnes-Jewish and an author on the paper The woman's case caught the eye of Boon, an influenza virus researcher who works with Kwon and other infectious disease physicians. As influenza virus is a distant cousin of Bourbon virus, Boon and his colleagues set about seeing whether any of the drugs approved or in development for influenza could stop Bourbon virus. The researchers quickly narrowed the list of potential drugs down to one favipiravir that inhibits a key protein the virus needs to multiply. Other available influenza drugs were unlikely to work because they target parts of the influenza virus that differ from Bourbon virus. Since Bourbon virus infections are rare, Boon and colleagues could not study the potential drug in people. Instead, they infected mice with the virus, using a strain of mice with weakened immune systems since healthy mice were able to fight off the virus. All of the immunocompromised mice died six to eight days after they were injected with the virus. In a separate experiment, the researchers treated infected mice with the flu drug or a placebo for eight days. When the mice were given the antiviral at the same time or within one day of becoming infected with the virus, all survived without becoming visibly ill. In contrast, none of the infected mice that received a placebo survived. When the researchers gave the antiviral treatment three days after infection a time when the mice already looked sick and had lost weight all of the treated mice recovered. Tick-borne infections are a growing problem in the Midwest, according to the CDC. While very few people have been diagnosed with Bourbon virus a third case, of a patient who survived, was identified in Oklahoma there may be many more who were exposed to the virus but did not get sick enough to wind up in the hospital. "We really don't have any way of telling how common Bourbon virus infection is or how deadly it is," said Boon, who is also an assistant professor of molecular microbiology, and of pathology and immunology. "Ticks have always been here, and now we know that Bourbon virus is in ticks in this area. There have probably always been people getting infected with Bourbon virus, and we just did not know what it was before." Since favipiravir is not approved by the FDA, it is not clear whether doctors in the U.S. would be able to obtain it for their patients. The best protection against Bourbon virus is to avoid tick bites by wearing insect repellent and long pants and sleeves, and doing regular tick checks after outdoor activity, the researchers said. Source: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Journal reference: Kwon, J.H. et al. (2019) Therapeutic efficacy of favipiravir against Bourbon virus in mice. PLOS Pathogens. doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007790. Pablo Amil, a researcher from the research group in Nonlinear Dynamics, Nonlinear Optics and Lasers (DNOLL) at the ESEIAAT, has created an objective model that classifies the degrees of the iridocorneal angle, a key element for assessing the severity of glaucoma. With this model, ophthalmologists will have a tool to help patients make a decision when considering surgery. The method has been developed in the framework of the European project Be-Optical and published this year in the journal Scientific Reports, from the publishers of Nature. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is characterized by optic nerve degeneration and progressive peripheral vision loss. Degeneration occurs due to elevated intraocular pressure that causes changes in the iridocorneal angle. To treat this illness, ophthalmologists establish a diagnosis and advise the patient whether to undergo surgery or not, but the final decision lies with patients, who decide exclusively based on their doctor's advice. However, the researcher Pablo Amil, from the research group in Nonlinear Dynamics, Nonlinear Optics and Lasers (DONLL) at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech (UPC), in collaboration with Ulrich Parlitz, a researcher from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Germany and the Instituto de Microcirugia Ocular (IMO) in Barcelona, has created a tool that will objectively show patients the severity of their glaucoma and help them make an informed decision on surgery. From severe to mild This is the first tomography map for diagnosing glaucoma, which consists of 1,000 tomographic images of the iridocorneal angle acquired using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and arranged on a grid, so that patients can easily understand the condition of their eyes by identifying them somewhere between the closed-angle area (severe) and the open-angle area (mild). When it comes to diagnosing, ophthalmologists just have a single tomographic image of their patient's eye that shows the state of the iridocorneal angle. If the angle is closed, the drainage of the intraocular fluid is blocked and intraocular pressure rises. Doctors usually give quite accurate diagnosis, but patients lack comparative tools that help them decide whether they wish to undergo surgery or not. My work will allow patients to easily and objectively compare, through an image map, the severity of their condition and help them decide on or against surgery". Pablo Amil, Nonlinear Dynamics, Nonlinear Optics and Lasers, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya A correlation similar to ophthalmologist diagnosis Pablo Amil has created the first tomography map for diagnosing glaucoma with an artificial intelligence algorithm, to which he applied 1,000 images of iridocorneal angles. He then sorted and arranged them on a grid according to severity (severe, moderate and mild) and compared this distribution with 160 diagnoses made by ophthalmologists. The correlation result is almost the same between the map created by Amil and the severity diagnosed by ophthalmologists. Amil's method has been developed in the framework of the European project Be-Optical, funded by the Horizon 2020 program and coordinated by Cristina Masoller, another researcher at the UPC campus in Terrassa. The IMO is also participating in this project, which aims to train young researchers and develop new methodologies to analyze biomedical data and contribute to the early detection of eye diseases. The project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the ICREA Academia. The UPC, the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and the IMO were granted a European patent for this work. In the medium term, Amil's comparative model will in fact be incorporated in a new tomographic imaging technology that will instantly show patients the severity of their glaucoma. The method has recently been published in Scientific Reports, from the publishers of the journal Nature, and the three owners of the patent are already negotiating with companies in the sector to bring it to market. Pablo Amil is 28 years old, a professor of Physics at the UPC's Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT), and he is currently taking the doctoral degree in Computational and Applied Physics at the Department of Physics of the UPC. Source: Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya Journal reference: Amil, P. et al. (2019) Unsupervised feature extraction of anterior chamber OCT images for ordering and classification. Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-38136-8 Long-term hemodialysis is a lifesaver for approximately half a million patients in the United States with kidney failure (also known as end-stage renal disease, or ESRD) who are either waiting on or unsuitable for a kidney transplant. But before the external machinery can take over the function of the kidneys filtering and cleansing wastes from the blood a minor surgical procedure is needed to create a stable, functional and reusable access to the circulatory system, usually through blood vessels in the arm. A diagram showing how kidney dialysis is conducted after an arteriovenous (AV) fistula surgery has provided access to the circulatory system. A new Johns Hopkins Medicine study reveals that many physicians are still performing a different, riskier procedure with a prosthetic graft for gaining access. Credit: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases/National Institutes of Health Two surgical methods for creating this vascular access are available, one overwhelmingly preferred whenever possible for its better durability, performance and safety. However, in a study using Medicare claims data, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that one-fifth of seasoned U.S. surgeons are statistically performing the less-preferred procedure too often, even when unnecessary, and that providing them with a peer evaluation of such performance may lead to improved practices. The findings are reported in a new study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association Surgery. The good news from our survey data is that progress has been made in the last decade toward reducing the number of inappropriate vascular access surgeries performed in the United States. But the numbers also show that we still have a ways to go to meet established standards that are already the norm in Europe and Asia. Caitlin Hicks, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and lead author on the JAMA Surgery paper The two types of vascular access procedures available for extended hemodialysis are the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and the AV graft (AVG). The AVF is made by connecting a vein, most often in a patients arm, to a nearby artery. Over a period of two to three months, this bridge, known as a fistula, increases blood flow and pressure to the vein to enlarge and strengthen it. Once matured, the supervein will withstand repeated needle insertions that would collapse an untreated vessel. In contrast, the AVG uses an artificial device, a plastic tube, to make the artery-vein connection. Because it does not require maturation, the graft can be used within three to four weeks after surgery. However, studies have shown that it is more likely than an AVF to have problems with infection and blood clots, and may need repair or replacement within a year. Additionally, according to Medicare data, the average annual cost for creating and maintaining an AVG is higher than that for an AVF nearly $73,000 per person annually compared with $60,000. Recognizing the distinct advantages of the fistula, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and ESRD treatment networks across the United States created the Fistula First Breakthrough Initiative (FFBI) in 2003 to increase the use of AVF to 50% of all vascular access surgeries performed. When that goal was reached in 2009, the AVF over AVG standard was raised to 66% in an effort to match the 60% to 90% rates in Europe and Asia. In a bid to document progress toward that goal, and identify physician characteristics linked to higher-than-appropriate AVG use, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers used Medicare fee-for-service claims data for more than 85,000 adult kidney failure patients who received first-time vascular access surgeries between Jan. 1, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2017. They calculated an AVG rate (total number of vascular access operations divided by the number of AVG surgeries) for each of the 2,397 physicians who performed 10 or more procedures either AVF or AVG during that time. While the median, or midpoint, rate for the whole group was 18.2% (meaning that the median rate for AVF surgeries was 81.8%), there were a significant number of outliers. We found that 498 physicians, approximately 21% or 1 in 5, performed AVG surgeries in more than 34% of their total cases. This means that they failed to meet the 66% or higher FFBI target standard for AVF use. Caitlin Hicks The study indicated that most of the physicians associated with high AVG use rates including some who were using AVG in more than 80% of their cases had long-established practices (a median of 35.5 years since medical school graduation), were located in a metropolitan setting and specialized in vascular surgery more than general surgery. Since the FFBI best practice guidelines have only been around since 2003, perhaps older physicians are simply less familiar with them and have continued doing business as usual, Hicks says. Or they may just be seeing more complex cases and believe that fistula access is less suitable. In either case, we believe that more education and targeted intervention using peer-to-peer evaluations that urge a change in practice may help address the problem, because that approach has worked before. Another Johns Hopkins Medicine study recently reported that a Dear Colleague performance evaluation letter successfully convinced physicians nationwide to reduce the amount of tissue they removed in a common surgical treatment for skin cancer to meet a professionally recognized benchmark of good practice. Hicks says that the research team hopes to conduct such an intervention in a future study and document its impact on improving behavior for vascular access surgery. The AV fistula versus graft study is part of a larger Johns Hopkins Medicine effort to develop, establish and disseminate quality measures that will capture the appropriateness of care and help reduce low-value care in favor of a more patient-centered approach. By identifying practices that are not in the best interest of the patient and providing interventions to address them, we can help physicians who are outliers, and in turn, improve the quality of care for the hundreds of patients each one treats. Physicians, for the most part, want to do the right thing, and measures of appropriateness can help guide them. Martin A. Makary, M.D., M.P.H., co-author of the study, professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an authority on health care quality Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine Journal reference: Hicks, C.W. et al. (2019) Assessment of Use of Arteriovenous Graft vs Arteriovenous Fistula for First-time Permanent Hemodialysis Access. JAMA Surgery. doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2019.1736. Wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have made remote connectivity easier, and as electronics become smaller and faster, the adoption of "wearables" has increased. From smart watches to implantables, these devices interact with the human body in ways that are very different from those of a computer. However, they both use the same protocols to transfer information, making them vulnerable to the same security risks. What if we could use the human body itself to transfer and collect information? This area of research is known as human body communication (HBC). Now, scientists from Japan report HBC characteristics specific to impedance and electrodes, which according them "have the potential to improve the design and working of devices based on HBC." First, let's understand exactly how HBC works and why it represents a more "secure" network. HBC is safer because it uses a lower-frequency signal that is sharply attenuated depending on the distance. The closed nature of the transmission results in lower interference and higher reliability, and, therefore, more secure connections. Having the device interact directly with the body also means that it has reliable biomedical applications. HBC technologies use electrodes instead of antennas to couple signals to the human body. This can be used to conduct an electric field from a transmitter to a receiver, and thus to communicate data. HBC receivers work very similarly to radio frequency receivers; however, it's much more difficult to determine their input impedance. This is important because this allows scientists to maximize the received signal power. The most important factors are the arrangement of electrodes and the distance between the transmitter and the receiver. These affect the output impedance and the equivalent source voltage of the system, ultimately having an impact on the received signal power. The signal emanates from the transmitter electrode and goes through the body. The body's conductivity couples the field to the environment and this serves as the return path for the transmitted signal. In their study, the team of Japanese scientists-- Dr Dairoku Muramatsu (Tokyo University of Science), Mr. Yoshifumi Nishida, Prof Ken Sasaki, Mr. Kentaro Yamamoto (all from the University of Tokyo), and Prof Fukuro Koshiji (Tokyo Polytechnic University)--sought out to analyze these characteristics by constructing an equivalent circuit model of the signal transmission that goes from the body to an off-body receiver through touch. The signal electrodes of both the transmitter and the receiver, as well as the ground electrode of the transmitter, were attached to the body. The ground electrode of the receiver was left "floating" in air. This was unlike other contemporary HBC configurations, in which both ground electrodes are left floating in air. The researchers found that impedance increases with increasing distance between the transmitter electrodes. Interestingly, they also found that the size of the receiver ground was another factor that affected transmission. They report that capacitive coupling between receiver ground and human body increases as the former gets larger. Wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have made remote connectivity easier, and as electronics become smaller and faster, the adoption of "wearables" has increased. From smart watches to implantables, these devices interact with the human body in ways that are very different from those of a computer. However, they both use the same protocols to transfer information, making them vulnerable to the same security risks. What if we could use the human body itself to transfer and collect information? This area of research is known as human body communication (HBC). Now, scientists from Japan report HBC characteristics specific to impedance and electrodes, which according them "have the potential to improve the design and working of devices based on HBC." First, let's understand exactly how HBC works and why it represents a more "secure" network. HBC is safer because it uses a lower-frequency signal that is sharply attenuated depending on the distance. The closed nature of the transmission results in lower interference and higher reliability, and, therefore, more secure connections. Having the device interact directly with the body also means that it has reliable biomedical applications. HBC technologies use electrodes instead of antennas to couple signals to the human body. This can be used to conduct an electric field from a transmitter to a receiver, and thus to communicate data. HBC receivers work very similarly to radio frequency receivers; however, it's much more difficult to determine their input impedance. This is important because this allows scientists to maximize the received signal power. The most important factors are the arrangement of electrodes and the distance between the transmitter and the receiver. These affect the output impedance and the equivalent source voltage of the system, ultimately having an impact on the received signal power. The signal emanates from the transmitter electrode and goes through the body. The body's conductivity couples the field to the environment and this serves as the return path for the transmitted signal. In their study, the team of Japanese scientists-- Dr Dairoku Muramatsu (Tokyo University of Science), Mr. Yoshifumi Nishida, Prof Ken Sasaki, Mr. Kentaro Yamamoto (all from the University of Tokyo), and Prof Fukuro Koshiji (Tokyo Polytechnic University)--sought out to analyze these characteristics by constructing an equivalent circuit model of the signal transmission that goes from the body to an off-body receiver through touch. The signal electrodes of both the transmitter and the receiver, as well as the ground electrode of the transmitter, were attached to the body. The ground electrode of the receiver was left "floating" in air. This was unlike other contemporary HBC configurations, in which both ground electrodes are left floating in air. The researchers found that impedance increases with increasing distance between the transmitter electrodes. Interestingly, they also found that the size of the receiver ground was another factor that affected transmission. They report that capacitive coupling between receiver ground and human body increases as the former gets larger. The findings of this study are important as they enable scientists to design more efficient HBC devices, which are better tuned to the human electric field and, hopefully, better suited for user interaction. Consider the way we interact with most technologies. Keyboards, screens, switches, and wires dominate the way we communicate, and despite smartphones and touchscreens, the basics of user interface, or "soft ergonomics," have hardly changed in the last few decades. We still sit behind desks for hours and stare at monitors. Our connectivity is very dependent on wireless signals, and thus, the open nature of these networks makes our data vulnerable to hacker attacks. By using the human body itself as a network, HBC could potentially change this. As Dr Muramatsu and Mr. Nishida put it, "Because the electric field used in HBC has the property of being sharply attenuated with respect to distance, it hardly leaks to the surrounding space during signal transmission. Thus, using this human body communication model makes it possible to communicate with excellent confidentiality and without generating electromagnetic noise. However, one major drawback of HBC is that it cannot be used for high-speed data communication. Thus, the focus should be on applications of HBC that transmit relatively low-capacity data, such as authentication information and biomedical signals, for long periods with low power consumption." Source: Tokyo University of Science Journal reference: Nishida, Y. et al. (2019) Equivalent Circuit Model Viewed from Receiver Side in Human Body Communication. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems. doi.org/10.1109/TBCAS.2019.2918323. Thought Leaders Renee Frontiera Associate Professor University of Minnesota An interview with Renee Frontiera from the University of Minnesota, discussing the development of a super-resolution Raman microscope that could one day supersede fluorescence-based super-resolution microscopes. What are the main limitations of super-resolution microscopy? Most far-field super-resolution microscopies use fluorescence labeling. A major problem with this is that it requires fluorophores, which often bleach during the timescale of the experiment. This means the signal will turn off in the middle of a measurement, and no further analysis can be carried out. Therefore, being able to do super-resolution without bleaching or large chromophores that could perturb dynamics, could be fantastic. Micha Weber | Shutterstock How can Raman spectroscopy be used to overcome these issues? Raman spectroscopy is intrinsically label-free. You can use it with very small two atom labels to provide more sensitivity but in most cases, you do not need to go in and label your sample. Instead, you can look at several chemical components simultaneously through their unique Raman spectra. As Raman spectroscopy doesnt involve the use of chromophores, there is no bleaching. This resolves the issue of bleaching that is commonly seen in super-resolution microscopy. Please describe the super-resolution Raman microscopy technique that you recently developed. Our technique combines two different techniques that are already available. From the microscopy community, we borrowed ideas from Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy (STED). We combined this with expertise from the field of Stimulated Raman Microscopy to create a super-resolution microscopy technique. Essentially, our microscope involves a three-laser beam technique, where we generate a stimulated Raman signal in a sample, and then we can turn it off in a donut-shaped region around this initial excitation spot. We get a Raman signal only from the center of this donut. This is similar to how STED works with fluorescence. What are the main advantages of this technique? The main advantage of this system is that it is label-free, so you do not need to do any sample prep beforehand to target different chemical species in your system. Another key advantage is that you can look at several components simultaneously. For example, in a cell, we can see proteins, lipid species, and small molecules that we add to the system. We can track all of these in real space and real time, without the need for any extensive sample prep or labeling. It is highly advantageous in that sense. There are also a number of systems outside of biology where labeling is just not possible. For example, take organic photovoltaics or electrochemical systems. It is very hard, if not impossible, to integrate fluorescence labels into those systems. An atmospheric optical imaging technique to look at these on nanometer length scales opens up new opportunities. Ultrafast and Nanoscale Play Ultrafast and Nanoscale from AZoNetwork on Vimeo. The new technique breaks the optical diffraction limit. Why is this useful for studying cellular lipid dynamics? If you look at a cell membrane, you will see ~400,000 lipid molecules. We know that cell membranes are very heterogeneous on nanometer length scales and that they vary in composition, thickness, fluidity and curvature on these very short length scales. However, we have no idea what that means for their function because it is so hard to look at. Breaking this optical diffraction limit means that we can probe regions around single proteins, instead of averaging over all these regions. We can also figure out how these local structures impact function. It is important for R&D scientists to understand how a new compound interacts with cells. How can this technique be used to understand drug delivery mechanisms? At present, around 70% of pharmaceuticals target trans-membrane proteins. We have no idea how the local environment around these proteins affects the ability of the drug molecule to bind and then impact signal transduction. What we would really like to know is what the structure-function relationships are between the membrane environment and the pharmaceutical performance. Our technique allows us to do this, by focusing in on specific components of the cell membrane. Marco G Faria | Shutterstock What are plasmonic nanomaterials and how can plasmonic substrates improve Raman spectroscopy? Plasmonic materials are remarkable in how they interact with light. If you shine light on plasmonic materials, they can concentrate that light down to nanometer length scales. They can also generate hotspot regions of enhanced electromagnetic field intensity. If you stick a molecule in one of those hotspot regions, you see dramatically increased Raman signals to the point that you can do single molecule surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. You boost the signal by many orders of magnitude in these very localized regions. Understanding chemical interactions is a key part of drug development. How can plasmon-enhanced Raman techniques be used to study reactions in real-time, at ultrafast speeds? There is a lot of excitement in the plasmonics world right now regarding doing chemistry in these hotspot regions. If you stick a molecule in this region of very enhanced electromagnetic field intensity, there is a lot of heat and a lot of highly energetic electrons available. This led to the question, what sort of chemical reactions could you do in that very unique environments? People have shown that you can do catalysis with sunlight and these nanomaterials. There is not a lot known about the mechanism. What we are doing with ultra-fast Surface Enhanced Raman techniques (SERs), is trying to understand how these plasmons interact with molecules, how they break and make bonds, and trying to watch these processes in real time, to understand the mechanism behind this catalysis. Juan Gaertner | Shutterstock A major limitation of this technique is that plasmons can damage samples and interfere with research results. Can this be avoided or reduced? There have been a lot of questions about heat-related damage. That is, how much are these plasmonic materials heating up samples or damaging samples? In some cases, this is really advantageous. There is a whole class of plasmonics research on photothermal therapy. If you can target these materials to say cancer cells and heat them up, they damage the materials, which is exactly what you want. However, in cases like the catalysis field, heating and associated damage is not particularly beneficial. This is a very expensive way to heat up molecules. We have much cheaper and more efficient ways of doing this. One of the things we have been doing in my group is trying to understand how the plasmons transfer energy to molecules in ways that might lead to heat associated damage. We are trying to see if we can tune the plasmonic material or the surrounding environment to try and control that on these very fast timescales. What do the next few years look like for your research team? We are excited about applying some of the Raman techniques that we have been developing to newly identified problems. For example, photocatalysis and solar energy conversion, and designing materials or optical cavities to promote certain reactions. I think there are a lot of exciting applications for this super-resolution Raman technique where it can provide information that existing technologies cannot. For example, in human health, energy conversion, or in battery research. We are excited about collaborating and trying a lot of these different areas. What have you enjoyed about Pittcon 2019? Would you recommend the conference to others in your field? Pittcon is amazing in terms of the breadth of analytical chemistry research. I would say that my group does not define ourselves solely as analytical chemists. Hence, being able to get different perspective on different fields of analytical chemistry is phenomenal. The scale of the conference and the number of concurrent talks are going on amazes me. It is a wonderful place to talk to and meet people in spectroscopy, electrochemistry, mass spectrometry and many other analytical areas. Where can readers find more information? About Renee Frontiera Renee Frontiera is an Associate Professor and McKnight Land-Grant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. She received her Ph.D. in 2009 from the University of California, Berkely, and moved on to a Post Doctorate position at North Western University. She has been working at the University of Minnesota since 2013. Frontiera's research group investigates fundamental and applied issues in membrane protein biophysics, alternative energy sources, and nanotechnology. The group aims to develop and apply new spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to examine how molecules react, following their dynamics on the nanometer length scale with femtosecond time resolution. Thought Leaders Stephane Marinesco Associate Professor Lyon Neuroscience Research Center An interview from Stephane Marinesco, Associate Professor at the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in Inserm, discussing the development of ultra-small microelectrode biosensors for the analysis of traumatic brain injuries, without the risks of conventional microelectrode biosensors. This interview was conducted at Pittcon 2019. Why is it important to monitor chemical changes in interstitial fluid following a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? For severely injured patients who may be in a coma, have stopped talking or are unable to respond to clinical examination, physicians need to use equipment to understand how the brain is recovering. To monitor brain activity, biosensors can be used to analyze brain interstitial fluid. From this, we could make clinical decisions and initiate therapy if needed. Kateryna Kon | Shutterstock What metabolic changes are typically seen in the injured brain? For severe brain injuries, we usually monitor metabolites like glucose, lactate, and pyruvate, which tell us how the brain is making energy. There are specific patterns that can tell us if the brain is recovering or not. For example, if the brain is repairing itself, it is going to consume a lot of glucose, so you can see the concentration go down. A lot of lactate and pyruvate are produced in this process, so you will see the concentrations go up. That is a good sign. On the contrary, if the brain cant produce energy, you will see lactate go up and pyruvate go down. This can be detected with brain microdialysis, and probably with microelectrode biosensors in the future. Why are microelectrode biosensors useful for the detection of neurochemical changes in brain interstitial fluid? Microelectrode biosensors are useful because they can be miniaturized to very small sizes. This helps in preventing injury to the brain when inserting the probe. Another advantage is that they can provide second by second data, allowing us to observe very fast and transient changes going on in the brain. What are the major limitations of conventional microelectrode biosensors? The major limitation is the size of the probes. We have to insert the probe in order to understand the chemistry inside the brain. This can injure the brain, specifically the small blood vessels that are in the tissue. This creates two problems. Firstly, it causes further damage to the brain, and secondly, it reduces the validity of the data. Even if we do not cause any damage, another problem is that we do not know if the surrounding tissue behaves differently when a probe has been inserted. However, microelectrode biosensors are currently tested in animals and represent a major advance compared to conventional techniques such as intracerebral microdialysis. Please can you describe the ultra-small microelectrode biosensors that you developed? Microelectrode biosensors consist of a microelectrode with an enzyme immobilized on the tip. It is basically an enzyme assay that is miniaturized to a very small size. Conventional microelectrode biosensors carry many risks, as mentioned above. Within my research team, we developed an ultra-small biosensor that is 12 microns in diameter using carbon fibers. This is incredibly small and we are proud to have achieved that. BioSensors in Brain Trauma Play What did you see when the biosensors were implanted into a rat model? Why was this significant? When the biosensors were implanted into a rat model, we saw decreased oxygen levels and lactate levels in the brain. This proved that the concentration estimates we had come up with based on data from conventional microelectrode biosensors were not completely accurate. We were then able to adjust the estimates to something that is closer to reality, so the testing was really important. We also found that the small blood vessels around the sensor were preserved. This suggests that our probes are less likely to injure the surrounding tissue when they are inserted and removed. This will be important if we want to apply our sensors to patients. Why did you choose to use platinized carbon fibers? Platinum is really the material of choice for making microelectrode biosensors. However, the problem with platinum wires is that they tend to be thick. Furthermore, platinum is a soft metal, so if you make the wires too thin, the whole thing will bend, making it impossible to manipulate. To solve this issue, we turned to carbon fibers. Carbon fibers are very rigid and can be manipulated easily. The only problem with carbon is that it is not a good electrochemical material for doing the kind of assays we want to do. So, we decided to combine the two properties by devising a way to cover the carbon fiber with platinum. By doing this, we obtained an ultra-small object with all of the chemical properties of platinum, giving us both advantages together. Why is it important to be able to monitor the brain second-by-second after a TBI? We know that in the injured brain there are some very rapid and transient pathological events that we want to be able to see, so it is important for any technique to have a high temporal resolution. An example of this is cortical spreading depolarization, where waves of depolarization spread across the brain via nerves and glial cells. These cells are depolarized together and propagate into the brain before vanishing. The whole process lasts about five minutes. We need to be able to describe each phase of processes like cortical spreading depolarization for the physicians to understand whether these waves occur, what the chemical signatures are, and if it poses a threat to the health of the patient or not. Being able to observe this second-by-second is excellent. We could also have one data point for ten seconds, but second by second is really what we were aiming for. What other benefits do the new biosensors offer over conventional biosensors? The main advantage of our ultra-small biosensors is their size, which allows us to implant them and take them out without injury to the patient or the animal. In addition, because we are not injuring the tissue, our chemical values are much more accurate and relevant to the real state of the brain we want to study. This, in turn, allows physicians to make the best possible clinical decisions for their patients. An ultra-small microelectrode biosensor next to a human hair. This image demonstrates the degree of miniaturization that Marinesco's team were able to achieve. In the future, do you think ultra-small microelectrode biosensors will enter the clinic? What are the next steps for your research? I really hope that the biosensors we have developed enter the clinic this is the overall goal of my research and my life. I think they will provide a lot of advantages, given that they provide second-by-second monitoring with very little lesion to brain tissue. However, there is still a long way to go until we can start to implement them in patients There are several things we need to do. Firstly, we need to make sure that these devices are not toxic and that they will not break in the patient brain. That would be a disaster for the patient, so we do not want that. We also need to make sure that they will work for seven to fourteen days in the brain. That is the length of time we need to monitor the patients, as they can have complications for up to two weeks after they are admitted to the hospital, and we are not quite there yet. There is still a long way to go, but my hope is our biosensors will one day serve the public. Where can readers find more information? Our latest paper on minimally invasive microelectrode biosensors based on platinized carbon fibers: Chatard C, Sabac A, Moreno-Velasquez L, Meiller A and Marinesco S (2018) Minimally invasive microelectrode biosensors for brain monitoring based on platinized carbon fibers. ACS Central Science. 4: 1751-60. doi-org.gate2.inist.fr/10.1021/acscentsci.8b00797 A recent paper on monitoring traumatic brain injury in animals using microelectrode biosensors: Balanca B, Meiller A, Bezin L, Dreier J, Lieutaud T and Marinesco S (2017) Altered hypermetabolic response to cortical spreading depolarizations after traumatic brain injury in rats. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 37(5):1670-1686. doi.org/10.1177/0271678X16657571 Recent review on the topic: Chatard C, Meiller A and Marinesco S (2018) Microelectrode biosensors for in vivo analysis of brain interstitial fluid. Electroanalysis 30: 977-998. doi.org/10.1002/elan.201700836 About Stephane Marinesco Stephane Marinesco was trained in engineering at Ecole Polytechnique (France) and received a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Lyon working on serotonin detection in the rat brain and studying its role in sleep and stress. Dr. Marinesco received further training as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University and UC Irvine with Pr Thomas J Carew, studying serotonin neuromodulation in a marine mollusk using electrochemical techniques. Dr. Marinesco returned to France in 2005 as an assistant professor in CNRS at Gif sur Yvette, and an associate professor in Lyon in 2008. Stephane Marinescos current research interests focus on developing innovative microelectrode biosensors for brain monitoring and apply them to the study of neurological injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage or traumatic brain injury. His group is based in the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a USD 200 million line of credit for Kyrgyzstan after wide-ranging talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov as the two sides upgraded their ties to the strategic partnership level and signed 15 agreements, including one to eliminate double taxation. Prime Minister Modi and President Jeenbekov held one-on-one restricted meeting followed by a delegation-level talk during which the two sides discussed on stepping up their bilateral engagement to the next level and exploring new areas of cooperation. Later at a joint press statement, Modi announced the USD 200 million lines of credit for Kyrgyzstan and said the two sides have decided to upgrade their ties to the Strategic Partnership level. Prime Minister Modi also said that the two sides have prepared a five-year road map to increase the bilateral trade. He said that the two countries share views on several issues and they have signed 15 agreements, including on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). They also signed the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), MoUs in the field of Health, security, defence and Information and Communication Technology. Prime Minister Modi emphasised on the counter terror cooperation between the two sides and said terrorism cannot be justified in any manner. "We are together in fight against terrorism, it is imperative to give out a message to the world that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost," he said. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace here. "India & Kyrgyzstan are now strategic partners! In a major outcome of the visit, both countries have decided to add strategic dimension to our ties to boost our relationship in defence & security, trade & investment, health, education & development cooperation, among other areas," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after the talks between the two leaders. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. BEDFORD The U.S. Department of Education is investigating a complaint filed against Bedford County Public Schools concerning a February incident involving the Confederate battle flag at Jefferson Forest High School. This is just the first step, said Ali Braswell, co-founder of the Hate-Free School Coalition in Orange County, North Carolina, who filed the complaint. I was notified on May 29 that an investigation has been launched and I am very pleased with the governments quick response. Braswell said the Hate-Free School Coalition which was founded in Orange County in 2016 to petition the Orange County School Board to ban the Confederate Flags advocates for bans in other communities in North Carolina and Virginia and now has multiple chapters in both states. A spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., confirmed on Friday the departments Office for Civil Rights is investigating the complaint. Braswell filed the complaint in February following the incident on Feb. 4, the first day of Jefferson Forest High Schools Spirit Week, which was Country vs. Country Club day and students were allowed to dress accordingly. During a class change, several students photographed themselves displaying Confederate battle flags in different areas across campus. One photo shows a student draped in the flag, captioned with a defense of the banner as a symbol of history and heritage. The photographs initially were shared on Snapchat before being uploaded to Facebook on Feb. 5 by a parent of a Jefferson Forest High School student. Dozens of residents attended meetings of the Bedford County School Board following the incident to express their opinions on how the division should address the issue. Some urged board members and administrators to revise the school divisions dress and conduct code to include a ban on racially offensive images like the Confederate flag. Others opposed the ban, with some wearing clothing that displayed a Confederate flag, and others expressing concerns that a ban would violate the First Amendment rights of students. The complaint was about the Confederate flag incident, Braswell said. But the problem is all over Bedford County. Bedford County Public Schools spokesman Ryan Edwards said division officials could not comment on the issue. In response to the incident, division officials recommended changes to the school systems Student Conduct Code for the 2019-20 school year, with an emphasis on the dress code. The recommended revision said, BCPS operates in a manner that respects differences based on sex, race, color, national origin, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, ancestry, marital or parental status and bans attire that has language or images that are offensive, profane or vulgar and is reasonably likely to cause a substantial disruption to the learning environment. The new student conduct code also states that some school or classroom activities and curriculum may require specific dress guidelines, and any such requirements will be explained by the school staff and addressed in a course syllabus/parent letter. During its May 9 meeting the school board voted 5-2 to adopt the recommended changes. School board members, Richard Downey, Marcus Hill, Julie Bennington, Susan Kirby and Marcus Leamy voted to approve the changes; John Hicks and Jason Johnson voted against the revised text, citing concerns the revision was too vague. I think we should include specific language to include Confederate or Nazi flags, Hicks said during the May 9 meeting. Braswell, a resident of Durham, North Carolina, was present at Thursdays school board meeting and spoke during the public comment period about the boards decision not to include a specific ban on Confederate flags in the dress code. I would like to thank Mr. Hicks and Mr. Johnson for supporting a ban on Confederate flags, Braswell said. The rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves. Jessica Taylor who has spoken in favor of a ban on the Confederate flag at every school board meeting since the incident in February also discussed the May 9 vote during the meeting Thursday. Are we waiting for racist violence in Bedford County before we get a ban?, Taylor asked, referencing the August 2017 car attack at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and resulted in multiple school divisions in North Carolina and Virginia placing a ban on the Confederate Flag. Does someone have to die before the right thing is done? Braswell on Friday said she has spoken to several Bedford County residents who are in the process of filing additional complaints against the school division with the Office for Civil Rights. This is just the beginning, Braswell said. We are not going away. What happened at Jefferson Forest woke people up. We will not stop until there is a specific ban on the Confederate flag because there can be no progress until that symbol of hate is gone. The chickens have come home to roost in Bedford County, she said. A change is coming even if we have to bury this school division in OCR complaints. GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Mt. Angel Abbey's Benedictine Brewery will participate in their first brewers dinner at Paley's Place in Portland on Thursday, June 27th 6-9pm. General Manager and Brewer Father Martin Grassel will represent Benedictine Brewery and explain the monks place in history, in Oregon and how they fit in to modern monastic brewing traditions. More from a press release: In this first offsite venture, Father Martin will introduce guests to beers such as the Tyrant Cascadian Dark Ale, the Haustus Pale Ale and the brewerys flagship Black Habit Dark Ale. Paleys Place is currently the only restaurant that carries Benedictine Brewery beer outside of the Abbey. Food pairings will be crafted by Paleys Place Chef de Cuisine Luis Cabanas, Pastry Chef Lisa Horness and the Paley culinary team. The menu includes dishes such as a carefully prepared Chicken Consomme, Seared Maine Diver Scallops, Beer-Braised Lamb Osso Bucco and Roasted Peaches atop a Honeyed Rye Cake and Arpea de Brebis. The full menu is included below. Fr. Martin Grassel with the bell of St. Michael The tradition of Benedictine brewing began with St. Benedict, who envisioned monasteries as self-sufficient communities. The Benedictines of the Middle Ages brewed in their own facilities, with their own labor, using ingredients grown on their own farms. As one of only three breweries in the United States owned and operated by monks, Mount Angel Abbeys Benedictine Brewery uses locally sourced hops grown on Abbey land since the 1880s and water from the monks' well. Tickets to this special dinner are $120 per person and include all food and beer pairings. The full menu can be found below. Tickets to this event are very limited and are available via the link here. BENEDICTINE BREWERY DINNER WHAT: Multi-course beer dinner with monastic brews at Paleys Place WHERE: Paleys Place (1204 NW 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97209) WHO: Chef de Cuisine Luis Cabanas, Pastry Chef Lisa Horness, Brewer Father Martin Grassel WHEN: Thursday, June 27, 6 pm 9 pm HOW: $120 per person. Tickets available on Resy. Maximum 22 guests. Menu: Beginnings Tyrant Cascadian Dark Ale First Course Chicken Consomme, Veigadarte con Malta and Rustic Artisan Loaves paired with the St. Benedict Farmhouse Ale Second Course Seared Maine Diver Scallop, Braised Belgian Endive, Carrot Puree and Beer Foam paired with the Haustus Pale Ale Third Course Beer-Braised Lamb Osso Bucco and Dirty Barley, paired with the Black Habit Dark Ale Fourth Course Roasted Peaches, Honeyed Rye Cake and Arpea de Brebis paired with Tripel Belgian Tripel Style Ale Note: Menu is subject to change and substitutions are politely declined. About Benedictine Brewery Benedictine Brewery is located at Mount Angel Abbey in Mount Angel, Ore. and is one of only three breweries in the United States owned and operated by monks. Benedictine craft beer uses water from the Abbeys own well and hops grown on the same land since the 1880s. General Manager and Brewer Father Martin Grassel, Order of St. Benedict, has been at Mount Angel Abbey since he began seminary in 1995. A 2017 community timber raising for the brewerys construction involved more than 100 volunteers--including monks, seminarians, staff from the Abbey and members of the local town of Mount Angel. Their tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday. About Paleys Place Since opening in 1995, Paleys Place Bistro & Bar remains a Nob Hill destinationa pioneering restaurant in Portlands culinary landscape, serving regional fare rooted in the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. Set in a warm and inviting Victorian home, the menu at Paleys Place highlights sustainable and seasonal ingredients with French and Russian influences. James Beard Award-winning Chef Vitaly Paley helms the kitchen, while his wife, Kimberly Paley, oversees the front of the house. Together, they have created a welcoming ambiance that caters to casual and special occasions alike. (Newser) A 10-year-old black boy with disabilities was passing out pretend money on his Maryland school busand ended up questioned by police. The cops were called after one of the fake $100 bills was found at the bus depot May 14 and video from the bus was reviewed, the fourth-grader's mom, Tiffany Kelly, wrote on a Change.org petition. "He is excited about money and learning to count 'his money,'" Kelly explained on the petition. "In an attempt for socialization, something he struggles with, he passed it out on the school bus to his peers. The money has bright pink Asian symbols on the front and back, along with dotted lines, so that it can be distinguished as play money." She says after the toy money was found, the Secret Service was also called. She tells WRC-TV the school said its policy is to call police if a student is attempting to use counterfeit money. story continues below Kelly tells NBC News she does not know how long her son was questioned, but says she did not learn what was going on until a police officer called her at 4pm. "She further let me know that fake/play/counterfeit money is not illegal unless someone tries to spend it; he absolutely did not," Kelly writes on the petition, adding to NBC: "By her own admission, no crime had been committed. At what point do officers determine that a law has not been broken and they move on?" She accuses Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County Police Department of "contributing to the over-policing of minority children." And that's not all: "We know policing in this country looks different for those that are suffering with mental illness, a disability, or is a person of color. Which target was it here?" (Parents fume after kids aged 6 and up are arrested.) (Newser) A DC jury has found a Libyan militant guilty on two charges in the 2012 attack on the US post at Benghazi but deadlocked on murder counts. Mustafa al-Imam, 47, was convicted of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists and maliciously destroying property at diplomatic compound, CNN reports. He was captured by US special operations forces in 2017. A US official said at the time that there was video showing al-Imam at one of the sites attacked. US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. story continues below The federal jury will resume deliberating on the other counts Monday. If the deadlock isn't broken, the judge could disclare a mistrial on the remaining counts. The verdicts Thursday were reminiscent of the 2017 case against the accused ringleader of the attack, the Washington Post notes. In that prosecution, Ahmed Abu Khattala was found guilty on four of 18 counts, but not directly responsible for the deaths. (Read more Benghazi stories.) (Newser) Owners of a market were awarded $44 million in damages this week in a lawsuit claiming Oberlin College hurt their business and libeled themin a case some observers said embodied racial hypersensitivity and political correctness run amok. An Ohio jury awarded David Gibson, son Allyn Gibson and Gibson's Bakery, of Oberlin, $33 million in punitive damages Thursday, the AP reports. That comes on top of an award a day earlier of $11 million in compensatory damages. "We have heard you," Oberlin College attorney Rachelle Zidar told the jury before the larger award was announced. "Believe me when I say, 'Colleges across the country have heard you." Problems between the Gibsons, their once-beloved bakery and the college began in November 2016 after Allyn Gibson, who is white, confronted a black Oberlin student who had shoplifted wine. Two other black students joined in and assaulted Gibson, police said. All three were arrested. story continues below The day after the arrests, hundreds of students protested outside the bakery. Members of Oberlin College's student senate published a resolution saying Gibson's had "a history of racial profiling and discriminatory treatment." When news of the protests spread online, bikers and counterprotesters converged on the town to jeer students and make purchases from Gibson's. The Gibsons sued Oberlin and the dean of students in November 2017, accusing faculty members of encouraging the protests. The lawsuit said college tour guides informed prospective students that Gibson's is racist. The Gibsons said the protests devastated their business and forced them to lay off workers. They said they haven't paid themselves or other family members since the protests. The three black students later pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and read statements in court that said Allyn Gibson's actions weren't racially motivated. (Read more Oberlin College stories.) Rheinenergie Stadium : Metallica rocks the stage in Cologne with "Viva Colonia" Kirk Hammett zeigte sich Anfang Juni in den USA mit grauer Matte (Archivfoto) Foto: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP Koln The roof of the sold-out RheinEnergie Stadium, if it had one, would have been lifted as the living legends Metallica sang the Cologne classic tune with the audience. Tens of thousands of overjoyed fans were sent to bed by the sandman after two and a half hours. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Von Dennis Sennekamp The "Four Horsemen", as the quartet is called by fans, aka Metallica returned to Cologne and they brought top-class support acts. As the saying goes "all good things come in threes after Metallica had electrified the Lanxess-Arena on two evenings in the summer of 2017, the biggest metal band on the planet came to the Mungersdorfer Stadion for a third guest performance on Thursday. The quartet played songs from their current album "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" in the sold-out living room of 1. FC Koln, but they also had classics and a surprise with a goose bump guarantee on their label. But before the living legends came on stage in front of the south stand, the audience had the pleasure of getting to know the young rockers of Bokassa. The four guys from Trondheim in Norway mixed hardcore punk with Stoner Rock and gave themselves a refreshingly non-vain and energetic performance. Afterwards the stage belonged to Ghost - if you thought you couldn't be afraid of ghosts in the daylight, you were taught better when you saw the Swedish band. The five-piece from Linkoping, which is hyped in the scene, relies on masks and costumes in the style of the medieval church and appears live like a dark cult that performs a ritual. Frontman Tobias Forge presented the full range of his group to the packed stadium on this evening and inspired with songs like "Rats", "Dance Macabre" and "Square Hammer" both vocally and by his self-ironic stage character called Cardinal Copia with bizarre rubber mask and skinny, red dress. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" gives fans goose bumps After a short break , the time had finally come: The sounds of Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" shot out of the boxes at half past eight. The song is especially well known from the spaghetti western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" - but real Metallica fans get goosebumps with the melody because they know that the show will start any moment. Since the beginning of their career Metallica always started their set with this song. Then finally, drummer Lars Ulrich followed by the rest of the group stormed onto the white lacquered and minimalistic stage, which had a bit of the flair of a dentist's office. As the opener they brought the title track of their current album, followed by "The Memory Remains" of their less popular 1997 album Reload. Old-school supporters could then enjoy "Ride The Lightning", "The Thing That Sould Not Be" and "The Unforgiven" before going into a block of newer material. One of them was for example "Moth Into Flame",supported by an impressive pyro show - a row of fire fountains shot several meters high through the beams. Hammett and Trujillo sang "Viva Colonia A quick glance at the music heroes was enough to find out that the four are more than fit, but since their guest performance two years ago in the Lanxess Arena at least optically have aged rapidly. Probably also because of the grey hair-dos of guitarist Kirk Hammett and vocalist James Hetfield, who also ran up with a silver Hulkamania beard. But vocally and musically Metallica were fully present: Hetfield barked his lyrics into the microphone, beating the riffs out of his guitar precisely, Hammett let his Wah-Wah scream, bassist Robert Trujillo crawled over the stage as usual with Duckface and Lars Ulrich apparently still prefers practicing live how to play drums - but that somehow is a part of it all. The sound needed some getting used-to at the beginning, because it was very high and bass-heavy at the same time, but the technicians quickly got the sound under control, so that the audience could really enjoy the set from the third song at the latest. And it did also thanks to a special surprise for Cologne: Between two songs Hammett and Trujillo sang "Viva Colonia" together with the audience. More applause cannotto be fetched here (Newser) Sarah Sanders is going home to Arkansas after almost two years as White House press secretaryand it is a tenure unlikely to be forgotten. Daily briefings were a decades-old tradition under previous administrations, but they almost completely disappeared after Sanders replaced Sean Spicer in 2017. In 2018, briefings gradually dwindled to about one per month and they are now close to being a thing of the past: The last one was held on March 11 and lasted just 14 minutes. Media writer Brian Stelter of CNN writes that journalists recently noticed a coating of dust on the podium in the briefing room, and it's not clear whether Sanders will use it again before she departs at the end of the month. More: What's next: The 36-year-old Sanders became emotional Thursday when she spoke about being able to spend more time with her three school-age children, the Hill reports. Asked about Trump's suggestion that she follow in the footsteps of father Mike Huckabee and run for governor of Arkansas, she said: "I dont know. I learned a long time ago never to rule anything out." The 36-year-old Sanders became emotional Thursday when she spoke about being able to spend more time with her three school-age children, the Hill reports. Asked about Trump's suggestion that she follow in the footsteps of father Mike Huckabee and run for governor of Arkansas, she said: "I dont know. I learned a long time ago never to rule anything out." Reactions: Sanders' departure met with some very mixed responses, from high praise to mockery, USA Today reports. Stephen Colbert tweeted: "Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leaving, or as Sarah Huckabee Sanders would say, 'Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not leaving.'" Sen. Lindsey Graham, meanwhile, thanked her for doing a "terrific job" in dealing with a "hostile press with an insatiable desire to go after the Trump Administration for everything under the sun." story continues below (Newser) Which companies are the best to work for in America? And the worst? 24/7 Wall St has come up with rankings in both categories, using data from Glassdoor. The info comes employee reviews that take into account a host of factors, including pay, satisfaction, and job opportunities. The company with the best ranking is Bain & Company consulting, headquartered in Boston. At the bottom is The Fresh Market, a supermarket chain based in North Carolina. The 10 best companies, along with two key factors: Bain & Company, Boston: 4.7 out of 5 score; 95% of employees would recommend it Power Home Remodeling, Chester, Pa.: 4.6; 90% TaskUs, Santa Monica, Calif.: 4.6, 94% NVIDIA, Santa Clara, Calif.: 4.4; 91% In-N-Out Burger, Irvine, Calif.: 4.4; 91% Google; Mountain View, Calif.: 4.3; 86% Facebook, Menlo Park, Calif.: 4.3; 86% McKinsey & Company, New York City: 4.3, 87% Vector Marketing, Olean, NY: 4.3, 87% Boston Consulting Group, Boston: 4.3, 85% story continues below Read on for the bottom 10. The worst companies to work for: The Fresh Market, Greensboro, NC: 2.2; 25% Frontier Communications, Norwalk, Conn.: 2.4; 23% Union Pacific, Omaha: 2.4; 26% Alorica, Irvine, Calif.: 2.5; 36% Family Dollar Stores, Matthews, NC: 2.5; 27% Conduent, Florham Park, NJ: 2.5; 34% Genesis HealthCare, Kennett Square, Penn.: 2.5; 31% US Security Associates, Roswell, Ga.: 2.5; 34% LA Fitness, Irvine, Calif.: 2.6; 33% Regal cinemas, Knoxville, Tenn.: 2.6; 35% (Full list of the best companies here ; full list of the worst companies here .) (Newser) The pastor of a small Baptist church in Tennessee delivered a sermon earlier this month that likely would have made headlines under any circumstances. Grayson Fritts told his congregation that police should arrest gay people ("freaks" and "animals") so they can be tried and executed, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel. But what has elevated the controversy even more is that Fritts also happens to be a detective with the Knox County Sheriff's Office, though he's on his way out. Details and developments: The sermon: On Sunday, June 2, Fritts stood before his All Scripture Baptist Church in Knoxville and declared, "I'm sick of sodomy getting crammed down our throats," per the Washington Post. "God has instilled the power of civil government to send the police in 2019 out to the LGBT freaks and arrest them and have a trial for them, and if they are convicted, then they are to be put to death. ... Do you understand that? It's a capital crime to be carried out by our government." On Sunday, June 2, Fritts stood before his All Scripture Baptist Church in Knoxville and declared, "I'm sick of sodomy getting crammed down our throats," per the Washington Post. "God has instilled the power of civil government to send the police in 2019 out to the LGBT freaks and arrest them and have a trial for them, and if they are convicted, then they are to be put to death. ... Do you understand that? It's a capital crime to be carried out by our government." See video: The Tennessee Holler has a video with excerpts from the sermon. Fritts says it's easy to spot gay people because they're "flamboyant." He also mocked Pride Parades, taking place during June, and called out Taylor Swift for advocating on behalf of LGBTQ rights. "It's infecting our culture," he complained. story continues below Outgoing detective: County Sheriff Tom Spangler says Fritts, 39, has taken a buyout and is no longer on active duty. He will be on sick leave until the buyout takes effect July 19. "I want to be very clear that it is my responsibility to ensure equal protection to ALL citizens of Knox County ... without discrimination or hesitation," said the sheriff. "Rest assured that I have and will continue to do so." County Sheriff Tom Spangler says Fritts, 39, has taken a buyout and is no longer on active duty. He will be on sick leave until the buyout takes effect July 19. "I want to be very clear that it is my responsibility to ensure equal protection to ALL citizens of Knox County ... without discrimination or hesitation," said the sheriff. "Rest assured that I have and will continue to do so." Case review: The Knox County District Attorney's Office is now reviewing all pending cases involving Fritts and encourages anyone with concerns about a closed case to come forward, reports WVLT. The Knox County District Attorney's Office is now reviewing all pending cases involving Fritts and encourages anyone with concerns about a closed case to come forward, reports WVLT. Condemnation: Several public officials, including the mayor of Knoxville, the mayor of Knox County, and Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee have denounced Fritts. "Lets be very clear. This Knox County Sheriffs detective is preaching about murdering LGBTQ people," wrote Cooper. "There is no ambiguity. There is no confusion. He is suggesting the execution of our friends and neighbors." Several public officials, including the mayor of Knoxville, the mayor of Knox County, and Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee have denounced Fritts. "Lets be very clear. This Knox County Sheriffs detective is preaching about murdering LGBTQ people," wrote Cooper. "There is no ambiguity. There is no confusion. He is suggesting the execution of our friends and neighbors." Fritts' key passage: "The purpose of this sermon is, our government, like the police, should enforce Leviticus 20:13," Fritts told his congregation. Per WVLT, the King James Bible version of Leviticus reads: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." "The purpose of this sermon is, our government, like the police, should enforce Leviticus 20:13," Fritts told his congregation. Per WVLT, the King James Bible version of Leviticus reads: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." Defending himself: Fritts told reporters that he never let his beliefs affect his job as a detective. In a subsequent sermon, he said: The world looks at it and theyre like, Oh, theres Pastor Fritts. Theres that lone wolf ... that one guy, that one Baptist pastor thats just a lunatic, thats just crazy.'" But, he added, "Theres a lot of people that believe exactly like I believe. (Read more pastor stories.) (Newser) Police in a county in England have bought 100 specially made, blunt-tip knives for the kitchens of residents who have been attacked or threatened with a knife. Nottinghamshire, like much of the country, is looking for ways to combat the increase in knife crime, inside and outside the home, the New York Times reports. Police say domestic abuse cases involving knives make up 17% of reported knife crimes in Nottinghamshire. "It is only one small part of the whole range of what is done to safeguard and protect domestic abuse survivors," the police superintendent said. One researcher found the effort misguided. "The problem is not the sharpness of the knife," she said. "The problem is male violence." story continues below Police said the results of the small trial will be evaluated at the end of the year. A Nottinghamshire official pointed out that "some research shows that women are attacked around 19 times before they leave their home." But one specialist said, per the BBC, "If you are going to take knives, why not forks? Because I work with women who have been stabbed with forks." Another advocate called the plan "quite ludicrous," adding that "abusers will use anything at all to inflict pain on their victim." The researcher told the Times that she first thought the report was a satirical story from The Onion, though one English survivor said even a blunt-edged knife in her hands would have prevented her attack. (Read more knife attack stories.) (Newser) By last count, six tourists had died under mysterious circumstances in the Dominican Republic over the last year or so, and now there's a seventh and an eighth. NBC News reports 53-year-old Leyla Cox of Staten Island died earlier this week at Punta Cana's Excellence resort. The family of 78-year-old American Jerry Curran also recently revealed that he died at the Dreams hotel there in January. This follows the death of two tourists at the island's Hard Rock resort (one in July 2018, one this past April), the death of a Pennsylvania woman in May at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville, and the deaths of a Maryland couple and a Philly woman at the Grand Bahia Principe la Romanatwo in May, one in June. Meanwhile, a Denver couple that vacationed on the island in June 2018 tell Contact7 they also became sick at the Grand Bahia Principe. Back in the US, doctors told them they likely had pesticide poisoning; they now have a $1 million suit against the resort. story continues below At least three of the deaths have been tied to pulmonary edemas. Per the New York Post, cops and the FBI are looking into whether tainted alcohol may have played a role in any of the deaths, as some of the victims drank from their hotel mini-bars before falling ill. And, in what seems to be completely unrelated to the recent sicknesses, the family of a Florida surfer who went missing in the Dominican Republic in January 2016 is hoping that the current media attention on the illnesses, as well as on the shooting of ex-Red Sox star David Ortiz, will reinvigorate his case. Darryl Fornatora, then 45, was on vacation there with friend Matthew Rigby, but although Rigby came home, Fornatora didn'tand the family wonders if Rigby knows something. "It's in their best interests" to get to the bottom of all the incidents that have taken place there," Fornatora's mother told the New York Post this week. (Read more Dominican Republic stories.) (Newser) "I love Mike," President Trump said Friday. Still, he said he'd have to size up the field before throwing his support behind Mike Pence for president in 2024. Trump was asked Fox & Friends whether Pence could count on his "automatic endorsement." Trump wouldn't commit, saying, "You can't put me in that position," Politico reports. "But I certainly would give it very strong consideration," he said, calling Pence "a very, very outstanding person." A former governor of Indiana, Pence has not said whether he'll run for president, per ABC. story continues below President Barack Obama gave a similar answer in 2015 when asked whether he'd support Joe Biden, his vice president, or Hillary Clinton for president. "I love em both," Obama said, per the Washington Post, "Good try." (Read more Mike Pence stories.) (Newser) A helicopter pilot who heads a military command in Guam will be the first female leader of the US Naval War College, the Navy announced Friday, days after removing the college president who came under investigation over questionable behavior. Rear Adm. Shoshana Chatfield will be the new president, the AP reports. In a statement, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer called her a "historic choice." Rear Adm. Jeffrey Harley was removed as the college's president Monday after the AP reported he was under investigation more than a year after the initial complaint was filed. story continues below Spencer was at the post-graduate institution in Newport, Rhode Island, on Friday for graduation. About 550 students crossed the stage, and about 1,000 students graduated from the distance learning program. Spencer challenged them to be innovative and act with urgency. Shortly afterward, he released the announcement about the school's new leadership. Chatfield served as commander of a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan in 2008 and as an assistant professor of political science at the Air Force Academy from 2001 to 2004. She assumed command in Guam, of Joint Region Marianas, in January 2017. "She is the embodiment of the type of warrior-scholar we need now to lead this storied institution as it educates our next generation of leaders," Spencer said in the statement. (Read more U.S. Naval War College stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region A place of history: The Haus der Geschichte : Museum in Bonn celebrates its birthday Bonn The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn was opened 25 years ago by Chancellor Helmut Kohl. We met for an interview with the President of the Foundation, Hans Walter Hutter. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The Haus der Geschichte in Bonn is celebrating its birthday: 25 years ago this museum was opened, a history laboratory in constant development: History wants to be reflected and told as up-to-date and current as possible. Hans Walter Hutter, president of the Haus der Geschichte Foundation since 2007, who has been there from the very beginning, has shaped and accompanied the renewal process of the permanent exhibition, knows what it means to have to adapt to the changing receptivebehaviour of a very heterogeneous audience. Thomas Klieman spoke with Hutter. "The central idea of telling contemporary history in stories is reflected in the exhibition. This sentence can be found in the very successful new book on the permanent exhibition of the Haus der Geschichte. How has this "story telling", this narrative, changed in the last 25 years? Hans Walter Hutter: First, I would like to deal with the constants. What has remained is that we consciously considered our target groups at a very early stage. And we don't tell history in an abstract way, but personalized, through personal historical experiences. Here we want to inform, but also address emotions and inspire the formation of opinions. What has changed? Hutter: The receptivebehaviour of visitors has changed significantly. The digital world and reading habits play an important role here. Fewer and fewer texts are read in the exhibition, and more and more information is retrieved directly from the Internet during the visit to the exhibition. One has to react to these changes. The exhibition language and design have developed. The individual objects are still the core of our exhibitions. But the framework, the environment in which the objects are presented, have a new form. How do you deal with it? Hutter: In the past, objects in our exhibitions were presented in a more opulent environment. More recently, the range has tended to be reduced, concentrated. Attention is thus drawn more directly to the theme, the central message. Overall, the exhibition language has become clearer. What role do the original sounds, the contributions of contemporary witnesses play in the exhibition? Hutter: From the very beginning, we have allowed contemporary witnesses to speak in short contributions in our exhibitions. In 2011 we integrated our own line of contemporary witnesses into the permanent exhibition. The eyewitness portal created two years ago has further strengthened the personal narrative of history in our exhibitions. The exhibition covers 70 years. These are three generations. How do you do justice to them? Hutter: It is important for the individual viewer to create a reference to the reality of his life, a reference to the present. One guest is more likely to be addressed by contemporary witnesses, the other by prominent objects. The temporal distance can also change the attention to a theme. Then it is a good idea to choose a different design without necessarily changing the objectives of mediation. The great art here is to select and reduce from the abundance of topics in a target-group-oriented way. "Who does not know the past, cannot understand the present and cannot shape the future", this saying by Helmut Kohl is in times of Fakenews, alternative facts and an emerging right, which exploits the historical ignorance of parts of the population for its ideological goals, of frightening topicality. How political (are) is history, its interpretation and presentation? Hutter: First of all: History is the construction of the past in the respective present, so history is always also political. In the reality of our life, we construct from the mass of past history that we ultimately show. The type of presentation, the focus, play a serious role here. Museums have a dual function: they convey a selection of history, they create and transport images of history. As a result, institutions also bear a great responsibility for the present and the future. What are you talking about? Hutter: Today, a good historical reference book reaches circulations of 3000 to 5000 copies. The historical novel often has much higher editions, which gives it the quality to create a picture of history that is, however, possibly questionable when measured against scientific standards. But the novel reaches many people, the film even more. "Ben Hur", for example, shaped the historical image of antiquity for generations despite numerous proven historical errors. In the Haus der Geschichte we have counted more than 13 million visitors to the permanent exhibition alone since its opening. These people have talked to others about it, the media have reported widely. Thus, a house of this kind has a broad and deep effect. Historical museums convey the past in historical constructs and thus create their own image of history. There have certainly been attempts on the part of politicians to influence the interpretation of history. The accusation that Helmut Kohl attempted to turn the Haus der Geschichte into a Kohl museum that conveys his interpretation of history is inextricable. Hutter: The initiator of the Haus der Geschichte, Helmut Kohl, never influenced the contents and methods of the museum. The concept was developed on the basis of broad political and social consensus. Multi-perspectivity is an important principle of the museum: the exhibitions and events aim to convey information on a scientific basis and encourage opinion-forming. We are permanently controlled by thousands of eyes and minds; the visitors would not accept a one-sided presentation. Added to this is the constant observation by both traditional and electronic media. And our committees: We discuss each exhibition in detail with the Scientific Advisory Board. Different generations, disciplines and scientific-political orientations are represented there. The same applies to the working group of social groups. The Board of Trustees decides on the basic lines of the programme, but does not intervene operationally. In 2017, during one of our talks, you said: "After the restructuring is before the restructuring". When is the next castling (Rochade) in the permanent exhibition? And what is planned? Hutter: At the beginning of 2019, we started exchanging ideas in the building: What should a contemporary historical exhibition of this size look like that will once again attract visitors for 20 years? Initial opinions differed widely on this issue. But one thing became clear: the object will remain in the foreground! But in which environment will it still be possible to discuss and decide? We have to take into account changing reception habits as well as changing leisure behaviour and, of course, the latest research results. After the anniversary, we will meet again and begin the discussion with the committees in the following year. Then the project will pick up speed. From today onwards, the renewal of the permanent exhibition in Bonn will be possible in four to five years, assuming the necessary financing. Isn't the exhibition hall at some point too small for so much history? Hutter: No, not at all! The attention of the guests is usually exhausted after about two hours. The challenge is to reweight. The limited space is also a healing instrument in the discussion. We ask ourselves: Is the chronological arrangement still the most suitable for the target groups? Even if chronology is a well-established structural element in history, it could also be structured thematically. Or combinations of both? In any case, I want to integrate more participative and interactive elements. The overall experience of the exhibition should be strengthened. My goal is to create networked historical landscapes, analog and digital. The Haus der Geschichte Foundation has expanded in recent years and is also represented in the Contemporary History Forum in Leipzig, the Tranenpalast and the Kulturbrauerei in Berlin. Are further extensions planned? Hutter: Not at the moment. We opened the building in Leipzig in 1999 and completely renovated the permanent exhibition there in 2018. The Tranenpalast is enjoying growing popularity and last year had more than 300,000 visits on an area of 500 square metres. The show at the Kulturbrauerei has already been reworked; both exhibitions in Berlin will be up to date for a few years to come. And don't forget the historical sites we look after in Bonn: In the Bundesrat, for example, we opened the exhibition "Unser Grundgesetz in 2016. On 15 December you will turn 65. What then, Mr President? Hutter: We still have a lot to do. Would you like to continue? Hutter: The renewal of the permanent exhibition in Bonn, the new Zentral depot and an extensive exhibition and event programme require the attention of those responsible. So no goodbye yet? Hutter: Let's wait and see. Set down in Troisdorf : Police officers in trouble after turtle rescue Troisdorf After the police found a turtle on Tuesday and subsequently left it in the Rotter See, there may now be trouble. Because the reptile may have been a special turtle from North America. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken The turtle that police rescued on Tuesday at a roundabout in Troisdorf continued to keep the district police and the Rhein-Sieg district busy on Wednesday and Thursday. It turned out that the turtle was not the extremely rare European pond terrapin, as the officers had initially reported. According to the regional council, the reptile probably belongs to the genus of the ornamental turtles from North America and therefore does not belong here. There had been excitement in the social networks about it, the district police therefore called in the office for environmental and nature protection of the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis. This turtle species is often sold by the animal trade in Five-Deutschmark coin size and is often abandoned illegally by private individuals once they become too big. As reported, officials had captured the turtle because it had interrupted traffic at the roundabout on Uckendorfer Strasse. The turtle first tried to flee into a bush, but according to the report, after a short pursuit it was caught by the officers. The animal put up "considerable resistance" by defending itself with its claws. In the end, the rebel animal was taken into custody, transported into the patrol car and reassured by the officers. The policemen finally brought the animal to the Rotter See and released the reptile there into nature in the protected area. "Ultimately, this is an administrative offence," said district spokeswoman Rita Lorenz now. Because non-native animals must not simply be abandoned. The result could range from a written warning to a fine, Lorenz said. It is always a discretionary decision in which the possible effects are weighed up. The regional council does not assume that there is a danger for other animals. Mumbai: A teenager was killed after accidentally pressing the trigger of a country-made pistol, while shooting a clip for the social video app TikTok in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, police said Thursday. Pratik Wadekar (17) and his relatives were posing for a TikTok video with a country-made pistol one of his relatives had brought, police said. The social video app claims that it has 200 million users in India, of which 120 million are active every month. Pratik died on the spot during the incident, which took place in the temple town of Shirdi Wednesday evening, police said. Incidentally, he and his relatives Sunny Pawar (20), Nitin Wadekar (27), an 11-year-old boy and another young man were in Shirdi for the last rituals of a family member, police said. While sitting in their hotel room, they decided to shoot a video on mobile phone by posing with a country-made pistol one of Pratik's relatives had brought, and upload it on the TikTok app. "The trigger of the pistol was accidentally pressed and the bullet hit Pratik," said inspector Anil Katke of Shirdi police station. As he collapsed, others ran out of the room, and when the hotel staff, alerted by the gunshot, tried to stop them, one of them allegedly threatened to open fire and fled, the police officer said. Police took Pratik to the government hospital where he was declared dead before admission. A case has been registered under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), police said, adding Sunny Pawar and Nitin Wadekar were arrested while another relative was yet to be traced. Earlier, in an unrelated incident, a TikTok star was arrested by the Mumbai police in connection with a case of robbery. A resident of Kurla, Abhimanyu Gupta, with as many as 9 lakh followers on the video-sharing app, was arrested from his residence after Mumbai Police discovered evidence suggesting that Gupta may have been involved in a crime which took place in January of this year. An elderly couple lodged a complaint at the Juhu Police on January 19 alleging that someone had broken into their house and made away with gold ornaments and a mobile phone. The total cost of the stolen goods was valued at Rs 4.75 lakh. A thorough inspection of CCTV camera footage led investigators to a clear image of the culprit. Based on evidence, police arrested Gupta on May 28. However, they were unable to get him to tell anything about his alleged involvement in the robbery. After several days of intense interrogation, Gupta finally broke down in front of the police and confessed to having carried out the theft. Based on his inputs, police officials recovered stolen items from one of Gupta's friend's home who claimed that the accused had kept it with him by claiming them to be his wife's ornaments. For all the Latest Crime News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union (JNUSU) Thursday demanded an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the varsitys online entrance examinations for various courses, saying most of the papers were plagiarised. The students union alleged question papers of at least two programmes of study of Linguistics Centre were found copied from different available sources. On Tuesday, it had claimed that the questions in the entrance exam for the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP), MA programme, were taken from substandard websites. The JNU has introduced online entrance examinations for various courses from this year and the union has been opposing it. A lot of questions were found to have been copied from various websites and UGC-NET papers, it alleged. Many questions were vague, often phrased poorly and some had more than one correct answer out of the given options, the students union claimed. The Linguistics MA and MPhil papers were plagiarised and copied massively from various sources. The linguistics questions have been found to be copied verbatim or nearly verbatim from R Guptas Popular Master Guide UGC-NET Linguistics Paper II and III 2015 edition. Earlier, a student had written to the vice-chancellor of the varsity and claimed that the exam papers of BA first year cluster one of Russian, Spanish, French and German held on May 28 were found to be circulating on WhatsApp. The JNUSU claimed that students who appeared for political science paper noticed that the question paper was almost similar to one of the practice papers available on a prominent website. The students union also claimed students had to face difficulties at all stages of the entrance examination process right from the application till the online test. Wide-scale errors in the answer key provided by the NTA have been reported by students. Rather than correcting these flaws, NTA through a public notice on June 6, sought challenges to the answer key with a processing fee of Rs 1000, they claimed. Candidates were given mere 48 hours to challenge the answer key and they were required to pay Rs 1000 for each question challenged. The JNUSU demanded an immediate judicial probe into the matter. It said NTA should immediately release a revised answer key for question papers of all courses and programmes. The JNUSU demands restoration of JNUs time tested offline entrance system having a suitable mix of subjective and objective questions. We also demand that the JNU vice-chancellor must immediately step down taking responsibility for this shocking leak, massive copying of question papers from online question banks and ruining careers and lives of students, the union said. No immediate reaction was available from the varsity. New Delhi: HRD Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Thursday said at least two Sanskrit-speaking villages must be developed near the central institutes promoting and preserving the language. Chairing a meeting with heads of central language institutions in the national capital on Thursday, Pokhriyal said these language institutions must be fundamentally strong and efficient. In another meeting with vice-chancellors of central universities, the HRD Minister asked the universities to prepare a blueprint to improve rankings. He assured them full support. Pokriyal said all vacancies in language universities need to be filled to promote all Indian vernaculars. He directed ministry officials to meet heads of these institutions on a regular basis, adding that highly qualified Sanskrit teachers should be engaged to give new dimensions to the language. Later, he stressed on the importance of creating at least two Sanskrit-speaking villages near institutions promoting and preserving the language. Minister of State, HRD, Sanjay Dhotre attended the meeting. READ | NEET UG 2019: Supreme Court to hear plea claiming wrong questions tomorrow The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in Delhi and the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in Tirupati are the three central institutes promoting the more than 3,500-year-old language. The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan has 13 campuses while state governments have their respective institutes. Pokhriyal said literature in varied Indian languages must be translated into other languages so as to reach a large base of readers. He said in the coming years the ministry will establish 'Bhasha Bhawan', in which all Indian language institutes will have an office. In the meeting with vice-chancellors, which was also attended by Secretary of Higher Education R Subrahmanyam, Pokhriyal reviewed the current practices at the universities, infrastructure, maintenance and human resource related matters. READ | Why does not North India learn Malayalam or Tamil?: Shashi Tharoor on three-language row He expressed concern over vacancies and directed the UGC to develop a mechanism to fill them quickly, so that young generation may get quality education. He also urged that all universities should prepare a blueprint to improve rankings. The minister hoped that by providing quality education and research, India can become world leader in the field of education. He said the universities should focus on skill-based and job-oriented education to overcome the challenge of unemployment in the country. Meanwhile, Pokhriyal will be on a two-day Uttarakhand visit, starting on Friday. Pokhriyal, who was re-elected from Haridwar in the recent Lok Sabha polls, will offer prayers at Har Ki Pauri, said state BJP media head Devendra Bhasin. READ | Amid three-language row, Hindi words on boards of central govt offices blackened in Tamil Nadu The former Uttarakhand chief minister will visit Kedarnath and Badrinath temples on Saturday morning, before going to the state BJP office in Dehradun, Bhasin said. This will be Pokhriyal's first visit to the state after the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. New Delhi: A division bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. Justices IA Mahanty and AM Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria and Rajendra Chaudhary. "The petitions are allowed. The applicants shall be released on cash bail of Rs 50,000. They shall attend the special court on each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses," the bench said. The four accused had approached the high court in 2016 after a special court rejected their bail pleas in June that year. They were lodged in the jail since their arrest in 2013. The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetery near Hamidia mosque at Malegaon near Nashik on September 8, 2006, claimed 37 lives and injured over 100 people. The Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which first probed the case, had initially arrested nine accused from the minority community. The case was later handed over to the CBI, which followed the same line of investigation. In October last year, the court had framed charges in the case against all the seven accused for terror activities, criminal conspiracy and murder, among others. The accused face trial under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were charged under sections 16 (committing terrorist act) and 18 (conspiring to commit terrorist act) of the UAPA. Under the IPC, they were charged under sections 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 153 (a) (promoting enmity between two religious groups). The accused were also charged under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act. On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from here in north Maharashtra. The court also rejected a plea seeking the presence of anti-terrorism squad (ATS) officers in court during trial to assist the special public prosecutor. It is for ATS to depute officers and decide whether or not they can remain present, the judge observed, adding that it is not the business of the court to depute ATS officer to assist the public prosecutor. The plea was was filed by Nisar Ahmed Sayyed (59), who lost his son Sayyed Azhar in the blast. He filed the plea through advocates Shahid Nadeem and Adil Shaikh, requesting the court to direct the head or higher authority of the ATS to depute officers concerned to assist the special public prosecutor (NIA) during the trial. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Days after the brazen terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag, the CRPF is set to bring in major changes in the way its personnel are deployed across the state. According to a report by The Hindustan Times, the Central Reserve Police Force is planning to tweak the current drill pattern. On June 12, terrorists carried on a daylight attack on one of the busiest roads on Anantnag. Fiver CRPF jawans were killed and a terrorist was gunned down in the attack. This is the major attack on the CRPF personnel since the Pulwama blast, which killed 40 troopers. The HT report said that the changes that CRPF is planning include not deploying the jawans out in open as it makes them easy targets. So, in coming future, CRPF jawans will be positioned in a police station or a fortified area, the HT report said. The report also added that a little-known group taking responsibility of the attack is mere an eyewash so that India cant link it to Jaish-e-Mohammed. Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred and four other security personnel suffered injuries on June 12. Three injured personnel were shifted to Army's Base Hospital in Srinagar. An AK series assault rifle was also recovered from the terrorist, they said. Those who were martyred were - 1. ASI Ramesh Kumar r/o Jhajjar, Haryana; 2. ASI Nirod Sarma R/O Nalbari, Assam; 3. CT Satendra Kumar r/o Muzaffarnagar UP; 4. CT Mahesh Kr Kushwaha r/o Gazipur UP; 5. CT Sandeep yadav r/o Dewas MP According to officials, two masked terrorists attacked a patrol party of the CRPF on the busy KP Road in Anantnag with automatic rifles. They also hurled grenades at the patrol team. Pro-Pakistan terrorist group Al Umar Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the Anantnag attack. However, police said that they believe its handiwork of Jaish-e-Mohammed. The Station House Officer of Anantnag Police Station, Arshad Ahmed, was also injured in the attack and has been shifted to Srinagar for treatment, they said. A joint team of the bravo company of CRPF's 116th battalion and state police were deployed for a picket duty in the area when the attack took place. Jammu and Kashmir Police had shared an intelligence input about a possible terror strike on security forces around the general bus stand which is located on KP road. Though Al-Umar Mujahideen, a defunct terror group, has claimed responsibility for the strike, officials, however, said that it was a handiwork of Jaish-e-Mohammed. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital and raised the issue of according the special category status to the state as well as amicable settlement of all contentious issues with neighbouring Telangana. During the meeting, that lasted for around 15 minutes, the newly appointed Andhra Chief Minister also informed the Home Minister about the issues of sharing of river waters and division of assets and liabilities among others between the two Telugu-speaking states. "I took an appointment with Home Minister today (Friday) evening to try and prevail on him, to also soften PM's heart on special category status... what we will definitely be asking for in tomorrow's (Saturday's) NITI Aayog meeting," Jagan told media after the meeting. "The agenda of my visit was tomorrow's NITI Aayog meeting. Tomorrow we will be presenting our case to the NITI Aayog, which is chaired by the Prime Minister," Jagan was quoted as saying by IANS. When asked about the reports that Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's post will be offered to his YSR Congress Party, Jagan said, "First of all there is nothing offered. We haven't asked, neither any proposal of that sort have come from any quarter. So please don't speculate these kind of things." According to reports, Jagan is also likely to meet Union Finance Minister apart from few other union ministers taking up the issues related to the welfare of the state. Earlier, the YSRCP chief met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the issue of according the special category status to Andhra Pradesh. The SCS is a major demand of the YSRCP and Jagan, during his election campaign, had said he would support the party at the national level which promises to grant the status to Andhra Pradesh. The YSRCP stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh with a landslide victory in assembly polls. Jagan's party has won 151 of the 175 assembly and 22 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh, the elections for which were held on April 11. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. highlights Cyclone Vayu changes course towards Oman Heavy to very heavy rainfall expected in Gujarat No casualty is reported due to the cyclonic storm so far New Delhi: In what could be a great relief for millions of people in Gujarat, Cyclone Vayu, the severe storm formed over Arabian sea near Lakshadweep islands, on Thursday changed its course of direction and did not hit the western state of India. As per the latest weather report, the "eye of the storm" is currently far away from Gujarat and began moving towards Oman. However, state authorities have been directed to leave no stone unturned on their preparedness as the danger of heavy winds and rain in coastal areas continued in the state. As a precautionary measure, schools in coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch will also remain shut on Friday as well. Gujarat have been on high alert for the last few days following the IMD's warning of Cyclone Vayu, which had been moving north-northwestwards and was likely to skirt the Saurashtra coast on Thursday morning. Weathermen predicted that Vayu may affect Gir Somnath, Diu, Junagarh, Porbandar and Devbhoomi Dwarka, bringing in heavy rainfall accompanied with gusty winds at 90-110 kmph. READ | Cyclone Vayu: Rajnath Singh reviews Navys preparedness along Maharashtra, Gujarat coast However, the tropical cyclone has now started skirting from the mainland, Gujarat Chief Secretary JN Singh said in a statement, adding that all the measures will remain in place till tomorrow morning. "We are not declaring as of now that there is no danger. We are not taking any chance," Singh added. Though Cyclone Vayu has not left any major impact in the State of Gujarat, a dozen talukas in the coastal belt received more than one inch of downpour since Thursday morning. A 150-year-old Bhuteshwar Mahadev temple also collapsed in Porbandar as waves and heavy rains lashed the coastal area. However, no casualty has been reported due to the cyclonic storm so far in Gujarat. Fishing boats parked at Veraval Port ahead of the expected landfall of Cyclone Vayu on Thursday Speaking to media Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, 'According to IMD bulletin, Cyclone Vayu, which was going to hit Gujarat, has moved towards Oman. But the administration will continue to be on high alert for the next 24 hours". Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who along with other world leaders, is attending the SCO Summit in Bishkek, held a telephonic talk with Rupani on cyclone preparations and assured all assistance and support from Central Government to mitigate the effects of Vayu. In the light of IMD's forecast for Cyclone Vayu, the Gujarat government has deployed 33 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) (each having 90 to 100 personnel) and nine teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in 10 coastal districts of the state, he said. READ | Mala, Helen, Nilofer, Fani and next one to be 'Vayu': How are cyclones named? In addition, 11 columns of the army (each having nearly 70 personnel), two companies of the Border Security Force, 14 companies of the State Reserve Police and 300 commandos are deployed at different locations in the Kutch and Saurashtra areas. Meanwhile, the railways has cancelled 86 trains while 37 others were short terminated in view of Cyclone Vayu. According to Western Railway, the cancellations were made as a precaution even though the cyclone changed its course and is unlikely to make landfall in Gujarat. Since all the airports in Kutch and Saurashtra have been asked to shut their operations completely, flights to these destinations from the Ahmedabad airport also stand cancelled. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Four more children died on Friday in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district taking the death count to 62, the state health department said. All the victims have fallen prey to hypoglycemia, a condition caused by a very low level of blood sugar and electrolyte imbalance, officials said. All the children died in two state-run hospitals of Muzaffarpur, one of which was visited by Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey during the day. Of the total number, 52 children have died in Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) while 10 died at the private Kejriwal Hospital, reported ANI. Since June one, 156 and 66 children were admitted in the SKMCH and the Kejriwal Hospital respectively with suspected cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) but most of them were found to be victims of hypoglycemia. The condition of five children undergoing treatment in each of the hospitals is stated to be critical, the release said. The health minister who held a meeting with doctors and officials said six more ambulances will be available at the SKMCH from Friday and a 100-bed new ward will be made operational there soon. The Kejriwal Hospital's management also agreed to increase the number of beds if the need arises, he said. Pandey said creating awareness among the people is needed to prevent the outbreak of the disease. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already directed the officials concerned to ensure that preventive measures were taken in the affected districts, though deaths have so far been reported from Muzaffarpur only. Health Department's Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar had earlier said the disease has affected 222 blocks of 12 districts especially Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Sheohar and East Champaran. In the wake of this grave situation, a multi-specialist high-level team, constituted by the Centre, on Wednesday visited Bihar in order to assist the state government in containment and management of the rising cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Gaya. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who reviewed the status of AES and JE cases in Bihar on Tuesday, said the Health Ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of Women and Child Union Development for distribution of nutritious food with glucose in meals to prevent the development of AES. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: As many as two terrorists were killed in an encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama district on Friday morning, the police said. A cordon and search operation was launched in the Brobunduna area of Awantipora in the south Kashmir district after receiving intelligence input about presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said. A cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the terrorists. The identities and affiliations of the killed terrorists are being ascertained. As the forces were conducting searches in the area, the terrorists fired upon them and the forces retaliated, the official said. He said an exchange of firing was going on. On Tuesday, two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Awneera area of Shopian in early hours after receiving information about presence of terrorists there. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists opened fire towards security forces. "Two terrorists were killed in the retaliatory firing by the security forces. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the scene of the encounter," he said. The spokesman said the identity and the group affiliation of the terrorists were being ascertained. On June 8, a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday, police said. Acting on inputs, a cordon-and-search operation was launched in the forests of Nowgam in Dooru area of the south Kashmir district, a police spokesperson said. During the search, the militants fired on the search party, which retaliated. One militant was killed and the body was retrieved from the encounter site, the spokesperson said. The militant has been identified as Iqbal Ahmad, the official said. According to the police records, Ahmad was affiliated with the JeM and was part of a group involved in the planning and execution of a series of terror attacks in the area. Many cases were registered against him, the spokesperson said. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site, the spokesperson added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Five police personnel were shot dead by Maoists on Friday while they were patrolling the area here, officials said. According to Sub-Divisional Police Officer Avinash Kumar, the five police personnel - two assistant sub-inspectors and three constables -- came under attack while patrolling the Tiruldih police station area of the district along the Jharkhand-Bengal border. Additional Director General of Police Murari Lal Meena said the Maoists gheraoed the policemen and shot them dead. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has condemned the attack and said the "sacrifice of the policemen will not go in vain." The chief minister also promised strict action against the Maoists. Earlier, a CRPF commando, who was wounded in an IED blast by the Naxals in Jharkhand last month, succumbed to his injuries at the AIIMS in Delhi, an official said on Friday. Constable Sunil Kalita, 32, was injured on May 28 in the jungles of Seraikela Kharsawan district when his party encountered a number of improvised explosive device blasts during patrolling. Kalita was first admitted to a hospital in Ranchi, but he was airlifted to Delhi and brought to the AIIMS on June 4 as he required enhanced medical care. He succumbed to his injuries on Thursday evening, the official said. The jawan was posted with the 209th battalion of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), the elite jungle-warfare battalion of the CRPF. Fourteen other CoBRA and police personnel were injured in the incident that day. According to the official, the commando displayed bravery as he saved his colleagues during the blast despite being grievously injured. Kalita hailed from Assam's Kamrup district and had joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 2011. He was selected to join the CoBRA unit in 2016 and deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Jharkhand. In another incident, Maoist ultras kidnapped and shot dead a 37-year-old trader in Jharkhands Gumla district, the police said on Friday. Brajesh Sahu was gunned down by cadres of the banned CPI(Maoist) near a school at Katia village under Bishunpur police station limits on Thursday night. Police sources said the reason behind Sahu's killing could be his support to the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad, another proscribed Maoist organisation. The Maoists, who had left some leaflets near the body, also torched a kendu-leaf laden truck near the school. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Delhi Healthcare services at private and government hospitals in the national capital are likely to be affected onA A with scores of doctors deciding to boycott work for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata.A PM Modi's bilateral visit to Kyrgyzstan will begin on June 14, where he'll inaugurate a business forum along with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov.A A Delegation-level talks will also take place. Here are all the latest news of the day: 10.00 pm:A Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for Delhi after attending the #SCOSummit2019 pic.twitter.com/hu2muooQ5t a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 9.00 pm:A Sources: Ministry expressed concern at disregard shown by Pak High Commission on religious sentiments&devotion of Indian pilgrims especially by Pakistan granting restrictive visa to private group of Indians. MEA called upon Pakistan to immediately grant visa without restriction https://t.co/BNhYgDE9PV a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 8.44 pm: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Shaikh Khalid Al-Khalifa, ahead of the CICA 2019 summit. 8.30 pm:A West Bengal Governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi: I have tried to contact the CM, I have called her, till this moment there is no response from her, if she calls on me then we will discuss the matter. I have called her, let her come. #DoctorStrike pic.twitter.com/3xvKoY6yZP a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 8.22 pm:A Prime Minister Narendra Modi at joint statement with President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, in Bishkek: We are together in fight against terrorism, it is imperative to give out a message to the world that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost. 8.15 pm:A Five policemen shot dead in Jharkhand's Saraikela district. 7.51 pm:A Kyrgyzstan: Signing of agreements and exchange of documents between India and Kyrgyzstan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi & President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, in Bishkek. pic.twitter.com/qASrhMtuRt a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 7.48 pm:A Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds delegation level talks with President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov in Bishkek. 7.26 pm:A Indian Air Force: IAF has flown around 200 sorties towards AN-32 search and recovery operations, and is sparing no efforts in recovering the remains of its personnel for which 8 helicopters have been deployed. pic.twitter.com/3A28mTBKrk a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 6.57 pm:A Vice President & Chairman of Rajya Sabha, M Venkaiah Naidu will meet floor leaders of Rajya Sabha over lunch at his residence in Delhi on 20th June. 6.44 pm:A Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, today, met the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and all seven Army commanders at his South Block office. 6.10 pm:A Jagan Mohan Reddy after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah: I took an appointment with Home Minister today evening to try & prevail on him, to also soften PM's heart on special category status, what we'll definitely be asking for in tomorrow's NITI Aayog meeting. 6.05 pm:A Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives ceremonial welcome in Bishkek, as he officially begins his bilateral visit to Kyrgyzstan, after the end of SCO Summit. Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov also present. pic.twitter.com/B4O5Q7cUYM a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 6.00 pm:A Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan writes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on ongoing doctors' strike in the state, asking her to 'personally intervene to resolve the current impasse.' pic.twitter.com/nW2NpPfstF a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 5.47 pm:A Death toll due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) rises to 62 (52 at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital and 10 at Kejriwal Hospital) in Muzaffarpur.A 5.30 pm:A Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy arrives at North Block to meet Home Minister Amit Shah 5.18 pm:A Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah at latter's office, earlier today. pic.twitter.com/qGP9CDx9fq a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 5.11 pm:A Growth in economical status and advancement in technology in India are prominent reasons for development across globe. Besides, youth and innovators of India will play significant role in attainment of India's goal of 5 trillion dollar: PM Modi. 5.06 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, at India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum in Bishkek. 5.04 pm: PM Modi addresses India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum in Bishkek.A 4.46 pm:A Two people shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in Nand Nagri area, today. Case has been registered, further investigation underway. 4.45 pm:A 4.16 pm:A Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar: In addition to Indian language if they want to give titles and credits in English as well, they are free to do so. So we are not restricting anything, we are actually adding the Indian languages. We are issuing such orders for cinema also. https://t.co/aoskzYfTpR a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 4.15 pm:A Calcutta High Court gives 7 days to West Bengal govt to respond while hearing a PIL on doctors' strike in the state. Court asked state what steps were taken by the govt to end the impasse. Court also said that state will have to put an end to this & find a solution. 4.04 pm:A IMA auditor Iqbal Khan has been arrested by Special Investigation Team (SIT) pic.twitter.com/faACWCFDMn a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 2.30 pm:A WPI inflation eases to 2.45 per cent in May, from 3.07 per centA in April. 2.25 pm:A Four medical aspirants, who claimed that the answer key of five questions asked in NEET(UG)-2019 exam was wrong and sought quashing of the paper, withdraw their plea from the Supreme Court. 2.14 pm:A Two people died after a tree fell on them in two separate incidents in Mumbai, today; one in Malad and another in Jogeshwari. 1.58 pm:A A total 27 doctors of North Bengal Medical College & Hospital, Darjeeling, have resigned over violence against doctors in the state. 1.45 pm:A Doctor's Forum Society, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital: All doctors of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital are fully in support of our colleagues in West Bengal & strongly protest against growing tendency of violence against doctors, all private OPD clinics at the hospital will remain closed today. Tirumala: Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal offered prayers at Tirupati Balaji temple today. #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/pjwvGhBng8 a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 1.20 pm:A Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal offered prayers at Tirupati Balaji temple today. 1.18 pm: As many asA 16 doctors of the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata submit their resignation stating, "In response to prevailing situation as we are unable to provide service, we would like to resign from our duty," 1 pm:A Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today reviewed the ongoing and future projects of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). 12.43 pm:A PIL filed in Calcutta High Court seeking necessary steps against those who stop chanting of 'Jai Sri Ram' slogans. 11.49 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states at the SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 11.40 am:A Lokesh Sharma, Dhan Singh, Rajendra Chaudhary, & Manohar Narwariya, the accused in Malegaon blasts case of 2006, have been granted bail by the Bomaby High Court. 11.39 am:A Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said, "It has become clear thatA CycloneVayu will not hit Gujarat, the state is safe now. Government has decided to call back all senior ministers and officials that were sent to tackle the situation in 10 areas that were expected to be affected." 11.10 am:A Supreme Court refuses to hear urgently a matter filed by lawyer, Manohar Sharma, seeking its direction to conduct fresh Lok Sabha polls by using ballot papers. 10.35 am:A As many as 37 more mainline trains have been cancelled and another nine short terminated in the Western Railway with partial cancellation as precautionary measure in view of the Cyclone Vayu. 10.30 am:A Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops rescued passengers from a bus that turned turtle in Doda, 30 km short of Kishtwar, today in Jammu & Kashmir. 12 people suffered injuries, including 2 that were critically injured. 9.50 am:A Doctors at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad hold protest march over violence against doctors at West Bengal's NRS Medical College & Hospital. Hyderabad: Doctors at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences hold protest march over violence against doctors at West Bengal's NRS Medical College & Hospital. pic.twitter.com/Y3BsYjxTZ8 a ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 9.40 am:A Doctors at North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri in West Bengalobserve strike over violence against doctors at NRS Medical College & Hospital. #WestBengal : Doctors at North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri observe strike over violence against doctors at NRS Medical College & Hospital, reports ANI. Y: ANI Follow Latest updates:https://t.co/Lw1vij623J pic.twitter.com/5weiPcljc3 a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) June 14, 2019 9.35 am:A Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) to observe strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Official statement says, "We are shutting down our OPD, ward and academic services from 8 am to 5 pm today. Emergency services will not be hampered." 9.30 am:A Patients face dificulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS in Delhi is on strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Relative of a patient says, "My mother's dialysis was scheduled for today, we were told to go and get it done from somewhere else." 9.15 am:A Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, today. 9 am:A Constable Sunil Kalita of 209 CoBRA who sustained injures in an IED blast on May 28 during an anti-naxal operations in Saraikela, Jharkhand and was under treatment at AIIMS, Delhi succumbed to his injuries, on Thursday. 8.50 am:A Two maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with the District Reserve Guards in chhattisgrh's Tadoki, Kanker on Thursday night. A cache of arms and ammunition was recovered. 7.40 am:A Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have a meeting with Iran President Hassan Rouhani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 7.13 am:A Two local RJD leaders shot at by unknown assailants in Kanti, Muzaffarpur. Both the injured have been admitted to a hospital and are said to be in a critical condition. 6.32 am:A US President Donald Trump announces exit of spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. 6.30 am:A Christchurch mosque attack defendant pleads not guilty to all charges. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Agitating junior doctors of NRS Medical College & Hospital have rejected Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's offer for talks at Nabanna, administrative headquarter of the state government. The doctors said that 'the guardian' should come to them to find a solution to the ongoing problem in the state. "The guardian (Chief Minister) must come here to meet us. We are ready for the talks and we are ready to find out the solution," they said. The agitating doctors, who have demanded Banerjee's unconditional apology, has set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal. "We want unconditional apology of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the manner in which she had addressed us at the SSKM Hospital yesterday. She should not have said what she had," a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Dr Arindam Dutta, said. Listing the six conditions, the agitators said the chief minister will have to visit the injured doctors at the hospital and her office should release a statement condemning the attack on them. "We also want immediate intervention of the chief minister. Documentary evidence of judicial enquiry against the inactivity of the police to provide protection to the doctors at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night should also be provided," he said. Two junior doctors were assaulted on Monday night by family members of a patient who died in the NRS Hospital. They also demanded unconditional withdrawal of all "false cases and charges" which were imposed on junior doctors and medical students across West Bengal in the wake of their strike. Earlier, Banerjee has invited four representatives of the doctors for talks at Nabanna. West Bengal Medical Education Department director, Dr Pradip Kumar Mitra, had conveyed Banerjees to the doctors at NRS Medical College & Hospital. Following which the doctors held a discussion and decided not to go at Nabanna for talks. Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi said he called up Banerjee to discuss the issue of junior doctors' strike but got no response from her. Tripathi paid a visit to injured junior doctor Paribaha Mukhopadhyay at the hospital where he is undergoing treatment. "I have tried to contact the chief minister. I have called her up. Till this moment there is no response from her. If she calls me, we will discuss the matter," he told reporters after visiting Mukhopadhyay at the hospital. Mukhopadhyay is one of the two junior doctors attacked by relatives of a patient, who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital on Monday night, triggering the ongoing agitation by medicos across the state. The Governor had met representatives of the doctors on Thursday. In the wake of protests by the medical fraternity in support of agitating doctors in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has also urged Banerjee not to make this sensitive matter a "prestige issue" and to ensure an "amicable end" to the stir. In a letter to Banerjee, the Union minister urged her to ensure an "amicable end" to the protests and provide a secure working environment for doctors. He also appealed to the agitating doctors, particularly in West Bengal, to hold symbolic protests and resume work so that patients do not suffer. "Strike is certainly not the best way to protest. Patients should not be deprived of immediate and emergency healthcare facilities," the Union health minister said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The ongoing strike by the West Bengal doctors has sparked massive protests across India with major hospitals in various cities holding solidarity marches on Friday. As Bengal doctors defied the four-hour ultimatum by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, services were badly affected in the state. Services have been affected over the past three days in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state, leaving the patients in the lurch. Here are 10 latest updates on this major story: 1: Major Delhi hospitals such as AIIMS and Safdarjung held protest marches today. Clueless patients and their relatives were seen outside the OPD at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) . The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS is on strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Nearby Safdarjung Hospitals Resident Doctors' Association also held protest over violence against doctors. On Friday morning, 80 doctors at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital submitted mass resignation. They have demanded unconditional apology of Mamata Banerjee for her yesterdays statement. 2: Well-known film actress Aparna Sen visited NRS Medical College and Hospital and said, I would like to request the state Chief Minister to please come here and talk to the junior doctors. If you felt bad with someones behaviour, please forgive them. They are small children and future doctors, being elder to them, you should come here and talk to them. You head the health ministryDont you think that you should come here and talk to these junior doctors. My earnest request to you to meet them here without any condition. Do you think that it will be good for Bengal if they will leave our state. President-elect of the World Medical Association has also reacted to this ongoing strike. In a video message, the top official said that the violence against doctors must end. He said that such acts are simply unacceptable. 3: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has appealed the agitating doctors to exercise restraint. He said that he will soon write to Chief Ministers of all states regarding the security of doctors in the country. 4: The Indian Medical Association has called for nationwide protest today. In a statement released earlier, the IMA said that, The gruesome incident in NRS Medical College, Kolkata is of barbaric nature. Dr Paribaha Mukharjee who was brutally attacked is critical and fighting for his life. IMA condemns the violence perpetrated on a young doctor. Entire medical fraternity expresses our solidarity with the Residents who are on strike. Our National President, Dr Santanu Sen has visited all the medical colleges in Kolkata and has been in touch with the government and the police which has led to the arrest of four culprits in this regard. National President Elect Dr Rajan Sharma and Honorary Secretary General Dr RV Asokan are travelling to Kolkata to identify with the Residents. IMA Headquarters hereby declares All India Protest Day on Friday 14.06.2019. 5: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had given an ultimatum to the protesting doctors. She had given four hours to them else she had said that the doctors will be thrown out of hostels. Banerjee claimed that the agitation was part of a conspiracy of her political rivals. The Trinamool Congress chief alleged that outsiders had entered medical colleges and hospitals to create disturbances. She also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to give the strike a communal colour. 6: "The BJP, with help from the CPI(M), is indulging in Hindu-Muslim politics. I am shocked to see their love affair," Banerjee said. "BJP chief Amit Shah is encouraging his party cadre to create communal tension and run a propaganda on Facebook." 7: However, the doctors have defied the ultimatum. 8: West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi have also appealed to the agitating doctors in the state to resume duty in the interest of patients. Tripathi met representatives of the state units of the Joint Platform of Doctors and Doctors' Association of ABVP at his official residence on Thursday. 9: "Governor has appealed to them to resume their duties in the interest of the patients. Governor also extends his appeal to all the doctors in the state for joining back in their duties to take care of patients," a statement issued by the Raj Bhawan said. 10: The memoranda of the doctors to Tripathi is being sent to the state government for appropriate action, it said. "They have demanded adequate security and protection for the doctors in the hospitals, proper investigation and punishment for all those who attacked the junior doctors and redressal of their other grievances," the statement said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Sitting diagonally opposite to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack at the neighbouring country, saying that the countries which are supporting, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable. Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, was addressing the leaders of member states at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek. Here are the TOP quotes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO Summit, where he gave a clarion call to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism: India has given a positive contribution in all activities of SCO. We have continued engagements to enhance SCO's role and credibility on the international stage. Literature and culture provide our societies a positive activity, stop the spread of radicalization among the youths. During my visit to Sri Lanka I visited the St. Anthony's shrine, where I witnessed the ugly face of terrorism that takes the lives of innocents. Countries that encouraging, supporting, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable. To tackle the danger of terrorism, all humanitarian powers should come forward together. Ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishek, Modi also had a "pull-aside" meeting with Kyrgyzstan A President Jeenbekov and his Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. The world leaders have reportedly duscussed several ongoing issues concerning the globe today. PM @narendramodi had a 'pull-aside' meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko of #Belarus on the margins of #SCOSummit. The two countries share the common goals of development and cooperation in the region. @amb_in @BelarusMFA pic.twitter.com/XpegeYGECg a Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 14, 2019 Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday to attend the two-day SCO summit between June 13 and June 14. On his arrival, Modi was welcomed by President Sooronbay Jeenbekov at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace in Bishkek. Taking to Twitter, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar wrote, "President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of Kyrgyz Republic, current Chair of #SCOSummit2019 warmly welcomed PM Narendra Modi as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting today morning". President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of #Kyrgyz Republic, current Chair of #SCOSummit2019 warmly welcomed PM @narendramodi as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting today morning. #SCOSummit2019 #IndiaInSCO @IndiaInKyrgy pic.twitter.com/HK4pf12ViR a Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 14, 2019 It was Modi's first meeting with Jeenbekov, after his re-election as the Prime Minister of India in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections 2019. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan exchanged pleasantries on Friday during the SCO summit in Bishkek. PM Modi exchanged usual pleasantries with Khan in the Leaders' Lounge at venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. It is also learnt that Khan congratulated PM Modi on his election victory during their first face-to-face interaction. However, there was no official meeting between the two leaders. Both PM Modi and Khan were in Bishkek to attend the annual summit of the SCO. The exchange of pleasantries came over two weeks after Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote separate letters to their Indian counterparts, pushing for restarting the bilateral talks. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Khan had also made a telephone call to Modi on May 26 and expressed his desire to work together for the betterment of people of the two countries. On his part, Modi said creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism was essential for fostering peace and prosperity in the region. Following the phone call and letter by Khan to Prime Minister Modi after his re-election for a second term, there were speculation that both may have a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit here. PM Modi arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO. He held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He also held talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Friday during a bilateral visit during which the two countries upgraded their relations to strategic partnership level. Earlier today, in a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable as he called for a global conference to combat the menace. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, PM Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. India stood for a terrorism-free society, he said. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, Modi said in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. Prime Minister Modi also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against terrorism. He also urged the SCO leaders to organise a global conference on terrorism. PM Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin here and the two leaders reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the bilateral strategic relationship. This is the first meeting between the two leaders after Modi's re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month. "A special partner, a privileged relationship! PM @narendramodi met with @KremlinRussia_E Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of #SCOSummit in #Bishkek. Reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the strategic relationship," External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. PM Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the SCO summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Prime Minister Modi, President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a trilateral meeting, the second among the three countries after a gap of 12 years, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires in December during which they underscored the benefits of a multilateral trading system and an open world economy for global growth and prosperity. Earlier in October, President Putin travelled to India for the 19th India-Russia annual summit during which he held comprehensive discussions with Modi on wide-ranging bilateral, regional and international issues. Russia has been one of India's key suppliers of arms and ammunition. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left for home after the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in which he discussed the global security situation, multilateral economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and topical issues of international and regional importance. On the sidelines of the summit on Thursday, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He also met Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on Friday. Jeenbekov was the Chair of the SCO Summit 2019. "Thank You Bishkek. After a successful visit to Kyrgyzstan, PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. PM Modi also exchanged usual pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on Friday in the Leaders' Lounge at the venue of the summit. The prime minister arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the SCO summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Over 300 doctors on Friday submitted their resignation to the Director of Medical Education and Ex-officio Secretary, West Bengal, over violence against doctors in the state. The doctors have further demanded an unconditional apology from West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on her warning of strict action if work is not resumed. At least 27 doctors of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Darjeeling resigned over the violence against doctors in the state. In the meantime, a total of 80 doctors of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata submitted their resignation. Also, 175 doctors of the state-run Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial (SSKM) Hospital submitted their resignation. "We the following doctors of RG Kar Medical College have so far been trying our level best to run the hospital service smoothly. You are aware that the present situation is not ideal for patient care service. In response to the prevailing situation as we are unable to provide service, we would like to resign from our duty," the doctors said in a mass resignation submitted before the Director of Medical Education and Ex-Officio Secretary of the West Bengal government. Further the doctors of RG Kar Medical College demanded unconditional apology from Mamata Banerjee. On the other hand, it is also being reported that the doctors from Calcutta National medical college have submitted their mass resignation. It is to be noted that several medical bodies including the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had called doctors' strike across the country to protest over rising violence against the medical fraternity after a junior doctor of Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. Soon after the doctors went on strike, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave an ultimatum to them. The West Bengal CM had given the time limit of four hours to the protesting doctors else she had said that the doctors will be thrown out of hostels. The CM had further stated that the agitation was part of a conspiracy of her political rivals. However, the protesting doctors defied the ultimatum. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi had appealed to the agitating doctors in the state to resume duty in the interest of patients. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In yet another encounter, ensued in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, the security forces has gunned down two Maoists on Thursday. The face-off took place last night at Tadoki area of Chhattisgarh's Kanker when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Maoist operation, according to Deputy Inspector General (DIGP, Anti-Naxal Operations) P Sundarraj. Following the exchange of fire, bodies of two Maoists, along with huge cache of arms and ammunition, were recovered from the spot. Speaking to the news agency ANI, Sundarraj said, "Two Naxals were killed in an exchange of fire with District Reserve Guards in Tadoki, Kanker last night. Arms and ammunition recovered". P Sundarraj, DIGP Anti-Naxal Operations: Two Naxals were killed in an exchange of fire with District Reserve Guards in Tadoki, Kanker last night. Arms & ammunition recovered. #Chhattisgarh ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 As per the media reports, the patrolling team had launched a cordon and search operation following certain inputs about the presence of Maoists in and around Kanker. In the meantime, the group of ultras open fired at the forces, trigerring a gun battle between both the sides. However, no harm was reported to the security personnel in the gunfight. Search operation was still underway in the area when the last reports came in. READ | 2 terrorists killed by security forces in encounter in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama Meanwhile, constable Sunil Kalita of CoBRA 209 who on May 29 sustained injures in an IED blast during another anti-maoist operations in Jharkhand's Saraikela, has been succumbed to his injuries on Thursday night. Kalita was undergoing medical treatment at Delhi AIIMS. Hailed from Assam's Kamrup district, Kalita had joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 2011. He was selected to join the CoBRA unit in 2016 and deployed for anti-Maoist operations in Jharkhand. Apart from him, fourteen other CoBRA and police personnel were injured in the incident. COBRA or Commando Battalion for Resolute Action is a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) of India proficient in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare. READ | Maoist, accused of killing BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi in Dantewada, gunned down in encounter The operations against the red rebels have been very successful over the last few months with several Maoists killed in over 20 encounters in the year 2019. Areas that suffer the Maoist insurgency most include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and West Bengal and some of the eastern Uttar Pradesh states. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Indian Medical Association (IMA), that held a solidarity protest across India against the violence in West Bengal, on Friday announced withdrawal of all non-essential medical services on June 17 if demands of doctors are not met. The IMA also said that they should be given assurance of security from the state government before they resume their duties. "Today we held a solidarity protest across India. On Monday (June 17) there will be a complete bandh if the demand is not met," the IMA said. The apex body of doctors in the country also renewed its demand for a central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals and said it should have a provision for a minimum of seven-year jail sentence to violaters. "IMA condemns the recent incident of violence against Dr Paribaha Mukherjee who was brutally attacked by a violent mob at NRS Medical College, Kolkata and demands an exemplary action by the state government. All the legitimate demands of the resident doctors in West Bengal should be accepted unconditionally," RV Asokan, Secretary General of IMA, said. In the wake of an attack on junior doctors of state-run NRS Hospital on Tuesday, the IMA asked the members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. In a communique to all its state presidents and secretaries, the IMA asked them to organise demonstrations in front of the district collectors' offices from 10 am to 12 noon on Friday and hand over a memorandum addressed to the prime minister to the collectors in every district. Indian Medical Association (IMA) leader Soubhik Debbarma said that to protest the violence against doctors in different parts of the country, specially in Kolkata, doctors in all the Northeastern states are discharging their duties in all the government and non-government hospitals and nursing homes wearing black badges. Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has urged protesting doctors to exercise restraint and continue serving patients. He also appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this sensitive matter a "prestige issue" and said that he will write to her in this regard. "Despite getting beaten so badly, doctors have only asked her (Mamata Banerjee) to provide them with adequate security and also demanded action against the perpetrators of the violence as per the law," Vardhan said. "But instead of doing that, she warned them and gave an ultimatum which angered doctors across the country and they proceeded on strike. So if the chief minister acts in a sensitive manner in such a grave scenario, patients across the country will not suffer. I plead to the West Bengal chief minister to not make this an issue of prestige," he said. He assured doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety and urged them to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. "I appeal to them that they can hold symbolic protests but should also continue to work so that patients do not suffer," the Union health minister said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Scientists have discovered a mysterious large mass of material, hidden beneath the largest lunar crater, that is altering the Moons gravitational field. The mass was found under the Moons South Pole Aitken basin, and may contain metal from the asteroid that crashed into the Moon and formed the crater, according to the researchers from Baylor University in the US. Imagine taking a pile of metal five times larger than the Big Island of Hawaii and burying it underground. Thats roughly how much unexpected mass we detected, said Peter B James, an assistant professor at the Baylor University. The crater itself is oval-shaped, as wide as 2,000 kilometres and several miles deep. Despite its size, it cannot be seen from Earth because it is on the far side of the Moon. To measure subtle changes in the strength of gravity around the Moon, researchers analysed data from spacecrafts used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission. When we combined that with lunar topography data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we discovered the unexpectedly large amount of mass hundreds of miles underneath the South Pole-Aitken basin, James said. One of the explanations of this extra mass is that the metal from the asteroid that formed this crater is still embedded in the Moons mantle, he said. The dense mass is weighing the basin floor downward by more than half a mile, according to the research published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Computer simulations of large asteroid impacts suggest that, under the right conditions, an iron-nickel core of an asteroid may be dispersed into the upper mantle (the layer between the Moons crust and core) during an impact. We did the math and showed that a sufficiently dispersed core of the asteroid that made the impact could remain suspended in the Moons mantle until the present day, rather than sinking to the Moons core, James said. Another possibility is that the large mass might be a concentration of dense oxides associated with the last stage of lunar magma ocean solidification. James said that the South Pole-Aitken basin thought to have been created about four billion years ago is the largest preserved crater in the solar system. While larger impacts may have occurred throughout the solar system, including on Earth, most traces of those have been lost. James called the basin one of the best natural laboratories for studying catastrophic impact events, an ancient process that shaped all of the rocky planets and moons we see today. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Brussels: Social media giant Twitter on Thursday released a new archive of state-backed propaganda from accounts it has banned based in Iran, Russia, Spain and Venezuela. The US platform said it had taken the material off its network, but would make it available to researchers and investigators studying online threats. Tech firms have been accused of allowing political propagandists to use social media to hijack elections, poison online debate and smear their opponents. But Twitter, in a blog post by head of site integrity Yoel Roth, said "transparency is core to our mission" and vowed to fight "misleading, deceptive, and spammy behaviour". Thursday's release was the firm's third such archive, representing more than 30 million tweets and a terabyte of media data from just under 5,000 suspected accounts. Twitter has removed 4,779 accounts it believes "are associated with -- or directly backed by -- the Iranian government". READ | Google spent whopping $21.7 million to influence top lawmakers: Report Most of these were found to be spreading news stories angled to support Iranian geopolitical interests or to be fake user profiles designed to manipulate online debate. A smaller sub-group, originating in Iran, exclusively "engaged with discussions related to Israel". Twitter has previously targeted alleged Russian bots, and this archive contains four more accounts that the firm believes are associated with the Internet Research Agency (IRA). This St Petersburg-based "troll factory" has been accused of working with Russian intelligence to influence Western votes, notably US President Donald Trump's election campaign. Investigations into the Russian agency also led Twitter's security team to 33 more accounts linked to a previously known group of 764 Venezuelan fake users. "Our further analysis suggests that they were operated by a commercial entity originating in Venezuela," the post said. READ | Facebook launches 'Study' app, here is how users can get paid on it And in Spain, Twitter has taken down 130 allegedly fake accounts apparently set up to push the views of Catalan separatists. "We believe the public and research community are better informed by transparency," Roth said. On Friday, EU justice commissioner Vera Jourova and security commissioner Julian King are to brief reporters on European efforts to fight political disinformation. Washington: The United States President Donald Trump is once again being trolled for his erratic spelling habit. This time he committed a gaffe while writing about his recent meeting with the "Prince of Whales." The POTUS was talking about Charles, whom he met last week at World War II commemorations in Britain but accidentally called him athe Prince of Whalesa instead of aWales.a Trump, who is an enthusiastic user of social media, has around 61 million Twitter followers. The error, which was quickly corrected, prompted a wave of hilarity online, with one Twitter critic asking if Trump had made the mistake "on porpoise." But his new version did not change another inaccurate reference, this time to the "Queen of England." Elizabeth II, who hosted Trump at a state dinner in London, is actually queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of which England is only one part.A Unsurprisingly, some Twitter users started trolling Trump on the micro-blogging site. Big Prince of Whales fan pic.twitter.com/51emJ8ODEA a General Boles (@GeneralBoles) June 13, 2019 The Prince of Whales, pictured earlier today pic.twitter.com/GmnAiQuzwx a Graeme Demianyk (@GraemeDemianyk) June 13, 2019 1) Prince of Wales 2) Prince of Whales 3) Prince of Wails pic.twitter.com/fFN0Sukk5R a Nicholas Grossman (@NGrossman81) June 13, 2019 For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lahore: Pakistan on Thursday extended its airspace ban along its eastern border with India for the third time till June 28, according to a notice issued by the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Pakistan fully closed its airspace on February 26 after the Indian Air Force fighter jets struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Balakot following the Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir. The CAA notice issued to airmen (NOTAM) on Thursday says: "Pakistani airspace will be closed until June 28 along its eastern border with India. The Panjgoor airspace will remain open for overflying transit flights from the western side as Air India had already been using that airspace." A Pakistan government official told PTI that since there has been no official communication between the two countries regarding opening of their airspace for each other the "status quo" will prevail. "See if some development takes place at the government's level in this respect before June 28," he said. READ | PM on News Nation: Why Modi planned Balakot airstrike on February 26 On Wednesday Pakistan gave a special permission to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's VVIP flight to use its airspace for his official trip to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. However Prime Minister Modi's VVIP aircraft avoided flying over Pakistan. Earlier, Pakistan had allowed India's former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to fly directly though Pakistani airspace to participate in the meeting of SCO foreign ministers in Bishkek on May 21. Since the latest round of Indo-Pak tensions, Pakistan has only opened two air routes, both of them pass through southern Pakistan, of the total 11. The IAF announced on May 31 that all temporary restrictions imposed on Indian airspace post the Balakot airstrike have been removed. READ | Pakistan bans 11 trusts affiliated to Hafiz Saeeds JuD, FIF and Masood Azhars JeM: Sources On May 15, Pakistan first extended the airspace ban till May 30. Then on May 30, it extended the ban till June 15. Now it has prolonged the airspace ban till June 28. As a result of the ban, foreign carriers using Indian airspace have been forced to take costly detours because they cannot fly over Pakistan. The closure mainly affects flights from Europe to Southeast Asia. The flights from Europe and the US flying in and out of New Delhi have been the worst hit. Since Pakistan's airspace closure, the airfare on many routes have gone up significantly, including Delhi-Kabul, Delhi-Moscow, Delhi-Tehran and Delhi-Astana. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. United Nations: The UNs counter-terrorism czar is on a visit this week to Chinas Xinjiang region, where Beijing insists one million Uighurs and other Muslims are detained because of a terrorism threat, UN sources and rights activists said Thursday. Vladimir Voronkov, the under-secretary general for counter-terrorism, is the highest level UN official to visit Xinjiang, which activists have described as an open air prison, deprived of religious freedom. UN spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed that Voronkov, a Russian diplomat, was on an official visit to China, but did not provide details of his itinerary. Haq stressed that the UN counter-terrorism office works to ensure that measures used to fight terror respect human rights. Beijing argues that internment camps in Xinjiang 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. Voronkovs visit to Xinjiang, first reported by Foreign Policy magazine, drew sharp criticism from rights activists. The UN allowing its counterterrorism chief to go to Xinjiang risks confirming Chinas false narrative that this is a counterterrorism issue, not a question of massive human rights abuses, Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, told AFP. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet asked Beijing in December for permission to carry out a fact-finding mission in Xinjiang, but has been left waiting. Earlier on Thursday, Chinas new ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Chen Xu, said the UN high commissioner for human rights would pay a visit when we can find a time which is convenient to both sides. China has insisted that the fate of the estimated one million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims is an internal matter. At the request of the United States and other Western countries, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in May raised the plight of the Uighurs during his visit to China. Guterres told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism, according to the UN. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Two tankers, one owned by Norway and another by a Japanese operator, came under attack yesterday in the waters of the Gulf of Oman forcing their crews to evacuate the vessels. No injuries were reported on board. The attacks, the second involving shipping in only a few weeks, came amid spiralling tensions between Tehran and Washington. TV images showed huge, thick plumes of smoke and fire billowing from one of the tankers as it lay out to sea. Japanese operator Kokuka Sangyo shipping company said its tanker carrying methanol was abandoned after crew assessed that it was dangerous to stay on this ship, and they used lifeboats to escape following the attack. Our crew members made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again, company president Yutaka Katada told reporters in Tokyo, confirming an earlier report from its Singapore management company about a security incident in the busy shipping waterway. The operator confirmed that its methanol cargo is intact. It appears other ships also came under fire, added Katada. Meanwhile, Japans Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters: A tanker carrying Japan-related goods was attacked. There were no injuries among the crew members. They got off the tanker. There were no Japanese members. BSM Ship Management, based in Singapore, had earlier said in a statement that the 21 crew of the Kokuka Courageous had been rescued, with one receiving first aid for a minor injury. The Kokuka Courageous remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking. The cargo of methanol is intact, BSM said. The Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous was headed to Singapore from Saudi Arabia Norwegian tanker attacked. Norwegian tanker attacked Another reported attack in the same zone targeted the Norwegian tanker Front Altair, the Norwegian Maritime Authority said in a statement. Three explosions occurred, but no injuries reported on board, the Maritime Authority said. T h e F r o n t A l t a i r , a 111,000-tonne oil tanker, is currently ablaze and emergency crews are at the scene, it added. Today, June 13 at 6:03 am, the Front Altair, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was attacked between the Emirates and Iran, the statement said. Three explosions on board the vessel were reported. The crew boarded a passing vessel and no injuries have been reported. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, a 111,000-tonne vessel, was carrying a cargo of ethanol from Qatar to Taiwan. Most Bahrain residents say that a US and Iran war would be significantly damaging to Bahrain, according to a survey. Forty-four per cent of the 605 respondents who took part in the survey believe that a war between the two countries could be damaging to Bahrain. Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) held the survey. The war, according to 22pc of the respondents, will have only a small impact on the Kingdom. Fourteen pc said it wouldnt affect Bahrain at all. The survey also asked respondents on the escalation sparking a war in the middle east. Eighty-one pc of respondents believes that a war between the countries is highly unlikely. Only 17pc said that war is possible. The remaining declined to comment. Meanwhile, another report stated that any blockages in the Strait of Hormuz would affect Bahrains credit rating the most. The report by S&P stated that Bahrain credit ratings would most likely be affected in the event of an escalation of US-Iran tensions caused by blockages in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the worlds main oil shipping arteries. Bahrain appears to be the most vulnerable Gulf sovereign to any blockages in the Strait of Hormuz, S&P said in the new report Qatar, due to its high external financing needs, is also vulnerable, according to the report. Reports indicate that the two oil tankers damaged in attacks off the coast of Iran were carried out using sophisticated weaponry. One of the tankers sustained extensive damage, including a fire and a hole at the waterline. Both ships caught on fire, however, neither seemed to be in danger of sinking. Iran had previously issued threats to block the Arabian Gulfs Strait of Hormuz, which is one of the most strategically important choke points in the region and the world with an oil flow of around 17 million bpd. The country, which is reeling from the effects of re-imposing of US sanctions, has made clear its intention to disrupt shipping routes. The escalations come at a time when Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making an unprecedented visit to Iran -- the first by a Japanese premier since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The attack also follows the missile strikes which hit the civil airport in the mountain resort of Abha, which is a popular summer getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing heat of Riyadh or Jeddah. Twenty-six civilians were injured in the attack, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said. At least one Indian and a Yemeni were among three women wounded along with two Saudi children, said Malki, adding the terrorist attack on a civilian target could be considered a war crime. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said it is too early even to consider entering negotiations with Iran, despite soaring tensions between Washington and Iran. Trump said that while he appreciated a mediating mission by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we! Like millions of other Muslims, Cory Ireza from Indonesia travelled to Mecca to pray in the Grand Mosque. But she also found a new attraction just a stones throw away from Islams holiest shrine. After performing the pilgrimage, Ireza, her husband Dodi and their two children were among the first visitors to a museum built inside the worlds largest clock at the top of the globes third tallest building. Overlooking the Kaaba, a black structure inside the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world turn to pray, the four-storey Clock Tower Museum opened a month ago. It is filled with models and structures on astronomy and galaxies, as Saudi authorities aim to lure more tourists to the country. This museum allows us to bring the family not only for prayers but also for some extra activity... and recreation, Ireza said. Looking down from a height of around 600 metres (almost 2,000 feet) as thousands of worshippers walked around the Kaaba, Dodi said he felt very emotional. Dozens of other visitors also took in the panoramic views of the mosque, the sprawling holy city and surrounding black mountains. Clock hands The four-faced Mecca Clock, as the museum is also known, with each face measuring 43 by 43 metres (47 yards), is the largest in the world and weighs some 36,000 tonnes. It is 35 times the size of the clock at Westminster in London, known colloquially as Big Ben. Equipped with protection against rain, sandstorms and winds, the clock is covered by a 100-million-piece glass mosaic adorned with 24-carat gold leaf. The Clock Tower is the main high-rise building in a complex of seven towers, comprising 3,000 hotel rooms and apartments. The Abraj Al-Bait hotel complex is a multi-billion-dollar project built after the demolition of the historical Ottoman Ajyad fortress in 2002 that sparked a diplomatic rift with Turkey. The clock has a 128-metre-tall (420-foot) spire with a 23-metre golden crescent on top. By night over two million LEDs illuminate the clock, making it legible from distances of eight kilometres (five miles). Among dozens of visitors to the museum, Amro Mohammed Masadi from southern Saudi Arabia, was busy reading information printed on glass boards. Initially, I thought it was just a clock with normal minute hands, but I found a massive project... Ive learnt new information about the age of the universe, the galaxies and other things, said Masadi, a Yemeni. In the first floor of the museum, visitors are introduced to the universe, the sky and galaxies with audio illustrations. The second floor is devoted to the sun and how the moon and the earth revolve around it. Visitors to the third floor learn of instruments and methods used to determine time, and the balcony overlooking the Grand Mosque is on the top floor. When the call for prayers sounded, Masadi and others stood in line behind the fence for the mid-day prayers. New vision The museum is run by MISK, a non-profit organisation headed by Saudi Arabias powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Museum supervisor Yaseen al-Mleaky said the Mecca Clock has received 1,200 visitors a day, with entrance costing $40, since it opened in the second week of May. It will also be used to observe crescent moons and for lunar research, he said. In Prince Mohammeds Vision 2030 reform programme to diversity the kingdoms economy away from oil, the kingdom aims to attract 30 million visitors to Mecca in 2030, up from the current 20 million. Contributed photo / John and Beatrice Rogers, of New Fairfield, announce the engagement of their daughter, Sophie Rogers, to Thomas Kramer, son of Scott and Madonna Kramer, of Spring Lake, Michigan. The future bride graduated from New Fairfield High School and Cornell University where she majored in psychology and French. She works as a marketing professional at WBR in Manhattan, N.Y. NEW FAIRFIELD The electrical fire on Smoke Hill Drive last month that displaced 10 people has been ruled accidental by the fire marshals office. It all started around 10 a.m. May 14, when neighbors reported seeing sparks coming from the side of a ranch-style home at 7 Smoke Hill Drive. The house was undergoing renovations at the time. Fire Marshal Derrek Guertin said a small work crew and a couple occupants were home when the fire broke out, but no one was injured. Responding firefighters waited about 45 minutes for Eversource to show up and cut off power to the house before they could start hosing down the inside of the home. As they waited for the energy company to arrive, smoke seeped out from the windows and roof of the single-family home. This has got to be the worst case scenario wanting to do something but you cant, a responder said at the scene. Eversource pulled up to the scene and cut the power at 10:45 a.m., allowing firefighters to safely knock down the fire in about seven minutes. Guertin would not disclose details about the origin of the electrical fire due to pending insurance-related matters. DANBURY State police are looking for a driver who fled the scene of an accident that backed up I-84 westbound traffic for miles and hours Thursday morning. There was a two-vehicle crash, involving a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu LS and 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer, just before Exit 4 around 3:44 a.m. The Trailblazer sideswiped the Malibu, causing both vehicles to leave the roadway, police said. The driver of the Trailblazer fled the scene before troopers arrived, leaving behind two passengers 34-year-old Jose Rosas and 33-year-old Jesus Rosas, both of Ridgefield. This case is still active and investigators have not identified the operator at this time, Trooper Josue Dorelus from the Connecticut State Police Public Information Office said Friday. Both passengers, as well as the 41-year-old driver of the Malibu, sustained minor injuries. The Trailblazer is registered to a resident of Main Street in Ridgefield. The vehicle registration address is also where the two passengers live, according to police. Approximately 50 feet of chain link fence was damaged in the crash, and both vehicles had to be towed from the scene. Two lanes of traffic were shut down as emergency personnel responded to the scene, causing heavy westbound delays between Route 7 and the New York state line with travel speeds in the single numbers. Even after lanes reopened around 8:30 a.m., it still took drivers 91 minutes to travel eight miles westbound on I-84, according to the state Department of Transportation. Anyone with information on the driver of the Trailblazer is asked to contact Trooper Ryan Lopez at 203-267-2200. A female giant panda cub weighing 42.8 grams, about the weight of an average chicken egg and the world's lightest ever, was born in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.[Photo: china.com.cn] CHENGDU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A female giant panda cub weighing 42.8 grams, about the weight of an average chicken egg and the world's lightest ever, was born in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, local authorities said Thursday. A female giant panda cub weighing 42.8 grams, about the weight of an average chicken egg and the world's lightest ever, was born in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.[Photo: china.com.cn] The cub and her twin sister were born to giant panda Chengda on Tuesday at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The cub's birth weight was less than one-fourth that of her sister which weighed 171.9 grams, and it measured only two-thirds as long as her sister, according to the base. A female giant panda cub weighing 42.8 grams, about the weight of an average chicken egg and the world's lightest ever, was born in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.[Photo: china.com.cn] The base said the cub is now in stable condition, thanks to round-the-clock care from researchers at the base. Before the cub's birth, the world's lightest panda cub was Wuyi, weighing 51 grams when he was born in 2006 at the Chengdu research base. Wuyi now weighs 132 kg. A female giant panda cub weighing 42.8 grams, about the weight of an average chicken egg and the world's lightest ever, was born in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.[Photo: china.com.cn] As of November 2018, a total of 284 giant panda cubs have been born at the Chengdu research base with a survival rate of 98 percent. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascent Industries Corp. (CSE: ASNT) (Ascent or the Company) is providing this bi-weekly default status report in accordance with National Policy 12-203 Cease Trade Orders for Continuous Disclosure Defaults ("NP 12-203"). On May 16, 2019, the Company announced that its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, including the related management discussion and analysis, and CEO and CFO certifications (collectively, the "Annual Filings") were not filed by the required filing deadline of April 30, 2019. As previously reported, Ascent is currently involved in proceedings under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA Proceeding). Ascent is required to file bi-weekly default status reports in accordance with NP 12-203 until such time that the CCAA Proceeding is concluded or until the default in making the Annual Filings is remedied. The Company reports that since its news release of May 30, 2019, there have been no material changes regarding the information contained in that news release. Further, there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed. The Company confirms that, since its news release of May 30, 2019, there have been no failures by it in fulfilling its stated intentions with respect to satisfying the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203, and the Company intends to file the Annual Filings as soon as possible. CCAA Proceeding Update The deadline for filings Proofs of Claims was June 10, 2019 and the Company is now in the process of reviewing all filed claims with the Monitor. The Company anticipates that the next court hearing, in the CCAA Proceeding, will be set for July 12, 2019. About Ascent Industries Corp. The Companys operations currently include facilities in Oregon and Nevada in the United States. In the United States, the Company holds licences in Oregon (for processing and for distribution of cannabis to any licenced entity in the state) and in Nevada (for cultivation and for production, processing and wholesale distribution of cannabis). In Europe, Agrima ApS, a Danish company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Ascent, has established European headquarters and is pursuing multiple jurisdictional licences. THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (THE CSE) HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE. NEITHER THE CSE OR ITS MARKET REGULATOR (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE CSE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, the uncertainty involved in the timing of the completion of the Annual Filings or the timing and granting of an MCTO by applicable regulatory. Forward-looking statements are 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 statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, Ascent assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law. For further information: Mark Lotz ir@ascentindustries.com 3 1 of 3 Google Maps / Google Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Google Maps / Google Show More Show Less 3 of 3 SHERMAN Police are trying to find the person responsible for vandalizing a bathroom on town beach property. Someone reported finding graffiti in the mens public bathroom at the Sherman Town Beach on Saw Mill Road around 10:45 a.m. Thursday. The zoning commission wants to make it easier for potential hotels or inns to open in the Main Street commercial area. So the panel has asked its staff to work up a potential regulation change that could open the Central Business District to hospitality operations. Stonehenge closed and The Elms closed and it became apparent there was just no hospitality in town, other than The West Lane Inn, Planning and Zoning Commission chairwoman Rebecca Mucchetti said. We used to have multiple options. In a discussion at the commissions meeting earlier this month, Mucchetti wondered whether it was feasible for a town of Ridgefields size to attract a hotel. Most commission members shared the view that the town could benefit from more places for people to stay especially in the village. With his involvement in the annual Rotary barbeque held at the Lounsbury House, commissioner Rich Vazzana said, out-of-town hotels would regularly reach out, seeking business with people coming to Ridgefield for the event. I dont want to tell you how many hotels, he said. More rooms are needed in town, Vazzana said, noting that people coming to events in Ridgefield end up staying out of town. We need something to keep them here, Vazzana said. Location matters The idea of a hotel on the town-owned Community Center property not in the Lounsbury House itself, but where there are two rental houses at the corner of Main Street and Market Street was briefly explored, Mucchetti said. The property owners are the town. I wasnt a part of these conversations, she said. My understanding was there was a conversation with Lounsbury House, and they liked the idea, she said. Its a natural fit, theyre an events space. But the idea of a hotel on the town-owned community center property didnt get very far. Conversations were also held with ACT and The Playhouse, she said. When they have performers coming in, theres no place to stay in town. Mucchettis thought was that if the commission felt the town could benefit from some more hospitality operations, it should consider being a little proactive and making some changes in the regulations that would allow such businesses. Research suggested the best place would be Main Street, in or near the commercial area the Central Business District or CBD zone. She said the the towns B-1 and B-2 business zones found along Route 35 and Route 7, mostly both allow hotels, motels and inns, but the CBD zone doesnt. Its not a major modification to the regulations, Mucchetti said. It would be adding two words under permitted uses in the CBD: hotels or inns. Commission skeptic Commission member John Katz has expressed his discomfort with the idea that the commission is working on regulation changes in collaboration with someone from the industry. Im in no way against hospitality in Ridgefield. Im against the Planning and Zoning Commission become a shill for any kind of business, said Katz. ...I dont think we should initiate it. Talking to business people to promoting growth and attract development is the job of the Economic and Community Development Commission, Katz said. Other commissioners seemed to feel his concern was misplaced and the concept is something that relates to their planning role. I do believe its a planning conversation, said commissioner Charles Robbins. Its also an ECDC conversation. Muchetti said the idea could be developed over the commissions month-long summer break and discussed again. She said its a long term project. I think this is in the early stages, Mucchetti said. I jsut wanted to get some direction from the commission: Is this something wed like to look at? And the consensus was, it was. And so well move forward. WASHINGTON - Rep. Susan Brooks, the head of House Republicans' recruitment, who had prioritized mobilizing GOP women to run for office after significant losses in 2018, said Friday that she won't seek reelection. The Indiana congresswoman, one of only 13 women in the House GOP caucus, stunned colleagues and party leaders when she announced plans to retire in a letter to supporters and in an interview with the Indianapolis Star. Brooks, 58, told supporters in the letter, obtained by The Washington Post, that she was stepping down to spend more time with her family, including her grown children and aging parents. "There will be much, MUCH, conjecture about my decision. I've made a lot of career changes, but none with the kind of public scrutiny this will attract," she wrote. "The pressure to be everywhere and speak to every issue and event is immense - it is a part of the job that is difficult to turn off. So I salute those who spend decades running, winning, and serving." With Brooks's planned departure and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the House GOP conference chairwoman, mulling a run for the Senate, Republicans face an even greater challenge to shore up their female contingent after losing half of its members in the last election. The House is the most female ever, but 89 of the 102 seats are held by Democratic women, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California. The numbers reflect not only the GOP struggles to recruit female candidates but also the gender gap for the party, which has seen an erosion of support, especially in the suburbs. In 2018, 59% of female voters picked Democrats compared with 40% who chose Republicans, according to exit polls. Cam Savage, a political adviser to Brooks, said House GOP leaders were saddened by her decision but asked her to stay on as recruitment chair through 2020. "She does feel an obligation to help improve Congress and for her that means more women and women playing a greater leadership role, but she doesn't see an inconsistency with this decision," Savage said. Savage credits Brooks and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., with speaking openly about Republicans' problem recruiting women, both as candidates and as voters. According to data from Brooks, 172 GOP women are running for the House. "When we look back, Susan's legacy will be that she played an instrumental role in leaving our new Republican majority far more diverse than it was when she found it," said Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn, chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee. "Susan has assured me that she will be increasing her recruitment efforts, so we are full steam ahead." Democrats placed Brooks on its retirement watch list earlier this year. Though she won reelection by 14 percentage points, Democrats figured they had a chance in a district north of Indianapolis that included the kind of wealthy suburbs Democrats did well in last cycle. At the time, Republicans called the notion that Brooks could retire, "laughable." Cheney, in a statement, praised Brooks and dismissed the notion of Democrats winning the seat that Brooks won in 2012 after a competitive GOP primary. "While I'm confident Indiana's 5th District will continue to have strong and principled conservative leadership going forward, I know Susan's voice and passion will be sorely missed in our conference," she said. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Cheri Bustos said Brooks's retirement is endemic of the House Republican caucus's problem recruiting and retaining women. "As the ranks of women in the House Republican caucus continues to shrink, it must be disappointing to lose such a strong advocate for Republican women," Bustos said. NEW ORLEANS, June 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with losses in excess of $10,000 that they have only until June 14, 2019 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against BrightView Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BV). Investor losses must relate to purchases of the Companys shares issued in connection with or after its July 2018 initial public offering (IPO). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. What You May Do If you purchased shares or options of BrightView and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-bv/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by June 14, 2019 . About the Lawsuit BrightView and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information in its IPO Registration Statement and Prospectus, violating federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, that the Company was implementing a managed exit strategy to end a substantial number of underperforming customer contracts that would negatively impacting future revenue throughout 2018 and into 2019; and as a result, BrightViews Registration Statement and Prospectus were materially false and misleading. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include 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: OTTAWA, June 13, 2019 One in three Canadians and one in ten Americans live in the Great Lakes Basin. The Great Lakes are a natural wonder and a treasured shared resource providing jobs, trade, and fresh water for tens of millions of Canadians and Americans. Canada and the United States are committed to ongoing collaboration to restore and protect the Great Lakes and the environmental and economic benefits that the Great Lakes provide. Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, and the United States' Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, released the 2019 Progress Report of the Parties. The Report documents progress made between 2017 and 2019 by both nations, in meeting commitments under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Working together and in conjunction with many partners, Canada and the United States have made significant progress in restoring and protecting the water quality and ecosystem health of the Great Lakes. There has been significant progress in addressing long-standing environmental degradation in Great Lakes Areas of Concern on both sides of the border. Canada and the United States continue to address the spread of toxic and nuisance algae in impacted areas, particularly in the Lake Erie basin, with the implementation of nutrient-reduction activities. While Canada and the United States have made important strides in restoring and protecting the Great Lakes, the two nations recognize the need to continue addressing ongoing and emerging threats to the water quality and the health of the Great Lakes. The Report will promote discussion on priorities for Great Lakes protection, during the upcoming 2019 Great Lakes Public Forum, in Milwaukee. Public input will play an important part in the decisions the two countries will be making regarding priorities for science and action, during the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement over the next three years. Quotes "Now, more than ever, we know how important it is to protect the health of natural ecosystems. The Great Lakes provide trillions of dollars to the Canadian and American economies, and the region is home to tens of millions of people. A healthy environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. For nearly five decades, Canada and the United States have worked together to improve the health of the Great Lakes, through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and we will continue to work together to protect this important shared resource." Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change "EPA and the Trump Administration are committed to working with our Canadian partners on conservation and cleanup efforts in the Great Lakes region. We look forward to continued progress in preserving the Great Lakes and in keeping our waters clean through our partnership under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement." Andrew Wheeler, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, United States Quick facts More than 40 million people live in the Great Lakes Basin. This equates to one in ten Americans and one in three Canadians. More than 3,500 species of plants and animals, including more than 350 species of fish, inhabit the Great Lakes Basin. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was established in 1972 to coordinate the actions of Canada and the United States to restore, protect, and enhance the water quality of the Great Lakes. and to restore, protect, and enhance the water quality of the Great Lakes. The Progress Report of the Parties is the second of its kind. The triennial progress report was a new commitment under the updated 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and it reflects the governments' commitments to accountability, transparency, and public engagement. The Great Lakes Public Forum occurs once every three years to discuss the state of the lakes, priorities to guide science and actions, and the progress made under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, as well as provide an opportunity for public input. The 2019 Forum will take place from June 17 to 19 , in Milwaukee, Wisconsin . Associated links Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada For further information: Sabrina Kim, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-743-7138, [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]; Allison Lippert, United States Environmental Protection Agency, [email protected], 312-353-0967 Related Links http://www.ec.gc.ca West Atlantic AB (publ) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 27 in Gothenburg. At the AGM, the income statements and balance sheets of the Parent Company and the Group for the financial year 2018 were adopted. The AGM also approved the Boards proposed allocation of profits and losses, with no dividend paid. The Board and CEO were discharged from liability for the financial year 2018. The AGM resolved that, until the next Annual General Meeting, the Board will comprise four members. Goran Berglund was re-elected as board member and Salvador Moreno Gonzales-Aller, Fernando Llorens and Russell Smethwick were elected as board members. Salvador Moreno Gonzales-Aller was elected as Chairman of the Board. The AGM further resolved to re-appoint Grant Thornton Sweden AB as auditors. The meeting resolved that no fee should be paid to the board members since all nominated board members, are shareholders or representing a shareholder in the company. For further information, please contact: Lars Jordahn, CEO Telephone: +46 (0) 10 452 95 95 E-mail: lars.jordahn@westatlantic.eu This information is information that West Atlantic AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 2019-06-14, 08.00 CET. About West Atlantic The West Atlantic Group is one of the market leading providers of dedicated airfreight services to European NMO's and airfreight capacity to Global Integrators and Freight Forwarders. The Group has a well-established geographic network and operates a customised aircraft fleet, whereof a majority is wholly owned. West Atlantic was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Operations are performed all over Europe and 2018 West Atlantic had 461 employees. For 2018 West Atlantic reported revenues of MSEK 1,813 and EBITDA of MSEK 156. West Atlantic AB (publ) Org. no: 556503-6083, Box 5433, SE-402 29 Gothenburg, Sweden Investor Relations: investor.relations@westatlantic.eu Webpage: www.westatlantic.eu Attachment NEW CANAAN Police on Friday continued to search a Hartford trash facility and a pond in Avon for evidence related to the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos. The search of the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority has been ongoing for nearly two weeks with investigators focused on trash that was hauled from the Albany Avenue area of Hartford where police say Fotis Dulos was seen throwing garbage bags the night his wife disappeared. Police said some of the bags contained Jennifer Dulos blood. The state police dive team returned Friday to the pond on Old Farms Road in Avon where they had also searched earlier in the week. In divorce documents, Jennifer Dulos claimed her husband pushed their children on the pond to dangerous limits in competitive water skiing. New Canaan police say they have received hundreds of tips from around the world and nearly 100 security videos from local residents and business owners. We will not rest until we find Jennifer, New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said in a statement released Friday. Its been three weeks since Jennifer Dulos was last seen. Fotis Dulos, 51, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, 44, have been charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in connection with the disappearance. State and local police have searched Waveny Park, the Hartford garbage dump, an Avon pond and all of the properties associated with Fotis Dulos real estate development company, the Fore Group. A 7-year-old Connecticut boy even offered to give up a trip to Disney World to help find the 50-year-old mother of five. But theres still been no sign of Jennifer Dulos. Her family and friends released a statement in response to the boys initiative, appreciating the gesture, but calling for everyone to take action. The impact of Jennifers disappearance on her five young children, family, and friends is affecting many people in similar ways, the statement read. We urge this young man to keep his savings, but we honor his impulse. This is about more than a reward it is a call to do something. Norm Pattis, the controversial New Haven attorney hired last week to defend Fotis Dulos, said his legal team has hired a private investigator to find out for themselves what happened. "The state has wedded itself to the proposition that hes the killer, Pattis said Thursday on WPLRs Chaz and AJ Show. We are challenging that proposition and we are seeing where the evidence leads in our view." Around the time Jennifer Dulos was reported missing, Fotis Dulos was seen throwing garbage bags into more than 30 trash bins in a four-mile span in Hartford about 7:15 p.m. on May 24, according to arrest warrants. Police said Troconis was seen in the passenger seat and both of their cellphones placed them in the area at that time. At Jennifer Dulos Welles Lane home, police said they found blood spatter in the garage and signs of a serious physical assault, the warrants said. States Attoney Richard Colangelo on Tuesday announced new evidence that Fotis Dulos DNA was found mixed with his wifes blood in a faucet in a kitchen sink in her home. Fotis Dulos black Ford Raptor pickup truck, which was seen on video when police say he dumped the garbage bags in Hartford, was also spotted in New Canaan the day Jennifer Dulos went missing. However, a Fore Group employee was driving the truck to work on a home on Sturbridge Hill Road. An attorney for the man said his client has cooperated with police and has been ruled out as a suspect. Police searched a metal dumpster outside the Sturbridge Hill Road home where neighbors heard loud banging during the predawn hours the day after Jennifer Dulos disappeared. To report a tip, email FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov or call 203-594-3544. BRANFORD - A police officer was injured late Wednesday night after a driver, who police said was intoxicated, struck a police cruiser. The accident happened around 11 p.m while the officer was on patrol on Shore Drive. The driver - identified as Joseph OKeefe, 30, of North Haven - was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence and failure to drive right. The officer was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. OKeefe was released after posting bond. He will appear in court on June 26. Branford police used the incident to again remind everyone of the dangers of drunk driving. Its important to designate a non-drinking driver; use a friend, ride share service, Uber, Lyft, etc. If you see someone getting behind the wheel and they are intoxicated, call 9-1-1. If you see a vehicle that appears to be swerving, or operating recklessly, please call! Lets work together to keep our roads safe, so everyone, including emergency services personnel, can get home safely. If you or someone you know has been impacted by drunk or drugged driving, victim services are available at no cost by contacting MADD 1-800-544-3690. Contributed Photo HAMDEN The towns mayor has announced a parking ban that will go in effect Monday and last until July or until street paving is completed. The Public Works Department is expected to post notices on each street the day before any work is to be done. The ban prohibits any person to park on any portion of a town street or highway which has been noticed for milling or paving work. HAMDEN Four sales clerks of local businesses that were the spots for unannounced tobacco inspections earlier this week were given infractions for selling to minors, according to police. The inspections were done on Wednesday by Hamden police and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. HAMDEN The distrust remains. To address this, clergy gathered residents for a community meeting on police issues in light of the doubts residents of color feel toward the towns law enforcement. In the hall at Spring Glen Church, leaders of Hamden Action Now, People Against Police Brutality, Black Lives Matter New Haven and other local social justice groups and faith leaders engaged majority white community members to talk about the realities their neighbors of color live when they encounter police. The Rev. Jack Perkins of Spring Glen Church said the community needs to be educated on policing issues if theyre going to be involved in long-term work, especially white residents who have pushed back on the issue. I learned more and more neighbors of color had wildly different experiences [with police] and its important to learn about those to be a better neighbor, Perkins said. The communitys organizing was sparked when Hamden Officer Devin Eaton and Yale University police Officer Terrance Pollock opened fire on a car occupied by Stephanie Washington and Paul Witherspoon III, after the car was stopped near Dixwell Avenue and Argyle Street in New Haven April 16. Washington, a passenger, was wounded in the shooting. Organizers have demanded accountability and action from local government, police and the state in the case of Washington and Witherspoon and in the death of Jarelle Gibbs, who died as a passenger in a car that crashed during a police pursuit. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, 66 percent of black Hamden residents said they personally worry about being the victim of police violence, compared to 12 percent of white residents and 39 percent of Hispanic residents. The town of Hamden is obviously and blatantly divided, Hamden Action Now co-founder Rhonda Caldwell said. What has happened since April 16 and really enlightened me is how quickly the town went back to business as usual. Caldwell said the shooting only affected a small number of people at the time, when it should have affected everyone. This room should be packed with people saying are you kidding me? she said. To this day there have been no consequences for this action and leadership are saying you have to wait until the state finishes their investigation. Caldwell said residents continue to be told to trust the process regarding police investigations and accountability, but its difficult when instances arent investigated until people start protesting. That should be a concern for every person in this room, she said. Philip Bennett and Wendy Kohli, who are members of the nationwide organization Showing up for Racial Justice, said they have been following with care the recent organizing on policing issues and theyve never seen it brought to this level in the 17 years theyve lived in town. Its upsetting because its our town, Kohli said, of the disparate treatment people of color experience in Hamden. We moved here for the diversity and have been active in the issues, but its a wake-up call for white Hamden residents who buffer themselves from this. Bennett and Kohli said the town has organized around policing and immigration in the past but policing issues in regard to people of color havent been brought to the surface as they have now. Bennett said he couldnt remember a time a Hamden officer shot a civilian, but technology has helped expose more police incidents. Community organizer Kerry Ellington read off a dozen names of people she said were killed by police action, either through gunfire or pursuits Jayson Negron, Corbin Cooper, Zoe Dowdell, Luis Martinez. It was only some of the 25 people who have been wounded or killed in police-related incidents in Connecticut in the last three years, she said. Ellington said the narrative of these stories shames the families and blames the victims as people try to interrogate those affected by it as to what the facts are. All levels of structural change need to happen, she said. Perkins said one of the most powerful moments hes experienced since the Hamden shooting was when a woman of color said during a public meeting that she was afraid to call the police about a domestic violence incident because she was black. There is a long history of police responding in violent ways to innocent people and not being trustworthy in communities of color, Perkins said. He said he hoped the police force is concerned about these experiences so theyre not protecting bad cops. I thought I knew how racism works in our culture, Perkins said. I came to learn I only knew the tip of the iceberg. About a month after the shooting the Town Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for the town to adopt a policy requiring external independent investigations of officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death, and into use of force resulting in death and in-custody deaths. The resolution stipulates the policy needs to require that the investigator not be employed by the Police Department. But some activists said the measure falls short. I am continually insulted by the lack of passion for this issue in our towns leadership, Caldwell said. She said the system will need to change and residents need to elect people who are going to change that system. Its time residents hold the leaders of our town accountable, she said. If you have constituents that feel alienated and divided, thats a big issue. Councilman Justin Farmer, D-5, said the Legislative Council included a number of actions they are calling for in the recently passed resolution, such as creating a civilian review board through charter revision or state legislation, requiring external independent investigations in use of force including police pursuits and including amending the qualifications for the Board of Police Commissioners. Farmer encouraged residents who dont take any action around the issues, to talk to their families about the issues and start having the conversation. mdignan@hearstmediact.com Associated Press NEW HAVEN City police will be stationed at a DUI checkpoint Friday night through early Saturday morning to crack down on impaired drivers. The checkpoint will be in the area of George Street at its intersection with College Street. The checkpoint runs from 7 p.m. Friday through 3 a.m. Saturday. HAMDEN Town residents said 66 percent to 11 percent that an April 16 shooting incident involving a Hamden police officer was not justified, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday, but approve 62 percent to 29 percent of the job Hamden police are doing. The shooting happened around 4:20 a.m. April 16, when Officer Devin Eaton and Yale University police Officer Terrance Pollock opened fire on a vehicle stopped near Dixwell Avenue and Argyle Street in New Haven. According to Connecticut State Police, Hamden police were investigating a report of an armed robbery at the Gas and Go station on Arch Street in that town. Elliot Spector, a lawyer for Eaton, said his client thought the driver of the Honda, Paul Witherspoon, had a gun in his hand as he got out of the car, so Eaton opened fire. Spector said Eaton had the license plate number of the vehicle, so he was sure that the vehicle he saw on Argyle Street was the one suspected to have been involved in the reported robbery. But Eaton was unaware that Pollock had followed him to the scene, Spector said. When Eaton heard additional gunfire, Spector said, he believed Witherspoon was shooting at him and he took off running down the block. The shooting injured passenger Stephanie Washington, 22. Her boyfriend, Witherspoon, 21, was driving the vehicle and was uninjured. Washingtons injuries were non-life-threatening. Residents said the shooting was not justified, according to 88 percent of black residents, 60 percent of white residents and 68 percent of Hispanic residents; The Quinnipiac poll also found pronounced racial differences in attitudes about Hamden police. Overall approval of Hamden police is 50 percent to 43 percent among black residents, 67 percent to 26 percent among white residents and 66 percent to 24 percent among Hispanic residents.The strongest support for police is that 79 percent of Hamden residents said they can trust local police to do what is right. That includes 85 percent among white residents, 67 percent among black residents and 78 percent among Hispanic residents. Eighty-five percent of Hamden residents said local police should make greater efforts to build relationships with communities of color. That included 82 percent of white residents, 94 percent of black residents and 85 percent of Hispanic residents. This survey suggests that Hamdenites regard the incident as an aberration, rather than indicative of how the Hamden Police Department operates, Quinnipiac University School of Law professor William Dunlap said in a release. These differences among racial groups seem to be typical of attitudes reported in other cities in the wake of police shootings around the country, Dunlap said. Fifty-two percent of residents also said they would like to see more walking or biking police patrols in their neighborhood. Support for more walking or biking police patrols was 49 percent for white residents, 63 percent among black residents and 63 percent among Hispanic residents. There was a striking racial division as 66 percent of black Hamden residents said they personally worry about being the victim of police violence, compared to 12 percent of white residents and 39 percent of Hispanic residents. Police mistreatment of people of color is a serious problem in Hamden, 31 percent of residents said. In contrast, 72 percent of Hamden residents said police mistreatment of people of color is a serious problem in the U.S. Forty-sevent percent of residents said local police do not have enough training to know when they need to fire their weapon. And 93 percent of residents support the use of body cameras activated automatically by a specific action, such as when an officer opens a police car door or by the sound of gunfire. The overwhelming public support for body cams that activate automatically will probably not be lost on the Police Department and the Legislative Council, Dunlap added. And there seems to be some public concern about levels of firearms training, as well. Seventy percent of Hamden residents say said officers involved in the April 16 shooting should be disciplined, including 64 percent of white residents, 91 percent of black residents and 74 percent of Hispanic residents. But only 38 percent of Hamden residents said the officers should be fired, including 30 percent of white residents, 66 percent of black residents and 44 percent of Hispanic residents. There are similar results on whether the officers should face criminal charges: 36 percent of all residents, including 28 percent of white residents, 64 percent of black residents and 38 percent of Hispanic residents, said they should face charges. HAMDEN A late-developing negotiation could change the school disticts long-term education plan. The Legislative Council tabled a vote on the Board of Educations Reimagine, Restructure, Results Initiative known as 3R after learning the town and BOE are negotiating the sale of one of the school buildings in the plan. The council had scheduled Thursdays special meeting to vote on an ordinance to bond almost $50 million, but Council President Michael McGarry said the council tabled the vote to sometime next week after hearing the new information. McGarry said there are some negotiations about selling a school building involved in the 3R plan, but he coudlnt say which building is being considered. The sale though, would change the scope of the project. The initiative involves renovating and reclassifying school buildings townwide to the tune of $89 million, of which the state would cover two-thirds the cost. The plan seeks to address the declining enrollment, racial imbalance and decreasing state education funding for education, which the BOE began discussing in 2017. Some council members have been vocal about uncertainty as to whether Hamden should go forward with the project, while others have been adamant the town should take advantage of the funding opportunity while available. McGarry said the building sale could make a financial difference for the plans total costs and liability to the town and change peoples minds. Hopefully it will make it more appealing to members wary about the cost of the projects and anything that can effectuate reducing that is positive, he said. The town is in a position to make millions of dollars with the sale of a school building, which could go toward covering the costs of other school construction projects and allow the town to bond less money overall. Councilman James Pascarella, D-9, said the information could be positive and influence some council members decisions about the project. If any school building is sold, the BOE would have to rethink the scope of the entire 3R plan and need to work it into addressing Hamdens educational goals. Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler said he didnt have any information about the negotiation and BOE members said they couldnt discuss it. With an impending June 30 deadline for the council to take action on the plans, McGarry said they will need to meet next week in a special meeting to finalize a decision. mdignan@hearstmediact.com HARTFORD The Senate passed sweeping police accountability legislation late Wednesday that would require the release of body- or dash-camera video within 96 hours of an incident upon request. The bill, which was added as an amendment to other legislation, reshapes the way police release information on use-of-force incidents and fatalities by requiring certain details to be made public on request within a set period of time. In the case of a fatality involving police, under the Senate bill the Division of Criminal Justice would be required to release a status report identifying the person who died and giving details of how they died within five days of the determination of cause of death. Police will not be allowed to shoot at or into fleeing vehicles unless there was an imminent threat of death to another person. Police would also not be allowed to position themselves in front of a fleeing motor vehicle and must notify other agencies when they chase a car across city lines. I think this is a thoughtful approach, but I realize not everyone out there may be perfectly happy with this, said Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, who pointed out that Sen. Kevin Witkos, a Canton Republican and former police officer, was in favor of the bill. Witkos said the bill enhances police transparency and accountability. This allows police to do their work in a timely manner and review incidents but make those incidents available to the public, Witkos said. The bill passed the Senate unanimously after a five-hour discussion on providing benefits for police and firefighters suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome was tabled. The police accountability bill was sparked by recent police shootings in New Haven and Wethersfield that left one woman wounded and an 18-year-old dead, the bills sponsors said. Several bills aimed at greater transparency after a 20-year-old man was fatally wounded while trying to escape New Britain police in late 2017 had all but died in committee by early April. But Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, indicated earlier this month that the April 16 shooting involving a Hamden officer and a Yale University officer who fired on an unarmed couple, wounding a woman may lead to some form of the bills being resurrected by the end of session June 5. In that incident, the officers believed the man, Paul Witherspoon, had tried to rob a newspaper delivery man with a gun on April 16. That belief was based on a 911 call. A detailed search warrant released days later indicated that Witherspoon told police he was unarmed and was getting out of his car with his hands up as Hamden officer Devin Eaton and Yale University officer Terrance Pollock opened fire. Eaton fired 13 bullets, striking and wounding Witherspoons passenger, Stephanie Washington. Witherspoon has not been charged with any crimes. Less than a week later, Wethersfield officer Layau Eulizier shot 18-year-old Anthony Jose Vega Cruz as the teen tried to avoid being pulled over for a license plate violation. Vega Cruz died a few days later. Both shootings drew loud protests calling for the release of dash- or body-camera video a practice that State Police and the states attorneys who investigate police shootings rarely allow until an investigation is complete. The dash camera video released a few weeks later showed Eulizier running in front of the 18-year-olds vehicle and firing shots inside as Cruz tried to flee. The bill passed by the Senate would require that police release any body- or dash-camera video within 48 hours of the involved officers review, or 96 hours after the incident if the officer has not reviewed it. The incidents would have to involve potential disciplinary action. The bill would add the use of chokeholds and pursuits to the list of incidents they must provide a detailed report on in addition to any incident that is likely to cause serious injury. Starting in 2020, the reports would be provided to state authorities with a summary of the race and gender of those involved, how the force was used, and any injuries suffered. The bill also creates a task force to study police transparency and accountability and requires the Police Officer Standards and Training Council to study and review the use of firearms by officers engaged in pursuits. The state police would also have to adopt and update regulations regarding police pursuits every five years. The bill still needs to pass the House before midnight June 5 before it can reach the governors desk for his signature. HADDAM A Higganum resident suffered minor injuries when she tried to stop a man from stealing her car out of her garage Friday afternoon, according to Connecticut State Police. State police said it happened around noon when a Higganum resident in the 1100 block of Killingworth Road (Route 81) called 911 after she confronted a man in the process of stealing her gray 2014 Hyundai Tuscan from her open garage. The license plate is CT1AGKK3. Selbyville, Delaware, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The banking cyber security market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of over 16% over the forecast timespan. The introduction of various stringent regulatory policies that mandate financial establishments to deploy security solutions has influenced the market. The security services market holds over 60% share in the global cyber security market. The inexpensive nature of services and the rising adoption of BYOD polices are fostering its adoption among enterprises of all sizes. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3078 The network security market is also projected to grow at a CAGR of over 15% over the forecast time period. The rising penetration of integrated security solutions & IP traffic is fueling its adoption network security solutions. The government cyber security market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 15% over the forecast time period. The loss of critical data and the erosion of trust in government officials have encouraged public sector agencies to deploy cybersecurity solutions to safeguard its network architecture. Some of the players operating in the cyber security market are BAE Systems, CyberArk Software Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Splunk, Inc., RSA Security, LLC., Oracle Corporation, Palo Alto Networks, Inc., Symantec Corporation., F5networks, Inc., Check Point Software Technologies Inc., Hewlett-Packard, Ltd., F-Secure Corporation, FireEye, Inc., Fortinet, Inc., IBM Corporation, Rapid7, Sophos Group plc, Intel Corporation, Proofpoint, Inc., McAfee LLC, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Trend Micro, Inc. Browse key industry insights spread across 450 pages with 654 market data tables & 27 figures & charts from the report, Cyber Security Market Size By Product Type (Identity, Authentication and Access Management (IAAM) [Access Management, Identify Access Management], Infrastructure Protection [Endpoint Protection, Email/Web Gateway, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Vulnerability Management, Cloud Security, Data Loss Prevention (DLP)], Network Security [Internet Service Provider Equipment, Virtual Private Network (VPN), Unified Threat Management (UTM), Firewall], Security Services [Implementation, Managed Security Services, Consultancy & Training, Hardware Support] ), By Organization (SME, Government, Large Enterprises), By Industry (Banking, Government, Manufacturing, Transportation, IT & Telecom, Insurance, Securities), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, Australia & New Zealand (ANZ), China, India, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Peru, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Oman), Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 2024 in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/cybersecurity-market The North America region is leading the cyber security market with over 40% share in 2017. The increasing investments and acquisition of cyber security start-ups by major players in the region are adding to market growth. In 2017, Europe accounted for a share of over 20% in the global cyber security market. The regional market is expected to grow exponentially due to a rise in the number of government investments and public-private partnerships to enhance the cyber security infrastructure. In addition, there is an introduction of supportive government policies and compliance regulations mandating companies to adopt security measures. The Asia Pacific cyber security market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 20% over the forecast timespan. Extensive digitalization across multiple industry verticals and the rising number of smartphone users are factors driving the growth of the market in the region. Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/3078 Browse Related Reports: Threat Intelligence Market Size By Component (Platform [Unified Threat Management {UTM}, Security Information & Event Management {SIEM}, Identity & Access Management {IAM}, Incident Forensics, Log Management, Risk & Compliance Management, User and Entity Behavior Analytics {UEBA}], Services [Professional Services, Managed Services, Subscription Services, Training & Consulting]), By Format Type (Internet-based Solution, File-based Solution, Mobile-based Solution), By Deployment Type (On-Premise, Cloud), By Application (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Energy & Utilities, Government), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia & New Zealand, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa), Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019 2025 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/threat-intelligence-market Unified Threat Management (UTM) Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, China, India, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, GCC, South Africa), Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019 2025 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/unified-threat-management-utm-market About Global Market Insights Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology. NEW HAVEN In his opening remarks at a community forum for candidates seeking to become the citys next police chief, John Velleca alluded to adversity he has faced since leaving New Haven. Ive experienced some adversity which led me to develop humility and compassion, and understand what each and every person goes through when they interact with the police. And thats something that we cant take for granted, said Velleca. Every single time the police interact with anybody in this community or anywhere else, you change their lives some for the worse, and some for the better. Velleca, however, was ruled out of the running for police chief Friday, he said. He said he believed Mayor Toni Harp preferred to move forward with a candidate of color for police chief. He said the remaining candidates were all competent and likely would do a good job in the role. But in October 2014, Velleca resigned as police chief in Weare, N.H., according to the Boston Globe. His secretary had accused him of assaulting her after they engaged in a brief romantic relationship. The New Hampshire attorney generals office investigated, noting concerns about inconsistencies in both Vellecas and his secretarys statements after the incident, but ultimately did not bring charges. According to a report from the attorney generals office, Velleca initially denied the affair to an investigating police officer and had his secretarys phone wiped after taking it from her. The secretary initially alleged that he had shoved her to the ground while trying to get her phone from her at her home. The secretarys story about the alleged assault was inconsistent,according to the report. The report also indicates she had communicated previously with Velleca in a way that compounded questions about her credibility. The attorney generals office said there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Velleca, but also questioned his credibility. The secretary filed for and received a restraining order against him. The town of Weare also settled a lawsuit, brought by Vellecas other previous secretary, that alleged he had wrongfully terminated her from the position. The woman received $145,000, according to the Concord Monitor. Velleca previously had been accused of sexual harassment while serving as a lieutenant in New Haven that case was settled for $20,000. Velleca said Thursday he was brought in to overhaul a corrupt police department in Weare. Five officers had just been involved in the fatal shooting of Alex Cora DeJesus; he felt they should have been arrested, but the attorney generals office disagreed and did not bring charges. Velleca said this stance put a target on his back in the department and ultimately led to the complaint. He had gone on a date with the secretary, he said, as he was going through a divorce. He was completely exonerated, he said, in the inquiry into the matter. The secretary indicated to investigators she did not believe Velleca had shoved into her, causing her to fall to the ground at her home. She said she did not believe he intentionally assaulted her, according to the attorney generals report. Through those incidents, you learn compassion and humility. I had never had the finger pointed at me like I did in that incident, said Velleca. I cant stress enough it was a false complaint. She admitted it was a false complaint; I was cleared of any charges. But the damage was done, and I knew that they would keep coming after me for going after the corruption, so I knew it was time to leave. The attorney generals words in the report were that there was insufficient evidence to support a charge of either simple assault or falsifying physical evidence. The report also said: However, given the inconsistencies in Vellecas responses to this office during this investigation in comparison to the statements of other witnesses, and his admitted denial of the affair to law enforcement officers, this office has significant concerns regarding Vellecas credibility. Velleca asked that those concerned about the incident judge him on the entirety of his career and conduct, which include rising to the rank of interim chief in New Haven prior to his position in Weare. Ive had so many successes in New Haven. I was going through a divorce at the time. ... Dating somebody from the workplace is not a smart idea and would never happen again, said Velleca. And I like I said tonight everybody makes mistakes. Having integrity doesnt mean you dont make mistakes. It means you admit them, you learn from them and you move on. In a statement, the administrative assistant said Velleca was not exonerated, as he claimed, noting that she received a domestic violence order of protection against him that lasted for nearly three years. She said the investigation into the matter was insufficient and expressed displeasure that it did not result in criminal charges. william.lambert@hearstmediact.com Editors note: This story has been updated to make clear that the attorney generals report found insufficient evidence to support a charge," and further to add a statement from the woman who had an order of protection. ALBANY Albany County wants to have a seat at the table if and when opioid manufacturers and distributors agree to settle federal litigation involving more than 1,800 jurisdictions affected by the opioid crisis nationwide. The county and three dozen other municipalities across the U.S. have agreed to serve as class representatives for a proposed "negotiating class" they argue could move thousands of municipalities and the pharmaceutical industry closer to a global settlement, according to a memorandum filed Friday in federal court. The class which would negotiate, review and approve any proposed settlements from opioid defendants is intended to unify more than 24,000 municipalities nationwide into a single negotiating entity with greater bargaining power, said County Executive Dan McCoy. The proposal is intended to bring resolution to a wave of suits filed in both federal and state courts by communities struggling to cope with overdoses, drug deaths and addiction. "We're in an epidemic," McCoy said. "So this is something that we need to settle quickly and this brings it to a head a lot quicker than fighting it out in court." Plaintiffs allege that opioid manufacturers and distributors misrepresented the risk of addiction and overstated the benefits posed by their drugs, while engaging in deceptive and profit-driven practices to flood communities with pills. Plaintiffs allege that opioid manufacturers grossly misrepresented the risks of long-term use of their drugs for people with chronic pain, and distributors failed to properly monitor suspicious orders of those drugs collectively contributing to the current opioid epidemic. Albany County was one of the first municipalities in New York to file an opioid lawsuit in federal court in early 2018. Due to the sheer volume of suits ultimately filed, parties agreed to consolidate the cases into one multi-district litigation to be overseen by Judge Dan Polster of the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland. At a hearing on June 25, Polster will decide whether to allow the proposed negotiating class to move forward. If he does, cities, counties, towns, villages, parishes and other municipalities nationwide will receive a notice informing them they have been added to the class, regardless of whether they ever filed an opioid lawsuit or not. Those that don't wish to participate must affirmatively opt out. Benefits of joining the class include the right to vote on any proposed settlements brought to the negotiating class, and the right to share in any proceeds. While negotiations are underway, municipalities are free to carry out individual litigation but must agree to end all outside litigation once a settlement is reached. "It makes it more attractive to the pharmaceutical companies because they're not going to settle with some people and then have all these other cases out there dragging on for years," McCoy said. "So this comes down to dollars and cents for them, too." Albany County would be the only class representative from New York, according to the memo. That's not a huge surprise, as the county contracted early on with Joe Rice, of Motley Rice LLC, the co-lead counsel of the multi-district litigation. Rice is a nationally acclaimed negotiator who helped reach settlements on major civil cases such as the Big Tobacco settlement, BP Oil Spill and Volkswagen emissions fraud. McCoy has also had a leading role with counties nationwide, as co-chair of the County Executives of America Opioid Task Force. "The more people that sign off on this and don't opt out, the better bargaining chip we have going forward," he said. NEW HAVEN A fight for adaptive reuse of two Dwight neighborhood homes is a case at the nexus of historic preservation, dwindling development sites and the rights of property owners. Friends of the Dwight Historic District, after waiting more than two hours to be heard, convinced the Historic District Commission Tuesday to write a letter to the state Historic Preservation Council in support of the groups effort to halt the demolition of 95 Howe St. and 97-99 Howe St. to make way for new housing. The topic is on the agenda of the councils meeting at 9:30 a.m. July 10. The state agencies that can weigh in generally can help with negotiations with a developer, but they dont overrule zoning. The group left a petition signed by more than 700 people that asked for the demolition to be stopped. The effort brought in multiple groups and residents from Dwight and was led by Olivia Martson, chairwoman of the Friends organization. The mandated 90-day review before the wrecking ball moves in, kicked off May 3 when MOD Equities, owned by Josef and Jacob Feldman, applied for a permit to clear the two properties, which would be replaced with a 30-unit apartment complex near the corner of Edgewood Avenue. The brothers did not return a call seeking comment. The project already has the approval of the City Plan Commission and while she would always prefer to save historic sites, Elizabeth Holt, director of preservation services at the New Haven Preservation Trust, found that the two-story office building at 95 Howe St. and the three-story six-unit home next door at 97-99 Howe St. were in bad shape after years of neglect by previous owners. As we have seen in too many other examples, demolition by neglect eventually becomes so extensive that rehabilitation is economically problematic. We believe that virtually every building can be rehabbed; the question is who is going to do it with little likelihood of a reasonable return. Arguing that these buildings should be preserved is hypothetical without a willing investor. The Preservation Trust regrets their possible demolition, but it is not a solution to let them continue their steady decline, Holt wrote in a letter to City Plan. But among about a dozen people speaking in favor of the neighborhoods efforts to save the structures, Holt warned at the Historic District Commission meeting that demolishing the pair has wider consequences as it would set a precedent in Dwight that could extend to the whole city. She said as development opportunities dry up downtown, builders will continue to push out looking for sites. We cannot allow historic buildings to be seen only as potential vacant land. If developers are allowed to pick and chose neighborhood buildings to demolish, the results will ultimately have a terrible effect on our harmonious streetscapes, Holt said. Both buildings are a contributing resource to the Dwight National Register Historic District, the 1835 Greek revival and the 1845 Italianate home. Brad Schite, circuit rider for the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, agreed with Holt and said buildings in the Hill are also in jeopardy. I think this is the start of it, Schite said. He said the trust will also seek advice from the states attorney generals office. Several of the advocates spoke to the importance of memorializing historic figures tied to the properties. Al Marder, representing the Amistad Committee and the Connecticut Freedom Trail, testified that 95 Howe St. was the home of the nationally known the Rev. Amos Gerry Beman, pastor of Temple Street Church, now known as Dixwell Congregational Church. Others said he resided at both properties. A free black, by virtue that his grandfather fought in the Revolutionary Army, Marder said Bemon was an ardent abolitionist. We have an obligation, a moral responsibility, to tell the story of how our country was truly fashioned. Maintaining the sites and this history enriches our understanding and provides much needed guidance for the times in which we live, Marder said. Charles Warner Jr., chairman of the Connecticut Freedom Trail, also made the case for preservation based on Beman. He said Bemon always worked to free enslaved black people and was able to shuttle people to freedom through the underground railroad. His life personally was a testament to all the things that America says we are about multicultural, helping your neighbors, adding something of value to society, Warner said. Rev. Bemon is tied to the very fabric of this state. Susan Frew said she is proud of New Havens African American history and preserving the buildings is the historically correct thing to do. Joe Fekieta said over the 65 years he has lived in the city, he has seen hundreds of beautiful historic buildings demolished. When a building comes down a friend is lost; a relationship disappears. He said New Haven is an important city with 300 years of architectural history. I have watched it be decimated by extremely wrong-headed government policies for improvement ... none of it really worked very well. He said it should stop and what is left, preserved at all costs. Fekieta said people are very concerned about the assault on their neighborhoods and they are very concerned about the ugly development projects that are appearing throughout the city. In a way, they are almost like slums of the future. Dottie Green of the Dwight Community Management Team said the buildings speak to African American and womens history in New Haven. The largest structure was the home of the West End Institute, a preparatory school for young women. She said as the state is working to get African American and Hispanic history taught in the schools, these sites are important to that task. Aicha Woods, the citys new City Plan director, suggested that the group organize a local Dwight Historic District, similar to those in Wooster Square, City Point and the Quinnipiac River group, which would give them more teeth. It is a high bar, but it seems all the energy in this room could definitely achieve that, Woods said. A local district has more power than the national designation that has prestige, but a limited ability to intervene. Woods said the city is also looking at preservation ordinance overlays. She said the incredible development growth in New Haven is a great thing for the city, but it also has risks. Woods said she didnt want to diminish the story-telling, which she found compelling, but the issue cant be addressed on a case-by-case basis. The city needs more of a robust regulatory tool that can enforce protection, the director said. The Feldmans did bring their project to the neighborhood for discussion, but there was pushback when it became clear that two properties would be demolished. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 June 14, 2019 Philips AI-powered adaptive intelligence solutions help people to live healthy lifestyles, improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and enhance the patient and staff experience Amsterdam, the Netherlands Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that its global research organization was awarded the Hendrik Lorentz Award for its pioneering role in the digital transformation of healthcare by applying data science and artificial intelligence (AI). The award, which is part of the Dutch Data Science Awards, was presented to Philips Chief Technology Officer and head of Research, Henk van Houten, at a ceremony in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. From building intelligent and personalized consumer solutions that are tailored and adaptive to peoples unique needs to creating an ecosystem of AI assets aimed at augmenting clinicians in their daily work, Philips is applying AI to help consumers adopt healthy lifestyles and support health systems improve outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance patient care and staff experience. We believe that AI is offering unprecedented opportunities to transform healthcare delivery around the world and we are highly motivated to deliver the needed change through innovation, co-created with our clinical and academic partners, said Henk van Houten. The biggest challenge is combining AI and other technologies with a deep understanding of the context in which they are used, which is why Philips puts people patients, clinicians and individual citizens at the center of healthcare transformation and innovation. Philips ranks among the top three companies in the world in terms of AI-related patent applications in healthcare. Practical examples of AI-driven innovations developed by Philips that the jury took into account when deciding on the winner include a machine learning based system called OncoSignal that measures signaling pathway activity in individual tumor samples to diagnose different cancer types and predict targeted therapy response; the companys SmartSleep DeepSleep Headband , which applies deep learning to classifying sleep staging based on EEG data and providing auditory stimulation to the wearer to prolong deep sleep so that they get more rest. Philips Intellivue Guardian patient monitoring/early-warning scoring system, its CareSage predictive analytics for elderly care, and its IntelliSpace Precision Medicine Oncology clinical decision support (CDS) software were also cited in the award nomination. Todays award is not just an acknowledgement of the innovation power of Philips, its a recognition of all the hard work and effort that has been put in over the years by the hospitals, doctors, clinicians, patient advocates, universities, and consumer groups that collaborate with us to improve peoples lives, Henk van Houten added. Without them, it would simply not have been possible. Founded in 1914, Philips Research is one of the largest private research organizations in the world, employing approximately 1,200 professionals and 50 nationalities. It has a global presence with sites in Europe, North America, China and India. The Hendrik Lorentz award The Hendrik Lorentz award is the best industry application award in the Dutch Data Science Awards . The awards are a joint initiative between the Royal Dutch Association for Science (KHMW Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen) and the Big Data Alliance (BDA), aimed at putting exceptional innovative entrepreneurship and scientific research in the field of data science in the spotlight. They are supported by the University of Amsterdam, AIMMS, Lubbers De Jong, Oracle, Elsevier and ORTEC. A challenging career at Philips Philips is looking for the most dedicated, passionate and skilled data scientists and software developers eager to touch the lives of billions of people around the world by addressing challenging, unmet needs in healthcare by means of innovative methods in data analytics. Find out more: www.philips.com/softwaredevelopment For further information, please contact: Joost Maltha Philips Group Press Office Tel: +31 6 10 55 8116 E-mail: joost.maltha@philips.com About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2018 sales of EUR 18.1 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter . Attachments Recently, Connecticut police made breakthroughs in two cold cases thanks to new forensic technology. In light of the new developments, we took a look at the state's open cold cases, many of which still have awards assigned to them. Click through to see which cases are still open and read on to learn about the ones police hope to solve with new technology. __________________ On June 5, 1993, a woman was found burned beyond recognition in a vehicle in a vacant lot at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Railroad Avenue in Bridgeport. The cause of death was listed as a homicide, but the manner was unknown because of how severely her body was burned. The medical examiner estimated the woman was probably between the ages of 25 and 35, but police didn't have much information in 1993. The case wasn't forgotten. More News Fairfield police still looking for answers in baby homicide One evening, Bridgeport Police Detective Christopher LaMaine watched a television show depicting the use of DNA phenotyping to produce images of victims whose remains were unrecognizable. DNA phenotyping is the process of predicting physical appearance and ancestry from DNA. About five months ago, police contacted a company in Virginia that could help. Now, they have an image of what the victim might have looked like that they hope will help solve the case. Read more. __________________ On a sweltering Aug. 21, 1992, a couple walking on Oronoque Road in Milford noticed what they thought was a carpet a bit off the roadway, among the brush, trees and weeds. The road wasn't commonly used for foot traffic, and remains woodsy today, possibly a bit more overgrown than it was in '92. The couple approached, and realized the object was a blanket wrapped around something. When they pulled of it back, they saw what looked like a possible human skull and immediately called police. The remains were almost entirely decomposed it was estimated that the man died a month or two before his bones were found. The cause of death was ruled to be two gunshot wounds to the head. Their identities remained unknown until last summer when forensic artists, working with medical examiners, put together a sculptured likeness. Now we know the victim was found fully clothed. Based on forensic examination, police believe he was an Asian male between the ages of 18 and 25. Read more. Dallas, Texas, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- By 2025, the global market for multi-factor authentication is projected to reach USD 20.41 billion. The factors that drive the multi-factor authentication market include rising financial frauds, cyber-attacks and increased usage of digital payments through smartphones and other wireless devices. Increased investments in cloud technologies, enterprise mobility and increasing use of BYOD across companies will also encourage the adoption of multi-factor authentication solutions. The global multi-factor authentication market research report assesses market demand and scenario over the period from 2015 to 2025. The report highlights the historic trends between 2015 and 2018 and the 2019 to 2025 market forecast. The report studies both at global and country level the current status and future market prospects. The global multi-factor authentication market is segmented by model, application, and geography. Request a PDF sample of the Global Multi-Factor Authentication market research report @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/107 The report also throws light on various aspects of the global multi-factor authentication industry by assessing the market using value chain analysis and technology adoption life-cycle analysis. The report covers several qualitative aspects of the multi-factor authentication in market drivers, market restraints and key industry trends. Furthermore, the report provides an in-depth assessment of the market competition with company profiles of global as well as local vendors. The Global Multi-Factor Authentication Market Size by Model (Two-Factor Authentication, Three-Factor Authentication, Four-Factor Authentication, and Five-Factor Authentication), by Application (Government, Healthcare, Banking, BFSI, Retail and E-commerce, and Others), Others) by Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Rest of World) and Forecast 2019 to 2025 study provides an elaborative view of historic, present and forecasted market estimates. Browse the full report@https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/industry-reports/multi-factor-authentication-mfa-market Based on the model of authentication, the market is segmented into- two-factor, three-factor, four-factor, and five-factor authentication. Among these, the two-factor authentication technique had the highest market share in 2018, which is about 70% of the total market share in terms of revenue. However, in the forecast period, three-factor authentication technique is anticipated to grow with the highest CAGR as it is becoming more of a mainstream option for internet security in financial companies as well as consumer-targeted businesses. On the basis of application, the market is further divided into- government, healthcare, BFSI, retail & e-commerce, and others. In 2018, the BFSI sector had the highest market share capturing about 47% of the total market revenue. Although the market for government sector is expected to rise with a compounded annual growth rate of almost 23% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2025, owing to the rising frequency of authentication-based cyber-attacks on several governments. Geographically, North America had the largest market share in 2018 contributing to almost USD 1.84 billion to the overall multi-factor authentication market. The region's adoption of this technology is driven by the presence of a strong regulatory framework and sustainable development policies for cybercrime reduction and data acquisition. The Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at the highest growth rate of 24.8% during the forecast period owing to the higher consumer base and growing amount of technology penetration in developing nations of China, India, and Indonesia. Purchase a single user copy@https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/researchreport/purchase/107 The major market players in the global multi-factor authentication include Fujitsu Limited, HID Global Corporation, RSA Security LLC, Ping Identity Corporation, Okta Inc, Cross Match Technologies, Inc, Suprema Inc, CA Inc, Gemalto NV, and NEC Corporation. Major points from Table of Contents: Chapter 1 Research Methodology Chapter 2 Executive Summary Chapter 3 Market Outlook Chapter 4 Global Multi-factor Authentication Market Overview, By Model Chapter 5 Global Multi-factor Authentication Market Overview, By Application Chapter 6 Global Multi-factor Authentication Market Overview, By Region Chapter 7 Competitive Landscape Chapter 8 Company Profiles Grasp advance knowledge on Global Multi-factor Authentication Industry through in-depth Blogs, White Paper & Infographics: Access the White Paper Productive Usage And Trends Of Multi-factor Authentication @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/white-paper/productive-usage-and-trends-of-multi-factor-authentication Read the in depth blog titled Multi-Factor Authentication: Importance And Advantages @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/blogs/multi-factor-authentication-importance-and-advantages Browse more related reports: Global Point of Sale (POS) Terminals Market Size 2018-2025: The global point of sale (POS) terminals market size is projected to be worth USD 28.27 billion by 2025 owing to increase in debit/credit card transactions worldwide and diminishing cash payments. Apart from higher costs, retailers are looking forward to reduce cash payments due to security reasons as well. Browse the full report @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/industry-reports/point-of-sale-pos-terminals-market Global Cybersecurity Market Size 2018-2025: The global cybersecurity market size is estimated to reach almost USD 395 billion by 2025 owing to the rise in data breaches globally. Year 2017 saw the most number of cybersecurity breaches with a total of 5,000 plus breaches and around 8 billion records exposed. Amongst these breaches, the theft from a cryptocurrency exchange in Japan was the biggest affecting computers worldwide with a ransomware attack called WannaCry and costing around USD 570 million. Browse the full report @ https://www.adroitmarketresearch.com/industry-reports/cyber-security-market Access research repository of Upcoming Reports @ https://adroitmarketresearch.com/upcoming.html About Us: Adroit Market Research is a global business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps. DERBY Despite neighbors concerns, the city recently approved an agreement to lease land near Derby High School to the Regional Water Authority to construct a one-million gallon water tank. The Board of Alderman approved a memorandum of understanding last week, detailing the terms of the lease. The next step will be for RWA to gain site plan approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission, which will meet June 18. Mayor Richard Dziekan voiced his support for the project, saying the public safety need that will be addressed by the tank is undeniable. The agreement involves RWA leasing 2.15 acres on the north portion of Nutmeg Avenue from Derby for $1 for 99 years with the option for two, 99-year extensions. In addition, RWA will fund the citys purchase of 1.25 acres of adjacent land owned by St. Peter and St. Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ansonia for $165,000. The nearby parcel would be used as a construction staging area. Afterward, a portion would be paved for the city to use for different municipal purposes, according to the citys Chief of Staff Andrew Baklik. RWA also will fund the citys purchase of a 0.89-acre parcel known as the Lombardi property for $50,000, which the city will dedicate for open space, under the agreement. While many residents living nearby the proposed tank have expressed opposition to the project, city officials are in favor of it. Fire chiefs in both Derby and neighboring Ansonia, along with Griffin Hospital officials, have said the tank is necessary due to public safety concerns regarding low water pressure during peak demand times. Roxbury attorney Gregory Cava, representing a family who owns property on nearby Chatfield Street, spoke against the project at a public hearing last week, claiming it violates both Derby and state zoning laws. He also said it exceeds the building height limits by at least 6 feet and would violate state law because a separate required hearing on park land reuse was not conducted. In addition, Cava said trees will be removed and habitat for wildlife will be eliminated. He said a nearby site in Ansonia off Silver Hill Road is a much better option. Carmen DiCenso, Derbys economic development liaison, said the tank is desperately needed. It would be a damn shame if we didnt do this if there was a fire and we had a loss of life due to (inadequate) water pressure, he said. And shame on anybody that opposes this for a tree. If you are going to compare a tree to a life or somebodys home you should be ashamed of yourself. Griffin Hospital President and CEO Patrick Charmel said an incident several years ago in which a water main broke caused the hospital to lose water pressure, forcing it to cancel all scheduled surgeries. He said residents and patients are at risk if something isnt done to improve the water capacity. It was probably one of the most frightening things that Ive experienced at Griffin, he said. In a hospital operation, water is a critical resource. All of our sterilization in the hospital uses steam, so if we dont have water we cant sterilize equipment. Essentially, we cant function. Rose Garvrilovic of RWA said the Nutmeg Avenue site is the best possible site, adding weve spent a significant amount of time and effort to find the best site for the residents of Derby, the officials in Derby, the customers of Regional Water Authority and most importantly, the public health and safety of the community. The tank would serve 13,000 customers in Ansonia, Derby and Seymour, including Griffin Hospital, and is planned for a wooded section at the far end of the Derby High School and Middle School complex near Coon Hollow Road. It would be bordered by the schools, the Public Works facility, the former VARCA building and Osbornedale State Park. jean.sos@snet.net A teenage girl and a gay man working at separate restaurants in south Jersey were awarded $20,000 each for enduring multiple incidents of sexual harassment from their co-workers, under settlement agreements negotiated by the state Division of Civl Rights, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Thursday. Playa Bowls in Beach Haven agreed to pay the girl and her mother who filed the complaint $20,000. The company also trained its managers and supervisors on sexual harassment prevention, according to the Attorney Generals Office. Voorhees Diner in Voorhees reached a settlement with Brian Peeke, a former waiter who had accused co-workers of repeatedly verbally harassing him because he is gay. Neither establishment admitted wrongdoing. Studies have shown that sexual harassment is pervasive in the restaurant industry, said Rachel Wainer Apter, director of the state Division of Civil Rights. These settlements should encourage all restaurant owners to make clear to all employees and managers that sexual harassment will not be tolerated, to develop anti-sexual-harassment policies and procedures for employees to follow if they need to file complaints, and to provide training to managers and staff. NJ Advance Media published a report in May 2018 examining the pervasive problem of sexual harassment in the restaurant industry, where people with a lack of other job opportunities often remain in hostile work environments. In fiscal year 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received about 6,914 complaints of sexual harassment. Roughly 331 were from restaurant and hospitality workers, more than any other industry specified. About 265 of those were from women. Food industry employees often work in close quarters isolated warehouses, stock rooms and walk-in refrigerators making restaurants breeding grounds for sexual harassment and assault, said Elaine Zundl, the research director at Rutgers Universitys Center for Women and Work. The 16-year-old victim was hired at the fast-growing chain, Playa Bowls in August 2018, according to the complaint released by the Attorney Generals Office. She claimed her supervisor touched her back and arms on multiple occasions, asked another co-worker if the victim would have sex with him, and made inappropriate remarks about other female employees bodies. She also witnessed him pushing another female co-workers head towards his genitals to simulate oral sex, the complaint said. The settlement was reached in March, the announcement said. Judy Musa, a spokeswoman for Playa Bowls, responded to the announcement Friday stating the matter did not involve Playa Bowls directly but Bowls & Dreams Corp, a franchisee. When Playa Bowls enters into a franchisee agreement, we make known that it is our policy and practice to provide and promote equal employment opportunities and to maintain a workplace that treats all employees equally, fairly and professionally, with dignity and respect, Musa wrote in an email. Peeke was hired as a server at the Voorhees Diner in 2016, and quit June 8, 2018, in frustration from repeated instances in which his co-workers called him derogatory names because he is gay. Peekes complaint said he notified managers numerous times about the verbal abuse, but no action was taken and the harassment continued, according to the complaint. Peeke filed the complaint with the state Division of Civil Rights in July. Diner owner Mark Klein who signed the agreement in September said in a brief telephone interview Thursday he intended to bring in an outside company to train his employees in proper workplace behavior. I want to try to stop that, he said. Division of Civil Rights Investigator Kevin McNierney from the Divisions Cherry Hill office investigated the Voorhees Diner Group matter. Investigator Mark McNierney of the Atlantic City office handled the Playa Bowls case. Former NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Marisa Iatis reporting was incorporated into this report. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. The New York Islanders re-signed forward Jordan Eberle to a five-year contract, keeping the 29-year-old from testing unrestricted free agency. He would have been eligible to sign with any team at noon on July 1. The Islanders did not announce terms of the five-year deal, but the reported value is $27.5 million. Eberle at 5x$5.5m is pretty good value. Still leaves the #Isles with room to add even if Lee/Lehner return, but the cap space is dwindling. Might mean LL is looking to make trades to improve rather than free agency. Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 14, 2019 According to CapFriendly, $2 million of Eberles contract will come a 2019 signing bonus, and the rest will be paid over the duration of the contract. CapFriendly also said Eberle has a full no-trade clause for the first two years of the contract, then a modified NTC over the final three seasons. Eberle was coming off a six-year, $36 million deal that he originally signed with the Edmonton Oilers before he was traded to New York in 2017. Eberle finished with 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 2018-19, making it the first full season since his rookie campaign in 2010-11 that he did not break 20 goals. He finished with 16 during a the lockout-shortened season of 2012-13. He has 209 goals and 269 assists for 478 points over 666 career games after the Oilers selected him 22nd overall in the 2008 draft. Plan your NHL road trip: Travel services at TripAdvisor, Cheapflights.com, Uber, Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz By taking his name out of the free agency pool, there will be one less winger for teams to bid on come July 1. Eberle would have been a potential target for the Devils as a top-six right winger, and Eberle is still good friends with Devils forward Taylor Hall. The two played together for six seasons in Edmonton. The Devils used Kyle Palmieri and Jesper Bratt as their primary right wings in the top six during 2018-19, though Bratt, a lefty, played on his off side. Adding a right winger through free agency or trade would be a natural way to upgrade that unit, and now Eberle is no longer an option. Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook. HOBOKEN Ramping up a battle over prime waterfront property, the city announced Thursday it will restart proceedings to seize control of the former Union Dry Dock from NY Waterway through eminent domain. The announcement comes a week after NY Waterway, which ferries thousands of people daily between New Jersey and New York, sued the city in Hudson County Superior Court, seeking a judicial order that would allow it to continue preparing the site as a maintenance facility. The company bought the site in 2017 in order to move from its current repair center in Weehawken, and has since faced fierce resistance from the city and the surrounding community. NY Waterways opponents say the facility would ruin efforts to create a contiguous open public space along the Hudson River. Hoboken dropped a previous attempt to take the property through eminent domain in 2018, when NJ Transit sought to purchase the property and lease it back to NY Waterway. The city later offered $11.6 million to buy the property, but backed off when Gov. Phil Murphy asked the city to suspend eminent domain proceedings. Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla charged Thursday that NY Waterway had broken a promise to hold off on construction while negotiations continued by putting forth a meritless lawsuit against the city. To this end, said Bhalla, I believe that it is time to once again begin eminent domain proceedings. Bhalla said Hobokens city appraiser is working on an updated value for the property, located on Sinatra Drive between Ninth and 10th streets near the Castle Point shoreline. NY Waterway, in a statement, said that they have dealt with this issue before and remain confident that New Jerseys leaders will continue to recognize the critical role Union Dry Dock plays in assuring NY Waterway will be able to provide essential commuting and emergency service. Efforts by Murphy to mediate a compromise between the city and NY Waterway have fallen apart. The gloves are off, with each side claiming the other is refusing to cooperate. Negotiations are a two-way street, and my administration has gone above and beyond to accommodate the requests of the governors office, Bhalla said. Now is the time to once again begin eminent domain proceedings so we dont lose the opportunity to transform Union Dry Dock into a public waterfront park for good. Murphys office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @cwmcdonald_. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. The computer system that keeps a Jersey City public high schools attendance records was hacked and the number of absences for nearly a dozen students was altered, multiple sources told The Jersey Journal. Two sources said at least one Ferris High School student gained access to the system and reduced the number of sick days accumulated by nine students, making them eligible to graduate, be promoted to the next grade, or simply pass a class. A student with more than 17 absences from a course is ineligible to pass that course. Jersey City school district spokeswoman Norma Fernandez confirmed that the district and police are investigating the hacking incident, but she provide few details. A source at the high school with knowledge of the incident described the students involved as two 10th-graders, four 11th-graders and three 12th-graders. The source, who is not authorized to speak on the record, said it is believed that students paid a small fee to have their accumulated sick days reduced. This scandal comes one year after police say four Dickinson students used a keystroke app to hack into the schools computer system and change grades. The alleged hacking was discovered when a teacher and the schools attendance department found that there was a discrepancy between their student attendance records. We are looking into how extensive a problem this is, Fernandez said. It hasnt been determined how the student, or multiple students, gained access to the system. Fernandez said teachers input classroom attendance into a program from their classrooms and the records are then recorded by the attendance department. Its possible, Fernandez said, that a teacher may have left the attendance program open in the classroom and a student accessed it; or that a student discovered a teachers password for the program. Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas also confirmed the breach and said there is no reason to believe these incidents are connected with the earlier hacking incidents at Dickinson High School. Students leaving school Friday afternoon had a range of feeling over the hacking incident. A 10th-grade boy said changing some absentee days is not a big deal. Its not a lot compared to the number of days we have to be here," he said. "I dont see anything wrong with it. The half dozen boys he was with on the Montgomery Street sidewalk agreed. Another 10th-grade boy said everyone at school was talking about the story of the hacking after it was posted online. Its probably a failing kid, one of the lazy ones. Who else would change their attendance record. he said. I think they should kick the person out of school, said an 11th-grade boy as he left school Friday. A 12th-grade girl said she was surprised they were able to break into the computer system. The sources said school officials attempted to cover up the breach of the system. It is unclear when Ferris officials alerted the districts central office. After the Jersey Journal requested information Thursday morning about the possible hacking, Fernandez responded at 6 p.m. that "At this time, we do not have information about such an incident. Friday morning Fernandez said the district was notified by Ferris High School officials to the possible breach Thursday afternoon. Later Friday morning, Fernandez sent another email to The Jersey Journal, saying that Ferris High Principal Jaime Morales refreshed my memory that this is part of an incident that started in May and had been reported to the district. Fernandez said police were notified at the time and the school conducted its own investigation, which found more discrepancies. The police were again notified, Fernandez said, and they are investigating the incident as a possible cyber-crime. Earlier Friday morning Fernandez was a little tougher on Ferris officials, saying in an interview that Wed like to be informed sooner so we could take action. We are reinforcing the importance that (the central office) be kept abreast. Dozens of local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers fanned out Wednesday to execute warrants in a crackdown on a street gang operating in Jersey City, authorities said. The primary focus of this investigation was the arrest of individuals associated with Jersey Citys most violent street gangs, said Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, whose office spearheaded the seven-week probe. Four search warrants were executed in Jersey City and one in Lyndhurst, while two vehicles were also searched during the operation. The result was the arrest of six people and seizure of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, prescription drugs, $6,500, four vehicles, a handgun and ammunition, Suarez said at a press conference Friday morning. Hassan Mosby, 39, of Lyndhurst the alleged leader of the drug trafficking network is still at large and wanted on warrants charging him with a firearm offense and four drug offenses. Suarez said the investigation under the auspices of her offices Gang Task Force and the Jersey City Violent Crimes Initiative was in collaboration with the FBI, the Hudson County Sheriffs Office, and the Jersey City Police Department. Kashawn Cason, 21, of Jersey City, was arrested and charged with nine drug offenses related heroin, marijuana and cocaine. He was also charged with four firearm offenses, said Suarez, who was joined by numerous law enforcement officials at the press conference in the Hudson County Administration in Jersey City. Richard Lloyd, 20, of Jersey City, was arrested and charged with six drug offenses related to cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, Suarez said. Samantha Burke, 27, of Jersey City, was arrested and charged with five drug offenses, Suarez said. Jersey City residents Sean Crawford, 56, and Qualesha Burrows, 22, as well as Quaneesha Washington, 28, of Lyndhurst, were arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin, Suarez said. Among those at the press conference were Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Division of the FBI Gregory W. Ehrie, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly, Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari and Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Aaron Silverstein, who heads the Prosecutors Office Narcotics and Gangs Task Force. Kelly said such multi-agency efforts have played a large role in achieving the 30% reduction in violent crimes Jersey City saw last year and a 60 percent reduction so far this year. Gang violence is an epidemic and cannot be defeated by any one agency, Ehrie said. The Sheriffs Office K-9 Unit and SWAT Team participated in executions of the warrants on Wednesday. At Fridays event, the sheriff spoke of the epidemic of drug use and said I am going to continue to partner with all these agencies and continue to do what we do best, which is protect the people of Hudson County. Suarez said she did not want to name the street gang under which the defendants allegedly operated in subsets because she didnt want to give the gang recognition in the media. Anyone with information on Mosbys whereabouts can contact the Narcotics Task Force at (201) 915-1257, toll free at (800) 962-0056 or by emailing hcpotips@hcpo.org. By Hugh Giordano Its no secret: Cannabis is the talk of the nation and, in New Jersey, marijuana is all the rage. From the taxes that expanded legalization will bring into the state, to how many mergers of growers and distributors will happen before a single extra plant is grown, everyone wants to be involved in this exciting opportunity. One topic that has not been given enough attention by politicians is the potential creation of thousands of jobs through the Legislature-approved expansion of medical cannabis, and fingers crossed pending legalization of adult recreational use. Its clear that expansion at any level would bring an incredible economic opportunity for the working class of New Jersey. In April, Forbes magazine estimated that there were 211,000 full-time employees in the U.S. cannabis industry. If you include auxiliary industries, such as the accountants, marketing staff, lawyers, etc., that marijuana firms must hire, the employment volume soars to 296,000. Furthermore, the industry added approximately 65,000 jobs a 44% increase in 2018 alone. With both Stockton and Rutgers universities already taking the lead in education for the cannabis trade, why shouldn't these prepared workers be able to walk right into a union career when they graduate? This could help attract professionals from around the country and contain the infamous leakof people leaving New Jersey. Forbes estimates that, by 2024, cannabis jobs, in positions such as budtender and head grower, will outpace job creation in manufacturing, utilities and even public-sector jobs. College graduates who obtain a union-wage cannabis career should be able to pay back those notorious student loans. What people may not know is that a good percentage of cannabis workers in other states are already unionized. As a union representative for United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 152, its my job to make sure that the working class enjoys union guarantees, such as a living wage, health care benefits, safe working conditions, vacation, and retirement. UFCW is the union that represents the largest number of cannabis workers internationally. Ensuring that our workers have a legal voice on the job should be a top priority for both politicians and social justice advocates. At the end of the day, there will be more workers than there will be dispensary or cultivation facility owners. Unionizing these workers in New Jersey will allow everyone, from the growers behind the scenes to the friendly security guards, to have an organized labor voice from day one. Potential employees can expect their starting wages to be about 30% higher than in similar non-union facilities in other states. Having a union will also attract the best cannabis employers in the nation, those who choose to treat their workers with respect and put it in a contract. Additional winners will be medical cannabis patients. Patients deserve to know that the cannabis industry in New Jersey has the best safety standards, the best quality medicine and consistency in the work force. Unionized cannabis will accomplish that. It's time for New Jersey to legalize adult use and for the governor to sign the medical use expansion. Union Grown. American Made. Jersey Proud. Hugh Giordano is a union representative with UFCW Local 152, based in Egg Harbor Township. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. The billion-dollar medical marijuana, hemp and legal weed industries offer an economic opportunity unrivaled in modern N.J. history. NJ Cannabis Insider features exclusive, premium content for those interested in getting in on the ground floor or expanding their operation. View a sample issue. MYBEST GROUP S.P.A. Registered office in Sesto San Giovanni (MI), Viale Casiraghi 359 20099 Share capital 3.334.309,50 fully paid VAT 04227580968 Tax code 04227580968 Milan R.E.A. registration no. 1735084 * * * * * * * * * Minutes of the ordinary shareholders' meeting In the year 2019, on the 28th of May, at 11:00am, at the registered office of the company MY BEST GROUP spa in Sesto San Giovanni 20099 (MI), Viale Fratelli Casiraghi 359, the shareholders meeting of the company MyBest Group S.p.A. was held, after a second call, to discuss and decide on the following: Agenda Ordinary session Update on the equity, financial and economic situation of the Company and the Group and related proposals by the Board of Directors; relevant and consequent resolutions. Integration of the Board of Statutory Auditors following the resignation of its members. Determination of the number of Board members. Under the Deed of Incorporation, Mr. Fabio Regolo, Chairman of the Board of Directors, takes over the chair. With the consent of those present, Ms. Alice Tarantino (lawyer) takes on the role of Secretary of the meeting. For the purpose of verifying the regular constitution of the meeting, the Chairman establishes and declares the following: = for the Board of Directors, the Managing Director, Mr. Paul Manfredi, and the Directors Mr. Fabio Regolo and Mr. Daniele Vigano are present. = for the Board of Statutory Auditors, Mr. Alfredo Fossati is present, the others being absent and resigning auditors under prorogatio. = there are no. 6 shareholders, representing themselves and/or by proxy, no. 3.053,821 ordinary shares equal to 45,79% of the share capital, all detailed in the attached list (letter a); = the meeting was called for today's date by means of a notice published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 09th of May 2019. Therefore, the meeting is legally constituted and can validly decide on what is on the agenda. The Chairman asks the participants to communicate any situations that may impede the right to vote and no one intervenes. Then, the items on the agenda are discussed. *** The Chairman, Mr. Fabio Regolo, begins with the discussion of the first item on the agenda. He reminds preliminarily that, after the listing process concluded in September 2018, about half of the share capital increase approved by the shareholders' meeting held in the same month of July was subscribed, and therefore a total amount of 2.451 million euros remains, which can be subscribed by the end of 2019. Therefore, the activities had to be reorganised in order to contain costs and reduce some unprofitable activities carried out by some subsidiary companies: in particular, MY Best Option s.r.l. and MyBest Option Spain. In these months the preparation of a new business plan has also begun, which takes into account the changed scenario linked to the failure to fully subscribe the planned capital increase, and which is a prerequisite for a more general restructuring of the group debt. At the beginning of last February, contacts were initiated with a potential investor (represented by an investment fund), which was granted an exclusive period for carrying out due diligence, after which the investor did not confirm its interest in developing a possible partnership with the Group. The Chairman, then, informs those present that the parent company is evaluating the transition to IAS accounting standards and that, for this reason, the companies of the group chose to use an extension of 180 days for the approval of the 2018 financial statements. The Chairman also informs that the financial situation of the Group was complicated by some legal actions taken by some creditors and mainly by Unicredit, and that the interruption of negotiations with the aforementioned fund has caused some delay in the definition of the guidelines for the new industrial plan that should have been submitted to this Meeting to be evaluated as required. The Chairman confirms the commitment of the Board of Directors to complete the aforementioned business plan quickly, and then to take the consequent necessary actions to implement it (also by calling a new meeting). The managing director, Mr. Paul Manfredi, informs that the Board of Directors is checking the draft financial statements as of 31.12.2018 of the companies of the Group in order to complete the financial considerations, and therefore to fully define the financial statements of the companies themselves. Deloitte, the auditing firm, will begin in a few days to carry out its audit. He highlights the need to complete, in the shortest possible time, the financial statement assessments and the definition of the guidelines for the business plan so as to submit to the shareholders the request to proceed with the subscription of the remaining part of the increase of capital and meet the deadline. Mr. Amato (Director) takes the floor and asks for more information about the nature of the fund's expression of interest. The Chairman, Mr. Regolo, answers that the parent company received a simple expression of interest with which the said fund had declared its willingness to contribute to the reorganisation and industrial management of the group but that, after carrying out due diligence, it did not confirm its interest. The partner, For2Net Srl, in the person of its representative, Mr. Daniele Vigano (who reminds the Meeting that he is also a Member of the Board of Directors of MyBest Group), takes the floor to express some considerations about the Group future development opportunities. After reminding that, since January 2018, he is no longer working for the Group, while he still covers management positions, he emphasizes that the group can still have great potential, and that he will continue to search for new investors for the completion of the capital increase approved at the time. Mr. Daniele Vigano, partner and shareholder of the Group without delegation and not in charge of any operation, receives from the CEO, Mr. Paul Manfredi, a printed copy of the economic forecast for the closure of the company and a precise financial situation, as requested by him via email a few weeks before. After examining the economic/financial situation, he believes that the Company should act according to some guidelines such as (i) not selling the Group individual strategic assets, (ii) defining, with the banks, a solution for the renegotiation and rescheduling of outstanding debt and (iii) quickly completing the industrial plan based on current activities, which can later be expanded with the development of energy reselling activities. He believes that these three components could attract investors interested in completing the approved capital increase. Mr. Sacha Gentili (Director) intervenes and asks Mr. Vigano if, when he talks about possible investors, he is referring to some agreements made, or it is only a hypothesis to be evaluated. Mr. Daniele Vigano answers that, so far, no agreements were signed, but he heard of people who might be interested. Mr. Amato (Director) takes the floor to ask the Managing Director, Mr. Paul Manfredi, if the performance of the Mybest Contact business in 2019 is improving. Mr. Paul Manfredi answers that the business is in line with expectations and points out that the difficult financial situation of the company is due to the split payment which allows VAT credit to be offset only in the first few months of the year (with a legal limit of 700 thousand euros per year). Mr. Amato (Director), then, referring to the idea/proposal suggested by Mr. Daniele Vigano on behalf of the partner For2Net, points out that and asks if they should rather focus on the companies of the group instead of using funds and the capital to launch a new project, which could require an investment. He adds that it would be more appropriate to focus only on the operating and productive companies by making investments to support their growth, and therefore expresses his perplexity in launching a new line of Business at this time. No one else takes the floor and the Shareholders' Meeting takes note of the information received while waiting for the industrial plan of the Group to be completed, in order to be able to assess, in the next meeting to be called in weeks, the economic and financial situation of the Group. Since the discussion of the first item on the agenda is completed, the second item can be discussed. *** Continuing the discussion with the second item on the agenda, that is, the integration of the Board of Statutory Auditors, the Chairman, Mr. Regolo takes the floors and informs the shareholders that the standing auditors, Mr. Francesco Pecere and Mr. Roberto Giannella resigned in January 2019, and were replaced by two alternate auditors, Mr. Nicola Tufo and Mr. Pierluigi Pipolo, who took over and then resigned a few days later by written notice. The Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors, Mr. Alfredo Fossati, then, is now the only member of the Board. The Chairman, Mr. Regolo, reminds that, according to the position of the Supreme Court of Cassation (Cassation Section 1, no. 5928 of 9 October 1986), the resignation by an auditor has immediate effects only when the automatic replacement of the resigning member with an alternate auditor is possible (as it happened with the statutory, Mr. Pecere and Mr. Giannella). Once the alternate auditors have taken over, their resignation cannot result in their replacement (in the absence of other alternate auditors) and therefore they must be considered under prorogatio. He adds that the auditors, Mr. Pipolo and Mr. Tufo informed them that they consider their resignation to be immediately effective, citing in support of this interpretation a contrasting position of the Foundation of the Accountants of 2014 and the Commission of the Notary Council of Triveneto in 2011. The Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors points out that, in his opinion, reference should be made to the jurisprudence of the aforementioned Court of Cassation, and also mentions the recent sentence no. 9416 of 12.4.2017 in which the Supreme Court ruled that the prorogatio "only exists when the number of resigning auditors is greater than the number of alternate auditors", which is exactly the current situation of the company. In any case, he immediately requested the call for a meeting for the appointment of new auditors in order to overcome the conflict specified above, and, in any case, have a Board of Statutory Auditors that is not based on the prorogatio of resigning auditors. The Chairman, Mr. Regolo, informs that it was not possible to identify any potential candidate to fill the vacant position and asks the Meeting if it can suggest possible candidates for the position. No proposal to appoint new members of the Board of Statutory Auditors is received from the meeting, although some shareholders reserve the right to investigate whether it is possible to identify suitable candidates among the professionals they know. The Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors, Mr. Fossati, shows his disappointment about the fact that the Shareholders' Meeting, today, is not able to appoint a new Board of Statutory Auditors and hopes that the situation can be resolved, at the latest, with the next shareholders meeting to be called to submit the business plan, and, in any case, no later than next June 2019, reserving the right to evaluate the appropriate actions to be taken if the Shareholders' Meeting does not appoint a new Board of Statutory Auditors within this deadline. The Meeting, then, takes note of the fact that no candidacies were suggested, and therefore of the impossibility to resolve on this item on the agenda, referring the matter to the next meeting as described above. *** Finally, the third item on the agenda , that is, the determination of the number of Board members is discussed. Mr. Regolo take the floor to point out that the meeting of 29 June 2017 had appointed five members of the Board of Directors. Subsequently, Mr. Bonuglia and Mr. Bonora resigned, and the Board of Directors did not proceed with any replacement by co-optation. Therefore, the shareholders' meeting is informed that currently the Board of Directors of MBG spa consists of three Directors, including the Managing Director. The Chairman invites the Meeting to deliberate on the possibility of continuing with a Board of Directors composed of three Directors, pursuant to art. 15 of the Deed of Incorporation. After extensive discussion, the Shareholders Meeting unanimously: AUTHORISES the Board of Directors to operate regularly in its current composition of 3 (three) Directors. *** Since there is nothing else to be decided, and no one else asking for the floor, the ordinary meetings is closed at 12:15pm. The Chairman The Secretary Mr. Regolo Fabio Ms. Alice Tarantino (lawyer) Attachment A detective on Long Beach Island has been charged with stealing a necklace from his police departments evidence room, authorities said Friday. Christopher Oldham, 32, of the Manahawkin section of Stafford, is charged with theft, tampering with evidence and filing a false police report, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office said in a statement. He has been suspended without pay from his $92,238 a year job with the Harvey Cedars Police Department. Oldham was the custodian for the evidence kept by the department when the silver necklace went missing, officials said. The detective told his bosses the necklace - valued at more than $200 - was unclaimed property and had been given to borough officials to be auctioned. Prosecutors said the necklace was never turned over, though. The alleged theft was uncovered after the police department conducted an audit. A police officer for 10 years, Oldham is the second Harvey Cedars police officer to be charged with theft of police property this year. Last month, former police sergeant Sean Marti pleaded guilty to theft charges, admitting he kept a donated vehicle for personal use for more than a year. He was fired from the department. An approximately mile-square borough on Long Beach Island, with a year-round population of about 350, Harvey Cedars employs eight full-time police officers in total - the chief, a sergeant, five patrolmen and Oldham - the only detective. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. UPDATE: Relief in Westfield after man with gun and 130 bullets allegedly drives 100 miles to elementary school. NBC New York, citing a senior law enforcement source, reported Friday that the man targeted the school because of a relationship gone bad with a faculty member. UPDATE: Distraught father of man arrested with gun, ammo at N.J. school heard son was there to see girlfriend, or ex, and brother called police A 46-year-old Delaware man was arrested at an elementary school parking lot in Westfield on Thursday after being found in his SUV with a loaded gun and additional ammunition, officials said. Westfield police learned the man, identified as Thomas J. Wilkie, was at the Tamaques School after getting a tip from New Castle County cops in Delaware just before 4 p.m., the Union County Prosecutors Office said. Officers took Wilkie into custody and searched the school, which was placed under lockdown with after school activities taking place. Wilkie was holding a .45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets, authorities said. He also had two more loaded magazines of ammunition in his possession while 130 additional rounds were in the vehicles trunk. The Bear, Delaware, resident was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of hollow-point bullets, and trespassing on school grounds, the Union County Prosecutors Office said. Authorities in Delaware had been trying to locate Wilkie. Wilkie, who is being held at the Union County Jail, is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Elizabeth on Wednesday. A spokesman for the prosecutors office declined to offer additional information on why a man from Delaware was at a school in Union County. Westfield school officials couldnt immediately be reached for comment. Police lifted the lockdown at about 5:30 p.m after making another sweep of the school with K-9s. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Family and friends overflowed the bleachers bordering the Tapp Webb Field on Friday to watch members of the Delaware Valley Regional High School Class of 2019 receive their diplomas. In wrapping up his welcome address, Class of 2019 President Liam Miller asked his fellow classmates to keep moving forward. Moving on to the next chapter of our lives, I wish everyone the best of luck in wherever they may go. You are the only person who can control your destiny, so go out and shape the world in the way that you see fit." This idea of embracing the future pervaded the speeches of every speaker who followed Miller, including Principal Adrienne Olcott, who urged the graduating class to capitalize upon their future endeavors by making a difference in others lives. With your uniqueness, excel, shoot for the stars, take care of yourself and others. Were only here on this earth for a short while." When she took the podium, Superintendent Daria Wasserbach tackled the subject of adulting." She informed the students that there are no magic numbers, milestones, or titles that automatically qualify us (as adults). Class of 2019, youre all on your way to becoming fine adults. Some of you may get there a bit sooner than others, but I know youll all make the journey in your own time, in your own way. In his speech, Student Council President Jack Willard acknowledged that while he and his classmates may joke that they attend a tiny high school in the middle of a corn field, the school provided them with so many opportunities to discover who we are and where we are going. This class has done some extremely impressive things and they are going to some extremely impressive places, Willard said. We have kids who are going to some prestigious colleges and others who have great plans after graduation." 58 graduates received college or university scholarships. Additionally, eight graduates have enlisted in the military. This year, the administration enacted a new policy prohibiting students from wearing paraphernalia unrelated to titles or achievements they earned through the school. The students who enrolled in the military could not wear sashes awarded to them by their branch, but during commencement they were honored with a standing ovation from the ceremonys attendees. One of the people that owns the property where nearly 200 dogs were reportedly found living in squalor once took home top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show a decade ago, according to a report. The dogs removed from the Kingswood property were from Rocky Ridge Russells kennel, which is run by couple and business partners Marcia Knoster and Martin Strozenski, the New York Times reported. Knoster bred a Parson Russell Terrier that won best in breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2009, the report stated. The dogs taken from the property this week were mostly a mix of Russell terriers. Strozenski told the New York Times that the kennel had fallen on hard times and that the couple began to have a overflow of dogs. We couldnt give them away, Strozeski said in the interview. It was a hobby turned bad. This wasnt backyard breeding, he added. Things just went sideways. It all just got out of hand. The Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office has not publicly identified the owners of the property and no charges were filed as of 7:30 p.m. Thursday. A search of the home and other buildings located on the property uncovered over 170 dogs that the prosecutors office described as neglected and another 30 dogs were previously surrendered by the homeowners. The Monmouth County SPCA, which was called to the property to assist St. Huberts, said in a Facebook post that the dogs seem to have had limited human contact and minimal to no veterinary care and that many of the dogs were pregnant and had masses and infections. Strozeski said the condition of the dogs was exaggerated in reports, the New York Times article stated. They werent well cared for, but they had their primary needs food and water, and I changed their bed everyday, he said. I was spending 12 hours a day with these dogs. The dogs are now in the care of the St. Huberts Animal Welfare Center in Madison and are in the process of being spayed and neutered, groomed and treated for any wounds or diseases they may have. The shelter said some will be available for adoption next week. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. UPDATE: Father of man arrested with gun, ammo at N.J. school heard son was there to see girlfriend, or ex, and brother called police Nine-year-old Minhal Waqar was in the garage, retrieving a step stool, when an SUV pulled into the elementary school parking lot that juts up against their home. A police car pulled in behind it. Then another. She went crazy, her mother Hina Waqar, 32, recalled. She said her daughter exclaimed: Cops are there, cops are there, cops are there! On Thursday afternoon, police in Westfield arrested a 46-year-old Delaware man in the Tamaques Elementary School parking lot. Authorities said Thomas J. Wilkie had a .45-caliber handgun, hollow-point bullets and more than 130 rounds of ammunition. Although the arrest occurred after classes had ended, some after-school activities were still underway, and Tamaques was placed on lockdown for more than an hour. Wilkie was later charged with trespassing, possession of hollow-point bullets and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the Union County Prosecutors Office. NBC New York, citing a senior law enforcement source, reported Friday that Wilkie targeted the school because of a relationship gone bad with a faculty member. NBC reported that Wilkie actually entered the school -- without a gun -- and called the woman, who was apparently not at the school at the time, but told him she would return. He then called his brother, who called police, NBC reported. Less than 24-hours after the arrest, families walked through the leafy suburb as classes let out for the weekend while a police officer sitting guard near the schools entrance warded off visitors. Residents expressed unease about the arrest, but were positive about how the school and police department had handled it all. Grace Hutchinson, a 17-year-old who once attended Tamaques, was driving home from her job at a frozen yogurt store around 4 p.m. on Thursday when she saw two cop cars race toward the school. When she pulled up to her home nearby, she saw more flashing lights in the parking lot. The whole scene was relatively quiet, she and others said, as she watched faculty and staff gather outside. Hutchinson didnt even remember any sirens, despite a growing cluster of more than a half-dozen police vehicles. The cops drove right in front of Philip Ziegler, 42, who was organizing camping gear at his house across from Tamaques. Finding out later why the police had arrived made him uneasy, he said, because he has three kids at the school. But seeing Principal David Duelks at the scene talking to parents, he said, and the speed at which officers responded comforted him. Its close to home, but your kids cant live in a bubble, he said. You move on, and they go off to school today. Hina Waqar, the parent whose daughter witnessed part of the arrest, said she would talk with her fourth-grader after school Friday to see how she was feeling. Her daughter didnt know about tragedies like the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, she said, and she didnt plan to tell her. But that horror felt far off. School officials had emailed the evening before to explain some of what had happened, she said, and that quick communication reassured her. It was handled so good that, living literally in the same parking lot, I wasnt scared, she said. Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administrations credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced Thursday. Trump, calling Sanders forward at an unrelated event in the East Room, called her "a warrior" and said he was encouraging her to run for governor as she returns home to Arkansas. She is one of Trump's closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining on staff who worked on his campaign. Trump announced her impending departure via tweet just before she accompanied him to a White House event on prison reform: "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas." He added that "she would be fantastic" as Arkansas governor. Sanders said serving as press secretary had been "the honor of a lifetime." She pledged to remain "one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president." Under Sanders' tenure, regular White House press briefings became a relic of the past. She has not held a formal briefing since March 11. Reporters often catch her on the White House driveway after she is interviewed by Fox News Channel or other TV news outlets. Her credibility has also come under question. Special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim about "countless" FBI agents reaching out to express support for Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017. Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer, Trumps first press secretary, in mid-2017. A police sergeant who was a 13-year veteran of the Neptune Township Police Department admitted Wednesday that he created a phony Facebook profile to contact a woman while he was on duty. Matthew G. Webb, 38, pleaded guilty in Monmouth County Superior Court to fourth-degree impersonation/identity theft, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office announced Thursday. Webbs plea agreement requires him to leave his job at the department and bars him from any future public employment in the state, prosecutors said. The agreement also calls for probation, but also allows him to apply for admission to the Pre-Trial Intervention program that provides defendants, generally first-time offenders, with opportunities for alternatives to the traditional criminal justice process of ordinary prosecution, officials said. Webb said that on Feb. 5, he used information he got through the Criminal Justice Information Service database to contact a woman through a Facebook account he set up in a name that was not his, a release from the prosecutors office stated. He admitted that he was on duty when he did so and was not contacting the woman for any law enforcement purpose, but for his personal benefit, authorities said. The prosecutors office did release any details on what Webb said to the women when he reached out to her on Facebook. Webb was scheduled to be sentenced on August 16. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. The Borough of Seaside Heights has formed a non-profit corporation to take advantage of the outpouring of support from out-of-towners for the preservation of a beloved carousel that had long been associated with the Jersey Shore resort town but at the time was privately owned and in danger of being sold off and shipped to who knows where. There was an outcry from the public thinking we owned it, Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz said of the 109-year-old hand-carved wooden carousel. People came down with their mother, their father, their sons, their daughters, their aunt, their uncle, their brother-in-law, from New York and New Jersey and well beyond. There were people from Florida. Tapping into a spirit of giving among non-residents nostalgic for a merry-go-round they used to ride when they lived in or visited the area would spread the burden of preserving it beyond local taxpayers who might have to pay for it otherwise, Vaz said. Eventually, the carousel was acquired by the borough after the council voted in 2014 to authorize a controversial swap in which the owner, the Storino Family, would receive 1.3 acres of borough-owned beach property to replace a portion of the familys Casino Pier amusement park that had been destroyed two years earlier by Hurricane Sandy. The Storinos had owned and operated the carousel since 1932, in an arcade across the boardwalk, where it ceased operating in April, but will remain on display until it is removed in September or October by an Ohio restoration firm hired by the borough to a warehouse for the restoration process to begin. The council voted on June 5 to create the non-profit fundraising corporation, which will also function as an historical society that the borough had hoped to create years ago, but was delayed by Sandy, a large boardwalk fire, and other unforeseen priorities, Vaz said. Although the old merry-go-round had begun to lose ridership and profitability, the so-called Dentzel-Looff Carousel was well-known among Connoisseurs of hand-crafted antique amusement rides, and the Storinos put it on the market with appraised value of more than $2 million. The resulting public outcry over the potential loss of the carousel prompted borough officials to reach out to the carousels owners and eventually negotiate the swap, which was approved by the Statehouse Commission, a state panel, and upheld by the courts despite opposition from open space advocates. And while Seaside Heights received the carousel and a .75-acre boardwalk lot that had also been owned by the Storinos, it was then up to the borough to construct a pavilion to house it. To do that, the borough has applied for two state matching grants totaling $2.25 million -- one for $1.75 million from the State Green Acres open space program administered by the Department of Environmental Protection, and the other a $750,000 gift sought from the New Jersey Historic Trust, a fund within the Department of Community Affairs. It will be the goal of the new non-profit historical society and fundraising corporation to raise those matching funds, Vaz said. Just how the money will be raised, whether through events, direct marketing or other means, has not be determined, Vaz said. Meanwhile, as the state panel that approved the carousel-for-beach swap, the Statehouse Commission has called for a meeting with borough officials in December, when the commission wants to see detailed plans for the structure and its financing, Vaz said. A schematic drawing for a structure that would house a 1910 carousel acquired by Seaside Heights from the Casino Pier amusement arcade. (Borough of Seaside Heights) Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. By George T. Conway III and Neal Katyal Much ink has been spilled about whether President Donald Trump committed a criminal and impeachable offense by obstructing justice. That question deserves extensive debate, but another critical question - the ultimate question, really - is not whether he committed a crime, but whether he is even fit for office in the first place. And that question - the heart of an impeachment inquiry - turns upon whether the president abuses his power and demonstrates an unfitness to serve under the defining principles of our Constitution. On Tuesday, Trump gave us direct evidence of his contempt toward the most foundational precept of our democracy - that no person, not even the president, is above the law. He filed a brief in the nation's second-most-important court that takes the position that Congress cannot investigate the president, except possibly in impeachment proceedings. It's a spectacularly anti-constitutional brief, and anyone who harbors such attitudes toward our Constitution's architecture is not fit for office. Trump's brief is nothing if not an invitation to commencing impeachment proceedings that, for reasons set out in the Mueller report, should have already commenced. The case involves a House committee's efforts to follow up on the testimony of Trump's now-incarcerated former attorney, Michael Cohen, that Trump had allegedly committed financial and tax fraud, and allegedly paid off paramours in violation of campaign finance laws. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform subpoenaed Trump's accountants in mid-April for relevant documents, and Trump tried to block the move, only to be sternly rebuked in mid-May by a federal judge in Washington. The appeals brief filed Monday by Trump attacks that decision. But to describe Trump's brief is to refute it. He argues that Congress is "trying to prove that the President broke the law" and that that's something Congress can't do, because it's "an exercise of law enforcement authority that the Constitution reserves to the executive branch." But in fact, Congress investigates lawbreaking, and potential lawbreaking, all the time. Mobsters, fraudsters, government employees, small companies, big companies - like it or not, all types of people and businesses get subpoenaed from time to time, so that Congress can figure out whether current laws are effective, whether new laws are needed, whether sufficient governmental resources are being devoted to the task, whether more disclosure to the government or the public is required, or greater penalties, and so on. To this, Trump's brief complains that "Congress could always make this (non-falsifiable) argument" to justify any investigation. But that's simply the result of the fact that, as the district court explained, Congress' "power to investigate is deeply rooted in the nation's history." Congress, relying on English parliamentary tradition, has performed this function since the founding. To accept Trump's argument to the contrary - to say Congress can't look into matters that might involve crimes - would in many cases gut Congress's ability to gain information it needs to legislate. And perversely, in Trump's case, it makes a virtue of the fact that he has been accused of committing crimes. Which brings us to the main point: England's King George III was above the law, but the founders of our republic wanted a system that would divide power and have the branches check each other. The idea that only the president can investigate the president is an argument for autocrats, not Americans. Trump says trust me, but that was exactly the argument the founders rebelled against. They knew that public officials would not always be angels, and that power had to be checked and dispersed. As James Madison put it in Federalist No. 51, It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. The only redeeming quality of Trump's legal brief is its seeming, grudging acknowledgment that Congress' powers might be greater in an impeachment proceeding. That has things only half-right. Yes, Congress could investigate Trump's finances in an impeachment proceeding, but it can do so without launching the formal process of impeachment. That said, Trump's brief can be construed as an invitation to commence impeachment proceedings. In those proceedings, Trump's attitudes toward our Constitution's checks and balances, in addition to evidence of obstruction of justice, must play a key role. Indeed, the third of the articles of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon, adopted by the House Judiciary Committee in 1974, charged him with defying lawful subpoenas issued by the House Judiciary Committee. Not only has Trump done that, but he has also demonized judges who disagree with him and insulted the press (despite its constitutional status) for calling him to account. Other leaders around the world may behave this way, but these are not proper actions of a president of the United States. What makes the United States exceptional is its commitment to its constitutional architecture, particularly divided powers. For the past three decades, many constitutional law classes have begun with Nixon's breathtaking statement to David Frost in May 1977: "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal." Generations of students have gasped, shocked that a former president could say such a thing. This time, it's not a former president, but a sitting one. Every principle behind the rule of law requires the commencement of a process now to make this president a former one. Conway III is a lawyer in New York. Neal Katyal, a law professor at Georgetown University, previously served as the acting solicitor general of the United States. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Students at Public School 21 in Paterson are playing instruments again, thanks to a donation from the Saddle River Arts Council that comes after recent deep budget cuts left the majority of the citys elementary schools without music teachers and programs. The elementary school students Thursday performed a call-and-response percussion song to thank the executive members of the Arts Council for their 30 donated instruments, which included guitars and keyboards. They were conducted by Jaimeo Brown, the schools music teacher. We were thrilled [to receive the instruments], said Principal Joanne Riviello. Unfortunately, they were slated for another school, but they lost their music teacher, so their loss is our gain. Its going to be a great thing. Paterson unsuccessfully lobbied the state for an increase in aid earlier this year, as budget woes led to 128 teacher layoffs, and cuts to the music and other programs. Unlike other districts across the state that are facing dramatic cuts to funding, Paterson actually received a $13.3 million increase in state aid. But, district leaders say its still about $70 million less than it should be, according to the states funding formula. Student Nazair Tabor, 13, said it was upsetting when the cuts happened, since music is what cheers him and other students up when they have a bad day. But the donation provided a new outlet and Tabor said it was great to get the instruments. Brown expressed his gratitude for the donation, saying the arts provide a contrast to the everyday, academic-focused subjects students encounter in school. [The students] really are illuminated with every opportunity, exploring and learning and being exposed to music in general, said Brown. It opens doors. The Saddle River Arts Council made the donation as part of its Saddle River Gives Back program, which was created to support arts and cultural programs for those with limited or no access to the arts. The organization raised the money at its inaugural event, which featured world renowned pianist, composer and classical artist Eric Genuis. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com Follow her on Twitter @briannakudisch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Pune, India, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rubber Vulcanization is the procedure undertaken to improve the elasticity and strength of the rubber, under heat and the presence of sulfur and other auxiliary chemicals. According to a detailed report published by Market Research Future (MRFR), Global Rubber Vulcanization Market is assessed to reach a market valuation of USD 11,219.7 million by 2025 to register a 4.94% CAGR over the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. The Global Rubber Vulcanization Market is primarily driven by the various applications of rubber in multiple end-use industries, especially the automotive industry, for the manufacturing of tires, and healthcare industry for the production of injection components, gloves, tubes, and prostheses, among others. Receive Free Sample of this Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/7894 Rubber also has a massive demand from the petrochemical, and oil & gas industry for the manufacturing of components such as seals, gaskets, pipes, tubes, and fittings, among others. These applications are expected to raise the demand for rubber exponentially over the forecast period and contribute considerably to the growth of the Global Rubber Vulcanization Market. The growth in the aerospace industry is expected to create opportunities in the Rubber Vulcanization Market over the forecast period. Rubber Vulcanization offers enhanced strength, resilience, and heat resistance to natural rubber tires when mixed with sulfur, carbon black, and other chemicals, leading to the increased demand for Rubber Vulcanization from the aerospace sector. Key Players: The Key Players identified in the Global Rubber Vulcanization Market are Eastman Chemical Company (US), King Industries, Inc (US) Arkema SA (France), BASF SE (Germany), LANXESS (Germany), Duslo, a.s. (Slovakia), Kumho Petrochemical (South Korea), Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan), Shandong Stair Chemical & Technology Co., Ltd (China), and Willing New Materials Technology Co., Ltd (China). Summary: According to Market Research Future (MRFR), the Global Rubber Vulcanization Market is expected to grow at a 4.94% CAGR over the forecast period of 2018 to 2025 and witness a market valuation of USD 11,219.7 million by 2025. The significant market growth is expected due to influential factors such as the massive demand for rubber for its various applications in end-user industries globally. Browse the market data and information spread across 275 pages with 354 data tables and 26 figures of the report Rubber Vulcanization Market Report - Forecast 2018 - 2025 in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/rubber-vulcanization-market-7894 Segmental Analysis: The Global Rubber Vulcanization Market has been segmented on the basis of Type, Technology, End-User, and Region. Based on the Type, Rubber Vulcanization Market has been segmented into accelerators, activators, vulcanizing agent, and others. The accelerator segment has been sub-segmented into dithiocarbamate, dithiophosphate, sulfenamides, xanthates, and others. The vulcanizing agent is sub-segmented into sulfur, tellurium, selenium, metallic oxides. Based on Techniques, the market has been segmented into Sulphur vulcanization and other curing techniques. Based on the End-User, the market has been segmented into automotive and transportation, consumer goods, healthcare, industrial, and others. Based on the Region, Rubber Vulcanization Market has been segmented North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Asia Pacific region to lead the Rubber Vulcanization Market: The Asia Pacific region has been assessed as the largest market for Rubber Vulcanization and is expected to register a 5.68% CAGR over the forecast period, owing to the established automotive, and transportation sector in developing economies such as China, Japan, and India. India is estimated to contribute substantially to the Global Rubber Vulcanization Market by reaching a valuation of USD 927.1 million over the forecast period. Additionally, rubber export from countries such as Vietnam, Malasia, Indonesia, and Thailand is also estimated to contribute substantially to market growth over the forecast period. Europe is a significant market for Rubber Vulcanization, owing to the developed automotive components manufacturing industry and healthcare sector. Additionally, the high disposable income of consumers ensures the high demand for commercial products. North America is one of the major regions of the Global Rubber Vulcanization Market and is expected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period, growing at a steady CAGR, owing to the stable economy and established industrial sector. Make an Enquiry before Buying this Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/7894 The Middle East and Africa region is a potential region in the Global Rubber Vulcanization Market, and is expected to grow at a slow and steady pace over the forecast period, owing to the demand for rubber gloves and gaskets for the established petrochemical industry and the growing healthcare industry in countries such as Saudi Arabia and UAE. 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. Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday threatened to block the state Legislatures plans to extend New Jerseys soon-to-expire corporate tax incentive programs that are at the center of a political brawl. A showdown over the states Economic Development Authority could come as state lawmakers on Thursday moved to extend deadlines for programs that are set to expire next month. Murphy said through a spokesman that the corporate tax breaks need wholesale reform and not a temporary extension. If an extension of the current program is passed without the necessary reforms, the governor will have no choice to veto it, spokesman Darryl Isherwood said. The controversial Grow New Jersey Assistance and Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant programs are set to expire in July unless renewed by the Legislature and governor. A measure approved by two state Assembly committees Thursday would extend them by seven months. But the future of these programs is uncertain. While they have enjoyed widespread support in the Legislature, a January audit found widespread problems and insufficient oversight of the roughly $11 billion in approved tax breaks. The report said the EDA may have improperly awarded, miscalculated, overstate and overpaid tax credits to a number of companies involving billions in state funding. Murphy launched independent hearings into the awards and his administration said Thursday it is clear that these programs not only have not had the desired effect, but there also is evidence that suggests some companies may have gamed the system to increase their incentive awards. Other companies may have lied on their applications to qualify for awards, Isherwood said, adding These issues should not be allowed to continue. The legislation must be passed by the full Legislature before it is sent to Murphy. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, told NJ Advance Media on Thursday it was premature to speculate on a whether the Legislature would attempt to override Murphy if he vetoes the bill, saying its easy enough to talk about that stuff when the time comes. The deadline coincides with the due date for a new state budget already a matter of contention and negotiations between the Democratic governor and Democratic leadership. Right now, were still trying to get to an agreement with the governor, Sweeney said. The Assemblys Commerce and Economic Development Committee and its Appropriations Committee approved the bill (5343), with some lawmakers saying they felt backed into a corner. Even though my name is on the extension bill I am disappointed were here, said Assemblyman Roy Freiman, D-Somerset. But it was our own doing that put our backs against this wall. Even so, Freiman said an extension is better than leaving the state without any financial tools to recruit or retain businesses. Business lobbyists, too, endorsed the extension to buy extra time to scrutinize and make changes to the incentives, We cannot create a new, more effective functioning program within the next two weeks, said Michael Egenton of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. Not can we allow for the current ones to expire. A state that lets its economic growth incentives lapse signals that its out of business. Lawmakers also heard testimony on a bill to reform the Grow New Jersey Assistance Program but did not hold a vote. That bill (A4730) will compete with Murphys own proposal to overhaul tax incentives here. In addition to capping the money awarded, he wants the tax breaks focused on startups, incubators, and small businesses. Meanwhile, efforts by Democratic power broker George Norcross III to shut down a special governors task force investigating the EDA is expected to play out in court Monday. Lawyers for Norcross are seeking a restraining order to stop the task force from issuing a fact-finding report on its investigation, and halt any further public hearings into the tax incentives arguing that the governor overstepped his authority when he created the task force. The task force had planned to hold a public hearing in Trenton on Tuesday to release that report, which is expected to focus on how tens of millions in EDA tax incentives were awarded in Camden much of it earmarked to companies associated with Norcross. The task force agreed to put the hearing on hold after Norcross went to court last week. In a brief filed on Thursday, attorneys for Norcross and other entities tied to the insurance executive reiterated their assertions that the task force was an illegal exercise of the governors power, arguing that the statutes establishing the EDA does not permit the governor to commission the sort of investigation undertaken by the task force. They also argued that the contention made by the task force that its fact-finding report is needed to determine whether to extend two EDA tax-incentive programs set to expire on June 30 is untrue. The governor has already announced his tax incentive policy proposals, and both houses of the Legislature have similarly announced that they are actively considering bills concerning the future of those programs, noted the brief. Attorneys for the governor and the task force have urged a state Superior Court judge to deny a request by Norcross for a temporary restraining order shutting down the state probe. It is a remarkable notion that a citizen could obtain an injunction against a government investigation simply because they think they will not like its results, much less on the ground that the governor lacked the authority to commence an investigation into the operation of a state agency, wrote attorney Theodore V. Wells Jr., who represents the governor and the task force. NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. WASHINGTON Joevanny Vargas 10-year-old daughter was killed in the Parmus school bus crash a year ago. Now hes trying to stop similar tragedies. Vargas was in the nations capital this week to push for legislation introduced in response to the May 2018 crash on Interstate 80. A bus driver heading from East Brook Middle School in Paramus to Waterloo Village, a historic site in Sussex County, tried to make an illegal U-turn and collided with a dump truck. We could have avoided this, said Vargas, whose meetings included one with House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., as well as members of the New Jersey congressional delegation. We are here to help turn tragedy into hope for other children and families, said Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., who accompanied Vargas on his visits. No parent should ever have to go through what the Vargas family has. Vargas daughter, Miranda, and fifth grade teacher Jennifer Williamson, 51, died in the crash. The bus driver, Hudy Muldrow, Sr., 77, is facing criminal charges, including two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and more than two dozen counts of assault by auto. His license had been suspended numerous times. Legislation named for Vargas daughter, Mirandas Law, was introduced in May by Gottheimer. It automatically would notify school districts or bus companies within 24 hours if a driver has a moving violation, a suspended license or another infraction other than a parking ticket. The second bill, Secure Every Child Under the Right Equipment Standards Act, or SECURES Act, would require all school buses to be equipped with seat belts. Gottheimer was the lead House sponsor of that bill too. U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker, D-N.J., introduced similar legislation in the Senate. When a parent sends their child off to school or a field trip they must have the peace of mind that they will return safe and sound," Menendez said. "We must do everything we can to protect our kids, and its time for the federal government to review and issue new school bus safety standards. This is about saving the lives of our children. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. WASHINGTON President Donald Trumps welcoming of assistance from Russia or China for his 2020 re-election campaign was dangerous and destructive. So says U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who hopes to wrest the job from Trump next November. Booker was responding to Trumps comments to ABC News that he would listen if a foreign adversary of the U.S. had damaging information about his 2020 opponent. Its dangerous and destructive, Booker told NJ Advance Media on Thursday, It is so reckless. Its an explicit sort of vandalism against our ideals." In the ABC interview, Trump refused to rule out accepting help from a foreign adversary rather than immediately reporting the offer to the FBI. I think you might want to listen, there isnt anything wrong with listening, Trump said. If I thought there was something wrong, Id go maybe to the FBI -- if I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research, Oh, lets call the FBI. The FBI doesnt have enough agents to take care of it. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trumps position was the ultimate undermining of our democracy." In all of my years, I never thought Id find a president willing to subvert the integrity of our national elections by accepting the assistance of a foreign government, said Menendez, D-N.J. This is the ultimate national security threat because it goes to the very core of our democracy. Trumps comments came just hours after Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-7th Dist., introduced legislation requiring campaign committees to tell the Justice Department if they are approached by foreign powers, the same way banks must file suspicious activity reports. For a president to invite foreign powers to offer political candidates stolen information about his opponents is disgraceful, said Malinowski, a former assistant U.S. secretary of state. The bill also would ban committees from sharing non-public data with foreign agents, such as then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort did with someone linked to Russian intelligence. Another New Jersey freshman, Rep. Andy Kim, a former national security aide, called Trumps comments troubling." We need to draw a line, said Kim, D-3rd Dist. "This is our democracy, and nobodys vote should be influenced by another countrys interests. In his report, special counsel Robert Mueller chronicled how Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help elect Trump, whose campaign welcomed the assistance, even if no laws were broken. Trump at one point publicly asked Russia to hack Democratic challenger Hillary Clintons email server. And FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate subcommittee hearing in May that any attempts by a foreign government to influence U.S. elections should be reported. "That is something that the FBI would want to know about, he said. Trump told ABC: The FBI director is wrong. The Democratic-controlled House has passed legislation to strengthen election security, but the Republican-controlled Senate has refused to bring the bill up for a vote. On Thursday, U.S. Sen Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., blocked legislation by Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., requiring presidential campaigns to tell the FBI when foreign nationals offer support. Booker said Trumps comments were typical of the presidents efforts to distract attention from the real story. Hell say things outrageous on a regular basis to suck the oxygen and our attention from from covering the issues that are urgently facing the American people, he said. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips. Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Ten 4-H members have been named recipients of Somerset County 4-H educational scholarships. Open to members and recent alumni of the Somerset County 4-H Youth Development Program, the scholarship program will provide a total of $16,500 to the 10 winners. Wil Staats of Bridgewater is the recipient of the Joseph J. & Florence K. Klimas Scholarship; Zach Ferreira of Whitehouse Station received 4-H Trainmasters and 4-H Alpaca Club scholarships; Evan Brochinsky of Bridgewater and Jason Smith of Hillsborough received the Rob Fellows Memorial Scholarships; Brochinsky also received the 4-H Prep Scholarship. Recipients of the Somerset County 4-H Association scholarships are Brochinsky, Shay Fleming of Neshanic Station, William Walto of North Plainfield, Alex Strasser of Warren, Kara Johnson of Montgomery, Abigail Johnstone of Hillsborough and Leigha Giranda of Hillsborough. Staats is a 2017 graduate of Bridgewater Raritan High School and currently a student of Raritan Valley Community College. As a recent 4-H alum, he has kept involved with his former Woolly Ones 4-H Sheep Club by mentoring younger members and served as a youth member of the Somerset County 4-H Association. Having held a number of leadership roles in several clubs over his 13-year 4-H Career, Staats plans to major in education and become a teacher. The Klimas scholarship is named for Florence Klimas who was a longtime 4-H volunteer and teacher at the Branchburg Middle School. The scholarship is awarded annually to a 4-H Alum majoring in education. The scholarship is supported by the sons of Florence Klimas through a memorial fund. Ferreira will graduate from Hunterdon Central High School this month and plans to attend Kent State University in Ohio to become a commercial airline pilot. Ferreira has been an active member of the Somerset County 4-H Trainmasters Club for nine years and has been the clubs secretary and vice president. As one of the senior members of the club, he mentors the younger members and has participated in community service activities such as helping with the annual 4-H Christmas Dinner and going to a senior living center with a model train to entertain the elderly residents. The Trainmasters 4-H club raises funds for this 4-H Scholarship during their semi-annual train shows held at the Somerset County 4-H Center. The Alpaca Club raises funds for its scholarship through a variety of community service activities. Brochinsky will graduate from Bridgewater Raritan High School this month. Brochinsky has been an active 4-H Club member of eight different clubs in his 12 years of 4-H participation. He has held a number of leadership roles including president of many of those clubs and has been involved in several magic, culinary and theatrical performances at the Somerset County 4-H Fair as well as Rutgers Day. Brochinsky will attend Westminster College, where he will continue with marching band. He hopes to become a teacher. The Rob Fellows scholarship is given to a teen who has shown some interest in trains. It is given in memory of a man who enjoyed trains of all kind. The Somerset County 4-H Prep Scholarship is given to a former Somerset County 4-Prep member who gives back to the Prep program. Smith is also a recipient of the Rob Fellows Memorial Scholarship. He will graduate this month from Hillsborough High School and plans to attend Virginia Technical Institute to participate in its engineering program. Smith has been a Somerset County 4-H member for eight years in the Radio Control Car Club. He has been involved in community service projects including obtaining backpacks and school supplies for needy children. He has served as president of his club and a mentor for younger members. Fleming will graduate from Hunterdon Central High School in June. She plans to attend Raritan Valley Community College in the fall. She has been a member of horse and sheep clubs for five years and has been on the County 4-H Horse Bowl, Hippology and Horse Judging teams competing at state, regional and national competitions for several years. Fleming has been involved in a variety of community service projects over the years and volunteered for several club committees. Walto will graduate from Union Catholic Regional High School in June and plans to major in Pre- law at Catholic University of America in Washington DC. William has been a 4-H member for 5 years in the Woolly Ones 4-H Sheep club. He has served in a treasurer role in that club and a mentor to younger members. He has participated in the Relay for Life cancer fund raiser with his club and other Community Service projects including baking pies for the local food pantry. Strasser is a June graduate of the Pingry School and will attend Carnegie Mellon University in the fall and major in engineering. Strasser has been a 4-H member for 12 years and has participated in the Robotics program, where he has held offices including treasurer and president. He created the Somerset County Fair App for fair participants to use on their phone when searching for information about the fair. In his club he has mentored younger members and given demonstrations at the Somerset County 4-H Fair in the Robotics Tent. Johnson will graduate from Montgomery High School this month and will attend Rutgers University in the fall, where she will major in communications. She credits all of the 4-H presentations she has given over the years for her interest in communications. Johnson has been an active 4-H member for 12 years in horse, sheep, exchange and livestock clubs and is a current youth member of the Somerset County 4-H Association. She has volunteered for many association and horse program fundraising events and has held numerous offices in her clubs including treasurer, secretary and president. She has been a member of the County 4-H Horse Bowl, Hippology and Horse Judging teams and was a member of the State Horse Bowl team, competing in regional and national contests. Johnstone will graduate from Hillsborough High School in June. She plans to attend Binghamton University in the fall and major in engineering. Johnstone has been in 4-H for eight years in cooking and fine arts clubs and teen council, a leadership and community service club. She served on the North Jersey 4-H Teen Conference planning committee and has participated in many club community service projects, including raking leaves for the elderly, making goodie bags for SHIP and road cleanups. Giranda will graduate from Hillsborough High School in June. She will attend Kutztown University in the fall, where she plans to major in graphic design. Giranda was a dog club and horse club member for 12 years and was part of the county Horse Bowl, Hippology and Horse Judging teams competing in state, regional and national competitions. The 4-H Youth Development Program is part of Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension. For more information, email somersetcounty4h@co.somerset.nj.us or go to www.4histops.org. CHICAGO Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke to reporters before Thursdays game with the White Sox in Chicago. Topics included Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Jonathan Loaisiga, Kendrys Morales and more. Here are our 6 takeaways: Giancarlo Stanton could return Tuesday: Stanton hit two home runs in two games with High-A Tampa to start his second rehab assignment since going on the injured list April 1. On Friday, hell head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where hell play at least three games and could return from the IL as soon as Tuesday when the Yankees are at home, Boone said. I spoke to him about an hour ago, Boone said. But even the conversations Ive had with him, I can tell hes physically in a really good place and obviously to get some really good results as you get going is nice. Stanton has been recovering from, in order: a left biceps strain, a left shoulder strain and a left calf strain. How Stanton will be used: Sounds like hell mainly occupy the Yankees DH slot. Hell definitely probably DH as much as anyone, especially when we get him and Aaron back, Boone said. Well try and use that spot creatively to get guys in the lineup to give guys day off or whatever. G will occupy that spot at least a fair amount. Aaron Judge faces pitching: At the teams training complex in Tampa, Judge has faced live pitching the last two days. On Thursday, he hit a long home run on the first pitch he saw, and he told the few fans watching that hes feeling good. Hes doing really well, Boone said of Judge, who could play at Triple-A this weekend but would more games there than Stanton. Update on Jonathan Loaisiga: The right-hander threw from 60 feet again Thursday. Loaisiga has been on the IL with a right shoulder strain since May 10. Its the 60-day IL. Boone said both when asked whether Loaisiga will be used in relief or as a starting pitcher when he gets back. Depends on where we are when we get to that point, if hes ready to contribute again. He could certainly fill both roles, Boone said. Buy Yankees tickets for the summer: StubHub, SeatGeek, PrimeSport, Ticketmaster Whos starting Saturday? Boone said the team still hasnt decided who will be its starting pitcher for Saturdays game. It might go with an opener, such as reliever Chad Green, or it could use lefty Nestor Cortes. What happened to Morales? The Yankees put Morales on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain Thursday. Boone said Morales suffered the injury during Tuesdays doubleheader with the Mets and that while Morales thought he could play through it, the Yankees wanted to play it safe. Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook. Pune, India, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Global Fluorochemicals Market is projected to expand at 6.10% CAGR through the forecast period of 2017-2023. Fluorochemicals are an essential chemical agent used in different manufacturing sub-sectors. It is one of the most dominant ingredients having a wide industrial application, and which will continue to find different application opportunities in the foreseeable future. This broad scope of use is bound to push the Global Fluorochemicals Market to a great extent during the forecast period. A concentrated demand for fluorochemicals in various end-use industries such as electrical & electronics, building & construction, automotive & transportation, pharmaceuticals and industrial equipment, and chemical processing are estimated to drive the Global Fluorochemicals Market to a great extent. Further, a higher inclination towards the adoption of fluoropolymers for applications in water filtration, solar, and photovoltaic is assessed to push the Fluorochemicals Market to a great extent. Also, rising support for renewable energy, supportive government initiatives are estimated to promote sizeable growth in the Global Fluorochemicals Market through the review period. Moreover, Fluorochemicals such as HCFCs and HFCs have been used extensively in the manufacture of polyurethane foam. The demand for polyurethane foam is skyrocketing in the construction sector, directly impacting the need for Fluorochemicals during the assessment period. Additionally, rising investments in the construction sector are likely to impact market growth positively during the assessment period. In contrast, strict regulations introduced by international organizations such as the Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol are likely to hinder this market growth to some extent. Receive Free Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1554 Key Players: The Global Fluorochemicals Market boasts the presence of many influential market giants. Such prime market players are profiled in the latest Market Research Future Analysis including Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd, Daikin Industries Ltd, SRF Limited, KUREHA CORPORATION, Arkema SA, Halocarbon Products Corporation, Alufluor AB, The Chemours Company, Fluorsid SpA, DowDuPont, Solvay, and 3M. Industry Update: June 2019: Bollhoff is set to showcase its three complementary systems at Paris Airshow. One of the products includes Helicoil Primer-Free 2. This product is protected against magnesium or aluminum components against galvanic corrosion through a Teflon-impregnated fluoropolymer coating. May 2019: PPG recently announced and highlighted their application of PPG DURANAR coatings on several award-winning and innovative building structures. Alongside, PPG also exhibited their high-performance PPG CORAFLON powder coatings which are based on fluoroethylene vinyl ether (FEVE) and fluoropolymer resins. Summary: The latest research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), the Global Fluorochemicals Market is anticipated to record a 6.10% CAGR during the forecast period of 2017-2023. Various factors influencing positive ascension in the Global Fluorochemicals Market include a wide scope of application in various end-use industries, a noticeable shift towards the adoption of Fluoropolymers, and rising awareness towards the positive effects of renewable energy. Further, supportive government policies are also expected to push sizeable growth in the Global Fluorochemicals Market during the conjectured time period. Market Segmentation: The Global Fluorochemicals Market is studied for different segmentations carried out based on Type, Application, End-Use Industry, and Region. Based on Type, Global Fluorochemicals Market is segmented into fluoroelastomers, fluoropolymers, fluorocarbons, elemental fluorine, fluoropolymer additives, and inorganic & specialties. Among these segments, the fluorocarbons segment holds a principal share in the market and is likely to retain its supremacy through the forecast period. Such market dominance is accredited to the rising demand for refrigerants in HVAC systems, automobile air conditioning, and refrigerators. Browse the market data and information spread across 293 pages with 413 data tables and 28 figures of the report Fluorochemicals Market Report - Forecast 2018-2023 in-depth alongside table of content (TOC) at: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fluorochemicals-market-1554 Based on Application, Global Fluorochemicals Market is segmented into refrigeration, blowing agents, aluminum production, films, tubing, and paint strippers. The refrigeration segment is estimated to dominate the Global Fluorochemicals Market, just like it did at the beginning of the forecast period. The segment is anticipated to expand at 6.61% CAGR over the review period owing to the rising demand for refrigerants in HVAC systems, air conditioning, and refrigerators. Based on End-Use Industry, Global Fluorochemicals Market is segmented into electrical and electronics, construction, industrial equipment, automotive & transportation, pharmaceuticals, chemical processing, and consumer goods. Within these, the electrical & electronics segment accounts for the highest share of the Global Fluorochemicals Market. The electrical & electronics segment was valued at USD 8,372.4 million in 2017 and is projected to exhibit a valuation of USD 12,256.4 million by the end of the forecast period. Asia Pacific to Record Valuation of USD 15 Mn During Forecast Period The Global Fluorochemicals Market is segmented by geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these regional segments, the APAC region accounted for the largest market share and is also anticipated to remain in dominance during the assessment period. It is expected to reach a market valuation of USD 15 million by the end of 2023, from USD 11,187.7 million at the beginning of the forecast period. An upsurge in the production of electric and lightweight vehicles is likely to push the Fluorochemicals Market in the coming years. North America is estimated to follow Asia Pacific and garner the second largest share of the Fluorochemicals Market through the assessment period. It is projected to retain its market position even in the forecast period. The U.S. is likely to spearhead the country-specific market for Fluorochemicals over the review period. On the other hand, Latin America is anticipated to hold the smallest share of the Global Fluorochemicals Market and is assessed to record a 6.21% CAGR across the review period. Europe is predicted to be an important growth pocket for Fluorochemicals Market and is estimated to witness an upwards ascension in the near future. The leading country-specific markets include Italy, Germany, and France. Similarly, the Middle East & Africa are also estimated to showcase sizeable growth opportunities and are expected to grow by USD 1050 million between 2017-2023. Make an Enquiry before Buying this Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1554 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. A former Lake Pontchartrain Causeway police officer has been sentenced to four years in prison for stealing guns, cash and drugs from the evidence room he supervised, the North Shore DAs office said Friday (June 14). William Billy Jones Jr., 46, was sentenced Thursday by state Judge Reginald T. Badeaux III to four years at hard labor for malfeasance in office and four years on each of two counts of theft of a firearm, according to a news release. The sentences are to be served at the same time. Two years of the sentence must be served without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. Jones also must pay a $1,000 fine, the DAs office said. Causeway officer found guilty of stealing cash, cocaine and guns from evidence room A jury found Jones guilty of the charges on May 23. He was accused of stealing $6,300 in cash, cocaine, and two guns from the evidence room he supervised three years ago. Jones was fired from the Causeway Police Department. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Assistant District Attorney Jessica Brewster, who testified at the trial, discovered the cash was missing in November 2016. Louisiana law requires law enforcement agencies to notify the District Attorneys Office within 10 days of a seizure. But Brewster had not been notified and Jones avoided her repeated attempts to contact him, she testified. Brewster contacted the Causeway Police Department, and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Office was brought in to investigate. Investigators also uncovered that cocaine was missing. Jones confessed to the crime, but testified during the trial that his confession was a lie. Jones was convicted of stealing seized guns and selling them while wearing his uniform to a Washington Parish convenience store owner. FRIDAY Seeking Safety 10 to 11:30 a.m., Catholic Charities, 1215 N. Broadway. Financial Education and Empowerment also offered from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Free classes for those who identify as a victim/survivor of domestic or sexual violence. New participants will need to schedule an intake. Call 712-256-2059 ext. 103 for more information. Seeking Safety 10 a.m. to noon, Catholic Charities Office at Zion Recovery Services, 1500 E. 10th St., Atlantic. Financial Education and Empowerment also offered from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Free classes for those who identify as a victim/survivor of domestic or sexual violence. New participants will need to schedule an intake. Call 712-256-2059 ext. 103 for more information. Elks Lodge TGIF Dinner 6 to 8 p.m., 380 McKenzie Ave. Call 712-323-2589 or find Elks Lodge 531 Council Bluffs on Facebook for weekly menu. Southwest lowa Narcotics Anonymous Noon, Let It Be, New Litehouse, 200 16th Ave.; 6:30 p.m., Just for Today, Faith Community Church, 2701 N. Eighth St., Red Oak; 7 p.m., Clean & Free Group, first floor McDermott building, 800 Mercy Drive; 8 p.m., Straight and Grateful, 309 Elm St., Atlantic; 8:30 p.m., Discovery Group Church of Christ, 714 Benson St., Omaha; 8:30 p.m., Rebellions, New Litehouse, 200 16th Ave. Freedom Seekers Al-Anon 7:30 p.m., Broadway Christian Church, 2658 Ave. A. Pickin and Grinnin Country Music Jam 6:30 to 9 p.m., Corn Crib restaurant, 12 East St., Shelby. Musicians and music lovers invited to a weekly jam session. Call the Corn Crib at 712-207-2676. Trivia Night with Mike Gilmore American Legion, 716 S. Fourth St. Burgers and hot dogs served from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Trivia begins at 6 p.m. Open to the public. SATURDAY River City Farmers Market 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., west side of YMCA Healthy Living Center parking lot, 714 S. Main St. Overeaters Anonymous 8:30 a.m., Douglas County Health Center, town hall meeting room, first floor, 42nd and Woolworth Streets, Omaha. Call Tracy at 402-551-9711. 10:30 a.m., Unity Church, 3424 N. 90th St., Omaha. Wheelchair accessible and child care provided. Call Dala at 402-210-3755. Southwest Iowa Narcotics Anonymous 5 p.m., Saturday Serenity, St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 812 Farnum St., Harlan; 6 p.m., On the Right Track, 515 E. Broadway; 8 p.m., Living Clean, 303 Walnut St., Shenandoah; 8:30 p.m., Rebellions, New Litehouse, 200 16th Ave. Gamblers 12-Step Program 7 p.m., 354 N. 76th St., Omaha. For 24-hour hotline, call 402-978-7899. Electric Music Jam Noon to 4 p.m., Western Historic Trails Center. Crescent Optimist Club 7 a.m., Henrys Diner, 836 Old Lincoln Highway. Families Understanding Needs 6 p.m., Rue Elementary School, 3326 Sixth Ave. Support group for families with children with special needs. Treynor Optimist Club 8 a.m., Treynor Community Center. Underwood Optimist Club 7:30 a.m., UMBA Hall. Epworth United Methodist Church Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, is handicap accessible and open to the public. Membership is not necessary to participate in any church activities. The public is invited to a Bible study at 8:30 a.m. Sunday followed by worship at 9:25. A coffee fellowship will follow. The church wishes all fathers a joyous and blessed day. A Bible study will meet on Thursday at 10 a.m. Church office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The churchs phone number is 712-323-3124. Check out the church online at epworthumccb.org and at facebook.com/pages/epworth. Vacation Bible school will be 6 to 8 p.m. July 28 through Aug. 1. Fe y Esperanza United Methodist Church Fe y Esperanza (Faith and Hope) United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, is handicap accessible and open to the public. Membership in the church is not required to participate in any activities. Tonight, everyone will meet for prayer and Bible study at 7 p.m. The Rev. Humberto Gonzalez invites the public to the churchs bilingual Sunday worship service (in Spanish and English) at 12:30 p.m. accompanied by the churchs praise band. The youth group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday. The churchs pastor can be reached at 712-828-1340. The church is on Facebook at Fe y Esperanza UMC. Hazel Dell United Methodist Church Hazel Dell United Methodist Church, 23109 205th St., is handicap accessible and open to the public. Membership is not necessary to participate in any church activities. Sunday school and worship both begin at 11 a.m. during June, July and August. The public is invited to attend. The churchs phone number is 712-545-3021. Check out the church online at facebook.com/hazeldellumccb and at hazeldellumccb.wordpress.com. Vacation Bible school will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. June 17-21. Broadway Christian Church The Rev. Earlin Shanno invites the public to Sunday service at 9 a.m. at Broadway Christian Church, 2658 Ave. A. A hearing loop is installed for those who need it and the church is handicap accessible. A message for young disciples will be given so children of all ages are encouraged to stay in the sanctuary during worship service. The church holds a Bible study at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. There are Alcoholics Anonymous meetings Mondays and Fridays and Overeaters Anonymous meetings on Mondays and Tuesdays. For more information, call the church office at 712-323-7741, or go online to bcccb.org or the churchs page on Facebook. Underwood Lutheran Church Underwood Lutheran Church, at 10 Third Ave., will hold regular Sunday activities. Worship service begins at 9:30 a.m. featuring Communion and the Rev. Scott Dalen delivering a sermon based on John 16:12-15. LaVern and Janet Leaders will serve as greeters. Bethany Presbyterian Church Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1900 S. Seventh St., will hold worship with Communion at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Nancy Ross-Hullingers message will be Spirit of Truth. The Scripture is John 16:12-15. Liturgist is Dennis Higginbotham and the greeters will be Jerry and Gerry Watson. There will be a childrens chat. Choir practice will begin at 9:30 a.m. On Wednesday, Family night begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be hosted by the property committee. On Thursday, Quilting Chicks and a Rooster will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. The church is collecting items for hygiene kits. The church has an elevator for easy access. St. Johns United Church of Christ St. Johns United Church of Christ, 400 Cloverdale Drive, will hold Sunday worship at 10:15 and Sunday school at 9 a.m. The Rev. Dr. Tony Potero-Paffs sermon will be Wisdom Calls. Greeters will be Billie and Rich Chambers. On Monday, the Boys Scouts will meet at 7 p.m. Gethsemane Presbyterian Church The public is invited to Gethsemane Presbyterian Church, 224 Wallace Ave. for worship at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. The June liturgist is Duane Hilty. Greeters are Vicky Woods and Nancy Brooks. There will be no Sunday school on Fathers Day. The service will be provided by the New Shoes Quartet. To celebrate Fathers Day, the women will host fellowship time. A chicken dinner will be provided. A session meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Vacation Bible school will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. July 15, 16 and 17. Bible study is held on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 10 a.m. The food pantry is open Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m. For more information, call the church at 712-366-2513. The church is wheelchair accessible. Westminster Presbyterian Church Westminster Presbyterian Church, 517 S. 32nd St., invites the public to worship at 11 a.m. Sunday. Sunday is Trinity Sunday. The organist is Joyce Mynster. Worship leader and praise leader will be Carissa Gillette. The Rev. Vicki L. Evans sermon will be Boast in Our Sufferings. Focus text will be from Romans 5:1-5. The church is handicapped accessible via the northeast door. Saint John Lutheran Church Worship services at Saint John Lutheran Church, 633 Willow Ave., are held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Worship on Sunday will feature the group Plum Tuckered, who will provide all the music. There is also a Sudanese worship service at 12:30 p.m. On Wednesday, adult Bible study begins at 9 a.m. The Saint John Sewing Group will also meet at 9 a.m. The Mens Club will meet at 11:30 am. at Sugars, 2725 E. Kanesville Blvd. Vacation Bible school will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. July 8-11. This years theme is Roar and you can register online at vbspro.events/p/0245be. Timothy Lutheran Church Traditional worship services with Communion are held at 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Timothy Lutheran Church, 3112 W. Broadway. Sunday school classes and adult Bible study meet at 9:15 a.m. There will be no midweek Bible study during June, July and August. Timothy has an elevator for easy access to worship services and other activities. Peace Church of the Brethren The public is invited to Peace Church of the Brethren, 2605 Ave. E, at 9:30 a.m. Sunday for Sunday school, followed by worship at 10:30. The morning message will be You Belong to God. The focus scripture passage will be Galatians 3:23-29. On Wednesday, the Leisure Club will meet at 10 a.m.; and the leadership team will meet at 6 p.m. Interested in learning more about the church? Go online to peacechurchofthebrethren.org and Facebook. Faith Lutheran Church Faith Lutheran Church, 2100 S. 11th St., will hold traditional worship with Communion at 9 a.m. Sunday. On Tuesday, adult Bible study that is open to the public will begin at 9:30 a.m.; and the horseshoe league will meet at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, there will be a council meeting at 7:30 p.m. Faith holds Sunday worship at 9 a.m. with an adult Bible study at 10:15. For more information about worship opportunities at Faith, contact the church office at 712-323-6445. New Horizon Presbyterian Church New Horizon Presbyterian Church, 30 Valley View Drive, invites the public to attend traditional Sunday worship services at 8 and 10:30 a.m. (summer schedule) and a praise service at 9 a.m. Nursery care for ages 4 years and younger is available from 8:30 a.m. until after the last service. On Wednesday, the praise team will meet at 6 p.m. On Thursday, the administration team will meet at 5:30 p.m. followed by session at 7. Mt. Hope United Methodist Church The Rev. Michael Slininger of Mt. Hope United Methodist Church, 290th Street and Highway 6, invites the public to worship Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday school is at 10. Every other month is the churchs Brunch and Worship that begins at 9:30 a.m. The next Brunch and Worship will be held Aug. 11. You do not have to be a member of the church to participate in its activities. Our Saviors Lutheran Church The Rev. Celeste Waymire welcomes the public to Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 313 Story St. The church holds worship with Communion at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, worship and Communion will begin at 10 and is followed by a coffee fellowship. Our Saviors Lutheran food and pet pantry is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays (call between 9:30 to 11 a.m. for same day appointments) and the third and fourth Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. (call between 4 and 5 p.m. for same day appointments). Church office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The church phone is 712-322-6655. For more events and information, check out the church online at oursaviorscb.org or on Facebook (facebook.com/Our-Saviors-Lutheran-Church-of-Council-Bluffs). OSL has an elevator and is accessible to people of all abilities. Emanuel Lutheran Church Emanuel Lutheran Church, 2444 N. Broadway, will hold worship with Communion beginning at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, followed by fellowship at coffee at 10:30. On Monday, Tai Chi will begin at 11 a.m.; church council and MS support group meetings will both be held at 7 p.m. On Tuesday, the Girl Scouts will meet in the community room at 5:30 p.m. and the Boy Scouts will meet in the youth center at 7. The church office will be closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, Mission Action Quilters will meet at 9:30 a.m. On Thursday, adult Bible study will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by Tai Chi at 11. On June 21, food pantry volunteers will meet at Our Saviors at 4:30 p.m. On June 23, worship with Communion will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by fellowship and coffee at 10:30. Check out the church online at emanuelcb.org or facebook.com/emanuellutherancbia. Its going to be a long summer and a long fall, Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Director Doug Reed told members of the Noon Rotary Club Thursday. Reed chronicled the history of flooding in Pottawattamie County that began March 13 and continues today. He said his office released its first situation report, stating that flooding was imminent, on March 11, a report that was followed the next day by a federal flood warning. With flooding beginning on March 13, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it was increasing the release of water from the Gavins Point Reservoir in South Dakota from 27,000 cubic feet per second to 32,000 cfs. One day later, the Gavins Point release was upped to 80,000 cfs. On March 16, with the Missouri River Level at Council Bluffs at 34.2 feet 5.2 feet above flood stage the Corps of Engineers reduced the flow from Gavins Point from 80,000 cfs to 54,000 cfs. The release from the Gavins Point reservoir is currently set at 70,000 cfs of slightly more, and Reed said the corps had indicated it will remain there for the remainder of the summer. Reed as have others warned that residents of the western parts of Council Bluffs, where ground water levels have remained high because of the ongoing flooding, should continue to monitor sump pump discharges for the presence of sand or dirt. Those who find sand or dirt in the sump pump discharge should immediately turn their sump pump off and allow the basement to flood. Failure to do so could cause the foundation of the house to collapse as a result of hydraulic pressure. Flooding is better than a collapsed foundation, Reed said. He said that 172 Pottawattamie County families have applied for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a number he anticipates will increase with the ongoing flooding. If theres a bright spot in the current flooding situation, Reed said, it might be in the fact that those coming to Council Bluffs for the start RAGBRAI on July 19 should find it easier to dip their tires in the Missouri River. WASHINGTON Rep. Steve King isnt serving on committees these days, but he still knows how to grab media attention. The northwest Iowa Republican organized a fiery press conference Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol alongside conservative media personalities Diamond and Silk, also known as Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson. They were there to promote Kings Diamond and Silk Act, legislation that he says would redirect federal funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions to federal programs assisting the nations homeless and veterans. Why are we borrowing money from China in order to fund the living standards of illegal aliens in America and why are we not taking care of our own American citizens, especially our veterans? King asked. King has long been a provocative opponent of illegal immigration in general, and he is particularly critical of jurisdictions he feels dont cooperate enough with federal immigration enforcement. The criteria for what constitutes a sanctuary city or state can be slippery, however, and some local officials say being enlisted as federal immigration enforcers alienates their officers from immigrant communities and makes it harder to combat crime. But King said its important to hold those jurisdictions accountable. To be clear, his bill is unlikely to go anywhere. In the House, after all, Kings party is in the minority. And King himself was formally rebuked by the House earlier this year and removed from committees over statements he made to the New York Times about white supremacy. King has insisted that his words were misrepresented by the paper, but one indication that he remains on the outs with fellow Republicans came just this week. He wasnt among the party officials who traveled on Air Force One when President Donald Trump visited Iowa on Tuesday. It didnt take long for Wednesdays press conference to devolve into testy exchanges between those behind the lectern and assembled reporters. Asked about his removal from committees, King reiterated that he had been misquoted. Then he said he didnt want to answer any more off-topic questions. Why were you barred from Air Force One? one reporter asked. Thats not on topic, King responded. Couldnt you hear me? I cant hear you either, then. Diamond and Silk, meanwhile, talked at length about the problem of homelessness in San Francisco, using language that was, well, colorful. Defecating on the streets, out of their minds, shooting up on the streets, Diamond said. With our tax dollars, Silk interjected. Listen, what they need is help. What the city needs is help, Diamond said. Listen, let me tell you something, when you go outside of your door and it looks like a full toilet ... something is seriously wrong. Meanwhile, the noise from an F-35 military jet participating in an unrelated exercise threatened to drown out the press conference, and King moved to wrap it up. Thats it, King said. Thanks, everybody. Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or for dissemination in the United States OAKVILLE, Ontario, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Giyani Metals Corp. (TSXV:EMM) (FRANKFURT:KT9) (WKN:A2DUU8) (Giyani or the Company) is pleased to announce the completion of the metallurgical testing of stockpile material from the Companys K.Hill and Otse manganese deposits in Botswana. The testing was performed on 19 samples, 15 of which were taken from the K.Hill stockpile material and four from the area surrounding the former Otse mine pit. The test work included crushing and screening of the 19 samples, followed by geochemical analysis of the +10mm and -10mm fractions. Dense media separation (DMS) testing was carried out on the four Otse samples and on a representative composite of the K. Hill material. The results of the testing indicate that a variety of lumpy (-75/+10mm) and fine particle (-10/+1mm) manganese products can be produced from both the K.Hill and Otse material. Table 1 below contains some of the various permutations of DMS yield, and grade for the products that may be expected from both the K.Hill and Otse material as tested. As an example, a 36% Mn lumpy product from the K.Hill stockpiles with a DMS yield of 39% is possible through standard crushing, screening, and densimetric separation. The table includes a variety of other product DMS yield and grade combinations modeled by mineral process engineering firm Worley Parsons. The Company will decide on the most suitable product on which to focus based on tradeoff studies between cost and potential revenue at prevailing market rates. Mn Grade (%) 30% 32% 34% 36% 37% 38% 39% 40% 41% K.Hill Lumpy Mn Product DMS Yield (%) 87.2% 80.0% 39.0% K.Hill Fine Mn Product DMS Yield (%) 73.7% 34.6% Otse Lumpy Mn Product DMS Yield (%) 40.2% 35.8% 32.3% Otse Fine Mn Product DMS Yield (%) 72.5% 58.3% 39.6% 35.1% Table 1. Expected DMS Plant Yield at Various Mn Grades (%) Robin Birchall, CEO of Giyani commented: We are extremely pleased with these metallurgical results. Simply put, they indicate that we will be able to generate a range of potential products from the stockpile material at suitable grade and yield recoveries. These products will all be marketable into the manganese steel market. We shall now work closely with Traxys in order to determine which products will have the highest economic returns for the Company. All samples were shipped to SGS South Africa (Pty) (Ltd) for assay and dense media separation. Samples were analyzed by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry following crushing and grinding. Dense media separation was also undertaken at SGS with the test work conducted on -70/+10mm and -10/+1mm fractions at specific gravity intervals of 2.7, 3.1 and 3.3. The sinks and floats were washed, dried and weighed before a subsample was taken for XRF analysis. Modeling of the expected DMS plant yield shown in table 1 was completed by Worley Parsons. Roger Moss, Ph.D., P.Geo, is the qualified person, as that term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, on behalf of the Company and has approved the scientific and technical content contained in this press release. About Giyani Giyani Metals Corp. is a Canadian junior exploration company focused on creating shareholder value by accelerating the development of its high-grade manganese project in the Kanye Basin, Botswana, Africa. Additional information and corporate documents may be found on www.sedar.com and on Giyani Metals Corp. website: http://giyanimetals.com/. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Giyani Metals Corp. Robin Birchall, CEO Contact: Giyani Metals Corporation Robin Birchall CEO, Director +447711313019 rbirchall@giyanimetals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. 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 laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. persons, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act (U.S. Persons), except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Companys securities to, or for the account of benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons. Forward Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Giyani expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, does not expect, plans, anticipates, does not anticipate, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential, scheduled, forecast, budget and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could, should or might occur. Specific forward-looking statements and forward-looking information herein includes statements regarding the size of and completion of the private placement and the intended use of the net proceeds from the financing. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of the relevant management as of the date such statements are made and are subject to certain assumptions, important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Giyanis ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In the case of Giyani, these facts include their anticipated operations in future periods, planned exploration and development of its properties, and plans related to its business and other matters that may occur in the future. This information relates to analyses and other information that is based on expectations of future performance and planned work programs. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation: inherent exploration hazards and risks; risks related to exploration and development of natural resource properties; uncertainty in Giyanis ability to obtain funding; commodity price fluctuations; recent market events and conditions; risks related to the uncertainty of mineral resource calculations and the inclusion of inferred mineral resources in economic estimation; risks related to governmental regulations; risks related to obtaining necessary licenses and permits; risks related to their business being subject to environmental laws and regulations; risks related to their mineral properties being subject to prior unregistered agreements, transfers, or claims and other defects in title; risks relating to competition from larger companies with greater financial and technical resources; risks relating to the inability to meet financial obligations under agreements to which they are a party; ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel; and risks related to their directors and officers becoming associated with other natural resource companies which may give rise to conflicts of interests. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Giyanis forward-looking information. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking information or statements. Giyanis forward-looking information is based on the reasonable beliefs, expectations and opinions of their respective management on the date the statements are made, and Giyani does not assume any obligation to update forward looking information if circumstances or managements beliefs, expectations or opinions change, except as required by law. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. For a complete discussion with respect to Giyani and risks associated with forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, please refer to Giyanis financial statements and related MD&A, all of which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. GIYANI METALS CORP. 277 LAKESHORE ROAD EAST, OAKVILLE, Ontario L6J 1H9 T: 289-837-0066 F: 289-837-1166 www.GIYANIMETALS.com TSX.v-EMM The following editorial was published by the Sioux City Journal on June 9: Late last month, President Trump threatened to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods imported to the U.S. from its biggest trading partner, Mexico, beginning June 10 and increase those tariffs by 5 percent each month to a permanent level of 25 percent in October unless Mexico satisfied him it is getting tougher on illegal immigration. Because we joined what appeared was almost-universal criticism of taking this step, we were pleased talks between the U.S. and Mexico prevented implementation of these tariffs. On Friday night, President Trump said tariffs on Mexican goods were indefinitely suspended after negotiators reached a deal on immigration enforcement. For all of the reasons detailed below, we hope this is something the Trump administration wont revisit in the future. Put aside for the moment the question of whether the tariffs would have been, as U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said, a misuse of presidential tariff authority and the fact President Trump was telling Mexico it needed to manage the border better on its side when our own countrys leaders arent addressing illegal immigration through comprehensive immigration reform on our side, then consider the consequences of Mexico tariffs. American consumers would feel the pain. Last year, Americans imported more than $346 billion in goods from Mexico, with cars and auto parts, computer equipment, manufacturing inputs and agricultural products among the top products imported. ... The 5 percent tariff represents a tax increase of approximately $17 billion on U.S. consumers and businesses. Should the tariff rate escalate to 25 percent, the tax on Americans would reach $86 billion, according to a Chamber analysis of Commerce Department data, Thomas J. Donahue, U.S. Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer, wrote in a piece for Fox Business. The overall U.S. economy would suffer. The Perryman Group, an economic analysis firm based in Texas, said tariffs, if enacted and maintained, likely would cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs. In a report issued last week, the National Association for Business Economics said protectionist trade policy is the primary concern driving a surge in fear of recession by the end of 2020 among economists. Increased trade protectionism is considered the primary downwide risk to growth by a majority of the respondents, Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist for Oxford Economics, said in a statement. Already feeling the negative impact of the Trump administrations trade war with China, farm states like Iowa would get hurt even more. The U.S. exported $19 billion in agriculture products to Mexico last year, making Mexico the second-largest buyer, after Canada, of those products, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mexico is the No. 1 market for U.S. corn, rice, dairy products, poultry, and eggs, and is a major buyer of American beef, pork, soybeans and wheat. Producers are extremely concerned about another potential trade retaliation from Mexico, said National Pork Producers Council President David Herring, a pork producer from North Carolina. Tariffs would have cast a cloud of uncertainty over the revised NAFTA trade deal, known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. We need to secure the border and address our nations broken immigration system, but it cannot be done on the backs of Iowa farmers, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement. Iowans are frustrated with Washingtons inability to reform our countrys immigration system and address the crisis at the border, but I am asking the president to rethink this approach. Mexico is Iowas top trading partner, and placing new tariffs could undo the progress made by the negotiated USMCA trade agreement. Congress must move forward with ratification of the USMCA. By hurting the economy of Mexico through tariffs, the Trump administration would run the risk of making the illegal immigration problem worse. A weaker economy (with slower growth and potentially rising unemployment) will serve to increase the incentives for Mexicans to attempt entering the U.S. in search of work. Or put bluntly, the number of illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. via the open Mexican border will almost certainly increase, Simon Constable, a writer, economics commentator, and a fellow at The Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health and the Study of Business Enterprise, wrote in a piece for Forbes. Without question, suspension of tariffs on Mexico is good news. North Augusta, SC (29841) Today Sunshine and clouds mixed. Near record high temperatures. High near 80F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Your destination this summer is somewhere youve never been before. You want to be surprised and delighted, to see things, experience activities, and try foods that are all new to you. Youre thinking of a good pampering, perhaps, with spas and shopping. Or maybe, as in The Pioneers by David McCullough, youll be roughing it, sans campers, roads, medicine, RVs or decent boots. The Rev. Manasseh Cutler saw an opportunity. As a former army chaplain, he knew that the British had ceded land to the U.S. after the Revolutionary War and that it was available, though the territory was untamed and, aside from a few forts, unsettled by white folks. And so, following a meeting with like-minded, land-seeking New Englanders many of them war veterans Cutler saddled his horse and headed to New York to convince members of the U.S. Congress to pass an ordinance making settlement and statehood easier for newly populated territories. Global communication shall not be subject to US 'digital hegemony' Chinese communication equipment recently came under fire of the US who slandered that Chinese tech firms had implanted backdoors into their products in an attempt to help the Chinese government spy on the world. Chinese tech giant Huawei, supplier of video surveillance products Hikvision, as well as drone maker DJI were all attacked by Washington. They were accused of posing the so-called security risk. However, no concrete evidence has been provided so far to support US allegation. As a matter of fact, the US is haunted by its suspicious mind, as it was the Uncle Sam itself that has long been spying on global communication by its superiority in information and communication technology The US practice can be well explained by a Chinese proverb to measure the heart of the great with a heart of the mean. From this perspective, it makes sense for Washington to doubt that another country is monitoring the world like it does in an attempt to challenge its hegemony. According to western media, the US is spying on 90 percent of global communication, which is also indicated in the documents of the top-confidential PRISM program revealed by Edward Snowden. Its reported that US intelligence department has already acquired monitoring technology that can be applied to products of each communication company in the first few years of the 21st century. Glenn Greenwald, a journalist from Guardian,disclosed that the National Security Agency (NSA) routinely receives or intercepts routers, servers and other computer network devices being exported from the US before they are delivered to the international customers. The agency then implants backdoor surveillance tools, repackages the devices with a factory seal and sends them on, he added. A report by Reuters in 2013 pointed out that the NSA arranged a $10 million contract with RSA, a computer and network security company in the US, to put backdoors to the companys encryption in mobile terminals. The RSA is a basic firm in the information security industry, and its scandal placed a huge impact on the sector and even shocked the world. For years, the US has been lobbying organizations in the west to resist Chinese communication equipment, fanning that Huawei and other Chinese firms have a security threat with hidden backdoors, said Greenwald. However, the US government has done what it accuses the Chinese of doing: implanting back-door surveillance tools in devices exported from the US, he added. After the PRISM program was exposed, the US didnt slacken its efforts to monitor the world. In 2015, the US Congress passed legislation to end the surveillance within the US. Three years later, US President Donald Trump signed a bill, extending the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for another six years. This allows the US intelligence to continue its warrantless surveillance program on foreigners emails and text messages. Last year, Trump officially signed into law the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act or CLOUD Act, which further lowered the barriers for law enforcements access to the data held by technology companies worldwide and stored on servers in any country. Targeting Chinese firms on trumped-up charges, the US was just afraid of yielding control of telecoms infrastructure, security experts told the US media outlet Business Insider, regarding the reason why the US keeps agitating security risks of Chinese telecoms equipment. Regrettably, the US digital hegemony is not followed by other countries. France will preserve its national security but not block any telecom provider to build 5G network infrastructure, French President Emmanuel Macron said on May 16. At the same time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated the stand of her country, saying that any company can participate in the 5G construction in Germany as long as it conforms to the standard of security. In addition to France and Germany, some other US allies stated clearly their position of not banning Huawei from their 5G networks, which gave a heavy blow to the US. ATHENS, Greece, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX), (the Company), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of dry bulk vessels, today announced that it has signed, through a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, a Memorandum of Agreement to sell to an unaffiliated third party, the 2004-built vessel Thetis, with delivery to the buyer latest by July 31, 2019, for a sale price of US$6.4 million before commissions. Upon completion of the aforementioned, Diana Shipping Inc.s fleet will consist of 44 dry bulk vessels (4 Newcastlemax, 14 Capesize, 5 Post-Panamax, 5 Kamsarmax and 16 Panamax). As of today, the combined carrying capacity of the Companys fleet, including the m/v Thetis, is approximately 5.5 million dwt with a weighted average age of 9.27 years. A table describing the current Diana Shipping Inc. fleet can be found on the Companys website, www.dianashippinginc.com. Information contained on the Companys website does not constitute a part of this press release. About the Company Diana Shipping Inc. is a global provider of shipping transportation services through its ownership of dry bulk vessels. The Companys vessels are employed primarily on medium to long-term time charters and transport a range of dry bulk cargoes, including such commodities as iron ore, coal, grain and other materials along worldwide shipping routes. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, anticipate, intends, estimate, forecast, project, plan, potential, may, should, expect, pending and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, Company managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies that are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, the Company cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for dry bulk shipping capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. It was after the American women and children were allowed to go home, Hudson said, that he witnessed the entire demeanor change among him and his Marine comrades. What we found was it was about men taking care of men, he told the prayer breakfast audience. We learned it was OK to cry. I think too often theres so much You gotta to be macho all the time. Because they see the worst of humanity, Hudson said, military members and law enforcement officers especially need permission to take care of themselves as well as others. Eighty-four U.S. police officers killed themselves during the first three months of 2019, he said. Hudson remembers one August while serving with LAPDs gang unit in which 42 people were murdered and countless people shot in the Watts neighborhood, the site of deadly race riots in 1965. Youd look down at somebody, and theyre looking up at you and half their face is missing, Hudson said. Those all wear on us. We have to find the humanity, the humility, to go to your brother, go to your sister, and say, Are you OK? Are you all right? And we dont do that very well. A 54-year-old woman is scheduled for an October trial in Custer County District Court on three felony counts arising from a March 2018 fire at an Arnold bar. Jane A. Chestnutt pleaded not guilty Thursday to second-degree arson, burning to defraud an insurer and criminal mischief worth $5,000 or more, according to court records from Nebraskas JUSTICE online court database. District Judge Karin Noakes set Chestnutts case for trial during the jury term starting Oct. 15 in Broken Bow. Chestnutt, also known as Jane A. Kelly, remains free on 10% of $15,000 bail. Custer County prosecutors have accused Chestnutt of setting fire to Jims Bar, which she and her husband were in the process of buying, on March 27, 2018. The bar sustained heavy damage. During an investigation, Chestnutt told authorities that she accidentally knocked over and broke a whiskey bottle. She set a flame to the spilled whiskey to see if it would burn, and once it ignited, she was unable to put out the fire and fled, according to court records. The United States and some European countries have been raising awareness of the threat posed by china stealing technologies. But China has found another way around. Its increasing investments in Israel as a back door to getting their hands on western technologies. Senior officials from the White House National Security Council gave Israel a warning in Washington last week. Victoria Coates, Senior Director for the Middle East, US National Security Council said, One of our concerns, as we see China expanding role in the middle east, is how China interfaces with the Israeli tech sector. Coates said Israel did extremely well in high-tech research and developmentan area in which the United States and Israel work closely. However, Chinese investments in the same industry in Israel increased ten times in 2016, and its venture capital fund grew by 20% last year. She said the United States is certainly not saying No China to Israel, but hopes that investments develop in a responsible way that is mindful of Israels national security interests. We have developed certain tools, CIFUS for example, that review foreign investments, not only China alone of course. And we have found these effective means to protect our national security interests, while also developing our economy, Coates said. This year, President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo both warned Israel about security threats coming from China. In addition to threats coming through the high-tech sector, Israel has let a Chinese state-controlled enterprise operate its largest international seaport. The Chinese Communist Party also invested in Israeli infrastructure, especially in the telecommunications industry, but the U.S. has warned, that may jeopardize their intelligence-sharing with the U.S. China expanded its power at the expenses of sovereignty of others; China gathers and exploits data on an unrival scale, and spreads features of its authoritarian system, including the use of surveillance, Coates said. Chinese investments in other Middle Eastern countries are expanding too. Experts are especially concerned that the Chinese Communist Party is trying to export its authoritarian rule by expanding its surveillance technologies. Jonathan Fulton, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Zayed University said, There is no doubt its very attractive, because they can look at this model of tremendous economic reform without correspondent political reform. English French ROUYN-NORANDA, Quebec, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radisson Mining Resources Inc. (Radisson or the Company") (TSX.V: RDS, OTC: RMRDF) announces that the seven candidates designated in the management proxy circular dated May 2, 2019 were elected to the Corporations Board of Directors during the shareholders annual meeting held in Rouyn-Noranda on June 13, 2019. The shareholders were represented in person or by proxy by 70,035,388 class A shares, or 51.11% of the 137,029,250 outstanding class A shares. Voting results are presented below. 2019 AGM Election of Directors Results Director For % For Withheld % Withheld Denis Lachance 69,734,954 99.94% 45,177 0.06% Mario Bouchard 68,626,877 98.35% 1,153,254 1.65% Luc Simoneau 68,696,679 98.45% 1,083,452 1.55% Jean Dion 68,746,979 98.52% 1,033,152 1.48% Rejean Gourde 68,746,979 98.52% 1,033,152 1.48% Tony Brisson 69,739,806 99.94% 40,325 0.06% Denis Bois 69,739,806 99.94% 40,325 0.06% Consequently, during the shareholders annual meeting, the appointment of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec as Independent auditor for the company was approved at 100% by the shareholders. The directors compensation plan was approved at 98.01% by the shareholders. Grant of stock options On June 13th 2019, the Board of Directors awarded a total of 2,100,000 stock options to directors, officers and three employees of the company. Pursuant to terms of the stock options plan each option grants the holder thereof the right to purchase one class A share at a price of $ 0.135 until June 13th, 2024. Following the grant of stock options and pursuant to terms of the stock options plan, there are currently 6,320,000 stock options outstanding. Stock options exercise The company announces the exercise of 50,000 stock options at a price of $ 0.10 by one officer resulting in the issuance of 50,000 class A shares for total amount of $ 5,000. As a result of this stock option exercise, there are currently 137,079,250 class A shares of Radisson issued and outstanding. About Radisson Mining Resources Inc. Radisson is a gold exploration company focused on its 100% owned OBrien project, located in the Bousquet-Cadillac mining camp along the world-renowned Larder-Lake-Cadillac Break in Abitibi, Quebec. The Bousquet-Cadillac mining camp has produced over 21,000,000 ounces of gold over the last 100 years. The project hosts the former OBrien Mine, considered to have been the Abitibi Greenstone Belts highest-grade gold producer during its production (1,197,147 metric tons at 15.25 g/t Au for 587,121 ounces of gold from 1926 to 1957; InnovExplo, May 2018). For more information on Radisson, visit our website at www.radissonmining.com or contact: Mario Bouchard President and CEO 819-277-6578 mbouchard@radissonmining.com Certain informations contained in the press release are subject to receipt of all regulatory approvals. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The United States received steel import permit applications for 2.58 million tons in May, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis data. That's 10.8% less than the 2.89 million permit tons in April and 21.9% less than the 3.3 million tons of steel imported in April. The United States got import permit applications for 1.8 million tons of finished steel in May, which was down 10.1% as compared to the previous month, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. That accounts for 18% of the overall U.S. market share. In May, imports of sheets and strip all other metallic coatings were up by 113%, heavy structural shapes by 90%, reinforcing bars by 69%, hot rolled bars by 20%, standard pipe by 12%, and tin plate by 12%. Imports of line pipe have risen by 11% so far this year. With Section 232 tariffs of 25% on most foreign-made steel, save from Canada and Mexico, imports have captured 21% of the U.S. market share so far this year, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Graham, in federal detention since surrendering four days after the robbery, is pleading not guilty and now is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 4 in federal court on five felony counts of robbery, assault on two federal officers, armed violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Truitt died June 7, 2018, in the shootout that erupted during the planned robbery. A fourth individual, Leondre Smith, 29, of Homewood, Illinois, is charged in Lake Criminal Court in Crown Point with attempting to arrange an illegal gun purchase that led to the shooting. He is free on bond. No trial date has been set. Both Gary and the city of Chicago are annually wracked by deadly gun violence. Lake County long has been identified as a source of illicit guns in Chicago. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were conducting an undercover sting operation last June of illicit gun trafficking. Its agents used a confidential informant to arrange a meeting with a firearms source via cellphone texts that was supposed to take place about noon June 7, 2018, at a home near Fifth Avenue and Kentucky Street, a blighted residential area northeast of Garys downtown. HAMMOND A known member of the Chicago-based Latin Kings has been sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, according to a U.S. attorney's office news release. Robert Nieto, 45, of Gary, was found guilty of 22-year-old Rolando Correa's murder, which occurred Dec. 2, 2013, during a home invasion in Gary along with various drug charges. Long sentences, such as the sentence imposed in this case, should send a strong message of deterrence to those engaged in these activities," U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch said. "My office has amplified its efforts to reduce violent crime, and we will use all our resources to prosecute those who commit these senseless acts of violence. I am dedicated to working together with law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime. Nieto is said to have joined the Latin Kings in 2007, where he "distributed cocaine and marijuana, possessed firearms and ordered fellow gang members to shoot at rivals," the release stated. He has a previous felony conviction for aggravated battery. If Nieto is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for five years. Nieto is one of more than 40 defendants to have been charged with racketeering conspiracy as members of the Latin Kings, with incidents dating back to 2003, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Love 13 Funny 9 Wow 3 Sad 2 Angry 8 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GRIFFITH An industrial fire was sparked at a British Petroleum facility in Griffith Thursday morning. Firefighters were called to the company's site at 1500 W. Main Street in Griffith, Griffith Police Cmdr. Keith Martin said. The fire was in an electrical building in a BP-owned and operated facility in an industrial area shared by Enbridge Pipeline Company. Griffith, Highland, Schererville and Lake Ridge firefighters responded to the scene. Martin said there were no injuries to company employees. They found there was no immediate threat to the rest of the facility or residents in the surrounding area, Martin said. Check back at nwi.com for updates. ICYMI: Here are the most-read stories from the past week Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. United Way of Porter County is seeking volunteer ambassadors to help spread the word about how individual donors, companies and the United Way Partner Network are positively impacting community need in Northwest Indiana. The program is designed to educate and inspire individuals about their community. Participants will receive professional development training and the opportunity to expand their professional networks. The importance of these goodwill ambassadors cannot be overstated, said Kim Olesker, president & CEO of United Way of Porter County. This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to help the United Way Partner Network stabilize families in the community. Participants will partake in a variety of community activities such as Day of Caring, area nonprofit tours and community presentations. Professional development training will be provided by Dale Carnegie & Associates covering communication, presentation and project management topics. President George H.W. Bush was staring down a tough re-election campaign in the spring of 1992, when he found himself caught in a shifting political debate. A ban on the use of federal funding for research using fetal tissue which women can donate after terminating a pregnancy had been in place for four years , despite two federal advisory panels deeming such a ban unnecessary . Mr. Bush vowed to continue the ban, a move that anti-abortion activists supported. But not all of the opponents of abortion in Congress backed him up. Research from other countries had begun to suggest that fetal tissue could advance cures for devastating diseases, and several anti-abortion Republicans sided with Democrats in calling for an end to the ban. Mr. Bush tried to placate the defectors by promising to create a fetal tissue bank that would collect such tissue from several sources unrelated to induced abortions such as miscarriages and tubal pregnancies . But that effort failed dismally, when both Republicans and Democrats called it out as a sham. No less a conservative stalwart than Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina explained that these other sources of fetal tissue would not be nearly as abundant or useful to scientists as the tissue from terminated pregnancies. Only the latter can be effectively used to study human development from its earliest stages, or to model human organs and systems. Image That bipartisan coalition of lawmakers went on to pass a bill containing several excellent compromises: The funding ban would be lifted, but safeguards would be put in place to prevent such research from encouraging abortions. And a new Research Freedom provision would prevent the Health and Human Services secretary from nixing scientific programs over political considerations in the future. INTERNATIONAL Because of an editing error, an article on Monday about the use of YouTube in Russia described incorrectly the material performed by Danila Poperechny, a Russian comedian. While Mr. Poperechnys act is provocative, it is not filled with blatant misogyny. (The description of his act was based on brief video clips; longer versions of those videos showed the description to be inaccurate.) NEW YORK An article on Thursday about an animal cruelty investigation of a New Jersey couple misspelled the surname of one of the dog breeders. He is Martin Strozeski, not Strozenski. BUSINESS An article on Thursday about business leaders concerns about street protests in Hong Kong gave an incorrect title for Fred Hus former position at Goldman Sachs. He was the chairman of its Greater China business, not its head. OBITUARIES An obituary on May 31 about Claus von Bulow, the socialite who was convicted and later acquitted of twice trying to murder his wife, overstated what is known about his father, Svend Borberg. Although he was arrested as a Nazi collaborator after World War II and sentenced to prison, it is not clear that he was an admirer of the Third Reich. The obituary also omitted the name of a survivor. In addition to those named, Mr. von Bulow is survived by a half brother, Henrik Borberg. If a public official is approached by a foreign government offering anything of value, the answer is no whether it be money, opposition research. SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM, a South Carolina Republican and close ally of President Trump on Mr. Trumps declaration that he would accept campaign assistance from a foreign power like Russia. Dallas, TX, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The North Texas Food Bank today announced a $50,000 grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation to fund its School Pantry program, which provides a readily accessible source of healthy and nutritious food for children and their families in convenient and familiar locations such as a school. The food bank is one of 35 food banks that received funding from Morgan Stanley as part of a $1.25 Million gift to Feeding America member food banks to help develop, launch, expand and sustain critical child nutrition programs. We are thrilled to receive this vital grant from Morgan Stanley in support of our efforts to help provide more nutritious meals to children and families, said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. Morgan Stanley is a terrific partner for our organization, and we are grateful for the support its employees have shown by donating their time and through generous contributions. To commemorate the grant award, employees from Morgan Stanleys Plano branch volunteered at the North Texas Food Banks distribution center as part of Morgan Stanleys Feeding Kids Around the Clock initiative, 24-hours of continuous employee volunteer activities around the world dedicated to raising awareness of childhood hunger. Building on the impact of last years event, which helped provide nearly two million meals in one day, Morgan Stanley employees noticed the difference one day of service can have on an organization, a community, and a childs life. We are honored to help the North Texas Food Bank and join in its important fight against child hunger, said Morgan Stanley Complex Manager Patrick Manion. With an engaged employee base and a culture of giving back, our employees are delighted to be part of the Global Volunteer Month kick off with Feeding Kids Around the Clock at the North Texas Food Bank and extend our support to the children in our community. Since 2009, the Foundation has partnered with Feeding America to support food bank programs that help end hunger in the United States. In that time, Morgan Stanley has supported 117 food banks in 41 states with grants for child nutrition programs, and more recently, produce programs. For more than 50 years, Morgan Stanley has been committed to helping children get a healthy start in life and having access to food is essential to this mission. More than 12 million children in America live at risk of hunger, said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. In order to solve hunger, we need strong partners that are willing to make long-term investments in our strategies. We are grateful to Morgan Stanley for their crucial support these last ten years. Attachment The United States Office of Special Counsel issued a report on Thursday recommending that Kellyanne Conway, an aide to President Trump who frequently defends him on television, be fired for persistent, notorious and deliberate Hatch Act violations. [The agency called Ms. Conway a repeat offender of the Hatch Act.] President Trump said on Friday that he would not comply. No, Im not going to fire her, he told Fox News. On Thursday, the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, had shot back in a letter that the Office of Special Counsels conclusions about Ms. Conway were based on numerous grave, legal, factual and procedural errors. Here is what you need to know to make sense of the dispute. What does the law mean? The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities while they are on the job. Named for former Senator Carl A. Hatch, Democrat of New Mexico, the law has been on the books for 80 years. WASHINGTON The Agriculture Department announced on Thursday that it planned to relocate two scientific divisions to the Kansas City region from Washington, despite resistance from career staff members and concern that the move will erode the quality of research at the agency. More than 500 jobs will shift across the country as the department moves its Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture with the intent of bringing research closer to the agricultural communities that it serves. The move is projected to save the department nearly $300 million over 15 years. The Kansas City region has proven itself to be a hub for all things agriculture and is a booming city in Americas heartland, Sonny Perdue, the agriculture secretary, said on Thursday. The move follows a nearly yearlong process to find a new home for the divisions. Plans for the relocation have generated a backlash from employees who have been fearful about their jobs being moved and who have speculated that the Trump administration is trying to stifle research that at times has clashed with its political agenda. In various ethics agreements and financial disclosures she has filed since last 2016, Ms. Chao had said that stock options awarded during the nearly two years she served on the board at Vulcan would be paid out in cash ending her financial ties to the company. Instead, those options were paid out last year in stock, which Ms. Chao held onto until this month, meaning she continued to have a stake in the industry. The Transportation Department placed blame for the controversy on an unnamed accountant to Ms. Chao, who apparently told agency officials that she would receive cash instead of stock. But in her own letter sent this week to the Office of Government Ethics, Judith S. Kaleta, the deputy general counsel at the Transportation Department and the agencys top designated ethics official, said that the stock holding did not present a conflict. Secretary Chao has not participated personally and substantially in any particular matter that has a direct and predictable effect on Vulcan, which would be necessary if she had a certifiable conflict of interest, the letter said. Ethics lawyers have said the holdings appeared to be a conflict of interest because even if Ms. Chao was not involved in contracting decisions that directly affected Vulcan, she helps set transportation policy. Given the critical role the Transportation Department plays in funding highway construction projects nationwide, that can have a major effect on the companys bottom line, they said. In recent weeks, Ms. Chao has been the focus of a series of news articles scrutinizing her actions since she took over the department, including a report in The New York Times about her interactions with her family, which owns a shipping company that does extensive business in China. A separate article in Politico examined the role one of Ms. Chaos aides has played in helping coordinate federal highway grants to Kentucky, which her husband, Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican and the majority leader, represents. But, as he also points out, its already a struggle for most of the candidates to get any attention. With marquee names at the top of the field, in addition to the constant battles between the president and Congress, there just isnt much bandwidth for the 1 Percent Club. Thats not going to get any easier as the race progresses. Already, three candidates have failed to make the first debate, as we detail lower in this newsletter. And heres the thing about attention: Without it, its awfully hard for a candidate to raise the money needed to run a serious campaign. (Why do you think theyre doing all those cable news town halls?) So, the dropping out will come. Either because of lagging funds, a desire to protect political career opportunities, or simply to preserve a bit of self-respect. No one wants to be a punch line. The question is when it will start. The Democratic National Committees chairman, Tom Perez, told me this week that he expects the candidates to number in the double digits into the fall campaign. Thats why he reserved two nights for the September debate. (The committee is only allowing 10 candidates per night.) Mr. Perez may be overly generous in his prediction: So far, only six or so candidates have qualified for the fall face-off, with a few more expected to make the cut in the coming months. The field will organically narrow as time goes on and voters make their preferences known, he told me. Mr. Trump has defended himself against charges of racism, telling reporters that he is the least racist person you will ever interview. The president, friends said, is bothered by the allegation. And he was frustrated, they said, when Mr. Kushner did not defend him more fiercely in a recent television interview in which he was asked if birtherism, the conspiracy theory that Mr. Trump stoked over whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States, was racist. I wasnt really involved in that, Mr. Kushner told Axios. That was a long time ago. Democratic strategists said they did not expect the Trump administrations work on criminal justice to move black voters to his corner in 2020. But some said that the presidents perceived compassion on the issue could help him on the margins with moderate and swing white voters, who want to assure themselves that the person they are voting for is not, in fact, guilty of the charges of racism. Asked what constituency might be moved by Mr. Trumps focus on criminal justice, Geoff Garin, a Democratic pollster, said it was limited to the Kardashians. Im not actually sure beyond that. One piece of modest legislation was unlikely to paper over the presidents past record, he said. Its hard to be the second-chance guy when you are separating families, deporting people who have been here without committing a crime, and routinely undermining legal efforts to address police misconduct, Mr. Garin said. But some Democratic lawmakers said that even if Mr. Trumps continuing attention to the legislation was merely a political ruse to improve his chances against Mr. Biden, or another Democratic nominee, it was not a reason to oppose his efforts. I dont subscribe to the viewpoint that, because of political prognosticating, we shouldnt work together on good policy, said Representative Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey. We should always put country over party, and this is a case in point. And advocates who have been working closely with the White House insisted 2020 politics was not driving the issue. WASHINGTON Secretary of State Mike Pompeos accusation on Thursday that Iran was behind an attack on two oil tankers forces President Trump to confront a choice he has avoided until now: whether to make good on his threat that Tehran would suffer greatly if American interests were imperiled. For weeks, Mr. Trump has weaved on the issue, by turns ordering a carrier group last month to head to the Persian Gulf and then distancing himself from the hawkish views of his national security adviser, John R. Bolton. Last week, the president said he was open to negotiating with Iranian leaders the way he has negotiated with North Korea. And on Thursday, with images of black smoke rising from a tanker hit with a mine, Mr. Trump seemed to reverse course, posting on Twitter that it is too soon to even think about making a deal, adding, They are not ready, and neither are we! His equivocation reflects divisions in his administration, which has never come to an agreement on a comprehensive strategy to deal with Iran especially after it shattered the unity of the United States key allies, who had joined with the Obama administration to force Tehran into the 2015 nuclear deal that Mr. Trump subsequently abandoned. Now, operating largely without allies, he faces an Iran that is escalating nuclear production and retaliating for sanctions the White House has reimposed without a diplomatic path in sight to steer the two longtime adversaries away from confrontation. Ugandas exposure to Ebola infection from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo appeared to have increased on Thursday, as the death toll rose to two and three suspected cases were reported in a Ugandan border hospital. The number of people in Uganda who may have been exposed to carriers of the Ebola virus expanded significantly, from eight to at least 27. The disclosures, in a Ministry of Health update on its website, suggested an accelerating threat to Uganda from the Ebola virus, which has been ravaging eastern Congo for the past year and was reported to have spread to Uganda this week. A 5-year-old Congolese boy who entered a border town in western Uganda with his family on June 9 died of Ebola on Wednesday, the first case in Uganda since the Congo outbreak. His 50-year-old grandmother who was traveling with him became the second fatality, the Uganda Health Ministry said on Thursday. When Pilobolus last appeared at the Joyce Theater, five years ago, it was business as usual. This popular troupe of mime-acrobats named after a fungus used to sprout in Chelsea every summer with new and recent growths. Its return this week, was an opportunity for reintroduction. Only one work on the two programs is newish Branches, a middling nature study created in 2017 so the thrust turns out to be retrospective, a sampling of four decades of repertory. The question raised is what to make of a diminished thing. These programs arent exactly a case of the older, the better. The earliest work, Walklyndon, from 1971 (the year that a group of Dartmouth College students formed Pilobolus), has decayed from deadpan to dead. People still laugh at its slapstick collisions and abusive gags, but the humor has gone stale. The founding generation is no longer with the troupe, directed since 2016 by the dancers Renee Jaworski, who joined the company in 2000, and Matt Kent, who joined in 1996. The current members are excellent gymnasts but much less vivid theatrical personalities than the original oddballs. They are distanced from the Monty Python-era spirit of Walklyndon, as if dutifully telling jokes their father heard from his father. Still, nothing created after 1975 comes close to matching Untitled, made that year and opening Program B. Its a work that seems to have invented a new kind of theater. What first appears to be a joke about Victorian female attire two women in big-bustled dresses with too much fabric soon becomes something stranger, a dream about female power. Whats on TV JETT (2019) 10 p.m. on Cinemax. A criminal decides to take one final job, and chaos ensues. This plotline features in many crime dramas, and the pulp noir Jett can be added to the list. But the darkly fun action thriller has a few unique ingredients, namely its star-studded cast that includes Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House) and Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad fame, as well as writer, director and executive producer Sebastian Gutierrez, who frequently collaborates with Gugino, his partner. The show centers on Daisy (Jett) Kowalski, a retired professional thief who is living a simple life following her release from prison, until the gangster Charlie Baudelaire (Esposito) enlists her to perform one last job in Havana that puts her in serious danger. Whats Steaming His school is leading the project as part of an effort to reconstruct these black people from Brazilian history who over time became whitened or had their work forgotten, he said. I think this project shows just how deep and powerful racism can be, but also the importance and necessity of recognizing black culture not just for the black community, but for all humanity. I think its necessary for our country Brazil to know itself. The university worked with Grey, who contracted historians to ensure the accuracy of the image and then managed the marketing and rollout of the project. Called Machado de Assis Real (The Real Machado de Assis), it encourages readers to download and print the new image and features posts on Instagram of students pasting it on top of existing ones in their books, along with the hashtag #machadodeassisreal. The next goal, said Adriano Matos, chief creative officer at Grey, is to replace Machados portrait at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, of which the novelist was the founding president. The academys current president met with project leaders in May to receive the new portrait, which now hangs in the academy. Matos hopes that publishers will begin to use the new image on book covers. Our goal is that one day you can go onto Google image search and only see images of Machado de Assis as a black man, he said. At least one small Brazilian publisher, Male, has committed to publishing Machados work with the new portrait. Publishing houses in the United States, like the Norton imprint Liveright, which publishes the authors works in translation, said they had not heard of the project but would be open to considering a new portrait. CHICO, Calif., June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTC: AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies , infrastructure construction and forestry conservation , announced that it received an order totaling $200,000. The order is for new Genie land-lift equipment. Genie, located in Redmond, Washington, is a Terex Corporation brand. The equipment is shipping to a customer located in Northern California. The Company also announced that it has received comments from the SEC pertaining to its recently submitted Form 10/Registration Statement. CEO Lee Hamre commented, We will address the comments and submit back to the SEC in the requisite ten days. Now we can apply to the OTC Markets for a listing on the OTCQB. We are looking forward to uplifting to a trading platform that provides additional exposure of our stock to the financial community and retail investors. About AmeraMex International AmeraMex International sells, leases and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional information and equipment videos. Except for the historical information contained herein, statements discussing sales or revenue projections are forward-looking and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made herein. Dismayed that literary magazines of the day were, by their lights, either too chic or too academic, the two friends founded one of their own, The Noble Savage, which made its debut in 1960. Ralph Ellison, Arthur Miller and Wright Morris, among others, wrote for its first issue. It later published a couple of unknowns, Thomas Pynchon and Robert Coover, before ceasing publication after five issues. They followed The Noble Savage with another literary magazine, ANON, in 1970; it lasted just one issue. They put out the first issue of News From the Republic of Letters in 1997, featuring in its pages an excerpt from an unpublished Bellow novel, View From Intensive Care. Bellow called the magazine, published twice a year, a tabloid for literates, and said that he and Mr. Botsford were a pair of utopian codgers who feel we have a duty to literature. The magazine took its name from Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres, first published in 1684 by the French philosopher Pierre Bayle. It introduced new and newly discovered writings from American and international writers, both celebrated and obscure, including fiction and nonfiction, memoir, correspondence, biography, poetry, essays and reviews. Writing under the Bayle-inspired byline P. B., Mr. Botsford contributed sharp opinions on everything from drone attacks to crime fiction. Agatha Christie, to his way of thinking, cant write for toffee. The magazine continued publication until at least 2008. In 2001, Mr. Botsford and Bellow edited Editors: The Best From Five Decades, a 1,000-page mosaic of stories, poems, articles and essays by writers as diverse as Victor Hugo, Martin Amis, S. J. Perelman and John Berryman, most of the material never before published in book form. Editing provided Mr. Botsford with a welcome respite from the rigors of writing. I found editing myself difficult and being edited by others humiliating, he wrote. I got around this by editing others with generosity and rewriting with humility. He called translation the supreme exercise of mastering someone elses style. In his journalism, Mr. Botsford was equally at ease writing about movie stars, concert pianists, bullfighters, novelists and race drivers. Formula One racing and the Boston Red Sox were two of his passions, along with literature, music and food. Chapter 5 of David Copperfield begins with the grave announcement, I Am Sent Away From Home. David is only 7 when his hardhearted stepfather packs him off, and weeping so copiously that eventually he must spread his handkerchief on the horses back to dry. Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables only to spend her first weeks dreading a return to the orphanage. The Pevensie children, evacuated from London during the Blitz, stumble into a new world through the back of a wardrobe and soon fight battles of their own. Fiction is full of children whose lives are upended when they move, tipping them into new adventures. But moving isnt just about forging into unknown territory, as any kid knows. Moving is about what we leave behind. The spirited protagonists of four new middle-grade novels find that when theyre taken from the lives they once knew, they must reckon with their pasts as well as the future. For 12-year-old Hanako, the past is especially grim, the future especially precarious. She is old enough to remember her parents restaurant in Los Angeles, but in 1941, when she was 8, her family lost their home and livelihood. Stripped of their property, they spent four years in camps, among the 110,000 people of Japanese descent incarcerated during World War II. Cynthia Kadohatas A PLACE TO BELONG (Caitlin Dlouhy/Atheneum, 402 pp., $17.99; ages 10 to 14) begins at the end of 1945, when the family boards a ship to Japan. They belonged with their families, if they had them, Hanako realizes about the people on the ship. They had no country. But her father, whose desperate decision to return to his ancestral home feels like an act of faith, admits only after they have arrived in ravaged Hiroshima that he cannot know if his parents survived. Image Their life in Japan begins with yet another loss: Hanakos bag and her brothers cannot be found, along with the money sewn into their pajamas. That was the way war was things just became gone. Your house, your country, your duffel bag with skirts and underwear. Hanako is left with only the clothes she is wearing. Defining a Pandemic To the Editor: Carl Zimmers review of my book The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris (June 9) reminded me of an observation by the American virologist Ed Kilbourne that defining a pandemic is a little bit like defining pornography: We all know it when we see it, but the boundaries are a little blurred. Zimmer doesnt think the 1930 parrot fever outbreak deserves to be classified as a pandemic since it sparked just 33 deaths in the United States and comparably low numbers in Europe. But the World Health Organization defines a pandemic simply as the worldwide spread of a new disease, and although it is true that pandemics may also be associated with large numbers of deaths, severity has never been a necessary condition. Moreover, while its true that the 14th-century Black Death wiped out approximately a third of the worlds population, the term pandemic was hardly used before the late 19th century, when the worldwide spread of bubonic plague, spurred by faster shipping and rail connections, underlined the way in which the world was becoming a single epidemiological unit. However, it was only following the outbreaks of pandemic influenza in 1890 and 1918 that the term entered the medical and popular lexicon and that crucially it began to be applied retrospectively to earlier historical outbreaks. More significantly, these were the first pandemics to coincide with the germ theory of disease. Yet rather than foster, as Zimmer writes, a sense of mastery over the microbial world, the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic underlined the limits of modern bacteriological knowledge and the dangers of scientific hubris. LONDON European authorities blamed Russian groups on Friday for disinformation campaigns designed to depress turnout and sway public opinion in last months European Union elections, an official accounting that underscored how Russian interference has not abated and that Facebook and other tech platforms remain vulnerable to meddling. The preliminary review by the European Commission and the blocs foreign policy and security arm found that Russian-linked groups and other nonstate actors had worked to undermine credibility in the European Union through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Officials said new regulations might be needed to force internet platforms to do more to stop the spread of deliberately false information. The evidence collected revealed a continued and sustained disinformation activity by Russian sources aiming to suppress turnout and influence voter preferences, the report said. The report was the first official substantiation by the European Commission of the role that Russians and other groups played in disinformation in the May elections, which many investigators, academics and advocacy groups had warned about. It was a reminder of how active Russians and others continue to be in spreading divisive content online to inflame and stoke electorates all over the world, a strategy that the Kremlin had pioneered in the 2016 American presidential election. In their second year of government service, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner reported income from their companies and investments of as much as $135 million, according to their annual financial disclosure reports made public on Friday. All told, the couples real estate holdings and other investments were worth as much as $786 million, down slightly from 2017. Their total annual income was between $29 million and $135 million, a range that was lower than what they reported in 2017. Mr. Kushners partial ownership of his family-run real estate business, Kushner Companies, has drawn criticism from ethics experts, particularly as the firm has solicited investments from foreign sources, including in the Middle East, where Mr. Kushner is a top White House liaison. Although Mr. Kushner held on to the bulk of his stake in the company, which he once ran, he sold some of his assets to a trust controlled by his mother. The average person probably hasnt heard of JAB Holding. The same cant be said for the vast empire of brands a stable that includes Keurig coffee pods, Dr Pepper, Snapple, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Krispy Kreme doughnuts it amassed in years of deal-making. Heres how the conglomerate, whose controlling family is now grappling with its Nazi past, flourished. [Read our article about the Nazi past behind JAB Holding, and the companys efforts to atone.] The beginning JAB grew out of the personal fortune of the Reimann family, which founded the German chemical company Benckiser. (The company was previously known as Joh. A. Benckiser, for one of the family patriarchs.) Benckiser eventually merged with Reckitt & Colman of Britain to become Reckitt Benckiser, whose holdings include Durex condoms, Lysol cleaner and Clearasil. Cosmetics In 1992, JAB bought control of Coty, a cosmetics maker, from Pfizer. Since then, it has become an industry giant, assembling an array of celebrity-backed fragrances, as well as those from well-known brands like Calvin Klein. The company gained a new level of prominence in 2012 when it unsuccessfully bid nearly $11 billion for Avon Products, a better-known but struggling rival. A nearly decade-long legal battle over the harm inflicted on tens of thousands of women by surgically implanted pelvic mesh is moving away from manufacturers and toward the lawyers who helped the women bring their cases. In recent weeks, women who received some of roughly $8 billion in settlements have sued their lawyers, accusing them of improperly enriching themselves with excessive fees or stretching themselves too thin to properly handle the pelvic mesh cases. A potential class action lawsuit filed on Monday in state court in New Jersey contends that the 40 percent fee a group of law firms charged about 1,400 clients violated state law, which caps fees in personal injury lawsuits at about 33 percent. A separate suit filed in federal court in Houston on Thursday alleges that another group of firms took on so many cases that they missed filing deadlines for hundreds of women, potentially reducing the value of their claims against the mesh manufacturers to virtually nothing. Lawyers should know the rules, and they are supposed to follow them, said Adam Slater, a lawyer whose firm filed the potential class action in New Jersey. A lot of the problems start with firms taking on more cases than they can reasonably handle. Its employees there are 180,000 around the world have reported that customers accuse them of working for Nazis. There have been boycott threats; this month, The Boston Globe published a scathing article with the headline: I found out Nazi money is behind my favorite coffee. Should I keep drinking it? The outrage has flared without the public knowing the full extent of Mr. Reimanns Nazi convictions and without knowing the final wrenching twist: that the history of the Reimann family is one of both victim and perpetrator. The heirs carry both sides within them. In a series of interviews with The New York Times, members of the Reimann family spoke publicly for the first time about the Nazi scandal. They disclosed the story of Emilie Landeckers Jewish father, Alfred, and described how his murder has forced the clan to reckon not just with the past, but with the future. The Reimanns say they will spend some of their private fortune to honor Alfred Landeckers memory. A one-time donation of 10 million euros (about $11.3 million) will go to institutions that help former forced laborers and their families. The Reimanns are also renaming their family foundation after him and doubling its budget to an annual 25 million, while ceding control of the board to an independent council. The foundation will fund projects that honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and of Nazi terror, and there are plans to fund at least one university chair in Germany in Mr. Landeckers name. A new website for the Alfred Landecker Foundation says its mission is to educate about the Holocaust and the terrible price that is paid when intolerance and bigotry reign. It continues, The intention is to help strengthen our capacity to recognize the beginnings of such hatred and resist a repeat of such appalling events. In an interview, Mr. Harf noted that he lived in three places New York, London and Milan where nationalism and ethnic division were on the rise. For most of his long career, he said, he considered shareholder capitalism to be value neutral. No longer. In the age of Trump, Brexit and Matteo Salvini, he said, businesses can no longer pretend that they are operating in a value-free space. This is once again a time when everybody needs to take a stance, Mr. Harf said. Im very scared of whats happening. 2. A purely Aryan family business In July 1937, Albert Reimann Jr. wrote a letter to Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the SS, who would later oversee the Holocaust. Philippe Corbe almost didnt go out that night in February 2017. He had a nonstop schedule as a New York-based correspondent for the French radio station RTL, a job that required waking up in the middle of the night to appear on early-morning newscasts in France. Covering the United States presidential election and its aftermath had left him depleted, and he also had just finished a book about the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. He had written for the first time about his own struggles as a gay man growing up in Brittany, a conservative rural region in northwest France. I was not only physically but emotionally exhausted, Mr. Corbe said. He fell asleep early that evening, but not before setting an alarm for 11 p.m. Javier Miguel Cespedes, 44, was overcoming a similar reluctance about continuing his evening. After dinner with friends, something compelled him to go out for one more drink. As he stood at the bar at Industry, an unpretentious Midtown Manhattan gay bar that draws an international crowd, he noticed a man still wearing his winter coat and silently admired his elegant profile. Mr. Corbe had noticed Mr. Cespedes, too, and had worried that if he stepped away to check his coat, someone else would take his spot at the bar. But Mr. Corbe was too nervous to make the first move. Im not good at talking to men, Im too shy, he said. Three of the nations major drug manufacturers sued the Trump administration on Friday to block a rule that would force them to put the price of their drugs in television advertisements beginning this summer. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., by Merck, Eli Lilly and Amgen, as well as a trade group for advertisers, argues that the rule is illegal because it violates the companies First Amendment rights. It also claims that the ad disclosures, which require drug manufacturers to include the list price of any drug that costs more than $35 a month, could mislead consumers because insurers often cover the bulk of a drugs cost. We believe the new requirements may cause patients to decide not to seek treatment because of their perception that they cannot afford their medications, when in fact many patients do not pay anything near list price, Merck, whose top-selling product is the pricey cancer drug Keytruda, said in a statement. Lilly, which is one of three manufacturers of insulin under scrutiny for rising list prices said the federal government had overstepped its authority. The impetus for the lawsuit is drug prices in TV ads, but the crux of it is H.H.S. not having the authority to mandate this action, the company said in a statement, referring to the Department of Health and Human Services. WINDERMERE, FL, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- iCoreConnect Inc. (OTC: ICCT) a publicly-traded cloud-based software and technology company providing secure communication and healthcare practice management, announces its acquisition of the assets of ClariCare Inc. ClariCare is a provider of cloud-based software that helps dental offices optimize and manage the most critical functions in the practice. The ClariCare products will complement iCoreConnects growing suite of exceptional cloud-based tools for healthcare professionals, explains iCoreConnect President and CEO Robert McDermott. For example, the software reduces the time needed for staff to get up-to-speed each morning and better prepares them for the day. It also gives practitioners a faster, clearer and more accessible path to patients who need to schedule additional treatments or procedures. Getting those patients back in the door is critical for the growth of their dental practice. ClariCares co-founder, Patrick Malloy, will join the iCoreConnect team as a division president. I feel there is tremendous opportunity for dental practices to innovate, says Malloy. Were providing modern, elegant and easy to use solutions to an industry now ready to embrace enterprise solutions to help practices grow, maximize revenue potential, and delight patients. McDermott adds iCoreConnect prides itself on its suite of cloud-based services that improve productivity for dental and healthcare practices. We believe our customers will appreciate this most recent expansion of those capabilities. About iCoreConnect iCoreConnect (OTC: ICCT) is a publicly-traded cloud-based software and technology company providing secure communication and healthcare practice management. 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. All iCoreConnect healthcare industry software meets the federal governments strict laws for HIPAA-compliant communication. Its EHR software achieved certification by the federal governments Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). 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 iCoreConnects 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 are 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. Cile Spelce cspelce@icoreconnect.com For the third time, the World Health Organization declined on Friday to declare the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency, though the outbreak spread this week into neighboring Uganda and ranks as the second deadliest in history. An expert panel advising the W.H.O. advised against it because the risk of the disease spreading beyond the region remained low and declaring an emergency could have backfired. Other countries might have reacted by stopping flights to the region, closing borders or restricting travel, steps that could have damaged Congos economy. Dr. Preben Aavitsland, a Norwegian public health expert who served as the acting chairman of the emergency committee advising the W.H.O., said there was not much to be gained but potentially a lot to lose. At the same time, the committee of 10 infectious disease experts said in a statement that it was deeply disappointed that donor nations have not given as much money as the W.H.O. and affected nations need to battle the outbreak. Opponents describe tighter laws as an assault on their parental rights and religious freedom. In Washington State, opposition was so fierce that legislators managed only to eliminate exemptions based on personal beliefs, not those based on religion and only for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Parents may continue to use religious exemptions to avoid the M.M.R. vaccine, and can cite other personal or moral beliefs to avoid other childhood vaccines. We would have preferred removing the personal exemption for all vaccines, but we werent able to there was so much political pushback, said state Rep. Monica Stonier, a Democrat who also represents Vancouver. We just wanted to get something done. Opposition to vaccines has been around for almost as long as vaccines themselves. Massachusetts became the first state of many to make smallpox vaccination compulsory in the early 1800s, and in 1827 Boston became the first city to require the vaccine for school children. Nearly half of all states had vaccine requirements by the early 20th century. But they were not uniformly enforced, and some were repealed after protests. [Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.] Officials in Cambridge, Mass., sought to enforce the law during a 1902 outbreak of smallpox, and filed charges against Henning Jacobson, a resident who refused to be vaccinated because, he said, an earlier smallpox vaccination had made him and his son ill. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled in 1905 that states had the authority to make vaccinations mandatory. Today all 50 states require certain vaccinations for students attending school, with exceptions made for children who cannot tolerate them because of underlying medical conditions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that tracks vaccine legislation in the 50 states. Most states also grant exemptions for people who oppose vaccination for religious reasons, and until recently 16 states allowed exemptions based on personal, moral, philosophical or other beliefs as well, according to the N.C.S.L. Reading about the hunt for the wreck reminded me of how modern history is rife with examples of one countrys acquiring its adversaries weapons, reverse-engineering them and then using them against their creators. I recently came across the unpublished memoir of the Nazi weapons engineer Herbert Ruehlemann, who described how this dynamic played out in the late 1930s: As soon as you introduce a new weapon in war, the enemy always gets ahold of it. In this instance, he was referring to electric bomb fuzes that he had personally designed and that were dropped by German pilots during the Spanish Civil War, between 1936 and 1939. When the Nazis invaded Paris, German intelligence officers found reports indicating that French engineers had acquired these fuzes in Spain and tried to reproduce their own copies. Ruehlemann himself came to America in 1948 as part of Operation Paperclip, a secret program to locate and recruit German scientists and engineers to work in the United States following World War II. He was sent to the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, Md., to continue his work on bomb fuzes for Uncle Sam. At the same time, the end of World War II gave the Pentagon and American intelligence agencies opportunities to steal its adversaries secrets whenever and wherever possible including off the seafloor. When a Soviet submarine sank 1,560 miles northeast of Hawaii in 1968, the Navy found out about it, and observed that Soviet search-and-rescue efforts failed to locate the wreck. In 1974, the C.I.A. raised part of that sunken submarine without the Soviet Unions knowledge, using a ship called the Hughes Glomar Explorer. The vessel hovered over the wreck site and lowered a clawlike apparatus to the bottom of the ocean, grabbing onto a section of the submarines hull that was then raised into the Hughes Glomar Explorers belly. The flier advertising a near-one-acre plot of land for sale in Elmhurst, Queens, looks like a typical real estate listing. The oddly-shaped parcel that abuts the Long Island Rail Road tracks is available for $13.8 million. According to the flier, the lot is a great opportunity to capitalize on the growing demand for residential space in the neighborhood. What is not mentioned is that the site is a historical African-American burial ground. As many as 300 men and women, many of whom were former slaves, could be buried there. By the 1830s, a church and a school stood on the lot, at the heart of one of the citys first African-American communities, formed around the time New York abolished slavery in 1827. The empty lot has a murky future. For one thing, it comes with an archaeological restriction which requires the St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church, the organization associated with the human remains buried there, to be consulted before the lot can be further developed. Representatives of 90 Queens Inc., the firm which owns the land, have offered to build a 5,000-square-foot cultural space on the ground level of a five-story condominium at 47-11 90th Street, but the church has yet to give its blessing on that plan. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] It was late Thursday afternoon when the police in a suburban New Jersey town got a tip from a police department in Delaware: A man might be headed to a school there and could be armed. Within minutes, police officers in Westfield, N.J., about an hour west of New York City, arrived at the building, Tamaques Elementary School, and discovered a man in a sport utility vehicle in the parking lot. He was armed with a .45-caliber handgun loaded with hollow point bullets and had 130 rounds of ammunition in the trunk. The school was placed on lockdown and the man, Thomas J. Wilkie, 46, of Bear, Del., was arrested. The authorities said his intentions were unclear. A group of gang members armed with machetes and knives. A teenager hunted down and dragged from a New York City bodega, then swarmed by attackers outside. The vicious murder in June of Lesandro Guzman-Feliz just blocks from his Bronx home drew outrage from across the city and beyond. The incident revealed the barbaric tactics of a gang called the Trinitarios, and it laid bare a glaring paradox: Amid historically low crime rates in New York, police are still struggling to contain brutal violence in some neighborhoods. The footage went viral and with it, rumor and speculation about why the 15-year-old boy known as Junior was singled out. We obtained footage from multiple security cameras and cellphones. We talked to police sources, family members and other witnesses. Our investigation retraces Juniors last steps and uncovers new details that may answer why he was targeted. Its Wednesday, June 20. Junior is on summer break from school. Hes at home with his mother. At 10:05 p.m., security footage shows Junior leaving home to meet his friend Jason Velez at this corner. They hang out on a stoop close by, chatting and listening to hip-hop, according to Jason. At around 11:30, Junior leaves, and two minutes later security cameras catch him on this corner passing near his home. He was walking toward Adams Place, a small street about five minutes away thats known for gang activity. Friends and family told us that Junior wasnt in a gang and the police have no such indication, either. But some of his friends were, and he had been hanging out with them at Adams Place recently. On his way there, Junior was in touch with this friend, who lives on Adams Place and who, according to our reporting, is not in a gang, either. The friend says he told Junior not to come over because it was late. At 11:35, a security camera films four cars driving slowly past the stoop where Juniors friend and some others were sitting. The friend says they felt things were getting dicey and went inside. The cars briefly stop at this intersection, and then turn left in the direction of Juniors path. According to police, the drivers spot Junior and taunt him. Junior begins to run and the cars give chase. The cars then split up and appear to surround him. Its 11:37. Junior rushes into this bodega just one block from his home. In a panic, he tries to hide behind the counter. But its too late. One man, identified by prosecutors as Jose Tavarez, enters the bodega and spots Junior. Hes been charged with these crimes. He leaves and immediately three other men enter. Police have identified them as: Danel Fernandez, Kevin Alvarez, and Michael Sosa Reyes, who has not been charged in relation to Juniors killing. Parked outside the bodega are the cars that chased Junior. At least eight other men are on the lookout some, armed with knives. A warning: These next scenes are hard to watch, and weve obscured some graphic parts. Junior and the bodega owner appear to have an exchange with Kevin Alvarez before Junior is grabbed and beaten on the ground. Then hes dragged from the bodega and brutally stabbed by a swarm of attackers. According to prosecutors, Jose Muniz first hacks Junior with a machete. Then, Elvin Garcia, who police say is seen here wearing a mask. Manuel Rivera is accused of repeatedly stabbing Junior. Antonio Santiago is seen here from this other angle. Prosecutors say that Jonaiki Martinez gave the fatal stab, slashing Juniors neck. Five other people have been arrested and accused of involvement in the crime. All of the men charged have pleaded not guilty. Its 11:39. Junior stumbles back into the bodega, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. But the owner appears to direct him away. Junior gestures for someone to call 911. Then he starts running to St. Barnabas Hospital, just one block away. He makes it to the entrance of the hospital before collapsing. Passersby try to help. Witnesses say these two police officers stood by watching the scene. They are under investigation for failing to help. Just 20 minutes later, Junior is pronounced dead as a result of a stab wound to the neck. How Junior was killed follows a pattern of attacks by Trinitarios, a Dominican gang that was born in New York prisons. In recent months, turf wars have spiked among rival Trinitario factions. At least 10 other people have been maimed this summer in tit-for-tat attacks in the Bronx. Just two days before Junior was killed, a 14-year-old was seriously injured in this attack. And on the night before Juniors murder, he had witnessed another stabbing at Adams Place. Juniors friend, a Trinitario, had been attacked by a rival faction and allegedly turned to Junior for help. Is that why Junior was targeted? We dont know. But a leading police theory is the attackers mistakenly believed Junior was in a rival gang. What we do know is that for Junior like many teenagers growing up in gang-afflicted areas theres a fine line between hanging out on the streets and getting caught up in deadly violence. On a Sunday afternoon in May, in a rented theater on the Brooklyn waterfront, a group of 12 women in black sequin cocktail dresses stood in a confused clump at the center of the stage, awaiting instruction. After eight months of preparation, this was the last dress rehearsal for the beauty pageant that night. It was not going well. The women had only ever practiced the opening number a dance medley that featured sensual body rolls to the Weeknds Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey) and up-tempo shimmying to Beyonce and Ciara in backyards and rehearsal rooms, and they were having trouble adapting to the larger space. For one thing, they had to run a lot farther to grab their dogs. This is the way it was supposed to go: When Ciara sings, You know you want this yummy, yummy all in your tummy, each woman would gracefully peel away and scurry to the wings to find her dog, which she would then promenade across the stage. Sam Il-Rumi came to the United States with his parents and brothers in 1980, fleeing the occupied West Bank and settling in New York, where his father opened a pet-food store in the East Village. Sam was a young man when he arrived, and within nine years he had acquired and sold two delis in the West Village and opened his own pet-supply store on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, where he has remained the hardiest plant in the most unforgiving weather. Montague Street, once the prime shopping artery of an affluent neighborhood, has few of the sort of independent stores that people who live near it actually want. Like so many other commercial stretches of the city, it has storefronts that have been vacant for months and even years. When Sam first established himself in Brooklyn Heights, Yemeni immigrants owned many of the businesses. The narrative that followed featured the predictable story arc: Rents went up and up and up; Amazon and FreshDirect colonized our shopping habits; cellphone stores and urgent-care facilities descended. Though a few years ago he had to let workers go, Sam has persevered. At any given point in his seven-day workweek, he can be found in his store alone, or outside greeting people, familiar with everyone and everything every cocker spaniel and Maltese, husband and wife, wet-food preference, dry-food preference. Not long ago, he introduced a customer who was widowed to another regular; the two decided to marry. Over the decades that Sam developed this devoted following, he became a homeowner and raised five children one of them now works in marketing, another is now in dental school. The likelihood of a scenario like that unfolding today seems fairly slim. For the millions of immigrants who came to this country during the 20th century, entry into the merchant class was a viable and important path to prosperity. A new exhibit at the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side Immigrants Mean Business: An Enduring History of Entrepreneurship reminds us of the outfits that began in pushcarts, grew to institutions and spanned generations. Today, there are 83,000 businesses in New York owned by people who came to the city from another country. [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] ALBANY New York lawmakers on Friday passed a sweeping package of rent laws designed to dramatically enhance tenant protections and reshape the states housing landscape, after a monthslong battle that galvanized tenant activists and dealt a blow to the states powerful real estate industry. The laws signaled a seismic shift not only in the relationship between tenants and landlords, but also in the power balance of Albany, where deep-pocketed developers had long enjoyed access and influence. The pendulum is swinging, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the leader of the Senate Democratic majority, said on the floor. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the package immediately after it was passed by the State Senate and Assembly, both controlled by Democrats. HENDERSON, Nevada, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Eagle Lithium Inc. ("Blue Eagle" or the "Company") (OTCQB: BEAG) wishes to make the following statements regarding recent market activity in its common stock traded on the OTC QB marketplace: The Company became aware of certain promotional activity on its securities on June 13, 2019 upon receipt of correspondence from OTC Markets specifically related to independentlivingnews.com, it is noted however, this promotional activity coincided with recent higher than average trading volume and volatility in the Company's stock price. The Company believes that this promotion material may have had some impact on market activity and may be encouraging investors to take a position in the Company. We further advise that no one should buy or sell any shares based upon contact with any party soliciting prospective investors or making claims about the Company which has not been publicly disclosed by the Company itself in its regulatory filings which investors can find on the Securities and Exchange Commissions website at www.sec.gov and on the OTC Markets website under the Company profile at www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BEAG/overview . The Company routinely responds to inquiries from shareholders, potential investors, investment analysts, and journalists on a regular basis and has met journalists on site to fully show the scope of the property. However, to the Company's knowledge, neither the Company, nor any of its officers, directors, or any controlling shareholders have directly been involved with the creation or distribution of promotional newsletters that make exaggerated or misleading claims related to the Company and its securities. Since October 1, 2018, the Company has engaged Dresner Corporate Services on an on-going retainer to provide investor relations services. This agency is a respected Investor Relations firm which is authorized to speak for the Company. Dresner does not proactively call investors and can be reached at the number or email below. The Company engaged Financial Buzz Media upon acquiring its asset in 2018, specifically for marketing purposes to generate awareness about the Company and its business, however, the Company has neither had any involvement or direction with any marketing campaigns, nor partaken in any editorial control or approval over the content of any materials generated. The Company also invites investors to receive Company communications and information including recent Company press releases and otherwise at the Investors section of the Company's website: https://ir.blueeaglelithium.com . For further information about Blue Eagle Lithium Inc, please visit www.blueeaglelithium.com . On behalf of the Board, Rupert Ireland Chief Executive Officer About Blue Eagle Lithium Corporation Blue Eagle Lithium is a publicly traded (OTCQB: BEAG) lithium exploration and development company based in Henderson, Nevada. The company is engaged in identifying, evaluating, and developing early-stage lithium exploration opportunities in North America. Blue Eagles team comprises experienced leaders that represent over 60 years of industry experience in the energy, financial, and geology fields. Blue Eagle has a 100% Working Interest in 276 placer claims in Railroad Valley, Nevada, a highly prospective green-fields lithium brine target in the heart of the Basin and Range geologic province. The staked claims, covering 5,520 acres (2233 hectares) over a large portion of Railroad Valley, are ready for the next phase of lithium exploration. Investor Relations IR TOLL-FREE: 1-877-344-BLUE INVESTOR EMAIL: IR@blueeaglelithium.com OTC QB: BEAG Blue Eagle Lithium Corp. 2831 St Rose Parkway Henderson, NV 89052 EMAIL: info@blueeaglelithium.com WEB www.blueeaglelithium.com Forward-looking Statements This news release may contain "forward-looking" statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward looking-statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include such factors as uncertainty of consumer demand for the Company's products, as well as additional risks and uncertainties that are identified and described in the Company's SEC reports. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The Company does not undertake, and it specifically disclaims, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, events or circumstances after the date of such statement. Following in Spains footsteps, in 2009, the British government issued an official apology to Alan Turing, the World War II code breaker, 57 years after he was sentenced to a chemical castration for being gay. (Mr. Turing killed himself two years later.) In his announcement, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we cant put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. The Turing apology and his subsequent pardoning in 2013 were followed a few years later by a national pardon of thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted of crimes under sexual-offense laws. Such laws, which in Britain, as in much of the English-speaking world, have traditionally applied only to men, were used in convicting some 65,000 people. In 2016, Germany announced it would make financial reparations from a fund of 30 million euros to anyone convicted under Paragraph 175, a provision in the German criminal code that was employed by the Nazi regime to force homosexuals into concentration camps and that remained on the books until 1994. A reported 140,000 people were arrested under Paragraph 175, though only about 5,000 of them were still living in 2016. The government also pledged to expunge the records of some 50,000 people jailed because of their sexual orientation. Since 2017, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand and several Australian states have issued apologies to gay and bisexual men and other members of the L.G.B.T. community convicted for consensual same-sex activities before they were decriminalized and have announced plans to expunge the records of their convictions. Canadas apology was preceded by a report written by the countrys leading gay rights organization chronicling systemic anti-gay discrimination and accompanied by a payout of $85 million to the victims of the so-called gay purge, a policy of government-sanctioned discrimination that lasted until the 1990s and that caused thousands to lose their jobs and face prosecution. Certainly, the case for gay reparation in the United States is as compelling, if not more so, than in other Western democracies. President Dwight Eisenhowers 1953 Executive Order 10450, which called for the expulsion of homosexuals from all levels of the federal government, contributed to the Lavender Scare the hunting of homosexuals throughout the federal bureaucracy, from the post office to the military to the diplomatic corps. It also ushered in decades of initiatives, court rulings and laws that demeaned and demonized homosexuals such as Anita Bryants 1977 Save Our Children Campaign, which depicted gay men as pedophiles; Bowers v. Hardwick, a 1986 Supreme Court ruling that upheld sodomy laws at a time when most democratic nations were already dismantling such laws (that ruling would not be overturned until 2003); and Dont Ask, Dont Tell, the infamous 1993 policy that allowed homosexuals to serve in the armed forces if they kept their sexual orientation a secret. That policy alone was responsible for the dismissal of some 13,000 men and women, including medical doctors, fighter pilots and Arabic translators, by the time it was revoked in 2011. But if history is any guide, gay reparation faces an uphill struggle in the United States. After all, American society is still debating the merits of reparations for slavery. Moreover, although polls reveal that the issue of gay rights no longer divides the American public, it remains salient to the Republican Party. Not surprisingly, social conservatives, who control the partys social agenda, have already attacked the idea. In 2010, the radio show host Michael Medved said that any campaign for gay reparations would fall flat because theres no evidence whatever that todays homosexuals are the heirs to a long, bitter heritage of discrimination that spans generations. He added that unlike black people, homosexuals exercise a great deal of choice about just how public they want to embrace gay identity or to claim a victims status. The reports of the attack were followed by images claiming to show damage to both vessels, including a major fire on the Front Altair. It was impossible to read the markings on the vessels in the images but users of the MarineTraffic website were able to help confirm that the ships matched the designs of the two vessels. Thats because MarineTraffic users photograph vessels and share the pictures on the website. Anyone can see them and verify if the vessel you are looking at is the one it is claimed to be. Similarly, the Sentinel Hub website publishes imagery taken by its satellites. Soon after the incident in the Gulf of Oman, an image became available showing the Front Altair on fire. With the incident confirmed, the next question was, what happened to the vessels? The United States Central Command gave one answer, publishing a statement that detailed the activity around the two vessels observed by American naval forces in the area. The statement included images of the Kokuka Courageous (my colleagues and I checked them against reference images of the ship to confirm the vessels identity) that showed a hole on one side of the ship, along with an object on the side of the hull that was described in the statement as a likely limpet mine. This article is part of David Leonhardts newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it each weekday. The main way into Hardin, a village in western Illinois, is over the Joe Page Bridge. But the rising waters of the Illinois River flooded the bridge earlier this month, forcing it to close. Now the only other way out for the villages 1,000-plus residents is to the north via tens of miles of winding, poorly paved country roads that are barely wide enough to allow a vehicle going in each direction, The Wall Street Journals Erin Ailworth wrote recently. A 20-minute drive to a grocery store will now take a few hours and it could be this way for months. Hardin is suffering from the floods of 2019. The Arkansas River, Missouri River and Mississippi River have also overflowed their banks recently, damaging homes, ruining harvests and disrupting life. A few parts of the Midwest that experts thought would flood only once every 500 years have been overrun this year. At least 30 different p laces in Iowa and Nebraska have seen record flooding. The small city of Kimmswick, Mo., had to cancel its annual Strawberry Festival, which usually draws 50,000 visitors and accounts for a major portion of the citys budget, Ailworth explained. Republican and Democratic politicians alike including the states former attorney general Kamala Harris, now running for president refused for years to allow advanced DNA testing in Coopers case, even though his lawyers would have paid for it. (Harris has apologized and says she now favors testing.) This summer crucial evidence from Coopers case is finally being subjected to that testing, 36 years after the murders. We may know the results by September. DNA testing accounts for many of the 165 exonerations and prison releases because of dubious evidence since 1973, by the count of the Death Penalty Information Center. Usually, though, there isnt DNA available that can be tested to determine guilt or innocence. As in the Clifford Williams case, its more murky. The crucial evidence in his conviction came from an eyewitness who may have been a pathological liar. But lets be clear: The great majority of people executed are guilty. They have frequently killed with the utmost savagery. Scotty Morrow, a black man from Georgia, indisputably committed a brutal murder in 1994. He fought with his ex-girlfriend, Barbara Ann Young, and, as her 5-year-old son watched, shot her in the head and killed her. Morrow also shot dead another woman in the house, Tonya Woods, and shot a third woman, LaToya Horne, in the face. Horne was able to stagger down the road before collapsing. She suffered permanent injuries. Not surprisingly, Morrow was sentenced to die but let me throw in a bit of complexity. Morrow grew up in a violent home where he was raped and beaten as a child, and he never received mental health support to deal with his trauma; that justifies nothing but may help explain something. He desperately wanted to reconcile with Young, and when told that she had been exploiting him for money while she waited for her real man to return from prison, he just snapped, as he put it. After the murders, he prepared to commit suicide but was arrested; he then prayed daily for 25 years for the families of the women he had killed. Image An undated booking photo from the Georgia Department of Corrections shows Scotty Morrow, a death row inmate. Credit... Agence France-Presse Getty Images Rarely in my career as a prosecutor and a judge did I witness this level of remorse and acceptance of responsibility, reflected Judge Wendy Shoob, one of the judges who dealt with Morrows appeals over two decades. The only disciplinary report against him in a quarter-century in prison was for intervening in a fight to protect an inmate who was being stabbed with a shank. Several correctional officers wrote letters appealing that his life be spared. Scotty Morrow is literally the only inmate I would do this for, said a correctional officer with 16 years in law enforcement, Nathan Adkerson. Sgt. Tajuana Burns described him as just a really nice man. Lindsey Veal Jr., a mental health counselor, said Morrow actually makes the prison safer, and added: There are very few inmates I can call fully rehabilitated. But, without question, Scotty is one of them. William L. Buchanan , a psychologist who worked with Morrow, recalled that one correctional officer looked me straight in the eyes and stated to me, This is the best man in the world. Yet in the end the State of Georgia did with meticulous planning what Morrow had done impulsively in a spasm of fury. It executed him last month by lethal injection. In his last moments in the execution chamber, Morrow apologized again to the families of the women he had killed, adding to the 20 witnesses: Im truly sorry for all that happened. I hope that you all recover and have healing. Was the man strapped down on a gurney truly the same person as the enraged brute who had shot dead Young and Woods 25 years earlier? The death penalty has been applied to at least 222 crimes in the Anglo-American legal system, including marrying a Jew and stealing a rabbit. For a time in America, stealing grapes was punishable by death. So was witchcraft, as we know from the Salem trials. For centuries executions were public affairs . The last public execution in the United States was in August 1936 in Owensboro, Ky. Perhaps 20,000 people gathered to see a black man, Rainey Bethea, 22, hanged for the rape and murder of a white woman. The carnival atmosphere and hanging parties led Kentucky to ban public executions, although public lynchings continued. I knew it was her from half a block away. When my old friend moved through the crowd, I saw that she had her phone pressed to her ear, and I felt a familiar tug of loss. She and I used to talk to each other all the time from our apartments and our tiny desks at our starter jobs, on noisy streets at moments just like this. More than a decade had passed since those days, and I had no idea whod taken my place on the other end of the telephone line. Hello! we cried out, and exchanged big-hearted waves. Neither of us stopped walking. We had met in high school in New York City and remained close during college, sending letters to each others dorms and, over breaks, reuniting over dim sum on Pell Street or trawling the racks of Canal Jeans. When we returned home after graduation, we made a two-headed unit, speaking in a language of arcane in-jokes and serving as each others de facto plus-ones. We took our mothers on double dates, trotted out our romantic interests for each others scrutiny, went on vacation together. It was on one of our phone calls that our friendship came to its end though it took me a few weeks to understand that she was gone. We were chatting on our way to work when she told me she had to take another call and shed ring me right back. And then she vanished. I left voice mail messages and texts. I lamented to our mutual friends. I felt abandoned and bewildered. Perhaps she offered no explanation because she had none. That she was no longer in the mood should have been reason enough. YouTube deals in the extraordinary, and shuns the ordinary. Whether thats the everyday life of improbably rich young millionaires like Jake Paul, a high school dropout from Westlake, Ohio, or PewDiePie, a skinny, fast-talking Swede whose real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, YouTube seeks to serve a need. It does so through the algorithm YouTubes recommendation engine. Its a black box that YouTube introduced to keep us watching, but which has become a thorn in its side as the platform grows at an astronomically grand scale. YouTubes recommendation algorithm is a set of rules followed by cold, hard computer logic. It was designed by human engineers, but is then programmed into and run automatically by computers, which return recommendations, telling viewers which videos they should watch. Google Brain, an artificial intelligence research team within the company, powers those recommendations, and bases them on users prior viewing. The system is highly intelligent, accounting for variations in the way people watch their videos. Like many aspects of Google, it is also notoriously opaque. Occasionally, however, the curtain is lifted a little. In 2016, a paper by three Google employees revealed the deep neural networks behind YouTubes recommended videos, which rifle through every video weve previously watched. The algorithm then uses that information to select a few hundred videos we might like to view from the billions on the site, which are then winnowed down to dozens, which are then presented on our screens. [Welcome to our newsletter for The Daily podcast. You can listen to the latest episode of The Daily here and subscribe to our newsletter here.] This week, we aired a five-part special series, The Battle for Europe, on the state of the European Union. Producers Lynsea Garrison and Clare Toeniskoetter tell us about one of the people they met along the way: At the end of the series, you heard from Uwe Dziuballa, a Jewish restaurant owner in Chemnitz, Germany, who spoke about the fragility of democracy. But during our travels, we heard from another person whose story stuck with us. As we made our way by train from Warsaw back to Berlin, we were sitting in a small, six-person train car when an attendant opened the door. She said something to us in Polish. We had no idea what she was saying. But a man sitting across the aisle from us helped translate helped us get a coffee. And we struck up a conversation with him. Hed overheard us talking, and was interested in our series on nationalism and populism. Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. What is it like to have been a Marine in Afghanistan and returned there as a journalist? Thats a question I get asked a lot. I never really have an answer. The 20-year-old and 22-year-old versions of myself who deployed to Helmand Province in 2008 and 2009 as an enlisted Marine infantryman were just that, different versions. A decade later, whats left of them are two old journals and an entry left behind from my first deployment that I recall quite often. I think its the end of Day 20 out here, I wrote in early May 2008. Its hard to explain this place, and I feel its going to take the rest of my life to figure out what happened here. Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. News may be the first draft of history, but Ive always viewed the past as a vault, ajar and beckoning with secrets that resonate in current events. Thats how I managed a front-page story on the quadricentennial of Henry Hudsons visit to what became his namesake river in 1609. I discovered not only that the first known murder in New York was recorded in the ships log, but also that the case against the accused killer amounted to an early example of racial profiling (he was an Indian ). In the account I quoted, the suspect was never identified by name. The victim was barely mentioned. Last week, I wrote another article about a previously unreported death. This time, the subject had died only seven years ago. But his obituary became front page news on Sunday for several reasons: he had died of natural causes, which, given his volcanic lifestyle , was anomalous; he had been prominent for years, yet died unnoticed; and his name was Nicky Barnes. If my father had a penny for every mannequin he owned, he would be three cents richer than most, barring those who deal in fashion or fetish. The three lifeless forms that comprise his collection live parallel to the three humans that constitute his real life: my mother, my brother and me. The first two mannequins came to live with us when I was a teenager. Returning from school one day to our house in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York, I entered through the garage as I always did, kicked off my shoes at the threshold and opened the door to our basement. After my eyes adjusted to the dark, I stopped in my tracks. Who was standing in front of our basement TV? Guests? No. There was something uncanny in their stillness. I didnt ask about them because I didnt need to. At 16, I was used to my fathers eccentricities. A German immigrant who arrived in New York at 30, he met my gentle, Iranian-born mother at a New Jersey pool party. Their marriage is a strange mix of personalities and cultures but has endured, thanks in part to separate bedrooms. Minutes after I had shed my backpack, my father poked his head into my bedroom and grinned: Did you see them? Frontline Ltd. (the "Company" or "Frontline") (NYSE: FRO) today provides an update on the LR2 tanker Front Altair. On the morning of June 13, at approximately 0500 hrs gmt, an explosion occurred on the Front Altair shortly after the vessel had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Most importantly, the 23 crew members onboard the Front Altair are unharmed after being rescued by the cargo vessel Hyundai Dubai and subsequently carried by an Iranian naval vessel to the port city of Jask. We commend our highly-trained crew, the vessel master and ship managers, for following protocol and operating according to the highest standard during this distressing and very serious incident. Frontline is profoundly grateful to all parties who have contributed to ensuring the safety of our colleagues. Frontline was able to deploy emergency responders in a timely manner, who extinguished fire on the vessel within hours of the incident and ensured no pollution resulted. Contrary to media reports, the vessel remains afloat and is being attended to by a salvage vessel. The Company's modern vessels are designed to withstand catastrophic events in order to ensure the safety of crew and cargo. A rescue tug equipped with towing capability reached the Front Altair at noon on June 14 and two further support vessels will arrive on scene on June 15 with a specialist team to inspect the tanker and make recommendations. The cause of the explosion remains unknown to the Company, although we have ruled out the possibility that it was caused by mechanical or human error. The incident will be thoroughly investigated by the Company along with third parties, including governmental officials, to determine the cause. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most densely trafficked sea routes in the world and serves as the passageway for greater than 25% of the world's seaborne crude oil. As geopolitical tensions rise in the Persian Gulf, the Company is intensely focused on the safety of our colleagues in this region. Until further information is received regarding the cause of the explosion and the security of this important shipping lane is secured, Frontline will exercise extreme caution when considering new contracts in the region and the Company will consider all possible measures to insure the safety of our vessels currently operating in the area. The Company is consulting with regional security experts to ensure the safety of our crew, our vessels and our cargo. KOLKATA, India Mohammad Salim, a Rohingya Muslim refugee, thought he had left genocidal violence and Facebook vitriol behind when he fled his native country, Myanmar, in 2013. But lately, his new home, Indias West Bengal state, has not felt much safer. And once again, Facebook is a big part of the problem. During Indias recent national elections, Mr. Salim said, he saw Facebook posts that falsely accused Rohingya Muslims of cannibalism go viral, along with posts that threatened to burn their homes if they did not leave India. Some Hindu nationalists called the Rohingya terrorists and shared videos on the social network in which the leader of Indias governing Bharatiya Janata Party vowed to expel the minority group and other Muslim termites. A week ago, new posts popped up falsely accusing the Rohingya of killing B.J.P. workers in West Bengal. Many groups demonized us on Facebook and WhatsApp, and they succeeded in whipping up a strong anti-Rohingya passion in the state, Mr. Salim, 29, said in a recent interview in a village near Kolkata, West Bengals capital. Each week, we review the weeks news, offering analysis about the most important developments in the tech industry. Want this newsletter in your inbox? Sign up here. Hi, were Jim Kerstetter and Pui-Wing Tam, tech editors filling in for Jamie Condliffe while hes on a much-deserved vacation. Heres a look at the weeks tech news: After years of not paying much attention, regulators and legislators in Washington from both parties appear very interested in curbing Big Techs influence. Theyll have plenty of people offering opinions on what they should do, as our colleagues Jack Nicas and Karen Weise reported. Karen and Jack went deep into the many, many other industries ready to complain about Big Tech, from retailers to musicians. So what have big tech companies like Google done to upset so many people? Take your pick. A noodle restaurant in Harlem complains that Google shows ads for food-delivery apps on the companys listing in search results that hurt its business. The delivery services charge the restaurant a fee, cutting into already thin profit margins. Other small businesses have lodged similar complaints. Big tech companies like the software giant Oracle, on the other hand, say Google competes unfairly in the advertising business, where it is dominant. Its important to note that the two have been involved for years in an intellectual property fight, with billions of dollars at stake. PALO ALTO, Calif. It has been almost two decades since Google started to dominate internet search the way Microsoft dominated software for personal computers a generation earlier. Now computer scientists at Stanford University are warning about the consequences of a race to control what they believe will be the next key consumer technology market virtual assistants like Amazons Alexa and Google Assistant. The group at Stanford, led by Monica Lam, a computer systems designer, last month received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is for an internet service they hope will serve as a Switzerland of sorts for systems that use human language to control computers, smartphones and internet devices in homes and offices. The researchers biggest concern is that virtual assistants, as they are designed today, could have a far greater impact on consumer information than todays websites and apps. Putting that information in the hands of one big company or a tiny clique, they say, could erase what is left of online privacy. [tense music] WOMAN: Hey Buddy. Are you happy, happy? CAITLIN: This is Constantin Mutu. Five months of his life were documented through these images. At just four months old he was taken from his father at the United States Border, making him the youngest child to be separated by the Trump Administration. But there were thousands of children separated like him. All right, thanks for calling back. My name is Caitlin Dickerson. Im a national immigration reporter for The New York Times. And you need that to give credence to the report, right? Constantins separation took place at the same time I was reporting on family separations at the US border. Im going to tell you how my reporting helped to uncover one of the Trump Administrations most contentious policies. [baby cooing] And how that policy altered one infants life. Even before Constantin was born, the plans that would come to upend his life were already in motion. WOMAN: The fears are growing in the face of President Trumps plans to step up immigration law enforcement. CAITLIN: A new administration had set its sights on the southern US border calling the situation a threat to national security. JEFF SESSIONS: They are violating the law and they need to be prosecuted. CAITLIN: The number of people seeking asylum was increasing. That included families who would not ultimately qualify to stay. MAN: Are department of Homeland Security personnel gonna separate the children from their moms and dads? JEFF: Wewe have tremendous... CAITLIN: So Trump officials were working on an aggressive plan to stop people from crossing the border. - Yes, I am considering in order to deter, uh, more movement along this terribly dangerous network... CAITLIN: One idea was to separate children from their families. - Exactly that. CAITLIN: After a backlash, the administration publicly retreated from the idea. But soon after I got a tip that it was still moving forward behind closed doors. Sources said the White House favored the policy and plans were being drafted to separate families, and to justify the separations legally. That was when we published our first story on separations. Meanwhile, thousands of miles from Washington Constantins family was making their own plans to come to the United States. 276 is what were looking for. Vasile? - Yes. - Im Caitlin. Hi. - Hi. CAITLIN: Id first come across the mention of a four-month-old baby in court documents. CAITLIN: I was struck by his age and quickly confirmed he was the youngest separated child. CAITLIN: So I started searching for him and his family. CAITLIN: Constantin was from Romania. The vast majority of people affected by this policy were from Central America... but Constantins experience reflects the stories of thousands of families, from El Salvador, to Mexico, to Romania. CAITLIN: The Mutus live at the far end of a village in a shared family home. Constantins parents, Vasile and Florentina, got married when they were teenagers. CAITLIN: The Mutus are Roma, which means theyre part of a community that has long faced discrimination in many parts of the world. CAITLIN: They said their children were harassed in school and that they struggled to find jobs and receive treatment when they went to the hospital. CAITLIN: Vasile and Florentina told me that, like many Roma, their families had taken odd jobs and often begged for money across Europe to support themselves. The Mutus knew other people in their community who had claimed asylum in the United States, so they made plans to do the same. CAITLIN: They decided to travel with Constantin and his four-year-old brother. Their older children would join them later. The flew to Mexico on February 8th, 2018, and boarded a bus to the US border. Right before they arrived, the bus accidentally left Florentina and their older son behind at a rest stop. Vasile was alone with Constantin. He couldnt reach Florentina so he decided to cross the bridge into Brownsville, Texas, a legal port of entry, and wait for his wife. CAITLIN: For several hours, he waited with Constantin with no understanding of the political context hed just walked into. CAITLIN: Vasile says that border patrol agents didnt explain why they were taking Constantin, or where he was going. CAITLIN: After Vasile and his son were separated, Constantin was placed in the care of the US Government. At four months old, he was served this notice to appear before an immigration judge. Three days later, government workers flew him here to western Michigan. [tense music] Do you remember the first time you heard about Constantin? - Yes, there was just a lot of surprise and skepticism. Everyone trying to figure out, like, how who is bringing this infant, how are we going to get him here, weve never had a kid this young, and so that was... CAITLIN: Ana Devereaux and Camila Trefftz work with a legal aid organization that typically represents kids who cross the border without their parents. What did you guys know about family separation... But in the months before Constantin arrived, they began to see children who had crossed with a parent, but then were separated. - Five to seven-year-olds that were coming, um, that would tell us, I was separated from my parent. We were seeing it more and more consistently without really understanding what the trends were or why it was happening. CAITLIN: Like a lot of these kids, Constantin arrived in Michigan with no information about where his parents were or how to contact them. An entire team began to work on his case. - I think the age gave all of us a sense of urgency of trying to figure out what was going on. CAITLIN: Florentina decided that it wasnt safe to cross the border, so she returned to Romania. Meanwhile, Vasile was detained in Texas. He had past convictions for fraud, one that involved robbery, but its not clear if thats how officials justified separating him from Constantin. For nearly two weeks, Vasile and Florentina didnt know where their baby was. CAITLIN: Vasile was provided almost no translation services at the detention center. He withdrew his asylum application thinking that it would help him get Constantin back more quickly. Instead, he spent the next four months in detention. CAITLIN: The same month that Constantin arrived in Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union told me that they were about to file a lawsuit on behalf of a mother who had been separated from her seven-year-old daughter. This woman became known as Ms. L. And her lawsuit eventually became a class action on behalf of all separated parents. And what happened after you filed the lawsuit? - So, when we filed the national class action we had Ms. L but we also had affidavits from a number of other parents describing what happened to them in vivid detail and what we were hearing was that family separation was increasing. CAITLIN: Officials continued to deny that they were separating families. But then I learned of an internal government document. A list of separated children created to help find their parents within the federal system. A government spokesperson first denied the list was accurate, but several inside sources told me that it was. Ultimately, officials confirmed the document for the record... and we published our story. At that point, the list had more than 700 names. Lee: The first question from the judge was, Is the New York Times report correct that there are now 700 families separated? I think it really got the judges attention, because he then recognized the Ms. L situation was not a one off, it wasnt a handful of cases, that we were looking at a potential humanitarian crisis here. - I have put in place zero-tolerance policy... CAITLIN: It took another two weeks before then Attorney General Jeff Sessions made this announcement. - If you cross the border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you. If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child may be separated from you as required by law. CAITLIN: The country would soon find out what this meant. [tense music] CAITLIN: As Trumps zero-tolerance policy went into effect, hundreds more children were funneled into government custody. Some went into mass shelters while some of the youngest and most vulnerable were placed in foster homes. Constantin was placed in the care of a Michigan family who after months of negotiation agreed to speak with us. [baby crying] WOMAN: Oh, yeah. He would do new sounds. They only do it for a short amount of time so you want his mom to be able to hear that. - And what do you remember of the first time that you met him? - He was all bundled up and it was nighttime so, the next morning our girls wanted to see him. So they crept into his room and were like, [gasping] Look at him! - And what did he... For security reasons foster families are generally barred from talking to the media. We agreed not to reveal this familys identity so they could speak about Constantin. MAN: Different things go through you mind. You dont know what his personality will be like. WOMAN: Even four-month-old babies, you have to get to know them. MAN: That looks like an earlier picture, too. WOMAN: He doesnt have his curls yet. CAITLIN: His hair got curly at some point? WOMAN: Yeah, yeah. I think for me, every time Constantin would... you know, like he started sitting up or he started to feed himself or, you know, when he started to really, like, interact. Um... I would always think, it breaks my heart that his mom is missing this moment. [somber music] MAN: The hard part about taking care of him was knowing that he wasnt being taken care of by the people that took such good care of him before he came to see us. WOMAN: You know, he has a loving family in... WOMAN: Baby! WOMAN: Baby! CAITLIN: Constantin was growing up with another family across the world. WOMAN: Baby! - [giggling] CAITLIN: And as their bond grew... a chaotic political moment unfolded around all of them. Families arriving at the border now faced a new directive. The numbers of separated children were growing. Parents would end up thousands of miles apart from their children with no way of communicating. CAMILA: We were trying to find parents, trying to contact detention facilities, meeting with kids and having them sob uncontrollably in our offices. SCOTT: Parents are in ICE adult detention trying to find their children, and theres no process for putting them back together. Nobody at ICE has the phone number of the shelter that the kids have been sent to. CAITLIN: Scott Shuchart worked in the Department of Homeland Security Civil Rights Office at the time. His team was processing hundreds of complaints a month, but even they were in the dark about how to track these families. - We were trying to sound the alarm that was happening under zero-tolerance had major legal and constitutional problems. [angry chanting] MAN: Across the country, outrage is building. CAITLIN: That summer, family separation grabbed the countrys attention. MAN: What kind of nation puts children in cages? CAITLIN: Then the news organization ProPublica released this audio from inside a federal detention center. [children crying] - Well, good afternoon. It is my pleasure to be here. CAITLIN: After months of contradicting statements from the administration, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen gave an official explanation. So in the last three months we have seen illegal immigration on our southern border exceed 50,000 people each month, and a 435% increase in family units entering the country illegally. As long illegal entry remains a criminal offense, DHS will not look the other way. CAITLIN: Illegal entry is a crime, but its a low level offense that was rarely enforced against asylum seekers. Especially families. The Trump Administration changed that by ramping up prosecutions against more people, including those traveling with kids. Children cant be held in jails, so they were separated from their parents. But even some families who crossed the border legally were separated, like Vasile and Constantin. REPORTER: Are you intending for parents to be separated from their children? Are you intending to send a message? - II find that offensive. No, because why would I ever create a policy that purposely does that? - Its not a policy change to enforce the law. Thats beenthats been this administrations policy since the day we got here. - I think it was just overwhelming to people that what we were working on was a policy where people had decided that hurting children was a way to achieve a general immigration policy goal. [tense music] CAITLIN: Then two things happened in less than a week. - Well, thank you very much. Were signing an executive order. CAITLIN: In Washington, President Trump bowed to pressure by signing an executive order halting family separations. He tried to place the blame on Congress for a practice that his own administration had put into place. And in San Diego, the federal judge in the Ms. L lawsuit not only ruled that the separations were unconstitutional, but also that the families had to be reunited under tight deadlines. WOMAN REPORTER: Overnight, a federal judge ordering the government to reunite... MALE REPORTER: Families need to be reunited within 30 days. - The legal standard is, does it shock the conscience uh, to do what the government did here, and the court held that it did. CAITLIN: But this was just the beginning of a long process for these families. WOMAN: Come on. CAITLIN: Despite the court order to reunite families as quickly as possible... WOMAN: Constantin. CAITLIN: Government lawyers halted Constantins departure from the US. [tense music] After four months of being detained, Vasile was allowed to return to Romania, but without Constantin. CAITLIN: As the Mutus waited, so did hundreds of other families. REPORTER: More than 2,000 children, HHS says, are still separated from their parents. CAITLIN: These government photos provided some of the few glimpses the public had into the mass shelters where children were being held. REPORTER: Were learning that so many of these children arent even by the border anymore. REPORTER: It is still not clear, though if, when, or how they will be reunited. CAITLIN: When the judge ordered the government to reunite the families, it became clear that there was no plan. - I think thats when everybody realized how defective the record keeping had been. Right? There was a kind of mad scramble to go through records, thousands of records, by hand to try to identify who went with whom. REPORTER: There are still more than 2,000 children who have not been reunited. Some parents have already been deported. CAITLIN: I got a tip from an inside source that helped to explain why. In processing the separations, border agents had deleted identification numbers that could have been used to track families. And hundreds of parents had already been deported without their kids. We published this story in early July. LEE: And thats when the judge said, I want to have a hearing virtually every two days for the next two weeks. So I think the judge, to his wisdom, recognized, Im gonna need to stay on the government because theyre just not gonna to do it. CAITLIN: Constantins day of reunification finally came. He was nine months old and hed spent the majority of his life in government custody. PILOT: We shortly be departing. Please take your seat, fasten and adjust your seatbelt. CAITLIN: Along with a case worker and two immigration officials, his foster mother flew him to Romania to return him to his parents. WOMAN: I remember just, him like, nuzzling his head up under my chin. Like, I knew in the next hour he was gonna be gone. WOMAN: We were by the luggage carousel and all of a sudden they said, The family is here! And his mom was coming and so she came and I... handed her her son. WOMAN: It was really hard. Constantin was reaching for me, and I ended up hiding behind the immigration officers. So I was out of view so she could just have time with her son. But I just stood behind the immigration officers and cried. [dogs barking] [upbeat music] [speaking Romanian] VASILE: Ahh. Ohh. [speaking Romanian] Bravo. [baby crying] CAITLIN: The government denied our request for an interview or comment on Constantins case. CAITLIN: More than 2,500 families were reunited as a result of the Ms. L lawsuit. But then came a new government report suggesting that thousands more families may have been separated. The process of reunification for those families remains unclear. And in fact, family separations are still sometimes happening at the border, and theres little transparency about how the cases of these families are being handled. - What was so disturbing about this was that the scale of harm was so out of proportion to what the stated policy aims were. SINGERS: If youre very, very happy, clap your hands [clap, clap] [tense music] WOMAN: If you met one of these children, if you knew their story, if you knew a fraction of what theyve gone through, like, all this uproar and fighting and turning all these children into numbers instead of people, that would fall away. If youif you just knew, like, one of these kids. [somber music] [percussive music] Even the best behaved child may not be able to patiently wait in the long lines of the Louvre. Luckily, Paris and its surrounding region also have some 200 other museums, many of which cater happily to young travelers and their families. At this selection of five museums, children and adults can ride antique carousels, attend musical performances and watch magic shows. With the benefit of being a bit off-the-beaten tourist path, more French will be heard and visitors might feel a sense of satisfaction knowing they have arrived at a place that native Parisians also enjoy. Museum National dHistoire Naturelle National Museum of Natural History Edwin Kosik, a federal judge who sentenced two corrupt judges to lengthy prison terms for their role in a notorious Pennsylvania juvenile justice scandal, died on Thursday at a care facility outside of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He was 94. The death was confirmed by his son, Michael Kosik. Judge Kosik, who served on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, ruled in a 2009 case that many national news outlets called kids for cash. In the case, two judges in Luzerne County, Pa. Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr. were charged with taking more than $2.6 million in kickbacks from the developer of a pair of for-profit youth detention centers in exchange for imposing unduly harsh sentences on juvenile offenders so that the centers could remain well occupied. After Cleveland police officers arrested Gregory L. Johnson in 2016 as he burned an American flag outside the Republican National Convention, Mr. Johnson sued the city, saying the officers had violated his First Amendment rights. He should know. The Supreme Court had ruled decades before that flag burning was a protected form of speech. The case was Texas v. Johnson, and the defendant was the same Gregory L. Johnson. He had doused a flag with kerosene in 1984 during the Republican convention in Dallas. This week, three decades after the court invalidated prohibitions on flag desecration in 48 states, the city of Cleveland agreed to pay Mr. Johnson $225,000 to settle his claim that officers had retaliated against him for an exercise of free expression. Mr. Johnson, 63, said in his lawsuit that officers had used fire extinguishers to put out the burning flag and pushed him to the ground during the protest outside the convention hall in July 2016. He was charged with misdemeanor assault after two people claimed they had been burned in the incident. The charges were later dropped, and a judge dismissed charges against 15 other people arrested at the protest. [Sign up for our politics newsletter and join the conversation around the 2020 presidential race.] DES MOINES It was hot at the Capital City Pride Fest. Bodies glistening with sweat, dunk-tank-envy hot. But there people stood, draped with rainbow flags, wearing them like capes. Gathering on the street. Listening in the shade to Democratic presidential candidates who had come to win their support. Among the revelers was Mook Bascomb , 37, who had come to celebrate Pride with his family. Im still assessing, he said when asked about the 2020 race. I dont have cable at home. I have no idea which way Im going, but I know Im a Democrat. As the Trump administration seeks to limit protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, the Pride celebration was an opportunity eight months before the Iowa caucuses for the candidates to denounce President Trump and to show their support for L.G.B.T. people. One after another, they took the mic on the sun-baked plaza by the Statehouse. WASHINGTON Extensive work was well underway on a new $20 bill bearing the image of Harriet Tubman when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that the design of the note would be delayed for technical reasons by six years and might not include the former slave and abolitionist. Many Americans were deeply disappointed with the delay of the bill, which was to be the first to bear the face of an African-American. The change would push completion of the imagery past President Trumps time in office, even if he wins a second term, stirring speculation that Mr. Trump had intervened to keep his favorite president, Andrew Jackson, a fellow populist, on the front of the note. But Mr. Mnuchin, testifying before Congress, said new security features under development made the 2020 design deadline set by the Obama administration impossible to meet, so he punted Tubmans fate to a future Treasury secretary. In fact, work on the new $20 note began before Mr. Trump took office, and the basic design already on paper most likely could have satisfied the goal of unveiling a note bearing Tubmans likeness on next years centennial of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. An image of a new $20 bill, produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and obtained by The New York Times from a former Treasury Department official, depicts Tubman in a dark coat with a wide collar and a white scarf. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (Emerald) (TSXV: EMH; OTCQX: EMHTF) is pleased that today the Government of Canada released the final regulatory framework for ingestibles and edibles. The clarity of the final regulatory framework provides is important for Emerald in bringing our new product categories such as vape pens, ingestibles and edibles to market, said Allan Rewak, VP Communications and Stakeholder Relations. We applaud the government for providing this certainty today. The regulatory framework announced by Health Canada prohibits product forms that could be appealing to children and youth, combine alcohol or nicotine with cannabis and restrict production of infused cannabis products to dedicated licenced cannabis facilities approved by Health Canada. We see todays announcement as a positive step forward and a validation of our plan, said Dr. Avtar Dhillon, Emeralds Executive Chairman and President. In anticipation of the restrictions placed on production for infused cannabis products, we worked with our strategic partner the Factors Group to fully segment their Kelowna plant into a separate processing facility. As a result of this early action, I am pleased to say that the Factors Group is working to complete construction in the near term, with the final evidence package to be submitted to Health Canada shortly thereafter. Emeralds partnership with the Factors Group is anticipated to greatly assist the Company in overcoming processing bottlenecks in the Canadian marketplace for extraction and ingestible processing due to the restrictions on allowable production facilities. Once fully operational, the Factors Group will be capable of converting up to 1 million kg of biomass into value added products, beginning with soft-gels. The regulations announced today will come into force on October 17th, 2019, which when combined with the statutory 60-day notification period for new product forms, will allow Emerald to introduce new ingestible product categories to market in the December January timeframe. About Emerald Health Therapeutics Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. is a Canadian licensed producer of cannabis. Its 50%-owned Pure Sunfarms joint venture in BC is licensed and fully planted in the first of its two 1.1 million square foot greenhouses. The capacity of each greenhouse is estimated to exceed 75,000 kg of cannabis annually. Emeralds Verdelite operation in Saint Eustache, Quebec is completing the build-out of its 88,000 square foot indoor cultivation facility and is scaling up production. Emerald has contracted for approximately 1,200 acres of hemp in 2019 to 2022 with the objective of extracting low-cost cannabidiol. Emerald has secured exclusive strategic partnerships for large scale extraction and softgel encapsulation, as well as for proprietary technology to enhance cannabinoid bioavailability. Its team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development, large-scale agri-business, and marketing, and is focused on developing proprietary, value-added cannabis products for medical and adult-use customers. Emerald is part of the Emerald Group , which represents a broad array of companies focused on developing pharmaceutical, botanical, and nutraceutical products aimed at providing wellness and medical benefits by interacting with the human bodys endocannabinoid system. Please visit www.emeraldhealth.ca for more information or contact: Rob Hill, Chief Financial Officer (800) 757 3536 Ext. # 5 Emerald Media Relations Allan Rewak (647) 206-1231 arewak@emeraldhealth.ca Emerald Investor Relations (800) 757 3536 Ext. #5 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 Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include projected job creation figures at our operating facilities; production and processing capacity of various facilities; expansion of facilities; and anticipated production costs. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties related to, among other things, failure to obtain regulatory approvals; failure to obtain necessary financing; results of production and sale activities; results of scientific research; regulatory changes; changes in prices and costs of inputs; demand for labour; demand for products; as well as the risk factors described in the Companys annual information form and other regulatory filings. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our expectations as of the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are presented for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to obtain a better understanding of our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company undertakes no obligations to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur, unless required by applicable law. Updated June 20, 2019 WASHINGTON Irans shooting down of an American surveillance drone on Thursday and the attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week have again sent the United States and Iran, two longtime adversaries, hurtling toward potential crisis. The challenges are diplomatic and economic as well as military. But that course was set a year ago, foreign policy experts say, when President Trump, enforcing his maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, withdrew the United States from an Obama-era agreement meant to rein in Irans nuclear ambitions. Iran was getting repeatedly punched in the face by the Trump administration, and theyve been warning for months there will be consequences, said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Iranian economy has long been riddled by endemic mismanagement, corruption, cronyism, and brain drain. Sanctions makes all these problems worse. Heres a look at how the United States turned up the pressure on Iran. WASHINGTON The roadside bomb that disabled an American vehicle in Niger last week was rudimentary and harmed no one, but its location roughly 70 miles into the countrys interior and minutes from an American Army outpost was unusual and alarming, military officials said. The strike was the latest in a string of attacks carried out by Islamic State affiliates using roadside bombs in Niger that have, until now, mostly targeted Nigerien forces. No extremist group claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurred on the outskirts of the small town of Oullam. The blasts proximity to American troops has increased concerns about the growing threat of improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.s, that have long defined American conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bomb used on June 8, according to a military official, was activated by a weatherproofed pressure plate and wired to an 81 millimeter mortar projectile, which exploded, causing a main charge of nearly a dozen 60 millimeter mortar rounds to detonate. The explosives were buried roughly three feet underground and positioned at a key choke point on a road that led to a shooting range frequented by American, Canadian and Nigerien troops. When explosions crippled two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on June 13, the incident immediately heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran and raised alarms about the security of a vital passageway for a third of the worlds petroleum. The U.S. blamed Iran for unprovoked attacks on the ship. present a clear threat. Iran said American officials were warmongering. The main evidence the U.S. has presented to the public to support its claim are these photos and this surveillance footage taken several hours after the attack on one of the tankers. The footage has significant gaps, cuts out at key moments and zooms in and out. It does not depict a single sequence of events or an explosive being planted. Days later, the U.S. released new images to back up its claim. They dont show definitively who is responsible for the attacks. But heres what the images do show us. First, the tanker: We can confirm that this tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, is the same ship that was approached by the Iranian vessel. These distinctive features match. And shipping data confirms it was 20 miles off the coast of Iran when it was attacked. Next, the patrol boat, which does appear to be Iranian. It matches the model and dimensions of patrol boats used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy. The chevron pattern on the bow of the boat matches, and so does the center console. And they both have antiaircraft guns. An Iranian source familiar with the countrys military operations told us that this clearer picture of the same patrol boat does show an I.R.G.C. vessel. And the incident occurred in Irans area of responsibility. Last, the alleged mine: A U.S. Navy ship took this photograph before the Iranian patrol appeared. It shows damage to the ship and what appears to be an object protruding from the hull. The new images released by the U.S. Defense Department appear to show the outline of a limpet mine similar to this mine design on the right. The dimensions of the mine match. These markings match clasps used to attach the mine to the tanker and this remnant matches the size and design of those clasps. Weapons experts say this could resemble limpet mines that are available to Iran, but theres still no conclusive proof that they are Iranian. So it appears that an Iranian boat did remove a limpet mine from the ships hull. But importantly, the pictures released by the U.S. lack the crucial piece of evidence: The moment the mine was placed. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that President Trump wants to avoid war. President Trump does not want war. We will continue to communicate that message while doing the things that are necessary to protect American interests in the region. Even still, the Defense Department decided to send 1,000 additional troops to the region in response. But as U.S.-Iran relations continue to crumble, this slim waterway will remain a hotbed of tension. WASHINGTON The Justice Department on Friday backed a decision by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to defy a request from Congress for President Trumps tax returns on the basis that it lacked legitimate legislative purpose. The department issued a 33-page memo, dated Thursday, that came as House Democrats were preparing a lawsuit as the next step in their effort to gain access to Mr. Trumps returns. Mr. Mnuchin defied requests made in April and May by the House Ways and Means Committee and refused to comply with a subpoena, setting up a legal battle between the two branches of government. House Democrats are trying to obtain six years of Mr. Trumps personal and business tax returns using an obscure provision of the tax code that allows congressional tax-writing committees to get the returns of any taxpayer. The memo, written by Steven A. Engel, the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, argued that House Democrats, led by Representative Richard E. Neal of Massachusetts, made the request for political purposes with the intention of releasing Mr. Trumps tax returns. It cast doubt about the formal rationale that the committee used for the request, which Democrats said was for the purpose of examining how the Internal Revenue Service audits presidential tax returns. A new prosecutor was appointed to review the case, but the statute of limitations had almost expired and she ran out of time, though she found the hairdresser extremely credible. The demise of the case was a stinging defeat for Ms. Gardner, who ran for circuit attorney in 2016, two years after nearby Ferguson, Mo., erupted in protest over a police killing. The St. Louis police force is mistrusted by many in the African-American community that makes up half the population. Ms. Gardner grew up in a black neighborhood of St. Louis in a family that owned a funeral home. After law school, she worked as a prosecutor, attended nursing school, and served as a state representative. She pledged to reduce the incarceration of minor offenders, and declined to prosecute many low-level marijuana cases. She created an exclusion list of more than two dozen officers whose credibility had been called into question, saying she would decline cases that relied on those officers. She has brought charges against more than a dozen officers, including one who was involved in a game of Russian roulette that left another officer dead. After a police officer she prosecuted for murder in the death of a 24-year-old black man was acquitted by a judge, setting off angry protests, Ms. Gardner apologized to the dead mans family and urged calm. We cannot let the naysayers and guardians of the status quo let us miss this opportunity to seek real change, she said. Her tenure got off to a turbulent start, with grumbling from progressive groups that she was slow to deliver on her agenda. Now supporters say she is facing payback for moves that unnerved the police, and for displeasure within the legal establishment that she drove out some popular longtime employees. Almost from the moment she took office, she faced this chorus of people that questioned her competence and organizational and leadership skills in a way that to me has always seemed both gendered and racialized, said Blake Strode, executive director of ArchCity Defenders, a civil rights group. Many of the power brokers who have attacked Ms. Gardner are white. NAIROBI A Kenyan lawmaker was charged with assault on Friday after a female colleague told the police that he struck her for failing to give money to his constituency, Kenyan officials and local news reports said. The man, Rashid Amin, a member of Parliament from Wajir East in northeast Kenya, was arrested late Thursday night after the accuser, Representative Fatuma Gedi, reported that she had been hit in the face so hard that she bled from the mouth, Kenyas Daily Nation newspaper reported. Ms. Gedi is a member of the budget and appropriation committee. The episode occurred in the parking lot of the Parliament buildings, she told the police. In court on Friday in Milimani, Mr. Amin denied the charge and was freed after posting bail of 50,000 shillings, or about $487. He could not be reached for comment. DEH BALA, Afghanistan Two years ago, Pentagon officials said that American forces in the remote reaches of Afghanistan could defeat the Islamic States offshoot here by the end of 2017. This month, American Special Forces in eastern Afghanistan were still fighting, with no end in sight. During a visit by a New York Times reporter to their dusty army outpost, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, the Americans pointed out the ridges and valleys at the foot of the snow-capped Spin Ghar mountains: There, they noted, was the start of the Islamic States territory, in some of the most forbidding terrain in Afghanistan. The extremist group is growing, able to out-recruit its casualties so far, according to military officials. It is well funded by illicit smuggling and other revenue streams. And in the eastern part of the country, Islamic State fighters are waging a war of terrain that the United States military can for now only contain, those officials said. HONG KONG Carrie Lam, the embattled chief executive of Hong Kong, is a workaholic who sleeps three to five hours a night. She assiduously reads letters from constituents. Within the Hong Kong civil service, she is labeled a houdadak, or good fighter, because she practically never backs down in a bureaucratic battle. The question was whether Mrs. Lam would back down, or dig in further, in the biggest political fight of her career one that could determine how long she stays in office. On Saturday, she did back down, suspending an extradition bill she had been trying to push through the Hong Kong Legislative Council that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China, Taiwan and elsewhere for prosecution. [Update: Protestors return to Hong Kong streets, rejecting Carrie Lams apology.] Business executives, seeing the violent street protests against the bill and fearful they might someday be extradited themselves to uncertain fates in Chinas opaque judicial system, were increasingly critical of the plan. This had prompted some of Mrs. Lams senior advisers to recommend postponing legislative approval. The government later said that 81 people had been injured, and the authorities were heavily criticized as video that appeared to show police officers using excessive force circulated on social media. There is so much misunderstanding, and on Wednesday we all witnessed very saddening events we dont want to see, Mr. Chan told the station RTHK. So we really need to review this bill again to explain this in detail again would be one option. The intense public outcry against the bill comes from a fear that it would put Hong Kongs residents and visitors at risk of being detained and sent to China for trial by the countrys Communist Party-controlled courts. Underlying the opposition is a growing fear that the freedoms people in Hong Kong enjoy under the one country, two systems policy, put in place when Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, are rapidly shrinking. In a sign of the international pressure on Mrs. Lam, a bipartisan group of American lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday calling for a broad review of Washingtons relationship with Hong Kong. The bill would require the American secretary of state to affirm every year that the territory remains sufficiently autonomous from the Chinese mainland to deserve special treatment. On Friday, Geng Shuang, a spokesman for Chinas Foreign Ministry, accused the American lawmakers of making irresponsible remarks and violently interfering in Chinas internal affairs. The Chinese government summoned a senior American Embassy official in Beijing to complain about the congressional measure. After the protests and clashes on Wednesday, Hong Kong legislatures president delayed debate on the extradition bill through Friday. No date has been set for when the legislature will resume meeting. Further protests against the bill are planned for Sunday, and activists have called for schools, shops and workers to go on strike on Monday, in another effort to stop the bill from passing. Born in 2005, Ms. Deutscher spent her first five years in Oxford, England, where her mother was teaching. While her parents were academics, they also loved music and would play together as a family, with her mother, Janie, on the piano and her father, Guy, on the flute. But Ms. Deutschers ability rapidly surpassed that of her parents. She received her first violin at age 3, and left her first teacher on the instrument begging to take a break after more than an hour. At 4 she would sit for hours at the piano, working out melodies she said were songs from the imaginary world she called Transylvanian. Recognizing his daughters extraordinary abilities, Mr. Deutscher tried to find a teacher willing to work with a preschool composer, but most turned him down. They would say to call back in 10 years that was those who were being polite, he said. As Almas renown spread, the Deutschers gave up their teaching jobs and moved to Dorking, in Surrey, and devoted themselves to managing her schedule. These days, Mr. Deutscher said, there are so many people who want to work with his daughter that he spends a lot of his time fending them off. Having realized that no school would be able to meet Almas special needs as a budding musician and composer, her mother began home schooling her and her sister Helen, now 11. Mr. Deutscher has managed to keep one foot in the academic world, writing books on his specialty, linguistics. They are selective with her performance schedule, which last year included concerts in China, Germany and Switzerland, as well as several in Austria, where Ms. Deutscher has been embraced and celebrated for years. After spending months in 2016 in Vienna for rehearsals of her opera, Cinderella, the family decided last year to move, so the girls could learn German and Alma could indulge in the wide range of musical opportunities the city offered. I lived in England, but I grew up on the music of Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven and Haydn, she said. Musically speaking, I think that Viennas always been my home. Moving to a European capital has also offered both Alma and Helen freedom to move around on their own, riding the subway to the opera house or to the vineyards at the city limits. There, beyond the paths Beethoven roamed, Ms. Deutscher takes long walks, accompanied by her family and the pink, sparkly tasseled jump rope that she has carried with her since she was a child. When I was younger, I really thought it was the rope that gave me inspiration, she said, with a sly smile at her former self. Although she still wears dresses, jumps on the trampoline and climbs trees, the little girl who charmed a TV audience as an 8-year-old on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been replaced by a tall young woman. CALGARY, Alberta, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peyto Exploration & Development Corp. (TSX: PEY) ("Peyto") confirms that the monthly dividend with respect to June 2019 of $0.02 per common share is to be paid on July 15, 2019, for shareholders of record on June 30, 2019. The ex-dividend date is June 27, 2019. Dividends paid by Peyto to Canadian residents are eligible dividends for Canadian income tax purposes. Shareholders and interested investors are encouraged to visit the Peyto website at www.peyto.com to learn more about what makes Peyto one of North Americas most exciting energy companies. The website also includes the Presidents monthly report, which discusses various topics chosen by the President and includes estimates of monthly capital expenditures and production. For further information please contact: Darren Gee President and Chief Executive Officer Phone: (403) 261-6081 Fax: (403) 451-4100 Certain information set forth in this document, including management's assessment of Peyto's future plans and operations, contains forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond these parties' control, including the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, volatility of commodity prices, currency fluctuations, imprecision of reserve estimates, environmental risks, competition from other industry participants, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, stock market volatility and ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources. 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. Peyto's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that Peyto will derive therefrom. The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein. LONDON A British court on Friday set February 2020 as the date for the full extradition hearing on whether Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, should be sent to the United States to face a slew of charges, including several under the Espionage Act. Mr. Assange, 47, appeared by video link from Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London for his first hearing since the United States formally requested his extradition. He had skipped a previous hearing because, his lawyer said, he was too ill to appear. Some experts, including a United Nations official, said he had exhibited signs of a deteriorating physical and mental condition. Mr. Assanges hearing came days after Britains home secretary, Sajid Javid, signed the extradition request from the United States and expressed his support for Mr. Assanges detention. Hes rightly behind bars, Mr. Javid told BBCs Radio 4. Protesters holding signs that read Hands off Assange outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Friday denounced Mr. Javids decision and demanded Mr. Assanges release. If the court rules in the United States favor, the extradition process is expected to be a long and complicated one. BERLIN The director of Berlins Jewish Museum quit his post on Friday amid criticism that he had become too politically involved in the battle over the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, which was recently designated as anti-Semitic by the German Parliament. Pressure had been mounting against the director, Peter Schafer, over what critics said was an inappropriately political stance for the head of a cultural institution tasked with explaining Jewish traditions, history and art. An exhibition that opened last year about Jerusalem was accused of being anti-Israeli in a prominent, unsigned letter, criticism that Israeli officials said they agreed with at the time. And Mr. Schafer himself was criticized last year for inviting a Palestinian scholar to give a lecture at the museum and giving a personal tour to the cultural director of the Iranian Embassy. But it was a post by the museums Twitter account last week that sparked the backlash that Mr. Schafer could no longer withstand. The post promoted an article from a German daily that cited an open letter signed by 240 Jewish and Israeli scholars. In the letter, which was issued before Parliament acted, the scholars urged lawmakers not to sign the resolution declaring the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, known as B.D.S., anti-Semitic. The initiative was part of a larger strategy to tackle the level of knife-related episodes taking place in homes across the county, officials said. The knives would still be sharp enough to cut food, the police said, and the results of the small-scale trial would be evaluated at the end of the year. It is only one small part of the whole range of what is done to safeguard and protect domestic abuse survivors, Superintendent Matt McFarlane, who leads the Nottinghamshire polices knife crime strategy, said in an emailed statement on Thursday. The police also said they were uncertain if this was the first time such a program was seriously considered anywhere. But at least one critic said the proposal betrayed a lack of understanding about domestic-abuse issues that was literally laughable. Jessica Eaton, a psychologist and founder of VictimFocus, a research consultancy in forensic psychology, feminism and mental health, said that when she first read of the proposal, she thought it had come from an article in The Onion, the satirical newspaper. The problem is not the sharpness of the knife, she said. The problem is male violence. She said in a phone interview on Thursday: The risk comes from the offender, not the knife. We know that blunt trauma can cause death. Just because a knife has been blunted doesnt mean that it wont pierce the skin or kill someone. Charlotte Kneer, the chief executive of Reigate and Banstead Womens Aid, a refuge and charity based in Surrey, England, agreed that the Nottinghamshire polices approach was ill advised, further perpetuating the myth that domestic violence was a crime of passion. CHISINAU, Moldova Diplomats from Russia, the United States and Europe have rarely agreed about international issues lately. But on Friday their united efforts helped resolve a constitutional crisis in an unlikely location: the Republic of Moldova, a small landlocked state between Romania and Ukraine in southeast Europe. For nearly a week, a new coalition government had been prevented from taking office in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, after the outgoing administration refused to leave. The impasse ended on Friday afternoon, when the former prime minister, Pavel Filip, grudgingly resigned in response to the prospect of mass protests over the weekend. He also faced increasing international pressure from Moscow and several European capitals, and a private visit from the American ambassador, Dereck J. Hogan, according to two people involved in the negotiations. The new government was formed from a coalition of two groups, the pro-Russian Socialist party and the pro-Western Now Platform party. Maia Sandu, a former World Bank official who leads the Now Platform party, was named prime minister. MADRID The Spanish Supreme Court on Friday blocked a leader of the Catalan independence movement from leaving jail to take his seat in the European Parliament. The separatist leader, Oriol Junqueras, is one of 12 people charged with rebellion and other crimes over Catalonias failed attempt to secede from Spain in 2017. The Supreme Court closed that trial on Wednesday, after listening to more than 400 witnesses over four months; a verdict is not expected until the fall. Mr. Junqueras, who was the deputy leader of Catalonia, has been in prison since late 2017, but has maintained significant influence over Catalan politics. He still leads the Esquerra Republicana party, which recently became the largest Catalan party within the Spanish Parliament, and was elected to both the Spanish Parliament and the European Parliament. In order for him to officially become a member of European Parliament, Mr. Junqueras has to register with the electoral authorities in Madrid. The court said on Friday that allowing him to collect his credentials and travel to Brussels would represent an irreversible risk to the completion of his trial and would involve a loss of jurisdictional control. Swiss women turned out by the thousands on Friday for a nationwide strike and demonstrations signaling their frustration over deep-rooted inequalities in one of the richest countries in the world. The women skipped work and shunned household responsibilities for the day to join in protests calling for equal pay, recognition of their work and greater representation in the halls of power. Crowds gathered outside the Federal Assembly in Bern, closed off roads in Central Zurich and marched through the streets of Geneva in a protest movement that included demonstrations large and small in all of Switzerlands major towns and cities. The strike came 28 years to the day after the first national work stoppage by Swiss women allowed them to vent their anger at the slow pace of change in the country. BRUSSELS European governments may believe Iran is to blame for the attacks this week on fuel tankers in the Gulf of Oman, but their distrust of the Trump administration and its hawkish policy toward Tehran have led them to measure their words and call for de-escalation and maximum restraint. Mindful of Washingtons exaggerations and outright misrepresentations of intelligence leading up to the Iraq war, European leaders are asking the Trump administration for hard evidence. The last thing they want is to be asked to support another American war in the Middle East that would be highly unpopular with voters. Europeans are no fans of the Iranian government or its policies in the Middle East, but they are concerned by what they see as the Trump administrations policy of maximum pressure on Iran thus their use of maximum restraint. Many critics believe Mr. Trump is succeeding only in creating maximum pressure among hard-line factions in Iran to respond with carefully calibrated attacks that send a message, like those against tankers in a vital passageway for global oil supplies. Germany wants a careful investigation of the attacks, insisting that a spiral of escalation must be avoided. The European Union, in the words of the spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic, has said repeatedly that the region doesnt need further escalation, it doesnt need further destabilization, it doesnt need further tension. TOKYO One of the tankers that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman was struck by a flying object, the ships Japanese operator said on Friday, expressing doubt that a mine had been attached to its hull. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that American intelligence agencies had concluded that Tehran was behind the disabling of two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a vital conduit for much of the worlds oil. Iranian officials denied any involvement in the events, which have escalated tensions in the region. [Read: U.S. Says Video Shows Iran Was Involved] In an interview broadcast on Friday by Fox & Friends, President Trump directly accused Tehran, saying, Iran did do it. You saw the boat, he said. It has Iran written all over it. Mr. Trump added: They didnt want the evidence left behind. They dont know that we have things that we can detect in the dark that work very well. We have that. It was them that did it. Charlottesville, Va., June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A study published in the open access journal JAMA Open Network today by scientists at the University of Virginia schools of Engineering and Medicine says machine learning algorithms applied to biopsy images can shorten the time for diagnosing and treating a gut disease that often causes permanent physical and cognitive damage in children from impoverished areas. In places where sanitation, potable water and food are scarce, there are high rates of children suffering from environmental enteric dysfunction, a disease that limits the guts ability to absorb essential nutrients and can lead to stunted growth, impaired brain development and even death. The disease affects 20 percent of children under the age of 5 in low- and middle-income countries, such as Bangladesh, Zambia and Pakistan, but it also affects some children in rural Virginia. For Dr. Sana Syed, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the UVA School of Medicine, this project is an example of why she got into medicine. Youre talking about a disease that affects hundreds of thousands of children, and that is entirely preventable, she said. Syed is working with Donald Brown, founding director of the UVA Data Science Institute and W.S. Calcott Professor in the Department of Engineering Systems and Environment, to incorporate machine learning into the diagnostic process for health officials combating this disease. Syed and Brown are using a deep learning approach called convolutional neural networks to train computers to read thousands of images of biopsies. Pathologists can then learn from the algorithms how to more effectively screen patients based on where the neural network is looking for differences and where it is focusing its analysis to get results. These are the same types of algorithms Google is using in facial recognition, but were using them to aid in the diagnosis of disease through biopsy images, said Brown. The machine learning algorithm can provide insights that have evaded human eyes, validate pathologists diagnoses and shorten the time between imaging and diagnosis, and from a technical engineering perspective, might be able to offer a look into data sciences black boxes by giving clues into the thinking mechanism of the machine. But for Syed, it is still about saving lives. There is so much poverty and such an unfair set of consequences, she said. If we can use these cutting-edge technologies and ways of looking at data through data science, we can get answers faster and help these children sooner. Syeds and Browns research is funded by grants from the UVA Center for Engineering in Medicine and the integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV). ### About the Center for Engineering in Medicine: The center identifies, develops and translates ideas at the engineering-medicine interface to improve prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease. UVA engineers and clinicians are forming innovative new research partnerships while building a comprehensive, sustainable ecosystem for advancing the future of medical care. Currently, more than 200 engineers and clinicians from 31 departments and divisions across UVA are engaged in engineering-medicine projects supported by the center. Learn more at engineering.virginia.edu/eim. About the integrated Translational Health Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV): iTHRIV is a collaboration of public and private institutions across the Commonwealth of Virginia that promotes shared resources and best practices, team science, community engagement and innovation. iTHRIV integrates data science approaches through all aspects of clinical translational research to speed discovery and improve the health of our communities. iTHRIV is committed to train and equip the next generation of clinical and translational researchers. Health care solutions are hidden in underutilized data. The iTHRIV overall goal is to support clinical translational research for the benefit of diverse rural and urban populations by expanding iTHRIV infrastructure and improving processes. Learn more at www.ithriv.org/. About UVA Engineering: As part of the top-ranked, comprehensive University of Virginia, UVA Engineering is one of the nations 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. CHENGDU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Sichuan Province vows to make safe drinking water accessible to about 140,000 local residents living under the poverty line this year, the provincial water resources department announced Thursday. The local government allocated 808 million yuan (116.7 million U.S. dollars) by the end of 2018 to provide 421,500 impoverished people in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture access to clean drinking water, according to the department. Of the underprivileged people with no access to clean drinking water in the province, about 103,700 are from the 11 deep poverty-stricken counties in the prefecture, accounting for 67 percent of the province's total impoverished population. More than 400 million yuan will be invested in the safe drinking water projects in the 11 counties this year, the department said. Your digital subscription allows you to view any content, comment on any issue and submit your own news to our newsroom. Digital subscriptions do not include home delivery of the Tracy Press. To receive the paper at home, sign up for Premium Membership. Wiggins testified that Mike was the gunman but couldnt tell who the other person shooting was, which was later discovered to be Rudd. During the shooting, Wiggins was shot in the back, which he told the group once they had exited the home, he testified. Following the incident, the group returned to Daileys home before Mike took Wiggins to the hospital for the gunshot wound. While in the hospital, he gave a false statement to police about the gunshot wound due to the comments made by another. I had got a call from Davonte Mike telling me, you know, reminding me that if police come talk to me to just tell them that I got shot in Raintree (an area of Opelika), Wiggins testified. While recovering in the hospital, Wiggins testified that he saw a newspaper stating that a man was killed. Thats when he asked to talk to police again because he was only thinking about the victim. I had told them what happened towards who shot and how it happened, Wiggins testified. Wiggins added that he did not tell police everything he knew, but for a certain reason. Description GIS - 14 June, 2019: Financial services, have over the years experienced steady growth and maintained its course as one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. One key strength of the industry is its good international repute and the policies which are compliant with international standards. Mauritius is rated as fully compliant with the OECD standards on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes and the country has successfully obtained an upgrade of 11 FATF recommendations, in the ESSAMLG follow up report on Mauritius demonstrating significant progress in meeting technical compliance. Financial services, have over the years experienced steady growth and maintained its course as one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. One key strength of the industry is its good international repute and the policies which are compliant with international standards. Mauritius is rated as fully compliant with the OECD standards on transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes and the country has successfully obtained an upgrade of 11 FATF recommendations, in the ESSAMLG follow up report on Mauritius demonstrating significant progress in meeting technical compliance. To maintain the progress achieved in the sector, Budget 2019-2020 has enumerated several measures towards Government sustained efforts to make more headway on the development of the sector and the Mauritius International Financial Centre. Expanding accessibility of our financial products across the world remained an utmost priority and for further progress in this sphere, a new framework for fund administration and fund management will be set up in addition to the revamping of the existing Special Purpose Fund regime to ease access to new markets. Moreover, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) will enter into an agreement with the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City to recognise Mauritian licensed funds and management companies as qualified to operate in the Gujarat jurisdiction as well. To further diversify the product base of our International Financial Centre, a set of measures will be introduced which comprised of: new rules and an attractive tax regime to promote the development of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs); an umbrella licence for wealth management activities; a scheme for headquartering of e-commerce activities; a framework for Green Finance in line with the Marrakech Pledge a continental coalition of African Capital Markets Regulators and Exchanges committed to foster green financing on the continent; and a new trading platform at the Stock Exchange of Mauritius to allow medium sized profitable enterprises that do not qualify for listing on the official and DEM markets to raise capital and trade their shares. Moreover, to facilitate conduct of business in the sector, a single-window system will be set up at the FSC to allow for submission of documents for financial services and global business applications. To make of Mauritius a Fintech hub in the region, FSC will also establish a regime for Robotics and AI enabled financial advisory services in addition to the introduction of a new licence for Fintech Service providers which will encourage self-regulation for Fintech activities in consultation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. E-signatures and e-licences will be introduced on pilot basis along with the creation of Crowd Funding as a new licensable activity. With regards the strengthening of the regulatory framework to fight fraud, corruption and financial crimes to increase investors confidence in the financial services sector, a Financial Crime Commission will be set up to act as an apex body to ensure greater coordination and coherence among the various investigative agencies, including ICAC, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the enforcement department of the FSC. FSC will also develop a financial data handling code of conduct to address cyber risks; and the Bank of Mauritius, FIU and FSC will introduce industry-wide Practice Notes with respect to handling clients requests. Danny Schleibe, the creator of a unique art form called tapigami, spent a whopping 200 hours making an awe-inspiring portrait of actor Bill Murray exclusively out of hundreds of rolled pieces of vinyl tape glued to a wooden panel. Sacramento-based artist Danny Schleibe has spent the last 14 years of his life refining the contemporary art of tapigami, which looks very similar to quilling, only with vinyl masking tape instead of rolled pits of paper. He recently perfected his technique to a level that allows him to create portraiture, and his first project was an amazing portraits of Bill Murray made out of tiny strips of rolled tape. Its only when you get up-close and see how he nailed all the subtle details, like the actors beard and eyes, that you really start to appreciate all the work that went into the artwork. Photo: DAnny Sacramento/Facebook Rhetorically called Who Doesnt Love Bill Murray?, the sunning tapigami masterpiece required a mile worth of masking take and took Schleibe 200 hours to complete. Talking to the San Francisco Chronicle a few years back, Danny Schleibe said that he was attracted to vinyl tape because it was the perfect material for an art form that anyone could get into. You can tag with and it doesnt destroy anything if you want to stick it on a side of a building, the artist said. The tactile nature of tape is really good. Tape is really awesome for kids and adults. Its inexpensive. Its self-adhering. You dont need glue or staples or nails. Its very tactile, so it will take up a kidsenergy or adults energy. People are finding out its really fun to work with as a way to create art. Tapigami official website John Low, a 60-year-old Singaporean diving instructor, spent four days and three nights drifting in the South China Sea with nothing but a small buoy and a useless backpack, after his boat was capsized last month. On May 4th, John Low was getting ready for a leisurely dive off the coast of Tioman Island, in the South China Sea, when a strong wave hit his anchored boat and threw him into the water. Before he even could even realize what had happened, the boat, started taking water and eventually sank. All John could retrieve was a ring buoy and his backpack, but he wasnt too worried at first, as he figured he could swim his way back to land. However, try as he might, he couldnt fight the currents, which constantly pushed him out into the open sea. By 10 pm, he could no longer see the shore, and he started panicking. For the next four days, he was all alone, with no food and potable water. Photo: benjime/Pixabay John Low recently talked about his grueling experience, telling Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao that out of all the things he had to endure, the mental torture of being by himself with nothing but salt water as far as the eye could see was the toughest to deal with. At one point, things got so bad that he started to talk to the inanimate objects he had as company, calling the buoy he clung to bro, and the Rolex watch on his wrist boy and brother. The physical torture was no joke either, though. The scorching sun burned him so badly that the first photos taken after his rescue show the skin on his face and body burned to a crisp and peeling like a layer of, well, dead skin. He told reporters that at one point the t-shirt, shorts and underwear he was wearing in the water started rubbing against his sun-burned skin, and the pain was so bad that he had to take them off. Unfortunately, that only made him more vulnerable to the suns rays. If you keep your head up, out in the open, you get burnt, which means a burning sensation on your face, Low said in an interview. The only way to avoid that is to put your face in the water. But because my face is all scarred, because (I had) been in the water for four days and three nights, when I put my face in the water, its like 1,000 needles poking my face. So its either I face the pain in the sun or the pain in the water. After dozens of hours in salt water, the skin on his armpits literally got stuck to the buoy which caused him even more pain. Then he started marine creatures nibbling on his feet, but by that point he was already too exhausted to do anything about it. The 60-year-old said that as the mental and physical torture intensified, he started seeing things and hearing voices that told him to let go off the buoy. Luckily, he didnt listen, instead willing himself to hang on and endure the pain, not for himself but for his family. On the four night of his nightmarish experience experience, a miracle happened; a passing ship called the Diogo Cao noticed the buoy and lifted the half-dead drifter aboard. All he could remember from his rescue was thinking I am saved, now I can sleep. John Low spent two days in the hospital, including six days in intensive care. Doctors in Singapore said he suffered a lung infection, kidney failure due to the complete lack of fluids, as well severe burns all over his body. Luckily, he has made a full recovery and recently met the crew of the Diogo Cao to thank them for saving his life. I hope there will be no one else for you to save but if you do , keep doing the same thing with your bravery, Low told his saviors, after hugging them. An Indian businessman who allegedly staged a stupid plane hijacking hoax to get his wife fired by the airline so they could spend more time together was recently sentenced to life in prison. Birju Salla, the 38-year-old scion of a wealthy family of jewellers based in Mumbai, became the first person to be sentenced under Indias strict Anti-Hijacking Act of 2016. The funny thing is that he never actually intended to hijack a plane, all he wanted was to get his beloved fire so they could spend more time together. He told the court that by printing a hijacking threat and planting it in the toilet of a Jet Airways plane, the airline would close its Delhi operation and fire his younger wife, so she would be forced to return to Mumbai where they could be together more. Things didnt work out quite as planned Birju Sallas troubles began when, during his frequent flights from Mumbai to Delhi, he fell in love with a Jet Airways customer care executive. They began having an affair in 2017, but the businessman quickly became frustrated with how little time they spent together. He felt that her job was always getting in the way of their love, so in July of 2017 he secretly married her although he was already married and had two children and asked her to move to Mumbai with him. She refused, and thats when he allegedly hatched a ridiculously stupid plan to get her fired. Photo: Daniel Eledut/Unsplash Prosecutors told the court that in October of 2017, Salla printed a hijacking threat on an A4 sheet of paper and planted it in the toilet of a Jet Airways airplane flying from Mumbai to Delhi. Upon discovering the message, flight crew contacted the pilots, who made an emergency landing in Ahmedabad, fearing for the passengers safety. Upon analyzing the threatening message, police quickly realized something was off. It was written in Urdu, but didnt make a lot of sense. Flight No 9W339 is covered by hijackers and aircraft should not be land and flown straight to POK [Muzaffarabad airport in Pakistan], 12 people onboard. If you put landing gear, you will hear the noise of people dying. Dont take it as a joke. Cargo area contains explosives land Delhi. Allah is great, the note read. Court records show that during the investigation, police checked Birju Sallas office and found that the ink with which the note had been printed matched the ink of his office printer, his laptop revealed that hijack threat was printed on his office printer, and his internet browser cache files showed that he had used Google Translate to translate the English version of the note into Urdu to make it look like it had been the work of Muslims. To make matters worse, Sallas office CCTV cameras showed him handling the printed note with gloves to not leave any fingerprints. After boarding the Jet Airways flight in October 2017, he entered the toilet and conveniently placed the hijacking note on a tissue box, where it was discovered by a flight crew member. Authorities tracked the note to Salla in a matter of days, and he reportedly admitted to the crime after being confronted with the overwhelming evidence. He has been in jail awaiting sentencing since October 2017. His waiting recently came to an end, when a judge sentenced him to life in prison. Believe it or not, that was the most positive outcome, according to Indias Anti-Hijacking Act of 2016, which allows for only two punishments for hijacking or threats to hijack: life imprisonment or a death sentence. He has been in jail since October 2017 so I suppose he is getting used to it by now, he knew it was going to happen, Sallas lawyer, Rohit Verma told the press. If only he hadnt done something so stupid. Apparently, Birju Sallas second wife, who was reportedly fired by Jet Airways shortly after the 2017 incident was devastated by the news that her husband would be spending the rest of her life behind bars, and her family called the decision a great injustice. Rapists go scot-free in this country, terrorism is on the rise and here an innocent man has been convicted of an alleged hoax, based on the statement of cabin crew that had an axe to grind, the womans sister said. An injustice has been done. He didnt put a gun to someones head. Scott Widmeyer This is a momentous time for the LGBTQ community as we commemorate the 50thanniversary of Stonewall and pay tribute to the heroes and heroines of that period. At this Stonewall moment, its important that we look back at our history as well as look ahead to the future. To think 40 years ago, I was beginning my career in state and national politics that included working for Jay Rockefeller and Jimmy Carter. Yet, it was still not a time for gay people to be public about their sexual identity in the workplace. Fast forward to 2019, and we have made real progress, but theres still more work ahead. On the progress side, marriage equality is now the law of the land, and public opinion around marriage has been reversed from 60 percent opposition 15 years ago to 61% support today. But, as we watch the anti-choice forces build in a number of states and we see womens rights being infringed upon, we must be vigilant on the marriage front as well. Further, on the progress front, we have our own openly gay presidential candidate with Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who in a short period of time has organized quite the campaign and is appealing to a broad swath of voters. And, groups like the LGBTQ Victory Fund are shattering the pink ceiling in huge ways by electing openly gay mayors in big cities like Chicago, and we have seen the rise of Speaker Corey Johnson in New York along with governorships in Colorado and Oregon. As we look back at our history, a defining period for so many of us began in the mid-1980s with the AIDS crisis. For years, both the federal government under President Ronald Reagan, and in New York under Mayor Ed Koch, we saw elected officials allow precious years to go by before responding to the AIDS crisis, and during that time of silence, nearly 20,000 Americans died of AIDS. Thanks to the efforts of six brave New York men, we saw how powerful symbols can become when they took the pink triangle in 1987 and married it with Silence equals Death to symbolize the inaction by Reagan, Koch, and others and also the push within our community to get active in fighting the crisis on many frontshealth, politics, life versus death and doing all of this with a communications lens. Out of Silence equals Death, we saw the birth of ACTUP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, which led to heightened protests tied to government inaction, slowness around research and price gouging by big pharma. We should celebrate the historic and pioneering efforts of LGBTQ activists and their work in advocacy. It was a small group of individuals leading the way, igniting the movement, creating supporting organizations. That really sums up the period into the early 90s. In all of this work, there were real starswho understood themes, how to ignite a movement and keep it going, and they knew strategy. In the past 20-plus years, so much has grown up and matured around LGBTQ issues. Our industry sector of PR professionals has played important roles as consultants, along with small and large PR shops. I am proud of the work we first did at the firm I founded, Widmeyer Communications. There, we worked hand in hand on the Campaign for Military Service, for Whitman Walker on HIV-AIDS, and with non-profits and government around anti-bullying deploying integrated PR communications. Today, and in the near future, our sector in PR and communications can make a huge difference in helping big companies, thought leaders, pharma, governmentcommunicate important messages about their products and their issues that are inclusive, thoughtful and progressive. We must be spirited, truthful and convincing to clients in giving them the best guidance possible. I encourage my colleagues to keep advocating, stay focused and alert to troubling signals in todays society, and more than ever, I hope you will connect with younger professionals in our industry. They need us as mentors and guideposts, and they need to know they can be who they are--out and open in the workplace. I plead with everyone to make it their responsibility to not forget our history, and to help inform millennials and Gen Zers about the struggles we have faced and the fight we fought for them. There are more fights ahead. That is for certain, but lets do all we can to bring more awareness in our community around how we have evolved. Without appreciating our history, its hard to look at our future. *** Scott Widmeyer is a Founding Managing Partner at Finn Partners. His firm, Widmeyer Communications, was acquired by Finn in 2013. Internationally acclaimed recording artist, author, and radio host Jean Watson shared the stage with guitar virtuoso and Gospel Music Hall of Famer Phil Keaggy during a recent concert at Morehead State University (MSU) in Morehead, Kentucky. Sponsored by the Methodist Student Center in conjunction with the Morehead Music Industry Club, the concert also featured an opening performance by recording artists Glenn and Lisa Ginn. Glenn Ginn also serves as Morehead State University's Associate Professor of Guitar and Electric Bass in the Department of Music, Theatre & Dance. "Performing with Phil Keaggy was definitely one of the highlights of my musical career," says Watson. "We were able to be creative and spontaneous onstage, and the atmosphere was electric! I was honored to make music with such a talented, yet humble, man." "Ive been privileged to play on several of Jean Watson's recordings, so getting to join her on stage was a real treat," notes Keaggy. "Jean is an accomplished, classically trained pianist, violinist and vocalist. Her skill and level of musicianship is undeniable. The way she connected with the audience was amazing! Sincerity also was an added blessing as she shared her heart. The music she produces is of a timeless nature. Heres hoping more people will discover her talent." "The music quality and caliber was excellent--5 out of 5 stars!" says Rev. Drew McNeill, MSU Wesley Foundation Campus Minister. "The impromptu jam session between Phil, Jean, and Glenn was a highlight of the night. A really, really good night for those in attendance!" Pictured (L to R): Classically trained violinist Jean Watson and guitar virtuoso Phil Keaggy trade musical riffs during their recent performance at Morehead State University's Button Arena. (Jean Watson photo) In addition to performing songs from her latest music CD, SACRED, which was produced by multi-Grammy & Dove Award-nominated contemporary Christian music pioneer Billy Smiley (White Heart, Union of Sinners & Saints, Margaret Becker) for Northern Shore Productions, Watson also had the opportunity to speak to the students at an additional event on campus, where she shared thoughts from her debut devotional book, Everything Can Change in 40 Days. "Jean & her husband Mark Roberts were kind enough to host our final Thursday Night S.M.A.S.H. (Students Ministering and Studying Him) Bible study experience of the semester," says Rev. McNeill. "Jesus says in John 13:20, 'I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes My messenger is welcoming Me....' If you'd like to experience welcoming JESUS, then make sure and host Jean Watson for an event!" "I am learning more and more to surrender to the simplicity of the gospel," Watson muses. "And getting to share with young people about embracing the transformative power of Christ is just an added blessing." For more information on Watson, Everything Can Change in 40 Days, SACRED, and her daily radio show, Jean Watson, which airs on United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) Ireland, visit jeanwatson.com. For more information about Keaggy and his new CD with Rex Paul, Illumination, visit philkeaggy.com. Follow Keaggy on Facebook (facebook.com/philkeaggy) or Twitter (@Phil_Keaggy). Tags : Jean Watson Phil Keaggy morehead state university Four Offaly stores were honoured for achieving outstanding excellence in retail at the recent prestigious XL Retailing Standard Awards, which attracted retailers from all over Ireland to the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Co. Dublin, for the ceremony run by BWG Foods, owners and operators of the XL brand. The Village Store XL, Carrig, Kellys Road House XL, Tullamore and Scullys XL Foodstore, Daingean were among a group of retailers from around the country who were awarded a Silver Retailing Standard Award. Ennis XL in Ballycumber, Co Offaly were also given a Bronze Retailing Standard Award on the night. Paul Bealin, XL Head of Sales, honoured those who achieved an XL Retailing Standard Award for their determination and ongoing commitment. He said: XL retailers have an unwavering passion for improving their businesses as they continue driving on store standards across the group and the wider retailing community. The XL retail group continues to grow each year and its easily explained by way of our retailers deep knowledge of and loyalty to their local communities. The XL Retailing Standard Awards are only given to stores that pass a tough year-long inspection, including visits from mystery shoppers. In total, 135 XL stores were honoured on the night for their commitment to excellence. Children's Health Defense - an anti-vaccination nonprofit where Kennedy serves as the chairman - directed a request for comment to Kennedy's publicist, who did not immediately respond. A representative for Biel also did not immediately respond to an email. California lawmakers posted on social media to thank Biel for coming to Sacramento to discuss her opposition to the proposed restrictions on vaccination exemptions. The vaccinations bill, SB 276, would create a standardized medical exemption request form that the state's public health officer or someone they designated would have to approve. The health officer would decide whether the request provides enough medical evidence to establish that the vaccination would be ill-advised based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state also would keep a database of approved exemption requests. The bill has raised concern in California, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reported that hundreds of parents flocked to the state Capitol in April to express heated opinions on both sides of the issue. Most people who spoke were opponents of the bill who said vaccines had hurt their children, the Times reported. One person called the measure a "crime against humanity," according to the Times. Volunteers combed city parks and residential streets Friday, searching for any sign of an Omaha mother missing since Easter night. A volunteer search party of about 40 fanned out Friday evening from St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church near 60th and Walnut, a few blocks north of Center Street, in search of the missing woman, Camisha Hollis. Ideally, I think what we all want is closure and answers, said Dana Donlan, a friend of Hollis sister Caprice Hollis and organizer of the search party. Omaha police said they found Hollis car Thursday evening in the parking lot of the 402 Hotel, at 2211 Douglas St. Theyre now looking for video of any movements in the area in recent days. Donlan advised volunteers if they found Hollis body to immediately call 911 and take pictures of the scene from a distance. After briefing the group, Donlan dispatched the search party to places across the region that the Hollis family hoped to have covered. A list of locations included Hummel Park in Omaha and Big Lake Park in Council Bluffs. Hollis last was seen at her home near 57th Street and Hartman Avenue on Sunday night and has not contacted family or gone to work. Waiting could do a disservice to students by allowing unprepared ones into the program, where they would spend significant time and money, only to face possible denial of certification later, she said. Skretta said testing upfront helps identify struggling students early on and would give them time to consider alternate majors. The test is typically taken during a students sophomore year in college. The UNL teacher-preparation program does not specifically focus on the teaching of basic skills, she said. Doing away with the testing admissions requirement could imply that college students dont need basic skills to pursue training as an educator, she said. Jenna Jansky, a certification officer for the University of Nebraska at Kearney, testified that the state should give students more flexibility to demonstrate basic-skills competency. Jansky testified that there is a national teacher shortage and that Nebraska schools are beginning to experience difficulty filling positions. She said UNK officials have seen students succeed in math and language arts courses but struggle to pass the basic-skills test. He and Frakes listed a number of steps that have been taken or are in the works to improve care for those inmates. Among them: About 95% of new prisoners now get a clinical mental health assessment within their first 90 days. A peer mentoring program has been set up for inmates with serious mental disorders. Telemedicine, using secure video hookups, is being used to stretch the availability of psychiatrists. Inmates are being released with 30 days worth of medications and prescriptions for 60 more days. Five beds have been set aside for use by inmates whose mental health is deteriorating rapidly. But others detailed continuing concerns, such as: Nebraska makes too much use of restrictive housing, which replaced solitary confinement; the initial assessment is ineffective and can be significantly delayed; inmate requests for care may be denied by custody staff with no mental health training, and requests for care often get no response or a delayed response. Reentry planning and coordination with community resources is often lacking for inmates being released. This months event includes night hours to offer relief from summer heat: 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The event is $10 per day at the gate or $20 for the weekend. Children 12 and younger will be admitted for free. Parking is free. We are really excited to be back home at Sycamore Farms, Junkstock founder Sara Alexander said. We are so proud of our small but mighty team of helpers and volunteers who have been able to help restore some magic back to the farm. We cant wait to celebrate our homecoming. The event will feature hot air balloons, a vintage Ferris wheel and 130 vendors. For a full list of vendors, bands, food trucks and kids activities, visit junkstock.com. Manager of Fremont Walmart honored for store's work during flood The Walmart in Fremont, Nebraska, and its manager, Carrie Hungerford, have been awarded the prestigious Sam M. Walton Entrepreneur Award by the national chain. Hungerford accepted the award on the store's behalf in June at Walmarts shareholders meeting. It was given to her by the Walton family. To put the size of the complex in perspective: If the Empire State Building were laid on its side, it would essentially be equivalent to one side of the H, according to Scott Slater, data center operations manager for the Papillion center. Each individual server is similar to the server on a home computer, though theyre much smaller and more efficient, stripped of unnecessary components. You can think of it as this: Every like, every important moment, every photo that people share, eventually ends up here, Jim Piazza, director of data center operations, said while holding one of the servers. Now that Facebook is in the neighborhood, its partnering with Papillion-La Vista Community Schools to create skilled and technical trade programs to strengthen science, technology, engineering and math education in the district. In the first year of the program, more than 1,000 students are expected to participate. We are grateful to be reaching this milestone, the Rev. Jason Catania said. On Sunday, the small but growing congregation will throw open the doors to their church at 129 N. 40th St. and the recently acquired Offutt-Yost mansion down the street. The mansion was the home of Lt. Jarvis Offutt, the first Nebraska pilot to die in World War I, and for whom Offutt Air Force Base is named. St. Barnabas is one of Omahas newest Catholic churches in the sense that the congregation joined the Catholic faith in 2013, Catania said. It had originally been an Episcopal church. It was a matter of conviction, Catania said. Our beliefs were more in line with the Catholic Church. Among those beliefs, he cited the actual presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, the intercession of Mary and the teaching authority of the church and papacy. Political parties should be allowed to assist their state affiliates, as well as candidates and campaigns, in beefing up cybersecurity. Legislation to this effect is pending in both chambers of Congress. It just isnt going anywhere. Measures also could be taken to hamper Russias efforts to manipulate the American public online. Foreign states and individuals should be barred from purchasing online advertisements intended to influence the electorate, even when they are not expressly advocating for or against a candidate. Something like the Honest Ads Act is also necessary to require that platforms reveal who paid for political ads that do run using the names of responsible individuals, rather than only opaque organizations. Social media sites should establish an official body to coordinate with each other and the government about threats, which might require a law lowering the barriers to sharing information. All this is only a start, and it represents but a handful of those 45 recommendations the Stanford report authors have to offer, yet it is still bounds beyond what the government has managed so far. No permanent judgeship for Justice Ganediwala over her skin-to-skin contact judgment 2006 Malegaon blast case: Bombay HC grants bail to four accused India oi-PTI Mumbai, June 14: The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case. A division bench of Justices I A Mahanty and A M Badar granted bail to Dhan Singh, Lokesh Sharma, Manohar Narwaria, and Rajendra Chaudhary. "The petitions are allowed. The applicants shall be released on cash bail of Rs 50,000. They shall attend the special court on each day during the trial and shall not tamper with evidence or contact witnesses," the bench said. Malegaon blast accused Sameer Kulkarni demands security cover urgently The four, who are in jail since their arrest in 2013, had approached the high court in 2016, after a special court rejected their bail pleas in June that year. The serial bomb blasts outside a cemetery near Hamidia mosque at Malegaon near Nashik on September 8, 2006, claimed 37 lives and injured over 100 people. The Maharashtra's Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS), which first probed the case, had initially arrested nine accused from the minority community. The case was later handed over to the CBI, which followed the same line of investigation. When the probe was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) later, it concluded that the blasts were carried out by people belonging to the majority community. The NIA decided to drop charges against the nine accused and booked Singh, Sharma, Narwaria and Chaudhary. The special trial court in 2016 accepted the NIA's stand, and discharged the nine accused. Apart from seeking bail, Singh and others had challenged the discharge of the nine men. The four accused also challenged the special court's order rejecting their own applications seeking discharge. Those appeals will be heard by the high court at a later stage. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 13:29 [IST] China announces more standardised official Chinese names for 15 more places in Arunachal Pradesh AN 32 crash: Bad weather hampers search operations for mortal remains, black box recovered India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, June 14: The search and rescue operations by helicopters to locate the mortal remains of all 13 air-warriors believed to be on board the Antonov AN-32, which crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on June 3, was called off due to bad weather conditions, a day after IAF helicopters spotted the wreckage. The operations by the choppers will resume later. The black box of the transport plane has been recovered. The Air Force on Friday comfirmed that the black box of the aircraft, which includes the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, has been retrieved. An analysis of the black box data will allow the Air Force to establish the cause behind the crash. Meanwhile, the mortal remains once recovered, will be taken to Jorhat airbase in Assam. As many as eight crew and five passengers were believed to be on board the aircraft. News agency ANI has reported that the families of the 13 personnel have already been informed. All 13 air-warriors on board in AN-32 transport aircraft that crashed in a heavily forested mountainous area in Arunachal Pradesh 10 days back were killed, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Thursday. "India has hoped & prayed for 13 Air-Warriors": Rahul Gandhi on AN-32 crash Official sources said the "black box" of the aircraft has been recovered from the crash site and it will help the investigators reconstruct the events leading to the crash. The IAF has already ordered a court of inquiry into the accident, one of the worst involving a military aircraft in recent years. The Russian-origin aircraft went missing on the afternoon of June 3, around 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka in Arunachal Pradesh. After eight days of a massive search operation, the wreckage of the plane was spotted by an IAF chopper on Tuesday at a height of 12,000 ft near Gatte village on the border of Siang and Shi-Yomi districts. The air-warriors who were killed in the crash were Wing Commander G M Charles, Squadron Leader H Vinod, Flight Lieutenant M K Garg, Flight Lieutenant S Mohanty, Flight Lieutenant A Tanwar, Flight Lieutenant R Thapa, Warrant Officer K K Mishra, Sergeant Anoop Kumar, Corporal Sherin, Leading Aircraftman S K Singh and Leading Aircraftman Pankaj. Two non-combatants Putali and Rajesh Kumar also died in the crash. "IAF pays tribute to the brave air-warriors who lost their life in the line of duty. IAF is making all efforts to recover the mortal remains. No effort is being spared in ensuring expeditious transfer of the mortal remains of the air-warriors to their parent base at Jorhat," the IAF said. Thick vegetation and inhospitable terrain coupled with inclement weather had adversely affected the aerial search operation. After the wreckage was spotted, helicopters were sent but they could not land as the crash site has a steep slope and thick forest. Two km from the designated crash site, an area was designated and a camp was established for helicopters to land with the recovery parties. On Jun 12, a team of nine IAF personnel, four Army Special Forces personnel and two local mountaineers were dropped at the campsite. Eight of them trekked to the crash site on Friday and they found that all the 13 people on board the plane did not survive the accident. (with PTI inputs) India believes there is urgent need for major reforms in WHO: Harsh Vardhan Harsh Vardhan applauds 'White coat warriors' for going beyond call of duty to attend to patients Better communication, compassionate approach' need of the hour: Harsh Vardhan urges Banerjee India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, June 14: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday wrote to Mamata Banerjee over the doctors'strike in the state and urged the West Bengal Chief Minister to personally intervene to resolve the impasse. He further called for "better communication and compassionate approach' to resolve to problems faced by the doctors. "It is a matter of concern that the agitation by doctors in West Bengal is not heading towards a resolution, but seems to be getting aggravated. Better communication with doctors and a compassionate approach approach to take care of the genuine problems being faced by them in day to day functioning would definately be helpful in tiding over the crisis which has been created," he wrote. Here is the full letter of Harsh Vardhan's letter to Mamata Banerjee: Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan writes to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on ongoing doctors' strike in the state, asking her to 'personally intervene to resolve the current impasse.' pic.twitter.com/nW2NpPfstF ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 The government is staring at a massive problem as the strike by doctors is not only spreading to different cities of the country, but the medical professionals are also resigning in protest. The doctors are demanding security as some of their colleagues were attacked last week in Kolkata by family members of a patient who passed away. The strike may worsen as today a second year MBBS student at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital sustained head injury after miscreants pelted bricks on agitating doctors. The agitation started in Kolkata. By Thursday, medical professionals in several government-run hospitals in several cities held protests to express solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. [Doctors' protest intensifies: 24-hour strike on Monday, 3.5 lakh medicos to join] Earlier today, doctors had threatened mass resignation. As per latest reports, total 119 doctors of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Darjeeling, have resigned over violence against doctors in the state. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after a doctor was attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. As if the violence against the doctors was not enough, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee added fuel to the fire by losing her cool and warned them. Banerjee gave doctors an ultimatum and threatened that they would be thrown out of their hostels if they don't get back to work. [Medical services take a hit as doctors' strike gathers pace, 119 resign in Darjeeling] This worsened the matters and Doctors in major metro cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, joined protest in solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. Doctors across the country expressed their anger towards the way Banerjee handled a sensitive issue. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 19:42 [IST] BJP yet to reach its peak says Amit Shah India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 14: The BJP has still not arrived at its peak, Amit Shah told the party's office bearers in his first address after the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP on its own won 303 seats in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections. While congratulating the party workers and leaders, he said that in 220 seats, the BJP had managed to get 50 per cent of the votes. The BJP will start a membership drive to increase its members by 20 per cent, he said. Shah said it was the hard work of the party workers that led to such a big win for the BJP. He however repeated that the party was yet to reach its peak. He said that the mandate in 2019 was against casteism, dynamic politics and communalism. He further added that the results had shattered the myth of a caste based alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Mission Kerala, Bengal is next on BJP's agenda While there have been reports that Shah may give up the post of party president, sources say that he is likely to stay on until December at least. He would oversee the elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, the source also added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 6:51 [IST] EVMs used in Nandigram, where Mamata Banerjee lost, should be preserved: Calcutta High Court Calcutta HC questions Mamata govt on doctors strike, directs to find solution India oi-Deepika S Kolkata, June 14: The Calcutta High Court has refused to pass any interim order on the strike by junior doctors at state-run hospitals in protest against the attack on two of their colleagues by family members of a patient. Doctors in major metro cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, are on protest in solidarity with counterparts in Kolkata where a standoff is underway between the Mamata Banerjee government and junior doctors. Doctors strike: Union health minister appeals to Bengal CM not to make it prestige issue A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Suvra Ghosh asked the state government to persuade the striking doctors to resume work and provide usual services to patients. The court also directed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to apprise it of the steps taken following the attack on the junior doctors at a city hospital on Monday night. The Chief Justice, during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), reminded the striking doctors of the 'Hippocratic Oath' they take to ensure the welfare of all patients. The bench fixed June 21 for further hearing of the petition. Junior doctors across all state-run hospitals in West Bengal have called for a strike, demanding adequate security in medical colleges and hospitals, after two of their colleagues were brutally beaten up at NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city. Emergency wards, outdoor facilities, pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state have remained closed over the past three days in the wake of the protest. Cancel free Metro ride for women: Metro man writes to PM Modi India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, June 14: Metro Man and Former Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the Delhi government's proposal for giving women commuters free rides. In his letter to the Prime Minister on June 10, Sreedharan wrote: "One shareholder cannot take a unilateral decision to give concession to one section of community and push Delhi Metro in to inefficiency and bankruptcy." Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro in its report gave two options for the implementation of the scheme. Under one, pink tokens will be given to women and it will take eight months to implement. Under the other, tokens and cards will be provided, but this option will take at least one year to implement. Free Ride, But Still a Long Way To Go... The proposal of the AAP government to exempt women from fare in public transport buses and metro trains is being seen as a major sop before the assembly polls due early 2020. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) which runs around 3,900 buses has already submitted its proposal. The government will provide subsidy to the public transporters under the proposed scheme. Kejriwal said the free ride scheme will lead to a 50 per cent jump in the number of female commuters. Currently women comprise 30 per cent of daily ridership of the metro trains. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 15:53 [IST] Will always be with you to fight injustice: Rahul Gandhi to media Congress can bounce back under Rahul Gandhi says Rawat India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, June 14: A day after the Congress asserted that Rahul Gandhi will remain party president, senior leader Harish Rawat said the statement reflected the party workers' sentiment who believed that under Gandhi's leadership the party can go from defeat to victory. Gandhi was, is and will remain the Congress president, chief spokesperson of the party Randeep Surjewala had said on Wednesday, ending the speculation triggered by his insistence to quit the post for the time being. Surjewala's assertion came after an informal meeting presided by former Union minister A K Antony, in which senior Congress leaders discussed the party's strategy and preparations for the assembly elections in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Maharashtra later this year. Don't have staggered polls for 2 Gujarat RS seats: Congress Gandhi had offered to quit as the party chief during a May 25 meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), which was called to analyse the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, in which it managed to win just 52 seats. The CWC had unanimously rejected his offer to quit but Gandhi was apparently firm on his stand. "I would like to reiterate what Mr Surjewala said yesterday that Rahul Gandhi was, is and will remain the Congress president. This is also the sentiment of the Congress workers and they believe that under his leadership the party can go from defeat to victory," Rawat said. "We were not successful, but by strengthening the organisation, we can mount a challenge to the RSS-BJP's malicious propaganda," the former Uttarakhand chief minister said. At a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi also reiterated Surjewala's statement and said there "is status quo" in the situation since the statement on Wednesday. Congress needs surgery, senior 'doctors' not ready Following Gandhi's insistence on quitting, there is a speculation on the need to put in place an interim arrangement in the Congress for decision-making, especially in the run-up to the assembly elections. However, most leaders have been hoping that Gandhi will continue to lead the party as the Nehru-Gandhi family acts as a "glue" that binds the Congress together. Congress needs surgery, senior 'doctors' not ready India oi-Hardeep Singh Bedi New Delhi, June 14: The grand-old party of India, Congress, is evaluating reasons of its drubbing in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. The evaluators have been getting feedback from different states that the oranisation needs a majot surgery for revival. Ironically, the senior Congress leaders are not ready for it. It's notable that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have asked leaders like Ahmed Patel, K C Venugopal, A K Antony to get feedback from the state units about the reasons of party's humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. According to sources, the epitome of the feedback from all states is that the party's organisational structure has crumbled and there is a dire need to rebuild it from scratch, which would require a lots of efforts. Congress workers want Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as CM face The surprising part is that not even a single senior Congress leader is ready for it, say sources. A political analyst, who is privy to the internal happenings of the Congress, tells OneIndia reasons of the senior Congress leaders' mindset. "The majority of the leaders, who still have a say in the Congress' affairs, have achieved more than what they deserved. People don't have an idea of wealth that scores of Congress leaders have amassed. I am still to come across a single Congress leader for whom politics is a medium of social service. So, why would they bother themselves at the fag end of their political career to do the painstaking task of rebuilding the party?" asks the analyst. "Instead of batting for the needed surgery, the satraps of the Congress have been confusing Gandhis by pretending to be their well-wishers. At the moment, they are using all their energy in finding an 'obidient' replacement of Congress President Rahul Gandhi to please Gandhis. In other words, they are safeguarding their own interests. For, till the Gandhis are in the commanding position, they will be able to call the shots within the party," says the analyst. It's notable that soon after the Lok Sabha election results were declared, the reliable Congress sources had maintained that party will ask its state governments to take resignations of selected ministers and send them to work for the party. So many days have passed but not a single Congress minister has expressed desire to work for strengthening the party. It's evident their bosses, who sit at Congress headquarters in Delhi, have not told them to do so. Congress looks for another 'Manmohan Singh' to replace Rahul Gandhi According to the sources, the feedbacks that the Congress has received from states should make a professional political party concerned about its future. "One of the astonishing feedbacks is that the Congress didn't have adequate number of party workers to mange the booths on the polling day in many states including Delhi," says a source. "The other important feedback is that Congress offices across the country are in dilapidated condition and in many cases they are being used by powerful leaders of the area as their personal offices," adds the source. According to the sources, even the Congress is not analysing its defeat honestly. For example, one of the suggestions for analysing the defeat was that senior Congress leaders should visit villages to access what were the reasons that the NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojna) or Minimum Income Guarantee failed to woo the voters despite it offered to pay every poor Rs.72000 per year. Today, no one in Congress has taken the initiative. Majority of the Congress leaders who lost the elections have not bothered to visit villages of their constituencies, say sources. The analyst says that the Congress leaders must learn a lesson from Smriti Irani, who kept on visiting villages as well as urban areas of Amethi despite losing the elections in 2014 and defeated Congress President Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in 2019. PM Modi holds meeting with CMs of six states to review flood situation Weather forecast: Southwest monsoon 2021 to bring 103 per cent of rainfall during June-September in India When will Monsoon reach Delhi 2021? Here's what IMD has to say Southwest monsoon unlikely to retreat from northwest India by September-end: IMD Cyclone Vayu to hinder movement of South West Monsoon, says IMD India oi-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, June 14: More bad news is in store in terms of rainfall for the Mumbaikars, as india Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the Cyclone Vayu to have an impact on the movement on the South West Monsoon and may take another seven days to reach Mumbai. The delay would worsen the current situation in these regions, already facing acute water shortage. The normal date of monsoon arrival in these areas was June 7. The cyclonic storm started developing from Tuesday morning. Thursday evening report of the IMD confirmed that the outer line of monsoon had reached across Kannur in Karnataka and Madurai in Tamil Nadu. "A couple of days back, we were solely dependent on Vayu getting weakened as it had pulled all the required winds and slowed down the southwest monsoon's progress in the country," the official said, requesting anonymity. Cyclone Vayu: 3 lakh people evacuated, 70 trains cancelled, flight operations suspended "Today, we noticed indication of a low-pressure area getting developed in the Bay of Bengal, which always helps in the advancement of southwest monsoon towards northern part," he told PTI. "Generally, by this date southwest monsoon is supposed to arrive in Maharashtra, but it is still far away. Earlier observations had indicated that Vayu would take a couple of more days to weaken which will make way for monsoon to move northwards," the official said. Cyclone Vayu had slowed down monsoon's progress, the IMD had said earlier. Earlier on Thursday, sparing Gujarat after changing course, cyclone Vayu began moving away from Gujarat coast towards Oman. (with PTI inputs) Doctors in Assam call for 24 hrs strike in protest against assault of senior medic Doctors strike: Union health minister appeals to Bengal CM not to make it prestige issue India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, June 14: Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan on Friday condemned the violence against doctors in Kolkata and urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. The minister met a delegation of doctors from the AIIMS Resident Doctor Association and said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with all chief ministers and asked the doctors to ensure that essential services to the people are not disrupted. He appealed to striking doctors across the country to hold only symbolic protests. He told ANI, "I'd like to assure all doctors that the government is committed towards their safety. I appeal to doctors to hold symbolic protests only and continue to carry out their duties." "I appeal to West Bengal CM to not make this an issue of prestige. She gave the doctors an ultimatum, as a result they got angry and went on strike. Today, I will write to Mamata Banerjee ji and will also try to speak to her on this issue." ANI With the scores of doctors deciding to boycott work for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata, many healthcare services at private and government hospitals nationwide were affected on Friday. This came after the India Medical Association declared "All India Protest Day" on Friday against the incident and expressed solidarity with the striking doctors. Earlier on Thursday, striking junior doctors across West Bengal refused to end their protest till their demands on security in government hospitals are met and defied a deadline set by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. #WATCH Resident Doctors at Raipur's Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital raise slogans of 'We Want Justice' as they protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. #Chhattisgarh pic.twitter.com/70BsCTmGLN ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 OPD's to remain shut as Delhi Doctors to boycott work on Friday The junior doctors have been on strike since Tuesday in protest against the brutal assault on two colleagues in Nilratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night by family members of an octogenarian patient who passed away. The CM, who holds the health and family welfare portfolio, visited the state-run SSKM hospital around noon on Thursday in the wake of the continuing disruption in medical services and warned junior doctors of action if they did not resume work by 2pm. Following the warning by Banerjee, emergency services started at SSKM Hospital and Burdwan Medical College. But junior doctors, as a whole, refused to buckle down. (with PTI inputs) Dont have staggered polls for 2 Gujarat RS seats: Congress India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, June 14: The Congress has demanded that the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat should be held simultaneously. The RS seat of Amit Shah was declared vacant after he won the Lok Sabha elections from Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Another seat that was declared vacant in the Rajya Sabha was the one held by Smriti Irani, who won the LS polls from Amethi by defeating Rahul Gandhi. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that if you have one election today and one after two or four weeks, then you will be enabling the ruling party's MLAs to simply cross 51 per cent in the Gujarat assembly. Congress needs surgery, senior 'doctors' not ready He also said that the party had told the EC if elections for the two seats to be held on two separate dates, it would be both unconstitutional and illegal. The BJP has 99 MLAs in Gujarat, while the Congress has 77. He said that if the polls are staggered then the BJP will win both the seats. In case polls are held together, then both parties will win a seat each in the Rajya Sabha, Singhvi also added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 6:04 [IST] More than 44.58 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses given so far: Health ministry Health ministry, ICMR have issued guidelines for 'official document' for Covid deaths: Centre to SC Encephalitis toll rises to 57 in Bihar India oi-Deepika S Patna, June 14: The death toll of children in Bihar's Muzzafarpur district, which is reeling under an outbreak of brain fever, rose to 57. The toll is expected to rise as dozens of kids are still receiving treatment in various hospitals and Bihar. "In the last 20-22 days, 57 children have died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)," Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey was quoted saying by ANI. "We are monitoring all this. The Health Ministry in the state held a meeting on this and decided to make people aware of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)," he added. Woman, two children suffocated to death in Haryana's Faridabad However, a top state health official told PTI that the casualties were not related to AES but were caused by hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia causes abnormally low level of sugar in the blood or deficiency of sodium or potassium in the body. Encephalitis, or Japanese encephalitis (JE), is a vector-borne viral infection that leads to acute inflammation (swelling) of the brain. If not spread through vectors, encephalitis could be a result of body's immune system attacking brain tissues. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 11:42 [IST] You cannot drive at 120 kmph on highways says Madras HC Madras HC to hear actor Vijay's civil lawsuit against his parents, nine others 'What was Chennai Corporation doing since 2015 floods?': Madras HC pulls up civic body HC comes to the rescue of an elephant used for begging India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Chennai, June 14: The Madras High Court has directed the principal chief conservator of forests and the chief wildlife warden to immediately take possession of a female elephant allegedly being used for begging by the wife of a mahout. The division bench, comprising Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad, ordered the official to either keep the 34-year-old elephant in a camp or transport it to a zoo, in accordance with the law. The bench gave the direction on a petition from S Muralidharan, who sought a direction to 'remove' the elephant from the custody of the woman, Indira, the wife of the mahout of the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple. The court said the material on record showed that the caretakers of the elephant had paid Rs 25,000 fine imposed on them by the chief conservator of forests and cases were registered against them. Celebrity elephant Ramachandran fit for Thrissur Pooram festival It noted that the ownership certificate had not yet been transferred to the woman. "The material on record further indicates that various provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Tamil Nadu Captive Elephants (Management and Maintenance) Rules, 2011 have been violated." The court noted that the woman had not denied that the elephant was used for any marriage functions. The petitioner submitted that the elephant, 'Malachi', was originally owned by one Masan, a resident of Rangat, North and Middle Andaman district in the Andamans. Masan had handed over the elephant to Indira on September 17, 2007, to be offered as a gift to the famous Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. However, the elephant was not handed over to the shrine and was instead used for begging and parading in marriage functions, among other things, the petitioner alleged. He alleged that ever since the elephant was brought here from the Andamans in 2007, it was subjected to several cruelties and not taken care of properly. Muralidharan said the elephant was made to walk on roads and both her front and back legs were tied using heavy chains in such a way that it could not run or walk freely. Collector-headed panel to take call on ban on Celebrity jumbo from Thrissur Pooram He also alleged that the mahout, while riding the elephant some time back had come in contact with an overhead electrical wire, was thrown off and had died. The pachyderm too suffered burn injuries, but was not taken care of, he said. The petitioner said he moved the court as there was no response to his representations to the principal chief conservator of forests. BJP leader slaps police constable for preventing him from burning Siddaramaiah's effigy in Raichur Siddaramaiah demands Rs 25 lakh compensation to farmers who were 'martyred' during farm law agitation Siddaramaiah asks BJP government in Karnataka to repeal two agriculture laws introduced last year How asks Siddaramaiah on Modis mandate despite bad economy India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Bengaluru, June 14: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said he was unable to understand the Modi mania, despite the "bad state" of the economy under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime led by him. The former chief minister alleged that the BJP won the Lok Sabha election raising emotive issues, rather than delivering on development. People of the country, including the media, have favoured Narendra Modi's five year government, despite low GDP growth, increase in unemployment and dwindling value of the Rupee, Siddaramaiah said. "...they have destroyed the country's economy...despite all this Modi, Modi, Modi- I don't know why?" Online building plan approval facility launched in Karnataka: Details here Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he said, "As the prime minister for five years, what did he do for economic development? Demonetization- what was its result? You (media) should ask BJP people." Stating that the economy can be brought back on track, the Country Liberal Party (CLP) leader said the BJP would not be able to do it. The Congress, which is part of the ruling coalition in Karnataka, was routed in the recent Lok Sabha polls, winning only one out of the 21 seats it had contested. It was the party's worst ever performance in the state, once its bastion. Congress' alliance partner Janata Dal Secular (JD-S) too won one out of the seven seats it contested. The BJP, in its best ever performance, had won 25 out of the 27 seats it contested. An independent candidate supported by the BJP had won in Mandya. Siddaramaiah also raised questions on the Indian Air Force air strikes at Balakot in response to the Pulwama terror attack. "How many terrorists were killed we still don't know. Rahul-Gowda hold hour long meeting, discuss Karnataka Cabinet expansion Neither the Defence Department nor the Prime Minister's Office or External Affairs Ministry has come out on this. They have misled the people with emotional issues." He also hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said everyone was aware what had happened when he was the Home Minister of Gujarat, but did not elaborate. Siddaramaiah also asserted that Rahul Gandhi would and should continue as the Congress president. "In today's situation there is no one else who can take up the job, there is no alternate leadership," he said. The Congress Legislature party in Karnataka had recently passed a resolution, urging Gandhi to continue in the post. Gandhi had offered to quit as party chief at the May 25 Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, convened to analyse the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, in which it won just 52 seats. The CWC had unanimously rejected his offer to quit, but Gandhi was apparently firm on his stand. Following Gandhi's insistence on quitting, there is speculation on the need to put in place an interim arrangement in the Congress for decision making, especially in the run-up to the Assembly elections. Int'l travellers who test COVID positive at the airport will not be allowed to go to their destinations Who is Firhad Hakim? Know Kolkata's New Mayor Age, Education, Family and Other Details Doctors' protest intensifies: 24-hour strike on Monday, 3.5 lakh medicos to join India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, June 14: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday called for nationwide strike protesting the attack on a doctor in Kolkata. The top doctors' body has said that no essential medical services should be provided on 17 June and that non-violent protests will continue. "We want assurance for a law for the protection of doctors and hospitals. On Monday, there will be a complete bandh if the demand is not met," the IMA said at a press conference. "The doctors are asking for security and other minor things, not for the moon. It is doable. We won't back down," the IMA said at a press conference. 3.5 lakh doctors to participate. Calcutta HC questions Mamata govt on doctors' strike, directs to find solution The IMA had directed members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court has refused to pass any interim order on the strike by junior doctors at state-run hospitals in protest against the attack on two of their colleagues by family members of a patient. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on strike since Tuesday demanding better security at workplace after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital. Emergency wards, outdoor facilities, pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state have remained closed over the past three days in the wake of the protest. Jharkhand: Maoists shoot dead five cops India oi-Vikas SV Ranchi, June 14: Maoists have reportedly shot dead five policemen in Jharkhand's Seraikela. The incident took place at at Kukdu Bazar area of Seraikela this evening. 2 sub-inspectors and 3 jawans were shot dead by the a Maoist squad when then reached the weekly market at Kukdu Bazar for patrolling, said reports. Some cops are also said to be injured. Police officials, including the Superintendent of Police, have reached the spot and further investigation is underway. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has condemned the attack and said the "sacrifice of the policemen will not go in vain." Das also promised strict action against the Maoists. "It is a very sad incident. I am very distraught. Naxals think they can demotivate our jawans through such incidents but our jawans' morale is high. Jharkhand government and people are with the bereaved families, at this hour," Jharkhand Chief Minister told ANI. "I assure everyone that our jawans will definitely achieve our aim of a 'naxal free Jharkhand'. DGP and CRPF IG will visit the spot tomorrow, I have asked for a detailed report from the DGP," he added. A few months ago, three Maoists were killed in Gumla in a special joint operation carried out by 209 CoBRA battalion of CRPF and Jharkhand police. Mysuru gang-rape case: HD Kumaraswamy says 'follow what was done in Hyderabad' Karnataka crisis: Kumaraswamy expands cabinet, inducts two ministers India oi-Deepika S Bengaluru, June 14: In a move that could reignite dissent in the ruling coalition, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy inducted two independent legislators into his cabinet on Friday. Governor Vajubhai Vala administed the oath of office to R Shankar and H Nagesh as state cabinet ministers at Rajbhavan in Bengaluru. Of the total of 34 ministerial positions in Karnataka, Congress and JD(S) have shared 22 and 12 respectively according to the coalition arrangement. Currently, three posts are vacant, two from the JD(S) and one from Congress. Rahul-Gowda hold hour long meeting, discuss Karnataka Cabinet expansion Shankar had served as Minister during the initial days of the Kumaraswamy government. He was dropped from the cabinet during the rejig in December last year, following which he,along with Nagesh, sided with the BJP and had written to the Governor withdrawing support to the government. As the BJP failed in its alleged attempts to topple the coalition and form the government, the two lawmakers subsequently moved closer to the coalition. There are voices in the coalition parties, especially Congress, against the induction of independents into the cabinet, by raising questions about their loyalty, as also about those loyal to the party not being considered. Senior Congress leader and former assembly Speaker K B Koliwad, who was defeated by Shankar in Ranebennur, expressed reservations about his induction, calling him"opportunist". According to reports, Shankar is likely to join Congress on becoming Minister. Though, JD(S) state president and MLA A H Vishwanath and MLC B M Farooq's name were doing the rounds for the Minister'spost, the regional party's leadership is said to have decided to keep the post vacant for now. The expansion, originally scheduled for June 12, was rescheduled to Friday as a three-day state mourning was in place due to the death of Jnanpith awardee writer Girish Karnad on Monday. Routed in the Lok Sabha polls and growing disgruntlement within, the coalition leaders, after a series of negotiations had decided to go in for cabinet expansion by filling in three vacant posts. More trouble for Cong JD(S) govt: Cong leader blames sidelining of seniors, zero coordination According to sources, a cabinet rejig is also on the cards after some time, during which a few ministers will be asked to step down to make way for others, mainly disgruntled legislators. However,an increasing number of aspirants in the Congress is worrying the coalition leaders, as it may once again lead to disgruntlement and cause disturbance for the smooth functioning of the alliance government. The coalition leaders fear onslaught by the BJP to destabilise the government, after the saffron party won 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, leaving Congress and JD(S) to share one seat each. OneIndia News (with PTI inputs) Karnataka doctor commits suicide, department head booked India oi-PTI Chandigarh, June 14: A 30-year-old doctor hailing from Karnataka, who was pursuing his MD course from PGIMS, Rohtak in Haryana, allegedly committed suicide in the hostel of the hospital's campus, police said Friday. Onkar, who hailed from Dharwad in Karnataka, allegedly hung himself from the ceiling of his hostel on Thursday night, Rohtak Police Station SHO Inspector Kailash Chander said. Chander said Onkar was pursuing his MD (doctor of medicine) course in paediatrics and took the extreme step allegedly due to harassment he faced from the department head. Payal Tadvi suicide case: HC grants four-day custody of accused to CB for specific time each day "Although he did not leave any suicide note, Onkar's colleagues and family members alleged that his head of department used to harass him. Allegations have also been levelled that she did not grant him leave to attend his sister's wedding, which was due to be solemnised after a few days," the SHO said. "We have booked the accused doctor under Section 306 IPC which pertains to abetment to suicide. No arrest has been made so far and further investigations are under way," he said. Meanwhile, after the doctor committed suicide at about 11.00 pm Thursday, some of his colleagues protested demanding immediate arrest of the doctor who allegedly used to harass him. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 18:04 [IST] West Bengal: 3 people killed, 44 injured after fire breaks out at IOCL refinery in Haldia WBJEE 2022 registrations to begin today: Here is how to apply Mamata Banerjee's nephew joins protesting doctors at Kolkata hospital India oi-Deepika S Kolkata, June 14: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abesh Banerjee, who is a student at Kolkata's KPC Medical College Hospital joined the doctors' protest in Kolkata Medical College Hospital. Abesh,who is the son of Mamata's brother Kartick Banerjee was leading a protest rally showing solidarity the agitating doctors of the Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital (NRS). Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Emergency wards, outdoor facilities, and pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and several private medical facilities in the state remained closed for the third consecutive day due to the doctors' strike. Doctors strike: Union health minister appeals to Bengal CM not to make it prestige issue Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the state-run SSKM hospital in Kolkata amid slogans of "we want justice" by the doctors. "I condemn the agitation. The junior doctors' strike is a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP", the CM said. The minister who also holds the health and family welfare portfolio asked the police to clear the premises and only allow the patients to stay. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 14:33 [IST] Int'l travellers who test COVID positive at the airport will not be allowed to go to their destinations Who is Firhad Hakim? Know Kolkata's New Mayor Age, Education, Family and Other Details Striking doctors refuse to meet Mamata, demand unconditional apology India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, June 14: The government is staring at a massive problem as the strike by doctors has not only spreading to different cities of the country, but the medical professionals are also resigning in protest. And now, they have even refused to talk to Mamata Banerjee. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday invited the agitating junior doctors for a meeting at the state secretariat, which they declined saying it is a ploy to break their stir. She convened the meeting to find a solution to the ongoing impasse disrupting normal services at all state-run medical college and hospitals for four days. After the protesting doctors did not turn up on Friday, Banerjee gave them time again at 5 pm on Saturday for the meeting at state secretariat Nabanna, reported PTI. [Unconditional apology by Mamata among six conditions by doctors to end stir] The doctors are demanding security as some of their colleagues were attacked last week in Kolkata by family members of a patient who passed away. The strike may worsen as today a second year MBBS student at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital sustained head injury after miscreants pelted bricks on agitating doctors. The agitation started in Kolkata. By Thursday, medical professionals in several government-run hospitals in several cities held protests to express solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. Earlier today, doctors had threatened mass resignation. As per latest reports, total 119 doctors of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Darjeeling, have resigned over violence against doctors in the state. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after a doctor was attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. [Doctors' protest intensifies: 24-hour strike on Monday, 3.5 lakh medicos to join] Emergency wards, outdoor facilities, pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state have remained closed over the past three days in the wake of the protest. The Indian Medical Association has called for a nation-wide strike on June 17. As if the violence against the doctors was not enough, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee added fuel to the fire by losing her cool and warned them. Banerjee gave doctors an ultimatum and threatened that they would be thrown out of their hostels if they don't get back to work. [Kolkata Medicos strike: Doctors opt for mass resignation] This worsened the matters and Doctors in major metro cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, joined protest in solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. Doctors across the country expressed their anger towards the way Banerjee handeled a sensitive issue. Calcutta High Court also intervened in the matter and A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Suvra Ghosh asked the state government to persuade the striking doctors to resume work and provide usual services to patients. Alliance was a mistake, Congress could have won more says Moily Mission Kerala, Bengal is next on BJPs agenda India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, June 14: The BJP may have notched up its best ever tally in the recent Lok Sabha polls but it is yet to reach its peak, its president Amit Shah asserted on , asking key party leaders to expand the organisation in new regions and bring more people into its fold. Chairing a meeting of the party's national office bearers and its key organisational representatives from states, Shah said the party will reach its zenith when it will be running governments in states like Kerala and West Bengal, among others. He also gave final touches to the party's membership drive, which will be launched soon with an aim to increase its members by 20 per cent, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav told reporters. Yadav said the schedule of the drive, whose in-charge will be former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and BJP vice president Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will be announced in a few days and that the party's organisational polls will follow the exercise. BJP set to launch membership drive Dushyant Gautam, Suresh Pujari, Arun Chaturvedi and Shobha Surendran will be co-incharges of the drive. Shah, party sources said, will continue as its national president till the organisational elections are over. The entire exercise may take several months to be concluded, which means that the party may fight assembly elections in three states -- Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra -- later this year under him. In his address at the meeting, Shah told party leaders that the Narendra Modi government's return to power with a massive mandate mark the victory of the BJP's agenda of nationalism, good governance and welfare of the poor. Quoting Shah, Yadav said the party president recounted its growth since the days of Jana Sangh, the forerunner to the BJP. Shah said the BJP strengthened itself in states like West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana during the last five years while maintaining its dominance in states where it had done well in the last general elections. In a similar way, the party will expand itself in new states in the coming years, he said. Shah noted that he had made a similar observation during his presidential address at the party's national council in August 2014 and has been proved correct with the party improving its tally of 282 seats by wining 303 seats in the recent polls. While the BJP witnessed big success in states like West Bengal and Odisha, two places where it had always been a marginal player, it was unable to win any seat in the three southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The party there has to expand its reach and win over new sections of society. BJP to fight state polls under Amit Shah, new BJP chief likely by next year Yadav said Shah credited the hard work of crores of party supporters at the booth level for the BJP getting more than 50 per cent vote share in 220 seats in the general elections and winning over 303 seats. This mandate is against casteism, family rule and communalism, the party president said and noted the decimation of the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh which, he added, had ended the myth about the strength of caste-based parties. The BJP had claimed that it had 11 crore people as its members during its 2014 drive. The party now aims to bump up the membership by 20 per cent more. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 6:10 [IST] TS Inter Result 2021: First year marks memo today at this time Telangana: Gay couple enter into wedlock, say it has sent out a message No animosity, no friendship: TRS on approach towards NDA India oi-PTI Hyderabad, June 14: The TRS would give issue-based support to the BJP-led NDA government, a senior leader of the ruling party in Telangana said Friday, ahead of the commencement of the Lok Sabha session next week. "No animosity, no friendship", K Keshava Rao, who was retained as Parliamentary Party leader Thursday told , when asked about the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led outfit''s policy towards the National Democratic Alliance government. "Absolutely issue-based support; same thing (the stand adopted by TRS towards the previous NDA regime) will continue," the Rajya Sabha member added. Roadblocks before KCR 's dream of becoming PM The Telangana Rashtra Samiti had backed the NDA on demonetisation, GST and in the elections to the post of President and Vice-President during its last term. Chandrasekhar Rao Thursday shared his thoughts on the strategy to be adopted by party MPs in the Parliament session beginning Monday. The TRS had aimed to sweep the recent Lok Sabha elections in the newly formed state, repeatedly asserting it would win 16 seats and its ally AIMIM one out of the total 17. The TRS won nine Lok Sabha seats. The BJP, which had a lone member from Telangana in the previous Lok Sabha, sprang a huge surprise winning four seats, while the Congress picked up three. Expecting a hung Parliament, the TRS had since last year made efforts to forge a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties which, however, largely remained non-committal. The NDA''s massive win dashed hopes of the TRS, which was keen to play a key role in formation of the government in the event of NDA and UPA falling short of the majority mark. The TRS Thursday appointed Khamman MP Nama Nageswara Rao as party leader in the Lok Sabha. Nageswara Rao, who was TDP''s parliamentary party leader from 2009 to 2014, had joined the TRS on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A P Jithender Reddy was floor leader of TRS in the previous Lok Sabha, but joined the BJP after being denied ticket. Congress takes to the streets in Telangana, slams KCR for 'encouraging' defection of 12 MLAs The TRS would also miss K Kavitha, daughter of the Chief Minister, and B Vinod Kumar, who had served as deputy floor leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. Kavitha and Vinod Kumar, two prominent faces of the party, lost to BJP candidates in Nizamabad and Karimnagar constituencies respectively. The TRS has six members in the Rajya Sabha. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 16:48 [IST] PIL in SC seeks protection of forests, wildlife from fires India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, June 14: A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking urgent steps to protect forests, wildlife and birds from wildfires in Uttarakhand, saying forest blazes have increased over the years causing huge loss to the environment. The petition sought directions to the Centre, the Uttarakhand government and the principal chief conservator of forests in the state to make pre-fire arrangements and frame policy to prevent forest fires. The plea, filed by advocate Rituparn Uniyal, also sought investigation into the matter by an independent agency and directions to declare the animal kingdom as legal entities having a distinct persona with corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person. 1989 custodial death: Plea by sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt turned down "Forest fires in Uttarakhand have been regular and historic feature. Every year forest fires in Uttarakhand causes great loss to the forest ecosystem, diversity of flora and fauna and economic wealth. Forest fire is one of the major disasters in the forests of Uttarakhand. "Despite a consistent history of forest fires the ignorance, inactiveness, negligence and unreadiness of the respondents (Centre, state government and chief conservator of forests) have rendered a great loss to forests, wildlife and birds in Uttarakhand and thus caused ecological imbalance," it said. The plea claimed one of the prominent forest research centres was at Uttarakhand but the authorities have not consulted the institution for remedies to tackle wildfires. "Uttarakhand has one of the prominent forest research centres, that is, Forest Research Institute Deemed to be University, Dehradun. Surprisingly, the respondents have never consulted the institution for the reasons and solutions of devastating forest fires in the state. This clearly shows a lackadaisical approach of the respondents in tackling the forest fires," it said. The plea further said forest and wildlife were the most important natural resources and played significant role in the human life and environment. "Forests are socially and environmentally inter-linked with the people in the hilly areas and play important role in the economic welfare and development of the region," it said. The plea claimed the concerned authorities have no clue as to how these fire took place and the ways to stop them which raised questions about the training received by the officials. Sometimes even we suffer the brunt of the social media: SC The plea further said two national parks -- Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park -- were under threat because of these forest fires. "One of the major fallouts of the wildfire was the generation of 'black carbon'. Black carbon, which is created by the incomplete combustion of any bio-matter and fossil fuels coats the Himalayan glaciers in the region. This makes the glaciers attract more heat and melt faster causing floods in the plains," it said. The plea added that destruction of grasslands and lack of fodder for the livestock in the area was another worry which was starting to haunt the locals and the villagers. "The loss of income from lack of tourism due to the forest fires was another pressing concern," it said. Seeking legal rights for animals, the petition said 'Life' under the Constitution meant something more than mere survival or existence or instrumental value for human beings, but to lead a life with some intrinsic worth, honour or dignity. "All the animals have honour and dignity. Thus, in order to protect and promote greater welfare of animals including avian and aquatic, animals are required to be conferred with the status of legal entity/ legal person," it said. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 7:58 [IST] Keep UP Additional Chief Home Secretary Awasthi away from poll process: Cong to EC Step up intel to prevent further attacks in Valley says Congress India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, June 14: The Congress has urged the Modi government and intelligence agencies to take suitable action to prevent militant attacks in the future, a day after five CRPF personnel were killed in a strike in south Kashmir. Two motrocycle-borne militants, believed to be from the Jaish-e-Mohammed group, fired at a CRPF patrol party on the Khanabal-Pahalgham road in Anantnag district, killing five personnel from the paramilitary force and injuring three others on Wednesday. "Disturbing to learn that 5 brave CRPF Jawans have been martyred & 4 Jawans injured in a terror attack in Anantnag. My salutations to the valour of our Jawans. Government and intelligence agencies must take suitable action so that attacks be curtailed in future," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted. Terrorist killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam A joint team of the bravo company of CRPF's 116th battalion and state police were deployed for a picket duty in the area when the attack took place. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 7:15 [IST] Two modules, one modus operandi: NIA on ISIS modules in TN, Kerala India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, June 14: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) says that the mastermind of the Sri Lanka bombings could be linked to at least 3 cases that are being probed in India. The revelation came in the wake of the NIA conducting raids at several locations in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. The NIA also went on to add that the Coimbatore module has more members and is found to be very similar to the ISIS operations in Kerala. Both modules had planned on carrying out attacks in South India similar to the Easter bombings, the NIA also said. During the raids, the NIA found material that belonged to the Popular Front of India and Social Democratic Party of India. The PFI has cropped up in several such investigations relating to terrorism cases. The name of the outfit cropped up for the first time in 2013 in the Narath Arms Case of Kannur. This case related to a training camp and the NIA said that it was also linked to the Indian Mujahideen. In ISIS raids at Tamil Nadu, usual suspects PFI, SDPI crop up Further the NIA also found that KhilafahGFX was a Facebook page through which the ideology of the Islamic State was being propagated in South India. On Wednesday the National Investigation Agency which conducted raids at Tamil Nadu has registered a case against one person, suspected to be part of the Islamic State. The person has been identified as Mohammad Azharuddin. The NIA said that he is suspected to have recruited persons from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with an intention of carrying out attacks in South India. The prime accused Mohammed was the leader of the module and had been maintaining the Facebook page named "KhilafahGFX", through which he had been propagating the ideology of ISIS/ Daish. The accused was a Facebook friend of Sri Lankan suicide bomber Zahran Hashim and other members of the module have also been sharing radical contents attributed to Zahran Hashim, over the social media. During the searches digital devices including 14 mobile phones, 29 SIM cards, 10 pen drives, 3 laptops, 6 memory cards, 4 hard disc drives, 1 internet dongle and 13 CDs/ DVDs besides one dagger, one electric baton, 300 air-gun pellets and a large no. of incriminating documents and few PFI/ SDPI pamphlets have been seized from the houses and work places of accused persons. The raids come in the wake of a two member NIA team visiting Sri Lanka last month to find out if there was any Indian link to the attacks. The NIA had said that the visit to Colombo was to exchange information and evidence gathered. This would be mutually beneficial the NIA had also said. KhilafahGFX, the Facebook page that propagated ISIS ideology in South India In the Coimbatore case, the NIA had found evidence too show that the Zahran Hashmi, the mastermind of the Easter Bombings had intended to target Churches. Further in 2018 the NIA had charged five persons from Coimbatore. It was on the basis of these interrogations that India had shared information with Sri Lanka about a possible attack. Further the NIA had also arrested one Riyaz Aboobacker, a resident of Kerala. During the probe, he had said that he too had intended on replicating the Sri Lankan bombings in India. However the NIA did not find anything to link directly to the Sri Lanka attacks and said that he was acting independently along with his accomplices in India. Karnataka imposes further restrictions in Bengaluru on New Year eve; check new guidelines Night curfew timings revised in Bengaluru; Major roads to be closed from 6 pm today till 5 am tomorrow Watch: Woman tied to pole, thrashed by villagers for not returning loan India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bengaluru, June 14: In an inhuman act, a woman was allegedly tied to a pole and was thrashed by villagers in Kodigehalli in Tavarakere of Ramanagara district of Bengaluru for not repaying a loan. The matter came to the fore after a video of the incident went viral. The victim, Rajamani, was living with her daughter on outskirts of Bengaluru for a couple of years. She was running an eatery and a chit fund business. She owed Rs 50,000 to some people who were forcing her to return their amount. #WATCH A woman was tied to a pole in Kodigehalli, Bengaluru, yesterday, allegedly for not repaying a loan she took. Police have arrested 7 people in connection with the incident. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/jpwX3Cr0Gu ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 When lenders asked her for the money, she fled from the village some months ago. The lenders panicked as Rajamani was not home. When she returned on Thursday, they tied her to the electric pole, abused and assaulted her. Online building plan approval facility launched in Karnataka: Details here The police then rescued the woman and arrested atleast seven people in connection with the incident. It is learnt that the woman hails from Kollegal in Chamarajnagar district and was settled in Kodigehalli. Meanwhile, a case has been registered and a probe has been launched into the matter. You let us down, Priyanka Gandhi tells Congress workers India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, June 14: Talking tough with her party men, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told them that they let down the party in the Lok Sabha polls. Accompanied by her mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who visited her constituency on a thanksgiving visit on Wednesday, Priyanka Gandhi pulled up party workers for failing to work for the Congress during the elections. "I will find out the names of the workers who did not work for the party in the elections," she said, adding those who had toiled honestly and sincerely for the party know that from the core of their heart. "But, those who did not, I will find out their names," she said. A visibly annoyed Priyanka Gandhi complained, "I am saying today from the bottom of my heart that you did not fight the elections sincerely." "This is the time of struggle. Those who are nervous, those who are not willing to compromise and those who are not ready to give their heart to this struggle... for them I will leave no space in the Raebareli Congress and the UP Congress," she said. "You make up your mind, if you want to work in the right earnest, you have to struggle, this is all I have to say," she added. Congress workers want Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as CM face Priyanka Gandhi was appointed as the general secretary and in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh just before the elections and had campaigned vigorously for Congress candidates in UP, especially in Raebareli and Amethi. But the Congress could manage to win only the Raebareli seat. Even Congress president Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi to Union minister Smriti Irani. Will come back to haunt you: Jaishankar in veiled reference to Pakistan S Jaishankar stresses on connectivity,proposes Chabahar Port be included in the NorthSouth Transport Corridor India-Central Asia dialogue: Need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghan, says Jaishankar CICA Summit: External Affairs Minister Jaishankar arrives in Dushanbe International pti-PTI Dushanbe, June 14: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met his Bangladeshi and Bahrainian counterparts as he arrived here in the Tajik capital to attend the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). The CICA is a pan-Asia forum for enhancing cooperation and promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. "Reached Dushanbe for the 5th CICA Summit and begun meetings. Delighted that first one was with our closest friend Bangladesh A K Abdul Momen," Jaishankar said in a tweet. "A very warm meeting with a distinguished and experienced collegue Foreign Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa," he said in another tweet. The theme of the 5th Summit is "Shared Vision for a Secure and More Prosperous CICA Region". [SCO summit: Nations must combat terror together, says PM Modi] The Summit will adopt a declaration covering issues of cooperation within CICA. During the Summit, the CICA leaders are likely to deliberate on the existing and emerging issues of common concern to the members and underline implementation of confidence building measures for developing Asia into a prosperous, secure and peaceful region. India is a member of the CICA since its inception and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had participated in the first CICA Summit held in 2002 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. India has been actively participating in various activities conducted under the aegis of CICA. PTI India-Kyrgyzstan sign 15 pacts, PM Modi announces USD 200 mn line of credit International pti-PTI Bishkek, Jun 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a USD 200 million line of credit for Kyrgyzstan after wide-ranging talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov as the two sides upgraded their ties to the strategic partnership level and signed 15 agreements, including one to eliminate double taxation. Prime Minister Modi and President Jeenbekov held one-on-one restricted meeting followed by a delegation-level talks during which the two sides discussed on stepping up their bilateral engagement to the next level and exploring new areas of cooperation. Later at a joint press statement, Modi announced the USD 200 million line of credit for Kyrgyzstan and said the two sides have decided to upgrade their ties to the Strategic Partnership level. Prime Minister Modi also said that the two sides have prepared a five-year road map to increase the bilateral trade. He said that the two countries share views on several issues and they have signed 15 agreements, including on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). They also signed the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), MoUs in the field of Health, security, defence and Information and Communication Technology. Prime Minister Modi emphasised on the counter terror cooperation between the two sides and said terrorism cannot be justified in any manner. "We are together in fight against terrorism, it is imperative to give out a message to the world that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost," he said. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace here. [SCO summit: Nations must combat terror together, says PM Modi] "India & Kyrgyzstan are now strategic partners! In a major outcome of the visit, both countries have decided to add strategic dimension to our ties to boost our relationship in defence & security, trade & investment, health, education & development cooperation, among other areas," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after the talks between the two leaders. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. PTI A look at the top 21 images of PM Modi from 2021 India-Pak ties at 'lowest point', hope Modi will use mandate to resolve differences: Imran Khan International oi-PTI Bishkek, June 14: Pakistan's relationship with India is probably at its "lowest point", Prime Minister Imran Khan has said even as he expressed hope that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will use his "big mandate" to resolve all differences, including the Kashmir issue. Imran Khan and PM Modi are in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek for the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. In an interview to Russian news agency Sputnik before heading to Bishkek, Imran Khan said the SCO summit provided him an opportunity to speak to the Indian leadership to improve ties between the two neighbours. India, Pak talks meaningless unless terror infra is dismantled: Ex-Pak Diplomat Imran Khan said the SCO summit provided Pakistan a "fresh outlet" to develop its relationship with other countries, including India. "At the moment, our bilateral relationship with India is, probably, at its lowest point," he said. Imran Khan said Pakistan was open for "any kind of mediation" and seeks peace with all its neighbours, especially with India, asserting that the three "small wars" have damaged both the countries that now grapple with the "greatest amount of poverty". The Ministry of External Affairs last week said that no bilateral meetings had been planned between PM Modi and Imran Khan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. Mr Khan has twice written to Prime Minister Modi, seeking resumption of dialogue on all issues, including on Kashmir. PM Modi on Thursday raised the issue of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan during his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Bishkek and said India expects "concrete action" by Islamabad to create an atmosphere free of terror for the resumption of dialogue. Imran Khan said the emphasis should be on peace and resolving differences through dialogue. "Our main difference with India is Kashmir. And if the heads of two countries resolve, if two governments decide, this issue can be resolved. But, unfortunately, we have not had much success from India so far," he said. Your onus should be on peace, US tells Pakistan "But we hope now that the current prime minister has one big mandate, we hope that he will use this mandate to develop better relationship and bring peace in the subcontinent," Imran Khan said. He said he believed that the money should be spent on getting people out of poverty, citing China's example which has lifted millions of people out of poverty. "We hope that our tension with India decreases, so we do not have to buy arms because we want to spend money on human development. But, yes, we are looking for arms from Russia, and I know our military is already in touch with the Russian military," Imran Khan said. Pakistan has been holding joint military drills with Russia in the last couple of years besides going for defence purchases from it, triggering some concerns in New Delhi. PM Modi and Imran Khan exchange pleasantries at SCO summit International oi-Vikas SV Bishkek, June 14: Amid tensions between the two neighbours and speculation over whether they would talk or not of Bishkek Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan today 'exchanged usual pleasantries' at the SCO Summit in the Kyrgyz capital, said reports. Both leaders were at the Leaders' Lounge at the SCO Summit in Bishkek today. On Thursday, reports said that both sat across the table at a dinner at the Frunze restaurant, but there was no exchange of pleasantries. The exchange of pleasantries came over two weeks after Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote separate letters to their Indian counterparts, pushing for restarting the bilateral talks. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Earlier, reports from Bishkek said Modi and Khan didn't shake hands or exchange pleasantries at a dinner hosted by the Kyrgyz president and at a concert. At both events, the two leaders were seated a few seats apart. [Your onus should be on peace, US tells Pakistan] Also, there is an air space ban on Indian flights from flying over certain regions in Pakistan. Khan had said that Pakistan was willing to allow PM Modi' flight to enter its air space. But, India announced that Modi will not take the Pakistani air space for flying to the SCO summit in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and instead will fly by the circuitous route through Oman and Iran. Tensions flared between India and Pakistan in February after suicide attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed at Pulwama in Kashmir killed 40 CRPF troops. India then retaliated by carrying out air strikes at terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan. SCO summit: PM Modi, Iranian Prez Rouhani unable to meet due to scheduling issues International pti-PTI Bishkek, June 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could not hold a planned meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit here due to scheduling issues, official sources said. According to a schedule put out by the External Affairs Ministry, Modi was to meet Rouhani at 3:35 PM (local time). As banquet for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders got extended, the two leaders could not meet, sources said. Modi arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO. He held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Modi also held talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Friday during a bilateral visit during which the two countries upgraded their relations to strategic ties. It was expected that Modi and Rouhani would discuss a range of issues including the US sanctions on import of Iranian oil and implementation of the Chabahar port project. The meeting was keenly awaited as it was to take place amid escalating face-off between Iran and the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme. The six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions to India and seven other countries to buy oil from Iran expired on May 2 as Washington did not extend it. Early last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited India in the wake of the US decision to not continue the exemptions to India and other countries. In her meeting with Zarif, the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj conveyed to him that India will take a decision on the import of Iranian oil after the Lok Sabha polls, keeping in mind its commercial, economic and energy security interests. India, the world's third biggest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. [PM Modi and Imran Khan exchange pleasantries at SCO summit] Iran was its third largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia till recently. Indo-Iran ties have been on a upswing in the past few years. Prime Minister Modi visited Tehran in May 2016 with an aim to craft a strategic relationship with Iran and expand India's ties with the West Asia. During the visit, India and Iran signed nearly a dozen agreements, centrepiece of which was a deal on development of the strategic Chabahar port. Later, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement providing for transport of goods among the three countries through the port. PTI The Finnish department store operator revealed yesterday that most of the positions will be reduced by means of lay-offs, but it also assured that the number of salespeople at its department stores will remain unchanged. STOCKMANN has announced it will shed around 150 positions after concluding consultative talks with its employees. A total of 1,600 employees were invited to the consultative talks in Finland in May. The redundancy need was at the time estimated at 160. Stockmann on Thursday stated that it is seeking to reduce operating costs by a minimum of 40 million euros by mid-2021. Less than one-third of the savings are to be created by slashing staff costs and the remaining two-thirds by introducing other belt-tightening measures. Minna Salo, the chief shop steward for managerial staff at Stockmann, told Helsingin Sanomat that the lay-offs will primarily affect clerical employees in support, financial and marketing positions. The lay-offs, she added, are significant. Its an enormous number, and itll definitely affect the job of each and every employee one way or another. Plenty of good people will be released to the labour market, she commented to the newspaper on Thursday. People are very shocked and dispirited, and theyre keeping to themselves. Stockmann also reminded that large-scale cost cuts and other adaptation measures will be required to revive and restore the profitability of its operations. The department store chain will consequently transition to a new organisational structure on 1 July by combining its retail, real estate and group-wide support services into a single business division. Aleksi Teivainen HT Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump Willing to accept information from foreign country on 2020 presidential opponent: Trump International oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Washington, June 14: President Donald Trump said that he would be willing to accept information from a foreign country on his opponent in the 2020 election race, after years of denying Moscow helped him win office. Trump team contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential race led to special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into possible collusion and obstruction of justice, as well as several similar and ongoing efforts in Congress. The Russia issue has consumed the Trump presidency for the past two years, and his new remarks suggested he still sees nothing wrong with a US political candidate accepting help from a foreign power. "I think you might want to listen... there's nothing wrong with listening," Trump said when asked by ABC News what he would do if a country such as Russia or China offered him such information. India's 50% tariff on US motorcycles unacceptable, says Trump He denied the suggestion that that would amount to foreign meddling in a US election. "It's not an interference, they have information -- I think I'd take it," Trump said. "If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI -- if I thought there was something wrong," Trump said. Mueller's report on his investigation stated that while there was insufficient evidence to charge Trump with criminal conspiracy, he was happy enough to benefit from Russian dirty tricks. Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden said that Trump was "welcoming" foreign interference in US voting. "This isn't about politics. It is a threat to our national security. An American President should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy," Biden said on Twitter. Another Democratic presidential hopeful, Elizabeth Warren, seized on Trump's comments to repeat her strident calls for him to be impeached. "The #MuellerReport made it clear: A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation," Warren tweeted. "Now, he said he'd do it all over again. It's time to impeach Donald Trump." Democrats in Congress continue to seek testimony and information as they press the president with multiple investigations -- mostly related to Russia meddling, obstruction and the 2016 election -- and are debating among themselves whether there is enough evidence and political space to pursue impeachment. The president's remarks came on the same day that his son Donald Jr was grilled by US senators about his contacts with Russians. The younger Trump likely faced questioning about his role in arranging meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016 that included his father's son-in-law Jared Kushner, then-campaign manager Paul Manafort, and a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. "If it's what you say, I love it," Trump Jr had written in response to a 2016 email offering the information. US hopes Modi will have a freer hand to pursue tough economic reforms Some Democrats suspect Trump Jr may have lied in previous testimony in 2017 about what he and his father knew about the now-infamous meeting, as well as other connections between the Trump campaign and Russia. The Trump team had initially tried to cover up the meeting, providing conflicting stories about its purpose and what happened. Mueller's report detailed how the president's former lawyer Michael Cohen recalled that Trump Jr may have told his father about the meeting. The president has denied knowing about it ahead of time. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, June 14, 2019, 8:05 [IST] UNIRAJ Result 2019 declared, how to check Jaipur oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa Jaipur, June 14: The UNIRAJ Result 2019 has been declared. The same is also available on the official website. The university has published the results only for those candidates who appeared for the annual undergraduate exams that were held in March and April this year. The university has also released the UG results 2019 for B.Sc Part 2 and Part 3, B.Sc Home Science Part 1,2 and 3 B.Com Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 (Hons and Pass), earlier this month. Meanwhile the last date to apply for the UG courses has also been extended. The deadline for the admission has been extended until Friday, today. The results are available on uniraj.ac.in. 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"Venture capital is very interesting for us, but it's one of those areas right now that is very expensive, so it's hard for the underlying funds to find things and investments that are not already fully priced," said Christopher Zook, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at CAZ Investments. He adds that as investors, they're willing to invest in an opportunity that is fully priced as long as the business model executes, which makes it important to work with managers that can be trusted and have a long track record of success in venture capital. His thoughts were echoed by Ronen Schwartzman, CIO at the Cooper Family Office. "We absolutely pay attention to the valuations of the companies we invest in and will not invest at any price," he said. Schwartzman looks for strong managers but has also built relationships with other family offices and will invest early in specific deals as well. "We typic...................... To view our full article Click here Whats driving the Soft Wall Military Shelter Market trends? | Key Players are Manufacturing, Alaska Structures, Inc., Celina Tent, HDT Global, Gillard SAS, Roder HTS Hocker Gmbh, Weatherhaven, GORE-TEX Soft Wall Military Shelter Market https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/3316 https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3316 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/soft-wall-military-shelter-market https://www.gminsights.com The qualitative research study introduced by Global Market Insights, Inc. on Soft Wall Military Shelter Market Report provides primary Data, surveys, Scope of the Product and vendor briefings. The market dynamic forces have been determined after conducting a detailed study of the industry.The easier deployment and dismantling of such shelters along with the capability of mounting across any environment and surroundings are expanding the soft wall military shelter market share. 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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. You can order dinner to your front door or summon a ride to the airport without so much as a phone call. Why shouldnt you sell your house with so little fuss? Thats the pitch from a new crop of real estate companies vying for a share of the so-called instant buyer market. They allow a homeowner to enter their address on a website and, if their home checks certain boxes, get a cash offer on the spot. If the homeowner accepts and pays a percentage of the price as a fee the deal can close within a couple of weeks. The company will turn around and sell the house itself. House flipping has been around for decades. But this new model has its roots in the same big data and machine learning thats allowed homeowners to get estimates of their homes value online (and snoop on that of their neighbors). The business is getting crowded quickly. The players include purpose-built startups like Opendoor, which launched in Portland last year, as well as tech-focused real estate firms like Zillow, which will launch its Zillow Offers business in Portland this year, and Redfin, which is also eyeing the Portland metro. Even the 36-year-old real estate megafranchise Keller Williams Realty has announced plans to jump on the instant buyer bandwagon with its Keller Offers program. It remains to be seen how many homeowners will risk leaving money on the table for the sake of convenience. Three months ago, Jennifer Howard got an offer for a job in Coos Bay, and a clock started ticking. She had a month and a half to sell her house in Aloha. Thats when she remembered hearing a radio ad for Opendoor. Howard was skeptical. You cant just sell your house to a company and not have to go through a Realtor and not have people traipsing through your house, she recalled thinking. No way. But she went to the companys website and requested an offer. She had one finalized by the end of the following week: $324,700, minus a 5.5% fee about $18,000, an amount that could be comparable to a brokers fee to Opendoor. "I kept expecting something to go wrong, she said, but it never did. Less than a month later, Opendoor put the house back on the market for $338,000 about $13,000 more than it had offered her before the fee. That doesnt bother Howard. It wouldve taken me longer, she said, adding that she might have had to make repairs, paint and keep the house tidy while it was on the market. To me, it was worth it. We were surprised they didnt do more before they turned it around. Joe Denother, the general manager for Opendoor in Portland, says Howard is pretty typical for the companys clients, many of whom are looking for a quick close or dreading the tours and open houses of a more traditional sale. For most folks, their home is their biggest asset, but its a very illiquid asset, he said. Were trying to reinvent the real estate process and remove a lot of the hassles. Denother says it offers a fair market price and doesnt significantly mark it up when the home goes back on the market. Zillow and Redfin, both companies built around showing an estimate of what a given home is worth, say their offers are usually pretty close to what theyve said on their website, but they acknowledge in-person inspections can change things. We normally bracket that number with some percentage points in either direction, said Jason Aleem, who leads the Redfin Now instant buyer business. We try to stay true to that. Because the business is built on making money on a fee rather than resale, the companies say the model isnt dependent on a market where houses are selling fast and prices are rising. In a hot market when homes are selling, were offering certainty and risk avoidance, said Jeremy Wacksman, the Zillow executive who runs Zillow Offers. In a market thats more balanced, or even cooler, home sellers want that certainty even more than they want it today. In Portland, at least, instant buyers were responsible for only a few dozen transactions over the last few months, compared with thousands of sales brokered by traditional real estate agents. The companies say that number will grow significantly in the coming years and in fact, theyre depending on it. None of the players have reported profitability as they battle to expand and claim market share. Today were in growth mode, and were investing in that growth, Wacksman said. Were targeting more break-even profitability on each house while we build up the teams and operations and get efficiencies of scale that will come. That could leave traditional brokers nervous about the looming battle over market share in a business that, when it turns down, turns down hard. And homeowners should be wary too, said Nick Krautter, the owner of brokerage SellPDX. Direct buyers, he said, have every incentive to work against a sellers best interests. I know there will be plenty of people who do it because they believe theyre getting the best dollar price value they can get, or theyre so focused on the convenience factor that theyre willing to take a haircut on the sale price, Krautter said. I just really struggle to believe that when its your biggest asset and 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars on the line, that people are going to be willing to do that. -- Elliot Njus enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; facebook.com/elliotnjus Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. You may now take a seat. Portland will soon have hundreds of seated electric scooters available to rent on city streets. The Bureau of Transportation on Friday announced it approved permits for two companies, Razor and Shared, to operate a seated e-scooter fleet here. The seated devices are the first so far in Portland, but at least one of the companies has fleets in eight other cities. In a statement, Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said Portland wanted to make the scooter fleet more accessible for people who might not be able to stand on the existing devices. There is still a significant amount of work to be done to achieve equity in transportation, she said, but the addition of seated e-scooters to our local fleet opens up this mode of transport to many more Portlanders. Ok, so I found a Razor seated e-scooter. Took one on a 15 minute spin. Thoughts: 1. Fun 2. Wheels are definitely sturdier, whole thing is heavy 3. I felt much more comfortable signaling turns. 4. Im very tall and thought seat was too low but it was fine 5. Its more expensive pic.twitter.com/y1qDz0tRm9 Andrew Theen (@andrewtheen) June 14, 2019 The scooters are also an option for able-bodied riders who would rather sit than stand. The scooters have larger wheels and wider tires, according to a city statement. Riders must obey the same regulations in place for other devices, including a 15 mile per hour maximum speed and helmet and sidewalk laws. Razor, a California-based company, may have as many as 525 vehicles. According to the companys smart-phone app, scooters are already on Portland streets. Tacoma-based Shared may have up to 200 devices, but they dont appear to be in town yet. Portland will be the first market for Shared. With the two additional companies, Portland now has five companies approved to deploy a collective 1,975 scooter fleet in town. Thats still fewer devices than the more than 2,000 scooters permitted during the four-month trial period from 2018. A picture of a Shared seated e-scooter Portland has said it would allow scooter companies to add more devices in 2019 if they meet a series of guidelines designed to incentivize ridership in east Portland and keep scooters out of public parks. If companies achieve those goals, Portland said it could feasibly see 9,000 scooters citywide. That hasnt happened yet. Portland is a few months into a one-year scooter trial that will run until April 26, 2020. The city said it would evaluate the program again in 2020 and determine whether to welcome scooters to town permanently. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A 21-year-old Portland man who convinced his mother to smuggle drugs into prison during a visit at the federal prison in Sheridan was sentenced Friday to six more months in custody. Johnny Hudsons mother hid eight balloons of spice, a synthetic cannabinoid, inside a potato chips bag that she shared with her son during a prison visit on April 8, 2018, according to prosecutors. When Hudson reached into the bag and was struggling to swallow, prison guards noticed and began to investigate. Hudsons mother, Tina Richards, said her son had asked her to bring the drugs to him so he could pay off a debt to another inmate, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Maloney. Hudson had pleaded guilty to possessing contraband in prison. U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman ordered Hudsons additional six months behind bars to run consecutive to the seven year and three month federal sentence that Hudson already is serving stemming from a sex trafficking case in Nevada. "He was very remorseful for getting his mother involved in this,'' Hudsons lawyer, Tyl Bakker, told the court. Hudsons mother, Richards, last month pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, possession of contraband, and is expected to face three years of probation when sentenced. Hudson previously had been sentenced in federal court in Nevada in May 2017 after he was convicted of coercion and enticement. According to prosecutors, he lured two girls from Oregon to work for him as prostitutes in Las Vegas. Hudson encouraged the two girls to run away from the Oregon Department of Human Services custody to accompany him to Las Vegas, the documents say. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. The Oregon Senate Thursday passed a hate crime bill that would make the offense a felony and change the name of the charge from intimidation to bias crime. Senate Bill 577, which Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum presented to lawmakers in March, would make a violent offense or the immediate threat of violence based on a persons membership in a protected class a felony, and add gender identity as a protected class. Victims who report encounters that dont rise to a hate crime that can be prosecuted will be referred to local services, a hate crimes hotline or a hate crimes response coordinator in the state Department of Justice. The bill also would require all police agencies to better document reports of alleged hate crimes, even if they dont result in arrests, and share that material with the state Criminal Justice Commission. District attorneys offices would have to track their hate crime caseloads and report to the state who is prosecuted, who is convicted, the sentences issued and rates of recidivism. Oregons 1981 intimidation statute focused on the number of people participating in a hate crime, rather than the nature of the harm done, Rosenblum told Senate Judiciary Committee members in March. Currently, its a felony for two people to apply racist graffiti to a building, but a misdemeanor to attack someone based on the color of their skin, said state Sen. Lew Frederick, a Democrat from Portland. The bill attempts to modernize the intimidation statute and strengthen community involvement in reporting incidents, Frederick said Thursday. He said the states poor understanding of hate activity impedes Oregons ability to fight it. The bill passed in a 26 to 0 vote, with three lawmakers excused. It now heads to the House. The attorney general had convened a task force that began meetings last July to identify gaps in investigating hate-related crimes and support for victims. The Joint Ways and Means Committee recommended allowing up to to $201,380 in federal grant money to support this bill in the Justice Departments victim services division, and setting aside another $46,453 from the general fund for the victims services division. It also recommended setting aside $235,476 for the state Criminal Justice Commission. The money will support the hiring of a hate crimes coordinator in the Justice Department, a research analyst for the state justice commission and allow for law enforcement training. Members of Unite Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon and the Sikh Coalition, along with victims of hate crimes, gathered last week to urge the bills support. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. UPDATED Dec. 12, 2019: 3 indicted in death of man killed in fight at NE Portland beach *** Portland police identified the man shot and killed Wednesday night at Broughton Beach as Samuel Fast Buffalo Horse, 27. Fast Buffalo Horse was shot during a fight that broke out Wednesday evening at Broughton Beach on Northeast Marine Drive, according to officials. Samuel Fast Buffalo Horse (Courtesy of Portland Police Bureau) According to police, "a large group of people had gathered at the beach when the fight broke out. A gun was fired, and Fast Buffalo Horse was hit, officials said. Police said the shooter and the crowd ran from the beach after the shooting. Officers responded to the incident around 9:25 p.m. and attempted to save Fast Buffalo Horse, but he died at the scene, police said. Oregon State Medical Examiners Office determined that Fast Buffalo Horse died from the gunshot wound. An arrest was made during Wednesday nights investigation for an unrelated warrant, officials said in Thursdays press release. No arrests related to the shooting have been announced. Police are asking witnesses and anyone with information to contact Homicide Detective Travis Law at (503-823-0395; travis.law@portlandoregon.gov) or Detective Vincent Cui at (503-823-0049; Vincent.cui@portlandoregon.gov.) The cause and manner of death of a woman whose remains were found near Chinook Landing Marine Park last month remain under investigation, authorities said Friday. The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office is seeking information about Tiffany Bettis, her disappearance and death. Foul play hasnt been ruled out. Bettis, also known as Melinda Smith, was reported missing in March 2015. Her remains were found May 20 in the area of Chinook Landing, near Northeast 223rd and Northeast Marine Drive in Fairview. Bettis left three children and a large family, and multiple people told investigators they dont think she would have willingly left her children, according to a news release from Crime Stoppers of Oregon. She maintained a home in Fairview and also lived in Roseburg, according to the news release. Crime Stoppers offers rewards of as much as $2,500 for information, reported to the nonprofit, that leads to arrests in unsolved felony cases. People can submit tips to the nonprofit online, by calling 503-823-4357 or by using the P3 Tips mobile application. Tipsters can stay anonymous. -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. Three hundred and eight. Thats how many faculty and staff positions Beaverton schools officials announced theyd lose over the summer when they rolled out a budget proposal to mitigate a $35 million shortfall. Grottings proposed $500 million budget represented an increase of $11.7 million over this years. Community members were incensed, filling school board meetings to demand answers why a district with a steadily increasing budget was making such deep staffing cuts and pulling $9.7 million out of its rainy day fund. At the Capitol, school advocates cited Beavertons budgetary straits as evidence the states $9 billion school funding plan wasnt generous enough. But it turns out that a $12 million chunk of the district shortfall for the coming year was a result of several accounting errors from the 2018-19 budget that will carry into next year. After those realizations dawned, the district found other sources of money and different ways to deploy its funds to lessen how dramatically it would cut teaching positions to balance the books. Officials in the budget office, then led by Chief Financial Officer Claire Hertz, who was since hired away by Portland Public Schools, built the current budget using an assumption new hires would come in at the bottom of the pay scale. They also miscalculated average salaries, which led to a faulty estimate of how much benefits would cost in the coming year. Those three mistakes combined meant the district had to spend $8 million more than it had budgeted. Miscalculations in enrollment figures cost another $1 million, while officials in the finance office underestimated how much the states new pay equity law would require in salary adjustments to the tune of another $1 million. Beaverton schools officials originally planned to cut 308 faculty and staff next year. Now, those cuts will be closer to 115.Oregonian file photo by Stephanie Yao Long, 2016 We were one of the first districts to dig in and comply with Oregons new pay equity law, Superintendent Don Grotting said. And we discovered it was going to cost us a significant amount of money. In order to maintain programs and staffing levels at this years level in 2019-20, the district would need $35 million more than they have to spend. So, they have to find something to cut. More than half of why the district needs to spend so much more about $17.9 million is the much-higher required contributions to public employee pensions and rising healthcare costs. Both obligations have risen over the last few years as the districts spending on salaries has only modestly increased. In fact, the district's contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System relative to salaries will top 27 percent next year. Theres no doubt that the PERS cost increases in the last two years have been a significant problem for schools, Grotting said. The districts new chief financial officer, longtime district finance official Gayellyn Jacobsen, submitted her resignation letter to Grotting on May 8, effective immediately. A $12 million accounting error and about $19 million in increases in employee benefits made up the majority of the district's shortfall.Oregonian file photo by Stephanie Yao Long, 2016 The document, obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request, contains three sentences. I am resigning my position effective May 8, 2019," Jacobsen wrote. It has been a joy to serve the Beaverton School District for the last sixteen years. I truly believe it is the finest district in the state of Oregon. Gotting recruited Jim Scherzinger, a retired money expert who ran Portland Public Schools budget and served as the state human service agencys budget director during his career, to replace her on a temporary basis. District officials have revisited their financial plans since state lawmakers approved $9 billion education spending for the coming two-year budget cycle, about $100 million above what top legislators proposed earlier in the year. That boost provides just over $493,000 for Beaverton schools. The district also plans to pull another $1 million from its rainy day fund for a total of $10.7 million to lessen proposed teacher job cuts. And, most significantly, the new budget plan will cut all employees days worked and thus their pay to preserve teaching positions. The revised budget includes the loss of five teaching days and nine work days for classified employees to save $9.6 million. Grotting has also proposed an additional $4.6 million in spending reductions at the districts central offices. Under his plan, up for a school board vote this month, nearly all those adjustments $15 million worth will preserve teaching jobs to stabilize class sizes. That would reduce the total number of staffing cuts to make next year to about 115, district officials told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Thats roughly one-third as many as Grotting originally proposed. But that doesnt mean more than 100 employees will necessarily lose their jobs. Grotting said a layoff announcement, if there is one, is still a few weeks away. The district always loses educators to retirements or to jobs elsewhere, and it remains to be seen how those numbers will shake out. Its hard to say right now, how many people we are having to walk up to and say they dont have a job next year, Grotting said. We could very possibly and might likely be going out to hire in some positions. District officials will present the revised document to the districts budget committee made up of board members and citizen volunteers on Monday. That proposal will include a new $7.3 million expense not included in current budget documents: A 2.5 percent cost-of- living increase for the districts teachers, a result of union negotiations that just closed. That additional money will also come out of the districts rainy day fund, Scherzinger said. Although Beaverton schools in the end appear to have staved off the deep cuts that made headlines earlier this year, the districts lobbyist worries that could be undone if voters strike down a $1 billion-a-year corporate tax package passed by state lawmakers at the ballot box. Although the first $1 billion wont reach school budgets until 2020-21, $200 million in proceeds from the tax is baked into the $9 billion state funding package for the coming school year as well as the next. After a 10-month wait, preliminary work began Thursday on the delicate task of removing barrels sitting in Wallowa Lake marked as containing defoliants used in Agent Orange. A contractor working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency started exploring the alpine lakes bottom with side-scan sonar to learn more about whats actually there. The operation is in its early phases. A spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said work would continue for several days. Removal could begin Saturday, she said. Also on Thursday, officials announced that the eastern Oregon town of Joseph, which draws its drinking water from the lake, had switched over to a backup well that it will continue using while the recovery continues. #Wallowa Lake Update ** @EPAnorthwest w/ @OregonDEQ plan to test and remove 12 100-gallon drums, labeled as herbicides. Were using a Remotely Operated Vehicle to survey the sunken drums before we can safely remove them. https://t.co/F0orlg2DPM pic.twitter.com/NwNxeN7q8A U.S. EPA Region 10 (@EPAnorthwest) June 13, 2019 The barrels could be sitting in water thats between 90 and 140 feet deep, said the department spokeswoman, Laura Gleim. She said the depth, combined with the lakes icy deep-water temperatures and 4,300-foot elevation, may complicate recovery. If the barrels are 90 feet down, Gleim said, a diver could only spend about five minutes -- possibly longer -- in a dive there. At 140 feet, divers may not be able to reach the site, she said. A remotely operated vehicle is scheduled to reconnoiter the site on Friday. Last August, recreational divers discovered barrels labeled as containing one of two defoliants -- 2,4-D or 2,4,5-T. Combined, the two chemicals were once known by another name: Agent Orange. The herbicide was used extensively in the Vietnam War and has been connected to numerous illnesses among veterans and civilians who were exposed. State and federal authorities moved slowly after the discovery in Wallowa Lake. Their plodding response to what could be toxic herbicides in the towns drinking water supply left residents wondering what could possibly be taking so long. Joseph has previously tested its drinking water for 2,4-D, the less toxic of the two chemicals. None has been found since testing started in 1984. But no sampling had been done for 2,4,5-T, a toxic herbicide unavoidably contaminated by dioxin during its manufacturing. Water tests for the chemical were done earlier this week. Though the results arent back yet, state health officials on Thursday advised that lake visitors may continue with normal activities until further notice. Wallowa Lake is a popular summer tourist destination for swimmers and boaters. Residents said they were relieved to know authorities were finally taking the threat seriously. But some questioned why the Oregon Health Authority would say the lake was safe without having the test results to prove it. It doesnt sound right to me, said Meg Bowen, who lives in Joseph and frequently kayaks and paddles a dragon boat in the lake. We are not going to be in the lake until we get the results of the tests. That just seems prudent to me. It isnt known where the barrels came from or whether they contain what the label says they do. But authorities say they believe the drums are intact. Rob Davis rdavis@oregonian.com 503.294.7657; @robwdavis Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. CHICAGO A baby boy has died a month a half after he was cut from the womb of his teenaged mother, who had been lured to a Southwest Side home and strangled, according to representatives of the family. Yovanny Jadiel Lopez had been on life support at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn since he was born on April 23. Doctors had told the family that he had suffered severe brain damage from lack of oxygen. It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of baby Yovanny Jadiel Lopez, family spokeswoman Julie Contreras said in a statement. He passed away this Friday June 14, 2019 from his severe brain injury. Please keep his family in your thoughts & prayers as they go through this difficult time. Just two days ago, indictments were announced against a mother and daughter accused of luring 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez to their home with promises of free baby clothes, then strangling her and cutting her baby from the womb in a desperate bid to raise the child as their own. Clarisa Figueroa, 46, and her daughter, Desiree, 24, are charged with first-degree murder. The elder Figueroas boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, 40, has been charged with concealing a homicidal death. After the hearing, Contreras told reporters that the boy suffered irrevocable brain damage. Theres no medicine, no pill that can fix that. Only a miracle. The gruesome details of the case stunned the city and garnered national media attention. Prosecutors said the elder Figueroa had announced in October that she was pregnant a surprise to family who knew she had her fallopian tubes tied. Over the next several months, she posted photos on Facebook of an ultrasound and a decorated nursery, complete with a crib. She said she would name the baby Xander after a 20-year-old son who died last year, according to prosecutors. As her phony due date drew near, prosecutors said, she and her daughter plotted to kill a pregnant woman to steal her baby. Prosecutors have alleged that Ochoa-Lopez, a mother of a young child who was nine months pregnant, reached out and touched the nose of the family dog as Figueroa, sitting atop her, took an agonizing four to five minutes to strangle her with a cable. After killing Ochoa-Lopez and cutting her baby from her womb, prosecutors said, Figueroa continued to claim the infant as her own, even seeking money on a crowdfunding site for the critically injured boy. Ochoa-Lopezs body was found in a garbage can outside the Figueroa home on May 14 with the coaxial cable used to strangle her still around her neck. Police and prosecutors said the younger Figueroa gave a full video-recorded confession to assisting her mother in strangling Ochoa-Lopez. Prosecutors said Bobak helped clean the scene after Ochoa-Lopezs killing and later shared the crowdfunding site on his Facebook page. Tracy Reeve, the Portland city attorney, has returned a professionalism award to the Multnomah Bar Association after one of her deputies made a racist remark at the award ceremony and which Reeve did not rebuke during her acceptance speech. I apologize to the MBA board for my own lack of professionalism in failing to publicly repudiate Simons remarks that evening, Reeve wrote in a June 6 letter, referring to the deputy, Simon Whang, who introduced Reeve before her speech. Whang wrote his own letter to the bar association board and said he had made a joke intended to be edgy, that was, in fact, tasteless and offensive. He sent a separate email to the board, obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, that included the offending part of my joke, which conflated the N-word and the F-word: "Professionalism connotes proper, rigid. Thats not Tracy at all. Soon after I started at the City, Im in a team meeting about a case with a bunch of litigators, including Tracy, and while were talking she casually says the N-word. [pause] F-word. That should be F-word, not N-word. Granted it was litigators so everyone was using the F-word. Thats a bad typo. Spell check doesnt catch that. Tracy, Im sorry about the 4 seconds everyone thought you were a racist." Whang said Reeve was not in on the joke, which he described in the email as inappropriate, offensive, and yes, racist. In her apology, Reeve said she had failed both as an ally to my African American colleagues and as a public servant" by not rebuking Whang during the award ceremony. I am responsible for ensuring that all Portlanders can have confidence in the citys legal representation of their collective interests. For that to occur, our past legalized and systemic racism must be actively acknowledged and rejected, and its present impacts must be recognized and combatted, Reeve wrote. I failed to do that from the podium on May 14, 2019. I am doing it now. Reeve was not available for comment Friday, and a person who answered the phone at the city attorneys office said Whang no longer works there. A city human resources officer said Whang resigned. Reeve said in her letter that her office will hire an equity consultant to provide training. She said she will also consult with the city HR and equity offices to further our goals of using an equity lens in all of our legal work, and building a supportive, inclusive and equitable office culture. Whang was a prosecutor in Multnomah County, a state finance regulator and an assistant attorney general before coming to work at City Hall. In making his remark at the bar association dinner Whang apparently did not take his own advice, given in a 2015 bulletin he wrote for the Oregon State Bar, that lawyers carefully mind their words. In the good old days, we could say something stupid, right the error with an apology, and often suffer only the consequences of morning-after embarrassment and lesson learned, Whang wrote. Today, when a careless or insensitive statement can live online forever, is much different. Continuing in internet eternity are your misinterpreted jokes and slurs, braggadocio and bravado, good intentions backfiring, private messages, overzealous ire, political overreach, dumb posts, drunken comments, terrible tweets, Whang wrote. They beat on, borne back ceaselessly into the past, to haunt our future selves. -- Gordon R. Friedman GFriedman@Oregonian.com As nine states, many in the deeply curious South, have moved to outlaw or dramatically restrict abortion this spring, an anti-abortion lobbyist in Missouri offered the most challenging quote: Events have overtaken us, Samuel Lee told The New York Times. The advice of lawyers is of less concern than it ever has been in the pro-life movement right now. Sometimes people just want something. Social movements can take on a life of their own. Whats the lesson and inspiration there for Oregonians who want something altogether different for women and reproductive rights? I have a simple opinion on abortion: My opinion doesnt count. Women have the unique ability to become pregnant and the unique responsibility to decide where to go from there. In Oregon, a womans reproductive rights are still enshrined in law. In 2018, voters gutted Ballot Measure 106, an especially cynical attempt to deny abortions to low-income families. Twelve anti-abortion bills were introduced at the Legislature in 2019, notes Grayson Dempsey, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon: They never get out of committee because weve elected leaders who make sure they never do. Yet events are overtaking us, the daily refrain with Donald Trump in the White House. Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have jury-rigged the nomination process at the U. S. Supreme Court to encourage another direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. Conservative legislators in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio and Utah have happily complied. While Dempsey says Oregon is the only state that has never placed any restriction on abortion, six of those nine states have either criminalized the procedure this year, as in Alabama, or outlawed it at six weeks. Its no coincidence that Trump carried each of those states in the 2016 election. That Republicans control each of the nine assemblies. Or that men dominate the legislative seating charts: 86 percent in Mississippi, 84 percent in Alabama and Louisiana. This is a moment we cant ignore, says Emily McLain, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. The attacks in recent months have escalated. Planned Parenthood sees this as state of emergency for womens health. How should Oregonians respond? Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane have done their part. Rosenblum sued the Trump administration for its new Title X family-planning restrictions, barring referrals to abortion providers. At an April hearing in Portland, McShane issued a preliminary injunction to the administrations ham-fisted approach to public health policy. But the rest of us? Whats our response when theres only a single abortion provider in six states and, McLain notes, 19 million women in the United States live in reproductive health deserts." Is a Freedom Summer moment, at hand? In the summer of 1964, more than a dozen Oregon lawyers most notably Cliff Carlsen, William Martin, Don Marmaduke and Jake Tanzer headed to Mississippi to enlist in the epic civil-rights battle. I cant picture a corresponding reaction to the assault on reproductive rights, but I may be painfully out of touch with the social movements, and social media, that allow Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Elizabeth Warren to soar so dramatically above political impasse and their detractors. When I put the question to Dempsey and McLain, they reminded me that the struggle for reproductive rights in Oregon continues. Most of the states abortion providers are clustered along the I-5 corridor, making access difficult for women who live in Burns and La Grande. They also directed me to several abortion funds. The Yellowhammer Fund, a favorite of Trail Blazer fans, helps women in Alabama plan and pay for abortions. The Northwest Abortion Access Fund does the same for women in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. Thats a start. Is it enough when conservative evangelicals, their faith whittled down to this single issue, kneel at Trumps feet and urge him on? Can we extend the sanctuary Oregon provides for women faced with this decision? Can we impact the power structure in states where women lose the right to choose before they know theyre pregnant? Do we believe Roe v. Wade survives, or that the anti-choice forces, impassioned and emboldened, will ever back down? McLain nails it: Its going to be impossible for people to sit on the sidelines. -- Steve Duin stephen.b.duin@gmail.com By CARLA K. JOHNSON SEATTLE Marijuana has been shown to help ease pain and a few other health problems, yet two-thirds of U.S. states have decided pot should be legal to treat many other conditions with little scientific backing. At least 1.4 million Americans are using marijuana for their health, according to an Associated Press analysis of states that track medical marijuana patients. The number of medical marijuana cardholders more than tripled in the last five years as more states jumped on the bandwagon. The analysis is based on data from 26 states and the District of Columbia. The total climbs to 2.6 million patients if California, Washington and Maine are included, the AP estimates. States that expanded the use of medical pot for common ailments such as severe pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety saw a boost in enrollment, the AP found. The U.S. government, meanwhile, both considers marijuana an illegal drug and a therapeutic herb worth more study. A look at the health claims and research on medical marijuana: The evidence Besides chronic pain, theres strong evidence marijuana or its ingredients can ease nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy and help with symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Several European countries have approved Sativex, a mouth spray containing THC and CBD, for multiple sclerosis symptoms. Last year, U.S. regulators approved Epidiolex, made from CBD, to treat two rare seizure disorders. THC causes marijuana's mind-altering effect; CBD doesn't get people high. British drugmaker GW Pharmaceuticals is seeking U.S. approval for Sativex. Other companies are pursuing Food and Drug Administration backing for products based on marijuana ingredients. Arizona-based Insys Therapeutics, which filed for bankruptcy protection Monday as it faced fallout over its marketing of an addictive opioid painkiller, is developing CBD drugs for two types of childhood epilepsy and a rare genetic disorder. Pennsylvania-based Zynerba Pharmaceuticals is working on a CBD skin patch for autism and fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition. Prescription drugs already on the market use synthetic THC to treat weight loss, nausea and vomiting in patients with AIDS or cancer. And researchers continue to study whether marijuana helps with PTSD, back pain and other problems. Opioid alternative? New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New Mexico allow medical marijuana for opioid addiction despite little evidence it works. But marijuana may be helpful in reducing use of opioid painkillers. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, better known for its research on herbs and yoga, has set aside $3 million for studies to determine which of marijuana's 400-plus chemicals help with pain. THC was excluded however. Its mood-altering effects and potential for addiction and abuse make it less useful for pain, said Dr. David Shurtleff, the agency's deputy director. And THC has been studied more than the lesser-known compounds. Cure for cancer? Despite online claims, theres only weak evidence that marijuanas ingredients might one day be used to treat cancer. Most studies have been in animals or in the lab. Results have been mixed. In one study, nine patients with an aggressive form of brain cancer had THC injected into their tumors; any effect on their survival was unclear. Another study found worrying evidence that marijuana might interfere with some cancer drugs, making them less effective. Researching an outlaw medicine The U.S. government grows marijuana for research at a farm in Mississippi and generally bans grant-funded studies of real-world products. But a mobile lab inside a white Dodge van allows University of Colorado Boulder researchers to study the potent strains of marijuana many patients consume without running afoul of the law. Study participants use marijuana in their homes, coming to the van for blood draws and other tests before and after using, said Cinnamon Bidwell who has federal grants to study marijuana's effects on lower back pain and anxiety. With increased demand for research pot, the Drug Enforcement Administration created an application process for growers, but has not acted on more than two dozen applications. Such challenges are common for scientists studying an outlaw medicine, said Dr. Igor Grant, who directs the oldest marijuana research center in the U.S. at the University of California, San Diego. There, scientists are studying marijuana chemicals for children with autism and adults with a brain disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking. Established by state law in 2000, the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research once relied solely on California for funding. The center now has support from private foundations, a sign of growing public acceptance of the research. Tracking patients Minnesota medical marijuana patients must regularly fill out surveys about their symptoms and side effects. That allows researchers to study how people with cancer react to marijuana. In one study, a third of cancer patients made only one purchase and didn't come back during a four-month period. They may have died, or decided marijuana was too expensive or didn't work. Of the rest, most reported improvements in vomiting, pain, disturbed sleep, anxiety and depression with few side effects. Marijuana can ease many symptoms "all at one time," but more study is needed, said study co-author Dr. Dylan Zylla of the health care system HealthPartners. He has no financial ties to cannabis companies. Zylla is studying whether cancer patients can decrease their prescription opioid use while using marijuana. Marijuana "does seem to help patients," he said, "but so much is unknown about the risks, side effects and drug interactions." -- AP data journalist Angeliki Kastanis in Los Angeles contributed to this report. This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. President Trump appointed Portland native Eric Ueland as his director of legislative affairs, bringing Ueland into a high profile position close to the president that makes him perhaps the most powerful Oregonian on Capitol Hill. Ueland was previously a deputy assistant to Trump for domestic policy. His appointment was first reported by the news website Axios. As legislative affairs director, Ueland will be the presidents top liaison to Congress and be charged with guiding his policy vision through a divided legislative branch. The president had previously nominated Ueland to the No. 3 job at the State Department, a position called undersecretary of state for management, that would have made Ueland the day-to-day manager of one of the federal governments most complex and consequential agencies. It was not to be. Trump withdrew Ueland from Senate confirmation for reasons still unclear. A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley told The Oregonian/OregonLive in 2018 that Ueland was not confirmed because members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had serious doubts about Uelands abilities, but would not elaborate. Ueland graduated from Central Catholic High School and grew up in Northeast Portland. He attended the University of San Francisco before heading to Capitol Hill. Ueland rose through the ranks to become chief of staff to Bill Frist, then the Senate majority leader, and play a critical role in the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. He later served as a staff director for a Senate committee and was a member of the Trump transition team. -- Gordon R. Friedman GFriedman@Oregonian.com Republicans and Democrats really are living in two different worlds, with not just ideologies but basic facts in dispute. The internet certainly plays a significant role in this, with many people cordoning off their media consumption by partisan preference, as opposed to the days when CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite was the most widely watched newsman among liberals and conservatives alike -- and the most trusted man in America. But its also a cultural phenomenon arguably now reaching its natural apotheosis, a split that began with the rise of the counterculture in the 1960s -- and followed by a backlash that resounds to this day. (Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton would bring change to America, Pat Buchanan said at the 1992 GOP convention, but it is not the kind of change we can tolerate in a nation that we still call Gods country.) Many Americans were in denial for years about the countrys extreme partisan divisions. Now its widely accepted that these are the Disunited States of America. That acceptance has even led to an increased interest in the history -- and possible future -- of secession movements, which at the very least has given us some interesting maps to pore over. Just how differently do Republicans and Democrats interpret whats going on in the countrys politics? The best way to realize the starkness of it is by looking at our views of President Donald Trump and his actions. Lets consider a newly released Quinnipiac Poll that asked respondents about Trump and whats in Robert Muellers special-counsel report. Heres a sampling of questions and their answers from the June 6-10 poll of 1,214 voters (equivocal responses, such as Not sure, not included): Do you think that Congress should investigate to determine whether or not to bring impeachment charges against President Trump, or don't you think so? Yes Republicans: 8 percent Democrats 84 percent No Republicans: 90 percent Democrats: 14 percent Regardless of whether or not you think Congress should begin the process to impeach President Trump, do you think that President Trump deserves to be impeached, or don't you think so? Yes Republicans: 3 percent Democrats: 85 percent No Republicans: 95 percent Democrats: 10 percent Do you think that President Trump committed any crimes before he was president, or don't you think so? Yes Republicans: 16 percent Democrats: 90 percent No Republicans: 64 percent Democrats: 5 percent Do you think that the Mueller report cleared President Trump of any wrongdoing, or don't you think so? Yes Republicans: 74 percent Democrats: 7 percent No Republicans: 16 percent Democrats: 86 percent Do you think that Attorney General Barr accurately represented the conclusions of the Mueller report to the American public, or don't you think so? Yes Republicans: 71 percent Democrats: 4 percent No Republicans: 17 percent Democrats: 87 percent Read the entire poll results. -- Douglas Perry @douglasmperry Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. A Multnomah County judge struck down voter-approved campaign finance limits for Portland elections, stating the regulations violate the free expression guarantees of Oregons constitution. The decision, issued Thursday by Judge Eric. J Bloch, mirrors one the judge issued in March 2018 that struck down limits for Multnomah County races. Both times, he did in part citing a 1997 Oregon Supreme Court decision. Campaign finance reform advocates have said their fight is not over and suggested that appeals may be successful. They have pointed out that the Oregon Supreme Court of 1997 included some Republican justices whereas todays court is comprised entirely of Democrats who may view the issue differently. The Oregon Supreme Court is already scheduled to reconsider that position, with briefs due this summer and oral argument at the court on November 1, said Dan Meek, attorney representing campaign finance reform backers. On Thursday Bloch upheld portions of the voter-approved campaign rules that require Portland political advertisements to prominently disclose their top five financial backers. That requirement will allow Oregon voters to evaluate the credibility of political ads by knowing who paid for them, said Liz Trojan, a chief petitioner of the campaign finance measure. Portland voters approved the campaign finance changes in November with an 87 percent yes vote. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Photo taken on June 9, 2019 shows banners for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting on a street in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua) Tianshan Mountain, situated in the hinterland of Eurasia, is one of the worlds seven largest mountain ranges, stretching through four countries including China and Kyrgyzstan. As a major location along the ancient Silk Road a route that made important contribution to the friendly exchanges and mutual learning among Eurasian peoples and civilizations, Tianshan Mountain, for thousands of years, has been a witness to the flourishing trade along the Silk Road and the persevering spirit of the envoys promoting friendly relations among different countries. Chinese envoy Zhang Qian in Han Dynasty (206 BC220 AD), who was also a Silk Road pioneer, had left his footprints in the Tianshan region before reaching Central and West Asia. The mountain often comes into the sight of the people in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, 90 percent of whose territory lies more than 1,500 meters above sea level. Kyrgyzstan is halfway along the ancient Silk Road. The Kyrgyz people used to travel thousands of miles along the Tianshan Mountain range to Changan (present day Xi'an), capital of Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), and traded their horses and furs for fine silk and ceramics. What they brought home also included a close friendship with the hospitable Chinese people. Such beautiful memory of the splendid history of the ancient Silk Road was activated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, when he made the first-ever proposal to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt during his visit to Central Asia in 2013. The proposal has won wide support from the leaders and all walks of life in Central Asian countries. In 2014, with the joint efforts of China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor of the Silk Road stretching from Chang'an in China to Central Asia was listed as UNESCO World Heritage. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee believed that the Silk Road, as a road of integration, communication and dialogue between the eastern and western civilizations, has made important contribution to the common prosperity of mankind. In recent years, the tourism bureau of Kyrgyzstan introduced the Great Silk Road traveling route, in an attempt to promote the beauty and history of the ancient corridor. The traveling route includes the Suyab ruins, and is the countrys most important project of cultural tourism. These ancient trade routes and historical sites surrounded by mountains are telling beautiful stories of civilization exchanges to the visitors coming from every corner of the world. The ancient Silk Road brought opportunities and prosperity to this land, and I believe that the Kyrgyz people will gain more by jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said Nina Nichiporova, first deputy editor-in-chief of Kyrgyz Russian-language newspaper Vecherniy Bishkek. As a journalist that has covered BRI projects for times, she told Peoples Daily that President Xis state visit to Kyrgyzstan will further promote the friendly cooperative relations between the two countries. As one of the earliest participants of the BRI, Kyrgyzstan has yielded fruitful results. Transportation interconnectivity, a priority in the Belt and Road construction, plays a fundamental role in this initiative. It is especially important for a mountainous country like Kyrgyzstan. With the participation of Chinese infrastructure companies, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway, defying many high mountains on its route, has become a transnational transport artery. Besides, China and Kyrgyzstan are actively advancing other transportation connectivity projects, including the Bishkek road network improvement project and the alternative North-South highway in Kyrgyzstan. The BRI has enriched the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Kyrgyz people. Today, China is Kyrgyzstans largest trading partner and source of investment. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation are comprehensively expanding. Ahead of President Xis state visit to Kyrgyzstan, a series of activities were held in Bishkek, such as a China- Kyrgyzstan BRI seminar, an economic and trade fair, and a commercial exhibition. Manas, a Chinese opera created by China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater, debuted on June 11 at the Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Bishkek. The successful performance indicates further cultural exchanges between China and Kyrgyzstan and brighter prospects of the two countries traditional friendship. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The Burkinabe government signed here Thursday an agreement with the French Development Agency (AFD) for an amount of 30 million euros to finance the Regional Electricity Interconnection Project (Northern Dorsal Project) Lome, Togo (PANA) - Campaigns for municipal council elections in Togo began on Friday and will go on till 28 June, the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) told PANA Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - Because the fisheries agreement, currently in force between the EU and Mauritania, but is due to expire on November 16, the European Commission says it intends to open negotiations with the Mauritanian government in the near future for a new fisheries agreement Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The pilot of a fighter jet of the army loyal to the Libyan Government of National Accord died in the crash of his plane within the administrative boundaries of Misrata, 220 km east of Tripoli, the spokesperson for the "Volcano of Wrath" military operation, Colonel Mohamed Kanounou, announced on Thursday evening SPRINGFIELD Trent Lawrence had a rude awakening earlier this week. Overnight, mice had gotten into the greenhouse on his farm and eaten several dozen trays of seedlings he was planning to transplant into a field. Lawrence and his wife, Jami, work a 26-acre farm outside of Delavan. For the past several years, theyve been growing organic peppers, tomatoes and a variety of other specialty crops. But this year, theyre starting a new crop that became legal in Illinois only earlier this year, industrial hemp, and thats what the mice found especially tasty. At a cost ranging from 25 cents to $1 per seed, rodents in the greenhouse are just one of many risks that Illinois hemp farmers face. Its very risky, very risky, Lawrence said during an interview on his farm. Fortunately for Lawrence, the damage was minimal. He has hundreds more seedlings growing in that same greenhouse, and hundreds more on top of that germinating under lights in an upstairs room of the house that sits on the property. With luck, each of those plants will grow to produce 1 to 2 pounds of flower rich in a compound called cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, which when extracted can be used to control a wide range of medical conditions including seizure disorders. And with market prices ranging from $80 to $100 a pound, depending on its CBD content, that makes each one of those seedlings extremely valuable. That industry, however, became possible only in recent years. Since the 1930s, industrial hemp had been illegal in the United States, with a brief exception during World War II, because it was classified as a narcotic in the same category as marijuana. It was only in 2014 that Congress began allowing states to authorize limited production for research purposes, and it was finally legalized completely in the 2018 Farm Bill, which Congress passed in December. Six months ago, this would have been the mother of all felonies, Lawrence said as he looked around his greenhouse. Lawrence said the plants classify as industrial hemp as long as they test below 0.3 percent Tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC, the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The Illinois Department of Agriculture began accepting applications for licenses to grow industrial hemp on April 30, and as of June 10, according to agency figures, the state had issued licenses to 474 growers covering just over 12,103 acres. In 2017, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, corn production yielded about $673.35 per acre and soybeans roughly $556.80 per acre. By comparison, some in the industry believe a quality hemp crop thats geared toward CBD production could generate as much $90,000 to $160,000 an acre. Its just that the CBD craze thats going on right now has produced some pretty tremendous stories of farmers and what they can earn on an acre of hemp flower, said Kevin Pilarski, chief commercial officer of Revolution Cannabis in Elmhurst. But for farmers hoping to cash in on that market, there are also substantial risks, including startup costs, the lack of crop insurance for hemp and uncertainty about seed quality for the new crop. I tell our farmers to anticipate spending from before they purchase seeds to when they have a salable biomass at the end of the product cycle, they have a product that is dried, packaged and ready to sell to a processor $15,000 to $20,000 an acre, said Ginger Duer, president and founder of Delta Valley Logistics, a company that grows industrial hemp in Illinois, California and Ontario. Now, that is making an assumption that the farmer does not have a lot of equipment that theyre going to have to obtain. However, for the vast majority of farmers, you do have that equipment. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 NORMAL The National Pan-Hellenic Council will celebrate the establishment of a Bloomington-Normal chapter on Saturday. The chartering ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. at Courtyard by Marriott Bloomington-Normal, 310 Greenbriar Drive, Normal, followed by the celebration at 4 p.m. The ceremony will mark the first alumni chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council established in the Twin Cities. The NPHC, which acts as a governing body for the collaboration of black fraternities and sororities commonly called the Divine Nine, will bring together representatives from eight of the nine Greek organizations to participate. The chartering ceremony is limited to those organizations and invited guests. Sylvester Davis, who will become president of the newly chartered chapter, said the last of the nine, Iota Phi Theta, is working to establish an alumni chapter in Central Illinois. When it is chartered, those members will be welcomed into the fold as well. The celebration that follows the chartering is open to the public, offering cake, light refreshments and the opportunity for local organizations to network. Davis said chartering the new chapter will allow the organization to have a bigger impact on the community by bringing together more voices and resources. He said they will be able to offer more mentoring and scholarships for students as well as providing a one-stop shop for their various philanthropic endeavors. We can let Bloomington businesses and students know that we support them, Davis said. They look forward to working with the community, schools and local businesses and nonprofits and helping them be as successful as they can be. Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 4 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. You might be scratching your head at the if in that headline, so let me clarify: Obviously, we know National Security Advisor John Bolton wants war with Iran. Hes always wanted war with Iran. In early 2015, when Obama and other world powers were negotiating the Iran Nuclear Deal, he wrote an op-ed titled To Stop Irans Bomb, Bomb Iran. Last February, he wrote another op-ed for the WSJ called The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First. Boltons entire modus operandi is to start wars. I mean, even Tucker Carlson thinks this guy is too hawkish. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also wants war with Iran. Following the attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, in which two oil tankers were hit with explosions, it wasnt long before he very publicly blamed Iran: It is the assessment of the U.S. government that Iran is responsible for today's attacks in the Gulf of Oman. These attacks are a threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable escalation of tension by Iran. pic.twitter.com/cbLrWNU5S0 Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) June 13, 2019 Nor do you have to be a genius to read between the lines of quotes like these: Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security. Thats prelude-to-war talk, laying the groundwork for future action. Now, we dont quite know whats actually happening with the oil tankers. The U.S. claims Iran bears responsibility, and there is apparently growing consensus among western powers that Iran carried out these attacks as well as a similar attack on four other tankers a month ago. As for the why? question, heres the prevailing view, per the Times: And they argued that Iran appeared to be seeking to demonstrate it could imperil the worlds oil markets, but without leaving the kind of fingerprints that could trigger American military retaliation. These are critical petroleum shipping lanes, and while it would seem foolhardy for Iran to engage in this kind of brinkmanship while the White House is occupied by unapologetic war hawks, its theoretically possible. Of course, we should also be deeply skeptical of growing consensus among western intelligence organizations, especially after the manufactured consensus that gave the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld conglomerate the justification they needed to invade Iraq. And indeed, Iran has denied responsibility and accused the U.S. and its allies of staging false flags: Iranian officials on Thursday suggested the new attacks might be the product of an elaborate conspiracy by their enemies, seemingly pointing to American allies like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Israel, which have long urged Washington to take a more muscular approach to Iran. If youre cynical about the Trump administrations intentionsand why wouldnt you be?its very easy to convince yourself that John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and others want war at all costs, much more than Iran does, and that the conspiracy theory Iran has pushed is, in fact, the most believable narrative. At this point, it doesnt even feel very far-fetched. However, even if Iran is responsible, theres a reason this is happening now, and it also goes back to the administrationTrump pulled the U.S. out of the JCPOA (the nuclear deal) last May, and re-instituted harsh sanctions last November that not only hit Iran, but also came with secondary sanctions designed to prevent other parties from doing business with them. The E.U. fought back against Trumps plan, but theres so only much they can do when businesses are essentially forced to choose between the two. The justification was that it would bring Iran to the negotiation table, but as the BBC noted at the time, many pointed to a very different motivation: But many analysts feel that such a move from Tehran is highly unlikely and the scope of US demands suggests that the Trump administrations real goal is somehow to produce regime change in Tehran. And of course, regime change essentially means war. The overarching narrative, then, is that while Obama and the global community took steps toward peace with the nuclear deal, the likes of Bolton and Pompeo are going in the other direction. That much was always obvious, but now were starting to see the effects of that war impulse. Lets say Iran did attack the tankers: The U.S. knows that if you pressure a country enough, squeeze their funding, and leave them no alternatives, eventually the powder keg will burst, and a justification for war will present itself. (And when it doesnt, you can invent one.) Thats the unstoppable momentum of a modern American war pushit builds on itself, and when you back someone into a corner for long enough, with obvious intentions and a complete lack of good faith, theyll be forced to actsometimes violently, sometimes desperately. Even if Tehran ordered the explosions, it all comes back to the U.S. The power of the White House is so extraordinary that when the driving ideological forces want war, they can get itby hook or by crook. Back to the ifas Jake Weindling pointed out a month ago, Trump himself might be the only thing standing between the U.S. and war. Congress is impotent, the E.U. clearly cant impose its will, and it all boils down to whether Trump might shy away from outright war, defying Bolton, Pompeo and others in the process, if he thinks itll hurt his legacy or his chances at re-election. Meanwhile, the rest of us have to watch helplessly to see how that dynamic plays out among some of the least responsible people in global politics. What a world. Apple still has the power to make big demands with mobile operators. We're learning today that Comcast and Charter agreed to sell thousands of Apple devices as part of a deal to offer the iPhone to customers for its mobile service. Comcast agreed to sell iPads at a discount, with Comcast eating the subsidized cost. Comcast and Charter agreed to Apples terms because they decided they couldnt launch a mobile service without supporting the iPhone. Comcast and Charter have learned a hard lesson as they build out their mobile offerings: this is Apples world, and theyre just living in it. As part of their deal to carry the iPhone with their fledgling mobile plans, Apple has compelled the two largest U.S. cable companies to sell large numbers of other Apple devices as well, according to people familiar with the matter. (For the record: KComcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.) The cable providers decided they could not offer a viable mobile service to compete with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile without carrying the iPhone, giving Apple ample leverage in negotiations, said the people. Charter has a different agreement with Apple because the second-largest U.S. cable company allows its customers to use Apple TVs as replacement set-top devices for Charters legacy boxes. Comcast doesnt allow Apple TVs to replace its Xfinity X1 boxes. As a result, Charter doesnt have the same subsidized sales requirement for iPads that Comcast does. The mobile providers gain some benefits from the agreement with Apple. Mobile devices such as iPads and Apple Watches, which Comcast has also recently begun selling, enhance the value of Comcasts wireless service. And customers may prefer navigating through an Apple TV than a clunkier, older Charter user interface. Apple has more than 45 percent market share for U.S. smartphones, according to Kantar research. For more, read the full CNBC report here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. In February of this year another new patent application from Apple was published by USPTO describing another facet of a future foldable device. More specifically, it covered a method of keeping the fold area from cracking over time. In the last two weeks Apple has been granted two patents relating to foldable devices that you could review here and here. When thinking of foldable device from Apple, the tendency it to think of a folding smartphone first and foremost. Yet Apple's patents have always listed other foldable candidates such as an iPad (tablets) or a MacBook (laptop computer), as they did once again in the February patent application. In some ways, a foldable iPad Pro would actually make more sense than a folding iPhone. Recently I posted a report on lenovo's hybrid device (folding tablet and mini notebook) that included a video and and a series of photos. And yet for some reason, a new video review of Lenovo's prototype from Unbox Therapy today (as hokey as it is at times) seemed to cement the idea in my head that this could be a nice new category for the iPad Pro. Of course until the Lenovo device is out in stores for consumers to try out, it's difficult to know if this hybrid device will go beyond being a curious novelty. Yet, the concept seems to create a nice new niche for those who will want to play Apple Arcade or Google Stadia games or watch a show on Apple TV+ on a larger display and yet be able to use the device for all infotainment needs including its word processor and more. It's new form factor is the key. For myself, my main computer is a desktop. I'd love to own a notebook but I can't justify the price for what I would use it for after work. I currently use my iPhone XR as my infotainment device, though I'd prefer something a little larger like the Lenovo prototype. Maybe it's just me, but there's just something about this new form factor that I find appealing. So it's great to see Apple's various engineering teams continue their work on this new form factor while trying to overcome some of the current problems associated with a foldable device. I think that Apple's Marzipan would be a nice fit on such a foldable hybrid device that is part iPad and part MacBook mini. Lenovo is going to use Windows 10 on their device and some of Intel's Athena form factor and mechanics. Apple's new iPadOS that will offer a full version of Safari and more will begin to blur the line with macOS further. I sold my iPad two years ago because I couldn't even log into Patently Apple if I wanted to edit a report. It was a real disappointment. So it's nice to see Apple finally making that move to the full version of Safari for the iPad Pro. While the attention is currently on the Lenovo device, other competitors like Dell, HP, Asus and Samsung are likely to be joining Intel's Athena bandwagon by next Christmas. So it would be nice to see an Apple hybrid come to market. Yet knowing Apple, they'll play a wait and see game before pulling the trigger. Check out the video report above and send in your comments below and tell us what you think about such a foldable hybrid device. For those not familiar with Apple's extensive work on foldable devices, check out our foldable display archive here. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Love Comes Softly, chapters 26-27 Before I start out, yes, in the last chapter Oke did say that the problem with keeping the livestock was that the feed grain burned down with the barn. In fact, the entire reason they have to sell the cattle, most of the chickens, and all of the pigs but too, and board two of the milk cows elsewhere, is that without the feed grain they cant feed the livestock. The sale of these animals finances buying enough feed grain to feed the remaining two horses, two pigs, one cow, and chickens through the remainder of the winter (its March). I did wonder, at the time, where pigs came into thissurely they werent eating feed grain? Or the chickens? But as one commenter pointed out last week, the cattle wouldnt have been eating feed grain either. Theyd have been eating hay that would have been arranged in haystacks in the field. Feed grain was expensive! You didnt feed livestock on feed grain. The expense of feed grain seems to be underlined by the fact that Clark had to sell fifteen cattle, half a dozen pigs, and a dozen chickens to purchase enough feed grain to keep two horses, one cow, two pigs, and a few chickens in feed for few months. Clark didnt sell these animals to raise money for building a new barn. To do that, Oke tells us, all he needed to do was cut more logs, and the neighbors would all come for the barn raising. This was just to recoup enough money for feed. This seems a bit extreme. Oh by the way, for those interested in milk production: The Guernsey had ceased giving milk, readying herself for calving. Milk for Missie and for cooking now had to be brought by pail from the Grahams every few days. Make of that what you will. And now, back to raising a new barn, because thats where we find ourselves this week! I do have a quick questionsomething Im curious about. Id always assumed that it was called a barn raising because you build the four sides and then raise them up (which is what takes collective effort) and connect them together. Ive seen Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, after all. But thats not how this works, here. Theyre building the barn out of logs. Someone notches them and someone else stacks them, like an old school log cabin. So my question is, was I wrong about what the raising part of barn raising meant? Did it simply mean erecting? Does anyone know? I previously expressed some skepticism that Clark would be adding log bedrooms onto a log house, rather than building a frame house, which I had thought was the logical next step when the original cabin was outgrown. Some commenters suggested that adding onto log houses might have been the norm if they didnt have a sawmill for cutting the lumber. Im going to apply that same reasoning to Clarks log barn. (How big of a town did you need to have before someone built a saw mill? Did you need a big enough river?) I took to google, I found a number of examples of log barns. Clarks barn would probably have looked something like this: Before they do the barn raising, though, the community gathers to do a house raising for young Jason Stern and Sally Anne Graham. The men provide their labor; the women open their larders. (Okes words.) The women spend their time chatting about their families and sharing recipes and patterns. The Larsons were late, and when they did arrive, Mrs. Larson timidly set her pot of potato stew on the table laden with good things. For the most part no one seemed to pay her much mind, but Marty crossed over to at least say a howdy and a welcome to the obviously lonely woman. Jedd Larson spends his time giving advice instead of actually helping. Cue surprise. But what Im really wondering is this: If Ma Graham is everything weve been told she is, youd think at least she would be welcoming to Mrs. Larson. Seriously, only Marty realizes how excluded Mrs. Larson is? So. Remember all the characters we recently met, three-quarters of the way through the book? Theres Mrs. Larson, for one, but shes not the only one who suddenly has Okes attentionand Martys. During the day, Marty had had a nice long visit with Wanda Marshall, showing her a simple crochet pattern and finding her a keen student of the handwork. Mrs. Vickers had buzzed about, whispering choice bits of news in various ears, and Mrs. Watley had planted herself in a sunny spot by the desserts and busied herself with drinking coffee and keeping the younguns outen the food. Of course, theyre all still paper cut-out stereotypes. Anyway, the next week everyone gathers again for the barn raising. It proceeds much the same as young Jason Sterns house raising, except that once the barn is finished Tommy Graham comes over to Marty and tells her that if shell move the things out of the lean-to, theyll go ahead and add the bedrooms too (Clark and Marty hadnt counted on there being time for this). Marty could tell that Clark Davis was a favorite neighbor. There wasnt a man there he hadnt helped out at one time or another, and it pleased them to be able to lend a hand in return. This much we had surmised. Because basically, Clark is perfect. Anyway, Jedd Larson is there again, once again not doing much to help but eating plenty. This time, though, his wife stayed home. Feelin poorly, he said. Marty felt genuinely sorry for the poor woman and their daughters. Finally, everyone finishes and leaves. Clark was almost half dead on his feet, having attempted to carry more than his share of the load at his own raisin and then having to go out for choring after it was all over. Is Marty unable to offer to do the chores at moments like these? The upshot of it is that Marty finds Clark asleep in his clothes in the new bedroom, and is filled with feelings for this man. She takes off his shoes and puts a pillow under his head and a blanket over him. When shed taken the things out of the lean-to shed noticed that the bed hed been sleeping on there was lumpy and uncomfortable, while the one she sleeps on has a feather mattress. Once again, there were feelings. Im going to go on to a second chapter, which has a very different topic: Laura. Laura, and her fascinating, maddening tragedy. There are two weeks left before the visiting preachers spring visit, which of course is also when Sally Annes marrying will happen. Ma tells Marty that shes still mourning to think of Sally Anne leaving, but that she guessed it was a part of life. Is Marty suddenly Mas closest confident? It seems like that ought to be Hildi. Stern, who I assume is Jason Sterns mother. Theres also Mrs. Vickers and Mrs. Watley, who are both closer to Mas period of life than Marty is, but Hildi Stern seems the least objectionable by Okes standards (Mrs. Vickers is a gossip and Mrs. Watley is always described eating food, but Marty earlier described Hildi Stern as a good natured middle aged lady who was not as wise as Ma Graham but would make a right fine neighbor). Why isnt Ma confiding all of this in Hildi? So, anyway. Back to Ma. But second daughter Lauras strange behavior troubled her mother. Second daughter? Second daughter?! Thats the problem right there! Laura is the older of the two by several months. Lets flip back a few pages: Sally Anne and Laura were both seventeen, only two months apart, with Bens Laura being the older. Why is Laura referred to as second daughter? Sally Anne is Mas biological daughter and Laura isnt, yes, but there are other daughters in the family, and even if there werent, that wouldnt make second daughter make sense. Has Laura always been back seat to Sally Anne, or just since Sally Anne took up with Jason Stern and everyone started hearing wedding bells? Poor Laura. The girl had been acting so different lately, sullen and resentful around the house, then slipping away for long walks. At times she even rode off on one of the workhorses. I wonder what on earth could be the matter. /sarcasm Im still upset over Okes falling all over herself about how very beautiful Sally Anne is, and her insistent need to emphasize how very homely Laura is by contrast to her younger sister. It is strongly suggested that that is why Sally Anne had a beau and Laura didnt, and then everyone wonders why on earth Laura might be upset. I mean, who knows! It could be anything! Ma, to her credit, does have some idea of whats going on. Laura, I be thinkin thet somethins troublin ya. Id be right glad to be a sharin it iffy yad like to lay it on me. Luara seemed to look at Ma with rebellion in her eyes. Oh noes! Rebellion! Nothin the matter with me, she responded resentfully. So resentfully! I think there is. Maybe its a natural thingwith all the fussin an fixin for Sally Anne. Maybe?? Lauras chin went up. What do I care bout Sally Anne? She be yer sister No, she aint. Ma looked fully at the girl now. Anger began to stir within her. Mas reaction to Lauras statement isnt confusion about why Laura would say this, or compassion for Lauras pain. Nope. Its anger. This is going to go well Ya listen here, missy. Sally an you been close like ever since I be yer ma. Oh yeah. Thatll show her! Ya aint my ma. Ma stopped short, and she told Marty later that she was sure her mouth was hanging open. She had known things were bad but had not guessed they were this bad. Hang on a minute. Shes sharing all of this with Marty? Laura is 18 (we know this because Oke told us Sally Anne would turn 18 before the wedding; Laura is two months older than Sally Anne; and Sally Annes wedding is in two weeks). Marty is 19. Marty and Laura are for all intents nad purposes the same age. How is this in any sense appropriate? Yes, Ma needs peers she can confide in about this kind of thingbut its not like she doesnt have any. Theres Mrs. Vickers, Mrs. Watley, and Hildi Stern. Marty is not her peer. Marty is her daughters peer. Its not as though Ma is talking to Marty about people who live far away, people she wont interact with. Not at all. Marty is perfectly positioned to be close friends with Sally Anne and Lauraboth girls will soon be married and having babies, and they and Marty will be at the same stage in life. Doesnt Ma want them to have friends they can confide in? Friends like Marty? This is some serious oversharing and boundary crossing going on here. Anyway, back to Okes narration of Ma and Lauras conversation: Laura, Im sorry, I really am. I never knowed ya was feelin this wayso strong like. Ive tried to be a ma to ya. I love ya like ya was my own, and yer pahed do almost anythin fer ya. Let I remind you that Ma thinks of Laura as her second daughter, which seems to suggest that she doesnt quite love her as though she were her own. Wont need to be a doin fer me much longer now, declared Laura. Whatcha meanin? Im gettin married, too. Yer gettin married? But ya aint even had ya a beau. Have to. Well, we never snowed it. Who be? Milt Conners. Laura stared back with stubborn determination in her face, no doubt well aware of the Grahams view of the young man in question. Ma reeled inwardly, turmoil and consternation making her nearly weak with the announcement from Laura. Never in her life would she give one of her daughters to Milt Conners. Not if her life depended on it. His drinking and carousing were well known in these parts, and not just hearsay. How many marriageable young men did Laura have access to? Laura clearly didnt want to be left at home when her sister left to set up her own household, so she set out to find someone to marry. We know Mrs. Vickers has a son named Shem, but we dont know how hold he is. We know there were other children in the Stern family, but we dont know if any others are boys, or their ages. Did Laura look around at the landscape and determine that Milt Conners was her only option? Or maybe there are others who were eligible, but Laura was too homely for them? This whole situation is heading for tragedy, and I just cant shake the feeling that the only thing this poor girl did wrong was to try to find her own way when faced with a very small number of options. I also cant shake the feeling that if Clark had married Laura, none of this would have happened. Laura already knew Missie, and was prepared to run a farming household. Clark has enormous respect for Ma and Ben Graham, and they for him. Why not join forces? Clark would have known from watching Laura with her younger siblings what kind of mother she would be. Instead, Clark married a complete stranger and promised to send his precious daughterhis only reminder of Elleneast with said stranger should she want to leave come spring. Ive noted before that Wanda Marshall got passed over when Clark married MartyWanda and her husband wanted to adopt Missiebut Laura got passed over too. Anyway. Back to Ma and Laura. When finally she could speak again, she tried her best to be firm yet gentle. Oh no, ya aint, she began. No one in this house be takin themselves up with Milt Conners. Iffen I didnt stop ya, your pa sure would. Funny, I dont see any gentle there at all. Ya cant stop me! Lauras assertion seemed to shock her as much as Ma. The girl took a tentative step backward. Oh yesm, we can, said Ma, equally determined. Great approach. Great approach right there. It be too late, flung out Laura. Watcha be meanin? Im Im gonna have his baby. Now Lauras eyes were downcast, and she wouldnt look Ma in the face. Ma told Marty she felt a weakness go all through her and thought shed faint. What the hell?? Laura is to be married to Milt Conner and have a baby within a year. Laura very clearly is not going to listen to Ma about anything, and is unlikely to come to Ma if she needs anything. Youd think Mas top priority here would to ask Marty to befriend Laura, not sharing every salacious detail of Lauras rebellious, scandalous choices and words with Marty. And yet here we are! Ive changed my mind. Ma isnt nearly as wise as literally everyone in this book thinks she is. For one thing, she doesnt appear to have done anything to reach out to Mrs. Larson, yet she reached out to Marty right away upon her arrival in the area. Why? We were given to think she was just a kindly neighborhood matriarchbut it couldnt have anything to do with Marty and Bens close friendship with Clark, could it? For another thing, Ma is a profuse oversharer who is sabotaging her stepdaughters ability to form meaningful friendships in the community, at the time she most needs them. Whatcha be sayin, girl? she managed to ask. But Laura stood her ground. Let Ma and Pa fume and fuss or anything else. Come time for Sally Anne to be standing before the preacher, shed be there too. Im gonna have his baby, she repeated, more firmly this time. Portrait of courage. It takes a lot to stand up to someone like Ma and assert your own independence. I should know. Ma stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. She reached out for Laura and pulled her gently into her arms, holding her close, her head bowed against the long brown hair. Oh, my poor baby, she wept. My poor, poor baby. Oh yeah. Thatll totally help. The two weeks until the preachers visit were full of wedding preparations as well as deep sorrow in the Graham house. Good god. Laura cant catch a break. Ben carried on with his usual farm work, but his shoulders sagged, and his face appeared drawn. The joy of the big day had been stolen from them. Stolen. Laura stole this from them. SMH. Even Laura did not seem to carry the glow that a new bride should, but she set her jaw determinedly and helped in preparations for the double wedding. Oh jee, I wonder why. Maybe she doesnt carry that glow because literally everyone is being awful. If Ma is spelling every detail of what happened to Marty, who else is she sharing it with? Were meant to believe that Mrs. Vickers, and not Ma, is the local gossip, but this is ridiculous. Look, Ive read the book through to the end more than once, I know how this ends. Milt Conners is scum. There will be no happy ending for Laura. But I dont feel like anyone ever actually gave Laura a chance. Its possible that there were lots of eligible bachelors and that Laura went after Milt Conner on purpose, to spite Ma in punishment for a long-held list of grievances. But I doubt it. Earlier in the book, Laura was presented as someone who was capable and had a good head on her shoulders. Here is how we were introduced to her: It was the two older girls that most interested Marty. Sally Anne was one of the prettiest young things Marty had ever seen, and the girl seemed to simply adore her stepsister Laura. Laura, though capable and efficient, was plain and probably knew it, for she seemed to always be trying to outdo Sally Anne. Why does she do it? Marty puzzled. Cant she see that Sally Anne practically worships her? Laura has no early reason to lord it over her. In watching more closely, she decided that Laura was unaware of what she was doing, probably driven by a deep feeling of being inferior to her pretty sister. She doesnt need to feel thet way, Marty reasoned silently. She has so much to offer jest the way she be. She supposed there was nothing she could do about it. However, she promised herself that shed try to be especially nice to Laura and maybe help her realize she was a worthwhile person. Unlike later in the book when Marty feels similar compassion for Mrs. Larson and decides to reach out to her, however we never see Marty act on determination to help Laura realize she is a worthwhile person. She never (that we see) interacts with Laura, and her only mention of Laura is to relegate Laura (along with Sally Anne) to the kids table when planning seating arrangements for Christmas dinner. So many missed opportunities. This whole storyline is such a tragedy. I have a Patreon! Please support my writing! A now-ex school drama club director is accused of using his acting skills to beg students to perform sex acts on him and guilting them into spending the night at his house, Pa. police say. According to WNEP and FOX56, the suspect is Justin Shaw, 38, a former drama director at two school districts in Bradford County, Pa. The TV stations, citing court papers, report Shaw, of Waverly, New York, is accused of sexually assaulting students, both male and female, between the ages of 15-17. Shaw worked as a drama club teacher for both the Athens and Sayre school districts in 2017 and 2018, when the abuse allegedly took place, WNEP reports. READ MORE: The locations of the alleged student sex abuse include the Justin P. Shaw Academy of Performance Arts in Sayre, Pa.; Shaws home in Waverly, New York; Plants N Things Floral Shop in Sayre; and around Athens High School in Athens Township, FOX56 writes. The students told police they were often guilted into spending the night with Shaw, each on different occasions, FOX56 reports, adding: Court paperwork shows one girl recalled Shaw seeing her topless while she was asleep. Another student mentioned waking up to Shaw having his hands down the male students pants. Court papers go on to say Shaw would beg students to perform sexual acts on him on multiple occasions. Additionally, the students said Shaw often made sexual comments, showed pornography, and made various sexual advances towards them. Shaw faces charges of institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with minors, indecent assault, and harassment. Slide on your flip flops and head to Tropical Smoothie Cafe. In honor of National Flip Flop Day today, the national chain will give away free 16-ounce Sunshine smoothies to all customers who wear flip flops. This years promotion will take place 2-7 p.m. June 14. Tropical Smoothie created Flip Flop Day in 2007 to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Proceeds from the promotion benefit Camp Sunshine, which is based in Casco, Maine and provides support to families with children facing a life-threatening illness. The camp has offered help to more than 50,000 individuals from all 50 states and 27 countries, according to its website. Tropical Smoothie serves dozens of smoothies as well as food including flatbreads, wraps, bowls and sandwiches. Sunshine smoothies are made with mango, banana, orange, pineapple and orange juice. Locally, find the restaurants at 4635 High Pointe Blvd. in Swatara Township, Strawberry Square in Harrisburg, 169 W. Chocolate Ave. in Hershey and 3601 Market St. in Hampden Township. WASHINGTON A federal watchdog agency on Thursday (June 13) recommended that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating a law that limits certain political activities of federal employees. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said Conway is a "repeat offender" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media. Conway told reporters who encountered her in the White House press office, "I have no reaction." White House spokesman Steven Groves called the watchdog agency's decision "unprecedented" and "deeply flawed" and said it violated Conway's constitutional rights to free speech and due process. "Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act," Groves said in a statement. The Office of Special Counsel noted that, during a May 29 media interview, Conway minimized the significance of the law as applied to her. When asked about the Hatch Act, the office stated that she replied: "If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work," and "Let me know when the jail sentence starts." The office had found in March 2018 that Conway violated the Hatch Act during two television interviews in which she advocated for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election for U.S. Senate. Career government officials found to have violated the Hatch Act can be fired, suspended or demoted, and fined up to $1,000. Conway has been an unwavering defender of President Donald Trump on cable news. Trump has praised her for her success in her career. East Lampeter Township police are hoping the public can help them reel in a seafood thief. The suspect is accused of shoplifting about $200 of seafood from the Weis Marker in the 1600 block of Lincoln Highway East around 4:45 p.m. on June 8, police said. Anyone with information regarding the suspects identity can call police at 717 291-4676. A Lancaster County man will spend up to 23 months on property arrest in connection with the death of his 4-year-old son last year. 41-year-old Alvin Beiler was charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children. LancasterOnline reports that as part of the guilty plea, the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office has decided not to prosecute the involuntary manslaughter charge. Beiler pleaded no contest to the endangerment charge. Beiler will be placed on property arrest for six to 23 months, according to the report. The sentence is an alternative to electronic monitoring house arrest since Beiler is a farmer. Police were dispatched on May 30 to a farm in the 500 block of Cambridge Road, Salisbury Township, where the Beilers son was found submerged in feed in a mixer. A deputy coroner pronounced the boy dead at the scene. Beiler told police the boy was with him earlier in the evening, and that he allowed the boy to climb a silo as he worked the feed into the mixer. Beiler then told officials the boy "disappeared" after climbing into the silo, according to police. Beiler then turned on the machine, but stopped it after realizing the boy was inside. Police said Beiler then ran to a neighbors house for help. As part of his sentence, Beiler will stay on the property unless he coordinates with his probation officer for errands, church, and church-related activities. Beiler will also be allowed to travel to Virginia in November to attend a wedding, according to the report. Beiler will also have to take parenting classes, and devote eight hours of community service to tell Amish families about the dangers of farming. When asked by a judge if he had anything to say, Beiler had a simple request. Pray for our family, Beiler said, according to the report. A drug dealer who wouldnt quit even after being indicted has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison. U.S. Middle District Senior Judge Yvette Kane hit Raul Cotto with that penalty more than a year after a jury convicted the 41-year-old York man on heroin and cocaine dealing charges. Cotto was arrested in 2015 after agents made several drug buys from or through him, U.S. Attorney David Freed said Friday. An October 2015 raid on Cottos home uncovered drugs, packaging material and around $20,000 in cash. Yet, Freed said, while free on bail Cotto went back to selling illegal narcotics. Marijuana and cocaine were found during a second raid on Cottos home in February 2017, Freed said. This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin, he said. The heroin initiative led by his office involves all levels of law enforcement and targets heroin traffickers throughout Pennsylvanias midsection. A Harrisburg man who sold crack cocaine and illegally possessed firearms will pay for his crimes by spending nearly 22 years in federal prison. Robert Hendrix Jr., 39, received that punishment from U.S. Middle District Senior Judge Sylvia H. Rambo after pleading guilty to narcotics and firearms charges. U.S. Attorney David Freed said Friday that Hendrix is a repeat criminal offender who was barred from possessing guns. His arrest resulted from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and city police. Faced with ongoing academic and financial failures, Harrisburg School District officials were told Thursday that its time to accept their faults before they can start working toward improvements. That was the message of Rob Jentsch, managing director at Mass Insight Education & Research, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit hired by the state to study the district. In so many ways the first step toward improvement is acknowledging that there are growth areas, he said On Thursday, Jentsch appeared before members of Harrisburgs Recovery Plan Advisory Committee to present the studys findings, identifying both strengths and weaknesses in the district, which serves about 6,500 students. The district entered recovery status a level of state oversight in December 2012, and officials then adopted a recovery plan with a goal of making improvements toward academic and financial stability. A chief recovery officer is appointed to oversee that process. In October, state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera selected Janet Samuels a former classroom teacher, principal and superintendent as the third person to serve in the role in Harrisburg. Along with new leadership came an update to the recovery plan, which was last amended in 2016. As part of that update, state education officials commissioned Mass Insight researchers to conduct their study with the understanding that its outcomes could be used to better craft a new recovery plan. That study included school visits, the collection of survey data, the hosting of focus groups and interviews with community members, as well as reviews of district data and documents. The inclusivity was applauded by Samuels. "Its very important that we are all-inclusive and that we value the voices of everyone, she said. The report was meant to analyze how well the district is performing, highlighting areas for improvement in a number of categories, including school management, academics and finances. Within those strengths, researchers listed a commitment from teachers, administrators and other district leaders toward framing decisions and actions in terms of what is best for students. Among other successes, the district was applauded for putting systems in place to streamline finance-related processes and to pursue new avenues for teacher recruitment. But Jentschs presentation began by identifying two deficiencies. The first was a problem with the districts culture, Jentsch said, pointing to a statistic that showed a majority of Harrisburgs central office personnel could not agree that district had a strong culture of excellence. In fact, Jentsch said, the most common word used to describe the districts culture was toxic. And that opinion, through negative newspaper headlines and other media, has permeated throughout the greater community, he said, encouraging officials to take steps to change the public perception. Talk of that negative perception seemed to surprise district Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney, who spoke at the conclusion of the presentation. When youre deep in the work, you dont always know what the perceptions are outside of the work, she said. Jentschs presentation didnt solely focus on district leadership. He also spoke about its underperforming students, whose graduations rates currently rank among the bottom 2 percent in the state. That statistic, he said, is not likely the students fault. Instead, its probably the product of their surroundings, both inside and outside of Harrisburg schools, Jentsch said. Our takeaway is that they are normal, he said. They are bright and energetic and interested in learning. That being said, Jentsch pointed out that his researchers visited 55 classrooms while studying the district and found that a high percentage of them were not providing high-quality instructional tasks that are aligned to standards. Jentsch did not clearly identify the cause of that deficiency. This is the core work of schools, Jentsch said, how students are learning and progressing. Jentschs presentation on the studys findings, which are outlined in a 66-page diagnostic report, was brief, also touching on areas of concern like teacher retention and poor student attendance. But he stressed that the study was not meant to be an evaluation, but instead, a guide by which Samuels can craft the new recovery plan to monitor and ultimately achieve improvements. The intent is to learn from it, Samuels said. To help, researchers at Mass Insight offered recommendations, urging district leaders to craft a manageable plan capable of yielding ongoing refinement in the areas of greatest need." That plan must be backed by a budget that supports its priorities, according to the diagnostic report. And Samuels said that all of Mass Insights work will be analyzed and incorporated into her new recovery plan for Harrisburg schools a process that will play out with public oversight. The transparency is very important and that is what this is about, she said of the Thursday presentation. Samuels initially had agreed to submit the amended plan by May 31, but last month she announced that additional time was needed to make changes. On Thursday, she called her setting of the initial May 31 deadline ambitious. She also said that a new deadline had not been set. There is no timeline for when a new recovery plan could be complete, she said. The ultimate goal is to be very thorough and to be very comprehensive, Samuels said. A copy of Mass Insights diagnostic report was attached earlier this month to a petition submitted by Rivera to the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. In the petition, Rivera asked the court to appoint a receiver to take control of the district for a period of at least three years due to its ongoing academic failings and financial problems. River asked the court to name Samuels the receiver, giving her decision-making power over existing district administrators and elected school board members in most cases. A court hearing on receivership is scheduled to begin June 17, and a decision on the states petition could be made by the end of the month. On Friday, several dozen people stood from their seats in the Old Cumberland County Courthouse, placing their hands over their hearts before reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. For lifelong Americans, the action may seem mundane or commonplace, but to those in the courthouse Friday it meant a new beginning. They were in Cumberland County for a naturalization ceremony, where they officially became American Citizens. Its the dream of everybody that lives outside of this country, said Luis Alexander Ravelo Pichardo, originally from the Dominican Republic. Pichardo, who has been living in the country for about a decade, said he moved from the Dominican Republic, following a woman with whom he was in a romantic relationship. That relationship ended, but Pichardo stayed, instead falling in love with America for its freedoms and safeties. You dont have to be scared about what you say or what you do," he said. In my country, you cant do that. You have to watch what you say because you could be in trouble." All told, 44 people from 29 different countries were welcomed to the United States in a ceremony that began with words from county Judge Albert H. Masland. Masland touched on the difficulty of relocating to America and the struggles many faced along the way. But he also talked about the new opportunities that citizenship will afford. Your stories are the most important stories, he said. Im sure your stories, from this day forward, will be amazing, too. With that, the naturalization candidates were asked to stand, and county Judge Christylee Peck administered the citizenship oath. Its an oath that May Aly Saad Soweilam, originally from Egypt, has been waiting years to take her husband, Ahmed, had naturalized years earlier. That meant Soweilam spent years separated from her family until she herself moved to America about five years ago. Its a dream land, seriously, she said. That dream was worth the hours she spent studying United States history and government in order to be granted citizenship, she said, calling the work easy. On Friday, Soweilam said she looks forward to her new rights as an American, including the opportunity to vote, but most of all, she is excited that she will now qualify for health insurance. I can have insurance now, she said, exclaiming her joy, with a celebratory clenched fist raised to the sky. To her husband, Ahmed, America truly has been the land of equal opportunity. To him, nothing illustrated that point more than a trip to a flower shop on Valentines Day. He told the story of standing in line with a local politician. They both waited for hours, and when they reached the counter, they both had to pay. Nobody is above the law here, he said, explaining that politicians in his former country likely would have gotten special treatment. In closing out the ceremony, county Judge Thomas Placey was welcoming, addressing the new citizens as his fellow Americans." Congratulations; Welcome to America," he said. A state appeals court panel Friday rejected a Cumberland County fathers claim that he shouldnt have been convicted of killing his 6-month-old daughter. Instead, the Superior Court judges found there was ample evidence, much of it circumstantial, to uphold the third-degree murder conviction and 22- to 45-year prison sentence of Deven T. Kohr. That decision, outlined in an opinion by Judge Paula Francisco Ott, seconds a county jurys conclusion that only Kohr could have inflicted the injuries that killed the little girl in May 2016 at his New Cumberland home. At the time of her death, Kohr was the sole caregiver for his daughter Desirae, Ott noted. Her mother was in Atlantic City celebrating her sisters 21st birthday. Investigators said Desirae was suffocated and had suffered other injuries from being thrown or whipped onto a bed or floor that left her blind. The jury convicted Kohr, now 26, in November 2017 and county Judge Jessica E. Brewbaker imposed his prison term two months later. On appeal, Kohr claimed there wasnt enough evidence to prove that he killed his daughter. He argued that she might have been injured by falling off a swing or that he had simply hugged her too tightly. Ott concluded that, even though no one witnessed the fatal assault, evidence from Desiraes autopsy and other facts developed in the case was more than sufficient to support the jurys verdict. Kohr had no more luck trying to convince the state judges that his jail term is unduly harsh. He claimed Brewbaker should have given him a break for cooperating with the police. No such consideration was warranted, Ott found, because Kohr kept changing his account of what happened to his child and tried to tamper with evidence. We find no basis to conclude (Brewbakers) sentence was unreasonable, Ott wrote. PHILADELPHIA Lew Klein, a broadcast pioneer who helped create American Bandstand and launched the careers of Dick Clark and Bob Saget, has died. He was 91. Klein died Wednesday, according to Temple University, where Klein taught and mentored students for more than six decades. He began working at WFIL-TV, now WPVI-TV, where he directed "Romper Room" and co-created "Captain Noah and His Magical Ark," two popular children's programs in the 1960s that attracted a bigger local audience than "Sesame Street." A native of Philadelphia, Klein served as executive producer of "American Bandstand," the popular music performance and dance television show hosted by the late Clark. Klein is credited with launching Clark's career and served on the board of Dick Clark Productions. Klein spent 15 years producing telecasts for the Philadelphia Phillies and also helped with the careers of players-turned-sportscasters including Richie Ashburn and Tim McCarver. Only a couple years after he graduated with an English degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Klein started teaching at Temple. He stayed for more than 65 years. In 2017, Temple renamed the College of Media and Communications in his honor. During a ceremony, which included remarks from comedian Saget, Klein said he was "so proud and very thankful" to be honored by the university. "Lew could see the gleam in a student's eye who was inspired to do the work," Saget told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. Klein helped Saget get an internship on "The Mike Douglas Show," a daytime talk show. Klein was also an early supporter of "Through Adam's Eyes," a film Saget made in the late 1970s at Temple about his nephew who received facial reconstructive surgery. "I can truly say he was a conduit for all of that," Saget said. "People like him don't come around often," Saget said. "He was just an all-around good man. When I saw him, I kissed him. And I only did that with my dad, Don Rickles and Norman Lear." Former NBC news anchor Tamron Hall, also a Temple graduate, called Klein "a legend and an inspiration." "I lost someone who I admired dearly," she tweeted alongside a photo of the two of them. Joe Conti, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, called Klein a "titan within the broadcast community." "He was a compassionate leader, tireless advocate and mentor to generations of broadcast television and radio professionals," he said in an emailed statement. Klein was honored several times at Temple for his service to the university, his support of education in media and communication, and his extraordinary career. per the schools website. Ultimately, his contributions were recognized in March 2017 with the universitys School of Media and Communication being renamed the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication. Lew Klein has left an indelible imprint on the lives of countless Temple students who have gone on to build successful careers in media, communication and related fields, the universitys president, Richard M. Englert, said. Klein College Dean David Boardman added: Through the decades of his remarkable career as a pioneer of television, Lew Klein taught part time at Temple University, starting in 1952. He did that not for money, but as a way to serve his community and his profession by helping shape the journalists and broadcasters of the future." Survivors include Klein's wife, Janet; children Ellen and Stephen; granddaughter Anna and her husband, John; and great-grandchildren Oscar and Miriam. ___ Christina Paciolla of The Associated Press wrote this story. . From the outset, Pennsylvanias new medical marijuana industry was shrouded in secrecy. Companies vying for lucrative state permits to grow or sell cannabis blacked out key information on their permit applications at the states encouragement. The Wolf administration waged a two-year court battle to protect those redactions and to shield bureaucrats who decided how permits were awarded from scrutiny. Recent court-ordered releases of public information resulting from PennLives years-long legal battle with the state as well as testimony given as part of administrative appeals shine a light on the inner workings and lapses of judgment undergirding what could soon become a multi-billion dollar industry. Last year, a state-assigned appeals officer concluded that the Department of Healths scoring process was so marred by significant errors and irregularities that one company, Keystone ReLeaf, was entitled to a new review of its application by an entirely new scoring committee. All of this sounds like sour grapes but my client was only a few points short, said Seth Tipton, the attorney representing Keystone ReLeaf. The Bethlehem-based applicant was one of just two companies to successfully appeal their scores, at least to this point, because Tipton was able to convince the appeals officer of failures in the departments process. At least two members of the 12-member scoring committee testified to misinterpreting key components of the applications, creating their own scoring rubric or splitting their responsibilities with coworkers who werent authorized to even see the applications. The Office of Medical Marijuana is contesting virtually all of the appeals officers conclusions, arguing that scoring committee members actions did not violate state law or that the appeals officer mischaracterized their testimony. It also argues that the appeals officers report failed to account for the broad discretion the state Legislature gave the department to roll out the states medical marijuana program. Other hearing officers have found the process of those two individuals was accurate and the process was correct, said DOH spokeswoman April Hutcheson. Except for in one other case, appeals officers from the state Department of State found in favor of the health departments scoring process. Hutcheson said Health Secretary Rachel Levine, who would usually have final say on such administrative appeals, recused herself. The appeals officers order, which was handed down in October, hasnt been formally acted upon by Levines designee. Apart from the irregularities at issue in the Keystone ReLeaf appeal which, it should be noted, likely wont lead to the wholesale reconsideration of hundreds of applicants internal documents shine a light on an opaque process of vetting prospective distributors and manufacturers of what remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Why does this all matter? Put simply: Cannabis is big business and its getting bigger. As of this spring, Pennsylvania registered more than 100,000 medical marijuana patients. According to Department of Revenue figures, the states 5 percent gross receipts tax on medical marijuana generated $3.4 million year-to-date through May. Based on that figure, these companies reported some $68 million in revenue. And those revenues are expected to grow, possibly exponentially, as more patients sign up for medical marijuana and the Wolf administration eyes the legalization of pot for recreational use. Any big business is subject to bad actors and influence peddling. In early 2017, 12 current and former state employees were assembled to begin the process of reviewing the applications. It would be their responsibility to read and independently score different sections of applications, of which contain hundreds of pages of information ranging from sensitive information about security to billing and diversity plans. For years the health department fought to keep their names a secret even after their work had been completed to protect them from threats and bribes. A clause in the state law governing medical marijuana stipulated that the committee members names not be disseminated to applicants, but it made no indication that their identities be protected in perpetuity or from the general public. The subject of how applications are graded and who grades them has been controversial in states like Arkansas and Maryland but the names themselves are often made public. Last month, the state Commonwealth Court rejected the departments argument and the department subsequently released their names to PennLive. The committee represented a cross-section of middle managers from various departments with insight into agriculture, business, economic development and law enforcement. They included four employees of the Department of Community and Economic Development; three from Labor and Industry; two each from the Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania State Police; and one from the Department of General Services. Medical marijuana scoring committee Name Department Position Sheri Morris Agriculture Chief, Food Safety Policy and Program Division Nancy Richwine Agriculture Annuitant, Plant Pathologist Supervisor Fred Chapman Community and Economic Development Local Government Policy Specialist Brian Deamer Community and Economic Development Economic Development Analyst 2 Art McNulty Community and Economic Development Local Government Policy Specialist Greg Welker Community and Economic Development Economic Development Analyst 2 DeShawn Lewis General Services Director for the Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunities Ken Baum Labor and Industry Annuitant, UCC Building Plans Examiner Ron Seiler Labor and Industry Annuitant, UCC Building Plans Examiner Supervisor George Valentine Labor and Industry Annuitant, UCC Building Plans Examiner Variance Reviewer Scott Fidler Pa. State Police State Police Corporal Robert Krol Pa. State Police State Police Lieutenant According to Hutcheson, the Department of Health sent a call out to those agencies with a job description, seeking candidates to serve on the scoring committee. The members were identified by their respective departments as individuals who fulfilled those qualifications. The 12 members didnt receive any additional compensation for their participation, she said. A PennLive review of the backgrounds of these individuals showed no obvious conflicts of interest, aside from their status as members of an administration that supported medical marijuana or their expertise in subject areas relevant to managing or regulating a cannabis operation. In one case, the spouse of a committee member donated to liberal causes, including $150 to Gov. Tom Wolfs 2016 gubernatorial campaign. Their names and the names of known business associates, family members and spouses do not appear in the first phase of medical marijuana applications that PennLive was able to scan. Its impossible to rule out all possible conflicts of interest, however, due to the fact that some applications were so heavily redacted that they dont include key employees and financial backers. Meanwhile, the vast majority of applications from the second phase of permits that rolled out last year remain unavailable. Several sources, including a department spokeswoman, told PennLive the same panel also scored those applications. When asked about the delay in processing the second round of applications, Hutcheson cited PennLives public records lawsuit over the heavily redacted first-round applications. Its a huge amount of work, she added, in terms of reviewing the redactions and a huge amount of staff time to do that. Hundreds of thousands of pages have to be reviewed to get to the point we could post those documents online. Hutcheson initially confirmed sources that told PennLive the same scoring panel reviewed the second-phase applications. Another spokesman, Nate Wardle, later said that Hutchesons confirmation was incorrect due to an ongoing legal process and change to regulations. When asked to elaborate, he declined comment. Most committee members did not respond to requests for comment or could not be reached. One of the members, who declined to be identified because they werent authorized to speak on this contentious issue, said the process seemed fair from their perspective. The goal was the patients, the member said. [We] try to find the best applicants who could get up and running the fastest. That member said there was a sense of urgency to the work and that it involved a lot of reading over a short period of time. But the member rejected the idea that the scoring process was rushed. I know I did my due diligence, the member said. READ MORE: Inside a medical marijuana grow facility In March 2017, shortly after the first application deadline, the departments Office of Medical Marijuana called the scoring committee in for two days of training. On the first day, a PowerPoint presentation outlined the basics of the program, its regulations and the application evaluation process. It also made clear that committee members were not to discuss the applications or their scoring with anyone, that they were not to compare applications and that they DO NOT consult outside resources. Some members were assigned to review specific portions of the applications. The four DCED panelists, for example, were the only members to review the community impact section. The single panelist from DGS was responsible for all diversity plans but didnt review any other sections. The committee members, according to appellate documents, were instructed to provide an initial score based on a standardized rubric when they read an application. When they attended a committee meeting, the group would discuss the application and arrive at a final score. On the second day, members of the committee gave their own presentations based on their individual areas of expertise and, as a whole, the group reviewed a redacted application that would give them an idea of what to expect. Sunny Podolak, the offices assistant director who also chaired the scoring committee but did not issue scores herself, testified that the two days were the only training the members received. (Podolak and her known associates did not appear in any applications PennLive reviewed.) Each Thursday, Podolak distributed a thumb drive to the 12 members with 25 applications for them to review, as well as a schedule for the committees meetings the following Tuesday and Thursday. At the meetings, members discussed the applications among themselves and filled out a final score sheet where they could change their initial scores based on those discussions. According to department logs, there were 277 dispensary and 175 grower-processor applications in the first phase followed by 168 dispensary and 87 grower-processor applications in the second. DeShawn Lewis, who routinely analyzes the diversity components of state bids for the DGS, testified that she didnt use the standardized rubric she was provided. Instead, she used a guide she developed with colleagues in the DGS legal office. She also shared applications with up to five colleagues who assisted her with the review but were not members of the scoring committee, had not received any training and had not pledged they were free from conflicts of interest. The names of those co-workers have not been released. When youre looking at something like this, youre somewhat subjective, and so we had I had staff to review as well as I reviewed it, Lewis testified in the Keystone ReLeaf appeal. She noted that while she took her colleagues feedback into account, the final score was her decision alone. Lewis decisions, while apparently rooted in a desire to score the applications more objectively, appeared to represent a breach of scoring guidelines and regulations. Applicants, for example, had no way of tailoring their submissions toward Lewis rubric because it wasnt part of the application. And Lewis approach wasnt confined to Keystone ReLeafs two dispensary applications, which were the subject of the appeal. Podolak, in a separate appeal involving the Fayette County-based Maitri Medicinals, testified that these guidelines were in place as a safeguard against conflicts of interest and to ensure the confidentiality of a process that was highly competitive. We wanted to make sure that [the scoring committee members] were giving each application, you know, a fair review so that they were all reviewed with the same amount of integrity, she said. The diversity section, which was Lewis sole responsibility for scoring, represented 100 points or 10 percent of the whole. Jackie Wiest Lutz, the appeals officer who found in Keystone ReLeafs favor, noted that the Office of Medical Marijuana had argued that Lewis diversity rubric was based upon adherence to the existing law and regulations. Lutz disagreed. Ms. Lewis testimony is not particularly trustworthy, as it is undermined by the fact that she failed to adhere to the training she received, the appeals officer wrote. (Lutz and her known associates did not appear in any applications PennLive reviewed.) Keystone ReLeafs appeal also shows the inherent slipperiness and room for human error in the scoring process. The companys two dispensary applications contained identical personal identification sections, naming key figures in the operation, but one received a score of 36.4 while the other received 31.4 points. Art McNulty, a DCED policy specialist at the time whose LinkedIn profile now identifies him as an employee of the Office of Medical Marijuana, couldnt recall a reason for the discrepancy between the two applications scores during his testimony. McNulty also testified that he had mistakenly overlooked security information and issued a reduced score for the applications site and facility plan section due to that fact. State law and temporary regulations called for dispensary applicants to have minimum capital requirements of $150,000 a threshold meant to ensure that companies were able to cover the start-up costs of establishing a business that can be difficult to secure conventional funding for. In his testimony, McNulty said he gave any applicant who had only the minimum capital a failing score. He mistakenly reduced Keystone ReLeafs score because he concluded that the companys $6.9 million in cash deposited at a bank was not as liquid as hed prefer. Like Lewis, McNulty and the other DCED scorers apparently developed their own scoring rubric. He did not, however, consult people outside the scoring committee. McNulty testified that he and other DCED members consulted U.S. Census and unemployment statistics to create their own internal scoring rubric, something applicants had no way of predicting when they assembled their applications. The training PowerPoint stipulated that All determinations are based only on the applications DO NOT consult outside resources. Lutz, the appeals officer, concluded that the sheer volume of application documents was extemely massive, and cited the appellants estimate that it would require scoring panel members to read as many as 1,000 pages an hour for eight hours a day. People are human, and people become fatigued, she wrote. Given the vast number of pages that the scorers were required to read, comprehend, and then score in such a short period of time, scoring errors were likely made. In addition to its administrative appeals, Keystone ReLeaf took its complaints about the process to civil court. Last year, prior to the successful appeal, state Commonwealth Court dismissed the case on procedural grounds, namely that the company had not yet exhausted the appeals process. Judge Michael H. Wojcik in his decision wrote that the company raised troubling allegations regarding the permitting process but that the appropriate course of action would be to continue with the administrative appeals. Our position was the cat is out of the bag, said Tipton, Keystones attorney. If theres a problem with the process, you really should stop the process for a moment and resolve it. You cant put the genie back in the bottle. The department incorporated several changes during the second phase of applications and scoring, including rubrics developed for diversity and community impact. Hutcheson said the changes were made to improve the process but they are subject to an ongoing legal process. All applicants were aware of changes when they applied, she said. Hutcheson said the first round resulted in a total of 141 administrative appeals, including 69 from dispensary and 72 from grower-processor applicants. Sixty-two appeals emerged from the second round, including 41 from dispensary and 21 from grower-processor applicants. As of Tuesday, she said a total of 55 appeals are still pending before hearing officers. Eight are pending final action by the department. So far, she said, no one has earned a permit as a result of their appeal. Any of them can appeal the departments final action to Commonwealth Court. Last October, Keystone ReLeafs appeals officer ordered its applications to be rescored with new scoring committee members and for the Department of Health to amend its temporary regulations to allow for additional dispensary permits if the companys revised score was higher than that of an applicant who received a permit. That order still sits with Ray Barishansky, one of Levines deputies. He will ultimately decide whether to carry out the appeals officers recommendations. The Office of Medical Marijuana, according to Hutcheson, does not agree with the characterization that mistakes were made. Wardle added that while theres no timetable for decisions to be made, the agency has moved on other cases. Tipton said the company is still considering its legal options. If it doesnt receive a permit, he said, the next step would return it to Commonwealth Court, this time with the administrative appeals process under its belt. Keystone ReLeaf was far from the only company to identify problems with the Department of Healths process. But most of the unsuccessful applicants kept their misgivings confined to internal appeals, particularly as the state still had a second wave of permits to distribute. Preparing an application could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond the capital requirements. No one wanted to risk an adverse decision by speaking out. Knowing the amount of money to put together an application like this and knowing these kinds of issues affected the process is disheartening, Tipton said. PennLive reporter Daniel Simmons-Ritchie contributed coding assistance to this report. Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook. Read the TAPPED OUT special investigation of drinking water. The Pennsylvania state Senates Law and Justice Committee will hold a confirmation hearing Tuesday for Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board nominee Mary Isenhour. Isenhour was tabbed earlier this year to fill a liquor control board vacancy created in January, when Gov. Tom Wolf plucked his old business associate Michael Newsome off the board to serve as secretary of his Office of Administration. The three-member board charged with running the states liquor supply chain, sales operations and regulating retail licenses for restaurants, bars and clubs has been operating with just two members, Chairman Tim Holden and member Mike Negra, in the interim. Wolfs press secretary J.J. Abbott said the Isenhour nomination comes down to trust for the governor. "Like Secretary Newsome, Mary has a long-term relationship with Governor Wolf, inside and outside of government. Mary also had a key role in the administration as we negotiated historic liquor reform with the General Assembly (in 2016). Governor Wolf knows from that experience that she would be a strong advocate for good government and for making our liquor system as consumer-friendly as possible, Abbott said. Isenhour has worked in politics and government here for nearly 20 years, including a two-year stint as Wolfs chief of staff from July 2015 through March 2017, when she left the administration to become a full-time senior advisor on Wolfs re-election team. At the Capitol, Isenhour was generally credited with helping to tease out better relations between the executive branch and Republican legislative leaders during a period that included a prolonged budget stand-off. In January of this year, she formed a new government relations partnership with Alan Novak and T.J. Rooney. Law and Justice Committee Chairman Pat Stefano, R-Fayette County, said Friday that after his initial interviews he is comfortable with Isenhours nomination, even though she has little direct business experience. Working with large governmental entities, which the Liquor Control Board is, and being able to navigate those bureaucracies, thats her strong suit, Stefano told PennLive Friday. A seat on the Liquor Control Board carries a salary of $77,283 according to PennWatch; the chairman makes slightly more, at $80,451. Board members are nominated by the governor to four-year terms and confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the Senate. The board can never have more than two members from the same political party as the governor, and in this case, Isenhour would be the second Democrat. Tuesdays hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m., in the Senate Majority Caucus Room. WASHINGTON White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administrations credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced Thursday. Trump said hes encouraging her to run for governor when she returns home to Arkansas, where her father once held the governors seat. ....She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019 Sanders is one of Trumps closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining who worked on his campaign, taking on the job of advocating for and defending a president who had his own unconventional ideas about how to conduct the peoples business. At an unrelated White House event, Trump described Sanders as a "warrior" as he called her to the stage. Sanders, appearing emotional, said serving Trump has been "the honor of a lifetime" and pledged to remain one of his "most outspoken and loyal supporters." Sanders, who is married and has three young children, later told reporters she wanted to spend more time with her family, but did not rule out running for public office. "I learned a long time ago never to rule anything out," said Sanders, 36. She was the first working mother and just the third woman to be named White House press secretary. Under her roughly two-year tenure as chief spokeswoman for the White House, daily televised briefings led by the press secretary became a relic of the past after Sanders repeatedly sparred with reporters who aggressively questioned her about administration policy, the investigation into possible coordination between Trump's campaign and Russia or any number of controversies involving the White House. Sanders has not held a formal briefing since March 11 more than three months ago and said she does not regret the decision to scale them back. Instead, reporters were left to catch her and other administration officials on the White House driveway after their interviews with Fox News Channel and other networks. Trump also has made it a habit to regularly answer reporters' questions in a variety of settings, most notably on the South Lawn before boarding the Marine One helicopter. Sanders often sought to justify the lack of formal briefings by saying they were unnecessary when journalists could hear from Trump directly. Her credibility has also come under question since she succeeded Sean Spicer, Trump's first press secretary, in mid-2017. The Russia report released by special counsel Robert Mueller in April revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim about "countless" FBI agents reaching out to express support for Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017. Sanders characterized the comment as a "slip of the tongue" uttered in the "heat of the moment." She faced similar questions last year after Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump's personal attorneys, surprised the White House by saying on national TV that Trump had reimbursed his then-fixer Michael Cohen for the $130,000 Cohen had paid porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet during the campaign about an alleged past sexual encounter with Trump. Trump has denied Daniels' claim. The White House had failed to disclose the reimbursement. Sanders said she didn't know anything about the repayment until Giuliani disclosed it. Sanders told reporters Thursday that she had informed Trump earlier in the day of her decision to step down. Her staff learned the news shortly before Trump tweeted, "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas." Trump added that "she would be fantastic" as Arkansas governor. Sanders said she's had people "begging" her to run for governor for more than a year. Her father is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a two-time GOP presidential candidate. She managed his second White House bid. Asa Hutchinson, the current governor of Arkansas, was re-elected in 2018 and is limited to two terms. Sanders said she hasn't discussed possible replacements with Trump. She said she saw no reason to delay informing the president once she had made her decision, saying her departure should give Trump time to put someone else in place before the 2020 presidential campaign heats up. ___ Darlene Superville of The Associated Press wrote this story. AP writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report. Which would you prefer? photo-denver/Shutterstock.com As driverless cars become more capable and more common, they will change peoples travel habits not only around their own communities but across much larger distances. Our research has revealed just how much peoples travel preferences could shift, and found a new potential challenge to the airline industry. Imagine someone who lives in Atlanta and needs to travel to Washington, D.C., for business. This is about a 10-hour drive. A flight takes about two hours, assuming no delays. Add to that the drive to the airport, checking in, the security line and waiting at the gate. Upon arrival in D.C., it may take another 30 minutes to pick up any checked bags and find a rental car and even more time to drive to the specific destination. The average person would estimate a total travel time of four to five fours. Most people would choose to fly instead of driving themselves. However, if they could have a fully driverless car take them there, the choice changes. Passengers could eat, drink, work and sleep during the 10-hour drive. They could leave whenever they want, and pack whatever they want including liquids and pocketknives with no searches or scans. When they get to D.C., they wouldnt have to find a rental car and navigate to the actual place theyre going. Which would you choose? Now imagine the self-driving car has a reclining seat with actual legroom, or even a bed. Its more than a little tempting. What do consumers say? As experts in public opinion research, we know that the American public loves how quickly flights can cover large distances, but hates the security checks, long lines, delays, risk of losing baggage and overall hassle of the flying experience. We also know that at the moment, most people are reluctant to ride in driverless vehicles including school buses and even ambulances that could speed their treatment in an emergency. However, our data also shows that as people learn about the benefits of driverless cars, they become more accepting of the new technology. Over time, people will feel comfortable using autonomous cars (and ambulances), just like they adjusted to riding in the first automobiles. A future with driverless cars means people will have more options to avoid driving on their own, beyond trains and buses. In our study, we showed people trips of different lengths and asked them to choose whether they would rather drive themselves, take a flight or ride in a self-driving car. In general, the data indicated that people always preferred driverless vehicles over manual driving. Taking a driverless car got even more attractive if people were told that after flying, they would need a rental car in their destination city. On short trips, with a five-hour drive, two-thirds of people would rather drive themselves. That didnt change much when they were offered a self-driving car, unless they were told they would need a car in their destination city. Then nearly three-quarters of people preferred a self-driving car to flying. As trips got longer, people were increasingly likely to prefer flying, but self-driving cars were still a compelling option. On the longest trips we asked about, with a 45-hour drive, only about one in 10 people preferred driving themselves but that changed to one in six when the option was to have a car drive itself. In follow-up work, were looking at how the costs of each transportation method might affect consumers choices including whether theyre traveling alone or in a group with friends or family members. How will this affect the airlines? Losing even one in 10 customers would substantially reduce airlines revenue. They dont make much money on each flight as it is; less income would likely cause them to shrink their service, flying fewer routes less frequently. The problem wouldnt just be customers who chose not to fly. Some passengers might split trips between self-driving cars and airplanes, which would further reduce airlines revenue. For instance, a person in Savannah, Georgia, who wants to go to London could choose to change planes in Atlanta or take a self-driving car to the Atlanta airport, and skip the layover. These changes could substantially change the aviation industry, with airlines ordering fewer airplanes from manufacturers, airports seeing fewer daily flights and lower revenue from parking lots, and even airport hotels hosting fewer guests. The future of driverless cars is appealing to consumers which means the future of commercial flight is in danger. [ Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter. ] Stephen Rice, Professor of Human Factors, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Scott Winter, Assistant Professor of Graduate Studies, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri passed a heartbeat bill, and other states may join the trend. Alabama criminalized abortions, even in the cases of rape and incest. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed into law the bill in her state, claiming Alabamians deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God. Its a tough standard, that we consider every life to be precious and a sacred gift from God. It would mean that we fundamentally change so much of what some Americans support. Certainly many of us are against euthanasia, but such a standard would mean outlawing DNR or Do Not Resuscitate orders. Turning off a ventilator could be a felony. We would have to outlaw the death penalty in America (New Hampshire just did). I know thats going to lead to howls of disapproval, especially in the very states that just passed these stringent antiabortion laws. And there are even Americans that think people who commit crimes less than murder should be executed, even if those accused have been exonerated. We would also have to change our attitudes toward disaster relief, homelessness in America, and those less fortunate. It would a great obligation, private or public, to undertake to make sure we really are treating life as though it was precious or a sacred gift from God. This also applies to aid to other countries, treating people as budgetary matters or precious lives, sacred gifts from God. The same goes for war. From threats to make the sand glow or bomb them back to the stone age, we would have to transition to a nation of pacifism in world affairs, or at least just war theory as a compromise. And that would also put the crosshairs on how we wage war, if it is a just one, one with rules against human rights abuses instead of rewards for cruelty and extrajudicial killing. I understand this is all very hard, perhaps harder than it is for one with many possessions to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, as it would challenge the camel to pass through the Eye of the Needle. But it can be done. Earlier this semester, I invited conservative Republican State Rep. Ken Pullin, from Upson, to speak to my students. He gave out incredible details about what it takes to run for office, brilliant strategies, and Chick-Fil-A cards for right answers to his questions. He and I disagree on a lot, but thats not the point of this story. In his talk, he touted not only his strong support for the heartbeat bill, but also his change of heart on the death penalty, surprising his audience. He contends that such a new stance wouldnt help him in elections necessarily, but that pro-life view, along with concerns about executing an innocent person, led to such changes. Hes hardly the only one. Some Republicans like Senator Rand Paul are less enamored with war than they have been. And seeing Democrats like Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards become the signatory on Louisianas bill echo President Bill Clintons dictum that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. For those who demand the strongest anti-abortion law with claims that life is precious and a gift from God, and ignore similar pro-life practices on war, the death penalty, health care, foreign and domestic aid, then its just about votes, and firing up the political base, not life. John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is JohnTures2. Theres nothing good for Pennsylvania in trade wars and tariffs. And theres nothing good for Pennsylvania in turning what used to be friendly trading partners into enemies. Thats just the truth, and both Republicans and Democrats in Pennsylvania know it. The good news is political and business leaders of all stripes realize the danger the current state of affairs represents to American businesses and consumers. And here in Pennsylvania, many people on both sides of the aisle are doing all they can to protect local companies from the disastrous fallout of President Donald Trumps trade belligerence. PORTAGE, IN - MARCH 15: Steel coils produced at the NLMK Indiana steel mill are prepared for shipping on March 15, 2018 in Portage, Indiana. The coils, which are custom made to customer specifications, weigh an average of nearly 25 tons. The mill, which is projected to produce up to 1 million tons of steel from recycled scrap in 2018, is considered a "mini mill" by U.S standards. NLMK Indiana is a subsidiary of NLMK, one of Russia's largest steel manufacturers, responsible for nearly a quarter of Russias steel production. Steel producers in the U.S. and worldwide are preparing for the impact of the recently-proposed tariffs by the Trump administration of 25 percent on imported steel. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Getty Images Its not just that the President has placed tariffs on imports of basic raw materials such as steel and aluminum. Thats bad enough. The real problem is no one knows whats coming next, and there doesnt seem to be a coherent strategy or plan to avoid disaster. One day were threatening global bad guys like North Korea and Iran, and the next day were punching in the face friends like Canada and Mexico. The President also is threatening to slap tariffs on cars, which is causing some angst among our Japanese and European allies. David Gill, Germanys Consul General in New York, was in Harrisburg recently and spoke of the confusion among his countrymen of suddenly being treated like economic pariahs and security risks because they export Mercedes and BMWs to the United States. In truth the largest BMW manufacturing plant is in South Carolina, Gill said. Every one of BMWs X models is produced there. And, he noted, BMW employs more than 20,000 good Americans with well-paying jobs. So, how will it help the good ole USA to tick off our friends at BMW? Not only are our allies confused, but many Americans are, as well. And no one knows what coming next. Even people who support the President acknowledge businesses in Pennsylvania are hurting from his affinity for trade wars, and they fear more hurt is ahead. Two major categories of tariffs are directly affecting Pennsylvania the steel and aluminum imports tariffs, as well as those on imports from China. Few argue against teaching China a lesson. China steals intellectual property, exports shoddy if not downright dangerous products and dares us to do anything about it. But President Trumps tariffs threatened to do as much damage to Pennsylvania businesses as the China trade imbalance, says Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Gene Barr. "We believe that many of the trade practices that China engages in, such as their apparent disregard for intellectual property and forced technology transfers must be addressed, says Barr. Unfortunately, the tariffs imposed have hit consumers with higher prices and caused many businesses to pay more for the raw materials they use as part of their processes. There are two steel companies near Pittsburgh that are directly suffering from the steel tariffs, and Shell Oils construction work in Pennsylvania is also taking a hit, as is any company that has relied on imported steel or aluminum. PORTAGE, IN - MARCH 15: Steel coils produced at the NLMK Indiana steel mill are prepared for shipping on March 15, 2018 in Portage, Indiana. The coils, which are custom made to customer specifications, weigh an average of nearly 25 tons. The mill, which is projected to produce up to 1 million tons of steel from recycled scrap in 2018, is considered a "mini mill" by U.S standards. NLMK Indiana is a subsidiary of NLMK, one of Russia's largest steel manufacturers, responsible for nearly a quarter of Russias steel production. Steel producers in the U.S. and worldwide are preparing for the impact of the recently-proposed tariffs by the Trump administration of 25 percent on imported steel. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Getty Images NLMK Pennsylvania, the largest plant of the steel manufacture NLMK USA, is one of them. The Russian company has plants in North America and Europe, employing thousands of people. Officials say the NLMK Pennsylvania already has paid more than $170 million in tariffs to import raw materials. Even Hershey kisses are melting. Theyre wrapped in aluminum foil, which once could be imported cheaply from Canada. But now that tariffs are in effect, even domestic steel and aluminum manufacturers have raised their prices and consumers will feel the pain. If you dont think youre being hurt directly in your pocketbook, think again. Prices for anything with steel and aluminum from razor blades to washing machines are now costing more. FILE- In this Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, file photo Walmart associate Luis Gutierrez, center, checks out a customer at a Walmart Supercenter in Houston. The trade dispute between the U.S. and China is weighing on the retail sector, with shares of many in the industry falling in premarket trading, Thursday, May 30, 2019. Retail shares have seesawed of late, with companies expressing concern over tariffs squeezing their businesses. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)AP And Walmart shoppers looking for cheap made in China anything soon will find it isnt so cheap anymore. Economists have been warning from the very beginning that American consumers will pay the price for the tariff wars. Now they are warning that unless the anxiety eases, the country could face what every President dreads -- a recession just around election time. Camp Daggett announces 2022 summer camp registration will be online For the first time in 96 years, Camp Daggett summer camp registration will be done online through a new registration system. A Chester County man started off the New Year by becoming a millionaire. Brian Mineweaser, 49, won $1 million Powerball First Millionaire of 2022 on ABCs Dick Clark New Years Rockin Eve with Ryan Seacrest. He was selected as the winner on live TV at one second after midnight. He was one of five finalists [] Michael Mizrachi Wins His Fifth Bracelet! June 13, 2019 Will Shillibier "Grinder! Grinder! Grinder!" Not for the first time, the chants of Michael Mizrachi's rail echoed around the Amazon room. They came from Event #27: $1,500 Stud Hi-Lo at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino as he captured bracelet number five, becoming the most successful bracelet-winner of the decade. Mizrachi topped a field of 460 and defeated Robert Gray heads-up to secure the title, nine years after his first back in 2010. Event #27: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Final Table Payout Position Player Country Payout 1 Michael Mizrachi United States $142,801 2 Robert Gray United States $88,254 3 Michael Sopko United States $60,330 4 Elias Hourani United States $42,014 5 Jan Stein United States $29,818 6 Jose Paz-Gutierrez Bolivia $21,575 "It's an amazing accomplishment," Mizrachi told PokerNews shortly after his victory, "But I'm going to give it all to these beads." He gestured to some beads hanging around his neck. "I didn't have them on for the whole World Series so far. So I said I'd look for them, and I found them. I had them on last Series and of course, I did great, so in this tournament, I had them on from the start and I ended up winning so I can't take them off! "It was a tough table but I think the experience helped me out a little bit from, you know, a lot of tournament experience. I feel like I had a pretty good edge on the players in certain spots where they probably wouldn't play hands. I played those hands where I know they're going to fold and that way I can win a lot of antes and bring-ins." Mizrachi praised his friends and family that were on his rail for most of his final table. "I couldn't do it without them. You have to have fun when you play poker so you always have to have a good time. Especially at a final table where you know you're going to get a big payout and you have a chance for the gold bracelet." Event #27: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Final Day Recap Jan Stein crept into the final day as the short stack, but chipped up through Jose Paz-Gutierrez early on to leave his opponent short, and the Bolivian would become the first elimination of the day at the hands of Michael Sopko. Sopko made aces up on sixth street, and Paz-Gutierrez needed a low card to chop but could only muster up an inferior two pair to bust in sixth. He was soon followed out the door by Stein, who ran into the full house of Robert Gray to bust in fifth. This moved Gray into the chip lead and he would extend it after making a flush against Elias Hourani. Left with just over two big bets, Hourani could have folded but battled back as start-of-day chip leader Michael Mizrachi headed in the other direction. Sopko moved into the lead, but not for long as Gray came back to lead at the first break. Three-Handed Play Hourani was eliminated shortly after the resumption of play, and so began an extended period of three-handed action. Gray held the lead before Mizrachi, with Sopko following closely behind. But with the limits at 50,000/100,000, all it took was a couple of pots or a scoop or two to make a dent in a players stack. Sopko, at one point, was scooped twice and was almost all in against Mizrachi only for the Grinder to fold seventh street to allow his opponent to survive. Mizrachi then moved into a commanding chip lead with over half the chips in play but less than half an hour later, the trio was almost even again. Eventually, Sopko moved back to the bottom of the counts, and although he doubled through Mizrachi and Gray, he failed to make any concerted inroads into the two chip leaders and was eliminated in third place Michael Sopko eliminated in third place Heads-Up for the Bracelet Heads-up was a fascinating affair with Mizrachi starting as a small chip leader. The stacks evened out but back came Mizrachi to open up a 2:1 lead. Both players were buoyed by boisterous rails, and once Mizrachi got his opponent below a million in chips, you felt it was a matter of when, not if, Mizrachi got his hands on the bracelet. And although Gray doubled twice, it wasn't enough as Mizrachi held on for bracelet number five. Champion Michael Mizrachi Get PokerGO and watch a ton of World Series of Poker final tables LIVE! 1.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Donald Trump frequently claims that his presidency is focused on an America First agenda, but his comments this week about welcoming foreign interference in our elections should once and for all show how ludicrous that phrase is when attached to this president. MSNBC host Chris Hayes reminded viewers that while Russia helped Trump get elected in 2016, this president has a whole host of foreign conflicts that should concern Americans particularly after Trump invited more election meddling this week. If you think for a second its just going to be the Russians, you forget who else Trump has been hanging out with, the MSNBC host said. He has quite publicly put an Open for Business sign on the front door of the White House. Video: Chris Hayes says Trump is opening the door for other foreign adversaries not just Russia to get involved in the 2020 election. #ctl #p2 #inners pic.twitter.com/u78Uv3fdv9 PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) June 14, 2019 Chris Hayes said: Trump is actively inviting foreign intervention into Americas elections, and if you think for a second its just going to be the Russians, you forget who else Trump has been hanging out with. We know that an Israeli security firm tried to dig up dirt on former Obama officials to undermine the Iran deal. A private investigation by Amazon CEO and Trump nemesis Jeff Bezos found that Saudi Arabia obtained compromising pictures to share with the parent company of the National Enquirer. And what was the original high-profile hack used for geopolitical purposes? North Koreas hack of Sony. Do you think Kim Jong Un is above lending a hand to an American president who meets with him and praises him and talks about how much he loves him and then lets him keep his nukes? At nearly every turn, the so-called America First president has worked to benefit foreign interests. He has been surrounded by people who are secretly on the payroll of foreign interests sometimes. He has undisclosed business interests around the world that we really dont know anything about. And now he has quite publicly, in front of us, in a Russia-if-you-are-listening style declaration, put an open for business sign on the front door of the White House. Its me first not America first for Trump It doesnt take a rocket scientist to recognize that Donald Trump views everything through the lens of how he will benefit from it. Thats why he has had nothing but praise for brutal dictators like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. It doesnt matter what threats they pose to the world or their own people because one writes him love letters and the other helped him become president. After a Washington Post journalist was brutally murdered by the Saudis, Trump didnt express the outrage you would expect from a sitting American president. Instead, he helped lead the cover-up. Im sure his and his familys financial ties to Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with that. Time and again from his career stiffing workers to his presidency selling out America Donald Trump has shown that the only person he cares about is the one he sees when he looks in the mirror. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 1.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard If it was up to Elizabeth Warren, student debt in the United States would be a thing of the past. In a new piece of legislation announced on Thursday, billions of dollars in outstanding student loans would be forgiven and nearly all student debt held in the U.S. would be eliminated. According to The Hill, Warrens bill would forgive up to $50,000 in student loan debt for anyone with a total household income below $100,000. Debtors with between $100,000 and $250,000 in total household income would have less of their debt eliminated the closer they are to the upper limit on eligibility for forgiveness. In a statement, Warren said the student debt crisis is real and its crushing millions of people. She added, Its time to decide: Are we going to be a country that only helps the rich and powerful get richer and more powerful, or are we going to be a country that invests in its future? Warrens plan comes after she first made student loan debt a major part of her campaign back in April. Warrens policy-driven campaign is surging While Warren was one of the earlier entries in the 2020 Democratic primary race, her campaign has been surging in recent weeks. A string of new polling shows that while former vice president Joe Biden continues to lead the large Democratic primary field, Warren has lept in front of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in some national and state polling. In other words, Warrens policy-driven campaign appears to be increasingly connecting with voters. As Paul Krugman wrote in The New York Times, Warren has managed to turn relentless wonkery into a defining aspect of her political persona. Supporters show up at her rallies wearing T-shirts that proclaim Warren has a plan for that! And she is, by all accounts, managing to make earnest policy discussion a way to connect with her audiences. In a way, this focus on policy makes Elizabeth Warren the anti-Trump candidate. While he is proud of his ignorance and anti-intellectualism, Warren isnt afraid to dive deep into the weeds on policy. For now, this strategy seems to be paying off for the Massachusetts senator as her political fortunes continue to rise as the campaign heats up. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 7.1k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Rachel Maddow sounded the alarm on Thursday about the Trump administrations clear effort to gin up a war with Iran. The MSNBC host laid out a series of attacks in the Middle East that the White House is now blaming on Iran, even though in some cases other foreign actors have already claimed credit for them. The Trump administration does appear to be trying to create a public justification for us moving toward a war footing with Iran, Maddow warned, suggesting that the run-up to this potential war is even more reckless than the buildup to the war in Iraq. In the case of Iran, there appears to be no credible reason why the United States would want to start a war. Video: Maddow said: Now, it may be that they have newly arrived at evidence that allows them to attribute all of these attacks to Iran, even though theyve never done so before, but prove it. I mean, in the midst of everything else going on, the Trump administration does appear to be trying to create a public justification for us moving toward a war footing with Iran. And it is based on this assertion from the Trump administration that Iran is carrying out this escalating series of violent attacks all over the Middle East including targeting us. And if they are trying to set that as the context, as the justification for whatever it is they want to do to Iran, presumably they will have to actually show some of this evidence, right? They will have to show some of their work as to how they are arriving at these assertions. Right now all the stuff theyre blaming Iran for is stuff that has either been ascribed overtly to other actors or theres been no public evidence to assert it being attributed to Iran. It does clearly feel like they are trying to start something in terms of a potential war with Iran. How theyre trying to do it I think is setting off alarm bells left, right and center. And I think across the partisan spectrum for reasons that arent just because of what happened in 2003 but because theyre even perhaps being more reckless in terms of the way theyre presenting this public information, not even trying to prove what it is theyre asserting. Trump, not Iran, is the source of the escalation From day one, Donald Trump has been trying to stir up conflict between the United States and Iran. In recent days, the drumbeat has only grown louder. While the administration would have you believe that Iran has suddenly become more hostile, the Trump administration has been the source of the escalation. As The New York Times reported last month, Intelligence and military officials in Europe as well as in the United States said that over the past year, most aggressive moves have originated not in Tehran, but in Washington where John R. Bolton, the national security adviser, has prodded President Trump into backing Iran into a corner. Ultimately, Donald Trump a man who campaigned against needless military conflict in the Middle East appears hungry for a war with Iran. What we saw today from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is that this administration is ready to start one without presenting any evidence to support it. Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter 5.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Sarah Huckabee Sanders is finally leaving Trump, and what she leaves behind is a legacy of lies that tarnish the job of White House Press Secretary. Trump announced that Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leaving the White House After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019 .She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019 Sarah Huckabee Sanders left a legacy of lies Sanders thinks that she served her country, This has been the honor of a lifetime I couldnt be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country and particularly, to work for this president. Ive loved every minute, even the hard minutes I love the president Video: "This has been the honor of a lifetime I couldn't be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country and particularly, to work for this president," Sarah Sanders says. "I've loved every minute, even the hard minutes I love the president" https://t.co/Y8KO0xXyTD pic.twitter.com/3OtnH3uETJ ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 13, 2019 Sarah Huckabee Sanders legacy is that of lies. She stood before the American people and lied to them on a regular basis. Sanders insulted and demeaned journalists. She made statements that she knew were false, but most damagingly, she eroded the trust that the American people have in the White House Press Secretary. Sarah Sanders lied so much that she ended up confessing to a lie about James Comey in the Mueller report. Sanders has killed the White House press briefing and left the American people less informed about what their government is doing. Sarah Huckabee Sanderss legacy is that of a disgraced liar who will go down in history as the destroyer of transparency and public trust. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 126 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Ginger Gibson WASHINGTON (Reuters) Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren is proposing creating a $7 billion fund to provide grants to help more minorities start their own business, she announced on Friday. The playing field is tilted against entrepreneurs of color, Warren, a U.S. senator, wrote in a post on Medium.com announcing the proposal. The small business gap is another example of how the racial wealth gap in America holds back our economy and hurts Black, Latinx, Native American, and other minority families and communities. Warren is scheduled to appear on Saturday at the Black Economic Alliance Forum in South Carolina, where she will campaign along with several other presidential hopefuls. Warren is one of 24 Democrats competing for the partys nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. The fund would provide grants not loans or loan guarantees to minority entrepreneurs, Warren is proposing. Current government policies focus on providing access to credit to entrepreneurs, but loans arent as good as no-strings-attached equity because they leave businesses with debt when theyre trying to grow, Warren wrote. Warren would have the program administered by state and local governments. Those who applied for grants would be required to qualify for the existing Small Business Administrations existing 8(a) program and to have a household income of less than $100,000. Additionally, Warren wants to require the states and local governments administering her program to hire more minority investment managers. Warren said she would pay for the program through her ultra-millionaire tax on wealth over $25 million. (Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Editing by James Dalgleish) 1.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard A new disclosure report shows that Ivanka Trump made $4 million last year from her conflicted and corrupt Washington, DC hotel. Bloomberg reported: Ivanka Trump made $4 million from her investment in her fathers Washington hotel last year, according to a disclosure released by the White House on Friday. She also made at least $1 million from her line of branded apparel, jewelry, and other merchandise, down from at least $5 million in the previous year. Trump, 37, announced in July that she was closing her fashion businesses amid controversies over her role in the White House and after some big-name department stores dropped the brand. Together, Trump and husband Jared Kushner earned between $28.8 million and $135.1 million in outside income while working as unpaid senior advisers to her father, President Donald Trump, their disclosures, which covers 2018, show. Foreign governments have used the DC hotel as a source for bribes to the Trumps in an effort to win favor with the administration. The DC hotel is at the center of several lawsuits around Trump violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump were given high-level security clearances after Donald Trump overruled intelligence community concerns that they were both national security risks. Corruption and crime are the Trump family businesses, and Ivanka Trump is demonstrating why she deserves the boos and chants of lock her up wherever she goes. 24.5k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump demanded that the American people refer to Melania Trump as the new Jackie O. during his interview on Fox. Trump says Melania is the new Jackie O Trump was asked about his idea for a new paint job for Air Force One, and he answered, The baby blue doesnt fit with us, but people get used to something, and it was Jackie O, and thats good, but we have our own Jackie O. today. Its called Melania. Melania T. Video: Trump demands America refer to Melania Trump as the new Jackie O. https://t.co/eVjzxhmPdm pic.twitter.com/YukS6UnRys Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 14, 2019 It was reported that the entire Trump family made the trip to the UK because they think that they are the new Kennedys. PoliticusUSAs Sarah Jones pointed out that Melania Trump was trying to copy Jackie O. as far back as Inauguration Day, Melania Trump is no Jackie O. She is no Michelle Obama. She is no Barbara Bush or Laura Bush and certainly not Hillary Clinton. All of these women understood they had a job to do, not just pictures to pose for. People might say I shouldnt be hard on Melania because shes married to Donald Trump and ugh, but she now has the responsibility of being the First Spouse. Can you imagine if Michelle Obama had cost taxpayers tons of extra money to stay home in Chicago while doing nothing for the job? Its not enough to look the part. The Trumps must actually do the work. Trump is trying to sell his broken English wife who spends most of her time fleeing the White House, as a modern-day version of the intelligent, graceful, elegant, and sophisticated Jackie O. It is a sad joke that Trump would try to make America think that his wife had anything in common with one of the iconic first ladies in American history. Unlike Melania Trump, Jackie O. would have never been an Obama birther. Trump is demanding that America treat his crime family as if they are the new Kennedy, but just as Donald Trump was no JFK. Melania Trump will never be Jackie O. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 987 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Rep. Lieus office posted a sign on their door warning foreign governments that if they try anything shady, Lieu will report them to the FBI. Rep. Lieu tweeted the sign: We just posted this warning sign outside my Capitol Hill office. pic.twitter.com/FT3f7EJqCW Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 14, 2019 The sign on his office door reads, WARNING IF you are a foreign power and try something shady, we will report you to the FBI. Trump gave a gift when he admitted that he would take help from a foreign government in the 2020 election. The president tried to walk it back on Fox and Friends, but he admitted that he would commit a felony by saying, The president told Fox and Friends, How are you going to know if its bad? Of course, youd give it to the I dont listen, youre not going to know. Now, if I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated, Id report it to the attorney general, the FBI and Id report it to law enforcement, absolutely. The clip of Trump admitting that he would happy to collude with any government should be featured in Democratic presidential campaign ads, and it was the sort of self-inflicted wound that Democrats can use to confirm to the American people that Donald Trump is an illegitimate president. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.7k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By saying that he would only turn dirt from a foreign country on his opponent over to FBI if it were incorrect, Trump admitted that he would commit a felony to win. Trump appears to say that he would turn the information over the FBI, but he put a qualifier on it. The president told Fox and Friends, How are you going to know if its bad? Of course, youd give it to the I dont listen, youre not going to know. Now, if I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated, Id report it to the attorney general, the FBI and Id report it to law enforcement, absolutely. One thing that is different with the president, I had dinner with the queen. I met with the prime minister of the UK. I was with the head of France. I was with the head of all these nations and I am constantly talking to them and, you know, that puts us in a different we have many, many conversations and I am just thinking, gee, if they say, we dont like your opponent, am I supposed to put, you know, the president of France am I supposed to report him to the FBI? Im in a little bit of a different position. Video: Trump admitted that he would commit a felony to win in 2020.https://t.co/XGgFj1phPb pic.twitter.com/Oy2W7WkJM9 Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 14, 2019 Notice that Trump said he would only turn information from a foreign government over to the FBI if it were wrong or incorrect. The law clearly states that candidates dont get to choose to turn the in-kind donation from a foreign government over the FBI. The law doesnt make a distinction between correct and incorrect information. If a foreign government tries to help a campaign, it is a felony and must be turned in. Trump admits that he would commit a felony Trump was saying that he would commit a felony to win in 2020. His idea that a president talks to a lot of different countries, so he is exempt from the law is absurd because the law isnt about the presidency, but Trumps reelection campaign. If Trump takes information from a foreign government to help his campaign, it is a felony. Democrats must understand that they are running against someone in 2020, who will cheat. Hes not going to follow the law, so to win the White House, they will need to overcome his illegal behavior. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 1.6k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Trump showed that he doesnt understand how free speech works while refusing to fire Kellyanne Conway. Trump has no clue what free speech is Trump said on Fox and Friends, Its just not fair. They asked a question I think one of them was involved with your show You ask a person a question and every time you are supposed to say I cant answer, I cant answer? She has to have the right of responding to questions. It really sounds to me like a free-speech thing. When asked if he was going to fire her, Trump said, No, Im not going to fire her. I think shes a tremendous person, shes loyal, shes a great person. Based on what I saw yesterday, how could you do that? They have tried to take away her speech and I think youre entitled to free speech in this country. Trump was asked if he was going to tell her to stop breaking the law, he answered, It doesnt work that wayShes trying to make a point and how could you do this? Basically, you take a person a person wouldnt be able to express themselves and I just dont see it. Video: Trump basis for not firing Kellyanne Conway showed that the President Of The United States doesn't know what free speech is. https://t.co/Vw9XHhB91o pic.twitter.com/ifCUtUDVro Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 14, 2019 Trump made a common mistake, especially among Republicans. Free speech doesnt mean that people can say anything they want. A government official cant abuse their position to engage in partisan politics. Thats not free speech. Kellyanne Conway as a government official does not have a right to use her White House position to engage in partisan politics. Free speech does not mean that there are no limits. There are specific laws, like the Hatch Act, that are intended to govern conduct by government officials. Donald Trump has no clue what free speech is. Kellyanne Conway would never have gotten a job in any other administration, much less been able to keep one. Trumps answer was an attack on the law. The President Of The United States doesnt know what free speech is. What is even worse is that he doesnt care. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook 2.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard The Trump administration claim that one of the tankers was hit by a mine was proven false by the ships Japanese operator. The New York Times reported: One of the tankers that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman was struck by a flying object, the ships Japanese operator said on Friday, expressing doubt that a mine had been attached to its hull. . American officials released video on Thursday that they said showed an Iranian boat crew, hours after the attack, removing a limpet mine attached to the hull of the damaged Kokuka Courageous, a tanker operated by the Japanese company Kokuka Sangyo. But Yutaka Katada, the companys president, citing accounts from the ships crew, said Friday: I do not think there was a time bomb or an object attached to the side of the ship. The Japanese company said that their ship wasnt attacked by a mine or a torpedo, which suggest that the Trump administration might be taking a page from the run up to the Iraq war by exaggerating or fabricating evidence. The account that the Japanese company is offering doesnt match the story from Sec. of State Mike Pompeo: Pompeo says Iran is responsible for oil tanker attacks. pic.twitter.com/FPvB56L9np Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 13, 2019 US allies have warned that the aggression is coming from the Trump administration, not Iran. War with Iran has long been one of John Boltons goals, and if Donald Trump continues to look like a bad bet for reelection, his administration may try to win a second term by starting a war with Iran. The Trump cover story is cracking, as the American people arent going to get fooled into another war in the Middle East. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook On June 13, Russias Defense Ministry claimed that Russian warplanes based in Syria carried out a series of airstrikes on terrorist positions in Idlib. Citing the ministry, Russias RIA Novosti state news agency reported terrorists of Jabhat al-Nusra fired at a Turkish army observation post, despite a cease-fire agreement. These claims are false. Firstly, Turkey has blamed Assad regime forces for the mortar attack -- during which, it said, 35 shells hit their observation post. According to a Turkish Defense Ministry statement, the mortars were fired from the regime-controlled area of As Shariah. Three Turkish soldiers suffered minor wounds in the attack, which Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called intentional, vowing that Turkey would do what is necessary should such attacks continue. Also in dispute was the Russian claim that the attack violated a ceasefire in the area. Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said that no full ceasefire had been negotiated, and talks were still in progress. Syrian rebel forces, who made territorial gains last week after a successful offensive, denied having agreed to any ceasefire. A statement circulating on rebel-aligned Telegram channels read: All reports of a temporary truce between the mujahideen (Islamic anti-government forces) and the pro-Assad terrorists, propagated by the propagandists of the regime, are FALSE! The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), an independent non-governmental group that documents human rights violations in Syria, reported on May 29 that Syrian-Russian alliance forces had targeted 24 medical facilities in the fourth de-escalation zone over four weeks. The SNHR estimates that Syrian government forces have killed 198,370 civilians since 2011, while Russian forces have killed 6,272 civilians in Syria since their direct deployment in 2015. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito spent about a half hour discussing the issues with local teenagers. State Launches Public Awareness Campaign to Teens on Healthy Interactions The roundtable (more like rectangular table) conversation drew a large group. PITTSFIELD, Mass. Sometimes a teenager will take to social media to complain about another. It causes riffs between the two individuals. The original poster's friends ask what it was all about and they respond they were just venting. That's when the friends should step in and tell the poster to go talk to the individual about it. That is a better way to solve problems. Such a scenario takes place within 30 seconds and in animated form through a series of videos recently released by the state Department of Public Health. Another shows someone intervening in a bullying situation. And another focuses on a couple in which one was constantly checking up on the other and just talking about it with a friend eased the situated. The videos are targeted to teenagers across the state in a public awareness campaign dubbed RESPECTfully to teach people how to build healthy relationship, something Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said is even more important these days when so much time is spend using technology and not human interactions. The plan is to use social media to spread the messages about healthy relationships. "It should be through social media, that's how we exchange information and that's we gain information. We made short videos short meaning 20 seconds, 30 seconds so you can view it and share it," Polito said. In just a few weeks the state received some 91,000 views on YouTube, 11,000 views on Instagram, and some 5,000 completed views on Snapchat, according to Kelly Dwyer, executive director of the governor's council to address domestic violence and sexual awareness. "We're hoping those numbers keep rising, especially in the summer," Dwyer said. The videos will be accompanies with posters to hang in areas teens gather and other educational material. Polito said this is first public awareness campaign targeted to teens in more than 20 years. "It is about prevention, awareness, and education," Polito said. The material is just one step, though. Officials are hoping teens will become leaders and use and spread the lessons among their peers. Polito said teens will only listen to adults so much and peer to peer is a more effective way to make an impact. On Thursday teens from the Boys and Girl's Club, Girls Inc., ROPE, and Richmond Consolidated Schools joined Polito and District Attorney Andrea Harrington to talk about they can bring the message to their peers. The students talked about showing it the younger children to say "this is what we are about now" and promote it make it popular. "If we make this popular then more and more people will jump on to the message," one student said. Another suggested bringing it to school groups and build momentum that way. Another mentioned bringing the videos and the posters off social media and into local places where teens congregate. The videos may be short, but the students were responsive to them saying they were "prime examples" of real-life situations. North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard was impressed by the students. "I'm hearing this rich thinking about making amends or apology a habit and a practice and how you do that," Bernard said. Polito, Harrington, and other state and local officials chatted with the students for a good half hour about how important the message of healthy relationships are and how to spread it. The hope is that the awareness campaign inspires teens to do the right thing and give them the tools to actually do it. "This is hard to do. It takes a lot of courage. But what I am hearing of you today, the fact that you are here, is an example of courage, that you are willing to have these conversations with your friends, that is an act of courage. Sometimes it is hard, sometimes you are scared, but just be brave and do it anyway. You can be leaders at your schools, at your camps, in your community," Mayor Linda Tyer said. Sheriff Thomas Bowler said the message won't just be good for teens but the teens will set the example to the adults. "Traditionally parents or adults are the ones teaching the children. This is a great opportunity with this campaign for the kids to teach the grown ups. Everything you watch in those videos, grown ups do. It is just not the kids. The adults are doing the exact same thing," Bowler said. Harrington said she supports the effort as it is a way of prevention. She said a better practice is to teach kids resiliency and life skills so they don't end up on a path of crime and have to be prosecuted. "We know we have some significant challenges but we have partnership with our lieutenant governor and a partnerships with our state legislators, with our sheriff, in really working together on prevention and really keeping people safe," Harrington said. "In this office we are very good at accountability. We are very good at getting convictions of those who have harmed others and we are getting better. But I see that as a failure in our community when we have people who are committing crimes, getting convicted, and getting jail time. What the goal is is public safety and prevention and that's what this program is doing." On Thursday, Polito also touched on another social media based issue sexually explicit visual material. Polito said the administration is proposing a law that will make it so teens who engage in peer-to-peer distribution of sexually explicit visual material be subject to prosecution. "Delete is not delete. You might see it and not see it the next second, it is still there. Everything you do on social media creates a permanent record for your future everything, your text messages, your sharing of videos, everything. It will impact future opportunities. There will be a scan of your social media activity because it is part of who you are," Polito warned the teens about the use of social media. That is more of a post-incident response whereas the public awareness campaigns are aimed to help provide a better understanding of what is healthy and what is inappropriate or inappropriate so it doesn't get to that point. Others in attendance included state Sen. Adam Hinds, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, representatives from the Elizabeth Freeman Center, the Central Berkshire Regional School District, and Railroad Street Youth Project. Charleston, SC (29403) Today A mix of clouds and sun. Near record high temperatures. High around 75F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Berkshire Museum presents a screening of Disney's Moana designed for families and children with sensory needs and those who have difficulty in a traditional movie screening setting. Projection brightness will be reduced and can be adjusted for audience comfort. The volume of the film will be turned down and dim house lights will be on during the performance so guests can see their surroundings and move around the theater. Closed captioning will be available upon request. 11 a.m. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will reach out to about 90 landowners in Dodge County as part of its Groundwater Atlas of Dodge County program this summer. Owners selected by the DNR will be contacted by mail or phone for permission to sample their wells. Wells will be selected based on geology, location, well depth and well construction, and the sampling will help create a map of groundwater distribution, movement, conditions and pollution sensitivity in the aquifers. Sampling involves measuring the depth to water and collecting a water sample for laboratory analysis. Participation is voluntary and owners will receive a report of the laboratory results. The final products will be available as printed maps, reports and geographic information system files available on the web. The program, being conducted in several counties over a period of time, will be used to help the state better manage its underground water supply. ADVERTISEMENT A full description of this DNR program and status reports for atlas products is available at mndnr.gov/groundwatermapping . A burned-out headlight or taillight might cost about $40 to fix, but for those already facing financial hardship, that amount can lead to a downward spiral. The Rochester Police Department is looking to help citizens avoid the spiral with a new initiative called "Lights On!" The program is a part of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit MicroGrants and gives officers vouchers to hand out to motorists that cover the costs of replacing a headlight, taillight or turn signal. "The program involves an opportunity for law enforcement to give something back to the motoring public," Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin said Thursday morning. "Oftentimes, officers pull people over for traffic violations and equipment violations and we have limited resources and tools or options for the officers." The coupon, or voucher, is written in English, Spanish and Somali and includes a website where motorists can go to find area auto shops that accept the vouchers. In Rochester, Rochester Motor Cars has stepped up to make repairs for those who come in with vouchers. Since its inception in April 2017, between 800 and 900 vouchers have been used, said Mike McCloskey, chief operating officer for MicroGrants. The vouchers cover the cost of the fix, whether that be a simple bulb replacement, which McCloskey said averages around $43, or some minor wiring repair. ADVERTISEMENT "We repair 99 percent of them," McCloskey said. "We want this to work for everybody." The voucher program is already in use in a number of metropolitan police departments, but Rochester is the first department in Greater Minnesota to join. The program has also been replicated in Iowa City, Charleston, S.C., and Wichita, Kan. MicroGrants is also working on a three-year plan to take the Lights On! program nationwide. More than two years ago, MicroGrants board members started to look for a way to help build police-community relationships. They came up with the voucher initiative, according to Sherman Patterson, program director for Lights On! The program also came in response to incidents occurring in Minnesota and across the country such as the death of Philando Castille, who was shot and killed by police following a traffic stop for a broken taillight. "So often, you have low-income people who will be stopped for a blown light, a headlight, taillight," Patterson said. "They are making choices: Do I pay this or rent or food? When they get that ticket, it builds and builds." When someone is handed a voucher, Sherman said, not only does it help relieve anxiety and lift a financial burden, it helps start a conversation something Patterson learned firsthand after his own wife was offered a voucher by police after she was stopped for a burned out headlight during a snowstorm. "The great thing about it was that she said her anxiety went down when he came back with the voucher and they had a conversation," Patterson said. "That conversation started that relationship, and that is what we are looking at, the relationship building a better police-community relationship but also serving those who are in need." Handing out the vouchers is at the officers discretion, but all of the Rochester Police Departments approximately 100 patrol members will have the ability to hand them out. Franklin credits Sgt. Paul Gronholz with finding the local providers and getting the program running. "Its a great example highlighting that public-private partnership and its reflective of a community that we serve," Franklin said. "Its reflective of a community of compassion, willing to come together in a creative initiative and problem-solving for the greater good." ADVERTISEMENT The voucher program is funded by donations. More information about the program itself, as well as how to donate, can be found at www.lightsonus.org . Rochester Ford, 4900 U.S. Highway 52 Rochester Mazda, 2955 48th St. NW Rochester Toyota, 4365 Canal Place SE Rochester Car Clearance, 2980 7th St. NW Rochester Collision Center, 2828 Pennington Court NW Rochester Quick Lane on 2nd, 2009 2nd St. SW POMPEO: U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo delivers remarks to the media in the news briefing room at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Pompeo blamed Iran for attacks earlier in the day on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Michael Gross/U.S. Department of State On June 12, 2019, citizens in Shanghai experienced the high-speed networks of various 5G mobile phones in the Unicom business hall. (Photo by Wang Gang from Peoples Daily Online) China has shown its open stance and strong willingness to cooperate with foreign companies in the 5G era, in contrast with narrow-minded and unilateral approaches of the US. While major companies embrace the spirit of free competition and worldwide cooperation in technological development, the US will continue losing stakes in the global 5G race, analysts said. Major foreign telecoms vendors and 5G chipset markets welcomed the latest issuance of 5G licenses in China, vowing to play bigger roles in the countrys 5G rollout. Ericsson hopes to become part of Chinas 5G innovative ecosystem, pushing forward the 5G development in the country and sharing our successful business experience in 5G with other countries, Zhao Juntao, president of Ericsson China, said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Monday, June 10. Nokia will fully support Chinas ICT industry as it has been doing for the past 40 years, and cooperation with multinational companies is highly recognized by the Chinese government, which makes the company more confident in the healthy, steady and sustainable development of Chinas 5G industry, Markus Borchert, president of Nokia China, said in a statement sent to the Global Times on June 10. As soon as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued 5G licenses to major Chinese carriers on the morning of June 6, it also said in an online statement that the top regulator will continue welcoming foreign companies to take part in 5G deployment in the country and to share the dividends of 5G development. Chinese President Xi Jinping also said during the plenary session of the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that China is willing to share its latest scientific achievements, including 5G technology, with other countries. Considering the current situation, China retains open attitude toward foreign companies in the 5G rollout, showing that the development of 5G is a result of global cooperation, and Chinas stance is in significant contrast with that of the US, Li Zhen, an industry expert at Beijing-based CCID Consulting, told the Global Times on Monday, June 10. Its also part of greater efforts in helping boost the global telecoms industry. If the US continues to isolate itself from global cooperation, its unlikely to maintain a leading position in the 5G race, Li said. The Chinese companies are among top five suppliers of 5G equipment including radio hardware and systems. Huawei will lead with 24.8 percent in 5G subscriber shares for radio access network equipment by 2023, followed by Ericsson with 22.9 percent and Nokia with 22.7 percent, industry news site telecomlead.com reported in April, citing an industry analysis. On June 12, 2019, citizens in Shanghai experienced the high-speed networks of various 5G mobile phones in the Unicom business hall. (Photo by Wang Gang from Peoples Daily Online) Fair competition China welcoming foreign competitors into the 5G market has more significance considering the current situation. In particular, embracing Swedish and Finnish vendors reflects the importance of China-EU collaboration in the 5G era, analysts said. Europe has capabilities in taking part in the 5G rollout, and it remains an overall open attitude in working with China, Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Monday, June 10. The US rejecting Huawei and ZTE in an unfair way dampens global collaboration, which will slow down the overall development of 5G in the country, he said. Washington hinders cooperation because it also lacks 5G capabilities except 5G chipsets, which gives it little chance to collaborate with other countries, Xiang added. The official release of 5G licenses is helping the country get into the fast lane in the 5G rollout. Three carriers - China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom - have been actively holding network trials while pushing forward commercial use. Shenzhen, South Chinas Guangdong Province - which is considered as a new Silicon Valley - will accelerate 5G base construction. It expects to build about 8,500 base stations by the end of the year, media reports said on June 10. The next generation of wireless technologies will be used in different scenarios including healthcare, transportation, education, and technology. Attendees at the upcoming WEF Dalian 2019 can also test how fast 5G networks can be in few weeks. The venues for the forum are to be fully covered by 5G, and visitors will enjoy superfast internet, 5G-powered virtual reality and 4K videos, local authorities said on June 10. China Tower, which engages in telecoms power construction, said it has already completed about 4,400 large-scale 5G base stations in Beijing, and the network will cover crowded areas such as Tiananmen Square, the financial district and the Palace Museum. In response to M. Furlongs June 2 Sound Off on Fair Districts PA: Actually, Fair Districts PA is a very good name for Fair Districts PA. Eric Holder is behind the National Democratic Redistricting Committee just like Scott Walker is behind the National Republican Redistricting Trust. Fair Districts PA has nothing to do with either organization. It should also be noted that Republican legislators were not excluded from the Governors Commission on Redistricting. It was very disappointing that Republican legislators chose not to participate. Their voices are missed. We are all harmed by distorted districts drawn to keep incumbents in office and to control outcomes of elections before a vote is cast. Our current system puts far too much power in the hands of just a few legislative leaders, from both parties. Leaders from both parties use that power to reward their friends and to block any attempt at reform. After Census 2020, if our legislature does not act, the presumably Republican majority in the Pennsylvania State House will draw our congressional lines. Because the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is majority Democrat, the Legislative Redistricting Commission that draws our state legislative lines will likely be controlled by the Democratic leadership. Both scenarios are antithetical to representative democracy. Fair Districts PA supports the creation of an Independent Citizens Commission to draw our congressional lines and our state legislative lines. The Independent Citizens Commission would be made up of four Commission members randomly selected from a Republican pool, four Commission members randomly selected from a Democrat pool and three Commission members randomly selected from an Independent/third party pool. The Commission would not include politicians nor would the Commission be allowed to use partisan data to draw the maps. Strict rules concerning transparency would have to be followed as would mathematical rules concerning the number of representatives allocated to each county. Voters of all parties should be choosing their elected officials, not the other way around. -Ruth Yeiser Lower Frederick Todays faux scandal is President Trumps statement, in an interview with former Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos, in which he was asked about receiving negative information about a political opponent from a foreign country. The Washington Posts account is typical: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that if a foreign power offered dirt on his 2020 opponent, hed be open to accepting it and that hed have no obligation to call in the FBI. I think Id want to hear it, Trump said in an interview with ABC News, adding, Theres nothing wrong with listening. Trump is right on both points, although whether it makes sense to call the FBI depends on what the information is. Suppose, for example, that Israeli intelligence discovered Bernie Sanders is cooperating with a Communist country. No doubt Trump should report that to the Bureau. One of Trumps challengers, former Vice President Joe Biden, tweeted: President Trump is once again welcoming foreign interference in our elections. This isnt about politics. It is a threat to our national security. An American President should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy. Conveying information is not foreign interference in our elections. More on that later. Trumps comments came just a month after he pledged not to use information stolen by foreign adversaries in his 2020 reelection campaign, even as he wrongly insisted he hadnt used such information to his benefit in 2016. Trump was not asked about information stolen by foreign adversaries in yesterdays interview, so the alleged contradiction doesnt exist. And how did Trump use such information to his benefit in 2016, a claim the Post repeats twice? Evidently they are talking about Trumps occasional references to the shenanigans that the DNC pulled in order to guarantee Hillary Clinton the nomination, as revealed in DNC emails that were published by Wikileaks. Does the Post seriously think that Trump should have gone through the campaign without mentioning facts that everyone knew, on the theory that the Russians might have been the ones who originally phished the DNCs email account? If so, the claim is ridiculous. A doddering Nancy Pelosi gave a press conference this morning, which she began by talking about Trumps ABC interview: Everybody in the country should be totally appalled by what the president said last night. But he has a habit of making appalling statements. This one borders on so totally unethical that he doesnt even realize it. As Trump told Stephanopoulos, there is nothing wrong with listening to information that anyone, foreign or domestic, might have that is relevant to a presidential candidate. But what is blindingly obvious, yet absent from every Democratic Party news account feigning horror at the ABC interview, is that the Hillary Clinton campaign didnt just receive foreign dirt on the Trump campaign. It paid for foreign sources to fabricate lies about Trump, which it then disseminated to the press. Listen to foreign dirt? The Clinton campaign paid for it! This is just one more example of why no sensible person takes news sources like the Washington Post seriously. Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time. Winston Churchill Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof. Inscription on the Liberty Bell to 20 debaters. Only three members of the presidential field were winnowed. The hapless three are Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, and Wayne Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Fla. (I have never heard of Messam or, for that matter, of Miramar). Heres who made the cut: Sen. Michael Bennet Joe Biden Sen. Cory Booker Mayor Pete Buttigieg Julian Castro Mayor Bill de Blasio former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Sen. Kamala Harris former Gov. John Hickenlooper Gov. Jay Inslee Sen. Amy Klobuchar former Rep. Beto ORourke Rep. Tim Ryan Sen. Bernie Sanders Rep. Eric Swalwell Sen. Elizabeth Warren Marianne Williamson (a self-help author and spiritual adviser) Andrew Yang (a tech executive) Its clear from this list that the test for making it is lax. To qualify a candidate needed only to have at least 1 percent support in three national or early-primary-state polls or to receive donations from at least 65,000 unique donors, including at least 200 individual donors in at least 20 states. The lax test is a response to criticism that the DNC stacked the deck against outsiders four years ago. It will take two separate debates to accommodate this many candidates, but fair enough. Whats strange, though, is the decision to assign the qualifying candidates to debates based on a random draw. In 2016, the Republicans used a far more sensible approach. They assigned the top half of the field, as determined by polling, to a prime time debate and the bottom half to a preliminary one. This enabled voters to see all of the true contenders go head-to-head. It also enabled the true contenders to be exposed to a larger number of voters than they would have been in a diluted debate field. As I discussed here, its instructive to compare the lower tier Republicans from 2016 with the lower tier Dems in this cycle. Participants in the GOPs preliminary debates included one of the most prominent members of the Senate (Lindsey Graham), a former two-term Senator and leading contender for the 2012 nomination (Rick Santorum), the former governor of New York (George Pataki), the former governor of Texas (Rick Perry), and the governor of Louisiana (Bobby Jindal). In 2020, the second tier of Democrat debaters includes an obscure former congressman from Maryland (John Delaney), several relatively obscure current members of the House, and a spiritual adviser. By declining to shunt these candidates off to a debate few will watch, the Democrats risk coming across as than fully serious. And if the non-entities hold their own with the name candidates, the entire field may come across as pygmies. It has now been a week since the Minnesota campaign finance board released its incendiary findings in the matter of Ilhan Omars 2016 campaign for the state house. The Star Tribune has published one story noting the boards findings that Omar filed joint tax returns in 2014 and 205 with a man to whom she was not married while she was legally married to another man. Over what period of years did Omar do so? The Star Tribune hasnt asked and Omar isnt talking, but her refusal to respond to the Star Tribune on this point would be a story all by itself. Indeed, If Omar were a Republican, you can bet it would be. Minnesota Public Radio has posted a brief review of the campaign finance board file in the case of Ilhan Omar. Is it possible to embarrass the Star Tribune into digging into it? John Hinderaker and I have been debating the question. Today Stephen Montemayor offers a progress report in the Star Tribunes Morning Hot Dish email newsletter: Were examining documents from the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Boards probe into U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omars improper expenses from her time as a state lawmaker. The board revealed last week that Omar filed joint tax returns in 2014 and 2015 with her husband before they were legally married. The freshman congresswoman has not made the returns public or personally responded to the Campaign Finance Boards findings outside of a brief statement from a campaign spokesman. Long-standing questions about Omars complicated marriage history have dogged her since 2016. From Minnesota Public Radio: State officials asked Omar if she knew whether there were amendments filed to her taxes based on the accounting firms work. I dont think so, Omar answered [in her unilluminating deposition] before adding that she couldnt recall doing any. I am thinking you will have to stick with us for the good stuff, such as this quotable quote from Omar crisis manager Ben Goldfarb in the Omar campaign emails produced to the board and filed under docket number 35): Someone should reach out to talk off the record [with Blois Olson] and shut down [his coverage of Power Lines initial post on Omar] as we do with the Strib [i.e., the Star Tribune] (page 22). FOR THE BACKGROUND TO THIS SHORT SERIES, see From the mixed-up files of Rep. Ilhan Omar. We wrote here about the lawsuit against Oberlin by a local store, Gibsons, that alleged it was defamed by the college and its Dean of Students. Among other facts in the case, student protesters, accompanied by the Dean, handed out leaflets accusing Gibsons of being racist because the stores employees caught an African-American Oberlin student shoplifting a bottle of wine. Does that make sense to you? It didnt make sense to the jury, either. In the trials main phase, the jury found Oberlin liable and assessed $11.2 million in compensatory damages. The jury then heard additional evidenceincluding an email from Oberlin to its alumni criticizing the jury verdictin a second phase, to determine whether the college should be held liable for punitive damages. Today the jury returned its verdict, assessing another $22 million [Correction: the jury assessed an additional $33 million, which will be reduced to $22 milliontwice the compensatory damagesunder Ohio law] against Oberlin, roughly the maximum amount allowed by law. The jury also assessed the Gibsons attorneys fees against Oberlin. Legal Insurrection has been all over this case, and I highly recommend their accounts. For now, I will merely repeat what I wrote in our earlier post, linked above: In my view, the main significance of the jurys verdict is that it shows how normal people react when they are exposed to todays campus leftism. You cannot sell to a normal person the idea that it is racism for a store to catch a student stealing a bottle of wine, and call the police, merely on account of the students skin color. Social justice warrior culture is insane, and is properly judged as such by normal people, wholuckily for themtend not to encounter it often. The jurys reaction to the demonization of Gibsons bakery is, I think, a good indication of how most Americans will respond if, and when, they realize how depraved the Left has become. PAUL ADDS: As I understand it, Oberlin argued at trial that it isnt liable because its students, not the college, were to blame for harming Gibsons. Then, at the damages phase, Oberlin argued that the college shouldnt be slammed with a big damages assessment because that outcome would harm its students. I suspect the jury hated Oberlin and its students and wanted to punish both. Short answer: No, they wont. Longer answer: Check out the dean of students (and also assistant to the president for equity, diversity, and inclusion!) Meredith Raimondo, who was near the center of the Gibsons Bakery case for collaborating with students to harass Gibsons Bakery. Raimondo came to the deanship from Oberlins department of Comparative American Studies, which, Oberlins website informs us, was newly formed around 2003. Ill bet it was newly formed. That ought to be the first red flag. What is comparative American studies? I suspect at Oberlin it means comparing the United States to Nazi Germany and finding the U.S. coming out the worse. Heres part of the description from the departments website: The department invites students to consider the relationship of different communities to both the nation-state and to each other, ranging from issues of settler colonialism and empire building to social justice movements. Courses investigate power and agency through analysis of intersecting structures of race, gender, class, sexuality, ability and citizenship. Heres a list of four sample courses from the departments website: SorryI should have warned readers that it was more of a stool sample of courses. I tried to see if I could find any syllabi from Raimondos courses online, but had no luck. Her Oberlin bio merely states, She has taught courses spanning the themes of gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity studies, social justice, and HIV/AIDS. According to a 2016 report in The Tower, Raimondo appears to traffic in the anti-Semitism fashionable at places like Oberlin these days: According to several online syllabi, Raimondos classes feature readings from academics including Joseph Massad, Lisa Duggan, Judith Butler, and Jasbir Puar. As Andrew Pessin indicated in The Algemeiner, all of these academics have previously been accused of espousing views that are intolerant of Israel and Jews. . . The syllabus [note: this link is dead] for Raimondos 2013 seminar on Transnational Sexualities included a paper by Puar titled Citation and Censorship: The Politics of Talking About the Sexual Politics of Israel. Puars piece, which she presented at a German university in 2010, calls Israel a not only racist, but also, apartheid state, and features critiques of what she calls Israels practice of pinkwashing, its ostensible efforts to distract from its repressive actions toward Palestine by emphasizing its progressive policies towards LGBTQ individuals. The paper concludes with a reflection on the ways in which accusations of anti-Semitism function in academic and activist contexts to suppress critiques of the implicit nationalism within Israeli sexual politics. But wait! Theres more! As co-chairwoman of a task force charged with revamping Oberlins Sexual Offense Resource Guide, Raimondo helped draft an extensive, non-mandatory policy in 2014 that called on faculty use trigger warnings in their lessons. Anything could be a triggera smell, song, scene, phrase, place, person, and so on, the guide read. Triggers are not only relevant to sexual misconduct, but also to anything that might cause trauma. Be aware of racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism and other issues of privilege and oppression. It also instructed professors to Remove triggering material when it does not contribute directly to the course learning goals. As long as this kind of ideological pedagogy permeates the Oberlin curriculum, they wont learn a thing. Make them pay every penny of the punitive damages. Then set up a table selling donuts just off campus. UPDATE: One of our favorite Saturday TWiP meme suppliers sends this. PR-Inside.com: 2019-06-14 18:23:53 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 677 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 EMMEN, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / The Tender Offer, submitted by ALSO Holding AG and MCI Euroventures in December 2018, for shares of ABC Data S.A was successful. After approval of the European Commission from 12 June 2019 all conditions are completed for ALSO's takeover of the ABC Data S.A business operation. The transfer of the business to ALSO is planned for 1st of July 2019.With the takeover of ABC Data S.A, the IT- Distributor with the largest country coverage in Eastern Europe in six countries, ALSO can build the strongest Eastern European platform for resellers and vendors.The ALSO subsidiaries in Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia together with ABC and the recently closed acquisitions in Slovenia, Croatia, Belarus and Ukraine as well as the expected acquisition in Bulgaria will then be in a position to develop a strong network to address the Eastern European market. After the completion of the acquisitions ALSO would be market leader in Eastern Europe with presence in 13 countries: Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Belarus and Ukraine.With this strong footprint ALSO will broaden its vendor portfolio in the Eastern European countries and will be able to offer an even more attractive technology platform for vendor and reseller partners, says Gustavo Moller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN). We will provide a product, solution and service portfolio in these countries giving the regional partners access to ALSO's technologies like the ALSO Cloud Market Place and Webshop, virtualisation technologies, ERP, BI and CRM. In building a strong ecosystem with the partners, ALSO can also optimize its Eastern European logistic network to address more resellers with a full range of best quality products and services. Moreover synergies of scale can be realized to make resellers even more attractive offers.Direct link to media release: https://www2.also.com/press/20190614en.pdf Contact person ALSO Holding AG:Ketchum Pleon GmbHManuela Rost-HeinPhone: +49 211 9541 2160E-Mail: also.press@ketchumpleon.com ALSO Holding AG ( ALSN.SW) (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. ALSO offer more than 550 vendors of hardware, software and IT-services access to over 100 000 buyers, who can call a broad spectrum of other customized services in the logistics, finance, and IT services sectors, as well as traditional distribution services. From the development of complex IT landscapes, the provision and maintenance of hardware and software, right through to the return, reconditioning and remarketing of IT hardware, ALSO offers all services as a one-stop shop. ALSO is represented in 18 European countries and generates total net sales of approximately 9.2 billion euros with around 4 000 employees in the fiscal year 2018. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Dusseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at https://also.com Droege GroupDroege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "execution - following the rules of art", the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://www.droege-group.com DisclaimerThis press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.SOURCE: ALSO Holding AG Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this press release please contact the company added in the press release. Please do not contact pr-inside. We will not be able to assist you. PR-inside disclaims the content included in this release. PR-Inside.com: 2019-06-14 15:18:03 LE BOURGET, France, June 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carpenter Technology Corporation (NYSE:CRS) and Belgium-based BMT Aerospace today announced their cooperation in the development of an additively manufactured (AM) aerospace pinion, using Carpenter Technologys Custom 465 Stainless. BMT Aerospace and its subsidiary BMT Additive initiated the project by partnering with Carpenter Technology to produce a redesigned pinion. The redesign project was initiated to enable the benefits of additive manufacturing using high quality, printable material that would attain the high-performance expectations for the application. BMT Aerospace strongly believes in the disruptive potential of additive manufacturing and its possibilities in aerospace, explained Ewald Goossens, Business Unit Manager of BMT Additive. As a small player in the market, we strongly believe in cooperation opportunities like these, where each partner can rely and build on a project, starting from its own expertise. Our specific knowledge in design and manufacturing in aerospace, and our abilities in custom design for metal additive manufacturing, are a perfect match with Carpenter Technologys knowledge of high quality and innovative products. The cooperation between the two companies resulted in an optimized and simplified manufacturing process for the aerospace part via AM and introduces the opportunity to expand AM part production further across multiple applications. Parts were printed by Carpenter Technologys business unit Carpenter Additive, using their high-strength, Custom 465 Stainless. Design, validation and post-processing for the redesigned pinion was done by BMT Aerospace. Both companies present the redesigned and printed pinion at their respective booths in Le Bourget, France. Collaborations like the one with BMT Aerospace demonstrate how partnerships across raw material, production, validation and design can rapidly bring to commercial reality new parts with next step performance potential, said Marshall Akins, Carpenters Vice President, Aerospace Markets. Carpenter Additives suite of capabilities presents powerful tools to accelerate our customers additive aspirations. Media/Investor Inquiries Carpenter Technology Media Inquiries Heather Beardsley +1 610-208-2278 hbeardsley@cartech.com Carpenter Technology Investor Inquiries Brad Edwards The Plunkett Group +1 212-739-6740 brad@theplunkettgroup.com BMT Aerospace International Geert De Donder + 32 476 990992 Geert.de.donder@bmtaerospace.com BMT Additive Ewald Goossens +32 491 712824 Ewald.goossens@bmtaerospace.com More information: Carpenter Technology Corporation is a recognized leader in high-performance specialty alloy-based materials and process solutions for critical applications in the aerospace, defense, transportation, energy, industrial, medical, and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1889, Carpenter Technology has evolved to become a pioneer in premium specialty alloys, including titanium, nickel, and cobalt, as well as alloys specifically engineered for additive manufacturing (AM) processes and soft magnetics applications. Carpenter Additive, a business unit of Carpenter Technology, provides a complete end-to-end additive manufacturing solution to accelerate materials innovation and streamline parts production. More information about Carpenter Technology can be found at www.carpentertechnology.com or www.carpenteradditive.com . BMT Aerospace International, part of BMT Group, is an international market-leading provider of high technology aerospace gears and components, with production facilities in Romania, Belgium and the United States. The group designs, manufactures and markets gears, mechanical components, sub-assemblies and gearboxes for the principal EOMs in the worldwide aerospace and defense business. With BMT Additive, its subsidiary focused on additive manufacturing, it provides metal printing capabilities and supports industrial partners in engineering and radically optimizing existing designs to make full use of the flexibility of the 3D printing process through tailored DfAM (design for additive manufacturing). More info on www.bmtaerospace.com and www.bmtadditive.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fc68dacb-69a0-4660-8940-793aa90d5b50 PR-Inside.com: 2019-06-14 15:11:57 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 945 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Will Move Quickly to Apply Joint Expertise to Serve Clients and Drive GrowthTYSONS, VA / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2019 / DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) today announced the completion of its acquisition of Luxoft Holding, Inc, the global digital strategy and software engineering firm.DXC had announced a definitive agreement to acquire Luxoft on Jan. 7, 2019, and received final regulatory approval on June 11, 2019.The acquisition builds on DXC's unique value proposition as an end-to-end, mainstream IT and digital services market leader, and strengthens the company's ability to design and deploy transformative digital solutions for clients at scale. The addition of Luxoft will bring clients new capabilities in digital engineering, additional depth in key verticals and an expanded portfolio of digital offerings."With Luxoft, DXC will cover the full spectrum of business-driven digital initiatives, from modernizing client legacy IT systems to delivering transformational digital solutions at scale," said Mike Lawrie, DXC's chairman, president and CEO. "Luxoft's proven success for global clients creates new value and benefits for all DXC stakeholders. I want to welcome the Luxoft team to the DXC family." As announced previously, Luxoft will continue to be led by Dmitry Loschinin, who will report to Lawrie. Luxoft has a 13,000-person workforce that provides digital strategy consulting and software engineering services for companies across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It will maintain its brand and operate as "A DXC Technology Company." Luxoft brings deep expertise in key verticals, including Automotive and Financial Services, and clients in these areas are expected to benefit immediately."Joining a leading global innovator in DXC is exciting for our people, clients and partners," Loschinin said. "Going forward, it's the best of both worlds: DXC provides the scale, resources and market presence, while Luxoft brings differentiated capabilities and new digital talent. We expect our shared vision to create new market opportunities, deliver game-changing innovations and drive DXC's growth." About the TransactionLuxoft, whose stock had traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "LXFT," is now wholly owned by DXC Technology.Guggenheim Securities and BofA Merrill Lynch acted as financial advisors and Latham & Watkins LLP is acting as legal counsel to DXC, with Harney Westwood & Riegel LP acting as British Virgin Islands counsel to DXC. Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor and White & Case LLP acted as legal counsel to Luxoft, with Conyers Dill & Pearman acting as British Virgin Islands counsel to Luxoft.About DXC TechnologyAs the world's leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) leads digital transformations for clients by modernizing and integrating their mainstream IT, and by deploying digital solutions at scale to produce better business outcomes. The company's technology independence, global talent, and extensive partner network enable 6,000 private and public-sector clients in 70 countries to thrive on change. DXC is a recognized leader in corporate responsibility. For more information, visit dxc.technology and explore THRIVE, DXC's digital destination for changemakers and innovators.About LuxoftLuxoft, a DXC Technology Company, (NYSE: DXC), is a digital strategy and software engineering firm providing bespoke technology solutions that drive business change for customers the world over. Luxoft uses technology to enable business transformation, enhance customer experiences, and boost operational efficiency through its strategy, consulting, and engineering services. Luxoft combines a unique blend of engineering excellence and deep industry expertise, specializing in automotive, financial services, travel and hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, media and telecommunications. For more information, please visit www.luxoft.com ###DXC Technology Contacts:Rich Adamonis, Corporate Media Relations, +1 862.228.3481, radamonis@ dxc.com Jonathan Ford, Investor Relations, +1 703.245.9700, jonathan.ford@dxc.com Patrick Corcoran, Luxoft Marketing and Communications, +1 631.478.2325, pcorcoran@ luxoft.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking StatementsAll statements in this communication that do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements represent DXC's and/or Luxoft's intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs, and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside DXC's and/or Luxoft's control, and no assurance can be given that the results described in such statements will be achieved. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements with respect to the transaction announced above including risks relating to anticipated tax treatment, unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, inability to achieve expected synergies, loss of revenues, delay or business disruption caused by difficulties in integrating the businesses of DXC and Luxoft. For a written description of risk factors that could cause actual result in DXC's and/or Luxoft's business to differ materially from forward looking statements regarding those matters, see the section titled "Risk Factors" in DXC's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, Luxoft's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and any updating information in subsequent SEC filings, as well as the Information Statement furnished by Luxoft on Form 6-K. Each of DXC and Luxoft disclaims any intention or obligation to update these forward-looking statements whether as a result of subsequent event or otherwise, except as required by law.Additional InformationThis communication is being made in respect of the acquisition of Luxoft by DXC. The transaction has already been approved by the requisite majority of Luxoft's shareholders. Luxoft previously furnished an Information Statement on Form 6-K. HOLDERS OF LUXOFT'S ORDINARY SHARES ARE ADVISED TO READ THE INFORMATION STATEMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY MAY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND THE RIGHTS OF SHAREHOLDERS. Holders of Luxoft's ordinary shares may obtain a free copy of the Information Statement that was furnished to the SEC by Luxoft and other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC by pH meter market is undergoing developments mainly due to the increased demand for portable and benchtop pH meters across various industries. Furthermore, imposition of strict water quality regulations across the world will bolster adoption of pH meters in the upcoming years, boosting growth of the global pH meter market. pH Meter Market PR-Inside.com: 2019-06-14 08:37:24 Press Information Published by Abhishek Budholiya +1-347-918-3531 e-mail http://www.futuremarketinsights.com # 632 Words Abhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531 More than 1.6 million pH meters were sold in 2018, according to a new analytical study of Future Market Insights (FMI). While the unit sales of pH meter market has been estimated to grow by promising 4.7% Y-o-Y in 2019, over 85% of the total sales will be accounted by digital pH meters. In terms of revenue, FMIs analysis opines that the global pH meter market value will grow at a CAGR of more than 5% over 2019-2027.pH Meter Becoming an Imperative Control ParameterpH meters are used significantly in scientific, industrial, and household applications across numerous industrial sectors, such as power industries, pharmaceuticals industries, food & beverages industries, the mining sector, and the oil & gas sector. However, according to FMI, burgeoning applications of pH meters in chemical and petrochemical industries will hold a major share in growth of the pH meter market across the globe over the forecast period.The importance of determining the properties of a chemical samples has been on the rise, which remains the important factor to trigger a high demand for pH meters in the chemical and petrochemical industries for petroleum refining processes. pH is thus becoming an important control parameter in the petrochemical and chemical industries and this is likely to influence upcoming trends in the pH market during the foreseeable future.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-9207 Growing Demand for pH Meters in Healthcare IndustrypH meters are commonly used for calculating pH of whole blood PLTs (WBPs) as they are an important equipment used in surrogate test of bacterial infection. pH meters are also used to stop the transfusion of bacterially contaminated WBPs and RBCs. Hence, the demand for pH meters in the biotechnology filed, as well as in hospitals and pharmaceutical laboratories, has witnessed rapid growth. These are also among the major factors propelling the pH meter market across the globe.Government Regulations Vis-a-vis Water and Wastewater Treatment Boost Demand for pH MeterThe report has cited high demand for pH meters within multiple industrial sectors in North America and Europe, owing to strict regulations by respective governments pertaining to the industrial sector.Asia Pacific excluding Japan is expected to hold a prominent share of the global pH meter market over the forecast period. Increase in spending by the governments and organisations to cope with the rapidly growing urbanisation, water policies, the implementation of safe water principles, as well as numerous international protocols & policies to ensure water safety are some of the factors that are estimated to fuel the growth of the pH meter market in the Asia Pacific excluding Japan region.In the Middle East & Africa, the pH meter market is estimated to grow significantly as the World Health Organization has published stringent guidelines pertaining to the obtainability of safe water for the public, as Middle East Africa has the lowest number of people with access to safe drinking water. Governments in the Middle East Africa region are focusing on refining the quality of water, which is another parameter fuelling the growth of pH meter market in the Middle East Africa. These are some of the factors fuelling the growth of the market across the globe.Tier-1 Manufacturers in pH Meter Market to Emphasize Strategic AcquisitionsAccording to the FMI analysis, Mettler-Toledo, Emerson Electric Co. and Thermo Fisher Scientific are among the prominent manufacturers of pH meters. Developments and innovations in pH meters, along with developing relations with customers and rising number of acquisitions, are among the prominent strategies followed by the manufacturers of pH meters.Need more information about Report Methodology @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-9207 Some of the key manufacturers of pH meters are Endress + Hauser Digital Labs GmbH, Hanna Instruments, Omega Engineering, Agilent Technologies, PerkinElmer, ThermoWorks, WTW inoLab, Beckman Coulter, Metrohm, Contech, Sartorius AG, and Hach. Cameroons English-speaking region of Northwest on Friday removed an overnight travel ban on persons and property. The information is in a statement signed by the Governor of the region, Adolph Lele Lafrique. Mr Lafrique did not give any reason why the ban was removed in the region that was ravaged by armed separatism. The ban was imposed in November 2018, restricting movement from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time in the region in a bid to limit persistent separatists attacks at night. Fighting is still ongoing in the two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest, where armed separatists wanted to create an independent nation they call Ambazonia. (Xinhua/NAN) The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) said on Friday that Nigeria required an estimated two million units of blood per annum to adequately meet the blood requirements of the populace. The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abdullahi Mashi, said this in Abuja at a press conference to commemorate: World Blood Donor Day marked on June 14 with the theme: Safe blood for all. He said less blood was currently being donated thereby leading to avoidable deaths, morbidity or ill health, particularly among the women folk, new-born and children, victims of road traffic accidents and insurgencies. Mr Mashi specifically noted that as long as the demand out strips the supply, touting and racketeering of blood and blood products would continue to thrive. He emphasised that the situation could only be improved If only one per cent of the countrys adult population commit themselves to voluntary non-remunerated blood donation on a regular basis. According to him, transfusion of blood and blood products save millions of lives every year and in fact, every few seconds, someone, somewhere needs blood. The use of blood and blood products has become an integral part of modern medical practice. Access to safe blood and blood products is a key component of an effective health system and a significant building block for the successful achievement of health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a population of over 180 million, Nigerias estimated blood need is about two million units per annum. Unfortunately, much less is currently donated leading to avoidable deaths, morbidity or ill health, he noted. The permanent secretary noted that the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) has been established to coordinate blood safety activities in Nigeria, adding that the enormous task required the support of all and sundry toward the attainment of its set goal. The NBTS according to him strives in line with its mandate to provide adequate supply of screened and safe blood, using a minimum standard of semi-automated enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay technology. He noted that the service last year collected about 20,503 units of screened blood from voluntary blood donors through its network of 17 centres, while 16,098 units of blood were issued to various hospitals nationwide for transfusion purposes. Mr Mashi emphasised that universal access to safe blood transfusion required innovative strategies to ensure safe and sufficient blood supply, which included 100 per cent of voluntary blood donation as well as ensuring 100 per cent testing of donated blood. He assured that the service would continue to work hard to increase its annual blood collection, adding that efforts were being made toward expanding the reach of NBTS. NBTS is set to migrate its blood screening platform from a semi-automated system to a fully automated system at its centres in Abuja and Jos. One Architect 1000SR equipment has been installed at these two centres. This equipment has a shorter turn-around time and will ensure the availability of blood units screened for the mandatory four transfusion transmissible infections (HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis) within twenty-four hours. Considerable progress has also been made in institutionalising a Blood Rotation Scheme through linkages established with hospitals in both urban and rural communities. Therefore, I make a special appeal to our tertiary and secondary hospitals to embrace the Hospital Linkage Programme designed by the NBTS in order to ensure increased access to safe blood and improvement of our maternal and child health indices. Mr Mashi noted that the theme for the year was adopted to emphasise the vital need for safe blood in the delivery of health care and the crucial role that voluntary blood donations play in achieving the goal of universal health coverage. According to him, the day was set aside to raise awareness on the need for safe blood and blood products world-wide and also to appreciate voluntary unpaid donors for their life-saving gift of blood among others. (NAN) The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal by David Umaru to affirm him as the senator-elect of Niger East senatorial district. The court in a unanimous judgement led by Ibrahim Muhammad held that Mr Umaru, who was elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), was not validly nominated by the party. The court said it was satisfied that the appellant, Mohammed Sani, was the rightful winner of the primary election APC conducted for the senatorial district. The court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which on April 8 affirmed Mr Umaru as the winner of the Senatorial seat. Consequently, the Supreme Court restored the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which declared Mr Sani as the validly nominated candidate of the APC for the election. The apex court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to, without delay, issue a certificate of return to Mr Sani as the Senator representing Niger East. Background An Abuja division of the Federal High Court presided by Folashade Ogunbanjo, had in a judgement on February 7 said that it was satisfied that Mr Umaru was not genuinely nominated by the APC. The court declared Mr Sani as the authentic winner of the primary election the party conducted on October 2, 2018. Mr Umaru, not satisfied with the judgement, went on an appeal, where he insisted that the lower court erred in law when it wrongly assumed jurisdiction over the matter. He said Mr Sanis suit was not filed within 14 days in pursuant to the fourth alteration of the 1999 constitution after APC forwarded his name to INEC. A Court of Appeal panel led by Stephen Adah later vacated the high court judgement in a unanimous decision. The appellant court said that the trial court was wrong to have entertained the suit which had become status barred by virtue of section 285(9) of the fourth alteration Act of the 1999 constitution. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has lamented the slow progress in tackling Viral Hepatitis B in Africa. The African region of the UN agency, in a press statement on Friday, said only three countries Uganda, Rwanda and Cabo Verde out of the 47 countries in the region are on track to eliminating the disease. This is the first time the African region of the WHO is examining hepatitis prevalence and responses among its member states. According to the new scorecard, dying of viral hepatitis in Africa is becoming a bigger threat than dying of AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis. The disease is said to affect one in 15 people in the WHO African region. WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said the analysis is the first to track each country in the region and to assess progress towards the goal of saving the lives of more than two million Africans who may develop progressive hepatitis B or C liver disease in the next decade if countries fail to ramp up their efforts. The scorecard will be presented at the first African Hepatitis Summit to be held in Kampala, Uganda from June 18 20. The scorecard provides vital information about the status of the regional hepatitis response, measuring progress against the Framework for Action for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis in the African Region (20162020). It was created as a guide for Member States on the implementation of the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, which calls for the elimination of hepatitis by 2030 (defined as a 90 per cent reduction in new cases and 65 per cent reduction in deaths), it said. What is Hepatitis? Hepatitis is the inflammation of liver tissue, commonly caused by virus. There are five group of Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. However, the viral hepatitis with leading concerns are B and C. Viral Hepatitis B and C affects 325 million people globally. The diseases are also root cause of liver cancer, leading to 1.34 million global deaths every year. The disease is regarded as a silent killer because while some people do not have symptoms, others develop yellow discolouration of the skin and whiteness of the eyes, poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pain, or diarrhoea. The most common cause of the diseases are the hepatitis viruses. It can also be caused by the consumption of excessive alcohol, certain medication, infections, and autoimmune disease among others. WHO scorecard The analysis from the international health agency shows that 28 countries have developed a national hepatitis strategic plan for viral hepatitis; however, most are still in draft form with only 13 officially published and disseminated. Nigeria is one of the 13 countries that have officially published and disseminated the plans. Ms Moeti said WHO has been a major partner in the regional response with policy development and provision of technical and financial support as well as capacity building for a co-ordinated regional response. Every year more than 200 000 people in Africa are dying from complications of viral hepatitis B and C-related liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Sixty million people in the WHO Africa Region were living with chronic hepatitis B infection in 2015. More than 4.8 million of them are children under five years old. A further 10 million are infected with hepatitis C, most likely due to unsafe injection practices within health facilities or by communities. Nigerias situation In Nigeria, there are no official statistics of the total number of people affected by hepatitis B and C. However, WHO said Nigeria has a high burden of viral hepatitis B and C at prevalence rate of 11.2 per cent and 2.0 per cent respectively. A major cause of the spread of the disease in Nigeria stems from lack of knowledge about the disease, poor health seeking behaviour as most Nigerians do not do medical checks, delivering babies at home and circumcision by unqualified hands, among others. Advertisements Hepatitis is a communicable disease but can be vaccine prevented. In Nigeria, the vaccine has been included as part of the immunisation schedule for children. (National Programme on Immunisation (NPI), since 2004. Unfortunately, most children still miss out on the vaccination due to low immunisation coverage. Most adults are also unaware that they can be vaccinated. In cases where the adults are aware, the cost of vaccination is high, thereby discouraging most people. Another challenge is that the vaccines are only available for adults in some secondary and tertiary health facilities. This means most of the people in the rural areas cannot benefit from it. Progress in Africa WHO said only 15 per cent (7/47) countries are leading prevention efforts with national coverage of both Hepatitis B birth dose and childhood pentavalent vaccination exceeding 90 per cent. The agency said there are major gaps in hepatitis testing and treatment with less than eight countries providing subsidised testing and treatment for viral hepatitis. Uganda has started free nationwide hepatitis B treatment, and Rwanda is providing free treatment for both hepatitis B and C. These two countries are championing the regional response and are on track to reach the 2020 Framework targets for testing and community awareness, it said. The scorecard showed that the administration of the hepatitis B vaccination at birth and in early infancy is the most effective way to halt the transmission of the virus. This is because 95 per cent of the burden of chronic diseases is due to infections among children acquired before their fifth birthday, including mother-to-child transmission. Ms Moeti said in spite of the low cost of birth dose vaccination less than US$ 0.20 per child only 11 countries in the region are following this protocol. One such country is Cabo Verde where the government has mobilised financial resources and has achieved 99 per cent vaccination coverage at birth. What Uganda is doing WHO said in Uganda, more than 6 per cent of the population are infected. It said the commitment to end hepatitis infection was driven by civil society and strong political will with the result that it became one of the first African nations to fund domestic action against hepatitis B. Uganda invested around US$ 3 million to embark on a massive, free hepatitis B screening programme in 2015, in which more than four million people have been screened. There was also a widespread community mobilization and awareness-raising actions. Ms Moeti said more than 30 per cent of the population who are infected with hepatitis B are now aware of their status and can access comprehensive treatment services, including free medication. This performance exceeds the 2020 target for screening and awareness. There however remains much to be done to reach treatment targets. It is fitting that the first African Hepatitis Summit should be held in Uganda, Ms Moeti said. The country has superb lessons to share, and we support these important exchanges as they are helping to build evidence-based policies and promoting partnerships for more concerted action against viral hepatitis across the region. They are showing us that beating this disease is achievable. In this third and final part of his interview with PREMIUM TIMES, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, speaks about the roles he and some other officials of the Goodluck Jonathan government played in what has become known as the Malabu OPL 245 saga. He also opens up on his next plans. Read the first part of the interview with Mr Adoke HERE. And the second part HERE. In that first part, Mr Adoke spoke about how his government took the decision to prosecute APC leader, Bola Tinubu, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, how he and his colleagues persuaded former President Goodluck Jonathan to concede defeat in 2015, how he was abused and called a useless attorney general by Mrs Jonathan, among other issues. In the second part, he spoke about the Justice Ayo Salami saga, the Halliburton bribery scandal, the controversy over the Pfizer drug trial and his relationships with Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Olarenwaju Suraju and the Abacha family. PT: Lets now talk about the Malabu OPL 245 issue. Your name is repeatedly mentioned everywhere for your role as the Attorney General of Nigeria who sealed the contentious deal with Shell and Eni. Adoke: I didnt seal the deal. PT: You signed the agreement. Is that not the case? Was I the only one that signed the agreement? I have been maligned. Ive been persecuted, Ive been destroyed virtually by those who want to destroy me using a cocktail of lies and misinformation, and unfortunately using so many platforms including your platform. This is an issue I have discussed extensively in my book, but I will give you a summary. First, today they carry the story as if Jonathan government awarded the OPL 245 to Malabu. That is not true. The allocation of that oil bloc was done in 1998. It was not the only oil bloc, there were several oil blocs that were allocated at that time, and based on the policies of the government which was to encourage indigenous participation in the upstream sector of the oil and gas sector. There was OPL 246 given to South Atlantic, there was OPL 245. Find out, do your investigation about that. There were all these allocations that were done. In the process, General Abacha died and General Abdulsalamis government came in. General Abdulsalami revoked some of the oil blocs but never revoked OPL 245, OPL 246 and even the one given to (Folorunsho) Alakija, and some others. Then President Obasanjo came in in 1999 and continued with the transaction until 2001 when suddenly, due to reasons best known to the actors of that time, they revoked the oil blocs. And after revoking they called on certain oil majors to come and bid. Shell bided for it at a signature bonus of $210 million dollars as opposed to the $20 million discretionary allocations that were given to these select indigenous participants to enable them to have a say in the oil and gas sector. After the revocation of these oil blocs, Chief Dan Etete has always been the face of Malabu. Nobody saw anything wrong with it at that time. He even petitioned the House of Representatives at that time and there was a public hearing. Nobody challenged the propriety or otherwise of a former minister getting an oil bloc allocated to him by the then Head of State, General Sani Abacha. The House of Representatives under the speakership of Ghali NaAbba came up with a resolution saying that the revocation was wrongful, illegal, and should be returned to Malabu. There was nothing wrong about that. When the government did not implement on time, Malabu went to court. They were in court for a long time until there was a settlement which was reduced into a consent judgement in 2006. Nobody saw anything wrong with it. Shortly after the consent judgement, President Obasanjo left office, the YarAdua government came in, Shell and co. tried to peddle their influence to get this bloc again because they claimed they had already de-risked the bloc and invested over $550 million, and nobody said anything about it at that time. By that time, Shell had paid a signature bonus of $1million into the account of government and paid $209 million into an escrow account pending the outcome of the litigation. The question any reasonable person would ask is: who was the official of government that gave Shell the go-ahead to de-risk the bloc that created the problem for Nigeria? Because if Shell had not gone ahead to de-risk or given the mandate to de-risk, it wouldnt have had any claim or nerve to go for arbitration. But nobody is asking this vital question. Now, they were given the mandate and they went ahead and de-risked. And what did Yaradua do? He tried to resolve the matter by setting up an inter-ministerial committee headed by Chief Michael Aondoaka as chairman. There were so many other people in that committee, including Hon. Minister of State on Petroleum, Odein Ajumogbobia, and some other people. Then a resolution was reached. In that resolution, a certain amount of money was to have been paid by Shell to Malabu. They were supposed to be given a certain percentage in the transaction. President YarAdua died at the time the agreement was to be signed. After we came in, the issue resurfaced. Shell was already in arbitration claiming over $2 billion from the government. While they were claiming this $2 billion, we implemented the out-of-court settlement. So it was not an allocation. The Attorney General does not allocate oil bloc. It was a dispute and the settlement was domiciled in the office of the Attorney General right from the time of Chief Bayo Ojo, Kaase Aondoaka, until it came to my time. I want you to look at this transition. Everybody has cut away this historical trajectory because they were not working for a credible answer, including your good self. I mean Premium Times. This was the issue up till that time. When there was a breakdown in communication between Shell since it was the earlier agreement to be approved by President YarAdua but couldnt be approved before he died. They then came to insist on its implementation because they have been given the bloc 100%. Look at the term of the settlement, it was 100%. What did Shell do? Shell used their dominant position in the market to enter a caveat worldwide that nobody should deal with Malabu on OPL 245 because they have an interest. So, there was a catch 22 situation for all of them. At the end of the day, Shell came with ENI and ENI approached the government to say look, we are trying to deal with Malabu and OPL 247 and Shell has an interest and we want to go with Shell on a joint venture to acquire this bloc from Malabu. The most irresponsible thing that Shell and ENI did was to deny knowing that they were dealing with Malabu. It was the most bizarre and most scandalous thing to do ever. I still feel bitter for that kind of white elephant lie. Now, who did they discuss with? They came up with a resolution agreement. We said No, that is not the way we work in government. As a professional, knowing my limit, I sent the resolution agreement they came up with to DPR (Department of Petroleum Resources). Dr. Obaje now listed out his observations. As a result of that observation, we then said fine, we cannot go on with this transaction until there is an inter-ministerial committee to renegotiate the resolution agreement and take cognisance of all the issues that Chief Obaje had identified. So, a committee from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC, DPR, Ministry of Finance, FIRS and Ministry of Justice sat down and negotiated this resolution agreement and came up with resolution agreement and that was how the issue of government trying to buy into the bloc was inserted. That was the outcome of the negotiation. Even after they negotiated the resolution agreement, myself and the ministers that signed did not sign until it was sent to the president, and the president gave his approval. So, where have I gone wrong? How did that amount to allocation of oil bloc? I didnt allocate an oil bloc. The State House counsel also represented the president in negotiating this agreement and all these people are alive. Does it not beat your imagination that out of all these people, it is only Adoke that was singled out for attack? After the whole transaction was done, with all the presidential approval, you saw the JP Morgan report, you saw all those who authorised payment. Did you see Adokes name there? But because everybody was working to a preconceived answer, they must get a top government official to use as a scapegoat. So that the matter will die down and everybody will go home. But Adoke will not sit down and allow himself and his generation yet unborn to be destroyed. I needed to state my story. Now you can begin to put things together on why they desperately wanted me and why it is at the expense of my life. Advertisements Now, when the money was paid, there were those who claimed to have worked with Malabu to source ENI to acquire the interest. They went to court in London and the court gave a restraining order saying that a certain amount of money, I think it was about $280 million should not be disbursed. JP Morgan wrote to me in my capacity as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice. Was I supposed to tell JP Morgan not to obey the order? I told JP Morgan Obey every court order given to you until set aside. If it does not affect the rest of the money, give it to the beneficiaries. That was all I did. You have seen the various letters of the current Attorney General. You have also seen my court judgment. I went to court not because I want to challenge the government but I wanted to establish the limits of the presidents power, and I think that has been well defined. The court not only said the president has the power but it said that the instructions carried out by me were lawful instructions of Mr President. PT: The expectation was that you were going to advise the administration to simply nullify the allocation of the block to Malabu because the company had a fictitious character as director from the start. Adoke: How can I advise? I would not have advised that. How can I advise the president to nullify by executive fiat a judgment of the court? PT: But you could have advised the president to reconsider the transaction especially given that Etete had used fictional characters in the incorporation of Malabu. Adoke: That was not in our knowledge and even if it were in our knowledge the only thing to do was to go to court because the court had already given a consent judgment. We were implementing a judgment of a court. I was not giving administrative advice. This man had been the face of this thing all this while. These characters that are now talking they knew all this but did not bring it to the knowledge of the government until, like in all situations, it was time to share and they had difficulties. Then they started saying it was a fictional character. PT: So, are you saying you never knew Etetes name has never been in the list of directors or shareholders of Malabu? Adoke: Whether he is in the list of directors or shareholders or not, who has always been the face of Malabu? Please, let us not drag on too far. Etete has always been the face of Malabu. Those who claim that they have a stake, why didnt they challenge it at that time? Why didnt they place a disclaimer on him? The law says equity aids the vigilant, and not the indolent. One of the people claiming equity now, why didnt he use his full name? Why was he using the fictitious name? He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. He who seeks equity shall do equity. PT: So you are saying in all of these, you did no wrong? Adoke: If I did any wrong, I will own up to it and apologize to the whole nation. And if I am confronted with the same situation that I was confronted with again, and given the directives by the government, as attorney general, I will do exactly what I did. I told you something which you need to go and dig deeper. What led to the crisis in OPL 245? You are acclaimed investigative journalists. Go and find out what led to the precursor of what happened? Go and find out the precursor of what happened with OPL 245. PT: Why not help us with some clarity on that? Adoke: What you are going to investigate for now is not meant for the consuming public. Before it gets to the public you need to investigate first. Go and find out the circumstances under which those oil blocs were awarded and who are the real owners of those oil blocs. PT: You said you did nothing wrong. After the money was paid to Malabu, the funds were distributed in a way that suggested Malabu gave money to some officials. Adoke: Did you see my name? Let me tell you something. The matter is subjudice. It is in court. Like I say, be patient to read my book. PT: Are you saying you did not benefit from all the money shared by Malabu? Adoke: I did not. And by the special grace of God I have not done anything wrong, and time and events will prove this. PT: But the EFCC is alleging that you had a transaction with Alhaji Aliyu of AA Oil through whom Malabu spread money to some suspicious accounts. Adoke: This is what I am telling you. Look, I showed you the mortgage transaction I had. I bought a house from him. When I became a minister, my SSS people said my house is not safe and I told them that it is their duty to secure us. If I wanted to build a house, how long would it take me to build a house? So I needed to buy. I started looking for a house to buy and I saw a house and they said it belonged to a man I know. I called him and he said he was going to sell it to me at N500million and I agreed because of the location. I didnt have that amount of money then. I approached my bankers, Unity Bank. I told them this is the transaction I have and this is what I wanted. They agreed to fund the transaction. I was to pay an equity contribution of N200million. I had a plot of land that was given to me by Bala Mohammed (then FCT minister) in my name. The bank paid directly to Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar. They paid it directly to his company, not that the money came to me. Somewhere along the line, timelines were not being met to pay back the loan and I couldnt even sell the land to pay the N200million equity participation and at the same time the loan was going bad and I have to be paying interest. It was a five-year term loan. So, the owner of the property came to me, which was still under construction and said since I cannot pay him the N200 million, CBN wants to buy the house and said he should sell it to them since I dont have proprietary on the property yet. He asked for the certificate but I said I dont have the certificate. I directed him to the bank, Unity Bank, who paid him the money and took the certificate. I called the MD of the bank and thanked him for the loan offer while asking him to take the cash from Alhaji Aliyu and release the propertys certificates in the custody of the bank. The man paid the bank directly. Whether he paid them in dollars I dont know. It was not me that went to the bureau de change. It was the bank that called the bureau de change people to change the money. They calculated how much the cost of a dollar was at the time. They collected the money and the bank released the certificate to Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar. Aliyu Abubakar sold the house to CBN. He had already sold the house. I think it was part of the money CBN gave him that he used because they needed to get the certificate from him. The question you should be asking yourself is: They said he laundered money for me, he paid for my mortgage, then where is the proceed of the money? Where is the house? Why is it that the EFCC did not attach the mortgage or go for forfeiture of the house? That is the question you should have asked. That is what we call investigative journalism. That is the money laundering they said I committed. PT: So, beyond that, there was no transaction between you and Alhaji Aliyu? Adoke: He is from my village. All of us are from Okene. He is from Ihima area, I am from Nagazi. But beyond that, there is no transaction of money between us. But then somebody must get you. It would interest you to know that the person who wrote the petition on the mortgage issue was brought by one Suraj Olanrewaju who is close to the diminutive so-called human rights lawyer I mentioned earlier. They are working hand in hand to unnecessarily disparage me. PT: When are you returning home? The EFCC says you have a case to answer in court. Adoke: That is a very important question and to be frank with you I am eager to come back. As I told you, I had a very serious health challenge. I am not a man that would be going about talking about it to generate pity. I dont want to be pitied by anybody. I dont want pity, I want justice. I want to face prosecution, not persecution. The issue is: if I had come back to Nigeria at the time they wanted me to come, it is possible that my health would have deteriorated, and I would not have been able to address it. I am having surgery very soon and immediately after that I would head back to Nigeria. If I am not in Nigeria by the end of July, I should be back by September. I am coming back to Nigeria. I am not going to go anywhere. PT: There were others like you who were on some kinds of exile. But they seem to have negotiated their way back to Nigeria. Dont you have such a window? Adoke: Negotiate what? I am not on political exile. I am not a politician. I was a professional in government. So, when people call me a politician, I laugh. I was not a card-carrying member of the PDP. On the issue of negotiation, let me tell you this. I have been very badly damaged worldwide. I was a member of the International Law Commission. I am sure you know how prestigious that body is. It is a 34-member body of the United Nations responsible for the progressive development and codification of international law. With that, if they malign you and you are in Nigeria unable to state your side of the story and all they do is to continue to churn out one-sided story, you will be in trouble. This is why I wrote my book. Like I said, I am very proud that I have written my book. It is one of the best achievements I have had. Also, with the kind of lies that people like Olanrewaju Suraj and his Global Witness people are spreading about me, one need to clarify issues. If you notice, whenever they are telling the story (of Malabu OPL 245), they take it from the middle. They dont give the history and the trajectory of the transactions from 1998. They take it from where it pleases them, and I have found time to address all that in my book. I have suffered tremendously. I have suffered. But I am grateful to God that I am able to address the issues and by the grace of God, I will be fine. And certainly I am looking forward to returning to Nigeria at the most by the end of September. The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, says henceforth the National Assembly will ensure the passage of the nations appropriation bills within three months of their submission by the Executive arm of government. Mr Lawan stated this known when he fielded questions from State House correspondents after joining President Muhammadu Buhari to perform the weekly Fridays Jumaat prayer at the Aso Rock Mosque, Abuja. He, however, expressed the hope that the executive would always ensure early submission of the budget enable the assembly deliberate and pass it in good time. Well, this is a crucial thing that worries everyone. Every Nigerian wants to see the National Assembly passes the budget in good time and what we have in mind weve campaigned with that and its something both of us in the National Assembly have bought into that well pass the budget within three months by the grace of God. But I want to say here that it takes two sides of government to pass the budget in good time. I am sure that the executive side of the government would like to present the budget before the National Assembly in good time in September or early October. By the grace of God, we in the National Assembly will ensure that we carry out the budget defence and do the remaining parts of the processes and before we leave for Christmas break, the budget would have been passed and Mr President would have the budget before him to assent, he said. The senate president, therefore, called for sacrifice by both the assembly and the executive so as to create a window for budget defence only, a dedicate period and timeframe- say a month of which only budget defence will be carried out in the national assembly. It is our desire in the National Assembly that every minister, every chief executive officer of every agency comes to the National Assembly and defence the budget of his agency or her agency before going out of the country. That window is going to be available within the one month but that is the only window that is going to be available. After that for example, every minister or head of agency who did not come to defend the budget of that institution, the National Assembly would go ahead to work on such a budget appropriately. According to Mr Lawan, the national assembly is in a hurry and thirsty to perform and will support Mr Buhari in his efforts to transform the nations economy for the benefit of all citizens. He added I believe that nobody would take pleasure in wasting the time of this administration. We are in a hurry, we are thirsty to perform, we want to support Mr President, we want to see Mr President achieve those legacies dreams that he has and we are going to work full course and full time to ensure that we give him the maximum support that he requires. (NAN) The trial of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans, and five others was stalled at an Ikeja High Court on Friday due to the lack of legal representation for one of them. When the matter was called before Justice Hakeem Oshodi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, the fifth defendant in the matter, informed the court that he was unable to engage the services of a lawyer. Adebayo Haroun, the lead state prosecuting counsel, told the court that he was aware that Titilayo Shitta-Bey, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had visited the Kirikiri prison in respect of legal representation for Evans. Mr Haroun, however, said he was uncertain whether Mr Shitta-Bey discussed legal representation with Mr Nwachukwu. Justice Oshodi stood-down proceedings to enable the state counsel to call Mr Shitta-Bey to confirm if she discussed legal representation with the fifth defendant. When proceedings resumed, Mr Haroun told the court that the DPP said she did not discuss legal representation with Mr Nwachukwu. Reacting, Justice Oshodi said, the DPP should be informed formally about the provision of a lawyer for the fifth defendant and proof of service should be submitted in court. This case is adjourned till Aug. 15, for a continuation of trial. Evans is standing trial alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Mr Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba over the alleged kidnap of the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Limited, Donatius Dunu. The six defendants were arraigned on August 30, 2017, on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping. According to the prosecution, they allegedly kidnapped Mr Dunu and collected 223,000 Euros (N100 million) as ransom. Four witnesses, including Mr Dunu, have so far testified in the trial on behalf of the state. Former chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, has advocated for the establishment of a central data centre and beneficial ownership register as an anti-money laundering measure to check corruption. For holistic fight against corruption, he said, there was also the need to develop a comprehensive national charter with clear goals, responsibilities and indicators applicable to each of Nigerias federating unit. These are among suggestions proposed by Mr Ribadu at a convocation lecture delivered at the Federal University Dutsin-ma, Katsina state, on Friday. Mr Ribadu who spoke on the topic Fight against Corruption in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects for Sustainability said new methods have to be evolved to deepen the tempo of the fight against corruption. Underscoring the importance of data in the fight against corruption, the pioneer EFCC chairman said without comprehensive directory of residents, the government cannot successfully address corruption and insecurity. He said though various agencies collect data from citizens, such data is not being properly utilized in a central hub to address major issues. Data centre, which will house a beneficial ownership register, is the most important modern tool of following money, tracking transactions and information sharing among law enforcement and other agencies of government. The authorities should be able to have their fingertips on details of basic information of all citizens as well as records of financial transactions, tax records, assets, crime history, physical addresses and movements, he said. Mr Ribadu also advocated a common national charter on the fight against corruption that brings in on stakeholders and established responsibilities of all units of governance. For all this time, the fight against corruption and institutionalisation of probity and transparency have remained largely a federal government affair. Yes, by our unitary police arrangement, the federal government is responsible for law enforcement. The charter should outline specific requirements, responsibilities, commitments and performance indicators. Governors and other persons manning the subnational structures should also lead by example in their conduct, he said. Flush the judiciary The first step, he however said, is cleaning up of the judicial system by flushing out those who contribute to travesty of justice. There would only be limited or no success in anti-corruption campaign if the justice system is not properly sanitised to shoulder that important responsibility. Some steps have been taken in the past in this regard, but going forward, a more holistic and strategic approach has to be adopted to ensure maximum impact and meaningful result. Every individual within the chain of the justice sector needs to be above board, those who cannot uphold the basic tenets of integrity needed for such job should be shoved aside, he added. The former EFCC boss also called for cleaner electoral process devoid of malpractice which, he said, sow seeds of corruption in the polity. He charged Nigerians to support anticorruption agencies instead of siding with the corrupt elements in the society. It is good to be critical, and even circumspect, but it should not be an excuse for cynicism. Quite often, we see persons casting aspersions on law enforcement agencies unjustifiably, making themselves inadvertent corruption cheerleaders and advocates of the corrupt. In a short welcome remarks, the acting vice chancellor of the university, Adamu Baba-Kutigi, said the topic was chosen in view of its centrality in contemporary national discourse. We are lucky to have Nuhu Ribadu here. We are happy that you have agreed to come and address us on this topic, he said. Nigerias immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has come under online attacks after being accused of taking ownership of a Twitter handle belonging to his former office. The account @SPNigeria, verified by Twitter, was created in June 2015. It was created for the purpose of information dissemination from the office. Mr Saraki was Nigerias Senate president between June 8, 2015 and June 8, 2019. Upon completion of his four-year tenure as Senate president, the account was expected to be transferred to the new Senate president, Ahmad Lawan. Instead, the former Senate president decided to archive his activities on the former handle. The move generated a backlash among Nigerians. The controversy Followers of the Twitter account were surprised to find out on Thursday that the account had been personalised by Mr Saraki. The account which bore Senate President of Nigeria was changed to Former Senate President of the 8th Nigerian Senate still using the official twitter handle @SPNigeria. However, following comments from followers, the handle was later changed to @SP8thNGRSenate. The new handle has all the contents earlier contained in the former handle archived in it. This development instigated criticisms from Nigerians. In a tweet, the special assistant to President Buhari on Digital/New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, clamoured for a proper hand over of the handle. Im confused how can you personalize a verified account set up for the Office of the Senate President of Nigeria? The proper thing is to hand over @SPNigeria to new President and then convert the archived ABS page to @SPNigeria8thSenate or something similar, he tweeted. Also, a social commentator, Kayode Ogundamisi, berated the former Senate President for holding on to the handle. So it appears @bukolasaraki is not ready to release the official @Twitter handle @NGRSenate to the 9th Senate. No surprises. Oti di baraku. Now we have to deal with a new handle @SPNigeria, he tweeted via @ogundamisi. The duo was replied by Olu Onemola, one of Mr Sarakis aides who argued that it was important to preserve the digital record of the former Senate president. He later tweeted that the Twitter handle @SPNigeria has been transferred to handlers of the new Senate president. The @SPNigeria created for the Office of the Senate President, has now been transferred to the new holders of the office. While the archived account which will not be tweeted from again or utilized in anyway will have the handle @SP8thNGRSenate. It is important to note that throughout this process I have been talking to people on the new Senate Presidents Online team and we have had no issues. They are now managing the @SPNigeria handle. I take full responsibility for wanting to preserve the activities and achievements of @BukolaSaraki which were recorded on the handle in question. It was inline with practices adopted by other institutions during transition period, he tweeted. Whose property? Few hours after Mr Onemolas tweet came first tweets from the @SPNigeria after it was transferred to the new Senate President. @SPNigeria is now under the control of the office of the Senate President and fully active, the account tweeted. Advertisements Even though the account has been transferred to the new Senate President, @SPNigeria will have to build from scratch. A check by Friday noon showed that the account has only 6, 228 followers with 24 tweets since being handed over. This is a far followership distance from the former account which followership and contents have now been transferred to Mr Saraki. The @SP8thNGRSenate has over 218, 000 followers as at last check by Friday afternoon. The account is considered a public property by Nigerians and as such they want it to remain a preserve of the office and not the occupier. Why change of handle?This is not mature. So you want to tell us if there was a website domain for the senate,so the website too will change; common . lets stop all this and grow advance.The 9th senate should continue with the old handle . we all knew when they resume office, a Twitter user Olasupo Tayo tweeted via @tayota_rapper. But Mr Onemola thinks otherwise. He tweeted, The decision to archive the @SPNigeria handle of the former Senate President was aimed at having a handle that preserved his official online activities and records for the public to view in the future. This does not in any way stop the current occupant of the Office from utilizing the @SPNigeria username. A notable example is: when Obama left office, the @POTUS account was transferred to the Trump team while @POTUS44 was created as an archive of all Obamas activities. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the global community to unite and stop the ongoing carnage by the military in Sudan before it escalates into more killings. The NLC in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES also called for global action against the military junta to check the carnage against defenceless citizens of the country. The statement, signed by NLC acting president, Najeem Yasin, said the action of the military junta was a betrayal of the people on whose back it rode to power. The global community should unite to stop this carnage by the military before it escalates into more killings that would derail the momentum of the struggle to reestablish negotiations leading to civilian rule under an atmosphere of free and fair election, the statement said. The NLC also called on all persons of goodwill and the international community to take urgent decisive actions to call the junta to order and offer concrete measures for the protection of the lives of activists and the people of Sudan. The statement reads in part: The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has watched with shock the massacre of over 100 pro-democracy activists and other persons by the military Junta in Sudan. This blatant use of force against unarmed and defenceless civilians, which saw killings involving children and several injured persons over the sit-in by protesters to establish a democratic process in Sudan, is highly condemnable and should not be allowed to continue by the international community. It is instructive that the Junta rode on the protests of pro-democratic forces that ousted former President Omar al-Bashir ostensibly to protect the protesters, only to turn its guns on them and the Sudanese population. The statement described the carnage as an unconscionable betrayal of the Sudanese people who had suffered untold hardship and violence in the hands al-Bashirs Rapid Support Forces or Janjaweed, which the Junta had recently unleashed on pro-democracy activists. While applauding the timely suspension of Sudan by the African Union (AU), and the intention of the UN to intervene in the political crisis, we call on all persons of goodwill and the international community to take urgent decisive actions to call the Junta to order and offer concrete measures for the protection of the lives of activists and the people of Sudan, the statement said. Sudans veteran opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi on Friday called for an objective international investigation into the deadly crackdown on protesters after the ruling military council rejected such a probe. Thousands of protesters who had camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum for weeks were dispersed on June 3 by men in military fatigues, in an operation which left dozens dead. The crackdown followed the collapse of talks between protest leaders and generals over who should lead a new governing body a civilian or soldier. Justice Aliyu Mayaki on Friday took the oath of office as the Acting Chief Judge of Niger state. Mr Mayaki took oath of office at a valedictory court session in honour of the former Chief Judge, Justice Ahmed Bima, who has attained the mandatory retirement age of 65 years. Mr Bima was appointed acting Chief Judge on January 28 and confirmed on June 13. In his remarks, Mr Bima highlighted some of his achievements to include rehabilitation of magistrate courts in the state. According to him, others includes training of staff, provision of computers for Magistrates and Management staff among others. From January, 2019 to dated, we were able to impact positively in our own little way, as a build-up on the legacy left behind by my predecessor. This progress was achieved in the areas of infrastructure development, training of staff and provision of computers for magistrates, he added The oath of office for the acting Chief Judge was administered by the deputy governor, Ahmed Ketso. (NAN) Ten political parties in Zamfara State have disassociated themselves from a court action challenging the election of Governor Bello Matawalle. The suit is said to have been instituted on their behalf by the All Peoples Party (APP). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the governorship candidate of APP in the election, Zayyanu Haske, has filed a case at the Zamfara Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja. Mr Haske is asking for the nullification of the election that returned Mr Matawalle as governor. The APP candidate, who claimed to be supported by other political parties in the state, also asked the tribunal to order for a fresh governorship election in the state. Reacting to the matter, leaders of 10 political parties, led by the Chairman of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Musa Mai-mai, said they were not party to the case and were not consulted before it was instituted. We were not consulted; we believe that the Supreme Court judgement, which gave the mandate to Matawalle, after annulling the participation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate was in order, he said. Briefing journalists at the AD office in Gusau, Mr Mai-mai said those challenging Mr Matawalles seat were carrying out a blind opposition which is not right. We are dissociating ourselves from those people and their moves; we want the whole world to know that they are on their own. Many leaders and elders from the state have extended their hands of fellowship to the new administration, including the immediate past governor, Yari. So, we believe that everyone should rally round this government to help it succeed, he said. The AD official urged people of the state to disregard those challenging the new administration and pray for the government to succeed, especially in its fight against bandits. Other political parties that signed the document dissociating their groups from challenging Mr Matawalle included PRP, SDP, ID, HD, ASD, MMN, NAC, KOWA and FRESH. (NAN) The Ondo State House of Assembly on Thursday dissolved all the 18 caretaker committees of the local councils in the state. Although the house had earlier adjourned till July 9, members were summoned to attend the session on Thursday for the purpose of taking a decision on the tenure of local government chairmen. The tenure of the caretaker committees had earlier expired in October but was extended by six months by the Assembly. The dissolution was unanimously approved by lawmakers present. At the session, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Oluwasegun Ajimotokin, moved the motion for the dissolution, noting that the last tenure extension for the committees had expired. He said since the issue had been extensively debated and resolved at the parliamentary meeting of the members, it was resolved that the caretaker committee should be dissolved. The House at its parliamentary meeting has adequately debated the tenure of local government and resolved that they should be dissolved, Mr Ajimotokin said. I hereby move a motion for the dissolution of the committees across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State with immediate effect. Curiously, the Leader of the House, Jamiu Maito, who is traditionally supposed to move the motion, seconded it. The Speaker of the House, Bamidele Oleyelogun, put the question for a voice vote and it was unanimously agreed that the committees should be dissolved. Mr Oleyelogun also directed the caretaker committees of the 18 local governments to hand over the management of the councils to the Directors of the Local Government Administration with immediate effect. OCEAN CITY About 300 Ocean City High School graduates will hear from the states highest education official when they receive their diplomas Monday. Commissioner of Education Lamont Repollet will be the keynote speaker at this years commencement ceremony. Repollet is the chief executive school officer of New Jersey and oversees all schools and colleges/universities. He also serves as secretary to the state Board of Education, where he first met Ocean City senior Nora Faverzani, the statewide student representative to the board. Faverzani, who is graduating as one of the top three students and president of the class of 2019, invited Repollet to the district earlier this year, where he was impressed with all the island high school was doing. +7 Education Commissioner Repollet visits Ocean City High School OCEAN CITY Impressed with state Board of Education student representative Nora Faverzani a We are honored to have Dr. Repollet address our graduates and school community at our graduation ceremony, said Superintendent Kathleen Taylor. Throughout the school year, our students, staff and administration have been privileged to host the commissioner, and we are humbled that he has chosen our district to share his perspectives on the future of education and celebrate the students accomplishments. New monitor invites fears of state takeover in Pleasantville schools PLEASANTVILLE Saying he was embarrassed and enraged to learn the school district was g The salary is the same as Alstons starting salary in the 2017-18 school year when he was approved for a three-year contract with 2.4% increases each year. Thomas said Anderson will be able to run the district as the school board initiates a search for a new, permanent superintendent. Over the past two decades, Pleasantville has had a revolving door of top administrators. Alston previously served as superintendent from 2006-09. The state first assigned a monitor to Pleasantville during that period, in 2007. After Alston, Gloria Grantham was hired in May 2009 the districts 14th superintendent in 13 years but was placed on leave in September 2010. At that point, Bailey was appointed acting superintendent and eventually hired as Granthams permanent replacement. State adds second monitor to Pleasantville schools PLEASANTVILLE The state has assigned a second state monitor to the school district, school When Baileys contract expired in June 2014, Leonard Fitts served as interim superintendent for two years, the maximum an interim can serve, and Bailey stayed on as assistant superintendent. In 2016, the board attempted to rehire Alston to replace Fitts, but the move was not approved by the monitor and eventually led to a lawsuit from Alston. As a result, Alston got his job and a $215,000 settlement. Marissa Nicole Sanders moonwalked while playing a Michael Jackson medley on the violin. Katrina Biss-Iurato sangs Carole Kings "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" The other 14 contestants, answered an onstage question, which is a new addition to the Miss America programming. Contestant Jessica Indio answered a question Thursday on democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. The judge asked if America is ready for a gay president. She believes candidates policies should be talked about, not his or her sexual orientation. Grace Koller answered the question, "What is the biggest issue in New Jersey?" "We need mentorship in public schools and communities so that these children can grow up into strong leaders," she said. The Little Stars, the Miss New Jersey organization's young mentoring program, took center stage not only performing a dance routine to "Copacabana," but also walking in evening wear with their Misses. Miller, David Johnstone, - 40, passed away suddenly on Monday, June 10, 2019, at his home in Bridgeport Pa. He was born in Somers Point and grew up in Northfield. He was the son of Warren and Sandra (nee Johnstone) Miller. Dave was a graduate of Mainland Regional High School and the Art Institute of Philadelphia. He was currently employed at Cadient Group in Malvern Pa. as a Digital Media Executive Producer. He was also the Proprietor and Producer at DLO Records. David enjoyed performing with his band Dos Electros. Dave also worked for the PA Production Association "PAPA" where he was producer editor of motion graphics. He was also an independent and creative contractor. Dave had many hobbies including being a musician and songwriter. He loved to travel and visit odd locations throughout the United States. His last trip was in March with his nephew Matt, to Slab City in California. David loved all things "BBQ" and odd food locations. Dave was also a savant gift giver. He had the knack of finding the perfect gift. Dave also enjoyed photography. He was a beloved friend to so many. In addition to his parents Dave is survived by his brother Bob Miller (Christine) and his sister Jennifer Shaw (Chris). He was the greatest beloved uncle to Matt, Mike, Drew, Abby, Zoey, Zachary. He also leaves behind his dogs Owen and Penny. Relatives and friends are invited to attend Dave's Life Celebration on Monday, June 17, 2019, from 10 to 12 noon at Jeffries and Keates Funeral Home, Tilton Road and Infield Ave Northfield. Services to immediately follow at the funeral home. Interment will be private. To share your fondest memory of Dave please visit www.jeffriesandkeates@lifecelebration.com. The family requests in lieu of flowers please send donations to the Montgomery County SPCA, 19 E. Ridge Pike PO Box 222 Conshohocken PA 19428-0222. 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. Following two days of dialogue between senior Vatican officials, investors and energy company executives setting out a collective commitment to tackle climate change, Pope Francis addressed attendees by calling for "open, transparent, science-based and standardised reporting of climate risk". Entitled 'The Vatican Dialogues: The Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home', the two-day summit, hosted by the Vatican and the University of Notre Dame, saw investors and oil and gas industry leaders discuss a transition to a net-zero carbon economy, in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. To accelerate global transformation towards low carbon economies, all participants agreed in a signed statement to support 'economically meaningful' carbon pricing, and climate-related disclosure. Speaking at the Vatican, Kell said: "In 2015, the world made a commitment to restrict global warming to below 2C and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C. To stand a chance of meeting these goals, a huge level of effort is required by companies across all sectors around the globe, and particularly those in the oil and gas sector. As investors, it is imperative we do all we can to ensure the Paris agreement is met, and that we work with energy leaders to transition towards a low carbon economy. "It's an honour to represent Arabesque at this week's Vatican forum and, under the guidance of His Holiness Pope Francis, to work alongside other investors and sector leaders to take critical action against climate change. If we are to succeed, it will be for the wellbeing and security of all." Prior to joining the Arabesque group's Board in 2015, Georg Kell was the founding Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative with over 10,000 corporate signatories in more than 160 countries. He is joined on the Arabesque Board by Dr Carolyn Woo, former President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, and former Dean of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, who helped spearhead efforts on behalf of the Vatican and Notre Dame to encourage the energy industry and its investors on a path toward energy transition. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/903105/Arabesque_Vatican_Dialogue_Summit.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/741181/Arabesque_Logo.jpg Related Links www. SOURCE Arabesque ACTON, Mass., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Affirmed Networks, Inc., the leader in virtualized mobile networks announced today that it will deliver the industry's first 5G Mobile Core solution validated for VMware that enables Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to rapidly deploy 5G services on a multi-cloud infrastructure. As part of this news, VMware was announced as Affirmed's preferred platform for 5G solutions. The solution includes the VMware vCloud NFV OpenStack Edition and Affirmed Networks suite of virtualized mobile core solutions. Affirmed Networks, the pioneer of network virtualization, is at the forefront of innovation that automates multi-cloud solutions for MNOs. This reference solution leverages technologies from both companies that enable service providers to rapidly create network services that scale to unprecedented levels of granularity for the enterprise, consumer and IoT network verticals. The reference solution includes the Affirmed virtualized portfolio of solutions running on VMware cloud infrastructure, allowing customized and differentiated services to be created and deployed quickly. "Operators face the daunting task of both transforming legacy networks to cloud architectures and deploying cloud-native applications, to serve the needs of their customers. VMware's Telco Cloud platform with Affirmed's virtualized mobile core solutions delivers a solution that greatly simplifies this transformation," said Dr. Hassan Ahmed, President and CEO of Affirmed Networks. "Affirmed Networks is looked to by Mobile Operators as a trusted strategic advisor, leveraging our experience in their transformation journey and, as part of that journey, we note the importance of VMware's multi-cloud strategy. We will continue to work with select technology leaders to deliver uncompromising, high quality technology solutions to serve the needs of our customers." Affirmed Networks' virtualized software architecture includes vEPC, Gi (Gateway-internet) value-added services, network slicing, automation, virtual probing, analytics, and assurance. VMware's Telco Cloud framework combines its NFV infrastructure with other components of its multi-cloud architecture providing robust container orchestration, operations management, security, and service assurance. These capabilities allow service providers to deploy a high performance, predictable telco stack for building and managing their 5G networks. "Customers are increasingly adopting Affirmed Networks solutions on the VMware Telco Cloud as the foundation of their network modernization and 5G enablement. The two companies have a long-standing relationship, and have helped service providers transition to a virtualized webscale and cloud native Telco Cloud foundation that can provide uniformity across network and IT," said Shekar Ayyar, executive vice president, strategy and corporate development and general manager, Telco NFV Group at VMware. "VMware looks forward to working with leading companies like Affirmed to help service providers maximize the benefits of software-defined networking and network functions virtualization and open new business opportunities." Today, Affirmed Networks has more than 100 customers across five continents, including some of the world's largest and most innovative operators. About Affirmed Networks, Inc. Affirmed Networks was founded to transform the future of the mobile industry. Our vEPC and cloud-based solutions are enabling operators to change the economics of deploying and scaling networks. Operators have deployed Affirmed's NFV solutions to deliver differentiated 5G services including mobile broadband, IoT, carrier-grade Wi-Fi roaming, connected cars and more. Proven in more than 100+ networks and over 80 countries, our NFV solutions are deployed in the world's largest networks. For more information, please visit www.affirmednetworks.com . VMware, vCloud, and vCloud NFV are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. SOURCE Affirmed Networks Related Links http://www.affirmednetworks.com LONDON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP) today announced that it will present at the Jefferies 2019 Consumer Conference in Nantucket, MA on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Those wishing to access the webcast can do so from investor.avonworldwide.com. The webcast will be available on the website for playback following the event. About Avon Products Inc. For 130 years Avon has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women. Millions of independent Representatives across the world sell iconic Avon brands such as Avon Color and ANEW through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis. Avon supports women's empowerment, entrepreneurship and well-being and has donated over $1billion to women's causes through Avon and the Avon Foundation. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avonworldwide.com. #Stand4Her SOURCE Avon Products, Inc. Related Links http://www.avon.com LEHI, Utah, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- This morning, during his keynote speech at the DBJ Investment Conference in Kingston, Jamaica, Paul Ahlstrom, founder of Alta Global Ventures, announced a partnership with the Bottega School to train 1,000 full stack engineers in Jamaica. In addition to the full stack engineers, Bottega will also train 5,000 students in computer science basics in a Kingston, Jamaica, program called Coding Foundations. "Bottega's expansion into Jamaica couldn't come at a better time," said Audrey Richards, coordinator of the Jamaica Venture Capital Programme. "The fundamentals are in place for Jamaica to dramatically grow the tech ecosystem," Richards said. The partnership with Bottega accelerates the technology growth of the nation of Jamaica; it is also seeking additional support from local private and government institutions. "Anyone who has the initiative to learn how to code in Jamaica, now has the opportunity," said Fili Ledezma, Bottega president. Paul Ahlstrom believes in that same idea and with his financial commitment has made an extraordinary opportunity possible. Bottega will open the Jamaica office by Sept. 1, 2019, which will act as a training facility for the first of many software engineers, beginning with 5,000 Coding Foundations scholarships. At least 1,000 of these students will be advanced into the Full Stack Engineer program. The selection will be based on their results, grit and ambition to gain the in-demand skill sets Bottega offers. The tuition value of this training exceeds $10 million. Graduates of the engineering program commit a small percentage of their future technology income for three years to replenish the "pay it forward" education fund to make this opportunity available to additional Jamaican citizens. Using its proprietary Learning Management System devCamp.com, Bottega is able to train students in such a way that their graduates are "production ready" to design and develop modern software applications and have the ability to begin mentoring others. Bottega strives to create opportunity for those who have the ambition to turn their dreams into a reality. "I don't look at your background (positive or negative), rather, I care about your passion, determination and hunger," Ledezma declares. Paul Ahlstrom, managing director, Alta Global Ventures, is a venture investment pioneer in Latin America and the Caribbean. "Our mission is to support passionate entrepreneurs who are building global companies while improving lives in their local communities," said Ahlstrom. The partnership with Bottega supports this mission as it increases the quality and quantity of engineers in the markets that we serve," Ahlstrom said. "Increasing the number of quality skilled engineers will take Jamaica's technology ecosystem to the next level," said Ahlstrom. "The support from Jamaica on this project has been overwhelmingly positive as Jamaica has made a commitment to invest in themselves," said Milverton Reynolds, managing director of Development Bank of Jamaica. "We are thrilled to find kindred spirits in Paul Ahlstrom, the Alta Global team and critical local partners in Jamaica - people with talent and vision who want to help us make the world a better place through high-impact models that scale," says Eric Wold, CEO of Bottega. About Bottega: Bottega is a software company and an accredited school. Its mission is to bless the lives of millions of people with high-earning employment in the technology industry. Visit Bottega.Tech for more information. About Paul Ahlstrom: Author of the book "Nail It, Then Scale It," Paul is an experienced investor and fund manager with strong experience in business development. Ahlstrom is skilled in mergers & acquisitions, start-ups, leadership, business modeling and seed capital. Visit NailThenScale.com for more information. About Alta Global Ventures: Alta Global Ventures is a global venture capital fund scaling superior business models worldwide. It also supports seed, venture and growth stage companies across the Americas. Visit AltaGlobal.com for more information. About Development Bank of Jamaica: The Development Bank of Jamaica provides opportunities to all Jamaicans to improve their quality of life through development financing, capacity building, public-private partnership and privatisation solutions in keeping with government policy. Visit DBankJM.com for more information. Press Contact: Colby Smith, Bottega, 801.980.3664, ext. #5, [email protected] Related Images bottega-logo.png paul-ahlstrom-joins-local.jpg Related Links Bottega Alta Global Ventures Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd609MxwvWI SOURCE Bottega Related Links https://bottega.tech WASHINGTON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's premier lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, announced today that Dr. Lauren Averett Byers, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Dr. Patrick Forde, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have joined the LUNGevity Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. Lauren Averett Byers, MD, is Associate Professor, Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Byers joined MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2006 as a Clinical Fellow in Medical Oncology and later became an Advanced Scholar Fellow. During her fellowship, Dr. Byers focused on studying gene and protein profiles of tumor samples obtained from lung cancer patients. Her work revealed major differences in the cellular pathways in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) as compared to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), leading to the identification of the protein PARP1 as a novel therapeutic target for small cell lung cancer. Patrick Forde, MD (MB, BCh) is Associate Professor of Oncology and Director of the Thoracic Cancer Clinical Research Program at Johns Hopkins University Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Forde has led the development of a clinical-translational research program focused on the immuno-oncology of upper aerodigestive malignancies. Dr. Forde's research examines the role of immunotherapy for earlier-stage lung cancer, and his work has led to the development of several ongoing phase III trials. "We are thrilled to have Drs. Byers and Forde join LUNGevity's Scientific Advisory Board and we look forward to their contributions," said Andrea Ferris, president and CEO of LUNGevity Foundation. "Both Drs. Byers and Forde were recipients of LUNGevity's Career Development Award. We are proud that the support LUNGevity provided enabled them to further their research and develop their expertise in lung cancer. We are pleased they can join their mentors on our esteemed Scientific Advisory Board as colleagues." LUNGevity's Scientific Advisory Board, a group of 24 world-renowned scientists and researchers that guides LUNGevity's research program, oversees the Foundation's translational research strategy and ensures that grants are awarded to researchers whose proposals demonstrate the greatest potential for finding lung cancer at its earliest, most treatable phase as well as extend and improve the lives of lung cancer survivors. In addition to guiding the research program, members of the Board assist the Foundation in numerous ways, including speaking at events and conferences; acting as key opinion leaders and experts on lung cancer at meetings; reviewing LUNGevity's education materials to ensure accuracy; providing insights and observations of barriers and issues within lung cancer care; and more. The members of the Scientific Advisory Board represent the level of integrity and scientific standards that LUNGevity is striving for in all aspects of the Foundation. "We are pleased to have the support of such accomplished and world-renowned lung cancer experts on our Scientific Advisory Board," Dr. Upal Basu Roy, Vice President of Research at LUNGevity, said. "We strategically select members based on the expertise, new perspective, and geographical diversity they bring to the table. They are the fabric of our organization and help ensure LUNGevity is tackling the most important issues that those affected by lung cancer face, from clinical trial access to ensuring patients receive optimal care." Both Dr. Byers and Dr. Forde were recipients of LUNGevity's Career Development award (2012 and 2014, respectively) and Dr. Byers also received LUNGevity's 2015 Targeted Therapeutics Award. LUNGevity is proud to welcome these exceptional scientists to its Scientific Advisory Board. About LUNGevity Foundation LUNGevity is the nation's leading lung cancer organization investing in lifesaving, translational research and providing support services and education for patients and caregivers. LUNGevity's goals are three-fold: (1) accelerate research to patients, (2) empower patients to be active participants in their treatment decisions, and (3) remove barriers that patients face in accessing the right treatments. LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. LUNGevity's comprehensive resources include a medically vetted website, a toll-free HELPLine in partnership with CancerCare, a unique Lung Cancer Navigator app, peer-to-peer mentoring for patients and caregivers (LUNGevity LifeLine), and survivorship conferences. LUNGevity also helps patients find and navigate clinical trials through our Clinical Trial Finder tool, a Clinical Trial Ambassador program, and participation with EmergingMed. Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, a four-star Charity Navigator organization, please visit www.LUNGevity.org . About Lung Cancer in the U.S. About 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime More than 228,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers Lung cancer takes more lives than the next three leading cancers (colorectal, breast, and prostate) combined Only 19% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it's caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves dramatically SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation Related Links http://www.lungevity.org Senior religious leaders involved with KAICIID's programmes echoed the Board's concerns: His Eminence Shawki Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt, said "I strongly hope and pray the Centre will continue its blessed work to promote God's will of love, respect and cooperation among all of us." In Central African Republic, Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga and Imam Oumar Kobine Layama said KAICIID's work "had a major impact in supporting a resolution of the Central African crisis and has facilitated tolerance, the process of the return of displaced persons, peace, and the principle of living together in CAR." In Myanmar, the Peaceful Myanmar Initiative, a KAICIID-supported platform of Muslim and Buddhist religious leaders, issued a statement saying in part "as a result of our close collaboration over the past 3 years, we have built an extensive network of interfaith dialogue champions, launched an IRD Training Centre, and reached over 3000 individuals." In Nigeria, Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said: "We commend KAICIID for their unrelenting commitment to peacebuilding all over the world. Its relevance has become more and more visible." Fellows from all over the world that have been participants in one of KAICIID's flagship training programmes, also commended its work. Rabbi Alexander Goldberg, Chair, Coordinating Council of Jewish Organisations at the United Nations, said: "KAICIID is a place to engage on human rights, gender equality, rule of law and religious freedom. It is essential in the dialogue between the Western and Arab world." Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, praised KAICIID's programmes, saying: "We are convinced that our partnership with KAICIID has added value to our work in promoting dialogue and building better understanding among young people." In KAICIID's home town, Vienna, local religious leaders joined in praising the Centre. The Reverend Canon Patrick Curran, Chaplain of Christ Church, spoke highly of the influence of KAICIID training programmes. "In times of crisis, these religious leaders contribute to be able to bring peace through relationships.In times of stability, they contribute to a better understanding of difference." Tarafa Baghajati, Chairman, Initiative of Austrian Muslims said: "KAICIID does a good job and has sustainable projects. KAICIID supports, for example, the Jewish-Muslim Leadership Council (MJLC). It has also initiated refugee integration programmes and has sponsored and supported a number of peace initiatives in trouble spots around the world. Who will take over this job?" Read here the full story SOURCE The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) DUBLIN, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "India Gift Cards and Incentive Cards Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics - Market Size and Forecast (2014-2023), Analysis of Business and Retail Consumer Spending Pattern, Attitude & Behaviour" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of gift cards and corporate incentive cards market along with consumer behaviour and retail spend dynamics in India. With over 150 KPIs at country level, this report provides comprehensive understanding of gift and incentive card market dynamics. Gift cards: Drawing from proprietary survey results, this report provides in-depth analysis of opportunities in both open loop and closed loop prepaid gift card categories. Assesses consumer behaviour by type of consumer (retail and corporate - SMB, Mid-Tier, Large Enterprise), gifting occasion, digital gift card type, and market share by retail categories. Details six essential KPIs: number of cards in circulation, load value, unused value, average purchase value, average value per transaction, and value of transactions. Corporate incentive & loyalty cards: This report provides detailed market dynamics of corporate incentive cards, broadly segmented in four categories - consumer incentive card, employee incentive card, sales incentive card, and festival & other. It details market size and forecast at category level, by functional attribute (open loop and closed loop), and by corporate consumer segments (small scale business, mid-size business, and enterprise business). Digital gift card analysis: Provides market size and forecast for digital gift cards, broken down by retail and corporate buyers and by occasion. Open loop and closed loop: Provides market estimates and forecasts to assess opportunities in open loop and closed loop gift and incentive card segments across consumer segments. Consumer attitude and behaviour: Drawing from proprietary survey results, this report identifies and interprets key prepaid KPIs, including spend by age, gender, and income level. In addition, it provides an overview of how consumers are currently using gift cards across key retail sectors. Retail spend: Breaks down retail spend across 12 categories / sectors to provide detailed insights on consumer behaviour and changing dynamics of gift card spend. Market share by retailer: Provides market share of closed loop gift cards by key retailers in India . Reason to Buy In-depth understanding of gift card and incentive card market dynamics: Understand market opportunity, key trends and drivers along with five-year forecast (2014-2023) for gift cards and incentive cards in India . . Develop market specific strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities across consumer segments and occasions to formulate your gift cards strategy; assess market specific key trends and risks. Get insights into consumer attitude and behaviour in India : Understand changing consumer attitude and behaviour and boost ROI. Get detailed insights into retail spend through gift cards for both retail and corporate consumers. : Understand changing consumer attitude and behaviour and boost ROI. Get detailed insights into retail spend through gift cards for both retail and corporate consumers. Get complete perspective through six essential KPIs: number of cards in circulation, load value, unused value, average purchase value, average value per transaction, and value of transactions. Key Topics Covered: 1 About this Report 2 India Gift Card Market Size and Forecast 2.1 Gift Card - Load Value Trend Analysis 2.2 Gift Card - Unused Value Trend Analysis 2.3 Gift Card - Transaction Value Trend Analysis 2.4 Gift Card - Transaction Volume Trend Analysis 2.5 Gift Card - Average Value per Transaction Trend Analysis 2.6 Gift Card Market Size and Forecast by Functional Attribute 2.7 Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Consumer Segments 3 India Open Loop Gift Card Market Size and Forecast 3.1 Open Loop Gift Card - Transaction Value Trend Analysis 3.2 Open Loop Gift Card - Number of Cards Trend Analysis 4 India Closed Loop Gift Card Market Size and Forecast 4.1 Closed Loop Gift Card - Transaction Value Trend Analysis 4.2 Closed Loop Gift Card - Number of Cards Trend Analysis 5 Digital Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Future Growth Dynamics 5.1 Digital Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis 5.2 Retail Consumer Digital Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis 5.3 Retail Consumer Digital Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Occasion 5.4 Corporate Consumer Digital Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis 5.5 Corporate Consumer Digital Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Occasion 6 India Gift Card Analysis by Retail Consumer Segment 6.1 Retail Consumer Segment - Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Forecast 6.2 Open Loop Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Forecast by Retail Consumer Segment 6.3 Closed Loop Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Forecast by Retail Consumer Segment 7 India Gift Card Consumer Insights and Purchase Behaviour by Retail Sector 7.1 Retail Consumer Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Retail Categories 7.2 Sales Uplift Analysis by Retail Sectors 7.3 Gift Card Spend Analysis by Consumer Purchase Behaviour 7.4 India Closed Loop Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Key Retailers 7.5 Gift Card Spend Analysis by Number of Gift Cards Purchased 7.6 Retail Consumer Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Purchase Location 7.7 Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Gifting Occasion 7.8 Gift Card Spend Analysis by Age Group 7.9 Gift Card Spend Analysis by Income Group 7.10 Gift Card Spend Analysis by Gender 7.11 Business Sentiment - Expected Gift Card Spend in 2019 8 India Gift Card Analysis by Corporate Consumer Segment 8.1 Corporate Consumer Segment - Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Forecast 8.2 Open Loop Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Forecast by Corporate Consumer Segment 8.3 Closed Loop Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Forecast by Corporate Consumer Segment 8.4 Corporate Gift Card Market Size Trend Analysis and Forecast by Size of Company 8.5 Corporate Consumer Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Purchase Location 8.6 Corporate Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Occasion 9 India Consumer Incentive and Loyalty Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast 9.1 Consumer Incentive and Loyalty Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast 9.2 Consumer Incentive and Loyalty Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Number of Cards 9.3 Consumer Incentive and Loyalty Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Average Value of Card Purchased 9.4 Consumer Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Size of Company 10 India Employee Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast 10.1 Employee Incentive Prepaid Card - Market Size & Forecast Trend Analysis 10.2 Employee Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Number of Cards 10.3 Employee Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Average Value of Card Purchased 10.4 Employee Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Functional Attribute 10.5 Employee Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Size of Company 11 India Sales/Partner Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast 11.1 Sales/Partner Incentive Prepaid Card - Market Size & Forecast Trend Analysis 11.2 Sales/Partner Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Number of Cards 11.3 Sales/Partner Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Average Value of Card Purchased 11.4 Sales/Partner Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Functional Attribute 11.5 Sales/Partner Incentive Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Size of Company 12 India Corporate Spend on Gift Cards - Festival & Other Segment Market Size and Forecast 12.1 Festival & Other Prepaid Card - Market Size & Forecast Trend Analysis 12.2 Festival & Other Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Number of Cards 12.3 Festival & Other Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Average Value of Card Purchased 12.4 Festival & Other Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Functional Attribute 12.5 Festival & Other Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Size of Company Companies Mentioned Flipkart Online Services Pvt Ltd Jasper Infotech Pvt Ltd Tata Group Future Group Reliance Group Amazon.com Inc Godrej Group Aditya Birla Group Avenue Super Marts Ltd Dell Inc K Raheja Corp ITC Group Amway Corp Landmark Group adidas Group Benetton Group SpA Essar Group Vijay Sales Ltd LG Corp Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Delhi Pvt Ltd Bata Ltd RPG Group Rocket Internet gmbH Eureka Forbes Ltd Asian Paints Ltd (APL) For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/893jzd Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com "Influencers are motivated more by the opportunity to be creative or share their passions and expertise than they are by financial drivers," says Amy Nutt, VP of Marketing, Julius. "Overall, they're thoughtful about opportunities and looking to build long-term relationships with brands that align with their audiences and content." The survey also explored influencers' approach to authenticity, regulations, management, and compensation. Despite media reports to the contrary, influencers have a keen sense of what behaviors are fraudulent or unethical, and fewer than 20 percent of influencers report seeing such behaviors frequently. In fact, 80 percent consider it very important to be a fan of a brand to create sponsored content for that brand, and 84 percent follow the FTC guidelines for influencer marketing, using #ad, #sponsored, or #brandpartner in sponsored posts. "As marketers have become more sophisticated in their use and application of influencer marketing, so have the influencers," said Amy. "More than a third of our respondents consider being an influencer a full-time job or are transitioning to full-time soon, and 18 percent of full-time influencers earn more than $100,000 annually as an influencer. It's becoming a viable career path, and influencers are invested in keeping the industry honest and authentic." Beyond quantitative results, the survey also included the open-ended question: What's the one piece of advice you'd give marketers who are looking to partner with influencers? Respecting influencer creativity, negotiating fairly, communicating clearly, and being a good partner were all popular responses. For more on these insights, download Five Dos and Don'ts of Working with Influencers . About Julius Julius, a leading influencer marketing platform, helps marketers search influencer profiles across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, and Twitch, to discover the perfect influencer partners for their brands and manage campaigns from start to finish. Julius serves Fortune 500 companies and award-winning agencies worldwide, including 6 out of the 10 top global agencies. To learn more, visit www.juliusworks.com Contact: Caroline Pickett Julius Works Inc. 646-517-2710 [email protected] Related Links https://www.juliusworks.com SOURCE Julius Works Inc. Related Links https://www.juliusworks.com Significant progress announcements expected across range of aircraft programs VICTORIA, CALGARY and TORONTO, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Longview Aviation Capital ("Longview"), manager of a portfolio of long-term investments in the Canadian aerospace industry, will have a robust presence at the 2019 Paris Air Show the world's foremost event for the aviation industry running June 17-20 in Paris, France. Building on the momentum of the recent launch of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited the trade name of the subsidiary company that will operate the worldwide Dash 8 aircraft business including the 100, 200 and 300 series and the in-production 400 program during the show Longview will showcase its range of in-demand passenger and utility aircraft, and discuss developments from across its portfolio. De Havilland Canada and Viking Air Ltd. will each host media events during the show, as well as issue news announcements. In particular, Longview and Viking expect to make a significant progress announcement regarding the CL-515, a newly developed, technically advanced multi-mission aerial firefighting aircraft. Press conference details (times local to Paris): Day: Tuesday June 18, 2019 Times: (1) 9:30 a.m. De Havilland Aircraft of Canada announcement (2) 10:30 a.m. Viking announcement regarding CL-515 Where: Conference Hall Room 3, Paris Air Show, Le Bourget Parc des Expositions Longview's presence at the Air Show will be based at Chalet A238, hosting exhibits from both De Havilland Canada and Viking. In addition, two aircraft will be on static display: All-new Guardian 400 the special missions variant of the Viking Series 400 Twin Otter. Viking will demonstrate a simulation of the aircraft's capabilities including the sensor package within the SCAR (Self Contained Aerial Reconnaissance) Pod. the special missions variant of the Viking Series 400 Twin Otter. will demonstrate a simulation of the aircraft's capabilities including the sensor package within the SCAR (Self Contained Aerial Reconnaissance) Pod. Dash 8-400 in 90-seat configuration first delivered to launch operator SpiceJet in September 2018 , the 90-seater highlights De Havilland Canada's commitment to evolving the program to meet customer needs. On-site contacts for media at the Paris Air Show are: Media can also sign up to receive updates via e-mail by emailing: [email protected]. About Longview Aviation Capital Corp. Longview Aviation Capital Corp. (LAC) was established in 2016 to manage a portfolio of long-term investments in the Canadian aerospace industry. LAC includes the assets of Viking Air Ltd.; De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited, owner of the entire Dash 8 program including the 100, 200 and 300 series and the in-production 400 program; Pacific Sky Aviation Ltd; Longview Aviation Asset Management Inc; and Longview Aviation Services. Longview, through its subsidiaries, holds the Type Certificates for the entire product line of the original De Havilland aircraft company including the Twin Otter program and the DHC-1 through DHC-7 series, as well as the former CANADAIR CL-215, CL-215T, and CL-415 waterbomber aircraft. Longview has a workforce of approximately 1,800 full-time employees in manufacturing and aircraft service support in locations across Canada, including Victoria, Calgary and Toronto. More information is available at: https://www.lvav.ca SOURCE Longview Aviation Capital Corp. SEATTLE, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Marler Clark filed six lawsuits on behalf of clients related to the 2017 I.M. healthy brand SoyNut Butter E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Of the six plaintiffs, three are minors who contracted acute kidney failure, hemolytic uremic syndrome, from their E. coli O157:H7 infections. All six of the plaintiffs were hospitalized for multiple days or weeks. Four lawsuits were filed in California, one in Washington and one in Wisconsin. In March 2017, the FDA and CDC, along with state and local authorities, linked a multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 to I.M. Healthy SoyNut Butter. 32 people were sickened and 12 were hospitalized due to their infections. The soy nut butter was produced jointly by the SoyNut Butter Company and Dixie Dew Products Inc., at a facility owned by Dixie Dew in Kentucky. During an investigation of the facility, the FDA found grossly insanitary conditions with soy nut butter buildup on the floors, walls, and ceilings from previous production runs and fly infestation. Jars of soy nut butter tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. I.M. Healthy and Dixie Dew went bankrupt after using the total of their insurance in settlements to the victims. The Bankruptcy Court Evaluator valued all claims at $70 million. The remaining medical bills and costs now fall to the retailers. "We have tried for over a year to work with these retailers and suppliers to fairly compensate their customers, however, Target, Kroger (Fred Meyer), Safeway and their suppliers, Kehe and World Finer, are more concerned with pointing fingers at each other than treating their customers with respect. The time has come for a judge and jury to hold them responsible," stated Marler Clark managing partner, Bill Marler. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm , is the nation's leading law firm representing victims of E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) . The E. coli O157:H7 lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli O157:H7 and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $650 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our E. coli O157:H7 lawyers have litigated E. coli O157:H7 and HUS cases stemming from outbreaks traced to ground beef, raw milk, lettuce, spinach, sprouts, and other food products. The law firm has brought E. coli O157:H7 lawsuits against such companies as Jack in the Box, Dole, ConAgra, Cargill, and Jimmy John's. We have proudly represented such E. coli O157:H7 victims as Brianne Kiner , Stephanie Smith and Linda Rivera . Copies of the complaints are linked here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v13h8vq2vj7k5g9/AAB5RdDhxBOBCwlwuE0jVtVra?dl=0 SOURCE Marler Clark, The Nation's Food Safety Law Firm Related Links http://www.marlerclark.com SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play announces their newest innovation platform focused on B2B Sales & Distribution, with WESCO International, Inc. as a founding anchor partner. WESCO, a leading provider of electrical, industrial, and communications products and advanced supply chain management and logistic services, is looking to work with industry-specific startups and their technologies. "We are excited to have this opportunity to engage with WESCO to facilitate the launch of our new B2B Sales & Distribution platform. WESCO's leading position in wholesale distribution combined with their digital transformation strategy makes them an ideal founding member," says Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Plug and Play connects startups and leading corporations around the world through a series of industry-specific accelerator programs. WESCO will have access to a global network of startups developing new digital technologies and innovative tools and solutions for the B2B distribution value chain. Focus areas of Plug and Play's new B2B Sales & Distribution program include improving the customer experience, B2B e-commerce, pricing, and process optimization. Startups will be selected to participate in the 3-month program by Plug and Play's ventures team and corporate partners to the program. "The future of distribution will require new data-driven solutions and services that build upon our historical roots of linking manufacturers to customers in the supply chain. Our alliance with Plug and Play positions WESCO to effectively participate in the digital ecosystem and expand the digitization of our business at a faster rate," said John J. Engel, Chairman, President and CEO of WESCO International. Plug and Play B2B Sales & Distribution will officially run its program in Q4 of 2019. Forward-thinking corporations who would like to take part are encouraged to apply: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/b2b-distribution/ About Plug and Play Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since our inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 280 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup Protected ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com. About WESCO International WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE: WCC), a publicly traded Fortune 500 holding company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a leading provider of electrical, industrial, and communications maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products, construction materials, and advanced supply chain management and logistic services. 2018 annual sales were approximately $8.2 billion. The company employs approximately 9,300 people, maintains relationships with approximately 30,000 suppliers, and serves approximately 70,000 active customers worldwide. Customers include commercial and industrial businesses, contractors, government agencies, institutions, telecommunications providers, and utilities. WESCO operates 10 fully automated distribution centers and approximately 500 branches in North America and international markets, providing a local presence for customers and a global network to serve multi-location businesses and multi-national corporations. Plug and Play Contact: Nima Shomali Founder & Director, B2B Sales & Distribution [email protected] 925.998.2341 SOURCE Plug and Play Related Links http://plugandplaytechcenter.com SAN DIEGO, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubic Corporation (NYSE:CUB) today announced that its Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) business division will exhibit market-leading Transit- Management-as-a-Service solutions at the airport market's premier annual event, the American Association of Airport Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition (AAAE). Held in Boston, Massachusetts from June 1619, the annual AAAE is an opportunity for industry experts to exchange ideas and best practices as well as gather valuable information to improve business, expand airport services and enhance the customer experience. "We are thrilled to build upon the success of the solutions we've developed for the transit marketplace to deliver reliable and scalable technologies for airports," said Doug Thomas, general manager for NextBus, Cubic Transportation Systems. "We provide airport operators with the information they need to effectively and efficiently manage ground transportation operations, including access to real-time transportation data to improve on-time performance; simplify scheduling and dispatching; and facilitate access to on-vehicle systems." "The traveler's experience doesn't stop once the plane lands at the gate and it's up to the airport to maintain a seamless landside connection. Cubic's NextBus enables rapid evaluation, deployment and support of modern ground transportation operations, so that operators can continue to provide travelers with that seamless experience," said Katie Sihler, senior business development director for NextBus, Cubic Transportation Systems. "We understand that the traveler demands real-time information at every turn and due to our decades of transportation experience, NextBus is the solution to meet those demands." Cubic currently services U.S. airports including Spokane (WA) International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Denver International Airport and Indianapolis International Airport. Earlier this year, Cubic successfully implemented the roll-out of a content management system for Spokane International Airport by updating its NextBus monitors with real-time passenger information to make journeys more efficient for travelers. Cubic will be highlighting the following solutions at booth #762 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center: NextBus Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI): Cubic serves real-time passenger information to eight airports and over 100 transit agencies serving more than 300 million riders each year. Today's travelers expect a richer travel experience with innovative services offered at an accelerating pace. NextBus builds the foundation for a Transit Management-as-a-Service environment enabling rapid evaluation, deployment and support of modern transportation capabilities. Cubic serves real-time passenger information to eight airports and over 100 transit agencies serving more than 300 million riders each year. Today's travelers expect a richer travel experience with innovative services offered at an accelerating pace. NextBus builds the foundation for a Transit Management-as-a-Service environment enabling rapid evaluation, deployment and support of modern transportation capabilities. Content Management System (CMS) : in the age of information, travelers rank among the top for reliance on real-time arrival and departure times for trip planning. Digital signage is the fastest and most cost-effective delivery mode for travelers to have access to what they need to know and when. Cubic draws on its NextBus RTPI expertise to develop a service offering that comprises of a cloud-based and multi-modal CMS hosted and maintained by Cubic for displaying timely, relevant information to travelers. : in the age of information, travelers rank among the top for reliance on real-time arrival and departure times for trip planning. Digital signage is the fastest and most cost-effective delivery mode for travelers to have access to what they need to know and when. Cubic draws on its NextBus RTPI expertise to develop a service offering that comprises of a cloud-based and multi-modal CMS hosted and maintained by Cubic for displaying timely, relevant information to travelers. Driver Control Unit (DCU): public safety is a vital concern of airports and improving driver efficiency contributes to protecting the community, passengers, drivers and vehicles. Cubic will be showcasing its new DCU, an intelligent management and communications device that interfaces with Cubic's NextBus world-class RTPI predictions, passenger counters, NextStop signage, engine diagnostics, two-way operator messaging and operator covert alarms. public safety is a vital concern of airports and improving driver efficiency contributes to protecting the community, passengers, drivers and vehicles. Cubic will be showcasing its new DCU, an intelligent management and communications device that interfaces with Cubic's NextBus world-class RTPI predictions, passenger counters, NextStop signage, engine diagnostics, two-way operator messaging and operator covert alarms. Data Management & Analytics Platform (DMAP): Cubic has created DMAP to equip airports with a curated framework that can tackle complex ground transportation challenges and provide real-time, actionable insight. DMAP comes with built-in data privacy features. The de-identification engine enables secure use of data, automatically transforming sensitive and personally identifiable (PII) information into an analytics-ready dataset that can be securely consumed for operational analysis. This reduces congestion and delays at terminals; increases revenue at retail and advertising spaces; and maintains high quality service for passengers while meeting increased transportation demand. For more information, visit Cubic's events page or follow Cubic Transportation Systems on Twitter @CubicTS. Join the social media conversation surrounding AAAE with #AAAEBOS. 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 Related Links http://www.cubic.com INDIANAPOLIS, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Staffing firm Robert Half announced today it has been named to the 2019 Central Indiana Top Workplaces list. The awards program, presented by The Indianapolis Star, is based on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey and measures aspects of workplace culture, including engagement, leadership and connection. "Our team is thrilled to receive this incredible distinction," said Sonda Sorg, metro market manager of Robert Half in Indianapolis. "Robert Half's organizational culture fosters a work environment where our passion for serving our community thrives. We are encouraged to strive to be the best by leaders who genuinely care about their employees." About Robert Half Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm and the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm that provides internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. Robert Half has staffing and consulting operations in more than 400 locations worldwide and offers job search services at roberthalf.com. SOURCE Robert Half Related Links http://www.roberthalf.com HOUSTON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) announced today that it intends to redeem all of the outstanding 5.375% Senior Notes due 2022 (the "Notes") not purchased pursuant to its previously announced tender offer for such Notes. The redemption date will be July 15, 2019 and the Notes will be redeemed at par. Payment will be made upon presentation and surrender of the Notes to The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made in reliance on the "safe harbor" protections provided under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be accompanied by words such as "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect," "anticipate," or "predict," that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements are based on assumptions that we believe are reasonable; however, many important factors could cause our actual results in the future to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein and in any other documents or oral presentations made by us, or on our behalf. Important factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: Our affiliated trust funds own investments in securities, which are affected by market conditions that are beyond our control. We may be required to replenish our affiliated funeral and cemetery trust funds to meet minimum funding requirements, which would have a negative effect on our earnings and cash flow. Our ability to execute our strategic plan depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. Our credit agreements contain covenants that may prevent us from engaging in certain transactions. If we lost the ability to use surety bonding to support our preneed activities, we may be required to make material cash payments to fund certain trust funds. The funeral and cemetery industry is competitive. Increasing death benefits related to preneed contracts funded through life insurance or annuity contracts may not cover future increases in the cost of providing a price-guaranteed service. The financial condition of third-party insurance companies that fund our preneed contracts may impact our future revenue. Unfavorable results of litigation could have a material adverse impact on our financial statements. Unfavorable publicity could affect our reputation and business. If the number of deaths in our markets declines, our cash flows and revenue may decrease. If we are not able to respond effectively to changing consumer preferences, our market share, revenue, cash flows, and/or profitability could decrease. The continuing upward trend in the number of cremations performed in North America could result in lower revenue, operating profit, and cash flows. could result in lower revenue, operating profit, and cash flows. Our funeral and cemetery businesses are high fixed-cost businesses. Regulation and compliance could have a material adverse impact on our financial results. Cemetery burial practice claims could have a material adverse impact on our financial results. We use a combination of insurance, self-insurance, and large deductibles in managing our exposure to certain inherent risks; therefore, we could be exposed to unexpected costs that could negatively affect our financial performance. A number of years may elapse before particular tax matters, for which we have established accruals, are audited and finally resolved. Changes in taxation as well as the inherent difficulty in quantifying potential tax effects of business decisions could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations, financial condition, or cash flows. Declines in overall economic conditions beyond our control could reduce future potential earnings and cash flows and could result in future impairments to goodwill and/or other intangible assets. Any failure to maintain the security of the information relating to our customers, their loved ones, our associates, and our vendors could damage our reputation, could cause us to incur substantial additional costs and to become subject to litigation, and could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, or cash flow. Our Canadian business exposes us to operational, economic, and currency risks. Our level of indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and may prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our indebtedness. A failure of a key information technology system or process could disrupt and adversely affect our business. Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our results of operations, investor confidence, and our stock price. The application of unclaimed property laws by certain states to our preneed funeral and cemetery backlog could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, cash flows, and financial results. For further information on these and other risks and uncertainties, see our SEC filings, including our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Copies of this document as well as other SEC filings can be obtained from our website at www.sci-corp.com. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by us, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Service Corporation International Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's leading provider of deathcare products and services. At March 31, 2019, we owned and operated 1,479 funeral service locations and 482 cemeteries (of which 287 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Through our businesses, we market the Dignity Memorial brand, which offers assurance of quality, value, caring service, and exceptional customer satisfaction. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit our website at www.sci-corp.com. For more information about Dignity Memorial, please visit www.dignitymemorial.com. SOURCE Service Corporation International Related Links http://www.sci-corp.com GREENSBURG, Pa., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 12, 2019, the Diocese of Greensburg announced the voluntary retirement of Msgr. Michael Matusak, a priest accused of sexually abusing a minor child, as detailed in the August 2018 grand jury report. The Diocese says that Matusak's age - not the allegation of abuse - is what led to his retirement, even though he should have been stripped of his faculties and title long ago after the Diocese determined that the allegation was credible in 2018. But why didn't Bishop Malesic tell the public that there is at least one more allegation of sexual abuse against Matusak? In March of this year, the Diocese was made aware of a second claim of abuse by a woman who says that she was sexually abused by Matusak from 1973 to 1976 while he was a deacon preparing for his ordination at St. Hedwig in Smock, and continuing after Matusak's ordination as a priest. The woman also says that Matusak stalked and harassed her for nearly 20 more years, even telling her that he would leave the priesthood for her. Withholding this kind of information from the public is misleading and dangerous. It undermines the credibility of the woman whose allegation was identified in the grand jury report by continuing to present it as a "he-said, she-said," when there is additional evidence to suggest that Matusak is a danger to children. This is another example of America's bishops failing at their promises of transparency and openness - and the importance of the public and the media in holding them accountable. Public safety depends upon it and survivors deserve better. Adam Horowitz is a nationally-recognized advocate for survivors of sexual assault and abuse. Though based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he has represented victims and survivors of abuse nationwide for nearly two decades. In 2018, he obtained a jury verdict of more than $70M for a woman raped on a luxury yacht in South Florida. He has been quoted by hundreds of media outlets worldwide. SOURCE Horowitz Law ACCRA, Ghana and ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Uludag Automotive Industry Exporters' Association (OIB), the only organization operating in the automotive industry exports to represent Turkey, is organizing a sectoral trade mission on June 16-22 to Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, two of South Africa's strongest economies. The automotive industry mission, which will be participated by 16 company representatives from 13 Turkish companies and DEIK Turkey Africa Business Council Coordinating Chairman Tamer Taskn, is expected to foster trade relations. As part of the program, which includes bilateral business meetings between Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana's automotive importer, wholesaler and distributor companies and Turkish companies to boost exports mutually, visits to the market, wholesalers and facilities will also be organized. Turkish companies to introduce their latest products During the visit to be organized under the leadership of OIB, Ivorian and Ghanaian companies, which import mainly from China, USA, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, India and Indonesia, will have the chance to obtain detailed information about the latest products and services offered by Turkish automotive companies. In this context, Turkish companies will present a wide array of products and services such as batteries, solar panels, mineral oils, engine gaskets, brake linings, shock absorbers, suspension bellows, electrical and mechanical components, compressors, spare parts for trucks to African companies. Turkey is a strong candidate for Cote d'Ivoire's soon-to-be-renewed vehicle fleet Cote d'Ivoire, which maintains a stable economy on the African continent, boasts an annual import volume of US$ 700 million, but is not involved in automotive manufacturing. The country's main import items are passenger cars and motor vehicles for the transport of goods. The country, which has a fleet of approximately 1 million vehicles, aims to renew 50,000 of its vehicles in the next five years and to make an investment of approximately EUR 225 million for the project every year. Turkey's automotive exports to the Cote d'Ivoire, which stood at US$ 4.5 million in 2014, jumped by 78 percent year-over-year to US$10.2 million in 2018. The supply industry takes the lion's share in Turkey's automotive exports to Cote d'Ivoire with US$ 8.2 million. The main industry's share in Turkey's automotive exports is US$ 2 million. Trade is expected to enjoy a boost with the signing of an FTA between Ghana and Turkey Ghana, one of the leading economies with a population nearing 30 million and a GDP of US$ 43 billion, has a vehicle park amounting to approximately 1 million units. Passenger cars dominate its annual imports of about US$ 2 billion. While Turkeys automotive exports to Ghana were at US$ 14 million in 2014, this figure stood at US$ 13.2 million in 2018, of which the supply industry had the largest share. In the last two years, Turkey has raised US$ 3.5 million in its exports of motor vehicles for the transport of goods to Ghana. www.oib.org.tr/en SOURCE Turkish Automotive Exporters Association Stock Symbol: AEM (NYSE and TSX) TORONTO, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM, TSX:AEM) ("Agnico Eagle") is pleased to announce that it has delivered a definitive offer to the board of directors of Alexandria Minerals Corporation ("Alexandria") pursuant to which Agnico Eagle would acquire 100% of Alexandria's issued and outstanding common shares (the "Alexandria Shares"), including common shares issuable under outstanding options and warrants, by way of a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act (the "Proposal"). Total consideration required to effect the acquisition is expected to be approximately C$26 million (which has been calculated based on C$0.05 per issued and outstanding Alexandria Share). The Proposal is not subject to any financing or due diligence condition. Agnico Eagle has been informed that Alexandria's board of directors has determined that the Proposal constitutes a "Superior Proposal" as defined in the arrangement agreement dated May 14, 2019 (the "Chantrell Agreement") between Alexandria and Chantrell Ventures Corp. ("Chantrell"). Strategic Rationale for Agnico Eagle The acquisition of Alexandria will allow Agnico Eagle to consolidate an additional 14,819 hectares of mining claims that cover approximately 35 kilometres of strike length along the Cadillac-Larder Lake break in the prospective Val d'Or gold camp. Three of Alexandria's properties (Orenada, Akasaba and Sleepy) collectively contain historical inferred mineral resources of 526,702 ounces of gold (4.6 million tonnes at 3.53 grams per tonne gold) and indicated mineral resources of 448,654 ounces of gold (7.4 million tonnes at 1.88 grams per tonne gold), each as estimated by Alexandria. "Agnico Eagle has a long history of involvement with Alexandria, both as an equity investor and through the purchase of the Akasaba West property in 2014", said Alain Blackburn, Agnico Eagle's Senior Vice President, Exploration. "We believe that the key Alexandria properties are highly prospective and underexplored and could potentially provide future sources of ore at our nearby Goldex mine", added Mr. Blackburn. Agnico Eagle's Proposal Under the Proposal, each shareholder of Alexandria would have the option to receive, for each Alexandria Share, either: (i) C$0.05, in cash (the "Cash Option"); (ii) 0.000819355 common shares of Agnico Eagle ("Agnico Shares") plus C$0.000001; or (iii) 0.000819355 Agnico Shares (the "Share Option"). Based on the Cash Option, the Proposal represents a premium of: 25% to the implied value of C$0.04 per Alexandria Share under the Chantrell Agreement; per under the Chantrell Agreement; 43% to the unaffected Alexandria Share price on May 13, 2019 , the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the Chantrell Agreement; price on , the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the Chantrell Agreement; 43% to the current market price of Alexandria Shares; and 60% to the market value valuation of the Chantrell offer based on the 20-day VWAP of Alexandria Shares as of June 13, 2019 . In addition, all unexercised options to purchase Alexandria Shares would be exchanged for options to purchase Agnico Shares and all unexercised warrants to purchase Alexandria Shares would remain outstanding and become exercisable for Agnico Shares, in each case, based on the exchange ratio between Alexandria Shares and Agnico Shares represented by the Share Option. Agnico has been advised by Alexandria that it has provided notice of the Proposal to Chantrell as required by the Chantrell Agreement. Alexandria has also advised that, subject only to the expiry or waiver by Chantrell of Chantrell's right to match during the right to match period under the Chantrell Agreement, Alexandria proposes to enter into the definitive agreement with Agnico Eagle in connection with the Proposal. To enter the definitive agreement, Alexandria would first terminate the Chantrell Agreement and pay the termination fee of C$875,000. Agnico Eagle currently owns 28.8 million Alexandria Shares, representing 5.6% of the issued and outstanding shares of Alexandria. Key Benefits to Alexandria Shareholders In addition to the substantial premium to the current and historical trading price of Alexandria Shares and to the value of the Chantrell offer, as described above, the Proposal would offer the following key benefits to Alexandria shareholders: Certainty of Value the Proposal provides immediate value certainty for Alexandria shareholders who select the Cash Option and enhanced certainty of value for Alexandria Shareholders who elect to receive Agnico Shares, when compared to the shares being offered under the Chantrell transaction, which have no trading history and are expected to have substantially less liquidity than Agnico Shares. the Proposal provides immediate value certainty for Alexandria shareholders who select the Cash Option and enhanced certainty of value for Alexandria Shareholders who elect to receive Agnico Shares, when compared to the shares being offered under the Chantrell transaction, which have no trading history and are expected to have substantially less liquidity than Agnico Shares. Substantially Less Execution Risk the Proposal has substantially less execution risk given that: (i) it is not contingent on the completion of any other transaction, or subject to approval by Agnico Eagle's shareholders or any financing; and (ii) there are no regulatory approvals or consents required that would impede or delay consummation of the Proposal. the Proposal has substantially less execution risk given that: (i) it is not contingent on the completion of any other transaction, or subject to approval by Agnico Eagle's shareholders or any financing; and (ii) there are no regulatory approvals or consents required that would impede or delay consummation of the Proposal. Continued Participation in the Cadillac Break Property Package Alexandria shareholders who elect to receive Agnico Shares would have the opportunity to continue to participate in any future value increases associated with the continued exploration and subsequent development and operation of Alexandria's properties. As Quebec's largest gold producer, with a 100% interest in the LaRonde, Goldex and LaRonde Zone 5 mines and a 50% interest in the Canadian Malartic mine (which mines are located within 50 kilometres of each other and near Alexandria's properties), Agnico Eagle is uniquely positioned to create value from these properties. Alexandria shareholders who elect to receive Agnico Shares would have the opportunity to continue to participate in any future value increases associated with the continued exploration and subsequent development and operation of Alexandria's properties. As Quebec's largest gold producer, with a 100% interest in the LaRonde, Goldex and 5 mines and a 50% interest in the Canadian Malartic mine (which mines are located within 50 kilometres of each other and near Alexandria's properties), Agnico Eagle is uniquely positioned to create value from these properties. Operational Capabilities of Agnico Eagle Alexandria shareholders that elect to receive Agnico Shares can rely on Agnico Eagle's long operating track record and demonstrated success in exploring, developing, commissioning and operating large-scale projects, and can be assured that Agnico Eagle has the necessary exploration, development, financing and operating experience to continue to explore, and if appropriate, develop and mine Alexandria's properties. Alexandria shareholders that elect to receive Agnico Shares can rely on Agnico Eagle's long operating track record and demonstrated success in exploring, developing, commissioning and operating large-scale projects, and can be assured that Agnico Eagle has the necessary exploration, development, financing and operating experience to continue to explore, and if appropriate, develop and mine Alexandria's properties. Participation in a Company with Geographically Diverse Projects Alexandria shareholders that elect to receive Agnico Shares would also benefit from having an equity position in a company with substantial geographic diversity. At present, Agnico Eagle has interests in mining properties located in Mexico , Canada , Europe , Latin American and the United States and operates mines in northwestern Quebec , northern Mexico , northern Finland and Nunavut . Alexandria shareholders that elect to receive Agnico Shares would also benefit from having an equity position in a company with substantial geographic diversity. At present, Agnico Eagle has interests in mining properties located in , , , Latin American and and operates mines in northwestern , northern , northern and . Market Capitalization and Liquidity Agnico Eagle is listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange and has a market capitalization of more than C$14.5 billion . Agnico Eagle's shares are highly liquid, with an average daily trading volume of approximately 1.2 million shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange, representing approximately C$65 million on a daily basis over the last 12 months. About Agnico Eagle Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company that has produced precious metals since 1957. Its operating mines are located in Canada, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in each of these countries as well as in the United States and Sweden. Agnico Eagle and its shareholders have full exposure to gold prices due to its long-standing policy of no forward gold sales. Agnico Eagle has declared a cash dividend every year since 1983. Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release has been prepared as at June 13, 2019. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. These statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will" or similar terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements relating to Agnico Eagle's Proposal to acquire Alexandria Shares in the future, and the outcome of any such Proposal and any expected strategic rationale offered in support of such Proposal. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Agnico Eagle as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Other than as required by law, Agnico Eagle does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources This news release uses the terms "measured mineral resources" and "indicated mineral resources". Investors are advised that while those terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize them. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into mineral reserves. Cautionary Note to Investors Concerning Estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources This news release also uses the term "inferred mineral resources". Investors are advised that while this term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize it. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. Scientific and Technical Data Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors The SEC permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. Agnico Eagle uses certain terms in this news release, such as "measured", "indicated", "inferred" and "resources" that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. However, in October 2018, the SEC approved final rules requiring comprehensive and detailed disclosure requirements for issuers with material mining operations. The new SEC rules will replace Guide 7 and are intended to align the SEC's disclosure requirements more closely with NI 43-101. Under the new SEC rules, SEC registrants will be permitted to disclose "mineral resources" even though they reflect a lower level of certainty than mineral reserves. NI 43-101 requires mining companies to disclose mineral reserves and mineral resources using the subcategories of "proven mineral reserves", "probable mineral reserves", "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" and "inferred mineral resources". Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. A mineral resource is a concentration or occurrence of solid material of economic interest in or on the Earth's crust in such form, grade or quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade or quality, continuity and other geological characteristics of a mineral resource are known, estimated or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge, including sampling. A measured mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the application of modifying factors to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Geological evidence is derived from detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing and is sufficient to confirm geological and grade or quality continuity between points of observation. An indicated mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are estimated with sufficient confidence to allow the application of modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Geological evidence is derived from adequately detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing and is sufficient to assume geological and grade or quality continuity between points of observation. An inferred mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. Geological evidence is sufficient to imply but not verify geological and grade or quality continuity. Investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable. SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited Related Links http://www.agnicoeagle.com LAS VEGAS, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Gem Society (AGS) is now accepting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to present at the annual Conclave in Denver, CO, April 27-29, 2020. The AGS is looking for presenters on a variety of topics: Appraising Business management Ethics Gemology Human resources In-store events Retail Innovation Marketing and sales Security Sourcing Succession planning Sustainability Technology Watches The AGS plans to incorporate into its program, panel discussions, insider insights, sessions for varying educational levels (i.e. beginner, intermediate, advanced), and hands-on classes. AGS is seeking to incorporate timely topics on issues relevant to the jewelry industry, such as blockchain, laboratory-created diamonds, retail innovation, and consumer buying behaviors. "Conclave is a continued success because of the diverse range of topics offered. It's a core strength of our program and has helped make it the most trusted source of information on gemology and business in our industry," said Katherine Bodoh, CEO of AGS and AGS Laboratories. "We take active measures to preserve this diversity, because it enriches the learning experience for our attendees." RFPs can be completed online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Conclave2020RFP. Please submit your speaker Request for Proposal by August 9, 2019. Each submission will be reviewed and you will be notified by November 29, 2019 on the status of your submission. If you have any questions, contact Alethea Inns, CGA, Director of Gemology and Education at [email protected]. Please note, RFPs submitted after the deadline will not be considered for inclusion into Conclave 2020. To be considered as a presenter for Conclave 2020, an RFP is required. About the American Gem Society The American Gem Society, founded in 1934 by Robert M. Shipley, is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to proven ethics, knowledge, and consumer protection within the jewelry industry. The American Gem Society is a professional organization awarding credentials for its members, who are held to the highest ethical and professional standards in the industry and must pass annual recertification examinations to maintain their titles. Less than one in twenty jewelers in the country have chosen to meet the exacting standards necessary for membership. Learn more: https://www.americangemsociety.org/ Event website: https://www.americangemsociety.org/BlankCustom.asp?page=conclave2020-home Facebook: AmericanGemSociety1934 Instagram: @AmericanGemSociety Twitter: @AmerGemSociety *LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/19-0614s2p-amgemsoc-300dpi.jpg This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE American Gem Society Related Links https://www.americangemsociety.org COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerging trends in carrier coverage enhancements, emergence of claims, and distinctions between Directors & Officers Errors & Omissions and Insurance Company Professional Liability insurance will be a featured topic at Demotech's I LEAD Conference 2019. Mark Harris, CIC, CEO and President, Quadrant Insurance Managers and Ariel Duris, Senior Vice President and Account Executive, Aon Corporation will discuss a variety of topics of interest to officers and board members of insurance carriers. The impact of potential conflicts of interest, human resources, corporate governance procedures, and organizational risk management on risk and exposure have been changing rapidly. According to Joe Petrelli, President, Demotech, "One of the central questions is have the coverages purchased by insurers been revised to keep pace with the changes to societal and judicial perspectives? Antiquated coverage provisions provide little protection from litigation. Similarly, antiquated enterprise risk management practices may create more exposure than they mitigate. Mark and Ariel will provide their insights so that the officers and board members in attendance at I LEAD 2019 better understand how to protect themselves and the employees of their carriers." About Demotech's I LEAD Conference 2019: Facets of Leadership Demotech presents I LEAD Conference on August 18 20, 2019 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton. I LEAD is the premier conference for C-Suite insurance leaders. Demotech's program features exceptional speakers presenting facets of leadership of vital concern to carriers who will lead the industry. The conference, formerly known as the Super Regional P/C Insurer Conference, has sold out for the past two years. Service providers: There is no vendor registration. To attend, you must be a sponsor. For information on sponsorship, call Victoria Dimond, (614) 526-2172, or [email protected]. Visit www.ileadinsurance.com for event details. About Aon Corporation Aon is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Their 50,000 colleagues are located in 120 countries to empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance. About Quadrant Insurance Manager Quadrant Insurance Managers is a national program administrator, MGA, and wholesaler for commercial insurance products. They offer a robust selection of coverage solutions to help businesses manage their insurance needs. Quadrant's approach is based upon building strong relationships, relying on sound underwriting and marketing principles, and using their collective years of insurance industry experience, skills, and creativity to earn your business. SOURCE Demotech, Inc. Related Links http://www.demotech.com Following two days of dialogue between senior Vatican officials, investors and energy company executives setting out a collective commitment to tackle climate change, Pope Francis addressed attendees by calling for "open, transparent, science-based and standardised reporting of climate risk". Entitled 'The Vatican Dialogues: The Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home', the two-day summit, hosted by the Vatican and the University of Notre Dame, saw investors and oil and gas industry leaders discuss a transition to a net-zero carbon economy, in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. To accelerate global transformation towards low carbon economies, all participants agreed in a signed statement to support 'economically meaningful' carbon pricing, and climate-related disclosure. Speaking at the Vatican, Kell said: "In 2015, the world made a commitment to restrict global warming to below 2C and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C. To stand a chance of meeting these goals, a huge level of effort is required by companies across all sectors around the globe, and particularly those in the oil and gas sector. As investors, it is imperative we do all we can to ensure the Paris agreement is met, and that we work with energy leaders to transition towards a low carbon economy. "It's an honour to represent Arabesque at this week's Vatican forum and, under the guidance of His Holiness Pope Francis, to work alongside other investors and sector leaders to take critical action against climate change. If we are to succeed, it will be for the wellbeing and security of all." Prior to joining the Arabesque group's Board in 2015, Georg Kell was the founding Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative with over 10,000 corporate signatories in more than 160 countries. He is joined on the Arabesque Board by Dr Carolyn Woo, former President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, and former Dean of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, who helped spearhead efforts on behalf of the Vatican and Notre Dame to encourage the energy industry and its investors on a path toward energy transition. SOURCE Arabesque With the rapid buildout of the distribution grid to accommodate a wave of renewable distributed energy resources, utilities nationwide are turning to broadband and related communications technologies for better control and accelerated response times. Field area networks form the backbone of these communications systems, accommodating sensors, data monitoring and other equipment to provide uninterrupted voltage flow and power quality. "Bruce, Don and Kevin are important additions to our telecommunications team," says Matt Olson, telecommunications projects director with Burns & McDonnell. "They bring experience in design and system architecture for broadband wireless, radio frequency and wireline technologies needed to implement control systems that our electrical grid requires. We are installing all kinds of sensors, controls and communications devices on the grid as we move toward two-way power flows where energy producers and consumers become even more diverse." All three have experience in designing the system architecture required under LTE standards for wireless broadband communications for data terminals and control devices. Albright has experience with utility field area networks utilizing LTE, with background designing and operating network cores and developing staff and operations standards for utility business units. Gawf, with a background in LTE radio access networks (RAN)/distributed antenna systems, has worked with carriers and served customers in dense urban population centers. Robison specializes in LTE RAN, with experience in radio frequency systems design for rural areas. "Utilities must meet new demands that no one was thinking about even just a few years ago," Olson says. "Bruce, Don and Kevin bring insight that will help our utility customers make the right decisions as they prepare for a rapidly changing power network." For photos and support materials, please visit our MEDIA KIT. About Burns & McDonnell Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of 7,000 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. We strive to create amazing success for our clients and amazing careers for our employee-owners. Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned and is proud to be on Fortune's 2019 list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. For more information, visit burnsmcd.com . Contact: Mary Young, Burns & McDonnell 816-822-4369 [email protected] SOURCE Burns & McDonnell Related Links http://www.burnsmcd.com WASHINGTON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) announced today automatic interim suspensions against the following individuals, effective immediately or on the date noted in each case. Pursuant to Article 5.7 of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (Disciplinary Rules), an interim suspension shall immediately be issued without a hearing when CFP Board Counsel receives evidence of a conviction or professional discipline in accordance with Article 13.1 for a felony conviction for any crime or revocation of a financial professional license. Article 13.1 also provides that a certificate from the clerk of the court of criminal jurisdiction indicating that a respondent has been convicted of a crime in that court or a letter or other writing from a governmental or industry self-regulatory authority to the effect that a respondent has been the subject of an order of professional discipline by such authority shall conclusively establish the existence of such. This release contains information about the imposition of recent automatic interim suspensions relating to six current CFP professionals. 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 CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (Commission) pursuant to CFP Board's 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. While CFP Board has attempted to capture the details relevant to each decision, the summary nature of these releases may omit certain details affecting each 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 California Harry F. Couglar San Diego Automatic Interim Suspension California Dale F. Norton, Jr. Newhall Automatic Interim Suspension Georgia Craig E. Lewis Gainesville Automatic Interim Suspension Michigan David C. Ferwerda Grand Rapids Automatic Interim Suspension Ohio Sam Aziz Powell Automatic Interim Suspension South Carolina Benjamin Galloway Columbia Automatic Interim Suspension AUTOMATIC INTERIM SUSPENSION CALIFORNIA Harry F. Couglar (San Diego): On June 13, 2019, CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension temporarily suspending Harry F. Couglar's right to use the CFP certification marks. CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension after receiving evidence that Mr. Couglar entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) on May 21, 2018, wherein FINRA made findings of FINRA rule violations and barred him from associating with any FINRA member in any capacity after he: 1) failed to notify his firm and two other FINRA member firms that he had discretionary authority over 87 joint or individual accounts held by a total of 50 individuals at two other FINRA member firms; 2) falsely stated to his firm that he did not have discretionary authority over any outside securities accounts belonging to non-family members; 3) prepared tax returns for at least 18 individuals without disclosing his activities to his firm; and 4) falsely stated to his firm that he had fully disclosed his outside business activities. FINRA determined that Mr. Couglar's conduct violated NASD Rules 3050(c) and 2110 and FINRA Rules 2010 and 3270. Under the automatic interim suspension order, Mr. Couglar's right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings. Dale F. Norton, Jr. (Newhall): On June 14, 2019, CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension temporarily suspending Dale F. Norton, Jr.'s right to use the CFP certification marks. CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension after receiving evidence that on April 25, 2017, Mr. Norton was the subject of a felony conviction for possession of child or youth pornography under California Penal Code 311.11(a). Mr. Norton violated Article 13.2 of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules by failing to report the felony conviction to CFP Board within 30 days. On June 22, 2017, Mr. Norton falsely stated to CFP Board on his Ethics Declaration that he had not been convicted of a felony when he had been convicted of a felony only months earlier. CFP Board also received evidence indicating that the State of California Department of Insurance permanently barred Mr. Norton due to the felony conviction. Mr. Norton violated Article 13.2 of CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules by failing to report the California Department of Insurance bar to CFP Board within 30 days. On June 3, 2019, Mr. Norton falsely stated to CFP Board on his Ethics Declaration that he had never had a professional license revoked. Under the automatic interim suspension order, Mr. Norton's right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings. GEORGIA Craig E. Lewis (Gainesville): On June 13, 2019, CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension temporarily suspending Craig E. Lewis's right to use the CFP certification marks. CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension after receiving evidence that Mr. Lewis entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (AWC) with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) on November 29, 2017, wherein FINRA made findings of FINRA rule violations and barred him from associating with any FINRA member in any capacity after he refused to appear for on-the-record testimony requested by FINRA staff pursuant to FINRA Rule 8210. FINRA had requested his testimony in connection with its investigation of Mr. Lewis's outside business activity. Under the automatic interim suspension order, Mr. Lewis's right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings. MICHIGAN David C. Ferwerda (Grand Rapids): On June 13, 2019, CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension temporarily suspending David C. Ferwerda's right to use the CFP certification marks. CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension after receiving evidence that Mr. Ferwerda entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (AWC) with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) on October 30, 2018, wherein FINRA made findings of FINRA rule violations and barred him from associating with any FINRA member in any capacity after he refused to provide information and documents FINRA had requested pursuant to FINRA Rule 8210. FINRA requested the information in connection with its investigation of Mr. Ferwerda's participation in sales of notes of a group of unregistered investment companies. Under the automatic interim suspension order, Mr. Ferwerda's right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings. OHIO Sam Aziz (Powell): On June 13, 2019, CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension temporarily suspending Sam Aziz's right to use the CFP certification marks. CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension after receiving evidence that Mr. Aziz entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (AWC) with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) on March 27, 2019, wherein FINRA made findings of FINRA rule violations and barred him from associating with any FINRA member in any capacity after he refused to appear for on-the-record testimony requested by FINRA staff pursuant to FINRA Rule 8210. FINRA had requested the testimony in connection with its investigation of allegations that Mr. Aziz engaged in excessive trading, made unsuitable recommendations involving the use of margin, attempted to settle a customer's complaint away from his member firm, and other allegations. Under the automatic interim suspension order, Mr. Aziz's right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings. SOUTH CAROLINA Benjamin Galloway (Columbia): On June 13, 2019, CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension temporarily suspending Benjamin Galloway's right to use the CFP certification marks. CFP Board imposed an automatic interim suspension after receiving evidence that Mr. Galloway entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (AWC) with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) on January 25, 2019, wherein FINRA made findings of FINRA rule violations and barred him from associating with any FINRA member in any capacity after he refused to appear for on-the-record testimony requested by FINRA staff pursuant to FINRA Rule 8210. FINRA had requested the testimony in connection with its investigation of Mr. Galloway's requests for mileage reimbursement and use of a corporate credit card. Under the automatic interim suspension order, Mr. Galloway's right to use the CFP certification marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings. 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 84,000 people in the United States. SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. VANCOUVER, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Chemistree Technology Inc. (CSE: CHM) (USOTCQB: CHMJF) (the "Company" or "Chemistree"), announces that Non-executive Chairman of the board, Justin Chorbajian has tendered his resignation. Company president Karl Kottmeier commented, "On behalf of the board I'd like to thank Justin for his contributions to the Company over the past twenty-two months, and we wish him well in his future endeavors." About Chemistree Technology Inc. Chemistree Technology Inc. is an investment company dedicated to the U.S. cannabis sector, endeavoring to provide turn-key solutions for the regulated cannabis industry. The Company's corporate strategy is to acquire and develop vertically integrated cannabis assets, leveraging management's decades of expertise in the cannabis industry and corporate finance to own and operate licensed cultivation, processing, distribution and retail facilities. Outside of Washington State, Chemistree owns the exclusive worldwide rights to the Sugarleaf brand. For more information, visit www.chemistree.ca. Advisory The Company wishes to inform shareholders that there are significant legal restrictions and regulations that govern the cannabis industry in both Canada and the United States. Cannabis-related Practices or Activities are Illegal Under U.S. Federal Laws The concepts of "medical cannabis" and "recreational cannabis" do not exist under U.S. federal law. The Federal Controlled Substances Act classifies "marihuana" as a Schedule I drug. Under U.S. federal law, a Schedule I drug or substance has a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use in the United States, and a lack of safety for the use of the drug under medical supervision. As such, cannabis related practices or activities, including without limitation, the manufacture, importation, possession, use or distribution of cannabis are illegal under U.S. federal law. Strict compliance with state laws with respect to cannabis will neither absolve the Company of liability under U.S. federal law, nor will it provide a defence to any federal proceeding which may be brought against the Company. Enforcement of U.S. federal laws will be a significant risk to the business of the Company and any such proceedings brought against the Company may adversely affect the Company's operations and financial performance. Further information regarding the legal status of cannabis related activities and associated risk factors, including, but not limited to, risk of enforcement actions, risks that third-party service providers, such as banking or financial institutions cease providing services to the Company, and the risk that Company may not be able to distribute profits, if any, from U.S. operations up to the Company, are included in the Prospectus, the Company's annual information form and other documents incorporated by reference therein and in the Company's Form 2A listing statement filed with the CSE and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. "Karl Kottmeier" President 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 news release. Information set forth in this news release includes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "budget", "scheduled" and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others the risks identified in the Company's reports and filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulators, including, without limitation, all risks in and incorporated by reference into the Company's annual information form. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law. SOURCE Chemistree Technology Inc. Related Links http://chemistree.ca/ CHENGDU, China, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- From June 10-12, 2019, the Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair (Chengdu, China) hosted by the Chengdu Municipal People's Government and was officially opened in Chengdu. As an important component of this year's Fair, the Chengdu Global Venture Investment and Financing Docking Day with the theme of Convergence and Transaction also appeared in the New International Convention and Exhibition Center of Chengdu Century City on June 12. Chengdu has become the sixth national central city after Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing and an important economic center in western China as well as the engine city for the Development of the West Regions. Chengdu is now creating an all-round scientific and technological center in the west region and a regional entrepreneurship center with global influence, taking innovation-driven development as the core strategy for the future and the first driving force for the transformation of the city. This Fair is named after Chengdu whose name and sites remain unchanged for 3000 years, which also become the new type of venture capital activity finding its strong backing from the government. It has established a convergence, integration and docking platform for global capital as well as innovation and entrepreneurship resources. Meanwhile, the Fair will promote the most potential scientific technologies, hi-tech talents, innovative projects, capitals and other factors to gather in Chengdu. It will also attract talents, scientific and technological projects and venture capital resources to station in Chengdu while demonstrating Chengdu's Innovation and entrepreneurship ecological environment and help Chengdu to make a center city of innovation and entrepreneurship with international influence. International VC Magnates all Gather in Chengdu And Decode the Future of Global Venture Capital As a special activity of the 2019 Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair (China, Chengdu), Chengdu Global Venture Investment and Financing Docking Day invites more than 90 investment and financing enterprises across the world, including DFJ Dragon China Fund, Invest Europe, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Innovation Center, the Innovation Center of Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), Finland Venture Fund, Rocket Space the famous venture capital incubator in Britain and IMO Ventures. What's more, many of the venture capital's biggest names and venture capital elites attend this Fair. On the Docking day, Mr. Anta, President of the European Union of Angel Investors, delivered a keynote address to share the successful equations of European venture capitalists and said: "Chengdu Global Venture Investment and Financing Docking Day has built a bridge for the cooperation between Chengdu and the global venture capital circle. In the future, New technology models and capital will continue to enter Chengdu through this bridge. With such a platform, more high-quality unicorn enterprises will emerge in Chengdu." Mr. Qiao Huijun, co-partner of Aplus as well as initiator and CEO of Aplus Intelligent Manufacturing, also attended and delivered address, sharing with the guests and venture capitalists the future trend of China's venture capital in an Intelligent Era. Additionally, the representatives from institutions such as the Innovation Center of Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE), DFJ Dragon, C Ventures made a high-end capital dialogue, centering on the topic of "What kind of capital do innovation enterprises need". The communication of wisdom will spark the "endless possibilities of innovation in both domestic and foreign investment markets under the new economic environment". Communicate Closely with 60 VC Top Notches What is noteworthy is that the Docking Day not only converges the representatives and enterprises of excellent venture capital in the world, but also takes the integration of global venture capital resources as the main line and build a convenient and polybasic bridge for the communication of venture capital for the investment and financing mechanisms of top-quality from abroad, so as to provide the innovators and entrepreneurs in Chengdu and even the VC magnates in the world a convenient and polybasic bridge for the communication of venture capital. In the Chengdu Global Venture Investment and Financing Docking Day, Companies that participated will demonstrate global venture capital sources and innovation and entrepreneurship industry chains in multiple latitudes through the form of face-to-face dialogue, creative incubation, and project roadshows. The representatives from global venture capital magnates such as Invest Europe; Europe's largest and the most active business Angle Network; Fintech Camp, a digital financial venture capital from Hungary; Start4big from Spain; The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Innovation; the Innovation Center of Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE); Wave Ventures, a VC fund from Finland; Rocket Space, a VC incubator from Britain; IMO Ventures; DFJ Dragon; Aplus; C Ventures and Winning Brothers Capital Corporation, formed the International VC Guidance Group on the scene. The novel ideas, meticulous data and the ambitious development strategies of innovation enterprises are all on the scene with the global VC giant face-to-face discussion and in-depth exchanges. The Global Venture Investment and Financing Docking Day promotes the global innovative entrepreneurs' deep exchanges in the field of global investment, which further enhances the convergence of global innovation and entrepreneurship resources, and promotes the flow of innovative and entrepreneurial elements and the transaction of results. Innovation and entrepreneurship is a competition that is of either advancement or drawing back. The current Chengdu Global Venture Investment and Financing Docking Day has more than 260 start-ups and entrepreneurial projects to sign up from home and abroad. And the financing intention is expected to exceed 2.4 billion yuan. 76 projects/enterprises and investors have been invited by the investment institutions for further communication, including 8 foreign teams starting a business in Chengdu. This Fair has established a platform with the interconnection of the global venture capital ecosystem for the the development of Chengdu's new economy, a larger space continuing to open in the background of communication. In the future, Chengdu Innovation and Entrepreneurship will focus more on global venture capital integration, continuous reform and in-depth development; striving to become the world's venture capitalist leader, incubation place, factor gathering place and industrial innovation zone and thus become the most suitable city for innovation and entrepreneurship. SOURCE Chengdu Municipal Peoples Government Vancouver-based brand expands nationwide retail presence VANCOUVER, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Vancouver-based cannabis brand Choom (CSE: CHOO;OTCQB: CHOOF) unveils its retail concept and experience tomorrow in Niagara Falls, Ontario. As one of 25 cannabis stores authorized to open in the province, Choom Niagara provides a curated selection of premium products in an immersive environment designed to elevate and empower consumers. In addition to holding distinction as Niagara Falls' first cannabis store, Choom Niagara represents the brand's debut retail presence in Ontario. With a store firmly established in the key Ontario market, Choom will continue its nationwide rollout, supporting the company's overarching goal to secure one of the largest cannabis retail networks in North America. Choom Niagara carries a diverse range of products, from dry flower and pre-rolls, to oils and capsules. All items are selected from a wide range of Canadian licensed producers, with the product portfolio strategically curated to ignite customer curiosity and encourage cannabis exploration. Store associates have undergone stringent cannabis sommelier training, ensuring clients receive expert customer service customized to their specific needs. The store's intuitive aesthetic, designed by commercial architect and interior design firm Hodgson Design Associates, achieves a relaxed and inviting environment, seamlessly guiding visitors through displays of THC-dominant, CBD-dominant and balanced products. Toronto businesswoman, Lisa Bigioni, was selected from a lottery of qualified candidates to own and manage the store. "I'm delighted to serve the Niagara community, and can't wait to hit the ground running," said Bigioni. "My goal is for the store to become an indispensable resource for cannabis education and support for the local community. Choom's extensive experience in regulated industries provides invaluable insight on store operations, and together we'll deliver a cannabis retail experience the city can be proud of." "We are thrilled to open our first store in Niagara Falls, and look forward to becoming an active member of the local community," said Chris Bogart, President and CEO of Choom. "By crafting an approachable experience that encourages exploration and education, we hope to bring both residents and visitors together to cultivate good times." Choom Niagara is located at 7555 Montrose Rd., Unit E3, Niagara Falls, Ontario. Opening hours are 10am 8pm (Monday to Wednesday), 10am 10pm (Thursday to Saturday) and 11am 6pm (Sunday). For more information, visit choom.ca. Say hello to Choom Choom is an emerging adult use cannabis company whose mission is to establish one of the largest retail networks in Canada and the United States. The Choom brand is inspired by Hawaii's "Choom Gang"a group of buddies in Honolulu during the 1970's who loved to smoke weedor as the locals called it, "Choom". Evoking the spirit of the original Choom Gang, our brand caters to the Canadian adult use market with the ethos of 'cultivating good times'. Choom is focused on delivering an elevated customer experience through our curated retail environments, offering a diversity of brands for Canadians across a national retail network. "Chris Bogart" President & CEO Cautionary Statement: NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Forward-looking information This news release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company's proposed activities and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking information relates to management's future outlook and anticipated events or results, and include statements or information regarding the future plans or prospects of the Company. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. These factors include risks and uncertainties associated with or arising as a result of delays in obtaining or an inability to obtain required regulatory approvals, access to sufficient quantities of cannabis, the results of diligence investigations, the actions of third parties, the results of negotiations with third parties, developments in the cannabis sector, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, reliance on key personnel, regulatory risks and delays and other risks and uncertainties discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of the Company's interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings, including those made with the CSE and applicable Canadian securities regulators. There can be no assurance that such forward looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. SOURCE Choom Holdings Inc. Related Links https://choom.ca/ DUBLIN, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Digital PCR (dPCR) and Real-time PCR (qPCR) Market by Product (Instruments, Reagents, Software, Services), Application (Clinical, Oncology, Forensics), End-user (Hospitals, Diagnostic Labs, Academia, Pharma-Biotech, CRO) - Global Forecast to 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global dPCR and qPCR market is projected to reach USD 6.3 billion by 2024 from USD 4.1 billion in 2019, at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2019 to 2024. The rising incidence of infectious diseases and genetic disorders across the world has spurred the demand for better and faster diagnostic tests. This has also boosted the overall pace of R&D in the dPCR and qPCR market along with the availability of strong financial support in the form of investments, funds, and grants. These factors are driving the growth of dPCR and qPCR market during the forecast period. However, high instrument costs - especially that of dPCR - and the technical limitations of PCR are expected to limit market growth to a certain extent. The qPCR reagents segment is expected to account for the largest market share of the global qPCR products and services market in 2019 The qPCR reagents and consumables segment is expected to account for the largest share among qPCR products in 2019. The expansion of qPCR applications in the field of clinical diagnosis, forensics, and genomic research, along with the increased funding for life science research and the rising number of probe-based multiplex genetic analysis procedures, are responsible for the dominance of the qPCR reagents and consumables segment. Clinical applications to show the highest growth in the dPCR and qPCR applications market during the forecast period The clinical applications segment will show the highest growth in the dPCR and qPCR applications market during the forecast period. The growth of this segment can be attributed to factors such as the growing usage of qPCR in disease diagnosis, rising incidence of infectious and genetic diseases, and growing public emphasis on early & effective disease diagnosis & treatment. Furthermore, the technological benefits (such as high flexibility, increased device sensitivity, better precision, and absolute quantification of the target molecule) offered by dPCR over traditional disease testing techniques and the growing adoption of dPCR among hospitals & diagnostic centers are other factors driving the growth of this segment in the forecast period. North America to account for the largest share of the global market in 2019 North America accounts for the largest share of the dPCR and qPCR market owing to the high incidence of chronic and genetic diseases, rising geriatric population, growing adoption of qPCR and dPCR techniques in research & academia, and significant public-private funding in the field of genome analysis. Further, the strong presence of major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the US and ongoing initiatives by the Canadian government to support life science, genomic, and clinical research are other few factors influencing the demand of dPCR and qPCR products in this region Key Topics Covered: 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Global dPCR and qPCR Market Overview 4.2 qPCR and dPCR Market, By Region, 2019 Vs.2024 (USD Million) 4.3 Global qPCR and dPCR Market Share, By Product and Service (2019) 4.4 Global qPCR Market, By Application, 2019 vs 2024 (USD Million) 4.5 Geographical Snapshot of dPCR and qPCR Market 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Key Market Drivers 5.2.1.1 Rising Incidences of Target Infectious Diseases and Genetic Disorders 5.2.1.2 Continuous Technological Advancements in PCR Technologies 5.2.1.3 Increasing Investments, Funds, and Grants 5.2.1.4 Increasing Use of Biomarker Profiling for Disease Diagnostics 5.2.1.5 Successful Completion of the Human Genome Project 5.2.2 Key Market Restraints 5.2.2.1 High Device Costs Associated With dPCR 5.2.2.2 Technical Limitations of qPCR and dPCR Techniques 5.2.3 Key Market Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Growing Market Penetration in Emerging Countries 5.2.3.2 Shift From Plant-Derived to Genome-Based Drug Discovery 5.2.4 Key Market Challenges 5.2.4.1 Adoption and Implementation of Miqe Guidelines 5.2.5 Key Market Trends 5.2.5.1 Development of Compact, Portable, and Lab-On-Chip PCR Devices 5.2.5.2 Ongoing Technological Integration With the PCR Process 6 dPCR and qPCR Market, By Product & Service 6.1 Introduction 6.2 qPCR Products & Services 6.2.1 qPCR Reagents and Consumables 6.2.2 qPCR Instruments 6.2.3 qPCR Software and Services 6.3 dPCR Products & Services 6.3.1 dPCR Instruments 6.3.2 dPCR Reagents and Consumables 6.3.3 dPCR Software and Services 7 dPCR and qPCR Market, By Application 7.1 Introduction 7.2 qPCR Applications 7.2.1 Clinical Applications 7.2.1.1 Infectious Disease Testing 7.2.1.1.1 The Wide Availability of qPCR Assays and Kits for Infectious Disease Testing is A Key Factor Driving Market Growth 7.2.1.2 Oncology Testing 7.2.1.2.1 Advent of Alternative Diagnostic Technologies for Oncology Testing to the Key Restraining Factor 7.2.1.3 Blood Screening 7.2.1.3.1 The Advantages Offered By qPCR Such as the Elimination of Post-Amplification Processing and Easy Process Automation to Drive the Demand for qPCR Products 7.2.1.4 Transplant Diagnostics 7.2.1.4.1 Increasing Commercialization of qPCR Products for Transplant Diagnostic to Drive the Market Growth 7.2.1.5 Other Clinical Applications 7.2.2 Research Applications 7.2.2.1 Increase in Genome-Based Research Activity Boosts the Market Growth 7.2.3 Forensic Applications 7.2.3.1 Limited Adoption of qPCR in Underdeveloped and Developing Countries is Expected to Restrict the Market Growth 7.3 dPCR Applications 7.3.1 Clinical Applications 7.3.1.1 Infectious Disease Testing 7.3.1.1.1 Accuracy and Precision of dPCR Have Made It A Prominent Tool in Infectious Disease Testing 7.3.1.2 Oncology Testing 7.3.1.2.1 dPCR Plays A Vital Role in Oncology Testing and Clinical Studies 7.3.1.3 Blood Screening 7.3.1.3.1 dPCR Offers Multiple Advantages Over Traditional Techniques for Blood Screening 7.3.1.4 Transplant Diagnostics 7.3.1.4.1 Low Market Availability of dPCR Products for Transplant Diagnostics to Reflect in Small Share of This Market Segment 7.3.1.5 Other Clinical Applications 7.3.2 Research Applications 7.3.2.1 Wide Usage of dPCR in Genetic Research is the Primary Driver for Market Growth 7.3.3 Forensic Applications 7.3.3.1 The Need to Reduce the Time and Cost of Forensic Processes is A Key Factor Driving Market Growth 8 dPCR and qPCR Market, By End User 8.1 Introduction 8.2 qPCR End Users 8.2.1 Hospitals and Diagnostic Centers 8.2.2 Research Laboratories and Academic Institutes 8.2.3 Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies 8.2.4 Clinical Research Organizations 8.2.5 Forensic Laboratories 8.3 dPCR End Users 8.3.1 Hospitals and Diagnostic Centers 8.3.2 Research Laboratories and Academic Institutes 8.3.3 Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Companies 8.3.4 Clinical Research Organizations 8.3.5 Forensic Laboratories 9 dPCR and qPCR Market, By Region 9.1 Introduction 9.2 North America 9.2.1 US 9.2.1.1 US to Dominate the North American dPCR and qPCR Market in 2019 9.2.2 Canada 9.2.2.1 Government Initiatives for Supporting Genomics Research to Drive Market Growth in Canada 9.3 Europe 9.3.1 Germany 9.3.1.1 Germany to Dominate the European dPCR and qPCR Market 9.3.2 UK 9.3.2.1 Growing Focus on Genomics Research to Support Market Growth in the UK 9.3.3 France 9.3.3.1 Initiatives for Developing Genomic Medicine to Support Market Growth in France 9.3.4 Rest of Europe 9.4 Asia Pacific 9.4.1 Japan 9.4.1.1 Strong Research and Healthcare Infrastructure to Support Market Growth in Japan 9.4.2 China 9.4.2.1 Healthcare Infrastructure Modernization to Support Market Growth in China 9.4.3 India 9.4.3.1 Presence of A Large Target Patient Population to Support Market Growth in India 9.4.4 Rest of APAC 9.5 Latin America 9.5.1 Brazil 9.5.1.1 Brazil Dominated the Latam Market in 2018 9.5.2 Mexico 9.5.2.1 Favorable Trade Agreements Will Support Imports and Improve the Accessibility to dPCR and qPCR Instruments in Mexico 9.5.3 Rest of Latin America 9.6 Middle East and Africa 9.6.1 Low Purchasing Power of End Users and Infrastructural Limitations to Restrain Market Growth in the Mea 10 Competitive Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Global Market Share Analysis 10.2.1 Global qPCR Market Share Analysis (2018) 10.2.2 Global dPCR Market Share Analysis (2018) 10.3 Competitive Scenario 10.3.1 Key Product Launches, Enhancements, and Approvals (2016-2019) 10.3.2 Key Partnerships and Collaborations (2016-2019) 10.3.3 Key Acquisitions (2016-2019) 10.3.4 Key Expansions (2016-2019) 10.4 Competitive Leadership Mapping 10.4.1 Competitive Leadership Mapping: Major Market Players (2018) 10.4.1.1 Visionary Leaders 10.4.1.2 Innovators 10.4.1.3 Dynamic Differentiators 10.4.1.4 Emerging Companies 10.4.2 Competitive Leadership Mapping: Emerging Companies/SMEs/Start-Ups (2018) 10.4.2.1 Progressive Companies 10.4.2.2 Starting Blocks 10.4.2.3 Responsive Companies 10.4.2.4 Dynamic Companies 11 Company Profiles Abbott Laboratories Agilent Technologies, Inc. Analytik Jena AG (a wholly owned subsidiary of Endress+Hauser AG) Becton Dickinson and Company and Company Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Biomrieux S.A. Danaher Corporation Eppendorf AG F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. Fluidigm Corporation Merck KGaA Promega Corporation Qiagen N.V. Takara Bio , Inc. , Inc. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jxgdog Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com SAN FRANCISCO, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR) ("Digital Realty") announced today that Digital Realty Trust, L.P. ("the Issuer"), its operating partnership subsidiary, has priced the previously announced tender offer ("the Offer") to purchase for cash any and all of its outstanding 3.400% notes due 2020 and 5.250% notes due 2021 (CUSIP Nos. 25389JAN6 and 25389JAJ5) (collectively, "the Notes"), which are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Digital Realty, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated June 10, 2019, and the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery (as they may each be amended or supplemented from time to time, "the Offer Documents"). The Issuer refers investors to the Offer Documents for the complete terms and conditions of the Offer. Certain information regarding the Notes and the pricing for the Offer is set forth in the table below. Title of Security CUSIP Number Principal Amount Outstanding U.S. Treasury Reference Security Bloomberg Reference Page Reference Yield Fixed Spread Tender Offer Consideration (1)(2) 3.400% Notes due 2020 25389JAN6 $500,000,000 1.375% due 9/15/2020 FIT4 1.968% 30 bps $1,013.38 5.250% Notes due 2021 25389JAJ5 $400,000,000 1.875% due 12/15/2020 FIT4 1.939% 30 bps $1,044.01 (1) Per $1,000 principal amount. (2) The applicable Tender Offer Consideration is calculated on the basis of pricing for the U.S. Treasury Reference Security as of 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 14, 2019. The applicable "Tender Offer Consideration" listed in the table above for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer was determined in the manner described in the Offer Documents by reference to a fixed spread for the applicable Notes specified in the table above plus the yield based on the applicable bid-side price of the U.S. Treasury Reference Security specified in the table above at 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 14, 2019. Holders will also receive accrued and unpaid interest on Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase from the last interest payment date up to, but not including, the date the Issuer makes payment for such Notes, which date is anticipated to be June 17, 2019. Holders of the Notes are urged to read the Offer Documents carefully before making any decision with respect to the Offer. Holders who would like additional copies of the Offer Documents may call the information agent, GBSC at (866) 924-2200. Copies of the Offer Documents are also available at the following website: http://www.gbsc-usa.com/DigitalRealty. Questions regarding the terms of the Offer should be directed to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (866) 834-4666 (toll-free) or (212) 834-6950 (collect). This press release shall not constitute an offer to buy or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes. The Offer is being made solely pursuant to the Offer Documents. The Offer is not being made to holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities laws or blue sky laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Issuer by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. The full details of the Offer, including complete instructions on how to tender Notes, are included in the Offer Documents. About Digital Realty Digital Realty supports the data center, colocation and interconnection strategies of more than 2,000 firms across its secure, network-rich portfolio of data centers located throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia. Digital Realty's clients include domestic and international companies of all sizes, ranging from cloud and information technology services, communications and social networking to financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare and consumer products. For Additional Information Andrew P. Power Chief Financial Officer Digital Realty (415) 738-6500 Investor Relations John J. Stewart Digital Realty (415) 738-6500 [email protected] Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the following: the competitive environment in which we operate; reduced demand for data centers or decreases in information technology spending; decreased rental rates, increased operating costs or increased vacancy rates; increased competition or available supply of data center space; the suitability of our data centers and data center infrastructure, delays or disruptions in connectivity or availability of power, or failures or breaches of our physical and information security infrastructure or services; our dependence upon significant customers, bankruptcy or insolvency of a major customer or a significant number of smaller customers, or defaults on or non-renewal of leases by customers; breaches of our obligations or restrictions under our contracts with our customers; our inability to successfully develop and lease new properties and development space, and delays or unexpected costs in development of properties; the impact of current global and local economic, credit and market conditions; our inability to retain data center space that we lease or sublease from third parties; difficulties managing an international business and acquiring or operating properties in foreign jurisdictions and unfamiliar metropolitan areas; our failure to realize the intended benefits from, or disruptions to our plans and operations or unknown or contingent liabilities related to, our recent acquisitions; our failure to successfully integrate and operate acquired or developed properties or businesses; difficulties in identifying properties to acquire and completing acquisitions; risks related to joint venture investments, including as a result of our lack of control of such investments; risks associated with using debt to fund our business activities, including re-financing and interest rate risks, our failure to repay debt when due, adverse changes in our credit ratings or our breach of covenants or other terms contained in our loan facilities and agreements; our failure to obtain necessary debt and equity financing, and our dependence on external sources of capital; financial market fluctuations and changes in foreign currency exchange rates; adverse economic or real estate developments in our industry or the industry sectors that we sell to, including risks relating to decreasing real estate valuations and impairment charges and goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges; our inability to manage our growth effectively; losses in excess of our insurance coverage; environmental liabilities and risks related to natural disasters; the expected operating performance of recent acquisitions and descriptions relating to these expectations; our inability to comply with rules and regulations applicable to our company; our failure to maintain our status as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes; our operating partnership's failure to qualify as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes; restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities; changes in local, state, federal and international laws and regulations, including related to taxation, real estate and zoning laws, and increases in real property tax rates; changes in the business or financial condition of us or our business; our ability to deliver high-quality properties and services, to attract and retain qualified personnel and to attract and retain customers; and the impact of any financial, accounting, legal or regulatory issues or litigation that may affect us. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE Digital Realty Trust, Inc. Canadian-based AESI is a pioneer in the design and fabrication of fully automated supercritical fluid CO 2 extraction systems for the global hemp and cannabis industries. "Our productive partnership is built on two companies who have a natural synergy," says Robert Bowness, Sector Director North America, Pharmaceuticals, Diversey. "Both Diversey and AESI have innovation at the heart of everything they do and in each case this philosophy is based fundamentally on world class in-house R&D. We each have full control over all aspects of design and development, while placing great value on applying the industry-leading knowledge and expertise that we are mutually renowned for in our respective sectors." An Innovative Solution to an Explosive Problem Historically CO 2 extraction systems have been cleaned with ethanol. However, as a volatile cleaning agent, its use has always been subject to the strictest regulation, which presents a significant safety issue regarding storage. "As AESI have moved to the next level in the industry, enabling exceptional hemp production capacities with our development of the largest CO 2 Supercritical Fluid Extraction System available, this issue has come into sharper focus," says David Campbell, co-founder and COO of AESI. "Storing the required large volumes of ethanol on site is a potential health hazard, a potential financial burden and a logistical problem if space is limited. Diversey's global reputation in cleaning processes is something we have long been aware of and we are confident that our partnership with them has produced an innovative solution to this pressing issue." Removing a Constriction to Global Industry Growth Since formal legalisation, Canada has become a world leader in hemp production. The licensed industry is expanding exponentially and the use of ethanol in the hemp processors' cleaning protocols has exercised a constricting grip on the industry. Many of these hemp manufacturers are looking to extend or add to their existing facilities. Under prior ethanol restrictions, this would have involved the necessity to construct an explosion proof standard resulting in additional expenditure of millions of dollars being added to actual construction costs. By reducing ethanol in the cleaning process, Diversey's new CIP system effectively reduces the capital cost of expansion and is a significant industry driver. The innovative CIP system is constructed as a skid that sits alongside the extraction unit and automates the cleaning process. "There is nothing else comparable within the industry," states Bowness. "The CIP process produces a cleaning efficacy due to the change from ethanol - which works more as a sanitising agent than as a cleaner - to an alkali process using a food grade cleaning agent." A Liberating Game Changer "From the CIP trials we've carried out in development with Diversey, there is no doubt that removing the volatility of ethanol, combined with the greater cleaning success the process achieves, makes this new system a real game changer," confirms Campbell. "For our customers, this CIP system will essentially be part of our turnkey package, enabling AESI to supply and advise on everything needed to get the entire extraction portion of their business up and running." Bowness agrees. "Simply from implementing our new CIP method, a hemp manufacturer can expect to gain from immediate efficiencies. Safety is also a big factor in this and, aligned to the stimulus to hemp industry expansion, we confidently anticipate the system will have a significant impact. Together with AESI we have answered a real need for manufacturers - and are in effect liberating the industry." About Diversey Diversey's purpose is to protect and care for people every day. Diversey has been, and always will be, a pioneer and facilitator for life. We constantly deliver revolutionary cleaning and hygiene technologies that provide total confidence to our customers across all of our global sectors, including: cleaning products, systems and services that efficiently integrate chemicals, machines and sustainability programs. This makes us unique among leading global hygiene and cleaning companies. Everything we do has our customers' needs at its heart and is based on the belief that cleaning and hygiene are life essentials. With over 95 years of expertise, we safeguard our customers' businesses, contributing to productivity improvements, lower total operating costs and brand protection. Headquartered in Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA, Diversey employs approximately 9,000 people globally, generating net sales of approximately $2.6 billion in 2017. For more information, please visit: https://diversey.com/. About AESI Located in Prince Edward Island, Canada, Advanced Extraction Systems Inc. designs, engineers and fabricates supercritical fluid CO 2 extraction systems with a specific focus in the medical/recreational marijuana and hemp industries. AESI has assembled a skilled management team and a world-class scientific advisory group with over 75 years of experience in supercritical fluid design and processes. AESI offers the cleanest, most advanced CO 2 extraction processes that are leading edge due to the company's ongoing internal focus on research and development. AESI CO 2 extraction systems are unique in design, efficiency and ease of operation. Specifically, AESI systems can be differentiated from the competition in six key technical areas: excellent pump reliability, superior flow rates, superior fractionation, greater phase management control, cGMP recipe development and scalability for future growth. For more information, please visit www.advancedextractionsystems.com. SOURCE Diversey Related Links https://diversey.com BOSTON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Exogenesis Corporation today announced multiple presentations during the upcoming TechConnect World 2019 Congress (June 17-19, 2019, Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA), describing applications that the company is commercializing with its Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) technology. Dmitry Shashkov, President and CEO of Exogenesis commented, "We are pleased that the TechConnect Congress has selected several of Exogenesis submissions describing our innovative ANAB technology and its commercial applications in medical devices, optical systems, and other sectors. We look forward to sharing our results with the business and technical community serving these growing markets." Schedule of Exogenesis technology events and presentations during the upcoming TechConnect World 2019 Congress: Monday June 17 , 2:15 pm , Room 306 "Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam processing of medical devices enhances tissue integration while reducing bacterial attachment " , " Monday June 17 , 2:55 pm , Room 202 "Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) Technology for Nanoscale Surface Processing " " Tuesday June 18 , 4:00 pm , Hall C "Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) treatment creates a native polymer-free elution barrier on medical devices" , Monday-Tuesday, June 17-18 , 12 pm 6 pm , Booth 317 Exogenesis TechConnect Partnership booth In addition, the Exogenesis team will be meeting with prospective collaborators and government funding agencies, leveraging TechConnect's unique match-making opportunities. Join us at our presentations or at our booth, as we are always looking for new potential partnerships. About Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) Technology Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) technology is a low-energy accelerated particle beam that is being commercialized as a tool for nano-scale surface modifications. ANAB is created by acceleration of neutral argon (Ar) atoms with very low energies under vacuum which bombard a material surface, modifying it to a shallow depth of 2-3 nm. This is a non-additive technology that results in modifications of surface topography, structure, and energy. Medical implants treated with ANAB technology have recently been granted FDA regulatory 510(k) clearance for use in spinal interbody fusion (IBD) devices. About Exogenesis Exogenesis is commercializing a platform technology, NanoAccel, utilizing Accelerated Neutral Atom Beam (ANAB) and Gas Cluster Ion Beam (GCIB) technologies that modify and control surfaces of materials at a nanoscale level. Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, Exogenesis is a private, venture capital-backed company that has developed a proprietary technology to modify and control surfaces without applying a coating or creating sub-surface damage. The company's proprietary technologies are used for surface modification and control in a broad range of biomedical, optical and semiconductor applications. For more information, please visit www.exogenesis.us or contact us at [email protected]. About TechConnect World For over 20 years the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo has connected top applied research and early-stage innovations from universities, labs, and startups with industry end-users and prospectors. The 2019 TechConnect World Innovation event includes the annual SBIR/STTR Spring Innovation Conference, Spring AI TechConnect, the TechConnect Technical Program - more than 35 world-class technical symposia, and the Nanotech Conference Series, the world's largest and longest running nanotechnology event. Through these joint programs, TechConnect has published over 10,000 technical papers, connected over 20,000 innovations with industry partners, provided prospecting to most all Fortune 500 technology companies, and supported most every U.S. Science and Technology agency including the National Nanotechnology Initiative since its inception. Exogenesis Corp. 20 Fortune Drive Billerica, MA 01821 United States SOURCE Exogenesis Corp. Related Links http://www.exogenesis.us FRANKFURT, Germany, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- FRA/gk-rap - Frankfurt Airport (FRA) welcomed 6.2 million passengers in May 2019, an increase of 1.4 percent year-on-year. The growth rate would have been one percentage point higher, if FRA had not been affected by a number of weather and strike-related flight cancellations during the reporting month. Over the first five months of 2019, FRA achieved passenger growth of 2.9 percent. Aircraft movements in May 2019 climbed by 1.0 percent to 46,181 takeoffs and landings. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) expanded by 0.8 percent to about 2.8 million metric tons. Cargo throughput (airfreight + airmail) slightly grew by 0.6 percent to 185,701 metric tons. Most of the airports in Fraport AG's international portfolio also reported passenger growth in May 2019. Slovenia's Ljubljana Airport (LJU) recorded a 1.8 percent increase in traffic to 170,307 passengers. The two Brazilian airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) registered combined traffic of over 1.1 million passengers, also up slightly by 1.1 percent. In Peru, traffic at Lima Airport (LIM) rose by 8.0 percent to 2.0 million passengers. The 14 Greek regional airports served about 3.1 million passengers overall, slipping by 1.9 percent year-on-year. This slight decline can largely be attributed to the bankruptcy of a few airlines with other airlines, over the short term, only partially making up for the capacity loss. The busiest airports in Fraport's Greek portfolio included: Thessaloniki (SKG) with 606,828 passengers, down 0.4 percent; Rhodes (RHO) with 599,993 passengers, down 5.1 percent; and Corfu (CFU) with 347,953 passengers, down 2.0 percent. After a phase of very strong growth over the past three years, the Bulgarian airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ) are currently experiencing the consolidation of flight offerings, resulting in an 18.3 percent drop in traffic to 270,877 passengers. At the gateway to the Turkish Riviera, Antalya Airport (AYT) received about 3.6 million passengers, a gain of 3.3 percent. Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia, advanced by 8.4 percent to about 1.7 million passengers. Traffic at Xi'an Airport (XIY) in central China reached almost 4.0 million passengers, up 5.1 percent. Print-quality photos of Fraport AG and Frankfurt Airport are available for free downloading via the photo library on the Fraport Web site. For TV news and information broadcasting purposes only, we also offer free footage material for downloading. If you wish to meet a member of our Media Relations team when at Frankfurt Airport, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact details are available here. For further information about Fraport AG please click here. Fraport Traffic Figures May 2019 Fraport Group Airports1 May 2019 Year to Date (YTD) 2019 Fraport Passengers Cargo* Movements Passengers Cargo Movements Fully-consolidated airports share (%) Month % Month % Month % YTD % YTD % YTD % FRA Frankfurt Germany 100.00 6,225,726 1.4 182,235 0.6 46,181 1.0 27,063,689 2.9 876,158 -2.1 206,445 2.3 LJU Ljubljana Slovenia 100.00 170,307 1.8 970 -5.5 2,908 -10.1 670,935 2.5 4,809 -4.4 13,307 -2.8 Fraport Brasil 100.00 1,146,998 1.1 7,145 0.6 10,327 -10.8 6,263,047 10.1 31,901 -3.0 55,318 0.2 FOR Fortaleza Brazil 100.00 503,198 5.3 3,945 7.0 4,317 -6.7 2,935,153 20.2 16,790 -3.3 24,412 12.2 POA Porto Alegre Brazil 100.00 643,800 -2.0 3,200 -6.4 6,010 -13.6 3,327,894 2.5 15,111 -2.8 30,906 -7.6 LIM Lima Peru 80.01 2,006,709 8.0 20,463 -8.5 17,289 6.8 9,384,984 5.7 102,975 -6.3 79,862 0.9 Fraport Regional Airports of Greece A+B 73.40 3,086,789 -1.9 488 -33.7 24,446 -1.0 6,441,879 3.0 2,668 -14.2 57,810 4.5 Fraport Regional Airports of Greece A 73.40 1,651,078 -2.7 299 -46.4 12,724 -3.5 3,977,463 2.2 1,944 -15.3 33,985 1.7 CFU Kerkyra (Corfu) Greece 73.40 347,953 -2.0 16 37.5 2,616 -4.5 543,337 0.9 73 31.0 4,860 -5.1 CHQ Chania (Crete) Greece 73.40 342,719 -8.4 33 -28.2 2,367 -0.8 665,207 -7.9 169 -4.8 5,085 4.9 EFL Kefalonia Greece 73.40 78,144 -3.6 0 -100.0 712 0.7 105,143 -1.7 0 -86.3 1,282 8.9 KVA Kavala Greece 73.40 29,855 -6.3 9 3.7 335 1.5 55,584 -54.7 39 45.2 849 -41.3 PVK Aktion/Preveza Greece 73.40 54,888 2.3 0 n.a. 475 1.9 64,227 8.4 0 n.a. 773 -4.4 SKG Thessaloniki Greece 73.40 606,828 -0.4 242 -50.8 4,832 -6.4 2,324,470 9.4 1,660 -18.4 19,177 6.8 ZTH Zakynthos Greece 73.40 190,691 -0.6 0 -100.0 1,387 -0.5 219,495 -0.2 4 6.7 1,959 -4.9 Fraport Regional Airports of Greece B 73.40 1,435,711 -0.9 189 6.1 11,722 1.8 2,464,416 4.3 724 -11.1 23,825 8.8 JMK Mykonos Greece 73.40 141,857 9.0 13 32.5 1,525 11.1 226,876 14.6 31 41.6 2,689 18.5 JSI Skiathos Greece 73.40 42,055 17.5 0 n.a. 353 9.0 47,682 17.1 0 n.a. 553 3.2 JTR Santorini (Thira) Greece 73.40 260,321 4.1 18 -3.2 2,334 11.1 543,705 10.8 68 5.4 4,982 14.4 KGS Kos Greece 73.40 301,963 -3.6 32 39.3 2,239 -4.2 423,973 6.5 117 22.9 3,958 7.9 MJT Mytilene (Lesvos) Greece 73.40 45,723 10.1 34 3.3 570 30.7 146,992 11.3 150 -9.4 2,381 40.6 RHO Rhodes Greece 73.40 599,993 -5.1 71 1.9 4,132 -6.1 980,788 -3.3 264 -25.8 7,503 -4.6 SMI Samos Greece 73.40 43,799 -3.4 21 -13.8 569 5.0 94,400 5.8 94 -15.5 1,759 16.7 Fraport Twin Star 60.00 270,877 -18.3 484 -8.5 2,272 -17.5 580,688 -13.6 2,689 -29.7 5,221 -16.3 BOJ Burgas Bulgaria 60.00 127,162 -22.1 475 -8.1 1,106 -16.3 189,241 -23.7 2,647 -30.1 1,877 -19.1 VAR Varna Bulgaria 60.00 143,715 -14.7 9 -23.8 1,166 -18.6 391,447 -7.7 42 12.1 3,344 -14.6 At equity consolidated airports AYT Antalya Turkey 51.00 3,616,346 3.3 n.a. n.a. 21,369 6.3 8,487,586 7.1 n.a. n.a. 55,401 10.9 LED St. Petersburg Russia 25.00 1,708,252 8.4 n.a. n.a. 14,602 -2.7 6,779,290 12.3 n.a. n.a. 64,032 5.5 XIY Xi'an China 24.50 3,960,137 5.1 32,433 36.1 29,345 4.1 19,070,046 6.5 133,290 21.0 139,935 5.2 Frankfurt Airport2 May 2019 Month % YTD 2019 % Passengers 6,225,994 1.4 27,064,884 2.9 Cargo (freight & mail) 185,701 0.6 891,194 -2.5 Aircraft movements 46,181 1.0 206,445 2.3 MTOW (in metric tons)3 2,816,707 0.8 12,789,187 2.2 PAX/PAX-flight4 144.1 0.5 140.4 0.6 Seat load factor (%) 78.9 76.9 Punctuality rate (%) 68.0 74.3 Frankfurt Airport PAX share %5 PAX share %5 Regional Split Month YTD Continental 66.1 0.2 63.5 2.5 Germany 10.6 -0.1 11.0 0.3 Europe (excl. GER) 55.6 0.3 52.5 3.0 Western Europe 45.9 -0.9 43.5 2.1 Eastern Europe 9.6 6.5 9.0 7.5 Intercontinental 33.9 4.0 36.5 3.5 Africa 3.9 7.6 4.7 8.7 Middle East 4.2 -1.6 5.4 -1.2 North America 13.4 5.5 11.7 3.7 Central & South Amer. 2.8 -0.6 3.9 5.6 Far East 9.5 4.5 10.7 2.8 Australia 0.0 n.a. 0.0 n.a. Definitions: 1 According to ACI definition: Passengers: commercial traffic only (arr+dep+transit counted once), Cargo: commercial and non-commercial traffic (arr+dep excluding transit, in metric tons), Movements: commercial and non-commercial traffic (arr+dep), preliminary figures; 2 Commercial and non-commercial traffic: Passengers (arr+dep+transit counted once, incl. general aviation), Cargo (arr+dep+transit counted once, in metric tons), Movements (arr+dep); 3 Inbound traffic only; 4 Scheduled and charter traffic; 5 absolute change vs. previous year in % ; *Cargo = Freight + mail Fraport AG Torben Beckmann Telephone: +49 69 690 70553 Corporate Communications E-mail: [email protected] Media Relations Internet: www.fraport.com 60547 Frankfurt, Germany Facebook: www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport SOURCE Fraport AG Related Links http://fraport.com NEW YORK, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global X ETFs, the New York-based provider of exchange-traded funds, today announced the scheduled liquidation of two ETFs, the Global X | JPMorgan Efficiente Index ETF (NYSE Arca: EFFE) and the Global X | JPMorgan U.S. Sector Rotator Index ETF (NYSE Arca: SCTO) based on an ongoing review process of its product lineup to ensure it meets the evolving needs of its clients. Shareholders may sell their holdings in the Funds prior to the end of the trading day on Friday, July 5, 2019, and customary brokerage charges may apply to these transactions. The Funds will cease trading at the end of the trading day on Friday, July 5, 2019. The Funds will liquidate on or around Friday, July 12, 2019. Any person holding shares in the Funds as of the liquidation date will receive a cash distribution equal to the net asset value of their shares as of that date. Global X Management Company LLC, the adviser to the Funds, will bear all fees and expenses that may be incurred in connection with the liquidation of the Funds and the distribution of cash proceeds to investors, other than brokerage fees and other related expenses. The Funds represent less than 1% of the assets of Global X ETFs. ABOUT GLOBAL X ETFs Global X ETFs was founded in 2008 with the mission of listening to and empowering clients to invest wisely in unexplored and intelligent solutions. Our product lineup features more than 60 ETF strategies. While we are distinguished for our Thematic Growth, Income and International Access ETFs, we also offer Core, Commodity, Alpha and Risk Management funds to suit a wide range of investment objectives. Global X is a member of Mirae Asset Global Investments Group, a Seoul-based global enterprise which offers asset management expertise worldwide. Explore our ETFs, research and insights, and more at globalxfunds.com. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Funds. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. JPMorgan Indexes have been licensed for use by Global X Management Company, LLC. Global X Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold, or promoted by J.P.Morgan Securities LLC. nor does this company make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in the Global X Funds. Carefully consider the fund's investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the fund's full or summary prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-888-GX-FUND-1 (1.888.493.8631), or by visiting globalxfunds.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. Global X Management Company, LLC serves as an advisor to the Global X Funds. The Global X Funds are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co., which is not affiliated with Global X Management Company or any of its affiliates. SOURCE Global X Funds "I am honored to join Hennessy as their first official Prestige ambassador," says Henry Golding. "Similar to Hennessy, I have a passion for global exploration and an inherent curiosity to discover the rich diversity of the world. I look forward to the many exciting projects to come and taking my fans on this journey with me." The new collaboration will spotlight Hennessy's Prestige portfolio through the lens of discerning taste and travel, influenced by Golding's distinctively modern way of looking at the world. Within Hennessy's Rare Cognac Collection, the jewel in the crown is Paradis Imperial. The intimate evening also served as the unveiling of a new modern Paradis Imperial crystal decanter designed by artist Arik Levy. Working hand-in-hand with master crystal cutters, the striking vessel is a sensitive yet daring balance of curve and tension, with a faceted design that captures subtle variations in lighting to enhance the Cognac's golden color. Arik Levy also created a service ritual for even more precision in pouring, measuring and tasting, with elements inspired by tools used by Hennessy's Tasting Committee during its daily ritual. THE PARADIS IMPERIAL TRUNK & NOMAD CASE BY LOUIS VUITTON Hennessy is proud to unveil the Hennessy Paradis Imperial Trunk, a special creation realized by the master craftsmen at Louis Vuitton. Designed to hold four magnums, it features an unexpected trunk-within-a-trunk construction: a single-magnum travel case nestled within the body of the trunk. Thanks to this configuration, parties of up to 18 people may appreciate Hennessy Paradis Imperial together. HENNESSY PARADIS IMPERIAL Paradis Imperial defies preconceptions about aged Cognacs with its pale color and non-traditional taste, a commemoration and celebration of the time-honored art of selection, a method perfected by the Fillioux family of Master Blenders for eight successive generations. "Without my predecessors' passion and savoir-faire, Paradis Imperial would never have been possible," says Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, Hennessy's eighth-generation Master Blender. "Striving for the greatest precision possible is what inspires me most: I want to craft blends that are worthy of Hennessy's unique legacy." Selecting only eaux-de-vie of extreme finesse is a feat of such precision that, on average, in any given harvest, only 10 out of every 10,000 are deemed elegant enough to one day become part of Hennessy Paradis Imperial. The result is a contemporary blend of unexpected contrast and ethereal grace, with a dazzling golden hue unprecedented for eaux-de-vie of this age. Paradis Imperial is marked by a delicate yet persistent finish, characterized by crisp floral notes tinged with a smoky, spicy accent. As an ensemble, the decanter, trunk and service ritual embody a modern lifestyle and way of looking at the world; they reflect a contemporary quest for exceptional pieces especially crafted for sharing remarkable experiences. Now available nationwide, the new Hennessy Paradis Imperial decanter is priced at $3,000 (750ml). The Paradis Imperial Trunk and Nomad Case by Louis Vuitton are available for custom order, with pricing provided upon request at [email protected]. For more information, please visit Hennessy.com/US, YouTube.com/HennessyUS, Facebook.com/Hennessy or Instagram.com/HennessyUS. ABOUT ARIK LEVY: An artist, technician, photographer, designer and video artist, Levy is a talent of multi- disciplinary skills, and his work appears in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. Best known to the public for his sculptures such as his signature Rock pieces , installations, limited editions and design, Levy nevertheless feels "The world is about people, not objects." A native of Tel Aviv, Israel, and a graduate of the Art Center Europe in Switzerland, Levy has lived and worked in Japan. He currently works in his studio in Paris where his projects range from set design for dance and opera, to industrial design, public sculpture, complete environments that can be adapted for multiple uses, and bespoke creations for the Maison Hennessy. "Life is a system of signs and symbols," he says, "nothing is quite as it seems." ABOUT HENNESSY: The leader in Cognac, the Maison Hennessy has shined around the world with its exceptional blends for more than 250 years. Built on founder Richard Hennessy's spirit of conquest, the brand is present in more than 130 countries. Based in the heart of the Charente region, Hennessy is also a steadfast pillar of the regional economy, the standard-bearer for a sector rich in expertise. The House's success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born of a unique process of transmission from generation to generation. The first wine and spirits house to be certified ISO 14001, Hennessy unites its capacity for innovation and the support of all of its partners to protect this exceptional area. As the crown jewel of the LVMH Group, Hennessy is a major contributor to French international trade, with 99% of production sold in export, and a worldwide ambassador for the French art de vivre. Hennessy is imported and distributed in the U.S. by Moet Hennessy USA. Hennessy distills, ages and blends spanning a full range: Hennessy V.S, V.S.O.P Privilege, Hennessy Black, X.O, Prive, Paradis, Paradis Imperial and Richard Hennessy. Imported Cognac Hennessy 40% Alc./Vol. (80), 2019 Imported by Moet Hennessy USA, Inc., New York, NY SOURCE Hennessy RESTON, Va., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEMIA announced today the appointment of Sean Thompson as Head of Business Development and a member of the Executive Committee for the Identity & Security business in North America. Sean will be responsible for all sales and business development, capture and proposal activities. "I am very pleased to welcome Sean Thompson to IDEMIA. His outstanding track record of winning new business and his deep understanding of the Federal Government market will be instrumental in accelerating the growth of our business," said Ed Casey, Chief Executive Officer of IDEMIA's Identity & Security business in North America. Sean has over 26 years as a business development executive with extensive experience in the Federal Government sector. Prior to joining IDEMIA, Sean served as Regional Vice President, Sales for Unisys Corporation, a global information technology company. At Unisys, he led the Federal, Defense and Intelligence Sales group and the Capture and Proposals team to significantly increase the total value of new business. Additionally, Sean was Senior Vice President, Business Development and Capture at Sotera Defense Solutions, a national security technology company for Federal Government agencies, charged with ensuring the safety and security of the United States. Previously, he also held management positions in business development and operations at iGov, IBM and American Management Systems. Sean received his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from James Madison University and a Master of Science in Information Technology from the University of Virginia. "I am excited to join IDEMIA and help expand the business development capabilities and strengthen the company's leadership position in the market," said Thompson, "IDEMIA's nearly 60 years of partnerships with government agencies serve as a great foundation for future growth." About IDEMIA IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides trusted technology enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect, travel and vote), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets our identity whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients in the Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With 13,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter Press contacts Ryan Donough Burson, Cohn & Wolfe [email protected] SOURCE IDEMIA Related Links http://www.idemia.com ATLANTA, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Advisers, Inc., a subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ), announced today plans for tender offers for Invesco Dynamic Credit Opportunities Fund (NYSE: VTA), Invesco High Income Trust II (NYSE: VLT) and Invesco Senior Income Trust (NYSE: VVR) (each, a "Fund" and collectively, the "Funds"). Invesco Dynamic Credit Opportunities Fund's Board of Trustees has approved the commencement (subject to certain conditions) prior to January 1, 2020, of a cash tender offer for up to 15% of the Fund's outstanding common shares of beneficial interest at a price per share equal to 98.5% of the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") per share. Invesco High Income Trust II's Board of Trustees has approved the commencement (subject to certain conditions) prior to January 1, 2020, of a cash tender offer for up to 20% of the Fund's outstanding common shares of beneficial interest at a price per share equal to 98.5% of the Fund's NAV per share. Invesco Senior Income Trust's Board of Trustees has approved the commencement (subject to certain conditions) prior to January 1, 2020, of a cash tender offer for up to 15% of the Fund's outstanding common shares of beneficial interest at a price per share equal to 98.5% of the Fund's NAV per share. Each Fund will repurchase shares tendered and accepted in the respective tender offer in exchange for cash. In the event any tender offer is oversubscribed, shares will be repurchased on a pro rata basis. The commencement of the tender offers is pursuant to agreements between each Fund and Saba Capital Management, L.P. ("Saba") and certain associated parties. Pursuant to the agreements, Saba has agreed to be bound by certain standstill covenants. The Funds have been advised that Saba will file copies of the agreements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") as exhibits to its Schedule 13D. TENDER OFFER STATEMENT The above statements are not intended to constitute an offer to participate in the tender offers. Information about the tender offers, including their commencement, will be announced via future press releases. Shareholders will be notified in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, either by publication or mailing or both. The tender offers will be made only by an offer to purchase, a related letter of transmittal, and other documents to be filed with the SEC. Shareholders of the Funds should read the respective offer to purchase and tender offer statement and related exhibits when those documents are filed and become available, as they will contain important information about the tender offers. These and other filed documents will be available to investors for free both at the website of the SEC and from the Funds. For more information, call 1-800-341-2929. About Invesco Ltd. Invesco 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. Invesco Distributors, Inc. is the U.S. distributor for Invesco Ltd.'s retail products. Invesco Advisers, Inc. is an investment adviser; it provides investment advisory services to individual and institutional clients and does not sell securities. Each entity is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. Note: There is no assurance that a closed-end fund will achieve its investment objective. Common shares are bought on the secondary market and may trade at a discount or premium to NAV. Regular brokerage commissions apply. NOT FDIC INSURED l MAY LOSE VALUE l NO BANK GUARANTEE SOURCE Invesco Ltd. Related Links http://www.invesco.com BURLINGTON, Mass., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Before an audience of 200 technology and civic leaders at Boston's Seaport Hotel, the Massachusetts High Technology Council honored University of Massachusetts at Lowell Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney with its Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award, and hosted Governor Charlie Baker and Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy, III at its 2019 Annual Meeting on June 10. The Council's annual meeting is the Commonwealth's premier forum for leaders from business, government, and academia to convene, collaborate and advance initiatives that drive research, innovation, and the region's technology economy. Moloney, a national leader in innovation in higher education, was appointed Chancellor by the UMass Board of Trustees in 2015 and is the first woman to lead the university since its founding in 1894. Moloney was an early proponent of integrating entrepreneurial lessons and opportunities throughout campus life, and she was a pioneer in web-based learning and continuing education. The Stata Award was created by the Council in 2017 and is awarded from time to time to a technology leader who is currently active in Massachusetts and exhibits the key leadership qualities and commitment to philanthropy and civic engagement possessed and demonstrated by Massachusetts technology pioneer Ray Stata, the founder of Analog Devices and a co-founder of the High Tech Council. "It is an honor to be presented with the Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award. At UMass Lowell, we work every day to find ways to partner with industry. These collaborations provide hands-on learning opportunities for our students through co-ops and internships and enhance our faculty's research efforts. I know Ray Stata was an early and vocal champion of this united approach to lift up the Commonwealth and I am thankful to him and the Massachusetts High Technology Council for their continued advocacy and friendship," said UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, noting that inaugural Stata Award winner and outgoing Council Chairman Aron Ain, CEO of Kronos, Incorporated is one of the university's closest industry partners. Outgoing Council Chairman Ain noted that over the past 10 years, the Commonwealth has experienced a rarely-seen explosion of capital investment, wealth creation, and employment growth and encouraged attendees to join the Council in a concerted effort to further enhance the competitiveness of the Commonwealth's economic climate and expand its positive impacts on Massachusetts. Ain was the inaugural recipient of the Stata Award in 2017. "Working together, we will continue to move Massachusetts forward," said Ain. "As I pass the Council Chairmanship into the very able hands of Udit Batra, our focus remains the same: catalyzing growth and continuing to create economic opportunity and improving the quality of life for all Massachusetts citizens through research, advocacy and collaboration, specifically including impactful partnerships between private enterprise and the public sector." Incoming Council Chairman Udit Batra, Member of the Executive Board, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and CEO of the Life Science business, MilliporeSigma, and Council President Chris Anderson praised Ain for his leadership and recognized several key accomplishments the Council's members were able to achieve during his tenure including: Leading the successful legal strategy to prevent an unconstitutional income tax proposal from advancing; Adding a State Fiscal Stability Index to MATTERS, the Council's 50-state competitiveness dashboard, to dynamically measure and assess the Commonwealth's comparative and absolute fiscal stability; and Launching the Council's Women in Leadership Initiative for the Next Generation to leverage proven best practices to advance women into leadership roles throughout the Council's community of employers. Anderson urged the leaders of the Commonwealth's private economy to unite and collaborate with public officials to leverage the Commonwealth's advantages and economic momentum while avoiding complacency and policy missteps. "With a private economy whose strength is the envy of the nation," said Anderson, "now is the time to accelerate our economic momentum and capitalize on our advantages. We can avoid the negative fiscal and competitive consequences suffered by other states that have pursued misguided policies. Together, we will seek to strengthen and protect the conditions for investment, employment growth and a highly-ranked quality of life in Massachusetts." Meeting attendees enjoyed remarks from Governor Charlie Baker and a keynote address from Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy, III. The Governor recognized the Council's history of impact and current leadership on key issues. "For forty-two years, the Massachusetts High Tech Council has played an integral role advocating for the tech-based private economy and catalyzing public-private collaborations in ways that help enhance Massachusetts' economic competitiveness and expand opportunities for our citizens." said Governor Baker. "We look forward to the Council's leadership and guidance to ensure Massachusetts remains one of the most competitive states in the country, including through Council initiatives focused on improving the Commonwealth's transportation system, continuing to secure our fiscal health and stability, and advancing women in leadership roles throughout our innovation economy." Congressman Kennedy renewed his call for a moral capitalism. "Building a moral capitalism requires a private sector willing to be a force for good. Few industries are better positioned to rise to that challenge than our Commonwealth's tech sector. By working together with the Massachusetts High Tech Council, we can unlock an economy that is measured not just by how much it produces, but how broadly it empowers." Anderson also recognized the support of the 2019 Annual Meeting's Presenting Sponsors Eloxx Pharmaceuticals and Oasis Systems and Stata Award Presenting Sponsor MKS Instruments. In addition to electing Batra as Chairman, Council members elected Robert Reynolds, CEO of Putnam Investments as Vice Chairman and reelected Christopher Anderson as Council President; Jim Boyer (Executive Professor, Northeastern University) as Treasurer and Mike Kendall (Partner, Goodwin Procter) as Secretary. Members also elected Jane Steinmetz, Boston Office Managing Partner for EY to the Council's Executive Committee, re-elected 32 incumbent directors and elected the following 4 new directors at the Annual Meeting: Sam King , Chief Executive Officer, Veracode Douglas P. Robbins , Air Force Group Vice President, The MITRE Corporation Navjot Singh , Boston Office Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company Corey Thomas , President and CEO, Rapid7, Inc. About the Massachusetts High Technology Council www.mhtc.org The Massachusetts High Technology Council, Inc. is an organization of CEOs and senior executives representing technology companies, professional services firms, and research institutions who are dedicated to creating and sustaining conditions that support investment, job growth and improved quality of life in Massachusetts. Our members are growth-oriented, knowledgeintensive employers and institutions that develop, deliver and depend on technology products, services and innovations to advance their organizational objectivesa definition which covers just about all business enterprises in Massachusetts today. The Council advocates for the high technology economy in Massachusetts by providing members with opportunities to connect with peers, and by facilitating cooperative relationships and results-focused strategies among senior leaders from industry, finance, academia and government. Our mission is simple: to help make Massachusetts the world's most attractive place in which to live and work, and in which to create, operate, and grow high technology businesses. Founded in 1977, the Council has consistently led the development and implementation of strategies that impact the most important state, local and federal policy issues facing technology-focused organizations. The Council's lean-by-design staffing model ensures we are focused on policy issues that are most critical to CEOs and senior executives. SOURCE Massachusetts High Technology Council Related Links http://www.mhtc.org WASHINGTON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Press Club and its Journalism Institute condemn the murder of Mexican journalist Norma Sarabia Garduza and call on Mexican authorities to immediately and thoroughly investigate this cowardly assassination. She is the sixth journalist killed in Mexico this year. Sarabia, who covered crime and violence in Mexico's southeast state of Tabasco, was gunned down Tuesday in front of her home. We extend our deepest sympathies to Sarabia's loved ones. We applaud Mexican news reports that the Tabasco state attorney is taking measures to protect Sarabia's family. Her death comes less than a month since journalist Francisco Romero was found dead of gunshot wounds in the Yucatan beachtown Playa del Carmen. Reporters Without Borders ranks Mexico 144th out of 180 countries in its press freedom index. The mounting death toll of Mexican journalists comes as the National Press Club, Journalism Institute and other press freedom organizations have been working in the United States against the deportation of journalist Emilio Gutierrez Soto, who fled Mexico in 2008 amid threats from members of the Mexican military. Gutierrez had written stories about military corruption. A U.S. immigration judge in March denied Gutierrez' asylum claim, declaring that Gutierrez had been unable to show that he would be in danger if he returned to Mexico. Press contact: Jim Kuhnhenn, Press Freedom Fellow, National Press Club Journalism Institute, [email protected]. SOURCE National Press Club BRUSSELS, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new European Union (EU)-funded project aims to disrupt criminals trafficking wildlife in or via the EU using the internet, postal or fast parcel services. The project is implemented by a strong coalition gathering WWF, IFAW, INTERPOL, the Belgian Customs and TRAFFIC. The project is led by WWF Belgium, in affiliation with TRAFFIC. New EU initiative to counter surging wildlife cybercrime Illegally traded exotic turtles are still popular as pets in Europe. Martin Harvey - WWF Funded by the Internal Security Fund of the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, the two-year "Disrupting and dismantling wildlife cybercriminals and their networks in the European Union" project will help train customs, police and other enforcement officers across the EU to detect and deter wildlife trafficking. The project will also engage with delivery and online technology companies, to ensure wildlife traffickers do not exploit their services. "The increasing volume of parcel deliveries, linked to the growth of e-commerce, represents a significant challenge for those enforcing the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, who will benefit from the support provided through this project," said Emilie Van der Henst, the WWF/TRAFFIC Project Coordinator. The internet provides wildlife traffickers access to a vast international marketplaceone without borders that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, where wildlife cybercriminals exploit the anonymity afforded to them online. Detecting and disrupting wildlife cybercrime is a critical component to ensure the survival of endangered and threatened wild animals. More than 8000 specimens in just 6 weeks A 2018 International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) report, Disrupt: Wildlife Cybercrime, identified 3,312 advertisements spread across online marketplaces and social media platforms in France and Germany, cataloguing 8,244 endangered and threatened specimenseverything from ivory tusks and trinkets to rhino horn products, fur and skins from big cats, live birds and reptilesworth almost 2 million EUR over a six-week period. "This project will enable IFAW to continue our pioneering approach into online wildlife crime in the EU, working with our partners to create a network of experts to defeat a criminal network," said Tania McCrea-Steele, IFAW's Global Wildlife Cybercrime Project Lead. The wildlife cybercrime project will initially focus on Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, identifying information on trends and developing tools, which will be of use to other EU Member States. Alongside improved detection of wildlife trafficking, the project will work with online companies to remove accounts and advertisements of those offering wildlife illegally and make it harder for them to reach their customers online. "We aim to throw a big spanner in the operations of wildlife cybercriminals and make their activities a high-risk, low-profit form of criminality," said Emilie van der Henst, the WWF/TRAFFIC Project Coordinator. One of the largest illegal global trade Illicit trade in wildlife is estimated to be worth between 5-23 billion USD per year, making it one of the largest illegal global trade, after other transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and illegal logging, according to a 2017 Global Financial Integrity report. In 2015, a United Nations (UN) resolution recognised the broader impacts of wildlife crime, which include corruption, money laundering, the undermining of good governance, the rule of law and the well-being of local communities and called upon nations to take appropriate action. In 2016, the EU adopted the Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking and Member States made environmental crime one of their 10 priorities in their efforts to address serious international and organised crime for the period 20182021. Disclaimer The content of this press release represents the views of the authors only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains. LINKS [LINK: https://gfintegrity.org/report/transnational-crime-and-the-developing-world/] [LINK: https://www.traffic.org/news/environment-ministers-endorse-ambitious-eu-action-plan-to-address-wildlife-trafficking/] [LINK: https://www.traffic.org/news/eu-urged-to-consider-designating-environmental-crime-a-high-priority/] The Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online [LINK: https://www.endwildlifetraffickingonline.org/] Disrupt: Wildlife Cybercrime (2018) [LINK: https://www.ifaw.org/uk/news/disrupt-wildlife-cybercrime] [LINK: https://www.traffic.org/news/un-adopts-resolution-on-tackling-wildlife-trafficking/] Global Wildlife Cybercrime Action Plan, launched at 2018 London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference [LINK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/declaration-london-conference-on-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-2018/london-conference-on-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-october-2018-declaration-annex-english-only] About WWF WWF is one of the largest and most experienced independent conservation organizations in the world, active in more than 100 countries and with more than 5 million sympathizers worldwide. The mission of WWF is to leave the living generations after us a viable planet. WWF is committed to the conservation of species and their living environment: forests, wetlands and oceans. WWF also contributes to solutions for the pollution and waste of natural resources and climate change. More information on www.wwf.be. In Belgium, in the context of this project, WWF works in affiliation with TRAFFIC. TRAFFIC TRAFFIC is a leading non-governmental organisation working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development whose mission is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. More information at www.traffic.org. IFAW The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we're up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org. Interpol INTERPOL is the world's largest international police organization. Our role is to assist law enforcement agencies in our 194 member countries to combat all forms of transnational crime. We work to help police across the world meet the growing challenges of crime in the 21st century by providing a high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support. Our services include targeted training, expert investigative support, specialized databases and secure police communications channels. Belgian customs The Cybersquad of Belgian Customs was founded in 2013 to tackle the growing threat of Customs crimes on the Internet. The unit started working mainly on counterfeit products, but has now ventured into different areas of crime, including environmental crimes regulated by the CITES convention. We regularly coooperate with other cybercrime units of Customs authorities as part of the Customs @gainst Internet Crime working group as well as with international agencies like OLAF and Europol. The unit is composed of one Internet investigator and two forensic specialists. SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare Related Links http://www.ifaw.org At 9 am on June 1st, with the 4 rounds of drums and 9 bells, all the overseas Chinese stood in the sacrificial square of the Yao Mausoleum, and listened to the "Sacrifice of the Emperor Yao". After that, all the overseas Chinese and whole people bowed to the statue of Emperor Yao three times with great reverence. "I come from Russia, my ancestral hometown is Hongtong Dahuaishu of Shanxi. During this journey of Yaodu, we concern about our homeland and hope it become better and better," Qiao Xiangpeng, director of the International Cultural Exchange Association of Overseas Chinese and President of the Russian Shanxi Chamber of Commerce, said emotionally. "Emperor Yao built capital in Linfen where the Chinese civilization began. This visit to Linfen gives me a deeper sense of Shanxi culture and a deeper understanding of Yao culture. There will be a chance, being like a window for Shanxi culture to go out," said Dai Guoan, chairman of the Philippine Chinese association. Located in south central of Shanxi, the district can date back to over 4,300 years. It was the era of Emperor Yao, who is the ancestor of civilization. Yao had built capital here, created calendars and spread it to the whole country. Also, he delimited nine states, harmonized all nations, digged wells to promote farming and established suggestion boxes. Moreover, he governed the country democratically abdicating and handed over the crown to another person and civilized the populace. It is regarded as the beginning age of Chinese civilization, which is called "piping days of peace". According to historical records, from the beginning of the Western Jin Dynasty, every year on the 28th day of the fourth lunar month, there was a ceremony holding to sacrifice Yao at the place where Yao was born. Thousands of years, the inheritors of Emperor Yao have been flowing the best-known words on this land, and left many precious resources of culture and tourism. For instance, Yao Temple, Yao Mausoleum, Xian dong gou and the ancient residence of Emperor Yao. Image Attachments Links: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=338473 SOURCE The Organizing Committee of the 2nd Culture and Tourism Festival of Yaodu Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at the press conference. (Photo from CFP) Chinas Foreign Ministry on June 10th denied allegations that the Chinese government has threatened to retaliate against companies from the US and the UK over their decisions to cut supplies to Chinese telecom company Huawei, saying that Chinas door will open only wider to foreign businesses. Asked at a routine press briefing about a meeting between Chinese officials and several global technology companies, Geng Shuang, a spokesperson for the ministry, said that he did not have information about the specific situation but maintained that such meetings between regulators and businesses operating in China are normal. The New York Times reported on June 1st that Chinas National Development and Reform Commission, the countrys top economic planner, held meetings with major technology companies including Microsoft and Dell from the US, Samsung from South Korea and ARM holdings from the UK to warn them of dire consequences if they cooperate with the US administrations ban on Huawei. Geng said on June 10th that China continues to welcome foreign companies to invest in the Chinese market. Chinas door will only open wider to the outside world and we will strive to continuously improve investment and the business environment and create a more beneficial and friendly environment for foreign companies, he said. Are Chinese tourists a boon for local economies of countries they visit or a curse going by the attendant annoyance they bring? While tourism stakeholders around the world are vying for a pie of the Chinese tourist owing to their sheer number, their poor behaviour overseas has caught the worlds attention. There are also questions raised on how much Chinese tourists really contribute to the economy of the country they are visiting. Even though the Chinese tourists contribute the largest share of tourists to the Asia Pacific and to the global tourism industry than any other nation, claims of rude, uncivil and unhygienic behaviour by Chinese tourists are not unfounded. From wrecking coral to throwing rubbish into the sea, to vandalizing heritage and defecating in public, travelers from China have a lot to learn about etiquette in the countries they visit, says an article in Travel Wire Asia. Chinese tourists have made headlines internationally for incidents of misbehaviour, even prompting authorities in China to keep records of citizens doing anything illegal or inappropriate while in other countries. With countries like Sweden, it even led to a diplomatic face-off last year after a Chinese family was evicted from a hotel in Stockholm for what the hotel said over disagreement over arriving hours before the check-in time and not refusing to leave. After the Chinese tourists were removed from the hotel by Swedish police, the Chinese government reacted angrily and demanded action against the hotel from Swedish authorities. Image: A dramatic scene (screenshot) of the Chinese tourist family removed from a hotel in Stockholm by Swedish Police Things only worsened when weeks later a Swedish television programme aired a satirical video listing dos and donts for Chinese tourists, prompting China to call it racist and even going ahead to call an apology of Sweden over the same as "insincere" attempt. According to BBC, when the incident was later posted on Chinese social media, there were millions of views and mixed comments with some slamming the Swedish police for treating them harshly while many point out the family was unnecessarily "dramatic" as shown on the social media footage of the family. In response, the Chinese government has made efforts to improve the image of the Chinese people projected by its millions of tourists in overseas destinationsmost famously by introducing a blacklist for tourists who have proven to have behaved exceptionally poorly. Even the government and the CTNA (Chinese Tourism National Association) want Chinese tourists to correct their behaviour. Things reached a state where Japan wants to create specific zones only dedicated to Chinese tourists Wang Yang, one of China's four deputy prime ministers, told The Guardian that while other countries had welcomed Chinese tourists, the quality of some travellers was not high. He said: "They speak loudly in public, carve characters on tourist attractions, cross the road when the traffic lights are still red, spit anywhere and [carry out] some other uncivilised behaviour. It damages the image of the Chinese people and has a very bad impact." Switzerland, for example, considers them loud and rude, going as far as introducing separate trains for Chinese tourists. The notice, published in a local newspaper, also includes an illustration instructing tourists to sit on toilet seats rather than to squat on them, media reports said. According to Travel Wire Asia, in 2013, a 15-year-old defaced a 3,5000-year-old Egyptian artifact at a temple in Egypt, writing, Ding Jinhao was here. "A year later, a Thai AirAsia flight bound for Nanjing, China was forced to return to Bangkok after an unruly Chinese passenger threw scalding hot water on a flight attendant. "In 2016, Chinese tourists, armed with selfie sticks, appeared on Japanese TV clambering over Japans national symbol, the sakura (cherry blossom) tree, in an attempt to 'get the best shot', the article says. In another incident, a kangaroo was killed in captive and another injured at Fuzhou Zoo in Fujian Province when Chinese zoo-goers attempted to make it jump. The visitors had thrown rocks at the animals that were in a fenced enclosure, said media reports. Thailands Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has sought help from its Chinese counterpart to warn Chinese tourists to behave while visiting Thailand. The Hokkaido government in Japan has issued a booklet on bad manners aimed at Chinese visitors. Outbound Chinese tourism has grown its global footprint in the recent years and so countries and destinations around the world are eager to attract them, till some hard truths come out. According to a Bloomberg article, overwhelmingly, they come from a smartphone-addicted generation that is rewriting the rules. "The ubiquitous flag-following Chinese tour groups are giving way to what the industry calls FITs - free, independent travellers - who are using the internet to plan itineraries, book flights, translate signs and chronicle their exploits," the article says. However more isnt always better. Poorly designed and/or implemented policies can result in a tourism influx that produces negative dividend, even as the number of Chinese visitors skyrockets. The chief reason for this lack of revenue depends on how much Chinese tourists are spending and where they are spending it. Chinese tourists have a reputation to be small spenders and much to the frustration of tour operators, that local firms receive little revenue. Chinese tourists book tours through a Chinese tourist agency and pay through Chinese banks. They use Chinese payment apps like Alipay and WeChat, according to the media reports. These tourists either bring food with them from home or often eat at Chinese-owned restaurants because of agreements between the tour operators and owners, and the operators buy rooms in bulk at lower prices, according to media reports. In short, for the most part, foreign businesses arent cut out of this peculiar revenue stream. Moreover, the majority of revenue circulation is never even converted into the local currencies of the destination countries, thanks in part to E-payment platforms like WeChat Pay and Ali Pay which bypasses the taxing system of the country they visit. Nepal is one country which in fact banned payment apps WeChat Pay and AliPay saying it does not help them in earning revenue and results in a loss of income. The Nepal Rastra Bank said: "Any digital transaction made with unregistered foreign payment system like WeChat Pay and AliPay is illegal," Niroula told Reuters. "Anyone using such platforms can be punished." Thailand has been one of the most prominent examples of suffering from Chinese tourists and the country has gone to great lengths in combating so-called zero-dollar tours, that contribute little or nothing to the Thai economy, but put strain on transportation infrastructure and lead to crowded streets, according to Jing Travel. Vietnam too has attempted to address the cutting out of Vietnamese operators and businesses from Chinese tours, it said. According to South China Morning Post, in Hong Kong, tensions have risen against Chinese tourists and spilled into furious name-calling in 2014. It said anger reached boiling point earlier that year when a mainland couple allowed their two-year-old to defecate on a Hong Kong street. Mocking the mainlanders, a group of Hong Kong protesters sat on yellow plastic poos in a crowded mall. According to these media reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping at one point urged his countrymen to behave overseas. "Do not leave water bottles everywhere. Do not damage coral reefs. Eat less instant noodles and more local seafood," Xi advised during an official visit to the Maldives in 2014. In the Indian Ocean island nation, whose economy relies heavily on tourism and receives substantial Chinese, some luxury resorts had earlier stopped providing Chinese guests with hot water to stop those skipping meals in favour of cup noodles, triggering anger and calls for a boycott on China's social media. While in many countries now, just because of sheer number China is a focus country to woo tourists, the baggage they come with far offsets the benefits of quantity. As a woman offering her house for homestay in Scotland's Isle of Skye tells an Indian tourist: "Indians are far, far ahead in terms of civilized behaviour and depth. China despite all its state-regulated economic development has a long, long way to catch up with an Indian abroad." (Compiled by Suryodoy Mandal) PHILADELPHIA, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced 22 early-career researchers who have been selected to join the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. These promising scientists will receive four years of funding to invest in exploratory research to advance human health and tackle some of biomedicine's most challenging questions. "Pew is steadfastly committed to supporting talented researchers working to unveil the mechanisms of biology and disease," said Rebecca W. Rimel, Pew's president and CEO. "Investing in these scholars at the beginning stages of their careers, when financial resources may be limited, can help drive significant scientific discoveries." The 2019 class of scholarsall of whom hold assistant professor positionsare new members of an active community of nearly 1,000 scientists who have received awards from Pew beginning in 1985. Current scholars come together annually to share their research and gain insights from peers working in other fields. "Pew's continued investment in scientific discovery allows promising researchers to explore new and creative ways to answer some of the most pressing questions surrounding human health and disease," said Craig C. Mello, Ph.D., a 1995 Pew scholar, 2006 Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine, and chair of the national advisory committee for the scholars program. "I'm confident that this new class of scientists will leverage these resources and help shape the future of groundbreaking biomedical research." The 2019 class of scholars was chosen from 178 applicants who were nominated by leading academic institutions and researchers across the United States. This year's class includes scientists investigating connections between embryos and their mothers, why only certain species of ticks act as carriers of Lyme disease, and how the brain stores sensory information, among other questions. Five members of the 2019 class, who were selected for their commitment to investigating health challenges in the brain as it ages, will receive awards with support from the Kathryn W. Davis Peace by Pieces Fund. The 22 2019 Pew scholars in the biomedical sciences are: Victoria Abraira, Ph.D. Rutgers University Dr. Abraira will explore the neural circuits involved in processing and responding to touch. Frank Albert, Ph.D. University of Minnesota Dr. Albert will investigate how genetic variations translate into the differences that make each of us unique. Rudy Behnia, Ph.D. Columbia University Dr. Behnia will explore how fruit flies fine-tune their visual representations of the world as they navigate their surroundings. Gira Bhabha, Ph.D. New York University Dr. Bhabha will explore how the parasite microsporidia deploys a unique mechanism to invade animal cells. Alan Brown, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School Dr. Brown will examine the transport system that establishes the pathway needed to transmit light signals to the eye. Eliezer Calo, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dr. Calo will explore how defects in the assembly of ribosomes can lead to childhood disorders that affect different bodily tissues. Seemay Chou, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco Dr. Chou will investigate why only certain tick species act as carriers of Lyme disease. Lillian Fritz-Laylin, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst Dr. Fritz-Laylin will explore how cells can repurpose the actin protein network to perform different tasks. Kelley Harris, Ph.D. University of Washington Dr. Harris will explore why individuals accumulate mutations at different rates and in different genetic locations. Mazen Kheirbek, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco Dr. Kheirbek will explore how sensory stimuli are represented in the brain, and how they may trigger the recall of salient memories. Philip Kranzusch, Ph.D. Dana Farber Cancer Institute Dr. Kranzusch will investigate how small RNA molecules can activate an immune response to pathogens or cancer. Kyle Loh, Ph.D. Stanford University Dr. Loh will explore new strategies to replace an animal's immune system and organs using embryonic stem cells. Marta Luksza, Ph.D. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Dr. Luksza will explore how immune interactions drive the evolution of cancers and viruses. John Maciejowski, Ph.D. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Dr. Maciejowski will probe the mechanisms that drive chromosomal rearrangements associated with tumor progression. Jeffrey Moffitt, Ph.D. Boston Children's Hospital Dr. Moffitt will develop imaging methods to map interactions between intestinal microbes and their hosts. Noah Palm, Ph.D. Yale University Dr. Palm will identify the compounds, produced by gut microbes, that are recognized by human cells. Arthur Prindle, Ph.D. Northwestern University Dr. Prindle will study the signals that prompt bacteria to leave their protective communities and strike out on their own. Caroline Runyan, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh Dr. Runyan will identify the neural circuits that control the flow of information to the brain. Aaron Streets, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley Dr. Streets will explore how obesity leads to unhealthy changes in the cellular, molecular, and structural composition of adipose tissue. Geetu Tuteja, Ph.D. Iowa State University Dr. Tuteja will study genetic networks that help to establish a healthy connection between embryos and their mothers. John Tuthill, Ph.D. University of Washington School of Medicine Dr. Tuthill will investigate how animals sense the position of their limbs and use spatial information to coordinate their locomotion. Xin Zhang, Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University Dr. Zhang will explore how misfolded proteins form aggregates in cells and ways to prevent aggregates from accumulating. The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org. Erin Davis, 202-540-6677, [email protected] SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts Related Links http://pewtrusts.org PHILADELPHIA, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 2019 class members of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences. The 10 postdoctoral fellows from six Latin American countriesArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexicowill receive two years of funding to conduct research in laboratories in the United States, where they will work under the mentorship of prominent biomedical scientists, including members of the Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences. "Scientific exploration and discovery should be a global pursuit," said Rebecca W. Rimel, Pew's president and CEO. "Pew is pleased to support these exceptional fellows from Latin America, who are dedicated to advancing biomedical research and expanding scientific expertise in their home countries." Research interests in the 2019 class include how immune cells in the gut distinguish infectious microbes from healthy bacteria, how the brain interprets and responds appropriately to sound, and the molecular strategies infectious bacteria use to invade plant hosts. Notably, fellows who choose to return to Latin America to launch their own research labs will receive additional funding from Pew. Approximately 70 percent of participants have pursued this path, with many now leading groundbreaking research efforts throughout the region. "The 2019 class of fellows is composed of promising, dedicated, and passionate researchers who have the ability to chart new scientific courses in Latin America," said Eva Nogales, Ph.D., professor in the department of biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology at the University of California, Berkeley and chair of the Pew program's national advisory committee. "I look forward to seeing where their innovative research interests lead." The 2019 Pew Latin American fellows and their U.S. mentors are: Daniel Almeida-Filho, Ph.D. Laboratory of Alcino J. Silva, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles Dr. Almeida-Filho will explore how navigational information is encoded in brain regions associated with spatial memory. Maria Cecilia Campos Canesso, Ph.D. Laboratory of Gabriel D. Victora, Ph.D., 2019 Pew-Stewart scholar The Rockefeller University Dr. Campos Canesso will investigate how immune cells in the intestine decide whether to promote tolerance or incite an inflammatory response. Jose Duhart, Ph.D. Laboratory of Kyunghee Koh, Ph.D. Thomas Jefferson University Dr. Duhart will explore the brain regions of animals that help balance reproductive behavior and sleep. Maria Florencia Ercoli, Ph.D. Laboratory of Pamela C. Ronald, Ph.D. University of California, Davis Dr. Ercoli will uncover the molecular strategies that infectious bacteria use to invade plants. Carmen Hernandez Candia, Ph.D. Laboratory of Chandra Tucker, Ph.D. University of Colorado, Denver Dr. Hernandez Candia will explore how the formation of different types of cellular aggregates influences protein activity. Esteban Orellana Vinueza, Ph.D. Laboratory of Richard I. Gregory, Ph.D., 2008 Pew biomedical scholar Boston Children's Hospital Dr. Orellana Vinueza will investigate whether changes in the chemical modification of RNA molecules play a role in the development of human cancers. Fausto Andres Ortiz-Morea, Ph.D. Laboratory of Libo Shan, Ph.D. Texas A&M University Dr. Ortiz-Morea will explore how plants integrate and execute an immune response against invading pathogens. Izabella A. Pena, Ph.D. Laboratory of David M. Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D., 2003 Pew biomedical scholar Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pena will explore how cells calibrate their growth, metabolism, and proliferation based on nutrient availability. Bernardo Pinto, Ph.D. Laboratory of Francisco Bezanilla, Ph.D. University of Chicago Dr. Pinto will investigate how nerve cells produce proteins they need to support electrical activity and chemical signaling in their axons. Lucas Vattino, Ph.D. Laboratory of Anne E. Takesian, Ph.D. Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School Dr. Vattino will explore the neural circuitry that allows the brain to interpret and respond appropriately to sound. The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org. Erin Davis, 202-540-6677, [email protected] SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts Related Links http://www.pewtrusts.org DENVER, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With court rulings now extending ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility requirements to the digital space, savvy shopping center operators are embracing the opportunities compliance opens: In the U.S., annual discretionary spending of people with disabilities is over $200 billion*, according to John Dee, president of PlaceWise, a digital service provider to the shopping industry for more than 20 years. John Dee, President -Placewise Digital Although ADA Title III website accessibility lawsuits tripled in 2018, Dee views the pressure on shopping centers to provide digital accessibility on their websites and apps in a positive light. "In addition to enjoying a larger audience, shopping centers that take steps to ensure their digital channels are ADA compliant will find themselves well-positioned on three fronts. First, they are simply doing the right thing. They are also mitigating the risk of non-compliance. And, finally, by extending the convenience and accessibility of their brick-and-mortar centers to their digital presence, shopping centers are creating a positive experience for shoppers of all abilities regardless of where they engageat the brick-and-mortar center or on its digital channels," states Dee. "The industry is very familiar with ADA compliance as it relates to physical barriers. With all of us being more reliant on the Internet and our phones, digital compliance is a natural extension of the physical shopping center. Shopping center operators are beginning to take steps to educate themselves and move toward compliance for all of their digital assets," says Dee. On June 19, beginning at 12 p.m. CDT, PlaceWise will present a webinar "What You Need to Know About Digital ADA Compliance." The webinar examines the potential impact on shopping center websites and mobile apps, and resources to achieve compliance. Jon Bomberger, an attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels who specializes in digital ADA compliance, will join Dee in the June 19 webinar. The webinar will cover: How to bring shopping center websites into compliance How ADA compliance could apply to centers' mobile apps Resources center operators can tap into to assess their current level of compliance The 30-minute webinar includes ample time for Q&A. In addition to the free webinar, PlaceWise has created a full range of resources available for free download from its website. These include a white paper, "ADA Title III and the Shopping Center Website," that covers the issue in detail, a podcast "What You Need to Know About Digital ADA Compliance," and a "Quick Tips" flyer. Webinar registration is available at placewise.com/webinar PlaceWise Digital is the leading provider of digital services to the shopping center industry. Established in 1998, the company delivers over 200 million digital engagements annually, enabling unique data-driven insights and connecting local shoppers to over 800 shopping center clients throughout North America. We Make Shopping Better. *Source: https://www.w3.org/WAI/business-case/ "The Business Case for Digital Accessibility" Contact: Stephanie Shriver-Engdahl Phone: (703) 795-0958 Email: [email protected] Related Files ADATitleIIICompliance_whitepaper.pdf adabrochure.pdf Related Images john-dee-president-placewise.jpg John Dee, President -Placewise Digital John Dee, President -Placewise Digital jon-bomberger-partner-faegre-baker.jpg Jon Bomberger, Partner -Faegre Baker Daniels Jon Bomberger, Partner -Faegre Baker Daniels chart-of-ada-website-accessibility.png Chart of ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuits Filed in Federal Court 2016 thru 2018 Chart of ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuits Filed in Federal Court 2016 thru 2018 Related Links Placewise Website Placewise ADA Resource Page SOURCE PlaceWise Digital Related Links https://www.placewise.com CHICAGO, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Pressure Sensor Market by Product (Absolute, Differential, Gauge, Vacuum, and Sealed), Technology (Piezoresistive, Capacitive, Electromagnetic, Resonant), Application (Automotive, Medical, Industrial, Utilities) and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets, was valued at USD 7.88 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach at USD 11.30 billion in 2023 with a growing CAGR of 5.27% during the forecast period. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=871 Pressure Sensor: A sensor is a device that measures the changes in the physical quantity or environmental characteristics of any material and converts them into signals, which, in turn, serve as inputs for controlling the device. A pressure sensor typically measures the pressure of a variety of gases and liquids. It usually acts as a transducer that generates an electric signal due to applied pressure. The objectives of the report includes forecast of the pressure sensor market size in terms of Product (Absolute, Differential, Gauge, Vacuum, and Sealed), Technology (Piezoresistive, Capacitive, Electromagnetic, Resonant), Application (Automotive, Medical, Industrial, Utilities) and Geography The market for differential pressure sensors to grow at the highest CAGR during 20172023 Differential pressure sensors measure the difference between the pressures of two process connected to each side of the sensor. These sensors have two pressure ports with tubes or threaded connections to measure the difference. Differential pressure sensors are used to measure properties such as pressure drops across oil filters or air filters, fluid levels, or flow rates. The market for differential pressure sensors is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The piezoresistive technology based pressure sensors to grow at the highest rate during forecast period. Piezoresistive pressure sensors are also known as strain gauge pressure sensors as they detect the strain applied on a strain gauge or piezoresistive material. The piezoresistive material changes its resistance to the current when compressed or when force is applied to it. Piezoresistive sensors use semiconductor substrate to provide accurate sensing value of the resistance. The piezoresistive pressure sensing technology is suitable for measuring absolute, gauge, vacuum, and differential pressures. Among all the major technologies of pressure sensors market, piezoresistive technology is expected to grow with the highest CAGR during forecast period. Asia-Pacific to hold a major share of the presssure sensor market in 2017 Asia-Pacific is expected to dominate the pressure sensor market during the forecast period. This high growth is mainly attributed to the rising production of motor vehicles in India, China, Japan, and South Korea, which is expected to significantly contribute to the market growth in Asia Pacific. This region is currently witnessing significantly growing consumption of pressure sensors for various applications. The main industries in APAC include automotive, process industries, healthcare, petrochemical, oil & gas, and consumer electronics, which are expected to show high growth in the future. Browse and in-depth TOC on "Pressure Sensor Market" 67 Tables 68 Figures 149 Pages Request Sample pages of the Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=871 Honeywell (US), ABB (Switzerland), NXP Semiconductors (Netherland), Infineon Technologies (Germany), Emerson Electric (US), General Electric (US), Siemens (Germany), STMicroelectronics (Switzerland), and Robert Bosch (Germany) are some of the major companies dominating the pressure sensors market. Please Explore Relevant Reports: Temperature Sensor Market by Product Type (Bimetallic, Thermistor, IC, RTD, Thermocouple, IR, Fiber Optic), End-User Industry (Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023 Level Sensor Market by Technology (Contact ( Magnetostrictive, Vibratory Probe), and Noncontact (Ultrasonic, Optical)), Monitoring Type (Continuous Level Monitoring, and Point Level Monitoring), End-Use Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Shelly Singh MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/pressure-sensor-market.asp Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com SOURCE MarketsandMarkets Both Rooter Hero's corporate headquarters in Mission Hills and their South Bay office are collecting food, personal items, cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils and other general supplies. These items will be delivered via Rooter Hero vans to the Ronald McDonald House on June 21. After delivering the donations, Rooter Hero corporate staff and other personnel will receive a guided tour of the Ronald McDonald House. "Rooter Hero has been a tremendous community partner," said Ronald McDonald House Director of Development Melissa Malone. "Their sterling reputation for customer service is well-earned in the LA area, and we are grateful for their desire to help these families through our organization." To learn more about how you can help Rooter Hero gather donations for the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, please visit https://rooterhero.com/ or call 844-219-2215. About Rooter Hero Since 2011, Rooter Hero has been committed to providing the best in plumbing and drain services. With more than 90 years of plumbing heritage, the Rooter Hero team prides themselves on creating a memorable experience for each customer. The company provides solutions for both residential and commercial needs and offers 24/7 emergency service. Now operating in 16 convenient locations throughout California and Arizona, Rooter Hero is offering extended Service Hero options such as HVAC service and installation in select areas. For more information, please visit https://rooterhero.com/ or call 844-219-2215. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE Rooter Hero ZUG, Switzerland, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- ODEM, the premier blockchain-based education marketplace, is joining with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, Canada, to grant digital diplomas to more than 4,800 graduating students. SAIT's Class of 2019 will receive the blockchain-based documents along with their traditional parchments. ODEM The virtual diplomas will enable graduates to directly share their academic achievements with recruiters and potential employers around the world without requesting their paper or electronic records from SAIT. Blockchain technology features a decentralized digital ledger to cryptographically assure the security and authenticity of recipient-controlled credentials. "Education is one of life's most valuable assets," said ODEM Chief Executive Officer Richard Maaghul. "We believe that students should have control over their own records, and blockchain technology makes that possible." The partnership with SAIT began as a successful pilot project in December on the Ethereum blockchain to test the issuance of digital diplomas. The pilot included 25 graduates from the Pre-Employment Automotive Service Technician program -- the first Canadian post-secondary graduates to receive their academic credentials on a blockchain. This month's SAIT convocation marks the largest-ever graduating class at a Canadian higher-education institution to be issued blockchain-based diplomas. "SAIT graduates are well-positioned for success with employers in today's rapidly changing digital landscape," said Dr. David Ross, SAIT's president and CEO. "By making valued SAIT credentials accessible through blockchain, our graduates and employers will continue to benefit from this innovative technology that's responsive, authentic and widely accessible." Blockchain technology extends a significant benefit to employers as well; the validity of academic credentials can be easily and efficiently verified. Background checks become instant confirmation of blockchain records, ensuring against fraudulent education claims. "We're delighted to play a role in empowering SAIT graduates to own their education over a lifetime of learning," said ODEM's Maaghul. "By working together, we've only just begun to explore how blockchain technology can make education more accessible, affordable, transferable and verifiable." About ODEM ODEM (On-Demand Education Marketplace) is a platform for seeking and providing education and employment. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, it offers a variety of courses and the opportunity to earn credentials, showcase skills and connect with employers. The Ethereum blockchain is a distributed, public network that secures data records. Passionate about higher learning, ODEM is working to make education and employment more affordable, accessible, verifiable and transferable. ODEM Media Contact: Ashley Chen Director of Marketing [email protected] / [email protected] Related Images image1.png Related Links ODEM homepage SOURCE ODEM MINNEAPOLIS, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholarship America, the nation's leading nonprofit scholarship and educational support organization, has been named one of the Top 150 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com/topworkplaces2019, and will also be published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section on Sunday, June 16. Scholarship America Produced by the same team that compiles the 28-year-old Star Tribune 100 report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction. The analysis included responses from over 140,000 employees at Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations. The rankings in the Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces are based on survey information collected by Energage, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention. Scholarship America ranked #36 on the midsize company list. "This recognition is an honor and a testament to the outstanding culture our Scholarship America team has built," said Robert C. Ballard, president and CEO of Scholarship America. "We are passionate about student success, and that passion comes through in our work every day." Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, "The companies in the Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies." To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Over 2,000 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses. About Scholarship America Scholarship America is a non-profit organization that helps students fulfill their college dreams. Since 1958, Scholarship America has distributed $4.2 billion to more than 2.5 million students. The organization works with partners to lower barriers to a college education and give students the support needed to succeed. Learn more at scholarshipamerica.org. Contact: Joan Cronson at 952.830.7308 or [email protected] SOURCE Scholarship America Related Links http://www.scholarshipamerica.org RESTON, Va., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sequoia Holdings LLC., a leading provider of software engineering solutions for the defense and intelligence communities, announced the next major release of the Combine platform with the launch of Combine 6.0 for Amazon Web Services. For the first time, companies can easily enable successful cloud adoption and application migrations for classified and Department of Defense "air-gapped" cloud regions, through targeted automation and orchestration services. Combine 6.0 empowers thousands of users and drives enterprise-level value for U.S. government-sponsored organizations. "Combine 6.0 for AWS is the most advanced release of the Combine platform," said Stephen Mouring, Sequoia's chief technical officer. "Our customers can now standardize and accelerate the development and integration of new technologies with speed, accuracy, and security." In addition to supporting enterprise-level licenses for the first time, Combine 6.0 for AWS allows customers to independently manage their users and proactively engage with automated migration techniques and region-specific recommendations and error remediation. This latest release includes revamped compliance tools and reporting capabilities; proprietary targeted automation techniques that use artificial intelligence; and an enhanced user interface. Since its launch in 2013, Sequoia's Combine suite has offered users a highly secure and automated cloud adoption platform with custom and cost-effective cloud orchestration services for government "air-gapped" classified regions. Combine currently supports AWS Secret and AWS Top Secret regions, as well as Department of Defense community cloud regions. "Combine 6.0 offers companies the ability to develop and migrate software assets quickly, to deliver better business value, and to continuously improve performance for their mission-level partners," said T. Richard Stroupe, Jr., CEO of Sequoia. "We're proud of the results we've achieved for existing users -- and are excited for the innovation and acceleration our latest release will provide to both new and existing customers." About Sequoia Sequoia is an award-winning, employee-owned provider of high-end software development and engineering services centered on improving the analysis, collection, collaboration and sharing of data. Sequoia provides engineering and cloud orchestration solutions to the national security sector, including the U.S. intelligence community, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. For more information, visit www.sequoiainc.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Micah Ezekiel (202) 471-4228 ext. 118 [email protected] SOURCE Sequoia Holdings LLC. Related Links http://www.sequoiainc.com CHENGDU, China, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On the morning of June 12, 2019 Chengdu GIEF City Opportunity List Release Conference, hosted by Chengdu Municipal People's Government, was held in the transaction hall of the first pavilion in the Conference and Exhibition Center of Chengdu Century City. The activity took "Focus on Chengdu and Link the World" as its theme and aimed at promoting and supporting the development of enterprises. Through the publication of the City Opportunity List, the application scenes, development opportunities and project cooperation turned into sensible and accessible city cooperation opportunities, which was beneficial for both cities and enterprises to seize the chances of global development and cooperation in time. Background: Re-Understanding of the Application Scenarios Since 2017, Chengdu has set developing a new economy to foster a new economic driving force as a key strategy for urban development and takes the lead in proposing an urban scene theory and forming gradually a series of new initiatives and new ideas around the "application scenario supply" to gather innovation wisdom, encourage entrepreneurial behavior, and stimulate creativity so as to facilitate the further liberation and development of social productive forces, and provide a continuous source of endogenous motivation and innovation for quality sustainable and healthy development of Chengdu. Constructing diversified urban application scenarios has become a new logic to promote the development of new economy. The scenario has three functions: The first is connection empowerment. Through the integration of offline and online scenes, dynamic matching of supply and demand can be improved. In addition, the service capabilities and competitiveness of enterprises can be enhanced due to the rapid feedback and network synergy. The second is cross-border symbiosis, which can break industrial boundaries, realize aggregation and sharing, mutual penetration and cross-border integration of various resources in the scene, and therefore promote the transition from survival competition to symbiotic development among enterprises. The third is to hatch and settle, which can provide a healthy market environment for innovation, offer enterprises proper commercial value to meet the needs of users and urban development, and promote the incubation of technological achievements. Nowadays, Chengdu is accelerating the construction of a city that fully reflects the new development concept, and that promotes the construction of a national central city, an international hub city, a beautiful livable park city, and a global cultural city. It also has released a large number of needs and opportunities to achieve an organic link between commercial development and city opportunities. In March this year, Chengdu first unleashed the first City Opportunity List, focusing on "7 application scenes + N expanded scenes", and changing the application scenes into sensible, visual and accessible city opportunities from the dimensions of planning and layout, infrastructure construction, resource factors supply, public products (services) and solutions. Additionally, Chengdu will actively release public resource elements with the method of setting projects, index and inventories, reducing bottlenecks such as unsatisfactory efficiency of scenarios supply, poor docking of supply and demand, and fragmentation of information, providing enterprises with new technologies, new organizations, new industries, and new practice of business mode, new chance of integration of innovation, which will in turn inject new momentum into economic growth. The "City Opportunities List" released this time will further link the future of new economy and urban development needs, providing global investors, enterprises and talents with access and opportunities in their development in Chengdu, and constantly inspiring the vitality, innovation and in-born power of urban development. Speciality: Opportunity List and Re-Empowerment The city opportunity list is a derivative of the series of new economic theory and the transformation of achievements of Chengdu, and is another innovative practice to promote the landing of the scene. After the release of the first round of city opportunity list, Chengdu New Economic Commission took the initiative to draw on the opinions and suggestions from the whole society, grasp the new opportunities of the new era and fuel the potential progress to be made by the List, continue to optimize the classification of the List, and promote the change from unilateral drive of the government into two-way supply of government and market, and from a closed-in one to an open source sharing one. The upgraded version of the List enhances (expands) the following important functions. First, create application scenarios and improve demonstration and promotion, to rely on the List to build application scenarios, support enterprises to provide innovative products and services to build new urban scenes, select mature application scenarios to demonstrate and promote, and drive the penetration of cutting-edge technologies, innovative products, and emerging formats in urban production, daily life and governance. Second, improve the docking mechanism and strengthen the precision service, to focus on the specific supply and demand information of the List and to achieve accurate matching of government resources and enterprise needs, efficient docking, and continuous optimization of government services through product (service) supply and demand matchmaking meeting, negotiation meeting, brand recommendation meeting and "Internet+" service in order to create a good business environment fro the main bodies in the market. Third, link to global development and serve to open to the outside world. The Belt and Road Initiative has reshaped China's opening-up pattern, and Chengdu has jumped from a "hinterland" to an "open frontier". The release of the List this time invited 20 cities from 11 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Norway, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong to participate. As a bridge link to the world, more outstanding companies will have an insight into global development opportunities in Chengdu, the "city of opportunity". Fourth, highlight the role of "backbone" and promote regional synergy. The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Provincial Committee of the Provincial Committee made a strategic plan of "one backbone with many sub-branches, five-zone synergy". As a "main" city that leads the development of Sichuan, Chengdu actively plays a role in radiating other places, and actively connects the city (state) to create complementary advantages and cooperation,and create win-win cooperative community. Chengdu invited three cities, Deyang, Meishan and Ziyang, to jointly publish the List, to show the blueprint for the development of brother cities through the stage of Chengdu, and promote and deepen the cooperation between "core" and "body" in reform linkage, innovation coordination, and service sharing. Content: Re-Construction of City Opportunity The List published this time uses the logic of the scene to sort out the development opportunities of Chengdu and international friendship cities and brother cities, and encourage and guide outstanding enterprises to realize value and achieve development in the process of economic globalization. Compared with the former list, this one has achieved "two expansions". First, it expands the scope of the subject. It not only adds in the special section of the eastern new city in Chengdu, but also aggregated the urban development opportunities of international cities(regions) and brother cities in the province. Second, it expands supply and demand information. This time, a total of 764 pieces of supply and demand information is released, 314 more than the first one, including 5 aspects of enterprise such as collaboration and marketing. The latest list serves for national strategic pattern, focusing on the substantial economy, rural revitalization, smart city, green and low carbon and other eight application scenarios and releasing 499 opportunities information. Among them, there are 365 demand information, involving 116 sub-divisions such as TOD comprehensive development and Tianfu Citizen Cloud, including: 150 of infrastructure construction demand information, releasing financing demand of more than 120 billion RMB yuan; planning preparation and solution demand information totaling 91 pieces, 40 pieces of elemental demand information, involving talents, capital, and technology; 84 of other demand information such as product services and enterprise collaboration, covering almost all aspects of production, life and urban governance. 134 pieces of information on supply information, including e-commerce, intelligent manufacturing, medical health and other sub-divisions, providing 10 public service platform information, 32 dual-generation carrier information, 26 investment service directories, and 66 enterprise product (service) directories. The second list highlights the development features of Chengdu, focusing on three application scenarios of the eastern new city, park city and three cities and three capitals, and releases 152 pieces of opportunity information, including 131 pieces of demand information, involving the smart driving demonstration line of Jianzhou New City New Economic Industrial Park and other 47 sub-segments, including: 58 pieces of infrastructure construction demand information, releasing financing demand of more than 110 billion RMB yuan; 15 pieces of product service, major activity demand information; 11 pieces of talent, capital, technology and other factors demand information; planning and preparation, solutions and other requirements information 32 pieces. 21 pieces of information on public service platforms, dual-creation carriers, directory of investment services, and lists of enterprise products (services). The second city opportunity list assists regional coordinated development, and concentrated on 74 pieces of opportunities information in the brother cities of Deyang, Meishan and Ziyang. Among them, there are 67 pieces of infrastructure information, 7 on public service platform, enterprise products(supply) list of supply information, including 8 sub-application scenarios such as smart city and cultural tourism. The second list links to global economic development, bringing together 39 pieces of opportunity information from 20 international cities (regions), including 19 on corporate collaborations, solutions, and other information, 20 on public service platforms, corporate product(services) information on supply, including traditional economically developed cities such as Hong Kong, China and London, and fast-growing emerging cities such as Rhodes in Poland and Tel Aviv in Israel. Chengdu: A Rising "Opportunity City" for New Economy The "City Opportunity List" is a derivative and transformation of the theory of Chengdu Municipal Committee and Municipal Government on the development of new economy and the cultivation of new driving forces. It is another institutional innovation in Chengdu to explore new economic development and promote the implementation of the scene. In order to share the List with more cities, the Government's portal website (www.chengdu.gov.cn) has opened a column of the city opportunity list release hall to update the information online for the whole world. People can also pay attention to the official website of Chengdu New Economic Committee and the official WeChat public channel. Chengdu will take the lead of the times with a more open and inclusive attitude. It is committed to shaping the List into an international, diversified and platformized urban brand, linking global development opportunities, deepening urban exchanges and cooperation, promoting enterprise innovation and development, and striving to build a new global urban opportunity distribution center and new economic innovation source, to create a cooperative and exchange core of the community with shared future for mankind. SOURCE Chengdu Municipal Peoples Government VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunniva Inc. ("Sunniva", the "Company", "we", "our" or "us") (CSE:SNN) (OTCQB:SNNVF), a North American provider of cannabis products and services is pleased to announce the voting results from its Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders held on June 12, 2019. A total of 16,195,196 common shares, representing approximately 42% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares, were voted in connection with the meeting. Shareholders voted in favour of all items of business put forth by way of show of hands. The votes for the election of directors per the proxies received were as follows: Directors % of Shares Voted For % of Shares Voted Withheld/Abstain Dr. Anthony F. Holler 99.51 0.49 Ian Webb 99.47 0.53 Todd R. Patrick 99.21 0.79 Luke Stanton 99.42 0.58 Norm Mayr 99.43 0.57 Michael Barker 94.99 5.01 For more information on Sunniva please visit www.sunniva.com . Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About Sunniva, Inc. Sunniva, through its subsidiaries, is a vertically integrated cannabis company operating in the world's two largest cannabis markets California and Canada. In Canada, Sunniva's wholly owned subsidiary NHS operates medical cannabis clinics that provide educational and clinical services to patients. In California, Sunniva is focused on creating sustainable premium cannabis brands supported by our large-scale, purpose-built cGMP designed greenhouse and extraction facilities. We offer a steadfast commitment to safety and quality assurance providing cannabis products free from pesticides, which positions Sunniva in California as a leading provider of safe, high quality, reproducible products at scale. Through production from Phase One of our strategically positioned 325,000 square foot high technology greenhouse which is nearing completion and our fully operational Extraction Facility in California, we are launching Sunniva branded products in various product categories and price points including flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges and premium concentrates. Sunniva branded products will be showcased within our flagship dispensary to be located at the greenhouse and our in-house marketing and distribution team will strive to ensure the placement of Sunniva branded products at licensed dispensaries throughout the state. Sunniva's management and board of directors have a proven track record for creating significant shareholder value both in the healthcare and biotech industries. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, statements regarding Sunniva's operations and growth opportunities, Sunniva's plans to launch Sunniva-branded products in various product categories including high quality distillate, premium concentrates, vape cartridges, flower, pre-rolls, and beverages, which will be showcased within Sunniva's flagship dispensary, the placement of Sunniva-branded products at licensed dispensaries throughout California, are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risk factors included in the Sunniva's continuous disclosure documents available on www.sedar.com. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Although Sunniva has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. Sunniva assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new information or for any other reason except as required by law. Company Contacts: Sunniva Inc. Dr. Anthony Holler Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Phone: (866) 786-6482 Sunniva Investor Contact: Sunniva Media Contact: Phil Carlson / Erika Kay Katelyn Tumino / Tony Forde KCSA Strategic Communications KCSA Strategic Communications Phone: (212) 896-1233 Phone: (212) 896-1252 Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Email: [email protected] / [email protected] SOURCE Sunniva Inc. Related Links http://www.sunniva.com VANCOUVER, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO; NYSE American: TGB) ("Taseko" or the "Company") today announced the voting results from its 2019 Annual General Meeting held Thursday, June 13, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Additionally, the Company announces the following executive management appointments, which are effective immediately. Stuart McDonald, currently Taseko's Chief Financial Officer, will become President of the Company and Russell Hallbauer will remain as Chief Executive Officer. Bryce Hamming, currently Director of Corporate Finance, has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and Richard Tremblay, currently the VP and General Manager of Taseko's Gibraltar Mine will become Vice President, Operations. Russell Hallbauer, CEO of Taseko commented, "Stuart has been with the Company for six years and over that time has been taking on more responsibilities preparing him to take on the role of President, as the Company embarks on its next stage of growth. Having successfully led the bond refinancing in 2017 and other finance and corporate development initiatives, he is well suited for raising the necessary capital to allow the Company to move forward with our growth strategy. Bryce, whose career has included corporate finance roles in mining and similar industries as well as banking, will also be an important part of the management team going forward." Mr. Hallbauer continued, "Our operational strength at head office will be enhanced with the addition of Richard who has 30 years of experience in mining operations, with a strong background in open pit mines in B.C., Ontario and Quebec. Along with John McManus, our Chief Operating Officer, we have the necessary skills and experience to advance our projects through to becoming operating assets." A total of 165,137,949 common shares were voted at the Annual General Meeting, representing 67.1% of the votes attached to all outstanding common shares. Shareholders voted in favour of all items of business before the meeting, including the election of all director nominees as follows: Director % of Votes in Favour Anu Dhir 96.5% Robert Dickinson 95.2% Russell Hallbauer 96.4% Alexander Morrison 96.7% Richard Mundie 96.7% Kenneth Pickering 96.5% Ronald Thiessen 95.3% Detailed voting results for the 2018 Annual General Meeting are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Russell Hallbauer Chief Executive Officer No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the information contained in this news release. CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This document contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward looking statements") that were based on Taseko's expectations, estimates and projections as of the dates as of which those statements were made. Any statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, believes, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "outlook", "anticipate", "project", "target", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "should" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These included but are not limited to: uncertainties and costs related to the Company's exploration and development activities, such as those associated with continuity of mineralization or determining whether mineral resources or reserves exist on a property; uncertainties related to the accuracy of our estimates of mineral reserves, mineral resources, production rates and timing of production, future production and future cash and total costs of production and milling; uncertainties related to feasibility studies that provide estimates of expected or anticipated costs, expenditures and economic returns from a mining project; uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary title, licenses and permits for development projects and project delays due to third party opposition; our ability to comply with the extensive governmental regulation to which our business is subject; uncertainties related to unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings; changes in, and the effects of, the laws, regulations and government policies affecting our exploration and development activities and mining operations, particularly laws, regulations and policies; changes in general economic conditions, the financial markets and in the demand and market price for copper, gold and other minerals and commodities, such as diesel fuel, steel, concrete, electricity and other forms of energy, mining equipment, and fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly with respect to the value of the U.S. dollar and Canadian dollar, and the continued availability of capital and financing; the effects of forward selling instruments to protect against fluctuations in copper prices and exchange rate movements and the risks of counterparty defaults, and mark to market risk; the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover mining risks; the risk of loss of key employees; the risk of changes in accounting policies and methods we use to report our financial condition, including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates; environmental issues and liabilities associated with mining including processing and stock piling ore; labour strikes, work stoppages, or other interruptions to, or difficulties in, the employment of labour in markets in which we operate mines, or environmental hazards, industrial accidents, equipment failure or other events or occurrences, including third party interference that interrupt the production of minerals in our mines; the availability of, and uncertainties relating to the development of, infrastructure necessary for the development of our projects; our reliance upon key personnel; and uncertainties relating to increased competition and conditions in the mining capital markets. For further information on Taseko, investors should review the Company's annual Form 40-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission www.sec.gov and home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com, including the "Risk Factors" included in our Annual Information Form. SOURCE Taseko Mines Limited Related Links www.tasekomines.com NINGBO, China, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The first China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair was held in Ningbo, China from June 8th to 12th. Delegates from Slovakia, Lithuania, Croatia, and other CEEC (Central & Eastern European Countries) participated in the Expo. Over 2,000 domestic and overseas guests attended the Expo, including government officials, international organizations, multinational corporations, research institutions, exhibitors and investors. Compared with previous years, products and services displayed in the Fair were of greater diversity and quantity. Besides featured foods and daily consumer goods, high-tech products including gliders, helicopters, automobiles and smart machines were displayed this year. Over 3,500 buyers and investors from all over the world shuttled back and forth between booths, introducing their products and inquiring about the price and quality. Deals were frequently made. It was the first year since the China-CEEC Expo has been upgraded to a national level. Besides the Goods Fair, main activities of the Expo included the China-CEEC Cooperation Forum, the International Consumer Goods Fair, the 5th China-CEEC Investment Cooperation Meeting, the 4th China-CEEC Customs Inspection and Quarantine Dialogue, and the 6th China-CEEC Business Association Cooperation Conference. Following the principle of "Consultation, Contribution and Shared Benefits", guests had extensive discussions on issues such as the BRI long term growth, investment and cooperation, trade facilitation, and imports expansion. Recent years have witnessed Ningbo's efforts on building a "16+1" economic and trade cooperation zone. Ningbo has hosted the China-CEEC Investment and Trade Expo for four consecutive years. In 2017, the first China-CEEC economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone was launched in Ningbo. This year, Ningbo hosted the first China-CEEC Expo, demonstrating that Ningbo has opened China-CEEC economic and trade channels that have become a driver for Ningbo's contribution to China-CEEC cultural exchange and tourism cooperation. Based on the investment and trade Expo, Ningbo has held the China (Ningbo)-CEEC Tourism Cooperation Conference and the "Thousand-tourist visiting Central and Eastern Europe" travel activities for three consecutive years, continuing to deepen the multilateral cooperation between Ningbo, China and Central and Eastern Europe. As the China-CEEC Expo becomes a golden business card for Ningbo, the city will further integrate its cultural tourism development into the BRI national strategy, and develop itself into an important platform for China to deepen cooperation with the rest of the world. SOURCE China-CEEC Expo NEW YORK, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Market Overview The global permanent magnet motor market was valued at USD 31.03 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach USD 52.8 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 9.42% during the forecast period (2019-2024). Permanent magnet motors have seen a significant rise in their adoption over the years, due to their high efficiency and throughput. This trend is expected to follow over the coming years, owing to product differentiation and innovations supported by market incumbents. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5778468/?utm_source=PRN -Due to lack of direct contact between stator and rotor, PMM has been identified to provide higher efficiency and speed, in comparison to conventional ACIM. Due to this, it is now being deployed in various end-user industries and by multiple companies, worldwide. Lower operating temperatures of PMM also reduce wear and tear, and minimize maintenance requirements, making it a suitable replacement for conventional motors. PMM motors have been integrated into different industries for years, owing to their extended bearing and insulation life, robust construction, and to enable a trouble-free operation in harsh environments. -The earth metals used in PMM are rare-earth magnets, like neodymium and samarium-cobalt magnets. These metals are considered to be incredibly strong with magnetic fields exceeding 1.4 tesla, when compared to 0.5 to 1.0 tesla for ferrite or ceramic magnets. Although, these rare-earth metals find applications in different products, the overall availability of rare-earth metals has been limited, due to their distinct geochemical properties. Scope of the Report A permanent magnet motor is a type of brushless electric motor that uses permanent magnets rather than winding in the field. Permanent magnet motors are more efficient than traditional induction motors or motors with field windings, for certain high-efficiency applications, such as electric vehicles. Key Market Trends Energy Segment to Hold Significant Share -The two fastest-growing means of producing electricity are the solar and wind energy sectors. According to Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), 2016 was another strong year for the global wind industry, with annual installations reaching more than 50 GW. It did not match the record-breaking installations witnessed in 2015, when the annual market crossed the 60 GW mark for the first time. -In 2016, new investments in clean energy fell to USD 287.5 billion, 18% lower, when compared to the record investment of USD 348.5 billion, in 2015. According to BNEF, Asia-Pacific (specifically China) alone accounted for USD 135 billion or almost 47% of the total global investments in clean energy, during 2016. -The global production at the end of 2016 was 486.8 GW, representing a cumulative market growth of more than 12%. The 23.4 GW in new installations, in China, powered this growth. Overall, the global wind power industry installed 54.6 GW, in 2016. North America to Witness Significant Growth -The United States established a new renewable energy milestone in 2017. For the first time, wind and solar energy accounted for a significant portion of all electricity generation, with wind comprising 8%, and solar coming in at 2%. -However, hydroelectric power still held the dominant share in the region. -In 2016, US wind installations totaled over 82 GW. Wind surpassed traditional hydropower generation to become the largest source of renewable electric power. -In Canada, around 700 MW of new wind capacity was installed, and with a total of 12 GW installed capacity, became the eighth-largest market, globally. -The increasing market demand spurred greater diversification within the sector in the United States, in 2016, with over 31 models on the market from 18 different brands, including the RE100 members, General Motors, and BMW. This is expected to boost the growth of the PMM market. Competitive Landscape The market is moderately competitive. Market incumbents can gain an advantage to garner larger market share with innovations and investments in R&D. The intensity of competitive rivalry is expected to further increase, owing to increasing levels of market penetration and deployment of powerful competitive strategies by market players. Some of the key players are Rockwell Automation, Siemens, and ABB. Some of the new and recent developments in the market are as follows: -ABB was awarded a contract with Swedish energy company, Malarenergi, to develop "smart city solutions". Malarenergi provides a broad range of essential services for Vasteras's 150,000 residents and businesses. The utility operates hydropower plants, the local power grid, a waste-to-energy plant, heating and cooling networks, water, and wastewater treatment plants, a water distribution network, and a fiber-optic network. -Rockwell Automation helped Irving Consumer Products, a Canadian-based manufacturer, to automate its Georgia plant. The scope of the project includes low- and medium-voltage motors, as well as a complete portfolio of integral services and support throughout the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed in 2019. Reasons to Purchase this report: - The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format - Report customization as per the client's requirements - 3 months of analyst support Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5778468/?utm_source=PRN About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904 Website: www.reportbuyer.com SOURCE ReportBuyer Related Links http://www.reportbuyer.com PARIS, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenAirlines received today the Paris Air Forum Trophy 2019 and announced a partnership with Transavia at the PARIS AIR FORUM organized by La Tribune and gathering major players in the aerospace industry. Transavia and OpenAirlines, the leading global provider of fuel efficiency solutions signed an agreement on Friday, June 14th. Transavia becomes the research and development partner for SkyBreathe OnBoard, a real-time eco-flying solution that provides live guidance to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions during the flight. Building on the significant fuel savings and emission reduction of SkyBreathe Fuel Efficiency, which launch airline was also Transavia, in 2013, both companies are taking their partnership a step further to reduce aviation carbon footprint by implementing SkyBreathe OnBoard, a State-Of-The-Art fuel-saving application for the cockpit. Complementing SkyBreathe Fuel Efficiency, which provides recommendations before and after the flight, SkyBreathe OnBoard is a connected Electronic Flight Bag application, that uses Big Data and Artificial intelligence to detect fuel saving opportunities during the flight. Based on its recognized expertise in developing fuel efficiency and flight operations solutions for airlines, OpenAirlines manages the SkyBreathe OnBoard product development, while Transavia contributes to the definition of the solution, its validation, and the in-flight test campaign. "Transavia has always taken ambitious steps to reduce the environmental impact from aviation. Innovation and smart digital technology from SkyBreathe OnBoard will allow us to eke out every possible operating fuel saving by making adjustments on the go. We are looking forward to launching this innovative solution with the full support of our pilots and achieving the additional benefits for the environment." Commented Emmanuel Cachia, VP Flight Operations at Transavia. "With SkyBreathe On Board, we give the right tool to the pilots at the time they need it the most - during the flight so, they can maximize fuel efficiency in real time. This partnership is very exciting for both organizations. Transavia was the first airline to implement SkyBreathe and we look forward to our continued collaboration, which will not only help launch important new technology, but more importantly, will continue inspiring change in the way airlines operate to reduce the impact of aviation on the planet," added Alexandre Feray, OpenAirlines CEO. More than 30 airlines are already using SkyBreathe software, and this number is growing every month, all of them could adopt SkyBreathe OnBoard in the future, with the perspective to double their fuel-saving capabilities. About OpenAirlines OpenAirlines is an international software company based in Toulouse. Leveraging a team of airline specialists and data scientists, OpenAirlines offers innovative solutions to help airlines save fuel and reduce CO 2 emissions (SkyBreathe), manage crews (CrewIntelligence) and operations (OCC Intelligence). About Transavia Transavia, the low-cost airline of the AIR FRANCE KLM Group, operates scheduled and charter flights out of France (Orly, Nantes and Lyon) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Groningen) to more than 109 destinations, primarily in Europe and Northern Africa. With over 14.8 million passengers carried in 2018, Transavia is today the leading low-cost carrier out of Orly airport and the second out of the Paris area (Beauvais, Roissy, Orly). In order to continuously ensure customer satisfaction, Transavia focuses on the quality of its services and the friendliness of its crews. In 2017, this allowed it to be voted for the second time in arrow "Best European low-cost Airline "by Flight Report, a website specializing in airline rankings, and to be declared "Best Brand 2018" by French magazine 'Capital', in the 'Transports Low Cost Carriers' category. In 2019, Transavia have been rewarded for it quality of services online with the trophy Qualiweb 2019 in Tourism and Transport category. SOURCE OpenAirlines RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 12th 2019, 4.6 million of spectators around the world were inspired by the images of Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya Resort in Mexico via the CBS long standing show, The Amazing Race. Contestants Tyler Oakley and Korey Kuhl finished first in the Croatia leg of the race that took place in the majestic harbor of the historic Split town and in front of the Adriatic Sea, host Phil Keoghan announced that they had won an amazing trip to this world class hotel. Valentin Imperial Maya sprawling pool and lush vegetation Over 2 kms of private beach grace this exclusive resort The prize includes a 7-night stay at the arrestingly beautiful Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya Resort in their Imperial Privilege Suite and a number of experiences specially crafted for the Amazing Race winners by their private concierge. Tyler and Korey will be free to explore Riviera's nearly 100 miles of coastline with beautiful white-sand beaches and brilliant turquoise colored waters, enjoy the experience of Cirque du Soleil's "Joya" show, savor a 7-course private dinner by the beach and luxuriate with our exclusive spa treatments. The Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya Resort is nested at the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, home to mangroves and lagoons, ancient Mayan cities, ecological reserves and along the World's second biggest coral reef. The 540-room hotel is built on a grand old world 'hacienda' style, sprawling 330 acres of lush jungle and a beach over 2 kilometers long, it has 7 a la carte restaurants and the biggest outdoor pool in the Riviera. The resort is Earthcheck Silver certified. The Codola-Bonet family, owners, said, "Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya Resort will be glad to welcome Tyler and Korey in a destination that will be a proper fit for these intrepid winners. Our beautiful resort, dedicated staff and the cultural richness of our destination will make their experience, one to remember." The Amazing Race has been aired by CBS since 2001 and is into its 31st Season. The Show typically gets over 6 million viewers each season. Valentin Hotel Group it's a family owned hotel company based in Mallorca (Spain), that operates +2,500 rooms and 11 hotels in Spain and Mexico. Media Contact Hortensia Garcia Director of Marketing & Communications Valentin Hotel Group [email protected] Mob: +1 650 544 4341 www.valentinhotelgroup.com SOURCE Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya Related Links http://www.valentinhotelgroup.com New Delhi, June 14 : Indian intelligence agencies are probing a deep-rooted nexus involving underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and a London-based former Colonel of the Bangladesh army. The agencies suspect that the Bangladeshi army officer, allegedly involved in gun running, has links with Dawood Ibrahim's underworld activities operating from India's eastern borders. What prompted the intelligence agencies to probe the nexus between Dawood and the Bangladeshi army officer was a report published in a leading British daily recently. On May 25, British newspaper The Sunday Times, in an exclusive report, revealed that a former Colonel Md Shahid Uddin Khan had been charged with funding terror groups, arms dealing and money laundering offences in Bangladesh. According to the British newspaper, the former Colonel has political links in Britain and had funded an MP. Sources said that the former Bangladeshi Colonel migrated to London in 2009 under mysterious circumstances. He is said to have had business operations in Dubai as well as in Britain. As per the latest dossier on the Dawood Ibrahim gang, the D company is involved in smuggling Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and contraband narcotics. The illegal activities are being operated from Nepal and Bangladesh. Recently the role of a Pakistan Embassy official in Nepal had come to light in connection with a huge seizure of FICN at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Dawood Ibrahim's associate Yunus Ansari and three Pakistani nationals were arrested by the Nepal Police in the FICN racket busted on a tip-off by Indian agencies. Sources said that as of now Indian intelligence agencies were probing the nexus between D company and the former Bangladeshi Colonel relating to fake currency and arms dealing. One of the houses of the former Bangladeshi Colonel in Dhaka was raided in January 2019 by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Bangladesh police. Incriminating documents are said to have been found from ex-Colonel's place in the raids. IANS made several attempts to approach Md Shahid Uddin in London, but could not make contact with him till the filing of the story. On the other hand, British journalist Tom Harper, the Home Affairs correspondent for The Sunday Times, who exposed the role of the colonel in his exclusive story, has said in one of his tweets that former Colonel (Md Shahid Uddin) Khan had bought two houses with alleged laundered money, was charged after counter-terror police found arms, fake currency and Jehadist material from his home in Bangladesh. The British journalist, in another tweet, revealed that the Colonel denied allegations about terror funding and said that he was being framed by the Bangladeshi government. (Deepak Sharma can be contacted at deepak.s@ians.in) Tokyo, June 14 : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked Iranian leaders during his Tehran visit to release American captives detained by the country, at the request of US President Donald Trump, Kyodo News Agency quoted a Japanese government source as saying on Friday. At least four Americans, including a Navy veteran who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, are being detained in the Iran. Abe is believed to have requested the releases during his talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, the source told Kyodo News Agency. Their response remains unknown. Abe visited Iran as the first Japanese leader to do so in 41 years in hope of serving as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, with tensions having flared in recent weeks and concern growing about possible inadvertent military clashes in the region. But Iran said on Thursday that it will not negotiate with the US, rejecting Abe's bid to broker dialogue between the two foes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The Japanese Prime Minister admitted the road to easing tensions in the region amid the standoff between Iran and the US will be rough but Tokyo will continue to work toward achieving peace and stability. Bhubaneswar, June 14 : Medicos in Odisha have extended support to the agitating doctors in Kolkata thus joining the nationwide hospitals' stir in solidarity. Students of the SCB Medical College and Hospital and the members of the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) took out a march in Cuttack on Thursday to protest against the brutal assault on fellow medicos of West Bengal. Over 500 resident doctors, junior and interns of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar started a day-long strike on Friday, though emergency services at the premier health institute remained unaffected. The Residents' Doctor Association, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar said they were saddened about the heinous attack on fellow medicos. "Physical violence along with government apathy is unacceptable for any individual in the country. The repeated acts of barbarism have propelled pan-India strike and support to our young brothers and sisters, who constitute the biggest man power to any government health institute," the Association said in a press statement. Colombo, June 14 : Five terror suspects who were arrested in Dubai in connection with the April 21 Easter Sunday suicide attacks, were brought back to Sri Lanka from Saudi Arabia on Friday, police said. The police said that a special Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team had left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to bring back the suspects, reports the Daily Mirror. The suspects were detained in Dubai following the attacks across the island nation, majority in capital Colombo, that claimed the lives of over 250 people. Besides being a suspect in the April 21 attacks, initial police investigations have revealed that Mohamed Milhan, alias Abu Seelan, was responsible for the killing of two police constables at a checkpoint in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa on November 30, 2018. Kolkata, June 14 : Amid the ongoing post-poll violence in West Bengal, a woman BJP leader was allegedly shot dead in North 24 Parganas district, state BJP sources said on Friday. "Saraswati Das (42), an active BJP worker from Amlani gram panchayat in North 24 Parganas district's Hannibal, was allegedly murdered by Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters on Thursday evening. She was shot in the head, " a BJP leader said. Das' blood-soaked body was recovered from her residence on Thursday evening, police said. "The death was caused by a bullet injury. We are investigating if the woman had any political or personal rivalry," police added. No one has been arrested yet. The 24 Parganas district has been on the boil since last Saturday, when at least three people were killed in violent clashes between TMC and BJP workers in Sandeshkhali. The BJP alleges that two of its workers were shot dead by TMC-backed goons. Americas Legacy of Regime Change By Stephen Kinzer Covert Regime Change: Americas Secret Cold War by Lindsey A. ORourke (Cornell University Press, 2018); 330 pages. June 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - For most of history, seizing another country or territory was a straightforward proposition. You assembled an army and ordered it to invade. Combat determined the victor. The toll in death and suffering was usually horrific, but it was all done in the open. That is how Alexander overran Persia and how countless conquerors since have bent weaker nations to their will. Invasion is the old-fashioned way. When the United States joined the race for empire at the end of the 19th century, that was the tactic it used. It sent a large expeditionary force to the Philippines to crush an independence movement, ultimately killing some 200,000 Filipinos. At the other end of the carnage spectrum, it seized Guam without the loss of a single life and Puerto Rico with few casualties. Every time, though, U.S. victory was the result of superior military power. In the few cases when the United States failed, as in its attempt to defend a client regime by suppressing Augusto Cesar Sandinos nationalist rebellion in Nicaragua during the 1920s and 30s, the failure was also the product of military confrontation. For the United States, as for all warlike nations, military power has traditionally been the decisive factor determining whether it wins or loses its campaigns to capture or subdue other countries. World War II was the climax of that bloody history. After that war, however, something important changed. The United States no longer felt free to land troops on every foreign shore that was ruled by a government it disliked or considered threatening. Suddenly there was a new constraint: the Red Army. If American troops invaded a country and overthrew its government, the Soviets might respond in kind. Combat between American and Soviet forces could easily escalate into nuclear holocaust, so it had to be avoided at all costs. Yet during the Cold War, the United States remained determined to shape the world according to its liking perhaps more determined than ever. The United States needed a new weapon. The search led to covert action. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter A news agency During World War II the United States used a covert agency, the Office of Strategic Services, to carry out clandestine actions across Europe and Asia. As soon as the war ended, to the shock of many OSS agents, Harry Truman abolished it. He believed there was no need for such an agency during peacetime. In 1947 he changed his mind and signed the National Security Act, under which the Central Intelligence Agency was established. That marked the beginning of a new era. Covert action replaced overt action as the principal means of projecting American power around the world. Truman later insisted that he had intended the CIA to serve as a kind of private global news service. It was not intended as a Cloak & Dagger Outfit! he wrote. It was intended merely as a center for keeping the President informed on what was going on in the world [not] to act as a spy organization. That was never the intention when it was organized. Nonetheless he did not hesitate to use the new CIA for covert action. Its first major campaign, aimed at influencing the 1948 Italian election to ensure that pro-American Christian Democrats would defeat their Communist rivals, was vast in scale and ultimately successful setting the pattern for CIA intervention in every Italian election for the next two decades. Yet Truman drew the line at covert action to overthrow governments. The CIAs covert-action chief, Allen Dulles, twice proposed such projects. In both cases, the target he chose was a government that had inflicted harm on corporations that he and his brother, John Foster Dulles, had represented during their years as partners at the globally powerful Wall Street law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell. In 1952 he proposed that the CIA overthrow President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala, whose government was carrying out land reform that affected the interests of United Fruit. By one account, State Department officials hit the roof when they heard his proposal, and the diplomat David Bruce told him that the Department disapproves of the entire deal. Then Dulles proposed an operation to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh of Iran, who had nationalized his countrys oil industry. Secretary of State Dean Acheson flatly rejected it. White House resistance to covert regime-change operations dissolved when Dwight Eisenhower succeeded Truman at the beginning of 1953. Part of the new administrations enthusiasm came from Allen Dulles, Washingtons most relentless advocate of such operations, whom Eisenhower named to head the CIA. The fact that he named Dulless brother as secretary of State ensured that covert operations would have all the necessary diplomatic cover from the State Department. During the Dulles brothers long careers at Sullivan & Cromwell, they had not only learned the techniques of covert regime change but practiced them. They were masters at marshaling hidden power in the service of their corporate clients overseas. Now they could do the same with all the worldwide resources of the CIA. It was not only the Dulles brothers, however, who brought the United States into the regime-change era in the early 1950s. Eisenhower himself was a fervent advocate of covert action. Officially his defense and security policy, which he called the New Look, rested on two foundations, a smaller army and an increased nuclear arsenal. In reality, the New Look had a third foundation: covert action. Eisenhower may have been the last president to believe that no one would ever discover what he sent the CIA to do. With a soldiers commitment to keeping secrets, he never admitted that he had ordered covert regime-change operations, much less explained why he favored them. He would, however, have had at least two reasons. Since Eisenhower had commanded Allied forces in Europe during World War II, he was aware of the role that covert operations such as breaking Nazi codes had played in the war victory something few other people knew at the time. That would have given him an appreciation for how important and effective such operations could be. His second reason was even more powerful. In Europe he had had the grim responsibility of sending thousands of young men out to die. That must have weighed on him. He saw covert action as a kind of peace project. After all, if the CIA could overthrow a government with the loss of just a few lives, wasnt that preferable to war? Like most Americans, Eisenhower saw a world of threats. He also understood that the threat of nuclear war made overt invasions all but unthinkable. Covert action was his answer. Within a year and a half of his inauguration, the CIA had deposed the governments of both Guatemala and Iran. It went on to other regime-change operations from Albania to Cuba to Indonesia. Successive presidents followed his lead. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States was once again free to launch direct military invasions. When it found a leader it didnt like such as Saddam Hussein or Muammar Qaddafi it deposed him not through covert action, but by returning to the approach it had used before World War II: the force of arms. Covert efforts to overthrow governments have hardly ceased, as any Iranian or Venezuelan could attest. The era when covert action was Americas principal weapon in world affairs, however, is over. That makes this a good time to look back. Metrics for covert action Books about the Cold War heyday of covert action era are a mini-genre. Lindsey A. ORourkes contribution is especially valuable. Unlike many other books built around accounts of CIA plots, Covert Regime Change takes a scholarly and quantitative approach. It provides charts, graphs, and data sets. Meticulous analysis makes this not the quickest read of any book on the subject, but certainly one of the best informed. Chapters on the disastrous effort to overthrow communist rule in Eastern Europe, which cost the lives of hundreds of deceived partisans, and on the covert-action aspects of Americas doomed campaign in Vietnam are especially trenchant. ORourke identifies three kinds of covert operations that are aimed at securing perceived friends in power and keeping perceived enemies out: offensive operations to overthrow governments, preventive operations aimed at preserving the status quo, and hegemonic operations aimed at keeping a foreign nation subservient. From 1947 to 1989, by her count, the United States launched 64 covert regime-change operations, while using the overt tool war just six times. She traces the motivations behind these operations, the means by which they were carried out, and their effects. Her text is based on meticulous analysis of individual operations. Some other books about covert action are rip-roaring yarns. This one injects a dose of rigorous analysis into a debate that is often based on emotion. That rigor lends credence to her conclusions: When policymakers want to conduct an operation that they know violates international norms, they simply conduct it covertly to hide their involvement. Covert missions typically have lower potential costs than their overt counterparts, but they are also less likely to succeed. Can interveners acquire reliable allies by covertly overthrowing foreign governments? Overall, I find the answer is no. Covert regime changes seldom worked out as intended. The new leaders opponents often accused him of being a U.S. puppet and, in some cases, even took up arms against the regime. In fact, approximately half of the governments that came to power in a U.S.-backed covert regime change during the Cold War were later violently removed from power. States targeted in a covert regime-change operation appear less likely to be democratic afterward and more likely to experience civil war, adverse regime changes, or human-rights abuses Covert regime changes can have disastrous consequences for civilians within the target states. Countries that were targeted by the United States for a covert regime change during the Cold War were more likely to experience a civil war or an episode of mass killing afterward. Even nominally successful covert regime changes where U.S.-backed forces came to power seldom delivered on their promise to improve interstate relations. Although these conclusions are not new, they have rarely if ever been presented as the result of such persuasive statistical evidence. Yet even this evidence seems unlikely to force a reassessment of covert action as a way to influence or depose governments. It is an American addiction. The reasons are many and varied, but one of the simplest is that covert action seems so easy. Changing an unfriendly countrys behavior through diplomacy is a long, complex, multi-faceted project. It takes careful thought and planning. Often it requires compromise. Sending the CIA to overthrow a bad guy is far more tempting. Its the cheap and easy way out. History shows that it often produces terrible results for both the target country and the United States. To a military and security elite as contemptuous of history as Americas, however, that is no obstacle. Although covert regime-change operations remain a major part of American foreign policy, they are not as effective as they once were. The first victims of CIA overthrows, Prime Minister Mossadegh and President Arbenz, did not understand the tools the CIA had at its disposal and so were easy targets. They were also democratic, meaning that they allowed open societies in which the press, political parties, and civic groups functioned freely making them easy for the CIA to penetrate. Later generations of leaders learned from their ignorance. They paid closer attention to their own security, and imposed tightly controlled regimes in which there were few independent power centers that the CIA could manipulate. If Eisenhower could come back to life, he would see the havoc that his regime-change operations wreaked. After his overthrow of Mossadegh, Iran fell under royal dictatorship that lasted a quarter-century and was followed by decades of rule by repressive mullahs who have worked relentlessly to undermine American interests around the world. The operation he ordered in Guatemala led to a civil war that killed 200,000 people, turning a promising young democracy into a charnel house and inflicting a blow on Central America from which it has never recovered. His campaign against Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, which included the fabrication of a poison kit in a CIA laboratory, helped turn that country into one of the most violent places on Earth. How would Eisenhower respond to the long-term disasters that followed his covert action victories? He might well have come up with a highly convincing way to excuse himself. Its now clear, he could argue, that covert action to overthrow governments usually has terrible long-term results but that was not clear in the 1950s. Eisenhower had no way of knowing that even covert regime-change operations that seem successful at the time could have devastating results decades later. We today, however, do know that. The careful analysis that is at the center of Covert Regime Change makes clearer than ever that when America sets out to change the world covertly, it usually does more harm than good to itself as well as others. ORourke contributes to the growing body of literature that clearly explains this sad fact of geopolitics. The intellectual leadership for a national movement against regime-change operations overt or covert is coalescing. The next step is to take this growing body of knowledge into the political arena. Washington remains the province of those who believe not only that the United States should try to reconfigure the world into an immense American sphere of influence, but that that is an achievable goal. In the Beltway morass of pro-intervention think tanks, members of Congress, and op-ed columnists, Americas role in the world is usually not up for debate. Now, as a presidential campaign unfolds and intriguing new currents surge through the American body politic, is an ideal moment for that debate to re-emerge. If it does, we may be surprised to see how many voters are ready to abandon the dogma of regime change and wonder, with George Washington, Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Stephen Kinzer is an author and newspaper reporter. He is a veteran New York Times correspondent who has reported from more than 50 countries on five continents. His books include "Overthrow" and "All the Shahs Men". This article was originally published in the June 2019 edition of Future of Freedom. Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Srinagar, June 14 : Two suspected Lashkar militants were killed on Friday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. The holed up militants were killed in the encounter in Graw-Bandina village of Awantipora. "Two militants believed to belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit have been killed in the encounter. Their exact identity is being established. Searches are still going on in the area," an officer said. "#Awantipora #encounter update: 02 #terrorists killed. #Arms & #ammunition recovered. #Identities & #affiliations are being ascertained," was the update on the official twitter handle of J&K Police. Train services from Srinagar to Banihal town passing through Pulwama district and all mobile Internet services in the area have been suspended. The encounter started earlier in the day when acting on specific information the security forces began a cordon and search operation to flush out hiding militants. Lucknow, June 14 : Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's efforts to bring his son Akhilesh Yadav and younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav together do not seem to be bearing fruit. Shivpal Singh Yadav categorically said that he had no plans to merge his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) into the Samajwadi Party. "My party is building up and we are growing from strength to strength. I have no plan to merge my party with SP. It is too late in the day. However, if there is a proposal for an alliance, we may consider the same," he said. Akhilesh, on the other hand, is said to be completely against the return of his estranged uncle to the SP fold. "With great effort, Akhilesh has managed to establish himself as the undisputed leader of his party and he naturally does not want his uncle to return and challenge his authority again," said a supporter of the SP chief. Mulayam, who initiated a patch-up effort between his son and brother after the BSP called off its alliance with the SP, has warned the family that unless it unites, its political survival would be at stake. Three members of the Yadav family -- Dimple Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav -- have lost the lok Sabha elections and the party's tally rests at five members in the Lok Sabha. Akhilesh, too, is facing pressure from his cadres. Having failed in the 2014 Lok Sabha, 2017 Assembly and now 2019 Lok Sabha elections, his leadership is now being questioned and if he fails to put his act together, the voices of dissent may grow louder. The relationship between the uncle and nephew has deteriorated so much that recently when both visited the ailing SP patriarch at his Lucknow residence, when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also happened to be there, the two failed to exchange even a word. Shivpal said he was open to alliances in the upcoming bypolls to 12 Assembly seats. Of the vacant seats, 10 belong to the BJP and one each to the SP and BSP. Mulayam, despite his poor health, is said to be in constant touch with Akhilesh and Shivpal and is persuading them to forgo their differences in the larger interest of the family and the party. It was on Mulayam's insistence that the SP did not moved a petition seeking Shivpal's disqualification from the membership of the state Assembly even though he has formed his own party. A senior leader close to Mulayam said: "Unless the SP unites, the future seems uncertain for all. Akhilesh has failed on the issue of alliance -- 2017 with Congress and 2019 with the BSP. Shivpal, too, has not made much of an impact with his new party. It is Mulayam's earnest wish to unite the two and he will continue in his efforts." Srinagar, June 14 : Four Kashmiri youths were arrested on Friday while trying to cross over the Line of Control (LoC) into the Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir to start arms training, sources said. The arrested youth identified as Adil Dar of Kulgam, Tahir Lone of Shopian, Sameer Bhat of Sopore and Naveed Parra of Pattan in Baramulla district have been handed over to the police, the informed sources added. The four "newly recruited militants were arrested in Boniyar area of Uri sector of the LoC by the security forces when they were trying to exfiltrate into the Pakistan occupied part to obtain arms training," the source said. Mumbai, June 14 : Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta is looking forward to bringing the world of his gangster drama "Mumbai Saga" alive on screen, and says it is his most ambitious film. "Mumbai Saga" is produced by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series. Set in the 1980s-1990s period, it stars John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Prateik Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Rohit Roy, and Amole Gupte. The film will go on floors next month. "After 25 years and 17 films, I had to give my audience something bigger and better. 'Mumbai Saga' is by far my most ambitious film which needed a visionary producer," Gupta said in a statement. "And I am grateful to Bhushan Kumar for putting his faith and might in it. It is one such story that needs to be said on screen," he added. On the film, Kumar said: "'Mumbai Saga' is our first in the gangster drama genre and who better than Sanjay to direct it. The film is inspired by true events yet makes the characters so larger than life. The entire cast will bring so much to the table." Gupta on Friday also took to Twitter and presented the entire cast, calling them the "gangstas" of the movie. "The legend of Bombay, the saga of Mumbai! Presenting the Gangstas of 'Mumbai Saga'," he captioned the image which featured the cast. The film is likely to release in 2020. It is a Gulshan Kumar presentation, and is backed by T-Series and White Feather Films production. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Anuradha Gupta. Lucknow, June 14 : The Yogi Adityanath government has failed to achieve its target of purchasing 55 lakh metric tonne (MT) of wheat from farmers at Minimum Support Price (MSP) during the kharif season from March to May. The Uttar Pradesh government has been able to procure only about 36 lakh MT till now, leaving a shortfall of about 19 lakh MT. The purchase deadline which ended on May 31 has now been extended to June end. State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said that the purchase targets were affected as government staff was deployed in election duty. "Another reason could be that wheat-growers may have found the prices in the open market more lucrative," he said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has been reviewing wheat procurement on a regular basis, has directed food department officials to ensure that purchase centres are functional and farmers do not face any hardship in selling their produce to the government. The state Agriculture Department, this year, had enhanced the MSP of wheat to Rs 1,840 per quintal, and had even added an incentive of Rs 20 per quintal for transportation, to provide relief to distressed farmers. However, the purchase has fallen below target. According to estimates by government sources, the total purchase may not cross even 40 lakh MT. A senior official in the agriculture department said that wheat production in the state was low this season as compared to the previous year and there could be an increase in market prices of wheat. The Minister, however, disagreed and said that the estimated production of wheat in the state was nearly 380 lakh MT while last year it was nearly 356 lakh MT. "Production and productivity of wheat has increased from 36.56 quintal to 37.58 quintal per hectare. The low procurement at government purchase centres is an indication that farmers are getting better prices at their farms itself," he explained Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner Alok Kumar said that the purpose of providing MSP to farmers was to ensure that they are not exploited by traders. If the farmers are selling the produce to traders, it means they are getting a better price, he added. Kolkata: Actress Aparna Sen addresses the junior doctors who are on a strike to protest the alleged assault on their junior colleagues at NRS Medical College in Kolkata on June 14, 2019. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata: Actress Aparna Sen addresses the junior doctors who are on a strike to protest the alleged assault on their junior colleagues at NRS Medical College in Kolkata on June 14, 2019. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata: Actress Aparna Sen addresses the junior doctors who are on a strike to protest the alleged assault on their junior colleagues at NRS Medical College in Kolkata on June 14, 2019. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata: Actress Aparna Sen addresses the junior doctors who are on a strike to protest the alleged assault on their junior colleagues at NRS Medical College in Kolkata on June 14, 2019. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, June 14 : A group of West Bengal intellectuals on Friday stood by the agitating junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital here and urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to speak to the striking doctors to normalize the situation. The intellectuals including renowned actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen, stage and screen actor Kaushik Sen, met the agitating doctors and expressed solidarity to their movement. "We know that none of you look at the patients' cast or religion while treating them. We also know that you are feeling the pain for the patients who have been left untreated due to this impasse. We are with you in this," Aparna Sen said amid loud cheers from the junior doctors at the hospital premises.A "The Chief Minister is our guardian. I would request her to change her stance a bit on this issue and talk to the young doctors here. They are like your children. Please come here once and talk to them to sort out the problems," she said. Protesting against the brutal attack on two junior doctors by the family members of a dead patient at the NRS Medical College and Hospital on Monday night, doctors across the state have stopped work in most government hospitals in the state since Wednesday. Banerjee on Thursday afternoon visited Kolkata's SSKM Hospital where she gave the agitating doctors a four hour ultimatum to withdraw their ongoing strike and warned of "strong action" if the situation was not normalised within the deadline. Bengaluru: Karnataka Pragyavantara Janata Paksha (KPJP) MLA R. Shankar and Independent MLA H. Nagesh after taking oath as cabinet ministers in the year-old Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka, in Bengaluru on June 14, Image Source: IANS News Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala administers the oath of office to Independent MLA H. Nagesh as cabinet minister in the year-old Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka, in Bengaluru on June 14, 2019. (Photo: I Image Source: IANS News Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala administers the oath of office to Karnataka Pragyavantara Janata Paksha (KPJP) MLA R. Shankar as cabinet minister in the year-old Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka, in Ben Image Source: IANS News Bengaluru, June 14 : The year-old Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka on Friday inducted two new ministers in the Cabinet, an official said. "State Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office to legislators R. Shankar and H. Nagesh at a simple ceremony in the Raj Bhavan," the official told IANS here. Shankar is a Karnataka Pragyavantara Janata Paksha (KPJP) MLA from Ranebennur Assembly segment in Haveri district, while Nagesh is an Independent MLA from Mulbagal segment in Kolar district. Both the legislator took the oath in Kannada in the name of god. State Chief Secretary T.M. Vijaya Bhakar conducted the proceedings of the brief oath-taking event in the 'Glass House' on the lawns of the Bhavan. Shankar has become a minister for the second time after he was dropped in a minor cabinet reshuffle on December 22, 2018. Incidentally, Shankar and Nagesh withdrew support to the coalition government on January 15 saying they were disappointed with its poor performance. Contrary to expectations, a legislator from the Congress was not inducted into the 34-member ministry, which has one vacancy. The two legislators were inducted from the 12-member quota of the JD-S, whose 10 MLAs are already in the ministry. Of the 34-member ministry, the JD-S has filled 10 of the 12 cabinet posts and the Congress 21 of the 22 posts, as per the power-sharing agreement the post-poll allies have agreed to in proportionate to their strength in the Assembly. As per the amended Constitution, a state government is entitled to have 34-member ministry, which is 15 per cent of the 225-member state legislative Assembly. In the 225-member state assembly, including one nominated from the Anglo-Indian community, the BJP has 105, Congress 78, excluding speaker, JD-S 37 and one each from KPJP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Independent. In the May 19 two Assembly by-elections, the BJP wrested the Congress seat in Chincholi while the Congress retained the Kundgol Assembly segment in Hubli district. "Instead of including our party's legislators, Kumaraswamy has decided to make Shankar and Nagesh ministers to prevent the opposition BJP from poaching them," a JD-S official told IANS. A split verdict in the May 2018 Assembly elections resulted in a hung house, forcing the ruling parties to form a post-poll alliance to ostensibly keep the BJP out of power as it fell 9 short-off the halfway mark (113) for a simple majority. As the ruling allies faced rout in the recent Lok Sabha elections, winning only one seat each against 25 of the 28 parliamentary seats by the BJP in the southern state, efforts have been on to ensure the fledgling coalition ministry survives and continues to complete its remaining 4-year term. Agartala, June 14 : Japan has decided to invest Rs 13,000 crore (205.784 billion Yen) in several ongoing and new projects in different Northeastern states of India, an official release said here on Friday. "After a meeting between Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh and a Japanese delegation led by Ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu in New Delhi on Wednesday, it was officially disclosed that the Japan Government is to invest Rs 13,000 crore in several ongoing and new projects in different Northeastern states of India," the statement said. It also said that some of the important projects in which Japan would collaborate include the Guwahati Water Supply Project and Guwahati Sewage Project in Assam, Northeast Road Network Connectivity Improvement Project spread over Assam and Meghalaya, Northeast Network Connectivity Improvement Project in Meghalaya, Bio-diversity Conservation and Forest Management Project in Sikkim, Sustainable Forest Management Project in Tripura, Technical Cooperation Project for Sustainable Agriculture and Irrigation in Mizoram and Forest Management Project in Nagaland. According to the release, Singh appreciated the Japanese contribution to the development and transformation of the Northeastern region in the last three to four years. "In the times to come, new areas of collaboration would also be sought to be worked out, which could possibly include bamboo-related collaboration. Significantly, it was the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which amended the 90-year old Indian Forest Act of 1919 of the British government to bring the home-grown bamboo out of its purview," the release quoted the Minister as saying. Meanwhile, an official of Tripura Forest Department said that Japan is also keen to extend all possible financial and technical help for the development of Tripura and Mizoram, particularly in the fields of infrastructure, bamboo development, agriculture, disaster management and human resource development. The official also said that Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu recently visited Mizoram and Tripura and met the Chief Ministers of the two northeastern states - Zoramthanga and Biplab Kumar Deb - and discussed various developmental issues and possible collaboration. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had earlier given Rs 1,364 crore to Tripura in two phases for the promotion of forest-based livelihood of the tribals and other backward people and value-addition of non-timber forest produce. In 2016, the JICA had extended a Rs 4,000-crore soft loan to India to improve two National Highways (NH 54 and NH 51) in Mizoram and Meghalaya. The official said that during the meeting with the Tripura Chief Minister, Hiramatsu had appreciated the huge potential in Tripura of bamboo handicrafts, bamboo cultivation and their value addition, forest management, connectivity and tourism for multi dimensional growth. The second meeting of the Japan-India Act East Forum in October last year in New Delhi had agreed on deeper cooperation in various sectors, including building infrastructure in Northeastern region and forest management projects of Tripura and Meghalaya. Hiramatsu is the first Japanese Ambassador to India to visit Tripura and Mizoram. Panaji, June 14 : Stranded at Mumbaia's Chhatrapati Shivaji airport late last night for several hours, protesting passengers of an Air India Bombay to Goa flight were offered a free meal from an airport restaurant at the instance of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, a passenger said on Friday. An office bearer of ruling alliance partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Ketan Bhatikar, who was one of the passengers on the delayed Air India flight to Goa, said that Sawant arranged for food from the Indian Kebab Grill restaurant, placating the frustrated passengers, who had started sloganeering in the airport departure area protesting the delay. "I tried calling Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who answered my phone within two rings at 1.13 a.m. He called me back five times, arranged food for all passengers at Indian Kebab Grill, and exactly at 1.27 a.m. told me that the flight was ready to take-off in 30 minutes. We finally reached Goa at around 3.30 a.m.," Bhatikar told IANS. He also said that the flight, which was initially scheduled to leave at 9.30 p.m. on Thursday, was delayed till 11.30 p.m. Sawant is in New Delhi for two days, where he has a series of meetings scheduled with several Union Ministers and the Vice Chairman of the Niti Aayog. "When the flight landed at the Mumbai airport, Air India officials said that crew members were not ready for take-off and kept changing the timing," Bhatikar said, which frustrated the passengers, who started shouting slogans in the airport premises. "The Chief Minister's outreach should be appreciated. He went out of the way, despite being in Delhi, to ensure that passengers to Goa were treated well, eventually," he added. When contacted, the Chief Minister's Office confirmed the developments. "The Chief Minister ensured that all passengers who were booked to Goa, were looked after on the request made by Bhatikar," an official of the Chief Minister's Office said. Ayodhya, June 14 : Ayodhya has been put on high alert after security agencies were given an intelligence input of a possible terror attack in the holy city. According to top security officials, the intelligence input says that terrorists are likely to enter Uttar Pradesh from Nepal. All incoming trains and buses are being searched and hotels, lodges and guests houses have been put under scanner. "We are taking security measures because the verdict in the 2005 terror attack in Ayodhya is scheduled to be delivered on June 18. It may be recalled that on June 5, 2005, a terror attack had been foiled in Ayodhya and five militants had been gunned down. Four Kashmiri militants had also been arrested in the case. It is noteworthy that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is also scheduled to visit Ayodhya with his 18 MPs on June 16. It is inconceivable that the organizers of the protests are unaware of the NED ties to some of its members. By Alexander Rubinstein June 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Protesters in Hong Kong attempted to storm the parliament on Tuesday in opposition to an amendment to the autonomous territorys extradition law with mainland China. The protests messaging and the groups associated with it, however, raise a number of questions about just how organic the movement is. Some of the groups involved receive significant funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a CIA soft-power cutout that has played a critical role in innumerable U.S. regime-change operations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi weighed in on the bill, which is being considered in Hong Kongs parliament, arguing that, should it pass, Congress would have to no choice but to reassess whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous under the one country, two systems framework. The State Department has also weighed in, saying it could could undermine Hong Kongs autonomy and negatively impact the territorys long-standing protection of human rights, fundamental freedoms and democratic values. UK media cheerlead Hong Kong protesters who fear China will use 'non-political crimes to prosecute critics'. The same media that's spent 9 years cheerleading persecution, torture of whistleblowing platform founder Julian Assange for non-political crimes https://t.co/KuYyF0L5dS Jonathan Cook (@Jonathan_K_Cook) June 12, 2019 The Canadian and British foreign ministries have also thrown their weight behind those opposing the bill. By all indications, protesters are just getting started. On Wednesday, some told international media that they would try to storm parliament again. Protesters have been met with the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by police. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The protesters appear to be trying to raise awareness among Western audiences, using the AntiExtraditionLaw hashtag and signs in English. In one photograph, a group holds dozens of the old Hong Kong flags, when the territory was under the control of the British crown, while bearing a sign that accuses China of colonialism. Major protests greet a minor change in law The amendment to the extradition law would allow Hong Kong to surrender fugitives on a case-by-case basis to jurisdictions that do not have long-term rendition agreements with the city. Among those jurisdictions are mainland China and Taiwan. Ian Goodrum, an American journalist who works in China for the government-owned China Daily newspaper, told MintPress News: Its unfortunate theres been all this hullabaloo over what is a fairly routine and reasonable adjustment to the law. As the law reads right now, theres no legal way to prevent criminals in other parts of China from escaping charges by fleeing to Hong Kong. It would be like Louisiana which, youll remember, has a unique justice system refusing to send fugitives to Texas or California for crimes committed in those states. Honestly, this is something that should have been part of the agreement made in advance of the 1997 handover. Back then bad actors used irrational fear of the mainland to kick the can down the road and were seeing the consequences today. Reminder that there is a Hong Konger wanted in Taiwan for murdering his pregnant girlfriend that cant be extradited to stand trial That's what these Hong Kongers are protesting to keep https://t.co/dqDnt6OvKX Wes, B.A. (@ZhouChauster) June 11, 2019 The U.S. agenda ripples through major NGOs Like the U.S. government, the NGO-industrial complex appears to be wholly on-board. Some 70 non-governmental organizations, many of them international, have endorsed an open letter urging for the bill to be killed. Yet it is signed only by three directors: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor (HKHRM). The protests mark the latest flare-up in longstanding tensions over Hong Kongs relationship with the mainland. In 2014, many of the groups associated with the current movement held an Occupy protest of their own over issues of autonomy. Ironically, the issue of autonomy is not just of importance to Hong Kongers, but to the United States government as well. And its not all just harshly worded statements: the U.S. government is pumping up some of the organizers with loads of cash via the NED. Something about the Hong Kong protests' messaging seems tailor-made for Western audiences. Most signs I am seeing also happen to be in English pic.twitter.com/YP71XXCCOJ Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) June 12, 2019 Maintaining Hong Kongs distance from China has been important to the U.S. for decades. One former CIA agent even admitted that Hong Kong was our listening post. As MintPress News previously reported: The NED was founded in 1983 following a series of scandals that exposed the CIAs blood-soaked covert actions against foreign governments. It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA, NED President Carl Gershman told the New York Times in 1986. We saw that in the Sixties, and thats why it has been discontinued. We have not had the capability of doing this, and thats why the endowment was created. Another NED founder, Allen Weinstein, conceded to the Washington Posts David Ignatius, A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA. The NED has four main branches, at least two of which are active in Hong Kong: the Solidarity Center (SC) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). The latter has been active in Hong Kong since 1997, and NED funding for Hong Kong-based groups has been consistent, says Louisa Greve, vice president of programs for Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. While NED funding for groups in Hong Kong actually dates back to 1994, 1997 was the year the territory was transferred from control by the British. In 2018, NED granted $155,000 to SC and $200,000 to NDI for work in Hong Kong, and $90,000 to HKHRM, which is not itself a branch of NED but a partner in Hong Kong. Between 1995 and 2013, HKHRM received more than $1.9 million in funds from the NED. The MacDonalds in Admiralty station concourse is doing a roaring trade again. Any good protest in the west, first thing wed do is put a bin through the window. Here, its the protest site canteen. It was a 24 hr Maccy Ds in 2014 though, wonder if theyll open late for us. Hong Kong Hermit (@HongKongHermit) June 12, 2019 Through its NDI and SC branches, NED has had close relations with other groups in Hong Kong. NDI has worked with the Hong Kong Journalist Association, the Civic Party, the Labour Party, and the (Hong Kong) Democratic Party. It isnt clear whether these organizations have received funding from the NED. SC has, however, given $540,000 to the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions in the course of just seven years. The coalition cited by Hong Kong media, including the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Free Press, as organizers of the anti-extradition law demonstrations is called the Civil Human Rights Front. That organizations website lists the NED-funded HKHRM, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, the Civic Party, the Labour Party, and the Democratic Party as members of the coalition. It is inconceivable that the organizers of the protests are unaware of the NED ties to some of its members. During the 2014 Occupy protests, Beijing made a big deal out of NED influence in the protests and the foreign influence they said it represented. The NED official, Greve, even told the U.S. governments Voice of America outlet that activists know the risks of working with NED partners in Hong Kong, but do it anyway. Alexander Rubinstein This article was originally published by "Mint Press" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy New York, June 14 : Shale producers stand to benefit from the oil-market volatility unleashed by an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, as US companies vie with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for global market share, the media reported on Friday. The incident near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, through which one-third of the world's shipped oil passes, highlighted the risks associated with delivering oil from the Persian Gulf. Higher insurance and shipping costs could crimp margins for oil producers in the region compared with those in more stable parts of the world, such as the US and the North Sea, Efe news reported. The attack also calls into question whether the supply forecasts that have weighed on crude prices recently accurately account for the potential for geopolitical turmoil. Shares of big shale producers rose on the news: Cimarex Energy Co. and Parsley Energy Inc., which drill in West Texas, added 4.2 per cent and 3.1 per cent, respectively. North Dakota-focused Hess Corp. climbed 2.8 per cent. "Escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and dislocations in Venezuela and the brewing cauldron in Libya are reminders that security of forward supply feels increasingly fragile," said Bill Herbert, a senior research analyst at Simmons Energy. Brent crude, the global benchmark, ended up 2.2 per cent at $61.31 a barrel on London's ICE Futures exchange. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 2.2 per cent, to $52.28 a barrel. Both benchmarks were up twice as much earlier in the day. The roughly $9 difference between the international and domestic benchmarks is largely due to the cost of moving US oil to port and then on to international markets. Some investors expect the spread to shrink later this year and in 2020 when new pipelines open between the prolific Permian Basin in West Texas with export terminals on the Gulf of Mexico. The new supply routes, including the 850-mile Gray Oak Pipeline scheduled to open before year-end, would enable much more US crude to flow to global markets in direct competition with Middle Eastern crude. Selling more oil at prices closer to the international benchmark would mean more cash in the pockets of domestic producers, the report said. Shares of nearly every US oil concern rose on Thursday and energy shares in the S&P 500 gained 1.2 per cent, compared with a 0.4 per cent uptick in the broader stock index. Most US energy stocks have lost double-digit percentages over the past year, even as the S&P 500 has risen 4.2 per cent. A US Energy Information Administration report on Thursday showed that crude imports from OPEC members plunged in March to 1.5 million barrels a day, the lowest level since the same month 1986. A decade ago, OPEC was supplying the US nearly four times that. The tanker attack came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran in recent months, with Washington ratcheting up sanctions on Tehran in early May with the aim of reducing the country's oil exports to zero. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for the attacks. Four vessels in the same region were attacked in May, which Washington also blamed on Tehran. Iran denied involvement. Oil prices also rallied following those attacks, along with assaults on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, although analysts said the geopolitical tensions were offset by concerns about a global economic slowdown and its impact on oil demand. Panaji, June 14 : As part of a nationwide call, resident doctors at Goa's biggest government hospital on Friday staged a protest in solidarity against the brutal attack on a doctor at a major Kolkata hospital. "The association of resident doctors of Goa, on behalf of all our junior and senior residents, strongly condemn the brutal and inhumane act of violence on an on-duty doctor at NRS Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata," the Goa Association of Resident Doctors President Veeresh H.M. told the media on Friday here. The protest at the Goa Medical College will be held till 5 p.m. He also said that doctors will continue to attend emergency services at the state Health Ministry-operated facility. Veeresh claims that there was "total lack of support with regards to this matter of the assault from the West Bengal health authorities and Kolkata Police. He has demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. "It really makes us wonder how doctors are supposed to work in such dangerous, insecure and life-threatening environment," Veeresh said. Meanwhile, Panaji's Manipal Hospital, one of the largest private hospitals in Goa, also participated in the protests with its doctors, management and staffers wearing black badges, black shirts and tops as a mark of protest. "Manipal Hospital doctors and management are fully supportive of the West Bengal doctors who are suffering due to violence against them at the top medical college there, by wearing black badges on arms and black shirts," a senior oncologist at the private facility, Shekhar Salkar, said. The protests in the state-run NRS Hospital in Kolkata erupted on Tuesday morning bringing the regular services to a standstill, after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the kin of a 75-year-old patient who died there late Monday night. The family members of the deceased patient alleged medical negligence. An intern named Paribaha Mukherjee sustained a serious skull injury in the attack and has been admitted in the intensive care unit of Kolkata's Institute of Neurosciences. Lucknow, June 14 : Doctors in Lucknow staged a protest on Friday against the attack on doctors at a major Kolkata hospital. Doctors in the government hospitals in Uttar Pradesh protested wearing black badges and stopped work for two hours. In Lucknow, doctors at King George's Medical University (KGMU) and other government hospitals joined the protest. The doctors also took out a march from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) office to the Shaheed Smarak to express solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. New Delhi, June 14 : A criminal, who had 41 cases against him, and his associate were shot dead here on Friday by unidentified assailants, police said. The incident took place in North-East Delhi's Nand Nagari area. The victims were identified as Khurvesh and Kanchi. The police said that the murders might be the result of personal enmity, but they have not ruled out a gang war. "A PCR call was received at 12.12 p.m. regarding an incident near the Nand Nagri redlight. The victims, who were taken to the GTB Hospital, were declared brought dead on arrival," said Atul Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East). New York, June 14 : Iran on Friday "categorically" rejected the US' accusations linking Tehran to the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Dozens of crew members were rescued after the blasts on the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and the Front Altair, owned by a Norwegian company in the Sea of Oman on Thursday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the "unprovoked attacks", saying Washington made its assessment based on intelligence about the type of weapons used. Iran's UN Mission said in a statement released on Friday that the government "categorically rejects" the US claim that it was responsible for the latest incidents against oil tankers which it condemns "in the strongest possible terms", state-run IRNA news agency reported. It said: "Iran stands ready to play an active and constructive role in ensuring the security of strategic maritime passages as well as promoting peace, stability and security in the region." The Mission warned of "the US coercion, intimidation and malign behaviour" and expressed concern "over suspicious incidents" involving the two tankers. It called on the international community to prevent "the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the US and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region". "The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that the only solution to the tension in this region is the active and constructive engagement of all regional countries within the context of a genuine dialogue based on mutual respect and basic principles of international law," the Mission said. The Iranian Mission dismissed as "inflammatory" acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen's statement after a closed UN Security Council meeting on the tanker attacks that Tehran should meet Washington with diplomacy - "not with terror, attacks on ships, infrastructure and diplomatic facilities". The US military's Central Command released a video that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard "removing (an) unexploded limpet mine" from the side of the Kokuka Courageous following the blasts, reports said. The incident came a month after four oil tankers were damaged in an attack off the United Arab Emirates. Washington at the time blamed Iran, but Tehran denied the accusations. Srinagar, June 14 : Police on Friday foiled a protest by local journalists in the Jammu and Kashmir capital Srinagar on the first death anniversary of noted Kashmiri editor Shujaat Bukhari. Local journalists and social activists assembled outside the civil secretariat here to protest against the death of prominent Kashmiri editor Shujaat Bukhari on this day last year. The protesters were carrying placards demanding justice for the family of the slain editor. Police intercepted the protest march and prevented the demonstrators from assembling outside the civil secretariat that houses the offices of top state government officials. Some journalists said police personnel misbehaved with them and asked them to board a police van so that they could be taken to the nearest police station. Police said that Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) is currently in force in the city under which an assembly of five or more persons is deemed as unlawful. Shujaat Bukhari and his two security guards were brutally murdered on June 14, 2018, outside the office of his English daily 'Rising Kashmir' in the press enclave area of uptown Srinagar. The police has maintained that three terrorists had murdered the editor outside his office, but there has been no official disclosure so far about the motive behind the gruesome murder. Hyderabad, June 14 : Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy has received threatening phone calls from unknown persons, the Hyderabad Police said on Friday Kishan Reddy, who received voice Internet calls on May 20, lodged a complaint with Cyber Crime police, which registered a case and launched the investigations. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader provided to police the number from which the calls were made, threatening to kill him. Kishan Reddy, who was elected from Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, was inducted in Modi cabinet on May 30. He had received threatening calls in the past also. Meanwhile, police also registered a case against unknown persons making objectionable posts against Telangana Labour Minister Malla Reddy on the social media. The minister lodged a complaint that some unknown persons were making objectionable posts about him on Facebook and other social media platforms. The police said they identified the IP addresses of those who were trolling him and making objectionable posts. A police officer said they were trying to trace the accused for further action. Chennai, June 14 : The Southern Railway on Friday withdrew its circular that instructed station masters and train operation control officials to communicate only in Hindi or in English to avoid misunderstanding. Last month, the Southern Railway had issued a circular asking station masters and train operation controllers to communicate in Hindi or in English and not in regional languages to avoid any miscommunication. The Southern Railway Mazdoor Union (SRMU) had opposed the move as a backdoor imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu. The SRMU had also asked whether the travelling public in Tamil Nadu would also be asked to learn Hindi or English to communicate with the station masters. In its revised circular, the Railways has asked its employees to communicate in such a manner so as not to result in any misunderstanding of the messages. Reacting to the original circular, DMK President M.K. Stalin said it is arrogance on part of the Railways to say that communication should not be in Tamil in Tamil Nadu. He said, the instruction not to speak in Tamil in Tamil Nadu but only in Hindi is not just imposition of Hindi but language dominance. Stalin warned railway officials to stop such "silly" orders or "his party would put a stop to it". Attari: Pilgrims, who were supposed to cross over to Pakistan for observing the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, left stranded at the Attari railway station after they were not allowed to cross over despite having valid visas, for want of permission Image Source: IANS News Attari: Pilgrims, who were supposed to cross over to Pakistan for observing the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, show their passports after they were not allowed to cross over from the Attari railway station despite having valid visas, for want of pe Image Source: IANS News Attari: Pilgrims, who were supposed to cross over to Pakistan for observing the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, left stranded at the Attari railway station after they were not allowed to cross over despite having valid visas, for want of permission Image Source: IANS News Amritsar, June 14 : At least 130 Sikh pilgrims heading for Pakistan were left stranded at the Attari railway station on Friday as the Indian government did not grant them permission to cross the international border. The pilgrims, mostly elderly and hailing from various parts of Punjab, were going to Pakistan to observe the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru. They reached Attari station in the morning, but the special train from Pakistan didn't get clearance to enter the Indian side. Indian railway authorities said there was no permission from the government so the train from Pakistan was not allowed. There was a lack of communication between the railways and the Minitry of External Affairs, rued a stranded passenger. The stranded pilgrims raised slogans against the government. They also complained that there was lack of drinking water and toilet facilities. "The moment we will get the permission, we will allow the train to enter Attari," Station Master M.L. Rai told reporters. The SGPC every year sends four 'jathas' to Pakistan in a year. The biggest one goes to Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of the Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, in November to celebrate his birth anniversary. Another 'jatha' goes on festival of Baisakhi in April. The remaining two leave in May-June on the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh empire. Chandigarh, June 14 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators from Punjab on Friday met officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, urging them to ensure the safe return of two Punjabi women "trapped" in Australia and Kuwait. In a statement issued here, the legislators Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Jai Kishan Singh Rori met Under Secretary G.D. Pande and other officials in New Delhi, urging them to facilitate their release and safe return. The AAP leaders said young boys and girls of the state were opting for greener pastures on the foreign shores due to wrong policies of the state and Union governments. The AAP leaders said unscrupulous travel agents were running the nefarious trade in the state. Sandhwan demanded the government should have zero tolerance when it came to acting against travel agents who were managing their business by fraudulently arranging fake visas to trap innocent youth. June 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - In a press conference that immediately evoked memories of the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday claimed Iran was behind alleged attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman without presenting one single shred of evidence. "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high-degree of sophistication," said Pompeo, who did not provide any details on the intelligence he cited. After asserting Iran was also behind a litany of attacks prior to Thursday's tanker incidentonce again without presenting any evidencePompeo said that,"Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security." Pompeowho has a long history of making false claims about Irandid not take any questions from reporters following his remarks, which were aired live on America's major television networks. "Mike Pompeo has zero credibility when it comes to Iran," Jon Rainwater, executive director of Peace Action, told Common Dreams. "He's long been actively campaigning for a confrontation with Iran. He has a track record of pushing bogus theories with no evidence such as the idea that Iran collaborates closely with al-Qaeda." Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter "Once again Pompeo is not waiting for the evidence to come in," Rainwater said, "he is picking facts to suit his campaign for confrontation with Iran." Video of Pompeo full statement: Official public Accusation of #Iran Gov in carrying attacks in #GulfofOman today, yesterday in Saudi, in May in UAE , Iraq & Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/8eo5nky5Ye Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) June 13, 2019 Medea Benjamin, co-founder of anti-war group CodePink, characterized Pompeo's speech as a "deja vu" of former Secretary of State Colin Powell's infamous weapons of mass destruction speech before the U.N. in 2003, which made the case for the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. "Secretary Pompeo gives zero proof but insists that Iran is responsible for ship attacks in Gulf of Oman this morning," Benjamin tweeted. "Lies, lies, and more lies to make a case for war. Let's not be fooled into another disastrous war!" .@SecPompeo builds his case for attacking Iran by accusing Iran of sabotaging oil tankers. We call BS. #PeaceWithIran Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) June 13, 2019 .@SecPompeo press briefing blaming Iran for oil tanker explosions is deja vu re Colin Powell and Iraq. Lies, lies and more lies to make a case for war. Lets not be fooled into another disastrous war! #PeaceWithIran Medea Benjamin (@medeabenjamin) June 13, 2019 In a column following Pompeo's speech, Esquire's Charles Pierce wrote that he is "not buying this in the least." "I remember the Iraq lies," Pierce wrote. "I know this administration is truthless from top to bottom and all the way out both sides. I don't trust the Saudi government as far as I can throw a bone saw. And this president feels very much like he's being run to ground at the moment and needs a distraction." "And his Secretary of State is a third-rate congresscritter from Kansas who once advised American soldiers to disobey lawful orders, and who's fighting way above his weight class," added Pierce. "Also, too, John Bolton is eight kinds of maniac." On Twitter, Trita Parsifounder of the National Iranian American Councilechoed Pierce, writing: "A serial liar is president. A warmonger and a serial fabricator who helped get us into the disastrous Iraq war and who has sabotaged numerous attempts at diplomacy is the [national security] advisor." "But go ahead, media, treat Pompeo's accusations as 'evidence'..." Parsi added. A serial liar is President. A warmonger and a serial fabricator who helped get us into the disastrous Iraq war and who has sabotaged numerous attempts at diplomacy is the NatSec Advisor. But go ahead, Media, treat Pompeo's accusations as "evidence"...#OilTanker #GulfOfOman Trita Parsi (@tparsi) June 13, 2019 As Common Dreams reported earlier, critics warned that the timing and target of the tanker attacks on Thursday suggests they could have been a deliberate effort to "maneuver the U.S. into a war" with Iran. Iranian officials denied any responsibility for the attacks. In a tweet following the explosions in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said, "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning." Rainwater of Peace Action said what is needed to calm the dangerous tensions of the current moment is an "impartial investigation" into the tanker incident. But Pompeo's statement only served to escalate tensions further and move the U.S. and Iran closer to a military conflict, Rainwater said. "At a time when the world desperately needs cooler heads to deescalate tensions in the Gulf, the U.S. Secretary of State is instead fanning the flames," Rainwater said. "Our elected officials need to push for diplomacy now to take us away from the brink of war." This article was originally published by "Common Dreams" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Kanchrapara : June 14 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday intensified her demand for the return of the ballot paper system in polling and said her party will start a movement with this demand on the July 21 Martyr's Day Rally. Accusing the BJP of programming the EVMs used in the 2019 polls, the Trinamool Congress supremo said "ballot papers are the only solution for reinstating democracy in the country". "The EVMs were programmed. Otherwise they (BJP) would not have been able to win. After many EVMs malfunctioned during the polls, new machines were brought in without testing them in mock polls. Who knows if they were pre-programmed? Did anybody check if those machines were overloaded or not?" Banerjee said at a public rally here. "Our demand is, we do not want EVMs. We want ballot papers. We will start our movement based on this demand on July 21 this year. Once we held a movement demanding no identity cards, no vote. 13 of our workers died that day. More than 100 workers were injured. But we made sure that our demand was fulfilled. We will do the same this time as well," Banerjee said. An annual mass rally is organised by the All India Trinamool Congress on July 21 every year to commemorate the 1993 Kolkata firing as Martys' Day. It is in remembrance of 13 people shot by the West Bengal Police in Kolkata, during a rally by the West Bengal Youth Congress under Mamata Banerjee on July 21, 1993, while demanding that the Voter's Identity Card be made the sole required document for voting. Mumbai, June 14 : Actor Kunal Kapoor-starrer psychological drama "Noblemen" will release on June 28. Directed by Vandana Kataria, "Noblemen", backed by Yoodlee Films, talks about the struggles of adolescent years and deals with the pertinent theme of bullying, which is rampant in high schools. "We are committed to making films that are relevant to our social fabric, that engage audiences, and yet entertain at the same time. With Vandana behind the camera and a stellar cast in front of it, 'Noblemen' has been an exciting journey and we hope audiences enjoy it as much," Siddharth Anand Kumar, Vice President - Films and Television Saregama India, and producer at Yoodlee Films, said in a statement. Kunal essays the role of a charismatic drama teacher in a prestigious boarding school. He uses unique and unconventional ways of teaching theatre to his students. The film also stars Soni Razdan and Ali Haji. The makers of the film on Friday unveiled its poster in which Kunal looks intense, while his student Shay's reflection can be seen in water. Bhopal, June 14 : The Central government earned Rs 15.50 crore in 2018-19 through counselling for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions in medical colleges in the country, according to information received under the RTI. The NEET is held for admission to MBBS, BDS and other such courses in medical colleges. Those who clear the written entrance exam are called for counselling, for which the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) started a registration fee of Rs 1,000 in 2018-19. Replying to a RTI query by Neemuch-based activist Chandrashekhar Gaud, the Union Health Ministry said that from the 114,198 students, who registered themselves for counselling in 2018-19, a total of Rs 18,32,87,500 was collected as registration amount. Of this, Rs 2,76,78614 were spent on conducting the counselling. The MCC deposited the remaining amount of Rs 15,56,08,886 in the Central government's account. The Health Ministry also informed Gaud that the MCC decided to impose the registration fee on the advice of the Health and Family Welfare Department. Gaud said the amount collected by the government as registration fee in 2018-19 and the interest earned on it was enough to conduct the counselling process for the next several years, and the government must therefore think about putting an end to the registration fee. New Delhi, June 14 : Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday urged the agitating doctors to end their strike and appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to withdraw her ultimatum against the doctors in her state, which triggered strikes across the country. "I feel very sad that doctors across India had to strike work in protest against atrocities on doctors in West Bengal and consequently patients across India are suffering. I appeal to Mamata Banerjee to withdraw her ultimatum to the medical community and not make this a prestige issue," he tweeted. Urging the doctors to end their strike in the larger interest of the society, Harsh Vardhan said he would take all possible measures to ensure a safe environment for them at hospitals across the country. "I'll write to all the states where such incidents have occurred and ensure safe working conditions for doctors," he said. The Union Health Minister said this after meeting a delegation of Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, United Resident & Doctors Association of India (URDA) and Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), who gave him a memorandum on the violence against doctors in West Bengal. Expressing deep concern over the West Bengal incident, Harsh Vardhan said: "I strongly condemn the unruly behaviour and assault on doctors. I will discuss it with the Chief Minister of Bengal." In a letter written to Banerjee, he urged her to ensure an amicable end to the agitation and provide a secure working environment to the doctors. He stated that the ongoing strike had adversely impacted healthcare services and was causing severe hardships to the patients across the country. An official statement said the Union Health Minister also assured discussing the issue of providing safety to hospitals with the Home Ministry as well as with the Chief Ministers and Health Ministers of other states, in order to prevent any such incident in the future . "The states should take all possible preventive and deterrent measures, as deemed required so that a peaceful environment prevails and doctors and clinical establishments discharge their duties and professional pursuits without fear or any violence and attacks on them. Together, we shall ensure safe and cordial environment for doctors and patients," he said. Appealing to the doctors, particularly in the West Bengal, Harsh Vardhan stated: "Doctors should resort to other simple and symbolic ways to protest. As medical professionals their duty is towards protecting the rights of their patients. Strike is certainly not the best way to protest. Patients should not be deprived of immediate and emergency healthcare facilities." He also urged all patients and their family members to support doctors in performing their duties and professional pursuits in a peaceful and dedicated manner and not to resort to violence. "Doctors are an integral pillar of the society and often work under stressful and difficult conditions. I appeal to all patients and their caregivers to observe restraint, he said. He appealed to the state governments to complete investigations into all such cases of violence promptly to ensure that criminals get prosecuted in a time-bound manner. Mumbai, June 14 : A panel, headed by ruling NDA constituent Shiv Sena's President Uddhav Thackeray, has reportedly bypassed the Maharashtra government to select a prominent architect for the planned Balasaheb Thackeray Memorial, a RTI reply has revealed. Mumbai-based Right To Information activist Anil Galgali had written to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) seeking details of the memorial coming up in the prime sea-facing plot at Shivaji Park in Dadar, which was earlier used as the city Mayor's official residence. "As per the RTI reply, the 9-member Balasahab Thackeray Memorial Committee (BTMC), headed by Thackeray, has gone ahead and appointed well-known firm, Abha Narain Lamba and Associates as Architect and Project Manager for the Rs 100 crore memorial, keeping the MMRDA in the dark," he said. Galgali said that ideally, this critical position should have been advertised and global tenders sought for designing the landmark monument for which the land allocation and construction costs are being borne by the state government. BTMC Chairman Uddhav Thackeray wrote to the MMRDA Commissioner on March 1 that Lamba and Associates has been appointed to prepare the detailed plan, budget estimates and tender process for the memorial, right up to the completion of the project, he added. "It says a contract has already been signed with the architect's firm and this procedure was conducted in a transparent manner, as per government rules. The fact still remains that we lost a golden opportunity for a global competition to design the landmark," Galgali said. The RTI activist said he has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, seeking to know why an international competition was not considered for the monument which would be dedicated to the Shiv Sena founder, Bal Thackeray, who passed away here on November 17, 2012. Besides Uddhav Thackeray as the Chairman, the BTMC includes Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai as Member-Secretary, Aditya Thackeray, Shashikant Prabhu and BJP MP Poonam Mahajan as Members, while the state Chief Secretary, Urban Development Secretary, Principal Secretary, Law & Judiciary, and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner are ex-officio members. New Delhi, June 14 : Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed various issues of his state with them. In his over 15-minute meeting with Shah, Sonowal briefed him about the situation in Assam, where the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be published on July 31. "It was a courtesy call and I have congratulated him on behalf of the people for being chosen as the Home Minister of the country. I have also briefed him about the prevailing law and order situation in Assam," Sonowal told reporters after the meeting. Issues related to the situation which may arise after the publication of the final list of the NRC were also discussed at the meeting, sources said. Sonowal also discussed Assam's issues with the Defence Minister. London, June 14 : The full extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US will begin in February 2020, a London court ruled on Friday. The 47-year-old is currently in custody in the UK. He was jailed for 50 weeks for breaching his bail after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden over a rape allegation. He is also wanted in the US on a number of charges, including espionage and computer hacking. London's Westminster Magistrates Court ruled that Assange's full US extradition hearing will be held on February 25, 2020, Efe news reported. Assange told the court that "175 years of my life is effectively at stake" and argued that WikiLeaks is "nothing but a publisher". The preliminary hearing was held a day after British Home Secretary Sajid Javid signed the extradition request from the US for Assange to face criminal charges. "I want to see justice done at all times and we've got a legitimate extradition request, so I've signed it, but the final decision is now with the courts," Javid said on Thursday. Ben Brandon, on behalf of US justice, said that the case "is related to one of the largest commitments of confidential information in the history of the US". Mark Summers, representing Assange, said that the allegations represent "an outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights". A crowd of protesters gathered outside the court in central London holding banners of support. Assange came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published leaked military information provided by former US soldier Chelsea Manning, which prompted its government to launch a criminal investigation into the publisher. In November that year, Sweden requested his extradition over allegations of sexual assault and rape, which he denied. Assange also expressed concern that he would be extradited from Sweden to the US because of his role in the Manning leaks. He surrendered himself to the UK police around a month later and was held in custody for 10 days before being released on bail. When he was unable to challenge the extradition proceedings, he breached bail and in August 2012 was granted asylum by Ecuador. He remained sheltered in the country's London Embassy for seven years to avoid arrest. Sweden has reopened its investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual assault. San Francisco, June 14 : Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly visited the White House and met US President Donald Trump and his eldest daughter Ivanka Trump as part of his work with the White House workforce advisory board. "We've secured commitments from (the private sector) to do more. Tim Cook, from Apple, who was here today, who's also on the advisory board," Ivanka Trump told a room of governors, according to a White House transcript, The Hill reported late on Thursday. This comes at a time when the US Department of Justice's antitrust division and the Federal Trade Commission have divided oversight to investigate technology giants including Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon for supposed anti-competitive behaviour. Notably, the iPhone maker did not reveal why its CEO met Trump. In recent months, Trump has also met top tech executives including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Earlier this year he said he met Pichai to discuss the company's work in China and allegations of anti-conservative bias. Trump later said on Twitter that the meeting went "very well", the report added. Jakarta, June 14 : The legal team of Indonesias opposition leader on Friday demanded the annulment of the April general elections due to alleged irregularities. Thousands of police officers were deployed to guard Jakarta's Constitutional Court where a hearing began into the opposition's complaints in the morning. President Joko Widodo was declared the poll winner with 55.5 per cent of the votes. Former military general Prabowo Subianto, however, claimed that he won the elections but was denied victory through electoral fraud. Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman said in a televised speech that the court would not succumb to anyone, was not afraid of anyone and would not be influenced by anyone, Efe news reported. He added that the judges' only duty was towards the Constitution as per their oath of office. The head of Prabowo's legal team, Bambang Widjojanto, presented arguments including that of the incompatibility of the vice-presidential candidature of Widodo's running-mate, cleric Maruf Amin, who held posts in two government banking institutions during the same period. Prabowo has repeatedly complained of massive and systematic irregularities in the vote counting - in which he received 44.5 per cent support - and electoral lists, making allegations even months before the polls. Electoral fraud was ruled out last month by the Elections Supervisory Agency. After the announcement of official results on May 21, the former general's supporters held massive protests in the capital, which were followed by two days of violent clashes in which nine people were killed, while hundreds were injured and more than 200 were arrested. This is the second time that Prabowo has challenged election results in the court, having lost a similar appeal after losing to Widodo in the 2014 elections. The hearings are set to end on June 24 and the deadline for the verdict has been set for June 28. New Delhi, June 14 : The plan of private airport operators to hire staff from the grounded Jet Airways for security-related work has hit an air pocket with the Civil Aviation Ministry mulling the issue of a clarification to its March 2019 notification that reserves these functions only for airlines. Hoping that the government would open up a new revenue stream, one of the private airport operators had planned to hire personnel from Jet Airways for creating a new business segment of aircraft security. "Some of the airport operators are misinterpreting the notification. It is clear that only airlines would carry out security functions related to an aircraft," a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official told IANS here. "If need be, we will issue a clarification," the official said. Aircraft (Security) Rules 2011 provide detailed guidelines for the security of aircraft flying in the country. The rules specify about the deployment of manpower at airports for security functions such as conducting a search before taking an aircraft to the restricted area. Rule 26, for instance, sets out the eligibility for security personnel and guidelines for their training and certification before being deployed by the aircraft operator. The March notification inserted a new provision which says that an aircraft operator will also perform security functions. "Provided that an aircraft operator may enter into a contract with an Indian Scheduled Carrier or an Aerodrome Operator for performance of security functions and engage for such security functions, the whole-time direct employees of the Indian Scheduled Carrier or the Aerodrome Operator, as the case may be, who meet the requirements specified in this rule", the notification said. A clarification from the ministry will help clear doubts about whether airport operators can also provide security for aircraft. However, opening the area for more players would help create jobs across various airports in the country. Following the grounding of Jet Airways, thousands of its employees are facing bleak job prospects. The scenario is worse for non-technical personnel who can find very few avenues outside aviation sector. (Nirbhay Kumar can be contacted at nirbhay.k@ians.in) DOJ Bloodhounds on the Scent of John Brennan With Justice Department investigators noses to the ground, it should be just a matter of time before they identify Brennan as fabricator-in-chief of the Russiagate story, says Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern June 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The New York Times Thursday morning has bad news for one of its favorite anonymous sources, former CIA Director John Brennan. The Times reports that the Justice Department plans to interview senior CIA officers to focus on the allegation that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian intelligence to intervene in the 2016 election to help Donald J. Trump. DOJ investigators will be looking for evidence to support that remarkable claim that Special Counsel Robert Muellers final report failed to establish. Despite the collusion conspiracy theory having been put to rest, many Americans, including members of Congress, right and left, continue to accept the evidence-impoverished, media-cum-former-intelligence-officer meme that the Kremlin interfered massively in the 2016 presidential election. One cannot escape the analogy with the fraudulent evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. As in 2002 and 2003, when the mania for the invasion of Iraq mounted, Establishment media have simply regurgitated what intelligence sources like Brennan told them about Russia-gate. No one batted an eye when Brennan told a House committee in May 2017, I dont do evidence. Leak Not Hack As we Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity have warned numerous times over the past two plus years, there is no reliable forensic evidence to support the story that Russia hacked into the DNC. Moreover, in a piece I wrote in May, Orwellian Cloud Hovers Over Russia-gate, I again noted that accumulating forensic evidence from metadata clearly points to an inside DNC job a leak, not a hack, by Russia or anyone else. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter So Brennan and his partners, FBI Director James Comey and National Intelligence Director James Clapper were making stuff up and feeding thin but explosive gruel to the hungry stenographers that pass today for Russiagate obsessed journalists. Is the Jig Up? With Justice Department investigators noses to the ground, it should be just a matter of time before they identify Brennan conclusively as fabricator-in-chief of the Russiagate story. Evidence, real evidence in this case, abounds, since the Brennan-Comey-Clapper gang of three were sure Hillary Clinton would become president. Consequently, they did not perform due diligence to hide their tracks. Worse still, intelligence analysts tend to hang onto instructions and terms of reference handed down to them by people like Brennan and his top lieutenants. It will not be difficult for CIA analysts to come up with documents to support the excuse: Brennan made me do it. The Times article today betrays some sympathy and worry over what may be in store for Brennan, one of its favorite sons and (anonymous) sources, as well as for those he suborned into making up stuff about the Russians. The DOJ inquiry, says the Times, has provoked anxiety in the ranks of the C.I.A., according to former officials. Senior agency officials have questioned why the C.I.A.s analytical work should be subjected to a federal prosecutors scrutiny. Attorney General William Barr is overseeing the review but has assigned the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, John Durham, to conduct it. No Holds Barred Barr is approaching this challenge with a resoluteness and a calm candor rarely seen in Washington particularly when it comes to challenging those who run the intelligence agencies. The big question, once again, is whether President Donald Trump will follow his customary practice of reining in subordinates at the last minute, lest they cross the vindictive and still powerful members of the Deep State. Happily, at least for those interested in the truth, some of the authors of the rump, misnomered Intelligence Community Assessment commissioned by Obama, orchestrated by Brennan-Clapper-Comey, and published on January 6, 2017 will now be interviewed. The ICA is the document still widely cited as showing that the entire intelligence community agreed on the Russia-gate story, but this is far from the case. As Clapper has admitted, that assessment was drafted by handpicked analysts from just three of the 17 intelligence agencies CIA, FBI, and NSA. U.S. Attorney Durham would do well to also check with analysts in agencies like the Defense Intelligence Agency and State Department Intelligence, as to why they believe they were excluded. The ICA on Russian interference is as inferior an example of intelligence analysis as I have ever seen. Since virtually all of the hoi aristoi and the media swear by it, I did an assessment of the Assessment on its second anniversary. I wrote: Under a media drumbeat of anti-Russian hysteria, credulous Americans were led to believe that Donald Trump owed his election victory to the president of Russia, whose influence campaign according to theTimesquoting the intelligence report,helped President-elect Trumps election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton. Hard evidence supporting the media and political rhetoric has been as elusive as proof of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2002-2003. This time, though, an alarming increase in the possibility of war with nuclear-armed Russia has ensued whether by design, hubris, or rank stupidity. The possible consequences for the world are even more dire than 16 years of war and destruction in the Middle East. The Defense Intelligence Agency should have been included, particularly since it has considerable expertise on the G.R.U., the Russian military intelligence agency, which has been blamed for Russian hacking of the DNC emails. But DIA, too, has an independent streak and, in fact, is capable of reaching judgments Clapper would reject as anathema. Just one year before Clapper decided to do the rump Intelligence Community Assessment, DIA had formally blessed the following heterodox idea in its December 2015 National Security Strategy: The Kremlin is convinced the United States is laying the groundwork for regime change in Russia, a conviction further reinforced by the events in Ukraine. Moscow views the United States as the critical driver behind the crisis in Ukraine and believes that the overthrow of former Ukrainian President Yanukovych is the latest move in a long-established pattern of U.S.-orchestrated regime change efforts. Any further questions as to why the Defense Intelligence Agency was kept away from the ICA drafting table? Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. During his 27 years as a CIA analyst, he was Chief of the Soviet Foreign Policy Branch, and preparer/briefer of the Presidents Daily Brief. He is co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) . This article was originally published by " Consortium News " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Bill Binney and Larry Johnson Reveal the Fraud of RUSSIAGATE Bill Binney- Julian Assange Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Hangzhou, June 14 : Chinese researchers have developed a high-energy Lithium-ion Battery (LIB) technology, which could enable a running distance of 300 km per 10 minutes of charging. The debut of a passenger car loaded with the 50-kWh battery pack was held in Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported. "The key to this fast-charging technology is the R&D of fast lithium-ion conducting materials," said Zhou Xiaoping, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Hunan University and Chief Scientist at Zhejiang Folta Technology Co. Ltd. The materials mainly consist of low-impedance ionic compounds that could not only raise power cell efficiency but bring down safety risks caused by lithium precipitation during charging and discharging, Zhou added. A third-party evaluation report issued by the independent testing company TUV SUD showed that the life cycle of the power cells using the new technology has hit 5,000 times in a 150-ampere charge-discharge performance test and is expected to exceed 6,000 times since the cycle testing continues. Folta has also finished joint tests on the new LIB products with a Chinese automobile manufacturer and is ready for industrial production, the company said. Industry insiders believe that the breakthrough in fast charging technology will help popularize pure electric vehicles by providing a shorter charging time, a smaller battery load in limited spaces and more safety. "Folta has made further improvements and innovations on the existing technology," said Xu Dingming, Deputy Chief of The Expert Consultation Committee of China's National Energy Commission. "Industrial production is the next step, which will give China's New Energy Vehicles (NEV) and energy storage industry a hopeful nudge forward." Xu noted that more tests still need to be done before this new technology could bring about a 'fast-charging revolution' for the industry and thus speed up industrial transformation for green development. New Delhi, June 14 : India's merchandise exports rose 4 per cent on a year-on-year basis in May to $29.99 billion from $28.86 billion reported for the corresponding month of last year, official data showed on Friday. Ankara, June 14 : Turkey will retaliate if the US imposes sanctions over its purchase of the S-400 air defence systems from Russia, the country's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday. "There are steps we will take (against the US) if they impose (sanctions) against us. These steps will be announced when needed," Cavusoglu told state-run Anadolu Agency in an interview when asked about possible US sanctions over the deal. "We will not step back on Russian S-400 deal no matter what the consequences will be," Cavusoglu said. The Minister did not specify which measures Ankara would take against Washington but stressed that "an understanding that has been stipulating Turkey's silence and full obedience to the US impositions is now over". Cavusoglu also echoed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's earlier statement that the Russian systems have already been bought. "A part of the price has been already paid and the rest will be done through credits. Now we are discussing the deployment with Russians," he said. Recalling that the US has not answered Turkey's calls for the supply of air defence systems for 20 months and is still hesitant to give assurances about a congressional approval if Turkey wants to buy the US Patriot systems, the Minister also questioned the reason behind Washington's strong reaction against the Turkish decision on S-400s. "Why do they create such problems about it?" he asked, repeating Ankara's proposal of setting up a technical committee to study US concerns of the deployment of the S-400s and F-35 aircraft together on the Turkish soils, the report said. "Turkey's location is not a place like heaven. Our neighbours are not Mexico and Canada. We face a lot of threats," Cavusoglu said. The US has repeatedly warned it will cut off Turkey's purchase of F-35 fighter jets if Ankara goes ahead with plans to buy Russian S-400 air defence system, expected to be delivered as early as next month, triggering a heated dispute between the two NATO allies. Last week, Pentagon announced in a letter that it would halt F-35 fighter jet training for Turkish pilots and all Turkish trainees in the programme must leave the country by July 31. London, June 14 : Britain's Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which is in charge of writing advertising codes across Britain, announced on Friday that its new rule banning harmful gender stereotypes in advertisements has come into force. The new rule applies to broadcast and non-broadcast media, including online and social media, said CAP, adding that "advertisements must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence", Xinhua news agency reported. According to the new rule, an ad that depicts a man or a woman failing to achieve a task specifically based on their gender is likely to be problematic, such as a man's inability to change nappies or a woman's inability to park a car. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) -- the country's independent regulator of advertising across all media -- will deal with any complaint and assess advertisements to determine if the new rule has been violated. Guy Parker, Chief Executive of the ASA, said: "Our evidence shows how harmful gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to inequality in society, with costs for all of us." Parker highlighted that some portrayals in advertisements might limit people's potential over time, adding that "it's in the interests of women and men, our economy and society that advertisers steer clear of these outdated portrayals, and we're pleased with how the industry has already begun to respond". Hyderabad: Doctors of National Institute of Management Solutions (NIMS) wear bandages on their heads as they stage a demonstration against doctors who were assaulted in Kolkata and press for adequate protection for their counterparts, in Hyderabad on Image Source: IANS News Hyderabad: Doctors of National Institute of Management Solutions (NIMS) wear bandages on their heads as they stage a demonstration against doctors who were assaulted in Kolkata and press for adequate protection for their counterparts, in Hyderabad on Image Source: IANS News Hyderabad/Vijayawada, June 14 : Doctors in the government-run and private hospitals in Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Friday staged protests to express their solidarity with the protesting doctors in Kolkata. On a call given by Indian Medical Association (IMA), doctors at all major teaching hospitals in Telangana joined the token protest to condemn the brutal attack on a doctor at a Kolkata hospital. Doctors at Gandhi Hospital, Osmania Hospital and Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad and other hospitals in Telangana staged the protests, demanding an end to violence against doctors. After the token protests, doctors attended their duties wearing black badges. The IMA had called for a nationwide protest against growing number of attacks on doctors. The IMA also urged Telangana government to take measures to stop the attacks on doctors. Voicing concern over the series of incident in NIMS and other hospitals, it demanded stringent action against those involved. Doctors in major hospitals in Andhra Pradesh also staged protests to express solidarity with their colleagues in Kolkata. Protests were staged at hospitals in Vijayawada, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Kurnool. IMA central committee member Dr Gopinath demanded a central legislation to check the attacks on doctors. He was addressed a protest meeting at Adoni Market in Kurnool district. He said the attacks on doctors in West Bengal were highly condemnable. Chennai, June 14 : Major Brands (India), the Indian franchisee for several international lifestyle products, will be investing around Rs 260 crore over the next four years in expanding its retail network and setting up a warehouse in South India, a top company official said on Friday. He also said while opening its outlets in malls in major cities, the company will also be enterering Tier II cities. "We plan to invest about Rs 260 crore over the next four years in expanding our retail outlets and also setting up a warehouse in South India. We want to double our retail network in four year's time," Major Brands (India) President Tushar Ved told mediapersons here. "Currently, we have 160 standalone outlets for different brands. In addition we are also present in several big retail outlets under shop-in-shop model," he said. Major Brands represents several international lifestyle brand products in India and has opened exclusive brand outlets. The company has launched brands like Aldo, Aldo Accessories, Charles & Keith, Inglot, Lasenza, Beverly Hills Polo Club, Call it Spring, New Balance and Bath and Body Works. According to Ved, the owners of two international brands have shown interest in sourcing products from India for local and export markets. He was here to open the premium perfume and cosmetics brand Bath and Body Works outlet in the upmarket Express Avenue mall. Ved also said that apart from retail sales, gifting is a big segment for which the company will be talking to various corporates. Speaking about the outlets for different brands, he said that it differs from brand to brand. The outlets are sized between 200 sq ft to 2,500 sq ft. "We prefer to have our outlets in malls where zoning is done properly. In the case of an existing mall, one can get numbers like footfalls, market size for the international brands," he added. Ved, however, ruled out Major Brands housing all the brands under one retail roof as it will not benefit the company. Prayagraj: Junior doctors of Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital stage a demonstration against the assault on doctors at Kolkata's NRS Medical College and Hospital, in Prayagraj on June 14, 2019. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: PK Bengaluru: Doctors of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Karnataka, wearing bandages stage a demonstration against the brutal assault on fellow medicos of West Bengal and press for adequate protection for their counterparts, in Bengaluru on June 14, 20 Image Source: PK New Delhi/Kolkata, June 14 : Doctors, including kin of top Trinamool Congress leaders, held protests across the country on Friday in solidarity with their agitating colleagues in West Bengal even as Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and relatives of patients urged both sides to end the impasse which has crippled the state's healthcare system. Doctors in Delhi's AIIMS and other prominent hospitals, in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana as well as other places, especially AIIMS, stayed away from work, demanding justice for their Bengal counterparts and enhanced security for practitioners. However, in Bengal, the situation worsened as in the wake of cease-work at state-run hospitals, over 200 doctors of four medical colleges, including the NRS Medical College and Hospital - the epicentre of the protests after a junior doctor was beaten up by attendants of an old patient who died, submitted mass resignations even as patients and their kin appealed for an end to the agitation. Terming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is like a "guardian", a "mother", renowned actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen appealed to her to "change her stance a bit" and take a more humane view of the threats faced by doctors. Sen was part of a group of intellectuals from the state who on Friday stood by the agitating junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital. Banerjee's nephew Abesh Banerjee, who is a medical student, on Friday came out in support of the protesting doctors. Abesh Banerjee, whose Facebook bio describes him as the President of KPC Medical College and Hospital, was seen at a rally holding a placard that read: "You say we are Gods!! Why Treat us like Dogs?" Earlier, Kolkata Mayor and state Minister Firhad Hakim's daughter, a doctor, criticised the government's handling of the ongoing doctors' strike and said medicos had the right to "peaceful protest" and "safety at work". In a Facebook post, Shabba Hakim asked people to question why "goons were still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors". Amid the crisis, Union Health Harsh Vardhan appealed to both the agitating doctors to end their strike and Chief Minister Banerjee to withdraw her ultimatum against the doctors in her state, which triggered strikes across the country. Urging the doctors to end their strike in the larger interest of the society, he said he would take all possible measures to ensure a safe environment for them at hospitals across the country. "I'll write to all the states where such incidents have occurred and ensure safe working conditions for doctors," he said after meeting a delegation of Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, United Resident & Doctors Association of India (URDA) and Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), who gave him a memorandum on the violence against doctors in West Bengal. Expressing deep concern over the West Bengal incident, Harsh Vardhan said: "I strongly condemn the unruly behaviour and assault on doctors. I will discuss it with the Chief Minister of Bengal." Around 4,500 Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) stopped attending to patients in all the 26 government hospitals in the state simultaneously on Friday. A large number of doctors gathered outside Mumbai's KEM Hospital with banners and posters, while similar protests were held in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur. In Delhi, senior and junior resident doctors of several government hospitals also went on the one day token strike and boycotted work. Except for emergency services, there was full shutdown of all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, the AIIMS association said. Resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung hospitals carried bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest and suspended all non-emergency services. Some doctors also went around wards while wearing helmets. Several resident doctors also held a protest at the Jantar Mantar. In Odisha, students of the SCB Medical College and Hospital and the members of the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) took out a protest march in Cuttack, while over 500 resident doctors, junior and interns of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar started a day-long strike on Friday, though emergency services at the premier health institute remained unaffected. About 15,000 doctors and nurses in private hospitals across Karnataka on Friday joined the nationwide strike, and so did doctors in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In Kerala, over 3,000 post-graduate medical students and house surgeons across state-run medical college and hospitals on Friday went on a token strike. However, the doctors clarified that the strike had got nothing to do with the nationwide day-long strike by medicos to express solidarity with their Kolkata counterparts, and their agitation was to demanding an increase in their stipends - last revised in 2015. Panaji, June 14 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday met Union Minister of State for Mines Prahlad Joshi and requested his intervention to restart mining in the coastal state, which was banned by the Supreme Court last year. "Called on Shri Prahlad Joshi ji, Union Minister of Mines, in New Delhi. Brief him on Goa mining matter and requested for his intervention," Sawant tweeted. The BJP-led coalition government in Goa has come under criticism for its failure to restart the mining industry for more than a year now. The apex court banned mining in 88 operational mining leases, after it found lapses in the renewal of the mining leases and scrapped the validity of all the leases. Sawant, who is on a two-day visit to the national capital, also met Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah, Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani and Union Minister for Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal and also extended an invitation to the latter to inaugurate the Pernem Government College campus in North Goa. Khartoum : , June 14 (IANS) In a bid to raise awareness about the current volatile situation in Sudan, social media users in large numbers have turned their profile picture blue. While some Twitter and Instagram users have made the profile picture circle appear solid blue, others posted a solid blue square as an image. Some have done both. Instagram has so far recorded close to 18,000 posts with the hashtag #BlueForSudan. "It is time to stand hand in hand. Their voices must be heard. #BlueForSudan," wrote one Twitter user. "Ignorance is worse than violence.. Stand with Humanity, Stand with #sudan #BlueForSudan," wrote another. Some users have also posted the drawing of a crying woman wearing a hijab to draw attention to the political crisis in the north African country. The violence in Sudan followed a couple of months after the ouster of long-running President Omar al-Bashir on April 11. The trigger for social media users to turn blue was the death of a young man who was allegedly killed during a crackdown on protesters on June 3. "Those who are taking part in spreading #BlueForSudan. The colour blue came from a warm hearted, martyr known as, Mohammed Hashim Mattar, my cousin who has passed away on the 3rd of June, as he was standing proud. Blue was his fav colour, which now presents unity. Mattar's Blue," tweeted one user. To honour his death, Mattar's friends and family put up the blue colour on their profiles, but others soon followed. The Sudanese government last Thursday said that 46 people were killed in "recent events" that began with an assault on a protest camp earlier this week in the capital Khartoum, while the opposition Committee of Doctors said at least 108 people had died. In what was the first official death toll since a military crackdown on a camp that had been set up for two months, the Sudanese Undersecretary for the Health Ministry, Suleiman Abdul Jabbar, said in a statement that the toll had not reached 100, Efe news reported. Sudanese security forces last Monday raided an encampment that had been set up in front of the Army headquarters since April 6 and began firing to clear the area. The Army cracked down on the demonstrators and destroyed the encampment, the nerve centre of the protest that led to the overthrow of long-running President Omar al-Bashir on April 11. Kolkata, June 14 : Close to 300 farmers in West Bengal's Singur, which had witnessed a violent anti-land acquisition stir over a decade back, signed a memorandum and submitted their land ownership bills demanding reindustrialisation in the area, a state BJP leader said. "Today we held a meeting with the local farmers in Singur and listened to their demands. They want industrialisation there. Close to 300 farmers signed a memorandum and submitted the copy of the land 'parchas'. They believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only person who can fulfil their demand," BJP's Hoogly Lok Sabha MP Locket Chatterjee told IANS. Singur, a rural hamlet in Hooghly district, was on the boil between 2006 and 2008 after the then Left Front government acquired 997.11 acres of land for setting up Tata Motor's small car factory. Demanding return of 400 acres to farmers from whom land was allegedly taken against their will, the then opposition Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee spearheaded a violent and sustained movement that ultimately forced the automobile giant Tata Motors to shift its small car plant to Sanand in Gujarat. "I appeal to Tata to come back to Singur. I also invite the other government and private industries as well. When a big industry is built, several small industries also prosper in the area. We want Singur to be transformed into an industrial town," Chatterjee said. "We do not expect to get any support from the Trinamool Congress government in Bengal. So we are depending solely on Modi ji's intervention to bring in industries in Singur. We will send the memorandum of the farmers to him," she said. In the 2019 polls, BJP's Chatterjee managed to take a lead of over ten thousand votes over state's ruling party in Singur assembly segment. Banerjee has termed the loss a a "matter of shame". BJP leader Mukul Roy, once Banerjee's "right-hand man", and a prominent part of Trinamool's Singur agitation, has recently termed the movement "a mistake". Following the 2019 poll result, farmers in the area had held a demonstration demanding industries to be set up on their land which still lies barren. Welcome David Schenker Another Zionist in charge of American foreign policy By Philip Giraldi June 13, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - Those who think that the foreign policy of the United States should be the product of serious discussion embracing a variety of viewpoints to come to a conclusion that benefits the American people should perhaps take note of what has been going on in the President Donald Trump administration. The use of unrelenting pressure to include threats of military intervention rather than negotiation has been noted by many, but the media predictably has failed to discuss the implications of having a team in place making decisions relating to the volatile Middle East and beyond that consists overwhelmingly of Orthodox Jews and Christian Zionists. To recap, Trumps A-team in the Middle East is headed by his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner who is being personally advised by a group of Orthodox Jews. David Friedman, the U.S. (sic) Ambassador to Israel is also an Orthodox Jew and a former bankruptcy lawyer with no diplomatic or foreign policy credentials. He is a passionate supporter and even a funder of the illegal Israeli settlements on the West Bank and on the Golan Heights. Friedman endlessly and ignorantly repeats Israeli government talking points and eventually succeeded in changing the language used in State Department communications, eliminating the word occupied when describing Israels control of the West Bank. His humanity does not extend beyond his Jewishness, defending the Israeli shooting of thousands of unarmed Gazan protesters and the bombing of schools, hospitals and cultural centers. How he represents the United States and its citizens who are not dual nationals must be considered a mystery. Friedmans top adviser is Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, who is described by the Embassy as an expert in Jewish education and pro-Israel advocacy. Once upon a time Lightstone described Donald Trump as posing an existential danger both to the Republican Party and to the U.S. and even accused him of pandering to Jewish audiences. Apparently when opportunity knocked, he changed his mind about his new boss. Pre-government in 2014, Lightstone founded and headed Silent City, a Jewish advocacy group supported by extreme right-wing money that opposed the Iran nuclear agreement and also worked to combat the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Trumps chief international negotiator for the Middle East is yet another Orthodox Jew Jason Greenblatt, the former Trump Organization lawyer. If you have read a recent New York Times op-ed by Greenblatt entitled Care about Gaza? Blame Hamas you would understand that the misery being experienced by Palestinians in Gaza has nothing to do with Israeli snipers, artillery rounds and phosphorous bombs. It is all the Arabs own fault. Greenblatt uniquely claims that Israels illegal settlements are not an obstacle to peace and he is very upset because some naysayers are actually putting part of the blame for the human catastrophe in Gaza on Israel. Kushner, Greenblatt and Friedman are perfect examples of the type of dual loyalist who cannot appreciate that their overriding religious and ethnic allegiances are incompatible with genuine loyalty to the United States. The other key pro-Israel players in the foreign policy establishment are nominally Christian, including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both of whom are Christian Zionists who believe (and hope) that the re-creation of Israel is part of biblical prophecy that will lead to a great war, the end of the world as we know it and the second coming of Christ. The final component of the Zionist line-up is National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has been a recipient of the Defender of Israel Award as well as an outspoken advocate of war with Iran. Not exactly a model of diversity, is it? Well, there was one piece missing and that was the State Departments Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, which has been vacant for the past fourteen months due to failure of the Senate to approve the candidate proposed by Trump, one David Schenker. Schenker was not on hold because of what might be regarded as legitimate concerns about his background or his presumed biases, but rather because Senator Tim Kaine had been demanding from the White House documents relating to military action in Syria, a more-or-less unrelated issue. Last Wednesday Schenker was finally approved by the Senate in an 83 to 11 vote. Schenker has spent most of his time in Washington at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), a think-tank that supports the Israeli government. He began as an analyst after graduate school and his career exhibits the familiar neocon pattern of jumping between pro-Israel foundations and government jobs to build a resume and credibility. He served in the George W. Bush Pentagon, which was a hot bed of neocon subversion featuring Paul Wolfowitz and Doug Feith. And WINEP is no ordinary think-tank. It was founded by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington. To describe WINEP as supporting the Israeli government is an understatement. When news of the Senates confirmation vote came through, WINEP Executive Director Robert Satloff enthused that David Schenkers career has been dedicated to enhancing the quality of U.S. Middle East policy, and it is only fitting he should now be the one enacting such policies at such a critical time for U.S. interests in the region. Satloff is right to gloat, as The Lobby that he is part of now has its nice Jewish boy in a senior position at the State Department where he will be enhancing the quality of U.S. foreign policy for the Middle and Near East to favor Israel. In a press release WINEP Institute President Shelly Kassen and Chairman Martin J. Gross also joined in, describing how We are proud of the fact that David Schenker will be the latest in a long line of Institute experts to join the government in senior positions in both Republican and Democratic administrations to provide expertise on the Middle East. Yes, Schenker is clearly full of expertise, though it is odd how the government appears to think that expert opinion on the Middle East is an attribute belonging only to Jewish pseudo-scholars and think-tank parasites. It is expected that Schenker will not hesitate to get tough with the Arabs. In a September 2017 interview he emphasized the threat posed by Hezbollahs tunnels under the Israel-Lebanon border. And he believes that a future war between Israel and Hezbollah is not a matter of if, but when. There is little doubt which side Schenker will be on, even if Benjamin Netanyahu starts the war. There is an unfortunate history of American Jews closely attached to Israel being promoted by powerful and cash rich domestic lobbies to act on behalf of the Jewish state, enabling them to move between think-tanks and government almost effortlessly. To be sure, by virtue of their relentless networking and gaming of the system, Jews who are Zionists are vastly overrepresented in all government agencies that have anything at all to do with the Middle East. Meanwhile, one can also reasonably argue that the Republican and Democratic Parties are de facto in the pockets of Jewish/Israeli billionaires named Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban, both of whom regard the advancement of Israeli rather than American interests as their top priorities. What is to be done? Well, it would be nice, almost unbearably nice, to see the media and Congress just for once doing their jobs by challenging the bona fides of poseurs like Kushner, Friedman, Greenblatt and Schenker not to mention the demented trio of Pence, Pompeo and Bolton. It is not in the United States interest to have as its representatives and spokesmen in an important and highly volatile part of the world individuals who are demonstrated partisans on issues that that will surely require some compromise if they are ever to be resolved. Israeli leaders have described with a grin how easy it is to move the United States in their favor by virtue of the power of their diaspora associates both in and out of government. Perhaps it is time to wake up to that fact to get rid of the Quislings and set the pendulum swinging in the other direction. councilforthenationalinterest.org, address is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org. Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a 501(c)3 tax deductible educational foundation (Federal ID Number #52-1739023) that seeks a more interests-based U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Website isaddress is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is This article was originally published by " Unz Review " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment her ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Lucknow, June 14 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the concerned officials to establish contact with the district-level education officers in order to ensure qualitative improvement in educational standards in the state. Addressing a meeting of education department officials, including Basic Education officials, the Chief Minister said that an education calendar should be adopted in all degree, secondary and primary schools and colleges. He directed that all schools should reopen after summer vacations on June 25 and complete cleanliness should be ensured in schools before the students return for the new academic session. The Chief Minister also warned that no teachers should remain absent during school hours, even if it meant visiting the offices of local education officials. Adityanath underlined the importance of the "School Chalo" campaign and asked the officials to involve the students in tree plantation drives. The Chief Minister, in particular, said that all school buses should be subjected to timely inspections and that students' safety must be taken care of. Kolkata, June 14 : Trinamool leader and Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's son, himself a doctor by profession, on Friday strongly condemned the attack on junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital here. In a lengthy Facebook post, Baidyanath Dastidar wrote "I stand with NRS, Bhar mein Jaye Politics (To hell with politics)" and took a stand for the doctors' movement. "It is reprehensible that some people try to colour doctors on political lines when they give life to serve people," he wrote. However, he deleted the post later. He also encouraged the doctors to carry on the protests. "My medicos friends please carry on your struggle. Your demands are just and valid. Please do not give up. A junior (23-year-old) doctor does not join a hospital to be killed. They have the right to be protected with the best possible protection. I give complete support to the doctors' movement," Dastidar wrote. Being a Trinamool supporter and son of a party leader he also "apologised on behalf of any member of the party if they had criticised any doctor". Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Thursday alleged that the doctors continued their cease-work despite the action taken by the government and the police, and called it a "political conspiracy". "The BJP is trying to create communal tension (saying) that doctors should not attend to Muslim patients, other patients and they will only see BJP patients," she had said. Her nephew Abesh Banerjee, who is a medical student, was seen at a rally holding a placard that read: "You say we are Gods!! Why Treat us like Dogs". Earlier, Kolkata Mayor and state Minister Firhad Hakim's daughter, also a doctor, had criticised the government's handling of the ongoing doctors' strike and said medicos had the right to "peaceful protest" and "safety at work". Bishkek : , June 14 (IANS) Amid the deep chill in bilateral ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan exchanged pleasantries on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here on Friday, according to sources. The pleasantries were "usual" in nature and were exchanged when the two Prime Ministers were in the Leaders' Lounge along with leaders of other SCO member countries, the sources said, insisting that it cannot be construed as a "meeting". This is the first such interaction between the two Prime Ministers, who were here to attend the SCO Summit, amidst the chill in bilateral relations, triggered by the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in February. Earlier, addressing the Summit, Modi made a veiled attack on Pakistan as Khan listened, saying the countries which "promote, support and fund" terrorism must be held accountable. On Thursday, Modi had told Chinese President Xi Jinping that his country's "all-weather friend" Pakistan must take concrete action against terrorism. The Prime Minister told the Chinese President that India has a consistent policy that all issues between India and China should be discussed through a bilateral mechanism, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told mediapersons after the meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. "We look for a peaceful settlement (with Pakistan) through negotiations," Gokhale quoted Modi as telling Xi. The Prime Minister told Xi that he had made efforts to build cordial relations with Pakistan but those were "derailed", the Foreign Secretary said. "The Prime Minister did inform President Xi that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terrorism and that at this stage we do not see it happening," Gokhale said. "Therefore, we expect Pakistan to take concrete action on the issues that India has proposed, the areas of concerns that we have flagged to Pakistan. And Pakistan should take concrete action in this regard," the Foreign Secretary quoted Modi as telling Xi. India has maintained that it cannot have talks with Pakistan until terrorism emanating from that soil comes to an end. The clear message given by Modi to Xi assumes significance against the backdrop of the consistent efforts made by China, which considers itself as "all-weather friend" of Pakistan, to stall an international attempt to proscribe Masood Azhar by the UN Security Council till recently. China, one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, finally relented to allow the world body to sanction Azhar on May 1. China relented under intense international pressure, particularly built by the US and France, in the aftermath of the ghastly terror attack by the Jaish-e-Mohammed on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14, in which 40 personnel were killed. India retaliated to that attack by carrying out air strike at JeM terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan on February 26, after which military tensions escalated for some time. New Delhi, June 14 : Recommending measures to be taken for the IT industry in the upcoming general budget, IT industry's apex body Nasscom said that the government should frame a tax-friendly policy for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) for a period of 20 years. "Establishing a tax-friendly Special Economic Zone policy for the next 20 years would help retain existing tax benefits as well as continue to generate employment while increasing foreign exchange earnings," it said in a statement. The IT body also said that measures should be taken to promote the creation of intellectual property in engineering, research and development (ER&D) by incentivising investments in centres of global multi-national companies in India and nurturing 1,000 technology spin-offs from the ER&D centres in India. "While there has been a continued focus on encouraging IT adoption and allocation of funds across sectors like an Innovation fund for secondary education, currently there are no specific incentives for R&D for IT companies," it said. Nasscom also recommended a Rs 500 crore allocation in the budget for the financial year 2019-2020 to co-fund talent development and re-skilling in IT services. "With a requirement to reskill 40 per cent of the country's 4 million (40 lakh) strong IT workforce to cope with emerging technologies, it is recommended to incentivise firms by promoting expenditure on developing skills and training programs undertaken by the industry." It also urged the government to encourage innovation among start-ups and enterprises by exempting tax on long term capital gains from the sale of shares in unlisted companies. Investors who invest in eligible start-ups with an intention of value accretion should be benefitted with tax deductions, on the lines of Singapore and the United Kingdom, it said. It also suggested that start-ups and small and medium enterprises with a turnover of less than Rs 50 crores also be exempted from minimum alternate tax (MAT). Chennai, June 14 : A youth on Friday attacked a young girl with a sickle before jumping in front of a moving train at the Chetpet railway station here, the police said. The assailant and the victim, both hailing from Erode district, were immediately admitted to a nearby hospital where their condition is said to be critical. The two were seen talking to each other while standing on a platform when the man, identified as Surender, attacked the woman named Thenmozhi with a sickle. Surender then jumped before a moving train with an intention to commit suicide. The police are investigating the matter. It may be recalled here that in 2016, a young Infosys employee named Swathi was stabbed to death by P. Ramkumar at the Nungambakkam railway station here. According to the police, Ramkumar later committed suicide by biting a live wire while in custody. Of late, the number of cases of young men killing young women are on the rise. In April, the Tamil Nadu police arrested one Satishkumar for murdering a female college student named Pragathi near Pollachi. The police said that Satishkumar wanted to marry Pragathi but her parents had turned down the proposal. He later got married to someone else, while Pragathi's parents too finalised a boy for her and the wedding was fixed for June. Satishkumar allegedly killed her as he was not able to digest the fact that she was getting married to someone else. New Delhi: Congress MP Kamal Nath arrives at the Parliament in New Delhi, on April 21, 2015. (Photo: Amlan Paliwal/IANS) Image Source: IANS New Delhi, June 14 : Amid the crisis in the Congress over party chief Rahul Gandhi's insistence to step down from his post, Congress' Chief Ministers and some other senior leaders met here over dinner at the residence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The meeting of the Chief Ministers, who were in the national capital to attend the meeting of the Niti Aayog's governing council on Saturday, was understood to have been called to appeal to Rahul Gandhi to remain as party President. At the meeting that lasted for over three and half hours, the Congress leaders discussed the party's drubbing in the recently-concluded general elections, party sources said. A party source said that the leaders discussed the reasons for the poll debacle, especially in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where the party won the assembly elections in December last year. The meeting was attended by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior party leader Digvijaya Singh, Anand Sharma, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan (Ashok Gehlot), Pudicherry Chief Minister (V. Narayansamy) and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (Bhupesh Baghel). First to arrive at Nath's house was Digvijaya Singh. He left after around half an hour. However, he again came back to join the meeting. Soon after him, Hooda also arrived and was followed by Narayansamy and Anand Sharma. Gehlot and Baghel also arrived there after these leaders. However, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who was also supposed to join the meeting, did not come, citing health issues. The Congress President offered to step down from his post during the Congress Working Committee meeting on May 25, following the party's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The party managed to win only 52 seats. Though the CWC rejected the offer, Gandhi remained adamant on quitting. Washington, June 15 : U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Iran and bilateral trade. The two leaders on Friday discussed Abe's recent trip to Iran, the ongoing U.S.-Japan bilateral trade negotiations and Trump's upcoming trip to the Group of 20 (G20) Osaka summit in late June, Xinhua reported, citing a White House statement. "President Trump thanked Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran," said the statement. Abe paid a visit to Iran earlier this week, which was the first visit made by a Japanese prime minister since Takeo Fukuda in 1978. The rare visit aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, told Abe on Thursday that it was meaningless to exchange message with Trump, according to Iranian state media. "While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted on Thursday. Abe's visit was also overshadowed by the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company. The Trump administration has claimed that Iran is responsible for the attacks, while Tehran called U.S. allegation as "sabotage diplomacy." Nissan Motors has been secured as the anchor tenant for Frasers Property Australia (Frasers Property) and ESR Australia (ESR1) newly purchased Mulgrave site The 4.67 acre 254 Wellington Road site has received planning approval for 60,000 sqm of commercial space, a 752 sqm cafe/retail area and 2,497 car spaces. A community hub is also envisaged incorporating a gymnasium, restaurant and activated outdoor open space. The business park is expected to have an end value of A$400 million when completed. Anthony Maugeri, General Manager, Southern Region Commercial & Industrial, for Frasers Property Australia stated, Frasers Property, in joint venture with ESR, previously developed 211 Wellington Road with a strong track record in attracting major corporates to the area. "We plan to develop a state-of-the-art business park and are eager to deliver industry-leading amenity on the site to assist in attracting large commercial occupiers,he said. Phil Pearce, Chief Executive Officer at ESR Australia said, This is an exciting project for ESR and Frasers Property as we commence a large-scale business park development in Melbournes south-east. We are seeing Mulgrave emerge as a growing suburban commercial office market" Nissan Australias Managing Director Stephen Lester said, Our current office was officially opened in June 1977, so over the 40 plus years that we have based ourselves here it has served us well, but we have grown as a business since then." Nissan Australias 11,000 sqm facility will be spread across five levels (including ground level) of the 8 level building and will comprise over 9,000 sqm office, 1,850 sqm workshop and 550 car bays. The new building, situated on the corner of Wellington Road (60 metre frontage) and Peters Avenue will achieve a 5 Star Green Star Design & As Built v1 certified rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The joint venture is a 50:50 split between Frasers Property and ESR. Frasers Property secured the 245 Wellington Road site, while ESR will undertake the development. Nissan Australias building is anticipated to be completed by May 2020 while the entire development is forecast for completion by late 2025. Practical completion of the facility is due in May 2020. Andrew Peak, Gianni Macdonald and Stephen Adgemis from CBRE brokered the Nissan transaction. Rob Joyes from Colliers International brokered the 254 Wellington Road acquisition. A Baldivis, WA mortgagee home has sold for $325,000. This marks a reduction of $150,000 on it's July 2014 sale price of $475,000. Lorraine Dove of RE/MAX held the listing. Situated at 11 Lomandra View, the four bedroom, two bathroom home transacted for less than it did in 2006. In January 2006, the 2005 built home traded for $365,000. Located in The Rivergums Estate, Baldivis, the home is near amenities such as public transport, schools and shops. The home originally sought $365,000, $40,000 less than what it sold The median price for a house in Baldivis is $382,000 according to CoreLogic, which calculate its annual change in median price over the past 10 years as 0.9%. An historic 1860s Kensington trophy home has been listed. Flagmount at 50-52 Bellair Street was originally transported to Australia as a kit, carried over by a ship captain who used it as ballast on the trip. The freestanding home is made from Scottish Pine and was renovated in the 1920s to become a four bedroom residence. Following further more recent renovation, the home has walk in robes, private balcony, two ensuites, lounge, and a 1000-bottle wine storage room. It also has a backyard, pool and carport. To say it has been a joy to be the Trustees of 50-52 Bellair Street is an understatement and we are sure that this friendly community will welcome the new owners, the current owners said to Williams Media. We have made many lifelong friends along the street and many wonderful memories from our 34 and half years in our home that we will cherish. The home is walking distance to Kensington Village. The home is being marketed by Liz Brettell and Jayson Watts of Nelson Alexander Flemington. By ICH and Agencies President Trump blamed Iran for the attacks, but confusion has taken hold over the events after separate reports on what happened appeared to contradict each other. Asked how he planned to address Tehran and prevent any further incidents, Trump told Fox News: "We're going to see." China, the European Union and others have called for restraint from all sides. Germany said the U.S. video was not enough to apportion blame for Thursday's attack. "These accusations are alarming," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, adding that blaming Iran for Thursday's attacks was "convenient" for U.S. officials. Posted June 14, 2019 This June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. militarys Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. @SecPompeo: The United States will defend its forces and interests, and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability. We call upon all nations threatened by #Irans provocative acts to join us in that endeavor. pic.twitter.com/snjIVxtl2t Department of State (@StateDept) June 13, 2019 Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here The original source of this article is Information Clearing House Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy A get tough approach to crime and anti-social behavior is leading to considerable impact on families relying on social housing, a new report says. The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) report found that women affected by domestic violence are generally strongly supported by social housing landlords. However, this commitment may falter during a social housing tenancy. The Social housing legal responses to crime and anti-social behaviour: impacts on vulnerable families report was conducted by researchers from UNSW Sydney and University of Tasmania. It looked at social housing tenancies law, policies and 95 cases of eviction proceedings in five jurisdictions New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It also analyzed national policy principles relating to four groups of vulnerable people: women affected by domestic violence; children; Indigenous families; and people who problematically use alcohol and other drugs. Click here to enlarge: Tenancy obligations and extended liability impose hard expectations that women will control the misconduct of male partners and children, said lead researcher Dr Chris Martin from UNSW Sydney. In tenancy legal proceedings violence against women becomes framed as a nuisance and some women are evicted because of violence against them. The cases involving drug offences in particular show a punitive approach, with very minor offences, or offences involving visitors or family members often resulting in termination proceedings. In some cases, tenants are evicted even though the criminal justice system outcome is to allow rehabilitation at home. The report suggested several policy changes that could be made to help social landlords, including: reviewing the gender impacts of social housing policies and practice and sponsoring the cultivation of respectful relationships adopting the best interests of the child as the paramount factor in decisions about termination affecting children establishing specific Indigenous housing organisations, officers and advocates adopting harm minimisation as the guiding principle for responses to alcohol and other drug use, including where there is criminal offending. Responding to anti-social behaviour and misconduct in social housing is plainly a very challenging area of practice, said Dr Martin. Many of the cases we reviewed involved highly conflictual, destructive and distressing behaviour. It appears that in most cases a single substantial contact between the social housing landlord and the tenant was sufficient to address any problems. However, where problematic behaviour continues, the usual course of escalating threats to the tenancy and pushing the tenant to engage with the landlord and support services does not work for many. In those cases, people who are vulnerable may be evicted from their social housing, often into homelessness. We need to bring support out of the shadow of termination. Stockland, the nations largest listed housing developer, says residential sales remain weak, with risk to the downside. It was especially the case in Stockland estates on the outskirts of major cities and regional areas. Cancellation rates have increased moderately on the back of uncertainty created by current market conditions, it advised yesterday. Stockland chief executive Mark Steinert told investors that buyer defaults had increased in the last quarter of the 2018-19 financial year to 5 percent, above the long-term average of 3 per cent. Stockland has more than 2800 contracts on hand for settlement from the 2020 fiscal year, but the group expects challenging conditions to continue this year. Even after the post-Federal election uplift with enquiry levels recovering in Sydney and Melbourne, where the downturn had been the deepest, it noted. Perth and South East Queensland remained flat. Stockland chief executive Mark Steinert said their residential sales for the March quarter were 26 percent below the December quarter. He blamed challenging market conditions, reduced credit availability and buyer uncertainty due to the upcoming federal election. Stockland sold a major partially completed estate, The Grove last year, to Frasers Proeprty to reduce its exposure to the weakening market and find a share buyback. Domain reported Macquarie Equities' analyst Rob Freeman - who recently toured Mirvac, Stockland, Lendlease, Frasers and The Satterley Group's estates - saying sales volumes had fallen between 30 percent and 70 percent over the past year. "Developers which relied heavily on investor channels to sell product in the upswing have suffered the most in the downturn. "Speculators are no longer in the market, up to 20 percent of volume in the peak for some developers, and investor sales have declined significantly, in one instance investors who were 30 per cent of volume, are now at 20 percent," Mr Freeman said. "Default rates are varied and between about 4 per cent to 7 percent, which appears to be an increase of about 200 basis points from lows with cancellations running at 10-15 percent." The Melbourne developer and fund manager Ouson Group has onsold a 61 hectare site in Mount Cottrell in the outer west to a Singaporean group for $50 million with the capacity for between 820 and 920 lots once approved for subdivision. ASIC has cancelled the credit licence of Rochelle Weinert. ASIC found that Ms Weinert had acted dishonestly and was not a fit and proper person to engage in credit activities. Ms Weinert is a mortgage broker. ASICs concerns about Ms Weinert relate to her involvement in a property development in Newman, Western Australia, known as the Newman Estate Project. Ms Weinert has the right to appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review of ASICs decision. ASIC's investigation into Ms Weinert's conduct was part of an ongoing investigation into the Macro Group of Companies. ASIC actions to date as a result of the investigation into the Macro Group of Companies have included applications to the Federal Court, resulting in the appointment of liquidators to 24 companies within the Macro Group and and the permanent banning of Veronica Macpherson from providing financial services. Jolin Bachmann - CFO of 1SEO I.T. Support & Digital Marketing 1SEO I.T. Support and Digital Marketing is proud to announce that their very own Jolin Bachmann is a winner of the CFO of the Year Award for 2019 by the Philadelphia Business Journal. The Philadelphia Business Journal CFO of the Year Awards honor CFOs who are distinguished by their professionalism, resilience, integrity, and complete mastery of the social and financial skills that mark the greatest CFOs. CFO Jolin Bachmann epitomizes hard work and dedication, and 1SEO is proud to have her leading the way as she continues to take the agency to new heights of success. The Philadelphia Business Journals editorial team selected this years winners from a slate of nominees, focusing on criteria such as financial accomplishments, scope of responsibilities, tenure, leadership, community involvement, and influence on the companys business model. For information about the incredible digital marketing agency Jolin Bachmann represents, visit https://1seo.com/. About 1SEO I.T. Support & Digital Marketing 1SEO I.T. Support & Digital Marketing is a Philadelphia, PA-based digital marketing firm and managed I.T. service provider offering end-to-end solutions for their clientele, which is comprised of hundreds of businesses in countless industries that operate in several sectors, from the niche to the mainstream. With a full range of services, including social media optimization, content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), web development, pay per click (PPC), proactive I.T. support, and managed I.T. services, 1SEO I.T. Support & Digital Marketing helps their clients win online and maximizes the efficiency and security of their I.T. infrastructure. For more information, please visit https://1seo.com/. Or check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/1seoitdigital/ and on Twitter @1SEOITDigital Life Through A Mirror - When Murder Calls "Author Caesar Rondina has created an engaging trilogy that is thoughtful and complex. With the family surrounding David and Allie there to help investigate, each member is gradually developed, blending them into an interesting and likable group of characters." - Murder Suspense Reviews - MerryCI Life Through A Mirror - When Murder Calls, is book 3 of the Life Through A Mirror murder mystery trilogy. Allie and David lose a friend and find themselves involved with tracking down the killers as the difficulties of life continue. Each book in the series reflects a developing plot that leads to this exciting conclusion. When asked what challenges Caesar Rondina faced while writing this trilogy, Caesar Rondina replied, "As a paramedic with over 30 years of working hundreds of crime scenes and testifying in many court cases, writing realistic crime scenes and court transcripts were not the challenges. The challenge came in developing the plots, sub-plots, and adding the different characters in such a way to provide the reader with closure while leaving a cliff hanger about the characters, making a reader want to read the next book. However, I found the right mix that made this concept work, and it came together." Caesar Rondina stated, "Originally, the story was set in Vermont and New York, the finally settled in New York. This introduced many additional characters and crime figures. Each book ends with the closure of the murder. However, as each book in the series ended, the stage was set for the next book using a cliff hanger. That is what makes the reader want to find out what happens next. In this fianl book in the series, Allie and David are not part of a murder. However, they lose a close friend. This loss drags them into the investigation, and search for the suspects while the family dynamics continue to develop." When asked, Caesar Rondina stated, " I ended this book in a manner that the saga can be easily continued while giving closure to the reader. If I see interest from my readers, I could continue the series. I have read every review by readers and book critics. The main theme of every review was the attachment everyone developed with Allie and David. That was my goal. For now, I won't say yes or no as to whether or not a next book is planned. I will let my readers decide." When asked what was coming in the future, Caesar Rondina stated, "Many writers stray away from writing a murder mystery trilogy because unlike a detective series, it is difficult to keep a readers interest. In this murder mystery series, I can say that I found the answer to that problem. In September 2019 my love story When Two Worlds Collide will be released. The love story revolves around the life of Jill and Tony. Two young people in love, who must fight true to life obstacles for their love to survive. Any reader will become attached to Jill and Tony since this book is true to life. A sequel is not off the table. I am presently working on a new twist for a private investigator series for 2020. "From The AX Diaries." The title of the first book is Trapped In Revenge. It features Blake "AX" Miller, an ex-Navy Seal and retired Chicago police detective, and Roxanne "Roxy" Carter, and ex-call girl now a bounty hunter." Tina Irene Lynch, a former staff member of the NYC Mayors Office, a mother, and a researcher of the criminal justice system in New York City, has completed her new book Broken Soul: the heartfelt story that touches on the extreme differences that can exist within the same familyher cousin, former Pres. Obama US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and her brother, a convicted murderer who served a life sentence in prison. My book tells the story of the struggle my brother, Chris, faced, as the youngest of our siblings, and how my mother's alcoholism, which nearly destroyed my entire family, set the stage for the difficulties that would follow himand all of usthroughout our entire lives, Tina Irene Lynch said of her work. But this is about more than just my family. It is also about how Chris was let down by the local agencies, which should have come to his rescue during his time of need. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Tina Irene chronicles her brother transforming himself from being an elementary school drop out to becoming one of the first prisoners in the Nation to receive a bachelors degree while at the notorious Attica Correctional Facility. His efforts inspired her to better improve her own life. These accomplishments, however, were often thwarted by institutional racismas when Tina Irene Lynch was passed over for a promotion in her position at City Hall for an unqualified white man who she had to train to be her supervisor. Still, the author never lost hope. In addition to the narrative throughline that follows the author and her brothers separate attempts to change the direction of their lives, the author takes time to celebrate those members of her family whose indefatigable spirit lead them to greatness. No matter how hard someone tries, however, the author goes on to say that her brothers premature death prevented him from realizing his fullest potential. Readers who wish to experience this moving family history that doubles as a social science study case can purchase Broken Soul at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Your employees are a direct reflection of how your business is being operated. As the ones who are directly interacting with your customers all day, it is important to keep them motivated and eager to help your business grow. Having a positive culture at the workplace is an important model to adhere to when operating a business. Regardless of whether your establishment is centered in the most prominent area in town or your social media game has drum up hundreds of likes before you have even announced the grand opening, if you are not creating a positive environment for your employees, your business will suffer because of it. According to Forbes.com, having a positive company culture improves teamwork, increases productivity, ensures job satisfaction and reduces stress in employees. Just a matter of a manager or owner showing up to work with a negative attitude can have a dramatic impact on the entire workforce. This is especially important in the restaurant industry where you have customers constantly coming in and out of your workplace every day, evaluating the service and how they are cared for by your employees. Whether you are a new restaurateur, manager or your business culture could use some sprucing up, here are some helpful tools you can apply to your daily routine to build a positive workplace. Open and Honest Communication This always appears to be the top tier of importance in communicating with just about anyone. Simply put: if you are honest with your employees and interact with them daily, you will gain their respect. Let them know that you value them and take their feedback into consideration. One way you can do this is to promote opportunities for coffee breaks and team outings outside of the office. This gives your staff a chance to nurture connections beyond the confines of the restaurant. If your regular hours of operation are in the evenings, arrange a get-together for a game of beach volleyball or axe throwing at a nearby location. Or if your restaurant is closed on Mondays, plan a night of bowling or a barbecue inviting everyone to prepare a dish. If you do not already, you can start hosting holiday parties or an end of the summer gathering to thank your employees for their hard work during the busiest times of the year. Get-togethers that include all your employees can provide an opportunity for everyone to see each other outside of their uniforms and get to know each other in a casual setting. But please, no work talk! Equal Opportunity Employment This is done often in corporate offices and firms where owners/managers would create challenges for their employees to boost their motivation and work efforts. Many companies may offer bonuses or rewards if employees surpass their sales goals or receive a high-rate of positive customer reviews. A little healthy competition in the workplace is good for employees as it sets goals that they can work towards. This tactic could be demonstrated in the restaurant industry as well. For example, if you are trying to get more customers to try a new menu item, orchestrating a friendly game between your wait staff could elevate orders tremendously, especially when offering an incentive. Auctioning an additional 15 minutes to the winners lunch break or an extra shift for those itching for more hours are great incentives to get your employees working harder than ever. This will not only make your staff feel appreciated and recognized when they do a good job, this also gives all employees an equal opportunity to progress in the company while receiving perks and rewards. Hire Positive Attitudes This should go without saying. If a potential hire comes in for an interview and does not seem excited or eager to get hired in any way, then thats probably the same way that they will act on the job. We understand that if you are having trouble filling a position, it is tough to not want to hire immediately the first one that shows interest, but negative employees can quickly give bad vibes for the entire workplace. Look for a friendly smile and an upbeat personality when adding to your team. Make sure that they understand the importance of the position and where you see your company going in the future. Even if the position entails greeting customers at the door when they come in to your restaurant, or sweeping the floors regularly throughout the day, explain to them the importance of the duties and why it is imperative for your business. No matter how minor the task may seem, they will take the responsibility seriously if you do. This person could influence the vibe of your entire staff so choose wisely. Your employees are a direct reflection of how your business is being operated. As the ones who are directly interacting with your customers all day, it is important to keep them motivated and eager to help your business grow. By consistently communicating with your staff, making them feel appreciated and valued, and maintaining positive attitudes in the work environment you will become an employer that people want to work for and your restaurant will be at the top of peoples radar. About Bielat Santore & Company Bielat Santore & Company is an established commercial real estate firm. The companys expertise lies chiefly within the restaurant and hospitality industry, specializing in the sale of restaurants and other food and beverage real estate businesses. Since 1978, the principals of Bielat Santore & Company, Barry Bielat and Richard Santore, have sold more restaurants and similar type properties in New Jersey than any other real estate company. Furthermore, the firm has secured in excess of $500,000,000 in financing to facilitate these transactions. Visit the companys website, http://www.123bsc.com for the latest in new listings, property searches, available land, market data, financing trends, RSS feeds, press releases and more. The 2020 Toyota Corolla is now available at the Colonial Toyota showroom. Customers can schedule a test drive today to see how it is superior to one of the longest-running rivals. Nobody should be fooled by what their desk calendars say the date is, 2020 has already arrived at the Colonial Toyota showroom. Well, at least in terms of the models that have been delivered and ones that will be delivered in the very near future. The dealerships team of product experts have been fielding increased communications from clients wondering about the changes made to a pair of Toyotas most popular models, the 2020 Toyota Corolla and 2020 Toyota Highlander. The all-new versions of the Corolla compact sedan and the Highlander three-row crossover SUV represent the most technologically-advanced and capable versions of either model the manufacturer has ever produced. The 2020 Corolla has already been delivered to Colonial Toyota and the 2020 Highlander will be arriving very soon. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling model in automotive history, with several million being sold over the compact sedans 40-plus-year lifespan. For the 2020 model, Toyota went all-out introducing a more powerful engine option as well as equipping it with a complete suite of its latest connectivity gear. Future owners of the 2020 Corolla looking for a more dynamic handling and performance profile can have the compact sedan equipped with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine attached to a continuously variable transmission. It will produce 169 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. This is more power than what is available on most versions of the Corollas chief rival in the class. Toyota is one of the automakers that helped launch the crossover SUV class. The Toyota Highlander among the automakers models that are charter members of the incredibly popular segment. When the 2020 Toyota Highlander finally makes its way to town, it will have a whole host of challengers vying for its spot atop the class. In the case of at least one future competitor for the 2020 Highlander, the Toyota crossover SUV will use a very similar engine to its rival, but it will make more power and offer more standard towing capacity. Both the 2020 Toyota Corolla and 2020 Toyota Highlander will come with smartphone-compatible infotainment systems across the board. The chief rival of either vehicle will have the same capability, but not until a buyer moves up the trim ladder. Additionally, both the 2020 Corolla and 2020 Highlander will be equipped with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, another feature not found in either top competitor. Anyone can view the entire Colonial Toyota inventory by visiting the dealerships website, http://www.colonialtoyotact.com. The showroom is located at 470 Boston Post Rd., Milford, CT 06460. Customers can start the pre-ordering process for the 2020 Toyota Corolla or 2020 Toyota Highlander today by calling 203-403-6890 and making an appointment with Colonial Toyota product expert. The start of each new season brings in a surge of changes in Aspen, Colorado, with summer 2019 being no exception. As the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen kicks off the summer season this weekend, news for this summer in Aspen includes new lodging, significant anniversaries in the arts and culture scene, and more. For information on the ultimate mountain town getaway filled with adventure, arts and culture and mountain serenity, visit http://www.aspenchamber.org. Lodging NEW. W Aspen and The Sky Residences at W Aspen, located at the base of Aspen Mountain, is slated to open by July 2019. Designed by Nemaworkshop in partnership with local firm Rowland + Broughton Architecture and Ws in-house design team, the hotel has 88 guestrooms and 11 W-branded fractional residences as well as a 12,000 sq. ft. rooftop bar and pool. Arts & Culture Bauhaus100: Aspen (April Aug. 2019) To celebrate the history of the Bauhaus in Aspen during the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus, there are year-long activities orchestrated by by the Aspen Institute, Anderson Ranch Arts Center Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Art Museum, and many others. NEW EXHIBIT. As a part of Bauhaus 100: Aspen celebration, Aspen Historical Society presents bayer and Bauhaus: how design shaped aspen. This new exhibit delves into the profound influence of Herbert Bayers work on Aspen. The exhibit will live in the Wheeler Stallard Museum until March 2020. NEW. Following their 2019 summer season, Theatre Aspen will launch the organizations inaugural one-person show festival, Solo Flights, in Sept. 2019 with performances at multiple venues in Aspen, including Theatre Aspens Hurst Theatre, Aspen Music Festival & School, renowned as one of the top classical music festivals in the United States, celebrates its 70th anniversary this summer. With more than 600 classical music students from around the country and the world, the summer season includes more than 400 classical music events spanning eight weeks from late June to mid- August. Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) is celebrating 50 years of educating environmental responsibility in the Roaring Fork Valley. ACES offers a wide variety of opportunities to learn about the environment year-round for children and adults of all ages. Food & Wine News Opening June 2019. Almresi Aspen is a new European-alpine style restaurant slated to open for the summer season. (Dancing Bear Mountainside building) Opening June 2019. Opening inside The St. Regis Aspen Resort, Park90 + Chef Tom Coohill, is a new concept with French-influenced fare from Denvers Coohills Restaurant and Singapores Park90 wine bar featuring wines that have received a 90+ rating from Robert Parker. (315 E. Dean St.) Opening Summer 2019. New Italian costal cuisine restaurant Duemani plans to open in downtown during summer 2019, with an emphasis on seafood and pasta (216 S. Monarch St.) Opening Summer 2019. The Ranch Room plans to open on Aspens famed restaurant row during summer 2019 serving dinner and offering a charcuterie bar. Tatanka, will open upstairs from The Ranch Room, under the same general manager, and plans to have modest offerings serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. (308 E. Hopkins Ave.) NEW. Kirby Ice House, has opened a pop-up in Aspen adjacent to Wagner Park sponsored by the dating app Bumble. The pop-up will focus on family-friendly offerings for lunch and dinner. At night, the space will become the Bumble Lounge with a DJ, late-night food service and complementary merchandise. (307 S. Mill St.) About Aspen Aspen, Colorado is an authentic mountain town that combines a year-round outdoor lifestyle with a cosmopolitan cultural calendar and busting downtown ambiance. An endless array of arts, culture, dining, and nightlife give Aspen an urbane feel that belies its small-town charm. An Aspen vacation is a mind, body, spirit experience, whether learning a new skill, feeding a fascination, or simply absorbing the mountain spirit. For visitor information, a complete calendar of events, or to book an Aspen vacation, visit http://www.aspenchamber.org, or call 1.888.290.1324 or 970.925.1940 For media information and images, contact Promo Communications/970.948.3176 Maureen Poschman maureen@promocommunications.com Melissa Wisenbaker melissa@promocommunications.com Gilbane Building Company Breaks Ground on Wickliffe Progressive Elementary and Barrington Elementary Schools Officials from Upper Arlington Schools, Gilbane Building Company, Moody Nolan, students and the community recently gathered to celebrate the official groundbreaking of Wickliffe Progressive Elementary and Barrington Elementary. Gilbane is currently providing construction management at-risk services for two of the elementary school projects in the Upper Arlington School district. Wickliffe Progressive Elementary will be a new 73,000 SF elementary school featuring 24 classrooms in six learning neighborhoods, a new centralized media center, a new kitchen/cafeteria common area and new outdoor learning space. Completion of this school is set for summer of 2020. The Barrington Elementary School project includes a 25,000 SF addition to the existing facility and will feature a renovated kitchen/cafeteria common area, 36 classrooms in six learning neighborhoods, a new centralized media center and a new outdoor learning space and playground. This phase of the project will be completed in summer of 2021. Gilbane is proud to partner with Upper Arlington Schools on their new elementary school program. We enjoy these types of programs because were making a positive impact in the lives of both the current and future students within the district. The support of the community has been phenomenal, and it was exciting to see all the families turn out for the groundbreaking ceremonies. We look forward to a successful program with the district. Bob Sewell, Gilbane Building Company Vice President A third elementary, Windermere, will break ground following the completion of Wickliffe. Windermere students will be relocated from their existing building for one school year, while Gilbane demolishes the existing school and builds the new building at the current site. Windermere will be a new 73,000 SF elementary school featuring 24 classrooms in six learning neighborhoods, new centralized media center, new kitchen/cafeteria common area and new outdoor learning space. This school will be open for the start of the 2021-2022 school year. About Gilbane Building Company Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com. Gilbane has been providing construction management services in Ohio since 1957. Japanese tanker owner contradicts U.S. officials over explosives used in Gulf of Oman attack The owner of the Kokuka Courageous says something had flown at the ship despite U.S. officials claims. By Linda Givetash and Arata Yamamoto June 14, 2019 " Information Clearing House " - The Japanese owner of a tanker attacked in the Gulf of Oman claimed Friday that it was struck by a flying projectile, contradicting reports by U.S. officials and the military on the source of the blast. U.S. Central Command said the two vessels were hit Thursday by a limpet mine, which is attached to boats below the waterline using magnets. U.S. Central Command released video it claimed showed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers, the Kokuka Courageous. But on Friday morning, the owner of the 560-foot Courageous, said that sailors saw something flying toward the vessel just before the explosion and that the impact was well above the waterline. "We received reports that something flew towards the ship," said Yutaka Katada, president of Kokaku Sangyo Co. at a press conference. "The place where the projectile landed was significantly higher than the water level, so we are absolutely sure that this wasnt a torpedo. "I do not think there was a time bomb or an object attached to the side of the ship." U.S. officials have not yet responded to the claims. But President Donald Trump reiterated U.S. allegations that Iran was behind the attack, telling the Fox News Channel that the incident had "Iran written all over it." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the weapons used and the level of expertise behind the attack suggested Tehran is the culprit. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif angrily dismissed the claims and said they were without "a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." The attack came on the heels of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's two-day trip to Iran, aimed at improving relations between Washington and Tehran, which have deteriorated markedly in the last 48 hours. The USS Bainbridge was dispatched to help the damaged vessels in the gulf. A spokesman for Central Command said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. and the international community "stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation. The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests, said the spokesman, Capt. Bill Urban. The Japanese Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks in a statement Friday and vowed to work with the related countries to secure the safety of the region, but did not mention Iran or other possible assailants. Linda Givetash is a reporter based in London. She previously worked for The Canadian Press in Vancouver and Nation Media in Uganda. This article was originally published by "NBC" - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Guardian Analytics, the market leader in real-time behavioral analytics and machine learning solutions for banking payment fraud detection, anti-money laundering, and enterprise B2B portal fraud, announced their attendance at the 30th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference in Austin, Texas. Guardian Analytics Faster Payments Fraud Detection with Machine Learning & Behavioral Analytics is a multi-channel solution that detects suspicious behavior in digital channels and fraudulent payment activities in ACH, real-time P2P Zelle, and Wire payment channels. With Faster Payments comes Faster Fraud, said Eric Tran-Le, Vice President of Product Management at Guardian Analytics. Santander bank was reported to have closed 11,000 accounts suspected to be mule accounts in the UK. The head of retail banking said that young people were being targeted on social media to become money mules by processing illegal payments. Guardian Analytics real-time fraud detection uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to detect money mule account patterns. The 30th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference takes place at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Guardian Analytics will be attending as an exhibitor and will present Fighting Faster Payments Fraud with Machine Learning & Behavioral Analytics on June 25th from 9:50 am - 10:10 am in the exhibit hall. Attendees can arrange meetings in advance with the Guardian Analytics team during the event here: https://info.guardiananalytics.com/acfe-june-2019 About Guardian Analytics Guardian Analytics is the pioneer and leading provider of behavioral analytics and machine learning solutions for preventing banking fraud and anti-money laundering. Hundreds of financial institutions have standardized on Guardian Analytics innovative solutions to mitigate fraud risk and rely on the company to stop the sophisticated criminal attacks targeting retail and commercial banking clients. With Guardian Analytics, financial institutions build trust, increase competitiveness, improve their customer experience and scale operations. Guardian Analytics is privately held and based in Mountain View, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.GuardianAnalytics.com. Guardian Analytics is a registered trademark of Guardian Analytics, Inc. Chulabhorn Royal Academy & Life Molecular Imaging NeuraCeq for Amyloid-PET and PI-2620 for Tau-PET imaging research in Bangkok Life Molecular Imaging (LMI) and Chulabhorn Royal Academy by the National Cyclotron and PET Centre, Chulabhorn Hospital announced today a research collaboration to investigate the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary Tau tangles in the brain of aging Thai individuals. The first subjects have been recruited and imaged. LMI and Chulabhorn Royal Academy leveraged their joint resources to establish availability of both tracers for use in research examinations. The FDG, Amyloid and Tau Brain PET imaging in Thai Individuals program is part of the national Holistic Approach to Alzheimers Disease in the Thai Population study. This honorary project aims to integrate scientific knowledge into the standard of care for Alzheimer's disease in Thailand towards a healthy and sustainable quality of life. The data obtained in this study will be used to develop models for a healthier lifestyle in the Thai society, to aid reducing the risk of dementia through better self-care and lessen the family burden in caring for the elderly in the country. Brain imaging with FDG, NeuraCeq and PI-2620 is conducted at the National Cyclotron and PET Centre, Chulabhorn Hospital of the Chulabhorn Royal Academy in Bangkok, where the PET tracers are manufactured under GMP. The combination of NeuraCeq, for detection of beta-amyloid plaques, and the investigational PI-2620 tracer for the detection of tau pathology, provides a powerful imaging biomarker platform for characterization of subjects enrolled in clinical trials of neurodegenerative diseases. Life Molecular Imaging continues to expand the availability of innovative molecular imaging agents. We are truly excited about our collaboration with the Chulabhorn Royal Academy by the National Cyclotron and PET Centre, Chulabhorn Hospital, to generate data with NeuraCeq and the PI-2620 tau PET-tracer and further characterize people at risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases in clinical studies in Thailand. The conditions, professional environment and image quality at the National Cyclotron and PET Centre are excellent. This allows LMI to offer the manufacturing and supply of both tracers, as well as patient imaging to pharmaceutical customers to support their clinical trials of therapeutic drugs for AD or other neurodegenerative diseases, said Ludger Dinkelborg, Ph.D., Managing Director at LMI. Dr. Chanisa Chotipanich, deputy director of Chulabhorn Hospital, National Cyclotron and PET Centre, Chulabhorn Hospital added, "Teaming up with LMI on both the amyloid and tau PET tracers provides us the unique opportunity to better support clinicians with imaging biomarkers for studying neurodegenerative diseases. This collaboration provides us the opportunity for a better characterization of people at risk of Alzheimer's disease using state-of-the-art medical technology, such as PET-CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging (Advance MRI). We are impressed by the high quality of both LMI PET tracers as well as the brain images acquired." About NeuraCeq (florbetaben 18F) Indication NeuraCeq is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging of the brain to estimate beta-amyloid neuritic plaque density in adult patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other causes of cognitive decline. A negative NeuraCeq scan indicates sparse to no amyloid neuritic plaques and is inconsistent with a neuropathological diagnosis of AD at the time of image acquisition; a negative scan result reduces the likelihood that a patient's cognitive impairment is due to AD. A positive NeuraCeq scan indicates moderate to frequent amyloid neuritic plaques; neuropathological examination has shown this amount of amyloid neuritic plaque is present in patients with AD but may also be present in patients with other types of neurologic conditions as well as older people with normal cognition. NeuraCeq is an adjunct to other diagnostic evaluations. Limitations of Use A positive NeuraCeq scan does not establish the diagnosis of AD or any other cognitive disorder. Safety and effectiveness of NeuraCeq have not been established for (i) predicting development of dementia or other neurologic conditions and (ii) monitoring responses to therapies. Important Safety Information Risk for Image Interpretation and Other Errors NeuraCeq can be used to estimate the density of beta-amyloid neuritic plaque deposition in the brain. NeuraCeq is an adjunct to other diagnostic evaluations. NeuraCeq images should be interpreted independent of a patient's clinical information. Physicians should receive training prior to interpretation of NeuraCeq images. Following training, image reading errors (especially false positives) may still occur. Additional interpretation errors may occur due to, but not limited to, motion artifacts or extensive brain atrophy. Radiation Risk Administration of NeuraCeq, similar to other radiopharmaceuticals, contributes to a patients overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure. Long-term cumulative radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk of cancer. It is important to ensure safe handling to protect patients and health care workers from unintentional radiation exposure. Most Common Adverse Reactions In clinical trials, the most frequently observed adverse drug reactions in 872 subjects with 1090 NeuraCeq administrations were injection/application site erythema (1.7%), injection site irritation (1.1%), and injection site pain (3.4%). About PI-2620 Tau deposits, in conjunction with beta-amyloid plaques, represent the other pathological hallmark of Alzheimers disease, with tau deposits further playing an important role in other neurodegenerative diseases. PI-2620 is binding to tau deposits and is a next generation 18F-labeled investigational PET tracer with favourable properties and imaging characteristics. It was discovered using the Morphomer platform and developed in a research collaboration between Life Molecular Imaging and AC Immune, a Swiss-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. Life Molecular Imaging has the exclusive, world-wide license for research, development and commercialization of tau PET tracers generated within the discovery program. About Life Molecular Imaging (LMI) Life Molecular Imaging (LMI, formerly Piramal Imaging) was formed in 2012 with the acquisition of the molecular imaging research and development portfolio of Bayer Pharma AG. It is now part of the Alliance Medical Group (a member of the Life Healthcare Group) offering an integrated business including research and development laboratories, a network of cyclotrons, radiopharmacies and imaging facilities. By developing novel PET tracers for molecular imaging, LMI is focusing on a key field of modern medicine. The organization strives to be a leader in the Molecular Imaging field by developing innovative products that improve early detection and characterization of chronic and life-threatening diseases, leading to better therapeutic outcomes and improved quality of life. Please visit https://life-mi.com. About Life Healthcare Group The Life Healthcare Group has more than 33 years experience in the private healthcare and hospital industry. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Group is a listed company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The companys primary business is private acute hospital care with 65 healthcare facilities in seven of South Africas nine provinces and one hospital in Botswana, as well as providing services for acute physical rehabilitation, acute mental healthcare and renal dialysis. Life Employee Health Solutions services both occupational health and employee wellness to private and public employers. The Group includes an international presence through Alliance Medical Group (UK/Europe) and Scanmed S.A. (Poland). For more information visit lifehealthcare.co.za About Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Thailand Chulabhorn Royal Academy is an educational institute that aims to produce scholars and professionals in medicine, nursing, public health, environmental toxicology, science and technology. Moreover, one important mission is to discover new knowledge through scientific and medical research and to apply them to improve Thailands health care for the benefits of Thai people. It was the royal initiative of Professor Dr. HRH Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana to further develop and build on the achievements of "Chulabhorn Hospital", which was originally a hospital specializing in the treatment and care of cancer patients, with a capacity of 100 beds, to become "HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science", an institution of higher learning and comprehensive medical services, complete with policies and plans to develop medical and health science professionals of outstanding potential in problem solving through research process with the Chulabhorn Hospital, comprising "Bhadra Maharajanusorn Medical Centre", "Chulabhorn Oncology Medical Centre" and "Chulabhorn Chalermprakiet Medical Centre", and National Cyclotron and PET Centre as part of the Academy. It is graciously founded on the aspirations and vision of Professor Dr. HRH Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana, with the set course of actions and supports towards international collaboration networks, such as The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a centre for diagnosis of cancer, neurological, and heart diseases through modern, advanced technology and the most cost-effectiveness of researches and knowledge transfer for the most quality of life and better health care among Thai people as a whole. At present, National Cyclotron and PET Centre can produce 15 radiopharmaceuticals as follow: 18F-FDG, 18F-FDOPA, 11C-Choline, 11C-Erlotinib, 18F-THK-5351, 18F-FLT, 68Ga-PSMA-11, 68Ga-DOTATATE, 18F-PSMA-1007, 177Lu-DOTATATE, 177Lu-PSMA-617, 18F-FBB, 18F-PI-2620, 15O-H2O (Radiowater) and 18F-NaF. In addition, HRH gave a further directive to include in the amalgamation the "Chulabhorn Graduate Institute", a post-graduate academic institution whose role is producing scientists in various disciplines necessary for national development, and mandated that all of these agencies shall engage in full cooperation under the name of a unified organization, "Chulabhorn Royal Academy" Contact person at National Cyclotron and PET Centre: Ms. Natphimol Boonkawin Radiochemist National Cyclotron and PET Centre, Chulabhorn Hospital E-mail: koh(dot)natphimol(at)gmail(dot)com For media queries Nicole Fletcher | Marketing Communications | Life Molecular Imaging Tel: 857-202-1122 | n(dot)fletcher(at)life-mi(dot)com M.B. North, a veteran and published author currently living in Blaine, Minnesota, has completed her book Unveiled Rose: a fast-paced and riveting tale of duty, courage, and the universal conflict between good and evil. Not seen for over five hundred years on the planet of Guidon, a man secretly returns to invade the basement of the Palace Hotel, which houses the ancient military installation known as BASALT, and reveals the shocking history hidden for centuries. The man finds his friend reincarnated as the executive officer of the base and completes his mission for hima mission that was aborted at the time of the Great Devastation. Despite the efforts of traitors, evil wizards, and an intergalactic crime syndicate known as Veiled Rose, Thane and his allies uncover clues left behind by the late intelligence officer to find incriminating evidence revealing the illegal activity perpetrated by the Veiled Rose. Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, M.B. Norths book is a must-read for sci-fi fantasy fans. Readers who wish to experience this engrossing work can purchase Unveiled Rose at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional New York-based, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not overwhelmed with logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and the like. Its roster of accomplished authors and publishing professionals allows writers to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Duckies Out and About At The White House Capital Hiltons Little Presidents Package is a perfect way to add a fun twist onto Summer DC travels all from a historic hotel. Families visiting Washington DC this summer can enhance their Washington, DC adventure with Capital Hiltons quacktastic Little Presidents Package including Presidential Rubber Duckies, perfect for instagrammable moments. Kids will also love filling in the Presidential Biography coloring posters included in the package with details about their favorite president. The duckies and posters will entertain the little ones and provide long lasting memories of our Nations Capital for years to come. The hotel is conveniently located near the cities major sites including White House, Washington Monument, Capital Building, Smithsonian, and the National Air and Space Museum - all perfect locations to snap photos with presidential rubber duckies. The hotel will select winners weekly for those guests tagging their posts with #littlepresidents winners will be provided with special prizes for the most fun and creative photos. Presidential Culinary and Cocktail Favorites: The hotels North Gate Grill, named for the North Gate at the White House which Presidents used to walk to Capital Hilton, features a weekly special historical item curated by Chef Andrew Dixon from our Presidential recipe archives. Many of these recipes were served to Presidents during their stays. The hotels Statler Lounge, named for the hotels original moniker, is featuring a Presidents Cocktail Club offering the beverages of choice of the Presidents who frequented the hotel. The Cocktail Club also features George Bushs famous chex mix as a complimentary bar snack. This special Presidential menu is available to guests during the hotels Little Presidents Package dates (June 11 September 7, 2019) between 4:30-11PM. Rich History: While exploring the rich history of the Capital City, delve into the fascinating history that took place at Capital Hilton. The hotel was built and 1943 and is honored to be a distinguished Historic Hotels of America member and on the National Register of Historic Places. Interesting stories abound at Capital Hilton, as the iconic hotel has hosted every US President since FDR. Truman often played the piano at the hotel on a piano that now sits in a dedicated suite to the 33rd President. Former hotel executive chef Walter Scheib, later serve as White House executive chef to President Clinton. With social media on the rise, the hotel was the site where President Barack Obama posted his first instagram picture while calling caucus-goers in Iowa. Couples and families will love exploring all that the Summer in DC has to offer: beautiful scenery, outdoor activities, and of course, learning all about our US History and Presidents. Capital Hiltons Little Presidents Package is a perfect way to add a fun twist onto Summer DC travels all from a historic hotel. Presidential Duckies delight kids and adults, and Presidential Biography posters are the perfect way to learn more about the US Presidents. And both make great souvenirs to take home! To learn more about our Summer offerings and to start planning your DC getaway, visit Capital Hilton or call (202) 393-1000. Little Presidents Package (June 11 September 7, 2019): 2 Presidential Rubber Duckies 1 Presidential Biography Poster + Crayons DC Map Opportunity to win fun prizes via social media contest Extra duckies, poster, and crayons can be purchased for $15. Starting at $119.00 + tax of 14.95% (subject to availability) Breakfast Included Package (June 1 September 7, 2019): Daily Complimentary Continental Breakfast for registered guests Starting at $139.00 + tax of 14.95% (subject to availability) About Capital Hilton: Opened in 1943 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Capital Hilton has a proud tradition of welcoming the worlds travelers to Washington, DC for over 75 years. The Capital Hilton has had the honor of hosting presidents, dignitaries, and countless notable leaders alike and is a Historic Hotels of America member hotel. Located two blocks from the White House and National Mall, the hotel is central to top attractions, shopping, dining, museums and historic sites. Visit capitalhilton.com for more information, and connect with Capital Hilton on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Hilton: Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 17 world-class brands comprising more than 5,700 properties with more than 923,000 rooms, in 113 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the worlds most hospitable company, Hilton earned a spot on the 2018 worlds best workplaces list, and has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its 100-year history. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, more than 89 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money cant buy, plus enjoy instant benefits, including digital check-in with room selection, Digital Key, and Connected Room. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. We plan on expanding even further over the years to serve the growing rental needs of individuals and businesses throughout the Tristate and eventually the region, said Tom Guy, general manager of Mike Albert Rental. A fourth Mike Albert Rental location at 5260 South Gilmore Road just 0.2 miles off Dixie Highway in Fairfield Ohio is now open for personal and business vehicle rentals. Mike Albert Rental also has locations in Cincinnati, Evendale and Milford. As the trend of car ownership continues to decline, the need for more alternative transportation options is on the rise, including vehicle rentals, said Tom Guy, general manager at Mike Albert Rental. According to Auto Rental News, the U.S. car rental market hit a new revenue record in 2018, passing $30 billion in revenues for the first time. We opened another location to meet the overall rising rental demand as well as serve customers who have a temporary need for specialty vehicles like box trucks and multi-passenger vans. Were also here to support local auto repair shops, body shops and dealerships when they need rentals for customers with vehicles that require recalls or repairs that take an extended period of time. We plan on expanding even further over the years to serve the growing rental needs of individuals and businesses throughout the Tristate and eventually the region. Mike Albert Rental offers daily, weekend or monthly rentals, at the lowest rates, on the best selection of the latest model vehicles in the Cincinnati area, including: Sedans (economy, intermediate, full-size and premium) SUVs (compact, intermediate, full-size, premium and luxury) Minivans, conversion vans and 9-, 12- and 15-passenger vans Regular and crew cab 4x4 pick-up trucks and box trucks At Mike Albert Rental, unlimited miles within the U.S. automatically come with daily and weekly rentals of any vehicle. And there is no service fee that most other auto rental companies charge. Beyond rentals for personal use, Mike Albert Rental also makes it easy and affordable for businesses to get the vehicles they need for corporate travel, replacements for out-of-service work vehicles, seasonal business needs and more with benefits including: Special corporate rates guaranteed for the year Tailored corporate programs Corporate billing Delivery and pick-up (some restrictions apply) Special service and body shop rates For a limited time, Mike Albert Rental customers save 10% when they book a vehicle online using promo code WEBMAR. For more information and to make a reservation, call (513) 591-0450 or visit https://mikealbertrental.com About Mike Albert Mike Albert is a future-focused automobility company thats been helping people fulfill their transportation needs in the most affordable, efficient, hassle-free and safest way possible for 62 years. Mike Albert is proudly rooted in Cincinnati, but serves clients nationwide. Mike Albert is home to three business units Fleet Solutions, Sales & Service and Rental run by hundreds of fearless visionaries who go above and beyond the status quo doing whatever it takes to get the job done right. Whether clients need the ways and means to transport people, products or services, Mike Albert associates pride themselves on matching them with the right vehicles, financing and services to help them achieve their goals today and tomorrow. The NGO customized tasting booklet is one of the resources that participants are encouraged to use during the tasting session. Veronika Denisova will strive to embody the NGO teaching method: using a regional approach, NGO would like to demonstrate the way native vines are directly connected to the climate, soil and wine traditions of the area in which they originated. Stevie Kim, Native Grape Odyssey (NGO) General Coordinator and Vinitaly International Managing Director, along with the NGO team members will be present for the June 18th press conference in Moscow, Russia. The conference will unveil its flagship educational program, set to premier in autumn 2019, as well as divulge all the pertinent details participants need to join the course. Once speakers have concluded, participants in attendance will be given the chance to experience an NGO tasting. This will be on a smaller scale than those to be held in future courses and seminars. Veronika Denisova, Deputy Director/Lecturer at the Enotria Wine School was chosen to lead the tasting. Denisova is also a Vinitaly International Academy Italian Wine Ambassador, therefore, she is the perfect choice to guide guests around central Italy through seven distinguished native grape variety wines. This experience will give guests an overview of wine production in these areas, as well as give potential students a sense of NGO teaching methods to be implemented in future educational activities. Central Italy is a very renowned wine region, Tuscany in particular, from which most DOCG wines come (Denominazione di origine controllata, in English this translates to, Controlled Designation of Origin, which corresponds to the PDO brand of the European Union system). The purpose of the NGO tasting, however, is to present a complete picture of wine variety from Central Italy, namely, Lazio, Marche and Umbria, whose wine production, although not as well known internationally, is no less excellent from a quality point of view. Central Italy is in fact a masterpiece of countless nuances: the different methods of millenary winemaking traditions and the multiplicity of environmental and morphological factors has given rise to a rich wine production that differs greatly from terroir to terroir and from vine to vine. It was difficult to choose a small number of wines from the countless varieties available in this region; the Moscow tasting is relatively short, only one hour, and the information accompanying these samples is complex. In order to offer the most comprehensive introduction possible, it was decided to select wines from the following areas: one wine from Abruzzo, two wines from Lazio, one wine from Marche, two wines from Tuscany and one wine from Umbria. What we now call Italian culture is a mosaic of regional traditions and habits, which, although they are now united under one flag, are in fact profoundly different from one another. This is quite evident in these wines, whose production is still deeply linked to local traditions. The personality of each wine selected is also greatly influenced by the grape variety used. In fact, different vine varieties inevitably carry different characteristics. The two Tuscan wines to be sampled are interesting because they are made using Sangiovese; one is made using 100% Sangiovese grapes and the other is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition to red wines, which make up 5 of the 7 wines to be presented, a white wine and a rose will also be featured. Veronika Denisova will strive to embody the NGO teaching method: using a regional approach, NGO would like to demonstrate the way native vines are directly connected to the climate, soil and wine traditions of the area in which they originated. In fact, native varieties are gaining an ever-increasing share of the market, to the detriment of international varieties. This method will give students an overview of European quality wine, focusing on wines and styles that fully reflect the depth of quality found in these territories. About: Native Grape Odyssey is a project financed by the European Union and managed by Unione Italiana Vini and Zante Agricultural Cooperatives Union for the promotion of PDO and PGI European wines abroad, in particular in three countries: Japan, Canada and Russia. In order to achieve this, the Native Grape Odyssey educational program will organize wine seminars, workshops and b2b meetings both in these countries and in Verona, Italy, inviting wine experts and influencers from these countries. These events, realized in the span of three years (2019-21) aim at creating awareness about European native wines abroad, in particular Italian and Greek wines, which share a long tradition and a high standard of quality. Gas flare has been reduced by 70 percent through current and historical programmes, investments and through reinvention. The flare commercialization programme hopes to eliminate the balance flares by 2021 well ahead of UN target date of 2030. The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced major breakthroughs in its Oil and Gas sector after implementing for three years a strategic 7BigWins initiative it launched in 2016. The biggest achievements, stated the country's Ministry of Petroleum Resources, is the restoration of transparency and credibility in the sector which boosted the confidence of local and international investors. According to a special report by the ministry, the 7BIGWins project has increased the efficient and seamless operation of the oil and gas industry. The initiative was midwifed by the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachukwu, and supported by President Muhammadu Buhari. It covers Policy and Regulation, Accelerated Income Streams, Gas Regulation, Refineries and Local Production Capacity, Niger Delta and security, Transparency and Efficiency, Stakeholder Management and International Coordination. At the moment, we have new policies and guidelines that we have gazetted.This shows a lot of transparency and gives investors a lot of confidence because they know what you are expecting from them," said the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan. The report said the initiative also led to the increase in Nigeria's daily crude oil production capacity from 800,000 barrels per day in 2015 to 2.1 million barrels in 2019, with a target to increase it to 3 million barrels per day. It also entrenched transparency in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation with the consistent monthly publication of reports since 2015. Other achievements included the generation of revenue for government by initiating capital investment in midstream and downstream assets as well as the institution of best practices in the processes of the industry. On refinery upgrade and refining capacity, the Ministry stated that refinery policies are being pushed to ensure private sector delivery of between 700kbd to 1mkbd refining capacity per day over next 3 to 4 years largely on private sector investment basis. However, the Ministry still reiterated the delays in fixing government owned refineries and expressed the optimism that the next four years of the Buhari administration will address the challenge. Also, the Ministry said the gas flare commercialization programme launched under the 7 big wins programme will consolidate the gas flare exit objectives of the industry. Gas flare has been reduced by 70 percent through current and historical programmes, investments and through reinvention. The flare commercialization programme hopes to eliminate the balance flares by 2021 well ahead of UN target date of 2030. "We created a level of trust and believe in our system to the point where we are able to help elect a Secretary General for OPEC and our contributions continued to be very valued, while the absolute focus is to get the four refineries working to their full capacity of 450,000 barrels back on track using private capital, the report emphasized. According to Dr. Yemi-Esan, the initiative is in collaboration with industry experts and leading organisations such as FOSTER, the European Union and Department for International Department (DFID). "Before 2015, the oil and gas industry had a lot of challenges, especially fuel scarcity, coupled with a lot of distrust because people were not sure of happenings there and there was no transparency," she said. Dr Yemi-Esan noted that new policies arrived at, have been gazzeted to underline transparency towards boosting the confidence of investors. R-Style Lab has been listed #2 among Top IoT companies in Clutch Leaders Matrix https://clutch.co/developers/internet-of-things/leaders-matrix among 15 successful international development companies. To get such a high ranking, R-Style Lab had to score highest in two dimensions proven ability to deliver and service specific focus areas. Since 2006, R-Style Lab has been delivering Internet of Things software development https://r-stylelab.com/services/internet-of-things-app-development services in multiple domains, namely HealthTech, Smart Home projects, and Industrial IoT. During these years, we have been working with world-known companies, including international corporations from Forbes 500: Wargaming, Samsung, Pfizer, JTI and many others. About R-Style Lab Expertise in IoT As of today, R-Style Lab boasts 15 reviews for its projects featuring IoT development, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning, and other technologies, which have been applied in a wide range of industries: Restaurant & Hospitality, FinTech, Digital Healthcare, Home automation and others. In their reviews, customers admit R-Style Labs extensive technical expertise, skillful project management, collaborative approach, and perfect attention to deadlines. About R-Style Lab Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, R-Style Lab is a development company with expertise in IoT, HealthTech, mobile and web product development. R-Style Lab has launched successful projects with JTI, Wargaming, Nissan, Samsung among others. Learn more at https://r-stylelab.com/ About Clutch Leader Matrix Methodology An independent B2B and rating platform, Clutch collects reviews in two ways: online and over the phone (if a reviewed project supersedes $25,000). After a review gets published, a client can update it if their approach to the service company changes. But all the alterations will be published as an update, while the initial annotation wont be modified, thus providing a full picture of the clients experience of working with this company. Jailbird: a powerful novel of a womans redemption, is the creation of published author Rebecca Lewis, a retired county jail and federal prison chaplain from Dallas, Texas. She has been former president of the American Protestant Correctional Chaplains Association and holds degrees in criminology and religious education. Lewis writes, Marla Evans is spiraling over the death of her Army Ranger husband in Afghanistan. Running from her grief, she begins to go afoul of the law, her kids, and a vengeful drug lords enforcer. She wants no help from Army Ranger Mac Barelli, her husbands friend and her new potential love interest, or from no-nonsense Police Sergeant Angie Granger. Now jailhouse religion makes her believe she can bargain with God and keep the items shes stolen from Devon Lawson, a drug lord and her ex-lover. Her children are in danger. Will Marlas haphazard faith get everyone around her killed? Jailbird is a realistic ride into the dark side of a womans struggle with her grief that drags her and those around her into places they dont want to go. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Rebecca Lewiss new book is an absorbing, roller-coaster ride of a tale that beautifully and painfully captures a womans wild forays into the dark side of life until her self-destructive decisions bring her face to face not just with her just rewardbut also an unexpected second chance at life and love. View a synopsis of Jailbird on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Jailbird at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Jailbird, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Guyana is one of the best places on Earth to spot the elusive Jaguar. Guyana is one of South Americas least visited, yet often most rewarding destinations. Goway is offering discounts on two of its wildest South America adventures, inviting its globetrotters to save on that dream trip to the wilderness of Patagonia, or little-known Guyana. The trails, fjords, and peaks of Patagonia are an active travellers dream trip, with valleys cut deep by immense glaciers that have shaped one of the most rugged and beautiful landscapes on Earth. Goways 10-day Best of Patagonia begins in Santiago with a city tour to acquaint travellers with Chile, before flying to the southern tip of the country to explore Torres del Paine National Park. Travellers then go on to Perito Moreno to see its famous namesake glacier before flying to Buenos Aires for a city tour, capped off with a dinner and tango show. Travellers who book by June 20 for departures between September 2019 and April 25, 2020 will save US $450 per couple on their booking. From soaring mountains to dense jungles, Guyana is one of South Americas least visited, yet often most rewarding destinations. Goways 9-day Jaguars, Otters & Jungles is the ultimate Guyana round trip from Georgetown. Travellers enter the beautiful Iwokrama Rainforest in search of river otters, black caiman, different varieties of monkey, and the ever elusive jaguar. Theyll also visit local communities and learn more about how native people have thrived in this region for so long. Travellers who book by June 27, 2019 will save US $435 on their departure. Since 1970, Goway has been providing unforgettable travel experiences to Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Central & South America, Idyllic Island destinations and Europe. Today Goway is recognized as one of North America's leading travel companies for individuals, families and groups to select exotic destinations around the globe. Goway has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Manila, and Sydney, Australia. For reservations and information, visit http://www.goway.com, or call 1-800-387-8850. The team behind the successful global restaurant brand, Serafina Restaurant Group and Serafina Beach Hotel, announces the opening of Serafina Mare Deluxe Residence, a contemporary boutique resort experience on the pristine shores of the Bodrum Peninsula in Gundogan, Turkey. The newest member of the Serafina family began welcoming guests on June 1st, just over a year after the launch of Serafina Beach Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which opened to much acclaim in March 2018 in the stylish Condado District. Building off the success of the San Juan hotel, Serafina Mare Deluxe Residence offers 18 luxury residential style suites, a beach club and waterfront restaurant concept, Serafina Mare. Renowned for its vibrant nightlife, shockingly blue waters and eclectic cuisine, Bodrum has long beckoned Istanbul society and high rollers from around the world. With the addition of Serafina Mare Deluxe Residence, guests now have the perfect see-and be-seen destination that embodies the brand ethos of Social, Sexy, Serafina. We are thrilled to open our second hotel concept and to continue our development in Turkey, this time in the picturesque resort town of Bodrum, Turkey, also referred to as The Hamptons of Istanbul, said Vittorio Assaf, Serafina co-owner. Serafina co-owner Fabio Granato and I have loved traveling to Bodrum over the years and we both feel the energy and vibrancy of this Mediterranean destination is a perfect match for the Serafina brand. Our first hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico has been well-received by guests from around the world and we look forward to re-creating that same exciting, authentic Serafina experience, coupled with the legendary Turkish hospitality, said Fabio Granato, Serafina co-owner. The restaurant and beach club is the focal point of the experience at Serafina Mare Deluxe Residence. While many hotel brands dont see large returns on their food and beverage operations, we have really flipped that model and built our recipe for success around a vibrant restaurant and bar scene, complimented by sleek and stylish suites. Located waterfront on the tranquil bay of Kucukbuk Mevkii, Serafina Mare Deluxe Residence is just 45 minutes from Bodrum International Airport and 20 minutes from the city center. Guests may also arrive in style via boat from the Aegean Sea. Designed to evoke a residential feel, guests can choose from 18 different modern, apartment style suites in one, two- or three-bedroom configurations, all complete with fully-equipped kitchens, private balconies and gorgeous water views. Sleek and minimalist furnishings evoking a coastal palette of crisp whites and greys complement marble-like stone in the bathrooms and kitchens, and warm woods throughout. High tech fixtures and finishings include kitchen cabinets by Turkish brand Samet and Franke appliances. Local artisans in Bodrum crafted beautiful turquoise sinks for each of the bathrooms, a work of art in their own right, and each bathroom features oversized rain showers and toiletries by the Italian Aqua di Parma brand. Spa treatments are also offered in-room or in the private spa cabin on property. Serafina Mare, the resorts signature restaurant, expertly blends a modern take on Italian flavors, while taking inspiration from the destination, where East meets West. The menu gives guests a taste of Serafina cult favorites with new twists such as Carpaccio Polpo, an octopus antipasti, Costeoletto DAgnello, marinated grilled lamb chops with vegetables, and Branzino Con Pomodorini, sauteed sea bass with white wine, roasted potatoes and asparagus. The entire restaurant spills out onto a deck, pool and grassy knoll that is all styled in the spirit of a luxurious European beach club, with lounging furniture and daybeds overlooking the bay of Kucukbuk in Gundogan and the Aegean Sea. Once the sun sets, Serafina Mare transforms into a stylish nighttime oasis complete with live DJ music and alfresco dining under the stars of the warm Bodrum nights. Serafina Mare Deluxe Residence is open from June 1st through September 30th and rates range from $285/night to $1,000/night. For more information or to book your stay, please visit http://www.maredeluxeresidence.com/ or call 0 (252) 387 90 20 or email rezervasyon(at)maredeluxeresidence.com #### About Serafina: Founded by Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato, Serafina Restaurant Group is a collection of Italian eateries established in 1995, specializing in contemporary Italian cuisine fused with an energetic vibe. Serafina Restaurants is an affordable luxury that guarantees comfort, excitement and fabulous food at every location. Now with 35 restaurants spanning the globe on four continents, the Serafina name is recognized worldwide for its commitment to quality ingredients and cult favorites such as its truffle pizza and tiramisu. In March 2018, the founders opened their first lifestyle hotel concept, Serafina Beach Hotel, located in the energetic Condado district of San Juan, Puerto Rico, offering 96 spacious, contemporary guestrooms with jaw-dropping views of the Atlantic Ocean or the adjacent Laguna del Condado. Three new food and beverage concepts were introduced including the signature aMare seafood and Mediterranean restaurant, the energetic PinaCo Bar and By the Pool, the hotels seductive infinity poolside lounge overlooking the ocean. Following in June 2019, is the opening of Serafina Mare Delux Residence, the second hotel concept in the resort destination of Bodrum, Turkey, featuring 18 luxury residential-style suites and Serafina Mare restaurant. For additional information please visit serafinarestaurant.com, serafinabeachhotel.com, and http://www.maredeluxeresidence.com/ South Beach Wax, a waxing and airbrush tanning salon based in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati will be hosting a grand opening event on Friday, June 14, 2019 at their flagship location to commemorate the updated spa and logo. Founded in 2013, the spa has grown from roughly 500 clients to now over 4,000 clients that turn to South Beach Wax for their organic waxing and tanning needs. South Beach Wax uses an exclusive organic hard wax that is specifically formulated to provide effective hair removal while leaving the skin silky smooth with minimal irritation. The organic wax combines all-natural, plant-based ingredients with special elastomers to ensure elasticity, resulting in a more comfortable waxing experience. As a service that requires professionalism, trust and attention to detail, clients continually return to South Beach Wax because they value their clients as friends, not transactions. So impressed! exclaimed Lisa, a client, This was my first waxing experience, and it was so easy! I worked with Maureen and she was so professional and had everything done so quickly. Wow! I look forward to returning! Well worth it! Maureen Christakos, former Wax Specialist and now Operations Manager of South Beach Wax, has cultivated relationships with her clients since 2014. I love our clientele, theyve become our family. says Christakos. Ive known many clients when they were single, then married, to now having kids. I have the most meaningful relationships with all of them. I dont consider our clients transactions because theyve become my family. Doubling their staff since 2013, the spa itself has also grow in staff and services due to the demand. Today, South Beach Wax is excited to offer their additional medispa services performed by Scott Rapp, MD. Rapp is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and licensed to practice medicine in California, Kentucky and Ohio. New services include laser hair removal, laser genesis facials, laser vein treatments, Botox, facial fillers and acne treatments. Guests are invited to attend the free event and tour the new spa, visit the wax specialists and view new laser and medical services that are newly offered. Giveaways and goody bags will be provided to the first 50 people. About South Beach Wax South Beach Wax is located at 8016 Hosbrook Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236. To book an appointment or to find out more, visit southbeachwax.com or call 513.792.9299. South Beach Wax is committed to providing their clients with the most professional and comfortable spa experience. Im thrilled and humbled to be a part of a team who is shaking up the alcohol industry. With only 48 calories per serving, this award-winning, low-calorie, high-proof, ready-to-drink martini, Spa Girl Cocktails, is poised to become the beverage of choice. Alisa Marie Beyer, CEO, Spa Girl Cocktails Spa Girl Cocktails, an award-winning line of low-calorie, high-proof, ready-to-drink ultra-premium vodka martinis has announced the appointment of Alisa Marie Beyer as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Speaking from her sunny office in Palm Springs, the former Miss California finalist and Spa Girl Cocktails Founder Karen Haines remarked, We are thrilled to welcome Alisa to Spa Girl Cocktails. For my partner and the business head of the brand, I was seeking a female CEOone who had created and sold her own companies, was very business-minded, experienced in raising capital, and committed to helping me make my vision for the brand a reality. With Alisa, I found all of this and more. Her proven acumen and success with her own companies, combined with her absolute passion for building brands for women, is the crucial link Spa Girl Cocktails needs to evolve into a world-class premium ready-to-drink (RTD) company, and continue to expand and grow with new, trend-setting offerings. With Alisas vision and insights into the consumer products marketplace for women, we believe Spa Girl Cocktails will become the in-class global leader in the RTD category. Alisa Marie Beyer is a proven entrepreneur who has successfully grown and sold five companies. A visionary leader with a deep understanding of and experience in creating products specifically targeted to women, the hallmark of Alisas success is her passion for clarifying a companys vision, focusing its strategy, and building healthy, profitable companies. As CEO, she will work with Karen to grow the Spa Girl Cocktails brand offerings globally and lead efforts to secure a Series A round of financing, which is slated to close in August 2019. In an interview from her office in San Diego, Ms. Beyer shared, Im thrilled and humbled to be a part of a team who is shaking up the alcohol industry. With only 48 calories per serving, this award-winning, low-calorie, high-proof, ready-to-drink martini, Spa Girl Cocktails, is poised to become the beverage of choice. As a beauty and beverage executive, Ive rarely seen such a perfect storm of market size, consumer need and product. The RTD spirit-based cocktail category grew by 40.7% last year and while hitting the market only 24 months ago, Spa Girl Cocktails is moving ahead of our competition with a recent growth rate of +300%. Modern cocktail culture is rich and diverse, and the growing and enthusiastic audience for ready-to-drink beverages, which is mostly female, is seeking advances in mixology and offerings that let them host their most beautiful life without the added pressure of worrying about calories or unhealthy ingredients. With Alisas guidance, we are now expanding rapidly in the US and globally, forging a celebrity cocktail partnership, finalizing our portion-perfect can offerings and working to bring one of the industrys first CBD oil-infused RTD cocktails to market, added Ms. Haines. Spa Girl Cocktails are now sold in over 1,000 locations, including grocery and liquor stores and fine restaurants. For more information, please visit our website, http://www.spagirlcocktails.com Spa Girl Cocktails Low-calorie has never been more in style. Celebrate in style with our award-winning, low-calorie, high-proof, ready-to-drink, delicious Spa Girl Cocktails. We take your drink from ordinary to glam in one pour. Available in party-ready bottles or portion-perfect cans for after work, play, and all day. All the pleasure, none of the guilt. Our Story Founded in 2017, Spa Girl Cocktails evolved from the famed parties hosted by Karen Haines and her husband at their renowned Palm Springs home. At every one of these soirees, Karen would concoct one-of-a-kind specialty martinis for her guestsan art mostly abandoned due to the time and effort it takes to hand-shake drink after drink. Recognizing an opportunity to restore the martini to its rightful place as an iconic American aperitif that everyone can easily enjoy at home, Karen used her decades of experience in the hospitality industry to create Spa Girl Cocktails. No robot can help a caregiver or serve up an eye-rolling dad joke as well as a real person. Summer wants parents to know theyre talking to a real human being when they contact customer service, and theyve got the dad jokes to prove it. For Fathers Day, Summer is launching Live Chat support on its website, staffed by experienced agents. To mark the occasion, the company is creating an archive of dad jokes. At the end of each successful customer service session, the agent will reach into the archive and conclude the interaction with the cheesiest dad joke he or she can find. The more brands try to automate their customer service, the less those brands appear to care for their customers, said Summer VP, Brand Marketing Jen Johnson. Were investing in the human element. Were giving our customers the best attention we can provide, and proving it by giving them the worst dad jokes we can gather. A Summer Customer Service Rep started the idea of Dad Joke Thursday. Its popularity with customers grew into the idea of collecting them in a database. Summer is asking consumers to share their favorite dad jokes over social media, and holding a sweepstakes to build the archive. One lucky winner will receive six items from Summers Fathers Day gift guide with four more receiving their item of choice. The jokes collected will be posted on the site and the winners will be announced on July 1. To participate, consumers should post a dad joke to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, tagging Summer with #dadtastic. No robot can help a caregiver or serve up an eye-rolling dad joke as well as a real person, said Johnson. About Summer Summer is dedicated to making bath time, meal time, play time and every time in between special for parents and children. For more than three decades, Summers thoughtfully designed, pioneering infant and toddler care products have made family life easier, safer and more fun. For more, visit http://www.summerinfant.com. About SUMRTM Brands Based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, SUMRTM Brands is driven by a commitment to people, products, and purpose. The Company is made up of a diverse group of experts with a passion to make family life better. For more, visit http://www.sumrbrands.com. In a ceremony that took place on June 13, 2019 at Sunset Marina hotel, Sunset World Resorts located in Cancun and the Riviera Maya, Hacienda Tres Rios, Sunset Royal, Sunset Fishermen and Sunset Marina received Gold Crown recognition from Resorts Condominiums International (RCI), the most important vacation exchange membership company in the world. Grupo Sunset World has maintained its leadership in the vacation club segment in the Mexican Caribbean year after year. The Excellence in Service award was also presented to Hacienda Tres Rios, Sunset Marina and Sunset Fishermen hotels. It should be mentioned that this award is only received by 10% of the hotels affiliated with RCI. In addition, for the second year in a row, the Sunset Fishermen hotel received the Premier All Inclusive award. Last but not least, Orlando Arroyo, CEO of Grupo Sunset World, received the Presidents Award for the amount of business that Club Sunset has generated for RCI. "The RCI Gold Crown is awarded to its affiliates based on the positive evaluation of its members through a survey they receive when they return home," said Alejandra Espinoza, RCIs Regional Director of Business Development of RCI. She added, "This survey is based on five quality criteria in which Sunset World Group hotels have obtained outstanding scores year after year. Grupo Sunset World CEO Orlando Arroyo said that it is an honor to receive these awards on behalf of the group's staff members, because without them such recognition from RCI members would not be possible. "We are talking about our resorts being among the best of 4,400 resorts and hotels in the world," he said. The ceremony was attended by Orlando Arroyo, CEO of Grupo Sunset World, Alejandra Espinoza, RCI Regional Director of Business Development and Ericka Duenas, RCI Account Executive in Business Development. Grupo Sunset World is a Mexican company and a leader in the hospitality industry, offering authentic and unforgettable vacation experiences in Cancun and the Riviera Maya. Sunset World was founded more than 30 years ago and has grown to offer four resorts, world-class travel services, amenities and a diverse network of operational and marketing solutions that focus on providing the best vacation experiences for its Members and guests. From cultural excursions to water sports, the Members of Sunset World are never far from their next great adventure. With the Alibaba Databank, transcosmos China can analyze users from various perspectives: a level of interests in a specific brand, demographics, browsing history and online shopping trends. transcosmos inc. is delighted to announce that Shanghai transcosmos Marketing Services Co., Ltd. was certified as a Databank Services Partner by Alibaba on April 28, 2019. Being one of the 29 certified Alibaba Databank Services Partners, transcosmos China receives the latest information about Databank directly from Alibaba and in turn helps clients implement and utilize Alibaba Databank services in partnership with Alibaba. With this Databank called Brand Databank, transcosmos China grasps and analyzes user behavior based on their data obtained through all sales and advertising channels on Alibaba network as well as clients own data, and ultimately executes data-driven marketing initiatives for clients. Traditionally, sellers on Alibaba e-commerce platforms could only collect user data from a single channel and so they had limited options for utilizing the data. Now with Databank in place, transcosmos China can analyze users from various perspectives including their level of interests in a specific brand, demographics, browsing history and online shopping trends. Based on the analysis results, transcosmos China offers comprehensive services from planning to execution of strategic marketing promotions that are optimum for each client. About Databank Before Databank, retailers can only assume the attributes of potential users to carry out campaigns on TMALL. In order to improve the situation, Alibaba released Uni-Marketing with its core service called Databank in 2017. With Databank, brands can grasp various attributes of users who are actually interested in their brand from more than 500 million Alibaba online service users. In addition, Databank enables brands to understand their users online behavior in more details than ever. Whats more, brands can utilize the analysis results to plan and execute strategic promotions that enable them to grasp user behavior in their real stores on top of their online behavior. Simply put, Databank can aggregate and analyze user data (online and offline) by which brands can identify, reach and retain their users. (Visit here for Databank (Chinese only): http://databank.tmall.com) Visit here to find out official certified Brand Databank partners (Chinese only): https://databank.tmall.com/promotion?path=ems/databankLogin/ISVList&hbg=true Databank services by transcosmos China transcosmos China set up a data analytics team in 2017, and built a Uni-marketing department in 2018 with the aim of utilizing Alibaba ecosystem and embracing Alibabas New Retail. Today, 20 data analysts at transcosmos China analyze data, develop strategies and execute marketing initiatives for brands with the power of Databank. E-commerce operations: Not only optimizes brands store operations and ad delivery, transcosmos China helps brands develop strategies and improve the value of their customer experience. Media ads: Improves advertising ROI whilst enhancing brand equity by optimizing media distribution to target users. O2O: Performs highly accurate marketing analysis by integrating purchase data in offline stores with online data, and executes integrated online and offline marketing promotions effectively. transcosmos China is a TMALL Ecological Partner (TEP) with a five-star rating as a TMALL service partner. Since transcosmos China launched its operations in Shanghai as a digital transformation partner for businesses in 2006, the company has continued expanding its business, and now has 10 service bases in 7 cities in China. transcosmos China offers extensive services such as contact center services, new retail services and digital marketing services for over 70 Chinese and global brands. The company launched its e-commerce business in 2009. Now, in partnership with platforms such as TMALL, JD.com and WeChat, transcosmos China offers a variety of services that include e-commerce store/website development & operations, sales channel development, online and offline data integration, system development, customer relationship management and integrated marketing services in the new retail industry (including cross-border e-commerce) to clients in diverse industries including the 3C Industry (Computer, Communications and Consumer Electronics), apparel, baby care, toy, sports, beverage, musical instruments, household products and more. With the ultimate goal to help brands grow in every aspect including brand influence and operational capabilities, transcosmos continues to assist brands to grasp their user behavior, develop, execute and optimize their marketing strategies and more with the power of Databank. *transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. In Japan and other countries. *Other company names and product or services names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies. About transcosmos inc. transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior people with up-to-date technology to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost optimization through our 173 locations across 31 countries with a focus on Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce services to deliver our clients excellent products and services in 48 countries around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the Global Digital Transformation Partner of our clients, supporting the clients transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever-changing business environment. https://www.trans-cosmos.co.jp/english/ L-R: Dan Gunderman, Sarah Smith, Christina Forrest and April Mason of Violet PR are shown with PRSA NJ Awards on June 12, 2019. As a boutique New Jersey PR firm with four full-time employees, were thrilled to be recognized alongside the states top agencies by PRSA NJ, says April Mason, president and founder of Violet PR. Today, New Jersey-based public relations firm, Violet PR, announced that it won three 2019 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) NJ Pyramid Awards and one Honorable Mention. PRSA NJ, which recognizes excellence in public relations and communications throughout the state, tapped Violet PR for its work in media relations, special events, campaigns on a limited budget, and digital and social media. As a boutique New Jersey PR firm with four full-time employees, were thrilled to be recognized alongside the states top agencies by PRSA NJ, says April Mason, president and founder of Violet PR. Our diverse 2018 campaigns took us from a swanky rooftop event in New York Citys Hudson Yards to an implosion on one of New Jerseys largest industrial siteshelping media of all types cover great stories. Violet PRs winning campaigns are: #KCinNYC 2018: Celebrating Kansas Citys Cultural Scene in NYC in the Events category, for an exclusive media event that attracted over 70 top-tier journalists. Lincoln Logistics: A Bayonne Transformation in the Media Relations (B2B) category, for a three-phrased media relations program that generated 49 news stories and 86 million impressions. Pioneers. Problem-Solvers. Pittsburgh: The Innovation Tour in the PR on a Shoestring Budget category, for a tech-focused press trip attended by seven journalists from outlets including Fast Company, Forbes, Politico, VentureBeat and ZDnet. Promoting P-TECH: IBMs Education Reform Initiative in the Digital and Social Media Communications category, for a Twitter campaign that reached over 35 million users. Violet PRs campaigns were judged by panels of industry peers. Pyramid Award winners and honorable mentions were announced at the PRSA Awards banquet last night at the Basking Ridge Country Club in Basking Ridge, N.J. About Violet PR Whether its rebranding a city, drawing attention to a revitalized neighborhood, or promoting a new sustainable development, Violet PR helps clients make a difference. Through a combination of news stories, social media and compelling content, our New Jersey-based boutique public relations firm helps clients attract more dollars and supporters. Follow Violet PR on Twitter @Violet__PR. For more information visit: https://www.violetpr.com/. About PRSA NJ Founded in 1960, PRSA NJ is one of five Chapters in the Tri-State District, and one of the largest Chapters in the country. The organization is governed by a local board of directors and its parent organization, PRSA, was chartered in 1947. Today, with 21,000 members organized into more than 100 Chapters and 10 districts, it is the worlds largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals, providing professional development, setting standards of excellence and upholding principles of ethics for its members and the multi-billion-dollar global public relations profession. Visit http://www.prsanj.org/. The work that Gov. McMaster and this group are doing can only benefit our residents and illustrate how efforts like these can help mitigate future destruction and protect millions. The population of Nichols, S.C., is expected to at least double Saturday as volunteers from across the state continue to sign up to help clean ditches and improve the towns drainage system after two hurricanes in three years caused catastrophic flooding. The town of roughly 400 people is located in Marion County, about 50 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the South Carolina Floodwater Commission (SCFC) are hosting Nichols Cleanup Day, which also will serve as the groups quarterly meeting. The SCFC, founded by McMaster in October, provides a cohesive platform for the state to collaboratively address and alleviate the flooding that ravages communities throughout the state. Saturdays event supports the SCFCs Infrastructure and Shoreline Armoring Task Force, which is headed by South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Secretary Christy Hall and supported by SCDOT staff. The task force highlights the need to maintain and improve drainage systems to reduce flooding issues, such as those that took place in Nichols after Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence. Floods from Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 submerged the town under 4-6 feet of water and displaced 95% of its residents. In September 2018, while the town was still struggling to rebuild, Hurricane Florence hit and sent Nichols recovery efforts back to square one. Were honored and overwhelmed by the support from the governor, the Commission and all of the anticipated volunteers, Nichols Town Administrator Sandee Rogers said. The floods that wreaked havoc in Nichols have repeatedly hit small towns throughout our beautiful state. The work that Gov. McMaster and this group are doing can only benefit our residents and illustrate how efforts like these can help mitigate future destruction and protect millions. To further help with recovery efforts, in 2019, Nichols secured Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The town contracted with Woolpert in March to evaluate flooding problems and mitigation opportunities by collecting data, providing modeling and analysis, and incorporating town input. The firm has decades of engineering, surveying, stormwater and mapping experience, and provided perishable aerial imagery to support its Columbia clients immediately following the states 1,000-year flood event in 2015. With the crushing events of the last few years, it was hard for our small town to sustain hope at times, Rogers said. But thanks to the efforts of so many, we are beginning to see daylight. About Woolpert Woolpert is committed to a vision to become the premier architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm, and one of the best companies in the country. Its a vision weve been fine-tuning for decades. It guides our decisions and investments, provides our clients with optimal solutions, and offers our employees unrivaled opportunities. Woolpert is recognized as a Great Place to Work by its employees and is Americas fastest growing AEG firm. With more than a century of experience, close to 1,000 employees and 30 offices, Woolpert supports public, private, federal, and military clients nationally and around the globe. For more information, visit woolpert.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. The Writing & Financial Experts A Wise E2 visa business plan can help smooth your way through the visa process, so you can concentrate on building a business. Entrepreneurs around the world are sharing and exchanging ideas, prototypes and processes with one another as digitization and interconnectivity bring international businesses together. Wise Business Plans is pleased to announce it now provides custom business plans, support and market research, along with a full slate of business-building services, to E2 treaty investors. The E2 visa program offers business visionaries in countries that already partner with the U.S. through treaties to expand and find success in the vast marketplace the American public provides, said Joseph Ferriolo, Director of Wise. We're so excited to offer individualized service and support as international entrepreneurs bring in a fresh wave of ideas. Ferriolo said helping business immigrants find their footing in the competitive markets that make up the U.S. business world is something Wise has years of experience doing. "We support hard work, opportunity and people who want to help make our country and economy stronger," he said. "These individuals and the companies they form are careful to comply with the regulations and requirements of the E2 visa program, and we want to honor that respect for our government and systems by helping them find success in any way we can." Wise Business Plans' custom-crafted E2 business plans are tailor-made to comply with all requirements of the E2 visa program. In addition, the plan can be used to showcase the unique strengths of the company as E2 entrepreneurs seek to acquire funding from investors, look to raise capital through venture capitalists, or work with private investors. All plans include market research and custom financials. Design experts give every plan a one-of-a-kind, professional look, and each client is entitled to a free revision to ensure the plan is done right. To secure an E2 visa, your documentation and business plan must show how the company will fulfill the programs requirements, Ferriolo said. Wise excels at this kind of research and planning. A Wise E2 visa business plan can help smooth your way through the visa process, so you can concentrate on building a business that will last and that will benefit the economy for decades to come." Wise Business Plans (http://www.wisebusinessplans.com), staffed with professional MBA writers, researchers and financial experts, is a trusted partner for businesses across a broad spectrum of products and services. Our mission is to empower our clients to make the best possible business decisions, boost company performance and facilitate their funding success by laying the groundwork for strong businesses that excite, inspire and retain talented and exceptional employees. If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet that opened on Friday in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China. Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibet is an important border area with ethnic minority populations, an important ecological security barrier, an important area for protecting distinctive culture of the Chinese nation and an important world tourist destination, Xi noted in the letter. The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 60th anniversary of the campaign of democratic reform in Tibet, Xi said. "Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Tibet has realized the most extensive and profound social transformation ever in its history in just a few decades, with millions of serfs emancipated and becoming masters of the country and society," the letter read. With the strong support of the central government and the people throughout the country, people in Tibet have united in their struggle to turn the impoverished and backward old Tibet into a new Tibet characterized by economic and cultural prosperity, all-round social progress, a sound ecological environment and a happy life for the people, Xi said. Xi expressed hope in the letter that Tibet will seize the opportunities for development, build a beautiful and happy Tibet, flourish its fine traditional culture, protect the plateau's ecological environment, implement a more active policy of opening up, conduct extensive international exchanges and cooperation and draw a new picture of Tibet's development in a new era. Pittsburgh, a city known for its three rivers, has been gaining recognition for its growing number of independent bookstores. Though the 2008 recession spelled the end for many of the areas national and regional chain stores, several bookselling newcomers have since opened and a few longtime stores have bounced back, including the Penguin Bookshop in suburban Sewickley, which is celebrating its 90th year. The resurgence is part of Pittsburghs decades-long renaissance, which has seen the city rise from the devastating loss of steel production in the 1970s and 80s to reinvent itself as a vibrant hub for education, medicine, technology, and culture. The literary scene has blossomed, as well, by building on a rich history of writing programs at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and other schools. Its become more and more a place that publishers and authors want to come and visit, says Lesley Rains, a pioneering force in Pittsburghs bookselling revitalization and manager of City of Asylum Bookstore on the citys North Side. The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association has taken note and has held several meetings for booksellers in the region. While the area lost a few valuable bookstores over the last 20 years, there is a nice resurgence, says NAIBA executive director Eileen Dengler. We want to build a community of booksellers in Pittsburgh. The New Wave of Booksellers Rains, who moved back to her hometown in 2010, is one of the booksellers spearheading this new wave. When she realized that she could not reliably buy a book by Jane Austen in Pittsburgh, she decided to do something about it. Surely, she recalls thinking, theres a demand for not just a bookstore but a community. She began a pop-up used bookstore, named the East End Book Exchange, but soon moved to a stall in the Pittsburgh Public Market (in the citys Strip District). By 2012, she found a storefront for EEBX in the neighborhood of Bloomfield, Pittsburghs Little Italy. The books that we carried on our shelves and the readings that we held multiple times a week, every week, became the heart of what we did, Rains says. A few years later, Rains was exhausted and ready to shift gears. She found like-minded successors in Jill and Adlai Yeomans. The couple met while working at Hachette in New York City in 2009 and relocated to Pittsburgh in 2012. They relaunched the EEBX space as White Whale Bookstore in October 2016. Today, the store focuses more on new than used titles. The increased childrens and YA offerings reflect Jills passion and her experience as a childrens book author (the Unnaturals series, writing as Devon Hughes) and editor. We go out of our way to create an environment of inclusivity, Adlai says. Youre also going to get a focus on smaller presses and independent publishers, which is one of the things that sets us apart. Rains missed bookselling and took a job with City of Asylum Bookstore, which opened in 2017. The store is located inside the cultural center/event space known as Alphabet City, which also houses a restaurant. The bookstore operates as an arm of the grassroots nonprofit City of Asylum, which provides sanctuary for writers who have been exiled from their home countries and champions freedom of expression. Childrens buyer Jennifer Kraar describes the stores atmosphere as inviting and festive. Her mission is to spotlight diverse childrens books and social justice works, as well as titles in translation. Another relatively new store, the five-year-old Classic Lines Bookstore in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, has rapidly made a name for itself. It was one of five finalists for PWs 2019 Bookstore of the Year. The store was nominated for supporting neighbors who were affected by the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue last fall. Changing Things Up Mystery Lovers Bookshop, in the borough of Oakmont, was founded in 1990 by Mary Alice Gorman and Richard Goldman. Its focus on the mystery/thriller genre led the store to win a Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 2010. After a change in ownership in 2012, Mystery Lovers began stocking more childrens, YA, and local interest titles. When Tara Goldberg-DeLeo and Kristy Bodnar, both mothers of young children, bought the store in August 2018, they further expanded the childrens section to serve the communitys burgeoning families. Not far from the site of a former Borders location, Barbara Jeremiah opened Riverstone Books in October 2017, as part of the new McCandless Crossing mixed-use development. The 2,300-sq.-ft. store has a cozy kids section with a carpeted area for storytimes and a small pillow-filled reading nook, as well as a Hogwarts-inspired mural. At 300 sq. ft., the Tiny Bookstore, which caters to the same community, lives up to its name. Located in the Pines Shops at Pines Plaza, a strip mall in the North Hills, the store had its official grand opening in January. Pittsburgh has had a handful of childrens-only stores over the years, including the renowned Pinocchio Bookstore, run by Marilyn Hollinshead from 1985 to 2002. And childrens specialty stores are starting to return, with Adriene Risters opening of Spark Books in the tiny borough of Aspinwall last October. The mother of two boys, Rister has been very careful about selecting the inventory for her small store, just under 500 sq. ft. My intention is to be really thoughtful and deliberate about whats here, she says, noting that being inclusive is part of her mission. I want to make sure that were seeing the people of our community and our world in the books. Its not hard to figure out what books people are buyingjust look at the weekly bestseller lists, Bookscan data, or Amazon rankings. But focusing on sales ignores a key part of the reading ecosystem, says veteran bookseller and former Waterstones managing director Tim Coatesmost prominently, libraries. So in April, Coates took it upon himself to try to broaden the conversation around how we read, commissioning a survey on how and where readers are getting their books. Id wanted to do this survey for a long, long time, because Ive long felt that for all the data we have about book sales, there's another key piece of information to the jigsaw that we really don't have, Coates told PW in a recent interview. I wanted to find out how libraries fit in the world of people who want to get hold of something to read. [The survey will be available online at some point soon, but in the interim Coates has shared this presentation, titled "Where Did you Get That Book."] The good news from the surveypeople are reading. Nearly 81% of respondents said theyd read or made use of a book in the last 12 months, with 65% of those respondents saying they read for pleasure. This is a really encouraging number, Coates says, noting that its slightly higher than other recent surveys, including a recent Pew survey (which found 74% had read a book in the last year). It also pushes back against a narrative that emerged from U.S. Bureau of Labors 2018 American Time Use Survey, which found the amount of time Americans spent on leisure reading was at an all-time lowand was trending downward. Perhaps the most tantalizing number from the survey, however, is that nearly half of the surveys respondentssome 46%said theyd paid zero for their last book. The idea of free reading sets off alarm bells for many publishers and authors groupsbut Coates stresses that figure doesnt imply rampant piracy, or displaced salesrather, he suggests, its reflective of how the reading ecosystem works. There are libraries, and gifting, and lots of ways for people to read books without having to buy them, Coates explained, touching on one of main motivations behind the survey: that publishers and authors would benefit from a fuller picture of how people are reading, not just what they are buying. Conducted in April, by consumer researcher InterQ, the survey polled 1,200 respondents, some of which responded on behalf of a further 500 family members too young to be included directly, for a total of 1,700 responses. Respondents were from six states, in equal numbers: (California, Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Texas). Coates says he developed the survey, and paid for it himself to inform his own advocacy work. It has always seemed to me that the starting point for effective library advocacy was to find out what the reputation of libraries is with the wider public, not just library users, he said. I was seriously curious to find out the answers, so I did the survey myself. I think library provision is terribly important. But as a management endeavor, I'm not sure the strategies and objectives are correct and clear enough. And I think that, for the sake of the public who pay for and use the service, they should be. I would like to work with libraries to improve them, and this is a first step. Indeed, the survey report offers a reminder for both publishers and libraries alikethat for all the pressures and tension of the digital age (especially surrounding library e-books), publishers and libraries share a common, and crucial mission. The relationship between public libraries and publishers should be renewed with a greater recognition of their joint endeavor to satisfy and please readers, the survey report concludes. The reading industry might be twice as big as the book publishing industry realizes. For that to happen, however, Coates says both sides need a fuller, data-driven picture of not only of whats selling, but of what readers are actually reading. There needs to be a to be a flow of detailed information directly between [publishers and libraries] about reading and about catalogs and titles, the report concludes, acknowledging a significant gap in the industry knowledge of what people read and what is available for them. Coates believes his survey is unique in the questions it asks. But he's not alone in his realization the better data is needed to assess how best to serve the reading public. Last year, e-book provider OverDrive launched the Panorama Project, billed as "the first large scale, data-driven research project focused on understanding the impact of library holdings on book discovery, author brand development, and sales." The project shares Coates's desire to better assess the role of libraries in the reading ecosystem and views better data beyond the bestseller lists as key. Reading and book sales are not the same thing at all, Coates explains in the surveys conclusion, referencing the high number of readers who get books and other reading material for free, whether from a library, or by borrowing it from a friend of family member. If that discrepancy were 10% it might not matter," the report states. " But it is 100%, which means that there is missing revenue and missing understanding of the performance of titles and authors work. That is a revelation that should concern publishers and will concern authors. The reading industry might be twice as big as the book publishing industry realizes. They should find out. Reserve Reading The Digital Public Library of America this week announced a partnership with BiblioBoards Indie Author Project, which will make available a collection of over 30 independently-published books available free for anyone to download and read now in the SimplyE app. The Summer Reading collection will be available until Labor Day (September 2), and features a diverse set of works from authors across the country, including Daykeeper by Ran Walker, which was chosen as the 2019 Indie Author of the Year out of the 14 winners of last years regional Indie Author Project contests (you can hear from Walker in this interview with Jane Friedman). Walker will be at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference, appearing at the IngramSpark booth on Saturday, June 22 at 2:00pm. School's out! (Or, for some of us up north, almost out). Slate has a piece rounding up ways to stop the summer slide and and to get your kids to dive into books this summer. From the Baltimore Sun, a piece on a joint project between the Enoch Pratt Free Library and Libraries without Borders to "install computers and tablets in four large laundromats around Baltimore to bring technology tools to city communities where many residents lack internet access." Hat tip to Gary Price at InfoDocket for pointing out this fascinating survey of internet users around the globe, which reveals a high level of distrust of information on the Internet, including this nugget: "75% of those surveyed who distrust the internet [cited] Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms as contributing to their lack of trust." And also from Gary Price, via the Federal News Network, how one of our institutions is looking to wrestling with the rise of unreliable internet information: the National Archives and Records Administration is considering the use of blockchain to blunt the rise of deepfakes. The momentum for antitrust action against the tech industry is growing, but how that will unfold is far from clear, and there is a lot at stake. A Bloomberg report this week notes that DOJ Antitrust chief Makan Delrahim compared today's digital giants to previous companies that the U.S. government broke up, including Standard Oil. "The current landscape suggests there are only one or two significant players in important digital spaces, including internet search, social networks, mobile and desktop operating systems, and electronic book sales, Delrahim said in a Tuesday speech. Meanwhile, a report in CNET suggest that Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has no faith in Delrahim. She wants the DOJ Antitrust chief to recuse himself from the investigations. From Yahoo! News, one of the actions being considered is to let media groups band together. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, which would lift state and federal antitrust laws for publishers, for up to 48 months. Roll Call this week looked at how the various 2020 presidential candidates books have sold. "Six Democratic senators running for president earned upward of $7.1 million from 2014 to 2018, a review of financial disclosures filed with the Senate Ethics Committee and the Office of Government Ethics found." From the Washington Post, a look at the ongoing drama over Drag Queen Storytimes, including an event in Leander, Texas in which city officials "first canceled the story hour, which was to be hosted by the library, in late May before a progressive and LGBT-friendly church in the area, Open Cathedral, stepped in to host it." And it looked like James Holzhauer was unbeatable on Jeopardy!, until he ran into librarian Emma Boettcher. American Libraries has a fun interview with her. Striking imagery and sharp, distinctive language shimmer in Liza Wielands haunting novel Paris, 7 A.M., which imagines American poet Elizabeth Bishop as a young woman. It opens in 1930 as the Vassar student struggles with her attraction to women, alcohols seductive comfort, and her literary gifts, but the narrative centers on Bishops stay in Paris in 1937, when the poets journals abruptly break off. Wieland picks 10 of her favorite Bishop poems. Elizabeth Bishop published only 100 poems in her lifetime and yet is still considered one of the most important and distinguished American poets of the 20th century. She served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1956. and a National Book Award in 1970. Her poems are characterized by careful, detailed observation and the refusal to give in to the confessional impulse of her contemporaries, Plath, Sexton and Lowell. At first, the poems can feel detached from experience, so cool and remote is the speakers voice, but this impersonality reveals strong emotion below the polished surface. These ten poems depict Bishop as a traveler, both literally and metaphorically, as someone who moved restlessly between the domestic and the exotic, between the unknown and the familiar, elsewhere and home. 1. "The Map" A map is of course one of a travelers most necessary possessions. No surprise, then, that this is the first poem in Elizabeth Bishops first collection. The poem serves as a kind of map to Bishops stylistic moves, such as parenthetical statements, rhetorical questions, and repetition. The poems last line, More delicate than the historians are the map makers colors, provides a view of Bishops ideas about geography, as expressed in a letter she wrote in 1948: geography is a thousand times more important to modern man than history. I always like to feel exactly where I am geographically all the time on the map. Bishop began this poem when was she was alone and sickand clearly homesickin New York on New Years Eve in 1934. 2. "The Imaginary Iceberg" Wed rather have than the iceberg than the ship begins this poem, which is itself very like an iceberg: cool, imposing, a bit dangerous below the surface. This poem was the first Bishop published after college. Its often read as a quiet battle between the attractions of the imagination and reality, resolved by the we of the poem waving goodbye to the iceberg and sailing back to warmer, more familiar climates. The poem might also be an early explanation for Bishops refusal to write confessional poetry: the introspective was not, for Bishop, as attractive as the literal. For many years, I carried in my wallet a picture of an iceberg, cut from a glossy magazine. I couldnt figure out my attraction to the image until I read this poem. 3. "Paris, 7 A.M." The poem, from which my new novel takes its title, begins with the confusion of the many clocks telling time in Clara Longworth de Chambruns apartment at 58 rue de Vaugirard. It reflects Bishops observation of the winter weather in Paris as really sinistera sort of hushed, frozen ash heap, as well as her life-long obsession with the passage of time. Bishops mentor Marianne Moore disapproved of the word apartment in the first line, but Bishop defended her choice, wanting, she told Moore, the sense of a cut off mode of existence. Throughout her life, Bishop felt a distrust of both time and houses; time was the enemy, and houses could be unsafe, not built to last. 4. "Arrival at Santos" The opening poem of Bishops third collection, Questions of Travel. The poem begins in certainty, with strong statements of location: Here is a coast; here is a harbor; here.is some scenery. The speaker arrives at the coast of Brazil by ship, having endured 18 days at sea. But certainty dissolves when a small boat, called a tender (and I feel sure Bishop enjoyed the pun), comes to take the passengers to the interior of the country. This was a new start for Bishop; in Brazil she would meet Lota de Macedo Soares; their relationship, though fraught, would last 16 years, until Lotas death. Interestingly, Lota was an architect who built Bishop a house in the mountains above Rio, which she lost after Lotas death. 5. "Questions of Travel" Why do we want to travel? this poem asks. Why not stay home and imagine? Is it lack of imagination that makes us come/ to imagined places? The middle of the poem, though, lists all that might have been missed: exaggeratedly beautiful trees that seem to gesture, the music of mismatched clogs, songbirds in bamboo cages, the sound of rain and then the sudden, golden silence after. The poem answers its own question in the last two lines, by looking at its questions from the other way around, and invoking the uncertainty and instability of home. 6. "Sestina" The orderly sestina form requires dexterity and precision. Its hard to write a good one because the repetition of six words over the course of six stanzas and a three-line envoy can become dull. Bishops sestina describes what seems like an ordinary domestic scene: a child drawing a picture, a grandmother making tea, a stove, a farmers almanac hanging on the kitchen wall. But underneath theres disorder, an atmosphere of sadness and longing for stability. The poem seems to depict the time after her mothers final hospitalization, when Elizabeth was five. She would never see her mother again. 7. "In the Waiting Room" This poem describes the moment when a child (an Elizabeth) begins to have a sense of herself as an autonomous being. The child begins as an outsider in this scenenot a patient, not a grown-up. When she looks into the National Geographic, what she sees is unfamiliar, horrifying: an erupting volcano, a dead man strung on a pole, naked women. When she hears a cry of pain from her aunt, the poem starts to collapse differences and distinctions. Her foolish aunt, the women in the magazine, herselfall frightening versions of womanhood. The child feels this vertigo, and to try stop it, reminds herself of what defines her: her birthday and her name. After the publication of this poem in 1976, Bishop was concerned about her inaccurate portrayal of the actual contents of that issue of National Geographic. 8. "Crusoe in England" This poem is a kind of elegy for travel. Bishop gives us Robinson Crusoe as an old man, long ago rescued from his island, alone and bored in civilization. He misses the oddities and eccentricities of his life on the islandlumbering turtles, waterspouts, a violet blue tree snail, a red berry that makes a potent drink, goats and gulls, as well as his companion, Friday. At home in Englandanother island that doesnt seem like onehis handmade possessions have lost their meaning, their urgencyhis parasol looks to him like a plucked and skinny fowl, and the knife on which his survival depended wont look at him at all...its living soul has dribbled away. The last line reveals that Friday, my dear Friday has been dead for 17 years, shifting the poem from elegy to eulogy. 9. "The Moose" An ordinary bus ride at night through rural Nova Scotia is interrupted by the extraordinary appearance of a moose. The passengers, who have been quietly discussing the troubles in their livesdeaths, deaths, and sicknessesthe year (something) happenedare stunned into happiness by the spectral appearance. Ive always loved that the moose is, as one passenger exclaims, a she. Shes grand, otherworldly, perhaps an image of female power, but not dangerous, inspiring in the passengers a sweet sensation of joy. Bishop herself was on a bus trip in Nova Scotia in 1946 when a moose stepped out of the forest. 10. "One Art" One of Bishops few first-person poems, in which the "I" is central and revealing. The stanzas detail the speakers losses, which increase in magnitude as the poem proceeds, culminating in the most personal even losing you. The form is a villanelle, which is based on very specific repetition of two lines that rhyme, in this case the dueling between master and disaster. The tone is falsely light, blithe, an echo of the grandmother in Sestina who is laughing and talking to hide her tears. In the last line, the revealing parenthetical (Write it!), Bishop seems to be forcing herself away from her own natural reticence and stoicism to admit that this loss is disastrous and perhaps can never be mastered. 11. "The Fish" Bishop lived most of her life within sight of water and loved to fish and sail. She said later that Ernest Hemingways praise for this poem meant more to her than praise from literary magazines. Its her most widely anthologized poem, and she grew tired of its celebrity, once telling an editor he could have any poem except this one. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. The Purdue University Global Board of Trustees on Friday (June 14) approved the creation of two new programs in partnership with the College of Pharmacy and the Purdue Polytechnic Institute on the Purdue West Lafayette campus. Beginning fall 2019, Purdue Global will offer a pharmacy technician certificate in health care quality and patient safety, and associate and bachelors degrees in professional flight. The pharmacy technician certification, a first-of-its-kind offering, will offer pharmacy partners the ability to provide advanced education to their pharmacy technicians, including those at the entry level. Purdue Global will offer the certificate program in both standard and accelerated competency-based ExcelTrack formats, and various pharmacy partners will be able to customize the curriculum to suit their specific needs. The program will ultimately allow a technician to meet the accreditation guidelines for advanced pharmacy technician credentials recently approved by the American Council on Pharmacy Education. Already, four potential community pharmacy partners have expressed interest in working with Purdue Global to offer this advanced education. Addressing the projected global demand for aviation professionals over the next 20 years, the new professional flight programs will include general education and open electives from the current inventory of Purdue Global courses, and students will earn academic credit for flight credentials obtained through affiliate flight schools. The Polytechnic Institutes School of Aviation and Transportation Technology will lend its expertise in curriculum development, faculty hiring, affiliate flight school selection and accreditation by the Aviation Accreditation Board International. Both of these new offerings are stellar examples of how Purdue Global and Purdue West Lafayette can work together to create programs that meet the needs of employers and students while leveraging both institutions subject matter expertise, Purdue Global Chancellor Betty Vandenbosch said. Both are subject to approval by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which will be requested immediately. Sources: Betty Vandenbosch, bvandenbosch@purdueglobal.edu Eric Barker, barkerel@purdue.edu Gary Bertoline, bertoline@purdue.edu WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue trustees on Friday (June 14) approved the tuition and fee schedule for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years and the universitys operating budget for the 2020 fiscal year. Tuition will remain frozen on Purdues main campus for the seventh and eighth consecutive years through the 2020-21 academic year keeping base undergraduate tuition and fees for Indiana residents under $10,000 per year. With the exception of flight program fees, which will increase by 3% in fiscal year 2020 and 5.6% in fiscal year 2021, all general fees also will be held steady. The total cost of attending Purdue continues to be less today than in 2012, with tuition held flat and lower room and board rates and, as a result, the university continues to receive more applications annually than ever before. Students and their families will have saved more than half a billion dollars on educational expenses by 2021, versus what they would have paid if Purdue had increased tuition and fees at national averages. Those savings already have helped decrease total student borrowing by 33% since 2012, despite having more students on campus each year since. Six graduating cohorts will have seen no increase in tuition since their arrival, and 59% of Purdue undergraduates graduate debt-free today, compared with 46% in 2012. Purdue is now the third most affordable Big Ten school for resident students and the second most affordable Big Ten school for nonresident students. Tuition and fees at Purdue University Northwest and Purdue University Fort Wayne will follow the Indiana Commission for Higher Educations recommended increase of up to 1.65% each year of the biennium. In addition, Purdue Fort Wayne will introduce an additional tuition charge for international students of $24.90 per credit hour or $373.50 per semester for undergraduates and $31.57 per credit hour for graduate students, and a differential fee for the College of Visual and Performing Arts at $25 per credit hour for undergraduates and $31.57 per credit hour for graduate students, which will be phased in over two years at 50% each year. For fiscal year 2020, the Indiana General Assembly appropriated $301.3 million for the West Lafayette campus, $52.5 million for Purdue Northwest and $47.7 million for Purdue Fort Wayne, an overall decrease of 1.01% in state appropriations, driven by a decline primarily in the universitys fee replacement appropriation reflecting lower outstanding debt. In addition, as part of the biennial budget, the state appropriated funds for the construction of the new Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital ($73 million) and the Engineering and Polytech Gateway building ($60 million). The universitys all-funds operating budget for fiscal year 2020 supports educational, operating and strategic investment expenditures. Trustees endorsed the following total operating expenditures for fiscal year 2020: At the West Lafayette campus: $2.14 billion. At Purdue Northwest: $159.1 million. At Purdue Fort Wayne: $155.6 million. Included in the West Lafayette expenditures is $12 million in strategic investments targeted to four key areas: Enrollment growth in STEM areas, particularly in the College of Engineering, College of Science and School of Nursing. Funding for the Integrated Data Science Initiative. Expansion of the University Development Office. Strategic growth in the Krannert School of Management, predominantly the Industrial Management undergraduate program. Revenues are budgeted at $2.5 billion and are expected to exceed expenditures by $76 million. Source: Chris Ruhl, 765-494-5166, ruhlc@purdue.edu DAGA GONE FROM MLW Lucha star Daga is done with Major League Wrestling, PWInsider.com has confirmed. Daga, who had a short feud with Low Ki in the company, was booked for the promotion's 6/1 date in Wisconsin, but pulled out at the last second, citing that he had scheduled a vacation. MLW sources claimed they later learned he was actually working dates in Mexico instead and have dropped him from all future bookings. Daga was in line for a push with plans to be turned heel later this year. If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here! Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK Volunteers gather at College Creek to help the Live Green! initiative and Keep Iowa State Beautiful with taking out the garbage that is in and around the creek. "We had over 50 volunteers sign up and pretty much everyone showed up and even more joined later," said Paige Myers. Myers recently graduated from Iowa State and is sticking around during the summer to help with projects such as the creek cleanup. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Opinion Policies Editorials are longer opinion pieces that are written by a group of community members recruited across campus who address relevant issues on a local, national and international level. Editorials are research-based. The purpose of the Editorial Board is to promote discussion concerning relevant issues in the community while advising on possible solutions. Topics are chosen via relevancy and interests of the members, which are then discussed by the Editorial Board in order to reach a general consensus concerning the topic or issue. Feedback policy If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com). Column Policy Columns are hyper-specific to opinion and are written by only columnists employed by the Iowa State Daily. Columnists are unique because they have a specific writing day and only publish on those writing days. Each column undergoes a thorough editing process ensuring the integrity of the writer, and their claim is maintained while remaining research-based and respectful. Columns may be submitted from community members. These are labelled as Guest Columns. These contain similar research-based content and need to be at least 400 words in length. The following requirements should be met: first and last name, email and relation or position to Iowa State. Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 On June 14, enough evidence was presented to warrant a trial involving Baldwin County resident, Marcus Lillard, to be moved forward. Lillard is being charged with murder, aggravated assault and concealing the death of another, all regarding the death of University of Georgia entomology professor, Marianne Shockley Clarke County inmate Darion Gordon jumped over the fifth-floor railing while being escorted from the courtroom to the inmate elevators in the Clarke County Courthouse on Feb. 8, 2019, according to an internal investigation case report received through an open records request submitted by The Red & Black. Earlier this week, officials in Uganda confirmed the countrys first cases of Ebolaa deadly virus that has been raging in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) since August 2018. The stricken patientsa 5-year-old boy and his grandmotherboth passed away, according to the Ministry of Health. The global Red Cross Red Crescent network is on high alert. This is a worrying development, but we have been preparing for this day for months now, says Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, whose teams have been prepping for the cross-border spread of Ebola since August. Ebola preparedness efforts in Ugandaas well as Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudaninclude training volunteers on screening at border points, risk communication and community engagement, community-based surveillance, and mental health support. The Red Cross has prepositioned supplies for safe and dignified burials, which are critical to mitigating the spread of Ebola. Teams are also providing technical support to Ministry of Health, which will take the lead on the delivery of safe and dignified burials in Uganda. Ebolas Spread from DR Congo to Uganda The Uganda border is close to the epicenter of the DR Congo outbreak, which is now the second largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, with nearly 2,100 cases and more than 1,400 deaths. Communities living close to the DR Congos border share many social, cultural and economic connections, which puts many at heightened risk of being exposed to Ebola. The risk of further spread of Ebola in Uganda and other neighboring countries remains high. The increased movement of population between DR Congo and Uganda and other neighboring countries puts many at heightened risk of being exposed. This is further complicated by the violence and insecurity in DR Congo, which makes contract tracing challenging and forces thousands to flee to bordering countriesparticularly Uganda. Local Knowledge and Skills are Key to Preventing the Spread of Ebola Uganda Red Cross has a strong in-country capacity to respond to Ebola, with volunteers across the country. More than 360 of these local Red Cross volunteers have received specialized training to respond to Ebola and support communities impacted by the disease. They are going door-to-door, ensuring that families know the facts about Ebola and understand how to prevent its spread. Their local knowledge and experience will be crucial in the fight against this outbreak. Red Cross teams in Uganda played a key role in containing the last five Ebola outbreaks, the last which ended in 2012. The Red Cross has also responded to other hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, including Marburg in 2017. American Red Cross contributes to the Ebola response in DR Congo For its part, the American Red Cross has contributed $250,000 to support the DR Congo Red Cross as it responds to the immediate needs of people impacted by the latest outbreaks of Ebola. The American Red Cross deployed a disaster response specialist following a different outbreak that began in May in DR Congo. This isnt the first time Red Cross and Red Crescent teams have worked together to fight the virus. The world suffered its deadliest Ebola outbreak from 2014-2016. The nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were hit hard by the crisis, which claimed more than 10,000 lives. The global Red Cross network deployed nearly 400 international staff to the region, trained more than 6,000 volunteers, and opened two Ebola treatment centers in Sierra Leone. The American Red Cross joined the response by deploying disaster specialists to the outbreak zone and providing financial & technical support. The scheme, which will be effective from July 1, 2019 would benefit 36 million employees and 1.28 million employers. The ESI Act applies to factories with 10 or more workers and provides for medical, cash, maternity, disability and dependent benefits to employees drawing a salary of up to Rs 21,000 per month. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com The government on Thursday announced reducing the total rate of contribution made by workers and employers towards the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme from 6.5 per cent to 4 per cent for the first time in over two decades. The move is expected to benefit around 1.3 million employers who will see a 40 per cent reduction in the rate of contribution they make for their employees, in line with the provisions of the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948. Nearly 4.75 per cent of a workers monthly salary goes towards ESI as the employers contribution, 1.75 per cent of the income is the employees share at present. Now, 3.25 per cent will be the employers share and 0.75 per cent the employees. This will be effective from July 1, 2019 - a move the government said would benefit 36 million employees and 1.28 million employers. The move has the approval of Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar who had given his nod before he flew to Switzerland on Tuesday to attend the International Labour Conference. The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), which administers the ESI Act, had in February recommended decreasing the total rate of contribution of workers towards the insurance scheme from 6.5 per cent to 5 per cent. However, the labour and employment ministry went a step ahead to decrease the contribution rate to 4 per cent. The reduced rate of contribution will bring about a substantial relief to workers and it will facilitate further enrolment of workers under the ESI scheme and bring more and more workforce into the formal sector, the government said in a statement, adding, Similarly, reduction in the share of contribution of employers will reduce the financial liability of the establishments leading to improved viability of these establishments. A top ESIC official said the move is expected to reduce the annual burden of over 1 million employers by Rs 8,000 crore-Rs 9000 crore. The ESIC received Rs 22,279 crore from employers towards the ESI scheme in 2018-19, the official added. The ESI Act provides for medical, cash, maternity, disability and dependent benefits to employees drawing a salary of up to Rs 21,000 per month. The ESI Act applies to factories with 10 or more workers and it is also applicable to shops, hotels, restaurants, cinemas and road transport undertakings. From a business perspective, the contribution towards insurance and provident fund comes as a cost burden to companies. "This will help firms to hire more workers through savings in the rate of contribution, said the official cited above. While the UN report said that FDI inflows rose 6 per cent in 2018 to $ 42 billion, the governments own data for the entire FY19 period has shown that inbound equity investments declined for the first time in six years in FY19. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com The growing number of Indian companies eyeing international acquisitions is expected to make the country one of the top 20 global sources of foreign direct investment (FDI) soon, shows a report by a UN body. India and the UAE - not traditionally in the top 20 outward investor countries - were also listed among the top 10 sources of FDI, for the 2019-2021 period, shows the report on international FDI flows by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Drawing inference from a survey of investment promotion agencies globally, the report points out that Indias equity outflows stood at $ 11.03 billion in 2018. Firms on shopping spree The current year has seen a string of announcements by Indian majors, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a trust established by the commerce department. Infosys has announced the acquisition of 75 per cent stake in a subsidiary of Dutch bank ABN AMRO. In March, Sun Pharmaceuticals also raised its stake in Russias PJSC Biosintez to 97 per cent. Closer to home, Ashok Leyland has set up a new facility in Dhaka, in a joint venture with IFAD Autos. The sales, service, and spare parts facility is spread over 138,000 square feet, and will cater to the entire range of Ashok Leyland vehicles. In addition, auto components major JBM Group has purchased a majority stake in Linde-Wiemann, a German structural components producer. OYO is planning to invest $1.2 billion in expansion across key markets, including China. Falling inbound FDI However, inbound FDI remains a different story. While the UN report said that FDI inflows rose 6 per cent in 2018 to $ 42 billion, the governments own data for the entire FY19 period has shown that inbound equity investments declined for the first time in six years in FY19. Latest figures released last month by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) revealed that equity inflows reduced to $44.36 billion, down 1 per cent from $44.85 billion last year. Apart from a wait-and-watch policy adopted by global investors before the elections, volatility in the stock market as well as the overall weak health of the corporate sector may have scared off new inflows, said Devendra Pant, chief economist at India Ratings. Indias economy officially grew 6.8 per cent in FY19 - lowest in the Modi governments first tenure. Private investments remained subdued and demand - particularly in the rural sector - was muted. However, investors may now rally around the massive mandate given to the incumbent government and investments may rise accordingly, Pant added. In the subcontinent, FDI inflows to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka rose to a record $ 3.6 billion and $ 1.6 billion, respectively. However, Pakistan witnessed a 27 per cent decline in investment to $ 2.4 billion. In FY19, Singapore turned out to be the largest source of offshore funds, with FDI rising nearly 25 per cent to $ 16.22 billion. This was followed by Mauritius at $ 6.8 billion and Japan at $ 2.98 billion. India revised its tax treaty with Mauritius and Singapore, which has fully come into effect from the current financial year. Giving economic aid to Kashmir is like giving TB medicine to a patient suffering from cancer and expecting it to work, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd). > Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com Given the abysmal standard of debates on Indian news television channels, one would have ignored the recent one on Kashmir aired on a respectable channel. The reason to react to it is that one of the participants, a former Indian intelligence czar, made some historically inaccurate comments. In this particular debate, reference was made to the British success in Malaya against the Communist insurgency in the 1960s and the need to look at the Malayan model for Kashmir. Popularly known as the General Gerald Templer model, it has been evoked many times in the insurgency in India's north east, including the tactics of village regrouping in Mizoram and many such measures. Having tasted success in Nagaland and Mizoram, many in the armed forces have been tempted to replicate the north eastern model in Kashmir. As a former practitioner who has researched insurgencies in the north east, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Northern Ireland and Naxalism, and who has been monitoring Kashmir for the last 28 years, one has to emphatically state that the insurgency in the Kashmir valley is different from all these. In fact, mindless implementation of these models in Kashmir has been one of the reasons why success has eluded us. First, let us debunk the 'Malaya model'. The Malayan insurgency led by the Communist party of Malaya, was largely (though not exclusively) dominated by the Chinese Malayans who formed 20% of the population. The near 40% ethnic Malayans, the Bhumiputras (sons of the soil), regarded the insurgency as an attempt at imposing Chinese hegemony. The ethnic Malayans stood solidly behind the British effort at defeating Communism. In none of the insurgencies did the counter-insurgents have that kind of popular support. The Malayan situation was unique and there are few lessons that can be implemented elsewhere other than some tactical innovations. The north eastern insurgencies were also largely homegrown although till 1971, Pakistani support through erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) as well as sporadic Chinese support were a factor. However, neither in the case of Nagaland nor in the case of Mizoram, a merger with a neighbouring State was ever contemplated. On the contrary, the Kashmir violence has a strong link to Pakistan and a merger with Pakistan is a demand of a section of insurgents. Post 9/11 and the rise of Islamophobia worldwide saw a reaction in Kashmir just like in many other Muslim majority areas elsewhere. The rise of Islamic State in Syria also had its echo in Kashmir. Like many others, I thought that the unrest in Kashmir was due to socio-economic reasons. Our think-tank, Inpad, initiated the induction of computers and help in horticulture as an antidote in the shape of Project Hope in the early 1990s. The armed forces launched Operation Sadbhavana and built several schools, community centres, playgrounds etc. Yet, despite 25 year-long efforts at 'winning hearts and minds' in the Kashmir valley, the insurgency and related violence show no signs of abating. Much influenced by the 'hearts and mind' lobby, the central government has been showering developmental goodies on the Kashmir valley. Railway lines, 24-hour power, six-lane highways are some signs of these efforts. With the huge inflow of central aid (the highest per capita in the country), the poverty level in Kashmir valley at 6% is one of the lowest in the country. Giving economic aid and developmental palliatives to Kashmir is like giving TB medicine to a patient suffering from cancer and expecting it to work. Educated Kashmiris accept that Kashmir has indeed progressed economically and yet support secession, as their basic issue is 'Kashmiris are not Indians'. They have erased their pre-Islamic past as part of this new construct of Kashmiri identity. Even Kashmiris living in the vicinity of the ancient ruins of Awantipura (the capital of King Awanti Varman in the 9th century) do not relate to it. Evicting the Kashmiri Pandits from the valley was part of a larger design to obliterate their Hindu past. The presence of the Kashmiri Pandits in the valley was a constant reminder of their ancestors. In this, Kashmiri Muslims are in sync with the Pakistanis who disown the ancient Takshashila university and Panini. The mindset in the valley is not very different from those of the Afghan Taliban who destroyed their own heritage of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001. Political correctness has stopped many in India from facing this basic reality. Kashmiris often evoke sympathy from Indian liberals by invoking a threat to their identity (as Kashmiris and Muslims) but have used their control over the state government to flood Buddhist Ladakh and dominate Jammu. The problem of unemployment is a real one no doubt, but the reasons for that are unbridled population growth, reluctance to move out of the valley and killing the golden goose of tourism through constant violence. In stark terms, the problem of Kashmir is neither economic nor social, but due to the inability of the people to reconcile with their own history. Denial of one's past, one's roots and one's ethnicity has been the standard response of an average Kashmiri. All the separatist arguments begin with the 1947 accession and Jawaharlal Nehru's ill-thought promise of a plebiscite. The Himalayan folly of taking the issue to the United Nations continues to reverberate in the Kashmiri consciousness, reinforcing the notion that they are not Indians. The first step to address the issue would be to withdraw our complaint from the UN and firmly declare Kashmir to be an internal problem of India. As we were the original complainants, as per natural law, we do have the right to withdraw our complaint. The second step is to free Jammu and Ladakh from the clutches of Kashmiri domination, a sort of internal Article 370 that protects Ladakhi and Jammu identity. It is also time to then re-organise Jammu and Kashmir on a linguistic basis into three separate provinces. The relative peace in the north east is due to the fact that it has been carved out into separate states, meeting regional aspirations. In such a scenario, negotiations can begin with the Kashmir province (not the whole of Jammu and Kashmir) on the quantum of azaadi that the valley wants within the Indian Union. Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a military historian who specialises in counterinsurgency. So, how does Pompeo's check list look like? In a broad sense, he is coming here 'to make sure that we have economic openness'; to ensure that 'we have to deliver'; to understand that 'we have to execute' what we promised to do; and, to 'broach some tough topics', points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi with United States President Donald John Trump. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters From an Indian perspective, the much-touted speech by United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the India Ideas Summit and the annual meeting of the US-India Business Council at Washington, DC turned out to be a disappointment, its boastful advertisement notwithstanding. Nonetheless, it draws attention as a the 'curtain-raiser' to his forthcoming visit to New Delhi on June 24. Also, Pompeo's visit itself happens to be just before the G-20 summit meeting (June 28-29) in Osaka, Japan, where Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi is expected to have a meeting with President Donald John Trump. Clearly, Pompeo's talks in Delhi will set the tempo for Trump, who is known to have a child-like impressionable mind, highly susceptible to the very last input he receives from advisors. The scheduling of two such high-level engagements within the week by the Trump administration with Indian leadership so soon after our general election and the government formation corroborates Pompeo's startling claim in his speech on Wednesday that he and his team in Foggy Bottom were not at all surprised that Modi secured a 'huge mandate' and 'returned to office by a single-party majority'. Pompeo lavishly praised Modi: 'Many observers were surprised by the result, but, frankly, I wasn't. I've been watching closely. My team at the State Department was watching closely. And we knew -- we knew that the prime minister was a new kind of leader for the world's most populous democracy. He is the son of a tea seller who worked his way up to governing a state for 13 years and now leads one of the world's truly emerging powers.' 'He's made economic development for the poorest Indians a priority. And, indeed, millions who once went without light bulbs now have electricity. And millions who lacked cookstoves now have them.' Quite obviously, Pompeo insists that he subscribes to the official Indian narrative of the alchemy of Modi's election victory -- as a mandate for 'economic development for the poorest Indians' -- which differs sharply from that of the bulk of the Western media, especially the American media, that tended to agree with the Khan Market Gang. This may be clever diplomacy -- stooping to conquer Modi with flattery -- but Pompeo apparently blithely overlooked that in the process, he has also provided a benchmark for the India-US partnership. The point is, if Modi and India's priority lies in economic development and poverty alleviation, what is it that the US can offer to promote our country's economic transformation? In his entire speech, the nearest Pompeo comes by way of giving an to this poignant question is by offering to sell (at market price) shale gas from the US to substitute for India's oil imports from Venezuela and Iran -- and, of course, the 'state-of-the-art fighters that could give India the capabilities it needs to become a full-fledged security provider throughout the Indo-Pacific.' He pointed out that if money is the problem that inhibits Modi government from buying more products from the US, that has been sorted out, too -- 'We've already launched the Asia-EDGE program... to help India raise private capital to meet its energy and security needs for years to come.' Can anyone be more generous than that as India's benefactor? Pompeo's speech is at its weakest on this score. And Delhi is entitled to ask: 'Tell us something at least about how you can promote our country's economic transformation.' Pompeo's speech becomes a marker displaying how far the India-US relationship has deviated from the foundational thinking behind it in the early 1990s when India's reforms began accelerating and China's rise was still lying in the womb of time. Basically, Pompeo spoke at length, going round and round, on two themes -- market access for American companies to step up exports to India and a platter full of weaponry. So, how does Pompeo's check list look like? In a broad sense, he is coming here to make sure that we have economic openness'; to ensure that 'we have to deliver'; to understand that 'we have to execute' what we promised to do; and, to 'broach some tough topics'. Pompeo lists out some of those 'tough topics'. One, Washington and Delhi have to 'work out our disagreements' over Trump's decision on the GSO programme. The US is open to dialogue provided 'our friends in India will drop their trade barriers'. Two, the US will 'push for free flow of data' not only to help American companies, but 'to protect data and secure consumers' privacy'. Three, the US is 'eager" that Indian establishes "secure communication networks' -- read, by banning 5G technology from China's Huawei. Pompeo added that the above are 'just a few things that sit on the tip of our tongue, at the top of our mind' and there are a few more surprises on his check list. He underscored, 'We want to complete the Westinghouse civil nuclear project, and deliver more LNG and crude' so that India 'will no longer have to rely on difficult regimes like those in Venezuela and in Iran.' Plus, of course, Pompeo made it clear that he will push for GOI decisions on the sale of Boeing's F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin's F-21 aircraft to India's armed forces. Lockheed Martin has set up a joint venture with the Tata group for manufacture of F-21 jets, which are an upgrade of the obsolete F-16 fighters whose production the US has phased out. To pepper the deal, unsurprisingly, Pompeo also alluded to 'President Trump's vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific' -- codename for containment strategy against China. Pompeo gave a bombastic touch to it, saying 'It (strategy) starts from the premise that we (India and the US) share a common set of values -- the values of democracy and freedom and a core belief in the ingenuity of the human spirit'. Pompeo knows that early birds catch worms. He places great store on S Jaishankar's appointment as the external affairs minister. He fondly recalled Jaishankar's past pledges that 'he's ready to cultivate a warmer relationship with America - and he knows that the feeling is mutual. We want to move ahead.' Pompeo doesn't appear to have sought a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Now, that's a stunning departure from earlier times when Washington used to count on the NSA as 'our man in Delhi'. There is indeed a paradigm shift. Pompeo is representing American arms vendors and US exporters, but he isn't wasting time calling on the Raksha Mantri or commerce minister either. It's a brave new world now -- where business is optimally transacted at foreign-minister level, one-on-one. Many anticipate that by the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, the BJP may come to power, says Mohammad Sajjad. IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party supporters in Kolkata. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters As a fallout of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, with each passing day, news of political conflicts, degenerating into hate and violence, is coming in from West Bengal. We are reminded of the Bengal of the 1940s. Then, the 'third' party, the British, was in power whose phantom, competitive communalisms was devouring India. Did it have something to do with the political and economic rise of certain groups, then, as it could possibly be, now? Perhaps, yes. The Lok Sabha elections, 2019, saw a sharp rise in the BJP's tally even in West Bengal. It won 18 out of 42 seats with a very high percentage of votes (40.23% as against 17.02% in 2014). Many anticipate that by the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, the BJP may come to power, thereby replacing incumbent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. A meticulous study by the historian Joya Chatterjee's Bengal Divided (1995) could be of great help in providing us with a comparative understanding about the 1940s with that of today. Chatterjee argues that the (second) partition of Bengal, in 1947, was preceded by organised agitations, demanding vivisection of the province by both Bhadralok (Hindus). Having swallowed up the regional agrarian outfit, the Krishak Praja Party of A K Fazlul Haque (1873-1962), the Muslim League had already become stridently separatist! Chatterjee goes on to explain why and how the Bhadralok shifted from 'nationalism' to 'communalism'. They derived inspiration from Hindu revivalist ideologies, which shifted their emphasis from anti-British to an anti-Muslim posture. In response to the McDonald Award, the Poona Pact (1932) between Gandhi and Ambedkar, 'reduced high caste Hindus to a small minority in a (Legislative) House which they had always expected to dominate'. To add to the woes of the Bhadralok (absentee landlords), owing to the economic Depression of the 1930s, the 'sudden and dramatic collapse of agrarian prices and of rural credit placed a tremendous strain upon the system of rent and debt collection that was the mainstay of rentier incomes in Bengal.' 'The rapid decline of the rentiers to extract dues worked to the advantage of more prosperous tenants who were frequently Muslims'. This newfound affluence of the new rural elites, the Muslims, fetched them franchise (voting rights) as per the Act of 1935. 'They were supported by the restless Muslim intelligentsia'. In 1909, under the separate electorates, there were 46 Hindu seats against 39 Muslim seats in the provincial legislature. In the 1930s, the total number of Muslim seats went up to 117, as against 80 for the caste Hindus, and 30 seats for the Depressed Classes (Dalits), after the Poona Pact. Thus, both Dalits and Muslims were able to make their presence in the legislature, outnumbering the Bhadraloks. IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Save the Constitution dharna in Kolkata in February. Photograph: ANI Photo Political Rise of Muslims and Hindu Consolidation, 1937-1947 Already during the 1930s, the Bhadraloks were alarmed at the rising representation of Muslims in the Union, Local and District Boards, as also in the School Boards. For instance, in Burdwan, Howrah, 24 Pargana, and Midnapore, Muslim representation rose up rather faster. The hold of educated Hindus over local politics was getting less secure every year. In Barasat and Basirhat, the Muslim membership was touching 50%. Little and trivial issues could degenerate into a communal fracas. Qurbani was seen as a symbol of rising status and greater political influence of Muslims. The general perception was made about the Bengal of the 1930s that against the 'tyranny of Muslim rule', a Hindu unity had to achieved. Bhadraloks tried to countenance it by attempting to create a united 'Hindu' polity through different tactics including Shudhi 'which sought to find a place for the lower castes and tribals into a Hindu community'. Chatterjee further says, 'a large number of Hindus of Bengal, backed up by the Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha, campaigned intensively in 1947 for the partition of Bengal and for the creation of a separate Hindu province that would remain inside the Indian Union'. By that time the 'Bengal Congress came to present an unequivocally Hindu profile, the political differences between it and the Hindu Mahasabha became difficult for the untutored eye to discern'. In the elections of 1936-1937, the Hindu votes had split between the Congress and the Independents. Hence, it could win only 48 out of 80 general seats. In 1945-1946, the Congress won 71 general seats and 15 special seats. Chatterjee clarifies that this convincing Congress victory in 1945-1946 was not a vote for secular nationalism or against Hindu communalism. Rather, Hindu electorates were convinced that the Bengal Congress was committed to protect Hindu interests more effectively than the Hindu Mahasabha. The two cooperated with each other 'through electoral understanding in different constituencies'. Otherwise, the Hindu Mahasabha had aligned with the Muslim League. Its chief Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the finance minister of the province in the ministry headed by Fazlul Haque during 1941-1943. This League-Mahasabha coalition came about despite the fact that Fazlul Haque had mooted the proposal of 'Pakistan' at Lahore on March 23, 1940. This coalition in 1941 was as unlikely thing to have actually happened as is the reports that a section of Left votes went to the BJP in 2019! By the 1940s, Hindu volunteer groups proliferated in Calcutta and beyond. The Hindu Sakti Sangha, a wing of the Hindu Mahasabha, had branches, membership, sound financial base, etc. Intelligence reports testify the possession and use of firearms 'mobilising large sections of the Hindu bhadralok youth of Calcutta and the mofussil towns behind the communal ideology and politics of the Hindu Mahasabha and the Hinduised Congress" of the 1940s.' After the War (1945), the demobilised military 'were induced to procure firearms and ammunitions for Hindu communal organisations'. By the end of 1946, the 'Bengal Partition League' was established by them, the declared object of which was to demand a separate province in the districts of West Bengal to safeguard Hindu interests where they were in a majority. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi campaigns in Jalpaiguri. Photograph: PTI Photo In May 1947, the Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha jointly convened a mammoth public meeting in Calcutta to press for Partition which was presided over by the historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar (1870-1958). More Congress-Mahasabha joint rallies were held in other towns such as Hooghly, Howrah, 24 Parganas, Burdwan. The resolutions adopted in these meetings, to divide Bengal, were not submitted to Syama Prasad Mookerjee (1901-1953), but to the Congress. Of 76 such meetings, at least 59 were held by the Congress, independently of the Mahasabha. Scheduled Caste Hindus from Barasat, in 24 Parganas, in Burdwan, the Yadav Mahasabha of Khulna, tribes of Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, etc, demanded partition of the province. These were the districts where the Hindu Mahasabha's shudhi programme had been undertaken with vigour. Chatterjee then finally concludes that the partition of Bengal in 1947 'was the considered choice of large and powerful sections of the Hindu population. When push came to shove, Bhadralok Hindus preferred to carve up Bengal rather than to accept the indignity of being ruled by Muslims'. Political Rise of Muslim Communities and Saffron Mobilizations, the 2010s Just as in the last decade of colonial Bengal, in the current decade (2010s) as well, one sees a perceptible Muslim rise in West Bengal not only in the Muslim concentration districts in northern parts, but also in other parts of the province.. Muslims constitute over 27% of the West Bengal population. Muslim representation in the rural and urban local bodies has been rising. Though a precise data collection is awaited for West Bengal, in the 2018 elections for rural local bodies, the TMC regime is alleged to have coercively silenced the Opposition. In Bihar (external link) as well as in Uttar Pradesh (external link), 'Muslim Resurgence' in local bodies, is quite noticeable. Additionally, newfound affluence of Muslims through remittance from the Gulf countries and its investment in education, local trading as also in local bodies' elections, the affluence getting reflected in public spaces through attractive architectures of masjids, and public display of religio-cultural festivities, as a marker of identity-assertion, etc, are becoming an eyesore for increasingly greater number of Hindus. Moreover, since September 2010, almost 86% of the Muslim population of West Bengal are listed as OBCs; 49 communities as 'Backward', and rest four communities as 'More Backward'. With this, the Muslim share in public employment, and in educational/academic spaces, have become quite visible (external link). The ruling TMC is seen by its political opponents as extending favours to the Muslims. Thus, an old bogey of 'Muslim appeasement', propagated by the saffron forces (external link), is getting renewed political salience. It gets credence because of Mamata's collusion with Muslim clerics. The Mastans get political patronage of the governing Trinamool Congress. According to Sumanta Banerjee, it 'stands for the local gangster -- who has emerged as a hero in West Bengal's towns and villages, worshipped by inhabitants out of a combination of fear and patron-client relationship.' The joint concept of Mamata and mastan played a major role in the Trinamool Congress's electoral triumph, in the assembly elections in 2016. Along with these measures, Banerjee further adds, 'she (Mamata) seduced the unemployed youth in villages and towns by distributing money among them, in the name of funding their clubs.' 'Numerous clubs -- that get financial aid and other benefits from the Trinamool patrons -- have sprung up in cities, mofussil towns and villages.' 'These unemployed young people were encouraged by her party to emerge as mastans'. In a saffronised Hindu perception, such politically patronised hoodlums are mostly Muslims. Unfortunately the National Election Studies, CSDS-Lokniti and other academics and journalists appear to be ignoring such instances of 'Muslim resurgence' as a possible factor behind majoritarian consolidation in favour of BJP. Now, the BJP is said to have entered West Bengal with its own huge resources, outsmarting the TMC in winning over unemployed youth, of course along the Hindu-Muslim binary. It is now reported to be funding Durga Puja celebrations. In the northern districts of West Bengal, where Muslim concentration is relatively higher, the BJP has been mobilising Dalits and tribes, quite a lot of whom are immigrants (sharanarthi; whereas, for Muslims, a pejoratively disabling term is used, ghuspaithiya --infiltrators; even native Muslims would be accused of this) from those parts of Bengal which now comprise Bangladesh. The Namashudras and a specific component of this community, Matua Mahasangh, have particularly been mobilised by the BJP to a considerable extent. Till a couple of years ago, their sizeable chunk was with the TMC. As many as two constituencies -- Ranaghat and Bongaon -- in the districts of North 24 Pargana and Nadia, with a dominant Matua population, have been won by the BJP. The BJP also achieved as many as three out of a total of eight assembly seats in the by-elections this time around, namely, Habibpur (Malda), Krishnaganj (Nadia) and Bhatpara (North 24 Parganas). During the 1940s too, the Rajbansi community, which lived mainly in the North Bengal districts of Rangpur, Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and the princely state of Cooch Behar, were mobilised by the Congress-Mahasabha duo. Of the Dalits, while 'one group under Jogendra Nath Mandal (1904-1968) and the All India Scheduled Castes Federation opposed Partition and ironically aligned with the Muslim League, and stood behind the demand for United Bengal, Radhanath Das, P R Thakur and others of the Scheduled Caste League, who were from the eastern parts of Bengal, preferred to retain their ties with greater India and aligned with the Congress-Hindu Mahasabha combine', say Sekhar Bandyopadhyaya and Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury, in their recent research essay (Studies in History, 2017). A data analysis based on the assembly segments, gives an impression, that this election in West Bengal (external link) was most polarised along Hindu-Muslim lines. There are a total of 294 assembly seats. Of these, 125 seats have got 20% and more Muslims. Out of these 125, the TMC took a huge lead in 93 assembly segments in the Lok Sabha election. In 23 assembly segments, the BJP took a clear lead. This testifies unprecedented communal polarisation, comparable only with the 1945-1946 elections. In the last three years (2016-2019), there were sudden spike in communal violence across West Bengal -- in Chandernagore, Hajinagar in Naihati, Dhulagarh in Howrah, Asansol-Raniganj, Chanchol in Malda and Basirhat. The BJP and its affiliates have since long been carrying out social services, particularly in health and education sectors, among Dalits and tribes in various parts of India, as demonstrated in Tariq Thachil's book Elite Parties, Poor Voters: How Social Services Win Votes in India. The challenge before the TMC lies in winning over the Dalits and tribes, through populist measures in the relevant districts, while retaining the support of the Bhadraloks and also shedding an image of Muslim appeasement. These are no easy tasks in the face of the BJP's dominant and aggressive majoritarianism. Muslims on their part need to lie low both as a matter of conviction for plural co-existence as well as for tactical reasons. They need to be overcautious and tactically restrained in observing some of their religio-cultural festivities. The history of communal polarisation of 1945-1947 seems to be repeating itself, not as a farce, but as a colossal tragedy in West Bengal today! Can it be resisted successfully? Professor Mohammad Sajjad teaches history at the Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University. 'This is a tragedy that must be stopped.' Photograph: Andrew Biraj/Reuters It is a microscopic round body with weird antenna like projections. It measures 76.5 nanometres in diameter, with a nanometre being one thousand-millionth of a metre. Every tiny nanometre of it is d-e-a-d-l-y. This virus is the most common cause of diarrhoea in infants across the world. In India, over 260,000 children under five years died from pneumonia and diarrhoea in 2016. India along with 14 other countries accounted for 70 per cent of the deaths from both these killers while India and Nigeria accounted for half of them. 102,813 children died of diarrhoea in 2016 worldwide. This statistic emerged from the 2018 Pneumonia and Diarrhea Progress Report published late last year by the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore. Rotavirus inflames the stomach and intestines and produces symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, abdominal pain and fever. The virus is easily transmitted by unwashed hands, that might have been exposed to fecal matter, to food, water, surfaces, other people and so on. It has no cure. Vaccinations do offer worthwhile protection. But vaccination coverage to prevent rotavirus infection in India was the lowest among the 15 countries, where it was introduced in 2017, with systems to introduce the vaccine barely making impact. The biggest challenge has been access and affordability. Dr Mathuram Santosham, professor of pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins, as well as professor of immunology, international health and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who hails from Vellore, Tamil Nadu, has been working in the field of pediatric infectious diseases for over 50 years. His close encounters with the lethal rotavirus began more than 40 years ago when he was working with native American populations affected by this virus. The virus was first isolated in 1973 by Australian virologist Dr Ruth Bishop. At the time, Dr Santosham recalled, in an earlier interview to a Myanmar publication, 'There were about 20 million child deaths per year, of which about 5 million were from diarrhoea. It was the case that a child died every six seconds from diarrhoea'. Subsequently, many remedies like rehydration salts helped diarrhoea mortality come down to about 500,000 per year, 10 times less than what it was. 'Depending on which part of the world you are in, between 30 to 50 percent of diarrhoea is caused by rotavirus'. Dr Santosham explained that though the virus is omnipresent, deaths from the virus rarely happen in the developed world where infants have access to ready medical care. The principal investigator, Dr Santosham works with a $37 million dollar grant from GAVI termed the Hib initiative. The main objective of this initiative is to assist the poorest countries in the world to make an appropriate decision about introduction of one of the Hib vaccines into their national programs. Dr Santosham has consulted in a multitude of countries for various international agencies like WHO, USAID, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation. Advocacy by Dr Santosham and his colleagues in the field have helped save millions of lives a year all over the world. "Most people, and even some general practitioners, are not aware that rotavirus is the leading cause of moderate to severe diarrhoea and diarrheal deaths in children," Dr Santosham tells Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters What does India need to understand about the rotavirus? Most people, and even some general practitioners, are not aware that rotavirus is the leading cause of moderate to severe diarrhoea and diarrheal deaths in children. You might also be surprised to know that while access to clean drinking water and improvements to sanitation and hygiene are crucial for preventing other causes of diarrhoea, these factors alone are not sufficient to prevent rotavirus diarrhoea. Antibiotics, too, do not work against rotavirus. Fortunately, we have safe and effective vaccines against rotavirus, which are the most effective preventative interventions against rotavirus diarrhoea. IMAGE:Dr Mathuram Santosham. Photograph: Kind courtesy Dr Mathuram Santosham IMAGE:Dr Mathuram Santosham. In your experience, why is the journey of the rotavirus vaccine from markets to the mouths of the children, who need it, so long? What is the single biggest reason for the fact that the proportion of children receiving treatment remains as the report said 'dismally low'? Why is the adoption process so slow? Although rotavirus vaccination has been recommended by the World Health Organisation for all children, the process for considering a vaccine for a large country such as India can take a while. Adequate supply of the vaccine needs to be secured for an annual birth cohort of close to 27 million children. Fortunately, two rotavirus vaccines developed and manufactured in India are being used in India's Universal Immunisation Programme -- ROTAVAC, manufactured by Bharat Biotech and used in 10 Indian states to date; and ROTASIIL, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and used in one state to date. The government recently developed plans to roll out the vaccine fully across all states, which will help to protect a growing number of children from rotavirus diarrhoea. IMAGE: Rotavirus in a child's stool sample. Photograph: Kind courtesy Dr Graham Beards/Wikimedia Commons What are the challenges India faces in reducing rotavirus among young children and infants and in making the vaccine available across India? India continues to make progress in introducing new vaccines, but given the sheer size of the country scale-up does take time. Some parts of India have very low vaccine coverage rates, and this has to change. There are many reasons for that including lack of awareness and understanding of the importance of the vaccine, lack of monitoring of coverage, and poor supply management, especially in hard-to-reach areas and at times budgetary constraints. Partners, governments, and health workers need to work together to ensure that vaccines are available in even the most remote areas and in urban slum and that parents understand the importance of prevention. IMAGE: Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates holds up a Rotavirus vaccine at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation conference in London, June 13, 2011. Photograph: Paul Hackett/Reuters Deaths in India from rotavirus below five are still tragically high. When you read these kinds of statistics what are the thoughts that cross your mind? When I hear these statistics, it makes me extremely sad. I have been working on rotavirus disease prevention for over 40 years. We finally have several effective vaccines to prevent this disease, yet we continue to have deaths because vaccines are not yet reaching every child. When I was in the final year of my medical school in India, every day I saw children dying of diarrhoea in front of my eyes because they came to the hospital too late. There is no reason a child should die of pneumonia and diarrhoea -- the two diseases that cause the most number of deaths among children in India and around the world. Each day in India over 700 children die of either diarrhoea or pneumonia. This is a tragedy that must be stopped. It can be done if the public health community brings all of the necessary resources to address this situation. Image: Kind courtesy: WHO The vaccine was launched in 2015. So it is quite evident that the government is working hard to improve India's vaccine coverage. What are the key steps, in your experience, that governments like the Indian government, need to take to get the ball rolling faster? It is heartening to see that India has made progress and is taking efforts to improve vaccine coverage and introduce newer vaccines to protect children against life-threatening diseases. However, it is important that this will and proactiveness be replicated at all levels of government including the most remote areas where the poorest children, who are at high risk to disease and death, live. In order to ensure vaccine access to these children, appropriate infrastructure, human resources, and logistics need to be built across the country. There also needs to be appropriate and accurate communication at all levels, especially directed at parents and caregivers, about the need for the vaccine and the benefits of using the vaccine. Photograph: Utpal Baruah/Reuters What hesitation do Indian mothers have in seeing that their child is administered this vaccine? A major barrier has been misinformation, fuelled by rumours proliferating through social media and other outlets. Not receiving correct information can make parents hesitant to let their children receive vaccines. We need to remember that hesitation can be very personal and subjective. Not all parents have the same concerns. It is essential that we ask questions to understand what their apprehensions are and implement approaches that respect and address them. IMAGE: The rotavirus. Photograph: Kind courtesy National Institutes of Health India's polio vaccination programme has been in place for decades and hence awareness has been achieved. But one has not seen any samples of advertising or promotion of the rotavirus vaccine? Is that part of the problem do you feel? We know that mass communication can be very effective, as was shown for many interventions, such as polio vaccination. India's polio eradication campaign has been a model and lessons learnt from it can help guide the country's efforts to introduce new vaccines. Using similar communication strategies will definitely make a huge difference. We also need to remember that polio has been a door to door strategy with significantly more resources. The goal must be to strengthen the routine immunisation system so children have access to all interventions that will help prevent disease and keep them in good health. IMAGE: Then Union health minister Jagat Prasad Nadda administers a rotavirus vaccine in Agartala in February 2019. Photograph: PTI Indians seem quick to adopt prevention methods for some diseases and not others? Why the difference, do you feel? Parents will do anything that they feel will protect their child from disease and suffering. Diseases such as smallpox, which caused severe illness and even death that was visible to the parent, received immediate attention and thus resulted in higher demand for the vaccine. Moreover, at that time the need for the smallpox vaccine was promoted extensively in the media. Parents will rarely refuse an intervention as long as they are given correct information on the benefits of the vaccine and how it can protect their child from severe illness and even death. Appropriate and effective communication coupled with access to these interventions (which may include availability of appropriate transportation and access to facilities) is key to improving access to important preventive methods such as vaccines. The exercise would culminate into the election of a successor to Amit Shah. It will aim at increasing the BJP's membership by 20 per cent. Archis Mohan reports. Bharatiya Janata Party president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the party 'has still not peaked in terms of its electoral performance despite winning 303 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls'. The party has planned a membership drive focussed on states where it felt there was a need for an improvement in its performance, especially Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, will lead the BJP's renewed membership drive that would culminate into the partys organisational polls and the election of a successor to Shah. The membership drive, to begin on July 6, the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh icon Syama Prasad Mukherjee, will aim at increasing the BJPs membership by 20 per cent. Party sources said Shah will remain the party chief at least until the assembly polls in Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, and possibly, until the membership drive is over by the end of the year. The BJP says it has 110 million members. The party had conducted its last membership drive in 2016, and a subsequent internal survey had found several anomalies in the details of new members. However, the BJP believes such membership drives, despite anomalies, help galvanise the party cadre and strengthen outreach in regions where it needs to improve its presence. At a meeting of the partys state unit chiefs and central office-bearers on Thursday, Shah reminded them that in his inaugural presidential address on August 9, 2014, he had said the party was yet to achieve its 'peak' despite getting a simple majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Shah said the BJP received 50 per cent or more votes in 220 of the 303-seats it won in the 2019 polls, and its vote share was more than 50 per cent in 16 states and Union Territories. Shah said he would repeat himself to say the BJP had still not peaked in terms of its electoral performance. Shah implored the party leadership to reach out to people as part of its sanghathan parva, or membership drive, in states where the BJP needed to improve, particularly southern states. Four party leaders from different corners of the country -- Dushyant Gautam, Suresh Pujari, Arun Chaturvedi and Sobha Surendran -- will assist Chouhan with the drive. Gautam is a former head of the partys Scheduled Caste cell and is one of the national vice-presidents of the BJP. Pujari is a Lok Sabha member, who won the polls from Bargarh in Odisha and has also looked at party activities in West Bengal. Chaturvedi is a former Rajasthan unit chief of the BJP, while Surendran is from Kerala. Chouhan will announce the schedule for the membership drive next week. Even his critics say Thaawar Chand Gehlot is a man of delivery. 'If a task is assigned, he wins it over with political sagacity,' they say. R Rajagopalan reports. IMAGE: Thaawar Chand Gehlot takes charge as Union minister for social justice and empowerment in New Delhi on June 4, 2019. To his left are Ministers of State Krishan Pal Gurjar and Ramdas Athawale. Photograph: Press Information Bureau Bharatiya Janata Party cadres, newly-elected members of Parliament and New Delhi's political circles all were agog with speculation over the choice of Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot to replace Arun Jaitley as Leader of the Rajya Sabha. Jaitley, who opted out of the Modi 2.0 Cabinet citing health reasons, had requested the NJP leadership to relieve him of this post as well. That Gehlot, the 71-year-old member of the Rajya Sabha, enjoys Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's trust and confidence, is well known. Not many remember that Gehlot, considered the BJP's Dalit face, was the front-runner to succeed Pranab Mukherjee as President in 2017 before Ram Nath Kovind was sprung by the BJP leadership as its candidate for Rashtrapati. Those who concluded then that Gehlot did not enjoy Modi or BJP President Amit Anilchandra Shah's confidence have now been proved wrong. That the long-serving member of the BJP's parliamentary board would be elevated to a post commensurate with his experience as an MP was never in doubt. Even his critics say Gehlot is a man of delivery. "If a task is assigned, he wins it over with political sagacity," they say. There are a few who doubt if Gehlot can meet the responsibility entrusted to him. But the question is not of his capabilities, but whether he will fill the political vacuum left behind by Jaitley. Being Leader of the Upper House involves having constant dialogues with the Leader of the Opposition, in this case the Congress's Ghulam Nabi Azad, as well as with the smaller regional parties. When it comes to crucial bills like Aadhaar, where Jaitley would have won over critics with his legal acumen as well as personal charm, Gehlot may have to invoke the prime minister, at least initially. But there is a tremendous silver lining on the horizon for Gehlot. Which is that in 2020, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will have secured a majority in the Raya Sabha, easing the legislative path for the government. Home Minister Shah was the first to recommend Gehlot to Modi. And the man who lost the first citizen's post finally came to be honoured with the post of Leader of the Rajya Sabha. The stir by junior doctors protesting assault on two of their colleagues at a hospital in Kolkata assumed nationwide proportions on Friday with government doctors in various states expressing solidarity and resorting to agitations. IMAGE: A medical student from Bengaluru participate in a protest to show solidarity with her Kolkata counterparts against the assault. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo The protests began after a patient's relatives assaulted the doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Sunday night. The doctors have demanded chief minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal. IMAGE: Members of Resident Doctors Association in Bhopal express their solidarity with Kolkata doctors. Photograph: PTI Photo Among other things, they are pressing for more stringent laws to protect them from such assaults. Banerjee, who visited the state-run SSKM hospital on Thursday in the wake of disruption of medical services in several parts of the state, had warned the doctors of action if they did not resume work. She had also alleged that 'outsiders' present among the agitating SSKM hospital doctors, 'abused' her. IMAGE: Doctors from Mumbai's JJ Hospital participate in a protest. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo Expressing solidarity with their junior colleagues, senior doctors said that their demands were quite justified. The Indian Medical Association launched a three-day nationwide protest from Friday to express solidarity with the doctors and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. In Delhi, scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals held demonstrations by boycotting work, marching and raising slogans. IMAGE: Patients and their relatives stranded outside the OPD at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo They also met Union health minister Harsh Vardhan and apprised him of the medical fraternity's demand of ensuring safety and security of doctors in face of any violence in hospital premises. In a letter to Banerjee, the Union minister has urged her to ensure an "amicable end" to the protests and provide a secure working environment for doctors. Thousands of patients were hit hard when the doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences halted services. IMAGE: Members of Indian Medical Association stage a protest in Trivandrum over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Photograph: ANI "My sister was supposed to go for eye surgery. She has a tumour in one of her eyes. We reached the hospital as per the given time but the room was locked. "The staff at the hospital said that the doctors are on strike. I don't know what when this strike would end," said Mohammed Arif, a resident of New Delhi, outside AIIMS. IMAGE: A patient seen outside All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo Santosh Kumar also narrated his ordeal and said due to strike they are forced to take treatment for his mother from a private hospital and being a poor he cannot afford it. Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike. IMAGE: Doctors at AIIMS, New Delhi prepare to stage a protest. They've also announced a day-long strike. Photograph: ANI The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors had declared that junior doctors at government hospitals in the state will not perform surgeries or attend to out-patient departments between 8 am and 5 pm on Friday. In Hyderabad and other places in Telangana, junior doctors staged protests against the assault at major state-run hospitals, including Gandhi hospital and Osamania General hospital in the city, P S Vijayender, a leader of the junior doctors association in Telangana, said. In Jaipur, doctors at the SMS government hospital wore black bands and helmets to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. IMAGE: Doctors protest at Government Medical College, Nagpur. Photograph: ANI Doctors from other districts of Rajasthan also took part in the token protest, according to a report. In Raipur, around 400 junior doctors of Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur - the biggest government hospital in the state - staged a protest from 8 am to 2 pm in premises of the medical facility. The services at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital at Panaji and its facilities across the state were partially affected Friday as several doctors went on a one-day strike. IMAGE: Junior doctors in Kolkata continued their protest for the fourth day. Photograph: ANI In Chandigarh, over 1,200 resident doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research held a demonstration to express solidarity with their protesting counterparts in Kolkata. In Coimbatore, over 100 doctors staged a dharna in front of the government hospital to protest against the assault of a junior doctor in Kolkata. The doctors, including women, belonging to the local chapter of Indian Medical Association and Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association raised slogans. With inputs from ANI IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Photograph: Courtesy @MEAIndia/Twitter In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable as he called for a global conference to combat the menace. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. India stood for a terrorism-free society, he said. "During my visit to Sri Lanka last Sunday, I visited the St Anthony's church, where I witnessed the ugly face of terrorism which claims the lives of innocents anywhere," the Prime Minister said. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, Modi said in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. "Countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable," he said. Prime Minister Modi also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against terrorism. He also urged the SCO leaders to organise a global conference on terrorism. "Literature and culture provide our societies a positive activity, specially they stop the spread of radicalisation among the youths in our society," Modi said. A peaceful, united, safe and prosperous Afghanistan is vital for the stability and security in the SCO. "Our goal is to support the people and the government of Afghanistan for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled comprehensive peace process. We are happy that a further roadmap has been prepared at the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group," he said. Modi gave a template, 'HEALTH', for strengthening cooperation. "Our vision is to strengthen the healthy cooperation among us. Using the letters of HEALTH, we can make a good template for cooperation. "H for healthcare cooperation, E for economic cooperation, A for alternate energy, L for literature and culture, T for terrorism-free society and H for humanitarian cooperation," Modi said. SCO region and history, civilisation and culture of India are interconnected for thousands of years, he said. "Our shared area is in great need of better connectivity in the modern era," he said. Initiatives like International North South Transport Corridor, Chabahar Port, Ashgabat Agreement, clarify the focus of India on connectivity, Modi said. "Respect for sovereignty, regional integrity, good governance, transparency, practicality and reliability should be the basis of connectivity initiatives. The importance of people-to-people contact with physical connectivity is not less," he said in an apparent reference to China's massive infrastructure development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which traverses through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India opposes the $ 60 billion CPEC as it is being laid through PoK. It has been two years since India became a full member of the SCO. India has contributed positively in all the activities of the SCO, the Prime Minister said. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. India in the past has blamed Pakistan for carrying out terrorist attacks in the country and asked it to stop supporting terror outfits operating from its soil. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Early this year, tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot in 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 later handed over to India. China played a role in easing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Iceland retained the top spot while Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world. IMAGE: In March 2018, nine Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed after Maoists blasted their mine protected vehicle using over 50 kilogram of explosives in Chhattisgarhs Sukma. Photograph: PTI Photo India has slipped by five notches in an annual global index on peacefulness this year, finishing at 141 among 163 countries, while Iceland remained at the top position, according to a report by an international think tank. The Global Peace Index gauges ongoing domestic and international conflict, safety and security in society, and the degree of militarisation in 163 countries and territories by taking into account 23 indicators. Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008, the Institute for Economics and Peace said in a statement. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Bhutan has recorded the largest improvement of any country in the top 20, rising 43 places in the last 12 years, it added. "India's rank has moved down to 141 from in GPI 2019 (from its previous position at 136), among 163 countries, and it stands at fifth in the (South Asian) region," the statement said. The IEP prepares the GPI report that presents the most comprehensive data driven analysis to date on peace, its economic value, trends, and how to develop peaceful societies, it said. The 13th edition of the annual report, the world's leading measure of global peacefulness, also shows that the "average level of global peacefulness improved for the first time in five years", the statement said. "However, despite improvement, the world remains considerably less peaceful now than a decade ago, with the average level of peacefulness deteriorating by nearly four per cent since 2008," the report claimed. The 2019 report also includes new research on the possible effects of climate change on peace, the statement said. "India together with the Philippines, Japan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan are the nine countries with the highest risk of multiple climate hazards. India has the seventh highest overall natural hazard score," according to the report. The report also claimed that the gap between the least and most peaceful countries "continues to grow". Eighty-six countries improved their score in the 2019 report, while 76 deteriorated. Afghanistan is now the least peaceful country in the world, replacing Syria, which is now the second least peaceful. South Sudan, Yemen, and Iraq comprise the remaining five least peaceful countries, it said. This is the first year since the inception of the index that Yemen has been ranked amongst the five least peaceful countries, the statement said. The report covers 99.7 per cent of the world's population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources to compile the index. These indicators are grouped into three key domains -- ongoing conflict, safety and security, and militarisation, the IEP said. The IEP is an international and independent think tank dedicated to shifting the world's focus to peace as a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. It has offices in Sydney, Brussels, New York, The Hague, Mexico City and Harare, the statement said. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi would give issue-based support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government, a senior leader of the ruling party in Telangana said on Friday, ahead of the commencement of the Lok Sabha session next week. "No animosity, no friendship", K Keshava Rao, who was retained as Parliamentary Party leader on Thursday said, when asked about the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led outfit's policy towards the National Democratic Alliance government. "Absolutely issue-based support; same thing (the stand adopted by TRS towards the previous NDA regime) will continue," the Rajya Sabha member added. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti had backed the NDA on demonetisation, GST and in the elections to the post of President and Vice-President during its last term. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday shared his thoughts on the strategy to be adopted by party MPs in the Parliament session beginning Monday. The TRS had aimed to sweep the recent Lok Sabha elections in the newly formed state, repeatedly asserting it would win 16 seats and its ally All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen one out of the total 17. The TRS won nine Lok Sabha seats. The BJP, which had a lone member from Telangana in the previous Lok Sabha, sprang a huge surprise winning four seats, while the Congress picked up three. Expecting a hung Parliament, the TRS had since last year made efforts to forge a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties which, however, largely remained non-committal. The NDA's massive win dashed hopes of the TRS, which was keen to play a key role in formation of the government in the event of NDA and UPA falling short of the majority mark. The TRS Thursday appointed Khamman MP Nama Nageswara Rao as party leader in the Lok Sabha. Nageswara Rao, who was TDP's parliamentary party leader from 2009 to 2014, had joined the TRS on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A P Jithender Reddy was floor leader of TRS in the previous Lok Sabha, but joined the BJP after being denied ticket. The TRS would also miss K Kavitha, daughter of the Chief Minister, and B Vinod Kumar, who had served as deputy floor leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. Kavitha and Vinod Kumar, two prominent faces of the party, lost to BJP candidates in Nizamabad and Karimnagar constituencies respectively. The TRS has six members in the Rajya Sabha. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Photograph: Courtesy @MEAIndia/Twitter Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek and discussed the role being played by India towards an inclusive peace process in the conflict-hit nation. 'Late night meeting between trusted friends. PM @narendramodi met with Afghan President @ashrafghani on sidelines of #SCOsummit in Bishkek,' External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after the meeting. The two leaders 'shared perspectives on situation in Afghanistan, including the role played by India towards an inclusive peace process', he said. IMAGE: Modi with President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Photograph: Courtesy @MEAIndia/Twitter On Friday, Modi met President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting. Jeenbekov is also the current Chair of the SCO Summit 2019. Modi was welcomed by the Kyrgyz President as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting. 'President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of #Kyrgyz Republic, current Chair of #SCOSummit2019 warmly welcomed PM @narendramodi as he arrived at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting today morning,' Kumar said in a tweet. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, who famously said that God 'wanted Donald Trump to become president' has resigned, becoming the latest senior aide of the United States president to exit his administration. President Trump made the surprise announcement on Twitter that Sanders will step down at the end of the month. 'After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas....,' Trump said in a tweet on Thursday. 'She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!' tweeted the US president. Sanders, 36, has been a loyal mouthpiece, famously saying that God 'wanted Donald Trump to become president'. Only the third woman to serve in the prestigious position, Sanders is the daughter of popular Republican politician and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Later at a White House event, Trump praised Sanders. "We've been through a lot together. She's tough, and she's good. You also have tough and bad, right? She's tough but she's good. She's great. And she's going to be leaving the service of her country and she's going to be going -- I guess you could say the private sector but I hope she's going -- she comes from a great state, Arkansas. "That's a state I won by a lot, so I like it. We love Arkansas. She's going to be going back to Arkansas with her great family. Her husband is fantastic," Trump said. Her credibility was questioned during a combative tenure that saw press briefings all but relegated to a thing of the past. She started out as deputy press secretary before replacing Sean Spicer in the top post in July 2017. The outgoing White House Press Secretary said it was one of the 'greatest jobs she could ever have'. "This has been the honour of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn't be prouder to have had the opportunity to serve my country, and particularly to work for this president. "He has accomplished so much in these two-and-a-half years, and it's truly been something I will treasure forever. It's one of the greatest jobs I could ever have. I've loved every minute, even the hard minutes. I've loved it," Sanders said. She praised Trump and his team. "I love the president; I love the team that I've had the opportunity to work for. The president is surrounded by some of the most incredible and most talented people you could ever imagine, and it's truly the most special experience. "The only one I can think of that might top it just a little bit is the fact that I'm a mom," Sanders said. She vowed to 'be one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president and his agenda. I know he's going to have an incredible six more years and get a lot more done, like what we're here to celebrate today'. Sanders said, "I do not know," when asked if she is considering running for governor of Arkansas. "I learned long time ago never to rule anything out," she told the reporters. Later talking to a group of reporters, Sanders said she wanted to spend time with her family and kids who are growing. She has three kids of seven, five and four years of age. Early this year Indian American Raj Shah departed the White House as the Deputy Press Secretary. 'Notwithstanding the realisation among the Indian leadership to build up its navy for the force's expanding role, the Indian Navy was allocated only 15% of the interim defence budget presented in Parliament in February 2019.' 'The outlay for the navy's capital acquisition is not even adequate to meet its committed liabilities,' points out Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd). IMAGE: The Indian Navy achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its Anti Air Warfare Capability with the firing of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile. Photograph: ANI Photo India's land borders straddle a length of over 15,000 km while its coastline runs over 7,500 km. Over the ages, Indians have faced repeated assaults from across the mountains to its north. Though the ingresses from the seas to the south have been of historical consequences too, those from the north have been far more recurring a feature of Indian history. It has led to the Indian strategic focus being more oriented to its land borders. In 1947, when the country won its independence, India correctly anticipated the probability of Pakistan intervening in Kashmir. Soon enough, thousands of local tribals, supported by the Pakistan army, advanced in droves into Jammu and Kashmir that had signed to join the new Indian Republic. The attacks were soon blunted and rolled back to areas in close proximity to the Line of Control, as defined today. Even as the guns fell silent, the war left a deep impression in the Indian psyche. Pakistan came to be identified as the immediate and most potent threat. With the gradual withdrawal of European powers from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and hardly an IOR country that possessed a formidable navy, the wide expanse of sea waters to the south, southeast and southwest, were even viewed as a natural defence for Indian shores. At Independence, India was in search of the right combination for a balanced growth of the three services. The Indian government policy was oriented to having an army that would be a more compact force, with its strength curtailed. The air force was to grow to 20 squadrons by 1960. A 10 year expansion plan was worked out for the navy. It was to have a fleet each for the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The objectives were to play a primarily defensive, and, if required a limited offensive role in the Indian Ocean. A light fleet carrier for each fleet, along with light cruisers, destroyers and necessary support vessels were also part of the plans. When Pakistan joined SEATO -- later CENTO -- during the Cold War, India went in for major acquisitions with the air force given the priority in purchases. The army's share of the budget came down to 55%, and those of the air force and navy increased to 28% and 11% respectively. Over the next few years, the need to consolidate maritime assets led to Fortress Command Andaman Nicobar being established by India on its island territories. In addition to naval assets, a battalion was positioned. The vulnerability of its land borders was reinforced by the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962. It was a humiliating scar that still continues to ooze. It further anchored the primacy in focus on its land borders. Neither air power nor naval elements were used in the 1962 conflict with both countries restricting the battle to the use of their armies alone. The humiliation lead to a steep spike in the army's budget. The first five-year Defence Plan from 1964-1969 witnessed the army's allocation going up to 70%. The legacy of wars along the Indian borders continued. The country again fought a war with Pakistan in 1965. The Bangladesh War of 1971 proved a decisive victory for India with a new State being carved out of East Pakistan provinces. The result almost eliminated a tangible threat of a military assault on India's eastern borders through erstwhile East Pakistan. The 1971 War also witnessed the successful employment of the Indian Navy bringing it into the war rooms as a decisive instrument of war for the nation's strategic objectives. PNS Ghazi, a Pakistan submarine, was sunk off the Indian coast. The Indian Navy attacked the Pakistani port of Karachi in a very successful operation. The only Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant was utilised for the naval blockade of East Pakistan. The realisation in the Indian establishment of the threat from the sea is perceptible in the years ahead. In 1990, Fortress Command Andaman Nicobar was provided a brigade. The Indian Navy's allocation also increased to 14% by 1989-1990. By the mid-1990s the Indian Navy had 100 combat ships to include 15 submarines, two aircraft carriers and 23 destroyers/fast frigates. By 1996, substantial air force elements were also inducted as part of the Fortress Command. Well before the turn of the century, India had acquired enough military potential to blunt a Chinese offensive along its mountainous northern borders. Notwithstanding the huge Chinese investments in infrastructure in Tibet, the Chinese are well aware that a deep penetration by them is no longer on the cards. The Indian Navy had expanded to be the fifth largest in the world. The navy also embarked upon joint exercises with the Russians, the Americans and IOR littorals. By September, 2001 Fortress Andaman and Nicobar had been upgraded to India's first joint services command. In 2003, the Indian government's Defence Acquisition Council approved the navy's 10 year plans to add 23 battle ships. However, an alarming percentage of the fleet was on the fringes of being retired. The navy was definitely crying for more funds and by 2013-2014, was allocated approximately 18% of the defence budget. One of the primary reasons for the Indian threat perception swiveling seawards was the growing maritime dimension of the Chinese threat. China has enjoyed a hugely smooth sail as it has pushed the envelope in the South China Sea (SCS). IOR countries and the US have all but looked the other way as islands have been converted to powerful outposts by the Chinese. Success in the SCS stokes its ambitions in the IOR and leads to apprehensions in India and IOR countries. The increasing Indian focus on the IOR was articulated by then prime minister Manmohan Singh during his address at the central party school in China in October 2013. 'Maritime security in the Pacific and Indian Oceans are vital for our economies just as peace and stability in the West Asia and Gulf are essential for our energy security,' Dr Singh said. The Indian response to the diminishing stability in the IOR has three major prongs. The first one being to build its own navy, the next to develop relationships with IOR States, sharing infrastructural and logistics support. The last prong is inter-operability with major regional and extra regional powers in the IOR. The Indian Navy currently has one aircraft carrier while a second is scheduled to be commissioned in 2020. A third aircraft carrier (65,000 tonnes) will take another 10 years or more. For amphibious operations it has a sea lift capability of 3,500 troops and a squadron of tanks. It has 13 submarines with six more in various stages of construction and operationalisation. The Arihant, a nuclear powered submarine, provides India the sea leg of its triad capability. One Russian nuclear powered submarine is on lease with the navy. In terms of surface platforms, it has 24 destroyers/frigates along with a host of other surface vehicles. It flies 21 squadrons to include fixed, rotary wing and UAVs. The Chinese have the second largest navy in the world with 11 nuclear submarines, close to 60 conventional submarines, one aircraft carrier with two more under construction, 28 destroyers and 46 frigates. Developing relationships with the IOR States, the second prong of the Indian approach is evidenced by the Indian Act East and Neighbourhood First policies. Among the more tangible Indian gains have been arrangements for logistics support with Singapore at Chhangi Port, logistics arrangements at Sabang Port, Indonesia, possibility of building a port in the Seychelles. Vietnam may also provide facilities at Camh Ran Bay; not necessarily operational. Further west, India is building the Iranian port of Chabahar and has an agreement for Duqm port in the UAE. As far as the third prong is concerned, India's relationship with major powers operating in the Indian Ocean is surely riding an upward curve. Its pivotal role in the Indo-Pacific is acknowledged by the USA. The two countries have signed a slew of agreements. Dialogue mechanisms are in place with Australia, Japan, and the US. India also has an agreement with France for logistics support. At the IISS Shangri-La dialogue last year, Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's emphasis was on 'We should all have equal access as a right under international law to the use of common spaces on sea and in the air that would require freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law.' India's Act East Policy, finding an alternative to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in conjunction with the US, Japan and IOR countries, Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiatives are a part of its concerted focus on the IOR that has gained primacy in the Indian calculus. Notwithstanding the realisation among the Indian leadership to build up its navy for the force's expanding role, the Indian Navy was allocated only 15% of the interim defence budget presented in Parliament in February 2019. The outlay for the navy's capital acquisition is not even adequate to meet its committed liabilities. What inspires hope is the naval chief's statement at the recent naval commanders conference at New Delhi, 'By 2050, we will also have 200 ships, 500 aircraft and be a world-class navy.' The next decade is bound to witness the build-up of Indian strength seawards. The government has approved induction of 56 new ships and six submarines. India needs to further develop infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The coastal surveillance radar system that it has offered the Maldives, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh and Indonesia needs early operationalisation. An older variant is already in use with the Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. The information received would be consolidated at the International Fusion Centre located close to New Delhi. India's focus shifting seawards as yet requires huge investments and time. However, to check the Chinese, the build-up in the IOR needs to be multilateral that has to further expand as a network of IOR States. Some IOR States are already under a Chinese shadow and bound in many cases by economic linkages that are critical for them. A strong framework in the IOR needs to be a reality for them to cast their lot with India. The Quadrilateral of India, the US, Australia and Japan, and a trilateral mechanism between India, the US and Japan hold out hopes. 'In the hands of a majoritarian government, with utter contempt for the cultural plurality and diversity of our great nation, the pipe dream of making Hindi the sole official language takes on nightmarish proportions.' A revealing excerpt from A R Venkatachalapathy's Tamil Characters: Personalities, Politics, Culture. Illustrations: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com In a book ominously titled India: The Most Dangerous Decades (1960), US political analyst Selig Harrison was very much the prophet of doom when he warned of 'the risk of India being split up into a number of totalitarian small nationalities' -- if not 'a million mutinies' as an even more bleak commentator would remark some decades later. A seedbed of discontent he identified was the Tamil south. Even though the rising DMK had formally forsworn secession from the Indian Union in the wake of the Chinese aggression of 1962, this was one prediction of Harrison that was not too far off the mark. Language was a chink in the nationalist armour throughout the long anti-colonial struggle. Even from the turn of the twentieth century attempts were made by well-meaning nationalists from south India -- the poet Subramania Bharati, for instance -- to popularise the teaching of Hindi. But Hindi zealots were not particularly helpful with their endless debates, and resultant confusion, on defining Hindi and Hindustani, and its relationship with Urdu and north Indian Muslims. However, when the provincial Congress committees were reorganised in 1920, it was clear that for the national movement to succeed it had to accept the reality of the diversity of languages -- Hindi could not be a binding force. The seeds of language conflict were present even in the founding moment of the Indian nation State as its constitution was being drafted by a Constituent Assembly elected by a limited franchise. With the boycott by the Muslim League representatives the assembly was little more than a Congress legislature party. The most acrimonious debates in the Constituent Assembly were, interestingly, not on a common civil code, but on the question of the official language of the Indian Union. The arguments demonstrated that both sides viewed language as underpinning national unity -- only that if the Hindi zealots saw Hindi as a unifying force, its opponents saw its imposition on an unwilling south as the cause of discord. In the event, Hindi nudged its nose at the finishing line by the casting vote of the president of the assembly, something that did little to legitimise Hindi's new constitutional status. The fifteen-year deadline for English to be an associate official language only postponed the day of reckoning. The force of sentiment against Hindi could not have been lost on the members of the Constituent Assembly. Barely a decade earlier the Congress government in Madras Presidency had faced a most popular agitation against the teaching of Hindi compulsorily in schools. Interestingly, Tamil-speaking Muslims (who outnumbered Urdu-speaking Muslims in the Tamil region by a wide margin) joined the agitation in large numbers. The Congress's use of the same brutal colonial methods they had earlier condemned added to the force of the movement. The anti-Hindi agitation of 1937-1939, it became clear, had strengthened a Tamil regional identity that continues to thrive. And it made a Periyar ('the venerated one') of E V Ramasamy, who led the movement. Subramania Bharati is presumably known to every educated Indian, even Hindi zealots. Not so his childhood friend Somasundara Bharati. Somasundara Bharati was V O Chidambaram Pillai's associate in his great anti-British swadeshi shipping venture; his daughter Lakshmi went to prison for the cause of India's freedom and his son-in-law, L Krishnaswami Bharati, was a member of the Constituent Assembly. But, in 1937, to protest compulsory Hindi in schools, he left the Congress to join the anti-Hindi agitation. This is how Hindi zealots, ostensibly for the greater good of the nation, actually end up driving nationalists away. Their case is usually made in Hindi, resulting in a dialogue of the deaf. From Subramania Bharati to Periyar to Rajaji, Tamil leaders promoted, in good faith, Hindi language teaching in Tamil Nadu to foster better integration. Only to give it up as counterproductive, the arrogance and insensitivity of Hindi advocates contributing in no small measure to their disillusionment. In 1948, soon after Independence, there was another anti-Hindi movement, but of much lower intensity when the government attempted again to reintroduce compulsory Hindi in schools. This provoked a re-enactment of the earlier agitation. Significantly, the movement was suspended briefly when the government was engaged in the so-called police action in Hyderabad, only to be revived again. At the intervention of Kamaraj, the popular Congress leader, the government backtracked and consequently the movement was withdrawn. With the promulgation of the Constitution, the debate shifted to the question of the official language of the Indian Union. The years leading up to 26 January 1965, when Hindi would become the sole official language, were marked by continued arguments and debates. The 1950s were marked by minor agitations such as the tarring of Hindi letters on boards at railway stations. In the various DMK conferences organised during this period the imposition of Hindi was a recurrent theme. Matters came to a head as the date approached. The DMK spearheaded the decisive anti-Hindi agitation of the 1960s. Paradoxically nobody strengthened the case against Hindi more than the Hindi fanatics themselves. Consequently, new converts were won. P Subbarayan, who had at best been evasive in the Constituent Assembly, and Suniti Kumar Chatterji, arguably the most distinguished of Indian linguists, both wrote notes of dissent to the report of the Official Language Commission (1955-1956). The most spectacular convert was the sagely Rajaji. The man who had borne the brunt of the 1937-1939 anti-Hindi agitation had a change of heart, and gave much legitimacy to the movement. As the pitch of the pro-Hindi camp became more and more shrill its every argument continued to be effectively nailed. Countering the Hindi-is-the-majority-language argument, C N Annadurai quipped that, in that case, the common crow, and not the peacock, would have to be India's national bird. Adverting to the case of national unity, Rajaji pleaded, 'Let us not make the sixty million people in the South seditious, by one stroke'. If Anna's distinct Tamil rhetoric on stage and in the press enthused the newly mobilised masses of Tamil Nadu, his forceful arguments in English in the House of Elders, and the coldly reasoned articles of Rajaji in his journal Swarajya, left Hindi zealots fumbling for rational answers. Nehru's legally-not-binding assurance that English would remain as long as the south wanted did little to solve the problem. In fact, every successive move by the state to resolve the issue -- for instance, the Official Language Act, 1963 -- was seen as pandering to Hindi demands rather than assuaging southern fears. With the DMK declaring Republic Day 1965 as a day of mourning the stage was set for unprecedented turmoil. If even the moderate Rajaji suggested that 'Part XVII of the Constitution', containing the section on the official language of the Union, 'be heaved and thrown into the Arabian Sea', the DMK preferred its burning. Thousands were arrested and top DMK leaders incarcerated, lending them an aura which was to be converted into electoral power in a few years. The near-spontaneous uprising of students -- many of whom were first-generation literates and graduates -- marked the changing social base of politics in Tamil Nadu. Students who cut their teeth in that agitation -- K Kalimuthu, M Natarajan, Inquilab, Naa Kamarasan, P Jeyaprakasam, and numerous others -- played a prominent role in Tamil public life later. Self-immolation as a form of protest swept the state resulting in the creation of scores of martyrs for the cause. An expression of subaltern commitment and despair, it was a favourite stick to beat Dravidian politics with until upper-caste protestors resorted to it during the anti-Mandal protests. The brutal repression let lose by the State -- compounded by overzealous district officers such as T N Seshan -- ensured that the Congress lost power in the 1967 elections. Symbolic was the defeat of K Kamaraj, 'the kingmaker', at the hands of a young student leader. The unintended consequence was the emboldening of Indira Gandhi to decimate the Congress syndicate. It is over half a century since the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 and Delhi's assurance that English will continue to be the associate official language until non-Hindi-speaking states so desire. Since the days of the Constituent Assembly no intellectual argument has been made for why the south should accept Hindi. What has changed in the fifty years since the 1965 anti- Hindi agitation? If anything, the case for Hindi has weakened. Over the last many decades, south India has made rapid strides in the social, political, and economic spheres. The social transformation triggered by Mandal was modelled on a caste-based reservation system fashioned in Tamil Nadu. The rapid strides in education in the south have underpinned the software revolution and the leap in the service sector. On the other hand, the unending stream of uneducated and unskilled labour from the north flocking southwards selling pani puri on the streets and manning security gates is poor advertisement for the much touted employability potential of the Hindi language. The vitality of the little and middle magazine tradition in Tamil outstrips anything remotely similar in Hindi. Despite the billions of rupees spent on official language commissions, government largesse, and the appointment of Hindi officers in every central government office only sarkari Hindi -- which is about as fecund as a mule -- has thrived. On the contrary, with little or no government patronage, Tamil and Malayalam constitute a far more vibrant presence in the virtual world. Unserviceable technical terminology coined in government offices and gathering dust in musty tomes does not make for a scientific language. Such inadequacies apart, Hindi's trajectory in modern India has been inflected -- or rather, infected -- by Hindu communalism. Hindi zealots have, on the one hand, been intent on Sanskritising their language and, on the other, erasing its rich dialectal variety, leading to separate movements such as those to protect Maithili and Bhojpuri. In the hands of a majoritarian government, with utter contempt for the cultural plurality and diversity of our great nation, the pipe dream of making Hindi the sole official language takes on nightmarish proportions. Excerpted from Tamil Characters: Personalities, Politics, Culture by A R Venkatachalapathy with the kind permission of the publishers, Pan Macmillan India. HARTFORD The state Supreme Court, ruling the states top criminologist had given false testimony, ordered a new trial for two men who have served more than 30 years in prison for a New Milford murder they claim they didnt commit. Shawn Henning and Ralph Birch have steadfastly maintained their innocence in the 1985 murder of 65-year-old Everett Carr, claiming their conviction was the result of false testimony by state criminologist Henry Lee regarding bloody towels found at the crime scene. While a civil appeals judge later rejected Birchs and Hennings claims, on Friday the states highest court ruled they should get a new trial. We agree with the petitioner that, contrary to the determination of the habeas court, he is entitled to a new trial due to the states failure to alert the trial court and the petitioner that Lees testimony was incorrect, and, therefore, we reverse the judgment of the habeas court, the appeals court ruled. We are so delighted and ecstatic, said Hennings lawyer, James Cousins. Justice has prevailed. He said that neither Henning nor Birch had anything to do with the murder, and points they raised showing their innocence were reiterated in the Supreme Courts decision. Craig A. Raabe, the other attorney representing Henning also applauded the decision. Shawn Henning was wrongly imprisoned for nearly 30 years on the false and misleading testimony of Henry Lee, said Cousins co-counsel Craig Raabe. It has taken 30 years to correct this injustice and we are very pleased with the courts thoughtful decision. States Attorney David Shepack could not be reached for comment. In 1985, Carr was murdered in what appeared to be a home burglary. At the time Henning and Birch, 17 and 18 years old respectively, were troubled youth living in a stolen car and burgling homes in the New Milford area. The two teens were taken in as suspects and while they confessed to stealing the car and to committing four other area burglaries, they steadfastly insisted they were not involved with the Carr murder. The victim, clad only in an undershirt and underwear, was lying in a pool of blood. Blood spatter and smears covered the walls around him, almost to the ceiling. An autopsy later revealed the victim had sustained about 27 stab wounds, a severed jugular vein and blunt force trauma to the head. While none of the victims blood was found on either Birch or Henning, or in the car they drove, the prosecutor argued the men cleaned up after the murder based on Lees testimony. During his testimony, Lee relied on certain photographs of the crime scene. One photograph was of two towels hanging next to the sink in an upstairs bathroom. Although the towels had not been tested for the presence of blood Lee testified that they had, in fact, been so tested, stating that a [s]mear of blood was found on[one of] the towel[s] and that this smear was [a]na-lyzed and shows blood. The men were tried separately and convicted of Carrs murder in 1989. Henning was sentenced to 50 years and Birch, 55 years in prison. The state proffered two theories, one of which the respondent now concedes was predicated on Lees incorrect testimony. If the jury had known that Lees testimony about finding blood on the bathroom towel was incorrect,that knowledge might well have caused it to question the reliability of his other testimony. If that had occurred, the states entire case against the petitioner could very well have collapsed, the Supreme Court ruled. WASHINGTON During a heated debate this week on an effort to change the way allegations of sexual assault are handled at New Londons Coast Guard Academy and other military academies, Rep. Jackie Speier, herself a victim of sexual abuse, recounted the story of a West Point cadet one that has enraged victim advocates. In 2017, Jacob Whisenhunt had been convicted of three counts of sexual assault. But he was recently released from confinement and reinstated at the U.S. Military Academy by a military appeals panel who had reviewed a written transcript of the cadets trial and concluded there was not enough evidence to convict him. Speier, D-Calif., said the handling of Whisenhunts case is just one reason why the way sexual assault allegations at the nations service academies must be reformed. Her Democratic colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee agreed, approving her amendment to a defense bill that would set up a four-year pilot program in which a special prosecutor would handle complaints of assault and abuse. Speiers provision would require the independent prosecutor be a one-star general or admiral with significant experience prosecuting sexual assault trials. Adoption of her amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act, legislation approved by the House Armed Services Committee late Thursday, is the first time Speier has had a legislative victory on her long-time efforts to reform the military justice system when it comes to sexual assaults. Speiers win comes at a time theres increasing concern in Congress about an escalation of sexual assaults in the nations military academies. The number of sexual assaults at the military service academies has more than doubled I repeat, doubled from 327 to 747 from 2013 to 2018, Speier said during the heated debate in the House Armed Services Committee on her amendment. Over that time, reporting rates decreased from 16 percent to 12 percent. Reports of unwanted sexual contact - behavior that ranges from unwanted touching to rape - from female cadets at New Londons Coast Guard Academy rose from 8 percent in 2016 to 12.4 percent last year, according to a preliminary report of a survey of cadets. Thats an increase of more than 50 percent. And 45 percent of female cadets at the academy said they were sexually harassed last year, up from 36 percent in the previous report released in 2016. The preliminary results of the 2018 Service Academy Gender Relations Survey also found that gender discrimination at the Coast Guard Academy, which educates and trains about 1,000 cadets, rose from 11 percent in the 2016 report to 17 percent in the 2018 report. A final Service Academy Gender Relations Survey was scheduled to be released in April. But a spokesman for the academy said the release of the final report has been delayed, for unknown reasons. We are still awaiting the release ourselves, said Cmrd. David Milne. The other service academies released the final finding of their sexual assault surveys, through the Pentagon, months ago. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Academy are part of the United States Armed Forces, but under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security. So the process for reporting sexual assaults is different from the other academies. The Pentagon determined that claims of sexual assaults at the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy and West Point increased by nearly 50 percent since 2016. It also determined the rate of cadets and midshipmen reporting the incidents had stayed the same or decreased. The academies are facing a sexual assault crisis, Speier said. The California congresswoman was also a victim of sexual abuse. She said she was sexually molested as a child by her grandfather and sexually harassed by a chief of staff when she was a young congressional aide. A partisan divide The nations service academies use military judicial procedures. Advocates for sexual assault victims have pushed for an end to the traditional military chain of command in assault cases, arguing that senior military leaders are either ill-informed about how to proceed or inclined to dismiss them to conceal problems in the ranks. Advocates also say cadets are fearful of retaliation from their commanders if they report a sexual assault. While they said they have sympathy for victims, Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee opposed Speiers amendment and backed a rival proposal that would merely require a comprehensive review of the role of the chain of command in sex-related offenses. Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, argued Speiers amendment would de-emphasize commanders role in ending sexual assault and harassment instead of holding them accountable for the offenses. Turner also said cadets could build a constitutional argument that they are treated differently than others in the military. That GOP-sponsored amendment, which would mirror language in the Senates version of the National Defense Authorization Act, failed. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and nearly all other Democrats on the Armed Services Committee voted against it. After the House approves its defense bill, which is expected, the House and Senate bills must be reconciled. Speier will then face another fight to keep her amendment in a final defense bill. Retired Col. Don Christensen, the former chief prosecutor of the U.S. Air Force and president of Protect our Defenders, an organization dedicated to ending rape and sexual assault in the military, said we have to go further, but Speiers effort is a start. Its a warning shot to the Defense Department, he said. On Thursday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, reintroduced a bill that would go much further than Speiers amendment, taking the responsibility of prosecuting sexual assault cases away from commanders in the active military, as well as the service academies, and giving it to independent military prosecutors. Christensen said he would prefer Gillibrands bill become law, but given the political realities right now, with a GOP-controlled Senate, a win on Speiers effort is welcomed. WINSTED Get ready for some disruptions. Thats the message the town is sharing as the repaving of Main Street (Route 44) and of Coe Street is set to begin Aug. 13. This road work will be performed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. but it is likely the schedule may vary due to weather between now and when the work is scheduled to begin, according to a town release. Updates will be provided as received from the DOT. Residents and businesses should be advised that despite the work (taking place) during the evening hours, considerable disruptions are expected during this time, the release said. Additionally, parking on Main Street will be restricted during the times that work is being performed. Please expect noise and a significant amount of truck traffic associated with the work. Folks are encouraged to plan for these inconveniences now. The work, to be done by the state Department of Transportation will take place in phases and the first one, including replacement of catch basin tops, is already under way, according to the town in a release. The next two phases, according to the release, are to include: Milling, which includes removal of the surface layer of asphalt, from Aug. 13 to Aug. 23. Paving, which includes a new top layer of asphalt, from Aug. 25 to Sept. 3. Further, the striping the pavement for parking spaces and crosswalks will be done shortly after the repaving is done, the release noted. NORWALK Marc Karun first popped onto police radar as a potential suspect two weeks after Kathleen Flynn was found sexually assaulted and strangled to death near Ponus Ridge Middle School in September 1986. For more than three decades, Karuns name continued to resurface as the investigation turned into a cold case. Four times Karun, 53, was convicted of kidnapping or sexual assaulting four females in the years before and after Kathleens death. One of those assaults was on Jan. 27, 1986 eight months before Kathleens death. He was arrested on charges of first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. The kidnapping charge was nolled, the sexual assault was reduced to the fourth degree and he only served a few months in jail. In April 1988, Karun was charged in Derby with first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. He was later sentenced to 16 years in jail, but was released after serving 10. Without conclusive DNA evidence, it was the similarities in these instances that finally led to Karuns arrest this week in Kathleens killing, according to his 55-page arrest warrant filed in Bangor, Maine, near the small town where he has been living since 2013. Several of the cases exhibit a similar geographical profile, modus operandi and rituals to the Kathleen Flynn homicide in some form, Norwalk police Lt. Arthur Weisberger wrote in the warrant. Karun was charged Wednesday with murder with special circumstances and first-degree kidnapping. The statute of limitations expired on the sexual assault charge. Karun waived his extradition during a Maine court hearing and was set to be transported to Norwalk on Friday, according to the Bangor Daily News. More for you Arrest made in Norwalk cold case slaying of Kathleen Flynn, 11 Police said Karun was found illegally possession 10 guns when he was arrested on Wednesday, but Maine authorities dropped the charges so he could return to Connecticut. Norwalk police have declined to comment about the arrest or the case until they hold a press conference sometime next week. The warrant details the process on how other suspects in Kathleens murder were eliminated through DNA testing and hair samples. In reviewing the case that identify Marc Karun as the offender committing some form of sexual assault or kidnapping between January of 1986 and June of 1988, the warrant found noticeable similarities with the details of the sexual assault and the murder of Kathleen Flynn on Sept. 23, 1986, the warrant states. Among them was his geographic profile that showed Karun was living or staying as a guest near where the crimes occurred, the warrant said. The areas provided Karun with easy access and the ability to reconnoiter and allow for some degree of control, the warrant stated. When Kathleen was killed, Karun was living about two miles from where she was found, the warrant said. Karun was first interviewed on Oct. 9, 1986, after a green vehicle was identified as possibly connected to the case. Karun had a green vehicle at the time, the warrant said. Karun told investigators he had been at Ponus Ridge Middle School four days before Kathleen was killed, the warrant said. He said he previously attended the school and visited teachers and the librarian. But no school staff who were interviewed at the time and in 2012 recalled seeing him in the school that day, the court papers said. In 2012, the investigation focused on Karun after his DNA was linked to Kathleens fingernail scraping, the warrant said. However, later testing determined it was inconclusive, the warrant said. By 2017, he had racked up four kidnapping and sexual assault convictions stemming from attacks on females that were all carried out in a similar fashion to Kathleens assault, the warrant said. Each victim was disrobed below the waist with her hands tied, the investigation revealed. Forensic evidence determined Kathleens assault had occurred in a similar fashion, the warrant said. But repeated DNA testing didnt conclude that Karun was a contributor to evidence found at the scene, the warrant said. In 2017, police obtained a warrant from a Stamford Superior Court judge to obtain additional DNA samples from Karun in Maine. On Oct. 3, 2017, Norwalk police Sgt. Alex Tolnay met with Karun in Bangor at the Penobscot County Sheriffs Office and collected the swabs. At that point, Karun refused to have any further conversations with Norwalk police. The samples were taken to Connecticuts Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis and examination. In 2017, DNA technology had advanced significantly over the last three decades. A new Fusion 6C test kit allowed further DNA testing on evidence that had been previously examined. However, the results from that test came back either negative or inconclusive. The testing and an investigation over three decades did find noticeable similarities to Kathleens death and that several of the cases exhibit a similar geographic profile, modus operandi and rituals to the Kathleen Flynn homicide in some form. The murder with special circumstances charge is an offense defined as a murder that occurred during the course of a kidnapping, sexual assault or other felony or involves the death of a child under the age of 16. The penalty in Connecticut, if convicted, is a life sentence without the possibility of parole. An activist supporting Cambodias banned opposition party has been detained on charges of violating forest protection laws, though his wife says the arrest was politically motivated. Nem Nath was taken in by police in Pursat province on Thursday, his wife Srey Saoroth told RFAs Khmer Service on Friday. She said the authorities unfairly targeted her husband because he supports the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), the main opposition of Prime Minister Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) until the Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP in 2017. Hes a CNRP supporter. He is known publicly for supporting them, she said. [He] didnt incite any villagers to commit any crimes. I want the court to release my husband because he is the bread winner. We cant live without him, she said. RFA was unsuccessful in an attempt to reach a spokesman of the provincial court in Pursat for comment. Kem Kimsrun, the Pursat provincial coordinator for the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), confirmed the arrest, saying the case was definitely politically motivated because Nem Nath was not involved in any illegal encroachment on public land. The activist is with the CNRP and he refused to defect to the CPP. The arrest has put the family under undue hardship, he said. The coordinator said that in the past Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered local police in Veal Veng district to monitor CNRP activities in the district after he accused them of engaging in politics despite the partys ban. It is [no more] than political intimidation for the sake of the ruling party. But doing this wont help the government, said Kem Kimsrun. RFA reported on May 29 that two other CNRP activists in Pursat had been arrested on similar charges the day before. CNRP activist eludes authorities in Sihanoukville Another CNRP activist, Mao Bunsreang, escaped from his home in Cambodias southwestern Sihanoukville province after a police officer tipped him off that they were planning to arrest him. The activists wife, Kea Sisokunthea said police wanted to arrest him because he criticized the government on Facebook. The comments he wrote were constructive, and we never thought anything like this would happen because of them. He never committed any crimes, she said. He only offered constructive criticism. Sihanoukville Police Chief Chuon Narin denied that police had any plans to arrest the activist. He said Mao Bunsreang is only known as a former member of the CNRP, and if he hadnt commit any crimes, he would be fine. I didnt receive any information. He must have claimed all that information by himself, he said. Cheap Sotheary, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Associations (ADHOC) provincial coordinator for Sihanoukville said, People in general are critical. It falls within freedom of expression. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Hong Kong students and residents living in democratic Taiwan have petitioned the island's president to place immigration restrictions on officials from the Hong Kong who have expressed support for amendments to the city's extradition law that would mandate that suspects be sent to mainland China to face trial. The students presented the petition to President Tsai Ing-wen's staff on Thursday, calling on Taiwans authorities to take into account the human rights records of applicants for visas and other immigration permits. Dozens of students gathered on Friday morning, also calling on Tsai to ensure the safety and freedom of Hong Kong residents in Taiwan, and to provide them with emergency assistance if necessary. Tsai's secretary-general Chen Chu later told the students that the president is very concerned about the situation in Hong Kong and has promised to ensure the safety of Hong Kong students in Taiwan. According to Gary Cheung, a student currently studying at National Taiwan University of Arts, many in Hong Kong feel that the city is in the grip of a political crisis, because the amended law when passed could mean that the ruling Chinese Communist Party would be able to target peaceful dissidents and activists using charges brought via its own criminal justice system. "If the China renditions law is really implemented, then some of us who have protested on the streets or come out on strike are in big trouble," Cheung said. "Some people have already been arrested for making comments on the internet," he said, although it was unclear whether they were in mainland China or Hong Kong. Cheung said he would consider applying for residency in Taiwan. "There is a very real threat to me in Hong Kong, so I wouldn't rule that out," he told RFA. Participants at a political forum in Taiwan on Friday said the move to change Hong Kong's extradition laws has left many on the island feeling very worried about their future, too. In a Jan. 2 speech titled "Letter to our Taiwan compatriots," Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Taiwan must be "unified" with China and refused to rule out the use of military force to annex the island. But Tsai has repeatedly said that Taiwan's population of 23 million have no wish to give up their sovereignty, a view that is borne out by repeated opinion polls. Professor Tung Li-wen of the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said the atmosphere in Taiwan feels something like that in Hong Kong on the eve of the 1997 handover to Chinese rule. "I think the situation we are facing in Taiwan today is no longer a question of what happens today in Hong Kong happens tomorrow in Taiwan," Tung told the symposium. "It's more like what happened in Hong Kong yesterday is happening in Taiwan today." Taipei city councilor Wu Pei-yi said the changes will affect Taiwan, and called on the island to stand up for freedom and democracy. "Everyone in Taiwan could see from the live streams that the people were unarmed, and were just standing up to express their views," Wu said. "[The police] behavior was similar to atrocities carried out by a criminal gang." "This is very familiar to us in Taiwan," he said. "Twenty or 30 years ago, we saw mobs like that during the Kuomintang (KMT) authoritarian regime, whenever people came out onto the streets." More than 4,000 Hong Kong residents applied to live in Taiwan last year, while more than 1,000 now have settled status in the country. Not everyone who applies gets accepted, however. Former Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kei, who has moved to Taiwan for fear of being extradited over books sold by the Causeway Bay bookstore in Hong Kong, said he didn't meet the conditions. "I didn't have a strong set of criteria," Lam told RFA. "I'm not a very good example, because I haven't much to my name." "The other people [applying] probably have more money than me; if the Taiwan government would really reach out a helping hand to me [that would be great], but they're not as powerful as I had thought they were," he said. "It mainly depends on whether the Taiwan government is coming at it from a humanitarian perspective," Lam said. "Some people need a place where they can actually continue living [in peace]. Such people will likely also make an economic contribution to Taiwan." "It's not as if they would be coming here to live for nothing; they would also be helping Taiwan's economy," he said. Lam said not all Taiwanese welcome Hong Kong immigrants, however. There is also some resentment directed at Hong Kong people who are believed to have taken jobs away from local residents. Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) could shape the agenda at an extraordinary debate in the Legislative Yuan next week, during which a much-needed Refugee Law will likely be discussed. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong The main chamber of Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) remained closed on Friday following mass protests against government plans to amend the city's Fugitive Offenders Ordinance to allow case-by-case renditions of alleged suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts. The protests led to the postponement of a LegCo debate on the bill's second reading, and led to widespread condemnation of police for their use of tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray and beatings in their bid to disperse the crowds. An estimated 1.03 million people took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in a mass demonstration against the amendments, but Lam merely reiterated her determination to get the proposed amendments to the extradition law through the legislature, a move critics said sparked clashes between police and protesters as most participants went home. Critics fear the amendments pose a huge threat to Hong Kong's way of life, which was supposed to have been protected under the "one country, two systems" framework under which the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997. The movewhich Chinese officials have said must be implemented "urgently"has sparked widespread fear that the city will lose its status as a separate legal jurisdiction, and that rights activists and dissidents in the city could be targeted by Beijing for actions deemed illegal across the internal border. Judges, lawyers, opposition politicians, rights activists, business groups, and journalists have all expressed vocal opposition to the plan, which will allow China to request the extradition of an alleged suspect from Hong Kong based on the standards of evidence that currently apply in its own courts. The most likely jurisdiction to use the proposed provision is mainland China, which currently has no formal extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and Lam has tried to reassure people that legal safeguards will be used to safeguard the rights of suspects. But lawyers, who last week staged a silent protest at the planned amendments, say the government's supposed safeguards are meaningless. More than 250,000 people had signed a White House petition by Friday, calling on U.S. President Donald Trump to tighten visa restrictions for officials who had supported the extradition amendments. "If passed, Hong Kong people and the 60,000 American expatriates who are residing in Hong Kong will be exposed to the risk of facing criminal proceedings in China," the petition text at We The People said. "Under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, foreign government officials and their immediate family members, who are responsible for severe violations of human rights, [are] inadmissible for entry into the United States," it said. "We urge Congress to revoke the U.S. citizenships and visas of the Hong Kong and China officials who are in support of this bill," the petition said. Reported by Chung Kuang-cheng for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hwang Chun-mei for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Elderly members of an environmental protection group jailed in 2013 in Vietnam on charges of plotting to overthrow the government are seriously ill, according to the wife of the groups leader, who called for international support, saying requests to suspend their sentences on medical grounds have gone unanswered. Twenty-two members of the Council for the Laws and Public Affairs of Bia Son, named for a mountain in south central Vietnams coastal Phu Yen province, went on trial on Jan. 28, 2013, with group leader Phan Van Thualso known as Tran Conglater sentenced to life in prison and 20 others handed terms of between 10 and 17 years under Article 79 of Vietnams penal code. Thu, who turns 71 next week, is now very ill and his health is getting worse, his wife Vo Than Thuy told RFAs Vietnamese Service on Friday, saying she had visited him in prison on June 1. He said he was sick and when he talked, he coughed a lot, she said. I brought many kinds of medication for him, as per his instruction when he was permitted to phone home, including for a cough, allergies, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. He suffers from many diseases and he is old now. Thuy told RFA that Thus family had repeatedly applied for a suspension of his sentence on medical grounds over the years since his trial, but he was only sent to a hospital for examination once in April last year, and afterwards prison authorities said his condition did not warrant release. The family has petitioned many times, even to the offices of the central government but no one cared about the case, she said. My journey of petitioning has left me exhausted. Thuy said that families of the 22 prisoners began sending appeals to the international community in December last year because authorities have failed to respond to their applications for medical parole. We have to appeal to the international community to assist in this case, she said. Relatives of prisoners of the Bia Son group also filed grievances in the hope that international human rights organizations will speak out on their behalf. In addition to Thu, another jailed member of the group, Doan Dinh Nam, is receiving dialysis for kidney disease under police supervision at a hospital in Vietnams southern port city of Vung Tau, she said. Group members say they had worked only to protect the environment and to teach and practice their faith as followers of the An Dan Dai Dao Buddhist sect founded by Thu in 1969. According to state media, the group had built up their numbers while pretending to operate an ecotourism site in Phu Yen province and had been distributing anti-government documents before their arrest in February 2012. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. BRUSSELS -- A draft statement expected to be issued at an upcoming EU-Ukraine summit will express Brussels' continued recognition of Ukraine's European aspirations while dropping criticism of the country's education law, according to a copy of the draft seen by RFE/RL. The statement, which was approved by EU ambassadors on June 13 and subsequently sent to Kyiv for further remarks, says that "we acknowledged the European aspirations of Ukraine and welcomed its European choice, as stated in the association agreement." The same sentence was present in the final communique of last year's EU-Ukraine summit but some EU member states, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, have recently been reluctant to commit to such positive language regarding future EU enlargement -- most notably in the statement celebrating the 10th anniversary of the bloc's Eastern Partnership in May 2019, where acknowledgment of the European aspirations of the bloc's eastern neighbors was omitted. In previous EU-Ukraine summit statements there have also been remarks about Ukraine's 2017 education law, pushed mainly by Hungary, which believes that the law restricts the right of Ukraine's ethnic Hungarian minority to be educated in their native language. Kyiv maintains the law is meant to ensure that all Ukrainian citizens can speak the state's official language, and it denies that the law is discriminatory. The spat has prompted Budapest to block all meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Commission -- the key format for bilateral cooperation between Kyiv and the Western military alliance -- at all levels above that of ambassadors for the past two years. During the negotiations with fellow EU member states, Hungary, however, welcomed the new Ukrainian administration's promise to look into certain aspects of the education law and agreed not to mention the issue in the statement, according to sources speaking on condition of anonymity, But the summit statement is critical of certain rule-of-law issues, mentioning that there is an "urgent need to re-criminalize illicit enrichment and to ensure the necessary independence and effective functioning of all anti-corruption institutions" and adds that "effective rule of law, good governance, and economic opportunity are the best means to tackle foreign influence and destabilization attempts." The annual summit is scheduled just ahead of Ukraine's snap parliamentary elections on July 21. A day after his inauguration on May 21, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a decree disbanding parliament and called the early vote. A reporter working for an independent newspaper in Daghestan has been accused of financing terrorism, a charge his editors say is absurd. Abdulmumin Gadzhiyev is accused of helping to collect funds for the Islamic State extremist group, his lawyer Arsen Shabanov said on June 14. According to Shabanov, investigators are preparing to question Gadzhiyev, who is a reporter for the Chernovik newspaper. Police conducted a search of Gadzhiev's home on June 14, during which Shabanov said officers seized computers and mobile phones. Editors at the Daghestani-based newspaper issued a statement on its website dismissing the charges and comparing the case with that of investigative journalist Ivan Golunov. Golunov was arrested on June 6 in Moscow for the alleged sale of narcotics, but released on June 11 after charges were dropped following a public outcry. As a reporter for the Latvia-based Russian online news site Meduza, Golunov had gained renown for investigating corruption among top Moscow city officials and others. Meduza's editors and others said Golunov's arrest may have been specifically due to his reporting. Editors of Chernovik said Gadzhiyev's case was similar. "It's about the same thing as planting drugs on Ivan Golunov in Moscow. If someone needs to be imprisoned, and if he is a bit involved in religious activities, then a reason can always be found." The European Union says that it has gathered evidence of "continued and sustained" disinformation activity by Russia aimed at influencing the results of May's elections for the European Parliament. The European Commission report said "Russian sources" tried to suppress voter turnout and influence voters' preferences. It did not elaborate on what it meant by "Russian sources," and it said it was not yet able to identify a "distinct cross-border disinformation campaign from external sources specifically targeting the European elections." "The number of disinformation cases attributed to Russian sources...doubled as compared to the same period a year ago," Security Commissioner Julian King told a news conference in Brussels highlighting the report. "So almost 1,000, as compared with over 400," King said, adding that EU steps to counter disinformation might have also had "some sort of deterrent effect." Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told the same news conference that there was "no big-bang moment" -- like the Cambridge Analytica scandal -- to draw attention to organized manipulation. In that case a whistle-blower's revelations showed that tens of millions of users had their personal Facebook data seized by Cambridge Analytica. The European Commission report follows preelection warnings from Brussels to EU countries and social-media companies like Facebook and Twitter to guard against possible "fake news" from Russia. Malign activities noted in the report ranged from challenging the EU's democratic legitimacy to exploiting divisive debates on issues like migration. It cited the example of the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was used by malicious actors "to illustrate the alleged decline of Western and Christian values in the EU." King also mentioned what he said were false claims in social-media postings by Russian sources that the EU had made Poland poorer than during communism. He also said that Russian sources on social media, without identifying them, suggested French President Emmanuel Macron wants to expel some countries from the EU, and mentioned a fake Twitter account allegedly linked to Russia that has spread false information that the EU has Nazi roots. The commission said its efforts to combat "fake news" had helped reduce the amount of disinformation appearing online. Those efforts include signing up Internet companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Mozilla to a voluntary code of conduct. But the report said more needed to be done. "The tactics used by internal and external actors, in particular linked to Russian sources, are evolving as quickly as the measures adopted by states and online platforms," the commission wrote. With reporting by AFP and dpa The Islamic State (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for a May 20 prison riot in Tajikistan in which 32 people were killed. The militant group said on June 14 in its online Al-Nabaa publication that the "attackers at the maximum-security prison about 15 kilometers east of Dushanbe were caliphate soldiers" a term that IS has used in the past to claim responsibility for terrorist attacks around the world. The IS publication did not provide evidence to support its claim. Tajikistans Interior Ministry said in May that out of 32 people who were killed, 17 were inmates whod been jailed as members of the IS extremist group. The ministry also said three members of Tajikistans banned opposition Islamic Renaissance Party (IRPT) were killed in the riot along with nine other inmates and three prison guards. The IRPT said in May that Tajik authorities were concealing the truth about the May 20 riot and another deadly prison riot in November in which 21 inmates and two prison guards were killed. It said authorities had given the public very vague and unclear information about both riots, leading to questions and suspicions. "The IRPT holds the government fully responsible for the riots and their outcomes as its policies in recent years have been plagued by violence against political parties, activist groups, and individuals, an IRPT statement said. Based on reporting by RFE/RLs Tajik Service and Reuters KYIV -- The chief organizer of a 2014 Donetsk separatist "independence" referendum in eastern Ukraine condemned by the international community has been detained by Ukrainian authorities, Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko has announced. "Citizen Lyagin is accused of treason," Lutsenko wrote in a Facebook post, which included a profile photograph of a man handcuffed and sitting at a desk. Lutsenko said Lyagin had been detained by the Prosecutor-General's Office and Ukraine's Security Service (SBU). Lyagin is believed to be Roman Lyagin, a Donetsk separatist figure who declared himself the head of the separatists' makeshift election commission in the early days of the conflict that still grinds on between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has promised to come up with creative solutions to end the war, which has claimed the lives of some 13,000 people since April 2014. He has said he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to do so. Lyagin organized a slapdash "independence" vote on May 11, 2014, as the conflict was deepening. The poll was so rushed that many voting booths were still being erected the morning of the vote and some of the ballot boxes used were still adorned with Ukraine's coat of arms -- a blue and yellow trident -- instead of the black, blue, and red flag of the Donetsk "people's republic" movement. Later, Lyagin announced that some 90 percent of voters in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region had chosen self-rule. The poll was not monitored by any reputable international group and condemned by the international community, except for Russia. His role in the vote -- as well as his role in blocking the official Ukrainian presidential vote from taking place in Donetsk later that month -- earned Lyagin a spot on the U.S. sanctions list in 2015. It has also led the Prosecutor-General's Office to accuse him of treason and open a pretrial investigation into his activities, which an official statement released alongside Lutsenko's on June 14 said had included working "in the interests of the Russian Federation to the detriment of the public interest of Ukraine." If tried and convicted, Lyagin could face 12 to 15 years in prison. Lyagin served as the Donetsk "people's republic's" minister of labor and social policy from May 16 to September 26, 2014. After that, he again headed its election commission and organized a local leadership vote that November, which he told this reporter would "lend legitimacy to our power, and give us more distance from Kyiv." Rumors of Lyagin's detention first circulated in March, when a Ukrainian lawmaker claimed to have information that he had fled Donetsk and turned himself in to Ukrainian authorities under an SBU program. That program, known as "Someone's Waiting for You Back Home," offers separatists who have committed crimes under Ukrainian law the opportunity to turn state's witness in exchange for leniency. Lyagin is believed to have spent time in a Donetsk separatist detention facility after falling out with and criticizing its leadership. He reportedly fled to Russia before moving to annexed Crimea. In its own statement, the SBU said Lyagin had been detained as a result of a special operation that brought him to Ukraine. It did not provide more details. Lutsenko made no mention of the SBU program in his Facebook post or Lyagin possibly cooperating with Ukrainian authorities. But he did have a message for Lyagin: "It's time to pay." A British court has ruled that the full extradition hearing to decide whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States will take place in February 2020. The June 14 ruling by the Westminster Magistrates Court in London came a day after British Home Secretary Sajid Javid signed a U.S. request for Assange's extradition. The 47-year-old Assange is accused by U.S. authorities of conspiring to hack into U.S. government computers and violating an espionage law. Assange is currently being held in a London prison after being sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for skipping bail and fleeing to the Ecuadoran Embassy in London in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning in a rape case. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP CHISINAU -- As Moldova approaches its second week of dual power, the cabinet backed by parliament has called for a public show of support on June 16. "This event on Sunday is not a protest," said Maia Sandu, who was selected prime minister by a disputed session of parliament on June 8, in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Moldovan Service. "The Sunday event is a march in support of democratic processes, a march in support of the recently elected government. This march will be a powerful signal to the [other cabinet] that its time is over." Moldova has been in the throes of a simmering political crisis since it held inconclusive legislative elections in February. In an extraordinary parliamentary session on June 8, the pro-Russian Socialist Party and the pro-European ACUM bloc formed a coalition and elected a government headed by ACUM co-Chairwoman Sandu. The former cabinet, dominated by the Democratic Party (PDM) of controversial tycoon Vlad Plahotniuc, questioned the legitimacy of the session, and this position was backed by the Constitutional Court. The court's ruling invalidating the decisions of the June 8 parliamentary session has, in turn, been rejected by the Socialist-ACUM coalition. The PDM government has called for new parliamentary elections on September 6. "People have started to feel what freedom means," Sandu said. "Everyone wants to regain this freedom, including people inside the Democratic Party.... This desire for freedom is greater than the resistance that the regime is showing." "The only thing we must ensure now is the peaceful transfer of power," she added. The country is anxiously awaiting an assessment by the Council of Europe's Venice Commission of the Constitutional Court's action, an assessment that could offer a peaceful way out of the present standoff if both sides accept it. The commission's assessment is expected not later than June 21. The commission's opinions are not binding, but are usually heeded by member states. Moldova became a member of the Council of Europe in 1995, four years after gaining independence from the Soviet Union. "Sadly, I have heard Democratic Party representatives saying that the Venice Commission's opinions do not matter, and they are preparing the ground for not accepting the decision of the commission," Sandu said. "The most important thing now for us, as citizens, with the help of our international partners, is to convince [the PDM] to leave, to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power. And, in turn, we will respect their right to form an opposition." Sandu said the Socialist-ACUM coalition did not accept the proposal to hold elections on September 6 under the electoral law under which the February elections were organized. Sandu said the law, which was criticized by the Venice Commission and the EU, favored the PDM. "The snap elections they called are illegal," she told RFE/RL. "If it comes to early elections, this decision will be made by parliament, with the president. And we will be the ones who will organize those elections on the basis of a new electoral system -- a proportional system." Sandu played down the fact that ACUM is a pro-European Union party in partnership with the pro-Russian Socialist Party, although she acknowledged that the West's support for her cabinet "bothers" some in the Socialist Party, while Moscow's support is unwelcome to some in her own. "In the end," she said, "I think what will matter will be concrete actions and how we can build a foreign policy that serves the interests of Moldovan citizens." Sandu urged the PDM to relinquish control of government buildings and accept the role of parliamentary opposition. "The government can only function well when there is a strong opposition in parliament," she said. "And we want the Democratic Party to rid itself of corrupt elements and become a genuine opposition in parliament." "We will not seek revenge," she added. "I have said this many times. We want to get rid of the regime and when we have gotten rid of this regime, we will start a constructive process. "We have a lot to build. We must build institutions and adopt programs in the interests of the citizens. We have to recover money and receive funds from international institutions. We have to build a good business environment to create jobs...and secure higher salaries for the people." Attacks on two commercial oil tankers in the Gulf Of Oman have escalated tensions in the Middle East and raised the prospect of a military confrontation between Iran and the United States. Washington and its allies in the region have blamed Tehran for the blasts on board the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. The cause of the explosions remains unclear. The blasts, south of the Strait of Hormuz, followed last month's attacks on vessels off the nearby United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) that Washington also blamed on Tehran. Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait. Tensions have escalated since May 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that aimed to curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Washington has since reimposed stiff economic sanctions. Tehran has repeatedly warned it would block the Strait of Hormuz if it could not sell its oil because of U.S. sanctions. RFE/RL spoke with Scott Lucas, an Iran expert at Birmingham University in Britain and editor of the EA World View website, about the attack and its possible repercussions. RFE/RL: The U.S. military has blamed Iran for the attacks on the tankers. What possible political, economic, and military motivations would Iran have for allegedly targeting the vessels? Scott Lucas: There is nothing conclusive about Iranian responsibility at this point. When you assess the possible motives behind this attack, we should consider the context. The background in terms of quasi-military operations would be the attacks on the four ships, including the two Saudi tankers, in the U.A.E. port on May 12. It would include the drone attacks on Saudi pumping stations by Huthi rebels recently. Politically, the context for this would be a much tougher line this week from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who not only rejected mediation by Germany and Japan but did so in very strong terms. This doesn't mean in any way I think that the Iranians necessarily did it. But there is a possible and plausible scenario under which it could have occurred. It could mean a faction within the Iranian system carried out military operations to say to the Americans and their allies, "Look, if you are going to come after us, we can hurt you." I'm not saying that's what happened. What I'm saying is that if the Iranians were responsible then what it means is that the supreme leader and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps [IRGC] are expecting American-led attempts at regime change or effectively a surrender of its position in the region and what the Iranians are saying is that they will not tolerate that. They're saying to the Americans, "If you think you can use military force to make us do this, we've got military capabilities as well." RFE/RL: Does Iran have the military and intelligence capabilities to pull off such an attack? Lucas: Iran certainly has the capabilities of carrying out such an attack. There's some confusion over whether the ships were hit from a flying object or they were disabled and damaged by limpet mines. The Iranians fought a ground, air, and naval war with Iraq from 1980-88, including in the Persian Gulf and the Strait Of Hormuz. Iran has developed military capabilities against a series of what they would call "regional enemies" like Saudi Arabia and Israel. Yes, they have the capabilities to attack shipping. We've known that for years. We have just always wondered if Iran would ever take the step to attack shipping. That's the unanswered question we have at this moment. RFE/RL: U.S. acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen said that "no proxy group in the area has the resources or the skill to act with this level of sophistication." Do Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizballah movement or the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen have such capabilities? Lucas: This is where the question of the flying object versus the limpet mine takes on significance. We know that the Huthis have carried out attacks on Saudi shipping by using airborne missiles. So we do have a group like the Huthis who have attacked shipping in the area. Why they would want to attack, for example, these ships and what their motives would be is a much different question. My response here would be to put the Iranian side of the case. The Iranians are saying that the Saudis, the U.A.E., the Israelis, and the Americans all have motive in carrying out a false-flag attack and damaging these tankers and blaming it on the Iranians to set up the pretext for military action or at least more extensive sanctions. The Iranian argument would be that "we are being set up as the fall guy for this." RFE/RL: The U.S. military released a video on June 13 that it said showed Iran's IRGC removing an unexploded mine from the side of one of the oil tankers. The U.S. military also released photographs showing the apparent mine, which attaches to the side of a ship magnetically, before it was removed later the same day. Does this apparent evidence incriminate Iran or is it inconclusive? Lucas: I would expect Iran's response to be that the IRGC unit were helping that ship by removing the unexploded mine that had been placed there by someone else. The question will still remain: who placed that mine in the first place? The U.S. will insist that Iran was removing it to cover up its trail. This will become a political battle, amongst many, in the days to come. RFE/RL: Besides Iran, what other state or nonstate actors could be responsible or would benefit from this attack? Lucas: Those who would benefit from Iran being found guilty of this would be their rivals in the region -- Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and Israel. Certainly, U.S. hard-liners would be supported in their case for stronger action against Iran if Tehran was found culpable. But that leads to Iran saying that those parties who benefit set up the attack to justify the maximum-pressure strategy that is being pursued by the Trump administration. There is no evidence yet that this was a false-flag attack. We also don't have conclusive evidence that Iran is responsible for this. While we await that evidence, and it might never come, this becomes a political choice. Do you believe the Iranians who say they are being set up as the scapegoats or do you believe the Americans and their allies that say Iran is the culprit? One thing is clear: We now have a resurgence of tension between the U.S., Iran, and other countries that after having retreated from military confrontation last month and with mediation being firmly rejected by Iran, we are back to a dangerous escalation. It doesn't mean that war is on the way, but it does mean the opportunity for the avoidance of war has shrunk. RFE/RL: What kind of possible responses might we see from the United States and the region? Lucas: That's a huge question in terms of what responses and how far do they go. Where we were last month was that the Americans were moving a carrier strike force to the Persian Gulf and bombers. And they were going to station bombers in Qatar as a show of its military capability. Now that was checked because various U.S. agencies got Trump to say, "Let's not go too far." We're at the point where those military forces could be moved back to the region. Do the Americans take the position they did in the late 1980s? Back then they put in military forces to patrol the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. We know that ended very badly, culminating with a U.S. warship shooting down an Iranian civilian plane that killed almost 300 people. Would the U.S. and Israel go further with a renewal of covert attacks? We know there were attacks on Iran to limit their nuclear program, including assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists and the introduction of computer viruses. Would the U.S. go in and try to cripple Iranian infrastructure like the electricity grid or power stations with cyberwarfare? On the other hand, what could the Iranians do? The Iranians can carry out asymmetric warfare through allies like Hizballah and the Huthis. Remember, Iran stands accused by European governments of carrying out bomb and assassination plots in recent years. So, there's a whole variety of actions that each side can take. But if they take any of those actions, they're committing themselves to an escalation. And this time, there may not be a way of stepping back from an escalation that does lead to overt military confrontation. RFE/RL: What is the likelihood of a direct military confrontation between Iran and the United States? In 1988, the United States launched Operation Praying Mantis in the Persian Gulf, attacking and destroying Iranian sea bases, a frigate, and other ships in retaliation for Tehran's use of sea mines during the Iran-Iraq War. Lucas: I don't think either side goes in thinking, "I want war." We have been here before, as in the late 1980s, when each side was calculating on military steps which were short of war. The problem is that when you take military steps short of war, the other side could respond. You could then respond to their response and then you would have an upward spiral that does end in a widespread conflict. Let's look at what's happening now. If the Americans put military forces into the Persian Gulf and the Iranians decide to buzz the forces by sending speed boats or by even threatening the use of naval mines, do the Americans then respond with fire upon IRGC forces? War doesn't occur in a single dramatic moment. It occurs step by step, and that's the risk we are facing now. It's a risk that is now at its highest point since the 1980s of something that escalates into a direct military confrontation. RFE/RL: Is there still a chance that diplomacy could de-escalate tensions? Lucas: There's always a chance. We had diplomacy that de-escalated tensions that led to the 2015 nuclear agreement. The point is that on both sides we are getting steps that are rejecting diplomacy. The Americans quite clearly did that by shredding the nuclear agreement. That was their message to Iran. The Iranians have made their latest message very clear by rejecting diplomacy. Someone has got to step in and says to both sides to pull back from military measures and signals. But the problem is it goes beyond military signals. Iran is demanding a diplomacy that eases U.S. sanctions. The Trump administration is demanding a diplomacy in which Iran has to give up its uranium-enrichment program and to end their activities in the Middle East, whether it's Iran's involvement in Syria's civil war, Yemen's civil war, or Lebanon's Hizballah. Neither side is going to make concessions at this point. Diplomacy is always possible but at this point diplomacy has a very limited window in terms of what it can do. Fewer Russians consider Ukraine and the United States to be enemy states as they shift their attention toward growing domestic problems, according to a new poll. The number of Russians who consider the United States a hostile country dropped to 67 percent from 78 percent a year ago, a May survey conducted by the independent Levada Center showed on June 14. Those who consider Ukraine a hostile country dropped from 49 percent to 40 percent. Russia's relations with Ukraine and the United States deteriorated after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 and then began supporting separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. The United States later imposed sanctions on Russia to punish it for its actions. Those sanctions -- along with a drop in oil prices -- have hurt Russias economic growth over the past five years as private investment stalls. Several protests have taken place in Russia in recent months over bread-and-butter issues like wages and pensions. Russians negative attitude toward the United States and Ukraine dropped because citizens are less interested in geopolitics and more concerned about prices and wages, political analyst Aleksei Makarkin told Vedomosti. Some Russians may also be hopeful that a new leader in Ukraine will lead to better relations between the two nations, Levada Center Director Lev Gudkov told the paper. Ukraine in April elected actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy to a five-year term as president. Based on reporting by Vedomosti Arman Abdullakhanov was biking home from the grocery store when he rode into trouble with police trying to disperse rallies in Almaty against the results of Kazakhstan's recent presidential election. It was June 10, a day after the presidential election won by Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, the handpicked successor of former authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbaev. The result sparked protests in many cities, including Almaty. Police detained dozens of protesters, including passersby like Abdullakhanov. "I crossed the same square on my way to the shop and nobody said anything," Abdullakhanov says. "But on the way back, they didn't let me go." Abdullakhanov, a lawyer and former wrestler, insists he had no intention of joining the rally. "Had I been planning to go to the rally, I wouldn't take my bicycle and wouldn't be carrying a grocery bag with bread, juice, and sugar," Abdullakhanov told RFE/RL on June 11. Videos and photos of Abdullakhanov and his bike and bag being taken away by police in different vehicles went viral on Kazakh social media. One photo shows Abdullakhanov -- still on his bike -- being held by several police officers. Another photo, apparently taken moments later, depicts Abdullakhanov being carried away by three policemen and three officers in black uniforms of the Special Rapid Response Unit. Another image shows two officers taking Abdullakhanov's bike and bag to a police vehicle. "The officers put me in the vehicle and closed the door," Abdullakhanov recalls of his detention. "I sat on the floor and I was angry." Abdullakhanov says that there were two policemen in the vehicle, and that he overheard one of them "whispering to another that 'this man is my neighbor.'" "I told him, 'If you're my neighbor, then you know that I live here. Why are you detaining me like this?' He responded that, 'It wasn't me who arrested you. My job is only to transport you to the police station,'" Abdullakhanov says. According to Abdullakhanov, the vehicle took him to the Zhetysu district police station as police officers got information that the nearby Almalinsky station was already full of detainees. "There were many people in Zhetysu, too," he recalls. "The policeman told me not to go inside with everyone else and just quietly leave the site instead." Abdullakhanov said he was happy to be released. "They grabbed me, bruised my sides a bit, but thank God, I didn't have to go inside," he said. His bike and grocery bag were returned with the help of acquaintances in law enforcement agencies. Abdullakhanov says that being a lawyer and having contacts, along with the coincidence of meeting a neighbor -- the policeman -- in the police van helped him to get released easily. "I don't want to even imagine what would happen if someone was in my place facing that situation," he adds. Political Pluralism Abdullakhanov says he doesn't want to "politicize" his detention, although he admits the experience has shocked him. "At first, I wanted to write about it on social media, but I thought better of it because emotions are still running high and the post may turn out to be not quite so objective," Abdullakhanov says. Asked about Kazakhstan's politics, Abdullakhanov says that he thinks the country's main problem is the lack of pluralism and any platforms for dialogue. WASHINGTON -- A group of U.S. Republican senators has introduced a bill to sanction entities involved with a Kremlin pipeline project as Washington seeks to force its European allies to reduce their dependence on Russian energy. The ESCAPE bill -- if passed -- would likely delay the completion of Nord Stream 2, a key Russian project to deliver natural gas to Germany by sea, thus avoiding transit through Eastern Europe. The bill authorizes U.S. sanctions on individuals offering investment, goods, or services to Russia to facilitate the development of energy export projects, according to a copy of the document submitted on June 13 by Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. Russias state-owned gas giant Gazprom is building the $11 billion pipeline that would carry 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year to Europes largest economy. Russia said last week it expected to complete the project by the end of 2019. Critics say the pipeline will make Europe even more dependent on Russian energy. Gazprom delivered about 200 bcm of natural gas last year to Europe, accounting for slightly more than one-third of the regions gas consumption. The pipeline would also enable Russia to cut gas shipments through Ukraine, a U.S. ally that is battling Russia-backed separatists in its eastern provinces. Gas transit fees from Russia are a significant source of income for the Ukrainian government. Barrassos bill comes a day after President Donald Trump again ripped Germany for supporting Nord Stream 2. Trump said the United States spends billions to defend Germany while Russia is getting billions and billions of dollars from Germany. It really makes Germany a hostage of Russia if things ever happen that were bad, Trump said on June 12 after announcing that Poland would buy $8 billion more of U.S. liquefied natural gas to ween itself off of Russian energy. Igor Sechin, the head of Russias largest oil company, last week accused the United States of using its massive energy reserves as a political tool. The United States is sanctioning energy-producing nations like Iran and Venezuela to make room on global markets for its growing domestic production, he claimed. "The reality today is that the United States uses energy as a political weapon on a mass scale. Sanctions, or even the threat of their imposition, have a destructive effect on the global energy market ecosystem. Sechin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, told a business forum in St. Petersburg on June 6. U.S. oil and gas production has surged over the past decade to a record high thanks to shale production. The United States ended a 40-year ban on oil exports in 2015 and began exporting liquefied natural gas for the first time from the lower 48 states in 2016. The United States is now the worlds largest natural-gas producer. Barrasso did not deny that one of the aims of the bill is to sell more U.S. natural gas to Europe. Wyoming has the eighth-largest gas reserves among U.S. states, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The ESCAPE Act will take away [Putins] geopolitical weapon by sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and expanding American natural gas exports. In the United States -- especially in Wyoming -- were blessed with an abundance of natural gas, he said in a statement on June 13. It only makes sense that we would use these resources to help our allies and loosen Putins economic and political grip on the region. The introduction of the bill is only the beginning of a long process. It must be accepted by the full Senate, then approved by the House of Representatives before being sent to Trump for his signature. A city festival in Novosibirsk celebrated the 140th anniversary of Josef Stalin's birth with dancers, DJs, and discussions. The Soviet dictator was responsible for millions of his peoples deaths, but Russian officials have often sought to whitewash his legacy, and many admirers showed up for the party. A Russian software developer charged by U.S. authorities with trying to obtain user manuals and instructional materials for F-16 fighters jets will forgo a scheduled jury trial to enter a plea. Oleg Tishchenko will be sentenced on June 19 by a Utah court immediately following his plea, according to court documents filed on June 13. The new filing indicates that Tishchenko might plead guilty to some or all of the charges against him. He initially pleaded not guilty and trial was set for August 19. He faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. The Russian Embassy in Washington last month expressed concern over Tishchenkos case, which comes on the heels of the sentencing of Maria Butina, who received 18 months for conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign official. Prosecutors allege Tishchenko posted messages in a video game forum in 2011, saying he was looking for help in acquiring manuals for U.S. fighter jets. Tishchenko, who worked for a computer company that makes flight simulators, said he wanted to obtain them to help improve their designs, court records show. Foreign citizens are not allowed to buy the manuals, which are available on eBay. A Texas man purchased the manuals for Tishchenko and shipped them to him, according to court records. News reports said the Texas man was also indicted but later had the charges against him dropped. Tishchenko allegedly obtained manuals for other fighter jets, which he then sold on eBay to purchasers in Cyprus, Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and Taiwan, court records say. Tishchenko was charged in 2016 but was only arrested in March, when Georgian authorities arrested and extradited him. Russian aviation investigators have blamed last month's crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100, which killed 41 people, on lightning that disabled its autopilot system and caused the plane to descend too quickly. The report by the Interstate Aviation Committee, released on June 14, did not blame the pilots for the mishap, which took place on May 5 at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Nor did it address initial speculation that some passengers fleeing the burning jet tried to bring their hand luggage with them, delaying the evacuation. The crash of flight SU1492, operated by national airline Aeroflot, raised new questions about the reliability of the Superjet, a midrange jet designed to help bolster Russia's civil aviation industry. It was the second fatal accident involving the Superjet since it was put into service eight years ago. The flight departed from Sheremetyevo, heading for the northern city of Murmansk and carrying 73 passengers and five crew members when it was forced to turn around. Video showed the plane appearing to make a hard landing at Sheremetyevo, bouncing, then speeding along a runway, with flames and black smoke pouring from its fuselage. Some passengers and crew managed to escape using emergency chutes, but others remained trapped inside as fire crews tried to smother the flames. In all, 41 people were killed. About a dozen others required medical treatment, many for smoke inhalation. The investigators' report also said that the pilots went ahead with the landing despite an automatic system advising them to make a second approach. In the Russian aviation industry, reports by the Interstate Aviation Committee are the primary, but not necessarily final word on plane crashes. Criminal investigators are also looking at the crash for potential flight-safety violations and breaches in aircraft operation. And the federal Investigative Committee has said it is looking at other possible factors, including pilot error, technical failure, or unfavorable weather conditions. Aeroflot has long shed its troubled post-Soviet safety record, with its fleet relying mainly on Boeing and Airbus aircraft. However, the company owns at least 50 Superjets that it operates on both domestic and international routes. Manufactured by the state conglomerate United Aircraft Corporation, the Superjet is a midrange regional jet, conceived of as a way to help bolster the country's civil aviation-manufacturing industry in the face of competition from Boeing and Airbus, as well as Embraer and Bombardier. Since first entering service in 2011, it has been hit by sporadic concerns over safety and reliability, including a December 2016 grounding after a defect was discovered in an aircraft's tail section. In 2012, a Superjet being flown on a demonstration flight in Indonesia crashed into a mountain, killing all 45 people on board. BISHKEK -- The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries have signed a joint declaration at their summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek, calling for greater cooperation among member countries and reaffirming their intent to ensure security for their region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, and the leaders of other SCO member states -- Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan -- were among those in attendance for the summit on June 14. Ahead of the summit, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov had said talks would focus on expanding cooperation within the SCO on security, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, economic development, industry, and humanitarian cooperation. Russia will now take over the SCO chairmanship. The parties have agreed to hold the next summit in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on July 22-23, 2020. Following the SCO summit, Putin, Xi, Central Asian leaders, and senior officials from dozens of other countries are scheduled to convene on June 15 in neighboring Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). With reporting by MIR and TASS BISHKEK -- Iranian President Hassan Rohani has told a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek that U.S. actions pose a "serious" threat to regional and global stability. "The U.S. government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world," Rohani said. Rohani made the remarks on June 14, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for attacks on a Japanese and a Norwegian commercial oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that were being escorted by the U.S. Navy. The U.S. military also has released video showing what it said was a crew from an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) patrol boat removing what appeared to be an unexploded mine from the side of one of the ships after the attack. Iran denied any connection with the attacks. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on June 14 called the allegations "alarming," saying that "accusing Iran for such a suspicious and unfortunate incident is the simplest and the most convenient way for Pompeo and other U.S. officials." On June 13 at the UN, U.S. acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen called on the Security Council to confront the "clear threat" posed by Tehran in the region. In his remarks at the SCO summit in Bishkek, Rohani did not mention the June 13 attacks in the Gulf of Oman. But he told leaders from SCO countries that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was responsible for a "plague of unilateralism" that is challenging the international community more than ever. Referring to Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, Rohani said Iran continues to honor the accord. "Iran asks the remaining participants in the nuclear deal to immediately honor their commitments," Rohani said. Meanwhile, Chinese state media quoted President Xi Jinping as telling Rohani on the sidelines of the summit that Beijing would promote a steady development of relations with Iran no matter how the international situation changed. China and Iran have close energy ties, and Beijing has been angered by U.S. threats against countries and companies that violate U.S. sanctions by importing Iranian oil. The Bishkek summit has brought together leaders of the eight SCO member states -- Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. Leaders from Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia were attending the June 14 gathering as observers. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has said the summit would focus on expanding cooperation within the SCO on security, fighting terrorism and drug trafficking, economic development, industry, and humanitarian cooperation. Russian President Vladimir Putin told the gathering on June 14 that he thinks there is a "good chance" of pairing the Eurasian Economic Union with China's so-called Belt and Road infrastructure initiative and "establishing a broad Eurasian partnership" for "open, equal, and creative cooperation in the region." SCO leaders also were expected to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. Putin was expected later on June 14 to take part in a trilateral meeting with Xi and Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga on the sidelines of the summit. On June 13, after Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov met with China's president, the Kyrgyz leader said that the internment of ethnic Kyrgyz and other mostly Muslim indigenous people in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang was an "internal matter for China. After the summit in Bishkek concludes, Putin, Xi, Central Asian leaders, and senior officials from dozens of other countries will convene on June 15 in neighboring Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). With reporting by Reuters, AP, MIR and TASS To receive Steve Gutterman's Week In Russia each week via e-mail, subscribe by clicking here. There was euphoria in Moscow as journalist Ivan Golunov walked free after a historic climbdown by the Russian law enforcement authorities, who dropped a drug charge widely seen as fabricated. But it was back to business as usual the next day, with police detaining hundreds of peaceful demonstrators seeking to turn an exception into the norm. 'The Best Day' What a difference a day makes. On the evening of June 11, there was jubilation in Moscow after Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev announced that the drug charges against Ivan Golunov were being dropped and the investigative reporter would be released from house arrest for lack of evidence. The joy was centered on the journalists who had joined forces and pushed hard for exactly that outcome -- one that, while not entirely unexpected given omens such as the incredible disappearing drug-lab photos that were removed from a police website, the court decision to keep him at home in the first place rather than in jail, President Vladimir Putin's performative meeting with Russia's human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, and the tone of reports in the state media, was still a stunner. But the celebration was not limited to that cohort, ranging as far afield as rappers, rock stars, and remarks on the Facebook page of Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "The best day," wrote Zakharova, who spends her time on the job defending the actions of the Russian authorities at home and abroad and often attacking those of their Western counterparts, adding that she was crying tears of joy. Russia is far from monolithic, of course, and to divide its officials, politicians, and public figures into good guys and bad guys would be a vast oversimplification -- in many cases. Still, it's hard not to see Zakharova's tweet as a sign of the times in Russia today -- or maybe a symptom. And One Dalmatian As for images, the one that struck me as a distillation of the mood on a rare day when Russian protesters got their way was a photograph of Golunov embracing his dog -- a Dalmatian named Margot -- after he walked free. Scenes like that and the accounts of Golunov crying in a courtroom cage at a hearing a few days earlier in the week, when his future looked far dimmer, could play into Kremlin efforts to make his release look less like an embarrassing climbdown or a cold-blooded calculation than like a humanitarian act -- similar to the way the pardon, release, and exile of Mikhail Khodorkovsky played out in 2013. The word "stunning" may be overused in journalism, but it was right on the money this time. Russia's top cop, Interior Minister Kolokoltsev, may have stopped short of stating that the case against Golunov was fabricated, but he acknowledged what the journalist's colleagues had been insisting all along could not be otherwise: there was zero evidence. Before going on to say he would ask Putin to fire two senior Moscow police officers (Putin did so two days later), Kolokoltsev issued a short and clear sentence that sounded highly unusual to anyone steeped in the recent history of politically-charged court cases in Russia: "Today he will be released from house arrest and the charges dropped." 'Happy But Confused' Wrapping it up, Kolokoltsev explained with an air of the matter-of-fact that "the rights of any citizen, regardless of his profession, must always be protected." Wait, what? The whole thing was a bit hard to wrap one's head around. AP Moscow correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva summed it up in a tweet later the same evening: "What a day! Ivan Golunov walks free. Russian police say [they were] wrong. Russian journalists are happy but confused." A lot of that confusion lifted less than 24 hours later, replaced by a strong sense of deja vu. By that time, the number of people hauled away by police cracking down on a march meant to maintain pressure on the authorities for justice in other cases like Golunov's had passed 500. The protest-and-arrest-monitoring site OVD-Info -- always in demand -- put the number of people detained at 530, including at least 20 minors. Other reports said it exceeded 550. Deja Vu Either way that's more, even, then the 400-plus detained at the protest on Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012, the day before Putin returned to the Kremlin for his third term -- the clampdown term -- after doing a stint as the prime minister to keep a hold on power without violating the constitution. There were plenty of similarities to many of the other protests held since then demonstrations that have neither pushed Putin from the Kremlin nor stopped him from staying there for a fourth term. Opposition politician Aleksei Navalny posting on social media from a police van, for instance, or burly officers roughly detaining people whose age or other attributes suggest a low threat level. Images of occurrences like that were back with a vengeance, regaining prominence less than a day after Golunov's happy reunion with his dog. Another photo that may have captured the mood in Moscow at this particular time in history showed a Yandex food-delivery man seemingly cut off from his customers by a line of sheepish-looking, seemingly teenaged members of Rosgvardia, the National Guard that Putin created by decree in 2016. Freer, Not Free He may have just been pausing to look up an address, but nonetheless the photo raised a question that just won't seem to go away in Russia: Can you have food, fun, and freedom too? Natasha Tveritinova, a pensioner who marched in Moscow, suggested maybe not yet. "Russia is freer, on one hand, compared to the Soviet Union I lived in," she said. "But when people languish in jail on political charges, then it cannot be free." Speaking of vengeance, the crackdown on the march on June 12 -- Russia Day -- can perhaps be explained on one level as an act of revenge. Shortly after word came down that Golunov was being cleared and released, people were saying that the siloviki wouldn't take this lying down. It also shows that both Golunov's release and the crackdown on protests were purely pragmatic moves -- both almost certainly set in motion at Putin's say-so. "Sadly, after a 'concession' (ie, not continuing the frame-up of #Golunov, it was pretty much inevitable the authorities would go hard on today's protest, fearing that momentum would swing against them. (Momentum being even more crucial in non-democratic politics)," Mark Galeotti, an author with expertise on Russia's security agencies, tweeted after the demonstration and detentions. And analyst Andrei Kolesnikov urged caution amid the celebrations, warning that "Golunov was released only in order to avoid causing damage to the Kremlin's image." Wildfire "At the top, they simply reasoned that the damage to the image of the Interior Ministry would spread like wildfire to the Kremlin, so it would be better to stop the raging flames at the source," Kolesnikov wrote in a June 11 article in Forbes' Russian edition. Golunov's release can be considered "a big victory for civil society" and a watershed, he wrote, contending that the journalist's case and the protests that halted construction of a church in a popular park in Yekaterinburg are signs that ordinary citizens acting in concert are presenting a strong challenge to those in power, who "had gotten used to perceiving people as the silent majority at best and at worst, the rabble." "But this doesn't mean that the state is ready to retreat and give in," Kolesnikov warned. "On the contrary, the confrontation has become fiercer." And meanwhile, there are many people in custody in Russia who might wonder whether anything has changed. Behind Bars The same day Golunov was detained, it became clear that American equity-fund executive Michael Calvey -- whose move from jail to house arrest in Moscow in April was the apparent result of pressure from the business community and Kremlin concerns about the optics of the fraud case against him -- would not be permitted to take part in Putin's showcase annual economic conference in St. Petersburg. Four of Calvey's colleagues remain in jail pending trial, including a Frenchman, and 24 seamen seized near Crimea in November are among dozens of Ukrainians whom activists say are behind bars on trumped-up charges in Russia -- most notably, perhaps, the director Oleh Sentsov. And while there are signs this could change, Golunov's release was a rare exception for a Russian charged under Article 228 of the Criminal Code, an antidrug law that activists say is widely used -- or abused -- by state authorities seeking to silence dissent. Every year, more than 100,000 people are convicted under the statute. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Ankara will retaliate against any possible sanctions imposed by Washington over Turkey's deal to buy the S-400 surface-to-air defense missile system from Russia. In comments to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency on June 14, Cavusoglu said Turkey had a right to decide upon its defense purchases as "an independent and free" country. Ankara's deal with Russia has damaged relations between the two NATO allies. The United States says the S-400 missiles are a threat to its F-35 fighter-jet program and has told Turkey it would be banned from buying F-35s over the deal. Washington has also warned Turkey of possible sanctions if it takes delivery of the Russian missile system. Cavusoglu said on June 14 that Turkey "has countersteps to take" if Washington imposes sanctions. Based on reporting by AP and Anadolu Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. BISHKEK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese opera staged in the Kyrgyz capital reviving a heroic epic shared by the two neighbors highlights a common wish to enhance the understanding between the two peoples and boost bilateral ties. An original work by China National Opera House, Manas that tells the tale of the hero Manas, was greeted with warm welcome when it debuted here Tuesday at the 884-seat Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theater. The opening night received a congratulatory message from Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. The audience, including senior Kyrgyz officials, applauded more than 30 times during the performance and cheered for nearly 20 minutes after the curtain fell. Jeenbekov watched the opera of Chinese-version Manas in Beijing in June 2018 during his state visit to China and invited the artists to perform in Kyrgyzstan. The epic of Manas tells tales about Manas, a chieftain of the Kyrgyz people, and his descendants who struggled to build a homeland and fight off external enemies. It has been sung for centuries in Kyrgyzstan, China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and parts of the ancient Silk Road. After enjoying the Chinese opera, the well-known Kyrgyz Manas narrator Baktybek Maksutov said he was satisfied with its portrayal of the hero and was thankful to the Chinese artists. Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen said the epic of Manas is a spiritual wealth shared by the two peoples, and it is also an "important bridge" for cultural exchanges between the two countries. She said she hopes that the opera Manas will promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges and strengthen the traditional friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan. The opera's staging in the Kyrgyz capital, which came ahead of the 19th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held here, added a festive atmosphere to the event. Steven Pirko posted this picture of himself to his Facebook page in 2016, two years after he killed Christopher Ausman during a Rutland street fight. Pirko is being sentenced today for second-degree murder. Cancun couple found with 240 bags of drugs Cancun, Q.R. Members of the Quintana Roo Police of Benito Juarez arrested two people after they were discovered carrying more than 200 bags of drugs. During a routine police surveillance patrol Thursday, a man and a women were taken into custody in SM 259 of Cancun when police found them carrying bags of marijuana. Police say the pair were on the street when they were seen removing two transparent bags, which looked like marijuana, from a large black bag. When they noticed police, they became evasive which led police to stop them. Upon inspection, police found that they were in possession of 240 bags of marijuana. The two arrested have been identified as 31-year-old Jose Antonio and 23-year-old Yolibet. Five online agencies disabled for travel scams to Cancun, Riviera Maya Cancun, Q.R. Five online travel agencies around Mexico have been disabled from offering services for Cancun and Riviera Maya due to fraudulent activity. The announcement came from la Secretaria de Turismo Estatal de Quintana Roo after numerous consumer complaints lead them to the discovery. The Secretary of Tourism for the state says that they have at least 18 documented cases with proof of companies offering travel services to Quintana Roo they do not fulfill. She also says that a majority of the fraudulent activity has been detected through the platform, Guest Assist. Secretary of Tourism, Marisol Vanegas explained At least five companies have been detected and dismantled. No state, no secretariat had ventured to make a collective complaint to la Fiscalia General de la Republica. She says that sale of the Quintana Roo travel packages are done online with companies located in various parts of the republic, but when the tourist arrives in Quintana Roo, there are no reservations or tours for them. Vanegas acknowledged that it is very difficult to locate these types of companies because they are constantly changing their name and location, adding that every few days they move to a different destination and work with databases purchased illegally, making it difficult to track them. She said that the companies offering the travel packages simply say Trips to Cancun or another destination in the country. Although there are only 18 complete files with documentation proving the scam, about 180 cases of fraud have been identified in an amount in excess of 4 billion peso. She added that there is a national security feature where travel agencies are associated with AMAV (La Asociacion Mexicana de Agencias de Viajes) for tourists to verify the purchases they are making. Marketing Director of Cancun Travel Agency, Carlos Patino, says the consumer complaints are up this year regarding fraud by ghost travel agencies, a situation that worsens during holiday seasons. He explained that one of the companies with the most fraudulent complaints is Escapate a la Riviera Maya, however, there are many others using generic names to commit fraud. He explained that these companies ask people to make a deposit, even in convenience stores, adding that it is very difficult to track them because banks do not give information about their customers. For the first time in the states history, a collective complaint has been filed by la Secretaria de Turismo Estatal de Quintana Roo before la Fiscalia General de la Republica (FGR) regarding the fraudulent travel company scams. A former Blacksburg High School principal whose abrupt departure in May sparked controversy has accepted a 10-month teaching contract with Montgomery County Public Schools, according to district officials. The contract that Brian Kitts accepted is for the 2019-20 school year, but it remains unclear where exactly he will be teaching. Mr. Kitts was issued a 10-month teaching contract. He has signed it and returned it to us, MCPS spokeswoman Brenda Drake wrote in an email. As far as I know, we dont have a placement for him yet. Contracts dont list a location or grade level. Kitts wrote in a message to the Roanoke Times that hes still exploring leadership opportunities, but that a return to the classroom is a challenge he would embrace. Im a firm believer in public education and have the utmost respect and admiration for teachers who serve on the front lines each day, Kitts wrote. I had a great career as both an elementary and secondary principal and enjoyed the opportunity to serve our county in this capacity. Despite how things ended, I wouldnt change the way I conducted business. I took good care of my teachers and they took good care of our kids. At the end of the day, that was good enough for me. Kitts departure in early May sparked a sit-in protest by more than 150 Blacksburg High students who criticized the communication from MCPS on the matter. The departure also prompted criticism from parents, several whom voiced support for Kitts. MCPS officials didnt provide reasons for his departure as principal. A teacher has different duties and responsibilities than a principal, Superintendent Mark Miear said in a statement. Out of respect for Mr. Kittss privacy, we will not provide details regarding this reassignment. We know that he will be successful as he continues in his career. Similar student and community backlash occurred after former Blacksburg High teacher Bradley Kraft left the school in March. Kraft has since announced that he will be pursuing a doctorate at Virginia Tech. Kitts was initially slated to leave Blacksburg High after the end of the 2018-19 school year to become the school districts director of student services. Jason Garretson, who most recently served as principal of Christiansburg Middle School, is now scheduled to fill that central office job. Drake didnt provide an exact salary for Kitts, but referred to salary scale charts for teachers and administrative jobs. Under a 10-month contract, teachers with a bachelors degree can earn anywhere from $42,000 to $62,593. The pay ranges are based on steps, or years of experience. The salaries increase along with steps. Counting step 0, the salary scale charts for teachers show a total of 33 steps. Under the same 10-month contract, teachers with a masters degree can earn anywhere from $44,427 to $65,774. The range for a teacher with a doctorate is $46,528 to $68,135. The pay ranges for principals are listed on separate charts. Under a contract of 2,080 hours a year, an MCPS principal of a high school with an enrollment of over 1,000 can earn from $82,967 to $135,015. That same principals pay is calculated on an hourly rate if their contract is for fewer than 2,080 hours. The rates for contracts with fewer than 2,080 hours range from approximately $39 to $64 an hour. Blacksburg Highs enrollment for the 2018-19 school year was 1,207, according to figures from the Virginia Department of Education. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ROCKY MOUNT Accountants, doctors and engineers put aside the tools of their trades on Friday in favor of antique farm equipment. The group that puts on Franklin Countys annual Southwest Virginia Antique Farm Days has members from all different professions and backgrounds, said Bob Camicia, the organizations publicity chairman and a member of the countys board of supervisors. The common denominator is most of them grew up in a rural area. As a result, he said, they have a familiarity with and appreciation for the farm equipment that built such places. Its something they hope to pass on to the next generation, a stated goal of the event, which features demonstrations of sawmilling, shingle milling, threshing, baling and rock crushing, among other things. All of them worked in Franklin County at some point in time, Camicia said. There are stories associated with much of the equipment, like the 1923 Fairbanks-Morse engine used to power Exchange Milling Co. in Rocky Mount from about World War II to the late 1950s, Camicia said. Flour and corn meal were ground there, along with much of the grain farmers used. Camicia said it was covered with several decades worth of cobwebs and dust when the Antique Farm Days group discovered it in Exchange Millings basement. Removing it was no small task the engine weighs 13,000 pounds. It was removed in 2005, set up in 2006 and fired up again in 2007, said William Rutrough, a member of Anitque Farm Days. The shed also houses a 1923 McCormick-Deering tractor and two steam engines, all donated by the Ira Cooper family. Steam engines could be used to power anything, Camicia said, from a sawmill to mamas laundry. Old technology melds with new at the rock crusher, where onlookers snap photos of the noisy device with their smartphones. Back in the day, Camicia said, farmers pulled rocks from their fields and piled them up along the road. Highway crews picked up the rocks, ran them through the crusher and used the resulting gravel to build roads. At a sawmilling demonstration, a massive log is shaved like a carrot. Once each side is completed, the result is a smooth, uniform piece of lumber. The machinery, which dates back to 1924, is powered by a tractor with a belt. Cline Brubaker, chairman of the board of supervisors and a longtime dairy farmer, said sawmills like this one were still in use when he was young. Of course, hes pretty old, Camicia joked. Its amazing to see how farm equipment has evolved, Brubaker said. Tasks that once required many men to work long hours now take little time, or are even automated. We dont realize how much history is just accumulation of knowledge, Brubaker said. One of the oldest pieces of equipment on display is a 1915 Peerless steam engine. Dillon Clements, a farmer, said it belonged to his great-grandfather. Clements described the steam engine as a mobile power unit. Back in the day it replaced a horse, plowing and hauling carts, he said. The machinery was retired from its days in the field long ago. But the steam engine is still operational, so for at least a few days each year, it runs again in Franklin County. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Trinity Croft CofE Primary Academy litter clearing on Cleethorpes beach. Pictured is teacher Maria Allen with Caroline Pudner from Cornerstones Education. Picture by David Harrison. ECO-friendly pupils had their passion for the environment fuelled by a litter-picking trip to the seaside. Youngsters from Trinity Croft Church of England Primary Academy in Dalton found more than 250 pieces of rubbish on the beach at Cleethorpes after visiting the East Coast resort to mark World Environment Day as part of their studies. Among the waste discovered on the sand in just half an hour were plastic forks, a swimming goggles case, plastic tubs, polystyrene from packaging, bottle tops and CD cases. Teachers were inspired to organise the clean-up for 20 Year One and Year Two children by two different imaginative learning projects they are teaching at the school. The two topics, Land Ahoy and Splendid Skies, were written and designed by South Yorkshire based primary curriculum provider, Cornerstones Education and cover topics such as the weather, changing seasons, the oceans, life at sea, maps and boats, while hitting key curricular targets. Trinity Croft assistant headteacher, Maria Allen, said: These projects have really sparked the childrens imaginations. They spend a lot of their school holidays at the beach, so it is something they really connect with. As part of their research, they heard that children in Hawaii had found litter on their beaches from the UK this really shocked the children and made them question how they could help to save the seas. We decided to visit the beach so they could see what litter is on our shores for themselves. They were horrified to find so much rubbish on the beach and want to continue with this work in our area. They felt like eco-warriors on the day and I think this passion shall continue for them. Caroline Pudner, curriculum developer for Cornerstones Education, said: It was fantastic to join the children and take part in their beach clean. I was blown away by their knowledge and understanding of the harm that plastic and other litter can do to our beaches, seas and wildlife. At Cornerstones, we are very conscious of the fact that we are helping to shape our planet's future citizens and to know our projects have inspired these children into make a positive different to their local environment is so heart-warming. Nichola Goodson (left) and Emily Wraw of the Rainbow Project. A VICAR who caused outrage by comparing LGBT-inclusive teaching to child abuse is being investigated by his bosses in the Church of England. Comments made by Wickersley St Albans Church Rector Rev Peter Hughes, who said lessons could open the door to sexual predators and described the teaching of same-sex relationships and transgender issues as anti-Christian and harmful, are under scrutity by the Diocese of Sheffield. Neighbouring St Albans Church of England Primary School, where Rev Hughes is an ex-officio governor, has launched its own investigation into his position. The school said it had appointed a senior educational practitioner from a neighbouring local authority to lead the inquiry to ensure objectivity. Last weeks Advertiser front page story about Rev Hughes controversial column in the St Albans parish magazine created a stir online, with the majority of Facebook users condemning his stance, while the paper received letters both in support and against the vicars remarks. Meanwhile, LGBT supporters holding rainbow flags gathered outside the church on Sunday during the family service - at which the rector was not present. Among them were members of LGBT support group, The Rainbow Project, including Emily Wraw (32), of Stag, whose late father, Rev John Wraw, was Rev Hughes predecessor at St Albans. She said they were not there to protest but to give the rector and his parishioners the chance to speak to LGBT people and to invite them to their events. They took educational RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) books with them to give people an understanding of what the classes involve. Most people gave us a very positive response, said Emily, adding that many of those people who approached them had been friendly and chatty. The Diocese of Sheffield last week distanced itself from Rev Hughes views and said his words were regrettable. This week, a spokesperson for the body said it was investigating the serious matter in accordance with its policies and procedures but would not comment further, except to say: We remain determined to ensure that churches and church schools across the Diocese of Sheffield are safe places for all. In a joint statement, Andrew Waldron, the chief executive of Sheffield Diocese Academies Trust, and Alison Adair, executive headteacher of St Albans Church of England Primary School, said an investigation into Rev Hughes position as a governor and whether he had brought the school into disrepute had begun. St Albans Primary School, working with the Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust, have established the grounds for investigation and have shared these formally with Reverend Hughes, they said, confirming that a current senior educational practitioner from a neighbouring local authority, who is also a National Leader of Governance, would lead the inquiry. Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. announced the discovery of a new kimberlite at its Gahcho Kue Joint Venture (GKJV) leases. The Wilson kimberlite is located roughly 200 meters east of the Tuzo kimberlite and was discovered during drill testing of geophysical and geological anomalies in the area. Image credit: Mountain Province The Wilson kimberlite is the first kimberlite to be discovered in the GKJV area in over 20 years, and it lies well within the open pit mine plan for the Tuzo kimberlite. The Wilson kimberlite is named after Alice Evelyn Wilson (1881-1964), who is officially recognized as Canada's first female geologist. A total of 115.2 kilograms of kimberlite was treated for microdiamonds, with 480 diamonds recovered in the +0.075mm size classes. Five +0.85mm diamonds included in the result weigh a total of 0.32 carats, with the largest stone being a 0.28 carat colorless octahedral aggregate. President and CEO of Mountain Province Stuart Brown commented: "This very positive development, the discovery of the Wilson kimberlite, is a result of the combined efforts between Mountain Province and De Beers Canada, who are operators of the Gahcho Kue JV. The discovery of Wilson demonstrates the high exploration potential of the Gahcho Kue JV area, and after a 20-year discovery hiatus, it confirms that we are on track for discovering new kimberlites in this region." Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau in Brussels David Wright, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power since 2016, will step down Oct. 1, Mayor Eric Garcettis office said Friday. His planned departure follows new controversy over the $67-million settlement in 2017 of a class-action lawsuit brought by DWP customers who were overcharged when the utility rolled out a new billing system. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge earlier this month appointed an investigator to scrutinize issues surrounding the settlement, including multimillion-dollar DWP contracts given to an attorney involved in the legal agreement. Reached Thursday night, Wright declined to comment when asked if he was stepping down. Advertisement Wright replaced general manager Marcie Edwards and previously served as the utilitys chief operating officer. During his time at the utility, Wright focused on fixing the billing system and improving customer service after hundreds of thousands of customers were overcharged following the implementation of a new billing system in 2013. He also worked to reduce reliance on imported water, promoted clean energy and took important steps towards building the DWP of the future, Garcetti said in a statement. The DWP also recently announced plans to abandon rebuilding three gas-fired power plants, delighting environmentalists supportive of Garcettis move to get off fossil fuels. However, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 18, the largest union representing DWP employees, opposed the decision and recently launched a television and radio campaign attacking the mayors green proposals. The union fears job losses under Garcettis recently released Green New Deal. Garcetti said in the statement he has nominated DWP chief operating officer Marty Adams, a 35-year-veteran of the utility, to be the next general manager. Adams appointment requires City Council approval. Wright is the third general manager to depart the utility under Garcetti. Garcetti was elected mayor after running a campaign focused on reforming the DWP, but controversies persist at the utility, including recent allegations stemming from the overbilling fiasco. The allegations were first made in court documents by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the consulting firm behind the billing system. The city sued the firm, also known as PwC, accusing it of misrepresenting its ability to implement the system. The city faces accusations from PwC that attorneys working for City Atty. Mike Feuer took part in a scheme to quickly settle the class-action lawsuit brought by DWP ratepayers by hand-picking the plaintiff and the opposing attorneys who filed the claim, according to court testimony. At issue is whether attorneys worked both sides of the deal and benefited financially from the settlement. Wright has not been accused of wrongdoing. Feuers office has also denied wrongdoing and issued a statement seeking to cast blame on two outside lawyers hired by the city attorneys office to work on issues related to the billing debacle. However, one of those attorneys, Beverly Hills lawyer Paul Kiesel, told The Times that his work was done at the express direction of Feuers office. Judge Elihu M. Berle earlier this month appointed Edward M. Robbins, a former federal prosecutor, to investigate issues surrounding the settlement and payments to attorneys. At Wrights recommendation, the DWP in 2017 approved a $30-million contract for a company owned by Paul Paradis, one of the attorneys hired by Feuers office who allegedly played a central role in the settlement deal, according to court testimony. Paradis was previously awarded a separate contract from the DWP worth $6 million. His attorney didnt return a phone call Thursday and Paradis has repeatedly declined to comment about his role. The DWP also hired Paradis son at an annual salary of $72,000 in 2016, a spokesman for the utility confirmed. The utility also paid for a $4,000 graduate school course for the son, as part of the DWPs program to pay for advanced degrees. The son no longer works for the utility. As allegations against Paradis and others surfaced earlier this year, the DWP board voted to cancel the $30-million contract, though more than $20 million had been paid out. Los Angeles City Council members also called Wright and city attorneys to City Hall last month for a closed-door hearing about the contracts with Paradis and issues surrounding the settlement. Separately, Feuers office is defending Wright and the DWP against a legal claim stemming from a 2017 car accident in downtown Los Angeles involving Wright. Plaintiffs Luis Sanchez and Luz Alvarez filed the claim last year, court documents show. Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court called Wrights departure good news for consumers in light of the allegations surrounding the settlement, but criticized Garcettis choice of a longtime DWP executive as a replacement. Until the city council and the mayor realize that they need a fresh start with an outsider in charge, DWP customers and taxpayers are going to be disappointed with the failure to have a responsive department, Court said. Jasmin Vargas, a senior organizer with Food & Water Watch, said Wright came on the job with big ambitions of moving the DWP toward 100% clean energy, but faced bureaucratic and political stumbling blocks. Its a shame that we werent able to see more from him during his tenure, Vargas said. dakota.smith@latimes.com Twitter: @dakotacdsmith Paintball-wielding assailants have been attacking and robbing unsuspecting residents on city streets and in many instances posting the attacks on social media, Los Angeles police said. Citywide this year, the culprits have randomly assaulted 28 people walking to stores, riding bikes and standing on street corners, police said. Victims have included a 12-year-old boy and an 80-year-old man. The bulk of the assaults have occurred in South Los Angeles, police said at a news conference Thursday. Innocent residents were assaulted walking to schools, riding their bikes or just walking to the store, said LAPD Lt. Jeffrey Bratcher of the 77th Street Division. Advertisement Some shooters are recording the paintball gun assaults to post on social media, potentially inspiring others to copy their deeds. You can hear the suspects laughing (on the videos) as the victims cry out in pain, Bratcher said. These assaults are no jokes. Theyre serious crimes. The attacks can cause serious injuries. At the news conference, LAPD officials displayed photographs of victims bodies covered with multiple circular red weltsmany larger than quarters. Paintball matches in controlled settings require players to wear protective vests and helmets. But victims of street attacks have no such protection or warnings before being pelted. Bratcher described a recent video posted to social media in which shooters pelted young children waiting outside a school with paintballs. The video depicted a party environment inside the car, he said. When fired, the balls of paint can travel 200 feet per second, said Lt. Perry Griffith of the Southwest Division. Shooters also freeze paintballs to inflict more pain on victims, Griffith said, adding: It will be like a marble hitting you. Some paintball guns mimic real assault weapons when the hoppers, which hold the balls, and air cartridges are removed. LAPD officials fear officers could mistake a paintball gun for an actual gun and shoot the person wielding it. Individuals are also using paintball guns, along with BB and pellet guns and air-soft rifles, to commit robberies, Griffith said, noting that at least four such incidents have occurred this year in the Southwest Division. The city experienced an uptick of crimes with paintball guns in 2017, when attacks in South Los Angeles nearly tripled from the same point during the previous year. The assaults, police said, declined after the public was warned. With hundreds of thousands of young people on summer recess, police pleaded with parents and other adults to ensure that paintball and other air guns are used only in appropriate settings. If you know anyone that has possession of these [weapons] inform them of the danger that could occur if used irresponsibly, Griffith said. A prominent British lawmaker who quit the Labour Party to try to form a new pro-European political force has moved on again, this time joining the centrist Liberal Democrats. Chuka Umunnas move is the latest sign of Brexit-driven cracks in Britains established political order. Umunna and 10 other lawmakers left Labour and the Conservatives in February to set up new party Change UK. It then split after poor results in European Parliament elections last month. The struggling new party also has to change its name after a legal challenge from petitions website Change.org. The Lib Dems, who saw a big rise in their vote share in the European election, are urging pro-EU politicians to join them and fight for a new referendum on Britains EU membership. Advertisement Umunna told Fridays Times of London newspaper that he had vastly underestimated how hard it is to start a new political party. He said the Liberal Democrats were best placed to stop Brexit. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Vaticans sex crimes prosecutor, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, met with Polands Catholic bishops on Friday to share his experience in tracking crimes, after the Polish church admitted knowing about hundreds of cases over the years where priests abused minors. Scicluna attended the bishops plenary session Friday in Walbrzych, southwestern Poland, for a discussion about protecting children and youths, the Episcopate said. Bishop Piotr Libera tweeted that Sciclunas remarks were extremely interesting. Scicluna told Polands Catholic news agency KAI that he would like to encourage Polands bishops to implement the very good guidance points that they themselves adopted in 2013. Advertisement Scicluna, a Maltese archbishop, and expert in church law, has been instrumental in revealing facts about priestly sex abuse and cover-up by Chilean church leaders for Pope Francis. In February at the Vatican, he gave a tutorial on preventing sex abuse to a summit of church leaders convened by Francis in reaction to the global sex abuse and cover-up crisis that has undermined credibility in the church. Polands bishops acknowledged in March they had almost 400 predator priests on record. In this predominantly Catholic nation, the church has been strongly criticized for covering up cases of abuse by priests, moving them to new parishes and failing to ban them from working with children. Only a limited number of cases have been tried by civilian courts. In one case, the court found a clergyman guilty of abducting, detaining and abusing a 13-year-old girl more than 10 years ago and ruled that his order pay her 1 million zlotys ($265,000) in compensation. An independent documentary in May revealed testimony from people who as children were raped or abused by Polish clergy. It led Polands Primate Wojciech Polak to apologize to the victims, but some other bishops initially shrugged at the film. Still, the abuse revelations do not seem to have significantly undermined the churchs authority among many believers, who say abuse is a problem of individual priests or claim the church has been unfairly attacked by critics. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The road to Sundays presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates. Observers say the result is widespread disillusion and distrust in the electoral process in this small Central American country that has seen hundreds of thousands flee poverty and gang violence in recent years in a bid for a new life in the United States. Polls favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff. Torres, 64, is a businesswoman who was seen as influencing decision-making during the 2008-2012 government of her then-husband, Alvaro Colom. She served as coordinator of the Council on Social Cohesion, an entity that was replaced by the Ministry of Social Development under Coloms successor. Advertisement But she has not been immune to the scandals that have hit other campaigns, with prosecutors opening an investigation into alleged illicit campaign financing involving her party. The case has not moved forward because candidates are protected from prosecution, and a judge denied a request to have that lifted for Torres, citing a law that targets violence against women. Three other candidates were kicked off the ballot amid graft investigations, most notably former Chief Prosecutor Thelma Aldana. She gained international attention for leading anti-corruption investigations in tandem with a U.N. commission. Another candidate was barred from running based on a law that prohibits the election of relatives of former leaders. Aldanas supporters see her removal as a signal that corrupt elites feared the prospect of her presidency. Observers, and voters themselves, say the result of the chaotic campaign has been near universal cynicism. I dont trust any of them, said Paula Cojolon, a 58-year-old domestic worker. Among the candidates seeking to make it through to an Aug. 11 runoff are Alejandro Giammattei, a four-time presidential candidate and ex-prisons director; Roberto Arzu, a businessman and son of a former president; Edmond Mulet, a former congressman, ambassador to the U.S. and U.N. official; and Thelma Cabrera, the only indigenous woman in the race, and the lone top five candidate who is not running with a conservative party. Guatemalans are predominantly concerned about unemployment, violence, corruption, rising costs of living and the shoddy state of the countrys highways. Outgoing President Jimmy Morales has not found answers during his four-year administration, and theres plenty of skepticism that anyone on the ballot will do any better. If I dont have work, I dont eat. Nobody helps, Cojolon said. The candidates, no, they all offer things but nobody follows through. Three of the last four elected presidents including Colom, Torres ex-husband have been arrested post-presidency on charges of corruption. Graft allegations have also targeted President Morales and his inner circle, though he denies wrongdoing and has been protected from prosecution due to his immunity while in office. A recent poll from CID UpGallup Latinoamerica found that nearly a third of Guatemalan adults surveyed believed that whatever the outcome, it will be the result of fraud, while another 20% said the elections legitimacy would be suspect because so many candidates were kept from running. The legitimacy of and confidence in the process has been seriously harmed, political analyst Phillip Chicola said. The surging migration north from Guatemala and other Central American countries has not emerged as a major campaign issue, despite the attention its gotten from U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexico, which is under pressure from Washington to stem the flow. The election Sunday will be the first time that Guatemalans can cast ballots from abroad: At least 60,000 are eligible in Los Angeles, New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C., all home to large numbers of Guatemalan emigres. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but he also held out hope that implicit U.S. threats to use force will yield talks with the Islamic Republic as the Pentagon considers beefing up defenses in the Persian Gulf area. A day after explosions blew holes in two oil tankers just outside Irans territorial waters, rattling international oil markets, the administration seemed caught between pressure to punish Iran and reassure Washingtons Gulf Arab allies without drawing the U.S. closer to war. Iran did it, Trump said on Fox News Channels Fox & Friends. He didnt offer evidence, but the U.S. military released video it said showed Irans Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to cover its tracks. By pointing the finger at Iran, Trump was keeping a public spotlight on an adversary he accuses of terrorism but also has invited to negotiate. The approach is similar to his diplomacy with North Korea, which has quieted talk of war but not yet achieved his goal of nuclear disarmament. Iran has shown little sign of backing down, creating uncertainty about how far the Trump administration can go with its campaign of increasing pressure through sanctions. Advertisement Iran denied any involvement in the attacks and accused Washington of waging an Iranophobic campaign of economic warfare. A U.S. Navy team on Friday was aboard one of the tankers, the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, collecting forensic evidence, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation. Apparently alluding to the U.S. video, Trump said Irans culpability had been exposed. He did not say what he intended to do about it but suggested very tough U.S. sanctions, including efforts to strangle Iranian oil revenues, would have the desired effect. Theyve been told in very strong terms we want to get them back to the table, Trump said. Just a day earlier, the president took the opposite view, tweeting that it was too soon to even think about making a deal with Irans leaders. They are not ready, and neither are we! Trump last year withdrew the United States from an international agreement to limit Irans nuclear program that was signed in 2015 under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. He has since then re-instated economic sanctions aimed at compelling the Iranians to return to the negotiating table. Just last month the U.S. ended waivers that allowed some countries to continue buying Iranian oil, a move that is starving Iran of oil income and that coincided with what U.S. officials called a surge in intelligence pointing to Iranian preparations for attacks against U.S. forces and interests in the Gulf region. In response to those intelligence warnings, the U.S. on May 5 announced it was accelerating the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group to the Gulf region. It also sent four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Qatar and has beefed up its defenses in the region by deploying more Patriot air defense systems. Officials said that Pentagon deliberations about possibly sending more military resources to the region, including more Patriot missile batteries, could be accelerated by Thursdays dramatic attack on the oil tankers. At the Pentagon, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Iran is not just a U.S. problem. He said the U.S. goal is to build international consensus to this international problem, and to ensure that U.S. military commanders in the region get the resources and support they need. In remarks to reporters later, Shanahan noted the commercial and strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes about 20 percent of the worlds oil. So, we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate, he said. Other administration officials said the U.S. is re-evaluating its presence in the region and will discuss the matter with allies before making decisions. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said Thursday the U.S. is looking at all options to ensure that maritime traffic in the region is safe and that international commerce, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, is not disrupted. One option, they said, is for U.S. and allied ships to accompany vessels through the strait, noting that this tactic has been used in the past. They said there is no timeline for any decisions. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said that providing naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz is an option, but, I dont think its a sustainable option because of the amount of traffic. She said tanker warfare in the Persian Gulf has historically been a problem, and she wouldnt be opposed to the U.S. having a more visible presence in the region. Slotkin, a former senior policy adviser at the Pentagon, said she is concerned that the Trump administration does not have a clear strategy on Iran. She said its difficult to deter Iran without provoking additional violence, adding, I dont believe this administration is capable of walking such a deft, fine line. In ticking off a list of Iranian acts of unprovoked aggression, including Thursdays oil tanker attacks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added a surprise accusation. He asserted on Thursday that a late May car bombing of a U.S. convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, was among a series of threats or attacks by Iran and its proxies against American and allies interests. At the time, the Taliban claimed credit for the attack, with no public word of Iranian involvement. Pompeos inclusion of the Afghanistan attack in his list of six Iranian incidents has raised eyebrows in Congress, where he and other U.S. officials have suggested that the administration would be legally justified in taking military action against Iran under the 2001 Authorization of Military Force, or AUMF. In that law, Congress gave then-President George W. Bush authority to retaliate against al-Qaida and the Taliban for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It has subsequently been used to allow military force against extremists elsewhere, from the Philippines to Syria. As the world awaited Washingtons next move, analysts said it was difficult to sort out the conflicting claims. There are few actors in the world that have less credibility than Donald Trump and the Iranian regime, so even U.S. allies at the moment are confused about what happened, said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He said the tremendous mistrust of both Trump and Iran has made the biggest priority for most countries to simply avoid conflict or further escalation. At the same time, Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in a difficult position, Sadjadpour said. If he didnt respond to Trumps provocations, he would risk looking like a paper tiger and projecting weakness. But if he responds overly aggressive to Trump he potentially destabilizes his own rule and his own regime. Thats why weve seen Iran calibrate its escalation. --- AP writers Zeke Miller and Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Informatics students benefit from current research and the long tradition at KIT. (Picture: Markus Breig, KIT) The founding of the Institute of Informatics and the introduction of informatics as a subject at the former University of Karlsruhe (TH) in 1969 was a milestone in the success story of informatics in Germany. The predecessor of KIT was one of Germany's first facilities to recognize the importance of this branch of science and to firmly entrench it in an institute. KIT will celebrate the birth of the informatics degree on June 19, 2019 with a ceremony in the presence of Science Minister Theresia Bauer to which the media are cordially invited. The age of digitalization is characterized by innovations in information technology. Electronic devices are omnipresent in everyday life. But 50 years ago, computers were pretty much non-existent outside the professional world, and the profession of computer scientists was unknown. The University of Karlsruhe (TH) changed all that, founded the Institute of Informatics and introduced the subject of informatics at the same time as four other universities. In 1972, the first informatics department was finally established in Karlsruhe. In today's KIT Department of Informatics research is carried out on the major problems of our time such as autonomous, robotic assistance systems and artificial intelligence processes. Another beneficiary of current research and the long tradition at KIT is teaching. With a strong link to research, the graduates are prepared for current tasks in economy, science and society, not least stimulating the strong local founder scene in Karlsruhe. KIT will celebrate the birth of the informatics degree on June 19, 2019 in a ceremony and with an expert panel on the topic of Informatics in the age of digitalization and a historic presentation by the founder of the KIT Department of Informatics, Professor Gerhard Goos. Program 10:00 am Welcome speech Professor Oliver Kraft, Vice President for Research at KIT Professor Bernhard Beckert, Dean of the KIT Department of Informatics Science Minister Theresia Bauer Gabriele Luczak-Schwarz, mayor of the city of Karlsruhe 10:45 am Presentation on the history of informatics in Karlsruhe Prof. em. Gerhard Goos, founder of the KIT Department of Informatics 11:15 am Panel discussion Informatics in the age of digitalization, with Theresia Bauer, Prof. Oliver Kraft and Prof. Ralf Reussner. Chaired by: Markus Brock 11:45 am End of ceremony and visit by the minister to the accompanying exhibition Location: KIT Campus South Audimax foyer and auditorium Strae am Forum 1, 76131 Karlsruhe After the event, members of the press will have the option of visiting the accompanying exhibition on Informatics in Karlsruhe together with Minister Theresia Bauer up to 12 noon and having a look at selected exhibits and demonstrators from the research partners the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, Fraunhofer IOSB and KIT. The media can register for the event atpr does-not-exist.informatik kit edu. More about the KIT Information Systems and Technologies Center (in English): 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. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Gabriel Rau gathers data about subsurface properties at a well. The findings enable sustainable use of groundwater resources. (Photo: Ian Acworth) Water is a vital resource for people and the environment. One of the most important sources is groundwater which is renewed from precipitation or surface water. Population growth as well as agriculture and industry strongly influence the quantity and quality of groundwater. To be able to investigate groundwater resources more easily, cost-effectively and comprehensively than in the past, researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have developed a new method with Australian colleagues which they are now unveiling in the Reviews of Geophysics journal. According to the German Environment Agency, more than 70 percent of drinking water originates from groundwater in Germany alone. Production is increasing so rapidly across the world that groundwater levels are falling, quality is deteriorating and whole cities are facing groundwater-related subsidence. Therefore, it is important to explore subsurface properties for managing resources more sustainably. Current testing methods require active pumping of water from a specially designed water extraction well while observing the water level in other wells in the vicinity, says Dr. Gabriel Rau from the Institute of Applied Geosciences (AGW) at KIT. To do this, two or three people would need to set up a pump test and supervise measurements for an extended period of time. This method is very expensive, can last anywhere from a few hours to several months depending on the subsurface properties, and the result is only valid for the tested location. Underground aquifers vary greatly in space, and it is much too expensive and intrusive to build extraction wells everywhere. Together with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney and the Deakin University in Melbourne, KIT has now developed a new method which evaluates information about tidal effects on groundwater levels. Similar to tides in the ocean, the groundwater level is affected by tidal forces, with the change in gravitation squeezing the porous rocks in the subsurface and causing measurable pressure changes. In addition, there are atmospheric tides which cyclically change subsurface pressure. We can measure this change at low cost and using less complex procedures and fewer personnel to quantify subsurface properties, says Rau. Engineers require no special extraction wells for this but can place an automated water pressure data logger at a conventional groundwater measuring point. The pressure sensor then measures the groundwater level regularly for at least a month. Using the measurements, researchers can calculate the physical properties of the subsurface such as porosity, hydraulic conductivity and compressibility and translate the findings into the sustainable use of groundwater resources. Since it is much cheaper to drill monitoring boreholes than to create entire wells, we can carry out measurements in more locations, significantly increasing the number and coverage of the subsurface properties calculated, says Rau. The researchers have studied and summarized international studies and articles from various disciplines for their method: We have seen that the recent advances in groundwater research show potential for much cheaper long-term groundwater studies, says Timothy McMillan from the Connected Waters Initiative Research Center at UNSW Sydney. In our method we use a combination of engineering, science and maths, and the impact of tides on groundwater to calculate the subsurface properties. These findings can also contribute to predicting spatial and temporal fluctuations of the climate system and its impact on groundwater resources. We are facing enormous challenges in the future. Our method makes it easier to investigate subsurface resources and therefore to manage them more sustainably, says Rau. Press release from the University of New South Wales: https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/low-cost-way-explore-groundwater-resources-could-be-game-changer Specialist article: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018RG000630 More information on the KIT Climate and Environment Center: http://www.klima-umwelt.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. A new multi-institution study spearheaded by researchers at Florida State University and the University of California, Los Angeles suggests a tiny protein could play a major role in combating heart failure related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common lethal genetic disorder among children. In collaboration with scientists from across the nation, FSU researchers found that increased levels of the protein sarcospan improve cardiac function by reinforcing cardiac cell membranes, which become feeble in patients with DMD. Their findings were published in the journal JCI Insight. The condition, which typically afflicts young boys, is caused by a mutation that prevents the body from producing dystrophin, a protein crucial to the health of skeletal, respiratory and cardiac muscles. Advances in treatment for certain types of DMD-related muscle degradation have helped to prolong patients' lifespans. However, as DMD patients age, their heart function declines dramatically. "Patients typically live to 20 or 30 years of age," said lead author Michelle Parvatiyar, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences in FSU's College of Human Sciences. "There have been important improvements in respiratory care, which used to be what a majority of patients would succumb to. Now, in their 20s and 30s, they're often succumbing to cardiomyopathy. The heart is functioning with a major component of the cell membrane missing. Over time, it wears out." The study was part of continued efforts by UCLA biologist Rachelle H. Crosbie, the study's corresponding author, who previously identified sarcospan as a protein that could improve mechanical support in skeletal cell membranes lacking dystrophin. Her finding buoyed DMD researchers and affirmed sarcospan's potential as an effective tool in the fight against the condition. advertisement "But nobody had really looked at how increasing the levels of this protein might affect the heart," Parvatiyar said. Using a unique mouse model with a dearth of dystrophin, Parvatiyar and her collaborators did just that. In their study, the team found that while it's is not a like-for-like replacement for dystrophin, an overexpression of sarcospan in cardiac cells seems to do the job of stabilizing cell membranes. Even under stress, researchers found, sarcospan overexpression was able to improve the membrane defect in dystrophin-deficient cells. "Sarcospan doesn't quite do the job of dystrophin, but it acts as a glue to stabilize the membrane and hold protein complexes together when dystrophin is lacking," said Parvatiyar, explaining a concept developed by Crosbie. Cardiac measurements confirmed that sarcospan does protect the cell membrane even when the heart is placed under stress. Study co-author and FSU College of Medicine Associate Professor Jose Pinto performed the measurements, along with FSU graduate student Karissa Dieseldorff Jones and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine research assistant Rosemeire Takeuchi Kanashiro. advertisement In addition to serving as a kind of stabilizing glue, researchers said sarcospan could also act as a scaffold that supports other essential proteins at the cell membrane. That function could allow sarcospan to carry mini versions of dystrophin -- which, in its normal state, has a long and unwieldy genetic code -- to the edges of cardiac cells, where they could buttress the fragile membranes. "The idea is that you could administer the sarcospan and the dystrophin at the same time, and the sarcospan could facilitate mini dystrophin localizing to the cell membrane and help hold those complexes in place," Parvatiyar said. Sarcospan's two possible functions could augment existing DMD treatments, Parvatiyar said, or they could give rise to novel therapies that fortify weakened cardiac cell membranes and improve the quality of life for people with DMD. In her previous position at UCLA, Parvatiyar had frequent interactions with DMD patients and their families. She said these interactions, and the unshakeable hope she's witnessed in those suffering from DMD, continue to drive her and her colleagues in the search for new ways to combat this debilitating condition. "Those were the first times in my life I'd ever had someone come up to me and thank me for my work," she said. "Sometimes you can feel removed from it in the laboratory day after day. You see incremental progress. But to see people who are really yearning for help is motivating. Their positivity is incredibly inspiring." Researchers from UCLA, the University of Miami, SUNY Binghamton University and the University of Washington contributed to this study. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at UCLA-CureDuchenne Postdoctoral Fellowship and the American Heart Association. Finding a shady refuge to cool off on a hot day could be more than a lifesaver in a warming world. It might save several species that would otherwise go extinct due to global warming, according to an analysis by ecologists at a dozen institutions. "Animals are not passive, and there's plenty of evidence that some of them will seek out shade to regulate their body temperature," said Rice University ecologist Volker Rudolf, co-author of a study in Global Change Biology that examined both the behavior and habitats of 39 species. "The big question, for ecologists, is whether we can create a predictive framework that uses what we already know about species' behaviors and habitats to predict whether this behavior might buffer them from rapid climate change and potentially rescue them from otherwise going extinct." Rudolf said he and his colleagues, including study co-lead authors Samuel Fey of Reed College and David Vasseur of Yale University, set out to create such a framework, in part because a number of high-profile studies have ignored behavior in making predictions about the possible impacts of climate warming. Scientists have examined the impact of temperature on the fitness of many species. To control for external factors, almost all such tests are performed in a laboratory, where temperature can be increased while all other factors remain constant, said Rudolf, a professor in Rice's Department of BioSciences. The overall health, or fitness, of individuals often falls off as temperatures increase, especially in insects and other ectothermic animals whose bodies don't self-regulate temperature. "Behavior allows for self-regulation of body temperature, even in some cases where physiology doesn't," Rudolf said. "So ignoring this behavior means you're probably making wrong predictions." But behavior only goes so far. If a creature lives where there is no shade or other means to cool off, it's obviously not an option. It may also be impractical, especially if getting to the shady spot requires an enormous expenditure of energy. To examine the consequences of this behavior across a wide range of animals, the scientists created a mathematical framework that accounts for variability in microclimate in the habitat of a species to estimate the cost-benefit trade-off an individual faces when expending energy to seek shade. The framework was first verified on tests with the southern rock agama, a lizard native to South Africa, and was later applied to a database of 38 insect species from Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and Australia. Using International Panel on Climate Change temperature projections for the year 2050, the researchers found that 19 of the insects were likely to be negatively impacted by warming temperatures. They further found that behavior would likely mitigate the ill effects of warming for 17 of the 19 species, including six that were predicted to experience "behavioral rescue," a situation where behavioral adaptation keeps the species from going extinct. In fact, warmer temperatures, in conjunction with behavioral adaptation, were predicted to increase fitness for 10 species. "With climate change already increasing temperatures worldwide, it is important to find ways to forecast how this will affect individual species as well as tightly couple ecological communities," Rudolf said. In addition to looking at the direct effects of temperature on one species, he said it will be important for ecologists to consider how rising temperatures will affect a species' predators, competitors and food resources, including prey. Where looking at temperature alone might suggest a species will do better or worse, those predictions could change based on the impacts on closely coupled species. Additional co-authors include Karla Alujevic and Susana Clusella-Trullas of Stellenbosch University in South Africa; Kristy Kroeker of the University of California, Santa Cruz; Michael Logan of the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution in Panama; Mary O'Connor of the University of British Columbia; John DeLong of the University of Nebraska; Scott Peacor of Michigan State University; Rebecca Selden of Rutgers University; and Andy Sih of the University of California, Davis. The research was supported by CapeNature and initiated by conversations at the 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Predator-Prey Interactions. FLORENCE, S.C. The Better Business Bureau estimates that scams cost Americans $50 billion per year. However, as John Dr. John DAmbrosio told the Kiwanis Club on Thursday afternoon, that number is likely even higher. He said many Americans are ashamed and embarrassed, thus not very likely to report that they were taken advantage of. D'Ambrosio is president of the Better Business Bureau of Coastal Carolina. He spoke about a report of a recent scam involving pizza restaurants in Huntsville, Ala. He said a person came into the restaurant and asked to use the businesss phone because of some emergency. The number that person called rerouted all the calls from the business to a scammers line. Then, when people call in to order a pepperoni and pineapple pizza, the scammer gets access to their credit card information. Another scam involves an online romantic relationship. In that scam, the person being scammed is asked to provide cash to help pay medical expenses not covered by the Army or another business. This is someone you love, DAmbrosio said. Employment scams are also fairly common. ScienceSouth brought STEM education to South Carolina before STEM was cool, said Tom Ewart, the ScienceSouth board of directors president. We were the original hands-on, science based, facility in the Pee Dee. It has not been an easy decision to close ScienceSouth, but with STEM funding becoming more prevalent for school districts' own STEM programs and competition growing; we felt it was time for it to sunset. Our mission has been fulfilled and science is now fun in the Pee Dee. One former ScienceSouth camper, Madeline Love, said her memories at ScienceSouth are some of the best of her childhood. Every summer I would be fascinated by Mr. Tony and the knowledge that he shared, Love said. It truly inspired my love of science and I learned more there than I did in school. Welch said the organization is looking at doing a final free community event during the month of July to give back to the community. The date for the event hasnt been set yet. ScienceSouth began when educators and business leaders came together to address the science and technology education gap in the Pee Dee in 2000, according to the ScienceSouth website. Nearly three years later, ScienceSouth began hosting programming. On March 28, 2008, the ScienceSouth Pavilion opened near Freedom Florence, which served as a home for hands-on science workshops and events, according to the ScienceSouth website. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BY MATTHEW CHRISTIAN Morning News FLORENCE, S.C. Florence County Election Commission Executive Director David Alford said he was excited about the states implementation of a new voting system. The state announced the award of a $51 million contract for a new statewide paper-based voting system on Monday to Election Systems and Software (ES&S) DS200ExpressVote system. The new machines will replace machines that have been in place since 2004. In the new system, voters will electronically cast their ballots and at the end of the process be provided a paper copy that the voter can review to hand to a counter. The counter then scans a bar code on the paper copy to count the vote. Alford, who attended a briefing on the new machines Thursday morning in Columbia, said the new system would provide a similar-type experience to voters in the ballot box but was technologically leaps and bounds ahead of the previous system. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Snow. Winds will be gusty at times this morning. High 7F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Becoming mostly clear later with any flurries or snow showers ending by midnight. Low -7F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 30%. The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed an amended complaint naming Swiss resident Roland M. Mathys as a defendant in an insider trading case the SEC brought last year alleging that certain unknown traders made approximately $5 million in profits by making timely purchases of Bioverativ, Inc. call options in advance of the January 22, 2018 announcement that Sanofi S.A. would acquire Bioverativ. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced parallel criminal charges against Mathys stemming from the same conduct. The SEC's amended complaint alleges that Mathys received material non-public information about Sanofi's impending acquisition of Bioverativ from a Sanofi insider's son. According to the amended complaint, Mathys used the information to purchase approximately $169,000 of out-of-the-money Bioverativ call options in the 10 days immediately leading up to the public announcement. The SEC alleges that Mathys' purchases made up a significant portion of all reported options trades in the series of Bioverativ options he traded, including almost 100 percent of the market in several instances. By allegedly purchasing these options based on material non-public information, Mathys was able to turn his approximately $169,000 investment into profits of approximately $5 million. All or substantially all of these funds have been frozen in the United States or Switzerland. The amended complaint charges Mathys with violating Section 14(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 14e-3 thereunder. The Commission is seeking a permanent injunction, disgorgement of illegal trading profits plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Michael Hoke and Kimberly Frederick of the Denver Regional Office, and supervised by Jason Burt and Kurt Gottschall. The litigation is being led by Mark Williams and Nicholas Heinke, and supervised by Gregory Kasper. The Commission appreciates the assistance of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), and the Swiss Federal Office of Justice. For additional information, see Litigation Release No. 24035 (January 26, 2018). The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed fraud charges in a multi-million dollar healthcare investment scheme impacting dozens of investors. The SEC alleges that, between May 2014 and January 2017, unregistered investment adviser David Wagner of Greenwich, Rhode Island, Mark Lawrence of Watercolor, Florida, Downing Partners, Downing Investment Partners, and Downing Digital Healthcare Group raised over $8 million from at least 30 investors in certain healthcare funds. According to the SEC's complaint, the Defendants purported to acquire, manage, and resell companies that provided healthcare services and related technologies for the funds' investment portfolios. Wagner controlled the healthcare funds and their bank accounts and with Lawrence, solicited investors on behalf of the funds. To entice new investors, Wagner and Lawrence falsely inflated the available cash reserves of the funds, which included Downing Investment Partners and Downing Digital Healthcare Group, and revenue from the funds' portfolio companies. The SEC further alleges that Wagner secretly negotiated an agreement requiring Downing Digital Healthcare Group to pay management fees to himself and an entity that he controlled, thereby resulting in the fund paying over $540,000 in undisclosed management fees. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges the Defendants with primary and aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and charges Wagner with control person liability for violations of the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder by Downing Partners, Downing Investment Partners, and Downing Digital Healthcare Group. The complaint also charges Wagner and Downing Partners with primary violations of the antifraud provisions of Sections 206(1), (2), and (4) of the Investment Advisers Act and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder and charges Lawrence with aiding and abetting those violations. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York today announced criminal charges against Wagner and Lawrence. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Jorge G. Tenreiro, Christopher J. Dunnigan, Neil Hendelman, and Sandeep Satwalekar. The case is being supervised by Lara Shalov Mehraban. The litigation will be handled by Mr. Tenreiro and Mr. Dunnigan. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Artists perform during the opera named "Voyage To The East - A Fearless Buddhist Master's Mission To Japan" in Los Angeles, the United States, June 9, 2019. The opera featuring the famous monk Jianzhen of China's Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) was presented in Los Angeles on June 8 and 9. Based on true history, "Voyage To The East - A Fearless Buddhist Master's Mission To Japan" told the story of monk Jianzhen, who started sailing to Japan in 742 A.D., but only succeeded in 754 A.D. after five failed attempts. Apart from spreading Buddhism, he also introduced Chinese art, medicine and craftsmanship to Japan, thus becoming a highly respected figure in both nations. (Xinhua/Li Ying) As outfielder Stephen Piscotty had a melanoma a cancerous tumor removed from his right ear Thursday, the team said Friday. He is expected to return to the team within a week. We believe it was caught early, hopefully as a result of Stephen being vigilant, As general manager David Forst said. Forst said that Piscotty had requested that trainer Nick Paparesta set up an appointment with a dermatologist last month. The As hold an annual skin-cancer screening for all members of their organization, and last years apparently left an impression on Piscotty. Piscotty saw Dr. Joseph Chao with Sutter Health on May 28, and according to a team news release, a suspicious mole was found. A biopsy was done and it came back positive for melanoma. On Thursday, Dr. Brian Parrett removed the melanoma at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Now Playing: As general manager David Forst discusses the prognosis for Stephen Piscotty Video: San Francisco Chronicle Forst said he traded texts with Piscotty on Thursday night and that Piscotty was doing fine, was in a good mood. In the news release, the As said melanoma has a 98 percent 10-year survival rate. The pathology report on Piscotty wont be ready until next week. As manager Bob Melvin said Piscotty hadnt told many people about his condition. He didnt want it weighing anybody down, Melvin said. ... He just wanted to get it over with, and hopefully if it went well, get back as soon as possible. In the As clubhouse Friday afternoon, utility man Chad Pinder said hed just heard the news regarding Piscotty and had texted him. Obviously, that stuff is extremely scary, Pinder said. But, were thankful they caught it when they did. We want him to rest up and get right, and then come right back and play for us. The As are hopeful they wont need to put Piscotty, 28, on the 10-day injured list; if they do, they could backdate the start of his stint to Thursday. Hes batting .250 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs this season. A Pleasanton native and Stanford alum, Piscotty joined the As before last season. He had played with St. Louis for three years, but the Cardinals agreed to trade him to Oakland in part so he could be with his mom, Gretchen, who had been diagnosed with ALS. Gretchen Piscotty died May 6, 2018, less than a year after learning she had what is called Lou Gehrigs disease. She was 55. Forst said he believes Piscotty will be at the Coliseum on Saturday. I think Stephen is well-equipped to deal with it, Forst said. Were all hoping for the best news to come later next week, but I think hes handled everything very well. Chronicle assistant sports editor Michael Lerseth contributed to this report. Steve Kroner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: skroner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveKronerSF The Touchless car wash and gas station on the corner of Divisadero and Oak streets is set to be replaced with a 186-unit apartment complex that the San Francisco Planning Commission approved Thursday. Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve the development at 400 Divisadero St., which will be by far the largest residential project on Divisadero Street or in the Lower Haight neighborhood. The approval process dragged on for five years, in part because two pieces of legislation changed the zoning and affordable housing requirements in the neighborhood. One increased the density of units allowed and the second, sponsored by District Five Supervisor Vallie Brown raised the affordable housing requirement from 12% to 20%. The Affordable Divisadero group, led by Dean Preston Browns opponent in the November election argued that even 20% is too low. He pushed to increase the affordable level to at least 33%. Planning Commissioner Richard Hillis said he would love to see a project on Divisadero that is 50% or 100% affordable, but that would be possible only if the city owned the land and subsidized the development. With a privately owned parcel and no public subsidy, 20% is as much as could be expected, he said. We havent seen any new development, to tell you the truth, along Divisadero or anywhere in the Lower Haight, he said. This project does everything we are asking (developers) to do. Many of the community members who spoke at the hearing Thursday credited developer David Kriozere with incorporating neighbors ideas. He redesigned the project several times, shrinking the apartments to squeeze more onto the site and moving the main entrance from the corner to mid-block on Oak Street. Kriozere said he took part in over 1,000 meetings about the project, including weekly beer with a developer sessions at the Madrone Art Bar, a block away from the development site. 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. Tim Seufert, a former Haight-Divisadero Neighbors and Merchants Association board member, said he doesnt like everything about the proposal, but that its just time to stop the bickering and move on. Brown said she is particularly excited about 37 affordable units that will be part of the project. Im hoping these apartments will relieve some of the pressure of the housing crisis, she said. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen A San Francisco Superior Court judge has squashed a Petaluma attorneys attempt to return a deeply controversial sculpture to Civic Center Plaza. On Wednesday, Judge Cynthia Ming-mei Lee tossed out a lawsuit filed last year by Frear Stephen Schmid, who fought vigorously against the citys efforts to take down the statue, dubbed Early Days. Schmid argued that the city violated a host of its own laws intended to protect historic works of art when it took down the statue and placed it into storage last September. The judge disagreed, ruling that Schmid failed to provide evidence that the city overstepped in removing the statue. Schmid could still appeal the ruling. The statue depicts a vaquero and a missionary standing over a fallen and nearly naked American Indian. Its one of five bronze statues that make up the Pioneer Monument, a shrine to the settling of California that sits between the Main Library and the Asian Art Museum. Critics had called for removal of the statue for more than two decades, castigating it as a perverse celebration of the subjugation of indigenous people at the hands of European settlers. But a renewed public outcry bloomed in the wake of the deadly Charlottesville, Va., demonstrations at the site of a Confederate statue. That incident sparked a national reckoning over historical monuments that, to many, glorify racial or cultural oppression. Schmid, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, long maintained that while the statue may be offensive, it should be maintained as a public resource that can teach important lessons about the horrors of the past. This lawsuit was without merit, and this ruling reaffirms that in no uncertain terms, said John Cote, a spokesman for the city attorneys office. 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. This case was about whether the city has discretion to make decisions about its public art collection, he said. By law, it does. The Arts Commission has the authority to remove artwork when it no longer meets the commissions mission, goals or guidelines, or where there is a significant adverse public reaction over an extended period of time. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle 2015 San Franciscos chief medical examiner will be taking a job next month with San Joaquin County after more than four years with the city. San Joaquin County supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a four-year agreement with Dr. Michael Hunter and his medical group beginning July 1 for $1.2 million per year. Last year, the supervisors voted to eliminate the coroners office within the county Sheriffs Office and create the office of the medical examiner. San Leandro has a long history as Californias sausage capital, where rows of operations once cased bratwurst, bangers, chorizo and the prosaic hot dog. In two weeks, Saags Products, one of the last tenants of the East Bay citys fading meatpacking district, will lay off workers as parent company Smithfield Foods closes the 41-year-old plant. Some of those workers rallied outside the facility Friday to protest what the union said was a paltry severance package. Workers are also seeking an extension of health care benefits. For years in San Leandro, thousands of residents piled onto a main drag for the annual Sausage and Suds festival, catered, of course, by the citys sausage manufacturers. The sausage industry traces back to the areas early Portuguese settlers, who brought linguica, a smoke-cured pork sausage seasoned with garlic and paprika, from the mother country. In a 1999 interview, Kathi Mosle, who bought Saags with husband Walter in 1954, said the sausage ought to replace the cherry on the citys seal, though she conceded, I dont think that would look as nice. Those days when sausage smoked out other lines of work are gone, as a low supply of industrial space has forced companies from San Leandro. Workers are scarcer, too; the unemployment rate in Alameda County now stands at 2.7%. Saags, a Bay Area institution since 1933, has its roots in a small butcher shop on Williams Street in Oakland, near the former Sears building. German and other central European migrants came in droves to buy bratwurst, weisswurst, landjaeger and the like. Later, the Mosles, a Swiss immmigrant couple, bought it and started selling their products wholesale to other stores. The Mosle family built a small sausage empire, link by link. With 70 employees by the late 1990s, Saags was the biggest sausage maker in San Leandro. The couples children took over the business and ran it until 2006, when Saags sold to the Hormel Foods conglomerate. That company sold it a decade later to Smithfield, a subsidiary of Chinas WH Group, the largest pork producer in the world. Michael Maloney / The Chronicle 1999 Saags decline follows the shutdown of Vatrans Sausages, a one-man operation whose owner worked as a dentist and made sausages on the weekends, as well as the Santos Linguisa Factory, which made headlines in 2000 when its now-deceased owner killed three government meat inspectors who were trying to serve a notice of violation at the troubled plant. Others, like Amaral & Sons Linguisa and Aidells Sausage Co., have moved operations out of the city. Spar Sausage Co. and Wycen Foods remain. On the way to closure, Saags shrank its offerings from 140 products in the 1990s to just a few varieties today. Ricardo Chavez, a maintenance technician at the plant who was laid off just a year shy of his retirement, said the plant also produces for Farmer John, a Smithfield subsidiary. Keira Lombardo, head of corporate affairs and compliance for Smithfield, said in an email that the company plans to move production to other locations. It has a plant in San Jose that processes bacon and corned beef, as well as a Southern California facility that produces sausages, hot dogs, bacon and ham, according to Smithfields website. On Friday, San Leandro workers, who are members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, gathered to protest the severance offer. John Nunes, the unions president, said Smithfield offered $500 to $1,000 based on an employees tenure. For someone who worked at Saags for 15 years, the payout would come to about $33 for every year worked, according to Nunes. They are not required by law to give severance, but its a good practice when a plant closes, said Ken Jacobs, chairman of the Labor Center at UC Berkeley. Often, youll see negotiations that give both severance and job retraining, to give back to the community. Here, theyre just walking away. Sandro Ortega from Oakland, who participated in the protest, said he worked for Saags for 19 years as a sanitation worker. I started every day at 3 in the morning, said Ortega. Now I dont know what Im going to do. Smithfields Lombardo said Thursday the payout cited by workers is completely inaccurate, but did not clarify what severance Smithfield will offer. The San Leandro plants closure will result in 81 workers losing their jobs, according to a filing with a state agency. Most of them work on the production floor. Others include mechanics, janitors and quality-assurance technicians. Chavez, the maintenance worker, was nearing his retirement when he heard Smithfield was shutting down the plant. I couldnt believe it, said Chavez, 55. After 34 years at the facility, he expects to receive $1,000 in severance, which amounts to $29 a year. The union met with Smithfield Tuesday, said Nunes. His team asked for one weeks pay for every year worked up to 16 years, according to Nunes. The union also sought three months of paid health insurance. Thats typical of severance payouts, said Jacobs, the labor professor. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The company first offered nothing, according to Nunes. They told us they dont believe in paying severance to employees, he said. Lombardo did not comment on the negotiations. Smithfield said it had lined up jobs for the workers at Safeway stores and a Tyson meatpacking plant in San Lorenzo, according to the union president. It hoped to encourage (workers) to go to work sooner by not paying severance, said Nunes. Smithfield plans to shutter the San Leandro plant by June 28. Those who are willing to relocate are eligible for jobs at other Smithfield operations, according to Lombardo. We have been working with other employers in the area that are hiring to conduct job fairs at our facility, she said. Our focus is on finding impacted employees their next job. San Leandro is also moving on. Were not really promoting ourselves as the sausage center at this point, said Katie Bowman, economic development manager for San Leandro. Mentions of the Sausages and Suds festival have vanished from the citys website, and the San Leandro Downtown Associations website says this years festival is on hold. The city is seeing other, meatier opportunities in manufacturing. A number of food companies, including Ghirardelli, the 21st Amendment brewery, and tortilla maker Mi Rancho, have facilities there, and a business incubator called Gate510 has taken the place of a former Plymouth automobile plant. San Leandro has 5,000 job openings in manufacturing, according to Bowman, accounting for 14% of all available jobs. Melia Russell is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: melia.russell@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meliarobin The rush to create Opportunity Zone funds, one of the biggest federal-tax-saving opportunities in decades, is on. The zones were created in December 2017 in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The law gave investors two separate but related federal tax breaks when they reinvest the capital gain from one investment into a fund that invests in property or businesses in designated low-income census tracts called Opportunity Zones. Its designed to spur investment in neglected areas, but many of the zones are in neighborhoods ripe for development, including parts of San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose. There are 8,700 zones nationwide, equal to 12% of all census tracts. California has 879 of them, spread across every county except Mono. Opportunity Zones, or O-zones for short, got off to a slow start because the law left many unanswered questions. But interest exploded in mid-April, after the IRS released a second set of proposed rules that answered many of them, in mostly favorable ways for developers. Congress in the past has offered incentives to invest in geographic areas. This is by far the most generous incentive they have come up with. The tax upside is incredible, said Dustin Stamper, a managing director with accounting firm Grant Thornton. But the investment still has to make economic sense. Patrick Kennedy, owner of Panoramic Interests, plans to raise an $85 million fund to help finance construction of the first phase of a giant mixed-use complex with more than 1,000 apartments next to the West Oakland BART Station. His firm purchased the land in 2016, before O-zones were a thing. The new tax breaks will let him raise capital on a more favorable basis. It was like buying a piece of real estate that could have an oil deposit underneath it we knew nothing about, Kennedy said. Hes been approached by large, out-of-state investors who say, We want to invest in your project in West Oakland. And by the way, where is West Oakland? he said. This is one way to induce the haves to invest in the neighborhoods of the have-nots. Critics say the tax break is unlikely to help people living in the areas that need it the most. Because of the way its structured, the best places for developers to put their money is in neighborhoods that are already gentrifying, said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow with the Tax Policy Center think tank. Building a Hilton Hotel in the middle of a dying rural city just doesnt make sense, even with the tax subsidy. To get any tax break, investors must first own an asset such as stocks, real estate, artwork or a business in which they have a capital gain. They must sell that asset and within 180 days reinvest it into a qualified Opportunity Zone fund. They can defer paying federal tax on the reinvested profit until Dec. 31, 2026, or whenever they sell the O-zone investment, whichever comes first. At that point, they must pay tax on the original investment, but 10% or 15% of their gain will be exempt from federal tax if they have held the O-zone for at least five or seven years, respectively. The second and bigger tax break comes when they exit the O-zone fund. If theyve held it at least 10 years, the entire profit is exempt from federal tax. Its the big enchilada at the end, Kennedy said. California has not conformed to the federal law, so profits on both investments are taxed as usual by the state. To get the 15% discount on the first investment, investors must reinvest the profit into an O-zone fund by the end of this year. Thats spurred a bit of a rush, even though the IRS still has not published final regulations. The fund itself must meet complicated rules and deadlines for investing the money. These rules are nuts, theyre crazy, said Michael D'Addio, a principal with the accounting firm Marcum. A big one: If the fund buys property with an existing structure, it must substantially improve it within a certain time. That generally means it must spend at least what it paid for the property, minus the land value, on renovation or new construction. It cant just buy a rental property in a zone and lease it out without making major improvements. If the fund buys empty land, there is no requirement to improve it, DAddio said. However, it must be used in a trade or business. It cant be held purely for investment, but its unclear how much development is required. A fund could also start or expand a business in an Opportunity Zone, even if it rents space there, but it also has to contend with crazy rules. Venture capitalists are setting up incubators in Opportunity Zones in places like Austin, Texas, said Andy Hart, CEO of wealth management firm Delegate Advisors in San Francisco. Most of the funds being raised today are for real estate investment. They are generally private placements, although some are open to the public and more may be coming. To invest in a private fund, you usually need to be an accredited investor, meaning you earn at least $200,000 a year ($300,000 if married) or have more than $1 million in net worth excluding your home. The funds typically require minimum investments in the six or even seven figures. Our minimum is $250,000, but our average investment size is closer to $750,000 or $800,000, said Erik Hayden, president of Urban Catalyst. His firm is raising a $250 million fund to buy properties in downtown San Joses Opportunity Zone. It has already purchased one in the Fountain Alley area for $6.9 million that will be redeveloped for office and retail. The funds investors range from a venture capitalist to a mother and daughter who inherited a condo in San Diego and sold it because they didnt want to rent it out, Hayden said. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Kennedy said the Bay Area could miss out on some Opportunity Zone investments because of its notoriously long entitlement process. His West Oakland project goes before the city Planning Commission next month. Once its approved, he plans to raise $85 million in equity capital and borrow $100 million to build the first phase, with 311 apartments and retail space. Do-it-yourself investors can form their own funds, but because of the complexity, if you are just a person with a capital gain and no experience (developing real estate), thats a heavy lift, Stamper said. That didnt discourage John Sun, who runs hedge fund Aperte Capital Partners in San Francisco. He formed his own fund to buy a small property in an Opportunity Zone just north of Sonoma. He paid about $1.1 million for two parcels that include a brake shop, tuxedo-rental store and a vacant lot, on which he plans to build a two- to four-unit residential property. Sun has a second home nearby and knows that developers have been buying property there. Ten days after he closed on the property, one offered him 20% more than he paid. Hart said he gets at least one email a day from companies pitching these funds, but his clients arent pounding the table to invest. One problem is that no one has a track record running O-zone funds. Before investing, Hart said, hed make sure the promoter has deep experience developing real estate or running successful incubators. And hed scrutinize the fees, which can be steep. Like other private-equity funds, most O-zone funds are charging 2% of assets per year to manage the fund, plus 20% of profits, sometimes over a certain hurdle rate such as 7 or 8% a year. Some levy more fees for things like property acquisition, financing, management and liquidation. Make sure you do your math: How many dollars are you going to get paid after theyve gotten paid six different ways, he said. If everything goes perfectly, Hart said, the tax break could increase your return by 3% a year. But thats a big if. The investment has to pencil on its own, said Jeff Diener, a partner with law firm DLA Piper. If you dont have a fundamentally sound investment to begin with, I would not rely on this tax treatment to get you over the tipping point. Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender In 1953, Congress opened a debate on whether to destroy 27 large murals at Rincon Annex, the Streamline Moderne building on Mission Street that at the time was a post office. As The Chronicle wrote, It was the first instance of the death penalty being asked for paintings in a congressional action. The murals by artist Anton Refregier, a sweeping, warts-and-all depiction of the history of San Francisco commissioned 13 years earlier by a New Deal federal arts program, had been attacked for years by right-wing groups that considered them subversive, communistic and insufficiently celebratory of the citys and states glorious past. In 1948, the federal Public Buildings Administration stepped into the controversy, ordering Refregier to remove a proposed portrait of the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the murals climactic panel. As noted in the previous Portals, this censorship was clearly prompted by a sense that Roosevelt, whose legacy was under attack by the GOP, was too controversial a figure to appear in publicly funded art. The mural debate took place as anti-communist sentiments were reaching a fever pitch. Sen. Joseph McCarthys red-hunting crusade would come crashing down after the Army hearings of 1954. But at the time of the congressional hearings on the murals, the Wisconsin senators witch hunt was in full swing. Preliminary skirmishing began several months before the May 1953 hearings. M.C. Herman of the Veterans of Foreign Wars said the murals depicted episodes regarded as a blight to an auspicious past. Waldo Postel, head of the Americanism Committee of the Grand Parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West, charged that a red book that appeared in one of the murals was evidence of subversion and communism. The Hearst press, in the form of the San Francisco Examiner, claimed that Refregier had added mule ears to his painted depiction of Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the architect who designed Rincon Annex and ordered FDR excised from one of the murals. Refregier insisted they were garlands. San Franciscos cultural intelligentsia fired back. The Chronicles art critic, Alfred Frankenstein, said it was clear that many of the patriotic organizations criticizing the murals had not actually seen them. He rhetorically asked if construction of the Bay Bridge or the recovery after the 1906 earthquake and fire, both depicted in the murals, were blights on the citys past. And he mocked Postels suggestion that the red book was a secret communist message, writing, If red book designs are evidence of subversion, then 9/10th of all books would have to be destroyed, including the ones in Postels library. Refregier defended himself vigorously. In a letter to Frankenstein, he wrote, We rejected long ago, while on the federal arts projects, the meaningless type of mural painting where the pioneer dressed in the Hollywood fashion, shaved and manicured, would be briskly walking along guided by a spirit of one kind or another, its Grecian garments floating in the wind. This concept pays disrespect to the vitality, power, and labor of those who came before us. Peter Breinig / The Chronicle 1979 On May 1, Republican Rep. Hubert B. Scudder of Sebastopol opened the hearings, calling for the prompt removal of the subversive, slanderous and offensive paintings. The people Refregier included in the murals, Scudder said, were cadaverous characters and pot-bellied monks, with hideous faces, dwarfed heads and sadistic expressions. Quoting a little-grown group called the Society of Western Artists, which called the murals artistically bad, historically absurd and politically corrupt, Scudder asserted that Refregiers work was communist propaganda ... intended to promote racial hatred and class warfare. The panels showing the 1906 earthquake and anti-Chinese riots were too terrible, Scudder said, and the Indians depicted in the panel about Mission Dolores were too muscular. Another California Republican, Rep. Donald Jackson, a member of the House Un-American Activities Committee, then read a long list of Refregiers left-wing affiliations as well as those of fellow muralist Victor Arnautoff, who was one of the three artists on the panel of judges that originally voted to award the Rincon commission to Refregier. Opposing Scudders resolution was a formidable lineup that included both of San Franciscos congressmen, William Maillard and future Mayor John Shelley, as well as representatives of many city cultural organizations, including the three major art museums, the San Francisco Art Association, the Society of Women Artists and the Metal Arts Guild. Shelley said that the murals were historically authentic and that opponents were seeking to censor unpleasant truths. If we get into that, Mr. Chairman, then we are definitely contributing to thought control and trying to build a nation of conformists, he said. More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond. A long procession of distinguished witnesses testified or wrote letters in support of the murals, including antiquarian book dealer Warren Howell, historian George Stewart and San Francisco Museum of Art head Grace McCann Morley. A committee of experts called by the California Historical Society testified that the murals were historically accurate. The murals defenders proved persuasive Scudders motion never made it out of committee. The murals stayed. When the post office was closed in 1979 and the murals were threatened again, preservationists led by Refregiers friend Emmy Lou Packard and artist Ruth Asawa organized a campaign and saved them. Today, another set of distinguished 1930s-era murals in San Francisco, Arnautoffs Life of Washington frescoes at Washington High School, is threatened, this time by pressure from the left. It remains to be seen whether the citys art establishment conspicuously silent when another work deemed objectionable by the left, the Early Days statue at Civic Center, was removed last year will rally to the defense of a controversial piece of art as vigorously as it did 66 years ago. Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. To read earlier Portals of the Past, go to sfchronicle.com/portals. For more features from 150 years of The Chronicles archives, go to sfchronicle.com/vault. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com The unanchoring of Anchor Brewing Our original craft brewery has changed radically since Fritz Maytag sold it in 2010. So who is it today? The unanchoring of Anchor Brewing Our original craft brewery has changed radically since Fritz Maytag sold it in 2010. So who is it today? A lot has changed at Anchor Brewing Co. in the last few years, but one thing hasnt: how it makes steam beer. On the second floor of the Potrero Hill brewery, built as a coffee roastery in the 1930s, workers still hand-crank the valve on the copper mash cooker, half a century old and shaped like an onion dome. In an adjacent room, steam beer, Anchors signature product, still undergoes fermentation in big, open-top steel bins. Almost all the time, the only temperature control is that chilly San Francisco Bay breeze, on which the original Anchor brewers wisely capitalized in 1896. The process is practically anachronistic. Anachronism has always been part of Anchor Brewings appeal. It was the brewery oblivious to the beer zeitgeist, known for old-fashioned styles like barleywine, porter and, quaintest of all, steam. Steam is balanced, clean, refreshing; its timeless, and its never been cool. When craft beer exploded in the nineties and early aughts with its insatiably hoppy IPAs, Anchor stayed true to its old ways. It felt like home. Which is why, to those who grew up on the local institution, these can feel like bewildering times. Anchor was Fritz Maytags, it was San Franciscos. Now, as of 2017, Californias oldest brewery is owned by Japanese beer corporation Sapporo. Anchor was always touted as the nations first craft brewery. Now the Brewers Association says it cant be called craft at all. In lieu of having a brew pub, Anchor always just offered a free tour, with beer samples. Now it charges for tours, and it has a trendy taproom, Public Taps, complete with a Skee-Ball machine and limited-edition beers like Boys N Blood, a fruited kettle sour. Suddenly it looks as if Anchor has jumped on every possible bandwagon, making beer styles you could never imagine Maytag endorsing. Meyer lemon lager? Blackberry IPA? Brut IPA? In the 45 years that Maytag owned Anchor, the brewery released just 10 beer styles. In the nine years since he sold it, its put 30 new styles into distribution and thats not counting the 60-plus beers that have shown up on the taproom menu since launching a pilot brewery in 2017. Has Anchor lost touch with its own identity? By modernizing, does it risk alienating the people who love it most? And, in an era when this city worries about these things, what part of San Franciscos identity hangs in the balance? Fritz Maytag did plenty of modernizing while he controlled Anchor, though he worked within historical frameworks. Fritz was always an innovator, says brewmaster Scott Ungermann, who joined Anchor in 2014. He saved this brewery from extinction saved a whole style of beer from extinction. The gospel of Fritz is well known. Anchor Brewing was on its last legs when Maytag, heir to the washing machine empire, bought a controlling interest in 1965. Prior to the purchase, the brewery made two styles of beer: steam and steam dark. A holdover from the scrappy days of the Gold Rush, steam beer was the low-tech solution if you didnt have refrigeration, able to ferment at warmer temperatures with lager yeast. The style already seemed quaint in 1965. The beer, by all accounts, was also not very good sloppily made and frequently spoiled. With unwavering focus, for the seven years after he bought the brewery, Maytag worked only on improving steam beer, introducing modern technology to ensure a stable, consistent product. He didnt even try to save steam dark. We had gone from the last medieval brewery in the world to the most modern small brewery in the world, Maytag told The Chronicle in 2015. So inextricable is steam beer from Anchor Brewing that many consumers mistakenly believe the brewerys name is Anchor Steam. (The company trademarked steam beer in 1981; anyone else making that style today must call it California common.) Its the ultimate blue-collar beer no fancy refrigeration needed yet also, in its way, a beer of terroir, indebted to San Franciscos uniquely limited, Goldilocks-like temperature band. The one part I really stressed to Sapporo, Ungermann says, is that steam beer absolutely has to be made right here in San Francisco. I really dont think it would work anywhere else. Fritz Maytag, 1965 Fritz Maytag, 1965 Photo: Courtesy Anchor Brewing Photo: Courtesy Anchor Brewing Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Is San Francisco's Anchor Brewing having an identity crisis? 1 / 6 Back to Gallery At the same time that Maytag was re-working steam beer, the light lager was storming the nation. The 60s and 70s were the eras of Coors Banquet, Miller Lite and Schlitz. Steam was the opposite of these beers. It was a lager, but it drank like an ale. It was amber. It was flavorful. It was homegrown. And to those who could tell the difference, it was the best alternative to the big light lager brands. Jack London drank steam beer. It was a workingmans drink. It was cheap. The country club set drank lager, Stanton Delaplane wrote in his Feb. 7, 1977, Chronicle column. Now Anchor, the only brew left from those leisurely days, gets the gold medal. It was 1972 before Maytag (and longtime brewmaster Mark Carpenter, who joined in 1971) released a second Anchor beer, and it was a porter hardly less old-fashioned than steam. Next, in 1975, came Liberty Ale, also a throwback, commemorating the bicentennial of Paul Reveres ride. Liberty Ale revived the lost art of dry hopping, a process that would come to influence a generation of craft brewers. The last time thered been cask conditioning on hops must have been the 1700s, Ungermann estimates. That doesnt mean it was state-of-the-art, though. Anchors dry-hopping process, still implemented today, consists of simply filling big mesh bags with whole-cone hops and throwing them into a tank. And 1975 was also the year that Anchor introduced Old Foghorn, the first barleywine of the modern era, and the perennially changing Christmas Ale, a precursor to the holiday beer craze still to come. For quite a while, that was it. Anchor introduced just one new beer in the 80s (summer wheat); one in the 90s (a low-alcohol English style dubbed small beer); and two in the decade preceding Maytags sale of the brewery (bock and humming ale). Meanwhile, in the early aughts, the rest of the Bay Area craft beer movement was fomenting around it, hooking customers on double IPAs with can-you-even-believe-it IBUs. Anchor remained its quaint, quirky self. Maytag sold Anchor in 2010 to the Griffin Group, a local investment firm run by two former Skyy Spirits executives, Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio. They did what any investor would do: grew the company, then sold it. Maytag must have understood that, though I dont think Fritz expected them to flip it that quickly, Ungermann says. In August 2017, Anchor was part of Sapporo. The explosion in new Anchor beer styles revved up under the Griffin Group, fully taking off around 2014. I pushed for it, Ungermann says. We needed to innovate. Many of the Anchor releases from this period have clear precedents in the contemporary craft-beer world: a series of fruited beers (Meyer lemon lager, blood orange blonde, mango wheat), a callout to 21st Amendments Hell or High Watermelon. The Double Liberty IPA, their own Pliny the Elder. But in todays craft-beer landscape, putting new recipes into glass bottles doesnt count for innovation. A defining feature of the most recent wave of local breweries the Fieldwork and Cellarmaker set is the flavor-of-the-week model, releasing new, one-time-only beers constantly, often limited to ones own taproom. Unlike these new outfits, Anchor could no longer make claims to independence. It was no longer the only alternative to Miller Lite, by a long shot. We dont get the beer geeks, says Ungermann. What always seemed most charming about Anchor its penchant for the old-fashioned started to just feel dated. Anchor Public Taps opened a few months after the Sapporo purchase in 2017. Just across Mariposa Street from the brewery, the building was originally a soy sauce factory, and for a time Maytag used it as a winery for his York Creek Vineyards. A miniature brew system next to the bar allows pilot brewer Dane Volek to experiment within plain sight of the communal tables where customers sip their beer flights. The goal of the pilot brewery is twofold: Its R&D for future year-round beers (a lot of it has been toward finding the next IPA, Ungermann says), but it also helps Anchor answer the demand for the flavor of the week in the taproom. New products bear the requisite beer-geek puns, like Draywatch IPA, named for the Golden State Warriors forward. Theyve come a long way from naming beers after the Revolutionary War. This about-face is a post-Maytag thing, not just a Sapporo thing. In fact, many of the changes that will come under the new ownership have not yet been implemented. Sales, for instance, remains to be integrated. Still, there has been turnover. Ungermann reports that every position in senior management has been vacated in the last year, except for his own. Below senior management, too, Anchors workers have shown discontent. In March, they voted to unionize for the first time in the brewerys 123-year history. In the 3 years Ive worked at Anchor, weve seen a systematic rollback in our wages and quality of life, says Garrett Kelly, who works in the fermentation department and sits on the unions bargaining committee. Their sick time was cut in half, and starting wages are lower than they were five years ago, Kelly says. Kelly emphasizes that many of these cuts were made under the Griffin Group ownership. However, with the purchase by Sapporo, weve seen them continue, he says. My personal belief is that it was an attempt to make the company more appealing to a potential buyer. The bargaining committee is currently preparing to begin negotiations with management. When you step back, its hard to keep count of all the ways in which Anchor has changed since those halcyon days of 2010. But heres the thing. Anchor needed to change. This is a tough time to be Anchor, or any midsize regional brewery for that matter. Its plans to open a taproom at Pier 48 were canceled (and its Giants-branded Mexican-style lager, Los Gigantes, discontinued). Last year, the brewery produced about 90,000 barrels of beer, down significantly from the post-Maytag peak of 150,000. Selling beer on a national scale when youre not part of the ever-consolidating AB InBev or Miller-Coors wholesale networks is becoming a Sisyphean task. But is selling beer locally when you lack the street cred of independent ownership any easier? No matter how many brut IPAs it makes, Anchor continues to defy categorization. The way we talk about beer today operates along a dichotomy that doesnt allow for much nuance: Youre either craft or youre industrial; hyper-local or hungry for world domination; an artisan or a sell-out. Anchor doesnt fit in either binary. Its owned by a big beer corporation, but not one of the big beer corporations. Its no longer craft, but its product is still made intensively by human hands. Sure, it sold out, but Anchor had sold five times already by the time Maytag bought it in 1965. As Ive written before, Anchor is the rare brewery that has always been a little bit David and a little bit Goliath. Yes, the bandwagon-jumping feels very off-brand. The roster of experimental beers coming out of the pilot brewery can read as gimmicky. Hibiscus saison, Joe-Joes cookie stout, POG kettle sour from Anchor? What happened to good old barleywine? But then again, through a certain lens, the pilot brewery is quintessential Maytag, a direct descendant of his relentless tinkering, his tireless quest to get a beer recipe just right. The pilot brewery is also a blip on the Anchor radar: Steam still represents more than half of its production. No beer better illustrates this tension than San Franpsycho IPA, which was created last year and will remain available in cans through September, to which apricot and peach puree are added during the secondary fermentation. Like the old-school Anchor beers, its intensely rooted in place, a collaboration with another beloved, homegrown institution, the Outer Sunset clothing company San Franpsycho. On the other hand, its a fruited IPA; what could be trendier? Either way, its a well-made example of that trend, with juicy aromas, bright hops and fresh, lively fruit flavors that dont veer artificial. Bitter plays off sweet, all without sacrificing a core of toasty malt that tells you its a beer. As I sit with Ungermann and pilot brewer Volek at one of the communal tables at Public Taps on a recent afternoon, we taste Voleks latest flavor-of-the-week creation, which he extracts from a tank: a salted IPA. He plans to call it Salted Cs, a pun alluding to the recipes Centennial, Calypso and Citra varieties of hops. It doesnt taste salty. The salt balances out the beers bitterness, like a light sprinkling would do for a bitter vegetable. This tastes crisp and round, with tropical fruit flavors that whisper rather than scream. It tastes good. Whats more, as gimmicky as it may sound, underneath it still tastes like clean, balanced, refreshing Anchor. What I cant stop wondering is: At precisely what moment will this demand for the bizarre in beer start to give? Pendulums never stay at one pole for long; extremes cant last. When the fever for fruited kettle sours finally breaks, I am confident that beer drinkers that San Franciscans will return to the types of beers that never go out of style. The clean, the balanced, the refreshing. You know, like Anchor Steam. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob WASHINGTON A Trump administration national security official has sought help from advisers to a think tank that disavows climate change to challenge widely accepted scientific findings on global warming, according to his emails. The request from William Happer, a member of the National Security Council, is included in emails from 2018 and 2019 that were obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund under the federal Freedom of Information Act and provided to the Associated Press. That request was made this past March to policy advisers with the Heartland Institute, one of the most vocal challengers of mainstream scientific findings that emissions from burning coal, oil and gas are damaging the Earths atmosphere. In a March 3 email exchange Happer and Heartland adviser Hal Doiron discuss Happers scientific arguments in a paper attempting to knock down climate change as well as ideas to make the work more useful to a wider readership. Happer writes he had already discussed the work with another Heartland adviser, Thomas Wysmuller. Academic experts denounced the administration officials continued involvement with groups and scientists who reject what numerous federal agencies say is the fact of climate change. These people are endangering all of us by promoting anti-science in service of fossil fuel interests over the American interests, said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann. Its the equivalent to formulating antiterrorism policy by consulting with groups that deny terrorism exists, said Northeastern Universitys Matthew Nisbet, a professor of environmental communication and public policy. The National Security Council declined to make Happer available to discuss the emails. The AP and others reported earlier this year that Happer was coordinating a proposed White House panel to challenge the findings from scientists in and out of government that carbon emissions are altering the Earths atmosphere and climate. President Trump in November rejected the warnings of a national climate change assessment by more than a dozen government agencies. I dont believe it, he said. Happer, a physicist who previously taught at Princeton University, has claimed that carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas from the burning of coal, oil and gas, is good for humans and that carbon emissions have been demonized like the poor Jews under Hitler. Trump appointed him in late 2018 to the National Security Council, which advises the president on security and foreign policy issues. The emails show Happer expressing surprise that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, a former Oklahoma congressman who once questioned mainstream climate science, has come around to accepting that science. A May 2018 email exchange between Heartlands Wysmuller and Happer calls the NASA chiefs change of heart on climate science a puzzle. The exchange calls scientifically established rises in sea levels and temperatures under climate change part of the nonsense and urges the NASA head copied in to systematically sidestep it. Happer at the time was not yet a security adviser, although he had advised the Trump Environmental Protection Agency on climate change. Ellen Knickmeyer and Seth Borenstein are Associated Press writers. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Ten people jumped into the frigid, fast-flowing Merced River on Thursday morning, hardly ever a good idea. That, said park Ranger Jason Deger, was really cold. Youre at the rivers mercy out there. The rivers going to do with you what it wants to. What the river wanted to do with Deger was dash him to pieces on a pile of gray rocks. But his friends in the yellow helmets all members of Yosemites famed search-and-rescue team were not about to let that happen. Deger and his pals were spending the day in helmets, wetsuits and life jackets, practicing how to rescue the handful of Yosemite visitors who each year ignore warnings, ignore signs, ignore all vestiges of common sense and then find themselves trapped in the deadly torrents that whoosh through Yosemite National Park like an RV bearing down on the last vacant campsite. Now Playing: The Yosemite Search and Rescue team train in Merced River at Yosemite National Park in Yosemite, Calif., on Thursday, June 13, 2019. Video: San Francisco Chronicle On Thursday, the water flowing beneath Sugar Pine Bridge was 46 degrees, which is unbearably cold, and traveling 20 mph, which is unbelievably fast. Right now, park regulars say, the Merced River is running as fast as theyve ever seen it. Its called snowmelt, and there was a lot of snow last winter. On the shore, training leader Moose Mutlow blew his whistle. Some team members jumped into the river and began waving their arms in feigned distress. Others threw ropes from the riverbank or jumped in after them. Everybody got a turn to be a victim and a hero. Even with wetsuits and life jackets, the exercise was fraught with peril. Throw the rope a split second too late, or jump in a split second too early, and the rescuers would themselves need to be rescued. We usually hear about these victims after the fact, said Chief Ranger Kevin Killian, watching the exercise from the bridge next to a sign informing park visitors that rescuers had been summoned 217 times last year to help hikers, swimmers, boaters and climbers who get themselves into minor and major jams. Yosemite gets 4.5 million visitors each year, and on a sunny June morning it can seem as if theyre all there at the same time. Most require rescuing from nothing more than high prices. But some, especially men of the late-teenage variety, sometimes cannot keep their toes out of the torrent. Visitors constantly underestimate the power of the water, Killian said. An area like Mirror Lake looks calm. Just downstream its 100% deadly. One slip on a piece of granite, and youre gone. Most of the time, Mutlow said, swift-water rescue attempts do not have happy endings. Hardly ever are rescuers with ropes standing by on shore at the key moment when a victim shoots past. In the past decade, 22 park visitors have drowned. I was only in the water for 30 seconds, and Im in a suit and flotation device, Deger said, after getting pulled to shore. His hands were shaking, his feet were dancing, and his face was white as the movie screen at a ranger slide show. I was really uncomfortable, he said. The average person would be in real trouble. The annual river rescue exercise was a sobering sight for early morning hikers on the trail to Mirror Lake. A small crowd gathered on the stone bridge to watch the young people in the yellow helmets with their ropes, carabiners and high fives. Most Yosemite ranger shows come with pretty pictures and warnings not to feed the bears. This one had action. After every rescue, the onlookers broke out in polite applause. 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. Im glad theyre doing this, said Julie Opitz, a visitor from Salt Lake City. I already know that if I went swimming out there today, it would be the last day I ever went swimming. The people who get in trouble are young males. They think theyre invincible. Like my son. Sarah Pedrosa, from Brazil, said the rescuers look like superheroes. Jack Mullis, a visitor from Santa Cruz, was watching the rescues with his 3-year-old daughter, Beatrice, who said the swimming looks like fun and began climbing on the bridge railing, just a little too high for comfort. Something like this, Mullis said, reminds you that, sometimes, a father has to keep an iron grip. He put an arm around Beatrice and pulled her off the bridge rail. This place is gorgeous, and it looks like Disneyland, but it isnt Disneyland, he said. Its the real world. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF With its Hollywood names and six-figure bribes, the college admissions scandal touching major California universities draws gasps and outrage. But the state Legislature is focusing on a far bigger educational scandal: the high costs and poor performance of for-profit colleges that attract millions of students looking for job skills and training. A package of seven bills would restore controls on an industry thats flourished via empty employment promises and federal subsidies. The results are students who are worse off than before, burdened by debt and bleak job prospects. The Trump administrations retreat from federal oversight has created a huge void that the state needs to fill. The reform bills won overwhelmingly in the Assembly and now face a critical vote before the Business and Professions Committee. The panel is chaired by Sen. Steve Glazer, an Orinda Democrat who came to the state Capitol after a 2015 election in which he cast himself as fearless in taking on special interests. His willingness to stand up to the big-bucks lobbying blitz against these reforms will be a significant test of his political mettle. Also in the spotlight is Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego. The Assembly leadership was pivotal in ensuring that none of the sneaky gamesmanship that often sinks good causes was employed against these reforms. Will Atkins and her leadership team insist on similarly fair play in the Senate? We will be watching. Bay Area voters should be keeping an eye on Sens. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and Bill Dodd, D-Napa. Their support at Mondays hearing will be critical, especially given the high-priced lobbying that has been enlisted to water down or defeat the measures. The world of for-profit colleges is an example of cause-and-effect politics. Major names such as Corinthian and ITT Tech closed their doors after regulators cracked down on their shoddy operations. But the Trump team, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, repealed and redirected federal policy in a way thats allowed the schools to spring back to life. The scale is enormous with more than 2 million students nationwide in an industry that takes in billions in payments. DeVos has a circle of advisers from the for-profit world to match her own belief that a galaxy of trade and job training institutions should be allowed to operate with minimal rules. Their best argument holds out the promise that students who arent interested in ivy-covered universities should have access to blue-collar degrees, tech skills or medical lab work. Ideally such education has a place, serving a population who arent on the college track and want quick entry into the working world. But the results show otherwise. Students are recruited by boiler-room tactics that reward sales agents. Jobs dont pan out. Access to federal money has rewarded schools who hand the bill to taxpayers when enrollees drop out or cant pay back loans. The victims are overwhelming low income with little education. In the spotlight: Four key senators to watch Toni Atkins Steve Glazer Bill Dodd Jerry Hill Atkins, D-San Diego, is the Senate's president pro tem; Glazer, D-Orinda, chairs the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee; Dodd, D-Napa, and Hill, D-San Mateo, serve on the committee. A hearing on the three bills is scheduled for Monday, June 17. You can find contact information for each at senate.ca.gov/senators See More Collapse Shredding the rules put in place by the Obama administration is a hallmark of the Trump era. DeVos has moved to dump a key rule that requires for-profit schools to fulfill promises of job placement. Enforcing the so-called gainful employment standard along with limits on student debt should be basic standards. The inclinations of this White House shouldnt be a mystery. DeVos may be a true believer in the benefits of charters and for-profit schools, but the president has no such doctrinaire beliefs. He paid $25 million to settle claims of fraud lodged against the for-profit Trump University. Hes presiding over an industry in which hes already played a destructive role. California lawmakers have a chance to step in, just as they have in other areas such as the environment, immigration and health care undercut by the current administration. The batch of bills establishes a basic idea: If the schools want to operate here, theyll need to follow proposed laws that largely match what existed before. Other states are watching what happens in California as they consider whether to adopt similar controls. The most prominent measure in the package may be AB1340 by Assemblyman David Chiu, a San Francisco Democrat. It would require the colleges to present students with realistic expectations about future job prospects when entering vocational programs. Federal data found 266 programs in the state produced graduates with low income levels and high loan burdens. In effect, these classrooms turn out students who have no chance of paying back their tuition for ill-suited or worthless degrees. Another bill by Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman, a Stockton Democrat, goes after the government faucet of money flowing to for-profits for ex-service members. Her bill, AB1343, would limit the amount the schools could collect in such financial aid. A third bill, AB1345, by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, a Sacramento Democrat, would ban colleges from offering their recruiters bonuses and quotas to pump up enrollment. Now its up to the Senate to follow the Assemblys lead. The proposals deserve support to protect vulnerable students and oversee an educational industry that is exploiting federal financial aid. It also sends a message to Washington that California once again is willing to take over a job that Trump has failed to do. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. Nikolsky Alexei / TNS If a foreign source has dirt on his 2020 foe, President Trump would be happy to take it. The president let it be known in interviews and on Twitter that he sees nothing wrong with milking overseas intel for political gain. Its a stunningly reckless idea, but thats Trump. Its the same breezy thinking that he has used in discounting Russias role on his behalf in 2016. Hes ignoring the Mueller report that found links between his campaign and agents of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, though no illegal conspiracy. Now Trump is open to a replay in 2020. Micromobility matters for transportation, the environment and more. California is home to some of the most congested cities in the country, and shared micromobility options such as electric scooters and bikes offer more affordable, more convenient and greener modes of transportation that reduce traffic and emissions. Millions of California residents have used bike or scooter shares, and studies show that they eliminate tens of thousands of car trips a day. California law needs to keep up with important innovations like shared electric scooters and bikes without getting in their way. Its imperative that the state Legislature get this right from the beginning. Unfortunately, a bill before lawmakers would seriously and unnecessarily inhibit shared scooters and bikes. AB1286, by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance (Los Angeles County), focuses on scooter and e-bike safety but would invite a flurry of frivolous lawsuits. The legislation, passed by the Assembly last month, would prohibit scooter and bike share companies from including waiver or release provisions in their user agreements. These waivers are standard contractual clauses designed to protect companies from liability for accidents caused through no fault of their own. If youve rented a bouncy house for a birthday party or gone whale watching, youve probably signed one. These protections make it possible for many industries to exist, protecting them from frivolous lawsuits for behavior or conditions that are out of their control. California law already protects consumers by addressing the scope of such waivers. Ignoring this, AB1286 would rewrite state law for these companies alone by making them responsible for risks taken by riders. Under this bill, a bicycle share operator, for example, would not be able to require riders to waive liability resulting from their own recklessness. No other consumer industry is subject to such a provision. California upholds waivers of liability for skydiving, motorcycle racing, rental cars and more. There is no reason for shared micromobility to be singled out in this way. Scooter and bike riders can and should assume the risk that comes with using these devices because only they can control whether they ride safely or not. The companies have no way of exerting control over them and do not deserve full legal responsibility for accidents they may cause. AB1286 also unjustly targets bike and scooter shares through heightened insurance mandates. These companies already negotiate high-rate insurance policies with cities that hold them accountable for accidents and injuries arising from their negligence. But this bill attempts to set insurance requirements well above those facing comparable industries without justification. The state Senate should correct these unfair and burdensome provisions to ensure that California takes advantage of all the benefits of these transportation options while protecting the people who use them. Jason Baker is vice president of transportation, housing and community development for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He previously served on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Trumpian economic nationalism is a zero-sum game in which the industries of the future are dominated either by China or by the United States. We win or they win. The loudest opposition so far has come from multinational American corporations and their Republican shills in Congress who dont want tariffs stopping them from making bundles of money around the world. So is this really the choice Trumps zero-sum economic nationalism or unfettered free trade? No. In the 1980s, America debated a third alternative. The phrase then was industrial policy putting national resources (government spending on research and development, along with tax subsidies and export incentives) behind emerging industries while making sure American workers got the resulting experience and jobs. Industrial policy centered on a putative deal between the American public and American business: Corporations would get extra resources to grow bigger and more innovative. In return, those corporations would create high-paying jobs in America and focus on sectors promising the greatest social returns. This wasnt laissez-faire economics, but nor was it zero-sum economic nationalism. Americas investments in its workers and leading-edge industries wouldnt prevent other nations from making similar investments. Such competition would be positive-sum: If all nations workers became more productive, and all socially beneficial industries grew, the Earth would be better for everyone. Those of us who advocated such a policy argued that America already had an unintentional one: Our giant defense industry had turned America into the worlds leading maker of bombs, airplanes, satellite communications, cargo ships and container ships, as well as the leader in computers, software and the internet. Our subsidies for pharmaceuticals under the National Institutes of Health were central to our dominance over new drugs. But Americas hidden industrial policy didnt necessarily benefit America. Military spending is bloated and wasteful. The NIH doesnt require drug companies using its research to invest in good jobs in America, or to hold down drug prices. Moreover, special tax breaks for oil and gas have hastened climate change. The huge 2008 bailout of Wall Street with no strings attached allowed corporate executives to prosper even as millions of Americans lost their homes and savings because of the Streets gambling addiction. State and local subsidies to lure companies (think of Amazons recent auction for its new headquarters) have merely moved jobs from one state or city to another and are ignored when a company decides it can do even better by moving elsewhere. Countries such as Germany and China have been far smarter and more open about their industrial policies. Smartness and openness go together. An open, explicit industrial policy becomes a national competitive strategy. A hidden industrial policy becomes a haven for political payoffs a form of corporate welfare. Which may be why big business in America killed off industrial policy in the 1980s. Such talk threatened to expose how much public money big business was raking in without doing anything in return. Sen. Elizabeth Warrens new Plan for Economic Patriotism, unveiled last week, marks a stunningly ambitious revival of American industrial policy. Warren, a Democratic presidential candidate, berates American companies that have no loyalty or allegiance to the nation in which they were born. These American companies show only one real loyalty: to the short-term interests of their shareholders, a third of whom are foreign investors, Warren writes. If they can close up an American factory and ship jobs overseas to save a nickel, thats exactly what they will do abandoning loyal American workers and hollowing out American cities along the way. But Warren is no zero-sum economic nationalist. She understands that globalization can be a positive force if focused on improving the conditions of a nations workforce rather than on maximizing profits. Globalization isnt some mysterious force whose effects are inevitable and beyond our control, she writes. No America chose to pursue a trade policy that prioritized the interests of capital over the interests of American workers. So Warren proposes expanding federal research and development, and targeting it on leading technologies. These R&D investments would be spread across every region of the country, not focused on only a few coastal cities. Even more critically, the products that emerge would be built by American workers. Her Green Manufacturing Plan proposes allocating $150 billion annually for the next decade to renewable, green, American-made energy products, along with a dramatic expansion of worker training to ensure Americans have the skills for the anticipated new jobs. Its a national investment in our future. Over the next decade, the expected market for clean energy technology in emerging economies alone is $23 trillion, she explains. It would also be good for the world. Warren calls for a Green Marshall Plan, dedicated to selling American-made clean, renewable and emission-free energy technology abroad and a $100 billion commitment to assisting countries to purchase and deploy this technology. As Donald Trump erects tariff walls and rolls back federal efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, Warren is promoting a positive economic nationalism designed both to advance Americas workers and respond to one of the most profound crises confronting the world. She reasons that if China can commit its national resources to promoting its domestic industry, through plans such as Made in China 2025, and Germany can undertake economic planning, theres no reason America cant plan a future of cutting-edge industries and good jobs. Shes right. Robert Reichs latest book is The Common Good, and his newest documentary is Saving Capitalism. When facing the inevitable question of how your children are going to spend their summer break, Lara Hitchcock has a novel idea. Disguise an activity as something else, said Hitchcock, a parent of two boys and who also provides oversight for 3,000 kids as executive director of the Presidio-Point Bonita YMCA in San Francisco. I love hiking, but my kids dont always want to hike, Hitchcock said. If I use the word hike, they dont get super excited. But if I say were going to try and see the elk (at Point Reyes), theyre in. Its a hike disguised as something else. Find that one thing that is fun, and it adds value for the whole family. For many families, the answer to how to get your child outdoors is camping. This weekend, the Great American Backyard Campout kicks off the summer for children and their families. In the Bay Area, about 100 tents with young campers will be set up near Point Bonita in the Marin Headlands as part of the event, Hitchcock said. For the YMCA, getting kids into nature is a priority. The YMCA of San Francisco serves approximately 7,000 children with summer camp programs, both day and overnight, roughly 3,500 children each day across Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties, Hitchcock said. That adds up to more than 17,000 weeks of camp over the summer, with some kids attending more than one week of camp. Two other experts, Noam Zimin of the Boys and Girls Club and author Steven Griffin, who co-wrote a series of childrens outdoors books with his daughter Elizabeth May, had other suggestions to get kids off their phones and into the outdoors. First, make sure you go. Make sure its fun. Let them bring their friends, listen to what they have to say, watch what they want to do and be willing to integrate technology. Getting there Transportation is a key to sharing outdoor adventures, according to a consensus among the experts. You have to have a way to get the kids to nature, said Zimin, who reserved a bus last month to transport 50 children to Lake Siskiyou for a youth fishing event. Local park agencies, youth organizations and even libraries can partner to transport youths to parks for nature. We try to overcome any barriers that might exist that prevent kids from getting outdoors, Hitchcock said. Even then, it often falls to parents to provide transportation, that is, to ferry kids and their friends to outdoor space, or to help them find local options, she said. At that moment, Griffin advises that parents should listen close to what their children say, he said. Too often we tell them stuff instead of listening to what they tell us. Every step of the way, you have to be tuned into them. Contacts YMCA of San Francisco: www.ymcasf.org Boys and Girls Clubs of America:, www.bgca.org Boy Scouts of America:www.scouting.org Girl Scouts of America:www.girlscouts.org Outdoor Advanced Leadership Academy: www.ymcasf.org - click on Initiatives See More Collapse Voice and choice is a mantra among youth leaders. In one example, Hitchcock said her family ventured to Ferndale (Humboldt County) last month and stayed at an old farmhouse. Instead of completing a list of planned activities in the region, her two boys and their friends instead discovered giant bales of hay. They were running around, climbing the bales of hay, Hitchcock said. Especially with our city kids, there are so many first-time experiences, and they are full of curiosity. On the drive home, Hitchcocks son Oliver, 10, said, I love being in nature, she recounted, and then as a point of reference, compared it to a computer system. He said it felt like a system upgrade, she said. My brother Bob said his evolution as a parent vaulted into a new universe when he went fishing on a river and found his two boys more interested in looking under rocks for bugs. That is what they were excited about, looking under the rocks, he said. It was a good lesson to always let kids be kids. Integrating technology Youngsters are surrounded by technology 24/7, and parents can use that as an advantage, Hitchcock said. One surprise is that turning off the phone green time, not screen time, as its called can release kids from the peer pressure of catching up on your texts, as 11-year-old Kaila described it while at the Outdoor Advanced Leadership Academy in the Suisun Marsh. Another strategy is to integrate outdoors adventures games, such as geocaching and Turf, both available as phone apps, as a way to explore and find your way in a park or wildlands. Its a way to encourage them to get out, walk, scooter, bike and explore, Hitchcock said. Never give up on their curiosity. A trip isnt about a payoff at the end for kids. Its about the things they discover along the way. On outdoor trips, Zimin said adults need to bring water and snacks. Hitchcock added that sunscreen is a must. And Griffin said each child must feel 100 percent safe at all times. He said the only way to talk to a child is seated at the same eye level, and that it can be a turnoff when huge adults talk down to them. Then, while seated, show kids how to do things, rather than tell them how to do them, and then let them try, no matter what the result. Our first instinct as parents is, Dont get dirty, dont get wet, dont do anything where you might fall, Hitchcock said. But its all exploration, healthy risk, and in the end for kids, sometimes its more fun just having permission to get dirty. At a camp last week, a little girl, Georgia, just 8 years old, showed up covered with mud and dirt, Hitchcock said. She had the biggest grin youve ever seen. Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoors writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom Facebook: www.facebook.com/tomstienstraoutdoors Upcoming political events in the Bay Area: FRIDAY Impeachment rally: Protest outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosis San Francisco office to call for President Trumps impeachment. Sponsored by Indivisible S.F. Noon, 90 Seventh St., San Francisco. More information is here. Rep. Eric Swalwell: Democratic presidential candidate in conversation at the Commonwealth Club. $30 nonmembers, $10 students. 6:30 p.m. 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. Lateefah Simon and Michael Tubbs: Racial justice advocate Lateefah Simon and Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs in a conversation to discuss politics, spirituality, justice and the future. $6-$12. 7 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. U.S.-Israel: Analysis and discussion of the heightened threats on Iran, U.S.-Israeli relations and the Palestinians, and why the latest Israeli election failed to produce a new government. Speaker is Richard Becker, author of Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire. Sponsored by the S.F. Party for Socialism and Liberation. $3-$10. 7 p.m., 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. SATURDAY Impeachment rallies: MoveOn and other groups are sponsoring pro-impeachment rallies in several Bay Area locations. A list of events is here. Women of color candidates: Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee of Oakland and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts on women of color running for office. Free. Noon, Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. More information is here. Texas congressional candidate: Mike Siegel, Democratic candidate for the House in the district now held by Texas GOP Rep. Mike McCaul, at a coffee and bagels event. Free. 10 a.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. Criminal justice reform: A discussion hosted by the Libertarian Party of San Francisco. Panelists include Matt Gonzalez, chief attorney of the San Francisco public defenders office, and Reason magazine associate editor Scott Shackford. Free. 4:30 p.m., Clickup, 580 Howard St., San Francisco. More information is here. SUNDAY Indivisible S.F.: General meeting. 1 p.m., the Womens Building, 3543 18th St., San Francisco. More information is here. MONDAY Rep. Mark DeSaulnier: East Bay Democrat holds a town hall meeting on Protecting our democracy and the Mueller Report. 6:30 p.m., Harding Elementary School auditorium, 7230 Fairmount Ave., El Cerrito. More information is here. TUESDAY Inside the real China: Frank Langfitt, NPR correspondent and author of The Shanghai Free Taxi, on the political and economic changes in China. $25 for non-Commonwealth Club members, $10 for students. Noon, 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here. JUNE 21 Stonewall anniversary: A discussion of how the Stonewall rebellion of 1969 set in motion an LGBTQ liberation movement and the struggles ahead. Sponsored by the S.F. Party of Socialism and Liberation. $3-$10. and learn how you can join the struggles ahead. 7 p.m., 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here. JUNE 22 Murrow vs. McCarthy: Screening of Good Night, and Good Luck, on the clash between CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow and Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. Sponsored by Freedom Socialist newspaper. $3-$10, light supper available for $7. 2 p.m., New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St., San Francisco. JUNE 23 Courage to Run S.F.: A celebration of women getting politically active and running for office, with a 5K run and party. Free to $40. 8:30 a.m., Pioneer Log Cabin picnic area in Golden Gate Park. More information is here. Indivisible East Bay: General meeting. 1 p.m., Finnish Hall,, 1970 Chestnut St., Berkeley. More information is here. JUNE 25 Sand and Blood: Screening of journalist John Carlos Freys documentary on Americas stealth war on the Mexico border. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12. 7:30 p.m., St. Johns Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Berkeley. More information is here. JUNE 26 Democratic debate, day one: Watch party for the first debate of Democratic presidential candidates. $10. 5:30 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. East Bay debate watch party: At Everett & Jones barbecue, sponsored by Democracy Action East Bay. Free. 5 p.m., 126 Broadway, Oakland. More information is here. George Will: Washington Post columnist in conversation about the future of conservatism with the Commonwealth Clubs Lenny Mendonca. $35 for nonmembers, $15 for students. 6:30 p.m., Marines Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco. More information is here. Information world war: Renee DiResta, fellow in media, misinformation and trust at Mozilla, on the stakes for democracies that value free speech amid efforts by state actors and and extremists to sow discord and erode shared reality. $20 for non-World Affairs Council members, $7 students. 6:30 p.m., 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. More information is here. JUNE 27 Democratic debate, day two: Watch party for the first debate of Democratic presidential candidates. $10. 5:30 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. Women in leadership: Second annual Celebrate Women in Leadership networking mixer, sponsored by the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women. An opportunity to connect with and celebrate local women in leadership. Free. 6 p.m., Zocalo Coffeehouse, 645 Bancroft Ave., San Leandro. More information is here. Digital deception: How digital deception affects democracy, where the digital political landscape is headed, and what policies and actions are needed from government, civil society, and technology companies. A discussion with Ann. Ravel, digital deception project director at MapLight and former chair of the Federal Election Commission, and Katie Joseff, research manager of the digital intelligence lab at the Institute for the Future. Free. 6 p.m., William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 2121 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park. More information is here. JULY 11 Janet Napolitano: Former homeland security secretary and current University of California president discusses her experiences with domestic security and the current situation in the U.S. $20, $10 for students. 7 p.m., Albert and Janet Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. More information is here. JULY 17 Tom Steyer: Activist and impeachment advocate in conversation. $6-$12. 6:30 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. New citizen voting: Volunteers needed to register new U.S. citizens to vote after swearing-in ceremony. Sponsored by Democracy Action. 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. More information is here. JULY 20 Political comedy: An evening of standup political comedy, featuring Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Francesca Fiorentini and Matt Gubser, hosted by the Sister District Project. $15 cover charge. 7:30 p.m., OMG, 43 Sixth St., San Francisco. More information is here. JULY 27 Rep. Lauren Underwood: The 32-year-old Illinois Democrat talks about being the youngest African American woman in Congress. $6-$12. 7 p.m., Mannys, 3092 16th St., San Francisco. More information is here. JULY 31 D.A. candidates panel: San Francisco district attorney candidates Chesa Boudin, Leif Dautch, Suzy Loftus and Nancy Tung take part in a forum sponsored by S.F. Active Citizens Impacted by Violence. Free. 6 p.m., Golden Gate University, 536 Mission St., second floor, San Francisco. More information is here. To list an event, email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com SACRAMENTO Like dozens of other Californians whose family members were killed by police, Quintus Moore traveled to the state Capitol in April to ask lawmakers to raise the legal standard for when officers can use deadly force on a suspect. After hours of testimony, the bill they were lobbying for passed out of its first legislative committee. Moore said it felt like a ray of hope that he would finally get justice for his son, who was fatally shot at a shopping mall last year by Los Angeles police. Everybody was so happy and so grateful and so thankful that we thought we were finally going to be able to have some over sight, said Moore, 60, a substitute elementary school teacher from Los Angeles. Two months later, he is seething over a compromise that proponents of the measure, AB392, negotiated with law enforcement organizations. That deal cleared the path for the measure to become law, but it has divided the activists who rallied for the bill and shared their painfully personal testimonials at legislative hearings. Some groups that originally backed the proposal, including Black Lives Matter, withdrew their support. Others swallowed their disappointment, believing that any steps toward a tougher use-of-force standard would be an improvement. Nobody thought it was going to be easy, but I thought we would win it, said Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter. She said her organization would not have signed on as a sponsor of the bill if it had been introduced in its current form. I believe that we can win more and could have won more, Abdullah said. AB392 would give California one of the strongest laws in the country on police use of force. The measure would direct officers to use deadly force only when necessary in defense of human life. It does not explicitly define what would be considered necessary, though courts could consider the actions of both police and the suspect when determining whether an officer was justified in opening fire. Current law, established by a pair of U.S. Supreme Court cases, considers lethal force to be justified if a reasonable officer in similar circumstances would have acted the same way. California police killed 172 people in 2017, the most recent year for which data are available, according to the state Justice Department, an increase of nearly 10% over 2016. The data do not distinguish between shootings and other types of force, such as blunt impact or choke holds. Law enforcement groups were intensely opposed to the original measure, arguing that it would put officers in danger by causing them to second-guess their actions. They dropped their objections after proponents scaled back some of the language, including a requirement that police exhaust all alternatives before using deadly force. The bill would now order officers, when possible, to use techniques to de-escalate the situation before shooting. Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, the San Diego Democrat who introduced the measure, said she has received a very positive response to the compromise from the public and her colleagues. The Assembly approved the bill almost unanimously last month after the deal was struck. It moves next to the Senate. Weber said she understood why some supporters were disappointed, but that you have to look at what the bill does and the greater good. When you do a bill like this, youre going to find yourself losing some people along the way, she said. The vast majority of people are still with us. Most of the families are still with us. Organizers at the Anti Police-Terror Project, an Oakland community organization, maintained their sponsorship of Webers measure after checking with the families they work with whose relatives have been shot to death by police. Co-founder Cat Brooks said she initially felt a little agitation and some sadness about the amendments, which she said showed how powerful law enforcement remains in Sacramento. She said she always knew that advocates of tougher standards would have to give up some of what they wanted in the bill, but she thought the political landscape was more favorable to their effort. The families decided it was better to get some change than none at all, she said, and did not want to bail on Weber, who has been there for us. We felt obligated to uphold their wishes, Brooks said. Brooks sees AB392 as a foot in the door to a stricter law in the future and hopes it will prompt more debate about what conduct is acceptable for police. She found it hard to accept that the compromise bill removed a definition of necessary that would have required officers to consider all alternatives to deadly force before shooting. That doesnt feel like a radical thing to ask for, Brooks said. You should have some alternatives to pulling a trigger. Activists from Black Lives Matter, however, said the changes to appease law enforcement went too far. So did Silicon Valley De-Bug , a criminal justice advocacy organization in San Jose that also dropped its support for Webers bill. There shouldnt be any middle ground with those that killed our loved ones, said Rosie Chavez, an organizer with the group. Abdullah, of Black Lives Matter, pointed to two changes that made it impossible for her organization to accept the compromise. One reinserted references to how an objectively reasonable officer would interpret a confrontation, which Abdullah said was too similar to the current standard. The other linked AB392 to another measure, backed by police groups, that would spell out new guidelines for department use-of-force policies and provide additional money for training. As Black Lives Matter, we believe that what really makes communities safe is mental health funding and housing and those kinds of things, Abdullah said. We dont want to be part of a legislative package that expands funding for police. Abdullah said that of 17 families with whom Black Lives Matter was working with to pass the bill, 15 did not support the new version. Jessica Pons / Special to The Chronicle Were disappointed, because we invested a significant amount of time, energy and resources into this, she said. But, she added, theres a level of pride, too. We feel proud of the work weve done. It wouldnt have gotten this far without us. Moore was among the family members who urged Black Lives Matter to withdraw its support. His 30-year-old son, Grechario Mack, was fatally shot by two Los Angeles police officers in April 2018 while he was carrying a knife through a mall in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood. Moore said his son, who had asked security guards for a psychiatrist, was having a mental health episode. When police confronted Mack, he took off running and the two officers opened fire, according to a review by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners. Mack fell to the ground, then sat up, reached again for his knife and began making slashing motions across his throat. Believing he was trying to stand back up, the officers each shot Mack one more time. The commission ruled in March that the officers violated department policy when they fired the final rounds, because Mack no longer posed an imminent threat. Moore wants the officers fired and prosecuted but he has not heard anything from the Police Department or the district attorneys office since the commission issued its judgment. Moore said police need to face accountability for their actions, so they will stop and think about what they are doing before they shoot a suspect. He no longer believes that can be achieved through AB392, which he compared to a toothless rottweiler trying to guard its owners backyard. What good is that? he said. What good is having a rottweiler with no teeth? Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell said Friday that hes running for president to represent a generation the country has failed. Im of a generation that see the promise of America as a broken promise, the 38-year-old Dublin Democrat said. While the country promised that each generation would live better than the last, young people weighed down by student debt are forming families later and wondering if they will ever be able to buy a house, Swalwell added. Until we get a candidate who has experienced that ... its only going to get worse, he said. Swalwells call for a new generation of leadership played well with the crowd of young tech workers at Scoop, a San Francisco company that matches commuters to carpools. As the father of two young children, who has about $50,000 in student debt and lives in rented housing, Swalwell said, he had plenty in common with his audience. These are next-generation issues, Swalwell said, which need to be decided by a candidate that will have to live with their decisions. Swalwell was quick to talk about what he would do as president On my first day in office, I would ask the Justice Department to lift the ban on indicting a sitting president, he said but hes the longest of long shots to move to the White House in 2021. A poll released this week by UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies shows him not even cracking the 1% mark in his home state, and national polls are only a touch better. But he qualified for the Democratic candidate debates later this month, where he hopes to make his mark for a national audience. I dont focus on the polls right now, he said. But Ive got a big opportunity on June 27. Speaking after a Friday night appearance at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Swalwell said he was excited about the chance to share the stage in Miami with former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the runner-up in the 2016 Democratic primary race. Were in the top 20 (candidates) now and I can introduce myself to the country, Swalwell said. Swalwell already is boosting his visibility on national issues, coming out Thursday in favor of beginning an impeachment inquiry against President Trump in the wake of the presidents statement that he would be willing to accept foreign information he could use against his political rivals. Swalwell also sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, calling Trump a national security threat and asking what the FBI will do to stop the president from using foreign information in a campaign. While Swalwell said he has been waiting for the House to put together all of the necessary information before opening the impeachment effort, the latest Trump comment showed that there was too much at stake to wait. Were busy legislating, but what is the use of legislating if we lose our democracy because of corruption at the top? he said. Swalwell declined to identify as either a progressive like Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or in the moderate mode of Biden, all front-runners in the Democratic presidential race. Im an aspirational Democrat, he said. I dont see truckers and teachers say they want socialism. They just want something else. The congressmans take on national issues reflects that political middle ground. On health care, for example, Swalwell said, I dont support single-payer, because people should have a choice of insurance. But he called for a robust public option to ensure that no one was left uncovered. Swalwell also called for universal background checks for firearms buyers and a ban on some guns. The country should ban the sale of assault weapons and buy back any that already are in private hands, leaving them only on the battlefield, he said. But the gun control measures he proposes will let you keep your rifle, keep your shotgun and keep your pistol, but take the most dangerous weapons from the most dangerous people. Swalwell also said that as president, I would fly the Pride flag at the White House for the month (of June) and at every embassy in the world, something that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has banned. At the Commonwealth Club, he was speaking to a more partisan crowd than at his earlier event, one that cheered every time he slammed Trump or the Republicans. There was loud applause when Swalwell said that he would cut the military budget to pay for some of the programs he wants to see, like infrastructure improvements and eliminating all student debt. I believe we can still be the strongest country even if we dont spend as much (on the military) as the next seven nations combined, he said, adding that he will cut back spending on nuclear weapons by rejoining weapons-control treaties and trimming back the nations nuclear arsenal. As for dealing with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell and the Republican-held Senate, which has blocked many of the initiatives proposed by House Democrats, theres only one way, Swalwell said. We have to beat him, he said to cheers. Democrats have to win seats across the nation until we have a Senate that represents the will of Americas people. There were some light moments in the earlier hour-long town hall, which was jointly sponsored by KQED and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. When asked for his all-time favorite movie, he named the 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers, prompting Carl Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley group, to quip, Were going highbrow here. John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth People line up to enter a pop-up store on the second basement floor of Lotte Department Store's Centum City branch in Busan, Friday, which launched on June 13 VTxBTS, a new perfume line-up featuring BTS, top, as models. Yonhap The second-largest South Korean city of Busan is bustling with excitement and preparations Friday as tens of thousands of fans are set to visit the city to see K-pop world stars BTS over the weekend. The septet will arrive in Busan on Saturday to throw the Busan leg of the band's "5th Muster [Magic Shop]" fan meeting/concert events at Busan Asiad Auxiliary Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. City officials expect the concerts will bring in about 45,000 ticket holders or more to the southern port city, with some 10 percent of them from outside of Korea. To greet the BTS fans, Busan devised special events featuring two BTS members born and raised here Jimin and Jungkook. Busan Harbor Bridge on Thursday was lit with purple lights, a symbolic color of BTS. Yonhap The Busan Tourism Organization put together retrospective tour courses that walk fans through the Busan neighborhoods where Jimin and Jungkook spent their childhood and attended elementary school. Information on the tour courses is available on the Naver blog of the Busan Tourism Organization. The city will also operate a special souvenir shop in front of the concert venue, merchandise featuring seagulls, a nickname of Jungkook and an animal symbolizing Busan, as well as mochi, Jimin's nickname. "We prepared a selection of Busan's local specialties that are related with BTS," the organization said. Local communities and the BTS fandom "ARMY" also draped the city with banners and posters celebrating BTS' arrival, including a set of three banners to be installed in Busan's Geumsahoedong-dong district, where Jimin spent his youth. Members of BTS arrive at the Incheon International Airport, June 10, after their European concert tour. They wore sunflower costumes to show affection toward their fan club ARMY. Yonhap For the past three years, Lexie Alford has been traveling at a fevered pace. In her race to become the youngest woman to visit all the worlds countries, shes seen some incredible sights only to leave them and continue on her journey. Here are five of the places she cant wait to return to. Democratic Republic of Congo Home to mountain gorillas, breathtaking forest and an active volcano, Alford plans to go to northeast DRCs Virunga National Park this summer. Im going to climb that volcano, for sure, she says. Virunga, the oldest national park in Africa and a world heritage site, features over 100 endangered mountain gorillas and ranger-led treks deep into the rain forest to see the animals in their natural habitats. Japan The high-speed rail network in this island nation makes hitting the countrys top tourist spots extremely easy, Alford says. And while that makes must-sees like Kyoto and Tokyo easily accessible on a short trip, Alford says, the countrys smaller, rural villages are an excellent contrast to the frenzied big cities. But really, theres one reason shes heading back to Japan so soon: It is literally the best food anywhere, she says. Pakistan Theres much more to Pakistan than you could ever see in a lifetime, Alford says. Karachi offers plenty of opportunities for exploring, she says, and the whole of southern Pakistan features sandy beaches and impressive citadels that rarely make it into travel brochures. But the mountainous north, where the subcontinent meets a wall of mountains that stretches from Pakistans Karakoram through to the Himalayas in Nepal, is among the most dramatic landscapes Alford has ever seen. Indonesia After finally managing to visit a patch of North Korea and reaching all 195 countries, Alford planned a reward trip for herself: the Raja Ampat Islands, off West Papua, in Indonesia. You cant run out of islands to explore in Indonesia, she says, but these are some of the favorites. The water is crystal clear, allowing for world-class scuba diving and snorkeling, the beaches are white sand, and you can stay in one of those tantalizing beach huts that sit on stilts above the placid seas. United States I havent been to enough states, Alford says. The Nevada City local is a big proponent of the Northern California foothills that out-of-state tourists rarely visit, but she wants to see more. Her solution: try to visit all the national parks. Its a daunting goal for a travel mortal there are 58, in total but the trek would take you through much of the West and out to Alaska and Hawaii, as well. Three of the nations major drug manufacturers sued the Trump administration Friday to block a rule that would force them to put the price of their drugs in television advertisements beginning this summer. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., by Merck, Eli Lilly and Amgen, as well as a trade group for advertisers, argues that the rule is illegal because it violates the companies First Amendment rights. It also claims that the ad disclosures, which require drug manufacturers to include the list price of any drug that costs more than $35 a month, could mislead consumers because insurers often cover the bulk of a drugs cost. We believe the new requirements may cause patients to decide not to seek treatment because of their perception that they cannot afford their medications, when in fact many patients do not pay anything near list price, said Merck, whose top-selling product is the pricey cancer drug Keytruda. Lilly, which is one of three manufacturers of insulin under scrutiny for rising list prices said the federal government had overstepped its authority. The impetus for the lawsuit is drug prices in TV ads, but the crux of it is HHS not having the authority to mandate this action, the company said, referring to the Department of Health and Human Services. The trade group, the Association of National Advertisers, was also listed as a plaintiff in the suit. Representatives for Amgen and HHS could not immediately be reached for comment. Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, announced the new rule in May, contending that forcing pharmaceutical companies to disclose their prices could push companies to lower them. If youre ashamed of your drug prices, change your drug prices, said Azar, who was a top executive at Lilly before joining the Trump administration in January 2018. Its that simple. Many drug companies, anticipating the rule, had set up their own websites with information that included list prices, as well as typical out-of-pocket costs and sources of financial assistance. Johnson & Johnson said this year that its ads would begin disclosing the list price, starting with those for the anti-stroke drug Xarelto that carries a $448 monthly list price, along with information about the typical consumer co-payment. Katie Thomas is a New York Times writer. Comic book fans have plenty of digital options to choose from these days, with apps for independents, manga and political cartoons as well as libraries from giants like DC and Marvel. But the fractured nature of the business means readers have to visit several sites to fill their needs. Enter Graphite, a free digital service from Graphic Comics that hopes to put them all under one roof. Graphite went live this week. The impetus for the company was a simple one, said Graphite CEO Michael Eng: There is no solution right now that serves comics in all its forms. The goal of the service is to offer digital comics from all formats, including the work of independent creators and major publishers, and make it all free. The content will include ads, but an ad-free service is available for a $5 monthly fee. Graphite also hopes to expand the audience of comics readers by offering material in 61 languages. But its biggest bet is on artificial intelligence, which will suggest content to readers based on their taste. On other services, recommendations are typically offered by editors, said Tom Akel, Graphites chief content officer. Ours takes into account your user behavior, what youve watched before, what the pool of people around you liked and cross references, the same way a Netflix algorithm will, he said. The Graphite team, which also includes Rick Strom, its chief technology officer, is betting that the potential for digital comics sales in the United States can grow the way they have in Japan. In 2017, digital sales in Japan climbed to $1.6 billion and for the first time surpassed print sales, which were about $1.55 billion. Overall sales in the United States and Canada in 2018 were $1.1 billion, according to estimates by ICV2, an online publication that covers pop culture, and Comichron, an online resource for comics research. Digital sales accounted for around $100 million, up about $10 million from 2017 but relatively flat the previous few years. Even though the download-to-own numbers havent been growing, the subscription side of the business has been, said Milton Griepp, chief executive of ICV2. Marvel was a pioneer in the subscription model with Marvel Unlimited, which began in 2007. It has an archive of back issues, and new releases are added six months after they are sold in stores. The DC Universe service, which began last year, offers comics as well as past films and television shows and original streaming series, but its future is reportedly being evaluated in the wake of the acquisition of Time Warner, DCs parent company, by AT&T. Neither Marvel nor DC is among the initial publishers on Graphite, but Eng said he hopes to include them eventually. We have so much premium content and brands and franchises that the public recognizes and loves that theres no lack of things in here that audiences are not already familiar with, he said. Graphite will include traditional publishers like Boom Studios, Dynamite, Papercutz, Tokyo Pop and IDW, as well as a number of popular web comics. The service will premiere with more than 10,000 series and offer a section devoted to young readers, with parental controls. Besides DC and Marvel, Graphite faces other established competitors. Among them are Comixology, which is owned by Amazon; Crunchyroll, for manga and anime; Go Comics, for comic strips and political cartoons; and Webtoon, a mobile-first service for web comics. But publishers said they are eager to work with a new service as a way to reach more readers. Filip Sablik, president of publishing and marketing for Boom, said he has no fears of taking away business from other sites like Comixology. Its free content hasnt cut into its Comixology business, he said. In fact, it has continued to grow. Graphite, Sablik said, is another opportunity to expand Booms audience. If youre going to appeal to a wider audience, you need to have more than two flavors of ice cream, he said. You might even need more than just ice cream. George Gene Gustines is a New York Times writer. By Kim Bo-eun Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung Shinhan Bank is showing prominence as the top foreign bank in Vietnam, as it continues to expand there. Shinhan Bank recorded 95 billion won in net profit last year, which is similar to the scale of net profit of Shinhan group's affiliate companies. Shinhan Bank's Vietnamese subsidiary, Shinhan Bank Vietnam, opened a branch in Ha Nam, south of Hanoi, this week. It now has 32 branches in Vietnam, the largest number among foreign banks in the Southeast Asian country. Shinhan plans to open four more by the end of this year, in the provinces of Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh and Thai Binh. Earlier this month, Shinhan Bank Vietnam opened a private wealth management center in the Phu My Hung district of Ho Chi Minh City. The PWM Phu My Hung Center is Shinhan's first branch that will focus solely on wealth management. Shinhan became the first Korean bank to set up in Vietnam in 1993, when it opened an office there. Shinhan made the office its first subsidiary in 2009. "Due to the long presence of Shinhan in Vietnam, we were able to accumulate experience and develop know-how and this was possible due to the efforts of Korean and Vietnamese employees there," a Shinhan official said. Shinhan aims to go beyond being the No.1 foreign bank and compete with major local banks. Another Shinhan group affiliate, Shinhan Card, is also performing well in Vietnam. It is the seventh-largest player in the country's credit card market, up from 12th in 2011. Shinhan Card aims to become the fifth largest by 2020. The card firm is readying for a new chapter after changing its name to Shinhan Vietnam Finance Company, following approval to acquire the Prudential Vietnam Financial Company earlier this year. It is seeking to create synergy by cooperating with Shinhan Bank Vietnam in the consumer financial services sector. From left are former President Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009), North Korea's former leader Kim Jong-il and former South Korean first lady Lee Hee-ho (1922-2019) at the Park Hwa Guest House in Pyongyang, two days before the June 15 Joint Inter-Korean Declaration, in this June 13, 2000 photo. After Lee passed away on Monday, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter of condolences delivered by his sister Kim Yo-jong to the South's National Security Office director Chung Eui-yong at the inter-Korean border, Wednesday. Korea Times file By Jung Da-min North Korea's propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri published an article Friday calling for reconciliation and confidence-building between the Koreas, a day ahead of the 19th anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration signed between then-President Kim Dae-jung and then-leader of the North, Kim Jong-il. The article urged South Korea to stop conducting its joint military exercises with the United States, calling them continuous covert hostile activities against the North's regime. It said the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises hinder the two Koreas from engaging in dialogue and cooperation, at a critical time where the inter-Korean relationship is at a crossroads between improvement and deterioration. WASHINGTON White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose tenure has been marked by a breakdown in regular news briefings and questions about the administrations credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the month, President Trump announced Thursday. Trump said hes encouraging her to run for governor when she returns home to Arkansas, where her father once held the governors seat. Sanders is one of Trumps closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining who worked on his campaign, taking on the job of advocating for and defending a president who had his own unconventional ideas about how to conduct the peoples business. At an unrelated White House event, Trump described Sanders as a warrior as he called her to the stage. Sanders, appearing emotional, said serving Trump has been the honor of a lifetime and pledged to remain one of his most outspoken and loyal supporters. Sanders, who is married and has three young children, later told reporters she wanted to spend more time with her family, but did not rule out running for public office. I learned a long time ago never to rule anything out, said Sanders, 36. She was the first working mother and just the third female White House press secretary. Under her roughly two-year tenure as chief spokeswoman for the White House, daily televised briefings led by the press secretary became a relic of the past after Sanders repeatedly sparred with reporters who aggressively questioned her about administration policy, the investigation into possible coordination between Trumps campaign and Russia, or any number of controversies involving the White House. Sanders has not held a formal briefing since March 11 more than three months ago and said she does not regret the decision to scale them back. Instead, reporters were left to catch her and other administration officials on the White House driveway after their interviews with Fox News Channel and other networks. Trump also has made it a habit to regularly answer reporters questions in a variety of settings, most notably on the South Lawn before boarding the Marine One helicopter. Her credibility has also come under question since she succeeded Sean Spicer, Trumps first press secretary, in mid-2017. The Russia report released by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in April revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim about countless FBI agents reaching out to express support for Trumps decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017. Sanders characterized the comment as a slip of the tongue uttered in the heat of the moment. Sanders said she hasnt discussed possible replacements with Trump. She said she saw no reason to delay informing the president once she had made her decision, saying her departure should give Trump time to put someone else in place before the 2020 presidential campaign heats up. Darlene Superville is an Associated Press writer. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and first lady Kim Jung-sook arrive at the Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden, June 14. Yonhap South Korean President Moon Jae-in will deliver another major speech on the Korea peace process Friday on a visit to Stockholm, his office said. In the Parliament House address with the theme of "The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and trust for peace," Moon plans to emphasize the need for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. He's expected to present Sweden as a good example. Sweden moved to develop a nuclear weapon after World War II but its nuclear program was shut down with its signing of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968. While the president unveiled his people-oriented peace vision in the Oslo Forum speech earlier this week, he will likely use the Stockholm address to urge Pyongyang to take substantive denuclearization steps. Nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States have stalled since the Hanoi summit between their leaders finished abruptly with no accord in late February. South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, left, confers Cho Sei-young an honor of appointment as Vice-Foreign Minister at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno District, June 7. Yonhap Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young has held a dinner meeting with Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine, sources said Friday, amid speculation about whether the two countries will hold a summit on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting later this month. Wednesday's meeting came less than two weeks after Cho met with the Japanese envoy on May 31 after Cho took office as vice minister. Cho, a veteran diplomat, is considered an expert on relations with Japan, and his appointment was widely considered reflecting Seoul's intention to mend frayed ties with Tokyo. Relations between the two countries have been strained seriously over an array of issues, including South Korean court rulings on victims of Japan's wartime forced labor and other matters stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea. Details of Wednesday's dinner meeting were not available. South Korean Minister of Environment Cho Myung-rae, left, met Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Yasumasa Nagamine at the ministry's main control office in Seoul, June 7. Yonhap Iranian refugee Kim Min-hyuk, 16, holds a one-man demonstration in front of the Ministry of Justice at Gwacheon Government Complex in Gyeonggi Province, to call on the government to recognize his father as a refugee, Monday, a day prior to the father's interview for the refugee status. Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun By Kim Jae-heun A 16-year-old Iranian refugee, who goes by the Korean name Kim Min-hyuk here, held a one-man relay demonstration taking turns with his friends in front of the Gwacheon Government Complex in Gyeonggi Province, where the Ministry of Justice is located, Monday, to call for the immigration authorities to also recognize his father as a refugee. Kim came to Korea in July 2010 when he was seven years old along with his father who was running his own business here. "I was very young then and I followed my friends to the church almost every week then," Kim said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday, after the demonstration. "I did not know anything about the religious beliefs in my home country and I told my aunt that I was going to church. "She cursed at me and told me to never call her back. Later, I learned that in Iran, if you change your religion, you are a turncoat and you can be sentenced to death," Kim said. Kim's middle school teacher Oh Hyun-rok, left, and Kim's friends pose with posters prior to their one-man relay demonstration in front of the justice ministry in the Gwacheon Government Complex, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Yonhap By Jung Da-min South Korean aerospace and defense firm Huneed Technologies, headquartered in Incheon, has received Maturity Level 5 (ML5) appraisal for its research center's performances under the Capability Maturity Model Integration Development (CMMI-Dev), it announced Friday. CMMI-Dev is an international standard used to grade an organization's software development process from Level 0 to 5 not given (ML0), initial (ML1), managed (ML2), defined (ML3), quantitatively managed (ML4) and optimizing (ML5). Huneed Technologies has become the only small to medium enterprise (SME) among the six domestic firms that have achieved ML5 certification, including the conglomerates LIG Nex 1, LG CNS, Korea Aerospace Industries, Hanwha System and Hanwha Corporation. Internationally, about 1,683 companies, or 9 percent of 17,973 CMMI organizations, are appraised at ML5. "Our vision for the company is to become a global supplier of ground and airborne communication systems, airborne electrical systems, and avionics systems for both defense and commercial markets," Huneed Technologies Chairman Eugene Kim said. "Attaining Maturity Level 5 status is proof that we're on the right path to achieving this vision. "It enables us to continually deliver the best product at the best value to our customers, whether it's related to R&D, engineering, and/or production services." Huneed began its CMMI journey in 2005 with ML3 certification. It obtained an ML4 in 2010 and maintained it until the company recently reached ML5. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A Montana man who didn't have a Facebook account won the right from a federal appeals court in San Francisco on Thursday to sue the social media company for sending him unwanted automated text messages. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of San Francisco that dismissed Noah Duguid's lawsuit without a trial. Duguid, of Stevensville, Mont., said in his 2015 lawsuit that Menlo Park-based Facebook sent him repeated texts in 2014 saying that his Facebook account was accessed by an unrecognized device. He claimed that violated the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits unwanted automated text and telephone messages. Duguid said he didn't have a Facebook account, never gave the company permission to use his cellphone number and was unable get a message through to Facebook asking for an end to the texts. The lawsuit seeks to be a class action on behalf of other consumers. A three-judge panel of the appeals court said Duguid's allegations were sufficient to justify allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The panel also rejected Facebook's argument that the Telephone Consumer Protection Act violated the constitutional First Amendment right of free speech. The court said one section of the law was unconstitutional, but allowed the remainder of the statute to remain in place. The section struck down by the court allowed an exception for automated calls to collect a debt owed to or guaranteed by the U.S. government. The panel said that section of the law violated the First Amendment because it was based on the content of the speech, instead of applying neutrally to all messages. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A prominent civil rights attorney will file a claim on behalf of the family of a man shot dead by Walnut Creek police, the law firm said Thursday. Attorney John Burris will file the claim on behalf of Tuan and Scott Hall, parents of Miles Hall, who was shot June 2 in a confrontation with police. Miles Hall was 23 years old and had mental health issues, which his mother apparently told police when she called them that day to say he had threatened her and would be aggressive with officers. His mother also allegedly told police that her son had a pointed metal pole and had broken a sliding glass window. Another person apparently called police to say Miles Hall was at his door with a crowbar in his hand and a bandana on. Police said when officers arrived Miles Hall was approaching another home and officers told him to drop the crowbar, but he didn't and charged at officers. According to police, officers fired beanbag rounds at Miles Hall, which had little effect and then officers opened fire. "Tragically, Miles Hall's family did everything they could to protect their mentally challenged son by using all available public services including the police yet he was shot dead by the same police they thought would protect him," Burris said in a statement. An attempt Thursday night to reach a Walnut Creek city attorney for a comment was unsuccessful. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. VACAVILLE (BCN) A Vacaville man who was shot as he sat in a parked vehicle early Tuesday morning died Thursday, Vacaville police said. Police identified the victim as 21-year-old Michael Hawthorne Jr. The shooting happened around 2:20 a.m. Tuesday in the 500 block of Robin Drive. A female in the vehicle with Hawthorne was not injured, police said. Police said shots were fired at the parked vehicle from a passing 4-door sedan occupied by three men. A detailed description of the suspects was not released. The vehicle then fled east on Robin Drive. Police are reviewing video from cameras in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred. Anyone with cameras in the Robin Drive, Poppy Circle and Meadowlark Drive areas is asked to contact detective Lisa Sampson at (707) 454-5722. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) New affordable apartments in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood will soon be home to dozens of families, some of them formerly homeless, Mayor London Breed announced Thursday. Breed and Supervisor Matt Haney celebrated the grand opening of the 143-unit affordable housing development at 626 Mission Bay Blvd. along with other city officials. Twenty-nine units will be for formerly homeless families. "This type of project is exactly what we need more of in the city," Breed said in a statement. "That is why we've proposed a $600 million affordable housing bond and why I've introduced a charter amendment to streamline the creation of 100 percent affordable housing and teacher housing so we can get more housing built faster." The new housing development is made up of 53 one-bedroom units, 47 two-bedroom units, and 43 three-bedroom units. Additionally, it's equipped with a large community room, multiple play areas and a teen gathering space, Breed's office said. Nonprofit group Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation developed the project and will also be managing it. "I hope this sends a message to our families that this city is committed to you. I look forward to more openings like this one," Haney said in a statement. According to Breed, the $600 million bond is set to be on the November ballot and would provide more funding for projects that focus on housing low-income families. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) People were scammed out of thousands of dollars when they tried to rent a home in South San Francisco recently, according to police. Police said the victims had responded to a fake online ad, which listed a real home for rent in the 300 block of Valencia Drive at a lower rental rate. The property was in fact on the market as a rental through a real estate company, but for more money, police said. The victims never met the "landlord" in person and communicated with him via text message only, according to police. The scammer convinced them to wire several thousand dollars for rent and the security deposit. The victims moved in after the scammer contacted a locksmith and had the locks to the home changed. The realtor then arrived at the house Saturday morning and discovered people had moved in. The victims of the scam were asked to vacate the property. Police advised those seeking housing to confirm the legitimacy of rental contracts and meet their landlord or realtor in person. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Santa Cruz County deputies on Thursday arrested two suspects in connection with a home invasion robbery that occurred Wednesday in Ben Lomond. Noah Benjamin Hatcher, 21, and Anthony Charles Jefferson, 31, both of Texas, were arrested on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and conspiracy, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner's Office. On Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., deputies received a call from a home in Ben Lomond and arrived to find two victims bound with zip ties inside the residence. The victims told deputies two suspects tied them up at gunpoint and took marijuana from the home. One of the victims had been beaten in the head with a gun and was later treated and released from the hospital, deputies said. Following the robbery, the suspects fled into nearby woods. Deputies, with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, were able to conduct a search of the nearby area, and the suspects were located and taken into custody. Deputies said the suspects came from Texas for a pre-arranged marijuana transaction at the victims' and planned to purchase 10 pounds of marijuana. The suspects ultimately robbed the victims of more than 30 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of $50,000. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. During emotional proceedings Thursday afternoon in a Pittsburg courtroom, a man pleaded not guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in connection with a solo-collision that killed his girlfriend Sunday morning. Maria Granados, a 23-year-old resident of Vallejo, died after a solo-crash reported just after 5 a.m. in the vicinity of Lone Tree Way and Dover Lane, in a narrow strip of unincorporated county land surrounded on three sides by Brentwood's northern city limits. John Martinez, 25, was allegedly at the wheel at the time of the crash. Investigators believe he crossed the double yellow line, veered right and went off the roadway before striking a utility pole. He appeared in the court in custody, wearing the yellow jumpsuit and rubber sandals issued to him in jail with long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. He appeared to wipe his eyes with a tissue after blowing his nose before proceedings began. When Judge Mary Ann O'Malley asked Deputy District Attorney Max Laettner to describe the nature of the allegations, the prosecutor called Martinez's actions leading up to the crash particularly heinous. Laettner alleged that Granados made some kind of effort to get herself out of the vehicle in fear for her safety while Martinez was under the influence. "He forced her back into that vehicle," Laettner said. "This is very sad, deplorable conduct on the part of the defendant," O'Malley said in response. She set bail at $250,000 and ordered Martinez to return to court June 25. There were relatives of both Granados and Martinez in the courtroom at the time of the arraignment. The victim's family could be seen crying as they left to speak with Laettner in the hallway. Copyright 2019 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. A new paradigm of material identification based on graph theory Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) and National Materials Genome Project have been launched by American and Chinese government in the past decade. One of the major goals of these missions is to facilitate the identification of materials data to speed material discovery and development. Current methods are promising candidates to identify structures effectively, but have limited ability to deal with all structures accurately and automatically in the big materials database, because different material resources and various measurement error lead to variation of bond length and bond angle. Feng Pan and his colleagues, from Peking Univerisy Shenzhen Graduate School, propose a new paradigm based on graph theory (GT scheme) to improve the efficiency and accuracy of material identification, which focuses on processing the "topological relationship" rather than the value of bond length and bond angle among different structures. In GT scheme, the researchers first simplify crystal structures into a graph, which only consists of vertices and edges, in which atoms are simplified as vertices and adjacent atoms with the actual chemical bonds are "connected" with edges. If the topological connections in the simplified graphs between two structures are the isomorphic, the GT scheme will consider them as one structure. By using this method, automatic deduplication for big materials database is achieved for the first time, which identifies 626,772 unique structures from 865,458 original structures. Moreover, the GT scheme has been modified to solve some advanced problems such as identifying highly distorted structures, distinguishing structures with strong similarity and classifying complex crystal structures in materials big data. Compared with the traditional structure chemistry methods, the GT scheme can address these iusses much more easily, which enhances the efficiency and reliability of material identification. By using this artificial intelligent technique, the researchers are trying to achieve high-throughput calculation, preparation and detection for the materials database. The GT scheme subverts the traditional material research methods and accelerates the development in material research field. ### / doi. org/ 10. 1007/ s11426-019-9502-5 This work "Identify crystal structures by a new paradigm based on graph theory for building materials big data" has been published in SCIENCE CHINA Chemistry, and the paper is available online at: https:/ The authors thank Dr. Lin-Wang Wang from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Dr. Wenfei Fan from the University of Edinburgh for their helpful discussions. This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFB0700600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21603007, 51672012), Soft Science Research Project of Guangdong Province (2017B030301013), and New Energy Materials Genome Preparation & Test Key-Laboratory Project of Shenzhen (ZDSYS201707281026184). See the article: Mouyi Weng, Zhi Wang, Guoyu Qian, Yaokun Ye, Zhefeng Chen, Xin Chen, Shisheng Zheng, Feng Pan. Identify crystal structures by a new paradigm based on graph theory for building materials big data. Sci. China Chem., 2019, doi: 10.1007/s11426-019-9502-5 This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Cooperation in economy, trade, agriculture and logistics between Vietnam and China was highlighted at a seminar in Chengdu, the capital city of Chinas Sichuan province, on June 13. The event, hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in China in coordination with Sichuans authorities, brought together representatives of nearly 200 businesses along with government officials from the two countries. In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi affirmed that China is one of Vietnams most important trade and investment partners with bilateral trade reaching 147.8 billion USD in 2018, up 21.2 percent year-on-year. He emphasized opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises and localities in Chengdu - a big economic, financial, technological and cultural centre in western China with a population of nearly 91 million, gross domestic product (GDP) at 600 billion USD and a growth rate of 8 percent in 2018. Chengdu is the gateway to Chinas western region, he said, urging Sichuan province and Vietnam to further promote their bridging role in cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and better optimise opportunities generated by the upgrading of the ASEAN-China free trade agreement. Sichuans Vice Governor Li Yunze spoke highly of the cooperation outcomes across spheres, especially economy, trade and agriculture between Vietnam and China in general, and Vietnam and Sichuan province in particular. He expressed hope for enhanced exchanges and result-oriented collaboration with Vietnamese localities in education, culture, health care and tourism. Vietnam and Sichuan should expand their trade ties and promote their cooperation in logistics, towards forming inter-regional logistics chains, he said. Li Yunze pledged to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to operate in Sichuan, and encourage high-quality businesses from Sichuan to invest in Vietnam. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh introduced Vietnams advantages and potential for high-quality agricultural production, saying the countrys agro-forestry-fishery products have been exported to over 180 markets worldwide. China is one of the major and traditional importers of Vietnamese farm produce, he said, noting that to increase the export of agro-forestry-fishery products to China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has instructed competent agencies and localities to focus on measures to meet quality and food safety requirements of the Chinese market. Following the seminar, the delegation of the MARD, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnams northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen and Vietnamese businesses visited some economic, commercial, agricultural and logistics facilities in Sichuan.-VNA By Lee Gyu-lee A Chinese man has been nabbed allegedly distributing illicit drugs in Ansan, west Gyeonggi Province, according to police and media reports, Thursday. Police said the suspect, surnamed Kim, 29, allegedly had been selling methamphetamine. He obtained the drugs from locations given by another dealer in China through the Chinese messenger app WeChat. Kim sold the drugs in Korea by hiding them in public areas such as mailboxes and gas pipes. Buyers were informed of the locations after paying for the drugs. Police said they found 389 grams of methamphetamine, worth about 150 million won, at Kim's house. Kim used phones and cars registered in the names of others to avoid getting caught. But police found him after they arrested a dealer who sold drugs he bought from Kim. Hikers walk along the DMZ Peace Trail in the demilitarized zone in Goseong, South Korea, Friday. The South Korean government opened the trails in multiple areas inside the demilitarized zone on April 27. Yonhap 'Seoul not contemplating changing regime in NK' By Kim Yoo-chul The international community is "open to discussions on easing economic sanctions on North Korea" with security guarantees from the progress of the denuclearization talks, according to President Moon Jae-in on Friday evening (KST). "The international community is ready to ease economic sanctions on North Korea and provide firm security guarantees upon the level of progress in the denuclearization talks," Moon said during his major speech in the Parliament House of Stockholm, Sweden. A day before in Oslo, Norway, Moon invited the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss pending issues ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's planned visit to Seoul at the end of this month. At that time, Moon said he was "always ready to meet Kim at any time" noting holding the fourth inter-Korean summit within this month isn't "physically impossible as Kim holds the key to whether or not to accept the suggestion." But the South Korean leader didn't elaborate further. In Hanoi, North Korea demanded the United States lift some economic sanctions affecting the everyday lives of North Koreans in exchange for dismantling its key Yongbyon nuclear complex. But Trump didn't accept the request, asking Kim to present more detailed and specific plans to disband its nuclear program, completely and verifiably. Since then, denuclearization talks between the United States and North Korea have been stalled. After the months-long deadlock, there were signs the nuclear diplomacy may be resumed after Trump said he received a "beautiful letter" from Kim, stressing the North has great economic potential. President Moon said some "very interesting messages" were included in the letter that was delivered to Trump. During the speech, President Moon demanded North Korea apply detailed and specific steps toward dismantling its nuclear program to show its "sincere willingness" to gain trust from the international community. "Until North Korea wins the trust of the international community, it should continue holding bilateral and multilateral talks. Plus, the North is also needed to move forward with various inter-Korean projects it already signed to do so as an evidence in support of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," the South Korean leader told participants. A solidarity poster that has been spreading on Korean-language social media posts this week reads "Koreans support Hong Kong's democratization." Captured from Twitter By Lee Suh-yoon A growing number of Koreans are showing their support for Hong Kong citizens' anti-extradition protests, after images of Hong Kong's smoke-filled streets and riot police firing rubber bullets and thrashing protesters flooded social media feeds this week. "I don't care if this tweet later bars me from going back to a city I love, but I have to say this. I oppose the extradition bill in Hong Kong and support the Hong Kong citizens in the streets," Ha Bo-young, a Twitter user, said in a post tagged #prayforHongKong, Thursday. Hong Kong, largely regarded as a shopping haven and modernity icon here, is lurching through events that bring back an eerie feeling of deja vu for Koreans some as recent as 2016 when police unleashed tear gas and water cannons at massive street protests against the now-ousted former President Park Geun-hye. "Police firing rubber bullets and pepper spray at citizens well, that looks like us from not that long ago," another user tweeted. Since Monday, hashtags like #AntiELAB #NoExtraditionToChina have plastered Korean-language social media posts. Also widely shared is a black poster featuring a withering orchid tree flower from Hong Kong's flag with the message "Koreans support Hong Kong's democratization" in both Korean and Chinese. Some K-pop fan accounts on Twitter even ceased their activity temporarily to show their support for the cause. Around 1 million or one-seventh of the entire Hong Kong population took to the streets last Sunday, according to protest organizers and local news outlets. Hong Kong people say the proposed extradition bill will strip its judicial independence, giving China an official path to remove political dissidents. Many Koreans went as far as to link the crackdown in Hong Kong to the Korean government's military crackdown on the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, in which hundreds were beaten, stabbed or machine-gunned to death. Some users posted side-by-side images of protesters being clubbed on the ground. Riot police fire tear gas toward protesters outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Wednesday. AP-Yonhap President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during an inter-Korean summit at the Baekwhawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang last Sept. 19. Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung It will take more time for President Moon Jae-in to generate a visible outcome as a mediator and facilitator in the stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang as the United States is still unlikely to reach a possible "one-shot big deal" with North Korea in the foreseeable future, experts said, Friday. They say the South Korean government needs to come up with a fresh way to resume the stalled nuclear talks at a time when the year-long mediating role has reached a deadlock and shows no signs of generating results in the short term. Christopher Ford, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State, recently updated Washington's position of taking such an approach during the possibly upcoming talks with Pyongyang. "It may be, moreover, that such a one-time solution set can sometimes be generated within the nonproliferation enterprise itself," he said in an address at the American Academy for Strategic Education. The remarks conflict with the North's preferred stance of seeking to engage in incremental approaches having the United States in the nuclear disarmament talks. Pyongyang was hoping to get a limited sanctions relief from Washington in exchange for taking phased denuclearization steps. There were calls that Washington needs to take quite a flexible assessment in handling nuclear talks with the North. Renault-Samsung union should face up to harsh reality The management and labor of Renault Samsung Motors reached a tentative agreement over wages and working conditions, their second one in as many months, on Wednesday. Last month, the automaker's employers agreed with the union to freeze base pay and pay 11.76 million won ($9,940) per worker on average. However, the deal failed to earn unionists' approval. The second agreement added a "joint declaration for the co-prosperity of labor and management" to the first accord, calling for a period of peace for stable production. We would like to recognize both sides' efforts to work out a final agreement, calling off a strike and withdrawing a partial lockout. The end of the union's walkout was an inevitable decision, as a majority of members had turned their backs on the industrial action. About 65 percent of union workers reported for work despite union leaders' calls for a general strike, making it difficult to continue the walkout. The reality facing Renault Samsung is unfavorable. The Korean offshoot of French carmaker Renault S.A., unlike Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, cannot decide the models and volume of production by itself. As the company has to operate by orders from its parent company in France, Renault Samsung cannot turn out popular, lucrative models unless its production efficiency remains globally competitive. Renault Samsung has reportedly incurred losses of more than 300 billion won because of 60 partial and general strikes leading to 250 lost production hours between last October and now. The prolonged labor-management conflict cut down its annual production from 100,000 cars to 60,000. What all this illustrates is quite simple; any protracted industrial strife could lead to the co-destruction of labor and management amid the sluggish production and poor performances. The global auto industry has long been in a sweeping restructuring to pre-empt the future market, marked by AI-based, eco-friendly autonomous vehicles. Not only Renault Samsung but other domestic carmakers should realize they can be crowded out of the global market if they remain ignorant of the harsh industrial reality and behave like the proverbial big frog in a small pond. The only win-win way for employers and employees is to cooperate to remain competitive in a rapidly changing market environment. By Lee Seong-hyon I gave a talk on the U.S.-China trade war to lawmakers at the National Assembly last week. My host introduced the topic as "timely." I corrected him. "It's not a timely topic. It's a lot late for us to realize it now and discuss it here. It's like pancreatic cancer. Once you realize something is wrong and go to hospital, the doctor will tell you that you have six months left to live. We have to take the matter seriously, very seriously." First, indeed, we're heading into the Thucydides Trap. It's a not self-fulfilling wish, but reality on the ground. Face it. The essence of the U.S.-China trade war is not about "trade" but "war." It's about competition for "supremacy" for future global leadership. It is the clash of two civilizations. Kiron Skinner, the U.S. State Department's policy planning head, said it. The U.S. government toned it down later, after realizing it spooked the world. But what is, is. Things are as they are. Second, it will be a long-term process, taking one generation. Chinese leader Xi Jinping wants to realize the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" by 2049. That's when China aims to surpass the U.S. and become the sole superpower on the planet. The year is also the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The trajectory of U.S.-China relations will include momentary compromises and deteriorations, temporary agreements and then deteriorations, photo-op handshakes and then deteriorations again. It will repeat this process several times. Overall, it will look like a "downward equalization parabola" as a whole. Negotiations between the U.S. and China are not a search for a solution, but a process of divorce. Third, unlike some common anticipation, China will not surrender. Most experts in the early days of the trade war expected China to say "ouch" and give in early. They were underestimating the size of China's ambition. China sees the current state in history as a "period of strategic opportunity" to leapfrog China's development to outstrip the United States. In Xi's words, it is the period of "the big transformation that comes once in a century" (bainian wei you zhi da bianju). China sees Uncle Sam as a declining superpower under the leadership of Donald Trump, a political rookie who has been alienating allies and partners, who undermines the global governance structure the U.S. itself built, who distances himself from the very ethos of what makes America great: democracy, freedom, the rule of law and human rights. China was more than delighted when Trump didn't make any mention of human rights during his visit in November 2017. He was the first U.S. president not to do so. China saw it as a "paradigm shift" in U.S.-China relations. China is ready for a long-term competition. Although it may suffer in the short term because it is deprived of opportunities in the U.S. market, it plans to work harder to network with "the rest of the world," deepening cooperation, luring them with economic incentives and exploring exclusive opportunities. Fourth, South Korea may experience more difficult times ahead than what it underwent during the 1997 Asian financial crisis (South Koreans dub it "the IMF crisis"). The U.N. body ESCAP already predicts South Korea is likely to suffer the biggest fallout from the trade war between the U.S. and China. While "the IMF crisis" was just about a financial crisis, the U.S.-China trade war is much more than that. It also has huge implications for national security and alliances. Historically, the security of the Korean Peninsula has been most vulnerable during the process of "power transition" in neighboring powers due to its strategic location in regional geopolitics. In fact, the 1950-53 Korean War was a proxy war between the U.S. and China. The Korean Peninsula became their battlefield. I am not saying there will be a war on the Korean Peninsula again. But South Korea will suffer enough and suffer dearly. It will be an existential challenge. South Korea should take the matter very seriously. It should first examine whether its current "strategic ambiguity" between the U.S. and China will hold water and sustain the posture. The nightmare of being forced to choose between Washington and Beijing may be nearer than it thinks. It's an uncommon time for South Korea. It needs uncommon wisdom. Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute. By Baek Byung-yeul LG Electronics is expanding the number of markets where its premium appliance brand LG Signature will be made available as the company launched the high-priced appliances in Scandinavian countries. The tech company said Friday it began selling its SIGNATURE products in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. To commemorate the launch, it held a showcase event at Astrup Fearnley Museet, a contemporary art museum in Oslo, Norway, Thursday. Inviting 200 people including local dealers, reporters and high-profile figures, LG displayed seven kinds of LG SIGNATURE products including air purifiers, dryers, wine sellers and refrigerators. Torsten Valeur, a renowned Danish industrial designer who took part in design work of LG Signature products, also joined the event. "We expect LG's SIGNATURE products will meet with many Scandinavian customers. We are sure they would prefer our SIGNATURE products, manufactured based on a refined design language," an official of the company said. LG has been trying to sell its high-priced appliances in more countries. Since it launched the Signature brand in 2016, the company has been selling the products in 50 countries. It held a conference recently in Tokyo, inviting journalists and high-profile figures for a look at the refrigerators, washing machines and TVs under its SIGNATURE brand. On its home soil, LG has been selling air purifiers, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators and OLED TVs. A: According a 2018 survey from the California Association of Realtors, 93% of home buyers go to the internet as part of their home search and 50% find the home they purchased online. So working with a brokerage firm/agent that can give your property a strong online presence is imperative. As the listing agent, I assure that the property has that strong online presence. Homes I have listed for sale appear on more than 700 websites, including the most visited real estate websites in the world, like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and many more. This includes displaying the home with a detailed description, multiple professional photos and a link to a virtual tour/single property website. Additionally, Coldwell Banker was ranked as the most-visited residential real estate brand online. (145.6 million visits, per Comscore 2018 Media Trends). A strong social media presence is designed to engage and connect with buyers with more than 500,000 followers across all the major social media platforms. A professionally produced spot on ABC on Sunday afternoon is also part of the marketing plan. This also gets posted to Coldwell Bankers and my own YouTube Channel. Jeff LaMont, Coldwell Banker, 650-740-8808, jeff@jefflamont.com. A: Enhancing residential marketing and the potential sales price starts with knowing the fundamental attractions and benefits of your home and its downsides. Getting your home to trend is more than just social media, but in other channels, in conversations, in the places where people seek information and buy their next home. First establish your homes story: Accentuating the positive is the lead-in, but also be ready to position the negatives or to put them in context. How to get it to trend? Realtors and consultants often have their marketing strategy that works for them, but there are some constants across the board. Establish a dedicated website with great photos, home features, neighborhood attractions and easy contact info. Maximize your social media channels with a newsy approach to the listing and a great image, but dont overdo a particular offering that creates fatigue for your contacts. Publishing as a blog with your market insights can build a strong, search- and SEO-worthy network but keep it real. Scan other properties in the area, or in competing neighborhoods where your buyers are looking, to see whats resonating and play off of or borrow whats working. Email lists, blog postings and even snail-mail flyers have been core marketing tools but be sure to optimize them to enable more trending, such as including easy-click tools to share the information on social media. And make sure the property website you create and all your social media posts have top-trending keywords. For the small but growing niche of DIYers -- for sale by owner -- taking on the learning curve of the above-noted strategies is do-able. But if you turn to You-tube top tips and how-tos from consultants, make sure theyre strategies that work for you, and resonate in your market. Ron Heckmann, Heckmann Communications, (510) 652-5800 ron@heckmanncomms.com A: In a place like San Francisco, the word affordable is a relative term. With a median single-family home currently more than $1.6 million, buyers come to the table with an elevated level of expectations. Stack that with a massive uptick in social media, and simply put, if a home is not Instagramable, it may not receive the attention it well deserves. Making a home trend for a sale is most often referred to as staging. While this seems like it only refers to furniture, the scope of service provided covers exponentially more. The best approach is to look at this process of trending holistically. For a quick fix trend solution, most will rattle off something like repaint the walls, change out the fixtures or something basic like that. If the strategy is to get the home to trend for a sale, it may be best to start with a budget. A simple calculation is to start with 3% of the expected sale price. This budget is then used to freshen up landscaping, paint walls, update flooring, change hardware, upgrade lighting fixtures, freshen up cabinets, swap countertops and, of course, furniture. Shawn Kunkler, Compass, 415-516-3302, shawn@shawnkunkler.com. HONG KONG Fractures in the Hong Kong government widened Friday over an unpopular bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China, which has led to an uproar in the territory and the most violent street protests in years. Hong Kongs Beijing-appointed chief executive, Carrie Lam, has stridently defended the bill and denounced the protesters. But one of her top advisers and a pro-Beijing lawmaker added their voices on Friday to calls for delaying the measure evidence that Lams hard-line position may be backfiring. The discord has laid bare the unease roiling Hong Kong over what many view as increasingly brazen moves by China to curtail civil liberties in the former British territory, despite Chinas pledges to guarantee its autonomy after the handover 22 years ago. Bernard Chan, a member on a top body that advises Lam, said it would be impossible to rush through the bill, with the city on edge after street clashes punctuated by police volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters opposed to the legislation. And lawmaker Michael Tien became the first member of the legislatures pro-Beijing faction to openly call for a delay of the bills passage. If things continue to move in the wrong direction, I am worried that the government will find it harder to win the trust of its friends and I worry about Hong Kongs governance prospects, Tien wrote on his Facebook page. The remarks could signal that public pressure is forcing Hong Kongs pro-Beijing faction, which has been a staunch supporter of Lam on the extradition issue, to speak out against it. Lam, who called off a planned appearance at a technology conference Friday, has not commented on the issue since Wednesday night, when she urged the public to help restore order. Chan, the convener of the Executive Council, told a local radio station that the massive downtown street conflict between police and demonstrators on Wednesday had forced a rethink of the governments earlier plan to put the bill up for a vote by next week. The police have said they used force on Wednesday to suppress protesters who had tried to storm the territorys Legislative Council to prevent a reading of the bill. But the crackdown also left thousands of peaceful protesters choking on tear gas and many others suffering from pepper spray or injured by rubber bullets. The government later said 81 people were injured, and the authorities were heavily criticized as video that appeared to show police officers using excessive force circulated on social media. The intense public outcry against the bill comes from a fear that it would put Hong Kongs residents and visitors at risk of being detained and sent to China for trial by the countrys Communist Party-controlled courts. Underlying the opposition is a growing fear that the freedoms people in Hong Kong enjoy under the one country, two systems policy, put in place when Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, are rapidly shrinking. Mike Ives is a New York Times writer. Lam Yik Fei / New York Times HONG KONG Hong Kongs security forces faced widespread criticism Thursday over the tear gas and rubber bullets that local police used a day earlier to suppress tens of thousands of people demonstrating against an unpopular bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China. Criticism of the security forces measures came swiftly and raised the political cost for Carrie Lam, chief executive of Hong Kong, who firmly supports the bill. Debate on the legislation, which had been postponed from Wednesday to Thursday, was again postponed for at least two more days. President Trump on Friday blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but he also held out hope that implicit U.S. threats to use force will yield talks with the Islamic Republic as the Pentagon considers beefing up defenses in the Persian Gulf area. A day after explosions blew holes in two oil tankers just outside Irans territorial waters, rattling international oil markets, the administration seemed caught between pressure to punish Iran and reassure Washingtons Gulf Arab allies without drawing the U.S. closer to war. Iran did it, Trump said on Fox News Channels Fox & Friends. He didnt offer evidence, but the U.S. military released a video it said showed Irans Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to cover its tracks. Iran denied any involvement in the attacks and accused Washington of waging an Iranophobic campaign of economic warfare. A U.S. Navy team on Friday was aboard one of the tankers, the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, collecting forensic evidence, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Apparently alluding to the U.S. video, Trump said Irans culpability had been exposed. He did not say what he intended to do about it but suggested very tough U.S. sanctions, including efforts to strangle Iranian oil revenues, would have the desired effect. Theyve been told in very strong terms we want to get them back to the table, Trump said. Just a day earlier, the president took the opposite view, tweeting that it was too soon to even think about making a deal with Irans leaders. Trump last year withdrew the United States from an international agreement to limit Irans nuclear program that was signed in 2015 under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. He has since reinstated economic sanctions aimed at compelling the Iranians to return to the negotiating table. Just last month the U.S. ended waivers that allowed some countries to continue buying Iranian oil, a move that is starving Iran of oil income and that coincided with what U.S. officials called a surge in intelligence pointing to Iranian preparations for attacks against U.S. forces and interests in the Gulf region. In response to those intelligence warnings, the U.S. on May 5 announced it was accelerating the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group to the Gulf region. Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor are Associated Press writers. A giant monitor was rescued after being attacked by cruel factory workers and chased into a gutter. The 6-foot-long reptile was found cowering in a filthy storm drain with a plastic bag stuck on its tail on Tuesday (June 11) in Pathum Thani, central Thailand. Residents said the beast had been beaten by staff at nearby factory after it curiously walked into the building in search of food. Fortunately, rescue workers arrived and lifted the 49kg lizard to safety. The animal was found to have suffered broken bones, C spine fractures, and a partially broken skull. He also had blood in his eyes and his mouth was injured. Caring vet Taweesak Anunsiriwattana nicknamed the lizard 'Godzilla' and adopted him after forming a ''bond of friendship'' while saving him. The vet said: ''I feel so bad for this poor giant that was attacked by a human, so I promised to myself that I will take the best care of him until Im sure he is safe.'' Monitor lizards can sometimes act aggressively when they hurt but this one doesnt. He is very calm too. So, everyone here starts to like him and love to have him around now. Taweesak said Godzilla had suffered severe injuries when they arrived at the scene. Taweesak and his assistants rushed him to the emergency and urgently gave him antibiotics and painkillers. The monitor lizard is now recovering but still needs to be under the close observation by the team. Taweesak is keeping him at the hospital until he is fully fit. Taweesak added: Hes a very big reptile, one of the biggest Ive seen in the city. But hes friendly and very gentle. I will take care of him. Cuba Gooding Jr. was arrested Thursday (June 13) and charged with forcible touching after a woman accused him of groping her at a New York City night spot. Gooding, 51, was charged after turning himself in to investigators in the New York Police Departments special victims division. He remained in police custody and was expected to be arraigned later in the day. Goodings lawyer, Mark Heller, said security video from Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge showed no criminality on his part and will exonerate him. There is not the slightest scintilla of inappropriate conduct on his part, Heller said. When asked if Cuba was shocked by the allegations, Heller said "He was absolutely shocked." "Cuba is a very friendly, frisky type fellow, he takes pictures of people, he communicates, he doesn't turn his back on people " A 29-year-old woman told police the Oscar-winning Jerry Maguire star grabbed her breast while he was intoxicated around 11:15 p.m. Sunday. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. This includes cookies from third party social media websites and ad networks. Such third party cookies may track your use on Sharedots sites for better rendering. Our partners use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on Sharedots website. However, you can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn more Homeplus cashiers work at checkout counters at a store branch in Seoul in this file photo. Korea Times file Homeplus' operating profit plunges by 58% By Kwak Yeon-soo Wholesale and retail sectors have been struck by a series of minimum wage hikes, with their sales and earnings both deteriorating in 2018. Homeplus said Friday it posted a 7.65 trillion won ($6.38 billion) in sales from March last year to February this year, down 3.67 percent from 7.93 trillion a year earlier. Its operating profit plunged 57.59 percent year-on-year to 109 billion won during the same period. The nation's second-biggest discount chain said its weak fiscal figures are mainly attributable to the minimum wage hikes, rising retail rents and a slump in offline retail business. Its underperformance has forced Homeplus to close two stores in Gimhae and Bucheon. It closed 16 more stores temporarily for remodeling. "In general, retail businesses rely heavily on labor force. And since Homeplus is the highest paying employer compared to its rivals (such as E-mart and Lotte Mart), the minimum wage hike has prompted more spending," a Homeplus official said. "While most retailers sought curtailed employment or reduced business hours in response to the wage hike, we converted 12,000 contract workers to full-time positions," the official added. President Moon Jae-in's administration has raised its minimum wage by double-digit percentages so far, sparking a backlash from various industries. The government hiked the wage by 16.4 percent year-on-year to 7,530 won per hour in 2018, the steepest rise in 17 years. In 2019, it raised the minimum wage by 10.9 percent to 8,350 won. Graphic by Bae So-young A quick-thinking bus driver took a detour - to drive a teenage passenger to hospital after she collapsed with breathing difficulties. Narathip Mahaman was driving the vehicle on the number 21 route in Bangkok, Thailand last Sunday (June 9) when the 18-year-old began experiencing stomach pains, dizziness and chest problems. Bus driver Narathip Mahaman immediately pulled over and performed first aid on the patient while bus conductor Sittichoke Sangsawang called the rescuers for assistance. But the girl continued to feel unwell, quick-thinking Narathip then asked other passengers permission to drive back to Somdech Phra Pinklao hospital, which was located about 1km away. Footage recorded by a rescuer in the afternoon shows the orange public bus made a U-turn and arrived at the hospital entrance. Rescuers took her from the bus and led her to the patient bed and safely delivered to the emergency room. She was found to have suffered an allergic reaction to something she had eaten before getting on the bus. Speaking after, the bus officers said that it was an unexpected event but they were very glad to be able to save a persons life. Narathip said: ''She was very pale and almost fainted, so I thought it was the best to take her to the hospital but I was also afraid that other passengers might not be happy because it wasted their time. ''But instead, they were willing to help and even told me to drive there as quickly as possible. I was very happy that they were very cooperated. Narathips bus conductor, Sittichoke, added: ''As bus officers, we have to make sure that every passenger on board is safe. So taking her to the doctor was a part of our jobs too.'' This is the shocking moment a bus driver attacked a female passenger who asked him to stop using his phone at the wheel. The incident happened last Friday (June 6) in Bangkok, Thailand. Footage shows the female passenger sitting on the left after she had told the bus driver how dangerous it would be for passengers if he kept staring at his phone while driving. The thirty-two-year-old driver waited for the traffic before walking towards the woman and asking to take a photo of her. But she stopped him and followed him to his seat. The outraged passenger started hitting the man after the driver pushed her iPhone on the floor, according to the victims statement. The two were seen slapping, punching, pulling each others hair with rage. The bus conductor and some male passengers were able to separate them and calm them down. Weerapong Sookjai, the driver of a Route No 129 bus, later apologised for his behaviour, which bosses said had tarnished the reputation of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. The driver said: ''I admitted that I was very angry at the moment and I didnt think through the consequences. Im willing to take the penalty given by the company. ''The passenger told me to stop using my phone while I was driving and I became angry. I did not think I had done anything wrong but now I accept it was a mistake.'' Weerapong was taken off driving duties while bosses investigate the incident. A spokesman for the company said they were trying to resolve it privately with the passenger. Page Content Employers and their agents should not charge fees and illegitimate costs when recruiting because these fees might put workers at greater risk for human trafficking. On May 22, 2019, The International Labour Organization (ILO) published its general principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment and definition of recruitment fees and related costs. These principles include guidelines for employers and their agents on charging fees and costs in the recruitment process. Here is what employers need to know about the regulation of recruitment fees. Purpose By regulating recruiting fees, the ILO wants to prevent recruiters and employers from charging for access to employment, which can make workers vulnerable to exploitation. Much of this regulatory movement has come from groups seeking to prevent situations such as debt bondage and human trafficking. The ILO stipulates that "workers should not be required to pay for access to employment." This applies to employees currently working and job seekers. The ILO recognizes that costs related to international recruitment can be higher than the costs of in-country recruitment, and those recruited across borders may be especially vulnerable. Exceptions The ILO spells out certain costs that may ostensibly be related to employment but might be prohibited, including medical and insurance costs, as well as costs for skills and qualification tests, equipment, travel and lodging, and other administrative costs. But the ILO recognizes that, in some circumstances, exceptions can be made in the interest of workers. Those exceptions are limited to specific categories of workers and services, and the costs must be disclosed to the worker before he or she accepts a job. For instance, a highly skilled worker with the means to pay for expedited visa processing might wish to do so. The ILO also recognizes that illicit costs, such as bribery or extortion, are never permitted. Flexibility The ILO is a United Nations agency of employer, employee and national government representatives from 187 countries who set labor standards and develop guidelines that influence policy at the national level. The ILO's principles and guidance are nonbinding, which means each of the 187 countries can choose if and how to implement the guidance. The ILO defined "recruitment fees and related costs" at a meeting of experts, and its governing board adopted the definition in March 2019. The definition should be interpreted along with the general principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment, which were developed at a separate meeting. Those principles and guidelines prohibit but do not define recruitment fees and related costs. The Society for Human Resource Management was an employer representative at both meetings. [SHRM members-only toolkit: Introduction to the Global Human Resources Discipline] Various Approaches At the national level, regulations regarding recruitment fees vary widely. According to the ILO, at least 99 policies on recruitment fees and related costs have been implemented at the national level, and at least 63 of these policies have prohibited the charging of such fees to workers and job seekers. Some explanations are in general terms. For example, the United Kingdom prohibits certain license holders from charging fees for "work-finding services." Other countriesincluding Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar and Ugandahave specific, itemized lists of fees and related costs that are prohibited during recruiting. While the United States has not adopted the ILO approach, its Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council has taken a similar approach for federal contractors. In 2015, the FAR Council finalized a regulation, Ending Trafficking in Persons, that prohibits federal contractors from engaging in certain activities that the council asserts could result in trafficking vulnerabilities. Among these prohibited activities was the charging of recruitment fees, which were to be defined in a subsequent regulation. That final regulation, Combatting Trafficking in PersonsDefinition of "Recruitment Fees," was issued in December 2018 and includes a broad list of examples of prohibited fees. The regulation, however, clarifies that such fees are prohibited only when they are related to recruiting. There has also been action at the federal and state levels in Australia to address recruitment. The Australian government passed its Modern Slavery Bill 2018 in November of that year. It aims to "require some entities to report on the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains and actions to address those risks." The bill, which is modeled on the United Kingdom's Modern Slavery Act 2015, outlines mandatory reporting criteria that certain employers must include in a Modern Slavery Statement, including the organization's supply chain, what risks exist, the action the organization is taking to address and remediate them, and how the entity assesses effectiveness. The state of New South Wales has also enacted its own legislation that would affect a broader range of employers. Justin Storch, J.D., is global content strategist for the Society for Human Resource Management. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Sandy Ground, founded by the Harris brothers, was originally a farming community whose main crop eventually became strawberries because thats what would thrive in the sandy ground - hence the name. It was later in that oystermen came up from the Chesapeake Bay areas. Sandy Ground was originally called Harrisville and referred to as Little Africa. By 1850, the community founded the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which became a New York City landmark on Feb. 1, 2011, according to Sandy Ground Executive Director Sylvia Moody DAlessandro. It remains there today for all to see and has a vibrant congregation, led by its pastor, the Rev. Janet Jones. The church, at 584 Bloomingdale Road, is known to have been an essential stop on the Underground Railroad. The Sandy Ground Historical Society, which has preserved the history of Sandy Ground, can be visited at 1538 Woodrow Road. View the short video above, and youll see vintage images of the homes still there and the landmarked church, as well as images of men, oystering. If you have any visuals to share, please send them to my email at jsomma@siadvance.com. Vintage photos and video clips are welcome! Also, please let me know if there are any places youd like to see highlighted in an upcoming installment of Flashback Staten Island. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Hows everybody feeling today? In the mood for some good news? Nope, sorry, not this week. Instead youre going to get some horrible news since the happy meal department is closed at the moment. Indeed its another rich month for food recalls, another reason to grow your own food and prod chicken fritters before each bite. According to an Advance report, Tyson Foods Inc. recalled a whopping 190,757 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken fritter products that may be contaminated with hard plastic," according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). So if youre not completely turned off to chicken just yet, check out this situation of woody breast condition." Atlas of Science describes it as breast meat with significantly higher pH [that] appears yellower, likely due to reduced carbohydrate metabolism and increased fat content in muscle. When youre carving up those cutlets for parmigiana and theyre kinda woodsy, its not your imagination. Stapleton restaurant owner Silva Popaz pointed to the problem last year when she was prepping pollo. As a result, she turned to organic birds and says she hasnt had the problem since. Woodsy breast syndrome has persisted in the food chain now for over a decade, according to ThePoultrySite.com. The topic was a recent focus of a conference of U.S. poultry industry professionals. With that you ask, Wheres the beef? Oh, its in there alright, according to the New York Post. For the last few weeks, the Burger King at 736 Broadway in Williamsburg advertised the popular vegan option on its menu, even though the burger is only available in select cities, says the report. It all goes back to what your mother told you about things too good to be true" -- so true. But thats about as horrible as finding a nasty worm in a Quaker Oats brand Big Chewy granola bar, which apparently is OK because the FDA does allow some leeway due to Mother Nature -- you know -- being Mother Nature. In fact there is a whole section of Food Defect Action Levels listed on its website that some defects in food pose no hazards to the health. See what happens when you try to eat healthy? You can get worms. This serves as another reason to eat fast food. Whoops, not so fast. According to a recent Advance article, A Jacksonville, Fla., woman told a local news station that she saw a Burger King worker use a mop to clean several tables in the restaurants play area on Thursday night. (Hope youre enjoying that sammy from home, yo.) And in our last bit of horrible food news for the moment, DaddyOs in Richmond Valley is not opening any time soon, according to Greg Fosdal, principal and tenant of the space at 286 Richmond Valley Road. But with such a massive investment already on a structure that has looked ready to open for awhile, Fosdal is committed to getting his latest barbecue eatery up and running. So far the project has dragged on for two and a half years. Unfortunately Fosdal is stuck in a waiting game while the landlord continues to correct issues for the Buildings Department. In order to open the restaurant and amusement center at 286 Richmond Valley Road, the property owner must have an updated Certificate of Occupancy (CO) and a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation (PACO) for the property, said a spokesman for the Buildings Department. Some paperwork has been filed as recently as June 6 but DOB found that the applications were missing multiple required items needed for the project to move forward. The spokesman added, If the applicant wishes to proceed with the project, and open the restaurant, they are encouraged to return to DOB with a complete and code-compliant application for the proposed work. The good news is that the DaddyOs is thriving at its North Shore home -- 181 Bay St., Tompkinsville; 718-285-4096, DaddyOsBar.com. And happy hour is doing great, says Fosdal with Monday through Friday $3 drinks and half-priced wings. He is also enjoying crowds from the St. George Theatre performances who dine before or after shows up on Hyatt Street. Residual pineapples left over from the spill Saturday morning on the Staten Island Expressway that happened in May, 2014. It is a day forever stamped on the minds of borough residents who were stuck in standstill traffic over the fruitful fall. (Staten Island Advance/James Yates)Staff-Shot And thats all the awful news to dish out today. See you next time to reminisce over Staten Island Expressway food spills, new industry regulations and restaurant closures. Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached with happy or sad food news at silvestri@siadvnace.com. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Visitors to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, St. George, should remember the stunning harbor view and post-game fireworks on balmy nights. Theyll also surely remember the disappointing, sometimes downright chaotic, food service at the hometown ballfield under the tutelage of Legends Hospitality. But the Staten Island Yankees aim to change those sour experiences with a streamlined approach to eats and drinks as they operate the amenities on their own. Now guests can expect more beer varieties, a welcoming of local purveyors products and three full service concession stands -- Giovannis, Verrazzano plus Nick & Nathans. (These are all managed by Yanks management.) With Duane Hand as the director of food and beverage, the stadium features Marks Bake Shoppes cookies and brownies (Richmond), beer by Flagship Brewing Co. (Tompkinsville) and Philly Pretzel Co. of West Brighton. Uncle Louis Gs brings cherry, chocolate, jelly ring, lemon, cotton candy, rainbow and cannoli flavors along with a special blend nodding to team mascot Scooter the Holy Cow. Duane Hand is the new food and beverage manager at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, St. George. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri) Remember the moon pie with graham cracker? asked Hand. Scooter has chocolate and fudge pieces. And theres the Pizza Cone, a dense presentation of cheese and sauce in dough eaten like a tidy ice cream cone that my colleague Mark Stein declared as clean to eat. He added, You would have thought Staten Island pizzerias would have invented this by now." The cone is manufactured by Chanks, a company from Philadelphia. Stadium vice president of operations T.J. Jahn explained, It was unique ballpark fare and a unique item for Pizza Rats games. Pizza Rats are the Staten Island Yankees alter-ego that plays this season seven games starting with Opening Night on Saturday, June 15 at 7 p.m. Giovanni's is a stand at the ballpark that will be one of three full service concessions this year. Legends Hospitality is no more. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri) The Pizza Cone is $10 a pop and, says Hand, about the equivalent of two slices with the cheese and sauce melded together in a pliable dough cone. While these are a limited production the stadium contracted Lennys Clam Bar for its pizza line -- 9-inch round shipped from Brooklyn. Also on the 2019 menu are soft serve ice cream, grilled chicken sandwiches, Sabrett Hot Dogs, hamburgers, fries and other classic ballpark fare. Beers on tap this year include Flaghships Summertime Pale Ale, Blood Orange IPA and just-released Pizza Rat Pilsner in cans, Kona beer in cans plus the more ubiquitous brands of ShockTop, Bud Light and Budweiser. Aside from food options in the St. George town proper, food trucks often make an appearance in the neighborhood around the ballfield near the newly opened Empire Outlets which features a Starbucks and other brick-and-mortar eateries to come later this summer. STATEN ISLAND -- Tourists passing through the Islands ferry terminals will now have a better idea of what they can do on Staten Island before running off to catch the next boat. The Borough Presidents Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs recently launched an ad campaign at the Islands ferry terminals showing off different locations on Staten Island and food the borough has to offer on ferry boats and on the digital screens at the Whitehall and St. George Ferry terminals. The latest campaign follows the office unveiling a new branding and website for VISIT Staten Island last year encouraging residents to explore their own backyard and take advantage of programs and events around the borough. This is the first-ever marketing campaign for VISIT Staten Island with its new brand and we couldnt be happier with the messaging and visuals created by this team. We worked with local photographers Michael McWeeney and Lance Reha to capture the best of Staten Island, said Jennifer Sammartino, deputy chief of staff to Borough President Oddo, who oversaw the branding project. This campaign is designed to give people a glimpse of whats here on Staten Island and beckons visitors to go to our newly redesigned web site to learn more. Im excited to see what the impact is. As one of the most visited attractions in New York City with 90,000 daily riders, the Islands Office of Tourism said the placement of the ads at the Whitehall Terminal will allow visitors to know what there is to do on Staten Island before they got on the boat. And with the development on the Islands waterfront taking shape, the office said it expects ferry ridership to increase. The launch of the new ad campaign comes as tourists can often be seen getting off incoming ferries from Manhattan at the St. George Ferry Terminal and running off to catch the next boat. Last summer, a majority of ferry riders visiting from around the world and from the outer boroughs told the Advance they planned to ride the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and turn right back around go to Manhattan because they didnt know what to do on Staten Island. The office said it received funding for the ad campaign from a Market New York grant from Empire State Development/I LOVE NY, which is was awarded through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, in partnership with the Borough Presidents Office of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and Destination St. George. The launch of this advertising campaign serves as a great opportunity to highlight our cultural attractions, world class shopping and accommodations, restaurants, and so much more. Led by increased ridership on the Staten Island Ferry, tourism continues to grow on Staten Island and that influx of visitors will further enhance our local economy. The extra spending will result in increased jobs, wages, and tax revenues here in the borough, said Linda Baran, president & CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. Bernard Chan. Photo from the South China Morning Post By Jeffie Lam A contentious extradition bill at the centre of a political crisis in Hong Kong looks increasingly likely to be delayed, with a top adviser to the city's leader suggesting it will be impossible to rush it through the legislature. "I think it is impossible to discuss [the bill] under such confrontation. It would be very difficult," Executive Council convenor Bernard Chan said on Friday. "At the very least we should not escalate the antagonism." Chan advised Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's government to re-evaluate the situation in light of violent clashes between police and young protesters after a mass rally against the bill brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets. Chan also admitted he had underestimated the backlash from the business community over the proposed legislation, which would allow the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions that Hong Kong does not have an extradition agreement with, including mainland China. In this June 12 photo, riot police fire tear gas towards protesters outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. AP-Yonhap STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Stricter protocols need to be followed, if city schools expect to be prepared for an active shooter situation or other emergency, according to an audit published recently. New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapolis report laid out a series of safety shortcomings after the audit looked at 25 of the Department of Educationss more than 1,800 schools. The state Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act aims to keep school children and teachers as safe as possible in a time of school shootings by requiring districts to plan for the unthinkable, DiNapoli said. While its clear the New York City Department of Education takes school safety seriously, there are gaps that must be addressed. Schools large and small need to do everything possible to protect students and teachers from senseless tragedy. Five of the 25 schools sampled did not conduct the minimum number of evacuation or lockdown drills, according to the audit done from July 1, 2015 through February 15, 2019. Three of the 25 schools did not conduct their drill within the appropriate time frame during the 2016-17 school year, according to the audit. Schools are required to complete four lockdown drills and eight evacuation drills throughout the year, according to a DOE official. The specific schools that were sampled by the state comptroller are not named in the audit, and DiNapolis office did not respond to an inquiry about the schools locations. The audit found the DOEs individual school safety plans do not fully align with the states laws and regulations. The plans can be submitted up to a month after the latest allowed submission date under state regulations, and almost 2 1/2 months after the typical beginning of a school year, according to the audit. Schools also arent required to use the states safety plan template, or submit their plans to state police, instead working more closely with the NYPD. DOE spokeswoman Miranda Barbot said safety is the departments top priority, and that school plans approved by the NYPD exceed state requirements. Of the 25 school safety plans that were audited, three of them had floor plans that were not up to date. Other deficiencies included incorrect contact information for key personnel, unarmed door alarms, radios that were turned off or were not working, and some of the plans were stored in unsafe locations. The DOE is working with the city School Construction Authority to update the floor plans , and that the school safety plans are consistent with a centrally developed safety plan template. As we continue to work with NYPD on a daily basis to ensure safety at every school, were immediately implementing some of the Comptrollers findings and will take others into consideration, Barbot said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Monsignor John M. McCarthy, former pastor and administrator of St. Patricks R.C. Church in Richmond, died Wednesday in the Cardinal OConnor Clergy Residence in the Bronx, where he had lived for the last five years. He was 89. Born Aug. 9, 1929, in Manhattan, Monsignor McCarthy attended St. Josephs Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. He was ordained on May 14, 1954, and served at St. Peters R.C. Church in New Brighton from 1954 to 1973. From 1973 to 1986, he served as pastor of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini R.C. Church on Roosevelt Island. In addition to that, he served as temporary administrator of St. Josephs R.C. Church in Manhattan in 1973. Monsignor McCarthy became pastor of St. Patricks Church in 1986 and served there for 28 years. During the time, he was named a monsignor in 1990 and was the senior priest administrator from 2007 to 2010. He retired in 2014. The monsignor made it his job to shape St. Patricks interior to its original state. He returned the pews that had been replaced by chairs; he brought back the great cross that was removed in the 1980s, and he installed a new tabernacle -- all cornerstones that helped preserve the churchs integrity. Monsignor McCarthy was very concerned with the decline of parishioners and students despite $2.3 million being allocated to build up the church in the 1980s. He was proud of his church and wanted more young families to move into the neighborhood, but understood how costly real estate in the area had become. Msgr. John McCarthy makes a passionate speech about his opposition on the new Richmond town loop plan in 2003. (Staten Island Advance) Monsignor McCarthy also concerned himself with the Richmond Town Loop project, which would have potentially created congestion in the area, would have destroyed the character of the community and would have undermined the foundation of the church. He often spoke passionately against the project during mass. But, most of all, he devoted his time to the parishs children and families and his mission to bring people closer to God and the sacraments through prayer. He was very interested in Catholic education," said Monsignor Jeffrey P. Conway, pastor of St. Patricks Church. He served in the early days of his priesthood under Monsignor Farrell and, through him, became involved in schools everywhere he went. He was a very good administrator, he loved children and he loved Staten Island. He spent 47 of his 60 active years of priesthood on the Island and really loved being here. He was a person that everyone looked up to and respected because of his knowledge and his dedication to the priesthood. Monsignor McCarthy is survived by his brother, Michael, and several cousins in Ireland. The funeral will be June 24 with a mass in St. Patricks Church. Arrangements are being handled by the Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home in the Bronx. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo is actively working with the FBI as they are trying to determine the cause of death of at least seven American tourists who died in the Dominican Republic, officials said. Dominican authorities have asked for FBI assistance for further toxicology analysis on the recent Bahia Principe, La Romana cases, a statement from the Embassy, issued earlier in the week, reads. The results might take up to 30 days, the Embassy said. It is not immediately clear if the FBI will conduct the analysis on Leyla Cox, 53, a New Brighton resident whose sudden death came to light after the statement was issued. In the meantime, her son William is trying to figure out how to bring his mothers body back home. I dont know how I am going to pay to get her body back, said William on Friday. I am just trying to take it one step at the time. It is still not clear what caused the deaths, but there are some similarities. Most of the people who died are believed to have drank alcohol from minibars located in their rooms, the New York Post reported. Officials want to know who supplied the alcoholic beverages the victims drank and if the drinks had any dangerous chemicals in them, according to the Post report. Robin Bernstein, U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic, offered her condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. The safety and security of U.S. citizens that live in, work in, and visit the Dominican Republic remains our highest priority," said Bernstein. CITY HALL -- The citys pick for its 200-family homeless shelter looks like it may be in trouble. The Department of Buildings recently hit the property owner of the 44 Victory Blvd. site with a notice of unsafe building and structure order. The site also has six open city violations and has racked up $9,375 in unpaid fines. The Department of Buildings said it inspected the site late in March after it received a 311 complaint, which reported the property as vacant and open to the public. The Buildings Department said when it sent inspectors to check out they site, they found the property was the site of a building that had been partially demolished leaving a one-story metal frame and a masonry wall. The department said an opening in the fence left the property unsecured and posed a hazard to the public. The city hit the property owner with an unsafe buildings notice in late April and asked the property owner to make needed fixes to the property. But the Buildings Department said the property owner has yet to respond or pay civil penalties for failing to correct the issues, which means the property owner will have to appear at a court in Brooklyn June 20. If the property owner does not show up to next weeks court appearance, the city may seek a court order to give it the ability to demolish the building on its own. The 44 Victory Blvd. site is owned by Freehold S L Limited Partnership whose principal owner is Helm Equities, which is an affiliate of JEMB Realty Group, a company headquartered in lower Manhattan which owns properties like the Herald Center and Towers in Manhattan and 150 Broadway. Helm has not responded to requests for comment about the violations. PROPERTY SUBTENANT SUED IN 2017 FOR $8 MILLION In addition to the unsafe building violation, the site has six other open city violations mostly related to safety issues with its fence. The property owner failed to show up to two Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings hearings to address issues with its fence and was hit with a two penalties totaling $9,375 which the Buildings Department said it has yet to pay. Walgreens, through its subsidiary Walgreen East Co. Inc., reached a lease agreement with Freehold in 2012, and later subleased the property to 44 Victory Operating LLC in 2016. That third party, which is not part of Freehold, eventually failed to pay its rent, and Walgreens sued it in 2017 for $8 million. The case was eventually discontinued, and no parties involved were penalized. A spokesman for Walgreens declined to comment on the case or any other involvement they have with the property. A representative for the LLC could not be reached The nonprofit service provider WIN which will run the future shelter, headed by former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, said even though whatever is currently on the site will be demolished, Helm still needs to maintain a safe site. Any existing structures at the Victory Boulevard site will be completely demolished and the site will be transformed to feature a state-of-the-art residence for hundreds of families in need. That doesnt excuse the property owner, Helm Equities, from its responsibility to maintain a safe site during this process and our team has contacted Helm and urged the company to take all necessary steps to remedy these issues. If there are any outstanding issues on the day we take control of the property, well fix them on Day One, WIN said. WIN also said it received assurances from Helm that its construction team has taken the steps to repair and secure the fence on the property. Helm said other outstanding concerns on the site would also be addressed once the existing building on the site is demolished and that those issues would then be cleared administratively with the city. The Department of Homeless Services said it is in regular communication with the Buildings Department and noted that sometimes property owners may be required to complete repairs and renovations before a facility is deemed complete. In May, Mayor Bill de Blasio said his administration would stick with the 44 Victory Blvd. site and would not wait on other prospective properties panning out. Before that, Borough President James Oddo and Rep. Max Rose had been in discussions with the Salvation Army about giving the city a portion of its of its Bayley Seton Hospital campus to build a homeless shelter. The two were optimistic the city and the organization could come to some kind of agreement, but the city suddenly changed course after a meeting with the two and other Island elected officials at Borough Hall. In addition to the 200-family shelter, City Hall is moving forward with a 22-bed all-female shelter at Mount Loretto on a site owned by Catholic Charities. The city is still looking for a site to build a third shelter somewhere else on the Island. After making its decision final, City Hall said that if the Salvation Army agreed to eventually give a part of its property to the city, it would consider using the site for the other homeless shelters it wants to open on the Island in the future. The 44 Victory Blvd. site has been a major cause of contention in the North Shore community. Island elected officials say the city left them in the dark about its shelter plans, while residents have expressed outrage that the city is planning to bring such a massive site to an overcrowded and notoriously crime and drug ridden area set to be revitalized through the Bay Street Corridor rezoning. The Staten Island Downtown Alliance is planning to sue the city to stop the shelter from being built, but said this week it is still in the process of putting together its legal challenge against the city. COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE SHELTER SITE 11 things to know about the 44 Victory Blvd. homeless shelter Mayor makes it official: 44 Victory Blvd. will be homeless shelter; city eyes Bayley Seton for future site City to stick with 44 Victory Blvd. for homeless shelter, says it can no longer wait on other sites Salvation Army weighs giving city portion of Bayley Seton campus for alternative homeless shelter site Staten Island Downtown Alliance to sue city to stop 200-family shelter Group suing city to stop planned 44 Victory Blvd. homeless shelter asks Islanders to donate More than 400 Islanders demand answers from head of planned homeless shelters during contentious meeting Head of nonprofit overseeing North Shore shelter defends plan to bring as many as 500 homeless Community board exploring lawsuit against city to stop North Shore homeless shelter Island officials slam new homeless shelter plans, say City Hall left them in the dark City explains how it determines homeless New Yorkers are from Staten Island Island elected officials blast city over homeless shelter, say collaboration was never part of the plan Island to get homeless shelters on North and South shores, with more in the works (Reporter Paul Liotta contributed to this report.) FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 29-year-old police officer fatally shot himself in a car behind the 121st Precinct stationhouse in Graniteville in a suicide Friday afternoon, police said, sparking a massive emergency response. A source confirmed to the Advance that the officers name is Michael Caddy. A spokeswoman for the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information confirmed that the officer died following the self-inflicted gunshot wound. A DCPI spokesman on scene said that the man was removed from the scene at approximately 6:50 p.m. via an NYPD ambulance. Caddy was a member of the NYPD for six years, and was most recently an officer for the 121st Precinct. He shot himself inside a car on Wilcox Street, sources said. He was found by an off-duty officer, who called 911, according to media reports. The victim was off-duty as well, a source told the Advance. Police on the scene draped a white tarp over the vehicle, and crime scene units arrived on scene around 6 p.m. Police drape a white tarp over a vehicle where a police officer shot himself behind the 121st Precinct in Graniteville on Friday, June 14, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk) Caddy was described as a domestic violence officer, according to the New York Post. Police closed off streets in the area following the emergency response. Dozens of officers surrounded the area near the vehicle, and helicopters hovered overhead for a period of time. The incident would mark the third NYPD suicide in recent weeks, as department officials have publicly worked to combat the troubling trend. Det. Joseph Calabreses body was found in Plumb Beach, Brooklyn with an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound last week. Just a day before to Calabreses death, Steven J. Silks, 62, was found dead in a parking lot close to the 112th Precinct where he was stationed. Silks was the deputy chief of Queens North. In a video posted to Twitter last week, NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan urged members of the department to seek help if they are struggling with mental health issues. Weve lost two of our members of service due to suicide and this is something we have to talk about this isnt something that we can just keep in whispered tones and not have the conversation, he said. Continuing the conversation on mental health couldnt be more important. I want every member of the NYPD to know: you have options the department is here for you seeking help will not adversely affect your career Please share the message. It could save a life. #StopSuicide pic.twitter.com/e6RTk1FVbP Chief Terence Monahan (@NYPDChiefofDept) June 7, 2019 Staten Island hasnt been immune to the issue, either. In January of 2017, two cops on Staten Island died in suicides. Today our city is mourning the loss of another officer gone too soon," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement on Friday. Three brave members of our police force have taken their lives in recent days. All of them led lives that made their communities better. All of their lives had meaning, de Blasio said. I want every member of the NYPD to know: your city is here for you. You are not alone. Help is here. Reach out," de Blasio urged. We are working with the Police Department to continue to put resources front and center, and that our officers have every possible support, the Mayor said. --- STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Navy SEAL with roots on Staten Island would finally be allowed to join the FDNY if state legislation passes. The department rejected Special Operations Chief Shaun Donovans application because the son of Staten Island parents was deemed too old by the current state rules by 6 months and 25 days, according to an April report from the New York Post. "I always had this draw to the city, this connection, even though I never lived there, he said. When 9/11 happened, I knew I had to do something about it. Separate bills in the New York Senate and Assembly would change the number of years military personnel can subtract from their applications from 6 to 7. That would put Donovan, born Sept. 11 1981, below the disqualifying age of 29 at the time his application started in April 2017. He scored in the top 1% of the departments written exam, and passed the physical test. The New York City Council passed a home rule message Thursday urging the state legislature to pass the legislation. Donovan was born in Tuscon, Arizona, but his mother hails from Todt Hill and his father is from Bulls Head. He appealed the FDNYs decision, and it is currently under review by the citys Civil Service Commission. A spokesman for the FDNY did not comment on the state or city legislation Thursday. Donovan, whose Navy service is over in 2020, has received offers from multiple other fire departments across the country, according to the Post. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Leyla Cox traveled to the Dominican Republic to celebrate her birthday, her son said he was concerned. Ultimately, his worst fears were realized. Cox, 53, of New Brighton, died suddenly on June 10. Unfortunately she wasnt the only American who has died at the popular tourist destination in the past year. I have a right to be suspicious, her son William told the Advance. At least eight American tourists lost their lives under sudden circumstances in the Dominican Republic and officials are trying to put together a mysterious puzzle of similarities and divergences in the cases. This is what we know about them so far: MOST OF THE DEATHS OCCURRED AT RESORTS OWNED BY SAME COMPANY Four of the at least eight deaths occurred at three different resorts owned by the same company -- Bahia Principe. It is the largest hotel brand in the Dominican Republic, checking in about 700,000 costumers every year, according to a statement issued by the company. The safety and comfort of our guests and staff stand at the core of our company values, and we work daily to ensure it, the statement reads. We reiterate our firm commitment to collaboration completely with the authorities and hope for a prompt resolution. Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and wife Cynthia Day, 49, were found dead in their room at the Bahia Principe La Romana on May 30. Miranda Schaup-Werner was found dead in May at the Bahia Principe La Romana, a different hotel from the one Holmes and Day stayed at, according to the company. Yvette Monique Sport was found dead at the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana in June 2018. She went to sleep after having drinks with her fiance and never woke up. 2 DEATHS AT HARD ROCK Robert Wallace, 67, and David Harrison, 45, were found dead at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on April 12 and July 14 respectively. The safety and wellness of our guests ... is now, and has always been our highest priority. We are confident that all operational protocols were followed to ensure the safety of our guests, the company said in a statement to CNN. Will be monitoring the facts as they unfold surrounding these events. SOMETHING IN COMMON? Sources told the New York Post that officials were investigating whether the tourists were poisoned by counterfeit booze. Schaup-Werner, Wallace and Sport all drank from the minibar in their rooms and immediately fell ill, according to CNN. According to a preliminary autopsy, Schaup-Werners death was caused by a heart attack -- similar to the Cox findings -- as well as pulmonary edema and respiratory failure. Wallace had drunk a scotch before dying, his son-in-law said, and the cause of death is still being determined. The cause of death for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Bahia Principe fatalities were listed as heart attack and pulmonary edema. DEATH OF SHARK TANK STARS BROTHER POSSIBLY CAUSED BY HEART CONDITION John Corcoran, Barbara Corcorans brother, died in the Dominican Republican in April. He was found in his hotel room where he was staying with a friend, TMZ first reported. Though Corcorans death has been associated with the list of mysterious fatalities, his sister said he died of a heart attack and his death does not appear suspicious. My brother had an existing heart condition and we believed he died of natural causes, Barbara wrote in an Instagram post. FBI TO PROBE DEATHS The FBI will conduct toxicology tests on several Americans who have died. The Bureau will draw blood samples from the people who died at Bahia Principe La Romana cases. The results might take up to 30 days, the Embassy said. It is not immediately clear if the FBI will conduct the analysis on Cox, whose sudden death came to light after the statement was issued. It hasnt yet been determined if any of the deaths are connected. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Timothy Turner shouldnt expect any Oscar nominations. At least thats what a prosecutor insinuated Friday in his opening statement at the Meiers Corners residents robbery and assault trial in state Supreme Court, St. George. On April 6, 2018, Timothy Turner made his film-acting debut. (But) the evidence is going to show hes no Robert DeNiro, Assistant District Attorney Mark Palladino said, telling jurors the defendants actions were captured on surveillance videotape. Because that was the day that Timothy Turner intentionally aided and helped another person in the brutal beating and robbery of a South Beach barbershop owner. Your best witness here is really the video, Palladino said. Youre seeing the crime on video, the entire thing from beginning to end. Palladino said the video would show the strapping Turner, 32, and a gun-wielding man forcing the victim into a bathroom at Richies Barbershop at 19 Olympia Blvd. Turner had been sitting in a chair at the shop when the gunman entered, Palladino said. As that man and the victim fought inside the bathroom, the defendant exited it, closed the blinds on the stores windows, surveyed the shop and left, said Palladino. Turner did not call 911, he said. Meanwhile, the gunman beat the victim badly, bloodying him and stealing a Rolex watch, chain and bracelet, the prosecutor said. The victim needed 20 medical staples to close his wounds, said Palladino, who along with Assistant District Attorney Matthew Mobilia is prosecuting the case. The gun-wielding man, who authorities have said pistol-whipped the victim, remains at large. Defense lawyer Manuel Ortega contended prosecutors have the picture all wrong. He said the gunman forced Turner to assist in shoving the victim into the bathroom. He ordered Timothy to help him, Ortega said in his opening statement. He threatened to shoot him. Timothy Turner is an innocent man. In fact, said Ortega, Turner and the victim were buddies. They had been drinking together in the barbershop earlier that day, the attorney said. The only thing the defendant wanted was haircut, he said. The video is going to show he was threatened with a gun, and there was a threat to shoot, said Ortega. But Palladino contended Turner had helped hatch the heist. He said the video would show Turner made sure he was the last customer in the store. The defendant waited for another man to leave, then made a phone call. The man brandishing the gun walked in three minutes later, said Palladino. Palladino said Turner feigned being a potential victim, going to the floor after the gunman entered. But the defendant got up quickly and helped push the victim into the bathroom, he said. The prosecutor also suggested Turner had previously cased the bathroom or made calls from there. He said the defendant had gone into the bathroom twice within the first 10 minutes of entering the shop. And while Turner never held a gun or took anything from the victim, he is just as guilty as that gunman, said Palladino. Timothy Turner and the gunman were of the same mindset and purpose, Palladino said. Turner faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of first-degree robbery, the top count against him. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! This picture taken on June 13 shows a general view of the Hong Kong skyline. AFP-Yonhap By Chad Bray, Ryan Swift A controversial extradition bill that sparked massive protests in Hong Kong this week could potentially damage the city's economy and its relationship with the United States, analysts and economists said. A controversial extradition bill that sparked massive protests in Hong Kong this week could potentially damage the city's economy and its relationship with the United States, analysts and economists said. Ines Lam, an economist at CLSA, said in a research note that the proposed extradition bill, which would make it easier to send people from Hong Kong to mainland China for trial, could be a "tipping point" in U.S.-Hong Kong relations and threaten Hong Kong's special status. U.S. senators Ted Cruz and Ed Markey introduced a bipartisan bill on Thursday to amend the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, requiring an evaluation by the U.S. Secretary of State of how Beijing "exploits Hong Kong to circumvent the laws of the United States". "The economic impact of the removal of the U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act is potentially big, as the loss of confidence can set off the withdrawal of foreign investment in Hong Kong businesses and assets," Lam said. At least 80 people, including 22 police officers, were injured as protesters blocked major roads in downtown Hong Kong and clashed with police ahead of a legislative session on the extradition bill on Wednesday. Police officers man a check point into the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on June 14. AP-Yonhap More than 1 million people marched in the streets last weekend in opposition, according to organisers, and another march is planned on Sunday. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, an agency created by the U.S. Congress, said in a report in May that the extradition bill would increase the city's "susceptibility to Beijing's political coercion and further erode Hong Kong's autonomy". Gillem Tulloch, a former analyst at CLSA who founded GMT Research, said he is worried about the longer-term impact of the extradition treaty on his ability to provide critical assessments of companies' accounting practices. GMT Research has become known for highlighting suspicious accounting at Chinese companies. Tulloch, who hinted at moving his small company from Hong Kong because of the proposed extradition law, suggested that critical analysis of key Chinese companies could later be construed as leaking state secrets, leading to extradition to China if the agreement is broadened. "The point is once you've overcome the resistance to it [the treaty], then it's easier to push through changes," he said. "That's why it's important to stop it now." Police officers stand guard in an area near the Legislative Council building after a violent protest against an extradition law in Hong Kong, China, June 13. EPA-Yonhap He also said that some hedge funds based in Hong Kong were looking at creating dual structures as a result of the proposed law. James Tien, a former Liberal Party leader and chairman of the investment firm Manhattan Holdings, said local businesspeople who may have engaged in questionable practices in the mainland in the past, such as bribery, may be more concerned than their foreign counterparts about Hong Kong's future legal autonomy. Tien, who does not agree with the proposal, said that the extradition law will certainly be passed by the Legislative Council, even if local business leaders are secretly worried. "The current crop of legislators don't have the guts to say no," Tien said. Howard T D Bilton, chairman of the corporate services provider Sovereign Group, said the proposed legislation has to be "of grave concern to anybody who respects civil liberties". A Chinese investor reads his newspaper at a brokerage in Beijing, June 12. AP-Yonhap "The stock market has already reacted by diving sharply. If this goes through, property prices will follow," Bilton said. "As will an exodus of right minded people who have no wish to live under this type of regime." The Hang Seng Index had its biggest daily decline since May 9 on Wednesday amid escalating U.S.-China tensions and scenes of clashes between police and protesters. The index was down 0.51 per cent to 27,155.78 in midmorning trading on Friday. Logistics real estate developer ESR Cayman postponed its listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Thursday, citing "current market conditions". Eleanor Olcott, China policy analyst at the research provider TS Lombard, said that Hong Kong, in the short term, would remain an attractive centre for international finance and trade even if the extradition bill passes. "But in the longer run, those benefits will become harder to discern as Hong Kong becomes increasingly entangled in the geopolitical struggle between the two Pacific Rim powers," Olcott said in a research note. "The U.S. administration is currently reappraising its China policy and has drifted away from its pre-Trump strategy of deepening economic ties with allies in the region as a hedge against the [People's Republic of China]." Press photographers wear helmets and protective masks to denounce police treatment during yesterday's protest against a proposed extradition bill with China in Hong Kong, China, June 13. The press conference was attended by Deputy Commissioner of Police Tang Ping-keung, Commissioner of Police Lo Wai-chung and Media Liaison Officer Kong Wing-cheung. Reuters-Yonhap ANZ Bank will pay extra compensation to about 1400 people who were overcharged for financial advice, after the corporate watchdog pushed it to change a previous practice of paying partial fee refunds. As part of a wider scandal engulfing wealth managers, ANZ is one of many banks that in recent years has admitted to collecting financial advice fees from clients without providing all the services it promised. ANZ expects the fees-for-no-service scandal to cost about $50 million in total. ANZ Bank has complied with ASIC's enforceable undertaking over its charging of fees for no service. Credit:Jessica Shapiro On Friday, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said the bank had complied with a court-enforceable undertaking over its fees-for-no-service conduct for one product, known as Prime Access. In wrapping up the undertaking, ASIC released a report from ANZ's independent expert, EY, which showed the bank had recently changed how it calculated compensation payments. The report said Prime Access clients who paid more than $1000 a year in fees were given refunds of 45 to 60 per cent of their fees, because they were given some "ancillary" services beyond an annual advice review. EY said this methodology had been given to ASIC in 2015, but the approach did not live up to more recent guidance ASIC gave the market in August last year. Last month, ASIC officials told ANZ the bank's way of calculating compensation "does not align with their current expectations," EY said. ANZ has agreed to pay the extra compensation to clients. The fees-for-no-service scandal and debates over the adequacy of bank compensation were both explored at the Hayne royal commission into financial misconduct. Meanwhile, in a further sign of royal commission fallout, a class action against National Australia Bank over consumer credit insurance is set to be widened, which could result in more customers joining the claim. Australia's financial crime watchdog, AUSTRAC, said it had been talking with Afterpay about compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws for almost a year before demanding an external audit of its compliance this week. "AUSTRAC has been engaging with Afterpay in relation to its compliance since mid-2018," AUSTRAC told The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday. The high flying, buy now pay later service was hit with the audit this week, just one day after its three co-founders David Hancock, Anthony Eisen and Nick Molnar sold more than $100 million worth of shares, and the company raised $300 million in fresh equity. There is no suggestion that the co-founders' sell-down was prompted by the AUSTRAC notice. Afterpay cofounders David Hancock, Anthony Eisen and Nick Molnar. Credit:Louie Douvis Afterpay confirmed the timeline in response to queries from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) Friday evening, but said it "proactively approached" AUSTRAC in August last year. The company said AUSTRAC told it in April this year that it was considering giving Afterpay notice to appoint an external auditor, but requested further information before a decision was made. 30 YEARS OF SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND Sydney Opera House, June 13 Bangarra Dance Theatre has a lot to celebrate for its 30th birthday, and it has put together a wide-ranging triple bill for an Australian tour that has started and will end in Hobart in October. Three works, one of them excerpts from four earlier pieces, recall the life of an Aboriginal man of science, mechanical invention and philosophy; look back on a colonial horror; examine the Torres Strait Islanders connection with the spirits of the wind; explore a 21st century Indigenous persons search for identity; and make a stylistic breakout into a European work inspired by Australian Indigenous dance. Too much, you might say. And it is, if you are hoping for a neatly constructed, easily accessible evening of dance. But it is worth the effort to meet the challenges Bangarra offers, as it has done so often over three decades. Our system, says Damon Gameau, forces you into hypocrisy. Were in Gameaus new film, 2040, and he speaks from inside a transatlantic jet, underlining his point that even if you want to avoid fossil fuels, you cant. We know it, of course. The same hypocrisy inhabits every level of our lives, from each yoghurt-pot and milk-bottle to the stinking containers of Australian recyclables that Malaysia threatens to repatriate to our shores. We get the recycling feel-goods yet local people ending up burning our plastics, dumping the residue in their rivers and wrecking their childrens health. And theirs is not the only health at risk, given recent news that the world's citizens could be ingesting on average a credit-card worth of plastic a week. These issues are so immense and so implacably interconnected you have to wonder whether this forced hypocrisy isnt a factor also in the current, climate-exacerbating global epidemics of obesity, narcissism and depression. Filmmaker Damon Gameau planting a tree with his wife and daughter. Credit: 2040 is not a sophisticated film. Nor is it original, the ideas and arguments all having been developed by others. Its not meant to be either of those things being firmly targeted on the practicable solution and the popular middle-brow. Engaging, persuasive and urgent, its an exercise in what you might call muscular hope. Gameau, you recall, made That Sugar Film (2014), where he consumed 40 teaspoons of sugar a day and reported back on his weight gain and fatty liver. Here, he wants to save the world, or at least make it fit for his four-year old daughter to inhabit as a young adult in 2040. Cousteau Divers intends to study the effects of climate change by measuring the temperature beneath the oceans surface, combining data from precision sensors with measurements taken by thousands of recreational divers. The goal is to give scientists a better understanding of how the oceans temperature affects biodiversity and climate. The ocean absorbs about 90% of the planets heat and produces more than half the oxygen we breathe. It acts as the Earths air conditioning system, and feeds hundreds of millions of people. A critical factor in understanding how the ocean stores and releases energy is its temperature. However, scientists still need more data in order to build a comprehensive picture of how ocean temperatures vary at depth, especially in coastal ecosystems, which are home to the vast majority of marine biodiversity. IWC Schaffhausen In 1973 Jacques-Yves Cousteau created the Cousteau Society, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the protection of ocean life. His lifes work fosters a deep respect for marine life and the willingness to help protect it. This need to protect endangered species is just as relevant today as ever, and is something that IWC has been tirelessly supporting since 2003. The Swiss luxury manufacturer paid tribute to the oceangoing pioneer with four limited special editions, while a fifth, the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Jacques-Yves Cousteau, celebrated the 100th birthday of the famous researcher and filmmaker in 2010. IWC is now extending its partnership with the Cousteau Society by supporting Cousteau Divers. Cousteau Divers aims to reveal coastal temperatures of the ocean by supplementing satellite surface measurements with those taken by thousands of recreational divers around the world. By centrally storing this data in a cloud and making it accessible to scientists and enthusiasts, we hope we can contribute to a better understanding of how the oceans temperature not only influences the climate, weather patterns, or storm formations, but also fish and bird populations, explains Pierre-Yves Cousteau, marine conservationist and founder of Cousteau Divers. IWC Schaffhausen At IWC Schaffhausen, our Sustainability Committee ensures that awareness of our social and environmental impact is reflected throughout the company in the way we work. Were proud to support partner organisations that share our values, and were very excited about this innovative initiative from Cousteau Divers and the Cousteau Society. explains Franziska Gsell, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of the Sustainability Committee at IWC Schaffhausen. To measure the oceans temperature reliably and with a high degree of precision, Cousteau Divers team of volunteer engineers, led by Brad Bazemore and Brendan Walters, have developed a prototype for a portable precision temperature sensor. The device will track GPS and underwater navigational information, and measure the temperature with high levels of accuracy. As a systems platform, the device will later be able to include additional oceanographic measurements such as conductivity, optical density and pH. About 50 of these sensors will be deployed to dive centres globally, at locations selected with the help of scientific partner. The entire project is open source, meaning that both the hardware and the software designs are available online, in order to foster innovation and creativity from the global communities of both divers and engineers. IWC Schaffahausen This pilot deployment will last for 18 months to gather user feedback and verify the validity of the data collected before a second, larger deployment takes place. At this point, the online platform will accept a variety of oceanographic data sources. Thanks to this collaborative approach, Cousteau Divers has the potential to reveal the temperature of the ocean with scientific accuracy, in near realtime, and using costeffective citizen science. There's a box on a shelf at the back of my wardrobe that I rummage through once or twice each decade. In it are photographs, letters, pale blue aerogrammes, a few items of jewellery and the odd declaration of love. Somehow, the contents of this box help me remember who I am, triangulating the position of my soul in the present with glimpses of the man I used to be. Most of the photographs are from the mid-1980s almost another world a place where you waited in line at the pharmacy to hand over film cartridges, then popped back days later to pick up very much hit-and-miss prints. Not for us at that time the ubiquitous phones that document everything we see and feel today. No social media, no computers even; a time when what are now called "hard copies" were the full extent of it. And in these hard copies, some mailed to me years after the fact, I am slim, with voluminous chestnut hair and a boyish, self-conscious grin. 'There are the casts of days gone by, the bit players the great loves of my life reduced to frozen moments in not-very-good portraits.' Credit:Getty Images And there are the casts of days gone by, the bit players with names long forgotten, and the stars, the great loves of my life reduced to frozen moments in not-very-good portraits. The letters and aerogrammes chart long-distance romances and also the course of friendships mostly made and lost on overseas holidays, with a few missives trailing on before the correspondence inevitably runs out of puff. "Why have you stopped writing?" asks American divorcee Janine in the last of a series from her. We met on the Greek island of Naxos, and spent a series of days hiking and swimming then sharing stories from our lives in the evenings in cheerful tavernas: her marriage breakdown, my relationships with men, books we loved, music, films, art. One of Americas great 20th century intellectuals Walter Lippmann once warned: Where all think alike, no one thinks very much. This advice is especially justified when the prevailing dogma is wrong, which is the case with respect to what is called the rules-based international order. It is widely believed that the world in which we live the institutions of governance, the rules and norms is largely inspired by the kind of global leadership the US has exercised for decades and that the liberal order has been a profoundly positive force for promoting peace and prosperity. How the US-led wars in Vietnam and Iraq helped enforce those ideals is far from clear. Donald Trump's America First agenda is blamed for threatening the post-World War II rules-based order. Credit:AP In any case, the rules-based international order itself has become a popular expression only in recent times. A Factiva research search of the worlds newspapers and news wires shows that in the three decades from 1985 to 2015 the expression was used on 319 occasions. Since Donald Trump announced his presidential campaign four years ago this weekend (June 16, 2015), the term has been used a whopping 5,855 times. It is no wonder why Western journalists, bureaucrats and policymakers increasingly refer to the rules-based international order. It is in deep trouble, and its destruction is being blamed on Trumps America First agenda. Emergency departments have been inundated with influenza, as more than 21,000 people are diagnosed with the infection across NSW. Last week 2969 people were diagnosed with the flu, taking the total number of cases to 21,804 and 49 deaths in NSW so far this year, with no sign that the flu season has reached its peak. We're not yet at the half-year mark, and NSW has recorded 4365 more flu cases than the whole of 2018, when 40 people died of the infection, including two children aged under five. The latest influenza surveillance report comes as record numbers of patients have been flooding into emergency departments. Deputy premier Jackie Trad still refuses to say whether she supports the Carmichael coal mine as her leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has promised Adani "will not be the last" mine her government approves. Ms Trad, who struggled to hold her inner-city seat at the last state election over the Adani issue, said she had stated her position on the controversial mine "over and over again" when asked if she supported the mine during Question Time on Friday. Premier Palaszczuk said Adani was simply the latest" of the projects to be approved, and "it will not be the last. Credit:AAP We make it quite clear that we think approvals of this kind should be based on science and the laws of the land, she said. The Queensland government approved the groundwater plan for Adani's controversial Carmichael mine on Thursday, clearing the company's last significant environmental hurdle in the Galilee Basin. Survivors who were drugged, abused and bashed as children in the notorious cult The Family are preparing for a legal fight for compensation after the death of its leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne. Loading Hamilton-Byrne, who considered herself the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, died in a suburban Melbourne nursing home on Thursday aged 97. She had been in palliative care after suffering from dementia since 2007. Her condition had rendered her unable to face further court action by survivors in the last years of her life. A class action of survivors was listed to proceed to trial in the Supreme Court in August. Hamilton-Byrne's net worth was estimated at one point to be about $10 million. The six children, aged between 12 and 17, will be taken to the Childrens Court today to seek order for their care and protection under the Community Welfare Services Act. Police are trying to establish the identities of six children they have plucked from the bush hideaway of a secretive pseudo-religious sect where they have been kept locked away from society since they were babies. Meanwhile, Victorian and federal police will continue a long running investigation into the affairs of the cult, which is controlled by a mysterious 66-year-old woman guru who believes that she is a reincarnation of Jesus Christ and long dead figureheads from eastern religions. In a series of raids on properties owned by sect members and their guru, Mrs Anne Hamilton-Byrne, on Friday morning, police seized a number of prescription and non-prescription drugs of dependence, passports and photographs. According to police, the children are in a dazed and confused state, brought about by the sudden break from their life of seclusion in a house on the shores of Lake Eildon, where they have been raised under a strict regime by disciples of Mrs Hamilton Byrne. The Family sect's school at Eildon on Bolte Bay. Credit:Mark Wilson Over the years, the house has been home and school room to at least 14 children, most of whom were adopted by sect members on the instruction of the guru they call The Teacher. Most of them are now over 18 and some, on reaching majority, have left the group. It is understood they have volunteered help to the police investigation. Police have arrested a man accused of masterminding a sophisticated hacking operation into government networks. Dean Poot, 28, was arrested about 10am on Friday at his East Bendigo home in a joint operation between Australian Federal Police and the Victoria Police E-Crime squad, Nine News reported. Police suspect he was involved in hacking the computers of police and the Private Automatic Branch Exchange, a telephone technology used by call centres and large organisations. Investigators, with the help of sniffer dogs, executed warrants at three Bendigo properties and spent much of the day downloading potential evidence from devices inside Mr Poot's Goddards Lane home, Nine reported. The day before his driving test a learner driver lied about having his P-plates before he crashed into a tree, and killed his 15-year-old girlfriend. Joshua Lewis, now 19, has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of his passenger Georgia Larsen at Longwarry, southeast of Melbourne, on February 21, 2018. Georgia's mother, Tracey, on Friday told the County Court her daughter would never have got in the car if she knew Lewis was only a learner. "We trusted Joshua ... why would he lie to us?" Mrs Larsen said. "Georgia was taken away from me by a selfish act." Retired West Coast Eagles star Mark LeCras has helped save two people from a car crash moments before the vehicle burst into flames, killing a passenger still trapped in the back seat. The incident happened in Sawyers Valley, about 40 kilometres from Perth, around 11pm on Wednesday when the driver of a Holden Caprice lost control. In a statement released through the Eagles on Friday afternoon, LeCras said the incident was "deeply traumatic" and asked for privacy. Nine News Perth reported that while the two front passengers were freed by passers-by including LeCras and a truck driver before the car caught fire, a man believed to be in his 20s was trapped in a rear seat and died at the scene. WA Police said the 29-year-old male driver and a 52-year-old woman passenger received minor injuries and were taken to Royal Perth Hospital. They are in a stable condition. The Australian Federal Police raids on a Newscorp journalist and the Sydney offices of the ABC are much more sinister than they are being portrayed. Firstly, understand a little about the history of the federal police. In the 1990s I was employed by The Courier Mail and later The Australian newspapers and during that time wrote several hundred articles about ATSIC the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation. The federal police raid on ABC's Sydney headquarters over a story known as the Afghan Files. Credit:Nine At the time it had a budget of about $1.2 billion and there was huge disquiet that nothing was being achieved. The theory behind the establishment of ATSIC was honourable, but the problem was that many of its administrators were not so honourable. I was given the task of investigating the organisation and revealing if there was criminal conduct going on. There was. For whistleblowers, journalists and democracy, its been a confronting few weeks. Last week many of us were disturbed to see the Australian Federal Police raiding two media outlets News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst and the ABC using the fig leaf of protecting our national security. Just before that, Australian Tax Office whistleblower Richard Boyle spoke out about the personal toll of being raided then charged by police over his disclosure of wrongdoing in the tax office. If found guilty, Boyle faces up to 161 years in prison, even though most of his claims have been substantiated. But national security laws and a lack of whistleblower protection are just one part of the problem. Sue Pieters-Hawke, Mr Hawke's daughter, has spoken of how hard it is to comprehend her father is gone. "It's a time of so many emotions. Of grief, happiness at our quiet coming together in recent years, comfort that he was really ready to go and died peacefully with Blanche holding him, and yet a bleak coming to terms with a reality we will never see him," she said. Despite the family's grief, Ms Pieters-Hawke said they have good reasons to celebrate "the magnificent, rambunctious human being who has left us". "Dad mellowed so beautifully. I treasure our conversations, the gentle smiles, the grip of his hand, his pleasure in family and in simple things like cauliflower cheese," she said, to laughter from the audience. "I am so grateful he was our dad - part of our lives and our world. He's gone... but the essence of who he was shines on in our hearts." During his last days, Bob Hawke expressed profound regret in the "collective failure" of Australia to take action on climate change. The former prime minister's granddaughter Sophie Taylor-Price said her memories of "Pop," who died last month aged 89, were bookended by his passion for the importance of climate action. "When I was four-years-old, I sat by my grandfather's knee in 1989 when he addressed the nation on climate change. It is actually one of my first memories," Ms Taylor-Price told the crowd at a memorial service for Mr Hawke at Sydney's Opera House on Friday. Sophie Taylor-Price with Blanche dAlpuget at the service on Friday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen She said her grandfather was deeply saddened in Australias failings on the contentious issue that had continued to trouble successive governments and their leaders for decades. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she'll hold Adani to the jobs promises it has made, as the Indian company prepares to break ground at its Carmichael coal mine site. In her first comments since Adani won the final approval it needed to begin construction in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk told Adani she would be watching like a hawk. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gestures during question on Thursday Credit:AAP/Dave Hunt "The company has promised 1500 direct jobs, and 6700 indirect jobs," she told Parliament on Friday. "They have promised Queensland these jobs are to be local jobs. I expect Adani to live up to that promise. The Queensland government has buckled to pressure and proposed a solution to the state's youth detention crisis, though the opposition does not think it goes far enough. Children as young as 10 have been held in maximum security watchhouse "like animals" for weeks at a time without any real access to outdoor air and with little or no access to education, according to the state's Public Guardian. Minister for Youth Justice Di Farmer said the government had committed millions to expand and build new youth detention centres but more urgent action was needed. Credit:The Age On Friday, the government moved amendments to the Youth Justice Act in an attempt to "keep young people out of watchhouses and detention while maintaining community safety". The amendments, if passed, would "remove legislative barriers that contribute to children being refused bail, breaching bail conditions or remaining in detention on remand for an extended period". Paris: The sister of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will face trial next month over accusations she ordered her bodyguard to strike a tradesman working in her Paris apartment. The allegations are "unfounded," her spokesman said. The defence team of Hussa bint Salman aims to "set the record straight" during the trial scheduled to start on July 9, according to a spokesman for her. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Credit:AP "The remarks that have been attributed to her as well as the facts that she is accused of have nothing to do with reality," the spokesman said. He did not elaborate, offer details or take questions in his brief appearance before reporters at the US State Department. Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, speaks during a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC. Credit:Bloomberg Dozens of crew members were rescued after explosions on the Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian Front Altair. Iran has denied any connection with the incident. The suspected attack on a Japanese-owned vessel came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a rare conciliatory visit to Tehran seeking dialogue. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, centre, meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Thursday. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is at left. Credit:AP The United States and its Persian Gulf allies, led by Saudi Arabia, have mounted a steady campaign of diplomatic isolation and economic punishment of Iran, which they blame for militancy in the Middle East. After a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council overnight Iran dismissed the US envoy's calls for it to meet the Trump administration with diplomacy - "not with terror, attacks on ships, infrastructure and diplomatic facilities" as "another Iranophobic campaign". The UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres said "I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels. Facts must be established, and responsibilities clarified. "If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region," Guterres said. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Arab League's secretary-general, warned there were sides seeking to "inflame the region, and practise a kind of dangerous blackmail of the international community." If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region. Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general The Egyptian also called upon the UN Security Council to confront whoever was behind the suspected attack so the perpetrator could face "all legal responsibility". What happened? On Thursday morning, Oman time, the Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous were sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Oman when they suffered apparent attacks about 40 kilometres off the southern coast of Iran that led to explosions on board. The Front Altair reported three detonations, according to a statement from the Norwegian Maritime Authority. It was not clear what caused the blasts, but they were serious enough to cause a major fire. Images depicted the Front Altair engulfed in a 15-mile plume of smoke that was captured by NASA satellites; later pictures showed more than a third of the deck scorched, and a video showed a raging fire in the ship's centre. The crews - 23 on the Front Altair and 21 on the Kokuka Courageous - were forced to abandon their ships, but had been evacuated and were safe, according to statements by the vessels' owners. The US Navy, according to a statement released by US Central Command, had rescued the 21 mariners from the Japanese vessel. Iran earlier had said that it had rescued all 44 of the ships' crew members. US Central Command released this image it says shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. Credit:AP Sailors abroad the Bainbridge, the US Navy destroyer that went to assist the Kokuka Courageous, saw a device that appeared to be an unexploded mine above the waterline on the hull of the tanker and photographed it, a US official said. After the captain of the Kokuka Courageous was alerted to the device, he ordered the crew to abandon the damaged ship, a US official said. Possible use of naval mines to attack the tankers was one piece of information that led US intelligence agencies to reach a preliminary conclusion that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for the alleged attacks, one of the officials said. Last month, Trump administration officials blamed Iran for suspected attacks that damaged four oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates, citing undisclosed evidence that the Revolutionary Guard carried out the attacks using "limpet mines," a naval munition attached to a target by magnets. The damaged Norwegian-flagged oil tanker MT Andrea Victory off the coast of Fujairah, UAE, last month. Credit:UAE/AP US National Security Adviser John Bolton has promised to provide evidence to the Security Council proving Iran's culpability in that incident, but has yet to do so. Regardless of who was behind Thursday's suspected attacks, they triggered a 4.5 per cent increase in world oil prices. The explosions occurred near the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a crucial passageway for much of the oil from Gulf states. At its narrowest it measures a mere 21 nautical miles, yet in 2016 it ushered through some 18.5 million barrels of oil per day, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Those numbers make it an important choke point; any conflict there would have a staggering effect on trade. While details of Thursday's suspected attacks were not clear, said the Norwegian Maritime Authority, it urged Norwegian ships to "exercise extreme caution in the region" and to "keep a safe distance from Iranian waters." It also raised its security level in the area. Also unclear was what Iran would gain from such an assault - coinciding with Abe's high-profile visit to Tehran aimed at salvaging the 2015 international nuclear deal. Both ships, according to the Japanese government, were carrying "Japan-related" cargo, leading Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to question the timing of the apparent attacks. "Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM Shinzo Abe was meeting Ayatollah Khamenei for extensive and friendly talks. "Suspicious," he tweeted, "doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning." Meanwhile, Abe had brought a message from US President Donald Trump to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader. Khamenei rejected the letter, saying Iran had "no trust" in the US and that it would "not repeat the bitter experience" of negotiations, in a reference to the 2015 nuclear deal that was repudiated by Trump. Khamenei also said he considered Trump an unworthy person with whom to strike up a correspondence. "I do not have and will not have any response for him," said Khamenei. Nevertheless, he again emphasised Iran was not seeking the development or use of nuclear weapons. The Trump administration's quick public assertion of blame concerned some senior US officers, who said they feared that the administration was moving too quickly toward retaliating, possibly with military force, without building a public case that Tehran was responsible. Another option for the US short of military action would be to seek to build international support for steps to safeguard shipping traffic, using naval ships from the US and other countries to escort tankers and other vessels through the Persian Gulf and into the Arabian Sea. Pentagon officials said they were worried that Iran and its proxies could conduct its own reprisals against US forces or allies in the region if Washington escalates the confrontation. "We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community," said Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown, a spokesman for US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East. The Pentagon, nevertheless, has substantially increased its forces in the region recently. Early last month, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its strike group of ships arrived in waters near the Persian Gulf in response to what US officials said was intelligence suggesting Iran was preparing attacks. In late May, a fighter squadron, manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, engineering units and additional Patriot anti-missile batteries - comprising 1500 troops altogether - were added. An amphibious assault ship with a Marine expeditionary unit and an Air Force B-52 bomber task force were also sent. Loading Another amphibious assault ship, the Arlington, with Marines aboard, arrived in the Arabian Sea this week. Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is standing by the justice minister who is accused of improperly coordinating with prosecutors when he was a high-profile anti-corruption judge. Bolsonaro said Sergio Moro had revealed the "promiscuity" of power and corruption - an accomplishment which had "no price." Moro was the face of the Car Wash investigation which put former president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in jail. Former judge Sergio Moro was appointed Justice Minister by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Credit:AP It is the first time that Bolsonaro has addressed the issue since news site The Intercept published on Sunday leaked documents and chat messages allegedly showing Moro offered guidance to prosecutors of the task force to influence the course of last year's presidential campaign. The case eventually prevented Lula from running in the election. PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, June 10, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset presented Ms. Idryssa Gumbs and Christoline Theodore of Jmix and Friends Corporation (JFC) Jeunesse Soualiga with a monetary donation towards the annual prom evening. Ms. Gumbs, who is the event coordinator, approached the club for the sponsorship of their annual event. During the general meeting of June 10, Ms. Gumbs explained to the membership the tasks of JCF and the goals of the foundation. JFC is a foundation based on the French side of the island, which organizes events for teenagers, such as prom. This years prom will be held at the Port de Plaisance on July 26, 2019. The theme for this years prom is Wakanda Forever, whereby the students had the majority vote. Ms. Gumbs explained the challenges faced by the organization, especially after the passing of hurricane Irma and lack of funding from sponsors, hence their approach to Rotary Sunset. As part of Youth Service month, it is within one of Rotarys core values to enhance and promote the betterment of youth. JFC and its endeavors for youth and youth enhancements fall within the scope of Rotarys focus, which fueled the decision to grant the sponsorship. Treasurer Tyrone Yates along with Vice President Ruminni Rogers presented Ms. Gumbs and Ms. Theodore with the donation and wished them much success in their endeavors. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Communication (DCOMM) will air a TV Special on the research group from the Netherlands, the Dutch Scientific Institute (RIVM), who has studied the air quality surrounding the Great Salt Pond and the Sanitary landfill. After Sept. 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed St. Maarten, the destruction that was left created a large amount of garbage and debris, adding to the garbage landfill. In the process of finding a solution to the landfill, the Government of St. Maarten commissioned a study by the Dutch Scientific Institute (RIVM) to study the air quality around this landfill. This study had to be conducted in order to find a solution or create a basis of the argument for the establishment towards a solution, a waste management system. DCOMM, who will air and upload a TV/video Special about what exactly is the purpose and consequences of the RIVM study, spoke to Head of Infrastructure Management at the Ministry of VROMI Claudius Buncamper about the basis and reason for the scientific air quality study. Buncamper shared that throughout the years, the sanitary landfill has grown year after year without the proper attention, in addition to the intermittent fires throughout the years. Government today has made a conscious decision to try to solve the issue once and for all. Besides, taking acute measures to quell the incendiary activities and prepared the recovery operation, a study had to be carried out to measure the air quality around the landfill. That study has been commissioned by the Ministries of VROMI and the Ministry Public Health, Social Affairs, and Welfare, Buncamper said. DCOMM spoke to the RIVMs public relations officer, Jolanda Roelofs, who explained about the institute and the work they were carrying out to determine with certainty of the toxicity at the landfill and to provide a basis and a scientific argument for a solution. Arien Stolk of RIVM also provides a more detailed explanation about the technical aspects about the research being conducted by the National Institute. The research group will conclude their work shortly and the Institute will produce a report stipulating exactly what they found. This information will be shared with the public of St. Maarten. Thereafter, it is up to the St. Maarten Government to explain to the people of St. Maarten, whats nexta road map to waste management. On June 17, 2019, the TV Special will air at 7pm on channel 115 Cable TV. Viewers can view the special on St. Maarten Governments website, Facebook, and YouTube channel at 9am on the same day. 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. Join the world of professional education at the HGTC open house on June 18. Richard Eckstrom Guest Column: The little number at the root of our biggest problem Steve Williams is an award-winning journalist who lives in Georgetown. His columns are published regularly in the Georgetown Times and South Strand News. A time-lapse image of the Perseid meteor shower the Beta Taurids will be much more difficult to see. Next month, astronomers will scan the Beta Taurid meteor shower in search of asteroids that might someday threaten a potentially catastrophic collision with Earth. There are likely two key sources of space rocks that are capable of posing such a dire threat to our planet. First are the NEOs (near Earth objects), such as asteroids and comets that occasionally come close to our planet and whose orbits can even cross paths with ours. Astronomers have already discovered and determined the orbits of tens of thousands of these objects , but there's never a guarantee we can find them before they're already uncomfortably close to Earth. It would be nice to have advance knowledge of such objects well before they get precariously close to us, and astronomers are working on that task. But there may be a second source of potential collisions, and one that's more easily predicted and monitored. A new study , soon to be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, suggests that the Beta Taurid meteor stream may camouflage dangerous space rocks. The Beta Taurid is a stream of meteoroids that regularly produces a modest display of meteors each year in late June, and the idea is that embedded within it may be some much larger chunks that might possibly pose a danger to Earth. Canadian astronomers David Clark, Paul Wiegert and Peter Brown at Western University speculate that there could be a connection between the Beta Taurid meteor stream and the massive airburst that occurred over Tunguska , Russia, in June 1908. Related: Even If We Can Stop a Dangerous Asteroid, Being Human May Mean We Don't Succeed Comet bits Most meteor showers are generated by comets , cosmic litterbugs that are primarily composed of frozen gases; as they approach the sun, they warm up and are made to glow by the sun's light. As the gases warm and expand, the solar wind blows the gases, as well as innumerable grains of dust and fine particles, off the comet's nucleus to form the appendage popularly referred to as the tail. These tiny bits are left behind by the comet, traveling along the comet's orbit and leaving in the comet's wake a "river of rubble." If Earth happens to pass through that rubble river, some of those tiny comet bits will burn up high in our atmosphere as meteors . Even during our most prolific annual meteor displays, such as the August Perseids and the December Geminids , there is absolutely no chance of any meteor shower rubble making it all the way down to the ground. As the comet's leavings dash through our atmosphere at speeds ranging between 20 and 40 miles per second (32 to 64 kilometers per second), the extreme velocity is converted, within the span of a heartbeat, into light and heat energy, creating a bright incandescent streak of light in the sky. Even a meteoroid the size of a pebble or a child's marble will still be consumed dozens of miles above the Earth's surface. No worries here. Big chunks ... big worries! But the Beta Taurids could be different, Clark, Wiegert and Brown hypothesize. They argue that within the Beta Taurid meteor stream there could be a dense cluster of much larger meteoroids, perhaps anywhere from 100 to 300 feet (30 to 91 meters) in diameter. Scientists believe the Tunguska explosion , which occurred on June 30, 1908, was caused by a chunk of cosmic material roughly 150 feet (46 m) across, which slammed into our atmosphere over northern Siberia and exploded about 10 miles (16 km) above the ground with the force of a 5-megaton bomb. The resultant air blast created a sonic boom to end all sonic booms, blowing down 80 million trees over an area of 830 square miles (2,150 square kilometers). Thankfully, due to the remoteness of the location, no human fatalities were officially reported. Of course, it would have been a far different story had this episode taken place over a major metropolitan area . Comet Encke is the culprit Today, astronomers are beginning to accept the idea that the Tunguska event is directly related to the Beta Taurid meteor stream. This isn't a new concept: In 1978, Slovak astronomer Lubor Kresak suggested that the cosmic projectile responsible for Tunguska was a fragment of the progenitor of the Taurids, Encke's comet. Encke's has the shortest known orbital period for a comet, taking only 3.3 years to make one complete trip around the sun. Then, in 1992, Victor Clube, an English astrophysicist and an expert on comets and cosmology, suggested that the Beta Taurid meteor stream contains perhaps a half dozen full-size asteroids whose orbits place them squarely in the stream. Clube and his colleagues argued that the Taurids' range of orbits indicates they were all shed by a huge comet, originally 100 miles (160 km) or more across, which entered the inner solar system some 20,000 years ago. By 10,000 years ago, the comet was parched and brittle. Encke's comet might actually be the biggest leftover chunk of that original parent comet. The Earth's orbit intersects this comet's orbit twice; once in late June, creating the Beta Taurids, and again during early November, creating the South Taurid meteor shower. Earth can periodically encounter swarms of larger particles in certain years, and 2019 is predicted to be one of those years. While one would expect that dust and larger objects would gradually disperse with time around the orbit of a comet, Encke's comet proves to be a special case. Seven revolutions of the comet around the sun (7 x 3.3 = 23.1 years) nearly matches two revolutions of the giant planet Jupiter (2 x 11.8 = 23.7 years), a phenomenon known as resonance. As a result, astronomers believe that the dross left behind by comet Encke may be concentrated by the powerful gravitational force of Jupiter, which keeps the Taurid swarm more compact. There is circumstantial evidence to support this hypothesis. In 1975, when Earth passed close to the center of this resonant swarm, seismographs left on the lunar surface by Apollo astronauts recorded an increase in moonquakes, apparently due to impacts from meteoroids. And in 2015, we were again close to the center of the Taurid swarm when a large increase of fireball meteors in November was observed. In fact, high-precision cameras recorded over 100 exceptionally bright meteors, all fanning out from the constellation Taurus, and which nicely fit the orbit of the proposed Taurid resonant swarm. Finally, after careful study of the trajectory that the Tunguska impactor had taken through the atmosphere, scientists determined that it, too, could very well have emanated from the Taurid swarm. Yikes! Best opportunity in 44 years According to the analysis by the Western University astronomers, Earth will approach to within about 5.6 million miles (9 million km) of the center of the proposed Taurid resonant swarm in the coming weeks; the closest such encounter since 1975. The calculations also show that this will be the best viewing time of the Taurid swarm until the early 2030s. "There has been great interest in the space community since we shared our results at the recent Planetary Defense Conference in Washington, D.C.," Clark said in a university statement . "There is strong meteoric and NEO evidence supporting the Taurid swarm and its potential existential risks but this summer brings a unique opportunity to observe and quantify these objects." For their study, Clark, Wiegert and Brown constructed a computer simulation of asteroids 328 feet (100 meters) in diameter with orbits similar to the Taurid swarm and calculated their positions for the next 1,000 years. By analyzing each object's position and motion over time, the Canadian astronomers calculated two optimal viewing times and telescope-pointing locations for the Taurid swarm to properly investigate its overall risk potential. Those viewing times run from July 5 to 11, and July 21 to Aug. 10. The first set of viewing times favor those in the Southern Hemisphere, while the second set of times allows those north of the equator to also join the search. But it won't be easy to spot any of these objects. Any large Taurid chunk will be extremely faint; somewhere on the order of magnitude +22. That's 2.5 million times fainter than the faintest star visible with the unaided eye. So only observatories with large telescopes and capable of making long-exposure images of the sky will have any chance of picking up on one of these potentially hazardous space rocks. Members of the Western University Meteor Physics Group plan to observe the Taurid swarm using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at the University of Hawaii in August. And if you're hoping to catch a few bright Beta Taurids streaking across the sky, that's not likely to happen because their emanation point (called the radiant) is currently aligned with the sun, so any prospective bright streaks would likely be hidden in the daytime sky. Closing thoughts Finally, I want to stress that the odds of Earth colliding with a 328-foot-size object is exceedingly small . Keep in mind that Earth and such a potential impactor need to arrive at the exact same point in space at precisely the same moment in time. The Tunguska explosion is considered to be a 1-in-1,000 year event, but that assumes a random distribution of events spread over time. However, when we then consider the Taurid swarm and its hypothesized dense cluster of large objects within the Taurid meteor stream, through which Earth periodically interacts with well, that could change the odds significantly. It also heightens the possibility of encountering a cluster of large impacts over a short period of time. That's why astronomers are on call this summer to try to survey the Taurid swarm and see what might be lurking out there. Update, June 24 at 9:20 p.m. EDT: SpaceX has announced they are now targeting a 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT) launch time, three hours into their original launch window. NASA has so many spacecraft at Mars that it's a challenge to communicate with them all, but technology being launched later this month could eliminate that problem in the future. That technology is the Deep Space Atomic Clock , a test system that NASA has been developing for two decades. It's meant to help spacecraft navigate and communicate without the need for so much support from Earth. The STP-2 mission, scheduled to launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on June 24 , will conduct the clock's first test in space. "Every single spacecraft exploring deep space today relies on navigation that's performed back here at Earth to tell it where it is and, much more importantly, where it's going," Jill Seubert, a deep-space navigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said during a news conference held on June 10. "We have to navigate from Earth because the clocks onboard spacecraft are really not good at accurately measuring time, but if we can change that, we can revolutionize the way that we can navigate deep space." Related: In Photos: The Amazing Triple Rocket Landing of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Launch of Arabsat-6A And that's where the Deep Space Atomic Clock comes in. Like atomic clocks that won't be traveling to space, it can measure time to a billionth of a second but it takes up the space of a gallon jug, not of a refrigerator. That miniaturization means the instrument can be loaded onto a spacecraft and launched. Once in space, the clock should be able to keep time accurately without any intervention from Earth. That's a stark contrast to the clocks on modern GPS satellites , which have to be corrected twice a day to remain on time. But accurate time-keeping is vital for spacecraft navigation, Seubert said. "Tracking a spacecraft as it travels through space is fundamentally a problem of measuring time," she said. "We can't just pull out a ruler and measure how far away our spacecraft is. So instead, we measure how long it takes for the spacecraft to echo back a radio signal that is sent from Earth." Technicians integrate NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock into its Orbital Test Bed Earth-orbiting satellite, which will launch on the STP-2 mission on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in June 2019. (Image credit: General Atomics) Those radio signals come encoded with a precise time stamp of when they were produced. And because those radio signals are light waves and the speed of light is constant , it's a straightforward math problem to solve for the distance the signal traveled. The signal only needs to travel from Earth to the spacecraft, and the spacecraft's onboard computer can navigate itself from there. This autonomy would offer huge benefits for crowded destinations like Mars and for spacecraft at the outer edges of the solar system , where round-trip communication with Earth takes too long to be practical. Only one or two of the outposts in NASA's Deep Space Network that communicates with all the agency's spacecraft can point toward Mars at any given time. And right now, the network needs to ping each spacecraft visitor one at a time to help it stay on course. "All of those spacecraft that are at Mars right now need to share tracking time with the Deep Space Network," Seubert said. "They're time-sharing essentially." That's why the atomic clock's ability to navigate based on a simple one-way radio signal is so appealing: All the spacecraft at the Red Planet can simultaneously check their locations using the same signal, no time-sharing required. "What this means is that you can essentially support an infinite number of spacecraft going to or around Mars with this architecture," Seubert said. And the system can also be used by rovers and humans on the surface of Mars or at still-more-ambitious destinations, Seubert said; the system would function like a more exotic form of GPS. "Just imagine an astronaut hiking on Mars, and maybe Olympus Mons is rising in the background," Seubert said. "She's checking her Google Maps Mars Edition to see where she is and chart a course to get where she needs to go." That scenario is still far in the future, but getting real data about how the Deep Space Atomic Clock performs in space is the first step. Once the instrument is safely in orbit, Seubert and her colleagues will confirm that it keeps time as expected and can withstand a year in the hazardous environment of space, and they'll use GPS data to vet the instrument's readings. The Deep Space Atomic Clock mission cost NASA $80 million. Visit Space.com on June 24 for complete coverage of the Falcon Heavy launch and the STP-2 mission. It was always going to be expensive, but NASA's first cost estimate for the agency's push to land humans on the moon by 2024 is finally here and it's surprisingly cheap. During an interview with CNN that aired today (June 14), NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine offered his first concrete budget estimate for the agency's current lunar aspirations, a plan that has been dubbed the Artemis program. That plan includes recruiting commercial companies and international partners, building a lunar space station, landing humans at the moon's south pole by 2024 and framing the whole project as practicing for Mars . "For the whole program, to get a sustainable presence on the moon, we're looking at between $20 and $30 billion," Bridenstine told CNN. He specified that the estimate represented additional money, beyond what the agency has already spent on the SLS rocket and Orion capsule it intends to use for the program. Related: Can NASA Really Put Astronauts on the Moon in 2024? Bridenstine also specified that the estimate represented money on top of the agency's current budget. Throughout his attempts to sell his agency, Congress and the public on the Artemis plan, he has repeatedly promised that the moon landing push will be separately funded and won't pull money from the agency's other activities. Last month, President Donald Trump asked Congress to allot an extra $1.6 billion to NASA to fund the Artemis program in fiscal year 2020, which begins Oct. 1. But that request, which Congress has not yet evaluated, always included a caveat from Bridenstine specifying that it would be only the beginning of dramatic budget increases required for the program. Until today, Bridenstine had demurred on providing a total budget estimate for the Artemis program, although he had publicly denied rumors that NASA would request $8 billion per year for five years to fund the moon push. (If the program total does indeed run to $30 billion and NASA gets its $1.6 billion for 2020, that would leave $7 billion per year for each of the four remaining years of the program.) For comparison, NASA's last moonshot , the Constellation program that never came to fruition, was announced with an estimated cost of $104 billion in 2005. The Apollo program cost $25 billion but that was in 1960s dollars. More recently, the International Space Station has been estimated to have cost about $100 billion . Even the Hubble Space Telescope, between its construction, launch and in-orbit servicing, is estimated to have cost more than $10 billion over its life to date. But returning humans to the moon in a more permanent way than Apollo is worth it, Bridenstine said. "Think of it as a short-term investment to have a sustainable program at the moon where we're ultimately keeping our eyes on Mars," Bridenstine told CNN. "How do we learn to live and work on another world, namely the moon, and then go on to Mars and do it in a way [so that], when this is complete, the American people have a program they can be very proud of for the long term?" If you're looking for a spectacular sunset, look no further than a new video showing what the end of the day looks like on the International Space Station just one of several recent videos and pictures displaying what Earth looks like to astronauts. A time-lapse taken from one of the station's windows and posted June 3 shows the sun dramatically setting straight ahead. Long rays from the sun stretch down toward Earth's horizon, until the sun appears at the top of the video blazing bright and showing off its true star-like nature, since there is no atmosphere to blur the sharp edges of its light. Astronauts on the orbiting complex get to experience sunset 16 times a day, since the station circles the Earth every 90 minutes. And recent tweets from the ISS inhabitants show that in their limited spare time, the astronauts enjoy looking at Earth. For example, how about checking out orbital sunrise? Another video from the space station shows the astronauts' view , backdropped by a cloudy Earth, as the station zooms into the light and moves from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. "I was awestruck as I watched the wispy clouds disappear into the shadows," U.S. astronaut Nick Hague, a member of the current Expedition 59 crew, said in a comment posted with the video in late May. Both Hague and his U.S. crewmate, Christina Koch, recently posted some pictures showing what they see below on Earth. On Monday (June 10), Koch showed a circular green aurora dancing beneath two spacecraft docked to the space station, tweeting : "Years ago at the South Pole, I looked up to the aurora for inspiration through the 6-month winter night. Now I know they're just as awe inspiring from above. #nofilter." And Hague had a cheery wake-up call for Earth residents: "Good morning from @Space_Station," he tweeted Tuesday (June 11), along with a photo showing the sun's reflection off land and wispy clouds on the planet below him. Caption: Kornfeld 2419 Afrika In den Fangen der Chinesen Karte chinesische Investitionen Bauauftrage China Algerien Agypten Nordafrika Kenia Angola Nigeria AthiopienDatum: 8. Juni 2019 Expanding Chinese Influence Algeria 23.0 Egypt 24.4 Ethiopia 23.9 Angola 24.1 With a total of $50 billion, China has invested the most in Nigeria, rich in natural resources In Kenya, China's involvement was $16.8 billion Chinese investments and construction contracts in Africa in billions of dollars, 2005 to 2018 Source: AEI China Global Investment Tracker Foto: DER SPIEGEL Smara (Occupied Territories), June 8, 2019 (SPS) - Moroccan forces on Thursday besieged the house of the family of Sahrawi political prisoner Salah Labaseer in the occupied city of Samara where a mass reception was scheduled to be organized on the occasion of his embrace of freedom. They encircled the house and its surroundings, placing many barricades at the checkpoint leading to it. Several activists, sympathizers and media were prevented from entering the house, using excessive force. They also attacked the family's house and attempted to break into it. It should be noted that the Sahrawi political prisoner Salah Labseer spent four years in various Moroccan, in retaliation for his political positions, media and human rights activities in the occupied territory of Western Sahara. (SPS) 062/SPS/TRA Makan Delrahim, the chief of the Justice Department's antitrust division, gave a speech on Tuesday arguing that his department had everything it needed to pursue legal action against technology companies who wield their market power in nefarious ways. "Those who say we need new or amended antitrust laws to address monopoly concerns should look to history and take heart," he said. Several hours later, Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island, seemed to brush Delrahim back. "Congress - not the courts, agencies, or private companies - enacted the antitrust laws," said Cicilline, at a hearing of the House Judiciary subcommittee focused on competitive issues in the digital economy. "And Congress must be responsible for determining whether they are equipped for the competition problems of our modern economy." The jostling for position shows how much the politics of antitrust, which have basically been a non-issue throughout the digital age, have shifted. Anger at Silicon Valley may now be the only significant area of bipartisan agreement in Washington. Federal regulators recently divided responsibility for antitrust investigations into technology companies, and state attorneys general have been laying the groundwork for their own investigations. Democratic presidential hopefuls, most prominently Senator Elizabeth Warren, have been taking an increasingly hard line on Silicon Valley. President Donald Trump's continued attacks on the industry, meanwhile, create political space for Republican lawmakers to do the same. Cicilline, chair of the House Judiciary's subcommittee on antitrust, is emerging as a key player in the fight against big tech. Now 57, Cicilline was elected to Congress in 2011 after serving as the mayor of Providence, his hometown. He became the ranking member of the antitrust subcommittee in 2017, and began pushing for stronger action on the issue. He gained little traction at first; he couldn't convince Congress to hold hearings on Amazon's $14 billion of Whole Foods later that year. But he kept at it. In March, he wrote an essay in the New York Times calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Facebook for antitrust violations. He wrote that Facebook has already "repeatedly shown contempt for its legal commitments," and that the commission should consider forcing the company to replace executives or board members, and to make changes to its business model. In an interview this week with CNN, Cicilline disputed the suggestion that he had called to break up the company. Cicilline doesn't seem inclined to wait and see what happens. On Tuesday, he told a group of reporters that he hadn't heard Delrahim's speech, but added he hadn't been impressed so far with what he described as the "enthusiasm of the antitrust agencies." Cicilline says he hasn't formed a clear idea of what changes should be made to the law, but he doesn't share Delrahim's sanguine view of the rules as they currently stand. "It's hard for me to believe there won't be some ways to improve an antitrust statute that was written more than 100 years ago," he said. One way that a congressional antitrust inquiry will be distinct will be in its volume. Cicilline says he plans to pull together a record of the damage wrought by anti-competitive behavior, by gathering documentary evidence and holding numerous public hearings through next year. While he hasn't yet requested that any company executives appear, he says he's leaving the option open. Facebook Inc. and Google both worry that Cicilline's hearings will be embarrassing in a way regulatory proceedings will not be, according to three people familiar with the thinking at those companies. This could build momentum for new policies forcing real changes to their business models. Neither Facebook nor Alphabet Inc.'s Google responded to a request for comment. Groups that want aggressive action against tech companies basically agree. "This investigation provides a channel for uncovering so much material that makes clear those kinds of solutions are necessary," said Sarah Miller of the Open Markets Institute, a group pushing for a wholesale reconsideration of antitrust enforcement. As he ramped up his criticism of the tech industry, Cicilline hired Lina Khan, a recent graduate of Yale Law School who has become an unlikely darling in antitrust circles. (She also worked at the Open Markets Institute for a time.) In 2017 Khan published an article in the Yale Law Journal called "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox." The name was a play on the title of a 1978 book by Robert Bork that became the foundational text for a looser approach to antitrust enforcement that has continued until today. Khan used Amazon to argue that this approach had failed. It was a compelling idea that came at just the right time. Khan became a near-instant celebrity - at least by the standards of antitrust lawyers. At the same time, detractors questioned the rigor or novelty of her theories. The term "hipster antitrust" quickly emerged as a shorthand way to signal disapproval with Khan's ideas. The hearing this week focused on tech's relationships with the news industry. The subject also featured in a paper Khan published recently in the Columbia Law Review, where she used Google and Facebook's sway over news publishers to illustrate what she sees as a key problem of monopoly power in the digital economy: the way that tech companies have created platforms for other businesses, while also competing on those platforms. Publishers rely on Google and Facebook as a key way to distribute their content. But they also compete with the technology companies for advertising dollars. It's been a pretty one-sided battle, largely because tech companies have such granular information about customers they can use to help target ads. The tech companies have visibility into practically all news consumption online, even on news publications' own websites, through the code publishers place there to allow readers to share articles and videos on social media. Matt Schruers, vice president of law and policy for the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a trade group whose members include Facebook and Google, said in Tuesday's hearing that the collapse of local news businesses was an unfortunate but organic result of technological changes, not the result of explicit action by technology companies. News consumption has never been higher, and revenues began declining long before Google and Facebook became their primary concerns. In Khan's view, publishers relying on Google and Facebook don't have a chance. She doesn't make a specific argument about how best to address this imbalance of power in the news industry. But she does draw a distinction between behavioral remedies (where government forbids companies from using power in one market for leverage in another) and structural remedies (where businesses aren't allowed to operate in markets where the potential to act abusively). She says trying to install behavioral remedies will inevitably push enforcement agencies into conflicts in which they are vastly outgunned. "Targeting the firm's incentives, rather than attempting to police its behavior, may make more sense," wrote Khan, who declined an interview request. "It's not clear that anything short of a full structural separation would be sufficient." Just before Cicilline began questioning witnesses on Tuesday, Khan walked up to him and spent a minute or two whispering in his ear, while he nodded along. Then she returned to her seat, while Cicilline peppered Schruers with questions. Cicilline wanted an acknowledgement that Google dominated the search market, asked Schruers to assess the potential for abuse when a company that distributes products for other businesses also made products to compete with those partners. Schruers declined to oblige. "I would be concerned about a rule that says, for example, a grocery store can't put its own grocery store brand products at eye level in the store - " he said. Cicilline cut him off. "I don't think anyone is contemplating a rule that does that," he said. He added that he wasn't sure what actions made sense, but that Congress wasn't just going to continue doing nothing. "You encouraged caution when enforcing antitrust against big tech platforms," he told Schruers. "But in many ways our caution is what we've had for the last decade, which has resulted in the emergence of advertising monopolies. I think many of us think it's time to try something different." - - - With assistance from Bloomberg's Kurt Wagner, Naomi Nix and Ben Brody. DANBURY A motorcyclist is reportedly seriously injured after a crash on Interstate 84 on Friday. Reports of the crash came in around 5:45 p.m. Its unclear if any other vehicles are involved in the collision, which was reported to be on I-84 west between Exit 8 and Exit 7. All westbound lanes were briefly shut down as crews worked to clear the scene of the crash, which was near the Danbury-Bethel line. As of 6:15 p.m., fire officials said Connecticut State Police were working to reopen the highways lanes to traffic. By 7 p.m., all lanes had reopened and crews had cleared from the scene. A state police dispatcher said there was no information on the crash available as of 7:02 p.m. Fire units on scene reported that the operator of the motorcycle was down on the median under the guardrail when they got there. Although the motorcyclist was conscious and alert, one fire official on scene indicated there might have been some kind of leg amputation as a result of the crash. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. "Well I don't ever criticize the President outside of the country." - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., London School of Economics, April 15 "I don't want to talk about the president here because I'm overseas." - Pelosi, interview on CNN with Christiane Amanpour, Dublin, April 16 "I don't talk about the president while I'm out of the country. That's my principle." - Pelosi, in Normandy, France, June 6 "Honored in the breach" is an interesting Shakespearean phrase. These days, it is often used to describe a good custom that is rarely observed. But, originally in Hamlet, it referred to a bad custom that should be ignored. We thought about that dual meaning as we contemplated Pelosi's repeated claim that she does not speak ill of a president while not on U.S. soil - while combing through her recent statements overseas in which she targeted President Donald Trump or his policies. So is this a case of "honored in the breach" in the modern form - or the Shakespearean version? To explain her practice, Pelosi's office sent The Washington Post an article about the iconic statement uttered by Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (1884-1951), a Michigan Republican: "We must stop partisan politics at the water's edge." This is also a phrase that has become unmoored from its original meaning. Vandenberg - who shifted from an isolationist stance to supporting President Harry Truman's internationalist polices, such as the Marshall Plan and the creation of NATO - was calling for a bipartisan foreign policy. He was not suggesting one should not speak ill of the commander-in-chief while abroad. But Pelosi and others have interpreted the phrase as meaning that overseas, American politicians should not engage in partisan attacks but show a united front. Pelosi is certainly not supportive of many of Trump's foreign policy moves, in the way that Vandenberg would understand. In the 24-hour news cycle, with instantaneous communication, one might argue it's a quaint notion. What's the difference between bashing the president in a CNN interview from Washington vs. one in Ireland? Both interviews will be beamed instantly around the world. Viewers will likely care more about the words that are uttered, rather than where they are said. So, how well did Pelosi hold up to her own standard? She often struggled with it. At the London School of Economics, she said: "You're getting me dangerously close to leaving the shores of the United States, but I would say I don't think any president of the United States should use the tragedy of 9/11 as a political tool. I think that is wrong, I think it's beneath the dignity of the office." Pelosi was responding to an attack by Trump against Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in which he shared a video on Twitter of the lawmaker spliced with footage of the burning Twin Towers from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Conservatives had been sharing a snippet of an Omar speech to suggest she had played down the significance of the Sept. 11 attacks. Pelosi also tweeted about the controversy overseas. At another point at the LSE session, Pelosi attacked Trump's trade policy but tried to sugarcoat it: "This isn't a criticism, just a difference of opinion," she said, arguing that the United States could have joined with the European Union to put pressure on China. "I wasn't pleased when the president put tariffs on the E.U. It started to weaken that strength that could have been there, vis a vis China." In her interview with Amanpour, Pelosi referred to Trump as "the president who's trying to usurp the power of the legislative branch of the government." When Amanpour asked Pelosi about Trump suggesting Democrats were ant-Semitic, she responded, "I think the president is bankrupt of any ideas." Then she added: "I don't want to talk about the president here because I'm overseas. But come see me in Washington, D.C., and I'll tell you what I think about that, the president." Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said that Pelosi does not want to engage in partisan attacks while overseas. He drew a contrast with Trump, who blasted Pelosi as "a disaster" during an interview in France that featured a backdrop of thousands of white grave markers at the Normandy American Cemetery. In this instance, Pelosi shrugged off Trump's attack and refused to comment. "These days it is difficult to avoid talking about the president, but she certainly tried," Hamill said. Pelosi appears to be trying to have her cake and eat it, too. She says she does not want to talk about the president overseas, but then she slips in criticisms, including a sharp one: He's "bankrupt of any ideas." The distinction between a policy difference and a partisan attack is especially hard to discern. It's certainly not in the spirit of the original meaning of Vandenberg's line. Either Pelosi needs to hold fast to her standard - that she does not talk about the president - or abandon it. She was restrained in Normandy. But other times, it appears to have been a principle honored in the breach. We award her two out of a possible four Pinocchios. The first official Democratic presidential primary debate is a big deal for the 20 candidates who qualified to be on the debate stage. "You get one chance to make a good first impression," said Democratic strategist Mary Ann Walsh. Here's how to watch the debate, from how to watch to what to watch. Date: June 26 and June 27 Time: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time Where: The debates will be held in Miami, but you were probably asking where on the TV you can watch it. The answer: NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. Why are there two nights? Because so many candidates qualified for the debate thresholds, the Democratic National Committee split them up between two nights, with 10 candidates on each stage. Most candidates are randomly selected for each stage, but the DNC spread out the top-polling candidates between the two stages. On Friday, NBC announced the lineup. The June 26 debate will feature: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro, former congressman John Delaney of Maryland, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, former congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas, Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The June 27 debate will feature: Former vice president Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson and technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang. Who are the moderators? "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt, "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd, "The Rachel Maddow Show" host Rachel Maddow and "Noticias Telemundo" anchor Jose Diaz-Balart. How will the questions be decided? That will be up to NBC. They are soliciting questions from people here. When are the next debates? July 29 and 30. There will be 12 Democratic primary debates overall, six in 2019. 1. Is anyone going to have a breakout moment? Is one even possible? The debate will be unruly: Twenty candidates and five moderators will be spread over two nights. The current leaders in the polls aren't even on the same stage. The closest precedent to this is the early 2016 Republican primary debates, in which the top 10 candidates were invited to a main debate and there was an "undercard" debate earlier in the day. There was a lot of back-and-forth, even some shouting. In the end, one person dominated - and that person is now president. 2. Does Joe Biden engage with the other candidates? The former vice president has been running his race as if he's already the nominee. He's not schmoozing nearly as much as the other candidates on the campaign trail, which he can afford to do because he's leading in every major poll. But for at least one night, he'll be sucked back into the primary for this debate, with a target on his back. Speaking of ... 3. How does everyone else go after Biden? One good way to get yourself heard is to draw a contrast with Biden - maybe even draw blood from him, says Walsh. But so far, most candidates have avoided directly criticizing Biden, and certainly not by name. Does that change in the first debate? "At some point, the debate is going to get much sharper," said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. Going after the leader in the polls is simply what one has to do to get noticed. 4. How do all the women onstage change the dynamic? This field is one of the most diverse in history. Six of the 20 candidates in the debate will be women, a first for any major party. Do they talk about their gender, even own it, in a way female politicians haven't in the past? How could their presence trip up any of the men or moderators? 5. How do the most successful candidates contrast themselves with Trump? Who's most electable against Trump is a thick undercurrent in the Democratic primary. "Electability" is a subjective (and at times, gender-biased) term that voters are wrestling with. To that end, every candidate is going to want voters to imagine they're debating Trump - not other Democrats - onstage. There's no consensus on how to successfully do that. Biden is already talking about Trump by name more than most candidates, but does he get in a back-and-forth with Trump, via social media or cable news? Does he respond to Trump calling him "the weakest mentally," for example? Do the candidates try to focus heavily on policy rather than personality and just ignore Trump? Some candidates are signing onto a pledge not to use stolen information in their campaigns, for example. And how does all of this play into the broader Democratic debate about how antagonistic to be toward Republicans? 6. How many times is "socialist" mentioned? Another defining debate of the Democratic Party is whether it's moving too far left (by proposing government-run policies like Medicare-for-all), or whether that's exactly what needs to happen to beat Trump. Jim Kessler, a Democratic strategist with the centrist Third Way think tank, suggested keeping an eye on whether candidates use the term as an epithet or a point of pride. 7. How negative does Bernie Sanders go? A couple of strategists mentioned to me that if any candidate is going to take his or her gloves off, it's likely to be Sanders. He is not a conciliatory politician by nature. He's already gone after Biden. But we may see Sanders on the defensive, too. In the 2016 primary, Hillary Clinton largely avoided attacking him. Given he's second, behind Biden, in many polls, we could witness Sanders on the defensive for the first time. The following editorial appeared in Friday's Japan News-Yomiuri: - - - Efforts to defuse the serious U.S.-Iran confrontation and thus ease tensions in the Middle East should be made unceasingly. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has visited Iran and conferred with President Hassan Rouhani. Abe said that "no one wants a military clash," and Rouhani responded by saying that "Iran also does not want a war [with the United States]." Japan relies on the Middle East for most of its energy imports. If an unexpected clash occurs in the Strait of Hormuz, the main artery for crude oil transport, Japan will suffer a serious blow. It is of no small significance that Abe and Rouhani have confirmed the need to avoid a military clash. Rouhani again called for Washington to remove sanctions, arguing that "the regional tensions are rooted in the economic war made by the United States against Iran." Further diplomatic efforts are necessary to alleviate mutual distrust between the United States and Iran and prepare the environment for bilateral dialogue. Abe has held talks also with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In Iran, where politics is not separated from religion, Khamenei has the final say on matters of crucial importance. It is rare for Khamenei to meet with leaders of foreign countries. Abe has conveyed to Khamenei the standpoint of U.S. President Donald Trump. The Iranian supreme leader reportedly said that Iran "will not produce, possess or use nuclear weapons, and has no intention ever to do these." According to a statement by the Iranian side, on the other hand, Khamenei expressed his stance of refusing dialogue with Washington. It is imperative for Japan to tenaciously tackle the task of serving as a mediator to work toward resolving the nuclear issue and stabilizing the Middle East situation. Maintain nuclear deal The important thing is to maintain the 2015 agreement on Iranian nuclear development. Under the agreement, the period for restricting Iran's nuclear program is limited to 10 to 15 years. The deal does not include any restriction on ballistic missile development. Citing these deficiencies, the United States has withdrawn from the agreement. However, if the deal breaks down, it will lead to a loss of the mechanism to check Iran's nuclear development, thus exacerbating the situation. Iran has called on Britain, France, Germany and other countries to assist in crude oil transactions without following U.S. sanctions. If this is not realized, Tehran has announced that it will suspend the implementation of the nuclear deal and begin in earnest its nuclear development programs, including production of highly enriched uranium. If Iran breaks the deal by itself, it will lose the trust of European countries and Japan, which support the nuclear deal, and worsen its international isolation. Tehran should be aware of this. In connection with attacks on tankers and a pipeline of Saudi Arabia, with which Iran is at odds, Iran's involvement is suspected. Iran is called on to exercise self-restraint in such actions as destabilizing the region, including intervention in the civil wars of Syria and Yemen. Washington, for its part, should not unnecessarily ramp up its military pressure on Tehran. It is necessary to clarify that its sanctions are not aimed at regime change. One year after the Singapore summit, the Trump administration's diplomatic process with North Korea has hit a stalemate with no clear path toward a resolution. Now the goal seems to just be to keep the process alive, and the only working channel is between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump. But a process that exists primarily to perpetuate its own existence is not long for this world. Trump revealed this week that he had received another "beautiful letter" from Kim, but the letter reportedly had no substantive details about how Washington and Pyongyang might salvage the nuclear negotiations, which have been almost completely dormant since the failed Hanoi summit in February. According to several officials and diplomatic sources, North Korean officials have gone dark on almost all previously functioning channels. Kim's negotiating team may not be dead, as previously reported, but they aren't picking up the phone. There were two "track two" conferences this month - one in Mongolia and one in Hong Kong - but the North Korean officials expected to attend failed to show. Kim's strategy seems clear. He is appealing directly to Trump, sending him sweet but vague letters, even bashing Joe Biden. Trump, who has a political incentive to keep the diplomacy going, is returning Kim's affection publicly. Officials said Trump is simply trying to keep the door open, to give his team time and space to make a deal. The problem is that Kim failed to learn the two lessons from Hanoi. First, the negotiations can only make progress at the lower working level. Second, Trump is not actually as desperate for a deal as people think, officials said. That means the deal he pitched to Kim in Vietnam - full denuclearization for economic normalization - is about as good as it's going to get. "The summits between Kim and Trump symbolized a major breakthrough in relations, but they also revealed the limits of personality-driven diplomacy when it's not backed up by working-level talks held on a regular basis," the Carnegie Endowment's Suzanne DiMaggio wrote Thursday. National security adviser John Bolton said this week that Trump was open to a third summit. "Kim Jong Un holds the key," he said. "We are ready when they are, so it's any time that they want to schedule it." State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters Wednesday the diplomats are ready to negotiate at the working level as well, but the core demand is not going to change. "We're looking for a complete denuclearization," she said. Inside the administration, the current debate is over how to manage this stalemate. Some officials want to increase pressure on North Korea, which risks ending the diplomatic process. For example, when Kim shot off a bunch of short-range missiles and other rockets last month, National Security Council officials advocated bringing the issue before the U.N. Security Council, multiple administration officials told me. State Department officials advised Trump not to overreact, fearing that would play into Kim's hands and cause a split between the United States and China, Russia and South Korea. By showing more restraint, they argued, the international sanctions coalition could be better maintained. Trump sided with the latter camp. Officials told me that after Trump played down the missile launches publicly, the intelligence showed that the North Korean regime was angry. That was interpreted to mean Kim's plan to spark a retaliatory provocation was foiled. Officials are also split on how strongly to confront Chinese and Russian shortcomings in enforcement. Trump directly told Vladimir Putin that Russia must follow through on its commitment to enforce sanctions, officials said. In Singapore earlier this month, acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahangave a "gift" to China's National Defense Minister Wei Fenghe: a collection of photos of North Korean sanctions-busting ship-to-ship oil transfers inside China's territorial waters. Trump has decided that there should be no new sanctions on North Korea for now. But if Beijing and Moscow don't tighten enforcement, calls will grow to go after their companies under the justification of enforcing existing sanctions. For Trump, there is no political upside to ending negotiations with North Korea. As long as he can say diplomacy continues and North Korean provocations remain under a certain threshold, the president has a clear interest in maintaining the stalemate and maybe having one more summit before the election. The problem is that the status quo is certain to change. Sanctions weaken over time. Kim may eventually resort to a more serious provocation, like a nuclear test. He continues to build nuclear weapons and advance his missile programs. The risk of proliferation is growing. If there is still some hope of making a deal, Trump can justify keeping the North Korean negotiations alive despite no progress and dim prospects. But the talks can't stay on life support forever. At some point, it will be necessary to pull the plug. Let's hope Team Trump has a strategy for what happens next. In 2014, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was secretly recorded saying the Polish-U.S. alliance was "worthless" and created a "false sense of security." The recording became part of a scandal that helped bring down the liberal government of which Sikorski was part and hand power to the nationalist Law and Justice Party, or PiS. Now, the nationalists are finding out they can't get much out of the U.S., either, even under friendly President Donald Trump. On Wednesday he effectively rebuffed their plans for a U.S. military base in Poland. The PiS government has tried to use Trump's U.S. as a counterweight to Germany and the rest of the European Union, where Polish nationalism and especially the ruling party's attempts to put courts under tighter political control are unpopular. Poland has proved an eager buyer for U.S. liquefied natural gas. It has also signed a $4.8 billion deal to buy Patriot missile defense systems from the U.S. and wants to buy F-35 fighter jets. Trump, for his part, made a major speech in Warsaw in 2017, laying out his vision for Europe, and the U.S. organized a Middle East conference in Warsaw earlier this year in signs that the Polish government's staunchly pro-U.S. stance is appreciated. What the PiS leadership hoped to get out of this was a permanent U.S. military base to help guarantee Poland's protection from any potential Russian depredations. The Polish defense ministry last year published its vision of the ramped-up U.S. presence. It offered a financial commitment of up to $2 billion to host a U.S. armored division -- 10,000 or more troops. The proposed location for the base, near the cities of Bydgoszcz and Torun, wasn't quite on the border with Belarus, Poland's pro-Russian neighbor, but it would have been on the path of Russian troops if they poured through the so-called Suwalki Gap on that border. Last September, Polish President Andrzej Duda tried to make the proposal personally attractive to the U.S. president by suggesting the new base be named Fort Trump. On Wednesday, as Duda visited the White House, it transpired that no permanent U.S. base was in the offing. Poland would merely build a new facility to house an additional 1,000 or so U.S. troops - roughly an extra battalion, far from a division -- that will arrive on the same rotating basis as the roughly 4,500 service members who currently move in and out of Poland. The new U.S.-Polish military cooperation package also includes a squadron of Reaper reconnaissance drones, a training center and some logistical enhancements to support potential U.S. deployments. This is a meaningful step forward for the U.S. presence in Poland - but it's not the same as a large military base housing U.S. troops and their families. Attacking such a facility would inevitably entail a full-scale war with the U.S., something that would deter any aggressor. From a purely military point of view, the addition of 1,000 U.S. soldiers doesn't make Poland - or the Baltic States - any safer from a Russian conventional attack. And the U.S. refusal to make the presence permanent shows it doesn't necessarily share the Polish government's belief that the Founding Act, a document signed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia in 1997, is no longer binding, despite Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2014. In the agreement, NATO promised to refrain from permanently stationing substantial military forces in its new members. The PiS government is spinning the Trump package as a huge victory. But given all its efforts to sidle up to Trump - and the fact that Poland is going to pay for all the additional infrastructure, if not to the tune of $2 billion - it's a letdown that shows the limits of Trump's gratitude for Polish support. In the end, those limits are dictated by a geopolitical reality that even the Russian land grab in Ukraine hasn't changed: Peace in Eastern Europe depends on an implicit understanding between the U.S. and Russia, and no U.S. administration wants to be the first to break it, no matter how much it may like a particular Polish government. Poland's geography forces it to build a neighborly relationship with Russia on its eastern flank and Germany on its western one; the U.S. can help protect it, but it can't serve as the country's sole patron - and there are certain things it just won't do without very serious justification, such as open a permanent military base. - - - Bershidsky is Bloomberg Opinion's Europe columnist. T he Grenfell Tower tragedy has seen local authorities and other public bodies award more than 1.87 billion in fire safety contracts or potential deals to companies as they belatedly try to catch up on making buildings safer. On the second anniversary of the tragic blaze which killed 72 people, figures compiled for the Evening Standard showed specialist safety firms have been awarded actual contracts worth 172 million and put on framework agreements which can be used in the coming years worth 1.7 billion. Data collated by Tussell, the data provider on UK government contracts, shows the tragic blaze has triggered a major upsurge in spending on fire prevention by local government, housing associations and other state bodies. Yet news of the awards came amid widespread consternation that 221 high-rise buildings in England still have the same cladding as the aluminium composite material used at Grenfell. Most are privately owned, but social housing and public buildings are also among them. Tussell chief executive Gus Tugendhat said: The Grenfell tragedy was a wake-up call for the Government to act on fire safety. The figures show that a lot has been done since then especially in local government. But the number of vulnerable buildings still to be secured shows that fire safety is still a pressing issue. Companies have been awarded 465 contracts since Grenfell to improve fire safety up 45% on the two years preceding the tragedy. Local government awarded 200 of them worth 58 million doubling the usual number. Contracts have been spread among suppliers fairly evenly, the data showed, although international fire safety group Harmony Fire, which has been awarded 14 contracts, got the most, and east London-based construction group RG Carter won the biggest share by value at 8 million. More contracts will follow as eight fire-safety frameworks have been created since the blaze including one for 1.4 billion created by LHC Building Components, a local government framework manager. J ust before 1am today, two years almost to the moment since the start of the Grenfell Tower fire, green lights went on at the remains of the building, and at Downing Street and Kensington Palace, to be followed later by other public buildings across London. It is a memorial in light to the 72 victims who died a symbol of grief for them, their families and the community that the blaze horrifically tore apart. Todays memorial service at St Helens church, near the site, for survivors, families and neighbours, was attended by public figures. It mourned the victims and expressed solidarity with the living. That is the right tone for the second anniversary of the tragedy: a sombre expression of grief and a renewed determination to ensure there will not be another Grenfell. That is what the relatives of the dead and the survivors say they want: that others should not have to suffer the same ordeal. The best memorial to the victims is to change the way we do things. And, as the Evening Standard reports today, there remains a great deal to do to make housing safer, public as well as private. An estimated 328 buildings still have aluminium composite cladding; the same material that caused flames to surge up the 24-storey tower block in 25 minutes. They include student halls of residence as well as social and private housing and health centres. And according to the Building Safety Programme, removal work has not even begun on 221 of those buildings. So, as we remember the victims of Grenfell, we know the same thing could happen again and for the same reason. This must change. The Government has committed 600 million to remove and replace unsafe cladding and fix private tower blocks. As the minister for London, Nick Hurd, says, local authorities must, where necessary, take enforcement action to ensure this happens. The inquiry into the tragedy, ably led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, will not report until the autumn. He has said he does not feel able to issue interim recommendations but there are commonsense measures that can be put in place now: not least changes to the stay put policy of the Fire Brigade, and fitting sprinklers and smoke alarms in multi-storey buildings. The Grenfell fire led to soul-searching about the kind of housing we provide for all our communities. That issue remains crucial for London and must be a priority for candidates for political leadership. Meanwhile, today, let us mourn the 72 Londoners who died in the fire. We shall not forget them. The 2nd Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire - In pictures 1 /73 The 2nd Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire - In pictures Family and friends of the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower block during a wreath laying ceremony outside the building PA Family and friends of the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower block fire gather outside the west London building PA Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn lays a wreath outside Grenfell Tower PA Survivors march through the streets of London in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Fire REUTERS Balloons are released in memory of those who died in the tragic Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images Women look at a hoarding covered in messages of condolence REUTERS People gather before a vigil during commemorations to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire REUTERS A woman carries a sign before a vigil for victims REUTERS Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn arrives outside Grenfell Tower to meet survivors PA Members of the public at a service of remembrance AFP/Getty Images People gather as doves are released outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA People mourn at the Grenfell tower to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire AP Members of the public release balloons at a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire, at St Helen's Church in west London AFP/Getty Images A hoarding covered in messages of condolence is seen at the base of Grenfell tower two years after the fire Reuters Family and friends of the victims of those who died in the tragic Grenfell Tower fire attend a memorial service at St. Helens Church in North Kensington Getty Images Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (left) and Housing Secretary James Brokenshire (right) attend a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A vicar passes out candles at a memorial service for those who those who died in the tragic Grenfell Tower fire at St. Helens Church in North Kensington Getty Images Clarrie Mendy-Solomon, who lost two family members in the disaster reacts as she attends a memorial service marking the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire at St. Helen's Church Reuters Women looks at a hoarding covered in messages of condolence at the base of Grenfell tower two years after the fire Reuters Doves are released after a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire, at St Helen's Church AFP/Getty Images Participants attend a march marking the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire Reuters People look at a hoarding covered in messages of condolence at the base of Grenfell tower two years after the fire Reuters White doves are released during a memorial service marking the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire at St. Helen's Churc Reuters AFP/Getty Images People gather as balloons are released outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA People gather outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Members of the public arrive for a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire at St Helen's church in west London AFP/Getty Images A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire People gather outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Members of the public arrive for a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire at St Helen's church in west London AFP/Getty Images Members of the congregation during a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks at a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Housing Secretary James Brokenshire (left)attends a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks at a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Tributes in memory of the Grenfell Tower tragedy Getty Images Grenfell Tower is seen near Latimer Road, Kensington Getty Images Tributes in memory of the Grenfell Tower tragedy are seen in the streets Getty Images A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire Alex Lentati Mayor of London Sadiq Khan attends a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire Alex Lentati A vigil is held close to the Grenfell Tower to mark the second anniversary of the tragedy Nigel Howard People obersve a memorial during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images A woman wipes her eye during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images Downing Street glows green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire EPA Second Anniversary vigil held close to Grenfell Tower Nigel Howard People release balloons in front of Grenfell Tower during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the fir Getty Images Downing Street is lit up green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images Kensington Palace is lit up green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images Kensington Palace is lit up green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images A a message demanding change projected onto a building in Newcastle PA A man stands next to a memorial for Grenfell Tower at last night's vigill Getty Images Second Anniversary vigil held close to Grenfell Tower. Nigel Howard Grenfell Tower is seen illuminated in green to mark the second anniversary of the fire Getty Images Hancocks hour You can lose a leadership election and still emerge as a winner. Thats Matt Hancocks not-so-unhappy fate today, as he withdraws gracefully from the fray. When he entered the Tory contest, Mr Hancock knew, as the youngest candidate in a field that included Boris Johnson, that he was a long shot. But he had a message he wanted his party to hear: the Conservatives have to be a force of the future. He told them, rightly, that they must connect to younger voters and urban Britain not actively repel them. He identified raising the incomes of the low paid as a bigger national priority than tax cuts for the better off. Spot on. He celebrated business rather than denigrated it and identified tech as a great opportunity for Britain not just the online threats that current government policy is obsessed with. We agree. Above all, he laid out the home truths facing the new prime minister on Brexit, with a Parliament that will not back a no-deal departure, and made the best stab of anyone at solving the Irish border conundrum. Mr Johnson looks to be a near-certain winner, thanks to a disciplined campaign that is seeking to reach out across his divided party. Who knows, perhaps Mr Hancock will now sign up? A few years ago I was in Dehradun, a bustling city in Indias mountainous north. A man at a colourful fruit stand began to chat to me, and was visibly startled by the accent of the boy opposite him. He asked me where I was from, suspecting I was not local. I could have given any number of answers but the word London slipped out. It seemed the simplest way to explain how I could look like him, speak his language (poorly), and yet be a native of another place entirely. My comfort with an inclusive and distinct London identity is not shared by all. Last month an American columnist visited London and called it New York with better scones. She pointed out that a lot of things in big cities around the world are becoming the same: ride-sharing, smart hotels, slick, expensive cocktails in upmarket former industrial zones. Globalisation and multinational companies have indeed produced similarities but Western travellers who come to foreign cities only to use the same things are not without blame. More dangerous is the claim that recent immigration and globalisation have somehow stripped London of its culture. Some conservatives claim that one rarely hears English in the streets, or that London has imported people and customs that fundamentally threaten its singular identity. John Cleese, of Monty Python fame and now a resident of the Caribbean island of Nevis, wrote last month that London [is] not really an English city any more. This requiem is only the latest of many. The 2011 census revealed the capital to be the first major UK region with a minority of white Britons, setting off hysterical claims of the death of English London. Complaints of this type focus on globalisation and migration, to suggest the city has changed beyond recognition. Yet those who mourn the death of a quintessentially English London tend to have two things in common: they rarely live in London, and they misunderstand that a Londoner is not simply an Englishman or a Briton. London has never been a purely English city. In its first 1,000 years it was founded by Romans, razed by Celts, settled by the Anglo-Saxons, and ruled by Normans. From the start London was outward-looking and its lifeblood was international exchange. Take Spitalfields. Initially a haven for French Huguenots, it received a large east European Jewish population and is now famous for its curry houses in Brick Lane, as well as cocktails. Arjun Neil Alim The legacy of the British Empire, which at its height included a quarter of the worlds people is visible in the monuments, from Mayfairs East India Club to Claphams Khyber Road, and in the faces of Londoners themselves. Its memory lives on too a visit to the London, Sugar and Slavery exhibition at the Museum of London is testament to the impact of this torrid but vital period of history on our identity. London was forged by its surroundings: England, Europe, and the world. From this heritage emerges a large and civic identity for Londoners, rather than a more narrowly, often ethnically, defined Englishness. The Centre for London found in 2018 that only half of Londoners strongly identified as English, with more opting for British and even more simply for Londoner. This third one, related strictly neither to ethnicity nor to citizenship, exists as a distinct local identity. How does one become a Londoner? It might be as simple as a feeling of belonging to a place that is at ease with the world. It is the audacity of this idea that seems to enrage some individuals. "How does one become a Londoner? It might be as easy as a feeling of belonging to a place at ease with the world" Londoners are largely comfortable with multiple identities. The 70 per cent non-British London School of Economics, where I studied, is testament to Londoners ease with difference: a Haitian student of philosophy can be as much a Londoner as someone who can trace his ancestry to Samuel Pepys, or this boy born in St Marys Hospital to Indian parents 22 years ago. Of course Londons diversity is not only through chic international restaurants and successful minority figures. To deny the challenges of segregation, communication, poverty and racism would be ignorant. Some people do feel afraid, isolated or lost. Yet these problems are authentically London. To say it isnt an English city any more suggests a misunderstanding, or whitewashing, of its history. Read Ben Judahs This Is London to appreciate the experiences of the most recent generation of its underclasses, from invisible servants to despondent beggars. From scenes of social deprivation arise moments of hope. A marriage between a Polish cashier and a Nigerian security guard is described as something that can only happen in this city, where love is really free. In past and present, Londoners, Britons and the English live side by side, embracing seemingly contradictory identities and sharing heritage, culture and social challenges. Statistics about demographic change are misleading London was never a purely English city and it belongs to no single label. Sorry, but things werent better before. Britney Spears song Toxic is an undisputed pop classic, known for its addictive beat and for its star's brief foray into air hostessing. But according to Popbitch, the 2003 tune, which includes lyrics like a guy like you should wear a warning, could well have been inspired by a very unexpected figure: Channel 4's Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick. But if youre hoping for some hot gossip about a Spears/Fitzpatrick dalliance, youre going to be sorely disappointed. Fitzpatrick reportedly dated one of Spears' Toxic collaborators, a songwriter called Cathy Dennis. Noel Fitzpatrick appearing as the Supervet on Channel 4 / Channel 4 / Supervet He naturally met her after she brought her paralysed Labrador Charlie to see him (sadly, he wasn't able to do anything for Charlie.) Noel Fitzpatrick appearing as the Supervet on Channel 4 / Channel 4 / Supervet According to Popbitch, Fitzpatrick inspired the song as the pair were dating in the early 00s. Its a little baffling to think of Fitzpatrick in the songs context, which describes the figure in it as a taste of poison paradise. This is, of course, the same man who once jumped out of his car in Dublin to save a swan stuck in traffic. A quick refresher on the rest of the song's lyrics (any excuse): Fitzpatrick and Dennis apparently broke up in 2003: the same year the song came out. Cathy Dennis / Getty Images Dennis spoke openly about their breakup in his book Listening to the Animals - Becoming the Supervet and said, Cathy and I remain good friends and Im sad that I couldnt give her, or anyone else, what is needed in a healthy relationship. W ith its historic sights, winding alleyways, buzzing riverside and distinctive cuisine, Lyon is perfect for a long weekend, says Christopher Beanland. See The old town is packed with quirks, from the huge windows of the silk weavers houses in the Croix-Rousse area, which let in light so that they could spin the thread, to the winding alleys between old buildings used by Resistance saboteurs escaping the Gestapo in the Second World War. Cinema began in Lyon the Lumiere Brothers invented the first film cameras and projectors at the end of the 19th century and made and showed their own movies. You can learn more about them at the Institut Lumiere (institut-lumiere.org), a cinema, museum and library. A 20-minute train ride from Lyon Gorge de Loup station brings you to LArbresle. Once you climb to the top of the hill above the village, youll find one of the 20th centurys most significant buildings, Couvent de La Tourette (couventdelatourette.fr). Designed by Le Corbusier, with musician Iannis Xenakis, the monasterys cool, grey concrete is punctuated by long windows inspired by musical notes and splashes of primary colours straight out of a Picasso painting. Guided tours take place every Sunday at 2.30pm. The Musee des Confluences / Alamy Stock Photo Do The banks of the Rhone are where Lyon has fun. The municipal pools Centre Nautique Tony Bertrand (en.lyon-france.com) are a complex of slides, sun terraces and places to take a dip right by the riverside. The place gets packed whenever the sun comes out. Down in La Confluence, the former dock area where the Rhone meets the Saone, explore a world of weird architecture: offices like blocks of Mimolette cheese, the old sugar factory turned art gallery with DROIT (right) and GAUCHE (left) printed enigmatically on each tower (lasucriere-lyon.com) and the new Musee des Confluences (museedesconfluences.fr). Designed by eccentric Austrian architects Coop Himmelb(l)au, it went wildly overbudget, looks like a crashed glass spaceship, and offers exhibitions about science and history. One of Europes most important electronic music festivals, Nuits Sonores (nuits-sonores.com), takes place in rundown old venues by the river each year. Joy Orbison, Jeff Mills and James Blake dropped beats this year. Eat Hotel-Dieu, Lyons grand former 18th-century hospital, has been restored and reopened after four years of dereliction. In one corner is food hall Les Halles Grand Hotel-Dieu (halles-grand-hotel-dieu.fr), with a dozen traiteurs, all local family businesses. Pignol serves the citys famous pralines, caramelised almonds in a shocking-pink jacket. Cerise et Potiron goes one better by baking them into a moreish little tart. Fromager La Mere Richard has a pungent selection of cheeses put them on yeasty ficelle bread from Pozzoli. The central dome at the InterContinental Lyon Hotel-Dieu Stay The new InterContinental Lyon Hotel-Dieu (ihg.com) is also in the sprawling Hotel-Dieu, with the Epona restaurant from lauded chef Mathieu Charrois. The piece de resistance is the bar and presidential suite in the huge central dome, which looks like a train station. Details A violent robber who snatched an 11,000 Rolex from a mother in front of her screaming children and bit a man who refused to give up his valuable watch has been jailed for eight years. Christopher Shingler, 29, targeted Julie Simpson and Kwok Yau in separate broad daylight attacks last July, ambushing them from behind and wrenching their watches from their wrists. When Mr Yau fought back Shingler sunk his teeth into the victims thigh as an accomplice squeezed him around the throat, Inner London crown court heard. Two days later Mrs Simpson was attacked as she walked home from Clapham Common with her two young children, the family sausage dog Bentley, and a friends child. She said she feared being stabbed or doused with acid during the robbery, which left her afraid to leave the house alone for months afterwards. Shingler, a father-of-two who was addicted to crack cocaine, was caught by DNA he left at the scene of both robberies, and he was jailed for eight years on Friday. These brazen attacks on two innocent victims were violent and terrifying, not just for the individual victims but for anyone who lives locally, said Judge Freya Newbery. The fear engendered in the community is something of wider concern. The court heard Shingler and another, unknown man had been following Mr Yau before striking in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, at around 5pm on July 8 last year. There was a considerable struggle and an attempt to wrestle the watch from his wrist, said prosecutor Helen Owen. Mr Yau was taken to the ground in the struggle and grabbed around the neck. The amount of pressure applied increased as he struggled. During the struggle Mr Shingler was responsible for ripping the watch from Mr Yaos wrist. He was then bitten on the thigh during the struggle. Mr Yau said in a statement that he had saved up to buy the 5,000 Rolex as a nest egg, planning to pawn it for cash if his freelance work ever dried up. The court heard Mr Yau still bears a scar on his thigh with visible teeth marks, and he fears being attacked again. Mrs Simpson was targeted in Abbeville Road as she walked home from Clapham Common with the three children, when she was grabbed from behind and Shingler prised her watch from her wrist. She told the Standard after the ordeal: I screamed when they jumped on me but I stopped as I was scared. One of them grabbed me then the other one felt like he was trying to pull my arm off. I realised they were after my watch but they were struggling to get it off. I said I would help him as he was really pulling at my arm but they screamed at me to leave it alone. They were getting agitated as they didnt get it off as quickly as they wanted. I turned my face away as I thought they would punch me in the face. My kids were all screaming. My dog was dangling from the lead he was traumatised. Ms Owen told the court on Friday: She was terrified of being stabbed or acid thrown in her face. Mrs Simpson said Shingler remarked sorry about this before he fled with her Rolex, which had been a 40th birthday present from her husband. The prosecutor said Mrs Simpson had not worn jewellery in public for two months prior to the mugging after hearing of similar attacks, but had decided to wear her watch that day. . There is a sense of a loss of safety within the community, a nightmare experienced by her, and an inability to leave the house for several months without being accompanied, she added. Although he robbed Mrs Simpson of a Rolex watch, Mr Shingler also robbed her of a sense of independence and sense of safety. Mrs Simpson and her family considered moving out of the Clapham area after the robbery, but have since resolved to stay put. Ross Cohen, mitigating, said Shingler, a father of two, had a wake-up call when faced with screaming children during the robbery of Mrs Simpson, and had since gained qualifications as a lorry driver. He wants to say how deeply sorry he is for what he has done, he said. O ne of the London Bridge attackers was within 60cm of an armed police officer when he was shot dead, an inquest heard. Detective Superintendent Rebecca Riggs from the Metropolitan Police said forensic evidence suggested how close knifeman Youssef Zaghba, 22, had been to an officer. Zaghba, Khuram Butt, 27 and Rachid Redouane, 30, killed eight people and injured 48 others in a van and knife attack on June 3, 2017. They mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing innocent bystanders at random in nearby Borough Market. Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, all died. Det Supt Riggs was giving evidence at inquests into the victims' deaths at the Old Bailey on Friday. The inquest heard that eight firearms officers fired 46 shots at the three attackers. Det Supt Riggs said Butt and Redouane were struck by at least six bullets each. She added that Zaghba was hit by at least two and a ballistics expert had indicated he had been less than 60cm away of a weapon when it was fired. The inquest also heard how back-up firearms officers had to be drafted in after the terror attack because so many police had been called to the incident. City of London Police temporary Commander David Evans said every resource his force had was deployed in response to the attack in June 2017. He told the inquests that he was a chief superintendent at the time and was the force's most senior officer on duty that night. Mr Evans said all the officers on duty were deployed in response to the attack, and he had to call in reinforcements to provide firearms cover. He said the control room was "exceptionally busy", and he was experiencing "information overload". Mr Evans said he was proud of the response of all City of London Police officers that night. He added: "It was an exceptionally busy incident, probably unprecedented since 7/7. "I cannot speak highly enough of their actions. "They thought it was a road traffic collision; what they ended up dealing with was much, much bigger." Jonathan Hough QC, counsel to the inquests into the victims' deaths, said the knives used by the attackers had also been tested for DNA and found traces linked to a number of victims. Det Supt Riggs said an investigation after the attack could not establish any evidence about how the attackers chose London Bridge and Borough Market as their targets. When asked by Mr Hough if there was any evidence to suggest the attack was directed overseas, or by a wider network, she said: "No, there was no evidence of that." But she did admit that phones the three attackers had been using in the build-up to the attack had never been recovered. Gareth Patterson QC, representing the families of some of the victims, said: "We know that the three attackers had phones they were using extensively in the months prior to the attacks. "Those phones were never recovered." Ms Riggs added: "No, we never recovered those phones." T en people have been arrested after two teenagers were killed in separate attacks in south London within minutes of each other. The first was stabbed on Deeside Road, Wandsworth, at 4.42pm on Friday. He died a short time later. The second teen was shot dead in a car park in Plumstead shortly before 5pm. Scotland Yard said three men and a woman were arrested following the shooting, while six men have been arrested over the stabbing. All 10 were arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to police stations for questioning. Officers are working to formally identify the two victims. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "sickened to hear that two young lives have been ended within minutes of each other". Our overstretched police are working around the clock to keep Londoners safe. They need our support to end this scourge of violence," he added. Emergency services, including armed police and an air ambulance, were called to a car park in Hartville Road, Plumstead, at 4.54pm this afternoon. A man, believed to be in his late teens, was found with critical injuries, police said. He died at the scene soon after he was found. Photos and video footage posted on social media show an air ambulance land near the scene. Minutes earlier a young man was stabbed in Wandsworth, south-west London. The man, also believed to be in his late teens, died at the scene in Deeside Road on Friday evening. A Met Police spokesman said officers were working to notify both victims' next of kin. Scotland Yard warned local residents in Wandsworth and Plumstead that they will see a heavy police presence following the attacks. E xtinction Rebellion protesters stopped traffic on major roads in south-east London as they launched a rush-hour protest over air quality. The Lewisham branch of the protest group staged three sit-ins on the South Circular, the A21 and A2,holding up traffic for seven minutes at a time. The climate change activists said the demonstration was to bring attention to the dangerous levels of air pollution in London. The rush-hour disruption lasted from 7.30am till 9am, with protesters warning drivers heading towards central London they would be delayed specifically in Catford, near Lewisham Station and in Deptford. Extinction Rebellion in South London - In pictures 1 /17 Extinction Rebellion in South London - In pictures Protestors from the Extinction Rebellion swarm roads in Catford, London, to protest air pollution, causing delays to drivers PA Protestors from the Extinction Rebellion block a road in Catford, London, to protest air pollution, causing delays to drivers PA Protestors from the Extinction Rebellion swarm roads in Catford, London, to protest air pollution, causing delays to driver PA @XRLewisham Extinction Rebellion protesters demonstrate outside Lewisham station, South East PA Extinction Rebellion demonstration in Catford Alex Lentati Extinction Rebellion demonstration in Catford Alex Lentati @XRLewisham Extinction Rebellion demonstration in Catford Alex Lentati Extinction Rebellion demonstration in Catford Alex Lentati Protestors from the Extinction Rebellion block a road in Catford, London, to protest air pollution, causing delays to drivers PA An Extinction Rebellion protester in Catford, London, to protest air pollution, causing delays to drivers PA Extinction Rebellion protesters demonstrate outside Lewisham station, South East London PA The protest is expected to be the first in a series of disruptive actions by Extinction Rebellion Lewisham as part of a campaign called Let Lewisham Breathe. Several young people could be seen demonstrating during the protest on Friday morning. Protesters handed out leaflets and cake to apologise for the disruption caused to drivers and passengers on a main route into central London. @XRLewisham Witnesses reported seeing activists blocking roads in Catford, with "some drivers getting angry" at the disruption. Harry Gibson, 35, was taking part in the action at Lewisham station. He believes stopping commuters is a small price to pay for raising awareness of climate change. He said: "The environment catastrophe will far outweigh the damage caused by a few roadblocks on a Friday morning." Mr Gibson, who also took part in the bridge blockades in central London in April, added: "The planet's not going to last, it's not protected with the way that we're going. Activists in Catford / PA "We need to look to the future for future generations." A 13-year-old protester, Freya, said: Im here because lots of people dont care. Most adults dont listen to the children. They cant stop polluting. This is the only way to make change. The campaign group claimed 50 people were in attendance this morning. PA Transport for London warned drivers and bus users to use alternative routes during their rush-hour commute while the demonstration took place. Schoolchildren who were looking to sit GCSE exams took to social media to express their frustrations at having to take longer routes to school. One student wrote: "Lots of people (including myself) travel outside of Lewisham to get to school...I left way earlier than usual and I'm still only going to make my exam by about 5 mins because no buses are running." Another pupil wrote a message to the group, saying: "Extinction Rebellion are you doing protests in Lewisham tomorrow? You do realise this is my last GCSE exam and you are going to prevent me from getting to it. "Do you know how hard I've worked? You would hate if if people stopped you getting to your O-levels." @XRLewisham Leaflets handed out by campaigners in Lewisham read: "Lewisham has committed to zero CO2 emissions by 2030, and road traffic is the biggest cause of greenhouse gases in the UK, with over 125m tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere last year. Alex Lentati "We are sorry for any inconvenience caused, but with 11 years left to phase out our reliance on fossil fuels, we must act now to persuade Lewisham Council and the UK government to put policies in place to give future generations hope and survival." Some witnesses hit out at the group and claimed the demonstration was causing pollution, however. PA One person wrote on Twitter: "Because of Extinction Revellion there are currently over 20 buses in Lewisham that ar stuck, all whilst leaving their engines running. Bit ironic." Another wrote: "Let Lewisham breathe protestors, blocking the junction, holding up traffic. Causing engines to run longer, drivers to get road rage meaning more aggressive driving and public transport buses to make people late and therefore need Ubers? Logical." A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard, which faced criticism for failing to clampdown on Extinction Rebellion protests in central London in April, said: We are aware of a demonstration planned to take place in Lewisham tomorrow. A proportionate policing plan is in place and officers are ready to respond to any incidents that may arise. Lewisham Councillor Sophie McGeevor, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: As one of the first councils in the country to declare a climate emergency, we share the same goal as Extinction Rebellion to save the planet and clean up our air. "We understand that without action the planet is heading towards a climate catastrophe. "We are taking bold action to improve air quality whether that is: supporting the ULEZ and campaigning for it include the whole borough, investing in cycling and walking infrastructure, proposing to make the most polluting vehicles pay more for parking, installing green walls outside schools, increasing the number of electric vehicle charging stations, or investing in Lewishams award winning green spaces. S urivors, bereaved families and campaigners marked the second anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy today with an impassioned plea for national change. The tragedy claimed 72 lives and left families and a community torn apart in Britains worst residential fire since the Second World War. Just before 1am today, Kensington Palace and Downing Street were among the landmarks to be bathed in green light the colour of Grenfell campaign for justice to mark the moment the blaze began on June 14, 2017. At Grenfell Tower itself, hundreds of people lit candles, while bunches of green and white balloons were released into the sky following a 72-second silence, as onlookers shed tears. Today survivors intensified their calls for justice and demanded changes to building regulations. Grenfell Tower illuminated in green last night / NIGEL HOWARD Tiago Alves, 22, a physics student who lived with his parents and sister on the 13th floor, woke neighbours with cries of get out now before making his escape. He said: I know the pain I feel and I know the pain those people who lost family members feel. What we dont want is someone else to experience that pain. Kensington Palace is lit up green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire / Getty Images My main concern is making sure the building regulations are fit for purpose, not allowing combustible materials on the outside of buildings. We will continue trying to get legislation through. We need national change. Mr Alves said the second anniversary brought back a range of emotions, adding: There is a sense of has anything really changed? At the same time there is guilt. You are angry, depressed and anxious just dont really know how to be feeling. Should you be fighting, crying? You just dont know. A man stands next to a memorial for Grenfell Tower at last night's vigil / Getty Images Survivors guilt is something that sometimes transcends logic. Its the guilt of why did I survive but so many others died? Its difficult to move on when there is still so much to be done. The 2nd Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire - In pictures 1 /73 The 2nd Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire - In pictures Family and friends of the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower block during a wreath laying ceremony outside the building PA Family and friends of the 72 people who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower block fire gather outside the west London building PA Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn lays a wreath outside Grenfell Tower PA Survivors march through the streets of London in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Fire REUTERS Balloons are released in memory of those who died in the tragic Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images Women look at a hoarding covered in messages of condolence REUTERS People gather before a vigil during commemorations to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire REUTERS A woman carries a sign before a vigil for victims REUTERS Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn arrives outside Grenfell Tower to meet survivors PA Members of the public at a service of remembrance AFP/Getty Images People gather as doves are released outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA People mourn at the Grenfell tower to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire AP Members of the public release balloons at a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire, at St Helen's Church in west London AFP/Getty Images A hoarding covered in messages of condolence is seen at the base of Grenfell tower two years after the fire Reuters Family and friends of the victims of those who died in the tragic Grenfell Tower fire attend a memorial service at St. Helens Church in North Kensington Getty Images Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (left) and Housing Secretary James Brokenshire (right) attend a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A vicar passes out candles at a memorial service for those who those who died in the tragic Grenfell Tower fire at St. Helens Church in North Kensington Getty Images Clarrie Mendy-Solomon, who lost two family members in the disaster reacts as she attends a memorial service marking the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire at St. Helen's Church Reuters Women looks at a hoarding covered in messages of condolence at the base of Grenfell tower two years after the fire Reuters Doves are released after a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire, at St Helen's Church AFP/Getty Images Participants attend a march marking the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire Reuters People look at a hoarding covered in messages of condolence at the base of Grenfell tower two years after the fire Reuters White doves are released during a memorial service marking the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire at St. Helen's Churc Reuters AFP/Getty Images People gather as balloons are released outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA People gather outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Members of the public arrive for a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire at St Helen's church in west London AFP/Getty Images A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire People gather outside St Helens church, London, following a service to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Members of the public arrive for a service of remembrance for the Grenfell tower fire at St Helen's church in west London AFP/Getty Images Members of the congregation during a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks at a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Housing Secretary James Brokenshire (left)attends a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks at a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire PA Tributes in memory of the Grenfell Tower tragedy Getty Images Grenfell Tower is seen near Latimer Road, Kensington Getty Images Tributes in memory of the Grenfell Tower tragedy are seen in the streets Getty Images A service of remembrance takes place at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire Alex Lentati Mayor of London Sadiq Khan attends a service of remembrance at St Helens church, London, to mark the two-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower block fire Alex Lentati A vigil is held close to the Grenfell Tower to mark the second anniversary of the tragedy Nigel Howard People obersve a memorial during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images A woman wipes her eye during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images Downing Street glows green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire EPA Second Anniversary vigil held close to Grenfell Tower Nigel Howard People release balloons in front of Grenfell Tower during a vigil to mark the second anniversary of the fir Getty Images Downing Street is lit up green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images Kensington Palace is lit up green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images Kensington Palace is lit up green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell tower fire Getty Images A a message demanding change projected onto a building in Newcastle PA A man stands next to a memorial for Grenfell Tower at last night's vigill Getty Images Second Anniversary vigil held close to Grenfell Tower. Nigel Howard Grenfell Tower is seen illuminated in green to mark the second anniversary of the fire Getty Images The tragedy happened when flames from a fourth-floor flat spread to the outside of the tower and engulfed it in minutes because the building was covered in combustible cladding. It remains the subject of an ongoing public inquiry and a vast criminal investigation. Thousands of people, including residents, emergency workers, developers and housing chiefs, have already been interviewed or given statements. Families are calling for fire safety recommendations to be implemented immediately, rather than waiting for the publication of the inquirys phase 1 report, due in October. Clarita Ghavimi, who escaped from the 10th floor, said: We have been asking the inquiry since last August to make urgent recommendations without waiting for the phase one report to be finally published. Some things can be done now: a full review of the stay put policy by the fire brigade; basic safety measures in high-rise blocks, like clear signs, clearly marked floor numbers, effective emergency lighting, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. "They should start now, and could save lives. Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick has previously said he does not consider it appropriate to make interim recommendations and any he makes will be limited to the first phase. Bereaved families gathered this morning for a memorial service at St Helens Church, North Kensington, near the tower. Britains Got Talent semi-finalist and Grenfell survivor Leanne Mya was due to sing during the service. J eremy Hunt has urged broadcasters to grow up and stop calling him "Jeremy C***". The Foreign Secretary has said people should "just get over that his last name rhymes with the expletive. Victoria Derbyshire became the latest in a string of journalists to make the blunder when she announced his name on her show on Tuesday. She immediately apologised. In an interview with the Telegraph on their Brexit podcast, Mr Hunt told how he was often called "Jeremy C***" when he was a schoolboy. "I'm used to it. I had this when I was at school," he said. "Personally I think people should just grow up and get over the fact that my last name rhymes with a rather unpleasant word." The latest incident took place when Ms Derbyshire was addressing Tory MP Steve Brine during her own weekday news and current affairs programme. She said: "You say the man you are backing, Jeremy C***... I'm so sorry, Jeremy Hunt". She then added: "I've never said that before in my life. It's normally men who say that so I really, really want to apologise." Sky News reporter Thomas Moore has also previously made the error, while BBC journalists Justin Webb and James Naughtie have also been caught out. Last week, while discussing Donald Trump's visit to the UK, Radio 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell also made the blunder. M att Hancock is dropping out of the Conservative leadership race and will pivot behind a rival who can deliver Brexit and champion enterprise, he revealed to the Evening Standard today. I have decided to withdraw from the race and work out what is the best way to advance the values that I care deeply about, he announced in his first interview since yesterdays ballot. Mr Hancock will hold talks with the six other candidates left in the race, including runaway favourite Boris Johnson before deciding whom to back. He opened the door to endorsing a frontrunner such as Mr Johnson, Jeremy Hunt or Michael Gove by saying his keynote appeal for a fresh face for the future had been lost in the clamour to sort out Brexit right away. I was trying to make the argument that we needed to concentrate on the candidate for the future, but its clear that the party is looking for a candidate for the unique circumstances that we face now, he said. The Health Secretary, aged 40, was the youngest candidate left in the battle to inherit Theresa Mays Tory crown. Ben Cawthra/LNP In yesterdays first ballot of the 313 Conservative MPs he polled 20 votes, enough to progress to the next ballot but, he concluded, too few to stand a realistic chance of winning. Ive been incredibly grateful for the enthusiastic and growing support that I have received, both among MPs and wider party and the public, he said. But it is clear that I cant win from here. Im proud that we set the agenda in the campaign, wining arguments that the party needs to be focused on the future and needs to be a pro-enterprise and pro-business party, and putting forward a credible plan to deliver Brexit so we can move forward. His campaign was credited with championing issues away from Brexit including the importance of free-enterprise, new technology industries and modernisation and appealing to young people. Mr Hancock met Home Secretary Sajid Javid last night at the Commons, promoting rumours that he was on the brink of quitting the race, and talked by phone to the other candidates. In the next few days he will have more detailed discussions with former Mayor of London Mr Johnson, who won round one with 114 votes, Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt, who came second with 43, Environment Secretary Mr Gove, who came third on 37, former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, who polled 27 and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart who just crossed the line with 19. Mr Hancock said his wife Martha told him well done darling after the votes were counted and he had done better than expected. He said he was not surprised by the results. Clearly one of the challenges I faced was that we face very unusual circumstances right now. As a country we need to deliver Brexit so we can move forward. That obviously had an impact on my ability to get the campaign focused all about the future. Asked if he could support Mr Johnson, he replied: Im not going to rule anything in or out at this stage. On whether he could back a no-deal candidate, he would rule no-one out but still believed the big risk was that it would be blocked by Parliament. Loading.... Asked if he could back a candidate who had said f--- business, he replied: Im ruling nothing in or out. Mr Hancock said Martha, an osteopath, was very understanding of his decision to withdraw from the contest. I came to this decision yesterday evening over a long discussion which Martha was a crucial voice in, he said. She is extremely wise and I respect her political voice. Looking tired and rubbing his eyes during the interview, Mr Hancock said he had been buoyed by his familys support. My elder two children were enthusiastic cheerleaders. I want to spend more time with them, and Im going to carry on running the Health Service. In the midst of this campaign we landed the junior doctors contract and made progress on a whole host of health matters. On the idea of proroguing, or suspending, Parliament, which neither Mr Johnson Nor Mr Raab Have Ruled Out, he said: Proroguing Parliament is wrong and it would undermine our values. Asked if he was worried there would be another coronation of Boris, he said: I think there is a lot of colleagues who think the contest should last its full course. He said all the candidates should take part in the TV debates because this is a contest not just for a Prime Minister but a party leader. He praised Mr Stewarts terrific insurgent campaign which had made important arguments mirroring mine about how the party needs to appeal beyond its normal boundaries TODO: define component type apester Mr Javid, he said, had made important arguments about the sorts of people that Conservatives ought to stand for .. and the importance of aspiration. However, he suggested that the next generation candidates would have to wait until after Brexit was sorted out. Im going to talk to all the other candidates and consider how best I can advance the values that I care deeply about, like how we win the argument for free enterprise and a free society, how the party is at its best when its open, outward facing and optimistic. We need to both deliver Brexit and then move forward and focus on the future. Mr Hancock supported Chancellor Philip Hammonds call for candidates to commit to reducing Britains debt over time, saying the pledge was a very important economic anchor. Mr Hunt earlier suggested it would be cowardly for Mr Johnson to skip Sunday nights TV debate on Channel 4. He told the BBC: We can only have that debate if our front-runner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media and actually engaging in debates. Engaging in the TV debates. B oris Johnson is set to take part in his first televised debate this evening along with the other Tory leadership contenders. The former Foreign Secretary will go head-to-head on the BBC with the other hopefuls vying to succeed Theresa May as Prime Minister. Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid and Rory Stewart clashed over Brexit during the fiery live TV debate, but candidates also discussed their weaknesses and what their priority would be as leader. Two more debates will be held later on in the election race between the final two candidates on both the BBC and Sky News. Here's all you need to know about the Tory leadership debates which will be on TV over the next few days. TODO: define component type apester When are the debates happening? The BBC said it plans to host two debates during the leadership race, the first of which will take place at 8pm on Tuesday, June 18. Called "Our Next Prime Minister", the live debate will be hosted by Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis. It will feature the remaining candidates, who have made it through the second ballot, which also takes place on Tuesday. They will be invited to appear on the show and will be asked questions from viewers live on air. The final two candidates will also later be invited to take part in a special edition of Question Time with Fiona Bruce, where they will be asked questions by an audience. Meanwhile Sky News said it has plans to organise its own head-to-head debate with the final two candidates. The live debate will be in front of a studio audience and hosted by Kay Burley. Who will take part in the debates? All of the remaining candidates, including Mr Johnson, have committed to appear on Tuesday's BBC debate. By the time the BBC debate takes place this evening, the field will have narrowed further following the second leadership contest ballot. The remaining candidates will also be invited onto the final two BBC and Sky debates later in the month. Mr Johnson did not appear on Sunday night's debate, suggesting it would be too "cacophonous" but described the BBC debate as the "best forum" for candidates. B oris Johnson has come under intense pressure to debate his Tory leadership rivals on television after all the other contenders agreed to take part. The frontrunner opened up a considerable lead in the race during the first round of the contest on Thursday, pulling 71 votes ahead of his six rivals. But Mr Johnson has been criticised for not yet agreeing to on-screen debates, with one of his fellow leadership candidates telling him: "what have you got to hide?" The former foreign secretary's opponents have all agreed to appear on TV leadership debates on Sunday and Tuesday, and Channel 4 has said he will be represented by an empty chair if he refuses to take part. Boris Johnson secured 114 votes in the first ballot of the Tory leadership contest / EPA Mr Johnson's spokesman has said his client is "in discussions" with broadcasters. In a joint statement, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock, and Rory Stewart said the leadership contest was "a critical moment" for both the UK and the Conservative party. TODO: define component type apester They said: "The next Conservative Leader, and Prime Minister, will have the crucial task of uniting Britain behind a new vision - not only to deliver Brexit, but to define what comes next. "This leadership contest provides an important opportunity to debate, to shape and to define the ideas which will underpin those competing visions. "That is why we are committed to taking part in the Channel 4 televised debates this Sunday and the BBC programme next Tuesday." TODO: define component type brightcove Those campaigning against Mr Johnson warned his strategy of avoiding media scrutiny could land the Tories with the same sort of leadership coronation that delivered victory for Theresa May without her being stress-tested under the spotlight. A campaign spokesman for Mr Stewart added the next leader must demonstrate they have the capability to "win back old voters and win over new audiences". He added: "Any candidate who seeks that mantle can hardly opt out of a public debate. "If any candidate ducks that duty, there is a simple question we should ask: 'What have you got to hide?"' Round 1: Mr Johnson came out on top / Sky News Meanwhile, Mr Raab - who is seeking hard Brexit votes like Mr Johnson - also called for a "proper debate". He said: "I'm looking forward to the first televised debates on Sunday and I hope that everyone gets involved - we should have a proper debate on the vision for the country." Health Secretary Mr Hancock is understood to be considering pulling out of the race to support another candidate with a better chance of winning the 33 votes needed to get past the next round Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told Mr Johnson it was his duty to debate with his rivals and "get out and do the TV debates", according to the Times. There are calls for the four candidates at the bottom of the results table to drop out and speed up the process of selecting the next leader. One of Mr Johnson's supporters labelled the four "vanity candidates", the Telegraph reported, saying only Mr Johnson, Mr Hunt and Mr Gove should stay in the race. They added: "Anyone else who tries to carry on is being indulgent." D owning Street, Kensington Palace and town halls across London have been illuminated green for the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. A bright green light was also beamed onto the high rise itself to mark 24 months since the devastating fire, which left 72 people dead on June 14, 2017. It was the most deadly domestic blaze since the Second World War. For just over a year the building has stood surrounded by white sheeting, with banners featuring the green Grenfell heart and the words "forever in our hearts" emblazoned across the four highest floors. Downing Street glows green to mark the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire / EPA And two years on hundreds of people, including survivors of the tragedy, gathered at the scene for a vigil. Balloons were released into the sky as respects were paid to victim Bereaved families will also later gather for a memorial service at St Helen's Church, near the Grenfell site, which will set the tone for a day of remembrance. Kensington Palace is lit up to mark the anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy / Getty Images From early evening on Friday, a multi-faith vigil will be held in the area surrounding the high-rise, followed by the silent walk that has taken place on the 14th of each month for two years. Survivors and relatives of those killed in the blaze have reiterated a call for urgent fire safety recommendations to be made, saying such a move "could save lives". Two years on from the disaster, families said they feel the inquiry has not delivered, and argued their voices are not being heard. The inquiry's first report was due to be published in spring but has been delayed until October. It will focus on what happened on the night of the fire. Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick has previously said he does not consider it appropriate to make interim recommendations ahead of the report and any recommendations he makes will be limited to the first phase. A vigil is held close to the Grenfell Tower to mark the second anniversary of the tragedy / Nigel Howard But some survivors have become frustrated that safety recommendations, such as abandoning the "stay-put" policy for buildings over 10 storeys, are yet to be implemented. Now lawyers for some of the affected families are calling again for urgent steps to be taken on "basic fire safety measures" to prevent a similar disaster. Clarita Ghavimi, who managed to escape from the tower block, said: "We know that many issues will need more expert evidence and further investigation. "But some things can be done now - a full review of the 'stay-put' policy by the fire brigade, basic safety measures in high rise blocks, like clear signs, clearly marked floor numbers, effective emergency lighting, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. H undreds of high-rise blocks with cladding similar to that used on Grenfell Tower have yet to see removal works begin, it has been reported. Some 328 buildings are said to still have aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding two years on from the disaster that left 72 people dead. According to figures from the Building Safety Programme (BSP) obtained by the BBC, work has not yet begun to remove cladding from 221 of them. As of the end of May, 105 other high-rise buildings that had previously failed safety tests have had work to remove the cladding completed. The data emerged as mourners prepared to pay respects to the victims of the 2017 blaze exactly two years on. Campaigners beamed safety warnings onto 'unsafe' buildings / PA The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told the broadcaster: "The government has banned combustible materials in the external walls of new high-rise homes and guidance requires that sprinklers must be installed in new buildings above 30 metres. "Building owners are ultimately responsible for the safety of the building and it is for them to decide whether to retro-fit sprinklers." The BSP's figures were reported after survivors and relatives of those killed in the blaze reiterated a call for urgent fire safety recommendations to be made, saying such a move "could save lives". Families said they feel an inquiry into the disaster has not delivered, and argued their voices are not being heard The inquiry's first report was due to be published in spring but has been delayed until October. It will focus on what happened on the night of the fire. Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick has previously said he does not consider it appropriate to make interim recommendations ahead of the report and any recommendations he makes will be limited to the first phase. But some survivors have become frustrated that safety recommendations, such as abandoning the "stay-put" policy for buildings over 10 storeys, are yet to be implemented. Now lawyers for some of the affected families are calling again for urgent steps to be taken on "basic fire safety measures" to prevent a similar disaster. Clarita Ghavimi, who managed to escape from the tower block, said: "We know that many issues will need more expert evidence and further investigation. "But some things can be done now - a full review of the 'stay-put' policy by the fire brigade, basic safety measures in high rise blocks, like clear signs, clearly marked floor numbers, effective emergency lighting, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. "These steps do not need more evidence. They should start now, and could save lives." C omedian Jo Brand has reportedly apologised for her crass and ill-judged comments about throwing battery acid at politicians. Her remarks on the BBC Radio 4 programme Heresy on Tuesday night led to public criticism, including from Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, and multiple complaints being made to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom. It has emerged the broadcaster had 22 days to edit her comment from the show, which was pre-recorded on May 21. On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said they were assessing Brand's comment following an allegation of incitement to violence. Appearing at an event in Henley, Oxfordshire, on the same day, the comedian was said to have apologised for making the joke. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage is escorted to a car after having milkshake thrown over him / Ian Forsyth/Getty Images But she reportedly told the audience she did not think that she had made a "mistake", adding that she had not mentioned Mr Farage. Looking back it probably was somewhat a crass and ill-judged joke that might upset people. Of course Id never do anything like that. It was purely a fantasy. Im sorry. Im a human, I make mistakes, she said, according to The Sun. She added: I dont think its a mistake. If you think it is Im happy to accept that." On Wednesday, the Brexit Party leader, who had a milkshake thrown at him while campaigning in Newcastle, accused Brand of inciting violence, although he did not say who against. Commenting again on Twitter, he said: "I am sick to death of overpaid, left-wing, so-called comedians on the BBC who think their view is morally superior. "Can you imagine the reaction if I had said the same thing as Jo Brand?" It is understood that the allegation reported to the police was not made by Mr Farage or the Brexit Party. Ofcom said it has received 65 complaints about the episode of Heresy. A statement from Scotland Yard said on Thursday: "Police have received an allegation of incitement to violence that was reported to the MPS on 13 June. Theresa May has asked the BBC to explain why it broadcast Brand's comments / REUTERS "The allegation relates to comments made on a radio programme. The allegation is currently being assessed. "There have been no arrests and inquiries are ongoing." A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May called on the BBC to explain why it broadcast Brand's comments, saying that "violence and intimidation should not be normalised". The BBC said it regretted any offence caused by the radio programme, which was never intended "to encourage or condone violence". The corporation said comedy would "always push boundaries", but added that it would edit the Heresy programme, which is hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell. In a statement, a spokeswoman said: Heresy is a long-running comedy programme where, as the title implies and as our listeners know, panellists often say things which are deliberately provocative and go against societal norms but are not intended to be taken seriously. "We carefully considered the programme before broadcast. It was never intended to encourage or condone violence, and it does not do so, but we have noted the strong reaction to it. Comedy will always push boundaries and will continue to do so, but on this occasion we have decided to edit the programme. We regret any offence we have caused. In reply to a question about the state of UK politics, Brand had told the programme: "Well, yes, I would say that but that's because certain unpleasant characters are being thrown to the fore and they're very, very easy to hate and I'm kind of thinking 'Why bother with a milkshake when you could get some battery acid?' "That's just me. I'm not going to do it, it's purely a fantasy, but I think milkshakes are pathetic, I honestly do, sorry." F estival-goers are braced for a weekend of mud and rain with some abandoning Download Festival before it has even started. The wet weather has led to scenes of mayhem at the festival site in Leicestershire, with hundreds seen wading through deep mud as they arrived for the start of the festival on Friday. There was so much mud that some people on social media dubbed it Drownload and Brownload. Others told how they had abandoned the festival - which includes headliners Def Leppard, Slipknot and Tool - early. The music officially starts on Friday but many people started arriving on Wednesday. Wellies in the mud at Download Festival / @_DanielleAlex Samantha Gibben told MailOnline: We had a perfectly watertight tent. Nothing was leaking. But we left because of the mud. It's that bad less than a day in. I'll never survive. My hips were dislocating from slipping on the mud as we walked in even with wellies. I can't handle it. One twitter user warned those who had yet to arrive to pack your armbands, youll need them. Another said: "#dowloadfestival is a mud bath." One music fan said she spent 600 on the trip but had to head back home due to the weather. Kelly Dawson told NME: So we travelled home last night, we got in at 4am. Gutted is an understatement for how I feel about leaving. "We couldnt have afforded a hotel, we couldnt afford to drive home and then back up today. One of the scenes at Download / @ScurvyPete13 "We made the very difficult decision to leave. And to all those who have made the same decision, Im so sorry you felt the same way. "We wanted to save ourselves, our clothes, our belongings before they got drenched and ruined. Festival-goers trudge through mud at the Isle of Wight Festival / Rex Features We only had a single skin tent (our fault completely) which honestly didnt help but Ive seen that even double skin tents have been having issues. Revellers were also met with similar conditions at the Isle of Wight festival, which takes place this weekend in Hampshire. One commenter tweeted: Loads of people heading for the Isle of Wight Festival in clean wellies. Its a stuck in the mud fest this year Those at the festival will see acts including George Ezra, Lily Allen and Biffy Clyro. Fans were not put off by the weather on the Isle of Wight. / Rex Features Heavy rain and flooding has hit the UK this week with several amber warnings being issued by the Met Office in the north of England and Wales. A Royal Air Force helicopter was deployed to Lincolnshire to help stranded residents after a river broke its banks following extreme rainfall. Localised flooding have also hit parts of the Midlands over the last few days, with roads and some properties inundated. R oyal fans are convinced the Duke of Sussex told his wife Meghan to "turn around" while appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony during last weekend's Trooping the Colour ceremony. Footage showed the couple exchanging words after joining the Queen to watch a flypast from the balcony. The duchess turns back to speak to Prince Harry twice in quick succession, prompting him to respond with two brief phrases. Moments later the national anthem can be heard. The clip sparked speculation on social media over what was said, with some suggesting he had told her to turn around. A lip reading expert told Mail Online that Harry said to Meghan "yes, that's right" when she looked at him the first time, before adding: "Turn around... Look," when she turned again. The interaction came just before the start of the national anthem, when the royal family traditionally faces forward to the crowd. Trooping the Colour parade marks Queen's official birthday 1 /41 Trooping the Colour parade marks Queen's official birthday Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, along with other members of the royal family at the ceremony REUTERS Prince Louis waved excitedly during his first Trooping the Colour AFP/Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall make their way along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade PA Queen Elizabeth II during the Trooping the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade PA The Queen is celebrating her official birthday PA The Red Arrows fly over Buckingham Palace AFP/Getty Images The display on Saturday REUTERS The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team Red Arrows performs a flypast for Trooping the Colour REUTERS Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte peer out of the windows of Buckingham Palace Getty Images Charltote waves to crowds Getty Images The pair wave to crowds AFP/Getty Images Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex along with other members of the royal family REUTERS The Queen's birthday parade in Horseguards parade AFP/Getty Images Members of the Coldstream Guards take part in the Trooping the Colour parade REUTERS Meghan makes her first official outing since the birth of her baby son Archie AFP/Getty Images Meghan smiles as she makes her way through central London PA The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive for the Trooping the Colour ceremony PA Queen Elizabeth II during the Trooping the Colour ceremony PA The Duke and Duchess of Sussex make their way along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade PA The Queen takes part in the parade REUTERS The Duke of Cambridge makes his way from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade PA Ceremonial soldiers march during the Trooping of the Colour Queen's birthday parade EPA Members of the Household Cavalry make their way from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade PA Soldiers make their way from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade PA Members of the Grenadier Guards line up in Horseguards parade AFP/Getty Images Members of the Welsh Guards, a regiment of Household Division, march to Horseguards parade during Trooping The Colour Getty Images Kate smiles to crowds AFP/Getty Images Harry and Meghan as they arrived in a horse-drawn carriage AFP/Getty Images The Queen during the ceremony REUTERS The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive for the Trooping the Colour ceremony PA AFP/Getty Images The royal couple, who recently welcomed their first son Archie, joined the Queen to celebrate her official birthday with the annual Trooping the Colour parade last Sunday. It marked Meghan's first official royal engagement since giving birth just over four weeks ago. She was seen with Harry and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the flypast of RAF aircraft, which included historic planes and modern jets. A baby boy who was cut from his mother's womb has died in hospital where he had been in grave condition since the April attack that killed his mother, the family said. Yovanny Jadiel Lopez died at Christ Medical Centre in Oak Lawn, Chicago, from a severe brain injury, according to a statement posted on Facebook by family spokeswoman Julie Contreras, who expressed "great sadness" in announcing the baby's death. Family spokeswoman Cecilia Garcia confirmed the statement. The baby had been on life support since being taken to the hospital on April 23. Prosecutors say Clarisa Figueroa, 46, claimed she had given birth to the baby. Clarisa Figueroa has been charged over the death of the baby's mother / AP She and her 24-year-old daughter Desiree are charged with murder over the death of the baby's mother, 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, and Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said he expects both women will now be charged with murder in the infant's death. Prosecutors will "make a determination on additional charges" after police and the medical examiner's office complete their investigations, Cook County State's Attorney's Office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said. Clarisa Figueroa's boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, is charged with concealing a homicide. The three defendants are due back in court on June 26. Ms Garcia said the family had been weighing whether to take the baby off life support when he died. Christ Medical Centre said in a statement that its "hearts and prayers" were with the baby's family, and their "courage and grace have drawn the admiration of our entire organisation". Authorities say that not long after Clarisa Figueroa's adult son died of natural causes, she told her family she was pregnant. They say she plotted for months to acquire a newborn, and posted an ultrasound and photos of a room decorated for a baby on her Facebook page. In March, she and Ms Ochoa-Lopez connected on a Facebook page for pregnant women. The two first met in person around April 1, when Ms Ochoa-Lopez went to the Figueroas' house and left unharmed, prosecutors allege. The teenager returned on April 23 to accept Clarisa Figueroa's offer of free baby clothes, and as Desiree Figueroa was showing Ms Ochoa-Lopez a photo album of her late brother to distract her, Clarisa Figueroa sneaked up behind her and strangled her with a cord, prosecutors say. Once Ms Ochoa-Lopez stopped showing signs of life, Clarisa Figueroa cut the baby from her womb, according to prosecutors. Later that day, Clarisa Figueroa called 911 claiming that her newborn baby was not breathing. When first responders arrived, the child was blue. They tried to resuscitate him and took him to Christ Medical Centre, where he remained until his death. N urse Pauline Cafferkey, who survived the deadly Ebola virus, has given birth to twin sons. Ms Cafferkey, 43, from South Lanarkshire, Scotland, hailed their arrival as proof that "there is life after Ebola". The Scottish nurse spent two years battling the deadly virus, having contracted it in 2014 while doing aid work in Sierra Leone. The proud father Robert Softley Gale, a theatre director and disability campaigner, announced the news by posting a photo of the newborns on Instagram. The boys were born on Tuesday in Glasgow and have yet to be named, the BBC has reported. Pauline Cafferkey, right, at Hampstead's Royal Free hospital in 2015 / Royal Free Hospital Paying tribute to the NHS staff who have helped her over the years, Ms Cafferkey said: "I would like to thank all the wonderful NHS staff who have helped me since I became ill in 2014 right through to having my babies this week. "This shows that there is life after Ebola and there is a future for those who have encountered this disease." A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said both the mother and babies were "doing well". Ms Cafferky first went to Sierra Leone during the West African Ebola epidemic, which killed more than 11,000 people between 2013 and 2016. After working on behalf of charity Save the Children, she returned to the UK where she was struck down with the disease. The nurse spent a month in an isolation unit at a hospital in London before doctors discharged her. But she was then readmitted to hospital three times in October 2015, February 2016 and October the same year after suffering complications linked to the disease. Health workers stand near the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, two days after a boy, 5, and his grandmother were declared dead. / AFP/Getty Images It comes as the virus once again grips the African continent, showing no sign of stopping in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nearly 1,400 people have died in the central African country since the fresh Ebola epidemic broke out in August 2018, with the disease now spreading to Uganda. A five-year-old boy infected with the virus died on Tuesday and his 50-year-old grandmother died on Wednesday, the Ugandan health ministry has said, with at least six other cases of the reported over recent days. The World Health Organisation is expected to declare an international emergency over the epidemic in the coming days Dr Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust, said the epidemic was the worst since that of 2013-16 and has showed "no sign of stopping". In a statement, Dr Farrar said the spread was "tragic but unfortunately not surprising". Stock Market News Economic Data - London markets decline as China data stokes growth fears 14-06-2019 04:16 Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk I ran has accused the US of warmongering and rejected claims it damaged two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian officials said the claim made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Iran was responsible was unfounded. Mr Pompeo said the US made its assessment based on intelligence about the type of weapons used. And the US military's Central Command later said there is video evidence of Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships. The crude oil tanker Front Altair on fire in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday / EPA But responding to the claims, the Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement that Iran "categorically rejects the US unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms. It accused the United States and its regional allies, which include Iranian rival Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, of "warmongering." Iran called on "the international community to live up to its responsibilities in preventing the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the U.S. and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region." Iran has denied that it was behind the attack / AFP/Getty Images Mr Pompeo earlier said that the ships were targeted as part of a "campaign" of "escalating tension" by Iran and a threat to international peace and security. The tankers came under suspected attack in the early hours of today near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with one of them set ablaze. Dozens of sailors were evacuated after explosions on the MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous. The US Navy said one oil tanker was adrift and on fire, and it was assisting the tankers after receiving two distress calls US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters in Washington on Thursday / Getty Images Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, a fire that charred half of one of the vessel's sides and sent up a column of thick, black smoke. "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today." He added: "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophisticatiom." The suspected attacks occurred about 40 kilometres (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Norwegian-owned Front Altair, loaded with naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. Loading.... The US Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack," without elaborating. Frontline, the firm that operates the Front Altair, told The Associated Press that an explosion was the cause of the fire. Its crew of 23 - from Russia, the Philippines and Georgia - was safely evacuated to the nearby Hyundai Dubai vessel, it said. BSM Ship Management said the Kokuka Courageous sustained hull damage and its 21 Filipino sailors had been evacuated, with one suffering minor injuries. All 21 were placed aboard the Bainbridge, according to Lt Col Earl Brown, a spokesman for the US Central Command. Earlier, Iranian state television said 44 sailors from the two tankers were transferred to an Iranian port in the southern province of Hormozgan. Downing Street called the suspected attacks "completely unacceptable" and said the UK is ready to assist in any rescue or investigation. Theresa May's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "Attacks on civilian vessels like these are completely unacceptable. "It's vital that freedom of navigation is respected and observed. W omen across Switzerland have been burning their bras and walking out of work to demand fairer pay, equality and an end to sexual harassment. The strike, grounded in workplace inequality and sexism, marks the first such protests in the country for nearly three decades. Hundreds of protesters rallied at the cathedral in Lausanne, a town on Lake Geneva, at around midnight on Thursday, before marching downtown. They then started a bonfire into which hurled bras, ties and other items, while a number of women scaled the cathedral to shout out the hour, a tradition that is usually reserved for men. Demonstrators have been demanding higher pay specifically for domestic workers, teachers and caregivers jobs typically held by women in the country. As part of the action, which will continue throughout the day on Friday, participants are encouraged to avoid store purchases or trips to restaurants, to ratchet up the economic impact. Women are also being encouraged to leave their workplaces at 3:24 p.m, since organisers have calculated this is the time women should finish work to earn as much as men proportionately by average hourly wage. Some companies have shown their support for the movement: the highest skyscraper in the northwestern city of Basel was lit up with the purple womens strike logo on Thursday evening. The events honour protests that were held on June 14, 1991, for which more than 500,000 Swiss women left their jobs to condemn discrimination. This landmark demonstration took place 20 years after Swiss women won the right to vote and a decade after sexual equality became law. The strike's organiser Mariane Mure-Pache said she was "exasperated" by the response of local media at the time. "They would ask a woman why she was striking, and immediately turn to her husband to ask what he thought of it all," she told France Info, Today, she laments that the progress she'd hoped for 28 years ago has still not been made. "I was very young and I felt sure that male and female equality would happen within the next year or so," she told the French broadcaster. C uba Gooding Jr has pleaded not guilty to groping a woman in a New York nightclub as his lawyer said the Oscar winner is frisky but not inappropriate. The actor, 51, surrendered to authorities after a 29-year-old woman told police he grabbed her breast on Sunday night while he was intoxicated at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge. The star appeared in court in Manhattan and pleaded not guilty to forcible touching and sexual abuse. He will next appear in court on June 26. His lawyer Mark Heller claimed security videos would exonerate the actor. Mr Gooding has not acted inappropriately in any shape or form, he said. Nothing in the video could even be considered ambiguous and I am shocked and horrified that this case is being prosecuted. The allegations are the latest controversy for Gooding, who has been dogged by accusations of hard partying and questionable behaviour. His surrender came hours after it was reported that a second woman came forward with a separate groping allegation against the actor in 2008. Mr Heller said he did not think the 2008 allegation suggested a pattern of misbehaviour but said his client was sometimes frisky but not inappropriate. A Royal Air Force helicopter has been deployed to Lincolnshire to help stranded residents after a river broke its banks following extreme rainfall. The Chinook helicopter was flown to the town of Wainfleet to drop sand in an attempt to stem the flow from the River Steeping, which plunged more than 70 homes in water when it breached on Tuesday evening. Residents and fire crews had been working round the clock to stop the flooding filling sandbags and pumping water but their efforts were overwhelmed as the deluge continued. They eventually called for military assistance, which arrived on Thursday in the form of the heavy-lift aircraft. The Chinook delivers sandbags to plug a gap in the riverbank, to stem the flow of flooding. / PA The RAF team work to help with emergency flood efforts after the River Steeping burst its banks. / PA The town was hit by more than two months of rain in just two days, Lincolnshire County Council has said, forcing people to evacuate their homes or leaving them without electricity. Properties in the area are expected to be without power until Friday afternoon, and the council has warned the number of people affected by the floods could rise as high as 720. TODO: define component type brightcove Residents are taken to safety in an inflatable boat by rescue workers in Wainfleet, after the town had more than two months of rain in just two days. / PA The Environment Agency issued a flood warning for the town before the river burst its banks. It was one of seven flood warnings issued in the county since Monday, after torrential rain sparked floods and travel chaos across the UK. Rescue workers in Wainfleet, where streets and properties were flooded after the River Steeping breached its banks. / PA Britons are set for a less dramatic weather front this weekend, however, as the weeks heavy rainfall gives way to sunny spells. The mercury could hit up to 20C in the south East of England on Saturday, with all parts of the country enjoying double-figure temperatures. The Met Office said that while light showers will continue across the country, the most impactful weather should be over. Met Office spokesman Graham Madge told the Standard: Friday will see cloudy conditions across the South East, with some showers likely, but these should give way to a warmer and more settled Saturday. Wales should see the worst of the rain on Friday and Saturday, as a weather front moves slowly eastwards from the south of the country. But this will fizzle out leaving much brighter periods everywhere. Sunday will see further improvements, as temperatures hit highs of 20C in Scotland and could reach up to 22C in London and south-eastern England. TODO: define component type brightcove By Monday, a ridge of high pressure will make things feel a lot more settled and warm, which will continue throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday. Mr Madge warned the weather could change into the mid-week, with thundery showers possible from Wednesday into Thursday. W hat will the world look like in five or 10 years time? Its hard to predict how much things will have changed by then, but the Science Museum is betting that autonomous vehicles will have had an immeasurable impact. Im absolutely certain in 10 years time; autonomous technology will change London, says Roger Highfield, the museums science director at the opening of its new exhibition, Driverless: Who is in control? From the moral and philosophical choices behind self-driving cars to Starship Technologies adorable drones, and the much-celebrated Boaty McBoatface, the exhibition explores the current state of autonomous vehicles and asks how the wider deployment of such technology will influence society. Overall, Highfield is positive about the impact autonomous vehicles will have in the future. Everyones aware that theres a revolution in AI going on out there, he tells the Standard. But the impact that AI [will have] in terms of controlling vehicles in the air, land and sea, is a really tangible example of how AI is going to affect everybody. Its a really fascinating example of the interaction of technology with people. Michael Ellis, the minister who covers the future of transport at the Department for Transport, believes that the UK could be a world leader when it comes to the future of mobility and autonomous vehicles. The UK government is investing 150 million into R&D around connected and autonomous vehicles over the next few years. He believes there are several opportunities for autonomous vehicles in the UK. Its about accessibility people who will be able to be mobile who previously struggled to be mobile, people who can travel without pollution and without the congestion, he tells the Standard. Its all about developing a number of positives in this and getting it right. The Citroen DS19, one of the original "driverless" cars, and the Robocar which is used in Formula E racing at the Science Museum (Science Museum Group ) / Science Museum Group Theres no mistaking the challenges in the way. Though companies like Oxbotica and Addison Lee pledge to offer self-driving taxis in London by 2021, the issues such as how self-driving cars will interact with non-autonomous vehicles as well as the unpredictability of pedestrians make these target dates seem unachievable. The GATEway project and Starships partnership with JustEat points to tangible ways that autonomous vehicles are being used on the streets of London already. The idea though, that you can jump in a driverless vehicle on a Friday night when its raining and it will just plow through I dont see happening for quite a long time because its such a complex problem, explains Highfield. When it comes to questions around the impact autonomous vehicles like driverless trucks could have on jobs, Ellis says this is an area the government is watching closely. We knew from advances in technology and other areas that so long as theyre done sympathetic to peoples lifestyles and advances in science, then new jobs will be created, and exciting new opportunities will be created for the future, he says. Autonomous sub Boaty McBoatface is part of the autonomous vehicles on display at the new exhibition (Science Museum Group ) / Science Museum Group The exhibition isnt just about driverless cars, however. Highfield is excited about the potential of the autonomous sub, Boaty McBoatface and the work it's going to do out in the Arctic. We still know less about our oceans than we do about the surface of the moon. And its so important in order to understand climate change and the ecosystem degradation, he says. As well, Ellis says hes interested in the use of drones for medical emergencies or when a natural disaster has occurred. Whether it be on land, sea, or in the air, there are many opportunities ahead, he says. What about the use of air drones to deliver parcels, like the recent Amazon Prime Air drone unveiled last week? I would just say, lets wait and see on that one, he adds. They include launching of an African anti-corruption indicator, improving information-sharing on corruption crimes within the continent, and strengthening national anti-corruption bodies The Chairman of Egypt's Administrative Control Authority Sherif Saif Eddin conveyed the thanks and gratitude of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to the guests of the first African Anti-Corruption Forum (AACF) Forum on Thursday. During the closing session of the two-day AACF in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh, Minister Saif Eddin said that corruption is the greatest enemy of the peoples of the African continent. Corruption represents a huge challenge to the efforts of democratisation and stability, building strong states capable of making choices and holding responsible those involved in hindering their progress, he said. During the AACFs sessions, we listened to many different points of view, and witnessed serious discussions that aimed to reach decisive mechanisms to confront corruption and eliminate it. Everyone presented their vision and benefited from one another, he said. At the end of his speech, the chairman of the Administrative Control Authority listed the ten recommendations from the closing session of the AACF: - To prepare an integrated strategic plan to combat and prevent corruption on the African continent, which will include the fields of education, scientific research, media, the judiciary and technical control, and promote economic and human development, through the formation of a joint committee of the relevant agencies to prepare and follow up on the national strategies of African countries in this regard. - To consolidate efforts to develop an African indicator for measuring corruption, that corresponds to the African context and reflects its specificities, bearing in mind the individual differences between African countries. - To launch a continental platform based on national focal points in charge of following up on developments in corruption cases and the outcomes of the anti-corruption efforts; and also following up on the commitments of states who are signatory to the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the 2003 African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, with regard to anti-corruption measures and procedures adopted by them, pursuant to their respective legal systems and constitutional principles, with the aim of limiting the phenomenon of corruption, provided that all parties convene on an annual basis in order to declare concluded outcomes and recommendations. - To design a secure electronic mechanism for instant exchange of intelligence on crimes of corruption, money laundering and funding terrorism among states with common interests, while expanding mobilisation efforts of African anti-corruption authorities to raise public awareness and encourage them to report all forms of corruption. - To establish a legal mechanism for combatting corruption among African states as to the recovery of funds lost due to corruption crimes, in the form of a protocol annexed to the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, provided that respective decisions resulting from such a mechanism be binding on all states which are parties to the convention. - To constantly review anti-corruption mechanisms, and develop and upgrade them in conformity with the specific context of respective states, while stressing common goals of African states to achieve strict transparency, provided that these proceedings will take place in the annual assembly of the Association of African Anti-Corruption Authorities (AAACA). - To promote cooperation with international partners to make accessible all funding and technical potentials for combating corruption, in order to realise common interests. - To expand the conclusion of memoranda of understanding and cooperation protocols between the National Academy for Combating Corruption in Egypt, training centres, and African control authorities, for the purpose of training and developing qualified African cadres in the realm of combating and preventing corruption whilst promoting values of integrity and transparency. - To study developing a regular mechanism for convening the AACF on a regular basis, and sharing the status of implementing respective recommendations issued by the forum sessions regularly. - To develop the capacities of the entities concerned with combating corruption to identify the modern methods used to launder the monies gained from corruption crimes, while adopting strict measures to address the reasons for Africas weaknesses with regard to reclaiming smuggled assets, with the aim of locating, seizing and reclaiming the smuggled assets. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on the AACF on Wednesday; more than 200 senior officials from 48 African countries and nine international organisations attended the conference. The forums stated aim was to encourage African countries to adopt policies, programmes and work plans that contribute to the eradication of corruption in the continent. The forum also aimed, according to the opening speeches given by various representatives of African anti-corruption bodies, to establish a shared knowledge base between different regions of the continent on the risks of corruption and its severe negative effect on development. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan and Kuwait were guests of honour at the forum. The AACF was organised by Egypt's Administrative Control Authority in cooperation with the justice, foreign affairs and interior ministries, the Central Auditing Organisation, the Public Prosecution office, the anti-money laundering unit and the Illegal Gains Authority. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Speaker of the House of Representatives Ali Abdel-Aal, Minister of Defence Mohamed Zaki, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr, and Minister of Planning Hala El-Saeed attended the forum, among other top state officials. Search Keywords: Short link: Editor's note: This article originally ran in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on May 31, 2009. On a balmy day in April 1977, Gov. Mills E. Godwin and a bevy of prison officials, some dressed in seersucker suits, performed a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a cluster of grand new buildings. The cost of the states newest maximum-security prison would run to $19.6 million. The set of five matched units, each housing 72 inmates, promised to become a bulwark of economic opportunity across hundreds of square miles of job-poor Southside Virginia. But Mecklenburg Correctional Center, hugging the North Carolina border near Boydton, was more than that. It was meant to be the tough antidote to a porous prison system embarrassed for years by escapes. Godwin was unusually stern in his remarks, promising that Mecklenburg would erase the failures of a state correctional system that had fallen short in its most elemental role: ironclad security. Mecklenburg, he said, would be a firm and lasting and unbreakable connection between crime and punishment. A pair of scissors in Godwins mildly palsied right hand bit through a ribbon with three stripes. Seven years later - on May 31, 1984 - the largest escape of condemned prisoners in U.S. history unleashed itself from Mecklenburgs death row. Planned for years and secretly revealed in advance to prison officials by worried inmates, the escape exposed a prison environment dominated by a band of convicts, not their keepers. The death-row breakout ruined careers, boosted law-and-order politicians to prominence and served as a cautionary tale that was the impetus years later for hundreds of millions of dollars in new, so-called supermax prison construction. In the immediate aftermath, though, life across central Virginia, especially Richmond, and in portions of North Carolina, was thick with fear over six ruthless killers suddenly set loose. The breakout came to be known as the Great Escape. For 19 intense days, it was as if the very fabric of life had been ripped apart and cast aside like God- wins cut ribbon. Even the thugs went into hiding, said Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr., then a city homicide detective. *************** As Godwin spoke that day 32 years ago, 80 miles to the north in Richmonds Highland Park neighborhood, three brothers named Briley - Linwood, James and Anthony - were already well-immersed in lives of crime that seemed particularly cunning and heartless. In 1979, they would carry out, along with teenage accomplice Duncan Eric Meekins, what now-retired Richmond Circuit Judge James B. Wilkinson called the vilest rampage of rape, murder and robbery he had witnessed in his 30-year legal career. The onslaught is believed to have killed or severely wounded as many as 20 victims in the Richmond area - innocent lives butchered, crushed, shot, tortured, raped, and, once dead, desecrated. One victim was pinned to the floor with a butcher knife. The Brileys and Meekins had established themselves as complex figures capable of leading double, even murderous lives. Linwood Earl Briley, the oldest of the four, had done time for mindlessly shooting a kindly neighbor to death in January 1971. He was 16 at the time. James Dyral Briley was already a hardened criminal in 1972 at 16, convicted then of attempted murder. In the seven years that passed between that conviction and his arrest in October 1979 in connection with the killing rampage, James appears to have been free only a matter of months. Meekins, befriended by the Brileys, had joined their killing machine at 15. Anthony Ray Briley, the youngest of the brothers, was a participant early on in the crime rampage but is not believed to have personally killed anyone. With the media coverage of the trials in late 1979 and early 1980, details of the deaths and repetition of the Briley name were unavoidable. Anthony was sentenced to multiple life terms in December 1980 and is jailed at Powhatan Correctional Center. He did not respond to a request for an interview. Meekins, now 47, who began spilling details of the crimes within hours of his arrest, remains confined out of state under an alias and is scheduled for parole consideration this year. Two prosecutors whom he aided plan to support his effort, keeping a promise from 30 years ago. Richmond court juries imported from outside Richmond convicted James and Linwood Briley of capital murder. On March 12, 1980, Linwood, two weeks short of his 26th birthday, arrived at Mecklenburgs death row. James, 24, followed in October. Incredibly, the two men were separated only by a single cell. Mecklenburg Correctional Center soon became their new hunting ground. *************** Death row, of course, is home to societys most hardened killers. Dennis Stockton was perhaps the worst, said Harold Catron, now 71, who in 1984 was head of Mecklenburgs security operations. Catron, still iron-tough and a native of the states mountainous coalfields, is a legendary, straight-up corrections officer. I remember Stockton telling me with those cold, gray eyes that if he ever got out, hed kill me, Catron said. I told him: Get in line. Catron was a worried man in the spring of 1984. Legal actions by prisoner-rights advocates were chipping away at the sort of rigorous levels of confinement that Catron saw as elemental. To inmates, he was a ruthless disciplinarian. It was unbelievable to me that we were in a position of having to allow death-row inmates to congregate with one another up until 10, 11 p.m. at night in the day room, Catron said, stressing that prisoners should have stayed locked in their cells for more time during the day. Advocates were gaining ground with arguments that prisoners needed to be treated more humanely and given more freedom and educational opportunities. Thats how the Brileys were able to operate, to gain control of what was going on, Catron said. But most worrisome were tips coming to high-ranking corrections personnel about an imminent escape planned by the Brileys. The warnings were not coming from the ranks of corrections officers but death-row inmates themselves. Condemned men were fearful they would die in the bloodbath that would result from the Brileys sure-to-fail plan. They saw their salvation in snitching. Charlottesville lawyer J. Lloyd Snook, who represented four death-row inmates, told lawyers in the state attorney generals office in April 1984 what was going to happen. Down to every detail - even where the weapons were hidden, how the guards would be tricked, Snook said last week. A death-row lockdown, from late April to late May, turned up little in the way of contraband. Other warnings came from inmate Stockton, who had been keeping a daily journal on death row. He hid the diary in legal papers that were off-limits to guards. Catron said he wanted to continue the lockdown but was rebuffed by superiors. In late May, Snook said, another deadline loomed. The prison was going to further segregate men on death row, separating them into three isolated units instead of two. Catron said the ability of inmates to congregate damaged the prisons ability to control them. Death-row inmates are hardened people who will assess your strengths and weaknesses for years. They will learn exactly who you are, and if they sense any willingness to cut corners, they will take advantage of that, Catron said. Stocktons diary, sections of which were reported by The Virginian-Pilot newspaper months after the escape, exposed a frightening glimpse of what Mecklenburgs death row had become. The Brileys grew marijuana in their cells and had an information and supply network that stretched throughout the prison and elsewhere. They preyed on sympathetic guards who could be bribed or threatened. From cigarettes to sex to cell-made wine, even the simplest items carried levels of cooperation and compromise. Death row was a den of sexual indulgence, brimful of homemade weaponry and hiding places. A filed hole in a table leg - hidden by plaster made from chewed paper and paint chips - was full of crude, razor-sharp knives. Linwood Briley, Stockton related, had a mesmerizing control over other inmates. James was a prowling, nervous enforcer, according to Stockton and post-escape investigative findings. As early as 1981, Catron had helped foil an effort to smuggle weapons into the Brileys. Then-Lt. James L. Lettner, head of general investigations for the state polices Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the man who wrote the state police report on the escape, was among the first law-enforcement officers to arrive on death row in the hours after the escape. He was amazed that searches hadnt turned up contraband. The hiding places were so obvious it looked like a child had done them, Lettner said last week. Later, he was stunned by the lack of communication from administrators to guards and back up the chain of command. The word about what was going on [inside death row] wasnt passed along properly to lower-ranking people actually dealing with the inmates, he said. As many as a dozen guards, he said, had some sort of contact with the escapees that was inappropriate or blatantly violated standard procedures the night of the escape. In sum, Lettner described corrections officers assigned to death row as some of the most grossly incompetent people I have ever come across. What they allowed to happen was just remarkable to me. However, he said, we never turned up any indication that there was any sort of conspiracy between the Brileys and the guards. Im convinced that didnt happen. Corrections chief Robert M. Landon, who would be plagued by miscues, breakouts and hostage-taking for months after the Mecklenburg escape, blamed guards for failing to follow their training. James Briley, days before his execution, told reporters how he played the system. The escape had been planned for two years, he said in April 1985 from the basement of the State Penitentiary in Richmond. He described how he and his brother worked years to develop friendships among guards, playing off a sympathy they felt for him and his brother. It was more or less using their own system and turning it against them, he said of the emergency escape plan he and his brother concocted. Officers were just computerized to do certain things. *************** Stocktons diary revealed the stunning mix of circumstances that helped fuel the escape, details later picked up in hundreds of pages of post-escape formal investigations. The breakout hinged on bad habits and poor design: Some guards responsible for the control room that maintained access to death rows cells would open the control-room door if an inmate wanted to pass an item to someone in another section of the two-story cell block, known as the C pod, in Building 1. A bathroom door, sometimes unlocked, adjoined the control-room area, meaning that prisoners who filed in or out of the tier could duck into the bathroom unnoticed at times. If inmates returning from recreation werent ordered to go directly to their cells, it was easy to create confusion over head counts while they milled about, chatted or darted from one cell to another. The prisons five matched buildings were full of stairwell hiding places, blocked lines of sight and prison-yard obstructions. Its design, once hailed as state-of-the-art, was described after the escape by politicians and experts alike as archaic. *************** May 31, 1984, was a Thursday, a beautiful spring day. Nearly a dozen of the 24 death-row inmates knew of an escape plan. All but six backed out. The plan depended on a domino effect of good fortune. Guards didnt notice that an unusual number of death-row inmates suddenly appeared clean-shaven with their hair neatly kept that day. If they had, perhaps the change Tuggle would have signaled to them that it was E-Day - escape day. How could the rough-looking inmates pass for guards if they looked like slobs? At 6 p.m. in the recreation yard, inmate Lem D. Tuggle Jr. walked over to Stockton with a question. Were gonna leave tonight and I need to know how to get away from here. Can you tell me which roads run into North Carolina and where they are? The words were recorded by Stockton in his diary. Stockton, a moonshine-running country boy, had backed out of the escape; Tuggle figured he would have to drive the getaway vehicle himself. I wish you were going, Tuggle is said to have told Stockton, the only other white man among the group of likely escapees. Ill stick out like a bad penny. About 8 p.m., the bulk of the prisoners left the yard and waited in a bunch to enter death rows C pod. Lagging behind, inmate Earl Clanton Jr. darted into the bathroom adjoining the control booth. The door was unlocked, and no one saw him. The others quickly dispersed into the pod; guards failed to count them or notice that Clanton was missing. A nurse arrived to administer medicines, only to find a locked bathroom, where she would usually draw water for the pills. James Briley concocted an explanation off the top of his head, according to Stockton. Earlier in the day, someone had said the bathroom was out of order, Briley told the guards. They believed him, and the nurse went elsewhere. About 9 p.m., James Briley asked the guard in the control booth for a book from the adjoining day room. The guard opened the door to the booth, Briley yelled to Clanton, and Clanton burst from the bathroom into the booth, subdued the guard and used the control panel to open all the cells. Within three minutes, the inmates took control of the pod. Unarmed guards were stripped of their clothes, their mouths were taped shut, their hands tied behind their backs. Uniforms were piled on the floor, and the inmates searched through them for pants and shirts that fit. Guards arrived one after another, wondering why there seemed to be delays or that they hadnt heard back from co-workers. Each was seized by uniform-wearing prisoners. The hostages were kept in cells. Some inmates protected guards and nurses from attack. When a white-shirted lieutenant was captured, he complied with orders that he summon a van. We have a situation here, he barked, a knife at his throat. Informed that the inmates had a bomb, a guard brought up a van, making sure to use an older vehicle so an explosion wouldnt damage a new vehicle. So you had this man willing to spare a new van but not seeing anything wrong with six men he thought were officers possibly getting blown up, said Lettner, author of the state police report. The inmates found a closetful of riot gear. They donned helmets and armed themselves with shields. Gas masks dangled around their necks. They were in absolute control of C pod, even as walled-off inmates and guards in the rest of the building remained oblivious to what was transpiring. The escape route from Building 1 was still blocked by a guard in the main control room at the front door. She was lured away with a fake report that she had an outside call. The lieutenant, still threatened, told her over the phone that a replacement would be showing up so she could leave her post to handle the call. The guard opened the door to the entryway control booth as she saw her replacement approaching, a man she didnt recognize. It was inmate Derick L. Peterson. He subdued the guard and called Peterson upstairs to James Briley, who yelled out to the other inmates: Hes in! Peterson could hear cheers over the phone. The van arrived at the sally port inside the prisons main vehicular entrance. The sally port is a double-doored, cagelike structure designed to isolate vehicles within the two gates so that a vehicles contents can be checked and the identity of any personnel entering or leaving the prison can be confirmed. A vehicle enters through one of the gates; the gate closes; the vehicle is then confined and checked. The second gate opens and the vehicle leaves. What came next was one of the most bizarre sights to ever emerge inside the walls of a prison. Six death-row inmates, each one a heartless killer dressed in riot gear, burst through the door of Building 1 with a wheeled stretcher. They yelled they had a bomb; two of the men were hosing it off with a fire extinguisher, supposedly to cool the explosive. The bomb, under a blanket, was the television set from death row. The inmates, their identities obscured in the darkness and beneath helmets, hustled toward the van across the prison yard. They loaded the bomb into the van and told a guard to open both gate doors at once. She briefly objected, saying it was a blatant violation of policy. But she relented, opened both gates, and the van passed into the pitch black countryside. The two Briley brothers, Clanton, Peterson, Tuggle and Richmonder Jones Willie Leroy Jones were free. There had been no bloodshed, no gunfire. A prison van loaded with a TV set and six murderers rolled toward North Carolina. They had $758 in cash taken from guards, plenty of clothes and hundreds of marijuana cigarettes. It was 10:47 p.m. Harold Catron, the prison security chief, still remembers the late-night phone call that awakened him. They told me death-row inmates had escaped, Catron recalled. He responded with an expletive. Catrons world suddenly turned upside down. My God, Im going to lose my job, he thought. Then his mind tried to absorb the mayhem that might follow. I thought of the murders that would happen, the rapes that could follow, as they tried to get away. Snook, the lawyer, turned to his wife in bed. The radio was blaring news of the escape. I tried to tell them, he said. What happened? *************** The news spread slowly. Investigations of the escape revealed that precious chunks of time elapsed before area law-enforcement agencies, as well as the state police, were notified of what happened. Even the on-site prison command didnt learn until 11:15 p.m., Lettner said. State police were told at 11:31 p.m. - not by the prison but by the Mecklenburg County sheriffs office. In the nearby town of South Hill, the acting police chief said descriptions of the escapees didnt reach him until Friday afternoon, 16 hours after the breakout. Initial reports from the prison said there were five escapees, not six. Prison officials did not offer a formal explanation. At the Executive Mansion, Gov. Charles S. Robb had just dozed off to sleep when the phone rang. It was 1:30 or 2 a.m. in the morning and I can remember being pretty upset that all this time had apparently gone by before the word went up the chain of command or whatever and got to me, Robb said last week. I particularly remember feeling concern for the inmates who had helped keep harm from coming to the guards. As the enormity of the escape began to sink in, memories awakened about the Brileys victims, the viciousness of the crimes and the random nature of what had befallen the Richmond area in 1979. Suddenly, Richmond seemed a city about to come under siege by some terrible, too-familiar force: the Briley brothers. I think what concerned me the most was that I had seen firsthand what they were capable of doing. I knew their determination to seek revenge. You never forget the smell of death and the smell of blood from what they did, former Richmond detective Woody, now city sheriff, said this month. So Woody made sure he was armed at all times. He drove different routes to and from work and around town, and he moved his family to a safe location. Judges, witnesses, prosecutors and victims relatives were given protection. Even the family of Meekins, whose testimony sent the brothers to prison, was warned to take precautions. Gallows humor surfaced as well. A set of playing cards with cartoonlike images of the escape and capture would later appear in Richmond. Neighbors of Warren Von Schuch, who had helped prosecute the Brileys and is now Chesterfield County special prosecutor, fashioned a posterboard-sized sign for the Brileys, pointing them to Von Schuchs house across the street. Actually, Id moved out of the neighborhood by then, said Von Schuch, who had started packing heat. Two of the escapees, Peterson and Clanton, were captured that Friday morning just across the North Carolina border, sipping wine from a bottle inside a coin laundry. Their prison-issue shoes gave them away. The arrests and discovery of the escape van in the area fueled the notion that the Brileys and others remained near Warrenton, N.C. More than 200 law-enforcement agents in Virginia and North Carolina, along with scores of media representatives, converged on the community, now transformed from a sleepy town to a place where residents waved guns instead of hello. Warrenton was sealed off by police. Some residents patrolled their property with weapons at the ready. Im going to blow the mans head off and then ask questions, Frank Talley, a shotgun on his lap, told a reporter. Alleged sightings popped up across Virginia and North Carolina, from Portsmouth in the east to Rowan County, N.C., 120 miles to the west. Missing underwear on a clothesline near Warrenton sparked fears of a Briley in the area, attracting dozens of officers. Key investigators interviewed recently, however, revealed that Virginia State Police had reliable information that the four remaining escapees - the Brileys, Tuggle and Jones - had traveled north and passed Richmond before dawn Friday, June 1. The startling information was kept highly classified. V. Stuart Cook, then head of Richmonds major-crimes unit, doesnt recall being told. But the information focused a key, clandestine element of the investigation northward even as swarms of police and the media chased reports of sightings to the south for more than two weeks. A blue pickup truck stolen near Warrenton overnight May 31 was the key. In interviewing the owner, former state police criminal investigator Larry Mitchell said, state police determined the likely range of the vehicle before it would need refueling. Agents focused on one of the few all-night gas stations along the Interstate 95 corridor north of Richmond. It turned out that there was a sighting at a station in Thornburg about 50 minutes north of Richmond, Mitchell said. The description of the vehicle matched and so did the arrangement of its four occupants: three black men and a white man. The white guy was in the bed of the truck facing backwards, Mitchell said. Years later, Tuggle would tell reporters he had trouble tracking the escape route because they made me sit in the back; all I could see was the back of the highway signs. Tuggle, minutes after robbing a store clerk at knifepoint, would be arrested June 8 in Vermonts southwest corner trying to outrace a local constable. Tuggle was driving the truck stolen in Warrenton. He popped like a grape, said a state trooper when asked the day of the arrest if Tuggle was cooperative. Tuggle said the Brileys exited the truck in Philadelphia, Mitchell and Lettner recalled. Tuggle watched the Briley brothers ditch part of their correctional uniforms and a badge in the hollow of a tree in a park in Philadelphia, Mitchell said. That same day, June 8, police arrested Jones in northern Vermont a few miles from the Canadian border, leaving only the Brileys unaccounted for. Jones, whose mother persuaded him to surrender, had been driven north by Tuggle. Back in Philadelphia, state police agents working with the FBI found the uniforms hidden in the tree. The hunt for the Brileys in the City of Brotherly Love heated up. A key focus was an uncle, Johnnie Lee Council, who lived there. But Mitchell said agents found it very difficult to track the mans movement because of the teeming North Philadelphia neighborhoods he frequented and the traffic congestion. A big break came with a call to a person in New York whose telephone was being monitored. Lettner and Mitchell declined to discuss specifics of the call. But immediately after the escape, efforts were put in place to monitor Briley relatives, former associates and people they had been in contact with throughout their prison years. It took two days to locate the origin of the call to New York: a garage in North Philadelphia. The FBI sent an informant to see who was there, Mitchell said. Descriptions came back fitting the Brileys. Within a matter of hours that day, June 19, teams of federal agents swarmed the building, catching the Brileys barbecuing chicken over a charcoal fire in an alley. They had been sleeping in the garage, doing odd jobs and befriending neighbors. People called them Lucky and Slim. Linwood was Lucky; James was Slim. Fairmont in North Philadelphia, where the capture went down shortly after 9 p.m., was a no-questions-asked neighborhood notorious for crime and secrecy. Its where people live to prey on other people, taxi driver Richard Batchlor told a reporter at the time. You live here, you get preyed on. All I could see was barrels of shotguns, said Dan Latham, who owned the garage, when police stormed the place. He had no idea, he said, who Slim and Lucky really were, even as the three of them listened to news reports of the escape. Charges of aiding and abetting against Council, the uncle who helped settle the Brileys in Philadelphia, were dropped. Within minutes of the capture, Jay Cochran, head of the state polices Bureau of Criminal Investigation, called the trooper on duty at the Executive Mansion. When Robb got on the line, Cochran uttered the words that ended 19 days of torment: The Brileys were in custody. No one had been harmed. *************** The Briley brothers returned to Richmond on June 21, arriving at the now-demolished State Penitentiary - located near the NewMarket Corp. (formerly Ethyl Corp.) complex off Belvidere Street - about 9:15 p.m. Driven from Philadelphia by a cortege of law-enforcement vehicles, the two brothers received a loud reception from the 900 inmates who quickly became aware of their presence. I dont know if it was cheers or jeers, a supervisor with the U.S. Marshals Service said at the time. Death by electrocution would soon follow, the end game in a years-long legal process rather than retribution for escaping. Linwood, 30, went first. His case had been heard by about 40 judges since his arrest in October 1979. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal Oct. 11, 1984; he died the next night at 11:05 for the murder of disc jockey John Johnny G Gallaher. Prison officials at the State Penitentiary rejected Brileys request that his last meal be the same as that of other inmates. He received steak instead of fried chicken. He was able to hold his mother in his arms earlier in the day, but the same opportunity was not extended to him regarding his son, then 10, a child who went on to become a career criminal. Hundreds of protesters chanted or wept on either side of Belvidere Street as the death hour approached: one side spelling out F-R-Y, the other holding candles. Cook, of Richmonds major-crimes unit, witnessed the electrocution, calling it quick and uneventful. Death-row inmates at Mecklenburg signed a petition, saying they would protest the execution by not eating. Eleven of the 19 signers ate anyway. Linwood Brileys execution was the second in Virginia after the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The total is now 102. James Briley was executed April 18, 1985, also in the electric chair at the state prison in Richmond. In a last interview, he professed his innocence and his love for his brother, whose death steeled his courage. James said he had vowed to be nearby at his brothers execution, something prison officials didnt want. James said he took two hits from a stun gun and was dragged away. I told them I wouldnt leave my brother. I wouldnt walk out. The morning of James execution, fellow inmates rioted in hopes of stalling the electrocution. They injured nine guards in brutal attacks that used homemade knives. In the minutes before he died, James twice looked to witnesses and asked, Are you happy? Tuggle, the last of the escapees executed, chose lethal injection. He died Dec. 12, 1996. A tattoo on his arm spoke to a bitter truth: Born to Die. Tuggle was almost buoyant in his last words to witnesses. He entered the death chamber and shouted, Merry Christmas. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Today, about 600-750 riders take part in the re-ride changing riders and horses about every two miles. Its fun to take part in the re-ride, Everett Loomis, who has ridden in the re-ride the last 13 years, said. Riders made their way up from Colorado, north out of Sidney and made their way through Mud Springs, past Courthouse and Jail rocks, through Bridgeport, past Chimney Rock, to the Scotts Bluff National Monument and into Wyoming Thursday. The riders do not stay on highways, they take country roads, and even follow trails, Davies said. They try to stay as close to the original route as possible. The National Pony Express Association meets year round and works with the National Parks Service and give presentations in schools. This years national convention will be in Julesburg, Colorado, Sept. 1314 (for more visit nationalponyexpress.org). When the Pony Express was in full swing the fastest mail that was delivered was following President Abraham Lincolns inaugural address. The mail made the trek across country in seven days, 15 hours. The re-ride will, like the original Pony Express, take 10 days to get across the eight states and deliver the mail to its destination. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A recent graduate from polygraph school, Wegelin is also conducting polygraph interviews. The Nebraska State Patrol has a division thats dedicated to working on internet crimes, but its located in Lincoln. On the local level, investigators handle those cases as they come up. The internet and social media have had a huge impact on the number of online crimes we investigate, Wegelin said. Weve already doubled the number of cases we saw just last year. With so many social media apps, its easy for kids to get in contact with each other. They might not know who the person is on the other end. She said education is so important to inform kids about the dangers that lurk online. The schools are also helping address the problem by bringing in experts to explain to students what is and isnt appropriate online behavior. I think a lot of the kids realize the danger, she said. Theres just a lot of peer pressure in trying to fit in, but once a picture is online, its there forever. While investigators are ready to make presentations in the schools, theyre in a very reactive profession. As Wegelin said, We dont come until the crime has already been committed. According to an update from the Scotts Bluff National Monument, riders re-enacting the Pony Express are expected to arrive between 5 and 6 p.m. Riders were running behind schedule, but updates will be available at nationalponyexpress.org . Every year, the National Pony Express Association reignites the spirit and memory of the Pony Express during the annual Re-Ride, where letters are carried in a mochila by over 750 riders on the original Pony Express Trail. The 1,966 mile, eight state event is conducted 24 hours a day until the mail is delivered to its destination. This year, the Re-Ride will be traveling west-bound from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. We are seated in the most technologically advanced theaters in the region, said Patrick Newell, WNCC choral activities director. This space will not only allow us to create beautiful performance, it will allow us to train students in all aspects of the performing arts preparing them for their next steps in their education. To continue moving the college forward, Newell announced faculty have worked to offer three new performing arts programs to students. The programs are in musical theater, music performance and interdisciplinary arts studies. Students pursuing a degree in music performance have the option to study vocal or instrumental performance. The degrees in music, theater arts and visual arts have also been updated. The programs fall under an associate degree in fine arts, which is a new degree at the college. Nathaniel Johnson, WNCC instrumental activities director, invited Judy Chaloupka onto the stage as part of the dedication. Chaloupka has served as the executive director of Theater West for 21 years. Judys passion for the arts in the Panhandle region of Nebraska is evident from her many years of service, Johnson said. We are very honored and privileged to present this theater, named in honor of Judy Chaloupka. SCOTTSBLUFF A Cheyenne, Wyoming, man has been fined on a motor vehicle homicide charge in connection with the death of a 63-year-old pedestrian last year. During a sentencing hearing Thursday, Scotts Bluff County Judge James Worden ordered Tyson Rein, 32, pay a fine of $500, including $60 in court costs, on the Class I misdemeanor charge. Rein had been charged in the Dec. 18, 2018, death of 63-year-old Kurt Blazek. Blazek had been crossing eastbound at Broadway and 19th Street when Rein struck the man with his vehicle. Rein had been turning south onto Broadway from East 19th Street at the time of the collision. An 18-year-old Gering woman suffered injuries in a collision at Highway 26 and Avenue I Thursday. The crash occurred at about 9:33 a.m., according to information released by Sgt. Cody Enlow of the Scottsbluff Police Department. The investigation found that Tyler Buskirk, 22, of Minatare,who had been traveling west in a Jeep, allegedly failed to yield the right of way to an eastbound Chevrolet Equinox driven by Elizabeth Douville, of Gering. Douville, who had not been wearing a seat belt, complained of injuries to her head, back and hip and was transported to Regional West Medical Center by Valley Ambulance. Buskirk was uninjured. He was cited on a charge of failing to yield. Both vehicles sustained damages that required towing from the scene. Scottsbluff Police were assisted by Scottsbluff Fire Department and Valley Ambulance. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. I had the distinct privilege of joining President Trump, French President Macron, and a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators at Normandy American Cemetery in France to honor heroes on the historic occasion of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. We gathered at what President Trump described as freedoms alter to pay tribute to members of the Greatest Generation from Nebraska and throughout our nation who took their duty as their fate on that day of triumph. It was the honor of a lifetime to visit Normandy alongside over 150 of our nations veterans and honor our service members who fought against tyranny and genocide. I am proud of my fathers service in World War II, as well as two of my uncles who received Bronze Star citations for their service in the European Theater. The Lincoln County Sheriffs Office arrested a Charlotte man after gunfire was exchanged at a Denver business. Emery Demario McQuiller, 39, of Charlotte is charged with six counts of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill and one count each of shooting into occupied property and possession of a firearm by a felon. He is in the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center in lieu of a $502,000 secured bond. The incident started Thursday afternoon when deputies were sent to a business on N.C. 16 Business at 5:40. A caller reported that two individuals were involved in an argument at Chemistry Lab Paint and Fab and that shots were fired, a news release states. Deputies investigated and discovered that McQuiller had gone into the business upset over a previous incident involving the owner, the release states. Upon arrival, he opened fire with a 9mm handgun at employees through the door and then entered the business and fired another shot, the release states. An opening reception for Art of the Wild exhibit and fundraising event will be held. WHATS THE DEAL: The exhibit showcases North Carolina wildlife through fine art and is a collaborative effort between Mooresville Arts and Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists a local chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. Proceeds from sales of donated and sold artwork will benefit the mission of both organizations. The show is on exhibit through June 27. For more information call 704-663-6661 or visit www.mooresvillearts.org/gallery. Blaze, a mid-sized dog who was about 40 pounds, had been at the shelter since June 4 after he nipped Varkers cousins 6-year-old son by accident, Varker said. The child had very minor injuries, but the doctor was required to report it, he said. Since they didnt have the dogs vaccination records readily available, they had to bring Blaze to the shelter for 10 days. He was a puppy, pretty rambunctious, but not a dangerous dog at all, said Varker, who has sons ages 5, 8 and 10. Our kids, they dont understand how or why it happened. Neither do we, but we can handle it better. Theyre really broken up. Blaze was supposed to return to home today after his quarantine. Instead the county will have the dog cremated, and its ashes will be returned to the family in "a nice urn, Smith said. Smith said he offered the family what he could, but the gestures were not well-received. The county manager offered us $300 for our dog, which is insulting. You cant put a price on family, Varker said. They also offered us another dog at the shelter, and that was just a slap in the face. RALEIGH I have devoted most of my life to building, inhabiting and sometimes leading organizations devoted to advancing the cause of freedom. But what I mean by that term may be quite different than what you mean. Even if the context is limited only to political matters, most people would agree that freedom is an essential public value and then proceed to disagree about what public policies are required to protect or expand it. The roots of such disagreements run deep. In his seminal work "Albions Seed", the historian David Hackett Fischer describes four waves of settlement, emanating from four different regions of the British Isles, that helped shape the history and politics of the North American colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries. Each of the four folkways, as Fischer put it, contained its own conception of freedom. For the Puritans who settled New England from East Anglia and the Netherlands, the organizing principle was ordered liberty. You were free if you were part of a free, self-governing community. Public liberty, as the concept was also called, was thought to be consistent with close restraints upon individuals, Fischer explained. 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According to a decision of the Prime Minister released on Friday in the Official Journal, having regard to the proposal of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, Malin-Matei Musetescu is removed from the position of governor of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration, with the rank of Undersecretary of State.The Prime Minister's complementary decision appointing Catalin Tibuleac as governor of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration, also considering the proposal of the Minister of Environment, was published in the Official Journal on the same day. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has established a strategy for defending the rights of journalists and freedom of expression in over 140 countries where the organization has affiliated members, at the 30th Congress, held between 11-14 June 2019 in Tunis (Tunisia). According to a press release issued by MediaSind for AGERPRES on Friday, an event held before the congress debated three key-issues in the sector, namely the future of journalism in the digital era (IFJ Report: Journalists of the Digital Age), good practices of trade unions around the world and the situation of journalism in the East Middle after the Arab revolutions."The delegates discussed and adopted a new Global Charter of Ethics of IFJ Journalists, also known as the Bordeaux Declaration, first adopted in 1954 by the World Congress of IFJ and last amended in 1986. The most recent amendments take into account the current media, the challenges and encouraging journalists to adhere to the highest ethical standards at a time when debates on misinformation are terrifying," the press release reads.More than 60 motions have been adopted on the safety of journalists, measures to combat misinformation, condemnation of attacks on journalists and press freedom in many countries, and on the defense of collective bargaining for freelancers and journalists' copyrights.Romania was represented at this event by Leonard Paduret, President of the Federation of Culture and Mass Media FAIR-MediaSind, and by Executive President Cristinel Godinac. In the discussions, they presented the problems faced by mass media staff, such as deeply unfavorable labor legislation for both employed and self-employed workers, some employers' abuses against employees, the assault on the political class on public media institutions, and failure to observe the principles of social dialogue.In terms of Good Practices, the Romanian delegates presented the ongoing projects, including the Live Skills for the training of the workers in the Culture and Mass Media sector, funded by the European Commission and carried out in partnership with the British Council, as well as the ReStart Project for quality journalism done by MediaSind in partnership with the National News Agency AGERPRES and the main universities in the country The Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu on Friday had a meeting in Odessa with his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin, the recent evolutions in the Republic of Moldova, "with a stress on ensuring a peaceful, inclusive transition to overcome the crisis" being the main topic addressed, says the Romanian MAE in a release to AGERPRES. In context, the Romanian chief diplomat recalled "Romania's position according to which the will of the citizens, expressed by vote and reflected in the Parliament's political fabric is the only one that guarantees a legitimate, dialogue-based political process".Moreover, Minister Teodor Melescanu highlighted that Romania "has whole availability to continue the strategic Partnership for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, the grounds of its relationship with this state if the latter strictly enforces the strategic Partnership and firmly and consistently will continue its European path, by implementing the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, included, and the necessary reforms to get closer to the EU".The meeting was also attended by the Ukrainian MAE representative for the Transdniestrian file, Victor Kryzhanovsky who informed the Romanian delegation with the outcome of the meetings in Chisinau on 12 June on the current situation in the Republic of Moldova. On this occasion, the Romanian chief diplomat referred to the Transdniestrian file, reaffirming Romania's standpoint according to which the regulation of the file must be done with the observance of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders and not affecting its pro-European vector.The two sides made an appeal to calm, restraint and observance of the principles of the rule of law and stressed the importance for the European Union and for the region that the Republic of Moldova has its stability ensured, the MAE says. The Missouri History Museums new exhibition, Flores Mexicanas: A Lindbergh Love Story, is centered around a true masterpiece that has been in the collections of the Missouri Historical Society since 1932. The monumental painting, Flores Mexicanas, by the Mexican master Alfredo Ramos Martinez, was given to Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow as a wedding present by the president of Mexico in 1929. The painting stands 9 feet high and 12 feet wide, and hasnt been on display in decades. Now, visitors will finally have a chance to see it and learn this amazing story. Why were Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow given this painting? Charles and Anne Lindbergh at the Missouri History Museum Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh at the Missouri Historical Society with Nettie Beauregard and Anne Kinnard. Unknown photographer, The Lindberghs at Lambert Field Charles A. Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh on arrival at Lambert Field, St. Louis for overnight stay en route to California. IM 007-001712 Anne Morrow would become a celebrated aviator and author, but in the late 1920s, she was mostly known because her father, Dwight Morrow, was the very popular US Ambassador to Mexico. In fact, she met Charles for the first time at the US Embassy in Mexico City in 1927, while he was on a goodwill tour of Latin and South America. Lindberghs trip was a huge success. He helped to improve the relationship between the United States and Mexico, and he also met his future wife. When the couple married in 1929, they received gifts from people all over the world. Because of Lindberghs successful 1927 trip to Mexico, and because of the Morrow familys popularity there, the Mexican government wanted to make sure that their official gift stood out. The president, Emilio Portes Gil, bought a large painting by one of the greatest artists in the country, Alfredo Ramos Martinez, and gave it to the Lindberghs. How did Flores Mexicanas get to the Missouri History Museum? The Lindberghs did not have room for all the wedding gifts they received. By that time, though, Charles Lindbergh had been donating his medals and awards to the collections of the Missouri Historical Society. He had developed a connection with one of the curators, Marie Antoinette Harney Beauregard. Miss Nettie, as she was popularly known, convinced Lindbergh that the Missouri History Museum would be the perfect place for themit was a place where they could be safely kept, while also letting the public see them. Why havent I been able to see this incredible work of art before? The painting was in need of conservation. The canvas needed to be re-stretched, dust and grime had accumulated on the painting and the frame, and a few spots required some touchup and repair. Because of the size of this masterpiece, it was a massive project. But, thanks to a generous grant from the Bank of America Art Conservation Project, Flores Mexicanas was sent to one of the premier art conservation centers in the country, the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) in Minneapolis, MN. After several months of painstaking labor, which included cleaning the entire painting with tiny cotton swabs, conservators were able to return Flores Mexicanas to its original glory, so it could go on display once again. Conserving a masterpiece Megan Emery, chief conservator and senior objects conservator for the Midwest Art Conservation Center finishing conservation work on the hand- Conserving a masterpiece Megan Emery, chief conservator and senior objects conservator for the Midwest Art Conservation Center finishing conservation work on the hand- Does the painting hold any secrets? It sure does! During the conservation process, x-rays were taken of the painting and the frame. The main purpose of these x-rays was to see how the frame was put together, so that it could be taken apart safely. But surprisingly, they revealed that there had been another woman in the painting, near the top right hand corner, that had been painted over. Its not entirely clear if Alfredo Ramos Martinez had originally wanted five women in the piece and he changed his mind, or if he simply moved one of the four figures currently in the painting. Theres a lot more to this exhibit than meets the eye. Its a name you know, and a story you dont. Learn more about this fascinating painting by visiting Flores Mexicanas: A Lindbergh Love Story at the Missouri History Museum, open through September 2! mohistory.org/exhibits/flores-mexicanas This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios in collaboration with the Missouri History Museum. The news and editorial departments of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had no role in its creation or display. For more information about Brand Ave. Studios, contact tgriffin@stltoday.com CORA Health Services Inc. has expanded into Missouri with the acquisition of Elite Physical Therapy of St. Louis. Elite PT has locations in Ballwin, Arnold, south St. Louis County, Creve Coeur, and OFallon, Mo. NEW BUSINESS A new PuroClean franchise opened in Wentzville to help home and business owners with water, fire, mold and other property damage issues. The Wentzville location at 201 East Allen Street is one of a network of more than 280 offices in the United States and Canada. North Carolina-based Powerhome Solar is expanding into Missouri with a new office at 209 Hughes Lane in St. Charles. Powerhome designs, permits, sells, finances, installs, maintains and monitors solar energy systems and panels for residential and commercial applications. ON THE WEB Western Specialty Contractors launched a new website: www.westernspecialtycontractors.com. OPENING The Diamond Bar luxury jewelry shop opened: 13360 Clayton Road, Town and Country As the 19th century drifted into the 20th, Missouri produced two women who made arsenic a part of their lives and of the deaths of many people. The women were Bertha Gifford, whose last home was just outside Eureka, and Emma Heppermann of Steelville. Authors Victoria Cosner of St. Peters and Lorelei Shannon of Seattle conclude that each woman had a different motive in Missouris Murderous Matrons. They call Heppermann a black widow spider one who killed six of her seven husbands for money. Gifford had a more complicated (and more interesting) motive. She posed as an angel of mercy, taking sick people into her home, where she nursed many of them to their deaths. Bertha loved the attention of her friends and neighbors, the authors conclude, but even more, she loved the power of life and death. She could choose to nurse someone back to health if the notion struck her fancy, and she could just as easily take a persons life away. In short, murder was Berthas hobby, and she did it because it entertained her. No value in such cosmetic tricks? Like who we fooling? she replied, laughing. That her career flourished despite her gender and continues to be robust is proof of Kauffmans writing and producing skills and her tenacity. Its easy for her to summon early memories of being a woman in a mans world. During meetings with her then-production company partners Crane and Kevin Bright, other men in the room would look at Kevin and David, but not at me. So to a certain extent, I felt invisible. Such attitudes survived despite the success of Friends. She recalled working through a taping one Friday night despite feeling unwell and trying to brush off a man who asked about her apparent discomfort. She finally told him she had menstrual cramps not exactly a fatal or uncommon condition. And his comment was, This is why I hate to hire women, Kauffman said. She declined to identify him, but said it wasnt an isolated incident. Charging documents say that Williams threatened the woman while armed with a gun inside a home in the 10700 block of Glen Garry Road in Glasgow Village. The altercation continued outside as Williams took the couple's daughter and placed her in a car. As Williams returned to the house to get another gun, the woman tried to drive away with her daughter. Williams came out and fired toward the car, police said. Williams made "numerous threats," toward the woman, himself and others including law enforcement after the incident , Granda said. Officers tracked Williams to his work and tried to arrest him there. Officers in black bullet resistant vests with the word "Police" emblazoned across them approached him in his car, Granda said. The man ran about 50 to 75 yards grabbing at his waistband, Granda said. He turned toward the officer with a gun drawn and the officer fired at the suspect, Granda said. The shooting happened in the West Palm Business Park. Dotson signed the settlement agreement with Cousins in May. Cousins withdrew his lawsuit against the city last week. The settlement reads, in part, "The city and Dotson deny that that any of their actions with respect to Cousins up to the date of this agreement were improper or unlawful or violated any of Cousins' constitutional or statutory rights; and deny that they are liable to Cousins." It continues: "Cousins, and the city and Dotson, in order to avoid the uncertainty, delay and expense of continuing the lawsuit or any other dispute between them have agreed to settle fully and finally all differences between them that are in existence now or that may arise in the future." Cousins and his attorneys will be paid $1 million as miscellaneous income and emotional pain and suffering and damage to Cousins' professional reputation. The remaining $117,201 includes back pay for May 2016 through October 2017, according to the agreement. A clause in the settlement agreement notes that the only comment to the media from any of the parties shall read, "The matter has been resolved to the parties' satisfaction." I was hopeful that that was not how the system worked, she replied. Fleissig told lawyers on both sides to work together to prioritize hearings for those who did not receive even bond hearings and postpone hearings for those accused of murder who are unlikely to be released anyway. Jacqueline Kutnik-Bauder, a lawyer with the nonprofit ArchCity Defenders, said that 11 people had been released as a result of hearings Friday, including two who had been in jail for six months. But she complained that there didnt seem to be any movement by city judges to schedule more hearings. That prompted Fleissig to strongly suggest that judges hold 30 hearings per day in the next three working days. She said she expects both sides to work together on a plan and share it with her by next Friday. Toward the end of the hearing, Fleissig pointed out that roughly 45 people will be released without hearings through an agreement between prosecutors and defense lawyers. On Friday, Kidds lawyer Don Catlett asked for a 12-year term in light of testimony from his grandmother about Kidds toxic upbringing. His grandmother spoke of illegal drug use by relatives, a father and stepfather both in prison and his mother in a string of physically abusive relationships. Kidd also was diagnosed with depression and other mental illnesses. Hettenbach said he understood Kidds stressful childhood but labeled all of those factors as explanations for Kidds behavior, not excuses for an inexcusable crime. Kidd apologized in court Friday and said the attack on Begic was a mistake. I hope to be able to prove to Zemirs family and the state of Missouri who I really am, Kidd said. LINCOLN COUNTY The presiding judge here said in a court filing Friday that he suspended the elected circuit clerk and barred her from the courthouse due to malfeasance in office. In a filing with the Missouri Supreme Court, lawyers for Presiding Circuit Judge Patrick Flynn said that Circuit Clerk Karla Allsberry "had knowingly and willfully failed to perform certain duties of her office and committed misfeasance and malfeasance." Flynn said Allsberry failed to turn over $45,000 in municipal fines owed to four cities and established a private email account she used to access the circuit court's bank accounts and communicate with bank staff. She also had all of the court's financial records transferred to that account, the filing says. It also said Allsberry refused to meet with Flynn and had "created a hostile and dysfunctional atmosphere" by being "belligerent" to court staff. Mathews is accused of driving the shooter to the scene of the carjacking and providing Garner with a gun, then fleeing police in a stolen car. Police say the victim, Harper, was parking his car about 7:30 a.m. when he was approached by Garner in the 3100 block of Lackland Avenue. Police said in court documents that Garner told Mathews as they drove toward Harper that he was hungry and had to get it. Mathews told police he gave Garner a .40-caliber pistol and dropped Garner off on Lackland. Mathews told police Garner approached Harper and pointed a gun at him. Mathews said he then heard gunshots and that Garner ran back to the car, which was parked in an alley behind Lackland. Harper had his own gun and exchanged shots with Garner, police said. It wasnt clear who fired first, but both were hit in the shootout. Garner was shot in the arm, police said. He got in a dark Honda Pilot SUV that police say Mathews was driving. Mathews drove Garner in the SUV to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and dropped him off before fleeing. Police later found Harpers key fob in the alley where Mathews had waited, charges say. Please Dont Buy the Dip in Nvidia or Other Chip Stocks What do an iPhone and Nike sneakers have in common? Both are made by iconic American companies. Both are also made in China. American goods used to be made in America. Then cheap labor transformed China into the worlds factory. Today we get 80% of our air conditioners, 70% of TVs, and 60% of shoes from China. But theres one disruptive area that America still dominates. Stocks in this area can produce huge profits (or losses) depending on how the US-China trade war shakes out. In fact, I picked a safe chip-making company as one of my three favorite disruptor stocks for 2019. The Last Great Made in the USA Industry Its computer chips. As you may know, computer chips serve as the brains of electronics like your phone and laptop. These days, chips are no longer just in computers and phones. Theyre part of everyday life. Not long ago there was only a handful of chips inside the average car. Remember when you had to crank a knob by hand to roll your car window up? Thanks to computer chips, thats all changed. There are 1,500 computer chips packed into a Tesla Model 3 electric car, according to investment bank UBS. No Country Can Challenge America in Chips American companies like Intel (INTC), Qualcomm (QCOM), and Nvidia (NVDA) control over half of this colossal $469-billion market. Chip demand has surged 15X over the past decade. As the use of computer chips has exploded, so has the revenue they generate. Since 2009, Intels revenue has more than doubled. While Nvidias has surged 240% and Qualcomms has jumped 120%. Computer chips are the USs third-largest export, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). No country has been able to challenge Americas superiority in computer chips. The reason is their complexity. Computer chips are one of the most complicated and costly things on earth to develop. It took American companies decades and hundreds of billions of dollars to master chip-making. It will likely take another decade, at least, for any other company to catch up. The Achilles Heel of American Chip-makers Despite their stranglehold on the market, US chip-makers have a big vulnerability. They get over 80% of their revenues from other countries, according to SIA. Worse, more than half comes from China. China is by far the worlds largest buyer of computer chips. It bought almost 60% of all the computer chips America produced last year, according to Big 4 accounting firm PWC. China spent $260 billion on computer chips in 2018. It now spends more on buying chips than it does on oil. Thats astounding when you consider its also the worlds #1 buyer of oil. Its scary how reliant many American chip-makers are on China Radio-frequency firm Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) gets 25% of its revenue from China. Chinese companies account for close to two-thirds of 5G leader Qualcomms sales. And graphics chip leader Nvidia (NVDA) gets 44% of its sales from China. Doing business in China has been great for these companies. Its been a main source of their tremendous sales growth over the past decade. But with the trade war between the US and China getting worse, worried investors are dumping their stocks, as you can see here: This Is a MUCH Bigger Problem for China than for the US Chinas largest and most important companies have a hopeless dependency on US chips. As I mentioned last week, smartphone giant Huawei spent $20 billion on US chips alone last year. Almost every phone it makes runs on American chips. China needs US chips, and the US Government knows it. Thats why Trump is using it to twist Chinas arm in trade tasks. Last summer, the US ordered a ban on chip sales to phone maker ZTE (ZTCOY). Without access to US chips, ZTE had to shut down production. When I say shut down, I mean literally. Its factories had to stop making phones. ZTE, which employs over 75,000 people, was dead in the water without US chips. Its stock plunged 55% in weeks. ZTE was on the verge of going out of business until the White House lifted the ban a couple of weeks later. As you might know, China has its own versions of many big American companies. Baidu (BIDU) is Chinas Google. Alibaba (BABA) is Chinas Amazon. China Mobile (CHL) is Chinas AT&T. All three are massive buyers of US chips. The US Government knows it can suffocate them by cutting off supply. Look at how their stocks have crashed lately as trade talks have fallen apart. Chip Stocks Will Be a Rollercoaster as Long as the Trade War Drags On When a US-China trade deal looked to be headed in the right direction late last year, the US chip ETF (SOXX) shot up 48%. But since talks fell apart in late April, its plunged more than 15%. With such a huge number of their businesses linked to China, little will change until a deal gets signed. Until then, Im being cautious with American chip stocks and avoiding the Chinese companies dependent on them altogether. Why invest in a company that could be crippled at the whim of a politician? On the other hand, theres hope this may help the US and China arrive at an agreement sooner rather than later. China needs American computer chips. Theres no way around it. The optimistic take is that it has little choice but to play ball with America to get trade flowing more freely again. By Stephen McBride http://www.riskhedge.com 2019 Copyright Stephen McBride - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Better Together, the nonprofit group researching and advocating for the merger of St. Louis, St. Louis County and all 88 county municipalities, has tapped a new chief. Former Executive Director Nancy Rice resigned earlier this year. The organization's board picked Dave Leipholtz, former director of community based studies, at its board meeting last week as the new executive director. Leipholtz led the research into the region's government services. "Dave is the right person to lead Better Together through its next phase of work," board chairman Joe Adorjan said in a statement. Adorjan said Better Together, despite pulling last month its state amendment seeking regional government consolidation, "remains committed to building a more equitable and economically strong community." "Better Together board members and staff are engaging in conversations with community and business leaders, elected officials, and anyone else willing to talk about what's next and how we, as a community, can make progress," Adorjan said. ST. LOUIS City aldermen on Friday gave preliminary approval to zoning rules for medical marijuana facilities, deciding against imposing a buffer zone separating them from elementary and high schools, churches and day cares. The state law approved by Missouri voters last year sets a 1,000-foot distance requirement regarding such locations but allows local governments to waive it. St. Louis zoning officials recommended doing just that because they say the citys high density would make it very difficult to find any sites meeting the 1,000-foot standard. It would be pretty hard to do anything anywhere, the ordinances sponsor, Alderman Jack Coatar, D-7th Ward, said in an interview. Youd be very limited. The measure instead allows dispensaries selling marijuana products in city commercial districts if selected by state health officials, who will decide which applications will be accepted. In a statement to The Washington Post on Friday, Mnuchin said the development of security and anti-counterfeiting measures first dictates the redesign process. "In the case of the $20 bill, that timetable is consistent with the previous Administration and has not been changed. As Secretary, my first responsibility is to ensure all security and anti-counterfeiting measures are properly taken in accordance with BEP's mandates. The suggestion that this process is being stalled is completely erroneous." The director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Len Olijar said in a statement that "No Bureau or Department official has 'scrapped' anything; it is too early to develop an integrated concept or design until security features are finalized." He added, "Everything remains on the table." The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Last month, Mnuchin announced that Tubman would not replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill next year, a planned change initiated by the treasury secretary in the Obama administration that carried historical significance. Tubman, a 19th-century abolitionist leader, was destined to take the lofty position from the nation's seventh president, a slaveholder. Regarding the editorial, Barring all police from gay-rights parade sends exactly the wrong message (June 11): This editorial made my blood pressure rise. As a gay man, I am incensed that my community has the gall to tell St. Louis city and county police officers that they are not welcome to march in the Pride parade. But I presume it is OK for the police to be there to protect us. This is just plain discrimination. We are discriminated against, yes, and we also know how to discriminate. How Acquisitions Affect Global Stocks If you love to keep up to date with market news or you enjoy reading financial forums, you cant have missed the fact that waves of excitement travel through the investment community every time a big acquisition is expected. Suddenly theres lots of speculation about what will happen to stock prices and what will be the right moment to buy or sell. The international nature of todays market means that big company purchases have repercussions around the clock, keeping investors on their toes. In this fast-paced environment, it has never been more important to understand how acquisitions affect stock prices and what this means for global market movements. Acquisitions and pricing: the basics What happens when one company acquires another? If youre new to this, one useful way of looking at it is that its like buying a house. A house has a certain innate value based on the materials that have gone into its construction, but the bulk of its value is based on what people are willing to pay for it. The bigger the number of people interested in buying it, the more its likely to sell for. When a big company makes a bid for a smaller one, interest in the smaller one often increases, and any serious rival interest can cause its stock price to rise significantly. If a proposed acquisition falls through, however, the stock price of the smaller company can fall because of the assumption that its not really worth as much as was thought. Increasingly, acquisitions are made with shares rather than with cash. When this happens, a direct relationship between the share value of each company is established. This applies at the point that the purchase is made, however, it doesnt preclude changes in share value just before the exchange takes place, and this creates opportunities for traders to make a profit though doing so entails quite a bit of risk. Reputation Along with the way that demand causes value to shift, the reputation of each company can impact the share price of the other. That most commonly occurs when a large company with a reputation for stability and success acquires a smaller one, causing its perceived value to rise just prior to the exchange, but it can also affect the value of the larger company in the aftermath of the exchange if the smaller company is seen as adding significant value to its reputation. This can happen, for instance, if the smaller company has good environmental credentials or is admired for its expertise in an area where the larger one is seen as lacking. The flip side of this is that customers can sometimes desert a smaller company because they dont feel that the company acquiring it shares the values that are important to them. Global reach An acquisition can also add to the perceived value of the larger company even before the exchange has taken place if it indicates that the company is expanding into potentially lucrative new geographical areas. For instance, the recent purchase of AETOS Capital Bank Pty Ltd enhanced the MultiBank Group global presence by enabling it to expand into mainland China, making a positive impression on investors and, by increasing the opportunities available to its clients, promising to improve its long-term prospects. Investors need to be aware, however, that companies sometimes overreach themselves in making overseas acquisitions, and that theres a higher risk of them being missold, so when the company being purchased is less well known its worth doing your own research. The changing shape of the markets Over the last few years, the UK has seen an increase in the number of companies registered here as people facing unemployment have chosen to create work for themselves. Around the world, however, the picture is different. The number of companies registered in the US, for instance, has dropped considerably over the same period. As a whole, theres a shift towards larger companies acquiring smaller ones and incorporating them into larger structures. In addition to the above, the ease with which investors can now access the global marketplace means that the reputation of particular regions has become a shortcut in assessing the value of companies. This means that when a company acquires another in an area associated with strong growth (such as Botswana or Chile) or with expertise in a particular field (such German engineering), it can gain value as a result. Increasingly, large companies are seeking to spread out across as many strong economies as possible in order to improve their trading options and limit their risk. Ultimately, learning how acquisitions impact the global marketplace is best done through observation. This will help you to hone your instincts for how a particular purchase will develop, so that you know when and what shares to acquire for yourself. By Lee Ralph This is a paid advertorial. 2019 Copyright Lee Ralph - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. European governments are becoming more aggressive in identifying Islamic clerics who preach radical Islam to local Moslems and actively encourage young Moslems to participate in Islamic terrorist activities. Switzerland recently deported one such radical cleric to Somalia, after years of legal efforts and a growing body of evidence that this cleric was responsible for persuading dozens of Swiss Moslems to join Islamic terrorist organizations, mainly in the Middle East. What concerns local police is those radicalized Swiss Moslems are often returning to Switzerland and continuing their violent lifestyle. That is the pattern in other European nations and the result is more terrorist violence in Europe. Currently, six percent of the 8.6 million Swiss are Moslem and most are recent migrants. Thats about half a million Moslems. Europe, excluding Russia, has about 27 million Moslems while North America has about five million. Opinion surveys of Moslems in the West consistently shows a small segment (under five percent but never less than one percent) openly support terrorism to defend Islam. Switzerland found that as their Moslem population grew so did the number of mosques. Some of these new mosques were financed by Moslem charities and it wasnt long before the Swiss discovered that some of these charities were seeking to establish mosques where Islamic radicalism and violence against non-Moslems was accepted and encouraged. The clerics operating these Mosques were sometimes quite open about their radical beliefs. This sort of thing is now illegal in many European countries because since the 1990s there is ample evidence that this sort of thing leads to the creation of local Islamic terrorists. The radical clerics often prove difficult to deport because they lie about their nationality and much else. This sort of deception is openly encouraged in Moslem scripture and these radical clerics become more popular with their followers (and potential followers) the longer they get away with it. It has now become customary for Europeans to be persistent in their efforts to prosecute or expel the radical clerics. That has been made easier as counterterrorism organizations throughout the West (and in many Moslem nations) cooperate with sharing information. The Swiss radical cleric was eventually ordered deported to Somalia after it was proven he was indeed Somali and Somalia agreed to accept him. The actual deportation has not happened yet and might be delayed for a long time by legal appeals. This cleric was convicted of inciting violence back in 2017 and is not really welcome back in Somalia. There have been similar situations in other European nations, often involving Somali clerics, but also those from other Moslem nations like Algeria, Egypt and so on. This effort to identify and prosecute radical clerics and other Moslems who actively encourage Islamic terrorism is relatively recent. For a long time, many Europeans believed Islamic terrorism in their midst was caused by the American invasion of Iraq. But the local police soon realized that was not the case and eventually this was accepted by governments under pressure to do something about this new source of criminal activity that was often inflicted on local voters. The reality was that Islamic terrorism has been a problem in Europe since the 1980s and in the 1990s it was getting visibly worse. After September 11, 2001, and especially after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was fashionable for more Moslems, especially young ones, to declare America an "enemy of Islam." More thoughtful Moslems realized that the Islamic terrorists were screwing up things for everyone. All Moslems were now tainted. Sure enough, the Islamic terrorists soon began killing Moslems in Moslem countries. This was nothing new for most Moslems because this kind of terrorism had been going on for over a decade before 2001. Egypt, Algeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan were all suffering from Moslem-on-Moslem violence in the 1990s. All in the name of religion. Europe has about five times as many Moslems as the United States, and the ones in Europe are rather more into Islamic terrorism than their brethren across the Atlantic. This is because of the widespread prejudice in Europe, and isolation from terrorism back in the old country. Islamic terrorism is easier to admire if it is far away. Moreover, American police came down hard on Islamic radicals after September 11, 2001. That, plus the patriotism of most U.S. Moslems, led to lots of imprisonments and deportations (many U.S. Moslems were illegal aliens). In Europe, the Moslem populations were often allowed to exist as a very foreign presence in something like ethnic enclaves, and within these areas Islamic radicalism flourished. There were only a few terrorist attacks, and it was only because the security forces hustled that there weren't more. While (most of) the politicians continued to preach ethnic diversity, they were told by their security people that over one percent of their Moslems were willing to get involved in terrorist activities and that there were thousands of European Moslems that needed to be watched. These included Islamic radicals who had fled the United States, or the Middle East. Europe was a convenient place for Islamic radicals to hide out. The social welfare benefits were excellent. If an Islamic radical could afford it, his wife (or wives) and kids could be brought in, and the European governments would take care of them. However, after September 11, 2001, it was no longer easy to get in as a political refugee. But there were professional people-smugglers who, for a fee, could get just about anyone into Europe. Since 2001, it's become more difficult to stay in Europe. More of these refugees are getting deported back to the old country. And those wanted by the United States are getting extradited, although only after the Americans promise not to send the accused to Guantanamo, or to execute them. Other than that, it's good riddance. The Europeans need all the jail cells they can get, because more and more of their own Moslems are crossing the line, and getting locked up. While the United States has had fewer local Islamic terrorists, growing number of American Moslems have been caught providing financial and other support for Islamic terror groups. This sort of thing quietly developed as supporters of Islamic terrorism realized how easy it was to move to the West and their raise large sums of money for terrorist causes. The money is often solicited, or obtained through criminal enterprises, and then smuggled to where the terrorists need it. This would be Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, or places where weapons smugglers operate. The donations are usually raised from Moslem groups, particularly those from the areas that are to benefit from the charitable operations. Its not just Islamic terrorists who use this technique. The Tamil (Hindu) rebels in Sri Lanka used these methods to keep their war going for over two decades. Sikh separatists similarly raised millions from overseas Sikhs to support over two decades (1970s-1990s) of violence in India. The communist NPA rebels in the Philippines raised millions from fellow leftists in Europe for decades before the NPA was declared an international terrorist organization. By 2006, the contributions from Europe dried up, and so did hopes of the NPA to establish a communist dictatorship in the Philippines. The IRA (Irish Republican Army), and various splinter groups, also survived for decades by raising, usually illegally, money among expatriate Irish. The fundraising often involved extortion. A particularly nasty angle was threatening to hurt kin back in the old country if wealthier expatriates did not give enough. The fundraisers for Islamic terrorism are different because Islamic terrorism has been a recurring problem in the Islamic world for over a thousand years. Now those periodic outbursts of Islamic radicalism are happening in the West. For three years the 2013 French-led military effort expelled Islamic terror groups in the north, life began returning to normal. By 2016, over 90 percent of the half million people displaced by the year of Islamic terrorist rule in 2012 and fighting in early 2013 had returned home. About a quarter of the Mali refugees fled to neighboring countries and it was believed all would return by 2017. That did not happen. The wrecked economy in the north and continued violence from tribal feuds, increased bandit activity and some lingering Islamic terrorist activity made it clear by late 2017 that the rate of return for refugees had declined to the point where more people were fleeing Mali than returning. In 2016 40,000 refugees still had not returned and since then the number of Mali refugees outside the country has more than tripled because there was more violence in the north and that spread to central Mali and to the southeast along the Burkina Faso border. Most (42 percent) of the 137,000 Mali refugees are in Mauritania with 39 percent in Niger and 19 percent in Burkina Faso. Mauritania is the western neighbor of northern Mali while Niger east and Burkina Faso southeast. The other neighbors (Senegal, Guinea and Ivory Coast) only border the much more peaceful south. Mali has one of the most corrupt governments in the region, which is one reason why the primary drug smuggling routes to the Mediterranean coast run through Mali. This not only enriches local officials but also funds many of the local Islamic terrorist groups. Most of these Islamic terrorist factions would not exist except for the income provided from the drug and people smuggling. The drug gangs are unpopular with most Malians because the presence of those drugs, even though most are just passing through to more lucrative markets in Europe, enough gets sold along the way to produce a growing number of local addicts. This sort of thing tears families apart and ensures that these highly effective drugs will always be seen as a major threat, as are the locals who transport and distribute them. The people smuggling also can get pretty ugly because it sometimes involves slavery and prostitution. Nigerian investigators, seeking information on what was happening to the thousands of Nigerian teenage girls and young women who disappear each year, found that many of them do not remain in northeastern Nigeria, enslaved by Boko Haram Islamic terrorists, or tempted by the promise of a job overseas, end up in one form of bondage or another. Many are sold into prostitution or slavery elsewhere in Africa, including Mali. The Nigerian investigators have traced hundreds of the Nigerian victims to the Mali border where they are forced into prostitution or outright slavery, usually with the help of local Islamic terror groups who, like most Islamic fundamentalists, still believe in the practice of slavery. Those that become prostitutes are often allowed to buy their way out of that after a few years but at that point are on their own and too ashamed to try and go home. Many of these women are sold into slavery elsewhere in the region. Nigeria always had a large slave population, the result of constant tribal wars or civil wars in unstable kingdoms. Britain spent most of the 19th century trying to suppress the practice of slavery in Africa. Colonial Nigeria (which supplied about 30 percent of the slaves sent to the United States) did not see slavery legally eliminated until about 1900 and, for decades after that, the practice continued in rural areas. There was a similar problem throughout the region and in countries like Mauritania and Sudan, where slavery is technically illegal, some groups get away with quietly trading and keeping slaves anyway. Islamic fundamentalists are particularly enthusiastic about this because Islamic scripture does have a lot to say about enslaving non-Moslems, or Moslems you consider heretics. While the 2013 French counterterrorism operation in the north initially drove thousands of Islamic terrorists into neighboring countries, many slowly returned. But many did not and thats when the Islamic terror problem in Burkina Faso went from troublesome to terrible. Burkina Faso still hosts 25,000 refugees from Mali. These refugee camps often serve as a sanctuary for Mali Islamic terrorists as long as they do not attract attention in the camp. Thats one reason many countries dont like to host refugees from a nation that has a serious Islamic terrorist problem. Burkina Faso is, like Mali, landlocked and has 17 million people (about 20 percent more than Mali). Burkina Faso also lacks the troublesome Tuareg/Arab minority in the north. Because Burkina Faso is south of Mali it also lacks the semi-desert north in Mali. That is where the Tuareg/Arab minority live. Burkina Faso also has more religious diversity with a quarter of the population being Christian and 60 percent Moslem. Moreover, the Moslem population consists of several different schools of Islam, some of them quite hostile to Sunni Islamic terrorism as practiced by al Qaeda and ISIL. In contrast, Niger and Mauritania are almost all Moslem and have always been the home for some Islamic conservatives who were not satisfied unless their neighbors also adopted Islamic conservatism. Where Nastier Is Better Another development that came after 2013 was the appearance of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Syria and Iraq and that hyper-violent Islamic terrorist movement soon became an international attraction for Islamic radicals who thought their current Islamic terror group was not sufficiently extreme. ISIL trained new members from all over the world and many of these hyper-fanatics returned home to organize a local province of ISIL. By 2018 that resulted in two provinces in central Africa. The second, smaller one ISGS (Islamic State in Greater Sahara), recently went public about what it is and where it operates. ISGS is currently active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The other, slightly older and larger, ISIL province is ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province). This is actually a faction of the Nigerian Boko Haram Islamic terrorists who had been around since 2004. ISWAP personnel are mostly in northeastern Nigeria as well as smaller numbers in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon. ISGS and ISWAP do not appear to work together except when it comes to Internet media activities, where ISWAP will mention ISGS accomplishments. ISIL does not have effective central authority at the moment with the senior leadership still dispersed and on the run from recent defeats in eastern Syria and western Iraq. It is often difficult, at first, to determine which faction of Boko Haram made an attack. Ultimately one of the factions will take credit. ISWAP is usually quicker to do so and has a much more efficient media operation than most Africa based Islamic terror groups. ISWAP is also finding that there is a downside to using ISIL techniques. More Western nations are willing to help Nigeria or at least coordinate existing counter-terrorism in the region (from Somalia to Mali and the Atlantic coast). There are smaller ISIL factions in northern Somalia, southern Libya and eastern Algeria. These groups were once larger but have suffered heavy losses from local and/or international counter-terrorism efforts. June 4, 2019: The UN agreed to try and maintain, or even increase, the current peacekeeper force in Mali. Getting donor nations to provide the needed cash and peacekeepers is becoming a problem because of corruption and growing tribal and Islamic terrorist violence in central Mali as well as the persistence of Islamic terrorism in the north. The current UN Mali peacekeeper force in Mali consists of 15,000 personnel, 84 percent of them soldiers with most of the rest police advisors and trainers. The peacekeeper's personnel comes from fifty different nations. The UN has to raise at least a billion dollars a year to maintain this force. Mali is considered the U.N.s most dangerous peacekeeping operation, with 125 peacekeepers killed in combat since 2013 plus another sixty dead from accidents and disease. So far in 2019, 18 peacekeepers have died in Mali. The UN is not doing it alone, but that is not always beneficial for the UN. UN peacekeepers (mainly from Senegal, Burkina Faso, Chad, Bangladesh and Togo) in Mali each cost $65,000 a year, the 5,000 EU (European Union) supported G5 Force troops get by on $25,000 a year each in foreign aid that is not controlled by the UN. That is in addition to about $91,000 per soldier in startup costs provided by NATO and the EU. Foreign donors provide new equipment and weapons as well as air, intel and training support. The G5 nations provide some of their best troops for what amounts to a rapid reaction counter-terror force. G5 is organized to move around and fight but not far from home (unlike the peacekeepers). The G5 military support comes from NATO, particularly France which has 4,500 of its own counterterrorism troops operating in the Sahel (the semi-desert area stretching across Africa from Senegal to Somalia). Unlike the peacekeepers in Mali (or Congo, Sudan, Somalia or whatever) the G5 troops are local and are largely operating on their own territory. Being part of G5 gives them extra equipment (like radios) and training that enables them to quickly call in other resources (like aerial surveillance, air strikes and French ground troops) as needed. There are other joint forces like this. The most recent and prominent example is the multinational force formed from neighboring nations to deal with Boko Haram Islamic terrorists in northeast Nigeria. What the UN really objects to is the G5 force operating so close to the UN peacekeepers, who have become encumbered with a lot of extra costs and corrupt practices over the years. The UN would rather not discuss this or have mass media even notice how badly UN forces come off in comparison. The UN prefers to have peacekeepers who can be ordered around by bureaucrats and majority votes of UN delegates back in UN headquarters. The UN strives to offend no one outside the area where the peacekeepers are operating while protecting as few people as possible within the peacekeeper occupied area. The UN wants to be able to say that they are seeking non-violent ways to achieve peace while the G5 troops are protecting their own people with all the means at their disposal. That means French or American airstrikes, which many UN members consider unlawful foreign intervention bordering on being a war crime. France and the G5 nations seem to be ignoring the UN criticisms. May 18, 2019: In the southeast (Sikasso), armed men attacked the Koury border crossing with Burkina Faso at night. The gunmen came from two directions, killing two policemen, a customs officer and four civilians. The gunmen looted the dead and drove off. Koury is 480 kilometers east of the Mali capital and on the main road into Burkina Faso. No one has taken credit for the attack but local Islamic terrorists were believed responsible. In the northwest (near Timbuktu), a peacekeeper patrol was attacked, leaving one peacekeeper dead and another wounded. In the northeast (Kidal) three peacekeepers were wounded when their vehicle hit a landmine. May 14, 2019: The ISWAP ISIL faction claimed responsibility for an ambush in Niger, near the Mali border, that left at least twenty soldiers dead. Most of the troops survived the initial ambush but soon withdrew, allowing the attackers to loot the dead soldiers and their vehicles. That area is normally under the control of the ISGS ISIL faction. It is unclear just who was operating there. This may indicate an official or unofficial merger of the smaller ISGS into ISWAP. There has been no official announcement of that as yet. ISWAP still acts (in its media) like a primarily Nigerian operation. In the far north, the Shia rebels launched five explosives armed UAVs towards targets in Saudi Arabia. All were detected and shot down before reaching their target. These UAVs seemed to be headed for Abha airport but flight operations at the airport were not interrupted. While rebel attacks like these are easy to trace back to Iran, other Iranian attacks in the Persian Gulf have, so far, not yet been linked to Irian via physical evidence. In Yemen, even the UN agreed that the missiles and UAVs being used by the rebels were Iranian. Since May Iran has apparently responded to setbacks in Yemen with undeclared attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf. The Shia rebel attacks targets inside Saudi Arabia were trying to do the same using Iranian UAVs and cruise missiles. The recent attacks in the Persian Gulf are apparently using torpedoes and limpet mines (placed to the hull via magnets and detonated by timer or remotely) . On May 15th four tankers were hit with what appeared to be dud torpedoes, or training torpedoes (which have a non-explosive warhead), or something that did not do much damage. On June 13th two tankers apparently attacked with limpet mines that did explode and cause fires. This attack was just outside the Persian Gulf, in the Gulf of Oman. The water is deeper and it is more difficult to find evidence on the sea floor below. The Persian Gulf is shallow and it is less difficult to send camera equipped UUVs (Unmanned underwater vehicles) down there to find and retrieve such debris for analysis. The U.S. provided surveillance video of Iranians in a small boat at night removing a limpet mine that did not go off. The attacks in the Persian Gulf and adjacent Gulf of Oman are also aimed at the oil tanker traffic in general because any damaging attacks send insurance rates way up, making it more expensive to ship oil. Iran is unable to export much oil because of American sanctions but does not want to go to war over it. These unacknowledged attacks on tankers are a favorite Iranian tactic. The Iranian government will keep denying responsibility even when evidence of Iranian involvement is found. If the Arabs or Americans attack Iran the unpopular religious dictatorship there hopes to rally the Iranian people behind them. That is essential because since 2017 more and more Iranians are regular demonstrating against their religious government. Ceasefire Evasions The Red Sea port of Hodeida ceasefire agreement has actually been in force for a month. The agreement includes two smaller ports and allows foreign aid to come in and be distributed. Normally Hodeida handles 70 percent of the emergency aid (food, medicine, fuel) for people in northern Yemen. There are still government suspicions that the local militias that took over when the rebels left the three ports are in fact allies of the rebels. The UN inspectors now believe that the new port security personnel are legitimate. The UN has been in control of the ports since mid-May. The government had complained that before the rebels were forced to withdraw from these ports the UN personnel supervising the aid shipments were unable to inspect suspicious cargoes which, the government points out, obviously contained major weapons shipments. How else do you explain the appearance of nearly a hundred Iranian long-range missiles used in attacks on Saudi Arabia? Most of these missiles were shot down by Saudi missile defense systems and there were plenty of missile fragments left to analyze and conclusively prove what model of Iranian missile they were. The UN agreed with that and condemned Iran. There have been no more Iranian missiles smuggled in since the ports were shut down (by government forces surrounding with ground forces and a naval blockade) in late 2018. Now the UN has resumed imports at Hodeida without Yemeni government officials checking all incoming shipments. Or at least thats what the rebels want and the UN is willing to concede that just to get the aid shipments moving again. The known rebel combat units withdrawn from the vicinity of the three ceasefire port were sent to oppose government advances from the south and east. The government forces have been slowly advancing on the rebel-held capital Sanaa for over a year. A growing shortage of rebel fighters, especially older and more experienced ones, is making it more difficult for the rebels to defend all the territory they control in northwestern Yemen. The UN has been complaining to the rebels that they did not remove all their military equipment or destroy their trenches and bunkers around Hodeida. The rebels plead poverty and a shortage of personnel and the government insists that is no excuse. The government has witnessed UN officials regularly being lied to and deceived by the rebels and not holding the rebels accountable. This sort of thing is still going on in Hodeida where many rebels or pro-rebel civilians still operate openly as rebels. For example, the UN provided equipment, vehicles, training and salaries for demining teams to clear Hodeida of rebel explosive traps and landmines. Many of the deminers were rebels or worked for the rebels in Hodeida. Hiring these men made sense to the UN as they knew the city and even knew where many of the explosive devices were placed, or likely to be found. But these deminers will sometimes drive through the city flying rebel and Hezbollah flags. This is done to remind Hodeida residents the rebels are still around. In fact, the government accuses the UN of tolerating the presence of rebel combat forces still camped near Hodeida. Government forces are also still just outside the city. In part that because the government and rebels both believe there is the possibility of the fighting inside the city being renewed. Unsettled Business The mid-May, UN sponsored, peace talks in Jordan were mainly about how to divide the revenue from the three ports the rebels withdrew from in May. This revenue sharing was part of the December peace deal but the precise terms (who would get what, when and how) had not been addressed. That revenue is for paying Yemen civil servants in both government and rebel-controlled territory. In rebel areas, much of that pay is taxed to keep the rebels going. Because of the Hodeida blockade, most civil servants in rebel areas have not been paid much, if at all, in 2019. After a few days of deadlock the Jordan talks were declared over and all concerned agreed that the port revenue issue was still not resolved. Four weeks later and the issue remains unresolved. This is another unresolved dispute waiting to be escalated. What with all the continued fighting and deceptions there are still some basic items that matter to all Yemenis; food, safety and cholera. The 2017 cholera epidemic was never completely suppressed and has revived with about 200,000 new cases so far in 2019. The original 2017 outbreak got out of control because the Shia rebels refused to allow the UN to fly in half a million doses of vaccine early on. The rebels insisted that they be first supplied with ambulances and other medical equipment their fighting forces needed. This delayed the vaccination program and the rebels continued to tolerate contaminated water supplies in areas they controlled. With the deadlock at Hodeida, the rebels had even fewer resources to deal with the water supply problems and growing poverty in their territory. The resurgence of cholera is a very visible example of the problems in rebel territory. The rebels are less prepared to deal with the epidemic than they were in 2017. Cholera is endemic (always present) in Yemen and gets out of hand when public health services are allowed to deteriorate or are trashed by widespread violence. The rebels allowed the current cholera outbreak to get out of control because the rebels are more desperate than the government. The Shia tribes of the north have always been a minority in a majority Sunni region. For centuries the Shia tribes felt they were outsiders and were frequently persecuted. The Shia rebels see Iran as a powerful and reliable ally, most Yemenis see Iran as taking advantage of the Yemeni Shia and a growing number of Yemeni Shia are quietly agreeing. Saying that out loud while in Shia rebel-controlled territory is not safe. Hot Spots There is still some intense fighting going on in at least two areas. In the southwest (Taiz province) Shia rebels are still present in about a fifth of the province, even though Taiz city has been under government control since early 2018 and the rebels no longer control any territory on a permanent basis. The provincial capital, Taiz, is the third largest city in Yemen and the province occupies a strategic location. For that reason, the province has seen nearly constant fighting for eight years now and it is still one of the most active areas for fighting in the country. In the south (Dhalea province) some of the rebel fighters withdrawn from the three ceasefire Red Sea ports were shifted forces to other areas, like the border of Dhalea province in preparation to retaking one of the first provinces retaken by government forces in 2015. Earlier in 2019, the rebels lost control of Shaddad Fort Mountain, which is key high ground in northern Dhalea province. The recently arrived rebel reinforcements have generated more fighting but not much movement in the front lines. June 13, 2019: In the north, coalition airstrikes hit several suspected weapons storage sites outside the capital. This was apparently in response to the Shia rebel use of a cruise missile to attack a Saudi airport the day before. The Saudis have air defense systems that can detect and destroy cruise missiles but these are not deployed near the Yemen border. June 12, 2019: The Shia rebels claim to have used an actual cruise missile for an attack on the Abha airport in southwest Saudi Arabia (Asir province). The Saudis reported that some form of explosive device hit the terminal building, and exploded while penetrating the terminal roof. Inside 26 people were wounded. Eight had to be taken to a hospital for treatment while the Other 18 were treated at the scene. Flight operations resumed several hours after the attack and terminal roof was quickly patched. The Shia rebels said they carried out a similar cruise missile attack in December 2017 against a construction site (of a nuclear power plant) in the UAE United Arab Emirates). Such an attack was never reported and the UAE says there was never any explosion at that site, or anywhere nearby. The Shia rebels may have launched one of these cruise missiles on December 3rd, 2017 and the missile failed somewhere over the desert areas it would have to cross to reach the UAE. The Shia rebels released a video of their cruise missile and it appears to be an Iranian copy of the Russian Cold War era KH-55, an air-launched cruise missile. Iran was known to have obtained some of these from Ukraine in 2001 and by 2005 had reverse-engineered them into a ground-launched cruise missile, the Soumar. This one looked like the KH-55 and had a claimed range of over 2,000 kilometers. In 2019 Iran announced an upgraded design, the Hoveizeh which had a range of 1,300 kilometers but was more reliable and was claimed to have countermeasures to get past American air defense systems. The original KH-55 was a 1.6 ton, six meter long 514mm diameter missile propelled by a small turbofan engine. The KH-55 was based on earlier American cruise missile designs and these weapons were never considered high-tech. Production of the original KH-55 began in 1981 (after ten years in development) and several variants and upgrades are still being built by Russia and China and, apparently Iran. These cruise missiles are smaller and lighter than the 3-4 ton ballistic missiles Iran has been smuggling into Shia rebel-held coastal areas of Yemen. The cruise missiles are somewhat easier to sneak in as the cruise missile can be disassembled into smaller parts. The Iranian cruise missiles have been used in the Syrian civil war, but not in large numbers. Collecting and examining all the missile debris from the Abha attack would enable the missile to be identified. June 9, 2019: In the north, the Shia rebels launched two explosives armed UAVs towards Jizan airport in southwest Saudi Arabia, near the Yemen border. Both were detected and shot down before reaching their targets. June 5, 2019: In the far north Shia rebels celebrated the end of Ramadan by advancing across the nearby Saudi border (Najran province) where many of the bunkers along the border are lightly manned because many of the militiamen who guard portions of the border go home to their families to celebrate the end of Ramadan. The rebels briefly occupied about twenty of these positions, before retreating when Saudi forces appeared. June 4, 2019: In the Red Sea, off Yemen, a Saudi military transport helicopter came to the aid of an Iranian freighter (the Saviz) anchored in international waters 150 kilometers northwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeida. An Iranian sailor was flown from the Saviz to a Saudi hospital for emergency treatment. The Iranian request for medical evacuation was done via the UN because the two nations have no diplomatic relations. This is one of those curious situations so common to the cultures of the region. The Saviz has been anchored (outside the shipping lanes and in plain sight) since late 2017. Apparently, the ship, which is regularly resupplied by other Iranian merchant ships, is unarmed but there are also several speedboats on the deck and men in IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) uniforms are regularly seen on deck as well. The Saviz apparently serves as a mothership for small, fast, smuggling boats that can carry limited quantities of small items ashore and get away with it. The Saudis have not shut down the Saviz apparently because of some unofficial understanding that as long as Iran does not resume putting naval mines in the shipping channel and firing missiles at passing military and commercial traffic, the Saviz would be left alone. The Saviz may well be the main source of the additional UAVs the Shia rebels are getting and using. But as long as none of these UAV attacks do any serious damage, the Saviz will be left alone. Eventually, the truth about the Saviz will come out and join that many other strange tales of the mysterious Middle East. May 24, 2019: In Yemen, the UN is openly accusing the Shia rebels of stealing food aid and blocking distribution to starving civilians that opposed the rebels. To get aid shipments resumed the rebels were forced to allow UN air personnel to travel with the food convoys to ensure they reached the intended recipients. That was supposed to halt the rebel theft and diversion of aid shipments. The Iranian IRGC advisors apparently convinced the Shia rebels that they could do as they pleased with the UN people along because Iran would tie the UN up for weeks, if not longer, by backing Shia rebels claims that the UN observers are lying. May 23, 2019: Shia rebel radio and TV stations broadcast calls for Yemenis to donate money to help Lebanese Hezbollah. The pledge drive did not dwell on Iran sharply cutting its cash aid to Hezbollah in 2019. These cuts are another side effect of the economic sanctions on Iran that the Americans revived in 2017. Hezbollah advisors, technical experts and trainers have been in Yemen since at least 2015. May 17, 2019: The commander of the Iranian IRGC alerted all his forces (mainly those who are armed and on the payroll) in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen to prepare for war with the West. This is because Iran is now in a lot more trouble back home. The IRGC is not declaring war, just rattling the saber to see what happens. In addition to killing people, the IRGC likes to make threats. May 14, 2019: In Yemen Iran-backed Shia rebels used small UAVs equipped with explosives to damage two pumping stations that were part of a major oil pipeline delivering oil to Red Sea oil export facilities. The damage was not serious and exports were not interrupted. In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. 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Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com Straight from city council A personal view, by Councillor Steve Morris Over the last few weeks, Ive written about several keys to gridlock. Commuter rail is an often-mentioned solution; however, is it viable? As Cr John Robson frequently used to say, we have to be big enough to admit were small. Theres only one city in Australasia under 800,000 with commuter rail and thats Wellington with a suburban population of more than 400,000. Taurangas population is approaching 140,000, in line with projections. Those same projections show a peak population of 200,000 in 2063 because of declining birth-rates. Feasible rail services require a population density of 2500-3000 people per square kilometer. Taurangas density is 800/km2. Viable rail services need to carry between 5000-10,000 passengers per hour during peak hours. Could you imagine that many people catching an 8:30am train from Matua to the CBD? There arent that many people working in the CBD. Is there a more elegant solution? Adelaide and Essen both have bus services that use the rail corridor to get around congested roads. If we did this in Tauranga, buses would use existing bus stops but then use rail as a shortcut. Imagine a bus using the Matapihi rail bridge to skip Hewletts Rd or to bypass Chapel St from Otumoetai. Whats standing in our way? Kiwirail, NZTA, Regional Council, and TCC would all need to agree. The Urban Form and Transport Initiative has recently been formed to bring decision-makers from all the agencies together at the same table instead of working in isolation. Theoretically, this should speed up decisions on critical transport issues. The Weekend Sun editor Daniel Hutchinson investigates an airlines tattoo ban and other bizarre rules. Straight out of the totally useless gestures category is Air New Zealands lifting of a ban on tattoos this week. If you didnt actually know about the tattoo ban, theres a reason for that. Its because cabin crew wear clothes when they are working. The most skin youre likely to see is a face or a cheeky bit of forearm. The story is not really about how awesome the airline is for relaxing the ban, but how futile it was in the first place. You certainly dont want to be handed a boiled sweet by someone with a bad word tattooed on their forehead, but I imagine you could weed those ones out at the interview process. Think about all those people who had tried and failed to become cabin crew because of a forbidden mark on other parts of their body. The shame at the interview process must have been unbearable - forced to drop your socks to reveal the smoking gun or the dolphin neatly etched behind an ankle. Were they worried about the chaos at 10,000 metres when Minnie Mouse suddenly peeked out from behind a blouse? How many crew were secretly carrying ink, living in fear of the day when someone would spot it, never able to lounge on the beach in case an eagle-eyed colleague dobbed them in? Now that the rules have been relaxed, I expect we are going to see men in short-sleeved shirts and women without scarves. Are we ready for that? Other funky rules There are plenty of other weird rules either consigned to history, in play at the moment or even under consideration so we thought we should take a look at some of them. No nukes You will be happy to know it is illegal to possess a nuclear weapon. Additional to that rule, if you happen to stumble across any uranium, you must report it within three months. So please, please, dont leave the uranium lying around in the boot for years. This isnt as bonkers as it sounds and follows the discovery of uranium in the Buller Gorge in the 1950s. There were serious discussions for several decades, and plans drawn up for a nuclear power station in New Zealand. Dont worry uranium hoarders, the no nukes rule of the 1980s doesnt specifically ban nuclear power generation in New Zealand. Paint it black John Henry Ford was ahead of his time with one of his more famous rules. Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black. We have come a long way since then and now you can choose from a whole range of interesting colours. Everybody chooses silver. Whale of a tale Back in New Zealand, some people may not be aware that it is against the law to make a loud noise near a whale. The Marine Mammals Protection Regulations state that no person shall make any loud or disturbing noise near whales. About this time last year, the Matariki fireworks were postponed in Wellington because of this. Fortunately the whale swam off anyway. The fireworks were detonated the following weekend, terrifying small children and every other non-human creature within 10km. While we are on the subject of whales, it is worth noting that whaling is banned in Oklahoma. This sounds like a great idea after all, whaling is banned in many places around the world to protect declining whale populations. But there hasnt been a naturally occurring whale in Oklahoma in... forever. The state is landlocked. No togs in the pool please Earlier this year, a woman was told to cover up at the Albany Stadium Pool after making the mistake of wearing a bikini. That confused everyone, because if you cant wear your togs in the pool where are you supposed to wear them? Taking the p!$$ Is the bikini rule the same as the no peeing in a public place rule? This is a bit of a catch-22 rule this one. Basically you have a perfectly legitimate defence under New Zealand law if you have reasonable grounds for believing you would not be observed. So, its only legal if nobody sees you. Thats not much different to the current cannabis laws, but dont worry, theyre fixing that. If you want to find more dignified legislation, you only have to head to Scotland. Scots who really need to go are in luck: the country has an old law on the books saying that if a stranger knocks on your door asking to use the toilet you must let them in. Cannabis reform Cannabis is illegal, of course, but, once again, this is only effective if someone sees you. A proposed law change will allow people to smoke it in private. Is the Government giggling? Is that the sweet smell of a tax rising up through the air? Poor old Winnie Winnie is banned in Tuszyn, Poland. The cartoon character has been deemed an inappropriate hermaphrodite because he is non-gender-specific. I guess thats what happens when you dont wear pants. The Tauranga Mayoral candidate is a broken-hearted man. Because when Les Wallen and his wife Dell decided to walk the road together and see what happened, they thought it might lead them from their humble corner home in Greerton to the civic chambers of the countrys fifth biggest city. Then one Thursday afternoon as Les was plotting his bid for the citys top office Dell fell at the couples back door. She was a fit, healthy woman. Met her when she was 15, married 53 years, never been apart. Not until Saturday, two weeks ago and 15 days after the fall. She couldnt communicate with us but then out of the blue she calls her sister and tells her she has a brain tumour and she was ringing to say goodbye, that Jesus was coming to get her. When The Weekend Sun drops in on Les this week there are three large floral bouquets on the living room table. There are photos and memories and grief. But now Les is walking that road alone, his faith driving him. We know Dells in heaven, she is rejoicing. And while she might not be here, is that any reason to stop? She wouldnt want me to back off at this stage. Hes not stopping because he believes theres a broken city to fix and the architects of that disaster to be vanquished. And this man of deep faith draws a Biblical parallel;. Jerusalem has been conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians. And the authority of the city was broken and non-functional when Nehemiah returned home from far-off lands. I thought well that fits with Tauranga perfectly. Thats where we are at, broken and non-functional. Then Nehemiah on his donkey couldnt get around the city because of all the rubble. Another parallel. Jerusalem was like Tauranga which is deliberately being chocked with traffic so the NZTA will give it more money. Theyre trying to force you out of your car and onto a bus when not everyone can do that. And Les Wallen says he has the credentials to fix all that he lived 46 years in Australia as an industrial automation specialist in the coalmines and steel. Been fixing things all my life. And Aussie is engrained in this pocket of Greerton the house is full of photos and statues depicting horses and outback Australia. The would-be Mayor even wears expensive R.M.Williams [boots]. Les Wallen is also the man who made a lot of very public noise about the Cameron Road developments through his beloved village. Thats the killer for council, says Les. I got so angry about those roadworks. I mean a class of eight-year-olds couldnt come up with anything so ridiculous. Defies logic. He claims it even drove a fistful of local businesses to the wall. The fixer knew how to fix the great Greerton gaff. I was going to get a bulldozer and rip it out at risk of going to jail. He might not have to he might just have to rattle his Mayoral chains if he makes it up Cameron Road. The Weekend Sun sought out Les Wallen because there was that name amongst all the heavyweights Greg Brownless Well, he has to go, says Les - Kelvin Clout, Tenby Powell, Dame Susan when she was an option, Murray Guy and Les. Whos Les? Ring round Greerton and no-one knows him apart from seeing his photo in the paper protesting over the roadworks. The brief bio is Les is 73, father of three grown-ups including twins and is also a grandfather, an unassuming and dapper wee chap with clipped tash and sad eyes whos motivated by his caring for people. Number one on the manifesto is to get the city moving again, opening the roads. Then keeping rates low by eliminating wasted money on useless projects people dont want, reducing debt, keeping the harbour clean and ensuring public consultation is exactly public consultation. Once upon a time this man was a flying doctor, but with the good book. After getting my credentials through the Baptist Church I operated an aerial ministry. I had my own aeroplane and flew around the outback ministering to whoever I found down there. Its also a sign of the man that he was the first Baptist in Queensland to refuse to sign the pledge. If I wanted a glass of wine with Dell at mealtimes or a beer with my son, I would do it. They didnt care as long as you didnt drink. He has also plagiarised and adapted a Trump-ism for his campaign Lets make Tauranga Great Again. As The Weekend Sun is leaving, Les Wallen, Mayoral candidate, is settling in for a coffee, a movie and mulling half a century of memories with Dell. It also says something of his mettle that just a week or so after burying his wife he is resurrecting his campaign. He explains that. Its a calling, not a campaign. And the first thing he will do if elected is abolish your worship. Theres only one person to be worshipped. After a week without cash, the Bay of Plenty town of Murupara will soon have a new ATM - the third one this year. Last Monday, June 3, thieves in a stolen loader ripped the cash machine from the wall at the New Zealand Credit Union, forcing the bank to close its doors to any customer wanting cold hard cash. The machine was found eight kilometres down the road, abandoned and unopened. Townspeople were forced to ask for cash from shopkeepers, but there was only so much dosh to go around. The theft was the second incident of its kind in just two months. In the first incident this year, hoodlums accessed the town's only bank through the roof and attempted to slice open the cash machine with an angle grinder. A community leaders' hui was held on Monday night to find solutions, Murupara Community Board member Mem Jenner says. Some suggested installing bollards, while others suggested a more prominent police presence and security guards, she says. "There was a theft at the Bakehouse yesterday, a fulla was trying to take a pie and he didn't have any money. "These are the sorts of things we're seeing now. A hui with the whole community will be held on Friday, Mem says. NZCU Baywide general manager sales, marketing and channels, Andy Quayle says a review was done before the bank decided to install another ATM. They looked at staff safety, Murupara's need for access to cash, and worked with the community to identify steps to help prevent similar situations from happening in the future. The bank is also offering customers free transport, once a week, to the Rotorua branch to access cash. "We have listened to the needs of the Murupara community following the attempted ATM theft and acknowledge the struggles with no access to cash in the town since the incident. "Staff safety remains paramount and as such no cash will be held inside the branch. This ensures meeting the needs of customer owners, and the local community, can be balanced with staff safety by way of a secure ATM machine accessible 24/7. "This service is in line with our philosophy of people helping people and provides some simple support during this period. Details about the service will be provided via the branch on Friday 14th June." The culprits, believed to have been towing the trailer on a black 2019 Ford Everest, have not been caught yet, police said in a statement. Sergeant Bryan Newcombe says police in the Bay of Plenty already provide a 24/7 response with staff deployed across the district based on demand, including Murupara. "There's a common misconception that police are dispatched from their local station, however, when units are dispatched they are more often than not already out in the community, meaning they're able to respond to emergencies faster." -Stuff.co.nz/Donna-Lee Biddle When Paris was in high school she admits she wasnt the best student or daughter to her teachers or family. During that time her parents were going through a separation and she was failing school and was wagging most days. Paris was having a hard time dealing with her home situation and found it wasnt easy to focus at school. A year after her parents separation, Paris remembers having a big assembly at her school where two kids came in and talked about the Graeme Dingle Foundation and how they went on this really crazy 14 month journey called project K. She says she remembers thinking that doing something like Project K would be quite cool. My name got pulled out of this bucket. I was one of 12 students who was able to do this 14 month programme, says Paris. None of Paris friends wanted to do the programme with her but she remembers thinking yes I can get away from this place for three weeks and not talk to anybody. I was scared because everybody that we were with were either too cool, or I had no idea who they were. I got a bit nervous because this wasnt my crowd but I ended up becoming really good friends with them and ended up becoming an unspoken leader, like a leader but without being told that I was the leader. I kind of called the shots and it was really cool to be called that person. Id never been put in a leadership position before so for that to happen to me I thought it was kind of breath-taking to be honest. After spending three weeks away, Paris returned to school a completely different person. I actually started showing up. I was excited to see these new friends that I had made and I was excited to hang out with them as weird as it was. After the three weeks away, the next step in the programme was a community challenge. We got to learn about different organisations in the Bay of Plenty, it was interesting and was sad at the same time learning about these places. How they really have to push for funding because people cannot afford to get treatment for the heart or cancer. The group Paris was a part of chose to help out the SPCA and went around to different schools in the Bay of Plenty and talked to them about donating funds that would go towards the animals at the SPCA. Another they got to do was to present speeches in front of the city council. I think that was probably one of the most challenging things for us as a group and me as an individual. Speaking in front of people was really difficult, but Ive grown to actually really love it. After that, Paris went through the mentoring stage and was paired up with a lady named Helen. She was so amazing because I was able to tell her about my home situation, things that were going on at school and she would take the time out of her day to talk to me about it to make sure that I was okay mentally. She would take me out just to get away from the world and she even gave me work experience in her store. She helped me out with my CV so I could get myself my first job. She was the reason I got my first job at 15. Over the period of 14 months Paris went through a roller-coaster journey while being a part of Project K and came out the other end gaining her NCEA level one. I was scared that I wasnt actually going to do it and I ended up in some pretty decent classes because I started showing up for school again. Post Project K, I went to Government House to get an excellence award from Dame Patsy Reddy. It was a really crazy experience being in front of politicians and them recognising what I have done through the Graeme Dingle Foundation. Paris also went to Auckland to receive an award and she says she is really proud of that achievement. She then went on to becoming a youth ambassador and starting MCing the Project K graduations in Tauranga and the Graeme Dingle Foundation excellence awards where they recognise all the different programme in the Bay of Plenty with the Graeme Dingle Foundation. Eventually, Paris got a job with the Graeme Dingle Foundation as a Kiwi Can leader. Ever since I was 14 the foundation has been a part of my life and even to this day they still helped me a lot, in just achieving my goals and helping me with little things like that. I ended up leaving because I felt as if yes I had experience and I could share those with young kids, but I think I had a lot to discover about myself and I still feel as if I do, so I parted way with Kiwi Can but Im still a part of the Graeme Dingle Foundation. Paris says its crazy to see how far she has grown as a person. I find myself a lot more confident when I am speaking to people. I never wanted to make eye contact or speak up, but now Im total capable of doing that. I dont think that I would have been able to if it wasnt for the foundation. Its crazy with the opportunities that they allow if you want something theyll make it happen. If youve got a goal they will push you and help you open up doors. They dont do it for you but they push you in the right direction where those doors just open up for you. Whilst NEXO is Hyundai Motor Companys second-generation of commercialised fuel cell electric vehicle, its a first for New Zealand. Hyundai New Zealand General Manager Andy Sinclair says it is truly an incredible milestone for Hyundai New Zealand to be able to introduce NEXO, a culmination of our cutting-edge technologies and the flagship of our growing eco-vehicle portfolio. NEXO not only embodies our commitment to advanced eco-friendly vehicle development, it also reinforces our leadership in fuel cell electric vehicles. A milestone in the evolution of motoring, NEXO not only produces zero emissions but also has an advanced air purification system which filters 99.9% of very fine dust, emitting only water and clean air into the environment. The vehicle shows the exact amount of air purified on the display panel in the car. An on-board electric motor produces 120kW and a torque of 395 Nm, drawing power from an under bonnet fuel cell stack, combining oxygen from the surrounding air with hydrogen from NEXOs high-pressure storage tanks. The result is electricity to power the motor and charge the battery. With full tanks of hydrogen on board, NEXO is capable of travelling 605km before it needs to refuel. Andy says the team at Hyundai are entering an exciting time in the evolution of motoring, and they are proud to lead the charge in advancing fuel technologies globally and here in New Zealand. The exact date for NEXO going to market in New Zealand ultimately depends on New Zealand's ability to provide the infrastructure for the hydrogen fuelling stations. New Zealand has an abundance of renewable electricity that could be used to produce hydrogen in a sustainable way so we are working closely with the NZ Hydrogen Association towards a solution, says Andy. Chief Executive of the NZ Hydrogen Association Dr. Linda Wright says Hyundai New Zealand need to be congratulated for being the first company to bring hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to New Zealand. It is clear that Hyundai New Zealand is committed to leading the charge in assisting New Zealand transition to a low emission future. The Hyundai brand is synonymous with sustainability and a zero-emission future and the fact that Hyundai New Zealand has managed to get the NEXO here is fantastic. I drove the NEXO in Korea last year and understand fully the global demand for Hyundais premium fuel cell passenger vehicle. Andy Sinclair would have had to wrestle this vehicle away from other larger markets, she says. It is also a sign that New Zealands potential to create a hydrogen economy from our renewable energy resources is attracting attention from countries like Korea and Japan. Andy says as well as pioneering future mobility, Hyundais cars are also among the safest. The 5 star Euro NCAP rating confirms Hyundais commitment to provide customers and other road users with the highest level of safety and innovative mobility solutions. NEXO features Hyundais Smart Sense safety suite and other smart tech features in the NEXO include smart parking assist and remote parking assist. Hyundai New Zealand was one of the founding members and the first automotive manufacturer to join the NZ Hydrogen Association in 2018. Fraser Sharp has lived most of his life battling against the odds. He has been living with a personal motto of anything is possible ever since an errant driver crashed into him in 1993. The accident left the Tauranga-based road cyclist with a head injury that seriously affects his mobility. It has been a daily challenge ever since. So the 42-year-old was not going to let three fractured ribs ruin his chance of competing at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Fraser had a collision with what he calls a a bloody slow Fiat Van Bimi before his first Para World Cup event in Italy last month. But despite the pain of his ribs he put together a sequence of exceptional World Cup results in time trials and road races of 11th, 8th, 8th and 6th in Italy and Belgium to get back into favour with Paralympics New Zealand. You dont go to the other side of the world to not start a race. I dont class myself as a legend. I am an ordinary person doing extraordinary things. It creates the person I am. The support behind me I wear on the inside, says Fraser. There is still much to be done before Fraser gets that selection for Tokyo. Crucially he is now partially funded by Paralympics New Zealand to travel and train overseas which includes competing at the World Championships in The Netherlands in September that is crucial to qualification for Tokyo. A reclassification of his condition to C2 from C3 that happened in Belgium in May will help make that a reality. The re-classification is now a more accurate reflection of Frasers disability and he says it is a turning point. This is a major positive change for Fraser. It is not necessarily a guarantee of anything but it just means he is competing on a more even playing field with similar athletes. Nothing is guaranteed towards Tokyo but it is a step in the right direction. I will still have to fund some of it myself. Things have changed, hopefully for the better, he added. Fraser had to fund his own trip to Europe last month to compete. He got there thanks to the help of the Tauranga community which donated more than $10,000 on a Givealittle page. He is grateful to everyone who contributed and his many sponsors, including Sport BOP, BOP Trust, My Ride from Mount Maunganui, and Taurangas Grant Webber who he says is the best manager I have ever dealt with. Through all his ups and downs Fraser has never given up hope. His mental toughness and the heart of a lion make him a seriously strong competitor. Fraser had a taste of the Paralympics when he was a late call-up to the Rio event in 2016 but he did not perform as he would have with the right build-up. But thats all in the past now. With Frasers spirit and never-say-die attitude, making it all the way to Tokyo is an achievable goal. Authors of sweet or clean romance share about their lives and their stories. Robert Lee Goddard Jr., 49, of Marion, was arrested on May 28 following a traffic stop. A search of the vehicle revealed about 21 grams of methamphetamine and $4,846 in cash. Goddard is charged with drug possession with intent to distribute. He was issued a secured bond and transported to the regional jail in Abingdon. Shuler said the community can expect to see more arrests being made in connection with these investigations. These arrests will make a significant difference on the drug flow into Smyth County; more to come, he said in an email. As a note, he also said I must brag on our K9s, they work really hard and have been worth their weight in gold. Information reported to the sheriffs office by citizens also contributed to the arrests, he said. A Smyth County judge will consider the charges against those arrested. If the judge finds sufficient evidence, the charges will be certified to a grand jury for consideration. Syracuse, N.Y. -- Carrols Restaurant Group this week completed the acquisition of 13 Burger King restaurants in the Baltimore market. Syracuse-based Carrols was already the largest Burger King franchisee in the country, and now its even bigger. It operates a total 1,078 restaurants -- 1,023 Burger Kings and 55 Popeyes restaurants. The company has operated Burger Kings since 1976. We are pleased to complete this transaction, which adds to our existing presence in the attractive mid-Atlantic region, CEO Daniel Accordino said in a statement. These restaurants have average sales volumes of over $1.8 million, higher than our system average, and should be highly accretive as we integrate them with our existing operations." Carrols did not disclose in its announcement how much it paid for the 13 Burger Kings. The announcement comes six weeks after Carrols completed its acquisition of 165 Burger Kings and 55 Popeyes restaurants in 10 southern and southeastern states through a merger with Cambridge Franchise Holdings LLC. The all-stock transaction was valued at $238 million, including $100 million of debt assumed from Cambridge. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Syracuse, NY -- An Onondaga County Court judge blamed a lackadaisical attitude by the District Attorneys Office for the dismissal of a predatory child sex assault case that could have put a man in prison for life. Judge Stephen Dougherty ruled there was no reasonable explanation for a delay in trying the case, adding prosecutors had plenty of time to prepare for trial. Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard obtained a copy of the May 29 decision through public records. The judge accused prosecutors of putting off preparation until a week before trial, then seeking a delay in violation of the defendants speedy trial rights. Meanwhile, the defendant had been in jail, awaiting trial, for nearly 11 months. The Court...cannot condone such a lackadaisical attitude in the criminal prosecution of a Defendant who has been incarcerated for nearly a year, Dougherty wrote in his decision. The Court finds that the People have not explained their laxity in preparing for this trial of this indictment and their failure to be ready for trial on May 7, 2019. With that, Dougherty dismissed all child sex assault charges against Austin Pratt, 21, of Syracuse, and set him free. Under law, prosecutors are barred from charging him again on the same allegations. DA: Ruling offensive,' vows appeal District Attorney William Fitzpatrick called Doughertys decision ridiculous in an interview with Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard on Thursday, asserting that there was no legal precedent for the judges ruling. Fitzpatrick said that one of the 10-year-old victims relatives, who first reported the abuse, had not been truthful with authorities. When that was discovered, Fitzpatrick said, prosecutors acted ethically by asking for a delay in the trial. In other words, the delay was due to potentially exculpatory evidence -- or evidence that could point to the defendants innocence, the DA argued. Investigating such evidence is required under law. To have my assistant DA trashed for doing exactly what she was supposed to do is offensive to me, Fitzpatrick said. He also criticized the Syracuse police investigation that led to Pratts arrest, calling it less than textbook, and said blaming the prosecutor for that was very out of line. Fitzpatrick vowed to appeal Doughertys decision, asking an appellate court to reinstate the indictment. The assistant district attorney, Maureen Barry, had previously defended her decision to delay trial, the judge noted in his decision. Barry contended that further time was necessary to identify and investigate an important person connected to the case. She added that she had enough proof to go to trial, so the delay did not signal a lack of preparedness. She also argued that the judge miscalculated the legal deadline for trial. Pictures of child rape The case against Pratt centered around three photos that allegedly showed him engaged in anal sexual conduct with a 10-year-old girl around Valentines Day in 2018 in Syracuse, the judge wrote in his decision. The girl identified herself to police as the victim in the photographs, the judge noted. And the girls relative -- whose story was later questioned -- identified Pratt through the photos as the alleged perpetrator. Pratt was indicted on charges of predatory sexual assault against a child, three counts of use of a child in a sexual performance, three counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child and two counts of endangering a childs welfare. If convicted, Pratt faced a maximum sentence of life in prison (with his first parole hearing in 10 to 20 years). Pratt was supposed to go to trial May 7, 2019, but the prosecutor withdrew her readiness for trial six days before jury selection. That came after Pratts defense lawyer, Robert Baska, indicated he wanted to investigate an important piece of evidence further in hopes of negotiating a resolution before trial, the judge wrote. When those talks broke down, Baska asked to have the indictment dismissed because the prosecutor had withdrawn readiness. And Dougherty agreed. A mysterious Instagram account The mysterious piece of evidence here is an Instagram account where the pictures of abuse first surfaced. Whoever controlled that social media account apparently sent the photos to the victims relative. That relative claimed she didnt know who sent the images. Fitzpatrick said delaying trial to investigate further was the ethical way to proceed. He said that the victims relative, who had identified Pratt in the photos, had told absolute lies to authorities in regards to the mysterious Instagram account owner. Based on that, Barry argued in court papers, it was necessary to delay trial to find out who the mysterious Instagram user was and what that persons connection was to the victims relative who reported the abuse. Theres a reference to the relatives deception in the judges decision: he noted that Instagrams records showed communication between the relative and the mysterious account owner had started months earlier than the relative had acknowledged. That contradicted what the relative had told police about her knowledge and familiarity with the mysterious Instagram user, the judge noted. But that contradiction in the relatives account was clear in records secured by police in July 2018, the judge wrote. That left the judge with the belief that prosecutors hadnt actually looked at those records until a week before trial in May 2019. The Court is constrained to conclude, based on the circumstances of this case, that the People could have timely inspected and/or examined such digital evidence in a timely manner through the exercise of ordinary diligence, but chose not to until a week before the trial on this indictment, the judge wrote. It was only then that the prosecutor sought a delay so she could investigate the mysterious Instagram user and the victims relative further, he noted. Such a delay indicated that the prosecutor was never actually ready for trial in the first place, he concluded. Right to a speedy trial The judge is no stranger to prosecuting big cases: he worked under Fitzpatrick in the DAs office for 11 years, rising to become a chief assistant prosecutor handling homicides, before being elected to the bench. Under state law, prosecutors must be ready for trial within six months (184 days) from the beginning of a felony criminal action, minus any delays caused by the defense or the court. (Its common for defendants to give up their speedy trial rights in hopes of working out a plea agreement or allowing more time to develop a defense. That didnt happen here.) In Pratts case, the six-month clock started ticking on prosecutors at the time of Pratts June 21, 2018 arrest, the judge ruled. A speedy trial is guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. And New Yorks speedy trial law sets specific deadlines, including the six-month timetable for felonies. Courts have said those rules prevent the prolonged imprisonment of suspects awaiting trial, reduce the chance that witnesses will disappear or their memories will dull, as well as ensure societys interest in swift justice. The prosecutor initially announced she was ready for Pratts trial on Sept. 13, 2018, months before the Dec. 21, 2018 deadline. Announcing readiness for trial stopped the clock from ticking further. But the judge ruled that the prosecutor wasnt actually ready for trial, because authorities had failed to investigate key aspects of the case. Where a court finds that a period of time is entirely chargeable to the People because of their unexplained laxity in preparing for trial, the Peoples announcement of readiness is an empty declaration... the judge noted. In a separate argument, Barry contended that the biggest chunk of time in this case -- 230 days -- be subtracted because those delays were out of the prosecutions control. That would have given more time to bring Pratt to trial. She argued those delays were caused by defense demands to turn over evidence, demands for a specific list of accusations (called a bill of particulars) and pretrial arguments, as well as delays or extensions granted by the court or the defense. But Dougherty ruled that prosecutors had all of the evidence they needed since the early stages of the case and had simply failed to examine it until a week before trial. By the date of the judges decision, a period of 343 days from commencement of the criminal action, the People are not ready for trial, Dougherty wrote, concluding: ...defendant has been denied his right to a speedy trial as provided (under law) and his motion for an order dismissing the indictment...is granted. Pratt remains free and will have no criminal record from this case unless the indictment is reinstated by an appellate court. His lawyer, Robert Baska, declined comment. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Police Departments long-standing policy on physical force offers just two sentences describing when officers should use force and how much they should use. After years of complaints from police watchdogs, the department has updated those policies -- one of the first initiatives of a new chief. The updated policy on use of force was made public Friday morning and Chief Kenton Buckner plans to discuss it at a media briefing Monday. It comes amid outrage from community members over the video of a forceful arrest during a traffic stop two weeks ago. The old policy focuses almost exclusively on how to document and report use of force after the fact. It briefly describes what types of force can be used. Nowhere does it say when force is prohibited. The new policy outlines specific regulations for when to use force and, perhaps more important, when not to use force. Much of that was left to officer discretion in the old policy. Some new details include: Officers cannot use a choke-hold unless there is an immediate threat of serious harm or death; Force cannot be used against someone who is handcuffed or otherwise restrained, unless its necessary to prevent injury; Force should never be used to torture or punish someone; Officers are required to intervene if they see a fellow officer using excessive force; Officers should seek to de-escalate a situation, if possible, before using force. Officers are not permitted to fire warning shots." Officers cannot conduct a cavity search without a warrant. Officers can use deadly force against an animal if the animal is a threat or if its badly injured, diseased or is preventing an officer from accomplishing a lawful objective. The new policy addresses at least one scenario thats come up in a recent legal case. It prohibits officers from shooting at fleeing vehicles unless the officer thinks the driver is about to use deadly force against someone. In court proceedings in May, it was revealed that former officer Ahmad Mims fired five shots at a fleeing van containing three young children. Overall, the new policy more closely reflects modern policing guidelines for use of force. It lists 24 factors to consider to determine the reasonableness of force. The old policy listed three. The old policy makes little mention of when and how force can be applied. It references a U.S. Supreme Court case, Graham v. Connor, and says an officer must consider the following when using force: The severity of the crime at issue; Whether the suspect is a safety threat to the officer or others; and Whether the suspect is resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest. Officers shall employ only that level of force that is objectively reasonable and necessary to achieve their lawful objectives, that policy says. The old policy has been blasted by police watchdogs and lawmakers for being archaic and overly vague. The Syracuse Police Department use of force policy...reflects only the minimum state standards permitted for police accreditation, Councilor Bryn Lovejoy-Grinnell said last week. ...the policy is designed to justify almost every use of force. A recent forceful arrest during a traffic stop has led heightened pressure on the department and the mayor to account for how and when officers should use force. That arrest came as the department was training its officers on the new policy. In that incident, which was caught on video, an officer dragged Shaolin Moore out of a vehicle by the neck and punched him in the head. Moore was being arrested for playing the music in his car too loud. The officer said Moore refused to get out of the car when ordered and appeared to be reaching for his waistband. Also this week, three Syracuse police officers are on trial for their use of force in a 2014 arrest. Lawyers for Elijah Johnson said the officers beat him unnecessarily while arresting him for his involvement in a series of pop-up parties around Syracuse University. City lawyers say the officers use of force was justified and that Johnson was part of a rowdy crowd. The departments use of force policy will be scrutinized during that trial. Chief Kenton Buckner said last month that the new policy was written with input from the citys Corporation Counsel, outside experts and Det. Mark Rusin. The new policy hasnt yet taken effect. Officers are being trained on it now. The police union was briefed last week. A police spokesman said the chief will discuss its implementation at a media briefing Monday. AUBURN, N.Y. -- Police are searching for a man wanted for robbing an Auburn bank at gunpoint. Dustin W. Hall, 31, is wanted by the Auburn Police Department, said Detective Meagan Kalet in a news release. He is considered armed and dangerous, she said. Hall is accused of brandishing a handgun while robbing Generations Bank on North Seward Avenue on June 5, Kalet said. The motorcycle he was spotted riding in the Auburn area around the time of the robbery has been found, she said, but the gun has not. Dustin W. Hall, pictured in this surveillance photo released by the Auburn Police Department, is wanted for robbing Generations Bank in Auburn on June 5, 2019Provided Hall was last spotted in North Syracuse, Kalet said. He has ties to both Auburn and Syracuse. He has brown hair, is 5 feet 8 inches talll and weighs about 160 pounds. Police asked anyone with information about where Hall is to call (315) 253-3231 or submit tips through the departments website. ROCHESTER, NY -- Genesee Cream Ale debuted in 1960, and over the decades became one of the most popular and iconic beers ever produced in Upstate New York. Now, the Rochester brewery is launching what it calls the first innovation on the classic brand. Genesee Lemon Strawberry Cream Ale debuts later this month in the central and western Upstate New York markets, as well as western Pennsylvania and Cleveland. It joins the brewerys regular year-round rotation and will initially be sold in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans. The new beer uses the original cream ale recipe as the base, then adds natural lemon and strawberry flavors. It follows an ever-growing national trend to add fruit and other flavorings to beers of all kinds -- from IPAs to stouts. The new beer is coming out just a few months after Genesee introduced a new package design for what it now calls Original Cream Ale. The redesign was accompanied by plans to re-position Cream Ale from the mainstream end of store shelves (where Genesee Beer and Light are sold), toward the craft side. That also meant a slight price increase. Genesee has experimented in recent years with variations in cream ale, but they were made in limited, small batches at the Genesee Brew House. Thats a pilot brewery located adjacent to the big brewery on St. Paul Street north of downtown Rochester. Brew House cream ale flavors have included Honey Orange, Mosaic and Imperial. The smaller brew house also recently collaborated with Brooklyns Other Half Brewing Co., now with a location near Canandaigua, on a beer called Genesee Dream Ale. The big brewery, which completed a $48.5 million renovation and modernization project last year, has also redesigned packaging for its core brands -- Genesee Beer, Genesee Light and Genesee Ice. The companys marketing strategy is to create separation between the core beers and the Cream Ale line. The company now considers them different brands. More innovative Cream Ale flavors are possible down the road. Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook. A rainy spring has led to a delay in strawberry harvest, but farms across Central New York are preparing to welcome U-pick customers this month. Weve had quite a bit of rain, so its taken longer for the berries to ripen, said Steve Ammerman, public affairs manager of the New York Farm Bureau. Their harvest is just now beginning. If we can get more days filled with sunshine and some warmer temperatures to let those berries mature and sweeten, I think well hopefully have a good crop. To celebrate strawberry season, Abbott Farms in Baldwinsville will host its annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 15, complete with a Strawberry 4K run, kids zone, ice cream, hands-on workshops and Four Grand wine and cider tastings. See here for more information on schedules and ticket prices. To confirm produce availability and hours, call ahead for field conditions and additional details. If you know of a U-Pick strawberry farm not on this list, please email features@syracuse.com. Onondaga County Abbott Farms, 3275 Cold Springs Road, Baldwinsville; Take I-690 west to John Glen exit, 2nd light turn left on Route 370 West. Continue 2.4 miles. Strawberries are on your left, across the road from the farm store. Call 315-638-7783. Website: abbottfarms.com. Facebook page: Abbott Farms. Summer store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday; Noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. U-Pick hours will begin at the Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 15. Normal U-Pick hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Supervised children OK. Emmi Farms, 1482 West Genesee Road (Route 370), Baldwinsville; From Baldwinsville, head 2 miles west on Route 370. Call 315-635-7529. Information on website. U-Pick farm has strawberries, blueberries, plus more produce later in the summer and fall. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Strawberries should be ready to pick mid-June. Cash or credit cards accepted. Lelawkoskis Pompey Hill Strawberry Farm, Berwyn Road, Pompey Hill (just past the intersection of Route 91 and Route 20 W); Call 315-677-9547 for field conditions and hours. Facebook page: Lelakowskis Fruit & Vegetable Stand. Supervised children OK. The main farm is located farther down Route 20. Call ahead to confirm availability. Opens at 8 a.m. Sunday to Saturday. Navarino Orchard, 3665 Cherry Valley Turnpike, Route 20, town of Onondaga (nine miles west of LaFayette and nine miles east of Skaneateles); Call 315-673-9181 or 315-925-4422 for field conditions. Facebook page: Navarino Orchard and website. Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Supervised children OK. U-Pick strawberries will be available by June 20. Reeves Farms, 1220 West Genesee Road (by GPS) on Route 370 (four miles west of Baldwinsville); Call 315-635-3357 for field conditions. Facebook page: Reeves Farms and website. Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Saturday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Supervised children OK. The fruit stand and U-Pick will be open by mid-June. For further updates on U-pick strawberries and organic blueberries, call ahead or visit their Facebook page. The before and after of a strawberry strawberry season is coming, and these beauties will be in full bloom soon #supportlocalfarms #strawberryseason #summer #reevesfarms Posted by Reeves Farms LLC on Monday, June 3, 2019 Williams Farm Stand, 6545 State Route 31 at the corner of Whiting Road and Route 31, Cicero; Call 315-699-3442 for field conditions. Facebook page: Williams Farm Stand. Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday; 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. U-Pick starting by the end of next week. Supervised children OK. Strawberries at Reeves Farm in Baldwinsville. Oswego County Behling Orchards, 114 Potter Road, Mexico; Call 315-727-4784 for field conditions. Take Route 104 west of Mexico, turn onto Fravor Road, follow to Potter Road. The orchard will open their strawberry U-Pick June 24, and their hours will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Supervised children OK. Call or check Facebook page: Behling Orchards for updates. Riverside U-Pick, 323 Pendergast Road, Phoenix: Call 315-591-5976 for field conditions. Take 690 W to Lysander to NY-48 S to County Route 46, turn right to Pendergast in Granby. Facebook page: Riverside U-Pick. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; cash only. Estimated start date will be June 19. Supervised children OK. Call to confirm field is open. Cayuga County Berry Harvest Farm, 12766 White Cemetery Road, Cato, NY 13033; Call 315-626-6307 for field conditions. Take 690 W to Lysander, turn left on Church Rd, turn right on Plainville Rd, turn left on Lamson Road, to Lysander Road to White Cemetery Road. Facebook page: Berry Harvest Farm and website. Open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m. to noon Sunday. Opening day for U-Picking will be June 17. Grisamore Farms, 4069 Goose St., Locke; Call 315-497-1347. Route 90 between Locke and Genoa. June hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Supervised children OK. Website: www.grisamorefarms.com. Strawberries will be ready to be picked around June 20. Red raspberries, sweet and sour cherries, blueberries and currants will be ready in July. Strawberry Farms U-Pick Hydroponic Farm, 4240 E. Genesee St., Auburn; Call 315-751-5657 for field conditions. Website: www.strawberryfieldsupick.com. Berries should be available from mid-June through the end of October. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; closed Sunday. Supervised children OK. From left: Shira Lowenstein, Rachelle Lowenstein, Reese Lindars, Maggie Lindars and Shari Lindars, from the Manlius and Dewitt areas, enjoy time in the strawberry field at Abbott Farms outside Baldwinsville in 2012. The Post-Standard file photos Madison County Mosher Farms, 3214 Fargo Road, Bouckville. Routes 26 and 46, town of Eaton; Take Route 20 east to Route 46 south a half mile. Call 315-893-7173 for field conditions; Open 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Facebook page: Mosher Farms; Supervised children OK. U-Pick begins third weekend of June. Call ahead for availability. Cortland County Cobblestone Valley Farm, 6609 US-11, Homer. Take I-81 S to Preble, continue on 281 S and turn left on Preble Road. Call 607-591-9607 for field conditions. Facebook page: Cobblestone Valley Farm; Supervised children OK. Strawberry season is anticipated to begin mid-June. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. SYRACUSE, N.Y. Onondaga County officials are close to finishing the deal that will keep the Triple-A Syracuse Mets in town for 25 years in return for $25 million in taxpayer-funded improvements to their ballpark. Outlines of the 25-year lease were agreed upon last fall, but the details have taken months to commit to writing, County Executive Ryan McMahon said Thursday. Legislators are expected to vote July 2 on the lease and an $8.5 million bond measure to pay for improvements, making the deal official. Both items go to the Ways and Means Committee today, which is expected to move them to the full legislature for a vote. The Mets will pay $200,000 a year in rent to start, the same amount specified in a lease they assumed from their predecessors, the Syracuse Chiefs. After 2025, the annual rent will increase every few years by $25,000 to a maximum of $300,000, beginning in 2039. The rent payments will roughly cover the countys annual cost of operating NBT Bank Stadium, McMahon said. Concession revenues will be kept by the Mets, he said. All told, the Mets will pay $6.1 million over the 25 years, ending in 2043. If the Mets leave Syracuse for any reason before then, the team is responsible to pay the full amount, McMahon said. County officials are confident the Mets will stay in Syracuse. Over the next couple years, the county will oversee a $25 million renovation of NBT Bank Stadium. Half will be funded by New York state, the other half by Onondaga County. Most of the work should begin next year, McMahon said. Details of the renovation will be worked out by county officials and the Mets after the financing is approved and consultants can be hired, he said. We really need to be able to price out different concepts to figure out what it is that the Mets and the county feel are the right investments to make, he said. And, really, to do that we need to be able to pay people. Although the county will pay for nearly all the enhancements, the Mets will pay to replace the grass field within two years, county officials said. The county will pay for replacing the grass eight years after that. The county plans to bond for $8.5 million to pay some of the capital costs, pending approval by the legislature. The remainder will be covered mostly by naming rights revenue, McMahon said. The county receives about $140,000 a year from NBT Bank under a naming rights deal that runs through 2025. The rights will be sold again after that deal expires, and county officials are confident of earning another $3.6 million from that, McMahon said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last October that Empire State Development, the state economic development agency, would contribute $12.5 million to the renovation. Americans are getting their first look today at what a new $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman might look like. The New York Times obtained an image of the new bill from a former Treasury Department official and published it this morning. It was produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and depicts Tubman in a dark coat with a wide collar and white scarf. Heres an early design of the Harriet Tubman $20 bill created by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Steven Mnuchin said designs would be delayed until 2026 and a future Treasury secretary will decide whos on the face of the note. https://t.co/brRwxuu8F1 pic.twitter.com/o0ffu53tF2 Alan Rappeport (@arappeport) June 14, 2019 The Tubman bill was first announced during the Obama administration. Work on the bill was already well underway when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month it would be delayed, according to the Times. Mnuchin cited technical reasons and said the bill would put be put off for six years. He also said it might not include the image of Tubman, a former slave and abolitionist who helped dozens of other slaves escape via the Underground Railroad, according to the Times. Mnuchin said a future Treasury secretary would ultimately decide the bill's fate. He also said new security features under development made a 2020 design deadline impossible to meet, despite speculation that President Donald Trump had intervened to keep his favorite president, Andrew Jackson, on the front of the bill, according to the Times. The preliminary design for the bill was finished in late 2016. The new notes release had been planned to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, the Times said. Tubman was also active in the women's suffrage movement. The new $20 would be the first to feature a black American. Republican U.S. Rep. John Katko of Camillus has said Congress should pass legislation requiring Tubman to be featured. Tubman had strong ties to Central New York. She lived in Auburn later in her life, died there in 1913 and is buried at Fort Hill Cemetery in the city. Her former home and related historical properties in Auburn and nearby Fleming were made a national historical park in 2014. Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Syracuse chapter of the NAACP charged Friday that the city hasnt adequately responded to its demands after the forceful arrest of a 23-year-old man that lead to community outcry and a protest. In an open letter to Mayor Ben Walsh on June 5, NAACP Linda Brown-Robinson called for the release of evidence for parallel and subsequent investigations by non-municipal bodies." On Friday, the police department confirmed the investigation into the arrest of Shaolin Moore of Syracuse was completed. Officials said they will release results of the investigation Monday. In its announcement, city officials said Civil Rights Law 50-a prevents it from releasing personnel records for police officers. Syracuse officials on Friday also released the Syracuse police policies for body-worn camera, use of force (old and news versions) and how to handle traffic stops. The investigation by our Office of Professional Standards is complete, and now our Department is taking the required procedural steps before sharing more information with the public, Police Chief Kenton Buckner said in a statement. In advance of that, we want to share additional information that will help to inform the discussion that will occur regarding the arrest. The NAACP said in its statement Friday the city didnt do enough. To our disappointment, Robinsons Friday statement started, the Mayor and Chief Buckner have simply provided the public with a policy regarding confidentiality of police officers personnel performance records. This is not a response to our request. The NAACP argued in its statement that Civil Rights Law 50-a does not allow for a broad ban of disclosure simply because a matter involves police officers. Robinson said the organization is suspect of the police department and its actions since officers arrested Moore on Grace Street on May 31. The organization cited the arrest of Yamil Osorio by New York State parole officers. It is actions such as this that derail the trustworthiness of our police and fuel the racial divide that exists between law enforcement and the public, Robinson said. UTICA, NY -The Oneida County District Attorneys office and the Central New York SPCA are investigating an animal shelter in Utica after a video surfaced and complaints were made about conditions at the facility. The Road to Home Rescue Support animal shelter on Broad Street in Utica is the focus of the investigation, said William Pulaski, animal cruelty investigator with the CNY SPCA. Pulaski said his organization began investigating the shelter after complaints about conditions there even before a video was shared on social media in May that showed the inside of the shelter, with dogs barking and feces on the floor of the cages. People began calling and emailing officials after seeing the video. Kim Strong, the shelters operator, was subsequently evicted by the owner of the building where the shelter is located,, Oneida County officials said. There were more than 115 dogs at the time - since then other shelters have stepped in to care for the dogs and help them get adopted. As of today, there are about 27 of the 118 dogs left that still need homes, said CNY SPCAs Pulaski. Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said Friday afternoon his staff was there Thursday and are pleased homes have been found for so many of the dogs. While the smell is terrible and McNamara said the 118 dogs being housed in crates was "disturbing,'' he said so far no law has been broken. McNamara said it appears operator Kim Strong - long an advocate against animal abuse, he said - took on too many dogs and didnt have enough volunteers to care for the dogs and clean their cages quickly. "The public is offended..and I am offended...but that doesnt break the law,'' he said. Strong appears to have taken herself out of the public eye at this time, McNamara said. The parent organization of Road Home to Rescue, based out of Wantagh on Long Island, has stepped in to help with the dogs and try to find homes for them, he said. "She told us she was going to go dark,' he said. She was at the forefront speaking out when dogs were abused, and now shes become a target. Utica City Mayor Rob Palmieri visited the rescue recently, and was visible upset over what the mayor called were beyond deplorable conditions," according to a radio report. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. responded on Thursday to the incident by calling for reforms in the way animal rescue facilities operate. The situation that occurred recently at the animal rescue facility on Broad Street in Utica should never be allowed to happen again, Picente said. While the appropriate steps have been taken to improve that rescues conditions, and to find safe homes for the dogs being held there, more must be done." by Jessie Blaeser Per its name, the goal of a zero-waste lifestyle is to produce no waste on a daily basis (or as little as possible). Those who have switched to zero-waste feel they are doing their part to help the environment. Others say a zero-waste lifestyle is not only unrealistic but requires a certain amount of economic privilege in order to attempt. Meanwhile, countries like Canada plan to ban single-use plastics nationwide in an effort to help citizens get closer to this goal. Have you made the switch? According to the BBC, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau identified the issue of plastic pollution as a global challenge. He plans to implement a ban on harmful single-use plastics as a result. The ban could go into effect as early as 2021. The BBC reports: The Canadian government has yet to decide which single-use plastic products will be included on the list but it could target plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates and stir sticks. Trudeaus move away from single-use plastics reflects a larger trend towards zero-waste lifestyles. If your countrys government creates an environment in which there are less opportunities to create waste (such as throwing away a Starbucks cup or a plastic grocery bag), the goal of a zero-waste lifestyle is that much more attainable. According to Trudeau, its time to take action: "As parents we're at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn't littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles," Mr Trudeau said. Canada's single-use plastic ban will not be all-encompassing, and it is still years away. The reality is that zero-waste is still a huge commitment. According to one lifestyle blog, switching to zero-waste involves giving up a lot of things you love, including everything from grabbing your favorite to-go coffee to eating out. In order to be truly zero-waste, you have to always be prepared, and for many, this just isnt realistic: From getting a takeaway in a plastic container, to being offered plastic cutlery or plastic straws you will be forever turning down or accidentally using plastic items of some variety. You really have to be aware and keep note and ask for alternatives where some might be given. According to blogger Kathryn Kellogg, there are unexpected benefits to living a zero-waste lifestyle in addition to helping the planet. Kellogg explains that her confidence, communication skills, and critical thinking skills have all improved since fully committing to zero-waste: You'll start looking at supply chains and asking questions. With all of your confidence and awesome communication skills, you'll be able to chat with the farmers that grow your food. Email a customer service rep at a company you like to find out about their environmental programs. In an interview with NBC, Kellogg also encourages those interested in zero-waste that it isnt about being perfect, its simply about trying to do better. Theres no question that going zero-waste costs money. You have to purchase plenty of materials to replace the items that you would otherwise throw away, such as grocery bags, coffee cups, mason jars and more. Not everyone can afford such a change. As the Odyssey puts it: All that I am saying is that before you go lecturing people about how they too should dedicate time into a zero waste lifestyle, check your privilege It really is not possible for a large number of people. Although anyone can attempt a zero-waste lifestyle, it is certainly easier for certain segments of the population than it is for others. I've been thinking alot lately how zero waste is so much easier for people with privilege... Amanda Chapman (@AmandaWasteFree) August 23, 2017 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. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, his spokesman Bassam Rady said. During their conversation, the two presidents reviewed a number of regional issues, especially the situation in Libya. El-Sisi asserted Egypt's firm stance supportive of the unity, stability and security of Libya and activating the will of its people. The Egyptian president also reiterated Egypt's support for the Libyan National Army in its fight against terrorism and eradication of armed militias and organisations which have become a rising threat to regional security and the security of the Mediterranean region. Macron, for his part, asserted the necessity of settling the Libyan crisis, which he said is endangering the security of the whole region. The two sides agreed on intensifying efforts in this regard, according to the statement. As per the situation in Sudan, El-Sisi asserted Egypt's backing to the choices and will of the Sudanese people, reiterating Egypt's full respect to Sudan's sovereignty and rejecting any interference in its internal affairs. El-Sisi also pressed the need for intensifying international efforts to help Sudan end its current crisis and maintain its stability and security to achieve the best interests of the Sudanese people. Search Keywords: Short link: The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the Government of the Swiss Confederation (SECO) and the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) on Thursday signed two agreements to fund African initiatives on the sidelines of the Banks 2019 Annual Meetings. SECO contributed 3 million Swiss francs to the Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) for innovative young entrepreneurs and 200,000 Swiss francs to the Urban & Municipal Development Fund for Africa (UMDF), which helps African cities plan and manage urban growth and climate-resilient development by improving governance and basic services. These days its important that partners work together to put talents together in a complementary fashion These are two areas which are forward-leaning and positive for the African continent, said Raymund Furrer, Bank Governor for Switzerland, who signed on behalf of SECO at the Sipopo Conference Center in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala, the Banks Vice President for Finance and Chief Finance Officer, signed on behalf of the Bank. Our partnership goes beyond the consistent and strong support of the two main windows of the Bank Group Let me then take this opportunity to thank Switzerland for these two very valuable contributions, but also, for being a long-standing partner of the Bank Group, she said. Switzerland joined the African Development Fund almost 50 years ago in 1972, and has been a full member of the African Development Bank for close to 40 years, since 1982. The E-Lab, a component of the Banks Boost Africa strategy, provides innovative young entrepreneurs with financing, technical assistance and broader ecosystem support through incubators, accelerators, fund managers and others. Five countries have been identified to pilot the E-Lab: Cote dIvoire, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. Boost Africa was launched in partnership with the African Development Bank and the European Investment Bank to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation across Africa. The initiative, which has also received backing from the European Commission and other donors, is part of the Banks Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy (2016-2025) to create 25 million jobs and impact 50 million youth by catalysing private sector investments that create employment for youth. Successful entrepreneurship is key to Africas economic growth and job creation. According to the Banks Economic Outlook Report, between 11 and 13 million more young people will join Africas labour force every year between 2015 and 2030, and only 3 million will find secure employment. More than 20% of Africas working age population are starting new businesses, the highest rate in the world. Businesses with fewer than 20 employees and less than 5 years experience provide the most jobs in Africas formal sector. Jac Daniel Jean Claude Le Roy Redacteur en chef, web journaliste, video monteur, SFPJ niveau 1 en journalisme, pere de la video et du Online news pour les actualites a Maurice et membre du Media Trust ( 2019 2021) et (2021 2023). See author's posts Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Making the most cents out of timber harvesting Minister of State Andrew Doyle TD, speaking at the Talking Timber marketing event in Abbleyleix, Co. Laois on the 13th of June. Event organised by Liam Kelly, Teagasc forester With annual timber production from the private forestry sector forecasted to increase to almost 3 million cubic metres by 2028 there are both challenges and opportunities for forest owners to get this rapidly expanding timber resource to market. Timber harvesting is a process with many moving parts. Forest owners need to ask the right questions prior to both thinning and clearfelling, in order to maximise their forests potential. To help forest owners, Teagasc's Forestry Development Department ran two very successful conifer timber marketing events, entitled Talking Timber, in Charleville, Co. Cork and in Abbeyleix, Co. Laois on the 11th & 13th of June respectively. The total attendance of more than 300 persons is a clear indication that these marketing events provided a welcome opportunity for farm forest owners to meet with and ask questions at 55 stands of timber buyers, harvesting contractors and foresters and to find out more about the timber selling process. The marketing days were aimed at giving forest owners a better understanding how the harvesting of their forest crop can be carried effectively and profitably. In Abbeyleix, Minister of State Andrew Doyle TD highlighted the fact that almost 1 million cubic metres was produced by private forest owners in 2017. Most of this timber was processed in Ireland, helping to support 12,000 forest sector jobs, based mostly in rural areas. With annual timber production from the private forestry sector forecasted to increase to almost 3 million cubic metres by 2028 there are both challenges and opportunities for forest owners to get this rapidly expanding timber resource to market. Professor Gerry Boyle , Director of Teagasc, pointed out in Charleville that the strong attendances at events demonstrates that forest owners recognise both the opportunity and need to build forest industry contacts, and to expand their own networks. Professor Boyle highlighted the need for forest owners to look after their crops, if they wish to maximise both the financial and environmental benefits of their crops. Forest owners had previously highlighted the need for a suitable forum to engage with key players involved in the harvest and purchase of timber. In response twenty Talking Timber events have been organised by Teagasc since 2009 with the co-operation of the Irish timber industry and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Each event has included an outdoor demonstration organised by the Forestry Industries Ireland (FII), where attendees have the opportunity to view and discuss the quality of timber required by Irish sawmills. Similar to other farm-based products, the quality of the timber has a very important bearing on the market price offered according to sawmill representatives from Glennon Brothers and Murray Timber Group. For the most recent Talking Timber events, the theme was Making the most cents out of harvesting. Short presentations from Teagasc, DAFMs Forest Service, tax experts and forest owner representatives outlined some key issues regarding prices, felling licence applications, tax implications and how private forest owners can organise themselves effectively. Teagasc forestry advisors John Casey and Liam Kelly addressed critical forest owners questions such as how to prepare a crop for harvesting, what affects timber prices, the importance of having a harvesting contract and how important it is to know everyones role in the timber harvesting chain. Frank Barrett, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, highlighted the need for timely and fully completed felling licence applications. While foresters and forest owners might understand the operations and know what will happen on a harvesting site, other agencies may consider applications to be lacking in detail and this could potentially result in unnecessary delays. Since a productive 8 hectare plantation may generate 140,000 to 175,000 at clearfell stage, tax consultants for FDC and IFAC advised these potential revenues require tax planning in advance of harvesting. They also pointed out that since timber sales are income tax exempt and that the sale of trees is exempt from CGT but lands taxable, the transfer of wealth through forestry can be tax efficient. Speakers from the Forest Owners Co-operative Society and the Laois Farm Forestry Group both stressed the need for the forest owners to organise themselves, to build networks and to access training. Both speakers welcomed the recently launched Forestry Knowledge Transfer Group (or KTG) scheme for 2019 and indicated their interest in organising new KT groups to provide forest owners with the essential tools to mobilise their valuable timber resource and to help maximise the income for their holding. It is hoped that the new KTG scheme will be as successful as the 33 KT groups in 2018, in which a total of just over 600 forest owners participated in groups delivered by both forestry industry and forest owner groups. When it comes to screens, the general rule is the bigger the better. The Lenovo Smart Clock turns that belief on its head. With a screen thats smaller than most smartphones, the Smart Clock is a full-featured, great-sounding Google Assistant-powered smart speaker with just enough display to comfortably view photos, videos, and, of course, the time, which should make it the perfect mix of sight and sound. Except Lenovo hasnt properly taught it to do the things you expect a smart speaker with a display to do. It doesnt link with Google Photos to show pictures youve snapped. It cant display videos. And it doesnt use the new Home View for controlling lights, thermostats, and other connected devices. So basically, the $80 Lenovo Smart Clock is really just a smart clock. But its a really good one. The Lenovo Smart Clock is an excellent (and cute) addition to the ever-expanding smart display lineup, one thats smaller than the both Google Nest Hub and the new Echo Show 5 that Amazon is shipping later this month. And if youre tired of using your phone to wake up, itll definitely make a great addition to your nightstand. Small and sophisticated The Lenovo Smart Clock clearly takes its design cues from the Nest Hub. While significantly smaller than Googles device, the Smart Clock has a gray fabric-wrapped back that covers its 1.5-inch 3W speaker and passive radiators. Its a bit bulbous at roughly 3 inches deep and I could do with thinner bezels, but the Smart Clock is still plenty small enough to keep on a nightstand. Michael Simon/IDG The Smart Clock is a bit bulbous but itll still fit on your nightstand. And thats probably where youll want to keep it. The Smart Clocks 4.48- x 2.9-inch frame is about the size of an old-fashioned alarm clock, a one-time bedside staple that was long-ago replaced by a smartphone on a charging stand. But where even the best always-on displays and wireless charging stands feature tiny numbers that arent so easy to see with bleary eyes. The Smart Clock doesnt have that problem. Like alarm clocks of yore, its display can easily be seen from across a room, and a variety of faces will keep it looking fresh each morning. There are 10 different styles to choose from, and theyre all refreshingly different. There are analog, digital, minimal, and colorful faces, as well as weather-themed faces and a funky word-based one. An option to randomly cycle through them would be nice to have, but its easy enough to change and customize the various faces by long-pressing on the screen. A really smart clock The Smart Clock doesnt actually do anything a Google Home Mini cant, but its a much better bedside companion. Its not just that it has a screen. Lenovo has carefully considered the ways in which you will use the Smart Clock to emphasize features that arent as prominent on other smart speakers. For example, if your Wi-Fi goes out, itll still display the clock rather than the an error screen. Michael Simon/IDG The bezel is big enough, but theres no camera on the Lenovo Smart Clock. For one, it doesnt have a camera. Lenovo understands that the majority of Smart Clocks will be placed in a bedroom, so rather than implement a set of switches and toggles to turn it off, it simply eliminated the risk altogether. The lack of a camera might be a deal-breaker for some, but Im willing to bet most people will buy it because it doesnt have a camera rather than despite it. But the best feature of the Smart Clock is a simple one: alarms. Theyre always a tap or a swipe away, but like any other Assistant device, youll mostly set them by asking. Like the Sunrise feature on Pixel phones, alarms start off low and gradually increase in volume, so as to not jerk you out of a deep sleep. The speaker is surprisingly good too, so its a bummer that you can only set it to play one of six preset tones rather than a song or station. Its been so long since I used an alarm clock with actual buttons that I hadnt quite realized how much of an annoyance snoozing has become on smartphones and smart speakers. On the Smart Clock, you can tap anywhere on the screen to snooze rather than struggle to tap a small smartphone target or hope it can understand your groggy mumbles. And theres a setting to adjust the length of snooze time, too: a small but welcome addition. Theres even a Nap Timer, which starts a 20-minute timer for a quick stretch of shuteye. Michael Simon/IDG A cat nap is never more than a swipe away on the Smart Clock. Amazon offers the same features with the Echo Spot (and presumably the Echo Show 5 as well), but no other Google Assistant device has such a stellar alarm experience. Its what separates the Smart Clock from other Assistant speakers, and my guess is it will be the start of a new line of diminutive smart displays. Google recently rebranded its 7-inch display as a Nest product, and I wouldnt be surprised to see a smaller one introduced in time for the holiday shopping season. A semi-smart display For as good as it is at alarms, however the Smart Clock isnt as great at being a smart display. While it dutifully does the things a smart speaker shouldhome control, general knowledge questions, music playback, etc.it doesnt take advantage of its screen beyond showing the time. So you dont get maps, song lyrics, or the Smart Dashboard on the Google Nest Hub. Michael Simon/IDG You wont be see Maps on the Lenovo Smart Clock. The biggest deficiency is that it cant display photos. While its screen is a good deal smaller than the Google Nest Hub or even most smartphones, its still plenty large enough for photos, especially when the 2.5-inch circular Echo Spot manages to do it. Google Photos integration should be a tap and a toggle away. Alas, it remains out of reach. You also cant watch videos on the Smart Clock. While it connects with a Chromecast to beam things that Assistant finds, it cant actually show them on its tiny screen. That means if you put a Smart Clock in your kitchen, you wont be able to use it to view recipes. Instead, Assistant will read you the steps like it would on a Google Home, but all the speaker will show is the colored circles logo. Its a bummer since the Smart Clock display is the perfect size for a countertop. Should you buy a Lenovo Smart Clock? The Lenovo Smart Clock is one of the most intriguing smart speakers to come along in a while, mainly because it doesnt try to be a do-everything device. It shirks many of the features weve come to expect in visual smart speakers, but in the process it creates a new type of device. Michael Simon/IDG Alarms are a revelation on the Smart Clock. As its name suggests, the Lenovo Smart Clock is truly a smarter clock. And its a great one. The only problem is the price. At $80, its only $10 less than the upcoming Echo Show 5 and about $20 less than the going rate for the Google Nest Hub. If youre patient, youll probably be able to get it for closer to $50, but waiting for a sale to bring a device down to the price it should have been at in the first place is hardly a strong buy recommendation. But even if you pay full price, you wont be disappointed with the Smart Clock. You just might want to buy a more capable smart display to go with it. What just happened? Huawei's plan B to continue thriving in the smartphone business is to build a homemade solution for its Android woes. Google severing ties with the Chinese manufacturer has lead it to ramp up efforts for an alternative Android-based OS called Hongmeng, for which it has recently filed a trademark on WIPO and reportedly put on 1 million devices for testing. Huawei's latest patent request in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Global Brand Database reveals that the company has been hard at work behind the scenes to come up with its own version of Android. The company plans to launch Hongmeng-powered smartphones next year but some reports indicate it might be as soon as October this year. The CEO of Huawei's consumer division, Richard Yu, told CNBC last month that the company is still committed to Microsoft Windows and Google Android, "But if we cannot use that, Huawei will prepare the plan B to use our own OS." Developing a mobile OS for the global smartphone market and breaking the duopoly of Apple's iOS and Android is a daunting task. Samsung gave it a try with Tizen and Microsoft's mobile efforts with Windows didn't workout either, so it's no surprise that Huawei has been busy with its own solution that's been under development going as far back as 2012. While its partnership with Google in the Android space meant there was no imminent threat of a third operating system, the recent severance of business ties between the two has caused the Chinese company to accelerate efforts with Hongmeng, its backup plan for if or when things go south. Chinese publication Global Times reports that Hongmeng was developed in collaboration with Tencent and according to Vivo, Xiaomi and Oppo, all Chinese smartphone vendors who tested the new OS, found it to be 60% faster than Google's Android. Huawei's request for the trademark appears to be filled for several countries including Australia, Canada, Cambodia, the European Union, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand. The company also plans to use Hongmeng OS for tablets and PCs, as revealed in its trademark description that was approved by the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) last month. If Huawei can pull off Hongmeng's launch and support it well going into the future, it will put the company in a similar business model as Apple, where it'll have even stronger vertical integration across its products than Cupertino considering that Huawei also makes most if not all of its hardware at home. It's even got a microSD card alternative that's already on the market. Whether it can topple Google's massively popular software and services or achieve the same success as Apple has with its tightly integrated ecosystem remains to be seen, but it sure looks like a third big player in the smartphone OS world is on the horizon. In brief: With Facebook about to launch its new cryptocurrency, the social network has secured more than a dozen big-name backers to support its venture, according to a new report. We first heard that Facebook might be developing its own virtual coin, referred to internally as GlobalCoin, over a year ago, though it had been investigating potential uses for blockchain technology since 2017. A new report by the Wall Street Journal states that the crypto will debut as soon as next week and will be supported by more than a dozen companies including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Uber Technologies. Stripe, Booking.com, and MercadoLibre are also part of the project. The publication writes that each firm will invest around $10 million into a consortium that will govern the effort. Its been reported that Facebooks crypto is a stablecoin, meaning it is pegged to the value of an underlying asset, usually government-issued currencies such as the US dollar. It will operate within Facebooks messaging infrastructure, which covers WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Exactly what GlobalCoin will be used for is still uncertain, even some of the partners dont know. It is still not entirely clear, even to some members of the consortium, how the coin will work or what their roles will be, wrote the Journal. The BBC writes that GlobalCoin will provide an affordable and secure way of making payments, regardless of whether users have a bank account. Facebook is said to be in talks with online merchants in the hope theyll accept the crypto in return for lower transaction fees. Facebook is expected to unveil GlobalCoin on June 18. What just happened? Huaweis devices arent exactly the most popular of handsets right now, thanks to its blacklisting by the US government, so this wont come as welcome news for the company. Users around the world are reporting that ads for hotel reservation site Booking.com have started appearing on the lock screens of some Huawei phones. First reported by Android Police, the ads appeared for Huawei handset owners using the preinstalled background wallpapers. Theyve been reported in a number of countries, including the UK, Netherlands, Ireland, South Africa, Norway and Germany, and on several phone modelsthe P30 Pro, P20, P20 Lite, P20 Pro, Mate 20 Pro, and Honor 10. According to Digital Trends, Huawei insists it isnt behind the ads, and an Honor rep said it isnt the one pushing out advertisements to lock screens, either. Huawei is blaming a third-party app or service for the issue, though the fact so many users of its phones experienced the ads at the same time, and that they are appearing via Huaweis Magazine Unlock cycle of background images is quite suspicious. The company reportedly tried to blame the Booking.com app, but many experiencing the ads said they dont have it installed. #Huawei has turned the random landscape backgrounds on the lock screen into ads. Wtf fuck this pic.twitter.com/6dAUeu17Jf Alex (@ValexWhoa) June 13, 2019 Not using the default lock screen wallpapers will stop the ads. For those who want to keep using the feature, manually removing the images from the Magazine Unlock stops the ads from appearing in the cycle. Whoevers to blame for this, it couldnt come at a worse time for Huawei, which has seen sales of its handsets fall after being placed on the US governments entity list. Image credit: Karlis Dambrans via Shutterstock Summer has arrived in south Louisiana, and that means it's not just time for oppressive heat and humidity, but also to celebrate Acadiana's lo While a state judge determined the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office and the Louisiana State Police acted appropriately in their investigation of an April fatal crash involving a deputy with a suspended license, the incident left the judge concerned about shortcomings of the notification process for traffic warrants to local law enforcement. State District Judge Don Johnson, who oversees the East Baton Rouge Parish Traffic Court, said Friday morning he plans to evaluate the system that alerts officers to active traffic warrants, after hearing from the two law enforcement agencies that they did not see the former deputy's active bench warrant from East Baton Rouge when they ran his name through their system. Johnson called the hearing Friday after several news stories pointed to a possible cover-up into how the now-fired deputy was treated after crashing into a pedestrian on April 5, killing the 37-year-old man. The judge wanted to verify that officials had uniformly enforced laws as they would for any private citizen. West Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputy who struck, killed pedestrian was driving on suspended license An on-duty West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputy whose driver's license had been suspended struck and killed a pedestrian early Friday whil "I find no reason of just cause for any further inquiry," Johnson said Friday morning, after hearing from both State Police and WBRSO investigators. He said any stigma or complaints about the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office and the Louisiana State Police should be cleared up by the hearing. However, he noted that "process matters need worked on" to maintain the public's trust and to ensure that officials follow through on warrants. Former West Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputy Alberto Casco, 20, was driving a work release van in the early morning of April 5 to pick up inmates after a night shift when he hit pedestrian Clinell Robertson, of Plaquemine. Robertson was walking across the southbound lanes of traffic in dark clothing when he was hit, authorities said at the time of the crash in West Baton Rouge Parish. State Police investigated the crash and sent out a press release explaining the circumstances, but did not mention that Casco was driving on a suspended license. An agency spokesman later confirmed, only after WBRZ reported it, that authorities were aware of the suspension and said Casco would receive a citation. He was cited days later. State Police Trooper Benjamin Friedmann, who responded to the scene of the crash, testified Friday morning that he had determined that morning that Casco's license was suspended. However, Friedmann said running Casco's name through the database at troopers' disposal did not show there was a warrant out for Casco's arrest. Friedmann said he learned about the active warrant days later from the WBRZ report of the incident. Johnson had issued the warrant after Casco missed a November court date for a speeding ticket. In mid-March, few months after the warrant was issued and after Casco was hired by the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, Casco's driver's license was suspended. After fatal crash, West Baton Rouge deputy fired for not disclosing suspended license Two speeding tickets in one month. One unpaid and unresolved months later resulting in a bench warrant for failing to appear in court and ul West Baton Rouge Sheriff's officials, including Sheriff Mike Cazes, testified that when they ran their background check on Casco before hiring him, they did not see any active warrants. Casco also told the judge that he did not know his license was suspended or that there was a warrant out for his arrest. However, he did admit he knew he had been issued the speeding ticket, which ended up being grounds for his termination because he did not disclose the infraction during his background check. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Johnson said he is concerned how all these invested parties did not know when there was an active warrant from traffic court. "We're having a difficult time enforcing traffic laws," Johnson said. "How can we improve this process?" That question, however, was met without a solution. Cliff Ivey, an attorney and a deputy at the West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office, said the only place he knew Casco's warrant was available for officers outside the capital city was on the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office website, but he said checking every parish is not realistic. Do you go to 64 sheriffs websites? Ivey said. West Baton Rouge sheriff transport van hits car, kill 50-year-old driver, police say A 50-year-old Baton Rouge man was killed when his car was hit by a West Baton Rouge Sheriff Office transport van on Tuesday afternoon, accordi Johnson also asked officials at the hearing Friday to clear up a WBRZ report that claimed Casco's bench warrant was "mysteriously" recalled after the crash. West Baton Rouge Sheriff's officials played audio from a phone call they made to East Baton Rouge Traffic Court administrators, which showed the administrator voluntarily recalled the warrant after hearing about the crash and gave Casco a new court date. West Baton Rouge Internal Affairs Lt. Kenneth Young testified that he called the traffic court to understand why Casco's license had been suspended, but did not ask for the warrant to be recalled. Johnson said he has since spoken to the court's administrators about standardizing this process in the future. Casco testified Friday that he has since paid the necessary fines on the ticket. Family members of Robertson, the man killed in the crash, attended the hearing Friday, but declined to make any comments to The Advocate. Citing chronic underfunding and excessive workloads, East Baton Rouge Parish's chief public defender sought permission Thursday to withdraw from some cases and decline future appointments, even if it results in charges being dismissed against indigent defendants. Public defender offices statewide have complained they dont have adequate resources. In the 19th Judicial District, Mike Mitchells plea applies only to cases before state District Judge Don Johnson, but the public defender said the seven other criminal courts in East Baton Rouge Parish have similar problems. "Every section is as overloaded as this section," he said. "We are at significant risk of providing ineffective assistance of counsel in some of our cases." Defenders there would have to make their own pleadings. Mitchell in 2015 lost funding for six attorneys, an investigator and an administrator. District attorneys take aim at Louisiana Public Defender Board spending on death penalty cases With about a third of annual state funding for public defense going to private law firms representing clients facing capital murder charges, L If Johnson grants Mitchell's request and a different public defender or other competent lawyer cannot be found to represent affected indigent defendants on Johnson's docket, a motion filed by Mitchell's attorneys asks the judge to dismiss their cases and release them from custody. During a break in a daylong hearing on Mitchell's motion to withdraw from some current cases and decline future appointments, Mitchell acknowledged that such dismissals would be without prejudice, meaning the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office would be able to refile the charges later. Speedy trial requirements under the Constitution could still apply, though defendants could waive them or the prosecution could demonstrate a legitimate need for more time, parish prosecutors said. At the start of the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Mark Dumaine said the judge could not grant Mitchells request because court funding is an issue that only the Legislature can resolve. "You don't have the power to give them the remedy they seek," Dumaine said. "They remedy they seek is not the law." Maggie Broussard, one of Mitchell's attorneys, disagreed and said Johnson can and must step in to prevent the public defenders in his court from violating their constitutional and ethical obligations to provide effective assistance to their indigent clients. John Landis, who also represents Mitchell, said the excessive workloads also are exposing Mitchell's public defenders to potentially violating the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers. Johnson, who will hear additional evidence in the case Friday and in the coming weeks, said he would rule on the state's dismissal request and on the merits of the case later. Depending on how Johnson or appellate courts rule, Mitchell said he may file similar motions in other criminal sections of the 19th JDC. Mitchell said he filed the motion in Johnson's court after personally observing some defendants complaining in that court that they had never met their public defender. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Mitchell's motion cites a 2017 report by the accounting firm of Postlewaite & Netterville and the American Bar Association, which was commissioned by the Louisiana Public Defender Board, that found the full-time public defenders in Mitchell's office have the capacity to handle only about 34 percent of their annual workloads if they each devoted no more than 2,080 hours annually to their caseloads. Those hours represent 40 hours a week over 52 weeks. Statewide, public defender offices have blamed funding shortfalls on drops in fines and fees on traffic citations. Louisiana is unique across the country in financing much of its public defense through court costs paid by the guilty. Public defense funding at critical moment in Louisiana and cant be cut, American Bar Association official claims Public defense funding in Louisiana must be spared the state budget ax, the president of the American Bar Association stressed this week in a Mitchell's office also receives funding from the state public defender board. Mitchell, who has served as East Baton Rouge's chief public defender for a quarter-century, testified Thursday that his office has been in a fiscal crisis since 2015 when he was forced to eliminate eight positions. Dumaine pointed out that years ago there were only two public defenders in each of the 19th JDC's eight criminal sections, for a total of 16, but now there are 27 -- four in three of those sections apiece and three each in the rest. The prosecutor, while questioning Mitchell, said Mitchell's office has "more legal horsepower" than ever before. Mitchell replied that his office represented between 12,000 and 13,000 people last year. "We're drowning," he said. Dumaine asked if any of Mitchell's staff attorneys are currently providing ineffective assistance to their court-appointed clients. "That is exactly what we're trying to avoid," the chief public defender replied. Mitchell stressed that he's not saying the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office shouldn't have more attorneys as well. "Well, thank you," Dumaine said with a grin. Mitchell said his office expects to close the current fiscal year that ends June 30 with a $285,000 deficit, but he said the state public defender board will cover that shortfall. A charter school group is giving up its charter to run a school at the former Crestworth Middle School campus, setting the stage for the potential return of that campus to the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. The school district has sought to bring Crestworth Middle back into its system since 2009, when the state took over the neighborhood middle school after years of poor academic performance and converted it into a charter school. For the past decade, many middle schoolers living in the Scotlandville area have been bused 8 miles across town to Park Forest Middle School. Superintendent Warren Drake said hes hopeful he can wrap up a deal soon to return Crestworth to local control. The ideal thing would be to bring those kids back to a school in the neighborhood, Drake said. A spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Education said the agency is working the parish school system to determine next steps for the Crestworth campus. If successful, Crestworth Middle would join Istrouma High as the second Baton Rouge public school the state has taken over to return to local control. Istrouma reopened in 2017, in the process undergoing at least $29 million in renovations. Drake said he doesn't intend to rush Crestworth Middle's reopening. That facility as well likely needs renovations. Drake has at least $4 million to work with. Voters in 2018 approved that much money to add a middle school program in the Scotlandville area. Whatever we do, we want to do it first class, he said. The return of the middle school is part of long-running negotiations with leaders at the Louisiana Department of Education about reuniting a bunch of Baton Rouge schools with the parish school system. Its similar to the school reunification process in New Orleans that began in 2016. Drake said hes hoping to have a draft reunification agreement by next month. Its back and forth right now, but were getting close, Drake said. He said any such reunification would transpire over several years. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Celerity Schools Louisiana voted June 4 to relinquish its charter for the former Crestworth Middle school located at 10600 Avenue F and vacate the premises by June 30. +3 Changes in store for state-run Recovery School District schools in Baton Rouge The state-run Recovery School District in Baton Rouge is undergoing a round of changes, as contracts with two charter school management groups Its relocating four miles away at the former Glen Oaks Middle School. There its merging its 100 students with another small middle school, Baton Rouge College Prep, which has been on that campus since 2015 and has about 200 students. The plan is to revive Glen Oaks Middle School as the name for the new merged school. Our new location will allow our organization the opportunity to educate more students within the East Baton Rouge community in conjunction with our current Crestworth Middle School students, said Angela Beck, superintendent for Celerity Schools Louisiana. The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is set to accept the charter for Celerity Crestworth when it meets next Wednesday. Celerity, which was based in Los Angeles, arrived in Louisiana in 2014. It launched four schools, three in Baton Rouge and one in Harvey. The school in Harvey was closed in 2018. That left Crestworth Middle, as well as the former Dalton and Lanier elementary schools. In 2017, Celerity Louisiana severed its ties with its parent organization, Celerity Educational Group, as that group became engulfed in financial scandal. In May, founder Vielka McFarlane was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for misspending $3.2 million in public funds for personal use. Celerity Louisiana is going further, changing its name to ReDesign Schools Louisiana. During its first four years of operation, Celerity Crestworth lost the bulk of its students. It started with 324 in grades K-8 in 2014 and shrunk to about 100 students, making it one of the smallest elementary or middle schools in the Capitol Region. Fifth, sixth and seventh grades had fewer than 10 students each. But as its enrollment dwindled, the schools test scores grew overall. A failing school initially, it climbed to a C letter grade by its fourth year. The gains were enough to win the school a four-year renewal of its charter in December. Performance, however, was uneven across the school. For instance, third grade was strong, fourth grade was uneven, and eighth grade was poor. Fifth through seventh grades had too few students to report scores for those grades. For its fifth year, Celerity Crestworth dropped its elementary grades, leaving only grades 6 to 8. And it added middle school students from Celerity Dalton and Celerity Lanier. Enrollment at Celerity Crestworth stayed at about 100. But overall middle school enrollment for all three schools declined by 19 students. The state hasnt released test scores yet for Celerity Crestworths fifth year. Louisiana's Medicaid program will spend about $400 million less than expected in the nearly ended budget year, largely because tens of thousands of people were booted from Medicaid rolls amid bolstered computer checks of eligibility. The latest Medicaid forecast for the budget year that ends June 30 showed the program was expected to spend about $12 billion on the government-financed insurance coverage this year, rather than the $12.4 billion allocated for health services. Nearly all the money Louisiana won't spend is federal financing that simply won't be drawn down from Washington, said the Louisiana Department of Health's chief financial officer Cindy Rives. The small general state tax dollar savings already was taken by lawmakers and spent elsewhere in the just-ended legislative session. The less-than-expected spending mainly stems from more frequent checks of whether people enrolled in Medicaid earn too much to qualify for the coverage, Rives said. The health department has begun using an upgraded computer system that does quarterly eligibility checks, rather than previously performed annual checks, and uses more wage data for comparison. More than 30,000 people lost their Medicaid coverage at the end of March after the first use of the upgraded system, and more are threatened with removal from the program later this month if they can't prove their eligibility. 30K people removed from Louisiana Medicaid rolls, deemed ineligible More than 30,000 people in Louisiana have been booted from the Medicaid program, after an upgraded state computer check determined they earn t Nearly 1.6 million people, one-third of Louisiana's residents, are enrolled in Medicaid. But the number of people receiving the taxpayer-financed health insurance coverage has fallen by more than 80,000 since January, according to health department data. About 50,000 of those exiting the coverage were non-elderly adults enrolled in Medicaid through the expansion program enacted by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2016. The latest Medicaid forecast report shows 450,000 people in the expansion program. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Rives said it's unclear if the decline in enrollment or the smaller-than-expected level of spending on health services will continue or be a short-term anomaly. "To say that's an ongoing trend, I don't have the data to support that," she said. Health department leaders say some people enrolled through Medicaid expansion likely have fluctuating or seasonal changes in employment that could keep them going in and out of the Medicaid program throughout the year, as their wages change. "We don't know what the churn is going to be, which people are going to come back, and only time will tell," Rives said. Medicaid expansion made Louisiana an outlier in national trend of stalling insurance coverage The gains in health insurance coverage Louisiana experienced after expanding Medicaid three years ago leading to about half a million people The budget for the financial year that begins July 1 includes expectations that spending on Medicaid services will grow to $12.6 billion. A final tally of this year's spending won't be complete until October. Under Medicaid expansion, adults ages 19 to 64 with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level about $16,750 for a single adult or $28,680 for a family of three are eligible for the coverage. The federal government pays most of the cost. Louisiana is paying a share that eventually increases to 10 percent, but lawmakers passed financing tools to help cover the state's share, including a tax hike charged on health maintenance organizations. Republican officials and Louisiana's legislative auditor have raised concerns that the Medicaid program has wasted millions on people who shouldn't be receiving the coverage. The Edwards administration says the computer system upgrade addresses those concerns. Her predecessor, Mitch Landrieu, spent more than two decades working in Baton Rouge, first as a state legislator and then as lieutenant governor. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell came up a different way, as a community organizer and later member of the City Council. So when Cantrell laid out an ambitious agenda for her first full legislative session in office, there was reason to wonder just how much shed end up having to show for it. In effort to create more affordable housing, New Orleans property tax relief bill clears Senate committee In a boost to efforts to create more affordable housing in New Orleans, a Louisiana Senate committee on Monday cleared a ballot issue that cou It turns out that the answer to that question is plenty. At a time when many of her fellow progressives, including members of the New Orleans delegation, left Baton Rouge frustrated over a failure to advance causes helping women and lower-income constituents, Cantrell largely dodged the more ideological terrain and focused on bread-and-butter issues. By the end of the session, she emerged with her wish list littered with check marks. The biggest win, of course, was a package of bills to tap into tourism money to shore up New Orleans aging infrastructure, which includes $50 million in upfront money and up to $26 million per year in the future. What Cantrell dubbed the Fair Share initiative started out facing fierce headwinds, from resistance from tourism officials and Gov. John Bel Edwards, to the Legislatures historic reluctance to help the city out, to the idea that she was asking for lawmakers to support taxes even taxes that their constituents wouldnt pay in an election year. She also had to contend with the fact that the Orleans Parish lawmakers she was relying upon havent always gotten along with one another. Throughout the session, word periodically leaked that negotiations had broken down, only to start up again. +5 Controversial New Orleans convention center hotel bill gets OK; a look at what's next The controversial 1,200-room hotel proposed for the upriver end of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center passed a major milestone on Friday, That she emerged with much of what she wanted owes to the fact that others got what they wanted too. Edwards, who brokered the deal, got a chit from the mayor of a city full of the Democratic voters hell need when he runs for reelection this fall. Tourism leaders got the go-ahead to build a new hotel connected to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The bulk of the money to pay for the work, in fact, will come from tourists who visit the city both those who stay at hotels and will pay slightly higher taxes and those who stay in short-term rentals, if New Orleans voters approve a measure to increase the tax rate they pay. But dont discount the role Cantrell played. The fair share construct she pushed proved powerful at marshaling public support among weary voters who are tired of contending with ancient pipes and broken streets. The initial messaging from tourism leaders reluctant to engage basically that the city needs them to keep doing exactly what theyre doing to prevent visitors from heading elsewhere came off as tone-deaf, even arrogant. If a mayor who ran a remarkably successful populist campaign should be expected to excel at the outside game, she also did a good job of courting legislators from other parts of the state, many observers have noted. Indeed, she wound up with even more to show for the session than just the infrastructure package. Lawmakers also approved placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would allow voters to decide whether the city could offer property tax relief in the name of enhancing affordability. Other measures she listed as accomplishments include bills involving the Housing Authority of New Orleans, the Regional Transit Authority, and sexual assaults. When it was over, Cantrell issued a blanket thank-you to the entire New Orleans delegation, led by her hand-picked floor leader, state Rep. Neil Abramson. Of course, he and a few other key players, state Rep. Walt Leger III and state Sen. JP Morrell, will leave this fall due to term limits. And by the time next years session rolls around, Cantrells honeymoon may be over. All the more reason for Cantrell to have gone big her first time out. Abortion legislation was hotly debated during this years Louisiana legislative session but ultimately all six of the proposed bills restricting abortion overwhelmingly passed through the state legislature. Heres where the bills currently stand legally. Headed to the ballot: House Bill 425: A bill that drew a lot of attention was one by State Rep. Katrina Jacksons bill that would let voters decide if they wanted an amendment to the state constitution explicitly stating it did not protect a womens right to an abortion or funding for abortions. The constitutional amendment received the two-thirds majority of votes it needed to pass both chambers and now heads to the Secretary of States office, who will be in charge of putting it on the ballot on November 3, 2020, coinciding with the presidential election. If the majority of Louisiana voters pass it, the provision will be added to the state constitution. Originally the amendment was to be put on the Oct. 12 ballot, during the governors election, but the date was pushed back in conference committee. Some Republicans questioned the move but ultimately the changes were passed. The state already has a 2006 trigger law which would outlaw abortions with an exception only in the case the mothers life was at risk but. Like Jacksons bill, the law was authored by a Democrat and signed into law by a Democratic governor, then Gov. Kathleen Blanco. Boozy bake sale, food fest to benefit Planned Parenthood and New Orleans Abortion Fund June 22-23 More than 50 New Orleans chefs and bartenders will host an afternoon "boozy bake sale" Saturday, June 22 to benefit reproductive rights organi Signed by the governor: Senate Bill 184: The most discussed abortion restriction this session was one by State Sen. John Milkovich, D-Shreveport, which would ban abortion once an embryos heartbeat is detected a move experts said would ultimately ban the procedure around six weeks of pregnancy. The bill passed both houses by a large margin and Gov. John Bel Edwards signed it into law at the end of May. However, the law will only go into effect if courts uphold a similar Mississippi law, which has currently been blocked by Mississippi District Judge Carlton Reeves. Reeves is the same judge who also ruled that Mississippis 15-week-abortion ban was unconstitutional last year and its likely he will rule the same for this more restrictive ban. Senate Bill 221: State Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklintons bill will require abortion providers to provide patients with information relating to the physicians history and qualifications after it was signed into law by the governor Wednesday. Previously, providers had to tell patients orally the name of the doctor performing the abortion. Under the new law, they will have to provide orally and in writing details about the doctors board certification, whether the clinic has admitting privileges to a hospital, whether the doctor has malpractice insurance and if their license has been revoked or suspended. The law does not require physicians that do not provide abortions to give patients that information. John Legend: Hollywood should consider Louisiana boycott on abortion law because 'money talks' LOS ANGELES (AP) John Legend says Hollywood should consider boycotting Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and other states that pass restrictive ab Mizell said the bill will give women information that they want to know, while opponents argue that requiring physicians to give patients information other doctors are not required to will scare patients and contribute to stigma surrounding abortion. Awaiting the governor's likely signature House Bill 133: State Rep. Frank Hoffmann, R-West Monroe, would expand the legal definition of "abortion" to include medication abortions, those performed early in a pregnancy where the patient is given a pill to end her pregnancy. In practice, the law would require only physicians at the states three remaining abortion clinics to administer the pill instead of any licensed OB-GYN as the state currently allows. The bill passed both houses and is awaiting signature by the governor who is likely to sign it for it to become law. Senate Bill 238: Mizells other bill is also awaiting Edwards signature. It would require any staff member not just physicians of an abortion clinic to report suspected cases of child abuse, human trafficking, rape, incest or coerced abortion to law enforcement. Proponents say the bill will help protect victims while opponents argue that the bill places an increased burden of legal responsibility on clinic workers, like front desk workers, who may not have much contact with patients. House Bill 484: State Rep. Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City, upon the governors signature, would require abortion clinics amount of time keep medical records of women who have abortions for seven years. For minors, the records would have to be retained even longer for at least 10 years, beginning when the patient turns 18. June is national Caribbean Heritage Month, and New Orleans will prove it knows how to pay homage to its Caribbean roots this month at the NOLA Caribbean Experience, a jam-packed four days of music, food and parading, from Thursday, June 20 to Sunday, June 23. The celebrations main event is the third annual NOLA Caribbean Festival at Central City BBQ (1201 S. Rampart St.) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 22 and Sunday June 23. The fest will feature Caribbean cuisine, music, dance and culture. International artists, bands and DJs will perform on one of three stages. Children can enjoy a Kids Corner at the festival which includes African drum lessons and an indoor dance stage featuring salsa and Afrobeat. Boozy bake sale, food fest to benefit Planned Parenthood and New Orleans Abortion Fund June 22-23 More than 50 New Orleans chefs and bartenders will host an afternoon "boozy bake sale" Saturday, June 22 to benefit reproductive rights organi Many Caribbean islands also celebrate Carnival season leading up to Lent, sharing New Orleans love for loud costumes. With the Colour Me Krazy Carnival Parade, the citys parading is not over just yet. The parade will include a Caribbean Carnival masquerade costume bands, dancers, DJ trucks and a paint versus powder experience. Adult packages for the parade are $75 and include food, drink, t-shirt, paint, powder and festival entry. Children admission packages are $40. The parade begins on Canal Street Saturday, June 22 at 4 p.m. and ends at the festival grounds. General admission tickets cost $10 a day or $15 for a two-day festival pass. VIP tickets are $40 or $70 for a two-day pass. Advanced tickets are available online. Concerts from Caribbean and New Orleans artists and DJs will be popping up around town. On Thursday, a collaboration between Haitian band Koneksyon, Haitian DJ Mundo and New Orleans own K.O.B. Brass Band will take place at The Howlin Wolf (907 S. Peters St.) Thursday, June 20 at 9 p.m. Food events include a Rum Punch Brunch at The Revolution (1840 Thalia St.) Saturday, June 22 at 11 a.m. hosted by international Soca artist Tara Lynne. The festivities come to a close late Sunday, June 23 with a Weekend Wrap Up at Deja Vieux Food Park from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. with a performance by Hawaiian Reggae band Inna Vision. An offshore fishing rodeo for veterans sponsored by Wounded War Heroes will be held June 27-29 at the Bridge Side Marina, 1618 La. 1 in Grand Isle. Event coordinator Collette Cootz Foret said about 60 combat veterans are expected to attend. She explained how the organization got its start. Michael Savoie, a medically retired wounded war hero USMC, met Emeric Watson, the founder of Wounded War Heroes, at a hunting event in 2009 in Mississippi, Foret said in an email. Michael heard the stories about some of Emerics fishing adventures and asked him what it would cost to take about 20 veterans to south Louisiana for a weekend of fishing." Emeric then asked family and friends to make donations to help defray the cost of the trip. They received an overwhelming response and received commitments for donations and services. The inaugural rodeo went off without a hitch. We had 29 veterans at the first rodeo, and the second year we had 50 veterans participate, Foret said. Donors and sponsors are needed to help defray the cost for the June event. Sponsorship levels are $500, $1,000 and $2,500. We also have food sponsorships available for those who want to help by providing food for one of the evenings, and of course, well accept any financial amount that people feel comfortable with, Foret added. To date, Foret said Wounded War Heroes has grown from putting on one fishing rodeo annually to over 100 hunting, fishing and other outdoor events sponsored by individuals and companies. These events range from a fishing trip to Alaska to a fishing trip to Panama and hunting trips in between, Foret said. A passion for the outdoors and the desire to give something back to these courageous men and women who have ... sustained life-altering wounds in the fight for freedom is the premise behind Wounded War Heroes. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Our military men and women put their lives on the line so we can wake up every morning and go about our day, enjoying freedom in ways big and small. If you would like to donate or for more information, email Foret at cootz@woundedwarheroes.org or call at (985) 387-0134. You can also go to www.woundedwarheroes.org. Local mayors to speak The Jefferson Chamber will hold its mayoral luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Copeland Tower Suite & Conference Center, 2601 Severn Ave., Metairie. The event will feature Harahan Mayor Tim Baudier; Lafitte Mayor Timothy Kerner; Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle; Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn; Gretna Mayor Belinda Constant; and Westwego Mayor Joe Peoples. Each will discuss the progress being made in their respective areas. The cost is $75 for chamber members and $125 for prospective members. To register and for more information, go to www.jeffersonchamber.org Walk the Wetlands Explore Louisiana swamp and marsh on a ranger-guided walk 10 a.m. Wednesday-Sunday. The walks are free at the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, located at 6588 Barataria Blvd. in Marrero (near Crown Point). For information, call (504) 689-3690 ext.10 or www.nps.gov/jela. A 25-year-old woman is facing second degree murder and armed robbery charges after she allegedly stabbed a man to death within a Treme hotel room during Carnival. The DA's office announced the charges against Magen Hall, whom they said was from Tennessee, after a grand jury handed up the indictment on Thursday. She also faces a count of obstruction of justice. The killing occurred on Feb. 28 within a room at the Empress Hotel at 1317 Ursulines Avenue. A housekeeper discovered the body of 62-year-old Patrick Murphy about 11:41 a.m. within a room registered to Hall, according to a news release from the Orleans Parish DA's Office. Murphy, the owner of a jewelry store in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, was found dead with a stab wound to his neck and two more to the abdomen. He had been visiting the city with his wife. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Surveillance footage from the incident showed Murphy and Hall arriving at the hotel together about 2:10 a.m., and Hall was seen walking "briskly" out of the hotel about 90 minutes later, the DA said. Two people in an adjacent room reported that a man and woman could be heard "loudly arguing" within the room about 3:30 a.m., then the sounds of a struggle. Hall was accompanied by an attorney as she surrendered herself days after the incident. She has since been held in lieu of $750,000 bail, the DA said. Hall has a criminal background that includes prostitution arrests in New Orleans, Nashville and Houston. No incidences of violent crime surfaced in a review of court records. If convicted on the murder charge she will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Bowing to pressure from lawyers for poor defendants, New Orleans Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell agreed this week to overhaul the way he sets bail. In an effort to prevent people from being jailed solely because they don't have enough money to post bail, Cantrell now must follow a four-page procedure that requires him to ask recent arrestees about their finances, consider non-cash alternatives to bail and hold an extensive hearing if he is contemplating detaining a defendant by setting an unaffordable bail amount. If he decides on the latter course, he must find there is clear and convincing evidence that the arrestees detention is necessary to guard against flight from prosecution or to ensure community safety. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon signed off on the procedure on Thursday, a day after Cantrell reached an agreement with civil rights lawyers. The deal will also apply to Magistrate Court commissioners. The agreement, known as a consent judgment, neutralizes for now one prong of a legal dispute involving Cantrell, the case of Caliste v. Cantrell, a class action lawsuit challenging the judge's pretrial detention practices. However, Cantrell still has an appeal pending at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over Fallons ruling that Cantrell has an inherent conflict of interest in setting bail. This consent judgment is a victory for our clients and for the city of New Orleans as a whole, Eric Foley, an attorney with the MacArthur Justice Center, said in a statement. Our clients are pretrial arrestees who are presumed innocent. They should never be held in jail just because they cant afford to pay an arbitrary amount of money. Advocates first filed suit against Cantrell in 2017, arguing that he had a conflict in setting bails that help pay for court operations through a 1.8 percent fee on all bonds. They also said he regularly skipped over making individual determinations about whether defendants could actually post bail, and whether they would pose a danger to the public if released. The lawsuit was part of a larger assault by civil rights lawyers and activists against the city's user pays criminal justice system, which has depended heavily on fines and fees largely paid by poor defendants to fund criminal justice agencies. Fallon sided with the civil rights lawyers in the Cantrell case last year. But he left the specific implementation of his decision up to the magistrate judge. Even after Fallons decision, advocates argued in a March legal filing, Cantrell routinely failed to live up to his obligation to conduct individual hearings into defendants finances and to consider alternatives to jail ahead of trial. In one case, Cantrell set bail at $10,000 for a homeless man who had written in marker on the side of a drugstore, despite protests from the mans lawyers that it amounted to a detention order. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In another instance, Cantrell gave no explanation as he set a $10,000 bail for a high school student accused of a vehicle burglary. The civil rights lawyers asked Fallon to issue an injunction against Cantrell, the father-in-law of Mayor LaToya Cantrell. That could have been the first step in seeking to hold him in contempt. The injunction request also could have led to the unusual spectacle of Cantrell having to testify in another judges courtroom about how he sets bail. The consent judgment reached this week puts an end to the injunction request and the need for Cantrell to explain his decisions in the homeless mans case and others. However, he could still be held in contempt if he fails to follow through on the procedures laid out in the judgment. Mindy Nunez Duffourc, an attorney for Cantrell, said he was pleased that the two sides had been able to reach a settlement. A major sticking point was whether the procedure would burden Cantrell with time-consuming requirements. Nunez Duffourc said the final agreement could have the effect of making initial bail hearings "a little bit longer." Meanwhile, both sides in the bail fee lawsuit are awaiting a ruling from the 5th Circuit on the question of whether Cantrell has an inherent conflict of interest in setting bail. A separate 5th Circuit panel is also set to rule on an appeal of U.S. District Judge Sarah Vances decision, in response to a different lawsuit, that Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges cannot be impartial in determining the ability of convicted defendants to pay fines and fees before the convicts are jailed for non-payment. The reason, the suit says, is that the judges receive operating expenses from those court costs. Earlier this week, the Vera Institute of Justice in New Orleans issued a report calling for the elimination of cash bail and fees imposed on people convicted of crimes altogether. It called for using city funds to buttress the courts budget instead. Vera said doing away with the practices would put an end to the lawsuits against both Cantrell and the Criminal District Court judges. When asked to list the major hurdles facing Louisianas 50-year plan to rebuild its coast, state officials have pointed to a menu of truly massive challenges, from rapidly rising seas to finding the money for the $92 billion effort. But their most complicated challenge may come from something only about 6 to 8 feet long: the bottlenose dolphin, a much-loved native resident of Louisianas coast and bays. The river diversions that are key to the states plan to rebuild wetlands could lower the salinity of the water in areas such as Barataria Bay to levels that would kill the dolphins. To prevent that, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 could require the National Marine Fisheries Service to block the diversions or force major modifications. And the typical solutions to such critter-vs.-project conflicts are not available for this one. Across the entire Gulf, populations of bottlenose dolphins are not in trouble, but the ones that live off the coast of Louisiana cant simply be relocated, as is done with some species living in the way of a major project. Each coastal community of dolphins is wedded for life to its home waters. They dont swim away as the habitat changes; instead, they remain until they die of disease or starvation. Nor can the state fall back on another common solution: mitigating the loss of dolphins in Barataria Bay by funding the stocking of dolphins in other areas. The law protects the population of each geographic area. So a project that makes the local habitat lethal for its dolphin population would not be approved for a permit, said Jolie Harrison, chief of the protected species permits division at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She said this issue must be resolved before her agency can approve the $1.3 billion Mid-Barataria Diversion, the first such diversion in the states 50-year rebuilding plan. The state hopes to open the diversion in 2020. The law allows for unavoidable, incidental take (including killing), but it has to be insignificant in other words, so low it wouldnt endanger the health of that population, Harrison said. Because this would be the first engineered river sediment diversion ever built, Harrison would not speculate about how much it could threaten dolphins. Actually, this is kind of novel for us, she said. Most of what we deal with are acoustic impacts to whales and dolphins." The agency will work with applicants to overcome obstacles like this, she said, but we need to hear what they propose to do, where and when. The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority hasnt finalized when and how long the Barataria diversion would be open and how much water it would carry. The state has known about this issue for some time. In 2013, it asked various regulators for a heads-up about what concerns they had about the diversions. The National Marine Fisheries Service listed a range of concerns about how estuarine species, including dolphins, would fare as water in bays freshened. The issue gained momentum recently when the Myrtle Grove project received fast-track status for the federal permitting process, cutting what was expected to be at least a five-year slog to something closer to 2 years. The issue also came up last fall at a meeting of a committee advising the coastal authority on its restoration plans. Coastal authority researchers already are working with colleagues at the Water Institute of the Gulf, a research arm of the agency, to find ways to prevent salinity near the diversion from dropping too much, especially in the lower half of the Barataria Basin. The possibility of lower salinity has spurred strong opposition to the diversions from some commercial and recreational fishermen, who fear the change could relocate their target species, such as speckled trout, redfish, shrimp and oysters. Erin Fougeres, a NOAA scientist, said the healthiest salinity level for bottlenose dolphins is 20 to 25 parts per thousand basically the same as the Gulf of Mexico but they can live in levels as low as eight parts per thousand. Just a few days in water less salty than that can lead to problems for the animals, she said. Extended exposure to lower levels would result in skin lesions and ulcers, which often lead to infection and death, she said. Computer modeling presented by the coastal authority in October showed that once the diversion is running, some parts of lower Barataria Bay could drop below eight parts per thousand for months at a time under certain scenarios. Research conducted after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill showed the Barataria dolphins spent most of their time in water with a salinity level of 14 parts per thousand. The freshwater changes their blood chemistry, too, which can lead to death, Fougeres said. Weve seen that these animals in low salinity for any length of time first become sick, then die. Harrison said the law allows her agency to give special permits allowing dolphin deaths, typically for military operations and subsistence hunting. But even those permits restrict the taking of the animals to a number that doesnt threaten a populations viability. The continuing effects of the Deepwater Horizon spill could make it difficult for the state to get a special permit, if one is required. Recently published research, conducted in part by NOAA, concluded the oil would reduce the Barataria Bay dolphin population by half. The study estimated it could take 40 years for the group to regain its population before the spill. That time period would overlap with the time that the diversion would be open, pouring freshwater into nearby wetlands to rebuild the coast. An ex-Reserve Bank boss and former Cbus director has urged the $50 billion super fund to use its financial leverage over the militant construction union to force out its boss John Setka, as a damaging board-level split between unions and employers emerged. Cbus' board is divided between building company representatives who savaged Mr Setka's lawless behaviour and called for stronger laws to sack him, and union forces who threw their weight behind Mr Setka. Directors of the fund were tight-lipped on Friday when contacted by The Age /Sydney Morning Herald. Ten directors, including chairman Steve Bracks, either refused to speak or did not respond when asked about Mr Setka's behaviour. The super fund and its and its Queensland affiliate BUSSQ advanced $2.8 million in "sponsorship" payments to the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU) in the last three financial years, including more than half a million to the branch led by John Setka. Anarchists out The Melbourne Anarchist Group appears to have conceded defeat in the gentrification battle of St Georges Road, Northcote. Factional feuding at the group has led to the sale of its clubhouse at 62 St Georges Road. The 183sq m shop sits squeezed between two multi-storey apartment projects that were built in 2015 after the demolition of its low rise neighbourhood. The Melbourne Anarchist club building is for sale. Credit:Justin McManus Plans to renovate the space were announced in early May, with a string of events cancelled. That appears to have been the last straw between rival factions in the Anarchist Group and after some mediation, theyve decided to call it quits on St Georges Road. Ben Reid from Ian Reid Vendor Advocates is representing the anarchists. The property is going to auction through Nelson Alexander on July 6 with an expected price of between $700,000- $750,000. It was bought by the Brunswick Community Resource Group in 2007 for $385,000. The first Melbourne Anarchist Group emerged in Melbourne on May 1, 1886, according to historical website, Radical Tradition. Its current incarnation is understood to be looking for new digs. Street art The departure of the anarchists from Northcote is not the only sign of the times. Melbourne street artist Rone, aka Tyrone Wright, fresh from his acclaimed sold-out installation Empire at Burnham Beeches art deco mansion, has snapped up a two-level office in Collingwood. The 152sq m space at 11 Little Oxford Street sold for $1.05 million. Its at the foot of a 29-unit apartment project built by Outline Projects. 11 Little Oxford Street Collingwood Beller Commercial agents Jeremy Gruzewski and Max Warren handled the private sale. Buxton sells Sixth generation property player and graphic designer Ben Buxton sold his Prahran studio for $3.13 million at auction, $200,000 over the reserve. Mr Buxton, son of property developer Michael Buxton, had run his Grenade design and marketing company out of the 2 Macquarie Street building. Grenade produces marketing material for upmarket residential developments. The 473sq m converted warehouse is on a 306sq m site with parking for five cars. The price reflects a land value of $10,288 a sq m. The auction drew more than 150 bids, according to Teska Carson agent Jack Kelliher who managed the campaign with Matthew Feld. 2 Macquarie Street, Prahran. Mr Feld said purchasers were attracted by the significant potential rental upside and the Activity Centre Zoning, which could enable a variety of mixed use development options. Further north, past the Prahran Market, one of the few remaining commercial buildings in that pocket sold off-market for $2.4 million or $5567 a sq m. The property at 7-11 Phoenix Street, South Yarra, had operated as a photographic studio for 30 years and was the headquarters of Parker Pens before that. Photographer Rob Anderson ran 7 Phoenix Studios since 1989 but shut up shop last October after a steep rent increase was mooted. Mr Anderson is operating out of space at 150 Chesterville Road, Moorabbin these days. The property, sold by a retired dentist, has been bought by an owner-occupier planning to convert it into a residence. Beller Commercial agent Liam Rafferty handled the off-market deal. Across the river in the former industrial Cremorne precinct, Robert JG Smedley of Sydney-based Smedleys Engineers is selling his converted warehouse office at 28 Gwynne Street. 28 Gwynne Street, Cremorne. The 180sq m office in the heart of the burgeoning office zone is on a 195sq m site, zoned Commercial 2. Mr Feld and Luke Bisset are taking it to auction on June 27. It is being sold subject to a short term lease, returning $60,000 a year. It is expected to sell for around $1.8 million. Northern moves The Spurling family, who started a tailoring business in Footscray more than 80 years ago, is selling its former North Melbourne headquarters. Spurling Formalwear moved into the new office building at 530-538 Victoria Street in the early 1990s after out growing its Footscray premises. The 1250sq m two storey office-showroom-warehouse is on a large 1391sq m site around the corner from the Errol Street shopping strip. It is offered vacant in an expressions of interest campaign run by Darcy Jarman agent Tim Darcy and Gross Waddell agents Andrew Waddell. Spurling Formalwear was sold about 15 years ago and the building rented out as a high-end art storage facility and a training college. Consequently, it has a highly coveted Class 9b rating for educational use, Mr Darcy said. The property is expected to fetch around $8 million, at the lower end of local land values, given it is in the 10.5 metre height zone around Errol Street. Closer to the coveted Arden precinct, Quinn Reynolds Property has picked up the listing for Fridcorps development site at 3-15 Shiel Street. Agent Marcus Quinn said the asking price for the 1300 sq m property is circa $9 million. The development site on Shiel Street, North Melbourne. Credit:Nicole Lindsay Adani's Carmichael mine is barely viable and other projects in the Galilee Basin may be less so, analysts say, raising doubts this week's approval will open a major new coal province in Queensland. Rory Simington, a thermal coal analyst with Wood Mackenzie, estimates the $2 billion Carmichael mine needs a benchmark Newcastle coal price of about $US80 a tonne - or more than the $US74 price - to be profitable. Adani's billionaire founder, Gautam Adani, is taking a gamble but other Galilee miners may need to take even bigger ones if their projects are to get up. Credit:Glenn Hunt "We see [the Carmichael mine] as being economic - but only just," Mr Simington said, adding his firm estimates thermal coal prices in five years' time will also be in the $US80 range. While coal proponents hailed Thursday's granting by the Queensland government of the final environmental approval for Adani as opening the way for other Galilee Basin mines, their prospects are arguably dimmer. Daunt told the British trade magazine, The Bookseller, that he expects to deal with B&N in the same way he did with Waterstones by investing in the bookshops and using the people who are already working at B&Ns 627 shops. He said the US chain had suffered from the same mistakes that Waterstones had - selling the same books in the same way in shops that were profoundly different. Loading Daunt took over Waterstones in 2011 and returned it to profit in 2015. A couple of years ago, Daunt spoke at the Australian Booksellers Association conference, telling delegates the key to survival in the face of the Amazon behemoth its only attraction being low prices was good bookshops; good, trained booksellers who are enjoying themselves; creating excitement about books, and having the right stock for the shop. A Winx stink People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have written to journalist and bestselling author Andrew Rule with an unusual request. Rule is the author of Winx: The Authorised Biography and PETA is keen that Rule should write an extra chapter to his book focusing on how "Winx's half-brother, Bareul Jeong who brought in the equivalent of $62,000 across 17 races was violently killed in a South Korean abattoir, likely when he was not yet four years old." Winx: The Authorised Biography, by Andrew Rule. The chances of that happening are pretty slim. As Rule pointed out to Bookmarks, poor old Bareul Jeong was foaled in 2006 and died in 2010, which was a year before Winx was born. Yes, they had the same sire, Street Cry, but he would have sired hundreds of foals, both here and in the United States. Rule confirmed there would be another chapter to his book but it would keep its focus on Winx "to bring readers up to date with the 12 months after the last Cox Plate, her fourth. Its happy days for her in retirement. Shes a debutante and is spelling before getting ready for a life of motherhood. In the spring shell be going to see an expensive stallion." Meanwhile, Rules book was presented to the Queen by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, an appropriate gift for a woman who loves horse racing and whose daughter and granddaughter have both ridden in the Olympics. Photo: Daniel Herrmann-Zoll Credit: An Escher delight Dirk Hiscock is making a habit of winning the big one at the Australian Book Designers Awards. Last year the senior graphic designer at the National Gallery of Victoria won the Designers' Choice Book of the Year for Triennial; this year he won for Escher X Nendo: Between Two Worlds, published to coincide with the exhibition of the same name, when the awards were presented at the State Library of New South Wales. Hiscock reckons he had pretty free range, bearing in mind the book was as much about the Nendo studio's design of space as it was Eschers art. Hiscock has been at the NGV for 10 years and says "where else are you going to work with such content?" If the end of the 19th century can be defined by an event, theres a case for it being the death of Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901. It certainly had the end-of-era feel about it, and happened in the fourth week of the next 100-year chunk of history. There were very few people on earth who could remember her not ruling the British Empire. United Airlines Flight 175 moments before hitting the south tower of the World Trade Centre. Credit:AP And while many contend that the 19th century finally ground to a halt in 1914, when it comes to the beginning of the 21st century, events in the United States on September 11, 2001, make as good a compass point as any. Reading Mitchell Zuckoffs overwhelming account of that day, you really do get a sense of the clock starts now. Its odd to think that today there are more than a billion people alive who werent born when it seemed everyone on the planet was getting or making the phone call to say Turn on the TV! There is no evidence that 9/11, as the catastrophe is known everywhere by virtue of the American dating system, was concocted by Osama bin Laden to coincide perversely with the US emergency police, fire and ambulance number, according to Zuckoff. Indeed, Zuckoff, a professor of journalism at Boston University and the author of several fine works of non-fiction, dismisses such notions as either spurious or irrelevant. As he puts it in his introduction, This book follows the strict rules of narrative non-fiction. I have not included unfounded allegations or pseudo-science from the cottage industry of 9/11 conspiracy theories. Facts are stubborn and powerful: this is true story. The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell's 1984 by Dorian Lynskey. Credit: Lynskey, a prominent music writer rather than a historian, is strongest when explaining the cultural and political post-life of the great novel, which has influenced, among others, television series such as The Prisoner and Blake's 7; movies such as A Clockwork Orange and Brazil; and musicians such as the Jam, the Clash and the Dead Kennedys. The febrile psychology of 1970s England, with its talk of revolutions and military coups, is wonderfully described, including the crazy story of David Bowie's cocaine-fuelled desire to make Nineteen Eighty-Four into a musical which was probably wisely nixed by Orwell's widow, Sonia Blair. At its best, Lynskey's cultural history of the novel is entertaining and enlightening. For example, he details the early public concerns about two-way television. At its worst it collapses into a pop-culture blog, but its conclusion on the subject is apt: Nineteen Eighty-Four became "a vessel into which anyone could pour their own version of the future", something made easier by Orwell's untimely death aged just 46. He simply wasn't around to interpret it for us. Lynskey is less strong on the pre-publication history and reveals little new about Orwell's struggle to write his great works. This isn't surprising as it's an extremely well-ploughed field. We see Orwell discovering the true nature of communism in Spain, coming to grips with the concept of totalitarianism as the Second World War approaches, developing the idea of the Ministry of Truth while a BBC propaganda writer then spending six years writing up his initial concept (called The Last Man in Europe) into the finished product we know as Nineteen Eighty-Four. Although this book is dense and convincing, a few errors and omissions catch the reviewer's eye. For example, Orwell's brother-in-law, the TB specialist Lawrence O'Shaughnessy (who may have saved his life had he lived) was not killed by shrapnel on the beach at Dunkirk, but died when the cafe he was in was hit by German bombers a minor point maybe, but one a deeper researcher would have uncovered. This reviewer was also surprised to find some of his own well-reported research findings closely paraphrased without attribution, suggesting this book with about 1300 endnotes could have benefited from one or two more. Edmond O'Brien as Winston Smith in the 1956 film version of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Credit:Alamy Interspersed with the action are digressions occasionally laboured on authors of dystopian literature who influenced Orwell, including Aldous Huxley, H.G. Wells and Yevgeny Zamyatin, whose novel We Orwell is sometimes accused of plagiarising. As Lynskey perceptively remarks, originality is a vexing concept in all genre fiction, including dystopias. We don't accuse all subsequent detective writers of stealing from Sherlock Holmes, although in many ways they do. Lynskey's conclusions are generally sound and insightful. Nineteen Eighty-Four, he writes, may have been pessimistic in tone, but its pessimism was "energetic and intense, not weary", a calculated warning to the future, not simply the product of Orwell's terminal illness while writing it on the remote island of Jura. And, he writes, Orwell never considered it his last novel, but rather the culmination of his deep thinking about totalitarianism. Had he lived, he most likely would have become a more conventional novelist. If there's a major weakness in Lynskey's thesis, maybe it's his claim that Nineteen Eighty-Four's long life began in Spain. This tends to narrow our interpretation of it as essentially a novel of ideas primarily about the dangers of corrupting the truth. But Nineteen Eighty-Four is much more than this. Starting at an earlier point allows us to see that it is in fact a much richer, more highly personal novel about Orwell's life and times. So much that is important in the novel actually has its origins from before he entered Spain. For example: Winston's longing for the Golden Country is clearly based on Orwell's childhood experiences in Shiplake, near Henley-on-Thames; Winston's belief in the proles derives from Orwell's admiration for the miners and factory workers he met while researching The Road to Wigan Pier; his marriage to his first wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy, an Oxford literature graduate who physically resembles Julia, makes her a likely candidate for the girl from the fiction department. The suffering George Orwell endured during the writing of Nineteen Eighty-Four shortened his life. Credit: By focusing not only on ideas but on people and how they lived and endured the 40-odd years of Orwell's own life to the novel's completion in 1948, we are able to see Nineteen Eighty-Four's setting, Airstrip One, as more than a fictional country. It becomes a place of tragedy, populated by the ghosts of people Orwell and Eileen knew and loved and disliked. It becomes part of a world destroyed, full of mass graves in places from Malaya to Treblinka, its roads swamped by millions of refugees on the march looking for freedom. It becomes a place of heroes such as Joseph Czapski (the Pole who kept alive knowledge of the Soviet massacres at Katyn) and even Orwell's courageous publisher, Fred Warburg. It becomes a liberal-spirited, Edwardian world destroyed and defiled by ugly ideologies and murdering dictators whom Orwell wanted to avenge with his book. Just after the war, Orwell's readers in Britain and Europe would have got this sense of loss the further east, the stronger the recognition. For them the war wasn't so much about big ideas as it was about the round-ups, the death camps, the bullets to the back of the head, the relatives who never returned, the endless queuing, shortages and hunger, the ruddiness and bloodiness of life, the feeling that, no matter what the politicians said, things had at some time in the past been better all the things Winston and Julia had to experience. The book's early readers would have connected with Orwell's story not just intellectually but emotionally because it was about them. And this explains, maybe, why this novel, so often derided as a great political treatise but poor literature, connected with its audience, became a best-seller, was instantly recognised as a great novel, and endures. Next week, one of the most versatile performers working today returns to the screen. Over the past 24 years, he has been strapped to a rocket, dangled out of an airplane and rudely dismembered. He has proved himself a consummate comedian, a fearless action hero and a compelling leading man, all while eerily maintaining his youthful looks. He's Sheriff Woody, the floppy, knock-kneed, pull-string doll with the voice of Tom Hanks. Woody in Pixar's original Toy Story. Credit:Disney/Pixar "Woody just shows up. He seems to just have a lot of facets to him, a lot of interesting angles and a lot of richness," said Pete Docter, a central figure at Pixar since Toy Story (1995) and now the studio's chief creative officer. "Not every character has that." Since Toy Story began, Woody, the diminutive protagonist, has delivered what are, by any measure, delightful and engaging performances. Behind them are Hanks' brilliant voice work and the combined efforts of scores of animators around 100 on Toy Story 4 alone. RIO BRAVO (141 minutes) PG Howard Hawks' 1959 western is what Quentin Tarantino calls a 'hangout movie', where the plot is just an excuse to spend time with the characters. Sheriff John Wayne, town drunk Dean Martin and showgirl Angie Dickinson are among the mavericks who join forces to fend off a band of killers. Presented by the Cinemaniacs film society. Digitally projected. Backlot Studios, June 15, 7.30pm. Fritz Lang's Metropolis. METROPOLIS (153 minutes) G Fritz Lang's 1924 epic about an oppressive city of the future inspired countless imitators but few have been as successful in fusing every aspect of cinema production design, performances, editing into a total, stylised vision. This restored version incorporates 25 minutes of recently discovered footage. Digitally projected. Astor, June 16, 4.15pm. THE WARRIORS (92 minutes) R Scene from The Warriors. Somewhere between West Side Story and Mad Max, Walter Hill's dreamlike 1979 action movie follows a street gang on a nocturnal journey across New York City, battling other gangs who dress like experimental theatre troupes (the inspiration was the work of the ancient Greek historian Xenophon). David Patrick Kelley is indelible as the pipsqueak villain. Digitally projected. Astor, June 15, 7.30pm. FOXTROT (113 minutes) MA Israeli director Samuel Maoz's follow-up to his 2009 debut Lebanon is another grimly stylised statement about the absurdity of war. Starting from the perspective of the parents (Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler) of a soldier (Yonatan Shiray) killed in action, Maoz then jumps back in time to show the real story. Presented by the Whitehorse Film Society (members only join at door). Whitehorse Civic Centre, June 15, 7.45pm. Can appealing to the wisdom of Pele (the Hawaiian goddess, not the footballer) and the spirits of our regions seafaring ancestors through song get us out of this global ecological mess? Tackling climate change, experts agree, involves a nuanced dance between the technical scientific world and the ineffable, immeasurable world of culture. Music, in particular, can convey meaning in a way that rational analysis cannot. When filmmaker and music producer Tim Cole studied the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes fifth report in 2014, his response was to set about transforming bleak facts and data about the impact of rising sea levels in the region into empathy and compassion. He wanted to show that climate change is more than a policy problem; its also about loss and disruption. BaoBao Chen during filming on the Small Island Big Song project. He and his Taiwanese partner, project manager BaoBao Chen, spent the next four years recording songs by 100 musicians representing 16 island nations across the Pacific and Indian Oceans whose homes are on the frontline of global environmental destruction. The result, Small Island Big Song, is a multi-platform album of remarkable resilience, rather than doom and gloom bombast. The sight of a government acting in concert with its opposition as well as industry and finance sectors on the advice of top scientists to tackle climate change can be disorienting to an Australian, so some context helps. Politicians in the UK have been overwhelmingly united in accepting the scientific consensus on climate change since at least 1989, when Margaret Thatcher - herself a scientist before entering politics - became the first leader of a major nation to call for a United Nations treaty to combat climate change. What we are now doing to the world, by degrading the land surfaces, by polluting the waters and by adding greenhouse gases to the air at an unprecedented rate all this is new in the experience of the earth," Thatcher told the UN in a speech that year. "It is mankind and his activities that are changing the environment of our planet in damaging and dangerous ways." Margaret Thatcher, a scientist, recognised the threat of climate change. Credit:AP She added: It is no good squabbling over who is responsible or who should pay. Whole areas of our planet could be subject to drought and starvation if the pattern of rains and monsoons were to change as a result of the destruction of forests and the accumulation of greenhouse gases. We have to look forward not backward and we shall only succeed in dealing with the problems through a vast international, co-operative effort. Before we act, we need the best possible scientific assessment: otherwise we risk making matters worse. We must use science to cast a light ahead, so that we can move step by step in the right direction. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: And that is what British politicians have been able to do, doubtless aided by the fact that Thatcher herself shut down the UKs ailing coal sector in the mid-1980s. In 2003 the UK set itself a goal of reducing its greenhouse emissions by 60 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050. In 2008 the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act with a vote of 463 to three. The act recognised the need for statutory and economy-wide, multi-year targets set well in advance to help it reduce its emissions. It established a strong, independent, expert body to help guide the project, the Climate Change Committee. That year, on the advice of the committee, the government increased its emissions reduction target to 80 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050, on the understanding that attaining the goal should cost no more than between 0.5 and 2 per cent of GDP. In this context Mays announcement this week of a zero net emissions target is neither extravagant nor quixotic. It is simply acting in accordance with the advice of the CCC, which predicts this new goal can be met at the same cost as the previous one. So far the UK government has already achieved a 43 per cent reduction in greenhouse gasses on 1990 levels, and it has learned that with goals in place being pursued by government and business in concert, costs keep falling. Illustration: Jim Pavlidis Credit: But, as one member of the CCC, Baroness Julia Brown, a crossbencher in the House of Lords and a distinguished academic and engineer, explained to visiting Australian journalists in London hours after Mays announcement, the benefits of the nations climate policy extend far beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She cites as an example the experience of the UKs offshore wind energy sector, which between 2015 and 2017 reduced the cost of the power it generated by half, from about 120 to 57 a megawatt hour. The decline in offshore wind costs has been so fast that it is already undercutting nuclear power, though experts expect nuclear to be a key but declining part of the UK's energy mix for the coming years. The reduction came about, says Brown, because the industry was able to take advantage of government subsidies predicated on cost reduction to improve technology and scale up production. Loading But the benefits go further than that. The port town of Grimsby, which has struggled since its fishing industry collapsed, is undergoing a high-tech renewal, a new export industry is evolving and the health costs of particulate pollution are reducing. From the governments point of view this has been a brilliant economic success story, but one that in large part has been driven by climate policy, Brown says. By the mid-2020s offshore wind-energy is expected to be the cheapest large-scale method of producing energy in the UK and household power prices will start to fall. Coupled with a government and industry-backed shift towards electric vehicles, the CCC also expects the cost of motoring in the UK to begin to decline. The UK is benefiting from government acting as it should. Recognising a problem, pursuing expert advice and acting pragmatically upon it. It should not be so hard to do this sort of thing, though of course in Australia it is. The Coalition government cannot rely upon advice from a strong, independent expert committee such as the CCC, because since it took power with Tony Abbott as prime minister it has either scrapped or defunded such bodies. I love a basement restaurant. There's something wonderfully surreal about looking up from your table and seeing knees and thighs going past the street-level windows. I love the heavy stone walls and supporting columns; all golden sandstone in Sydney and dark, resolute bluestone in Melbourne. This must be what it's like to be a bottle of wine laid down in a cellar at a steady 14C restful, yet restorative. Doing nothing, and yet improving, maturing, gaining depth and character. The actual physical act of descending the stairs is transformative in itself. There's a liberating sense of getting away from it all and leaving the everyday world behind, for Somewhere Else. As such, it's easier to focus on what you are eating, and the people you are eating with. No distractions, no views, no traffic. Illustration: Simon Letch. I blame this love of subterranean dining on a Melbourne upbringing, much of which seems to have happened underground. Aged seven, I was served Italian rice soup by an attentive waiter in a bow-tie and a black vest, deep below Swanston Street. It was so magical that to this day I get a pleasurable shiver as I head downstairs to the current crop of Melbourne down-unders, from the buzzy Coda to the Frenchified Philippe, wood-lined Il Solito Posto, and the find-me-if-you-can Ishizuka, with its 16 seats and dramatically seasonal kaiseki menus. Sydney has been busy playing catch-up, of course, and now has basement bars aplenty, from Employees Only and Palmer & Co to the new Mary's Underground. An extravagant, fully formed restaurant experience lurks down a tradies' entrance in a nondescript laneway in The Rocks at Bistecca, with negronis on tap and carved-to-order Tuscan steaks. Then there's the sugar daddy of basement restaurants, the mighty Hubert in Bligh Street. Not just an underground restaurant with a French menu of updated decadence, Hubert offers three underground bars, a private theatre and a cabaret stage. In a city that enjoys 236 days of sunshine a year, it's just plain contrary to bury yourself away in a candlelit vault with escargots and duck a l'orange which is why we do it. William Chandler, Surrey Hills Short-term gain for long-term disaster Yes, the fight is not yet over (Editorial, 14/6). One aspect for the mine proceeding is that coal from it will help to support the poor in India. It seems convenient to use this argument, as a way of having moral integrity. Yet the poor in India have been with us for hundreds of years: thinking of ways to support the elimination of such poverty has not been forthcoming before. (Perhaps we could start with fair trade practices, such as the clothing industry in India.) It is the world's poorest people who are now mostly (and into the future) suffering from the impact of the climate emergency. Recently Gujarat in India experienced a cyclone. It was reported that 560 villages had their power interrupted, people were evacuated, and it is expected to affect the coming monsoon season. Yet again the perceived benefit of short-term gain for long-term disaster. Judith Morrison, Mount Waverley We have all been duped by vested interests The Queensland government, prodded by its voters, is rushing headlong to deliver the final blow to the Great Barrier Reef and its 60,000 jobs. This is a catastrophic failure of federal and state political leadership from which there is no going back. Australia has been duped by vested interests and we should be very ashamed. Brewis Atkinson, Tyabb It's getting hotter, so let's burn more coal Who cares about the Adani mine's conservation plan when it's the coal that matters? The Earth is heating due to the burning of fossil fuel. So what does Australia do? It provides more of it. I am furious. Jen Gladstones, Heidelberg Eventually, our addiction will destroy us The world's addiction to fossil fuels is increasing. We cannot live without our big houses, big cars, overseas trips, increasing consumption, increasing population, continuing deforestation, energy without paying the real costs. It will take us out like an heroin addiction. David Beardsell, Balwyn North THE FORUM Every family matters The Coalition government is in paroxysms of delight about the alleged jobs being created for the Adani mine. What a pity it did not have the same concerns when it destroyed the car industry in Victoria. Obviously, Victorian families do not matter as much as Queensland families. Tim Douglas, Blairgowrie Problem with tourism In 2013, tourism produced 8per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and its contribution was rising. It is a substantial cause of climate change, which change causes environmental degradation. Yet the Victorian government plans to both improve environmental protection and increase tourism along the Great Ocean Road. Tourism is also vulnerable to climate change. In the case of the Great Ocean Road, this includes coastal erosion. Repairing this, even using low-tech methods, will almost certainly produce more emissions. Are Victoria's emissions reductions targets consistent with expanded tourism? Perhaps. But we will not achieve that feat unless we recognise there is a problem and we use more imagination to resolve it. Mary Lush, Surrey Hills Visionary and idealistic Bob Hawke's memorial service had me crying and laughing. The stories and legacy of this great prime minister brought back the progressive Australia I remember as a 20-something. Even before that, Bob, as ACTU president, stepping in to settle industrial disputes became a metaphor for successful negotiation and fairness for all. He was inspirational, a dynamo to propel Australia forward. I watched the memorial and saw a parade of visionary and idealistic Australians. Bob's cabinet had intellect, compassion, vision, conviction and eloquence. Today's government has none of these qualities, and seems meagre and paltry by comparison. As they watched and listened today, Ihope they learnt what it takes to create a lasting legacy. Marisa Spiller, Harrietville Celebrating Bob's life My grandchildren aged 16, 14 and 12 were with me on the evening of May 16. My grandson checked his phone and announced the death of Bob Hawke. I was really saddened. And they said: "Who was Bob Hawke again?" I hope they watched the celebration of his life and want to learn more about him. I watched the memorial service alone in my lounge room, enjoyed the tributes by ScoMo, Albo, Emo (Craig Emerson), Kimbo (Kim Beazley) and all the others , laughed and clapped along with the audience in the Opera House and on the steps, sang the Hallelujah Chorus, bopped along with Down Under. What a wonderful appreciation of his life. I hope our current politicians took notes for the way ahead for our great nation. Thank you, Bob Hawke. Diane Henderson, Pakenham The empire is dead Frank Carleton's nostalgic dream of the Union Jack flying over Hong Kong again (Letters, 14/6) is severely misplaced. Let the poor Brits concentrate on sorting out their own self-imposed mess, without dreams of empire. Tony Haydon, Springvale ALP plan to oust Setka Am I alone in thinking that John Setka's views on Rosie Batty are of little consequence? I am sure his views on her, or women in general, will not lead to a general decline in public morals. The idea that voicing a negative opinion about or her work on domestic violence, even if done by a well-known union leader, will lead to more domestic violence or encourage more men to disrespect women is ridiculous. This is a media beat-up, used by the ALP to rid itself of a powerful union leader who, while having been very successful for his members, is a thorn in its side. Judith Crotty, Dandenong North Inexcusable harassment It is amazing that many of those who support John Setka have focused on his alleged comments about Rosie Batty and conveniently ignored the fact that later this month he will plead guilty to the (unrelated) vile harassment of a woman. It says a lot about those who support him. Yes, time for them all to go. Sue Hannon, McKinnon Maintain unions' power The proposed Ensuring Integrity Bill could be a weapon with which to break the labour movement in this country. As ACTU president Sally McManus argued some time ago now, laws are not necessarily right. Sometimes civil disobedience is justified, including industrial action. If unions cannot take industrial action, workers' options are very limited to defend their interests. We cannot let John Setka be used as a cover for union-busting legislation which will weaken workers' conditions, rights, strength and liberties. Tristan Ewins, Box Hill North Why we need unions Even if you have never been a union member, you are almost certainly benefitting from their work. They brought us the eight-hour day, weekends, annual leave, sick leave, long service leave and other types of leave (nowadays including leave to deal with domestic violence), loadings for overtime and public holidays and many other benefits. Given the current wage stagnation, rampant wage theft and casualisation of work, we need unions now more than ever. Peter Harkness, Mont Albert North Many give to community As the sister of a recent OAM recipient and the friend of three others, I can assure Terry Malone (Letters, 13/6) there are many "ordinary" Australians on the honours lists, very few of whom are seeking celebrity or fame. It is not possible to judge this by looking through the long list, and of course the media only highlights those whose names we recognise. But the awards recognise individuals from all walks of life whose contributions to the community over extended periods of time have gone well beyond the requirements of their everyday work and lives. Rather than resenting the awards, we should celebrate the awardees' achievements and efforts, and consider nominating others we know. It is not difficult to do. Pauline Charleston, Brunswick West The value of umpires In the early days of Aussie Rules, free kicks were decided by the two captains. If we tried this for a few weeks, the jeering rabble might realise that the umpires do a difficult job really well. Damien Smith, Mount Eliza Some do it really tough My heart bleeds for Geelong captain Joel Selwood and his fiancee (The Age, 14/6). Such excess. Surely their engagement, which is a happy time in life (but perhaps not the happiest, according to their lawyer), could have been celebrated in a less ostentatious manner. My heart also bleeds for the millions of families world-wide, including Australia, who struggle to feed, clothe, house and educate their children, and without support from those who are more fortunate. My dream is for a much more equal world. Margaret Haggett, Cheltenham Saving country lives I have recently returned from a trip to the Top End. Some gravel roads in Western Australia and Northern Territory are in better condition than some Victorian rural roads. Certainly the bitumen roads, presumably engineered to tolerate heavy road trains, are superior. The response of Victoria's authorities to the rising rural road toll is to reduce the speed limit. For example a seven-kilometre stretch of single lane between Dunkeld and Cavendish, bordered by double lanes at each end, has been reduced from 100km/h to 60km/h, with signs stating "road hazard". This stretch has irregular, ragged shoulders and deep ruts in the gravel due to the frequent logging trucks and heavy vehicles. It has been like this for years. Rather than spending huge amounts of money on removing level crossings in Melbourne and installing barriers along the Western Highway (which has a broad central median strip), the Victorian government should prioritise making rural roads safe. Daniel Andrews, saving rural lives matters more than reducing the city's traffic congestion. Rodney O'Keefe, Eaglemont AND ANOTHER THING Environment The Adani approval shows how flexible politicians can become when their jobs are under threat. John Capel, Black Rock Adani chief executive Lucas Dow, you will tell your grandchildren what? Richard Davies, Geelong West If it's the heat that makes Queenslanders think and vote differently to southerners, it will only get worse with climate change. Wendy Knight, Little River Norway's sovereign fund has dumped coal investments. No doubt Australia will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Marsha Merory, Ivanhoe East The way you spell jobs: R-e-n-e-w-a-b-l-e E-n-e-r-g-y. Jenny Smithers, Ashburton The former marketing man may find selling Adani Coal Coast holidays a real challenge. John Bye, Elwood The go-ahead for ADANI spells A Decision Against the National Interest. Nick Toovey, Beaumaris Those who approved, facilitated or enabled Adani should be charged with crimes against humanity. Tom Vanderzee, Preston Politics Apparently a mandate to destroy the climate, the unions and the hopes of refugees. Bill Burns, Bendigo While China's legal system includes capital punishment, Hong Kong should not vote for the extradition bill. Graeme Lee, Fitzroy Cracking down on unions is the best idea yet. So, why can't our government stop the corporations from avoiding taxes? Bruce Dudon, Woodend Furthermore One mighty effort by the Matildas. Marcel Hoog Antink, Portland Re the diamond ring dispute: we all know the umpire would have found in favour of Joel Selwood. Barry Brennan, Lake Wendouree If the Vatican can lecture on the genetic science of sexual orientation, can scientists give sermons on the truth of the gospels? Henry Herzog, St Kilda East It was outside on the cold steps of the Sydney Opera House, in the words on the placards of Labor's "true believers" that Bob Hawke's larrikinism lived on. Hundreds gather on the Opera House steps for Bob Hawke's memorial service in Sydney. Credit:Nick Moir "Any Australian who does not mourn the loss of Bob Hawke today is a bum," Sarah Garland's sign read. Another, from Catherine Green, a long-time member of the Public Service Association from Peakhurst Heights, read: "Old trade unionists never die, they simply stop working." "It's very Bob," she said of the cheeky spirit of her sign. A young teacher has been arrested after allegedly grooming and sexually abusing a 14-year-old student at a high school in Sydneys south-west. Police will allege in court the man sexually assaulted the boy on numerous occasions between 2018 and 2019. A teacher has been arrested over allegedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old student. Credit:NSW Police Following the 26-year-old mans arrest on Friday morning, police searched a storage facility in Appin and seized several items, including paintings, which will undergo forensic examination. The man was taken to Campbelltown Police Station and charged with aggravated sexual assault against a victim under the age of 16 years; aggravated sexual assault against a victim under the authority of the offender; the grooming of a child for unlawful sexual activity; and possessing child abuse material. Toddler Mason Jet Lee was treated callously in the lead up to his death and received no basic care or tenderness, a court has been told. Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath is appealing for more jail time for the pair who killed the 22-month-old: his mother and her then partner. Mason Lee was found dead at a Caboolture home. Anne Maree Lee and William Andrew O'Sullivan pleaded guilty to Mason's manslaughter after failing to get him medical treatment as he suffered an agonising death in June 2016. A car towing a council bin is the latest clue released to the public in the investigation into the disappearance of former beauty queen Priscilla Brooten. Ms Brooten's partner Mark Waden, 43, was charged with her murder and brought to the Brisbane Watchhouse on Thursday afternoon. Detectives investigating the disappearance of Bracken Ridge woman Priscilla Brooten have released images of a vehicle of interest as they continue to appeal for public assistance. Credit:QPS Media His arrest came after police spent almost a week excavating the front and backyard of his and Ms Brooten's Denham Street home in Bracken Ridge. The pair had been in a relationship for about one year before she went missing. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size It will be a long haul before the man accused of committing the Christchurch terror attack goes on trial in a New Zealand high court. Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28, faces an unprecedented prison term if he is found guilty. On June 14, Tarrant pleaded not guilty, through his lawyers, to 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder as well as engaging in a terrorist act. The hearing was held in Christchurch, where a gunman massacred Muslim worshippers in two city mosques on March 15. It was New Zealand's worst peacetime mass murder. Tarrant appeared in the court on a video link from his high-security Auckland prison, 1000 kilometres away, and did not say a word. It now falls to Crown prosecutors and his defence lawyers to prepare for a long and complex trial, set down for May 4, 2020. Survivors of notorious cult The Family are waking up for the first time knowing the world is rid of their chief tormentor, kidnapper and abuser, Anne Hamilton-Byrne, who died on Thursday at a Melbourne nursing home aged 97. But Hamilton-Byrne, described by ex-detective Lex De Man as one of Australia's most evil criminals, lives on in other ways. For victim Adam Lancaster she's in his ruined dreams of being a navy officer; the memories of failed suicide attempts; the years lost to the cult's deranged cause, or to drugs and the streets. Adam Lancaster (centre) with Anne Hamilton-Byrne and her husband Bill many years ago. Mr Lancaster, 48, says he is happy these days. Social skills stunted by decades of isolation have somewhat recovered and he has good friends, support and a peaceful life. He goes on holidays. Its a wet Wednesday morning in Thomastown and all the patients Dr Peter Walsh has seen so far have severe mental health problems. One is suicidal, another is experiencing drug-induced psychosis. Its not unusual for most sometimes all of the patients in a day at this new Aboriginal health service to be in the midst of a full-blown, severe mental health crisis. Karinda Taylor and Stevie-Lee Ryan from the First Peoples Health and Wellbeing clinic in Thomastown. Credit:Justin McManus The clinics Melbourne-based patients experience trauma and mental health conditions more often and more severely than remote Indigenous Australians, Dr Walsh says. Theres a preconceived idea that Aboriginal people who live in cities with more opportunities for education, jobs and housing dont suffer the same degree of trauma, mental health conditions or suicidality as those living remotely, Dr Walsh says. Notorious Russell Street bomb-accused Craig Minogue has appeared before a court after being charged with abducting and raping two women in the 1980s, including one who was allegedly attacked the night before the bombing. Mr Minogue, 56, sat stern-faced, with arms crossed, in a red top as he appeared via video link before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday after he and Peter Komiazyk were last month charged with the 1985 and 1986 rapes. Craig Minogue At Friday's filing hearing the court heard Mr Minogue had agreed to provide a DNA sample to investigators. He had refused when he was first charged. The accused men were remanded in custody and are next due to appear before the court on September 13. Lex De Man was at his desk reading emails when his phone buzzed at 9.56am with the best text message he'd ever read. It was just four words, but for the former detective, who spent most his adult life fighting for the victims of cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne, they were profound. "It said 'The witch is dead'. And I knew exactly what it meant," he said. Mr De Man was 29 when he was seconded in 1989 to the Victoria Police task force investigating the cult known as The Family, whose members drugged, beat, starved and imprisoned children at a house beside Lake Eildon from the early 1970s until 1987. Hamilton-Byrne, who led the cult from its base in the Dandenongs, preached she was the reincarnation of Jesus. It may seem like a credible text message from a reputable organisation, but clicking on the link could download spyware on to your mobile phone. Victorian detectives say family violence perpetrators are increasingly using this methodology to stalk their victims. More family violence intervention order breaches are being reported than ever before. With more breaches of family violence intervention orders than ever before, police are tracking the rise of technology playing a part in terrifying new ways. Breaches have jumped 8 per cent in a year and have more than doubled in the past five years, according to Crime Statistics Agency figures from 2013 to 2018. Two young children are being treated for burns following a house fire in Melbourne's north. Emergency services were called to Hovea Close in Meadow Heights to find a house alight shortly before 12.30pm on Friday. A MFB spokeswoman said more than 20 firefighters fought the blaze with those inside managing to escape before crews arrived. "MFB firefighters administered first aid to multiple patients before they were transferred into the care of Ambulance Victoria paramedics at the scene," said the spokeswoman. "Crews commenced an aggressive attack on the blaze and managed to get the fire under control by 12.42pm, however the house has been substantially damaged." A young woman who inflicted horrific knife attacks on two strangers within six months, while hearing voices in her head telling her to harm people, has been jailed for seven years. Anne-Marie Hart used a serrated fishing knife to slash a cyclist's face after grabbing the woman in a headlock in an early-morning attack and robbery in North Melbourne on December 21, 2016. Hart was 17 at the time and drunk. The crime scene in North Melbourne in December 2016 after a woman was the victim of a random stabbing. Credit:Seven News That crime remained unsolved for months until after Hart repeatedly stabbed a man in a stationary car the following year, in an attack so brutal part of the knife blade was embedded in the man's skull. Hart was in custody last year when a detective investigating the first attack reviewed Hart's file and found her appearance matched the description the cyclist gave. More security for French The Federal Government last night upgraded security for French Government employees in Australia after what it conceded had probably been an act of political violence against a French Government building in Perth. The Premier of Western Australia, Mr. Richard Court, said the fire was an act of terrorism which we do not accept in this country. A group calling itself the Pacific Popular Front yesterday claimed responsibility for the fire-bombing of the consulate about 4:30am Perth time (6:30am AEST) yesterday. The group, which has not been publicly identified, branded the fire an attack on French belligerence in response to the decision to resume nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll. A Western Australian police officer, Sergeant Chris Ferris, said a male caller had telephoned all Perth newspapers and television stations and SBS-TV news, Sydney, and read out a short message claiming responsibility for the attack. SBS reporter Jane Wilcox said the caller rang about 2:30pm (AEST) and said: The Pacific Popular Front is claiming responsibility for fire-bombing the French embassy (sic). It was an attack on their belligerence. He then hung up. It sounded well scripted and he sounded 20s, very Australian accent and not fabulously well-educated, said Ms Wilcox. The WA Police confirmed the claim, and said: This information will be collated and will be added to the information being investigated by the inquiry team. Sergeant Ferris, the WA Police media liaison officer, said the force had never before heard of the Pacific Popular Front. Sergeant Ferris said police forensic investigators, the arson squad and fire brigade arson investigators were scouring the remains of the consulate for evidence. They are in the process of determining what caused the fire and, because we work on fact, not supposition, they should be able to confirm or deny whether accelerants were used to make the place burn, he said. Thats a lengthy process and it may be tomorrow or even Monday before we have an answer. But, if you listen to what witnesses have to say about the rapidity of the fire, its fairly indicative that it was deliberately lit. It took only four minutes for the fire brigade to arrive, but in that time the house was completely ablaze. It took an hour for them to completely quell the flames which is quite a savage fire. The French embassy in Canberra and politicians across Australia yesterday condemned the destruction of the consulate. In a strongly worded statement, the French Government and the French Embassy in Canberra condemned the fire as an unjustifiable criminal act which could have had tragic consequences. The embassy regrets the unnecessarily excessive positions that (have) been taken in the last few days, which could have directed ill-informed persons to commit the criminal act that has just taken place in Perth, the embassy statement said. It also noted that the embassy relied on federal and state authorities to guarantee the security of the French representatives and their possessions, no matter what their nationality. The Prime Minister, Mr. Paul Keating, said he was disturbed and disappointed by the destruction of the honorary French consulate. I understand that police must ascertain the cause of the fire before it can be proved to have been a wilful act of destruction, he said. However, if it is proved that this is a violent protest against the resumption of French nuclear testing in the South Pacific, it must be condemned for the extreme form it has taken, Mr. Court said the WA Government was very opposed to the continuation of nuclear testing in the Pacific but there were peaceful and non-violent ways of demonstrating concern to the French Government. The acting Foreign Minister, Senator Bob McMullan, also urged citizens not to be violent towards French people in Australia in retribution for the decision to resume nuclear testing in the Pacific. Im sure all Australians share (the Prime Minister, Paul Keatings) distress and concerns at this outbreak of political violence in Australia. The anger people feel in Australia is understandable, but for it to spill over into this sort of political violence is not part of the Australian way of life. Senator McMullan qualified his remark, saying that although it had not yet been confirmed the fire was an act of political violence it would be a remarkable coincidence if it was not. New Environment Minister Sussan Ley says farmers in the Murray Darling Basin should be allowed to "borrow" water reserved for maintaining the river's health, and federal approval for major developments must be streamlined to "give proponents more assurances" and reduce delays. In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Ms Ley also identified predatory starfish as the "most imminent" threat to the Great Barrier Reef as she flagged potential changes to the way Australia's natural assets are managed. New Environment Minister Sussan Ley has flagged a suite of changes to natural asset protection. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The Liberal MP was returned with a 7 per cent swing against her in the rural NSW seat of Farrer, where concern about water allocations to farmers featured heavily in the federal election campaign. Ms Ley's new portfolio captures the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, which manages the majority of water for the environment recovered under the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Australia's electronic intelligence agency could smash the computer networks of criminals domestically using "offensive cyber" operations presently confined to overseas targets under proposals being discussed among national security officials. The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) could also sit within the networks of major Australian power, water, telecommunications and other critical infrastructure companies to help defend them against foreign cyber attacks. Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton has said previously the government would "have a look at" all options to disrupt cybercrime such as child exploitation. Credit:AAP The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal that a greater domestic role for the ASD remains a live consideration for the Morrison government despite the political firestorm that has erupted since police raided a journalist's home to investigate a top-secret leak of the ASD proposals. Senior officials have repeatedly stated that the proposal never amounted to spying on Australians - a position strenuously underscored by multiple sources in recent days. Nothing has gone to cabinet. A government spokesman would say only that the government's position had "not changed since statements were made on this matter last year". The discussions have been widely cast as a plan to use ASD to spy on Australians, though officials have been adamant this was never remotely part of the proposal. Rather they wanted to discuss ways that ASD could work more closely with the Department of Home Affairs, which has responsibility for cyber policy, to disrupt online criminals and protect critical networks. It may not constitute spying but it would still be a substantial change in the kind of authority the ASD currently has and would provoke controversy if the government went ahead. But it also recognises certain new realities about the kind of threats Australia faces. Cyber attacks by highly skilled hackers have become almost a routine thing against Australian institutions, and all kinds of criminals are increasingly using cyber means to do their work. Loading The confusion around spying seems to stem from the fact that the collection of overseas communications signals forms a large part of the ASD's job, much like the United States' National Security Agency, which is frequently portrayed in Hollywood and television as a great vacuum cleaner sucking up the world's electronic communications. That is an intelligence-gathering role - spying. But it has a distinct and different role, which is cyber protection. That includes defending Australian networks and carrying out offensive cyber operations. It is these functions that are under discussion, not signals collection. The most pressing issue, insiders say, is the defence of critical infrastructure. It is now a widely held view within the government and among outside experts that power grids, banks, telcos and even hospitals are highly vulnerable targets. As one close observer put it: "I don't think people have any idea how vulnerable we are and what limited capacity we have to respond." An attack on critical infrastructure could be used by a foreign adversary to coerce and intimidate Australia. The first shots of a war will almost certainly come in the form of electrons and bytes. But it's the below-war layer of activity that has people worried. Countries such as Russia and China have come to excel at what is often called "grey zone" military activity, the kind of stuff that is menacing or even damaging but doesn't quite reach the threshold of demanding retaliation. Russian hackers froze part of Ukraine's power grid two days before Christmas in 2015, leaving more than 200,000 people without electricity. Moscow-backed cyber operators have also reportedly penetrated hundreds of US power grids, apparently to conduct reconnaissance of the networks. Loading Australia has been attacked in several highly publicised incidents recently: on the Parliament, the major political parties and the Australian National University, twice. The latest theft of 19 years' worth of student and staff data from the ANU has left national security insiders aghast. In a speech to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra on Thursday, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said: "More and more frequently, malevolent cyber activity is threatening our security and economic wellbeing." Defence Force chief Angus Campbell said in a speech at the same conference that authoritarian states were better than democracies at "political warfare", including cyber attacks, because they tended to see the world as a never-ending struggle rather than having the clear delineation between war and peace that democracies prefer. "Western societies are often open, diverse, organic and liberal. They're the way we want them to be. In other words, unfortunately, exposed," Campbell said. Loading An argument being put in Canberra is that the kind of defences needed to repel sophisticated state-backed hackers from critical infrastructure properly reside with the government, not with the private-sector operators of the power grid or telco. Just as you wouldn't let a private company own tanks or ballistic missiles, nor would you want it having the suite of capabilities held by ASD. ASD currently advises companies and institutions such as universities. The question is whether it should be more directly involved. "To defend a network, you have to be on the network," one security source says. "You don't want to be mapping and planning the defence of a network during a major attack. You want to be lawfully on the network before a 9/11-style attack occurs." In a speech in November at Perth's Edith Cowan University, the powerful head of the Home Affairs Department, Mike Pezzullo, said: "We cannot, and will not, wait for a catastrophic cyber incident before we act to prevent future attacks." Home Affairs Department head Mike Pezzullo: "We cannot, and will not, wait for a catastrophic cyber incident before we act to prevent future attacks." Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The more controversial aspect of the proposal would be the authorising of the ASD to carry out "disruptions" of networks hosted within Australia as well as those overseas. The argument being made there is that some criminal networks such as child exploitation, drug or terrorist gangs, will be spread over computers and servers hosted both in Australia and offshore. The distinction is no longer entirely clear in an age of cloud computing, encryption, virtual private networks and proxy servers that enable users to hide their location and identity. This network-level disruption could crash systems hosting child exploitation material, or prevent terrorists from publishing recruitment propaganda. Loading The flaw in the argument, some critics say, is that, irrespective of technological challenges, crime in Australia must be tackled by law enforcement. Police should gather evidence, make an arrest and brief prosecutors. A former head of ASD, Ian McKenzie, used this argument when he spoke out against such proposals last year. He said Australian authorities should not be disrupting systems used by people in Australia who hadn't been convicted of anything. Fergus Hanson, who heads the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's international cyber policy centre, similarly disagreed with using the agency for domestic disruption. "ASD should be exclusively focused on foreign threats," he says. But he says the critical network protection idea is worth considering, though any change to the law would require carefully thought-through safeguards. It would need to make certain that having authority to be inside a company's network to defend it against foreign adversaries did not extend to domestic surveillance. ASD director-general Mike Burgess has made enormous strides in telling the public more about what his traditionally secretive organisation does. It's understood that much of the discussion between officials has revolved around how to ensure any new powers are strictly circumscribed and with appropriate safeguards, including warrants and oversight by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. In a speech to the Lowy Institute in March, ASD director-general Mike Burgess - who has made enormous strides in telling the public more about what his traditionally secretive organisation does - described how every offensive cyber operation against foreign targets was "proportionate", "subject to rigorous oversight" and strictly within the law. That in turn stems from Minns close friendship with former party secretary Jamie Clements, who resigned from the post under a cloud in early 2016, and was later convicted of improper use of the electoral roll. Minns adversaries fear Clements will regain influence should his friend take the top job. The current turmoil is being fuelled by the fact that this contest is unlike any other in the state partys history. Its being conducted under new rules which give party members a 50 per cent say in choosing the new leader, while Labor MPs have the other 50 per cent stake. A postal ballot of around 18,000 members is currently underway, being run by the Australian Election Company for the partys head office. Ballots must be mailed in by the end of next week, with a count to follow a week later. MPs will hold their own vote on Saturday, June 29, but will do so not knowing the membership outcome. Because of the need to mobilise the vote of rank and file members, both sides are mounting full-throated campaigns in an unprecedented and very public way. McKay's slogan is Strength and Integrity, reminding members of her willingness to testify before ICAC against elements of her own party during an investigation of questionable 2011 port deals in Newcastle. Minns is pitching himself as the candidate of generational change, under a slogan of New Leadership. Loading Members are being bombarded with dozens of rival policy documents. McKay puts disability services and homelessness, and the restoration of regional manufacturing jobs, high on her agenda. Minns has highlighted making cities more liveable, generating jobs through the renewable energy sector, and restoring the night-time economy. The two are also making pitches in person, addressing branches and taking questions at head to head debates, two of which were held this week. Over the Queens Birthday weekend McKay clocked up more than 700 kilometres by road, racing through Sydney, Newcastle, Taree, Gloucester, over the mountains to Tamworth, Cessnock, Tweed Heads, and Ballina. Minns has been out canvassing every night for the last fortnight. Factional discipline has broken down and become irrelevant in this contest. Each candidate commands a measure of support within the right, and within the sub-factions of the partys left. Minns is being backed by right-winger Chris Bowen, the powerful federal shadow health spokesman, and luminaries from the left who include the former NSW assistant secretary (now upper house MP) Rose Jackson, and rising star Jo Haylen, who is very close to federal leader Anthony Albanese. Minns' long-term friend George Houssos, who works for the Electrical Trades Union and his partner, upper house MP Courtney Houssos, are running Minns' campaign, with Jackson working on the campaign strategy and health spokesman Walt Secord doing the media. Minns' other close friends, Lakemba MP Jihad Dib, Rockdale MP Steve Kamper and Bankstown MP Tania Mihailuk are also on daily phone hook-ups with him. McKay has the backing of former leader Michael Daley and current upper house party leader Adam Searle, and a strong line-up of Labor women from across the factions. Recently eleven of those MPs Jenny Aitchison, Tara Moriarty, Prue Car, Yasmin Catley, Trish Doyle, Julia Finn, Jodie Harrison, Marjorie ONeill, Liesl Tesch, Lynda Voltz and Kate Washington all declared for McKay. The split runs through the union movement as well, with three right-wing unions supporting Minns: the AWU, the Health Services Union, and the shoppies (SDA). Loading McKay has the declared support of the transport workers, the Newcastle branch of the MUA, and the CFMMEU. The spectacle is alarming traditionalists, who worry that, in the words of one party heavyweight, the process is dissolving into Mogadishu - everyone is shooting at everyone else. Others insist the new way of selecting leaders will drive stronger engagement by party members, and enliven policy debate. This direct election stuff is new - no one has done it in New South Wales before and its changing the old power dynamics, says a seasoned party insider. You used to have a party general secretary who would meet with the union secretaries, theyd decide who they were supporting, and the party secretary would maybe take a union official or two with them to walk the halls of Parliament and bully people into submission. What is happening now is genuine democracy - and no one knows how to deal with it. McKay is not without critics of her own. While she's strong on emotional appeal, opponents believe she does not have the policy smarts of Minns, who holds a Masters of Public Policy from Princeton. Others see her as offering more of the same shop-worn approach that hasnt delivered a Labor win in NSW since 2007. Rose Jackson told the Herald that she likes McKay personally, but that NSW Labor needs to acknowledge that what we are doing isnt working and change our approach to policy, to campaigns and to culture. We need bold policies, dynamic local campaigns and a culture of excellence. I think Chris best represents that aspiration. NSW party general secretary Kaila Murnain. Credit:Dallas Kilponen Other McKay opponents badge her the party machine candidate because of Murnains tacit backing. McKay insists this does not hold water. Kaila Murnain gets one vote and that is it. She has no control over who the membership will vote for. I have been encouraged by my colleagues to do this independently of her. Minns has been tagged an "appartchik" because he is a former party assistant secretary and long-time Labor staffer. How the numbers are shaping up is anyones guess. One party elder said he saw little evidence either camp was proving particularly effective at mobilising the rank and file vote. Loading The McKay camp are confident they have the edge in caucus, though both sides say it will be close. A handful of undecided MPs, including acting leader Penny Sharpe, are likely to swing it one way or another. This week the contest started getting dirtier. Minns was the target of a party invoice leaked to the ABC, showing a $100,000 donation by Beijing-linked Chinese interests to federal frontencher Bowen in 2013. Of the $100,000, the documents reveal $5000 went to Minns to help him move back from the US to run Bowens campaign for re-election that year. A spokesman for Minns insists he had nothing to do with the donation or its source, and had no involvement in, or direct knowledge of Labor fundraising activity. Bowen too has denied there was anything improper about the payment, which was declared. Also dregded up against Minns is his poor showing in this years state poll. His electorate of Kogarah is now one of the most vulnerable in the state, after his margin dropped from 6.9 per cent to 1.8 per cent. Minns insists the cause was the backlash from Chinese voters in his electorate, after comments from then leader Michael Daley about Asians with PhD's taking Australian jobs surfaced in the final week of the campaign. Loading But Minns critics say McKay, who also has a significant Chinese vote in her electorate of Strathfield, managed to increase her margin, because she has consistently worked her electorate harder. We are choosing a leader who can reach out beyond existing Labor voters and bring more people into the fold, says one senior McKay supporter. Which of the two candidates has any demonstrated capacity to do that? The riposte from the Minns camp is that he was facing a much stronger Liberal challenger in the shape of charismatic young Chinese Australian Scott Yung. That Minns held the seat at all, they argue, was due to frantic damage control he had to orchestrate himself in the final week. The more potent charge against Minns within caucus is that he has not worked as hard in Parliament as many of his front bench peers in the last four years, particularly on metrics such as speeches given. If you are going to be Opposition Leader, there will be countless days and nights and hours for four years to get us into a winning position. He has not shown that energy, in his own seat, in shadow cabinet, or caucus, one powerful MP says. But a key Minns supporter says he doesnt believe that giving speeches to empty chambers is the way to carry out your ministerial portfolio. Minns himself told the Herald:If someone can convince me that there is a pool of a million people watching a webstream of NSW Parliament, then Im all in. Speculation is rife about whether Minns and Murnain could work together should he win the contest. Most believe Murnain does not want to walk away from her powerful position. Long-serving Gold Coast MP Jann Stuckey is standing down from politics at the next state election in 2020. The Currumbin MP announced her decision to retire on Friday after budget week in the Queensland Parliament. Then-premier Campbell Newman with Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate and then-Games Minister Jann Stuckey during the 2013 Queen's Baton relay. Credit:Dave Hunt/AAP With her voice breaking, the former pediatric nurse told State Parliament she would not seek preselection for the October 2020 election. After much soul searching and with a heavy heart I advise the house that I will not be standing for preselection for the seat of Currumbin at the next state election, Ms Stuckey said. The fate of the protests that have rocked Hong Kong this week still hangs in the balance but they have already provided the world with a shining example of the courage of ordinary people in the fight for basic human rights. This is, of course, not the only example of the power of democratic protest. The same or greater bravery motivated the students in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago, or those who faced gunfire on the streets of Sudan in the past month. But the Hong Kong protests strike home here because of the close bonds of migration and history that link Australia with the former British colony and because the protests are happening in a modern city which many of us have visited. The immediate cause of the protests is a draft law allowing the extradition of people accused of crimes to other countries. It sounds like a technical change but it threatens to crystallise the nightmare that has haunted Hong Kong's citizens since it was formally handed back to China in 1997. Protesters in Hong Kong flee the tear gas fired at them by police. Credit:AP Although at that time China's supreme leader Deng Xiaoping promised to protect the territory's special self-governing status for 50 years under the slogan "one country two systems", Beijing has gradually chipped away at the foundations of Hong Kong's democracy and civil rights. Paris: The billionaire French donors who publicly proclaimed they would give hundreds of millions to rebuild Notre-Dame have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials. Instead, it's mainly American and French individuals, via Notre-Dame charitable foundations, that are behind the first donations paying the bills and salaries for up to 150 workers employed by the cathedral since the April 15 fire that devastated its roof and caused its masterpiece spire to collapse. This month they are handing over the first private payment for the cathedral's reconstruction of 3.6 million ($5.88m). "The big donors haven't paid. Not a cent," said Andre Finot, senior press official at Notre-Dame. "They want to know what exactly their money is being spent on ... before they hand it over. [They don't want to] just to pay employees' salaries." Almost $US1 billion ($1.63b) was promised by some of France's richest and most powerful families and companies, some of whom sought to outbid each other, in the hours and days after the inferno. It prompted criticism that the donations were as much about the vanity of the donors wishing to be immortalised in the edifice's fabled stones than the preservation of France's church heritage. In what it says is a humanitarian gesture to help Gaza's civilians, Israel permits Palestinian patients to seek medical treatment at hospitals in Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank once they pass a series of bureaucratic hurdles. COGAT, the Israeli defence body that issues the permits, says it insists that all patients cross with an escort, usually a close relative, unless they wish to go alone or require immediate treatment that doesn't allow time for security screening. Loading In order to get a permit, patients must first submit a diagnosis to the West Bank-based Palestinian Health Ministry, proving that their treatment isn't available in Gaza. Then a Palestinian liaison requests exit permits from COGAT, which reviews the applications and passes them to Israel's Shin Bet security agency for background checks. According to WHO, the approval rate has plummeted in recent years. It said that in 2012, Israel allowed in 93 per cent of patients and 83 per cent of their companions for treatment. For the month of April 2019, the figure stands at just 65 percent of patients and 52 per cent of their companions. A COGAT official disputed the figures, saying they don't take into account that the number of permit applications has grown as Gaza's healthcare system deteriorates, and that Israel has started issuing permits less regularly but for prolonged stays. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity under agency rules, said COGAT has tried to ease restrictions by designating a permit specifically for parents of child patients. The agency said it issued 4000 permits for patient escorts in the first quarter of 2019, including 1398 for parents of sick children. Aisha's mum Muna Awad shows a photo of her sent to her parents while she was in a Jerusalem hospital. Credit:AP After being diagnosed with brain cancer, Aisha received immediate approval to get out of Gaza for what was hoped to be life-saving surgery. But when her parents approached the Palestinian Civil Affairs Commission for escort permits, their process ground to a halt. To their bewilderment, Palestinian officials told them not to apply, saying it was too risky. At 37, Waseem is below the age that Israel deems acceptable for swift entry on security grounds. Today, all men under 55 require extra screening, which means waiting, usually for months, according to Mor Efrat, the Gaza and West Bank director for Physicians for Human Rights Israel. As for Aisha's mother, Muna, a quirk of her upbringing in Egypt left her without an official Israeli-issued ID card required to receive a permit. Muna Awad with two of her children at the family home. Credit:AP "We tell families to find a companion that won't give Israel any reason to refuse," said Osama Najar, spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry. "We want to save the child and, yes, that can mean sending them alone." In this sense, the Palestinian Authority "acts as a subcontractor for Israel," said Efrat, forcing parents to make a difficult choice: delay their child's urgent care, or search for someone else that Israel would be more likely to let cross. Aisha's parents said they scoured for alternatives, applying for an aunt and her 75-year-old grandmother, but Israel rejected both. The girl's only remaining hope, the Palestinian office told them, was to apply for as many older women as possible from their extended social network. A permit for Halima al-Ades, a remote family acquaintance whom Aisha had never met, was approved. Loading Muna said she had no choice but to sign COGAT's consent form and whisk her daughter out of Gaza for immediate treatment. She said the frustration of the sprawling bureaucracy, and the painful memory of her five-year-old daughter crying for her on the phone during her last days, haunts her. "It was the hardest time of my life," she said. "My heart was being ripped out every day and every hour." The Shin Bet declined to comment on the case. But in a statement, it emphasised Israel's security concerns about Gaza patients and their companions. "The terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip, headed by Hamas, are working tirelessly to cynically exploit the humanitarian and medical assistance provided by Israel," it said. This means that Palestinians are often turned down without explanation or for reasons out of their control. "I feel confident telling you that most of these rejections are arbitrary," said Efrat, of Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Israel denies any official change in policy. Muna Awad sits with her children in her daughter Aisha's room at the family house in Bureij refugee camp in Gaza. Credit:AP Alon Eviatar, a former high-ranking official with COGAT, said the goal remains the same. "On the ground, this means to make daily life as difficult as possible for Hamas, without crossing the red line to humanitarian disaster," he said. Eviatar acknowledged that the Israeli permit system was ineffective, inefficient and overburdened. "We are desperate for an alternative, to get Gaza to take care of itself and stop relying on Israel," he said. Washington: US President Donald Trump blamed Iran on Friday for attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf despite Tehran's denials, raising fears of a confrontation in the vital oil shipping route. Iran has dismissed earlier US charges that it was behind Thursday's attacks that crippled two tankers. It has previously suggested it could block the Strait of Hormuz, the main route out for Middle Eastern oil, if its own exports were halted. The blasts followed similar attacks a month earlier on four tankers, which Washington also blamed on Tehran. They come at a time of escalating tension between the two countries. Last month the United States sharply tightened economic sanctions against Iran, which in response has threatened to step up its nuclear activity. Dongfeng and Maxion Wheels Hold Groundbreaking Celebration for New Passenger Car Premium Aluminum Wheel Plant WUHAN, China--Maxion Wheels, the worlds largest wheel manufacturer, with its new joint venture partner, Dongfeng Motor Parts and Components Group, held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 6, 2019 at the future site of their 22,000 square meters plant in Suizhou, China. The new company, Dongfeng Maxion Wheels Co., Ltd., was honored to share this important milestone with its distinguished guests including: government officials and company dignitaries, customers, suppliers and associates. With our new partner, Dongfeng Motor Parts and Components, this plant will serve future demand from global and Chinese vehicle manufacturers for locally-produced aluminum car wheels, said Pieter Klinkers, Chief Executive Officer, Maxion Wheels. Through our partnership with one of Chinas largest automotive parts companies, we can quickly bring global aluminum wheel making expertise to the biggest vehicle market in the world. Kai Kronenberg, Vice President and Chief Representative Officer for Maxion Wheels in China added, We estimate start of production to be by the end of 2020, with plans to produce two million die cast, bright-machined wheels a year. ABOUT MAXION WHEELS Maxion Wheels, a division of Iochpe-Maxion S.A., is a leading wheel manufacturer for passenger cars, light trucks, buses, commercial trucks, and trailers. The Company also produces wheels for agriculture, as well as other off-highway applications. With more than 100 years of wheel-making experience and 10,000 employees globally, Maxion is the world's largest wheel manufacturer, producing almost 60 million wheels per year. The Company serves its global OEM customers from a vast, globally-connected network that includes 23 plants in 12 countries, and state-of-the-art technical centers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. To learn more, please visit Maxion Wheels website at www.maxionwheels.com. ABOUT DONGFENG MOTOR PARTS AND COMPONENTS GROUP Dongfeng Motor Parts and Components Group Co., Ltd., headquartered in Shiyan, Hubei province, is a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd., and specialized in research & development, manufacturing and sales of auto parts, including chassis systems, cabin and body systems, electric drive systems, braking and intelligent driving systems, powertrain systems, thermal management systems, powertrain systems and lightweight technologies. Dongfeng Motor Parts and Components Group Co. Ltd. has 14,000 employees, 38 subsidiaries, including a listed company named Dongfeng Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (Stock Code: 600081), 1 overseas company and 14 joint ventures. The annual sales of the Group in 2018 were RMB 18 billion, which make it one of the largest auto parts suppliers in China. AUTO LAB TALK RADIO LIVE FROM NYC, Saturday June 15, 2019 WNYM Radio AM 970 7-9 AM Auto Lab Talk Radio on New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 Is Streamed Worldwide On TheAutoChannel.Com This Weeks Show: Is A "Best Of Auto Lab": No Calls Please Car Question or Concern? Automotive Career Opportunity, Call Toll Free 888-692-7234 Next Week To Speak With An Auto Lab Expert Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format. Listeners can find audio recordings of the past 20 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on The Auto Channel; The Auto Lab Index Page includes; Audio-on-Demand Archives, Community College Auto Program Database, Guests Pictures This Weeks Show: June 15, 2019 In Studio Expert Automotive Panel Harold Bendell - Major Auto Tim Cacace, Master Mechanix Libby Demarco- Broadway Sunoco David Goldsmith-Urban Classics Jerry Pastore- D & J Diagnostics Johanna Pastore- D & J Diagnostics Joanne Porcelli, Esq. Michael Porcelli - Bronx Community College, City University of New York Nicholas Prague - MTA Interviews Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent & BBC "FIAT CHRYSLER AND RENAULT NISSAN MERGER" John Russell, Sharon Sudol, Senior Correspondents "VOLVO T6 AWD MOMENTUM" Russ Rader, Senior Vice President The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety "REPAIR COSTS OF THE FORD F-150 ALUMINUM PICKUP" Robert Sinclair AAA Northeast "THIS WEEK BEGINS THE 100 DEADLIEST DAYS OF THE YEAR WHEN THE RATE OF FATAL TEEN CRASHES INCREASES" RICK SAPIENZA, Director, Clean Transportation Program - North Carolina State University "Developing Alternative Fuels & Advanced Transportation Technologies" NACS Supports Biofuels Tax Extenders Coalition of industry retail and fueling groups applauds three-year biofuels tax extenders proposal. ALEXANDRIA, VA - June 13, 2019: NACS and members of a biofuels coalition that includes NATSO, the Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA), American Trucking Associations (ATA), New England Fuel Institute, PMAA and SIGMA, are lending support on behalf of their members to U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA)s pending legislative proposals to extend temporary tax provisions through 2020. "On behalf of the coalition to support the extension of the biodiesel blenders tax credit and other biofuels tax provisions, we thank the Chairman Neal for his proposal to extend these tax policies through 2020. A three-year extension is a welcome proposal that all of us support, said the coalition. "These extender provisions affect the jobs of thousands of Americans. The tax credits have a direct relationship to the amount of renewable fuels that are blended into our nation's supply of liquid transportation fuels and home heating oil and the amount of carbon reductions achieved as a result. "The proposal should be viewed as a helpful step in the right direction toward providing our industries the certainty they need to continue bringing advanced biofuels to market. We urge leaders in both the House and Senate to continue working toward an equitable compromise as soon as possible." Mass Demand for EVs ? A Green-vehicle story for car shoppers concerned with fuel economy, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and CO2 emission. Electrification and what the future may hold was put under a spotlight at Convenience Summit Europe. LONDON - June 13, 2019: The NACS reported that the impact of the mass demand for electrical vehicles was explored last week by Philippe Vangeel, secretary general at AVERE, The European Association for Electromobility, at the NACS Convenience Summit Europe event. Despite numerous studies and collective data, no one has a clear idea when exactly mass demand for EVs will start, but we know its coming, stressed Vangeel. Sales of EVs are increasing due to success stories in China, he revealed, but he reminded attendees that electromobility included electric buses and trucks as well. Again, China is leading the electric charge by producing 18,000 electric buses every five weekssufficient to replace the entire bus fleet in London every five weeks. Mass adoption of EVs will be driven by improvements in battery technology, Vangeel said. The technology of today will not be the technology of tomorrow. Range, for instance has grown from an initial 200 km to 500-600 km and even 700 km with a solid-state battery. Batteries are also recyclable with more than 90% of the materials in the battery recovered, making the electric car part of the circular economy. Concerns over charging capacity can be overcome with smart charging, Vangeel said. That means people taking control of when they charge their cars, such as at work, when the car is not being used. And, as with traditional fueling, not everyone will be charging their cars at the same time. Charging speeds are improving too, Vangeel reported. Initially it took two hours to charge for a 200 km journey but new fast charging has reduced that time to 48 minutes, and now 150kW ultra-fast chargers have cut the time to 16 minutes and are targeting the same 200 km range in just seven minutes. Charging networks are also being expanded around the world, Vangeel said. In Europe, Ionity has 400 sites spanning the largest cities and is providing high-powered charging, and a similar network exists in the United States. Modern, high-end electric cars will provide a rich data seam, Vangeel told Summit attendees. EVs will use massive amounts of data and it will continuously be exchanged, he said. Data could highlight that a car was standing idle while at work and could create potential car-sharing possibilities during the workday hours, for instance. Vangeel wrapped up his session by urging attendees to embrace the future of electromobility. Dont put your head in the sand, recognize the opportunities, he said. China's "Father of Electric Cars" Disowns First Child Before Maturity, Now Says Hydrogen Is the Future of Automobiles +VIDEO The following is a Green-vehicle relevant article for car shoppers and auto enthusiasts concerned with alt-fuels, fuel economy, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel-cells and reducing exhaust emissions Editor's Note; We will now see if the lemming-like western car makers will continue to follow China? Maybe Finally Fuel-Cell vehicles... His vision to make China an electric-vehicle powerhouse revolutionized the global auto industry, cementing a move away from the combustion engine. Now, Wan Gang says get ready for the next game-changing moment. Washington DC June 13, 2019; The AIADA newsletter reported that Bloomberg said the worlds biggest car market is set to embrace hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles the way it did EVs, Wan, whos been called the father of Chinas electric-car movement, said in a rare interview in Beijing on June 9. A former Audi executive who went on to become Chinas science-and-technology minister, Wan convinced leaders two decades ago to bet on the then-untested technology of vehicle electrification, selling it not only as a way to boost economic growth but also to tackle Chinas dependence on oil imports and its mounting levels of pollution. His strategy -- using government subsidies to bring carmakers and drivers on board -- made China home to one of every two EVs sold globally today. And now its hydrogens turn, Wan said. We should look into establishing a hydrogen society, said Wan, 66, whos now a vice chairman of Chinas national advisory body for policy making, a role that ranks higher than a minister and gives him a voice in the nations future planning. We need to move further toward fuel cells. That means the government will commit resources to developing such vehicles, he said. While China plans to phase out the long-time subsidy program for the maturing EV industry next year, government funding for fuel-cell vehicles may stay in place to some extent, Wan said. Shares of some hydrogen-related companies rose. Jiangsu Huachang Chemical Co., which develops hydrogen pumping stations, advanced by the 10% daily limit on Thursday in Shenzhen. Shanghai Tongji Science & Technology Industrial Co. and Lanzhou Great Wall Electrical Co., which are both invested in the fuel-cell vehicle industry, also rose in Shanghai. WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUEL-CELL VEHICLES AND ELECTRIC CARS? In typical EVs, lithium-ion batteries store electrical energy produced away from the car and use that to power the vehicle. Hydrogen fuel cells use a chemical reaction to produce energy, converting hydrogen stored in the vehicle into electricity, while emitting only water vapor. Hydrogens superior energy-to-weight ratio over a lithium-ion battery lends itself to longer trips. Despite the backing of industry giants such as Toyota Motor Corp. and the benefits of fuel-cell vehicles -- they refuel faster and are more suitable for driving long distances than all-electric vehicles -- the technology hasnt caught on amid expensive prices. But China has the muscle to change all that should it make hydrogen-powered vehicles a national priority -- the type of turning point the industry has been waiting decades for. For Wan -- a mechanical engineer trained in Germany -- the shift toward hydrogen is a natural step in realizing a vision of having electric cars dominate inner-city traffic, while buses and trucks filled with hydrogen tanks roam the nations highways for long-distance travel. The adoption of fuel-cell vehicles has been slow in spite of China having an abundant supply of hydrogen, Wan said. There are only about 1,500 such vehicles in use there today, compared with more than 2 million purely electric vehicles, he said. The U.S. Has a Fleet of 300 Electric Buses. China Has 421,000 Its not just China. Hydrogen fuel cells have struggled to gain traction worldwide not just because of high costs -- one of the key components is platinum -- but also because of the lack of infrastructure and the complexity of storing hydrogen. Then theres the matter of hydrogens flammability, as evidenced by the recent fire at a refueling station in Norway. We will sort out the factors that have been hindering the development of fuel-cell vehicles, Wan said. Efforts are under way in Japan, which plans to increase the number of fuel-cell vehicles on its roads to 40,000 by 2020 -- though BloombergNEF estimates sales so far arent close to that target. In Europe, Daimler AGs Mercedes-Benz unit rolled out a fuel-cell version of its popular GLC SUV. In the U.S., the California Fuel Cell Partnership is trying to promote the technology, with limited success. Back in China, buses appear to be particularly ripe for fuel cells, which use a chemical process to convert hydrogen into electricity, emitting only water vapor. China is by far the world leader in using electric buses -- accounting for 99% of them worldwide last year, according to researcher BNEF -- but theyre mostly used in cities for short distances. Hydrogen buses are capable of driving beyond 500 kilometers (310 miles) on a full tank, versus about 200 kilometers for electric ones. That presents a big opportunity because there are five long-distance buses in China for every inner-city one, according to Wan. Read a profile of Chinas father of the electric-car industry China is promoting the adoption of hydrogen vehicles in selected trial regions as it sets up an ecosystem that includes hydrogen production, storage, transportation and refueling, Wan said. Long-range commercial vehicles arent currently well-suited to run on batteries alone because of weight and range constraints, according to a BNEF report last month. Fuel cells would be a good bet should the government ease restrictions on hydrogen-refueling infrastructure. Beyond hydrogen, Wan voiced skepticism about the notion that computers will completely replace the need for humans in the drivers seat. I believe that people still want to drive or have a sense of control, Wan said. He also said he doesnt envision China issuing a national ban on the sale of gasoline cars as provincial authorities will be left to make their own decisions. The current dual-credit system, which resembles the cap-and-trade systems being deployed worldwide for carbon emissions, will continue, but it will gradually be converted to a carbon trading system, he said. China requires all carmakers to meet minimum requirements for producing new-energy vehicles, including fuel-cell autos. Carmakers that dont meet the quota can buy credits from rivals that exceed it. China Is Giving the Worlds Carmakers an Electric Ultimatum We have a responsibility to reduce emissions, Wan said. With assistance by John Liu, Ying Tian, Angus Whitley, Sabrina Mao, Nicolas Bock, and Jinshan Hong Are you a current print subscriber to Columbia Gorge News? If so, you qualify for free access to all content on columbiagorgenews.com. Simply verify with your subscriber id to receive free access. Your subscriber id may be found on your bill or mailing label. The experience has given Ellie Tool, a rising senior from Waxahachie, an opportunity to explore science and geosciences in a way not offered by her high school. We have, like, biology and chemistry and all those things, but this is kind of another kind of science I havent gotten to experience, she said, noting the camp allows her to explore those other avenues before deciding what she wants to major in college. It was really fun. I got to do a lot of things I havent done before, and Ive really enjoyed it. Its really fun, she said. For Jacqueline Martinez, a rising senior from Laredo, she found her major environmental geosciences while attending GeoX. It sounds really interesting, and I hope I can bring back what I learn from this experience to my city and spread it around, she said. I just hope to pursue something now based on this camp. The camp began as a recruiting tool to allow high school students to explore geosciences, and Travis Burks, recruiting coordinator for the College of Geosciences, described it as the best way to try on the majors the college offers before the application process opens in July. Thanks to all who helped with annual Veterans Flag Project Thank you to the community for helping remember veterans on Memorial Day. Almost 100 local community members, youth and local service, heritage, historical and patriotic organizations helped place more than 1,036 U.S. flags at the College Station Cemetery on May 24 to commemorate U.S. military men and women who died in all wars in service to our country. This 30th year included a special recognition ceremony to remember and honor veterans and Sojourners' coordination of the Flag Program. A&M Consolidated students Lauren Youngblood and Ellie Hague played Taps, taught by band director Steve Fry; Mayor Karl Mooney and Mayor Pro Tem Linda Harvell read proclamations recognizing veterans, Sojourners who started the service project and sponsor the flags, flag coordinator Ellen Marquis Horner, numerous groups and residents who helped place flags and the College Station Cemetery staff who help. Masonic Lodge Master David Fuller welcomed attendees. Sojourner Henry Hill, offered A Toast to the Flag. Leonora Owre of La Villita DAR expressed thanks. Ellen Fuller, WAA Volunteer, provided refreshments. College Station named May 24 as "Ellen Marquis Horner Day" in recognition of her coordination of the cemetery Sojourners flag project and community support. KFC are about to enter the vegan game! The fast-food chain announced that they're about to start trialling a new vegan burger called "The Imposter" in the UK. The burger will be similar to a snack burger with vegan mayonnaise, iceburg lettuce, and as for the patty, it will made out of quorn and then coated in their signature blend of herbs and spices. Participant in Abuse of Caged Young Autistic Woman Gets 10-Year Sentence NEW ORLEANSA Louisiana man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the physical and psychological abuse of a young autistic woman who told him in federal court Thursday, You made my life a living hell. Jody Lamberts sentencing was the latest in court cases involving the woman who was kept in a cage, beaten, shot with a BB gun, and forced to eat the cremation ashes of her dead mother before the abuse was discovered. Those cases have been playing out in state court in Tangipahoa Parish, where the abuse occurred, and in federal court in New Orleans. Lambert tearfully apologized. There is no excuse for what I did, he said, his voice breaking often. She didnt deserve that I just went along with it because it was easier, he said. Jody Lambert, of Amite, Louisiana. (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriffs Office via AP) Later, when the judge gave the victim an opportunity to make a statement, she said: Jody, you made my life a living hell. She added, You should have stopped them. If you had stopped them you wouldnt be in this predicament. Lambert is the son of Raylaine Knope and the stepson of Terry Knope II, both of whom have pleaded guilty in state and federal court and face decades in prison for abusing the victim, who is identified in court documents only by her initials. He pleaded guilty in October to a federal civil rights charge. His federal sentence is 10 years, with credit for time served since his 2016 arrest on state charges. In court documents, prosecutors noted he had cooperated in the case and indicated they would accept a downward departure in federal sentencing guidelines. Still, in court, prosecutors called for the maximum 10-year sentence, while asking U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier to make sure Lambert receives credit for time served since he was arrested on the state charges. He will serve the remaining seven years in federal prison after being sentenced on similar charges in state court. Lambert told Barbier he had been raised in a dysfunctional home. Barbier agreed and noted what appeared to be sincere remorse. Terry Knope II is seen in an undated photo provided by the Tangipahoa Parish, La., Sheriffs Office. (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriffs Office via AP) However, as you yourself said, it doesnt in any way excuse what you did, said Barbier. Court documents said Lambert at various times verbally abused the victim, shoved her on the ground once and locked her in the cage where she lived, with a bucket for a toilet, for several months. Lambert also knew of other abuse, including Terry Knopes shooting of the victim at close range with a BB gun. The documents say the victim and her mother were relatives of Raylaine Knope and that both had lived with the Knopes until the mothers death in August 2015. Raylaine Knope is seen in an undated photo provided by the Tangipahoa Parish, La., Sheriffs Office. (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriffs Office via AP) The victim was 22 when her abusers were arrested, court documents said. Barbier will formally sentence Raylaine and Terry Knope in August. They face 28 years in the federal case and already have been sentenced to 29 and 33 years respectively in the state case, according to the District Attorneys Office in Tangipahoa Parish. Among the charges to which Terry Knope II pleaded guilty was a hate crime. Court documents say he shot the victim with a BB gun because of her actual and perceived disability. Documents also say he was taking the victims regular Social Security disability checks. Forced to Live in a Makeshift Shelter Through surveillance videos and interviews with witnesses, concerned about Knopes living conditions. Investigators gathered enough evidence for a search warrant and were able to lead the woman to her rescue. At the time of the womans rescue, investigators found her malnourished, covered in insect bites and living in a shrub-covered, 6-by-8-foot cage outside a Rushing Lane home, according to The Advocate. Deputies said she was forced to live in a makeshift sheltera blue tarp draped over a cage that somewhat resembled a dog kennel, FOX13 reported. The Knopes heaped verbal abuse on the victim and threatened to withhold food and water if she failed to perform household chores. The Knopes conspired to brutally coerce a vulnerable victim with disabilities to work long hours in despicable conditions with no monetary compensation, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division, according to court documents. The Department of Justice continues to combat human trafficking by forced labor and todays guilty plea reflects our commitment to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims. Rueben Yoder, 34, was arrested on multiple charges including DUI after his horse-drawn carriage sideswiped a car in Kentucky on June 12, 2019. (Smiths Grove Police Department) Amish Man Charged with DUI after Horse and Buggy Crashes Into Car: Police An Amish man in Kentucky faces DUI charges after his horse-drawn buggy collided with a car. Reuben Yoder, 34, was arrested on June 12 by the Smiths Grove Police Department after deputies responded to the scene of a crash in Smiths Grovea rural part of the state. Yoder initially claimed that one of his children was driving the buggy when it allegedly sideswiped a car at the intersection of Hydro Pondsville Road and T. Elkins Road, the Bowling Green Daily News reported. None of Yoders seven children, who were all inside the buggy at the time of the accident, admitted to causing the crash. Instead, they told police their father did it. The children were aged between 9 months and 12-years-old, and his wife, Salome Yoder, was also in the buggy at the time of the accident, according to the report. No one was injured in the incident. Police suspected that Yoder, who had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, was under the influence of alcohol. He was initially given field sobriety tests and later taken to a medical center for evaluation. Yoder faces 10 felony counts, punishable by up to 5 years in jail. File photo of a horse drawing an Amish carriage. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images) Had Too Many: 21-Year-Old Man Allegedly Kills 3 Amish Children In related news, the man who allegedly struck an Amish horse-drawn carriage in Michigan, killing three children, told officials that he had too many. The crash took place at around 6 p.m. on June 7 in Algansee Township of Branch County, WOOD-TV reported. The driver, 21-year-old Tyler Jackson Frye, was charged with three counts of operating under the influence, causing death, one count of felony firearm possession, and two counts of operating under the influence causing serious injury, according to the report. According to The Detroit Free Press, a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old died at the scene of the crash. A 4-year-old was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Another young child and a woman in the carriage remained hospitalized, State Trooper Seth Reed told the Free Press. Police said that seven people in all were ejected during the crash. The identities of those who died in the crash were not disclosed. According to court documents, the 21-year-old driver admitted to drinking all day before he crashed into the Amish horse-drawn buggy carrying five children and their parents. https://t.co/a0VVh3h2v4 WOOD TV8 (@WOODTV) June 10, 2019 Documents from the Branch County District Court stated that Frye told police that he drank six beers that day before the crash. He said he couldnt stop as he was passing over a hill before hitting the carriage, WOOD-TV reported. The documents also said that Frye admitted to rear-ending the carriage, and when he was asked to take a sobriety test, he refused. Two Amish children in horse-drawn buggy killed by drunk driver, cops say https://t.co/j8MRuHcaNX pic.twitter.com/CQ5u1DyzBN New York Post (@nypost) June 10, 2019 Whats the point? I have had too many, he reportedly told police. Man With 5 Drunken Driving Convictions Crashes Into Amish Buggy, Injuring 7 Another man with five prior drunken driving convictions reportedly hit a horse-drawn buggy carrying seven people in Ohio last year, injuring all passengers and the horse. Two adults and five children were taken to the hospital, according to Fox8. The father and two of the children were airlifted to Akron Childrens Hospital with serious injuries. We were informed this morning that everyone is expected to be okay, said Sgt. Daniel Kumor of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, according to the report. Troopers said the children ranged in age from a toddler, up to 7 years old, according to News5 Cleveland. Police arrested 47-year-old Patrick A. Muscaro on suspicion of operating a vehicle impaired (OVI), the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. The accident happened on Oct. 14, 2018, just after 7:30 p.m. on U.S. Route 224 in Sullivan Township in Ashland County. The family had just left their friends house and were on their way back home, according to Fox8. They just left our house, they came for dinner, said Jacob, a family friend who asked that his last name not to be used. I heard the crash and ran out to help and to calm them. I was shocked, Jacob told Fox8 reporters. I really didnt know what to think. I just knew something bad had happened. All seven passengers were injured, three seriously. I just tried to calm them down, Jacob said. The kids were screaming. The horse was so badly injured that it had to be put down. Troopers said the buggy was equipped with reflective tape and three lanterns at the time of the crash. Muscaro was reportedly not hurt. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Baby Dies After Being Cut From Chicago Womans Womb Two Months Ago: Family The family of Marlen Ochoa, the 19-year-old Chicago woman who was murdered before her baby was forcibly extracted, announced on June 14 that the baby died. Yovanny Jadiel Lopez was put on life support at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, after he was born on April 23. Doctor previously said the family that he had suffered severe brain damage due to a lack of oxygen. It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of baby Yovanny Jadiel Lopez, family spokeswoman Julie Contreras told the Chicago Tribune in a statement. He passed away this Friday, June 14, 2019, from his severe brain injury. Please keep his family in your thoughts & prayers as they go through this difficult time. It comes days after a mother and daughter were indicted in the slaying of Ochoa after one of the women, 46-year-old Clarisa Figueroa, allegedly lured her to her home with the promise of free baby items. Then, along with her daughter, 24-year-old Desiree Figueroa, she killed the teen before extracting the baby. The baby cut from the womb of slain teen mother Marlen Ochoa-Lopez dies after weeks on life support, a family spokesperson says. https://t.co/eapD0SCNs6 Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) June 14, 2019 Clarisa Figueroas boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, was charged with concealing a homicide. The gruesome case stunned Chicago, infamous for seeing hundreds of homicides per year, and made headlines nationwide. According to WGN, a funeral will be held for Yovanny in the future, which will be a private event. Regarding the baby, Ochoas family said they were praying for a miracle to happen, despite a grim prognosis from medical staff. Baby of murdered pregnant Chicago woman dies: https://t.co/C06hNdKXgk pic.twitter.com/YSiSqSQUyS ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) June 14, 2019 Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told NBC Chicago on June 14 that he expects both women to face murder charges in connection with the babys death. Officials said that Clarisa Figueroas adult son died of natural causes, and she later told family members that she was pregnant before plotting for months to get a newborn baby. She also posted an ultrasound and photos of room that was decorated with baby items on social media, NBC Chicago reported. This booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department on May 16, 2019, shows Clarisa Figueroa, who is charged in the death of 19-year-old expectant mother Marlen Ochoa-Lopez (Chicago Police Department via AP) When they lured Ochoa to their home, officials contend that one distracted her with a photo album before Clarisa strangled her from behind. Clarisa later called 911 and said her newborn baby wasnt breathing. The child was blue when first responded, and they tried to resuscitate the infant before taking him to Christ Medical Center, NBC Chicago reported. Arnulfo Ochoa, the father of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, is surrounded by family members and supporters, as he walks into the Cook County medical examiners office to identify his daughters body, in Chicago, Illinois, on May 16, 2019. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) Ochoas body was found outside of Clarisas home after a missing person alert was sent out. Officials said the younger Figueroa gave a full video-recorded confession in assisting her mother in killing Ochoa, who is also known as Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, the Tribune reported. Prosecutors also alleged that Bobak helped clean the scene after the murder and later posted the crowdfunding website on his Facebook page. Behind the Violent Suppression of Hong Kong Protest: Carrie Lam Is a Puppet Ruler An interview with a former Hong Kong political consultant reveals the Chinese regime controls the city's leadership It was June 12 when Hong Kong police started attacking demonstrators with batons, rubber bullets, and beanbags. Many are wondering why the Hong Kong government is in such a rush to push the extradition bill that it would resort to violence to suppress protesters? People are wondering what will happen next in Hong Kong? Simon Lau, a senior media professional and former Hong Kong central policy unit consultant, accepted an interview with the Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times, and provided an in-depth analysis. Lau, who is familiar with government regulatory policies, pointed out that the excessive use of force by Hong Kong police is obviously much more evident now than during the Occupy Movement five years ago. The strong-arm tactics are directly related to changes in how Beijing is governing and controlling Hong Kong. Hong Kong Now Directly Under the Rule of Beijing According to Lau, starting in the British colonial period until the Tung Chee-hwa era, Hong Kong always had a set of effective and comprehensive advisory mechanisms, referred to as the executive-dominant system. However, after Carrie Lam took office as Hong Kongs chief executive, the system was replaced by chief executive dictatorship. For example, in the past, when a legal bill needed to be amended, it passed through several procedures including reviews by the Hong Kong Law Committee, the Hong Kong Bar Association, and the Law Society of Hong Kong before it could be introduced. But presently, that is not the case at all. Hong Kong government directly announces a bill to the public. Although Hong Kong did not have real democracy in the past, there was a set of procedures for internal auditing and consultation. The current attitude of Hong Kong Government tells us the previous mechanism has been completely changed. Nowadays you dont know where the government policies come from at all, Lau explained. He believes that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actually directly governing Hong Kong, and Lam is an executor who has to comply with every word from Beijing. Beijings Liaison Office in Hong Kong also controls the parliamentary procedure. The order to suppress the demonstrators with violence must have come from the same office. In addition to the extradition bill, the East Lantau Metropolis project (one or more artificial islands) is another example. We have no idea where it came from. After the government announcement, even the director of the Development Bureau did not know how to address reporters questions, such as financial arrangement or details of city planning. Obviously, the policies are not originated in Hong Kong based on local peoples will, but are forcibly imposed from Beijings central government, Lau said. The Cause: Beijings Political Crisis Athough Lam always claimed that the proposed amendments to the extradition law were initiated by Hong Kongers and denied she is following instructions from Beijing, Lau said obviously Lam is following an irrefutable order from the Chinese regime. This is because it also involves the China-Taiwan relationship as well as Chinas relationship with the international community. Without authorization from Chinas central government, she absolutely does not have the authority to do so, he explained. Lau believes that the CCPs push for the extradition bill stems from its fear of a looming financial crisis. As many corrupted officials are escaping from China with huge sums of money, Beijing aims to block this loophole with the new law. From a broader perspective, the Chinese regime wants to take away Hong Kongs freedom to make it easier for Beijing to start a battle with the Western democratic countries. Hong Kong has always enjoyed a close connection with the West, including our political system, rule of law, and Hong Kongs position as an international hub. But thats what the Chinese communist regime hates to see. The CCP doesnt really want to ruin Hong Kong, it wants to cut off the connection between Hong Kong and the international community and deprive Hong Kong of its freedom of press. Hong Kong Police Likely Directly Under the Command of Beijing Lau suspects that the authorities decided ahead of the demonstration that excess force would be used to suppress the protestors when necessary. He pointed out that the police started to beat protestors with batons on the evening of June 9 when over one million people marched on the street to protest the extradition bill. According to police guidelines, they must use pepper spray and tear gas before they can strike protestors with batons, Lau explained. Although police chief Stephen Lo claimed that police threw spears into the crowds first, no one has seen this on any videos taken during the encounter. TV footage only showed that police shot unarmed protesters in the head with rubber bullets at close range, and kept beating protestors with batons. Oftentimes, about ten police beat one unarmed protestor who was already retreating. Police resorted to the most violent actions within such a short time. Thats why I believe Beijing has given an irrefutable order that the demonstration must be nipped in the bud. That is, the police must use the worst possible violence to prevent another Occupy Movement. Lau added that many dictatorships routinely use this methodsevere violence during a crackdown within a very short time frame and then accuse the demonstration of being a riot. This then allows the police to use violence to further disperse the demonstrators. Many demonstrators and witnesses suspect that Chinese armed police or army soldiers were deployed to Hong Kong to suppress the protestors because Hong Kong police rarely act so cruelly. Lau believes that at least this time, the commander of the police wasnt a Hong Kong police officer. Because the police force in Hong Kong is very experienced in handling mass movements, its impossible that a Hong Kong police officer would violate the internal guidelines, or even an international convention, and shoot protestors in the head. Even if you use rubber bullets, shooting the head may cause deaths, said Lau. He calls on Hong Kongs business circle to use their votes to resist the extradition law. Hong Kongs young people risked their lives to resist this bill. Now the final issue is to use our votes to resolve this conflict and veto this new bill. Otherwise, in the future, for every political conflict, we will have to face the same situation as our fellow Chinese in the mainlandarrests, more blood and even deaths, as the Chinese government will always use state machinery to suppress any dissenting voices. A police officer fire teargas during a protest in Hong Kong, China on June 12, 2019. Large crowds of protesters gathered in central Hong Kong as the city braced for another mass rally in a show of strength against the government over a divisive plan to allow extraditions to China. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Hong Kong Leader Likens Protesters to Wayward Children, Reminiscent of Communist Propaganda Hong Kongs chief executive Carrie Lam tried to defend her government in the face of public condemnation over the brutal crackdown of peaceful demonstrators who oppose the proposed amendments to the extradition law. In a recent interview, she compared herself to a loving mother and the one million protesters to wayward childrena type of communist propaganda to describe the relation between the state and its people. During a morning interview on June 12 with TVB, a Hong Kong-based pro-Beijing TV station, Lam insisted that the Hong Kong government has been doing the right thing from the beginning. She compared herself to a loving mother and the one million protesters to misbehaving children who cry and scream to demand what they want. A good mother will not pamper a wayward child. Similarly, the Hong Kong government insists on passing the extradition bill because wayward children should not be pampered, she said in tears. Lam also accused the protest of being a riot that any civilized society would not tolerate. However, she made no mention of police attacking the unarmed demonstrators with tear gas, bean bags and rubber bullets. On the same day, an online petition to oppose Lams mother statement was launched by more than ten female scholars, including Susanne Choi, a professor of Sociology at Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), barristers Linda Wong and Debora Poon, and Eva Chan, a senior lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication of CUHK. The petition letter read: We are a group of mothers from Hong Kong, but we absolutely will not use deadly weapons such as tear gas, rubber bullets, or bean bag rounds to attack our children. We also find it difficult to see how someone can be indifferent and apathetic to images of young people being beaten with batons, and suffering from serious and bloody wounds. After all, the citizens of Hong Kong are not your childrenwhat the people need is not your handouts, but, instead, what they need is for you, the head of this city and a civil servant, to listen to views from all sides of society, and to make appropriate and timely responses, the letter continued. The group stated that as mothers, they strive to build a better future for their children, a future where their children can live in their homeland free from fear. They said to Lam: Stop hiding behind your false political sob story to gain our sympathywe want you to take action to show that you truly care about our younger generation. The petitioners also challenged Lams statement by asking her, How egoistic must one be, to say that the voices of 1.03 million people is wayward? How egoistic must one be, to say that in expressing their concerns over the bill, that 3,000 members of the legal sector are wayward? Nearly 30,000 people signed the petition within 16 hours. Typical Beijing-Style Propaganda The analogy that compares a government or a top politician to the parent of the people is a typical propaganda in communist countries. In the 1980s, a middle-aged intellectual named Qu Xiao quickly became a household name and an oral agitator in China. The Chinese authorities were truly delighted with his charisma and special talent in persuading his audience to continue to love the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), even if they were victims of the Cultural Revolution (1966 1976). Qu was a victim of the Cultural Revolution himself he was re-educated as a farm laborer during his entire youth and wrongly labeled as a counter-revolutionary. In his public speeches, he gave an emotional account of his tragic experiences, but always defended the CCP: But, the Party is our mother. A child will not and should not bear grudges against his mother, even if she has wrongfully beaten him! Qu met his own demise when the Chinese authorities sent him to the United States in 1991 to do the same political preaching to Chinese students studying there. Among the audience in his first talk, there was a pro-Beijing Taiwanese professor, who used to detest the Kuomintang (KMT) because he thought the KMTs media reports about the CCPs atrocities was fake news as they seemed to be too inconceivable to be true. At the end of Qus talk, the Taiwanese professor stood up and told the audience he had realized how wrong he was in the past. Professor Qus speech was like a damning confession, with blood and tragedy in every line. A young scholar was thrown in prison for 22 years for no reason at all. I had seen similar reports when I was in Taiwan, but none were as evil and outrageous as this! he said emotionally. He then criticized Qu: You said the Party was your mother. But how could you still call her a mother after she abused her children like this for such a long time? Even a stepmother wouldnt be so cruel. Does she still have the right to demand loyalty from a child maltreated by her? In any civilized country, a mother who abuses her child like this would be punished by the law. At this point, Qu and a Chinese official from Chinas Foreign Ministry, who accompanied him on the tour, decided to cancel future talks abroad. They returned home immediately. After returning to China, Qu seldom appeared in public. In the middle of a speech in Nantong City in 1991, he had a stroke and fell from the podium. Half of his body was paralyzed, and he lost the ability to speak for the rest of his life. Hi1710 BMC management chip is seen on a Kunpeng 920 chipset designed by Huawei's Hisilicon subsidiary is on display at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China on May 29, 2019. (Jason Lee/Reuters) China Chip Industry Insiders Voice Caution on Catch-Up Efforts SHANGHAI/HONG KONGSince the U.S. government put Huawei Technologies on a trade blacklist, effectively banning American firms from doing business with it, Chinas leaders have spoken boldly about achieving self-sufficiency in the critical semiconductor business. But industry insiders are less optimistic that Chinese chip makers can quickly meet the challenge of supplying all the needs of Huawei and other domestic technology firms. The prospectuses of Chinese chip companies preparing to list on a new tech-focused stock exchange are blunt, characterizing the domestic industry as relatively backward, lacking in talent and requiring a long time to catch up. Chinese chip engineers tell tales of local manufacturing that just is not up to snuff, while analysts point out the many areas where China remains reliant on technology from the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Europe, with some questioning whether government policies are in the right place. Compared to the constraints of equipment, materials, or talent, I think what China lacks more is understanding of the industry, says Gu Wenjun, chief analyst at Shanghai-based consultancy ICWise. He called some of the government subsidies for the industry counter-productive, because too many well-funded ventures end up chasing the same talent. Government appeals to patriotism also go only so far. A former top engineer from the Chinese chip design firm Unisoc, a unit of Tsinghua Unigroup, told Reuters the company was often encouraged to use a sister companys memory chips. But that firm, called Guoxin, could not offer technology that was advanced enough. The internal speeches that were given were always please look at Guoxin because we do want to support the Chinese supply chain, said the engineer. But we never got anything we could use. The companies did not respond to requests for comment. Challenges Chip industry officials outside China caution that the country is making good progress in some areas and should not be under-estimated. For a key type of memory chip known as NAND, for example, Chinese firms are closing the gap. Money is not an issue for the Chinese government, says one executive at a South Korean memory chip maker who declined to be named, acknowledging Chinas progress in NAND, or flash chips, which provide long-term data storage. We cannot stop the Chinese companies, it is a free competition, but we believe we have better technology and a better product. One of Chinas biggest challenges, however, is in chip manufacturing, an exacting process that requires both highly specialized tools and many years of experience to master. A May report from Chinas Everbright Securities identified one aspect of the problem. The manufacturing process relies on equipment, and U.S. firms such as AMAT, LAM, KLA and Teradyne have very high market share in many niche markets, Everbright wrote. There is no production line in China that uses only equipment made in China, so it is very difficult to make any chipsets without U.S. equipment. Even when Chinese chip makers do have gear from the top chip equipment firms in the United States, Japan and Europe, they cannot always take full advantage. Workers build smartphone chip component circuits at a factory in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China on May 8, 2017. (Nicolas Asforui/AFP/Getty Images) One former engineer at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), Chinas leading chip production firm, said the equipment vendors often had non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC), the world leader in chip-making. The manufacturing process for advanced chips requires a lot of fine-tuning, and the NDAs covered the crucial tips and tricks on how to best use the machinery and achieve the necessary levels of yield, or the number of working chips in each batch. Equipment vendors are all under NDA with TSMC, says the engineer. If SMIC asks a vendor for instructions, the vendor will only disclose very basic information about the instructions, just to show good faith, he says. A TSMC spokeswoman said: TSMC has always been diligent in protecting our trade secrets, including signing NDAs with our counterparts. Industry experts say SMIC is consistently about two generations behind TSMC, even with up-to-date equipment. While TSMC was launching chips with circuit widths of just 7 nanometers in 2018, SMIC is only now readying production of 14 nanometer chipswhich was state-of-the-art in 2014. Huawei uses TSMC for most of its advanced chipset manufacturing demand and SMIC for low-end products. A former Huawei employee said the company chose TSMC to make its server chips over SMIC because HiSilicon, its semiconductor arm, designed the chip with 7 nanometer technology. Re-designing for SMICs capabilities was possible, but would result in an inferior chip. SMIC said it was committed to meeting customer needs. Our 14nm technology will start risk production by 2019, 12nm process development is completed and under customer verification, a spokesman said. Huawei did not respond to requests for comment. A mobile phone chip by Chinese firm Huahong is seen during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2018 in Shanghai on Sept. 17, 2018. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Talent Gap The talent shortage comes up repeatedly, with some analysts noting that it took Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese firms decades to develop their expertise. China has sought to recruit top overseas talent, especially from Taiwan and South Korea, with lucrative contracts, but has not always succeeded. Chinas CXMT, a maker of DRAM memory chips, tried to recruit a former top Samsung Electronics chip engineer last year, but the South Korean firm obtained a court injunction to block the move this January. The Suwon District Court in South Korea accepted Samsungs request to prevent Kim Chi-wook, who headed DRAM design, from joining the Chinese firm and ordered him not to work for the company until November this year. Chinese semiconductor companies are estimated to be three years to 10 years behind in technology gap regarding DRAM designing technique, the court wrote, adding that Kims hiring would help CXMT close the gap and thus hurt Samsung. Samsung and CXMT declined to comment. Kim could not be reached. For microprocessors, the most complex chips, Huawei has developed cutting edge designs for use in its Kirin chips, which power many of its high-end phones. But still relies on overseas firms for key intellectual property and production. Meanwhile Unisoc, the leading Chinese microprocessor company, primarily works with low-end, white-label phones in the $100 range. Rockchip and Allwinner, two other Chinese system-on-a-chip companies, primarily supply white-label tablet computers and smart home devices. Those segments use chips with less demanding technology than high-end phones. Rockchip and Allwinner did not respond to requests for comment. Eric Yang, who invests in Chinese chip companies at venture capital firm Glory Ventures, says that the complex nature of contemporary system-on-a-chip microprocessors gives incumbent players an advantage thats hard to break. It requires a lot of know-how to build a big chip, says Yang, noting that they include separate areas for CPUs, GPUs, and several other components. Qualcomm might have 800 people working on one part of the chip. If you dont have the talent you cant win, and all the talent is in the U.S. By Josh Horwitz & Sijia Jiang Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani walk as they attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Bishkek on June 14, 2019. (Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images) China Promises Strong Ties With Iran, After US Blames Latter for Attack on Tankers Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with his Iranian counterpart on June 14, saying Beijing would promote ties with Tehran no matter how the situation changes, less than one day after the United States blamed Iran for an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Xi made the comment during a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, reported Chinese state-run media Xinhua. Earlier, the United States charged that Iran was behind the attacks on the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous near the Strait of Hormuz on June 13. The U.S. administration has taken tough stances against Iran and China in recent months. Washington and Beijing are currently locked in a trade dispute launched by the United States last March in response to the Chinese regimes unfair trade practices, including theft of U.S. intellectual property, forced technology transfer, and cyber theft of trade secrets. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed Iran sanctions last May. The sanctions have crippled Irans economy, including its crucial oil exports. The U.S. military released footage late June 13 that it says shows Irans Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the targeted oil tankers, suggesting that Iran sought to remove evidence of its involvement. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at an earlier press briefing on June 13, said Iran launched a blatant assault against the tankers. He said the conclusion was based on a number of factors: received intelligence, the weapons used, and the level of expertise needed to conduct such an operation. On April 22, Iran promised the world it would interrupt the flow of the oil through the Strait of Hormuz. It is now working to execute on that promise, Pompeo said. The strait separates the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Iran. Iran has flatly denied the allegations. President Donald Trump on June 14 blamed Iran for the attack, referring to the video released by the U.S. military. Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat, Trump told Fox News. One of the tankers was set ablaze during the attack as the U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. Each tanker was loaded with petroleum products with one vessel, the Front Altair, burning for hours. There have been conflicting accounts of the cause of Thursdays blasts. An initial report that the Kokuka Courageous was struck by a torpedo was dismissed by a source who spoke with Reuters. The owner of the tanker, which carried methanol, later said it was hit by two flying objects. Since Washington pulled out of a deal in 2018 between Iran and global powers that aimed to curb Tehrans nuclear ambitions, Irans relationship with the United States and its allies, including Saudi Arabia, has worsened. Trump responded to the attacks on June 13, arguing that now was not the right moment to make a deal with Iran, although he said he appreciated Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meeting with Irans leaders that same day. While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with [Iranian leader] Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal, Trump wrote on Twitter. They are not ready, and neither are we! Meanwhile, relations between the United States and the Chinese regime have also deteriorated since early May when Trump increased tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods in response to Beijing backtracking on commitments negotiated over months of trade talks. Last month, Washington scrapped waivers that had allowed some countries, including China, to continue importing Iranian oil, effectively ordering all countries to blacklist Iran or face sanctions themselves. China is Irans largest trading partner and top oil customer. Irans crude exports fell to about 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May from 2.5 million bpd in April 2018, starving Irans economy of its main source of revenue. Iran has repeatedly warned it would block the Strait of Hormuz if it cant sell its oil due to U.S. sanctions. Reuters contributed to this report. MPs grappled with a host of new laws this week On Sunday parliament approved amendments to six laws regulating the performance of judicial authorities the Supreme Constitutional Court (Law 48/1979), the Administrative Prosecution Authority (117/1958), the State Cases Authority (57/1963), Military Justice (25/1966), the Judicial Authority (46/1972) and the State Council (l47/1972). Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal told MPs the laws were necessary to implement constitutional amendments passed by the House of Representatives on 16 April and approved by public referendum on 23 April. Bahaaeddin Abu Shokka, head of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, said the draft legislation would standardise the selection of heads of judicial authorities in line with Aprils constitutional amendments. The selection from now on will not be based on the old principle of seniority, said Abu Shokka. He argued the revised laws will reinforce judicial independence and help avoid any overlap in mandates. Aprils referendum covered 12 constitutional articles, four of which articles 185, 189, 190 and 193 deal with judicial authorities, the selection of the prosecutor-general and the State Council and the naming of the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court. As far as the latter is concerned, said Abu Shokka, the amended article allows the chairman of the court to be selected by the president from among the courts deputy heads. The courts commissioners will also be named by the president based on recommendation from the courts chairman and according to the will of the courts general assembly. This does not violate the independence of the court nor infringes upon its powers, said Abu Shokka. It gives the president a symbolic right to name the head based on nominations by members of the general assembly. The Constitutional Court judges approved the new system which replaces the rigid principle of seniority with selection criteria based on quality and efficiency. The same applies to the prosecutor-general. Changes to the Judicial Authority Law, in line with amended Article 189, state that the prosecutor-general be named by the president from three candidates nominated by the Higher Council for Judicial Authorities, and that the prosecutor-generals term in office be four years. The two laws regulating the Administrative Prosecution Authority and the State Cases Authority were also redrafted in line with changes to Article 185 of the constitution allowing the president to name the authorities heads from several candidates. A Higher Council for Judicial Authorities will be created with the president as its head. In the event of the presidents absence, leadership of the council will be delegated, said Abu Shokka. All judges approved the new system. The State Council Law has been redrafted in line with amended Article 190. According to Abu Shoka, the redraft details the mandate of the State Council, including settling administrative disputes, disciplinary cases and appeals and revising draft laws and decrees. The law regulating the performance of military courts (44/1966) was redrafted in line with changes to Article 204. The redraft states that civilians can be tried before military courts only in cases involving crimes against military installations, in military zones and along borders, involving military equipment, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, documents, secrets, funds and factories. On the same day parliament voted in favour of increasing public pensions state pensions and those of public sector employees by 15 per cent. The increase will be effective from 1 July 2019 with the costs covered by the Ministry of Finance, said a report prepared by parliaments Manpower Committee. A second law, increasing pensions of retired military personnel by 15 per cent, was also approved. Gibali Al-Maraghi, head of the Manpower Committee, said a bonus of seven per cent for state employees who fall under the Civil Service Law, and 10 per cent for public employees outside the law, had also been approved by the committee. The new bonuses will help state employees in the face of increased living costs precipitated by the IMF-inspired economic reform programme, he said. Parliament also signalled the approval of changes to Law 182/1960. A report prepared by the Health Committee said the amendments were necessary to clamp down on drugs and narcotics which have recently appeared in the Egyptian market. The changes, said Abdel-Aal, were necessary to protect the public, particularly young people, from the dangers new drugs pose to physical and psychological health. *A version of this article appears in print in the 13 June, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Legislative overload Search Keywords: Short link: A protester makes a gesture during a protest on June 12, 2019 in Hong Kong China. Large crowds of protesters gathered in central Hong Kong as the city braced for another mass rally in a show of strength against the government over a divisive plan to allow extraditions to China. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Chinese Cyberattack Targets Telegram, Messaging App Used by Hong Kong Protesters The chief executive of Telegram, a popular messaging app that offers encryption services, said on June 13 that the company experienced a massive hack originating from China. The cyber attacks coincided with large-scale protests in Hong Kong against a proposed extradition bill that would allow individuals to be transferred to mainland China for trial. The service was hit by a powerful DDoS attack originating from IP addresses mostly inside China, Pavel Durov, Telegrams CEO, said in a Twitter post on June 12. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks involve sending large numbers of requests to the messaging app, causing partial or full service interruptions. Historically all state actor-sized DDoS [attacks] we experienced coincided in time with protests in Hong Kong, Durov wrote. This case was not an exception. IP addresses coming mostly from China. Historically, all state actor-sized DDoS (200-400 Gb/s of junk) we experienced coincided in time with protests in Hong Kong (coordinated on @telegram). This case was not an exception. Pavel Durov (@durov) June 12, 2019 Telegram said it was able to stabilize its services shortly after the attacks began. In recent days, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to oppose the controversial proposals, arguing that it would allow the Chinese regime to extradite its critics at will, while further eroding the citys freedoms and autonomy since it was reverted from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago. On June 12, protests escalated after several skirmishes occurred between demonstrators and riot police outside the citys legislature, where the bill was due to be debated. Police used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and bean bags to clear the protestors from the streets. The debate has been postponed until further notice. Many Hong Kongers have used encrypted messaging services, such as Telegam, Whatsapp, and Signal to coordinate protesting activities while avoiding detection, the South China Morning Post reported. Telegram and Firechata peer-to-peer messaging app that works with or without internet accesshave been trending in Hong Kongs Apple store, according to Bloomberg. Ivan Ip, a 22 year-old who managed a Telegram chat group with 20,000 members, was arrested at his home on June 11, on charges of conspiracy to commit public nuisance, the Post reported. I never thought that just speaking on the internet, just sharing information, could be regarded as a speech crime, the chat administrator told The New York Times. On top of encrypted messaging, protesters have also been donning face masks to safeguard their identities, while some are avoiding using their electronic metro cards that link their identities with locations, the Associated Press reported. Other apps have faced blockage inside China during political movements in Hong Kong. In 2014, during the height of mass pro-democracy protests known as the Umbrella Movement, Beijing cut access to the photo-sharing app Instagram inside the mainland. Reuters contributed to this report. People watch a screen showing information on 5G technology during the Mobile World Conference in Shanghai on June 27, 2018. (-/AFP/Getty Images) Chinese Mobile Carriers Also Shun Huawei Equipment for 5G Chinese authorities released 5G licenses to four state-run companies on June 6. Three of them are existing mobile carriers, but none are using the Chinese telecom giant Huawei for their 5G core networks. The Chinese regime has supported Huawei in its development of 5G technology, priming it to dominate global market share. But in the West, mobile operators are increasingly wary of Huawei due to security concerns that the companys products could be exploited by Beijing for espionage purposes. Indias Department of Telecommunications said in September last year that it excluded Huawei from its 5G trials. But recently, the countrys telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government had not yet made a final decision on whether to use the companys 5G equipment. Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank recently announced that it has officially excluded its long-time supplier Huawei, and chose Nokia and Ericsson for its 5G networks instead. Another Japanese carrier, Rakuten Mobile, chose NEC, a domestic company, as its 5G supplier. Chinese Mobile Carriers Even Chinas own carriers have sidestepped Huawei. The state-run China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom plan to use Ericsson and Nokia for their core 5G networks. The fourth company, China Radio and Television Network, is a state-run private cable network provider and currently does not offer any mobile services. It is unclear why it was granted a 5G license. Neither the company nor the Chinese regime has offered an explanation. All three also do not use Huawei products in their current 4G core networks. China Mobile is Chinas largest mobile operator, supplying 60 percent of mobile connections in China, according to GSM Association, a U.K.-headquartered trade body. China Telecom and China Unicom share the rest of the market, each supplying 20 percent of mobile connections. As early as July 2018, China Mobile signed a 1 billion euro ($1.13 billion)-valued frame agreement with Finnish telecom manufacturer Nokia to upgrade its current telecom networks for a 5G rollout, to be completed within one year. In November 2018, Nokia signed three separate frame agreements with the three Chinese mobile carriers, valued at more than 2 billion euros ($2.27 billion), Chinese media reported. With these agreements, Nokia would supply services to improve the performance of the carriers current networks, as well as upgrading the system into 5G. That same month, Swedish telecom manufacturer Ericsson signed agreements with the three mobile carriers to provide similar services. But none of the companies announced the value of the agreements. According to Chinese media, the core network supplier to China Mobile and China Telecom is Nokia, while the core network supplier to China Unicom is Ericsson. Chinese Statements Why all three of Chinas mobile operators dont use domestic companies like Huawei in their 5G core networks has become a hot topic among Chinese media and netizens. The three carriers have not commented publicly on this subject, but media analyses have posited two reasons. China web portal Sina Financial reported in November 2018 that Chinese mobile operators using European systems is a kind of quid-pro-quo market exchange, to pressure European mobile carriers into using Huawei and Chinese domestic companies like ZTE. In addition, Chinese mobile carriers have used Nokia and Ericsson equipment in past decades; therefore, its more efficient to continue using the same brands to upgrade the wireless technology to 5G. But the market exchange claim does not seem to be valid. In Finland, Nokias home country, local telecom firm Telia announced that it would use Nokia to roll out 5G in March, while its local rival Elisa said it would use Huawei for 5G, since it has supplied its 4G networks, back in December 2018. After U.S. authorities added Huawei onto its entity list in Mayeffectively banning it from doing business with U.S. firmsthe Finnish government expressed its concerns, while some local telecom firms said it may drop new models of Huawei smartphones from their lineup. Huawei smartphones run on the Google-developed Android operating systems; Google has said it would suspend its business with the Chinese firm in order to comply with the ban. Meanwhile, Ericsson has a big 5G market share in its home country. Telia, Swedens largest mobile carrier, is using Ericsson for its 5G networks. Net4Mobility, a joint-venture of Swedens second and third largest mobile operators Tele2 and Telenor, has used Huawei for its 4G networks, but has not announced whose equipment it will use for 5G. The Swedish government also expressed its concerns about telecom network securities in March, after U.S. authorities raised the alarm that Huawei could be exploited by Beijing for spying, Reuters reported on March 13. British Test Wanting to choose proper 5G system suppliers, the UK recently conducted security tests on 5G equipment from Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, and other telecom firms. On June 6, the initial results were publicized. Reuters quoted Ian Levy, technical director of Britains National Cyber Security Center, as saying: What we have learnt as a result of that, the security [of Huaweis system] is objectively worse, and we need to cope with that. He continued: Huawei as a company builds stuff very differently to their Western counterparts. Part of that is because of how quickly theyve grown up, part of it could be culturalwho knows. Levy concluded: Certainly nothing [from Huawei] is perfect, certainly Huawei is shoddy. Earlier, UK local paper the Sunday Telegraph quoted government and industry sources in a report that claimed Beijing ordered Chinese state hackers to attack 5G networks supplied by Nokia and Ericsson in order to make the security tests appear in Huaweis favor. Beijing then reported the weaknesses to the British testers, to ensure Nokia and Ericssons equipment is found to be insecure. This article has been updated to include the Indian governments latest remarks on Huawei and 5G. Brenton Tarrant, charged for murder in relation to the mosque attacks, is led into the dock for his appearance in the Christchurch District Court, New Zealand, on March 16, 2019. (Mark Mitchell/New Zealand Herald/Pool via Reuters) Christchurch Mosque Shooter Pleads Not Guilty to All Charges in New Zealand Court The Australian man accused of killing 51 worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand in March pleaded not guilty to all charges in a court on Friday, June 14. In an attack broadcast live on Facebook, the lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on March 15, in New Zealands worst peacetime mass shooting. Brenton Tarrant, 29, appeared by video link and entered his plea through his lawyers. High Court Justice Cameron Mander said the trial will begin on May 4 next year. Judge Mander said that courts usually endeavored to bring cases to trial within a year of the event, but that the scale and complexity of this case makes this challenging Tarrant has been remanded in custody until Aug. 16 when a case review hearing is scheduled. Tarrant faces total of 92 charges after New Zealand filed two additional attempted murder charges, one murder charge and one terrorism charge. This is the first time a terrorism charge has been brought in New Zealand. Tarrant stood facing the camera from a high security facility in Auckland, mostly with an impassive expression but smirking at times including as his lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Around 80 members of Christchurchs Muslim community sat in the back of the court, solemn and quiet throughout the appearance. There were some quiet gasps when the not guilty plea was entered by the Tarrants lawyer. At the last hearing on April 5, the court had ordered Tarrant to undergo mental assessment first to determine whether he was fit to stand trial. The Judge said on Friday that there were no issues arising from mental health assessments and defendant is fit to stand trial. People visit a memorial site for victims of Christchurch mosque shooting, in front of the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand March 18, 2019. (Reuters/Jorge Silva) Couple Endures Through Years of Persecution and Suffering, Keeping Their Faith and Each Other Alive A husband and wifes faith and companionship have helped them to survive nearly 20 years of brutal persecution by the Chinese regime, according to a report by the Chinese language website Minghui.org. Wang Zhimin, and his wife Li Dongmei, are practitioners of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a Chinese meditation and self-improvement practice that adheres to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. However, in their home country of China, a barbaric persecution campaign was set into motion in July, 1999. Since the persecution, Wang and Li have lost family members, their livelihood, and even living spaces, Minghui reported on June 5, a website that documents the persecution of Falun Gong in China. However, despite relentless pressure and enduring years of unwarranted threats, and punishment from police, Wang and Li have always supported each other, and kept their faith alive. Police detain a Falun Gong protester in Tiananmen Square on Oct. 1, 2000. In January 2017, the Chinese regime appeared to publicly indicate that the persecution campaign remains an official policy. (Chien-min Chung/AP) Faith and Dedication While Losing Everything The husband and wife began practicing Falun Gong in 1998 in their home county of Fangzheng, six years after it was introduced to the public in China. The two live near Harbin City, the capital of Heilongjiang Province in Chinas northeastern region, historically known as Manchuria. After learning the practice, they experienced significant improvements in their well-being. Wang would undertake the most unwanted responsibilities at his work, and Li went from domineering to docile at home. Their marriage became pleasant and peaceful after improving themselves through the practice. Then on July 20, 1999, the then CCP leader Jiang Zemin launched a violent persecution of Falun Gong. State-controlled news outlets filled television channels and newspapers with falsified reports against the practice. In response, many Falun Gong adherents all over the nation went to their local government offices to defend the goodness of their practice. Despite Li being three months pregnant at that time, she and Wang traveled to Harbin to make a similar defense. However, the local government officials denied an audience with them. Out of options, the two decided to return home. Then, while the couple waited at a station for their ride home, armed police officers closed in on them. The police interrogated the husband and wife on the spot, all based on their belief system. The armed police then took them to the Fangzheng County security bureau where they were detained. Despite their tense situation, Wang and Li were brave enough to continue doing Falun Gong meditation exercises. A car driving at night through thick smog in Harbin City. (VCG via Getty Images) In response, the local police both verbally and physically abused the two. Thats when Li had her first great loss. Li had a miscarriage due to the psychological pressure and suffering caused by the police. After 15 days, the two were released, but other difficulties were waiting outside. Wangs manager at the port authority, along with the head of the local police, named Zhang Baochang, assembled a brainwashing class that all Falun Gong practitioners at that workplace were required to attend. Wang and the others were forced to watch the news reports and read the newspapers which slandered and vilified Falun Gong. The suffering that Wang and Li had endured did not deter them. In February 2000, the husband and wife traveled to Chinas capital, Beijing, to make their voices heard. They went to the government bureau specifically for receiving and resolving citizens complaints. However, they were once again denied an audience. A flooded police station in Harbin. (Tao Zhang/Getty Images) This time, instead of just going home, they decided that if the government would not listen them, then the regular citizen would. They went to Tiananmen Square, also in Beijing, to tell people the goodness of Falun Gong, and encourage others to not believe the slander of the CCP. Unbeknownst to them, they had been followed by the authorities. Zhang, the same head of the local police who had organized the brainwashing class, appeared with the police captain from their county. They kidnapped the two, and beat Wang, leaving him with long-term injuries to his chest. The couple also endured interrogations, threats, and being forced to stand for long periods of time. Women walking through smog in Harbin. (VCG via Getty Images) After six months of torture, Wang and Li returned to their home together, but more harassment from the Chinese authorities soon followed. After arriving, Wangs company reportedly extorted four thousand yuan ($720) from them. In April 2001, Wang was abducted from his house and locked in a drug rehabilitation center for one month. During that time, he had to endure similar brainwashing classes. Li was left at home, while local police came to her house, harassing and threatening her family. Their family then suffered another great loss. Lis father passed away due to stress of being constantly harassed by the police. Wang was released after being imprisoned for one month, but not without regret. He had signed repentance statements, saying he guaranteed to abandon his belief to ensure he could leave the rehabilitation center. Persecution Continues Years Later Later, in September 2010, police raided Wang and Lis house. They ransacked the home, stole a laptop computer, and took Wang to the police station. He was interrogated, verbally abused and threatened with long term imprisonment. After five days, Wang was released, but not before the police extorted from him 2,000 yuan ($360). By March 2011, the police in Heilongjiang conducted large scale raids in the province to abduct Falun Gong practitioners. To avoid another arrest, Wang and Li left their house and hid in other areas. They had little money and had difficulty finding shelter. Building surrounded by smog in Harbin. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Then in September 2015, local practitioners joined together to sue former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, the individual responsible for starting the persecution. However, police once again conducted raids in the area, and both Wang and Li went into hiding once more. Wang suffered another form of persecution in November 2017. His manager at the port authority, along with the public security chief, used false pretenses of government policy to fire Wang. However, he was legally obliged to continue paying pension fees of 14,000 yuan ($2,000) per year, which he could not afford. If things were not bad enough for the husband and wife, Wang suffered a stroke in September 2018. They spent nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,450) on hospital fees, and Wang is still unable to work. The tragic story of Wang and Li is one of many that has taken place at the hands of the CCP, behind the false-veil of a prosperous economy. Millions of lives of other faithful individuals have been ruined, destroyed, and lost from the illegal arrests, torture, and organ harvesting committed by the Chinese regime. Former ICE Chief Tom Homan to Return as Border Czar, Trump Says President Donald Trump announced on June 14 that former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Thomas Homan will return to his administrationthis time serving as a border czar. In an interview with Fox and Friends, Trump said Homan will be focused on the southern border as the United States deals with a rising influx of illegal immigrants, most of whom are traveling through Mexico from Central America. Trump did not elaborate on the official position Homan will serve, but said hed report directly to the president. Border czar is more of an informal job description. Tom Homans coming back, I would say that would be announced next week except Id rather announce it now, Trump told the network. Hes going to be very much involved with the border. Thats what he really wants to be involved with. The president said Homan will probably be working out of the White House but also spending a lot of time at the border. He described Homan as a good man who had served his previous role well. Trump asked Homan to head up ICE in January 2017former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly called Homan as the latter was leaving his retirement function. Homan left ICE in June 2018, but has stayed very much engaged in border issues. In late May, Homan said he traveled to Phoenix and Tucson to talk to some old Border Patrol friends of mine, chiefs, and just catch up on what they thinks going on. Ive also talked to the chief from San Diego, chief from Texas. Im just trying to get the latest that, you know, they are inundated, he told The Epoch Times on May 24. Border Patrol has apprehended almost 600,000 illegal aliens on the southern border this fiscal year, according to the latest Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data. The influx of illegal immigrants has put a heavy strain on the agency. Border officials told The Epoch Times previously that migrant families in Texas were being transported to other sectors along the southern border by plane and bus, because of capacity limitations. The Department of Defense is building temporary facilities for CBP to house more illegal immigrants. Its just really unfortunate that four out of 10 Border Patrol agents are off the line and taking care of these populations and transportation and doing a lot of work from the background, not really patrolling the linewhich again, as Ive said many timesthe less people on the line, the more porous our border is and the more the criminal cartels are going to take advantage of it, Homan said. So this humanitarian crisis everybody keeps talking about is actually creating a national security crisis on our border. Mexicos Role Using the threat of tariffs, Trump said he has reached a deal with Mexico that is meant to stem the tide. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he will reveal the details of the plan on June 14. Mexicos own southern border has been essentially wide open, but Mexico said it will send 6,000 of its national guard troops down to close it off. As of June 13, no troops were seen, according to locals reporting to The Epoch Times. It is likely the deal will also include an expansion of the Remain in Mexico policy that would require asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their case is adjudicated in the United States. Border Wall Construction About two miles of border wall is being built per week right now, according to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan. [Its] coming along aggressively, he told Trump during a meeting at the White House on June 12. By the end of next year, over 400 miles [will be built]. Trump predicted it might be closer to 500 miles, and said, We have to kick and scream for every inch because the Democrats just will not give us what we need. New and replacement wall is currently being constructed near San Diego, as well as San Luis, Arizona, and El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Ground excavation is underway in Otay Mesa in the San Diego Sector, CBP said on June 11. The 14 miles of new wall will act as a secondary barrier. It will be 30 feet high and will be outfitted with smart detection technology that keeps Border Patrol agents safe while deterring illicit cross-border activity, CBP wrote on Twitter. In San Luis, Arizona, around 22 miles of primary fencing is being constructed, with about 1 mile completed by May 30, according to CBP. A total of 44 miles of steel bollard pedestrian barrier is to replace ineffective fencing in the Yuma, El Centro, and San Diego sectors. Protesters attend the Hong Kong Mothers Anti-Extradition Rally, in protest against actions of the city's police force in recent demonstrations against a proposed extradition bill, in Hong Kong on June 14, 2019. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) Hong Kong Government Shows Signs of Relenting as Officials Say They Support Putting Extradition Bill on Hold Following widespread criticism of the Hong Kong police force using violent methods to disperse protesters opposing a controversial extradition bill, the citys pro-Beijing lawmakers and top officials made public comments on June 14 expressing that they supported putting the bill on hold. The change in tone represented an indirect concession. The bill, which would amend current laws to allow any country, including mainland China, to seek extradition of criminal suspects, has drawn broad opposition within Hong Kong society, with many fearing that given Chinas disregard for rule of law, the proposal could allow the Chinese regime to charge with impunity, while further eroding the citys freedoms and autonomy since it was reverted from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago. Meanwhile, Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom, said in a June 12 interview with BBC that the Beijing regime gave no instructions to the Hong Kong government regarding the bill, leading commentators to suggest that Beijing was forcing the citys top leader Carrie Lam to take full responsibility for the fallout after police fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and bean bags at tens of thousands of unarmed protesters who called for the bill to be scrapped. Executive Councillors Bernard Chan is a member of the cabinet-like Executive Council (ExCo) since 2012. He is also a delegate to Chinas rubber stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress since 2008. The ExCo has 33 members: Chief Executive Carrie Lam, 16 official members, and 16 non-official members, also known as Ministers without Portfolio. Chan is the convenor, or leader of the non-official members. All members are pro-Beijing. I think it is impossible to discuss [the bill] under such confrontation. It would be very difficult, Chan said during a June 14 phone-in radio program on local media RTHK. Chan lamented that the massive conflict between police and protesters on June 12 resulted in more than 80 protesters incurring injuries. At the very least we should not escalate the antagonism, Chan said. Our first task right now is on how to mollify the public to avoid more clashes in future, Chan said. We indeed need to review what to do. Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a pro-Beijing senior counsel and non-official ExCo member, said on the same program that he would not object to postponing the extradition bill, and suggested that those for and against the bill should have a dialogue to find a middle-ground solution. Two other non-official members Lam Ching-choi and Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun expressed similar opinions. The government is not intransigent, Lam said in a RTHK interview, indicating that it was possible for the government to compromise. But Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, ExCo non-official member and also a lawmaker within the unicameral Legislative Council (LegCo), said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that she would like to pass the bill before the LegCo summer recess. Meanwhile, an insider close to the Hong Kong government who is familiar with the bill told The Epoch Times on June 14 that Carrie Lam could possibly make a decision on Saturday to pause the bill. Carrie Lam (R) and her campaign manager, Bernard Chan, pose for photos at a press conference to announce her candidacy for the 2017 Hong Kong Chief Executive elections on January 16, 2017. (ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/Getty Images) Pro-Beijing Lawmaker Within LegCo, all pro-democratic lawmakers are against the extradition bill, while all pro-Beijing support it. Michael Tien is the first pro-Beijing LegCo member who publicly asked the government to resolve the issue peacefully. At present, Hong Kongers are very worried about the situation. Those who have been less vocal in the pastmoderate professionals, the middle class, and experts and scholarsare also generally worried. I now ask Hong Kong authorities to take the lead to cool down the incident through understanding and peace, Tien wrote in a Facebook post on June 14. Lam claimed that the purpose of the legislation was to extradite a Hong Kong murder suspect Chan Tong-kai, who is currently wanted in Taiwan. Tien told reporters at LegCo on June 14 that Taiwan had already clearly stated that it would not seek extradition of Chan even if the bill passes. I dont understand why [Carrie Lam] is still so adamant about it, Tien said. Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen told media on June 13 that she would not accept the murder case as an excuse for the extradition bill to go through. We wont accept amending a law for a special caseWe are not willing to be an accomplice to an evil law, she said. Tien expressed worries that the pro-Beijing camp could lose its majority during 2020 LegCo elections if Lam insists on forcing the bill through. Michael Tien, Hong Kong pro-Beijing lawmaker speaking during the Youth Forum about the Rich and the Poor television show in Hong Kong on August 7, 2011. (DALE de la REY/AFP/Getty Images) On the same day, Peter Lai Hing-ling, former secretary for security; Anson Chan Fang On-sang, former chief secretary; Elizabeth Bosher, former deputy secretary for economic services; and Allen Lee Peng-fei, a former Legco lawmaker; were among 22 former top officials and lawmakers who issued a statement calling on Lam to withdraw the extradition bill. On June 14, the LegCo announced that scheduled meetings to debate the bill on June 17 and 18 are still pending. It had earlier canceled debates on June 12, 13, and 14 after massive protests. The pro-Beijing head of LegCo had earlier said he would fast-track the bill and call for a vote on June 20. Hong Kongers Suggest New Way of Protesting Extradition Bill: Exchanging Savings into US Dollars Hong Kong netizens recently encouraged each other to exchange their money into U.S. dollars as much as possible in order to place financial pressure on the governmentin the hopes of forcing it to scrap the controversial extradition bill. The bill will grant Hong Kongs chief executive, the citys head of government, the power to approve extraditing a suspect to mainland China, without the need for approval from the legislature. The proposals have drawn broad opposition, as citizens have expressed concerns that given Chinas disregard for the rule of law, the Chinese regime could charge its critics with impunity. On June 9, over one million Hong Kongersmeaning nearly one in sevenattended a march calling for the bill to be scrapped. However, the city government said it would continue moving the bill through the legislature, triggering a large-scale protest on June 12 that became violent when police fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and bean bags to disperse the crowd. Exchange Into US Dollars Some Hong Kongers thought of a creative way to protest the bill. Ashu, a Hong Kong accountant, posted on her Facebook page on June 10: [Resisting the extradition bill,] you can do another thing aside from shutting down shops, not going to work, and boycotting classes. You can exchange your Hong Kong dollars into foreign currencies U.S. dollar is the best choice. Local groups have called for citizens to participate in the three suspensions in protest of the bill: to skip work and school, and shut down businesses. The value of the local currency represents the peoples confidence in the government, Ashu explained. By exchanging your spare money into foreign currencies, you can avoid the potential loss in value due to the Hong Kong dollar depreciating as a result of the extradition billand its a way to express your dissatisfaction and distrust with the government. With the bill potentially affecting Hong Kongs legal framework that distinguishes it from mainland China, some investors and local tycoons are already withdrawing their capital and assets in fear of the possible consequences. U.S. lawmakers, also concerned about the bill eroding the citys autonomy, has introduced a U.S. legislation that would require the United States to review whether special trading privileges currently afforded to Hong Kong should continue. Under the U.S.Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, the United States has dealt with Hong Kong as a separate entity distinct from China in matters of economics and trade. But with the extradition bill on the horizon, the U.S. senators are calling for the U.S. government to issue an annual certification of whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous to justify special treatment. Some Hong Kong citizens are already hypothesizing about whether the potential flight of capital would cause the Hong Kong dollar to depreciate, or cause an even greater financial crisis. Ashu calculated that if just 30 percent of the one million protestors from the June 9 march have extra savings and can exchange $10,000, itll be $3 billion in total. According to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the citys currency board and de facto central bank, The official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong at the end of May amounted to $427.8 billion. Although $3 billion is less than one percent of $427.8 billion, some like Ashu believed that the joint effort could still impact the financial system. Ashu commented that if Hong Kongs financial system were to crash, mainland Chinese senior officials and business executives who have assets and property in Hong Kong would face trouble. But if Hong Kongers withdraw their cash and exchanged into U.S. dollars in advance, they wont be impacted. Protesters occupy two main highways near the government headquarters in Hong Kong on June 12, 2019. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images) Hong Kongers Concerns But some Hong Kongers who wanted to exchange their money recently encountered trouble. On June 10, Hong Kong social media began circulating news that local banks were lined up with people trying to exchange their money into U.S. dollars. There were reports that one bank was unable to exchange $50,000 in full for a customer and separated the amounts into two transactions of $25,000. On Twitter, there are similar posts from people reporting that they had difficulty exchanging their money into U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, people from mainland China are also chatting online about how to exchange their Chinese currency into U.S. dollars in Hong Kong due to strict capital outflow regulations in China. The Chinese yuan has also devalued quickly since the middle of May as a result of trade tensions with the United States. Hong Kong has a linked exchange rate system, which can make sure the amount of foreign currency reserves, as well as the exchange rate of U.S. dollars to Hong Kong dollars, is fixed within the range of 7.75 to 7.85 (per U.S. dollar). In 2019, the exchange rate was around 7.83 to 7.85 until June 12, the day Hong Kong police used rubber bullets, bean bags, tear gas, and pepper spray to disperse protesters. In the exchange market, the Hong Kong dollar decreased from 7.836 to 7.825 in one day. Ashu and some Hong Kong netizens believe that they can impact Hong Kongs linked exchange rate system by collectively withdrawing large amounts of cash and exchanging them into U.S. dollars. Experts Opinion Victor Ming Tak Ng, a Hong Kong senior banker and visiting professor at the Baptist University in Hong Kong, does not believe the linked exchange rate system can be changed for now. [In Hong Kongs financial system,] for every 7.8 Hong Kong dollars, there is one U.S. dollar reserved behind it. If people dont trust the Hong Kong dollar any more and exchange it into U.S. dollars, then youll just get the equivalent amount of U.S. dollars back, Ng told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on June 12. Ng is more concerned that the Chinese authorities could indirectly impact Hong Kong. He believed that if Chinese leader Xi Jinping cannot come to a trade agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump at the upcoming G20 Summitwhich remains unconfirmed on the Chinese sidethe Chinese yuan will depreciate dramatically. If the Chinese yuan is devalued by 10 percent, the [Chinese central government] will take U.S. dollars from our [Hong Kong reserve], which is the biggest risk, Ng said. A company logo is displayed at a reception area at the Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China on May 29, 2019. (Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images) Huawei Cancels Release of New Laptop After US Tech-Ban Chinese tech-giant Huawei has backed out of releasing its newest laptop after losing its footing in the United States market after tech bans put in place by President Donald Trump, according to a CNBC report on June 11. This is the first instance of Huawei canceling a product launch since the tech ban was put in place. Huaweis technology still relies on critical hardware and software from U.S. companies. The United States added Huawei to its Entity List, which forbids certain companies from doing business in the United States, on May 15, according to the Commerce Department. Companies like Intel and Microsoft are now not allowed to sell to Huawei. The CNBC report says that the new computer operates on Windows and uses Intel processor chips. A Huawei employee told The Information that the company was planning to unveil the new computer at the CES Asia 2019 trade show taking place in Shanghai. Later, Huaweis CEO, Richard Yu, said that Huawei had already planned to launch the new laptop series, but that is now being put on hold indefinitely, according to CNBC. Huawei has began developing its own operating system, called Hongmeng, since 2012. The new OS is intended to replace Microsofts Windows and Googles Android system. However, Huawei will likely face many challenges in its attempt to rapidly develop its own operating system and hardware. A Hong Kong Economic Times (Chinese) report on May 20 said that the two major problems of the Hongmeng OS are related to encoding data and compatibility with existing apps. With years of experience, both Google and Microsoft software can easily encode all forms of media. However, the Huawei system can not decode files in the same ways that the above two can. On top of that, most popular apps are now designed specifically for Android, Windows, or Apples iOS environments. Thus far, Huawei hasnt cancelled any of its other releases, including smartphones, according to The Information report. After the U.S. ban on Huawei was put into place, global tech companies began moving away from the Chinese tech giant. Alphabet Inc., which owns Google, was the first of many to suspended trade with Huawei. Processing chip makers, optical component makers, radio frequency chip makers, and other major device makers have been continuously cutting ties with Huawei since May 19. Security Concerns On May 15, President Trump signed an executive order to protect U.S. computer networks from foreign adversaries. The order banned use of telecommunications equipment from certain firms, which led to blacklisting Huawei. Chinese law from 2017 compels all Chinese organization to comply with national intelligence efforts and protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of. Any data passing through Huaweis hardware could thus be directly accessed by the Chinese regime at will. John Suffolk, vice president of Huawei, emphasized at a parliamentary hearing in the United Kindgom that the company follows the laws. At the same time, he said that the former CEO worked for Chinas spy agency. Huawei was also charged in January with stealing trade secrets from wireless carrier T-Mobile. On May 9, the FCC voted to deny China Mobiles bid to provide its telecommunication services in the United States. Prior approval given to other Chinese companies were under review. The concern for hardware comes as countries look for ways to roll out high-speed 5G networks. Huawei is a major supplier of such hardware, and has already installed such networks in parts of the United Kingdom. Esdras Marroquin Gomez has been sentenced to life behind bars for the brutal 2015 murder of Lois Colley. (NYPD) Illegal Immigrant Who Murdered Elderly Woman With Fire Extinguisher Gets 22 Years in Jail An illegal immigrant who bludgeoned an 83-year-old woman to death with a fire extinguisher has been sentenced to 22 years behind bars. Esdras Marroquin Gomez of Guatemala pleaded guilty in May to the 2015 murder of Lois Colley, the wife of a millionaire McDonalds franchise owner, Fox News reports. Illegal immigrant sentenced in murder of Westchester socialite Lois Colley https://t.co/uRxqjPd2Os pic.twitter.com/FPoRLNPxjl New York Post (@nypost) June 13, 2019 Marroquin Gomez, now 34, had worked on the Colleys 300-acre estate in North Salem, New York, about five times but was not employed there at the time of the murder, Fox News reported. He went to the Colleys home to ask for compensation for a chainsaw injury he sustained on the property that he said made it difficult for him to find work, and for a flight to Guatemala. Marroquin Gomez asked to see Eugene Colley, the victims husband, but he was not there. The 83-year-old woman then offered him cab fare to go to her husbands office in Croton Falls, according to court testimony. Marroquin Gomez then bludgeoned the elderly womans face with a fire extinguisher in the home, killing her. She was found in a pool of blood in the homes laundry room. Assistant District Attorney Julia Cornachio said the attack was exceedingly violent. This defendant bashed her face in. The callousness and evil that that requiredis incomprehensible, Cornachio said, according to the Westchester Journal News. The fire extinguisher was found in a nearby pond with blood matching that of Colleys. Marroquin Gomez flew to Guatemala on Nov. 14, 2015four days after the murder. He was eventually found in Mexico and taken to Westchester County, according to the District Attorneys Office. A former day laborer at her North Salem farm pleaded guilty today to bludgeoning the 83-year-old to death. Esdras Marroquin-Gomez in court. pic.twitter.com/q64Y8fGImr WestchesterCountyDA (@WestchesterDA) May 6, 2019 At the June 14 sentencing, Marroquin Gomez read a letter aloud asking for forgiveness from God for having taken the life of a human being and doing horrible damage to the Colley family, the Westchester Journal News reports. In a letter read out in court, Eugene asked that Marroquin Gomez receive the maximum possible punishment for his wifes brutal murder. In the letter, Eugene described his 65-year-long marriage with his wife. He wrote that he had seen many horrors during his time in World War II, but nothing like the pain he felt on the day his wife, whom he called honey and love of my life, was viciously murdered. I am now 91 years old, despite the many horrors I witnessed as a young man and at war, the most painful and horrible thing in my life was to get that call on the way home from work on November 2015, that Lois was hurt and laying on the floor, the letter read. I rushed home and saw her lying there in a pool of blood. I immediately started CPR from my Naval training. In the meantime yelling to try and get help. The blood puddle kept enlarging and I realized that the love of my life wasnt going to come back. I realised to leave her side and kept hoping and praying that by some miracle she would come back to us. One of the Colleys sons, Bryan Colley, called his mothers murder a vicious and brutal killing that was the definition of evil in court, Westchester Journal News reported. His daughter, Christine Colley, told the judge about her grandmother as well as how the murder had impacted her. Im sad, Im angry, and Im terrified, she said. Westchester County Court Judge George Fufidio handed down a sentence that was at the upper range of the punishment the prosecution had called for, noting that Gomez had brutally and savagely beaten Colley to death. Marroquin Gomez will spend 22 years in prison. A general view of the US border fence, covered in concertina wire, separating the US and Mexico, at the outskirts of Nogales, Arizona, on Feb. 9, 2019. (Ariana Drehsler/AFP/Getty Images) CBP Find Abandoned Body of 7-Year-Old Girl Who Died While Crossing Southern Border Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have found the body of a 7-year-old girl, who they say was abandoned after she died while illegally crossing a remote section of the U.S.-Mexico border. Officials believed the girl from India died after human smugglers forced her and a group of illegal immigrants to cross a section of the border in Arizona. Her body was found early June 12, about 17 miles west of Lukeville, according to a statement. This is a senseless death driven by cartels who are profiting from putting lives at risk, said Tucson Chief Patrol Agent Roy Villareal. Our sympathies are with this little girl and her family. Agents said they first became aware of the illegal crossing after they arrested two Indian women. They said three people from their groupa woman and two childrenwere separated from them while crossing. A deceased child, believed to be a seven-year-old citizen of India, was discovered 17 miles west of Lukeville by U.S. Border Patrol yesterday morning. Bi-national search for anyone associated continues. @CBP #TucsonSector Details: https://t.co/tQAxifezk5 pic.twitter.com/XBJkDpJH02 CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) June 13, 2019 Border Patrol subsequently began looking for the missing people, where they deployed aircraft, helicopters, and additional agents to help with the search. Within hours, they discovered the little girls remains, which were recovered by the Pima County Sheriffs Department, Border Patrol said in their statement. They added that they had located footprints of the remaining two members but were not able to locate them or any associated persons. Agents believe they had crossed back into Mexico. Officials described the area as being dangerous and austere. The temperature reached 108 degrees on the day, according to the statement. Point of where CBP agents found the body of the 7-year-old girl on June 12, 2019. (CBP) One mile south of the where the girls body was found, Mexicos Highway 2 runs parallel to the border, a few hundred yards south of the international boundary. On the U.S. side of the border, this remote area is a rugged desert wilderness with few backcountry roads and little to no resources, the statement said. The agency has repeatedly warned about the dangers of making the trek through Mexico and crossing the southern border illegally into the United States. Criminal organizations continue to exploit innocent human lives in order to enhance their illicit activities without due regard to the risks of human life, the CBP said in a previous statement. In most cases these smugglers never cross the border themselves in order to avoid apprehension. CBP data has shown record highs in the apprehension of illegal aliens at the border. In May, border patrol agents detained more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexicothe highest level since 2006. Moreover, during the first seven months of the 2019 fiscal year, 531,711 illegal aliens crossed the border into the United States, according to CBP data. U.S. Border Patrol agents detained two large groups of illegal immigrants consisting of over 400 people within five minutes in the El Paso area on March 19, 2019. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) These numbers have overwhelmed the U.S. immigration system, recently prompting President Donald Trump to take action against Mexico, saying he would impose a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican goods to stem the influx of illegal immigrants. The two countries subsequently reached a deal on June 7 to avoid the tariffs that would see an expanded implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), commonly known as the Remain in Mexico policy and an increase in security throughout the country. On June 10, Trump announced that the two countries had signed another key portion of an immigration deal, which is awaiting approval by Mexicos legislative body, and added that if the deal is not ratified then the tariffs on Mexican products would be reinstated, with incremental increases to as much as 25 percent. We have fully signed and documented another very important part of the Immigration and Security deal with Mexico, one that the U.S. has been asking about getting for many years, Trump wrote. It will be revealed in the not too distant future and will need a vote by Mexicos Legislative body! We do not anticipate a problem with the vote but, if for any reason the approval is not forthcoming, Tariffs will be reinstated! the president added. Mexican officials announced on June 12 that they began deploying National Guard Forces to its southern border it shares with Guatemala in an attempt to ebb the flow of illegal immigration. They added that Mexico has established a working group with a number of Central American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to coordinate their efforts. An oil tanker is seen after it was attacked at the Gulf of Oman, in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran, June 13, 2019. (ISNA/Handout via REUTERS) Iranian Gunboats Surrounded Vessel That Rescued Tanker Crew, Detained Sailors Iranian gunboats surrounded a rescue vessel carrying the crew of the tanker damaged outside the Persian Gulf and ordered the captain to turn over the sailors, Fox News reported, citing American officials. Hyundai Dubai picked up the sailors from the Front Altair tanker but Iranian gunboats surrounded the ship and demanded that the tankers crew be surrendered, the U.S. officials said. The captain of Hyundai Dubai eventually complied with the order. The 23 crew members are now in Iran. According to an Iranian news agency, 11 of the crew were Russian, 11 Filipino and one Georgian. The forced detention of the crew is the latest evidence pointing to Irans involvement in the attacks. The United States accused Iran on June 13 of orchestrating the attacks on the tankers. The U.S. military later released video footage which it says shows Irans military removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers. President Donald Trump blamed Iran on June 14 for the attacks. Iran has denied any involvement. The Islamic regime has previously threatened to counter sanctions on its oil exports by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage through which one-fifth of the worlds consumer oil flows. American guided-missile destroyer Bainbridge rescued the 21 sailors from the Kokuka Courageous, the other vessel that was attacked on June 13, according to U.S. officials. The sailors have been treated and returned to the tanker, which they will now tow back to port. The blasts on June 13 followed similar attacks a month earlier on four tankers, which Washington also blamed on Tehran. The United States also blames Iran for two drone strikes on Saudi oil-pumping stations. Tehran denied the charges. Asked how he planned to address Tehran and prevent any further incidents, Trump told Fox News: Were going to see. He also said that any move to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which the worlds biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers ship crude, would not last long. Tehran and Washington have both said they have no interest in starting a war. Oil prices surged on June 13, reflecting the jitters, although they have since given up some of those gains. The Japanese-owned tanker, abandoned by its crew, was being towed to a port in the United Arab Emirates on June 14, after a Dutch firm said it had been appointed to salvage the ships. The second tanker, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, which was set ablaze by a blast, was still languishing at sea, although the fire that had charred the hull had been put out. Last year, Trump pulled out of a multi-national nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed tough sanctions on the Islamic regime. In the time leading up to the attacks on the six tankers, Washington terminated the permissions to purchase oil from Iran from some of the regimes biggest customers. The United States also declared the regimes military branch a terrorist organization. Irans crude exports fell to about 400,000 barrels per day in May from 2.5 million barrels per day in April 2018, starving Irans economy of its main source of revenue. The cause of the blasts on June 13 remains unclear. An initial report that Kokuka Courageous was struck by a torpedo was dismissed by a source familiar with the issue. The owner of the tanker that carried methanol later said it was hit by two flying objects. A source has said a magnetic mine could have caused the explosion on Front Altair, which had a cargo of naphtha. Reuters contributed to this report. It Feels Like Fire: 10 to 15 Beachgoers Stung by Stingrays in California Ten to 15 people enjoying the warmer waters on a Californian beach were met with a nasty surprise on June 11 when stung by the fish with a poisonous tail. The incident happened at the beach in Coronado after 4 p.m. Lifeguards told KGTV that it is common to witness more stingrays in shallow waters at this time of the year due to the warmer water, but it is rare to sight to have so many stings on the same day. Californias coast is home to the California round ray that feeds in the shallow waters. The stingrays camouflage themselves by burying in the sand to hunt. This makes it difficult for beachgoers to spot them. Sea Monkeys dive guide Colleen Strayer with an Atlantic stingray at Alligator Reef, Florida. (John Christopher Fine, Copyright 2016) Its because of this that most stingray injuries occur around the ankles and legs when someone walking on the beach accidentally steps on them, explained AnimalsHow Stuff Works. A stingrays venom is not always life-threatening, but is extremely painful. Stings have been known to be fatal when major organs, such as the heart, are affected. However, cell death caused by the venom can result in amputation if not treated in time. It feels like fire, like my foot is on fire. And it hurts so bad, Alexis Andujo, one of the injured beachgoers, told KGTV, a local ABC affiliate. To treat stingray injuries, victims can soak their feet in hot, but not scalding, water as heat breaks down the venoms enzymes. Sea Grant California recommends rushing to a doctor if pain persists after 15 minutes of soaking. Authorities later raised purple flags on the beach to warn beachgoers of the stingrays. Up to 15 people stung by stingrays in California https://t.co/Vn2edY6feR pic.twitter.com/s91bFdKl2X Johnny Brightman (@Johnnybrightman) June 12, 2019 Captain Joe Bailey with the Seal Beach Lifeguards in Orange County told Sea Grant California that to prevent stingray attacks, beachgoers should drag their feet as they walk in submerged sand. This stingray shuffle pushes sand forward to cause disturbances that help frighten away stingrays. If you step on it, when you try to get awaythats when they get the barb in you, Treasure Island fire Lt. Jeff Logsdon told the Tampa Bay Times. An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman, on June 13, 2019. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. (ISNA/AP Photo) Japanese Sailors Saw Flying Objects Before Oil Tanker Attack, But US Military Has Something Else to Show The Japanese owner of the Kokuka Courageous, one of the vessels attacked near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman on June 13, said their sailors saw flying objects immediately before the attacks. The claim from Yutaka Katada, the President of Kokuka Sangyo, a company that owns and operates ships that transport liquid chemicals, contradicts the claims by the United States military that said the attacks resulted from an Iranian naval mine. Katada told reporters on Friday that before the oil tanker caught fire the sailors witnessed flying objects and it was hit twice, reported the Associated Press (AP). Katada said the flying objects could be bullets and refuted that the attack was caused by mines or torpedoes since the damage to the ship was above the waterline. The companys president offered no evidence for his claim. He also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks. All the 21 Filipino sailors were rescued from Kokuka Courageous to a U.S. warship, the USS Bainbridge. The crew stayed on the destroyer overnight and returned to their vessel on Friday to help it being towed. US Says Iran is Behind the Attack The United States military released a video on Friday that showed how Irans Revolutionary Guard removed an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement. Iran did do it, President Donald Trump said of the attack, in remarks Friday morning to Fox & Friends. Trump also warned Iran not to close off the strait, saying if it does so, it wont be shut for long. Iran accused Washington of waging an Iranophobic campaign against it, while Trump countered that the country was a nation of terror. The black-and-white U.S. video of the Iranians alongside the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous came after its crew abandoned ship after seeing the undetonated explosive on its hull, said Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. militarys Central Command. In the video, the boat from Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard pulls alongside Kokuka Courageous at 4:10 p.m. Thursday. The Iranians reach up and grab along where the limpet mine could be seen in the photo. They then sail away. Limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to a ships hull, are designed to disable a vessel without sinking it. This image shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran on June 13, 2019. (U.S. Central Command via AP) U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said intelligence reports contributed to the assessment by U.S. military that Iran was behind the attacks. Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran, Pompeo said. He didnt elaborate. In the latest developments, the British government said it agrees with the U.S. military that Tehran is responsible for the attacks. The British foreign office said its assessment proves that it is almost certain that a branch of the Iranian military, was behind the attacks, reported AP. Response by the Japanese Government Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the attacks as a threat to safe maritime navigation. Japan adamantly condemns the act that threatened a Japanese ship, no matter who attacked, he said on Friday, according to AP. He requested all related countries to avoid escalating tension in the region and said Japan will help to de-escalate the tension. Japans Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told media in a press conference that the attacks dont pose a threat to Japan and that the Japanese government has no intention to send its troops to retaliate. He said he doesnt think Self-Defense Force has a necessarily role to play at this point and we dont plan to send them to the Strait of Hormuz region in response to the attacks. Abe made the remarks after telephone calls with President Donald Trump, briefing him on his Iran visit this week, without elaborating. He pledged to keep cooperating with Trump. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jury Finds 5 Gang Members Guilty of First-Degree Murder in Bronx Teens Death A jury reached a verdict in the case of five suspects who were accused of murdering 15-year-old Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz. Jonaiki Martinez Estrella, Manuel Rivera, Elvin Garcia, Jose Muniz, and Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago were found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, conspiracy, and gang assault, PIX11 reported. Estrella has been accused of delivering the killing blow. #BREAKING: Jurors have reached a verdict in the #JusticeForJunior murder case. https://t.co/u3FzHuk4HF CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) June 14, 2019 Juniors slaying outside a bodega in the Bronx was captured on surveillance footage, CBS New York reported. Prosecutors said the suspects killed the teen after mistaking him for a rival gang member. After the verdict was read, his mother said that she hopes divine and earthly justice be served, with God. Justice for Junior, ABC7 reported. #BREAKING: Jonaiki Martinez Estrella was found guilty of first-degree murder in the murder of Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz. https://t.co/TcBp4zIcaf pic.twitter.com/3iA3FnRPpB Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) June 14, 2019 Prosecutors said the suspects were members of the Trinitarios gang and were set out to harm rival gang members before they killed Junior, NY1 reported. Two of the suspects who were charged, Kevin Alvarez and Michael Reyes, became cooperating witnesses, the report said. The other nine men in the case will be tried at a later date, NY1 reported. All of the defendants pleaded not guilty and face the possibility of life in prison without parole. The other suspects are slated to appear in court on July 16. Jury reaches verdict in Junior Guzman-Feliz bodega slay trial https://t.co/PwW91wHp4g pic.twitter.com/U9ixvo9W8P New York Post (@nypost) June 14, 2019 Junior, meanwhile, was part of the New York City Police Departments Explorers Program, which is for youths interested in law enforcement, and he also dreamed of becoming a police officer. Guzman-Feliz Honored With Street Sign A New York City intersection has been renamed for the Bronx teenager. The intersection of Bathgate Avenue and East 183rd Street will now be called Lesandro Junior Guzman-Feliz Way. City Councilman Ritchie Torres was joined by Guzman-Felizs family and members of the New York Police Department Explorer program for the dedication on Feb. 27. Thousands Came Together Thousands of mourners said farewell to the teenager, whose brutal stabbing death shocked the Bronx community on June 20, 2018. Funeral services were held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in the Bronx for 15-year-old Lesandro Guzman-Feliz, affectionately known as Junior, who was attacked by the gang of men outside a bodega. He collapsed and died while running to a nearby hospital after being stabbed and slashed in the neck with a machete. Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wanted to find a way to honor the teens memory by naming part of the Explorers program after him. We want the next generation of young people who want to serve in the police to know about the young man who didnt get a chance to, and be inspired by him, de Blasio said during the Inside City Hall live broadcast on NY1. The Associated Press and Venus Upadhyaya contributed to this report. U.N. peacekeepers stand guard in the northern town of Kouroume, Mali, May 13, 2015. Kourome is 11 miles south of Timbuktu. (REUTERS/Adama Diarra) Liberals Push End of Mali Peacekeeping Mission to August OTTAWAThe Canadian Forces peacekeeping mission in Mali is going to last a little longer than previously plannedbut not as long as the United Nations hoped. Canadas operations in the African nation were supposed to cease at the end of July and the eight helicopters and 250 military personnel providing transportation and logistics help in a UN mission there were to come home. The UN had asked Canada to stay until October, when Romanian troops take over, to minimize a gap in providing lifesaving medical evacuations for injured UN peacekeepers. Global Affairs Canada said Friday that operations will wind down after July 31 and gradually be restricted to only medical evacuations until Aug. 31. A small Canadian transition team will help Romania set up its operations, including the use of C-17 airplanes to help get troops and equipment into the country. The department said in a statement that the decision reflects strategic advice from the Canadian Forces and should minimize disruption in medical evacuation services. Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan addresses a plenary session of NATOs Parliamentary Assembly, in Halifax on Nov. 19, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan) Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan insisted the announcement doesnt mean the government is extending the mission. Up until the end of July, we will maintain all the missions that weve been conducting. However, to conduct a smooth transition we are going to be focusing strictly on medical evacuations so we can start doing that transition, he told reporters outside the House of Commons. And this will allow for that gradual handover. The six-year-old United Nations mission in Mali is trying to stabilize the country after a rebellion and a coup. It includes about 16,500 personnel, mostly from other African countries. Since Canadian troops arrived last July, they have done 10 medical evacuations, Global Affairs said. The government also said that Canadian helicopters have also spent more than 3,000 hours in the air, moving 6,400 passengers and almost 168,000 kilogramsor more than 370,000 poundsof cargo. Hired civilian contractors can do some of the same work but in much more limited circumstances. They wont rescue wounded peacekeepers under fire, for instance. Sajjan told reporters troops on the ground will always have that medical evacuation through the transition, but not cargo transport. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland speaks with the media in Ottawa, on Dec. 12, 2018. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland called the change in plans a practical and pragmatic plan to ensure a smooth transition between the Canadian and Romanian rotations in Mali. She said the Romanians would have access to four C-17 aircraft flights to help move personnel and equipment. The UN formally asked Canada at the end of the February to stay in Mali until mid-October. Freeland rejected that request following a March peacekeeping summit in New York. A Canadian Armed Forces soldier provides security as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives on the United Nations in Gao, Mali on December 22, 2018. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) The United Nations had told MPs on the House of Commons defence committee that peacekeepers would be forced to scale down operations without the Canadians or Romanians available for emergency evacuations. Sajjan said Canada doesnt have an exact date when Romanias contingent will arrive. But now, based on the information that we have, weve been able to come (to) the conclusion that having a thorough handover focusing strictly on medical-evacuation missions is going to allow for the same handover that we had received, he said. Why the government has refused to push the mission to October is unclear but the committees report on the mission suggested military officials were worried about the helicopters mechanical condition and want them ready for crises back home. Others have linked the Liberals stance to an electoral calculation, with the fall federal campaign winding up with a vote in late October. Man Attacks Elderly Roommate for Being Told Not to Take Too Many Showers A Florida man who attacked his elderly roommate for accusing him of taking too many showers was arrested on June 11. Pasco County Sherriffs deputies arrested 48-year-old Byron Christianoudis for attacking his 70-year-old roommate in New Port Richey, reported Fox 13 News. Christianoudis had been renting from the 70-year-old. He attacked the elderly man after being told he couldnt take another shower because apparently, he had taken too many already. Deputies said that Christianoudis had his roommate in a headlock and had inflicted scratches to his face. Christianoudis claimed that he had attacked the elderly man in self-defense. He was charged by police for battery of a senior. People Outraged After Tenant Accepts Landlords Bizarre Terms: 24-hour Surveillance, No Late-Night Cooking Stock image of the keys of a rented home. (Master Senaiper/Pixabay) A tenants experience in Florida caused outraged on Facebook when she shared her landlords bizarre terms and conditions for her rent. Jessica Marteny from North Carolina had shared the terms and conditions on the Facebook group Awful roommates: roommates from hell. It started with rational demands like no drugs, controlling the noise levels, and keeping the place clean. But the requests went on to specify 24-hour surveillance, no cooking after 9.30 p.m., no guests, and no alcohol. Tenant reveals landlords list of VERY strict rules banning guests, drinking alcohol and cooking after 9.30pm and outraged Facebook users ask if hes renting a prison cell via https://t.co/BR8uKYmiL9 https://t.co/3wZgb9yrcb GEOFF K,RETIRED ROCK MUSICIAN&SOLO ENTERTAINER. (@Geoffkernow) May 29, 2019 No guests! No one is permitted on the property but those residing at the residence. Rides must stop at the end of the driveway and let you off accordingly. If your ride lingers or comes onto the driveway it is considered trespassing and will be handled as such due to posted signs on property, said the third rule cited by The Daily Mail. The landlord said the property is under 24-hour surveillance that includes an infrared camera during the night. This is for your protection and for mine, the terms and conditions said. One of the most bizarre rules was the restricted hours for cooking. No cooking of food during the hours of 9:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on weekdays and between the hours of 9:30 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. on weekends. Facebook users were shocked by the impractical demands. Is this guy renting a prison cell? asked one user. Someone wrote in the comments that such a person should not be a landlord. What if you have a partner? They cant come over???? And no cooking before 9:30 on a weekend? What if you work on the weekend in the morning and wanna cook breakfast, another user commented. The Sun reported that there were sympathetic users as well who suggested that the landlord might have turned unreasonable after having a bad experience with a tenant previously. However, one user commented: The no guest rule really gets me. Imagine your family visiting you and wanting to see your new place and you get evicted immediately because of that. Man Secretly Living in Attic was Sneaking into 14-Year-Olds Room at Night The mother of a 14-year-old girl was shocked to discover that a man had been living in the attic above her daughters room for an undisclosed amount of time. She told authorities that she arrived home on June 2 to find a long-haired, bearded man standing at the top of her staircase. After realizing that hed been noticed, the man is said to have run into a closet in the daughters room, through which he was able to gain access to the attic. He is believed to have been living there, reported Scoop Nashville. Despite Screams from the mother requesting the man to leave the premises, the man refused. The mother then called the authorities who, upon arrival at the Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, home, forcibly ejected the man from the premises and took him into custody. Matthew Christopher Casto, 18, was said to have been secretly living in the familys attic. He was alleged to have been using the access point in the daughters closet to gain entry into the 14-year-olds room each night after she locked her room door. Police say that Casto had already been warned to stay away from the young girl during an earlier investigation on May 29 when the 14-year-old ran away from home. Information regarding the nature of Castos relationship with the 14-year-old has not been made public by police. Casto has been booked into the Wilson County Jail on charges of aggravated criminal trespass. He was later released on a $2,000 bond and is set to appear in court on June 13. The Case of Cary Cocuzzi An unrelated attic-dwelling incident occurred earlier this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Cary Cocuzzi, 31, was found by police hiding under a pile of clothing in his ex-girlfriends room. The ex-girlfriendwho had a protection from abuse order against Cocuzzisaid she found Cocuzzi standing in the middle of her bedroom. Cary Michael Cocuzzi. (Allegheny County Jail) He then grabbed her face and a scuffle ensued in which she was able to fend him off. She then ran outside and alerted neighbors who called 911, reported ABC13. The ex, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters she had a feeling that her home was being entered by Cocuzzi without her knowledge or permission after seeing signs during the weeks leading up to the incident. One sign involved finding a blanket in the corner of her basement in an area that no one ever went, I knew that blanket had not been there before. I knew it. But what could I do? I already had the PFA against him. I cant call the police and say theres a blanket in my basement, she said. The ex-girlfriend reportedly has two her daughters living with her. Both were not home when the incident occurred. Massive, Unexpected Growth on New Free Speech Platform, Bypassing Shadow BansParler CEO John Matze Epoch Times senior editor Jan Jekielek sat down recently with Parler co-founder and CEO John Matze, who seeks to re-create social media into what is, in his eyes, a true public square. They looked at the world of social media through Matzes eyes and discuss his hopes for his budding new platform, and talked about what it is about Parler that led to an influx of hundreds of thousands of Saudi Arabian users in a matter of days. They also discussed how social media giants are effectively taking on publisher roles, instead of living up to their promise of being the public square. Jan Jekielek: So, John, you are the founder and CEO of Parler, or now I think youre calling it parlormore phonetically? John Matze: Exactly. No one knew how to pronounce Parler. It did lead to some nice air time, though, on some television networks who couldnt figure out how to pronounce it. So, Ill take what we get. Mr. Jekielek: So youre effectively a social media. You started out as a commenting platform? Mr. Matze: Yeah. So thats basically how we started. As we said, there are all these commenting platforms and publications, and some of them are taking their own liberty to dictate the course of the conversation. I said: Well, we shouldnt do that. We should give them the toolsa lot of them have the tools to allow the publication to navigate that conversation. And then as we built that. We said: When you have comments, you got to comment on something. Well, instead of an article, what if the article is a post that just has an article in it? Well, if its a post, what if people want to share the post with each other? And are we just recreating a social media entirely? And then we went [thats] basically what were doing. So thats what came out of itlets create a social media that has the enterprise tools that publications have, where people can dictate the conversation and moderate it, but for their own profile. And so the idea is that you have your social media presence, but if you dont like what someone has to say, you can boot it off the comment section. You can mute them, you can get them out of there, whatever you need to do. The whole purpose was to give people that power rather than having a central point of authority being the only figure that has that power. Mr. Jekielek: In fact, you know, thats how we became acquainted with you, with Parler. I keep wanting to say par-lay. And yeah, in fact, were using it. Mr. Matze: You guys were one of the first publications that bought onto the idea and actually joined and your contents in the discover section over there. If you use the app, you can see it, and its coming in. I get a lot more people trying to fight for those spots now, but Mr. Jekielek: Oh, yeah. Mr. Matze: Were proud that The Epoch Times is there. Mr. Jekielek: Im glad. I just made my account about a week ago, so well see how that goes. Mr. Matze: OK. Yeah. You have to make some posts and as soon as people start echoing themthats our term for like re-tweeting, echoas soon as people start echoing them, your follower account is going to jump up real quick. Mr. Jekielek: So speaking of followers or users, you were telling me that in the last few days that youve been experiencing some kind of massive growth from an unexpected place. Can you tell me a little more? Mr. Matze: Sure. So our user base before this boom was mostly Trump conservatives. And so they were, with the exception of some minority groupslike we had a couple LGBT groups that were forming and other people who wanted to actually have a discussionbut for the most part, it has been Trumps core base. And randomly, I guess, an interview that I had went viral in Saudi Arabia, and people loved the idea of this free speech platform. And they jumped on, and we took 2 percent of Twitters market share in Saudi Arabia in one night. We saw some definite problems with the infrastructure right off the bat, considering the servers are so far from Saudi Arabia and everythingbut was really happy to have that. So now, we have a very interesting mix of about a 50/50 split of Trump, MAGA conservatives, and religious Muslim, Saudi nationalists all on the same platform. And so when you scroll through the user feed and it shows you the most active users, you see theres a mix of Arabic and English. And its very interesting to see how these two groups are coming together really unexpectedly. Mr. Jekielek: So I noticed also that youve been saying in the past that thats actually kind of the purpose of Parler in the first place: to get disparate groups talking to each other without censorship. Mr. Matze: Yeah. Well, and it seems surprising that these two groups, this is the first time they seem to have contacted each other. Like Mr. Jekielek: At scale you mean? Mr. Matze: Yes, at scale. Because I feel like there were some kind of barrier there. I dont know what it is with current social platforms. But we werent expecting any international growth. And so we didnt have any boundaries or restrictions or anything really. And so as these groups came in, they were kind of like merging together, and theyre all following each other. And, of course, some people are very angry at that. Theyre like, some people were not expecting that, and other people were, welcoming them and even translating their posts into Arabic. There was a Mormon group in Utah that started translating half their posts into Arabic, just so they can communicate. Not even debating religion, not even debating anything, just saying: Hey, welcome, were glad to have people who are proud of their country and want to speak freely. Mr. Jekielek: So, a little while ago, Facebook banned a number of conservative personalities off of their platform, and you actually wrote a post about this. One of the things you said was, We are not in the business of politics, creating news, and manipulating narratives. We are in the business to partner with our users and bridge the political divide through discussion. This post got a lot of attention. Tell me a little more about what you were saying. Mr. Matze: The idea is that we are trying to promote discussion so people can solve problems and talk to one another. One thing that social media is doing now is what Im not really calling social media. Theyre social publishers in my opinion. And a social publisher controls the content thats on their platform. Publishers publish their opinion, they publish whats true, they publish whats false. Publishers like The Epoch Times have a following that trusts them and trusts their opinion. And so they are the ones who dictate whats true, whats false, whats the narrative of the day, etc. When a social publisher, a social media, gets involved and says, this is fake news, this is true. let me fact-check that for you, what theyre essentially doing is theyre killing off traditional media, and theyre trying to become a publisher. But instead of actually writing the content, they let users write the content and they dictate whose content is OK and whose isnt. So from that perspective, what got me inspired for that quote was I was seeing theyre banning people. Like, they were banning PJW [Paul Joseph Watson] at that time, they were banning Alex Jones. Now, I dont follow them. Ive heard some clips that I thought were funny, and Ive also heard someone, like, oh, thats a bit too much, but it doesnt matter. Its their right to speak in a public forum, if thats what social media is, a public forum, and its wrong for a publisher to come in and say I dont like that creators content. So, lets say youre a journalist. I dont like that journalists content. Lets boot them off of The Epoch Times. Thats essentially what theyre doing on their platform. Mr. Jekielek: So theyre taking the role of basically Mr. Matze: A publication. But in essence, if you look at the people who rely on the companies that rely on social media for their income and referral traffic, theyre losing it right now. Because every time they take a step further to be more and more of a publication, more of the real publications out there are losing referral traffic from them. Theyre not getting clicks. They are changing their algorithms to keep people on their site. They are trying to replace traditional publications the way we know it. Mr. Jekielek: Social media ads seem effectivelyespecially these large ones, even though theyre private companies for sureto have taken on the role of a public square effectively. Right? Mr. Matze: Well, theyre supposed to be a public square. And I mean, in premise, theyre a private company. They can do what they want, but people believe theyre a public square and reflect real conversation. But, if youre, lets say, in the middle of New York, right, and youre having a conversation with somebody. Theres a police officer over in the corner here going: Wait, no, fake news. Get this guy out of here. We need to get some real conversation going in. I mean, thats effectively a public square. If people started doing that, it would be George Orwell, 1984, all over the place and people would be freaking out. So why is it OK that our online public square has that kind of authority? Mr. Jekielek: Free-market principle social media. Mr. Matze: Yes, exactly. Thats the solution. Let the people figure it out. Mr. Jekielek: So your initial growth, from what I understand, and why you attracted, as you say, the conservative base was from a tweet by Candace Owens. This is what I was reading. Is that correct? Mr. Matze: That was the original thing that happened back in December. We got quite a big boost from that overnight. And it wasnt just her; it was a series of influencers. And she kind of put the cherry on top, if you will, in terms of bringing that user group in. And after that, things settled down for about three months. We had time to repair everything because we werent readythat tweet went out unexpectedly. Since then, now, we had another viral episode when we went on Fox to talk about this, and we had a Politico article that came out. And, since then theres been some rumors and some fake news that came up that President Trump is joining. That was the first time I heard about it, is when Im reading these articles: President Trump is considering Parler. Im like, really? I havent heard about this yet. Mr. Jekielek: Right. Mr. Matze: So, it was very interesting to see how that developed. Mr. Jekielek: Politico published an article. Thats one of the things I was reading as I was preparing for the interview. Where do you think that article went wrong? I want to give you an opportunity to talk about it a little bit. Mr. Matze: So I worked with the writer quite a bit, answering questions, whatever had been asked of me, I made sure to answer. And he was really good with his research. He went in-depth and really asked a lot of questions. But I think what happened was this, an anonymous source close to the Trump administration claims that hes considering alternative social platforms like Parler. Something along those lines was stated. And once that happened, people picked up on that like wildfire, and it just spread this rumor out there. Thats very interesting how just that kind of statement can just take off. But it was good for our user growth. But we had no idea that was coming either. Mr. Jekielek: So this is one of the things I read in the Politico article; I want to ask your thoughts on it. It was written that much of the content posted on Parler falls into categories deemed offensive and discouraged by the large platforms. Its certainly not the content that we post on Parler, nor any of the stuff that Ive seen so far. Mr. Matze: Thats pretty opinionatedthat statementbecause the users for the most part were extremely friendly. Theres nothing objectionable or really that bad. I think it was kind of a narrative leap, based off of the fact that there are figures that were banned on social media on there, but they werent necessarily doing anything bad. So I think he was referring to maybe Laura Loomer. Shes the No. 2 most-followed user on the platform right now. She was notorious for chaining herself to Twitter headquarters when she was banned. She doesnt have really bad content. Shes just very concerned about her community, and shes trying to make a statement about it. And the fact that, really the people that are on there, no ones really saying anything too hateful or angry. So I dont know where that narrative came from. And the fact now that we have a large Muslim population now, mixing in with this, completely debunks that statement about us being Islamophobic, which theyre all very welcoming and theyre talking to each other, both groups. So for the most part, [but] theres obvious exceptions. Im sure you could find them, but for the most part, people are getting along. Mr. Jekielek: Yeah. I think when I was interviewing Larry Elder a little while ago, he used an example that I think he said 8 percent of the population believes that Elvis is alive. Right? His point being that theres always going to be people that arent representative and that some people will point to as being the problem or the main Mr. Matze: Well, yeah. It depends. A lot of people, I guess, were scared of the concept of a free speech platform. I think its good, especially if you give people the tools. It kind of creates this environment where you cant have these hateful figures hiding in the dark corners of the internet because you have everybody in one place. And, when something terrible is said or somebodys off-track, people jump right on it. So there was somebody who was posting that the new Saudis that were coming in, he said something along the lines of, we dont want that ramen noodle speak on our platform. And people were coming to the aid of the Saudis: Americans, people whose profiles were blatantly Trump supporter, everything. Theyre getting on there: You cant say that kind of stuff on here. I mean you can, but dont. Its rude and its uncalled for, and it doesnt represent the people at all. Mr. Jekielek: Fascinating. So I mean I have two questions that come to mind. The first one is obviously you have to have some rules, right? So what are the limits of the free speech on Parler? Mr. Matze: Our rules are basically in line with Supreme Court precedents, the FCC, and the First Amendment. So things that arent protected by the First Amendment explicitly with, for example, some FCC cases, we dont necessarily protect, and by that, I mean pornography and nudity. Those are things we dont want on our platform because it gets into some moral gray area of, well, if you allow some nudity, how much is OK? Mr. Jekielek: Got it. Mr. Matze: Then it becomes arbitrary. And so we just said the FCC has the right to say that theres no nudity on television during x amount of hours. So lets just take their precedent, their standards, and apply it here. Because that way we can at least say, this is where we got this rule. Its beyond us, right? Its a bigger rule than us, and we cant budge. Mr. Jekielek: Second question that came to mind. Whats to prevent folks that want to incite trouble? Coming on, maybe even at scale. I mean, theres been documented instances of folks coming in at scale trying to basically create problems, posing as different groups, and so forth. How do you deal with this kind of thing? Because, clearly, you want to be an open platform to everybody. You dont want to be pigeonholed as a platform only for one group, right? Mr. Matze: Yeah. When people come in and if theyre nefarious, there are certain things we can do and theres certain things we cant. And there are certain things that the users can do though, as well. And so depending on where it falls, its someone elses, its someones responsibility. So if theyre impersonating a figure, any company or person, and theyre blatantly impersonating themtheyre not that individual, they havent clearly stated this is a parody or this is this, and people are confused. And they come to us and say, is this the realand to reference last weekJames Woods? Mr. Jekielek: Oh, OK. Mr. Matze: No, this was not the real James Woods. They were pretending to be the real James Woods, to the point where they were arguing with us on the platform about verification status. Get me verified. Im the real James Woods. We were [saying]: We were pretty certain youre not. Were pretty sure, but I dont want to actually ban the real James Woods. I think hed get mad at me. So we were very careful with that. But you cant go on there and impersonate somebody. Its illegal in some states to do that. Not all states, but some. And, typically, impersonation leads to rules that are violated, like libel or slander. So we dont want to get into that mess. So we just fall back on the law on this one and say: Some states dont allow it, and it leads to libel and slander. So no impersonation. Mr. Jekielek: OK. No nudity, no pornography; thats simple. It makes life easier for folks like us. Mr. Matze: No fighting words. Fighting words, inciting violence are not allowed, death threats, blackmail, obscenityobscenity as defined by the FCC, which is the Miller test. I dont know if youre familiar with the Miller test? Mr. Jekielek: Im a little bit familiar. Break it down for me. Mr. Matze: Basically, if the content is sexual in nature, so not necessarily a photo or anything, but just saying something, [and] its deemed as prurient, which is like disgusting, and not relevant to society. If it meets those three categories, its deemed as obscene, and you can get rid of it. And so, thats where well step in. Otherwise, if it doesnt meet obscenity but you view it as hateful, youve got a little panel, every user does. And you can say, I want to mute that person, or I want to just mute that comment, and eventually were going to have tools that you can say, I want to auto-mute all hateful things up to a certain degree of hatefulness. Just for the users to decide, not us as a platform, so that way they have all the comfort and tools they expect Twitter to do for them, but they can decide to do it on their own without any intervention. Mr. Jekielek: So, youve described hate speech as a doublespeak weapon to enforce arbitrary rules aimed against their ideological opponents. Mr. Matze: Yes. Mr. Jekielek: Can you break that down for me a bit? Mr. Matze: Hate speech is not defined by the Supreme Court. Theyve gone to the extent of not taking cases or even overruling cases where hate speech has been a topic, specifically because: How do you define hate? You really cant. Whats hateful to me is hateful to you, or it might not be. You could go off a reasonable society standard, but then you need somebody to actively sit there and go: So what does society think is hateful today? And, thats, I think, what were seeing in these social media platforms is: Well, I deem that as hateful. Whereas, you might say, thats my political opinion. You know, this is what I believe. And that is an infringement on their First Amendment. I think using words like hate confuse people. Because you have a lot of people who say theyre for the First Amendment, but they dont want hate. Well, thats a very nice statement. And I think that in a perfect world there would be no hate, right? But the real reality is there are hateful people. And having that discussion about hate is how you solve it. By hiding hate in a corner, you get people who go to the fringe of the internet, plot all these awful things, and then go take terrible actions. And I think having an open discussion about this is the key to solving it. And by using it in a weapon to say were going to ban that person because hes hateful, what youre actually doing. In some cases is saying Im banning that person because I politically disagree with them, because I believe their political opinion is hateful. And now you can take that to any extent. Thats why its a weapon, and its terrible to use it as a weapon. Because I can say [that] whatever point youre about to make right now, I can just say thats hateful and shut you down. And thats not fair. Mr. Jekielek: So, basically, whenever hate speech is used, in your mind, and someone cites hate speech as the reason for an action or a banning or something, thats basically weaponized in your view. Mr. Matze: Not always. Of course, theres obvious instances of hate speech when someone comes out and makes a blatantly antisemitic claim, thats hate speech. Mr. Jekielek: Well, and there seems to be debate about that even these days, frankly, right? Mr. Matze: You know, it seems very interesting that, that anti-Semitism is tolerated more now and isnt viewed as hateful as someone who says something Islamophobic, as more hateful in the world today. Society changes, certain perspectives change with certain people, and my perspective is, I dont wanna get involved in the hate argument. Lets let the people discuss it, and well just follow the law here. An people should come to their own conclusions. And generally speaking, what weve seen is you see good Samaritans come out, and they fight those who are saying hateful things, like my noodle example from earlier. Most people are not hateful. They just want to talk, and the more you censor them, the more hateful they get. Mr. Jekielek: So, what happens in a situation where, a number of people come in and try to manipulate the conversation? For example, theres been cases where a group of people has come in on a platform and pose as white supremacistsfor exampleto basically create problems. How do you deal with a situation like that? Mr. Matze: Generally speaking, from what Ive seen, our platform doesnt really have a whole lot of those kinds of people yet. Weve seen a couple of them come in, and theyre typically really suspicious. This is not someones real opinion. Theyre trying to defame us or theyre trying to make us look bad. Having real people, having real conversations is one of the things that we like on our platform. And when you see two people with a red badge, that means theyre a real person, and theyre having a real conversation with somebody. When you see people like that, theyre never verified. They come hot and heavy right out of the gate. You know, theyre trying to troll really hard. Whats really interesting is the real people having real conversations, the red badge people, they take screenshots of those figures, and they share them around. Theyre like: Everybody, block this guy. Hes a troll, or lets mute him. And the best part about muting and letting users mute people is that the mute is a user-controlled shadow ban, if you will. Mr. Jekielek: OK. Got it. Mr. Matze: We dont shadow ban as a platform. Thats wrong. Its morally wrong, but you have the right to control whats happening on your platform. If you ban somebody, theyll spin up another account, and theyll come after you again. But if you mute them, theyll keep trolling your account, and they think theyre trolling your account, and theyre not. And so as a user, thats a powerful tool to keep angry, troll-like people, like youre talking about, where fake white supremacists come in and defame people. Its their tool to keep them away from their profile and to keep them from making them look bad. Mr. Jekielek: Very interesting. So tell me, how are things going with this adoption of Parler as a commenting platform? Is it something that a lot of sites are getting interested in? Mr. Matze: Yeah, its getting adopted more and more, especially with the publicity because people are seeing their commenting counts shoot up a lot. So people who are just posting articles to Parler are seeing comments in the range of like one, zero, three, five, somewhere in there. When they have the Parler commenting platform on there, when people engage on Parler, it also engages on their website. Theres no barrier. So the content is mirrored as the same thing on both. And what its doing is its creating all this conversation about the content is bringing people back. And youre seeing that with the numbers that have increased. When our user load increases, our common integration partners load increases as well. So, for example, The Epoch Times, when we were on the [inaudible], the next day, you guys had 100-plus comments on everything. Whereas the week before, when we had maybe a couple thousand daily active users, you were seeing like three or four comments, and it just shoots up with their user load. And so you can see it actually growing. Mr. Jekielek: Thats a good pitch for folks coming on the platform. So tell me, actually, what is your pitch to users? Like how is this different than Twitter really? Mr. Matze: Fundamentally, right now Mr. Jekielek: For conservatives I can see. Conservatives are coming over because theyre afraid of being potentially banned on Twitter or some other social media. What about other users? Mr. Matze: Right now, we have a really good appeal with the conservative crowd; were trying to expand that. And I think by offering more tools like video sharingour influence network that were trying to work on, where users can actually make money with us, instead of us essentially using them as monetary sources without rewarding them. Thats where were going to start seeing, I think, more universal growth. Mr. Jekielek: How does that work? Mr. Matze: The idea is that peoplecontent creators, whether its a publication, individual, a companyare creating content for the community, which is a resource which people need. And so when they create that content, other individuals, or advertisers, can seek it out and advertise with it or just give people a donation, if you will, and compete for being a part of that conversation. And in doing that, the content creators are going to be rewarded. And, obviously, we will as well. So were partnering with people. Were not using them. Were not selling their information either, which I think is something thats becoming more and more of a concern. Mr. Jekielek: So let me get this right. In this case, advertisers will specifically pick certain users if they liked those users? Mr. Matze: Its not going to be a manual process. Were going to be placing them with each other. And the nice part about that is it eliminates a few problems that advertisers have today. One is, for example, if an ad is placed between two postslets say I follow someone whos deemed as hateful and I follow aI dont know, a dog groomer or whatever. Ive got this nice dog picture and then I have this hateful piece, right? Something that Twitter would deem as hateful or Facebook would, and then right in between is an ad for a shoe company. So someone takes a screenshot of that, and they send it the shoe company, and they send it to everyone else, and they say, your shoe company is supporting hate. And they [decide]: We gotta get rid of the hateful user now, because were gonna lose advertising revenue if we dont boot that hateful user off our platform. And so they boot the user. With our model, the shoe company, instead of targeting the user whos reading it, [is] targeting the influencer who has better influence over the followers. They know their followers better. They know its going to be effective and why theyre there. Mr. Jekielek: Right. Mr. Matze: And so when you target them with the ad, if someone [thinks] this is a hateful person youre advertising with, then the advertiser can deal with the person directly. They dont have to deal with us, and they can all work it out. Everybody can exist in one place. Mr. Jekielek: Youre trying to address a lot of big challenges in the social media ecosystem. Mr. Matze: Were trying to create a free-market social media, if you will. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. American Thought Leaders is a new Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube. A young man walks in front of a police patrol parked in front of a high school a day after violent clashes between police and protesters broke out on streets overnight in Memphis, Tenn., on June 13, 2019. (Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters) Police Say Black Man Killed in Memphis Was Sought in Shooting MEMPHIS, Tenn.A young black man shot and killed by federal agents, as they tried to arrest him in Memphis, touching off violent protests, was wanted in the shooting of a man in Mississippi earlier this month, law enforcement officials said on June 13. At least two dozen police officers were injured on the streets of Memphis in demonstrations after Brandon Webber, 20, was killed late June 12 by members of a federal fugitive task force seeking to take him into custody on aggravated assault charges. In the aftermath of clashes between police and protesters, the district attorney for DeSoto County, Mississippi, where Webber was suspected of shooting a man to steal his car, on the afternoon of June 13, defended the actions of the federal marshals. This was a violent felon who did not obviously want to go to jail. And [the marshals] ended up, from my knowledge, doing what they had to do up there, not only to protect themselves but protect other people in the neighborhood, DeSoto County prosecutor John Champion told reporters. Its obvious that he had no appreciation for the value of human life. Wanted for Mississippi Incident The marshals were seeking Webber on warrants stemming from a June 3 incident in Hernando, Mississippi, which is just south of Memphis. Champion said Webber shot his victim five times point blank after the two men had taken the car on a test drive, then drove off in the stolen vehicle. It was in that car that federal marshals encountered Webber when he was killed, the prosecutor said. The victim, a Hernando resident who has not been publicly identified, remains hospitalized but is expected to survive. A second suspect in the June 3 attack remains at large. Police said they believe the second suspect drove Webber to the location where he met the man selling his car but was not present for the shooting itself. Webber was shot after he rammed his car into vehicles driven by federal agents at about 7 p.m. on June 12 in the working-class Memphis neighborhood of Frayser, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). TBI Agents Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Memphis https://t.co/duWkKuuctK TBI (@TBInvestigation) June 13, 2019 He was reportedly carrying a weapon when he got out of his vehicle, the bureau said, without elaborating. A later statement from the U.S. Marshals Service made no reference to a weapon and a spokesman declined to say whether Webber had one. Prior Arrests Webber had been arrested previously for possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and driving with an expired or suspended license and an improperly displayed registration plate, public records show. It was not immediately clear if he was ever prosecuted. As news of Webbers death spread, several hundred people gathered, and some threw rocks and spat at the police, Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement. Police strapped on protective riot gear and tried to control the crowd by spraying chemicals, according to officials and media reports. Video footage of the protests showed one man bashing a police car with a chair. The mayor said multiple police cars were vandalized. At least 24 officers and deputies were injured, with six hospitalized with mostly minor injuries, the mayor said. Two journalists also were injured. The injuries were mostly minor, police said, and the crowd eventually dispersed. At least 24 officers and deputies were injured after protests erupted in Memphis, Tennessee, in response to a fatal shooting by members of the U.S. Marshals Service. https://t.co/pYNbHjzGWC U.S. News (@usnews) June 13, 2019 Memphis Police say 36 officers and sheriffs deputies were injured during a large protest Wednesday night, after officers of the U.S. Marshals Service shot and killed 20-year-old Brandon Webber. https://t.co/mZSOULBWMA NPR (@NPR) June 13, 2019 As darkness fell on June 13, police helicopters flew over the area and squad cars patrolled the neighborhood. Shortly before being shot, Webber posted a Facebook video in which he rapped and smoked what appeared to be marijuana. In the video, he looked out the window and said he saw police. With a laugh, he looked directly into the camera and said what sounded like the officers would have to kill me. Webber was the eldest of eight sons, his father, Sonny Webber, said in an interview on June 13. He had two young children of his own, a 2-year-old boy and a newborn daughter, and was expecting a second daughter soon. Sonny Webber said his son had sold marijuana but was not a drug dealer. He wasnt a bad guy, his father said. He wasnt even living long enough to be a bad guy. By Brendan OBrien President Donald Trump speaks about second chance hiring and criminal justice reform in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 13, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) President Trump Clarifies Remarks About Accepting Information From Foreign Government President Donald Trump sought to provide clarification for his comments on June 14 about accepting information about political opponents from a foreign government after facing criticism over his remarks. Trump said in a phone interview with Fox & Friends that he would review the information offered by a foreign government and pass it on to the FBI if anything was incorrect or badly stated. If I was, and of course you have to look at it because if you dont look at it youre not going to know if its bad of course you give it to the FBI or report it to the attorney general or somebody like that. But of course youd do that, you couldnt have that happen with our country, Trump said during the interview. And everybody understands that and I thought it was made clear, he continued. In fact, I actually said, at the beginning, I said Id do both. If you dont hear what it is, you wont know what it is. If I thought anything was incorrect or badly stated, Id report it to the attorney general, the FBI, Id report it to law enforcement absolutely, he added. The president made his comments during an interview with ABC News George Stephanopoulos, when asked whether his campaign would accept the information about political opponents from foreign governments like China or Russia or pass them to the FBI. He said that he could listen to the information provided by a foreign government, adding that there isnt anything wrong with listening. If I thought there was something wrong, Id go maybe to the FBIif I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research, Oh, lets call the FBI The FBI doesnt have enough agents to take care of it, Trump said during the ABC interview that was broadcast on June 12. President Donald Trump walks toward journalists as he departs the White House for a campaign rally in Pennsylvania May 20, 2019 in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) In the Fox & Friends interview, he said that being the president of the United States puts him in a different position as he is constantly meeting with other countries heads of state. We have many conversations, and Im thinking, jee, if they say, we dont like your opponent am I supposed to, the president of France, am I supposed to report him to the FBI? he asked. At one point in the interview, Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy asked Trump: If you did call the FBI with dirt on a political opponent, though, Mr. President, wouldnt the Democrats accuse you of using the FBI to investigate political opponents? Oh, absolutely. Look, heres the bottom line: they spied on my campaign and they got caught, Trump said, adding that it was probably one of the worst political scandals in American history. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reacted to Trumps remarks during a press conference on June 13, saying that the president is unable to tell right from wrong and accused him of being involved in a political coverup. In response, Trump described her comments as a fascist statement, its a disgraceful statement. Her party got caught spying. If you look at what happened, Hillary Clinton with the money that ultimately went to Russia for the fake dossier, the totally fake pile of stuff.and the amount of money that was paid, and was paid by Hillary Clinton and the DNC, and it went to Russia, thats the criminal, Trump said during the interview. The infamous Steele dossier, which fueled two years of wild speculation in the media about alleged ties between Trump, his associates, and Russia, was compiled by former foreign spy Christopher Steele, who was hired by Fusion GPS. .and other really bad people, SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN! They even had an insurance policy just in case Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats lost their race for the Presidency! This is the biggest & worst political scandal in the history of the United States of America. Sad! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019 Fusion GPS was hired by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton 2016 presidential campaignthrough their law firm, Perkins Coie, to produce the dossier on Trump. The dossier contained 103 key allegations, none of which were were verified by special counsel Robert Muellers 22-month investigation. The Justice Department is currently investigating the origins of the 2016 counterintelligence probe into Trump campaign as well as the FBIs use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants to spy on Trump campaign associate Carter Page. Pro Volleyball Player Eric Zaun Jumps to His Death in New Jersey: Reports Police identified the man who jumped to his death at Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City in New Jersey as Eric Zaun, a professional volleyball player. Zaun, who was 25, was found dead in the parking lot of the hotel. Officials later confirmed that he had jumped from the 29th floor of the hotel room, People magazine reported. The Association of Volleyball Professionals confirmed Zauns death on Instagram. Professional Volleyball Player Eric Zaun, 25, Jumps to His Death from Atlantic City Hotel https://t.co/1tp3M3KxL3 People (@people) June 14, 2019 The AVP is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Eric Zaun, the post said. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. He will be deeply missed. According to the associations website, he was named AVP Rookie of the Year in 2017. View this post on Instagram Road Dog A post shared by AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour (@avpbeach) on Jun 13, 2019 at 10:03am PDT He also played for Limestone College as an outside hitter before playing beach volleyball professionally. According to People magazine, he lived in Florida before moving to Southern California for his career. I love the culture and the lifestyle associated with beach volleyball, Zaun told Volleyballmag.com in 2017. Its great to be able to travel around the country to different beaches and locations doing what you love. A week before his death, Zaun made an Instagram post related to volleyball. June is gonna be a good month, he wrote in the post. A forum for beach volleyball players issued a statement about his death. It said, Grainy nighttime pix of when Eric Zaun came to Aussies to practice late night with Avery Drost before AVP Austin last month. There was a buzz when he showed up, and started warming up my himself on Court 2. They proceeded to get heckled by the Wednesday late night Draft League crew taking it all in stride & fun smirk. A few Sand Wannabes to many got to know Eric on different levels at different times from his NVL days to current AVP days, and those interactions from watching him play with so much intensity to casual convos were always memorable. Its a sad day. If youre going through stuff/life reach out especially in the sand volleyball world as there are good crews of listeners when needed. RIP Eric :(. Other details about his death are not clear. Suicide Hotlines If you are in an emergency in the U.S. or Canada, please call 911. You can phone the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1 800 273 8255. Youth can call the Kids Help Phone on 1800 668 6868. In Australia, the suicide prevention telephone hotline at Lifeline is 13 11 14. You can also visit the Lifeline website at lifeline.org.au. Youth can contact the Kids Helpline by phoning 1800 551 800 or visiting headspace.org.au/yarn-safe If you are in an emergency in India, call Befrienders India National Association at +91 33 2474 4704. Reports: NY Man Dies After Getting Plastic Surgery in Dominican Republic A 29-year-old New York man died in the Dominican Republic while reportedly getting discount liposuction. Manuel Nunez, who worked in New York City, traveled back to the Dominican Republic to get plastic surgery done for the third time, his mother said. [I told him] Do not do that lipo, youve already done two. Dont you have anything else better to do with your money, and he told me, Mom, I have my doctor, Teresa de Jesus Batista Ramirez was quoted by the Daily Mail, which cited a local media outlet. Man dies while having cut-price liposuction performed by a GYNECOLOGIST who was not licensed https://t.co/KJAdkzR36R Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) June 14, 2019 She added, I told him give it to me better so that I can eat with it and what he did was that he stuck his tongue out and told me goodbye. The report said that Nunez showed up for his 9 a.m. appointment at the Caribbean Plastic Surgery in Santo Domingo with Dr. Oscar Polanco. Polanco allegedly had three other patients die undergoing surgery under his watch. Hospital director Dr. Martha Vargas stated that Nunez suffered respiratory problems after he underwent body liposculpture plus fat transfer to the gluteal region and staff immediately proceeded to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The Mail reported that Polanco is not licensed as a plastic surgeon and is a gynecologist. In 2015, three female patients died at a separate practice that the doctor once oversaw, Newsweek reported. He was also charged with involuntary manslaughter for 24-year-old Ely Pena and 39-year-old Sara de Los Angeles Martinez Rodriguez. The case was later dismissed due to a lack of sufficient evidence, the Mail reported. Newsweek reported that he was incarcerated for three months. In 2016, a man died after undergoing cosmetic surgery at Doctora Maritza Jimenez Medical Center as well. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, liposuction is known as lipo and slims and reshapes areas of the body by removing excess fat and improving body contours. It adds that the decision to have plastic surgery is extremely personal. You will have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications of liposuction are acceptable. However, there are a number of complications associated with the procedure. Liposuction is a surgical procedure that uses a suction technique to remove fat from specific areas of the body, such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms or neck. Liposuction also shapes (contours) these areas. Other names for liposuction include lipoplasty and body contouring, says the Mayo Clinic. It adds: Skin infections are rare but possible. A severe skin infection may be life-threatening. Other Deaths The pattern of deaths made headlines last week after Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Day, 49, were found dead at the Bahia Principe La Romana on May 30. They had checked in on the same day that 41-year-old Pennsylvania woman Miranda Schaup-Werner collapsed and died after allegedly drinking from the minibar at the same resort on May 25, according to reports. Other family members of American tourists then came forward, including Felecia Nieves, who said her sister, Yvette Monique Sport, died in June of last year at the Bahia Principe resort in Punta Cana. Tonight at 5&6A Baltimore pastor talks to #WJZ about her search for answers after her sons mysterious death while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. It comes amid several other recent tourist deaths there. @wjz pic.twitter.com/INvDdkXskK Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) June 7, 2019 She was 51 years of age, relatively healthy, no reason for her to go on vacation and die so suddenly, Nieves said, according to Fox5. On June 9, the family of California man, Robert Bell Wallace, said he died after having a scotch from his room minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort in Punta Cana. California man died in April at Dominican Republic resort after drink from hotel room minibar, family sayshttps://t.co/Tp1jeXgzrs FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) June 10, 2019 He was fine, niece Chloe Arnold said of her uncle, Fox News reported. He and his wife arrived there at around midnight on April 10. On April 11 he had scotch from the minibar. He started feeling very sick, he had blood in his urine and stool right afterward. Dawn McCoy, a Pennsylvania woman, said that her husband, David Harrison, died in July 2018 at the Hard Rock hotel. We were having a great time and we ended up coming home as a broken family, she told Inside Edition. My husbands story needs to be told somethings not right in the Dominican Republic. Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, died in the Dominican Republic just five days before Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Day, 50, were found dead in their hotel on the same resort. https://t.co/UlLwfBAZrt NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) June 5, 2019 Annette Wedington told WJZ in an exclusive last week that she wants answers after her son, Terrence Richmond, died in Jarabacoa. Dominican authorities told her that it was an accident, saying that he had a heart attack and fell. However, Wedington said that he suffered trauma to his knuckles, saying that she thinks he was involved in a struggle before his death. An autopsy obtained from officials said he had a cracked skull and fluid in his lungs. A man is seen on a beach in the Dominican Republic in a file photo. (Erika Santelices/AFP/Getty Images) Son of NY Woman Who Died While in the Dominican Republic Told There Will Be No Toxicology Report The family of the latest American to die while on vacation in the Dominican Republic have been told that there will not be a toxicology report on the woman because the machines in the country are broken. Leyla Cox of Staten Island, New York, traveled to the Caribbean nation to celebrate her birthday on June 5 and was supposed to return home on June 12, her son William Cox told Staten Island Advance. She died on June 10, the day after her 53rd birthday. I have a right to be suspicious, William told the newspaper. He said he wants answers. The Dominican Republic has not released an autopsy report, he said. They will not do a toxicology report on her because they say the toxicology machines in the Dominican Republic are broken. Leyla Cox (Facebook) William said his mother had insisted on traveling to the Caribbean nation despite being begged by family members not to go amidst concerns of the recent deaths. My family wanted her to not go on this vacation, said Cox. I truly believe if my mother was not in the Dominican Republic, she would have been alive right now. Matt Holliday, one of Coxs neighbors who was cat-sitting for her during her trip, said she was thrilled to be going to the Dominican Republic for her birthday. It was going to be a celebration, he told the Post. This is beyond sad. Cox told the New York Post that he U.S. Embassy informed him of his mothers death. I dont know where she diedI know it was in a hotel. I dont know if she was in a room or at the bar. Cox is the eleventh American to die in the last year in a spate of recent deaths. Son of woman who died in DR says he was told countrys toxicology machines are broken https://t.co/yTKd1pf5YN pic.twitter.com/Z4xWSSnSXJ New York Post (@nypost) June 14, 2019 Theyve Put me Against a Wall William said he cannot afford to bring his mothers body back to the U.S. to perform an autopsy and toxicology report. According to the Advance, he intends to have her cremated in the Dominican Republicas per her wishesand have her ashes returned to the United States. Theyve put me against a wall where I dont have a choice, he said. I have to get her ashes back. Dominican Republic (Screenshot/Googlemaps) A number of the other recent deaths and severe illnesses occurred after the tourists had drank something from the mini fridge in the hotel room. Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said via The New York Times that the symptoms described in reports, which include vomiting blood and bleeding, prior to the deaths are consistent with poisoning. Its rare for travelers to die of unknown causes like this, and to have a high number of them in a relatively short period of time is alarming, shocking, sad, Dr. Inglesby said. Its something that investigators should be able to get to the bottom of. He said without a toxicology report, however, it is difficult to establish exactly how they died. FBI Helping With Toxicology Analysis The U.S. Embassy said in a statement on June 11 that the FBI is helping with toxicology analysis on the recent cases, at the request of the Dominican Republic. The results could take up to 30 days. Four of the deaths have occurred at the same resortBahia Principe in Punta Cana, according to earlier reports. Bahia Principe said in a statement on June 7 that reports of the deaths are inaccurate and that false information has been spread in the media. The company said it was committed to collaborating completely with the authorities and hope for a prompt resolution of their inquiries and actions. The company noted that over seven million tourists visit the Dominican Republic every year. In the Dominican Republic, we have 14 hotels and more than 7,100 rooms, making us the largest hotel brand in total number of hotel beds in the country. We welcome approximately 700,000 guests each year. Cox was staying with the Excellence Resort in Punta Cana. Son of Robin Williams Welcomes Baby, Names Son After Late Actor The son of late actor and comedian Robin Williams honored his father by naming his baby after him. Zak Williams welcomed McLaurin Clement Williams last month, and the family shared photos with People magazine. McLaurin was Robin Williams middle name. The couple is going to call the boy Mickey, they told the magazine. His half-sister, Zelda, posted a photo and message of the boy. Worlds Greatest Dad! Robin Williams Son Zak Welcomes Son McLaurin Clement https://t.co/YSZuob1np7 People (@people) June 12, 2019 Meet Mclaurin Clement Williams, aka Mickey, aka Dr. Baby! Hes a squishably cute pterodactyl cooing tiny wonder and I love him so much already big shoutout to Mickey on being the fastest swimmer, and huge congrats to @heyoliviajune and my big bro @zakpym on creating this little joy (and poop) factory! Zelda wrote on Instagram. Olivia June, the mother of the baby, also issued a statement. Introducing you to my little family! My fiance, Zak, and I were so happy to welcome baby McLaurin to the world on May 22nd. We are beyond thrilled he chose us to be his parents, and obviously think hes the best, smartest, and cutest baby ever!! she wrote. Robin Williams died in 2014 after battling depression and reportedly was suffering from the early stages of Parkinsons disease. Zak Williams is now an entrepreneur and mental-health advocate. In 2014, he spoke out about how his family coped with the famed actors death. Were acclimating to the new normal. Everything is step by step, he said at the time, according to the New York Daily News. Dad had almost a childlike love, and he shared that love with people, with everyone. And that ability to love, and that ability to be generous and giving and kind is something we would want to share with future generations. Hotlines If you are in an emergency in the U.S. or Canada, please call 911. You can phone the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1 800 273 8255. Youth can call the Kids Help Phone on 1800 668 6868. In Australia, the suicide prevention telephone hotline at Lifeline is 13 11 14. You can also visit the Lifeline website at lifeline.org.au. Youth can contact the Kids Helpline by phoning 1800 551 800 or visiting headspace.org.au/yarn-safe If you are in an emergency in India, call Befrienders India National Association at +91 33 2474 4704. Defense attorney Boyd Young talks with Tim Jones, center, during the sentencing phase of his trial in Lexington, S.C. Timothy Jones, Jr. was found guilty of killing his 5 young children in 2014. (Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool) South Carolina Father Sentenced to Death for Killing His 5 Children A jury has sentenced a South Carolina father to death on June 13 for murdering his five young children, then dumping their bodies on the side of a dirt road in Alabama. Timothy Jones Jr., 37, was convicted of five counts of murder in the killing of his children, aged 1 and 8, in their home in 2014. The jury took less than two hours of deliberation before delivering their verdict, choosing death instead of life without parole. During the trial, prosecutors portrayed Jones as a selfish, controlling father and husband, who first killed his 6-year-old son Nahtahn in white-hot rage before strangling the rest of his children with his hands. Timothy Jones, Jr. talks with his lawyer, Boyd Young Thursday, June 13, 2019 after Jones was found guilty of killing his 5 young children in 2014 and sentenced to the death penalty in Lexington, S.C. (Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool) Solicitor Rick Hubbard said in his closing argument on June 13 that Jones had split with his wife and couldnt stand that he no longer had control over her. He would then mistreat his children if they expressed any intention of wanting to be with her over him. Hubbard said Nahtahn was killed after he confessed on the phone to his motherbut not to his fatherto breaking an electrical outlet. Jones subsequently then sentenced the rest of his children to death. After killing the children, Jones then moved the bodies into his SUV and drove around the southeast United States for nine days before dumping their bodies in five garbage bags on a dirt road near Camden, Alabama. Hours later, he was arrested at a traffic checkpoint in Smith County, Mississippi, after an officer found the bodies from following the horrible odor of decomposition. While pushing for the death sentence, Hubbard referred to photos of the five garbage bags that were filed in the court but not shown to the jurors. The jurors could have viewed the photos during the deliberation if they wished. If you have any doubt for the appropriate sentence for that man, look in the bag! Hubbard said. 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard delivers closing arguments, showing pictures of the Jones children during the sentencing phase of the trial of Timothy Jones Jr. in Lexington, S.C. on Thursday, June 13, 2019. Jones, Jr. was found guilty of killing his five young children in 2014. (Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool) Meanwhile, the defense claimed that Jones suffered emotional trauma and had undiagnosed schizophrenia, made worse by drug and alcohol use, reported NBC News. But jurors last week rejected the arguments that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, or guilty but mentally ill. Defense lawyer Casey Secor brought up Joness family members as she tried to convince the jury to choose the life sentence. Timothy Jones Jr. looks around the courtroom during closing arguments of his trial in Lexington, S.C. on Thursday, June 13, 2019. Jones, Jr. was found guilty of killing his five young children in 2014. (Tracy Glantz/The State via AP, Pool)/ How much more death does the Jones family have to endure? How many more funerals does this family have to go to? How many more tears do they have to shed? How much more heartache to they have to endure? Secor said. The childrens mother, Amber Kyzer, had asked the jury to spare his life because she did not support capital punishment but said she would respect the jurys decision. He did not show my children any mercy by any means. But my kids loved him and if Im speaking on behalf of my kids and not myself, thats what I have to say, Kyzer said, reported NBC News. She also admitted that there were parts of the trial that made her want to fry him. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Supreme Court Asked to Delay Decision on Citizenship Question in Census WASHINGTONClaiming new evidence contradicts the Trump administrations rationale for wanting to ask 2020 Census respondents whether they are U.S. citizens, a left-wing open-borders group is asking the Supreme Court to delay its upcoming decision in the case. The results from the once-a-decade census, which counts both legal and illegally present persons in the United States, are important because they are used to allocate federal dollars and determine representation in Congress. U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco flatly rejected the dilatory demand in a June 3 letter filed with the high court, saying the request borders on frivolous. This is an attempt to drag this Court into Plaintiffs eleventh-hour campaign to improperly derail the Supreme Courts resolution of the governments appeal, he wrote. The Supreme Court had already heard oral arguments on the merits of the extensively litigated case, known as Department of Commerce v. New York, on April 23. The high court agreed on Feb. 15 to accept the case, an appeal of a ruling by Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, on an expedited basis because the U.S. Census Bureau needs to print its official questionnaires in the coming months. Furman held that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross acted in bad faith and falsely claimed the citizenship question was needed to gather data to help enforce the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and that its addition was requested by the Justice Department. Opponents of the census change claim the administration wants to include the question to discourage Latinos and illegal aliens from completing the form, and that this would unfairly influence congressional representation for Democratic-leaning states with large populations of illegal aliens. According to one estimate, noncitizens make up about 7 percent of the nations inhabitants. Republicans and Democrats have battled for decades over how the census is carried out. Democrats accuse Republicans of scheming to undercount minorities and illegal aliens out of racial animus. Republicans say Democrats try to game the system and use immigration policy to import illegal aliens and new voters to inflate the headcount, in order to strengthen their hold on so-called blue states and congressional districts. On behalf of the New York Immigration Coalition, attorney Dale E. Ho filed a conditional motion to issue a limited remand with the Supreme Court on June 12. Ho is also the director of the ACLUs Voting Rights Project. Ho first advised the Supreme Court of the new evidence in a May 30 letter and filed supporting material on June 12. Ho claims that new evidence, discovered after oral argument, demonstrates the Trump administrations voting-rights-based rationale for adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Decennial Census was concocted by a longtime partisan redistricting strategist, who had concluded that adding a citizenship question would facilitate redistricting methods advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites. Redistricting expert Thomas Hofeller, described by some as the Michelangelo of the modern gerrymander, and who died in August 2018, wrote a portion of an early Justice Department draft letter articulating the VRA [Voting Rights Act] rationale for adding the question, Ho wrote, and this letter was passed on to Justice Department official John Gore at a meeting arranged by the Commerce Departments general counsel, the new brief states. Somehow, this shows the Commerce Department failed to discharge its responsibility [under the Administrative Procedure Act] to explain the rationalethe real rationalefor its decision to add a citizenship question, the brief continues. And the new evidence strongly suggests that Commerces real rationale was the diametric opposite of its stated reason: not to protect minority voting rights through better enforcement of the VRA, but to facilitate a partisan advantage in redistricting and to dilute the electoral influence of voters of color, the brief states. In the case, if the Supreme Court decides to move forward with rendering its official opinion in coming weeks, it could decide the administrations motives are irrelevant or that the new evidence comes too late. Trump Is 100 Percent Correct: Cambria CEO Says Tariffs Are Good for Business The chief executive of a Minnesota quartz producer is hailing President Donald Trumps tariff policy as a lifeline for saving jobs. The president is 100 percent correct, Cambria CEO Marty Davis told the Business Journal, adding, Were fortunate he has the courage and intelligence to see this for what it is. Belle Plaine-based Cambria is the largest U.S. producer of quartz countertops, backsplashes, and floor tiles. Cambria has led efforts to persuade the U.S. Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission to counteract what the companys CEO says is a Chinese strategy to force American companies out of business by dumpingflooding the market with cut-price imports. They sell their product into America at a price lower than our raw material costs, Davis told the Business Journal. Davis has long praised tariffs as an effective way to fight back against what he says is a Chinese gambit to hijack the prosperity of America with imports that are subsidized by Chinas communist regime. The employment we lost during this period of time, as China started pouring in with subsidized product and we slowed down in our production, we lost 200 people in Minnesota, Davis told WCCO. Quartz counters installed in a residential kitchen. (Pixabay / CCO) The CEO added that what he calls state-sponsored dumping by China also put a stranglehold on his companys expansion plans that would have created 300 jobs. Davis calls tariffs a trade-enforcement tool and the only weaponry we have in this economic world war. We are very grateful to the administration; my support of Trump on this particular issue is policy-oriented. Ultimately we would have lost a lot more and it would have decimated our industry, Davis told WCCO. Trade Commission Rules In Favor of Cambria Cambria, which employs about 2000 people, filed a complaint last year that China was dumping quartz and hurting its business. At the time, Davis argued China not only subsidized its quartz exports to allow them to flood foreign markets at prices below the cost of production but also hit quartz imports into China with a 40 percent protectionist tariff. According to Cambrias estimates cited by the Star Tribune, Chinas quartz exports to the United States displaced up to $1.5 billion of U.S. quartz sales last year, up from $1.2 billion in 2017. Weve had to tighten different areas of our business, Davis told the Business Journal, adding that his companys sales have flattened. Investigations by the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission started in May of last year, leading to several preliminary rulings. In Nov. 2018, the Commerce Department concluded that certain quartz surface products from the Peoples Republic of China are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value. In May 2019, Commerce issued a Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and ruled to impose a range of duties ranging up to 178 percent for unfair subsidies and up to 341 percent for dumping. Commerces recent announcement is an important step toward restoring a level playing field in our industry, Davis told the Star Tribunal last November. The final step before the duties could be enacted, however, was a decision by the International Trade Commission (ITC). On Wednesday, June 12, the ITC ruled unanimously to uphold the Commerce decision. With todays decision, the ITC is affirming that foreign governments and producers who break the laws of international trade will be held accountable, Davis told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.` The newly affirmed duties are over and above the broader Trump administration tariffs of up to 25 percent on about $200 billion of Chinese imports. Some industry bodies oppose the ITC decision to impose higher tariffs on quartz, arguing that tens of thousands of American jobs depend on the availability of cheap imported quartz. At the end of the day, Cambrias litigious behavior means higher prices and limited choice for American consumers, reads a statement from the American Quartz Worker Coalition, which covers about 400 businesses that fabricate consumer items like countertops out of quartz. The U.S. quartz industry is an American success story, said Matt Huarte, Owner and Vice President of Arizona Tile, in a press release announcing the formation of the Coalition. The industry has generated significant job growth, healthy profits and exploding sales over the past decade. Unfortunately, this success story is threatened by Cambrias trade petition, which is simply an attempt to fatten its already high profits to the detriment of other manufacturers in the U.S. quartz industry, as well as U.S. quartz consumers. If the costs of quartz increase, consumers will choose alternative countertops, reducing U.S. fabricating-related jobs. There are two very distinct market segments for quartz countertops and looks in the U.S.the luxury market and the mass marketwith little competition between them, said Rupesh Shah, Co-President of MS International. Cambria already dominates the premium luxury market with high-priced specialty products and is highly profitable as a result. U.S. fabricators, who serve the mass market and account for over 50,000 manufacturing jobs throughout all 50 states, rely on these imports to provide consumers with affordable quartz countertop products. If these duties are imposed, U.S. fabricators across the country will suffer. But Davis argues that adjustments to quartz distribution channels will eventually offset higher quartz prices caused by the new tariffs. There may be an adjustment to consumer prices, but thats all got to play out, Davis told the Business Journal. Already some supply chain adjustments have taken place, with many importers picking up the slack with imports from Turkey and India. President Donald Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping arrive at a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Nov. 9, 2017. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) Trump Says Doesnt Matter If Xi Attends Upcoming G20, Trade Deal Will Be Reached Anyway President Donald Trump on June 14 said it doesnt matter if Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the upcoming G20 Summit or not, saying he believed the two countries would reach a trade deal at some point anyway. Were going to see. Eventually theyre going to make a deal, Trump said in an interview with Fox News. Trump has on several occasions said the two leaders would meet at the G20 Summit in Japan later this month. However, the Chinese regime has not yet confirmed such a meeting. On June 13, Trump said he did not have a deadline for Beijing to make progress towards a deal before additional tariffs on $325 billion worth of Chinese goods would be implemented. Trump has previously said he would decide on whether to impose further tariffs after meeting with Xi during the G20 Summit. In the Fox interview, Trump also said the United States was taking in billions of dollars worth of tariffs on Chinese goods, which was causing many companies to move their production out of China. He added that the regime subsidizes their industries and manipulates their currency to offset the effects of the U.S. tariffs. Theyre paying hundreds of billions in dollars. I have 25 percent on $250 billion, he said. Theyre manipulating their currency in order to pay for it. Reiterating previous remarks, Trump then said he increased tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods in early May because the regime tried to renegotiate parts of the trade deal. Relations between the worlds two largest economies have since deteriorated. The Chinese regime imposed a retaliatory tariff hike on $60 billion of U.S. goods, while the United States blacklisted Chinese telecom-gear maker Huawei, on national security grounds, from doing business with American firms. The regime has since announced two measures in apparent retaliation. In late May, Beijing said it would set up an unreliable entity list of foreign companies that harm Chinese businesses interests. Last week authorities announced it was preparing an export control list that would ban certain Chinese technology from being transferred to foreign countries. White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on June 13 that there are no formal plans yet for a meeting between Trump and Xi at the G20 Summit. Speaking at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Kudlow explained the impetus for the current trade war with the Chinese regime. We didnt start this, Kudlow said. What I will call the China problem has been going on for a long time, several decades. But President Trump is the first guy in these several decades to take strong actions to remedy a very unbalanced trading relationship, where the Chinese have violated international trade law. From The Epoch Times Buildings are reflected in the window as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is taken from court, where he appeared on charges of jumping British bail, in London on May 1, 2019. (Matt Dunham/AP) UK Court Sets Assanges US Extradition Hearing for February 2020 LONDONThe full extradition hearing to decide whether Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States to face accusations including spying charges will take place in February next year, a London court ruled on Friday, June 14. Assange, 47, is accused by U.S. authorities of 18 charges including conspiring to hack U.S. government computers and violating an espionage law. He is currently in a London prison after being jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail after fleeing to the Ecuadorean embassy seven years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning in a sexual assault investigation. Assange, dressed in a grey T-shirt and wearing black-framed glasses, appeared by videolink for the short hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court. As Ben Brandon, the lawyer representing the United States, ran through a summary of the accusations against him including that he had cracked a U.S. defense network password, Assange said: I didnt break any password whatsoever. Formal Extradition Request The U.S. Justice Department formally asked Britain to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face charges that he conspired to hack U.S. government computers and violated an espionage law, the U.K. has confirmed. Mr. Assange was arrested in relation to a provisional extradition request from the United States of America. He is accused of offenses including computer misuse and the unauthorized disclosure of national defense information, a spokesperson for the Home Office, Britains internal security department said. Julian Assange gestures to the media from a police vehicle on his arrival at Westminster Magistrates court in London, England, on April 11, 2019. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images) U.S. and British security sources said U.S. prosecutors sent the formal extradition request to UK authorities last week, shortly before the expiration of a legal deadline. On April 11, police forcibly removed the WikiLeaks founder from the Ecuadorean Embassy near Harrods department store in central London. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks on the balcony of the Embassy of Ecuador in London, Britain, on May 19, 2017. (Neil Hall/Reuters) Sources familiar with the U.S. extradition request said that it is based on an indictment federal prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia filed against Assange in May. That indictment added 17 criminal counts to an earlier indictment, filed under seal in March 2018. The new charges include violation of a U.S. espionage statute. The previous indictment alleged that Assange conspired with former U.S. soldier Chelsea Manning to hack into a U.S. government computer system. Manning was arrested and convicted by a military court-martial for leaking hundreds of thousands of U.S. government reports to WikiLeaks. By Andrew MacAskill and Mark Hosenball Jennifer Dulos, 50, has been missing since May 24, 2019, according to police. (New Canaan Police) Update: As Police Continue Their Search, New Details of Jennifer Duloss Disappearance Are Released It has been three weeks since Connecticut mom Jennifer Dulos was last seen alive. New information about the case has emerged raising more questions about her disappearance. This comes after Duloss estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, were charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges. On May 24, the day Jennifer, 50, went missing, an employee of Fotiss construction company was apparently driving the companys black Ford F-150 Raptor in the Duloss town of New Canaan, law enforcement sources told the Hartford Courant. He was apparently working on a home the company was building. Meanwhile, Fotis was driving the employees truck that day. Sources: A pickup truck owned by Fotis Dulos company was in New Canaan the same day Jennifer Farber Dulos disappeared, and state police have since seized a truck, phone and computer of the man they believe was behind the wheel https://t.co/JwBp941ugl Hartford Courant (@hartfordcourant) June 13, 2019 Later that day, the employee returned Fotiss truck to him at his employers Farmington home, Courant reported. Investigators have seized the truck, phone, and computer of the employee, who has not been identified or charged as a suspect, in connection with Duloss disappearance. Police said later that day Fotis and Troconis were allegedly seen disposing of two garbage bags filled with bloody clothes, towels, and sponges. Courant reported that the blood on the items seized from the garbage cans matched Duloss. Moreover, the pair allegedly attempted to get rid of license plates that had been partially taped by throwing them in a storm drain, reported the newspaper, citing an arrest warrant. The licence plates belonged to a vehicle Fotis used to own in 2017. According to WTNH8, authorities have gone back to a trash facility on June 14 to search for evidence. Today marks exactly three weeks since New Canaan mother #JenniferDulos went missing. https://t.co/Z3tSK7LkkJ WTNH News 8 (@WTNH) June 14, 2019 The defense attorney for Fotis, Norm Pattis, claimed to WPLR that Troconis has been ruled out as a suspect in the case as she had passed a polygraph test claiming she did not know what was in the bags when she helped her boyfriend dispose of them and has an alibi for when Jennifer had disappeared. My understanding is the police have ruled her out as a participant in any foul play in New Canaan, Pattis said. My understanding is shes taken a polygraph exam on the question of whether she had any knowledge of any foul play or disposal of evidence and she satisfied police in that polygraph exam and she provided an alibi, he added. Troconis had been out on bail since her initial court appearance, while Fotis posted a $500,000 bond on June 11, reported the Courant. The Connecticut mom was last seen driving a 2017 black Chevrolet Suburban in New Canaan, which had been located by police on the same day she went missing. She was allegedly embroiled in a custody battle with Fotis, who she was married to for 13 years. The couple had five children, aged between 8 and 13, including two sets of twins. Documents reviewed by Fox 61 showed that Jennifer filed for divorce in 2017. Jennifer has been described as a very slender, 5-foot-7 female with a soft voice, dark brown eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair. Anyone with information related to Jennifer Duloss whereabouts should contact the New Canaan Police Tip Line at 203-594-3544. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence holds a hearing titled National Security Challenges of Artificial Intelligence, Manipulated Media, and Deepfakes on June 13, 2019, in Washington. (Screenshot via House Intelligence/Youtube) US Lawmakers Grapple With Their Role in Regulating Media Manipulation WASHINGTONAfter a slowed-down video that made House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) look drunk circulated online last month, the national conversation around fake and misleading media has spread into Congress. U.S. lawmakers are trying to get a handle on what to do about the phenomena of fake media, which can range from a minor tweak of an image, audio file, or footage, to a full-blown artificial creation. Can anyone pick out which of these faces are real and which are fake? Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked the audience during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on June 13, showing a collage of four very real-looking portraits. All of them were fake. Thinking ahead to 2020 and beyond, one does not need any great imagination to envision even more nightmarish scenarios that would leave the government, the media, and the public struggling to discern what is real and what is fake, he said. The witnesses at the hearing agreed that the consequences to public trust in politicians, institutions, and democracy writ large could be dire. And its likely to get much worse before it gets better, but we have to continue to do what we can, said Buffalo University professor David Doermann, who was one of four witnesses. But what government should do about itif it should do anything at allis a hotly debated question. Doermann argued that the tools to detect fake media should be given to those who unknowingly spread itsocial media users and that the government should play an ancillary role. Social media platforms should play a role in identifying fake content, he said, by alerting users that what theyre seeing may not be real. However, using AI to detect forgery is not without its problems, California Republican Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) pointed out at the hearing. Most of the times its conservatives that get banned [from social media platforms] and not Democrats, he said. Its all in whos building the filter. Tech Oligarchs treat Conservatives as peasants -Carlos Mazas Reign of Terror https://t.co/JgNH9qxjw0 Devin Nunes (@DevinNunes) June 7, 2019 Maryland University law professor Danielle Citron argued that while using the courts to combat defamatory fake media is expensive and time-consuming, having the right laws to allow for legal redress for reputational harm is part of the solution. She also supports laws that would increase the responsibility of platforms for the content they allow on their sites. Clint Watts, a research fellow at the German Marshall Fund, also suggested that Congress pass a law to deter government officials and agencies from publishing false or manipulated content, because the government must always be the purveyor of facts and truth, he said. He also suggested that government should work with the private sector on tools that could inform users of the origin of the media as much as possible. Doermann warned that as technology becomes more advanced, so will the ease and ability with which creators will be able to hide or fake a medias origin. Let there be no question that this is a race, he said. The better manipulators get, the better detectors need to be. As for social media platforms using AI to detect fake media, Watts warned that using AI alone could not do the job. He cited a piece by The Onion, which showed a fake Joe Biden washing a car outside the White House with the headline Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am In White House Driveway. The photos are obviously fake and would probably be flagged by bots, but most Americans who are aware that The Onion is a satirical site wouldnt be fooled. If we went to that extreme, we would have a country where everything thats ever been changed or modified for any reason would have to be policed, he said. While the panelists disagreed with what exactly the governments role should be, they all agreed that there is no silver bullet, and that tackling the problem requires a multipronged approach. From NTD.com ALLEPPEY, IndiaIts a world of water. Rolling out through the thick, sultry South Indian air, our double-decker wooden houseboat, the Kookaburra, passes long lines of similar craft, tied up, tires lining the sides as bumpers, all along both shores of the narrow harborsmall, big, single- and double-deckers, finished with both thatch, and newer ones, with glass. The government has capped the number of boats allowed here at 2,000, Eugin tells me, adding that its an attempt to preserve the natural environment. This is one of the subcontinents great natural marinasthe main base for these backwaters, a destination for vacationers across the region, and a world unto itself, but it remains a place largely unknown in the West. The passage narrowing, we reach a bottleneck, and then a minor traffic jam, as a few houseboats, cruising slowly through the murky flow, stack up at the exit. But as we reach the wider waters of the largest lake in the region, the heat and humidity begin to lift. Seated comfortably under a ceiling fan in a triad of comfortable chairs on the forward deck, Im flanked by Eugin, a friend of my brother-in-law, as well as his brother, Gladvin, a border guard, and his cousin, Binu, a local policeman, everyone friendly and ready for a good day on the boat. Just as I begin to settle in, enjoying the bit of breeze now blowing, the captain beckons me to take the drivers seat. Growing up, I was always happy to pilot my familys little 20-foot fishing boat, hand on the outboard tiller, but this is something else entirelylike Im being asked to steer Noahs Ark. Carefully showing me how to maneuver the big boat with what turns out to be an actual wheela wooden one, like from a pirate shipI start to get the hang of it, learning to anticipate the turns well in advance, steering according to what will happen in a few seconds, rather than present conditions, giving the hulking craft enough time to respond. Perhaps I get a little too comfortable. The captain brings me a cold drink, and I start to feel like a real seafaring man as he tells me that he was once a deep-sea fisherman, but he had to get a special license for this boat, as it has no brake. Within minutes, my hand is draped lazily across the wheel, my body half-turned to make conversation with my new friends on board. And so it takes me a little too long to recognize that Ive piloted us from the broad lake into a narrow passage, one thats again filled with boatsto the left, and to the rightand that we happen to be sailing on a heading directly toward the former. The captain is sweating! Eugin calls from behind me, happy, joking, with just a tinge of nervousness in his jest. Im on the backwaters near the city of Alleppey, below Cochin in the South Indian coastal state of Kerala. Formed by a series of brackish rivers, canals (both natural and man-made), and five large lakes, this massive wetland system covers some 560 miles, paralleling the Arabian Sea, and interspersed with fields, villages, and tiny outposts built to service the marine trafficplaces to fuel up, have lunch, and head out. Long a tradition, house-boating here has become wildly popular, especially among local and domestic travelers. Joined by these friends, Ill see just a fraction of the backwaters, just enough to get a sense of this vast destination, jumping off from Alleppey, its main inland port. As we cast lines and ship outbefore I take the wheelEugin gives me a little background on the area. Born and raised herehe runs a local rug factory with his father, which supplies my brother-in-laws company, which is how we came to know each otherEugin has been out on these waters many times. In the harbor, he points out a man in a small, wooden canoe, poling his way from one side to the other, like an ersatz gondolierWere the Venice of the East, Eugin says. He points vaguely to the surrounding area, comprised mostly of rice fields, and notes that, until just a decade ago, the cutting and harvesting here was done by handbut now, the machine has come. And there remains a large populationwhole villages and townsthat depend on these waterways, and the boats that ply them, for transportation, and export, and basic supplies. Right now, the times are good, but later, when it rains, and floods, it can be hard for them, Eugin tells me. Binu, the policeman, points off the port side and shows me an island used by migratory birdsIts very famous!and then adds that this whole area forms his beat, which he patrols in a boat. I ask him the most common crime committed out here, in this remote place, but he says theres very little of thatthat the core of his duties involve search and rescue. After my brief stint at the controlsnavigating safely through that narrow waterway with a little help from the captain, who gestured emphatically, this way and that, on how I should steer, and Binu, who grabbed the wheel a couple of times to ensure that I followedwe dock for lunch at a little outpost. We sit inside, and Binu asks the owner, a friend whom he sees on his frequent trips to the area, to make us a special meal of local fish and rice. And then, when were about to sail onward, we acquire some new guests. We are approached by two young women. It turns out that their group of four had taken a ferry here, a place that feels as remote as the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars. Told that another boat to their next destination would swing by to pick them up momentarily, theyd been waiting for hoursand asked if we could give them a lift. We do. After some initial discussions with the captain, we all pile back on board, and Eugin unveils another lavish spread, a lunch-after-lunchcurries and meats, a South Indian feast. The Germans, we learn, are two couples, all attending the same university, in India to attend a wedding in Goa, a little further north, and here for the express purpose of sailing these backwaters. The rest of the afternoon passes both lazily, and quickly. A couple of the Germans take a turn at the tiller, and the captain neglects to invite me back to the wheelhouse. We pass dozens of other boats, some loaded with supplies, some packed with peopleferries, probablyand others with a few happy souls, like us, eating and drinking the day away. Families wave to us from fishing villages along the shore, and from those little canoes, as we turn further and further into this pleasant labyrinth, palms and rice paddies along the shores. At the moment I completely lose my bearingswe could be a hundred miles away, in my estimationwere back, re-entering the marina at Alleppey, the wily captain having navigated us from memory back to his slip. The heat descends, again. The busy community on shore beckons. Im sad the day is over, but ultimately glad that our pleasant day on the lake became a bit of a rescue mission, and a voyage of shared experience, travelers from three continents coming together. Andthat I didnt sink the Kookaburra, I was most happy about that. Toronto-based writer Tim Johnson is always traveling, in search of the next great story. Having visited 140 countries across all seven continents, hes tracked lions on foot in Botswana, dug for dinosaur bones in Mongolia, and walked among a half-million penguins on South Georgia Island. He contributes to some of North Americas largest publications, including CNN Travel, Bloomberg, and The Globe and Mail. An Adani sign is seen displayed in Townsville, Australia, on May 5, 2019. (Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images) We Can Now Get Moving on Mine: Adani Adani has declared its full steam ahead for its mega coal mine after the Queensland government issued the final approval needed to begin construction. Queenslands environment department has signed off on the plan to manage groundwater on and around Adanis Galilee Basin mine site. Adani chief executive Lucas Dow was really excited they could now begin the two-year construction period for the mine and rail. You could be thinking from today, in two years time, people should be expecting we have exported our first piece of coal, he told reporters in Brisbane. Adani CEO Lucas Dow speaking in Brisbane after final approvals announced: Were now focused on the job of getting on with the job and delivering jobs into central and regional Queensland. MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK #SkyLiveNow pic.twitter.com/BQlAfeh1S5 Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) June 13, 2019 While Adani can now construct the mine, it still faces more state and federal hurdles before it can actually dig out the coal. They include securing a licence to build and operate a rail line and a royalties agreement with the state government. The company needs federal approval for its plan to better understand groundwater use impact on the nearby Doongmabulla Springs before first extraction of coal. The Queensland environment department said Adanis most recent version of the groundwater plan, submitted a day ago, was robust and the result of the best available science. It was satisfied Adani had established the main aquifer that feeds the ancient Doongmabulla Springs Complex, near the edge of the mining lease. But the company must do more work to establish if any other aquifers feed the springs, which some water experts have warned could permanently dry out if the mine proceeds. Adani must also ramp up water monitoring within the springs complex. And use a bore in a layer of claystone that separates the springs from the mine, so theres an early warning trigger for dangerous water-level drops. Adanis Carmichael coal mine has today been given the green light by the Qld Labor govt. The people of regional Qld have won they now have the jobs theyve been fighting for on the way, in communities desperate for an economic boost. MORE: https://t.co/2M2mtbbXch #credlin pic.twitter.com/5bJ8Fqgv9X Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) June 13, 2019 Mine opponents have reacted with fury, declaring the fight against the mine is not over. Greens Senator for Queensland Larissa Waters accused the state Labor government of caving in to pressure from the coal lobby and donors. .@larissawaters on the contentious Adani coal mine approval: You cant address climate change by approving new coal mines were in crippling drought in Queensland, meanwhile this big coal mining company is getting a free ride MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK #Speers pic.twitter.com/mhTKPFwPEH Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) June 13, 2019 Tom Crothers, a former general manager for water allocation and planning in the Queensland government, accused Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of pressuring bureaucrats to approve the plan. Palaszczuk stepped in last month, demanding approval deadlines be set, after Labor was thumped at the federal election in Queensland electorates that want Adanis jobs. Science has been thrown in the bin for political expediency, said Crothers, who worked in government for 35 years before leaving in 2011. State Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said the decision was made solely by her department and that cabinet members had nothing to do with it. It has been made by the regulator and is backed by expert advice, she said. State Oppostion leader Deb Frecklington labelled the decision a win for Queenslanders who need a job, but says its just the beginning. On the other hand, LNP leader @DebFrecklington welcomed the Adani decision as an enormous win for Queensland. pic.twitter.com/WY09EIQ17W Felicity Caldwell (@fel_caldwell) June 13, 2019 She wants the Galilee Basin to be opened up to more projects, but says she wont be softening the states environmental laws to make the approvals process easier if elected next year. You cant just come into Queensland and start digging up coal, it is an extremely rigorous and difficult process as it should be, she said. MPs say the requirements laid out by the department will reassure farmers and graziers who fear the mines potential impact on water sources. Some water experts claim Adani has grossly underestimated the mines impacts on groundwater, and fear the effects of its permit to pump water out of the mine to allow for the safe extraction of coal. Regional leaders were glad a decision had been finally made and were now waiting for Adani to follow through with jobs. LNP mines spokesman Dale Last says 19,000 people have applied for the 1500 direct jobs Adani says the project will create during construction. By Tracey Ferrier and AAP staff Hezbollah terrorists listen to Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, as he speaks via a video link during a rally to mark the Hezbollah martyr day, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) What Did Obama Know About Hezbollahs Bomb Plot in London? Commentary President Donald Trumps long-anticipated visit to Europe during the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion has now come and gone. He arrived in the UK on June 3 and departed for Ireland on June 5, before hopping across the Channel for the official D-Day ceremonies in France on June 6. What I would like to draw attention to is what occurred immediately prior to Trumps arrival in the UK, and what subsequently happened immediately after his departure. Just prior to Trumps visit, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she would be resigning. She made the announcement on May 24 and stated that June 7 would be her last day as the leader of the conservative party. Following Trumps departure from Europe, it was suddenly revealed in the UK press that a massive bomb plot in London by the Iran-linked terror group, Hezbollah, had been foiled several years ago, and that authorities had deliberately hidden that plot from the public. It was in the fall of 2015 that UK intelligence agency MI5 discovered a cell of Hezbollah terrorists operating in northwest London. According to reporting by The Telegraph, the group had amassed a stockpile of more than three metric tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer compound that is a popular key component in homemade bombs. The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 by domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh, which killed 168 people and caused extensive damage to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, involved two tons of ammonium nitrate. The Hezbollah terror cell had compiled three metric tons at the time it was caught. So lets make this crystal clear: This wasnt going to be any kind of small-scale attack on London. Hezbollah isnt an independent terror organization. Its a fully owned and organized tool of the Iranian regime, which means Iran had a direct hand in fomenting a plot to set off a massive bomb in London. David Reaboi, an analyst at the Security Studies Group, was one of the first people to grasp the import of the revelation of the Hezbollah London bomb plot. Soon after The Telegraph broke the story, Reaboi wrote on Twitter: This is actually a **huge** intel scandal. Im assuming the US IC and Obama knew that, while they were pushing the Iran Deal, THERE WAS AN IRANIAN BOMB STOCKPILE IN LONDON. Politicians were NOT informed, lest theyd oppose the Deal. This is actually a **huge** intel scandal. Im assuming the US IC and Obama knew that, while they were pushing the Iran Deal, THERE WAS AN IRANIAN BOMB STOCKPILE IN LONDON. Politicians were NOT informed, lest theyd oppose the Deal. @dbongino https://t.co/ENaeYGqTHn David Reaboi (@davereaboi) June 10, 2019 I suspect this is a big reason why May is really resigning. She very well could have agreed to continue the David Cameron policy of hiding this planned massive terrorist attack from UK lawmakers and the public, in order to save the Iran nuclear deal. Cameron was the UKs prime minister in the fall of 2015; May wasnt elected prime minister until July 2016. Notably, May was the UKs home secretary when the plot was uncovered. The discovery was so serious that David Cameron and Theresa May, then the prime minister and home secretary, were personally briefed on what had been found, The Telegraph wrote in its June 10 article. Like Reaboi, I have a hard time believing that both the Cameron and May governments hid this Hezbollah bomb plot from the Obama administration. However, since they were hiding the information from their own lawmakers, its a question that needs to be asked: Was then-President Barack Obama ever informed that the regime in Tehran, with which he was about to sign a nuclear deal, had just been caught engaging in blatant terrorist activity in London? And if Obama was informed, what actionif anydid he take? As Epoch Times contributor Jeff Carlson discusses in a recent article, Obama didnt officially enact the Iran deal until Jan. 21, 2016, when he signed Executive Order 13716 into effect. That was months after the Hezbollah terror cell had been caught. Its exceedingly strange for the United States and governments in Europe to still be assiduously seeking a nuclear deal with a regime that is not only fomenting terrorism and instability all over the Middle East, but also planning large-scale terror attacks in Western Europe. The Iran deal itself was a hard sell, to begin with. Obama never even put it in front of Congress because he knew there was zero chance of it passing. But coupled with the fact that Western intelligence and law enforcement agencies were catching Iran-backed terrorists hatching a bomb plot right in the heart of London, its outright bizarre. How many government leaders and which countries were involved in covering up Irans involvement in this UK terror plot so they could keep the Iran deal going? In case youve been waiting for the next big international scandal to drop, youre looking at it right now, folks. I dont think it was the bungling of Brexit alone that forced May out; it was also the knowledge that this coverup was about to be exposed, as well as the involvement of UK intelligence officials in the ongoing and ever-expanding Spygate scandal. This stinks to high heaven and if we had a real media, reporters would be asking serious questions right now. Where are they? Brian Cates is a political pundit and writer based in South Texas and the author of Nobody Asked for My Opinion But Here It Is Anyway! Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders calls on reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Sept. 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) White House Looking at Candidates to Replace Sarah Sanders as Press Secretary President Donald Trump said that hes looking at a number of potential candidates to replace Sarah Sanders, who is leaving her position as White House press secretary in a few weeks. I have a lot of people that want it, he said during an interview on Fox & Friends on Friday morning. He named several people, including Stephanie Grisham, director of communications for First Lady Melania Trump, who he said was terrific. He also said that he likes Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director, but said he should stay in his current role as a political consultant. Anthony is a good guy Trump says about @Scaramucci but says he should stay where he is Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) June 14, 2019 Pres has no announcement on who hell name to succeed Sarah Sanders as Press Secretary. I have a lot of people that want it, he said. A lot of great people want the job. Said @StephGrisham45 is terrific, and he likes @Scaramucci, but says he should stay where he is. Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 14, 2019 Grisham praised Sanders on Thursday, calling her a true pro and a dear friend. Multiple reports have indicated that shes near the top of the list in terms of possible replacements. Two sources told Fin Gomez of CBS, formerly of Fox News, that interviews could begin next week and that Grisham was a strong candidate. Stephanie Grisham is well-respected by the first couple and has impressed the president, according to the sources. Grisham was among the staff who worked on the presidents 2016 campaign, Gomez noted. The president likes her, a former White House official told him. Jonathan Swan, a reporter for Axios, said that a number of influential people close to President Trump want her in the joband Trump has told people he likes her and trusts her. Melania loves her, and shes captured POTUS attention in her ability to manage news cycles and understand their philosophy, a White House adviser told RCP. Tough as nails, very smart. Other possible replacements included Tony Sayegh, who was spokesman for Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Steve Cortes, a pro-Trump CNN contributor, and Hogan Gidley, Sanderss deputy press secretary, Gomez reported. Ari Fleischer, who served as press secretary for President George W. Bush, said whoever replaces Sanders needs three things. They will need someone who, number one, understands President Trump, believes in President Trump, and will fight for President Trump, he told RCP. Number two, it would help if they found someone with a good rapport with the press corps because this is a time to make that relationship better. And number three, they better have damned thick skin. From NTD News Woman Sees Alligator With Knife Sticking out of Head An alligator in Texas was seen swimming with a large knife stuck in its head. Its not clear how the blade got there. Erin Weaver, a Houston woman, said she spotted the alligator. It looked like a steak knife that was sticking out of his head, she told KTRK.I saw him swimming and then I saw him turn, like swimming towards me, and I saw something sticking out of his head, adding that I dont know if it was in his eye, but it looked, if it wasnt in his eye it was very close to his eye. KNIFE STUCK IN GATOR: Neighbors in Sugar Land are seeking help for an alligator found with a knife in between its eyes. https://t.co/Ew4GrzZFTw ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) June 14, 2019 Weaver said that over the years, she never saw an alligator attack anyone, and she isnt sure why someone would stab one in the skull. I feel that somebody did this on purpose, KTRK quoted her as saying. In the next week, a Texas wildlife agency said it would investigate. I want to get help for this alligator. I dont want to see an alligator swimming around with a knife in its head and suffering, she said. Other details about the incident are not clear. A local official, Chris Bishop, told the news outlet he is optimistic the gator is not in pain and could live like this for some time. Alligator Breaks into Home Last month, an 11-foot-long alligator was spotted inside a Florida home after going through the window. An 11-foot-long alligator was spotted inside a Florida home after going through the window. (Clearwater Police) The gator apparently came in through her floor-to-ceiling windows before knocking over furniture and damaging walls. (Clearwater Police) The Clearwater Police Department, describing the gator as an unwanted overnight visitor, said it was removed from a home in Clearwater. The 11-foot-long gator broke into the home through some low windows in the kitchen. The homeowner called police and a trapper also responded to the scene, the police department wrote on Facebook. I decided I wasnt staying there, so I went back to my bedroom and closed the door and called the police, Wischhusen recalled to Fox 13. I was hyperventilating a little, so what I did was I went on the computer and played games to settle down. Two trappers and ten officers responded to the scene. Wischhusen said she isnt sure why the alligator broke into her house after passing by four empty condos. He was really tying. But its mating season, she added. Theyll try anything. And over Memorial Day weekend, a woman suffered injuries after she was attacked by an alligator in Fay Lake Wilderness Park, Florida. We have a female who was allegedly bit by an alligator. She was out in the woods, swimming in a lake, from what we understand, Brevard County Fire District Chief Thomas Uzel told the news outlet. She was classified as a trauma alert and she was transported to Holmes. Continued from Wednesday June 12... How can the state help expand rural broadband if it doesnt know who has broadband and who doesnt? This is a problem thats not as big as might seem. The lack of detailed maps really just matters along the edges. Everybody pretty much knows where the dead zones are. The Commonwealth Connect report estimates that there are 660,000 homes and businesses that lack broadband and lays out a 10-year plan on how to connect them. That would push Northams 2022 goal to 2028. The total cost is put at a staggering $1 billion, although heres a good comparison: Thats less half the cost of upgrading Interstate 81, so maybe its not so staggering, after all. The report projects that Virginia will pay for $320 million of that. The rest would come from a patchwork of other sources the federal government, the tobacco commission and the telecoms themselves. Northam proposed this year the state spend $50 million on rural broadband. A more parsimonious General Assembly cut that to $15 million, although heres a useful comparison: Until a few years ago, the state wasnt spending anything on rural broadband. In 2017, under Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Virginia spent its first $1 million. Last year, the state spent $4 million so you can also say the legislature nearly quadrupled spending on rural broadband, although it will have to spend a lot more to meet that extended 2028 goal. The legislature also quietly passed two bills that will help expand rural broadband. The most significant comes from Del. Israel OQuinn, R-Washington County. His bill would allow utilities such as Dominion Power and Appalachian Power to install cables that would carry broadband into hard-to-reach rural areas. Thats a simple sentence for a complex set of regulations. Its also kind of a big deal that reflects an unusual confluence of events. Last year, the General Assembly passed a controversial bill dealing with utility regulation. Public attention was naturally focused on electric rates, but behind it were some technical details dealing with smart grid technology. Laymans version: Virginias utilities will soon start installing some whiz-bang technology to monitor stuff. If theyre laying cables anyway, why couldnt they add a few more for rural broadband? That sure cuts down the up-front cost. Thats what OQuinns bill enables. Some states are a long way from installing smart grid technology; some states already have. Virginia, conveniently, is just about to which makes the timing serendipitous. For rural Virginia, OQuinns bill might just be the most important one that got passed this year. The other bill, by Del. Bob Thomas, R-Fredericksburg, allows localities to create a service district that can contract with internet service providers to extend broadband into underserved areas. This is more complicated to explain, so we wont. Suffice it to say, though, that this gives local governments the tool to take matters into their own hands. No matter whos up or whos down in Richmond, this is the stuff that really matters. 3 1 of 3 State Police photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 State Police photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3 State Police from Troop E in Montville are seeking the public's help in finding two classic American muscle cars that were stolen from the old Palmer Farm in Voluntown over the winter. The vintage farmhouse and the expansive property is now for sale, according to real estate listings. But it was home to a 1966 green Ford Mustang and a 1969 orange Chevy Camaro, both of which disappeared sometime between November and March, state police said. NORWALK Two school cafeterias are not only getting a facelift, but also a new purpose. Upgrades to Tracey Elementary School and West Rocks Middle School were approved by the Common Council on Tuesday. Both schools will join Rowayton and Kendall Elementary schools in featuring a more welcoming dining atmosphere, intended to improve students experiences in the cafeteria. Two years ago we started with the cafeteria renovations to give a more family-styled eating, William Hodel, director of facilities and maintenance, said to the Common Councils Land Use Committee on June 5. Last year we did Kendall Elementary, here we have in front of you two more schools. The goal is to really change the dining experience and dining environment, Thomas Hamilton, the schools chief financial officer, told the Norwalk Facilities Construction Commission last week. The cafeteria is one of the most stressful places for students during the school day, Hamilton said. What were trying to do is alter the school environment. Were trying to move away from a very institutionalized environment. Hamilton said the goal is to eventually move all of the school cafeterias away from what the superintendent refers to as prison-style dining. Instead of the long tables with benches, there will be rounded tables with detached chairs. The cafeteria will also feature food stations where the students get a choice in what they want for lunch instead of just getting something placed on a tray, Hamilton said. The goal is to also make the food more appealing and healthier, he said. It is specifically referenced in the boards strategic operating plan transform the dining experience, Hamilton said. The Tracey Elementary School cafeteria project was approved not to exceed $217,170 while the West Rocks Middle School cafeteria project was approved not to exceed $300,637. Hamilton said the difference in price was due to the fact that the middle school cafeteria was larger in size. Councilwoman Barbara Smyth voiced her support for changing the cafeteria atmosphere. Our kids are so stressed out, Smyth said. Theres so much stress on them. By third grade theyre taking these (standardized) tests, anything we can do to reduce that stress and create a nurturing environment. Hamilton stressed that the dining approvals were not fluff. (This is) directly related to making our schools more welcoming places and places where our students are more likely to succeed, academically, socially, Hamilton said. kelly.kultys@hearstmediact.com NORWALK Wall Street and the surrounding area have been at the center of contentious litigation, controversial redevelopment plans and ongoing discussions about how to bring it back to its best days. But, in the midst of all the business owners, tenants and residents said theyve been hitting the pavement to make things happen on their own. Many of their efforts are coming together during the areas big week on Wall Street, starting on Monday, June 17. That day kicks off the weeklong restaurant week, which feature specials at eight participating restaurants and smaller offers at various bars and cafes. On Friday, June 21, Make Music Day and the Marketplace on Main aim to drive pedestrian traffic to the neighborhood to help reintroduce and introduce many Norwalk residents to the area. Danna DiElsi, owner of the Silk Touch, who has been organizing the marketplace event said the goal is to get vendors and customers to come to the area. Its exciting, she said. Ive always loved things like this. DiElsi said shes been wanting to do something like this for the past 14 years to help reactivate the street, but this year felt like a good time. One of the reasons for that has been the work and effort of the Wall Street Neighborhood Association. Working with the Wall Street Neighborhood Association is helping, DiElsi said. Promoting local businesses and events are two main goals the association hopes to accomplish. The Wall Street Neighborhood Association has been formed to create & sustain a clean, inviting, charming neighborhood, the associations mission statement reads. The association shall promote community awareness, the arts, investment, improvement and involvement all to attract more residents, businesses & visitors to the neighborhood. The association covers all of Wall Street, from Belden Avenue to the Head of the Harbor Development and then up Main Street and over to River Street. Jamie Lopez, the owner of Paella Tapas Wine Bar on Main Street, said the association and specifically Chairwoman Nancy McGuire, has helped him become optimistic about the area. For the first time in my life, Im excited, he said. Shes doing very well. Finally, someone just listened. Lopez said McGuires efforts are why hes excited about the upcoming restaurant week and what it can do for the area. We work together, said McGuire, a commercial real estate broker who runs the Austin McGuire Real Estate Advisors on Wall Street, about the association and the local business owners. The association puts out a weekly newsletter that notifies subscribers about local events taking place in the area and highlights local businesses to help promote them. Lee Chavkin said his business, Cousins Clothing of Norwalk on Main Street, has been there for 40 years and theres been a lot of talk, no action. However, he said the association has been working to try and get people together to move it forward. Cabitha Dely, owner of Superstar Salon & Boutique on Main Street, said she believes the area is on its way back up. Business is much better, she said. A lot of events, activities is good. It was down a little, but now were coming up. Chef David Soto, of Aji 10 on Wall Street, said that a lot of people dont always realize the different types of restaurants and stores in the area. Something that helped me the New York Times review helped a lot, he said. His site also has the benefit of an outdoor patio for diners, something that Soto said has helped a lot. McGuire said she hoped residents took advantage of restaurant week to try the areas variety of places, ranging from Aji 10s Latin-Japanese fusion to the Peruvian Mochica Restaurant, which McGuire said is one of the areas best kept lunch secrets. Universal Hair Salon owner, Allen Moore, said hes been in the area for 15 to 25 years, since he started working at the Pathmark on the street, which closed in 1998. Ive seen it grow from like nothing, he said. McGuire and other owners said they hope the combination of Restaurant Week, Make Music Day and Marketplace on Main, bring people to the area and once they see what it has to offer, they keep coming back. kelly.kultys@hearstmediact.com The Hall County Sheriffs Office is posting older warrants where there have been no leads in hopes someone in the public may recognize the person named in the warrants and provide new information. The following people are wanted on warrants: Maria Del-Carmen Sanchez-Martinez Maria Del-Carmen Sanchez-Martinez, 34, is Hispanic, 5 feet, 130 pounds, has brown eyes and blonde hair. Here are her tattoos: On the left arm it says, Only God Can Judge Me, On the left chest, she has a butterfly. On her back, she has a picture of her father. On her back is the word Josephine. On her right lower leg is Pedro. On her left leg is a flower. She also has unspecified tattoos on her left shoulder, both ankles and her lower left arm. Sanchez-Martinez is wanted on a 2014 warrant for revocation of probation for aiding and abetting distribution of a controlled substance. The last address the Hall County Sheriffs Office had for Sanchez-Martinez was in Denver. Her birth city is listed as Goanajuato, Mexico. Juan J. Bravo Grand Island police say Tyler Cruse assaulted a 64-year-man after trying to break into the mans home early Tuesday morning. Cruse allegedly told Juan Hernandez he was going to kill him while continuing to yell racial slurs. He also told Hernandez that he does not belong in America because he is not truly American, says the police media report. The victim exited the home to ask Cruse to stop trying to break in his front door when Cruse began to brutally assault the elderly male, says the media report. The crime, which occurred at 1124 W. Third St., was reported at 2 a.m. The mans sons heard their fathers cries for help and went to his aid, but Cruse and another male fled the scene when the sons arrived, says the media report. Cruse, 20, was later arrested for third-degree assault, terroristic threats and a hate crime. Hernandez was treated and released from CHI Health St. Francis. Faith Lutheran at Nysted St. Peders, as a part of its centennial celebration in 2019, will be hosting the Rev. Mark Chavez, general secretary of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) on June 30. Chavez will preach the sermon during the 9:30 a.m. service, which will be followed by a potluck dinner. At 1 p.m., he will speak about the NALC and what the churches are doing. Faith Lutheran at Nysted St. Peders is located in Nysted. From the Highway 58/Highway 11 corner, at Dannebrog, go 1 mile north on Highway 11, turn west on Seventh Avenue and go approximately 2 miles. Faith Lutheran is on the north side of the road. Everyone is welcome. Third City Christian planning blood drive Third City Christian Church in Grand Island will host an American Red Cross blood drive June 28. The event will be from noon to 6 p.m. at the Central Plains Chapter House at 404 E. Third St. For an appointment, call Carolyn at (308) 384-4219. For Richard Hain of Green Magazine, a monthly publication for John Deere lovers, the enthusiasm for John Deere comes from its strong connection to the heritage of this country. For many of the collectors and exhibitors, the love of John Deere is an inherited trait. It was either a grandfather or a father who used a John Deere on the farm and became wedded to the brand. Even family members who are not farming still have a strong love of all things green. It is part nostalgia and part appreciation of something genuinely American that helped shape the history of the nation and the world. For thousands of years, agriculture was basically the same process up until 1837, when a blacksmith in Illinois named John Deere created the steel moldboard plow that made farming just a little bit easier. That was the beginning of modern agriculture that changed the world and made it possible for a handful of people to feed billions. Advanced technology, such as GPS and onboard computers and lasers, is also on display along with the old John Deere plow at this weeks event. A lot has changed in 182 years. Now, in 2019, at Fonner Park, the history of John Deere is on display. One of the oldest tractors is a 1917 Experimental Waterloo tractor, which is famously known as the Bathtub D. Video shot by Barrett Stinson HASTINGS In the late 1920s, commercial airliners had a lot more legroom than they do now. Thats one of the first discoveries you will make if you fly on the Ford Tri-Motor this weekend in Hastings. The public will be able to fly on the Tri-Motor 5-AT-B today through Sunday. The aircraft, which made its first flight on Dec. 1, 1928, is owned by the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio. It is leased from the museum by the Experimental Aircraft Association, which is based in Oshkosh, Wis. Those who take the flight will get a nice view of Hastings from above. But theyll also get a taste of what flying was like in the 20s and 30s, says pilot Steve Lambrick, who lives in El Paso, Texas. The plane seats 10 passengers, with room for two in the cockpit. Lambrick pointed out that every passenger has both an aisle and a window seat. Each row consists of two seats, divided by the walkway. The exterior of the plane is corrugated metal, with wood paneling inside. The cockpit towers above the seating area. MARYVILLE Maryville Christian High School (MCHS) is on the cusp of adding a three-story, 43,000-square-foot addition for its high school students. The new addition will cost nearly $7 million and extend from the southwest end of the campus and connect to the current middle and high school building. The vision of Maryville Christian School is to Shape Lives that Shape the Future, said school administrator Chad Laughlin. Over the past five years, we have seen our enrollment go from 240 students to over 450 students. We are currently filled to capacity at all elementary grade levels and approaching capacity at the middle school level. Our high school continues to increase in enrollment as our current middle school students transition to high school and as we enroll new students to MCHS, he said. If we do not expand our facilities, we will have to turn families away. Our [goal] is to provide an excellent education in a distinctively Christian environment to any family that desires that for their children. Laughlin said ground preparations have already begun. Plocher Construction out of Highland is the contractor for this project. Plocher completed the schools current, two-story, 44,000-square-foot facility in 2015. A Plocher representative appeared before the Maryville Plan Commission May 28 about the project, which Laughlin said is funded by donations. It is estimated that the addition will cost $6.9 million according to Kevin Flaugher, the villages building and zoning director. The village Plan Commission approved the plan May 28 and advanced it to the full village board, which approved it June 5. An estimated 8,000 cubic yards of dirt will be needed to raise the construction site six to 10 feet so that a pad can be poured for construction, Laughlin said. The goal is to begin construction of the building in late June or early July. The plan is to be ready to move into the building for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. Like with most any construction project, the timeline is weather-dependent, in this case, until the roof, walls and windows are installed. Laughlin laid out what, in general, will be on each floor: First floor: eight classrooms, commons/lunch area, offices, band room, gym and locker rooms Second floor: nine classrooms, art room, science lab, weight room and multi-purpose space Third floor: eight classrooms, two makerspace rooms and robotics room While our enrollment for this year is expected to be around 475 students, we look at our enrollment in terms of students per grade level that we can accommodate. In our current facility, we are limited to a maximum of 48 students per grade level. The high school addition will allow us to accommodate approximately 80 students per grade level K-12. The expansion of our facilities will allow us to continue to grow at every grade level. That means a total student body of 1,040. We have students from all over Madison County, Laughlin said. A majority do come from neighboring communities such as Troy, Maryville, Collinsville, Glen Carbon and Edwardsville. The growing student body will lead to additional staff hires, Laughlin predicted. We have had to hire new staff each year over the past five years to meet the needs of our growing student population, he said. The addition will allow us to accept more students which will, in turn, lead to us hiring more teachers. The village does not monitor the enrollment at the Maryville Christian School, said Mayor Craig Short. Our public safety entities (police and fire) will have periodic interaction with school officials and conduct walk-throughs of the building to be familiar with the layout in case of any future safety issues. Short said several families have moved to Maryville to be closer to the school, although it attracts students from throughout the area. I think that the Maryville Christian School is an excellent institution and a tremendous asset to the village, Short said. Were in favor of any high-quality program that brings attention to our community. We welcome all visitors, even if its just to drop off children attend an event at school. It allows them to see what Maryville can offer. Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at (618) 646-4700, ext. 31 Courtesy of SIUE EDWARDSVILLE Southern Illinois University Edwardsville hosted a delegation on Friday, June 7 from JSS Science and Technology University located in Mysuru, India. The JSS visitors included Vice Chancellor B.G. Sangameshwara, Engineering and Technology Dean T.N. Nagabhushan and B.S. Harish, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Information Science and Engineering. SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook, PhD, and Director of University-Community Initiatives Gireesh Gupchup, PhD, visited this institution in 2017, where they signed a letter of engagement. This reciprocal visit served to launch formal discussions about specific areas of collaboration involving student and faculty exchange within the SIUE School of Engineering (SOE). A South Jacksonville woman faces drug-related charges after a search warrant was executed Thursday. Hollye L. Wilson, 30, of 1418 Hardin Ave. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 9:46 p.m. Thursday on charges of aggravated participation in methamphetamine manufacturing and possession of methamphetamine, 5 to 15 grams. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Sergey Lavrov (The Jakarta Post) Moscow Fri, June 14, 2019 17:58 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c81858 3 Opinion Russia,nazi,World-War-II Free The month of May and the fireworks are now behind us. The country and the world celebrated Victory Day, which is a holiday of war veterans, home front workers and all the people of Russia and other victorious nations. Preparations are beginning for celebrating the 75th anniversary of victory in 2020, which, of course, will be held at a level appropriate to the scale of the feat and the greatness of the spirit of the heroes of that war. One cant help thinking about it: What does May 9 mean for the peoples who were on the verge of annihilation, and why do some people loathe this holiday today? As someone who is part of the first postwar generation, who grew up on the stories told by war veterans and family tales about the war, I believe the answers to these questions are obvious. The peoples of the Soviet Union and other countries became the object of the inhuman ideology of Nazism, and then the victim of aggression on behalf of the most powerful, organized and motivated war machine of that time. At the cost of terrible sacrifices, the Soviet Union made a decisive contribution to defeating Nazi Germany and, jointly with the Allies, liberated Europe from the fascist plague. The victory laid the foundation for the postwar world order based on collective security and state-to-state cooperation, and paved the way to creating the United Nations. Unfortunately, however, the memory of victory is not sacred to all. It is regrettable that there are individuals in Russia who picked up the myths spread by those who want to bury this memory, and who believe that the time has come to stop solemn celebrations of Victory Day. Bitter as it is to witness, we see the attempts to discredit the heroes, to artificially generate doubts about the correctness of the path our ancestors followed. Both abroad and in our country we hear that public consciousness in Russia is being militarized, and Victory Day parades and processions are nothing other than imposing bellicose and militaristic sentiment at the state level. Our detractors seek to diminish the role of the Soviet Union in World War II and portray it if not as the main culprit of the war, then at least as an aggressor, along with Nazi Germany, and spread the theses about equal responsibility. They cynically equate Nazi occupation, which claimed tens of millions of lives, and the crimes committed by collaborationists with the Red Armys liberating mission. We hold sacred the contribution of all the Allies to the common victory in that war, and we believe any attempts to drive a wedge between us are disgraceful. But the fire of truth cannot be put out. It was the peoples of the Soviet Union who broke the backbone of the Third Reich. That is a fact. The attacks on Victory Day and the celebration of the great feat of those who won the terrible war are appalling. No one will admit this, of course, but here are the facts: the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union let their junior partners, who are using blatant Russophobia to build their careers, get away with quite a lot. These guys get away with everything, including glorification of Nazi henchmen and hardcore chauvinism toward ethnic Russians and other minorities for the sole purpose of using them to keep Western alliances on anti-Russian positions and to reject a pragmatic dialogue with Moscow on an equal footing. Today, distorting the past, Western politicians and propagandists want to make the public doubt the fair nature of the world order that was approved in the UN Charter following WWII. They adopted a policy seeking to undermine the existing international legal system and to replace it with a certain rule-based order. This primarily concerns the US and its peculiar perception of 20th century history. The idea of two good wars is still widespread there, as a result of which the US secured military dominance in Western Europe and a number of other regions of the world, raised confidence in its strength, experienced an economic boom and became the world leader. Just as enthusiastically as the Europeans, the Americans are creating an image of militaristic Russia. However, most of their own history is a sequence of endless wars of conquest. We are essentially accused of preserving the memory of our fathers and grandfathers, who laid down their lives in a sacred liberation war, giving them military honors, and celebrating Victory Day widely and with pride. Was it Russia or the Soviet Union that unleashed two world wars? Is it us who today operate an extensive network of military bases that were created to control the entire world? This year, as we took part in Victory Day celebrations, we once again told everyone willing to listen: Yes, just like our ancestors we are ready to decisively repel any aggressor. But Russians do not want war, and do not want to go through horror and suffering again. The historical mission of our nation is to guard peace. Therefore, we are offering a hand to anyone who wants to be good partners to us. Our Western colleagues have long had our proposals that open realistic ways to overcoming confrontation and putting up a reliable barrier to all those who allow for the possibility of a nuclear war. I am confident that the citizens of Russia and other countries will be watching parades in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory on May 9, 2020, and joining the ranks of the Immortal Regiment with St. George ribbons attached to their lapels with thoughts of peace in their minds. The memory of those who fell in battle fighting the enemies of the homeland, the enemies of civilization, will remain alive as long as we mark the great holiday of victorious nations, the holiday of salvation and the holiday of liberation. *** The writer is Russian foreign minister. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mriganka Jaipuriyar (The Jakarta Post) Singapore Fri, June 14, 2019 15:54 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c7c59d 3 Opinion fuel-price,oil-price,energy,oil-and-gas Free Worsening trade tensions between the United States and China have cast a dark cloud over crude prices. Add a heavy shower of refinery closures for maintenance works and its easy to see why oil markets are facing a perfect storm. Demand side fears have fueled the slide in crude oil prices. ICE Brent futures lost around US$16 per barrel, or 21 percent, of their value in early June from a 2019 high of $75.60 seen on April 25. Experts agree that a glum outlook for the global economy is to blame. Financial markets continue to price in an increased probability of recession in the next year, Chris Midgley, Global Head of Analytics at S&P Global Platts said recently. Bickering over trade between China and the US the worlds largest economies and consumers of crude are causing forecasters problems. Platts Analytics has revised its oil consumption growth forecast lower. In Asia, which accounts for around 60 percent of global demand growth, refined oil product use is expected to grow by 800,000 barrel per day (bpd) in 2019, down from 910,000 bpd in 2018. This marks the weakest performance since 2014, according to Platts Analytics. Both China and India together contributing 95 percent of total regional demand growth in Asia are expected to see weaker increases in consumption due to slowing economies and tepid auto sales. Chinas oil product demand growth is expected to ease to 560,000 bpd this year, from 660,000 bpd in 2018, according to Platts Analytics. While in India, the growth forecast for 2019 has been revised down by 40,000 bpd to 200,000 bpd for this year. Despite these headwinds, oil prices should still see some recovery starting this month as refinery activity picks up. More activity from refineries should begin to simultaneously increase demand for crude and draw down stocks. Refinery downtime peaked in May this year with around 9.5 million bpd of capacity shut in, up by about 920,000 bpd from April and nearly 2.5 million bpd higher than in the previous year, Platts Analytics said in a recent report highlighting the shift in balances. From the peak in May, outages are expected to fall rather sharply to 7.47 million bpd for June. This should help draw down stocks, particularly in the US, which has seen a counter-seasonal build. The five-year average of data from the US Energy Information Administration shows stocks typically declining starting in May and heading into the summer as refiners increase runs. However, US stocks are up roughly 17 million barrels since May 3. At 483.26 million barrels in early June, these stock levels are 7.2 percent above the five-year average. Supply side worries have also eased with other producers stepping in to make up for lost production from Iran. According to the International Energy Agency, solid gains in production from Libya, Nigeria and the US had offset production falls in April from a range of countries, including Azerbaijan, Canada, Iran and Kazakhstan. However, heightened geopolitical risks cannot be ignored. Separate attacks on Saudi Arabias key East-West oil pipeline and oil tankers near the vital Strait of Hormuz in May sent risk premiums for Middle East freight soaring. Also supporting prices is a high probability of a production cut roll over by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+). Saudi energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, said on June 7 that OPEC is ready to commit to extending its oil production cuts beyond their June expiry. I dont think Id be giving away a secret if I said that on the OPEC side, the rollover is almost in the bag, Falih said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum after meeting with Russian counterpart Alexander Novak. Saudi Arabia has cut its own production to 9.65 million bpd in May, the minister said, far below its quota of 10.31 million bpd, to demonstrate its commitment to rebalancing the market. OPEC and 10 non-OPEC allies led by Russia agreed in December to cut a combined 1.2 million bpd in supplies through June to help drain global oil inventories and bolster prices. But despite strong comments from Falih that he would like to see the cuts extended, the coalition has not yet announced any decision. We expect tightening balances and crude stock draws in the second half of the year to raise the call for OPEC+ crude, but market weakness and rising demand-side concerns reduce any urgency to deviate from the current strategy of rebalancing markets, said Paul Sheldon, chief geopolitics adviser for S&P Global Platts Analytics. *** The writer is head of news for Asia at S&P Global Platts. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin John Blaxland (The Jakarta Post) Canberra Fri, June 14, 2019 13:58 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c742f5 3 Opinion Rohingya,Bangladesh,Myanmar,Rakhine,refugees,ASEAN Free Despite the efforts of a number of international organizations and of diplomats and political leaders from a range of countries, the Rohingya crisis continues to fester. About 750,000 mostly Muslim refugees remain in makeshift shelters across the Bangladesh border from Myanmars Rakhine State from whence they fled fearing for their lives. Predominantly Theravada Buddhist Myanmar has so far made it virtually impossible for them to return. Self-righteous indignation and castigation appears to be the initial and favored policy response by many governments, apparently not recognizing that their criticism drives the Myanmar authorities to dig in their heels even further in a proud act of defiance. This indignant approach may be gratifying to those behind it, but it is counterproductive for those wishing to see the Rohingya crisis resolved. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has proposed relocating most of them to a recently formed island that is just above sea level off the Bangladeshi coast known as Bhasan Char. Essentially it is a glorified sand bank. With the almost inevitable prospect of a major storm and a sea surge likely in the foreseeable future, that would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths. The crisis with the Rohingya refugees has festered for the better part of two years and looks set to worsen as the rainy season makes havoc of fragile and crowded temporary camps. In the past, Rohingya refugees fleeing on rickety boats have generated significant governance challenges for neighboring Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. Such an outcome, possibly on an even greater scale, must be avoided, but no realistic plan has emerged. To be fair, a number of initiatives have been tried so far and failed. Gen. (ret.) Wiranto, representing the worlds largest predominantly Muslim democracy, Indonesia, has reached out and been rebuffed. Similarly, Gen. Prawit, representing the predominantly Theravada Buddhist neighboring country of Thailand, has met with similarly unsatisfactory progress, despite his closeness with Supreme Gen.Min Aung Lain. Indonesia is well placed to act as a guarantor for their co-religionists among the refugees. With bilateral and some multilateral initiatives having fallen short so far, there is a high level of pessimism that a solution can be found. Making matters worse, there are some who see this as the product of a so-called civilizational fault line between Muslims and Buddhists. But such thinking reduces a complex situation into an unhelpful and superficial caricature. A concerted effort must be made to prevent this caricature taking further shape and capturing the imaginations of many who might be inspired to acts of retributive violence. Imaginative collective action is still possible. In the past, collective action has been the catalyst for dramatic change. In 1992-1993, for instance, Australia, alongside Indonesia and Japan, along with the assistance of Thailand and others, facilitated an international endeavor that led to the Paris Peace Agreement and the return of tens of thousands of refugees back to Cambodia. This and other examples demonstrate the benefits of collective action to address regional crises. A confluence of factors point to a new window of opportunity for such collective action. Election outcomes in Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and India are providing an opening for these states to take a significant foreign policy initiative. This could involve these states, along with other willing participants, such as Japan and South Korea, working together to persuade Myanmar to make concessions, backed with a security guarantee from willing ASEAN and other regional partners. Only Thailand is close enough to the true powerbrokers of Myanmar, the Tatmadaw, to persuade them of the need to avoid disunity and dysfunction within ASEAN. Thailand can also help explain how it is in Myanmars interests to make ASEAN work and explain how allowing the Rohingya to return can lead to the lifting of international sanctions. Similarly, Indonesia is well placed to act as a guarantor for their co-religionists among the refugees currently in Bangladesh. Indonesia also has expertise in managing extremist groups and could engage the Myanmar authorities to help ensure such elements are managed or dealt with. Together, Indonesian and Thai authorities might explain to their Myanmar counterparts, notably the Tatmadaw leadership, how such a bargain could come with a security guarantee. Myanmar is averse to United Nations interventions and fearful of a Muslim resurgence, but perhaps a regional coalition, akin to the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai, could help allay security concerns. Thailand is currently the ASEAN chair and the summit season is fast approaching. Thailand, with Indonesia, now have the opportunity to lead in a way that will bolster ASEAN centrality, help restore Myanmar from its pariah status, and facilitate engagement by other partners, notably Australia, Japan, the European Union and others who might be willing to lend a hand. The time for innovative, visionary and collaborative action is upon us. Thai authorities can help craft a blueprint for endorsement by the time of the ASEAN summits in November. Such an initiative likely would benefit not only those in Rakhine state. The benefits of sanctions relief and additional investment that might follow would generate positive effects potentially for the whole country, with additional investment initiatives that could be sought from Japan, China, the EU and the United States. This is an opportunity to join hands to address a problem that is bigger than Rakhine state and Myanmar, and which affects the future of ASEAN. *** The writer is professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies and head of the Strategic and Defense Studies Center at the Australian National University. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Topics : Rohingya Bangladesh Myanmar Rakhine refugees ASEAN Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 In an interview with The Jakarta Post, President Joko Jokowi Widodo discussed his plan for his final term and reconciliation with rivals after the divisive election season. The following are excerpts from the interview with the Posts Taufiq Rahman, Sita W. Dewi and Marguerite Afra Sapiie. Question: Are there plans for reconciliation to diffuse postelection tensions? Answer: Citizens have returned to their normal lives. We must respect our differences in [political] choices and dissent is a natural thing in a democracy. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin M. Taufiqurrahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 08:54 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c66a41 1 Opinion #commentary,ridwan-kamil,Politician,governor,West-Java-Governor-Ridwan-Kamil,mosque,conspiracy-theory Free Ridwan Kamil may be a media and politically savvy politician, someone who could navigate his way through the countrys corridors of power and win top executive positions many times over. But on Tuesday, the West Java governor and noted architect made a blunder that could haunt him in the future. And judging from the loud boos from the audience when he explained that the architectural style he used for the Al-Safar Mosque in West Java did not represent the symbol of the Illuminati, the once-popular Bandung mayor could truly regret his decision to have a discussion with his critics in the first place. At the urging of the West Java branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Ridwan joined a public discussion on Monday to respond to an allegation from popular YouTube preacher Rahmat Baequni that the triangular motifs in Al-Safars design contained the symbols of the Illuminati and the Antichrist, which would make praying inside the mosque null and void. These symbols within the mosques design will only enable the Antichrist to realize his apocalyptic ambitions through Zionism, Rahmat said during the discussion. This should have been the end of it. Ridwan should have packed his bag and left because engaging in a discussion with people who hold such fringe views is pointless. But Ridwan stayed until the very end, and when the meeting wrapped up, he had his photo taken with Rahmat, probably to assure the latters followers that a truce had been reached. With this, Ridwan not only elevated Rahmat to a position of power but he also normalized him and his abhorrent views. If you believe that the world is run by a cabal of Jewish financiers, who control the world through the media, it is a slippery slope from there. Next, you will believe that the 9/11 terror attacks were an inside job by the United States government, that the government pours chemicals into the water to turn people (and frogs) gay or that Gerindra Party presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto is the much-awaited messiah, as prognosticated by the Javanese version of Nostradamus, King Jayabaya. Some of the claims made by these conspiracy theorists may be outrageous, but they are similar to the hoaxes and misinformation that were widely circulated during the lead-up to the April 17 presidential election, such as insinuations that President Joko Jokowi Widodo is secretly Chinese and that he was a member of the dissolved Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Another popular conspiracy theory was that thousands of Chinese workers are already in the country, taking jobs from locals. And if the government takes the problem of hoaxes and fake news seriously and started a crackdown on those who spread such misinformation, law enforcers and officials should also pursue efforts to punish individuals responsible for peddling conspiracy theories, or at least not normalize them and put them on the pulpit. Freedom of speech comes with consequences. And in some cases, when some of these outrageous views have created harm, there is no other way but to punish them immediately. In some instances, where discussion is impossible, people have decided to simply punch conspiracy theorists (and fascists) in the face. In January 2017, a protester punched white supremacist Richard Spencer while he was being interviewed on American television, to the delight of millions who had long loathed him. How could they not; Spencer was not only racist but he was also an avid conspiracy theorist who believed, among other things, that the fire at the Notre Dame cathedral was deliberately lit to push white men into action, and that it would serve a glorious purpose. Millions also jeered when a 17-year-old boy egged the head of Australian senator Fraser Anning, following the far-right politicians statement soon after the Christchurch shooting in March, that Muslims were usually perpetrators of terrorist acts. And again, bigots are the ones who usually believe in conspiracy theories. Upon closer inspection, Anning was an ardent believer of the debunked myth propagated by white supremacists that white South African farmers were being attacked and were at risk of genocide. This brings us to the latest casualty of popular anger toward a far-right politician, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, not only known for his nativist and anti-Europe views but also for his antisemitic thoughts. Farage has been the target of a string of attacks known as milkshaking, where protesters pelt him with the dairy product. In late May, Farage was so terrified at the prospect of having to deal with milkshake attacks that he refused to get off his Brexit Party campaign bus after people gathered around it carrying milkshakes. Pacifists would certainly oppose such tactics when dealing with fascists and conspiracy theory aficionados, and we, as a civilized society, should also refrain from injecting violence into political discourse. But we should also not stoop so low by engaging with these types of firebrands and rabble-rousers. If the information they spread meets the criteria of hoaxes and fake news and could harm people, law enforcers should just bring charges against them. If some of these theories are just too far-fetched to be taken seriously, we should not bat an eye and move on. These are people whose thoughts should only belong in the bottomless pit of YouTubes comment section, the darkest corners of the dark web and the bargain bin of roadside secondhand book shops. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Los Angeles, United States Fri, June 14, 2019 09:07 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c6777c 2 Lifestyle aston-martin,James-Bond,auction,Sothebys Free A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 outfitted with special gadgets for James Bond, such as tire slashers, machine guns and a bulletproof shield, will go up for auction in August, the auction house announced on Wednesday. The vehicle painted gray is expected to fetch between $4 million and $6 million, according to a statement from RM Sotheby's. The car was never seen in Bond films, but matches the one that "007" - the code number by which Bond was often known - drove in the movies Goldfinger and Thunderball. The vehicle was commissioned by filmmaker Eon Productions and used at promotional events for Thunderball in the United States, the auction house said. Read also: He lost $1 billion. Now he sells James Bond's favorite bubbly It includes 13 modifications created for Bond, including a Browning .30 caliber machine gun in each fender, tire slashers mounted on its wheel hubs and a bulletproof rear screen that can be raised and lowered. RM Sotheby's said the Bond modifications had been "properly refurbished to function as originally built", and has had three private owners over 50 years. The auction will take place on Aug. 15 in Monterey, California. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Daniel Trotta (Reuters) New York, United States Fri, June 14, 2019 10:03 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c6c01f 2 Lifestyle transgender,LGBT,united-states,Marsha-P-Johnson Free According to LGBTQ legend it was Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman, who threw the first brick at the Stonewall Inn 50 years ago, sparking the modern gay liberation movement. Whether her act of rebellion was truly the first in the rioting is debatable, although she was "almost indubitably among the first to be violent," writes David Carter in Stonewall, his 2004 book about the police raid on a New York gay bar that became a historic moment. What is certain about Johnson's role, at least for today's transgender community, is that the stone she cast packed the most thunder. Johnson, along with a fellow transgender woman Sylvia Rivera, who was of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan heritage, became inspirational leaders of the movement born in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer people fought back against harassment. The months after Stonewall were a time of LGBTQ unity that would not last long. Gay men, mostly white, assumed leadership and ostracized trans women like Johnson and Rivera in the name of respectability, according to people involved in the movement at the time. As the 50th anniversary of Stonewall approaches, Johnson and Rivera are receiving a belated measure of recognition in death that coincides with a growing awareness of transgender rights. New York City announced last month it would build a memorial to Johnson and Rivera near the Stonewall Inn, the Greenwich Village bar whose name has become synonymous with LGBTQ rights. "It is certainly sad that their memories were not only forgotten but desecrated in many instances, and now they are at least back in the conversation," said Andrea Jenkins, a black transgender woman on the Minneapolis city council. "I'm still not sure if they are getting the absolute credit they deserve". The announcement was made as New York prepares to welcome 4 million visitors for World Pride 50 years after Stonewall. The annual parade - the legacy of a march organized by Johnson, Rivera and others on the uprising's first anniversary - is set for June 30. Last week, the New York Police Department apologized for the first time for the raid. Transgender advocates revere Johnson and Rivera for becoming the public faces of the most marginalized among LGBTQ people, for standing up to police harassment, and for insisting on respect. "They were so remarkably brave and had such an immediate and long-term impact," said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, the largest US trans advocacy group. The two have been memorialized in a 2017 documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson. Their names grace the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a New York advocacy providing legal services for trans people, and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which promotes transgender human rights. Read also: Transgender groups urge Hollywood to tell their stories better 'Magical year' In 1969, police raids on gay bars were routine, although Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine's infamous raid on the Stonewall was mostly aimed at its Mafia owners, according to Carter's book. It was a time when LGBTQ people were treated like criminals and generally acquiesced to harassment. The scene at the Stonewall Inn was different. An angry crowd gathered outside and began throwing coins, beer cans and bricks at the police, who barricaded themselves inside. The weaponry grew more menacing with the use of fuel-filled bottles and a parking meter used as a battering ram. It was an act of resistance that still reverberates. Soon after the rioting, Johnson and Rivera became active in the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), the first known pro-transgender group in the United States, providing shelter for the abandoned and homeless. But before long, the mainstream gay rights leaders dominated by white men lost patience with the political radicals of GLF, said Mark Segal, 68, a gay rights leader and GLF veteran who was in the Stonewall that night. Within a year, the Gay Activists Alliance formed, insisting on a more respectable image. "For that first whole, magical year, we were a united community across the board," Segal said. "And that all went away once the Gay Activists Alliance was formed." By the time of the fourth anniversary parade, organizers banned "drag queens," so Johnson and Rivera marched in front of the parade banner, outside the official event. Rivera was booed when she took the stage in the rally at Washington Square Park. Rivera was known for being combative, according to people who knew her. She often chastised gay activists as willing to fight for their own rights but not for trans women who were beaten and raped in jail. Johnson was admired for her generosity and compassion. With her magnetic smile and over-the-top fashion sense, Johnson captured the eye of artist Andy Warhol, whose 1975 portrait forms part of his Ladies and Gentlemen series. "Marsha P. Johnson was a living saint," said Randy Wicker, 81, a longtime gay activist who was roommates with both women at different times. Neither referred to herself very often as "transgender," if at all, as the term was not yet common. Instead, terms such as "transvestite," "drag queen" and "transsexual" were used interchangeably. But they lived almost exclusively as women, and transgender people today consider them two of their own. Johnson died at age 46 under mysterious circumstances, her body pulled from the Hudson River in 1992. Rivera, who had been homeless at times and suffered from addiction, died in 2002 of liver cancer at age 50. In the years since their deaths, a new understanding of gender identity has pushed its way into the mainstream. That has brought about a measure of reconciliation between transgender women and gay men, who have become a powerful coalition influencing policy on LGBTQ rights and fighting discrimination. Even so, some transgender women of color say they still feel the sting of those old wounds, making them less inclined to celebrate the Stonewall anniversary. The work began by Johnson and Rivera is far from complete, they say. "There is still a divide," said LaLa Zannell, a New York-based transgender rights activist. "We moved forward 50 years and where has the T really evolved? We're still homeless. We still can't get jobs. We're still marginalized." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reza Mardian (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 09:32 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c6823f 3 Entertainment ghost-writer,horror-movie,ernest-prakasa,Indonesian-Movie,horror,movie-review Free As humans, were always surrounded by nothing but problems. Despite our age, gender, sexual orientation and financial situation, we all struggle with certain problems that we wish we could tackle with the most ideal scenario possible. But thats not always the case, is it? For Naya, (Tatjana Saphira), writing novels has always been that answer. After her successful debut, the publishing company has set the bar extra high for Naya's next novels. But after three years, Naya is still unable to pitch amazing stories to her editor (Ernest Prakasa). With her younger brother, Darto (Endy Arfian), going to high school soon and the worrying state of her bank account, Nayas stakes become incredibly high as she has been the family's breadwinner ever since their parents died. When she finds an old diary owned by a ghost named Galih (Ge Pamungkas) revealing his devastating past, Naya pitches Galihs life to her editor who happens to like the idea and demands that Naya finish the novel within two months. Ghost Writer is the directorial debut of Benedion, who previously wrote the screenplays for Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss (2016) and Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur (2018). Prior to this, he had also directed several episodes of Cek Toko Sebelah: The Series (2018) and was a consultant on Ernests second film, Cek Toko Sebelah (2016). Unlike most of Indonesias horror movies these days, the film contains more value than just jump scare and ha-ha moments. Sure, the film is funny, scary and most of all: entertaining. But what makes this film stand out is the fact that Bene could capture one of the least talked-about universal human experiences and deliver it in a creative manner. Credit is also due to Nonny Boenawan, one of Ernest Prakasas students and whose idea became the backbone of the movie. Denial and acceptance are the fuel of this story. Naya is certain that the only way she's able to finance her younger brother is by writing novels, despite alternative job options and help from her generous boyfriend (Deva Mahendra). Galih the ghost who literally becomes the ghostwriter in this movie denies reconciliation and gaining closure in his family conflicts. He chooses to believe that he is destined to be a ghost, haunting old abandoned houses. With comedic touches, scary moments and heartfelt drama, Ghost Writers argument remains the same: that we wont be able to resolve our internal conflict if we keep denying the problems. Its worth noting how Ernest Prakasa and Starvision were willing to take a risk on this project, considering its unique story. But it's also worth noting how the production values are sorely lacking. From scoring to production design, they are average at best. (wng) Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kate Ryan (Reuters) New York, United States Fri, June 14, 2019 07:02 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c63a6c 2 Lifestyle Hidden-Figures,NASA,Washington,united-states,Katherine-Johnson,Dorothy-Vaughan,Mary-Jackson Free NASA renamed the street block in front of its Washington D.C. headquarters "Hidden Figures Way" on Wednesday in honor of black women who have contributed to the US space program. The work of three black mathematicians - Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson - at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during the 1960s race to the moon was captured in the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. "When little girls and little boys come to see NASA, they're going to look up and see that sign," said Senator Ted Cruz, who cosponsored a bill to rename the block, at a ceremony where officials unveiled the new street signs. "This sign is a powerful testament that anyone who is telling a little girl or a little boy 'You can't do something', is not telling the truth." Less than 11% of the 500-plus people who have traveled to space have been women, said NASA. July 20 marks the 50th anniversary of the first moonwalk by NASA astronauts, one of 11 flights in the Apollo space program of the 1960s and 70s, named after the Greek sun god. Read also: 5 movies based on true stories that you should consider watching NASA announced in May that it plans to land Americans back on the moon by 2024 with the Artemis initiative, named after Apollo's twin sister who was goddess of the hunt and the moon. For the first time, a female astronaut will walk on the surface of the moon, NASA said. Margot Lee Shetterly, author of the book Hidden Figures on which the 2016 film was based, encouraged those attending the ceremony to think beyond Neil Armstrong's moonwalk to the collective effort it took to achieve the Apollo 11 mission. "Hidden Figures is about taking off our blinders and recognizing the contributions of the unseen individuals who were there at the beginning of the story," she said. "And whose persistence and whose courage delivered us to where we are today." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Wellington, New Zealand Fri, June 14, 2019 19:09 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c83cbb 2 Environment parrots,New-Zealand,animals,conservation,kakapo Free An unprecedented disease outbreak has pushed the critically endangered kakapo, the world's fattest parrot, closer to extinction, New Zealand scientists said Thursday. One of the last kakapo populations on remote Codfish Island has been hit with a fungal respiratory disease called aspergillosis, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said. It said 36 of the parrots were receiving treatment and seven had died, including two adults -- a huge loss for a species which has less than 150 fully grown birds left. "Aspergillosis is having a devastating impact on kakapo," the DOC said in a statement Thursday. The setback comes just weeks after scientists hailed a bumper breeding season for the flightless, nocturnal bird, which was once thought to be extinct. An intense, decades-long conservation effort has seen kakapo numbers slowly rise from a low of about 50 in 1990, and earlier this year there was hope the species was turning the corner. The breeding program resulted in 249 eggs laid, fueling expectations at least 75 chicks would survive the year, more than double the previous record. Read also: Kakapow! Rare world's fattest parrot has record breeding season But Auckland Zoo veterinarian James Chatterton said efforts were now focused on saving the birds infected by aspergillosis, which before this year was known to have killed just one kakapo. "It's an unprecedented threat and we're working really hard to understand why it's happened this year," he told TVNZ. "Our working theory at the moment is that it's this year's climate -- it's been a really warm year down south." The hypothesis is that the warm weather and crowded breeding nests on Codfish Island have led to an abundance of aspergillosis spores. The plump, green kakapo -- the name means "night parrot" in Maori -- was once so common an early European explorer said they could be shaken from the trees like apples. Numbers fell as introduced pests such as stoats, cats and dogs hunted the ground-dwelling birds, which can weight up to four kilograms (nine pounds). Their slow breeding further harmed the kakapo's chances of survival, as they only mate every two to four years when New Zealand's native rimu trees are full of fruit. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Reuters) Moscow Fri, June 14, 2019 21:08 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c8a567 2 Science & Tech wolf,Russia,ancient Free About 40,000 years ago, a wolf died in what we know as Siberia. Now its severed head has been found, and because of the freezing conditions, it is so well preserved that its fur, teeth, brain and facial tissue are largely intact. A Yakutia resident, Pavel Yefimov, found the head last summer on the banks of the Tirekhtyakh river, close to the Arctic Circle in the region of Yakutia, local media outlet the Siberian Times reported. The head was handed over to the Science Academy of Yakutia. They sent samples and measurement data abroad and with help from colleagues in Japan and Sweden determined its age as approximately 40,000 years, the Siberian Times reported. Read also: Eight wolf cubs the star attraction at Mexico City zoo The head was shown in public this week in footage provided to Reuters TV by the academy. It shows the head of an animal, visibly bigger than that of a modern wolf, covered with fur and with teeth visible. Its eyes are missing. The next step in the wolf's journey is to undergo a procedure called plastination, a technique of replacing water and fat with plastics. That prevents decay and preserves tissue for scientific purposes. "This is a fixation by chemical means, so that the fur would not come off and so that we could keep it (the head) unfrozen," Valery Plotnikov, one of academy scientists, said in the footage. Topics : wolf Russia ancient In a concerted effort to support local tailors and seamstresses, the East Nusa Tenggara administration has made the provinces traditional fabrics part of the mandatory work attire of 16,000 civil servants across 23 cities and regencies. The historic decision will also see East Nusa Tenggara Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat open a new marketplace for traditional fabrics to improve the economy among local tailors and seamstresses, especially those from remote regions. East Nusa Tenggara administration spokesman Marius Jelamu said the governor aimed to respect the local heritage by incorporating the provinces traditional fabrics in civil servants everyday attire. Furthermore, he said the governor had also seen potential in the provinces traditional fabrics as profitable exports to the international market. The East Nusa Tenggara administration has great respect for local tailor and seamstresses who have kept our heritage alive after all these years. Because of this, the administration aims to empower them through its momentous policy, Marius told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. He went on to say that the administration expected to sell each piece of traditional fabric for at least Rp 1 million (US$ 70.24) in its proposed marketplace. Assuming each of the regions 16,000 civil servants purchases one piece of fabric, he said the administration expected the market to earn a total of Rp 16 billion. We want our traditional fabrics to be regarded as prestigious pieces of clothing in contemporary East Nusa Tenggara, just as the Japanese traditional fabrics are still viewed as elegant pieces of clothing in modern-day Japan, Marius said, adding that wearing traditional fabrics would serve as a form of cultural bureaucracy. Read also: Flores ikat brings together Muslim, Christian women West Manggarai Deputy Regent Maria Geong said civil servants in the regency were obligated to wear traditional fabrics every Tuesday and Wednesday. West Manggarai is among the top tourist destinations in East Nusa Tenggara. The decision to make traditional fabrics part of the civil servants mandatory work attire could prove beneficial for the regencys cultural promotion, she told the Post. She said West Manggarais traditional fabrics had previously been showcased in various fashion shows at schools in the regency. She added that the traditional fabrics were also officially recognized by the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) in 2013. Meanwhile, East Manggarai Regent Agas Andreas said he had issued Regional Decree No. 6/2019 which officially makes the regencys traditional fabrics part of the mandatory civil servants work attire every Tuesday. The East Manggarai regency is fully prepared for the governors policy, Agas said, adding that the regency was home to thriving small and medium enterprises that produced traditional fabrics. Maria Daflora Echo, a civil servant working for the East Manggarai administration, said she appreciated the governors policy to raise awareness of local culture. Im proud to wear traditional fabric from East Manggarai, Maria said. In addition to civil servants, representatives from local churches also expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to showcase traditional fabrics in their everyday activities. Marten Chen, head of priests center of the Ruteng Diocese in Flores, said the Catholic church within the diocese had made a similar instruction among church representatives two years ago. The Catholic church in the Ruteng Diocese supports local culture by making traditional fabrics part of the church representatives attire during religious ceremonies in the third week of every month, Marten said. (rfa/mut) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lynda Ibrahim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 19:46 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c8729e 1 People Snake,Idul-Fitri,Idul-Fitri-2019,ramadan,mudik,presidential-election,Prabowo,joko-widodo,Jokowi Free This year's Ramadan was probably one of the least peaceful ones for Jakartans in particular, and Indonesians in general. It certainly was an upsetting one for yours truly. The presidential election had taken place prior to Ramadan, yet ensuing protests led to even more venom online and seemingly endless street rallies during Ramadan the latter which ended in riots in Jakarta's downtown on May 21 and 22. Those who still remember the bloody riots of May 1998 must've seethingly found it ironic that, exactly 21 years after Soeharto got overthrown, his former son-in-law was marshaling "people power" to demand a win of an election he'd lost by a clear margin. That irony I first managed to bear, but I lost my cool when Soeharto's middle daughter dared to publicly state that her father wouldnt as easily accuse street protesters of treason as the current administration. Hell, sure, because during her father's 32-year authoritarian rule, walls had ears where as much as mumbling criticism could swiftly and silently seal one's fate long before one could march down any street. I wanted to call her snake but then I remembered even snakes had a right not to be confused with a dictator's daughter who's ungrateful that her father was allowed to die in peace instead of in a maximum security prison. My friends in the retail business bemoaned the loss of sales so close to Idul Fitri, as downtown shopping centers shut down during the riots and app-based ojeks (motorcycle taxis) key to many small online shops wouldn't take delivery orders across town. The retail business has taken quite a hit in recent years, so to lose sales during the year's supposed peak, while still having to pay the mandatory holiday bonus (THR), wasn't a comforting story to hear repeatedly as one was struggling to attain peace on the last leg of Ramadan. Then Idul Fitri came. First I was glad to read how the new highways across Java significantly reduced traffic jams for travelers visiting their hometowns, until scores of people started complaining loudly on any social media platform they could find that the smooth road trips erased the old-fashioned joy of being stuck in traffic for hours. Eh? Hours of traffic jams across Java actually spark joy in you people? Ingrates. Shameless ingrates who fail at basic math and priority scaling to realize that those jammed hours mean loss of depleting fossil-based oil, time, money, physical energy and chances of further exploring the destination. Hypocritical ingrates who complained daily about Jakarta's horrible traffic, then suddenly waxed poetically about the maddening traffic of the annual exodus. If their laments were based on the political inability to praise the current government even when it's due, then I have to figure out names to call them, because snakes just wouldn't do. The biggest challenge for me this Ramadan wasn't hunger, thirst or even my old ulcers that would typically act up during the first few days of Ramadan, but it's snakes and ingrates. I have long realized that Indonesian formal education often fails to form strong logic, but now I realize it has also generally failed to instill the ability to put things into perspective. Suddenly I could understand why Thanos desperately wanted to snap his gauntlet-adorned fingers. The presidential election dispute hearing at the Constitutional Court started on Friday, with proceedings expected to run until the end of the month. I wholeheartedly pray that no more pointless shenanigans were to unfold anywhere in Jakarta, or Indonesia for that matter, when the Constitutional Court makes its ruling. Yes, the National Police have announced the perpetrators behind the recent riots, but excuse me for thinking there are more begrudging parties with means to wreak havoc out there than what the police has decided to disclose to the public. I hope your Ramadan and Idul Fitri were more serene and less snake-infested than mine. While we're bracing for a fresh round of post-election dispute, I'm going to call Thanos and see if I could borrow that gauntlet for the next couple of weeks. Eid Mubarak, everyone. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Andrew Marszal (Agence France-Presse) West Hollywood, United States Fri, June 14, 2019 15:04 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c7a57d 2 Entertainment united-states,film,The-Shining,Stanley-Kubrick,books,Stephen-King Free Almost 40 years on from The Shining, the blood-soaked corridors of the Overlook Hotel are still the stuff of nightmares for generations of horror fans. Stanley Kubrick's psychological masterpiece, adapted from the Stephen King novel, made creepy twins and axe-murdering maniacs -- who can forget Jack Nicholson's chilling line, "Here's Johnny!" -- synonymous with the genre. But for the director tasked with bringing the book's 2013 sequel Doctor Sleep to the big screen, checking back into the Overlook was scary for a different reason. King famously hated Kubrick's film adaptation of The Shining -- in particular the liberties it took with his plot and protagonists -- leaving Mike Flanagan with the unenviable task of marrying the visions of the two creative giants. "That was utterly terrifying," Flanagan said about seeking King's blessing, calling it the "most nerve-wracking" moment of his career. "The hope going in was that there was some universe in which Stephen King and the Stanley Kubrick estate could both love this movie," he told journalists at a Los Angeles screening of the trailer for the film, due out in late October. "Threading that needle has been the source of every ulcer we've had over the last two years." The brief teaser contained several images eerily familiar from Kubrick's movie, including a young Danny Torrance peddling his tricycle down the haunted hotel's foreboding hallways, and the word "Redrum" -- "Murder" spelled backwards -- hewn into a wall. Producer Trevor Macy said each iconic scene had been reshot in painstaking detail, although the famous moment -- an elevator door opens to unleash roaring cascades of blood -- was lifted directly from Kubrick's footage. Most hauntingly, the trailer ends with Ewan McGregor, who plays an adult Dan four decades on, peering through the gaping hole in an axe-chopped door, calling back to that most signature of Nicholson's scenes. Read also: Legendary director Kubrick honoured with London show Suffocating tensions The filmmakers said they had ultimately secured King's blessing to make a faithful version of his sequel that could still exist in Kubrick's "cinematic universe". But the project was made more difficult because King, in writing the sequel, "actively and intentionally ignored everything Kubrick had changed," Flanagan explained -- including penning parts for characters killed off in the film. One new character is Abra, a young girl who possesses an even stronger version of Dan's magical "shining" powers. The filmmakers viewed 900 girls before selecting American actress Kyliegh Curran for her first major role, passing over more experienced child stars. Abra and Dan team up to take on a gang of supernatural villains who feast on those with "shining" powers -- in the process forcing Dan to confront inner demons originating from his stay at the Overlook a lifetime earlier. The film, like its predecessor, aims to frighten viewers by building tension and a "suffocating atmosphere" rather than simply startling them with "jump-scares," said Flanagan. "We used a lot of the lessons that Kubrick taught us about how to do a psychological thriller," he said, while adding the movie was "ferociously protective" of King's text. Macy added: "In a very real sense, we're standing on the shoulders of literary and cinematic giants." Doctor Sleep will be released globally from October 30. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina Larson (Agence France-Presse) Basel, Switzerland Fri, June 14, 2019 17:01 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c7f04d 2 Art & Culture art,Women,politics,MeToo,switzerland,Art-Basel Free Mannequins display inflatable, white airbag dresses created to protect women from workplace harassment, while nearby details of the alleged sexual misdeeds of 170 public figures cover four long walls, splashed in red. The #MeToo movement that exploded on the global stage in late 2017 has inspired several works exhibited at this year's Art Basel, the world's biggest contemporary art fair, which opens to the public on Thursday. Women artists have taken center stage at the show's 50th edition, with in-your-face installations expressing disgust and exasperation at persisting gender inequalities and culturally condoned abuse and harassment of women. Spanish artist Alicia Framis has filled a room with delicate, white mannequins wearing different styles of dresses made from airbag material, which inflate to protect different parts of the female body. The piece called "Life Dress" consists of dresses "to protect women in all work situations where there is some kind of abuse," Framis told AFP. The 52-year-old artist said she had spoken with victims of harassment and abuse and allowed their stories to inspire the dress designs, using "fashion to demonstrate against violence". Where Framis uses humor to spotlight abuse, Los Angeles-based artist Andrea Bowers's massive archival project "Open Secrets" radiates rage. It consists of reams of photographic prints on red backgrounds, each listing the name and occupation of a public figure accused of sexual harassment or abuse, their public response to the accusations and details of the case. Read also: Wealthy millennials boosting the art market 'Rape culture' Disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose misconduct first sparked the #MeToo movement, has two full panels dedicated to his long list of alleged misdeeds. US President Donald Trump also figures in the piece, as do his predecessors Bill Clinton and George Bush Senior, two Supreme Court justices, as well as actors, journalists, musicians and other public figures. "I just felt like the #MeToo movement is perhaps one of the most important feminist movements of my lifetime," Bowers told AFP, explaining her inspiration for the piece. The 54-year-old self-described feminist activist artist said she had been shocked to realize "what it was like for me growing up, that it was rape culture, where ... young men were given permission to sexually violate me and my friends." With the #MeToo movement, such behavior is finally "being acknowledged," she said. "I hope that it's a historic shift." During a preview earlier this week, men in particular lingered in front of the piece which covers two long walls, back and front, in the middle of the fair's Unlimited exhibition space. "You can see a lot of men standing here and being a bit unsure how to react," said Vanja Oberhoff, a young German art investor standing among some dozen men gazing at the articles. "It's a very strong piece," he told AFP. Not all reactions have been positive. Helen Donahue, who in 2017 tweeted out photographs of herself bearing the marks of alleged abuse by freelance columnist Michael Hafford, voiced outrage that Bowers had used one of the pictures. "Cool that my fucking photos and trauma are heading art basel thx for exploiting us for 'art' ANDREA BOWERS," she tweeted on Tuesday. Bowers, who insists on the importance of trusting survivors, quickly issued an apology for not seeking Donahue's consent before using the picture and removed the panel from the exhibit. Read also: The top 10 art exhibitions to see in 2019 'Equalization'? The artist also told AFP that showing her piece at Art Basel had been more challenging than she had expected. The VIP opening of the show drew "some of the richest people in the world, and they actually know many of the people on the walls, because these are also some of the most powerful people in the world," Bowers said. "This is an emotional piece for a lot of people here because it is very personal." The piece shows "we have to change our thinking, and not everybody is ready to do that... There is still a lot more work to be done." This year's Art Basel is also abuzz with discussion about disparities between the prices raked in for pieces made by male and female artists, as well as access to gallery representation. Clare McAndrew, a cultural economist who writes the annual Art Market Report released each year ahead of Art Basel, told AFP that women still face "stark under-representation" in the art world. "Only five percent of the work sold last year at auction were by female artists, and the higher up the price point you go, the worse that gets," she said, adding that even at galleries only showing contemporary art, women account for about a third of the represented artists. Marc Glimcher, who heads Pace Gallery, a global leader in contemporary art, acknowledged that the most talented women artists have long made only about a 10th of the amount made by contemporary male artists, if they were lucky. But he told AFP that "an equalization is taking place". "The market recognizes that there was an arbitrary depression of value, and a possible opportunity." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 The gates have been opened. The joint entrance test for state universities (SBMPTN) starts on Monday and closes on June 24 for some 2.4 million senior high school graduates churned out by senior high schools this year. State universities are still the favorite choices due to their relatively affordable cost and better quality when compared to private ones despite a change in intake procedures starting this year. At least 1.2 million students sat computer-based exams (UTBK) which were held during weekends in two batches on April 13 to May 4 and May 11 to 26. A students UTBK score determines which university and major he or she can apply to. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Or let Google manage your subscription Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 07:32 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c645b2 1 City lake,Bekasi,transformation,cleaning,tourism Free The metamorphosis of the Situ Rawa Gede Lake in Bojong Menteng subdistrict, Bekasi, West Java, into an aesthetically pleasing yet affordable tourist spot is an example not only of how a collaborative effort between local residents and authorities can create something out of nothing, but also of how such a project can transform the mentalities of those involved. One does not need to pay to enter the lake area. Taking selfies at the gazebos and piers and by the lakes main sign, which is made of recycled plastic bottles, costs nothing. The only fees that are charged are affordable. The recommended bamboo rafts available for rent cost Rp 10,000 (70 US cents) for adults and Rp 5,000 for children above 3 years old. For infants and people with disabilities, they are free. Lush trees surround the 7-hectare lake and noise from outside is minimal, as the site is largely isolated from neighboring villages. At around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the lake was crowded with around 30 people waiting in line to ride the rafts. Most of the visitors were women and their children, who walked about the rafts as their mothers took pictures. That day, two bamboo rafts, steered by two raft attendants each, were available. Each has a maximum capacity of 15 passengers. During the ride, no trash could be found. According to local resident Hikmah, the color of the water had greatly improved compared to when she visited the lake a few years ago. Back then, the water was black and filled with trash that came from the nearby swamp. Large trucks used to come daily to dump trash into the swamp, she said. The cleaning and beautification process of the Situ Rawa Gede Lake began in November last year when the Environmental Pollution Prevention Villages (KPPL) program was initiated by the Bekasi Environment and Toxic Waste Awareness Community Alliance (Amphibi). The trash-clearing process alone took three months. Before being established as a tourist spot, there were individuals who spread rumors that this lake was haunted, said Bekasi Amphibi leader Krisdayadi. Those individuals were the ones responsible for the disposal of trash via trucks in the nearby swamp. Now that we have visitors at almost every hour, they are afraid of polluting. Krisdayadi said the number of visitors on average varied from 500 on weekdays to 1,000 on weekends. Income from the raft rides ranges from Rp 1 million to Rp 3 million a day. Sixty percent of the proceeds are used for lake maintenance, while 40 percent goes to the raft attendants, said Bekasi Amphibi member Zenal Abidin. Amphibis efforts to transform the lake have created jobs for local residents. Raft attendant Ali Hermawan, 16, previously did not pay much attention to the pollution at the lake, which is located near his neighborhood. Other than having extra income, being a raft attendant had made me become more attentive to the cleanliness of the lake, said Ali. I also find it enjoyable talking to the visitors as I paddle the boat. Bekasi Amphibi is not limited to lake restoration. It is currently involved in developing Jatimulya village in Bekasi. Meanwhile, Amphibi itself has many chapters across the country, operating out of places like North Sumatra, Riau, East Java and Banten. Amphibi Bekasi is currently collaborating with Amphibi Banten in beautifying several Islamic schools in a number of villages across Banten, Zenal said. Zenal also mentioned that Amphibi was planning to branch out to Malaysia as part of its first step toward realizing the organizations objective of going international. The Situ Rawa Gede Lake is normally open from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. daily. (bry) Topics : lake Bekasi transformation cleaning tourism Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Fri, June 14 2019 With national unity in mind, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has said he is open to the idea of the opposition Gerindra Party under long-time rival Prabowo Subianto joining his Cabinet when he takes office for the second and final term in October. Every leader is by nature a champion of unity and will do what it takes to keep his or her nation from disintegration. Jokowi, too, grew up in and absorbed the Javanese culture that promotes, among other values, unity over division and harmony over discord. Therefore his plan, if any, to allow his nemesis to take part in a dream ruling coalition is unsurprising and should not necessarily generate misgivings. His generous offer comes just after the nation was torn between the two candidates contesting the April 17 presidential election. The polarization dates back to 2014 when the rivalry between Jokowi and Prabowo began, regardless of their pledges and apparent efforts to build a bromance once the dust had settled. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Japan News/ Asia News Network) Tehran, Iran Fri, June 14, 2019 08:08 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c65b7e 2 World #Japan,#Iran,Shinzo-Abe,US,Donald-Trump,relations Free The purpose of Prime Minister Shinzo Abes visit to Iran is twofold: to deliver a message aimed at easing US-Iran tensions, and also to ensure stability in Japans crude oil imports. Abe hopes his close relationship with US President Donald Trump and Japans diplomatic ties crafted with nations in the Middle East will provide leverage that can be tapped to defuse regional tensions amid antagonism between Washington and Tehran. At the start of his meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, Abe conveyed his expectations for the series of meetings scheduled for his visit. Abe said he had been invited to Iran many times and such a visit had finally become a reality. The prime minister also said he was happy to meet Rouhani in Iran. Japan has independently maintained ties with Iran through channels including oil trade even after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which triggered the rupture of official US-Iran relations. This latest meeting between Abe and Rouhani was their eighth. In 1983, Abe accompanied his father, then Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe, on a visit to Iran during a period of heightened concern that the Strait of Hormuz would close because of the Iran-Iraq War. Abe was a personal secretary to his father at the time. During his meeting with Rouhani, Abe made a point of mentioning his long-standing connections with Iran and expressed gratitude for the very warm hospitality he received while accompanying his father on that trip. Since Abe began his second stint as prime minister in December 2012, he has visited nations and territories in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates a total of 18 times and crafted relationships even with the leaders of nations hostile to Iran. Abes Iran trip was expected to generate a backlash from Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE and others, but the prime minister telephoned leaders of these nations to obtain their understanding for his visit. Abes meeting with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday was the first between the leader of a Western ally and Irans supreme leader since US President Donald Trump announced in May 2018 that the United States was withdrawing from a nuclear deal between Iran and several major world powers. Britain, France and Germany three signatories to the nuclear agreement have struggled to build good ties with the Trump administration, and their leaders weakening domestic political support has left them in no position to seek a breakthrough in the Iranian issue. Embarking on a drive to find a solution to an apparently deadlocked international problem, Abe has also raised hopes for progress among the international community. This marks a major change of era for Japanese diplomacy, a senior Foreign Ministry official said. The aim of Abes trip also is significant: securing stability in the Middle East, a region directly linked to Japans national interests. Japan depends on the Middle East for about 90 percent of its crude oil imports, and a little over 80 percent of these imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has hinted at closing the strait while it spars with the United States. If such a closure materialized, it would deliver a stinging blow to Japans economy. Abe is thought to have used his meeting with Rouhani to press the Iranian president to refrain from shutting this vital waterway. However, a close aide to Abe said before leaving for Iran that the trip could be considered a success if the prime minister were able to pave the way for easing tensions in the region. Its hard to tell how Iran will approach these talks, the aide said. I dont think this problem can be resolved with just one visit Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14 2019 The internet is a free space no more for tobacco companies seeking to market their products after the Communications and Information Ministry accepted a Health Ministry request to block cigarette advertising on the web. Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara had ordered his officials to search for websites containing cigarette advertisements, the ministry announced on Thursday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 09:32 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c6905a 1 Business online-ojek-tariff,online-ojek,Grab,Gojek,Transportation-Minister-Budi-Karya-Sumadi Free The Transportation Ministry said it would not prohibit online ojek (motorcycle taxi) service providers from giving tariff discounts, canceling its earlier statement that it wanted to stop discounts to avoid predatory pricing. On Thursday, Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the ministry itself would not be the one that initiated such prohibition. If some stakeholder requested it, we would discuss it, he said. Last month, the ministry set a tariff regulation for ride-hailing service providers. The policy, which will be on trial for three months in five cities, regulated minimum and maximum tariffs for the service. The ministry issued the regulation after a series of rallies by ojek drivers that demanded increased tariffs for their welfare. Weeks into the trial of the tariff regulation, the two biggest service providers, Go-Jek and Grab, have given customers discounts amid complaints from customers about the rising tariffs. Grab Indonesia president Ridzki Kramadibrata said the ride-hailing company was open to discussion with the government over such a regulation. We will give our input, which will be more on how [discounts and promotions] affect drivers and merchants' incomes. In the end, the decision lies with the government, he said. He also said the Transportation Ministry would not go on with the plan to prohibit tariff discounts because they found out that they did not have any authority to regulate such a thing. Rather, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) is the one who has such authority. "At first we were planning on issuing the regulation. However, after a discussion with the KPPU, we learned that it is beyond our authority to do so. Therefore, for the time being, we will not regulate the discount policy," he added. Responding to the ministrys attempt to ban discounts for ride-hailing service providers, Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) chairman Tulus Abadi said discounts were not supposed to be an issue as long as the discounted price was still within the ministrys minimum and maximum price policy. The more important thing for the government to regulate is the safety issue, which is still neglected, Tulus said. (mai/nor/dpa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 15:17 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c7adf1 1 City #Crime,#theft,#NorthJakarta,#firefighter,crime,theft,North-Jakarta,North-Jakarta-Police,Fire-and-Rescue-Agency Free An off-duty firefighter has been arrested for allegedly stealing a fire truck belonging to the North Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. The fireman, Januar Darman, 36, works for the West Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency. Januar reportedly "borrowed" the truck from the North Jakarta fire department when his motorcycle broke down as he was rushing to make roll call at the West Jakarta fire station. He said he had no bad intentions. The incident began when two North Jakarta firefighters left the truck, which was under maintenance, running in the station's parking lot, said North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Budhi Herdi Susianto in a kompas.com report. When the pair returned, the truck was nowhere to be found. The firefighters reported the stolen vehicle to the Tanjung Priok Police, and were later told that the truck had been recovered in Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta. The North Jakarta Police arrested Januar when they discovered him with the missing truck. Budhi added that the suspect was not in uniform, and was wearing a shirt and casual shorts at the time of his arrest. It's okay to clock in at the station out of uniform, Januar said. I put on my uniform for roll call at 7:30 a.m. When asked why he had not taken another form of transportation to get to work, Januar replied, It didn't come to mind. Witnesses say they had spotted Januar lurking around the North Jakarta fire station since 4 a.m. Januar has been charged under Article 365 of the Criminal Code, and could face up to five years in prison. (eyc) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 19:36 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c86d02 1 Politics election-dispute,Bambang-Widjojanto,Jokowi,Prabowo-Subianto-Sandiaga-Uno,2019-presidential-election Free The head of the legal team for presidential ticket Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno, Bambang Widjojanto, said on Friday during the election dispute hearing at the Constitutional Court that the rival camp, incumbent Joko Jokowi Widodo, had used state funds and government programs to influence voters. [Jokowi] used his position as the president to use the state budget and government programs as an instrument for influencing voters in the 2019 presidential election, said Bambang. He said using state funds looked like a legitimate thing to do because it had a legal basis, but after delving into it, they found the practice amounted to a misuse of the state budget. Bambang said Jokowis camp could do that easily, because he was the president, thus the violation could be done in a structured way, collectively by the state apparatus. One example, he said, was the decision to pay civil servants, military and National Police personnel a 13th salary in addition to the Idul Fitri holiday allowance and to raise the salary of village and subdistrict officials. He also mentioned the housing facility, including the zero-down payment scheme to buy a house, for National Police members. The election violation was conducted systematically using the State Budget Law, complete with the legal basis for each scheme, he said. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 Hundreds of people gathered at the National Monument (Monas) Square on Friday morning in defiance of a specific police ban of any demonstration outside or near the Constitutional Court, which has begun hearings into a dispute over the April 17 presidential election. One estimate put the crowd size at 2,000. They are reportedly members of various groups, including university students. None of them declined to be identified with Prabowo Subianto, the lone challenger in the presidential race who had filed a petition with the court to challenge the official results that gave incumbent president Joko Jokowi Widodo an 11 percent victory. Prabowo, who rejected the results as announced by the General Elections Commission (KPU), had appealed to his supporters not to turn up at the Constitutional Court. He had also pledged to abide by the courts ruling. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi and Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Batam Fri, June 14, 2019 The Environment and Forestry Ministry reported on Friday that it had returned five containers of trash to the United States after finding that the containers that were supposed to contain only clean paper scraps also contained diapers, plastic scraps, wood, fabrics and shoes in significant amounts. "Tomorrow [Friday] we will return five containers to the US from Tanjung Perak Port [in Surabaya, East Java]," Trash, Waste and Hazardous Waste Management Directorate General secretary Sayid Muhadhar told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. "Although the containers were originally from Canada, the country of departure [of the containers] was the US," he added. The five containers are on the Zim Dalian vessel and are ready to be transported back to the US, the environment ministry said in a statement on Friday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya, Apriadi Gunawan, Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 A joint security force is bracing for rallies that could break out during the first hearing of the challenge to the 2019 presidential election result at the Constitutional Court in Central Jakarta on Friday, amid concerns that more rallies will trigger riots in the capital. The National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) plan to deploy thousands of personnel to secure the court and its surrounding areas, while the Jakarta Traffic Police introduced a traffic detour in the area on Thursday night. National Police chief Tito Karnavian said the joint security force also devised a plan for the worst-case scenario. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Omar Hassan Abdulla and Paul Handley (Agence France-Presse) Dubai, United Arab Emirates/ Washington, United States Fri, June 14, 2019 08:28 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c6611a 2 National #USA,#Iran,tension,Mike-Pompeo,tanker,attack Free The United States accused Iran of carrying out attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Washington will defend its forces and allies in the region, and the United States pressed its case as the UN Security Council met to address the incident -- the second in a month in the strategic sea lane. With tensions spiraling between Iran and the United States, the European Union called for "maximum restraint" as UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf. Iran labeled the apparent attacks as "suspicious," as its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by visiting Japanese leader Shinzo Abe to open talks with US President Donald Trump. But Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after the US Navy said it had spotted an unexploded magnetic limpet mine stuck to the hull of one of the vessels. The US top diplomat said that in region only Iran had the ability to undertake such an operation. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," Pompeo announced. "This is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," he said. - Explosions off Iran coast - The two vessels were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after leaving the Strait of Hormuz and traveling around 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast headed toward Asia. The Norwegian-owned Front Altair ethanol tanker was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority, and continued to burn late Thursday. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded down with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members of the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," the US Central Command said in a statement. - 'Series of attacks' - Pompeo called Thursday's tanker explosions "the latest in a series of attacks" he alleged were undertaken by Iran or its "proxies," including, he said, a missile attack against a southern Saudi Arabia airport by the Iran-aligned Huthis in Yemen on Wednesday. "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," he said. The United States has accused the Islamic republic over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, just at the entrance of the Hormuz Strait. Pompeo said Iran was lashing out because of the impact of US and international sanctions, but said it had no right "to attack innocent civilians and engage in nuclear blackmail." "The United States will defend its forces, interests and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability," he warned. The US also called Thursday for the UN Security Council to confront the "clear threat" posed by Iran, as the council met behind closed doors to hear a briefing on Washington's assessment that Tehran was responsible. Oil prices jumped at the threat of open conflict at the Hormuz chokepoint, through which transit some 15 million barrels of crude oil every day, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of imports for the Gulf countries. In London, the Brent benchmark jumped 2.2 percent to $61.31 a barrel, while in New York, the US crude standard West Texas Intermediate, also rose 2.2 percent, to $52.28. "We are in a dangerous moment in the region with this emerging pattern of attacks," said Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst with International Crisis Group. "Any miscalculation or misunderstanding risks a spiral toward more direct confrontation," she told AFP. - Abe in Tehran - The latest incident came as Abe was on an unprecedented visit to Tehran, seeking to defuse tensions. "It is essential that Iran plays a constructive role in building solid peace and stability in the Middle East," Abe told a joint news conference with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. "Today, tension is rising in the Middle East. Some experts point out that the conflict might be triggered accidentally," he said. Supreme Leader Khamenei rejected Abe's overture, saying: "We have no doubt in your goodwill and seriousness, but regarding what you said the US president told you, I don't consider Trump as a person worthy of exchanging messages with." In Washington, Pompeo said the United States aimed to bring Iran back into negotiations -- "at the right time" -- over its nuclear program and regional activities. But Trump dismissed the idea of early talks. "I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" he tweeted. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 15 2019 When discussing the sensitive issue of domestic violence, seeking the advice of an illegal organization might seem inadvisable, however, it appears someone in the Jakarta administration did not get the memo. The Jakarta Womens Empowerment, Family Planning and Child Protection Agency (PPAPP) had planned to hold a meeting on Friday afternoon to discuss the content of a poster campaign designed to prevent violence against women and children. But what should have been a positive event led to public outcry after invitations to some questionable representatives went viral on social media. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, June 15 2019 What started as exchange of insults between two groups of young men in the early hours of the morning on Idul Fitri in Bekasi, West Java, ended in a brutal murder after a teenager was allegedly burned to death by members of a rival group. Putra Aditya, 18, suffered severe burns all over his body. After being treated for two days at Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta, he passed away from his injuries. The Jatiasih Police arrested five of eight suspects, one of whom turned himself in on Thursday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Hanoi, Vietnam Fri, June 14, 2019 17:05 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c7ff38 2 SE Asia #Vietnam,#PlaneCrash,military-plane-crash,pilots,died Free Two pilots were killed in Vietnam Friday after their military plane crashed during a training session, an official told AFP. Though Vietnam has a good civilian aviation record, airplane and helicopter crashes are regularly reported in the military, which relies on an arsenal of imported equipment -- mostly from longtime ally Russia. The two pilots in central Khanh Hoa province died when their Russian two-seater training aircraft Yakovlev Yak-52 crashed near a mountain, killing one of them instantly. "One was found dead while the other one died on the way to hospital," said Nguyen Ngoc Khue, the head of the local commune where the accident occurred. The crash site was blocked off for investigation, Khue added, and photos in state media showed plumes of smoke billowing from the downed plane. The Yak-52 took its first flight in 1976 in Russia and was later manufactured in Romania by Aerostar. It was designed to train civilian sport pilots and military pilots in the former Soviet Union. Friday's crash follows several similar accidents in the communist country in recent years. In July 2018, two pilots were killed when training in central Nghe An province in a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-22 that belonged to Vietnam's Air Defence Force. At least 14 people were reported killed in military crashes in 2016. Vietnam is seeking to modernise its military equipment by purchasing more equipment from partners beyond old Soviet ally Russia, including from France, Germany and Israel. US President Donald Trump has also encouraged Hanoi to buy more American equipment to narrow a trade gap. Observers say Vietnam is willing to do so, but could struggle to afford US military hardware. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 18:34 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c83543 4 News ennichisai,festival,Japan,blok-m,travel,destination Free The annual Jakarta Little Tokyo Ennichisai is set to return for the 10th time to Blok M in South Jakarta on June 22 to 23. Around 180 booths are expected to enliven the festival, attracting visitors with their various Japanese-related culture and culinary products. Three stages will showcase varied Japanese traditional culture and pop culture such as cosplay. Read also: Jakpost guide to Blok M Square Little Tokyo Ennichisai committee head Daisei Takeya told kompas.com that it had set a target of luring at least 300,000 visitors to the event. "This is the only matsuri outside Japan that will be visited by more than 300,000 people from various regions in two days," said Takeya, adding that this year's festival would highlight the theme of danketsu (unity). "Through this festival we want to show our support to Indonesia to always move forward in its unity since Ennichisai is a celebration of gratitude and happiness for everyone," he added. The event is open to the public without an entrance fee. (ayr/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Lisa Du and Masatsugu Horie (Bloomberg) Fri, June 14, 2019 18:08 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c81b32 2 News Mitsubishi,Airlines,travel,aircraft,SpaceJet Free The SpaceJet is not going to take you to the moon or Mars, but it can get you to a smaller city on earth without having to switch flights in Atlanta, Dubai or another big airport hub. The newly renamed regional jet by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is being showcased at the Paris Air Show next week, along with a new model that can seat 76 passengers. The Japanese manufacturer is using the industry gathering to go on a marketing blitz after the airplane suffered multiple delays and setbacks. The SpaceJet is the first airliner built in Japan since the 1960s. Mitsubishi Heavy, a longtime supplier to Boeing Co., is betting the timing is ripe for a new regional plane as more cities across the globe seek to link up with each other. The duopoly of Bombardier Inc. and Embraer SA, which has long dominated the market for regional commercial jets, is looking at other segments. The reaction has been very positive, said Alex Bellamy, the SpaceJets chief development officer at Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., the companys airliner segment. The SpaceJet program and details of the new plane will be previewed at the airshow at Le Bourget, just outside the French capital. The second 76-passenger jet will be called the SpaceJet 100, or the M100, with deliveries scheduled to begin as early as 2023, Bellamy said. Mitsubishi Heavy is negotiating with a number of different customers for the jet, Bellamy said in an interview. Interest in the new plane has been high among clients in the U.S. and Europe, he added, but declined to say when he expects to see orders. The M100s size will comply with agreements in the U.S. between airlines and pilots regulating the passenger load for planes that can fly on routes outsourced to smaller carriers. Airlines worldwide will need more than 5,100 regional jets over the next two decades, Mitsubishi predicts. The Japanese manufacturer also appears to be ready to double down on the segment, after disclosing earlier this month that its in discussions to acquire Bombardiers CRJ regional jet program. Bellamy declined to comment on the deal. Read also: Qantas is named world's safest airline 2019 Mitsubishis 88-passenger plane, formerly called the MRJ90, will be renamed the M90 and is still on schedule to see its first delivery in mid-2020, according to Bellamy. Mitsubishi has spent at least $2 billion over more than a decade on developing its aircraft business, which has been beset by delays because of production difficulties. The company had initially planned test flights in 2012, but only began certification flights in the U.S. earlier this year. The SpaceJet is named to indicate the spaciousness of its cabin, according to Bellamy. He anticipates the new airplane will be 10% cheaper to operate due to its fuel savings from the lighter weight, and longer intervals between maintenance. Depending on demand, some of the production of the planes may be moved to local areas such as the U.S., Bellamy said. Although Mitsubishi is focused on getting the M90 and M100 to market, Mitsubishi Heavy is thinking about adding another model to the lineup, he said. There is a possibility, a likely possibility, that we would look to finish off our family with an aircraft that goes up to 100 seats. --With assistance from Bruce Einhorn. Topics : Mitsubishi Airlines travel aircraft SpaceJet Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, June 14, 2019 17:33 932 db1d47cf6ffbed4060cffaa873c801fc 4 News Star-Clipper,malta,cruise-ship,travel,#travel,cruise Free Sailing under the Maltese flag, cruise ship Star Clipper stopped in Batam, Riau Islands on June 8 as reported by kompas.com. The captain of Star Clipper, Sergey Tunikov, sailed along with his crew of 76 and 74 passengers from 13 different countries from Melaka to stop in Batam and head to Bangka Belitung, Benoa in Bali, before returning to Singapore and then Penang, Malaysia. Travel writer Edi Sutrisno who is also familiar with tourism in Riau Islands, said in a press release that the cruise ship had undertaken immigration clearance on board through the CIQP Nongsapura International Ferry Terminal in Batam. Read also: West Lombok welcomes thousands of Sun Princess cruise ship passengers The arrival of Star Clipper in Batam marks the first entrance of a cruise ship to the port city in the past decade. The last time a cruise ship visited Batam was back in 2010. Since then, there hasnt been a single ship that sailed into the waters here, Edi was quoted as saying. He went on to say that Star Clippers visit was expected to lead other cruise ships to follow suit, help Batam become the playing ground for them and catch up with Bintan Island that has seen many cruise ships in the past few months. The arrival of cruise ships means significant contribution to the number of incoming tourists, considering that they carry thousands of passengers. Edi, however, is aware that inviting a cruise ship is not as easy as flipping ones hand. (vbp/mut) 10 hours ago 3 Knocked-Down Stocks That Are Likely to Get Off the Mat in 2022 These stocks disappointed investors but still have trends on their side Theres no doubt that growth investors have not been disappointed with the market performance over the last two years. Read Article The speaker of Egypt's House of Representatives Ali Abdel-Aal left Cairo for China on Friday on an official visit to the country. The visit, which comes by invitation of the speaker of Chinas parliament is considered a positive reflection of the strategic partnership between Cairo and Beijing at all levels, particularly the parliamentary one. It also comes in line with the view shared by the two countries with regard to several international issues of common interest. Abdel- Aal is set to meet with a number of Chinese officials, including the parliamentary speaker and the vice president. Search Keywords: Short link: Primark continues its international expansion. The Irish company of low cost fashion has landed in Slovenia to continue advancing in the international market. The company will open a store in Ljubljana, the capital of the country, making Slovenia the twelfth international market where it has presence. Currently, the company has 372 stores in twelve markets (Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, France, the United States, Italy and Slovenia). As well as the last opening in the Slovenian country, other stores in Poland and the Czech Republic will soon be added, where Primark has already signed the contracts to start its activity. The company's new store in Slovenia has 4,200 square meters of floor space, distributed over two floors and will employ two hundred people, the company announced in a statement. Primark, owned by the AB Foods group, closed the first six months of the year (from October to March), with a turnover of 3,630 million pounds (4,189 million euros), 4% more. On the other hand, operating profit increased by 25% compared to the same period of the previous year, until 426 million pounds (491.6 million euros). Brightburn is a dark twist on Supermans origin story, starring Elizabeth Banks and David Denman as the alien childs foster parents, and Jackson A. Dunn as the hero (or villain) of this story. This superhero horror has already received its fair share of cult buzz ever since James Gunn signed on as a producer. Four teenage boys travel to the Highlands as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award, only to lose their only map and find themselves hunted by tweed-wearing locals. Expect a films worth of class politics, hip-hop and rabbit shit-eating. What if one day, you awoke to a world where the Beatles had never existed? Directed by the legendary Danny Boyle, this musical romantic comedy stars Himesh Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon and Ed Sheeran. Inspired by true events, this film recounts the story of women recruited as spies during the Second World War and sent to occupied France. It centres on spymistress Vera Atkins (Stana Katic) and her two recruits, an American with a wooden leg (Sarah Megan Thomas) and a Muslim pacifist (Radhika Apte). After premiering at Cannes, The Dead Dont Die makes its UK premiere at EIFF. This zombie apocalypse film boasts a star-studded cast that includes Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez and Iggy Pop - whats not to love? Charlie (Martin Freeman) suffers from cataplexy, which causes sudden paralysis whenever he experiences powerful emotions like fear, anger, or joy. In an attempt to live a normal life, he develops techniques to deny himself happiness, but his coping mechanisms are tested when he inadvertently falls in love. Trailer Coming SoonA wealthy Scottish-American art student (Laura Harrier) has her life turned upside down when her father suddenly dies. The event causes her to re-evaluate her life and friends, until she gets to know fellow student Hannah (Bria Vinaite, of The Florida Project fame). Starring Tilda Swinton and her daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne, this is the story of a struggling filmmaker who falls in love with the wrong man. An autobiographical feature by director Joanna Hogg, this film received critical acclaim when it premiered at Sundance this year. Authorities discuss regulation of short-term accommodation in Phuket PHUKET: A meeting was held at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (June 13) to discuss ways to regulate the rapidly growing market of short-term property rentals via applications such as Airbnb. tourismpropertyeconomics By The Phuket News Friday 14 June 2019, 05:36PM In attendance were Secretary-General of the Office of the Ombudsman of Thailand, Raksagecha Chaechai, Phuket V/Gov Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai, and Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) of the Phuket Provincial Office, Anupong Wawongmoon. Photo: PR Dept In attendance were Secretary-General of the Office of the Ombudsman of Thailand, Raksagecha Chaechai, Phuket V/Gov Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai, and Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) of the Phuket Provincial Office, Anupong Wawongmoon. Photo: PR Dept Among attendees were Secretary-General of the Office of the Ombudsman of Thailand, Raksagecha Chaechai, who chaired the meeting; Phuket Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai; and Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) of the Phuket Provincial Office, Anupong Wawongmoon. The aim of the meeting was to exchange ideas on how to regulate the market and to stop people from renting out their properties illegally. The meeting was set up following inspections conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman which found that such property rental businesses are unapproved by law and can lead to various problems relating to unpaid taxes, guest safety, neighbourhood disturbances and contractual disputes. Palad Anupong said that in 2017, authorities found 1,477 unlicenced hotel businesses operating illegally. Officials also discussed the benefits of the market and its impacts, as well as potential rules, regulations, definitions, lessor and lessee obligations, and the assignment of agencies to be responsible for regulating and overseeing the market. Officials emphasised that regulation would ensure better safety, service and quality for tourists, helping to make Phuket a sustainable global tourism city. Free legal service project on hold as volunteer lawyers wait for budget PHUKET: The project that was supposed to see volunteer lawyers provide free legal services at Phuket City Police Station and Patong Police Station starting last Sunday (June 9) is now on hold while the project organisers at the Lawyers Council of Thailand (LCT) wait for budget approval from the government. policecrimetourismpatong By Terence Chulavachana Friday 14 June 2019, 11:15AM The scheme to provide free legal services at police stations in Phuket is now on hold while the project organisers at the Lawyers Council of Thailand (LCT) wait for budget approval from the government. Photo: Supplied The stunning revelation came to light only after The Phuket News followed up on the launch of the free service. The service was supposed to see volunteer lawyers with English-speaking capabilities provide free legal assistance to Thais and foreigners, including tourists, in trouble with the law at the two main police stations as part of a nationwide project that aimed to have some 10,000 lawyers take part in provideing free legal advice to an estimated 250,000 people in need over six months. At last report, 32 lawyers had already signed up to provide the free legal aid in Phuket. (See story here.) However, a member of the Phuket chapter of LCT, who declined to be named, has now told The Phuket News that the project is on hold while the LCT waits for funding from the government. The volunteer lawyers, who are to provide the assistance at police stations, have been trained, but the program has been suspended until money is available to compensate the lawyers for their service. We have given the case to the Budget Bureau to consider, but there is no government to consider the issue as yet, said the official, declining to be named. The free legal advice was to be available at the two police stations from 8:30am to 4pm seven days, except public holidays. Tourists and other foreigners, who often get into transportation-related problems such as car accidents, often do not understand police workings. The volunteer lawyers at police stations can help solve this problem, said Nuannit Chantawong of the Phuket chapter of the Lawyers Council of Thailand said in announcing the project. Safe Blood for all: Phuket marks World Blood Donor Day PHUKET: The Phuket chapter of the Red Cross together with the Phuket Regional Blood Centre (PRBC) and Vachira Phuket Hospital blood bank held an event to mark World Blood Donor Day today (June 14). charityhealth By Chutharat Plerin Friday 14 June 2019, 05:28PM More than 100 people turned out today to mark World Donor Day, held June 14 every year to honour blood donors. Photo: Phuket Airport More than 100 people turned out today to mark World Donor Day, held June 14 every year to honour blood donors. Photo: Phuket Airport More than 100 people turned out today to mark World Donor Day, held June 14 every year to honour blood donors. Photo: Phuket Airport More than 100 people turned out today to mark World Donor Day, held June 14 every year to honour blood donors. Photo: Chutharat Plerin More than 100 people turned out today to mark World Donor Day, held June 14 every year to honour blood donors. Photo: Chutharat Plerin More than 100 people turned out today to mark World Donor Day, held June 14 every year to honour blood donors. Photo: Phuket Airport The global day organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is marked worldwide every year to thank and honor blood donors, especially regular blood donors, to mark their sacrifice without expecting anything in return. This year the global day is being held under the slogan "Safe blood for all, for both blood donors and the recipients. More than 100 people joined the event held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in Phuket Town this morning, which included an open area where people donated blood. All donors were given a Safe Blood for All T-shirt, and Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana handed out souvenir baskets and honor pins to those who made donations. Also joining the event was Phuket Vice Governor Prakob Wongmanirung, members of the Phuket Red Cross, government agencies, blood donors and the media. Gov Phakaphong expressed his honor to host and be a part of the event. During his speech, he commemorated Karl Landsteiner, the Austrian Austrian biologist, physician and immunologist who discovered the ABO blood grouping system. In order to promote the great work in the field of blood donation services, as well as the donors who expect no return from donations, this is a very good example for new blood donors to take part in donations, followed by regular blood donation every three months, resulting in a sufficient amount of blood regularly for patients in Phuket hospitals,"said the Governor. Also present was Patong resort owner Arnold Wepfer, who has lived in Phuket more than six years and who is also a member of the Rh Negative Club of Phuket. Giving blood donations is not only giving blood. It is giving life. It is also a way of connecting people from heart to heart within society, Mr Wepfer, a Swiss national, told The Phuket News sister newspaper Khao Phuket. Another benefit is that by making blood donations, donors will have their blood types recorded by Phuket hospitals, he said. And one day you might end up in hospital, who knows? he said. You don't have to know who will be your blood recipient. It is just important that we give to help others. That alone is enough," Mr Wepfer added. Panupong Limbuprasertkul, President of the Thai-Nepalese Association in Phuket, was present today. Blood donations are very important. It helps people, and makes good merit. I have donated blood for 10 years, in total 39 times, he said. I invite everyone who can donate blood to come together for a good cause. As I am a Nepalese-Thai person living in Phuket, our community continually holds blood-donation activities with the Phuket Red Cross on various important occasions, and each time more than 100 brothers and sisters [turn up to give blood]," said Mr Panupong. The Phuket Regional Blood Centre (PRBC) has appealed to Thais and foreigners to donate blood at various locations across Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket throughout June. For the full schedule of where and when the mobile blood clinic will be held, click here. Thanathorn in Phuket hears local fishermens woes, critical island issues PHUKET: Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the leader of Future Forward Party, and fellow party members from Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi visited Bang Tao Beach yesterday (June 13) to hear firsthand how anti-IUU regulations being enforced by the EU are harshly affecting small fishermen. Friday 14 June 2019, 03:55PM Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit visited Bang Tao Beach yesterday to hear firsthand the issues that were affecting people in Phuket. Photo: Future Forward Party / Facebook Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit visited Bang Tao Beach yesterday to hear firsthand the issues that were affecting people in Phuket. Photo: Future Forward Party / Facebook Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit visited Bang Tao Beach yesterday to hear firsthand the issues that were affecting people in Phuket. Photo: Future Forward Party / Facebook Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit visited Bang Tao Beach yesterday to hear firsthand the issues that were affecting people in Phuket. Photo: Future Forward Party / Facebook Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit visited Bang Tao Beach yesterday to hear firsthand the issues that were affecting people in Phuket. Photo: Future Forward Party / Facebook Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit visited Bang Tao Beach yesterday to hear firsthand the issues that were affecting people in Phuket. Photo: Future Forward Party / Facebook The visit came after the National Fisheries Association of Thailand on Wednesday (June 12) threatened to stage protests in Bangkok if the new government ignored its demand to revise strict rules and regulations on trawlers and their crews. If these laws aren't changed, the fishermen will head to Bangkok and camp out in front of the Agriculture Ministry, association president Mongkol Sukcharoenkhana told the Bangkok Post. (See story here.) The rules were resulting in a shortage of workers in the fishing sector, forcing many operators out of business, he said. The threats of protests in the capital came as fishing operators in Songkhla plan to meet on June 28 to discuss the problems that fishing operators have been putting up with over the past five years since the government began implementing measures aimed at curbing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices, he said. They will also seek remedies to these problems and draft a proposal for the government to compensate them, he said. On Jan 8 this year, the European Union (EU) announced the lifting of its yellow card warning in recognition of the substantial progress Thailand has made in tackling IUU fishing since 2015. The yellow card prompted Thailand to overhaul its fishing industry to meet international standards so as to avoid a threatened EU ban on Thai seafood imports. Adisorn Phromthep, director-general of the Department of Fisheries, said the reforms were necessary as they should bring sustainability to the country's fishing sector. They are also crucial to ensure transparency and traceability in every fishing process, he said. To help ease the burden on fishing operators who have to provide paperwork to comply with requirements, the department has developed an electronic system called Fisheries Single Window, he added. Future Forward leader Mr Thanathorn yesterday heard from local fishermen in Phuket how they faced a slew of problems from the restrictions enforced on small fishing operators in order to comply with anti-IUU regulations, and the onerous bureaucratic hurdles they needed to comply with just to make a living. I found that there are a lot of problems problem, including poor support from government officials, a lot of problems with permits and paperwork because of the many government departments involved, and the contradicting nature of trying to support both the tourism and fishing industries, Mr Thanathorn said. Mr Thanathorn stressed that his party supported the anti-IUU regulations, but also conceded that several issues overly affected small fishing operators. The problems are different in different areas. Fishing operators in the Andaman and the Gulf of Thailand, such as those in Samut Sakhon, all face their own unique problems, so we will look tackling the problems and coming up with solutions that are suitable for each area, he said. Among the problems detailed yesterday were that local fishermen were not allowed to fish more than three nautical miles offshore and that IUU regulations required that nets must not have mesh smaller than four-inches square in order to avoid catching small fish. Simply registering fishing boats and fishing equipment was now overly coiomplex and time-consuming, the fishermen explained. Government inefficiencies and the use of authority to call for benefits is resulting in a penalty that is too high, he said. The party will push for the various laws to be amended in line with local fishermens traditional way of life. We will also look towards organising a forum for stakeholders between local fisheries and commercial fisheries to join in discussions at the area level in order to come up with suitabel solutions to these problems, he said. Other issues in Phuket that were brought to Mr Thanathorns attention were transportation, tourism and waste management issues. The first thing that we have to fix is transportation and learn how to improve the transportation infrastructure to be more effective. The next thing is to focus on the tourism attractions. We have been focusing on promoting the same old beaches and the same old island for too long, that why is the popularity of these has been declining. So we have to develop new places for tourists to come and enjoy, he said. Another key issue is trash. We have to accept that more tourists means more trash. So we will try to solve that problem, too, said Mr Thanathorn. A lot of these problems are already on our partys agenda to change and fix, he said. HORSHAM Experience is vital when it comes to obtaining a job, and gaining experience can be even more difficult for students with disabilities. That is where Hatboro-Horsham High Schools STRIVE program comes into play. Its an opportunity for students who will encounter barriers to employment to gain work experience, said Colleen Cram, transition coordinator at Hatboro-Horsham High School. The... Watertown resident looks back on the changes seen in her 105 years Six new Elton John stadium shows has been announced across Australia. In response to enormous demand, and hot on the heels of the incredible global success of the ROCKETMAN epic musical fantasy, Elton John has extended the Australian leg of his sold-out 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour. The new concerts will be held at Geelongs Mt Duneed Estate Winery, AAMI Park in Melbourne, plus four regional stadium "firsts" in Coffs Harbour, Townsville, Sunshine Coast and Sydney. The six new outdoor shows will go on sale this 25th June. New Australian tour dates for 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' Tour 22 Feb 2020 AAMI Park Melbourne, VIC 26 Feb 2020 C.ex Coffs International Stadium Coffs Harbour, NSW 29 Feb 2020 North Queensland Stadium Townsville, QLD 3 Mar 2020 Sunshine Coast Stadium Sunshine Coast, QLD 7 Mar 2020 Bankwest Stadium Sydney, NSW See the full tour details here Canadian investor Seymour Schulich said he bought about 5 per cent of MEG Energy for the first time in the last couple of weeks, underscoring his bullish view on energy despite his concerns that Canada is squandering its resource legacy. Weve got a window here and its somewhere between 10 and 25 years, Schulich, 79, said Thursday in an interview in Toronto. If we dont exploit the legacy this country has been given as the third-largest reserves of oil-and-gas in the world and build schools, hospitals, infrastructure if we dont do that, were going to lose out. Shares of MEG Energy climbed 12 per cent to $5.12 in Toronto Thursday after Schulich disclosed he had initiated a big new investment in the Calgary-based company during an interview with Bloomberg. That would make his stake worth about $75 million. Schulich is critical of the leadership under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing his Liberal Party-led government of destroying an industry that amounts to a big chunk of the economy. Weve put up a giant Not open for business sign in this country, Schulich said. And people are paying attention to it. The Americans have left, the Europeans have left. Even our own companies are leaving and setting up shop in the United States. Still optimistic Still, Schulich says hes optimistic as an investor despite the political landscape. Canadas resource legacy is such that all that needs to be done is to build pipelines to get things moving again and revive our fortunes within a couple years after that, he said. If you saw the movie The Big Short, they were optimistic that they were right they didnt know when, he said. Im convinced also that Im right, but I dont know when. The markets are right for investing in oil right now due to the surplus of supply of 1 per cent to 2 per cent, Schulich said. Its not going to take very much to move the price of oil dramatically upward, he said. When the differential is so small, something is going to happen to close it and the price is going to go up and thats why Im back buying oil, but Im not buying gas particularly. Schulich, through his foundation and his Nevada Capital, owns about 30 per cent of Western Canadian oil-and-gas driller Pengrowth Energy, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Hes been in his latest position for about four years and has an average cost of about $1.10 versus $3.25 on his initial investment. The stock traded at 49 Canadian cents in Toronto at 3:36 p.m. He was an investor in the company before, when it was an oil-and-gas trust run under founder James Kinnear, who retired in 2009. Schulich, co-founder of Franco-Nevada Mining, said he also invests in Royal Dutch Shell and an 8 per cent position in the San Juan Basin Royalty Trust, which hes held since 1992. He was once a top holder of Birchcliff Energy until he sold down his position in 2017 primarily because theres too much gas. Outside of energy, Schulich said hes bullish on gold: he holds physical gold as well as a big position in Barrick Gold, which was trading at $18.46. I think Barrick will be a $50 or $100 stock in due course, Schulich said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi designated members of her caucus to negotiate with the White House on changes to President Donald Trumps new North American trade deal, signalling momentum toward an eventual floor vote, according to two people familiar with the matter. Massachusetts Democrat Richard Neal, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, will lead the group that will negotiate directly with U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer. The members will focus on four areas, including Rep. Earl Blumenauer, the Oregon Democratic chair of the Trade Subcommittee, who will cover drug-pricing provisions with Illinois Democrat Janice Schakowsky. Negotiating labour measures will fall to Mike Thompson and Jimmy Gomez, both of California. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon and John Larson of Connecticut will deal with the environmental chapter. Strengthening the enforcement of all these provisions will be handled by Terri Sewell of Alabama and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut. A Democratic aide with direct knowledge of the plan confirmed the names. Democrats have made passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement contingent on certain changes to these provisions, and they have laid out fixes that could satisfy their demands. Democratic staffers have privately blamed the Trump administration for not engaging with their proposed solutions. Administration officials say the Democrats demands arent specific enough. A bipartisan staff delegation went to Mexico City this month for a fact-finding mission to assess the implementation of Mexicos recently passed labour reform bill. Trump on Thursday said the deal is coming along well and that he hopes it gets approved quickly. Everybody wants it. Its in Congress right now. Its in the House. And theyre reviewing it. I think thatll be a very bipartisan bill, Trump said. Everybody wants it and hopefully they can act quickly. If we can get support from, really the Democrats in Congress. Nancy Pelosi. They have to put the bill forward. Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday the country is moving ahead with ratification of the USMCA at a pace that will be in tandem with the U.S. ratification. She said Canada is taking a Goldilocks approach to approving the deal: not too fast and not too slow. Freeland declined to comment on whether Canada will be able to ratify before parliament breaks for summer, likely this month. Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley has often cited Canadas political calendar to warn that time is running out for the U.S. Congress to approve the pact. U.S. lawmakers in the House and Senate have been vocal about the need to pass the deal before they leave for August recess. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Thursday said he thinks the economic bump from passing the USMCA is being underappreciated, and signalled optimism it will be ratified. Were waiting to see if it can get through Congress, Kudlow said at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. Speaker Pelosi has been very accommodative thus far. Im optimistic about that. Read more about: Uber and Lyft launched a public campaign Wednesday to pressure California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom into exempting them from pending legislation that would force them to classify drivers as employees. The ride-hailing giants have lobbied behind the scenes for months, arguing that their drivers should retain independent contractor status even as drivers in California and across the country have mounted protests over low pay and a lack of labour protections and filed thousands of lawsuits over their treatment. A change to the employment classification of ride-share drivers would pose a risk to our businesses, the companies declared in an opinion article published in the San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday under the bylines of Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, Lyft chief executive Logan Green and Lyft president John Zimmer. The companies stock prices have dropped since they went public this spring, as investors question whether they can ever make a profit. In their op-ed, the executives suggested that rather than classifying drivers as employees they adopt a system of worker-determined benefits from paid time off to retirement planning to lifelong learning. The vaguely-worded proposal did not seem to offer what labour laws give employees: a guaranteed minimum wage, overtime pay, and benefits such as sick leave, family leave, workers compensation, disability and unemployment insurance. And rather than allow drivers to unionize, which they could do if they are classified as employees, the companies suggested forming a new driver association, in partnership with state lawmakers and labour groups, to represent drivers interests. A bill, AB 5, passed the California Assembly by a 59-15 vote last month to codify a 2018 California Supreme Court decision. That ruling requires classifying workers as employees if they perform work as part of a companys usual course of business. It is expected to begin moving through the Senate next month. In a legislature and an administration dominated by Democrats, the bill pits two powerful constituencies that have often supported Democrats against each other labour unions and technology companies. The bill is backed by the California Labor Federation. But the Chamber of Commerce has been organizing independent contractors to lobby against AB 5, and in the coming months, Uber and Lyft may step up efforts to enlist thousands of its drivers in the effort. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), AB 5s author, called the Uber-Lyft op-ed the same song and dance weve heard before. They know they are losing and are desperate to change the PR without offering any details that help workers. They say theyre offering retirement planning, she added, noting that the companies dont have to pay into Medicare or Social Security for independent contractors. What does that mean? Theyre going to open up a ballroom and talk about their future? Gonzalez has amended AB 5 to exempt professional workers such as doctors, accountants, real estate agents, insurance agents and hair dressers who make far more than minimum wage. But she said Im not willing to bargain away decades of progress on wages and labour protections for Uber and Lyft. These are billion-dollar companies. Theyve done everything in their power to make outrageous profits for shareholders at the expense of workers. Classifying gig-economy workers as independent contractors means taxpayers are on the hook for providing social services for employers who dont do the right thing, she said. Gov. Gavin Newsom did not respond to a request for comment on reports that his office has been involved in negotiations over a compromise to AB 5. But in an interview with Politico Tuesday, he was quoted as saying I am very encouraged by the conversations were having. I dont think its a binary question Its this or that, he said. I dont want to stifle innovation. At the same time, Im concerned, as everybody should be, about people running in place, working harder but not getting any of the commensurate benefits. The Uber-Lyft proposal was greeted with indignation by Los Angeles ride-hailing drivers who staged a strike last month seeking higher pay and benefits. The gig app industries are making bazillions for the few, while drivers starve, said Nicole Moore, a Lyft driver and organizer with the 5,000-member Ride-share Drivers United. Theyve implemented draconian pay cuts and now they want us to form company unions without giving us the right to bargain for a real contract. Its a non-starter. In their op-ed, the ride-share executives estimated that, globally, drivers have earned $80 billion driving for Uber and Lyft. They are attracted to the work because of the flexibility it affords, they wrote. Very few jobs allow you to start or stop working whenever, wherever, as often as you want. They also acknowledged that independent work is associated with higher levels of stress. Ride-share drivers worries may concern earnings stability, protections on the job, and the ability to have a meaningful voice in the companies whose apps they use. The solution: We can make independent work better if we update century-old employment laws ... we have an opportunity to work with legislators and labour groups to find a different solution that preserves drivers ability to work independently if they choose to do so while improving the quality and security of their work. UC Berkeley labour law professor Catherine Fisk called the Uber-Lyft proposal for a drivers association disingenuous, noting that the companies are in court battling a Seattle ordinance to allow drivers to bargain collectively. Giving workers more of a say in the decisions affecting their lives and livelihoods, as the companies propose, is easy: recognize the employees choice of union, Fisk said. By law, she said, workers classified as employees may work flexible hours and often do in such industries as retail, trucking and fast food. One can be an employee working two hours a week or 60. There is absolutely no legal requirement that an employee be someone who works a fixed schedule. Fisk noted that one benefit of employee classification would be to shift the cost of maintaining vehicles which is now borne by drivers. If a driver is working 50 hours a week for Uber, it makes sense that the vehicle should be paid for by Uber, which is profiting from its use, she said. If AB 5 fails to pass, or is vetoed by Gov. Newsom, Uber and Lyft, along with thousands of other companies, would still be subject to the standard for independent contractor classification set by the California Supreme Court. But applying it to companies one by one would require lawsuits, thus adding to the legal battles the companies are already waging. Read more about: Canadas largest alternative asset manager has secured a green loan for commercial towers in Australia, adding to signs that the market for such fundraising in the Asia-Pacific region is catching up with elsewhere in the world. Brookfield Properties, a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., got the $608 million (U.S.) loan to refinance facilities that were used for the two energy-efficient office towers in Perth in Western Australia. The financing is the largest single-asset green loan syndication completed Down Under. Demand is growing globally for financing that meets environmental, social and governance standards. The Asia-Pacific region has had about $122 million of green loans signed this year, close to half of the $247 million figure globally and already outpacing growth in the Americas. The loan is for Brookfield Place Perth Tower 1 and Tower 2. The buildings are home to top-tier tenants including mining giant BHP Group Ltd., telecom heavyweight Telstra Corp., and conglomerate Wesfarmers Ltd. Brookfield Properties owns the towers, which meet the Climate Bond Initiative certification criteria relating to commercial low carbon buildings for features such as energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning, high-performance glazing and lighting, and water systems designed to improve usage. They also have 5 Star Green Star accreditation by the Green Building Council of Australia. Elsewhere in Asia, Chinas Xinjiang Goldwind is marketing debut green loan of $475 million. BOCOM Leasing Management Hong Kong Co., a subsidiary of Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co., has closed a $200 million green facility this week. Singapores City Development Ltd. in April secured bilateral green loans worth S$500 million ($365 million). OTTAWA - For now, hes going to Washington to meet President Donald Trump, but Canadian business leaders say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be talking to Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi to push the continents new trade pact towards ratification. Trudeaus Thursday trip to Washington is being billed as part of a concerted push to win ratification of the new North American trade deal in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Legislation to do just that is slowly wending through the House of Commons, and Mexicos Senate is poised to give its final legislative approval early next week. But similar legislation has yet to be introduced in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. The Democrats would like to deny Trump a victory on the trade front, but they also have specific concerns about the labour and environment provisions of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. With the U.S. Congress set to rise at the end of July, Trumps hopes to have the House and Senate ratify USMCA this summer as Vice-President Mike Pence promised Trudeau last month in Ottawa are dwindling. Brian Kingston, vice-president of international issues for the Business Council of Canada, says thats why Trudeau should add Pelosi to his agenda. I think it would be important, if theres an opportunity, to have a discussion with the House leader. That could be beneficial primarily because, right now, the ball is fully in her court, Kingston said in an interview Friday. Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says thats a good idea, but only if Trump asks Trudeau to speak to Democratic lawmakers. If they feel it would be helpful for the prime minister to speak to members of Congress, including Nancy Pelosi, then I would think hed be very open to doing that, Beatty said Friday in an interview. Should we insert ourselves in the process without a request from the U.S. administration? My inclination would be to ask the administration what they think would be most helpful. Flavio Volpe, president the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, said the meeting of the two leaders is probably most significant for its context rather than content. The Canadian prime minister publicly appearing on the same side as the American president could give Democrats some cover for supporting the new USMCA. The Prime Ministers Office would only say that it would keep the media informed of Trudeaus itinerary. Trudeau and Trump will meet on Thursday in Washington where the new continental trade deal, as well as their shared concerns about China, will be major topics of discussion. Business groups in all three countries are pushing for a timely ratification of the new pact because they say the uncertainty created by the long, tempestuous renegotiation of NAFTA and the ratification delays are harmful to long-term investment plans. Canadian MPs are to adjourn by next Friday for their summer recess, their last planned sitting days before the October federal election, but they could be recalled in the summer to deal with ratification. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland sidestepped questions on her trip to Washington this week about how Canada would proceed in tandem with the U.S. if its lawmakers on Capitol Hill dont ratify the deal before their summer recess. In Canada, the Business Council, an association of top corporate executives, and the Chamber of Commerce, which represents 200,000 Canadian businesses across all sectors, have differing views on how urgent it is for the Trudeau government to ratify the new deal. Their strategy of following the U.S. process makes sense, however there will be a point where we should ratify this agreement before the election, said Kingston. Our biggest concern right now is if the president does not feel the Democrats are moving quickly enough, he will withdraw from NAFTA. . . . That would be absolutely disastrous for the Canadian economy. NAFTA, which remains in force, allows any country to withdraw on six-months notice. If Trump did that, it would be the ultimate pressure tactic to push Congress, said Kingston. Beatty said an earlier ratification is certainly a better option, but if the U.S. leaves it hanging, it is not imperative for the Liberal government to ratify before the federal election. It would be preferable, but I dont think its essential. Both the Liberals and Conservatives are in favour of ratification. I would anticipate whether its before or after the federal election, theres no serious impediment to ratification in Canada. MONTREAL - Neil Bruce, who stepped down abruptly as head of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. on Tuesday, says the process to replace him was in the works for at least six months. Bruce says in a LinkedIn post that the process started last year and notes that his interim replacement, Ian Edwards, was appointed operations chief in January, allowing a five-month handover period to groom the industry veteran. Bruce says his family moved backed to the United Kingdom after the winter holidays and that he was eager to join them. His departure this week capped off a near four-year stint marked by a 61-per-cent plunge in share price over the past 12 months and a political controversy tied to an ongoing corruption case. Despite a beefed-up backlog and successful acquisitions like the WS Atkins purchase in 2017, analysts say faith has waned in Bruces ability to make good on recent profit forecasts, avoid flops like SNCs cancelled Chilean mine contract and make judgments like his partial sale of the 407 toll road. SNC-Lavalins reputation has taken a beating over fraud and corruption charges related to its work in Libya that preceded Bruces tenure. The firm has also been mired in a political controversy following accusations by former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould that top government officials pressured her to overrule federal prosecutors in the Libya case and negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement with the company. To all employees you are in great hands, Bruce wrote. Ian knows the business well now and will do a great job, he is committed to our values of integrity safety innovation and collaboration so I wish you all well and much success in the coming months and years. Companies in this story: (TSX:SNC) Large restaurant chains Red Robin and White Castle are reporting shortages of Impossible Foods Inc.s popular meat-free patties, even as the plant-based food producer embarks on a nationwide expansion with Burger King. Calls to a dozen Red Robins and the same number of White Castles on Thursday found that only two locations of each chain had Impossible Foods Inc.s patties available. Individual locations from New York to Hillsboro, Oregon, with the burger on their menu told customers this week that theyre fresh out. White Castle said on Friday the patties would be back no later than June 17. The chain said its changing the shape of its Impossible Sliders to square from round. As we geared up for the change, we had short-term shortages here and there, but not universally, White Castle said in an email. Impossible Foods is a great partner and were confident theyll quickly power through the process of ramping up production to meet growing demand, the company said. The hit-or-miss availability of Impossible Foods items at the chains, which each have hundreds of restaurants, adds to shortages of the popular meat-free patties that mom-and-pop restaurants have been reporting for weeks. They underscore the pressure Impossible Foods is facing to manufacture for the mass market and get a head start on wide distribution before a growing crop of rivals can catch up. Were waiting for it to come in, said Rebecca Sparks, 34, supervisor at Left Coast Food + Juice in Chicagos Lincoln Park neighbourhood. She said there is no word on when it will be available again. Rachel Konrad, spokeswoman for closely held Impossible Foods, told Bloomberg that the gap between supply and demand has nothing to do with Burger King. The corporate offices of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. didnt respond to requests for comment. Expanding presence The shortages coincide with the arrival of the Impossible Whopper at Burger King, which was tested in St. Louis in April before expanding to cities such as Miami and Columbus, Georgia. Under terms of a deal inked earlier this year, Impossible Foods patties will be inside Burger Kings nationwide by the end of this year. The chain operates more than 7,300 U.S. restaurants in the U.S. The burger chain, owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc., doesnt seem to be affected by the shortage. Every Burger King location contacted by Bloomberg, including those in St. Louis, Miami; Montgomery, Alabama; and Columbus, Georgia; said the patties were in stock. Burger King did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The supply hiccups may be a sign of how eager companies are to expand market share as demand soars for meat alternatives and startups that make the products increasingly go national. While overall meat consumption is rising globally, including in the U.S., theres also been a rise in plant-based diets in wealthy nations. This has spawned an expanding array of meat substitutes, ranging from products that are meatlike but made from plant matter, to meat thats grown in a lab instead of taken from slaughtered livestock. Lab-grown meat isnt yet available to the public. As major restaurant chains latch on to the plant-based meat craze, they are going to want assurances that once an item is placed on the menu, it can stay there, said Linda Ashbrook, director of innovation and customer solutions at Datassential. Those companies have to prove to these bigger brands that they can, in fact, deliver day in and day out, she said. Impossible Foods told Bloomberg earlier this week that its products are now on the menu at about 9,000 restaurants, but couldnt say how many currently had access to stock. Im not going to estimate the number of restaurants that currently have the product or are sold out, Konrad said at the time. The company has said that it would sell its products in retail outlets this year, too. Its currently awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval for its magic ingredient known as heme, which is made with genetically modified yeast. That ingredient gives the companys soy-based burgers their meaty taste, and because it imparts a red colour to the raw product, it requires extra approval for grocery sales. Rival Beyond Meat Inc., which has seen its stock rise about 500% since its recent public offering, said this week that its plant-based sausage breakfast sandwiches are available at almost 4,000 Tim Hortons locations across Canada. Tim Hortons is also owned by Restaurant Brands International. In a recent earnings call, Beyond Meat executives said theyd learned from past supply problems, but the company may not be out of the woods yet. Burrito chain Freebirds, which has more than 70 locations in the U.S., announced on its website that it has temporarily halted sales of its Beyond Meat-based Mexican fare due to a supply shortage. Beyond Meat didnt respond to multiple requests for comment. Beyond Meat shares rose as much as 12% to $157.90 (U.S.) on Friday. Thats up from its IPO price of $25 on May 1. The companys pea-based burgers were formulated to mimic meat by using plant ingredients that resemble meat molecules. -With assistance from Craig Giammona. Read more about: VANCOUVER - Canfor Pulp Products is temporarily shutting down one of its northern British Columbia pulp mills just days after parent company Canfor Inc. announced breaks at all but one of its B.C. sawmills and the permanent closure of another. Canfor Pulp says the Taylor mill wont operate from June 29 to Aug. 5, reducing pulp production by about 25,000 tonnes. The Vancouver-based company says reasons include weaker market conditions and a short-term lack of wood supply due to slowdowns at its sawmills elsewhere in the province. All Canfor sawmills except the WynnWood operation in southeastern B.C., are to shut down for at least two weeks starting on Monday, and the mill in Vavenby, north of Kamloops, is to close permanently in July. Tennessee-based Louisiana-Pacific Corp. has also announced an indefinite shuttering of its Peace Valley oriented strandboard mill in Fort St. John, affecting about 190 workers. Employees have been told the shutdown is to begin Aug. 9, and a company statement says declining housing starts, high wood costs and other pressures forced its decision. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson blames market changes and timber killed by pest infestations. He said transition teams are on the way to communities where mill closures have the potential to affect hundreds of direct and indirect jobs. The fact is that we knew this day was coming, as far as the constriction on the fibre supply, at least 10 years ago, Donaldson said. Weve taken steps to address it in the last 22 months and, unfortunately, the previous government didnt over 16 years, so were determined to make forestry an important part of rural communities. Donaldson has warned that tough decisions lie ahead as transition plans are developed, but B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson accused the NDP government of failing to do anything to help affected workers. Wilkinson has called for creation of an all-party forestry competitiveness committee and the immediate reduction of stumpage fees and carbon tax paid by the forestry sector. This is failed leadership on the part of (Premier) John Horgan, plain and simple, Wilkinson said in a statement. It has been a difficult few months for British Columbia communities dependant upon the forestry industry. In addition to the plans by Canfor and Louisiana-Pacific, Toronto-based Norbord Inc. announced this week that an indefinite shutdown is to begin in August at its oriented strandboard mill in 100 Mile House affecting 160 workers. In May, privately owned, Vernon-based Tolko Industries announced its Quesnel sawmill is to close permanently in August, putting 150 people out of work, while 90 workers will be affected when half the shifts at its Kelowna mill are cut in July. Aspen Planers Ltd., based in Merritt, also cut 50 per cent of the shifts at its Merritt mill earlier this week, resulting in 50 layoffs. (The Canadian Press, MooseFM) Companies mentioned in this story: (TSX:CFX) (TSX:CFP) (NYSE:LPX) (TSX:NBD) OTTAWA - A government-struck expert panel is calling for new super-deduction tax credits to encourage Canadians to put their retirement savings into climate-conscious investments. The report delivered Friday to Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the government should let people deduct from their incomes more than 100 per cent of any retirement contributions they put into investments such as bonds that help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions similar to regular contributions to registered retirement-savings funds but for extra credit. To make this idea work, the panel called on the federal government to lay out a decades-long plan of needed investments and the cost of a carbon tax to hit Canadas national emission goals, so businesses and investors have predictability. But with a federal election this fall, there is anything but the certainty to 2050 that the panel suggests. The Liberals say they have no plan to raise the carbon-emissions tax beyond the $50 per tonne it is supposed to hit by 2022, up from the current $20-a-tonne levy in provinces that dont have their own carbon-pricing system. And the Opposition Conservatives have promised to kill the federal carbon tax if theyre elected this fall. The panel, led University of Toronto business-school dean Tiff Macklem, often heard during its work that the more clarity the market can get ... the better that will be for investment, Macklem said. Many of the investments the country would need to meet its carbon-reduction targets, from building infrastructure that can withstand more extreme weather to retrofitting buildings to be more energy-efficient, among others, will take years to plan and billions of dollars. More than the government can spend, the panel wrote. Macklem, a former No. 2 at the Bank of Canada, said getting Canadians to put savings into green bonds, for instance, would help with their private finances, aid efforts to expand the green-financing market, and shift money toward the environmental effort. Income-tax deductions would be an incentive for the many Canadians who dont max out their retirement-savings allowances and tax-free savings-account contributions, he said. Those who do should get extra space for green investments, he added. Finance is not going to solve climate change, but the things that are going to solve climate change - things like innovation, clean electricity, energy-saving buildings, climate-resilient infrastructure - those things all require investments, Macklem said. In fact, they require a lot of investment and thats where finance is critical. Andrea Moffat, vice-president of the Toronto-based Ivey Foundation, which supports work that combines environmentalism and economic growth, said letting people put their savings into green projects could solve several policy issues, including getting money into a clean-energy economy. This is what the panel report is sort of saying: Here are a bunch of things we need to do to actually get financing and investment going in the right direction so that Canadians can see theyre going to have a vision for the future where were a part of this larger, global low-carbon transition, said Moffat, who wasnt part of the panel. The panel, which included a board member of the Royal Bank of Canada and top executives at the Quebec pension fund and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, proposed other regulatory changes to combine Canadas environmental goals and economic growth. Businesses should be required to disclose more about the financial risks climate change poses to their bottom lines, the report said, and pension plans should show how climate-related issues are considered in their investments. (C)limate-change opportunity and risk management need to become business-as-usual in financial services, and embedded in everyday business decisions, products and services, the report said. VANCOUVERThe BC Centre for Disease Control is warning that travellers at Vancouvers airport on Sunday may have been exposed to measles. The centre says a passenger with the disease had a layover at Vancouver International Airport on June 9. It warns passengers on an Air China flight from Beijing that arrived in Vancouver at 10:50 a.m. that day and those aboard an Air Canada flight to Regina that left at 2 p.m. may have been exposed. The passenger went through Canada Customs and Immigration so the centre says people in the main terminal may also be vulnerable. Measles is a highly infectious airborne disease and symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash that starts centrally and spreads to the limbs. Passengers, crew and travellers who may have come into contact with measles are asked to check their immunization status. Rad more: B.C. measles outbreak prompts increase in vaccinations for kids The centre says if you become ill and suspect you have measles, call your doctor and inform them so they can arrange a visit in a way that avoids infecting others in the waiting room. Dozens of people in British Columbia have been infected with measles this year, prompting health officials to emphasize the importance of immunizations. Read more about: MONTREALStill reeling from accusations its investigators fabricated evidence, the provinces once-praised anti-corruption police unit is again the target of criticism. The police force created to restore the publics faith in democratic institutions lacks officers with the necessary skills to conduct complex investigations into financial crimes, according to a government report published Thursday. Claude Corbo, head of the office that monitors Quebecs anti-corruption police, recommends that the unit known as UPAC hire people with university degrees who are capable of handling lengthy investigations into highly complex criminality. The report came amid a series of embarrassing scandals for the police force, which was created in 2011 by the Liberals following reports of widespread fraud and corruption in the public and private sectors. UPAC has been criticized for its slow pace completing investigations, and there have been reports it is having trouble recruiting due to low morale. A former high-level officer reportedly told prosecutors the squad had fabricated evidence. Read more: Francois Legault says allegations of Quebecs anti-corruption unit fabricating evidence are worrying Investigation of leaks about Quebec corruption case proving complex Quebec premier considers forming committee to monitor anti-corruption unit Corbos report doesnt directly address the recent scandals, citing ongoing probes by prosecutors and an independent police watchdog. However his report, despite its diplomatic language, describes a police force incapable of properly fulfilling its mandate. There is a training issue for the UPAC as a whole, the report says, alluding to the complexity of crime in the form of bribery in public contracts and the need for knowledge that is often very specialized. Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault placed the blame on the previous Liberal government, defeated by her Coalition Avenir Quebec party last October. The Liberals created UPAC, she said, without giving it the necessary resources to do its job. The preceding Liberal government didnt have the real intention of giving itself the means to really fight against corruption in Quebec, she said. Christine St-Pierre, Liberal critic for public security, called Guilbaults comments low. Instead of blaming the Liberals, Guilbault should ensure the recommendations in Corbos report are followed, St-Pierre said in an interview. But St-Pierre was also quick to target someone else for blame: Robert Lafreniere, the former head of UPAC who unexpectedly quit on election day, Oct. 1, without completing his second mandate or explaining why he was leaving. Lafreniere was the one responsible for hiring and ensuring his team had the expertise needed to investigate corruption across the province, she said. Maybe the lack of expertise and training described in Corbos report helps explain UPACs troubles, she added. We have heard allegations of fabrication of evidence, this is serious ... It breaks the publics trust, St-Pierre said. Last May, the Journal de Montreal reported the Crown prosecutors office was in possession of hours of testimony from the units former head of operations, Andre Boulanger. He reportedly told prosecutors under oath in 2018 that certain open investigations could fall apart because officers had fabricated evidence. The unit has had some success in investigating crime since its inception. Last July, former Quebec construction mogul Tony Accurso received a four-year prison term following his conviction on fraud and corruption charges. Hes been released pending his appeal. But many of the people arrested by UPAC have been acquitted or received no jail time, causing public frustration. Other cases have dragged on for years. I share Quebecers impatience to have UPACs investigations completed, Guilbault said. Corbos report was his first since his office was created last year to monitor UPAC. In it, he recommends that a working group identify what university degrees and skills recruits should have. We can think of law, accounting, forensic accounting, engineering, criminology, computer science, management, he wrote. He added that corruption investigators should not be required to have experience as patrol officers, as is currently the case. Corbo said the requirement shows how rooted the idea is among police officers that one cannot rise to the role of investigator without first going on patrol. But the fight against corruption requires the use of diversified skills related to several academic disciplines, he said. A patrol experience ... and general police investigation does not in itself provide this diversity of skills. Read more about: OTTAWACanadian business leaders say Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus trip to Washington next week could be more productive if he can add a meeting with Democratic party leader Nancy Pelosi to his schedule. Trudeau is going to see U.S. President Donald Trump, hoping to push the new NAFTA towards ratification. But Pelosi is the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Brian Kingston of the Business Council of Canada says Pelosi gets to decide whether Trumps ratification bill gets introduced in the lower house of the U.S. Congress. The Democrats would like to deny Trump a victory on the trade front, plus they have specific concerns about the labour and environment provisions of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Perrin Beatty, the president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says a Trudeau-Pelosi meeting could only take place if the president invited Trudeau to have one, but it could be useful. Trudeau and Trump are to meet on Thursday and the new continental trade deal, as well as their shared concerns about China, will be major topics of discussion. As mass protests in Hong Kong grab headlines around the world, expatriate Canadians living in the former British colony say the demonstrations have been intense and are raising fresh concerns about the territorys future. Three expatriates made it clear Friday they are deeply concerned for Hong Kongs stressed-out population, even though their personal safety has not been put at risk. The mood right now in Hong Kong is tense and people are emotionally overwrought, said Andrew Work, who lived and worked in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia before moving to Hong Kong 23 years ago. They have very complex emotions because this all goes to the future of Hong Kong. The citys downtown was calm Friday after days of demonstrations prompted by a proposed extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to China for trial. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday, and the protesters maintained a presence through Thursday night. They say they want to prevent the semi-autonomous Chinese territory from eroding the freedoms promised when Britain ended its colonial rule in 1997. On Wednesday, Hong Kong police reportedly fired rubber bullets and beanbag rounds at protesters, leaving 81 people injured. I dont think anyone (from Canada) is afraid for their public safety, unless they are choosing to engage directly in the public protests, said Work, a public policy analyst and former executive director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world. Work said the biggest concern for those living in Hong Kong is the perception that China is trying to impose its legal system on the territory even though the extradition bill was drafted in Hong Kong. People trust the legal system in Hong Kong, he said. However, if the legal system in China is able to extend itself into Hong Kong ... that is where they have a problem. This is why so many people ... are taking to the streets. According to some estimates, there are more than 200,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong. Hollie Ivany, a teacher from Cape Breton who has lived in Hong Kong for eight years, chose her words carefully when describing how she felt about the protests and Canadas bruised relationship with China. She said the people she knows from Hong Kong are struggling to understand what the proposed law will mean. Its been tumultuous, stressful and difficult for them, she said. As a foreigner, I have privilege and I am ... somewhat removed from the situation ... (But) Ive been standing with them and observing the experience theyve been having. Its certainly on my radar. But by no means am I feeling unsafe. Meanwhile, the protests are threatening to further derail Canadas already shaky relationship with China. On Thursday, Chinas embassy in Canada denounced the Canadian governments recent comments on the protests as irresponsible and erroneous. That appeared to be a reference to a statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who said any legislation should preserve Hong Kongs autonomy, judicial independence and rule of law. Canada remains concerned about the potential effect these proposals may have on the large number of Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence, and on Hong Kongs international reputation, Freeland said. Freedom of expression and assembly are the bedrock of Hong Kongs free society. Canada and China are already locked in an ugly dispute over last Decembers arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is the target of a U.S. extradition request on charges of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. China has detained two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in apparent retaliation. Another Canadian living in Hong Kong a senior banking executive from Toronto who asked to remain anonymous said the rising political tensions have left him reluctant to travel to mainland China. He said the extradition bill has become a potent symbol for those who are convinced China is trying to hasten its inevitable takeover of Hong Kong, which is slated to happen in 2047. It sends the signal that China is getting closer to managing the affairs of Hong Kong, said the executive, who has worked in Hong Kong for the past five years. If anyone here is doing anything to speed that process up, theyre going to fight it tooth and nail. He said older members of Hong Kongs population realize their children will not enjoy the wealth, privileges and freedoms they have grown used to. The Hong Kongers I speak to in my office, they are despondent, they are sorrowful ... In those first days of the protests, they were sick with resignation about the inevitability of whats coming at them, he said. Every time they see evidence of it coming at them faster, it sinks in deeper. However, the executive said it would be a mistake to assume China is the prime mover behind the extradition bill. This a Hong Kong-originated bill, he said, noting the anger of the protesters has been aimed at Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who faced calls from within her government Friday to delay the legislation. When China wants someone in Hong Kong, they just take them off the street, he said. They dont need an extradition agreement to pick someone up. Read more about: EDMONTON Three impaired driving-related charges have been laid against an Edmonton school bus driver after she allegedly drove erratically while transporting several students. The 39-year-old woman has also been charged with child endangerment and causing a child to be in need of intervention after her arrest earlier this week. Police have said there were about 20 elementary students on board when officers stopped the bus around 3:40 p.m. Tuesday in a southwest neighbourhood. They say her bus was observed weaving in and out of its lane, going over a curb, knocking over a street sign and stopping in the middle of the road. None of the students were hurt. The driver is scheduled to appear in court July 24. Read more about: MONTREALA Montreal man who was facing charges of inciting hatred online against Jews has been found not criminally responsible due to mental illness but will have to abide by a lengthy list of conditions that include staying off social media. Robert Gosselins case came to an end Friday at the Montreal courthouse after a psychiatric evaluation found the 56-year-old could not be held responsible for the crimes. Gosselin was charged with two counts of uttering threats and one count of inciting hatred in relation to posts on the Facebook page of the Journal de Montreal newspaper. Among the messages was one that threatened to eliminate Jews by killing an entire school of Jewish girls. He was out on bail following his arrest last October but was under strict conditions that included staying away from Jewish schools and synagogues. Those conditions will be maintained among others, prosecutor Diane Mulinda said in a phone interview. The anti-Semitic threats were made just days before the Oct. 27 attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh last year, which raised anxiety levels in the Montreal community. Describing the climate as an unprecedented moment in North American Jewish life, Rabbi Reuben Poupko, co-chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said hes certain that some members of the community would have preferred incarceration. Obviously, we accept the judges ruling, and we just hope that the people entrusted with enforcing the conditions do so diligently, and we hope that he abides by them, Poupko said Friday. Its (the ruling) an opportunity for people to strongly consider some of the more nefarious uses of social media and what to do to crackdown on the dissemination of hate and threats on the internet. Mulinda said Gosselin admitted to the facts of the case before a series of conditions were imposed. Hes going to be followed by a doctor, hes going to have to take his medications which he has been doing, Mulinda said. He will also be forbidden from possessing weapons, will be followed by a tribunal and will not be permitted to use social media under any circumstances. Mulinda said the case still sends a message of dissuasion to the community Its unacceptable, she said. MONTREALQuebecers are regaining a sense of pride now that the government is set to force through a secularism bill that bans many public sector workers from wearing religious symbols, Premier Francois Legault said Friday. Legault told reporters people stop him in the street and encourage him to get the controversial Bill 21 passed into law. They tell me: Dont let go! he said during a news conference in Quebec City. They say they are proud, he continued. To feel this regained pride among our people, who are standing up, advancing it makes me the happiest man in the world to be their premier. Despite criticism from opposition parties, human rights advocates, lawyers and organizations representing minority groups, Legault plans to invoke closure and push the bill through this weekend. That means the legislature will sit over the next two days before breaking for the summer to debate Bill 21 as well as Bill 9, on immigration reform. The legislative mechanism of closure allows the government to end debate and use its majority to force a vote. Quebecs Bill 21 would ban public servants in positions of authority including teachers, police officers, Crown prosecutors and prison guards from wearing religious symbols on the job. Quebecers have been wishing for a long time to prohibit religious symbols for people in authority and they are saying: Finally. We have a government who listened to us who understood us, Legault said. He said legislative debate has gone on long enough, and the bill needs to be adopted to send a message to the people who voted for his Coalition Avenir Quebec party. There is a signal that is being sent, the premier said earlier in the day. Its been 11 years. Its a societal debate we should put behind us. There was a clear desire that was expressed eight months ago, he said, referring to his October electoral victory over the Liberals. To let this drag on, Legault added, there will be a risk for social cohesion. During the afternoon news conference, Legault argued that by clearly legislating on secularism, Quebec will avoid the right-wing extremism seen in parts of Europe. A bill that is moderate, applies to very few people, but that allows us to send a message that we want to protect our values and our way of life, I think is the best way, he said. But opposition parties argue the government is damaging social cohesion by using closure on a bill that curtails the rights of citizens, especially minorities. The bill already invokes the Constitutions notwithstanding clause to prevent court challenges based on rights violations. Quebec solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said Legaults contention that Bill 21 will end the debate in society over secularism is laughable. He said many of the people who spoke at committee in support of the bill, such as academics and activists, wanted it to go even farther. Over the next few years, these people will continue to make themselves heard and push and push to ban (religious symbols) more and more, he told reporters. As if to confirm Nadeau-Dubois fears, interim Parti Quebecois leader Pascal Berube later told reporters his party wants the government to accept two amendments that would extend Bill 21 to apply to daycare workers and private school teachers. We want a bill that is more coherent, said Berube, whose party has signalled it will almost certainly vote in favour of the bill. Interim Liberal Leader Pierre Arcand said Bill 21 bothers a lot of people. He said Legault is mistaken if he thinks using closure will end the debate. I think its unfortunate, Arcand said. The bill will be adopted over the weekend without it having a lot of detail or without an understanding of how the law will be applied. The Legault government is also forcing through Bill 9, which would give the government more authority to select who receives permanent residency in Quebec. The legislation allows the government to cancel roughly 18,000 pending applications for immigration to the province something the Liberals oppose. Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette told reporters Friday the immigration changes are necessary because of the provinces labour shortage. The government says the new rules will allow it to better select newcomers based on the needs of the labour market. Read more about: Quebec Premier Francois Legault today apologized to a whistleblower who was fired after going public with concerns about the pesticide industrys influence on public research. Legault says the government will do what it can to return agronomist Louis Robert to the public service or compensate him. Legaults comments came a day after a report from the Quebec ombudswomans office concluded the Agriculture Department had not respected the law on whistleblowers and had let Robert down by publicly naming him. Agriculture Minister Andre Lamontagne, who announced Roberts firing last January, refused to apologize after the ombudswomans conclusions were published. The premier said today his apology was on behalf of the government, and he reiterated his confidence in his minister. The provinces deputy agriculture minister resigned over the matter Thursday. Robert, a seed expert, spoke out against private-sector interference in a public study on pesticide use. He was fired for transmitting a confidential document to a reporter and contravening secrecy obligations. The union representing Robert has confirmed that the agronomist is interested in returning to his position. Read more about: John Honderich, chair of the Stars parent company Torstar Corporation, was honoured with the 2019 Canadian Journalism Foundations lifetime achievement award Thursday night, in recognition of his devoted stewardship of the craft. Honderich, wearing a red We The North T-shirt and a black-and-gold bow tie, used his moment in the spotlight to draw attention to the crisis facing journalism, and to speak of the threat a decline in journalism poses to democracy and what can be done to turn the tide. It was also a big night for John Lorinc, a Toronto-based award-winning journalist, who was named the winner of the annual Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy, which comes with a stipend of $75,000 and up to $25,000 for research expenses to work exclusively on a series of in-depth articles on a critical public policy issue to be published in the Toronto Star. At Thursday nights annual CJF awards gala, Honderich described the state of journalism in Canada as a growing crisis. Added to the burden of financial woes in the industry is a new phenomenon: news deserts. Communities where no media are doing the essential job of daily journalism, he said. Add to this the phenomenon of fake news and alternate facts, he said. Although there is not one clear remedy for the industry, the public can have a hand in steering the ship back in the right direction through philanthropy and journalism, Honderich said. Here we have much to learn from our friends south of the border, he said. For several decades, the U.S. has considered philanthropic funding of quality journalism as both worthy and legitimate. He said the trend has led to almost 150 independent non-profit centres producing investigative journalism in America, the most famous of which are ProPublica, the Center for Public Integrity, and the Center for Investigative Reporting. Notable donors to the cause include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which, in the past eight years, provided more than $9 million to the Guardian Newspaper alone for health and Africa-related stories. What is important to note is that this is different from crowdfunding, which most often goes to financing a specific project or purpose, Honderich said. He said the contributions have gone a long way toward maintaining quality journalism in the U.S, something that has proven to be a very tough slog in Canada. We have no such tradition, he said. First, we dont have the necessary law. But that is about to change next year. The space is wide open, Honderich said, challenging the room to think not on what journalism has done for you, but rather, ask what you might do to make sure quality journalism thrives in Canada. Honderich, a key player in the Stars continuing transformation into a national brand through the establishment of bureaus across the country, said he was humbled by the lifetime achievement award, even more so when I see the list of journalism giants who are previous winners. (Past winners include June Callwood, Peter Mansbridge and Lloyd Robertson.) Honderich thanked the CJF for its recognition. He also sang praises of his family, his colleagues and those who endorsed him for the honour. He was presented with the honour by journalist Sally Armstrong, who said it puts a really nice bow tie on an incredible newspaper career, in a nod to his signature sartorial style. Honderich began his career in 1973, when he gave up the profession of law to work as a copy boy at the Ottawa Citizen. He went on to work at the Toronto Stars Ottawa bureau, later becoming its chief, and then led the papers Washington bureau before returning to Toronto as deputy city editor, then business editor and editorial page editor. In 1988, Honderich became the Stars editor-in-chief, a position he held until 1994. He then served as publisher for the next decade. Since 2009, hes been the chair of Torstar Corporation, which publishes more than 80 newspapers. What a ride it has been, Honderich told the room full of fellow award-winners, journalists and guests at the annual gala. Even more so, when I think, for the first third of my life, journalism was the last thing I ever wanted to do. Honderich was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2004 and the Order of Ontario in 2006 for his advocacy of journalism and extensive community service. He also served as a special ambassador for the mayor of Toronto on urban issues and then special adviser to the premier of Ontario on the future of the Greater Toronto Area. He helped lead the campaign to secure government assistance for journalism announced in the last federal budget. Honderich said the Atkinson Foundation (for which Honderich is chair of the selection committee) which sponsors a seasoned journalist each year to target social justice issues, is one initiative in which he takes great pride and which he feels is making a big difference. The fellowship is funded by the Atkinson Foundation, the Honderich family and the Toronto Star. With this years fellowship Lorinc, who specializes in politics, urban affairs, the environment and business, will investigate and report on the impact of smart cities technology and data governance on citizens and their governments. He will examine the tensions created by disruptive technology industries and on the implications of these for personal privacy, urban planning and government accountability. My undergraduate degree is in math and I like numbers, so the notion of using data and equations to inform urban decision-making is of great interest to me, said Lorinc. But I also know from my reporting that cities are exquisitely complicated and inherently human spaces. Technologies can impose unintended consequences. So if smart city systems are going to be part of our urban future, we will need to find ways to better understand and anticipate the full social impact of these technologies. For more than 30 years, Lorinc has contributed to numerous national and local publications and serves as a senior editor at Spacing, a quarterly magazine focused on issues affecting the public realm. Lorinc has authored three books and won numerous National Magazine Awards for his feature writing. Honderich praised Lorincs proposal for tackling a complex topic that could not have been imagined at the time the fellowship was conceived. The public policy questions at the centre of this investigation must be answered by every level of government, Honderich said. Johns reporting will keep citizens informed and engaged in creating cities that are smart and also good places for everyone to live. Toronto police made an arrest Thursday after a 67-year-old man was allegedly assaulted at the North York Centre subway station. On June 6, a 67-year-old man was going to get on an oncoming train when a man blocked his path and assaulted him, causing him to fall to the ground, police said. The man suffered significant injuries, police said. Police appealed for the publics assistance and released a photo of the suspect in a Wednesday news release. Sang Hoon Kim, 31, of Toronto, was charged with assault. He is scheduled to appear in court July 25. PARISThe Latin Quarter is a bookish neighbourhood, synonymous with French intellectual prestige. And so its hardly remarkable that two bookstores would open on the same block. But the neighbouring bookstores on the Rue de Medicis present a striking juxtaposition. Side by side, they are battling for the future of Western civilization. At No. 11 Rue de Medicis is La Nouvelle Librairie, which proudly displays the works of protofascist thinkers (Joseph de Maistre) and convicted Holocaust deniers (Jean-Marie Le Pen). This is a space of liberty and resistance, said Francois Bousquet, the shops director and the editor of Elements, a right-wing journal. When asked resistance to what, he responded: How to say it? To dominant leftist thought. Next door at No. 9 Rue de Medicis is the Red Wheelbarrow, an Anglophone bookshop named after a line from a William Carlos Williams poem. On its Facebook page this past week, the Red Wheelbarrow was promoting a Holocaust Memorial book fair and a story time with the author of Marielle in Paris, about a mouse dressmaker who lives in an upside-down flowerpot. Thats hardly a political text. But the bookstores windows have featured titles such as Dream Big Little Leader, Malala and Drawing Europe Together. Proprietor Penelope Fletcher, a Canadian who moved to France in 1990, doesnt buy the victim narrative her neighbours have started selling with their books. This is what they do, she said. People used to hide the fact that they supported the [right-wing party Rassemblement National], and now they dont. This bookstore takes it one step further, in presenting themselves as respectable intellectuals. Theyre smart. They know what theyre doing and thats scary. Bousquet said his bookstore, indeed, has certain objectives. The first is to become visible, for these ideas to impose themselves in the street, he said. The second is to address students. This area has the largest concentration of schools in Paris, and we tell them they are not alone in universities dominated by cultural leftism since 1968. Its not clear that most passerby even notice the war La Nouvelle Librairie is attempting to wage. From the street, it looks like any number of other nearby antiquarian shops. With its dark wood panelling and delicate glass vitrines, it could just as easily be selling slightly chipped pieces of grand-meres Limoges. But Fletcher is disturbed by whats happening next door, at the shop that opened last fall just a few months after hers did. And she has formed something of a one-woman protest. In her window this past week, she made a point to display a picture book about Ruby Bridges, the first black child to desegregate a New Orleans public school. She also refuses to collect her neighbours packages if deliveries arrive when they are closed, as she would do for others. Which, she said, is very rude of us. One evening, she said, an elderly gentlemen approached her to ask for a volume by African American writer Chester Himes. Before the man left, Fletcher gifted him a Red Wheelbarrow bookmark. But then she saw him clapping at an event next door honouring white nationalist historian Dominique Venner. (Venner committed suicide in Notre Dame Cathedral in 2013 after publishing a manifesto decrying same-sex marriage, as well as the total replacement of the population of France, and of Europe by African and Muslim immigrants.) Fletcher walked over and demanded the bookmark back. Our lives are political, and we cant sit back and be phlegmatic, she said. The normalization of the far right is taking place. Why is nobody else up in arms about this? Jean-Pierre Le Cocq, a member of Frances center-right Les Republicains party and the mayor of Pariss sixth arrondissement, where the Rue de Medicis is located, said he was unconcerned by the presence of La Nouvelle Librairie. To be worried would be to oppose the freedom of expression, he said. No one has the right to restrict things except if they incite racial hatred, Le Cocq said, noting that during the later years of the Cold War, there was a well-known communist bookstore on the nearby Rue de Buci. To fight evil ideas with ideas is the force of a democratic state. If you banish them, you strengthen convictions of those who hold them. Im against that. Last year, the French government formally withdrew an edition of commemorative books that included Charles Maurras, an anti-Semitic writer who was twice convicted of inciting violence against Jewish politicians. Frances first Jewish prime minister, Leon Blum, nearly died from the injuries he sustained in a brutal attack by Maurrass allies. On Friday, La Nouvelle Librairie is hosting an homage to Maurras. Bousquet insists that only when signing the three-year lease did he discover that Maurrass nationalist organization, Action Francaise, operated a bookstore in the same spot during the interwar years. The name of that earlier bookstore: La Nouvelle librairie nationale. BOGOTA - Despite a dark past, today many LGBT citizens in Latin America are enjoying the right to marry, choose their gender identity and adopt children. But while laws in several of the regions biggest countries are changing that doesnt necessarily translate into a broader societal shift toward acceptance. Brazils Supreme Federal Court ruled Thursday that sexual orientation and gender identity should be included in the nations anti-discrimination law, providing a new layer of protection for LGBT people. The decision comes at a sensitive moment in Brazils history: Leading the country is a president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has openly expressed his disdain for same-sex couples, going so far as to say hed prefer to have a dead son than a gay one. Studies of homicide reports indicate Brazil is the most dangerous place in the world to be transgender. Experts say Latin America needs to address long-standing cultural biases, racial and income inequality in order to make the region safer for LGBT people. Heres a look at how far Latin America has advanced in protecting gay and transgender rights and what gaps in equality remain. ___ THE RIGHT TO BE GAY Decades ago, several Latin American governments were ruled by iron-fisted governments that considered homosexuality a scourge to the silenced. In Argentina, a far-right military dictatorship disappeared tens of thousands of suspected leftist dissidents. Advocates have long contended that gay activists suffered disproportionately, though their cases have received far less attention. In the late 1970s during Brazils military regime, a nascent LGBT community was similarly muted by a government with strict censorship laws that pushed gay publications and demonstrators to quit or go underground. Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas penned an anguishing account of the harassment and confinement he endured as a gay man in post-revolutionary Cuba, where homosexuality was seen as a remnant of the detested bourgeoisie. Today most Latin American nations no longer consider homosexuality a crime, but in the Caribbean that is not the case. In former British colonies like Jamaica, a law declaring the abominable crime of buggery punishable with up to 10 years in jail remains on the books. Activists have presented several legal challenges and are optimistic such laws will soon be obsolete. In all those countries organizing is happening, said Mauro Cabral Grinspan, executive director of the Global Action for Trans Equality advocacy group. And I really believe that we are going to see change in the next five years. ___ SAME-SEX UNIONS Today a half-dozen nations in Latin America formally recognize same-sex marriage, with Ecuador joining the list on Wednesday. Argentina was the first country in Latin America to approve gay unions and today has some of the most progressive LGBT policies in the world. A handful of other cities and nations grant similar benefits but do not accept gay marriage. There are various influences driving what scholars like Bard College professor Omar Encarnacion refer to as Latin Americas gay rights revolution. He points to both a new surge in activism that followed the end of Latin Americas military dictatorships and the fading sway of Catholicism. While four of every 10 Catholics worldwide reside in the region, they are no longer a majority in several countries, according to the Pew Research Center. The number identifying as non-Catholic Christians in turn has soared. Some worshippers are fleeing the pews entirely while others are migrating to evangelical churches offering more contemporary services. A widening gulf from the Catholic Church has made it easier for some political and community leaders to back policies like gay marriage. Unquestionably, Latin America is the champion of LGBT rights in the Global South, Encarnacion said, referring to low and middle income nations. ___ GAY RIGHTS REVOLUTION In a few places, the wave of activism is going beyond marriage to grant rights like allowing more expansive definitions of gender identity and permitting same-sex couples to expand their families by subsidizing in vitro fertilization. Argentina is particular is considered a global pioneer in expanding LGBT rights and has one of the regions most open gender identity laws. Individuals who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth can change it without authorization from a doctor or a judge. More and more Latin American nations are also allowing LGBT people to serve in the military. Before Brazils recent Supreme Court ruling, several countries already had anti-discrimination laws on the books that included protections for gender and sexual orientation. Javier Corrales, a political science professor at Amherst College, said despite the rulings shortcomings it has important implications. It conveys to all actors the importance of respecting sexual and gender diversity, he said. Brazil is not the first. But it is not late. ___ INTOLERANCE PERSISTS Even as laws change, scholars and advocates are quick to note that discrimination and violence remain rampant across the region. South American nations like Brazil, countries in Central America and the Caribbean in particular are signalled out as poor environments for LGBT people. According to the rights group the Grupo Gay da Bahia, 420 LGBT people were killed across Brazil in 2018, while at least 141 have been killed so far this year. Crime is complex, Corrales said. And it requires more than good laws. Evangelical groups that helped buoy Bolsonaro to the presidency remain an influential bloc likely to continue resisting any legislative initiatives. Overall, it remains to be seen how strictly Brazil will enforce its anti-discrimination law. Cabral Grinspan said many in the LGBT community are skeptical of criminalizing homophobia because it gives power to distrusted institutions like the judiciary. Rather than boosting a sense of security, the activist fears the new measure will be utilized as another way for police to put poor Brazilians behind bars, without addressing the root causes of violence and harassment against gay and transsexual individuals. Its giving more power to corrupted police institutions, Cabral Grinspan said, and doesnt contribute at all to social change. RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil kicked off a general strike Friday that is likely to paralyze major cities across Latin Americas largest country. The nationwide strike is the first since the arrival of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Jan. 1. While most participants will be protesting against a pension reform being discussed in Congress, others will be turning out to oppose budget cuts, a sluggish economy and the administrations conservative agenda. Here is a look at whats happening and why: FIRST GENERAL STRIKE IN TWO YEARS Workers in all 26 Brazilian states and the federal district of Brasilia are expected to take part in Fridays strike, according to several unions. Actions blocking roads and public transportation are set to start early in the morning in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Turnout should be particularly strong in the northeast, the historic bastion of the opposition Workers Party. But general strikes are not so common in Brazil. The last one was held in 2017 against proposals in Congress to loosen labour rules and trim pension benefits. Before that, there hadnt been a general strike in 20 years. PROTESTS AGAINST BOLSONARO While it will be the first nationwide labour strike against Bolsonaro, he has faced protests since even before he was elected on Oct. 18, 2018. A few weeks before casting their votes, women led large demonstrations across Brazil over the far-right leaders misogynistic comments and conservative social agenda. They marched under the slogan Not Him. In April, indigenous leaders from over 300 ethnicities attended a march in Brasilia to denounce policies they say will facilitate the expansion of mining and industrial farming businesses into their protected lands. Then last month, thousands took to the streets to oppose a decision by Bolsonaros government to slash education funds in the largest protest so far. PENSION REFORM Fridays strike is primarily against the pension reform the Bolsonaro administration is currently pushing for in Congress. The plan would raise the retirement age to 65 for men and 62 for women and increase workers contributions. The government says the proposal could save about 1 trillion reals ($260 billion) and that it is essential for saving the troubled social security system and hopefully giving a boost to Latin Americas largest economy. Under the current system, male and female workers can claim pension benefits after 30 to 35 years of contributions, respectively, meaning many can retire as early as 50 or 55. The reform is one of this administrations signature promises and is currently being reviewed by a special commission in the lower house of congress. A previous pension reform bill, introduced by ex-President Michel Temer, managed to pass the commission and made it to the plenary, but was abandoned after nine months. ANGER OVER BUDGET CUTS Some Brazilians will use the strike as another opportunity to express their opposition to the governments across-the-board budget cuts, especially to education. Professors, students and academics have protested the decision to pare $1.85 billion from funds for the public education network, from elementary schools to universities. They were particularly distressed by the suspension of some scholarship funding and a 30% freeze on federal universities discretionary budgets, which goes to pay utility bills, security, cleaning or maintenance work. Officials have promised to send more money toward education, thanks to an additional government funding measure approved this week by Congress. But they have conditioned even more funding on the passing of the pension reform. A SLUGGISH ECONOMY There is widespread discontent over Brazils sluggish economy. Gross domestic product shrank in the first quarter of 2019, while inflation hit nearly 5% in April, the highest in more than two years. Unemployment also remains high at nearly 13%, but even greater over 30% among Brazilians aged 18 to 24. Economy Minister Paulo Guedes recently told Brazilian magazine Veja that he would quit his position if Congress tried to pass a watered-down version of his pension proposal. Without the reform, Guedes said the country could go broke as early as next year. MEXICO CITY - Mexicos immigration chief resigned Friday and the countrys prisons director was swiftly nominated to replace him, as the country embarks on a crackdown on irregular migration through its territory in response to U.S. pressure. The National Immigration Institute said in a brief statement that Tonatiuh Guillen thanked President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for the opportunity to serve the country, but it did not give a reason for why he presented his resignation. I thank Tonatiuh very much. He helped in the beginning of this government, said Lopez Obrador, who had asked that the immigration chief step down. Now I am proposing as his substitute Francisco Garduno. Guillen is a sociologist and former academic at the prestigious Colegio de la Frontera Norte university in Tijuana. Garduno holds a law doctorate and has served as commissioner of Mexicos penitentiary system. On Tuesday he was named to a five-person team responsible for implementing Mexicos immigration plan reached in negotiations with Washington. Guillen had largely remained out of the public eye during the recent tensions with the United States, when President Donald Trump threatened stiff tariffs on all imports from Mexico if the country didnt do more on immigration. Trump suspended the tariffs late last week. Mexicos plan to slow migration has been co-ordinated by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. Shortly before the statement, Chamber of Deputies President Porfirio Munoz Ledo, a lawmaker from Lopez Obradors Morena party, accused Ebrard of hogging responsibilities that werent his purview. During the session, the Foreign Ministry sent the first public document signed by Mexican and U.S. authorities to the chamber. The document was a complementary agreement to the joint declaration that would take effect in mid-July if Mexico fails to meet its commitment to reduce the flow of migrants. In it, both governments commit themselves to reaching an agreement on the responsibilities of each in processing asylum applications. This would mean that third-country nationals who cross one of the countries would be received in that country which would take responsibility for their refuge. Several senators said this implied that Mexico was accepting that it could eventually become what is known as a safe third country, but Mexicos foreign ministry denied this. At an April news conference with Ebrard and Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Corder, Guillen appeared to show some distance with the two as they expressed support for a tougher policy on irregular migration. Earlier Friday, Lopez Obrador acknowledged that controls are lax at dozens of crossings at the countrys southern border and vowed to correct the situation. We have identified 68 crossings like that, and in all of them there will be oversight, Lopez Obrador said at a morning news conference, responding to questioning about checkpoints where cross-border traffic was seen coming and going freely. The president, who took office Dec. 1, attributed the problem to residual corruption at the National Migration Institute and the customs agency and noted that more than 500 immigration workers have been let go as part of a purge. We are cleaning house, but this work takes time, Lopez Obrador said. Mexico has promised to deploy 6,000 members of its new, still-forming National Guard to control immigration in its southern border region with Guatemala as part of its recent agreement with the United States. Ebrard said Friday the Guard deployment will be readied by Tuesday, along with 825 immigration agents and 200 officials from the countrys welfare department. He later told the Senate that from the standpoint of infrastructure needed to confront the migratory flows, we were not prepared for this. But there has been no sign so far of any National Guard presence in the southern city of Tapachula, near Guatemala. Nor has there been any notable change at the Suchiate border river, where locals and migrants alike commonly cross. Police and immigration had already stepped up enforcement in southern Mexico in recent months, setting up highway checkpoints, raiding a recent caravan of mostly Central American migrants and trying to keep people off the northbound train known as the beast. Ebrard called on the United Nations and the international community to help Mexico bring immigration under control and fight human trafficking. Do not leave us alone, Ebrard said. Where is the international community? Central America needs to help us. He added that many countries kept silent during Mexicos talks with the United States in which the threatened tariffs were suspended last week. The governors of the southern Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Veracruz and Oaxaca were also present at the Friday press conference and promised to support the federal governments immigration plan as it rolls out. SANTIAGO, Chile - Specialized teams have begun an effort to rescue three Bolivians trapped deep underground in a mine in northern Chile, authorities said Friday. The San Jose mine collapsed late Thursday, trapping the men at a depth of nearly 330 feet (100 metres). Local officials confirmed that the men are alive. Weve been in contact with them through bangs and sounds, Antofagasta regional Gov. Marco Antonio Diaz said, adding that geotechnical experts from mines across the region have been assisting the rescue efforts, which included detonating small explosives to try to remove a large rock blocking the mine shaft. Firefighters joined other rescue teams at the mine some 900 miles (1,500 kilometres) north of the Chilean capital, Santiago. The miners have been identified as Leonardo Condori, 62; Salomon Veinzaga, 45; and his 19-year-old son, Lenin Veinzaga. Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Twitter that he is worried about his countrymen and offered thanks to his Chilean counterpart for the rescue efforts. Alfonso Domeyko, head of Chiles mining regulator Sernageomin, said the mine was inspected in early June and some minor problems were observed, but he said the operation was following the rules and its permits were within the law. The accident has brought back memories of a collapse at a Chilean mine that trapped 33 men deep below the earth for 69 days in 2010. They survived longer than any trapped miners before, and their rescue mesmerized millions worldwide. AGUAS VERDES, Peru - Tired and thirsty, Betania Ramirez crossed into Peru on Friday with her 1-year-old girl in her arms and her 8-year-old boy beside her. Ramirez has no friends or relatives in Peru, and some of her luggage was stolen as she crossed two countries in cargo trucks and on foot from her home in western Venezuela. But as she finished the latest leg of her 1,500-mile (2,414-kilometre) journey, she was grateful she had made it to her destination on time - just hours before Peru started imposing stricter entry requirements on Venezuelan migrants and refugees. We are now in Gods hands, Ramirez said, after passing through a border post in the region of Tumbes. We walked down country roads, we slept on the streets, we got robbed, but thankfully I did not get sexually assaulted. With its relatively stable economy and flexible immigration laws, Peru has become a main destination for millions of Venezuelans escaping hyperinflation, medical shortages and political repression at home. But on Saturday, the South American nation will begin demanding passports and visas from Venezuelan migrants requirements that many will not be able to meet. The new demands have prompted thousands of poor migrants like Ramirez to make a desperate dash for the Peruvian border, where they can still enter before the weekend begins by presenting national ID cards. On Thursday, the U.N.s refugee agency said 5,400 Venezuelans entered Peru through the Tumbes crossing almost three times the daily average. The agency was supporting and complementing the efforts of Peruvian authorities as we face the largest number of Venezuelan people coming to Peru so far, said UNHCR Information Officer Regina de la Portilla. But at daybreak on Friday, hundreds were already standing in new lines outside the border post or sleeping on the sidewalk as they waited for immigration officials to check their IDs. My daughter came to Peru a year ago, and she sent for me, said Leyda Murillo, an elderly migrant who was waiting in the queue. You cant find medicines in Venezuela, and people are dying, thats why I decided to leave my country. Many more migrants were still on their way to the Peruvian border, making one last push through Colombia and Ecuador to arrive before the requirements were implemented. Marianni Luzardo, a mother of two, was in the Ecuadorean city of Tulcan on Thursday, which is some 500 miles (805 kilometres) away from Perus northern border. She said it took her 16 hours to cross the Colombian-Ecuador border due to the large numbers of Venezuelans heading south. In Venezuela it is almost impossible to get a passport, Luzardo said. We need to get to Peru soon. According to Peruvian authorities, more than 820,000 Venezuelans have settled in Peru since 2016 of which 270,000 have sought refugee status. Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra has said that the new entry requirements will make immigration safer and more orderly and that the large influx of Venezuelan immigrants was making it harder for Peruvians to find jobs. But human rights groups in the country have criticized the move, describing it as an attempt to lessen the numbers of needy people who are entering the country. In a letter published earlier this week, Miguel Cabrejos, the president of Perus Catholic Bishops Conference, warned that the requirements present an imminent danger to migrants who might be tempted to enter the country illegally. Meanwhile, Amnesty International said they will not be enough to stop desperate people from trying to cross the border, noting that passports were prohibitively expensive and take months to process in Venezuela. A poll conducted in the Peruvian capital of Lima in April found that two-thirds of residents had a negative perception of Venezuelan migrants. But that idea has been strongly disputed by Venezuelans, some of whom have opened their own businesses. Venezuelans here work very hard, said Jorge Macchia, a street vendor who sells empanadas in the streets of Lima and noted that his family has been affected by new requirements. My wife and my two daughters are on their way to Peru, he said. But Im not sure if they will make it on time. ISLAMABAD - Pakistans anti-graft body has arrested the sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari in connection with a multi-million-dollar money laundering case following rejection of her bail by a court. Faryal Talpur, also a politician, was taken into custody Thursday by the National Accountability Bureau in Islamabad. The latest development came days after a court rejected bail requests from Zardari and Talpur, drawing condemnation from the opposition, which has accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of victimizing his opponents. Talpurs arrest comes hours after Pakistans Supreme Judicial Council began examining a government request for the removal of senior judge Qazi Faez Eisa for concealing assets abroad. That request came amid a nationwide protest by lawyers, who say Khan was victimizing the judge for criticizing the military in one of his recent verdicts. BEIJING - The U.S. government expressed deep concerns to the U.N. about a reported trip by the U.N. counterterrorism chief to the restive Xinjiang region in Chinas far west. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, in a phone call Friday with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, called the visit highly inappropriate in view of the unprecedented repression campaign underway in Xinjiang against Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslims. The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed that Vladimir Ivanovich Voronkov, the undersecretary-general of the U.N. counterterrorism office, is in China at the countrys invitation, but didnt provide any details. More specific information will be released in time, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing. China has faced international criticism over internment camps in Xinjiang that hold an estimated 1 million members of the Uighur and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. Chinese officials describe the camps as vocational training centres and say they are necessary to curb religious extremism. Sullivan told Guterres that Beijing continues to paint its repressive campaign against Uighurs and other Muslims as legitimate counterterrorism efforts when it is not, and that Voronkovs trip puts the U.N.s reputation and credibility at risk. Geng has previously said the U.S. accusations are fabricated lies and that the United States should not interfere in Chinas internal affairs. Human Rights Watch criticized the United Nations for sending a counterterrorism official instead of a human rights expert, saying it risks deflecting attention from what it called a massive government rights violation against the Turkic Muslim population. Chen Xu, Chinas new ambassador in Geneva, told reporters Thursday that China had invited U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to visit the camps in Xinjiang to see for herself. U.N. spokeswoman Marta Hurtado confirmed Bachelet had met Chen and that her office is continuing to negotiate full access for any trip to China. Geng said China would welcome a visit but added, we will never allow people with political purposes to interfere in Chinas internal affairs and damage Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity with their visit to Xinjiang. THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Islamic States recruitment and use of women to support its extremist cause could pave the way for more front-line roles for women in jihadi groups in the future, the European Unions police agency said in a report published Friday. In the 34-page report entitled Women in Islamic State Propaganda, Europol said female jihadis are as ideologically motivated as their male counterparts and their sense of empowerment lies in contributing to the building of an Islamic state. It concludes that numerous examples of women, who either carried out extremist attacks or were arrested preventively, prove that women are willing to use violence if the ideology allows them to do so. For now, it is not yet their role, but this balance may easily shift according to the organizations strategic needs and developments on the ground, The report comes amid concerns about the risk posed by foreign fighters, including women, returning to their homes in Europe after the fall of the self-styled Islamic State caliphate in Syria and Iraq. Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said that 15% people convicted on jihadi terrorism charges in the EU in 2018 were women. The reports authors studied propaganda targeting women, but also mentioned women who take active roles in Islamist combat, saying they were sometimes used to shame men into taking part in the groups armed struggle. The report cited an example from an Islamic State publication that praised three women who attacked a police station in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2016 and asked what was wrong with men who had laid down their swords. At its peak, in 2014-15, IS controlled an area the size of Britain across Syria and Iraq and launched a series of attacks around the world. In March, U.S.-backed forces declared victory over IS, but the groups affiliates in Egypts Sinai Peninsula, Afghanistan and other countries continue to pose a threat, and the groups ideology has inspired so-called lone-wolf attacks that had little if any connection to its leadership. LONDON - A prominent British lawmaker who quit the Labour Party to try to form a new pro-European political force has moved on again, this time joining the centrist Liberal Democrats. Chuka Umunnas move is the latest sign of Brexit-driven cracks in Britains established political order. Umunna and 10 other lawmakers left Labour and the Conservatives in February to set up new party Change UK. It then split after poor results in European Parliament elections last month. The struggling new party also has to change its name after a legal challenge from petitions website Change.org. The Lib Dems, who saw a big rise in their vote share in the European election, are urging pro-EU politicians to join them and fight for a new referendum on Britains EU membership. Umunna told Fridays Times of London newspaper that he had vastly underestimated how hard it is to start a new political party. He said the Liberal Democrats were best placed to stop Brexit. ROME - The lawyer of the family of slain British student Meredith Kercher has described Amanda Knoxs invitation to the Italian Criminal Justice Festival as inappropriate. Knox, a former American exchange student who became the focus of a sensational murder case, arrived Thursday in Italy for the first time since an appeals court acquitted her in 2011 in the slaying of Kercher, her roommate. Knox is on a panel discussion Saturday titled Trial by media in the northern city of Modena. Lawyer Francesco Maresca told The Associated Press on Friday that inviting her to a technical panel on justice was a mistake. He says lawyers for both parts should have been involved. Knoxs 2011 acquittal was part of a long legal process that saw multiple flip-flop rulings before she was definitively acquitted in 2015 by Italys highest court. PRAGUE, Czech Republic - A record number of people in South Sudan face a critical lack of food. A new report by the government and the United Nations says almost seven million people, or more than 60% of the population, are at risk. The report released Friday says almost two million people are near starvation nine months after a peace deal ended a five-year civil war. The report stops short of declaring a famine. The deteriorating situation is attributed to food shortages exacerbated by delayed rainfall, South Sudans economic crisis and years of strain from a conflict that killed almost 400,000 people. Some South Sudanese, including children, have told The Associated Press they eat only once a day. The World Food Program country director in South Sudan, Ronald Sibanda, said the crisis coincides with the current rainy season. The race is now against time and nature, he said. WFP says it has positioned 173,000 metric tons of food across the East African country, more than at this point last year. The new report says 25 counties in South Sudan face severe hunger with 21,000 people in Jonglei, Lakes and Upper Nile states on the verge of starvation. Breaking the hunger cycle depends in part on whether the fragile peace deal signed in September will hold. While fighting has subsided, clashes continue in Central Equatoria state between the government and rebel groups that didnt sign the agreement. In May the government and opposition delayed by six months the next key step in the peace deal, the formation of a unity government, amid concerns about security. Progress on other parts of the deal remains slow, observers say. Late last month the U.N. Security Council extended an arms embargo and other sanctions against South Sudan over objections from African nations, Russia and China that the measure wont help promote peace. Also last month Pope Francis, who in a remarkable gesture earlier this year kissed the feet of South Sudans rival leaders to encourage the peace process, said he may add a South Sudan leg to his Africa trip in September if conditions there are mature. ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa ROME - The leaders of southern European nations have gathered in Malta to build a united front on key economic and political issues ahead of next weeks European Council meeting. Key European Union jobs, migration issues and climate change were expected to top the agenda Friday in Valletta, where the meeting included the leaders of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta. Spain is pushing for a higher EU leadership profile and wants the EU to bolster its co-operation with Morocco, a key ally in stopping African migrants from crossing the Mediterranean into Europe. Italy and Malta want to tighten the EUs immigration and asylum policies. Climate change is a priority for France, which is pushing to make all EU countries set a goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. GENEVASwiss women turned out by the thousands Friday for a nationwide strike and demonstrations signalling their frustration over deep-rooted inequalities in one of the richest countries in the world. The women skipped work and shunned household responsibilities for the day to join in protests calling for equal pay, recognition of their work and greater representation in the halls of power. Crowds gathered outside the Federal Assembly in Bern, closed off roads in central Zurich and marched through the streets of Geneva in a protest movement that included demonstrations large and small in all of Switzerlands major towns and cities. The strike came 28 years to the day after the first national work stoppage by Swiss women allowed them to vent their anger at the slow pace of change in the country. There is a long line of women who have fought before us, and a lot of work lies ahead of us, said Rahel Luthy, 43, who lives in the rural village of Bennwil, as she made her way to Fridays protest in Basel with her 13-year-old daughter, Filipa. We must fight for equal pay, fair distribution of care work, abortion rights, zero tolerance for domestic violence and more, Luthy added. And most importantly: We must smash the patriarchy! The campaign known variously on social media as Frauenstreik (womens strike, in German) and Greve des Femmes (the French version) began early in the morning. Shortly after midnight, Lausanne Cathedral, in west Switzerland, was lit up in purple, a colour often associated with womens suffrage and the fight for gender equality. On the streets below, crowds chanted, whooped and banged drums. Thousands of women dressed in that colour gathered for rallies in Switzerlands main cities throughout the day, reaching their peak at 3:24 p.m., the symbolic time of day when, because of salary inequalities, womens earnings are calculated by the march organizers to effectively end for the day though they continue working free. Although Switzerland boasts one of the highest rates of wealth per adult in the world, women lamented the countrys slow pace in correcting inequalities between the sexes. Its an institutional problem, a societal problem, said Christa Binswanger, a lecturer on gender and diversity at Switzerlands University of St. Gallen. Women undertake the bulk of domestic work and child care that is unpaid and uninsured, which leaves many women exposed to poverty in old age. Switzerlands right-wing parties, however, strongly oppose proposals for subsidized support for child care and have called for the closing of womens shelters. They say if women were to go back to their homes and do the washing and cooking and child care, society would work much better, Binswanger said. They have also adopted increasingly hostile anti-feminist rhetoric, she added: There is a lot of bashing on social media, a lot of hateful discourse around. We have to fight this kind of hate speech. But the marchers turned out in force Friday. An online manifesto outlined the aims of the strike: On June 14, we strike. A paid work strike, a domestic work strike, a care strike, a school strike and a consumer strike. So that our work becomes visible, so that our demands are understood, so that the public sphere becomes something for all women, the organizers wrote. Although Switzerland has rated consistently well in metrics such as economic stability and its citizens happiness, its record on gender parity has historically been more patchy. Women were only given the right to vote at a federal level and run for office in 1971, lagging far behind many European countries. (New Zealand became the first country to grant womens suffrage, in 1893.) In 1981, Switzerland amended its Constitution to recognize equal rights for men and women. Swiss women earn an average 18 per cent less pay than their male colleagues, according to the countrys Federal Statistical Office, and the gender pay gap rises to nearly 20 per cent for women in the private sector. Traditional gender roles also remain deeply ingrained in Swiss households: Women were responsible for two-thirds of domestic tasks, a 2013 study found. The same research revealed that men took on most of the housework in only 5 per cent of cases. On Tuesday, Switzerland was also named as one of the least family-friendly European countries in a report from UNICEF. The country granted women paid maternity leave in 2005, but there is still no statutory paternity leave. It was only in 1985 that a referendum granted women and men equal rights within family life, meaning women could finally open a bank account or work without requiring approval from their spouses. LONDON - One of seven contenders to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May quit the Conservative Party leadership race on Friday, as front-runner Boris Johnson was accused by rivals of trying to dodge media scrutiny. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that after the first round of voting it was clear he did not have the backing to win. He came fifth in a vote Thursday among 313 Conservative lawmakers, with 20 votes. Johnson, a former foreign secretary, won Thursdays ballot with 114 votes, more than the next three candidates combined. Hancock did not say whom he planned to support. The 40-year-old had pitched himself as the face of a younger, modernizing generation in the Conservative Party, promising to deliver an energizing blend of social liberalism and economic dynamism. But his message failed to gain much traction in a party consumed with Britains stalled departure from the European Union. Hancock said he had run as the candidate of the future but found that the party, understandably, is focused very much on the here and now and how we get through Brexit. The Conservative Party is holding a contest to replace Prime Minister Theresa May, who quit as party leader last week after failing to secure Parliaments backing for her divorce deal with the EU. Tory legislators will hold more elimination votes next week, with the final two contenders put to a vote of 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide. The winner, due to be announced in late July, will become Conservative leader and prime minister. Johnsons commanding lead makes him almost certain to be in the final two. The flamboyant former London mayor is admired by many Conservatives for his ability to energize voters, but is also widely mistrusted for his record of misleading statements, verbal blunders and haphazard performance in high office. Johnson has vowed that as prime minister he would get Brexit done, either by renegotiating Mays rejected Brexit deal or by leaving the EU on Oct. 31 without an agreement. But Johnson has not answered many tough questions about his plans. The EU says it will not reopen the divorce agreement, and many economists say a no-deal exit would cause economic turmoil. All the remaining candidates, apart from Johnson, say they will take part in TV debates on Sunday and Tuesday. Johnson signalled he was unlikely to take part in Sundays Channel 4 program, saying debates with loads of candidates could be slightly cacophonous. But he said he would take part in a BBC debate on Tuesday evening, once the field of candidates has been reduced by a second round of voting. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is in second place, said a prospective national leader should not be hiding away from the media. In addition to Johnson and Hunt, those still in the race are Environment Secretary Michael Gove, ex-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart. ___ Follow APs full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at:https://www.apnews.com/Brexit WARSAW, Poland - The Vaticans sex crimes prosecutor, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, met with Polands Catholic bishops on Friday to share his experience in tracking crimes, after the Polish church admitted knowing about hundreds of cases over the years where priests abused minors. Scicluna attended the bishops plenary session Friday in Walbrzych, southwestern Poland, for a discussion about protecting children and youths, the Episcopate said. Bishop Piotr Libera tweeted that Sciclunas remarks were extremely interesting. Scicluna told Polands Catholic news agency KAI that he would like to encourage Polands bishops to implement the very good guidance points that they themselves adopted in 2013. He later told a news conference it was not enough to have rules but we need to implement what the documents say and people in parishes should know who to turn to in the church when they suspect abuse. Scicluna urged every person aware of a coverup to report it to higher church authorities or in case of high-ranking bishops, to the papal nuncio in Poland. Scicluna, a Maltese archbishop, and expert in church law, has been instrumental in revealing facts about priestly sex abuse and coverup by Chilean church leaders for Pope Francis. In February at the Vatican, he gave a tutorial on preventing sex abuse to a summit of church leaders convened by Francis in reaction to the global sex abuse and coverup crisis that has undermined credibility in the church. Polands bishops acknowledged in March they had almost 400 predator priests on record. In this predominantly Catholic nation, the church has been strongly criticized for covering up cases of abuse by priests, moving them to new parishes and failing to ban them from working with children. Only a limited number of cases have been tried by civilian courts. In one case, the court found a clergyman guilty of abducting, detaining and abusing a 13-year-old girl more than 10 years ago and ruled that his order pay her 1 million zlotys ($265,000) in compensation. An independent documentary in May revealed testimony from people who as children were raped or abused by Polish clergy. It led Polands Primate Archbishop Wojciech Polak to apologize to the victims, but some other bishops initially shrugged at the film. Some believers say sex abuse is a problem of individual priests or claim the church has been unfairly attacked by critics. CAIRO - Egyptian officials say a Yemeni American was detained at the Cairo airport for carrying a traditional Yemeni dagger in his luggage. Customs officials say the man, a dual U.S.-Yemeni national, landed in Cairo on Friday on a flight from the Yemeni port city of Aden. The officials say when the mans bags were scanned on his way out of the arrivals hall, authorities found the dagger in one of the suitcases. The officials say its illegal to bring the ornamental daggers known as jambiyya into Egypt. Yemeni men wear the daggers as part of their traditional attire; the steel-made curved blades are meant to be a sign of prestige and courage. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. JERUSALEM - The Israeli military says it struck several militant sites in the Gaza Strip after a Palestinian rocket hit a building in southern Israel. The army said Israeli warplanes attacked terror infrastructure in Gaza early on Friday, including military and naval compounds belonging to Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the territory. There was no immediate retaliatory rocket fire from Gaza, or reports of injuries on either side. The army said the rocket launched late Thursday hit a religious school in the Israeli border of Sderot. The flare-up, which came after Israel this week closed Gazas offshore waters to fishermen in response to the launch of incendiary balloons, breaks a month-long lull. A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas reached in May halted the worst bout of violence since a 2014 war. TEL AVIV, Israel - The largest gay pride parade in the Middle East drew hundreds of thousands of revelers and demonstrators from all over to the streets of Tel Aviv on Friday. Drag queens and rainbow-clad marchers streamed through the coastal city, posing for selfies and beating drums. Shirtless men kissed on floats blasting electro beats. Every day it feels like you are alone in the struggle. Its empowering to have this event, said Ofek Grossman, a local gay 21-year-old. Support for gay rights is increasingly widespread in Israel, where gay people serve openly in the military and parliament. Yet they havent attained full equality. Some marchers carried signs mocking members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus right-wing, religious government for restricting same-sex couples marriage and parental rights. A group of young demonstrators chanted homophobia begins in government halls. Jewish ultra-Orthodox parties, which wield significant influence over matters of religion and state, oppose homosexuality as a violation of Jewish religious law. Still, broad cultural acceptance for the community has helped Israel emerge as one of the worlds most gay-friendly travel destinations, with secular Tel Aviv in particular celebrated as a hub of gay culture, in sharp contrast to the rest of the Middle East where LGBT visibility is often not tolerated or persecuted. People think we (in Israel) are a sort of war zone, said Oshrat Itzhaki, 43, adding that it was important for people to see that there are other things here, and that the gay community is part of the country even though its fighting for its rights, and that its super fun here. Israels reputation as an LGBT haven has caused critics to accuse the country of pink washing, or using its tolerance for liberal gay culture as a branding tool to conceal its violations of Palestinian rights. Fridays celebration, headlined by TV star Neil Patrick Harris, culminates a month of LGBT events across the country and marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, widely regarded as having fueled the fire of the global movement. Yoni Kozmiski, a 31-year-old tourist from Australia who said he travels the world for gay pride events, described Tel Avivs annual parade as the pinnacle. Its not a spectator sport, he said. Everyone marches. Its really inclusive. WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A former day labourer accused of bludgeoning a socialite to death at her familys suburban New York estate has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison. Esdras Marroquin Gomez was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty in May to killing 83-year-old Lois Colley at her North Salem estate in November 2015. Authorities said Gomez hit Colley with a fire extinguisher during a confrontation. They said he said he had been injured at the familys property, Windswept Farm, and had been pursuing a workers compensation claim. He fled to his native Guatemala and then Mexico before he was apprehended. Before he was sentenced, Gomez said he made a mistake and asked for forgiveness from God. Colleys husband amassed a fortune by owning dozens of McDonalds restaurants. WOODS CROSS, Utah - In a story June 13 about planned protests outside a Utah police agency after an officer pointed his gun at a black child, The Associated Press reported erroneously that his mother is black. She is white. A corrected version of the story is below: Utah officer who pulled gun on black child sparks protests Activists are planning to protest outside a police agencys headquarters in northern Utah after learning an officer who pulled his gun on a 10-year-old child will continue to work Activists are planning to protest at a police agency in northern Utah after learning an officer who pulled his gun on a 10-year-old child will continue to work. Black Lives Matter in Utah founder Lex Scott said Thursday they will hold a protest Friday night to demand the officer be fired. Woods Cross Police Chief Chad Soffe said Monday he is not looking to terminate the unidentified officer. Jerri Hrubes said a white Woods Cross police officer pulled his gun on her son, who is black, while he was playing outside on June 6. Soffe said the officer mistook the boy for a potential suspect during a pursuit of armed suspects. Hrubes said the officer apologized but she still wants the agency held accountable. DENVER, Pa. - A flag that was carried into battle by a black Union regiment during the Civil War and hand-painted by an acclaimed African American artist will join one of the countrys most comprehensive Civil War collections. The Atlanta History Center bought the flag at auction Thursday for $196,800, making it the largest purchase the centre has paid for an artifact. Morphy Auctions was selling off the flag in Pennsylvania. It depicts a black soldier waving goodbye to Columbia, the white female personification of America, beneath a banner reading, We Will Prove Ourselves Men. Its one of 11 painted by David Bustill Bowser, the son of a fugitive slave. Its the only known surviving flag. Centre President and CEO Sheffield Hale said the flag doesnt need words to tell you what it is and what it represents. NEW YORK - NBC set the lineup for its two-night debate of 2020 presidential contenders later this month, with a top-heavy second session that will pit former Vice-President Joe Biden onstage against 2016 Democratic runner-up, Bernie Sanders, the youthful Mayor Pete Buttigieg and California Sen. Kamala Harris. The first night, June 26 in Miami, is headlined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey, along with former Texas Rep. Beto ORourke. Representatives of 20 campaigns gathered in a conference room at NBC headquarters Friday to watch slips of paper with candidates names picked out of two boxes. There were separate boxes with the names of candidates polling at above or below 2 per cent an attempt to make sure most of the lesser-known candidates were not grouped together and given the stigma of a minor-league debate. Still, when four of the six top-polling candidates landed on June 27, including the clear front-runner in Biden, that night was quickly seen as the one with the biggest stakes. Being paired with Biden, 76, and Sanders, 77, gives Buttigieg an opportunity to emphasize the next generation theme that the South Bend, Indiana, mayor has been touting. At 37, Buttigieg is the youngest of the leading contenders. The six female contenders will be evenly divided between the two nights. The two African American candidates, Booker and Harris, will also be on separate nights. Ideologically, two favourites of the partys liberal wing, Sanders and Warren, wont be going head-to-head, either. Among the rest of the field, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee could find benefits in drawing the first night with fewer front-runners to emphasize his climate change-oriented effort. Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who has been among the most aggressive critics of Sanders democratic socialism, will have a chance to make those points to him face-to-face. NBC will face its own test, to see if it makes compelling programming out of crowded, fractious stages on the opening nights of debate season. The debate will be shown both nights in prime time, 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., on the broadcast network, as well as on MSNBC and Telemundo, and it will be streamed on various platforms. NBC personalities Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow and Jose Diaz-Balart will all be featured. Featured on June 26 in Miami will be Warren, Booker, ORourke, Inslee, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio. The next nights lineup has Biden, Sanders, Harris, Buttigieg, Hickenlooper, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, author Marianne Williamson, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Rep. Eric Swalwell of California. This is a terrific lineup because there will be a real debate over the key set of choices in this Democratic primary, said Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir. Already some campaigns began fundraising off the debate lineups. Bidens, Bookers, Klobuchars and ORourkes campaigns are each hosting a drawing offering a trip for two to Miami, including flights, a night in a hotel and tickets to the debate, for a lucky donor. Buttigiegs campaign sent out an email saying that appearing in the first Democratic primary debate will allow many new people to hear Pete for the first time. Please consider making a donation today to make sure were as strong as we can be heading into the debate, the Buttigieg email said. Delaneys campaign said he was pleased to be sharing the debate stage with many strong candidates, particularly Senator Warren who, like me, is talking about new ideas. I look forward to a debate on issues and solutions, not personality and politics. Advisers of several leading campaigns have argued that debates are, for their candidates, as much about avoiding bad moments as they are about making any gains in the race. For the rest of the field, the national stage is a chance for that rare viral moment that elevates a struggling campaign. At least one Republican veteran of crowded primary fights warned Democrats against putting too much stock in debates with so many candidates. Ive talked to some campaigns who say, Our plan is to do well on the debate stage, but thats like saying you plan to get struck by lightning, said John Weaver, a Republican adviser to John McCains presidential runs and more recently to then-Ohio Gov. John Kasichs 2016 effort. Debates become more important, Weaver said, as this gets whittled down. ___ Associated Press writers Bill Barrow and Steve Peoples contributed to this report. NEW YORK - Stocks ended a choppy week of trading with modest losses Friday as investors look forward to getting more clues about the direction of interest rates. Technology shares drove the declines, and energy stocks also fell a day after leading the market. Some late-day gains in banks and insurers helped temper the markets losses. Investors dealt with fresh concerns about the impact on businesses of the U.S. trade dispute with China. The chipmaker Broadcom warned that demand for chips has slowed because of U.S. restrictions on sales to Chinese technology firms and hesitation among customers to place new orders. It shaved $2 billion from its annual revenue forecast. Trading this week was uneven as investors swung between safe-play holdings and riskier bets. Stocks rose Monday but then seesawed as investors saw signs that the U.S. and China wont settle their differences on trade anytime soon. There is concern that a protracted dispute could further hurt global economic growth and corporate profits. A suspected attack on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz added more uncertainty. The S&P 500 index fell 4.66 points, or 0.2%, to 2,886.98 Friday and ended the week with a slim gain of 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 17.16 points, or 0.1%, to 26,089.61. The Nasdaq composite slid 40.47 points, or 0.5%, to 7,796.66. The Russell 2000 index of small company stocks dropped 13.30 points, or 0.9%, to 1,522.50. The major indexes are still showing strong gains for June the Dow is up 5.1% and the S&P 500 is up 4.9%. Last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell set off a market rally after he signalled that the central bank is willing to cut interest rates to help stabilize the economy if the trade war between Washington and Beijing starts to slow economic growth. The Fed holds its next meeting of policyholders next week. No action on rates is expected, but the futures market indicates that investors are almost certain the Fed will cut rates at its July meeting, so theyll carefully parse a statement from the central bank and comments from Powell on Wednesday. Economists Ethan Harris and Aditya Bhave of Bank of America Merrill Lynch wrote in a note to clients that Fed officials probably havent decided yet whether to cut rates in July and wont try to sway investors one way or another at next weeks meeting. They say that Powell will have to tap dance during his press conference and expect him to keep options open with the possibility of a cut in July but not a pre-commitment. The economists expect Fed officials to wait until the second week of July to indicate whether they intend to cut rates, after seeing the next government report on the jobs market and other economic data. Theyll also know the results of an important meeting of the G-20 in late June, where President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could meet and try to negotiate a deal on trade. Harris and Bhave say the Fed is likely to cut rates in September. Chipmakers were the big decliners on Friday. Broadcom, which gets about half its revenue from China, fell 5.6%. Texas Instruments also gets nearly half its revenue from China, according to markets research company FactSet, and it shed 3.5%. Energy stocks fell, giving back some of the strong gains from Thursday. Oil rig operator Noble Energy dropped 5%. Banks and insurers posted gains late in the day to boost the financial sector. Regional bank PNC rose 1.1% and Allstate gained 1%. Facebook rose 2.2%. The social media company has reportedly enlisted some key backers for its upcoming cryptocurrency. Utility stocks were among the biggest gainers. Thats typically a sign that investors are worried about economic growth and shifting money into safer holdings. Consumer staples, also considered less risky, swayed between small gains and losses. Friday closed out another good week for initial public offerings. PetSmart removed the leash from its online pet products company Chewy, which surged 59% in its debut. The 8-year-old company garnered high demand. It priced at $22 per share and is now valued at $8 billion. Other recent strong IPOs include cloud-computing security company CrowdStrike, which jumped about 70% on its first day of trading Wednesday. Plant-based meat alternative company Beyond Meat nearly tripled in value on its first day of trading in May and at Fridays close of $150.13 is six times higher than its initial offering price Renaissance Capital, a provider of institutional research and IPO ETFs, has seen a 34% gain in its IPO ETF so far this year. Thats outpacing the 15% gain in the broader S&P 500. Thats an indicator that investors in these new companies are making money and are more inclined to go into new ones, said Kathleen Smith, principal at Renaissance Capital. In other trading, benchmark crude oil rose 0.4% to settle at $52.51 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, added 1.1% to close at $62.01 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 0.7% to $1.733 per gallon. Heating oil added 1.3% to $1.83 per gallon. Natural gas rose 2.7% to $2.387 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gold edged up 0.1% to $1,344.50 per ounce, silver lost 0.6% to $14.80 per ounce and copper fell 1% to $2.63 per pound. The dollar rose to 108.55 Japanese yen from 108.34 yen on Thursday. The euro weakened to $1.1207 from $1.1279. WASHINGTON - A Trump administration national security official has sought help from advisers to a think-tank that disavows climate change to challenge widely accepted scientific findings on global warming, according to his emails. The request from William Happer, a member of the National Security Council, is included in emails from 2018 and 2019 that were obtained by the Environmental Defence Fund under the federal Freedom of Information Act and provided to The Associated Press. That request was made this past March to policy advisers with the Heartland Institute, one of the most vocal challengers of mainstream scientific findings that emissions from burning coal, oil and gas are damaging the Earths atmosphere. In a March 3 email exchange Happer and Heartland adviser Hal Doiron discuss Happers scientific arguments in a paper attempting to knock down climate change as well as ideas to make the work more useful to a wider readership. Happer writes he had already discussed the work with another Heartland adviser, Thomas Wysmuller. Academic experts denounced the administration officials continued involvement with groups and scientists who reject what numerous federal agencies say is the fact of climate change. These people are endangering all of us by promoting anti-science in service of fossil fuel interests over the American interests, said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann. Its the equivalent to formulating anti-terrorism policy by consulting with groups that deny terrorism exists, said Northeastern Universitys Matthew Nisbet, a professor of environmental communication and public policy. The National Security Council declined to make Happer available to discuss the emails. The AP and others reported earlier this year that Happer was co-ordinating a proposed White House panel to challenge the findings from scientists in and out of government that carbon emissions are altering the Earths atmosphere and climate. President Donald Trump in November rejected the warnings of a national climate change assessment by more than a dozen government agencies. I dont believe it, he said. Happer, a physicist who previously taught at Princeton University, has claimed that carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas from the burning of coal, oil and gas, is good for humans and that carbon emissions have been demonized like the poor Jews under Hitler. Trump appointed him in late 2018 to the National Security Council, which advises the president on security and foreign policy issues. The emails show Happer expressing surprise that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, a former Oklahoma congressman who once questioned mainstream climate science, has come round to accepting that science. A May 2018 email exchange between Heartlands Wysmuller and Happer calls the NASA chiefs change of heart on climate science a puzzle. The exchange calls scientifically established rises in sea levels and temperatures under climate change part of the nonsense and urges the NASA head copied in to systematically sidestep it. Happer at the time was not yet a security adviser, although he had advised the Trump Environmental Protection Agency on climate change. A NASA spokesman on Thursday upheld the space agencys public statements on climate change. We provide the data that informs policy makers around the world, spokesman Bob Jacobs said. Our science information continues to be published publicly as it always has. But at the Heartland Institute, spokesman Jim Lakely defended the effort, saying in an email that NASAs public characterization of climate change as manmade and a global threat is a disservice to taxpayers and science that it is still pushed by NASA. After joining the agency, Happer sent a February 2019 email to NASA deputy administrator James Morhard relaying a complaint from an unidentified rejecter of man-made climate change about NASAs website. Im concerned that many children are being indoctrinated by this bad science, said the email that Happer relayed. Happers own message was redacted from the records obtained by the environmental group. Two major U.S. science organizations took issue with Happers emails. We have concerns that there appear to be attempts by a member of the National Security Council to influence and interfere with the ability of NASA, a federal science agency, to communicate accurately about research findings on climate science, said Rush Holt, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advance of Science, the worlds largest general scientific society. There have been hundreds of scientific assessments by leading researchers and institutions the last few decades that look at all the evidence and have been extremely credible and routinely withstand intense scrutiny, said Keith Seitter, executive director of the American Meteorological Society. Efforts to dismiss or discredit these rigorous scientific assessments in public venues does an incredible disservice to the public. NEW YORK - A narcotics agent accused of betraying his badge applied for a job with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, so he and a leader of a murderous drug-trafficking ring would become unstoppable, prosecutors said in new court filings. Fernando Gomez, who is awaiting trial in New York on conspiracy charges, became a DEA agent in 2011 after years of serving as a police officer outside Chicago. He has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine and smuggling firearms to members of La Organizacion de Narcotraficantes Unidos, or La ONU, a drug-trafficking enterprise in Puerto Rico that prosecutors say slaughtered its rivals and exported hundreds of kilograms of narcotics to New York City. In a court filing this month, federal prosecutors offered new details about the charges, accusing Gomez of becoming a criminal associate of the gang while he was still in the Evanston Police Department, where he worked between 2004 and 2011. Prosecutors said Gomez grew up in Puerto Rico and had been a close friend of a La ONU member who safeguarded stash houses. Prosecutors allege that, as a police officer, Gomez would obtain weapons from criminal suspects in exchange for not arresting them. For example, on one occasion, Gomez found a target with a large quantity of marijuana but did not arrest the target or seize the drugs because the target agreed to provide Gomez with a gun, prosecutors wrote. Messages seeking comment were left with Gomezs defence attorney and a DEA spokeswoman. Gomez is accused of providing firearms to Jose Martinez-Diaz, who, along with several other defendants, is accused of conspiring to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Puerto Rico to New York. Gomez also allegedly picked up $45,000 in drug money in the Boston area and transported it to Puerto Rico, receiving $5,000 for his efforts. Then, thinking bigger, Gomez applied for a job at the DEA in 2010. Martinez-Diaz and Gomez decided that Gomez should apply to the DEA in order to better assist Martinez-Diaz, prosecutors wrote in the filing. Gomez said that once he joined the DEA, he and Martinez-Diaz would be unstoppable. During the DEAs screening process, Gomez, informed an investigator he was unaware of any associates having involvement in criminal activities, the prosecutors wrote. After he got the job as an agent, prosecutors said Gomez divulged the DEA playbook to La ONU, helped drug-traffickers evade law enforcement and even accessed DEA files on the drug rings behalf. Gomez was arrested in December at the DEAs Chicago field division. Hes scheduled to stand trial in September in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. LANSING, Mich. - A surprise decision by Michigan prosecutors to drop all pending charges in the Flint water crisis and restart a three-year investigation is a reminder of the legal complexities surrounding the disaster. Seven of 15 people had taken plea deals with no jail time, and their records will eventually be scrubbed clean. Eight others saw their charges dismissed Thursday, including two who served in former Gov. Rick Snyders Cabinet. Some key questions and answers about the probe: ___ WHAT CHANGED? The announcement was a bombshell, but perhaps not entirely unexpected given the prosecutions recent trajectory. An investigation into the lead contamination and several deaths from Legionnaires disease was taken over in January by newly elected Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel. She was critical of her predecessor, Republican Bill Schuette, who decided in 2016 to hire outside special counsel Todd Flood to run the probe. She named Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to lead the cases. They voiced concerns about the thoroughness of the prior teams investigation, particularly its pursuit of evidence. Investigators in recent weeks used warrants to obtain the state-owned devices of Snyder and 66 other current or former state employees. Nessel is not handling the criminal cases because of her role defending the state in Flint-related lawsuits, but she said Friday it was very necessary to drop the charges for now. To do a thorough and comprehensive and complete investigation, you obviously need to review each and every one of those documents and to look at all the devices, she told The Associated Press. ___ WILL CHARGES BE REVIVED? Maybe. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could refile them, bring a new mix of charges or abandon the allegations forever. Hammoud and Worthy said they have identified additional persons of interest and new information. Experts questioned if the most serious charge of involuntary manslaughter which four of the eight defendants were facing will be revived. Criminal defence lawyer Neil Rockind, who is not involved in the cases, said it was a stretch to try to show that high-level officials such as former Michigan Health Director Nick Lyon through gross negligence directly caused two Legionnaires deaths by not warning the public of an outbreak in a timely fashion. Thats a very tough allegation to prove, he said. This just wasnt a case that was simple for the state to lay out, because the theories were so complex. Lyons attorneys contend he had no legal duty to inform the public and that the medical community was told of the outbreak earlier. They say there was no proof that the men in their 80s died from Legionnaires disease, a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrive in warm water and infect the lungs. ___ WHY START OVER? Peter Henning, a professor at Wayne State University Law School, said prosecutors want a do-over because they do not trust the prior probe and are worried there is evidence of which they may not be aware, including potentially exculpatory evidence that must be given to the defence. He also questioned if the manslaughter charges will be refiled. I think they just want to go slowly on this and make sure that they have the right set of charges, he said. We dont know if theyre going to charge everyone again. The announcement came a day before a Flint judge was due to affirm or throw out another judges decision to send Lyon to trial. Lyons team was optimistic it would have prevailed. But Nessel said of the defendants: I wouldnt rest easy if I were them if theres real criminal culpability there. ___ HOW LONG WILL IT GO? Nessel said the investigation cant drag on forever and ever because of legal time limits to bring charges. She noted that Flints water was switched in April 2014, and the statute of limitations for most crimes that may have been committed is six years. ___ HOW MUCH HAS BEEN SPENT? As of March 31, the state had spent $9.5 million on the prosecution. At least $9 million has been spent defending state employees who were charged, not including millions more that Snyder and his office spent related to criminal investigations and document requests. ___ WHAT ARE THE POLITICAL DYNAMICS? Flint residents are unhappy, because they feel no one has been held responsible for the contamination of their water supply during a period when the state managed the majority-black city of 100,000 and switched water sources to save money. Water was pulled from a river without it being treated to reduce corrosive effects on old pipes, and a doctor reported high levels of lead in children. Nessel said she questioned many of the cases because they were filed during the run-up to Schuettes gubernatorial campaign, and he farmed them out to a private firm. Schuette has defended his move as a way to prevent conflicts between him and his investigation team and the team defending the governor and state departments against water-related lawsuits. He said Thursday that the special counsels office had 200-plus years of legal experience and conducted the probe with the highest level of professionalism and expertise. ___ Follow Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 TOPEKA, Kan. - Kansas highest court declared Friday that the state finally is spending enough money on its public schools under a new education funding law but refused to end a lawsuit filed nearly a decade ago because it wants to monitor future funding by the Legislature. The state Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision signing off on a law enacted in April that will boost the states education funding by roughly $90 million a year. It was the high courts seventh ruling in less than six years in a lawsuit filed by four local school districts in 2010. Kansas spends more than $4 billion a year on its public schools about $1 billion more than it did during the 2013-14 school year because of the courts decisions. Increases are promised through the 2022-23 school year, and the new law was designed to ratchet up spending to account for inflation, something the court ruled last year was necessary. The State has substantially complied with our mandate, the court said in its unsigned opinion. The decision not to close the case means the Supreme Court retains a hammer over the governor and legislators. If the districts believe that the state has broken its promises, they can return to the high court for another order, instead of being forced to file a new lawsuit and have a lower-court trial first. Alan Rupe, the districts lead attorney, promised to move quickly if legislators start backing up on what they promised. The districts had argued that in adjusting spending for inflation, state officials botched the math and needed to provide ever-larger boosts through 2022-23. Rupe said he is disappointed that we lost the argument, but pointed to the spending increases lawmakers were forced to approve in recent years. We cant complain, Rupe said. Holy cow, when you look at everything thats been accomplished, it is absolutely a significant achievement. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who took office in January, had championed the new law as a way to potentially end the lawsuit. It passed the Republican-controlled Legislature with bipartisan support. Kelly said the latest ruling made Friday a great day for Kansas and for our kids. She also said she hopes the additional funding prompts local school districts to raise salaries for teachers. I think with all the stuff that goes into putting a school together, you know, theres nothing more important than the quality and, I would say, the emotional state of the teacher, Kelly told reporters during a Statehouse news conference. Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, said the lawsuit is behind the state as long as the Legislature and governor fulfil the promises they have made. Other Republicans were less enthusiastic. Some, particularly conservatives, have questioned whether the state can sustain the new spending in the future without raising taxes or cutting state spending elsewhere. Our kids and our schools deserve better than an empty promise, said House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a conservative Kansas City-area Republican. Kansas has been in and out of school funding lawsuits for several decades. The state constitution says lawmakers shall make suitable provision for finance of the states educational interests. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the language requires legislators to provide enough money and distribute the dollars fairly enough to finance a suitable education for every child. In a previous lawsuit, the Supreme Court issued rulings in 2005 and 2006 that forced the Legislature to approve big increases in education funding. The court closed that earlier case, and the state backtracked after the Great Recession of 2007-08, prompting the lawsuit in 2010. That history seemed to be on the mind of Justice Dan Biles during a May hearing on this years law. Biles, a former State Board of Education attorney, told the states solicitor general that the Legislature had reneged on past funding promises and, I dont have a lot of sympathy for the idea of dismissing this lawsuit. In its unsigned opinion Friday, the court said, We retain jurisdiction to ensure continued implementation of the scheduled funding. School funding decisions have made the Supreme Court a political issue, with conservative Republicans arguing that the justices have overstepped their authority and infringed on the Legislatures power to make spending decisions. That long-standing discontent bolstered unsuccessful campaigns by conservatives in 2014 and 2016 to remove six of the seven justices. Justices face a statewide, yes-or-no vote on whether they remain on the bench every six years after being appointed by the governor. Four of the targeted justices were appointed by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and the other two, by moderate GOP Gov. Bill Graves. The seventh justice was appointed by conservative Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. The courts decision Friday isnt likely to end the debate over reigning in the courts power by amending the state constitution. Its time for a thoughtful conversation about whether this process we have witnessed over the past decade is really how Kansans want school finance decisions to be made, Schmidt said. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna . NEW YORK - Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar says she would support impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump beginning now. The Minnesota senators comment to CNN Friday followed Trumps statement this week that hed take information from a foreign power that offered dirt on an opponent. Klobuchar says its illegal to take something of value from a foreign country to use in a campaign. She says Trump is sending out signals like he did in 2016, when he publicly urged Russia to find and publish Hillary Clintons emails. Trump told Fox News on Friday that of course hed go to the FBI or attorney general if offered dirt on an opponent. Klobuchar says if the House prefers to conduct investigations before starting impeachment proceedings they should be given the time to do that. EVERETT, Wash. - The Latest on the trial of William Earl Talbott II, who is charged with killing a young Canadian couple in 1987 (all times local): 11:10 a.m. A defence lawyer for a man charged with killing a young Canadian couple in 1987, described his client as a blue-collar guy whos lived a quiet, unremarkable life. In his opening statement Friday at William Earl Talbott IIs trial, attorney Jon Scott noted theres little or no evidence about who 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jay Cook, were with or what they did in the days before they were found dead in Washington state. Talbott was arrested last year after authorities used a novel method called genetic genealogy to identify him as the person they say left his DNA on Van Cuylenborgs pants. Scotts opening statement did not offer any theory about how the DNA wound up there. ___ 10:30 a.m. Jurors in Washington state are hearing about the mysterious final days of a young Canadian couple found slain in 1987 as well as the novel method authorities used to make an arrest three decades later. William Earl Talbott II wasnt arrested until last year, when authorities said they used genetic genealogy to identify him as the person who left his DNA on one of the victims. Opening statements began Friday with a prosecutor describing how 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Jay Cook, left Victoria, British Columbia, for an overnight trip to Seattle. When they didnt return, their families began a frantic search for them, including renting a plane to try to spot their copper-colored van. Their bodies were found in separate locations about a week later. SAN DIEGO - Indicted six-term GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter has held steadfast to his contention that a corruption case against him is the result of a political witch hunt. But that argument got tougher Thursday for the former Marine and close ally of President Donald Trump after his wife, who worked as his campaign manager, pleaded guilty to a single corruption count and acknowledged being a co-conspirator with her husband in spending more than $200,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses. Margaret Hunter accepted a plea deal that calls for 59 charges to be dismissed in exchange for her testimony, full co-operation with prosecutors and other concessions. The conspiracy charge to which she pleaded includes all the allegations contained in the 60-count indictment. The walls were closing in on him before, now this just makes it more claustrophobic, said Jason Forge, a former federal attorney who prosecuted California Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham in 2005 for one of the worst bribery scandals to ever bring down a federal lawmaker. Rep. Hunter has fewer and fewer options. Its not just his campaign manager. Its his campaign manager and his wife, Forge said. Margaret Hunter detailed in her plea agreement how she and her husband knowingly used the campaigns credit card for six years to bankroll trips to Italy, Las Vegas and Disneyland. She said other expenses charged on the card included $399 for zip lining for Rep. Hunter and two of his three children; $500 in airline travel expenses for their pet bunny, Eggburt; and $351 for a family lunch in connection with a childs Irish dance competition. The plea agreement describes a couple perpetually in debt yet footing the bill for dinners with friends and private school tuition for their children. They charged more than $500 on the card to celebrate their sons birthday at historic Hotel del Coronado and then told the campaign treasurer the charges were campaign related, according to her plea agreement. Rep. Hunter, who represents Southern Californias most Republican congressional district, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that hes been politically targeted by federal prosecutors. After he was indicted last year, he referred to the Justice Department as the Democrats arm of law enforcement. He said Thursday that the case should have been handled by the Federal Election Commission and alleged U.S. prosecutors indicted him and his wife ahead of the November elections to inflict as much political damage as possible in hopes of picking up a congressional seat. It was politically motivated at the beginning, it remains politically motivated now, he said. Hunter won re-election despite the indictment. Experts say the corruption case may not be as easy to win, given the additional evidence his wife is providing and her possible testimony. His argument of being targeted for political reasons also does not stand, they say, because the U.S. Justice Department is overseen by a Republican attorney general who was appointed by Trump. When neither the facts nor the law is on your side, you attack the opposing counsel, election law attorney Fred Woocher said. That seems like the strategy here. Maybe hell find a juror amenable to some conspiracy theory. The congressmans attorney, Gregory Vega, has asked for two assistant U.S. attorneys to be recused after they went to a fundraising event for then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton while the congressman was being investigated. However, the U.S. Secret Service told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the agency had requested their presence as routine protocol and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California reviewed the situation last year and determined there was no conflict. According to the plea agreement, the couple engaged in more than 30 illegal transactions totalling more than $200,000 between 2010 and 2016. Duncan Hunters chief of staff and campaign treasurer repeatedly warned that it was improper to use campaign cash for personal expenses, according to his wifes plea agreement. They also are accused of trying to conceal the illegal spending in federal campaign finance reports. Duncan Hunters lawyers said in 2017 that the couple repaid the campaign about $60,000. Prosecutors say the conspiracy was set up in such a way that Hunter and his wife could spend money without having to inform each other. Hunters wife hid purchases for items like school lunches while the congressman concealed spending to facilitate certain personal relationships with others. That is an apparent veiled reference to alleged infidelities Hunters lawyer, Vega, alluded to in an August letter to the Justice Department urging prosecutors to delay any action until after the election. He wrote that while there may be evidence of infidelity, irresponsibility, or alcohol dependence, the underlying facts do not equate to criminal activity. The congressman has suggested his wife was to blame for any misuse of funds. In an interview with Fox News last year, Rep. Hunter said his campaign made mistakes, that he gave his wife power of attorney when he deployed to Iraq in 2003, and that she handled his finances during his last five terms in office. In a statement read by her attorney, Margaret Hunter said Thursday that she accepts full responsibility for her actions and is deeply remorseful. I understand there will be more consequences stemming from my actions but as demonstrated this morning with the entry of the plea, Ive taken the first step to facing those consequences, she said. Hunters trial is scheduled for Sept. 10, one week before his wifes sentencing. CORTEZ, Colo. - A man was sentenced to 24 years in prison in the 2017 deaths of two sisters who were banished to a car without food or water by members of a doomsday religious group because the girls were thought to have been impure. Ashford Archer was found guilty in March of two counts of fatal child abuse and being an accessory to a crime for the deaths of 10-year-old Makayla Roberts and 8-year-old Hannah Marshall, The Cortez Journal reported Thursday. Archer was sentenced June 4 by District Judge Keri A. Yoder to 24 years in prison on the child abuse counts and six years on the accessory count, with the sentences running concurrently. The bodies of the sisters were found in a car parked on a San Miguel County farm near Norwood in southwest Colorado in September 2017. Authorities said they died of heat, dehydration and starvation. Archer was a member of a religious group that moved to the property earlier that year, according to court documents. Investigators say they believe the groups spiritual leader, Madani Ceus, declared the two girls were possessed by unclean spirits during a past life and ordered the girls kept in a car without food or water for days as the others waited for the apocalypse in advance of the 2017 solar eclipse. Ceus and the girls mother, Nashika Bramble, were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of child abuse resulting in death. They have pleaded not guilty. Brambles trial is scheduled for July 8 in Montrose, while Ceus trial date is pending, said Sherry McKenzie, spokeswoman for District Attorney Dan Hotsenpiller. ___ Information from: Cortez Journal, http://www.cortezjournal.com/ SAN DIEGO - A federal court ruled Thursday that a Mexican man who was arrested during an immigration sting at a Los Angeles manufacturing plant should not be deported, a rebuke that may influence how immigration authorities target factories and offices. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stormed the premises of Micro Solutions Enterprises, a maker of printer cartridges, after getting a search warrant in February 2008 for employment-related documents and arrest warrants for eight employees. About 100 armed, uniformed agents entered the factory, blocking all visible exits and announcing that no one could leave or use their cellphones. Gregorio Perez, who entered the country illegally from Mexico in 1994, was one of 130 workers arrested. He disclosed his status during questioning. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said Perez shouldnt be deported because his arrest was outside the parameters of the search warrant. Judge Marsha Barzon, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, wrote that there was clear evidence in the record here that the plan was focused on the detention of the workers, not the search for documents. (The) search warrant here authorized a search only for the employers records presumably, paper documents or electronic files. Yet, the agents used the warrants authority to enter the working area and detain hundreds of workers. Why a search for records required going onto the floor of a large printer-cartridge factory is unclear, Barzon wrote. An internal memo issued before the operation stated that ICE (would) be conducting a search warrant and expects to make 150-200 arrests. It said ICE would have two to five buses to transport detainees and 200 detention beds available. The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and attorney Noemi Ramirez, who represented Perez, said the ruling would likely invalidate deportation proceedings against other workers arrested in the operation and that its effects could be felt elsewhere because ICE uses similar tactics around the country. ICE cannot carry out preplanned mass detentions, interrogations, and arrests that violate a persons Fourth Amendment rights, Ramirez said. This victory is not merely Mr. Perezs victory, but a victory for people that value freedom, that believe the Constitution means what it says and for those that believe that the immigrant community is not alone in their struggle. The Justice Department declined to comment. ICE had no immediate comment. John Sandweg, a former acting ICE director and former acting Homeland Security Department general counsel, said the ruling may force ICE to more fully disclose its plans in search warrants at worksites but he didnt expect additional impact. The ruling applies only to the 9th Circuit, which includes California and eight other Western states. I think its a strong rebuke of ICE and the way in which theyre doing these worksite operations, Sandweg said. Theyre just going to need to modify their behaviour. Its going to require ICE to be more candid in the warrants that their real targets are the undocumented workers in order to avoid this. The operation had many hallmarks of an employer sting, which have become more common under President Donald Trump but are still rare. In March 2006, ICE received an anonymous tip that the company employed 200 to 300 workers in the country illegally, leading to the raid two years later. Women were taken to the cafeteria and men were told to wait in a hallway. Men were ordered to form two lines one for those with work authorization and one without. Perez was ordered to another hallway after he didnt line up. During questioning, he acknowledged that he was not authorized to work. He was bused to a detention centre and released at 1 a.m. An immigration judge denied ICEs bid to deport him but was overturned by the Board of Immigration Appeals, leading to the 9th Circuit ruling. MINNEAPOLIS - A federal judge on Friday sentenced a Minneapolis lawyer to 14 years in prison for running a porn-related scheme. Paul Hansmeier was convicted of running the multi-million-dollar fraud scheme from 2011 to 2014. Prosecutors allege Hansmeier extracted settlements from hundreds of people who feared being exposed as pornography consumers. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen told Hansmeier it was almost incalculable how much your abuse of trust has harmed the administration of justice, the Star Tribune reported. Ericksen complimented Hansmeier for being smarter than all get out, then criticized him for taking advantage of the courts in his scheme to spread pornography on the internet so he could cajole people who downloaded it into paying settlements to avoid facing lawsuits. Prosecutors said when Hansmeier was challenged by judges around the country, he blamed other lawyers who were hired to file lawsuits on his behalf, lied to the courts about his own involvement and ordered evidence to be destroyed. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Langner noted that the case was being watched by people around the country. He asked for a term of 12.5 years, in part to act as a deterrent to others. The way he abused the court to line his pockets is outrageous, Langner said. And when he got caught, his conduct got worse. Hansmeiers co-defendant, former Chicago lawyer John Steele, pleaded guilty earlier. Steel co-operated in the case and awaits sentencing in Juliy. Federal investigators concluded that Hansmeier and Steele collected $6 million in fraudulent legal settlements from 2010 through 2013. But because of problems in proving the elements of a crime required for conviction, the government limited the amount of recommended restitution that Hansmeier should pay to more than $1.5 million, payable to 704 victims who had paid settlements after April 1, 2011. That date was selected because its when Hansmeier had his brother, Peter Hansmeier, uploaded a pornographic video to a file-sharing site called Pirate Bay, FBI Special Agent Jared Kary said. Peter Hansmeier also co-operated and was not charged in the scheme. Manny Atwal, Paul Hansmeiers attorney, objected to the recommended restitution amount because investigators were unable to say precisely who downloaded which movie. She asked that Hansmeiers sentence be limited to just over 7 years in prison. Paul Hansmeier pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. But he reserved the right to withdraw the plea if hes successful in appealing a denial of his earlier motion to dismiss the complaint. That appeal is pending. The judge ordered Paul Hansmeier to pay $1.5 million in restitution. While the amount of money is significant, she said, thats not even a major part of the harm hed done with his scheme. The major harm here is what happens when a lawyer acts as a wrecking ball, Ericksen said. Before sentencing, Paul Hansmeier said he is looking forward at long last to put this whole mess behind me. ___ Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com LOS ANGELES - Nick Cannon is coming to radio. Meruelo Media on Friday announced the rapper, comedian and actor is joining Los Angeles hip-hop radio station Power 106 as host of its morning show. Nick Cannon Mornings launches Monday from 5 to 10 a.m. In a statement, Cannon says hes honoured for the opportunity to make our community and culture proud. Cannon hosts Foxs The Masked Singer and MTVs Wild N Out. Meruelo Media president and COO Otto Padron says Cannons tremendous success across television, film and music is testimony of his unique talent, work ethic and impeccable reputation. The 38-year-old married singer Mariah Carey in 2008 and they share fraternal twins. They divorced in 2016. WALHALLA, S.C. - A South Carolina woman who police say was driving drunk will not be cited with a DUI because her vehicle of choice was a toy truck. News outlets quote police as saying that instead they charged 25-year-old Megan Holman with public intoxication. They say they spotted her cruising down the road in a Power Wheels electric toy truck after a caller reported a suspicious person on the street. Officers say she was driving about a mile (1.5 kilometres) from her home in Walhalla when they stopped her. MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A judge has ended probation for former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who went to federal prison in a bribery scheme. WSFA-TV reports that a federal judge this week agreed with an officers report recommending that probation end for the 73-year-old Democrat. A federal jury convicted Siegelman in 2006. Prosecutors said he gave a seat on a state regulatory board to HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy, and that in exchange Scrushy donated $500,000 to Siegelmans signature political issue, a 1999 campaign to establish a state lottery. Siegelman served about six years in prison before his release in 2017. The probation was supposed to end next year, but a probation officer determined the former governor had complied with all the rules. Siegelman shared the judges order on social media. NEW YORK - The New Yorkers Ronan Farrow sure knows how to get a media crowd buzzing. The Pulitzer Prize winner accepted a Mirror Award for media reporting from Syracuse University on Thursday for his stories on sexual misconduct at CBS, including allegations that toppled the corporations former leader, Leslie Moonves. Like other award winners, he saluted fellow journalists and industry leaders at the Manhattan luncheon for bravery in producing stories that keep the media honest and transparent even at the cost of burning bridges and losing job opportunities. At the same time, he said I can see people who have lied to protect power. From both the podium and later afterward, Farrow declined to name names. Farrow and The New York Times won Pulitzers in 2018 for stories outlining sexual misconduct allegations against former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. He has the capacity to make plenty media players nervous; his upcoming book Catch and Kill is being awaited for expectations he will write about leaving NBC News when it declined to use his work on Weinstein. The Mirror Awards have become a venue for impassioned speeches about the industry. Lois Beckett of WNYC radio accepted a trophy Thursday for her reporting on the white nationalist movement while scolding media executives for a failure to be more diverse in hiring. Davey Alba of BuzzFeed News, honoured for a story on using Facebook as a tool in a drug war in her native Philippines, urged her company and others to be more accepting of unions. CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker said his companys job is not to pick sides in political disputes but to tell the truth. His company, and Zucker personally, have been frequent targets for barbs by President Donald Trump. I am proud to stand up for the truth, he said. I am proud to stand up for the press. We are certainly not the enemy of the people. NEW YORK - Coinciding with Pride Month, the Discovery Family cartoon series My Little Pony has introduced a same-sex couple on the show for the first time. Writer-producer Michael Vogel told People on Thursday the timing of the episode, The Last Crusade, is a happy coincidence. The episode introduces a lesbian couple, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty. They care for Scootaloo. The episode has already aired in Europe and will be broadcast in the United States on Saturday. In May, the animated childrens series Arthur on PBS showed the gay wedding of Arthurs teacher, Mr. Ratburn. Co-showrunner Nicole Dubuc told Buzzfeed News the core of My Little Pony is to embrace what truly defines a family love. ALBANY, N.Y. - More than one million apartment dwellers in and around New York City are getting new protections against big rent increases under a landmark tenants rights bill signed into law Friday. The measure, which passed the Democrat-controlled Senate and Assembly Friday afternoon and was immediately signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, strengthens the existing rent stabilization and rent control rules that govern rental increases and evictions in many older, multiunit apartments. It also makes the rules permanent, eliminating the need for leaders in Albany to regularly renew the law, which was set to expire Saturday. Lawmakers voted to extend several protections throughout the state, including one prohibiting security deposits of more than one months rent. The law will also authorize cities throughout the state to opt into rent stabilization rules. The law is a big victory for tenants, housing advocates and many progressive groups that say high rents in New York City are forcing out many lower and middle-class residents. Its also a stunning defeat for the New York City real estate industry, long one of the most politically powerful forces in the state capitol. Today the tenants will win, said Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, who was raised in a rent stabilized apartment. We have been losing in this building for decades, but today, the tenants will win. Landlords have warned that apartments may fall into disrepair if owners arent allowed to raise the rent high enough to cover the cost of improvements. The Partnership for New York City, a leading business advocacy organization, said the changes could backfire. This rent reform package will inevitably lead to the same loss of decent, middle-class housing that we experienced in the 1970s and 1980s, the group said in a statement. It is not enough to maintain affordability if it means tenants are living in terrible conditions. Tenants and advocates argue that high rents are a leading cause of income inequality in the nations largest city, leading to the elimination of affordable housing and turning many neighbourhoods into the reserve of the well-heeled. Its destroying New York City, destroying its diversity, which is its beauty, said Corine Ombongo-Golden, a teacher who has lived in a rent stabilized apartment in the Bronx for 17 years. The rent stabilization and control laws were written decades ago to preserve affordable housing amid the post-war boom. Since then, the rules have slowly been eroded and thousands of units have been taken out of stabilization. The changes approved Friday will eliminate a landlords ability to take a unit out of the system based on a tenants income and further restrict landlords abilities to justify rent increases through improvements and upgrades. Passage was made possible last fall when Democrats took control of the state Senate, giving them a lock on power. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-the Bronx, and Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins worked out the deal, without much input from Cuomo, who left the negotiations to lawmakers. Im confident the measure passed today is the strongest possible set of reforms that the Legislature was able to pass, Cuomo said in a statement announcing his signature. He called the law a major step forward for tenants across New York. Stewart-Cousins, who grew up in public housing and is the first African American woman to lead a legislative chamber in New York, said that after decades of siding with the landlords, Albany is now listening to the tenants. What were doing today says we get it, she said. TOPEKA, Kan. - The Latest on the Kansas Supreme Courts newest ruling in a protracted lawsuit over funding for public schools (all times local): 10:25 a.m. An attorney representing four local public school districts in Kansas is promising to continue monitoring the states education funding in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling. The high court declared Friday that the states funding is adequate following the passage of law this year that boosted it roughly $90 million a year. Four districts sued the state in 2010 and argued that the new law still wasnt adequate. Attorney Alan Rupe said he is disappointed in the result. But Rupe said its a huge victory that the Supreme Court declined to end the lawsuit so that the justices can ensure that the state keeps its funding promises. Rupe said the districts will go back to the Supreme Court if they feel the state is not meeting its commitments. ___ 10 a.m. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and another top Democrat are cheering a state Supreme Court decision approving a new law boosting funding for public schools. The high court ruled Friday that with the new law, the state is adequately funding education. The new law was championed by Kelly and boosts the states spending on schools by roughly $90 million year. Kelly called it a great day for Kansas and for our kids. Kansas House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer of Wichita called the law a critical accomplishment. The court declined to close the education funding lawsuit that prompted the ruling. The justices said they want to make sure that the state keeps its promises. Kelly said she intends to make sure that the Legislature provide adequate funding in the future. ___ 9:40 a.m. The Kansas Supreme Court has approved an increase in spending on public schools that the Democratic governor pushed through the Republican-controlled Legislature. But the high court declined in its ruling Friday to close the protracted education funding lawsuit that prompted the decision. The school finance law boosted funding roughly $90 million a year. The court declared the new money is sufficient under the Kansas Constitution but said it was keeping the underlying lawsuit open to ensure that the state keeps its funding promises. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly had hoped the Supreme Court would end the lawsuit. Four local school districts sued in 2010. The districts attorneys argued the new law would not provide enough new money after the 2019-20 school year. Education funding tops $4 billion a year. ___ 5:55 a.m. The Kansas Supreme Court is preparing to rule again on whether the state is providing enough money to its public schools under a new education funding law. The high court planned to issue its latest decision Friday in a lawsuit filed by four local school districts in 2010. The justices have ruled six times in less than six years that funding isnt sufficient under the Kansas Constitution. A law enacted in April will increase the states education funding by roughly $90 million a year. Kansas spends more than $4 billion a year on its public schools, or about $1 billion more than it did during the 2013-14 school year. The school districts argue that the increase will not be enough after the 2019-20 school year. Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. - Prosecutors will be permitted to conduct DNA testing on a tooth fragment found on the ranch of a Colorado man suspected of killing the mother of his child and burning her body, a judge ruled Friday. The Gazette reports that investigators discovered the fragment while searching a ranch owned by Patrick Frazee, who has pleaded not guilty to killing Kelsey Berreth. District Judge Scott Sells ruled that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation may proceed with the testing in the presence of attorneys for Frazee. Berreth, a 29-year-old flight instructor, was last seen on Nov. 22, 2018, at a supermarket near her home in the mountain community of Woodland Park, about two hours south of Denver. The search for her started on Dec. 2, when her mother reported her missing. Her body has not been found. Berreth and Frazee were engaged, but they lived in separate homes. Krystal Jean Lee Kenney, a former Idaho nurse, told authorities that she and Frazee had been dating and that he had accused Berreth of abusing their daughter an allegation authorities have said is not backed up by evidence. Investigators have testified that Kenney told police Frazee repeatedly asked her to kill Berreth but that he later admitted to beating Berreth to death with a baseball bat. She said Frazee demanded she clean up blood at Berreths home and watched as Frazee burned Berreths body, according to investigators. Kenney told police that Frazee planned to dispose of Berreths remains in a dump or a river, investigators have said. District Attorney Dan May said Friday prosecutors have yet to decide whether to pursue the death penalty. Kenney is co-operating with prosecutors as part of a plea agreement in which she pleaded guilty to evidence tampering for moving Berreths cellphone after she disappeared. She faces up to three years in prison. But prosecutors have said Kenney will not be sentenced until all trials related to Berreths disappearance are completed. Prosecutors evidence includes cellphone tower data, suggesting Berreths phone was always in the possession of either Frazee or Kenney after Nov. 22, the date Frazee told police he last saw her. Prosecutors have not disclosed theories on why Frazee would kill Berreth. Her parents argue in a wrongful death lawsuit that they believe Frazee wanted full custody of the couples toddler daughter. The child has remained with them temporarily while the criminal case proceeds. Frazees criminal trial is set for Oct. 28. ___ Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com CHARLESTON, W.Va. - In a state where President Donald Trumps name is still gold, Republican leaders are fighting in a public and caustic way over whos his best friend. On one side, Gov. Jim Justice says he and Trump are bound at the hip. On the other, Senate Republican leaders argue the governor has sided with teachers unions and against Trump. At stake, in addition to political clout, is a multifaceted education bill that promotes charter schools, among other things. GOP Senate leaders are backing it and Trumps education secretary has enthusiastically endorsed it, but support from Justice has flagged in the face of teacher unhappiness. The fight over who can out-Trump the other in a state where the president enjoys widespread support has led to damaging criticism, infighting and a call by one GOP lawmaker for Justice to resign. The governor is just on the wrong page with this and hes making a fool out of himself by trying to get the Trump administration to say theyre not for things and policy initiatives that theyve been for in every other state, said Republican Senate President Mitch Carmichael. Justice said he wants to steer clear of any drama but maintains that Trump will have his back. For President Carmichael to suggest in any way that the president of the United States, President Trump, is going to side with the Senate versus siding with me no matter what we come up with is preposterous, said Justice. Carmichaels push for charter schools and, in a separate bill, education vouchers has caught the attention of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has pressed for such measures. Carmichael said DeVos cold-called him to ask what she or Trump could do to help advance the policies. A day or two after the conversation, she fired off a tweet urging the states top officials to pass the bill. West Virginia has an opportunity to improve education for all & put the needs of students first. Looking forward to seeing bold moves to offer robust options like charter schools & ESAs and support great teachers. Lets get it done @WVGovernor, @SenCarmichaelWV & @SpeakerHanshaw!, she tweeted on May 31. While bolstering the bills supporters, the tweet also drew criticism from opponents who decried what they saw as interference from outside the state. For Justice, whose reelection campaign is being led by current and former Trump staffers, DeVos went way over her skis. He said the tweet came as a shock to both him and, likely, the president, despite her well-known stance on such proposals and Trumps public support for similar measures in other states. The proposal has drawn strong opposition from teachers unions and recently brought dozens of educators to the Capitol in protest as the Senate worked through the bill in a special legislative session. The governor has said Senate leaders misled him by suggesting the bill had bipartisan support. Sen. Craig Blair, a Republican who chairs the chambers powerful finance committee, called for Justice to step down in a newspaper piece titled Jim Justice is Neither Democrat nor Republican - Hes a Narcissistic Opportunist. Our state deserves a leader who will improve our schools, fix our roads, and work with President Trumps administration to grow our states economy, Blair wrote. In an interview, he said he plans to introduce a resolution of no confidence in the governor, a step some GOP committees in the state have also approved. Hes doing a disservice across the board, Blair said. Justice was elected as a Democrat in 2016 but announced he was switching his party affiliation at a Trump rally the following year. He said Democrats walked away from him and argued that the change would help him at the White House. Trump carried West Virginia by a whopping 42 percentage points in 2016. The feud between Republicans comes at a particularly complicated moment for Justice. Last month, the U.S. government sued nearly two dozen of the governors coal businesses over roughly $4.8 million in unpaid mine safety fines. Separately, three federal subpoenas sent to Justices administration have recently become public. The first subpoena to emerge was sent to the state Department of Commerce for documents about a posh resort owned by the governor. Two other subpoenas sought records from the state tax and revenue departments about the governors businesses. Democrats in the House of Delegates, which is set to reconvene next week to debate education, have called for the special session to end. House Minority Leader Tim Miley this week left a letter at the governors office saying the process has turned into chaos. Justice said he doesnt want to abruptly end the session because he wants lawmakers to approve a pay raise for teachers. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says he wont fire White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway after a federal watchdog agency recommended her removal for repeatedly violating a law that limits political activity by government workers. Trump tells Fox & Friends that he was briefed on the Office of Special Counsel investigation Thursday and says it looks to me like theyre trying to take away her right of free speech and thats just not fair. OSC, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Muellers office, said in a letter to Trump that Conway has been a repeat offender of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media. Trump says of Conway, shes got to have a right of responding to questions. WASHINGTON - Americans stepped up their retail spending last month, a sign that recent worries about cautious consumers dragging on growth may have been overdone. The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales rose 0.5% in May, after a smaller gain of 0.3% in the previous month. Aprils figure was revised up from an earlier estimate that had showed a decline. The report suggests that American consumers are still spending at a healthy pace, even as the stimulus from tax cuts fades. In June, the economy reached its 10th year of expansion, tying the 1990s as the longest on record. Measures of consumer confidence, after stumbling this spring amid the ongoing U.S.-China trade war, have returned to nearly 19-year highs. The figures also lessen pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut short-term interest rates. Other recent data, such as weak job growth in May and choppy consumer spending earlier this year, has led most economists to expect at least one or two cuts this year. The consumer didnt fall by the wayside, David Berson, chief economist at Nationwide Financial, said. The concerns that the economy is really slipping dangerously are overstated at this point. Retail sales had been uneven earlier this year, making it harder for economists to get a handle on consumer spending. But with Aprils revision, sales have now increased for three straight months. And with the unemployment rate at a five-decade low of 3.6% and wage gains easily outpacing inflation, consumer spending will likely keep growing this year. Sales at electronics stores jumped 1.1% and rose 0.7% at auto dealers. Sales in a category that mostly includes online retailers rose 1.4%. Still, the economy is forecast to slow in the April-June quarter, expanding at roughly a 2% annual pace or less, analysts expect. That would be down from 3.2% in the first three months of this year. Retail spending was healthy in many categories. Restaurants and bars reported that spending rose 0.7%, a good sign because such spending is more discretionary than purchases at grocery stores or gas stations. Sporting goods and hobby stores saw sales rise a strong 1.1%. Madonna is very unhappy about Madonna at Sixty. Thats the title of the recent New York Times Magazine profile of the pop diva, a piece of journalism so needlessly long, I wondered if I might be 60 myself by the time I finished reading it (and Madonna herself, dead). It turns out Im not a day older. And Madonna is alive and livid. She isnt mad about the length of the piece. Shes angry about its focus: the theme that ties the profile together is not her music, nor her fashion choices (she wears an eye patch these days), but her age. And its true: the profiles author, Vanessa Grigoriadis, a mom of 45, refers to both herself and Madonna in the piece as older mothers. Its clear throughout that she wants the divas personal take on getting up there. Grigoriadis writes, When we talked about aging, I was surprised when she [Madonna] turned the issue back on me. I think you think about growing old too much, she said later. I think you think about age too much. I think you should just stop thinking about it. If only she had stopped writing about it. Last week, after the profile landed online, Madonna posted a scathing critique to Instagram, condemning Grigoriadis for focusing on her age. The journalist who wrote this article spent days and hours and months with me, Madonna writes, but chose to focus on trivial and superficial matters such as never-ending comments about my age, which would never have been mentioned had I been a MAN! Women have a really hard time being the champions of other women even if they are posing as intellectual feminists. Im sorry I spent five minutes with her. It makes me feel raped. And yes Im allowed to use that analogy, having been raped at the age of 19. Yikes. My heart goes out to Grigoriadis, a woman who has to wake up every morning with the knowledge that Madonna feels personally violated by her journalism. Some may even think she has good reason to feel this way. After all, sexist double standards in the entertainment industry abound. Old studs such as George Clooney date younger women on screen and off, whereas actresses Madonnas age play mothers to women 10 years their junior. When Caitlyn Jenner appeared on Vanity Fair, the remarkable thing about that cover wasnt, in my mind, that it debuted a transgender woman to the world, but that it debuted a 65-year-old woman in lingerie. Older women are rarely sexualized. Madonna is. Shes Madonna after all. On her new record, Madame X, she sings: Show me how you move your body I said come, do it good You know how I like to party. On her 2012 album, MDNA (a play on the drug, MDMA) she sings, Now that your name pumps like blood in my veins/It pulses through my body/igniting my mind/And its like MDMA and thats okay. Is it really, though? Have your say: This is, in the end, why its difficult to sympathize with the queen of pop when she scoffs at questions about her age and why its fair for journalists to pose them. It seems Madonna wants to be taken seriously, not as a sexually proud woman who happens to be 60 (nothing wrong with that and more power to her), but rather, as the life of the party. And not just any party but the after-party. At Coachella. It seems she wants us to believe that, when the lights go out at one of her 8:30 concerts, shes dropping molly backstage, when lets face it, she is probably dropping Epsom salts into a bathtub. Unlike many other, older, successful pop stars who make half-hearted or shoddy efforts to keep up with trends (Im looking at you Celine Dion), it seems Madonna is obsessed with keeping up. For a long time this obsession was a gift and a key element to her success. Lately, though, it seems as though its more of a curse, like her drive to stay current comes at the expense of her artistry. If parroting adolescent pop stars is her passion, thats totally cool. But she shouldnt be surprised when people ask questions namely, Are you tired? For me, this question doesnt come from a place of judgment, but from curiosity. Having recently exited my 20s, and very quickly having lost the ability to stay up past midnight, Im relieved to fall out of touch, to feel both my grasp on popular culture and my waistband loosen. I know: Im not Madonna. Madonna doesnt want to spend her evenings in a recliner with a magic bag draped around her neck, watching old TV shows. And yet, her defensiveness and subsequent anger about perfectly reasonable questions regarding her age it is as though 60 is something to sweep under the rug, rather than celebrate suggests that maybe the diva protests too much. Maybe reclining before Columbo is exactly what she wants to do (in between bumps of Molly, of course). I know women are supposed to find relief in the mantra that age is just a number. But I find far more relief in the reality that its not. Read more: Madonna brings up the rear: Stargazing Opinion | Emma Teitel: Meghan Markle might be a social climber. So what? Opinion | Vinay Menon: Why Madonnas new alter ego, Madame X, seems more desperate than groundbreaking As Progressive Conservative MPPs privately complain to Premier Doug Ford about a culture of fear amid tongue lashings from his chief of staff, they are being urged to attend his annual Ford Fest. In an internal caucus email obtained by the Star, the premiers office is reminding Tory members to come to the Markham fairgrounds on June 22 to celebrate our historic year with family, food and fun! While attendance for MPPs and political aides is not mandatory, Tories are being urged to promote the event on their social media networks. Some confide they feel obligated to go, given rumblings of a looming cabinet shuffle after a string of negative public-opinion polls. Nerves are frayed in the PC caucus after the Star revealed Wednesday that Fords chief of staff, Dean French, loudly scolded a female MPP on June 6 outside an airport hotel in front of the premier, other members and staffers. The rookie GTA MPP broke down in tears and was inconsolable for five minutes, leading Ford to declare the next day that members should be treated with respect. His office confirmed the incident to the Star and said, This misunderstanding was regrettable (French) apologized and they had an excellent conversation. Read more: Randy Hillier warns of a culture of fear in Ford government The Ford government spent its first year slashing. Heres who got burned Editorial: Doug Fords trained seals embarrass themselves It followed earlier verbal outbursts from the powerful chief of staff aimed at other MPPs in caucus meetings. Randy Hillier, who now sits as an Independent MPP, was ejected from the PC caucus after complaining to Ford about French. The chief of staff is now suing Hillier for defamation over some tweets and seeking $100,000 in damages. Theres a culture of fear its like the KGB, another Toronto MPP complained to the premier on June 6 after the tearful scene. After the Star revealed the conversation, both Tory MPPs contacted Fords office to say they were not sources for the story. Conservatives are hoping to rally the troops at Ford Fest, a picnic the premiers family has been holding for more than 20 years. It gained prominence when his late brother, Rob Ford, was mayor of Toronto. Dear Caucus! Ford Fest is fast approaching and we still need your help to make this year the biggest and best Ford Fest yet, says the email, which was sent by Fords office from a Gmail account because Ontario government accounts cannot be used for partisan purposes. The response we received from our first communication was amazing, but we need your help to keep that momentum going! New social media graphics are available in through the Dropbox link below. The email asks MPPs to post enclosed short videos set to the Tories 2018 campaign jingle For the People of last years Ford Fest, in which smiling cabinet ministers are seen flipping burgers. Please note that these materials are to be shared over your personal and party social media accounts only. Ford Fest materials cannot be shared on official government accounts, the email cautions. In a clip from last years picnic, which was held in Vaughan, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli enthuses, I cannot get over the excitement thats here. The message from the premiers office to caucus members emphasizes that it is a casual event. It is open to members of the public who register online, and is bankrolled by the PC Party, not taxpayers. Ford Fest 2019 is an opportunity for our team to say thank you, and I hope to see everyone there, the office reminded MPPs. Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy, who has impressed Ford with his deft handling of the governments austerity push, said Thursday he absolutely will be in attendance. Ive been in the past and I will continue to go because Im a sucker for a hamburger, he said. While Bethlenfalvys name figures prominently in cabinet shuffle speculation, he played down any changes to the executive council. Im focused on finding the savings and getting on with the work that we said we would do, he said. Asked if anyone has spoken to him about new cabinet responsibilities, Bethlenfalvy said: Im not going to speculate or comment on private conversations. Read more about: VANCOUVERYou might expect a playwright and a power line technician to have little in common, but fathers of all kinds have plenty of shared experiences. Ahead of Fathers Day, Star Vancouver asked four dads from different walks of life to share their worries and aspirations for their children in a rapidly changing world: Tetsuro Shigematsu, actor and playwright, two kids ages 15 and 11 Just as Shigematsu challenges mainstream culture in his work, he worries about his childrens exposure to it. Its constantly seeking to sexualize them or encourage them to base their self-worth on superficial things, Shigematsu said. He said his occupation has helped him understand other people better. I often have to shift my point of view from playing myself to playing scene partner, playing my son, playing my daughter, playing my father or one of my siblings. That enabled me to be a better father. Still, he said, he is prone to missteps. One moment has haunted him since his daughter was around seven years old. Shigematsu was in an argument with his children when he noticed his daughter becoming teary-eyed. And I sneered at her. I said, Are you going to cry now? And she just looked at me so quickly, without even pausing, and shook her head. I had driven this message into her in that second that crying is a weakness that should be looked down upon. He regrets the lasting impact his message might have had. We never know at any moment when our children will remember an interaction that will permanently be marked in the frescoes of their long-term memory. Were literally painting ourselves into the mural of their story of their childhood and how they will function as adults for the rest of their lives. Craig Schmidt, power line technician, one child at six weeks old Since his daughter was born, Schmidt has been more mindful of gender biases in the workplace and the preconceived notions women face about their physical abilities. His line of work demonstrates the odds women are up against, said Schmidt. He paid for his university tuition working in the skilled trades during the summer; a young woman, he said, may not have the same opportunity. As a male, its almost a guarantee to enter a trade and you have a chance to make a good wage ... Any woman is strong enough as a man and could do it. Its just a preconceived notion. He wonders whether a woman could work in the trades before obtaining formal training and achieve financial freedom that way. It makes me feel like I need to make sure my daughter is an intelligent woman. Because its harder to achieve financial freedom as a woman; you need to be more intelligent and transcend above that. And if youre intelligent, youre limitless. Growing up with two brothers, Schmidt said he looks forward to some of the unique scenarios he may encounter as his daughter grows older. I wonder in the future what questions Ill be asked. Itll be all new questions. I know what maybe little boys would ask about ... Thatll be something Ill be thinking and looking forward to. RJ Aquino, consultant and founding member of municipal political party OneCity Vancouver, three kids ages 8, 6 and 1 Having grown up in the Philippines, RJ Aquino always felt that early connection to his cultural heritage was important during his formative years spent in the West. He wants to ensure his children and other youth in the Filipino community have that connection too. Weve been doing a lot of work with the Philippines community and working towards ensuring that the kids have a clear path in exploring their identity or being immersed in their heritage. Thats one of the things, at least here in Vancouver, were a little short on, he said. Thats why Aquino decided to start a non-profit, Tulayan, in 2011. Tulayan aims to reconnect Filipino-Canadians to their history and language. Many of his peers who are starting their own families in Canada have similar worries for their children, he added. Another thing he wants to pass on to his children is being politically engaged. Aquino feels he is successfully normalizing political involvement with his children. I take them to all these meetings, to rallies, to other significant events. We just explain to them, talk to them and try to connect the dots in terms of whats happening in the world and whats happening in their immediate vicinity, their backyard. Aquino added that helping his children manage interpersonal problems is important at this stage of development. It hasnt escalated into bullying, but its just that so-and-so said something really mean. And its helping them navigate those interpersonal relationships Theyre angry at each other for a week, and then birthday party invites are being sent. So its just helping them understand the complexities of relationships and that it requires effort to not write people off. Bryan Yu, economist, two kids ages 3 and 1 Yu said that, like most parents, bullying and cyberbullying have been on his mind. His kids are still young, but he is concerned about how schools will handle different types of harassment and intimidation. In the long term, he wants to ensure his children are prepared with the skills to enter the economy. Were always watching how the economy is evolving and seeing things like (what) artificial intelligence means for automation. Some of the jobs we have now the jobs our kids are studying for they may not be there in 10 years. Although Yu would encourage his kids to figure out their own way and do what they enjoy, he is considering how he might nurture their skills in science, technology, engineering and math to meet the jobs of the future. Being an economist means Yu is more attuned to issues like the gender pay gap. Such facts are disheartening for Yu, who has two daughters. Women should have all the same advantages, the same expectations of advancement for their careers as well. Im pretty hopeful that by the time my kids do get into that point in their life, we wont have these kinds of discussions anymore. Read more: Yorkville Exotic Car Show: what better way to spend Father's Day? Navigating Fathers Day as a transgender dad There are dads in the house, and in these five new Fathers Day books Read more about: WASHINGTON - The work to redesign the $20 bill and affix an image of Harriet Tubman as its centerpiece was well underway before the Trump administration delayed the plans, according to a new report from the New York Times. Efforts to redesign the bill were advanced enough for officials at the Secret Service and government engravers to review a metal engraving plate and a digital image of the Tubman mock-up as recently as May 2018, the report said. The report cited current and former sources at the Treasury Department, which oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The Times also included a preliminary image it obtained from a former Treasury official, completed in late 2016, of what a new $20 bill could look like, featuring Tubman "in a dark coat with a wide collar and a white scarf," the report said. The bureau disputed these events and said that new Secret Service agents routinely visit the bureau for training purposes. "A training class would never be in the position to review a preliminary currency design, let alone something advanced," a spokesman said. A delay in the redesign of the $20 bill was motivated by concerns of a potential backlash from President Trump, according to the Timesreport: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin chose a timeline extending beyond Trump's presidency to avoid the possibility of an explosive controversy, fearing that the president who has disparaged the redesign would cancel the plans altogether. In a statement to The Washington Post on Friday, Mnuchin said the development of security and anti-counterfeiting measures first dictates the redesign process. "In the case of the $20 bill, that timetable is consistent with the previous Administration and has not been changed. As Secretary, my first responsibility is to ensure all security and anti-counterfeiting measures are properly taken in accordance with BEP's mandates. The suggestion that this process is being stalled is completely erroneous." The director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Len Olijar said in a statement that "No Bureau or Department official has 'scrapped' anything; it is too early to develop an integrated concept or design until security features are finalized." He added, "Everything remains on the table." The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Last month, Mnuchin announced that Tubman would not replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill next year, a planned change initiated by the treasury secretary in the Obama administration that carried historical significance. Tubman, a 19th-century abolitionist leader, was destined to take the lofty position from the nation's seventh president, a slaveholder. Mnuchin said during congressional testimony that the delay of the new $20 bill was prompted by security concerns pushing the government to first release the redesigns of the $10 and $50 bills. Mnuchin would not say whether he supported keeping Tubman on the new $20 bill, which under the revised timeline, would be left to whoever holds the treasury secretary position in 2026. That timetable would keep the Trump administration out of the final decision, even if the president wins a second term. During the 2016 campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump described the Tubman redesign as an act of "pure political correctness." Earlier this week, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) urged Mnuchin to reconsider the delay and to place Tubman's likeness on the $20 bill immediately. As a formerly enslaved person who led hundreds of others to freedom, Tubman had "more than earned her place among our nation's most pivotal leaders," Hogan wrote in a letter to the treasury secretary. "She deserves this honor." The soon-to-be-announced US peace initiative known as the 'Deal of the Century' is already being implemented, Hassan Asfour tells Ahmed Eleiba The planned economic workshop in Bahrain, the forum that is supposed to launch the Deal of the Century, as the anticipated US Middle East peace initiative has been called, is expected to take place without any Palestinian representation. If it does, it will mark a precedent in over a quarter of a century of peace-making efforts. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is firm in its refusal to attend the Manama workshop scheduled for 25-26 June. During the recent emergency Arab summit in Mecca, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said: The Palestinian government, which has announced its absolute refusal to substitute prosperity for peace for the principle of land for peace, affirms that we will not participate in the workshop the US administration has called for in Manama. Al-Ahram Weekly asked Hassan Asfour, former Palestinian minister and member of the Palestinian delegation in the Oslo negotiations, how he assesses the US plan and the developments and interplay surrounding it. He said: For the first time in the last history of the Palestinian/Arab conflict with the occupying entity there is a move to discuss economic peace prior to and independently of political peace. This is not out of ignorance of reality or the facts, but an intensification of a firm position the current US administration has towards Palestinian independence. On the Palestinian governments refusal to attend the Manama conference, Asfour explained that the upshot of the reactions and interplay surrounding that event is that there is little concern for the Palestinian position. The most salient message in advance of the workshop is that official Palestinian participation is not required for the implementation of the regional dimension of the Trump deal and that this implementation will proceed in accordance with calculations that are radically different to what some believe. The message overturns all previously accepted political premises, he added. It is an official Arab endorsement that the Palestinian cause and battle is no longer the central cause of the Arab region. This will have critical political consequences and a profound effect on all equations as the US plan proceeds through subsequent phases of implementation by means of which Washington and Tel Aviv score immense historical gains. Never before had it been politically conceivable for Arab states or at least the absolute majority of them along with the Arab League to attend a conference to discuss the Palestinian cause and its future without the participation of its sole legitimate representative. Still, the PA appears uncertain over what steps to take. It has hinted at the possibility of disengagement, for example, with regard to which Asfour said: There are three main elements that determine the substance of whether or not to disengage. The central question, however, is whether it is truly possible to undertake that national step under the current degradation and deterioration that characterise the Palestinian condition. Asfour does not believe that disengagement or other such escalatory steps are possible at this stage. Most likely officials will continue to talk about [such steps] while hiding behind the rhetoric of rejecting the US plan even as they take practical measures to reduce tensions. Given the political division and fragmentation, it will never be possible to devise an effective plan for confrontation. To truly disengage, it is necessary to devise a plan for confrontation that begins with setting the national house in order from Gaza in the south to Jenin in the north. Before this it will be necessary to abandon all the excuses for perpetuating the inter-Palestinian rift, and there are dozens of ideas that will help. Economic circumstances are certainly not favourable. Asfour points out how many Palestinians are in debt, reeling under financial pressures and yearning for a way out of their economic straits. It will not be as easy as it was in the past to depend on the grassroots response to unacceptable alternatives, he said. In Asfours opinion, before discussing the dimensions and repercussions of the agenda in Manama, it is necessary to address what he termed the pre-emptive steps that Washington took in favour of Israel, such as the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the suspension of funding for UNRWA. The plan is already being carried out. The most salient examples are US positions on the questions of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. What remains is the regional framework since the deal has been cast as a regional one. The US stance on Jerusalem has several ramifications. One is political and seeks to alter the official status of that city as occupied territory. Another affects the religious character of the city and will have repercussions on Islamic holy sites. There is a plan to build a new temple. Perhaps some action was taken to test the pulse on this regard and they didnt find a reaction that might obstruct such a scheme. For example, Hamas saw it as a victory when 50,000 people prayed in Jerusalem in Ramadan. But the question to ask, here, is how was this possible? They had to pass through Israel, in accordance with Israeli conditions and the Israeli framework for its effective sovereignty over Jerusalem at present. Where would a Palestinian entity have its capital under the Trump plan? Asfour said that according to leaked information, space would be allocated for an autonomous government administration in Abu Dis, on the outskirts of East Jerusalem, with some access to Arab quarters in Jerusalem such as Issawiya and Eizariya. As an autonomous government it would host foreign consulates, not embassies, as is currently the case in the West Bank. Washingtons stance on UNRWA was a tangible expression of its view on the question of Palestinian refugees. By cutting its contribution, which accounted for a third of the UNRWA budget, the US signalled its desire to eliminate that agency and along with it the internationally recognised rights of Palestinian refugees. As for the solution Washington has in mind, it is naturalisation, meaning giving Palestinian refugees citizenship in the countries in which they currently reside. Practical steps have already been taken in this regard, in Lebanon for example. Some political forces in Lebanon have responded favourably to this outlook. To what extent is there a departure from the outputs of previous agreements, such as Oslo? Asfour stressed two points. Firstly, The envisaged regional solution is that the current process is not the product of this plan, for the Madrid Conference proposed a regional solution. Secondly, According to Oslo, the PA was a temporary entity that would exist until final status issues were settled. The interim period was set for five years. That period has nearly quintupled as the PA is now 24 years old. Not only did Washington disregard the PA in its calculations, it disregarded other international powers. Not even the members of the Quartet were put into the picture according to official statements. Russia announced, as did China, that it had not received an invitation to Manama. Asfour sees the US plan, as a whole, as part of a project aimed at effacing anything to do with Palestinian identity. This project has recently picked up pace in the framework of the US-Israeli strategic embrace. The Judaisation project has picked up pace. The attempt to demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque through excavations persists. Israel law has legitimised settlement expansion in the West Bank and it is likely that Israel will annex large chunks of that territory with US support. US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said, Israel has a right to annex territory in the West Bank. Previous peacemaking projects and plans regarded the West Bank and Gaza as something that needed to be treated as a contiguous whole. The US plan, as Asfour put it, is to reduce the remnants of a homeland into a formula for a civil administration not much different from the situation that currently exists in Palestinian self-rule areas. *A version of this article appears in print in the 13 June, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Trumps dubious deal Search Keywords: Short link: Inside the Five-Sided Box: Lessons From a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon By Ash Carter Dutton. 466 pp. $30 --- Then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter was in a meeting at the White House when a National Security Council staff member shoved a surprise his way. Amid debate over the future of the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the staffer handed out a proposed timetable that would force Carter to make a decision on the transfer of a detainee within a finite number of days. "This tactic of springing a document on people without warning or vetting - known as 'table dropping' - had always been offensive to me," Carter writes in his memoir of his time at the Pentagon. "It violates all the rules of good process and fair treatment. I picked up the paper, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at the White House staffer who had given it to me, saying, 'Don't table-drop s---.'" The anecdote - reported previously in less colorful terms - is one of several revealing stories that Carter includes in his book, "Inside the Five-Sided Box: Lessons From a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon." Carter, now director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard, said he wrote the book as a "user's guide" for understanding the Defense Department. Carter also airs his frustrations about Congress and the media, praises some of the senior officials who worked with him, and explains the background of some of the most significant decisions he made. Carter became President Barack Obama's fourth and final defense secretary in February 2015, stepping in at a time that included much of the war against the Islamic State, continued turmoil in Afghanistan as the president attempted to withdraw U.S. forces, and Carter's historic decision to open all jobs in the military to any women who could meet the requirements. After leaving their jobs, Carter's predecessors all aired frustrations over being micromanaged by the Obama National Security Council staff. Carter addresses the issue with nuance, writing that while "staff munchkins" and "ideologues" at the White House sometimes caused problems, he took steps to avoid being micromanaged. While former national security adviser Tom Donilon viewed the Pentagon "as a kind of dark star across the Potomac that needed to be reined in," Carter writes, Donilon's successor, Susan Rice, "took a more congenial approach" that included "having the right conversations" with the Pentagon chief. Nonetheless, meetings that Rice ran, Carter writes, had "serious problems from my point of view," as people with "mixed levels of knowledge and experience" suggested ideas in a practice that "I began to refer to as 'playing with little tin soldiers.'" Through a spokeswoman, Rice declined to comment. Carter can seem disingenuous at times. At one point, he writes that there have been cutbacks to media coverage of major war zones, while leaving out that the Defense Department under his watch rarely allowed journalists to embed with U.S. troops during the campaign against the Islamic State, citing logistical challenges and diplomatic sensitivities. He also writes that the media was "eager to play gotcha" when it questioned why the Obama administration avoided acknowledging that U.S. troops faced combat in the Islamic State campaign. After reading the book, I asked Carter about those comments, and he backpedaled a bit. He said he didn't think "the press was being unfair, in retrospect." Journalists were just "pointing out a discrepancy that shouldn't have been," he said, when they reported on administration officials who did not acknowledge that some Americans engaged in combat along with Iraqi and Syrian troops, who made up the bulk of the ground forces. "I don't know if it does any good at this point," Carter said. "But you were seeing something that I wasn't quite seeing, which was that there was reluctance at the White House to talk about troops in combat. I didn't think that was right, and I didn't want to do that." In the book, Carter provides some fresh details on his decision to allow women to take up all roles in the military. He writes that he and Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreed that Dunford would not appear alongside Carter when he announced the decision, because Dunford had recommended while serving as commandant of the Marine Corps to keep some jobs closed to women. "If the press was going to criticize the decision, I wanted them to criticize me, no one else - and I particularly did not want Joe to be caught in the middle," writes Carter, who lauds Dunford as one of the finest leaders he has ever known. Of Obama, Carter writes that his "strengths greatly outweigh his weaknesses," and that he believed the president was willing to hear him out and occasionally change his mind. While Carter thought Obama's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan on a planned timetable was unwise, he eventually recommended to the president in 2015 that he keep some troops deployed there, and Obama did so. Carter recalls the forcefulness with which Obama spoke to Hamid Karzai. The mercurial Afghan president had regularly referred to U.S. troops as invaders, even as they propped up his regime. "I had to keep my composure in his presence, but President Obama did not," Carter wrote. "He once cleared the Situation Room during a National Security Council meeting attended by Karzai so that he could tell the Afghan president exactly what he thought of him. Obama's language on that occasion was scathing, caustic, and richly deserved." I asked Carter about that incident, and he said he was not in the room, but Obama told him about it later. "I think he was where I was: extremely angry and frustrated," Carter said. "I was glad the president told me that, and I admired that he did it." The Washington War: FDR's Inner Circle and the Politics of Power That Won World War II By James Lacey Bantam. 567 pp. $35 --- "There never was a good War, or a bad Peace," wrote Benjamin Franklin. The U.S. Army begs to differ. Last month the Army announced a redesign of uniforms that will garb the nation's soldiers in dress greens reminiscent of those worn during World War II. "We went back and asked, when is the most prominent time when the Army's service to our nation was universally recognized?" the sergeant-major of the Army explained. The war against Germany and Japan came at once to mind. "That victory, that impact on the nation, is still felt today by the sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of the 'Greatest Generation.' " The Army outpolls Franklin on this subject, at least in America. Despite causing upward of 40 million deaths worldwide, and American casualties greater than those in any conflict save the Civil War, World War II persists in American memory as the "good war." Not even academic historians, those pesky revisers of received wisdom, have dented the reputation of the anti-fascist conflict. This is all the more remarkable given the devil's bargain the war involved - to wit, the alliance with the Soviet Union, a country led by Joseph Stalin, a monster rivaling Adolf Hitler for runner-up in the ranks of history's mass murderers. (First place goes to Mao Zedong - another American ally, de facto, in the war.) Nor did the war solve America's essential security problem, for shortly after the conflict's end, Americans faced an even greater threat than that posed by fascism, from the very communist regimes they had helped save. James Lacey's new book reflects a curious aspect of this abiding paradox. The "Washington war" of Lacey's title was the complex series of battles within the U.S. bureaucracy over America's conduct of the war. In the subtitle the author refers to Franklin Roosevelt's "inner circle," and he defines that circle generously. He includes scores of individuals, ranging from the obvious (Commerce Secretary Harry Hopkins, Army Chief of Staff George Marshall) to the obscure (Union Pacific Railroad president and wartime "rubber czar" William Jeffers, statistician Stacy May). This broad-gauged approach is at once the strength of the book and its weakness. The literature on World War II includes biographies of all the major actors and histories of the principal institutions. But no one before Lacey has wrangled such a large cast and covered so much bureaucratic ground. There is scarcely a significant quarrel or even mild dispute that Lacey doesn't address, except the ones he deliberately avoids. He ignores, for example, the Bretton Woods and Dumbarton Oaks conferences, on the reasoning that these elicited "broad general consensus." Nothing to see here, folks; move along. Even if this were as true as Lacey suggests, consensus doesn't just happen. It would be useful to observe how Roosevelt arranged it on such crucial issues as world finance (Bretton Woods) and the United Nations (Dumbarton Oaks). The weakness of the book is that the reader sometimes gets lost among all the characters. Lacey helps by providing prefatory cameos of 59. And he invariably has something striking to say in the text about them. Douglas MacArthur dressed down Roosevelt for shortchanging the Army, declaring (as MacArthur recounted later) that "when we lost the next war, and an American boy, lying in the mud with an enemy bayonet through his belly and an enemy foot on his dying throat, spat out his last curse, I wanted the name not to be MacArthur, but Roosevelt."Jesse Jones, head of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and Roosevelt's secretary of commerce after Hopkins, didn't like being criticized; when the owner of The Washington Post, Eugene Meyer, refused to retract a harsh editorial, Jones assaulted him in the ballroom of the Willard Hotel. Meyer fought back, and the Willard's guests were treated to a furious grapple between the sexagenarians. Roosevelt laughed it off at a news conference the next day, saying he hoped not to have to referee the rematch. This is great fun, and enlightening after a fashion, but the reader can wish for a more judicious weighting of the vignettes according to the heft of the participants. A similar reaction applies to coverage of topics. Lacey devotes a page to D-Day and a chapter to the Morgenthau Plan. Even if the punitive blueprint for postwar Germany had been adopted - it wasn't - the largest amphibious operation in history deserves better. Lacey gamely draws conclusions from his sprawling tale. He says he commenced his research believing that the political infighting hindered the war effort. "But the more I delved into the clashes that made up the Washington war, the clearer it became that these titanic rows almost always led to better outcomes than would have prevailed had there been a single man or apparatus directing events." As a corroborating counterexample, he cites Hitler's refusal to brook dissenting views. "How might the course of the war have changed if Hitler had let the German general staff debate the pros and cons of declaring war on the United States, at a time" - December 1941 - "when Britain remained undefeated and the Wehrmacht was stalled in front of Moscow?" Lacey concludes that the fights in Washington, however bitter and costly, were "a precondition of victory." He doesn't prove this. In fact his own stories offer plenty of evidence to the contrary: that the American side won the war despite the struggles in Washington, not because of them. But both versions - infighting good, infighting bad - fall into the realm of the unprovable, a category encompassing nearly all historical explanations. Yet it doesn't really matter, for most Americans. The war had a happy ending. The good guys won and the bad guys lost. The war revived the U.S. economy and restored American self-confidence after a decade of depression. The war quieted partisan strife and made Americans feel they were on the same team. Nazi Germany was so indisputably evil that America's flaws - and, for a time, those of America's allies - paled by comparison. Could the war have been managed better? Doubtless. But one doesn't quibble over details in the defining moral struggle of the age. Every country requires a Greatest Generation, and until the last members of ours pass away, the "good war" will remain untouchable. --- Brands teaches history at the University of Texas at Austin. His latest book is "Heirs of the Founders." Some movies tell you a story. Others invite you into a dream. "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," an extraordinary debut from best friends and collaborators Jimmie Fails and Joe Talbot, obeys the intuitive rhythms of a reverie, leading viewers on a graceful journey through the collective memory of a city and the deeply personal aspirations of one of its dispossessed. A lyrical, visually stunning tone poem to loss, lies, reclamation and making peace with the past, "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" virtually defies conventional description. To see it is to believe it, even when it doesn't strictly make sense. "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" opens with the strains of a lilting woodwind musical score (composed with exquisite delicacy by Emile Mosseri), as a little girl - missing two front teeth, holding a lollipop - skips past a street preacher who has climbed up on a milk crate to inveigh against the pollution poisoning the San Francisco Bay. Beholding the scene are Fails - playing a character named Jimmie Fails - and his best friend Mont (Jonathan Majors), an aspiring playwright who lives with his grandfather (Danny Glover) in the city's Hunter's Point neighborhood. Fails is staying with them for the time being while he nurses his life's ambition: to move back into the glorious, slightly shabby Victorian home in the Fillmore district that his grandfather James Fails designed and built back in the 1940s. "I want to drink coffee and scratch my ass while I read the paper," Jimmie says longingly, in one of the film's simplest and most touching soliloquies. When the house's owners are away, Jimmie and Mont surreptitiously sneak in to fix the place up, making small repairs and repainting its crimson-colored trim. Meanwhile, the immediate and extended Fails family that once lived there has scattered to the four winds: Jimmie's father (Rob Morgan) is living in an SRO hotel (the two were once homeless and living in their car); his aunt has decamped for the suburbs and he has no contact with his mother. Slender and endowed with an open, expressive face the camera loves, Fails is a natural on the screen, exuding a beatific presence that earns immediate empathy. He and Majors enjoy an easy camaraderie, as Jimmie and Mont respond to circumstances that put the house enticingly within their reach. Talbot - who grew up with Fails in San Francisco, and who won a prize at Sundance for directing "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" - blends a documentarian's feel for the realities of his hometown with dashes of surrealism and playful affection reminiscent of Spike Lee and Charles Burnett. Within the life story of one young man trying to rescue his past and claim a right of return, the filmmaker finds an epic history that encompasses postwar migration, the flourishing of the "Harlem of the West," the Haight Ashbury in the '60s, redlining, gentrification, environmental racism and the chronic policing of black masculinity. That specific form of social control is exerted by outside forces but also from within the African American community itself. Five neighborhood guys continually tease and harass Jimmie and Mont, forming a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening Greek chorus. Jimmie and Mont aren't tough enough for the group - they're gentle, funny and tender with one another. (One of the film's most memorable scenes involves Mont defusing a violent outburst with a hilariously effective workaround). But "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" makes space for the trauma that lies beneath even the most aggressive macho posturing. "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" unfolds episodically, in gauzy, poetic images and vignettes that can be heartbreaking at one moment and quirkily comic the next. Thematically, it's of a piece with such recent films as "Blindspotting," "Sorry to Bother You" and "Roman Israel, Esq.," evoking real estate as patrimony, protection and solid purchase in a world of constant precariousness and contingency. But "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" is a far more eccentric and stylized film, one that's less interested in seamless narrative than developing its own heightened visual vocabulary: Just when viewers think they know where the story is going, Talbot inserts a montage set to Joni Mitchell's "Blue," or stages an awkward play-within-a-play. Nearly every scene has its own amusing counterpoint, whether in the form of a neighborhood lady who sells bootleg candy or bands of white tourists gawking at the locals from Segways or fake cable cars. Through it all, Fails maintains a serene and poignant presence, skateboarding from situation to situation with (usually) impenetrable calm. There's one whopper of a twist in "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" that lifts an already elevated enterprise into something heady and more provocative. "The Last Black Man in San Francisco" is about many, many things, but ultimately it's about having the courage to transcend history, with all of its burdens, gifts and most consoling myths. Even when Talbot and Fails risk unraveling the film's most cherished verities, they do so with the mesmerizing grace of a skateboard gliding down Lombard Street. --- Four stars. Rated R. Contains strong language, brief nudity and drug use. 120 minutes. Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time. Advance for thurs june 13 ALTON This summer has certainly put the area in high water. The current flood is the second highest in Alton history, cresting at 39.1 feet on Sunday, as well as in Grafton where it crested last week at 35.12 feet. Boat traffic in the Alton area is currently closed on the Mississippi River, according to officials with the Upper Mississippi River Sector of the United States Coast Guard. Yet while the water is starting to come down at noon Friday retreating to 36.43 feet in Alton and 32.62 feet in Grafton the flood continues to affect many area businesses, including those whose livelihood relies on the river. The Alton Marina at 1 Henry Street sets right on the Mississippi River. Karen Baker-Brncic, who operates the marina, said it has now been closed for four weeks since opening back in April. The high water, she said, also has caused the need for repairs and maintenance to the docks and slips. Still, she remains optimistic. Were ready to go as soon as the water goes down, she said. She anticipates the marina will be back in business June 24 or June 25. She said the facility still has a summer full of activities planned, include fireworks on July 3 and an anniversary party during the Food Truck Festival, both planned for Saturday, Aug. 24. Upriver, the Grafton Harbor has faced similar challenges. Although the marina store remains open, office manager Freddy Hatfill said people are having trouble getting easy access to the harbor. Its popular restaurant, The Oyster Bar, she noted, has been closed since the end of May. Hatfill also is anticipating a re-opening later this month, likely on June 21, with the The Oyster Bar available Tuesday through Saturday and the dock available every day. The harbor also is gearing up for a fireworks celebration on July 6. We hope to make up for lost time, she said. Piasa Harbor has been hard hit by the flooding. Project manager Pat Goetten said the Harbor has been closed around four week now, with the area almost completely surrounded by water. On Monday, we were able to get in the back way, she said. Goetten said Piasa Harbor hopes to be in full operations within two weeks and back to business as usual. New York on Thursday became the fifth state in the nation to eliminate religious exemptions for vaccine requirements in school children. The state Senate and Assembly passed the measure following a dramatic committee meeting and two spirited floor debates about bodily autonomy, science, and whether public health concerns should trump the First Amendment. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the legislation into law. The bill's Senate sponsor, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, said the repeal of non-religious exemptions sends a message to New Yorkers that vaccines are safe. "We're putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and standing up for the rights of immunocompromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who can't be vaccinated through no fault of their own," he said. New York is at the center of one of the worst measles outbreaks the country has seen in decades. Of 1,022 confirmed measles cases nationwide, 588 are in New York City and 266 are in Rockland County, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There was one confirmed case of measles in Greene County and seven in Sullivan County. Proponents of the bill say the religious exemption has been interpreted over-broadly. Leaders in most major religions in the state have urged adherents to vaccinate. Elimination of the religious exemption in California has resulted in increased vaccination rates, notes the Assembly's sponsor, Jeffrey Dinowitz, D-Bronx. "This bill will help save lives and protect children," Dinowitz said. Parents who say they oppose immunizations on religious grounds or are skeptical of widely accepted vaccine science protested loudly throughout the day at the Capitol as the bill wended through the approval process. In the Assembly, after the votes were tallied, protesters who were in the public gallery overlooking the chamber started shouting at the lawmakers below. State Police arrived to clear the group from the chamber as befuddled Assembly members looked on. A woman who had waited outside the Assembly's main entrance screamed "Shame on you!" as some lawmakers emerged after voting. "The religious will never comply," activist Stephany Maharis said. "They threw children with disabilities out of school and religious children out of a public education, because they don't want to comply with forced, coercive medicine." Earlier Thursday, the bill narrowly passed by a vote of 14-12 during an intense Assembly Health Committee meeting that enabled the bill to go to the floor for debate. The room was filled with activists, several of them soothing children or infants in slings. The 26-member committee had been split on the issue a week ago, with a slight majority opposing or holding serious reservations about advancing the legislation. Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried voted to move the bill through committee, but also signaled that he would vote against the measure on the Assembly floor. "After months of extensive discussion, the Assembly Majority Conference has come to the conclusion that it wants this bill on the Assembly floor," Gottfried said. "The Health Committee majority's responsibility is to move the bill forward." The Assembly leadership also appears to have put pressure on Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, and Assemblyman Nader J. Sayegh, a Westchester Democrat, to advance the bill through committee. Both lawmakers voted "yes" in committee and "no" on the floor. In a remarkable moment, Sayegh changed his committee vote to "yes" after conferring with Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie. He clarified that he was voting to allow for a debate on the floor. Some anti-vaccine activists broke into tears as the committee meeting concluded. "God help us!" a woman cried. A poll released Monday by the Siena Research Institute indicated that New York voters overwhelmingly favor an end to the religious exemption for vaccinating children. Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Rockland, spoke on the floor of her grandmother who became deaf due to the measles. "It is one of the most contagious diseases," Jaffee said. "Fever, rash, cough, cold, inflammation in the brain that spreads, pneumonia. Why would we want our kids to have that risk?" The measure passed the 150-member Assembly by a margin of 77 53, barely surpassing the 76-vote threshold. The repeal was less contentious in the 53-member Senate, where the bill cruised through committee process and passed Thursday evening 36-26. "Vaccines save lives. We are in the midst of a measles epidemic which is completely preventable given proper immunizations," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. "The fact that New York state has the overwhelming majority of these measles cases is shameful, and we must step up to protect New Yorkers' health." David Lombardo contributed reporting for this story. Infinite Wellness Integrative Medical Center owner Dr. Ryan Cleland worked with the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to successfully open his newest wellness center on Saturday, June 1 at 220 Evergreen Dr., Suite B in Glen Carbon. Cleland has been in the medical and health industry for 13 years and has run a private chiropractic practice for 11 of those years. SBDC Director Jo Ann DiMaggio May assisted Cleland in polishing his business plan and cash flow projections to introduce Infinite Wellness. Cleland is motivated by helping people find natural ways to live their best lives through nutrition, safe pain relief and tissue regeneration, bioidentical hormone therapies, anti-aging science, weight loss, proper joint and spinal biomechanics, and more. Cleland had the opportunity and ambition to bring a startup idea to life. He decided to start his own integrative center and hopes to open multiple clinics within a few years. Although the community is familiar with going to several places to get certain expertise, Clelands practice will still provide chiropractic care, but also offer additional services by adding other licensed professionals. Regenerative cellular medicines like stem cell, platelet-rich plasma, ozone and prolozone, along with advanced pain relief therapies like trigger point injections, spinal and knee decompression, class IV laser, and advanced neuropathy programs will be available at this new location. They will also combine advanced nutrition programs, medical weight loss protocols and hormonal optimization programs for men and women to help bring these health options to the region. The center provides these services with a highly trained and versatile staff of a medical physician, chiropractors, nurse practitioners and rehab specialists, all of whom have both team and individual responsibilities, allowing them to meet the clients every need under one roof. Originally from a small town, Cleland understands how important it is to provide a wide range of services to eliminate distance traveling, particularly for clients living in rural areas. He realizes offering varied services allows him to help patients more quickly and completely. We are the new healthcare, Cleland said. Many people no longer want the healthcare cycle we are all familiar with. People are opting for natural and proactive approaches to age, degeneration and pain. We assist people with natural and safe methods before suggesting pharmaceuticals or surgical procedures, Cleland continued. The days of just reaching for a pill, masking symptoms and living a less than optimal life will be a thing of the past with the help of Infinite Wellness. Dr. Cleland is highly motivated and dedicated to the health and well-being of his patients, DiMaggio May said. It was a seamless transition for him to start his own practice again. His knowledge and expertise, along with his care for people, will help ensure his success. We look forward to assisting him further. Contact Infinite Wellness Integrative Medical Center at 618-655-0333. For more information, visit infinitewc.com and Facebook. The Illinois SBDC for the Metro East assists start-up ventures like Infinite Wellness Integrative Medical Center as well as existing businesses headquartered in the nine-county region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and SIUE as a service to Illinois small businesses. By aiding entrepreneurs and companies in defining their path to success, the SBDC network positively impacts the Metro East by strengthening the business community, creating and retaining new jobs and encouraging new investment. It enhances the regions economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses. The SBDC strives to affiliate its ties to the region to support the goals and objectives of both the SIUE School of Business and the University at large. To learn about the SBDC, contact the IL SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE at (618) 650-2929. OUTSIDE HASAKAH , Syria - Early last month, an informant offered a tip to one of the Yazidi leaders engaged in tracking down members of the minority faith who are still missing after being abducted by the Islamic State five years ago. Two Yazidi girls, 14 and 11, were said to be living in a tent with a woman loyal to the Islamic State in the al-Hol camp in eastern Syria, where tens of thousands of Islamic State family members are being detained, said Mahmoud Rasho, the Yazidi leader. A few days later, he headed to al-Hol, gathered a group of Kurdish security guards and went to the tent to rescue the girls. They didn't want to be rescued. The girls sobbed and screamed and clung to the woman, insisting she was their mother. The woman sobbed, too, wailing that the girls were her daughters and hugging them in her arms. The Kurdish security forces physically separated them and put them into a van for the first leg of their journey back to their real families, in the Sinjar region of Iraq. Accounts of the wrenching scene, given by both Rasho and the girls, point to a new challenge confronting members of the Yazidi community as they try to trace nearly 3,000 Yazidis who remain unaccounted for after the territorial defeat of the militants. Perhaps hundreds of them are children, who are still being hidden by Islamic State families in camps or homes, Rasho said. Snatched from their families at a young and vulnerable age, these children now must undergo the trauma of new separations and new adjustments, after spending some of the most formative years of their lives with the militants. The children were given new names, new families and a new faith. Many forgot their native Kurdish language and now speak only Arabic. They barely remember the circumstances of their earlier lives, and many have embraced the ultra-extremist form of Islam at the heart of the Islamic State's ideology. Altogether, over 6,200 Yazidis, an ancient minority viewed as infidels by the Islamic State, went missing when the militants swept through their ancestral homeland in the Sinjar mountains of northern Iraq in 2014. Many Yazidi men were simply murdered on the spot. The women were taken to be sold as sex slaves, and most of them have returned home, either after their families paid ransom or they escaped. They have brought with them harrowing tales of the conditions they endured in captivity. The children tell a different story. They endured horrors, to be sure - the relentless airstrikes carried out by the U.S.-led coalition, the deaths of the people they cared about, and the atrocities they witnessed. But their lives with the militants also brought adventure, friendship and love. In an interview at Rasho's home, where she was staying ahead of her return to Iraq, the older of the two girls described the misery they felt when they were separated from the woman they had come to regard as their mother, whom they knew as Umm Ali. They wept all the way back to Rasho's home, and she said they still cry every day because they miss her. "I love her more than my own mother," said the girl. "She treated me better than my original mother. My mother and father divorced and they didn't care about me. Umm Ali really cared for me, as if I were her own daughter." She was among four recently rescued children, the two girls and two boys, who spoke during a series of interviews at Rasho's home about their experiences of life with the Islamic State. Their names are being withheld because they are minors, and the opinions they express now may haunt them in the future as they readapt to yet another way of life in their original homes - and perhaps change their views again. A 15-year-old boy who was recruited into the Islamic State's "Caliphate Cubs" army for children said he was sure he would not change his mind. Alone among the four children, he volunteered in late May to be rescued, after spending three months in jail with captured Islamic State fighters. His leg was blown off during shelling last year, conditions in the cell were difficult, and he decided it would be better to acknowledge his Yazidi identity to the guards than to remain incarcerated perhaps for years. But he did so with regret, he said, sitting in a wheelchair procured for him by Rasho from a nearby family. He misses the camaraderie of the battlefield and, above all, the friend he made on the front lines, a Saudi man called Abu Hassan, who died beside him in the attack that cost him his leg. He cries when he remembers him and says he dreams of joining Abu Hassan in heaven. "I never cried when I left my mother in Sinjar, but I cried when I left my friends," he said. One of the hardest adjustments, he said, has been seeing women with their hair and faces uncovered. It is an adjustment he doesn't think he will be able to make when he returns to the more liberal Yazidi community in Iraq. "Maybe there's a lot of things I won't like," he said. "The women where I am going don't cover their hair. It will be very hard for me if someone comes to my house and sees my mother and my sister not covered. Or if I go to my uncle's house and see the faces of his daughters. I can't force them to do something they don't want. But when I get married I will not allow anyone to see the face of my wife." The 14-year-old girl nodded and said that for her, going without her face and hair covered was something she couldn't get used to. "Dressed like this now, I'm not comfortable. I feel naked," she said, pointing to the black lace dress and leggings she was wearing, more goth than Islamist, that were loaned to her by one of Rasho's daughters. Her hair was tied up in a pink scrunchy. The girl was sassy and articulate and talked animatedly about the lessons her adoptive mother had taught her about Islam. When told she looked pretty in her new outfit, she scowled. "If I am pretty, men will look at me and it will cause strife," she responded sternly, echoing the Islamic State's teachings about why women should cover their faces and hair. She lovingly touched the black abaya that she had on when she was rescued and said she wishes Rasho's family would allow her to wear it. "I'm confused. There they tell you to do one thing. Here they tell you another. When I was there I was told to wear abaya and cover my face. Here they tell me not to cover. In my mind it's chaos." When reminded that the Islamic State had committed atrocities, the children quickly dismissed them. "Why do you hate the Islamic State so much?" asked the boy. "They killed my father and my cousins but still I love them. Why should you be against them when they didn't do anything to you?" "It's true some of the military men were bad, but most of them were really good people," added the girl. Rasho acknowledged that the children are facing difficulties adjusting but predicted they would adapt once they got home. He and his family do their best to make them feel welcome. His teenage children befriend them. They teach them about the Yazidi faith. But the traumatized children will need counseling and the support of their families, he said. Not all of them will find it. The second boy, 12, seemed somewhat more at ease with his new life. Like the girls, he resisted being rescued from the Iraqi family he was with in the al-Hol camp, but he said that was because he was afraid. The Islamic State had taught him, he said, to believe that the Yazidis would kill him if they found him. He only dimly recalls the faces of his father and mother, who were abducted alongside him, but said he was looking forward to seeing them again. Speaking in Kurdish as the boy poured tea for the guests, Rasho told us his parents are missing and almost certainly dead. The boy betrayed no sign that he understood. "I know in those days I spoke only Kurdish, and I only understood Kurdish, and I don't know how it is that I speak only Arabic now and I forgot Kurdish," he said. Out of earshot of the Yazidi adults, he begged us to take him back to the camp from which he was rescued, saying he missed his friends. "Maybe in the beginning we are suffering, but maybe, only God knows, we will get used to it," suggested the 14-year-old girl. The youngest of the group, the 11-year-old girl, didn't seem sure. Painfully shy, she refused to speak. She nodded or shook her head to the few questions she was asked, her eyes downcast. Did she want to be rescued? She shook her head. Was she happy to be here? She shook her head. Does she also miss Umm Ali, like the older girl? She looked up and nodded vigorously. Then the corners of her mouth drooped, her eyes fell, and she looked as though she was going to cry. WASHINGTON - The Trump administration's policy blocking abortion services for pregnant teenagers in immigration custody functions as "an across-the-board ban" on access to the procedure, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The 2-1 opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit means the government will continue to be prevented from standing in the way of migrant teens who seek to end their pregnancies. The American Civil Liberties Union initially brought the case on behalf of a 17-year-old girl from Central America held in a government-funded shelter in Texas. The government's Office of Refugee Resettlement in 2017 had adopted a policy of refusing to "facilitate" abortions for teens in its custody who had crossed the border illegally. In its 81-page ruling Friday, the court noted that under the policy, the former director of the office, E. Scott Lloyd, had to review individual abortion requests and had never approved one, including when the pregnancy resulted from rape. Even when one teen obtained private funding and transportation for the abortion, the director refused to let her leave the shelter to undergo the procedure. "That is not a refusal to fund an abortion; it is a refusal to allow it," the court said in an unsigned opinion joined by Judges Sri Srinivasan and Robert Wilkins. Brigitte Amiri, the ACLU attorney who argued the case, said dozens of young women have benefitedbecause of the injunction the court upheld Friday that protects access. up. Amiri's colleagues receive one to three calls each week, she said, from teens in shelters seeking information about abortion services. "It's a tremendous relief that the government will continue to be prohibited from blocking access to critical care for unaccompanied minors," she said. A Justice Department spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. In fiscal 2018, almost 50,000 unaccompanied minors were referred to the refugee resettlement office, and each year the office has several hundred pregnant minors in its custody. The case attracted broad attention with its explosive mix of abortion and immigration policies, and because of the previous involvement of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh while he was onthe D.C. Circuit. Last March, a federal judge in Washington, issued a nationwide order that prevented the government from interfering with access to abortion services. Justice Department lawyers had asked the appeals court to reverse the order, saying the government should not have to "facilitate the termination of life through abortion." The court rejected the government's argument that the teens could always voluntarily return to their home countries to terminate their pregnancies in part because the teens would need sign off from the U.S. government. "Voluntary departure, then, is not a freely available escape hatch from a government veto on abortion. It is instead a second government veto," the majority said Friday. In addition, the court noted that the teens were unlikely to be able to obtain abortions in their home countries because most minors in custody come from Honduras, Guatemala or El Salvador. "Abortion is criminalized in all three countries," the court said. The government lawyers also asked the appeals court for leeway to consider the circumstances of each individual teen in custody instead of allowing the case to move forward as an official class or group of litigants. In his dissent, Judge Laurence H. Silberman said the class certified by the court "is much too broad; it should not include pregnant minors who do not wish an abortion." Those challenging the policy "contend that all pregnant minors - whether or not they want an abortion - are really aligned with the class representatives because the relevant constitutional right in their view is the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion," Silberman wrote. "I think that confuses a political slogan with a constitutional right." The Trump administration's policy departed from that of the Obama administration, which did not block migrants in U.S. custody from having abortions at their own expense. Now-Justice Kavanaugh was on an earlier panel of appeals court judges reviewing the case when it first reached the D.C. Circuit. The case was repeatedly cited during his nomination battle by abortion rights advocates as evidence that Kavanaugh would allow more restrictions on abortion than the justice he replaced, Anthony Kennedy. When the case initially was on appeal before the full court in October 2017, Kavanaugh's colleagues reversed his order that would have delayed a teen's access to abortion services. Judges Srinivasan and Wilkins voted with the majority to allow immediate access. Kavanaugh dissented. WASHINGTON - A Washington Mystics player promised a media "blackout" until Mayor Muriel Bowser and a D.C. Council member adequately respond to an episode of gun violence earlier this week at a Washington elementary school. In a message posted to Instagram after visiting Hendley Elementary, starting Mystics guard Natasha Cloud said a school event was canceled this week after a bullet broke a front window. Cloud had been at the school earlier in the day to talk with students. "Our kids can't even feel safe to go to school right now," she said on social media. "What are we doing? We've got to do better for our youth." In a message to Bowser and council member Trayon White Sr., Cloud said she would use her "media privileges as a blackout" if she did not receive a response by Friday morning "with a solution or a sit-down for a solution." "I will only discuss this topic until it is fixed," she said. Cloud's message comes as the Mystics prepared for a key home game against the Seattle Storm, the team that bested them in the WNBA Finals last year. In a Twitter message, the Mystics said the organization was "proud that our players are invested in the community and are committed to helping us be a unifier in Ward 8." "The events of the past month are very upsetting and we respect the right of our players to speak out in a manner that promotes positive dialogue," the message continued. "Together, we aspire to work with civil leaders and elected officials to find ways to better the communities where we play." Bowser's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. White said Friday he was at a community meeting with other city leaders to address violence in the ward when Cloud called on him to act. White, who attended Hendley as a child, said he was at the school earlier in the day delivering free bikes and books ahead of summer. He said he was at a hospital until 2 a.m. Friday visiting a friend who was shot earlier in the night. "She's asking me what I am going to do, and I am telling her that for 17 years I have been addressing the issue of violence of the community," White said. "She has a good heart, but we need people involved, not just on social media. I have been on the front line doing the work." White said Friday morning he had not responded to Cloud about scheduling a meeting with her but invited her on social media to a summer block party in the afternoon as part of a city peace and anti-violence tour. Students and teachers were preparing for a movie night co-hosted with D.C. police Wednesday when the bullet broke the window at Hendley. Officers were inside the school at the time of the shooting. A police report indicates police responded about 4:20 p.m. to the report of gunshots and found bullet fragments in the front of the school. No one was injured, and no arrests had been made. Sarah Osborne, a fourth-grade teacher at Hendley, said a teacher was standing by the window when they heard shots. "Everyone could hear the sounds," Osborne said. "It's very traumatizing for our students who have gone through this before. . . . It's very hard for students and adults to process." The shooting followed another that broke a window at Hendley on May 29, when police responded after a ShotSpotter detected the sound of gunfire, according to a police report. Seven shell casings were found on the block, the report said, and a broken window at the school was found the next day. Ryanair customers are being urged not to get caught out this summer by the airlines rip off travel money rates. Thousands of holidaymakers could end up paying more than they need to for their flight. This is because Ryanairs own currency conversion rates may increase the amount you end up paying out for your holiday thanks to dynamic currency conversion a system which allows vendors to set their own exchange rate. Also read: Should I pay in local currency or pound sterling? How Ryanairs currency conversion rate may increase the fare Ryanairs fares are shown in the local currency of the customers departure airport. This means that flights from European countries such as France, Italy or Spain are advertised in euros rather than sterling. An investigation by consumer watchdog Which? reveals that when customers enter their card details the price reverts to pounds and automatically applies an exchange rate that compares unfavourably against market rates. There is an option to pay in the local currency rather than sterling but its hard to find that option as it is tucked away in the more information link. And even if you do find it theres a disconcerting warning that opting out of the exchange could lead to a fare that is significantly more. During a random check Which? found a journey from Alicante to Stansted for a family of four advertised at 565.81, which became 526.97 at checkout an exchange rate of 93p per euro. The same day, Which? found Visa offering an exchange rate of 88p per euro and so if the customer had opted out, they would have paid 496.72, 30 less than with Ryanairs exchange rate. The watchdog found other examples, including a Venice-Stansted fare inflated 26.40 and a Nice-Stansted flight coming in 21 more expensive. According to Which? Ryanairs own exchange rate tend to inflate fares by around 6%. CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) has been asked to bring to light Ryanairs dynamic currency conversion practice in a report on the true price of travel expected to be published later this month. Caroline Normand, Which? director of advocacy, said: This cynical and misleading pricing trick is one of the clearest examples of a rip-off we have seen, but Ryanair has been allowed to get away with it due to a lack of action from the Civil Aviation Authority. If the regulator is committed to helping improve the experience of passengers, it must clamp down on this practice before thousands more holidaymakers are caught out this summer. A spokesperson for Ryanair said: Ryanairs currency conversion presentation is fully transparent and complies with all applicable EU and national laws on consumer protection. Customers have the option of paying in the currency of their payment card which gives absolute certainty of the final payment amount. TIP: Wherever you are in the world whether a cafe or shop, when asked if you would like to pay in local currency or sterling, always choose the local currency and let Visa or Mastercard convert the rate for you. The exchange rate will be fare more favourable because thanks to dynamic currency conversion the outlet can decide on the exchange rate themselves which may be inflated. Job Title: Part Time Driver Organization: Restless Development Duty Station: Jinja, Uganda Salary: UGX 447,839 Reports to: Finance and Administration Coordinator About US: Restless Development (Uganda) is an International NGO established to address the challenges faced by young people in Uganda by placing young people at the forefront of change and development. Our vision is for all Ugandan youth to live healthy and productive lives, fully supported by those around them. Our programming focuses on three core areas: youth sexual and reproductive health and rights, youth civic participation and youth employment and livelihoods. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Maintain Restless Development Vehicle (30%) Complete all required daily, weekly, monthly and other vehicle checks as per policy. checks as per policy. Report to the Finance and Admin officer regarding any maintenance or repair needs repair needs Accompany the vehicle to mechanics for repairs and maintenance Drive in safe and efficient manner to protect the vehicle and ensure longevity longevity Conscientiously record information in the logbook including fuel put in the car from time to time. in the car from time to time. Ensure the vehicle is always clean inside as well as outside. Perform daily vehicle pre-departure checklist mentioned in the logbook. logbook. Inspect the vehicle to ensure that it is always ready for travels. Ensure the vehicle always have a full first aid kit as well as and emergency kit. emergency kit. Check that the vehicle has all the items required for efficiency Maintain all legal documents in vehicle as required by law Be well versed and conversant with vehicle policy To all Staff programme areas safely (50%) Be available at office premises in time to transport the staff for official duties within or out of town. official duties within or out of town. Ensure that vehicle requests for all official travel are with staff. Report any accidents immediately to the nearest police station and to the field office in line with the policy. to the field office in line with the policy. Follow restless Development guidelines for travelling and speed limits limits Respect Restless Development standard operating procedures for vehicles use. vehicles use. Respect the manufactures technical conditions of use for the vehicle. Administrative support (15%) Collect biweekly vehicle use requests and plan accordingly Create vehicle use calendar with the Finance and Admin officer Support the Finance and Admin officer on non-vehicle administrative work as required work as required Support the Finance and Admin officer on non-vehicle administrative work as required Other (5%) Other duties as required, sometimes requiring working on weekends and holidays for which time off in lieu can be taken. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The Restless Development Part Time Driver job should preferably hold a valid and active, clean drivers license with classes CM and DL a valid and active, clean drivers license with classes CM and DL Three years of driving experience Good organisational skills Fluency in English with exceptional written and verbal communication skills skills A strong personal commitment to the values, aims and methods of Restless Development Restless Development Ability to travel regularly to rural areas and spend nights if necessary necessary Good interpersonal and communication skill Ability to analyse problems and make sound operational decisions Passion, enthusiasm and interest in Restless Developments mission, honest and trustworthy, willing to engage and support non-financial activities honest and trustworthy, willing to engage and support non-financial activities Personal Qualities: Individual must be results oriented, highly self-motivated, have demonstrated analytical skills and be comfortable with a rapidly changing environment. The successful individual will also be able to establish strong working relationships with staff in Uganda and internationally. Successful candidate will be personally committed to Restless Development Ugandas mission and values. How to Apply: Please hand deliver your application letter and CV to our Kampala Office on plot 194, Ntinda Ministers Village Deadline: 14th June 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 EMILY BALLARD, Chariho, Girls Basketball, Sophomore; Ballard scored 39 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in two games. She had 16 points and eight rebounds against Coventry and 23 points and 16 rebounds against Cranston East. NATE CYR, Stonington, Boys Basketball, Senior; Cyr scored 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a win against Woodstock. Cyr also had five 3-pointers. He is averaging 18.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. JACKSON OGLE, Westerly, Boys Basketball, Senior; Ogle scored 25 points and had 12 rebounds in a pair of Westerly victories. Ogle is averaging 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler, Girls Basketball, Senior;Hauptmann scored 14 points, had 13 rebounds and came up with seven steals in an overtime win against Griswold. Hauptmann is averaging 12 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Vote View Results There is something terribly wrong with Britain's pettifogging, legalistic approach to financial justice, which does no favours to the City. This comes through loudly from the Financial Conduct Authority's final report into Royal Bank of Scotland's Global Restructuring Group. This was the unit of the bank that abused the small business customers it was meant to rescue in the period 2007-12. If anyone believed that the FCA report would bring closure and name and shame senior managers involved they will be disappointed. Tainted: Royal Bank of Scotland's Global Restructuring Group was the unit of the bank which abused the small business customers it was meant to rescue in the period 2007-12 The FCA has found legal reasons not to mention names even though many of those involved still hold top banking jobs. Even more exasperating is the FCA suggestion that we should not assume that the use of words 'senior management' refers to anyone in particular. No wonder MPs rushed to condemn the latest 77-page report as a 'complete whitewash.' If GRG was the only stain on the FCA leadership since Andrew Bailey was parachuted into post in July 2016, it might not be so serious. The GRG affair dates back to well before Bailey was handed the poison chalice and he has been hidebound by the fact that small business lending is not directly under the regulator's jurisdiction. What is more worrying is a pattern. The activities of collapsed mini-bond company London Capital & Finance were deemed to be outside the FCA's orbit, even though investment web sites boasted FCA authorisation, creating confusion. With up to 15,000 investors in the mini-bonds demanding justice, two inquiries are under way. The FCA is looking at itself and High Court judge Dame Elizabeth Gloster has been tasked to decide, among other things, whether Bailey and colleagues were asleep at the wheel. Hopefully she will have no hesitation about naming names. As if this were not enough ammunition, the FCA it is also encountering fire for not acting sooner to do a health check on of the Woodford Equity Income Fund (WEIF) before it was 'gated' for at least 28 days. Cursory reading of media reports should have exposed dangers. These included heavy losses on investments such as Provident Financial and Allied Mines, which had tanked in value. Woodford also had been involved in the curious dumping of illiquid assets into the related Patient Capital trust. He sought to get back within rules demanding liquid investments by transferring unlisted holdings onto the barely functioning Guernsey Stock Exchange. Overall there has been a lack of governance and too much high risk within the Woodford empire. All of these factors should have triggered alarm bells much earlier. The FCA has become so entangled in a legalistic approach to regulation that it fails to use the smell test: if something smells bad it probably is. Bailey successfully used this approach when at the Bank of England he came down hard on malpractice at Co-op Bank. Former Bank of England governor Lord King lost no time in forcing Bob Diamond from office after the Libor scandal emerged. Bailey looks to have been captured by the FCA's rulebook and is unwilling to use the regulator as a 'bully pulpit' by publicly rebuking potential wrongdoing in a way which alerts savers and small business to bad behaviour, and publicly humiliates those responsible. If there aren't rules the FCA should find a casus belli and name and seek the departure of the 'senior managers' who behaved badly. It is terrifying that many of the exploitative GRG financiers are still out there unblemished, unpunished and earning generous incomes. Fresh faces Tesco, in the 13 weeks to May 25, achieved same store sales up 0.4 per cent with the help of the Booker wholesale acquisition. But chief executive Dave Lewis is having to push the boulder uphill and it won't get any easier. No-frills rival Lidl is pushing right into Tesco territory by spending 500million on 40 or more store openings in London and the South-East. As frightening is the sight of Amazon Fresh bearing down after expanding its same-day delivery services to five - cities in partnership with Morrisons. The Seattle-based giant also has supply deals with its own bricks-and-mortar offshoot Whole Foods as well as upmarket Northern grocer Booths. The competition must be good for consumer choice. But it requires Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda et al to constantly lift their game. Responsibility: Stephen Hester was chief executive of RBS from 2008 to 2013 The bankers responsible for a toxic unit accused of wrecking small firms will never be punished by the City watchdog and their names will stay secret. Staff at the Royal Bank of Scotland's notorious Global Restructuring Group hit struggling companies with huge fees and treated customers appallingly, according to a final report from regulators. But concluding a five-year probe into the scandal, the Financial Conduct Authority said those responsible are untouchable. At the time, their work was not covered by the FCA's regulations, meaning it is powerless to do anything. Regulators even refused to name the senior managers responsible for the debacle, saying they did not want to put bankers' safety at risk. Andrew Bailey, head of the FCA, said: 'GRG clearly fell short of the high standards its clients expected. 'But it was largely unregulated and so our powers to take action in such circumstances, even where the mistreatment of customers has been identified and accepted, are limited.' The watchdog's decision was slammed by MPs and campaigners. Tory MP Kevin Hollinrake, co-chairman of the Parliamentary group on business banking, said: 'This report is another complete whitewash and another demonstrable failure of the regulator to perform its role. 'The FCA must publish a full account of its findings including naming those responsible for the shameful mistreatment of thousands of UK small businesses.' Mike Cherry, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: 'The FCA has failed to provide consolation to former GRG customers who lost everything. 'Despite acknowledging that small business owners suffered insensitive, dismissive and aggressive treatment at the hands of GRG, the FCA is standing by its decision to eschew enforcement action against those responsible. 'Many of those subjected to systemic unfair treatment by GRG lost not only their businesses, but also their homes.' The GRG was set up to help firms which owed RBS money get back on track. As the financial crisis dawned, and there was a surge in the number of businesses going bust, the organisation expanded rapidly looking after companies worth 76billion by 2010. How bosses who oversaw abuses have prospered Many senior figures at RBS during the small business scandal still hold top City jobs. Stephen Hester, 58, was chief executive from 2008 to 2013 and ultimately responsible for everything that happened at RBS. The father of two is now chief executive of insurer RSA, where he earned 4.1million last year. Flourishing: Derek Sach, (left) was the GRG global boss, Laura Barlow, (centre) was the GRG UK boss while Nathan Bostock (right) was the risk and restructuring boss Nathan Bostock was formerly head of risk and restructuring at RBS, meaning he was responsible for overseeing a string of operations including the GRG. The 58-year-old is chief executive of Santander UK, and was paid 6.4million in 2018. Derek Sach who was global head of the GRG and set it up remained at RBS until 2015. He is a consultant, and accounts for his company show it had 346,654 in the bank as of March 2018. The UK arm of the GRG was run by Laura Barlow, 52. When the operation was shut down in 2014, she ran RBS's restructuring unit which replaced it. Earlier this year she moved to head of large corporates and institutions at RBS. None are accused of any wrongdoing. It rapidly became dogged by claims of deliberately harming small firms which it was meant to help. The worst allegations that RBS deliberately wrecked small businesses to seize their assets, bolstering its balance sheet following a 46billion bailout by taxpayers were found to be false. But investigations by the FCA nonetheless exposed a chaotic culture where companies were treated callously and milked for huge fees. One infamous memo issued told GRG staff to 'let customers hang themselves'. In its report, the FCA referred to evidence that GRG staff failed to support businesses or deal with complaints properly; communicated poorly with customers; and loaded firms up with fees without thinking about whether this would make it hard for them to survive. An independent review commissioned by the regulator also found that some problems were systematic, a serious criticism, meaning they were rooted in the way the GRG was set up. The unit did not do enough to manage conflicts of interest between supporting firms in trouble and trying to recover debts they owed it, the review said. But despite these serious findings of wrongdoing, the watchdog said that it cannot discipline or fine anyone involved because at the time, commercial banking was not covered by its rules. Nor would the FCA name the individual bosses responsible for wreaking havoc on entrepreneurs' livelihoods. The regulator claimed that doing so would be illegal, and could put them in danger. In its report, the FCA said: 'It is not necessary to name any individuals to provide the guidance in this report. Therefore, it would not be legally justifiable. Additionally, we have also taken into account specific evidence concerning the personal safety of certain individuals.' The FCA said there was no evidence bosses had acted without integrity, and that no senior manager had sought to treat customers unfairly. Regulators will now be praying the final report draws a line under the scandal. The FCA has repeatedly been accused of covering up wrongdoing at the GRG, and had refused to publish a full version of a previous report it had commissioned from consultancy business Promontory, which exposed problems at the GRG. RBS has replaced the GRG with a new restructuring unit, but many of the staff are the same. Last year, the bank said that of 32 senior managers in the new division, 30 were ex-GRG employees. And 75 per cent of the new arm's 182 staff used to work at GRG. A spokesman for RBS, which has run a compensation scheme for GRG victims, said: 'No evidence was found to support allegations that RBS artificially distressed and transferred otherwise viable businesses to GRG or deliberately made them worse off to profit from their sale, restructuring or insolvency.' Confidence: Co-op chief exec Steve Murrells Steve Murrells, the chief executive of the Co-op Group, is planning to hang up his suit, don his jeans and wellies and mingle with the crowds at Glastonbury. The 53-year-old is an unlikely raver. But he isn't having a mid-life crisis he just wants to check on the 6,000 sq ft pop-up shop Co-op is opening at the festival. 'I hope to go and enjoy it all,' says Murrells. 'You never know I might meet Stormzy or Kylie.' Glasto's a long way from Toad Lane in Rochdale, where a group of 28 weavers, cloggers and cabinet makers set up the first co-operative store 175 years ago. Murrells, however, is adamant that the co-op movement, far from being a relic of the Victorian era, has never been more relevant. Just a few years ago, it looked as though the Co-op, which is owned by its members, not City shareholders, might struggle to survive at all. It came to the edge of disaster following a period where, under previous management, its banking arm ran into financial difficulties and the group was riddled with boardroom dysfunction. In an episode which fascinated and appalled the nation, the bank chairman Paul Flowers, who became known as the Crystal Methodist, was forced to quit following allegations of drug use. Even without his antics, the bank was in deep trouble following an ill-conceived merger with the Britannia building society, which turned out to be stuffed to the gills with bad loans. The bank is no longer owned by the Co-op Group but by a band of hedge funds. 'It is not a problem for us any more,' says Murrells. The food business was also in a mess and the group as a whole had lost its way. In 2013 it reported the worst results in its history with a loss of 2.5billion. Those troubles are now, Murrells says, consigned to the past. The group last year made a profit of 43million on sales of 10.2billion. The famous divi a share of profits hasn't been paid for a few years, though it might resume in future. In the meantime, a reward scheme paid out a total of 79million last year. Some 60million went back to members and the rest to more than 4,000 community causes of their choice. One of his major decisions was to stop trying to be a big supermarket business and to move into the convenience store market. He signed a deal to supply 4,000 Nisa stores in 2018, following a similar one with Costcutter the previous year. 'Our food business has 20 quarters of consecutive growth not even the discounters can say that,' he says. Happy customers: Co-op is opening a 6,000 sq ft pop-up shop at the Glastonbury Festival this year Even so, there is no room for complacency. The German discounters, Aldi and Lidl, are driving down prices and grabbing market share. Mainstream supermarkets are cutting prices too and have been opening more local convenience stores. Amazon is eyeing the UK grocery market, while Ocado and M&S are teaming up with a vamped up food delivery offer. As if that were not enough, in common with other bricks-and-mortar retailers, Co-op faces heavier tax and business rates bills than online competitors. 'We have a 100million business rates bill and we pay 200million tax for Co-op Group,' Murrells says. Britain's mutuals, he argues, pay a disproportionately large amount compared with US internet giants. 'If you took Co-op Group, Nationwide Building Society and other mutual businesses we employ more than 2m people and we pay more tax in the UK than Apple, Amazon and Facebook put together. For the good of society, we need to find a way to a level playing field.' Murrells has the zeal of a Co-op convert. He started his career at 18 and worked for 25 years for Sainsbury's and Tesco before arriving to run the food side in 2012. He became chief executive of the whole group in 2017, taking charge of its businesses which span food, funerals, insurance and legal services. While trying to turn around the Co-op, he also faced a family crisis. Two years ago, his wife Nicola, died at the age of 42 of bowel cancer, leaving the couple's young daughter Sienna, 7, motherless. The bereavement came shortly after his promotion to chief executive, a job Nicola bravely urged him to take. As well as Sienna, he has two boys from a previous marriage, both of whom have severe learning difficulties. In Nicola's memory, he raises funds with her brother Greg for her charity KMAC, which stands for 'Kick My Ass, Cancer.' As for the Co-op's good works, he is a true evangelist. He views them as an integral part of the business even though sceptics might think this is expensive virtue-signalling and argue he would do better to focus on the commercial side. The grocery-to-funerals group even has its own political wing, the Co-operative Party, which has been around for 100 years and is affiliated to Labour. There are 38 'Co-operative and Labour' MPs and the group donates around 600,000 a year to the party as voted by members. Murrells denies any bias: 'We will work with all the main parties.' He is proud that the group is the biggest corporate sponsor of academy schools in the country. It has 20 schools in Yorkshire, Manchester, Merseyside and Staffordshire, with around 20,000 students. 'We are taking failed schools and turning them around. We spend more than 5million a year,' he says. Among the other good causes it supports is a charity called Steel Warriors that aims to tackle knife crime by melting down weapons and using them in the building of outdoor gyms. All very admirable, but why is a grocery chain trying to change the world? 'We are able to do all of these things to help society because we are owned by our 4m members. We are not like other businesses who are at the beck and call of institutions in the City,' he says. 'We are far more than just a grocery seller. If you go back to the 28 weavers in 1844 they came together to put right social injustice. It is just the same now.' Marks & Spencer received a lukewarm response to its 600million cash call as investors stayed away. The High Street stalwart is raising money to buy a stake in online grocer Ocado, as it seeks to turn around its fortunes following a prolonged share slump. But just 85 per cent of investors took up an offer to snap up extra shares in a rights issue even though shares were offered at a hefty discount of 185p each, 14 per cent less than they are presently worth on the open market. Cash call: Marks& Spencer is raising money to buy a stake in online grocer Ocado, as it seeks to turn around its fortunes following a prolonged share slump It meant underwriters Morgan Stanley, BNP Paribas, HSBC and Shore Capital had to step in and find buyers for the remaining 15 per cent of shares, which were sold for 211p each. That didn't do much to cheer investors, with M&S shares tumbling 1.5 per cent, or 3.2p, to 216p. The Ocado (up 0.3 per cent, or 4p, to 1171p) deal has proved controversial because analysts and shareholders think M&S is overpaying. The grocer a late arrival to the online shopping game has agreed to fork out a hefty 750million for half of Ocado's UK retail business, and used the rights issue to raise some of these funds. It is a big bet by chief executive Steve Rowe and chairman Archie Norman, who are hoping the move will revitalise M&S no easy task after profits fell 10 per cent to 523million for the year to March. Stock Watch - Tekcapital Investment group Tekcapital, which puts money into university technologies to turn them into commercial businesses, is celebrating a win. Its portfolio business Salarius has received another order from a US snack company which is using Microsalt, Salarius's new invention. Microsalt is made of tiny salt particles, which give the same flavour as normal salt but contain 50 per cent less sodium because of their size. Tekcapital's shares were up 7.6 per cent, or 0.85p, to 12p. But there was better news at 'big four' grocer Morrisons. The firm is rolling out same-day deliveries to another five British cities with the help of Amazon usually the retail industry's bogeyman. The unlikely partnership, which until now has only covered Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and parts of London, is coming to Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield and Portsmouth, with further locations expected in future. It means customers can order their shopping online, with the items then picked up from a local store and delivered by Amazon. In some locations, customers can receive deliveries within one hour of the order being placed. David Potts, the supermarket's chief executive, said: 'Morrisons' conveniently located local supermarkets and Amazon's very popular website are an ideal combination, offering same-day grocery home delivery for customers in and around cities across Britain.' The expanded tie-up helped lift shares yesterday by 2.2 per cent, or 4.2p, to 199.45p. The internet shopping boom is also a gift that keeps on giving for DS Smith. Shares in the package maker surged 5.1 per cent, or 17.6p, higher to 360.8p as it revealed a 35 per cent rise in annual profits, to 350million. That was after sales rose 12 per cent to 6.2bn for the year to April 30, fuelled by strong demand for the corrugated cardboard boxes that the likes of Amazon use to deliver items to legions of shoppers. DS Smith said sales of packaging for 'fast moving goods' such as food and drink and were also strong. Plumbing group Ferguson was given a lift when it emerged veteran activist investor Nelson Peltz has bought a 6 per cent stake in the company worth around 736million. The billionaire's hedge fund, Trian, said the firm was 'an attractive business that trades at a discount to comparable US peers' as it snapped up the holding'. Ferguson makes 90 per cent of its profits in the US, but has recently struggled in the UK amid difficult trading conditions. In the past year its shares have performed poorly, but the Trian deal saw them rise 5.9 per cent, or 312p, to 5622p. There was plenty of cheer around for life insurance provider Just Group as well, which soared 12.7 per cent, or 6.4p, higher to 56.85p off the back of an announcement from chairman Chris Gibson-Smith that he would consider all options in a bid to boost returns. Despite an eventful day for the Conservative leadership election, the FTSE 100 closed virtually flat at 7368.57. What a week it was for Majestic Wines, which as well as announcing the unexpected departure of its chairman Greg Hodder and a swing to loss in its final results, appears to have three bidders for its branch network. US activist fund Elliott Advisors is apparently ready to pony up 100million for the 200-strong chain, which raised a few eyebrows in the Square Mile. Peel Hunt said a deal of that order would represent the 'sale of the century'. The share price, up just 0.7 per cent at 284p betrayed some scepticism. Elliott Advisors is apparently ready to pony up 100million for the 200-strong chain Meanwhile, shares in industrial tape and adhesives maker Scapa Group were one of the biggest risers on AIM over the week, jumping 26 per cent to 206.5p, after it managed to cling on to its long-serving chief executive, Heejae Chae. Chae had previously announced his intention to step down from the group in May after 10 years at the helm, however, on Monday the CEO performed an abrupt volte-face and decided that he wouldnt be leaving the company after all. Software group SCISYS was also a hefty riser, surging 26 per cent to 249p after it received a 78.9million takeover offer from Canadian IT and outsourcing firm CGI. The offer of 254.15p per SCISYS shares was a premium of nearly 25 per cent on its Thursday close price of 204p. Acquisition news also drove information group Dods 20 per cent higher to 9p after the firm unveiled an agreement to buy data services and software code provider Meritgroup for 22.4million. In the miners, African Battery Metals climbed 25 per cent to 0.5p after saying it was back on track following a turbulent first quarter which had involved a suspension of its shares as well as a restructuring and refinancing. A contract win from a UK energy group worth 78,475 boosted shares of boiler efficiency specialist Sabien, which was up 16 per cent at 0.09p. Biome Technologies also bounced 10 per cent higher to 370p after a bullish revenue forecast for one of its new heat-stable materials, which had begun commercial production in the US. Internet of Things technology developer CyanConnode was also on the rise after a bullish update from the chairman at its AGM on Monday sent the shares soaring 38 per cent to 6.7p. The AIM All-Share was up 0.06 per cent at 939 over the week while the FTSE 100 was up 0.1 per cent at 7,341.6. Profit warning: MYCELX technology removes oil from water for oil companies In the fallers, oil and gas group Ascent Resources wasnt living up to its name, plunging 30 per cent to 0.3p after revealing that it would be claiming damages against the Slovenian government for denying a well stimulation permit at its Petisovci project in the country. Investment firm Cambria Africa slumped 30 per cent to 0.6p after it suspended the use of its Paynet services by bank customers in Zimbabwe due to a collective refusal to pay for the companys services in US dollars following a devaluation of the Zimbabwean currency. Alexander Mining also tumbled 33 per cent to 0.03p after notifying shareholders of a meeting to approve a capital re-organisation as it struggled to keep afloat amid acutely challenging market conditions. Botswana Diamonds also seemed to have disappointed shareholders despite recovering 256 carats of rough diamonds from its Thorny River project as the shares fell 12 per cent to 0.5p. A profit warning sent shares in MYCELX plunging 49 per cent to 96p as the clean water tech firm revealed that despite a strong first quarter it was suffering from delays to several project bids. Elsewhere, procurement specialist Maistro looked set to close out its time on AIM with a whimper as the shares sank 33 per cent to 0.2p after shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve its delisting from the junior market. Economists have warned that British pensioners could run out of money 10 years before they die and will simply have to earn more if they want a comfortable retirement. New research from the World Economic Forum has suggested that pension pots aren't rising fast enough to cover increasing life expectancy. This could mean that workers might have to work up to ten years more, just so they don't outlive their savings. This is while women may face an extra two or three years of financial uncertainty. The graph above shows how much longer 65-year-olds in places such as the USA, the Netherlands, the UK (centre), Australia, Canada and Japan will have to work against what their average savings will be over that time. In the US a 65-year-old man has savings that will last for 9.7 years but will live for an extra 8.3, and a woman will live for an extra 10.9. In the UK, pensioners have cash to cover 8.5 years but a man will have to cover an extra 10.3 and a woman 12.2. The report states that retirees would need enough income to cover 70 per cent of their pre-retirement pay this figure did not include any government funding or benefits which would also be given. The reports co-author Han Yik says the size of the gap 'needs action' with the report further stating that policy makers and governments alike need to do more to help savers allocate their pensions and investment more efficiently. He said unless more is done, many people may need to postpone their retirement and continue working. 'You either spend less or you make more. Those hoping to retire early may have to work for longer according to new research from the World Economic Forum (stock image of senior couple looking stressed) 'All the risks that government and employers used to have, we've shifted that onto the workers'. The pensioners and investments industry in the UK if extremely crowded and with advisers and banks alike offering various services and promises to customers, it's hard to know to look when it comes to planning for retirement. The report recommended that employers also do more to make sure workers are covered on work place pension schemes, as well as improving investment options. Elsewhere in the world, the savings cap in Australia, Canada and the Netherlands is similar to the UK, and are doing comparatively well compared to that of the workers in Japan where the retirement gap is 15 years for men and 20 years for women. The graph above shows the size of the retirement gap with the light blue area showing how much it is set to rise by 2050 and the dark blue showing the rate it was at in 2015. The red arrow shows the growth from 2015-2050. In the US there is a 28-trillion dollar gap in 2015 but that will be 137 in 2050. In the UK an 8-trillion gap will grow to 33 trillion. The reason being that Japanese works tend to invest in a more cautious style, which traditionally means you will earn less on your investments. This means that average savings in Japan only cover around 4.5 years of retirement. Japan is know to have an aging population which had put a strain on the government, as it needs to continuously provide its citizens with care. Japanese women are expected to live for 87.1 years, which is the highest in the world, while Japanese men are expected to live until they are 81. In the US 65-year-olds have just enough money to cover 9.7 years or retirement, giving US males a gap of around 8.3 years and women a 10.9-year gap. By 2050 the world's collective retirement savings gap could git 315 trillion up from 55 trillion in 2015. The biggest savings gaps will be in the US at 107 trillion, followed by China at 93.8 trillion and India at 67 trillion. But how the US copes with this is yet to be seen. According to the 'How America Saves 2019' report produced by Vanguard, less that half of the 1,900 retirement plans served by the firm actually automatically enroll workers. That number has doubled since 2009 when it sat at 24 per cent, which in 2018 sat at 48 per cent. Commenting on why women may face more issues Hilary Banks, Director at Vitality Invest said: Women are particularly impacted because they have a longer life expectancy and may take time out of their career to raise children or elderly relatives. 'Teamed with the issue of the gender pay gap, the end result is that women accumulate a significantly smaller pension pot for retirement. But factors impacting both women and mens savings include the tendency to be over-optimistic about the future and to prioritise today over tomorrow, favouring smaller-sooner treats over larger-later rewards. 'This is the same behaviour that keeps people from eating healthily, quitting smoking or exercising. When all this is coupled with an incorrect belief among people that they will spend less in retirement, the conditions are set for people to have to either work longer, or face the harsh reality of running out of retirement cash.' Inter Pipeline Ltd. operates as a midstream oil and natural gas company. It engages in the provision of oil transportation, natural gas liquid processing, and bulk liquid storage services. The firm operates through the following segments: Transportation, Facilities Infrastructure, Marketing, and New Ventures. The Transportation segment comprises of oil sands and conventional oil pipelines, as well as bulk liquid storage terminals. The Facilities Infrastructure segment owns assets that provide customers with NGL, offgas and petrochemical products and services. The Marketing segment manages the logistics and sale of products not produced under fee-based or cost-of-service agreements, as well as engages in pipeline and facility optimization opportunities. The New Ventures segment focuses on the development of large-scale innovative projects to create cash flow streams, while serving its customers through enhanced services or market access. The company was founded on October 9, 1997 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Read More There is not enough analysis data for 1st Capital Bancorp. 4.5 Community Rank Outperform Votes 1st Capital Bancorp has received 45 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes 1st Capital Bancorp has received 21 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment 1st Capital Bancorp has received 68.18% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about 1st Capital Bancorp and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe FISB will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe FISB will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next SIR Royalty Income Fund, through SIR Royalty Limited Partnership, owns SIR's restaurants in Canada. The company operates concept restaurants under the Jack Astor's Bar and Grill, Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar, and Canyon Creek Chop House; and signature restaurant brands under the Reds Wine Tavern, Reds Midtown Tavern, Reds Square One, and The Loose Moose brands. It also owns and operates a Duke's Refresher & Bar in downtown Toronto; and a seasonal restaurant under the Abbey's Bakehouse name, as well as an Abbey's Bakehouse retail outlet. As of March 25, 2019, the company operated 59 restaurants and a seasonal retail outlet. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Burlington, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Occidental Petroleum: 1PointFive Inc., 1PointFive P1 LLC, APC Aviation Inc., APC International Holdings LLC, APC Midstream Holdings LLC, APC Venezuela Srl, ARCO Long Beach, Altura Energy, Amarok Gathering LLC, Anadarko 20-25 Company, Anadarko 20-36 Company, Anadarko 20-47 Company, Anadarko 20-48 Company, Anadarko 20-49 Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 403 c/e Company, Anadarko Algeria Block 406B Company, Anadarko Algeria Company LLC, Anadarko Algeria Oil & Gas Company, Anadarko Brazil Investment I LLC, Anadarko Brazil Investment II LLC, Anadarko Canada E&P Limited, Anadarko China Holdings 2 Company, Anadarko Colombia Company, Anadarko Consolidated Holdings LLC, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Block 103 Company, Anadarko Cote d'Ivoire Company, Anadarko DBMOS Operator LLC, Anadarko Development Company, Anadarko Development Holding Limited, Anadarko E&P Onshore LLC, Anadarko Egypt Holdings Company, Anadarko Energy Holding Limited, Anadarko Energy Services Company, Anadarko Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo e Gas Natural Ltda., Anadarko Finance Company, Anadarko Gabon Company, Anadarko Ghana Mahogany-1 Company, Anadarko Global Energy S.a.r.l, Anadarko Global Funding 1 Company, Anadarko Global Funding II Ltd., Anadarko Guyana Company, Anadarko Holding Company, Anadarko International Development S.a.r.l, Anadarko International Energy Company, Anadarko International O&G Company, Anadarko International Trading Corporation, Anadarko Jordan Company, Anadarko Kenya Company, Anadarko LMM S.a.r.l, Anadarko Land Corp., Anadarko Mexico B.V., Anadarko Mexico S.a.r.l, Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell BR Corp., Anadarko Midkiff/Chaney Dell LLC, Anadarko Natural Gas Company LLC, Anadarko New Zealand Company, Anadarko OGC Company, Anadarko Offshore Holding Company LLC, Anadarko Offshore Well Containment Company LLC, Anadarko Oil & Gas 5 LLC, Anadarko Peru B.V., Anadarko Petroleum, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Anadarko Realty LLC, Anadarko Rockies LLC, Anadarko Royalty Holdings Company, Anadarko UK Corporate Limited, Anadarko US Offshore LLC, Anadarko USH1 Corporation, Anadarko Venezuela Company, Anadarko Venezuela LLC, Anadarko Venezuela Srl, Anadarko WCTP Company, Anadarko West Texas BR Corp., Anadarko West Texas LLC, Anadarko Worldwide Holdings C.V., Atlantic Rim Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aventine LLC, Baseball Merger Sub 2 Inc., Bear Branch Exploration LLC, Big Island Trona Company, Bitter Creek Coal Company, Bravo Pipeline Company, Cain Chemical, Cain Chemical Inc., Carbon Finance Labs LLC, Concord Petroleum Corporation, Conn Creek Shale Company, D.S. Ventures LLC, DMM Financial LLC, Deerwood Exploration LLC, Downtown Plaza II, Elk Hills Field, FLAG Development LLC, FP Westport Commodities Limited, FP Westport GmbH, FP Westport LLC, FP Westport Limited, FP Westport Services LLC, FP Westport Trading LLC, Fosters Mill Exploration LLC, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Globrep Representaciones S.A., Grand Bassa Tankers Inc., Grupo OxyChem de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Headwater II LLC, Houndstooth Resources LLC, INDSPEC Chemical B.V., INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Corporation, INDSPEC Chemical Export Sales LLC, INDSPEC Holding Corporation, Ingleside Cogeneration GP LLC, Ingleside Cogeneration Limited Partnership, Interore Trading Ltd., Joslyn Partnership, KERR-McGEE TT E&P LTD., KM BM-C-Seven Ltd., KM International Insurance Ltd., Kerr-McGee Corporation, Kerr-McGee Natural Gas Company Inc., Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Onshore LP, Kerr-McGee Shared Services Company LLC, Kerr-McGee Stored Power Corporation, Kerr-McGee U.K. Energy Corporation, Kerr-McGee Worldwide Corporation, Kerr-McGee do Brasil Ltda., Kerr-McGee of Canada Northwest Ltd., Laguna Petroleum Corp., Laguna Petroleum LLC, Liwa Oil & Gas Ltd., MC2 Technologies LLC, Mariana Properties Inc., Marico Exploration Inc., Miller Springs Remediation Management Inc., Moncrief Minerals Partnership L.P., NGL Ventures LLC, Natural Gas Odorizing Inc., New OPL LLC, OEVC Energy LLC, OEVC Midstream Projects LLC, OIH LLC, OLCV CE Holdings ULC, OLCV CE US Holdings Inc., OLCV Net Power LLC, OLCV Services LLC, OOG Partner LLC, OOOI Chem Holdings LLC, OOOI Chem Sub LLC, OOOI Chemical International LLC, OOOI Chile Holder LLC, OOOI Ecuador Management LLC, OOOI Oil and Gas Sub LLC, OOOI South America Management LLC, OPM GP Inc., OPM Holdco LLC, OTCF LLC, OTH LLC, OXY CV Pipeline LLC, OXY Campus LLC, OXY Inc., OXY LPG LLC, OXY Libya E&P Area 103 BR4 B.V., OXY Libya E&P Area 35 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P Concession 103 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 102 B.V., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1981 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P EPSA 1985 Ltd., OXY Libya E&P NC 143 144 145 150 B.V., OXY Libya Exploration SPC, OXY Libya LLC, OXY Little Knife LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings I LLC, OXY Mexico Holdings II LLC, OXY Middle East Holdings Ltd., OXY Oil Partners Inc., OXY PBLP Manager LLC, OXY Support Services LLC, OXY Tulsa Inc., OXY USA Inc., OXY USA WTP LP, OXY VPP Investments LLC, OXY West LLC, OXY of Saudi Arabia Ltd., OXYCHEM (CANADA) INC., OXYMAR, Oakwood Exploration LLC, Occidental (Bermuda) Ltd., Occidental (East Shabwa) LLC, Occidental Advance Sale Finance Inc., Occidental Al Hosn LLC, Occidental Angola Holdings Ltd., Occidental CIS Services Inc., Occidental Canada Holdings Ltd., Occidental Chemical Asia Limited, Occidental Chemical Belgium B.V.B.A., Occidental Chemical Chile Limitada, Occidental Chemical Corporation, Occidental Chemical Export Sales LLC, Occidental Chemical Far East Limited, Occidental Chemical Holding Corporation, Occidental Chemical International LLC, Occidental Chemical Investment (Canada) 1 Inc., Occidental Chemical Receivables LLC, Occidental Chemical de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Occidental Chile Investments LLC, Occidental Chile Minority Holder LLC, Occidental Colombia (Series G) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series J) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series K) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series L) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series M) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series N) Ltd., Occidental Colombia (Series O) Ltd., Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (Canada), Occidental Crude Sales Inc. (International), Occidental Dolphin Holdings Ltd., Occidental Energy Marketing Inc., Occidental Energy Ventures LLC, Occidental Exploradora del Peru Ltd., Occidental Exploration and Production Company, Occidental Hafar LLC, Occidental International (Libya) Inc., Occidental International Corporation, Occidental International Exploration and Production Company, Occidental International Holdings Ltd., Occidental International Oil and Gas Ltd., Occidental International Services Inc., Occidental Joslyn GP 2 Co., Occidental LNG (Malaysia) Ltd., Occidental Latin America Holdings LLC, Occidental Libya Oil & Gas B.V., Occidental MENA Manager Ltd., Occidental Middle East Development Company, Occidental Midland Basin LLC, Occidental Mukhaizna LLC, Occidental Oil Asia Pte. Ltd., Occidental Oil Shale Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas (Oman) Ltd., Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas International Inc., Occidental Oil and Gas International LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas Pakistan LLC, Occidental Oil and Gas of Peru LLC, Occidental Oman (Block 27) Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 51 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 65 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 65 LLC, Occidental Oman Block 72 Holding Ltd., Occidental Oman Block 72 LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Company LLC, Occidental Oman Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oman North Holdings Ltd., Occidental Oriente Exploration and Production Ltd., Occidental Overseas Holdings B.V., Occidental PVC LLC, Occidental Peninsula II Inc., Occidental Peninsula LLC, Occidental Permian Ltd., Occidental Permian Manager LLC, Occidental Permian Services Inc., Occidental Peruana Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 101) Inc., Occidental Petrolera del Peru (Block 103) Inc., Occidental Petroleum (Pakistan) Inc., Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation Political Action Committee, Occidental Petroleum de Venezuela S.A., Occidental Petroleum of Nigeria, Occidental Petroleum of Oman Ltd., Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., Occidental Power Marketing L.P., Occidental Power Services Inc., Occidental Qatar Energy Company LLC, Occidental Red Sea Development LLC, Occidental Research Corporation, Occidental Resource Recovery Systems Inc., Occidental Resources Company, Occidental Shah Gas Holdings Ltd., Occidental South America Finance LLC, Occidental Specialty Marketing Inc., Occidental Tower Corporation, Occidental Transportation Holding Corporation, Occidental West Texas Overthrust Inc., Occidental Yemen Ltd., Occidental Yemen Sabatain Inc., Occidental del Ecuador Inc., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Bab) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi (Shah) Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Abu Dhabi LLC, Occidental of Abu Dhabi Ltd., Occidental of Bahrain Ltd., Occidental of Bangladesh Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Chipiron) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Cosecha) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Medina) Inc., Occidental of Colombia (Putumayo) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia (Teca) Ltd., Occidental of Colombia PUT-36 LLC, Occidental of Dubai Inc., Occidental of Iraq Holdings Ltd., Occidental of Iraq LLC, Occidental of Oman Inc., Occidental of Russia Ltd., Occidental of South Africa (Offshore) Inc., Occidental of Yemen (Block 75) LLC, Oceanic Marine Transport Ltd., Opcal Insurance Inc., Oryx Crude Trading & Transportation Inc., Oxy BridgeTex Limited Partnership, Oxy C & I Bulk Sales LLC, Oxy Canada Sales Inc., Oxy Carbon Solutions LLC, Oxy Carbon Storage LLC, Oxy Climate Ventures Inc., Oxy Cogeneration Holding Company LLC, Oxy Colombia Holdings LLC, Oxy Colombia TopCo Ltd., Oxy Delaware Basin LLC, Oxy Delaware Basin Plant LLC, Oxy Dolphin E&P LLC, Oxy Dolphin Pipeline LLC, Oxy Energy Canada Inc., Oxy Energy Services LLC, Oxy Expatriate Services Inc., Oxy FFT Holdings Inc., Oxy Holding Company (Pipeline) Inc., Oxy International Ventures Ltd., Oxy LPG Terminal LLC, Oxy Levelland Pipeline Company LLC, Oxy Levelland Terminal Company LLC, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, Oxy Midstream Strategic Development LLC, Oxy Oleoducto SOP LLC, Oxy Overseas Services Ltd., Oxy Permian Gathering LLC, Oxy Permian Plaza LLC, Oxy Petroleum de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Oxy Renewable Energy LLC, Oxy Salt Creek Pipeline LLC, Oxy TL LLC, Oxy Taft Hub LLC, Oxy Technology Ventures Inc., Oxy Transport I Company LLC, Oxy Vinyls Canada Co., Oxy Vinyls Export Sales LLC, Oxy Vinyls LP, Oxy Westwood Corporation, Oxy Y-1 Company, OxyChem Ingleside Ethylene Holdings Inc., OxyChem do Brasil Ltda., OxyChile Investments LLC, Oxychem Shipping Ltd., Permian Basin JV Tax Matters Member LLC, Permian Basin Limited Partnership, Permian VPP Holder LP, Permian VPP Manager LLC, Phibro, Placid Oil LLC, Ramlat Oxy Ltd., Rio de Viento Inc., Rodeo Midland Basin LLC, San Patricio Pipeline LLC, Scanports Shipping LLC, SequestCo LLC, Stetson Exploration LLC, Sun Offshore Gathering Company, Swiflite Aircraft Corporation, Transok Properties LLC, Troy Potter Inc., Turavent Oil GmbH [in liquidation], Tuscaloosa Holdings Inc., UP Petroleo III Ltd., Upland Industries Corporation, Venezuela US SRL, Vintage Gas Inc., Vintage Petroleum, Vintage Petroleum Argentina Ltd., Vintage Petroleum Boliviana Ltd., Vintage Petroleum International Finance B.V., Vintage Petroleum International Holdings LLC, Vintage Petroleum International LLC, Vintage Petroleum International Ventures Inc., Vintage Petroleum Italy Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America Holdings Inc., Vintage Petroleum South America LLC, Vintage Petroleum Turkey Inc., WGR Asset Holding Company LLC, WGR Canada Inc., Wardner Ranch Inc., Western Gas Resources Inc., Western Gas Resources-Westana Inc., Western Midstream Holdings LLC, Woodlands International Insurance Ltd., and YT Ranch LLC. Bethlehem The town of Bethlehem is considering putting in place a six-month moratorium on permitting vape and medical marijuana stores to give the town board time to study potential new zoning regulations that would dictate where such businesses can locate. A public hearing on the temporary ban has been set for June 26 at Town Hall beginning at 6 p.m. Vaping devices and e-cigarettes turn liquid nicotine into a vapor, or mist, that is inhaled like a traditional cigarette. The liquid nicotine is often sold in fruity or dessert-themed flavors that critics say appeal to children. While only one vape shop, Interstate Vapor, is currently operating in town at the Four Corners in Delmar, two more have applied for building permits, including one that wants to locate in a vacant storefront that is next to Elsmere Elementary on Delaware Avenue. Another vape shop going into Glenmont Centre Square has put a sign up but doesn't have its final certificate of occupancy yet, according to the town. Interstate Vapor, which opened in 2015, is less than 400 feet from St. Thomas School. But Bethlehem planning director Rob Leslie told the Town Board Wednesday night that there is nothing in the town code that regulates or defines such businesses or where they can be located. And while its illegal for vaping or smoking products to be sold to kids under 21 in Albany County, under-age vaping has become a persistent and growing issue in Bethlehem, especially in the high school and even at the middle school, where students are as young as 11. Albany County has also proposed an outright ban on flavored nicotine. "I don't think it's a coincidence these shops are going in near schools. They know who their customers are," town board member Maureen Cunningham said at Wednesday's meeting. "I'm on the Bethlehem Youth Court, and some of the principals have brought in all the devices they've collected at the middle school and high school, and it's something that for those of us that are older is just unbelievable." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Cunningham and the rest of the board voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on a six-month moratorium, which would suspend the processing of building permits and certificates of occupancy that vaping businesses need to open a retail store. The board also included marijuana stores as well since medical marijuana is already legal in New York and state lawmakers say that recreational marijuana could be approved next. There are two medical marijuana dispensaries in Albany County, both of which are off Fuller Road. A third is in Halfmoon. Board members said while the town can't ban these businesses, the board can come up with specific zoning regulations that would limit where shopes can locate in town. For instance, there could be a law requiring that they have to be a certain distance from schools. A six-month moratorium would give town planners and the board time to come up with potential changes to the zoning laws. "It really isn't addressed anywhere in our zoning code," board member Dan Coffey said. GUILDERLAND The popular Build-A-Bear "Pay Your Age" promotion is back this year but this time, with a twist. Last summer, Build-A-Bear stores were inundated with customers seeking a steep discount on the plush bear toys, including at the Crossgates Mall location, where customers waited for hours and many were turned away. But this year, the company has created a sweepstakes contest where 200,000 winners in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom will receive a ticket making them eligible for the "Pay Your Age" discount. The deal works like it sounds a parent with a five-year-old will pay $5 for a bear, while a bear for a 10-year-old would cost $10. You can get a chance at winning a ticket by signing up for the company's rewards plan by Sunday. Winners will be notified via email by June 21. More for you Promo has Build-a-Bear at Crossgates overrun by families Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. In order to prevent the hours-long lines that customers experienced at Crossgates last year, ticket-holders will be able to make their Pay Your Age purchase during one of two time periods. Customers will be assigned dates either between June 24-26, or June 26-28 to redeem their tickets at a Build-A-Bear workshop. Children have to be present to redeem the ticket, and the company limits one bear per child, and two per ticket. Build-A-Bear will also give away a grand prize birthday party package valued up to $250 to ten contest entrants. Paris France's finance minister says the government didn't oppose a merger deal between carmaker Renault and Italian-American rival Fiat Chrysler. Speaking on FranceInfo news broadcaster, Bruno le Maire said the government's key priority is to strengthen the alliance of Renault with its longtime Japanese partner Nissan. He said a merger with Fiat Chrysler "remains an interesting opportunity." He added: "We have never vetoed it. We simply asked five additional days to study the operation." He noted that Nissan was hesitant about it. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Fiat Chrysler had proposed a 50-50 merger that would have created the world's third-largest carmaker worth almost $40 billion. Earlier this month, the group pulled the proposal, citing political conditions in France. The French state is Renault's biggest shareholder with a 15 percent stake. Dubai The U.S. blamed Iran for suspected attacks on two oil tankers Thursday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, denouncing what it called a campaign of "escalating tensions" in a region crucial to global energy supplies. The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze. The ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region that the U.S. also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines designed to be attached magnetically to a ship's hull to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah and the bombing of an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed fighters in May, he said. "Taken as a whole these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," Pompeo said. He provided no evidence, gave no specifics about any plans and took no questions. At the United Nations, the U.S. asked for closed Security Council consultations on the tanker incidents later Thursday. Iran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister called the timing of Thursday's incidents suspicious, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran "rejected" the overture. "The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency," Pompeo added. Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the "Tanker War," which saw the U.S. Navy escort ships through the region. Meanwhile, the price of a barrel of benchmark Brent crude spiked as much as 4 percent immediately after the attack, showing how critical the region remains to the global economy. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "The shipping industry views this as an escalation of the situation, and we are just about as close to a conflict without there being an actual armed conflict, so the tensions are very high," said Jakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security for BIMCO, the largest international association representing ship owners. The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help. The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack." In Washington, senior U.S. officials said the U.S. had photographed an unexploded mine on the side of one of the tankers. Iran's foreign ministry dismissed as "baseless" Friday morning US accusations it was behind twin attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, adding Washington was trying to "sabotage diplomacy". The US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran --(without) a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet. Zarif claimed that the US accusations showed that Washington was moving from "talking about diplomacy" to what he described as "Plan B" of "sabotaging diplomacy." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of being behind Thursday's attacks which left at least one of the tankers ablaze off the Iranian coast, while the crews had to abandon ship. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," Pompeo told reporters. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi retorted that Tehran had come to "help" the ships in distress and "saved" their crew as quickly as possible, in a statement on his Telegram channel. Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability "based on the intelligence, the weapons used, the level expertise needed to execute the operation" and the US assumption that only Iran in the region has the ability to undertake such an operation. "Apparently for Mr. Pompeo and other American authorities accusing Iran is the easiest thing to do," said Mousavi, insisting Iran was upholding the burden of securing the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iran's state-owned English-language TV channel Press TV cast doubt on the "evidence" presented by Washington in support of its accusation against Tehran. US Central Command said it saw an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from the hull of the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous and published grainy video. Press TV complained that the video missed the moment where the crew of the Iranian boat reportedly removed the alleged mine. "Facts: (the Guards Corps) was the closest force near the incident site. Iran was the first to rush to the scene to save the crew members," Press TV said in a tweet. "Do you think Pentagon footage proves Washington's claim of Iran's 'involvement'?" it added. *This story was edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: New York How much would you be willing to pay to get those diapers within an hour or so? In the latest salvo in the delivery wars, Target is offering same-day delivery on thousands of items for $9.99 per order through a delivery startup it purchased nearly two years ago. Until now, Target shoppers looking to receive same-day delivery through Shipt had to go to the startup's website and pay $99 for an annual membership or $14 for a monthly membership. Those options will be still be available, but the discounter is making it easier by incorporating the Shipt feature on its website. Target says the same-day option will cover 65,000 items and it will be fulfilled in 1,500 of its 1,800 stores in 47 states. Shoppers using Target's loyalty card will get a 5 percent discount. Target's move marks the latest effort by the Minneapolis-based discounter to expand same-day options. Customers can order online and pick up the purchases at any one of its stores. Shoppers can also pick up an online order curbside at 1,400 stores. For both options, Target says the orders are ready in an hour. At 25 stores in five markets, shoppers can pay a $7 flat delivery fee to have purchases bought at the store delivered to their homes. Target's moves come as Walmart and Amazon speed up their own online deliveries. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Last month, Walmart rolled out next-day delivery with a minimum order of $35 on its most popular items in certain cities. Amazon has upgraded its free shipping option to one-day delivery for Prime members who pay $119 a year. Walmart also will be offering to have one of its employees deliver fresh groceries and put them in your refrigerator when you're not home. The nation's largest grocer said last week it will be offering the service this fall for more than 1 million customers in three cities: Pittsburgh; Kansas City, Mo.; and Vero Beach, Fla. Later this year, the service, called InHome Delivery, will also accept returns for items purchased on Walmart.com. The company plans to reveal the fee ahead of the launch. Amazon offers a similar service in certain cities, dropping off packages inside homes, garages or car trunks. But its service does not deliver groceries. The fast-growing market for meat alternatives has a surprising new player: Tyson Foods. Tyson, one of the world's largest meat producers, will begin selling nuggets made from pea protein at grocery stores this summer. A blended burger made from beef and pea protein will follow this fall. Both will be sold under a new brand, Raised and Rooted, which will continue to develop plant-based and blended products for both groceries and restaurants. Tyson is responding to a growing global trend toward plant-based eating, fueled by health and environmental concerns. U.S. sales of meat substitutes are expected to jump 78 percent to $2.5 billion between 2018 and 2023, according to Euromonitor. Global sales could reach $23 billion in that same timeframe. Startups like Beyond Meat, which makes burgers and sausages from pea protein, and Impossible Foods, which has a soy-based formula, have also raised consumers' interest with products that mimic meat so closely in taste and texture that they're being sold at Burger King and Carl's Jr. But the entry of Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson could upend the alternative protein market because of its sheer size and distribution capacity. Tyson Foods reported $40 billion in sales in its 2018 fiscal year; Beyond Meat, which held its IPO last month, forecasts $210 million in sales this year. Tyson has 50 facilities just for processing chicken; Impossible Foods has one factory in Silicon Valley. Tyson has been watching the alternative protein market for a while. Its investment arm, Tyson Ventures, acquired a 5 percent stake in Beyond Meat in 2016. It sold that stake before Beyond Meat's IPO, but it continues to hold investments in other startups, including Memphis Meats and Future Meat Technologies which grow meat from cells and mushroom-based protein startup MycoTechnology. "These things work together and help us have a broad view of what the world of food looks like," said Justin Whitmore, who leads Tyson's alternative protein business. Whitmore said the company noticed a significant upswing in the number of consumers who eat meat but want alternative sources of protein. About a year ago, Tyson's chefs and consumer specialists began developing its own alternative protein products. The nuggets it came up with look like fried chicken, but they're made with pea protein, egg whites, flaxseed and bamboo fiber and other ingredients. "It became apparent we had the capability not only to compete but to lead in this space," Whitmore said. Whitmore said Tyson will develop more Raised and Rooted products and also spread plant-based alternatives through its other brands. For example, Tyson's existing Aidells brand is getting sausage and meatballs that contain 50-60 percent chicken and 40-50 percent plants like chickpeas, quinoa and lentils. The products will be sold at grocery stores and restaurants, but Tyson isn't yet saying which ones. One Tyson customer, McDonald's, has yet to say whether it will add a plant-based burger to its U.S. menu. It sells one made by Nestle in Germany. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Nestle is among the companies that could challenge Tyson. Last week, the Swiss food giant said it plans to launch its Sweet Earth brand Awesome Burger in the U.S. this fall. And earlier this week, Maryland-based chicken company Perdue Farms said it will soon start selling nuggets, tenders and patties made from a blend of chicken and vegetables. Maple Leaf Foods, a big Canadian meat company, also sells plant-based alternatives under its Lightlife brand, which it acquired in 2017. But Whitmore didn't express concern about competitors, saying Tyson's speed, scale and distribution expertise as well as its 84-year history puts it ahead of companies who have been in the plant-based market for longer. Whitmore said groceries will be able to decide where to put Tyson's plant-based products. Beyond Meat has seen success partly because its burgers are sold in the meat aisle and not in the freezer section with traditional bean- or corn-based veggie patties. Tyson is also being careful to describe its products as "alternative proteins" and not "meat," a label used by some plant-based companies that has riled the meat industry. Some states, including Arkansas and Missouri, ban plant-based foods from being called "meat." Whitmore said Tyson continues to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in its traditional meat business, and it's confident consumers eating its plant-based products will keep eating its meats. He wouldn't say what percent of its sales Tyson expects to come from plant-based products in 2020. For our regular Capital Region Q&A feature, we ask local people about their lives, jobs and the area we call home. Today's subject is Christopher Morton, assistant curator of the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, where he has worked for 21 years. Housed in a historic armory in Saratoga Springs, the museum is run by the state Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Among Morton's duties is curating the display of battle flags in the Flag Room of the state Capitol in Albany. A native of Sullivan County, Morton, who is in his late 40s, earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University at Albany. He lives in Clifton Park. Answers have been minimally edited for clarity and space. Q: The museum owns the largest collection of state battle flags in the country and the largest collection of Civil War flags in the world. Of the more than 1,700 flags in the collection, more than 60 percent are from the Civil War. That means you have more than 1,000 Civil War flags. How many of them are different, and how many duplicates? A: Many flags are similar in design as per military regulations. Flags carried by New York state volunteer regiments carried the state coat of arms, but many unique flags added presentation inscriptions of the local communities that had financed the flags, and others have battle honors on them. Q: How often do you change the flags on display at the state Capitol, and what factors go into deciding which to display? A: Given their fragility, we annually rotate the flags that are on display in the Flag Room as well as the Flag Exhibit Gallery. We try to represent as much of the state geographically as we can, and we also try to have interesting flags and different types of flags, so that not all of them on display are of the same type or design. Q: Are there any regions of the state that are less well represented in the collection you don't have any from Massena, for example, of Chemung County or wherever? A: For the most part, no. The state started collecting battle flags in January 1863, about 18 months after the start of the Civil War. The proactive approach that the state took allowed them to cover as much of the geographic territory as they could. Pop quiz: This should be easy: What is the word for the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags? A: Vexillology. Q: Right. A: Hooray. That's a weird word. Q: Do you know the derivation? A: I think it must come from some old word, probably Latin, about symbols or something. Q: It's easier than that: Vexillology is from the Latin word vexillum ("flag") and the Greek suffix -logia ("study"). A: That makes sense. Q: Has anyone ever called you a vexillologist? A: No, but God knows what people say behind my back. Q: Would you wear a shirt that said "Proud vexillologist" on it? A: Probably. I haven't seen one yet. I don't think they'd be a big hit in stores. Q: What makes for a good, effective or lasting flag? A: Flags are practical military tools that help identify the regiment, so for a military flag, I'd say a good one is one that does a good job identifying who's carrying it. On a personal level, what makes it cool, unique and good are the stories behind it: who carried the flag, what battle it was and the trials and travails of the men and women who served under it. Q: Using that criteria, what would you say is the best flag you've seen? A: It's like choosing your favorite child. It's too difficult. Q: OK, let's make it easier: What's the silliest flag you've ever seen? Maybe you were driving somewhere and saw a flag, of whatever it was, and you thought, "That just should not be a flag." A: I've seen some flags that seemed really odd to me because I didn't know what they represented, but then I found out they were from some yacht club or something. Q: This year, for the first time, the LGBTQ rainbow pride flag was flown at the state Capitol. Coincidentally, Flag Day on Friday falls in the middle of June, which is Pride Month. The flag's presence on the Capitol, in time for Albany's pride parade and festival last weekend, was a source of joy among many. What is it that still gives flags their unique power as symbols? A: Flags embody the organization or people they represent. From a military perspective they identify a unit, and it's the same with other flags, including the rainbow flag. It has value and power in its colors, its iconography. The key element of a flag's power is how it evokes the feelings and sentiments and ideas of the people behind it. Q: Might it have something to do with the fact that today, in an age when images flicker past us on TV and mobile screens, and even billboards change electronically, a flag is always there, steady and unchanging? A: Right. In today's world, where we all have gadgets and we're very image-driven, flags predate that. They're unchanging and represent who you are and what you stand for. Pop quiz: A precursor to the flag, called the field sign or field standard, has been identified as long ago as 4,000 to 5,000 years, in the ancient Egyptian and Assyrian civilizations. The flag as we understand it, a piece of cloth or banner with symbols on it, dates to about 1,000 B.C., when they were used in two areas of the world. Name either. A: The Romans? Q: Yes, but cloth flags predate the Roman Empire. A: I don't know. Q: China during the Zhou dynasty and the Indian subcontinent in the same period. A: That makes a lot of sense. It's good knowledge for me to have. Q: We've mostly been talking about flags in a positive light about standing for something that makes people proud, brings them together. But flags can be divisive, yes? A: Certainly. Any kind of imagery can be divisive, especially if it's put on a flag. Q: Does the Confederate flag have a legitimate place in America today? A: As a historian, I think it's very important we recognize and understand the past so that we can prevent its problems from happening again. If the Confederate flag, or any other similar flag, can help us learn from the past and prevent future problems, then it absolutely has a role as an education tool and has a place in history books and museums. Q: But what about on somebody's house or the back of their pickup truck? A: If somebody has a particular flag on their home or vehicle, they must have a reason. I may not agree I am not the flag police but we are in a free country in which we are able to express ourselves even if others dislike what we are expressing. Q: What do you think about burning a American flag as a protest? A: That's another very controversial issue. It's obviously something that generates a lot of attention to a cause. For me, the flag needs to be respected, and when it is worn out, one traditional mechanism for disposing of it would be burning. Burning it to protest is another matter, but, again, in the U.S. we have freedom of speech, and that includes burning flags. Q: It's always seemed to me that if the American flag means anything at all, that burning it, while symbolically powerful and offensive to some, does nothing to diminish the flag. If, anything, being burned makes it stronger: The values the Stars and Stripes represent are exactly why we have the freedom to burn it. Agree or disagree? A: Agree. It does not diminish the flag to burn it in protest. In fact, that can be seen as enhancing it and the values it represents. Q: Because I have magical powers, I can arrange for you to change jobs for one day with anyone in the Capital Region, and I can give you the skills to do that job. With whom would you trade? A: Since everything I'm thinking of as an answer seems to be in education, I'll say I would like to be head of the state Department of Education. How we teach our children is so vital that I think doing that job for a day or two would make you feel like you were contributing to the well-being of our children and our future. That would be exciting. sbarnes@timesunion.com 518-454-5489 blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping @Tablehopping facebook.com/SteveBarnesFoodCritic ALBANY Community members and officials gathered Thursday afternoon under a Interstate-787 ramp to celebrate the creation of two more murals in downtown Albany. The murals are in progress beneath the highway's off ramp to Clinton Avenue, located behind Quakenbush Square. Watervliet At her 105th birthday party, Mildred Howarth was crowned with a sparkly tiara on top of a cloud of white hair, her frail body perched in a walker, and pink fluffy slippers on her feet. "Happy Birthday! Here again?" said server David Lynch, greeting her at Valente's Italian Restaurant in Watervliet Thursday evening. "Here for the 100th and now here for the 105th," said Howarth's niece Jean Parker, clutching balloons. Howarth was born in Cohoes on June 13, 1914 - the year World War I started. She's joining a more crowded field of centenarians as life expectancy in the U.S. has grown by 10 years over the past half century. Diane Conroy-LaCivita, director of non-profit organization Colonie Senior Services, said it's not uncommon to celebrate 100-plus birthdays in the three senior housing properties she manages. Women especially live longer, on average seven years more than men, census data shows. Colonie residents who've survived more than a century in the town have watched it change from farm country to a booming suburb with a population of more than 84,000 and an international airport. When Howarth was 10, during the Roaring 1920s, her family moved to Menands. She still lives on her own in the same house, with her great-niece Valecia Parker in the unit above her. "It's changed a lot, a lot more houses. I'm the last one on my street," said Howarth. Growing up, her father worked for the Knickerbocker News and the Albany Evening Times, predecessors to the Times Union, before becoming a Menands Court justice. Her mother stayed home to care for Howarth and her siblings - she is the only one still living. She graduated Albany Business College, now the Mildred Elley School - which honored her in 2017 as the oldest living graduate - during the Great Depression and said it was hard to get a job. But she landed one as a bookkeeper and kept it for 30-odd years until retiring. Howarth now hasn't worked for more than 40 years, but she still gets a pension. Was she ever married? Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Never!" she pronounced with prolonged gusto, shaking her head. "I didn't care for that." "Probably why she lived so long," joked Colonie Town Board Member David Green at the party, who has been a friend of the family for years. Howarth's trick to a long and healthy life, she said, is sleep. Every day she eats oatmeal, coffee and M&M's - but adds that she hasn't had the chocolate candy for five days since she got sick from eating too much. When asked if she would like to live longer, Howarth paused for a minute, puckering her lips as she pondered. "If I'm no trouble," she said. "But I'd like to live a lot longer." ALBANY Fireworks pop, police get calls about gunshots. They're set off in the late hours, people get annoyed. And so on. The city's public safety committee says now's the time to do something about it. "You can hear fireworks when you're asleep," said Albany Councilman Alfredo Balarin at a Public Safety Committee meeting Monday night. "You can hear them when you are driving home. It's disruptive." The committee held a meeting about the "use of fireworks in the city and to determine related quality of life concerns." Current Albany County legislation allows residents in Albany to buy, sell and use fireworks between June 1 to July 5, but committee members say some people are taking too much advantage of the leeway. Each of the five council members at the meeting said they have received complaints from residents about fireworks being set off in their neighborhoods at inconvenient times. "We need to improve this for all of our neighborhoods," Balarin said. "Because I am sure it is not just an issue in mine." They discussed shortening the time frame of when people could use fireworks by two or three weeks. However, because it is county legislation they need to send a letter to the county with these recommendations, which they said they plan on doing. There were talks about better enforcing the noise ordinance, as fireworks fall under that. Anyone violating the ordinance can face a fine of up to $250 or imprisonment of up to 15 days. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Balarin also brought up a need to better educate people on how to properly store and use fireworks to avoid accidents or injuries. According the the National Fire Protection Association, in 2013, their most recent statistics, fireworks caused an estimated 15,600 reported fires in the U.S., including 1,400 structure fires, 200 vehicle fires, and 14,000 outdoors and other cases. In the span of a month, around Fourth of July, an average of 280 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries, according to statistics by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2017 there were an estimated 12,900 injuries due to fireworks, the commission said. The Public Safety Committee said it will continue to discuss the issue of fireworks in the community, come up with ways to educate people on how to properly use fireworks and receive residents' input. ALBANY In the judicial district that runs from the mid-Hudson Valley to the Capital Region, there are 18 sitting State Supreme Court justices. Of those, three are women including the only African-American. The other 15 are white men. Columbia County attorney Cheryl Roberts had appeared likely to win election in November's election. Roberts believes it would be a victory not just for gender diversity, but for geographic equity as well. But in what has been described by some as a breach in a decade-old agreement, recent political machinations by several neighboring county Democratic Party leaders may put another white male from Albany, attorney Justin Corcoran, in the powerful trial court post. The dispute has split Albany power brokers who are normally allies. Roberts supporters argue a broader split among Democrats could open the door for Republicans to pick up judgeships. Corcoran's backers say his candidacy is about good government, not a power grab. The Judicial Center in Albany, the state of seat government, sees far more cases per year than Columbia County handles. Albany has in recent years emphasized gender diversity when women were qualified, they argue, but in this case Corcoran is simply better equipped for the position. Under the quirky judicial selection system, Democratic primary voters will never get the chance to directly choose between Roberts and Corcoran at the polls. Instead, a slate of 73 judicial delegates who ran unopposed for the positions will convene at a judicial convention Aug. 9. The delegates will elect a slate of three Democratic judges to run in the November general election against Republicans. So the battle for the Democratic nomination over the next two months is solely one for delegates' hearts and minds. The judgeships are highly sought-after, carrying a 14-year term and an annual salary that was just bumped to $208,000. As incumbent state Supreme Court judges up for a new term, John Egan and Michael Lynch are nearly certain to be Democratic nominees. A third position is open because Justice Richard Mott of Columbia County is about to hit age 70, when by law he cannot run for reelection. As of early this year, Roberts seemed like the Democrats' consensus pick to replace Mott because of a 2009 handshake deal. When the third judicial district was more evenly split between Democratic and Republican voters, the parties would often cross-endorse each others' candidates assuring party bosses on either side that some picks would win. As the greater Capital Region and the rest of the district began to trend bluer, however, the arrangement with Republicans no longer made sense for Democrats, who could routinely win without cross-party help. In 2009, the Democratic leaders of the judicial district's seven counties struck a deal divvying up the seats among themselves. The idea was to maintain some geographic diversity among the judgeships, given that population-heavy Albany controls about a third of the delegate convention votes by itself. According to former Rensselaer Democratic chairman Tom Wade who spearheaded the 2009 agreement it stipulated that seven of the party's selections were reserved for Albany County picks, three for Rensselaer, three for Ulster, one for Sullivan, and one to cover both Columbia and Greene counties. (Schoharie County got no judge pick.) When a Democratic judge from a county would leave the bench, that county's party leaders got to pick the replacement nominee. With Columbia County's Mott leaving the bench, Roberts became the county's pick to replace him. She is a former town judge and corporation counsel in Hudson, who now runs a New York City nonprofit that advocates for people with serious mental illness in the criminal justice system. The obstacle to her nomination is rooted in a five-year-old Democratic defeat. In 2014, Justin Corcoran was the Albany Democrats' pick to run for a state Supreme Court seat, which was being vacated by an Albany judge. But Corcoran lost that year's general election to a Republican, Lisa Fisher, of Greene County. Wade said there was never any provision in the 2009 agreement that rearranged the order of county selections if a Republican happened to win a seat. But Wade and several others involved in the original deal, which was never formally put in writing, have left party leadership and its contours are now being contested. Although Fisher is a Republican, Corcoran supporters argue that she still counts as being the single judge allocated to Columbia and Greene counties under the Democrats' 2009 deal. If Columbia County Democrats wants a judge pick, they argue, they can wait to defeat Fisher at the ballot box when her term is up in 2028. Although Corcoran was the candidate who lost in 2014, his supporters believe they are owed the seat Albany Democrats lost in 2014. The county's party leadership is again pushing Corcoran to take back the Albany Democrats' seventh Supreme Court post. Albany County Democratic Leader Jack Flynn acknowledged that he initially told other party leaders that Columbia County would get this year's pick. But Flynn and other Democratic Party leaders then came to the conclusion that Albany was actually owed a seat under the agreement, he said. On Jan. 26, the judicial district's Democratic Party leaders met at Red's, a seafood restaurant in Coxsackie. Of the five who attended, four of them from Albany, Ulster, Rensselaer and Greene counties decided to back Albany's claim to the selection. The only holdout was Keith Kanaga, the Democratic chair in Roberts' home county. Kanaga told the Times Union he was worried that his fellow chairs' move could split Democrats and help a Republican candidate once again win a judicial seat in November. He's concerned that the problem could be most pronounced among woman voters. An all-male Democratic judicial ticket could dampen turnout. "So I'm worried," Kanaga said. "I'm in the business of getting Democrats elected." In deciding to back Albany County, Ulster County Democratic chairman Frank Cardinale was concerned about his own county's interests: If Albany didn't take over the Columbia County pick this year, Albany Democrats might take an Ulster County seat in the future. "They wanted to keep everything on pace," said Flynn, the Albany chairman. But Flynn said that Albany Democrats never actually made any threat to take a seat from Ulster. Cardinale, the Ulster Democratic chairman, did not return a phone call. Corcoran a distant relative of Dan O'Connell, the legendary Albany Democratic boss had done a significant amount of campaigning in recent months among rank-and-file Democratic activists in Ulster and Rensselaer counties. "Justin Corcoran has been desperate to get elected, and was able to convince people in Ulster and Rensselaer counties that Albany was upset with not having this seat when nobody actually was," said Tom Keefe, a retired former city court judge in Albany who supports Roberts. Rensselaer County Democratic chairman Mike Monescalchi has become a major supporter of Corcoran's bid. While Monescalchi sometimes works as a paid consultant for candidates, Corcoran said the party chair was not working for him in a paid capacity. Corcoran supporters say the caseload in Albany County necessitates another judge based there. Although Mott can't run for reelection, the Columbia County judge could legally continue serve on the bench until 76. Corcoran supporters say if Roberts ended up winning the seat, her presence alongside Fisher, the Republican judge from Greene County who bested Corcoran in 2014 would represent geographical excess. Corcoran supporters also say he is clearly better qualified: He was a trial lawyer for 22 years and has unlike Roberts often argued cases in state Supreme Court. He is now a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Michael Mackey. Flynn, the Albany Democratic chairman, provided the Times Union with a statement co-signed by the Democratic Party chairs from six of the seven counties in the judicial district every one except Columbia. "Albany is approximately 10 times busier than Columbia in terms of filings; Albany also handles more complex cases due to litigation against state agencies (which must be filed in Albany) and more complicated commercial cases," said the six chairs in the statement. "Electing another judge to be seated in Columbia County makes little sense to most Democratic chairs because that judge would undoubtedly be assigned to other counties with busier dockets." Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The chairs noted Corcoran had "20 years of litigation and trial experience in private practice in Supreme Court in all seven counties" and was rated "highly qualified" for state Supreme Court in 2018 by the Independent Judicial Elections Qualification Commission Roberts, meanwhile, "admitted to the law committee that she has never once personally appeared in Supreme Court and she lacked experience and familiarity with the basics of civil practice, the main focus of this court," the chairs said. (Roberts says she never made any such statement about a lack civil practice experience.) The six "chairs recognize diversity on the bench is a pressing issue" as shown by several recent nominations of women, they argued but those judges "also demonstrated experience working in the courts where they now sit on the bench." Critics of Corcoran's effort say that the deals made by largely white, male county leaders has led to the selection of largely white, male judges. Roberts supporters also argue that Albany County is already so loaded with Supreme Court judges that one, Peter Lynch, is assigned full-time to non-Supreme Court cases. Roberts said in a statement that the chairs expressed concern about Albany's caseload being greater that Columbia County's "evidences a disturbing lack of understanding about court administration." "Judges in the Third Judicial District can and regularly do serve in any of the seven counties," Roberts said in a statement. "Staff of the New York State Office of Court Administration, not party chairmen, manage court dockets and move judges as needed. I am prepared and would in fact welcome the opportunity to travel to Albany to help manage cases if asked by OCA." The law committee of the Albany Democratic Party made up of four men and four women unanimously backed Corcoran. But such committees are often made up of party loyalists who would be inclined to support Flynn's pick. "Had the legal committee checked any of my references, that included eight esteemed judges, they may have better understood why I have received so much support," Roberts said. ""Contrary to the statement that I 'lacked experience and familiarity with the basics of civil practice,' I have 10 years of litigation experience, litigating Article 78 proceedings, a particular kind of civil proceeding heard in Supreme Court which does not require personal appearances, and as a judge managed a civil docket. I certainly understand civil procedure, and never said otherwise." The full Albany County executive committee has yet to make an endorsement and there could well be a floor fight over that vote, which will be held sometime after the June 25 primary. Some Democratic Party delegates who initially supported Roberts are now feeling pressure to fall in line with party leaders. At the same time, Albany County's two leading Democratic elected officials, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, are breaking with Flynn and backing Roberts. McCoy called her a "highly qualified candidate who will bring both public sector and non-profit leadership experience to the bench." Flynn said while a few Albany delegates might break away, he expected most would end up supporting Corcoran. If there's a lasting split among Democrats following the judicial convention, it could also open the door for Republicans this year despite the unpopularity of President Donald J. Trump in New York, Roberts supports say. If Corcoran is the Democratic nominee, the Democratic judicial slate in the district will feature three white men of Irish descent. Meanwhile, Republicans are already running one potentially strong female candidate, Linda Blom Johnson of Rensselaer County, and could run more. Roberts supporters point back to a similar scenario in 1996, when Republicans ran three female candidates and won two of the seats. There is also intrigue on key third party ballot lines. Corcoran is set to have the backing of the Independence Party, but the Working Families Party is another matter. When Corcoran beat out another female candidate in 2014 for the Democratic Supreme Court nomination, the progressive WFP left their ballot line blank and a Republican ended up winning. The WFP could well leave its ballot line blank again if Corocran is selected over Roberts, who is the WFP's pick. Karen Scharff, a WFP official, noted that in 2015 and 2017, the WFP ballot line provided the margin of victory for the Democratic state Supreme Court candidates. She criticized the Democratic chairs' selection of Corcoran. "Supreme Court seats shouldn't just be given to the person who's the best at insider politics," Scharff said. Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified two of the people running for state Supreme Court justice. They are Michael Lynch and Linda Blom Johnson. For two years following an election in New York, electronic images of ballots cast should not be accessible to the public through the state's open records law, New York's highest court ruled. In the 4-3 decision on Thursday with statewide implications, the state Court of Appeals found that Essex County was correct in denying a December 2015 request for copies of electronic ballot imagines recorded by voting machines. Bethany Kosmider, the now-former Democratic Party leader of Essex County, had asked the county's Board of Elections for copies of the electronic ballot images from a November 2015 election, but was rebuffed by the county's attorney. In the majority opinion, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore wrote that the election law clearly stated that ballots could only be examined "pursuant to a court order or legislative committee direction for two years." "There is no basis in the language of the statute to conclude that the restriction could be circumvented merely because the agency makes a copy (electronic or otherwise) of the voted ballot," she wrote. The court's ruling on Thursday differed from two prior, lower court rulings. After a state Supreme Court judge had originally sided with Kosmider, the state Appellate Division's Third Department, based in Albany, also ruled 3-2 in favor of granting access to the records. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Kosmider's attorney had argued that the information in the ballot images did not provide anything new and not already public in voter rolls and ballot results. Opponents of releasing the information, however, argued that in smaller towns with a handful of voters, the information could reveal how people voted. ALBANY As 6 o'clock rolls around, state workers wearing pressed suits and fueled by copious amounts of coffee, hastily walk toward exits of the Capitol building. Advocates who had been there the entire day waving signs and chanting about an issue they are passionate about, unlink their arms to go home and rest their voices for the next day. But the Capitol is never fully empty. Sitting at a desk on the second floor of the Capitol, outside the governor's office in the Hall of Governors, is a state trooper. "There's always someone there," Trooper Kerra Burns said. "Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year." Since the 19th century, the night shift, whether it be a uniformed trooper or the antiquated post of night watchman, has been an essential part of keeping the Capitol safe and secure while most of the rest of us sleep. The Capitol, a mix of Romanesque and Renaissance Classic style, was completed in 1899 after more than three decades of work. Around that time night watchmen were hired to walk its halls. Stuart Lehman, assistant curator of the Office of General Services, said that archives show that the position was typically saved for and occupied by Civil War veterans, one of them being Patrick White, who earned medals during his service. And then of course there is the most famous night watchman Samuel J. Abbott, the night watchman killed during a 1911 Capitol fire. Abbott, who was lieutenant in the 12th New York State Volunteer Infantry during the war, was hired in 1885 as a watchman, paroling the three floors of the Capitol, mainly devoted to the library housed there. The 78-year-old would walk through the Capitol, using his silver-headed cane, between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. On March 29, 1911, a fire broke out in the third-floor Assembly Library, around 2:15 a.m., engulfing the State Library. Lehman said while there are various reports about what Abbott was doing when the fire broke out, many believe not only was he warning anyone who was in the building but he was also trying to save documents. It took hours for firefighters to control the blaze and Abbott's remains wouldn't be found for two day. His silver-headed cane was discovered a few feet away. "Samuel J. Abbott served this nation and this state with honor and his tragic passing was a significant moment in the history of this building," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last year. A plaque honoring Abbott is on the third floor of the Capitol outside the Legislative Library. "As the caretakers of New York State's Capitol, we have a great deal of appreciation for the women and men who are dedicated, just as Mr. Abbott was, to keeping safe and secure this grand, historic building that has served as our seat of government since the 1880s," OGS Commissioner RoAnn Destito said when the plaque was unveiled last year. Some people say Abbott was so dedicated to his job that he may still be guarding the Capitol today, but we will get to that in a second. While the title "night watchman," in my humble opinion is a great job name, you won't find anyone at the Capitol with that title on their business card. "The role of 'night watchman' doesn't really exist anymore, or it doesn't translate over the same," Burns said. "It's no longer a guy walking around in a trench coat holding a lantern." It is that state trooper. Troopers monitor the Capitol at night outside and in the concourse, but they do also have someone inside, right in front of the governor's chamber 24/7. The desk has security camera monitors mounted on it and a painting of a Capitol behind it. Across from the desk is a painting of John A. King, the wispy-white-haired 20th governor, with a Mona Lisa-type smile, sitting in a chair, wearing a black tuxedo and holding a cane. His eyes seem to be fixated on the desk, following the trooper whenever he stands up or sits down. In fact most the of gubernatorial paintings in the long hallway are like that. There are no windows and it is dimly lit by hanging lights. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "It can be a little creepy sometimes," Patrick Alston, a trooper at the desk, said. As for what happens at night ... "We all know that things go bump in the night," said Burns, who was stationed at the Capitol for four years and was assigned to the night shift at the desk from time to time. There have been calls about kids vandalizing the area outside or people drinking in the concourse. Every once in a while there may be something more detrimental, but nothing Burns can think of off the top of her head. Typically the stories that stick to the minds of the night shift are those involving the non-living. Alston said one night while he was sitting at the desk he was talking to a man in the cleaning crew when he saw the man's eyes widen. "He goes, 'I just saw something go across the hallway,'" Alston said. The two went over to examine it further but found nothing. "Oh yeah, someone walking through walls" Burns said to Alston. "I've heard that." The Capitol has had a reputation of being haunted. In fact the state offers tours in October called "Capitol Hauntings," dealing with the historic building's legends. Burns said while she was at the desk she never saw any ghosts but she's heard plenty of stories. From a 200-pound door opening on its own, apparitions being seen, or the bathroom light at the end of the hall turning on and off despite no one being in it. "I've heard noises and stuff," Burns said. "But it's also an old building. It's cavernous. Things echo." But despite the ghostly sightings, uneasiness of being alone in the building, getting through slow long nights, Burns said there is something truly special about the night-time shift. "We're kind of a part of history; there is only a small group of people who have the opportunity to do this," Burns said. "It is a privilege to stay up and keep our state's Capitol safe." NEW YORK Keith Raniere told top NXIVM disciples that some small children are "perfectly happy" having sexual experiences with adults and that it is "society" that considers it abuse, according to a video shown Friday at his trial. Raniere, 58, also dictated curriculum in NXIVM teachings that asserted women have reported an "unexpected experience of freedom which occurs during rape." The man known as "Vanguard" confidently asserted that standards that define abuse and sexual abuse of children vary greatly depending on where and when one lived. He noted various ages of consent to sex, which in New York is 17. "In some states, it's 17, in other parts of the world it's 12," an unshaven Raniere, clad in a black jacket, told a group of acolytes including actress Allison Mack, a top member of his secret "master/slave" club within NXIVM. "What's abuse in one area is not abuse in another. And what is it really?" Raniere asked. "Is the person a child or is the person adult-like? Does the person have a certain type of cognition, morality to make such a choice?" Raniere's remarks on video, played during the testimony of FBI agent Michael Weginer, represent the final piece of evidence that prosecutors presented at the NXIVM's co-founder's trial in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. The defendant's comments about pedophilia and rape could make for a powerful exclamation point in a case in which prosecutors have painted Raniere as a narcissistic conman and sexual predator. Raniere pontificated in the video-chat exchange that many people who "scream abuse" do not understand what they're talking about. He suggested that just because standards classify something as abuse does not mean it is is abuse. "So they abuse abuse," he said. Raniere authoritatively spoke on the topic of sex abuse. "Often when you counsel people who were, say, children of what you call abuse ... some little children are perfectly happy with it," Raniere said, "until they find out what happened later in life and then it's more society that abuses them than actually parents because in societies in the past, like in Rome or whatever, the standards were extremely different. But we're not in Rome and we should know that." Prosecutors and witnesses allege the self-help guru had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old Mexican girl and kept pornographic images of her in a townhouse on Hale Drive in the Knox Woods development in Halfmoon. During cross-examination, Raniere attorney Marc Agnifilo noted in his questioning that comments about rape and sex abuse were a minuscule part of NXIVM's overall curriculum. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Earlier Friday, Judge Nicholas Garaufis scheduled closing arguments for Monday, which will mark the start of the trial's seventh week. Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza also played a video of NXIVM president Nancy Salzman speaking at a meeting at the former Apropos restaurant on Halfmoon. On the video, Salzman parroted what Raniere had previously said. Salzman made the remarks during a meeting of Jness, a women's group within NXIVM. Salzman, who pleaded guilty in March to federal offenses connected to the federal investigation of NXIVM, suggested that the blame in cases of child sex abuse should, in some cases, be something NXIVM students "have to think out for themselves. Penza showed literature from NXIVM described as "The Human Experience." "If someone comes from a country where adults orally stimulate children and they find out, according to American culture they have been abused. Have they? Who did the abusing?" the literature asked. "The abuser is our culture. Our society," it answered. Raniere is charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labor and conspiracy. The racketeering charges include underlying alleged acts of possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child, extortion, identity theft and fraud. In addition to the the video, Penza showed jurors a copy of Raniere's biography from NXIVM's now-shuttered website. It described Raniere as a star student and three-subject major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. The prosecutor then showed copies of Raniere's grades which showed he had a 2.26 grade point average (a C student) who failed general physiology, quantum mechanics and theoretical physics, was placed on probation and faced academic dismissal in 1988. NORTH HAVEN Hundreds of North Haven High School seniors crossed the stage Thursday evening during the Class of 2109 graduation ceremony. Thank you to our seniors for their combined 20,000 plus hours of community service and good character you have demonstrated, Principal Russell Dallai said. You are a great class. Superintendent of Schools Patrick Stirk told the seniors about his own academic journey, including feeling unoriginal in his dream to become a teacher until he realized he was the only male in his elementary education teacher group at college. What I found is most important, what truly makes a difference, is that you are the one to drive your car, Stirk said. Make your own choices and live the life you most want to live. Valedictorian Jackson Frank reminded his peers that they need to be ready to fail and embrace the growth that comes from mistakes.. Without our bold first attempts and our inevitable failures, we would never be able to learn from our mistakes and grow into who we are, Frank said. Fellow graduates, as you move forward, I hope you recognize the inevitability of failure as the potential for fast growth and self reality. Class President Jobin Valiyaveettil thanked his peers for helping to shape him into the person he is and for their dedication to the North Haven community. Whatever you want to pursue in life, pursue it, he said. The effort and drive that you have given throughout your time at North Haven High School shows that you can do anything." Board of Education chairwoman Anita Anderson urged the graduates to continue giving back to their communities and to travel as much as they can, creating their own journey along the way. Remember the choices you make will impact who you will be in the future and the influence you will have on society, Anderson said. Our world, especially today, needs more kindness, empathy tolerance, and acceptance. bwright@record-journal.com 203-317-2316 Twitter: @baileyfaywright BETHLEHEM Smoke inhalation claimed the life of the victim of Thursday's fire at Meadowbrook Apartments, police said Friday. Police said the determination was made after an autopsy was conducted at Ellis Hospital. The push by activists for a bill known as HALT the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act has been plagued by misinformation and misrepresentation of this legislation. That's why we need to set the record straight once and for all about solitary confinement: It does not exist in New York. Hollywood has created a false narrative around a dramatic, inaccurate depiction of prisons that has misled many in the public to believe this is how incarcerated individuals are treated in this state. In reality, New York utilizes Special Housing Units, which were designed with the safety of all incarcerated individuals in mind. SHUs are used as a correctional tool to control dangerous situations and only when incarcerated individuals commit serious infractions. They are also utilized as a safe space where vulnerable individuals can stay to avoid persecution from other incarcerated individuals. Destroying SHUs would only place these individuals at risk, forcing them back into general population at a time when violence in prisons is at an all-time high. Furthermore, it would also eliminate one of the few tools prisons have at their disposal to maintain control. With the abolition of SHUs, we'd invariably see increased violence and worse living conditions for many incarcerated individuals. Although SHUs are used to separate individuals to promote a safer environment, they are not a tool for complete isolation, as many HALT activists suggest. Those residing in SHUs are afforded most, if not all, of the same comforts as those in general population including outdoor time, access to authorized electronics, unlimited legal counsel, visitation rights, access to libraries and health care, among others. Upon admission to SHU, initial screenings are done by medical personnel under security staff and supervisors. On top of that, any and all mental health triggers are noted and assessed immediately. Many, if not all, of the concerns raised in HALT have been addressed in previous efforts, including changes to SHUs that were made in 2016 following a New York Civil Liberties Union settlement. In this settlement, it was agreed that the state would invest approximately $62 million to implement the agreed upon terms. These included providing access to infrastructure improvements to afford more out-of-cell time for educational and recreational programs, improved access for telephone calls, additional reading materials and electronic computer tablets for in-cell use, a shower curtain in shared cells, and additional meal choices and selections. This agreement also imposed a maximum stay in SHUs, requiring incarcerated individuals either be released back early into general population for good behavior or after a maximum of 30 days for nearly all first-time offenders. In addition to protecting the rights of youth, pregnant women and developmentally disabled individuals from being placed in SHUs, the settlement also significantly lessened the number of applicable offenses for a SHU placement. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Since the establishment of this agreement in 2016, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association have continued working towards improving prison conditions. However, with prison violence at record levels, we simply cannot afford misinformed legislation and restrictions. Without SHUs, everyone within prison walls will be placed at risk, as violence rates will only increase without a way of managing it. We must not let the misconceptions of Hollywood cloud our judgement. It's time to stand up to the state Legislature and tell them why passing HALT will only worsen quality of life for incarcerated individuals and put the safety of everyone inside our prison walls at risk. Did the Trump administration's recent restrictions on travel to Cuba throw a wrench in your vacation plans? It screwed things up for cruise lines, too, many of which had sold trips with stops in the Caribbean country but will no longer be allowed to stop there. Now, desperate to fill cabins on those ships, some cruise lines are offering vacations for deep discounts. [June 14, 2019] CGI makes all cash offer for SCISYS, a leading provider of IT services in the UK and Germany Stock Market Symbols GIB.A (TSX) GIB (NYSE) www.cgi.com/newsroom Enhances IP portfolio and strengthens partnership with European space agencies LONDON, June 14, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) today announced a cash offer of 254.15 pence per share to acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of SCISYS through its wholly owned indirect subsidiary CGI Group Holdings Europe Limited. The offer is unanimously recommended by the SCISYS Board of Directors and CGI has received irrevocable undertakings to vote in favour of the transaction from SCISYS directors representing approximately 25.0% of the existing issued share capital of SCISYS. The offer represents a premium of 43.7% to SCISYS' volume weighted average closing price over the last 6 months, 47.0% to its volume weighted average closing price over the last 12 months and 24.6% to its closing price on June 13, 2019. The offer values the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of SCISYS at approximately 78.9 million. With annual revenue of approximately 58.4 million (representing approximately C$100 million), Dublin-based SCISYS operates in several sectors, with deep expertise and industry leading solutions in the space and defence sectors, as well as in the media and broadcast news industries. With approximately 670 highly skilled professionals predominantly based in the UK and Germany, SCISYS will complement CGI's strong capabilities and client relationships in these countries. The transaction is expected to close during the second half of 2019. "CGI's offer to merge its operations with those of SCISYS is aligned to our Build and Buy strategy, providing opportunities to expand our industry depth in space, defense, government and media in the UK and Germany," said George Schindler, President and CEO, CGI. "SCISYS' industry-leading expertise and IP-based services and solutions will provide an opportunity to globalise certain platforms utilizing the broader CGI geographic footprint and client relationships." "We look forward to welcoming SCISYS' highly-skilled innovators to CGI, sharing and collaborating with a focus on the success of our clients," said Tara McGeehan, CGI President of UK operations. "The addition of SCISYS consultants and IP to CGI's local presence and global reach will benefit our clients, and in particular making our investment in the European space industry more relevant than ever before," added Torsten Strass, CGI President of Central and Eastern Europe Operations. For more details, please visit: https://www.cgi.com/en/SCISYS. About CGI Founded in 1976, CGI is a leading independent information technology ("IT") and business consulting services firm. With more than 77,000 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from IT and business consulting to systems integration, outsourcing services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works wth clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With annual revenue of C$11.5 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com. Forward-looking information and statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States safe harbours. All such forward-looking information and statements are made and disclosed in reliance upon the safe harbour provisions of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking information and statements include all information and statements regarding CGI's intentions, plans, expectations, beliefs, objectives, future performance, and strategy, as well as any other information or statements that relate to future events or circumstances and which do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts. Forward-looking information and statements often but not always use words such as "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "anticipate", "foresee", "plan", "predict", "project", "aim", "seek", "strive", "potential", "continue", "target", "may", "might", "could", "should", and similar expressions and variations thereof. These information and statements are based on our perception of historic trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other assumptions, both general and specific, that we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Such information and statements are, however, by their very nature, subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, of which many are beyond the control of CGI, and which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from our expectations expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include but are not restricted to: risks related to the market such as the level of business activity of our clients, which is affected by economic and political conditions, and our ability to negotiate new contracts; risks related to our industry such as competition and our ability to attract and retain qualified employees, to develop and expand our services, to penetrate new markets, and to protect our intellectual property rights; risks related to our business such as risks associated with our growth strategy, including the integration of new operations, financial and operational risks inherent in worldwide operations, foreign exchange risks, income tax laws, our ability to negotiate favorable contractual terms, to deliver our services and to collect receivables, and the reputational and financial risks attendant to cybersecurity breaches and other incidents; as well as other risks identified or incorporated by reference in this press release, in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and in other documents that we make public, including our filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators (on SEDAR at www.sedar.com) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (on EDGAR at www.sec.gov). Unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking information and statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and CGI disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. While we believe that our assumptions on which these forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are based were reasonable as at the date of this press release, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking information or statements. Furthermore, readers are reminded that forward-looking information and statements are presented for the sole purpose of assisting investors and others in understanding our objectives, strategic priorities and business outlook as well as our anticipated operating environment. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Further information on the risks that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations may be found in the section titled "Risk Environment" of CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A, which is incorporated by reference in this cautionary statement. We also caution readers that the above-mentioned risks and the risks disclosed in CGI's annual and quarterly MD&A and other documents and filings are not the only ones that could affect us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a material adverse effect on our financial position, financial performance, cash flows, business or reputation. Statements required by the Irish Takeover Rules Certain capitalized words used in this press release but not defined have the meaning given to such words in the Rule 2.5 Announcement. The bases and sources set out in the Rule 2.5 Announcement have been used in this press release, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires. The directors of CGI and the directors of CGI Group Holdings Europe Limited accept responsibility for the information contained in this press release. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the directors of CGI and the directors of CGI Group Holdings Europe Limited (who, in each case, have taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case), the information contained in this press release for which they accept responsibility is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgi-makes-all-cash-offer-for-scisys-a-leading-provider-of-it-services-in-the-uk-and-germany-300867701.html SOURCE CGI Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] BRANFORD A North Haven man was charged with DUI Wednesday after police said his vehicle collided with a Branford police cruiser. Joseph OKeefe, 30, of North Haven, was also charged with failure to drive right. OKeefes vehicle crossed over the double yellow line around 11 p.m. and struck a cruiser being driven by Officer Michael OConnor near Shore Drive, police said. OConnor was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries. Lets work together to keep our roads safe, so everyone, including emergency services personnel, can get home safely, Branford Police said in a statement. OKeefe was released after posting bond. bwright@record-journal.com 203-317-2316 Twitter: @baileyfaywright [June 14, 2019] IDEMIA Appoints Sean Thompson as Head of Business Development for Identity & Security, North America RESTON, Va., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEMIA announced today the appointment of Sean Thompson as Head of Business Development and a member of the Executive Committee for the Identity & Security business in North America. Sean will be responsible for all sales and business development, capture and proposal activities. "I am very pleased to welcome Sean Thompson to IDEMIA. His outstanding track record of winning new business and his deep understanding of the Federal Government market will be instrumental in accelerating the growth of our business," said Ed Casey, Chief Executive Officer of IDEMIA's Identity & Security business in North America. Sean has over 26 years as a business development executive with extensive experience in the Federal Government sector. Prior to joining IDEMIA, Sean served as Regional Vice President, Sales for Unisys Corporation, a global information technology company. At Unisys, he led the Federal, Defense and Intelligence Sales group and the Capture and Proposals team to significantly increase the total value of new business. Additionally, Sean was Senior Vice Prsident, Business Development and Capture at Sotera Defense Solutions, a national security technology company for Federal Government agencies, charged with ensuring the safety and security of the United States. Previously, he also held management positions in business development and operations at iGov, IBM and American Management Systems. Sean received his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from James Madison University and a Master of Science in Information Technology from the University of Virginia. "I am excited to join IDEMIA and help expand the business development capabilities and strengthen the company's leadership position in the market," said Thompson, "IDEMIA's nearly 60 years of partnerships with government agencies serve as a great foundation for future growth." About IDEMIA IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides trusted technology enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect, travel and vote), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets our identity whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients in the Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With 13,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter Press contacts Ryan Donough Burson, Cohn & Wolfe [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/idemia-appoints-sean-thompson-as-head-of-business-development-for-identity--security-north-america-300867898.html SOURCE IDEMIA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Inner Loop Capital Launches $2.6M Syndicate Fund to Invest in D.C. Area Seed-Stage Founders Building Venture-Scale Companies Inner Loop Capital, a seed-stage venture capital firm supporting founders of cybersecurity and enterprise technology companies in the Washington, D.C. region, today announced a new $2.6 million Syndicate Fund to help fuel the early-stage venture ecosystem in the region. Founded and managed by Justin Label, an active angel investor and former Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, the firm aims to ease the early fundraising process for the most promising D.C. area founders so that they can accelerate toward hyper-growth and build companies of global scale and reach. "Greater Washington D.C. is the largest economy in the U.S. without a liquid seed-stage venture capital market," said Label. "The challenges of raising early capital in the D.C. region are frustrating to local founders and inhibit the growth of our venture and tech ecosystem. The outstanding founders of the D.C. region prove there is a viable venture market here. Nearly $2 billion in venture capital is invested in the area each year. And yet there is no institutional seed-stage venture capital fund with a mission of supporting D.C. area founders. We want this Syndicate Fund, raised from investors who see this opportunity, to be a step toward addressing that gap." The fund will have a primary focus on cybersecurity founders. The D.C. region, or "Cyber Corridor", is home to the second-largest concentration of cybersecurity product companies in the U.S. and has spawned cyber "unicorns" including Sourcefire, Mandiant, and Tenable. Label gained substantial experience in cybersecurity while at Bessemer Venture Partners and focused on the sector as a Baltimore-based angel investor from 2015 to 2018. He was among the first investors in some of the D.C. region's fastest-growing companies, including NS8 and Cybrary, where he aso helped those founders build their initial investor syndicates. "We've named this a Syndicate Fund because it places committed capital behind the kind of syndicate formation active angel investors do in the D.C. region. Founders need investors who share their vision, can commit meaningful dollars at venture speed, and partner with them for a long journey. We hope this Syndicate Fund brings all those elements together under one roof for D.C. area founders." Gula Tech Adventures, led by Ron and Cyndi Gula, formerly of Tenable Network Security, Inc., anchored the new Syndicate Fund and was joined by seven additional Limited Partners including Bloomberg (News - Alert) Beta, two family offices, and several cybersecurity founders. "We believe strongly in the potential of D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia founders and of building a thriving venture ecosystem in the region," said Ron Gula, President of Gula Tech Adventures. "After co-investing five times with Justin as angel investors, we're now glad to formally partner with Inner Loop Capital to continue to back visionary founders very early in their development." The fund aims to make approximately eight seed-stage investments over eighteen months, with typical initial investments of $300-400k. The Syndicate Fund can expand as necessary to fund follow-on rounds of its portfolio companies. Beyond cybersecurity, Inner Loop invests exclusively in enterprise technology companies, including cloud infrastructure, data analytics, and enterprise SaaS (News - Alert). Inner Loop will invest largely in the D.C. area, while also making investments in San Francisco and other tech hubs to encourage greater cross-pollination of ideas and capital for D.C. founders. Since launching in January of 2019, Inner Loop Capital's Syndicate Fund has led the Seed round of D.C.-based GreyNoise Intelligence, Inc., and participated in early financings of Tall Poppy Security, Inc. and Crosschq, Inc., both of San Francisco. Area enterprise technology founders and members of the investment community are invited to join Label and Gula at the National Harbor Cyber Innovation Wine Down networking event being held on Tuesday, June 18 from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. at The Tasting Room Wine Bar & Shop located at 137 Waterfront Street in Oxon Hill, MD. To RSVP visit https://events.bugcrowd.com/cyberinnovationwinedown/inner-loop-capital. About Inner Loop Capital Inner Loop Capital is a seed stage venture capital investment firm committed to fueling a strong D.C. area early-stage venture market ecosystem. The firm's mission includes accelerating D.C. founders' access to early capital and beyond while encouraging visionary founders to build the largest, fastest-growing companies possible. Based in Baltimore, MD, Inner Loop invests exclusively in enterprise technology companies in the Washington D.C. area and beyond, with a particular focus on cybersecurity. For more information visit www.innerloopcap.com or Twitter (News - Alert): @innerloopcap, or contact [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005147/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] MONAT Raises and Donates $173,000 Thanks to 'More Than a Mist' Promotion MONAT raised $173,000 for non-profit organizations in the US, Canada and the UK through its limited-edition moisturizing hair and body spray, More Than a Mist. The net proceeds from the sales of the limited-edition product, which was sold December 2018 - January 2019, generated the donation. In the US, the funds are being donated to 13 chapters of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Canada is supporting BBBS with donations to Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, Big Sisters of British Columbia Lower Mainland, and BBBS of York. Chance UK, an early intervention organization that supports children experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties, is being supported in the UK. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005038/en/ MONAT scholarship recipients at BBBS ceremony (Photo: Business Wire) "We grew up without much, but had many rich ideas from my entrepreneurial parents," said Ray Urdaneta, CEO of MONAT. "Giving back to kids and encouraging their education is vitlly important to me and part of MONAT's culture. One of our core philosophies is MONAT Gratitude: we are grateful for what we have and we give back to the communities that support us. Thanks to our limited-edition products and promotions, like our More Than a Mist, we are able to give more, reaching more people around the world." In MONAT's hometown of Miami, $18,000 in scholarships is being awarded through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami (BBBS Miami). Over the past 18 months, MONAT employees and executives have been mentoring 17 young adults enrolled at Turner Tech High School. Of the 17 graduating seniors, nine were awarded scholarships to help support them as they begin their college careers and pursue their dreams. MONAT awarded six $1,500 scholarships and three $3,000 scholarships (noted with asterisk) based on essays written by the students entitled, "How I Want to Make a Positive Impact in the World," as well as exemplary school performance and leadership. The recipients are: Andy Gedeon Chanel Carter Deborah Michel Eric Alain* Iloni Lallion-Brizan Jeannise Semancie* Jihny Theus Ronelda Eliacin* Syndi Pierre As a Big Sister with BBBS Miami, Lu Urdaneta, Director, Global Recognition and Gratitude, MONAT stated, "I'm always so happy and proud with how we are able to give back to our community, but this scholarship program means so much more because I've had the honor to watch these young men and women from Turner Tech flourish while they learn about business and different opportunities in the work force." For 60 Years, BBBS Miami has been the premier non-profit youth mentoring organization by offering children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. BBBS Miami's impact is significant with 95 percent of enrolled youth attending college, 87 percent showing improved academic performance and 94 percent with improved behavior. "It's a privilege to be part of BBBS Miami. My colleagues and I are helping to support and empower our community's future leaders," said Javier Urdaneta, Chief of Staff, MONAT. "The scholarship awards from MONAT will help our Turner Tech 'Littles' continue to learn and grow. I cannot wait to see how they impact our world." Since its launch in October 2014, MONAT has established itself as a revolutionary hair care line that beautifully unites the best of both nature and science, using the latest scientific technologies and clinically proven proprietary ingredients. This curated collaboration of science and nature allows MONAT to provide an unparalleled and unique age prevention hair and skin care experience. Abiding by MONAT's strict standards for its hair care products, all of the company's products are free from harmful colors and fragrances, phthalates, and parabens. All products are dermatologist tested, cruelty-free, vegan, and Leaping Bunny Certified. About MONAT Gratitude MONAT Gratitude has been an integral piece of the MONAT company culture since its inception in 2014. This movement has grown from the Urdaneta family's commitment to instilling gratitude as a core company value. MONAT Gratitude partners with innovative nonprofit organizations in its local communities that support efforts under its three pillars: Families, Children and Education. As a movement, MONAT Gratitude believes in the power of creating conversations and inspiring a greater network to take action. Due to the passion of our MONAT Market Partners and commitment to making gratitude a part of our business, what started as a series of grassroots volunteering efforts in Miami has spread across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. https://monatgratitude.com/ #MONATGratitude Facebook (News - Alert): /monatgratitudeofficial | Instagram: @monatgratitudeofficial About MONAT Global MONAT Global is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcora Corporation, whose holdings include L'EUDINE Global, an established Direct Selling company specializing in premium beauty and wellness products throughout the US and Latin America and B&R Products, Inc., their research, development and manufacturing Laboratory subsidiary. All three companies are headquartered in and around Miami, Florida. MONAT was founded in 2014 to enter the multi-billion-dollar haircare market and provides ground-breaking opportunities through a novel Social Marketing approach to Direct Sales. The company offers a unique and exciting business model and one of the most generous compensation plans in the U.S., Canadian and U.K. markets. Availability: www.monatglobal.com #MONATGlobal Facebook: /MONATOfficial | Instagram: @monatofficial | Twitter: @MONATOfficial | YouTube (News - Alert): /MONATOfficial View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005038/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] OpenGate Capital Sells Omniplast BV to Consortium of Investors OpenGate Capital, a global private equity firm, announced today that it has sold Omniplast BV ("Omniplast") to a group of European investors composed of Reedcapital, Luigi M. Chiaraviglio, and Swiss Merchant Corporation. Omniplast was acquired by OpenGate in 2015 through the firm's original, pre-fund investment in Ivy Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. Andrew Nikou, OpenGate Capital's founder and CEO commented, "We believe that Omniplast stands for global innovation in the fields of piping and fitting systems. I am incredibly proud of the efforts of OpenGate's European team in the four years since acquiring Omniplast and have now fulfilled our mandate to exit the business at an ideal time. I wish the entire team at Omniplast an abundance of success under their new owners' stewardship." The team at OpenGate Capital responsible for this investment and realization included: Julien Lagreze, Partner; Sebastien Kiekert Le Moult, Partner; Marc Veillas, Managing Director; and Jonny Leppin, Senior Vice President. Renaud Delaage, Partner at Reedcapital said, "Omniplast has a tremendous management team that will benefit greatly from the operational resources and entrepreneurial spirit that we will provide. We have a clear path to grow this business organically and through add-on acquisitions." Luigi M. Chiaraviglio added: "We are excited to contribute to the growth of this niche leader, whose products are exported globally, into its next phase of development." "We brought together investors sharing our philosophy of long-term value creation," stated Filippo Sciorilli Borrelli, Managing Director of Swiss Merchant Corporation. Borrelli went on to say, "We are eager to start this journey." Luigi M. Chiaraviglio and Renaud Delaage led the transaction. Filippo Sciorilli Borrelli led the equity syndication for Swiss Merchant Corporation and played a key role in the execution. Omniplast has earned a strong reputation and a loyal customer base within the agricultural and greenhouse sector. The business produces and distributes pressure and non-pressure PVC piping systems for the transportation of gases and fluids. Within its diverse product portfolio, Omniplast has developed five quality standards from three-layer non-pressure pipes, to irrigation an KIWA pressure pipes, to pipe-related specialties. The business is supported by forward integrated logistical solutions enabling efficient packaging and transportation. Headquartered in Veghel, The Netherlands, Omniplast has approximately 60 employees. OpenGate Capital acquired Omniplast through its legacy, pre-fund portfolio as one of three businesses within Ivy Group. At acquisition, Omniplast had two entities in The Netherlands and Germany, which were separated in 2018 as part of a strategy to maximize each entity's value. The German business, which specializes in PVC pipes for the residential market, was not included in the transaction. The realization of Omniplast follows OpenGate Capital's announcement that NAKAN, another division within Ivy Group, had been sold to Westlake Chemical Corporation in January of 2019. About OpenGate Capital Founded in 2005, OpenGate Capital is a global private equity firm that strives to acquire and optimize lower middle market businesses throughout North American and Europe. With a strategic international presence and a focus on corporate carve-outs and complex situations, the firm's expertise allows it to realize a seller's divestiture objectives while mitigating the risks associated with a business's transition to independence. OpenGate is headquartered in Los Angeles and Paris and has a seasoned in-house team of professionals overseeing the entire lifecycle of each investment. To learn more about OpenGate, please visit www.opengatecapital.com. About Reedcapital Reedcapital is a private investment firm focused on the acquisition, transformation and development of lower-middle-market businesses. The firm invests in both performing and underperforming companies to create long term sustainable value. Typical investment opportunities are corporate divestitures and carve-out, complex situations and underperforming businesses. Reedcapital and its partners have been involved in over 30 transactions ranging from corporate divestitures, turnaround acquisitions, industry consolidations and other special situations investments across a wide array of industries and geographical markets. More information available on www.reedcapital.fr. About Luigi M. Chiaraviglio Luigi has been a private equity investor for more than 15 years, with Compass (News - Alert) Partners in London first and Investindustrial in Milan, Lugano and New York later and has completed over 10 transactions for a value in excess of Eur 2bn including buyouts or expansion capital deals, restructurings, refinancing and exits and has been on the board of several companies in Europe and the USA. He is the Managing Director of Vista Investors, an investment firm operating through a multi-family office model, focusing on repositioning and expanding lower mid-market businesses or corporate group divisions. For more information please visit www.vista-investors.com. About Swiss Merchant Corporation SA Swiss Merchant Corporation("SMC"), founded in 1990, is a corporate finance advisory boutique based in Lugano, Switzerland. SMC specializes in offering tailor made services for its clients aimed at long-term value creation. SMC's one-stop-shop approach is designed to fulfill clients' needs. SMC started as a private equity firm, successfully managing four investment funds from 1989 until 2015. Whilst maintaining an active role in direct investments and club deals, SMC has leveraged its experience as an advisor to its portfolio companies to focus on helping clients make informed financial decisions. More information available on www.swissmerchantcorporation.ch. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005028/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 13, 2019] The global trade management software market was valued at US$ 712.3 Mn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period 2019 - 2027, to account to US$ 1,607.2 Mn in 2027 NEW YORK, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The global trade management software market was valued at US$ 712.3 Mn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period 2019 - 2027, to account to US$ 1,607.2 Mn in 2027. Factors such as complexities in global trade management, cost reduction, and real-time visibility offered by trade management, and rising cross-border trade is driving the global trade management software market. However, frequent changes in the regulatory framework, act as a significant challenge for the global trade management software market growth in the coming years. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5783156/?utm_source=PRN Every business across the globe has several concerns related to trade management.These concerns are based on several factors, including the product's geographical location of sourcing, manufacturing, and shipping. Further, import and export volume of the products; compliance and security regulations of the delivery location; the multitude of FTAs and FTZs; the number of partners involved in the supply chain; and the level of internal trade know-how are other vital factors.Additionally, the need for any business may change on a timely basis or depending on the location. Thus, companies across the world are seeking for appropriate GTM solutions to simplify their global trade processes. The trade and supply chains across the world are expanding drastically, owing to the growth of cross-border markets.This has further driven the establishment of production sites in different locations supported by a global supplier base. With the expansion of the supply chain, the opportunities for errors during shipment across international borders has increased.Thus, before trading internationally, supply chain management bodies must confirm that all procedures are fulfilled; this necessitates in-depth research and monitoring of regultions across the globe. GTM providers have extensive resources committed to the sole control of and ensuring adherence to international trade rules and regulations that comprises of payment of duties, tariffs, and taxes. The most prominent region in the global trade management software market in 2018 accounted for North America , followed by Europe and the Asia Pacific.The Middle East and Africa , and South America held the fourth and fifth position in terms of market shares in trade management software market. The growth of trade management software market in North America is attributed to the presence of developed economies such as the US and Canada . In 2018, the US imported over US$ 2.5 trillion worth of goods from across the globe. From a regional perspective, approximately 45% of the region's total imports in 2018 were bought from providers based in the Asia Pacific region, in terms of value. Fellow region's trade partners delivered around 26% of import sales to the US while around 22% worth initiated from Europe . The overall trade management software market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source.The research process begins with exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the trade management software market. It also provides the overview and forecast for the global trade management software market based on all the segmentation provided for five major regions such as North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , Middle East & Africa , and South America.Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, and external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the trade management software industry. Some of the key players included in the global trade management software market are Amber Road, Inc., Bamboo Rose LLC, Expeditors International of Washington , Inc., Integration Point, LLC, Livingston International, MIC, Oracle Corp, QAD, Inc, QuestaWeb, SAP SE, and others. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5783156/?utm_source=PRN About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904 Website: www.reportbuyer.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-global-trade-management-software-market-was-valued-at-us-712-3-mn-in-2018-and-is-expected-to-grow-at-a-cagr-of-9-6-during-the-forecast-period-2019---2027--to-account-to-us-1-607-2-mn-in-2027--300867509.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 13, 2019] Plant-Based Skincare PSODEX Launches New Website With Its #BacktoBasics Approach MIAMI, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Psodex is a skincare health brand that uses natural, plant-based ingredients to provide cosmetic skincare products. Passed down from a healer in a mountain top, and closely studied by scientists, Psodex's no-hidden ingredient moisturizing cream steps up to meet the demands of those looking to simplify their skincare routine and get back to basics with a non-toxic, all-natural solution. "The demand for transparency in ingredients in the highly chemical and toxic skincare world has grown exponentially in the past few years," says Savas Sarikaya, COO. "We hope our new website and social media efforts enable us to better connect to those thousands of people who have grown weary of the adverse effects of chemical ingredients in their products and are searching for simpler, yet effective ways of protecting their skin on a daily basis." Psodex's scientists say the plant-based formula was inspired by an ancient natural remedy that was given to their founder's mother more than four decades ago when she was suffering from a rare skin condition. She and her colleagues used various scientific processes to discover the plants used in the remedy. Then, they created a moisturizer formula that contained these plant-based ingredients and left harsh chemicals out of the equation. "The hidden properties in plants can be powerful agents to bring about healing. Our founder, Dr.Yesim and her team, were able to extract these potent ingredients known to go deep into the layers of the skin to mend it from within, leaving the skin radiant and beautiful," says Savas Sarikaya. "Today, we continue our founder's vision of informing all our customers about the natural properties in our Psodex products this time, in a more direct, and clean look through our new website and social media efforts." Psodex's website has now launched and can be viewed at psodexusa.com. This platform is meant to inform and bring together all of those interested in learning more about the brand and the back to basics approach in their products. Its blog touches on a variety of natural skincare topics, while its add-to-cart function gives visitors an option to buy all of Psodex's products online. ABOUT PSODEX: Psodex creates high-quality natural cosmetic skincare products. As a well-known brand in Turkey, they're famous for their all-natural moisturizing skin cream, which uses 100% active natural, plant-based ingredients to nurture, moisturize, and protect the skin. Their products are plant-based, hypoallergenic, non-toxic, vegan, gluten-free, non-comedogenic and cruelty-free; designed with all skin types in mind. Psodex's team of scientific researchers and dermatologists are constantly working on new and effective ways to use nature's own medicinal properties to create derma-cosmetic products. You can learn more by visiting their brand-new website here. Media Contact: Camilla Lopez Phone: 772.200.0431 Email: [email protected] Related Images the-power-of-nature-science.jpg THE POWER OF NATURE + SCIENCE Psodex's team has selected the most effective plant-based ingredients to formulate skincare products that actually work. No harsh chemicals, just good stuff anyone would want to put on their face. it-actually-works.jpg IT ACTUALLY WORKS! Naturally moisturizes your skin without clogging your pores or leaving a greasy residue. The result? Plump, glowing skin! safe-for-humans.jpg SAFE FOR HUMANS All of Psodex's products are carefully formulated with plant-based ingredients for a safe use on event the most sensitive skin types. carry-on-travel-packs.jpg CARRY-ON TRAVEL PACKS The plant-based moisturizer is also available in a carry-on friendly presentation. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plant-based-skincare-psodex-launches-new-website-with-its-backtobasics-approach-300867439.html SOURCE Psodex USA Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 13, 2019] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of Cloudera, Inc. Investors Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a national investors rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors that acquired Cloudera, Inc. ("Cloudera" or the "Company") (NYSE: CLDR) securities between April 28, 2017 and June 5, 2019, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Cloudera investors have until August 6, 2019 to file a lead plaintiff motion. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. On June 5, 2019, the Company reported $103.8 million losses from operations for first quarter 2020, roughly double the year-over-year period. The Company disclosed that it was losing business despite its recent merger with Hortonworks, Inc. and that it suffered an elevated dollar churn rate of 15%. Moreover, the Company announced the abrupt retirement of its Chief Executive Officer. On this news, the Company's share price fell $3.59, or nearly 41%, to close at $5.21 on June 6, 2019, thereby injuring investors. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) Cloudera was finding it increasingly difficult to identify large enterprises interested in adopting the Company's Hadoop-based platform; (2) Cloudera needed to expend an increasing amount of capital on sales and marketing activities to generate new revenues; (3) Cloudera had materially diminished sales opportunities and prospects and could not generate annual positive cash flows for the foreseeable future; (4) the primary motivation for the Company's merger with Hortonworks was to generate growth through the acquisition of Hortonworks' existing customers (as opposed to obtaining them organically); (5) that the purported synergies and other benefits of the merger with Hortonworks were materially overstated; and (6) as a result, Defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/GPM_LLP. If you purchased shares of Cloudera during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than August 6, 2019 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190613005812/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 13, 2019] News-O-Matic to Offer News Service for Kids in Amazon FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa NEW YORK, June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "Alexa, what's the news today?" Now kids across America will get an answer. Starting this summer, children using Amazon FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa have a new way to learn what's going on. The trusted content from News-O-Matic will give young users a carefully curated daily news briefing and invaluable insight into their evolving world. The daily news briefing provides peace of mind for parents. News-O-Matic's team child psychologist, Dr. Phyllis Ohr, vets and approves every story. "Children are aware of the most significant events, yet today's news is not easy to process," she said. "Providing young people with information about current events at a developmentally appropriate level helps them form their own opinions about what is going on in their world," added Dr. Ohr. "It is essential to empowering them to be the decision makers of the future." News-O-Matic has been delivering leveled news articles for children every weekday since 2013. Used worldwide in thousands of schools, its daily articles are adapted for different grade levels to reach millions of readers. "It's important that kids understand what's going on around them," said News-O-Matic Chief Content Officer Russell Kahn. "With timely, relevant, and engaging stories, we aim to inspire and empower the next generation," he added. "And we do that with original content that's created just for kids." Thanks to the new News-O-Matic skill in FreeTime Unlimited on Alexa, a new youth audience will have the opportunity to access the newssimply by asking Alexa. FreeTime Unlimited on Alexais designed specifically for kids. It offers access to more than 1,000 Audible titles; kid-friendly, ad-free radio stations and playlists; character alarms; premium Alexa skills from brands like Sony and Disney Publishing; and much more. Now, with News-O-Matic, kids can also access daily updates and news stories that are age-appropriate. With News-O-Matic, kids can gain knowledge of a wide range of topics. They'll get to reinforce their core skills related to geography, science, and social studies and be entertained with stories of sports, space, and animals. And with school letting out for the year, the ever-changing News-O-Matic content can help prevent students' literacy skills from slipping over the summer. Daily exposure to new vocabulary and content combats the dreaded "summer slide." But do kids really need to know the news? "Yes," answers Kahn. "Children deserve the chance to learn what's happening and they are desperate for a tool that helps them understand the events shaping their world," he explained. "We're doing kids a huge disservice if we attempt to shield them from current events," added Kahn. "They just need a safe space to get the news of the day." The News-O-Matic skill is available in the Amazon FreeTime Unlimited subscription starting today. For more information on Amazon FreeTime, visit: www.amazon.com/freetime. About News-O-Matic News-O-Matic is the Daily News Just for Kids. More than 4 million kids have downloaded its app, and thousands of U.S. schools use its articles in their nonfiction literacy curriculum. News-O-Matic is an original news source for kids, not adapted texts from aggregated adult news sites. All of its daily articles are available at a variety of reading levels, read out loud, and translated into Spanish, French, and Arabic. An exciting and engaging nonfiction experience, News-O-Matic gives young readers a window into the world and a reason to love the news every day. For more information, visit: www.newsomatic.org. Media Contact: Russell Kahn, Chief Content Officer, News-O-Matic [email protected] 646.329.6593 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/news-o-matic-to-offer-news-service-for-kids-in-amazon-freetime-unlimited-on-alexa-300867543.html SOURCE News-O-Matic [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 13, 2019] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Continues Investigation on Behalf of Zuora Inc. Investors (ZUO) Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces the continuation of its investigation on behalf of Zuora (News - Alert), Inc. ("Zuora" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZUO) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, at 10-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. On May 30, 2019, the Company lowered its fiscal 2020 revenue guidance to a range of $268 million to $278 million, from prior guidance of $289 million to $293.5 million. The Company reported problems integrating its flagship RevPro product, which it had acquired in May 2017, as well as sales execution problems. On this news, the Company's share price fell $5.91, or nearly 30%, to close at $13.99 on May 31, 2019, thereby injuring investors. If you purchased Zuora securities, have information, or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190613005813/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 13, 2019] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Continues Investigation on Behalf of Eros International Plc Investors (EROS) Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces the continuation of its investigation on behalf of Eros International Plc ("Eros" or the "Company") (NYSE: EROS) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. On June 5, 2019, the Company's Indian subsidiary's credit rating was downgraded to "Default" by India's second largest credit ratings agency over concerns of "ongoing delays/default in debt servicing due to slowdown in collection from debtors." On this news, the Company's share price fell $3.59, or nearly 49%, to close at $3.71 on June 6, 2019, thereby injuring investors. Then, on June 7, 2019, an article published by Hindenburg Research explained that the reason for the credit downgrade was due to "multiple undisclosed related-party transactions that appear designed to hide receivables," and that "a significant portion of Eros's receivables don't exist." On this news, the Company's share price fell an additional $0.41, or nearly 12%, to close at $3.30 on June 7, 2019, thereby further injuring investors. If you purchased Eros securities, have information, or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190613005821/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Last month, Boy Scout Troop 270 presented a flag flown in Normandy to a local resident whose brother died while serving in the U.S. Army during the Battle of Normandy in 1944. Private Anton Tony Czapiga entered service from Rockfall and served in the 358th Infantry, 90th Division. He landed at Utah Beach and was killed in action during an assault on Le Calais on June 17, 1944, according to information gathered by the Boy Scout troop. Czapigas sister, Stacia Bogdan, 92, of Middletown, was invited to learn about the scouts recent trip to France during their meeting on May 28. During the presentation, the scouts surprised Bogdan with a flag they had personally flown while in Normandy, as well as a photo of her brother, sand from the beaches, and some other memorabilia. It was very nice. It was meaningful for the whole family that was there, said Joseph Smith, a family member who attended the presentation. Even scout families, they were all kind of moved by it. Evan Poggio, one of the nine Troop 270 scouts to go to France, said he was proud of his troop for being able to tell Bogdan more information about her brother and how he died, some things she never knew. She was very emotional, she started crying, she said she was very happy and thankful for us to get the flag, she was very happy for that because she wanted a piece of her brother, because she didn't get anything back, Poggio said. Boy Scout Troop 270 joined more than 3,000 other Boy Scouts in Normandy in April to participate in their annual Normandy Camporee. The event is hosted by the Transatlantic Council every three years, but this year the event landed specifically on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944, when Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, leading to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germanys control. While visiting Omaha Beach, the scouts hoisted several American flags to fly above the battle site, which came home with them to share with others like Bogdan. During their long weekend trip in Normandy, Troop 270 scouts and their families also visited several museums, as well as the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial and looked for the markers of a few American soldiers to place flowers at those sites. Due to reseeding at the cemetery, they only reached Czapigas grave. Boy Scout Noah Ram was selected to sing America the Beautiful in front of a few thousand people at the Normandy Camporee with another American Boy Scout who lives in France. Poggio said the trip was a great leaning experience for the scouts and parents alike. Learning how people fought and how it impacted our country, really stood out to me, Poggio said. It definitely boosted my (appreciation) of what people did for our country. bwright@record-journal.com 203-317-2316 Twitter: @baileyfaywright [June 13, 2019] Sungrow to Demonstrate Latest Update of ESS Solutions Portfolio at Australian Energy Storage 2019 SYDNEY, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As energy storage continues to expand in Australia, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, Sungrow, demonstrated the latest updates to its Energy Storage System ("ESS") family at Australian Energy Storage 2019 in Sydney, Australia. The Australian energy storage market is estimated to be worth approximately AUD $30 billion by 2030 with almost 400 MWh of energy storage projects to be installed in C&I sector nationwide by 2022, according to industry consultants at Delta-ee. Addressing the booming market technology demands, Sungrow showcased its latest ESS solution ST68KWH-50HV for C&I applications with a higher level of integration and smarts. The storage system integrates a 50kW PCS, 68kWh lithium batteries, HVAC, and advanced battery management systems, featuring a variety of benefits including: Highly integration Highly integrated energy storage system for easy transportation and Oamp;M. Highly integrated energy storage system for easy transportation and Oamp;M. Safe and reliable DC electric circuit safety management includes fast breaking and anti-arc protection. DC electric circuit safety management includes fast breaking and anti-arc protection. Efficient and flexible Advanced PCS technology, easy for capacity expansion. Advanced PCS technology, easy for capacity expansion. Smart and friendly Integrated local controller to enable comprehensive devices management and easy for EMS access. Focusing on fast-growing residential energy systems, Sungrow also presented the residential ESS solution which consists of 5kW (SH5K-30) hybrid inverter and 4.8kWh (SBP4K8) battery pack, enabling the owner a higher investment payback. The separate design of the ESS brings a smaller footprint and greater flexibility for installations. "Sungrow is a technical leader of PV & ESS with deep experiences in integrating storage stations, especially in frequency regulation, peak-shaving, micro-grid and grid-side space. As of December 2018, Sungrow's ESS has been cumulatively applied to more than 720 projects across the globe," said Luke Lu, President of Sungrow APAC. "We recently supported diverse ESS projects in Australia such as Castle Plaza Shopping Centre on-grid project, St Luke's Anglican school on-grid project, Birchip Cropping Group on-grid/off-grid project, etc. These projects are shining examples of Sungrow's commitment to creating a sustainable future for the industry and building stronger local communities," Luke added. About Sungrow Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd ("Sungrow") is a global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables with over 82 GW installed worldwide as of March 2019. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 22-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 60 countries, maintaining a worldwide market share of over 15%. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190614/2496776-1 SOURCE Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Wirecard and Credit Agricole Payment Services Announce Next Stages of Strategic Partnership - Wirecard and Credit Agricole Payment Services (CAPS) have agreed on joint commercial business routes for tier 1 merchants - Wirecard will equip CAPS with its next-generation digital Financial Commerce Platform - CAPS will offer Wirecard's unique branded e-commerce shop extension service to their customers for a state-of-the-art Unified Commerce experience - French merchants can offer consumers the best digital shopping experience ASCHHEIM, Germany, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirecard, the global innovator leader for digital financial technology, and Credit Agricole Payment Services (CAPS), a fully-owned subsidiary of Credit Agricole, are today announcing the next stages of their digital payment agreement. Within the scope of the partnership, the two companies are shaping the future of digital commerce together and cooperating to launch a range of cross-channel acceptance and pan-European acquiring services. Since the latest update, Credit Agricole Payment Services is the first European partner to benefit from Wirecard's new e-commerce shop extension solution. It will be available at the end of the year, after a pilot phase that will start at the end of summer. Thanks to automatic updates, merchants are able to constantly optimize the digital shopping experience for consumers and offering a state-of-the-art Unified Commerce solution. Following a comprehensive technical integration of their technologies, Wircard and CAPS have agreed on joint commercial business routes for tier 1 merchants and have already issued concrete business plans to hundreds of large strategic accounts. These customers will benefit from new e-commerce payment acceptance and acquiring services, developed by Wirecard, which the two companies are jointly bringing to market. Bertrand Chevallier, CEO at Credit Agricole Payment Services, said, "Our partnership with Wirecard means for us taking big steps in terms of bringing value-added services to customers of Credit Agricole that improve the user experience. We are focusing on innovations to our merchants in France and the whole of Europe." Thorsten Holten, EVP FinTech & Financial Institutions at Wirecard, added, "Since announcing our partnership, we have been working constantly on developing joint state-of-the-art digital payment solutions as well as an effective go-to-market strategy, especially for tier 1 customers. Once it is in place, we will work on expanding our offering including our unique white labelling proposition aimed at accelerating the integration of merchants' online shops with our innovative financial commerce platform." 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. About Credit Agricole Payment Services: Credit Agricole Payment Services is France's leading provider of payment solutions with a market share of almost 30% and more than 10 billion transactions processed in 2017. Credit Agricole Payment Services offers a complete payment expertise, combining ease of use and security. Wirecard media contact: Wirecard AG Jana Tilz Tel.: +49 (0) 89-4424-1363 Email: [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Jobs in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science: Recent Campus Placement Drive Endorses the Upward Trend in Mumbai MUMBAI, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 1 lakh per month internship offered for data science According to a recent report titled 'Emerging Jobs: India' , by LinkedIn, Data Scientist holds the 5th position amongst the top emerging jobs in India. At the recent campus recruitment drive, many jobs were offered in data science, artificial intelligence, business analytics, machine learning by top firms and start-ups at Aegis School of Data Science for the students of post graduate program in data science. Business analytics and big data in association with IBM endorses the upward trend and demand of talent in the said fields. Aegis School of Data Science campus placement drive phase-1 witnessed mixed of fortune 500 companies and start-ups ranging from fields like IT, fintech, finance, FMGC, market research, artificial intelligence with prominent companies like Johnson & Johnson, Neilsen, Reliance Retail, RBL Bank, Oppo Finance, Blue Dart, Uniphore, Atos Syntel, Hexaware, Neewee, Bajaao.com and many more. Campus placement drive phase-1 highlights: Highest package: 22 lakhs Average package: 14.25 lakhs Internship offer: 1 lakh Number of offers: 75 Number of companies: 27 As of today, about 80 percent of the world's leading organizations consider data science as an important aspect of their operations, especially those who are keen to strengthen and protect their data. With the rise in competition, data scientists are being recruited to analyse data and to build data products. Their demand has increased exponentially over the past decade and is only poised to grow further which makes it a lucrative career. "We love coming back to Aegis School of Data Science. Here we find a great mix of experience and youth who have learnt the art of data from one of the best in the industry. Thisyears' experience was great and we hope the selected candidates will bring further glory to their Alma Mater," shared Suyog Joshi, Co-Founder & CEO, Neewee. "We had taken two people last year as well and the experience is really good and based on that we have come together this year with little more expectations in data analytics and engineering and other analytics profile and so far it is going well and we have identified candidates from Aegis. Overall, it is a very good experience," said Arundhati Kshirsagar, Head - Retail Analytics, Reliance Retail. Dr Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Dean, Aegis School of Data Science commented, "Aegis is primarily committed to create professionals in the field of data science with hands-on capability to address issues of decision process in the corporates. The placement programme is envisaged to cater to the growing demand of data science professionals for competitive and transforming data-driven organisations for better effectiveness." Bhupesh Daheria, CEO, Aegis School of Data Science congratulated by saying, "We congratulate all the successful candidates and wish them good luck for their journey in data Science and AI. We are glad to see the overwhelming response from the recruiters for hiring the data science talent who not only can use statistic but also various AI techniques like Machine learning, deep learning, NLP and computer vision for making sense out of the data for better decision making." "At the campus placement drive this year we found companies evaluating the candidates on their deeper understanding of subjects, and not just tools related knowledge and skills. At Aegis, fundamentals are the focus, and that has positively impacted the placement percentage," expressed Dr. Vinay Kulkarni, Director, Aegis School of Data Science. About Aegis School of Business, Data Science, Cyber Security, Blockchain and Telecom: Aegis is a leading higher education institute offering programs in exponential technologies like Data Science, AI, Machine learning, deep learning, cyber Security, blockchain etc. based in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. Aegis was founded in the year 2002 with support from Bharti Airtel to develop cross functional technology leaders. In 2015, Aegis and IBM collaborated to launch, India first Post Graduate Program (PGP) in Data Science, Business Analytics and Big Data and later-on launching PGP in Cyber Security; PGP in Applied AI; PGP in Blockchain, PGP in Full Stack Development. Aegis also has collaborated with NVIDA DLI for developing skill in applied AI and Deep Learning in India. Aegis has the largest pool of talent having experience ranging from 0 to 30 years studying full time and Executive weekend PGP Data science. Aegis has one of the best course curriculum, providing exposure to a wide range of fields, technologies and tools like Data Science, Business Analytics, Big Data, Statistics, Linear Algebra, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, ML over Microsoft Azure, ML over AWS, Visualization, R, Python, Google Tensorflow, Qlik sense, Tableau, Hadoop, Spark, SQL, IBM SPSS, IBM Watson, IBM Cognos BI, Marketing Analytics, Financial Analytics, People Analytics, Social Media Analytics, Operations Analytics and many more. Participants work on real life project from industry, multiple portfolio projects and a capstone project. For more information, please visit www.aegis.edu.in & www.mUniversity.mobi/aegis Media Contact: Parmpreet Kaur [email protected] +91-9870390819 Communicate India [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Egress Software to Lead Session on Machine Learning at 2019 ISSA CISO Executive Forum Egress, a leading provider of data privacy and compliance software designed to secure unstructured data, today announced that its Director of Technical Services for North America, Jon Mead, will present a session titled, "Machine Learning: Addressing the Disillusionment to Bring Actual Business Benefit," at the 2019 ISSA CISO Executive Forum, taking place June 13-14, 2019 in Boston. Egress recently released Risk-Based Protection, which uses machine learning to analyze end-users' behavior and interactions to prescribe actions or processes, such as right-sizing email encryption in line with the actual risk of a data breach and preventing emails being sent to incorrect recipients. In this presentation, Mead will cover how to take a business problem and solve it with machine learning, highlight common pitfalls that companies face when employing machine learning, and provide an overview of how Egress as an organization addressed these pitfalls in a real-world example. Who: Jon Mead, Director of Technical Services for North America, Egress What: "Machine Learning: Addressing the Disillusionment to Bring Actual Business Benefit" 'Machine learning' is one of those cringy phrases, almost (if not already) taboo in the world of high-tech SaaS (News - Alert). Applying true machine learning to an organization's product(s), however, can have real benefit for the business, their clients, and the industry as a whole. From credit card fraud investigations to the way that a car is built, machine learning has permeated our everyday life without a common understanding of what it is and how to implement it. When: Friday, June 14, 2019, 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM ET Where: 2019 ISSA CISO Executive Forum Hilton Boston/Woburn 2 Forbes Road Woburn, MA The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) created the exclusive CISO Executive Membership program to give executives an environment to achieve mutual success. Connecting professionals to a large network of peers, valuable information, and top industry experts, the program is a functional resource for members to advance personal and industry understanding of critical issues in information security. About Egress Software Technologies Egress takes a people-centric approach to data security - helping users receive, manage and share sensitive data securely to meet compliance requirements and drive business productivity. Using machine learning, Egress ensures information is protected relative to the risk of a data breach and reduces user friction to ensure smooth adoption. Trusted by enterprise organizations and governments around the globe, Egress' award-winning platform provides email encryption, secure file transfer and online collaboration services, as well as risk management, accidental send prevention, and compliance auditing and reporting. A privately-held company, Egress has offices in the UK, the US, Canada and the Netherlands. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005008/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] VAI and Infocon Systems Partner to Offer a Cloud-Based EDI Platform for Efficient Transaction Processing VAI, a leading ERP software developer, announced that it has partnered with Infocon Systems, a provider of electronic data interchange (EDI) solutions and services. With this partnership, VAI (News - Alert) can offer its S2K customers a standardized method of exchanging electronic business documents with a fully managed, easy to use, cloud-based platform that can be integrated into core business applications. This partnership eliminates the need for manual data-entry, creating a more productive workflow. The Infocon EDI solution is an electronic exchange of business documents including, but not limited to, purchase orders, invoices, and shipment notices. Users can quickly deploy new EDI trading partners, while layering proven integration into VAI's S2K Enterprise platform. The Infocon solution offers an agile integration throughout S2K Enterprise, which equates to faster order-to-cash cycles, reduced errors, and a higher level of customer service. "Infocon supports every market segment that VAI supports, allowing us to enable any EDI trading partner, any industry, and any integration," said Maggie Kelleher, Director of Business Development at VAI. "S2K customers have been looking for a solution that expedites business cycles, improves document accuracy, and increases transaction visibility, and Infocon provides all of that and more in an easy and affordable platform. With its cloud-based EDI Infrastructure, our customers can concentrate on running their core business, which is exactly what we're here to help them do." VAI customers can purchase Infocon for a monthly subscription payment, eliminating the typical hefty license and maintenancefees. Infocon also offers 24/7/365 support for all customers, enabling businesses to reallocate resources that used to be dedicated to EDI support to other business-critical functions. "We have a robust support team who monitors every transaction around the clock, and this has been a key driver for many customers," said Kush Nijhawan, Infocon Systems' Vice President. "In addition to our support, our solution offers a host of benefits for VAI's customers, all in a very simple integration with the S2K ERP platform. We have an easy-to-use EDI Web Portal which takes about an hour to train new users. By outsourcing EDI, most technology executives realize that they can significantly reduce in-house resource costs, and operate smoothly and effortlessly." About Infocon Systems Infocon Systems is an established EDI solutions company providing a fully managed, easy to use Cloud-based platform and B2B integration into your core business applications. Headquartered in Louisville, KY and backed by a dedicated team of experts for over 30 years, Infocon has been connecting EDI partners with their customers and suppliers, while maintaining seamless workflows to make your transaction processing the most efficient. Our friendly and knowledgeable support team offers 24/7 follow-up, and allows Infocon to make a difference where it matters the most. For more information, visit https://www.infoconn.com/ or email [email protected] About VAI VAI is a leading independent mid-market ERP software developer renowned for its flexible solutions and ability to automate critical business functions for the distribution, manufacturing, retail, and service sectors. VAI's software solutions are backed by a wealth of experience and a reputation for excellence that countless companies rely on. With specific ERP solutions for Hard Goods, Food, and Pharmaceutical companies, VAI has helped some of the most recognized companies address key industry requirements and deliver bottom-line results. VAI continues to innovate with new solutions that leverage analytics, business intelligence, mobility, and cloud technology to help customers make more informed business decisions and empower their mobile workforce. VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, NY, with branch offices located in Florida, Illinois, and California. For more information, visit www.vai.net, follow @VAISoftware on Twitter (News - Alert), vai_software on Instagram, and "like us" on facebook.com/VAISoftware. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005032/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Monetate Appoints CMO Lisa Kalscheur to Fuel Customer Growth and Support Global Demand for Smarter Personalization Technology Monetate, the worldwide leader in personalization, today announces its appointment of CMO Lisa Kalscheur to lead the company's next phase of growth. Kalscheur's hire is representative of the company's momentum, marking its next phase of growth. Monetate maintains strong demand among leading consumer brands, including QVC, Timberland, Carnival, and The North Face for technology that improves the customer experience and personalization strategies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005212/en/ Monetate Appoints CMO Lisa Kalscheur, former AppNexus VP | Meet with her and Monetate at #CannesLions2019 http://bit.ly/2X6lroS (Photo: Business Wire) Expanded Monetate executive team aligned with company's investment to capitalize on the growing appetite for stronger personalization technology "Lisa Kalscheur brings rich experience in leading brands to achieve market leadership. Her comprehensive knowledge of the Chief Marketing Officer's mandate to deliver a differentiated customer experince positions Monetate strongly for continued success," said Stephen Collins, CEO, Monetate. "With Lisa's global remit, she will build on her successful industry track record of driving company growth by leading teams and initiatives that best meet the nuanced marketing needs of the world's largest consumer brands." Kalscheur is an accomplished executive and industry speaker on topics including building brands to diversity and inclusion. "Personalization is the key to any brand staying competitive and relevant in the age of Amazon, and Monetate is in a unique position in the marketing industry to deliver a solution that allows customers to win by providing a superior customer experience," said Lisa Kalscheur, CMO, Monetate. "I'm honored to be part of this world-class team." Monetate and Kalscheur will be at Cannes Lions. To meet with the company, visit their suite at the MediaLink Beach House and schedule here: https://get.monetate.com/monetate-at-cannes-lions/. About Monetate Monetate, the global leader in personalization software for consumer-facing brands, enables marketers to grow more of their customers into their best customers. Monetate's industry-first programmatic Personalization Exchange allows brands to create a more relevant and personalized customer experience. Powered by artificial intelligence, the Monetate Personalization Engine enables brands to connect all of their data sources to make the most intelligent decisions possible regarding every interaction with each customer. Founded in 2008, with offices in the U.S. and Europe, Monetate is used by leading brands around the world and influences billions of dollars in revenue every year for QVC, Newegg, Timberland, Carnival, The North Face, and hundreds of other market leaders. Learn more at www.monetate.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005212/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Government of Canada Approves Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project to Grow the Economy and Protect the Environment OTTAWA, June 14, 2019 /CNW/ - Canadians understand that for good projects to move ahead and grow our economy, we must protect our environment and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples. Clean, renewable energy is a key part of Canada's energy future, and the federal government is committed to supporting such projects. That is why the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced that the Governor in Council has approved Manitoba Hydro's $453 million Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project. This decision was made after reviewing: the National Energy Board's Reasons for Decision Report, which recommended the project be approved, subject to 28 conditions, and the Crown Consultation and Accommodation Report, which outlines the government's extensive consultations with Indigenous groups potentially impacted by the proposed project. The government is committed to getting good projects built in the right way. This important clean power project will: create good, middle-class jobs for Canadians, enhance the competitiveness of Canada's electricity market, electricity market, support a minimum of 20 percent of construction contracts that involve purchases from Indigenous suppliers, contracts with Indigenous subcontractors, and the employment and training of Indigenous peoples, strengthen our important relationship on energy with the United States by increasing Canada's electricity exports, and by increasing electricity exports, and protect the environment by supporting growth in renewables and reduce GHG emissions by more than 3 million tonnes by displacing production from coal-fired generation and other sources of electricit. Canada is committed to making sure Indigenous concerns and interests are understood, responded to in a meaningful way and, and where appropriate, accommodated. The Government of Canada is confident that it has fulfilled its duty to consult. As part of today's announcement, the government has directed the NEB to amend five project conditions in order to respond to and accommodate concerns raised by Indigenous groups during the Crown consultation process. The modification of NEB conditions is responsive to the guidance provided by the Federal Court of Appeal decision on the Trans Mountain Expansion project. The government also responded to three suggestions made by the NEB in its Reasons for Decision Report, including through the creation of a terrestrial and cultural studies initiative to support Indigenous-led studies on issues related to the project. The government listened to and appreciates the concerns raised by Indigenous groups about the agreements withdrawn by the Government of Manitoba. As was done throughout the consultation process, the Government of Canada continues to encourage all parties to work together to resolve these issues. The federal government will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous groups to advance reconciliation, including through economic opportunities. Approving good projects following thorough reviews is part of the government's plan to create good, middle class jobs, protect the environment, and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Quotes "Canadians understand that a clean, modern, and resilient electricity network helps fight climate change and transition to a lower carbon economy. The Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project achieves these goals while enhancing the competitiveness of our electricity market and creating good, middle class jobs." Amarjeet Sohi Minister of Natural Resources Quick Facts: The project will consist of the Dorsey Interprovincial Power Line (IPL) and modifications to two existing transmission lines. The Dorsey IPL is a 213 kilometer, 500 kilovolt power line that would extend from northwest of Winnipeg to the State of Minnesota , crossing the Canada - United States border near Piney, Manitoba . to the , crossing the - border near . The Government's approval of Manitoba Hydro's $453 million project is subject to 64 Manitoba licence conditions and 28 National Energy Board (NEB) conditions to ensure the safe construction and operation of the project, environmental protections, and ongoing engagement with Indigenous groups. project is subject to 64 Manitoba licence conditions and 28 National Energy Board (NEB) conditions to ensure the safe construction and operation of the project, environmental protections, and ongoing engagement with Indigenous groups. The NEB will now issue a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. Prior to construction, Manitoba Hydro will need to demonstrate to the NEB how it will meet the necessary pre-construction conditions for the project, including ongoing consultations with Indigenous communities. Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Influencer Marketing Is Maturing: Here's What You Need to Know NEW YORK, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Julius, a leading influencer marketing platform, recently published its State of Influencers Report 2019 in coordination with New York public relations and digital marketing agency, Lippe Taylor. For the report, Julius conducted an in-depth survey of 300 influencers, asking about their motivations, how they leverage social media, and their preferences when working with brands. "Influencers are motivated more by the opportunity to be creative or share their passions and expertise than they are by financial drivers," says Amy Nutt, VP of Marketing, Julius. "Overall, they're thoughtful about opportunities and looking to build long-term relationships with brands that align with their audiences and content." The survey also explored influencers' approach to authenticity, regulations, management, and compensation. Despite media reports to the contrary, influencers have a keen sense of what behaviors are fraudulent or unethical, and fewer than 20 percent of influencers report seeing such behaviors frequently. In fact, 80 percent consider it very important to be a fan of a brand to create sponsored content for that brand, and 84 percent follow the FT guidelines for influencer marketing, using #ad, #sponsored, or #brandpartner in sponsored posts. "As marketers have become more sophisticated in their use and application of influencer marketing, so have the influencers," said Amy. "More than a third of our respondents consider being an influencer a full-time job or are transitioning to full-time soon, and 18 percent of full-time influencers earn more than $100,000 annually as an influencer. It's becoming a viable career path, and influencers are invested in keeping the industry honest and authentic." Beyond quantitative results, the survey also included the open-ended question: What's the one piece of advice you'd give marketers who are looking to partner with influencers? Respecting influencer creativity, negotiating fairly, communicating clearly, and being a good partner were all popular responses. For more on these insights, download Five Dos and Don'ts of Working with Influencers . About Julius Julius, a leading influencer marketing platform, helps marketers search influencer profiles across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, and Twitch, to discover the perfect influencer partners for their brands and manage campaigns from start to finish. Julius serves Fortune 500 companies and award-winning agencies worldwide, including 6 out of the 10 top global agencies. To learn more, visit www.juliusworks.com Contact: Caroline Pickett Julius Works Inc. 646-517-2710 [email protected] Related Links https://www.juliusworks.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/influencer-marketing-is-maturing-heres-what-you-need-to-know-300867546.html SOURCE Julius Works Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Alteryx Celebrates 2019 Analytics Excellence Award Winners and ACEs IRVINE, Calif. and NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE: AYX), revolutionizing business through data science and analytics, today announced the recipients of the 2019 Alteryx Analytics Excellence Awards and new ACE program members at the company's annual user conference, Inspire U.S. 2019. During a keynote addressing the event audience, Olivia Duane Adams, co-founder and chief customer officer, recognized Alteryx customers for driving change within their organizations and communities and pushing the boundaries of what is possible with data science and analytics. 2019 Analytics Excellence Awards Alteryx created the Alteryx Analytics Excellence Awards to celebrate users that go above and beyond to make a difference within their teams, organization, industry or community. The following use cases were selected as this year's honorees: Using Analytics to Identify Product Safety Concerns at Polaris : Jason Lahr and Jenna Melnick spearheaded a project at Polaris, using Alteryx to automate the process of identifying potential safety concerns from technical case data for Polaris' suite of snowmobile, commercial, on-road and off-road vehicles. This approach helped identify more safety issues in warranty claims and resulted in better customer service, satisfaction and retention. : and spearheaded a project at Polaris, using Alteryx to automate the process of identifying potential safety concerns from technical case data for Polaris' suite of snowmobile, commercial, on-road and off-road vehicles. This approach helped identify more safety issues in warranty claims and resulted in better customer service, satisfaction and retention. Toyo Engineering Reduces its Workload to a Fraction : Toyo Engineering, the Japanese engineering, procurement and construction company, serves the hydrocarbons and petrochemical sectors worldwide. For each of the industrial plants they partner with as a company, Shuntaro Saito , Daisuke Tsuchiya and Yasuaki Shinozaki recognized differences in conditions, situations in each phase of design, procurement and construction work, but extracting data from spreadsheets was inefficient and time-consuming. With Alteryx, the Toyo Engineering team was able to perform complicated conditional processing easily and saw their efficiency increase by 30 times when compared to their previous method. : Toyo Engineering, the Japanese engineering, procurement and construction company, serves the hydrocarbons and petrochemical sectors worldwide. For each of the industrial plants they partner with as a company, , and recognized differences in conditions, situations in each phase of design, procurement and construction work, but extracting data from spreadsheets was inefficient and time-consuming. With Alteryx, the Toyo Engineering team was able to perform complicated conditional processing easily and saw their efficiency increase by 30 times when compared to their previous method. Health Insurance Company Multiplies its Email Campaigns: Neal Thomas recognized a weakness in compiling marketing campaign data for the Medicare Marketing Department at an American health insurance company, due to a lack of a CRM tool, CRM database and siloed IT departments operating several data source systems. Utilizing Alteryx Designer, Neal successfully inceased the number of email campaigns, open rates and cost savings for each campaign, and retention rates for his company's Medicare program. recognized a weakness in compiling marketing campaign data for the Medicare Marketing Department at an American health insurance company, due to a lack of a CRM tool, CRM database and siloed IT departments operating several data source systems. Utilizing Alteryx Designer, Neal successfully inceased the number of email campaigns, open rates and cost savings for each campaign, and retention rates for his company's Medicare program. Building Aviation Charts with Designer and R: Pilots rely on manually-crafted charts to learn more about their destination airport or airfield, and these charts contain invaluable information like safety warnings, terrain contours, communication frequencies and other instructions that affect flight safety. Ozzy Campos at TerraVeta recognized that the technicians creating these charts spent a lot of their time extracting data from a database piece-by-piece. By implementing Alteryx Designer, the TerraVeta team was able to organize massive amounts of data and plot the data onto each chart with perfect accuracy, freeing up valuable time for aviation experts to focus on larger conceptual issues that require human interpretation. Pilots rely on manually-crafted charts to learn more about their destination airport or airfield, and these charts contain invaluable information like safety warnings, terrain contours, communication frequencies and other instructions that affect flight safety. at TerraVeta recognized that the technicians creating these charts spent a lot of their time extracting data from a database piece-by-piece. By implementing Alteryx Designer, the TerraVeta team was able to organize massive amounts of data and plot the data onto each chart with perfect accuracy, freeing up valuable time for aviation experts to focus on larger conceptual issues that require human interpretation. Determining the Right Location for Healthcare Facilities: Determining which communities need new physician clinics and which types of physicians should be staffed at each location is a daunting task. Bob Fulghum , president of Altab Solutions, wanted to use a data-driven approach to find the best location suited to the needs of the community for his client. Rather than having analysts sift through complicated government data and attempt to analyze it on their own, Alteryx Server, Alteryx Designer and its Spatial tools provided a reliable snapshot of physician supply and demand in the market. By leveraging Alteryx, Bob was able to obtain actionable insights in a quick and cost-effective manner. The ACE Program Alteryx also introduced the newest members of the ACE program during Inspire. These influential Alteryx superusers offer invaluable support to their peers and the broader data science and analytics community. The six new members joining the existing 26 ACEs are: Fiona Gordon , BI strategist director at Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc.: Fiona is passionate about exploring data for trends and outliers, once believing she could not do her job successfully without code, until she found Alteryx. Fiona says Alteryx is to data what peanut butter is to jelly. Fiona is passionate about exploring data for trends and outliers, once believing she could not do her job successfully without code, until she found Alteryx. Fiona says Alteryx is to data what peanut butter is to jelly. Kenda Barnes , actuarial analyst at MedPro Group: Kenda co-leads the Indianapolis Alteryx User Group and is eager to share her journey with a global community, bringing together analysts with different backgrounds and skill sets. Kenda co-leads the Indianapolis Alteryx User Group and is eager to share her journey with a global community, bringing together analysts with different backgrounds and skill sets. Nick Haylund, creator at nyxDATA : Nick grew from an analyst drowning in spreadsheets and SQL to thriving as a creator, advocate and champion of self-service analytics. Nick co-leads the Minneapolis Alteryx User Group and loves sharing his journey with the global community both online and offline. : Nick grew from an analyst drowning in spreadsheets and SQL to thriving as a creator, advocate and champion of self-service analytics. Nick co-leads the Minneapolis Alteryx User Group and loves sharing his journey with the global community both online and offline. Samantha Jayne Hughes , analytical systems developer at Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd : Samantha leads the Coventry-Midlands Alteryx User Group and mentors individuals who are carving out their analytics paths. She teaches Alteryx at Sainsbury's and cites her biggest reward as saving her team hundreds of hours and witnessing the "aha!" moment with Alteryx. : Samantha leads the Coventry-Midlands Alteryx User Group and mentors individuals who are carving out their analytics paths. She teaches Alteryx at Sainsbury's and cites her biggest reward as saving her team hundreds of hours and witnessing the "aha!" moment with Alteryx. Thales Donizeti, senior BI consultant at Five Acts: Thales is a consistent top contributor to the Alteryx Community and is spreading the thrill of solving in Brazil . He provides valuable contributions to Five Acts' customers, from integrating data sources to building predictive models. Thales is a consistent top contributor to the Alteryx Community and is spreading the thrill of solving in . He provides valuable contributions to Five Acts' customers, from integrating data sources to building predictive models. Yugandhar Muley, vice president of Global Data School: Yug co-founded and leads the Bangalore Alteryx User Group in Bangalore, India . Through Alteryx For Good, he and his team were able to bring in over 100 volunteers with Alteryx skills, delivering huge impacts for local charities. His passion for giving back to the community is unparalleled. "It's truly amazing to witness the impact that Alteryx users have on their communities, organizations and peers around the world," said Duane Adams. "This particular class of Alteryx Analytics Excellence Award winners and ACEs represent many countries, industries and backgrounds, and we are thrilled to recognize their achievements and amplification of data science and analytics around the world." For additional details on this year's submissions, visit the Excellence Awards Hall of Fame on Alteryx Community. Alteryx customers can submit use cases for Alteryx Analytics Excellence Awards consideration all year on the Alteryx Use Cases page. About Alteryx, Inc. Revolutionizing business through data science and analytics, Alteryx offers an end-to-end analytics platform that empowers data analysts and scientists alike to break data barriers, deliver insights, and experience the thrill of getting to the answer faster. Organizations all over the world rely on Alteryx daily to deliver actionable insights. For more information visit www.alteryx.com . Alteryx is a registered trademark of Alteryx, Inc. All other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alteryx-celebrates-2019-analytics-excellence-award-winners-and-aces-300866253.html SOURCE Alteryx, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Athene Announces Retirement of Frank L. Gillis, CEO of Athene Life Re and Company Co-Founder Athene Holding Ltd. ("Athene") (NYSE: ATH), a leading retirement services company, announced that Frank "Chip" Gillis, CEO of Athene Life Re Ltd. (ALRe) and Co-Founder of Athene Holding, will retire at the end of 2019. Mr. Gillis will continue his involvement with the company as Executive Chairman of the ALRe board and will serve as a board member of the newly announced Athene Co-Invest Reinsurance Affiliate (ACRA). As co-founder of Athene, Mr. Gillis worked for two years to raise capital leading up to July 2009, when Athene was officially formed and licensed. His deep knowledge of the reinsurance industry and strong business relationships led to Athene's first reinsurance deal. Since then, Mr. Gillis has been responsible for leading the growth of Athene's reinsurance channel, which has completed agreements with nearly two dozen third-party cedents since inception. "Chip's knowledge, expertise and strong relationships enabled Athene to be founded and domiciled in Bermuda, which is a key competitive advantage for us. Under Chip's leadership, ALRe has become the market leader in reinsurance," said Jim Belardi, CEO of Athene. "I've tremendously valued and enjoyed my partnership and friendship with Chip, and on behalf of our board of directors and our broader team, we thank Chip for his entrepreneurial spirit, his exemplary dedication to Athene and our clients, and for the mentorship he has provided to many professionals who will drive the next chapter of Athene's growth." Chip Gillis said, "It has been my privilege to be part of Athene -- from the vision of what could be built in Bemuda, to executing the first transactions, to participating in the company's tremendous growth and delivering innovative solutions. I want to express my deep appreciation to Jim, to my colleagues, to our clients who chose us as a partner to enhance their business, and to my partners in the Bermuda financial community who have made this professional chapter so fulfilling." Over the coming months, Sean Brennan, Senior Vice President and Head of Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) at Athene, will begin to oversee the flow reinsurance business while continuing to lead the PRT channel. In this new capacity, Mr. Brennan will continue to report to Bill Wheeler, President, Athene. "Sean has been instrumental in raising the profile of and growing our pension risk transfer business," said Mr. Wheeler. "We are excited about this opportunity for Sean as he will be able to oversee ALRe's plans to build upon the excellent foundation that Chip established and expand opportunities for development within our reinsurance business." Since Mr. Brennan joined Athene in October 2017, the company has closed more than $6 billion in pension risk transfer transactions. Prior to joining Athene, Mr. Brennan was a Partner in Mercer's Financial Strategy Group, advising corporate clients on pension risk management strategies, and was Marsh & McLennan's Global Pensions Director, overseeing $15 billion in global asset-liability management. About Athene Holding Ltd. Athene, through its subsidiaries, is a leading retirement services company that issues, reinsures and acquires retirement savings products designed for the increasing number of individuals and institutions seeking to fund retirement needs. The products offered by Athene include: Retail fixed and fixed indexed annuity products; Reinsurance arrangements with third-party annuity providers; and Institutional products, such as funding agreements and group annuity contracts related to pension risk transfers. Athene had total assets of $132.9 billion as of March 31, 2019. Athene's principal subsidiaries include Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company, a Delaware-domiciled insurance company, Athene Annuity and Life Company, an Iowa-domiciled insurance company, Athene Annuity & Life Assurance Company of New York, a New York-domiciled insurance company and Athene Life Re Ltd., a Bermuda-domiciled reinsurer. Further information about our companies can be found at www.athene.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005298/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Arshad Khan By Express News Service Already struggling with falling sales and scrambling to meet the new emission norms (Bharat Stage VI or BS-VI) set to be implemented in April 2020, the governments proposed diktat to hasten electric vehicle (EV) adoption has come as major setback for auto manufacturers. The countrys automakers feel that the deadline proposed by the government to go all electric is impractical, with one of the leading players even reconsidering its future investment in India. The government is reportedly working on a draft policy which calls for banning all three-wheelers with internal combustion engines by 2023, and to replace all two-wheelers below 150 cc with electric vehicles by 2025. If the policy comes into force, it will add significant pressure on automakers, who have invested heavily in recent times on developing BS-VI compliant engines to meet new emission norms. According to reports, the industry has already invested between Rs 70,000-80,000 crore for the transition to meet BS-VI emission regulations and to move towards another newer technology in such a short span has been termed impractical. Recently, SIAM president Rajan Wadhera warned that such unrealistic expectations and policies would not only adversely affect the worlds largest two/three-wheeler industry, but may not help in making EVs acceptable to the customer and the market. Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto who underlined three key concerns said that it is ill-timed to target a date so close to BS-VI implementation. On Wednesday, Minoru Kato, president and CEO of HMSI echoed the rest of the two-wheeler industrys sentiment and said the 2025 proposal is quite early and noted that it required more deliberations. 2025 is too early to changeover to 100 per cent in below-150 cc bikes, he said. As of now, the company has no plans to launch electric two-wheelers in India. The industry, including the two-wheeler segment, has seen sales dwindling over the past year and expects higher selling prices of BS-VI compliant vehicles to put further pressure on sales from April 1 next year. In the first two months (April-May) of the current financial year, domestic two-wheeler sales have declined by nearly 12 per cent to 33.64 lakh units as against 38.09 lakh units sold the previous year. Two of the major reasons which have led to a fall in sales are the increased upfront insurance costs and a shortage in funds provided by NBFCs due to the ongoing liquidity crisis. While almost every company is now in the final stages of introducing BS-VI compliant vehicles, making them work towards the ambitious 2025 deadline for EVs can create disruption in the market. TVS Motor chairman Venu Srinivasan said, To force an unrealistic deadline for mass adoption of electric two- and three-wheelers, will not just create consumer discontent, it risks derailing auto-manufacturing in India that supports 4 million jobs. We need gradual and seamless adoption of EVs to avoid such collateral damage and ensure our technology-driven disruption is positive and lasting. [June 14, 2019] Canadian Investors Endorse Sustainable Finance Institutional investors are endorsing sustainable finance and welcoming a new report from Canada's Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance. The Expert Panel's report includes fifteen recommendations to support the growth and development of sustainable finance in Canada. Sustainable finance refers to capital flows, risk management activities, and financial processes that incorporate environmental and social factors as a means of promoting sustainable economic growth and the long-term stability of the financial system.1 The report has been welcomed by the Responsible Investment Association, a network of financial professionals and investment organizations representing more than C$12 trillion in assets under management. "Prudent investors are always mindful of big changes that are happening in the market, and climate change is one of the biggest drivers of change in the global economy today," said Dustyn Lanz, CEO of the Responsible Investment Association. "Investors need reliable information and a clear policy framework to better understand how climate change and other societal challenges could impact their portfolios. They also need a stable financial system in which to operate. The Expert Panel's report marks an important step forward on all of those fronts." INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR STATEMENTS: The Co-operators Group Ltd. "Climate change is the defining issue of our times. It has and will continue to impact the financial, social and environmental prosperity of current and future generations. As risk experts, we cannot turn a blind eye," said Rob Wesseling, President and CEO of The Co-operators Group Limited. "Our mission is to provide financial security for Canadians and their communities, and therefore we must engage on topics that risk their security. We fully support the findings of the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance, believing that Canadian financial institutions play a pivotal role in a smart transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy." University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation "We fully support the final report of the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance, and we strongly believe in the benefits of integrating ESG considerations into our investment decisions," said Daren M. Smith, Presiden and Chief Investment Officer of University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation. "In order to do this, we need high quality, reliable data, and the panel's recommendation to establish a Canadian Centre for Climate Information and Analytics would be an innovative step in this regard. Like the panel, we believe 'climate change opportunity and risk management need to become business-as-usual in financial services, and embedded in everyday business decisions, products and services.' In our view, this is just smart investing." Addenda Capital "Addressing the long-term impacts of climate change and other sustainability challenges urgently requires courageous leadership from the Canadian business community," said Roger Beauchemin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Addenda Capital. "The Expert Panel has delivered 15 recommendations that would help the financial sector further embed climate change and other sustainability considerations into everything we do. We call on our peers to join us in embracing these recommendations." NEI (News - Alert) Investments "We've long considered it our duty as responsible investors to help clients build a more sustainable future on the path to achieving their goals," said Frederick M. Pinto, Senior Vice President and Head of Asset Management with NEI Investments. "The recommendations from the Expert Panel provide a strong foundation for doing that, with the potential for new investment opportunities and risk management tools. We intend to support and participate in their implementation in whatever ways make sense for our clients, their communities, and for Canada." RBC Global Asset Management "Climate risk is one of the most pressing issues of our time, affecting almost all sectors and industries," said Melanie Adams, VP & Head, Corporate Governance & Responsible Investment with RBC Global Asset Management. "We congratulate Canada's Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance on its comprehensive report and in particular, its endorsement of thoughtful, consistent and comparable climate-related disclosures to enable investors to properly assess the climate-related risks and opportunities faced by companies." AGF Management Ltd. "There's never been more evidence that sustainability can create long-term value for shareholders, while also contributing to a better environment, healthier communities and good corporate governance practices," said Kevin McCreadie, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of AGF Management Limited. "As a leader in the development of sustainable investing initiatives, a sustaining member of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA) and signatory to the UNPRI, we continue to support the growth and development of sustainable finance in Canada through our participation in developing standards and best practices within our industry." Desjardins Group "As Canada's leading cooperative financial group, Desjardins is proud to contribute to Canada's sustainable finance market and was pleased to offer input to the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance," said Gregory Chrispin, Executive Vice-President, Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance with Desjardins Group. "Desjardins has been offering responsible investment funds to its members and clients since 1990, an offer that has been evolving ever since to better meet investors' needs. We firmly believe that sustainable finance is an important lever to Canada's sustainable prosperity." About the Responsible Investment Association The Responsible Investment Association (RIA) is a Canadian network of more than 300 institutional investors and investment professionals who practice and support responsible investing. The RIA's institutional members collectively manage more than $12 trillion in assets. To learn more about the RIA, please visit www.riacanada.ca. 1 Government of Canada (2018). Interim Report of the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance. http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/eccc/En4-350-1-2018-eng.pdf View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005273/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Cybersecurity from space: the Government of Canada invests in quantum technology LONGUEUIL, QC, June 14, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Our digital economy depends on keeping data safe from hackers. Cybersecurity is a priority for the Government of Canada. The Canadian Space Agency's Quantum EncrYption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) mission will test quantum technology that protects communications in space. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is awarding a contract worth $30 million to Honeywell for the design and implementation phases of the QEYSSat mission. Current encryption methods are expected to be rendered obsolete within the next decade by the exceptional processing power of quantum computers. Slated for launch in 2022, QEYSSat will demonstrate quantum key distribution (QKD) technology in space. This emerging encryption technology will offer Canada a new, more effective method of securing the transfer of information. Under this contract, Honeywell will build, test, deliver, provide training for and commission the QEYSSat satellite, which will create a link between ground and space to transmit encryption keys. The work is expected to extend until the end of 2022. The QEYSSat mission is the culmination of a series of research and technology development activities undertaken by the Institute for Quantum Computing, with support from the Government of Canada. It will bring Canada a step closer to an operational quantum communications service from space, and will advance technology to help meet Canada's cybersecurity priorities. The lessons learned from the QEYSSat mission will be applied to develop future operational systems for government and provide safer, more secure access to services for Canadians. Commercial applications wil include enhanced security for internet-based activities, as well as daily financial transactions such as ATM banking. In addition to the safety and security principle of Canada's Digital Charter, this initiative aligns with the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan and the new Space Strategy for Canada through enabling future secure communications, as well as enhancing security and sovereignty. Quote "The QEYSSat mission is another step forward in our government's plan to foster a Canada where citizens have confidence that their data is safe and privacy is respected. In doing so, the development of these new technologies will also bring tremendous potential to transform markets and build a stronger economy that works for everyone." The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Quick facts Quantum computers will be millions of times faster than any conventional computer, which means that they will be able to decipher passwords, personal identification numbers and other current safeguards quickly, putting confidential and personal information at risk. Current quantum encryption technology (QKD), relies on ground fibre-optic cables and is currently limited to a 200-kilometre distance. QEYSSat will seek to demonstrate QKD between a satellite and a ground network as a way to overcome the distance limits. Through testing and demonstration of the QKD in space, the CSA will provide a government-owned, space-based platform for federal stakeholders and Canada's scientific community. scientific community. Budget 2017 provided $80.9 million to the Canadian Space Agency to support new projects and utilize Canadian innovations in space including the Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) mission. This mission will support emerging Canadian capabilities in the area of quantum key distribution, which has the potential to support secure communications through unbreakable encryption codes. to the Canadian Space Agency to support new projects and utilize Canadian innovations in space including the Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat) mission. This mission will support emerging Canadian capabilities in the area of quantum key distribution, which has the potential to support secure communications through unbreakable encryption codes. The contract amount ( $30 million ) excludes taxes. Links Canadian Space Agency Space Strategy for Canada Innovation and Skills Plan Canada's Digital Charter Website: http://asc-csa.gc.ca Follow us on Social Media SOURCE Canadian Space Agency [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Decoding the Potential of Analytics Solutions to Empower Businesses in 2019 | A New Article by Quantzig Quantzig, a leading analytics advisory firm that delivers customized analytics solutions, has announced the completion of their new article on analytics solutions. Data analytics solutions have become a prerequisite for businesses today to excel in a competitive marketplace. By leveraging data analytics solutions companies, especially in the B2B marketplace, are able to devise effective and highly specific campaigns to reach out to prospects. Also, data analytics solutions are helping companies to make better use of their customer and user experience data, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty in the long term. With the help of algorithms, data analytics solutions help companies to anticipate market demands to offer the product or service before it is requested. Additionally, advanced data analytics solutions enable enterprises to react in real time and make the customers feel personally valued. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005363/en/ How data analytics solutions can help companies across industries? (Graphic: Business Wire) "Applying analytics solutions to business operations helps companies to improve efficiency and effectiveness and fulfill customer expectations and achieve operational excellence," says an analytics expert from Quantzig. Are you finding it difficult to anticipate your capacity to meet your client's request? Our analytics solutions can help. Get in touch with our experts now. How Data Analytics Solutions Can Help Companies Across Industries Benefits of data analytics solutions for e-commerce businesses Data analytics solutions such as web crawling and text mining solutions can help e-commerce businesses to tackle critical challenges in dynamic pricing, new product research, and competitor research. Also, it can assist companies in optimizing pricing points, product portfolios and to boost profitability. Benefits of data analytics solutions for healthcare companies Healthcare companies are dealing with several challenges such as rising cost of care, medicinal and technological advancements and changes in policy and regulations. But data analytics solutions can help them to minimize healthcare waste, provide cost-effective treatments to patients and reduce hospital readmissions. Our analytics experts can help you derive actionable insights from large and complex data sets through customized analytics dashboards. Request a free demo now to know more. Benefits of data analytics solutions for B2B companies Companies in the B2B marketplace are finding it difficult to analyze the future impact of a change in marketing metrics and optimize their investments to drive profits. Also, several external factors are resulting in an increase in the market spend for B2B businesses. This is where data analytics solutions such as market mix modeling can help companies to set the correct foundation for their marketing strategies and branding solutions. Want to know more about how data analytics can help you in improving your business operations? Read the complete article here. Quantzig's data analytics solutions help companies to manage large volumes of data and set up analytical frameworks to derive real-time insights that facilitate more informed decisions. Request a free proposal to gain better insights. About Quantzig Quantzig is a global analytics and advisory firm with offices in the US, UK, Canada, China, and India. For more than 15 years, we have assisted our clients across the globe with end-to-end data modeling capabilities to leverage analytics for prudent decision making. Today, our firm consists of 120+ clients, including 45 Fortune 500 companies. For more information on our engagement policies and pricing plans, visit: https://www.quantzig.com/request-for-proposal View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005363/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Association of Corporate Treasurers Magazine Subscription - ResearchAndMarkets.com The "The Treasurer" newsletter has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Treasurer is the official magazine of The Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT), designed to inform and stimulate debate within the treasury community. It is read by an international audience of treasury and finance professionals, from senior group tresurers, FDs and CFOs to the treasurers of tomorrow. Each issue covers the hot topics in treasury, interviews with high-profile practitioners, advice on career development, and articles covering all aspects of treasury competency. The print magazine is complemented by the website, where readers can continue the conversation online, and read exclusive content. The Treasurer has an international readership, with over 50% of its readers based outside the UK. For more information about this newsletter visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3dvibk View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005412/en/ [June 14, 2019] Arabesque's Chairman Georg Kell Joins Leading Global Investors and Energy Executives at Vatican Meeting on Climate Change LONDON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Georg Kell, Chairman of the Arabesque group, participated alongside other leading global investors and oil and gas industry executives at a summit held today at the Vatican to accelerate action on climate change, it was announced. Following two days of dialogue between senior Vatican officials, investors and energy company executives setting out a collective commitment to tackle climate change, Pope Francis addressed attendees by calling for "open, transparent, science-based and standardised reporting of climate risk". Entitled 'The Vatican Dialogues: The Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home', the two-day summit, hosted by the Vatican and the University of Notre Dame, saw investors and oil and gas industry leaders discuss a transition to a net-zero carbon economy, in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. To accelerate global transformation towards low carbon economies, allparticipants agreed in a signed statement to support 'economically meaningful' carbon pricing, and climate-related disclosure. Speaking at the Vatican, Kell said: "In 2015, the world made a commitment to restrict global warming to below 2C and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C. To stand a chance of meeting these goals, a huge level of effort is required by companies across all sectors around the globe, and particularly those in the oil and gas sector. As investors, it is imperative we do all we can to ensure the Paris agreement is met, and that we work with energy leaders to transition towards a low carbon economy. "It's an honour to represent Arabesque at this week's Vatican forum and, under the guidance of His Holiness Pope Francis, to work alongside other investors and sector leaders to take critical action against climate change. If we are to succeed, it will be for the wellbeing and security of all." Prior to joining the Arabesque group's Board in 2015, Georg Kell was the founding Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative with over 10,000 corporate signatories in more than 160 countries. He is joined on the Arabesque Board by some of the world's foremost figures in sustainable development including Dr Carolyn Woo, former President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, and former Dean of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arabesques-chairman-georg-kell-joins-leading-global-investors-and-energy-executives-at-vatican-meeting-on-climate-change-300867893.html SOURCE Arabesque [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Innovusion Announces Its High-Resolution Image-Grade LiDAR System "Cheetah", Enabling the Safest Performance in the Vehicle Mobility Industry Innovusion Inc., the worldwide leader in the design and development of innovative hybrid Solid State LiDAR systems for vehicle safety applications, has announced the availability of its Cheetah system. Based on its innovative rotating polygon optical architecture, Innovusion has melded together proprietary detector electronics, advanced optics and sophisticated software algorithms to offer a system that has no equal in the long-distance, high-resolution LiDAR vehicle mobility system industry. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005448/en/ Innovusion's Cheetah long-distance LiDAR System...the safest in the mobility safety industry (Graphic: Business Wire) Smart architecture, streamlined optics design, and integrated optical paths result in rapid manufacturing, scalability into automotive production, and lower cost. The ability to provide a detection range of 200 meters on objects with 10% reflectivity and clearly detecting objects out to 280 meters, provides the best and most advanced notification available today, creating more reaction time for the vehicle to determine the best course of action resulting in optimum safety performance. The system achieves picture-like imaging due to its high number of vertical and horizontal scanning lines covering the entire field of view. Every object is represented by an exceptionally dense poin cloud, resulting in optimum safety through the ability to not miss important objects in the field of view. Because Cheetah's exceptional image quality, its point cloud is especially suitable for fusing with camera data in the pixel level, producing a rich data set resulting in groundbreaking reliable object detection and classification. Based on its superior performance enabled by the innovative rotating polygon approach, unique detector electronics and proprietary algorithms, the Cheetah platform is ideal for safety system architects as the main perception sensor for L3+ autonomous vehicles, thus reducing the need for multiple LiDAR systems. Key specifications of the Cheetah system include a screen resolution of 300 vertical pixels, while simultaneously maintaining a frame rate of 10Hz. Picture like resolution is achieved though its 0.13-degree resolution over its 40-degree vertical FOV, and 0.14-degree resolution over its 100-degree horizontal FOV. Because of the efficient rotating polygon architecture, Cheetah draws under 40W, making it the most energy efficient system of any high- performance LiDAR currently available. The Cheetah LiDAR platform is miniature and robust with the sensor head dimension measuring 112 mm (h) x 145 mm (w) x 105 mm(d), with a roadmap to substantially reduce the future footprint and formfactor. Dr. Junwei Bao, Innovusion CEO said, "Our technology strategy was to create the Cheetah platform using a judicious combination of mature industry-proven technology combined with innovative in-house optical and systems expertise to be able to optimize the price/performance and manufacturability of the resulting solution. Our team of innovative and highly-skilled precision optical system designers created the industry's first Image grade high performance polygon-based solution that is robust enough for the demanding requirements of the automotive industry. We knew early on in order to build the safest mobility system possible, we needed to utilize 1550nm laser combined with a large aperture polygon to achieve the best possible distance and resolution thus maximizing reliability and safety. We believe that Cheetah delivers picture-like images and the best price/performance offering in the industry today which we are confident will result in its rapid adoption in the marketplace." Applications include vehicle safety systems, autonomous vehicle systems and V2X (vehicle-to-everything) for automobiles, trucks, buses, trains and off-road vehicles. Single unit price is $35,000 for small quantities. ABOUT INNOVUSION Innovusion Inc., a private company, was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Los Altos, California. It is the world's leader in image-quality, long-distance LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) systems. Its first product, Cheetah, employs its proprietary innovative reliable dual rotating polygon design which enables the world's safest solution for Level 3+ Autonomous Driving Systems for vehicle mobility applications. It successfully concluded its A Round funding of $30 M in Summer 2018. Please visit us on the web at www.innovusion.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005448/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation Awards $150,000 in Scholarship Money Northwest Federal Credit Union's charitable arm, the NWFCU Foundation, recently awarded $150,000 in scholarships to college-bound individuals, including $20,000 to Northern Virginia Community College for their "Lifeline Grant," an emergency relief fund for students on their campuses. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005460/en/ 2019 Scholarship Recipients (Photo: Business Wire) "It is our privilege to award these outstanding studens $5,000 each to assist them in pursuing their higher education goals," said Executive Director of the Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation, Kaycee Childress. "We also want to sincerely thank our scholarship committee and our donors, both individuals and businesses, who have given their time and funds to help a deserving group of young people achieve their dreams." The Foundation has awarded nearly $1.4 million in scholarships to 310 recipients from 22 states since its inception. This represents 102 colleges in the United States where students have attended due in part to the generosity of Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation donors. About Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation The NWFCU Foundation was established in 2004 to promote and manage Northwest Federal Credit Union's philanthropic activities. The mission of NWFCU Foundation is to empower youth to achieve their goals by helping them learn and celebrate life and supporting their health and well-being. The NWFCU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent permissible by law for those who itemize deductions. For more information, visit www.nwfcufoundation.org. About Northwest Federal Credit Union Northwest Federal Credit Union is a full-service financial institution ranking among the largest credit unions in Virginia and in the top 60 credit unions in the nation. Established in 1947 and headquartered in Herndon, Va., Northwest Federal's Why is to serve and inspire to transform lives. The Credit Union currently serves more than 260,000 members and has assets in excess of $3.4 billion. For more information, visit www.nwfcu.org or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005460/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Government of Canada invests in protecting children and youth from online exploitation COQUITLAM, BC, June 14, 2019 /CNW/ - Protecting Canadians, especially children and youth, from sexual exploitation on and offline is a priority the Government of Canada takes very seriously. The government is taking a leadership role in combatting this serious crime and is supporting the efforts of the Children of the Street Society (COS). Today, the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, the Honourable Bill Blair, announced $150,000 in federal funding over four years to support COS' project: Keeping Kids Safe Online. These efforts will help develop and deliver over 300 educational workshops to over 5,300 young people and educate over 1,000 adults to raise awareness. The workshops will be primarily delivered in mainstream schools, and will include interactive and multi-media engagement. They will also present to youth in custody, teen parent groups, drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities, and Indigenous and LGBTQ2 youth groups. This will help these communities achieve their full potential. Overall, COS's project will give children and youth the information and practical tools they need to be safe online from predators. COS will also equip adults, such as parents, caregivers and educators, to give young people the skills they need to recognize sexual exploitation and prevent it from happening to themselves and others. Quotes "Community organizations such as the Children of the Street Society are working with all members of the community to ensure we protect our kids and give them the knowledge and supports to reach their full potential. The anonymous nature of the internet has emboldened offenders to meet, groom and abuse victims online. Having the proper tools and systems in place ensures we are protecting the safety of our kids in the online world. It's critical that victims and survivors have the support they need to recover and reclaim their lives." - The Honourable Bill Blair, Miniser of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction "All facets of sexual exploitation and human trafficking have moved online from recruitment to purchasing. That's why we are so pleased to be able to deliver prevention workshops offering concrete tips for youth on how to stay safe online. We would not have been able to offer these workshops without the support from Public Safety Canada." - Diane Sowden, Executive Director, Children of the Street Society Quick Facts The Children of the Street Society takes a proactive approach through public awareness, education, and early intervention strategies to prevent the sexual exploitation and human trafficking of children and youth, while offering support to families. Budget 2018 announced $5.8 million annually to enhance the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Centre investigation capacity. annually to enhance the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Centre investigation capacity. Budget 2019 announced a further $22.24 million , over three years, for Public Safety to support efforts to raise awareness of this serious issue, and reduce the stigma associated with reporting. , over three years, for Public Safety to support efforts to raise awareness of this serious issue, and reduce the stigma associated with reporting. Budget 2019 also announced the Government of Canada will develop a new whole-of-government strategy to combat human trafficking, to support victims, protect the most vulnerable and bring perpetrators to justice. will develop a new whole-of-government strategy to combat human trafficking, to support victims, protect the most vulnerable and bring perpetrators to justice. The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-833-900-1010) refers victims and survivors to local law enforcement, emergency shelters and a range of other trauma-informed services and support. Associated Links Children of the Street Society Cybertip.ca Child Sexual Exploitation on the Internet RCMP National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline Get Cyber Safe Follow Public Safety Canada (@Safety_Canada) on Twitter. For more information, please visit the website www.publicsafety.gc.ca. SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Totango Wins Prestigious 2019 SIIA CODiE Award for Best Customer Success Management Solution SAN MATEO, Calif., June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Totango, the leader in customer success for the enterprise, today announced that its flagship software platform Spark was awarded Best Customer Success Management Solution by the 2019 SIIA CODiE Awards. As the first and only customer success solution focused on goals, Spark enables Customer Success teams, account management, support, sales operations, product and services organizations across an entire enterprise to engage at every stage of the customer journey with the right information, goals and metrics. Having recently won two silver Stevie American Business Awards in the categories of Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year and Cloud Application/Service, Totango's recognition by the CODiE Awards continues to cement its position as the leader in enterprise customer success. "We are honored that Spark has been recognized as the Best Customer Succss Management solution. Winning this award further validates that Totango's approach to customer success is the right one," said Guy Nirpaz, CEO and Founder, Totango. "Instead of simply creating data visualizations, Spark empowers enterprises to quickly unlock valuable insights from data to operationalize customer-centricity across their organization. Doing so, enterprises can realize outsized business growth and complete their digital transformation." In today's Customer Centered Economy, where the customer is the primary orientation point for business and all data from disparate systems is seen from the point of view of the customer at the center, enterprises must connect the dots of customer data and operationalize customer centricity across their organization to successfully grow their business. With Spark, enterprises can target and execute on activities that will have the biggest impact on business results in the shortest amount of time within weeks, not months or years. Spark's built-in SuccessBLOCS, the industry's only module-based approach to customer success, democratizes access to customer data across an organization and segments the customer journey into easily-manageable increments. This empowers enterprises to act on insights surfaced from customer data across the customer lifecycle to realize outsized business results. "The CODiE Awards have long recognized the most innovative, best-in-class products in the market. The 2019 winners continue this grand tradition," said Jeff Joseph, SIIA President. "We recognized Totango's demonstrated leadership in enterprise customer success and congratulate the company on this achievement." The SIIA CODiE Awards recognize the companies producing the most innovative business technology products across the country and around the world. As the industry's only peer-reviewed awards program, the CODiE Awards are judged by software and business technology experts, including members of the industry, analysts, media, bloggers, bankers, investors and SIIA members. To learn more about Totango Spark, visit: https://www.totango.com/spark. About Totango Totango is the leading Customer Success solution for the enterprise. Our platform provides access to all customer information, best practices, and relevant metrics so enterprises can proactively and intelligently operate their company around their customers. Leading customer-centric enterprises such as Dimension Data, Monster and Zoom use Totango to drive customer adoption, retention, expansion and advocacy. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/totango-wins-prestigious-2019-siia-codie-award-for-best-customer-success-management-solution-300867992.html SOURCE Totango [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [June 14, 2019] Mood Media Announces Acquisition of Leading Regional In-Store Media Firm South Central A\V Mood Media, the world's leading in-store media solutions company dedicated to elevating the Customer Experience, announced today that it has acquired all assets of its largest independent affiliate, Nashville-based South Central A\V. As a Mood affiliate and with a history dating back to 1946, South Central A\V provides sight, sound, scent and audio-visual systems solutions to businesses throughout the US including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee. The acquisition is consistent with Mood's ongoing strategic efforts to expand its core audio and visual markets, including its acquisition of Birmingham-based focus4media in July of last year. "This latest acquisition allows us to broaden our US footprint, further develop sales opportunities and solutions, and ultimately serves to support our continued worldwide growth strategy," said Ken Essing, Mood Media's President. "We look forward to working together with South Central A\V's strong leadership team to ensure continued client service excellence in the region." "The timing was right for both parties to enter into this new chapter," said JP Engelbrecht, South Central Inc.'s CEO and whose family has owned the South Central A\V business for three generations. "I'm incredibly proud of what our team and our family built, but I'm also excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead for us, together." "As the largest Mood Independent Affiliate in North America, this newest acquisition brings together two great organizations that will no doubt strengthen our collective future endeavors," said David Hoodis, Mood Media's CEO. "It's also yet another example of our ongoing efforts to expand Mood's audio and visual markets." For existing South Central A\V (now Mood) clients, Eissing, Hoodis and Engelbrecht noted that they will work to ensure a seamless transition without any service or agreement interruptions. About Mood Media Mood Media is the world's leading in-store media solutions company dedicated to elevating the Customer Experience. We create greater emotional connections between brands and consumers through the right combination of sight, sound, scent, social and systems solutions. We reach more than 150 million consumers each day through more than 500,000 subscriber locations in 100+ countries around the globe. Mood's clients include businesses of all sizes and market sectors, from the world's most recognized retailers and hotels to quick-service restaurants, local banks and thousands of small businesses. For more details: www.moodmedia.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005494/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By PTI NEW DELHI: The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) -- the apex decision-making body of the Telecom Department -- Thursday cleared norms for 5G trials in India, even as the government mulls a "calibrated" view on the question of Chinese giant Huawei's participation. A decision on the contentious issue of the use of Huawei equipment in telecom infrastructure, particularly for futuristic 5G networks, is expected to be taken soon, said a senior government official who did not wish to be named. The official asserted that India will take a considered view on the matter "maximising its self-interest". When contacted, Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said: "..it will be a calibrated decision. We will ensure all security certifications, and there will be no compromise on security and equally, we will drive a hard bargain to ensure that there is space for Indian intellectual property rights (IPRs) in new 5G rollouts." "India is engaged with global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and India is also keeping track of global developments. We believe this is a huge opportunity to create a platform for 5G with Indian capabilities. So whichever OEM we partner with, one of the key considerations will be to see who will give us the best deal for Indian start-ups, Indian IPRs and Indian standards," she told reporters. Sources said a final decision will be taken soon keeping in view India's interest, capabilities, commercial and strategic requirements as well as overall geopolitical considerations. Last month, the Trump administration had placed Huawei and its affiliates on a blacklist, a move that barred the Chinese telecom equipment major from purchasing parts and components from American firms without the US government's approval. The US had subsequently relaxed some of the restrictions to reduce disruption for customers. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recently alluded to the issue, saying it was a "complex" matter and will be looked at seriously by India including security aspects. Huawei has maintained that its engagement with the Indian government for 5G trials has been "positive" and hoped that the country will make its "own independent decision" on the issue. Meanwhile, the DCC has approved norms for spectrum allocation for 5G trials based on the recommendations of a DoT-constituted committee chaired by IIT Kanpur Director Abhay Karandikar. The panel was tasked to give recommendations on the scope of 5G trials, as well as size, quantum, pricing and other aspects for offering experimental/trial spectrum. "The thrust of that is to ensure that in India, we are able to develop our own hardware devices and make available experimental spectrum on extremely liberal terms....so it is being given for a period of one year, which is extendible as compared to 3 months which was the maximum period earlier," a source said. There will be experimental and technology trial licences, applicable to all Indian entities involved in research and development, incubation, experimentation, as also telecom service providers. The licence fee has been pegged at Rs 5,000 with the simplified clearance process. It also entails a provision for 'deemed licence', aimed at promoting startups and facilitating ease of doing business. Asked when the allotment of spectrum for 5G trials will take place, the source said it will happen soon. Also, it was decided that Common Services Centres (CSCs) will leverage the fibre network in one lakh gram panchayats -- under BharatNet -- and start delivering services including maintaining wi-fi hotspots and connecting development institutions. The DCC also approved a proposal pertaining to the implementation of BharatNet in public-private partnership (PPP) mode. "Linking up to homes, linking up to development institutions and linking up to towers will be a focus on BharatNet in PPP mode," the source added. [June 14, 2019] Deadline Reminder: The Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Reminds Investors of Looming Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against Pyxus International, Inc. Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the upcoming August 6, 2019 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased Pyxus International, Inc. ("Pyxus" or the "Company") (NYSE: PYX) securities between June 7, 2018 and November 8, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investors suffering losses on their Pyxus investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to [email protected]. On November 8, 2018, the Company disclosed that sales declined approximately 12% year-over-year due to the timing of shipments and the larger crop last year in South America. On this news, the Company's share price fell $7.01, or nearly 28%, to close at $18.26 on November 8, 2018, on unusually heavy trading volume. On November 9, 2018, the SEC (News - Alert) announced that the Company had settled charges that it had materially misstated financial statements with the Commission from at least 2011 hrough the second quarter of 2015 due to improper and insufficient accounting, processes, and control activities for inventory, deferred crop costs, and revenue transactions in Africa. On this news, the Company's share price fell $2.88, or nearly 16%, to close at $15.38 on November 9, 2018, on unusually heavy trading volume. The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that the Company was experiencing longer shipping cycles; (2) that, as a result, the Company's financial results would be materially affected; (3) that the Company lacked adequate internal control over financial reporting; (4) that the Company's accounting policies were reasonably likely to lead to regulatory scrutiny; and (5) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. If you purchased shares of Pyxus during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than August 6, 2019 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005503/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Verify Announces New European Subsidiary - Verify Deutschland Verify, Inc. is pleased to announce that the Company has opened a new wholly owned European subsidiary, Verify Deutschland GmbH, to provide the full suite of Verify's Supplier Performance Management (SPM) solutions. "Verify has been providing SPM services across Europe for over 40 years," explains Verify's President, Alan McIntosh. "The launch of Verify Deutschland represents a significant and strategic expansion of our program management, business development, and operational capabilities at a key European location." Verify Deutschland's Head Office is located at: Hamburg Business Center Christoph-Probst-Weg 4, 20251 Hamburg, Germany Telephone: +49 40 401198760 To find out mor about Verify Deutschland or the Verify global enterprise, please visit www.verifyglobal.com. About Verify: Verify, Inc. is a leading provider of supplier performance management solutions for aerospace, high-technology, and quality critical applications. Since 1976, Verify services have improved supplier and program performance while reducing cost of poor quality. Headquartered in Irvine, California, with offices located throughout America, Europe, and Asia, Verify supports over 400 customers at more than 7,000 supplier locations in 53 countries helping customers receive quality product on-time from their suppliers. About Verify Deutschland: Established in 2019, Verify Deutschland GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Verify, Inc. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190614005505/en/ Huawei Mate X Has the Same Crease and Interface Problems as Galaxy Fold The first generation is going to have this problem, but it may not be as bad as some want to portray it. When Huawei announced earlier this week it was indefinitely suspending the launch of a new MateBook because U.S. sanctions were impacting its ability to build the laptop, we wondered what other Huawei products might face delays. We now have our answer Huawei's foldable smartphone. (Image credit: Tom's Guide) Huawei told CNBC today (June 14) that it was pushing back the launch of the Mate X, the folding smartphone it first unveiled at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. The Mate X was supposed to launch this month, but a Huawei spokesperson told CNBC that the phone's debut is being moved to September. The company claims that the delay has noting to do with the U.S. sanctions that forced the Chinese tech giant to scrap plans for a new MateBook earlier this week. Instead, Huawei says it's delaying the Mate X to keep testing the phone in the wake of the troubles Samsung had trying to launch its foldable phone. Samsung's Galaxy Fold was supposed to be launched in April, but after reviewers got a hold of test versions of the phone, problems started cropping up with the Fold's display. Samsung pulled the plug on the April launch to try and fix those problems, and though it's said to have come up with a solution, Samsung still hasn't announced a new launch date for the Galaxy Fold. Meanwhile, two retailers Best Buy and AT&T have cancelled Galaxy Fold pre-orders, suggesting a new release date isn't coming any time soon. Huawei clearly wants to avoid those kinds of headaches, so it's going to take more time to make sure the 2,299 Mate X (roughly $2,600) is up to snuff. We dont want to launch a product to destroy our reputation, Huawei's spokesperson told CNBC. This is a clear swipe at Samsung, whose reputation has taken a hit as result of the Fold fiasco. Still, the timing of the announcement two product postponements in the space of a week is going to fuel speculation that Huawei could be feeling the impact of the Trump administration's stepped-up campaign against the company. In addition to an executive order barring the purchase of Huawei's telecom equipment, the U.S. Department of Commerce has placed Huawei on its Entity List, which bars U.S. firms from supplying the Chinese company with hardware and software. That impacts Huawei's ability to acquire components for its phones as well as the software that powers its devices. Huawei is looking to put those fears to rest, telling CNBC that it's "confident" it can ship the device even if the U.S. ban remains in place. Huawei says its place on the Entity List doesn't impact the Mate X's ability to use Google's Android operating system, since the phone was announced well before the U.S. government took its latest action against the company. The Mate X impressed us when we saw it at Mobile World Congress. We think its Falcon Wing design, which allows the phone to fold out to reveal a bigger display is a bit more elegant than what Samsung's done with the Galaxy Fold, and its design reduces the need for camera cutouts. Here's hoping the Mate X's delay turns out to be as temporary as Huawei is promising. A yawner. Thats how an analyst with Japanese investment bank Mizuho Securities is characterizing the iPhone 11, a phone that will lack novelty for consumers. (Image credit: Onleaks/CashKaro) In a note shared with AppleInsider, the Mizuho analyst shares the same opinion as some other experts. Mizuho says that the phone will have the same design same body, same notch, same glass with the addition of the polarizing camera patch. Dont expect the specs to be much better. Same resolution, minor changes in the processor, no 5G, no 3D sensors on the back... and he claims that Apple will finally take out 3D Touch, but nobody but diehards will notice that. The only noticeable changes, according to the analyst, will be slightly narrower bezels and dual cameras for the iPhone 11R (LCD model) and triple cameras for the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11S (OLED models). The third camera will reportedly have a super-wide-angle lens of 120 degrees. MORE: When Is the iPhone 11 Release Date? This Leak Is Telling "We think the iPhone will struggle for two straight years, which would be a rare occurrence for the company," the firm said. The iPhone X wasnt the raging success Apple had hoped for, as new features like Face ID failed to justify the high $1,000 price for many shoppers. It actually failed to dominate the sales charts for the first time. The iPhone XS was more of the same, with marginal improvements which resulted in more lackluster sales. And while Apple blamed it on the market, the truth is that other manufacturers boomed like Huawei. At least until the company landed in hot water with the U.S government. Now, in a saturated market in which other manufacturers are truly pushing the technological envelope with impressive optical zooms or under-display selfie cameras at much lower costs, its uncertain how the iPhone 11 will be received. But at least according to this analyst, things don't look good. See all of the latest iPhone 11 news and leaks at our updated iPhone 11 rumor hub. Kansas City Considers Gentrification Top Priority Poll: Voters say Troost divide biggest issue for next mayor KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City mayoral race is heading into the final stretch between Councilman Quinton Lucas and Councilwoman Jolie Justus. There are several issues that matter to Kansas City voters, and 41 Action News narrowed them down to five: public safety, roads, housing, the Troost Avenue divide and development. Local School Field Trip Suffers Temp Shut Down For Rehab Truman Library And Museum Closing For A Yearlong, $25 Million Expansion And Renovation The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence will shut its doors on July 23 and remain closed for approximately one year while it undergoes a multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation. Its last day open to the public will be July 22. Free Lunch Life Lesson Hickman Mills offers 3 free meals a day during summer KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Hickman Mills C-1 School District will be offering free breakfast, lunch and supper during the summer. Nutrition Services Director Grennan Sims said it's a big need for this district. "During the school year, we serve about 10,000 meals a day, but our kids are still hungry in the summer. Fear Food For Fuel Local farmers excited consumers can buy E-15 gasoline all year GARNETT, KS (KCTV) -- President Donald Trump has thrilled corn farmers with the news that consumers can buy E-15 gasoline, or gasoline with 15% ethanol all year long. While the announcement may have farmers pleased, we wanted to know how big of a benefit it is to drivers. Ladies Lead Kansas City KCultivator Q&A: Lauren Conaway finds passion in womxn-led InnovateHER KC Editor's note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City's entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod , a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Check Glorified Graffiti Kansas City Chicanos Elizabeth Orosco Managing Editor June's First Friday in the Westside North neighborhood saw the work of various local artists at the Mattie Rhodes Center Chicano Pachanga. Local vendors set up along the street, music played, and Hamburgesa Loca's food truck offered tortas, tacos, flautas, and horchata. Soggy Kansas City Cont'd Rain showers possible Friday morning, again in the evening Temperatures will fall back to about 60 degrees tonight. Showers are possible mid-morning Friday and then possibly in the evening. X-tina is now an old school hottie and her recent adventures inspire a glimpse at #TBT pop culture . . .Closer to home, here are the most important news links we're checking tonight . . .And this is thefor right now . . . JACKSON COUNTY, MO (KCTV) - A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after a toddler he was supposed to be taking care of died after being injured. Nathaniel Littlefield pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child endangerment. 19-year-old found guilty of murder in connection with death of 17-year-old JACKSON COUNTY, MO (KCTV) - A young man has been found guilty of shooting a 17-year-old at Independence Center in 2018. Late on Thursday, a jury found Tyler J. Gates guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Shopping mass shooting consequences and a glimpse at a very young dude who now confronts the embattled Missouri corrections system. Even worse, this legal move probably won't save local retail OR make mall shoppers feel any safer. Read more: Public makes comments during meeting at Lee's Summit School District LEE'S SUMMIT, MO (KCTV) -- Over the last nine months, the Lee's Summit School District has been boiling with racial tensions. The current superintendent, Dr. Dennis Carpenter, has been the center of racist attacks. Last month, the school board voted down a chance to get equity training in the school district. You know that "conversation about race" they keep on saying we should have after every youngster shooting or old lady pushed down the stairs of her tiny one bedroom apartment??? Last night a local school district engaged in that talk . . . Newsflash: It didn't solve anything. Read more: Emotions mixed as Troost Ave. revitalization project begins KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Troost Avenue corridor continues to change as several projects are underway in Kansas City, Missouri. The the KCMO City Council Planning and Zoning Committee recently gave the green light to incentives for Midtown Redevelopment Partners to develop the Shankman and Michelson buildings into retail space, offices and a future home home for the Midwest American Indian Museum. Low-income African-American community denizens are facing the same gentrification confronted by Midtown/Downtown denizens and in the coming weeks and months we'll enjoy the artistry of their complaints as they are forced to pack their bags like everybody else. Take a look: Jayanta Roy Chowdhury By Express News Service NEW DELHI: India will delay taking up development of the Farzad B offshore gas field which it had won in Iran as US sanctions will make it difficult for OVL Videsh as well banks involved to invest $ 2.4 billion required to develop the first phase of gas field which is supposed to produce one billion cubic feet a day of gas. Top officials said the investment would be difficult under the circumstances at this juncture. We will be talking to the Iranians to ask them for more time. Once the sanctions are lifted after due negotiations we would try and invest in a fast forward mode. India has already stopped buying Iranian crude after the US made it clkear that it would not grant an exemption to India, Japan, South Korea and other nations from the unilateral embargo it was imposing on Iranian crude sales. Though Iranians are believed to have threatened that they may put up the field awarded to OVL Videsh Ltd for re-bidding in case the Indians are not interested in investing, officials said that they believe the Iranians would be willing to wait as the India-Iran relations go beyond just oil purchases and contracts. It is a strategic relationship with many facets and we feel the Iranians will appreciate our position and be sensitive to our problems, said officials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. Farzad-Bs gasfields is estimated to have a reserve of 21.6 trillion cubic feet. Initially the Iranians wanted India to commit to buy the entire output from the field before awarding it to OVL. However, India pointed out that taking the entire output top India would require setting up a huge liquification plant and the economics of the project may not work out. Ultimately, a swap deal and partial conversion to CNG was conceived for the production from the field once developed. The field itself had been explored by a consortium of ONGC Videsh and Indian Oil. Months behind schedule, KC workers continue to patch potholes Kansas City's Public Works Department is continuing its battle against potholes. The winter and spring have been among the busiest ever for the crews responsible for fixing the potholes that are responsible for damage to vehicles all over the city. Jump up and down and yell for a fix, because after the votes are counted in KCMO, there's nothing left to do but cry. Checkit: The Aston Martin DBX will soon become the newest member of a very popular niche, one that was, basically, made popular some 15 years ago when Porsche launched the Cayenne. The luxury and sports car establishment mightve laughed at the news that Stuttgarts sports car maker, famed for building the 911 for decades, lost its way and started building SUVs but, soon enough, the market demanded more super-fast and super-luxurious options and Bentley , Maserati , Land Rover, and even Lamborghini answered the call of the masses and came forth with their own SUVs. Ferrari is also expected to entertain its wealthy clientele with a high-riding Prancing Horse named the Purosangue, so Aston Martins decision to create the DBX feels normal once you take a step back and look at the whole picture. On top of that, sales of these models are what enable these manufacturers to continue to make sports cars and supercars. While production for the DBX will kick-off in earnest in the first half of 2020, Aston Martin used the unveiling of its new plant to also show to the press what has to be the production-ready version of its SUV, albeit covered in red-and-black camouflage. The version weve seen testing at the Nordschleife and the Arctic Circle among other places in the past year or so was a prototype but the body we can see on the new mule displayed at Saint Athan is the real deal that people will see in late 2019 when the official launch event will take place. Aston Martin may be late to the SUV party but the British automaker is doing everything it can to ensure that the DBX will be a success right out of the box. Its even opening a brand-new facility that will, at first, focus only on making the DBX before also assembling all of the Lagonda models. The new factory located in Saint Athan, Wales, will eventually employ up to 750 people, most from around the Vale of Glamorgan area. St. Athan, 90 acres of RAF hangars turned into a high-tech production facility Aston Martin went from being that company that produced the DB7 for a full decade to one that rolled out a new grand tourer last year in the Vantage, shocked the world with the Vulcan in 2016 and followed it up by presenting plans for the Valkyrie, a mid-engined marvel thats just the first chapter of a whole mid-engined chapter for the British automaker. In the light of all this, its not strange to see Aston Martin continue to break new ground. The Rapide E reveals Astons eco-friendly side but its the DBX that should be the companys next big hit, one that should bankroll the production of all those two-door exotics. As a small manufacturer, Aston Martin has been relying on only one factory that caters for all of its models. Thats where the Vantage gets built, as well as the Rapide and the DBS Superleggera. Located in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, this facility is two hours away from Heathrow Airport by car making it an interesting place to add to your list of go-to places once you hit the UK as factory tours are breathtaking and seeing how these exquisite machines are brought to life (almost) is amazing. Mind you, though, you wont find a production line for the DBX there. Not now, nor in 12 months time. Why? Well, because Aston Martin bought three years ago a sizeable plot of land in Wales with a former military airfield on it. Thats where the DBX will be built. Located in Saint Athan, a 15.5-mile drive away from Cardiff, the new plant "has so far created 200 jobs and is expected to create up to 550 more. Also, as a direct result of this investment, a further 3,000 jobs will likely be created across the supply chain and local businesses," according to an Aston Martin press release. Thats because the DBX wont be the only car to be built there with the entirety of the electrified Lagonda lineup set to be manufactured within the premises of the Super Hangars that once were home to army aircraft. By the time the Saint Athen factory will operate at full capacity, it is estimated that it will employ about 1,000 people but this wont happen before 2025. The Aston Martin DBX is, in a way, a make-or-break product for Aston Martin, a company that has seen rapid growth since Andy Palmer (formerly the Chief Planning Officer and Executive Vice-President of Nissan) was appointed President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda. While Aston Martin did wake up from its slumber in the five years since Palmer started heading things, its clear even to the man himself that the company is, mainly, appealing to well-to-do males. As such, it is hoped that the DBX will change that and, by doing so, itll double Aston Martins annual sales figure which sat at just over 5,100 units globally at the end of 2017. By comparison, Lamborghini sold 5,750 cars in 2018 while Porsche sold 23,504 units of the Macan alone in 2018. "The DBX is seen as being neither male- nor female-biased its neutral," Palmer said, quoted by The Guardian. Indeed, Aston Martin hopes to also attract rich businesswomen that would be interested to pay in excess of $177,000 to own a DBX. If you think the price is a bit too much, then youre right, if you compare it with a Cayenne Turbo that starts at $124,600, however, a base Bentley Bentayga will set you back $195,000 and, when loaded, it can even make $245,000 vanish from your bank account. Its clear that Aston Martin thinks the DBX will sell like hotcakes as the Saint Athan plant is capable of making up to about 7,000 vehicles of which 4,000 to 5,000 are expected to be DBXs. Palmer looks towards the Chinese market as being the most welcoming towards the DBX since its also been the one that has been the keenest to buy Aston Martin products throughout 2018, a year that hasnt been as kind to the British carmaker as 2017. According to The Guardian, "the company has been hit by higher than expected marketing costs" and these are beside the "considerable costs" that came with the public offering of the company (Aston Martin remains U.K.s only listed carmaker). Then there are the $38 million that Palmer is said to keep as Britain is expected to finally leave the European Union later this year. Overall, Aston Martin is down by $21.92 million in the first quarter of the year before taking into account the taxes. This has also been seen in the price of its shares that hovered around $24 each in October and have since dropped to just under $13 each at the beginning of this week. Still, Aston Martin is better off than other manufacturers that own plants in Britain. Take Ford, for instance, whos announced it will shut down its Bridgend in September, 2020. In the process, some 1,700 people will lose their jobs and its expected that some of them will be hired by Aston Martin with Saint Athan being just 20 minutes away - but only a few as already 100 candidates fight for every available spot at Astons second factory. Ford isnt alone in its decision to slash costs by closing a significant plant, Honda also coming forth with the announcement that the Swindon factory will close its doors forever in 2021 while Nissan decided against building the next-generation X-Trail in the U.K., at its Sunderland plant. This all paints a very grim picture for the British auto industry thats only compounded by poor sales amid tougher pollution regulations that are aimed at diesel-engined cars and also the palpable uncertainty around Brexit that pushes investors away. 2020 Aston Martin DBX - Design Aston Martin didnt only treat media with the sight of its state-of-the-art facility but also with a first look at the production version of the DBX. As youd expect, the test mule parked on the driveway in front of the factory was covered by an intricate camouflage pattern but what matters is quite easily distinguishable, especially in the back. Of course, the signature Aston Martin grille, here of massive proportions, is in its place, complete with the colored contour (a tradition that first appeared on the Aston Martin racing cars but has since been transferred to many road-going models). Below this main grille, theres another, frowny-looking, one just below and two vertical inlets on either side, below the teardrop-shaped headlights. The hood features a bulge in the middle, as the whole nose is shaped by the main grille. There are also two air vents that carve through this bulge on the hood, again, nothing new and very typical of any Aston Martin product. When viewing the DBX from the side, you can easily spot the frameless windows and the flush door handles and you can just about spot a vertical air vent (to let hot air from the brakes to go out) aft of the front wheels. The prototype seen at Saint Athen featured a panoramic sunroof and roof rails but Aston Martin fitted it with what seems to be a pair of faux ridges across the sides to hide the widening hips of the car. On top of that, theres camouflage everywhere just past the rear window all the way to the back where the C-pillar is. There should be an additional rear quarter window there too. From the sole image of the SUVs rear end, we can see that the cabin actually narrows down towards the tail section to emphasize the effect of the ducktail trunk lid. The design of the back, then, is basically a copy-paste job from the companys Vantage grand tourer and you should expect to see a strip of LEDs following the outline of the ducktail all the way to the extremities of the rear end. The other prototype weve seen before, pictured dashing through the Welsh countryside to prove that the DBX isnt just an asphalt queen, featured a pair of circular taillights mounted one above the other on either side of the trunk lid. Another thing we notice from the picture showing the rear of the DBX is that therell be a mesh grille across the entirety of the lower bumper. On the earlier prototype, the two exhaust pipes were exiting straight from the bodywork but, on this one, they exit through holes cut in this curved grille that narrows down extremely much in the middle to make room for the number plate. 2020 Aston Martin DBX - Powertrain All reports suggest that the DBX will be powered by the Mercedes-Benz-sourced twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V-8 that also powers the Vantage and the DB11. The mill, that puts out 503 horsepower and 505 pound-feet of twist, will probably be mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission that will send the power to all four wheels through some sort of an AWD platform. For the sake of context, a Cayenne Turbo, thats also motivated by a twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V-8, cranks out 542 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 568 pound-feet of twist from 1,960 rpm. This engine is also shared by the base model Bentayga while the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is powered by a monstrous 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged V-12 churning out 563 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 627 pound-feet of torque from 1,600 rpm. While the Cullinan wont go past 155 mph, the Bentayga and the Cayenne are both quicker and the DBX should be too. Also, Id think its likely to see the DBX be offered in AMR trim sooner rather than later since Aston Martin will surely want to at least be at the top of the pile in native Britain where Land Rovers models and, particularly, the Bentayga Speed are more powerful and a lot faster. The Bentley, for instance, puts out 626 horsepower and is touted as the fastest SUV on the planet as its (officially) faster than the Lamborghini Urus by 1 mph with a top speed of 191 mph. Aston Martin doesnt like losing in the arena of the GTs so I dont expect them to want to take a beating in the SUV world. Further Reading Read our full review on the 2015 Aston Martin DBX Concept. Read our full review on the 2020 Aston Martin Lagonda SUV. 2020 Aston Martin DBX Tanzanias President Magufuli will assume the chairmanship of SADC in mid-August. Important dates to note: Fourth SADC Industrialization Week (22-26 July, Dar es Salaam); SADC Council of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries (9-16 August); 39th summit of SADC Heads of State and Government (17-18 August) The 31st meeting of the SADC Committee of Trade Ministers, and the meeting of the Ministerial Working Group on Regional Economic Integration, will be held later this month in Windhoek Rwandas President Kagame delivers, tonight, the keynote address to the first-ever African Regional Conference convened by the Eisenhower Fellowships Program. The conference theme: The future of Africas global integration. Twitter updates: #EFA2019 What next after DR Congo makes formal request to join EAC bloc? (New Times) The request was made through a letter by President Felix Tshisekedi to his Rwandan counterpart, President Paul Kagame, the current Chairperson of EAC. According to President Tshisekedis letter, the need for his push for his country to join the bloc was necessitated by the growing trade volume between individual member states of the EAC and the DRC. DR Congo shares border with four of the six member EAC states. Speaking to The New Times, Olivier Nduhungirehe, the Minister of State for EAC affairs, said that Kigali on Tuesday, 11 June, duly wrote to the EAC Secretary General asking that Kinshasas request be put on the agenda of the next Summit of EAC Heads of State and Government. According to Owora Richard Othieno, Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the EAC Secretariat, 30 November is the official Summit day but if there is an urgent issue of regional importance, the Chair can call for an Extraordinary Summit any time or month. Nduhungirehe said it is a big country with huge economic opportunities and it will also be a new opportunity for the EAC to make a link between two oceans the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Andrew Mold, the Acting Director of the UN Economic Commission for Africa-Eastern Africa Sub-regional office, said that there are a number of potential arguments in favour and against. Yesterdays East African budget speeches for Fiscal Year 2019-20: pdf Kenya Budget Statement (4.89 MB) on the theme: Creating Jobs, Transforming Lives Harnessing the Big Four Plan pdf Uganda Budget Speech (710 KB) on the theme: Industrialization for Job Creation and Shared Prosperity pdf Rwanda Budget Speech (509 KB) on the theme: Transforming lives through Industrialization and Job Creation for Shared Prosperity Zimbabwe and the AfCFTA: an interview with the IMFs representative to Zimbabwe, Patrick Amir Imam (The Independent) However, for the country to fully reap the rewards from trade liberalisation, achieving macro-economic stability is a priority, and solving the currency issue is a condition sine qua non. In addition, the country must address the structural bottlenecks faced by the private sector and improve the business climate. This includes infrastructural deficits and property right issues for instance. Costs to exporters are large, thus streamlining export administrative requirements would also go a long way in improving export performance. The operationalisation of OSBPs with neighbours will augment trade further. Frankly, with or without AfCFTA, Zimbabwe should implement these reforms as it would benefit from them, but AfCFTA will boost the rewards further. As Zimbabwe is more dependent than other countries in the region on trade revenues, there is a need to mobilise domestic tax revenue to offset the expected revenue losses from AfCFTA. But overall, Zimbabwe will benefit from AfCFTA. [Zimbabwes Minister of Industry and Commerce: AfCFTA full implementation in 15 years; Cameroons National Assembly considers the ratification of the AfCFTA] Chinas trade deficit with Namibia at N$4,6b during Q1 (The Namibian) China maintained its position as Namibias biggest export market, with exports to that country at N$5,4bn, while imports were only N$859m during the first quarter of 2019. This translates to a trade surplus of about N$4,6bn for Namibia. The statistics showed that the main exports to China were copper and ores. According to the Namibia Statistics Agencys Trade Statistics Bulletin (pdf) released yesterday, South Africa followed behind China as Namibias second leading export market, with exports to that country worth N$3,6bn. Namibia mostly exported precious stones and metals, live animals and fish to South Africa. The other three leading export markets are Botswana, Belgium and Spain, with the value of exports being N$2,4bn, N$1,9bn and roughly N$942m, respectively. New Africa-Europe Digital Economy Partnership: pdf Report of the EU-AU Digital Economy Task Force (2.12 MB) . The report calls for a digital economy partnership on equal footing and based on common principles. It encourages European and African political leaders to set the priorities that will enable our economies and societies to make a success of their digital transformation and to use digital innovation to speed up the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We must focus now on involving all relevant stakeholders in shaping policies and in attracting investments. We also recognise the overarching recommendation to support an African-led process of developing harmonised rules and regulations that support the development of an African Single Digital Market. Improving the business environment and facilitation access to finance and business support services to boost digitally enabled entrepreneurship. Profiled recommendations: Embed digital entrepreneurship in regional and national policies and enable structured policy dialogue between public and private partners to inform policymakers about the most pressing actions to be made in creating a favourable environment for digital entrepreneurship, with a focus on building on regional and national partnerships. Provide capacity-building support to the African Union Commission and the Regional Economic Communities in integrating markets and promote legislation on registration, ease of doing business and mobile payments integration across borders for digital entrepreneurs. Validate and certify innovation hubs and entrepreneurship incubators with a focus on expertise in the digital economy, ensuring targeted support, i.e. in terms of specific design-thinking and digital infrastructure in the hubs. Create an EU-Africa Start-up Initiative aiming at supporting knowledge sharing between African start-ups and the EU market to increase market-access. Segment and group countries by the maturity level of their innovation ecosystem and define four or five thematic business clusters as centres of excellence, in the context of the EU-Africa Start-up Initiative to be created (proposed action under recommendation on partnerships). [Related: The real controversy about Jumia why did it list on the NYSE?; #VALUE4HERConnect Network: Africas first online platform for female agripreneurs launched in Nairobi] Joint Statement issued by France and the AUC during the first strategic dialogue devoted to regional integration, multilateral challenges. The minister (Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs) and the AUC chairperson (Moussa Faki Mahamat) notably discussed (11 June, Paris) the situations in Sudan, the CAR, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin and Somalia as well as the fight against terrorism, trafficking and irregular migration. With respect to all these issues, they agreed on the relevance of cooperation and consultations between the AU and its bilateral and multilateral partners, especially the UN and the EU. Both parties agreed on the importance of continuing to look for long-term predictable financing of peacekeeping operations under AU and UN Security Council mandates. They also applauded the historic entry in force, on 30 May, of the agreement establishing the AfCFTA. Mr Le Drian reaffirmed Frances determination to support the implementation of this initiative, together with the EU. Through the French Development Agency, France will contribute two million euros to funding a facility for technical expertise on such priority issues as regional economic integration. They highlighted the contribution of regional organizations, and especially the AU, to defending multilateralism. As part of the strategic partnership between the AU and the EU, they decided to step up coordination in international forums, at the G7 summit in Biarritz this August, at the climate action summit in September, and at next years France-Africa summit on sustainable cities. Regional Research-Policy Partnerships for Health Equity and Inclusive Development: reflections on opportunities and challenges from a Southern African perspective. This article critically reflects on the experience and lessons from a health-focused social policy research project involving a partnership spanning multiple countries across southern Africa and Europe. It asks what factors condition the efficacy of the partnershippolicy nexus. The PRARI-SADC partnership case study used participatory action research to create a regional indicators-based monitoring toolkit of propoor health policy and change for the Southern African Development Community. [Note: The case study will be launched on 8 July, in London. Access other project outputs here; IDS Bulletin: Volume 50, Issue 1] Energizing South-South trade: the global system of trade preferences among developing countries. The Agreement on the Global System of Trade Preferences offers a viable and, currently, unique interregional platform for consolidating and energizing global South-South trade cooperation. Extract (pdf): The Sao Paulo Round Protocol will enter into force after ratification by at least four of its eight signatories: Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, the Republic of Korea and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), counted as one signatory. To date, the Protocol has been ratified by India (2010), Malaysia (2011) and Cuba (2013). One additional ratification will bring it into force, though this has not yet materialized due to slow progress on ratification, possibly given changing economic circumstances and policy priorities. Consequently, the liberalization of trade among the participating countries has been held back. Based on a simulation using a computable general equilibrium model, the Global Trade Analysis Project model, preliminary UNCTAD estimates suggest that implementation of the Sao Paulo Round by all of its current signatories would result in shared welfare gains of $14bn. Enlarging the signatories of the Sao Paulo Round Protocol to include the 22 countries, and even further to all 43 members of the Global System of Trade Preferences, could significantly expand benefits and boost SouthSouth trade. Strengthening transboundary cooperation and integrated natural resources management in the Songwe river basin: project summary. The Songwe River Basin covers an estimated area of 4,200 km2 and is part of the wider Zambezi River basin. The river forms part of the formal border between Malawi and mainland Tanzania. Increasing competition for space, water and natural resources is degrading the Songwe River Basin. Both riparian countries ratified in 2017 the convention creating the Songwe River Basin Commission to sustainably manage the basin natural resources and implement the Songwe River Basin Development Programme (SRBDP). The project (pdf) is critical to prepare the ground for the implementation of the ambitious SRBDP by addressing the problem of environmental degradation. The heart of the SRBDP is a multipurpose dam (115 m high, 330 Mm3) which will supply water for a 180 MW hydropower plant, 3000 ha of irrigation scheme in each country and control floods in the lower part of the basin. It will also provide water for 86 000 dwellers. Climate financing by multilateral development banks in 2018 reaches a record high of $43.1bn. The regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South and East Asia were the top three to invest MDB climate finance. Extract (pdf): Figure 9 in the joint MDB report shows total adaptation finance by region. The largest proportions of adaptation finance were in the following regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Figure 14 shows total mitigation finance by region. The largest proportions of mitigation finance were in the following regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Non-EU Europe and Central Asia. [Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project: environmental and social review summary; SADC: Lowest rainfall in 38 years; 11th World Chambers Congress, closing today in Rio de Janeiro, spotlights climate change and sustainable development] Accorded seven accolades including top awards across Belgium, Germany, Spain and Turkey (TRAVPR.COM) SINGAPORE - June 14th, 2019 The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has won Europes Leading Serviced Apartment Brand 2019 for its Citadines properties for the fourth year running, along with six other awards at this years World Travel Awards. The annual event, held on 8th June in Madeira, Portugal, recognises leadership and excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry, based on votes by industry professionals and travellers. Ascott, one of the world's leading i]nternational lodging owner-operators, has been accorded the following awards: Europe's Leading Serviced Apartment Brand 2019: Citadines Apart'hotel Europe's Leading Serviced Apartments 2019: La Clef Champs-Elysees Paris, France Belgium's Leading Serviced Apartments 2019: Citadines Sainte-Catherine Brussels Germany's Leading Serviced Apartment Brand 2019: Citadines Apart'hotel Germany's Leading Serviced Apartments 2019: Citadines Arnulfpark Munich Spain's Leading Serviced Apartments 2019: Citadines Ramblas Barcelona Turkey's Leading Serviced Apartments 2019: Somerset Maslak Istanbul Mr Lee Ngor Houai, Ascotts Managing Director for Europe, said: We are honoured to be recognised for Ascotts quality properties and exemplary customer service across the Citadines Aparthotel and The Crest Collection brands in Europe, and for our first property in Turkey Somerset Maslak Istanbul. La Clef Champs-Elysees Paris, the third property under The Crest Collection, has just opened early this year following a two-year makeover. This year, we also look forward to the opening of two more properties in France and the United Kingdom under our well-loved Citadines brand. To further delight our guests with a wider range of privileges, we recently rolled out Ascott Star Rewards, the worlds first loyalty programme in the serviced residence industry to offer full flexibility to earn and redeem points. With these accolades, we are further motivated to push the benchmarks in delivering greater customer satisfaction and value in our work. Mr Phillipe Mettey, Ascotts Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Europe, who received the awards on behalf of the company, said: We are thrilled to win Europes Leading Serviced Apartment Brand for the fourth consecutive year, as well as Germanys Leading Serviced Apartment Brand for the seventh year running. We are incredibly proud of our employees who have displayed strong dedication and commitment to their work. We will continue to leverage Ascotts over 30 years of strong management expertise, and excite our guests with our top-notch properties, loyalty programme and customer experience. In April 2019, Ascott clinched three top accolades at the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony, including Middle Easts Leading Serviced Apartment Brand for the fourth consecutive year. From now till 31 July 2019, members of Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) can enjoy up to 40% off their stays till 31 August 2019 and earn twice the rewards points if they select the Great ASR Stay promotion and book directly via the Ascott website (www.the-ascott.com). About The Ascott Limited The Ascott Limited is a Singapore company that has grown to be one of the leading international lodging owner-operators. Ascott's portfolio spans more than 170 cities across over 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA. Ascott has close to 61,000 operating units and over 42,000 units under development, making a total of more than 103,000 units in over 670 properties. The companys serviced residence and hotel brands include Ascott, Citadines, Citadines Connect, Somerset, Quest, The Crest Collection, lyf, Preference, Vertu, Harris, Fox, Yello and POP!. Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Limited, pioneered Asia Pacific's first international-class serviced residence with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company boasts over 30 years of industry track record and award-winning brands that enjoy recognition worldwide. Ascotts achievements have been recognised internationally. Recent awards include World Travel Awards 2019 for 'Leading Serviced Apartment Brand' in Europe and the Middle East; DestinAsian Readers' Choice Awards 2019 for 'Best Serviced Residence Brand'; TTG China Travel Awards 2019 for 'Best Serviced Residence Operator in China'; World Travel Awards 2018 for 'Leading Serviced Apartment Brand' in Asia, Europe and the Middle East; Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2018 for 'Best Serviced Residence Brand'; Business Traveller UK Awards 2018 for 'Best Serviced Apartment Company' and Business Traveller China Awards 2018 for 'Best Luxury Serviced Residence Brand'. For a full list of awards, please visit https://www.the-ascott.com/ascottlimited/awards.html. About CapitaLand Limited CapitaLand is one of Asias largest real estate companies. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, it is an owner and manager of a global portfolio worth over S$103 billion as at 31 March 2019, comprising integrated developments, shopping malls, lodging, offices, homes, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and funds. CapitaLands market capitalisation is approximately S$15 billion as at 31 March 2019. Present across more than 180 cities in over 30 countries, the Group focuses on Singapore and China as core markets, while it continues to expand in markets such as Vietnam, Europe and the USA. CapitaLands competitive advantage is its significant asset base and extensive market network. Coupled with extensive design, development and operational capabilities, the Group develops and manages high-quality real estate products and services. It also has one of the largest investment management businesses in Asia and a stable of five REITs listed in Singapore and Malaysia CapitaLand Mall Trust, CapitaLand Commercial Trust, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaLand Retail China Trust and CapitaLand Malaysia Mall Trust. Visit www.capitaland.com for more information. Issued by: The Ascott Limited Website: www.the-ascott.com 168 Robinson Road, #30-01 Capital Tower, Singapore 068912 For more information, please contact: Joan Tan, Vice President, Group Communications Tel: (65) 6713 2864 Mobile: (65) 9743 9503 Email: joan.tanzm@capitaland.com Chen MeiHui, Manager, Group Communications Tel: (65) 6713 3676 Mobile: (65) 8133 8334 Email: chen.meihui@capitaland.com ### Lessons from the kitchens at Le Corbusier's Unite dHabitation in Marseille. There has been much debate on this site about the virtues of open vs. closed and separate kitchens, with this TreeHugger coming down firmly on the side of the closed kitchen, with the Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schutte-Lihotzky being the prototype, the "clean machine" for cooking. Owner Dominique Gerardin with Historian Tim Benton/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0However, while touring Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation, I visited the apartment of Dominique Gerardin, owner of the Hotel Le Corbusier, on the third floor. The kitchen is not totally original, but is mostly the one designed by Charlotte Perriand. According to Wendy Kaplan of LACMA, which owns one of the kitchens, Le Corbusier asked her to take charge of designing the kitchens and apartment furnishings for LUnite dHabitation. Le Corbusier had declared, The kitchen in Marseille should become the center of French family life, and Perriand ensured that it also heralded a new, liberated role for women. Ouvre Complet/ Le Corbusier/via Unlike the Frankfurt kitchen, which was totally separated, the Perriand design had a low wall of cabinets, accessible from either side, which gave some visual privacy but didn't cut the kitchen off completely. Model of Frankfurt Kitchen, London Design Museum/CC BY 2.0 The Frankfurt Kitchen was designed to be a machine. Paul Overy described it: "Rather than the social centre of the house as it had been in the past, this was designed as a functional space where certain actions vital to the health and wellbeing of the household were performed as quickly and efficiently as possible." Perriand's kitchen is different, as Kaplan explains: Perriand also designed a kitchen-bar, providing integration with the living areas. As she wrote, this open counter with its sliding doors for dishes below allowed the mistress of the house to be with her family and friends while she was cooking. Gone were the days when a woman was isolated like a slave at the northern end of a corridor. Dominique explaining kitchen/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0 Here you can see Dominique, describing how the kitchen works, yet separated from the hordes of architects by the dividing kitchen-bar. Pot storage covers exhaust hood/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0 Note the sloping section where the pots are stored; that covers the kitchen exhaust, which is quite large, sized to really clear the air over the electric stove. Kaplan explains: Based on ideas for a modern, labor-saving kitchendeveloped by household reformers since the late 19th centuryPerriands design took them further. The kitchen was modular, with built-in cabinets and advanced features for the time: an electric stove with an oven and fume hood, and a sink with an integrated waste disposal unit. Because LUnite was designed for a middle-class clientele, an electric refrigerator would have been too expensive. However, the icebox was strategically installed to be supplied with ice delivered daily through the interior street. Work surfaces and walls were covered with aluminum sheeting to facilitate cleaning. Interior Street with green iceboxes/ Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0 There was also a grocery store on the third floor, so you could have that icebox on the interior street stocked with food for dinner. They don't do that anymore, so now Dominique has a refrigerator under the stairs across from the kitchen. Lloyd Alter/CC BY 2.0 There are many lessons to be learned from this kitchen. It is small but efficient; separated but not enclosed; all-electric (very unusual at the time) with good ventilation; lots of carefully thought-out storage with a place for everything. But what was most convincing was how Dominique could hold court, could talk to us, yet still claim the space as hers, in a kitchen that is not open but not quite closed. There was stuff all over her counters, but those on the outside can't see it because of the divider. It could be a messy kitchen, but nobody knows. It is perhaps the best of both worlds. Chetana Belagere By Express News Service BENGALURU: Its been four nights since I slept. Thoughts of suicide cross my mind every now and then. I not only lost my job but also the money that I had invested in IMA. I am also responsible for the money invested by at least 30 of my relatives, said Afshan Banu (name changed). She is one of the 200 employees of IMA Jewels who are now running from pillar to post seeking help from the police. Many IMA employees are now left in the lurch as their original documents are with the companys HR team. Nearly 50 IMA employees and their managers have filed complaints with the police commissioner seeking help to get back their original documents. A manager of IMAs Jayangar showroom said, We wanted to meet the commissioner but since he was not there we met a senior officer and filed a complaint. Unfortunately, they too dont know what to do. Since the original documents are with IMA, these employees cannot even look for other jobs now. If you can do us one favour then please get us another job. Just like me, there are 35 more women who used to work in two jewellery showrooms and who have families to take care of. Some of us are single parents with two or three children. How do we lead our lives when our every single penny is pledged at IMA? said Ratna G (name changed), an employee. Meanwhile, the employees have also approached the labour court with receipts of salary being credited to their accounts by IMA. There are heaps of pages in terms of documents that have been submitted to the labour court. We got our salaries till last month but this month we havent received any money, said Raheem, an employee. In their eyes we are culprits Unfortunately, these employees cannot even go to the help desk set up by the police at Shivajinagar as they are scared of what the investors might do to them. Most of the investors have put in their money after we assured them saying that we had invested too, which is true. Now, we are the culprits for them but we are helpless too. We cannot even think of going near that convention hall to lodge a complaint. We will be lynched, an employee said. Another employee, Sahira Begum, said, Our relatives have invested with IMA since we worked there and they believed that their money was safe. On Eid we all met but now we cant see each other eye to eye. It is unfortunate. False WhatsApp message doing the rounds A WhatsApp message is going viral about an advocate saying that he is handling the case on IMAs behalf. The advocate named is Syed Isthiaq Ahmed. The message that is being forwarded reads: Syed Isthiaq Ahmed is the legal advisor for IMA. He is uncle of Mansoor. He knows all the details of properties of IMA and Mansoor. When contacted, Ahmed said, I am not related to Mansoor. It was only a professional relation we had. It is a false message that is being circulated. editorial@tribune.com Vijay C Roy Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 As the demand for automobiles continues to remain under pressure for several months now, the North India-based auto component manufacturers have started feeling the pinch. The repercussion is visible across the entire value chain with ancillary units forcing to cut production by 25-30% to avoid inventory pile-up. In addition to this, many of these units have put their expansion and modernisation plans on hold. Some of the ancillary units are putting special thrust on sectors which are doing well. Passenger vehicle sales in India posted the steepest drop in May by posting over 20% decline amid weak demand and liquidity crunch faced by non-bank vehicle financiers, forcing major auto makers such as Maruti Suzuki India and Mahindra and Mahindra to cut production. It was the seventh consecutive drop in monthly domestic passenger vehicle sales. Two-wheeler sales also continued to stay in negative territory. The vehicle sales in India are counted as factory dispatches and not retail sales. The decline in sales not only hit the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) but small suppliers which supply components to OEMs are also affected. The weak demand is hurting the industry. On an average, the industry has cut down production by 20-25% in Punjab. Also, the drop in sales has jeopardised the expansion and modernisation plans of the MSMEs, said US Ahuja, MD, New Swan Enterprises, Ludhiana. With over 10,000 units, including micro and small, the region comprising Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh is one of major hubs for auto components. It meets nearly 30% demand of the auto industry in the country, with Haryana having maximum number of auto component units and share in the country. The industry is facing slowdown for the past couple of months. Some of the ancillary units have resorted to production cut while others have increased their focus on sectors which are doing extremely well such as power transmission and railways. The worst-affected are those which are heavily dependent on auto sector with limited products, said Rajesh Jain, director of Rohtak-based Lakshmi Precision Screws Ltd. According to him, on an average, the industry has cut down the production by 25-30%. While many of the units are struggling on the domestic front because of negative growth in the auto sector, some of the units have increased their exposure to export market to hedge the slowdown. Gurinder Singh, joint MD, Guru Nanak Auto Enterprises, said, The auto sector is facing hard times but I believe its cyclic. We have increased focus on overseas market which is doing better than the domestic market. As the sales continue to decline, it is high time the government intervenes in the form of tax rationalisation and with easy credit facilities, said Jain. According to the industry, the share of SMEs in auto components is 25-30% of the industrys turnover. These SMEs are manufacturers of high-volume components such as suspension and brake parts, fasteners, washers body and chassis parts. Auto scene editorial@tribune.com New Delhi, June 13 Promoters of debt-ridden mortgage lender DHFL are in talks with private equity firms and are expecting to garner $1 billion (about Rs 6,900 crore) by selling nearly 50 per cent of their holdings, sources said. The Wadhawan family, the promoters of the company, currently holds close to 40 per cent stake in the company. Private equity firms Lone Star, AION Capital and KKR are doing due diligence of the housing finance company, and depending on outcome of their due diligence they will make final offer to the promoters for the strategic stake, sources said. The sale proceed will enable the company to substantially reduce its debt-to-equity ratio and restart the business to its full potential, they added. When contacted the company declined to comment. According to sources, promoters have also expressed their intent to quit the management. Once strategic partner comes in, the company is then expected to widen the board composition and to run it as board-driven-entity with joint critical decisions by the Wadhawan family and the strategic partner, sources said. Over the last three decades, the company has been servicing the low to medium income segment in tier II and III markets with asset under management of over Rs 1 lakh crore. DHFL chairman and managing director Kapil Wadhawan had in February said "we want a strong strategic partner who can not only add value but also alleviate any concerns the market might have on the business and also bring in fresh equity and capital." He had said that a strategic partner is being scouted for DHFL and will be done over the next 90 days, adding the process for which is already on since the September crisis. The stake-sale is part of selling various assets which has been started either by DHFL or Wadhawan Global Capital, the group holding company, in the past few weeks which include exiting its affordable housing arm Aadhar. The group is also in talks to sell its life insurance arm to a domestic partner and has appointed investment bankers for the same. PTI DP SVK DRR 06131202 NNNN vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 A constable of the UT police was stabbed thrice in her back by her husband, a sepoy in the Army, near the Kishangarh roundabout here today. The accused, who used a stolen scooter to commit the crime, has been arrested in a case of attempt to murder. The victim, identified as Bhupinder Kaur (25) of Kishangarh, who is posted at the Traffic Lines in Sector 29, was heading towards her workplace on an Activa when her husband Samsher Singh (21) stopped her and stabbed her following heated arguments. The police said they had received information regarding the incident near Dashmesh Nursery, Kishangarh, around 8.55 am. The injured cop was rushed to the PGI. Her condition is said to be stable. The accused was caught by people and handed over to the police. The police said the couple had a matrimonial dispute. Samsher Singh, a sepoy in 13 Sikh LI regiment and posted in Nagaland, is a native of Uppal village in Amritsar district. The police said they had found the knife used in the crime. Sources said the accused stole a scooter from Sector 29 to commit the crime. The accused thought that he would not get caught if he used a stolen vehicle to flee from crime spot, the sources added. Samsher Singh has been booked under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code at the IT Park police station. Bala Chauhan By Express News Service BENGALURU: The I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam may be the first case in Karnataka and perhaps the country, which may attract the provisions of Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019, sources on condition of anonymity told The New Indian Express. Prima facie, the IMA scam is a fit case to invoke the new Ordinance, which was promulgated in February as a punitive and deterrent measure against unregulated Ponzi schemes. The Ordinance is valid till August. It is likely to become an Act in the next Parliament session, an official source said. The Ordinance penalises unregulated deposit schemes, wilful default in regulated schemes and wrongful inducement of investors to unregulated deposit schemes. It provides for punishment ranging between one year and 10 years and fine ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 50 crore and also provides for attachment of properties or assets for repayment to depositors. According to sources, the Reserve Bank of India in 2014 and 2015 had flagged down IMA while raising a series of questions on the unregulated framework under which the Halal investment company was assuring high and unrealistic returns on bullion and monetary deposits. But the police allegedly chose to look the other way. After the RBIs objection they should have examined the IMA documents and questioned the company founder and management, an official source said. The police claims there were no complaints registered against the IMA until June 9, when an investor - Mohammed Mansoor Khan - filed a complaint at the Commercial Street police station stating that he had lost Rs 4.84 crore. However, there were individual complaints that had reportedly come to the notice of the police earlier but were amicably settled to protect the interest of the company, an official source alleged. The IMA scam is also under the radar of Central revenue and law enforcement agencies. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is actively considering booking the Ponzi scheme company under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED will also examine the hawala (illicit money transaction done outside banking channels) angle and whether Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) could be invoked against the company, he added. It is likely that the Special Investigation Team, which has been constituted by the state to investigate the multi-crore scam, may also invoke the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments Act, 2004 against IMA but critics of the law say it is neither punitive nor effective. So far, there has been no conviction under the Act because of bureaucratic layers, the officer said. IMA ROPED IN CLERICS The investments in IMA increased because the founder Mansoor Khan promised people returns as per Sharia law. He had roped in the Masjid committees and clerics to spread the word on Halal investments. The firm assured investors huge returns along with the gold their investments could buy. Many of the initial investors got the promised returns and they brought in more investors. But after his business module started falling last year, Mansoor started advertising in newspapers and media houses, an insider said. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune News Service Panchkula, June 13 A senior woman BJP leader allegedly committed suicide by consuming rat poison after a tiff with her husband at her house in Sector 18 here today. Victim Dimple Sharma is the Mansa Devi block president of the BJP women wing. Dimples daughter told the police that her parents had indulged in fights earlier too. She said her mother got angry during a fight today and consumed the poison. The victims daughter said she was taken to the GMCH-32 in Chandigarh where doctors declared her brought dead. GMCH doctors informed the police. A team from the Sector 16 police post went to the hospital and later enquired about the incident from the victims family members. No suicide note has been recovered by the police. The victim stayed with her husband Amrit Bhushan and two daughters. M Rajivlochan M Rajivlochan Member, State Higher Education Council, Chandigarh The current squabble about Indias GDP figures comes with a warning from economist Arvind Subramanian: dont trust statisticians with statistics, have people from other disciplines keep an eye on them. We would suggest that the best outcome would happen when even the common public and businesses are allowed free access to data that is currently available with the government. Economists and statisticians can figure out how to collect data; businesses, researchers and the common public can use that data to generate value for society, create better strategies for whatever work they are doing. Because, these are the people who, in the normal course of existence, have no access to large data-sets which in India is available only with the government and these are the ones who add lasting value to society. The government is currently sitting on a knowledge goldmine that is hidden in its haphazardly stored data. Yet, data can be used not only for grand things like planning public policy, social justice and promoting equity and secularism, but also for businesses and researchers as well. For example, today we are familiar with the small pack/sachet that dominates the retail FMCG sector in India. What we forget is that the small retail pack emerged out of a unique piece of research that a vice-president of the Indian Tobacco Company did a few decades ago using the decennial population Census data to recognise the youthfulness of population and its lack of wealth. Therefrom, he devised the concept of a small retail pack for a brand of cigarette. The concept of the small retail pack took the company to unexplored markets and brought huge profits. Two decades ago, the University of East Anglia was asked by the European Union to figure out the profits generated by public sector information. What it found was astounding. The US government spent about 19 billion per year on collecting and maintaining population and land data about America, Americans and anyone who came in contact with them. Most of this data was shared with users for free. The commercial turnover generated through the use of this data was approximately 750 billion euro in the US alone. The data was used by private companies to conduct their own business researches, for GIS mapping and much more. At the same time, European governments spent9.5 billion euro per year in collecting and maintaining data and then charged commercial enterprises for its use. This translated into a turnover of about68 billion euro per year from the various uses to which businesses put this data in the EU. The Indian Government at the same time did not spend much money in collecting and maintaining data; what little it did was done haphazardly, with every data manager and policy maker busy reinventing the wheel and no two bits of data ever being able to talk to each other. This resulted in ensuring that Indian data was some of the most difficult to access, process and use. Shorn of data, the government, Indian businesses, Indian researchers and, even curious Indians, made decisions policy decisions as well based on hunches, intuition, and worse, personal whims. A tool to get governments at different levels to dust off the data and get it out of record rooms could be to allocate 1% of all budgets to programme evaluation and monitoring. After all, if Rs 99 out of Rs 100 is used for implementation, surely Re 1 could be used for evaluating whether the money spent actually achieved anything. Different departments within the government could cross-verify one another as an external check; 10% of the data could always be validated by third parties. Colleges and universities would be happy to do the task. One advantage of using knowledge institutions for such tasks is that they add data to the public domain, so shared knowledge resources get bumped up. While these knowledge resources vary in each sector, broadly three kinds of data can be found in most government offices: (1) data about households, classes of income and expenditure; in case of farmers, some specific inputs that they purchase are also recorded to the extent that these are subsidised by the government; (2) data about skill-sets among the working population; and (3) data about productivity. All three kinds of data are important. Government departments routinely acquire a lot of data merely on account of the nature of their tasks. For instance, transport departments collect information about vehicles and drivers licences. The railways have information about freight costs by rail. Electronic way bills have information about freight rates for road transport. The MHRD has information about all schools, colleges and universities in India. The list goes on and on. All this data, when matched with that collected by the National Sample Survey Organisation, Central Statistical Organisation and Registrar General of India for the decennial Census can provide unthought of insights into how to make India more proficient. Bringing transparency in data collection and sharing it widely would be the cheapest way of boosting the Indian economy. What we in India need to realise is that there is a direct relation between knowledge, governance and economic growth. It would be too simplistic to presume, like many Indians do while aping French historian Michel Foucault, that the link with knowledge is about power alone. It also is about empowerment, improving efficiencies and creating new knowledge. RK Kaushik RK Kaushik Secretary, Government of Punjab Prime Minster Imran Khan addressed Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday June 12 and reiterated that all corrupt leaders in Pakistan would go to jail and politicians and officials who have put the country badly in debt would be punished. He set up a high-powered commission to probe huge debts taken during the last 10 years as he defended the arrests of several political figures in corruption cases. It is a fact that exceptional personal moral standards ought to be a pre-requisite for holding the high public offices, but in developing countries many leaders have thin morality, nay integrity, with a smudged financial hygiene. Sir Winston Churchill once said, "Truth has a tendency to be discovered." Sooner or later, many such unscrupulous leaders find themselves in the quagmire of corruption charges with frugal arguments to defend them. In the last few days, former President Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People's Party and Hamza Shahbaz, nephew of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and son of former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, have been arrested by the NAB (National Accountability Bureau). Nawaz Sharif is already in the Kot Lakhpat Rai jail, spending his term (hard labour) in a grubby prison cell. Also, the Damocles' sword hangs over the head of Asif Zardari's sister senator Faryal Talpur, his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. So, practically the leaders of the main opposition parties Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Pakistan People's Party would be in jail soon. Corruption by political leaders while in power has been one of the most staple and ostentatious themes of Imran Khan's political journey. He has vigorously pursued it throughout his campaigns over the years. Imran always commented on his intention to carry out an intensive anti-corruption drive once in power. Pledging "strict accountability" and a crackdown on "the people who looted the country", Khan visualised an extensive anti-corruption campaign. As Pakistan's financial crisis got worse, the government constantly highlighted that rampant, uncontrolled corruption from the highest to the lowest tiers of society. And, the government is a key factor responsible for this predicament. Trying to regain the confidence of foreign investors and business partners alike, the fledgling government has had to find new methods and exert all its resources to get back stolen funds. In the meantime, Pakistan's budget started deficit-climbing and foreign exchange reserves started depleting fast. Imran hoped that drastic measures reminiscent of China's Skynet operations against corrupt citizens hiding abroad would give effective results. In fact, keen to learn from the Chinese experience in rooting out corruption, Khan even requested advice from China's Premier Li Keqiang on battling corruption in their very first communication after taking over as PM. He hoped that effectively fighting corruption would speed up national development in Pakistan. Imran, in fact, inherited a government with a substantial budget deficit ($21.5 billion), formidable debts (Rs 60 lakh crore, internal and external), and shrinking foreign reserves ($8.2 billion). Khan held his corrupt predecessors responsible for the country's economic downfall and believed that recovering the looted money would ease the burden on the economy. This was a sort of Robin Hood style of anti-corruption efforts. However, while most research shows that corruption stifles social and economic development, corruption is not the principal factor that accounts for Pakistan's economic challenges. In fact, a drop in corruption may not automatically accelerate economic growth. If the aim of Khan's anti-corruption drive is to prosecute corrupt politicians, his effort seems to have been successful so far. If, however, his aim is to root corruption out of the country, the drive does not seem to be doing a very good job. The current movement rests on the flawed assumption that once these corrupt politicians are put in jail, illicit practices will automatically come to an end. There are numerous other corrupt practices in day-to-day life that are still widespread in Pakistan's social life. The current anti-corruption drive does not address the causes of corruption and, hence, may not root out corruption from that country in the long run. Ending corruption requires institutional measures and reforms that can prevent rampant corruption from occurring in the first place. While Khan has taken some important steps, such as the establishment of an assets recovery unit in his Prime Minister's office and the introduction of a whistle-blower law, ensuring and monitoring the implementation of these steps and maintaining political neutrality is must for effectiveness of the anti-corruption drive. In fact, Pakistan needs an anti-corruption policy that seeks to combat corruption from all tiers of society, is free from political interference, and reduces the wealth gap that results from corruption. The present state of affairs lucidly show that Imran has the support of the powerful Establishment which has decided to get rid of the Zardaris of PPP and the Sharifs of the Muslim League once and for all. The whole gamut of this relationship depends on the economy of Pakistan. Recently the $47 billion Federal Budget has imposed massive taxation as per the advice of the IMF. But it is false optimism to put so much trust in the rationally, wisdom, efficaciousness and sagacity of Imran and his government. His survival in power would be allowed by the Establishment only if he succeeds in improving the economy. Otherwise, after a year, he may also have difficult times. Imran Khan's continuous assault on his political opponents has widened the gulf between the government and the opposition. His intense disdain for the opposition leaders has hurt him and the functioning of the government and parliament more than it has harmed the opposition. It is the job of the National Accountability Bureau and the judiciary to deal with cases of corruption and not of the Prime Minister or his cabinet members. The belt-tightening that the country is experiencing is an inescapable requirement to overcome the economic crisis. It simultaneously provides a convenient reason to the opposition parties to agitate the public against the government. So, the government, on the one hand, has to comply with the strict prescription of the IMF and, on the other, to ensure that the masses are not led into an agitation as economic and financial pressures mount on the poor and lower middle classes. It is a Herculean challenge to navigate through this muddle, but Imran has to succeed. Otherwise, history would repeat itself and his government would be short-lived. Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur VM (retd) Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur VM (retd) Addl Director-General, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi Indo-us defence relations have to move beyond the rhetoric of the "oldest democracy and largest democracy being natural allies". The fact is that they are not so due to the many dissimilarities in their political and social structures. Only national interests drive international relations. What better example than the 'strategic' Sino-US friendship that started in the 1970s to cut the USSR down to size and the resultant unprecedented economic largesse to Beijing that put it on a power trajectory that the US is now trying to oppose? Oh, the irony of it all! Or, the US-Pak relationship, with successive US presidents turning a Nelson's eye on Pakistan's export of terror and nuclear proliferation just to meet their national interest of defeating the USSR in Afghanistan. More importantly, the latest US decision to remove Turkey, the only Muslim-majority country in NATO, from the F-35 fighter programme due to its S-400 purchase from Russia shows that US decisions will continue to be driven by its national interests. If one sees the reality, disregarding the 'natural-allies' rhetoric, the present US interest and 'affection' for India is on similar path to have an ally to counter the increase in Chinese power in South and South East Asia. This is pivoted on the Indo-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). The trick is to make it work to India's advantage and the litmus test for this 'friendship' would be US action, or inaction, against India due to Delhi's decision to acquire the S-400 (like Turkey). A status check of DTTI is in order, taking the IAF's projects as examples. DTTI, when signed in 2012, was "..to pursue four pathfinder DTTI projects for possible co-development and/or co-production, as well as cooperation on aircraft carriers and jet engine technology." Seven joint working groups were also launched and the yearly meetings, alternatively in the two countries, seem to be taking place. The four 'pathfinder' projects were an apology to be classified as 'modern'; they were next-generation Raven Mini UAVs, roll-on and roll-off kits for C-130, mobile electric hybrid power source and a protector kit against chemical/bio/nuclear fallout. The Indian Army rejected the UAV as being low-tech. The C-130 project has not moved forward while the remaining two were closed in August, 2017. The jet engine technology project has not moved at all and, to add to the gloom, the India Rapid Reaction Cell set up by the US to fast-track DTTI projects has been downsized, an indicator perhaps of decreasing focus in the Trump administration. So, where is the bottleneck? There is, certainly, bureaucratic inertia in India, but the feedback has also been that the US is more interested in using DTTI to identify technically sound Indian private players to feed into their supply chain. Theoretically, it's a good idea, but when one considers that the DRDO is reportedly being side-tracked, with only a perfunctory interest being shown in its labs for any R&D cooperation and no transfer of meaningful technology taking place, there enters an element of intrigue. Where does one go from here, considering that DTTI was advertised as a panacea for India's need for high-end technology to modernise its arms inventory? Modernisation and indigenisation are oxymoronic in nature. The former is a requirement of the Services that is immediate, while the latter takes decades to achieve. So, aspirational dreams that are not based on realities of realpolitik must be jettisoned and we must prioritise what is possible into short-, medium- and long-term engagements. In the short term, remove the thrust on high-end impractical projects as an example, the fifth generation jet engine that the GTRE is trying to develop for the past four-plus decades. The problem with the DRDO is that it wants to make either top-of-the-line stuff, or nothing at all, without taking certain mandatory baby steps (we are, even now, importing infantry man's rifle and ammunition). So, work on realistic doables, like for say, engines for the HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft, Intermediate Jet Trainer, UAVs et al, and then graduate to bigger ones based on the expertise gained. In fact, that's how China's industry has progressed and in our case, the US may be willing to part with technology that does not threaten its monopoly. There are two co-development projects that look encouraging: the small air launched Unmanned Aircraft System and the Virtual Augmented Mixed Reality for Aircraft Maintenance (VAMRAM). Technologies that are no longer niche but are important op requirements, like software-defined radios, may be pursued. In the mid-term, ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) platforms, sensor and optics technology, wide band data links and high-end encryption devices could be looked at. With the IAF placing its bets on the DRDO's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft for the 2030s as its mainstay fighter, we would be in need of technology for equipment like radar absorbent material, low visibility intake design, conformal antenna et al. Finally, if the Indo-US handshake has to really become firm, then long-term projects need to evolve from the mid-term requirements and lead on to high-end ones like jet engine technology etc. DTTI will not deliver the 'high' tech aspired by India no country parts with top-of-the-line technology. The second 'T' which stands for trade, is what the US is exploiting to access our small private players. If, and it is a big if, they are receiving high-grade technology, then it is an acceptable proposition. However, if it is just screwdriver information, then they are mere 'trading' entities. The only spin-off could be an increase in manufacturing, with the hope that the private players would build on the experience and design their own products. Some of our small entrepreneurs are tech wizards and one needs to guard against them being bought over by big foreign players wherein their IPRs would be lost. The government must, thus, take a realistic view (devoid of aspirational 'kite-flying') of what technology the US can actually share. A three-stage 'flight plan' of the trajectory that Indo-US defence cooperation should take must be drawn up and fed into a realistic long-term indigenisation plan that takes into account the immediate modernisation needs of the Services. editorial@tribune.com Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 Factionalism in the state Congress refuses to die even though a little over 100 days are left for the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana. Within days of a meeting called by former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his New Delhi residence where his supporters asked him to either take control of the party in the state or decide his future course independent of the party, Ashok Tanwar, state president of the Congress, today hinted that he was the real master of the party and under him, the party would finalise the tickets by August. Tanwar, who headed a state-level meeting of party workers at Gurugram on Wednesday to review the results of the Lok Sabha poll and to prepare for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections, today expressed confidence that the party would win enough seats to form the government after the Assembly poll. Work hard among people in June and July, apply for the tickets and get it on merit in August, contest elections in September, October and form the next government is what I have been telling the party workers, Tanwar said while talking to The Tribune today. Tanwar also said the party would contest the upcoming Vidhan Sabha with a different strategy and would win the elections. Asked whether he would contest the Assembly poll, Tanwar said he had appealed to all those who contested the Lok Sabha poll on Congress ticket to voluntarily stay away from contesting the Vidhan Sabha poll so that new people could be given a chance. Tanwars statement is being perceived as an effort to keep Hooda and his son Deepender Hooda away from contesting the upcoming poll. After Hoodas June 9 meeting, which ended in the partys leaders just passing a resolution requesting Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his resignation, it was believed that the former CM had got some kind of assurance from the party high command. It was also said that senior Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot had met Hooda before the meeting to give him the assurance from the partys top leadership. However, Tanwars confidence level during Wednesdays meeting at Gurugram indicated that the state Congress chief still enjoyed the confidence of Rahul Gandhi. Answering questions of mediapersons after the Gurugram meeting yesterday, Tanwar had hinted that he was set to remain the state president of the party at least till the Assembly poll. State party chief wants Hoodas out of poll fight editorial@tribune.com Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, June 13 The ongoing probe into the extortion racket involving the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) in Charkhi Dadri district has revealed that there is a well-organised system in place to extort money from overloaded trucks and dumpers plying in the district. Sources said an SIT, headed by Rohtak SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa, had served notices on then Charkhi Dadri Deputy Commissioner Ajay Singh Tomar and his wife Sangeeta Tetarwal, who was Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) and RTA secretary in the district. The IAS couple was transferred from Charkhi Dadri district four days after the registration of a case related to extorting money from truckers. On May 18, the Rohtak police conducted a raid on a tip-off and seized Rs 13.5 lakh from two men, identified as Surender Rathi and Ravinder. On the basis of their disclosure, the police registered a case at the Sampla police station in Rohtak under Sections 384 of the IPC and Sections 7, 8, 9 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act against four persons, including RTA assistant secretary Manish Madan and clerk Amit, besides Ravinder and Rathi, who were acting as conduits for the RTA officials. The police later nabbed Tomars personal assistant Suresh Kumar in the case. They then recovered Rs 60 lakh from the accused as the investigation progressed in the case, the sources said. The FIR mentioned that the RTA officials were extorting Rs 8,000 per vehicle for letting off overloaded vehicles carrying building material like sand, stone etc. Rothak DSP Narender Kadian said it was a routine matter to serve notice on the officials for joining probe. Our investigation is going on and I cannot divulge any details at this stage, he told The Tribune. The sources, however, revealed that the police had seized a laptop carrying full details of overloaded commercial vehicles, mostly trucks supplying building material, and the amount charged from them as bribe to allow them to proceed without challan. Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar has said that the state police have been investigating the matter. Some officials have been transferred. The case is being investigated after registration of a case. The law is taking its course, he said. The case Sources said an SIT, headed by Rohtak SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa, had served notices on then Charkhi Dadri Deputy Commissioner Ajay Singh Tomar and his wife Sangeeta Tetarwal, who was Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) and RTA secretary in the district. The IAS couple was transferred from Charkhi Dadri district four days after the registration of a case relating to extortion from truckers. editorial@tribune.com Ravinder Saini Tribune News Service Jhajjar, June 13 The mortal remains of ASI Ramesh Kumar (49) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), who attained martyrdom in a terrorist attack in Kashmirs Anantnag district on Wednesday, were consigned to flames at his native Kheri Jatt village here on Thursday with full military honours. A large number of people from nearby areas gathered in the village to bid adieu to the braveheart. Agriculture Minister Om Prakash Dhankar and Rohtak MP Arvind Sharma were prominent among those who attended the last rites. Mohit, the elder son of the martyr, lit the funeral pyre. Ramesh used to talk to his sons and wife over phone daily, but we were unable to contact him yesterday. After getting to know about the Anantnag incident and one of the martyrs being a resident of Haryana, I contacted the Army control room, which confirmed my brothers martyrdom. I did not tell our family about it all night, said martyrs brother Rajesh Kumar, who is a head constable in the CRPF. He said Ramesh had joined the CRPF as a sepoy in 1990 and had recently undergone a special training for promotion. His promotion was due and he was planning to come to the village on leave next month. Ramesh had come home in February to attend our nephews wedding. While returning to duty, he said he would get his ancestral house in the village repaired in next vacation, said Rajesh. Ramesh is survived by wife and two sons. The sons are preparing for competitive examinations. I am proud of my father who sacrificed his life for the nation, said Mohit. Martyrs wife Sudesh Devi urged the Centre to root out terrorism from Kashmir to stop killings of soldiers. Meanwhile, Dhankar, while accepting the demand of the gram panchayat, announced to name a government school in the village after the martyr. He also assured to provide a financial aid of Rs50 lakh and a government job to a family member of the martyr as per the state government policy. Earlier, a pall of gloom descended on the village following the tragic news of Rameshs martyrdom. People started gathering outside his house to pay tributes. Iffath Fathima By Express News Service BENGALURU: Human rights activist Manohar Ranganathan first donated blood to a woman suffering from vaginal cancer. Since then, he has donated blood 80 times till date. It was in 1992 that he met this woman. Ranganathan and the womans sons took her to Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. After the check-up, doctors revealed she needed B+ve blood. The womans sons were a perfect match. However, the older one was an alcoholic and the younger was too weak. I was a match, so I volunteered. It was my first time and I was scared. However, it felt great to donate and save someones life. Her sons thanked me and the lady was treated successfully, he says. From then on, there was no looking back for the 47-year-old. According to a Lion's Blood Bank official, Ranganathan has donated blood more than 60 times at their blood bank. Apart from that, whenever he knows someone is in need of B+ve he is always there. I get WhatsApp messages saying a person needs blood. Many think it is fake or old and ignore it. However, there is a chance it may be genuine, he says. Ranganathan has now started asking his family and friends to share his phone number so that those in need can contact him. In order to donate he eats healthy and stays fit. The idea is to stay fit so I can continue to donate blood till my last breath. So intense is his passion to donate blood that he has inspired his neighbour too. Recently, he got a call saying someone required blood. However, they required O+ve. He asked his neighbour to donate and the neighbour agreed. monicakchauhan@gmail.com New Delhi, June 14 A mobile phone was found from the prison cell of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala during a surprise inspection by Tihar jail authorities, officials said on Friday. According to Additional Inspector General, Tihar, Rajkumar, a surprise inspection was conducted on Thursday and a mobile phone, a charger, tobacco pouch, and a wire were recovered from the prison cell. Chautala's co-inmate Ramesh claimed that the items belonged to him, the officials said. The mobile phone was handed over to the Delhi Police's Special Cell and it will find out about the calls that were made from the phone, they said. Chautala is serving a 10-year sentence in Delhi's Tihar jail. He was convicted in a teachers' recruitment scam case. He had returned to Tihar on Wednesday after a 21-day furlough. PTI editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Shimla June 13 Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his delegation held discussions with Jan-Kees Goet, Secretary General at Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, at Amsterdam in Netherlands today on co-operation in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors. Thakur apprised the Secretary General about the immense potential that Himachal Pradesh has been bestowed by the nature in respect of fruit production. He said that the state is known as Fruit Bowl of India and produces varied types of fruits due to its different climatic conditions. He said that there is a vast scope of investment in fruit and food processing sector. The Chief Minister said that the Dutch has perfection on water management and good innovative practices in agriculture and horticulture by using less land, which can be very beneficial for a state like Himachal. He invited the Dutch Secretary General and his Ministry to Global Investors Meet being organized at Dharamsala in November shortly after the World Food Expo on November 3 and 4 in New Delhi. Secretary General at Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Jan-Kees Goet said that the Netherlands has created the golden triangle of collaboration between three main stakeholders viz - government, research centres and agricultural businesses. He also accepted the Chief Ministers invitation to attend the Global Investors Meet. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Arun Joshi Tribune News Service Jammu, June 13 Militants attacked and killed five CRPF personnel in Anantnag on Wednesday evening within hours after Governor Satya Pal Malik with an unmistakable green signal from Delhi, promised to open doors for dialogue to militants and others if they changed their lane of violence to that of peace. He gave them an open choice between guns and lavish lunch with him at Raj Bhavan, signalling a seat of honour for them with the top most constitutional functionary as a glimpse of what is in store for them. He could not have made such a huge promise, that also sought to allay fears on Article 370 that grants special status to J&K, and Article 35A that confers special rights and privileges to permanent residents of the state without the approval of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. These are so sensitive matters on which he could speak only after the most powerful duo had given him the nod to say so going by the national and international ramifications of the issues involved. The same holds true for what he said about the delimitation being a rumour. But the fidayeen attack delivered several message to the government and the people all at once that the militants have neither retreated nor accepted defeat in the face of almost daily counter-terrorism operations that have left more than 100 of their leaders and cadre dead this year so far. They retain the capacity to repeat mini-Pulwama type attack at any time and at any place in the Valley provoking security forces to go more aggressively against them and, in this, they hope against hope that the dialogue space between the people and the government would shrink considerably. This is a new challenge for Delhi that has sought to open a new channel of communication through Dineshwar Sharma, its special representative appointed in October 2017 to hold talks with stakeholders in J&K. Wider ramifications were wrapped in the attack. The persistent efforts of peace with India initiated by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan through his laudatory letters to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, rich in the content revolving around three Ps peace, progress and prosperity in the region, mean nothing because the militants backed by the ISI have other plans. The Governor has made it clear that the attack was sponsored by Pakistan. It is a foreboding for Amarnath yatra as well for it took place through which the Yatra passes through just 18 days before the yatra commences from July 1. The past attacks also reveal that, militants have been active in less than 40 km stretch from Khannabal, Anantnag to Pampore from south to central Kashmir. Pulwama attack also took place at Lethpora that falls on this deadly stretch of the highway. The timing of his promises, June 12, which had no commemorative value has only one plausible explanation that Delhi wanted to deliver a message to prove that the Modi government was on a strong wicket when the matter of extension of Presidents rule comes up in Parliament in the next few days. Dialogue only option Maliks call to militants to lay down arms and enter the dialogue door, delimitation reports were media imagination, and there is nothing that can weaken India, therefore azadi is not achievable, was a stark reminder from Delhi to the militants that for them, dialogue is the only option to survive vinaymishra188@gmail.com Tribune News Service Srinagar, June 13 Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday blamed Pakistan for Wednesdays militant attack in Anantnag town of south Kashmir in which five CRPF men were killed and several others injured. The Governor was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a convocation of Mewar University held for the students from Jammu and Kashmir at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre on Thursday. The militants attacked the CRPF party at the behest of Pakistan, the Governor said in reply to questions. He said Pakistan was trying to disrupt peace in the Valley. The Governor said peaceful parliamentary elections were held in the state recently. The Governor said the militant attack in Anantnag town was not an attack on the Amarnath yatra, which is scheduled to begin from July 1, though the incident took place on the Khanabal-Pahalgam road, which forms a part of the traditional route to the base camp at Pahalgam. Malik said adequate security arrangements had been made for this years yatra along both routes the traditional Pahalgam and the shortest trek via Baltal in Ganderbal district along the Srinagar-Leh highway axis. vinaymishra188@gmail.com Arteev Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, June 13 The Rs 5,850-crore Ujh Multipurpose Project in Kathua district has been caught in bureaucratic quagmire as no progress has been made on it during the past six months since the Union Ministry of Water Resources cleared its revised detailed project report in January this year. The project, to be built on river Ujh which is the main tributary of Ravi, has been envisaged to stop the flow of unutilised river water from flowing into Pakistan territories and use it for irrigation and power generation in India. Official sources told The Tribune that the authorities had confronted with a major problem of utilising 100 per cent water of the Ujh for drinking, power generation and irrigation purposes with a sole motive to restrict its flow into Pakistan. The authorities are yet to find a solution to the problem of utilising 100 per cent water for our own purpose to ensure that it does not flow into Pakistan. Apart from this, the Union Cabinet is yet to give its clearance to the project, a source said. He said, The J&K government had accorded in-principle approval to the execution of the project in August 2017 but it has failed to clear the file since then. There seems to be a failure of authorities and local representatives in vigorously pursuing it with Union Government. The project holds the potential of giving a big boost to the socio-economic development of the region as it will create storage of about 781 million cubic meters of water on the Ujh for irrigation and power generation in J&K. Barring a few activities like construction of a road to the project site, no major work has been started till date. The government has approved the relief and rehabilitation on the pattern of the Kishnanganga hydroelectric project. Rehabilitation of affected families after having public hearings is a lengthy process. Early start of work on this prestigious project seems to be a remote possibility, the official said. Mir Mohammad Shahnawaz, Chief Engineer, Ravi Tawi Irrigation Complex, said, We had a meeting with senior officials in the Union Ministry in New Delhi on June 10 wherein threadbare discussions were held on the subject. Till the issue is not resolved, the project is unlikely to take off, he said. Six-year deadline rajivbhatia82@gmail.com Gurnaaz Kaur Named after his homeland, Farid Singh Brar, played by Roshan Prince, is born and raised in Faridkot. Spending time at the farm or with his best friend Maddi (Sumit Gulati) is all thats there to his life. Unhappy with such a purposeless life of her son, Rupinder Kaur pushes him to get married to a Canadian girl and settle there. Dismayed by his parents demand, he prays to stay in Faridkot. His wish is granted but everything else turns upside down as he ends up in Faridkot of Pakistan. Heres when the entire cast of the film comes to play their role. In short, the story really begins. Hardly shocked and not even thinking of a way to return home, Farid simply finds a way to lead his days. He acts as a dumb person so that no one discovers his identity. He lives and serves at Baba Farids dargah where he falls in lovelove at first sight, precisely, with Mariyam (Sharan Kaur). Next we know, he manages a job of a driver at Mariyams place. Love at first sight is not a one-time thing in this film. Mariyams friend and their housekeepers (Karamjit Anmol) sister Nazia (Navpreet Kaur) falls in love with Farid the minute he enters the house. In all this, not to miss, Hobby Dhaliwal, Mariyams uncle, is the head of this family. Youll not be able to forget even for a minute that it is a Pakistani family, thanks to the much emphasis laid on the dialect and diction. It can easily be called overdone. Everyone is living their lives. There are a few and far between scenes across the border. The underlying reason may be a mother crying for her son, but these scenes are perhaps meant to add some humour, which they mostly fail to do. Now, before one figures out whether it is a love triangle in Pakistan, there is another story that unfolds. So, whats convincing here is Mukul Dev, who plays Darvesh, an old and haggard man living under a tree at the dargah. Mukul Dev too is an Indian who decided to stay put in Pakistan during Partition for the love of his life. How he grows old there, you will know when you watch the movie. Aiming to win the love of Mariyam, Farid has no interest in going home. Once he confesses his love, Mariyam suddenly is head over heels in love with him. This too is quite strange, as at no point before this, she has shown interest in him. But thats about the screenplay and direction. As a debutant, Sharan Kaur not only looks pretty on screen but also manages to make her presence felt. Navpreet, on the other hand, does not have much to her character. Karamjit Anmol has an important part and does a fair job of it. BN Sharma, like in other films, is there to sprinkle some humorous touch but seldom succeeds. Roshan Price looks innocent and adorable mostly, but there are times when his character slips off. You cant really blame him because those are loopholes in the script. Barring the technical weak points, its worth finding out whether the cross-border couple manages to unite or not. gurnaaz@tribunemail.com ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Lucknow, June 13 The FIR in the sensational murder of newly elected Uttar Pradesh Bar Council president Darvesh Yadav yesterday has also named main accused Manish Sharmas wife as well as another advocate, Gulecha Vineet, for hatching the conspiracy. The FIR, filed by Yadavs nephew Sunny Yadav, brings out the fact that for the last few days, Sharmas wife Vandana had been threatening his aunt. According to the FIR, professional rivalry and jealously appeared to be the reason for the murder as both Sharma and Yadav had started their practice together in 2004 and even shared the same chamber. However, due to Yadavs mercurial rise in the profession, she had lent money and even parted with jewellery to Sharma who, till recently, was her close associate. But for some reason, the two fell out a few months ago, a fact known to all in the Agra court. Following this, Sharma had forcibly taken over the chamber, forcing Yadav to share the chamber of another advocate, Arvind Mishra, where she was shot at. Sunny alleged when his aunt asked Sharma to return the money and jewellery a few days ago, Vandana started threatening her. He alleged that ahead of the welcome function, other accused Gulecha brought Sharma along so that they could execute their plan to kill his aunt. Sharma, who had subsequently shot himself, is in coma and has been shifted to a hospital in Gurugram. Protesting the murder, the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court as well as many district courts across western UP decided to cease work on Thursday. The association has also requested the authorities to provide security to senior members of the Bar council. Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court today directed the state government to ensure foolproof security in all court premises in the state. In a statement, the High Courts Registrar General said the Chief Justice had taken a serious view of the incident. Condoling Yadavs death and conveying his condolences to her family, Chief Justice Govind Mathur assured the states legal fraternity that the High Court was taking all necessary steps to strengthen security in all courts. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday visited the victims ancestral village of Chandpur in Etah to offer his condolences to the bereaved family. gspannu7@gmail.com Lucknow, June 14 At least 13 people were killed in dust storm and hailstorm-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh, the office of the state relief commissioner said on Friday. Siddhartha Nagar bore the maximum onslaught with four deaths reported from the district, followed by Deoria where three people died and Ballia where two died, state Relief Commissioner GS Priyadarshi told PTI. One person was injured, while 22 animals have also died. As many as 93 houses were damaged across the state, the official said. One death each was reported from Ayodhya (snake bite), Lakhimpur Khiri, Kushinagar and Sonbhadra, he said. Dust storm and hailstorm had hit various districts of the state on Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives. In a statement issued here, Adityanath has directed the district magistrates to ensure that relief is provided to people at the earliest, and that relatives of the deceased are given Rs 4 lakh as financial assistance. The chief minister also made it clear that laxity in relief works will not be tolerated. Meanwhile, the MeT Department said rain or thunderstorm was very likely at a few places over eastern Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. Rain/thunderstorm was very likely at isolated places over western Uttar Pradesh on Saturday and at a few places over western Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, it said. Twenty-six people had died and over 50 were injured in dust storm-related incidents on June 7. PTI kavishakohli@gmail.com Kolkata, June 14 More than 100 doctors in West Bengal have submitted their resignation in solidarity with protesting doctors, as an ongoing protest by healthcare providers has triggered somewhat of a crisis in several hospitals. The doctors, including heads of departments of medical colleges and other hospitals in Kolkata, Burdwan, Darjeeling and North 24 Parganas districts, sent their resignation letters to the state director of medical education, a senior health department official told PTI. "We express fullest solidarity to the current movement of NRS Medical College and Hosptial and other government hospitals agitating to protest the brutal attack on them while on duty," Dr P Kundu, director of the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, said in a resignation letter. "We strongly stand by the demands of security and protection for all healthcare personnel and we have tried our best to continue life saving services in the interest of our patients till now," Prof (Dr) Dipanjan Bandyopadhyay, Head of Medicine department at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, wrote in the resignation letter which contained the signature of 34 other senior doctors. "Under the present circumstances, it is not possible for us to continue our services indefinitely without minimum manpower resources. In the absence of any constructive development to end this crisis, we are pained to offer our resignation and request you to relieve us of our responsibilities," the resignation letter read. In a letter to the Director of Medical Education and Ex-officio Secretary, doctors of R.G. Kar Medical College said in a letter that they would resign from duty because of the prevailing situation in the state, sources said. The letter, signed by several doctors, said: We the following doctors of R.G. Kar Medical College have so far been trying our level best to run the hospital service smoothly. You are aware that the present situation is not ideal for patient care service, the doctors wrote. In response to the prevailing situation, as we are unable to provide service, we the following doctors would like to resign from our duty, they wrote in the letter. Also, nearly 100 doctors of the NRS Medical College and Hospitalthe epicentre of the protestsare also opting for resignation, an official revealed. In a similar letter to the Director of Medical Education, 17 doctors of Medicine Department of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital have put their papers down. They too cited the same reason that they are unable to provide services in the present situation. A similar picture was noticed in North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri. Already 15 senior doctors have submitted their resignation to Director of Medical Education and this figure may rise. It is not possible to carry on the services normally without the junior doctors, Sudipta Mandal, Assistant Superintendent of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital said as the cease work by the Junior doctors of state-run hospital entered the fourth day. The protest began at the state-run NRS Hospital on Tuesday morning bringing the regular services to a standstill, after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the family of a 75-year-old patient who died there late on Monday night. The family members of the deceased patient accused the hospital of medical negligence. An intern named Paribaha Mukherjee sustained a serious skull injury in the attack and was admitted in the intensive care unit of the Institute of Neurosciences. With improvement in his condition, Mukherjee has been shifted to the general bed and will be released from the hospital soon. The principal and the medical superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital submitted their resignations on Thursday night. The incident has sparked protests across the country. Doctors have been demanding a safer working environment given a rising number of cases involving violence against healthcare providers. Doctors in All India Institute of Medical Sciencesone of the countrys foremost and busiest medical institutesheld protests against the incident, and patients being turned away from the hospital. Similar protests were witnessed across the country, affecting daily work. Some hospitals meanwhile chose not to halt work but wore black bands in solidarity with the protesters. Demands Doctors in Bengal meanwhile are still seething, not only over the incident but also after what they perceive as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees callous response to their demands. Doctors now want unconditional apology from her. They also have put six other conditions under which they claim they will withdraw their protest. "We want unconditional apology of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the manner in which she had addressed us at the SSKM Hospital yesterday. She should not have said what she had," a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Dr Arindam Dutta, said. Listing the six conditions, the agitators said the chief minister will have to visit the injured doctors at the hospital and her office should release a statement condemning the attack on them. "We also want immediate intervention of the chief minister. Documentary evidence of judicial enquiry against the inactivity of the police to provide protection to the doctors at the Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital on Monday night should also be provided," he said. "We demand documentary evidence and details of action taken against those who had attacked us," Dutta said. Also part of their demands are withdrawal of all "false cases and charges" against protesting junior doctors and medical students, improving infrastructure in all health facilities and posting of armed police personnel there. Protesters have taken offence to Banerjees claims she made while visiting the SSKM Hospital on Thursday. Banerjee told reporters outside the hospital on Thursday that "outsiders" had entered medical colleges to create disturbances and that the protest was a conspiracy by her rivals Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Agencies Doctors conditions Attacks on two tankers on Thursday forced the evacuation of more than 40 sailors south of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital gateway for the world's oil industry. Below are details about the Strait: What is the Strait of Hormuz? * The strait lies between Oman and Iran * It links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond * It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just two miles (three km) wide in either direction * The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the Strait, including building more oil pipelines Why Does it Matter? * Almost a fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait - some 17.4 million barrels per day (bpd) versus consumption of about 100 million bpd in 2018, data from analytics firm Vortexa showed * OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait * Qatar, the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, sends almost all of its LNG through the Strait Political Tensions * The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran aimed at halting its oil exports * Iran has threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States tries to strangle its economy * The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, is tasked with protecting commercial shipping in the area Major Past Incidents * During the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, the two sides sought to disrupt each other's oil exports in what was known as the Tanker War * In July 1988, the US warship Vincennes shot down an Iranian airliner, killing all 290 aboard, in what Washington said was an accident and Tehran said was a deliberate attack * In early 2008, the United States said Iranian vessels threatened three US Navy ships in the Strait * In July 2010, Japanese oil tanker M Star was attacked in the Strait by a militant group called Abdullah Azzam Brigades linked to al Qaeda claiming responsibility * In January 2012, Iran threatened to block the Strait in retaliation for US and European sanctions that targeted its oil revenue in an attempt to stop Tehran's nuclear programme * In May 2015, Iranian ships seized a container ship in the Strait and fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker which it said damaged an Iranian oil platform * In July 2018, President Hassan Rouhani hinted Iran could disrupt oil trade through the Strait in response to US calls to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero * In May 2019, four vessels - including two Saudi oil tankers - were attacked off the UAE coast near Fujairah, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs, just outside the Strait of Hormuz Sources: Reuters/Refinitiv/Energy Information Administration Search Keywords: Short link: Simran Ahuja By Express News Service BENGALURU: Fawzy Morsy has always harboured a dream to visit India soon, and plan an exhibition, in Egypt and India, of cartoons made by prominent artists from both the countries. While he hasnt been able to come to India yet, his works have been selected for an exhibition of foreign cartoons, organised by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists (IIC). Morsy is among 80 international cartoonists whose works will be on display at Indian Cartoon Gallery till June 22. All the chosen cartoons were selected from entries sent to the Maya Kamath Memorial Awards (MKMA) held last year. The best entries were shortlisted by a jury that included the late playwright-actor Girish Karnad, sculptor Balan Nambiar, writer-editor Vivek Shanbhag and cartoonist B G Gujjarappa. Most of the cartoons submitted were responses to the current political or social situations. For example, Morsys submission includes the hazards technology can have on human health, influence of social media on our lives and discrimination women face. The Egyptian artist says, The caricature scene in India is very similar to the Egyptian one, because we face similar problems, like pollution, crowded public spaces, poverty, etc. V G Narendra, managing trustee, IIC, however, feels Indian cartoonists are far behind international ones when it comes to presentation. The latter do not rely on captions, he says, adding, Their work can be understood by people all over the world. Case in point: Algerian cartoonist Youcef Aimeurs work on deforestation, which depicts a legal authority using a hammer to uproot a tree and plant a building instead. The only script is Aimeurs signature, giving the whole piece a minimal look. Its what I like most about cartooning the simplicity of passing messages to society without the slightest effort, and with humour, the 40-year-old artist tells CE. Agrees Aysha Haseen, a 47-year-old cartoonist who shuttles between Kerala and Dubai. Cartoons, she says, help her express her genuine pain at the hypocrisy of political institutions and society. Of the two cartoons she submitted, one was themed blinded by patriarchy while the other delved into statue politics. Haseen, in fact, was one of the only four female artists who took part in MKMA. She adds, Women are never taken seriously in the creative world, especially in the field of satire and comics. They have always been considered not funny enough, and often face smirks not only from their male counterparts but also from conservative women. Gender inequality is not the only problem plaguing the scene. When asked about the nature of restriction in his country, Aimeur says things are better off in Algeria as compared to other Arab or African countries. But the cartoonist still always has danger of being in trouble. His work could cost him his freedom or his life, he adds solemnly. And the way forward? Block any hate or trolls, says Haseen, who has been at the receiving end of comments questioning her patriotism. ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Kolkata, June 13 Striking junior doctors in West Bengal on Thursday defied Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees 2 pm-deadline to join work and said the agitation will continue till their demands related to security in government hospitals are met. The doctors have been agitating since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A seven-member delegation of junior doctors, led by the West Bengal unit of ABVP, met West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi to apprise him of the prevailing unrest in various medical colleges in the state and requested his intervention in the matter. The meeting took place in the wake of Banerjees visit to Kolkatas SSKM Hospital where she gave the agitating doctors a four-hour ultimatum to withdraw their strike and warned of strong action if the situation was not normalised within the deadline. The CM claimed that the agitation was part of a conspiracy of her political rivals. I condemn the agitation. The junior doctors strike is a conspiracy by the CPM and the BJP, Banerjee, who also holds the health and family welfare portfolio, said. She alleged outsiders had entered medical colleges and hospitals to create disturbances. Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint and said he will take up the matter of doctors security with chief ministers. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 14 Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shivraj Chouhan announced an outline of a special membership drive that the party is all set to undertake before it heads into its organisational elections. Called the sangathan parv, the drive aims to increase party membership by at least 20 per cent. Chouhan, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh who will head the partys membership drive, said the process will begin on July 6. The membership drive will primarily focus on strengthening its booth-level units, and will focus on Kashmir, as well as states like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala. While the BJP did well in West Bengalwhere it won win 18 seats, displacing the Left to become the ruling Trinamool Congress partys chief rivals in the statethe southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Kerala still remain elusive to the party. The BJP will a list of leaders responsible for each state. The party said it would draw up a complete plan for its drive by July 1. The party has set a membership target of 2.20 crore. The drive will end on August 10, after which the party will conduct a drive for its active members from August 16-31. vermaajay1968@gmail.com NEW DELHI/BISHKEK, JUNE 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today won greater promises of trade and investment avenues in bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Several world leaders are in Bishkek to participate in a summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Friday. In a brief discussion on Pakistan with Xi, PM Modi said Indias consistent position was to peacefully utilise bilateral mechanisms to settle disputes. He had personally invested in the relationship, but his efforts had been derailed. While Russia offered India scope for investment in its Far-East, China said it had dismantled regulatory procedures that would lead to an uptick in Indian exports of non-Basmati rice, sugar and pharmaceuticals. Xi assured Modi that China was in the process of dismantling more regulatory barriers. A similar promise was made at the Second Belt and Road summit in April this year. PM Modi has promised to visit the Russian Far-East in September. His visit to Vladivostok will be preceded by delegations from states. TNS/Agencies Pak extends flight ban till June 28 Lahore: Pakistan on Thursday extended its airspace ban along its eastern border with India for the third time till June 28. Pakistan fully closed its airspace on February 26 after the Indian Air Force struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot. Since then, it has only opened two routes, both of them pass through southern Pakistan, of the total 11. The civil aviation authority is expected to review the situation on June 15. PTI Ties with India at the lowest point: Imran At the moment, our bilateral relationship with India is, probably, at its lowest point... but we hope now the PM uses his big mandate to develop better relationship, bring peace in subcontinent Imran Khan, Pakistan PM rchopra@tribunemail.com Bishkek, June 14 In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable as he called for a global conference to combat the menace. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here, Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. India stood for a terrorism-free society, he said. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries would have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, Modi said in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. Modi also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against terrorism. He urged the SCO leaders to organise a global conference on terrorism. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. PTI kavishakohli@gmail.com Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 14 The government has called for an all-party meeting on June 16 to discuss the agenda for the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha. The session commences on June 17, a day after the meeting. At the meeting, the government will seek opposition support for a bill banning the practice of instant triple talaq. The bill would make triple talaq illegal and could invite a jail term of three years for husband who practises it. A husband can get bail from a judicial magistrate before trial only if his wife concurs. Opposition parties led by the Congress have objected to the provision of the jail term in the bill. Earlier this year, the Triple Talaq bill was not passed in the Rajya Sabha and the government had to bring in an ordinance to prevent it from lapsing. In the upcoming session, the government will introduce an Act to replace the triple talaq ordinance. However, apprehensions about a confrontation with the opposition remain. The Congress has said that it has objections to certain provisions in the bill. NDA ally JD(U) has also said that it will oppose the bill. vermaajay1968@gmail.com Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana June 13 Hundreds of inmates of the Ludhiana Central Jail suffering from Hepatitis C may have gone untreated but for Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who sent Rs 2 lakh to fund medical tests and treatment. The funds were levied as cost on persons facing trial in Fazilka and Jalandhar. During inspection on March 31, Justice Sindhu was told about the plight of 184 inmates suffering from Hepatitis C and he promised to do something for them, Jail Superintendent Shamsher Singh Boparai said. Within a month, the jail received Rs 2 lakh from the High Court. A Delhi-based medical agency was hired to conduct tests which charged Rs 900 per inmate. In the first phase, 79 inmates were put on medication. Tests of the remaining inmates are likely within this week. They too will be administered medicine accordingly, Boparai explained. Asked if the infection was acquired inside the jail, he replied: Most of them were already infected when they came. At least 72 of them have a history of drug abuse. According to Dr Charanpreet Grewal, consultant, hepatology and interventional gastroenterology, Hepatitis is a virus that infects the liver. If not treated on time, it can damage the liver completely, causing death. If the infection is serious, treatment may take up to six months. Tests are a must to decide medication. The jail with 3,100 inmates plus 200 families is located in the vicinity of dyeing units that emit toxic gases and effluents. Many inmates suffer from skin and respiratory problems, besides eye infections. The jail authorities recently wrote to the Punjab DGP, Sessions Judge, DC and the CM, seeking action against these factories, say sources. kavishakohli@gmail.com Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 14 Key BJP ally JD(U) has decided to oppose the Triple Talaq Bill in its current form. Senior JD-U leader and Bihar minister Shayam Razak said: "JD-U is opposed to it and we will continue to stand against it." The JD-U leader said Triple Talaq is a social issue and it should be resolved by the society at the social level. Razak said it was the JD-U that voted against the Triple Talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier, Nitish Kumar had publicly opposed the Triple Talaq Bill. Early this week, the Bihar Chief Minister reiterated his stand that the proposals to remove Article 370, impose a Uniform Civil Code and construct a Ram temple in Ayodhya either be settled through dialogue or court ruling. "It has been our view that Article 370 should not be removed. Similarly, Uniform Civil Code should not be imposed on anyone and the issue of Ram temple in Ayodhya be either resolved through dialogue or court order," Nitish Kumar said. The JD (U) will also remain out of the Modi 2.0, reportedly because of differences arising from portfolio distribution. The Cabinet on Wednesday cleared a fresh Bill to ban instant triple talaq. The Bill will be introduced in the Budget session of the Parliamentwhich begins on Mondayto replace the governments February ordinance. With the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month, the previous Bill, which was pending in Rajya Sabha, lapsed. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which makes the practice of instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat a penal offence, had faced objections from the opposition parties. The Opposition says imprisonment for a man divorcing his wife is legally untenable. The government, however, has maintained that the proposed legislation is in the spirit of gender equality and in line with the governments philosophy of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas. The government promulgated the ordinance on triple talaq twicein September 2018 and once again in February 2019as the contentious Bill remained pending in Rajya Sabha. The Bill had been passed by Lok Sabha. Under the Muslim Women Ordinance 2019, divorcing through instant triple talaq is illegal, void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. In August 2018, the Cabinet had cleared amendments that included certain safeguards in an attempt to allay fears regarding the misuse of the proposed law. While the ordinance makes Triple Talaq a non-bailable offence, the accused can approach a magistrate even before trial to seek bail. As per practice, in a non-bailable offence, police cannot release a person on bail without a court order. A provision was added to allow the magistrate to grant bail, but only after the wife agrees. In the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha, the government plans to convert 10 ordinances, including the one on triple talaq, into laws. The ordinances were issued in February-March this year by the previous Modi government as these could not be converted into Acts in the last session of the 16th Lok Sabha. Agencies vermaajay1968@gmail.com Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 13 An increase in pension of almost 25 lakh retired soldiers hangs in the balance. The equalisation of pension for the veterans may not happen immediately following objections raised by a wing of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). It will need some tough decision-making from newly appointed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The One Rank One Pension (OROP) for soldiers was implemented with effect from July 1, 2014, and a gazette notification said pension would be equalised after five years that is July 1, 2019. The term equalised means all soldiers who retired in same rank and with same length of service will be on a par in terms of pension. Read impact of this story here: Rajnath forms committee on soldiers pensions, to submit report in a month Now, the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) has asked the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare in the MoD to clarify whether any logic exists to initiate the process of OROP revision (equalisation) once the pension of past and current pensioners was equated on January 1, 2016. The revision in 2016 was done following the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC). In simpler words, the CGDA is asking if pension should be revised now, that is five years from the original OROP cut-off date, or should it be revised later since it was revised from January 2016. The CGDA has also pointed out that impact of the 7th CPC recommendations was not factored in the OROP orders. There have been several developments since the OROP orders, the most significant is the implementation of recommendations of the 7th CPC, it says. The formula called the notional pay brings all pensioners to current rates, almost as if they were serving under the 7th CPC. The Indian Ex-Service League headed by Brig Kartar Singh (retd) has shot off a letter to the secretary of the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare, saying as per the notification for OROP, equalisation is to be done after five years. There should be no doubt in the mind of any pension authority, the League said. Retired soldiers have pointed out that increase in pension under the 7th CPC is not equalisation of pension under OROP. Under OROP, pension is equalised and not revised. Upward revision of pension due to implementation of the 7th CPC should not in any way be linked to OROP equalisation. Notably, in the ongoing fiscal, Rs 1,12,080 crore has been allocated for defence pensions. The services are literally weighed down by bulging establishment costs salaries and pensions. The salaries of the three services and the civilians work out to be Rs 1,19,559 crore and now form 37 per cent of the budget of Rs 4,31,011 crore. Salaries and pensions take up more money than what is allocated for modernisation. Confusion prevails gspannu7@gmail.com Bishkek, June 14 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a USD 200 million line of credit for Kyrgyzstan after wide-ranging talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov as the two sides upgraded their ties to the strategic partnership level and signed 15 agreements, including one to eliminate double taxation. Prime Minister Modi and President Jeenbekov held one-on-one restricted meeting followed by a delegation-level talks during which the two sides discussed on stepping up their bilateral engagement to the next level and exploring new areas of cooperation. Later at a joint press statement, Modi announced the USD 200 million line of credit for Kyrgyzstan and said the two sides have decided to upgrade their ties to the strategic partnership level. Prime Minister Modi also said the two sides have prepared a five-year road map to increase the bilateral trade. He said the two countries share views on several issues and they have signed 15 agreements, including on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). They also signed the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), MoUs in the field of Health, security, defence and Information and Communication Technology. Prime Minister Modi emphasised on the counter-terror cooperation between the two sides and said terrorism cannot be justified in any manner. We are together in fight against terrorism, it is imperative to give out a message to the world that terrorism will not be tolerated at any cost, he said. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace here. India & Kyrgyzstan are now strategic partners! In a major outcome of the visit, both countries have decided to add strategic dimension to our ties to boost our relationship in defence & security, trade & investment, health, education & development cooperation, among other areas, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted after the talks between the two leaders. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. PTI Express News Service Wednesday evening, Dalmia House at 27 Akbar Road became a diplomats hub with close to 20 ambassadors pouring in to bid farewell to the very charming US Deputy Chief of Mission MaryKay Carlson and her husband Aubrey, a retired diplomat. MaryKay looked splendid in a red and black cotton sari with matching jewellery. The mansion with its old paintings and sculptures, delectable hors doeuvres and overflowing wine, was a succour after the sudden dust storm. Adding warmth was VN Dalmias toast laced with poignance on how hed miss his movie companions, the Carslons, with whom hed watched 8-9 movies in last 24 months. The Director of the Dalmia Continental Private Limited (DCPL) went on to list the movies, starting with Dunkirk on July 22, 2017, then The Darkest Hour, A Star is Born, Mary Poppins Returns, Green Book, thereafter. He marvelled at how MaryKay took to India like a fish out of water and joked saying, Join politics, and come back as an ambassador! MaryKay returned the toast by calling Mr Dalmia such an engaging person someone you want to hang around with, reminiscing how she got him to dress for Halloween and how he was the first to spot the culprit in the Murder Mystery party at her home. Above all, shed miss the interactions forged here with the Indian community that seemed more meaningful than the US. She also thanked her husband and journalists in the room. Come visit us in Buenos Aires! she signed off, inviting all to her next placement in Argentina. (top to bottom) VN Dalmia and MaryKay Carlson US Dy Chief of Mission with husband Aubrey; Rodney John Hilton, Australian DCM, Archil Dzuliashvili Amb of Georgia, Sidharto Suryodipuro Amb of Indonesia and wife Dewi Ratna; Jan Thompson DCM of Britain, Katarina Tomkova, DCM of Slovak Republic and Boon Yian, Dy High Commissioner of Singapore; and Sakir Ozkan Torunlar Amb of Turkey and Nina Vaskunlahti Amb of Finland Later in the evening, Carlson confessed that shed be clocking an all-nighter to start packing, and that shes most concerned about her saris approximately 30 now. Jamdanis, tussar silks to even Kanjeevarams. I dont have a single designer sari from a fancy showroom. All are beautiful handlooms, including the ones gifted to me. The sari she wore for the farewell was a gift on the previous day, which was US Student Visa Day where visa applicants were interviewed, and she was lucky to receive this sari in the colours of her college T-shirt. She had also started the #SareeSearch campaign for Twitterati to help her select saris for her stint in India, sharing the same concerns of a first-time sari wearer. I didnt know how the sari is worn... what if I took a step and the whole thing fell out and I am standing there exposed! But Carlson managed just fine during her tenure and now plans to surprise her daughters by wearing a sari for a luncheon in the US. amansharma@tribunemail.com Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), June 14 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan exchanged pleasantries on Friday during the SCO summit in Bishkek, official sources said. Modi exchanged usual pleasantries with Khan in the Leaders Lounge at venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit here, they said. It is also learnt that Khan congratulated Modi on his election victory during their first face-to-face interaction. However, there was no meeting between the two leaders, sources said. Both Modi and Khan were here to attend the annual summit of the SCO. The exchange of pleasantries came over two weeks after Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote separate letters to their Indian counterparts, pushing for restarting the bilateral talks. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Khan had also made a telephone call to Modi on May 26 and expressed his desire to work together for the betterment of people of the two countries. On his part, Modi said creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism was essential for fostering peace and prosperity in the region. Following the phone call and letter by Khan to Prime Minister Modi after his re-election for a second term, there were speculation that both may have a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit here. Modi arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO. He held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He also held talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Friday during a bilateral visit during which the two countries upgraded their relations to strategic partnership level. PTI ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Shillong, June 13 Carbine-wielding CRPF personnel guard the entry and exit points of Shillongs Punjabi Lane from the Police Bazaar side. The CRPF has been deployed there recently after the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), a banned terrorist outfit claiming to represent the interests of the Khasis and Jaintia people of Meghalaya, threatened the Punjabi Lane Sikhs of dire consequences if they tried to resist the government attempt to evict them. This is one of the rare occasions when a terror outfit has stepped in to ensure the implementation of a government initiative. The Meghalaya government and terrorists are on the same page as far as we are concerned, says Bharat Singh, a resident of the colony. Bharat Singhs TV repairing shop has been shut for a year now like many other shops of the neighbourhood which downed their shutters after last Junes riots in the area. While the residents of Punjabi Lane are far from rich, the area, being close to Shillongs commercial hub Police Bazaar, may be worth a fortune. Eviction notices were given in 1987, a mob had attacked the colony in 1992, we were asked to prove ownership in 1994, Lal Singh was murdered in 1995, Gurjit Singh, secretary of the Harijan Colony Panchayat, loses count as he tries to recall the unending series of ordeals that have made the lives of the Sikh residents of Punjabi Lane an unending saga of trouble. According to Gurjit Singh, the settlement of Sikhs in Shillong dates back to the period before 1863. The local tribal chief gave the land to the Sikhs who came with British colonialists. Originally our forefathers were given 2.5 acres of land. But we are left with only 1.75 acres of land now. Around 2,000 to 2,500 Sikhs live in the locality, Gurjit Singh, who is also headmaster of the local Guru Nanak Dev Upper Primary School, says. The latest attack on the Punjabi Lane Sikhs has come in the form of notices given to residents by the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) to prove by July 3 their ownership of the land. The notices were issued on May 31 after the Meghalaya Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong-led high powered committee constituted to look into the issue of relocation of the Punjabi Lane Sikhs submitted its report. Gurjit Singh and his associates are hoping that the Centre will persuade the Meghalaya government to allow the Punjabi Lane Sikhs to stay in the locality where they have been living for generations. They are pinning their hopes on a meeting that MHA officials are slated to have today with the Chief Secretary of Meghalaya in Delhi to discuss the issue. The Meghalaya High Court also gave an order in February saying the state government should not disturb the Punjabi Lane Sikhs till the time civil courts were approached and titles decided, Gurjit Singh said. He warned that contempt petition would be filed in the High Court against the CEO of Shillong Municipal Board if the latest notice asking the residents to prove their ownership of land was not withdrawn. rchopra@tribunemail.com Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 14 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday morning took the decision of equalisation of pensions of retired soldiers under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) formula. He has formed a committee to work out the modalities and method of the next revision of pension under OROP. The Committee will he headed by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA). It will have representatives from all three armed forces besides other stakeholders. The committee has been asked to submit its report in a months time. It will make specific recommendations on the matter. The Tribune was the first to raise the issue in its edition dated June 14 (read that story here). The issue cropped up as the CGDA had asked the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare in the Ministry of Defence to clarify whether any logic exists to initiate the process of OROP revision (equalisation) once the pension of past and current pensioners was equated on January 1, 2016. The revision in 2016 was done following the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC). In other words, the CGDA asked if pension should be revised now, that is five years from the original OROP cut-off date, or should it be revised later since it was revised from January 2016. This meant pension of almost 25 lakh retired soldiers hanged in the balance. The OROP for soldiers was implemented with effect from July 1, 2014, and a gazette notification said pension would be equalised after five yearsthat is July 1, 2019. The term equalised means all soldiers who retired in the same rank and with the same length of service will be on par in terms of pension. Retired soldiers have pointed out that increase in pension under the 7th CPC is not equalisation of pension under OROP. Under OROP, pension is equalised and not revised. Upward revision of pension due to implementation of the 7th CPC should not in any way be linked to the OROP equalisation. In the ongoing fiscal, Rs 1,12,080 crore has been allocated for defence pensions. The services are literally weighed down by the bulging establishment costssalaries and pensions. The salaries of the three services and the civilians work out to be Rs 1,19,559 crore and now form 37 per cent of the budget of Rs 4,31,011 crore. Salaries and pensions take up more money than what is allocated for modernisation. vermaajay1968@gmail.com Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Shillong, June 13 An SGPC team from Amritsar today met Meghalaya Home Minister James Sangma here and urged him that attempts being made to relocate the Sikh residents of Shillongs Punjabi Lane must be stopped. In a memorandum, the SGPC said the Sikh residents of Punjabi Lane were being harassed for the past 20 years in the name of relocation and removal. A fresh attempt is underway, they said. The SGPC said this would be gross injustice since the Sikhs were staying in this area for over 150 years, a fact which has been acknowledged by the Syiem (the tribal chieftain) of the area. The SGPC urged Sangma to intervene and direct the administration to refrain from taking any unlawful action. The Sikh families, whose forefathers had come here with the British as sanitation workers, have been contributing to the betterment of Meghalaya with their hard work, it added. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma is visiting Delhi tomorrow and SGPC representatives will meet him there. The SGPC team said the Home Minister assured full protection to residents of Punjabi Lane. If granted permission, the SGPC will build a six-storey building for the Punjabi Lane residents, SGPCs Bhagwant Singh said. rchopra@tribunemail.com Washington, June 14 The US is ready to help Indias defence needs with the latest technologies and equipment, but New Delhi purchasing long-range S-400 missile defence system from Russia would limit cooperation, the Trump administration has cautioned. The statement came weeks after an identical warning from a senior State Department official who had said that New Delhis deal to procure the lethal missile system from Moscow would have serious implications on the India-US defence ties. The S-400 is known as Russias most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system. China was the first foreign buyer to seal a government-to-government deal with Russia in 2014 for the system. India and Russia signed a USD 5 billion S-400 air defence system deal in October last year after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Senior State Department official (South and Central Asian Affairs) Alice G Wells told House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee for Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation on Thursday that the US now did more military exercises with India than any other country. Under the Trump administration, weve been very clear that were ready to help meet Indias defence needs and we are seeking a very different kind of defence partnership building on the Major Defence Partner designation that India has received from Congress, Wells said. She was replying to the Congressional sub-committee on India buying S-400 from Russia and how to make India-US ties as robust and as meaningful as possible. Just a few weeks ago, India, the United States, the Philippines and Japan did a sail by in the South China Sea, she said. In both our bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral formats, were working together in ways that we didnt even conceive of 10 years ago. And so wed like all aspects of our military relationship to catch up to this new partnership, Wells said. Noting that India has a historical dependence on Russian arms, she said what caused concern with the S-400 is that it effectively could limit Indias ability to increase our own interoperability. At a certain point, she argued, a strategic choice had to be made by India about partnerships and a strategic choice about what weapon systems and platforms it is going to adopt. It is the case that 10 years ago we did not offer the range of military equipment to India that were prepared to offer today. Were very much engaged in a conversation with India over how we can broaden our defence relationship, Wells said in response to a question. Signing of COMCASA agreement between the two countries, she said, was a key step forward which allowed for the classified sharing of information, which is one of the basic foundational agreements that fostered military interoperability. So were making significant strides forward in our military relationship, she said. There is no a blanket waiver or country waiver when it comes to an S-400. We have serious concern about a possible S-400 purchase (by India) and were continuing our conversations on what the United States or other defence providers could assist India, Wells said. Over the last 10 years, she said the India-US defence trade had increased from zero to USD 18 billion, as New Delhi had started to diversify its weapons sources. We expect continued progress and expanding that defence relationship. But its still the case that about 65 or 70 per cent of Indias military hardware is of Russian origin, she said. And when Russian President Putin visited India last October, there were additional announcements of big-ticket military items that were potentially under consideration, she said. Responding to another question, Wells alleged that India had the highest tariff barriers of a G-20 country. Historically it has been a protected market. So, our failure to negotiate an agreement over the course of the last year and a half led to the decision to suspend the GSP benefits, she said. However, GSP or asking India to stop purchasing oil from Iran is unlikely to push India into the China camp, she said when asked about it from a lawmaker. I don't think so. We are Indias largest and best market. Twenty per cent of Indias goods come here. There is Indian Foreign Direct Investment in the US. Theres a huge interest by US firms in India. As Prime Minister Modi begins his second term hes preoccupied with job creation and attracting Foreign Direct Investment is going to be a key part of that strategy. Properly conducted trade can be a huge strength to the relationship and thats certainly our focus as we begin our engagement with Prime Minister Modi in his second term as how do we fix this part of the relationship, Wells added. PTI vermaajay1968@gmail.com Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, June 13 The figures are astounding: 66 per cent more visa applications were processed in Jalandhar last year than in 2017. Even Chandigarh recorded a spurt of 54 per cent visa applicants. Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group Chief Operating Officer of VFS Global, that manages visa and passport-related administrative tasks for the governments of 48 countries, said the company processed 52.8 lakh applications last year in India. The highest upward trend of 66 per cent was from Punjab, followed by 45 per cent from Goa and 43 per cent from Puducherry. Elizabeth Samuel, Head Operations, North and East, added, The applicants from Punjab are choosing between the centres of Jalandhar and Chandigarh. On an average, 2,000 to 3,000 visa applicants come daily to VFS Global in Jalandhar alone since we are the exclusive service provider for countries like Canada, US, UK and Australia. Though the company officials refused to share any data related to categorisation of visas, they said, Our peak season for tourist visas is from March to June and for student visas from July to September. Students are showing more craze for courses in management, medicine and specifically herbal medicine. The experts said Canada was the favourite destination of the visa applicants and some of the new destinations included Japan, Turkey, Czech Republic and Estonia. Doorstep assistance too for applicants VFS Global said it was even offering doorstep assistance. This, of course, comes at an additional cost. The applicants are calling our assistants home for helping them arrange documents, prepare their applications and do all paper work, said Elizabeth Samuel, Head Operations, North and East. Some key facts gspannu7@gmail.com Ravi Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Pathankot, June 14 A three-year-old boy fell into a 25-foot-deep borewell in Kidian Gandial Meera village, located in Kathua district of J&K on the border with Punjab, late on Thursday evening but was rescued within 15 minutes by his neighbours. The child, Pardeep, suffered two fractures on his leg and is now recuperating in a private hospital in Sarna, 5 km from Pathankot city. Pathankot Deputy Commissioner Ramvir visited the hospital on Friday morning and talked to the doctors for nearly an hour. The boy is stable now. The tragedy occurred within the jurisdiction of Kathua district but because the village is located near Pathankot, Pardeeps parents decided to get him treated here. The child has suffered two fractures and there are also some facial injuries. However, he is not in danger and will be discharged within a day or two, said the DC. The physician treating him, Dr JS Randhawa, said that the child suffered femur fractures at two places and some abrasions due to a freefall. The boys father, Bittu, told The Tribune that late yesterday night he gave some money to both his sons Pardeep and Geru and asked them to buy something for themselves from the confectionary shop located near their house. However, when they were returning, Pardeep kept his foot on a tarpaulin sheet not knowing that it was covering a freshly dug borewell. Unable to take the childs weight, the tarpaulin gave in and with it the toddler fell into the pit. Geru came running to me and informed that Pardeep had fallen in the borewell. I informed the villagers and a rescue operation immediately commenced, said Bittu. Various theories were floated on how to bring out Pardeep from the depths. Time was running out and finally a neighbour volunteered to go inside the dug up area after he tied himself with a rope, one end of which was held by villagers. Slowly but steadily, he clawed his way in and after a couple of minutes he brought out my son, added Bittu. Rumours flew thick and fast and one was that the incident happened in Pathankot district. A few days ago, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had ordered the closure of all open borewells in the state after a two-year-old boy, Fatehveer Singh, had fallen in one of them in Bhagwanpura village of Sangrur district. He was pulled out dead after five days of rescue operations. shriaya.dutt@tribuneindia.com London, June 14 A British Sikh property tycoon is leading plans for a new trust for gurdwaras in Pakistan to facilitate religious tourism and preservation projects through the Kartarpur Corridor, planned on either side of the India-Pakistan border. Peter Virdee, founder of London-based B&S Property, said including the as-yet-undisclosed pledge of his own Virdee Foundation and business people from around the world as much as 500 million pounds would be available for the trust, which will be named after Guru Nanak. "I feel humbled and blessed to have a chance for this sewa. The plans are in motion and a delegation will be meeting the Indian and Pakistani governments in the coming weeks and months to take this plan forward," Virdee said. Asked if the India-Pakistan political tensions could prove a hurdle, he said: "This is a purely religious initiative and nothing to do with politics. It is crucial that we do not mix religion and politics. Many of the Sikh holy shrines are located in Pakistan and it is important that we get together and preserve them." The plans for the new trust, which will be registered and monitored in the UK, were formalised during a meeting of the Central Gurdwara Khalsa Jatha in London earlier this week. Virdee and other British Sikhs held talks with Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, Chairman of the Pakistan Tourism Board and Special Assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, on issues of importance to the Sikh community based in the UK. "Many of the Sikhs that spoke congratulated the Pakistan government for the stand taken regarding not only the establishment of the Kartarpur Corridor but also other measures being taken for the 550th Gurpurb of Guru Nanak Dev Ji," said a statement issued by Sikh Federation UK. Earlier this week, the Pakistan government announced Rs 100 crore in the federal budget for 2019-20 for the development of the corridor, which will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistani region of Kartarpur with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. The foundation stone for the project was laid down on either side of the border in November last year, with the project expected to be completed by the end of this year. Bukhari also made some commitments regarding visas sought by British Sikhs for religious reasons, including the possibility of visas online and visas on arrival. He also acknowledged plans to establish tourism desks at embassies, where dedicated staff can facilitate visas for those planning religious yatras to Pakistan. During the meeting in London which was attended by All Party Parliamentary Group on British Sikhs Chair Preet Kaur Gill among other leading politicians and British Sikh representatives, Bukhari confirmed that he would look into addressing connectivity issues by offering a free bus service that could connect all the main gurdwaras in Pakistan. PTI editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh would be attending the first meeting of the NITI Aayogs Governing Council, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on June 15. The Chief Minister, who returned from vacation in HP, would be leaving for Delhi tomorrow, a day ahead of the NITI Aayog meeting. Sources in the party said the CM was likely to meet the party leadership, including senior leader Ahmed Patel, in connection with the issue raised by Navjot Singh Sidhu in a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi earlier this week. Though the CM is learnt to have already talked to Patel on the issue and written a letter in this regard after the Lok Sabha elections, the two leaders could meet to solve the issue. On the other hand, Sidhu is yet to take over his new assignment as he is said to be waiting for the outcome of the meeting between the two leaders. Sidhus personal staff has already shifted from the Sector 35 office of the Local Bodies Department to his office at fifth floor in the Civil Secretariat. Issues to be raised In the meeting to be attended by the Finance Minister along with the CM, the leaders are likely to raise the issue of special package for the border state and consideration of agriculture loan waiver at the national level. editorial@tribune.com Tribune News Service Sangrur, June 13 Relatives of two-year-old Fatehveer Singh, who died after falling into a borewell, and residents of Bhagwanpura village on Thursday announced that they would not allow any official or politician to attend the bhog of the deceased child. Tempers ran high on Thursday morning when the mortal remains of the child were collected from the cremation ground of Sheron village by relatives and villagers. The Punjab Government and the authorities concerned have completely failed us. There is no government in Punjab for us. Had there been any government and authorities, our Fatehveer would have been alive today. We all have decided that we wont allow any official or politician to attend the bhog of the deceased child, said the relatives of Fatehveer. Meanwhile, Rohi Singh, grandfather of the child, said the Punjab Government should take the required steps to prevent such incidents in future. He said his family got the required help from the Sangrur administration and the Punjab Government. All tried their level best to save Fatehveer, he added. The mortal remains of the child will be immersed at Kiratpur Sahib, said Prem Singh, sarpanch, Bhagwanpura village. Borewell finally sealed The Sangrur administration on Thursday sealed the150-foot-deep borewell, in which deceased Fatehveer remained trapped for over 100 hours, and another parallel hole dug up in five days to retrieve the child. Parvez Sultan By Express News Service NEW DELHI: After completing the process to retrieve 17 rare antiquities of Indian origin, which were smuggled to US around 10 years ago, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is ready to bring back more historic artifacts belonging to different phases or periods in history from idols dating to the Gupta period to terracotta objects of the Harappan culture lying with different agencies in Singapore, England, Canada, and also in US. Many objects having high heritage value are in possession of authorities in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, New York and Singapore. They were taken out to different countries at different point of time illegally by people involved in illegal trade. The ASI has been informed about them through Indian Consulate or missions there. We will begin the process for their retrieval once we get the go ahead by agencies abroad, Dr Urmila Sant, Additional Director General (Archaeology), said. Sant was part of the two-member team, which was sent to New York recently to examine huge cache of antique of Indian origin on invitation of Consulate General of India. She was accompanied by PS Sriraman, Superintendent Archaeologist of Amravati Circle. The team had found close to 100 antique objects, including idols dating back to the Gupta period (5-6th century AD) and terracotta objects of Harappan culture. A set of 17 objects, comprising seven made of bronze and ten made of stone, were seized by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations from the storage of art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in New York. They are of significant historical value, Sant said. Following its five-day visit, the ASI team prepared a report with historical references and a copy of the FIR filed on the theft of the articles, which was sent to the consulate and foreign authorities to initiate their return. All documentation has been completed and sent to the authorities there. It may take up to one year to receive all these objects. We found 17 artifacts of high historical importance belonging to Chandraketugarh site in West Bengal, Sant said. The antiques, which are in possession of US authorities, comprises bronze items from the Suttamalli and Sripurantan temples of Tamil Nadu and also an image of Mahakoka Devata. Of these, four antiquities were stolen from the protected monuments at Karitalai, district Katni in Madhya Pradesh on August 16-17 in 2006. Besides this, the 56 terracotta objects returned by Toledo Museum, Ohio to Indian Consulate were also declared antiques. The same were gifted to the museum by Kapoor. Majority of them belong to the Chandraketugarh, a prominent site of terracotta art in the first decade of CE. The rest comprised of terracotta objects of Harappan Culture and of Gupta period, the ASI official said. Another 232 objects, comprising brass and copper alloys, gold with enamel work, silver, stone and terracotta in US, were also inspected by the ASI officials. Kapoor was arrested in Germany in 2011 and was later extradited. He is lodged in a Tamil Nadu jail. amansharma@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 14 With two days to go for the finale of the Shahidi Jor Mela in memory of Guru Arjan Dev, India has asked Pakistan to immediately grant visa to 87 pilgrims to enable them visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore on the occasion. While Pakistan had given visas to some pilgrims, it withheld permission to pilgrims on an official list submitted by the Indian Government. Last year, in contrast pilgrims were taken by special trains to Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hasanabdal near Taxila from where they went to Lahores Dera Sahib. The pilgrims were also permitted to visit Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad. The Ministry of External Affairs reminded Islamabad that it was obliged to grants visa under the Indo-Pak Protocol on Visit to Religious Shrines, 1974. The MEA expressed its concern at the disregard shown by the Pakistan High Commission for the religious sentiments and devotion of Indian pilgrims. It also protested against the High Commission unilaterally granting restrictive visa (by rail only) to a private group of Indian pilgrims. Interestingly, the gathering at the Jor Mela in Lahore is usually addressed by Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee leader Gopal Singh Chawla. His inclusion in a Pakistani panel for Kartarpur corridor has triggered an Indian boycott of official level talks on the project. Till he acquired notoriety in public perception in India, Chawla shared the stage at the Shahidi Jor Mela at Gurdwara Dera Sahib with prominent Sikh leaders from India who would inaugurate the kar seva. editorial@tribune.com Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 13 Days after the charge of the Local Bodies Department was taken from Navjot Singh Sidhu, his successor Brahm Mohindra has made the departmental officers accountable to the party legislators as far solving their respective problems were concerned. Performance of the officers would be judged on the basis of feedback from the MLAs, Mohindra told The Tribune. In the aftermath of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh pointing out partys poor performance in urban areas due to lack of development, a fact contradicted by Sidhu, the minister today began the exercise to bridge the gap between the officialdom and the lawmakers by organising first meeting of Jalandhar MLAs Sushil Kumar Rinku, Pargat Singh, Rajinder Beri, Surinder Singh and Avtar Singh Junior, besides Jalandhar MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh. Similar meetings have been scheduled for Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Bathinda in the coming days. Emphasis is being laid on political deliverance of development works through the respective legislator, a fact that was widely missing in the feedback given by MLAs to the Chief Minister from time to time. On the basis of the feedback from the MLAs on the pendency of online building plans, the departmental officials have been asked to provide status report on the e-naksha online building plan approval system (OBPS), launched by the department last year. The report has been sought on the total applications received, approved, pending and the reasons for keeping the plans pending. It has been pointed out that in small urban local bodies, fee of the certified architects was pinching small plot holders and clearance of the large plans, especially commercial, was taking time at the state headquarters office. Recently, the previous minister has pointed that under the OBPS, nearly 4,000 plans have been sanctioned on the e-naksha portal till date with more than 8,800 files having been uploaded. The OBPS caters to the 165 urban local bodies as well as the 27 Improvement Trusts. Besides, on the pattern of one-time settlement scheme (OTS) for illegal colonies, an OTS for illegal commercial buildings in the municipal areas has also been sought. editorial@tribune.com Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, June 13 The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Faridkot, on Thursday dismissed the anticipatory bail application of Superintendent of Police (SP) Baljit Singh in the Kotkapura police firing case of October 2015. He is one of six prime accused nominated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its probe into the firing incident. Currently posted as SP (D) in Ferozepur, Baljit Singh was Kotkapura DSP at the time of police firing on the protesters. Saying there was prima facie sufficient evidence against him for his failing in handling the situation arising out of the ongoing dharna to protest sacrilege incidents at Kotkapura and fabricating evidence, the court said he could influence witnesses in the case if allowed anticipatory bail. Dismissing the bail application, the court observed that as per the SIT report, SP Baljit Singh had made an attempt to destroy 11 pieces of evidence and manipulated and fabricated the relevant facts of the case and had not taken any action on the Medico Legal Reports (MLR) of the persons injured in the police firing. Offering to join the SITs probe in the case, Baljit Singh claimed that his role in the incident was not same as that of then SHO Gurdeep Singh Pander, whose anticipatory bail was also dismissed by the court on June 6. Opposing the bail to the SP, the prosecution on behalf of the SIT argued that Baljit Singh and the SHO were the jurisdictional officers, under whose jurisdictional area the incident of firing took place. Besides destroying the material evidence, Baljit Singh was part of a conspiracy to concoct a self-made story of self-defence and preparing the documentary evidence to show that the police officials had fired from their weapons in self-defence, whereas the names of the police officials mentioned by them have got recorded their statements that they did not fire any shot during the occurrence, claimed the prosecution. The SIT has found that Harjit Singh Sandhu, the then duty magistrate, gave three orders to use mild force on the people sitting on dharna to disperse them on the application by the police. In these orders, sent to Baljit Singh and SHO, the first order was to use water cannon and tear gas. The second order was to use mild lathicharge with caution to restrain to minimum use of force. The third order was to fire in air with specific directions not to fire directly on anybody. But, the mandatory procedure regarding dispersal of assembly by use of civil force was not followed by them and shots were fired on the protesters, observed the court, denying relief to Baljit Singh. kavishakohli@gmail.com GS Paul Tribune News Service Attari, June 14 Around 130 pilgrims, who were supposed to cross over to Pakistan for observing the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, have been stranded at the Attari railway station since Friday morning. Most of the pilgrims are senior citizens who had arrived at the station from different parts of Punjab. Despite possessing valid visa, the pilgrims were not being allowed to cross over, for want of permission from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Read more: India makes last-ditch attempt for pilgrim visas A special train from Pakistan that the pilgrims were supposed to board was not allowed to enter Attari. The train, which had arrived at Wagah, will not be allowed to enter the Indian side till official formalities are completed. The agitated pilgrims complained of a lack of communication between the railways and the MEA. The pilgrims also lamented about the poor arrangements at the Attari railway station. While waiting in the scorching heat, Rajdeep Singh, a pilgrim, said that the Attari station did not justify being called an international platform. We have been here since 7 am. There is no adequate facility for drinking water or toilets. We understand that the Indian government has issues with Pakistan, but why should the 'sangat' be punished," he said. Another pilgrim, Paramjit Singh, said the Centre was deliberately trying to insult the Sikh community. The formalities related to the official permission should have been completed at least a day ago. Why are we being harassed at the eleventh hour? The railway authorities didnt allow us to go inside the Attari station as if we were outsiders," he said. However, the railway authorities said they were helpless unless they received orders from the MEA. Authorities said the pilgrims, who were currently stranded outside the station in the heat, could be allowed inside for the customs and immigration process only after an official nod was received. As soon as we receive the approval from the ministry, we will take no time in clearing out the issues at our end," said ML Rai, the station master at the Attari station. The pilgrimage had been planned by Sikh organisations. It consisted of a visit to various gurdwarasDera Sahib in Lahore, Sacha Sauda, Nankana Sahib, Panja Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib. The pilgrims said Pakistan had issued them a visa on June 4 and their passports were handed over to Pakistan on June 12. The visa is valid from June 12 to June 23. India lodges protest India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over the incident, official sources said. The Ministry of External Affairs has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on June 7, the sources said. "The Ministry expressed its concern at the disregard shown by the High Commission of Pakistan on the religious sentiments and devotion of the Indian pilgrims especially by Pakistan unilaterally granting restrictive visa (by rail only) to a private group of Indian pilgrims," said a source. The MEA called upon Pakistan to immediately grant visa without any restriction, the source said. PTI Similar pilgrimage cancelled by SGPC due to calendar controversy The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) follows the Nanakshahi calendar released in 2003. According to the calendar, Guru Arjan Devs martyrdom is to be commemorated on June 16. The SGPC, however, follows the Akal Takht-approved amended version of the Nanakshahi Calendar of 2010 and commemorated the occasion on June 7. In tune with the calendar it follows, the SGPC had chalked out its Gurpurab pilgrimage between June 5 and 14. For this, it had sent 80 passports for visa formalities to the Pakistan High Commission. The Pakistani authorities, however, denied the request. Pakistan grants a maximum 10-day visa, which it had agreed to grant between June 14 and 23. This, however, didnt suit the SGPC's schedule and it then decided to cancel the pilgrimage altogether. With PTI inputs harinder@tribunemail.com LONDON, June 13 (UPI)The Soviet Union has positioned 300 nuclear missiles in Mongolia aimed at Chinas Sinkiang Province which holds the nations key nuclear installations, defence sources said today. The Soviets also were extending their air bases in the Far East, notably in Siberia. The moves were seen as part of Moscows latest determined anti-Chinese build-up effort, according to Communist informants, primarly as a deterrent against any possible anti-Soviet venture. The Soviet rocket placements in Mongolia have been organised under the Soviet-Mongolian Defence Treaty signed in 1966, the source said. harinder@tribunemail.com NEW DELHI, June 13 (PTI, UNI)All the Congress Chief Ministers have been invited to the Congress Working Committee meeting beginning June 19 in view of the important issues on the agenda. Besides re-organisation of the Party structure and adoption of an economic strategy in the light of panel reports, the Working Committee is to discuss the separationist move in Telengana. All but four of the Congress Chief Ministers are members of the committee or are permanent invitees. General Secretary Sadiq Ali is reported to have addressed matters to the Chief Ministers of Mysore, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, who are not members of the Working Committee, requesting them to attend the meeting. The invite has been sent to the Chief Ministers of Kashmir and Assam also. The committee is meeting here before the AICC session scheduled to be held at Bangalore from July 10. Chief Minister Brahmananda Reddy has postponed his visit to Delhi scheduled for this evening, and is planning to visit the Capital early next week, according to a source close to him. shalender@tribune.com London, June 13 Boris Johnson on Thursday won the highest number of votes in the first round of the UKs leadership poll, securing his position to succeed outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May, with the field of candidates narrowed to seven from 10. The 54-year-old former Cabinet minister received 114 votes in the first round of a secret ballot of Tory MPs held in the House of Commons, followed by UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in second place with 43 and environment secretary Michael Gove third with 37 votes. Three contenders Mark Harper, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey were knocked out of the race after failing to secure the minimum requirement of 17 votes. It leaves seven candidates in the fray for the second round of voting next week, including former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab in fourth place with 27 votes, home secretary Sajid Javid fifth with 23, health secretary Matt Hancock sixth with 20 and international development secretary Rory Stewart in last place with 19. The two most popular MPs from among the seven will be put to the wider Tory party members in a final vote later this month, with the winner of the contest to succeed May in Downing Street expected to be announced in the week of July 22. Thank you to my friends and colleagues in the Conservative and Unionist Party for your support. I am delighted to win the first ballot, but we have a long way to go, said Johnson, after the results were announced by the Conservative Partys 1922 Committee, in charge of the election process. A large number of supporters of fellow pro-Brexiteers McVey and Leadsom are now expected to fall in behind Johnson, who was widely expected to sail through the first round of voting. McVey said she would speak to the remaining candidates before deciding who to give her support. Stewart, who just scraped through, said he was absolutely over the moon to have secured enough votes to survive the first ballot, claiming that it would now be neck and neck going into the next round. PTI 3 out of the race shalender@tribune.com Wellington: An unprecedented disease outbreak has pushed the critically endangered kakapo, the world's fattest parrot, closer to extinction, New Zealand scientists said on Thursday. One of the last kakapo populations on remote Codfish Island has been hit with a fungal respiratory disease called aspergillosis, the Department of Conservation said. It said 36 of the parrots were receiving treatment and seven had died, including two adults - a huge loss for a species which has less than 150 fully grown birds left. IANS Bangladesh life expectancy up, says govt study Dhaka: People in Bangladesh now live longer now compared to decades back and the increase in life expectancy is more in the case of women than men, according to a government study. The average life expectancy of Bangladeshis rose to 72.3 years in 2018, as compared to 72 years in 2017, said the report on Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2018, reports Xinhua news agency. IANS This Italian designer is a Silicon Valley icon Rome: If you have not already heard his name, chances are that luxury wear is not something that attracts much of your attention. For the fame of Brunello Cucinelli, who lives in a remote village in Italy, has spread far and wide. He is also a favourite designer of many of our contemporary tech titans.In fact, a delegation from the Silicon Valley, including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston, recently went all the way to Italy's hillside hamlet of Solomeo for a meeting with the fashion designer. IANS monicakchauhan@gmail.com Tribune Web Desk Chandigarh, June 14 Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan again broke the diplomatic protocol at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO Summit held in Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek on Thursday. In a video shared on Twitter handle of his own party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan entered the hall and sat on his seat, while other world leaders stood due to diplomatic courtesy. Prime Minister of #Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI's Arrival with other World Leaders at Invitation of President of Kyrgyzstan for Opening Ceremony 19th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek Kyrgyzstan (13.06.19)#SCOSummit2019 pic.twitter.com/fYdKYN3Fv7 PTI (@PTIofficial) June 13, 2019 Khan, however, stood up for a while only to acknowledge his presence when his name was announced. Earlier this month, too, Khan was widely criticised for walking off even before a message could be translated during an interaction with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the 14th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation or OIC Summit held in Saudi Arabia. Imran Khan spoke to His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz, walked out & left the interpreter to translate 4 the King. Saudi govt has protested at highest level, told Pakistan that IKs behaviour was disgusting & broke protocol rules. Meeting with the King & his Cabinet cancelled pic.twitter.com/nI6Yy2yrGD Sidrah Memon (@SidrahMemon1) June 1, 2019 The video was widely circulated on social media and Khan was severely trolled for disrespecting and leaving the king alone. In another embarrassing moment, Khan began to eat before the Saudi Crown Prince was to deliver a speech ahead of the lunch. Both the leaders were seated on the dias. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A city court on Thursday sent a 44-year-old man, allegedly a member of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), to five days of NIA custody in connection with a terror funding case. The case also involves Jamat-ul-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed. Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil allowed the NIA to quiz Mohammad Arif Ghulam Bashir Dharampuria in its custody. The agency had sought 12-day custody of the accused. Dharampuria, a resident of Valsad district in Gujarat, was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on his arrival from Dubai on Wednesday. The case pertains to receiving funds sent by FIF operatives to their associates through hawala operators to further nefarious activities and create unrest in India. Defence counsel MS Khan opposed the NIA plea and told the judge that the arrest was unwarranted since the accused had already filed an application before a court seeking time to surrender, and had come to India for joining the probe. He also said that Dharampuria was in telephonic contact with the agency and was cooperating with the investigation. This is the fifth arrest in this case. The others arrested are Mohammad Salman and Mohammad Salim, both residents of Delhi, and Sajjad Ahmad Wani and Mohd Husain Wani, natives of Srinagar. The four are in judicial custody. According to NIA, the accused was evading examination and arrest by hiding in Dubai, and a look out circular was issued by the NIA against him. monicakchauhan@gmail.com Washington, June 14 There he blows again. President Donald Trump's erratic spelling habits on Twitter spouted again Thursday when he wrote about having recently met with the "Prince of Whales." That would be Charles, prince of Wales, whom he met last week at World War II commemorations in Britain. The error prompted a wave of hilarity online, with one Twitter critic asking if the president had made the mistake "on porpoise." Trump, who is an enthusiastic user of social media and has some 61 million Twitter followers, quickly corrected the original tweet. But his new version did not change another inaccurate reference, this time to the "Queen of England." Elizabeth II, who hosted Trump at a state dinner in London, is actually queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of which England is only one part. AFP "I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO THE PRINCE OF WHALES!" pic.twitter.com/gGrXNF6wa1 Born Miserable (@bornmiserable) June 13, 2019 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Chavez Augustine is the Express Individual of the Year 2021. The Express panel of editors selected Augustine based on his phenomenal rise in politics, which saw the annihilation of the decades-old Peoples National Movement (PNM) in Tobago by the five-year-old Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) in the December 6 election, 14 seats to one. The victory ended the PNMs 21-year hold on the THA. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials are likely to knock at the doors of the Central Reserve Police Forces' 99 Battalion office in Hakimpet to collect details of its retired and existing staff in connection with the bank fraud cases. The retired employees of CRPF have allegedly played a key role in getting loans from the Secunderabad branch of State Bank of India (SBI) and illegally diverted the funds to the accounts of middlemen. Days after the CBI officials registered criminal cases against former SBI assistant manager K Emmanuel and others for diverting Rs 45 lakh funds, the bank officials have prepared an internal report and submitted the same to the CBI officials. In the internal report, SBIs Assistant General Manager K P Shobha Rani informed the CBI officials that the bank has entrusted the task of processing Xpress credit loans, housing loans and car loans to Emmanuel when he was working as the assistant manager in the Secunderabad branch between 2015 to 2018. The majority of Xpress credit loans are from the employees of CRPF battalion. We understood that a few retired CRPF employees have acted as facilitators (middlemen) between the employees of various CRPF battalions and SBI, Secunderabad branch officials for filling applications. After sanctioned or disbursement of these loans to the employees concerned, the amounts were credited to the saving bank account of the borrowers and employees, the SBI officials said in the internal report. The loans were sanctioned to the CRPF employees based on their KYC, salary certificate and CIBIL reports. The loan applications were mainly routed through two retired employees of CRPF 99 Battalion -- G Srinivasa Rao and B Prakash. The year 2021 was a paradox of certainties and uncertainties for Trinidad and Tobago, and indeed the rest of the world. And so perhaps was the year before. One certainty was that the Covid-19 pandemic had highlighted and emphasised the vulnerabilities of human existence, our own susceptibilities as a civilised and technology-driven world, and the fragilities and weaknesses of the international institutions and super-power nations entrusted to be the Superman against human suffering. - Sonko tabled his HIV test report done in Nairobi West Hospital in 2019 and another one from the Nairobi Hospital - The politician also attached medical records showing that he neither has Hepatitis B nor C - The Star newspaper published a story which indicated the governor was released from prison for being HIV positive Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has rubbished allegations that he was allegedly released from Shimo La Tewa prison because he was HIV positive. In a defamation suit against a local publication, the Star newspaper, the governor declared he was HIV negative and produced medical reports to support his position. READ ALSO: Governor Sonko claims his life is in danger In a defamation suit against a local publication, the Star newspaper, Sonko declared he is HIV negative. Photo: Mike Sonko/Facebook. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Mwanafunzi wa JKUAT aliyelazwa KNH kwa kuvamia Ikulu adaiwa kugoma kula He accused the newspaper of maliciously exposing his HIV status in a story published by the daily. In his dismissal, Sonko tabled HIV test reports done in Nairobi West Hospital in 2019 and another one from the Nairobi Hospital conducted in 2019 and 2011. He also attached medical records showing that he neither has Hepatitis B nor C. Through his lawyer Cecil Miller, the politician argues that the newspaper breached freedom of press and thereby exposed him to public ridicule and embarrassment. The county boss said he has suffered enormous losses and his reputation, integrity, dignity among right thinking members of the society and colleagues has severely been damaged. "By reason of the matters aforesaid I have been defamed and I have suffered huge damages. The governor says that the contents of the said publication done on June 7, 2019, were meant to mean that he is a fugitive having escaped lawful custody which implied that he is unfit to hold public office," Miller stated. He is now seeking general damages for libel and slander. In the letter dated Friday, July 7, Sonko accused the daily of maliciously exposing his HIV status and gave it three days to tender an apology. Reporting by Zipporah Weru, TUKO.co.ke correspondent in Nairobi. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Follow us on Telegram: Tuko news The Love Potion Giver - TUKO TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Campaign revenue also supports the contributions the chamber makes to its regional economic development partnership, Tulsas Future, and the convention and visitors bureau, VisitTulsa. A lot has changed in Tulsa during the last 25 years, but one thing has remained an absolute constant: the commitment and dedication of our campaign volunteers, said Mark Poole, president and COO at First National Bank and Trust of Broken Arrow and this years campaign leader. The success of this campaign is a direct reflection of their commitment. From our humble beginnings raising $106,000 in 1995 to surpassing $3 million in 2011, Im honored to be part of this campaigns history. Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal credited Karen Humphrey, a 30-year veteran with the chamber, for her work to coordinate and direct the efforts of campaign volunteers. We would not be celebrating 25 years of the Resource Campaign without Karen Humphrey, he said. She is highly regarded within the chamber industry, as evidenced by the respect she commands among peer chambers and her 2015 induction into the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce Executives Hall of Fame. Natalie Cash spent half of this week atop 30-foot scaffolding next to Owasso High Schools football stadium for her annual Bikes for Kids event, where she collected 1,080 cycles for children in need. Anoop Menon By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Its a good sign when artistes have a hard time recollecting all of their aliases. This usually means that their approach to music is constantly evolving. Varun Desai is one such musician. In a career spanning over 15 years, his soundscape has traversed from downtempo vibes to improvised synthesizer-driven krautrock. Its not about being pigeonholed into one genre or sound, sometimes, I create an act just for a single show! Its the sum of many things that Ive been exposed to. A lot of artistes view projects as a lifetime investment. I dont, explains the Kolkata-based individual, who has performed under various aliases in Poland, Switzerland, Portugal, Nepal and the US. This weekend, Varun is teaming up with the folks behind Llab to bring his one-man hybrid act, 5volts, to Kochi for the very first time on June 15. How does being the director of Kolkata Jazz Festival, a label manager, a designer and a video artist translate into creating immersive audio-visual experiences in the old-school techno/ambient spectrum? Well, graduating from Purdue with a degree in computer engineering certainly helps. 5volts was more about technology and hosting workshops on building your own synthesizers. Yet, its debut release in 2015, Opencluster, got airplay from legends like Laurent Garnier, claims the 36-year-old. Live elements Also on the lineup for this epic gig are two other prominent names from the underground scene: Obscuit and Spacejams. Kochis own Obscuit will churn out some techno with dub- influences and aim at building the vibe without raising the tempo. Meanwhile, Yohann Jamsandekar aka Spacejamswhos a mainstay in Mumbais alternative circuitswill exhibit his superior mixing skills while taking partygoers through an eccentric set of tunes. Chamber, the restaurant in the 2-month-old Tulsa Club Hotel, is taking reservations for its grand opening Saturday, June 22. The restaurant is the last big piece of the $36 million renovation of the revered Tulsa Club building that became the centerpiece of big oil and polite society after it opened in 1927. The Chamber of Commerce occupied the first five floors of the building until 1952. Thats where the name of the restaurant comes from, said Chad Horvath, hotel general manager. The bar in the lobby is called Commerce. Chelsea Hill, general manager of Chamber and Commerce; Clint Walker, assistant general manager; Jacque Siegfried, executive chef; Kimberly Honea, vice president of sales and marketing, and Horvath provided an early look at the restaurant Friday morning. Tables have not arrived yet, but it is apparent the Chamber will be nicely appointed with rows of booths and banquettes, in addition to a stunning bar area. The room, like the remainder of the hotel, draws from its Art Deco past. Siegfried and the Chamber team have put together a menu that Horvath describes as American contemporary. Calling the practice dangerous and life-threatening, local emergency responders and area safety specialists warned the public about the health risks that might occur when a child is left alone in a hot vehicle. Beth Washington, Safe Kids Tulsa area coordinator, said their mission is to educate citizens about the dangers of leaving a child unattended during a joint news conference Friday with AAA Oklahoma, the Tulsa Police Department and Tulsa Fire Department. Children are not able to withstand the heat like an adult can, Washington said. It can be very dangerous and life-threatening. The city of Tulsa, in a news release, said children are more susceptible to a heat stroke when left alone. In a car, a young childs body temperature may increase three to five times faster than an adult. Washington said cars are like microwaves. Even if it appears to be a nice day, a vehicle could be much warmer inside. Mark Madeja, AAA Oklahoma spokesperson, said distraction is one of the largest problems in these cases and encouraged the public to leave personal items, such as a shoe or gym bag, in their vehicles as a reminder. VINITA Quadruple murder suspect Ronnie Busick has been offered immunity and reward money in change for information on an almost two-decade-old case involving the disappearance of two Craig County teenage girls, according to a court document filed Friday. The problem is his attorneys claim Busick cant remember anything about the slayings of Danny and Kathy Freeman and the disappearance of their 16-year-old daughter, Ashley, and her best friend, Lauria Bible. Attorneys for the 67-year-old man, with a history of drug and alcohol abuse and gunshot fragments lodged in his head, said Busick sometimes forgets the name of his own attorney, Gregg Graves, according to a nine-page competency document filed in Craig County District Court. If you know how to play the system, you know how to play the system, said Lorene Bible, Laurias mother. Members of the Bible family seated in the first row in a courtroom Friday watched as Busick used a cane to stand when Special Judge Jacqueline Stout ordered him to undergo three competency examinations before returning to court on July 12 for a status conference. He (Busick) knew we were there, Bible said. PRYOR A former foster care mother was sentenced to eight years in prison for raping a 15-year-old boy. Stephanie Cowan, 34, of Salina pleaded guilty on May 22 in Mayes County District Court to two counts of second-degree rape. One count of second-degree rape was dropped, online records show. She also received credit for time served in the Mayes County jail. Cowan confessed to having a sexual relationship with the teen on four separate occasions since he was placed in her care on Oct. 31, 2017, according to an arrest affidavit. Stephanie Cowan and her spouse were approved for placement by DCCCA Tallgrass Family Services on Jan. 19, 2017. The agency is licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services as a child placing agency. At the time of Cowans arrest, the agency reported the couple had completed and passed all of their required background checks and trainings prior to being approved. Cowan, a Pryor junior high school science teacher, was fired from the school district. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The pilots of the Oklahoma Air National Guards 138th Fighter Wing usually fight as the away team, traveling to other bases to train with different units and aircraft. But this June, Tulsa pilots squared off against a new foe on their home turf: Marine Corps Hornets. Six F/A-18 Hornets and about 100 Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 from MCAS Beaufort in South Carolina are in town for joint exercises with the Air National Guard, specifically, dissimilar air combat training. Col. Tray Siegfried, commander of the 138th Fighter Wing, said its the first time Tulsa has hosted this type of training with another unit. Siegfried said getting pilots experience against new planes and tactics is invaluable. With the Marines planes, Siegfried said the 138th Fighter Wing can simulate larger engagements more in tune with real-life air battles, including incorporating E-3 Sentry command and control planes flying from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. Youre going to see what other tactics they bring to the table in a different kind of aircraft, Siegfried said. Youre able to double what you can get in the air at the same time. Fetal tissue research grants: The House has passed an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2740). The amendment would bar funding for implementation of a recently announced Department of Health and Human Services policy for using an ethics advisory board to review potential grant funding for research that uses human fetal tissue. Pocan said it would ensure that we all continue to fund critical research on behalf of the American people. An amendment opponent, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said of the advisory board: Americans dont want their tax dollars spent on things that are unethical, and this is the way that we can determine whether it is ethical. The vote, on June 13, was 225 yeas to 193 nays. All around him was plastic tangled in vines, plastic wrapped around trees, bits and pieces and parts underfoot, mixed with the silt, all of it forever a part of the landscape. If we all do a little bit, it can make a big difference in the long run, he said. Im hoping maybe something good can come of this, he said. Maybe we can get some good momentum toward encouraging people to do the right thing about plastic packaging, at least thinking about it, all that plastic that goes into the landfill. The naturalist and park director said local wildlife should be mostly adept at avoiding the plastic and that it shouldnt pose a great risk in the short term. The only worrisome items among the plastics are old plastic six-pack drink can collars that are notorious for snaring wildlife, he said. Plastic is pretty inert, said Patrick Riley, environmental programs manager for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Its not something we are really that concerned about as far as it being an immediate threat to health and the environment, its not alarming. Oklahoma doesn't need more rain, but much of the state will likely be dodging downpours through the weekend and into next week. The National Weather Service in Tulsa has rain chances in the forecast from Friday through Wednesday, with some days showing potential for severe weather. "Daily thunderstorm chances will continue along with both severe weather and heavy rainfall concerns," the forecast states. "Currently, the period of Saturday night through Sunday night appears supportive of more widespread storm coverage. "Instability will be very high both Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon and supportive of severe weather. Also, storm motions are likely to be rather slow which will allow for areas of heavy rainfall." The Storm Prediction Center in Norman has Tulsa in a marginal risk category of severe weather through Sunday, with primary risks being hail, damaging winds and a potential for flash flooding. Stetson Payne 918-732-8135 stetson.payne@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @stetson__payne Steena Das By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A group of youths drive to serve virtuous causes led to the birth of Bhavana, an organisation which later became a cornerstone in the socio-cultural development of the village Neerazhikonam. Bhavana Library, Arts and Cultural Centre, has been functioning under the aegis of Bhavana for the past 27 years. The organisation recently received I V Das Award for the best library in the state. The organisation was formed when a group of youths protested against an unauthorised toddy shop in the Neerazhikonam village, said Poozhanad Gopan, president of Bhavana. The organisation received a lot of national and state awards within a brief period including The Award for Best Organisation instituted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs And Sports. A lot of pending projects were completed in the village with the efforts of the organisation. We were able to fund money from the local bodies for the potable water project. The commitment of our members brought sponsors added books and newspapers to the library, said Gangan, the secretary. The library became an A-plus one by adding 14,200 books within the eighth year of its commencement. However, the organisation can never be branded as a village-centric group alone. It has got affiliations from the Kerala State Youth Welfare Board, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Kerala Library Association and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. Bhavana organises various activities including Harisree vidyabhyasa padhathi, Harithagramam, Ende maram bhoomikkayi, Thudar vidhyakendram, music class, blood donation camp, organ donation campaigns, medical camp and competitive exam training. With the help of Government Polytechnic College, Neyyattinkara, we have arranged training sessions for women in teaching them to make paper bags, soaps, and candles. The youth are given free ten-month training in electric wiring. Faculty of the polytechnic college takes classes thrice a week during the night, said Poozhanad Gopan. The anti-drug campaign organised by the organisation was also acknowledged by the state government. The artists of Bhavana were part of the theatre play master team of an anti-drug campaign organised by the Kerala State Youth Welfare Board. In order to encourage arts and cultural activities, clubs are functioning under the organisation. NORMAN The University of Oklahoma went through its third recent round of layoffs on Thursday, as officials said they continue to work to fix the universitys finances. In a prepared statement, the university said a majority of the lost positions will result from transferring the Cleveland Area Rapid Transit bus system to the city of Norman. The transition of the Lawton Clinic in early August to Comanche County Hospital and additional staff reductions in operations and marketing make up the other layoffs. Alarm fatigue occurs when an alarm system regularly sounds for minor events, creating an atmosphere in which the alerts are considered a nuisance or irrelevant. In fact, we found that had the alarm system been on most of the alarms that would have activated during the 14 hours leading up to the incident likely would have been irrelevant to detecting the problems in the well, Kulinowski said. For an alarm system to be effective, it must be configured so that the driller only receives alerts to conditions that require attention. Investigators urge the development of regulatory guidance to protect onshore drilling rig workers from fire and explosion hazards in a blowout. That includes designs, locations and minimum evacuation methods from various areas. The most viable exit door for the five trapped workers was hinged such that opening the door hindered evacuation by blocking the escape path to the ground, according to the report. One wall of the cabin also known as a doghouse was burned less by flames as evidenced by paint still on its exterior. But there wasnt an escape option on that side. By PTI NEW YORK: Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr has been charged with forcible touching after he was accused of groping by a woman in a Manhattan bar. According to Variety, a 29-year-old woman claimed that on Sunday Gooding grabbed her breast after he got drunk at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge on Seventh Avenue near West 36th Street. The actor has denied the allegations. On Thursday, the 51-year-old actor turned himself in to the police after which he was charged with the forcible touching, which is a misdemeanour. If proven guilty, the actor could face up to one-year prison term under the New York state law. Later in the day, Gooding was released without bail and is set to return to court on June 26. His lawyer, Mark Heller, told USA Today that his client will plead not guilty in the case. Gooding's broke out with 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood" and later won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Jerry Maguire". He most recently portrayed OJ Simpson in "The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story". The suspense is over, the winner has been crowned As Olympic cyclist Nicholas was named as t Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksandr Danyliuk held a meeting with United Kingdom Ministry of Defense Director for International Security Policy Nick Gurr, the NSDC press service has reported. During the meeting on Thursday, the parties discussed the topical issues of bilateral relations in the security and defense sector and enhancing military cooperation. The interlocutors also considered the situation in eastern Ukraine, which has developed as a result of the hybrid war waged by Russia against our country. In this context, the NSDC secretary stressed the importance of intensifying the "Minsk process" with a focus on humanitarian and human security issues. "Achieving progress in the "Minsk process" is one of the key priorities for the state authorities," he said, expressing hope that the negotiations of the updated Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group would be successful. The parties also discussed the security situation in the region, taking into account recent developments in some Eastern European countries, in particular, in the Republic of Moldova. In his turn, the UK MOD Director for International Security Policy reaffirmed the UK's consistent support for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He also positively assessed the reforms in the security and defense sector of Ukraine and expressed confidence in the further successful development of partnership between our countries. ish Ukraine and the United States will jointly search for Ukrainian veterans of Soviet times who fought or served in Vietnam. This is stipulated by the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. "I want to announce that another international document has been signed! It is a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine and the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. According to the document, the participants intend, within the framework of Ukrainian and American legislation, as well as using available resources, to engage in the search for Ukrainian veterans of Soviet times, who participated in the Vietnam War in 1959-1975 or did military service in Vietnam in 1975-1986," Ukrainian minister for veterans affairs Iryna Friz posted on Facebook. ol Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksandr Danyliuk held a meeting with U.S. Charge d'Affaires a.i. in Ukraine Kristina Kvien, the NSDC press service has reported. During the meeting, the parties discussed the course of reforming the security and defense sector of Ukraine and prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation with the United States. Among the priorities in the NSDC work, the secretary outlined the military reform, as well as reforming the State Concern "Ukroboronprom", supply of high-quality weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian army, energy security, cybersecurity, the reform of the SSU and intelligence agencies. Speaking about foreign policy challenges that could threaten Ukraine's security, Danyliuk stated that "the NSDC of Ukraine should become a platform capable of promptly resolving all possible problems". The NSDC secretary also emphasized the importance of further intensifying the work in the "Minsk format". In her turn, Kristina Kvien noted the progress in implementing the defense reform, stressed the importance of conducting a transparent international audit of the SC "Ukroboronprom", and reaffirmed the continued support of Ukraine in the geopolitical arena. ish The strong stance of the United States against the construction of Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and the high-level recognition of this project as a geopolitical one cast doubt on its implementation by the year end. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly expressed this conviction on the sidelines of the Ukrainian Days at the U.S. Congress, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. We talked about Nord Stream 2 just a few days ago at the forum where I represented Ukraine. The stance of Ukraine - both of the parliament and the government - on this issue is clear: we oppose this project because we believe that it is not economical, not energetic, but purely geopolitical one. For Ukraine, it poses a direct threat in the security area," the Ukrainian diplomat said. He recalled how the head of the Nord Stream 2 project had said at the same forum a year ago that it implied no political component. Now they recognized that there is an issue that casts doubt on the implementation of this project by the end of the year. I think that it will not be implemented by year end, Chaly stressed. In this context, he also noted that "the stance of the United States is quite powerful, and the President of the United States made it clear that sanctions will be considered in Congress, and if a decision on sanctions is made, he is ready to sign this decision." The Congress, according to the ambassador, "is very serious about this issue." Thus, the diplomat noted, the United States and Ukraine share the same position. We hope that the same understanding will be among European countries and they will not put themselves in dependence on one energy supplier, Russia, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States said. ol Zhytomyr authorities and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed a loan agreement to acquire 50 new trolleybuses, Zhytomyr Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlyn has stated. We signed a loan guarantee agreement with the EBRD to purchase up to 50 new trolleybuses for Zhytomyr. At the end of May, the EBRD announced a tender, in which two plants took part - Bogdan Motors Corporation from Ukraine and OJSC Belkommunmash from Belarus with production in Ukraine, Sukhomlyn wrote on Facebook. According to him, the winner is not yet determined, but according to the tender conditions, the first trolleybuses will arrive in the city at the end of this year. The Zhytomyr mayor added that the city would also receive a grant worth EUR 2 million for the construction of new trolley lines. ish The election of President Volodymyr Zelensky creates a new opportunity for peacemaking in Donbas, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has informed on Twitter. Bolton said that he had a meeting with U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, during which they discussed the situation in Ukraine. Amb Volker and I met today to discuss Ukraine negotiations and agreed that President Zelenskyys election creates new opportunity to push for peace in Donbas a key step to improving U.S.-Russia relations but its critical that Russia do its part and engage seriously, the White House advisor wrote on Thursday. Amb Volker and I met today to discuss Ukraine negotiations and agreed that President Zelenskyys election creates new opportunity to push for peace in Donbas a key step to improving U.S.-Russia relations but its critical that Russia do its part and engage seriously. pic.twitter.com/oGXIFcotOM John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) 13 2019 . As reported, 3,332 civilian casualties were recorded in Donbas, and more than 7,000 were injured between April 2014 and June 9, 2019. ish The OSCE welcomes the restoration of the working atmosphere at the latest meeting in Minsk of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on the peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas and supports the initiative voiced by Ukraine's representative Leonid Kuchma. OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said this at a joint briefing with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Kyiv on Thursday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. The OSCE welcomes the working atmosphere that has been restored in the Trilateral Contact Group and also welcomes the four initiatives that were announced by the second president, Kuchma, Lajcak said. They have the potential that can change the rhetoric of the conflict, and the OSCE hopes that all players in this arena will support these initiatives, he added. Lajcak said the purpose of his visit to Ukraine was to inspire in some way the new leadership of the country to jointly think about how it would be possible to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Donbas in the interests of the people of Ukraine. Of course, an important prerequisite for achieving positive changes is a guaranteed and lasting ceasefire, Lajcak said. op By ANI NORTH 24 PARGANAS (WEST BENGAL): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker, named Saraswati Das, was allegedly shot dead by miscreants in Basirhat in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. The BJP has claimed that Das, a housewife, was killed by TMC goons. "Saraswati Das, BJP worker was brutally shot dead by TMC goons in Basirhat. Law and order has totally collapsed in West Bengal where no one is safe. Mamata Banerjee is also Home Minister of West Bengal," read a post on the official Twitter handle of BJP's West Bengal unit. Das played an active role for the BJP in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. The delegation of the Ukrainian Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee holds talks with colleagues in the US Congress and government agencies on the release of Ukrainian captives from the Russian Federation and increase in support for Ukraine, including in the security and defense sectors. We hope, first of all, for an active stance [of the US] on the release of Ukrainian citizens, Head of Ukrainian delegation Hanna Hopko said on the sidelines of the Ukrainian Days at the U.S. Congress, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. In addition, according to her, the amount of support for Ukraine in the US budget for the fiscal year 2020 is discussed, about $800 million. "We hope that we will have meetings at the Pentagon, where we can discuss increasing assistance," the chairwoman of the Ukrainian Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee said. In this regard, she recalled that the US bill on providing support to Ukraine to protect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity stipulates the provision of anti-tank, anti-missile and other types of weapons to Ukraine that will help strengthen defensive capacity. The Ukrainian delegation in Washington also discussed the attraction of US investment in Ukraines energy sector. "We need to increase our own gas production, taking into account the experience of American companies. For us, additional American investments mean additional political protection," Hanna Hopko said. ol Ukraine and Russia met on the legal ring at the Peace Palace in The Hague for two weeks. Who wins this legal battle depends on the interpretation of articles of conventions, legal terms, on how convincing the parties are. Ukraine tried to convince the court that Russia seized Crimea, supplied weapons to Donbas, and a Russian Buk missile shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. That Russia illegally built a bridge across the Kerch Strait, is stopping vessels in the Black Sea, the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, and that the court has the right to sue Russia for all that. Olena Zerkal, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister for European integration and the Ukrainian agent at the court, spoke in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform about how Russia proved to be correct, Ukraine defeated all the arguments of the Russian Federation, and when new details in the MH17 case will be revealed. Question: Thank you very much for having found the time for an interview during such very intense two weeks. Thus, the first week of hearings at the International Court of Justice on two conventions - on combating the financing of terrorism and on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination - is already behind. This week the Permanent Court of Arbitration holds hearings on Russia's violation of the rights of a coastal state. Preparations for meetings are held around the clock. These are very complex processes, and I want to ask you how you are preparing. Answer: In fact, everything depends on what you mean by preparation. Preparing a meeting, that is a speech, is one thing, but the preparation of a position is quite a different thing. First we are preparing a position. It is outlined in our memorandum. Then, when we received objections from the Russians, we still had two documents that we submitted about the maritime convention. As regards the financing of terrorism and racial discrimination, we submitted one document and expressed our position in writing. And then we continue to work on the preparation of all the positions used by our attorneys during the hearings. And on the basis of their positions, my report as an agent is being prepared, because I have to present it completely, and they are already giving details. And, of course, the preparation of my report is already a creative process, which sometimes lasts for days. So this is a very complex, multiphase process. Q: What is the hardest thing? The process of preparation or the speech itself? How do you prepare for your speeches? A: Actually, I already perceive it as a final act. The hardest thing was to do all these things for five years. Because everybody wants to get the result today, and even better yesterday. So that nothing is done. But this does not work in international law. Therefore, we have been preparing for that for five years, we worked positions, we argued, we had conflicts with lawyers, we proved our position, we defended our position with our professors, they took into account our facts, that is, there are no ideal situations. There are always some issues, there are always some problems associated with the realization of anything, especially international law. And this is a combination of theorists and practitioners, you know, there should be synergy in the team, because if there is no synergy, the team cannot work. Therefore, when we meet together, we are actually spending time talking about the majority of questions. And then, after all this has been discussed, we are already doing it in writing, that is, when you go out to the rostrum, you already have a kind of internal scenario of what you want to convey. Q: There should be great news about MH17 next week. A conference is being prepared. Will new details of the case be released, or the date for the trial announced? A: I think we will hear a lot. The Dutch are already at the final stage. They also have a request from the domestic community to complete the investigation, and they have already achieved certain results that will be announced. In addition, next week, we will hear more information from Bellingcat, because they are usually in parallel with opening their investigations. Q: In your opinion, when can the MH17 trial be held? A: All necessary preparatory actions have already been completed. There is already an agreement. There is already a financial memorandum. Funds have already been allocated. There are already financial resources for court hearings. The procedures are all written out. Everyone is just waiting for the completion of the trial. And I very much respect the Dutch for not making premature conclusions before the investigation is over. Only after they make sure that everything is fully prepared, and the position is strong, only then they come out and say something that they already know for sure. Q: The trial does not start now because there are new witnesses? A: No. They are completing all criminal procedures necessary for the transfer of the case to the court. Therefore, they are doing it in silence, just like the investigation should take place. Q: Do Russians know some new details? A: I think they already know something, probably the result of the investigation. In addition, the request for legal assistance has already been submitted to them, which, as far as I know, has not yet been answered. So, I think they have something to worry about. Q: What is happening now behind closed doors during the hearings of the Permanent Court of Arbitration? Only the first 30 minutes of agent appearances in the first two days were opened to journalists. Russia's representatives insisted that the hearings be closed. What is happening now? Are they are afraid that the world will hear the truth? A: They are afraid that people will hear much of what they are saying now, and then it can be used against them on other platforms. Of course, they do not want everyone to laugh at what they are using. For example, they believe that not only we had a military rebellion in 2014, but that in general we have got our independence, it is also written there that there was a rebellion in Moscow, and that's why Ukraine got independence. They add that to the case. Or they say that in 1954 Crimea was illegally transferred to Ukraine, because there were no all relevant acts. These are the facts that they give to arbitration. And again, what is happening now at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, when they announce to the whole world that they are a coastal state in the sense of the convention, since a "referendum" was held in Crimea and that they recognized this referendum in a few hours after it was held, and this is the reason for the legal acquisition of their sovereign over Crimea. I think that this is also part of the story that should be heard by the judges who will make decisions on the application of the convention and on this dispute. Q: If I am not mistaken, there are judges who were in Germany. A: Yes, three out of the five. Q: Is it read on their faces that they are ready to support Ukraine in The Hague? A: In fact, these people are professionals. They make an evaluation not from an emotional point of view, but from the point of view of the application of the law. Therefore, for them, perhaps, it will be important exactly how Russia implements the order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. And this can influence their decision on further action. Q: We are now waiting for both courts to confirm their jurisdiction, that is, the right to consider these cases. What are the forecasts now? You said that the decision would be made by the end of the year? A: It depends primarily on the work of the arbitrators. How much they have already worked out the question, how much they are ready to work on the decision. Judging by the issues we received yesterday from arbitration, they are already very deep in the material, they are interested in the position of the parties regarding very technical and very sensitive issues. They are already working. They probably have time to work out a solution. At the same time, it's hard to predict how much time it will take to get a common position, to make a joint decision, because the arbitrators write each and every piece, and then they combine them, discuss everything and already come to some vision. They can all vote, there may be a separate opinion, maybe in part, that is, it will depend on the position of the arbitrators. But in practice this usually does not last more than six months after the hearings. Q: In both courts the decisions can be made in half a year? A: Yes, they can. Q: If we imagine that the case has been heard on the merits and Ukraine has won, may Russia not comply with the court decision? A: We are struggling to bring Russia back to the legal framework. Because international law was created precisely in order to ensure equal conditions for all countries. If someone, especially a permanent member of the UN Security Council, violates its obligations, then this poses a major threat to international law, to the system of law in general. Of course, not only Russia violates law, and there are a lot of defects in international law, as well as in the United Nations system, but I think that as regards Russia, everyone is already tired of constant manipulations in law. And everyone is firmly firm in the need to return Russia to the framework of international law. And now we are working on the implementation of the order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea concerning our seamen. And I think that in the near future you will see how we implement it on the UN platforms. Q: The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has already forwarded an appeal to Russia with a question when to pick up Ukrainian sailors and when it is possible to pick up the vessels. Is there an answer from Russia? A: There's no answer. On June 25, they have to report how they have fulfilled this order, and then we already have a plan to provide further pressure so that they comply with this order. But so far I will not talk about it. Q: I cannot but ask you. You have rejected the post of deputy head of the Presidential Administration. Why? A: I have written everything on my Facebook page. I have nothing to add. Q: What position would you agree to? A: The matter is not about any position, and I also wrote about it. The matter is about what are you doing, what brings you pleasure, and where can you be most useful. Q: Who, in your opinion, could head the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? And would you agree to take up this position? A: This should be a professional and responsible person who understands what the work of the foreign minister means, because it is very hard work. And I take off my hat before Pavlo Klimkin who was the minister for five years. This is incredibly hard work. Q: Would you agree to such a job? A: Me? There are many challenges in life, but they must be timely. Q: When will the story will the lawsuits end? How many years do we need to have decisions in essence? A: We have already entered the history of trials. That's for sure. And the results of these court hearings and decisions being made by both arbitration and the court will have consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for the formation of all international law in the future. I think that a lot of people, students will write their theses and dissertations on the basis of those materials. And besides, it is very important how the courts will interpret and arbitrate those events that are taking place in Ukraine. And they are actually creating law with us. Q: The last day of the hearings is on Friday. What will be the main position in the closing statement on "the sea case"? A: We have several objections of Russians, which they say are the main ones. This is a denial of the fact that they have the right to Crimea. And their second objection, the main thing is that the Convention on the Law of the Sea does not apply to the Sea of Azov, the Kerch Strait. Because they believe that it is historically an inland sea, and nothing can deprive them of the right to set their own rules and regulations in this sea. There are a lot of their objections. They put forward them all in the event that if one does not work, then another thing may work. Therefore, we will focus on two of their main objections regarding jurisdiction and say that they have actually confessed today in the final statement of their agent that it is impossible not to notice that we have a dispute, and that in order to understand this dispute, it is necessary to move to the consideration of the case on the merits. Q: So they actually agree, recognize the dispute and are ready to switch to the trial on the merits? A: We will prove it. And they helped us today by telling us about the Kerch Bridge, fishermen, how they regulate navigation in the Kerch Strait, and how the ships are being inspected there. Q: But it's not about Crimea at all. A: Yes, you see that. Iryna Drabok, The Hague | By Mary T. Phelan Nurses are an integral part of addressing the nations substance abuse epidemic and it all starts with changing the conversation, according to Marla T. Oros, MS, BSN 84, RN, president of the Mosaic Group, a management consulting firm with expertise in community health. Oros shared her vision for the tremendous impact nurses can make on combating the substance abuse crisis as the keynote speaker at the 2019 Maryland Action Coalition (MDAC) Summit held May 20 at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON). The summits theme was Fostering a Culture of Health Where People Live, Work, and Play: Implications for Nursing Education and Practice. Marla T. Oros, MS, BSN 84, RN, president of the Mosaic Group, a management-consulting firm with expertise in community health, addresses attendees at the 2019 Maryland Action Coalition Summit at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. We know we do have, obviously, this public health crisis in our country where life expectancy for the first time has declined for two years in a row, Oros said. We believe that the drug overdose crisis that is now the No. 1 cause of death is driving a lot of that decrease in life expectancy. The national focus is so heavily placed upon the opioid epidemic that use of alcohol and other drugs may be overlooked, Oros said. Thats why she is advocating for a universal screening approach, called SBIRT, in which patients are routinely asked about their alcohol and drug use as a standard part of their visit, similar to a routine blood pressure check. SBIRT stands for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment. The SBIRT screening model involves a simple test to determine if a patient is at risk for or may have an alcohol or substance use disorder. In the brief intervention, screening results are explained, information is shared on safe use, and assessment is made of the patients readiness to change their behavior. Patients with a positive result on the screening are referred for an in-depth assessment or treatment. It starts with nurses, Oros said. Nurses are the front door to this model, because they do the screening. Our goal is to integrate and sustain these interventions as a routine part of care and practices. Were really trying to change the conversation. The more we ask, the more comfortable our patients are with us asking and the more we normalize this conversation about asking about drugs and alcohol. I know we all cant pick up a newspaper these days or turn on a radio without hearing a story about the substance abuse epidemic, Oros said. In 2017, there were about 20 million Americans who needed substance abuse treatment, but only one in eight received it, she said, adding, We have this huge significant gap between individuals out there who need help and those who are getting help. MDAC, the states arm of the national Campaign for Action, serves as one of the driving forces for transforming health care in Maryland. Recognizing the important work underway in the state and with a goal of improved health outcomes for its residents, MDAC leads innovation in the health of the population through efforts that build and sustain a culture of health. UMSON Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Patricia Travis, PhD 88, MS 76, BSN 69, RN, CCRP, senior associate director of clinical research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, are the co-chairs of MDAC. Each year, the summit recaps achievements and opportunities in improving health care services, health outcomes, and minimizing health disparities in Maryland; examines advancements in improving health outcomes for Marylands diverse populations and communities; and provides a forum in which to disseminate innovation in practice, education, policy, and research in advancing a culture of health. More than 120 leaders in nursing education and practice statewide, representing 16 colleges and universities and more than 21 health care entities, attended this years event, which included a full-day agenda of panel discussions, podium and poster presentations, and Stop the Bleed training. In her afternoon presentation, Oros shared statistics illustrating the toll drug and alcohol abuse has taken on the country and the economy. Drug overdose is the No. 1 cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, she said. In Maryland, SBIRT has been implemented in 24 hospital emergency departments, detention centers, labor and delivery, and OBGYN units. Earlier in the day, representatives of three of Marylands hospital systems participated in a panel discussion titled Maryland Health Care: Advancing the Culture of Health in Our Communities. Panelists Linda Dunbar, PhD 05, MS 98, vice president, Population Health, Johns Hopkins HealthCare; Vickie Ensor Bands, MSN, MSA, RN, director, Community Outreach, University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center; and Ryan B. Moran, MHSA, director of community health-Baltimore City, MedStar Health, discussed their organizations initiatives aimed at improving population health in the communities they serve. While Moran touched on MedStars efforts related to substance use treatment through an Opioid Survivor Outreach Program, the panel discussion focused on more broadly reaching, holistic approaches to improving population health. Were treating the whole person in a very patient-centric intervention, Dunbar said of the Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership, a coalition of health care institutions and community organizations aimed at coordinating care for patients who have complex medical and multiple social challenges. Other population health initiatives the panelists discussed revolved around reducing readmissions, increasing HPV vaccination, creating employment pathways, reducing gun violence, facilitating self-management, and reducing health disparities. Dunbar indicated that social determinants drive 40 percent of health outcomes, and in Baltimore, a discrepancy in life expectancy can reach nearly two decades between certain city neighborhoods. Registration costs for this years summit were subsidized by the University of Maryland, Baltimores Maryland Nursing Workforce Center, funded by the Nurse Support Program II, which in turn is funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. 06/12/2019 Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu LOWELL, Mass. More than 300 leaders in educating the next generation of entrepreneurs are at UMass Lowell this week for the eighth annual Deshpande Symposium for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education. While they hail from across the U.S. and beyond, the participants all have a common goal: to raise the next generation of entrepreneurs. More than 50 million Americans are employed by small businesses and hundreds of thousands of new ventures are launched each year. The Deshpande Symposium brings together a group of practitioners dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education. I'm excited to be able to share what we've learned at Venture For America in supporting recent college graduates on their journey to entrepreneurship. By supporting the next generation of business builders, we have the power to build a more resilient economy for the years to come, said Amy Nelson, CEO of Venture For America, who is delivering todays keynote address. The university which runs three business incubators and a student entrepreneurship program has presented the annual symposium with the Deshpande Foundation since 2012. The event was launched by UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney and the foundations co-founder, technology entrepreneur Gururaj Desh Deshpande. Both Moloney and Deshpande are among those addressing the event, which began Monday and runs through today. Thirty sessions are being held across a series of tracks including Entrepreneurial Universities: Cultures and Ecosystem, Entrepreneurship in the Curriculum and Commercializing University Research, as well as awards for institutions and individuals who are leading the way in entrepreneurship education. Tours of local sites the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub and Fabric Discovery Center; UMass Lowells DifferenceMaker Central, home of the student entrepreneurship program; the IDEA Center at Middlesex Community College; Lowell Makes; and EforAll were provided. We are extremely excited to once again welcome innovators and thought-leaders from more than 100 colleges and universities worldwide. With three days packed full of panel sessions, workshops, keynote presentations, an annual awards ceremony and extensive networking opportunities, the Deshpande Symposium offers a unique opportunity for attendees to share best practices, discuss new ideas and develop strategic collaborations to help advance innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives on their campuses, said Tom ODonnell, senior director of innovation initiatives and director of the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, who is among the conferences organizers, which also include representatives of the Deshpande Foundation, Arizona State University, the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, Houston Community College, Middlesex Community College, Queens University, Rice University, University of Akron, University of North Carolina, VentureWell and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Recognizing excellence The symposium featured the presentation of the annual Deshpande Symposium Awards last night. The honors were presented to six institutions, two organizations and three individuals. This years awards selection committee members are Babson College President Stephen Spinelli, VentureWell President and CEO Phil Weilerstein and Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun, along with Deshpande and Moloney. The awards program is overseen by Raj Melville, executive director of the Deshpande Foundation. In addition to the regular awards, this years Deshpande Symposium Awards recognize emerging and innovative programs and institutions with the Rising Star Award. Together with the other awardees, they represent best practices in innovation and entrepreneurship and serve as role models in academia, said Melville. The Deshpande Symposium Founders Award was presented to: Jack Wilson , former UMass system president and founder of the Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship at UMass Lowell, in recognition of his dedication to the symposium and support for entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education; , former UMass system president and founder of the Jack M. Wilson Center for Entrepreneurship at UMass Lowell, in recognition of his dedication to the symposium and support for entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education; VentureWell of Hadley, Mass., for its outstanding work in furthering the field of entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education. Annual awards The Entrepreneurial University recognizes institutions that demonstrate overall excellence in innovation and entrepreneurship. The main award went to the University of Houston and the Rising Star award in this category went to West Virginia University. Over the past decade, the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurships reputation as one of the nations leading entrepreneurship programs has grown tremendously, and this award from the Deshpande Foundation reinforces that Bauer College is empowering students to innovate through a world-class program that emphasizes experiential learning and personalized attention by dedicated mentors, said Paul A. Pavlou, incoming dean of the University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business. West Virginia Universitys IDEA Hub Network has worked hard over the past five years to establish comprehensive programs for our students, faculty and staff on all of our campuses, as well as entrepreneurs and innovators in the community and across the state. We pride ourselves in serving all students, regardless of major, encouraging the development of an entrepreneurial mindset and supporting start-up businesses, said Nora Myers, director of West Virginia Universitys LaunchLab - Beckley. As the flagship university in our state, our work in supporting entrepreneurial development and thus the economic diversity of West Virginia is paramount. The Entrepreneurial University Rising Star Award is important recognition of our efforts, and our successes. The Excellence in Curriculum Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award, honoring innovative educational courses and programs to foster entrepreneurship education, was presented to the University of Rochester Master of Science in Technical Entrepreneurship (TEAM) Program and the Rising Star award in this category went to the University of North Alabama College of Business Institute for Innovation and Economic Development. To be selected by the Deshpande Foundation for their Rising Star Award for Excellence in Curriculum Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award is a result of the outstanding work of our faculty and staff, stated University of North Alabama College of Business Dean Greg Carnes. It is an honor that our commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship has been recognized by such a distinguished organization and we are glad to take part of the symposium. It is very gratifying to be recognized by the Deshpande Symposium. This award continues the increase in stature of the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship, which was ranked ninth in the U.S. by the London Financial Times and 17th by The Princeton Review, said Duncan Moore, University of Rochester vice provost for entrepreneurship. The Excellence in Student Engagement in Entrepreneurship Award which recognizes an institution that encourages student leadership and engagement and supports the development of entrepreneurial awareness, skills and practice was presented to LaunchNET Kent State and the Rising Star award went to Abilene Christian Universitys Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy. As a campus-wide catalyst and ambassador for collaborative innovation and entrepreneurship, LaunchNET Kent State is extremely honored to receive this prestigious honor. We are certainly in good company. Our team continues to work on connecting resources and promoting the entrepreneurial mindset across the university and the community. We are incredibly proud of the creativity and hard work of the 1,800-plus students that we have served and thrilled to be part of their journey, said Julie Messing, executive director of entrepreneurship initiatives at Kent State University and LaunchNET. It is an honor to be recognized by the Deshpande Symposium for the Rising Star Award for Excellence in Student Engagement in Entrepreneurship. This award is a reflection of the dedication of our team to encourage and empower students and foster an entrepreneurial spirit across ACUs campus, said Jim Litton, director of the Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy. We look forward to continue developing high-quality programs that allow our students to experience entrepreneurship and equip them for success in the future. The Exemplary Practice in Technology Commercialization Award, which recognizes comprehensive programs that accelerate innovative research into commercialization, was presented to the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), a joint project of UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School in Worcester. The Outstanding Contributions to Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education Award, which goes to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements in entrepreneurship in higher education, was presented to Bill Aulet, managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, and Steven Tello, UMass Lowell vice provost for innovation and workforce development. I am truly honored to be a recipient of a Deshpande Award for my part in MITs entrepreneurship programs, said Aulet. At MIT, we are driven to bring knowledge to bear on the worlds great challenges. Our entrepreneurship program, delta v, is about trying to solve some of these great challenges and we do it by creating an environment and an ecosystem where these entrepreneurs can thrive and flourish. I am deeply honored to be recognized by highly respected leaders in higher education who themselves championed the need for innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to the challenges faced in education. I accept this award on behalf of the many colleagues who helped me to make contributions and build programs that really do make a difference in the world, said Tello. UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu RIOHACHA, Colombia Morato Martinez, a 75-year-old Colombian, spends his days painting the walls of Grandpas House, the care centre for seniors where he lives in Riohacha. One of his latest murals depicts a couple of grandparents holding hands. It reads: Grandparents are people full of love. This painting had only an abstract meaning until we met the families from Venezuela. Now it has a real meaning, Morato says. Morato is one of the 18 Colombian seniors who currently live at La Casa del Abuelo (Grandpas House) in Riohacha, a small city in one of the poorest regions of Colombia, near the border with Venezuela. The homes daily, quiet routine was altered the day a group of families from Venezuela knocked at the door. We were witnessing this sudden and massive influx of Venezuelan people: families with children living on the streets and begging for a roof, a soup or for a few pesos, explains Maria Pena De Melo, the director of the centre. We decided we had to do something for them as well. We decided we had to do something for them. Over 4 million Venezuelans have left their home country to date. Over 1.3 million of them have found safety in the neighboring country of Colombia. Some 140,000 Venezuelans arrived in Riohacha in 2018, where they struggle to find shelter and food in an already strained and impoverished region. In the beginning, the seniors started asking why they would need to make more space for other people, Maria says. Its normal, they are old and they care about their space and privacy. So we started with something simple: on a Sunday, we invited some families for lunch. It went well: the grandparents were willing to host them. See also: UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie calls for leadership and humanity as millions flee Venezuela At night, the communal area is now full of mattresses where Venezuelan families can sleep, with support from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Along with the 18 usual hosts, 35 Venezuelans sleep at the centre. In addition, around 100 older Colombians and young Venezuelans share a free meal every day. Many things changed since we started to host the families and their kids, Maria adds. The seniors see them as members of their families. They feel more protected, as they perform some activities together every day. This strengthened the confidence of the abuelitos [grandparents] a lot. Residents at Grandpa's Home in Riohacha, northern Colombia paint the walls to make the communal areas colourful and welcoming. UNHCR/Jorge Daniel Berdugo Siosi Older Colombians and young Venezuelans play dominoes Grandpa's House in Riohacha, northern Colombia. UNHCR/Jorge Daniel Berdugo Siosi Venezuelans learn crafts at Grandpa's House in Riohacha, northern Colombia, and then sell the products at the local market. UNHCR/Jorge Daniel Berdugo Siosi Older Colombians and young Venezuelans share stories, experiences and advice most afternoons at Grandpa's House in Riohacha, northern Colombia. UNHCR/Jorge Daniel Berdugo Siosi A Venezuelan woman supports a Colombian man in a wheelchair at Grandpa's House in Riohacha, Colombia. UNHCR/Jorge Daniel Berdugo Siosi One of the Venezuelans cooking and serving lunch is Susy Fonseca. She arrived in Riohacha in summer 2018 with her four daughters, looking for safety along with her family, as there was no possibility to work in her house country and food was scarce. Life in Riohacha was very difficult in the beginning: we were living in a public park and we were afraid every night, she says. They finally found shelter at Grandpas House. Our life changed: we didnt have to worry anymore about the risks of living in the streets. Susy and her daughters started helping in the kitchen and serving meals to the seniors. Helping Colombian grandparents brought a lot of emotions back for Susy: I have my grandmother in Venezuela who suffers from a heart condition and being around them makes me think of her. Helping them feels like I am helping my mother or my grandma. "Helping them feels like I am helping my mother or my grandma. At the centre, Susy also had the chance to attend an arts and crafts workshop supported by UNHCR and now she sells the bracelets, sandals and earrings she makes in the city centre and by Riohachas beach. I started saving some money, so we hope we will be more independent in the future, she adds. See also: Venezuelans on the run find respite in Ecuador hostel Some 50 women and girls attend the workshop at least three times a week. UNHCR has also helped the centre to increase its hosting capacity by providing the equipment needed to host additional families, like mattresses, water dispensers, table, chairs and other basic supplies. Morato used to paint by himself. He is now ready to teach his work to some of the young Venezuelans who live at the centre: As the painting says, grandparents are people full of love: we want this place to be more beautiful and livable. We can teach young people arts, while we can learn from them how to smile again. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes South Sudans accession this month to the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, also known as the Kampala Convention. South Sudan becomes the 28th African Union Member State that has acceded to the Convention, the worlds first and only regional legally binding instrument for the protection and assistance of internally displaced people (IDPs). Given the pressing mass displacement challenges facing South Sudan, accession to the Kampala Convention is a significant milestone for the protection and assistance of almost two million internally displaced South Sudanese, said UNHCRs Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Volker Turk. More than four million people, including an estimated 1.8 million IDPs, find themselves forcibly displaced from or within South Sudan owing to conflict and violence. IDPs often face heightened risks, violations and sexual violence because of their displacement, while they struggle to access their rights and basic protection. As a result, they remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance. For South Sudanese IDPs, housing, land and property issues are also a concern, particularly for women and child-headed families, the majority of whom find their homes destroyed or occupied by others. Accession to the Kampala Convention is an affirmation by States of their primary responsibility to protect, assist and provide solutions for IDPs. The Convention also calls for national and regional actions to prevent arbitrary displacement, to ensure IDPs are protected and assisted, and to support durable solutions. To give effect to the provisions of the Convention, countries that accede may need to take further steps for its implementation by passing national legislation. UNHCR, which supported the African Union, including through the process of drafting the Convention, supports governments in ensuring its incorporation into domestic law. In collaboration with the African Commission on International Law, UNHCR has assisted the development and dissemination of a model law on the Kampala Convention. Globally, 41 million people remain displaced inside their own countries as a result of armed conflict, generalized violence or human rights violations. To address internal displacement across Africa and to provide a legal framework for the protection and assistance of IDPs, the Kampala Convention was adopted at a meeting of the African Union (AU) in October 2009. This year marks ten years since its adoption. The AU is one of UNHCRs most important partners and a leader in global efforts to resolve forced displacement. Under its watch, landmark treaties on refugees and on internal displacement have been adopted to help millions in Africa and beyond. The AU has designated 2019 as its Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons, with the aim of promoting durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa. A series of events are being organised to commemorate the anniversaries of two of its major treaties on forced displacement in Africa: The 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention, and the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Kampala Convention. These events are being supported by UNHCR and other partners. UNHCR urges AU Member States who have not yet done so to ratify and implement these conventions. More information on the African Union's theme for 2019 For more information on this topic, please contact: Elie is from Lebanon and Shadi is a refugee from Syria. Both are part-time actors and they met on the set of a movie in Beirut. The two 33-year-olds instantly clicked, bonding over a shared love of food and music. A week after they met, they went beach camping. Today, they are the best of friends. Shadi left Syria to Lebanon in 2012 with US$15 in his pocket. He spent the first two weeks in Lebanon on the street. He has since come a long way thanks to the new friendships he has made along the way. Their story is the first of a series highlighting friendships between refugees and their hosts in cities around the world. In coming weeks, check back here for stories from Panama City, Nairobi, Paris, Denver and Kuala Lumpur. In the lead up to World Refugee Day on 20 June, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is challenging everyone to join together and take a step in solidarity with refugees in their communities. Click here to find out more. The bill also provides for expanding American natural gas exports. U.S. Senator John Barrasso has introduced a bill that would impose sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and expedite the export of American natural gas to NATO allies. "Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso introduced legislation to give North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members an escape from Russia's political coercion and manipulation," according to a news release posted on his official website. Read alsoTrump considering sanctions over Russia's Nord Stream 2 natgas pipeline media The Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act, or the "ESCAPE Act," (S. 1830) enhances the energy security of NATO members by providing those countries with reliable and dependable American energy. It also mandates sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, along with other Russian energy export pipelines. "President Trump was right when he recently said that Germany will be held hostage by Russia if they move forward with Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline," said Barrasso. "We already know Russian President Vladimir Putin has a history of using Russia's natural gas to extort and threaten our allies. The ESCAPE Act will take away this geopolitical weapon by sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and expanding American natural gas exports," he said. Naftogaz denies receiving Gazprom's offer on settlement deal 12:29, 14.06.19 2150 Kyiv is ready to consider Russian proposals. IMF waiting for end of parliamentary elections in Ukraine to discuss cooperation 16:38, 14.06.19 1454 The early elections are scheduled for July 21. Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh industry minister Kawasi Lakhma came under attack from experts for his hypocrisy in seeking foreign investment even as he was instrumental in banning Adani mining activities at Bailadila hills. The state government had on Tuesday ordered a halt to all works related to proposed iron ore mining at deposit no 13 in the hills, after protests by tribals against excavation. Soon after, the minister left for a week-long trip to Canada with a state delegation to seek FDI to the state. Its hypocritical to find the industry minister Lakhma, who lives in Bastar and opposing the mining contract, when the chief minister had stressed to promote local people in development. Such approach is detrimental to the states growth. The tribal agitation seems politically motivated. We saw the fate of Tata Steel Project that quit Bastar. In the same coin Adani too is facing the opposition, said analyst Jawahar Surisetti. The experts quickly pointed out the irony of situation claiming that the move doesnt augur well for the mineral-rich state like Chhattisgarh. They stated the industrialisation has to come to Bastar but the tribals should be the beneficiaries in employment and the growth story. It clearly reflects internal contradiction and lack of policy directive. The government is not clear about the kind of industrial policy the state will have. said political analyst Sajjan Kumar pointing inconsistencies. The project was mired in discord as thousands of tribals agitated. AEL had met required qualifications in 2018 In 2018 there was a global bid for development and operation of Bailadila iron ore Deposit no-13 in which the AEL qualified on the basis of prescribed technical and financial qualifications The construction developer is going to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court of Ukraine. Kyiv's Court of Appeals has upheld a lawsuit lodged by NGO Osokorky Ecopark (Osokorky Wetland Park), seeking the cancellation of a permit for the construction of a notorious residential complex, Patriotyka on the Lakes, consisting of over 40 high-rise buildings near lakes in the Osokorky area on Kyiv's left bank. "Another precedent is when the city can successfully interact with the community," Ukrainian MP Dmytro Belotserkovets wrote on Facebook on June 13, commenting on the court's decision. Read alsoAngry Kyiv residents block motorway, rally against blackout in 2 apartment blocks Belotserkovets recalled that Kyiv City Council in January 2019 passed a draft resolution in its second reading to terminate a land lease agreement with LLC Kontaktbudservis, which leases the plot of land for the Patriotyka on the Lakes residential construction project. The legal reason for this decision is UAH 65 million (US$2.3 million) debt owed to the city for the lease of land, he said. Members of Kyiv City Council were also prompted by inadequate actions by the construction developer, who promised to adjust the construction project in line with the local community's demands and submit it to the city planning council. But the developer failed to do this and resumed the active construction phase. The city allocated the plot of land near Lake Nebrizh in Kyiv's Osokorky back in 2005, now it is owned by LLC Kontaktbudservis. The construction developer, Bank Arkada, wants to build one of the largest residential complexes in Kyiv on that site forty-three 24-27-storey buildings. Commenting on the appeals court's ruling, Bank Arkada said on its website on June 12 it was going to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court of Ukraine. As UNIAN reported earlier, by its decision, Kyiv City Council in January 2019 backed the termination of lease agreements with the developer related to five land plots totaling 176 hectares in Kyiv's Osokorky neighborhood (Osokorky-Tsentralni residential area). It also obliged Kontaktbudservis to leave the land plots leased, having brought them in condition suitable for further use. The local community was against the construction of the residential complex there, saying it was illegal. There have been a number of protests against the construction project in recent years. Local residents created an NGO and developed their own recreation concept, dubbed "Osokorky Wetland Park." Oleksiy Petrenko, a lawyer at NGO Osokorky Ecopark, emphasized that the illegality of the building was confirmed by the fact that the land plots were granted the status of a "landscape zone being under protection" way back in 1979. Moreover, the lands are subject to normative and legislative acts on national heritage. In addition, Kyiv City Council's voting in 2002 and 2007 confirmed the status of the area. The land plots also belong to recreational and park zones under Kyiv's 2020 General Plan. The lawyer also drew attention to the fact that when concluding the land lease agreement, it was not taken into account that the major area of 176 hectares of the allotted land was a water body. Razumkov says Ukrainian society's opinion matters. Leader of the Servant of the People Party Dmytro Razumkov has said the party does not support that way of federalization in Ukraine the Kremlin and some pro-Russian political forces in Ukraine insist on. Read alsoPoroshenko: Putin doesn't need Crimea and Donbas, he wants entire Ukraine "The understanding of federalization which is today being pressed for in the international arena mainly by one state is of course out of the question," he told the Pravo na Vladu [Right to Power] TV panel show. Razumkov was asked about the federalization following a recent interview with an ideologist of the party, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's envoy to parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk, in which he stated the party was not ready to ignore the opinion of Ukrainians on the introduction of a bicameral parliament expressed at a referendum in 2000. Journalists and experts interpreted this statement as a readiness for the "soft" federalization of the country. Razumkov said he also thinks Ukrainian society's opinion should be taken into account, therefore the Servant of the People Party insists on the introduction of a law on people power, which legitimizes referendums in Ukraine. At the same time, he urged not to compare them with the so-called "referendums" in Donbas and in Crimea, which were conducted by Russia before their occupation. "There is nothing in common between what happened in Donbas and in Crimea and the democratic will of citizens," Razumkov said. As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said Russia's main idea was to federalize and dismember Ukraine. "The essence and tactics of the Kremlin is to dismember Ukraine. To use Donbas and push this territory of the conflict into Ukraine under the flag of the Russian idea of federalization," he said. Some 58% believe the presidential decree on dissolving parliament is consistent with both the Constitution and the mood of citizens. The number of supporters of early parliamentary elections in Ukraine has increased from 72% to 88% over the past month. As of today, only 8% have the opposite opinion (18% in May), according to a survey conducted by the Rating sociological group on June 8-12, 2019. Read alsoOver 70% of Ukrainians support idea of dissolving parliament poll Some 58% believe the presidential decree on dissolving parliament is consistent with both the Constitution and the mood of citizens. Other 20% believe it does not comply with the Constitution of Ukraine, but meets the mood of the public, while only 6% consider it illegal and not in line with public expectations. The highest level of support for this move is in the south and the east of the country (67%), it is relatively lower in the west (50%). In the electoral context, the dissolution of parliament is most backed by supporters of the Servant of the People Party (72%), while it is least supported by those who stand for the European Solidarity Party led by former President Petro Poroshenko (7%). At the same time, almost half of the latter believe although the decree on early parliamentary elections does not comply with the law, it meets the expectations of citizens. As UNIAN reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 21 signed a decree on early termination of powers of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the appointment of early elections for July 21. On May 24, MPs from the Popular Front faction filed a motion with the Constitutional Court, requesting that the judges declare the decree unconstitutional. U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker reiterated the unswerving U.S. policy of supporting Ukraine. President of the United States of America Donald Trump invited his Ukrainian counterpart, the recently elected Volodymyr Zelensky, to visit Washington, the Ukrainian Embassy in the USA recalls. Ambassador of Ukraine to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly during an opening address at the 7th annual summit of the Ukraine-U.S. working group, organized in Washington by the Center for U.S. Ukrainian Relations, said that it had not been revealed yet when exactly such visit could take place, the Embassy reported via Facebook. Read alsoZelensky to visit France, Germany after weekend The diplomat said Donald Trump's letter to Zelensky where the U.S. president invites the Ukrainian leader to visit Washington is a signal of support for Ukraine, its territorial integrity, and its path toward Euro-Atlantic integration. U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker also spoke at the summit, stressing the unswerving U.S. policy of supporting Ukraine, its territorial integrity, sovereignty and reform course, according to the Ukrainian diplomats. As UNIAN reported earlier, Kurt Volker had previously stated that the US delegation after the inauguration of Vladimir Zelensky had discussed with Trump future contacts with the new president of Ukraine. The man, who organized a pseudo-referendum in the area back in 2014 has been charged with high treason. Law enforcement officials in Ukraine have detained a former "leader" of the so-called "DPR CEC," Roman Lyagin, according to Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko. The man, who organized a pseudo-referendum in the area back in 2014 has been charged with high treason. "Payback time always comes," Lutsenko wrote on Facebook. Read alsoVerdicts of international courts to force Russia into talks on Crimea Klimkin UNIAN memo. An illegal referendum on "independence" from Ukraine was set up by Russian forces in the occupied Donbas in May 2014. Roman Lyagin is a Donetsk native, former member of Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions. In 2014, he headed the "CEC" in an illegal "referendum" on recognizing the sovereignty of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic." From May 2014, he became "minister of labor and social policy of the DPR." He was later fired over "neglect of duty and systematic violation of labor discipline." In March 2019, MP Natalia Veselova, on her Facebook page, announced that Lyagin had made use of the SBU campaign "Someone's waiting for you back home." According to the deputy, he will testify about Russia's crimes. The SBU did not confirm the report. MFA Ukraine expressed readiness to support such project. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yehor Bozhok has called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to develop strategic deterrence capabilities in the Black Sea region. During his meeting with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning Patrick Turner on the sidelines of the Black Sea-Balkan Security Forum in Constance (Romania)Bozhok said: "NATO should develop strategic deterrence capabilities in the Black Sea region, and Ukraine is ready to support such project, the diplomat wrote on Twiter. Read alsoU.S. intel officials, satellite imagery detail Russian military buildup on Crimea Defense One As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 4 in Washington, the Allies agreed on measures to enhance security in the Black Sea region. The Alliance will continue to assist Ukraine and Georgia in strengthening their naval and coast guard forces. On June 4, Stoltenberg announced that in July, joint exercises of Ukrainian Navy and NATO will be held in the Black Sea. The president has assured he is keeping the situation under control. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, June 14, met with the families of Ukrainian naval sailors who had been detained by Russia last year near the Kerch Strait, as reported by the press service of the head of state. Zelensky stressed he was keeping the situation under control. He also recalled the decision of the United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in this case. "We are confident that the steps we are taking now will soon give us the opportunity to return the sailors," said Zelensky. Read alsoMoscow court extends Ukrainian sailors' detention until end of July During the meeting, the issue of supporting seamen's families was raised, including their housing. A draft law was discussed that provides for the provision to the captured crew the status of combatants. The president noted that due to the incapacity of the current Verkhovna Rada, the adoption of this bill at this stage is impossible. He expressed his conviction that the draft law would be considered by the people's deputies of the new convocation. On November 25, Russia blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol. The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. Read alsoUkraine calls on NATO to develop strategic deterrence capabilities in Black Sea The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel. As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them. All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison). Three crewmen were wounded in the attack. Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers. One enemy troop was wounded, military intelligence reports say. Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded on Thursday, June 13, as Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 29 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "As a result of enemy attacks, one Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action, another one sustained a combat-related injury. Each enemy attack received an adequate response, the weapons that are not banned by the Minsk agreements were used," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update posted on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 14, 2019. Read alsoOSCE says humanitarian situation in Donbas not improving According to military intelligence reports, one enemy troop was wounded. What is more, the Ukrainian armed forces destroyed an enemy military truck and a D-30 howitzer. Russian occupation forces opened fire from 152mm artillery systems, 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, and small arms. Under attack were Ukrainian positions near the villages of Vodiane, Novoselivka Druha, Shyrokyne, Novotroyitske, Novomykhailivka, Lebedynske, Berezove, Talakivka, Bohdanivka, Borivske, Luhanske, Zolote-4, Zaitseve, Pivdenne, Stanytsia Luhanska, and Krymske. "Since Friday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions twice near Pivdenne and the town of Maryinka, using 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, and small arms. There have been no Ukrainian army casualties since then," the report said. This is a key step to improving U.S.-Russia relations. Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton has said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's election creates new opportunity to push for peace in Donbas. Read alsoOSCE says humanitarian situation in Donbas not improving "Amb Volker and I met today to discuss Ukraine negotiations and agreed that President Zelensky's election creates new opportunity to push for peace in Donbas a key step to improving U.S.-Russia relations but it's critical that Russia do its part and engage seriously," he wrote on Twitter on June 14, 2019, following a meeting with U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker. As UNIAN reported earlier, Volker said he hopes for the resumption of talks with the Russian Federation on the settlement of the situation in Donbas after the parliamentary elections in Ukraine. The Ukrainian security service says it will do its best to hold them liable. The SBU Security Service of Ukraine has disclosed the names of the Russian military who shot down the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Il-76 military transport aircraft near Luhansk in 2014, as a result of which nine crew members and 40 paratroopers were killed. "The Security Service has irrefutable evidence that the decision to shoot it down was made in the Kremlin and committed by a special unit of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation's Armed Forces, known as Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner," the SBU said on its website on June 14 on the fifth anniversary of the Il-76 crash. Read alsoMalaysian PM doesn't think "disciplined" Russia downed MH17 over Donbas MalayMai SBU investigators established that the criminal order had been given directly by Commander of the 58th Army of the Russian Armed Forces, Major General Yevgeniy Nikiforov, sent to Donbas, the east of Ukraine, to carry out a military invasion and occupation of part of the sovereign country. Moreover, those Russian servicemen who killed the Ukrainian servicemen, these are Dmitry Utkin, Andrey Guralev, and Andrey Lebedev, were awarded by Russian President Vladimir Putin with official state awards "Orders of Courage" on their return to Russia. The SBU recalled that Ukrainian SBU Chief Vasyl Hrytsak said on October 7, 2017, the Ukrainian investigators had issued a notice of suspicion to head of PMC Wagner Dmitry Utkin. "Despite the fact that the Russian war criminals are constantly either on the territory of the aggressor country or as part of secret contingents of the land military intelligence forces of the Russian Federation in Syria and Africa, the Security Service [of Ukraine] is doing everything possible to bring them to justice," SBU said. As UNIAN reported, the Il-76 military transport aircraft was shot down by Russia-led forces near the city of Luhansk in the early hours of June 14, 2014, when it was landing. At the moment, paratroopers of Ukraine's 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade were in the airport of Luhansk, being surrounded by enemy troops. The Il-76 was supposed to deliver ammunition, equipment and personnel. On board the aircraft there were nine crew members and 40 paratroopers. They all died. Takeshi Iwaya told reporters at a Friday news conference that the situation is not considered 'an imminent threat to Japan' Japans defense minister says he has no intention of sending Japanese troops to respond to attacks on a Japanese-operated oil tanker in the Middle East. Takeshi Iwaya told reporters at a Friday news conference that the situation is not considered an imminent threat to Japan. His remarks came after a Japanese-operated tanker headed to Singapore was attacked on Thursday while traveling in the Gulf of Oman, just as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wrapping up his high-stakes visit in Tehran to help de-escalate regional tension. All 21 Filipino crewmembers pf the vessel were rescued and were now on a US warship. Iwaya says Japan doesnt think the so-called Self-Defense Force has a necessarily role to play at this point and we dont plan to send them to the Strait of Hormuz region in response to the attacks. The Japanese ship operator says sailors on board the Kokuka Courageous, one of the vessels attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, saw flying objects just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasnt damaged by mines. That account contradicts what the US military has said as it released a video it says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships in the suspected attack. The Japanese tanker carrying petroleum products to Singapore and Thailand was attacked twice while traveling near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, damaging the tanker and forcing all 21 crewmembers to evacuate. Company president Yutaka Katada said Friday he believes the flying objects seen by the sailors could be bullets, and denied possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damages were above the ships waterline. He called reports of mine attack false. Katada said the crew members also spotted an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether that was before or after the attacks. The tanker survived the first attack that hit near the engine room, followed by another causing damage to the star-board side toward the back. Iran rejects a US accusation against Tehran over suspected attacks on two oil tankers in Gulf of Oman, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Search Keywords: Short link: By IANS KOLKATA: Kolkata Mayor and West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim's daughter, a doctor, has come up with strong criticism of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's handling of the onging doctors' strike and said medicos have the right to "peaceful protest" and "safety at work. In a Facebook post, Shabba Hakim asked people to question why "goons were still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors". READ| Doctors in Delhi to boycott work on Friday over Kolkata hospital violence "As a TMC supporter I am deeply ashamed at the inaction and the silence of our leader," Shabba Hakim said on the social networking site close to Wednesday-Thursday midnight. Till then Banerjee had remained silent on the issue. "For those saying "Ono Rugider ki dosh?" (what is the fault of the other patients) Sabba suggested they should question the government as in why the police officers posted in government hospitals do little to nothing to protect doctors? Please question them that when 2 truckload of goons showed up why wasn't back up sent immediately?" Hakim asked. "Please question why goons are still surrounding hospitals and beating up doctors?" "We have a right to peaceful protest. We have a right to safety at work," she added. Moldova has been in turmoil for the past week as two rival governments tussled for control. The Democratic Party of Moldova said on Friday it would step down from power and dismiss Prime Minister Pavel Filip's government. "The resignation of the government of Pavel Filip is the only possible and legitimate solution to prevent a political crisis," Vladimir Cebotari said in a televised briefing, Reuters reports. Moldova has been in turmoil for the past week as two rival governments tussled for control of the east European country. Maia Sandu was nominated as Prime Minister last weekend, but Filips camp refused to recognize her governments legitimacy. As UNIAN reported earlier, the Constitutional Court of Moldova last week suspended from office Moldovan President Igor Dodon. Presidential powers were delegated to former Prime Minister Pavel Filip. The Constitutional Court's move followed Dodon's failure to dissolve Parliament, which the Court said was a violation of the Basic Law. By Online Desk Resident doctors of several government hospitals across the country joined the ongoing protest to express solidarity with their Kolkata counterparts who have been on strike after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the kin of a 75-year-old patient who died there late on Monday night. In Maharashtra, around 4,500 doctors started their one-day token strike, an office-bearer said here on Friday. The medicos, affiliated to Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), stopped attending to patients in all the 26 government hospitals in the state simultaneously. MARD general secretary Deepak Mundhe said the doctors will keep off all routine duties between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the hospital administration has been informed to ensure all other services are not hampered or patients inconvenienced. A large number of doctors gathered outside the KEM Hospital with banners, posters and placards to show solidarity with the doctors who were assaulted in Kolkata. Similar protests were also being held in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur by MARD members who are demanding adequate protection for their counterparts in West Bengal. ALSO READ | 'Deeply ashamed as TMC supporter': Kolkata Mayors doctor daughter hits out at Mamata over inaction The doctors of several government hospitals in Delhi too went on a one-day token strike and boycotted work. Except for emergency services in the hospitals, there was a full shutdown of all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits. Resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung hospitals expressed their demonstration with bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest and suspended all non-emergency services. Only follow-up patients with a prior appointment were being registered in OPD while registration of new patients was being done as per availability of the faculty in AIIMS and Safdarjung hospitals. Diagnostic services were also functioning in a restricted manner. READ HERE | 'Protests to go on until we get better security': Kolkata junior doctors respond to Mamata Banerjee The doctors at Jaipuria hospital in Jaipur, however, carried out their duties wearing black bands as a mark of protest. In Kerala, the doctors affiliated to the Indian Medical Association, Trivandrum held a protest over the violence against doctors in West Bengal. Doctors at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad also held a protest march over the violence against doctors in West Bengal. The protest erupted on Tuesday after a 75-year-old patient died in Kolkata late on Monday night. The family members of the deceased alleged medical negligence. An intern named Paribaha Mukherjee sustained a serious skull injury in the attack and has been admitted in the intensive care unit of the Institute of Neurosciences in Kolkata's Park Circus area. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Despite having valid visas, around 130 Sikh pilgrims were left disappointed on Friday as there was no clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the special train arriving from Pakistan to pick them up at the Attari railway station. The passengers who were heading to Pakistan for the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev blamed the lack of communication between the Railways and MEA for the botch-up, saying the formalities should have been completed a day in advance. Many of them also complained about the lack of adequate drinking water and toilets at the Attari station. The pilgrims were to visit Nankana Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, Panja Sahib, Dera Sahib and Sacha Sauda gurdwaras in Pakistan. Their visas were valid from June 12 to 23 and had been issued on June 4. In Pakistan, the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev is observed on June 16 as Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee follows the Nanakshi calendar released in 2003. In India, the SGPC follows the amended version of the calendar of 2010 -- thus the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev was observed here on June 7. Bulgaria should develop its economic cooperation with Moscow despite the sanctions regime, as other Western countries, such as Germany, have done, Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Atanas Krastin said on Friday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2019) Bulgaria should develop its economic cooperation with Moscow despite the sanctions regime, as other Western countries, such as Germany, have done, Bulgarian Ambassador to Russia Atanas Krastin said on Friday. "It is necessary to develop economic cooperation with Russia regardless of sanctions as our Western partners are doing. Some of them have impressive trade volumes with Russia. Germany, for example," Krastin said a conference at the Russian State Institute of International Relations. The diplomat added that the cooperation should be developed based on the principles of competition, transparency and reliability. According to customs figures, Russian-German trade increased by 8.4 percent last year, exceeding 61 million Euros (about $69 million). Relations between Moscow and the West deteriorated in 2014 after Crimea reunified with Russia and an armed conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine. The European Union and the United States imposed restrictive measures against Russian individuals, companies and economic sectors. Moscow has responded by imposing restrictions on food imports from the countries that supported the sanctions. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Ready availability of facilities to screen Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) along with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HBV) across Pakistan has been recommenced by the team of international health experts on conclusion of their visit to ascertain exact cause of HIV outbreak in Ratodero, Larkana KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2019 ) :Ready availability of facilities to screen Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) along with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HBV) across Pakistan has been recommenced by the team of international health experts on conclusion of their visit to ascertain exact cause of HIV outbreak in Ratodero, Larkana. Dr. Oliver Morgan, leader of the team and Director of Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment of WHO Health Emergencies Programme addressing a press conference here on Friday said there was also need to reduce the risky and hazardous practices on part of the healthcare providers themselves. ""Most likely cause of recent outbreak that led to 598 confirmed cases of HIV infection, including 500 among children, are unsafe injections and poor health practices," said the expert in quite categorical terms. He further emphasized that questionable practices registered among healthcare providers in Larkana and its suburbs were not restricted to any single area or part of the country. Dr. Oliver at the onset of his presentation said his team had worked very closely with Federal and provincial health authorities and appreciated efforts being made to address the situation. "Looking forward it is suggested to reduce risky practices coupled with uninterrupted provision for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs those affected," said WHO Director of Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment. Due realization on part of people that ARV therapy is a life long treatment that is also successful provided it is timely diagnosed, he said was also needed to be duly realized by the stakeholders. Dr. Eamonn Murphy, Director, Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific, UNAIDS on the occasion appreciated WHO for mobilizing quickly. "As we move forward there is need to focus on improving infection control practices," he said emphasizing urgency to address conditions that promote unwarranted use of intravenous drips and syringes. UNAIDS official also expressed his reservation about the rampant menace of quackery. (@ChaudhryMAli88) The United States is taking steps to damage stability in the Middle East and in the whole world, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday, amid the oil tanker incident BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2019) The United States is taking steps to damage stability in the middle East and in the whole world, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday, amid the oil tanker incident. Tensions are flaring between the United States and Iran following Thursday's attacks on two oil tankers near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Washington pins the blame on Iran, while Tehran rebuffs all the claims. The United States has announced that its navy destroyer USS Mason was on its way to the Strait of Oman following the incident. "Over the past two years, the US government, by violating all international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military capabilities, has implemented an aggressive approach. [Now it] poses a serious threat to stability in the [Middle East] region and the world," Rouhani said at a meeting of Council of Heads of States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. According to the Iranian president, Washington is threatening other countries, pushing them to violate the UN Security Council resolution on the Iranian nuclear deal signed in 2015. "Unfortunately, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and even threatened other parties [of the deal], calling upon them to violate UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which stands for the normalization of trade relations with Iran," Rouhani said. After the United States quit the nuclear accord in May 2018, tensions between Tehran and Washington have mounted with the United States unveiling batches of sanctions against the Islamic republic, targeting the country's finance, transport, military and other spheres. A year later, Iran announced that it had partially discontinued its commitments under the landmark accord and gave Europe 60 days to ensure Iran's interests were protected under the agreement. Fayaz Wani By Express News Service SRINAGAR: The defence and the prosecution in the Kathua rape and murder case are going to file appeals in the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the Pathankot court verdict.The Pathankot court had handed life terms to three accused, five-year jail to three others and acquittal to one of the accused. Special Public Prosecutor Santokh Singh Basra said the prosecution would appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the acquittal of Vishal Jangotra and the deletion of conspiracy theory against three policemen. We will also seek death penalty to three accused, who were given lifers, he said. Basra said on basis of alibi, the Pathankot court acquitted Vishal, who is son of main accused Sanji Ram. The alibi is fabricated. The CD presented as evidence by defence is doctored. It is copy of the original, which is inadmissible. Basra said the prosecution would appeal against deletion of conspiracy theory against three policemen awarded five years prison term. Defence lawyer Ankur Sharma said the defence team is also not satisfied with the judgment. It is a prejudice judgement and we are going to appeal against the verdict in Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, he said, adding that the appeal will be finalised in about 10 days. Sharma alleged that there is no application of mind in the judgement as judge has overlooked and omitted certain points raised by the defence. The motive for the crime suggested in the judgement cannot be accepted by any sensible person, he said. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2019) About 600 troops from Russia, Belarus and Serbia will begin joint tactical drills, dubbed Slavic Brotherhood-2019, in the Serbian city of Pancevo on Friday. The exercises, which will run through June 27, will involve more than 200 troops from Russia's Airborne Force, about 300 Serbian servicemen and up to 60 servicemen from Belarus. Paratroopers from the three countries will practice counterterror operations during the drills. PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2019) A meeting between foreign ministers of the so-called Normandy Four on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial in Slovakia in early July cannot be ruled out but the parties have not yet made any official agreements on this issue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told Sputnik. "No one rules out the possibility of such a meeting. However, there is no preliminary agreement on this issue," Karasin, who is currently visiting Prague, said. The OSCE foreign ministers' meeting is scheduled to be held on July 9 in Tatras Mountains. The Normandy Four group includes Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine and focuses on the settlement of a conflict Ukraine' eastern Donbas region. The Studies of Prostate Ablation Related Energy Devices (SPARED) coordinated registry network (CRN) is a private-public partnership between academic and community urologists, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet) and device manufacturers to examine safety and effectiveness of technologies for partial gland ablation (PGA) in men with localized prostate cancer. We report on a recent workshop at the FDA with thought leaders to discuss a critical framework for PGA, focusing on patient selection, surgical planning, follow up, study design and appropriate comparators in terms of adverse events and cancer control outcomes. We summarize salient points from experts in urology, oncology, and epidemiology that were presented and discussed in an open forum. Given the challenges in achieving patient and physician equipoise to conduct a randomized trial, as well as an inherent paradigm shift when comparing PGA (inability to assess PSA recurrence) to whole gland treatments, the group focused on objective performance criteria/goals (OPC/OPG) as a platform to guide the creation of single arm studies within the SPARED CRN. This summit lays the foundation for prospective, multi-center data collection and evaluation of novel medical devices and drug/device combinations for PGA. The Journal of urology. 2019 May 30 [Epub ahead of print] Michael D Gross, Art Sedrakyan, Fernando J Bianco, Peter R Carroll, Timothy J Daskivich, Scott E Eggener, Behfar Ehdaie, Benjamin Fisher, Michael A Gorin, Bradley Hunt, Hongying Jiang, Eric A Klein, Danica Marinac-Dabic, Jeffrey S Montgomery, Thomas J Polascik, Alan M Priester, Ardeshir R Rastinehad, Charles J Viviano, James S Wysock, Jim C Hu Department of Urology, New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical College , New York , NY., Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College , New York , NY., Urological Research Network , Miami Lakes , FL., Department of Urology, University of California , San Francisco CA., Division of Urology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center , Los Angeles , CA., Section of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago Medical Center , Chicago , IL., Urology Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center , New York , NY., Center for Devices and Radiological Health, United States Food and Drug Administration , Silver Spring , MD., Department of Urology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore , MD., Department of Urology, Glickman Urology and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic , Cleveland , OH., Department of Urology, University of Michigan , MI., Duke Cancer Institute, Duke Medical Center , Durham NC., Department of Bioengineering, University of California-Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA., Department of Interventional Radiology, Mount Sinai Health System , New York , NY., Department of Urology, New York University Langone Medical Center , New York , NY. PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31144591 Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra minced no words in making her disappointment known to party workers for not doing enough in the national elections.Flanked by mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at a review session, a visibly upset Priyanka, on a thanksgiving trip to Rae Bareli, took the party workers to task at a the meeting on Wednesday night. The Congress is unable to come to terms with the defeat of party president Rahul Gandhi, who lost family bastion Amethi to BJPs Smriti Irani by a margin of over 55,000 votes.At the gathering of Congress workers, Priyanka asserted that the partys solo win could be achieved with the help of Sonia Gandhi herself and the people of Rae Bareli. Priyanka felt that party workers did not deliver the way they should have to ensure victory of party candidates in the LS election. Priyanka reiterated that she would find out the names of the workers who did not work for the party. The media was barred from coverage of the congregation.Sonia, however, blamed the partys dismal show on the BJP accusing it of making attempts to mislead voters. Attempts were made to mislead voters in the elections. What happened was ethical or unethical but nothing can be more unfortunate for India than parties crossing all the norms to cling on to power. As per the Congress leaders who were at the meeting, Sonia raised doubts on the authenticity of poll outcome. In a veiled attack on the BJP, the UPA chairperson talked about the doubts being allegedly raised over the Indias electoral process for the past few years. Priyanka for CM Meanwhile, the senior leaders and Congress cadre demanded the high command to declare Priyanka as the partys chief ministerial candidate for the 2022 Assembly election. The party workers were also of the view that the party should stay away from any alliance. They also advocated for a stout fight in the by-election to 12 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. Cong for Gujarat & RS polls together The Congress on Thursday demanded that elections to two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat vacated by Union ministers Amit Shah and Smriti Irani after being elected to the Lok Sabha should be held on the same day. The party said Shah and Iranis Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat were declared vacant on separate notifications and it is an attempt to stagger the two polls that would ensure BJP winning both the seats. The party has called upon the Election Commission that if election to two Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat were held separate, it would be unconstitutional and illegal, said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Party to oppose Triple talaq bill New Delhi: The Congress will oppose some provisions of the Triple Talaq Bill in the Lok Sabha. We had raised a number of issues. Many of the contentious issues the government had agreed upon. A lot of time would have been saved if the government had agreed on our points earlier. Now one or two issues are left on which we will debate and oppose, said senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Pope Francis took time during his visit to Romania to speak with the Jesuits working in the country. In an hour-long encounter, Pope Francis touched on various topics, including indifference, Eastern Catholic Churches, and accompanying couples in difficult marriages. By Christopher Wells At the end of the first day of his recent Apostolic Journey to Romania, Pope Francis met with the twenty-two Jesuits working in the country, speaking with them in a relaxed and family atmosphere. The transcript of the conversation was published on Thursday in the Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. Desolation and consolation Pope Francis spoke about desolations and consolations in life, familiar terms in the spirituality of St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. Asked about how to deal with criticisms, the Pope said it takes patience, it takes hupomeno, the latter a Scriptural term meaning endurance. He said, it is especially important to remain close to the Lord with prayer, and with time spent before the tabernacle; and to remain close to the people of God, with works of charity. Speaking about consolations, the Pope said true consolations are those in which the passage of the Lord is made present. He said he finds great consolations in prayer, where the presence of the Lord is felt; and in being with the people of God, especially the sick and the elderly. Indifference, a great temptation Responding to a later question about indifference, Pope Francis cited St Ignatius, who, he said, tells us that if there is indifference, and there is no consolation or desolation, it is not good. Indifference is one of the great temptations of today, he said. We live the temptation of indifference, which is the most modern form of paganism. Distinguishing between a type of good indifference, which keeps us from being overwhelmed by violent but passing emotions; and a bad indifference which neither laughs nor cries, Pope Francis said that a community that cannot laugh and cannot cry has no horizons. Its locked in the walls of indifference. Eastern Catholic Churches During the encounter with the Jesuits, Pope Francis was also asked his thoughts about the future of Eastern Catholic Churches. My position is that of St John Paul II, he said. The Church breathes with two lungs. Rejecting the approach of so-called uniatism, the Pope said that today we must respect the current situation, and help Greek Catholic bishops to work with the faithful. Accompanying married couples The Holy Father also responded to a question concerning the difficulty faced by people in difficult marriages, and the path traced out in his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia. Pope Francis insisted that the Synod on the Family has taken a step on the path in matrimonial morals, passing from the casuistry of decadent scholasticism to the true morals of St. Thomas Aquinas. Instead of offering easy yes or no answers, he explained, we must accompany couples in difficult situations. There are very good experiences, he insisted. But he defended the work of diocesan tribunals, which make decisions on annulments, although he recognized that there are not enough tribunals, and that in some places they dont work well. Lord, help us! he prayed. Diversity In answer to a final question about diversity specifically, diversity within the Jesuit order Pope Francis said that diversity is a grace, which shows that the Society doesnt cancel personalities. At the same time, however, we must have unity of hearts, of spirit. Within the order, he continued, prayerful dialogue and discussion are important. Lets thank God were different! You can read the full transcript of Pope Francis' conversations with the Jesuits in Romania, in an English translation, on the website of La Civilta Cattolica. Workers at the Sunset Station Hotel & Casino, which is owned and operated by Station Casinos, voted to unionize on Thursday, June 13, 2019, through a secret-ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). During the one-day NLRB election, 437 workers voted and 83% voted YES for the union. Approximately 600 Sunset Station workers will be represented by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE. Once again, Station Casinos workers, this time at Sunset Station, have spoken loud and clear that they want a union, fair wages, and good benefits like at other union casinos in Las Vegas and that they want to be treated fairly on the job, said Geoconda Arguello-Kline, Secretary-Treasurer and leader of the Culinary Union. We call on Station Casinos to immediately to negotiate and settle a fair contract for the workers at Sunset Station, Palms, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, and Boulder Station. Sunset Station is the fifth Station Casinos Las Vegas property to unionize since 2016. Station Casinos, the third-largest private-sector employer in Southern Nevada, is the operating subsidiary of Red Rock Resorts, Inc. Workers at five Station Casinos Las Vegas properties are now unionized and fighting for a union contract: Boulder Station (September 2016), Palace Station (March 2017), Green Valley Ranch (November 2017), Palms (April 2018), and Sunset Station (June 2019). I am so happy to be become part of the union! said Athena Sarelio, a food server at the Sunset. I voted YES for the Culinary Union so I could have security for my family. I want to ensure that when I retire one day, I will be able to retire with dignity with a union pension. I cant wait to negotiate a contract! Station Casinos has said many times that they would respect their employees right to hold an NLRB election: We have said all along that if a fair and lawful election is held we will abide by the results. Richard Haskins, president of Station Casinos (Las Vegas Review Journal September 1, 2016) Wesupport their right to join a union if they so choose as that decision is theirs, not ours, to make. Lori Nelson, Station Casinos spokeswoman (Las Vegas Sun February 12, 2016). Weve always respected our employees right to join a union if thats what they want to do. Lori Nelson, Station Casinos spokeswoman (Las Vegas Sun January 20, 2016) Station Casinos officials have said they are willing to allow a secret-ballot vote (Las Vegas Review Journal October 7, 2014) The decision to join a union belongs to our team members, and we respect that right. Lori Nelson, Station Casinos spokeswoman (Las Vegas Sun August 29, 2014) Weve made it really clear that the door is open for a secret-ballot election. Lori Nelson, Station Casinos spokeswoman (Wall Street Journal March 22, 2013) Station saying a secret-ballot election is allowed and welcomed. (Las Vegas Sun January 22, 2012) If the employees choose they wanna be in the union, then thats their choice. Lorenzo Fertitta (Heavy MMA September 2, 2011) We have always recognized our team members right to be represented by a union if they so choose. Lori Nelson, Station Casinos spokeswoman (Las Vegas Review Journal February 17, 2011) This latest unionizing victory at Sunset Station follows a May 22, 2019 NLRB decision and order finding that Station Casinos Palms Casino Resort has unlawfully refused to recognize and bargain with the Culinary and Bartenders Unions. In 2010, workers at Station Casinos started a public organizing drive. A majority of workers in the classifications that Culinary and Bartenders traditionally represents (which includes most of the hotel and food and beverage workers in a casino hotel) signed a public petition to demand a fair process to exercise their right to choose whether to unionize. Changes to NLRB rules in 2014 created new opportunities for workers to choose whether to unionize through NLRB-supervised secret-ballot elections despite Station Casinos management interference, intimidation, bullying, and litigation. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: While the horror of Tappal in Aligarh is still echoing in the corridors of power in Uttar Pradesh, the state has witnessed a spate in incidents of rape of minors in the recent past. While an 8-year-old was bruised and defiled in Nawabganj locality of Bareilly on Tuesday, a 13-year-old was raped by two youths in a village under Khutara police station limits in Shahjahanpur district. In Bareilly, an 8-year-old girl had gone to fetch water from a hand pump on Tuesday afternoon, when a youth waylaid her on his bicycle to a deserted farm along a canal and raped her. The perpetrator dropped the girl in sheer pain near her house and fled. The distraught girl narrated her plight to her mother who on Wednesday morning approached the local police station and lodged a complaint. SP (rural) rushed to the spot and set up a team to nab the culprit. On Tuesday, victims father was out of station. When the child went to fetch water from the hand pump, the culprit tricked her into accompanying him claiming that her father and uncle were calling her to the farm. Believing him, the victim accompanied the culprit who took her to the secluded field and raped her. Meanwhile, in Shajahanpur, two youths broke into a house and allegedly raped a 13-year-old minor. The incident took place on June 7 but the case could be registered only when the parents of the victim met Shajahanpur SP S Chinnapa on Thursday, who prevailed over the station house officer to lodge the report. In his complaint the victims father stated that her daughter was alone at home when two persons Vikram and Nikku forced their way into their house around 7 pm. The perpetrators were allegedly brandishing a sword and a country made pistol to intimidate the girl before taking turns violating her. An FIR under section 376 D (gang rape) of IPC and POCSO Act was lodged in the matter and raids were being conducted to nab the absconding accused. At the groundbreaking ceremony of the gypsum factory (Photo: VNA) Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Thanh Long expressed his belief that the factory will help improve local production technology and generate jobs for locals. The factory will provide gypsum products that meet Japanese standards of quality for the construction material market in Vietnam, he said. Ba Ria Vung Tau will continue improving its business environment and facilitate the operation of businesses, he affirmed. Sudo Eisaku, Chairman and CEO of Yoshino Gypsum Vietnam Co., Ltd, said the project is wholly-owned by Yoshino Gypsum of Japan. It is expected to be put into operation in December 2020. Yoshino Gypsum will apply the most advanced Japanese technologies to produce gypsum products for the Vietnamese market. New steel projects bewilder producers - illustration photo A series of local steel producers have submitted a petition for urgent review to the Government Office and related ministries on the new cold-rolled stainless steel project in Vietnam. This project is invested by Foshan Union Stainless Co., Ltd. and Zhejiang Yongjin Metal Technology Co,. Ltd. (Yongjin Metal) in Tien Giang, laying out a blueprint for a facility with an annual capacity of 250,000 tonnes of cold-rolled stainless steel. The document noted that this is an example of the company going around one provinces refusal to get an investment certificate in another in Vietnam According to the petition, China-based Yongjin Metal applied for an investment certificate in Dong Nai to build a stainless steel project in April 2017 and August 2018, but it was rejected due to the local authorities growing concern of oversupply and environmental pollution. However, only eight months after receiving the Dong Nai decision refusing to issue an investment certificate on August 23, 2017, Yongjin Metal received the permit for this project in another province. Stainless steel producers are surprised and confounded by this, the petition stated. Nghiem Xuan Da, chairman of the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA), suggested that, The authorities of the provincial industrial zones should consult the central authorities as well as the relevant associations when licensing new investment projects in order to avoid supply-demand imbalances as well as trade disputes between nations. It is imperative to consider many factors when adopting a new steel project. Dr. Phan Huu Thang, former director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, said that a database on foreign direct investment (FDI) is being built and information flows will not be completely smooth until the system is completed. The total designed capacity of the domestic cold-rolled steel industry reached more than 700,000 tonnes, so local producers now can only run at about half of their designed capacity, according to the petition. The local demand for stainless steel will continue to be met with an oversupply of 229,000 tonnes up until 2021, according to global market analysis by CRU Group calculated on the assumption of 8.4 per cent positive average growth per year. According to the VSA, it is hard to export cold-rolled stainless steel as there are many large manufacturers in Southeast Asia and the regional supply exceeds the demand. It is also difficult to export steel to the US and EU markets which apply anti-dumping policies to steel products. The domestic stainless steel market has been hit hard by the influx of Chinese products. If more new investors are involved, it will be only a matter of time until the market collapses, said a steel expert, adding that continuing to attract investment into cold-rolled stainless steel will create fierce competition among producers and reduce their investment efficiency. China, the worlds largest steel producer, has experienced years of plunging prices and factory shutdowns due to oversupply. The Chinese government has shut down steel plants with the total capacity of over 90 million tonnes over the past five years and plans to reduce steel output by 100 million tonnes to 150 million tonnes by 2020 to ease the supply and demand imbalance. Thus, Chinese steel producers are moving to set up operations abroad, including in Vietnam, and have even agreed to sell their output at a loss to win more orders and cover their fixed operating costs. The concerns have not stopped here, as many countries are using anti-dumping measures against Chinese steel products as well as goods of covered-up Chinese origin. Tightening new projects The VSA suggested that international investors should not be invited to produce normal steel products that are in oversupply in the country. Instead, they should be encouraged to invest in the production of alloys and high-quality steel. Besides, with the governments reluctance to trade off environmental integrity for economic growth, many provinces should be cautious about steel projects, with some even rejecting new steel investment proposals. If Vietnam is as determined to protect the environment as it claims, clean projects will come. After tightening the licensing, the quantity may be less, but the quality will be better, economist Pham Chi Lan said. In the same way, Tran Vietnam Ngai, chairman of the Vietnam Energy Association stressed that the steel industry is a particularly energy-intensive sector. Thus, any new steel projects must avoid having significant negative impacts on the national power grid. Besides, to curb the influx of cheaper imports and help local producers, a number of markets have slapped high anti-dumping duties on stainless steel from China, including India, Brazil, Thailand, the EU, and the US. The VSA warned foreign investors against investing in factories in Vietnam with the targets of avoiding Vietnams anti-dumping taxes and avoiding anti-dumping export duties. Lessons from the past Reminding of past issues when Vietnam witnessed the rampant development of power-hungry steel plants, Pham Chi Cuong, former chairman of the VSA, warned that, The lessons are relevant to this day, especially as the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is no longer responsible for planning in industries like steel. In 2010, the Vietnamese steel sector witnessed a grievous surplus due to its failure to conform with the planning, with over 30 steel projects licensed beyond the official master plans for the industry. Together, these projects added 60 million tonnes of extra annual capacity to the industry and are a direct result of inadequate regulation and lax local authorities management. Before, in 2007 and 2008 alone, dozens of billion-dollar steel projects, both domestic and foreign, were licensed. These included the $1 billion Tycoon-E.United Dung Quat steel complex in the central province of Quang Ngai with the annual capacity of three million tonnes in its first phase, the $4 billion Van Phong steel complex in the central province of Khanh Hoa. The MoITs inspection later found that of the 65 steel projects with an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes or higher each, only 17 were included in the planning and 16 were approved by the ministry while the remaining 32 projects were licensed by provinces outside of the planning, with as many as 24 licensed ultra vires. The southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau had the most steel projects across the country with the total annual capacity of 3.75 million tonnes of refined steel and over 10 million tonnes of rolled steel. Half of these projects were outside the planning. Others with unplanned projects included the northern port city of Haiphong with five projects, the central province of Thanh Hoa and the northern province of Hai Duong with four each, the central province of Ha Tinh with three, and the northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Ha Nam with one project each already in operation. This unchecked licensing fiesta has led to the crippling surplus where supply exceeds demand by 50 per cent. Since then the surplus has become worse despite an annual 10 per cent growth in the domestic demand. SK Group leaders last week met with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi There is little doubt that Vietnam is a vibrant country with a thriving economy, and definitely one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world for South Korean investors. A recent headline titled Now, I am Mr Vietnam refers to the SK Group chairmans keen interest in Vietnam, given that SK Group last month spent $1 billion in exchange for 6.15 per cent of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup. Beyond this case, we believe that this headline very well sums up how South Korean companies view Vietnam nowadays. In 2018, South Korea ranked second among 112 countries and territories that had invested in Vietnam, with $7.2 billion, or 20.3 per cent of the total inbound investment. At the same time, South Korea was the second-largest trade partner of Vietnam, with total bilateral trade reaching $65.7 billion, accounting for around 14 per cent of Vietnams total import-export value. Looking back, over the period of Vietnams 30 years of attracting foreign investment, South Korea took the lead with $62.5 billion, or 18.3 per cent of the total investment in the country. Indeed, Vietnam stands at the centre of South Koreas New South Policy, which was launched in 2018 to strengthen political and economic ties with the ASEAN. The South Korean government realised they have to diversify markets for growth and this is where the bloc, which includes Vietnam, stands out due to its high growth. This is a stark contrast to mature markets such as Europe, the United States, and even South Korea itself, where growth has stood at only 2.2 or 2.3 per cent. The South Korean president has paid several visits to Vietnam and continuously encourages businesses to go overseas and capture the opportunities in Vietnam. In line with the governments New South Policy, more South Korean companies and their supply chains are moving to Southeast Asia. Among them, Vietnam is the most important market. Those are some of the key factors that make South Korean businesses invest in Vietnam. The attractiveness of the Vietnamese economy is widely known political stability, business-friendly government policies, highly skilled labour, competitive wages, young demographics, and free trade agreements. South Korean businesses see in Vietnam a lot of similarities in culture: hard-working, disciplined people, and the environment is very safe to invest. Policy successes According to research conducted by a government-affiliated research centre, South Koreas investment in the ASEAN after the New South Policy was launched went up by 16.7 per cent compared to 2017. Vietnam accounted for half of the investment, followed by Singapore. Investment in Vietnam marked a significant growth of 60.3 per cent in 2018, with the amount reaching $3.16 billion. Another factor for investors enthusiasm is an increase in manufacturing costs in China, driven by rises in property prices and wages. Businesses that have set up in China can take advantage of their existing supply chains there when building factories in Vietnam. The China+1 strategy remains an on-going tactic for South Korean and other conglomerates going forward. Even before the China-US trade tensions, a lot of foreign investors already looked into diversifying their businesses from China to Vietnam because of rising labour costs in China. Trade tension only accelerates that kind of diversification from China. There is one other interesting trend that should be noted. The South Korean government recently put restrictions on the total working time in the country, and minimal wages were substantially increased. These labour rules make it harder for small- and medium-sized enterprises to hire in South Korea, which prompts them to move their factories to other countries like Vietnam. Attractive sectors South Korean businesses are quite diversified in terms of investment in Vietnam. They can have direct investment or look into buying stakes in local companies. The sectors that attract the most investment from South Korean business are in manufacturing, especially in garments, fabrics, and basic production; and technology and IT, exemplified by Samsung and LG. Electricity is one of the most important investments of South Korean businesses into Vietnam. Businesses also have strong interest in building up infrastructure in Vietnam, mainly revolving around seaports, airports, and highways. With the growth of the manufacturing sector, there will be a need for good logistics to support this growth. Besides manufacturing, we also see South Korean companies are moving into other sectors like food or financial services, in order to capture new opportunities from Vietnams large population, rising middle-income class, and strong economic growth. It is expected that the rush of South Korean companies into Vietnam will continue, and the type and areas of investment will be further diversified. In recent years, weve seen rising interest in the energy sector, given that Vietnam is now focusing on renewable energy, especially wind and solar power. The goal for Vietnam is to increase the renewable energy proportion to 30 per cent by 2030. The Vietnamese government also talk about building smart cities in Hanoi, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City. With the success of South Korea in building big cities, we believe their partners and investors can play an important role in helping Vietnam develop such smart cities. So far, most South Korean conglomerates choose a mixture of organic growth and mergers and acquisitions. We can see that in some areas like real estate, infrastructure, and retail, South Korean investors normally look to partner with local companies. But for some other areas like manufacturing, companies can run their own businesses. In terms of people, we also see that South Korean companies are using more local experts in their management instead of using home-grown experts as previously. Regarding challenges, we believe both sides should keep in mind differences in culture and policy. South Korean investors need to understand Vietnams local market and consumers, and the local regulation environment which might be frequently changing and subject to interpretation. Access to skilled labour is another problem that South Korean investors might face. We also want to note that for conglomerates, their financing requirement can be quite complex, including project financing, advisory, and liquidity management. Not many banks here have the capability to support these complex requirements. From our perspective, a joint platform can make it easier for those South Korean companies to manage their treasury issues efficiently while investing in Vietnam. Not long after street demonstrators massed in Hong Kong this week to protest a controversial extradition bill that would allow criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial, Taiwans president, her ruling party and two of her government ministries voiced emphatic support for the demonstrators. Taiwanese officials, who normally avoid taking sides in political issues offshore, back the protests underlying cause of squelching the expansion of rule by China. Beijing gained control of Hong Kong in 1997 and hopes someday to rule Taiwan the same way, which it calls one country, two systems. Officials in Taipei jumped into the Hong Kong fray to show theyre in tune with China-leery public sentiment at home, especially ahead of elections, analysts say. I believe that Taiwanese people, regardless of whether in the majority or minority political camps, will feel increasing dissatisfaction toward the Chinese governments actions that could be directed at Taiwan, said Michael Tsai, chairman of the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies in Taiwan. In the first show of support, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party weighed in Monday by calling the one country, two systems approach the demise of democracy and freedom. The demonstrations began Sunday. China and the now democratically governed Taiwan have been separately ruled for seven decades. According to a government poll conducted in January more than 80% of Taiwanese oppose any Chinese rule on their island. China still claims sovereignty over Taiwan, where the Nationalists re-established their government in the 1940s after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedongs Communists. China has vowed to press for eventual unification. Statements from Taiwan Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tweeted Wednesday that he would stand shoulder to shoulder with the hundreds of thousands in Hong Kong fighting the extradition bill and for rule of law. Street demonstrations began Sunday with hundreds of thousands protesting a proposed law that would let Hong Kong extradite criminal suspects to mainland China, among other places. Authorities in Beijing sometimes prosecute acts of free expression and assembly. Their sentences can be harsher than Hong Kongs, and the legal system less transparent. Under the two systems scheme, China has said it would offer Hong Kong a degree of autonomy. On Thursday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen sent her secretary general to meet a group of protest-sympathetic Hong Kong students in Taipei hours after demonstrators in Hong Kong clashed with tear gas-wielding police. What Taiwanese feel most deeply about this is that one country, two systems is not viable and not acceptable for a democratic Taiwan, Tsai told reporters Thursday. I think, hopefully, the kind of words given on the part of President Tsai is a kind of mouthpiece from the government perspective to try to defend the Taiwanese interests, said Liu Yih-jiun, a public affairs professor at Fo Guang University in Taiwan. Also Thursday, the Taiwan governments Mainland Affairs Council said no one in politics could support the proposed legal change in Hong Kong. The president, the premier, all political circles whether in power or not have repeatedly expressed our concern and support, and we emphasize that we will not be an accomplice to an evil law, council spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng told a news conference Thursday. We especially feel deep regret that the citizens boldly resisting that law encountered violence by the police. Hong Kongs proposed law started with Taiwan, too. Last year a 19-year-old Hong Kong man was suspected of killing his girlfriend on a trip to Taiwan and then fleeing home. The two sides have no extradition treaty, but Hong Kong authorities hope the proposed law would let them extradite the suspect to Taiwan for prosecution. Eyes on Taiwan presidential race Taiwanese officials may be backing Hong Kongs protesters to stand out in elections scheduled for January. They want to be seen as tough against China in keeping with local voter sentiment, experts on the island say. Taiwanese will elect a president and parliament. Tsai Ing-wen is expected to receive her partys nomination next week to run against an opposition Nationalist Party candidate who will probably advocate stronger economic ties with Beijing. Many Taiwanese want tighter economic relations, but without political concessions. Positions taken on Hong Kong will affect the election next year, at least to some people, said Alex Chiang, an international relations professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei. They will support pro-independence candidates or at least candidates who take a stronger position against China. To avoid putting anti-Beijing people in office in Taipei, China will strive for a peaceful resolution with the Hong Kong people to show it can harmonize with a population rather than using only its authoritarian rule to stop protests, Liu said. A top United Nations AIDS official is in Zimbabwe as the country faces a shortage of the antiretroviral drugs, known as ARV drugs, that stop the progress of the disease. The situation is bad for HIV-positive Zimbabweans, but worse for inmates living with the virus at a Harare prison NASA photo of the eruption of Klyuchevsky volcano on 30 September, 1994, the volcano's largest explosion in 40 years. The large Background: Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka's highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, the beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. Kliuchevskoi rises above a saddle NE of sharp-peaked Kamen volcano and lies SE of the broad Ushkovsky massif. More than 100 flank eruptions have occurred at Kliuchevskoi during the past roughly 3000 years, with most lateral craters and cones occurring along radial fissures between the unconfined NE-to-SE flanks of the conical volcano between 500 m and 3600 m elevation. The morphology of its 700-m-wide summit crater has been frequently modified by historical eruptions, which have been recorded since the late-17th century. Historical eruptions have originated primarily from the summit crater, but have also included numerous major explosive and effusive eruptions from flank craters. --- Source: Klyuchevsky information by the GVP (Smithsonian Institution) Cuba Gooding Jr. Photo: Steven Ferdman/Shutterstock Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded not guilty after he was accused of forcibly touching a woman at a Manhattan night club. On Thursday, Gooding was arraigned on two misdemeanor charges: one count of forcible touching and one count of sexual abuse in the third degree; he pleaded not guilty to both, according to the Manhattan district attorneys office. Judge Herb Moses released the actor without bail. A surveillance video posted by TMZ appeared to show the alleged assault. In the video, Gooding and his girlfriend, Claudine De Niro, are seen talking to a fan at the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge. Goodings attorney Mark Heller previously told TMZ that hed seen the surveillance footage, and that it showed no criminality. Gooding is due back in court June 26. By Online Desk Amid protests from opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, the Southern Railway GM on Friday clarified that the circular asking its officials to speak only in English or Hindi would be withdrawn. A circular from the Southern Railway headquarters dated June 12 had specified that communications between the division control office and station masters should be either in Hindi or English. The circular is arrogant. The Railway is bullying its officials," DMK chief MK Stalin told reporters. Chief Transportation Planning Manager (CTPM) R Siva had written in the June 12th dated circular: The communication between the Divisional Control Office and the Station Masters should be either in English or in Hindi and the use of regional language should be avoided to prevent either side not understanding what is being said. The objective of the above exercise is to improve communication between the Control Office and the Station Masters. It is the responsibility of the Control Office to ensure that every instruction passed by it to the Station Masters is clear and comprehended, the letter read. The letter was addressed to Section Controllers, Station Staff, Traffic Inspectors and Station Masters of the Chennai division, and was intended 'to improve communication between officials.' The Southern Railway network covers Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Several social media users, mainly from Tamil Nadu, criticised the Southern Railways circular. As per article 343, Central Government Employee should communicate in official languages in the state they are working. But today Southern Railway issues circular to communicate only in English and Hindi !!! Though English is not a official language !!! #StopHindiImposition pic.twitter.com/N69vuHKe2w Sudharsan K (@SudharsanK10) June 14, 2019 READ HERE | Hindi imposition row: No efforts to impose the language, clarifies NEP panel head Kasturirangan This circular comes at a time when the Centre was recently forced to revise the new Draft National Education Policy, which had recommended Hindi learning mandatory in schools of non-Hindi speaking states, and suggested a three-language formula without naming Hindi. .@GMSRailway Why can't we have Kannada/Telugu/Tamil/Malayalam version of Southern Railways website? Shamelessly pushing Hindi in tickets, stations & to Station masters, railway workers and even in websites. This country has no place for non-Hindi langs!#StopHindiImposition pic.twitter.com/AOmMFRPWkP Srujana Deva #StopHindiImposition (@SrujanaDeva) June 14, 2019 In the draft National Education Policy 2019, a three-language formula has recommended the inclusion of English and Hindi besides mother tongue in non-Hindi speaking states, while Hindi-speaking states were to include English and an Indian language from other parts of the country. Many leaders from non-Hindi states, especially Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, had opposed the policy. In Tamil Nadu, leaders cutting across party lines have said the state would not tolerate any imposition of the third language. (With inputs from agencies) Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Ayodhya, the land of Lord Ram, has been put on high alert after intelligence inputs secured by security agencies indicating at a possible terror attack in the holy city. According to top intelligence sources, the terrorists may enter Uttar Pradesh from Nepal and target public places, trains and buses to maximise loss of lives. Acting on the intelligence inputs, searches are being conducted in trains and buses arriving in the temple town and hotels, lodges and guests houses are put on the radar. The alert gains significance as VVIP's are scheduled to visit the Ram Temple this weekend. Deputy CMsDinesh Sharma on Friday and Keshav Maurya on Saturday Shiv Sena chief Udhhav Thakarey will also be visiting the temple town along with his 18 MPs for darshan of Ram Lalla on coming Sunday. VHP is also slated to celebrate the 81st birthday of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chief of Ramjanmabhumi Nyas on Saturday. As per sources in military intelligence, a report over the inputs has been sent to Union Home ministry. As per the report, terror outfits including Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) are covertly putting up their base in eastern UP cities including Faizabad and Gorakhpur. The sources claimed that Mohammad Umar Madni has been entrusted with the responsibility of putting up terror bases and recruit youth in these cities. The security measures are also being taken in the wake of the verdict in 2005 Ayodhya terror attack case scheduled on June 18. In June 2005, five militants had been gunned down and four Kashmiri militants were arrested in the case. Besides, Ayodhya, adjacent district Ambedkar Nagar has also been put in the sensitive category. As per the military intelligence sources, the terror modules have also been entrusted to in Faizabad and Gorakhpur to spread the terror network. Its so much harder to try to look back and figure out if there were signs that were missed or if there were supports that were there, what factors came together in what way or how could this have been prevented, she said. Its so much harder to do that than it is to try put together things (for prevention). Dr. Jane Ripperger-Suhler with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Team at the University of Texas Dell Medical School and Ascension Texas recommended educators and school staff keep abreast of social media trends and topics. She used the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and Robin Williams suicide in 2014 as examples of how inadequate suicide response services can be. A 2019 National Institute of Mental Health study focused on both the impact of celebrity suicide and the lack of resources to meet the burst in need for support services after such a suicide. The study honed in on the 30 days after Williams death on Aug. 11, 2014. Researchers traced the number of calls to crisis lines, the number of calls answered, the number of people accessing crisis websites, and suicide rates. Before Williams suicide in 2014, the daily average national suicide rate was 115 deaths per day. In the 30 days following his death, that number jumped to 142 deaths per day. Following their initial performance at National History Day, the team of Lucas, Benja and Michael ranked in the top 10 for group performance in the junior division and moved on to compete in the finals Wednesday evening. Their work was also highlighted in an interview with C-SPAN for the cable networks coverage of the competition. Michael said his group chose the Hitler Youth as their topic because of how tragic the experience must have been for the boys who were forced to join the youth organization of the Nazi Party. They started researching the topic about a year ago. This one stood out to us because of how boys our age could do something so terrible and be part of something so dark, he said. It was a really, really messed up topic. Founded in 1922 as the Youth League of the Nazi Party, Hitler Youth formally got its name in 1926, according to The Holocaust Encyclopedia website. By 1939, membership for boys older than 10 became mandatory and not joining a punishable offense. Hitler Youth is the second oldest paramilitary group of the Nazi Party. You cant put it into words what it means for someone who wants to do something like this, Gray said. Something like that would never have even crossed my mind when I was that young. For her to want to do that is just incredible. Gray said he will have several animals available for adoption to greet party-goers at the brewery. He said more than 90 dogs and dozens of cats and kittens are up for adoption. We always need fosters for cats with kittens coming in, because it seems about four to five times a day cats or kittens come in, Gray said. We are always needing volunteers and donations to help the animals we have out. In the spirit of meeting those needs, Kolosci, a Riesel Independent School District teacher, posted an invitation to Facebook advertising her daughters birthday fundraiser. She said she knows of about 60 people interested in attending the party and hopes the event will grow in size. Rosemary was born in Waco to Carl and Mildred Shook Trautschold, after a difficult, complicated labor which caused her to be born with brain damage. At a young age she was institutionalized after a frontal lobotomy. Over the years, as society's views on people with mental illness changed, Rosemary moved from the Mexia State School into a community group home and a job in a sheltered workshop. She thrived in this new environment and happily enjoyed her time off reading, watching movies, exploring the community and socializing with her caregivers and roommates. Her retirement was enjoyable and included many excursions into the community and group social activities. Although she didn't have a pet, she loved animals, especially small dogs. Through the Affordable Care Act, people with insurance have a maximum limit on their out-of-pocket drug and medical costs. Once thats reached, plans usually cover 100 percent. But this is not true under Medicare Part D, and voters say that needs to change. Polling data released in March found 76 percent of voters support legislation that would cap or limit out-of-pocket prescription-drug costs for Medicare Part D recipients. In 2016, more than five million Medicare beneficiaries who paid extra for Part D plans still ended up having to reach into their pockets significantly for the cost of their care anywhere from hundreds to an average of nearly $1,600. This loophole continues to place an enormous financial burden on Medicare beneficiaries. This year, the annual out-of-pocket spending threshold the amount beneficiaries must spend before the coverage gap ends and catastrophic coverage begins is projected to increase by an additional $1,250, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. And people who need specialty drugs (patients with cancer, among many others) could end up paying significantly more than that anywhere from $2,600 to $16,500 in out-of-pocket expenses. On this 100th anniversary of Congress approval of womens suffrage, voting rights are again imperiled in Texas, this time by measures espoused as necessary to end voter fraud: the voter identification law already in place; threatened purges of voting rolls to eliminate noncitizens; and bills that nearly passed this legislative session that would have classified mere registration mistakes as felonies. In practice, these measures target the same kinds of groups excluded from voting a century ago, such as the African-American and immigrant women unable to reap the benefits of the 19th Amendment. Radiant photos of female members of Congress wearing white at the 2019 State of the Union address illustrate how that history of injustices may have inspired women to figure so prominently in movements for truly universal voting rights. Those sworn in for the first time this year include many who could not have joined major suffrage organizations in 1919. But as crucial as it has been and will be to gain further political power for women by voting them into office, we cant isolate this from burning voting rights issues today. And Texas, as then, remains a leader in voting suppression. Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find and furnish political dirt on Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto ORourke and that gay mayor whose name I cant pronounce. OK, President Trump didnt really say this, but he made abundantly clear during a remarkable interview in the Oval Office this week that, sure, hed be open to hearing out foreign powers on any disparaging material they might offer on political opponents in 2020 even from adversaries such as Russia or China. And he challenged ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos when the latter said Trumps own hand-picked FBI director said any politician approached by foreign agents should contact law enforcement. The FBI director is wrong, Trump declared. Well. The president insists Congress does the very same. So should we assume Republican Congressman Bill Flores, who represents our district, is open for business to foreign influences? Consider the presidents words: You go and talk honestly to congressmen, they all do it, they always have. And thats the way it is. Its called oppo research. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: The mortal remains of UP Bar Councils newly-elected president Darvesh Yadav, who was shot dead on Wednesday, were consigned to flames at Chandpur village in Uttar Pradesh s Etah district on Thursday. The state police are still clueless about the motive behind the shooting. Yadavs long-time acquaintance and colleague Manish Sharma had shot her at the Agra court on Wednesday.While UP Law Minister Brijesh Pathak represented the state government at the cremation of the slain lawyer, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav visited the family and demanded a probe by a sitting judge. Thousands of lawyers turned up to pay homage to Yadav, who was elected to UP Bar Councils first woman president on Sunday. Immediately after the cremation, the slain lawyers family members, including her brother Punjab Singh Yadav, demanded a CBI probe into the murder. Judicial work at the courts across western UP remained stalled on Thursday as lawyers protested against Yadavs killing. They also demanded security for the family of the slain Bar Council chief and `50 lakh compensation. The family alleged Sharma had taken loan from Yadav to construct his house and refused to return the money. By ANI NORTH 24 PARGANAS (West Bengal): A new-born child died on Thursday in Agarpara here due to alleged medical negligence amid doctors' strike across the state. "It is my bad luck. My child died due to lack of treatment. He was not attended by any doctor because of their strike," baby's father Abhijit Mallik told reporters here. ALSO READ: Health minister condemns violence against doctors in Kolkata Various medical bodies called doctors' strike across the country to protest over rising violence against the medical fraternity after a junior doctor of Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10. According to Mallik, the child was born on June 11 and was ailing with a breathing problem. His condition deteriorated on June 12, the doctors of the hospital asked him to go to the child-specialist hospital. Mallik claimed that he went to several hospitals but they did not attend the ailing child after which the child died on June 30 in the morning. The deceased child's father also alleged that the state's health department did not respond to his call. ALSO READ : 'Just like you need security, patients also need treatment', Bengal minister appeals to protesting doctors West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to protesting doctors in the state to get back to work and ensure that hospitals can run "smoothly and peacefully". However, the protesting doctors have not called off the strike yet and are demanding adequate security in every medical college and hospital. Family members mourn 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson who was fatally shot in 2018 as she walked to an ice cream truck. (Calla Kessler/The Washington Post) Rosalind Page, a nurse and mother to four daughters, spends her days scouring websites for names and photos of women and girls lost to violence. Some of the wealthiest nations in the world provide little or no government-supported maternity or paternity leave for new parents, a U.N. report said Thursday. Using 2016 data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Eurostat and research articles, the study ranked 41 high- and middle-income countries across the OECD and European Union on family-friendly practices. Of the 41 countries surveyed, about half offered six months or more paid leave for mothers, the minimum length UNICEF advocated in the report. Estonia offered mothers 85 weeks of paid leave, Hungary offered 72 weeks, and Bulgaria offered 65 weeks, ranking as the top three countries for maternity leave. But Australia and New Zealand offered only eight weeks, and the United States offered no time, ranking it the worst for maternity leave. International experts call for action for world's 450 million scabies sufferers An alignment of researchers, health ministries and the World Health Organization has outlined the key steps to develop a global program to control scabies - the parasitic disease that affects 450 million people each year in mainly low-income countries. The research paper, 'The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action' published in The Lancet journal was led by Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute, in collaboration with the International Alliance for the Control of Scabies, the World Health Organization, international researchers and the Ministries of Health of Ethiopia, Solomon Islands and Fiji. Lead author, MCRI's Daniel Engelman, said global scabies control was dependent on developing key operational procedures, including methods for identifying scabies prevalence in all impacted countries. "Scabies is a disease of poverty, and people in low-income, crowded, and warm environments are most vulnerable to infestation caused by the microscopic Sarcoptes scabiei mite," Dr Engelman said. "Scabies causes skin rash and severe itch that can be unbearable, but there is no blood-test, and not even a standardised approach to diagnosis. We don't know how prevalent scabies is in most countries. " Dr Engelman said that a major priority was mapping the global scabies problem using simple skin examinations, which can be conducted by nurses and community health workers. Dr Mike Kama, public health expert and scabies focal person at the Fiji Ministry of Health, said scabies infection rates could now be radically decreased by treating whole populations with an antiparasitic medication called ivermectin, after previous successful trials of the drug in Fiji. "Scientific advances over the past five years suggest that the number of people with scabies in a community can be reduced by more than 90 per cent with a single mass treatment" he said. "This is one of the most effective public health interventions we have." Dr Paul Cantey, Medical Officer for Scabies from the World Health Organization in Geneva, said more work is required to identify when mass treatments for scabies are needed, how best to implement them, and how to engage communities to ensure scabies control initiatives are sustainable. "During studies of mass treatment for scabies, young children were not given ivermectin but treated with topical medicines, which can make treatment of affected communities more complicated. This paper highlights the need to determine if oral scabies medicines can be safely given to young children," Dr Cantey said. The research found scabies infection rates were high in many Pacific nations, parts of South America and Africa, and in Australian, New Zealand and Canadian indigenous communities, where up to 50 per cent of children may have scabies. Senior author, MCRI's Professor Andrew Steer, said the scabies mite causes 'traumatic itching' when the surface of the skin is broken, allowing bacteria to enter. "This can lead to impetigo (school sores), and if the wound becomes infected with the Strep A or Staph bacteria, the sufferer can develop severe, life-threatening infections, as well as chronic health issues such as rheumatic heart disease or chronic kidney disease," Prof Steer said. More than 300,000 people die from rheumatic heart disease around the world every year. Prof Steer said that there was the potential to reduce the burden of rheumatic heart disease by controlling scabies and maintaining healthy skin. The 24 authors of the paper called for a global strategy to tackle scabies and outlined five key steps: Develop a global strategy for the public health control of scabies Map the global population affected by scabies. Facilitate affordable and reliable access to effective treatments Scale-up mass drug administration strategies in highly-affected countries. Work together with affected communities and health programs ### Available for interview: Dr Daniel Engelman Media Contacts: Christine Tondorf MCRI communications advisor +613 9936 6197 / +61413 307 092 christine.tondorf@mcri.edu.au Bridie Byrne MCRI communications specialist +613 9936 6211 / +61 403 664 416 bridie.byrne@mcri.edu.au This story has been published on: 2019-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. China is urging all parties to exercise restraint after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers in Gulf of Oman, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that countries should avoid further escalation of tensions. Geng says that a war in the Gulf region of the Middle East is something that no one wants to see. China is the worlds largest buyer of Iranian oil and has maintained its support for the Iran nuclear deal. Geng said that China will continue to protect its energy security and oppose unilateral sanctions. In meeting on Friday on the sidelines of a regional summit in Kyrgyzstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Irans President Hassan Rouhani that China will promote steady development of ties with Iran no matter how the situation changes, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for the attacks and the US military released images it said showed Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the ships. Iran rejects a US accusation against Tehran over the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Search Keywords: Short link: Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: Finally, after 12 days of refusal, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Panday admitted the deaths of children between January and June 14, were caused by the symptoms akin to the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, on Friday. Panday, who visited the SKMCH in Muzaffarpur along with health officials, on Friday said, "Altogether 57 children including 47 at government-run SKMCH and 10 at the privately- run Kejariwal hospital, had died diagnosed with symptoms akin to AES". He further said that a new ward of 100-bed capacity was created at SKMCH to admit the children coming with symptoms of AES or hypoglycemia. "Besides this, six new additional ambulances have been deputed here at SKMCH with nearly two dozens including 7 additional doctors from AIIMS", he said, adding that 15 junior doctors were also assigned with the task of assisting the doctors for better treatment", he said. Meanwhile, parents of many children, who are undergoing treatment at SKMCH, rued the fates and said only rain-god can save their children. "Doctors are doing their best to save the children, who are brought here with symptoms akin to AES but we pine hope on rain-god only to come and save the children", Mahindra Kumar, a father of a child admitted said. On Thursday, a high-level central govt team of seven experts and doctors roped in from different health departments, had visited Muzaffarpur and discussed with local health officials. The team had suggested increasing the capacity of SKMCH's paediatric ward from 17 to 100 and deployment of additional doctors till the arrival of monsoon. Vice President Pence and other U.S. officials told the Mexican government during those talks that immigration is the most important issue of Trumps presidency. Trump has been repeatedly frustrated by his inability to secure funding for a barrier along the border with Mexico and by the unchecked rise in the number of migrants being taken into custody by U.S. agents. I have two special treats for you this week. The greatest value of the week is a delightful, inexpensive white blend from South Africa, all the more attractive because of its $12 price tag. But the sneak gem is a pink lambrusco from Italy that rose fans will want to seek out. In April, I tried to persuade you to ignore any prejudices you might have against lambrusco as the sweetish red your mother may have kept in the refrigerator door. If youre a rose fan, the Lini 910 may just make you a fervent convert to this unheralded wine. Those classes didnt work out, but I met Maida in person shortly afterward when she judged a baking competition run by the James Beard Foundation. Here was the Maida I would come to know as a friend and mentor over the next 30 years, basking in the applause of an adoring crowd. This was in the early 1990s; later I would discover that she had sustained the double loss of her only daughter and her husband, Ralph, just a few years before. Maida gloried in displays of affection and admiration, but her hunger for the warmth of an adoring crowd went beyond what a public figure might typically need. She required the love of her fans to keep going in those days. Peterson is charged with perjury for lying about the number of gunshots he heard after arriving at the scene, the count most likely to result in a conviction, according to legal experts. The majority of the charges, however, hinge on whether he can be considered a legal caretaker of the minors who were shot and if his inaction can be legally defined as child neglect. Based on the boarding process it introduced in January, Delta Air Lines seems to disagree: Instead of boarding by a designated zone based on what part of the plane they will be sitting in, customers now board based on the type of fare they purchased (the range goes from basic economy to Delta One, the airlines name for its business class) or their frequent-flier status. There are eight groups in all, and each group is designated by color. Delta One customers and those with the highest frequent-flier status, for example, are assigned purple, while basic economy customers are assigned navy blue. Civil rights experts warn that adding the question could result in about 6 million Hispanics not being counted, which could have a ripple effect on American Indians. Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado places where there are large American Indian populations could have some of the highest undercounts of Hispanics if the question is asked. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the citizenship question this month. According to data obtained through a public information request, 152 public school children in the District have religious exemptions that allow them to go unvaccinated and 32 have medical exemptions a small fraction of the 97,500 public school children in the city. Students are not allowed to attend school if they are not vaccinated, although it appears the rules are not regularly enforced. The city does not collect information on the religion of families seeking a waiver on those grounds and does not require families to obtain a letter from a religious institution to claim that waiver. By PTI KOLKATA: Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal Friday were in no mood to relent as they demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions to the administration for withdrawal of their stir, which has disrupted healthcare services in the state and spiralled to other parts of the country. Over 200 senior doctors of various state-run hospitals across the state tendering resigned from their services to show solidarity with the agitators. Late in the evening, Banerjee met the senior doctors and later invited the agitators for talks on Saturday but they declined the offer. As the medical fraternity from across the country began to rally behind their Bengal colleagues, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged Banerjee not to make this sensitive matter a "prestige issue" but ensure an "amicable end" to the stir, which entered the fourth day Friday. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi said he called up Banerjee to discuss the issue but got no response from her. "I have tried to contact the chief minister. I have called her up. Till this moment there is no response from her. If she calls me, we will discuss the matter," he told reporters after visiting injured junior doctor Paribaha Mukhopadhyay at the hospital. ALSO READ | Striking doctors seek apology from Mamata, set six conditions to withdraw stir They stressed on their demand for improvement of infrastructure in all health facilities as well as posting of armed police personnel there. A senior state health department official said over 200 doctors, including heads of departments of medical colleges and hospitals in Kolkata, Burdwan, Darjeeling and North 24 Parganas districts, sent their resignation letters to the state director of medical education. "We express fullest solidarity to the current movement of NRS Medical College and Hospital and other government hospitals agitating to protest the brutal attack on them while on duty," Dr P Kundu, director of the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, said in the resignation letter. "We strongly stand by the demands of security and protection for all healthcare personnel and we have tried our best to continue life-saving services in the interest of our patients till now," Prof (Dr) Dipanjan Bandyopadhyay, Head of Medicine department at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, wrote in the resignation letter which contained the signature of 34 other senior doctors. "Under the present circumstances, it is not possible for us to continue our services indefinitely without minimum manpower resources. In the absence of any constructive development to end this crisis, we are pained to offer our resignation and request you to relieve us of our responsibilities," the resignation letter read. The principal and the medical superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital submitted their resignations on Thursday night. Two junior doctors of the NRS Medical College and Hospital were seriously injured in an attack by family members of a patient who died on Monday night, triggering the stir. Earlier in the day, several prominent personalities like filmmaker Aparna Sen, rights activist Binayak Sen, actor and theatre personality Kaushik Sen, film director Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and musician Debojyoti Mishra along with senior doctors, visited the agitators at NRS Medical College and Hospital showing solidarity towards the junior doctors. They later participated in a rally holding placards with a message "No more violence, enough is enough." While visiting the SSKM Hospital on Thursday, Banerjee had contended that "outsiders" had entered medical colleges to create disturbances and the agitation was a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP. Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court refused to pass any interim order on the strike. Many kin of TMC leaders also backed the doctors stir. Among them were Banerjee's nephew Abesh Banerjee, state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim's daughter Shabba and son of TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. In Delhi, scores of doctors at some government and private hospitals held demonstrations by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their Kolkata colleagues. Junior doctors in Odisha staged dharna with bandages on their foreheads, besides staying away from duty. Around 4,500 resident doctors in Maharashtra, including some 2,800 in Mumbai, went on a one-day strike. In asking to hold off on a sentencing date, the filing also noted Flynn is in the process of retaining local co-counsel with Powell, who is based in Texas, to go through a massive amount of information in the case. In its 81-page ruling Friday, the court noted that under the policy, the former director of the office, E. Scott Lloyd, had to review individual abortion requests and had never approved one, including when the pregnancy resulted from rape. Even when one teen obtained private funding and transportation for the abortion, the director refused to let her leave the shelter to undergo the procedure. Kelly & Associates Insurance Group has had multimillion-dollar transactions with the medical system since at least 2005, the first year for which financial disclosure records are available, handling more than $100 million in premiums. Kellys contracts and those held by other board members including a childrens-book deal with then-Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh (D) were not widely known until the Baltimore Sun wrote about them in March. As an Army veteran and a distinguished member of the legislature, Speaker Mitchell leaves an indelible mark on our state, Hogan (R) said in a statement. Speaker Clay Mitchell was a man for whom I had tremendous respect and admiration. He dedicated his life to serving others and will always be remembered as an icon on the Eastern Shore. Mr. Mitchell, who was known as Clay, was a lanky farmer and businessman who lived most of his life on Marylands rural Eastern Shore. First elected to the House of Delegates in 1970, he became the speaker in 1987, at a time when both branches of the legislature and the governors mansion were under new leadership. Nearly 7 in 10 residents with incomes less than $100,000 expect Amazons arrival to make it costlier to live in the area, compared with less than 6 in 10 of those with higher incomes. Nonwhites are 14 percentage points more likely to anticipate that Amazon will increase the cost of living than whites, 70 percent vs. 56 percent. White men are among the least likely to expect the area to become more expensive to live in as a result of Amazons arrival, with 50 percent predicting it will. It is difficult for prosecutors to prove that crimes are motivated by racial bias. Earlier this week, a black D.C. woman was found guilty of assault after authorities say she pulled out a knife and slashed the face of a Hispanic woman at a bus stop in Northwest Washington in 2016, according to the U.S. attorneys office. The women had bumped into each other minutes earlier. After slashing the victims face, prosecutors said the woman, Camille Covington, 34, yelled out, I dont like Hispanic women. However, the jury did not believe the attack was racially motivated and rejected the racial bias enhancement. Authorities said in a statement that Bell had no fixed address. A police report lists one possible address for him at a homeless shelter on New York Avenue in Northeast Washington. That shelter is about a half mile away from where he was killed. Im numb because you know how many times Ive been through this? Too many, Corado said. We protected her. Protected her like you have no idea. This murder is bigger than Washington, D.C. . . . We live in a country where trans people these days are under attack. Santwana Bhattacharya By The idea of a nationhowever hifalutin and to whatever degree a composite, both stable and dynamic, of a plurality of views, even opposing viewsis never really driven by vision alone. Its never or rarely ever a pure visual/conceptual project. Nor law, which undergirds our social life. Even when a nation is at the crossroads, where one set of ideas seems tired and unable to cope with changing circumstances, and a new set of ideas holds more mass appeal, its not really the ideas per se but what they relate to in our emotional field, our subjectivity, that matters. For, the collective is always an aggregation of what is felt and desired, what is spontaneously celebrated, in countless individual minds. An infinite multiplication of small particles of emotional matter. A song here, a dance form there, a book of fiction, a play or even a work of non-fiction that catches everyones imagination, a speech that resonates, a line of poetry that speaks to you, a film or a larger-than-life actor, a sporting hero. Its the relatablity of a persona, an event or a thought that animates it on the public stageits in our relation to it that we, more often than not, derive our identity from. The intangibles we own rather than the tangibles we gain or acquire. Not the GDP-to-growth ratio, the Sensex, export statistics, or socio-economic indices. But, a story heard in childhood, an anecdote, the sweet tonalities of a language an older generation spoke, these live on in the crevasses of memory, and it is to them that we turn when we go in search of identity. A Himachali shepherd boys song or an Annapoorna Ashtakam by Subbulakshmi, a Santhal dance seen in childhood or a languid Odissi setpiece by Kelucharan Mohapatra or Sanjukta Panigrahi. A Balasaraswati...or a razor-sharp Rahat Indori. An NTR or MGR or a Rajini film, a masterpiece by Adoor or Ray, a Premchand story, an ecstatic Tagore song on seeing a dark adivasi beauty, or Manto fantasising about a fisherwoman. Mahaswetas Basai Tudu, a Balwant Gargi play or URAs Samskara. That is what we are, a Jai Maa Kali here, a Jai Siya Ram there, a Saranam Ayyappa elsewhere. Azaans floating in the air on a Ramzan evening, a Syriac psalm in Kerala. That whats made us. Of course, the particular instantiations change and evolve. A song may disappear from our canvas, a K C Dey or a Padmini-Ragini will recede to the archives, poetry may be heard now on YouTube and not at live recitals, a river may die and a natural lake turn into a landfill, like a satire turning darker. ... But what stays constant is the emotional matrix within which these forms dance their alluring waltz. For policymakers, technocrats and for those who win and lose elections by dint of government provisionspromises of a roof over every head, or direct cash transfers to every BPL accountthe aggregations may be of a different sort. But those material calculations dont touch the imaginative selves of people. What engenders a sense of belonging is not two-rupee rice, but that crisp dosa at your favourite haunt, or that haleem your aunt used to make. We may argue till the cows come homeright now, theyre out chewing up crops in Uttar Pradeshon what constitutes nationalism or how its different from patriotism. But we wont progress unless we include in our search what animates the common Indianthe fruit-seller, the insurance salesman, the techie, the anonymous troll. How do people become a people? What do they relate to? What do they want to own in the existing iconography and inheritance? Why does it seem like we are in a moment of collective iconoclasm? This sudden impatience to claim a change, a desire to impetuously reject and disown the past, was again on displaysome of it spontaneously, some programmatic, all of it dramatic and demonstrativeafter news broke of Girish Karnads demise the other day. His plays were deconstructed to show that what he had written was essentially a distortion of myths and classical storiesand hence un-Hindu. The capacity for creative and critical engagementthe bedrock on which Indian civilisation and its thought culture stands, an aggregation of mutually dissenting philosophiesseems to have left us. We forget, or perhaps do not know, what an institution-builder does, how seminal his or her role can be. Some recalled on Twitter how it was Karnads intervention in an otherwise reluctant interview panel that saw a pockmarked Om Puri get admission into FTII. Later, he ensured his debut. Theres another story few know of, a subtle masterstroke. The FTII students were on strike. As director, he naturally wished to end it. Crackdown? Police? Media calumny? No, he called up Shyam Benegal and asked him to give a break to an angry young radical named Naseeruddin Shah. Strike over. Manthan, Nishant, Bhumika resulted. Think Om Puri, think Naseer, think Indian cinema, then rethink Karnad. Do disagree with Karnads public position if you want, but dont throw away his legacy in the process. A large tract of land, called cultural memory, will go with that. It behoves us to disagree with new Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who once told a batch of IFS freshers that nothing has happened in the last 70 years. Those years are us. Santwana Bhattacharya Resident Editor, Karnataka Email: santwana@newindianexpress.com It directly affected me yesterday, Cloud said before the game. Being in [the school], seeing the kids, hearing them talk about it like its just something that happens this shouldnt be something that happens. Our kids need to be in a safe environment when theyre going to learn. . . . If they cant go to school, were setting them up for failure at a young age. These calls for resignation are from the same people who seek to divide all of us against each other, his statement said. We cannot achieve true equality when we try to divide or allow ourselves to be divided into different groups. The son of a former county board chair, Herrity said he wants to lure more recreation-related businesses to Fairfax and plans to continue to work to bring down county pension costs. As potentially the sole remaining Republican on the 10-member board, he stressed that he could be an important dissenting voice. The bill was signed in the Okaloosa County Commissions meeting room with an overflow crowd dotted with red Make America Great Again hats. Okaloosa, in the Panhandle, is one of the states most conservative counties. The crowd cheered wildly in support of the bill and equally as loud at the mention of Trump. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The first session of the 15th Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh, which was expected to be a smooth affair, saw sparks flying between the treasury benches and the opposition on the second day itself over defection of YSR Congress MLAs to the ruling TDP in the previous Assembly and non-adherence to democratic practices. Referring to the defections engineered by the TDP regime, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy came up with a startling revelation that some TDP MLAs were in touch with his party. He, however, did not disclose the number of such MLAs. The agenda of the House for Thursday was election of the Speaker and it was expected to be a smooth affair. After announcing the unanimous election of Amadalavalasa MLA Tammineni Sitaram as the Speaker, pro tem Speaker Sambangi Venkata China Appala Naidu urged leaders of all the parties in the House to accompany the Speaker to the Chair. Jagan and his colleagues, K Atchannaidu of the TDP and Jana Senas lone member Rapaka Varaprasad responded. Initiating the proceedings, in his maiden speech in the House in the capacity of Chief Minister, Jagan congratulated Sitaram and hailed his leadership qualities. ALSO READ: Budget session of Andhra Pradesh Assembly likely from June 26 Digging the past, he found fault with the previous TDP regime for encouraging defection of 23 YSRC MLAs and making four of them ministers. The YSRC chief further said some of his party leaders suggested that he take away five of the 23 TDP MLAs so that Chandrababu Naidu would lose the status of Leader of Opposition in the House. I will never resort to such an act as there would be no difference between me and Naidu. I will allow MLAs from other parties into the YSRC only after they tender resignation to their parent party, he asserted, and suggested that the Speaker disqualify MLAs in case they defected without first resigning. In the previous Assembly, we saw politics without values and occasions when the Leader of Opposition was not even allowed to speak. We witnessed poaching of MLAs from the Opposition with Cabinet berth allurements. We also saw blatant violation of anti-defection laws and even the eleventh hour amendment of the rules to disallow no-confidence motion against the Speaker. We boycotted the Assembly demanding disqualification of the defected MLAs, but it was not done. Such unprincipled practices, if followed, democracy cannot survive. I sincerely pray that the established norms of the House be followed, he said. Jagan described the TDP getting only 23 MLAs and three MPs in the recent elections as the best script by the God and a lesson taught to that party by the people. In the previous Assembly, the TDP had bought over 23 MLAs and three MPs and, ironically, they could only win the same number of MLA and MP seats this time, he said. Opposition Leader Chandrababu Naidu during the Assembly session on Thursday. When Naidus turn came, he maintained that he had no intention to rake up any controversy as the occasion was to congratulate the newly-elected Speaker. However, the YSRC members found fault with Naidu for not accompanying the Speaker to his Chair in his capacity as the Opposition leader. Naidu and the TDP members claim there was no proper communication from the government on the election of Speaker. At one point of time, Naidu expressed his dissatisfaction over the Chief Ministers disparaging remarks against the Opposition in his first speech. Recalling former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy switching party within four days after getting elected on Reddy Congress, Naidu asked Jagan to refer to history before pointing fingers at others. While claiming to be heir to YSR, you should keep the issue in mind and admit that your father too made mistakes, Naidu asserted. We waited till yesterday for communication from the government seeking our support for the election of the Speaker. But, we did not get any information and there was no particular invitation for me to accompany the Speaker to his chair. How can I attend an event without being invited? Do you think I dont have self-respect? Check the records. Despite not getting an invite, I have sent the party deputy leader for accompanying the Speaker, Naidu said. Rebutting Naidus claims, Jagan said the pro tem Speaker made a clear appeal to all the party leaders to accompany the Speaker. But, I was surprised to see Naidu attempting to falsify the entire issue which we all witnessed and is on record. Instead of apologising for his act, Naidu is acting in an unjustified manner to cover up the lapse. I dont want to drag the issue any more. Though God and people severely punished Naidu, there is no change in his attitude, Jagan observed. YSRC MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy added fuel to the fire by using unparliamentary language and prompting TDP leader Atchannaidu to demanded that the ruling party member apologise for making such an objectionable remark. He also insisted on the Speaker expunging the remark from records. Though the Speaker assured that he would do it if the remark was found objectionable, the TDP legislators stuck to their demand. Expressing regrets over the way the proceedings proceeded on the day Speaker was elected, Naidu reiterated that his party had no intention to disturb the House and appealed to the Speaker to go through the records and take a decision on the objectionable word used by the YSRC MLA before the end of the current session. Governor ESL Narasimhan will address the joint session of the Assembly and Council on Friday. Jagan met Narasimhan on his arrival in Vijayawada on Thursday. Man sentenced to death in killing of five children: A South Carolina father was sentenced to death Thursday for killing his five children with his own hands. After they were dead, he drove around with their bodies for nine days before dumping them in garbage bags on the side of an Alabama dirt road. The same Lexington County jury convicted Timothy Jones Jr. of five counts of murder last week in the deaths of his children, ages 1 to 8, in their Lexington home in August 2014. Mexican journalist rescued after abduction: Kidnapped journalist Miranda Cogco was rescued by security forces in the gulf coast state of Veracruz hours after he was taken by armed men outside his home, Mexican officials and the journalist said. Police said they intercepted a suspicious vehicle traveling on a dirt road late Wednesday and a shootout ensued between officers and three apparent captors, who fled on foot. Cogco was kidnapped early Wednesday in the city of Boca del Rio. He was treated for minor injuries. Notre Dame to hold first Mass since fire: Notre Dame cathedral will hold its first Mass since the devastating fire that ravaged the structure in April. The Archdiocese of Paris said that a Mass will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Saturday two months after the fire that left much of the structure, including its spire, damaged. The Mass will be celebrated by Paris's archbishop, Michel Aupetit, and only 30 people including clergy and laypeople will be allowed to attend because of safety concerns. However, the service will be broadcast for others to see on KTO television. Chetana Belagere By Express News Service BENGALURU: Mohammed Mansoor Khan, managing director of IMA Jewels, who is alleged to have cheated thousands of investors of an estimated Rs 2,000 crore, fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 8 at 8.45 pm on board an Emirates flight, from Kempegowda International Airport, a senior police official confirmed to TNIE. Investigations into the whereabouts of Mansoor confirmed that he had left the country. After Mansoors audio clip went viral on WhatsApp, saying that he was committing suicide and accusing an MLA of cheating him of Rs 400 crore, there was speculation on his whereabouts though some even suspected that he had killed himself. However, a senior police official said, Our investigations and interrogation have proved that he fled the country around 8.45 pm on June 8. We cannot disclose further details.Interestingly, there has been a transaction of nearly Rs 19 crore from the IMA account to his personal account, before he fled. Sources said the money was obtained by liquidating most of the gold and diamonds in his shops into cash. Commercial Street police, with whom the first complaint was registered, handed over the case files to the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The custody of seven arrested directors was also given to the SIT, and the team will start official interrogation from Friday. Meanwhile, the seven arrested directors reportedly claimed ignorance and also said that they were not aware of Mansoors financial transactions. They allegedly revealed that they were asked to convert some jewels into cash and that they had deposited about Rs 19 crore into his account. IMA scam: Cops seize passports of all seven directors Police have seized the passports of all the seven directors to prevent them from fleeing the country. Meanwhile, two cars a Jaguar and a Range Rover belonging to Mansood were reportedly seized at KIA on Wednesday.Complaints against IMA Jewels have not stopped coming in, and have now reached about 27,000 across the state. Help desks have been set up in several cities, including Mysuru, Hubballi, Belagavi and Mangaluru. Complaints have not stopped coming in. Every hour, there is one or other complaint. Their stories are sad. But its unfortunate that they believed in something like this, said an investigating officer. This is striking precisely because the economy is still expanding, as it has for the past decade. For most of the postwar era, when the economy has grown, deficits have shrunk or even converted into surpluses. Thats because a growing economy usually brings in higher tax revenue and a reduced need for safety-net programs such as food stamps and unemployment benefits. Except in times of war, its highly unusual for a growing economy to be met with a growing deficit. Does President Trump have a license to speak on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on July 4? My admittedly light research shows that anyone who wants to use this magnificent memorial for an event must apply for a license and pay a $120 fee to the National Mall and Memorial Parks Division of Permits Management. Its logical to assume that if you apply for a license, you may be turned down for specific reasons. Considering security precautions, extra costs, wear and tear of property and the potential for scuffles, fights and even violence to erupt if Mr. Trump spoke at the Lincoln Memorial on July 4, it seems reasonable, even obligatory, that his application be turned down. Finally, in detailing the right to a trial by jury in Article III, the text reads: The Trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by Jury. Of course, in cases of presidential impeachment, the trial of crimes is conducted by the Senate. In pointing to this distinction, this clause suggests an expectation that impeachment will indeed be for crimes. If we put these pieces of the Constitution together, we can say that the grounds for impeachment should be crimes that are considered high, in that they are offences against the United States. Some of those activists noted that the bill did not guarantee full equality on matters such as adoption rights. But they were right to celebrate, as were LGBTQ people across Asia who were not directly affected but who took it as a landmark policy change for the continent. It also took a Supreme Court decision in the United States, with its long commitment to liberal values, to legalize same-sex marriage. If anything, Taiwans turn toward marriage equality was more democratically legitimate, as the ruling party had promised to make it happen and an elected legislature decided to advance the most progressive of the options it considered. Mr. Trump sounds sincere when he says he doesnt want a war, but he doesnt have an easy way out of the crisis he has created. Mr. Khamenei on Thursday rejected negotiations with the United States, prompting the president, who had repeatedly said he wanted such talks, to rule them out himself on Twitter. The administration will seek to enlist European allies to join it in confronting Iran over the ship attacks, but the Europeans will inevitably be wary, given that Mr. Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and reapplied sanctions over their strong objections. Meanwhile, barring another escalation by Iran, Congress may not support U.S. military action. Trumps hopes for a quick win were misplaced. At recent overseas events, Trump has been dangling concessions and inviting negotiations. Were not looking for regime change. I want to make that clear. . . . Were looking for no nuclear weapons, he said in Tokyo on May 27. Id much rather talk. . . . The only thing is, we cant let them have nuclear weapons, he offered in London last week. And in Normandy, he declared: I understand they want to talk and thats fine, well talk. One thing they cant have is nuclear weapons. After serving time in a federal prison, I returned home with only two outfits including my prison sweatsuit and an air mattress. Following my release from prison, I experienced several job rejections and other challenges. But I never gave up. I work every day to help other brothers and sisters returning home, and now Im the founder of a nonprofit organization and have started small businesses. But the General Assembly gave the criminal-justice system a unique and often misunderstood instrument: an alternative-punishment classification under the sentencing guidelines. Application of alternative punishment is discretionary. For example, a judges instincts may be that a low-level offender who sold a small quantity of drugs to support a habit should be deterred by incarceration of at least the minimum sentence called for by the guidelines, often about seven to nine months. The alternative-punishment tool acknowledges that prison time may be counterproductive, making brittle the chances the offender has at righting his or her personal ship, and suggests the system can afford the chance at a probationary sentence. As a threshold matter, it appears that Trump has committed a variety of impeachable offenses. Obstruction of justice is the most obvious, because the Mueller report lays out a withering case of criminal obstruction, and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III himself made clear he didnt consider such a case only because of Justice Department guidance against indicting a sitting president. More than 1,000 former prosecutors, Democrats and Republicans, have declared in a petition that Trump would have been indicted on multiple obstruction counts if he were not not president. A partial list of other grounds for impeachment would include Trumps failure to protect the United States against foreign attacks on our electoral system, his blanket refusal to comply with lawful congressional subpoenas, his attempt to prosecute political enemies, and his welcoming, benefiting from and rewarding of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. Chetana Belagere By Express News Service BENGALURU: Putting all speculations to an end it is now confirmed that Mohammed Mansoor Khan, managing director of IMA Jewels has actually fled the country. Immigration entry documents from Interior ministry insignia is being circulated the copy of which is available with TNIE. According to this, he has used the visa to reach Dubai on the 8th of June leaving more than 27,000 investors in the lurch. However, the authenticity of the document could not be confirmed by SIT officials. Planned in advance Whats interesting is the fact that according to this document, he has applied for his visa a month in advance which means he knew this was coming. He has taken ample time to ensure he manages his gold and diamond items well in advance and has made proper plans to send his family first and has them left, said an officer. READ | IMA scam effect: Many other firms also under scanner, say cops It shows that the visa issues dates are May 5, 2019. The document says hes fled to UAE, another investigating official said. However, the authenticity of the document is also being checked. As per the document his Visa was issued on May 5th and is valid to use until September 15. The police are now trying to look into M.E.T.T. Travels which is Dubai based, who processed the visa according to this document. Influential people behind this SIT is also now looking to dig deep into the fraud. One set of officers are working on getting his phone records both landlines and mobile phones to see to whom the calls have been made. READ | IMA scam may attract ordinance to ban unregulated deposits All bank accounts are being scrutinised carefully to see if money was diverted to any influential people during or pre-elections. They are also allegedly investigating to see if he has made any calls to his employees, relatives or friends here after the escape. What was his plan? Was he tipped off? Was this all pre-planned and who helped him? etc is all what we are looking at, SIT officer said. Directors being questioned Meanwhile, all seven directors who are in custody of SIT now are being interrogated. While they claim that they were cheated too and had no idea of Mansoors plan to flee. Look, youve got to ask yourself where Joe Biden is on the issues that are most important to you, ORourke said. Did he support the war in Iraq that forever destabilized the Middle East? Does he really believe that women of lower income should be able to make their own decisions about their own body and be able to afford health care in order to do that? He supported the Hyde Amendment. Many of the Democratic candidates have decried the use of foreign information, but there has so far not been a standard pledge through which the campaigns agree to disavow the full range of disinformation and other improper tactics. Weintraub, a Democrat, joins a chorus of lawmakers, 2020 candidates and past administration officials who have criticized the president for entertaining the idea of accepting such information in light of special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report that determined Russian interference in the 2016 election. The president has maintained his position that information from a foreigner does not always need to be disclosed. George, youre being a little wise guy, okay which is, you know, typical for you, Trump said. Just so you understand. Very simple. Its very simple. There was no crime. There was no collusion. The big things collusion. Now, theres no collusion. That means they set it was a setup, in my opinion, and I think its going to come out. Whether Trump wins reelection in 2020, there will be a long list of Republicans vying for the White House four years later. While the sitting vice president is often considered the heir apparent, there are several other big-name Republicans who could edge Pence out, such as Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. I got an invitation to go and talk to President Trump specifically about my views on foreign policy, specifically about my views on ending regime change wars, coming from my own experience as a soldier, understanding not only the high human cost, but how counterproductive it is to our own national security, and thats what I did, Gabbard said, adding that she met Trump in the hope that he would not kind of be grabbed up in the claws of the neocon war hawks, of the likes of [national security adviser] John Bolton, which unfortunately it appears what has happened. John Irvin, the first known owner, acquired the house in 1739. The house was sold twice before John Sands purchased it in 1771. Sands was a mariner. He probably bought the house because of its proximity to the city dock, which at that time was across the street but has since moved. Sands and his wife, Ann, lived in the home with their five children. At some point, they added onto the house, creating space for a tavern. By Express News Service BALLARI: The controversial Jindal Steel Works (JSW) land deal seems to have reached a point of no return. Industries Department is against scrapping the deal despite Chief Minister directing it to reconsider and place it before the cabinet again, while the BJP is intensifying its agitation against the deal. As far as Industries Department is concerned, we are not for withdrawing it. I will make my position clear before the cabinet. Let the cabinet take the decision, Industries Minister KJ George told Express on Thursday. As the industries minister, my duty is to promote industries and I will explain all the details before the cabinet, he said. After the governments decision to sell 3,667 acres to JSW in Ballari came under fire from all quarters, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy directed Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Industries Minister George to place it before the cabinet again, earlier this week. While the BJP is planning to intensify its agitation, the deal was also opposed by senior Congress leader and former minister H K Patil. Defending his position to argue for the deal, George said, In 1995, 3,000 acres were given on leasecum- sale basis and the sale deed was done after lease period ended. When D V Sadananda Gowda was the CM, another 600 acres were given on lease-cum-sale basis and the sale deed was done. A similar agreement was signed when BS Yeddyurappa was in power. In all the cases, sale deeds were for the same price mentioned during the lease. However, after the Law Department gave its opinion that the government can fix the rate, we increased it from Rs 92,000 per acre, when the leasecum- sale deed was signed, to Rs 1.22 lakh. Again, it was increased to Rs 1.5 lakh. George said since different departments - Industries and Mines and Geology - are involved, the CM had directed them to relook into it to clear all apprehensions. We will bring all the facts before the cabinet. The cabinet has got all the powers to take any decision, he added. The land in question is in possession of the company and they have already built the infrastructure, George said. BJP protests against JSW land deal Bengaluru: The BJP launched a protest on Thursday, accusing the coalition government of corruption in the sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW. The BJP accused the government of selling land worth about Rs 7,000 crore for a mere Rs 48 crore. They launched a blistering attack in spite of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamys decision to reconsider the proposal to sell the land. Sources said this is one way the coalition can give the issue a quiet burial without embarrassing themselves any further. When protestors started raising slogans outside Vidhana Soudha, they were arrested by police and later released. On Friday, the BJP will protest at Maurya Circle and will likely be joined by B S Yeddyurappa. Judge Emma Arbuthnot at the Westminster Magistrates Court said the full extradition hearing to decide whether Assange should be sent to the United States to stand trial for espionage will take place in February next year. A handful of protesters outside the court held banners that read Hands off Assange, Dont Shoot the Messenger and 1984 is so yesterday. One evening, she said, an elderly gentlemen approached her to ask for a volume by African American writer Chester Himes. Before the man left, Fletcher gifted him a Red Wheelbarrow bookmark. But then she saw him clapping at an event next door honoring white nationalist historian Dominique Venner. (Venner committed suicide in Notre Dame Cathedral in 2013 after publishing a manifesto decrying same-sex marriage, as well as the total replacement of the population of France, and of Europe by African and Muslim immigrants.) Fletcher walked over and demanded the bookmark back. Iraqis interviewed in Baghdad were keenly aware of the dangers posed by the enmity between the United States and Iraqs neighbor Iran. For people like Ali, a retired soldier who had fought in a ruinous eight-year war with Iran, the threat of clashes or violent attacks seemed real. For others, the very fact of rising tensions was enough to make them fret over how long the citys boom might last. One official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because many elements of the investigation remain secret, said the unexploded device was probably applied by hand from an Iranian fast boat. It is thought to be the same kind of weapon used to blow a hole elsewhere in the tanker and to damage the Front Altair, two officials said. Toby Antony By Express News Service KOCHI: The Coimbatore-based Islamic State (IS) module having links with Sri Lanka Easter bombing mastermind Zahran Hashim was also in contact with other persons involved in the terror strike, an NIA probe has revealed. The revelation came after NIA retrieved the online messages sent by Mohammed Azarudeen, the leader of Coimbatore IS module, to people involved in the Sri Lanka bombings. Earlier, the NIA probe had revealed the Coimbatore IS module followed Zahran. Sources said the module drew inspiration from the IS-linked group in Sri Lanka and wanted to carry out the similar jihadi operations in South India. Mobile phones recovered from Azarudeens possession revealed he chatted with other members of the IS group behind the bombings in Sri Lanka via Facebook and Telegram applications. Similar to the Sri Lankan group, the Coimbatore IS module also planned to further IS activities in South India, including carrying out terror attacks, said sources. The NIA has also launched a probe against the Umrah service agency run by Azarudeen. NIA has collected the details of the persons who travelled abroad and who came to India through the agency run by Azarudeen at Karumbukadai in Coimbatore. Some crucial evidence were recovered from Azarudeens office. Numerous SIM cards and travel details were recovered. We are checking the details of the travellers, including those who came to India through the travel agency. The hard disks of the computer in the office have been seized to trace all the information, said an officer. Earlier there were reports people involved in the Sri Lanka blasts had visited India. Sri Lankan Army Chief Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake had disclosed the suicide bombers behind the Easter carnage had visited Kerala, Bengaluru and Kashmir. Encounters are frequent in the Persian Gulf between U.S. warships and Irans maritime forces. Most often, the United States accuses Iranian fast boats presumably operated by the Revolutionary Guard of harassing U.S. ships such as vessels based at the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain. The Iranian close encounters with U.S. ships dropped off in recent years. Legal analysts have said Mnuchins decision was a highly unusual move, given the language of the law covering the matter, and some House Democrats have said they expect to take legal action to get a court to intervene. A confidential Internal Revenue Service legal memo obtained by The Washington Post says tax returns must be given to Congress unless the president were to assert executive privilege, which he has not done in this instance. Maybe theres a lot of things I wont like, he said. The women where I am going dont cover their hair. It will be very hard for me if someone comes to my house and sees my mother and my sister not covered. Or if I go to my uncles house and see the faces of his daughters. I cant force them to do something they dont want. But when I get married I will not allow anyone to see the face of my wife. Salvini shares some of Trumps political instincts and he traveled to Pennsylvania for a Trump campaign rally in 2016 but he is hardly a political clone. Salvinis supporters note that he has been running the League party since before Trump joined the race for the presidency. He is also more of a single-issue specialist, having built his reputation for his hard-line immigration stance. He is also notably cushy with Russia, something that may not bother Trump, but which does run counter to the wishes of some administration officials and other U.S. politicians, analysts say. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. In the end, according to current and former officials, there was never a high-level meeting to alter American policy. Kushner, who was focused on Israel, may not have even realized how much the commission mattered to the Guatemalans. I dont think, in Jareds mind, he ever did anything CICIG-related, said a former senior U.S. official. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A team of experts led by Principal Advisor of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) E Sreedharan will inspect the controversial Palarivattom flyover in Kochi on June 17 and give its opinion whether to repair or rebuild it. A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting held between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Sreedharan on Thursday. Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran also attended the meeting. Sreedharan, who came to Thiruvananthapuram after being invited by the Chief Minister, suggested the idea of roping in a concrete expert to inspect the flyover and has agreed to bring one for the job. Sreedharan was critical of the flyover design and wanted it to be rebuilt rather than relying on quick-fix solutions. A team of engineers from IIT Madras led by P Alagusundara Moorthy has also advised the government on fixing the structural weakness of the flyover. A team of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways detected cracks on the flyover in October last year. Later, it was found the design was faulty and contractor used less concrete while constructing the flyover. He declined to specify what further measures the United States might take and said the main U.S. focus is to support the mediation between the protesters and the military council by representatives from the African Union and neighboring Ethiopia. Australian mountaineer Steve Plain has earned himself a place in the Guinness World Records book after climbing the Seven Summits in four months just years after being told he may never walk again. The inspiring story of strength and determination came after Mr Plain was rushed to hospital with a broken neck in 2014. Perth-based engineer Steve Plain has earned a spot in the Guinness World Records book after climbing the Seven Summits in just four months. Doctors told him 99 per cent of people with similar injuries would never walk again but the now Perth-based engineer has made a near-full recovery, however still does not have full feeling down the back of his neck. When I broke my neck I said to myself if I get through this Ill set myself a goal and go and climb the Seven Summits, he said. "We smile again," she said. "We glow with pride for the presence among us for almost 90 years of a great human being." Bob Hawke's widow Blanche dAlpuget and granddaughter Sophie Taylor-Price. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen It was something more, too. It was a gathering of tribes. The old and powerful men and women of Hawke's time gathered, in the shadow of a fresh election failure, beside the newly disappointed, and there were no harsh or accusatory words spoken, at least not aloud. The word love was used until, if it had been a less powerful word, it might have felt almost worn out. It meant many things on this day - the love Hawke was declared to have had for Australia and its people; the love Australia's people were declared to have had for him, the love his family and longtime comrades wished to express. Margaret Cheah, left, and Judy Scott with their flag at the Opera House for Bob Hawke's memorial service. Credit:Nick Moir It signified the laying aside of weapons - ideological, factional or personal - that have been used with near abandon forever in politics, and within the Labor Party especially. All those who had come, the thousand invitees inside the concert hall and maybe a thousand, ordinary Australians without tickets out on the steps, watching on a giant screen, were there to pay homage to a leader felled by age, and they were not about to allow animosity to trivialise the ritual. Even opposing political party chieftains laid down their swords. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, so recently triumphant in an election that Hawke had wanted Labor's Bill Shorten to win, stood in the Opera House's great concert hall and declared that he was speaking "on behalf of a nation [Hawke] loved, and that deeply loved him in return". It was judged a generous, humble address from a prime minister who conceded he had known Hawke only from a distance, but who was convinced, he said that Hawke's life as a great Australian was a record honoured and a legacy assured. Hawke's old nemesis and sometimes friend, former prime minister John Howard, and former PMs Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull, came to pay respect. Only Julia Gillard was missing from among living ex-PMs, and she sent a message from Stockholm, where she is chairing an international conference on education. Hawke, she said, would understand. Malcolm Turnbull, Kevin Rudd, John Howard and Tony Abbott were among the former leaders in attendance. Paul Keating, the treasurer who tore down Hawke's leadership in 1991 after eight and a half years, replacing him in The Lodge and leading Labor in government for another five years, spoke of a friendship renewed just 12 months ago. "When Bob invited me over to see him, the better part of a year ago, he and I were again joining the circle on the great friendship and partnership that drove the longest reform period in the country's history," said Keating. No word was spoken about the two and a half decades of estrangement. Not here. Not now. But Keating wanted this congregation to know that even in the fire, his and Hawke's had been a special relationship, regularly misconstrued. "In a perpetual contest of ideas, inevitably egos clash," said Keating. "Bob and I would have private skirmishes over this policy or that, even criticise one another to immediate staff, but by instinct and a large dollop of friendship, we always remained welded to the same objective - a point even the closest of our staff sometimes failed to comprehend." Loading You could very nearly hear a sigh of relief through the concert hall, for here had been a partnership that no-one in attendance had wanted to see go to the grave in enmity. Anthony Albanese, the Opposition Leader following Shorten's failure to take Hawke's old party to government those few weeks ago, echoed the Prime Minister's theme of love. Hawke, he said, was "Australia amplified". "He loved Australia and Australia loved him back." Loading Yes, and "just because you didn't vote for Bob, you weren't beyond his love." Even Bill Kelty, former ACTU boss and one of the signatories to the Kirribilli Agreement that eventually brought Keating and Hawke to their showdown, spoke of love. Kelty said Hawke was still thinking deeply about the big issues facing Australia - including the unfinished business of a treaty with Indigenous Australia and properly addressing climate change - when he last saw him. "When I was talking to him, here was a bloke who recognised he was dying, and these were the major issues to him," Kelty said. "I saw him and I said I loved him. I did love him, we loved him and he knew Australians loved him." Kim Beazley, an opposition leader who never became prime minister, was handed the honour of making the official eulogy. Hawke, who made Beazley his Defence Minister in the 1980s, spoke of the big man often as a surrogate son, and you couldn't imagine anyone else being given the job of delivering the final, official farewell. "I loved Bob," Beazley started. "He was my mentor. He was my friend." Loading Hawke, said Beazley, understood the essence of power was to be conscious of what it could do for others. He had used his mastery of administration to govern, with his ministers, in a way that served his nation as none had managed before in peacetime. Beazley recalled that Hawke's father, Clem, a Congregationalist pastor, had taught that "to believe in the fatherhood of God, you must believe in the brotherhood of man". Hawke had chosen to set aside the first part of that admonition, and to practise the second. Beazley, however, a man long on a religious quest, was sure that in death, however much he might have denied the possibility, Hawke was "in the arms of a loving God". The symphony orchestra leavened the mood with a performance of the serene Pachelbel's Canon in D. There is a joy in the piece - it is often overlooked that it was written as a dance - and you could almost imagine Hawke turning to it after, say, a win at the races, or an election. Hawke and his first wife Hazel both had personal history in the Opera House, memorial and musical. Hazel - who was granted a splendid memorial service at the great institution after her death in 2015, performed a piano concerto in the concert hall in 1990. Hawke himself once conducted the Sydney Symphony's performance of the Hallelujah Chorus. And glory be, here he was doing it again at his own memorial service, a video recording of his first effort playing on a huge screen as the orchestra and choirs swept into Handel's great work. This may have been a national farewell, but it was a family's moment to celebrate a patriarch's life, too. Loading Hawke's daughter, Sue Pieters-Hawke, spoke of being unable to quite comprehend his sudden absence. "He was so powerful and present in our lives, I don't fully get that he's gone," she said. Families, this daughter of a sometimes turbulent and frequently absent father noted, were complex beasts. There had been tough times, though love and laughter had prevailed. "He's gone, but the essence of who he was shines on," she said, speaking on behalf of her sister Rosslyn and brother Stephen. One of Hawke's grandchildren, Sophie Taylor-Price, recalled sitting on her grandfather's knee when she was four in 1989. It was the year Hawke was told the world had stitched up a deal to allow mining in Antarctica. "Bugger that," said the then PM, and set about undoing any such deal. By 1991, the Hawke-Keating government had ensured Antarctica would remain free of mining, available only for peaceful and scientific purposes. Finally, hauntingly, magnificently, didgeridoo player William Barton joined the symphony orchestra in a rendition of Men at Work's Down Under. It brought to mind the day Hawke cemented his larrikin image, declaring in the wake of Australia II's America's Cup win that "any boss who sacks anyone today for not turning up is a bum". The crowd in the concert hall rose as one, clapping and stomping in time to the music. It was possible to recall the mood of wild optimism in this very place in 1983, when Hawke launched his campaign for government. Hawke's family filed out. Keating turned, gave a cheery wave, and followed the procession. A circle had been closed. By Associated Press TUCSON: Authorities say the body of a child believed to be a 7-year-old girl from India has been found near the Arizona-Mexico border. They say the body was discovered Wednesday morning by Border Patrol agents about 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of Lukeville. The girl reportedly had been travelling with four other people who were dropped near the international boundary by smugglers. Agents from the Tucson Sector encountered two women from India who said they had become separated from a woman and two children hours earlier. A deceased child, believed to be a seven-year-old citizen of India, was discovered 17 miles west of Lukeville by U.S. Border Patrol yesterday morning. Bi-national search for anyone associated continues. @CBP #TucsonSector Details: https://t.co/tQAxifezk5 pic.twitter.com/XBJkDpJH02 CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) June 13, 2019 A girl's remains were recovered a few hundred yards south of the international boundary, and an air and ground search ensued for the other migrants. Border Patrol agents located footprints late Wednesday that indicated the remaining two members of the group crossed back into Mexico. Read Prime Minister Scott Morrison's eulogy at Bob Hawke's memorial service. Australians all let us rejoice for the life of Robert James Lee Hawke, AC, father, husband, son, friend, grandfather, colleague, passionate Australian, the 23rd prime minister of Australia. Firstly, I'd like to thank Blanche and the Hawke family for their generous invitation to take part in today's memorial service. Jenny, I thank you. Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at the memorial for Bob Hawke. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Unlike those who will follow me today, and although we did meet on a few occasions, I only knew Bob from a distance. But in that way, I can reflect and share with you the common remembrance and speak of the affection he inspired from millions of Australians who only knew him in this way. Raleigh: The father of a 17-year-old girl who was attacked by a shark off the North Carolina coast earlier this month shared the dramatic story of how he rescued his daughter by punching the shark repeatedly until it let go. Charlie Winter was in the water near his daughter, Paige, when he heard other teenagers swimming with them at Atlantic Beach shout, "Paige! Shark! Get her!" But when he looked in the water, he saw only a five-foot trail of pink blood in the water. Paige Winter, who was bitten by a shark in North Carolina. Winter dove in and grabbed his daughter, pulling a shark up out of the water along with her. "It was a big shark ... I immediately just started to hit it," he said at a press conference Friday. "I don't know how many times I punched it, but I hit it with everything I could and it let go." A US envoy for Africa on Friday called for an "independent and credible" investigation into 3 June's evacuation by security forces of a sit-in outside the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Khartoum that resulted in tens killed and injured. "The USA believe very strongly there has to be an investigation which is independent and credible which will hold accountable those committing the egregious events," Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for Africa, said from Addis Ababa after a two-day visit to Khartoum. Nagy said "Until June 3rd, everybody was so optimistic. Events were moving forward in such a favourable direction after 35 years of tragedy for Sudan." Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi earlier Friday called for an "objective" international investigation. Mahdi's elected government was toppled in 1989, in an Islamist-backed coup led by Omar al-Bashir. After three decades in power, Bashir was himself ousted by the army in April of this year following mass protests against his 30-year-old rule. Following Bashir's ouster, protesters carried on with a sit-in outside Khartoum defence ministry headquarters to demand a transition to civilian rule. On Thursday, a spokesman for the Transitional Military Council (TMC) which replaced Bashir expressed regret over the events of 3 June, saying the plan had been to clear an area close to the sit-in but "excesses happened." The TMC rejected an international investigation, saying it was carrying out its own probe, whose findings would be released on Saturday. Search Keywords: Short link: By Online Desk BISHKEK (Kyrgyzstan): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday lashed out at countries "sponsoring, aiding and funding" terrorism and told top leaders at the SCO Summit that such states must be held accountable, in a veiled reference to Pakistan whose premier Imran Khan was among the audience. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit here, Modi also called for a global conference to combat the scourge of terrorism. Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of the SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. India advocates a terrorism-free society, he said. "During my visit to Sri Lanka last Sunday, I visited the St Anthony's church, where I witnessed the ugly face of terrorism which claims the lives of innocents anywhere," the Prime Minister said, referring to one of the sites of the devastating Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people in Sri Lanka. To combat the menace of terrorism, countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against it, Modi said in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Khan and Iran President Hassan Rouhani among others. "Countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable," he said. Prime Minister Modi also called on the SCO member states to cooperate under the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) against terrorism. He also urged the SCO leaders to organise a global conference on terrorism. "Literature and culture provide our societies with a positive activity, especially they stop the spread of radicalisation among the youths in our society," Modi said. A peaceful, united, safe and prosperous Afghanistan is vital for the stability and security in the SCO. "Our goal is to support the people and the government of Afghanistan for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled comprehensive peace process. We are happy that a further roadmap has been prepared at the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group," he said. It has been two years since India became a full member of the SCO. India has contributed positively in all the activities of the SCO, the Prime Minister said. Modi arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the two-day SCO summit. The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. India in the past has blamed Pakistan for carrying out terrorist attacks in the country and asked it to stop supporting terror outfits operating from its soil. India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by a Pakistan-based terror group, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Early this year, 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. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot in 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 later handed over to India. China played a role in easing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. By AFP WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday rejected Tehran's denial it was behind mysterious explosions on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying the incident had Iran "written all over it". As US-Iranian tensions soared, Trump dismissed previous threats by Tehran that in case of conflict it could block the Hormuz Strait - a narrow seaway vital to the world's oil supplies. "They're not going to be closing it," he said in an interview on Fox News television. Speaking hours after the US military released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexploded limpet mine" from one of the tankers, Trump was emphatic. "Iran did do it. You know they did it because you saw the boat. I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it's probably got essentially Iran written all over it. You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off - and that was exposed," Trump told the "Fox and Friends" show. Iran rejects the US accusations. It labelled the attacks "suspicious" as Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to open talks with Trump. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence." Some misinterpretations necessitate a clarification: #B_Team is sabotaging diplomacy (including important and constructive visit of PM @AbeShinzo) and covering up #EconomicTerrorism by the U.S. against Iran. Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 14, 2019 He accused Washington of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" as Abe visited Iran. One of the targeted vessels is owned by a Japanese company while the other was Norwegian-operated. Iran has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the Hormuz Strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the US. Doing so, would disrupt traffic of oil tankers between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, which leads to the Indian Ocean and global export routes. "If the hostility of enemies increase, we will be able to do so," Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, told semi-official ISNA in April. Trump played down the threat. "It's not going to be closed, it's not going to be closed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms," Trump told Fox News. Oil prices have surged in response to the geopolitical tension. Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom was monitoring the situation with "great concern," the Saudi SPA news agency said. Al-Falih "called upon the international community to assume its joint responsibility and take firm action to secure maritime traffic in the region's waterways." Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, is a bitter regional rival of Iran. China called for all sides to "resolve the conflict through dialogue," while the European Union called for "maximum restraint." Russia, which has close, even if sometimes strained links to Iran, warned through its foreign ministry against "hasty conclusions." The oil tankers that came under attack were 10 nautical miles apart and headed to Asia when they were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast. The Front Altair carrying naphtha, a refined petroleum product, and owned by the Oslo-listed company Frontline was hit by three explosions, according to Norwegian officials, and remained ablaze into Thursday. Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries and the ship was on Friday heading towards the UAE port of Khor Fakkan. There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline. Iran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members from the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous. Iran's English-language Press TV aired footage of rescued crewmen from the Front Altair, saying they are all in "full health." "Everything is OK," said one of the vessel's "chief officers", presenting himself as Russian and thanking Iran for its "hospitality." Press TV said 11 of the crew were Russian, 11 Filipino and one Georgian. The crew of the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous saw a "flying object" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said on Friday. Washington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene "to provide assistance," CENTCOM said in a statement while Oman said it sent two navy vessels to assist. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday's tanker explosions were "the latest in a series of attacks" he blamed on Iran or its "proxies", including Yemeni rebel missile strikes which wounded 26 civilians at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. A Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the rebels it accuses of being Iranian proxies said its air defenses had intercepted a new rebel attack on an airport in the Islamic kingdom on Friday. The US has also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. The preliminary findings of a five-nation investigation indicated a state actor was responsible but stopped short of naming Iran. The US called Thursday for the UNSC to confront the "clear threat" posed by Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile called the US a "serious threat to global stability" as he attended an international forum in Kyrgyzstan. By PTI KATHMANDU: An Indian national was arrested and 54 kg narcotic drugs recovered from his possession in central Nepal on Friday, police said here. The incident took place at Hetauda city. The 44-year-old man was identified as Sanjaya Mahato, a resident of Bihar's Raxaul district. He was arrested along with his Nepalese accomplice, identified as 28-year-old Rohit Shrestha, police said, adding that 54 kg hemp was recovered from their possession. In a similar incident, police arrested a US national from Tribhuvan International Airport for carrying hashish. The man identified as 46-year-old William Heron was arrested during a security check while he was boarding a Bangkok-bound flight of the Nepal Airlines. Police recovered 5 kg hashish from his luggage. By PTI Iran's foreign ministry Friday dismissed as "baseless" US accusations of being behind attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, adding Washington was trying to "sabotage diplomacy". The US had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran --(without) a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet. That showed it was "abundantly clear that the #B_Team is moving to a #PlanB: Sabotage diplomacy -- including by @AbeShinzo -- and cover up its #EconomicTerrorism against Iran". Zarif regularly uses the term "B Team" to refer to US National Security Advisor John Bolton as well as Israel's prime minister, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who are all pushing a hard line on Tehran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of being behind Thursday's attacks which left at least one of the tankers ablaze off the Iranian coast, while the crews had to abandon ship. "It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," Pompeo told reporters. But Iran foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi hit back that Iran had come to "help" the ships in distress and "saved" their crew as quickly as possible, according to a statement published on his Telegram channel. Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability "based on the intelligence, the weapons used, the level expertise needed to execute the operation" and only Iran in the region had the ability to undertake such an operation. "Apparently for Mr. Pompeo and other American authorities accusing Iran is the easiest thing to do," said Mousavi, insisting Iran was upholding the burden of securing the key Strait of Hormuz. The attacks came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Iran seeking to defuse tensions between Washington and the Islamic Republic. Fear of nuclear radiation was entirely rational when little was known about its effects, he said. One factor underpinning the fear was the linear-no-threshold (LNT) assumption, which held that the percentage of a population dying from nuclear radiation would be proportional to the dose, and that theres no threshold below which it wouldnt kill anyone. Research since that time has shown that the LNT hypothesis is false, Edesess said. Based on studies that include research on those affected by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, scientists have found that low radiation levels in the range of 100-200 millisieverts appear to cause no deaths. Work following disasters in Fukushima and Chernobyl also indicates cancer incidences that are much lower than suggested by the LNT assumption. Despite these findings, the idea of nuclear energy still faces significant opposition. While nuclear plants emit no greenhouse gases during operation, critics say constructing them still requires the emission of such gases. But the same can be said for wind turbines and solar arrays, Edesess noted. He also pointed to a double-whammy that left a deep scar on the public perception of nuclear energy. The China Syndrome, a thriller that depicted drastic, virtually unstoppable, and inexorably disastrous consequences from a nuclear power plant accident, was released on March 16, 1979. That was just 12 days before the infamous accident at Three Mile Island, which Edesess said was disastrous and very costly to the plant and its owners, but resulted in no injuries or fatalities. Because of the persistent and overwhelming anti-nuclear sentiment, he said, companies involved with nuclear energy often get categorically excluded from funds that carry the ESG or SRI label. He said Jon Hale, Morningstars Global Head of Sustainability Research, informed him that traditional SRI funds often excluded nuclear from their mandates. By ANI BISHKEK: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated the need to resolve all outstanding issues with India through dialogue, which, he said, is the only way to sort out differences, amid spiralling tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Khan, who is in Bishkek for the two-day SCO Summit, told Sputnik in an interview on Thursday that there is no way the two countries should think of resolving issues through military means, reported Radio Pakistan. He reiterated that both New Delhi and Islamabad should come to the negotiating table to resolve the Kashmir issue. READ| PM Modi to meet Iranian President Rouhani over oil row Responding to a question on whether Pakistan is seeking international mediation in improving bilateral ties with India, Khan said that Islamabad is looking for mediation as it believes that "progress comes with peace and tensions with neighbours detract from resources that can be spent on human beings." Khan's comments come at a time when he and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi avoided shaking hands at an informal dinner hosted by Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov for the SCO leaders here. According to sources, Khan and Modi did not exchange pleasantries during the dinner hosted on the sidelines of the two-day summit. While Khan is attending the SCO summit for the first time after assuming office last year, this is Modi's first visit to a multilateral forum after being re-elected for a second term. Tensions between India and Pakistan strained further following the deadly February 14 Pulwama terror attack. New Delhi has remained rooted in its stand, saying that terror and talks with Islamabad cannot go together. India had already clarified that there would be no bilateral meeting between the two leaders. This comes despite the Pakistan Prime Minister writing a letter to Modi recently, saying Islamabad wants dialogue with New Delhi to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. Moreover, Modi's chartered plane did not take the Pakistani air space for flying to Bishkek and instead flew via the circuitous route through Oman and Iran. By PTI BISHKEK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani could not hold a planned meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit here due to scheduling issues, official sources said. According to a schedule put out by the External Affairs Ministry, Modi was to meet Rouhani at 3:35 PM (local time). As banquet for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders got extended, the two leaders could not meet, sources said. Modi arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO. He held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Modi also held talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Friday during a bilateral visit during which the two countries upgraded their relations to strategic ties. It was expected that Modi and Rouhani would discuss a range of issues including the US sanctions on import of Iranian oil and implementation of the Chabahar port project. The meeting was keenly awaited as it was to take place amid escalating face-off between Iran and the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme. The six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions to India and seven other countries to buy oil from Iran expired on May 2 as Washington did not extend it. Early last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited India in the wake of the US decision to not continue the exemptions to India and other countries. In her meeting with Zarif, the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj conveyed to him that India will take a decision on the import of Iranian oil after the Lok Sabha polls, keeping in mind its commercial, economic and energy security interests. India, the world's third biggest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. Iran was its third largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia till recently. Indo-Iran ties have been on a upswing in the past few years. Prime Minister Modi visited Tehran in May 2016 with an aim to craft a strategic relationship with Iran and expand India's ties with the West Asia. During the visit, India and Iran signed nearly a dozen agreements, centrepiece of which was a deal on development of the strategic Chabahar port. Later, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement providing for transport of goods among the three countries through the port. GREENWICH Please dont leave our kids at the bus stop, one sign said. Why Eagle Hill???? lamented another. Saving $$$, really? Which school is next?? demanded a third sign. Nearly 30 Eagle Hill School parents, students, school board members, teachers and administrators packed the Cos Cob School auditorium Thursday evening with speeches and signs to call on the Board of Education to reinstate busing, which is provided by the public schools, for students at the specialized private school for children with language-based learning differences. By evoking the current Greenwich Public Schools transportation policy, after years of providing disabled Greenwich students busing to Eagle Hill School, the Greenwich Board of Education, whether you realize it or not, is in effect choosing to violate the rights of children with special needs, said Christina Mitchell, a parent. Im sure this is not your intention. But, to Eagle Hill students and families, this feels like discretionary discrimination. The Greenwich Public Schools announced the decision to cancel the busing in a letter last week, said Marjorie Castro, head of Eagle Hill School. She said the private school did not have the opportunity to participate in a discussion about the cancellation, she said. The state mandates public school districts to provide buses to private schools in town if 50 percent of the students live in Connecticut. At Eagle Hill, the number is 47.3 percent. About 42 Eagle Hill students, or a third of the Connecticut student body, are signed up for Greenwich school buses. Some only ride the nine morning buses, and others only ride the three afternoon buses, according to Kim Eves, director of communications for the Greenwich Public Schools. These buses transport kids only within Greenwich. This is not the first time the members of the school community for children with learning disabilities spoke up to preserve bus transportation to Eagle Hill, but this year was the loudest. Castro, who wrote an op-ed for Greenwich Time this week, told board members that the average tenure of a student in her school is three to four years, and a third of the students return to their public schools after receiving specialized learning. It should be the Board of Educations responsibility to ensure that all of the students in Greenwich are cared for, respected and included equally in educational opportunities, she told the school board. The Eagle Hill entourage applauded and cheered her speech. Kelly Thompson represented families of children who share buses with other private-school students. Every day our children get on the bus with kids they know from town who share the same bus stop, she said. Are you really saving that much money by cutting our children specifically off? We already are forced to pay the expensive tuition at Eagle Hill, because it is a necessity that the town was not able to provide. By doing so, our children our taken out of the educational mainstream that saves the school district a substantial amount of money every day. This decision, made with little notice and little transparency, is wrong, she said. Most Eagle Hill families by now have enrolled or re-enrolled with the assumption they would be provided busing for the year, she said. Losing that transportation will create an additional burden for many of them. When the announcement was made last week about the cancellation, Interim Superintendent of Greenwich Schools Ralph Mayo said, This is data reviewed annually to ensure compliance with state statutes. Eagle Hill does not meet the requirement for providing transportation, and we must be consistent among the organizations eligible and not eligible for provision of services and use of town allocations, Mayo said. The buses are along routes that stop at other locations, therefore, the cost impact wont be known until rerouting work is done over the summer, Eves said. jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com WESTPORT A plan to bring a 187-unit rental complex on Hiawatha Lane may be at the end of its road. The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed reasons to deny the application proposed by Summit Saugatuck LLC at its meeting Thursday night. The development application was submitted as an 8-30g application before the towns recent four-year moratorium. In municipalities that dont have enough affordable housing in the eyes of the state, any 8-30 g application brought before a town or citys zoning board can circumvent local building regulations and only be denied on traffic, safety or environmental grounds. What the commission is required to do if they are going to deny an application for an affordable housing is determine there is a significant public interest that outweighs the need for affordable housing, Town Counsel Peter Gelderman told the commission. No formal vote was held, but the commission plans to decide at its next meeting on June 20. Commission members discussed pedestrian access, fire safety, and lack of consistency with the towns plan of conservation and development as reasons, among others, to deny the application. If built, the housing development would be near the Avalon rental complex in Norwalk. In previous testimony, Fire Marshal Nate Gibbons said an adequate second fire road was needed near the site, and also advised against approving the project without this road. But if turned down, it could follow a similar fate of Morningside Drive Homes, which recently reached a legal settlement with the town after several attempts to build on a historic Greens Farms property. Morningside was approved a three-lot subdivision for 26 Morningside Drive South. Both projects have been highly contested by neighbors in the past, and groups like Save Old Saugatuck and Greens Farms United. Commissioner Catherine Walsh said that, in 2006, a mutual restrictive agreement was made between Summit Saugatuck and the then-owners of the Avalon complex, which stated both parties needed a secondary access road for safety. Theres a written agreement that shows Summit knew they needed, as the fire marshal said, that access road, Walsh said, adding the fire marshal arrived at his conclusion without knowledge of the agreement. In 2009, the city of Norwalk made the only property viable for such an access road a conservation easment, which prevented the roads construction. Prior to this application even coming to us, they knew there were certain conditions that were going to be difficult, Planning and Zoning Chairman Paul Lebowitz said. This is the seventh time since 2002 Summit Saugatuck Principal Felix Charney has appeared before the Planning and Zoning Commission, having also previously served on the commission. However, Walsh said it was important to note the managing partner for the applicant was the Grossman Companies in Boston. Its not really a local company, she said. I think its important for everybody to know that were dealing with a very large, big-business entity. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com June is dog licensing month. All dogs over six months must be licensed. Last year 2,733 dog tags were issued. Licensing your dog verifies that rabies immunization is up to date, as the dog owner must present a copy of the pets rabies certificate when obtaining a license, said Town Clerk Patricia Strauss. Connecticut law requires all dogs must wear their assigned tag. This will assist animal control and others to identify your dog should your pup become lost or run away. Fees for dog licenses are $8 for neutered male or spayed female, and $19 for male or female. There will be a $1 penalty per month for renewal licenses issued after June 30. A $75 infraction will be issued for any non-licensed dog and for any dog not wearing a current dog tag attached to a collar around its neck or body, said Strauss. Dog licenses may be obtained at the Town Clerks office, Room 105 in the Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; or by mailing payment and required certificates, (all certificates will be returned with license), along with a self-addressed stamped return envelope to: Westport Town Clerk, P.O. Box 549, Westport, CT 06881. Licenses being sold will cover the term from July 1 to June 30, 2020. For more information regarding dog licensing call 203-341-1110, or visit our www.westportct.gov/index.aspx?page=401 African Childrens Choir performance The African Childrens Choir will perform lively African songs and dances on June 16 at 6 p.m. at Norfield Congregational Church in Weston. The program features well-loved childrens songs, traditional spirituals and Gospel favorites. Concerts are free and open to all. A free-will offering is taken at the performance to support African Childrens Choir programs, such as education, care and relief and development programs. Music for Life (the parent organization for The African Childrens Choir) works in the African countries: Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa. The African Childrens Choir is a nonprofit humanitarian and relief organization dedicated to helping Africa's most vulnerable children. No tickets. Donations appreciated. Boy Scouts to celebrate 50 years Boy Scouts of America Troop 100 in Westport has announced plans for its 50th anniversary celebration. The event will be held on June 16 at its founding and charter location, Christ & Holy Trinity Church, Branson Hall from 2 to 4 p.m. The event, Troop 100-Then & Now, will feature a presentation of nostalgic memorabilia including finds from the Troops original time capsule, interactive Scout led activities and presentations, and highlights of the most recent community service accomplishments and Eagle projects. All former Troop 100 Scouts are invited to attend and reconnect at the 50th anniversary event, as well as anyone interested in joining scouting. To RSVP for the event and for additional event details, please contact, 50anniversary@westport100.mytroop.us. Troop 100 was founded in December 1968 at Christ & Holy Trinity Church in Westport. Troop 100 meets Monday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Town Hall elevator out of service Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich announced that, due to the replacement of the elevator at Westport Town Hall, accessibility to certain offices and departments located in Town Hall will be limited for approximately six weeks commencing beginning June 13. Visitors to the Town Hall who require assistance with access to departments on upper and lower floors during regular business hours may seek help at the Department of Human Services Office, located in Room 200, directly adjacent to the handicapped access ramp entrance next to the building. Clear signage will be in place directing visitors to that office, and every accommodation will be made to help transact town business. Further, accessibility to public meetings scheduled in the Town Hall Auditorium during this time period will be achieved by broadcasting the meetings live on the lobby TV and providing access to a microphone for those individuals who wish to speak during the public participation portion of public meetings. Other public meetings scheduled for conference rooms on other floors will be held in Room 201/201A, which is fully accessible. Westporter named COO of New York Life New York Life recently announced that Matt Grove, a longstanding member of the Westport community, has been named co-chief operating officer for the company with operational oversight of all business areas, reporting to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ted Mathas. Grove, oversees the companys retail life, service, technology, marketing and business planning and strategy areas, assumes oversight of the Agency distribution system. In addition, Mark Madgett, head of agency, has been promoted to executive vice president, reporting to Grove. BRIDGEPORT Four years ago, in the final days of his fourth and last unsuccessful mayoral bid, longtime Democratic activist Charlie Coviello printed up his own 12-page, single-edition newspaper and distributed it to voters. Coviello, 70, was running as a member of the New Movement third party, and was frustrated that Joe Ganim, the former chief executive who went to prison and was waging a comeback, was garnering most of the attention. If I had the coverage, I would have been the front-runner, Coviello told Hearst Connecticut Media at the time. A constant in Bridgeport politics since the 1970s and for years an activist in the East End neighborhood in particular, Coviello died Thursday evening after a brief battle with cancer. We all feel a great loss by the passing of our friend, Ganim, who won that crowded 2015 mayoral contest and is seeking another four-year-term, said in a statement. Not only did Charlie make many great contributions to the East End and our city, but he always put community first. Ive known Charlie politically and as a friend for more than 30 years. He was one of a kind, he was the last of his kind, and will certainly be missed. Tom Bucci, a former mayor turned prominent local attorney, said Coviello had a good heart and that Bridgeport was foremost in his interest. Passion for politics Bucci recalled Friday how he and Coviello were part of a crew of fresh-faced Democrats who in 1975 helped elect John Mandanici to run City Hall. Charlie was the head of the Bridgeport Young Democrats, I believe, Bucci said. Mandanci was not the candidate of the establishment. He was an insurgent. Nobody gave John a shot, but a group of young people just gravitated toward John. (And) John won an overwhelming victory in the Democratic primary. Bucci, Coviello and others went to work for the new Mandanici administration. It was an exciting time and infected all of us for the rest of our political careers, Bucci said. (Coviello) was unique in his quest to be mayor. I think he always had that burning desire that never left him like it left some of us. But Coviello ultimately never got beyond being elected to the Democratic Town Committee, of which he was a member when he died. He was, however, a very recognizable face, particularly in the heavily minority East End, where an older white man with fine white hair stood out at rallies and other events alongside black and Hispanic elected officials and community leaders. Sad day in Bridgeport, state Rep. Chris Rosario, a Democrat from the city, said in a statement. Charlie was a man of respect, character and had Bridgeport running through his veins until the very end. A long friendship Coviello was literally and figuratively always by Ernie Newtons side. Newton is a veteran African American East End politician who has served on both Bridgeports City Council and in the state legislature. I lost somebody close to me, Newton said Friday. He never turned his back on me when everybody else ran. Newton was referring to when he was convicted of corruption in 2005 while a state senator. When I came home (from prison) in 2010, Charlie said, Ernie, what you going to do? Newton said. I said, Im just gong to take it easy. He said, No youre not, because when you left and went to prison, nobody stood up for our community. He talked me into getting back involved, Newton said. Newton waged some unsuccessful attempts to return to the legislature, but won a council seat in 2017. Coviello worked for years as a real estate agent and preparing tax returns. Just over a year ago, Ganim gave him a $43,000 job in the Zoning Department, which raised questions about Coviellos qualifications and whether the mayor offered the employment for political purposes. Coviello said in an interview at the time that he had been really hurting for money and asked for the work. Newton said he believed Coviellos cancer diagnosis was very recent. A fundraiser to help cover Coviellos medical expenses was organized last Wednesday by another East End council member, Eneida Martinez. Thank you all in advance Martinez said when announcing the event. This is a very hard pill to swallow and to say the least having to send this email out during this moment of sadness. Charlie has been a pillar here in the city. He has been a blessing to many and has never said no when anyone has called for his help. Now he needs us. By Express News Service BISHKEK: After the bilateral diplomatic chill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday exchanged pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in the Leaders Lounge at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit venue at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. The exchange of pleasantries came weeks after Imran wrote to Modi seeking to restart bilateral talks. The interaction happened after Modis hard talk at the summit, where he attacked countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terror and urged the grouping to hold them accountable, a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan, with Imran seated on the dais as well. Pakistans diplomatic isolation was total. Modi also called for a global conference to combat terrorism, and suggested using the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) platform for forging cooperation against terror. Countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable, he underlined. SCO member countries will have to come out of their narrow purview to unite against terror, Modi said in the presence of President Xi Jinping of China, which is an all-weather friend of Pakistan. For his part, Xi reportedly offered support to Pakistan and India to improve their strained relations during his meeting with Imran, Chinas state-run media reported. Later in the day, Modi held bilateral talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and announced a $200 million line of credit to the country. The two sides agreed to upgrade their ties to the level of strategic partnership. They signed 15 agreements, including one to eliminate double taxation, and prepared a five-year roadmap to enhance trade. Imran greets Modi While exchanging pleasantries, Imran Khan congratulated Narendra Modi on his election victory. This was their first face-to-face interaction after Imran became prime minister. The two sides, however, did not hold any bilateral meeting despite Pak request to reopen talks. Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC) has welcomed recent action by the BC Financial Institutions Commission (FICOM) in response to allegations of long-term unregulated mortgage broker activity. FICOM has issued notices of hearing to address allegations against Dean James Frank Walford that he continued to carry on unregulated mortgage broker activity following a 2011 Cease and Desist Order with the assistance of two registered mortgage brokers, Grant Brian Curtis and Tanya Ann Smith. Mr Walfords activities were based out of Gibsons, British Columbia. The allegations contained in a Notice of Hearing are unproven until the Registrar of Mortgage Brokers, or his appointee, has determined their validity. In a statement, MPC says that it supports the action of FICOM: We support FICOM and Chris Carter, B.C.'s Acting Registrar of Mortgage Brokers, as they investigate the purported fraud undertaken by the named unlicensed individual. Mortgage Professionals Canada unequivocally condemns fraud, and any abuse of trust committed by individuals acting outside the covenants of our own professional code of conduct, the statement says. If proven, individuals conducting or facilitating unregistered mortgage broker business can receive administrative sanctions, which may include financial penalties up to a maximum of $50,000 plus investigation and hearing costs. DON'T STOP DIGGING. A COMMENTARY By LLOYD ECKBERG STRAIGHT TALK Commentary Dont stop Digging June 17 21, 2019 By: Lloyd Eckberg There is a truism in political strategy: When your competition is digging a hole, dont take the shovel out of their hands. On June 5th and 6th we witnessed a replay of the 75th anniversary of the Allies D-Day landing on Omaha and Utah Beaches in France. As it was on the 25th and 50th celebrations this years event was another solemn and emotional experience especially for anyone remotely connected in any way with World War II and its horrendous consequences. President Trump, as did other Presidents in the past gave a gripping and compassionate remembrance to those who sacrificed so much during that incredible conflict. As tens of thousands of British and French citizens expressed their admiration and appreciation for America, its leaders and its continued concern for those who gave their all, Democrats and their socialist media folks were here at home calling for President Trumps impeachment. In a disgraceful show of contempt, among a backdrop of thousands of white crosses on graves of fallen Americans, U.S Representative Nancy Pelosi said, President Trump should be in prison. The Democrat Party under Pelosi has developed a despicable attitude toward Americas leadership as they refuse to address the urgent problems of our day. It is my patriotic duty to say to Ms. Pelosi, stop digging and help fill the empty holes in our nations fabric: Worn out roads and bridges, removal of trash and excrement on the streets of cities in your own legislative district, drug addiction of the homeless in hundreds of cities in America and a legion of other nasty problems besetting our republic. Your party is bereft of an agenda to move our people into the future. My political hat says, Keep digging that hole, but Shakespeares character Falstaff said, Discretion is the better part of valor. What part of that message do you not understand? Its not possible to have it both ways: either keep neglecting your duties as an elected representative for the people or get out of the way and let someone else do the job which you seem to be incapable of executing. America deserves better leadership than you are providing. For Straight Talk this is Lloyd Eckberg WHKP OFFERS EQUAL TIME TO OUR LISTENERS/VIEWERS TO COMMENT ON THIS COMMENTARY Send your comments to: ART COOLEY. President/General Manager WHKP. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. In your submission of text and pictures, we will need to have your written permission to use both on our website. Excited to welcome a familiar name from WNC, and certainly no stranger to our area, as the planning director for the city of Brevard is set to become the new town manager for Mills River. The council voted on Thursday to approve a contract to hire Daniel Cobb, pending a background check. His start date in the new position will be July 15th. Cobb has been planning director for four years and with the city of Brevard for 11. Cobb is a native of eastern Pennsylvania, he attended Applachain State for his undergraduate degree and Villanova for his master's. Congratulations to Daniel, and wishing him all the best. By ANI BISHKEK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday invited Kyrgyz businesses to invest in India, saying the country has a huge market and is determined to become a five trillion dollar economy in the next five years. "The country offers a skilled workforce, ease of doing business and double taxation avoidance besides excellent connectivity for trade and investment to prosper. I welcome Kyrgyzstan businesses to invest with our Indian businesses and you are always welcome to India," he said after jointly inaugurating the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Modi said that while the two countries share close cultural and economic ties, it is more important to boost relations in the key areas including trade and investment. "It is clear that currently our trade and economic cooperation is lower than the possibilities. Therefore, the need for a business forum has come at the right time," the Prime Minister said. "Growth in economic status and advancement in technology in India are the prominent reasons for development across the globe. Besides, youth and innovators of India will play a significant role in the attainment of India's goal of five trillion dollars," Modi added. Modi is on a two-day visit to Kyrgyzstan and attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, besides holding bilateral meetings with several leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The Prime Minister underlined that there are three catalysts for boosting trade and economy -- conducive atmosphere, connectivity and business-to-business. Modi said that both India and Central Asian countries should focus on enhancing connectivity. "Chabahar Port has emerged as a new way for connection between India and Kyrgyzstan," he added. He said that Kyrgyzstan is renowned for organic products, mountain honey, walnuts, dairy products, textiles, railways, hydropower and mineral tourism and India wants to seek cooperation in these sectors. The Prime Minister informed that in order to boost business-to-business between India and Central Asia, a 'Namaskar Eurasia' trade fair will be organised in Bishkek this year. The trade between the two countries was USD 24.98 million in 2016-17. India's exports to Kyrgyzstan was USD 22.66 million whereas Kyrgyz exports to India was USD 2.32 million. Apparel and clothing, leather goods, drugs and pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and tea are some of the important items that India exports to Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz exports to India consist of raw hides, metalliferous ores and metal scrap. By PTI BISHKEK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left for home after the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in which he discussed the global security situation, multilateral economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and topical issues of international and regional importance. On the sidelines of the summit on Thursday, Modi held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He also met Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on Friday. Jeenbekov was the Chair of the SCO Summit 2019. ! (Thank You Bishkek) After a successful visit to Kyrgyzstan, PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi. #SCOSummit2019 pic.twitter.com/Obsn5Akk62 Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 14, 2019 Modi also exchanged usual pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on Friday in the Leaders' Lounge at the venue of the summit. The prime minister arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on Thursday for the SCO summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. By Express News Service Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin separately on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek but not with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan. The meeting with Xi was his first after his re-election and came a month after China lifted its technical hold on a proposal of the UN Security Councils sanctions panel that sought to designate Pakistans Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, which helped blacklist him. Briefing the media later, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said there was a brief discussion on Pakistan with Modi raising the issue of cross-border terrorism. Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror, but at this stage we do not see it happening. We expect Islamabad to take concrete action to resume talks, Gokhale quoted him as telling Xi. READ MORE | SCO summit: PM Modi holds 'extremely fruitful meeting' with Chinese President Xi Jinping Had an extremely fruitful meeting with President Xi Jinping. Our talks included the full spectrum of India-China relations. We shall continue working together to improve economic and cultural ties between our nations, Modi tweeted after the delegation-level talks with Xi. Modi and Xi have met more than 10 times in the last five years, including thrice after their informal summit in Wuhan. Gokhale said Xi concurred with Modi that both sides need to raise our expectations from the relationship. Xi confirmed his readiness to visit India this year for the next informal summit. The two sides also agreed to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in a fitting manner by holding 70 events - 35 each in both countries, Gokhale said.The meeting with Putin came in the backdrop of India being warned by the US over military ties with Russia, especially the SS-400 Triumpf deal. We had wide-ranging discussions on ways to further boost the India-Russia strategic relationship. We look forward to increased trade and people-to-people linkages with Russia, Modi later tweeted. Modi also warmly accepted Putins formal invitation to be the main guest at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia in early September, Gokhale said. By doing so, he sought to strengthen Indias presence on the global stage. We will do serious preparation on our side so that the participation at the EEC is meaningful, Modi told Putin. There will also be a Russia, India and China trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan later this month. Gokhale described the meeting with Putin as brief but very very rich in terms of content. Defence and energy were key focus areas. Pakistan-India ties at lowest point: Imran The bilateral relationship is probably at its lowest point, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, while expressing hope that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will use his big mandate to resolve all differences, including the Kashmir issue Xi agrees to informal summit in India Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to Prime Minister Narendra Modis proposal to hold a Wuhan-like informal bilateral summit in India later this year Williamson, WV (25661) Today A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. High around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 57F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. By PTI WASHINGTON: US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who is planning to visit India, has urged the Modi government to carry out reforms that will open up the Indian economy and market for American companies. In an unusually blunt remarks, Ross asked India to remove the overly restrictive market access barriers for US firms. "As President (Donald) Trump has said, we look forward to working with the (Indian) Prime Minister and his administration to address a mutual trading opportunities and the mutual investment potentials," the commerce secretary said in his keynote address to the India Ideas Summit of US Indian Business Council (USIBC) on Wednesday. Ross said he is planning a trip to India in the near future to discuss and address some of the key issues challenging the India and US trade ties. The US official was in India just before the Lok Sabha elections during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top Indian government officials. The US, he said, is a good place to invest and the country is open for business. The Trump administration has been addressing a more balanced and reciprocal trade relationship, not only with India but also with its other trading partners across the world. US is the "least protectionist" major country, but India has "one of the highest levels of tariffs in the world", Ross said, adding that protectionist practices also hurt the countries themselves. Ross expressed hope that since Modi has been voted back to power with a stronger mandate, he would be able to carry out necessary reforms and take India towards "a more open economy"."The mindset of moving towards a more open economy" is very important, he said, adding that both the US and India would benefit from this change. American companies based in the Indian market are confronted with both tariffs and non-tariff barriers, particularly including e-commerce rules, data localisation, restrictions, price controls on medical devices and pharmaceuticals other products. Some of these barriers are relatively new. For the development of a viable commercial relationships, US companies need more predictability, more transparency or more consistency of regulations, Ross said, as he justified the Trump administration's decision to withdraw the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for India. GSP is a programme for preferential access to certain goods markets in the US. At the same time, Ross acknowledged that India has been making significant improvement in ease of doing business ranking of the World Bank. The US, he said, is encouraged by India's efforts to improve the business climate and to attract investment at the subnational level. Many US companies find it advantageous to take the approach of working through their states to establish partnerships and identify customers in Indian, he said. Walking into the lounge at the Royal Albert Arms Hotel doesnt feel much different than it did a few years ago when it closed. The big, old wooden bar is still near the entrance and the big, old wooden posts are still covered with stickers advertising bands who have rolled through over the years. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Walking into the lounge at the Royal Albert Arms Hotel doesnt feel much different than it did a few years ago when it closed. The big, old wooden bar is still near the entrance and the big, old wooden posts are still covered with stickers advertising bands who have rolled through over the years. Owners of the Albert The Royal Albert Arms Hotel at 48 Albert St. has had numerous owners in its 106-year history. The architect of the four-storey, 54-room, European-style hotel was Edgar D. McGuire, and the first owners were entrepreneurs J. Patrick Grogan and Angelo Ferrari. From there, things get a little murky: soon after the Royal Albert opened, Winnipeg went through a recession, exacerbated by the First World War. click to read more The Royal Albert Arms Hotel at 48 Albert St. has had numerous owners in its 106-year history. The architect of the four-storey, 54-room, European-style hotel was Edgar D. McGuire, and the first owners were entrepreneurs J. Patrick Grogan and Angelo Ferrari. From there, things get a little murky: soon after the Royal Albert opened, Winnipeg went through a recession, exacerbated by the First World War. Room prices were cut and the hotel garnered a reputation for being a little rough around the edges, becoming a hub for illegal liquor transactions, sex workers and fighting. Around 1920, Daniel Whalen took over operations, and things changed hands again when the Reidle Brewery took over the space in the mid-1930s. In the 1960s, the Royal Albert was bought by Gordon Hotels (the same folks who owned the still-operating Curtis Gordon Motor Hotel on Henderson Highway), and, according to a Free Press article from September 1981, acquired new ownership in '70, '71, '74 and again in 1979, when Bob Axworthy (former MP Lloyd Axworthy's brother) took co-ownership of the building for around a year, until it went into voluntary bankruptcy. At some point during the '80s, the Royal Albert also became a live-music venue. The '90s were all about the venue making a name for itself in the expanding local punk and rock scenes, and with touring musicians who stopped by the then-infamous bar to play a show. In 2007, Internet pharmacy pioneer Daren Jorgenson bought the building; he had planned an extensive renovation that never came to fruition. In 2011, a water-main break flooded the basement and shut things down for nearly two years. It opened again very briefly in 2013, but closed after a bizarre (and well-documented) series of events, including in-fighting between Jorgenson and then co-owner Ray Rybachuk, and an incident in which all the restaurant staff was fired. Neil Soorsma now owns the building, which he bought at a mortgage auction in December 2017 for $1.35 million. In the 18 months he's had the property, he's put in a ton of work to bring it back to its original glory, including upgrading the fire systems and getting the restaurant back into working condition. Soorsma says his main goal was always to get the hotel up and running (rooms are currently available to rent). He wasn't in a hurry to launch the venue and bar again, but he's optimistic it will be a positive step toward the full resurrection of the building. "We want to stabilize it, continue renovations were going through it and rectifying anything we find thats wrong. Rooms repainting, redoing. Eventually well start on the outside," Soorsma says of his short-term plans. "I hope itll be a trendy place to be for people, I'm hoping the bar and lounge will be popular and Im hoping itll run itself a bit more," he adds with a laugh. Close There is one noticeable change, however the Albert is a lot less dingy now. "We havent changed much; just lots and lots of cleaning," Colleen Swifte says, laughing. Swifte has taken on the job of running the bar and venue, which reopens to the public Friday night as the Royal Albert Bar & Grill with a rock show featuring an all-Manitoba lineup of the Bloodshots, the Love Tongues and Snarky Remarkable. Swifte is also the owner of Alycias, the Ukrainian restaurant that moved into the main floor of the Albert last year. She says many of the folks who visited for some perogies and kielbasa also wanted to take a peek at their former haunt, often expressing a "keen interest" in getting the venue up and running again. That interest was an indicator to Swifte who does not have previous experience running a venue that it was worth looking into reopening the bar, which has been closed since 2013. The big, old wooden bar inside the Royal Albert Hotel hasn't changed much. "I thought, You know what, I think this place is more about the bar than it is about a restaurant," Swifte says. "All you can do is try, forge ahead. I wouldnt have considered it if I didnt feel the interest was there. And Ive got a good staff and I feel that its something that could really succeed." In order to get the ball rolling, Swifte accepted help and guidance from both the Exchange District Biz and Ryan Sorensen, a local musician and the creator of Toba Rock Fest, who is now the booker for the venue. FAQs about the RAB&G Click to Expand When is the bar/restaurant open? As of now, the Royal Albert Bar & Grill opens at noon Wednesday to Friday, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Closing times have not yet been set. Where can I find out about upcoming shows? Any information about upcoming shows, as well as the new menu, can be found on the public Facebook group page the Royal Albert Bar & Grill. My band wants to play here! That's not really a question, but any musicians looking for a chance to play on the iconic stage can email Ryan Sorensen at bookingtheroyalalbert@ gmail.com. Is my sticker from 1995 still on the post by the stage? Yes. "I was very excited when (Colleen) reached out to let me know they were thinking of opening the bar. Her initial question was if wed be OK with it, and of course we were more than OK with it," says David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District Biz. "She was willing to accept some help from us and we just helped her get in touch with some of the right people to help her figure out the pieces... What Ive found as Ive reached out to people is that theres so much good will towards that space and so many people who want to see it succeed. They have been generous with their time, and doing things even without pay a little bit, or paid a lot less than they normally would, just because they want to see this work." Sorensen is very aware of the venues importance to the music community in Winnipeg and its storied past, which includes visits from acts such as Green Day, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and Nickleback before they made it big, as well as being ground zero for iconic Winnipeg acts such as Propagandhi and the Weakerthans, among many, many others in the local punk and rock scene. All that history was taken into consideration as Sorensen and Swifte fleshed out the upcoming performance calendar. Colleen Swifte is a tenant of the Royal Albert Hotel and owns the restaurant on the main floor. She is now taking over operations of the bar and music venue. "Certainly we want to honour the tradition of the Albert and have a venue for some of the more alternative artists, like the punk bands, metal bands; however, the Albert also needs to adapt to the times, so its going to be more of a multi-genre venue as well," Sorensen says. "It will be catering to different musical tastes that I dont think are as well-represented in the city, so we have ideas to do jazz and blues as well as more traditional rock music." Right now, the venue is hosting bands and events on Fridays and Saturdays, with a plan to expand in the coming months (Sorensen says theyve already booked acts through the fall). Locked in for this weekend, in addition to Fridays grand-opening gig, is the first of a regular blues afternoon on Saturdays with the Billy Joe Green Band starting at 4 p.m. and a preview event for the MEME festival Saturday night. On the food-and-drink side of things, Alycias and the Alberts bar and lounge are no longer separate entities, but fall under the single umbrella of the Royal Albert Bar & Grill. The menu has changed, too, as Alycias moves into catering for private functions and deli sales though some favourites, such as perogies, will still be available alongside more typical pub fare such as ribs, burgers and flatbreads. Swifte (from left), Dwayne Nicholson, Mike Chipka, Brett Hesford and Ryan Sorensen are the crew behind the Royal Albert Bar & Grill. The restaurant is family-friendly, and Swifte says the plan is to bring in TVs for sporting and other events, with the intention being to make the Albert an ideal after-work stop for those in the neighbourhood. "I just want it to become a place where people feel welcome, they come in and enjoy everything here were open for business and people are welcome to come down and I think theyll find its a very different place than it was, but not so different that we want to lose the original vibe," Swifte says. "Were very cognizant of what the Albert was and the types of bands and the people that used to frequent here and the legacy it has in the city," Sorensen adds. "We certainly want to honour that while at the same time bringing it into 2019." Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Local indie-rock outift the Bonaduces tested out the sound system at the soft opening of The Albert last month. He admits to feeling pressure from the local music community, having received emails from friends wanting to know how legitimate this new attempt at maintaining a venue will be. "There is a degree of skepticism, and also, since the Albert closed the last time, a lot of other music venues did arise in the city..." he says. "So the Albert does have a bit of an uphill battle to re-establish itself as one of the premier music venues in the city. "But I think were up for that challenge. Theres still a lot of excitement, a lot of really great artists have already booked shows were booking well into the fall already so I think its something thats going to succeed." erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @NireRabel If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Canadian cannabis producer THC BioMed is betting it knows what cannabis smokers really want: pre-rolled marijuana joints designed to look and feel just like traditional tobacco cigarettes. This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Canadian cannabis producer THC BioMed is betting it knows what cannabis smokers really want: pre-rolled marijuana joints designed to look and feel just like traditional tobacco cigarettes. The Kelowna, B.C. company's upcoming Pure Cannabis Cigarettes won't contain tobacco, which would be illegal under the federal Cannabis Act, but unlike existing pre-rolled joints on the Canadian market, which generally use filter tips made of rolled paper, THC BioMed's cannabis cigarettes will be manufactured using automated cigarette manufacturing equipment will include what a press release called "a commercial-grade cigarette filter." The exact nature of the filters is proprietary, but they "are not cigarette filters" and are fully compliant with federal cannabis laws, THC BioMed CEO John Miller said in an interview. From a public-health perspective, Miller said he's aware that tobacco cigarettes have a poor reputation, but said a cigarette-shaped marijuana joint with a cigarette-style filter will protect consumers by filtering out whatever products are harmful to them. "We don't have any data, but we believe it's a better way of smoking cannabis," added Miller. A mock-up image of Pure Cannabis Cigarettes from Kelowna, B.C.-based cannabis producer THC BioMed. (THC BioMed/CNW Group) The claim that cigarette filters will protect against the potential harms of cannabis smoke "is categorically false," said David Hammond, a public health professor at the University of Waterloo and an expert on tobacco control. "The main effect of filters has been to provide consumers with a false sense of security," he said, citing a 2014 U.S. surgeon general's report stating the advent of filters in tobacco cigarettes may have increased lung cancer rates by encouraging deeper inhalation. Hammond acknowledges the health impacts of tobacco smoke and cannabis smoke aren't exactly the same, in part because cannabis users tend to smoke less than tobacco users. A comprehensive 2017 review of the health effects of cannabis by the prestigious U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine concluded existing evidence suggests smoking cannabis does not increase the risk for certain cancers (i.e. lung, head and neck) in adults, although Hammond points out that population-level studies have trouble accounting for people who smoke both substances. "Obviously there's the rationale that says... don't smoke, but there is a group of people who do smoke cannabis, and it's (that) group of people that we are putting the filters in front of," Miller said. THC BioMed plans to release four different varieties of cannabis cigarettes in the coming months, including one with non-intoxicating CBD cannabis. The company's press release said it expects "regular cigarette users will find it easy to transition to our CBD product, which we think is better than smoking tobacco." Miller subsequently denied his company is explicitly positioning the CBD cannabis cigarettes as a tobacco cessation tool, and Canada's laws forbid making that kind of health claim to consumers. Pre-rolled joints in Canada generally look like this, with filter tips made of rolled paper. (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press files) "While all smoking is definitely dangerous for you, we definitely believe that the CBD-based product is a better product than tobacco," Miller said. That earned a skeptical reaction from Danielle Ramo, an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco who is an expert in the co-use of tobacco and cannabis. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Companies that have products that could potentially appear to be safer than cigarette smoking often want to position their products as potential (tobacco smoking) cessation devices because it's something that will help smokers purchase their products," Ramo said. "But these claims far outweigh any evidence that many of these products actually are helping with cessation. There is no evidence, that I know of, that CBD is an appropriate alternative to nicotine and if anything, a product that looks as much like a cigarette as theirs does would be associated with cues to smoke." Miller said his market data shows pre-rolled cannabis joints are his company's fastest-growing segment. In the future, he even believes THC BioMed could stop selling loose cannabis bud entirely and focus more on pre-rolls. To that end, it makes sense to capitalize on decades of tobacco industry research, he suggested. "They know what consumers want, they know the feel, they know the size, they've done it all," he said. "They've spent billions of dollars, there's no need for us to come in and reinvent the wheel. We've taken that same system and applied it to cannabis." solomon.israel@theleafnews.com @sol_israel MONTREAL - Neil Bruce, who stepped down abruptly as head of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. on Tuesday, says the process to replace him was in the works for at least six months. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Neil Bruce, president and CEO of SNC-Lavalin, listens to proceedings at the engineering company's annual shareholders meeting in Montreal on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Bruce, who stepped down abruptly as head of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. on Tuesday, says in a social media post the succession process was in the works for at least six months. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MONTREAL - Neil Bruce, who stepped down abruptly as head of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. on Tuesday, says the process to replace him was in the works for at least six months. Bruce says in a LinkedIn post that the process started last year and notes that his interim replacement, Ian Edwards, was appointed operations chief in January, allowing a five-month handover period to groom the industry veteran. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Bruce says his family moved backed to the United Kingdom after the winter holidays and that he was eager to join them. His departure this week capped off a near four-year stint marked by a 61-per-cent plunge in share price over the past 12 months and a political controversy tied to an ongoing corruption case. Despite a beefed-up backlog and successful acquisitions like the WS Atkins purchase in 2017, analysts say faith has waned in Bruce's ability to make good on recent profit forecasts, avoid flops like SNC's cancelled Chilean mine contract and make judgments like his partial sale of the 407 toll road. SNC-Lavalin's reputation has taken a beating over fraud and corruption charges related to its work in Libya that preceded Bruce's tenure. The firm has also been mired in a political controversy following accusations by former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould that top government officials pressured her to overrule federal prosecutors in the Libya case and negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement with the company. "To all employees you are in great hands," Bruce wrote. "Ian knows the business well now and will do a great job, he is committed to our values of integrity safety innovation and collaboration so I wish you all well and much success in the coming months and years." Companies in this story: (TSX:SNC) VANCOUVER - Canfor Pulp Products is temporarily shutting down one of its northern British Columbia pulp mills just days after parent company Canfor Inc. announced breaks at all but one of its B.C. sawmills and the permanent closure of another. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Softwood lumber is pictured in Richmond, B.C., Tuesday, April 25, 2017. Canfor Pulp Products Inc. is temporarily halting operations at one of its northern British Columbia pulp mills, just days after its parent company, Canfor Inc. announced curtailments at all but one of its B.C. sawmills and the permanent close of another. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward VANCOUVER - Canfor Pulp Products is temporarily shutting down one of its northern British Columbia pulp mills just days after parent company Canfor Inc. announced breaks at all but one of its B.C. sawmills and the permanent closure of another. Canfor Pulp says the Taylor mill won't operate from June 29 to Aug. 5, reducing pulp production by about 25,000 tonnes. The Vancouver-based company says reasons include weaker market conditions and a short-term lack of wood supply due to slowdowns at its sawmills elsewhere in the province. All Canfor sawmills except the WynnWood operation in southeastern B.C., are to shut down for at least two weeks starting on Monday, and the mill in Vavenby, north of Kamloops, is to close permanently in July. Tennessee-based Louisiana-Pacific Corp. has also announced an indefinite shuttering of its Peace Valley oriented strandboard mill in Fort St. John, affecting about 190 workers. Employees have been told the shutdown is to begin Aug. 9, and a company statement says declining housing starts, high wood costs and other pressures forced its decision. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson blames market changes and timber killed by pest infestations. He said transition teams are on the way to communities where mill closures have the potential to affect hundreds of direct and indirect jobs. "The fact is that we knew this day was coming, as far as the constriction on the fibre supply, at least 10 years ago," Donaldson said. "We've taken steps to address it in the last 22 months and, unfortunately, the previous government didn't over 16 years, so we're determined to make forestry an important part of rural communities." Donaldson has warned that tough decisions lie ahead as transition plans are developed, but B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson accused the NDP government of failing to do anything to help affected workers. Wilkinson has called for creation of an all-party forestry competitiveness committee and the immediate reduction of stumpage fees and carbon tax paid by the forestry sector. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "This is failed leadership on the part of (Premier) John Horgan, plain and simple," Wilkinson said in a statement. It has been a difficult few months for British Columbia communities dependant upon the forestry industry. In addition to the plans by Canfor and Louisiana-Pacific, Toronto-based Norbord Inc. announced this week that an indefinite shutdown is to begin in August at its oriented strandboard mill in 100 Mile House affecting 160 workers. In May, privately owned, Vernon-based Tolko Industries announced its Quesnel sawmill is to close permanently in August, putting 150 people out of work, while 90 workers will be affected when half the shifts at its Kelowna mill are cut in July. Aspen Planers Ltd., based in Merritt, also cut 50 per cent of the shifts at its Merritt mill earlier this week, resulting in 50 layoffs. (The Canadian Press, MooseFM) Companies mentioned in this story: (TSX:CFX) (TSX:CFP) (NYSE:LPX) (TSX:NBD) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Workers at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted Friday night against forming a factory-wide union, handing a setback to the United Auto Workers' efforts to gain a foothold among foreign auto facilities in the South. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Signs for and against unionization are in a roundabout along Volkswagen Drive in front of the Volkswagen plant Friday, June 14, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tenn.. Results from the Volkswagen union election will be released later tonight. (Erin O. Smith/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Workers at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted Friday night against forming a factory-wide union, handing a setback to the United Auto Workers' efforts to gain a foothold among foreign auto facilities in the South. The vote of hourly workers began Wednesday and concluded Friday. Preliminary results show 833 employees voted against representation and 776 voted for it, the German automaker said in a statement. VW said about 93% of the roughly 1,700 eligible employees voted. "Our employees have spoken," Frank Fischer, president and CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga, said in the company statement. He said results are pending certification by the National Labor Relations Board and legal review. Fischer said the company looks forward to "continuing our close co-operation with elected officials and business leaders in Tennessee." Volkswagen has union representation at all of its other major plants worldwide. A win in Chattanooga would have offered the United Auto Workers its first fully organized, foreign-owned auto assembly plant in the traditionally anti-union South. UAW officials have questioned why Chattanooga should differ from Volkswagen's other union-represented plants worldwide, or Spring Hill, Tennessee's General Motors plant with 3,000 UAW-represented workers. UAW organizing director Tracy Romero said she was proud of the pro-union voters at the plant. "The company ran a brutal campaign of fear and misinformation," Romero said in a statement, adding that the automaker tried to make workers afraid of losing the plant and suffer other repercussions. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn and other top Republicans urged a "no" vote, saying a union could cause economic harm. Blackburn said attempts to unionize will harm workers, adding, "We don't need union bosses in Detroit telling Tennessee what's best for our workers." In April, Gov. Bill Lee drew cheers and jeers when he told VW employees in a closed-door meeting that he believes "when I have a direct relationship with you, the worker, and you're working for me, that is when the environment works the best," according to a recording obtained by Labor Notes, a pro-union publication. In 2014, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga voted 712-626 against unionization through the Detroit-based UAW, heeding the advice of then-U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, then-Gov. Bill Haslam and other GOP officials who urged a "no" vote. During that election, Corker waited until voting had actually started at the plant in his hometown when he all but guaranteed that the company would announce within two weeks of a union rejection that it would build a new midsized SUV at its only U.S. factory, instead of sending the work to Mexico. Volkswagen announced a new SUV would be produced in Chattanooga five months after the vote, essentially confirming Corker's prediction but on a different timeline. UAW claimed "interference by politicians and outside special interest groups" swayed the 2014 election. The union ultimately dropped an appeal of that vote After the loss, a smaller bloc of Chattanooga workers voted for union representation in 2015, but Volkswagen refused to bargain with them unless all hourly workers had a vote. Instead of dragging out the fight over the smaller group, the union was granted this week's vote. Other than the smaller vote at Chattanooga, the UAW has not fully organized a foreign-owned auto assembly plant in the South. A 2017 vote at the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, failed by a wide margin . Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Even with recent losses at VW and Nissan, the UAW won't stop trying to organize assembly plants in the South owned by international automakers, said Kristin Dziczek, vice-president of labour, industry and economics at the Center for Automotive Research, an industry think-tank in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "It's never the end," she said before the vote. "Win or lose, it's hard to organize." Union organizing is more difficult in the South because it doesn't have the pro-union culture of the north, and because politicians and other third parties often campaign against the union, she said. A big Volkswagen project is now looming for Chattanooga: An $800 million expansion is expected to create 1,000 jobs for electric vehicle production beginning in 2022. It's set to receive $50 million in state incentives. The state's economic development department has received no indication that the project would somehow hinge on the union vote, said department spokesman Scott Harrison. UAW is calling on Congress to take a comprehensive look at the country's labour laws and NLRB rules following the vote, the union said in its statement. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but he also held out hope that implicit U.S. threats to use force will yield talks with the Islamic Republic as the Pentagon considers beefing up defences in the Persian Gulf area. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday June 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, but he also held out hope that implicit U.S. threats to use force will yield talks with the Islamic Republic as the Pentagon considers beefing up defences in the Persian Gulf area. A day after explosions blew holes in two oil tankers just outside Iran's territorial waters, rattling international oil markets, the administration seemed caught between pressure to punish Iran and reassure Washington's Gulf Arab allies without drawing the U.S. closer to war. "Iran did it," Trump said Friday on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends." He didn't offer evidence, but the U.S. military released video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to cover its tracks. By pointing the finger at Iran, Trump was keeping a public spotlight on an adversary he accuses of terrorism but also has invited to negotiate. The approach is similar to his diplomacy with North Korea, which has quieted talk of war but not yet achieved his goal of nuclear disarmament. Iran has shown little sign of backing down, creating uncertainty about how far the Trump administration can go with its campaign of increasing pressure through sanctions. Iran denied any involvement in the attacks and accused Washington of waging an "Iranophobic campaign" of economic warfare. A U.S. Navy team on Friday was aboard one of the tankers, the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, collecting forensic evidence, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation. Apparently alluding to the U.S. video, Trump said Iran's culpability had been "exposed." He did not say what he intended to do about it but suggested "very tough" U.S. sanctions, including efforts to strangle Iranian oil revenues, would have the desired effect. President Donald Trump waves as he departs after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, June 14, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) "They've been told in very strong terms we want to get them back to the table," Trump said. Just a day earlier, the president took the opposite view, tweeting that it was "too soon to even think about making a deal" with Iran's leaders. "They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump last year withdrew the United States from an international agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program that was signed in 2015 under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. He has since then re-instated economic sanctions aimed at compelling the Iranians to return to the negotiating table. Just last month the U.S. ended waivers that allowed some countries to continue buying Iranian oil, a move that is starving Iran of oil income and that coincided with what U.S. officials called a surge in intelligence pointing to Iranian preparations for attacks against U.S. forces and interests in the Gulf region. In response to those intelligence warnings, the U.S. on May 5 announced it was accelerating the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group to the Gulf region. It also sent four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Qatar and has beefed up its defences in the region by deploying more Patriot air defence systems. Officials said that Pentagon deliberations about possibly sending more military resources to the region, including more Patriot missile batteries, could be accelerated by Thursday's dramatic attack on the oil tankers. At the Pentagon, acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Iran is not just a U.S. problem. He said the U.S. goal is to "build international consensus to this international problem," and to ensure that U.S. military commanders in the region get the resources and support they need. In remarks to reporters later, Shanahan noted the commercial and strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes about 20 per cent of the world's oil. "So, we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate," he said. Other administration officials said the U.S. is re-evaluating its presence in the region and will discuss the matter with allies before making decisions. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said Thursday the U.S. is looking at all options to ensure that maritime traffic in the region is safe and that international commerce, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, is not disrupted. One option, they said, is for U.S. and allied ships to accompany vessels through the strait, noting that this tactic has been used in the past. They said there is no timeline for any decisions. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said that providing naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz is an option, but, "I don't think it's a sustainable option because of the amount of traffic." She said tanker warfare in the Persian Gulf has historically been a problem, and she wouldn't be opposed to the U.S. having a more visible presence in the region. Slotkin, a former senior policy adviser at the Pentagon, said she is concerned that the Trump administration does not have a clear strategy on Iran. She said it's difficult to deter Iran without provoking additional violence, adding, "I don't believe this administration is capable of walking such a deft, fine line." In ticking off a list of Iranian acts of "unprovoked aggression," including Thursday's oil tanker attacks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added a surprise accusation. He asserted on Thursday that a late May car bombing of a U.S. convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, was among a series of threats or attacks by Iran and its proxies against American and allies interests. At the time, the Taliban claimed credit for the attack, with no public word of Iranian involvement. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Pompeo's inclusion of the Afghanistan attack in his list of six Iranian incidents has raised eyebrows in Congress, where he and other U.S. officials have suggested that the administration would be legally justified in taking military action against Iran under the 2001 Authorization of Military Force, or AUMF. In that law, Congress gave then-President George W. Bush authority to retaliate against al-Qaida and the Taliban for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It has subsequently been used to allow military force against extremists elsewhere, from the Philippines to Syria. As the world awaited Washington's next move, analysts said it was difficult to sort out the conflicting claims. "There are few actors in the world that have less credibility than Donald Trump and the Iranian regime, so even U.S. allies at the moment are confused about what happened," said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He said the "tremendous mistrust" of both Trump and Iran has made "the biggest priority for most countries to simply avoid conflict or further escalation." At the same time, Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in a difficult position, Sadjadpour said. "If he didn't respond to Trump's provocations, he would risk looking like a paper tiger and projecting weakness. But if he responds overly aggressive to Trump he potentially destabilizes his own rule and his own regime. That's why we've seen Iran calibrate its escalation." --- AP writers Zeke Miller and Matthew Lee contributed to this report. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The U.S. military released a video Friday it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. An Iranian navy boat sprays water to extinguish a fire on an oil tanker in the sea of Oman, Thursday, June 13, 2019. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz came under a suspected attack Thursday, setting one of them ablaze in the latest mysterious assault targeting vessels in a region crucial to global energy supplies amid heightened tension between Iran and the U.S. (AP Photo/Tasnim News Agency) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The U.S. military released a video Friday it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement. Iran denied any role in Thursday's apparent attacks, which have again roiled the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the unraveling nuclear deal with world powers. Four other oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port city of Fujairah suffered similar attacks in recent weeks, and Iranian-allied rebels from Yemen have struck U.S. ally Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles. President Donald Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers and recently imposed a series of sanctions now squeezing its beleaguered economy and cutting deeply into its oil exports. While Iran maintains it has nothing to do with the recent attacks, its leaders repeatedly have threatened to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil flows. Iran accused Washington of waging an "Iranophobic campaign" against it, while Trump countered that the country was "a nation of terror." In this photo dated Thursday June 13, 2019, made available by the Norwegian shipowner Frontline, showing the crude oil tanker Front Altair seen through glass observation window as water cannon operate during the firefighting of the fire onboard the Norwegian ship in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Iran, as two oil tankers came under suspected attack amid heightened tension between Iran and the U.S. (Frontline via AP) "Iran did do it," he said of the attack, in remarks Friday morning to "Fox & Friends." Trump also warned Iran not to close off the strait, saying if it does so, it won't be shut for long. The black-and-white U.S. video of the Iranians alongside the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous came after its crew abandoned ship after seeing the undetonated explosive on its hull, said Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military's Central Command. It separately shared photos of the vessel, which showed what appeared to be a conical limpet mine against its side. An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman, Thursday, June 13, 2019. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. (AP Photo/ISNA) In the video, the boat from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard pulls alongside Kokuka Courageous at 4:10 p.m. Thursday. The Iranians reach up and grab along where the limpet mine could be seen in the photo. They then sail away. Limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to a ship's hull, are designed to disable a vessel without sinking it. Analysts say Iran, if involved, wouldn't want investigators to find an unexploded mine because they could check its serial numbers and other attributes to trace it. In this photo dated Thursday June 13, 2019, made available by the Norwegian shipowner Frontline, showing the crude oil tanker Front Altair after the fire aboard was extinguished onboard the Norwegian ship in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Iran, as two oil tankers came under suspected attack amid heightened tension between Iran and the U.S. (Frontline via AP) "The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation," Urban said in a statement. "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests." In a statement from its U.N. mission, Iran accused the U.S. of escalating tensions. "The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo closes his remarks as he departs after a media availability, at the State Department, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Washington. Pompeo says Iran is believed to be responsible for attacks on 2 tankers near Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) In Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw "flying objects" before the attack, suggesting it wasn't damaged by mines. Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicted the U.S. military account. Katada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks. The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometres (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as its cargo of flammable chemicals caught fire. The Kokuka Courageous, carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, called for help a short time later. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the State Department, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Washington. Pompeo says Iran is believed to be responsible for attacks on 2 tankers near Persian Gulf. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The U.S. Navy sent the USS Bainbridge, which picked up 21 sailors from the Kokuka Courageous, and they stayed overnight on the destroyer, returning to their vessel Friday to help in it being towed. Thursday's attack resembled one in May that targeted four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of using limpet mines. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents, including the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time. This June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. military's Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. The U.S. military on Friday, June 14, 2019, released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. (U.S. Central Command via AP) "Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," Pompeo said. He didn't elaborate. Iran also denied being involved in last month's attacks. Its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday's incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran "rejected" the overture. This June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. military's Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. The U.S. military on Friday, June 14, 2019, released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. (U.S. Central Command via AP) "The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency," Pompeo added. On Friday, Abe condemned the attack as a threat to safe navigation. Abe told reporters he briefed Trump by phone on his trip to Iran but did not give details, except to say the president thanked him for trying to help de-escalate tensions in the region and that he planned to continue co-operating closely with the U.S. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In this June 13, 2019, photo released by the U.S. Navy, sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge render aid to the crew of the Kokuka Courageous, one of two oil tankers suspected to have been attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. military on Friday, June 14, 2019, released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jason Waite, U.S. Navy via AP) The U.N. Security Council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late Thursday at the request of the U.S. but took no action. Tensions have risen as Iran appears poised to break the nuclear deal, which Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don't offer it new terms to the deal by July 7. Already, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said Friday its military intercepted five drones launched by Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom, including the Abha regional airport. The kingdom said a similar attack Wednesday on the airport wounded 26 people. ___ Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed. The delivery of her first baby in a sweltering storage facility with women who stepped up to help -- equipped with nothing but plastic shopping bags to receive the baby -- became a social media meme in parts of Africa. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The delivery of her first baby in a sweltering storage facility with women who stepped up to help -- equipped with nothing but plastic shopping bags to receive the baby -- became a social media meme in parts of Africa. "There were no medical supplies, no health services, no police service. There was no one except refugees," Luam Yebiyom, 21, said through an interpreter. She, the baby, and her husband arrived in Winnipeg May 30 thanks to an anonymous donor who put up $700,000 so local volunteers could resettle them and more than 100 refugees from several countries including Eritrea and Somalia. The Good Samaritan with deep pockets is described as non-denominational, is not from Africa and knew nothing about the refugees other than they needed help -- and that volunteers like Gelila Hailu were ready to do the heavy lifting and hand holding required for refugee resettlement. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Luam Yebiyom, Abdurahman Saleh and their nine-month-old child Etram Abdurahman. "He said 'you're the engine, I'm the fuel,'" said Hailu. The Eritrean-Canadian woman, who works for the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, provides information and orientation sessions for newly-arrived refugees. She said the Winnipeg donor is a private person with strong convictions and a favourite saying: "What we do for ourselves dies with us -- what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal." The donor will be at a celebration Sunday evening organized by Hidmona, the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group of Manitoba. The advocacy organization fighting for human rights in Eritrea is hosting the dinner for supporters and the recent arrivals, including the young parents, whose baby arrived in less than grand fashion at a packed refugee detention centre in Libya. "Two ladies had some knowledge, and they used plastic bags," Yebiyom said of the impromptu midwives trying to help her deliver her first baby. "It was difficult. There was a lot of pain." She and her baby, Etram Abdurahman, who survived her harrowing birth unscathed, and the baby's father Abdurahman Saleh, 21, are among 22 Eritrean refugees who arrived in Winnipeg at the end of May. The young couple who fled despotic Eritrea in 2012 paid smugglers in Libya USD$6,000 each and were waiting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. He was scooped up by Libyan forces during a sweep of migrants and refugees and taken to the crammed detention centre in Abu Selim, a suburb of Tripoli. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The family was abducted with other Eritreans and held by human traffickers before being rescued. "You couldn't lie down to sleep, it was so crowded," Saleh said through an interpreter. "You had to sleep in a sitting position, and you had to hold your shoes while you slept sitting down so they don't get stolen." It was so hot and humid in the unvented area, that sweat from the 1,000 men packed into the place would condense on the ceiling and drip on their heads "like it was raining." His wife was pregnant at the time and and scooped up by human traffickers who held her as a hostage for three months. During her captivity, the expectant mom was fed only plain macaroni until her release when relatives overseas raised the money for her ransom. She was then taken to the woman's detention centre in Tripoli, where their baby was unceremoniously brought into the world. The young family made it onto the "urgent list" of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and was taken to Niger before Canadian immigration officials arranged for them to come to Winnipeg. They arrived under the blended visa office-referral program that matches refugees identified for resettlement by the UN refugee agency with private sponsors in Canada. The federal government pays part of their resettlement costs with sponsors paying the rest and helping them resettle. The young couple says they're relieved and grateful to be in Canada but worry about the refugees stuck in Libya, who have no human rights and are treated like human refuse: "We're a dime a dozen," said Saleh. "We hope that our story will encourage the government of Canada to keep some more people from dying." carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Indigenous leaders in Manitoba are divided on whether to support landmark federal legislation aimed at allowing their communities to partner with Ottawa to take control of Child and Family Services agencies. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Indigenous leaders in Manitoba are divided on whether to support landmark federal legislation aimed at allowing their communities to partner with Ottawa to take control of Child and Family Services agencies. At a news conference, Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, along with three First Nation chiefs who are also members of the AMC Women's Council, said they are upset Ottawa is closing the door on exempting Manitoba from Bill C-92. The province's Southern Chiefs' Organization recently came out in favour of the legislation. "We were completely blindsided," Dumas said Thursday. "We want our children home." Chief Karen Batson of Pine Creek First Nation (a member of SCO) said the controversy comes more than a year after the federal government signed an agreement with AMC to restore First Nations jurisdiction over CFS. Since the signing, in December 2017, the AMC has created the Bringing Our Children Home Act, after extensive consultation with First Nations elders, knowledge keepers, families and citizens. "The AMC Women's Council has always been against Bill C-92, and we will continue with that stance going forward," Batson said. Swan Lake First Nation Chief Francine Meeches, chairwoman of the AMC Women's Council, said: "We have needed this legislation for our children and families for a number of years now." "We are leadership, we are mothers, and we are grandmothers that want to protect families and children... These families and these children will continue to suffer if we, as leadership, do not act and try to create a legislation that fits our communities,: Meeches said. "I am not backing down." Bill C-92 aims to allow Indigenous groups to form agreements with Ottawa to take control of CFS agencies. The legislation aims to address the massive disproportion of Indigenous children apprehended by CFS, often for reasons related to poverty. Manitoba leads the country in both the number and rate of child apprehensions, 87 per cent of which involve Indigenous children. The AMCs concerns got a boost Thursday from two Manitoba senators, who warned they would vote against the legislation if the Liberals dont clarify whats happening with the AMCs draft bill. "Bill C-92 does not adequately address the realities of over-representation of First Nations children in care" in Manitoba, reads an open letter to Indigenous Services Minister Seamus ORegan. "There is deep concern that years of work by First Nations leaders will be set back by this legislation," notes the letter, written by Manitoba Sens. Mary Jane McCallum and Marilou McPhedran. The senators, both appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have asked Ottawa to explain what happened to a December 2017 agreement the Liberals signed with the AMC. Their letter also asks for proof to allay "concerns that Bill C-92 will in fact be detrimental for First Nations children in Manitoba." Liberal MP Dan Vandal said his government has tried "for several weeks" to schedule a meeting between O'Regan and the two senators, but hasn't yet found a time. He noted the legislation would make Indigenous laws on CFS "paramount" over federal and provincial laws. "The legislation is complementary to the work that the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs have done," said Vandal, MP for St. Boniface-St. Vital and parliamentary secretary to O'Regan. "In fact, C-92 will only help Bringing Our Children Home become a law of the country." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. He said the senators are raising "some very valid issues that are a reality in Manitoba" that the legislation is trying to address, along with anti-poverty programs. The Senate sees itself as the defender of regional interests and minority rights. With senators publicly warning concerns about both, it raises the prospect of the Red Chamber delaying a vote on Bill C-92 in the last few days of Parliament. On Tuesday, the SCO opted to support the bill, on the grounds enough Manitoba reserves want to use it to reform CFS over the wishes of the AMC. The bill has garnered support from multiple federal parties, and is seen as a concession for the Liberals scraping a much broader project meant to clarify treaty rights. kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca Dylan Robertson Parliamentary bureau chief In Ottawa, Dylan enjoys snooping through freedom-of-information requests and asking politicians: "What about Manitoba?" Read full biography OTTAWA The federal government has approved Manitoba Hydros transmission line to Minnesota; but its unclear whether the project can proceed without the reinstatement of a multimillion-dollar deal with the Manitoba Metis Federation. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The federal government has approved Manitoba Hydros transmission line to Minnesota; but its unclear whether the project can proceed without the reinstatement of a multimillion-dollar deal with the Manitoba Metis Federation. Local First Nations will also try to halt the Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project through lawsuits. "This is a very good project and we have taken our time, an appropriate amount of time, to make sure this project can proceed in the right way," federal Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi told the Free Press early Friday. "We have worked hard to ensure our duty to consult has been fulfilled." The Liberals have amended five of the conditions set out by the National Energy Board for the project, including to implement "all commitments made to Indigenous groups." The $453-million transmission line would transmit some of Manitobas excess hydroelectricity to Minnesota by June 2020, to offset Hydros debt and to lower American carbon emissions. The modified conditions require Hydro to work with First Nations and Metis over the loss of Crown lands and wetlands, and to file regular reports to a monitoring committee on the conditions set out by both the NEB and the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission. Ottawa will also create a "terrestrial and cultural studies initiative" to support Indigenous-led research on how the project impacts things such as traditional practices and hunting. It has also tasked Environment Canada with monitoring fluctuating water levels in Lake of the Woods, an issue raised by northwest Ontario First Nations. The project underwent provincial consultations and was approved by the NEB, but this year the federal Liberals twice extended their deadline to approve the project, which was the final hurdle before construction. Ottawa had cited Premier Brian Pallisters spat with the Manitoba Metis Federation in making its second extension, a month ago. The MMF has vowed to try stopping the project in court, after Pallister ordered the cancellation of a 50-year, $67.5-million tentative deal, calling it "hush money." The money was in exchange for the Metis not contesting the transmission project during the assessment process, which would prompt an unprecedented undertaking to determine land rights. Sohi said the deal was "an issue that is not within the scope of the consultation process." His department did not respond by deadline when asked if the project now hinges on the $67.5-million deal, which MMF president David Chartrand argued was the case. "Either they sit down and do it right and its a win-win for everyone, or if not, youll see the president of Hydro asking for an increase in rates," Chartrand told reporters Friday. Hed previously threatened to sue the Liberals if they green-lighted the project. "The olive branch is there, premier. Im willing to sit down." The MMF said it will drop its court cases if the province restores two existing funding agreements. Manitoba Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires cited those lawsuits in choosing not to answer whether Fridays approval is contingent on the scrapped MMF deal. "We are wanting to work with everyone who is interested in seeing this project proceed," said Squires, who expected construction to begin shortly. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. She said she was "incredibly optimistic" the province fulfilled its consultation duties with the Metis and First Nations. "Were very pleased to be working with all partners in moving this forward." Not everyone was so happy. Treaty 1 First Nations vowed Friday to block the project by suing the federal and provincial governments over longstanding land grievances. "We now have no choice but to oppose the project in the courts," wrote Treaty 1 spokesman Dennis Meeches, the chief of Long Plain. He claimed the Pallister government cancelled a Thursday meeting with senior Hydro executives over the treaty land issue, after the Free Press reported on the negotiations. Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer would only say shes "rescheduling a meeting for a later date, to continue building on the relationship and these productive conversations," in an email. Sohi said there is no plan to appoint a federal negotiator to deal specifically with southern Manitobas treaty-land issues, which was a demand some First Nations chiefs put forward. with files from Alexandra Paul and Larry Kusch On the heels of Concordia Hospitals emergency room closure, St. Boniface Hospital has redirected visitors away from its own emergency department twice within the past two weeks, due to surges in patient volumes a process that can normally occur in ERs for a few minutes or hours, but was recommended for a full day Wednesday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 13/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. On the heels of Concordia Hospitals emergency room closure, St. Boniface Hospital has redirected visitors away from its own emergency department twice within the past two weeks, due to surges in patient volumes a process that can normally occur in ERs for a few minutes or hours, but was recommended for a full day Wednesday. Real Cloutier, president and chief executive officer of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said the St. Boniface ER issues had nothing to do with Concordias recent changes. The northeast hospital converted to an urgent care centre June 3, redirecting patients in need of emergency care elsewhere in Winnipeg. Cloutier said the process has so gone "extremely well" so far. "This issue is not related to the conversion at Concordia Hospital. This has to do with managing the flow within the emergency department (at St. Boniface)," he said Thursday afternoon. An internal memo sent to St. Boniface staff Wednesday (and later leaked to media) said the number of emergency department patients had reached "critical and unsafe levels." The memos subject line was "*24 hour Emergency Redirection*." It recommended temporarily redirecting patients coming to the ER for follow-up appointments or non-emergency treatment elsewhere. Its unclear how many patients were affected by the redirection, though Cloutier said the number was likely "minuscule." Martine Bouchard, president and CEO of St. Boniface Hospital, described how, in hindsight, the memos language was too alarmist. There were 129 patients seen at St. Bonifaces ER on Wednesday, she said, which was not an abnormally high number, considering its usual volume of 130-150 people. SASHA SEFTER / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Real Cloutier, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Winnipeg Regional health Authority. "So I agree that the title of the memo that you guys have received was perhaps not the best one," Bouchard told reporters. Seven Oaks undergoing nursing, support staff changes As Seven Oaks General Hospital prepares to convert its emergency room into an urgent care centre in September, nursing and support staff are learning what may happen to their jobs and schedules. Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said many Seven Oaks nurses are upset by the fact their employer wants to convert some eight-hour rotations into 12-hour shifts. "The majority of them work eight-hour shifts for a reason. And whether its a personal commitment, whether its a fact that the workload within health care, as it is right now with the nursing shortage, is crushing, its heavy. Many nurses dont want to work more than eight hours at a time. Thats their limit," Jackson said Thursday. "Theyre unhappy that theyve not been listened to." click to read more As Seven Oaks General Hospital prepares to convert its emergency room into an urgent care centre in September, nursing and support staff are learning what may happen to their jobs and schedules. Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said many Seven Oaks nurses are upset by the fact their employer wants to convert some eight-hour rotations into 12-hour shifts. "The majority of them work eight-hour shifts for a reason. And whether its a personal commitment, whether its a fact that the workload within health care, as it is right now with the nursing shortage, is crushing, its heavy. Many nurses dont want to work more than eight hours at a time. Thats their limit," Jackson said Thursday. "Theyre unhappy that theyve not been listened to." Jackson said the union is in talks with Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Seven Oaks officials to try to come up with a solution. WRHA president and chief executive officer Real Cloutier said scheduling changes will never please everyone. "I can tell you, you can talk to a group of nurses and you will not get consensus on what is preferred: eight hours or 12," he said. "You design your rotations based on patient need and what is the best and most effective way to organize. And some nurses love 12-hour shifts. Others hate it." Seven Oaks support staff are going through a similar process. Their union, CUPE 204, said hundreds of employees are being directed into a "bumping process" next week, whereby they will be served deletion notices and have to choose new jobs and rotations ahead of the ER conversion. "The government should seriously consider cancelling the plan to close the Seven Oaks ER before hundreds of staff enter into this disruptive and demoralizing process," said CUPE 204 president Debbie Boissonneault in a prepared statement this week. "Once we go down this path it will be very difficult to turn back time, and with morale so low we are very concerned for the well-being of our members." Jessica Botelho-Urbanski Close She noted a surge in patient numbers Wednesday afternoon, but couldnt yet say how many people it involved nor what time it happened. The redirection protocol was lifted by Thursday afternoon, within less than 24 hours of it being issued. "These are stressful times, and thats all Im going to say," Bouchard said. "Theyre stressful times. We need to meet face to face, and we need to find the proper solution for this." Bouchard was scheduled to meet with her executive team later Thursday. After about 40 minutes with reporters, she left the room, leaving Cloutier to answer questions on his own. The WRHA head agreed the title of the memo was "not an appropriate label for what was going on." He questioned why it was sent in the first place, along with another memo apparently sent to staff last Monday when a similar incident occurred. "When I saw the memo last week, Martine and I spoke and we said, Weve got to manage the communication on these issues, because, quite frankly, we have a process internally within the hospitals to manage flow... So we use that system," he said. "I think the danger with this type of communication is No. 1: you all misinterpreted what it meant," Cloutier told reporters. "No. 2: it actually doesnt add to the flow measures that we already have in place to be able to manage patient care." Opposition critics made clear the provincial government ought to be shouldering blame for problems arising in the health-care system. SASHA SEFTER / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Martine Bouchard, President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Boniface Hospital. "For more than two years now, people have been warning this government that once they close the Concordia ER, theres going to be a huge surge of patients (elsewhere). Here at St. Boniface, what happens? They close Concordia ER. A week later, for the first time ever, they have to start turning away patients at St. Boniface Hospital," NDP Leader Wab Kinew said. "And where is the premier in all of this? Where is the government? Theyre not able to respond adequately because of this artificial blackout that theyve put in place." (The Tories self-imposed blackout on government announcements and advertising began Wednesday, in advance of an expected election call.) Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont emphasized Health Minister Cameron Friesen and Premier Brian Pallister ought to be answering questions. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Quite frankly, I think the WRHA and certainly the St. Boniface Hospital have been put in a sense in an impossible position because theyre having to answer for the decisions of the Pallister government," he said. Friesen was not made available for an interview Thursday, but sent a prepared statement addressing some of the concerns at St. B. "Patient volumes are unpredictable and surges are a common occurrence in health care. Internal redirection requests occurred long before system change began and will occur again in the future," he said by email. "Ive spoken to the CEO of the WRHA and instructed him to work with officials at St. Boniface Hospital to ensure they have appropriate resources in place and that clinical leadership follow proper protocols when communicating concerns." jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @_jessbu Manitobas health-care unions will compete this summer to represent more than 40,000 workers, as the Progressive Conservative governments forced amalgamation of bargaining units unfolds. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitobas health-care unions will compete this summer to represent more than 40,000 workers, as the Progressive Conservative governments forced amalgamation of bargaining units unfolds. On Thursday, Robert Pruden, who is overseeing the process, announced the dates of 18 union representation votes from Aug. 8 to 22. Voting will be preceded by a four-week campaign period, beginning July 11. Ten unions are taking part in the process. They have unanimously stated in the past that they did not want to have to battle each other for members. However, the Pallister government enacted legislation last year to drastically reduce the number of health bargaining units across Manitoba from a high of 182 to about 40, saying it would improve the ability of administrators to schedule workers and lead to other efficiencies. The Manitoba Government and General Employees Union represents 16,000 health workers who will be involved in the vote: home-care workers, health-care aides, clerical, housekeeping and maintenance workers, among others. MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said while there is no good time for the votes to be held, this is an especially challenging period for workers in Winnipeg, where hospital reorganization has created concerns about job security, workloads and, now, which union will represent them. "Could the premier have put us into any more chaos than what were in?" Gawronsky said. CUPE, which represents 11,600 health workers in Manitoba, took a similar tone. "The Pallister government is throwing another wrench into an already strained health-care system," said Shannon McAteer, the unions health-care co-ordinator. "Health-care workers across Manitoba deserve a break, yet this government continues to pile on uncertainty, stress and chaos." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Bob Moroz, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, with about 3,000 members involved in the votes, said workers are worried about the effects of hospital reorganization and upset at being told they are going to have to accept wage freezes. "All these things are happening at the same time, and its virtually impossible for people to keep it all straight," he said. Marc Lafond, business manager for Operating Engineers of Manitoba Local 987, said: "This vote doesnt need to happen. Not only is this a waste of taxpayer dollars and union resources, but it is disruptive to everyone working in health care. This is reflective of how our government has been handling Manitobas health-care system." Most Manitoba health workers, including doctors and nurses, are working without a contract. All bargaining with health authorities and the province is at a standstill. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca With the rise of smartphones, questions about how and where tech is used are flaring up across the country. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford sparked debate by banning cellphones in classrooms. As experts trade barbs, the voices of young people are missing the people who researchers say are most at risk. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 14/6/2019 (932 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion With the rise of smartphones, questions about how and where tech is used are flaring up across the country. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford sparked debate by banning cellphones in classrooms. As experts trade barbs, the voices of young people are missing the people who researchers say are most at risk. Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada decided to go to the source and have two young Canadians tell us how they feel about phones in class. When the dust settled, Katie Grettum from Camrose, Alta., was a strong no, while Jahmaal Branker from Kingston, Ont., was all for it. Well let you decide: Katie Grettum, 19 years old: I still remember my first phone. I was in Grade 7 when I got it it was one of those phones that you had to flip and slide upwards. Weve come a long way since then. I used that flip phone solely for contacting my parents when I was away from home. Now, phones are used for almost anything and used just about anywhere. Which is great, except for when anywhere is a school classroom. Self-control has shown to be a strong predictor of future success. But when it comes to phone use, self-control is extremely difficult. Teens check their phones an average of 86 times a day! Im not super big on social media, but I still find myself easily distracted by my phone. The classroom is one place you dont want to get distracted. According to Abacus Datas recent youth survey, the majority of young Canadians agree that it is harder to get ahead today than in the past. In this competitive economy, success in the classroom is more important than ever. There is no reason for elementary school students to have phones in their classrooms. This seems like common sense, of course, but there is research to prove it studies show that screen time affects brain-function development in early ages. Determining phone use in middle school and high school is a little trickier. When studying for Albertas provincial achievement tests, smartphones were helpful in-class devices, especially when accessing online resources such as Exam Bank. Unfortunately, the tests were a one-off. From personal experience, phones are most often not being used for educational purposes in class. Students may say they are using their phones appropriately, but theyre mostly just flipping between "research" and social media. I know of one local high school teacher who allowed her class to use their phones during a final exam. Most of the kids ended up cheating, using the internet to look up answers. Through working with youth, Ive seen noticeable differences between generations, especially when it comes to technology. Kids younger than I am seem to use their devices whenever they want, with no consequences. I think this makes the issue of phone use in school that much harder to tackle. Phones are powerful tools, but in the classroom, I think they do more harm than good. Jahmaal Branker, 21 years old: In the immortal words of hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Kevin Gates, "I got two phones!" One of my phones serves as my personal phone; the other is for work. Now, Im sure I dont use my phones in the same way a multimillionaire rapper might. But for Kevin and me and the billion other phone users in the world our phones are essential to our everyday lives. I was my given my first phone in Grade 12. Because of my busy schedule during senior year I was always out doing activities at my local Boys and Girls Club my mom needed a way to co-ordinate with me. And because I now had a quick way to communicate with others, I was also able to pursue many extracurriculars. But the icing on the cake? The phone helped me in the classroom. Typically, its assumed that phone is synonymous with distraction in a school setting. And in many cases, this is fair. I can recall many instances in high school where I would be watching videos on my phone instead of paying attention to the lesson. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. But for the most part, when used appropriately and responsibly, my phone positively contributed to my learning in the classroom. The biggest way? Accessing information. Instead of going down to the library to open up books, with my phone and the internet, I could do research in an instant. Instead of handwriting my notes, I saved time by taking photos of the blackboard and instructor presentations. I was able to get work done faster and more efficiently. We are just scratching the surface of mobile and e-learning, but already we know that supporting the development of digital literacy skills motivates and engages students. Instead of banning tech in the classroom, educators could try teaching students how to use phones to boost their learning like the many teachers across Canada who are already experimenting with the use of cellphones as learning tools during class time. Theres no getting around it. Technology and my two phones have helped me navigate the modern world, find success in the classroom and connect me to the larger community. Maybe I can write a song about it, too Katie Grettum and Jahmaal Branker are members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canadas National Youth Council. See how Boys and Girls Clubs tackled this issue at unplugtoconnect.ca In accordance with Minnesota Statute 244.052, the Houston County Sheriffs Office is releasing information regarding Jacob Karl Rask, a predatory offender registrant subject to public notification. Rask has moved to Hokah as of June 1, 2019. This individual has served the sentence imposed on him by the court, and is transitioning into/within the community. President Donald Trumps messaging strategy depends on repeating statements so often theyre accepted as fact. A prime example is his constant contention that, since House Democrats regained their majority, they mainly want to investigate him, rather than legislate. Nervous Nancy (Pelosi) & Dems are getting zero work done in Congress and have no intention of doing anything other than going on a fishing expedition to see if they can find anything on me, Trump tweeted last week. Six House committees are probing various aspects of Trumps personal and policy record. But thats hardly all House Democrats are doing. Since January, theyve passed a broad array of measures, attempting to fulfill their campaign promises on health care, guns, equal rights, election reform and climate change. But their legislative actions have been obscured by the news focus on the presidents possible impeachment and such dramatic moves as threatened trade wars with China and Mexico. Besides, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed the Republican-controlled Senate wont even consider House-passed measures. Think of me as the Grim Reaper, the Kentucky Republican told his constituents in April. None of that stuff is going to pass. The Democratic legislative agenda, likely to provide a policy basis for the partys 2020 campaign, provides a sharp contrast with Trump. The president has virtually no legislative agenda, aside from seeking approval of his new trade treaty with Canada and Mexico and financing the government. Talk about repairing the nations aging and decaying infrastructure has been just that: talk. Here are some measures the House passed in the first five months of the Democratic majority: Health care The House passed two major heath bills. One packaged proposals aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, an issue Trump often touts, with several measures designed to stop administration actions undercutting the Affordable Care Act. A separate measure seeks to protect people with pre-existing medical conditions. Voting rights Its first major bill would create a new national system of automatic voter registration (from which unwilling voters could opt out). The bill would establish public financing of congressional campaigns with the federal government matching $200 private contributions on a 6-for-1 basis; require nonpartisan congressional redistricting; enhance election security; require the president and vice president to disclose 10 years of tax returns and extend ethics rules to the Supreme Court; and pledge restoration of Supreme Court rejected provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Civil rights In what would be a major expansion of federal civil rights guarantees, the House passed the so-called Equality Act, which would extend federal protections against discrimination in housing, the workplace and public accommodations to LGBTQ people. Violence against women The House voted to extend the 1994 Violence against Women Act, designed to prevent spousal abuse against women, despite the opposition from the National Rifle Association to a new provision that bars those convicted of abusing or stalking dating partners from owning firearms. Legal status for Dreamers This legislation would create a path to citizenship for more than 2 million illegal immigrants, including the so-called dreamers brought here by their parents when they were children and protected by President Barack Obamas DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). It would also affect the 300,000 from Haiti, El Salvador and Honduras given TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and a smaller number form Liberia under the Bush-era DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) program. Equal pay The House passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, designed to facilitate legal action against unequal pay for men and women and require employers to show that pay differences are based on legitimate factors. Universal background checks The bill would extend the current requirement that licensed gun dealers run background checks on potential buyers to include private sellers, who sell firearms at unlicensed shops, over the internet or at gun shows. Retirement plans The SECURE (Setting Every Community UP for Retirement Enhancement) Act contains a number of provisions designed to help more people save for retirement. It would help small businesses band together in offering retirement plans, make possible inclusion in retirement plans of long-time part-time employees and raise from 70-and-a-half to 72 the age at which Americans are required to start withdrawing retirement account funds. Climate change Bypassing for now more sweeping and more controversial measures like the Green New Deal, the House passed a more modest bill that would force Trump to keep the United States in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. House Republicans opposed most of these bills, though a handful of GOP members voted for some. For example, seven Republicans voted for the Paycheck Fairness Act, eight for universal background checks, and the retirement expansion measure passed 417-3. If the Senate were permitted to vote, there would likely be some bipartisan support for many of these measures, or at least for amended versions. But thats not going to happen as long as McConnell backs Trump by erecting a solid wall against them. Clearly, GOP leaders feel that preventing Democratic political success is a higher priority than seeking to alleviate some festering national problems. But getting voters to notice will be a challenge for the Democrats. Carl P. Leubsdorf is the former Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. Readers may write to him via email at: carl.p.leubsdorf@gmail.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 The International Crane Foundation in Baraboo is hosting a party in the prairie Saturday for its annual fundraising event. An Evening with the Cranes this year will be An Evening with the Construction Cranes, as the headquarters are undergoing renovations. Marketing Director Pamela Seelman said with the construction ongoing, guests will experience the site outdoors and under tents. I think people will be most excited to see the progress on our $10 million construction project that began last fall, Seelman said. We are pleased that the George Archibald Welcome Center is well on its way to completion. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Guests will be able to tour the construction site, see exhibit murals in progress and learn how the foundation cares for the birds and does conservation work. Staff from China, Africa and South Asia will be in attendance and available to speak with attendees, Seelman said. Participants also will have a chance to see Slidell, a grey crowned crane, in the Spirit of Africa exhibit, she noted. Jesus had something to say about people like that, too in Matthew 21:12: And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Jesus was emphatic about the evils of greed and selfishness, but never said a word about people in the LGBTQ community, although they have always existed. I wonder what he would say about the numerous actions Trump and his administration have taken, or are planning to take, against people in that community; people who, by the way, dont hurt anyone yet are persecuted by those on the far right. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Friedl performed in three musical numbers at Sundays awards show. There were about 40 kids on stage for each song and we were in rehearsals for about a week with a great choreographer, she said. It was such a great opportunity to be there because everyone is so talented. The Jerry Awards also presents a Spirit Award to cast members who are nominated by their peers. Friedl, along with her classmate Ashley Hale, won the award for Beaver Dam High Schools fall production of The Sound of Music and Erin Milleville of Sun Prairie won for BDACTs summer production of Footloose. Friedl and Hale will be performing next week in the all-high school production of Newsies at BDACTs Fine Arts Center. They will be joined in that show by Aidan Black of Portage, who won a Jerry Award for Best Supporting Performance in Portage High Schools production of The Addams Family. Bohlig will be on the BDACT stage in August for the production of "Annie." The Jerry Awards show in its entirety can be viewed at wpt4.org/jerry-awards. Tickets for Newsies and "Annie" can be purchased at bdact.org. Follow Kelly Simon on Twitter @KSchmidSimon or contact her at 920-356-6757. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Drugs Tuesday at 1:39 a.m., police conducted a traffic stop on West Main Street at North Division Street. A 31-year-old Markesan woman was cited for cited for driving after suspension of her drivers license, possession of controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia. Suspicious activity Tuesday at 3:16 p.m., police responded to the 700 block of West Spring Street for a report made by a juvenile stating he was abducted and was able to escape from the abductor. The juvenile also claimed the abductor had a firearm in his possession. During the investigation, officers learned the juvenile had made up the entire story. The juvenile will be referred to Fond du Lac County Juvenile Intake. Missing child Tuesday at 6:51 p.m., police responded to a residence for a report of a missing child. The child was located at a local park. Traffic stop Wednesday at 12:02 p.m., police conducted a traffic stop on South Watertown Street at Doty Street. A 27-year-old Waupun man was cited for driving after suspension of his drivers license. A Camp Douglas woman out on bail is again facing felony meth charges after her arrest in New Lisbon. Tara Scott, 33, of Camp Douglas, is charged with felony possession with intent to distribute narcotics, felony possession of methamphetamine, misdemeanor possession of THC, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. She faces up to 15 years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000, or both, for the possession with intent to distribute charge, and up to three years and six months in prison or a fine of up to $10,000, or both, for the possession of methamphetamine charge. According to the criminal complaint: At about 12:33 p.m. May 28, Officer Kyle Walker was on patrol near the intersection of 1st St. and N. Washington St. when he observed a blue Dodge Stratus leave the parking lot. As the vehicle passed Walker, he visually identified Tara Scott operating the vehicle, whom Walker knew previously did not have a drivers license and was involved in illegal drug activity. Walker followed Scott and then activated his emergency lights and siren to start a traffic stop of operating a motor vehicle without a drivers license. Scott pulled over into Garys Auto parking lot on W. State St. I just kept comparing myself to my father, comparing my accomplishments to his accomplishments, Joutras said. Discussing the loss of his father with a counselor over the course of several months changed his life, Joutras said. It made him realize he had focused so much on negative thoughts that he believed them and allowed them to control him. What are people going to think of you when they find out youre depressed? Theyll say: Whats wrong with him? Joutras said of the negative thoughts. Overcoming it was really just a matter of being able to speak about it. John Joutras was surprised his father had gone through such a depression without ever showing it to his children. It made me realize how easy it is to take your parents for granted, John Joutras said, adding that it opened up conversation among family members concerning depression, giving them valuable perspective for their own lives. It just shows you that everybody you meet, everybody you interact with, anybody, might be someone whos fighting their own battle, John Joutras said. It was really good to see that other side of him. I got to know him better. Follow Noah Vernau on Twitter @NoahVernau or contact him at 608-695-4956. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The following companies are subsidiares of AON: 6824625 Canada Ltd., 7193599 Canada Inc., A.B. Insurances Limited, ADIS A/S, AIB Services Limited, AIS Affinity Insurance Agency Inc., AIS Insurance Agency Inc., AMXH LLC, ARM International Corp., ARM International Insurance Agency Corp., ARMRISK CORP., AS Holdings Inc., ASPN Insurance Agency LLC, Access Plans USA Inc., Acumen Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Adm Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Administradora Aon C.A., Admiseg SA, Admix, Admix - Administracao Consultoria Participacoes e Corretora de Seguros de Vida Ltda., Aeropeople Limited, Affinity Group Insurance Services Limited, Affinity Insurance Services Inc., Affinity Risk Partners (Brokers) Pty Ltd, Agenion N.V./SA, Agility Credit Insurance Brokers Limited, Alexander & Alexander Holding B.V., Alexander Clay, Alexander Insurance Managers (Netherlands Antilles) N.V., Alexander Reinsurance Intermediaries Inc., Allen Insurance Associates Inc., Alliance HealthCard Inc., Alliance HealthCard of Florida Inc., American Insurance Services Corp., American Special Risk Insurance Company, Aon (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon (CR) Insurance Agencies Company Limited, Aon (DIFC) Gulf Limited, Aon (Fiji) Ltd., Aon (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon (Thailand) Limited, Aon 180412 Limited (in liquidation), Aon ANZ Holdings Limited, Aon APAC Holdings B.V., Aon Acore Sarl, Aon Adjudication Services Limited, Aon Affinity Administradora de Beneficios Ltda., Aon Affinity Argentina S.A., Aon Affinity Chile Ltda., Aon Affinity Colombia Ltda. 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Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. Amalco, MacDonagh Boland Crotty MacRedmond Ltd, Marinaro Dundas S.A., Marinaro Dundas SA, Mark Kelly Insurance and Financial Services PTY LTD, McLagan (Aon) Limited, McLagan Partners Asia Inc., McLagan Partners Inc., Membership Leasing Trust, Minet Consultancy Services Ltd, Minet Group, Minet Holdings Inc., Minet Inc., Minet Re North America Inc., Modern Survey Inc., Muirfield Underwriters Ltd., NBS Nominees Limited, National Insurance Office Ltd., Nauman Insurance Brokers Limited, Nexus Insurance Brokers Limited, One Underwriting Agency GmbH, One Underwriting B.V., One Underwriting Health B.V., One Underwriting Pty Ltd, Optica Agency A/S, Optimum Risk Solutions Limited, Ovatio Courtage SAS, P.G. Bradley & Co Limited, PGOF Manager 1 LLC, PRORUCK Ruckversicherungs Aktiengesellschaft, PT Aon Benfield Indonesia, PT Aon Hewitt Indonesia, PT Aon Indonesia, PWZ AG, Paragon Strategic Solutions Inc., PathWise Solutions LLC, Penn Square Manager 1 LLC, Penn Square Manager II LLC, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting (Leamington) Limited, Portus Consulting Limited, Portus Online LLP, Praesidium S.p.A. - Soluzioni Assicurative per il Management, Premier Auto Finance Inc., Private Client Trustees Ltd., Private Equity Partnership Structures I LLC, Probabilitas N.V./SA, Protective Marketing Enterprises Inc., Randolph Finance Unlimited Company, Rasini Vigano Limited, Redwoods Dental Underwriters Inc., Richard Kiddle (Insurance Brokers) Limited, Risk Laboratories LLC, Riskikonsultatsioonide OU, Ronnie Elementary Insurance Agency Ltd, SA Special Situations General Partner LLC, SG IFFOXX Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, SLE Worldwide Limited, SN Re S.A., Salud Riesgos y Recursos Humanos Consultores Ltda. (former Aon Corporte Advisors Ltda.), SchneiderGolling IFFOXX Assekuranzmakler AG, SchneiderGolling Industrie Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, Scritch Inc., Shanghai Kayi Information Technology Co. Ltd, Sheppard Netherlands B.V., Specialty Benefits Inc., Sports Insure Limited [In strike-off], Strategic Manager-III LLC, Stroz Friedberg (Asia) Limited, Stroz Friedberg Inc., Stroz Friedberg LLC, Stroz Friedberg Limited, Stroz Friedberg Risk Management Limited, Superannuation Management Nominees Limited, Suresport Limited [In strike-off], Swire Blanch MSTC II SA, Swire Blanch MSTC SA, TTG BRPTP GP LLC, TTG Cayuga Bavaria Intermediate 2 S.a.r.l, TTG Core Plus Investments LLC, TTG German Investments I LLC, TTG Investments II LLC, TTG Irish Investments I LLC, TTG Manager LLC, Tecsefin S.A. en liquidacion, The Aon Ireland Mastertrustee Limited, The Aon MasterTrustee Limited, The John Reynolds Company Limited, The Key West Saxon Group LLC, The Townsend Group Inc, The Townsend Group LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager I LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager II LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager III LLC, Townsend Group Asia Limited, Townsend Group Europe Ltd., Townsend HWL GP Ltd., Townsend Holdings LLC, Townsend Lake Constance GP Limited, Townsend REF GP LLC, Townsend Re Global GP Limited, Townsend SO Manager I LLC, UAB One Underwriting, UADBB Aon Baltic, UK Credit Insurance Specialists Limited, UNIT Versicherungsmakler GmbH, US Underwriting Solutions S.r.l., USLP Underwriting Solutions LP, Underwriters Marine Services Inc., Unidelta AG, Unirobe Meeus Groep, UnitedPensions Deutschland AG, Univers Workplace Solutions, VERO Management AG, Ventiv Technology, WT Government Services LLC, WT Technologies LLC, Wannet Speciale Verzekeringen B.V., Wannet Sports Insurance GmbH, Ward Financial Group Inc., West Lake General Partner LLC, West Lake II GP LLC, Wexford Underwriting Managers Inc., White Rock Insurance (Americas) Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Europe) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Gibraltar) PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) ICC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Netherlands) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (SAC) Ltd., White Rock Insurance Company PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance PCC (Isle of Man) Limited, White Rock Services (Bermuda) Ltd., White Rock USA Ltd., Willis Towers Watson, Worldwide Integrated Services Company, Wrapid Specialty Inc., Zalba-Caldu Correduria de Seguros SA, and cut-e USA Inc.. Bayhorse Silver Inc., a junior natural resource company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of natural resource properties. It explores for silver, gold, zinc, copper, antimony, and other metals. The company holds a 100% interest in the Bayhorse Silver Mine Property located in Baker County, Oregon. It also holds an option agreement to acquire an 80% interest in the Brandywine project located in British Colombia. The company was formerly known as Kent Exploration Inc. and changed its name to Bayhorse Silver Inc. in December 2013. Bayhorse Silver Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Holdings Limited, BHMC Canada Inc., BHR Holdings B.V., BHR Luxembourg SARL, BHR Pacific Holdings Inc., BHTC Canada Inc., BOC Barclay Sub LLC, Barclay Operating Corp., Bristol Oakbrook Tenant Company, Cafe Biarritz, Cambridge Lodging LLC, Capital Lodging LLC, Compania Inter-Continental De Hoteles El Salvador SA, Crowne Plaza Amsterdam (Management) B.V., Crowne Plaza LLC, Cumberland Akers Hotel LLC, Dunwoody Operations Inc., EVEN Real Estate Holding LLC, Edinburgh IC Limited, General Innkeeping Acceptance Corporation, Guangzhou SC Hotels Services Ltd., H.I. (Ireland) Limited, H.I. Soaltee Management Company Ltd, HC International Holdings Inc., HH France Holdings SAS, HH Hotels (EMEA) B.V., HH Hotels (Romania) SRL, HI Sugarloaf LLC, HIM (Aruba) NV, Hale International Ltd., Hoft Properties LLC, Holiday Hospitality Franchising LLC, Holiday Inn Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Holiday Inns (China) Ltd, Holiday Inns (Chongqing) Inc., Holiday Inns (Courtalin) Holdings SAS, Holiday Inns (Courtalin) SAS, Holiday Inns (England) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Germany) LLC, Holiday Inns (Guangzhou) Inc., Holiday Inns (Jamaica) Inc., Holiday Inns (Malaysia) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Middle East) Ltd., Holiday Inns (Philippines) Inc., Holiday Inns (Saudi Arabia) Inc., Holiday Inns (South East Asia) Inc., Holiday Inns (Thailand) Ltd., Holiday Inns (UK) Inc., Holiday Inns Crowne Plaza (Hong Kong) Inc., Holiday Inns Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Holiday Inns Inc., Holiday Inns Investment (Nepal) Ltd., Holiday Inns of America (UK) Ltd., Holiday Inns of Belgium N.V., Holiday Pacific Equity Corporation, Holiday Pacific LLC, Holiday Pacific Partners LP, Hotel Inter-Continental London Limited, Hotel InterContinental London (Holdings) Limited, Hoteles Y Turismo HIH SRL, IC Hotelbetriebsfuhrungs GmbH, IC Hotels Management (Portugal) Unipessoal Lda, IC International Hotels Limited Liability Company, IHC (Thailand) Limited, IHC Buckhead LLC, IHC Edinburgh (Holdings), IHC Hopkins (Holdings) Corp., IHC Hotel Limited, IHC Inter-Continental (Holdings) Corp., IHC London (Holdings), IHC M-H (Holdings) Corp., IHC May Fair (Holdings) Limited, IHC May Fair Hotel Limited, IHC Overseas (U.K.) Limited, IHC UK (Holdings) Limited, IHC United States (Holdings) Corp., IHC Willard (Holdings) Corp., IHG (Australasia) Limited, IHG (Marseille) SAS, IHG (Thailand) Limited, IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan LLC, IHG ANA Hotels Holdings Co. Ltd., IHG Bangkok Ltd, IHG Brasil Administracao de Hoteis e Servicos Ltda, IHG Commission Services SRL, IHG Community Development LLC, IHG Cyprus Limited, IHG ECS (Barbados) SRL, IHG Franchising Brasil Ltda, IHG Franchising DR Corporation, IHG Franchising LLC, IHG Hotels (New Zealand) Limited, IHG Hotels Limited, IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited, IHG Hotels Nigeria Limited, IHG Hotels South Africa (Pty) Ltd, IHG International Partnership, IHG Istanbul Otel Yonetim Limited Sirketi, IHG Japan (Management) LLC, IHG Japan (Osaka) LLC, IHG Management (Maryland) LLC, IHG Management (Netherlands) B.V., IHG Management MD Barclay Sub LLC, IHG Management SL d.o.o, IHG Management d.o.o. Beograd, IHG Orchard Street Member LLC, IHG PS Nominees Limited, IHG Systems Pty Ltd, IHG Szalloda Budapest Szolgaltato Kft., IHG de Argentina SA, IND East Village SD Holdings LLC, Inter-Continental D.C. Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Investment Corp., Inter-Continental Florida Partner Corp., Inter-Continental Hospitality Corporation, Inter-Continental Hoteleira Limitada, Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Operating Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Montreal) Owning Corp., Inter-Continental Hotels (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotels Corporation de Venezuela C.A., Inter-Continental Hotels of San Francisco Inc., Inter-Continental IOHC (Mauritius) Limited, Inter-Continental Management (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental (Branston) 1 Limited, InterContinental (PB) 1, InterContinental (PB) 2, InterContinental (PB) 3 Limited, InterContinental Berlin Service Company GmbH, InterContinental Brasil Administracao de Hoteis Ltda, InterContinental Gestion Hotelera S.L., InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH, InterContinental Hotel Dusseldorf GmbH (Germany), InterContinental Hotels (Puerto Rico) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Australia) Pty Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Canada) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (Espana) SA, InterContinental Hotels Group (Greater China) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (India) Pvt. Ltd, InterContinental Hotels Group (Japan) Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group (New Zealand) Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group (Shanghai) Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Customer Services Ltd., InterContinental Hotels Group Healthcare Trustee Limited, InterContinental Hotels Group Operating Corp., InterContinental Hotels Group Resources Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group Services Company, InterContinental Hotels Group do Brasil Limitada, InterContinental Hotels Italia S.r.L., InterContinental Hotels Limited, InterContinental Hotels Management GmbH, InterContinental Hotels Nevada Corporation, InterContinental Management AM LLC, InterContinental Management Bulgaria EOOD, InterContinental Management France SAS, InterContinental Management Poland sp. z.o.o, InterContinental Overseas Holding Corporation, Intercontinental Hotels Corporation Limited, KG Benefits LLC, KG Gift Card Inc., KG Liability LLC, KG Technology LLC, KHP Washington Operator LLC, KHRG 11th Avenue Hotel LLC, KHRG 851 LLC, KHRG Aertson LLC, KHRG Alexandria LLC, KHRG Alexis LLC, KHRG Allegro LLC, KHRG Argyle LLC, KHRG Austin Beverage Company LLC, KHRG Baltimore LLC, KHRG Born LLC, KHRG Boston Hotel LLC, KHRG Canary LLC, KHRG Cayman Employer Ltd., KHRG Cayman LLC, KHRG DC 1731 LLC, KHRG DC 2505 LLC, KHRG Donovan LLC, KHRG Employer LLC, KHRG Goleta LLC, KHRG Gray LLC, KHRG Gray U2 LLC, KHRG Hillcrest LLC, KHRG Huntington Beach LLC, KHRG King Street LLC, KHRG La Peer LLC, KHRG Miami Beach LLC, KHRG Muse LLC, KHRG NPC LLC, KHRG Onyx LLC, KHRG Palladian LLC, KHRG Palomar Phoenix LLC, KHRG Philly Monaco LLC, KHRG Pittsburgh LLC, KHRG Reynolds LLC, KHRG Riverplace LLC, KHRG SFD LLC, KHRG Sacramento LLC, KHRG Savannah LLC, KHRG Schofield LLC, KHRG Sedona LLC, KHRG State Street LLC, KHRG Sutter LLC, KHRG Sutter Union LLC, KHRG Taconic LLC, KHRG Tariff LLC, KHRG Texas Hospitality LLC, KHRG Texas Operations LLC, KHRG Tryon LLC, KHRG VZ Austin LLC, KHRG Vero Beach LLC, KHRG Vintage Park LLC, KHRG WPB LLC, KHRG Wabash LLC, KHRG Westwood LLC, KHRG Wilshire LLC, KHRG Zamora LLC, Kimpton Hollywood Licenses LLC, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC, Kimpton Phoenix Licenses Holdings LLC, Kimpton Sedona Licenses LLC, Louisiana Acquisitions Corp., MH Lodging LLC, Mercer Fairview Holdings LLC, PML Services LLC, PT SC Hotels & Resorts Indonesia, Pollstrong Limited, Powell Pine Inc., Priscilla Holiday of Texas Inc., RM Lodging LLC, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Resort Services International (Cayo Largo) L.P., SBS Maryland Beverage Company LLC, SC Cellars Limited, SC Hotels International Services Inc., SC Leisure Group Limited, SC NAS 2 Limited, SC Quest Limited, SC Reservations (Philippines) Inc., SCH Insurance Company, SCIH Branston 3, SF MH Acquisition LLC, SPHC Group Pty Ltd., SPHC Management Ltd., Semiramis for training of Hotel Personnel and Hotel Management SAE, Six Continents Corporate Services, Six Continents Holdings Limited, Six Continents Hotels Inc., Six Continents Hotels International Limited, Six Continents Hotels de Colombia SA, Six Continents International Holdings B.V., Six Continents Investments Limited, Six Continents Limited, Six Continents Overseas Holdings Limited, Six Continents Restaurants Limited, SixCo North America Inc., Solamar Lodging LLC, Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (BVI) Ltd., Southern Pacific Hotels Properties Limited, Universal de Hoteles SA, White Shield Insurance Company Limited, and World Trade Centre Montreal Hotel Corporation. 11 hours ago 3 Knocked-Down Stocks That Are Likely to Get Off the Mat in 2022 These stocks disappointed investors but still have trends on their side Theres no doubt that growth investors have not been disappointed with the market performance over the last two years. Read Article iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWU stock has increased by 29.5% and is now trading at $33.14. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. The Global Wealth and Investment Management provides client experience through a network of financial advisors focused on to meet their needs through a full set of investment management, brokerage, banking, and retirement products. The Global Banking segment deals with lending-related products and services, integrated working capital management and treasury solutions to clients, and underwriting and advisory services. The Global Markets segment includes sales and trading services, as well as research, to institutional clients across fixed-income, credit, currency, commodity, and equity businesses. The All Other segment consists of asset and liability management activities, equity investments, non-core mortgage loans and servicing activities, the net impact of periodic revisions Read More 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. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Quest Diagnostics: AmeriPath, AmeriPath Cincinnati Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Cleveland Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Consolidated Labs Inc. (FL), AmeriPath Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Hospital Services Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Indianapolis PC (IN), AmeriPath Kentucky Inc. (KY), AmeriPath Lubbock 5.01(A) Corporation (TX), AmeriPath New York LLC (DE), AmeriPath Texas Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Tucson Inc. (AZ), American Medical Laboratories, American Medical Laboratories Incorporated (DE), Associated Clinical Laboratories L.P. (PA), Associated Clinical Laboratories of Pennsylvania L.L.C. (PA), Athena Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics, Blueprint Genetics FZ-LLC (UAE), Blueprint Genetics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics Oy (Finland), California Laboratory Associates, Cape Cod Healthcare - Business, Celera, ClearPoint Diagnostic, Clearpoint Diagnostic Laboratories LLC (TX), Cleveland HeartLab, Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (DE), Clinical Laboratory Partners, Colorado Pathology Consultants P.C. (CO), ConVerge Diagnostic Services, Consolidated DermPath Inc. (DE), DFW 5.01(a) Corporation (TX), DGXWMT JV LLC (DE), Dermatopathology of Wisconsin S.C. (WI), Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma LLC (OK), Diagnostic Pathology Services Inc. (OK), Diagnostic Reference Services Inc. (MD), ExamOne Canada Inc. (New Brunswick), ExamOne LLC (DE), ExamOne World Wide Inc. (PA), ExamOne World Wide of NJ Inc. (NJ), Focus Diagnostics, HemoCue, Hoffman M.D. Associated Pathologists Chartered (NV), Institute for Dermatopathology Inc. (PA), Isabella Street Urban Renewal LLC (NJ), Kailash B. Sharma M.D. Inc. (GA), Kilpatrick Pathology P.A. (NC), LabOne, LabOne LLC (MO), LabOne of Ohio Inc. (DE), Laboratorio de Analisis Biomedicos S.A. (Mexico), Lancet Labs, MACL, Med Fusion LLC (TX), Med fusion, MedPlus, Mid America Clinical Laboratories LLC (IN), Nomad Massachusetts Inc. (MA), Nuclear Medicine and Pathology Associates (GA), Ocmulgee Medical Pathology Association Inc. (GA), Pathology Building Partnership (MD) (gen. ptnrshp.), PeaceHealth Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories PLLC (WA), Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC (DE), Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (China), Quest Diagnostics Brasil Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Domestic Holder LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics HTAS India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Incorporated (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (MD), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NV), Quest Diagnostics India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Infectious Disease Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics International Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics International LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Investments LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Ireland Limited (Ireland), Quest Diagnostics LLC (CT), Quest Diagnostics LLC (IL), Quest Diagnostics LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Mexico Holding Company Trust (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Mexico S de RL de CV (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (CA), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute Inc. (VA), Quest Diagnostics Receivables Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Subsidiary Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics TB LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Terracotta LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Venture LLC (PA), Quest Diagnostics Ventures LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics do Brasil Ltda. (Brazil), Quest Diagnostics of Pennsylvania Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics of Puerto Rico Inc. (PR), Quest HealthConnect LLC (CA), ReproSource, Reprosource Fertility Diagnostics Inc. (MA), Solstas Lab Partners, Sonora Quest Laboratories LLC (AZ), Specialty Laboratories Inc. (CA), Summit Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center - Anatomic Pathology Outreach Laboratory Business, Unilab Corporation, and Unilab Corporation (DE). HSBC Holdings plc provides banking and financial products and services worldwide. The company operates through Wealth and Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, and Global Banking and Markets segments. The Wealth and Personal Banking segment offers retail banking products and services, such as current and savings accounts, mortgages and personal loans, credit and debit cards, and local and international payment services for ultra high net worth individuals; and wealth management services, including insurance and investment products, global asset management services, investment management, and private wealth solutions. The Commercial Banking segment provides credit and lending, treasury management, payment, cash management, commercial insurance, and investment services, as well as commercial cards, and international trade and receivables finance services; and foreign exchange products, and capital raising and advisory services to small and medium sized enterprises, mid-market enterprises, and corporates. The Global Banking and Markets segment is involved in the provision of financing, advisory, and transaction services, including credit, rates, foreign exchange, equities, money markets, and securities services, as well as principal investment activities to government, corporate and institutional clients, and private investors. The Global Private Banking segment provides a range of services to high net worth individuals and families with complex and international needs. HSBC Holdings plc was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More Champaign, IL (61820) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. High near 40F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Light snow this evening will give way to snow showers and gusty winds late. Low 21F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snowfall around one inch. Higher wind gusts possible. Saint Jean Carbon Inc., a junior resource company, acquires, explores for, and develops mineral properties in Canada. It operates in two segments, Mineral Exploration and Development, and Research and Development. The company holds 100% interest in the Mount Copeland property; and 25% undivided interest the Red Bird property for the exploration of molybdenum deposits in British Columbia. Further, it focuses on the scientific study and technology applications for graphite and graphene. The company was formerly known as Torch River Resources Ltd. and changed its name to Saint Jean Carbon Inc. in October 2013. Saint Jean Carbon Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Calgary, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of salesforce.com: 450 Mission LLC, AKTA, AKTA US LLC, Activa Live, Acumen Solutions, Attic Labs, Attic Labs LLC, BeyondCore, BeyondCore LLC, Bonobot Technologies (US) Inc., Bonobot Technologies Ltd., Buddy Media LLC, C Level Club LLC dba The CMO Club, ChoicePass, ClickSoftware, ClickSoftware Australia Pty Ltd, ClickSoftware Brazil Solucoes em Gestao de Forcas de Trabalho Ltda., ClickSoftware Japan Pty Ltd., ClickSoftware Professional Services Ltd., ClickSoftware Technologies (Pty) Ltd, ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd., Clipboard, Clipboard LLC, CloudConnect LLC, CloudCraze, CloudCraze Software LLC, Compass Acquisition II Corp., Coolan, Datorama, Datorama Australia Pty Ltd, Datorama GmbH, Datorama Japan Inc., Datorama Singapore Pte. Ltd., Datorama Technologies Ltd., Datorama UK Ltd., Demandware, Demandware Hong Kong Limited, Demandware S.r.l.. in Liquidazione, Desk.com, DimDim Software Private Limited, Dimdim, EdgeSpring, EntropySoft, Etacts, Evergage, ExactTarget, ExactTarget AB, ExactTarget GmbH in liquidation, ExactTarget Limited, ExactTarget Pte. Ltd. (in liquidation), ExactTarget Pty. Ltd., ExactTarget S.A.S., Geocloudio Technologies Private Limited, GoInstant, GroupSwim, Heroku, HeyWire, Implisit, Implisit Insights Ltd., InStranet, Informavores, Jigsaw, Kabushiki Kaisha salesforce.com, Kerensen Consulting, Kerensen Consulting Israel Ltd., Kieden, Koral Technologies, Krux, LevelJump, Manymoon, MetaMind, MinHash, Mobify, Mobify (UK) Limited, Mobify Research and Development Inc., Model Metrics, MuleSoft, MuleSoft Germany GmbH in liquidation, MuleSoft Hong Kong Limited, MuleSoft Singapore HoldCo Pte. Ltd. (in liquidation), MuleSoft Singapore Pte. Ltd. (in liquidation), Navajo Systems, Optimizer HoldCo S.a.r.l., Optimizer TopCo S.a.r.l., PredictionIO, Prior Knowledge, Quip, REBEL, Relate iq, Rypple, SFDC Australia Pty. Ltd., SFDC Australia Pty. Ltd. New Zealand Branch, SFDC Austria GmbH, SFDC EMEA Data Centre Limited, SFDC France Data Centre Sarl, SFDC Germany Data Centre GmbH, SFDC International Holding B.V., SFDC International Unlimited Company, SFDC Ireland Limited, SFDC Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., SFDC Netherlands B.V., SFDC Netherlands B.V. Belgium Branch, SFDC Norway AS, SFDC Portugal Unipessoal LDA, SFDC Sweden AB, SFDC Sweden AB Suomen sivuliike, SFDO Ireland Limited, Salesforce Argentina S.R.L., Salesforce Buddy Media, Salesforce GFO Sarl, Salesforce Maps, Salesforce Radian6, Salesforce Technologies Morocco, Salesforce Tecnologia Ltda., Salesforce UK Limited, Salesforce Worldwide Holdings Limited, Salesforce.com (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Salesforce.com Danmark filial af SFDC Sweden AB, Salesforce.com India Private Limited Gurgaon Branch, Salesforce.com Korea Limited, Salesforce.org Canada ULC, Salesforce.org EMEA Limited, Salesforce.org Germany GmbH, Salesforce.org Switzerland Sarl en liquidation, Sendia, Sequence, Sitemasher, Slack Technologies Inc, SteelBrick, Stypi, Tableau (China) Co. Ltd. Beijing Branch, Tableau (China) Co. Ltd. Guangzhou Branch, Tableau Holdings Unlimited Company, Tableau Hong Kong Company Limited, Tableau International Unlimited Company, Tableau Korea Limited Company, Tableau Netherlands B.V., Tableau Software, Tableau Software India Pvt. Ltd., Tableau Sweden AB, Tempo AI, The CMO Club, Tomax India Software Private Limited, Toopher, Twin Prime, Vlocity, Vlocity AR SRL, Vlocity Aplicativos em Nuvem Brasil Ltda., Vlocity Australia Pty Ltd, Vlocity Cloud Applications India Private Limited, Vlocity Cloud Applications Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Vlocity Cloud Applications Spain SLU, Vlocity Cloud Computing Israel Ltd., Vlocity Germany GmbH, Vlocity Italia - Milan Branch, Vlocity Japan K.K., Vlocity Netherlands BV, Vlocity SAAS Software Canada Inc., Vlocity Singapore Pte. Ltd., Vlocity Sweden AB, Vlocity UK Limited, YOUR SL, gravitytank, salesforce Systems Spain S.L., salesforce.com Canada Corporation, salesforce.com France S.A.S., salesforce.com Germany GmbH, salesforce.com Hong Kong Limited, salesforce.com India Private Limited, salesforce.com India Private Limited Bengaluru Branch, salesforce.com India Private Limited Hyderabad Branch, salesforce.com India Private Limited Mumbai Branch, salesforce.com Information Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., salesforce.com Information Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. Beijing Branch, salesforce.com Israel Ltd., salesforce.com Italy S.r.l., salesforce.com Singapore Pte. Ltd., salesforce.com Taiwan Limited, and salesforce.com sarl. Summerset Group Holdings Limited, together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated retirement villages in New Zealand. It provides independent living, care centers with rest home, and hospital-level care and memory care centers, as well as rest home care, and respite and short-term care services. The company also owns land for development of retirement villages in Australia It develops and operates 32 retirement villages for approximately 6,200 residents. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. Summerset Group Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of New Zealand Central Securities Depository Limited. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Tesco: Adminstore Limited, Adsega Limited, Alfred Preedy & Sons (Trustees) Limited, Alfred Preedy & Sons Limited, Anthony Heagney Limited, Arena (Jersey) Management Limited, Armitage Finance Unlimited, Armitage Luxembourg s.? r.l., BLT Holdings 2010 Limited, Bath Upper Bristol Road Management, Bedminster Estates Limited, Beehythe Estates limited, Berry Lane Management Company Limited, Blinkbox Books Limited, BlinxBox, Booker Group, Brian Fords Discount Store Limited, Broadfields Management Limited, Brookmaker (GP) Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 1 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 2 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 3 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 4 Limited, Buckingham Road (Bletchley) Management Company Limited, Bugden Ltd, Buttoncable Limited, Buttoncase Limited, Canterbury Road Management Limited, Cardiff Cathays Terrace Management Company Limited, Careneed News Limited, Cheshunt Finance Unlimited, Cheshunt Holdings Guernsey Limited, Cheshunt Hungary Servicing Limited Liability Company, Cheshunt Luxembourg S.? r.l., Cheshunt Overseas LLP, China Property Holdings (HK) Limited, Chirac Limited, Cirrus Finance (2009) Limited, Cirrus Finance Limited, Cirrus Luxembourg s.? r.l., Clarepharm Limited, Clondalkin Properties Limited, Comar Limited, Commercial Investments Limited, Crazy Prices, Crest Ostrava a.s, Cullens Holdings Limited, Cullens Stores Limited, Daily Wrap Produce Limited, Day And Nite Stores Limited, Delamare Cards Holdco Limited, Delamare Cards MTN Issuer plc, Delamare Finance PLC, Delamare Group Holdings Limited, Delamare Holdings BV Netherlands, Delamare Luxembourg s.? r.l. Luxembourg, Delamare One Limited, Dunnhumby Ventures LLC, ELH Insurance Limited, Edinburgh Butterfly Farm Limited, Edson Investments Limited, Edson Properties Limited, Ek-Chai Distribution System Co. Ltd., Euphorium (London) Limited, Euphorium (North London) Limited, Euphorium Group Limited, Euphorium IP Limited, Europa Foods Limited, Faraday Properties Limited, Flitwick Pharmacies Limited, Food & Wine Lovers Limited, Forum Liberec s.r.o, Freds Food Construction Limited, Freehold and Leasehold Property Fund, Gain Land Limited, Genesis sp. z o.o., Gibbs News Limited, Gibbs Newsagents Limited, Gida Sanayi A.S., Giraffe, Giraffe Cafe Limited, Giraffe Concepts Limited, Golden Island Management Services Limited, HIT hypermarket Sp. z o. o., Halesworth SPV Limited, Harris and Hoole Holdings Limited, Harris and Hoole Limited, Harris and Hoole Nominees Limited, Homeplus, Hymall Co. Ltd., J E Properties Holdings Limited, Jasper Sp. z o. o. Poland, KSS Retail Limited, Kabaty Investments Tesco (Polska) Sp. z o. o. Sp.k, Kingsway Fresh Foods Ltd, Koxka Hungary Refrigeration LLC, Launchgrain Limited, Launchtable Limited, Laws Stores Limited, Lazada Group S.A., Lee (Southern) Limited, Lek?ren? Tesco Bansk? Bystrica k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Dunajsk? Streda k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Ko?ice k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Lama k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Nitra k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Petr?alka k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Pie?tany k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Pre?ov Vukov k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Senec k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Spi?sk? Nov? Ves k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Trenc??n s.r.o. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Zlat? Piesky k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Zvolen k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Linebush III Holdings Limited, Linebush III Limited, Linebush IV Limited, Linebush Limited, Linebush V Limited, London and Home Counties Superstores Limited, Lowfoods Limited, M & W Limited, Merrion Shopping Centre Ltd, Mills (East Midlands) Limited, Mills (West Midlands) Limited, Mills Group Holdings Limited, Mills Group Limited, Mobcast Services, Monread Developments Limited, Morgam Holdings Limited, Morgam News Limited, Motorcause Limited, NPL (Hardgate) Limited, Nabola Development Limited, NutriCentre Limited, OC FORUM Liberec Ltd., Oakwood Distribution Limited, Obchodn? dom Bratislava s.ro, Obchodn? dom Ko?ice s.ro., Obchodn? dom Nitra s.ro., Obchodn? dom Pre?ov s.ro., Old FEHC Inc., Old FEPC LLC, One Stop Community Stores Ltd, One Stop Convenience Stores Limited, One Stop Stores Limited, One Stop Stores Trustee Services Limited, Orpingford, Orpington (Station Road) Limited, Oxford Fox and Hounds Management Company Limited, PEJ Property Developments Limited, Paper Chain (East Anglia) Limited, Pharaway Properties Limited, Power Supermarkets Limited, Premier Garage (Worthing) Limited, Pulford Foods Limited, R.J.D. Holdings, Retail Property Co. Ltd, S Bottomley & Bros Limited, Sanders Supermarkets Limited, Sandtable Limited, Sarcon (No. 239) Limited, Seacroft Green Nominee 1 Limited, Seacroft Green Nominee 2 Limited, Shire Park Limited, Shuke Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Snowman Retail 1 Limited, Snowman Retail 2 Limited, Sociomantic AB, Sociomantic Labs B.V, Sociomantic Labs Inc, Sociomantic Labs Internet Hizmetleri Limited ?ireketi, Sociomantic Labs LLC, Sociomantic Labs Limited, Sociomantic Labs Private Limited, Sociomantic Labs Pte Ltd, Sociomantic Labs S.r.l, Sociomantic Labs SARL, Sociomantic Labs Servicos Web Ltda, Sociomantic Labs Sp.z.o.o., Sociomantic Labs s.r.o., Sociomantic S.L.U., Sociomantic labs GmbH, Spen Hill Developments (Holdings) Ltd, Spen Hill Developments (Portishead) Ltd, Spen Hill Developments (Tonbridge) Limited, Spen Hill Developments Limited, Spen Hill Management Limited, Spen Hill Properties (Holdings) plc, Spen Hill Properties (Southend) Limited, Spen Hill Regeneration Limited, Spen Hill Residential No 1 Limited, Spen Hill Residential No 2 Limited, Station House Welling Management Limited, Statusfloat Limited, Stewarts Supermarkets Limited, Streatham Management Company Limited, T & S Management Services Limited, T & S Properties Limited, T & S Stores Limited, TESCO (POLSKA) sp. z o.o., TESCO Akad?mia K?pz?si ?s Fejleszt?si Kor?tolt Felelss?g T?rsas?g, TESCO MOBILE POLSKA SP. Z O.O., TESCO STORES SR a.s., Tapesilver Limited, Teesport (GP) Limited, Teesport (Nominee) Limited, Telegraph Properties (Kirkby) Limited, Tesco (Foxtrot 1) Limited, Tesco (Foxtrot 2) Limited, Tesco (Fujian) Industry Limited, Tesco (Jersey) Limited, Tesco (Overseas) Ltd, Tesco (Yorkshire) Limited, Tesco Aqua (1LP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (3LP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (FinCo1) Limited, Tesco Aqua (FinCo2) Limited, Tesco Aqua (GP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Atrato (1LP) Limited, Tesco Atrato (GP) Limited, Tesco Barbers Wood Limited, Tesco Bengaluru Private Limited, Tesco Blue (1LP) Limited, Tesco Blue (FinCo2) Limited, Tesco Blue (GP) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Capital No. 1 Limited, Tesco Capital No. 2 Limited, Tesco Card Services Limited, Tesco Card Services Limited, Tesco Card Services Ltd., Tesco Chile Sourcing Limitada, Tesco Coral (GP) Limited, Tesco Corporate Treasury Services PLC, Tesco Depot Propco Limited, Tesco Distribution Holdings Limited, Tesco Distribution Limited, Tesco Dorney (1LP) Limited, Tesco Dorney (GP) Limited, Tesco Dystrybucja Sp. z.o.o., Tesco EU IT Services s.r.o., Tesco Employees Share Scheme Trustees Limited, Tesco Estates Limited, Tesco Europe B.V. Netherlands, Tesco Family Dining Limited, Tesco Food Sourcing Brazil Representa??o De Servi?os Ltda., Tesco Food Sourcing Limited, Tesco Foundation (Nadacia Tesco), Tesco Freetime Limited, Tesco Fuchsia (1LP) Limited, Tesco Fuel Limited, Tesco Global Employment Company Limited, Tesco Guangdong (HK) Co. Limited, Tesco High Beech Limited, Tesco Holdings BV, Tesco Holdings Limited, Tesco Home Shopping Limited, Tesco Hungary (Holdings) Limited, Tesco International Franchising s.r.o., Tesco International Internet Retailing Limited, Tesco International Services Limited, Tesco International Sourcing Limited, Tesco Ireland Holdings Limited, Tesco Ireland Limited, Tesco Ireland Pension Trustees Limited, Tesco Jade (GP) Limited, Tesco Joint Buying Service (Shanghai) Co Limited, Tesco Kipa Kitle Pazarlama Ticaret Lojistik ve, Tesco Kirkby (General Partner) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (LP) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Unitholder 1) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Unitholder2) Limited, Tesco Lagoon GP Limited, Tesco Licences Limited, Tesco Lotus Retail Growth, Tesco Lotus Retail Growth Freehold and Leasehold Property Fund, Tesco Maintenance Limited, Tesco Mauritius Holdings Limited, Tesco Mobile (Thailand) Co. 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Limited, Tesco Navona (1LP) Limited, Tesco Navona (GP) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Navona PL Propco Limited, Tesco Opticians Limited, Tesco Overseas (Holdings) Limited, Tesco Overseas Investments Limited, Tesco Overseas ULC, Tesco Passaic (1LP) Limited, Tesco Passaic (GP) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Passaic PL Propco Limited, Tesco Pension (Jade) Limited, Tesco Pension Investment Limited, Tesco Pension Trustees Limited, Tesco Personal Finance, Tesco Personal Finance Compare Limited, Tesco Personal Finance Group Limited, Tesco Property (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) (No.2) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) Limited, Tesco Property A.S., Tesco Property Finance 1 Holdco Limited, Tesco Property Finance 1 PLC, Tesco Property Holdings (No. 2) Limited, Tesco Property Holdings Limited, Tesco Property Limited, Tesco Property Nominees (No.5) Limited, Tesco Property Nominees (No.6) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (GP No.2) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (GP) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (No.2) Limited, Tesco Red (1LP) Limited, Tesco Red (GP) Limited, Tesco Red (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Red (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Sarum (1LP) Limited, Tesco Sarum (GP) Limited, Tesco Seacroft Limited, Tesco Secretaries Limited, Tesco Services Limited, Tesco Sourcing India Private Limited, Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Tesco Stores (Thailand) Ltd, Tesco Stores CR a.s., Tesco Stores Limited, Tesco Technology Services HK Limited, Tesco Treasury Services PLC, Tesco Trustee Company of Ireland Limited, Tesco Underwriting Limited, Tesco Vin Plus SA, Tesco Worldwide Limited, Tesco for Thais Foundation, Tesco-Global Stores Privately Held Co. Ltd, Tesco.Com Limited, The Brookmaker Limited Partnership, The Teesport Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Aqua Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Atrato Limited Partnership, The Tesco Blue Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Coral Limited Partnership, The Tesco Dorney Limited Partnership, The Tesco Kirkby Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Navona Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Passaic Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Property (No.2) Limited Partnership, The Tesco Red Limited Partnership, The Tesco Sarum Limited Partnership, Trent Hypermarket Private Limited, Trigger Retail Ltd, Valiant Insurance Company DAC, Value House Properties Limited, Variable Preference, Ventnor High Street Management Company Limited, Verulam Properties (2001) Limited, Verulam Properties Limited, Victoria BB Sp z.o.o., WE7, WSC Properties Limited, Wanze Properties (Dundalk) Limited, Weymouth Avenue (Dorchester) Limited, Whitecastle Properties Limited, Wm. 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The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Dominion Energy: 96WI 8me LLC, Alamo Solar LLC, Align RNG Arizona LLC, Align RNG Arizona-Snowflake LLC, Align RNG California LLC, Align RNG California-Corcoran LLC, Align RNG Grady Road LLC, Align RNG LLC, Align RNG Magnolia LLC, Align RNG North Carolina LLC, Align RNG North Carolina-Bowdens LLC, Align RNG Utah LLC, Align RNG Utah-Milford LLC, Align RNG Virginia LLC, Align RNG Virginia-Waverly LLC, Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Azalea Solar LLC, BOE Holdings Inc., Blackville Solar Farm LLC, Blue Ocean Energy Marine LLC, BrightSuite Home LLC, BrightSuite Inc., BrightSuite Solar CT Inc., BrightSuite Solar SC Inc., BrightSuite Solar VA Inc., Buckingham Solar I LLC, CEA Americus LLC, CEA CO-Fort Morgan LLC, CEA Clovis LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Colorado LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Georgia LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Idaho LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Nevada LLC, CEA Dairy RNG New Mexico LLC, CEA Dairy RNG Texas LLC, CEA Greely LLC, CEA Mason LLC, CEA TX-Dimmitt LLC, CID Solar LLC, CNG Coal Company, CNG Power Services Corporation, Carolina Gas Transmission Corporation, Catalina Solar 2 LLC, Clean Energy Asset USA LLC, Clean Energy Enterprises Inc., Clipperton Holdings LLC, Consolidated Natural Gas Company, Correctional Solar LLC, Cottonwood Solar LLC, Cove Point LNG LP, Cove Point LNG Limited, DE Arlington Solar LLC, DE Fluvanna Solar LLC, DE Hanover Solar LLC, DE Henrico Solar LLC, DE King William Solar LLC, DE Louisa Solar LLC, DE Newport News Solar LLC, DE Powhatan Solar LLC, DE Virginia Beach Solar LLC, DECP Holdings Inc., Dairy RNG Holdings LLC, Dairy RNG NY LLC, Dairy RNG NY-Curtin LLC, Dairy RNG OH LLC, Denmark Solar LLC, Dominion ACP Holding Inc., Dominion Alternative Energy Holdings Inc., Dominion Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC, Dominion Capital Inc., Dominion Cogen WV Inc., Dominion Energy Fuel Services Inc., Dominion Energy Gas Distribution LLC, Dominion Energy Generation Marketing Inc., Dominion Energy Inc., Dominion Energy Kewaunee Inc., Dominion Energy Marketplace LLC, Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut Inc., Dominion Energy Overthrust Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Payroll Company Inc., Dominion Energy Questar Corporation, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline LLC, Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline Services Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings II Inc., Dominion Energy RNG Holdings Inc., Dominion Energy Services Inc., Dominion Energy Solar CA LLC, Dominion Energy Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc., Dominion Energy Southeast Services Inc., Dominion Energy Technical Solutions Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies II Inc., Dominion Energy Technologies Inc., Dominion Energy Terminal Company Inc., Dominion Energy Wexpro Services Company, Dominion Equipment III Inc., Dominion Equipment Inc., Dominion Fairless Hills Inc., Dominion Fowler Ridge Wind LLC, Dominion Gas Projects Company LLC, Dominion Generation Inc., Dominion Greenbrier Inc., Dominion High Voltage Holdings Inc., Dominion High Voltage MidAtlantic Inc., Dominion Investments Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline Holdings Inc., Dominion Keystone Pipeline LLC, Dominion MLP Holding Company III Inc., Dominion Mt. Storm Wind LLC, Dominion Nuclear Projects Inc., Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration & Production Inc., Dominion Person Inc., Dominion Privatization Florida LLC, Dominion Privatization Georgia LLC, Dominion Privatization Holdings Inc., Dominion Privatization Kentucky LLC, Dominion Privatization Maryland LLC, Dominion Privatization Pennsylvania LLC, Dominion Privatization South Carolina LLC, Dominion Privatization Texas LLC, Dominion Privatization Virginia LLC, Dominion Products and Services Inc., Dominion Projects Services Inc., Dominion Resources Capital Trust III, Dominion Retail Gas Holdings Inc., Dominion Solar Construction and Maintenance LLC, Dominion Solar Gen-Tie LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings I LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings II LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings III LLC, Dominion Solar Holdings IV LLC, Dominion Solar Projects A Inc., Dominion Solar Projects B Inc., Dominion Solar Projects C Inc., Dominion Solar Projects D Inc., Dominion Solar Projects I Inc., Dominion Solar Projects II Inc., Dominion Solar Projects III Inc., Dominion Solar Projects IV Inc., Dominion Solar Projects V Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VI Inc., Dominion Solar Projects VII Inc., Dominion Solar Services Inc., Dominion State Line LLC, Dominion Voltage Inc., Dominion Wholesale Inc., Dominion Wind Development LLC, Dominion Wind Projects Inc., ESCT-SA-Suffield LLC, Eagle Holdco Solar LLC, Eagle Solar LLC, Eastern Shore Solar LLC, Enterprise Solar LLC, Escalante Solar I LLC, Escalante Solar II LLC, Escalante Solar III LLC, Four Brothers Solar LLC, Fremont Farm LLC, Granite Mountain Holdings LLC, Granite Mountain Solar East LLC, Granite Mountain Solar West LLC, Greenbrier Marketing Company LLC, Greenbrier Pipeline Company LLC, Greensville County Solar Project LLC, Hardin Solar Energy LLC, Hecate Energy Cherrydale LLC, Hecate Energy Clarke County LLC, Hope Gas Inc., Imperial Valley Solar Company (IVSC) 2 LLC, Indy Solar Development LLC, Indy Solar I LLC, Indy Solar II LLC, Indy Solar III LLC, Innovative Solar 37 LLC, Iron Springs Holdings LLC, Iron Springs Solar LLC, Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas, Maricopa West Solar PV LLC, Moffett Solar 1 LLC, Moorings Farm 2 LLC, Mulberry Farm LLC, Mustang Solar LLC, PSNC Blue Ridge Corporation, PSNC Cardinal Pipeline Company, Pavant Solar LLC, Phone House, Pikeville Farm LLC, Prairie Fork Wind Farm LLC, Public Service Company of North Carolina Incorporated, QPC Holding Company LLC, Questar Corporation, Questar Energy Services Inc., Questar Field Services LLC, Questar Gas Company, Questar InfoComm Inc., Questar Southern Trails Pipeline Company, Questar White River Hub LLC, RE Adams East LLC, RE Camelot LLC, RE Columbia Two LLC, RE Kansas LLC, RE Kent South LLC, RE Old River One LLC, Richland Solar Center LLC, Ridgeland Solar Farm I LLC, SBL Holdco LLC, SCANA, SCANA Communications Holdings Inc., SCANA Corporate Security Services Inc., SCANA Energy Marketing LLC, SCANA Pharmacy LLC, SRFI LLC, Scana Corporation, Scott-II Solar LLC, Seabrook Solar LLC, Selmer Farm LLC, Siler Solar LLC, Sol Madison Solar LLC, Somers Solar Center LLC, South Carolina Fuel Company Inc., South Carolina Generating Company Inc., Southampton Solar LLC, Summit Farms Solar LLC, Sussex Drive Solar Project LLC, TA - Acacia LLC, TWE Myrtle Solar Project LLC, The East Ohio Gas Company, Trask East Solar LLC, Tredegar Solar Fund I LLC, VP Property Inc., Virginia Electric And Power Company, Virginia Power Fuel Corporation, Virginia Power Nuclear Services Company, Virginia Power Services Energy Corp. Inc., Virginia Power Services LLC, Virginia Solar 201 Projects LLC, Wakefield Solar LLC, Wexpro Company, Wexpro Development Company, Wexpro II Company, Wilkinson Solar LLC, Wrangler Retail Gas Holdings LLC, and Yemassee Solar LLC. UTICA, N.Y. -- The conditions at the Olbiston Apartments have not been great for years. And now Joe Marino, the Utica Common Council member running for mayor, says something should have been done before this past month to help ensure the safety of residents. A letter was written by Robert Hines, a local architect, and he was by Councilman Marinos side Thursday afternoon. He says the Municipal Housing Authority came to him in early 2017. "They wanted me to go through the building and advise them if it was structurally sound, met code, what the problems were they could use that with their appraisal to make an offer to the person on the building," Hines said. "What essentially happened was, Mayor Palmieri reached out to us and indicated that he had concerns with regards to safety and welfare of the residents of Olbiston, and whether or not we as a Municipal Housing Authority would have any interest in acquiring ownership from what he viewed as I have time to land," Bob Calli, the MHA executive director. The Municipal Housing Authority then tried to acquire the property from the owner, but those negotiations fell apart later in 2017. "We got an appraisal, weve had ongoing dialogue and meetings with the owner unfortunately we just couldnt find a common value that and that what he wanted and what we felt was fair and reasonable based on this appraisal," said Calli. Then in January of 2018, architect, Robert Hines, sent his summation of his findings to Mayor Palmieri. "Two days ago I found out that this report existed and that the city had it. It was tucked in a drawer hidden away, and that even now is till today it is just come out because me bringing it to you, said Marino. Another mistruth, another lie, and thats all he does is create lies," said Palmieri. Mayor Robert Palmieri says he turned the letter over to the city's corporation counsel immediately. "There is a procedure that you have to go through and weve gone through the procedure, we went through the city courts with a notice of order, after we didnt get complaints from that we went to supreme Court and thats where we are, we have worked on this as diligently as we can with the best interest of the public safety and the residents of the area but we cant supersede the courts," said Palmieri. Last month a court order, ordered the owner to pay to move tenants on the fourth and fifth floors to lower floors in the building. And now a new order we found out Thursday is in place, ordering the owner to have the entire roof repaired by November of this year. ROME, N.Y. -- Friday marks the 170th anniversary of the Rome Chamber of Commerce, and they took the time to honor Rome businesses and not-for-profits that have stood out in the community. King Pin Lanes won the business of the year. Varflex Corporation was recognized for their 95th year in business. The Genesis Group took home the nonprofit of the year award, and Dennis Surrace was honored for 50 years in the banking industry. I grew up here. I went to school here. I went to college in D.C., but I came right back to Rome, and since growing up and going through school and seeing the post-Griffiss phase, and then to now where Griffiss is absolutely booming. And everyone else is kind of coming up with it is a really exciting time, said Wes Cupp, the Rome Chamber of Commerce chairman. Colonel Tim Lawrence from the Air Force Research Laboratory left the crowd with a few inspiring stories, and a realization of how Rome is being recognized for their work not only nationally, but worldwide. POLAND, N.Y. -- A fire in Poland, a month ago Friday, would have gone far worse than it was were it not for the quick response by the Poland Volunteer Fire Department after a fire broke out in the basement of the school. The firefighters that responded attended an assembly at the school and received a standing ovation. The school reopened on May 20 after being closed for several days due to smoke damage. Principal Greg Cuthberson said getting the school back open was a true test of adversity and challenged the school community to pull together for the greater good of all the students and staff at Poland. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. In the days and weeks after 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez went missing in Chicago, frustrated relatives turned to religious leaders and community activists to help find the expectant mother. Ochoa-Lopez's husband and her father told activists they did not feel police were doing enough to search for the young Mexican immigrant. She'd vanished April 23 after leaving Latino Youth High School to pick up her 3-year-old at day care. "I believe we weren't taken seriously because we're undocumented," her widower, Yovani Lopez, told CNN. Though officials stand by how they conducted the case, points of concern raised by Ochoa-Lopez's loved ones -- from the initial police investigation to protocols at the hospital where her baby remains on life support -- reflect the way authorities sometimes treat crime victims who are undocumented or impoverished, said community leaders helping Ochoa-Lopez's family and immigrant rights activists, who also confirmed her immigration status. Justice Department investigators in 2017 described as "striking" the consistency with which residents of Chicago's "challenged communities ... expressed concern about the lack of respect in their interactions with police, whether those interactions come when they are targets of police activity or when they or their family members are the victims of crime." Latino residents also noted a sense of "guilt by association." "This may not be how CPD intends policing to be conducted or perceived in these neighborhoods, but these experiences impact individual dignity and residents' willingness to work with law enforcement, and should not be ignored," noted the report by DOJ's Civil Rights Division, which helped form the basis of a federal consent decree that's guiding efforts to change police use-of-force and impartial policing practices. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson repeatedly has defended how his detectives dealt with the Ochoa-Lopez case, an extraordinary and shocking one that began with a report of a missing woman. Investigations like this one, he's said, don't often include the kind of dramatic revelations and gotcha moments seen on TV. "Remember, this is real life," he said. "This isn't '48 Hours.' It doesn't work like that. It takes time." Chicago police are also inundated with serious crimes, including gang violence and hundreds of homicides a year, said Maria "Maki" Haberfeld, a professor of police science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. That may have played a role in their decision-making, she said, adding that it does not appear the law enforcement response in this case was related to the family's immigration status. "Unless there is something very tangible, police forces like Chicago that are overwhelmed ... tend to react in a slower mode," Haberfeld said, "especially when it comes to domestic situations when a husband or wife disappears. It takes time before the machine kicks in a higher responsive mode because it happens on a daily basis, and very frequently it has nothing to do with serious crime but rather some sort of disagreement within the household." As days dragged on after Ochoa-Lopez vanished, police repeatedly questioned Lopez about his wife's whereabouts and made him take a lie detector test, he recalled. Meantime, activists organized search parties, plastered missing-person fliers around the city's West Side and gathered anonymous tips. "This illustrates how important it is, if we're going to protect victims and fight crime in our communities, for state and local law enforcement to build relationships with immigrants and limited-English-proficient communities and to take these cases seriously, just like they do any other case," said Leslye E. Orloff, director of the National Immigrant Women's Advocacy Project at American University Washington College of Law. Indeed, not long after members of Ochoa-Lopez's community turned over their tips to police, the case's big break emerged. Police superintendent: Investigators 'worked tirelessly' The break came May 7, when a friend of Ochoa-Lopez told detectives about the victim's Facebook exchanges with Clarisa Figueroa, 46, who now faces murder charges in the case; her 24-year-old daughter, Desiree, and another suspect also face charges, police said. Before police learned that the victim had gone to Figueroa's home the day she disappeared, they'd seemed to doubt that a random crime had been committed, said activists who helped Ochoa-Lopez's relatives spread the word of her disappearance. "They were downplaying the case because they had doubts about it," said Julie Contreras of the Latino civil rights organization League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC. "They were stereotyping the husband as a suspect and using stereotypes like, 'We think she ran off with a boyfriend.' It was just disgusting." Yovani Lopez was never publicly identified by police as a suspect. Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi last week defended investigators and seemed to expect official scrutiny of the department's actions. "We will ensure that any complaint filed against the department is investigated independently and thoroughly," he said. Guglielmi also acknowledged the "immense grief and suffering" of the victim's family, though police officials did not respond when CNN asked whether the case was treated differently because of the family's immigration status. Detectives "worked tirelessly, following up on leads, interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence" in the search for Ochoa-Lopez, Johnson said. "There's going to be anger associated," the superintendent told reporters. "When things of this nature occur, the first thing people do is look, in retrospect, what could we have done to maybe prevent this? I know our detectives do the best they can." 'We have to get the community involved' Police learned through a tip that Figueroa had visited a Facebook page that helps families in need obtain baby items in order to lure Ochoa-Lopez to her home, said James Murphy, an assistant state's attorney. Figueroa offered the young mother clothes for the baby she was expecting in early May. On the page, Figueroa had pretended she was expecting a child herself. When Ochoa-Lopez visited the home on April 23, Figueroa's daughter, Desiree, distracted the teen as her mother wrapped a cable around Ochoa-Lopez's neck, Murphy said. Desiree peeled the victim's fingers from the under the cable before her mother strangled the young woman to death, he said. The elder Figueroa then cut the baby from Ochoa-Lopez's womb, Murphy said. She later called 911 and said she'd just delivered a baby that wasn't breathing. The woman and infant were hospitalized at Advocate Christ Medical Center, though Figueroa showed no signs that might have suggested she had just given birth, according to the prosecutor. Ochoa-Lopez's husband reported her missing on April 24, police said. "I told them the truth the whole time," Lopez said of the police. "We had the problems that all couples have, but there were no big arguments or fights that would cause her to leave. I felt they were against me because I'm Mexican and undocumented." Members of Ochoa-Lopez's family did not meet with detectives until nearly two weeks after she vanished, said Emma Lozano, pastor of Lincoln United Methodist Church. Lozano attended the meeting, which she said grew tense when some residents began chanting, "We want Marlen!" in Spanish. Officers surrounded the residents and threatened to arrest them, according to Lozano, who calmed the situation by urging people to stop chanting. Chicago police did not respond to a request for comment about this claim. After the meeting, the pastor did not harbor hope about the official search for Ochoa-Lopez, she said. "This is not going to go well for us," she said. "We have to get the community involved." Detective: 'I understand the anger the family is going through' On May 4, activists took to the streets of the West Side, handing out fliers with Ochoa-Lopez's photo and a number to call with anonymous tips, Lozano said. The next day, they organized a search party. "We knocked on doors, looked in dumpsters, went into abandoned homes," said Cecilia Garcia, a student pastor. "Some detectives said our search as a community was a waste of time," said Jacobita Cortes, a pastor at Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church. "They would say, 'Marlen is very young, and she must have run off with someone or is staying with a girlfriend,'" Cortes said. "We told them, 'That can't be. She's about to give birth, and she has another child, and she's a good mother.'" Chicago police did not respond to CNN's request for comment about Cortes' remarks. Ochoa-Lopez's relatives and the activists believe police initially failed to dedicate enough attention to the disappearance because of the family's immigrant background, they said. Then, as the community effort ramped up -- and Spanish-speaking police officers or interpreters were rarely available -- the activists became the main conduits to detectives, they said. "We were doing to the investigation," Lozano said. Her daughter, Sara Walker, a student pastor, added, "The police were not moving with any sense of urgency." Indeed, a translator was assigned to the case at all times, Brendan Deenihan, deputy chief of detectives, told reporters. Detectives were in contact with the missing woman's family and friends from April 25 to May 7, trying to locate her and her car, he said. "I understand the anger the family is going through," Deenihan said. Investigators meet with reticent residents Soon, local residents began calling in anonymous tips to the numbers provided on the fliers the activists distributed. Lozano fielded many of the calls. One anonymous caller said Ochoa-Lopez had entered the one-story brick house on the city's Southwest Side the day she disappeared, Lozano and Walker said. Ochoa-Lopez's car was later found near that home, where Figueroa lived. Her body was found in a garbage can behind the home on May 14. Another caller said a middle-aged woman in the home had run out onto the street, claiming she had given birth but her baby was not breathing. The tipster said the woman did not previously appear to be pregnant. The activists gave officers their leads, many from callers who were undocumented and afraid to contact the police directly, Lozano said. Sill, police "said they were doing everything they could and following up leads," Lozano recalled one sergeant telling her. "I said, 'What leads do you have?' And she read back to me the leads that I had called in. I said, 'How about her phone records?' Marlen's phone was still being used after she disappeared. They said, 'You can't do that. You have to get warrants, and all this takes time.'" Contreras, of LULAC, arranged a meeting in the basement of a home between detectives and about nine residents who were reluctant to talk to the police because of their immigration status, she said. Immigration advocates have said the Trump administration's hardline enforcement has heightened undocumented immigrants' reluctance to work with law enforcement. But Chicago is a so-called sanctuary city, a broad term applied to jurisdictions with policies that limit police cooperation with or involvement in federal immigration enforcement actions. Cities, counties and some states have a range of informal policies and laws to this effect. "I gave each resident a lecture and spoke with each one to say, 'Today, it was Marlen's family, and tomorrow it could be your family, and imagine if somebody said they didn't want to help," she said. Relatives want to know if rules were skirted On May 7, armed with the tip about Ochoa-Lopez's Facebook exchanges with Figueroa, detectives visited the defendant's home. The lead was the product of Contreras and Lozano's community outreach, they said. A police spokesman did not respond to a request for comment about this. Desiree Figueroa told detectives her mother was in the hospital for problems with her legs. Then, she revealed that her mother had just delivered a baby, police said. When detectives interviewed the elder Figueroa at the hospital, where she had been admitted after claiming to have given birth, she denied Ochoa-Lopez came to her house April 23 but admitted to meeting her in the past, police said. Suspicious, officers spent the next several days securing subpoenas for hospital records and collecting DNA samples from the baby and Figueroa. They discovered she was not the child's biological mother; the tests showed Lopez was the father. Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa were charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery of a child younger than 13 years old. Clarisa Figueroa's boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, 40, has been charged with concealing the death of a person and concealing a homicidal death; all were still being held last week without bond, and it wasn't clear whether they had attorneys. A medical examiner determined Ochoa-Lopez died of strangulation. Illinois law requires that physicians and other hospital personnel who suspect child neglect or abuse report their suspicions. Lopez and the activists want to know whether the hospital followed protocols, they told CNN. The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating Advocate Christ Medical Center, spokeswoman Melaney Arnold confirmed this week. She declined to provide additional information, citing an ongoing probe. A hospital spokesman told CNN this week he could not comment on the case. The state Department of Children and Family Services was not contacted by the hospital until May 9, one day after police found Ochoa-Lopez's car, agency spokesman Jassen Strokosch told CNN. Hospitals are mandated to report to DCFS under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act if there is concern about a child, he said. The Cook County Sheriff's Office "will consult with DCFS on whether the circumstances of this case required DCFS be notified," the agency said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WGN. "If DCFS says they should have been notified, the sheriff's office will conduct an investigation into what happened." 'The city of Chicago needs to awaken itself' Ochoa-Lopez's baby boy remains in intensive care at the hospital, listed in grave condition and fighting for his life. He is surrounded most of the day by his father, grandparents and other relatives who traveled from Mexico on humanitarian parole for his mother's funeral. Meanwhile, Contreras is drafting a public information request for the Chicago Police Department, citing the community's complaints about the case and demanding all records on the availability of Spanish-speaking officers and interpreters, as well as other policies, training, operations and procedures related to contacts with the Latino community, she said. LULAC plans to file a formal complaint after a reviewing of the records, she said. As loved ones gathered Saturday for Ochoa-Lopez's funeral, they vowed something more: a bill, dubbed Marlen's Law, that would aim to require "any individual who enters a hospital ... to provide identity through ID and DNA to prove (their identity), if they come in with an infant they say is born in their home," Contreras said. "She is the daughter of our pueblo," the activist said, "and she will be etched forever in the laws." Addressing the mourners, Contreras, her volume rising, also nodded to the treatment she and others have said they felt the case got from the authorities. "And the city of Chicago needs to awaken itself," she said. "If there is a place where you are not respected because of your accent, instead of your intelligence, don't accept it. "Marlen is the example of that. Do not accept it," Contreras said. "She is the seed in the middle of this tragedy that will create miracles." EgyptAir is set to receive its third Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Saturday, as part of a $6 billion plan to upgrade its fleet. According to Egypt's official news agency MENA, Boeing welcomed a delegation from EgyptAir to Seattle earlier this week to finalise procedures related to receiving the new plane, ahead of its journey to Cairo. The aircraft is part of a $6 billion upgrade plan by the national carrier which will see it buy 45 new planes from different companies, in what Egyptair described as the biggest-ever deal made by the company. The deal includes buying six new Dreamliners, the first two of which arrived this spring. The 290-seat plane is expected to be used to operate flights to Shanghai, Tokyo, New York and Bangkok. Boeing says this model offers exceptional fuel efficiency and a faster cruise speed. Search Keywords: Short link: WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Data shows Purdue University's groundbreaking income share agreement program is seeing steady growth. The university has gained national attention since 2016 for a way it's trying to stop the student loan crisis. Now, Purdue President Mitch Daniels says for Back a Boiler to have continued success, more schools need to buy in. The Federal Reserve reports about 45 million Americans have student loan debt, and 2017 Purdue graduate Charlotte Herbert is one of them. "It is unreasonable for anyone to carry this much debt at the beginning of their career," Herbert said. She is among 850 students who currently have contracts with Purdue's income share agreement, Back a Boiler. Her first three years were funded by traditional student loans. However during her senior year in 2016-17, Purdue rolled out the ISA option. She took the opportunity. Rather than taking out a loan with interest, Herbert is paying back the money as a percentage of her post-graduation income. "The primary thing I like about it, is that it has an end date," said Herbert. "In my traditional loans, I have 'x amount' I have to pay back and it has interest. The ISA has a fixed 10 years. I have 102 months of 'this is when you're done.'" An ISA has no principal balance or interest. Its payments adjust with the student's income over the life of the contract. Payments do not begin until six months after the student has graduated and is employed earning a minimum annual salary of $20,000. Critics argue students are betting against themselves in an income share agreement. If they think they're going to get a high-paying job, then they could pay back more than they borrowed. "On an individuual level, I see where that's coimg from," said Herbert. "But you have to think about it in a more community-based mindset. This is a program that will only work if money goes back into it. If I do amazing and pay back three times what I borrowed, I've made this program possible for another two or three people. At that point, I'll be able to afford it. Because if I'm pulling in six figures a year, I'm doing well no matter what my repayment is." "There's the potential for this phenomenon to get much bigger than just Purdue," said Daniels. Daniels knows for this concept to get bigger, the sample size needs to grow. That's why he's trying to get the attention of other universities. "We need to see this growing interest in excitement about the concept translated into more schools, a variety of schools joining us," Daniels said. "We are the test case," said Herbert. "There is no data on this. There is no information. This is a new thing." Earlier this month, more than 25 schools were welcomed to Purdue for a conference on how to implement an income share agreement. Right now, there are four other schools with the program including the University of Utah, Norwich University, Clarkson University and Lackawanna College. "I think a few more schools should implement it, and I think other schools should look into other solutions so we can compare them in 10 years and see what's working," Herbert said. However if a college education wasn't so expensive in the first place, she said Back a Boiler wouldn't even need to exist. "A high school education is provided to everyone because we deem it as necessary," Herbert said. "But college education isn't, even though it has become equally necessary for most people. It's [Back a Boiler] kind of a Band-Aid on a bigger problem. But the nice thing about Band-Aids is that you're not bleeding all over the place." Herbert works for an engineering company in Lafayette as a tech writer. She pays about 10-percent of her salary to the ISA. As we reported in December, the Purdue Research Foundation raised $10.2 million for its second Back a Boiler fund. It's expected to fund the program for the next three years. More than $16 million has been invested into the two funds. When the program started, $2 million was distributed to about 160 juniors and seniors. In 2017-18, the Purdue Research Foundation expanded the program to include sophomores. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The Purdue Board of Trustees voted on Friday to move forward with a new combined polytechnic-engineering building. The Indiana State Legislature awarded Purdue with $173 million dollars to help with building renovations on campus. $60 million of that will go toward the new polytechnic-engineering building. The whole project will cost $80 million dollars. The project is called "Gateway Phase 1." This combined building will replace the current Nuclear Engineering Building and the Michael Golden Laboratories, two buildings leaders on campus say are outdated. Purdue also hopes the building will become a new welcoming entrance for people onto the campus. In the future, they want to see a second building built as part of "phase 2." The new 145,000 square foot building will help handle growing enrollment numbers in both the Collge of Engineering and the Polytechnic Institute. Gary Bertoline is the Dean of the Polytechnic Institute. He said bringing engineering and polytechnic studies together will give Purdue a unique advantage. "There is so much demand for all of our majors, but also working closer together with the two colleges, I think we can do something that no one else in the nation can," he said. The trustees joked during the meeting that in the past, there has been a rivalry between the two colleges. However, both Dean Bertoline and Dean Mung Chiang from the College of Engineering said collaboration is the way of the future in these industries. Dean Chiang said the new building will help them give the best learning environment for students. "More high school students and their families wanting to come and join us," he said. "We are going to provide them the very best education opportunities in the new building." The new building will nearly double the density of square feet in this central part of Purdue's campus. The Board of Trustees voted to name it Dudley Hall in recognition of alumni Bill and Marty Dudley's support of both the College of Engineering and the Polytechnic Institute. Construction begins in spring of 2020 and is expected to be complete in time for the 2022-23 academic year. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Sebastian Smith was found not guilty of attempted murder by a Tippecanoe County Circuit Court Jury but still faces up to 51 years in prison for convictions on eight other charges. The jury returned their verdicts Thursday evening after deliberating around four hours on the following charges: Ct 1: Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery (F3) - Guilty Ct 2: Robbery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (F2) - Guilty Ct 3: Criminal Confinement (F3) - Guilty Ct 4: Theft (AM) - Guilty Ct 5: Aggravated Battery (F3) - Guilty Ct 6: Battery by Deadly Weapon (F5) - Guilty Ct 7: Battery resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (F5) - Guilty Ct 8: Carrying a handgun without a license (AM) - Guilty Ct 9: Attempted Murder (F1) NOT guilty Carrying a handgun without a license with prior felony conviction (F5) waived to bench; Guilty Use of Firearm Enhancement waived to bench; Guilty According to a press release, the case was continued multiple times due to defense attorneys withdrawing from the case and for Smith's case in Benton County to conclude. The defendant has been in custody while the case was pending, and has been serving a sentence in the Indiana DOC on his conviction from Benton County. The defendants possible sentence range is 16-51 years. Prosecutors accused 29-year-old Smith of shooting a man in the chest during a robbery. In August of 2016, Lafayette police were called to an apartment on Hartford Street for a report of shots fired. As News 18 previously reported, witnesses said Smith and Tre'Velle Young came to sell them a TV, However, Young grabbed a rifle and Smith took out his handgun demanding money and cell phones. Witnesses say shortly after the victim pulled out a knife, Smith shot him in the chest. Young has already been sentenced in the case. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The Purdue Board of Trustees voted on Friday to move forward with plans for the new veterinary teaching hospital. As New 18 previously reported, the current hospital no longer meets accreditation standards. It was put on probationary accreditation at the end of April. However the day before it was put on that status, the Indiana State Legislature agreed to give $133 million dollars to the university, $73 million dollars of that will be used to help fund the new vet project. Now that they have the blessing of the trustees, Dean Willie Reed said things are looking up for the future of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "Now we can move forward in planning this very exciting project that's going to provide an environment for training veterinary students for the future," he said. "It's wonderful." The new facility will have separate building for equine, small animal and farm clients. Having that separation will foster an environment focused on public health and safety. Along with the money from the legislature, the state also voted to recognize the Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine as a public health institution. "The legislature understands the important role that veterinary medicine plays in one health which is convergence of human health, human health, and the environment," said Dean Reed. The new hospital will be built just east of Lynn Hall on Purdue's campus. The entire project will cost $108 million dollars. Construction is scheduled to start in March of 2020 and will be complete in the summer of 2021. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI/Purdue News) Purdue trustees on Friday voted to approve the tuition and fee schedule for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years and the universitys operating budget for the 2020 fiscal year. According to a Purdue press release, tuition will remain frozen on Purdues main campus for the seventh and eighth consecutive years keeping base undergraduate tuition and fees for Indiana residents under $10,000 per year. One exception is flight program fees, which will increase by 3% in the fiscal year 2020 and 5.6% in the fiscal year 2021. Trustees also approved changes to tuition and fees at Purdue University Northwest and Purdue University Fort Wayne. They will follow the Indiana Commission for Higher Educations recommended increase of up to 1.65% each year of the biennium. In addition, Purdue Fort Wayne will introduce an additional tuition charge for international students of $24.90 per credit hour or $373.50 per semester for undergraduates and $31.57 per credit hour for graduate students, and a differential fee for the College of Visual and Performing Arts at $25 per credit hour for undergraduates and $31.57 per credit hour for graduate students, which will be phased in over two years at 50% each year. For the fiscal year 2020, the Indiana General Assembly appropriated $301.3 million for the West Lafayette campus, $52.5 million for Purdue Northwest and $47.7 million for Purdue Fort Wayne. In addition, as part of the budget, the state appropriated funds for the construction of the new Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital ($73 million) and the Engineering and Polytech Gateway building ($60 million). WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) Two Purdue student pilots are heading to Tennessee to participate in a four-day air derby race. They're competing with 52 other teams across the nation in this year's Air Race Classic. It's an all women's competition challenging how fast the pilots can fly from one stop to the next. They'll begin in Tennessee then stop through Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan and end in Canada. The Air Derby race is 90 years old this year. Purdue has been participating for the last 25 years. Purdue Student-Pilot Tiffany Imhoff said she's excited to be a part of this flying legacy. There are only 6% in the whole industry that is women pilots so it's fun to just be a role model and meet kids and inspire people to be like, hey this is a viable career option, said Imhoff. Imhoff said win or lose, this race is a great experience for aspiring pilots. Our team has done so much work, said Imhoff. It's just fun to fly and be able to share the experience with everyone else following the race. Imhoff will be traveling with co-pilot Nina Bouthier. The race starts on Tuesday, June 18. You can follow it here. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) The YMCA is continuing its before and after school programs at Lafayette elementary schools. School corporations in Indiana are required to offer a "Latch-Key" program or some sort of child care program. LSC's Latch-Key is offered at all elementary schools except Murdock. Murdock has its own child care program. The Y is keeping its prices the same as last year. Les Huddle said parents more often than not are thankful for the program. "For the most part you get positive feedback," said Huddle "Again I think it is a great opportunity for our families to have child care before and after school." This is an annual program. The Y offers scholarships to low-income families. Here is the price breakdown for the program: Before school five days a week is $45. For three days its $35. Two days cost $25. After school five days a week is $60. For three days it is $50. Two days cost $40. Before and after school five days a week cost $75. Three days cost $65. Two days cost $55. The continent of North America is home to some of the largest and most visited museums in the world. The United States has many world-renown museums visited by thousands of tourists each year. Mexico and Canada also have well-known museums. These museums attract both domestic and international visitors, and feature diverse forms of artwork and artifacts. 10. Houston Museum of Natural Science The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) is the 10th most visited museum in North America. Located near Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, the museum was founded in 1909. Notable permanent exhibitions of the museum include the Foucault pendulum, which demonstrates Earth's rotation, the Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault, which showcases fine gems and jewelry, and the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife, which exhibit's the states wild animals and plants. The Houston Museum of Natural Science also has exhibits related to paleontology, ancient Egypt, and African wildlife. 9. National Museum of Anthropology The National Museum of Anthropology is one of the few most visited museums in North America that is not located in the United States. The museum is located in Mexico City, Mexico, where it is the countrys largest and most visited museum. Exhibits in the museum include significant anthropological and archaeological artifacts related to the regions pre-Columbian history. Notable exhibits include the Aztec Xochipilli statue and the Aztec calendar stone. 8. National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHS) is a Smithsonian Institution museum that was founded in 2003 and became open to the public in 2016. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., it is the eighth most visited museum in North America. The museum is dedicated to African American history and culture, and includes more than 40,000 objects, although only about 3,500 of pieces of the collection are on display. 7. Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art, also referred to as the MoMA, is located on 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The museum is dedicated to modernist art and is considered to be one of the worlds largest and most influential museums of its kind. The MoMA offers an in-depth view of contemporary and modern art, and features exhibits that include paintings, photography, prints, electronic media, design, and architecture from all over the world. 6. National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History is North Americas sixth most visited museum. The museum, which features the rich heritage of the United States, includes exhibits related to the country's social, political, military, cultural, and scientific history. One of the most notable exhibits at the museum is the Star-Spangled Banner. The National Museum of American History is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. 5. American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History is located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, New York City. The museum encompasses an area of more than 2 million square feet and includes 28 interconnected buildings. The complex features 45 permanent exhibition halls, as well as a library and a planetarium. More than 33 million specimens are on exhibit at the museum, which includes animals, plants, fossils, rocks, and cultural artifacts. 4. National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Although privately established in 1937 by American industrialist, banker and philanthropist Andrew W. Mellon, the museum is open to the public and admission is free. Mellon donated funding and a substantial art collection to the museum, which grew due to numerous other donations. Exhibits at the museum include paintings, photographs, sculpture, medals, and prints that trace the evolution of Western Art since the Middle Ages. The gallery also features the only piece of art by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas. 3. National Museum of Natural History Administered by the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of Natural History is the third most visited museum in North America, and the worlds most visited natural history museum. Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum remains open 364 days each year and admission is free. The National Museum of Natural History was established in 1910, the museums main building now covers an area of 140,000 m2. The museum's collections include more than 126 million specimens of plants, animals, human cultural artifacts, fossils, and rocks. Additionally, the museum also employs a significant number of natural history scientists. 2. Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the biggest art museum in the United States and includes three locations in New York City. More than 2 million works of art are displayed in its permanent exhibitions, which are divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building of the museum is located near Central Park, where it houses one of the worlds biggest art galleries in terms of area. The collection of works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ranges from ancient Egyptian paintings to modern American art, and features notable artwork and artifacts from all continents of the world. 1. National Air and Space Museum Located in Washington, D.C., the National Air and Space Museum is North Americas most visited museum. The museum, which is also the fifth most visited museum in the world, is a research centre that focuses on the history and evolution of aviation and spaceflight, as well as related fields such as geophysics and planetary sciences. The museum features both original or original backup aircraft and spacecraft. Some of the most notable exhibits include the Apollo 11 command module, the rocket engine-powered Bell X-1, and the Spirit of St. Louis. The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country located in Eastern Europe. With an area of 207,595 km2 and an estimated population of 9,491,800, Belarus ranks as the 84th most extensive and 93rd most populous country in the world. The total gross domestic product (GDP) of Belarus was US$54.44 billion in 2017, with 4.35 million individuals employed in the workforce. Of this total, 39.3% were employed by government-owned companies, 57.2% by privately-owned companies, and 3.5% by foreign companies. The major economic drivers in Belarus are the manufacturing and service industries, and women make up a great proportion of the country's workforce. Manufacturing Industry The manufacturing industry, which includes sectors such as metallurgical, light, food, chemical & petrochemical, and mechanical engineering, contributes 37% of the GDP of Belarus. In 1994, the country's primary exports were heavy machinery, especially tractors, trucks, and earthmovers, agricultural products, and energy products. Additionally, Belarus specializes in the manufacturing of the worlds quarrying, mining, and construction vehicles. Although the government has allowed private companies to invest in the manufacturing industry, it maintains control over major industries. Presently, Belarus also manufactures and exports motorcycles, refrigerators, textiles, radios, and televisions. Belaruss largest trading partners in 2006 were Russia and the European Union. Analysts speculated that the unemployment rate in Belarus was 15% in 2009 due to disguised unemployment, as well as strict regulations. However, the economy has grown in recent years. In 2017, Belarus' primary trading partners were Italy, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Russia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, and Poland. Examples of manufacturing corporations in Belarus include the Belarusian Automobile Plant, Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, Mogilev Automobile Plant, and Neman. Agriculture Industry The agricultural industry accounts for more than 15% of Belarus' GDP and serves as a significant source of foreign currency. Farmers are engaged in both livestock rearing and crop cultivation, with crop production slightly outweighing livestock production. The main agricultural products in Belarus are cranberries, sugar beets, wheat, cucumbers, flax, sunflower oil, potatoes, rapeseed, rye, triticale, and barley, while animal products include poultry, pork, and beef. The proportion of land used for crop farming varies: cereals and legumes (41%), crops for animal feed (43%), potatoes and vegetables (11%), and industrial crops (4%). Belarus is one of the leading exporters of butter, yogurts, cheese, Although the agriculture industry is performing relatively well, it has declined in recent years. In 2007, agriculture's share of the national GDP dropped to 7.4% from 11.6% in 2000. This decline is attributed to the mass migration of the countrys residents from rural to urban areas. As a result, this shift to urbanization has led to a decline in available agricultural labor. Transport and Logistics Industry Belarus has strong transportation infrastructure due to centuries-old trade routes from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, and from Russia to Western Europe. The countrys public roads measure a total length of 63,131 miles, and 86.47% of this total are paved roads. Belarus has 3,412 miles of operational railway lines and 755 miles of electrified railway. Additionally, the transport and logistics industry also includes 1,854 miles of oil and gas pipelines. There are 38 logistics centers in Belarus, which includes both warehouse space (Class A and B) and floor space. Economic Environment and Growth The economic environment in Belarus is not very favorable to foreign investors due to its stringent policies, cumbersome licensing system, lack of an independent judiciary, and price controls. Nonetheless, increased trade cooperation between Belarus and Russia, as well as reformative policies, have made economic growth possible. A strait can be defined as a narrow, navigable body of water that is located between two landmasses and serves as a connection between two large water bodies. Situated between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra in the northwest and Java in the southeast, the Sunda Strait links the Java Sea of the western Pacific Ocean with the eastern Indian Ocean. Geography A map of Sumatra with the Sunda Strait visible in the south. The Sunda Strait has a minimum width of approximately 24 km and a minimum depth of about 20 m. The narrowest portion of the Sunda Strait is situated at its northeastern edge between Cape Pujat on Java Island and Cape Tua on Sumatra Island. The eastern part of the Strait is comparatively much shallower than its western part which is considered to be the deepest. The Sunda Strait is overall very shallow and therefore it is extremely difficult to navigate in the waters of the strait. In addition to its shallow depth, navigation is also made difficult by the presence of sandbanks, strong tidal currents, and other artificial obstructions like oil platforms. The straits shallowness and inaccurate charting make it highly unsuitable for several modern ships. The Krakatoa volcano. The Sunda Strait contains many small islands which were reportedly formed by the accumulation of volcanic debris and uplifting of rocks around volcanic vents. Some of these major volcanic islands include Sangiang, Panaitan, Sebesi, and Sebuku. The most well-known and deadliest among all the volcanic islands in the Sunda Strait is the Krakatoa caldera. Krakatoa last erupted on August 27, 1883, which resulted in a large tsunami with 38 m high waves that killed over 36,000 people and destroyed about 300 villages and towns. The eruption also altered the entire topography of the strait and deposited huge quantities of ignimbrite across a large area of 1.1 million km2 around the volcano. On December 29, 1927, the island caldera Anak Krakatau emerged on the rim of the volcanic caldera that remained after the 1883 eruption. Currently, Anak Krakatau serves as the site of frequent volcanic eruptions. Brief History Commemorative plaque for the crews of the HMAS Perth and USS Houston from the Battle of Sunda Strait during World War II. The Sunda Strait was named after the Sunda Kingdom, which was a Hindu kingdom that ruled the western portion of Java Island from 669 to 1579. The straits name also refers to the Indigenous Sudanese people of West Java. From 1602 to 1799, the Sunda Strait served as an important shipping route and was used by the Dutch East India Company to access Indonesias Spice Islands. On March 1, 1942, the Sunda Strait served as the site of the famous Battle of Sunda Strait which was a part of the bigger Battle of the Java Sea fought between Allied forces of the United States and Australia against the Japanese forces during World War II. The USS Houston of the US Navy and HMAS Perth of the Royal Australian Navy came across a significant Japanese force which comprised of four heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, a light aircraft carrier, and eleven destroyers, all of which were attempting to land near the Javan port of Bantam. This fierce naval battle resulted in the sinking of two cruisers of the Allied forces and two vessels of the Japanese forces. During the 1960s, a proposal was made for constructing a bridge across the Sunda Strait. In October 2007, a new bridge plan was announced and an accord was signed with the China Railway Construction Corporation in April 2012 for building the new rail bridge. However, the entire project was shelved in November 2014 by the Indonesian President. At approximately 4:20 p.m. last Friday, June 7, the power went out in the towns of Wrangell and Petersburg. Both islands completely lost power for about 40 minutes, before diesel generators were fired up around 5 p.m. The outage occurred due to a problem with a breaker at Tyee Lake, according to Rod Rhoades with Wrangell Municipal Light and Power. According to Rhoades, around 4:20 p.m. Breaker No. 10 at Tyee Lake opened up, shutting off power to the two towns. Tyee Lake provides hydroelectric power to the two cities. Clay Hammer, with the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, said that a lightni... British Home Secretary Sajid Javid boasted on Thursday that he certified a US extradition request for Julian Assange on Wednesday, just a day after the Trump administration formally asked the British government to extradite the WikiLeaks founder and journalist. In a radio interview, Javid paid lip service to the need for the British courts to first approve the extradition, while still making plain the British establishments determination to hand Assange over to his persecutors in Washington. Julian Assange First of all I am very pleased the police were able to apprehend him and now he is rightly behind bars because he broke UK law, Javid told BBC Radio 4 on Thursday. There is an extradition request from the US that is before the courts tomorrow but yesterday I signed the extradition order It is a decision ultimately for the courts, but there is a very important part of it for the home secretary and I want to see justice done at all times and weve got a legitimate extradition request, so Ive signed it. These comments were made on the very eve of Fridays scheduled initial hearing of Assanges case before a London magistrates court. By directly connecting Assanges arrest on April 11, and immediate jailing, to the extradition process, Javid only underscored the conspiracy by the US, British and Australian governments against Assange, an Australian citizen. Assange was dragged from his political asylum in Ecuadors London embassy by British police on April 11, using the fig leaf of minor bail-skipping charges. Within hours of his arrest, US prosecutors said they had charged him with conspiracy in trying to access a classified US government computer. Just as Assange, and the WSWS, had warned since 2010, the US government last month added 17 new counts, including charges under the Espionage Act for encouraging, receiving and publishing classified information, allegedly in concert with the courageous whistleblower, former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. This is a frontal assault on journalists and press freedom. These charges relate to WikiLeaks 2010 publication of hundreds of thousands of classified documents on US and allied military war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, torture and human rights abuses inside the US Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, and US-led diplomatic intrigues, mass surveillance and regime-change operations around the world. As soon as Assange was arrested, the British government, from Prime Minister Theresa May on down, celebrated and hailed the police operation. Javid himself immediately took to twitter to falsely claim it was about showing that no one is above the law. The exact opposite is the truth. Both the British and US governments are trampling over fundamental legal and democratic rights, including the right to political asylum, freedom of the press, and due process. Incarcerated in Londons notorious Belmarsh Prison, not only has Assanges health seriously deteriorated, but, as his father John Shipton stated this week, he has been denied any capacity to prepare his legal challenge to the extradition. The British government is doing everything it can to assist and expedite the US extradition, defying a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer. As well as documenting doctors findings that Assange is being subjected to psychological torture, Melzer has sent a detailed report to the UK, US, Sweden and Australia outlining his concerns about Assanges future. My most urgent concern is that, in the United States, Mr. Assange would be exposed to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Melzer said in a statement about his report, which has yet to be publicly released. In the US, just as great a travesty of justice is continuing. Chelsea Manning is being held indefinitely, without charge, in a bid to force her to give perjured testimony against Assange before a grand jury. And WikiLeaks warned last week that the US is also seeking to revive an attempt by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to frame Assange for computer hacking in Iceland in 2011. The barbaric treatment of Assange, quickly followed by last weeks unprecedented police raids on journalists in Australia, has alarmed millions of people internationally and prompted journalists and media workers in many countries to speak out. After years of silence, journalists are recognising that the attacks on Assange have opened the floodgates for a global offensive against press freedom. The German Journalists Association (DJV) this week called on the British authorities to release Assange. The WikiLeaks founder is accused of something that should not be a criminal offence: accessory to treason by means of publishing, it said. German journalists union (DJU) Chairperson Tina Grudge warned of a massive intervention in the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the press should Assange be extradited to the US. It would act as a deterrent to potential whistleblowers, with serious consequences for the work of the media. Just as much as the Trump administration, the British government is determined to see Assange locked away for life, despite growing opposition from workers, students, young people and civil liberties advocates. The silencing of WikiLeaks, and the intimidation of all whistleblowers and media outlets, is bound up entirely with the preparations for even greater war crimes and anti-democratic abuses. Backed by its allies, notably Britain and Australia, the US is intensifying its aggression against China, Iran, Venezuela and Syria as part of Washingtons drive to restore the global hegemony it achieved through World War II. Assange is due to appear by video link from Belmarsh Prison at an extradition hearing on Friday, provided his health permits. If the rapid jailing of Assange on the bail charges, without any proper hearing, is any guide, the judges will seek to speed the extradition process. Assanges lawyers are expected to argue that his extradition should not take place because he would not face a fair trial in the US and because the charges are for political crimes. Legally, Assange has a right to appeal any ruling by the magistrates court, and this could delay the extradition for some months. Once the judicial procedures are completed, however, Javid, or whoever becomes the next British home secretary, has the power to quickly rubberstamp the extradition. At that final stage, the home secretary is meant to certify that Assange will not face the death penaltyyet can accept an assurance to that effect from the US secretary of stateand that Assange will be charged only with the offences for which he is being extradited. However, there are exceptions, and once Assange is in US custody any such assurances will be worthless. Supporters of WikiLeaks and democratic rights are holding rallies internationally this week against the US extradition process and to demand freedom for Assange and Manning. On Friday from 9 a.m., a demonstration is being held in London outside Westminster Magistrates Court where Assanges hearing is scheduled. In Australia, the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is holding a further round of rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The SEP demands that the Australian government fulfil its obligations to Assange as a citizen by using its legal and diplomatic powers to secure his immediate return to Australia, with a guarantee against extradition to the US. We urge all our readers to join the global fight being led by the Socialist Equality Parties and the WSWS. A major US government investigation of the big technology corporations began on Tuesday with a hearing before the antitrust subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC. The first of many planned hearings, depositions and interviews over the next 18 months, the session was the start of a bipartisan inquiry by Congress and the Justice Department into the practices of Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple amid increasing demands to break up the technology conglomerates. Under the guise of investigating antitrust violations such as stifling competition and hurting consumers, the combined forces of the capitalist state are moving rapidly toward one purpose: to control the flow of news and information by means of government-directed censorship of all content on the internet and the mass social media platforms. The true aim of the House inquiry became clear at Tuesdays hearing titled Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 1: The Free and Diverse Press, which featured representatives from the corporate media industry and others connected with traditional news channels of capitalist political and economic interests. In his opening statement, subcommittee chairman David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, emphasized the loss by traditional news publishers of their power and influence to the distribution and advertising dominance of online gateways such as Facebook and Google. Cicilline described the corporate news industry as trustworthy and presented the growth and expansion of the web and social media platforms as a negative, saying, it is clear that we must do something in the short term to save trustworthy journalism before it is lost forever. Meanwhile, not one word was said about the actual censorship and attack on free speech that has been practiced for more than two years by the tech companies such as Google and Facebook against socialist and oppositional websites and social media publishers. Additionally, the hypocrisy of the entire assemblage was exposed by the numerous references to freedom of thought and speech and political truth while the illegal persecution, detention and possible extradition to the US of WikiLeaks journalist and publisher Julian Assange was never mentioned. Cicilline explained in his remarks that he has introduced, along with ranking Republican member Doug Collins of Georgia, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act. The bill would provide big newspaper publishers with a four-year exemption from antitrust laws and enable them to collaborate and dictate how Google, Facebook and Twitter display their news content. With a companion bill also introduced in the Senate, the passage of such a law would effectively establish a publishing cartel dominated by a few major metropolitan newspapers. The House bill splits the news content creators (corporate news organizations) from the online content distributors (online services with 1 billion monthly active users or more, i.e., Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple) and allows the former to negotiate monetary terms and conditions as one group over the distribution of their content by the latter. Tuesdays hearing featured the testimony of David Chavern of the News Media Alliance, a publishing association representing 2,000 US newspapers, David Pitofsky, legal counsel from Rupert Murdochs News Corp., which publishes The Wall Street Journal, and Kevin Riley, editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All spoke enthusiastically in favor of the need for the legislation. Much of the demand for a government inquiry into big tech follows the conclusion of the Mueller probe and the incessant and unsubstantiated claims that Russians organized a social media campaign of fake news and hacked the Democratic Party email servers in order to help Republican Donald Trump win the 2016 US presidential elections. The Mueller report asserts that Russian businessmen spent $100,000 in Facebook advertisingcompared to a combined $90 million by the Clinton and Trump campaignsand does not suggest that this campaign had any impact on the outcome of the elections. Additionally, many candidates running for the 2020 Democratic Party nomination for US presidentincluding by New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warrenhave stepped up their demands for government regulation and break-up of big tech. These candidates are hoping to leverage the fake news narrative to build their fraudulent populist campaigns against corporate monopoly and antitrust violations. At the end of May, several news outlets began reporting that the Justice Department was preparing an antitrust case against Google. Although unconfirmed by the DoJ, the reports said a department task force had been looking into Googles advertising practices and search engine algorithms. These preparations appeared to be connected to the growing bipartisan demands for the break-up of all of the big technology corporations, especially Facebook. The campaign against Facebook goes back to the Cambridge Analytica revelations in the early spring of last year, where the social media giant was aggressively attacked in the capitalist media for selling user profile information for the purposes of prediction of how individual Facebook users would vote. Although these practices have been well-known almost since the founding of Facebook, reports emerged in February of this year that the company was in talks with the Justice Department to pay as much as $5 billion for violations of a consent decree it signed in 2011. In the early days of this month, reports began to emerge that a bipartisan arrangement was being worked out for a major anti-monopoly investigation of all four tech giants. On June 3, several news outletsincluding the New York Times and the Wall Street Journalreported that a deal had been worked out between Congress and the Justice Department to launch a major inquiry. According to the reports, jurisdiction would be divided between a Federal Trade Commission investigation of Amazon and Facebook and a Justice Department investigation of Apple and Google. This was followed by statements from leading Democrats and Republicans, such as Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, supporting a probe into the unregulated power and predatory practices of the big tech firms. Workers, students and young people must understand that the campaign in Washington, DC against monopoly, violation of privacy rights and the unchecked power of the so-called FANG companies (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) is so much play-acting, behind which the state is moving toward a regime of outright censorship. With the expansion of mass struggles by the working classcombined with a growing interest in socialismand the use of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to coordinate and communicate outside the official bourgeois channels, the ruling elite is terrified that these struggles will coalesce into a generalized conflict against the entire capitalist system. The purpose of the US government inquiry into big tech is to regain control of the flow of news and information content, a task that requires a major assault on the democratic rights of the people and one that will provoke a ferocious and revolutionary reaction from the working class. On Monday, the US Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the governments indefinite detention of an inmate at the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison camp. Moath al-Alwi has been imprisoned and tortured for nearly two decades without ever having been convicted of any crime. The courts action is for all practical purposes a repudiation of basic democratic rights and a tacit endorsement of the regime of abductions, renditions, torture, secrecy and indefinite detention without trial that has been erected in the course of the war on terror. Moath al-Alwi, a Yemeni citizen, has been detained at the US camp in Cuba since January 17, 2002. Al-Alwi was born and raised in Saudi Arabia but left for Afghanistan between late 2000 to early 2001. The American government contends that he intended to join the fight against the US and its allies. He was in northern Afghanistan in October 2001 at the onset of the US invasion. Al-Alwi subsequently fled to Pakistan, while the United States offered bounties for suspicious people in the area. He was captured at the Pakistan border by bounty hunters, who often captured and sold people to US forces based on their Arab ethnicity, shortly after the US invasion of Afghanistan. Al-Alwi was deemed an unlawful enemy combatant, a pseudo-legal category used by the Bush administration to avoid designating individuals as prisoners of war or criminal defendants. Prisoners of war are entitled to certain protections under the Geneva Convention and international law, while criminal defendants enjoy certain rights under the US Constitution and the American legal system, such as the right to an attorney, the right to a speedy and public trial, the presumption of innocence, the right to be tried by a jury, and other democratic legal principles and protections. Having been designated an unlawful enemy combatant outside the protection of any existing legal framework, al-Alwi was transported to the Guantanamo Bay camp soon after his capture. The US military is alleging that al-Alwi was associated with both Al Qaeda and the Taliban, that he undertook military or terrorist training in Afghanistan, and that he served as a personal bodyguard of Osama Bin Laden. However, he has never been formally charged, let alone convicted, of any crime in connection with these accusations. In al-Alwis first habeas corpus petition in 2008 against the Bush administration, he argued that the United States wrongly categorized him as a Taliban or Al Qaeda fighter based on flimsy evidence that courts of law would not credit under ordinary standards of proof. The evidence against him, his attorneys argued, consisted of acts such as briefly staying at guest houses that the US deemed to be associated with terrorist organizations. Furthermore, al-Alwi asserted that interrogation reports that were used against him were the result of torture: he was threatened and humiliated throughout the period these statements were reported. Al-Alwis first petition was denied on the grounds that it was more probable than not that [al-Alwi] was part of or supporting Taliban or Al Qaeda forces both prior to and after the initiation of U.S. hostilities in October 2001. A second petition filed on his behalf was denied in 2011, during the Obama administration. While his habeas corpus petitions have been denied, no court has ever found that al-Alwi actually engaged personally in any violent acts against the US or its allies. In his most recent petition, al-Alwis lawyers argued that the governments authority to detain him, supposedly granted under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), has unraveled due to the end of the conflict, for all practical purposes, in Afghanistan. The AUMF was unanimously passed in the Senate, while only one member of the House opposed it, just a week after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Originally presented as a short-term authorization to use force against those responsible for the attacks, this legislation has been invoked ever since to justify limitless wars of aggression as well as sweeping attacks on democratic rights within the US. According to his lawyers, al-Alwi is one of twenty-six men who remain imprisoned indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay without charge or trial. Al-Alwi is one of many long-term hunger strikers at Guantanamo. While in captivity, he participated in major hunger strikes organized in 2005 and 2013 by detainees to protest their innocence and the conditions of their confinement. Participants in the first strike demanded that the US government cease the inhumane treatment, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, of the detainees. According to Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, at least 80 captives dropped below 100 pounds during the strike. Prison authorities responded to the strikes, which the government called voluntary fasting, by force-feeding captives. In this procedure, the victim was strapped down to a chair by the arms, legs, and head. Feeding tubes were then roughly forced up the nose and down the throat with no anesthetic. According to one account, the tube often had bile and blood still on it from the previous victim. The victim was then forced to remain strapped down until the forcibly-fed nutrients were digested to prevent self-induced vomiting. Al-Alwi, who was last recorded weighing just 98 pounds, described the force-feeding as an endless horror story. Al-Alwi was also one of the detainees shot with less than lethal ammunition under the discretion of Colonel John Bogdan, appointed warden in 2013. Under Bogdans administration, Guantanamo guards fired on prisoners for the first time. Al-Alwi described being shot by rubber-coated steel bullets in April 2013 as he and other detainees were preparing for communal prayer. He alleges that he was hit more than four times and his wounds were never properly treated. Successive administrationsBush, Obama and Trumphave used the war on terror to advance the outright assault against democratic rights and norms. In 2004, in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, the Supreme Court found that while detainees still had the right to habeas corpus, their special status as unlawful enemy combatants disqualified them from protections granted in the Geneva Conventions or international law. Although some rights under the US Constitution have been formally recognized for detainees, in a limited procedural sense, the petitions that the detainees have filed have repeatedly been denied. The Supreme Courts denial of certiorari on Monday is particularly striking in that only four out of the nine justices need to agree to hear a case for it to be argued in the court. The courts refusal to hear al-Alwis challenge means that at least one of the four nominally liberal justices on the court voted with the five-member far-right bloc. In a statement filed together with the Supreme Courts decision not to hear the case, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that it is past time to confront the difficult question posed by the unlimited and indefinite duration of the war on terror. While Breyer wrings his hands about the legal implications of the case, his statement is far from a ringing and principled affirmation of fundamental democratic principles. The liberal justices have generally accepted the framework of the war on terror for the past two decades, and therefore have no principled foundation upon which to offer any resistance. Accordingly, quoting from previous decisions, Breyer is only able to express the concern that the war on terror has an unconventional nature that is unlike those of the conflicts that informed the development of the law of war, such that the Courts understanding of what the AUMF authorized may unravel. Breyer continues: As a consequence, al-Alwi faces the real prospect that he will spend the rest of his life in detention based on his status as an enemy combatant a generation ago, even though todays conflict may differ substantially from the one Congress anticipated when it passed the AUMF. In any legal system in which fundamental democratic principles carried an ounce of weight, a judge in receipt of al-Alwis habeas corpus petition would order his immediate and unconditional release, given that the government has held him for almost 20 years without ever charging or convicting him of any crime. Indeed, it is those who imprisoned and tortured him, in violation of domestic and international law, who should be arrested and facing trial. The Supreme Courts refusal to even hear al-Alwis petition on Monday corresponds to the inexorable lurch by the entire political establishment towards dictatorship and barbarism. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda signed an agreement to station 1,000 US troops in Poland. The meeting and the signed agreements marked a significant escalation of the US- and NATO-led military buildup against Russia. In a calculated show of military might, a Marine Corps F-35 stealth fighter conducted a flyover of the White House while Duda stood on the White House lawn with Trump and their respective first ladies. While not entirely unprecedented, an Air Force spokesman said that the last such White House flyover had taken place in 1949. During the meeting, Trump praised the Polish president, who is a member of the extreme right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS), and dismissed moderately phrased questions about the undermining of democracy in Poland by the present government. In recent years, the PiS government, with the full backing of US imperialism, has enacted massive assaults on basic democratic rights. PiS has also spearheaded a campaign of xenophobia and anti-Semitism. This has been accompanied by wholesale right-wing historical falsifications, culminating in a ban on the mentioning of crimes by Polish anti-Semites against Jews during the Holocaust and a state-led vendetta against and persecution of leading Holocaust historians. Trump and Duda signed a major declaration of military co-operation and two memoranda of understanding. Trump commented on the declaration of military cooperation, saying that, As the declaration makes very clear, the United States and Poland are not only bound by a strategic partnership but deep common values, shared goals and a very strong and abiding friendship. The declaration provides for the stationing of 1,000 US troops in Poland, as well as a squadron of MQ-9 Reaper drones. This is in addition to almost 5,000 US troops that are already stationed there, on a rotational basis. The Polish government, which recently dismissed demands by over 300,000 striking Polish teachers for higher wages by arguing that there was no money, obliged itself to pay for all the infrastructure necessary to house the additional troops. Poland is also taking steps toward purchasing several F-35 fighter jets, the products of the most expensive military program in history, and worth roughly $100 million apiece. The Polish government, which purchased a US Patriot missile defense system worth $4.7 billion in 2018, is planning to raise military spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030. The US has not yet agreed to the permanent stationing of US troops in Poland, which had been proposed by Polish president Duda last year, and would constitute an open and direct threat and provocation against Russia. However, Trump expressed himself favorably on the proposed Fort Trump, calling it a world class base which would be a statement. NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the stationing of additional US troops in Poland, tweeting: I welcome todays announcement that the United States will increase its military presence in Poland. This shows the strong commitment of the US to European security & the strength of the transatlantic bond. The Kremlin stated that the Russian military was closely following the US buildup in Poland. The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, said that the Russian military was doing what is necessary so that such steps in no way threaten the Russian Federations security. Indicating the significance that the White House attaches to its strategic alliance with the right-wing Polish government, Dudas visit to Washington Wednesday was his second since Trump took office. In recent years, Poland has become an ever more significant ally of US imperialism in the war preparations against Russia and the conflict with Germany and the EU. In a speech in Warsaw in June 2017, Trump endorsed the right-wing policies of the Polish government and praised the latter as an important ally against both Russia and Germany. Trump also made explicit US imperialisms support for the resurrection of the so-called Intermarium strategy of the inter-war period, which provides for the alliance of various far-right and fascist regimes in East and Central Europe to fight both Russia and Germany. Earlier this year, the PiS government hosted a war summit, which was attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and was directly aimed at preparing for war against Iran. The close alliance between US imperialism and Poland in the war preparations against Russia and other foreign policy matters is a significant factor in the growing tensions between the US and the EU, and between American and German imperialism in particular. During the press conference after the meeting, Trump lashed out several times at Germany. Trump criticized Berlin for not spending enough on its military. Asked about the Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream 2, which is now being constructed in spite of a year-long protest by Washington, as well as Poland and Ukraine, Trump described it as a major blunder on the part of Berlin, making Germany dependent on Russian gas. He stressed that Poland would have the necessary infrastructure for energy deliveries and that Poland was our big friend. Trump said that his administration was looking at possible sanctions against Germany for Nord Stream 2. He said: Were protecting Germany from Russia and Russia is getting billions and billions of dollars from Germany. He added that Nord Stream 2 really makes Germany a hostage of Russia if things ever happen that were bad, that is, in case of war. One of the memoranda of agreement signed on Wednesday between Poland and the US provides for the Polish purchase of 2 billion cubic meters of LNG (liquid natural gas) from the US for $8 billion. In the growing conflict over European energy supplies and influence on the gas market, LNG has become a major weapon, especially in the hands of the US, to weaken the influence of Russian gas in Europe and Asia. The conservative Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita greeted the outcome of the meeting as a sign that Poland was overtaking Russia. In another commentary, entitled Into infinity together with America, the newspaper noted that the danger of war in Europe had become acute since the Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2014, and that the security of Poland depends precisely on the United States. The European Union, and especially Germany, the newspaper argued, were not reliable military allies for Poland and had false conceptions about Russia. The Michigan State Attorney Generals Office on Thursday dismissed all pending criminal chargesincluding involuntary manslaughteragainst eight officials implicated in the water poisoning of the Flint population. The political establishment is using the change in administration that brought Democrat Gretchen Whitmer into the governors mansion in 2018 not to arrest and hold accountable those who were responsible for the worst man-made health crisis in US history, but to wipe the slate clean by dropping all criminal cases more than three years since the first charges were filed. The state has dropped the case against former Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, who faced a felony involuntary manslaughter charge that could bring a 15-year prison term and a misconduct in office charge (up to five years imprisonment) based on allegations that he failed to warn the public in a timely manner about the deadly 201415 Legionnaires disease outbreak. At least 13 people died from Legionnaires and more than 100 who died from pneumonia may have been misdiagnosed and actually succombed to Legionnaires', according to a recent study. The charges were also dismissed against former Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells, who no longer is set to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter and other charges. Charges were also dropped against six other state and Flint officials. Attorney General Dana Nessel stated that Flint residents should rest assured that justice delayed is not always justice denied. Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and prosecutor Kym Worthy in a joint statement claimed the investigation under the Republican administration was built on a flawed foundation, but no details were provided. In the announcement, there was no claim that the charges against Lyon, Wells and the others were unfounded. Rather, several years of testimony and evidence will be scrapped along with $30.6 million of taxpayers money. The hearings, which began in 2016, moved at glacial speed. They were conducted by former Attorney General Bill Schuette, in part to promote his bid for governor, but more importantly, to provide a pretense that the wheels of justice were turning. In fact, what is being undertaken is a new stage in the bipartisan cover-up of a criminal money-making scheme that resulted in the poisoning of Flints largely working class and low-income population of 100,000 people. The capitalist media continues to portray the Flint water crisis as the result of an attempt to reduce expenses and ease the citys financial crisis. Actually, it was part of the drive by powerful financial interests and their political mouthpieces in both parties to exploit the collapse of the economic base of deindustrialized cities such as Detroit and Flint, whose position was further undermined by the Wall Street crash of 2008, in order to plunder public assets, claw back whatever remained of the past social gains of workerspensions, health care, education, etc.and repay with interest the losses suffered by the financial elite in the financial meltdown. The human toll of this massive crime is enormous. Flints population, including 9,000 children, was poisoned for 18 months before the official lies were exposed and the city returned to its original water source. During that time, the city drew its water supply from the toxic Flint River and its water infrastructure was progressively eaten away from the inside. The long-term health consequences of the protracted exposure to lead and other toxins are incalculable. Lead is a highly dangerous neurotoxin that can attack any system in the body when ingested, even in low dosages. Once in the system, it cannot be removed. It can stunt growth and cause neurological damage, leading to emotional and behavioral issues in children, who are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning due to the rapid development of their bodies. Flint residents have not been compensated at all for medical expenses, plummeting home values or high water rates for undrinkable water. Five years since the onset of the water poisoning, not one official has been arrested or served jail time. The major figures responsible for trying to silence those who protested the foul water, and who tried to expose the extent of the damage, have never been charged. These include former Republican Governor Rick Snyder, former State Treasurer Andy Dillon, a Democrat, Jeff Wright, Obama Environmental Protection Agency official Susan Hedman and former Democratic Mayor Dayne Walling. The only people who have been arrested are six residents who were peacefully protesting the impact of the Flint water crisis on their families at a town hall meeting on April 20, 2017. They were handcuffed and dragged off by heavily-armed police for exercising their freedom of speech. Attorney General Nessels claim that justice delayed is not always justice denied amounts to a bitter joke to Flints residents, who are outraged by the latest maneuvers to avoid any meaningful prosecution. A comment on M-Lives Facebook page states: Our country and our state have become the laughing stock of the civilized world. How fast we have fallen. The deck is stacked against the common people. We are devolving into a fascist run society, where rules dont apply to the rule makers. What a JOKE! LeAnne Walters, the Flint mother who helped expose the crisis after discovering alarming lead levels in the water in her home, told the Detroit News she thinks the dismissals are a huge insult to local residents. This is just as big of an injustice as when we were poisoned, Walters said. And until new charges are filed, thats how Im going to feel. I think its awful and complete bulls, said Flint resident Florlisa Fowler. I have lost all faith in the state investigation, and I personally believe the state should not be investigating its own anyway. This has gone on for years... if we are starting all over again, I do not want to see them handling it. I do not trust their capacity for justice for the people. Katie Sabin, another Flint resident, told the WSWS: When hearing about the dismissal all I could think about was where is the justice for the people like Lori Carter that lost her life due to Legionnaires' and cancer? And how many more lives will it take before politicians are held responsible? I feel the new administration backtracked on everything she ran on from our water crisis to Line 5. This is just another slap in the face, while they play their political games and most of us cannot afford to move out of this god forsaken mess." The Grenfell Tower fire of June 14, 2017 is an event seared into the consciousness of working people across London and around the world. 72 men, women and children perished in their homes. As part of its regeneration plans, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council and its tenant management organisation (KCTMO) encased Grenfell in cheap, flammable cladding causing a small kitchen fire to engulf the building in minutes. In years to come, wrote the Socialist Equality Party, it will be necessary to refer to the political life of Britain in terms of before and after Grenfell. This is because the tragedy has so cruelly exposed the underlying reality of social relations between the classesand it did so in London, one of the richest cities in the world, and in Londons richest constituency. Millions of workers understood that the fire was not just a tragedy, but a crime. In The Condition of the Working Class in England, Frederick Engels explained, When society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual. The social murder of 72 people was the outcome of a decades-long war against the working class. There is no such thing as society was Margaret Thatchers paean to free-market capitalism and a pledge that all restraints on wealth accumulation for the super-rich would be torn to shreds, including building and fire safety regulations and the privatisation of council housing. Tony Blairs New Labour followed suit, declaring they were intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich and overseeing Londons transformation into a playground for bankers and oligarchs. Huge swathes of housing, social care, transport and the National Health Service were privatised or put in hock via Public Private Partnerships. The terms social cleansing, rough sleeping and the working poor entered everyday speech. By June 2017, it was possible to buy a 16.5 million mansion in Chelsea, complete with a gym and cinema, but not to find a fire engine with a ladder that extended more than 30 metresa situation London firefighters described as criminal. In a borough home to royalty, residents at Lancaster West Housing Estate were killed in a tower block without fire sprinklers. Grenfell had one stairwell, no fire alarm and the buildings emergency exit lights were broken. Those who called 999 were told to stay put as combustible cladding produced thick cyanide-laden smoke that filled halls and stairwells. London fire crews fought heroically with a service decimated by cuts. The next morning, millions discovered that the Grenfell Action Groups repeated warnings about fire hazards had been deliberately suppressed by council officials: It is a truly terrifying thought, but the Grenfell Action Group firmly believe that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord. The class arrogance of the authorities fuelled outrage, with the offices of the Kensington and Chelsea Council stormed by protesters two days after the fire. The Grenfell fire exposed the failure of capitalism. Its aftermath showed the immense social power of the working class. It was working people who organised relief efforts, co-ordinating donations of food, clothing, toiletries, medicine, blankets and emergency accommodation. It was they who compiled the first missing persons lists. The basic division of society into classes asserted itself as working people acted independently, brushing aside superficial differences of race, ethnicity, religion and gender. Placed on the back foot, the state worked to regain control. Its chosen political mechanism was the government inquiry, headed by Sir Martin Moore-Bick. But this whitewash was only made possible by the backing of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, local Labour MP Emma Dent-Coad and Fire Brigades Union chief Matt Wrack. It was they who corralled residents anger behind a fraud. Moore-Bick ruled out investigating any causes of a social, economic and political nature and the inquiry had no power to lay criminal charges. Its sole function was to subordinate all demands for justice to a process that would only ever protect the guilty. Two years on it is business as usual for the ruling class. At least 17 Grenfell families are still in temporary accommodation. Just 13 people have been interviewed under caution, with London Metropolitan Police admitting that despite identifying potential suspects for offences of corporate and gross negligence manslaughter, there is no guarantee that we can give that there will be criminal charges. And while the guilty walk free, in a vicious act of class justice, respected Grenfell campaigner Reis Morriswho lost family and friends in the firewill spend todays anniversary behind bars, after confronting a Grenfell site manager for ignoring his complaints. As Mayor of London, Boris Johnson told protesting firefighters to get stuffed after they warned his savage cuts would kill. This political pyromaniac is now the favourite to win the Tory leadership contest and replace May as prime minister. An estimated 200,000 people are living in apartment blocks covered with the same combustible cladding as Grenfell. Thousands of schools, colleges, hospitals, shopping centres, workplaces and aged care homes are still encased in flammable materials. Last Sundays fire that ripped through 20 flats in Barking, east London, proves that nothing has changed. Within 12 minutes, fire spread across all six storeys via wooden balconies and cladding approved by a broken building and fire safety regime. Once again residents safety concerns were ignored. Only the fact that the fire took place in the afternoon prevented a major loss of life. All over the world, capitalism is becoming a dirty word as workers confront a parasitic ruling class obsessed with the accumulation of personal wealth, even if this means ruining the lives of millions. A study this month found 130,000 preventable deaths were caused by austerity in the UK since 2012. In the two years since Grenfell, horrific fires have claimed hundreds of lives from Kemerovo in Russia where 64 people, including 41 children, were killed, to Dhaka in Bangladesh where a blaze claimed more than 80 lives. Edward Daffarn, who narrowly escaped on the night of the fire, told the Guardian this week that Grenfell campaigners have reached a crossroad. Grenfell United had been prepared to work with the government, attending dozens of meetings with ministers and civil servants, but this strategy had failed: The one thing they fear is social unrestand rightly so. Go to any meeting in Kensington and that anger is still there. It hasnt dissipated. We wasted 22 months trying to do it this way, and now we have to come up with another solution. We have learned a lot. They failed us. A new political strategy is neededthe fight for socialism. Justice for Grenfell cannot be achieved outside of a frontal assault by the working class on the wealth and power of the financial oligarchy and its political defenders. The guilty, representatives of Arconic and Celotex who manufactured flammable cladding and Harley Facades and Rydon Construction who installed it, council officials who approved its use and the politicians directly involved, including Johnson, must be arrested. The Socialist Equality Party urges Grenfell families and their legal teams to withdraw all co-operation from the governments rotten inquiry. Those such as Corbyn and Dent-Coad who continue to support it are facilitating a state cover-up. Billions of pounds must be made available to create safe and secure homes for all. This means confiscating the wealth of the financial aristocracy, nationalising the banks and corporations to place them under public ownership and democratic control, and reorganising the UK and world economy not for profit, but to meet the needs of humanity. Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau speaks at the launch ceremony for the Cross-boundary Study Tour for Post-secondary Financial Talents 2019. Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau today attended the launch ceremony for the Cross-boundary Study Tour for Post-secondary Financial Talents 2019. A total of 31 students from nine universities in Hong Kong will depart for Shanghai on June 17 for a six-week exchange programme. They will be attached to financial institutions for about five weeks, visit government organisations, financial regulators and exchanges, and take part in exchange activities with Shanghai students. Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Lau encouraged the students to use the opportunity to enhance their understanding of the financial markets and economic environment of the two places. He thanked financial industry leaders for their continuous support for the programme which has entered its eighth year to offer students invaluable working experience in banking, insurance, securities, accounting, asset management and fintech. Mr Lau also encouraged students to learn more about national development goals, including how Hong Kong and Shanghai can leverage their unique edges and systems to collaborate and promote regional economic development in the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A group of Shanghai university students who are taking part in the programme will visit Hong Kong in late July. Following mass protests Wednesday in Hong Kong, opposing a controversial extradition bill, nothing is resolved. Yesterday, sporadic demonstrations took place but far smaller than the massive protests around the citys Legislative Council (LegCo) complex the previous day. Additional protests have been called for Sunday and Monday. Hong Kongs government offices remained closed Thursday and Friday and the debate on the extradition bill, originally planned for Wednesday, was postponed. It is unclear when debate will resume, but a vote has been scheduled for June 20. The bill would allow extradition to any country, including mainland China. Opponents say it will be used to arrest and silence political opponents of the Stalinist regime in Beijing. Tens of thousands participated in Wednesdays demonstrations, largely students and youth. Police responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. A total of 94 people were injured and 11 arrested. Chief Executive Carrie Lam slandered the protest as an organized riot. Beijings Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, echoed Lam, saying: What happened in the Admiralty area was not a peaceful rally, but a riot organized by a group. We support the Hong Kong governments dealing with the situation in accordance with the law. However, the Hong Kong Bar Association pointed to the police as the instigators of the violence. It said the police may well have overstepped its lawful powers, using wholly unnecessary force against largely unarmed protesters who did not appear to pose any immediate threat to the police or the public. Reflecting concerns that the protests will spill over to the mainland, where social discontent is also growing, Beijing attempted to shift blame to outside forces. The state-owned China Daily on Monday claimed some Hong Kong residents have been hoodwinked by the opposition camp and their foreign allies into supporting the anti-extradition campaign. Hu Xinjin, editor of Global Times, another state paper, wrote on Twitter Thursday: I dont think Westerners that encourage protesters in Hong Kong want the best for the city. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered a muted response, saying I dont know what kind of message Hong Kongers were sending Beijing. He added: I hope it all works out for China and for Hong Kong. Undoubtedly, anxiety exists in Washington that similar huge protests can and will erupt as the US government continues its own attack on democratic rights at home. Hong Kong is part of China, but is governed on the basis of one China, two systems following Britains return of the city to China in 1997. The chief executive is elected from a committee of candidates chosen by Beijing. Pro-Beijing parties similarly control the Legislative Council. Hong Kong residents have demanded the right to directly elect the chief executive, without input from Beijing. This led to the protracted mass protests in 2014, known as the Umbrella or Occupy Movement. The pan-democracy camp, a collection of parties opposed to direct rule from Beijing, has postured as a defender of democratic rights in Hong Kong. Older parties, like the Democratic Party, seek compromise and limited reforms with Beijing. They accept the latters rule while seeking to protect Hong Kongs role as a global financial center. Newer parties, such as People Power, posture as more radical alternatives. However, their response to the latest protests has been to make appeals to US imperialism. Ray Chan, People Powers chairman and a member of the LegCo, promoted on Twitter the intervention of US politicians like Representative Jim McGovern, head of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China. McGovern tweeted on Wednesday that he, Senator Marco Rubio, and Representative Chris Smith would introduce the HK Human Rights [and] Democracy Act to reaffirm US commitment to human rights [and] the rule of law at a time when Hong Kongs autonomy is imperiled by Chinese [government] interference [and] a revised extradition law. McGovern expressed concern for human rights advocates, business persons, journalists and American citizens who would be put at risk of rendition to the mainland. This is sheer hypocrisy. The British government has just certified a US extradition request for journalist Julian Assangeessentially a rendition operation to silence and intimidate journalists who would expose US crimes. Like People Power, the student organization Demosisto has taken on a radical tone, while promoting the intervention of US politicians. Demosisto is led by Joshua Wong, who gained recognition for his role in the Umbrella Movement. On its website, the organization states that it aims to achieve democratic self-determination in Hong Kong. Through direct action, popular referenda, and non-violent means, we push for the citys political and economic autonomy from the oppression of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and capitalist hegemony. Demosisto has highlighted the roles of McGovern, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in criticizing the Hong Kong extradition bill in May. Demosisto wrote on May 19: Democratic and Republican Senators will send an open letter to Carrie Lam and personally send staff to Hong Kong to lobby. The US will use its resources to pressure the Hong Kong government for concessions to its imperialist interests, not for the working class. Washingtons primary concern is to maintain current business relations in Hong Kong, while exploiting the current protests to claim Beijing is violating the rule of law, an accusation used to justify economic pressure on China and the US-led military buildup in Asia. Furthermore, Demosistos call for direct action is meant to politically disarm workers and youth at a time when political leadership is needed more than ever. Without an independent, working class party in opposition to both the Beijing regime and imperialism, as well as the ruling elites in Hong Kong, the protests will be steered into a dead-end, no matter how large and militant. This means building a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International to fight to unite all Chinese workers as part of the struggle for international socialism. Following last months European elections, the dispute over Italys state debt has flared up once again. The European Commission recommended on June 5 the launching of disciplinary procedures against the highly indebted country, which could culminate in the imposition of severe fines if the government fails to drastically cut spending. However, numerous steps would have to be completed before that point is reached. To date, no financial penalty has ever been imposed on a eurozone member. Additionally, the potential of an Italian bankruptcy could drag the entire eurozone over a cliff. After Germany and France, Italy is the third largest member of the currency bloc. The Italian government is divided over the issue. While the non-party prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, threatened to resign, and pleaded together with Finance Minister Giovanni Trea, also a non-party minister, for obeying European Union (EU) regulations, far-right Lega leader Matteo Salvini initially adopted a confrontational stance. The strongman of the government ridiculed the little letter from Brussels and vowed not to bow to the EUs demands. But Conte announced a de-escalation of the situation earlier this week. At a crisis meeting with Salvini and Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio, it was agreed that a strategy would be drafted together with Trea to avoid EU sanctions, Conte announced. He previously warned that disciplinary action would trigger a crisis on Italys financial market. Salvini confirmed the agreement. However, this isnt worth much. The EU previously threatened to initiate proceedings against Italy late last year, but eventually agreed to a compromise. The EU now assumes that both Italys new debt and its overall debt will continue to increase. In essence, the conflict over Italys budget is a bitter fight between competing factions of the European and Italian bourgeoisies that is being carried out at the expense of the working class. The EUs threats of penalties recall its treatment of Greece. The EU is particularly irritated by the Five Star-Lega governments introduction of a basic income and the abandoning of a pension reform, both of which cost several billion euros. EU officials are demanding an end to these measures and a stricter regime of austerity. As the World Socialist Web Site has explained, these measures are nothing more than a drop in the bucket, and are, moreover, bound to draconian requirements much like Hartz IV in Germany. They do nothing to change the glaring levels of social inequality, and poverty and unemployment continue to rise. They were introduced above all at the initiative of the Five Star Movement, which won large numbers of votes in southern Italy on the basis of its promise for a basic income. By contrast, Salvini is developing very different plans. His Lega was initially formed as a separatist party in northern Italy and had a base of support among sections of the middle class and businessmen. An old hate-filled song that Salvini posted on YouTube at the beginning of his political career is once again making the rounds. It concerns the stinking Napolitans (people of Naples, the largest city in the impoverished south), who allegedly even force the dogs to leave the city. Only later did the Lega expand its influence across the country with anti-refugee xenophobia and anti-EU demagogy. But Salvini benefited above all from the fact that the so-called left parties and trade unions had slavishly imposed the EUs austerity demands for more than three decades. Salvinis major goal is the cutting of taxes for the super-rich and corporations. By introducing a flat tax, he wants to trigger a fiscal crisis. The project would cost between 50 billion and 60 billion to implement. Such a policy would be inseparable from ruthless attacks on the working class. In the past, similar policies were practiced by dictatorships, like the Pinochet regime in Chile, or the right-wing governments that ruled in Eastern Europe following the restoration of capitalism. Salvini is consciously cultivating a fascist base to enforce these policies against bitter opposition from the working class. The Five Star Movement, which long claimed to be neither left nor right, has been exposed as a reliable prop for the far-right Lega. The WSWS warned six years ago that the Five Star Movement was mobilising distressed sections of the middle class with nationalist appeals against foreigners and refugees. While the Five Star Movement won 33 percent at the 2018 Italian elections, and Lega 17 percent, the vote percentages were almost reversed in last months vote. While the Lega emerged as the strongest party with 34 percent of the vote, the Five Star Movement secured just 17 percent. The protest party is deeply divided and faces the threat of a split. Under these conditions, Salvini hopes to be able to form a government of right-wing parties following early elections. Together with the Forza Italia of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (8.8 percent) and the fascist Fratelli ditalia (6.5 percent), the Lega secured almost half of the votes in the European elections. However, Salvini cant afford to engage in an open conflict with the EU, which brings with it the threat of a financial crisis. This is why he is shifting on the debt issue. In principle, the EU has no objection to massive tax cuts for the rich, provided that they are offset through deep social spending cuts. All of its policies over recent decades have been based on this principle. However, the EU is not prepared to tolerate tax cuts being offset temporarily through increased debt. This would, first and foremost, undermine Germanys dominant position in the euro zone, which is based on a strong euro. This is why German economists in particular are stressing that Italy must first cut social spending. For example, Clemens Fuest, president of the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research, said that the former Democratic Party (DP) government deregulated the labour market and secured more flexibility. Now, they are taking the other direction. The deregulations were reversed, and thats just the wrong approach. It is necessary to restructure costs, away from pension benefits towards investments, for example. The dividing line between supporters of the EU and nationalists like Salvini is fluid, with both agreeing that major attacks on the living standards of the working class are necessary to defend the capitalist system. For the Italian working class, there is no lesser evil in this conflict. They must organise themselves independently, align themselves with the workers in Europe and internationally, and fight for a socialist programme. This is the only way to prevent a relapse into barbarism and war. Nurses in Toledo, Ohio, are outraged over the unilateral decision of the United Auto Workers (UAW) International union to shut down their six-week strike and impose a pro-company contract top UAW officials reached with Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center on Wednesday. A statement by the UAW International announced that it had made an unconditional offer to return to work on behalf of all former strikers. While claiming the deal had addressed many of the nurses major concerns, including quality of life issues, the UAW did not reveal any details. Nurses piled into a Local 2213 union meeting Wednesday night livid over the back-to-work order and plans by UAW International and Regional 2B officials to hold snap ratification meetings on Thursday and Friday without giving nurses sufficient time to study and discuss the deal. Nearly 2,000 hospital workers who struck together on May 6 to fight understaffing, forced overtime, long on-call hours, substandard health care benefits and wages. The UAW isolated the walkout, including from the thousands of Fiat Chrysler workers at the nearby Jeep complex, and sought to starve workers into submission by doling out miserly $250 weekly strike benefit payments while sitting on a $750 million strike fund. In the most treacherous blow, the UAW split the strikers by pushing through separate deals for support staff and technicians on June 2, instructing them to cross the picket lines of the 950 nurses, who had not reached a settlement and remained on strike. Facing widespread opposition from rank-and-file nurses, UAW Region 2B issued a statement early Thursday morning announcing that it was rescheduling the ratification meetings for Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and evening. The statement denounced local union officials for holding an informational meeting for striking nurses and allegedly spreading misinformation about the UAW-recommended deal. Due to misinformation being given by both Mercy Health and the Local 2213 President/Chairperson regarding the tentative agreement that has been reached, there will be NO ratification vote at UAW Local 12 on Thursday and Friday this week, a Facebook post on the UAW Region 2B page said. Without informing UAW Region 2B representatives, the Local 2213 Bargaining Committee held an informational meeting this evening (Wednesday). It is our belief that the membership has the right to be fully and accurately informed prior to voting on any contract. Autoworkers are familiar with the UAWs supposed devotion to democracy. UAW executives routinely trample over the rights of workers: using threats of job losses to intimidate workers into voting for pro-company deals, releasing only self-serving contract highlights that cover up the real character of agreements and forcing workers to vote again and again on the same or slightly modified deals until they get it right. In 2015, after Fiat Chrysler workers rejected a UAW-backed deal by a 2-to-1 margin, the UAW mounted a campaign of lies, intimidation and outright vote fraud to push through pro-company deals at FCA, GM and Ford. On the UAW Region 2B Facebook page, nurses responded with anger. Angel David Nichols posted: Im not buying thisthe contract you are bringing us will be the same contract we voted down. Meghan Christine posted: There was no informational meeting last night, it was our daily 6:30p meeting we have been having since the beginning. She [Local 2213 President Sue Pratt] did not give out any information about said agreement! But Im sure your little moles probably told you otherwise! You make me sick! UAW doesnt care about us! Mary A Bryant Richardson said: What I dont understand is how the strike could be cancelled and us forced back to work in less than 24 hrs without any explanation from anyone higher than Sue [Pratt]? This is unheard of, and a slap in the face to all of your members. This is not ok. Chelsea Kujawski posted: We dont even know what this contract says and we havent even had the chance to vote on it and theyre already taking us off the line and saying to return to work now!? What the heck!? We need answers! Katie Harrison posted: You just want us to return to work with no vote and no explanation?! Denouncing the UAW officials, Daviona Camille posted: Mistake number one putting power in your hands when you dont have to suffer the consequence or work in the environment that you are making the decision for!!! In a video posted on the Region 2B Facebook page, regional director Rich Rankin (UAW 2018 salary $170,900) said it was not true as management stated that we are taking back the same contract, claiming, we added language. He continued, We brought the local leadership down to the region and they assured us that they were going to support this agreement and take back to membership for a vote. Despite all the negativity, Rankin said, referring to the opposition of rank-and-file nurses, we are committed to fighting for our members interests. In an effort to intimidate nurses, Rankin said the UAW was sending nurses back to work because Mercy Health management had threatened to replace them all with strikebreakers if they were not back to work by Friday. Given the current climate of the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board], getting striking nurses back to work was the best way to protect their jobs and keep from being permanently replaced. While nurses have expressed concern about how many will be recalled and how many could face retribution, Rankin said it was up to management to contact individuals when they are required to work, saying nothing about the fate of nurses who may face victimization for being militant or outspoken. The abject capitulation by the UAW in the face of this strikebreaking threat is not just a matter of cowardice. The UAW wants to send a definite message to the 155,000 General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler workers whose contracts expire in mid-September: If workers dare strike, we will isolate you, deny you anything but a pittance from the $750 million strike fund, and leave you vulnerable to being replaced by strikebreakers. The betrayal of the Toledo hospital workers underscores that the biggest strikebreaker is the UAW itself, which does everything to divide and weaken workers and strengthen the hand of the corporate owners. As a reward, top union officials receive millions of dollars in bribes, seats on corporate boards and other substantial perks. This is why the World Socialist Web Site and the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter have fought for Toledo hospital workers, teachers, autoworkers and other sections of the working class to build new organizations of struggle: factory and workplace committees, which are democratically controlled by the rank-and- file and committed to mobilize the strength of the working class in a fight for democratic and social rights. Nurses should reject the sellout deal with the contempt it deserves and reach out to workers at other Mercy Health and ProMedica facilities, along with Jeep and other autoworkers, to fight for a general strike to beat back this attack. In opposition to the UAW, which promoted various Democrats like Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Bernie Sanders as friends of labor, workers must launch a political counter-offensive against both corporate-controlled parties and fight for a socialist alternative to the capitalist system, including taking the profit out of medicine. The Labour Party-NZ First-Greens coalition government announced on June 10 that New Zealands deployment of about 100 soldiers to Iraq will be extended for another 12 months. The deployment of about a dozen troops to Afghanistan will last for at least another 18 months. The announcement by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is fraudulently promoted as kind and caring in the international media, is further proof of her governments right-wing, pro-imperialist character. While Labour, the Greens and NZ First voted against the former National Party governments decision to send troops to Iraq in 2015, these parties never genuinely opposed the war and New Zealands alliance with US imperialism. For nearly two decades, successive Labour and National Party-led governments have actively supported these criminal wars, which have killed more than a million people, destroyed entire cities, and displaced many millions more. They have echoed Washingtons pretext that the invasion and destruction of these countries has been necessary to combat terrorism. The real aim is to cement US domination over the Middle East and Afghanistan, at the expense of its rivals including Russia and China. At the same time, Iraq has been a stepping stone to plan further wars against Syria and Iran. The government continues to falsely depict New Zealands role as non-combat, providing training to local troops. In fact, it was reported last year that New Zealand forces in Iraq have also carried out intelligence gathering and assisted in planning combat operations. Since 2016 NZ Defence Force personnel have been secretly stationed at the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Qatar. CAOC, run by the US Air Force Central Command, involves 20 countries and coordinates air strikes in Iraq and Syria. In Afghanistan, New Zealands Special Air Service (SAS) commandos have carried out combat operations since the 2001 invasion and have been implicated in war crimes, including the killing of civilians. Significantly, when asked by a reporter if SAS troops would be involved in Iraq or Afghanistan, Defence Minister Ron Mark and Ardern refused to answer. SAS operations are almost always kept secret, meaning that they could be involved in combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and anywhere else in the world without the publics knowledge. Ardern also announced that New Zealand personnel will remain part of Operation Gallant Phoenix, a secretive US military operation based in Jordan, which gathers intelligence in Iraq, Syria and more broadly. Despite these ongoing deployments, New Zealands media and Labours supporters highlighted Arderns promise to withdraw soldiers from Iraq next year, even though previous withdrawal dates have passed with troop deployments being extended again and again. The Green Partys defence spokesperson Golriz Gharaman said she was thrilled with Arderns announcement and praised Defence Minister Mark, from the right-wing nationalist NZ First Party. She declared: New Zealand is increasingly standing, as we have done before, as an independent principled voice against war, it is a positive step for our country. On Facebook, the middle class pseudo-left group Organise Aotearoa also praised the announcement of a gradual withdrawal of troops from Iraq after years of assisting with the destruction of that country. It called for the severing of all ties with the US military. The pacifist group Peace Action Wellington enthusiastically declared: Yeah NZ troops out of Iraq! by June 2020 some other intermediary steps and then abolish the military! Wooh lets put our resources into other stuff! Such statements are thoroughly misleading and false. They are aimed at pulling the wool over the eyes of workers and young people by promoting dangerous illusions in the Labour-led government. Even if regular troops are withdrawn from Iraq, Ardern made clear that this would only be done with the approval of Australia and the United States. Having defeated Islamic State militarily, destroying much of Iraq and Syria in the process, the US is now increasingly threatening other countries including Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, China and Russia. Far from standing against war, the Ardern government, with NZ First playing a major role, has dramatically strengthened New Zealands alliance with the US and integrated into its military build-up, particularly against China. This has included sending air force personnel to Japan to join the encirclement of North Korea and China. A major defence policy statement released last year echoed the Trump administration by labelling China and Russia the main threats to global security. NZ First leader and deputy prime minister Winston Peters has repeatedly praised the alliance with Washington and called for a greater US military presence in the Pacific to push back against Chinas growing influence in the region. In preparation for future wars, the government is committed to spending $20 billion over the next decade on new air force planes, navy vessels and other military assets in order to strengthen interoperability with the US and other allies. The plan also includes increasing the size of the regular army from 4,500 to 6,000 soldiers. Defending this plan on Radio NZ, Mark said that to protect NZ and its allies, friends and strategic partners [the] military requires war-fighting capabilities. He praised New Zealands long alliance with the US, including in the Korean War and World War II. As a minor imperialist power, New Zealand has always relied on more powerful allies including the US, Britain and Australia, to support its own neo-colonial interests in the Pacific and more broadly. In return, New Zealands ruling class has sacrificed tens of thousands of young lives in two world wars and numerous other criminal military interventions. A movement against war must be urgently built, but this can only be done in opposition to Labour and the entire political establishment, including the Greens, and their pseudo-left supporters. This requires a socialist perspective and leadership, aimed at uniting workers and young people internationally in a fight to abolish capitalism, which is the source of war. The Trump administrations thuggish secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, made a presentation to the media Thursday afternoon in which he asserted that Iran was responsible for suspected attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. These charges carry with them the threat of a war that would transform much of the Eurasian landmass into a battleground. The allegations made by Pompeo, who publicly professes that his every action is guided by the Bible, are a pack of lies. It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today, Pompeo told reporters during his brief remarks at the State Department. This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication, the secretary of state continued. The assessment is based on intelligence, but no intelligence has been provided to anyone. It is derived from the weapons used, but the guilty verdict has been delivered against Iran before any investigation has been conducted to determine what those weapons were. And it is buttressed by allegations of recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping which are just as unsubstantiated as the latest ones. Larding up his indictment, Pompeo provided a list of alleged Iranian transgressions over the last month including the sabotage of four ships anchored off the UAE port of Fujairah last monthan accusation that US National Security Adviser John Bolton vowed to substantiate by presenting evidence to the United Nations Security Council, but then never did. He cited the attack by armed drones on Saudi oil pipelines, for which Yemens Houthi rebels claimed responsibility as retaliation for the near-genocidal, four-year-old Saudi-led and US-backed war that has killed over 80,000 Yemeni civilians and brought millions to the brink of starvation. Pompeo also included in his bill of charges a missile that fell on May 19 into Baghdads Green Zone, about a third of a mile away from the US embassy, and a May 31 car bomb that wounded four US soldiers in Afghanistan, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility. What are the known facts? Two tankers suffered damage some 14 nautical miles from the Iranian coast after taking on cargoes in ports in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Front Altair, a Norwegian-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, was carrying petrochemical feedstock. Following an explosion, the tanker caught fire. The second tanker, the Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous, carrying a cargo of methanol, suffered damage to its hulls starboard side. The 44 crew members of the two vessels were rescued by the Iranian navy and taken to the nearby Iranian port of Bandar-e-Jask. After the rescue, the US Fifth Fleet announced, US Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance. What precise assistance was being rendered is unclear, but there is no doubt that the incident will be exploited by the Pentagon to ratchet up its escalating military threats against Iran. Representatives of the shipping companies connected to the two tankers variously suggested that the ships had been attacked with torpedoes, magnetic mines or improvised explosive devices, the last being suggested because of the limited character of the damage. So much for Pompeos reliance on the weapons used to indict Iran. Finally, and perhaps most significant, is the fact that both vessels, one by ownership and the other by the manifest for its cargo, were connected to Japan and were struck precisely on the day that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The trip had been billed as an attempt to ease tensions between Washington and Tehran and was seen by Iran as a means of mitigating the isolation that US imperialism has attempted to impose upon Iran and its economy. Just hours before the attacks, Abe had publicly declared that, contrary to US accusations, Iran had no intentions to build a nuclear weapon. Whose interests were served by attacking tankers connected to Japan in the middle of such meetings? Certainly not those of the Iranian government. Moreover, if Pompeos claims had any credibility, and Iran had just flagrantly attacked a Japanese shipping vessel, wouldnt one expect Abe to immediately cut short his trip? Thursdays incident in the Gulf of Oman is eerily reminiscent of the television show Rubicon, which was canceled by AMC after one season in 2010. In the final episodes of the show, forces connected to the US intelligence apparatus stage the sinking of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico and attempt to blame Iran. Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to the attacks, declaring, Suspicious doesnt begin to describe what likely transpired this morning. Pompeo cited the remark, declaring, threateningly, Zarif may think this is funny, but no one else in the world does. No one in Tehran was laughing. What the Iranian foreign minister was suggesting was the obvious conclusion that those responsible for the attacks on the tankers were those who wanted to prevent an easing of tensions in the region and, rather, to escalate the war threats against Iran. The obvious suspects are Washington itself and the collection of Middle East regimes that it has sought to forge into an anti-Iranian axis: principally Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Any one of themor at least the mercenaries that the House of Saud and its fellow oil sheikdoms employare entirely capable of carrying out such an attack with the aim of blaming it on Iran. In his brief remarks Thursday, Pompeo accused Iran of carrying out 40 years of unprovoked aggression against freedom-loving nations, and declared that Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted. No economic sanctions entitle the Islamic Republic to attack innocent civilians, disrupt global oil markets, and engage in nuclear blackmail, he continued. Here stands before you in all his glory is the evangelical Christian hypocrite who embodies the criminality of US imperialism. Forty years of unprovoked aggression by Iran. Who does he think he is kidding? Washington has never forgiven the Iranian people for overthrowing the US-backed police state torture regime of the Shah in 1979. It was Washington that goaded the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein into invading Iran and provided it with chemical weapons to slaughter Iranian troops in a war that claimed a million lives. Toward the conclusion of that war in 1988, the USS Vincennes, a US Navy cruiser deployed in the Persian Gulf, fired surface-to-air missiles into an Iranian passenger jet, killing all 290 people aboard. Today, Washington, having unilaterally and illegally ripped up the Iranian nuclear agreement, is imposing sanctions tantamount to a state of war that are creating increasing misery for Irans 83 million people, destroying their jobs, subjecting millions to poverty and hunger, and depriving the sick of life-saving medicines. One thing is certain. Nothing coming out of the mouth of Pompeo or anyone else in the US governmentits Republican and Democratic representatives alikeor from its propaganda servants in the corporate media regarding the crisis in the Persian Gulf can be believed. The pretexts for war this time around will prove as fabricated as Iraqs weapons of mass destruction or the lies about a US warship being attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin that were used to justify the US war that killed over three-and-a-half million people in Indochina. Working people in the United States and internationally must take the provocations in the Persian Gulf as a deadly serious warning. Having deployed its aircraft carrier battle group, its B-52-led bomber strike force, amphibious assault ships, Patriot missile batteries and ground troops to the region, Washington is seeking to provoke a war. Such a war, waged by a US military that is unprepared for a conflict on the scale posed by Iran, would spell a catastrophe both internationally and domestically. It could not be waged without the restoration of the draft and the provoking of social conflicts of a revolutionary character within the US itself. A war against Iran will far eclipse the bloodbath that claimed over a million lives in Iraq and will inevitably draw in the entire Middle East, as well as US imperialisms great power rivals, including both China and Russia, posing the threat of a nuclear Armageddon. The drive to war against Iran and the buildup toward world war are being prosecuted behind the backs of the American people, who are broadly opposed to war and deeply skeptical of the lies of the US government and its media servants. The decisive question today is the mobilization of the mass opposition to war in a conscious and independent political intervention by the working class internationally to put an end to imperialism and reorganize society on socialist foundations. The shooting death of a young African-American man at the hands of a US Marshals Service task force in Memphis, Tennessee Wednesday evening produced a quick and angry response by residents of one of the poorest neighborhoods in one of the poorest cities in the state. Brandon Webber, 20, was shot and killed by the still unidentified federal agents at around 7 p.m. Wednesday night in Memphiss Frayser neighborhood, a poor, working-class district about five miles north of downtown. The killing prompted about 100 protesters to take to the streets to vent their anger and demand justice. Memphis Police were mobilized to cordon off the scene when the neighborhood protest began and were not involved in the shooting, a police spokesperson told the media. The outpouring of anger at police over the latest police killing was likely primed by the announcement Tuesday that a Memphis officer who shot and killed unarmed Terrance Carlton in April of last year would face no criminal charges. Police body camera footage showed that Carlton, 25, was unarmed and lying on the ground on his side when he was shot twice in the abdomen. Some protestors later in the evening dismantled a concrete wall and hurled chunks of concrete and stone at police who turned out in riot gear, weapons and riot shields. More than a dozen police vehicles were severely damaged. Local media reported that 36 police officers and two news reporters were injured in the fray but none seriously. There was no reporting on the number of Frayser residents who might have been injured when they were confronted by the police who fired tear gas into the crowd of protestors. By the end of the evening the police arrested just three people, charging them all with disorderly conduct and one with inciting a riot. Webber was shot multiple times after he allegedly rammed his car into vehicles used by the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force. According to the Task Force officers he allegedly got out of the car with a weapon and was shot. The federal agents were at Webbers home to serve what was described by the media as several felony warrants at the time of the shooting. While there were videos posted on social media of protesters' confrontations with police, none has emerged of the shooting itself since US marshals and other federal agents are not required to use either car dash cameras or body cameras. Demetrick Skinner, Webbers cousin, along with Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer each told the Daily Memphian that Webber was shot up to 20 times before dying in his familys front yard, according to the newspaper. Other questions have been raised about the killing. Whats not mentioned is the conflicting reports.eye witness accounts allege that he was shot after he was cuffed and subdued already, thus the riot, Andrew Williams wrote on Twitter. They shot him 20 times when he was in cuffs, Ryan Irving also tweeted. He had a bright future ahead of him and yall took that away from him. With no eyewitness or police body camera videos, details of the shooting have disappeared into the black hole known as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI) which can take weeks if not months before releasing information. While the Frayser neighborhood is known for Academy Award-winning hip-hop artist Cedric Coleman, known as Frayser Boy, it is also recognized as perhaps the poorest area in one of the poorest cities for its size in the nation. According to city-data.com, the poverty rate in Frayser is 44.8 percent compared to Memphis as a whole at 26.9 percent. Median household income in 2016 for Frayser was just $31,065, compared to the entire city which was $38,826; both well below the median income of Nashville, the state capital, with almost $64,000. Factories in the area which once employed thousands began to close one after the other in the 1970s and 1980s causing many working-class residents to leave the area and severely limiting opportunities for those who remained behind. Those who live in the area face environmental hazards and contamination from industrial runoff and toxic waste which remains at the sites of abandoned factories. As far back as 1983 in the Public Health Policy Journal article Toxic Waste Uproar: A Community History, Jeffrey S. Harris placed Memphis and the Frayser district in particular in the same category as Three Mile Island, the Pennsylvania nuclear plant that experienced a dangerous partial meltdown in 1979, and the Niagara Falls, New Yorks Love Canal which became the cause of a massive environmental pollution disaster harming the health of hundreds of residents and requiring an extensive Superfund cleanup. Webber, a father of three, had graduated from Central High School in 2017. His former principal, Greg McCullough, said in a statement to the media that the young mans death has left him broken-hearted. McCullough described Webber as a student who excelled at art and worked hard in school. My heart is broken over the news regarding the death of Brandon Webber. Brandon worked hard during his time at Central I remember that he was a very talented art student. He seemed to really love his experience at Central High and he engaged well with others. My prayers go out to the Webber family during this devastating time. Barely two weeks after he was installed as Labor Party leader, following the partys devastating May 18 election defeat, the corporate media has praised Anthony Albanese for suspending, and vowing to expel, construction trade union leader John Setka from the party. Without any pretence of due process, Albanese seized on unsubstantiated reportsdenied by Setkathat during an internal union executive meeting Setka made disparaging remarks about a campaigner for laws that purport to protect women from domestic violence. Setka has not been accused of corruption or selling out his members. Instead, an orchestrated hue and cry has been launched throughout the media, accusing him of calling into question the work of Rosie Batty, who was made Australian of the Year in 2015 for campaigning against violence committed against women. In an extraordinary television interview on Thursday night, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus said she had urged Setka to resign as Victorian state secretary of the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU). She insisted that he should quit, even though he was innocent of making the reported comments. McManus thus directly contradicted Albaneses allegation, but still declared that Setka had to go, because of a whole range of issues that she did not specify. In other words, Setkas alleged comments are a flimsy pretext to bring to a head previous plans to oust him as a union boss and Labor factional powerbroker. Among the range of issues, highlighted by the media, are criminal charges against Setka of harassing a womancharges to which he this week agreed to plead guilty. As an elected official, Setka cannot be simply removedthe CFMMEU national leadership would have to lay charges against him in order to do so. Nevertheless, the drive to oust him is escalating. For years, Setka has been falsely depicted in the media as a militant. In fact, he has worked closely with employers for three decades to suppress and contain the militancy of building workers, one of the most important sections of the working class. He has also corralled workers behind the thoroughly pro-business Labor Party. Nevertheless, the ruling elite is demanding Setkas removal as a test for Albanese, the Labor Party and trade union bureaucrats of their readiness to block and attack any strikes or opposition by workers to defend their democratic and social rights. This is in response to a global resurgence of working-class struggles against worsening austerity, social inequality and militarism. There are fears in ruling circles that the upsurge will erupt in Australia, particularly under conditions of economic slump, in which an estimated 70,000 construction workers have already lost their jobs in the property market crash since mid-2018. Writing in the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday, Phillip Coorey proclaimed: In one move on Tuesday, Anthony Albanese asserted his authority over the Labor Party. Albanese had signaled a different culture to that under Bill Shorten, his predecessor, a former union bureaucrat himself, who had relied heavily on the CFMMEUs factional backing. On the same day, an editorial in the Murdoch medias Australian declared: Anthony Albanese has finally done the right thing. After a build-up of public scorn and disgust, the Opposition Leader will move at the next meeting of the ALPs national executive to expel militant unionist John Setka. Significantly, the editorial cited comments by former prime minister and ACTU president Bob Hawke. In 2016, Hawke insisted that Labor had to outlaw the CFMMEU, just like his government deregistered the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) in 1986. You know what I did with the Builders Labourers FederationI would throw them out, Hawke declared. The newspapers editorial commented: Thats the ultimate test for our political leaders. This is a clear warning of what lies behind the Setka affair. The Hawke governments unprecedented banning of a union was part of a wholesale assault on working-class conditions by the Labor Party and the ACTU through their prices and incomes Accords. Between 1983 and 1996, the Hawke and Keating Labor governments worked hand in glove with the trade unions to cut real wages, demolish hard-won working conditions and break-up workplace shop committees. Labor and the unions imposed the greatest-ever transfer of wealth from the working class to the rich, as part of the program of economic restructuring carried out by governments around the world. The target of the BLF deregistration was not the unions leaders, who included Setka. They subsequently integrated themselves into the CFMMEU. The ban was directed against builders labourersthe most rebellious section of construction workersand any genuine rank-and-file organisation on construction sites. Setkas various militant stunts after 1986 sought to allow outraged building workers let off steam while channelling them back into the arms of the Building Workers Industrial Union, which later merged into the CFMMEU. The union cemented cosy relations with employers that opted to retain the services of the unions to help cut working conditions. In 2012, for example, at the height of a much-publicised CFMMEU conflict with Grocon, a building company, Setka blurted out the unions pro-business attitude. Everyone has realised the unions and builders have to work together, he told the Herald Sun, why would we try to bite the hands that feeds us? Recent years, however, have seen the CFMMEUs membership shrink, like that of all the unions, precisely because of workers hostility to its enforcement of anti-strike laws and the driving down of wages and conditions. In the construction industry, workplace deaths and injuries have worsened, despite the CFMMEUs claims to enforce safety standards, as highlighted by the death of 18-year-old apprentice Christopher Cassiniti in Sydney on April 1. Thirty-five construction workers were killed on the job in 2016, followed by 30 deaths in 2017. Many employers no longer see the point of collaborating with the CFMMEU and other unions, which can impinge on their profits by demanding the employment of union officials as safety or training officers. Notably, the same McManus who is demanding Setkas scalp warned last Decembers national Labor Party conference that a looming tsunami of working-class discontent would erupt unless a Labor government came to office and pretended to address growing social inequality. Labors election defeat was an historic debacle. Not only did it lose to a far-right dominated Liberal-National Coalition, but Labor suffered its biggest losses in working-class areas. Its bogus promises of limited increases in social spending simply had no credibility. Many workers have not forgotten the attacks of Hawke and Keating, or how the anti-working class offensive deepened under the Rudd and Gillard governments of 2007 to 2013. Labors response, under Albanese, has been to commit itself to a more explicit right-wing and pro-big business program. Albanese immediately vowed to forge closer ties with business, boost wealth creation and pursue bipartisanship with the Liberal-National government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Unions and employers have a common interest, Albanese said, echoing the consensus program of the Hawke and Keating governments. For their part, the unions will intensify their partnerships with employers accordingly, at the expense of the jobs and conditions of their members. This week, the Morrison government exploited the Setka affair to declare its intent to reintroduce legislation to bolster powers to remove union officials and outlaw unions. Labor quickly signalled its readiness to back the move. Tony Burke, Labors industrial relations spokesperson, said Labor would look at any new version of the bill, which Labor opposed in 2017. The governments Ensuring Integrity Bill would enable the Federal Court to ban union leaders from holding office if they broke anti-strike laws, or failed to stop their members from doing so, or were deemed not a fit and proper person. Unions could be deregistered if its members took obstructive unprotected industrial action. For now, Setka, who is refusing to quit as a union official, is supported by a number of CFMMEU, Maritime Union of Australia and Electrical Trades Union bureaucrats. Some officials, who were in the meeting at which Setka is alleged to have made his remarks, have accused Albanese of acting on the basis of false allegations. Whatever the factional warfare, however, Albanese and the Labor and ACTU leaders will pursue their attack, anxious to show they can pass their initial test. This is just the first instalment. The wider test being demanded of them is to contain and suppress the tsunami of discontent in the working class. The author also recommends: Industrial relations and the trade unions under Labor: From Whitlam to Rudd [12 November 2007] Hong Kong will explore ways to deepen and broaden its links with the United States, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau said on the second day of his US visit. Mr Yau made the comments at a reception hosted by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, Washington, DC for US government officials, think tank members, academics, and chambers of commerce and business organisation leaders. He noted that the trade and economic relationship between Hong Kong and the US is mutually beneficial and expanding. It is also a relationship defined on the unique status of Hong Kong under the Basic Law and distinct qualities of Hong Kong which include the rule of law buttressed by an independent judiciary, a commitment to creating a pro-trade environment and the free flow of information, goods and people. Mr Yau added Hong Kong will explore ways to deepen and broaden its links with the US in areas such as collaborations in innovation and technology, educational, scientific and medical exchanges. The commerce chief met US political leaders and representatives of a think tank to keep them abreast of Hong Kong's latest developments, as well as to exchange views on current trade issues and the Hong Kong-US bilateral relationship. He had a breakfast meeting with former US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez before meeting US congressional members including Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific & International Cybersecurity Policy of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Cory Gardner, and Congressional-Executive Commission on China Chairman James McGovern. Mr Yau also attended a lunch meeting with senior Heritage Foundation members, including its founder Edwin Feulner. He welcomed the foundation's high regard for Hong Kong as the world's freest economy for 25 consecutive years, which he said reaffirmed the Government's steadfast commitment in upholding free market principles over the years. GILLETTE Another federal law change is leading to some questions in Wyoming about youth and putting the future of group homes and crisis shelters at risk. At least thats the assessment of two Gillette officials who asked the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee last week to delay work on a bill to establish creation of a Family First Prevention Services Act. YES House Executive Director Sheri England and Rep. Scott Clem, a Gillette Republican and former coordinator of the boys home at the YES House, spoke against producing a draft bill to meet those federal standards, which would take effect Oct. 1, 2021. While they support the focus behind Family First and the proposed act keeping children in their homes first and foremost when possible they also fear the legislation may force group homes and crisis shelters in the state to close. The Gillette-based Wyoming Youth Services Association also released a position paper on the issue. While implementation of the act will strengthen some prevention services for youth and their families, it also may limit care for others because funding would be shifted from group homes and residential treatment centers to prevention services. Rene Kemper, mayor of Douglas and executive director of Youth Development Services there, said the paper outlines positive results from the changing federal focus on family issues and work to keep children in their own homes. At the same time, the act brings a lot of questions and worries. England and Kemper both asked the Judiciary Committee to delay work on the act so its implications could be considered more fully. The work not only will increase costs because of its use of independent evaluators and a requirement for an additional hearing one with the independent evaluator after 30 days and another with a judge after 60 days. Kemper said its important to evaluate the role of the independent evaluators, judges and teams. One of my biggest concerns is the unintended consequences of the act, Kemper said. In group homes, it could reduce the number of crisis shelter beds in the state. The federal requirements also would reimburse a program for a youths stay in group homes to no more than 14 days. The cost for any more days would fall on the state or local level. Thats not very reasonable when youre talking about rural Wyoming, Kemper said. As a mayor, Im concerned about reducing services at the state or local level. Keeping families together in their homes also is a focus of YES House programs, England said. But what if it takes longer than 14 days, she asked. The unintended consequences may be that we cut our crisis shelters or group homes to go to. What if theres no place for them? The average stay for children in group homes in Wyoming is three months. Kids may be placed into detention more often, England said. I think we owe it to our children to take our time. If theyre only willing to pay for 14 days, we cant provide the services. Thats not enough time to provide the services, Kemper said. Ive done the job for 29 years. We are making permanent changes in these kids lives, but not when were limited to a 14-day timeline. Clem said since he resigned from his job at the YES House earlier this year to become a full-time minister in Gillette, I dont really have a dog in this fight. But the proposed act does greatly concern me because it would disrupt the continuum of care. He added that a first-time juvenile delinquent sent to the group home may take more than 14 days just to start speaking to staff, depending on how upset or stubborn he or she is. He worries how the new prevention act would affect the continuum of care, although that isnt known yet. A lot of times with abuse or neglect, theyre placed in a facility while awaiting adjudication, Clem said. These are kids whove not been successful in foster care and theyre sent back to a crisis shelter, unfortunately, because theyre not safe in the community, he said. He asked what will happen to children involved in a diversion program or neglect cases if a court takes more time to determine the best course of action for that child. More and more will be in jail, he said. There is always going to be a need for a group home. I believe this will put our children at risk. ... This is going to have a significant impact. Even the Judiciary Committee was divided on the issue, voting 7-7 on a proposal to move a draft bill on the issue forward. As a result, the draft bill will move forward and the discussion likely will continue. CASPER - The race to fill outgoing Sen. Mike Enzi's seat has its first declared candidate. Activist and community organizer Yana Ludwig, a Democrat, will be announcing her candidacy for the party's nomination in a Friday afternoon event at Washington Park in Laramie, where she has lived since moving to the state in 2016. Enzi announced in May that he would retire from the Senate. Ludwig is the first candidate to officially announce their intentions, though former GOP gubernatorial candidate Foster Friess has said he is considering a run for Senate. Sources have told the Star-Tribune that former Rep. Cynthia Lummis is also weighing a run. In an interview Wednesday with the Casper Star-Tribune, Ludwig said her campaign will be focused on elevating issues like economic insecurity and climate change that can only be addressed at the national level. "I think it's gotten to a place where I'm feeling a lot of urgency around those issues, and I felt it was important to actually step up to the plate in my own life and show up in a bigger way," she said. "We don't have time to wait with the climate stuff, and those are the two things that really compelled me to get involved." Ludwig is not the only registered candidate in the running for Enzi's senate seat. Casper Republican Joshua Wheeler filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission in March. Last week, California resident Chuck Jagoda filed with the FEC as a Democrat. However, a spokesperson for the Wyoming Democratic Party said he had not yet contacted officials within the state party. (Jagoda did not answer a Facebook message requesting comment before press time.) A newcomer to politics, Ludwig, 49, has been a vocal presence in the community, and has been at the center of several prominent coalitions to emerge in Laramie over the past few years. Last year, Ludwig was a founding member of Albany County for Proper Policing, a community group formed in response to the shooting of Robbie Ramirez by Albany County sheriff's deputy Derek Colling. She has also worked as a regional organizer for Showing Up for Racial Justice a national racial justice organization. (She has since stepped back from both organizations, in order to focus on her Senate campaign.) Though she is, so far, the first candidate with major party ties to announce, Ludwig notably faces an uphill battle in deep-red Wyoming. In a state where billboards and rallies push for "a right to life," Ludwig wants to increase access to abortion in a state where options are limited. While politicians in Wyoming are often reluctant to talk about LGBTQ issues, Ludwig who herself is a bisexual woman wants to stand for those, as well as for immigration rights and racial equality. And in a state dominated by a party that considers "socialism" a four-letter word, Ludwig who considers herself a socialist wants to open conversations about what the word really means. "I think people are trying to throw socialism on as being left of Democrats, but we're talking about economic systems not political orientations," she said. "I do identify as a socialist, and I'm going to be really open about that on the campaign." The type of socialism she hopes to boost on the campaign trail is one that is "locally grounded," she said, with worker-owned cooperatives a fundamental building block of the economy, rather than large corporations where the majority of benefits are often reaped by a select few. Where Ludwig fits on the ideological spectrum is a minor point for the state party: a spokesperson for the Democratic Party which does not endorse candidates said that the party will support any candidate who identifies with "Democratic values." "Compared to the Wyoming Republican Party, which spends its meetings talking about actually instituting litmus tests for candidates we welcome any candidate who embraces 'Democratic values.' We don't have a specific number of those values you have to embrace," Nina Hebert, a spokeswoman for the party, said. "We believe in the overarching values and goals of the party we may not agree on how to get there, but we all have the same values. We don't endorse candidates. We don't have a litmus test. But the voters might." Selling Wyoming on a message its voters have traditionally rejected, Ludwig acknowledges, will be a challenge. She expects the inevitable attack ads to be "harsh, immediate and completely misinformed." "I think there is a massive public education effort that we're going to be involved in," she said. Ludwig presents a sharp contrast to more mainstream candidates of the past several decades of Wyoming politics, particularly for the U.S. Senate. Candidates have typically had good name recognition and massive amounts of money and, even then, have suffered lopsided defeats. Ludwig has neither, with little statewide name recognition and no significant personal wealth. To win as a Democrat, Ludwig's strategy with more than a year to go until the Democratic primaries is to start early, brokering influence on social media and leveraging a group around the state she feels is ready to have the types of conversations that have long proven unpopular in Wyoming politics. "I think Wyoming is actually a lot more ready to have these conversations than the Republicans will give us credit for," Ludwig said. "We lost 3,000 people from Wyoming's population last year, and I know some of those people personally. Those were people who couldn't get good mental health services. They were young people who look around and don't see opportunities. Then there are a lot of us who are more left-leaning already having these conversations that necessarily wouldn't have happened five or six years ago." Northwest College cuts jobs Northwest College cuts jobs POWELL (WNE) While the news was expected for some time, the mood at Mondays Northwest College Board of Trustees meeting was noticeably gloomy as layoffs were announced. A total of eight people will be laid off from NWC and another 21 positions will be eliminated through attrition and retirements as part of an effort to produce a balanced budget for the coming fiscal year. Succumbing to a national trend, the college has been hit by a 20 percent drop in enrollment, as well as decreases in state appropriations and assessed valuations. That resulted in a fiscal year 2020 projected shortfall of nearly $2.4 million. Those are the three major pieces to this puzzle, and theyre all in the wrong direction, said Board President Dustin Spomer. This follows a fiscal year 2017 shortfall of $2.3 million and a fiscal year 2018 shortfall of $1.2 million. During those years, the college cut programs, in addition to other operational cuts. They also utilized reserves as much as possible. A total of 19 positions were eliminated over those two years, but almost all were from attrition. At the time, the board hoped revenues would rebound, eliminating the need for any further cuts. While the budget was flat for fiscal year 2019, the projected budget for the coming fiscal year didnt prove more fruitful. With so many cuts to operations in response to previous budget shortfalls, there wasnt any wiggle room, as Trustee Nada Larson put it. A total of 29 positions are to be cut from the budget, but only eight of those will be reductions in force. Woman convicted of killing husband in late 1970s dies CHEYENNE (WNE) Alice Uden, who was convicted in 2014 of killing her husband in the 1970s, died in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on Wednesday of chronic health issues. Uden was sentenced Aug. 25, 2014, for second-degree murder. For the past five years, shed been incarcerated in a female medical unit at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington. She was transferred to the Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff on Tuesday. Uden, who was born March 8, 1939, murdered her husband, Ron Holtz, in late 1974 or early 1975 while he slept in the couples bed at their home in Cheyenne. However, his remains werent discovered until 2013, when they were found in a mine shaft on the Remount Ranch, which is located between Cheyenne and Laramie. Udens defense in court in 2014 was that Holtz had been abusive, violent and unpredictable, and that he had threatened to kill her and their small child. According to a 2014 Wyoming Tribune Eagle story, Uden said she wished she had never met Holtz, saying she had tried to find a way out of the relationship, but nobody would help. Uden married her fourth husband, Gerald Uden, in 1976. Gerald Uden was convicted of murdering his ex-wife and two adopted sons in 1980, but their remains have never been recovered. The couple left Wyoming not long after the deaths, taking up residence in Chadwick, Missouri, where they lived until their arrests for their respective murders in late 2013. As per departmental policy, an autopsy has been ordered. Court allows Cloud Peak to pay taxes GILLETTE (WNE) A bankruptcy court judge in Delaware has cleared the path for Cloud Peak Energy Corp. to potentially pay millions of dollars in back taxes and fees. Whether that translates to Campbell County collecting an $8.3 million payment the company missed May 10 could be unlikely, said Rob Godby director of the Center for Energy, Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming. Does this motion mean the taxes will get paid? Not necessarily, he said. But it does mean that they could get paid. Tuesdays ruling was part of the courts granting a rash of motions that accompanied Cloud Peak Energys Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and clears the way for the company to continue to pay vendors, employees, and taxes and fees as they come due during the course of business. The company estimates it has $62 million in accrued taxes and fees, with $12.7 million due within 21 days of filing for bankruptcy. The motions are standard in a bankruptcy and protect the value of Cloud Peaks assets, namely its mines, Godby said. If they dont pay those, then you potentially could have (the state or county) start seizing equipment or putting it up for auction to get their money and that could affect the ability to do business, he said, adding thats an unlikely scenario. The countys $8.3 million payment was due by the end of business May 10. Because Cloud Peaks bankruptcy filing was made the same day hours before the end of the day, that tax is considered a financial liability of the bankruptcy and doesnt have to be paid under the motion granted Tuesday. Bull snake causes Sheridan Co. power outage SHERIDAN (WNE) As the lights in Sheridan went black, the buzz of downtown continued to hum. Without traffic lights, drivers navigated utilizing polite finger waves, but the Sheridan Police Department received numerous calls about accidents related to the power outage. Shops opened their doors to let light in. Many local businesses tried to push their way through the power outage and continue to provide service for customers. The countywide power outage started around 12:15 p.m. and lasted approximately 40 minutes. It was caused by a bull snake slithering into a Montana-Dakota Utilities substation insulator, tripping the main transformer. Restaurants throughout town tried their best to continue to serve even with a lack of resources as customers continued to dine in. Olivia Castaneda, manager at Midtown Cafe, said they were able to continue service. Its really hard, Castaneda said. We depend on the power but we have been able to continue to cook because we have gas. But we cant do any drinks because our blenders and coffee presses are down and thats what were known for. Every bank downtown locked up immediately when power was lost. Hospital Pharmacy on Main Street shut down with a note on the door that had Power Outage scribbled on it. TLeye Legerski, a nail tech at Tangles, struggled for the duration without power. Without power, I dont get paid, Legerski said. I made it through; I polished my clients toenails with a flashlight. Power was restored to most of Sheridan just before 1 p.m. Tuesday. GRHS may help pilot Cyber S.W.A.T. online safety program GREEN RIVER (WNE) Once it was rare to find a household with a computer. Now young kids walk around with them in their pockets. As technology improves interconnectivity, it also increases the exposure to dangers, especially for younger users. Green River Police Chief Tom Jarvie has watched threats develop over the years. With that development in technology came great and wonderful things, and at the same time opportunities for very bad things, he said. Jarvie has looked for programs and partners to help children use the internet safely. That is why he is encouraging the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 board of trustees to consider the Cyber S.W.A.T. program to increase online awareness and safety. If approved, Green River High School would join eight other schools in piloting the peer-to-peer mentoring program before a national rollout. The Safe Surfin Foundation created Cyber S.W.A.T. to help youth navigate online communities safely, make positive choices and avoid unnecessary risks by educating students, teachers, and parents. About 45% of youth say theyre online nearly constantly, according to the presentation. Providing guidance and support can help them protect themselves and create stronger communities. Under the proposal, school resource officers from the Green River Police Department would work with students in a club setting in free periods or after school. Participants are taught about internet dangers and trained to teach others. The goal is for the program to be student-led, since students are more likely to listen to and learn from their peers. Students would share what theyve learned in presentations at schools. Sundance asked to repay FEMA $225,000 SUNDANCE (WNE) The City of Sundance has confirmation that it will need to pay back a federal contribution made by FEMA to relocate the Cole Water Tank when it was found to be sliding off the hill in 2012. The repayment is deemed necessary because the city did not perform a National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) study on the land to which the tank was moved. Mayor Paul Brooks and Clerk Treasurer Kathy Lenz were informed of this conclusion over lunch with Wyoming Homeland Security Director Lynn Budd and Deputy Director Leland Christensen last week. They want it repaid. The number they used was $225,000 and they want a repayment plan that comes to around $400 a household over eight years, said Brooks. The city had hoped to avoid the repayment, first appealing to FEMA and then asking the State Lands and Investments Board for assistance. These attempts all proved unsuccessful, though both Lenz and Brooks maintain there is a certain unfairness in the decision. The core of the issue, said Brooks, is that the city believed a NEPA study was only required for public lands, not the private property that was ultimately chosen for the tanks new site. We thought we were going to end up on Forest Service [land] and at that point we felt we needed a NEPA. We did not believe we needed a NEPA to go on private land, said Brooks. At no point did the state FEMA office correct this mistake, he said. Yellowstone visits in May dip slightly from 2018 CODY (WNE) While overall spring attendance continues to grow in Yellowstone National Park, the May turnout declined slightly from 2018. Visitation registered 576,776 through May this year, up 1 percent from 2018. The May count alone was 434,385, down 2.8 percent from 2018. Last year was the busiest May on record and this marks the third-busiest May in history. The year-to-date attendance is up 11 percent from 2015. However, it ran behind the 2016 total of 593,755, which was a record-setting year for Yellowstone. Park officials say the high rate of visitation means those planning vacations underscores the need to plan a Yellowstone adventure ahead of time. It is recommended visitors check out road conditions on the Parks website. They should also be warned that there may be driving delays and parking issues in some popular areas. Jackson Hole Airport named best tiny airport JACKSON (WNE) Fodors Travel has dubbed Jackson Hole Airport the best tiny airport in the United States, beating out second-place Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. When you arrive, youll be greeted by breathtaking views of the Teton Range, Tuesdays post on the travel website said. And when its time to go home, youll be sent off by the same gorgeous mountainscape, but this time youll be taking them in from the gate area while youre hunkered down in deep, leather chairs and basking in the glow of a roaring fireplace. Fodors did not specify what constitutes a tiny airport, so its tough to say how long Teton Countys rapidly growing airport will qualify for the category. Also on Tuesday, Jackson Hole Airport released its plane traffic numbers for the month of May, and they showed a 58% increase in commercial activity over the same month a year before. Year to date, passenger numbers have increased 21% over record-breaking 2018. (Back row) Cyd Lass, Jonesy Costalez, Jack Vines, Tanner Zimmerman, (front row) Hannah Dority, Isabella McTague and Oliver Costalez show off their pride gear after the Pride March during the Casper Pride Festival on June 9. This weekend, I had the honor of experiencing something new for myself and plenty of others. Though I have known this about myself since the eighth grade, this weekend, I learned that this isn't something I need to hide; at least, not anymore. June is known for plenty of things, but, most significant to me and many, many others, June is known as National Gay Pride month. I hid who I am from most people for years, only coming out to a few family members, but mostly close friends. Casper PRIDE is an organization dedicated to educating, supporting encouraging and advocating quietly and growth for a supportive and tolerant community. They hold a festival every year, celebrating and honoring the LGBTQ+ community in Wyoming. This year, I attended with a group of close friends. I had really high hopes for this weekend. I spent two months planning the days down to the very core. This, after all, was my first pride festival, along with a majority of the group who I went with. I can't say I was expecting everything to be perfect, but, somehow, it was. The PRIDE festival opened up my eyes regarding a lot of things. There were so many groups of people, all whom were so unique and diverse from another. Everyone had been so friendly and caring, even to others whom they just met. I had no idea that there was anything like this in Wyoming. I found myself wondering, "How can such a diverse group of people make up one community?" Interacting with new people or functioning in large groups of people has always been extremely difficult. Somehow, I didn't feel that when I was there. I felt like, with this group of people, I could be myself, no matter what. I knew that these people were like me in a lot of different ways, and that I could interact with them without me thinking they found me irritating, or unbearable. At this festival, it was shocking to see everything I did. I met same-sex couples who shared their stories with me, who had grown old together and had fought for equal rights. I saw other couples who seemed so happy together, who weren't afraid to show the world who they love. Overall, for someone who had been hiding from her own truth for so long, who didn't think that she'd ever be able to experience something like this, it was inspiring. I met others who had been part of countless equal rights movements, those who grew up where loving who they did was unthinkable, others who were turned away by their family and their friends for who they loved. They had done so much for those in Wyoming, to blaze a trail and give other members of the LGBTQ+ community a safe space, they fought for the right to love who they love and to receive the same rights as straight couples. As ridiculous as it sounds, I felt humbled to be in their presence. These amazing, caring people were part of a movement to ensure that I, along with so, so many others, would be treated as equal. They assured that I could be proud of who I am and that I could stand up in front of anyone and proudly state "hey, I don't just like guys" without receiving unmentionable ridicule. On the drive home Sunday night, my mind continued to wander through the names of these amazing trailblazers. I can't even think about where I would be without them fighting for our equal rights. Heck, I can't even imagine it. Thanks to these people, I finally understand that who I am isn't someone to be ashamed of. It brought up the fact that my sexuality, my identity, doesn't define me. That, no matter what, I can be who I am and love myself for it. In honor of those who lead the way and those who may not feel safe enough, or who aren't ready yet, I'm officially coming out as pansexual, and I'm not ashamed about it. Cyd Lass of Worland is a staff writer for the Northern Wyoming News. A body found in the River Danube near the village of Bolcske, some 100km downstream from Budapest, has been identified as that of a victim of the sightseeing boat Hableany, police said on Thursday. A search is under way along the entire river section downstream from the city to recover the bodies of the three South Korean passengers still missing. The Hableany was lifted from the Danube on Tuesday afternoon. During the salvage operation, the bodies of four victims were found. The wreck was taken to the Csepel port in the south of the city to undergo further examination. The Ukrainian captain of the cruise ship which collided with a sightseeing boat in central Budapest on May 29 has been released from custody after posting a bail of 15 million forints (EUR 46,000), the Budapest Municipal Court said. Under the courts binding ruling, the 64-year-old captain of the Viking Sigyn cruise ship will now be kept under criminal supervision for a maximum period of four months. The captain has been ordered to wear a tracking device and must appear in person before the authorities investigating the collision twice a week, the court noted in a statement. The captain was taken into custody on June 1 on suspicion of criminal misconduct. President Janos Ader has thanked people who took part in rescuing the victims of the Danube collision. Ader said neither Hungary nor South Korea would forget the sight of the battered boat slowly being raised from the water. He wrote that an extraordinary drama had taken place on the Danube in Budapest and that every moment had been about the value of life and reverence shown for it. Thanks are due to everyone who saved lives from the first moment of the tragic boat accident, he said. MTI Photo: Kovacs Tamas Explore the culture of the beautiful Indonesia while browsing the colorful clothes, jewelry, decorations, leather goods, handmade gifts, statues, and unique pieces of furniture in Budapest. Indonesian handmade goods are popular around the world such as wooden or leather puppets called Wayang, couple statues (Loro Blonyo), Balinese paintings, tribal masks, so why not buy one to decorate your home? According to the surveys, in 2014 Indonesia was the happiest country. Its time to find out the secret and dive into the world of Nusantara (Malay world). You are invited to a tropical Market experience to the Great Market Hall Budapest. The program will include traditional Indonesian music and dance performances along with Indonesian market, where you can taste Indonesias national dish the Nasi Goreng (Asian fried rice), or some of the Bakso meatballs, Satay (spicy meat skewers) or Sambal (chili-based sauce) for an exotic and delicious treat. Indonesia has more than 10.000 islands with breathtaking beaches and jungles, rich wildlife, so you can even hang out with orangutans in the forests of Borneo, or dive with a whale shark in West Papua if you are lucky. Visit the 'Indonesian Days' in the Great Market Hall Budapest, to learn about the best places to visit like: Bali, Lombok, Flores or Sumatra. Dates: 18 20 June, 6 am - 6 pm Venue: Great Market Hall 1093 Budapest, Vamhaz krt. 1-3. More: piaconline.hu Budapest Police examined the wreckage of the tourist ship Hableany for over 26 hours before transporting it from Csepel to Ujpest harbour where it will stand under guard. The tourist ship sank on May 29 and was hoisted from the Danube on Tuesday. That afternoon, Budapest police officers, staff from the prosecutors office, the Bureau of National Investigation technicians, Disaster Control staff as well as shipping experts examined the ship. Police then impounded the wreckage. The cruise ship Viking Sigyn, which caused the deadly accident, left Budapest again on Wednesday night after making another week-long tour from Germany. It is proceeding on the Danube toward Bratislava. MTI Photo: Illyes Tibor Seen until 22 September. Very few people in Hungary are familiar with the renowned Mexican photographer Guillermo Kahlo, the father of the world-famous painter Frida Kahlo, who emigrated to Mexico as a merchant, under the name of Wilhelm, from Pforzheim near Karlsruhe in 1890. My father, who was born the son of a Hungarian in 1871 in Baden-Baden and, after studying in Nuremberg in 1888, lost his mother at the age of 18 and didnt get on with his stepmother so my grandfather, a goldsmith, gave him money for the journey to America, Frida Kahlo is quoted as saying by her biographer, Raquel Tibol. The photographers son-in-law Diego Rivera, an important twentieth-century painter, describes his father-in-law thus: a German analytical constructor/destructor and sceptical dream dancer. According to Alejandro Gomez a suitor of Fridas during her youth he was a survivor full of bitter memories. Tireless in his work, a brilliant technician who travelled the length and breadth of Mexico at the beginning of the century he photographed churches and architectural relics as well as colonial and modern public buildings. Enough for a rich archive full of glass slides The limited available written documentation bears witness to a close relationship between father and daughter, which is also evidenced by the funeral instructions enshrined in a letter sent from Moscow by Rivera in 1955: Hang a pre-Columbian urn containing Fridas ashes in the Blue House museum in Mexico City, alongside the portrait of Guillermo Kahlo. The portrait in question, painted in 1951 on the 10th anniversary of Fridas fathers death, is also the source of speculation regarding the ethnicity of the Kahlo family. Here too, as on many of the painters pictures, a signature text written in brushstrokes is displayed in a wide strip below the picture: I paint my father, Wilhelm Kahlo, an artist and photographer of Hungarian descent, a larger-than-like, noble creature who courageously battled epilepsy for 60 years, never gave up working and fighting against Hitler. In adoration: his daughter, Frida Kahlo. Nevertheless, the Kahlo photograph used as an illustration in the summary of the Teatro Nacionals Hungarian connections at our exhibition does have a main character, who wears a straw hat like Geza Maroti in photographs from the past. On the brow of the triumphal arch of the Harmony group of facade statues carved by Leonardo Bistolfi, a tiny, sombrero-wearing figure is darkly visible stepping out from among the dancing marble figures, above the goddess evoking Botticellis Venus. Perhaps this is the envoy of sculpture, who stands guard over the boundaries between the old arts and the still unclad, massive steel cupola: a philosophical, passive observer of the changing times. He glances down from above at Guillermo Kahlo and his camera and indirectly at us, the voyeurs looking back from a distance of one hundred years. He watches as the world forgets the classic genres, and sees how the artists themselves are struggling once more sometimes seemingly in vain for a truly credible identity, for contemporary and historic recognition of their work, for the creative-intellectual property rights that symbolically immortalise their personalities, for the name associated with their works. Tickets: HUF 2,200 Venue: Mucsarnok 1146 Budapest, Dozsa Gyorgy ut 37. More: mucsarnok.hu Photo courtesy of Mucsarnok 21 Savage has made a hefty donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights organization that assisted his battle against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The rapper presented the SPLC with a $25,000 check that will ensure detained immigrants in the South will have access to legal counsel. According to the SPLC, only about 17 percent of immigrants in Southeast detainment centers have access to an attorney during removal proceedings. The lack of legal representation leaves individuals vulnerable to family separation and deportation. "21 Savage is making this donation public because everyday Americans need to know that ICE is using civil immigration detention as a weapon against immigrants, many of whom, like 21 Savage, have relief from deportation and are able to fix their immigration status," immigration law attorney Charles H. Kuck said in a statement. "Creating oppressively adverse conditions of detention, like those in Irwin County, Georgia, far away from family and legal counsel, causes despair and hopelessness, and forces these men and women to give up on their immigration claims. The SPLC, through its Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) stands at the front line of this fight and supporting this effort lets all Americans know that the Constitution which protects the least of us, protects all of us." 21 was arrested and detained by ICE earlier this year, following a targeted operation in Atlanta. Immigration officials said the rapperreal name She'yaa Bin Abraham-Josephwas born in the United Kingdom and was unlawfully present in the United States. ICE also referred to 21 as a convicted felon; his legal team disputed those claims. "He's not a convicted felon, so they reported that wrong, from their 2014 arrest," attorney Jacoby Hudson said. "That arrest should be expunged. He has no felony convictions." 5c65ccdcd332580b0b5e5d76 21's team also said he had entered the U.S. legally at the age of seven and stayed in the country until he had visited the U.K. in 2005. The rapper returned to the U.S. in July of that year under an H-4 visa, which expired in 2006. He reportedly applied for a visa in 2017; the application was still under review at the time of his arrest. He was released on bond less than two weeks later. Story continues "I didn't see my kids for almost two weeks," 21 said in an interview with Paper magazine. "There are people in detention centers just sitting for months and even years not being able to see their families. Then some of those people just end up being sent off overnight to a place they ain't never really lived and they don't ever see their family after that." 21 Savage this week jumped on Bazzi's new track "Focus," which samples Menahan Street Bands The Traitor and was co-produced by Bazzi and Kevin White of the duo Rice N Peas. Give it a listen below. Savannah Campbell remembers thinking that both the puppy and the guy were cute. The 24-year-old medical device sales rep was in a Raleigh, North Carolina, pet store buying a special water bowl for her disabled dog last weekend when she spotted the adorable pair. I saw this adorable puppy with bright blue eyes and the cutest little face. She played with Rosy the dog and chatted with her owner, Daniel Vance, a bit and then left to finish her weekend errands but she couldnt stop thinking about the guy and the puppy. I called my girlfriend and told her all about the guy, but said that I didnt get his name and number, and she said you didnt shoot your shot, Campbell tells PEOPLE. The next night, Campbell was alone in a hotel room on a business trip when she decided to take a chance, posting about the encounter on a neighborhood Facebook page. She mentioned the guy, Rosy the puppy, the friend the mystery guy was with, and the friends Labrador pretty much all the facts she had. Shameless request for a viral love story, Savannah wrote. I met a guy in a Petco Sunday, I didnt catch his name but he is the new daddy to a gorgeous little 7 week old puppy named Rosy. He was with another guy who had a super cute older Lab People quickly began sharing the post and by Tuesday morning, the internet had found her guy. The owner of the Lab, Garrett Estes, had seen the post when his grandmother shared it with him. Courtesy Savannah Campbell Estes, a good friend and co-worker of Vances immediately made the connection and texted his friend, Shes looking for you bud. Vance, a 27-year-old who works in his familys electrical contracting business, tells PEOPLE My phone started exploding and it was all kind of crazy and exciting. We started texting and we decided as soon as she got back from her business trip we would go out. Campbell says she was shocked by how invested the whole community became in their story. People kept asking for updates, a restaurant offered us a free dinner for our first date someone even started a GoFundMe to send us on a honeymoon. Story continues RELATED: Man Who Stood on Street Corner with Sign to Reunite Dog with Owner Now Getting Date Requests The story even made the local news and the couple decided their first date would be watching their story. Campbell got back just in time Wednesday night to meet up with Vance. It was a really fun way to officially meet for the first time, Campbell says. He waited up for me to get off my flight and he was so sweet. We played with Rosy and he walked me to my car and even opened the door for me! He definitely gets the first impression rose. Vance says things went so well theyre going out again tonight. I want to treat her right and take her to a real dinner. Well go somewhere nice. But they dont have to go far; Turns out they live just three minutes from each other. Its amazing she lives that close to me and we would probably never had met had it not been for this post going viral, he says. Its been so much fun, Campbell says. I didnt expect to get this much attention but its been so cool to have the whole community supporting us. Its definitely a 21st century love story. Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran is speaking out about her brothers death in the Dominican Republic, explaining that he had a preexisting condition that led to his death. Its made it to the news by now that my dear brother John passed away in the Dominican Republic back in April, Corcoran, 70, wrote on Instagram. He loved the DR and vacationed there frequently. My brother had an existing heart condition and we believe he died of natural causes, but youre still never ready for the death of a loved one, she continued. Corcoran then addressed the seemingly unrelated mysterious deaths of several American tourists. Im overwhelmed with sadness for the lost lives in the DR and my thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones, she writes. Thank you for all of your thoughts and good wishes. I appreciate your love and kindness. John Corcoran, 64, was on vacation with a longtime friend when he had a heart attack, his family tells PEOPLE. Although reports published Wednesday alleged that his death was mysterious, his daughter told PEOPLE that they have all the answers that they need and are moving forward with the grieving process. My father had a heart condition, Nichole Lande tells PEOPLE, so his death didnt come as a complete shock to us. Obviously, we didnt expect him to die, and we are devastated. But its just a coincidence that it happened in the Dominican Republic like those other deaths. Barbara Corcoran RELATED: Pennsylvania Woman Died at Same Dominican Republic Hotel 5 Days Before Engaged Couple Found Dead Unlike the other deaths that happened at resorts in Punta Cana, Johns situation was completely different. They were staying at a private home, Lande continues. There was no minibar, no malfunctioning air conditioner, nothing like the other cases. So this isnt a mystery to us. Story continues Its just the sad loss of a father and grandfather who everyone is missing right now. He was a loving, wonderful man from a big family, and lots of people are mourning his loss. John and Barbara Corcoran with their family as children | Barbara Corcoran/Instagram 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. Our entire family is thinking of the families who have questions about their loved ones deaths, Lande says. I cant even imagine what theyre going through, and I hope they get the answers they need. But thats not our situation. We know what happened, and we have closure. RELATED: Engaged Couples Death at Dominican Resort Was Unusual, Says Official; Toxicology Results Pending The U.S. State Department has confirmed six people including engaged couple Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, as well as Pennsylvania psychotherapist Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, have died while vacationing in Punta Cana since summer 2018. Some of them passed away in what appear to be similar circumstances. PEOPLE confirms that both the FBI and the CDC are investigating these strange deaths, but the agencies are not yet releasing further details. Cuba Gooding Jr. flashed a wide smile as he left court in New York on Thursday after being released from police custody. The Jerry Maguire star, 51, was arraigned and charged with forcible touching and sexual abuse in the third degree. He pleaded not guilty to both. When questioned by reporters, Gooding did not comment on the allegations brought against him, but instead sent well wishes to Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz, who was recently shot in the Dominican Republic, the Associated Press reported. Get well, Big Papi, Gooding said of Ortiz, using his famous nickname. He then told reporters, Its been a long day before getting in his car, according to the AP. Gooding turned himself in to the New York Police Department on Thursday, following allegations that he groped a woman at a rooftop bar in Manhattan over the weekend. According to the New York Times, a woman told police that the actor touched her breasts at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar and Lounge on 7th Avenue in Manhattan. Cuba Gooding Jr. after turning himself in | Bauzen/GC Images RELATED: Cuba Gooding Jr. Accused of Groping a Woman at a New York City Club The woman said Gooding was highly intoxicated and explained that they got into an argument after he inappropriately touched her and she resisted, according to Page Six. Their altercation had to be broken up by the venues security, according to the outlet. Videos shared by TMZ showed Gooding at the Magic Hour dancing wildly and singing into a microphone that night. Witnesses at the club told Page Six that Gooding was in a joyful mood and was socializing with other club goers. He was super good and with everyone, the witness told the outlet. He was also seen on surveillance cameras leaving the club later in the night, according to Page Six. Dave Allocca/Starpix/Shutterstock 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 law enforcement official told the Times that investigators found security camera footage that allegedly verified the womans allegations. Story continues The woman is a New York University student, the Times reports. Goodings attorney Mark J. Heller says he has viewed surveillance footage of the entire event and there was not a drop of criminal conduct or inappropriate activity on his part. I know the video, which covered the entire evening, shows absolutely no conduct or any inappropriateness on Cubas part, he tells PEOPLE. And I am frankly shocked the prosecutor would consider a case like this. RELATED: Ellen DeGeneres Mom Says She Lives with Regret Over Ex-Husbands Alleged Abuse of Star Heller says he plans to vigorously defend the Boyz n the Hood actor. I have known Cuba for almost 30 years and his conduct towards women is always respectful, he says. He respects women and he would never engage in that type of activity. In a video posted by TMZ, Gooding denied any inappropriate conduct and said he trusts the legal system. I trust the system, let the process speak for itself, he said. Theres a tape that shows what really happened. Sports Orlando Sentinel Jayden Gibson was supposed to be enrolling for the spring semester at the University of Florida in a few weeks. Thats where he wanted to be to start his college football career. Its where his heart was. Its where his mother and father went to college and where they met. Kelvin Gibson was even a walk-on football player for the Gators. Sometimes things just dont work out the way they were ... David Ortizs wife, Tiffany Ortiz, is thanking the man whom she is crediting with saving her husbands life following his shooting and subsequent hospitalization on Sunday. In a Twitter message, the Boston Red Sox issued a statement on behalf of Tiffany, 45, who has been married to the MLB All Star since 2002. I want to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Eliezer Salvador, owner of Presidente Sports, for your quick thinking and swift action on Sunday night, the statement began. Your heroism and selflessness were the first steps to ensuring David could get the urgent care he required, she added. For that, we are eternally grateful. The statement also thanked the surgeons at the Abel Gonzalez Clinic where David, 43, was immediately rushed to after he was shot in the back at an amusement center in his hometown of Santo Domingo. The bullet he was shot with ended up going straight through his stomach, damaging his intestines and liver. The #RedSox today issued the following statement on behalf of Tiffany Ortiz: pic.twitter.com/urci8tzCnH Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) June 13, 2019 RELATED: David Ortiz Is in Stable Condition After Undergoing Second Surgery for Gunshot Wound in Boston David remains in guarded condition in the surgical intensive care unit following his second surgery, the statement continued. He continues to heal and make progress. David will continue to recover in the ICU and future updates on his condition will be provided when necessary. Tiffany and David have been married since 2002, but in 2013, the couple announced they would be separating and likely divorcing. However, a year later, they reconciled. Story continues The couple share three children: Jessica, 22, Alexandra, 14, and DAngelo, 14. On Monday, the Red Sox slugger was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he has been receiving medical support after undergoing two surgeries, the first being an emergency six-hour surgery in the Dominican Republic, ESPN reported. Tiffany and David Ortiz | Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe/Getty Images RELATED: David Ortiz Moved from Dominican Republic to Boston to Receive Care for Gunshot Wound The surgery was led by Dr. Abel Gonzales, who told ESPN that Davids quality of life will be the same as before once he heals and recovers. After the surgery, doctors approved Ortizs transfer to Boston, and the Boston Red Sox sent an air ambulance to pick up their former star player. The second surgery, which took place at Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday night, concluded at about 1 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning, medical assistant Leo Lopez told ESPN. He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting, Davids father, Leo Ortiz confirmed to the outlet. Big Papi will be around for a long time. According to the outlet, police have both suspects in the shooting in custody, but have only officially acknowledged the arrest of one, 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia. Police are still investigating whether the athlete was the intended target, as previous reports have said the shooting was part of a burglary attempt. ANNECY, France Disney Animation Studios, a long-time friend and collaborator of the Annecy Intl. Animation Festival, returned to the French town on Friday with three new shorts from its experimental animated shorts program Short Circuit, destined for Disney Plus, before providing an inside look at upcoming Frozen 2. Held at Annecys lakeside Bonlieu Theater, Frozen 2 head of animation Becky Bresee and head of effects animation Marlon West shared behind the scenes details for the making of Disneys most anticipated sequel in years, telling stories, showing photos and screening two scenes, never-before-seen outside of Disneys Burbank studios. Related stories Netflix Shares Art From Japanese Original Anime 'Eden' (EXCLUSIVE) Genndy Tartakovsky Gets 'Primal' at Annecy Work in Progress Annecy: Alterego, Centauro Team for 'La Nina de la Trompeta' (EXCLUSIVE) Before the first clip, Bresee and West explained that the film kicks off, as did the first, when Elsa and Anna are still young girls. Their father regales the girls with a lavish bedtime story from his youth, when the young prince himself visited an enchanted elemental forest, before something went horribly wrong and he was quickly brought back to Arendelle. Since then, there has been a disconnect between the people of the town and the elements: Air, fire, water and earth. In the first scene screened on Friday morning, Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven are engaged in a less-than-fair game of charades. Anna starts, and successfully playacts the word villain, quickly guessed by the other players. When Olaf heads to the front he declares the next round as boys vs. girls before adeptly transforming himself into a series of instantly recognizable forms, each guessed almost immediately by Kristoff and prompting Anna to accuse the two of cheating. When its Elsas turn to mime, she is distracted by a haunting voice that only she can hear, and excuses herself to her room to be alone. Story continues The scene ended there, but West and Bresee explained that Anna then checks in on Elsa, and the two fall asleep watching the northern lights, before Elsa is awoken by the mysterious voice. In a scene featured in the already-released trailer, Elsa heads outside and casts spells like shes never done before, causing countless ice crystals covered in runes to be suspended in the sky over Arendelle. The second scene was a longer cut of the one which starts the trailer. In it, Elsa runs headlong into dark and ominous water and massive crashing waves. The clip showed an intense and graphically-satisfying magical battle between Elsa and a horse-shaped water spirit on the spirits home turf. Bresee and West also introduced three animated shorts from the studios Short Circuit animated shorts program: Just a Thought, directed by Brian Menz, Exchange Student, directed by Natalie Nourigat and Jing Hua, directed by Jerry Huynh, which screened their world premieres to the thousand-person theater. Each creator shared a bit of their own background before describing the innovative techniques they developed for filming their shorts, and the personal connection they shared with the films. With Disney since 2008s Bolt, Menz has been involved on films such as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph and its popular sequel, a hit at last years Annecy sneak peek, Ralph Breaks the Internet. He is currently an animation supervisor on Disneys 2020 feature release. Just a Thought was inspired by Menzs own awkward pre-teen years and his love for newspaper comics. His son Jack voices the young boy Ollie in the film, a student whose every thought is broadcast in a comic-strip bubble over his head. Exchange Student director Natalie Nourigat is the newest of the short-makers Disney brought to Annecy, having joined the studio in 2015. Originally a comic book artist, at Disney she served as a story assistant and artist on Ralph Breaks the Internet. Growing up in Oregon but wanting to learn French, she convinced her parents to enroll her in a French language emersion summer camp for artists, not realizing that every other kid was a first or second generation French speaker. Upon returning home she had a new perspective towards the immigrant kids at her school for whom English was not a first language That empathy inspired the story of Exchange Student in which a young human girl finds herself on an Alien planet struggling to communicate with her native classmates. Jerry Huynh started at Disney as an intern in 2011 before working as an engineer at Western Digital and software QA lead at Double Negative. He eventually returned to the House of Mouse as a technical director on films such as Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet and the studios upcoming 2020 release. More abstract in its theme and execution, Huynhs Jing Hua, or Flower in the Mirror in English, was inspired by a period of intense grieving in the directors life that he says still hasnt passed. There was hardly a dry eye in the room as Huynh bore his soul on the Bonlieu stage, explaining that during the development and production of the film he lost both his grandparents and a close cousin, and shared the regrets he holds onto in each case. The film features a woman practicing kung fu in front of a shrine dedicated to a departed loved one. The films sweeping score and ambitious action shots tore at the audiences heart strings with no need for dialogue as, the woman in the film uses martial arts to battle intense feelings of loss and grief reflecting Huynhs own. The Short Circuit program, started in 2016, allows anyone working at Walt Disney Animation Studios to pitch their ideas for original short films. So far, 20 artists have been given studio backing and support to realize their ideas. According to the company, the goal of the program is to take risks in both visual style and story, surface new voices at the Studio and experiment with new technical innovation. The entire Short Circuit slate of shorts will appear on Disney Plus in the spring of 2020. Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. After nearly 40 years of dissecting and debating The Shining, Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror classic starring Jack Nicholson and based on the book by Stephen King, we're finally about to get its first cinematic companion, and the trailer to prove it (watch above). The film follows a grown-up Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor), given the nickname "Doctor Sleep" for his ability to ease his hospice patients into their transitions with the aid of his extrasensory abilities. Like his father Jack (Nicholson), Danny is struggling with alcoholism (not to mention PTSD from childhood), and mostly suppresses his power. That is until the teenage Abra (Kyliegh Curran) comes into his life and displays even stronger abilities, and the pair are ultimately pitted against The True Knot, a cult lead by the merciless Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson). "You're magic like me," Abra tells Danny in the trailer. "I don't know about magic," he replies. "I always called it The Shining." For fans who've wondered just how much Doctor Sleep will tap into the imagery and ethos of its seminal predecessor, if the trailer is any indication the answer will be quite a lot. Starting with the re-emergence of the iconic anagram "redrum," which literally shakes Danny out of bed in the preview's opening moments, the creepy trailer is littered with callbacks, from young Danny's Big Wheel to the "The Shining twins" (as they've been ever known since) to the bathtub lady of Room 237. The first look even concludes with Danny back at The Overlook Hotel, gazing through the gaping hole in the door that his crazed father (Nicholson) hacked with an axe. At a press event previewing the trailer Wednesday in West Hollywood, Calif., writer-director Mike Flanagan (joined by producing partner Trevor Macy) revealed that with the exception of the infamous blood-drenched elevator lobby scene, all of the throwback shots you see in the trailer were painstakingly recreated for the follow-up. Story continues For Doctor Sleep, director @flanaganfilm recreated all the shots you see in the trailer from The Shining, with the exception of The Blood Elevator. https://t.co/F5LGCVsCyN pic.twitter.com/5rzJVchj10 Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) June 13, 2019 What exactly Doctor Sleep follows up, though, proved a tightrope act for Flanagan and Macy (Oculus, Gerald's Game, TV's The Haunting of Hill House). As surely most film buffs know, King, the celebrated author behind The Shining, hated the film version. Or as Flanagan put it much more diplomatically, "Stephen King's opinions about the Kubrick adaptation are famous and complicated." So is Doctor Sleep purely an adaptation of the 2013 novel of the same name, which defiantly ignored several tweaks Kubrick made to the story, an extension of King's original source material, or a true movie sequel to The Shining? "The answer's really complicated," Flanagan said. "The answer to all of those questions has always been 'Yes.' It is an adaptation of the novel Doctor Sleep, which is Stephen King's sequel to his novel The Shining. But this also exists very much in the same cinematic universe that Kubrick established in his adaptation of The Shining. "And reconciling those at times very different sources has been the most challenging and most thrilling part of this for us." As Macy noted, the film has been embraced by both King and the Kubrick estate. "I went back to the book first," Flanagan said. "And the big conversation that we had to have was about whether or not we could still do a faithful adaptation of the novel as King had laid it out while inhabiting the universe that Kubrick created. And that was the conversation that we had to have with Stephen King to kick the whole thing off. And if that conversation hadn't gone the way it went, we wouldn't have done the film." Of course the goal is also to simultaneously create an original piece of art. "First and foremost the movie is kind of its own thing," Macy said. "But in a very real sense, we're standing on the shoulders of literary and cinematic giants." "Which has been no pressure whatsoever," Flanagan joked. Doctor Sleep opens Nov. 8. Read more on Yahoo Entertainment: Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle's newsletter. Lil Keeds Long Live Mexico project is hereand stacked with big-name features. The Atlanta rapper announced the project more than a month ago with the release of the Young Thug-assisted single Proud of You. Keed later revealed the mixtapes official tracklist, confirming contributions from Lil Uzi Vert, YNW Melly, Moneybagg Yo, Roddy Ricch, Gunna, Nav, and more. Keed also confirmed the 20-track project was dedicated to his fallen friend. I did a tribute to my brother who passed away, his name was Mexico so Im calling the album Long Live Mexico, he told JaGurl TV at the DTLR 4th Annual Summer Fashion Show. Its a great album, its going to really separate me from these folks. Long Live Mexico marks Keeds first full-length release since 2018s Keed Talk To 'Em. Stream it now on Apple Music and Spotify and check out the video for "Ride the Wave" up top. Nakano Takeko was a 21-year-old female samurai who came to lead a battalion of women against the Emperor of Japans Imperial Army, 150 years ago. We talk about her story in the latest Shoot This Now podcast, which you can listen to right here. Every week on Shoot This Now, we talk about stories we think should be made into movies. We think the time is exactly right for the story of Nakano Takeko, an onna-bugeisha, or female martial artist. She led an army that included her mother and teenage sister. The women banded together to fight Japans Imperial Army in the Battle of Aizu after men refused to fight alongside them. The Battle of Aizu, fought in northern Japan in late 1868, was part of the Boshin War. The civil war pitted the forces of the Tokugawa Shogunate, which was trying to shield the island from Western influence, against the forces of the newly installed Emperor Meiji, who was trying to transform Japan from a feudal state into a world power. Nakano Takeko fought on the side of the shogunate. The conflict between Imperial Army and the shogunate was also the subject of the Edward Zwick film The Last Samurai, which starred Tom Cruise as a Union Army soldier who travels to Japan to train the Imperial Army, but soon comes to sympathize with the samurai fighting for the shogunate. It was well-received at the time of its 2003 release, but its one of the plainest examples of Hollywood placing a white American protagonist at the center of another cultures story in an attempt to make it more accessible to moviegoers. That approach gets movies greenlit, and can educate audiences about other cultures. But it also opens the door to white savior criticisms. We think the story of Nakano Takeko could be The Last Samurai, minus Tom Cruise, with a huge influx of female fighters. Its a little bit Kill Bill and a little bit Braveheart, with an incredible Japanese woman front-and-center, wielding a bloody naginata. We also talk about the overuse of the word dragon, a Darth Vader-like Big Bad who wields a remote control as a weapon, and justice for Japanese pop star Maho Yamaguchi. Story continues If you dont want to click on the podcast above, you can also listen for free: On Spotify On Stitcher On Pippa Read original story Meet Nakano Takeko, Female Samurai (Podcast) At TheWrap NBCUniversal expects to hire 330 full-time, year-round production workers in Albuquerque over the next 10 years, with a goal of pumping $500 million in direct production spending into the local economy as it begins the redevelopment there of a state-of-the-art film and television studio. NBCUniversal has enjoyed a longstanding and productive relationship with New Mexico and Albuquerque and we are grateful for the opportunity to expand our presence in this community, said Dawn Olmstead, president of Universal Content Productions and Wilshire Studios, and Pearlena Igbokwe, president of Universal Television. We are thankful for the support of Gov. Lujan Grisham, Mayor Keller and their economic development teams that have helped make our long-term investment in Albuquerque a reality. Related stories 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Scores First International Remake Deal Via French-Canadian Broadcaster Quebecor Content Brian Williams Back Upfront And Center For NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Gives Strong Hint That Most-Loved Titles Including 'The Office' Are "Coming Home" Via Streaming Service At Glitzy Upfront The studios expansion into New Mexico comes as part of its 10-year venture with Garcia Realty and Development to redevelop an empty free-span warehouse in Albuquerque into facilities that will house two sound stages and offices. The deal comes just months after Gov. Lujan Grisham signed into law one of the most aggressive incentive packages for the film and television production industry in the country. The new law doubles the annual payout for productions that come to New Mexico and offers a partnership arrangement for studios and producers such as NBCUniversal, which commit to do business in the state for a decade or more. In order to build a permanent year-round workforce, the partnership studio businesses are exempt from the annual cap, thus bringing more certainty to production and budget planning. Upon completion of the studio conversions, estimated at $4 million, the new facility will be used by NBCUniversal to produce scripted productions for many platforms, including broadcast and cable channels. Currently, the USA network series Briarpatch, from Universal Content Productions, has committed to film in Albuquerque. The Briarpatch pilot, starring Rosario Dawson, was filmed in New Mexico in 2018, employing about 200 New Mexico crew members and 350-450 background extras. Story continues Over the next ten years, NBCUniversal will produce television and film projects at the Albuquerque facility, with the aim of reaching $500 million in direct production spending, the governors office said in a statement today. In addition, NBCUniversal and Garcia Realty and Development will jointly locate lighting, grip, and transportation operations at the facility. Alongside anticipated production spending, NBCUniversal will have more than 330 full-time jobs year-round at its New Mexico hub, generating an economic impact of $1.1 billion over 10 years. The total number of jobs, direct and indirect, should exceed 800, according to an economic analysis by the state. As part of the deal, the state of New Mexico Economic Development Department is providing $7.7 million through the Local Economic Development Act and the city of Albuquerque is pledging another $3 million from its LEDA fund to the redevelopment and production commitment. The agreement was announced at the Albuquerque production headquarters by the governor, mayor, Economic Development teams for the state and city, Edward T. Garcia and Carlos Garcia, as well as executives of NBCUniversal. We are growing New Mexicos film industry, diversifying our economy and creating exciting jobs this is a home run deal, Gov. Lujan Grisham said. Im incredibly thrilled to welcome our states new partner, NBCUniversal. The media industry is increasingly vital to our states workforce, providing stable long-term employment for talented individuals of every age, from all parts of the state. Im thrilled to be part of expanding that industry and we will continue to do so. Albuquerque is a top-five film city, and by adding film and television production operations to Albuquerque, we are positioning the economy for growth as we capture these new film industry dollars, Mayor Keller said. When studios like NBCUniversal choose to expand and locate in Albuquerque, it establishes film as a permanent industry and provides steady ground for local film entrepreneurs, post-production work and a broad range of well-paid local jobs. According to the governors office, NBCU will also provide consistent funding for workforce development initiatives in New Mexico as well as aspiring director internships. These key initiatives, among others derived from this partnership, will support the growth of the local crew base, support local educational and mentorship institutions and market Albuquerque and New Mexico. We are creating a significant film and TV industry cluster that supports high-salary careers in New Mexico, said Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes. With NBCU as the latest major New Mexico film partner, the state has the opportunity to become one of the most successful production hubs in the country. Film and television are thriving components within the rapidly expanding creative economy in Albuquerque, said Synthia Jaramillo, the citys economic development director. We are excited to welcome NBCUniversal and have them join the momentum building here around film and television. With NBCUniversal selecting Albuquerque, it is clear Albuquerque has emerged as the next premier film and television hub, and we couldnt be more proud and excited. My family is delighted to be able to play a role in advancing creative television production and jobs in New Mexico through property redevelopment and sensible public-private partnerships, said Edward T. Garcia. NBCUniversal is a household brand name that people know and love, and we are thrilled to welcome this multimedia leader to join our communitys growing film industry, said Jim Chynoweth, Chair of Albuquerque Economic Development, Inc. The companys presence in Albuquerque further elevates our city as a great place for business investment, and NBCUs production spending here will generate a positive economic impact through new contracts for local small businesses, and more jobs for New Mexicans. Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. When Patrolman Aaron Franklin of Massillon, Ohio, started his shift on Monday morning, he never expected to turn into a hero just a few hours later. Franklin had been working for an hour when he got a call that there were juveniles trapped in water, according to The Akron Beacon Journal. When he arrived at the scene a frantic teenager told him that his friends had been swept into the culvert that carried Sippo Creek to the Tuscarawas River. He then made his way down a slippery embankment, hung onto a tree and spotted two boys. The friend, who had managed to escape, told Franklin that others might have been swept further into the pipe so Franklin called for more help, the news outlet reports. With other officers and firefighters, Franklin managed to rescue the two boys and their two friends. One of the teenagers, the outlet reports, had traveled under the city about half a mile throughout the culvert, where he was able to cling to a ladder in an access tower near state Route 21 and Tremont Avenue. IndieOnline.com When Franklin, who is an Army Veteran, spoke to the news outlet, he said water rescues isnt something you can ever plan for. Its more making a split second decision of what I should do, what I can do and what am I going to do, he said. If Franklins day wasnt dramatic enough, he was then called to a vehicle crash, and when he arrived the vehicle still was in gear, and the driver was slumped over the wheel, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Bystanders told Franklin to hurry because the man was turning blue, and when he arrived the man had a faint pulse. He tilted his head back to clear his airway. People assumed it was a heroin overdose, and someone quickly went to get a Narcan kit from Franklins car. It wasnt the first and it wont be the last time I use Narcan, Franklin told the news outlet. But, it was the first time Id administer it on somebody lying in an active roadway. Story continues It quickly kicked in and saved his life. The mans pulse became stronger and he was gasping when he woke up. My stance is every day in this line of work you show up and you never know whats in store for you, Franklin told the Akron Beacon Journal. He added: Deep down, I hope, at least on that day, I did my job. Prince Charles, the Queen and the Duke of Cambridge during the Order of the Garter procession. [Photo: PA] The Royal Family will be out together on Monday 17 June for the annual Order of the Garter ceremony in Windsor. Just like the Trooping the Colour, which marks the Queens official birthday, you can expect the same kind of pomp and pageantry on the day. Heres everything you need to know about what the Order of the Garter is, what happens at the service and who will be in attendance this year. What is the Order of the Garter? The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain, established by King Edward III nearly 700 years ago. The service takes place in Windsor. [Photo: PA] The Order includes the Queen, who is Sovereign of the Garter, the Prince of Wales and several senior members of the Royal Family, and twenty-four knights or ladies chosen in recognition of their work. They are chosen personally by the Queen to honour those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the monarch personally. Who is among the Knights and Ladies Companion? Male members are known as Knights Companion, while female members are Ladies Companion. Current members include former prime minister John Major, former Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire Lady Mary Fagan, Queens former Lord-in-waiting Alan Brooke, Viscount Brookeborough and Former Director-General of MI5 Baroness Manningham-Buller. READ MORE: Prince Louis makes Trooping the Colour debut wearing Prince Harry's hand-me-downs Prince William became a Knight of the Garter in 2008. [Photo: Getty] This year British former athlete Lady Mary Peters and former leader of the House of Lords Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury, will be invested with the Order's insignia by Her Majesty. The Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Kent, Princess Anne, the Duke of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Prince William are all additional royal Knights and Ladies Companions. The Duke of Cambridge received the honour in April 2008, becoming the 1,000th Knight of the Garter. When happens on the day? The procession begins at Windsor Castle ahead of the Order of the Garter Service. Story continues The Queen and the Knights wear traditional ceremonial dress, consisting of velvet robes, insignia and plumed hats. They are accompanied by a marching band and Officers of the Order during the procession. There is a short service where any new Companions are installed. The Queen and other members of the Order then return to the Upper Ward of the castle in carriages. What do the royals wear? The Queen and her royal knights wear the traditional mantle and hat of the Order. The dark blue velvet mantle is embroidered with the Order of the Garter insignia and has a dark red sash attached to the right shoulder. It has been worn members since the 15th century. They also don black velvet Tudor style bonnets, with a plume of white ostrich and heron feathers and the shield of St George's cross. READ MORE: Duchess of Cambridge stuns in a familiar off-the-shoulder dress for charity gala dinner The Queen wears ceremonial uniform. [Photo: PA] Up until the middle part of the 20th century, it was customary to wear Tudor style under-dress, consisting of white silk embroidered doublet, breeches, full hose, white doeskin pumps with satin bows and a sword belt with sword, under the robes. But in modern times, morning dress or a lounge suit is worn. Last year, the Queen added some sparkle to her ceremonial uniform with a pair of silver T-bar heels. Who is attending this year? The Queen will be joined by members of the Royal Family on the day. Its thought the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be in attendance on the day. King Felipe VI of Spain and King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands will also attend this years Garter Day, during which they will be installed in St. Georges Chapel as Supernumerary, or Stranger, Knights of the Garter, which are overseas monarchs appointed to the Order. READ MORE: Who is Queen Letizia of Spain? The Duchess of Cambridge at the service in 2016. [Photo: PA] They will be accompanied by their wives - Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not likely to attend, as Meghan is on maternity leave after the birth of baby Archie and Harry is not a Knight Companion. The Duke of Edinburgh is also likely to be absent, as he retired from public duties in 2017. Can members of the public watch? A limited number of tickets are available for members of the public to watch the procession to St. George's Chapel from inside the precincts of Windsor Castle. Applicants can request up to four tickets each. The Royal Familys website states that applications must be sent between 1 January and 1 March each year to: GarterDay@royal.uk Protestors gathered on Thursday to protest the dismissal of WICS-TV meteorologist Joe Crain, the same day that the Springfield, Ill. station confirmed his departure.Joe Crain is no longer with the station, WICS general manager Rick Lipps confirmed to TheWrap. Lipps did not state which day Crain left, but the weatherman last appeared on air June 5, when he criticized the stations Code Red graphics in a lengthy diatribe, which readers can watch via the video above.When you hear Code Red, you think, The feces is about to hit the fan,' Crain said while standing next to the bold graphic. We want you to know its not us. This is a corporate initiative behind the scenes many of us have tried to dissuade it for the last few months, he told viewers, urging them to speak up with their concerns to Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns the station.Crains bio was removed from the station website on June 6. He never appeared on WICS again.Also Read: 27 of TV's Best Father Figures Who Weren't Actually Dads, From Mr. Belvedere to Joey Gladstone (Photos)150 fans gathered to protest Crains dismissal at the Illinois Products Farmers Market at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, according to the State Journal-Register. Protestors wore red shirts with slogans such as I Support Joe Crain and CodeRedIsDead, referring to the stations widely disliked weather alerts which Crain openly criticized. In the weeks before Crains firing, many local viewers complained to the station about the alerts, according to The Washington Post.Crains plight even got the attention of Stephen Colbert, who featured his dismissal in a segment on The Late Show. Watch below:Crain has been silent on social media, but many fans have written messages of support on his Facebook page.Though Crain is still out of a job, WCIS has since changed the Code Red alerts to the less-dramatic Weather Warn, according to CNN Business.Read original story Protesters Support Fired Weatherman Joe Crain, Who Criticized Sinclair Group Over Code Red Alerts (Video) At TheWrap Protestors gathered on Thursday to protest the dismissal of WICS-TV meteorologist Joe Crain, the same day that the Springfield, Ill. station confirmed his departure. Joe Crain is no longer with the station, WICS general manager Rick Lipps confirmed to TheWrap. Lipps did not state which day Crain left, but the weatherman last appeared on air June 5, when he criticized the stations Code Red graphics in a lengthy diatribe, which readers can watch via the video above. When you hear Code Red, you think, The feces is about to hit the fan,' Crain said while standing next to the bold graphic. We want you to know its not us. This is a corporate initiative behind the scenes many of us have tried to dissuade it for the last few months, he told viewers, urging them to speak up with their concerns to Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns the station. Crains bio was removed from the station website on June 6. He never appeared on WICS again. Also Read: 27 of TV's Best Father Figures Who Weren't Actually Dads, From Mr. Belvedere to Joey Gladstone (Photos) 150 fans gathered to protest Crains dismissal at the Illinois Products Farmers Market at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, according to the State Journal-Register. Protestors wore red shirts with slogans such as I Support Joe Crain and #CodeRedIsDead, referring to the stations widely disliked weather alerts which Crain openly criticized. In the weeks before Crains firing, many local viewers complained to the station about the alerts, according to The Washington Post. Crains plight even got the attention of Stephen Colbert, who featured his dismissal in a segment on The Late Show. Watch below: Crain has been silent on social media, but many fans have written messages of support on his Facebook page. Though Crain is still out of a job, WCIS has since changed the Code Red alerts to the less-dramatic Weather Warn, according to CNN Business. Read original story Protesters Support Fired Weatherman Joe Crain, Who Criticized Sinclair Group Over Code Red Alerts (Video) At TheWrap Shaft is back, but his time passed long ago. Director Tim Storys take on the iconic blaxploitation hero is neither timely nor compelling, resurrecting the character with a generation-spanning plot that seems unwilling to look beyond the past. The latest attempt to mine commerciality out of the 1971 property drops the originals commentary on black issues of the moment in favor of tone-deaf declarations of masculinity. Its an ugly time capsule. Thats too bad, because the Shaft ethos is overdue for a revision. As the black community confronts longstanding notions of masculinity and how they might change see Moonlight for one prominent example the anachronistic Shaft promotes an outmoded 007 brand of toxic masculinity that just doesnt cut it anymore. The concept behind Shaft hinges on one mans playtime with shiny possessions his cars, coats, guns, and of course, his women; feeling nothing, the Shaft archetype relishes violence as the most innate means to an end, and takes what he wants. Theres a reason for the phallic connotations of his name. Related stories 'Unicorn Store' Trailer: Brie Larson Makes Magic in Directorial Debut Samuel L. Jackson Dared Tim Roth to Curse on Live TV When He Lost at the Oscars The first Shaft came along at a time when black audiences were hungry for depictions of black heroes being victorious on screen. Richard Roundtree played the character as a Vietnam veteran who was able to persevere after the war by becoming a ruthless detective in New York City. He was a gritty embodiment of troubled times, but the studio-backed feature didnt dig too deep, especially in contrast to the far more radical Sweet Sweetbacks Badass Song, which came earlier in the same year. But while Roundtrees Shaft may have been the black private dick who gets all the chicks, he also became a symbol of black power. Story continues The new Shaft, however, has been stripped of any discernible political relevance. He simply puts the dick in private dick, embodying an archaic brand of black masculinity. Jacksons Shaft is a character out of time, who fails to build on the originals lasting appeal, however problematic it might be. Shaft doesnt improve on the genre, satirize or lampoon it (like Black Dynamite, an unapologetic blaxploitation sendup), nor does it really have anything of consequence to say. The 2000 reboot (also starring Jackson, but directed by the late John Singleton) didnt carry the same political heft of the original, and wasnt a particularly good movie either. But, possibly due to Singletons vision, it seemed to recognize and attempt to walk in the 1971 films weighty footsteps with a serviceable plot about corrupt police officers and the flimsy justice system. Story (known more for his romantic comedies and Kevin Hart vehicles) offers a version that ups the folly significantly, and fails to salute or upgrade the original; instead, its content to rest on the laurels of the franchises legacy. That includes the originals most troubling, sexist tendencies. After movies like Black Panther and even the most recent installments of Mission: Impossible featured formidable female characters whose intellect and physicality matched their male leads, the women in the Shaft universe still exist as props devoid of agency, despite attempts to make them extra feisty. The story introduces John JJ Shaft Jr. (Jessie Usher), the 25-year-old son of John Shaft II (Samuel L. Jackson), who abandoned JJ as a child in an act of selfishness (after all, a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do), leaving his mother (a wasted Regina Hall) to raise him solo. The adult JJ is depicted as effete a preppy MIT grad, and now an analyst for the FBI, hes more brains than brawn and lives in a modern apartment that looks like a snapshot from a West Elm catalogue. His mother has raised him with pro-feminist, pro-environment, anti-violence values. All of that means that when he reconnects with his estranged father, the older man isnt thrilled to see what his son has become. But to uncover the truth behind the untimely death of his best friend, young JJ seeks his fathers expertise. Little does he know that the elder has plans of his own, to provide his son with a crash course in Shaft 101. Cue the cruelty: Shaft openly mocks JJs attire, repeatedly questions his sexuality (more than once, he asks, You sure you like pussy?), worries about his disdain for gun violence, and frets over his inability to properly handle women. These motifs occur throughout the movie, as the father is shown to be most impressed with son when he displays what the father believes are more traditionally masculine traits. Perhaps director Story and screenwriters Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow intended to mock the elders dated mindset, but the movie embraces those qualities. Theres a clear delineation made between positions taken by father and son on the issue of masculinity, and the elder is unwavering in his stance all way through. The movies trite father-son bonding story has been buried in a rather convoluted revenge plot involving radical Islam and war veterans with PTSD. After 90 forgettable minutes of a buddy action-comedy that feels more like the latest entry in the Ride Along franchise, the father finally demonstrates that he does indeed care for his son in an act of self-sacrifice befitting a man of Shafts mystic. But Shaft falls short of exploring the generational divide between father and son, and hardly tackles their opposing definitions of black masculinity with anything close to nuance. Story instead suggests that theres no room for compromise, and his film sides with the fathers dictum that brutishness and domination of women are key to a mans path to salvation. In the end, Shaft the elder wins the culture war. The implication is that Shaft remains immutable no matter who plays him. Roundtree eventually surfaces near the end of the movie, providing an authorized stamp of approval on this installments connections to its roots. He scores a handful of snappy one-liners in an intergenerational shootout, but the movie gains a lot less from his appearance than marketing materials suggest. Which makes sense, because this Shaft is all about passing the baton. By the end of the movie, as with most sons who want to please their fathers, JJs transformation is complete. He embraces a career, lifestyle and set of values that his mother the one parent who actually raised him protected him from for much of his life, and with good reason. As the final credits start to roll, three generations of Shafts step forward in slo-mo, all dressed alike in the characters trademark boots, pants, turtleneck and long coat, while Isaac Hayes theme song swells. Story and his screenwriters have crafted an unapologetic love letter to the Shaft mythos. Its easy to see where theyre coming from: Shaft is a fun, exciting archetype and means a lot to viewers who have celebrated the fantasy of his heroism for decades. But the movie is so reverential to the character that it makes any potential in shaking up the formula look like sacrilege. Rather than celebrating JJs progressive upbringing and pushing the franchise in a fresh new direction, Shaft pulls it back to the past. And for those of us who want to see real progress in black cinema at all levels, this antiquated hack job is a real kick in the balls. Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A San Diego high-school students valedictorian graduation speech has gone viral after she used parts of it to call out what she saw as disappointing behavior from school staff. San Ysidro High School senior, Nataly Buhr, took the stage during the June 6 ceremony, where she first genuinely expressed thanks to many of the adults at her school for being so invested in your students education and well-being, according to CBS8. Natalys speech then took an unexpected turn when she called out without naming names certain teachers and administrative staff for failing to set a true example for herself and other students. Thanks for teaching me to fend for myself: You were always unavailable to my parents and I, despite appointments, she addressed her counselor. You expressed to me your joy in knowing that one of your students was valedictorian, when you had absolutely no role in my achievements. High-school students at graduation | Getty RELATED: Florida School Apologizes for Barring Valedictorian from Giving Speech Partly About Immigration Another bit of Natalys criticism was aimed at staff in the schools main office, whom she thanked for teaching me how to be resourceful in the wake of their negligence to inform me of several scholarships until the day before they were due potentially caused me to miss out on thousands of dollars, The Washington Post reports. When applying for a work permit, you repeatedly turned me away, despite confirming with my employer and my parents that all of my paperwork was filled out correctly, she continued. Ive had to escalate issues with staff to an assistant principal various times to reach any sort of solution. But perhaps the most shocking moment was when Nataly turned the conversation to the teacher who was regularly intoxicated during class this year, which prompted gasps from the crowd. Story continues Thank you for using yourself as an example to teach students about the dangers of alcoholism. Being escorted by police out of school left a lasting impression, she said boldly, concluding her speech, I hope that future students and staff learn from these examples. RELATED VIDEO: Pharrell Williams Advocates For Womens Rights and Accessible Education During NYU Commencement Ceremony Speech In a statement to CBS8, Nataly stood by her comments but clarified her speech, noting that The first half of the speech wasnt shown on social media posts. In the beginning, I recognized and thanked those who I believe went above and beyond for the students, she said. I understand that those I criticized may be facing personal issues, but I dont think that should affect their commitments or the schools responsibility to fulfill those commitments. I didnt expect for change to come from my speech, but I was hoping it would encourage more students to speak up. However, a spokesperson for the Sweetwater Union High School District disagreed with the students choice of words and told to CBS8 that its unfortunate that the words of a student like this are taking away from the positive and there are a lot of teachers working very hard for our students its unfortunate that she decided to air grievances. But Natalys mom, Monica, fully supports her daughters actions. I was proud that she spoke up and got it out, she told CBS8. It is something that takes a lot courage to do. A Pennsylvania woman who went out for a swim in the Dominican Republic tragically died this week after she got caught in an aggressive rip current. With the tragedy, Surely Miller sadly joins the list of at least six American tourists who have passed away while vacationing on the Carribean island since 2018. On Tuesday, Miller, a yoga teacher and mom of three, decided to go for a swim near coastal city Puerto Plata, Dominican Today reports. Unfortunately, while enjoying the waters in Cabarete, Miller, 42, was swept up by a powerful marine current and carried more than two miles from the shore. On the beach, a friend of Millers helplessly watched as the Pennsylvania native threw her hands in the hair and attempted to get help while she was dragged out to sea, according to the outlet. Surely Miller | Surely Miller/Facebook RELATED: Yoga Teacher Who Fought for Survival Thought She Was Going to Be Found Dead in Hawaii Forest Unfortunately, it was too late as the yoga instructor eventually vanished in the waters. Her body was recovered by a local fisherman one day later, on Wednesday, in Malecon. Millers body was examined by local doctor Ruth Esther Rosario before being transported to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) in Santiago de Los Caballeros to be further examined, Dominican Today reports. Following the tragedy, Millers friends confirmed her death in a GoFundMe page, launched as an effort to provide financial support for her three sons: Dylan, 15; Mylz, 11; and Preston, 9. In less than a day, it has raised over $3,600. Surely has blessed so many of us with her warm healing touch and the best thing we can do for her now is [to] make sure her children are taken care of, the GoFundMe campaign reads. Lets give back to Surely and help in a way she no longer can by ensuring the well being of her children. Surely Miller RELATED: Mysterious Dominican Republic Tourist Deaths: The Victims So Far On the campaigns page, many of Millers loved ones paid tribute to the yoga instructor with sweet notes and messages. Story continues The most beautiful soul Ive ever met. Her love will live in me forever, someone wrote, while another added, She had such a lasting impact We will all miss her kind loving healing energy. Tribe Yoga, the local yoga studio where Miller taught classes, also confirmed her passing in a post on Facebook. In addition to sharing the sad news, Tribe Yoga announced that they would be holding an Ashtanga class the same type of yoga Miller was trained in to honor their beloved friend and teacher and her beautiful spirit. RELATED VIDEO: Colorado Couple Says They Became Violently Sick at Dominican Resort Where 3 Americans Died Miller owned a studio named Surely Yoga in Slatington, Pennsylvania, where she taught Ashtanga, Hot Yoga and Vinyasa Flow styles, according to her website. Her classes, which were filled with technique and alignment cues, were aimed at helping others intelligently know and heal their bodies, and source their own power to heal through their practice, her website reads. In addition to teaching in Pennsylvania, Millers website says she studied her craft in New York, Miami, Orlando, Allentown, Washington, D.C., Dominican Republic, Tulum, Mexico and has been to South India multiple times for intensive yoga studies. ABC News While the Biden administration has once again extended the pause on student loan repayments, some progressives have said that unless more is done, it could cost Democrats in the midterms in 2022. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is sounding the alarm over potentially losing voters and subsequent races if the campaign promise of canceling student loan debt goes unfulfilled by the Biden-Harris administration. Before the pause was extended, several prominent Democrats voiced their concerns about payments starting again and how it could cost them the midterms. Cuba Gooding Jr. charged with misdemeanor forcible touching originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Cuba Gooding Jr. was formally charged Thursday with misdemeanor forcible touching stemming from an alleged groping of a woman in a Manhattan bar last Sunday. He pleaded not guilty in Manhattan criminal court. (MORE: Cuba Gooding Jr. accused of groping a woman in New York City) The Oscar winner's attorney, Mark Jay Heller, has said that his client didn't do anything wrong. Its a no-brainer, Heller said Thursday. Its clearly a case of overzealous policing and based on the video there will be total exoneration here. Cuba Gooding Jr. leaves criminal court Thursday, June 13, 2019, in New York. A 29-year-old woman told police the 51-year-old Gooding grabbed her breast while he was intoxicated around 11:15 p.m. Sunday. Gooding denies the allegations. (AP Photo/Frank (The Associated Press) Earlier this week, an unnamed woman told police that Gooding, 51, grabbed her breast at a New York City club. "I have been hopeful, after I spoke to various witnesses and viewed the video, that the prosecutor would vet this case out and investigate it a lot more then apparently was done," Heller said in an interview with ABC News. (MORE: Cuba Gooding Jr. said he always wanted to be in show business) Heller accused the woman of stalking Gooding. "When I viewed the video and spoke to actual eyewitnesses, it was very clear and apparent the lady who made false charges was stalking Mr. Gooding," he said of the night in the club. "She followed him all over the club, invaded his privacy and she was very persistent in pursuing some type of interaction with him." PHOTO: Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. arrives at the New York Police Department's Special Victim's Unit, June 13, 2019. (Mark Lennihan/AP) The new charge is not the first time that the "People vs. O.J. Simpson" star has been accused of touching a woman inappropriately. In 2012, a group of women claimed he fondled them in a New Mexico bar, but Gooding told TMZ at the time that the allegations were "b-------." No charges were ever filed in that case. That same year, he was also accused of pushing a female bartender in New Orleans and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The bartender later dropped all charges, according to reporting from CNN. Severe storms, heavy rain expected over the weekend originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A storm system and cold front moved through the Northeast on Thursday, producing flash flooding and severe storms from Virginia to Massachusetts, including a tornado in southern New Jersey. A new system out of the Rockies and into the Plains and Midwest is forecast to deliver severe storms and heavy rain throughout the weekend. Storms on Friday will stretch from eastern Colorado to northern Texas, with damaging wind and hail being the biggest threats. There's a small chance for tornadoes. PHOTO: The Midwest is expected severe storms on Friday and Saturday. (ABC News) The storms will move farther east on Saturday, with damaging wind and hail threatening an area from Des Moines, Iowa, to Kansas City, Missouri. By Sunday, the storm system will stretch all the way from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania, with heavy rain likely in the Ohio Valley and severe storms in the southern Plains. PHOTO: Severe storms are in the forecast. (ABC News) PHOTO: A wet pattern is setting up for this weekend. (ABC News) More than 4 inches of rain could fall locally in some regions over the weekend. Machu Picchus Inca Trail isnt the only scenic hike worth the long flight and a trek up a mountain. There are plenty of gorgeous, highly sought-after hikes adventurous spirits will travel to the ends of the earth to experience (and document on Instagram). For anyone who considers Merrell hiking boots and a Lifestraw water bottle must-pack items in their carry-on, there are countless corners of the world that offer unparalleled views and an invigorating adrenaline rush without an onslaught of tourists. These amazing hikes are guaranteed to appeal to any adventure traveler. Hike a volcano in Indonesia Tan Jee Kwong/Flickr Vision Volcano hiking in Indonesia is an extraordinary experience. There are dozens of options to choose from, ranging in intensity from several-hour, beginner-level hikes to multi-day treks along active (sometimes very active) volcanoes. Mount Bromo in Java is arguably the most popular Volcano hike in Indonesia, though some visitors complain that tourists and cars crowd the summit. Alternatives include Mount Kerinci in Sumatra, which is the highest volcano in Indonesia (a three-day, two-night hike; intermediate level); and sunrise hiking either Mount Batur (easier) or Mount Agung (more challenging) in Bali. For truly unique natural scenery, the Ijen Crater in Java is home to the worlds largest acidic volcanic lake. The water shimmers a brilliant turquoise during the day, and after dark puts on an exquisite show of blue flames for hikers willing to brave the night. The hike itself is relatively beginner-level, although proper hiking boots are recommended. Trek through the jungle in Central or South America Simon Dannhauer/Getty Images Meandering through Monteverdes Cloud Forest is the very epitome of Costa Rican relaxation. Visitors can zip line, walk amongst the forest canopies via suspension bridge, and mingle with thousands of species of exotic birds, insects, and other wildlife. Though the Cloud Forest itself is considered touristy, the nearby Santa Elena Reserve contains eight miles of trails (of varying difficulty levels) with a fraction of the crowds. Story continues For serious jungle hikers seeking more of a challenge, the trail to Colombias Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) is as stunning as it is storied. The treks main attraction, an ancient settlement of dilapidated ruins, was unknown to the Western world until the 1970s. Its not possible to visit the ruins without the aid of a guided tour; its also worth noting that the entrance to the city is only accessible via 1,350 stone steps through dense jungle. This hike isnt for the faint-willed. Soak in the sights of the Norwegian Fjords Simon Dannhauer/Getty Images Hiking is one of the most immersive ways to get a glimpse of the natural landscapes Norway is famous for. With 44 natural parks and hiking trails that range from easy, self-guided hikes to steep, near-vertical climbs, Norway has something for nearly every type of trekker. Beginner hikers will want to stick to day treks such as Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), which takes around four hours; more advanced adventure-seekers might tackle glacier hikes and/or the 12-hour trek to Trolltunga (Trolls Tongue), a challenging ascent thats only accessible during Norways short summer season. Navigate the Narrows in Zion National Park iStockphoto/Getty Images In Zion National Park, the canyon at the north fork of Virgin River is affectionately referred to as The Narrows mainly because of the trails distinctive tapered paths surrounded by sheer cliffs. Trekking through the Narrows is a visually stunning experience featuring stark juxtaposition of teal waters and ochre canyon walls. Trekkers can choose from several options: a casual bottom-up day hike for the beginners; a strenuous top-down 12-hour day hike; or a two-day backpacking trek through 16 miles of Zions most famous canyon. All top-down hikes read: anything above beginner-level require Zion permits. Keep in mind that the Narrows is often closed between mid-March and late May due to unsafe weather conditions. Explore the Mountains on the Moon in Uganda Guenter Guni/Getty Images One of the longer and more rigorous hikes on this list, tackling the Rwenzoris is well worth it for serious adventure travelersand its a less crowded, less expensive alternative to Kilimanjaro, Africas highly sought-after tallest peak. The Rwenzori mountain range borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Mount Stanley is the highest peak in Uganda at 5,109 meters. You may not think ice when envisioning Africas multifarious landscapes, but the Rwenzoris contain not only the lush flora and fauna the continent is known for, but also equatorial glaciers and otherworldly mist. Trekkers consistently cite the scenery as some of the most surreal theyve ever seen. There are multiple routes through the Rwenzoris that range in intensity, as well as several organizations to help you plan a guided trek; the average hike here takes around seven days to complete. Knock Patagonia off your Bucket List Graciela Pierre/Getty Images Argentinas jaw-dropping Mount Fitz Roy tops many serious hikers bucket list for a reason: The incredibly diverse landscape is truly a once-in-a-lifetime sight to behold. There are at least a dozen route options, that range dramatically in difficulty and time commitment. The trek circuits are clearly marked, and for the hardy hiker with his or her own gear, its not necessary to enlist the help of a guide. Either in addition to Fitz Roy or in its stead, the Torres del Paine W Circuit is another hugely popular option among Patagonia-bound outdoors enthusiasts. The trail hits a number of highlights, including Los Torres, Los Cuernos, Valle Frances, Paine Grande, and Glacier Grey; it takes five- to seven-days, and trekkers can expect to hike five to eight hours per day. Carnival Cruise Line is being sued by the family of a passenger who suffered a heart attack and died after crew members allegedly refused to let him off the ship to seek medical attention. Jeffrey Eisenman was vacationing on the Carnival Sunshine with his wife, Linda, daughter, Julie, and son, Ryan, when he experienced what the ships doctor diagnosed as a major heart attack on December 3, 2018, according to the Miami Herald. Jeffrey Eisenman and his wife, Linda, enjoying their holiday aboard the Carnival Sunshine before the passenger's fatal heart attack. (Photo: Courtesy of Ira Leesfield) Eisenman reportedly started vomiting and feeling pain in his left arm and chest while the ship was docked in Grand Turk, an island in Turks and Caicos. Cruise ship doctors were reportedly ill-equipped to deal with the mans condition. But instead of letting Eisenman off the ship to seek medical treatment, Carnival employees told him hed have to be flown to Miami for treatment, as Grand Turks hospital has no cardiac unit. Despite the fact that the family had purchased evacuation insurance for just such an emergency, the man was allegedly held on the ship. At 4 p.m. on Dec. 3, the Carnival Sunshine departed Grand Turk and set sail toward its next port in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the Eisenmans aboard. But the next day, while en route, the 65-year-old passenger passed away, according to CBS Miami. But the Eisenmans nightmare didnt end there. Once the cruise ship docked in San Juan, employees still wouldnt let the family take their relatives body off the ship, according to the lawsuit. They allegedly said they couldnt guarantee that Eisenmans body would be transported home properly from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. So the Carnival Sunshine sailed for five more days with Eisenmans body on board before arriving back in Cape Canaveral, Fla., CBS Miami reported. On Tuesday, the Eisenbergs filed suit against Carnival Cruise Line, accusing the Carnival Sunshine crew of negligence and infliction of intentional emotional distress. Ira Leesfield, the Eisenman familys laywer, told Yahoo Lifestyle the ordeal could have been avoided with proper preparation. Story continues He said that of the tens of millions of cruise ship passengers per year, someone is going to get sick, and [cruise lines] have to have a protocol other than, We have to stay on schedule. He added that the cruise industry in general has got to be more prepared and have a greater sensitivity to the wellbeing of its passengers. But Carnival Cruise Line tells a different version of the story, in which they alleged they cooperated with the Eisenman family to make medical decisions. In a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, a Carnival spokesperson wrote: We are very sorry for the Eisenman familys loss, but the scenario that is alleged in the lawsuit is not accurate. Our onboard medical team followed all proper procedures to attend to a guest who became critically ill very quickly, including liaising with the local hospital which was not equipped to handle his condition. Mr. Eisenmans treatment plan and keeping him on the ship was formulated in consultation with his family. The familys lawsuit plans to challenge that. Inexplicably, all of [the familys] requests and pleas for help went unanswered, the suit reads. The Carnival Sunshine left Grand Turk with Jeffrey Eisenman and his family confined onboard against their will, helpless against the willful inhumane conduct of Carnival in holding a critically ill man imprisoned in an unequipped medical center. Leesfield said the cruise ship crew made a very bad call that defies the International Cruise Line Passenger Bill of Rights. It states that passengers have the right to disembark a docked ship if essential provisions such as food, water, restroom facilities and access to medical care cannot adequately be provided onboard, subject only to the [crews] concern for passenger safety and security and customs and immigration requirements of the port. He said the tragedy also happened at one of the worst times of the year. Sunday is Father's Day their first Father's Day without him, he said. Their decision was a death sentence. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. According to my Screen Time app, last week I spent a total of 12 hours on Instagram. Yikes. But the upside to my unwavering addiction to a well-curated Instagram explore page is finding brands to add to my "saved" pages. There is no greater joy than discovering a new brand, giving their feed a good stalk, and ultimately deciding it's worthy to add to your things-to-remember library. A brand's approach to Instagram is always one that has intrigued me. How do they brand themselves on their site vs. Instagram? What influencers do they align with? What is their community like on Instagram and how do they engage with them? There's a lot that can be gleaned about a brand's ethos from Instagram. So in the name of exploration, I'm sharing my most treasured finds from Instagram. They're the brands that caught my attention in a sea of pictures, the ones I felt compelled to share with my friends for discussion, and accounts that I thought about while I was brainstorming my next purchase. Ahead, the fruits of my Instagram labor! Enjoy. 1. Norte Women This brand is setting out to be your new best friend, they're creating garments that will always be there for you. Ines Vieira, the founder, is a native to Galicia, Spain and draws inspiration from her local culture and is dedicated to finding sustainable ways of consumption. It's a quality > quantity kind of brand, our favorite. 2. Terry. I took a pause when this brand showed up on my discover page, I love anything terrycloth. It can oftentimes come off feeling too neighborhood pool-y, but Terry makes their pieces out of 100% luxury towelling. They're inspired by European summers and classic American 70s poolside attire. My hypothetical trip to the Italian coast definitely includes a set from here. 3. Tigra Tigra The name alone is enough to stop you in your Instagram-scrolling tracks, not to mention their brightly printed clothing. All textiles are made by hand in Rama Pir No Tekro, a community in Gujarat, India. Once you've moved past the Instagram beautiful silk dresses, let yourself drool a little bit over the finely beaded bags. Story continues 4. Cherry LA The first thing that caught my eye on Cherry LA's Instagram was their rainbow tie dye pants, of course. It's a streetwear brand that hasn't yet been discovered by the masses, get it quick before you have to start setting alarms for "drops" to get a graphic t-shirt. 5. Daniel Silfen I think at this point we're all experiencing it: fanny fatigue? Same. I thought I couldn't see another fanny pack again until these popped up on my feed. They're compact and less in-your-face than other fanny packs. And if those aren't for you, might I suggest a gingham mini-bag littered with carrots and cherries? Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Mark Smith for Reader's Digest Aimee Spevak was supposed to be working. Actually, she was supposed to be on vacationshe had rented a cabin in the Pocono Mountains last August to get away from the New York City heat. But no one can ever truly break away these days, and Spevak, a freelance medical writer, found herself stuck inside on this lovely summer day, finishing an assignment. She procrastinated a little, surfing the Web now and then. When she checked her Facebook news feed, she was delighted to see a notification from her friend Michael Lythcott. Lythcott was an intrepid traveler. In fact, he and Spevak had trekked through Nepal together a few years back. Spevak knew he was in Bali now and was glad to take a momentary vicarious trip. And then she read the post. Rather than seeing beautiful travel photos or a detailed narrative of Lythcotts journey, Spevak saw a bright red background and a few stark words written in white: Help. In danger. Call police. Mikey Lythcott, a 39-year-old graphic designer, had indeed traveled to Bali. He and his friend Stacey Eno, 25, had landed on the Indonesian island just the day before. Excited for their adventure, the two Americans had rented a scooter on the outskirts of Ubud and driven into town, where they stayed until the wee hours doing what they both loved: chatting with strangers from all over the world. It was pitch-dark, well past 2 a.m., when they hopped back on the scooter and headed to their hotel. Lythcott had placed his iPhone in the pouch of the scooter and was using it to navigate. As they climbed a hill past the rice paddies and the jungle, he glanced down at the GPS and back up at the roada curve ahead. Lythcott tapped the brakes to make the turn. He didnt tap fast enough. He awoke sometime later to the babble of nearby water. He was flat on his back on a steep slope, surrounded by vegetation. The jungle. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldnt cooperate. What happened? he wondered. Where am I? In an empty forest? Then it came to him. Bali! But why? He strained to think, but his mind was a fog. Oh man ... I was in a scooter accident, he thought. That much came back to him now, nothing more. Nothing about flying 150 feet through the air down this ravine, nothing about slamming into trees, nothing that explained the blood he could taste and feel, the dull pain all through his body. Story continues Mark Smith for Reader's Digest He took stock. His glasses were gone. The scooter was gone, and with it his cell phone. His left wrist and torso were smashed up badly, as was his back. He couldnt move his legs. Finally he remembered his companion. Stacey! She didnt answer. Stacey, where are you? His voice came out surprisingly quiet. Hed learn later that both his lungs had collapsed. Im right here. She was only a few feet away. Lythcott dragged himself toward her through the darkness until he was beside her. I dont know whats going on, she said. Why are we in the woods? We were in an accident. Can you move? No. Stacey, I need you to get up and walk and get us help. I cant. This jolted Lythcott. No one knew they were there. They couldnt walk. His back was probably broken. He was bleeding out. I think we might die here, he thought. Making matters worse, he had begun sliding downhill along the wet jungle floor past thick-trunked banyan trees to whatever terrors lay below. They couldnt walk. He was bleeding out. I think we might die here, he thought. Im scared, Eno said. She sounded farther and farther away. At last, Lythcott came to rest in a tiny depression on the hillside where he could grasp a tree root. There, in his nook, an eerie calm came over him. If he was going to die, let it be like this, in a peaceful place. Let him close his eyes and allow it to take him over. No, he scolded himself. Stop thinking that way. You have to save yourself. You have to save Stacey. But how would anyone find them? If only he hadnt lost his phone in the wreck. Then he rememberedhe had a second phone, the one with his American SIM card that allowed him to contact the United States. He felt around in his jacket pocket, and there it was! Carefully he pulled it out, powered it on, and turned on international data roaming, balancing the phone on his chest with his good hand. Battery charge: 42 percent. He thought about googling the number for the local police and hoping that whoever answered spoke English. But even if the person did, what would he say? Ive been in an accident, and Im ... somewhere? He noticed a few of the apps hed left open on the phone, including Facebook. An idea struck. Taking great care not to let the blood-slick phone tumble down the dark ravine, he opened a bright red backdrop on his status page and typed away. Less than two minutes later, Aimee Spevak saw the post. At first, Spevak had no idea what to do. What could she do? Where in Bali was he? Then she remembered that Facebook has a function that allows you to call your friends. She gave it a try. To her immense surprise and relief, Lythcott picked up. Sometimes the incessant connectivity of the online world isnt such a bad thing. Aimee, he said, Im in the woods. I dont know where I am. I dont know whats happening. OK, Spevak said. Can you send me your location? Yes. Im going to call somebody, and well get you out of there. After they hung up, Lythcott sent her his GPS coordinates on a map using Facebooks pin drop function. Now one person in the world knew where he was. Spevak, though, had no idea whom to call or how to proceed. But she knew who would: someone in Lythcotts vast circle of friends from around the globe. She posted a screenshot of the pin drop to the Facebook comment thread and watched nervously as every few seconds another friend jumped into the conversation. Mikey!! ARE YOU OKAY??? Mikey, what police do we call??? Do you know what to do here? ????? Ricardo Mendes, wanting Lythcott to activate Apples Emergency SOS call, wrote, PRESS THE OFF BUTTON OF YOUR IPHONE 5 TIMES QUICKLY. Kaitlin Haggard found all the local police numbers by district and shared them. Leah Schlossman aired her frustration: I cant get through to any of these numbers and Michaels line is busy. Misty McKenzie-Hill: Please, please let him be OK. Emilie Stein: Dude, I will fly out tonight and come get you if you need. Meanwhile, Stacey Eno continued to struggle. She was trying to scream for help, but each time it came out like a whimper. She was in and out of consciousness, confused and numbed by pain. Her face bones had been shattered. Some object had slammed into her mouth in the crash, slicing her tongue and loosening teeth. Stacey, Lythcott said. Im trying to get help. Why arent either of us getting up? Eno wondered. Lythcott had said he thought his back was broken; what about hers? She tried to move her legs but couldnt get them underneath her. Any movement made her feel as if she might fall down the steep incline to whatever dangers lay below. She dug her fingernails into the soil and waited for the help that Lythcott hoped was on the way. Only days earlier she had been in her classroom in Korea, where she taught English. Her family back in Michigan had thought she was crazy to travel to the other side of the globe for work and longed for her to come home. Among those glued to Lythcotts rapidly moving Facebook feed was Josh Hofer, an old friend who was sitting at his office computer in Raleigh, North Carolina. Like Spevak, hed felt a jolt when he first read Lythcotts post, then was relieved to see the pin drop Spevak had posted. But his enthusiasm quickly waned: The location was frustratingly vague. He decided to fiddle with it and opened up the pin drop on his phone instead of on his computer. Instantly it showed greater detail. He took a screenshot and sent it to the U.S. Consulate in Indonesia. The Facebook posse supplied the consulate with screenshots, maps, tips, phone numbers ... Out in Los Angeles, Paul Rocha was watching the thread with rapt interest. Lythcott had mustered sufficient consciousness to share that he could hear water nearby. Taking Spevaks and Hofers screenshots, plus Lythcotts hint about flowing water, Rocha created a map of his own, with a circle indicating the likeliest search area. Then he posted it to the thread. In Prague, Lythcotts friend Caitlin scrutinized the map and concluded that the crash must have occurred between a certain cooking school and a local bar. A less sketchy picture of the situation was emerging gradually: Lythcott and Eno were outside of Ubud in the jungle near a place called Sweetwater Falls. On the comment thread, friends from all over the world had begun posting contact information for police, hospitals, and ambulance services in Bali, and many of them were bombarding those numbers with calls. Someone posted the number for the U.S. Consulate in Indonesia. In Surabaya, Indonesia, one island away from Bali, Christine Getzler-Vaughan, a public affairs officer at the U.S. Consulate General, was monitoring the night-duty emergency phone when it began to ring. My friend posted on Facebook that hes hurt and needs help, the caller said. Getzler-Vaughan grabbed her notebook. Whats his name? she asked. Whats his last known location? The caller supplied as much detail as possible. Seconds after they hung up, the phone rang again: another of Lythcotts friends. And so it went for the next two hours. Getzler-Vaughan frantically multitasked, working by phone, text, and e-mail, receiving and parsing a landslide of information from the Facebook posse: screenshots, maps, tips, phone numbers, Lythcotts date of birth, his family contacts, all with the aim of sending a physical search party to the correct location. Someone had even activated the U.S. State Departments emergency operations center in Washington, DC. Getzler-Vaughan passed on what she knew to officials in Bali. At 5:29 a.m., less than an hour after his Facebook SOS, she texted Lythcott: Someone from our office in Bali has the info your friends have sent us. Cant move, he typed back. Then he added: 6 perrxcntt batt. Tempers were beginning to fray on Lythcotts feed. His well-intentioned friends were clogging the thread by voicing concern or requesting updates. In so doing, they were burying important information Balinese authorities would need if they were to rescue him and Eno. For Christs sake, EVERYONE STOP POSTING, one poster snapped. Unless you have an update we need this thread to STOP NOW. All capital lettersthe Internets cue that you are raising your voice. Another took exception: Dude. Please stop yelling at everyone. The reply: Our friend is in serious trouble and needs help. I will yell my face off if that helps to get a point across! Meanwhile, half a world away, Eno and Lythcott lay bleeding in the ravine. Any time Eno came to, she was overwhelmed by her fear of falling. Im slipping, she said. Try to hang on, Lythcott said. Help is coming. How long? He had no idea. By then, his phone battery had died. Now they were truly alone. Lythcott was drifting in and out of consciousness when he heard the sound of brush rustling. He tensed up. Bali has snakescobras and pythonsand he wasnt exactly in a condition to defend himself. He waited anxiously as whatever it was approached. Soon the sound turned into a murmur, then into voices. A search party! Speaking little English, four rescuers carefully cradled Lythcotts back and neck as they carried him up to a flatbed truck. Sometime later they placed Eno beside him in the cargo area. Her hair was soaked and matted with blood and grime. More blood covered her torso and legs. Lythcott barely recognized her. EVERYONE STOP POSTING! Unless you have an update we need this thread to STOP NOW! At 8:14 a.m.nearly four hours after Mikey Lythcott posted his plea for help on FacebookCaitlin from Prague, who had been in constant touch with the hospital in Ubud, posted: UPDATEHE IS OKAY AND IN THE HOSPITAL! Friends from Portland to Pretoria, Seattle to Sydney, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Their sentiments could be summed up by a post from Jay Holmes: Thank you, thats what we all needed to hear. Eno spent eight days at a hospital in Bali before returning to her teaching job in South Korea. She had suffered a fractured wrist, shattered cheekbones, severe injuries to her mouth and tongue, and a badly broken nose. Lythcotts condition was worse: internal bleeding, collapsed lungs, a broken wrist, broken ribs, a fractured back and skull, a perforated colon, a bruised liver. But three weeks after the crash, he was out of the hospital and recuperating at his sisters house in Atlanta. A miracle? Maybe. But theres a lesson here too. As Georgia Chapman Costa, one of Lythcotts Facebook friends, put it on the feed: When people come together, wonderful things happen. Even when they are coming together somewhere way out there in cyberspace. Courtesy Stacey Eno Courtesy Stacey Eno Photo credit: Getty Images From ELLE Irina Shayk has been keeping busy since her split from Bradley Cooper. The model traveled to Iceland for work right after the breakup news and even posted a triumphant Instagram shot of her butt. Now it's back to work again for Shayk: On Thursday, she walked the LuisaViaRoma and Carine Roitfeld 90th anniversary show, her first runway post-split, and looked incredible in two different looks. For her first, Shayk wore a black leather dress with matching gloves, black stockings, and heels. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek bun with neutral makeup. Photo credit: Getty Images For her second look, Irina changed into a pinstripe blazer and skirt with a high leg slit. Photo credit: Getty Images At one point during the show, she was spotted alongside fellow models Bella Hadid and Joan Smalls. Photo credit: Getty Images Lots of details have since emerged about Bradley and Irina's breakup, with sources revealing that they simply grew apart. "They tried to save the relationship but it had changed," a source told People. "Since Bradley and Irina have always been very private about their relationship few knew there was really for sure something going on." The couple also lived very separate lives, which played a big role in their breakup. "[Irina is] not focused on the celebrity part, or on the fame-she just wants to protect her family, another source explained. "Bradley is very into work and is trying to take advantage of every career opportunity right now." ('You Might Also Like',) President Mnangagwa has invited Chinese construction firm, Shanghai Construction Group, to establish offices in Zimbabwe in preparation for future infrastructure construction projects, as the country moves to fulfil Vision 2030 aimed at achieving an upper middle-income society. The President was speaking after touring the new Parliament Building under construction in Mt Hampden yesterday, which he said was symbolic of the strategic relationship between Zimbabwe and China. The 650-seater building is being constructed by Shanghai Construction Group using a grant of approximately US$98 million (RMB676,43 million) extended to Zimbabwe by the Chinese government. Zimbabwe is targeting development and modernisation of roads, railways, airports and other related infrastructure to fulfil provisions of the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) and enhance the lives of ordinary people. This company (Shanghai Construction Group) which is building this Parliament for us has been on the continent for many years, possibly decades and has repute across the continent for constructing buildings or infrastructure of repute, said the President. Now they are in Zimbabwe and they are building this one for us freely. We are grateful, but I would wish that they continue to remain in Zimbabwe. In the area of infrastructure development, Zimbabwe is still lagging behind and I am informed that this company has multiple skills in the area of construction of infrastructure. Even by the time we complete this project, there are other projects currently being discussed and seeking financing and I have no doubt that we will be able to select you to implement such projects in Zimbabwe. President Mnangagwa said the construction of the Parliament building was as a result of a discussions he held with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, during the FOCAC summit in Beijing last year. There are issues which were discussed under the FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) meeting in September last year and currently there are discussions which should be undertaken this month at ministerial level, said President Mnangagwa. Under that programme, China-Africa programme, there is a $60 billion facility from China to Africa and I have no doubt that Zimbabwe will share part of that cake for infrastructure development. President Mnangagwa said under the new dispensation, business takes precedence over politics, citing that investors must shun corruption and focus on doing business using the correct channels. Now, business takes front seat and politics takes a back seat, he said. The cost of short-cuts and the disregard of local authority by-laws and architectural requirements have far reaching and dire implications to ones investments Individuals and corporate property investors must, therefore, make sound and corrupt-free decisions. President Mnangagwa praised Shanghai Construction Group for the work it is doing at the New Parliament Building site, whose ground breaking ceremony was done in November last year. This edifice will be one of the most unique parliaments in our region, he said. Besides being unique, its demonstrative of our comprehensive, strategic relationship with the Peoples Republic of China. There are many friends we have, but this is one symbolic stature which generations to come will know it is a demonstration of the cooperation between the people of Zimbabwe and the people of China. President Mnangagwa commended the construction firm for moving with speed, saying the project was likely to be completed before the scheduled three years. I am told that the period of construction is expected to span a period of three years, but I would speculate that with the pace the project is being implemented, there is a possibility that the construction of this parliament will be finished earlier than projected, he said. The Chinese working culture is a culture I believe we should emulate. The Chinese are very hard-working and get focused on the project they would be doing. I have no doubt that our own Zimbabwean people; the craftsmen who are here, the engineers who are here, the architects that are here will benefit not only in terms of skills, but in terms of technology that has been brought here. President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe and China shared a historic relationship and thanked China and Russia for vetoing attempts by Western nations in 2008 to invoke Chapter 7 of the UN Charter and impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. The relationship between China and Zimbabwe is special, he said. We have a very strong history of trade between us. We also have a recent history of liberation where China stood by the oppressed people of this country and supported us through our armed struggle to liberate ourselves. They vetoed that evil scheme which was intended by our detractors to punish us. So, you can see that China is a solid friend of Zimbabwe. President Mnangagwa said he was satisfied with the improving trade between Zimbabwe and China. I am happy because then it speaks of the diversification of our economy unlike in the past our economy was substantively based on the Western structure where whatever we needed we had to go to the West, he said. But now it is necessary that we do not put our eggs in one basket, we should spread them. In his remarks, Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Guo Shaochun said: The construction of the Parliament building enhances the working conditions of the Zimbabwe parliament as it comes when the Parliament is discussing important issues towards achieving Vision 2030. Steve Design/Shutterstock June 14, 2019 A mom in the United Kingdom took her son to an after-hours clinic after noticing a red streak on his wrist and elbowand it ultimately prevented what couldve been a devastating situation. Alexandra Ruddys 8-year-old had fallen at the zoo about a week prior, she shared on Facebook along with a photo of her sons red wrist. Although she made sure to clean the wounds and they didnt appear infected, she noticed he developed red tracking near the injuries as they headed to the beach one day. I took him down to the out of hours feeling a bit silly but when the doctor saw it he commended me on [recognizing] it and getting down ASAP, Ruddy wrote in the post that has now been shared more than 40,000 times. As it turns out, her son's wound led to sepsis, a blood infection that can be life-threatening. It isnt something you can leave until Monday when the doctors are back in the office, she added. Luckily her son is recovering with antibiotics, but Ruddy said she hopes her post can help others who may not be aware how serious marks like her son had can be. They are also pretty common. That kind of infection where it spreads up into the body like that and causes a red streak, we see with reasonable frequency; it is a sign of a bacterial infection thats spreading into the body, and that could potentially turn into sepsis," says Anne F. Brayer, M.D., who is board certified in pediatric emergency medicine. "Sepsis is really defined by an overwhelming infection that goes over what the bodys defenses can handle." The condition can progress quickly and lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death without timely treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People with weakened immune systems, children under 1 years old, adults 65 and older, and people with chronic medical conditions are most at risk. Common symptoms of sepsis include a high heart rate, fever (usually high but no absolutes), altered mental status (child is not as responsive as usual or seems weak or lethargic), extreme pain, shortness of breath, clammy skin, and low blood pressure. Sometimes a rash can appear all over body, or a rash that looks like little bruises known as petechiae, adds Dr. Brayer, a professor of emergency medicine, pediatrics, and the center for community health at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, New York. Story continues Sepsis can occur from bacteria entering the bloodstream from a number of ways, including a bacterial infection in the intestines like salmonella. Wounds are another way and with kids always running around it's easy to begin to worry. But there are things parents can do. Dr. Brayer says they should make sure to keep the injury clean. They should also monitor the area to see if the skin around the cut is getting more red, if streaks start appearing, or the redness begins to spread. Also pay attention if your child complains that the pain is getting worse. Those are all signs [a child needs] to be seen, and promptly, like at an urgent care or an emergency department if your doctors office isnt open, she says. From Harper's BAZAAR Frogmore Cottage is welcoming another new arrival. Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have officially hired a nanny for baby Archie. Sources confirm to BAZAAR.com that the couple recently took on the extra pair of hands ahead of Harrys busy summer schedule and Meghan planning a return to royal duties this fall. While the couple are hoping to keep personal details of the new staff member private, BAZAAR understands that the British-born female nanny is not permanently based at Frogmore Cottage or working weekends. Ever since Archie arrived they havent stopped smiling. The sleepless nights are totally worth it. Photo credit: WPA Pool - Getty Images The additional support will come in particularly handy for the Sussexes when they tour Africa this October. Sources say its increasingly likely that Archie Mountbatten-Windsor will be joining them for the trip. Logistics for the overseas visit are still being ironed out, but if Archie joins, Prince Harry will take on a number of engagements by himself. Stops on the itinerary include Malawi, to focus on the expansion of his charity Sentebale, and Angola, where the government is about to provide $60 million to clear landmines from two national parks. Buckingham Palace won't release further details about the two-week trip until July, but engagements in Botswana and South Africa are also expected to be included on the schedule. Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo Harry and Meghans new acquisition joins a long list of much-love royal nannies. Norland College graduate Maria Borrallo was hired as a live-in member of staff by the Cambridges in 2013 and can often be spotted helping out during family events, including this years Trooping the Colour on June 8. Meanwhile, Prince Harry remains close to favorite childhood nanny Tiggy Pettifer, whom he proudly introduced to Meghan on a trip to Cardiff in January 2018. Family life could not be more perfect for [Harry and Meghan], a close friend of the couple tells BAZAAR. Ever since Archie arrived they havent stopped smiling. The sleepless nights are totally worth it. ('You Might Also Like',) Photo credit: Bill Clark - Getty Images From ELLE Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who represents Washington's 7th congressional district, recently wrote an op-ed in the New York Times, speaking publicly about her abortion for the very first time. In the piece, Jayapal explains that her child was born unexpectedly in India at 26.5 weeks and weighed only one pound 14 ounces. Her baby spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit, going through multiple blood transfusions and being unable to eat because their internal organs were not developed enough. She writes that the intense treatment and worries they faced in the first few months of her babys life did not end shortly thereafter: "In the ensuing years, we faced endless trips to the emergency room because of weak lungs and repeated pneumonia, a seizure and delays in speaking that made us worry about the future." Jayapal writes that she feels lucky to have a baby that survived such a dangerous birth; her child Janak just graduated from college. But years after Janak was born, when she wanted more children, doctors told her that future pregnancies would be extremely high-risk. "I knew that I simply would not be able to go through what I had gone through again," she says. "Janak was far from out of the woods, and I needed to preserve my strength for them. I hoped there would be a time in the future when I could be ready again for children, but for the time being, my husband and I diligently took precautions to make sure that I did not get pregnant. But pregnancy methods are not foolproof. I got pregnant and I had to decide what to do." Even though she wanted children, Jayapal writes that she "could not tempt fate again" and decided she could not responsibly have the baby, calling it a "heartbreaking decision." Writing this amid the number of restrictive abortion laws passed in different states this year, Jayapal says that she feels fortunate to live in a state where pregnant people's rights are protected, where people can make choices about their bodies without barriers like forced counseling and waiting periods. She decided to speak about her abortion now due to her deep concern about these very efforts to take away choice from pregnant people and the ways lawmakers are attempting to criminalize abortion. Story continues "For me, terminating my pregnancy was not an easy choice, but it was my choice," she writes. "That is the single thing that has allowed me to live with the consequences of my decisions. And that is what must be preserved, for every pregnant person." Read her entire op-ed here. ('You Might Also Like',) The artist-turned-fashion designer presented his first ready-to-wear collection at Pitti Uomo. A look from the S.R. Studio. LA. CA. Collection 1. Photo: Courtesy of S.R. Studio. LA. CA. Back in March, Sterling Ruby announced that he would be launching his own ready-to-wear line, named S.R. Studio. LA. CA., and soon after, Pitti Uomo welcomed the Los Angeles-based artist as a special guest to debut his collection with a runway show, which took place in Florence, Italy on Thursday. "Pitti's invitation to be their special guest presents the perfect moment for me to realize a project that I've been privately exploring in my studio for nearly 10 years," said Ruby in an official statement. And while S.R. Studio. LA. CA. has only been in the works for a decade, Ruby's interest in fashion spans much longer than that: He's been sewing since he was a teenager while growing up in Pennsylvania, a trade he learned from his seamstress mother. Plus, he's been associated with the fashion world since the early 2000s as a longtime collaborator of Raf Simons, both for the Belgian designer's namesake line and his tenures at Dior and Calvin Klein. In fact, the two worked together for Simons's Fall 2014 collection, and in 2016, Ruby turned (his own) clothing into an artistic medium for an exhibition in London. In an interview with Guy Trebay of The New York Times ahead of the show at Pitti, the artist admits that much of his personal wardrobe consists of clothes he's made himself. But let's get back to the present day, specifically Ruby's first full collection, consisting of apparel, outerwear and accessories for men and women all of which are divided into an "umbrella collective" that's made up of four different lines: S.R. Studio. LA. CA. is the core collection, while ED. 50 consists of limited-edition pieces that rotate and are produced in quantities of 50. Garments under the Soto line are handworked by Sterling Ruby Study, and Unique offers one-of-a-kind items, like an asymmetrical caftan made up of collaged artwork and matching wide-leg pants. Story continues At first glance, one can already notice Ruby's artistic signatures a blend of industrial and Americana aesthetics in the form of bleached tie-dye denim, utilitarian silhouettes, chunky knitted sweaters and custom graphics, some of which are derived from previous artworks. Hints of Ruby's previous collaboration with Simons are also apparent, like a gradient of neon stripes at the hem of a coat, or an outfit adorned with the American flag similar to motifs that covered the aforementioned Fall 2014 runway show's catwalk. As for the women's pieces, Ruby offered a slew of on-trend maxi dresses in tie-dye and plaid, as well as colored denim and more casual separates emblazoned with the brand name's logo. Meanwhile, the accessories could be considered artistic objects in their own rights, such as a rectangular-shaped handbag made entirely from silver metal, complete with a thick coil chain, or oversized tote bags emblazoned with printed graphics. The shoes, however, had a more utilitarian feel, with men and women primarily wearing chunky boots in neutral hues. If you're wondering how Ruby's debut collection will do on the sales side, that's already covered. The day before the runway show, Montreal-based retailer Ssense announced that it will be an official retail partner, and pieces from the inaugural collection's first delivery are already available worldwide on its website, as well as S.R. Studio. LA. CA.'s own website. See every look from S.R. Studio LA. CA.'s debut collection in the gallery below. A look from the S.R. Studio. LA. CA. Collection 1. Photo: Courtesy of S.R. Studio. LA. CA. View the 45 images of this gallery on the original article Sign up for our daily newsletter and get the latest industry news in your inbox every day. Hugh Jackman and a glittering coterie of stars held court in Houston at Montblancs unveiling of the new StarWalker writing instrument collection earlier this week. The space-themed party drew an international crowd of Montblanc aficionados, retailers and fans from U.K., Germany and Spain. Surrounded by space suits and aircrafts at the Lone Star Flight Museum, Montblanc rolled out the cerulean carpet for a bevy of stars: Jackman in Tom Ford, Diane Kruger in a pink feathered Valentino frock, model Winnie Harlow and Riverdale actor Charles Melton. Montblancs reimagining of the StarWalker, which was first introduced in 2003, draws inspiration from the connection between earth and space. Related stories Houston Rockets' PJ Tucker Preps for Milan, Paris Fashion Weeks Enfants Riches Deprimes Designer on His New Gig: Directing Videos for Future's 'Save Me' Photographer Jeff Bark Mounts Solo Show in Rome, 'Paradise Garage' Montblanc creative director Zaim Kamal was tasked in 2016 to take the writing instrument and explore what the StarWalker would look, feel and work like for the next generation. They asked me to find its expression in today. We looked at the engineering, asked what do we want to keep? How do we find its expression in today? Kamal said. Everybody was talking about leaving the planet and we said no, why do we want to leave earth? This is our heritage, this is our cradle. The pen features a blue translucent dome beneath the Montblanc emblem, which is reminiscent of the Earth emerging above the lunar horizon, while the platinum-coated cap and barrel represents the astronaut. Subtle nods to 50s and 60s rocket design are seen in the body of the StarWalker, while staying true to Montblancs essence. The new interpretation led to the stars and back to Houston, NASAs birthplace and the beginnings of space exploration. It was a natural fit for the party, which started in the museums grand hall and ended in a pop-up planetarium, home to a panel discussion led by Jackman, a Montblanc ambassador, Montblanc chief executive officer Nicolas Baretzki and former astronaut and space station commander Leroy Chiao. Story continues When I was 14, I asked my dad for a Montblanc fountain pen. I failed a test because my handwriting was so illegible apparently, and the teacher was sick of my handwriting, Jackman said. My dad was upset, and I said Dad we can solve this if you buy me a Montblanc pen. My writing will get so much better and he said, No. Post-panel festivities involved Tex-Mex influenced bites, like warm lobster mini tacos by Catering by Culinaire, and a liquid nitro ice cream bar. Harlow and Melton made the most of the outer space backdrop, with the Riverdale star playfully lifting Harlow off the ground, hanging her upside down and flipping her around. Jackman is on a brief break from his The Man. The Music. The Tour. which coincidentally revs up the American leg in Houston on June 18. After ending his U.K. tour in Dublin, Jackman said he is expecting plenty of dancing, singing and partying at the show. The Greatest Showman star spent the evening mixing with the crowd, posing for pictures and trying out the made-to-order nitro ice cream bar. Jackman donned the Montblanc Heritage Monopusher Chronograph for the evening and shared why he is feels connected to the brand. Im a little bit like Montblanc. I love tradition and I love the experience you get over the years, and the honoring of that, Jackman said. It feels like a family and feels like they are taking risks. I love this company more year after year. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. In another of her gone-viral congressional hearing moments, New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took Trump White House officials to task on Wednesday for their behind-the-scenes efforts to politicize the 2020 Censusand, more importantly, for the administration's continued refusal to answer to Congress for its conduct. At issue during Wednesday's event were the Department of Commerce's strenuous efforts to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 edition of the survey. According to internal Census Bureau estimates, asking these questions could decrease response rates by five percent, making those who do not participateleery of revealing such sensitive information to the governmentinvisible in the eyes of the state. A large-scale Census undercount of immigrants could significantly affect congressional apportionment, diverting federal resources and power away from more diverse Democratic-leaning areas and toward whiter, more Republican areas for the next decade. The likelihood of this outcome, of course, is exactly why the White House wants to ask about citizenship in 2020and why its members are so reluctant to discuss the issue in public. On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress after they refused to comply with subpoenas for related documents. And although neither man attended the hearing, Ocasio-Cortez tried filling in some of the blanks in their absence. "I want to know why we have skipped every normal mandated procedure in testing how this question gets added in the Census," she said, noting Ross's push to condense the typical five-year survey-modification process to two. "I want to know why this question was magically added after we have seen that a political operative knew and detailed an intent to intimidate racial and immigrant communities for a partisan purpose," she added, referring to the late GOP strategist Thomas Hofeller, whose analyses explicitly concluded that drawing districts using the population of only U.S. citizens "would be advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites." Before his death, Hofeller helped the Department of Justice draft a formal request for a citizenship question to the Department of Commerce. In that letter, DOJ officials claimed they need the data to, of all things, better enforce the Voting Rights Act. Story continues Ocasio-Cortez pressed on. "I want to know why people like Kris Kobach, with a documented historya resume of voter-suppression techniques in the state of KansasI want to know why folks like that have their fingerprints all over the most sensitive Census operations that we have as a United States government," she said. Court filings show that Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state who briefly headed Trump's ill-fated "voter fraud" commission, pressed the issue with Ross and even discussed with him the potential effect on apportionment of adding "one simple question" to the 2020 form. Kobach did so, according to his e-mails, "at the direction of" former White House senior adviser Steve Bannon. Curiously, he did not mention the Voting Rights Act in the relevant correspondence. "I want to know about corruption. I want to know about the racism, and the very disturbing history that we're seeing here," Ocasio-Cortez concluded. "That's what I want to know." The congresswoman emphasized that she does not want to issue subpoenas in this matter, to Barr or Ross or anyone else. "Nobody" in Congress wants to be in this position, she urged; as a co-equal branch of government, the legislature is entitled to the courtesy of a voluntary response. But when it doesn't get one, she concluded: "We have to do our job. We have no other choice." There is value in holding this sort of public quasi-trial-in-absentiaof laying bare the dishonesty and cynicism of executive-branch officials and calling out the xenophobia that motivates their seemingly benign efforts to assemble a Census form. For one, neither Barr nor Ross can tell even more lies about what they did; for another, neither Barr nor Ross can argue, bloviate, stall, or just needle their interrogators until time runs out. There is more value, however, in getting executive-branch officials to answer lawmakers' questions, which is something empty hearing-room chairs cannot do. The congressional subpoena only functions as a meaningful check on the executive branch when the executive branch cares about cooperating, or at least fears paying a price for its obstinance. The Trump administration has now fought back against subpoenas and other formal requests issued to the president's former communications director, former White House counsel, former deputy White House counsel, Commerce secretary, Treasury secretary, and attorney general. It is fair to say that this is not an executive branch operating under normal presumptions about appropriate conduct. Unless House Democrats are willing to escalate their struggle to hold the administration accountable, whether for Russia or obstruction or the Census or anything else, there will be no consequences for any of it. Originally Appeared on GQ (Adds analyst, company comment, share price) By Deena Beasley and Tamara Mathias June 14 (Reuters) - Bluebird bio Inc on Friday set a price for its gene therapy, Zynteglo, at 1.58 million euros ($1.78 million) over five years, after winning conditional approval in Europe this month to treat a rare genetic blood disorder. The company proposed an installment plan, with 315,000 euros paid up front and four additional annual payments due only if the treatment continues to be effective. Zynteglo was approved in Europe for patients age 12 and older with beta thalassemia who require regular blood transfusions and have no matching donor for a stem cell transplant. The inherited disorder limits the blood's ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. Bluebird, which is also testing Zynteglo for sickle cell disease, said it expects the therapy to be approved for beta thalassemia in the United States in 2020. Wall Street analysts forecast Zynteglo beta thalassemia sales of about $828 million by 2024, according to data from Refinitiv. The company said it does not expect to begin treating patients in Europe until next year as it works out reimbursement terms with individual countries and authorizes treatment centers. William Blair analyst Raju Prasad said there had been expectations on Wall Street of Zynteglo sales this year, which could be hurting the share price. Bluebird shares were down more than 5% at $117.17. Pharmaceutical companies have been investing heavily in potentially life-changing gene therapies over the past few years, but they come with hefty price tags. As a result, some are experimenting with so-called value-based pricing, which can involve refunds if a therapy fails to deliver on its promise. Bluebird said it believes the "intrinsic value" of its one-time infusion is about $2.1 million per patient, and the price reflects the ability to avoid costly blood transfusions, improve quality of life and potentially cure patients. Story continues Bluebird said it aims to price Zynteglo in developed nations, including the United States, within a "reasonably close" range. The company said patient access talks are underway with health authorities in Germany, Italy, France, and Britain. "The one-time potentially curative nature of what we have on our hands here sort of warrants this type of a (pricing) model in a more aggressive way," bluebird Chief Executive Officer Nick Leschly told Reuters in a phone interview. Gene therapies are single treatments designed to deliver healthy genetic material into a person's cells to correct genetic defects that cause serious diseases. Whether these high priced new therapies can succeed in Europe, where countries have stringent price controls, remains to be seen. The first two gene therapies were approved in Europe - UniQure NV's Glybera in 2012 for a very rare blood disorder and GlaxoSmithKline's Strimvelis in 2016 for "bubble boy" disease - but sales were small. Glybera is no longer available and GSK sold Strimvelis to Orchard Therapeutics. "We continue to believe that Zynteglo uptake will be challenging," Piper Jaffray analyst Tyler Van Buren said in a research note, citing the small number of patients treated in clinical trials and the fact that most patients are adequately maintained on transfusions. But drugmakers are forging ahead with promising new gene therapies that will continue to test pricing limits. In May, Swiss drugmaker Novartis won U.S. approval for its gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy and priced it at $2.125 million, making it the world's most expensive drug. Novartis defended the price by saying that a one-time treatment was more valuable than expensive long-term treatments. Spark Therapeutics Inc, which is being acquired by Roche Holding AG, won U.S. approval for its gene therapy to treat a rare form of blindness in 2017, pricing it at $850,000. (Reporting by Deena Beasley, Tamara Mathias and Aakash Jagadeesh Babu; editing by Bill Berkrot) (Adds U.S. acting defense secretary Shanahan's comments, Iran denials, background) WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is focused on building international consensus following attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East that the United States has blamed https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-attacks/trump-blames-iran-for-tanker-attacks-fears-of-confrontation-rise-idUSKCN1TF0CA on Iran, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Friday. Shanahan told Pentagon reporters that he, White House national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared that goal. Iran has rejected U.S. accusations that it was responsible for Thursday's explosions on a Japanese tanker and a Norwegian tanker at the entrance to the Gulf. Shanahan, asked later whether he was considering sending more troops or military capabilities to the Middle East, Shanahan said: "As you know we're always planning various contingencies." But he then returned to the issue of building consensus. "When you look at the situation, a Norwegian ship, a Japanese ship, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, 15 percent of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz," he said. "So we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate. We also need to broaden our (international) support for this international situation." Shanahan said the Pentagon's role would include sharing intelligence, as the U.S. military's Central Command did on Thursday by publicly releasing a video it said showed Iran's military removing an unexploded https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-tanker-usa-release/u-s-releases-video-it-says-shows-irans-military-recovering-mine-idUSKCN1TF071 mine from one of the tankers. Iran said the video proved nothing and that Tehran was being made into a scapegoat. "The more information that we can declassify, the more information we can share, we will. And that's our intent," Shanahan said. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Grant McCool) A sense of the unknown often looms over retirement. But plenty of people have already shifted into this new stage of life and are willing to share the wisdom that helped them navigate this major life transition. Here, baby boomers share the retirement sayings and sentiments that help them to make the most of their retirement years. Consider the Interests of Others Nancy D. Butler, a former entrepreneur living in Waterford, Connecticut, took a well-known phrase and fine-tuned it. "I believe the old saying, 'Do unto others as you want others to do unto you,' is wrong," Butler says. "Instead, I believe it should be, 'Do unto others as they want to be done to.'" Butler follows this retirement sentiment when interacting with family members. Her daughter and granddaughter love to travel, and Butler has trekked with them in the United States and internationally. Her grandson prefers closer-to-home activities like going out for dinner or watching TV, which Butler happily does with him. "They have all been amazing experiences together because I am doing what they love doing," Butler says. "Knowing and doing what is meaningful to them makes a more meaningful experience for me as well." [Read: 6 Things You Learn After Retirement.] Find Ways to Help Throughout her life, the following words from a Mahalia Jackson song have been special for Carol B. Amos, 62, of Hockessin, Delaware: "If I can help somebody, as I travel along; If I can help somebody, with a word or song; If I can help somebody, from doing wrong; My living shall not be in vain." Before retiring, Amos was employed at the DuPont company for 35 years. "As a retiree, these lyrics have more meaning because I now have more control over my life and because I have less days ahead of me than behind me," Amos says. The realization has led her to look for ways to assist others, even when it means branching out into new areas. Story continues Her mother passed away in 2014 from Alzheimer's disease. When Amos retired in 2016, she had a manuscript ready, which was based on her experience with her mother's illness. "My mother was a private person, so I debated if I should publish her story," Amos says. "But reflecting on my mother and her life, I believed she would want me to help other caregivers." Amos published the manuscript, titled "H.O.P.E. for the Alzheimer's Journey." She received certification as a CARES Dementia Specialist and is a volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association. "I have been able to help caregivers in person, on social media and through radio, newspapers and television," Amos says. "I also help others through ministries at my church and by establishing and supporting scholarships at my high school, a university and my church." Know Your Worth After retiring from working as a nonprofit CEO, Janice Holly Booth, 59, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pursued an interest in writing. Her motto during this phase has been "Honor your value." The philosophy helped her move into the journalist position she wanted. "One thing I struggled with post-retirement as a freelance writer was the tendency of editors and businesses to want to get quality work for little pay," Booth says. "The struggle stopped when I realized that I bring an elevated skill set to every job I take, and a broad range of experiences, having done everything from working in criminal court to running a Girl Scout council." Booth began turning down jobs that didn't pay as much as she felt she was worth. After that, "The work I wanted flooded in," Booth says. [See: 10 Retirees Share Their Biggest Regrets.] Follow an Inspiration The phrase "Listen to your calling" has helped Steve Sonntag, 74, a retired high school teacher in Stockton, California, continue to give during retirement. After retiring from a 32-year teaching career in 2002, Sonntag took time to travel and relax. "I enjoyed these things," Sonntag says. "Then, one day, a former student asked me if I would like to have dinner with her and her family. She mentioned that her oldest son wanted to learn Spanish." Sonntag agreed to help and soon began tutoring others. He has also given workshops for families, teachers and the community. He has enjoyed helping others while being appreciated for his expertise. "I would suggest to retirees to rest and to enjoy their time off," Sonntag says. "If their desire to continue giving professionally should surface, they should listen." Recognize a Purpose After an unexpected retirement, Jacqueline Eberle turned to a quote from Jeremiah 29:11 in the Bible: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" In 2018, Eberle faced numerous health problems, including a sciatica diagnosis and two blood clots. Even though she wanted to work, it became impossible to maintain a job with her medical issues, which involved four weeks of physical therapy appointments. "I am now 15 months into retirement," Eberle says. "I believe there is a reason for everything, even retiring sooner than planned." In this new phase, she reflects on how she has been able to help individuals in the past, especially during difficult times. She has offered support to surviving loved ones of hospice patients and decided to pursue this opportunity further. In March 2019, she began working on a blog called "Living Through Grief Over 60." She felt compelled to follow this path and offer others comfort. "God does have a plan for our lives," Eberle says. "He uses each of us for his purpose at any age." [Read: 25 Things to Do When You Retire.] Fill Time With Enjoyable Activities When planning out days, Mike Smith, 68, a former vice president for an office equipment company who retired in 2013 and lives in Windermere, Florida, remembers the saying, "Every day is Saturday." He found the phrase while preparing for retirement. "I checked with many folks who were already there," Smith says. "I always wondered how they stayed busy." The best response he received was, "Do you ever worry about how to spend your next Saturday? Well, now every day is Saturday!" Smith enjoys passing along the phrase to other new retirees. "They get it immediately." Some political parties that spurned the Political Actors Dialogue after it was launched in February this year are now approaching authorities seeking to get involved, President Mnangagwa has said. Speaking at a meeting yesterday to chart the way forward following the successful launch of the dialogue, President Mnangagwa said he referred those political parties that approached him to the convenors. The process is being co-convened by National Peace and Reconciliation Commission chairperson retired Justice Selo Nare and Zimbabwe Gender Commission chairperson Mrs Margaret Sangarwe-Mukahanana. I have received inquiry from some political parties outside the dialogue, who were once here and left, who want to come back, but I have told them to go to the conveners, said President Mnangagwa, without naming the concerned political parties. Out of the 23 political parties that took part in the July 31 harmonised elections last year, 21 joined the political dialogue aimed at finding a concensus on solving problems affecting the country and address various socio-economic and political issues. MDC-Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa refused to join the dialogue, setting conditions which were settled by the electoral process for him to get involved. The electoral process ended with a ruling of the Constitutional Court confirming the results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission which showed that President Mnangagwa had outrightly won. The meeting at State House was the first since the official launch of the dialogue process. President Mnangagwa briefed the political parties on various developments that have taken place since the launch, adding that the parties call for a peaceful resolution to the challenges facing the nation had been well received in the sub-region, the continent and internationally. Our collective call that day for the peaceful resolution of the challenges facing the nation was well received, he said. The call earned us the envy of not just our Sadc sub-region, but that of the continent and the wider progressive international community in seeking internal solutions to internal challenges. President Mnangagwa said the challenges facing the nation needed a collective approach. Let me emphasise that although as Government we have the Transitional Stabilisation Programme as our roadmap for addressing the economic challenges facing our nation, we can still, as a collective, share ideas with the people on how best to resolve the challenges, he said. This call from ordinary citizens is for protection from incessant and often unjustified price hikes, is ringing loud and clear. President Mnangagwa said the recently launched Tripartite Negotiating Forum should be at the centre of bringing Government, business and labour in crafting strategies to enhance macroeconomic stability in the country and preserve the value of salaries. As we roll out dialogue, we also need to brief the general populace on devolution and how it is being implemented, he said. Many of our people may not actually know that the process of devolving power to the provinces and local authorities has in fact started. However, certain legal processes need to be completed first before Provincial Councils can be constituted to fully assume the powers and responsibilities being devolved to them. I must emphasise that the cornerstone of devolution shall be, among others, the enhancement of good, people-centred governance and the implementation of effective economic projects and programmes that create jobs and transform livelihoods, while maintaining the essential tenets of a unitary State. President Mnangagwa said it was important that people benefit from their natural resources and contribute to the fiscus. He also briefed the parties on the dialogue with the European Union. Already, the EU has shown commendable willingness to re-engage, as evidenced by the positive developments in recent weeks, said President Mnangagwa. In that regard, the meeting which has been scheduled for November this year should yield tangible results along the path to full normalisation of relations with that bloc. At the moment, the re-engagement with the EU is at the officials level, but they have requested for it to be escalated to ministerial and political leadership levels. Naturally, it is our hope that other sections of the international community will also come on board and embrace us as an equal partner, as we emerge from decades of isolation and stagnation. Such re-engagement will assist in fulfilling one of our agenda items namely, revival of industries and investment in re-industrialisation for job creation. The preservation of peace and unity is critical to the achievement of these milestones. President Mnangagwa said it was critical that the various investment deals that Government has entered into with various investors be implemented expeditiously. The efficient provision of utilities such as water, electricity, roads, rail and airports should help attract investors and also anchor our efforts to achieve Vision 2030 as an upper middle income, knowledge and technology driven society, he said. President Mnangagwa said the dialogue was one building block to attain that vision. He reiterated Governments commitment to eradicate corruption in all its forms. The pace might appear slow, but the anti-corruption crusade has taken off in earnest, said President Mnangagwa. We are reviewing our institutional framework for dealing with this vice which has reached monstrous levels. It is important to entrench transparency and honesty in conducting State business in order that we curtail the prejudice perennially suffered by Government and ordinary people through underhand deals by fellow citizens, who in some instances, act in cohorts with criminal elements from outside our borders. Boris Johnson becoming Britain's next PM is causing concern in Europe (Photo by Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images) Boris Johnson has been dubbed a mini-Trump Across the Channel by European newspapers horrified he could become the next British Prime Minister. Papers across the continent were united as they said the Tory front-runner would be a disaster for Britain and Europe if elected in the current leadership contest. Frances Le Monde newspaper said Johnson was a stranger to logic and convictions in a career rich in deceits, blunders and failures. It also accused of being a poor foreign secretary, a jingoist and promising an unrealistic glorious global future for the UK. Boris Johnson is congratulated by his father, Stanley, after launching his Conservative Party leadership campaign (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) The paper added that Johnson would be a mini-Trump across the Channel, dedicated to its (the European Unions) sabotage. The Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant dismissed Johnson as someone who believes rather more in himself than in Brexit. It added that for Johnson no scandal seems to stick, be it extramarital affairs, fraudulent statements, offensive utterances or an offer to help an old college friend attack a tabloid journalist. In Germany, the Handelsblatt newspaper said he would be fatal for Britain. Spains El Pais said there was only one person capable of stopping Boris Johnson, and that was Johnson himself. And there was also harsh words for Johnson in Italys In Italy, Corriere della Sera paper - but with a twist - they were spoken by veteran Tory Chris Patten. A mini-Trump? (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) The former Tory Cabinet member said Johnson would be Trumps poodle: a liar who does not pay attention to the detail of reality, tells people what he wants to hear and relies on their ignorance. Sticking the boot in, Patten added that Johnson exemplified the collapse of rationality, of the relationship between the facts and what we believe in present-day politics. What he is offering is impossible. ---Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK--- LONDON (Reuters) - China's ambassador to London warned the British government that if Huawei is blocked from developing 5G networks then it will hurt Chinese trade and investment relationship with the United Kingdom. "It will send a very bad message not only to Huawei but also to Chinese businesses," Ambassador Liu Xiaoming told the BBC. He added blocking Huawei would lead to "bad effects not only on trade but also on investment." Britain's National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May, met to discuss Huawei in April and a decision was made to block Huawei from all core parts of the 5G network but to give it restricted access to non-core parts. A final decision by the British cabinet of senior ministers was due to have happened in recent weeks but May's pledge to step down as prime minister has stalled the process, sources said. She is expected to be out of office by the end of July. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge. Editing by Andrew MacAskill) By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to be Britain's prime minister, promised he would take the United Kingdom out of the European Union by Oct. 31, saying that only by preparing to leave without an agreement could a no-deal Brexit be prevented. Johnson, a former foreign minister and London mayor, is the clear favourite to replace Theresa May. He won the backing of 114 of 313 Conservative lawmakers in a first round of voting on Thursday, almost three times as many as his nearest rival. The contest has been dominated by the question of how and when Britain will leave the EU, Britain's biggest political crisis in a generation. In his first broadcast interview since the campaign started, Johnson gave an unequivocal pledge that Brexit would happen by the latest Brexit deadline of Oct. 31 and Britain had to prepare for a no-deal exit, which he said would not be a disaster. "All those who say that we should delay ... I think they risk doing terminal damage to trust in politics. We have to get on and do this. We've got to be out by Oct. 31," Johnson told BBC radio on Friday. "If we have to get out on what is called no-deal terms, or WTO (World Trade Organization) terms, then it is our absolute responsibility to prepare for it. And it's by preparing for it that we will prevent that outcome." May resigned as Conservative Party leader having failed three times to get her EU divorce deal through parliament. The bloc has said repeatedly it will not renegotiate that agreement, which was aimed at taking Britain out of the bloc on March 29, before the date was pushed back twice to October. Johnson said he did not want a no-deal Brexit but he ruled out a further extension beyond the current Oct. 31 deadline. "It would be absolutely bizarre to signal at this stage that the UK government was willing once again to run-up the white flag and delay yet again," he said. Johnson provided few details but said the so-called Irish backstop, an insurance policy to prevent the return of border controls between Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, could be solved by having goods checked away from the border. Story continues "(The EU) will see that politics has changed in the UK and in Europe," he said. Johnson's interview came after rivals accused him of hiding from scrutiny because of his history of gaffes. WHAT WOULD CHURCHILL SAY? He agreed to take part in a televised debate on Tuesday but not one on Sunday. Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said earlier on Friday that Johnson's Brexit proposals had to be scrutinised. "We can only have that debate if our frontrunner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media, engaging in debates," Hunt told the BBC. "What would Churchill say if somebody who wants to be prime minister of the United Kingdom was hiding away from the media, not taking part in these big occasions?" he added in a jibe at Johnson, who wrote a biography of Britain's World War Two leader. With Johnson so far ahead in the first round of voting, the media have speculated that some rivals might withdraw to allow a more focused challenge to the man who led the official Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum. Health minister Matt Hancock quit the contest on Friday, leaving Johnson with five rivals. A second round of voting among lawmakers takes place on Tuesday as the candidates are whittled down to a final two before 160,000 Conservative grassroots members choose the next leader and prime minister by the end of July. All May's potential successors have said they could find the solution to the Brexit crisis which eluded her. Parliament has indicated it will try to stop a no-deal Brexit which investors warn would hurt financial markets and shock the world economy. "He (Johnson) keeps saying he will deliver Brexit by Oct. 31 but how?" one of his challengers, aid minister Rory Stewart, said. "How is he going to renegotiate with Europe? How's he going to get it through parliament because this can't be just a blind act of faith?" (Additional reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by William Schomberg and Alison Williams) By Tom Miles GENEVA, June 14 (Reuters) - Trade in instruments for torture and execution should be illegal and could one day be banned under an initiative spearheaded by the European Union, Argentina and Mongolia, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told Reuters on Friday. "Today, you can buy all kinds of things on the Internet. You can buy spiked batons, you can even buy a gas chamber," Malmstrom said. "You can buy electro-belts, special batons, equipment or products that are only used to harm people. Their only one purpose is to torture." Malmstrom said almost 65 countries were backing the initiative and hoped to win a vote at the United Nations later this month to mandate U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to set up an expert study into developing a binding resolution. Both Guterres and U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet back the project, which Malmstrom compared to previous campaigns to ban trade in endangered species and restrict weapons trading. "It will not eradicate torture, but it will make it harder to get the products," she said. The products available were becoming more advanced, such as electro-shock belts that leave no trace, thereby making it harder to bring their users to justice. Malmstrom declined to say which countries still allowed the trade, and although the United States and China had not yet signed up to the initiative, she was hopeful they would at least support the planned U.N. study. The EU has bans on the death penalty and on trade in torture equipment, but Malmstrom said last year batons subject to a ban were being sold at a security fair in Paris, because the EU had not expressly forbidden marketing of such goods. The EU has already toughened up its laws to make U.S. executions harder to peform, having banned the export of sodium thiopental, an anaesthetic used in lethal injections, in 2011. (Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Toby Chopra) DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is committed to providing reliable oil supplies to global markets and has stepped up readiness to deal with any threats following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf on Thursday, the energy minister said. Khalid al-Falih condemned the strikes against the tankers -- one of which carried methanol from Saudi Arabia -- in the Gulf of Oman, which followed an attack last month on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the United Arab Emirates. "Saudi Arabia will take the measures it deems necessary to protect its ports and territorial waters, calling upon the international community to work with the Kingdom and take responsibility to protect the safety of global maritime navigation," Falih said in a statement. He said the energy ministry of the world's top oil exporter and state oil giant Aramco had raised the level of readiness to deal with "such aggressive terrorist acts" and reaffirmed the kingdom's commitment to the reliable supply of oil to international markets, the state news agency SPA said. American and Saudi officials have blamed Iran for the May 12 sabotage of tankers off the UAE's Fujairah bunkering hub that lies outside the Strait of Hormuz, a charge Tehran denies. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States has assessed, based on intelligence, type of weapons used and level of expertise needed, that Iran is responsible for Thursday's attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. (Reporting by Tuqa Khalid and Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Elaine Hardcastle) Brussels (AFP) - EU officials said Friday that "Russian sources" stepped up a long-running disinformation campaign against the European Union in a bid to undermine the bloc's elections last month. The sources used fake social media accounts, bots and news sites to amplify existing divisive content by targeting particular groups of voters and countries, Security Commissioner Julian King said. "The number of disinformation cases attributed to Russian sources ... doubled as compared to the same period a year ago," King said, highlighting a report by European Commission investigators. "So almost 1,000, as compared with over 400." The report from the 28-nation EU's executive arm follows pre-election warnings from Brussels to EU countries and social media giants like Facebook and Twitter to guard against "fake news" from Moscow. "Available evidence has not allowed us to identify a distinct cross-border disinformation campaign from external sources specifically targeting the European elections," the report said. "However, the evidence collected revealed a continued and sustained disinformation activity by Russian sources aiming to suppress turnout and influence voter preferences," the report said. When asked whether the report contradicted itself, King replied that disinformation aimed at dividing Europeans was "increasingly locally focused" rather than large scale. He added that EU steps to counter disinformation may have also had "some sort of deterrent effect." Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told the same news conference that there was "no big bang moment" -- like Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal -- to draw attention to organised manipulation. Then, after revelations from a whistleblower, it was shown that tens of millions of users had their personal data hijacked by Cambridge Analytica, a political firm working for Donald Trump in 2016. Story continues But King cited examples of what he said were false reports spread by Russian sources, such as the claims that the EU had made Poland poorer than when it had been a communist country. - 'Scope and impact' - The British commissioner also said Russian sources, without identifying them, suggested French President Emmanuel Macron wants to expel some countries from the EU. He also said a fake Twitter account allegedly linked to Russia has spread false information that the EU has Nazi roots. The Commission report said that "political actors" in member states often adopted tactics and story lines used by Russian sources to damage the EU. For example, "malicious actors" used the fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in the French capital two months ago to showcase what they see as an alleged decline in Western Christian values. The alleged trolls also blamed Austria's political crisis and government collapse on the so-called "European deep state," as well as "German and Spanish security services" and others, the report said. The commission said it will take time to determine the "scope and impact" of disinformation campaigns because of their complex and sophisticated nature. Official figures showed that turnout for the May 23 to 26 elections was at nearly 51 percent, a 20-year high, amid growing debate about the future of the EU. And, even though populists and eurosceptics made significant inroads, they did not achieve the breakthrough feared by the political establishment. Mainstream parties still control the lion's share of the 751-seat European Parliament. The Commission welcomed a voluntary campaign begun last year by US tech giants Google, Twitter and Facebook to stop the spread of falsehoods and hatred on their platforms. The tech giants took down millions of fake accounts and did more to screen political ads, Jourova said. But King and Jourova, a politician from the Czech Republic, said they must provide more detailed information to help identify malicious actors and the countries targeted. They said the new commission that will be formed in the wake of the elections could still pass laws affecting the tech giants if the voluntary approach is insufficient. By John Irish and Bate Felix PARIS (Reuters) - Over the past year, France has led a European push to keep trade with Iran alive after the United States tore up the nuclear deal with Tehran and re-imposed sanctions. But over the same period, data shows France has cut purchases of Iranian oil and sharply increased imports from Iran's arch-enemy Saudi Arabia. In recent weeks, France has used its energy needs to justify a surge in arms sales to the kingdom, even if there is no evidence the 50 percent increase in Saudi purchases of French arms last year was conditional on France buying Saudi oil. The surge in France's buying of Saudi oil shows Paris is doing less business with Iran even as it publicly encourages European partners to find a way to keep trade with Tehran flowing via the Franco-German-British Instex trade system. It also underscores how difficult it is for a global power and permanent U.N. Security Council member like France to stand up against the United States and its closest Arab-world ally when they are determined to put the squeeze on Iran. Last month, Defence Minister Florence Parly said trade ties with allies like Saudi Arabia were essential to safeguarding France's security and energy interests. "(Weapons) exports make it possible to forge close ties with states that are strategic for the security of France," she told parliament, one of the first times a senior official has linked arms sales to France's broader economic relations with Saudi Arabia. "It puts us at the heart of the Middle East, a key region for our security interests and our energy supplies." Asked about the link between oil purchases and arms sales, a French diplomatic source was straightforward: "We want to save the nuclear deal because it helps peace in the region, but we have always had a historical relationship with Saudi Arabia so why would we jeopardize this?" The sharp drop-off in Iran's ability to sell its oil internationally has hit the economy hard, delivering exactly the impact the Instex system is designed to prevent in the long-term. Story continues French finance ministry data shows France bought 2.2 billion euros ($2.49 billion) of Iranian light crude between April 2017 and March 2018, making it France's third largest supplier. But over the following 12-months, that figure fell 57% to 936 million euros, with imports from Iran stopping altogether from September 2018 onwards, as sanctions bit. In contrast, French purchases of Saudi oil jumped 50% to 3.7 billion euros between March 2018 and April 2019. Industry sources say Saudi and Iranian crude oil have very similar properties that make them good substitutes. Over the same period, Paris also substantially increased its purchases of Russian and Iraqi crude, which are also similar. All countries had to reduce oil imports from Iran as sanctions mounted, although China and India continued to buy after initial U.S. waivers, although they have now also cut purchases. CLOSER SAUDI TIES France has nurtured close ties with Saudi Arabia. But the nuclear deal in 2015 between Iran and six world powers - the United States, France, Britain, China, Germany and Russia - eased sanctions in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear program, providing an economic lifeline for Riyadh's rival. France, with business ties in Iran, moved quickly to capitalize, and some of its biggest corporations followed. Total was the first international oil company to return to Iran, while other French firms such as carmakers PSA and Renault also moved back. Between 2016 and early 2018, French purchases of Iranian crude oil soared to more than 2 billion euros a year. However, U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in the White House as Iran's economy was reaping the benefits of the deal, called it "the worst ever negotiated". He pulled the United States out, re-imposed tough sanctions, including on Iran's oil sector, and threatened punishment for allies like France who kept doing business with Tehran. The U.S. decision was always likely to tighten French ties with Saudi Arabia, said Jalel Harchaoui, fellow at Clingendael Institute in The Hague. "The U.S. unilaterally walking away from the JCPOA (nuclear deal) forced France to reduce its economic transactions with Iran. That development is seen as yet another reason to tighten the closeness between Paris and the Gulf capitals," he said. Saudi Arabia backs the United States' tough line on Iran and has sought to broaden the anti-Iran front. France shares concerns over Iran's ballistic missile program and meddling in the Middle East, but says engagement is preferable to isolation. FROM WEAPONS TO ENERGY SECURITY The shift to buying more Saudi oil comes at a sensitive time for France and its relations with the kingdom. In particular, President Emmanuel Macron is under fire from political rivals and human rights organizations over French weapons sales to Saudi and the United Arab Emirates. Both states have used the weapons in the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has urged Riyadh to end the "dirty war" in Yemen, but also accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons they have used against Saudi territory. He and Macron have defended arms sales to Saudi and the UAE as necessary in the global fight against terrorism. Saudi Arabia has been France's top arms buyer over the last five years, with sales jumping 50 percent to about 1 billion euros in 2018. Rather than avoiding the issue, Macron's government has sought to draw a link between energy and security in answering criticism over the weapons sales. "Maintaining economic relations with these countries means keeping a presence in key regions for our security interests and our energy supplies," Parly said. (Additional reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Richard Lough and Giles Elgood) Photo credit: Getty Images From Men's Health Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart made an impassioned plea for the reauthorization of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund in Washington, D.C. this week. Testifying before a congressional panel on the behalf of 9/11 first responders, Stewart appealed for a bill to be passed that would reinstate benefits and health care for the next 70 years. During an emotional opening statement, the comedian made several scathing criticisms of the institution's lack of respect for first responders, remarking that barely half of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties were present for the hearing. "As I sit here today, I cant help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting health care and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to," he said. "Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders, and in front of me, a nearly empty Congress. Sick and dying, they brought themselves down here to speak to no one." "You should be ashamed of yourselves for those that arent here, but you wont be," he continued. "Because accountability doesnt appear to be something that occurs in this chamber." Stewart went on to call the conduct of the subcommittee "an embarrassment to the country" and "a stain on this institution." His comments earned him applause from the first responders who were present for the hearing. Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson tried to explain that lawmakers moving "in and out" of a hearing was quite normal. Administrators at the Victim Compensation Fund, originally intended to run until 2020, have reported that a recent spike in claims have left them short of funding. The new proposed bill would move to extend funding until 2090. "They did their jobs with courage, grace, tenacity," said Stewart, a long-time supporter and advocate of 9/11 first responders. "Eighteen years later, do yours." ('You Might Also Like',) He was very gentle and full of humour. He would make us feel free at work. He was also a father figure to many of us. Galen House has mainly a female environment but he would neutralise the environment. He was a mentor to many and we are saddened by his sudden departure. He also had a holistic approach to his medical practice. He would sometimes tell clients when the medication was not working that they should try the traditional ways in full realisation that as blacks there were issues that needed the traditional ways of treatment, said Mrs Dube. Irans supreme leader said Thursday that the U.S. would be powerless to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and said no further negotiations with American leaders are forthcoming. America could not do anything to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, although the state terror sponsor is not currently seeking them, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly told Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was visiting Tehran in an effort to ease tensions between Iran and the U.S. Tehran will in no way repeat negotiations with the U.S., Khamenei reportedly also told Abe. We have no doubt about your good will and seriousness, but . . . I dont regard Trump as deserving any exchange of messages and have no response for him and will give no response. Meanwhile, two oil tankers laden with Japan-related cargo, according to Japans Trade Ministry were apparently attacked in the Gulf of Oman Thursday, suffering a series of explosions that injured crew members. The U.S. Navy responded to the disaster offering assistance. Suspicious doesnt begin to describe what likely transpired this morning, Irans foreign minister wrote on Twitter regarding the explosions. In May of last year, President Trump pulled out of the Obama administrations nuclear deal with Iran, which had given Tehran billions of dollars in relief from sanctions in exchange for a promise to curb its nuclear program. Since then, tensions have flared between the U.S. and Iran, escalating to a particularly high level in April, when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an end to the exemptions from U.S. sanctions on purchases of Iranian oil and gas that eight countries had been granted. Last month, the Trump administration deployed four bombers as well as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier-strike group to the Persian Gulf amid fears that Iran was transporting short-range ballistic missiles in the region. More from National Review Ashburton (New Zealand) (AFP) - When livestock rustlers came for sheepbreeder Daniel Wheeler's prize ewes in the dead of night, they didn't take the animals alive -- they slaughtered them on his New Zealand farm and took the meat to sell on, leaving just blood and guts behind. Rustling may sound like a relic from the days of the Wild West, but it has become so prevalent that authorities recently introduced tough new penalties of up to 10 years in jail. Rustlers can range from individuals supplementing their pantry with one or two animals to highly organised gangs that steal entire herds or kill the animals on site and take the meat, according to rural lobby group Federated Farmers of New Zealand. For Wheeler, who has worked for decades in the farming industry, it was a heavy blow. "They were close to lambing and the foetuses had been cut out and were just lying there in the yard. That and the entrails of the five ewes that they killed was all that was left... I was shocked to be honest, shocked and angry," he explained. While that night in September 2017 stands out for him because it was so gruesome, he said livestock theft is "remarkably common" in rural New Zealand. "I'm a sheep scanner by trade (checking if ewes are pregnant) which takes me onto about 200 farms a year and I hear about it all the time," Wheeler added. Some rustlers had gone hi-tech, using night-vision goggles and thermal imaging to locate animals in the dark, Miles Anderson of the Federated Farmers warned. In some cases, hundreds of animals at a time are trucked away and have their ID tags altered so they can be sold on to unwitting farmers or meat processing plants. If moving large animals such as cattle is considered too much trouble, the rustlers kill and butcher them on the spot, Anderson said. "The farmer will go out in the morning and just find the guts and pelt of the beast lying in the paddock," he said. Story continues "It's very distressing for the farmers and their families, not just because of the cruelty towards the animals but also because they know they've had armed thieves on their land in the middle of the night. It's often in remote areas, it affects people's sense of safety," he added. - 'Gut-wrenching' losses - The farmers' group says about a quarter of its members have reported falling victim to rustling, costing about NZ$120 million ($80 million) annually. Farming is the backbone of New Zealand's economy, accounting for more than NZ$30 billion ($19.7 billion) in exports in 2018. The country of an estimated 4.9 million people has about 27 million sheep and 10 million cattle grazing on its lush but rugged pastures. Top quality cows, bred for their meat, sell for about NZ$1,300 each and sheep for up to NZ$180. The prices paid on the black market are not known but Harry Stanway, a farmer who now works as a stock agent in the South Island's Canterbury region, said it was enough to fuel an increasing rustling problem. "It's pretty gut-wrenching, it's like someone coming to your house and taking everything out of it, They're taking your livelihood, it's not a nice feeling," he added. Before the law changed, police could only charge rustlers with a property crime called "theft of animals" and it was only considered an offence if the animal was killed. The culprits who slaughtered Wheeler's ewes were never caught and he said many farmers did not bother to report cases of rustling after similar experiences. "As far as police are concerned it's not a problem because no one reports it, no one reports it because the police do nothing about it," he said. The changes mean rustling livestock now attracts a prison term of up to seven years, while entering a farm with the intention of stealing livestock or agricultural equipment is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars. "(This) gives police and the courts the tools they need to rope in the rustlers," Justice Minister Andrew Little said. Anderson was optimistic the changes, which took several years of lobbying to achieve, would result in authorities treating rustling more seriously. "It used to be a hanging offence in the old days, not that we're pushing for that," he joked. "But as a farmer said to me recently -- 'if someone stole $70,000 from a jeweller in the city, the police would be onto them pretty quick'," he explained, adding: "That's the type of losses we've been facing and we hope now we can work with them to stop that happening." Chisinau (AFP) - Moldova's Democratic Party on Friday announced it would leave government after days of refusing to cede power to a new coalition backed by the US, EU and Russia, halting a crisis in the eastern European nation. The poor former Soviet state, nestled between Romania and Ukraine, has been in political chaos since February when a general election failed to give a clear majority to any party. Last week parliament approved a government built on an unprecedented coalition of pro-Russian and pro-European forces, freezing out the previously ruling Democratic Party that is led by a powerful oligarch. That government however refused to stand down and Democratic Prime Minister Pavel Filip was briefly instituted as president to dissolve parliament and call snap elections. But on Friday, Filip and party deputy leader Vladimir Cebotari said the government would step down. "We will go into opposition," Cebotari said during a televised briefing. He accused the new coalition government of refusing to engage in dialogue and insisted it would be right to hold early elections. President Igor Dodon annulled the decree to dissolve parliament shortly after he was reinstated as head of state following a brief suspension by the Constitutional Court. The pro-Russian Socialist Party and pro-European ACUM agreed at the weekend to work together in government, despite different views in many areas. Both parties said in a statement to parliament that Moldova was "wallowing in corruption" and "captive" to oligarchs. The US State Department said it "welcomed" the withdrawal of the Democratic Party. "We are encouraged that both the new coalition and the former government have committed to a peaceful transfer of power reflecting the will of the people of Moldova. We call for restraint during this time of transition," it said. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova was part of Romania before it became a Soviet republic and later independent. It contains a Russian-backed breakaway region called Transnistria. By Philip Blenkinsop WESTVLETEREN, Belgium, June 14 (Reuters) - Belgian Trappist monks who brew one of the world's most coveted beers are turning to online sales to ensure their limited supply goes directly to beer lovers rather than to profiteers. The Saint-Sixtus abbey, home to 19 monks, has been brewing since 1839 and selling to the public since 1878, but with limited production and controlled sales to ensure brewing never takes over monastic life or earns more than needed. After World War Two they opted to sell at the abbey gates only, instead of through local cafes. With the rise of craft beer and websites hailing their Westvleteren XII as one of the best beers in the world, the monks started a telephone reservation system in 2005. Customers were allowed to order two crates for collection at the abbey but were limited to no more than one purchase in 60 days. Buyers found ways to circumvent the rules, however, using different phone numbers in order to buy more than allowed, and in some cases selling it on at inflated prices. "Instead of car jams we got jammed telephones as well as the spread of the grey market, people selling on our beer sometimes at vast profit margins," said abbot Manu Van Hecke. Including a deposit, a crate of 24 beers costs 2.50 euros ($2.82) per bottle. The monks ask buyers not to sell to third parties, but in Brussels, Westvleteren XII can cost at least 12 euros. The monks say they heard of a single bottle on sale for $300 in Dubai. Brother Godfried said the final straw came last year when a Dutch supermarket stockpiled 7,200 bottles of the abbey's beer and sold them, in a campaign showing monks, at 9.95 euros each. "It really opened our eyes. It was a sort of wake-up call that the problem was so serious, that a company was able to buy such volumes. It really disturbed us," said Godfried, one of the few monks who also drinks the beer. The abbey is now turning to an online reservation system, designed to better enforce the limit of two crates per 60 days. Buyers will have to register and priority will be given to those who have waited longest since their last purchase. Story continues For the first time they will also be able to pick and mix from the abbey's three Westvleteren beers - a 5.8% blond, an 8% ale, and its most famous 10.2% dark ale. The monks recognise the system, which will launch at the end of this month, will not eliminate profiteers, but at least make it harder to buy in bulk. They also hope the new system will make it easier for foreign beer lovers to order, although they will still have to come to the abbey to collect their beer. ($1 = 0.8875 euros) (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Jason Neely) Hong Kong's embattled leader faced mounting pressure on Friday to abandon a deeply unpopular plan to allow extraditions to China, with protest organisers getting police go-ahead to hold a new rally at the weekend. The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday as tens of thousands of protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. The city's pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam has so far refused to meet protester demands to withdraw or scrap the bill -- although rumours were swirling Friday that a postponement of the bill was imminent amid a growing chorus of discontent. Throughout the day Lam found herself facing calls from within her own political camp to reverse course and tamp down spiralling public anger -- including from hardline pro-Beijing lawmakers. "Shouldn't (we) cool the citizens down? I think to postpone it for a little bit is not a bad thing. At this moment, the government should self-examine," Ann Chiang, a hardcore pro-Beijing lawmaker, told i-Cable News. Friday's comments marked the first indication that supporters of the extradition law are now having second thoughts, following a growing public backlash. "The momentum against the bill is growing," said Hong Kong-based political analyst Willy Lam. "The opposition to the bill now includes powerful members of the business community, former senior civil servants and the foreign business community -- so I think Xi Jinping is under heavy pressure to postpone the bill, and the scapegoat will be Carrie Lam." Prominent pro-Beijing lawmaker Michael Tien also openly called on Lam to postpone the bill. "She would gain points instead of losing points," he told reporters. "Nothing is ever too late. New situations arise that would provide the basis for any leader to change their position. There's nothing wrong with that." Story continues Tien's comments came as Lam's own advisor said pushing ahead with fast-tracking the bill through the city's legislature had now become "impossible". "Personally I can see that it is impossible to discuss (the bill) when there is so much conflict on all sides. It is very difficult," Bernard Chan told RTHK radio. Chan sits on the Executive Council -- the equivalent of a cabinet -- and was appointed by Lam two years ago to be a top advisor. - Backlash - Opposition to the extradition bill has united an unusually wide cross section of Hong Kong against the proposal and sparked huge rallies. On Sunday, protest organisers said more than one million people came out for the largest demonstration the business hub has seen in decades. Protest leaders met with police Friday to discuss their plans for another mass rally on Sunday, which was approved after several hours of discussion. The prospect of another protest raises the chance of fresh confrontations with the government following unprecedented political unrest. Leading democratic figures said only the complete withdrawal of the bill would stop future protests and calm public anger. "We can't trust the pro-establishment lawmakers," said pro-democracy legislator Alvin Yeung. "We could only accept the government's withdrawal plan." Lam's determination to press ahead with a debate on the proposed law in parliament on Wednesday sparked another huge protest that descended into violence and brought the city's commercial district to a standstill. Young Hong Kongers, angered by years of sliding democratic freedoms in the city, have been at the forefront of the protests. But the extradition plan has also received a barrage of criticism from legal bodies, business groups, religious figures and Western nations who fear the proposal would tangle both locals and foreigners up in China's politicised and opaque courts. China's ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming, has rejected claims that Beijing was behind the extradition bill, telling the BBC that the "Beijing central government gave no instruction, no order.... This amendment was initiated by the Hong Kong government." "Beijing is saying that it was never Beijing's intention to push the bill, it was Carrie Lam's intention -- so Carrie Lam has to bear the responsibility," added analyst Lam. By Emma Rumney and Naledi Mashishi JOHANNESBURG, June 14 (Reuters) - A severe shortage of computer skills in South Africa has left its major banks fighting over a limited pool of people with the skills they need to upgrade technology platforms and keep pace with changing customer demands and competition from new rivals. The country's four biggest lenders - Absa, Standard Bank, Nedbank and FirstRand - told Reuters it was hard to access the skills they need to rapidly digitise - a response to growing demand for online and mobile banking and the arrival of a host of digital-only banks trying to steal their customers with slick apps and cut-price fees. All four said they had taken a number of measures to address the shortage, including changing their hiring strategies, implementing for example 'speed dating' style events where large numbers of candidates undergo short interviews in one go, and developing training programmes. But in some cases lenders said it still took months to hire and they were paying ever-rising salaries to win talent. The problem is particularly acute for positions that did not exist just a few years ago, such as cloud engineers, said Standard Bank Group Chief Information Officer Alpheus Mangale. In September last year, he said the bank wanted to hire 12 such engineers to make sure its cloud systems were up and running and look after their day-to-day upkeep. "We are probably at about 40 percent of that, because the skills just don't exist ... in the market," he said. Banks can expect to pay a 20-30% premium when they do find such skills, he added. Specialist recruitment agency Acuity Consultants said salaries for software developers had also leapt by up to 30% over the past year. Thando Lukhele, a divisional executive in Nedbank's group technology division, also said it could take months to fill roles and the bank paid extra for new hirings. Absa and FirstRand's retail unit cited similar problems. Story continues The banks' issues highlight how the skills shortage is complicating some of South Africa's largest companies' ability to compete, making adapting to technological and market changes more time-consuming and costly. Such skills are in short supply globally, and McKinsey has estimated demand for technological skills will rise by 55% by 2030 based on analysis focusing on the United States and Western Europe. But Yossi Hasson, a co-founder at non-profit technology school WeThinkCode_, said the issue was magnified in South Africa by problems in public education, limited access to the internet and computers and the fact that those with skills are often taken overseas by global companies. The banks, many of which sponsor WeThinkCode_ alongside companies ranging from news organisations to Nandos, have tried a range of other steps to attract or develop talent. Standard Bank's Mangale said it had created training programmes with Amazon and Microsoft, as well as internal programmes and partnerships with universities or technical schools and initiatives to retrain existing staff. The bank, he said, had decided it should not rely on other institutions to create skills whose presence was increasingly becoming make or break for companies of all sectors: "The use of technology, and how you leverage all the emerging tech ... is really at the heart of how organisations will win or lose in the market." (Editing by Mark Potter) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economic burden of a trade war between the world's two largest economies will shift to China, rather than the United States, President Donald Trump's top economic advisor said on Thursday. "The overall economic burden will hurt China more than it hurts us," said Larry Kudlow, director of the White House's National Economic Council. The White House intends for President Donald Trump to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Japan later this month, though the meeting is not "formalized" yet, Kudlow said. The United States kicked off a tariff battle with China in 2018, seeking sweeping structural changes from Beijing. But tensions between Washington and Beijing rose sharply in May after the Trump administration accused China of reneging on promises to make structural economic changes during months of trade talks. Trump has said he would decide after G20, the meeting of the leaders of the world's largest economies, whether to carry out a threat to impose tariffs on an additional $300 billion in Chinese goods. (Reporting by Alex Alper and Chris Prentice; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and James Dalgleish) WASHINGTON With Sarah Sanders on her way out of the White House, President Trump is looking for a new press secretary and, as usual, he has his eye on cable news. Multiple sources in the presidents orbit told Yahoo News that Trumps vision for Sanderss replacement doesnt involve returning to traditional White House press briefings. Instead, the sources said the president is looking for an aggressive defender to make regular television appearances. He also seems settled on having a woman fill the role: The list of top contenders to take the position is filled with five women who have on-air experience. This is about how you can take control of the news cycle and represent the president. ... What Trump ultimately wants as the press secretary is someone whos going to be a loyalist and an attack dog to go out there and defend him, one source close to the president said. Multiple sources named five women who are in the running for the press secretary. Stephanie Grisham, who has served as the primary spokeswoman for first lady Melania Trump, topped the list. Grisham did not respond to requests for comment. President Trump with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders after it was announced she will leave her position at the end of the month, June 13, 2019. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) The sources were divided on whether Grisham would be open to moving from Melania Trumps office to the West Wing; however, there was a consensus that the job was hers for the taking. A source close to the president said Grisham is the best fit for the position. Shes defended Melania and shown that shes definitely up for the street fighter aspect of this, the source said of Grisham, who has aggressively responded to various rumors and stories about the first lady. A former Trump campaign adviser agreed with that assessment. Shes got the inside support. FLOTUS loves her, the ex-adviser said of Grisham. She understands how to work with Trump and the media. Shes protected them. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on this story. Stephanie Grisham, communications director for Melania Trump. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Sanders, who is set to leave her post at the end of this month, transformed the role of the press secretary since coming onboard in mid-2017. Traditionally the position involved being the public face of the White House via a daily press briefing. However, under Sanders, the briefings went from multiple times a week to being virtually eliminated. Sanders stepped behind the podium in the White House briefing room only two times so far this year. Story continues Her last briefing was 95 days ago. In the absence of briefings, Sanders role has largely involved making appearances on television news programs to defend the president. All of the sources who discussed her replacement with Yahoo News indicated Trump wants a similar approach for her successor. They havent had a briefing in 90-something days. It might be another 90 days. ... This isnt about a job at the podium, the source close to the president said. Trump is a devoted cable news watcher who focuses on how hes portrayed on television. So his ideal press secretary, a former campaign staffer said, would be a figurehead who appears on TV all the time. Thats the thing with Trumpworld. The only thing that matters if youre a high-level person on the press or communications side is whether youre good on TV, the ex-staffer said. At the end of the day, he only takes you seriously if youre on TV. Trumps focus on television also has made him eager to have a woman fill the press secretary role. Its pretty clear the president wants a woman to do it, the source close to Trump said. He likes that imagery. Hes kind of settled in what hes looking for. The source suggested that the desire for a woman as press secretary meant that Tony Sayegh, a senior Treasury spokesperson who has been spoken of as a potential successor to Sanders, was unlikely to get the gig. Sayegh, who left his post on Thursday, has been the top spokesperson for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Multiple sources said another man, Sanderss current deputy Hogan Gidley, was also not in the running for the role due to opposition from other members of the administration. Almost universally nobody wants Hogan to do it, the source close to the president said. Thats the common refrain, anybody but him. Gidley did not respond to a request for comment. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, left, and the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the Treasury Tony Sayegh. (Photo: Eitan Abramovich/AFP/Getty Images) Along with Grisham, the other women who are said to be in the running for the press secretary job are Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich, and former State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. None of them responded to requests for comment. All of them have extensive television experience. Like Pavlich, both Ortagus and Nauert have worked at Fox News. Multiple sources said that Kupec was recently offered a position as a leading spokesperson on President Trumps reelection campaign that would have been an ideal stepping stone to the press secretary role. However, Kupec turned down that position. The source close to the president cited this as a reason they were dubious Kupec would be interested in leaving her position at the Justice Department. They argued Kupec likes the autonomy that comes with being outside of the White House. She gets the experience but isnt necessarily labeled as a Trump person, the source said of Kupec. Trump previously announced he would nominate Nauert to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations last December. However, Nauert ultimately withdrew from consideration amid reports she had employed a nanny who was not authorized to work in the United States. That issue could also be a roadblock to Nauert getting the press secretary job. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images) Ortagus and Pavlich dont have that kind of baggage. The source close to Trump said the president likes Ortagus because shes a Fox person. But while appearances on Fox News would definitely catch Trumps eye, that might not be enough to secure the press secretary post. That source noted Sanderss interactions with the press often included contentious interactions with reporters from major news outlets. Whens the last time Sarah had an interview that was just a lay-up? the source asked. Similarly, Trump would be looking for someone who had a body of work that extended beyond conservative media to replace Sanders. This is a street fighter-type position over at the White House, the source said. This isnt Fox News where everyone likes the president and its just presentation and delivery. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Colleville-sur-Mer (France) (AFP) - When Jack Gutman rushed onto Omaha Beach as an 18-year-old US soldier on June 6, 1944, he was taking part in one of the greatest acts of transatlantic cooperation ever seen. His participation in the Normandy landings of D-Day, under the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, helped push the Nazis out of France and ultimately resulted in the Allied victory in World War II. And yet Gutman, returning to Normandy this week for the first time in 75 years, is an admirer of President Donald Trump despite the current White House incumbent being accused by critics of undermining that very transatlantic alliance. "If I could see him, that'd be a thrill for me, because the man has done an awful lot to help our country," the California resident told AFP at the US military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, ahead of Trump's arrival Thursday to attend a commemoration ceremony. Trump was given a warm welcome by the veterans as he arrived for the 75th anniversary ceremony with French President Emmanuel Macron. "Hey, you're our president too. Come on up this way," one of the veterans told Trump before shaking hands him. "There's a lot of people back in Pennsylvania who want to vote for you," the man said, to the apparent delight of the president and his staff. - 'Doing so much for vets' - Trump's political credo is based on an "America first" policy that for critics is at odds with the US membership in NATO and its historic partnership with Europe. But for some of the shrinking number of veterans who saw first-hand the costs -- and payoffs -- of the Allied invasion, Trump's belligerent isolationism has hardly dented their support. Instead they praise a president who they seeing as doing what it takes to get results on the home front. But perhaps most importantly, they cite the Trump administration's push to let millions of vets facing long waits at state-run facilities seek private care instead -- paid for by the government. Story continues The major policy shift follows the 2014 scandal that erupted after extensive delays and management failures were uncovered at the Veterans Administration. "He's the only president in my history doing so much for veterans," said George Ciampa, a fellow D-Day vet at the cemetery, who is making a documentary on the experiences of his comrades. "He's not going to let veterans stand in line for years to get care," he said. - 'He fixes it' - Ciampa was part of a casualty recovery team that would find and bury some 75,000 American and German victims in the 11 months following the D-Day landings. Trump, by contrast, has been dogged by claims he skipped out of Vietnam service by claiming bone spurs on his feet. But that didn't stop him from getting Ciampa's backing. "I was a Democrat years ago, I voted for Kennedy and others," he said after a private ceremony at the cemetery on the eve of Trump's visit. He now describes himself as a conservative independent who appreciates his commander-in-chief as a pragmatic, can-do leader. "He's not a political person, he sees a problem and he fixes it," Ciampa said. "That's what George S. Patton did," he added, referring to the celebrated general who commanded US forces in Europe in the final phase of the war. "He had the same temper as Trump, and he helped win the war over here." His approval echoes the support Trump enjoyed among veterans in the 2016 presidential election. Exit polls showed he had won their vote by a two-to-one margin over Hillary Clinton. But Trump's uncompromising stances get traction in particular with the generation for whom duty to country meant braving a hail of Nazi bullets on the Normandy coast. "It's a tough thing he's doing, and he's not loved by a lot of people," Gutman said. "He's got an agenda, and so whatever he's got planned, that's why he's president and I guess I have to leave it in his hands." - 'Not a lot of faith in politicians' - British veterans, asked about Trump's presence at the D-Day ceremonies Thursday, were less loquacious. "I'm very sorry for your question," one WWII veteran told AFP in Bayeux after a remembrance mass attended by Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. "I have every admiration for America... without their help we could not have created the world in which we now live," said Don Hitchcock, who was 19 when he landed on Omaha beach the day after the initial invasion. Pressed about Trump's diplomatic abrasiveness, he said: "Politicians are politicians, sometimes they do daft things. I've not a lot of faith in our politicians at this juncture." Police officers who man the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco) urban buses have petitioned government and the bus company over unpaid overtime. In the petition, seen by Southern Eye, the police officers said they were working more than 18-hour shifts, which they alleged begin at 3:45am and end at 10pm. When those duties started, we had two shifts, one starting at 3:45am to 1pm and the other at 1:01pm to 10pm. But the command said one shift was enough, read the petition. The officers further said they spend many hours in the buses plying different routes, which they felt was unhealthy. For 18 hours, we are given only lunch, which is not enough, the petition read. They said Zupco was supposed to pay them an allowance of ZWL$30 daily, which should through their command, but they had never received the allowance. We hear news that Zupco pays travelling and subsistence allowances at RTGS$30, but it does not reach us. Many have fallen sick due to this strenuous duty, The police officers alleged that the Zimbabwe Republic Police was engulfed by so much panic such that even those at police stations were doing 12 hour-shifts. Security wise, we have so much fatigue. At Bulawayo Central, they have 12 hour-shift again and there is panic all of a sudden. You greed (sic) pay us our Contacted for comment, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said there was a period when officers manning Zupco buses had to work for longer hours due to logistical problems that the forces Bulawayo province command was working on. I admit that we had a period when our officers had to work longer hours on the buses. This was due to logistical issues we had, but we managed to solve that within three days, he said. However, Nyathi said if members of the police force had any problems, they knew the communication channel within the force, adding that their grievances would never be ignored. Our position as the Zimbabwe Republic Police is, we are fully aware of the communication channels that we use in the event that we have grievances. Right now, members are doing a two shift system, and I believe some of the allegations are exaggerated, he said. The police officers in their petition also complained over lack of winter uniforms. We do not have enough winter uniforms. Is our police commander aware of this? the petition read. Responding to the complaint, Nyathi said: I am not aware of that, even the issue of ZWL$30 a day is new to me. Like I said, if police members have a problem, Two oil tankers on Thursday morning were reportedly attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil transport route that sits between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, echoing a similar attack last month and stoking fears about escalating tensions in the region. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for Thursdays attacks, but the U.S. blamed Iran for last months bombing of four tankers in the same general area, without offering a clear explanation as to why. Iran denied that allegation, but it is embroiled in several conflicts in the region. It has long feuded with U.S.-allied Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emiratestensions only heightened by a clash over the civil war in Yemenand Thursdays incident fueled fears that tensions in the region are approaching a breaking point. The vessels attacked Thursday were identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Front Altair, which was lit ablaze, and the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous, which sustained structural damage, according to the Associated Press. Crew members from both ships had to be evacuated, according to AP, and one sailor aboard the Kokuka Courageous reportedly suffered minor injuries. The U.S. Navys 5th Fleet said in a statement that it was aware of the reported attack on shipping vessels and dispatched the USS Bainbridge for assistance. The alleged attack also comes amidst escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Last month, National Security Adviser John Bolton accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, and said any attacks in the Persian Gulf would prompt a very strong response from the U.S. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei denied that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, but said America could not do anything about it if it were, according to AP. The New York Times reports that Iran has also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a move that would greatly disrupt oil transport. Oil prices spiked following the latest conflict, with the price of Brent Crude Oil hitting more than $62 a barrel Thursday morning. June 14 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday ordered a lower court judge to reconsider her ruling against U.S. President Donald Trump's restrictions on transgender people from serving in the military, a policy that has already been allowed to go into effect by the U.S. Supreme Court. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a decision by federal judge in Seattle, Washington, which said Trump's policy likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender recruits and service members. (Reporting by Andrew Chung and Jonathan Stempel in New York. Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) The Hague (AFP) - The UN's top court on Friday rejected a request by the United Arab Emirates to take special measures against Qatar in a two-year crisis that has added to growing tensions in the Gulf. Oil and gas-rich Qatar has faced an economic and diplomatic boycott since June 2017 by Gulf rivals who accused Doha of backing terrorism and being too close to regional rival Iran. Abu Dhabi had asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to prevent Doha "aggravating" the dispute, after Qatar won a case last year over alleged discrimination against its citizens. ICJ Chief judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said the court "rejects the request for provisional measures submitted by the United Arab Emirates" by a margin of 15 to one. The measures it asked for were temporary ones while the Hague-based court decides on a wider legal battle between the UAE and Qatar over the blockade. The legal blow for the UAE comes as tensions soar in the Gulf after two oil tankers were set ablaze in an attack that Washington has blamed on Tehran. - 'Groundless' request - Qatar's representative to the ICJ said it welcomed the rejection of the "groundless" UAE request. "Qatar brought this case to protect the Qatari people against the UAEs policy and practice of racial discrimination. It is the Qatari people who are the victims here, and not the government of the UAE," said Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi. For two years Saudi Arabia and its allies the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have barred Qatari flights from their airports and airspace, banned most Qatari visitors, cut trade and shipping links, and closed their borders, unhappy about Doha's insistence on maintaining its own approach to regional relations. Last June, in a case brought by Qatar, the ICJ ruled that the UAE must allow families which include Qatari members to be reunited, and that Qatari students must be given the chance to complete their education in the Emirates. Story continues But Abu Dhabi this year went back to court to seek the special measures, including to stop what it alleged was Doha blocking its own citizens from accessing Emirati websites to ease travel issues. It also asked the ICJ to order Doha to withdraw a separate discrimination case that it has lodged against the UAE with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), a body which upholds a 1965 UN treaty on equality. - Regional tensions - The ICJ however ruled that the UAE's requests for special measures did not cover "plausible rights" that needed to be protected. "The conditions for the indication of provisional measures... are not met," the court said in its judgment. During a hearing earlier this year, the Emiratis meanwhile also accused Qatar of backing terrorist groups including the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, echoing one of the original allegations by the Gulf allies against Doha. They also alleged that Qatar used its state-controlled news channels and fake documents to hamper Abu Dhabi's own efforts to damp down the row, and asked the court to tell Qatar to stop. Doha has repeatedly denied the claims of its rivals, accusing them of seeking regime change. Qatar has maintained cordial relations with Tehran even as other Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia have cooperated with US pressure campaign against Iran, but Doha is also still close to Washington. WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Suspected white supremacist Brenton Tarrant is expected to enter pleas, and will face a new terrorism charge, when he appears in court on Friday over the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch. In an attack on March 15 that was broadcast live on Facebook, a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch, killing 51 worshippers and wounding dozens of people. Tarrant already faces 50 counts of murder for the attack and when he appears in the Christchurch High Court on Friday will be charged under a terrorist act, the first time such a charge has been brought in New Zealand. The police announced its plans to bring on terrorism charges and an additional murder charge last month. A minute issued to the media by Christchurch High Court Judge Cameron Mander last week said Tarrant is expected to enter a plea to the charges. Tarrant was not required to submit a plea in his last court appearance on April 5, as Judge Mander ordered he undergo mental assessment first to determine whether he was fit to stand trial. The court has also lifted an order that required Tarrant's face to be suppressed, which forced media to only publish pixilated images that obscured his face. "The Crown has advised there is no longer a need for the images of the defendants face to be suppressed and the order now lapses," the judge said in the minute released last week. Tarrant, who is an Australian national, was remanded in custody after the shooting and moved to New Zealand's only maximum-security prison in Auckland. He would appear at the Christchurch High Court through a video link. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern labeled New Zealand's worst peace time mass shooting an act of terrorism and quickly introduced tough new firearm laws which banned semi-automatic weapons. Muslims worldwide have praised New Zealand's response to the massacre, with many singling out Ardern's gesture of wearing a head scarf to meet victims' families and urging the country to unite with the call: "We are one". But others have criticized New Zealand for failing to record hate crimes and ignoring threats from white supremacist groups. A Royal Commission is looking into whether the shooting could have been prevented. (Reporting by Praveen Menon; editing by Michael Perry) Prayer services planned The first of three prayer services for those killed in Saturdays shootings in White Swan will be conducted Saturday. The service will be at 3 p.m. in the White Swan High School gym, 621 Signal Peak Road, according to a statement posted on the Yakama Nation Facebook page. A second service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the Eagle Seelatsee Auditorium, 401 Fort Road in Toppenish. A service in Celilo Village near The Dalles, Ore., has not been scheduled at this time. The most prominent feature of Israel's character as the Jewish nation-state is the Law of Return, which allows entry into Israel not only for Jews but also for non-Jews who have familial ties with Jews. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter As a result, of the more than one million immigrants who arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union, about a third (350,000) of whom are not Jewish but have Jewish family members. This group grew by about 10,000 people annually, as a result of natural increase and continued immigration. Their classification by the state as non-Jews raises some serious problems. Conversion illustration (Photo: AFP) Their human rights are violated by the fact that they cannot marry a Jew in Israel. On a national level, their exclusion from the Jewish collective may weaken their identification with the state and may bring about further tribal fragmentation of Israeli society. From a religious perspective, because they cannot Halachically marry other Jews, some elements are calling for the implementation of a central lineage database that will differentiate between Jews and non-Jews. Formalizing the situation might drive a historic wedge through the heart of the Jewish people with unforeseen consequences for the future of the State of Israel. Seemingly, the solution is clear: Judaism allows others to join through conversion, but the data shows that only about 7% of non-Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe to Israel undergo conversion. The conversion track is unattractive to many because it requires converts to become religious as a condition for the process. Many potential converts are not willing to live by the strict guidelines of Orthodox Judaism that even most Jews find to demanding to commit to. The result is that in order to convert, they must pretend. The path to Judaism is paved with deception and for that reason many turn their backs. But can this trend be turned around? We must first ask ourselves, what exactly is conversion? Is it about joining a religion or a nation? If it is joining a religion, then it is only natural that converts be asked to commit to keeping the rules of the Torah in order to become a Jew. That was the opinion of the 10th century Jewish sage Saadia Gaon who ruled that "our nation is nothing without the Torah." Religion is the central tenet that forms our national identity. Rabbi Shlomo Goren On the other hand, there is a Halachic tradition that Judaism is a "nation" and only after a person joins do they become obligated to follow all of the rules. This is referenced in the biblical book of Ruth the convert, the ancestor of King David and the Jewish Messiah: "Your nation is my nation and your God my God." Meaning, first join the nation and only afterwards, as a result of joining, does the religious obligation become relevant. This dispute is alive and well today. The Haredim and most of the religious-Zionist rabbis hold by the more stringent definition, which makes it difficult to implement the conversion potential in Israel. In contrast, there are several prominent rabbis, including three former chief rabbis: Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, Shlomo Goren and Ben Zion Uziel, who argue that conversion means joining the nation and that adherence to the commandments of the Torah is not a condition for conversion to Judaism. The national conversions court ought to consider this lenient position. Rabbi Bakshi-Doron (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg) In addition to the factors listed above, the Rabbinate ought to recognize that a strict conversions policy makes the issue of conversion irrelevant. The massive influx of "non-Jewish Jews" in Israeli society grants legitimacy for the sociological, non-religious membership of Judaism, thereby making conversion superfluous. Some will welcome this development, but it must be understood that this will be a real revolution in the history of the Jewish people (at least since the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, 2,500 years ago); it is difficult to comprehend the significance and danger of this. And in conclusion, the demographic aspect: most Diaspora Jews choose to marry non-Jews. Is it right to eliminate these families from the Jewish nation even if the non-Jewish spouse is interested in joining Judaism? Is it right to allow for one generation of Jews, the current one, to cut off significant portions of the Jewish people for eternity? A Halachic conversions policy must deal with the question of whether the current Jewish collective is interested in becoming more open or more closed. Yedidya Stern is a senior fellow at the Israeli Institute for Democracy and a professor of law at Bar-Ilan University. Israel's Air Force will have its first Druze pilot with the successful completion of the training program later this month. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter Identified by only by his initial, G., a resident of the Galilee, is expected to receive his chopper pilot wings and become the first of Druze pilot in Israel's history. Druze Air Force cadet G. The Druze community, which is part of the Arabic-speaking minority in Israel, constitutes less than 2% of the country's population. There has been a special relationship between the community and the State of Israel - referred to as a "blood covenant" - since its establishment of the country in 1948. This includes service in Israels military and other security forces. However, in 2018, the Knesset passed the Nation-State Law, which defines Israel solely as the nation state of the Jewish people with the right to national self-determination limited to Jews only. Druze community leaders were outraged at the legislation describing the law as discriminatory, saying it defined non-Jews as less than true citizens. A thrill-seeker, G. was an avid rock climber and preferred flying choppers to fighter jets because of their ability to fly closer to the ground. His family expressed their joy and pride at their son's achievement and a friend reported their entire village has joined in celebrations. "Everyone here is very proud of him," says a friend. "I can attest to the fact that the talk in the village over the past few weeks has been about the end of his course. We feel a pride that cannot be described in words. This is a moment and an historic achievement for our village and for the entire (Druze) community. " G. was part of a high school track for outstanding students, and was behind many of the social activities in his village in northern Israel. "The family supported G. during the long pilot's training program, but he shared little of his experiences as he progressed through each stage," relatives said. The first Druze IAF navigator, Major A., was promoted some six months ago by Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin, and currently serves as head of the school for the operational headquarters of the IAF. A. previously held the rank of lieutenant colonel, the first Israeli Druze airman to do so. The IAF attacked several targets in the Gaza Strip during the early hours of Friday, in response to a rocket that was fired from the coastal enclave Thursday night and hit a Yeshiva in the town of Sderot. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook STRONG> and Twitter The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said targets included terror infrastructure in Hamas facilities as well as a facility belonging to the terror group's naval forces. Palestinian documentation of the facilities targeted by the IDF "We will continue to work against any attempt to harm Israeli citizens and sees the Hamas terror group as responsible for everything that happens in the Gaza Strip and everything that is launched from it," said the statement. No one was harmed during the Thursday night rocket attack on Sderot, as Yeshiva students were home with their families for Shabbat. Palestinian documentation of the facilities targeted by the IDF A day earlier, on Wednesday, a rocket fired from Gaza at the Eshkol region was intercepted by the Iron dome. In response, the IDF attacked a tunnel in a Hamas military complex in southern Gaza. Throughout the week, Gaza region communities have suffered from several fires, destroying acres of crops, caused by incendiary balloons sent from the Gaza strip, marking the gradual rising tensions between Israel and the coastal enclave. Palestinian documentation of the facilities targeted by the IDF The March of Return protests often turned riots at the Gaza border fence are expected to resume today, after a break for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. This week's events and the way the Friday protest unfolds test and questions the stability of the arrangement reached between Israel and Hamas after the early May flare-up. Senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip Khalil al-Hayya said Friday that his organization "follows Israel's implementation and commitment to the arrangement with Hamas closely, along with Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process." Mladenov arrived in Gaza in light of this week's clashes and met with Hamas officials. nited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters on Friday the truth needed to be established after two oil tankers were attacked this week in the Gulf of Oman, adding that the international body condemned the attack. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the head of the Arab League, urged Iran to reverse course after the United States blamed the country for the attacks. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is focused on building international consensus following attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East that the United States has blamed https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-attacks/trump-blames-iran-for-tanker-attacks-fears-of-confrontation-rise-idUSKCN1TF0CA on Iran, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Friday. Shanahan told Pentagon reporters that he, White House national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared that goal. Iran has rejected U.S. accusations that it was responsible for Thursday's explosions on a Japanese tanker and a Norwegian tanker at the entrance to the Gulf. Shanahan, asked later whether he was considering sending more troops or military capabilities to the Middle East, Shanahan said: "As you know we're always planning various contingencies." French President Emmanuel Macron urged Turkey to stop "illegal activities" in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone and said the European Union would not back down on the issue. European Union members have pressured Turkey to drop its plans for offshore drilling for natural gas in an area claimed by the Cypriot authorities as part of their exclusive economic zone around the island. Britain blamed Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Friday for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying no other state or non-state actor could have been responsible. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the attacks, said they had violated international norms, and called on Iran to stop all forms of destabilising activity. "These latest attacks build on a pattern of destabilising Iranian behaviour and pose a serious danger to the region," he said in a statement. Palestinian sources said that during the Friday meeting in the Gaza Strip between Hamas leaders and Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, all factions in the coastal enclave denied they were behind the Thursday night rocket launch at Israel. According to sources, the different factions in the Strip are investigating who was behind the rocket launch, that hit a building in the southern town of Sderot. Mladenov promised Hamas officials that a Qatari money instalment will be arriving in the Strip next week, and sent them a message saying that Israel is not interested in a clash. Through their investigation, officers were given information that Layman was hiding in a camper on a property along East Avenue in York. They said when they arrived, they discovered the camper was locked and that a window had been altered. When an officer attempted to go through the window, in an effort to extract Layman from the camper, the defendant yelled to police that he had a gun and would shoot himself if they entered. The police officers backed away from the camper and called for assistance, which included more officers with the police department, the Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team and the York County Sheriffs Department. A stand-off began, with Layman in the camper and law enforcement surrounding the scene outside. According to court documents, during this time, investigators received a report from dispatch that someone had called them from a cell phone reporting a bank robbery in downtown York. It was established that this was a false report and that no bank robbery was underway. The dispatchers had the phone number from which the false report was made. Angelo Luppino's construction workers Jesse Kyte, left, and Craig Messerschmidt place a row of blocks to finish the walls of Hurley K-12 School's Northwoods Manufacturing expansion. By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] Hurley - Outside walls are nearly erected at Hurley K-12 School's Northwoods Manufacturing expansion project and work on the roof deck is expected to take place within a week. The combination of nice weather and contractors doing good work has resulted in no issues and the project is progressing "better then expected," Greg Phillips, construction manager for the school said. "So far everything has gone smoothly and ahead of schedule," he said. In a few weeks the building's "envelope" will be put together, allowing crews the ability to continue working during inclement weather. The roof materiel being used is a "single-ply membrane," which Phillips said is very similar to the school's existing roof and is expected to last around 15 years Structural engineers took into account anticipated snow loads he said. The area where the buildings butt up against each other will be reinforced. "There will be a little bit more snow there than what would have been there before," he said. The $1.2 million addition will expand the metal and woodworking shop by approximately 6,500 square feet, roughly doubling its existing size. Keven Genisot, district administrator for Hurley, said the plan is still to be completed before classes start. "We're still on schedule, maybe a touch ahead even" he said. The school is scheduled to host an open house the last Thursday in August where tours of the facility will be offered. "There is only one or two school districts in the state of Wisconsin that will have the facility we have when we're done," Genisot said. The Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Act 1948 (NSW) (LTA Act) will be repealed on July 1, according to a report by the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW). The move forms part of the NSW governments Better Business Reforms package, which aims to create opportunities for small business by cutting red tape, costs and complexity without reducing consumer protections, and giving consumers the information they need to make appropriate decisions about their future. The announcement regarding the LTA Act relates to rent-controlled properties only, and relevant savings provisions from the LTA Act will be inserted into Schedule 2 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2010 (NSW). The LTA Act was originally introduced to provide post-war housing, allowing rent control and security of tenure for tenants, particularly servicemen and their families. What will be the changes? As part of the amendment, existing tenants and their spouses will remain protected. However, succession rights for dependent children will be axed. The protection afforded by the LTA Act will continue to apply as if it had not been repealed until the relevant tenant passes away, according to The NSW government. In addition, a spouse or de facto partner is covered if they lived with the tenant immediately before the death. As a supporter in principle of measures to simplify, repeal and reform existing legislation, REINSW did not oppose the repeal of the LTA Act, said REINSW CEO Tim McKibbin. We maintain the view that there is no merit in upholding the current LTA Act, but recognise the need for the NSW government to deal fairly and immediately with the protected individuals affected by the repeal. McKibbin said that before the LTA Act is repealed, the NSW government should not only take note of the number of properties protected under the LTA Act but also be prepared to offer re-housing for dependent children living in the protected properties following the death of the tenant or their partner. The government must be conscious of the fact that some of the affected individuals depend on protected rent in order to survive being unlikely to be able to afford the rent charged by private landlords, he said. Queensland recorded a loss of $1.3 billion in stamp-duty revenue this year due to a slowdown in the property market, according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA). For the third year in a row, the Queensland Budget shows that stamp-duty revenues have fallen well below government forecasts, said HIA Regional Executive Director Mike Roberts. Revenue from stamp duty is highly unreliable, and it tends to fall away just as governments need additional revenue to invest to stimulate the economy. This is very much the case in this years Queensland budget. The fall in stamp duty revenue is impeding the governments ability to support the economy and reverse the downturn in the property market. The government also announced the changes to payroll tax for small business. The increase in the payroll tax-free threshold to $1.3 million and commitment to regional development, along with ongoing infrastructure investments, are welcome components of todays budget that will support activity and confidence, said Roberts. HIA said that measures to support growth in the economy are necessary as the Queensland economy continues to cool. News Washington, DC - Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Katherine Andrea Lemos of California, to be a Member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board for a five-year term. Katherine A. Lemos, Ph.D., has previously served in the Federal Aviation Administration and on the National Transportation Safety Board. Dr. Lemos is currently the Director of Programs for Northrop Grumman Corporations Aerospace Sector. Dr. Lemos has a distinguished background in system safety, accident investigation, human factors, and advanced technology research and integration. Dr. Lemos has broad experience across the product lifecycle in analyzing and promoting product, process, and operational performance. Matthew Keenan of Kansas, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation for the remainder of a three-year term, expiring July 13, 2020. Mr. Matthew Keenan is currently a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, where he has practiced for 33 years. As former chair of the firms Pro Bono committee, Mr. Keenan currently serves on the Legal Aid of Western Missouri Board of Trustees . A Kansan native, Mr. Keenan graduated with honors from the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas School of Law. Upon graduation, Mr. Keenan clerked for the Honorable James K. Logan on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. More than 40 members of the Fairbanks community gathered Thursday afternoon outside the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office at a rally to urge Gov. Mike Dunleavy to sign the Legislatures recently passed operating budget and avoid a government shutdown, which would occur if the state had no funding after July 1. Rally Chauncie Hankins (right) and her two eldest daughters, Kyndellin (middle) and Kaydance (left) attended the rally to support education funding Rally Local Fairbanks residents Deb and John Bennet hold signs June 13, 2019, urging Gov. Mike Dunleavy to sign the operating budget passed by the H The Legislature passed its annual operating budget earlier this week after a conference committee worked to find a compromise between the Senate and House on state services funding. Now, with the operating budget ready for the governors signature, Alaska residents are urging the governor to approve the funding as quickly as possible. Companion rallies, also organized by statewide group Save Our State, occurred Wednesday in Anchorage and Juneau. The Legislatures budget includes $4.3 billion in unrestricted general fund spending and cut $190 million from this years funding levels. Dunleavy has been pegged as unlikely to approve the budget in-whole because it includes less than half of the cuts he proposed in February. Contact staff writer Erin McGroarty at 459-7544. Follow her on Twitter:@FDNMPolitics. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. PATNA: Former Bihar BJP legislator Rameshwar Chaurasia has voiced concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Chaurasia, who earlier represented the Nokha assembly seat in Bihar, alleged that the law enforcement agencies were not doing their work with honesty and swiftness. As a result of their lackadaisical attitude, the anti-social elements and criminals were getting fearless day by day, the Bihar BJP leader said. Live TV Coming down heavily on the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United-BJP government in Bihar, Chaurasia said the state government was showing no seriousness towards the increasing incidents of crime across the state. He warned that it was high time for the government to strengthen the law and order situation in the state or be ready to face the consequences as the assembly elections were not too far away. Rameshwar Chaurasia also cited the sensational murder of BJP district vice president close to the state assembly, in which no arrest has been made by the Bihar Police. Chaurasia, who is BJP's co-in-charge of UP, also made an appeal to CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Modi to review the law and order situation in the state. His critical comments came at a time when two local Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders were shot at by unknown assailants in Kanti area in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district on Thursday. Both the injured - Surendra Yadav and Umashankar Prasad were admitted to a hospital and are said to be in critical condition. "A firing took place in which two people are injured. One person was hit two bullets and the other one was hit four. Both of them are out of danger. We are trying to find out the reason behind this firing. Those involved in this will be arrested soon," said DSP Mukul Ranjan. Further investigation is underway, Ranjan added. New Delhi/Chennai: The acute water crisis in Chennai have spilled over several offices and their working pattern, with many IT companies located in Old Mahabalipuram asking their staff to work from home. As per a report in the Times of India, more than 12 IT companies have asked their employees to work from home for over next 3 months owing to acute water crisis. Early this year, 24 districts, including Chennai, were declared drought-affected by the state government. The Tamil Nadu government has also appealed to the Centre for assistance, requesting over Rs 5,000 crore for drought-relief work in the state, reported PTI. A deficit rainfall during the 2017 northeast monsoon and failed monsoon in 2018 has resulted in depletion of ground water and near drying up of major waterbodies. New Delhi: After extending the deadline for several times, India will now go ahead with its decision to impose retaliatory import duties on 29 US products, including almond, walnut and pulses, sources said Friday. Finance ministry will issue a notification to this effect soon, they added. In May last year, the ministry had extended the deadline for imposing higher tariffs on these US products till June 16. These deadlines were extended several times since June 2018, when India decided to impose these duties in retaliation to a move by the US to impose high customs duties on certain steel and aluminium products. As part of the imposition of higher import duties, India has notified higher tariffs on several products. While import duty on walnut has been hiked to 120 per cent from 30 per cent, duty on chickpeas, Bengal gram (chana) and masur dal will be raised to 70 per cent, from 30 per cent currently. Levy on lentils will be increased to 40 per cent. India's exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at USD 47.9 billion, while imports were at USD 26.7 billion. The trade balance is in favour of India. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the fifth meeting of the governing council of NITI Aayog at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 15. The drought situation, farm distress, rain water harvesting, spirational districts programme, structural reforms in the agriculture sector, and security with specific focus on LWE districts will be among the issues to be discussed at the meeting. Union Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, will attend the meeting as ex-officio members. Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Ministry of Planning, will be attending the event as special invitees to the Governing Council. Special invitees to the fifth meeting include the National Security Adviser, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister of Jal Shakti and the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. The First Meeting was held on 8 February 2015, at which the Prime Minister laid down the key mandates of NITI Aayog such as fostering cooperative federalism and addressing national issues through active participation of the States. The Second Meeting of the Governing Council took place on 15 July 2015. Third Meeting was held on 23 April 2017, which laid down milestones in shaping the countrys development agenda through strategy and vision documents. The Fourth meeting of the Governing Council was held on 17 June 2018 and included reviewing measures taken for doubling farmers income and progress made under flagship schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan and Mission Indradhanush. New Delhi: The apex decision making body at the Telecom Department Thursday decided to refer to TRAI for reconsideration the recommendations on spectrum auction amid industry's concerns on pricing. The Digital Communications Commission (DCC), which met here Thursday, also approved the terms and conditions for 5G trials in the country, sources said. The official privy to the development said that the DCC members felt that TRAI should revisit its recommendations keeping in mind the government's overall objective of Digital India and Broadband for All. They also noted that given the intense consolidation in the sector, TRAI should also aim to ensure adequate competition. The Commission comprises senior officials from NITI Aayog, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and IT, besides Department of Telecom. New Delhi/Itanagar: The mortal remains of all 13 brave air warriors who were onboard the IAF's AN-32 transport aircraft, which crashed in Arunachal Pradesh on June 3, will be taken to Jorhat airbase in Assam on Friday. The IAF had said on Thursday that no effort was being spared in ensuring the expeditious transfer of their mortal remains to their parent base at Jorhat. The flight data recorder (black box) and cockpit voice recorder of AN-32 transport aircraft were also recovered from the crash area, the IAF said. The recovery of the black box is expected to help the investigators reconstruct the events leading to the crash. Meanwhile, a Court of Inquiry has also been ordered by the IAF to investigate the cause of the accident. Live TV The IAF personnel who lost their lives in the tragic crash were identified as Wing Commander GM Charles, Squadron Leader H Vinod, Flight Lieutenant MK Garg, Flight Lieutenant S Mohanty, Flight Lieutenant Ashish Tanwar, Flight Lieutenant R Thapa, Warrant Officer KK Mishra, Sergeant Anoop Kumar, Corporal Sharin, Leading Aircraftman SK Singh, Leading Aircraftman Pankaj, NC (E) Putali and NC (E) Rajesh Kumar. Following air-warriors lost their life in the tragic #An32 crash - W/C GM Charles, S/L H Vinod, F/L R Thapa, F/L A Tanwar, F/L S Mohanty, F/L MK Garg, WO KK Mishra, Sgt Anoop Kumar, Cpl Sherin, LAC SK Singh, LAC Pankaj, NC(E) Putali & NC(E) Rajesh Kumar. Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 13, 2019 The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted 16 km north of Lipo in Arunachal's West Siang district at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter on Tuesday. According to the statement, two km from the crash site, an area was designated and a camp was established for helicopters to land with the recovery parties. On Wednesday, a team of nine IAF personnel (including mountaineers), four Army Special Forces personnel and two local mountaineers were dropped at the campsite. The bodies of the crash victims were found to be dismembered, state government official Gijum Tali said. IAF spokesperson, Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident. "IAF pays tribute to the brave air warriors who lost their lives in the line of duty. IAF is making all efforts to recover the mortal remains. No effort is being spared in ensuring the expeditious transfer of the mortal remains of the air-warriors to their parent base at Jorhat air base," Singh said. Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh Governor, Brig BD Mishra (Retd), Chief Minister Pema Khandu, several other political leaders and top officers of the armed forces conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members. IAF Pays tribute to the brave Air-warriors who lost their life during the #An32 crash on 03 Jun 2019 and stands by with the families of the victims. May their soul rest in peace. Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 13, 2019 The AN 32 took off on June 3 from the Jorhat airbase for the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground in Arunachal`s Shi-Yomi district bordering China but lost contact with the ground agencies within 35 minutes. After the disappearance of the aircraft, the IAF commenced extensive search operations under the direct supervision of the Eastern Air Command HQ at Shillong. The C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 helicopters of the IAF and ALH helicopters of the Army were launched immediately to locate the missing aircraft. Navy's P-8I aircraft joined the search operations on June 4. Resources from various agencies, including the ISRO, were brought into the operation to enhance its effectiveness. CARTOSAT and RISAT satellites of the Indian space agency also took images of the area, which assisted the search team in locating the aircraft. Extensive support towards the rescue operation was also provided by the state government and police and the local population. On June 8, the IAF announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for any information leading to the location of the missing aircraft. (With Agency inputs) NEW DELHI: Taking note of the ongoing day-long strike by thousands of doctors across the country over violence against their colleagues in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this ''a prestige issue.'' The Health Minister, who met a delegation of doctors from AIIMS and other top hospitals, reaffirmed that the Central government is committed to providing better working conditions and security to the doctors. Delhi: Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS meets Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/wuCfEpXhpv ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 "I appeal with folded hands to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this an issue of prestige. Despite getting beaten so badly, doctors only asked her to provide them adequate security and take action against all those behind this as per the law. But, she didn't do this and gave an ultimatum to the doctors after which doctors of West Bengal and across the country got angry and went on strike. If the Chief Minister changes her attitude, then patients will not suffer across India," the Union Health Minister said. Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan: I appeal to West Bengal CM to not make this an issue of prestige. She gave the doctors an ultimatum, as a result they got angry and went on strike. Today, I will write to Mamata Banerjee ji and will also try to speak to her on this issue. https://t.co/I3pad4s5Zr ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Dr Harsh Vardhan further stated that he will write a letter to Mamata Banerjee in this regard and try to end the impasse at the earliest. ''I will also try to talk to her. I would like to assure all doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety,'' he said. Dr Harsh Vardhan also made an appeal to the doctors to hold symbolic protests only and continue to carry out their duties. The Union Minister said that he will also write a letter to all Chief Ministers and state Health Ministers regarding the safety of doctors in hospitals. It may be noted that Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP and the CPM of ''engineering the doctors' strike'' and playing "Hindu-Muslim politics". Doctors in Kolkata have been on strike after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Soon after, the protest was joined by various government and private medical institutions across India. Karnataka: Doctors hold protest in Bengaluru over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/NWdQrK6Dr0 ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 On Friday, healthcare services at private and government hospitals were badly hit in several states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, as thousands of doctors went on strike for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues who were attacked by a mob in Kolkata. According to reports, hundreds of doctors in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur Thiruvananthapuram, Raipur, Patna and Punjab and other cities staged protests on Friday. Doctors at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) were seen wearing helmets and bandages as they attended to patients. Hundreds of patients in the national capital faced difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS supported the day-long strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Besides, resident doctors in several government hospitals in Kerala and Hyderabad also staged protests as they started their `cease work` demonstrations in respective cities. Similar protests were also being held in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur by MARD members who are demanding adequate protection for their counterparts in West Bengal. Meanwhile, the principal and the superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where the assault on two doctors took place on Monday night, resigned late on Thursday. Five more doctors from the forensic medicine department also resigned. A total of 7 doctors at the NRS resigned. At Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital in North 24 Parganas, at least 18 doctors resigned. 16 doctors from RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata also resigned in protest against the incident on Friday. The mass resignation of doctors is expected to continue on Friday over the Kolkata hospital incident. West Bengal: 16 doctors of the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata submit their resignation stating, "In response to prevailing situation as we are unable to provide service, we would like to resign from our duty," pic.twitter.com/a3eVzs6ZLG ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 The Indian Medical Association has declared Friday as "All India Protest Day" against the assault on junior doctors in Kolkata. (With Agency inputs) Hyderabad: Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) on Tuesday announced the signing of a contract worth Rs 1,187.82 crores for the supply of Heavy Weight Torpedoes to the Indian Navy. According to a press release by the defence PSU, the contract was signed by NP Diwakar, Director (Technical), BDL and Nidhi Chhibber, Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager (Maritime and Systems), Ministry of Defence at the national capital. Live TV "The execution of the contract will be in the next 42 months. The weapon will be manufactured at BDL Visakhapatnam Unit under collaboration with DRDO," it said. The Heavy Weight Torpedo or the Varunastra is a ship, electrically propelled underwater weapon equipped with one of the most advanced automatic and remote-controlled guidance systems. The weapon system uses its own intelligence in tracing the target, BDL said. NEW DELHI: Healthcare services at private and government hospitals were badly hit in several states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, as thousands of doctors went on strike for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues who were attacked by a mob in Kolkata. According to reports, hundreds of doctors in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur Thiruvananthapuram, Raipur, Patna and Punjab and other cities staged protests on Friday. Jaipur: Doctors at Jaipuria hospital carry out their duties wearing black bands as a mark of protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/1fDLPco7po ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Doctors at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) were seen wearing helmets and bandages as they attended to patients. Hundreds of patients in the national capital faced difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS supported the day-long strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal. A team of doctors from AIIMS and other hospitals will also meet Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan around 11 AM to demand better conditions and more security for doctors. The Bengal doctors have been on a strike since Tuesday after two junior doctors were assaulted at a government-run hospital in Kolkata by the relatives of a patient who died. The protesting doctors defied West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's ultimatum, saying they won't get back to work until they get better security. Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP and the CPM of engineering the strike and playing "Hindu-Muslim politics". Live TV #WATCH Resident Doctors at Raipur's Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital raise slogans of 'We Want Justice' as they protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. #Chhattisgarh pic.twitter.com/70BsCTmGLN ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Besides, resident doctors in several government hospitals in Kerala and Hyderabad also staged protests as they started their `cease work` demonstrations in respective cities. Kerala: Members of Indian Medical Association, Trivandrum hold protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/aOWGbqXxlx ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Around 4,500 Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) stopped attending to patients in all the 26 government hospitals in the state simultaneously on Friday. MARD General Secretary Deepak Mundhe told IANS the doctors will keep off all routine duties between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and the hospital administration has been informed to ensure all other services are not hampered or patients inconvenienced. A large number of doctors gathered outside the KEM Hospital with banners, posters to express solidarity with the doctors who were assaulted in Kolkata on Tuesday following the death of a patient in a state-run hospital. Similar protests were also being held in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur by MARD members who are demanding adequate protection for their counterparts in West Bengal. Nagpur: Doctors with 'Save the Saviour' & 'Stand with NRSMCH' posters at Government Medical College, hold protest over violence against doctors in West Bengal. #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/0jRGeW5qyF ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Senior and junior resident doctors of several government hospitals in the national capital on Friday also went on the one day token strike and boycotted work. Except for emergency services, there will be a full shutdown of all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, the AIIMS association said. Resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung hospitals carried bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest and suspended all non-emergency services. Only follow-up patients with a prior appointment were being registered at the OPDs. Diagnostic services were also functioning in a restricted manner. Several resident doctors also held a protest at the Jantar Mantar against the brutal attack on a Kolkata intern. Condemning the violence in Bengal, the AIIMS Resident Doctors` Association (RDA) has urged all the RDAs across the country to join the token strike. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also asked members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. In the wake of the strike, the AIIMS has instituted contingency measures to take care of the admitted patients, including those in the ICUs and wards. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on strike since Tuesday demanding better security at the workplace after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital. Meanwhile, the principal and the superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where the assault on two doctors took place on Monday night, resigned late on Thursday. Five more doctors from the forensic medicine department also resigned. A total of 7 doctors at the NRS resigned. At Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital in North 24 Parganas, at least 18 doctors resigned. 16 doctors from RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata also resigned in protest against the incident. Meanwhile, the mass resignation of doctors is expected on Friday over the Kolkata hospital incident. The Indian Medical Association has declared Friday as "All India Protest Day" against the assault on junior doctors in Kolkata. (With Agency Inputs) Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Friday expanded his cabinet by inducting two Independent MLAs into the ministry in an apparent move to give stability to his 13-month-old wobbly government. In the much-awaited expansion, R Shankar and H Nagesh were sworn in as cabinet-rank ministers by Governor Vajubhai Vala who administered them the oath of office and secrecy at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. Shankar had served as minister during the initial days of the Kumaraswamy government but was dropped from the cabinet during the rejig in December last year. He and Nagesh had sided with the BJP and written to the governor withdrawing support to the government. As the BJP failed in its alleged attempts to topple the coalition government, the two lawmakers made a u-turn and moved closer to the coalition. The two were inducted from the JD(S) and Congress' share in the ministry, in an attempt to block chances of their switching over to the BJP whom the ruling coalition has accused of trying to dislodge the Kumaraswamy government. The Minister of External Affairs Friday dismissed all reports of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on Day 2 of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. Pakistan has also denied reports of any such meet between the two leaders. The two Prime Ministers, however, exchanged usual pleasantries and shook hands in the Leaders' Lounge in the presence of several other world leaders. Live TV Some are commenting on social media that a meeting took place. Even Pakistan is not claiming a meeting took place. Let me once again reiterate that no meeting took place. No pull aside. Only exchange of usual pleasantries in the Leaders' Lounge where other leaders also present. Request not to twist facts, said the MEA in a statement. Denying reports of meeting between PM Modi and Khan, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also said, There was no structured meeting decided but yes, there was a meeting, pleasantries were exchanged. They shook hands. This happened today when leaders were gathering at the Holding Room. Cannot say who initiated this as I was not present there. He (Imran Khan) congratulated him (PM Modi) on his win, he defeated a very well entrenched political party, family in India in elections, added Qureshi. The development comes a day after both the leaders avoided each other at an informal dinner hosted by Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov on Day 1 of SCO summit. Except for each other, PM Modi and Khan shook hands with everyone. Earlier on Friday, the PM reiterated India's strong stand against terrorism and appealed that countries supporting, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek. PM Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism even as Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan looked on. At least five policemen were shot dead on Friday in a Naxal attack in Saraikela district of Jharkhand. In the attack, two sub-inspectors and three constables were killed. Another constable is missing. Live TV The Saraikela Superintendent of Police (SP) Chandan Sinha confirmed the casualties. The incident took place in the Kukud weekly market which falls under the Tiruldih Police Station limit in Saraikela. The Naxals ran away with the weapons of the police personnel. This is a developing story. More details are awaited. In the backdrop of agitation by doctors in many parts of the country in support of protesting doctors in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure an "amicable end" to the stir. In a letter to CM Banerjee, he asked her to personally intervene in resolving the current impasse and take steps to provide a secure working environment to doctors in West Bengal. The Union minister also reiterated that the entire country is being adversely affected due to the developments in the state. Live TV "I take this opportunity to urge upon you to personally intervene in resolving the current impasse and taking steps to provide a secure working environment to doctors in the State of West Bengal. The entire country is being adversely affected due to developments in West Bengal and therefore ensuring an amicable end to the agitation will be beneficial and is strongly warranted. The Government of India is with you in this endeavour and is fully willing to provide any assistance you may need in this regard," he said. Citing the assault on the doctors at NRS Medical College and its subsequent stir, he wrote that the OPD services are getting affected, adding that it has caused severe hardship to patients who came for treatment. "I am writing to you in the context of the recent attack/ assault on doctors at NRS Medical College, West Bengal and the subsequent handling of the agitation by the State Government. As you must be aware, resident doctors in many parts of the country are agitating and not providing OPD services today. This has caused severe hardship to patients who came for treatment leading to adversely affected heal-rare services in the country," read the letter. He warned that the matter has given rise to concern as the stir is not heading towards resolution, but is getting aggravated. "It is a matter of concern that the agitation by doctors in West Bengal is not heading towards resolution, but seems to be getting aggravated. Better communication with doctors and a compassionate approach to take care of the genuine problems being faced by them in day to day functioning would definitely be helpful in tiding over the crisis which has been created," he wrote. The Union Minister also urged that strong action must be ensured by the law enforcement agencies against any person who assaults doctors as they form an important pillar of society. "Madam, you will agree with me that doctors form an important pillar of society. Our doctors rank among the best in the world and have given a very good account of themselves in many foreign countries. They work for long hours under stressful conditions, grappling with a huge load of patients. It is our duty to provide good working conditions and a secure environment for them. Strong action against any person who assaults them must be ensured by the law enforcement agencies. At the same time, doctors must also be oriented towards treating patients with courtesy and exhibiting compassion in their interactions," he further wrote. Junior doctors in West Bengal are on a strike since Tuesday after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by the relatives of a patient who died at NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The Union Minister has also assured doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety and urged them to ensure that essential services are not disrupted. A delegation of Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, United Resident and Doctors Association of India (URDA) and Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), met Vardhan and gave a representation to him on the violence against doctors in West Bengal. Scores of doctors at several governments and private hospitals in Delhi held demonstrations Friday by marching and raising slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. The doctors, in a memorandum submitted to Vardhan, demanded a central law against hospital violence. They have sought immediate security and intervention of the Centre to stop the "politically motivated atrocity" on the protesting doctors in West Bengal. They have also demanded recruitment of both "armed and unarmed trained competent security guards" at all government health facilities and increasing the number of security staff at hostels. The delegation also sought to make CCTV vigilance in every hospital mandatory and implementation of a hotline alarm system. Vardhan has assured the doctors that he will look into their demands. NEW DELHI: Healthcare services at private and government hospitals were affected in several states, including Delhi, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, as lakhs of doctors went on strike for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues who were attacked by a mob in Kolkata. The principal and the superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where the assault on two doctors took place on Monday night, resigned late on Thursday. Five more doctors from the forensic medicine department also resigned. A total of 7 doctors at the NRS resigned. At Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital in North 24 Parganas, at least 18 doctors resigned. Meanwhile, the mass resignation of doctors is expected on Friday over the Kolkata hospital incident. According to reports, patients in the national capital faced difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS supported the day-long strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal. A relative of a patient told ANI, "My mother's dialysis was scheduled for today, we were told to go & get it done from somewhere else." Delhi: Patients face difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS is on strike today over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Relative of a patient says, "My mother's dialysis was scheduled for today, we were told to go & get it done from somewhere else," pic.twitter.com/sFVF6D8VMj ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Reacting to the incident, Prashant Choudhary, president MARD, Sion Hospital, Mumbai, said, ''A mob assaulted doctors on duty at a hospital in West Bengal, when a targeted attack like this happens it becomes a law and order issue. Today, we are doing a silent protest over the incident.'' Prashant Choudhary, President MARD, Sion Hospital, Mumbai: A mob assaulted doctors on duty at a hospital in West Bengal, when a targeted attack like this happens it becomes a law and order issue. Today, we are doing a silent protest over the incident. pic.twitter.com/qSOJ79ooc3 ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 There will be a complete shutdown of all outpatient departments (OPDs), routine operation theatre services and ward visits, except emergency services in the hospitals, several medical bodies of the capital said. (As part of contingency measures, OPD services will function in a restricted manner till normalcy is restored, according to a memo put out by AIIMS medical superintendent.) Resident doctors at the AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital worked with bandages on their heads in a symbolic protest on Thursday and called for the suspension of all non-emergency services, including OPD, on June 14 to protest against the violence in Kolkata. Several resident doctors also held a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar against the brutal attack. Condemning the violence in Bengal, the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) has also urged all the RDAs across the country to join the token strike. There is a complete breakdown of law and order, with reports of mobs attacking doctor hostels with weapons. The government has failed to provide protection and justice to doctors. The AIIMS RDA condemns this in words and in spirit. Residents across the country are deeply hurt by these turn of events, the RDA said in a statement. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has asked members of all its state branches to stage protests and wear black badges on Friday. The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) observed a Black Day on Thursday against the brutal attack and has declared a statewide absolute shutdown on Friday. Simultaneously, all the local branches and individual members of the IMA will send an appeal to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, demanding a Central Act on violence against doctors and in hospitals. The gruesome incident in NRS Medical College, Kolkata, is of barbaric nature. IMA condemns the violence perpetrated on a young doctor. The entire medical fraternity expresses solidarity with the resident doctors who are on strike. The IMA headquarters hereby declares All India Protest Day on Friday, an IMA statement said. This countrywide protest in solidarity comes after two junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata were brutally assaulted after his patient aged around 80, died while being treated. A day before West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had issued a four-hour ultimatum to the protesting doctors in the state, whose strike has now entered the fourth day. She had asked them to resume work within four hours on Thursday or face consequences. West Bengal CM at SSKM Medical college in Kolkata to doctors on strike: Hospitals should start working within 4 hrs. Strong action will be taken against those doctors who don't perform their duty. Nothing can be as unfortunate as doctors not working for 4 days, I condemn this. pic.twitter.com/61lugyUosx ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2019 The Chief Minister had also alleged that the agitation was a part of the conspiracy of rival parties. The junior doctors agitation is a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP, said Mamata. She added that outsiders had entered medical colleges and hospitals to create disturbances. But the doctors have not yielded yet and the protest has now only spread in other parts of the country. A day after the bodies of all the 13 people on board the ill-fated AN-32 aircraft was found, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday continued its efforts to bring back the mortal remains of the airwarriors. The air-warriors who lost their lives in the tragic accident crash are Wing Commander GM Charles, Squadron Leader H Vinod, Flight Lieutenant MK Garg, Flight Lieutenant S Mohanty, Flight Lieutenant A Tanwar, Flight Lieutenant R Thapa, Warrant Officer KK Mishra, Sergeant Anoop Kumar, Corporal Sherin, Leading Aircraftman SK Singh, Leading Aircraftman Pankaj, NC(E) Putali and NC(E) Rajesh Kumar. Live TV On June 3, the aircraft with eight aircrew and five passengers on board took off from Air Force Station at Jorhat in Assam at 12.27 pm for Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground. The last contact with the aircraft was made at 12.55 pm. In a release, the IAF said on Friday that its mountaineers, Army Special Forces personnel and local mountaineers were dropped off at the closest possible location to the crash site and have reached the crash site. It added that the mortal remains and other material evidence have to be picked up by helicopters and brought back to Jorhat in stages. The weather continues to be marginal and is likely to affect the pace of recovery operations, added the IAF. The recovery team is braving the treacherous terrain and inclement weather in order to bring back the mortal remains as soon as possible. The IAF has flown around 200 sorties towards the AN-32 search and recovery operations and is sparing no efforts in recovering the remains of its personnel for which eight helicopters have been deployed. The next of kins of all personnel on board had been informed of the crash and the subsequent search operations undertaken by the IAF. The concerned family members have been apprised of the progress of the recovery operations as well and IAF officials are in regular touch with them. On Tuesday, the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted 16 km north of Lipo, North East of Tato, Arunachal Pradesh at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter. Aerial operations were launched subsequently to the designated crash site however, due to the steep slope and thick forest the helicopter could not land near the crash site. Two km from the designated crash site, an area was designated and a camp was established for helicopters to land with the recovery parties. On Wednesday, a team of nine IAF personnel (including mountaineers), four Army Special Forces personnel and two local mountaineers were dropped at the campsite. On Thursday, eight members of the rescue team reached the crash site in search of the survivors. Unfortunately no air-warrior survived the crash. On June 3, when the aircraft did not report at the destination, overdue actions were initiated. In coordination with the Indian Army, various government and civil agencies, IAF commenced extensive search operations under the direct supervision of Head Quarters Eastern Air Command. C-130J, AN-32, Mi-17 helicopters of IAF and ALH helicopters of Indian Army were launched immediately to locate the missing aircraft. Indian Navy P-8i aircraft joined the search operations on June 4. Resources from various agencies, including ISRO, were brought into the operation to enhance its effectiveness. CARTOSAT and RISAT satellites of ISRO also took images of the area, which assisted the search team in locating the aircraft. Thick vegetation, inhospitable terrain and inclement weather adversely affected the aerial search operation in the vast search zone. Despite the challenges posed by poor weather and terrain, IAF remained committed to the continued air and ground efforts throughout the day and night to locate the missing aircraft and its brave air-warriors. Extensive support towards rescue operation was provided by Indian Army, Indian Navy, Arunachal Pradesh government, state police and the locals. A Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident. Tributes poured in on social media for the brave warriors. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also to paid tribute to the air-warriors. In his tweet in Hindi, he also paid homage to Putali, one of the two non-combatants who died in the crash. "My heartfelt condolences to the air warriors of the IAF who lost their lives in the AN-32 crash and my tribute to Lucknow's Putali too...," he tweeted. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. Submit here CHENNAI: The team of students from Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) secured a spot in the top 21 finalists for one of the most anticipated contests in the world the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Challenge. Avishkar, a team from the Centre for Innovation at the institute, was selected from a pool of 1600 and is also the only Asian team to qualify for the 2019 edition of the challenge. Avishkar is now focusing on the final stage of the competition and will soon battle it out in the finals of challenge. The vessel designed and developed by them is said to be Indias first-ever self-propelled completely autonomous Hyperloop pod. What is Hyperloop? The concept of Hyperloop was proposed by a joint team of Tesla and SpaceX, founded by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk. It was conceived as the fifth mode of transportation, the first four being rail, road, water, and air. A high-speed train or pod will travel in a near vacuum tube. The reduced air resistance allows the capsule inside the tube to reach more than 1000km/hour speed. Musk first proposed the idea of Hyperloop in 2013 through the white paper - Hyperloop Alpha. His company SpaceX organizes the Hyperloop Pod Competition to accelerate the development of functional prototypes of pods and encourage student innovation. The finalists pods are required to travel at maximum speed within the vacuum tube. The team with the fastest pod is declared as the winner and gets an opportunity to interact with Elon Musk. One of the proposed Hyperloop stretches between Mumbai and Pune, which is expected to cut the travel time from the current 180 minutes to just 20 minutes. Maharashtra government is already working with British firm Virgin Hyperloop, conducting trials for the same parallel to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Avishkar's Hyperloop Pod Team Avishkar comprises of 30 students from various science and engineering backgrounds. The team had earlier applied in 2018 but failed to make it past the second round, said Suyash, the student-lead of Avishkar. Elaborating on the specifications of the pod, the team said, We came up with an electric motor called a Brushless DC which is small yet highly powerful and efficient. The battery connects to the motor directly without an inverter and there is no gearbox in the middle. We also tested the motor at higher than 15000 RPM. The chassis has a lightweight carbon fibre body, assisted by a high-power battery pack that weighs less than 20 kgs and provides over 900 AMP output power. The pod uses three battery packs one each for motor, sensor and emergency requirements. Explaining the technology behind the Avishkar's pod, IIT Madras Dean (Students) Sivakumar said, Currently, trains or buses or flights have frictional resistance and energy is wasted. Whereas magnetic levitation is to prevent friction from the ground and the vacuum tube eliminates air drag and friction. So effectively it is a train within a vacuum pipe and the train runs a few inches above the track without making contact and almost eliminating friction. Our students are ready and they are running tests on the model and we are sure that the hard work will pay off, he added. According to Professor Satya Chakravarthy, Aerospace Department, Our students will be going to California and as a part of the competition, the pod will be run on a mile-long test track. Once this technology is successful, it could be scaled up to 15 meters almost the size of a bus. The team is also testing our pod at a 30-meter long test track here at the campus. After completing more rounds of tests and checks, the team will fly to California and battle it out with 20 other finalists from across the globe on July 21. See the list below: The road ahead The team says that once the technology is proven, it could be used as a revolutionary mode of transport. With the adequate investment and infrastructure, it could enable travel between Chennai and Bangalore a distance of around 500 kms in less than 30 minutes. Although we have developed the pod, we will also need to master the vacuum tube technology to completely indigenize it, said the team. Avishkar's work has managed to garner the Centre's attention which sought additional project-related information. The most basic challenge is the designing itself, as Hyperloop is very new and we dont have existing material to refer to. So we had to come up with ideas and concepts and then seek approval from the professors before going further. But we have done several tests on the prototype and are sure that we can achieve great speeds at the competition, said Pranit Mehta Head, marketing and sponsorship team. Speaking at the unveiling event of the Hyperloop Pod, Sivakumar added, We need to thank Elon Musk for making the challenge open to all and our students have taken up the challenge. India has registered a strong protest at the refusal of the Pakistan government to grant a visa to a group of 87 pilgrims who wanted to visit the neighbouring country to observe the death anniversary of fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev on June 7, official sources told Zee News on Friday. As per the Sikh religion, the event is also called Shahidi Jor Mela of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The visa for the pilgrims was sought under a 1974 bilateral protocol on a visit to religious shrines. Live TV The pilgrims, who were denied a visa, were part of the official jatha (group), the sources said, adding that restrictive visa was granted to a private group of Indian pilgrims. The MEA has registered its strong protest at Pakistan government's refusal to grant visa for official jatha comprising 87 pilgrims on the occasion of Shahidi Jor Mela - Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji's Martyrdom Day on 7 June 2019, the sources said. The MEA had earlier requested visas for the pilgrims. The ministry expressed its concern at the disregard shown by the High Commission of Pakistan on the religious sentiments and devotion of the Indian pilgrims especially by Pakistan unilaterally granting restrictive visa (by rail only) to a private group of Indian pilgrims. The MEA has called upon Pakistan to immediately grant visa without any restriction. NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) announced a nationwide strike on Monday (June 17) to express solidarity with doctors agitating against the Kolkata assault. The association also launched a three-day pan-India protest, beginning Friday. All non-essential health services will be withdrawn on June 17, said the IMA at a press conference on Friday. All non-essential services including OPDs (Out Patient Departments) will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am while emergency and causality services will continue to function, reported news agency PTI. A total of 175 doctors from the Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital (IPGMER SSKM Hospital) in West Bengal have resigned citing inaction by the administration against their grievances. Live TV Doctors across the country decided to continue their protest on Saturday and Sunday as well, which includes wearing black badges, holding dharnas and peace marches. Past few days have seen violence on doctors and hospitals in many states. The gruesome incident in NRS Medical College, Kolkata is of barbaric nature. Dr Paribaha Mukharjee who was brutally attacked is critical and fighting for his life. IMA condemns the violence perpetrated on a young doctor. Entire medical fraternity expresses our solidarity with the Residents who are on strike, the IMA said in a previous statement. Meanwhile, a PIL was filed by Kunal Saha of People for Better Treatment in the Calcutta High Court on Friday seeking the court's intervention to declare the stir as ''illegal''. The PIL sought that the doctors' ongoing strike be declared illegal and also asked for details of steps taken by the West Bengal government on the safety of doctors and to end their agitation. Responding to the PIL, the High Court gave seven days to the Mamata Banerjee government to respond to it. Doctors in Kolkata have been protesting after a junior doctor was attacked and critically injured by a mob over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. The protest was soon joined doctors from across the country. Healthcare services at private and government hospitals suffered in several states including Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, as thousands of doctors went on the day-long strike, demanding justice for their colleagues. The Indian Medical Association has declared Friday as "All India Protest Day" against the assault on junior doctors in Kolkata. The IMA said that safety and security in hospitals is a matter of concern and needs to be immediately addressed. The association has been demanding a central law against hospital violence and has declared a zero-tolerance policy against violence on doctors and healthcare establishments. The JEE Result 2019 of the JEE Advanced examination 2019 was declared on Friday by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee on its website jeeadv.ac.in. The IIT JEE Advanced Examination was the second round of test conducted after the JEE Main. A total number of 161,319 candidates appeared in both papers 1 and 2 in JEE (Advanced) 2019 out of which 38,705 candidates have qualified the examination. Live TV Of the total qualified candidates, 5,356 are females. The candidate who topped the list of female rankers is Shabnam Sahay of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, securing the 10th rank. Shabnam Sahay of Ahmedabad, Gujarat is the top-ranked female with Common Rank List (CRL) 10. She obtained 308 marks out of 372 marks. Shabnam also secured the first rank in the state in the JEE Advanced examination 2019. Her father is a Professor of IMM Ahmedabad and her mother is an architect. She scored 95 per cent in her Class 12 results. Shabnam used to study every day for eight hours. Shabnam gave credit for his success to her parents. The female candidate who secured the second among all the female candidates in the examination is Surapaneni Sai Vigna from Telangana's Madhapur with CRL 44. Vigna was followed by Tulip Pandey from Maharashtra's Mumbai with CRL 79, Ilindra Sai Lakshmi Shreya from Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada with CRL 156, and Palti Ramyasri from Telangana's Madhapur with CRL 199 The examination of JEE Advance is for the admission into 23 IIT institutes across the country. Kartikeya Gupta from Maharashtra's Ballarpur was declared the All India Topper by scoring 346 out of 372 marks in JEE Advanced exam 2019. Kartikeya's father Chandresh Gupta is employed as general manager in the paper industry, while his mother Poonam is a housemaker. This year, Kartikeya cleared the Class 12th board exam with 93.7 per cent marks. After the declaration of the JEE Advanced result, Kartikeya said that though he was confident of getting computer science at IIT Mumbai, he wasn't very sure of getting the All India number one rank in the prestigious exam. He used to study for six to seven hours daily besides attending his classes regularly. Giving a piece of advice to future aspirants, Kartikeya said that they should first learn to enjoy their subjects. He also laid emphasis on the daily revision of the course covered by the teachers in the class and clearing all doubts. Along with studies, he said that it is important to relax the mind. He kept himself away from social media, which he termed a big distraction from studies and used an ordinary phone. While Himanshu Singh of Allahabad secured the second position, Archit Bubna of New Delhi got the third rank in the prestigious exam. Around 10 AM on Friday, the IIT Roorkee had released the result for the JEE Advanced 2019 exam, which was conducted on May 27, 2019. The JEE Advanced 2019 was held on May 27, 2019. The date of the exam had to be postponed from May 19 due to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Those who appeared for the exam also received a text message on their registered mobile number once the JEE Advanced 2019 results are declared. Bengaluru: Seven people have been arrested in connection with a case where a woman was allegedly tied to a pole in Kodigehalli for not repaying a loan, police said on Thursday. The matter came to the fore after a video of the incident went viral. In the video, a woman is seen tied up to a pole and some men are standing around her. People can be heard saying "beat her with slippers and brooms". #WATCH A woman was tied to a pole in Kodigehalli, Bengaluru, yesterday, allegedly for not repaying a loan she took. Police have arrested 7 people in connection with the incident. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/jpwX3Cr0Gu ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 The 36-year-old woman, Rajamani, hails from Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district runs a small hotel here and a chit fund business. She owed Rs 50,000 to some people who were allegedly forced her to return the money. Kolkata: Healthcare services at private and government hospitals are likely to be affected on Friday with lakhs of doctors across the country deciding to boycott work for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in West Bengal. Striking junior doctors across West Bengal had on Thursday refused to end their stir till their demands for security in government hospitals are met. The agitating doctors also defied a deadline set by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who came down heavily on the protesters alleging that opposition BJP and CPI(M) were provoking them and giving communal colour to the issue. Emergency wards, outdoor facilities, pathological units of many state-run medical colleges and hospitals and a number of private medical facilities in the state remained closed for the third day due to the strike by the doctors who are protesting after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured at the NRS Medical College and Hospital here by a mob following the death of a patient. Meanwhile, the India Medical Association also declared "All India Protest Day" on Friday against the incident and expressed solidarity with the striking doctors. Live TV The Opposition attacked Banerjee over the impasse, with the BJP accusing her of acting like "Hitler". On Thursday, there was high drama as the Chief Minister reached the state-run SSKM hospital at around noon amid slogans of "we want justice" by the doctors. "I condemn the agitation. The junior doctors' strike is a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP," Banerjee, who also holds the health and family welfare portfolio, said and directed the police to clear the premises and only allow patients to stay. She gave the doctors a four-hour deadline to rejoin service but later revised it to 2 PM. Warning of strict action against those who do not resume work, she said they will have to vacate hostels. Despite Banerjee's ultimatum, the agitating doctors continued their stir. A joint platform of doctors also met Governor KN Tripathi, who appealed them to resume duties. "We will continue with our agitation till our demands are fulfilled. Our demands are simple... Proper security with armed policemen at all hospitals, arrest of culprits involved in the NRS attack on Saturday under non-bailable sections. We did not expect the CM to say what she did," a member of the delegation said. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief, however, alleged that outsiders had entered medical colleges and hospitals to create disturbances. "The BJP, with help from the CPI(M), is indulging in Hindu-Muslim politics. I am shocked to see their love affair," Banerjee said adding, "BJP chief Amit Shah is encouraging his party cadre to create communal tension and run propaganda on Facebook." The TMC and the BJP are locked in a bitter turf war in West Bengal, which has been rocked by post-poll violence, with Banerjee accusing the saffron party of trying to foment trouble in the state to topple her government. The BJP has claimed that Banerjee is targeting it as she is rattled by its major gains in Lok Sabha elections. In a Facebook post, the CM highlighted the plight of patients in hospitals due to the ongoing strike and claimed the government was cooperating with doctors. She described the injuries sustained by the two junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital as "unfortunate". Five persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, Banerjee said, adding that an inquiry has also been ordered to look into the complaint of negligence during treatment, resulting in the death of the patient. "Cancer patients, kidney patients, accident victims, even children coming from distant places are suffering for not getting treatment," she said. Banerjee also wrote to senior doctors of all medical colleges and hospitals in the state and requested them to continue taking care of patients. The opposition parties slammed the CM for her alleged "threats" to agitating doctors and sought her immediate resignation as the Health Minister. BJP leader Mukul Roy alleged Banerjee has become authoritarian and is behaving like "Hitler". Accusing the TMC supremo of politicizing the issue, CPI (M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said ''Banerjee does not seem interested in ending the impasse.'' State Congress president Somen Mitra also criticised the CM and said the state government should take appropriate measure to ensure safety and security of doctors. There were reports claiming that over half a dozen doctors at the state-run College of Medicine & Sagar Dutta Hospital in Kamarhati area of North 24 Pargana district resigned in support of the ongoing protests by junior doctors across West Bengal but there was no official confirmation. "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is overseeing the entire situation. I have no information about the reports of the resignation of doctors," said Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State for Health. A Raj Bhawan statement said the Governor has appealed to doctors to resume their duties in the interest of the patients. The doctors' stir had an echo in Delhi too. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan condemned the violence against doctors in Kolkata and urged patients and their attendants to exercise restraint. He said he will take up the matter of doctors' security with all chief ministers and asked the doctors to ensure that essential services to the people are not disrupted. Meanwhile, several resident doctors at the AIIMS in national capital worked with bandages on their heads as a symbolic protest and decided to boycott work on Friday. (With PTI inputs) KOLKATA: As thousands of doctors continued with their day-long strike across the country, a PIL was filed in the Calcutta High Court on Friday seeking the court's intervention to declare the stir as ''illegal''. The PIL was filed by Kunal Saha of People for Better Treatment. The PIL sought that the doctors' ongoing strike be declared illegal and also asked for details of steps taken by the West Bengal government on the safety of doctors and to end their agitation. Calcutta High Court on PIL of Kunal Saha of People for Better Treatment who seeks that the doctors' strike be declared illegal, sought details of what steps had been taken by West Bengal on attack on doctors & doctors' strike, by next Friday. Next hearing to take place next week. ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 Responding to the PIL, the High Court gave 7 days time to the Mamata Banerjee government to respond to it. The order was passed by the division bench of the Calcutta High Court headed by Chief Justice TV Subramanium. Earlier, taking note of the ongoing day-long strike by thousands of doctors across the country over violence against their colleagues in Kolkata, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this ''a prestige issue.'' Live TV The Health Minister, who met a delegation of doctors from AIIMS and other top hospitals, reaffirmed that the Central government is committed to providing better working conditions and security to the doctors. Delhi: Resident Doctors Association of AIIMS meets Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/wuCfEpXhpv ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 "I appeal with folded hands to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to not make this an issue of prestige. Despite getting beaten so badly, doctors only asked her to provide them adequate security and take action against all those behind this as per the law. But, she didn't do this and gave an ultimatum to the doctors after which doctors of West Bengal and across the country got angry and went on strike. If the Chief Minister changes her attitude, then patients will not suffer across India," the Union Health Minister said. Dr Harsh Vardhan further stated that he will write a letter to Mamata Banerjee in this regard and try to end the impasse at the earliest. ''I will also try to talk to her. I would like to assure all doctors that the government is committed to ensuring their safety,'' he said. Dr Harsh Vardhan also made an appeal to the doctors to hold symbolic protests only and continue to carry out their duties. The Union Minister said that he will also write a letter to all Chief Ministers and state Health Ministers regarding the safety of doctors in hospitals. It may be noted that Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP and the CPM of ''engineering the doctors' strike'' and playing "Hindu-Muslim politics". Doctors in Kolkata have been on strike after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Soon after, the protest was joined by various government and private medical institutions across India. Karnataka: Doctors hold protest in Bengaluru over violence against doctors in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/NWdQrK6Dr0 ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2019 On Friday, healthcare services at private and government hospitals were badly hit in several states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, as thousands of doctors went on strike for a day to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues who were attacked by a mob in Kolkata. According to reports, hundreds of doctors in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur Thiruvananthapuram, Raipur, Patna and Punjab and other cities staged protests on Friday. Doctors at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) were seen wearing helmets and bandages as they attended to patients. Hundreds of patients in the national capital faced difficulties as Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of AIIMS supported the day-long strike over violence against doctors in West Bengal. Besides, resident doctors in several government hospitals in Kerala and Hyderabad also staged protests as they started their `cease work` demonstrations in respective cities. Similar protests were also being held in Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur by MARD members who are demanding adequate protection for their counterparts in West Bengal. Meanwhile, the principal and the superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where the assault on two doctors took place on Monday night, resigned late on Thursday. Five more doctors from the forensic medicine department also resigned. A total of 7 doctors at the NRS resigned. At Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital in North 24 Parganas, at least 18 doctors resigned. 16 doctors from RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata also resigned in protest against the incident on Friday. The mass resignation of doctors is expected to continue on Friday over the Kolkata hospital incident. The Indian Medical Association has declared Friday as "All India Protest Day" against the assault on junior doctors in Kolkata. (With Agency inputs) Bishkek: On the second day of his visit to Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India and Kyrgyzstan have prepared a five-year plan to increase the bilateral trade and expand trade relationship. India is a big market, besides our youth entrepreneurs will play a role in enlarging the 5 trillion business, said the PM while urging the business communities from both countries to explore the untapped potential in various fields. PM Modi and Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyz Business Forum on Friday. PM @narendramodi and #Kyrgyz President jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyz Business Forum in Bishkek. Prime Minister's full remarks are at https://t.co/kVHNlFqDow pic.twitter.com/FQQ62JFV9X Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 14, 2019 He added that India and Kyrgyzstan have given the final shape to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the bilateral investment treaty, which would help in creating a proper atmosphere for trade. Referring to common cultural factors with Kyrgyzstan, the PM said, We have so many common words in our language." The bilateral treaty is likely to increase the flow of investment between India and Kyrgyzstan and provide protection to investors from the two nations making investments in both the countries. He said Kyrgyzstan provides good opportunities for Indian businessmen in the field of textiles, railways, hydropower, mining and mineral explorations. The Prime Minister was also given a ceremonial red-carpet welcome at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace in Bishkek. Red carpet welcome As the bilateral visit begins, PM @narendramodi was extended a ceremonial welcome by the #Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov at the Ala Archa Presidential Palace in #Bishkek. pic.twitter.com/YgaFXUoPNp Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 14, 2019 Earlier on Friday, the PM reiterated India's strong stand against terrorism and appealed that countries supporting, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek. PM Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism even as Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan looked on. India also talked about connectivity projects such as Chabahar port and air-corridor connecting Kabul and Kandahar to New Delhi and Mumbai, adding that such connectivity projects should be "transparent", "inclusive" and respect the "territorial integrity" of countries. Bishkek: Reiterating India's strong stand against terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday appealed that countries supporting, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable during his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. PM Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism even as Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan looked on. PM @narendramodi speaking at the #SCOSummit2019 highlighted the spirit and ideals of SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism. pic.twitter.com/MKb02FXRTO Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 14, 2019 Without naming Pakistan, a country that has made state-sponsored terrorism its biggest policy to counter India for the last several decades, PM Modi said every country needs to come together, unite and fight against the scourge. He also mentioned his recent visit to Sri Lanka and the St Anthony church in Colombo where several people were killed in bomb blasts on April 21, 2019. Live TV The Prime Minister also spoke about the Indian connectivity projects and highlighted that such schemes should respect the sovereignty and be transparent. "Our visions is to encourage healthy cooperation," said PM Modi. While calling for peace in Afghanistan, he said that it is very important for the development of the country which has been ravaged by war and civil strife for the last four decades. Prime Minister Modi will meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Friday, amid mounting tension in the Persian Gulf. The meeting will be held against the backdrop of the US sanctions on Iran as well as Tehran`s partial withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). The US recently announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued to existing importers of Iranian oil, including India. The issue had come up during a meeting between former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during the latter's visit to India last month. After the meeting, Swaraj had said that a decision on buying oil from Iran will be taken after the general elections. PM Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani here on Thursday. Bishkek: On Day 1 of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top political leaders, including the Presidents of China, Russia and Afghanistan, during which they vowed to work together to improve the economic and cultural ties. PM Modi had an "extremely fruitful" meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during which they discussed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and the two countries agreed to work together for peace and stability in the region. The Xi-Modi meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit was their first interaction after PM Modi's re-election following the stunning victory of the BJP in the general elections last month. The meeting came a month after a UN Security Council committee designated Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist after China lifted its technical hold on the proposal to blacklist him. On Day of the SCO Summit, PM Modi will meet Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Here's PM Modi's programme in Bishkek 14th June: -10.00 hrs - Arrive at Ala Archa Presidential Palace, Bishkek -Meeting with President Kassym-Jormart of Kazakhstan -Joint Photograph of HoGs of SCO Member States -10.00 hrs (IST) - Restricted format meeting -Meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus & President Khaltmaagiin Battulga of Mongolia -11.30 hrs - Extended format meeting -Signing of Documents -Group Photograph of HoS/HoGs of SCO members and the Obersver States -15.25 hrs - Bilateral meeting with President Dr Hassan Rouhani of Iran -16.00 hrs - Joint inauguration of India-Kyrgyz Business Forum -17.30 hrs - Ceremonial Welcome at Ala Archa Presidential Palace -17.40 hrs- Restricted meeting with President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of Kyrgystan 19.00 hrs - Delegation level talks -19.20 hrs- Signing/Exchange of Agreements -20.00 hrs - Press Statements -21.30 hrs- Emplane for Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the global security situation, terrorism, multilateral economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and topical issues of international and regional importance at the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) annual summit in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek. On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. He also met Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on Friday. Live TV Reiterating India's strong stand against terrorism, PM Modi appealed that countries aiding terrorism must be held accountable during his address at the summit. Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi said every country needs to come together, unite and fight against the scourge. India also talked about connectivity projects such as Chabahar port and air-corridor connecting Kabul and Kandahar to New Delhi and Mumbai, adding that such connectivity projects should be "transparent", "inclusive" and respect the "territorial integrity" of countries. While calling for peace in Afghanistan, he said that it is very important for the development of the country which has been ravaged by war and civil strife for the last four decades. PM Modi also said that India and Kyrgyzstan have prepared a five-year plan to increase the bilateral trade and expand trade relationship. India is a big market, besides our youth entrepreneurs will play a role in enlarging the 5 trillion business, said the PM while urging the business communities from both countries to explore the untapped potential in various fields. PM Modi and Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyz Business Forum on Friday. He added that India and Kyrgyzstan have given the final shape to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the bilateral investment treaty, which would help in creating a proper atmosphere for trade. Referring to common cultural factors with Kyrgyzstan, the PM said, We have so many common words in our language." The bilateral treaty is likely to increase the flow of investment between India and Kyrgyzstan and provide protection to investors from the two nations making investments in both the countries. He said Kyrgyzstan provides good opportunities for Indian businessmen in the field of textiles, railways, hydropower, mining and mineral explorations. PM Modi also exchanged usual pleasantries with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in the Leaders' Lounge at the venue of the summit. However, the Minister of External Affairs dismissed all reports of a meeting between them. Pakistan has also denied reports of any such meet between the two leaders. Some are commenting on social media that a meeting took place. Even Pakistan is not claiming a meeting took place. Let me once again reiterate that no meeting took place. No pull aside. Only exchange of usual pleasantries in the Leaders' Lounge where other leaders also present. Request not to twist facts, said the MEA in a statement. Denying reports of meeting between PM Modi and Khan, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also said, There was no structured meeting decided but yes, there was a meeting, pleasantries were exchanged. They shook hands. This happened today when leaders were gathering at the Holding Room. Cannot say who initiated this as I was not present there. He (Imran Khan) congratulated him (PM Modi) on his win, he defeated a very well entrenched political party, family in India in elections, added Qureshi. PM Modi left for India after the conclusion of the summit. "Thank You Bishkek. After a successful visit to Kyrgyzstan, PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted as Modi left for New Delhi. The prime minister arrived at Bishkek on Thursday for the summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election. The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017. Lucknow: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Ayodhya with 18 newly elected party MPs Sunday, making a fresh pitch for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site there. Thackeray will offer prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple at the site. This will be Thackeray's first visit to Ayodhya after the Lok Sabha results last month. Live TV He had visited Ayodhya in November last year. The Shiv Sena had earlier announced that Thackeray and the newly elected MPs would visit Ayodhya before the beginning of the Parliament session on Monday. However, the party's state unit chief Anil Singh said the visit should not been seen from the electoral lens and it was "a matter of devotion and faith". Maharashtra will be going to the polls later in the year. When asked about the purpose of the visit, Singh said, "Before the Lok Sabha elections, Uddhavji went to a number of religious places for darshan. Now, after the party performed well in the polls and is a part of the NDA government, he is going there to offer prayers." Singh termed Thackeray's proposed visit as "thanksgiving to Lord Ram" for the party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections and to affirm its "commitment" for a Ram temple in Ayodhya". "The newly elected Shiv Sena MPs will be reaching Ayodhya Saturday while party chief Uddhav Thackeray is likely to be there the next day," Anil Singh told PTI here Friday. A party statement said Thackeray will offer prayers to Ram Lalla Sunday, a day before the Parliament session begins. Ahead of Thackeray's proposed visit to Ayodhya, senior party leader Sanjay Raut had met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on June 10. After meeting Adityanath, Raut had tweeted, "Met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today regarding the proposed Ayodhya yatra of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. The talks were held in a positive atmosphere and Yogiji welcomed the yatra of Uddhavji." The UP chief minister had visited Ayodhya last Friday to offer prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple. His visit, the first after the Lok Sabha election results, was seen as a move to reiterate support for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site. "It is everybody's wish that Ram Mandir must be constructed," he had said after unveiling a seven-foot Ram statue at a museum in the city. He also took part in the week-long celebrations to mark the birthday of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma was in Ayodhya Friday to participate in the concluding function. The Sena MPs' visit is also being seen as an attempt to put pressure on the BJP-led government at the Centre for the construction of a Ram temple. The title suit over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is being heard by the Supreme Court. Soon after the BJP got a second term in the Lok Sabha elections, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had flagged his organisation's insistence on the construction of the temple in Ayodhya. "Ram's work has to be done, and Ram's work will get done," Bhagwat had said in Udaipur in an apparent reference to it. Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani late on Thursday for a bilateral meet on the sidelines of the two-day SCO Summit. During the meeting, India assured the Afghans that it will fulfil all the expectations of Afghanistan and Kabul in the path of "legitimate govt chosen through the democratic path". During the bilateral that lasted for more than 30 minutes, PM Modi said neighbours can work together and gave the example of India Bangladesh ties. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement said, "the two sides exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan and role played by India towards an inclusive Afghanistan" Late night meeting between trusted friends. PM @narendramodi met with Afghan President @ashrafghani on sidelines of #SCOsummit in Bishkek. Shared perspectives on situation in Afghanistan, including the role played by India towards an inclusive peace process.@IndianEmbKabul pic.twitter.com/erpAmavEDy Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) June 13, 2019 Live TV The Afghan President shared his views on the current situation in his country and how both New Delhi and Kabul should see drugs and terror together since the former fuels the latter. He also shared his views on "sincerity of Pakistan" on action taken on terror group on its territory which has been a common cause of concern for both the countries. New Delhi has been Afghanistan's biggest backer in the region. India through its community development scheme since 2005 has supported over 550 projects throughout Afghanistan. Of these, around 345 projects have been completed while the remaining are in various stages of completion. India is the largest donor to Afghanistan in the region and since 2001 after the fall of Taliban undertaken projects and programmes over $2 billion. Dubai/Washington: The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new US-Iranian confrontation, but Tehran bluntly denied the allegation. It was not immediately clear what befell the Norwegian-owned Front Altair or the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which both experienced explosions, forcing crews to abandon ship and leave the vessels adrift in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran. One source said the blast on the Front Altair, which caught fire and sent a huge plume of smoke into the air, may have been caused by a magnetic mine. The firm that chartered the Kokuka Courageous tanker said it was hit by a suspected torpedo, but a person with knowledge of the matter said torpedoes were not used. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the United States had video showing Iran`s military removing what Washington believes was an unexploded limpet mine from the side of the Japanese tanker. Crude oil prices spiked more than 4% after the attacks near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping artery for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf energy producers. Prices later settled about 2% higher. Brent crude was down by 0.4% at $61.06 a barrel in early Asia trading. The United States, which has accused Iran or its proxies of carrying out a May 12 attack on four tankers off the United Arab Emirates` coast as well as May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations, squarely blamed Iran for Thursday`s attacks. "It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters. Pompeo did not provide explicit evidence to back up the U.S. assertion. "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication," Pompeo said. Iran "categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," the Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Thursday evening. It accused the United States and its regional allies, which include Iranian rival Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, of "warmongering." Iran called on "the international community to live up to its responsibilities in preventing the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the U.S. and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region." U.S. and European security officials as well as regional analysts cautioned against jumping to conclusions about who carried out the attacks, leaving open the possibility that Iranian proxies, or someone else entirely, might have been responsible. In London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK was taking the matter "extremely seriously" and that if Iran was involved, "it is a deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region." `SUSPICIOUS` Tensions between Iran and the United States have risen since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal last year between Iran and global powers that aimed to curb Tehran`s nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran has repeatedly warned it would block the Strait of Hormuz if it cannot sell its oil because of U.S. sanctions. Tensions have increased further since Trump acted at the beginning of May to force Iran`s oil customers to slash their imports to zero or face draconian U.S. financial sanctions. Iran`s oil exports have dropped to around 400,000 barrels per day in May from 2.5 million bpd in April last year. Also in May, the Trump administration said it would send more troops to the Middle East, citing what it saw as a threat of potential attack by Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the tanker explosions as "suspicious" on Twitter and called for regional dialogue. Tehran has denied responsibility for the May 12 attacks. The crews of both ships struck on Thursday were picked up safely. The Bahrain-based U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet said it had assisted the two tankers after receiving distress calls. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the Security Council on cooperation between the United Nations and the League of Arab States that the world could not afford "a major confrontation in the Gulf region". The Security Council discussed the attacks behind closed doors on Thursday at the request of the United States. Kuwaits U.N. ambassador, Mansour Al-Otaibi, president of the council for June, said after the meeting that all 15 council members had condemned the attacks. When asked if the United States had shown any evidence to support its accusation that Iran was responsible, Al-Otaibi told reporters: "We didnt discuss any evidence." Both Iran and the United States have said they want to avoid war. "Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday. U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Thursday evening that "we have no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community." Pompeo said U.S. policy remained making economic and diplomatic efforts to bring Iran back to negotiations on a broader deal. The Iranian U.N. mission`s statement said: "It is ironic that the U.S. who unlawfully withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action now calls Iran to come back to negotiations and diplomacy," using the formal name of the 2015 nuclear accord. In abandoning the deal, Trump made clear he wanted Iran to curb not merely its nuclear work but its development of missiles and support for proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Some regional analysts said they thought the attacks were likely to have been carried out by Iran and described them as a way for Tehran to try to acquire negotiating leverage and perhaps increase global pressure for U.S.-Iran talks. "There is always the possibility that somebody is trying to blame the Iranians," said Jon Alterman of Washington`s Centre for Strategic and International Studies. "But there is the greater likelihood that this represents an effort to bolster Iranian diplomacy by creating a perceived international urgency to have the United States and Iran talk," Alterman said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Tehran when Thursday`s attacks occurred, carrying a message for Iran from Trump. Abe, whose country was a big importer of Iranian oil until Trump ratcheted up sanctions, urged all sides not to let tensions increase. Iran said it would not respond to Trump`s overture, the substance of which was not made public. MUMBAI: The Mumbai Police have reportedly cracked the case of kidnapping of a five-day-old baby boy from the civic-run Nair Hospital in Central Mumbai on Thursday. According to reports, the police have arrested a middle-aged woman for allegedly stealing the baby boy from the hospital. The woman was identified and later arrested on the basis of the CCTV footage installed at the hospital. Live TV The incident came to light around 5.30 PM in ward number 7 of the hospital when the baby's mother, Shital Salvi (34) was sleeping, a police official told PTI. On waking up, she did not find her baby on the bed and immediately informed the hospital staff about it. When staffers checked the video footage of CCTVs installed in the hospital, they spotted a woman rushing out of the medical facility with a baby in her bag and they informed the police. A case was registered against the unidentified woman, aged around 40, under IPC Section 363 (kidnapping) by the Agripada Police, which launched a massive search for her. The woman was late arrested from a hospital in Mumbai's Santacruz locality and the baby boy was recovered from her. Mumbai: "Bharat" actress Katrina Kaif, who has been lauded for her evolution as an artiste, believes in being detached from the end result and to keep working on her craft to be better with every film. "If I am too attached to the end result, the focus is not on the process. If the focus is not on the process, the end result cannot be achieved. Of course, praises make me feel good and criticism pinches, but that law cannot be changed," said the actress. After last year's "Zero" in which Katrina's work was applauded, "Bharat" has elicited a positive word for her acting skills. Talking about the new phase of her career where she is doing the balancing act of keeping everyone -- audience and critics -- happy, Katrina said, "I have been hearing this for some time, especially during the promotion of 'Bharat'. "Thus, I went online and looked at the reviews of my initial days. I actually got some positive reviews for films like 'Namastey London', 'New York' and 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'. In between some films didn't do well, which made people start talking about that bad phase." Katrina, 35, was appreciated for the film "Sarkar" in 2005 and bagged awards for movies like "Raajneeti", "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", "Ek Tha Tiger", "Raajneeti" and "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara". "That's when I realised I have to continuously do well to maintain that good phase. Of course, there will be bad phases and that are only natural. There is no actor who can claim that all his/her films are doing well. It comes for everyone, we all have our highs and lows. "When we have lows, they stick for a while. When we have highs, they stick for a while too. In lows, I have to have the tough skin, introspect what am I doing, how to make it better. When the great phase comes, people acknowledge my performance. Then also I have to see what have I done right, without getting too attached to the end result." Varun Dhawan has managed to strike a right balance between commerce and art but the actor says he does not believe in making long-term plans about his career. Salman Khan had recently called Varun as the only actor from the current generation who can achieve superstardom. When asked about it, Varun said he has always looked up to Salman. "I want to take each day as it comes. For me, the next challenge is to try and excel in everything that I do. My whole idea is that take each day as it comes and to try and win that battle. "I don't want to try and make a five-year plan. There are certain directors I want to work with and god willing if they feel (I'm) worthy enough, I can showcase some other things as an actor," Varun told PTI in an interview here. The 32-year-old actor is currently looking forward to "Street Dancer 3D", which reunites him with his "ABCD 2" director Remo D'Souza. "We wanted to do 'ABCD 3' but then it took time. 'Street Dancer' is subconsciously that brand only it is about dance. It is India's biggest dance musical film. And it deals with a lot of teams. There are different teams in the film, I have my team, Shraddha Kapoor has her team, there are international teams as well. And then you see who will win at the end."\ The film will introduce a number of new faces, something that Varun believes is important. "In 'Street Dancer 3D' there will be 20 new dancers. My idea is to introduce new talent to every film. If you are a star, you have to take the onus of introducing new talent." The coming-of-age dance drama also stars Prabhudheva, Raghav Juyal, Dharmesh Yelande, Shakti Mohan, Punit Pathak, Nora Fatehi and others. Produced by Bhushan Kumar under T-Series, the film is slated to release on January 24 next year. New Delhi: Actor Kunal Kapoor-starrer psychological drama 'Noblemen' will release on June 28. Directed by Vandana Kataria, "Noblemen", backed by Yoodlee Films, talks about the struggles of adolescent years and deals with the pertinent theme of bullying, which is rampant in high schools. "We are committed to making films that are relevant to our social fabric, that engage audiences, and yet entertain at the same time. With Vandana behind the camera and a stellar cast in front of it, 'Noblemen' has been an exciting journey and we hope audiences enjoy it as much," Siddharth Anand Kumar, Vice President - Films and Television Saregama India, and producer at Yoodlee Films, said in a statement. Kunal essays the role of a charismatic drama teacher in a prestigious boarding school. He uses unique and unconventional ways of teaching theatre to his students. The film also stars Soni Razdan and Ali Haji. The makers of the film on Friday unveiled its poster in which Kunal looks intense, while his student Shay's reflection can be seen in water. The dystopian world of Deepa Mehta's 'Leila' is not a subliminal, but a blunt reminder of the world that could be in reality. An acclaimed filmmaker, whose brand of cinema has been fearless in confronting the harsh truths of the society, says showcasing reality is merely cautionary and not meant to be scary. 'Leila', adapted from Prayaag Akbar`s eponymous novel, is a dark and ominous tale set in the fictional world of Aryavarta, where a leader`s motto delves on 'peace by segregation' and where clean water and air become luxury. It`s a world where there`s suffering, totalitarian rules of engagement and an obsession with 'purity'. To many, it may seem a world that doesn`t seem far from the near future. Mehta, the creative executive producer and one of the three directors behind the series, says most dystopian films she has seen recently are extremely real. "Whether it`s the `Blade Runner`, `The Handmaid`s Tale` or it is the world of `Leila`... they are all very real. Every dystopian film that is based on a book, a part of it is actually set in the present. Otherwise it wouldn`t be relevant to anybody," the Indo-Canadian director told IANS in an interview. Heaps of garbage, toxic air, lack of water, religious divide... there`s a lot more that the show touches upon, apart from having a mother`s search for her daughter, at the core of the story. It seems a tad scary. But Mehta dismissed it. "I didn`t think it was scary at all... I thought it was brilliant. I have never felt that I was doing something scary. I think reality is never scary... it is cautionary, but not scary. I think if we are not admitting where we are -- whether it is the environment, whether it is the lack of water, whether it`s the pollution or whether it`s the inequality, that`s scary," said the maker of the widely known Elements trilogy comprising `Fire`, `Earth` and `Water`. The trailer of her latest work, which released on Netflix across 190 countries on Friday, had elicited negative reactions from a section of social media users who anticipated that `Leila` would propagate "Hinduphobia". Mehta`s defense: "Pehle show toh dekho, phir baat karte hain (first watch the show, then we will talk). Then we can say... is it about climate, is it about authoritarian rule, about totalitarian rule, about water, the lack of water...what can happen, what can`t happen. To reduce it to one narrow way parochial way is I think doing the show a disservice. It`s much more than that." What is especially striking about "Leila" is that it says what it intends to explicitly and uninhibitedly through a narrative adapted by Urmi Juvekar, visually well-woven by Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar, and brought alive by a stellar cast led by Huma Qureshi with Siddharth, Rahul Khanna, Seema Biswas, Akash Khurana, Sanjay Suri and Arif Zakaria playing pivotal roles. Of its not-so-subliminal feel, Mehta explained: "The show is based on Prayaag Akbar`s book, and we got very lucky that someone gave us the drawings or the foundation of a house and said, `now build your house`. As a director, I became the architect. "The foundation is laid on solid ground, and the question was now how am I going to embellish this house... I am going to get Huma there, and I am going to make this happen together. A film is a collaborative effort. I can`t take all the credit. But I have to say that I have worked in India after a long time, and to see the level of performances... we always had great talent, but the use of technology and the quality of scripts, it has been really wonderful." "Woh dekh ke mazza aata hai (it`s fun to see that)," she said in her truly desi accent. New Delhi: Small and marginal farmers will have to contribute Rs 100 per month under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana that aims to provide minimum fixed monthly pension of Rs 3,000 on attainment of 60 years, according to the government. The beneficiary can opt to become member of the scheme by subscribing to a pension fund. The beneficiary would be required to contribute Rs. 100 per month at median entry age of 29 years. The Central government shall also contribute to the Pension Fund in equal amount. Contribution shall be made to a Pension Fund managed by the LIC which will be responsible for the pension pay out. Under the scheme farmers can also opt to allow contribution to be made directly from the benefits drawn from the PM-KISAN scheme. There will be an online grievance redressal system for complete transparency. Under this scheme a minimum fixed pension of Rs 3000 per month will be provided to the eligible small and marginal farmers subject to certain exclusion causes on attaining the age of 60 years. The scheme aims to cover around 5 crore beneficiaries in the first three years. It will be a voluntary and contributory pension scheme with entry age of 18 to 40 years. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar chaired a meeting with Agriculture Ministers of all States/UTs via Video Conference on Thursday and discussed the implementation of three key schemes of Government of India namely Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna (PM-Kisan), Pension Scheme for Small and Marginal Farmers and Kisan Credit Card Campaign. Tomar has urged all States/UTs to expedite the process of enrolment of all eligible farmer families/ beneficiaries in a time bound manner so that the benefit under PM-KISAN for the period from April to July, 2019 can be transferred directly to their bank accounts. The Minister also informed all States/UTs regarding rolling out of Pension Scheme for Farmers belonging to the age group of 18-40 years. He also requested all States/ UTs to create awareness about the Pension Scheme. As more and more Americans question the practices of tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, the topic of censorship on social media and in search results continues to be a hotly debated topic.Do these companies essentially act as publishers and, if so, should they be regulated as such? Should the government make efforts to break up the tech giants? These questions and more need answering as the public grapples with the reality that Big Tech is gaining more control over what we see, hear, and read while surfing the Internet.Now, more fuel has been added to the fire as the controversial conservative investigative outlet Project Veritas has released leaked documents which show Pinterest blocking links of alternative media websites and search terms related to Christianity and abortion. The apparent blacklist is part of a porn domain block list designed to keep the social media platform free of sexually explicit content. Veritas published the internal documents and reportedly interviewed a company insider who claimed Pinterest directly and indirectly censors content related to pro-life and Christian themes, as well as alternative health sites, and several independent news websites known for challenging the U.S. government narrative on a range of topics, including the War on Terror. These sites include ZeroHedge, The Anti-Media, NewsWars (operated by Alex Jones Infowars), The PedoGate, Tracking Vaccinations, and Organic Healthy Tips.Other documents leaked to Project Veritas include a large text file titled Sensitive Terms List containing search terms that Pinterest considers sensitive. A user searching one of these sensitive terms will received modified search results per Pinterest internal policy. The documents note that search terms are assigned an abusive, sensitive, and brand unsafe value. Pinterest employees have the option to either block auto-complete results in the search bar, show the user a warning, or remove the term from recommended or trending feeds. The so-called Sensitive Terms List reveals that Christianity-related terms like christian easter and bible verses were marked as brand unsafe.This is not the first time Pinterest made the news for censoring certain material. In February, the platform also blocked searches related to anti-vaccination material.However, the company is not alone in their efforts to remove unpopular opinions and alternative media from their platforms. One day after Project Veritas report, the Daily Caller reported that a whistleblower within Google leaked screenshots of two apparent blacklists of websites which are being scrubbed from the search engines results. The Daily Caller reviewed documents and found that employees are instructed to add the line # REMOVE url to ensure that a fringe website is removed from Googles featured snippets search results. The featured snippets feature is responsible for finishing users sentences when they type questions into Googles search box. The document suggests that the removal of certain websites from featured snippets is being conducted manually by a human employee rather than the result of a mistake by an algorithm or artificial intelligence.The Caller also reports that a second blacklist, called all_fringe_domains, is designed to block websites labeled fringe. Some of the websites being blocked include the American Spectator, Breitbart, Breaking911, the website of pastor Brian Jones, the website of Bring Your Bible to School Day, Consortium News (published by Robert Parry), St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church, speakerryan.com, The Franklin Society (a cryptocurrency blog), Free Thought Project, The Gateway Pundit, and The Gorka Briefing.The leaked documents reported on by the Daily Caller and Project Veritas raise a number of questions regarding how much control and influence the Big Tech giants have over public discourse. Even more worrisome is the fact that websites like the Free Thought Project, the Anti-Media, and ZeroHedge have been facing waves of censorship for over a year, with both the Anti-Media and the Free Thought Project being purged from Facebook in October 2018.By Derrick Broze | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.comvia New Delhi: The government has decided to reduce the rate of contribution under the ESI Act from 6.5 percent to 4 percent wth employers contribution being reduced from 4.75 to 3.25 percent and that of employees from 1.75 to 0.75 percent effective from July 01. The reduction in rates will benefit 3.6 crore employees and 12.85 lakh employers, an official release said. The reduced rate of contribution will bring about a substantial relief to workers and it will facilitate further enrollment of workers under the ESI scheme and bring more and more workforce into the formal sector. Similarly, reduction in the share of contribution of employers will reduce the financial liability of the establishments leading to improved viability of these establishments. This shall also lead to enhanced Ease of Doing Business. It is also expected that reduction in rate of ESI contribution shall lead to improved compliance oflaw, the release said. The Employees State Insurance Act 1948 (the ESI Act) provides for medical, cash, maternity, disability and dependent benefits to the Insured Persons under the Act. The ESI Act is administered by Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Benefits provided under the ESI Act are funded by the contributions made by the employers and the employees. Under the ESI Act, employers and employees both contribute their shares respectively. The Government of India through Ministry of Labour and Employment decides the rate of contribution under the ESI Act. Presently, the rate of contribution is fixed at 6.5 percent of the wages with employers share being 4.75 percent and employees share being 1.75 percent. This rate is in vogue since01.01.1997. The Government of India in its pursuit of expanding the Social Security Coverage to more and more people started a programme of special registration of employers and employees from December, 2016 to June, 2017 and also decided to extend the coverage of the scheme to all the districts in the country in a phased manner. MUMBAI: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao Friday met Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis at his Mumbai residence and invited him for the inauguration of Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project. The two leaders also held talks on water and agrarian crisis. TRS Party later shared images from the meeting and tweeted, Chief Minister Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao met Maharashtra Chief Minister Sri Devendra Fadnavis @Dev_Fadnavis in Mumbai today and invited to the inauguration of the #Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. #KaleshwaramProject Chief Minister Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao met Maharashtra Chief Minister Sri Devendra Fadnavis @Dev_Fadnavis in Mumbai today and invited to the inauguration of the #Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.#KaleshwaramProject pic.twitter.com/VneSSMJgTi TRS Party (@trspartyonline) June 14, 2019 Thanking Rao, Fadnavis also took to Twitter and wrote, Thank you for your kind words CM KCR ji ! It is our commitment and duty to work with positive approach for the cause of water and farmers ! @TelanganaCMO Thank you for your kind words CM KCR ji ! It is our commitment and duty to work with positive approach for the cause of water and farmers ! @TelanganaCMO pic.twitter.com/TgddepdmzJ Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) June 14, 2019 The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is on the verge of completion and is designed to irrigate 4.5 million acres in drought-prone areas of Telangana, said a statement Rao's office. The project will be inaugurated on June 21 at 10.30 am at Medigadda village, Jayashanker Bhoopalapally District. I would like to extend my personal invitation to you to be the Chief Guest at the inaugural function, which will be very appropriate as a symbol of active interstate cooperation, said Rao. New Delhi: In the backdrop of fraud and cheating cases involving builders, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday held a meeting with them along with all the three authorities` officials on his review visit to Gautam Buddh Nagar. The Chief Minister is learnt to have told the builders to fulfil the promises made by them or be ready to face the music. Adityanath was in Greater Noida to review the performance of the three local wings -- Noida Authority, Greater Noida Authority and Yamuna Expressway Authority. Around 20 big defaulter-builders were present in the meeting, who have been asked to clear their debts and complete their projects. No representative from Uttar Pradesh RERA was invited to the meeting. According to a senior official who was present in the meeting, the CM emphasized that struggling home buyers should get their flats as soon as possible. "He has given a final warning to the builders who have either fooled or are unable to fulfil their promises to the buyers or haven`t cleared the debts of the authority. If the builder fail to do so, they would have to face action. While the three authorities will keep a check on the work," the official said. On Thursday, Manpreet Singh Chaddha alias Monty Chadda, son of liquor baron Ponty Chaddha who was killed in 2012, was arrested by the Delhi police in a cheating case over allegations of duping the investors of over Rs 100 crore in a real estate project at NH24. Noida and Greater Noida have become a hub of angry homebuyers as over 94 projects are stuck for the past 8 years and the buyers have paid as much as 80/95 per cent money to the builders. The CM also discussed the traffic, development, industrial issues in the meeting. "The officials of the three authorities were told to prepare projects related to infrastructure, beautification of the city, traffic, garbage disposal. They were told to submit a road plan to the CM," the official added. KOLKATA: A junior doctor, sitting on protest outside Kolkata's National Medical College and Hospital, was attacked on Friday evening. Abhishek Sahoo, a fourth-year resident doctor, was protesting with his colleagues out the Emergency Ward department when a group of people gathered outside the college gate. They pelted stones and bricks on the protestors and ran away from the scene, said sources. Live TV Following the incident, doctors posted in National Medical College and Hospital's Emergency Ward have stopped working, shared another medical practitioner on Facebook. The situation continued to remain tense in the area. Two junior doctors were attacked and critically injured by a mob over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Junior doctors across West Bengal have been on strike since then, demanding better security at workplaces. The protest has been joined by doctors across the country, with Indian Medical Association announcing a pan-India strike on June 17. Amid the ongoing nationwide strike by doctors, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to personally intervene in resolving the current impasse and provide security to doctors in West Bengal. Agitating doctors Friday demanded Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal. Kolkata: Agitating doctors Friday put forward six conditions, including an unconditional apology by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to withdraw the four-day-long strike that disrupted healthcare services across the state. "We want unconditional apology of Mamata Banerjee for the manner in which she had addressed us at the SSKM Hospital yesterday. She should not have said what she had," a spokesperson of the joint forum of junior doctors, Dr Arindam Dutta, said. Banerjee had said that "outsiders" entered medical colleges to create disturbances and that the agitation was a conspiracy by the CPI(M) and the BJP on Thursday. The other five conditions include: 1. Banerjee should visit the injured doctors and the CM's office release statement condemning the attack. 2. Immediate intervention by the CM in the matter; provide documentary evidence of judicial enquiry against police's inactivity to protect doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital 3. Documentary evidence and details of action taken against attackers 4. Unconditional withdrawal of all "false cases and charges" imposed on junior doctors and medical students across West Bengal in the wake of their strike 5. Improvement of infrastructure in healthcare facilities and posting of armed police personnel there. Two junior doctors were attacked and critically injured by a mob over an issue of alleged negligence at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Tuesday. Junior doctors across West Bengal have been on strike since then, demanding better security at workplaces. The protest has been joined by doctors across the country, with Indian Medical Association announcing a pan-India strike on June 17. Banerjee is yet to meet the assaulted doctors. Amid the ongoing nationwide strike by doctors, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has asked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to personally intervene in resolving the current impasse and provide security to doctors in West Bengal. Meanwhile, another junior doctor was attacked in Kolkata's National Medical College and Hospital on Friday evening. At least 460 doctors tendered their resignations by Friday evening in solidarity with the protestors agitating over the Kolkata assault incident. Junior doctors at NRS Medical College refused to end their agitation and laid down six conditions for withdrawing protest including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's unconditional apology. Live TV As many as 175 doctors resigned from Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital (IPGMER SSKM Hospital) while 119 doctors resigned from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. Thirty-three doctors resigned from School of Tropical Medicine, 18 from Sagar Dutta Medical College and Hospital, and 16 from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. At Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital, from where the entire chain of events unfolded, over 100 doctors resigned on Thursday. None of the resignations have been accepted by the state government. On Friday evening, Mamata Banerjee asked the agitating NRS junior doctors to meet her at state secretariat Nabanna, dispatching director of the state Medical Education Department Pradip Mitra to bring back four doctors for discussions. The junior doctors turned down the offer, demanding that the chief minister should instead come down to NRS Hospital to meet them. The protests erupted after a junior doctor was allegedly beaten up by the kin of a 75-year-old patient who died at the state-run NRS Hospital on Monday night. Alleging medical negligence, the family of the deceased patient attacked the doctors, causing serious injuries to two. Paribaha Mukherjee, an intern, sustained serious skull injuries in the attack. With mass protests and resignations across the state, medical services came to a grinding halt. Services were affected in emergency wards, outdoor facilities and pathological units of many hospitals, leaving the patients in the lurch. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan Friday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urging her to "personally intervene" to resolve the woes of agitating doctors in the state. State Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi also called Banerjee to discuss the matter, but is yet to receive a response from her. Meanwhile, another junior doctor was attacked in Kolkata's National Medical College and Hospital on Friday evening. In the meantime, the protest spread across the country, with the medical fraternity stepping forward to support the protesting doctors. The Indian Medical Association announced a nationwide strike on Monday (June 17) and also launched a three-day pan-India protest. All non-essential medical services including OPDs (Out Patient Departments) will be withdrawn for 24 hours on June 17 while emergency and causality services will continue to function, said the IMA. Healthcare services at private and government hospitals also suffered in Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, as thousands of doctors went on the day-long strike demanding justice for their colleagues. Nearly 30,000 doctors were on a one-day strike on Friday, most in West Bengal, New Delhi and Maharashtra, according to figures proved by medical associations, reported news agency Reuters. A PIL was filed in the Calcutta High Court on Friday seeking the court's intervention to declare the stir as ''illegal''. It also asked for details of steps taken by the West Bengal government on the safety of doctors and to end their agitation. Responding to the PIL, the High Court gave 7 days time to the Mamata Banerjee government to respond to it. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that the country condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state-terrorism against people under illegal occupation. The PM stated that Pakistan is "among the few countries to have successfully turned the tide against terrorism". Live TV Addressing the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit at Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Khan reiterated that Pakistan is ready to share its experience and expertise in counter-terrorism. He added that growing intolerance and Islamophobia are threatening to accentuate religious fault-lines. He further said that Pakistan will remain actively engaged in SCO's counter-terrorism initiatives. Speaking on Afghanistan, PM Khan said that "the conflict in Afghanistan has no military solution", adding that Pakistan is fully supporting efforts for "peace and reconciliation, through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process". "Excellencies, The world stands at a crossroads. For the first time in ages, we are seeing the advent of a multi-polar global order. Epicentres of economic power and growth momentum are shifting eastwards. Regional integration is speeding up. Disruptive technologies are maturing. Threats from terrorism to climate change to narcotics to bacterial resistance continue to loom large," said PM Khan. "There are increasing barriers to open trade and innovation. Meanwhile, growing intolerance and Islamophobia are threatening to accentuate religious fault-lines. For its part, Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including State-terrorism against people under illegal occupation. We are among the few countries to have successfully turned the tide against terrorism," added the Pakistan PM. "Pakistan remains ready to share its experience and expertise in counter-terrorism. We will also remain actively engaged in SCO's counter-terrorism initiatives. Excellencies, There is finally a realization that the conflict in Afghanistan has no military solution. Pakistan is fully supporting efforts for peace and reconciliation, through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process," further said Pakistan PM Khan. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reiterated India's strong stand against terrorism and appealed that countries supporting, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable. PM Modi highlighted the spirit and ideals of SCO to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism even as Khan looked on. Without naming Pakistan, a country that has made state-sponsored terrorism its biggest policy to counter India for the last several decades, PM Modi said every country needs to come together, unite and fight against the scourge. LONDON: The full extradition hearing to decide whether Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States to face accusations including spying charges will take place in February next year, a London court ruled on Friday. Live TV Assange, 47, faces 18 counts in the US including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades in prison if convicted. "It is important that people arent fooled into believing that WikiLeaks is anything but a publisher," said Assange, who appeared by video link from a London prison, dressed in a grey T-shirt and wearing black-framed glasses. "The US government has tried to mislead the press," he told Westminster Magistrates` Court. As Ben Brandon, the lawyer representing the United States ran through a summary of the charges against him including that he had cracked a US Defence network password, Assange said, "I didnt hack anything." Australian-born Assange came to prominence when WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of secret US diplomatic cables in 2010, angering Washington which said he had put lives at risk. His supporters hail him as a hero for exposing what they describe as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech. He spent almost seven years holed up in cramped rooms at the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he fled in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was wanted for questioning over allegations of rape. He was dragged from the embassy on April 11 and jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail. The United States has since charged Assange with numerous offences including espionage, saying he unlawfully published the names of secret sources and conspiring with ex-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain access to classified information. Brandon said Assange`s actions had been dangerous and "by publishing the unredacted material Mr Assange created a grave and imminent risk that many intelligence sources, including journalists, human rights defenders and political activists would suffer serious physical harm or arbitrary detention." However, Assange`s lawyer Mark Summers said the charges were an "outrageous and full-fronted assault on journalist rights and free speech" and that his client did not have access to a computer to allow him to follow the case. He told the court that Assange, who had been too ill to attend the previous hearing in May, was receiving healthcare. He did not elaborate. Judge Emma Arbuthnot said the full extradition case would be heard in the week starting February 25, 2020. Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko said Thursday that two tankers carrying "Japan-related" cargo were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz. Hiroshige Seko said on Thursday that all crew members were safely rescued. He said the government has set up a task force and that the government has informed the shipping industry to use precautions. The Japan Shipowners' Association said one of the two ships attacked is a Panamanian-registered chemical tanker belonging to its Japanese member and was on its way to Singapore and Thailand, not to Japan. It said all 21 Filipino crew members were uninjured. The attacks came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wrapping up a two-day trip to Iran with a mission to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington. The timing of the attack was especially sensitive while Abe's high-stakes diplomacy mission was underway. On Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe warned that any "accidental conflict" that could be sparked amid the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions must be avoided. No one has claimed responsibility or explained how the tankers were attacked. Benchmark Brent crude spiked at one point by as much 4% in trading following the attack, to over $62 a barrel, highlighting how crucial the area remains to global energy supplies. A third of all oil traded by sea passes through the strait, which is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The latest incident in the region comes after the U.S. alleged that Iran used mines to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah last month. Iran has denied being involved, but it comes as Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen also have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Tochigi Prefectural Police have arrested five persons following the discovery of 15 kilograms of marijuana and growing equipment in Mooka City last month, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 12). According to police, Masayuki Otsuka, 50, and four other persons, aged in their 30s to 50s, allegedly possessed the marijuana a with an estimated value of 75 million yen a at a building owned by Otsuka with intent to sell on around April 11. The five suspects deny the allegations, telling police the marijuana was for their own use, police said. They were sent to prosecutors on Wednesday. According to police, Otsuka operates a sales operation for grave stones out of the building. Three of the suspects are employees of the store. The fifth is an acquaintance. The marijuana was in a storage room on the third floor of the building. Officers also seized various equipment, including fans, reflective screens and watering cans, that are believed to have been used to cultivate the marijuana. Japan leads the world in paid leave set aside for fathers, but few take advantage of it, according to a new report by the U.N. Children's Fund based on legal entitlements from 2016. The report, called "Are the world's richest countries family-friendly?" looks at the globe's most family-friendly high and middle-income countries, and among other factors ranks nations by the amount of paid leave that fathers and mothers are entitled to receive. "In Japan, the only country that offers at least six months at full pay for fathers, only 1 in 20 took paid leave in 2017," a press release said. While still remaining at a low level, the percentage edged up to 6.16 percent in 2018, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said last week. According to a survey cited by the UNICEF report, 45 percent of male workers with children under 3 who are on regular contracts said they did not want to take paternity leave, while 35 percent said that while they did want to, they could not. Of those who did not take advantage of it, the third most common reason given was an "unfavorable atmosphere" in the workplace. The top reason was staff shortages and the second most common reason was that their company did not offer it. The report defined paternity leave as beginning shortly after childbirth, and explained that it was not as widely available as it was to women in the form of maternity leave. Of the 41 countries that were surveyed, only 26 offered paternity leave compared with 40 that supported maternity leave. A Japanese exchange student in the US state of Washington has sparked an online debate about a high school's use of a mushroom cloud logo. Nonoka Koga is from the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Fukuoka. She studied at Richland High School in the city of Richland. The school's logo depicts an atomic bomb's mushroom cloud. She discovered that the plutonium for the atomic weapon that was dropped on Nagasaki in 1945 was produced in Richland. She found that many local residents were proud of the city's history. As she learned about the logo and how local people see it, Koga was prompted to express her own view. Encouraged by her teacher and host family, Koga appeared on May 30 in a video produced by students at the school. She said in the video that in Richland High School, the cloud is celebrated and can be seen everywhere in the school. She said that, for her, the logo is a reminder of the people who lost their lives and it is also a reminder of the current peace. She also said those who were bombed were civilians, not soldiers. She asked, "Should we take pride in killing innocent people?" Her statement sparked a debate on Twitter about the use of the logo. Koga returned to Japan on Tuesday. She said she was the only student in the school who had a completely different view. She said she had wondered whether she could make her opinion understood as she is not fluent in English and didn't know how people would react. The high school senior said she had been scared and nervous the day before the video was put online. Koga said she had a feeling of fulfillment when she was told by people that if it were not for the video, they might never have been aware of the Japanese perspective. A member of the Kenyan Parliament representing Wajir East, Rashid Kassim, has been arrested hours after allegedly assaulting Wajir Cou... A member of the Kenyan Parliament representing Wajir East, Rashid Kassim, has been arrested hours after allegedly assaulting Wajir County Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi, according to NAN. Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi was allegedly beaten up on Thursday morning by Wajir East MP Rashid Amin in the parliament building. It is alleged that Gedi engaged him in a heated discussion before she was assaulted by the MP. The MP demanded to know why Gedi, who is a member of the budget committee, did not allocate any money to his Wajir East constituency. Gedi narrated that she was with her Homa Bay counterpart Gladys Wanga when she met the Wajir East lawmaker. He called me stupid and nonsense and then he beat me. I was shocked, I could not believe it. He came again and hit me. I told him that Wajir County was only allocated Ksh100 million and we had to allocate money to only areas of priority to the region like water and roads but he told me that was nonsense, she highlighted. The Home Bay Woman Representative confirmed she was present during the incident citing, they were heading to the Protection House when Amin met her. They started to converse in Somali so I just stood by to wait for Gedi. A few minutes into the conversation I just saw him hitting Gedi on the cheek, she was crying and bleeding. I didnt know what could lead to that. I was surprised that a colleague can assault a female member, Wanga narrated. Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has given fresh conditions, before he can reconcile with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanu... Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has given fresh conditions, before he can reconcile with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. Emir Sanusi has been asked to tender a public apology to Ganduje and people of Kano for dragging the revered image of the Kano emirate into the mockery waters of politics. The Governor also wants the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to withdraw all litigations challenging the Kano state government over the creation of the new Emirates. The Governor also wants Emir Sanusi to extend hands of fellowship to the new first class Emirs, including Emir of Rano, Bichi, Karaye and Gaya. Emir Muhammad Sanusi has a moral burden to publicly apologize to Governor Ganduje, moral burden to withdraw all court cases he is personally sponsoring against the government. This will indeed, demonstrate his readiness to embrace peace and forgive, for the overall interest of Kano and good people of the state. The emir should extend a hand of friendship to the emir of Karaye, Rano, Gaya and Bichi. He is also expected to positively use his wealth of experience to lead other emirates and ensure their commitment towards socioeconomic development of the state. When these are done, the reconciliation will not only become sweetest but very rewarding, Mallam Muhammad Garba, former Commissioner for Information, said in a statement. Garba further maintained that the Emirs ordeals, were a self-inflicted one and not a case of a witchhunt. According to the statement, the case of financial impropriety against Sanusi was instituted by some concerned group, which clearly vindicated the government. Recall that a group known as Concerned Friends of the Kano Emirate had petitioned the anti-graft agency alleging that a whopping sum of N3.4 billion was illegally expended at different transactions by the Kano Emirate Council with the express approval of the Emir. The Kano anti-graft agency has been on this very matter for about three years; and not until recently when it concluded the investigation and did the needful by forwarding the interim report to Kano state government. Suffix to say that the state anti-corruption body, which is independent, is acting based on the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended). And as far as the Commission is concerned, this investigation is ongoing and the Commission will do everything legally possible to deliver its mandate with respect to the case. Interestingly, Emir Sanusi, in compliance with the law, has replied the query issued to him by Kano State Government. Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) says he will seek a second term. He made this known on Friday a... Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) says he will seek a second term. He made this known on Friday at the ongoing annual meetings of the bank in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. I will run as a candidate to complete the work we have started, he told journalists at the closing press conference. I understand the responsibilities. I do not work for myself. I work with all of my body to fast track the improvement of this continent with the support of our donors. I am driven by Africa and it is not a chore for me. It is a labour of love so I am humbled when I see the trust placed on me to elect me as president of the bank. Listing the achievements of the bank, Adesina, who is a former minister of agriculture in Nigeria, said 55 million people now have access to an improved transport system because of the banks projects. He said 16 million now have electricity in their homes and 32 million can access clean water and medical facilities. The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, has congratulated the principal o... The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, has congratulated the principal officers of the 9th National Assembly. Baru spoke through a statement signed by its spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja, on Thursday. He said that the Oil and Gas Industry would count on their enormous support to move the sector forward. Baru wrote separate letter to each of the principal officers: Senate President, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, Deputy Senate President, Distinguished Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Idris Wase, dated 11th June, 2019. He expressed heartfelt joy in their elections into the nations hallow, chambers, adding that he hope that the 9th National Assembly would work in harmony with other arms of government for the development of the country, NAN reports. To the Senate President, Lawan, he said, At this critical period in our Countrys history, Nigeria deserves a President of the Senate that has enormous wealth of experience, of which, luckily, you embodied and are endowed with, making you a rare blessing to the nations body polity in dare need of strong, committed and purposeful leadership. I am hopeful that given your amiable nature, the 9th National Assembly would work in harmony with the Executive and the Judiciary in the interest of Nigeria and its people. He further prayed that God Almighty would give Lawan the strength and wisdom to steer the affairs of the Senate to justify the confidence his colleagues, the party and the generality of Nigerians reposed in him. To the Deputy Senate President, Sen. Omo-Agege, Baru noted, It was a victory won to the delight of your numerous supporters and well-wishers across the Country. I have no doubt in my mind that your immense wealth of experience in the Red Chamber would be an invaluable asset to help you function effectively in your new position as a Principal Officer of the Senate. Also in the letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gbajabiamila, he added that his election was apt as Nigeria yearned for politicians of sterner stuff. He added that the Speaker of House of Representatives election was a testament that the Country was making progress towards purposeful leadership. The House of Representatives is a critical stakeholder of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector. My colleagues and I in the Petroleum Industry wish to assure you of our readiness to work with the Legislature to chart a new course on Industry issues requiring your support, he said. Congratulating Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Baru enthused that his emergence was a confirmation of his immense popularity amongst his colleagues. He urged him to use his acceptance by the majority of the members of the House to positively direct the course of the Assembly along with the Speaker. Maxwell Okoye, a Nigerian from Oji River local government area of Enugu state, has been allegedly killed by men of the South African P... Maxwell Okoye, a Nigerian from Oji River local government area of Enugu state, has been allegedly killed by men of the South African Police Service. According to NAN, Joshua Itua, vice-president of Nigerian Union in South Africa, Okoye was tortured to death at Ladysmith, Kwa-zulu-Natal province, in the early hours of Friday. According to Itua, the police forced their way into the apartment of the deceased. He said members of the union had cause to believe the deceased was tortured to death as there were bruise marks and blood all over his body. While they were with him, he called to alert other Nigerians but before they could get to his apartment the police had made away with his body. Maxwells lifeless body was later seen at the mortuary, Itua said. The vice president said NUSA leaders then went to the police for fact-finding, noting that his death has added to the number of Nigerians that were killed either by the police or through Xenophobia. The station commander of Ladysmith claimed that he was met foaming as at the time they gained entrance to his apartment, he said. Police murder inquest has been opened and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in Kwa-zulu-Natal province have been informed for a full investigation. Our condolence to his family and the Nigerian community in Ladysmith. We call on our government to seriously engage its counterparts in South Africa for investigation and prosecution if not a natural death. This is because, according to our leaders who went to the mortuary, there are bruises and blood all over his body, hence, we have every reason to believe that he was tortured to death.